Mz. Gotti: Such A F*ckin' Lady (Indie Artist Interview)
Monday, January 18, 2010
, Posted by krushez at 1/18/2010 12:15:00 PM
This interview has been a long time coming, and between my schedule and Mz Gotti’s I was wondering if we would ever get a chance to do it, but the stars aligned, questions were asked, answers were given, all because talent was present, and well, here we are. Initially known as Lady Tiger, her ability to turn what is “real” into what is “lyrical”, lead the hood to name the mid-west female emcee , Mz. Gotti, a moniker her hustle lives up to. She released her first solo project, Hard Candy in October 2008, and throughout 2009 made appearances on mainstream mixtapes, along with hosting tapes with industry DJ’s. All of her hard work lead to a nomination at the 2009 Ohio Hip Hop Awards in the Best Female Artist category, and the future is sure to hold more.
For those not yet in the know. Introduce Yourself.
My name is Mz Gotti aka Mena J (pronounced Me-nah). I represent the whole mid-west! To be specific Columbus is the city, Ohio is the state, and the Southside is where I reside.
The first time EK came across your music was off a verse you did on a mixtape by Sev Da Producer & DJ Ames, but how long before then had you been on your grind?
First off big shout out to Sev and DJ Ames for reaching out to me on this project. This isn’t my first time working with Ames he appeared on the Trigger Men vol. 9 I hosted in 09 for the Fleet DJ’s. Shout out to DJ Whut It Dew. I been grinding for quite some time now I released my first solo project HARD CANDY THE MIXTAPE October of 2008 and before that I use to and still do ghost-write. Before my mixtape I just use to rap for fun. Money was my motivation so I wasn’t serious with this rap shit… now it’s my life!
What made you initially want to start rapping?
Hmmm…. It was a lot of things that happened in my life that initially made me start rapping but I can share with you a fewJ. The separation of my parents hurt me so much and I didn’t really know how to talk about the pain. Then moving down south away from my hood, friends, and family, the deaths of my grandmother than great grandmother, catching a very serious case and tried as an adult only at age 15 music was my only escape. So to sum it all up it was my life that got me on this music and this music saved my life.
Who would you say influenced you the most?
My mother, and father. My parents did everything they could to make sure I was straight growing up. Even when the sun didn’t look like it was gon’ shine they made a way and they still do. They are my biggest supporters. I love em even tho they work my nerves at times.
You’ve been in a lot of different states and areas; do you think your style is indicative of a particular region?
Yes I have been blessed to move state to state tryna get my music out here and heard. I would have to say my music relates mainly to the mid-west and the south. That’s where I grew up and you can hear it in my music, but I don’t see anyone in the game with a style like mines right now.
A lot of female emcees feel they aren’t respected by their male counterparts, do you agree and if so why?
Yes and no… and the reason I say this is because yes a lot of females don’t get respect in this game because either they have not earned it yet or either they don’t respect they self and it shows. Then again niggas get intimidated when a female is out here going harder than they are and be on some hating shit and show no respect. to be honest I never had an issue of getting respect due to the respect I have for myself and my music and on top of that I don’t take no shit but you gotta love the haters!
Does that affect your rhymes or how you handle your business deals?
Yea I would say so. A lot of niggas hate but I love the attention besides it’s free promotion. Lol but seriously my music is raw, and with that being said you get nothing but me and me only, so I will never change up because of what a man thinks, feel and/or say. It’s Mz FNGM (F*** niggas get money) baby. And as far as my business deals nothing will ever stop that unless I feel the lack of respect and have a man looking down on me like he better because of what he have between his legs.
What about your personal life, how has that affected your style?
Well my whole movement is FNGM (btw that’s the name of my mixtape dropping this summer). Right now I don’t have time to deal with men unless it’s business. I get my money make sure my fam is straight and I’m happy besides lately they all seem like they the same. (sorry no male bashing but it is what it is)
Every artist dislikes at least one aspect of the industry. If you could eradicate one thing, what would it be?
I would completely remove the “it’s not how good you are but who you know” reminder. Because I hate when I be hearing all these garbage rappers talk about nothing and didn’t really have to grind to get where they are because of someone who they knew. That shit kills me.
Not to get too into your personal business, but what is a guy’s general reaction when you tell them you are a rapper.
When I tell a guy I rap they be like yea ok, then when they hear how good I am they are shocked cause most of them say they never heard a female go as hard as I go. But overall they think it’s sexy. You would be surprised how many guys told me how they always wanted to date a rapper lol guy’s are a mess.
You also run your own business. Tell us a little bit about that.
Yes I own my own entertainment company is called RBG (Rich Black Girl) Entertainment. I’m so happy just seeing how far I have came along from just a thought to really building and getting it off the ground. I have a couple of producers on the team, as well as myself, and 1 R&B artist by the name of Tanisha that yall are gonna love! It’s a lot of work running your own company and I thought it wouldn’t be as hard as it is with the paper work my staff and etc. It’s can be very stressful at times because I do so much by myself but I wouldn’t change it for the world! I really grind very very hard for my company, my artist, my producers and etc!
Looking into the near future, what can we expect from you?
I have a lot of stuff in the works for yall. I have been working with a lot of mainstream producers, DJ’s and artists on a variety of projects that will be out this year! I have my mixtape Mz FNGM (the Movement) dropping this summer, a lot more mixtapes im appearing on or hosting, a lot of shows, a lot of songs that I wrote or co-wrote will be coming at this year as well. Just expect big things!!! Great things cause God has truly blessed me.
If you want to get to know Mz Gotti even more, she has several personal songs on her mixtape, Hard Candy. Be sure to check out “Run Away” is one a deep song, as well as “I Need Him, which she says is a “crying out for help song” because of what she was going through at the time she wrote it.
In the mean time, peep two songs from her upcoming summer mixtape, Mz FNGM (The Movement).
Mz Gotti Goes Super Hard Reppin Da O-H-I-O.. from north south east to west she comin up.. if you havent heard.. den get familiar.. HARD CANDY cop it
LET'S GET IT
I enjoyed reading this article and getting to know more about "Mena J". Thank you for representing Ohio, female artists, and just "good music" in general! Keep it comin!
This wasn't workin just a second ago, but anyway my girl Gotti is akin moves out here. I'm glad to see that and you def got Young H's support
YOU BEEN MY FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER.. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU REALLY BLOW UP AND SHIT ON NIGGAS.... MAKE SURE YOU KEEP GOD IN EVERYTHING YOU DO AND MAKE SURE IM THE THIRD PERSON TO GET THE ALBUM, SIGNED AND ALL(YOU KNOW MOM AND DAD FIRST).. LOVE YA GIRLY, ELYSE
OK I SEE SHE DO HER THING, AND IF YALL EVER BEEN TO ANY OF HER SHOWS YALL KNOW THAT SHE TURN THE SHIT OUT!!! KEEP GRINDING BABY GIRL FROM THE BAMA TO THE O... WE ALWAYS GOT UR BACK DWN THIS WAY SHAWTY!!!!!
get it bit.......! Mz Gotti i see u boo! Now ppl gon see all that damn traveling yo ass bn doin lately aint been for nothing! what u say "It's RBG ENT BABY CANT NOTHING STOP ME!!!" Keep that motto and keep keepin God first like u been doin!!!!! Im proud of u lil lady! Stay focused and get stackin baby... keep stackin!
Keep doing ya thang Mz gotti we miss you here @ wugr.biz. Get us more trax to spin......
Wugr.biz the Hottest internet radio station the world over.
I've had the pleasure of workin' wit Gotti and she is by far the best local female artist I've came across...real talk...keep doin' ur thing cuz u kno the CO gon hold u down now matter where u at...
wuddddddd up MZ G tellem stop sleeping on the O we comeing,great interveiw keep grinding!!! twitter.com/cridiemac or myspace.com/crudiemac .free promo why wouldnt i....lol
i never met her or been to any of her shows bout i heard about her on a couple of mixtapes she was on and hosted dwn here in Florida. i thought she was from here but to hear her story and she she all the way from Ohio and be dwn here so much means she really be grindin hard as hell... can yall tell her i said keep up the good wrk wit her sexy ass.
signin off......BLAKK AKA KRACC MAN
Mz Gotti Reps for Columbus hard she is a true artist she keeps it 100 yet goes hard wit the bars definitely deserves all the success that is coming her way i had the pleasure of meeting mz Gotti she coo people a really good person honestly and knows wut she's doing when it comes to this business we share the same passion for this music cant wait to finally work wit her ...GOTTI!! I.M.C UP!! much luv:)
man put the track i produced up big cousin
Congratz lil lady i wish all ur dreams come true. u bn out here grindin for a min. out here really in the streets movin shit til now movin crowds and pushin cds! keep up the good wrk Mz Gotti and lol....niggas wild now days. instead of congratulating this young woman on this article u ask her to put ur track up.
DAMN SHE NICE!
@Jon Walker
homie do you research this is my blood cousin and i was asking her to post a song that i produced for her on a mixtape she has out entiled Had Candy the track is call What it iz- my cousin know im proud of her and i hope you are as well have a bless dat Jon
she is actualy nice. i have bn waitin for a female that goes hard like that and stil be sexy. i think she shittin on that niki menage fake barbie bicth with that stupid ass skreamin and dumb ass faces she b makin like a dumb nut. no im not hatin im just sayin what happened to the mia x's, lady of rages, eve (b4 hollywood), charlie baltimore, miss jade. real bitches that go hard and say something besides something hoish. let her know that they respect real shyt like dat dwn hurr in the durty.