The 10 Question(s) Q&A Session Series: Hassaan Mackey

The 18th and second edition of the “10 question(s) Q&A series” of the year we got the chance to connect with Rochester based emcee Hassaan Mackey, an artist some of you may know from his debut album “Soul For Sale” on Rawkus Records. Hassaan Mackey is a unique emcee, with his own unique story to tell, he can rap a little too. This year he plans to release a whole host of new material both in stores and online, this a name no one is gonna be forgetting anytime soon, he chops it up about his inspiration, new projects, internet and what makes him unique from other artists.

Dub MD: Hassaan, what’s good fam? For those who don’t know, could you just give a short review of what you’ve experienced in your music career up until now?

Hassaan Mackey: It all started off working with my man Sycorax one aka Emilio Rojas back in like 02-03 I think, I used to host an open mic with my boys Wagon and Brasby down at this coffee shop called javas every odd Sunday, that’s where we hooked up and started rocking together.

He had a lot of inside underground plugs early on with real dope producers like Muneshine, Illmind and M-Phazes just to name a few he was slowly building a name for himself and kind of felt like should come along to enjoy the ride so that’s how it started. I’d feature on a joint or we’d do a joint together and things started to happen for me from there.

Dub MD: Coming from Rochester, how does coming from there shape your attitude to the music/culture? and what do you think of the New York music scene right now?

Hassaan Mackey: First and for most I love New York , I would have never known this music we call hip hop had ever existed if not for the great city of New York. Music revolves and evolves as well. It goes back and forth or sometimes it just moves forward and leaves the past behind until it decides to return on another day that’s just how thing go with being creative believe it or not you need the bad stuff in order to make the good stuff but at the end of the day it’s left up to the people to decide which one they like.

Dub MD: Do you have a new album or mixtape in the works? whats it called? and what can heads out there expect from it and why cop it above everything else out there?

Hassaan Mackey: I’m currently finishing an EP for Rappersiknow.com as well as working on a bunch of stuff with the crew Low Budget, rocking with my brother Finale on some joints and I’m also part of a collective called Daily Bread with my man Apollo Brown and this shit is going to be bonkers (Laughs), cant wait to bring it to the people sort of stepped out of my shell on these songs, yikes!

If you like double fisted mic gripping ass kicking potent lyrics straight from the depths of the motherf*cking soul then you are ready for the mack attack (Laughs) and that is more than enough reason for you to cop my shit because I put my heart in this shit.

Dub MD: With this new album, what artists and producers are you connecting with this time around? and what’s your label situation like just now?

Hassaan Mackey: For the Rappersiknow.com (shameless plug) project my man Kev Brown, Did the bulk of the material on there but my man Slimkat78er did a nice amount of joints on there as well. Oh yeah Roddy Rodd blessed me with A banger as well.

As far as a label situation is concerned, the Daily Bread project is coming out on Mello Music Group and the folks who run things over there are very fair and they believe in the artist they deal with as well. It’s not the biggest label in the world but for a brother like me it is because they believe in me enough to want to put my music out as well as compensate me for work! That’s truly an honor, shout out to them!

Dub MD: Where do you get the inspiration to write the type of material you do? what is the writing process like when it comes to working on your projects? and why do you think mc’s that keep integrity in their music, never make a real mark on soundscan?

Hassaan Mackey: When I write songs it’s usually the beat telling me what to write I never sit around writing verses but I do when I have too which Is when I’m inspired, listening to Thelonius Monk or a beat tape I got from my man Kev Brown or something Slimkat or my brother Quarter Pound or Moproducto cooked up as well as all the other dudes in the crew that produce! LOW UFFING BUDGET (Laugh) and lets not forget my man Apollo Brown.

I am not really sure on that one maybe I might be foolish for never paying attention to soundscans? I was giving the gift to do this in place of my mother, my father and my older sister so I have reasons other than fame or fortune for doing this, my music comes from a painful place but it’s honest shit. I’m looking at this shit and almost in tears as I type it because I’ve come a long way man.

I’ve lost more then most folks ever do and never once did I complain I just took the pain and turned it into music, the type of music I make isn’t based off of what a fan might approve to be some the illest shit since cold cuts and mayo I am not worried about that shit. I just do me, speak what i know and keep away from the corny, who you know elitist types I like to be in the background the views better there.

Dub MD: Your debut album “Soul For Sale” was released back in Nov. 2007 through Rawkus 50. Now that its public property are you happy with how that release went?

Hassaan Mackey: I’m proud of myself for even coming out with that project, my man Moproducto was the one who made that whole shit possible, he told me about the Rawkus 50, and made sure that I recorded demo material. We sent it in and from there I got a call at like 2 am and its SlopFunkDust telling me that Rawkus wants to sign me, man I was like yes that’s what’s up because I remember what Rawkus used to be so I based my ideas of signing with them based off of that premise, boy was I wrong. (Laughs)

Dub MD: You’ve got a decent of support from hip hop fans online since that album, How important do you feel the internet is to underground hip hop these days? do you think its helping or hurting the game in the long term?

Hassaan Mackey: Yeah it surprising but people actually like my music I’m grateful for their support I couldn’t ask for more, although we hope for the fans to buy our music some people choose to down load it and you got to have love for them as well even you could use the dough stealing from the artist is considered as stealing from your self as well, don’t steal from yourself (Laughs) nah it’s all good.

I’m glad people like my music, to me I’m still the same Hassan, I’ve always been Goofy, Reserved, Cool, Relaxed, Quiet Warrior I was raised by my mother she was my father as well so I had to be tough growing up but not dumb tough, life tough!, because I learned that the world is any ugly place when my sister lost her life at the age of 17, I was five then but I can still remember the events that took place that day as if they just reoccurred.

The internet is filled with a little bit of everything boss! It’s a bunch of shit going on, on their man it’s crazy I check into facebook from time to time and the stuff that people post back and forth about each other front street ish is some entertaining stuff. (Laughs)

Dub MD: What do you think is your most defining and unique characteristic that sets you apart from every other emcee out there? and how would you describe your style to those who still haven’t heard your production?

Hassaan Mackey: I’d say I’m mixture of different things rolled into one, I grew up in a single parent home with a car collection of over two hundred hot wheels cars a gang of GI-Joes and a Nintendo but I had greater love for music, my mother used to listen to all of the stuff I listened too, she even used to let me order videos off the BOX even though the channel was always fuzzy as hell she still allowed me to experience those things along with others her birthday just passed a few weeks ago so I been thinking of her alot.
She really taught me about the value of knowledge the value of life the value of truth the value of strength the value of courage the value of faith the value of honor the value of respect and the value of love, I think those are the things that set me apart as a man I’m still learning so I don’t really dub my self an MC, just yet but I feel like I am getting closer we’ll see.

Dub MD: You’ve done shows in various different places, If I’m coming to a Hassaan Mackey show. What am I going to experience, that I won’t experience from just listening to your material on CD?

Hassaan Mackey: I think you experience both platforms equally because I put my heart into everything I do when it comes to music even when I’m just freestyling and joking around I am real with this here thing we call a mic device boss I’ve collected a lot of heads in my day (Laughs). I’m not sure what you’ll experience unless you plan on telling me, we might sit in the same room listen to the same album front to back and still gain to totally different opinions at the end of our listen. I try not to expect I just create and give it my all, the rest is up to the creator.

Dub MD: What is on tap for Hassaan Mackey for 2010 and beyond? do you have anything to say to the fans? anything you wanna get off your chest? any shout outs?

Hassaan Mackey: Shout out to the crew low budget! We got a bunch of stuff coming out, I’m talking one project right after another some are even dropping at the same time this shit is crazy my crews all winners! Shout to Fresh Daily! As far as me I’m just glad to be here to some not in the know it’s really not considered much and that’s fine with me because don’t ever think I could live with being hassled every where I went I sometimes have a hard time talking to people already because I’m not eager to give away friendship, not saying that I am a need to know person I’m just saying I’m real an don’t rock with anybody except family is all.

To the fans supporters of not only people like myself but all of the artist that create this kind of music from the Low Budgets, to the Skyzoo’s, the Finale’s and Vandalyzm’s on down thank you because believe or not even though our relationship is one that is concocted of both love and hate, we still realize that we both need each other in order to face the world and that’s the honest truth.

Shout out to my mother Grace my brother Bobby, my nephews and niece’s, my girl Kia The Young God King, grandma Rose Ma Dukes Nate, my brother and sister Grant and Niema Flip Mode (Laughs) ( Zioni Tafari And Haile) Quarterpound Conduct, Wagon, Ddreg, Brasby, Isaac Washington, Rapheal Hall, Kev Brown, Low Budget, Finale, M-will, Romance and the list goes on. You all are the ones that keep me going when I feel like I might want to shut the mic off for good. Thank you.