So time has said that our economy is to take a turn and our hip hop will follow. The broker our NYC pockets seem to get, the hungrier the emcees seem to get as well. Having personally known this guy right when he came down from his home in Rochester, it’s nice to see that MTV has made room for him and the rest of the blog world as well. After recently attaining hood status on his Recession Proof mixtape, I just had to sit down and show the Chi city what Emilio was all about.
RubyHornet: How different is Rochester from NYC?
Emilio Rojas: Rochester is an industrial city – in the era of NAFTA and globalization – which means there isn’t a lot of opportunity there for someone to thrive. All the businesses that used to call Rochester home (Kodak, Xerox, etc) have packed their bags and moved their corporate headquarters to China. That’s free trade for you. It’s beautiful there though. There are so many talented musicians and artists… lots of festivals and concerts – it’s home – I love it there. New York is the exact oppositte – it’s a financial city. It’s very stylish and fast paced. It’s crazy here. There are so many opportunities, and so many different things you can do to pass the time. It’s almost overwhelming. Both cities are motivating in different ways. Rochester more for its grit – and New York more for its sheer awesomeness (haha). New York is huge! I find that when I am in Rochester I tend to write more personal, heartfelt/ serious music, and New York brings my fun side out more.
RubyHornet: Your latest project is…?
Emilio Rojas: Recession Proof! (yessssss)
RubyHornet: Watching your VIMBY video, I felt like the viewers can get a good vibe of the NYC scene in a studio. In the making of your video, how does it feel that that’s the one that beats out all the high profile videos you went against?
Emilio Rojas: It shows what a little grind and a lot of talent can do (Court Dunn is amazing with a camera, Mphazes is ill with the beats, DJ Ease is crazy with the cuts – and I rap pretty good too). It felt good seeing people really support me like that – I really appreciate all the love from my fans and friends.
RubyHornet: Many great rappers have had aliases or previous names…RZA for example was Prince Rakim..if I’m not mistaken, you were out in Japan as Raks One and (you can order your CD for over $39 by clicking here). What’s up with this Japan thing? Did it work out promotionally, financially?
Emilio Rojas: Ha!… I plead the Fif FEEEEIF… I felt stupid introducing myself to people as “Raks” – my mother did a good job naming me so I figured I’m gonna roll with that instead.
RubyHornet: I read the XXL.com thing and saw that you got “Hood” status. More importantly, I’ve seen you talking with pride about the budding NYC scene. Lots of these readers are from Chicago, as Ruby Hornet is a Chicago based site. What do you think of their scene in comparison to our East coast?
Emilio Rojas: Truthfully I’m not familiar with the chicago scene outside of the Lupe, Kanye, Common, and the Cool kids -who I definitely dig. I would love to come out to the Chi soon though – just not in the winter – I heard it gets rough out there and road salt isn’t really good for my Air Max 1’s.
RubyHornet: When do you plan to go on tour?
Emilio Rojas: As soon as I get this situation… situated (ha)
RubyHornet: Can you tell us the places you’ve been and what is your most memorable shows?
Emilio Rojas: I’ve been all over Europe, the US, and Venezuela. My most memorable experience was definitely my trip to Caracas, Venezuela. My father is Venezuelan (deadbeat ass) and that was my first time visiting the country. It was such a beautiful place. Caracas is crazy though. On the way to one of my shows there, we were pulled over by four police officers armed with Automatic Rifles. They took all of our ID’s, and as soon as they saw that I was from the United States things got a little shaky. We got out unscathed though then went to the show that night and KILLED it. The crowds in Venezuela were so energetic and live. I can’t wait to get back there. Big shouts to System Crew CCS for showing me around while I was down there.
RubyHornet: Can you tell me what was iller, ‘Hey (mom, dad, bro,sis) I’m on MTV!!’ or ‘yo son..check it I’m in XXL“?
Emilio Rojas: Ha! That all depends on how strong a reader the person I’m telling is.
RubyHornet: OK, this is the part of the interview that is my favorite…its called fill in the blank’s. Emilio Rojas is descended from
F**king Royalty. The breakfast that I eat is vegetable juice and mangoes. I never spend more than whatever the hell I want on lunch. Coffee is the worst at anytime in the day . Your girl and your sister (haha-nah I’m playing. Me, Myself, and I …I roll by myself usually…then leave with something aha)…are some of the people you can usually see me with at show. The best thing about Chicago to me is the fact that its new to me! I’m really upset about the new Mets stadium because I’m a Yankees fan. My upcoming album is called Phaze One and features some of my friends like you’ll see! Haha! My favorite weather is fall weather because I write better rhymes when I’m wearing nice jackets . If I had a rock album like Lil’ Wayne it’d be called Lapse In Judgment and would feature Yes Men . This interview is really half decent and kosha dillz is the worst for asking me about my Japanese release and my approaching rock album and I wish a motherf**king airplane would fly me to Chicago’s Ruby Hornet Headquarters. If i had 24 hours to live I would call her and her and her and represent pimpin’ to the fullest.
RubyHornet: Rappers are famous for shout outs and plugs. Ready set…Shout and plug…NOW!
Emilio Rojas: Big shouts to all of my home town! Rochester New York Stand Up!!! My mother and two sisters, all of my friends, DJ Ease… Same Plate Team, Legend… Special thanks to all the fans and the un-fans (I’m not gonna say haters anymore). All the blog sites that have shown me love – the whole new music cartel… A special thank you to Kosha Dillz and Ruby Hornet for having me and supporting me and my music. I really appreciate it! Thanks Chicago! Check out the myspace and the twitter