#MixtapeAddict | Interview w/ @BEveready

Here’s another « Mixtape Addict » interview, featuring hip-hop artist B.Eveready. He recently dropped « Waiting To Inhale » in collaboration with Kxng Crooked (formerly Crooked I), MC Bravado & Constantine. The team decided to ask B.Eveready a few questions… Check out the full interview below :

Who is your all time favorite DJ ?

There are so many legends that I love & have a lot of respect for….I gotta say it’s a tie between DJ Premier & Jazzy Jeff. But shoutout to Grandmaster Flash, Clue, Funk Flex, Whoo Kid, Drama…man I could go on for a while!

When was the first time you heard about a mixtape ? And do you have a favorite mixtape ?

I can’t remember the first time I heard about a mixtape, but I remember Clue & Flex tapes being the first ones that I had. My favorite? There are too many to count, but some standouts are that first Clue tape where Canibus put the world on notice, Joe Budden’s « Mood Muzik 2« , Cole’s Friday Night Lights, Wale’s Mixtape About Nothing…too many bangers!

What are your plans to get bigger in the future with your music ?

When travel opens back up, I definitely want to get on the road & perform. I haven’t been to France in years, so I’d love to come back & rock for the people. And according to my analytics, Germany is down with the movement as well, so shoutout to them as well. Promoters should reach out to me for real!

To you, how important is entrepreneurship as an independent artist ?

Very important. Until you’ve built your value in this game, you have to control every dollar that you earn. Not only that, your creative vision is yours alone. If you’re compromising it, do you know why? Are you getting what you’re supposed to? You have a responsibility to yourself to get the most out of your talent, and being an entrepreneur is a key part of that. You should always be looking for additional income streams that you can add to your portfolio.

Who’s your favorite hip-hop entrepreneur?

Man….this is hard! I have a 3 way tie between Jay-Z, Nas, & Master P. Jay as a great just led the way for so long with diversifying his holdings & maximizing their value. I like Nas as an entrepreneur because during his battle with Jay, his perceived lack of money was a big dig against him. But over the last few years, he’s shown that investment is a long game, and he’s made some really good moves (investing early in Dropbox, Ring, Robinhood, Coinbase & others). Master P is just the master of the hustle. He turned an $10k insurance payout to a $300+ million empire. I’ll always respect that.

If you had to pick two of your fav producers to work on a EP who would you choose ?

Your questions are not easy for someone who loves Hip-Hop. But for the moment, I’ll say the two dudes who are on fire with these: Madlib & The Alchemist.

What’s your recipe to make a good project from start to finish ?

My best projects have had a theme that holds them together. I’m a writer at heart, so a great album has to have a beginning, middle, & end, just like a good story. The other thing is using beats that move you to write. Every now & then, a challenging beat to you will yield a great song, but most of the time, if I’m going to write something great to it, it hits me almost immediately.

How long have you been in the hip-hop industry and what keeps you motivated to stay in the marathon ?

I’ve been releasing my own records since 2008. I love to make music, nothing more, nothing less.

Do you think that the OGs of this hip-hop culture are getting enough respect and credits ?

No, but that’s partially the mantle of an OG – under-respected & underpaid. Our people came up from slavery – there was always a lack of respect for us. But it’s improving – I just saw LL got 8M for Rock The Bells, so we’re doing better by the OGs as we move on.