#2turntablez

Flow, Lyrics, Presentation; These are just a few of the attributes that Jaccpot Entertainment emcee Retro possess.

2Turntablez got the chance to catch up with Philly native and to talk about his new mixtape entitled, Teen Jaccpot, hosted by DJ Amir, DJ Diamond Kuts and Jaccpot Entertainment. 

 Check out the interview below:

 2Turntablez: What was the inspiration or feel for this mix tape?

Retro: “I call it my mixed emotion mixed tape, I have some club bangers, but I also get deep and sensitive and talk about the youth you know my generation and my community, like on my track Broke, and then of course I have some joints where I talk about the girls like on my track, Homework.”

  2Turntablez: What's your favorite track and why?

Retro: “Broke, it represents me and a stage in my life that I went though, my peers and even some adults are going through might be going through and can identify.”  

  2Turntablez: You have some nice guest features on this mixtape, tell me about some of the appearances and feature on your mix tape and who was your favorite person to work with? 

Retro: “D Jacc, Young Chris, Lee Mazin and Wiz Gamb were all on it.  I can't pick a favorite, I liked working with everyone.  Each track was designed with the artist in mind. Big up to everyone involved.”

  2Turntablez: Favorite verse from yourself and from a guest?

Retro: “All the guest did their thing, I love every one's verse.  Broke is my favorite, it reps me and my community.” 

  2turntablez: How did you begin to do what you do? How old were you?

Retro: "I kinda got an itch to rap from my cousins, You know how you got older cousins that you look up to and they were all rapping.  I saw my big cousins doing it, tagged along and started rapping. I happened to take it more serious than them. I started rapping at about 3-4, My Uncle used to listen to 50 Cent & Joe Budden, so I used to just try to do what they were doing."

  2Turntablez: How did this whole Jaccpot Entertainment situation unfold for you?

Retro:  "Jaccpot is a Label representing the struggle and coming from nothing to something. My cousin managed me and used to have me in the studio all the time.  Some of D Jacc's reps came to the studio, heard me and liked me."

  Retro explained that DeSean had never even heard him spit.  DeSean’s label reps also just happen to be close friends of Retro’s camp, so since he(Desean) had previously heard about Retro through the reps, he wanted to meet Retro and hear him spit.

  Retro: “He asked me to spit something written and then Freestyle.”

  2Turntablez: What did he say about you?

Retro: He felt that I rapped mature for my age.  He like I was able to switch my flow to different styles, that my versatility.”

  Retro went to explain that it didn’t take long to get the ball rolling after the first meeting.  DeSean had him in the studio almost immediately. Two to three months later, once he (Retro) proved that he was able to work well in the studio, DeSean started sending him on the road and keeping him in the studio. 

  2Turntablez: What's it like recording with him? Retro: "Fun, he's like a big brother, very energetic and inspires me to be energetic and motivated as well." 

  2Turntablez: At such a young age, do you find inspiration from your label mates?

Retro:"Yes, they are older and have been through things that I'm going through now. They advise me through those situations.  They share their wisdom with me."

  2Turntablez: Who's been the most influential thus far?

Retro: DeSean and DJ Amir,

  2Turntablez: Why?

Retro: “DJ Amir is a go getter, he sets out to accomplish something and he makes it happen.  And DeSean's energy is inspiring, he keeps me motivated.”

  2Turntablez:  What should we expect to see from you within the next six months?

Retro: “I'll be Touring, and dropping a couple mix tapes, I'll be making appearances at high school and college events and working on an album.”  

  2Turntablez: What other projects are you working on?

Retro: “School, I'm only in the 9th grade!” 

  2Turntablez: What's the next step/phase for you?

Retro: “”The next step, I'm Still working, pushing my projects and doing the shows are my next step.  I Can't speak on my next phase cause I'm still having fun doing what I'm doing now, so I really can't say.”

  You can find Retro and download his new mixtape via the below link:

http://alturl.com/g6oh5

  Social Networking: @retrojp  instagram and twitter

Booking Info: 323 207 5495, [email protected]

I recently did a poll and asked a few of my facebook followers what they thought the best storytelling hip hop songs of all time were.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, a story in the hip hop sense, is when an artists literally tells a story throughout the course of their song.  There's one common theme from the first bar to the last with the purpose of narrating an experience, teaching a lesson or simply for entertainment. 

When I asked the question on Facebook, there were a few names that immediately popped into mind: Slick Rick, Nas, KRS1, Andre 3000, Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Tupac, just to name a few.  I figured the names would come easy but I didn't know how difficult of a task it would be to narrow down the songs that came along with each name.  I felt in order to accomplish this task, I was going to real have to commit some time to this project.  It was going to take more than a Facebook post.  

Instead of holding back my initial list, I'm going to share that with you guys today.  This is by far not a final list.  I'm still asking people what is their favorite hip hop storytelling song of all time.  As I receive the answers, I add them to my "Top Storytelling Tracks" playlist on my ipod.  Once I feel I have comprised a solid enough list and given each track a thorough listen, I'll share what I'll consider the "final" cut.  But for now, without any further delay, here's the initial list (in no particular order).

1. Nas - Rewind

2. Slick Rick - La Di Da Di

3. Notorious B.I.G - Warning

4. Eminem - Stan

5. Andre 3000 - A Life In the of Benjamin Andre

6. Lost Boyz - Renee

7. KRS-1 -Love's Gonna Getcha

8. Redman - Soopaman Lova (Entire Series)

9. Notorious B.I.G. - Somebodies Got To Die

This album has been out for a couple of weeks (November 19th) and I waited this long to review it because I wanted to take a really thorough listen and give you a really honest assessment of the project....Also, it took me this long to finally peel the headphones away from my ears and do something other than listen to this album.