Sun.N.Y. a.k.a The Sun Of New York has been tearing it up in Atlanta for the past few years as one of Hip Hop's top prospects! As an Atlanta radio champion, Sun.N.Y. parlayed that success in to being a retired 7 week champion of 106 & Park, which led to being signed by then Virgin Records labelhead Jermaine Dupri! Now see what this talented Hip Hop artist has been up to and learn the heart & mind of a young superstar in the making!
Raptalk.net: Let’s begin with some information about yourself, for those that are finding out about you for the first time.
Sun: I was born into hip hop in the early 80’s. It was always in my roots. My oldest brother is 46 years old so he was around when Hip Hop first started. I’ve always been a part of Hip Hop, with my days as a cipher MC. I was never too much of a studio rapper, I was more or less one of those cats hanging downtown New York, seeing a cipher jump off, join in and do my thing, and that was it.
Until Nas did Illmatic… that’s when I realized that this MC’ing is a lot more complex than what I was hearing all of my life so to speak. That’s when I picked up my first pen & pad and started writing. What can I say? Hip Hop is a culture and a way of life. It’s not something that you can wake and start doing. That’s how I feel about the music and the culture. Then I moved out to Atlanta in 2004 and started doing the open mic scenes.
Raptalk.net: Let me stop you there for a second. What made you move from New York to Atlanta?
Sun: My move to Atlanta from New York really didn’t have anything to do with the music. It was more or less…(pauses)… I don’t want to sound “cliché” with it but I was a knucklehead in the streets, hustlin’ and bustlin’, dealing with the negative things that goes on in the streets. I am from upstate New York, Rochester, and you can say that there is a black cloud over the city where the youth are influenced real easy by the things of the streets such as drugs and guns, living wreckless period. My wreckless-ness caught up with me around 2002 and I got in to some real serious beef where it was like kill or be killed, so it was either I do time in jail or relocate, and that is what I chose to do. I was already familiar with Atlanta due to some older cats around me.
Raptalk.net: So how did you find the scene out in Atlanta? Were you able to just fit right in? It is kind of like night and day from New York.
Sun: I discovered the Hip Hop scene in Atlanta due to the fact by being from New York, it is night and day like you just said. Sitting around and being bored led me to go out and do something. I went to a local mixtape shop, copped some mixtapes and I saw a couple of flyers about some hot spots to go to. One of them is a world wide known spot called The Apache Mic Club. I went to the Apache and it was like being in New York! I got to hear Mobb Deep, Wu Tang, Big L, D.I.T.C. classical music….
Raptalk.net: No shit? In Atlanta?
Sun: Yeah! People will be surprised about the Hip Hop scene in the “A”. The underground Hip Hop scene is world wide. Down here in the South there are definitely a few outlets that no matter where you are from, if you are true Hip Hop cat, you will be able to find it.
At every good Hip Hop spot there is an open mic. I was fortunate enough to buck up on the night that there was an open mic and did my thing. The reaction in the crowd was so overwhelming, for one I am in the South and I am from New York getting love. That kind of gave me the drive to really start telling myself that I can really go hard with this for the first time in my life! The cats in New York always told me that if I spent more time in the studio than in the streets, you never know what could happen. Coming down to the “A” and not having any street life around me at all gave me a chance to really focus on my craft.
Raptalk.net:So in Atlanta was the first time that you actually took Hip Hop seriously enough as a career?
Sun: Yup, as a career. Aside from being a fan all of my life, having some skills, and people encouraging me to go serious with it, when I came out here I was really able to focus, relax, breathe and channel my energy in to this Hip Hop thing. In less than a year, I was able to get picked up!
Raptalk.net:Ok, let’s rewind a little. After you did your thing at the open mic, where did you go from there?
Sun: The open mic was on a Friday night and we were out in the car listening to the radio station Hot 107.9. At 9 pm they started doing a freestyle battle. These cats were on the radio station freestyling live. On the way to the open mic, my homie was like, “We need to be going there!” So the following Friday we went down to the station to figure out what I needed to do to get on the air. I had to battle 5 cats, like you know on the show “Yo Mamma”, they put a few people together to go at it and then pick the best 2. So whoever controlled the mic got the chance to go up in the studio and take on the champ. I did that and wound up being the champion from Feb. 04 to Feb. 05! I took about 6 weeks off out of the whole year. For the whole year though I held that title and then at the end of the year, that’s when 106 & Park ended up calling me.
Raptalk.net: I spoke to Reggie P. out there and he told me that he had a battle with you on the airwaves.
Sun: Me and Reggie P. had a good battle. That’s my dude, I like Reggie P. He is a young cat with a lot of energy in the game.
Raptalk.net: He was telling me all about the airwave battles that go on down there.
Sun: He is actually the 2nd cat to get recognition off of there the way that I did. When I first met him, he was like, “Yeah Sun, you did your thing. I am going to get on the same way you did.” You’ve got to speak it to bring it to life and then work hard at it, and that’s what Reggie P. did.
I know he didn’t tell you something crazy like he beat me and all that.. I know he didn’t get stupid.
Raptalk.net: (laughs)… well…..you know.. (Editors note: You can read Reggie P’s interview by clicking here: http://www.raptalk.net/news/features/TheBlackWallStreetSouthIsInTheHouseExclusiveInterv.php
Sun: Awww… here we go!
Raptalk.net: (laughs)…. I will just let you read his previous interview with us and leave it at that.
Sun: Aww man… here we go…
Raptalk.net: It’s all good man. Let’s talk about the 2 different cultures as far as Atlanta and New York is concerned. It sounds like they accepted you but I know that the 2 areas don’t really see eye to eye as far as Hip Hop is concerned.
Sun: I am glad that you brought that up. Me and Killer Mike have a good relationship and he told me something that opened my eyes. He said, “Can’t nobody in the world ever deny New York’s contributions to Hip Hop, just from the strength that it was birthed there. But the thing that other regions love about East Coast rap is when it’s East Coast rap.” That is something that he said that he admired about me, is that even though I am living in the South, I am not jumping on the Southern band-wagon, just so I can fit in to the game or try to fit in to the way the game is now. Everyone is a fan of the East Coast because of the true to the hype East Coast MC. The only way that people make it in this Hip Hop game is when they are true to themselves. If you are not being true to yourself, you can’t expect the world to accept you.
The reason that Southern rap has taken the turn that it has taken is because all of these artists have been doing “them” from day one, and they are just now being exposed to the world because they stay true to what they do. I wouldn’t say that the two worlds don’t see eye to eye. I just think that real recognizes real. Don’t get me twisted though, this is the one time that I have seen the most wack rappers in Hip Hop!! There was a time in music where wack rappers couldn’t exist and have a chance. I know that every dog gets their day but god damn! We don’t have to say names or call people out but real people with their ears open, you know what’s wack and what’s not wack.
Raptalk.net: Yeah, it does seem that nowadays you don’t really have to have any skills….
Sun: Skills do not count anymore, at least not right now. I was at the Rock The Bells Tour last night (in Atlanta). You had Nas, Wu Tang, Mos Def, Immortal Technique, you know what I’m saying? U-God was on stage and he asked the crowd, “Do you like more lyrics or beats?” He said, “Scream for the lyrics!” and it got kind of loud. Then he said, “Scream for the beats!” and it got quiet. There are people that still love lyrics, and you can’t deny hot lyrics. Right now the people that are running the scenes, the corporate people, they are not about lyrics. Personality and the person that you are, sells more records than your flow.
Raptalk.net: Ok, lets go back to “you” now. Tell us about the whole 106 & Park situation…
Sun: I had taken some time off from the radio, and it was around October. At that time 106 & Park came to Atlanta and their mission was to find a Southern champion. They came to the radio station and there were like 5 or 6 cats there. My girl was asking me if I was going to go up there and I told her no. I was more concerned about going to the studio and getting songs together. So we are listening to cats rapping and all of the sudden the 106 & Park rep was like, “We heard about a guy named Sun.N.Y., come up to the studio! Where are you at?” This is all live on the radio. So I go up to the radio station and run through all of the cats and 106 asked me to go on the show. Off the air I told them that I wasn’t going to do it.
Raptalk.net: For real?
Sun: That was actually the 3rd time of them inviting me to their show. I was invited April 2004, then August 2004, and then they came to me in October.
Raptalk.net: Why did you turn them down?
Sun: Because my favorite rapper said, “I am not 106 & Park with the flow”…
Raptalk.net: Say what?
Sun: That’s a Jay Z quote from one of his songs. Basically degrading it. So since he said that, I felt that I could not go on 106 & Park. You know, like, my flow is better than what’s on 106 & Park.
Raptalk.net: I see….
Sun: Something that simple, kept me from going the first 2 times. The 3rd time around they made a big scene and gave me 4 weeks to decide if I would go to the show or not. I decided a week before the deadline and the only reason that I did it because I was going to be on B.E.T. on the night of Christmas Eve. What young Hip Hop fans are not at home on Christmas Eve watching B.E.T.’s 106 & Park with their families? So that’s why I did it because I knew that there would be a large audience that night. I didn’t stand in an audition line. I didn’t break my neck to do it. It all came to me! At this time I still didn’t have a demo complete all I had was my first single “Soul of a Hustla”.
Raptalk.net: Tell us about your time on B.E.T. How long did you last there?
Sun: I did the whole 7 weeks and got retired. The same night that I retired from 106 & Park, I had battled on the radio station for the last time and won. It was a real big thing for the city of Atlanta, the place where I started taking Hip Hop serious, for them to hear me on their radio station all year long and at the end of the year me being on T.V. It gave these people a chance to see the face of the person that’s been winning. There were cats down here that were calling up the radio station that were glad that I won because I was repping Atlanta as well as where I am originally from. Big Boi from Outkast called the radio station. Also Erick Sermon and Killer Mike, I had a lot of support. On the retirement day of 106, that’s when Jermaine Dupri went on stage and gave me the chain.
To sum up the whole experience, put it like this, you can never put a price tag on a commercial that you get for free nationwide. There are a lot of rappers in the game that still haven’t had T.V. exposure. Thank God I was able to seize the opportunity and make it happen.
Raptalk.net:So do you regret not taking the 2 other opportunities seeing what happened?
Sun: Naw, because everything is good timing. Say I would have went on 106 the first time in April, springtime is around, so there won’t be too many people in the crib watching T.V. In August, school is not in session and it’s super hot, so people also then won’t be at home watching T.V. In winter time, everybody is home, even Jermaine Dupri himself was watching 106 & Park. I was able to get noticed by a wider audience. Timing was everything with that one, I am glad that I made those choices.
Raptalk.net: That kind of lucked out for you. Tell us about Jermaine Dupri. We know that he signed you when he was over at Virgin Records. What happened with all of that?
Sun: The situation with Jermaine, it kind of fell apart due to people that were around him. When you are dealing with a music mogul like Jermaine, you’ve got a bridge in between you and him and that bridge is constructed by people that talk to you to Jermaine and vice versa. Even though I had my own relationship with Jermaine, like I was able to go to the studio and chill with him whenever I wanted to or talk to him whenever I want to, but when it comes down to business you have a bridge. Let’s just say that London Bridge came falling down. When that London Bridge came falling down, that relationship the Bridge had with Jermaine was more constructed than what I had with him, therefore they had more influence. All of that kind of messed up things with me and Jermaine. It’s not really Jermaine’s fault because at the end of the day I am not going to really blame anyone. There were probably some things that I could have done different to make everything a lot more better.
At Virgin, when the record got pushed back the 2nd time, I started taking things on a different row. When I found out that they were in breach of contract it was like I could keep rolling with these people or I could fall back. I chose to fall back because once somebody does something wrong a first time, it is more likely to happen again. Me and Jermaine are still cool. So So Def is a family that I was glad that I was able to meet.
Raptalk.net: Now that he is over at Island/Def Jam, are you considering re-opening that relationship?
Sun: Def Jam is definitely a better powerhouse for the type of music that we both do but I am not really too interested in opening up that relationship with him just because of Island/Def Jam. The type of MC that I am is a different cloth of what a lot of executives like. I’ve got to be surrounded by people that are cut from the same cloth or from the same background.
Raptalk.net: If that is the case, where do you fit in?
Sun: When I was dealing with Jermaine I was able to pick up so many good things in the business. One structure that I saw at So So Def is that when you have your own team and your own family, it helps everything go a lot better. Right now I have my own team structured together. I got my man Jazzy and together we formed Kennedi Enterprises. This is probably the best time in my career right now because I can wake up and contact my own people and team. We strategize our own moves. Through the situation with Jermaine, I was able to establish priceless relationships in the industry and I am utilizing those right now. Also remember that it has only been a few years that I have been going full-fledge in this business. Even though I do have people hollering at me right now, I am real cautious about who I deal with because of what happened the first time around.
Raptalk.net: So what are you working on now? There has to be something that you are building towards….
Sun: We’ve got a real creative album that we are working on now. It’s called “The Late Show: With Sun.N.Y. Arson” which of course comes from The Late Show With Johnny Carson. The reason why it’s titled “The Late Show” is because my first album that people were expecting never came, therefore my debut is “late”. The reason that I am “Sun.N.Y. Arson” is because the album is going to be hosted by myself and the special guest of the night is going to be the “Sun of New York” which is me as the MC.
We don’t have an official release date.... As soon as I solidify the paperwork with whoever I choose to roll with then we will have a real official date. We just released a mixtape called “Kennedi Minded” which is a tribute to DJ Scott La Rock. It’s been 20 years since he passed so we did a tribute to him and you can find that mixtape at Datpiff.com.
I also have a joint that I am working on right now with DJ Chubby Chubb called “Global Warming”, It’s hosted by me, DJ Chubby Chubb and Al Gore. Yeah, I’ve got Al Gore on it. It’s an awareness about Global Warming and at the same time me being the Sun, I make the game hot. I figure that Global Warming is something that we should all be conscious about so I hooked up with Al & his people and with DJ Chubby Chubb to put that mixtape together for the world.
Raptalk.net: That’s cool man. Do you work with anybody on the West Coast?
Sun: I’ve got a pair of Chuck Taylors on right now son! When I started purchasing my own music, the first album I ever bought was Ice Cube’s “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted”. Then I bought Niggaz4Life (by N.W.A.). The West Coast had a bigger influence on me than any other region as far as music goes. It was the basslines and the beats and how the music rides. When the West Coast hit for me it was around 91 or 92, Menace II Society and South Central came out, the movies were so crazy and so graphic. When the whole West Coast movement came about, Death Row, Del The Funkee Homosapien, Souls of Mischief, Spice 1, MC Eiht: the originator of saying “gggyeah”, you know what I’m saying?
Raptalk.net: It sounds like you are up on your game out here (laughs)….
Sun: I am up on Hip Hop period. The West Coast scene is serious…
Raptalk.net: Are there MC’s out here that you work with?
Sun: I haven’t done any joints with Game, but I have spent some money at Magic City with him at the strip club. I got a joint in the process with my man Glasses Malone. I am trying to find a way to get hooked up with Keak Da Sneak. I want to get him on my album. Shout out to E-40 and his brother Mozzie. I put some work in with the Lab Rats out at their studio in North Hollywood with Spliff Starr.
Styles man, I need you to make them plugs for me man. I am thinking about just coming out there for 6 months and straight politicin’ and see what I can get in to out there, you know?
Raptalk.net: We can do that! As we end, do you want to leave us with anything?
Sun: Yeah, music might not ever get back to the Golden Era of Hip Hop that we all love. I come from the Platinum time in Hip Hop, you know, where Biggie Smalls singles went Platinum. For me, I am taking it back there…No.. I am not taking it back. I am moving it “forward” to that. We are about to get passed this wack-rapper shit that is going on. The Sun is out and I live and breathe Hip Hop. Hip Hop is my culture and Rap is my religion. Rap is my religion and right now a lot of rappers are sinning.
Stay Tuned for Part Two [Audio] Coming Soon on Raptalk.net
Posts
