Raptalk.net Exclusive Q&A Interview Session With iCON The Mic King

RAPTALK.NET was given the chance to hook up with Philly emcee iCON The Mic King for another exclusive Rap Talk Q&A session. iCON talks about his new projects, the state of hip hop and his plans for the future. Enjoy!

Dub MD: iCON The Mic King, What's good?

 iCON The Mic King: Ain't shit man, just trying to live life to the fullest and get fired from my job and go back to being a full time rapper but my boss is too pusillanimous to man up and get it done. I got the new album out "Mike and the Fatman" featuring Killah Priest & Blue Raspberry most of the production is handled by Chum the Skrilla Guerilla with two guest tracks produced by Styalz Fuego!!!

Dub MD: For those who don't know, could you just give a short review of what you've experienced in your rap career up until now?

iCON The Mic King: A short review? I don't even know how to do that. Let's just say that I've lived a lot of my dreams up until now and have had to endure a lot of adversity to get to the point that I'm at. In any event I'm very happy to be here and I just want to see it grow.

Dub MD: Coming from Philadelphia, what do you think of the Philly music scene right now?

iCON The Mic King: I don't. I just lead by example in hopes the next generation of emcees will be much better.

Dub MD: A lot of people are saying "Hip Hop Is Dead" lately, how do you feel about the current state of hip hop?

iCON The Mic King: Hip Hop is reaching a critical mass where the fans are getting very sick of the bullshit. With the advances in technology making everything so easy to get, it's become a lot easier to decide what it is you DON'T want so pretty soon people are just going to stop picking up the garbage altogether. At the same time this is going to bring about a new Renaissance in 2008 (just like hip hop had a renaissance in both 1988 and 1998) and adept lyricists who make soulful music will come to the forefront. Hip hop is not dead, it's just the bullshit part of it is about to have a very rude awakening.

Dub MD: Do you have any new projects in the works? whats it called & what can your fans expect?

iCON The Mic King: I have a record that I'm working on with this kid from Portugal named Blastah Beats entitled "The Season of our Discontent" it's essentially documenting stuff I've been going through in the last 8 months and it's an important record in my role in the coming Renaissance. Other than that I'm considering doin an Electronica record just to try out something different.

Dub MD: With this album, what producers & artists are you connecting with this time round?

iCON The Mic King: I'm not all that into collaborating but I'm hoping to a song on this record with Yarah Bravo. She's pretty amazing to me. Blastah Beats is handling all the production on this record. Any other guest on the record would be based on what the label wants really.

Dub MD: Whats your label situation like just now?

iCON The Mic King: I'm signed to Uprising Records, however I have a stipulation in my contract that says I can do anything else I want with whatever label I want during the course of my contractual obligation to them. So far they are doing a lot to take me to the next level but I want to see what else can be done.

Dub MD: Besides rapping are you planning to branch out into any other things besides doing rap music? movies? clothing?

iCON The Mic King: I'd be interested in acting but I'd want to do it right, hone my craft before I did anything. Clothing is also something I'd be into but it'd have to be something I'd be very hands on with, not like these other clothing lines rappers have just to attach their name to something. I definitely would have bought PNB had Nick Cannon not done it.

Dub MD: For your fans who haven't seen you perform yet are you planning a worldwide tour anytime soon?

iCON The Mic King: If it was up to me, I'd perform 360 days a year and hit everywhere in the world. Every town, city, state. But really it's not up to me, it's up to whether or not these promoters believe I have fans in these locales. So if you want to see me anywhere, you have to share my music with your friends and you have to tell promoters you want to see me. I plan to see the whole world many times over with this music though.

Dub MD: If you could describe yourself as an emcee in 4 words, what would they be?

iCON The Mic King: The Best Rapper Ever!

Dub MD: Do you have anything to say to the fans? anything you wanna get off your chest? any shout outs?

iCON The Mic King: The Renaissance is coming. Do your part so we can have better music. Check out the new album and there is much more to come. Thank you for your continued support. www.myspace.com/iconthemicking - www.iconthemicking.com - I.B. I-FLY. Peace

New track from iCON The Mic King called "Black Arts", Right click & save as to download: iCON The Mic King - Black Arts (feat. Jus Allah)

DUB MD