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Interview x Mickey Factz x In Philadelphia

I first saw Mickey Factz perform at 2008’s Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. Since then Mickey has been making a lot of ruckus in the hip hop community…on the web, printed press, and now TV ads?

I had to catch up with this cat to see what’s been going on. If you missed the show, shame on you…he performed Live at The Fire (4^th & Girard) as a part of Hip Hop Lives Tour where he was joined by Hustle Simmons/Electric City. Before the show I got to speak with Mickey Factz and ask him a few questions. Check it out.

Excited about being apart of Philly’s Hip Hop Lives Tour?

Mickey: Yea, for sure. This will be my first show in the city of brotherly love, and I’m very excited to be doing my thing for you guys tonight.

How does it feel being named one of the rookies on BET’s Rookie Class of 2009?

Mickey: It’s definitely one of the best feelings in the world. I’m in a place between trying to succeed and actually getting there. I accomplished everything I needed to last year (2008) to get where I’m at now, but I know there’s a lot more work to do.

With this new generation of emcee’s such as Blu, Cymarshall Law, yourself, blitzing blogs, websites and all other online media outlets, where do you see the future of hip hop going with this escalating cyber fanbase ?

Mickey: I believe in music right now there is a paradigm shift. It’s always happened that way, evolution in any aspect of life is inevitable. They went from Wax to A-Tracks, to cassette tapes to CDs and DVDs. This is just the next step in evolution…jump drives. I believe the music in the future will go very far into the digital realm. [You know] 10 years ago, as an artist you would hope to get your record into that “Mom and Pops store” out in Bedford, Indiana but with a click of a button you can release a track to the entire world. That’s amazing!!! I’m in the midst of this exceedingly evolving society and I’m going to take advantage of the possibilities and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I got to see you at Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival last year, what was it like to perform on the same bill as the Blastmaster KRS ONE. With that said I see your live show is filled with a unique energy .Were there any influences, if any, that could attribute to that?

Mickey: I actually got a chance to speak with him after my set. He told me that he was proud of what I’ve been doing for my community (The Bronx, NY) and that I was an amazing performer. He went on saying that I was an amazing performer because of the energy that I put out in my set was so crazy that the crowd returned the same energy, and as a new and upcoming emcee, that can be hard to accomplish at such an early stage in my career. Then, we actually got a chance to freestyle together on BET which was an absolute dream come true.

I would have to say that the energy that I try to put out in my performance would come from influences such as Michael Jackson, James Brown, Janelle Monaé, Prodigy; those artists are high energy performers. I want my fans to come out and spend ten bucks and when they leave, feel like they paid for a $30 show. I want them to get their money’s worth and more.

So what can we expect in 09’ from Mickey Factz? Touring? Upcoming projects?

Mickey: Yea, there are a few upcoming tour spot dates, like SXSW (South by Southwest) and Lollapalooza. I’m currently working on a Honda campaign for 2009, the commercial ad will consist myself and my music will, so not only did I get paid to act, they are also exposing my music on a grand scale, and I’m very excited about that. The ad should air sometime this month (February 2009). I’m working on a contract with Puma…and I have a few more tricks up my sleeve that I can’t disclose just yet, but just know that 09’ is going to be a busy year for Mickey Factz. Also, make sure you look out for my album, The Achievement, which will be dropping this year as well.

After the show I got to catch up with Mickey to ask him how his first show in Philly went…

What was your first experience like rocking out in Philadelphia? Did you enjoy the energy?

Mickey: It was great to put on a performance in Philadelphia. This was my first time here and you guys showed nothing but love for the kid. The crowd was great, energy was fantastic; it’s a lot easier to do my thing when the crowd is feeling it and putting out positive energy. I’ll definitely be back!

To get more on Mickey Factz, check out his myspace page.