Thanks to modern technology I recently had a chance to chop it up with Detroit, Michigan’s very own Dux Jones. These days it’s nothing to get an inbox full of random music from different artist all over the country. The hardest part for me is taking the time to listen to what most of them have to say. Thankfully for myself as well as the future of the game Frontstreet Records runs shit a little bit different on their end. Built just like a successful imprint from the nineties, Frontstreet uses the same multi level marketing strategy that all other companies use and not to mention they’re able to add with that the perks of today’s internet marketing. Rappers rap, producers produce, promoters promote and that’s why Dux Jones and the rest of his Frontstreet cohorts will carve a sizable niche in hip-hop!

Rapavelli.com: I’ve been hearing at least a new song from you each week it seems. What do you feel this type of consistency will do for you and what you’re trying to accomplish in the game?

Dux Jones: Hopefully it will gain me TRUE fans…not just folk that hop on the tip cause you have a hot record for the moment, but fans that have watched me & my Frontstreet family grow as a whole…

Rapavelli.com: People often wrongfully put a time cap on themselves as far as accomplishing certain things. Would you say that you have a time cap or are you in this for the long haul no matter what does or doesn’t come of it?

Dux Jones: I would definitely have to say I’m in it for the “long haul”…you have to understand we’re placed on this earth for the long haul regardless, so you might as  well find what you love doing & stick to it, that’s what I’ve been doing since 7th grade.

Rapavelli.com: How long have you been on your music grind?

Dux Jones: I don’t know if you want to label it “the grind” per say, but I’ve been writing rhymes since 7th grade…so that’s about 11 yrs.

Rapavelli.com: If you don’t label it a grind what do you label it? What exactly is it to you?

Dux Jones: I prefer not to label it “the grind” for its occupation & recreation for me even rehabilitation if you will!

Rapavelli.com: What was it that made you first decide that you wanted to pursue a rap career?

Dux Jones: Well it wasn’t something done in attempt to make it somewhere in life, yet more so a pastime between friends that just became an addiction for me…but shortly after I got the entire lunchroom’s attention as I rhymed I noticed, THIS IS WHAT I WANNA DO FOREVER LOL!

Rapavelli.com: Could you explain what it felt like when you did realize that this is what you wanted to do? Like did you see the look on everyone’s face in the lunchroom and that was it?

Dux Jones: Yea kinda sort of…it was more so the fact that they got enjoyment out of my private thoughts. It almost gives you a feeling of control; you trigger certain emotions with certain lines or statements in different individuals. That’s why I try to place a wide range of topics in my verses for everything isn’t for everyone yet there’s something there for everyone if you follow!

Rapavelli.com: What is your overall objective in the game with things shifting from
a focus on CD sales to other avenues of making money?

Dux Jones: Honestly…of course I want to make money, IM HUMAN…yet that isn’t my overall goal. Once it’s all said and done and they reflect on me & my career I just want them to say “he did it like no other.”

Rapavelli.com: What is that you have that you know they will embrace as different from everybody else?

Dux Jones: Its not that I’m doing something different per say its more so the way I’m doing it…which is “quality music” people appreciate things they cant do themselves…that’s why I watch And 1 basket ball games cause I cant do that 720 dunk! I watch the NFL for I can’t break those three tackles! Its not my music that their enjoying their enjoying the hard work I put into the music.

Rapavelli.com: Who are some other artists that you found inspiration in or people in your own life that you’ve found inspiration in?

Dux Jones: Musically I draw inspiration from The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cold Play, Jay-Z, Nas, Pac, B.I.G to name a few…In my life I draw from everyone around me, it would be foolish & selfish to only speak on my life, trials, and tribulations, when I’m in contact with tons of interesting people on a day to day basis.

Rapavelli.com: Next year around this time what do you see being different in your music and other endeavors?

Dux Jones: Growth…in all aspects, musically & music aside.

Rapavelli.com: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Dux Jones: Picking up my awards for “best new artist” “rap album of the year” “producer of the year” (THE SKOUTS!!! SHOUTS TO THIRTY LOL) but hopefully it won’t take five years lol!

Rapavelli.com: As a kid did you play any sports and if so did what you learn doing that have any effect on how you grind as far as music?

Dux Jones: Basketball was my 1st love…and it definitely instilled a “don’t be scared of no one” attitude in me that I take in the booth with me every trip.

Rapavelli.com: If your style resembles anyone or would remind anyone else of a mainstream artist who would it be?

Dux Jones: hmmmm I hate this question…I don’t really care to compare myself to other individuals in the same genre as me for I try to keep myself as individual as possible yet I will answer the question by complimenting another artist whom I believe places a lot of thought into his lyrics as I do and further more respect…Lupe Fiasco…he’s lyrically amazing to me.

Rapavelli.com: Outside of rap what do you find that you like to do?

Dux Jones: I’m a movie freak! Love to watch a good movie over a big bowl of Overreddin Bocker OR HOWEVER YOU SPELL IT LOL!

Rapavelli.com: What do you want people to hear or see when they listen to your music?

Dux Jones: I just wanted people to acknowledge a TRUE M.C when they hear me rhyme…not none of that microwave bullshit, something thought provoking, meaning it was actual thought put into it. I want the fans to really sit back, with whatever their vice is and just dissect each line…cause it’s something there for EVERYONE!

Rapavelli.com: How do you come up with your lyrics? Do you write or do you come straight from the head?

Dux Jones: Straight from my head though it’s basically like writing it down just without the paper…not freestyle if you will. But lately I’ve been trying to convert back to putting it on paper just as a different way of approaching things, for its been approximately 5 years since I’ve written anything down.

Rapavelli.com: Why do you choose that particular method of creating your content?

Dux Jones: I first attempted to not write it down just out of sheer curiosity…hearing all the Jay-Z talk about him not writing anything down and being that he was the best rapper I’m like “damn it must be something”, now I’m not certain if that’s exactly what it was but I swear soon as I stopped putting it on paper is when I felt as though I had begun to surpass my peers.

Rapavelli.com: Yo man, I appreciate you taking some time to chop it up with me and the rest of the audience.

Dux Jones: Thank you for your time!

Rapavelli.com: Any last thoughts?

Dux Jones: Peace is priceless!

Checkout FrontStreetRecords.com for more on Dux Jones & Front Street Records

Last year around this time I got the chance to listen to one of Michael “Determined” Barber’s many many street albums. Since that time it seems as though my man MDB has made some big strides in the industry. From garnering ad support from Miller High Life to signing a distribution deal with Universal MDB the Louisville, KY bred and current Orlando, FL resident is nonetheless on his shit. I recently got a chance to catch up with MDB and here’s a little bit of how it went!

Rapaveli.com: What have you been working on lately?

MDB: Lately besides recording I have been working on distribution techniques for my two albums that will both be out this summer at the latest, “Xanax and Anchovies” is a digital album, it is finished and it was all recorded with another artist named Sick’7, who then went AWOL with a girl, hahaha. Amalgam Digital was originally going to release that, but the money and timing just wasn’t right.  So I am putting it out myself.

“Shotguns and Canned Goods” will be both digital and physical. The hard copy will come out on Fontana/Universal Records, and will also be available in 320 Head Shops. The lead single will be hitting airwaves, websites, and hoods in about 30 days and it features Akon. As for other projects, the rock group Slightly Stoopid contacted me about doing a whole remix album so that’s in the works, and I will defiantly be back on tour this summer.

My website <http://www.rhymerelated.com> will be up May 1st and will be huge. It’s gonna be a big year.

Rapaveli.com: So aside from making good music alone, how else do you as an artist feel that you can build equity in your brand of music? Even with the internet changing all of the rules!

MDB: Well all I can do is put out honest music. That is what is missing, major labels are trying to just generate hits, and then new artists feel they should mimic that sound as producers or artists, so it’s not genuine. So I have brand awareness, people look for me. So with that, I just have to keep new material coming out. 

Rapaveli.com: We’re seeing more and more of an internet push on music these days. What are some of the cons and pros you see in marketing your music on the internet mostly?

MDB: The biggest con is that music became free. You want to hear a song you can youtube it, you can frostwire it, burn it and there you go. If an artist does an album, drops a CD that shit has usually leaked before it has even hit the stores and you can get the whole thing on a torrent site or just get the one hot song you like. Itunes made the album disappear, or napster. Napster made it easily available to get the one or two songs off of an album that you wanted, then Itunes just made it legal. Then they do it with the addition of the Ipod, and they really put a corner on the market. The internet killed the album!

As for the good, as an artist I have so many more outlets to get my music out into the hands of people. People find my music in the weirdest ways. Some girl in Nebraska likes one of my songs that I did a year ago, she uploaded it to youtube and next thing I know people find my website and hit me up on myspace. The major labels are still acting like it is 2001 and they try and act like the internet doesn’t exist.  I feel as an artist you should just embrace it, put your music everywhere. 

Rapaveli.com: It seems like that strategy has worked quite well for Lil Wayne. Would you say that that is one of the key steps to being successful in the industry? All too often you see artist who generate a buzz and then lose it because they don’t come with consistent product.

MDB: First off, fuck Wayne! His biggest hit EVER was written by Static Major a Louisville artist who Wayne never gives any respect to, RIP Static. I know a lot more about what really happened to Static, but we can talk about that later.  

Wayne did indeed put out about 365 mix tapes in a year, but then for him to come out and say fuck mixtape DJs after they gave him a buzz, is crazy to me. And now these lame DJs still put him on tapes instead of trying to break new artists. It shows you how people can just be followers.  

But to answer you, I feel the product I put out has been hot and the projects I’m working on are going to continue to build my fan base. 

Rapaveli.com: I feel that, I’ve heard the fucked up truth about what really happened to Static. As far as mixtapes go, how do you feel about their place in the industry now and in the future? It seems like there relevance is beginning to fade out because it seems to be more supply than demand.

MDB: Way too many artists, it’s to easy nowadays to record on an industry beat, then get a mixtape cover done, and put it on your myspace. But the cream always rises and the masses need a voice. They don’t want to hear your remix to the “Put On” beat or “Amillie.” I mean unless you really kill it. LOL. I actually did a five part series last year called Drag and Drop, just to show people how easy it is to make a mixtape, it was just or fun but people loved them. Mixtapes are fading away with the album. 

Rapaveli.com: What is it about yourself that you feel separates you from the rest of the pack? And what do you think the future of music sales is?

MDB: Everything is really set up for me this summer, the new song with Akon, I will be dropping one single a week on my website leading up to my digital and hard copy releases. They will feature Nappy Roots, Akon, and production from Aftermath Producers; it’s gonna be my summer. I feel confident! But besides that I gotta give the people what they want, Shotguns and Canned Goods is based on what we are living thru right now. We are in an economic crisis. 

As for me, the music will be distributed through a subscription service, it just has to be readily available, like if you can have access to a song at anytime, in your car, bathroom, etc then people will do it, maybe. Music has become free, if you’re an artist you better get your tour game correct. 

Music became free with Napster. And it is really secondary as entertainment; background to a lot of people!

So I really can’t answer how music will come, I know it won’t be a CD, I am just going to make my music as easily available to people that want it and I should be ok. If Universal wants me to come save the music industry they know how to get a hold of me.

I just wanted to add that I just received sponsorship from Miller High Life!!!!

Rapaveli.com: Word, could you explain that situation a little bit.

MDB: Well the high life sponsorship, they are giving me a monthly check right now as well as a bonus up front. In return I am putting their logo on my mixtapes, CD covers, and on my myspace, website etc as well as wearing T-shirts, hats etc. While I perform. It is one of many that I am working on. I already love the product so it is win win.

Rapaveli.com: Do you think that endorsement deals are a part of the answer for artist to get paid nowadays as opposed to depending on declining album sales?

MDB: Yes, and it has been going on. I don’t know if it will get to NASCAR status but it will get bigger.

Album sales are over it’s a bunch of old fucks at the labels thinking it’s 1991.

Rapaveli.com: Man it’s been a pleasure talking to you as always. Good luck on taking over the industry this year. Peace, until next time!

MDB: I’m excited!!! Thanks for everything as far as your help online! Peace…

The other day I got a chance of a lifetime to interview one of the sexiest, smartest, and most cunning personalities within the urban industry. Though you’ve probably seen Melyssa Ford in numerous music videos ranging from Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin” to Sisqo’s “Thong Song” chances are you probably didn’t realize exactly how extensive the Canada based supermodel’s resume really is. She’s hosted BET’s In Style, appeared in a number of movies, and graced the covers of magazine such as Black Men, FHM, and Maxim among others. After more than e decade in the spotlight Melyssa Ford is sticking to her guns in excelling to new heights in the entertainment industry. In the midst of a hectic and physically draining schedule Melyssa took a little time out to let us in on what she’s been up to, how she really feels about the music industry, and what she thinks is wrong with video models these days.

Rapaveli.com: So how are you doing today?

MF: Honestly I’m tired (laughs) it’s been a very very long and aggressive schedule on this Lady Hennessey tour but um it’s great so I’m just a little exhausted from the transcontinental travel.

Rapaveli.com: So what are some of the things that you are currently working on?

MF: Well the lady Hennessey tour takes up a significant amount of my time there are four other young ladies that are involved in the lady Hennessey tour but I’m the face of the tour and basically what that means is a lot more work for me where they might do one or two appearances per week I do a minimum of four days in a market, which is a lot. So I’ve been everywhere, all over Ohio, all over New Jersey, all over New York, DC, now I’m in Philly, Boston, Chicago and this is just phase one. Second phase is going to be the southwest region, which is going to be all over Texas, Arizona, and California

Rapaveli.com: So you’re on your own little campaign trail. Sort of!

MF: Basically, I feel like a politician…

Rapaveli.com: I imagine!

MF: I do, I do. I shake hands; I kiss babies all day long. I smile and represent the brand of Hennessey as best a I possibly can and so honestly that is what takes up a lot of my time but since I spend a lot of time alone in hotel rooms or on airplanes I’ve got a lot of time to write so I’m in the process of writing a screenplay and obviously trying to write a book and I’m also in the developmental phase of a play being created by an award winning Broadway director on my life in the industry.

Rapaveli.com: I was going to ask you about the book that you have coming out. What would you say is your main motivation for writing a book and what is it about?

MF: There’s several reasons why I’m motivated to write a book, number one being it’s an organic talent of mine. I’ve been writing since I could read and basically walk. I was a minor in University English Literature my major was Forensic Psychology So when you’re an organic artist its like you have no choice in the matter, you just write and write and write but also I firmly believe that the fact that I’m as educated and as well read as I am is why I’m still relevant in this business ten years later where as I can count hundred of girls who participated in doing music videos and ended up within the same pages of the magazines I was once on the covers of why no one even knows their names anymore.

My intellect is what has kept me afloat, beauty fades or your popularity goes through peaks and valleys and stuff like that but my level of intelligence is what has always been what kind of kept me afloat an I always want to encourage that to the younger generation; don’t be overwhelmed by the perceived glamour of this business, please do yourself a favor and focus on your studies. Have a plan B, C, or D and just be a well-rounded individual and have more than just one interest

And the other thing that falls in line with that is I have a lot o knowledge in the business being kind of the icon and pioneer that I’m perceived to be that I feel like I want to share with young people who either want to break into the business or are really really curious about it. I really take the glitter off of it and show you point blank what it is and a lot of the sacrifices and the difficulties that I had to go through and experience forging a career through a male dominated industry which equals a lot of sexism, a lot of showvanism, and also just the sacrifice of my personal life.

Rapaveli.com: What types of things would you say you’ve had to sacrifice in your personal life for the business?

MF: The number one thing that I would say gets sacrificed is your sense of any entitlement to privacy. Once you become visible you are public property. People kind of have this idea of “you got in the business, you asked for it…” I didn’t really ask you to try to film me while I’m sitting on a toilet trying to pee in a public bathroom, I don’t think that’s what I asked for when I started to appear on the cover of magazines, in music videos, on BET, and in movies and whatever. I think that the concept of fame has really become very combuluted and it’s all twisted up. Fame used to be a by-product of success, whereas now it Is the sole achievement and people allow themselves to become very corrupted so trying to hold on to some kind of a moral code or system of values in this business can be very challenging especially if you’re young and you’re attractive and you want to succeed.

So the sacrifice of my privacy, having to deal with lies that people tell about you, also trying to be in a normal relationship with somebody. People ask me why you don’t date Joe Shmoe the regular guy. I actually do! I actually have. I in no way shape or form discriminate a man based on his status, his power, his position, or what he does. It’s just the individual. There’s certain things that come along with dating the regular guy where he’s not gonna know how to deal with it. And you can only understand what that’s like when once you’ve been in the position to have to deal with something. Whether he’s in the industry or if he’s in no way shape or form related to it, I experience a lot of difficulty in my personal relationship with guys.

So these are some of the things that you have to sacrifice. You also have to keep in mind that you yourself are kind of like real estate. You have to put a value on who you think you are in this business. People will always try to short change you and you have to stick to your guns and what that means is that you have to choose your projects wisely otherwise you look like you’ll attend the opening of an envelope and do anything for anybody and you’re seen as kind desperate, you have to choose things wisely and sometimes its very big payouts.

I’ll give you a very good example, at one point I was asked to endorse a sex product and they wanted to pay me 150 thousand dollars just for the use of my image and me saying I love to use this particular sexual toy. I wouldn’t do it because the slippery slope to where that could lead to could completely dismantle all of the hard work that I had done to get people to respect me and respect my mind, just that one thing. A hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.  But then again in the long run when you can sacrifice everything like big projects will go away people won’t look at you for anything else, that hundred and fifty thousand dollars does not last long. So those are some of the sacrifices, the sacrifice of some of big paychecks for something that will probably hurt your career in the long run but the short-term money is great. Those are some of the choices you have to make in this business.

Rapaveli.com: Speaking of lies or what not, you weren’t in The Game’s video for “Wouldn’t Get Far” so what did you think of his statements when you first heard them?

MF: It’s a very funny story. One day DJ Clue calls me up who is like my homie, we work out together at Chelsea Pears when I was living there in New York I live in LA currently. He calls me up and he’s like “yo Melyssa did you diss the Game,” because I’m famous for dissing… well not dissing but just not being remotely interested in shitting where I eat which is the industry. So I was like no…. and he was like “are you sure?” I briefly met him once when I was doing an interview with G-Unit years ago. Like why are you asking he’s “like because he put your name in a song” and I’m like ok I’m assuming its not that good and he’s like eeemmmmm… it was like well is it on a mixtape or is an album cut. He was like “its on the album” I was like oh shit is it a filler or is it gonna be a single? He;’s like “its gonna be a single,” so Clue reads what is says and I fell out laughing my ass off because it was funny to me because its wordplay.

If you listen to what it says it rhymes. Melyssa Ford drives a Honda Accord, will do anything to get to the Grammy Awards. Like the fact that people took this so fucking seriously ran with it and still finds the humor in it or really took it seriously just boggles my mind at how many mental midgets there are out there just fuckin freaks me out that people cannot think for themselves. Like duh it’s a song fro Christ sake. I guess the issue with the song is that he mentioned other females in the song that do have that kind of reputation so it leant validity to what he said about me which sucked so I ended up in a bad position. Game actually apologized to me in front of a huge crowd of people and said that he meant no harm by it and I was like what’s done is done like whatever and life goes on and its not that serious but trust me people still ask me about that and I’m like oh my God its not that big of a deal.

Rapaveli.com: I imagine, you know, I did the research and it seems like compared to all the other video models, which I don’t want to categorize yourself as just that, but it seems like compared to most other video models you’re a lot more well rounded than everyone else is. I mean you hold a degree and…

MF: The reason for that is because the girls that are in music videos now, this was a goal of their’s, this is what they strived for, I want to be that, I want to be in a video with Fabolous, I just wanna be in a fuckin music video! That’s their goal, when I started doing music videos it was secondary income I was a University student, I wanted extra money plus I got to travel. I literally would go home and resume my life as a University student and as a bar tender on weekends and I worked for a satellite TV company in Toronto. I never even watched my videos on TV. I never watched TV, I was too busy with school. All my friends at the call center would be like “oh my God Melyssa we saw your video” and I was like really, Ok. I was never impressed with me, you know I could care less. The Money was more important to me.

I got into videos at a time when the music industry was booming. There were 600,000 dollar, milliom dollar, two million dollar budgets for music videos. There was a lot of money flying around. Lets go to Trinidad, rent a million dollar yacht, and do “Big Pimpin…” Ok… sure lets do that, and that’s what we did and it was great! There is no way these girls are seeing what I saw and what my generation of music video models saw. I liken the girls who did music videos around the time that I did them. We’re like the supermodels of the 90s. Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista, we’re the glamour ones, we’re the ubermodels!

Everyone who came after us were cheated out of the experience because the record industry changed and the money was not available for these astronomical budgets anymore and the landscape of videos changed and women were becoming a lot more objectified and that’s was the point of which I started to have a lot of discomfort with doing music videos coupled with the fact that it just wasn’t my lane anymore.

You’ve got to grow within the industry that you exist. You’ve got to expand your horizons and prove that you have talent doing more than just one thing. So the girls now don’t really see the reason to do anything other than what they’re striving to do which is to be in a music video. So I find that academics are not high on their list of priorities. Which is unfortunate because that was always what took precedence over doing a music video. I was asked to do Nas and Mobb Deep in the south Pacific and I had to turn it down because my school schedule did not permit me to go. I could have gone and said fuck school. But you have to exercise some form of discipline as an individual you cant be instructed what to do 24/7 everyday of your life. You’re an adult and you have to make adult decisions and my adult decisions were to be responsible to me.

Rapaveli.com: What would you say is your most cherished accomplishment of your career thus far?

MF: My first solo calendar was an achievement for me because I had been doing the covers of magazine for a minute and I was really more interested in being involved in the creative process. Often times when you end up on a shoot for a magazine the art director or the creative director has already preplanned the wardrobe the setting, the locations been scouted, the photographer has already been chosen, they already know how they want to shoot you. The only thing that  you can do is show up and pose. I wasn’t comfortable just being that.

My first calendar was born from a concept of being every man’s fantasy and I believed that I could be that because I could be such a chameleon. The minute I change my hair or makeup I look like a different girl. I just wanted to give twelve different versions of Melyssa Ford and I feel like I accomplished that with my first calendar.

It was really really a beautiful calendar the way that it was put together the creative design. So that was an achievement of mine because all of the ideas belonged to me and from that spawned two other calendars, but what also came about was every other girl realized, “hey I don’t have to pose for anyone else’s calendar, I can do my own.”  Nobody was doing that, that’s also like the achievement; the fact that I was the first to do a lot of the things that girls do now. With the ring-tone deals, the wall paper on your phone, the solo calendars, the behind the scene DVDs, all of that stuff can really honestly be attributed to me, so that’s a sense of achievement as well; the iconic status that’s been placed upon my shoulders.

Rapaveli.com: Well that’s about all the questions I have for you tonight. Melyssa, I really appreciate the honest and integrity based answers and that’s really about it on my end.

MF: If you guys need anything else you can hit up my publicist and we can go from there.

Rapaveli.com: Again, thanks a lot Melyssa!

MF: You’re welcome Maurice.