For the next On the Grind post, we've got a two part post. The first part is with Spoda aka Mr. Dope Flow. One of the first people who followed me on twitter and showed me love, I had to chop it up with him and see just what was going on in his world. Maybe after this interview, you'll feel like I feel, that he's on his grind.
Follow him: @mrdopeflow
Check out his blogsite: http://www.spodamusic101.blogspot.com/
IdoitforHipHop(IDIFHH): So when did you start rapping?
Spoda: I started rapping around 1997/1998.
IDIFHH: Who would you consider to be your biggest influences, music wise?
Spoda: Jay-Z, Nas, Jadakiss, Gangstarr, Biggie, Das Efx, Heltah Skeltha, and AZ
IDIFHH: Speaking of Gangstarr, Premo is one of the best producers out. If you could work with any producer for a whole album, who would it be?
Spoda: Well, I actually got a few. Premo, Kanye, 9th Wonder, and Just Blaze
IDIFHH: Nice. Alright, with so many artists using the internet these days, how do you feel it has affected the music industry? Do you feel as though the pros outweigh the cons?
Spoda: I think the internet is a great tool as well as a bad tool for music. Mainly for two reasons, first off the record sales. It's definitely making a huge decline for the simple fact that people can download an album, a single, or whatever. Meaning that not to many people buy the actual album when it drops. But on the flipside its a great tool for promotions and networking. Everyone is on the net, whether its for doing promotion for social networks, A&Rs, and labels who look for talent on the net for the simple fact that its where everyone is at.
IDIFHH: That being said, with so many trying to get on, what do you feel makes you different from the rest?
Spoda: Personally, I don't feel as if I sound like anyone else. When I write, I try to distinguish myself from the rest. There's so much new talent, but you always hear "He/She sounds like so and so." That's now how I want to be categorized. So I write so that I'm labeled as my own breed and so that I stand out instead of fitting in.
IDIFHH: Yeah, I think being labeled is something that a lot of artists need to avoid. A good example recently is Asher Roth being compared to Eminem. So what are you doing in 2010, and what, if anything, are you doing differently from 2009?
Spoda: Well for starters, my sophomore mixtape, "The Arrival" hosted by DJ J-Prince is dropping 2/23/10. I have a few other projects I'm working on, mainly staying more consistent and hungry. I'm definitely building up my fanbase, which is growing daily. Just trying to stay relevant.
IDIFHH: My next question is what's your creative process? Do you need the beat first or do you write and then change accordingly?
Spoda: It really all depends on how I'm feeling. I'm constantly brainstorming so sometimes I creat verses without a beat. Then there are times when I want to write to a beat to make sure my flow and delivery is on point. The majority of the time when I get a beat, I listen to it on repeat, turn it off, and the beat is stuck in my head. So I also rain like that. In one of my verses, I summed it up. I said, "I don't write/I brainstorm it till the page is filled/"
IDIFHH: Gotcha. If you could collab with anyone living, who would it be?
Spoda: Good question. The LOX, Jay-Z, Fabolous, Young Chis, Joe Budden, Nas, Juelz Santana.
IDIFHH: You're heavy with the New York people.
Spoda: Yeah. West Coast, Nipsey Hussle, Game, Snoop Dogg. South: Scarface, Andre 3000, T.I., and Ludacris.
Be on the lookout for his mixtape, "The Arrival" dropping 2/23/10. Part 2 with The Kid Ceez coming soon.
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