Interview by Nigel Jamal
I see you have been showing a lot of love to the DMV with #honordmv, @honordmv. Can you tell our readers why that’s so important to you?
For me, that is just an extension of what I’ve already done. Back in the early 2000s, when I actually created the DMV, I had a website called “DMV Underground” and the same thing I’m doing now is what I did then. It’s frustrating to see that a lot of people in the DMV, artists, radio DJs, internet radio, promoters… you name it… whose stories never get told. I wanted to shed some light on people that made some contributions that never get their shine because nobody really knows. That’s what #honordmv is about. Just simply posting pictures, showing some love, and letting people know. A lot of people think that the DMV doesn’t have a deep history and it does.
Can you tell us some of the people who have been recognized and why?
If I really started on that we would be here all day and I know for certain I’m going to forget somebody. I don’t really like going down a list because I’m affiliated with so many people, but I will say this… I will give a shoutout to Topp Dogg Hill because they never get the just due they’re supposed to get. They were putting out a music video almost every other day back in the days. Topp Dogg, Infa Redz, Cyrus Da Virus, people like that, they were doing what they were supposed to do. And everybody else, especially CEO Den Den, Hevewae, Dre AllDay, Uncle Yanky, 2Face the Wild Boy, Dan Wilder, P-Stew. It would be a whole list of people, but that’s what the platform is for.
For those that are unaware that you are a true DMV veteran, can you tell us some of the things you’ve accomplished in the area?
I’ve been in the game for two decades. I came out of prison in ‘98 and got right in the game. When I came home I decided to change my life, so I got into music. I started shooting music videos for artists in the area and at the same time I started throwing shows. I threw shows at Island Cafe, Market Lounge, and a few other venues throughout the area. I threw shows for years and years. I also did 14 independent underground albums myself. I got my final album coming out later this year and my book will probably come out next year. My main thing is that I’ve helped out a lot of artists, not just artists but a lot of people. My resume is really very extensive.
I hear you saying the DMV. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people in the area about being from the DMV or just about being from DC, Maryland, or Virginia. What’s your take on that topic?
The one thing about that is it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. It’s causing discussions. For someone to have a definition about something they didn’t have any involvement in the creation, I don’t even listen to it. Some people say the DMV only stretches as far as the metro. Some people say Baltimore is not a part of it. But they’re not the founders of it, so they can’t put a definition in place on their own. They can misinterpret, but they can’t define it. DMV was based on music and it was based on business. It was never based on geographic boundaries. What had happened was, me and a close friend of mine had a record label, “SkinnyFatz Ent.” We were in the studio one day and he put “DMV” in his verse and I was like what’s that? He was like DC, MD, VA. So I took it and made a website, I made t-shirts, I made flyers, and I pushed that unity with it because we had people from all over coming to our shows, not just DC, not just Maryland, and not just Virginia people. To me, the DMV means all of DC, all of Maryland, and all of Virginia. The facts are that the DMV is strong to the point that you have people across the country referring to this area as the DMV. People don’t even know where the term DMV even came from, but they’re saying it. DMV came from the underground music scene.
I see you have a hot sauce out, BelloBurn. Can you tell us how you got into that?
It kind of was an accident. I started looking into how to farm and all that stuff out here where I’m at. I took a chance and planted some things and it went better than I expected. I was thinking, what am I going to do with all these peppers I grew. Then a light bulb went off. I like spicy food. I love jerk sauce, all that. I was like I’m going to find out how to make hot sauce. I tried and the first five times it was trash. But I’m the type of person that I don’t give up until I find a solution. On the sixth try I nailed it. Next move I set up a website, I got my business license, my sales and use tax, my doing business as, my trademark, and I started selling these bottles. I’ve probably sold about 600 – 700 bottles since August, that’s not even a year yet. People are loving it.
Do you have any words of wisdom for other entrepreneurs trying to make it in business?
If you fail to plan then you’re going to fail. If you come into business thinking you’re going to make boatloads of money off the break then you have the wrong mind state. A successful business, without major capital backing you, is a step-by-step process of little things like building your customer base, building your products, and branding your products. Also, try to think outside of the box and make sure you have your ducks in a row. A lot of times people want to be in business, but they don’t want to study business. They just want the title, “I’m an entrepreneur”. The last thing I’ll say is that in this area there are a lot of local brands and they want to have a national product. You can’t have a national product when you give your product a local name. Your product can’t just be relevant to a local demographic. People outside of the area are not going to support that because they have people in other cities doing the same thing. Make sure you choose a name for your product that can be accepted universally.