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Saturday, 15 January 2005 |
| Written by Dave
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Rap Basement: Alright man. Let's start this off with you introducing
yourself.
Grafh:Yeah, yeah. My name is Grafh ya'll Blackhand the label
we got in the game ya'll, yes sir.
Rap Basement: How did you get the name Grafh?
Grafh: Well Grafh is just art man its like graphic art. What
I do, I spray paint motion picture on your brain. You know what I'm sayin?
Rap Basement: What is ur debut album about?
Grafh:Album is called Autograph. It's droppin' in June or whenever
the fuckin' bootleggers get it. But that is the debuts album is Autograph.
It introduces myself to the world you know what I'm sayin'.Me signin'
my name on this game
Rap Basement: Whos idea was it to put those 'in those jeans'
remix in the middle of the Bang Out video? I thought that was a very unique
idea.
Grafh: Well Yeah, that was my idea man you know i try to do different
ways to market these things. We just try to be as creative as we can.
You know what I'm sayin'?
Rap Basement: Who all has signed to Black Hand? What is the future
of it?
Grafh: It's really just my fam. Black Hand chain gang that's
my theme. So uh me I'm the flagship artist, then I've got my man Sholome
comin' out next he's crazy. Then I got this dude, Don Palmer he's come
out of Alabama. The I got uh my man Josh Bicardi.
Rap Basement: How did you hook up with Kay Slay?
Grafh: He kept it real and gave me a chance to put the freestyle
on a CD cause I met alot of DJs that I freestyled for all of them just
because I had buzz in the town for battelin' niggahs and shit like that.
But when I met up with K uh I guess you know I forgot who introduced me
to dude. But then I gave my freestyle here and he said "this shits fire
I'll put it on my tape". Cause alot of artist DJs don't put new artits
on their tape like that you know what I'm sayin'? He took a chance and
"Hey this shit is hot I'm co-signin it." and put it out there and the
rest is history. The first tape I was on, I mean..After that tape every
Dj started to holla like 'let me get that Grafh freestyle'
Rap Basement: What do you think really uh set you apart from
other people that we're trying to get on the stage?
Grafh: Well it was the flow, the witiness, the cleverness, my
delivery. Plus I was airing it out for 4 minutes and shit it was just
birth of a new emcee he never see nor saw or heard anything like that
he was like damn this shit is crazy.
Rap Basement: How did you get signed to Epic?
Grafh: Ah let me see how that went down..After I did the first
freestyle with K, every DJ started asking for freestyles. I mean I would
say everybody I did 4 minute freestyles for EVERYBODY...From K Slay, Funk
Master Flex, Clue, Whoo Kidd, Green Lantern everybody got a freestyle
from me. DJ Enuff everybody you know what I'm sayin'?. I mean at that
point I thought of a couple of other tapes that started a bidding war
in the city. the bidding war got so bad, this is all freestyle no records.
The buzz got so strong it started a bidding war between the major lables
you know what I'm sayin'? And um with Def Jamm, Sony, Capital, Warner
Brothers. All the majors just all wanna get their hands on me just based
on the buzz that I created on the street. As a result of that we ended
up at Sony cuz they have been talking the talk. Blackhand has ditrobution
through Sony to be exact.
 Rap
Basement: Who would you like to work with in the Future?
Grafh: Andre 3000, Linkin Park, and uh Chris (Parnelle).. and
Eminem too man.
Rap Basement: So what is next for you?
Grafh: Really just roll with this album make sure they know who
I am and why I came. And at the next step I believe the first and foremost
definate rollin' the single which is "I Dont't Care". You know what I'm
sayin'? I felt that I don't care and they shouldn't either, you know what
I'm sayin'. Basically what that record is about is just written for self
respect and standin up for yourself, being who you really are not frontin'
for no body, you know what I'm sayin'. If you listen to the song what
I'm tellin' people is just be yourself. All the dudes with the extra jewlery
and them packin' the Bentleys and all that. We don't got that in the hood
don't no body care, you know what I'm sayin'. And a well dressed chick
with all the extra fashion and the caked up makeup faces and all that,
don't no body really care. If you look good then you look good period.
We don't really care all that. I mean they do that it's cool, but you
know I mean natural beauty is fine, we still want to see you naked anyway.
Break all that down that is the first single that we really brought right
out that is "I Don't Care". The second step is makin' them understand
Autograph why you know what the album is about why I'm here and what I
represent. Basically what I do is (imagine stuff in the world) you know
this is my signature on this game, where I take you all the way back to
my childhood up take you on a ride on what I have been through, what I
saw you know what I'm sayin'?. I mean I take it from when I was young
but um growing up in cribs with me and my mom and not have a father figure
like anybody else in the hood. And my first real role model was an OG
nigga in the hood that was like a father to me got murdered right in front
of me. Blew his brains all over me and shit. Then uh after that point
I didn't want no part in the street. You know all this is goin' on the
album but.. You know I was going to school to get my mind right and trying
to stay focused my father came back when I was about 16 or 17 you know
what I'm sayin'. So I even talk about that because I was doin' that since
I was 13 years old man I was workin' jobs trying to keep food on the table
at that age. So for him to come into my life at that age then and try
to impose rules that was kind of fucked up for me. But I would still try
to do the father and son thing and as we got a little close he got murdered
right up the street from me and I had to witness that shit, so. I was
kind of wild after that you know I can explain that. How I got IN order
was a little something was through Co of the (Blackhand company) which
is Chad he was an OG niggah also he was cool. My pops he tried to show
me right from wrong and I kind of got back. 'Cause at one point I didn't
really give a fuck about well I didn't value anything in terms of my life
or another niggahs life I was just doing whatever you know what I'm sayin'?
So I did what ever I felt I needed to do, I mean it changed my whole life
period. I really believe it doesn't matter if you are a good niggah or
a bad niggah you gonna die you dead..You gonna live and die.. So, I don't
care if anybody really know that also.
Rap Basement: And when will that video be out for that?
Grafh: Video goin' down about the end of March middle of the
end of March.
Rap Basement: Alright Thanks for taking the time
Grafh: No Problem
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