The moment has arrived and the Visionary album is now available to purchase. It has been awesome working with some of the best up and coming producers to bring you what I like to call my Thriller album. During the course of this project there were setbacks and pitfalls but I am very proud to announce that the V album has finally been completed. I would like to take this time to thank everyone who made this Vision come into fruition. To my producer and engineer Beast, good looks fam, I could of never done this without you, Agony, thanks for coming back with them bangers, it is much appreciated. To my boy Tim, you got some crazy bangers on the album, thanks for your hard work and dedication. I would also like to thank all the features on the album, in other words the whole Believer movement. Everyone brought their A game and this album would not be the same without your help so good looks. Now everyone cop the album and look out for the second video being filmed real soon. Peace.

Interview Done By: Ivan of Verum Of Lupus

February 19, 2010

It wasn’t beauty that killed the beast but Mindkilla®

Mindkilla® is an alternative hip hop artist that I stumbled across while surfing MySpace. The lyrics and beats where different then what I had I had listened to at the time. His previous album entitled Politicians dealt with the politics of the country under the Bush administration. The latest album Visionary is broader in scope and deals with a variety of topics that are affecting the general population of not only the U.S.A but the world as a whole. Each of the tracks in this album are distinct and you just can’t listen to a song once. You have to let them digest in your brain for a bit till you get a good feel for what each song brings to the table. I was able to get in contact with him and conduct the following interview. This is my first interview with a musical artist so bear with me and hopefully what follows isn’t a train wreck and does Mindkilla justice.

Ivan: What is your background?

Mindkilla: My background is that I represent all Puerto Ricans rapping in Queens New York all day and for all those Spanish artists out there starving because the labels aren’t giving us a chance to shine since Big Pun passed.

Ivan: Choosing a career as a hip-hop artist is no easy task so what drives you to write and record your lyrics?

Mindkilla: What drives me is the passion I have for the music. I've been listening to Hip Hop music my whole life. I started rapping in the 6th grade and I never stopped from there. My motivation is to always be the best the game has ever seen. If I'm not known as one of the best when it is all said and done then I failed.

Ivan: Who are your musical influences?

Mindkilla: My Musical Influences are Portishead, Gangstarr, Pj Harvey, Radiohead, and Wu Tang at their peak. There are also a whole bunch of other artists but that's all I can think of at the moment.

Ivan: What are your long-term career goals?

Mindkilla: My long term career goal is to have a record label that I run and release my own material and bring all the heads that I know. They deserve a chance with me to get theirs and shine, oh and maybe fix up congress if my past doesn't destroy that from happening.

Ivan: How does your creative process work do you come up with a beat first and then apply the lyrics or do you bust out some rhymes and then come up with the accompanying music? What about the titles to your tracks?

Mindkilla: My creative way of doing my albums comes both ways, sometimes I have a song idea and I write it and then pick the beat that goes with it. I also get beats from some of my producers and they spark something creative and I write a new song. It goes both ways like a bisexual. LOL. The titles to my tracks are secondary, sometimes I think of a title and write about the subject, other times I write the song and the title comes from within the song.

Ivan: Your single off this album if am not mistaken is Death Mobile you have other great songs my favorite being Posterize. Why this track and not another one?

Mindkilla: Well it's still early in the album lifespan so Posterize could be a single but the reason I picked Death Mobile is because it is flat out different than anything you will hear this year. I was able to grasp a visual by getting the hearse which also weighed heavily on my decision. There will be more singles to come besides the one on the site which is now called Triangle Of Terror.

Ivan: In some of your songs you reference yourself. Some could say that it’s too self promoting. What to do you say to those people?

Mindkilla: Hip Hop has always been a self promoting art. During the days when Hip Hop began it was all about having fun and battles because the music is so competitive, that's why you cannot go a year without some rappers having beef because it is so competitive. As long as the content stays on the record and we do not lose any more soldiers like Tupac and Biggie then its fine. The minute it goes overboard our music looks stale and people can then criticize but luckily I feel Hip Hop has learned its lesson from those 2 deaths. Am I to self promoting, maybe but it is nothing that has not been done from generation to generation.

Ivan: In the first few tracks it’s just you but later on you have other contributors in this album. Do you feel that having other contributors brings something more to the music that you’re putting out?

Mindkilla: I always love putting my people on to my projects because they are so talented. They all got skills and are easy to work with in the studio. Plus when I do a song with someone else the vibe is always there and it shows on the record that we record. I do not like to just hear myself throughout a whole album, I'm also a fan of the art and I always like to hear what my people come out with.

Ivan: The majority of the music in this album is clean but some of it does have profanity. Was this done intentionally?

Mindkilla: Hip Hop is the ultimate form of expression that is what makes it so great but that is also what gets us in trouble because we push freedom of speech to a whole new dimension. When I curse in my verses, I don’t just curse just to do it and say wait this verse needs a curse, shit damn motherfucker.LOL. It comes out because it was meant to be there, that is how I feel when I write the verse so it stays in the verse. I have calmed down on my profanity a lot. Though with my lyrics I am aware that cursing does not make a song great it’s the content.

Ivan: Do you feel that that your music makes a difference in a world where everyone is trying to be the next Jay-Z or Eminem?

Mindkilla: I feel if everyone is trying to be the next Jay Z or Eminem then its done for the wrong reasons. They just want the power, the fame, the money and the success. I just want a shot to have my music heard and be mentioned with the greats. I mean it’s not how much money I made in my career but creating music that is timeless. Somebody could pick up one of my albums years from now and say man, Mindkilla was ill, I'm glad I got the chance to hear and appreciate his music.

Ivan: What’s the best thing about being an artist?

Mindkilla: The best thing about being an artist is when you perfected your craft and you’re satisfied with your flow and everyone around you believes you can make it. That is as satisfying as making it because everyone believes around you.

Ivan: Taking a look back at when you first started till the present do you feel that you are successful at being an artist?

Mindkilla: I feel I am successful at being an artist but like in the NBA or NFL, it doesn't mean a thing without the ring. If I never get signed or make it, I will always feel a void that was never filled.

Ivan: What is your favorite Song in general?

Mindkilla: I do not have a favorite song that would be an injustice to all the Artists that busted their ass throughout the years to put music on my walkman, iPod or iPhone.

Ivan: I found out that you filmed an independent project called Damn am an Idiot. What has been posted online so far is interesting. Do you want to branch out from your music career?

Mindkilla: Anything related to entertainment I am willing to take a shot at. I have so many ideas but you need funding to make those ideas come to life and hopefully one day I get my chance.

Ivan: What is the number one thing you want people to get out of your music?

Mindkilla: The #1 thing I want people to say they get out of my music is that he gives it his all. When he dropped an album I could listen to the whole album without any songs skipping like old classic albums. I want people to feel when they spend money on a Mindkilla album they will hear something that they never heard before.

Ivan: Anything else that you would like to say about yourself or what your fans can expect of you in the future?

Mindkilla: I just want to tell all my fans to keep believing in me and keep believing in yourself and you can be anything you want to be in life. There is no timetable. Do not let people say your too old to do something. Your time is going to come trust me it does not matter your age or anything else, if it's meant to be it's meant to be. Always believe in yourself and always surround yourself with positivity. I will be touring Visionary over the next 2 years. Look for an underground mix tape I will be dropping real soon and stay tuned to mindkilla.com for all the latest news and events. Peace.