Popular Hip Hop artist, manager, and star event host MR. 1204 is celebrating his birthday, December 4th, and we’re celebrating it with him!
After maintaining his momentum through the challenges of 2020, the energetic rhymer kept advancing in 2021 with his success certain to continue in 2022. With four consecutive hit singles – “Spendin All Night”, “Lost”, “Free The Goonz”, and “What To Tell You” – expect a fifth with his next release “Up Right Now”.
In THIS INTERVIEW MR. 1204 talks about the ups, downs, trials, and tribulations of his life, and why those experiences propelled him. THIS is for YOU! (and Happy Birthday, MR. 1204!)
Being another year older is reason enough to celebrate, but you’re accustomed to partying on a regular basis! Your events are parties. You’re brought in by top brands, entertainers, and outlets to host their parties. You bring the party vibe to Van Andel Arena, The Filmore, The Fox, and other venues across the country.
Well, shit, I mean… [Laughs] It’s all about having fun! The game don’t change. People may change, you’ve got bigger venues, but the game don’t change. Some people think it’s all about social media. No. You’ve got to be in people’s faces!
You’ve been successful as a recording artist, as an event host, and a manager. Will you, right now, evaluate yourself as an artist from your own management perspective?
When I look back , Big Rob [of Pinnacle Management] taught me how to be seasoned in this industry, hone my skills, work at my craft, and I realize it’s been the little things. I performed at a bar, and I had the track playing behind me, and the sound guy said he couldn’t even tell. That’s one of the skills I had to learn.
Big Rob always said to have the lyrics behind me because I’m not always in an arena where they’re going to make sure my vocals and sound are great. I have to always make sure people can understand what I’m saying. I’m trying to win people over with my lyrics and my energy!
I come from an era where, I don’t give a damn if it’s mic check, you better give it your all. From a management standpoint, I’m proud of where I am right now!
Tell us what you like about, not just performing in front of an audience, but hosting and controlling an audience.
With hosting I don’t have to perform the whole track. I can pick my spots, jump in and out. And I get to bring to life the picture that’s already painted, and I just make people feel more of what they’re feeling anyway. I bring it out of them. With my songs I have to sell it all.
In recent years you have only released singles instead of an album. What can we expect once you finally release a new full length studio project?
What you can expect is me opening up, giving people what’s been going on in the last several years of my life. Man, I haven’t dropped a full-length album since 2003-2004. I did The Aphilliates mixtape in 2007-2008, and we never released it. A lot has happened.
I was charged with a homicide, and I believe I was wrongly accused. I was railroaded in so many ways by the judicial system. But, actually, the judicial system helped me. I can’t say that they were all bad people. I believe they had all-bad intensions. I had people who helped me out, and I really want to give people my story! I really want to tell people my story and open up as opposed to just being about the same old shit: poor Black guy coming from the ‘hood, selling drugs, went to jail, popping Molly, got a bunch of women and a bunch of guns. I’m more than that! We’re more than that! I believe the story needs to be told.
Part of your story is you achieving success after coming up in a small, dangerous market. What’s that been like?
On top of being a “no market”! [Laughs] Then it became dangerous.
It’s the struggle. It’s the grind. I come from Muskegon, Michigan but I also come from Kalamazoo. I also come from Ann Arbor. And Benton Harbor. And Detroit. So, I’ve seen it all!
Muskegon got the tail end of it all. I grew up with dope boys in my house because my dad was addicted to drugs. That was his way of getting high, letting the dope boys come sell it out the house. That happened in Kalamazoo before they even had drugs in the streets in Muskegon. No lie. We’re talking early 80s.
I watched my whole neighborhood turn into a drug-infested territory. In Muskegon I could just chill in my Grandma’s front yard, or walk to King School and have breakfast. It was home because it didn’t have what Kalamazoo did. Muskegon became that years later. When we were fighting in Muskegon, they were shooting in Ann Arbor. I know because I lived there.
What is it about what’s happened to your hometown, and to the world at large, that makes you feel bad?
I feel bad for my kids. My kids have to grow up and experience this shit. I worry! As a father you’re going to worry for your babies. Luckily their heads are on straight and they’re steering clear of the bullshit.
You’re visible. There are young people who may not be living the best lives, who have dreams and aspirations but feel like because of their means and surroundings they won’t achieve them. And then they see you. You’re on stages in front of thousands of people, you’re with Kendra Kouture, Kayslay, CORE DJs, and others, and you’re in major publications. You came from challenges like them. These people are watching you closely and they want to be like you. What feelings do you get from that?
This ain’t no cakewalk. And I’d tell them that. I’d tell them You have to invest in yourself. Put money back into yourself. How ever you’re getting it, keep working.
I was 21 when my first album came out. I paid for that myself! It costed me $3,100 to get 1000 CDs printed up, glassed up with a 6-page insert from Discmakers. We ain’t talking about studio time! It was real hard, tedious work. I felt like I couldn’t achieve it! I felt like it wasn’t going to be there.
But through hard work, through the 5 Ps, I just made sure that I saw it through. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker | Photos by Doug Sims]
POST-CREDITS BONUS:
