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Photo by Ten
Mic Terror
You can run, but you can't hide from the fact that Chicago is the new hot spot for crowd-pulsating Hip-hop, with acts such as Mic Terror,Shala, Kid Sister, Kanye West, Hollywood Holt, Million Dollar Mano and The Cool Kids blazing the trail. To boot, every artist mentioned, knows the other, either personally or through business.
It's not surprising that out of this group of stars, we'd get Mic Terror, the quick-witted mad scientist of lyricism. Terror's subject matter swings like a pendulum, from serious and thought-provoking to booty shaking, creating a sense of controlled chaos and welcomed anarchy. I caught up with Mr. Terror and he proved to be equally as edgy and entertaining as his music:
StopBeingFamous: Where do you get your high-top fade shaped and what made you bring it back?
Mic Terror: My ninja, K-Bizzle at Brand New Man in Riverdale, IL always hooks my fade up. I got it like three years ago. I just wanted to stand out and I had one when I was a lil' Tike so I thought, "Fuck it, why not bring it back?" The first time I got it, my barber, K-Bizzle, was like, "Are you sure you want to do this to your head? But he knows the demo every week now.
SBF: I've read that Wu-Tang Clan is one of your biggest influences; describe how life was for you when they first came out, around 1993.
M: Man, I was eight years old when 36 Chambers dropped. That shit was life changing. My dad and I used to watch old kung-fu movies all the time: Five Deadly Venoms, Five Fingers of Death, Master Killer, Drunken Master, all them shits. They [Wu-Tang Clan] mixed that with the hardcore Hip-hop. Shit! Other kids liked Power Rangers and VR troopers and shit but Wu-Tang was the Power Rangers to me; they were a heavy influence. I started rappin' when I was seven so I was already spittin' a little bit when Wu dropped. I thought I was the tenth member; back then my name was B.G. SHOGUN. I used to hate on Shyheim's ass, too; like I should be the shorty down wit the Wu.
SBF: What kind of kid where you?
M: A loner and happy to be one. I was an only child and liked it that way. I spent hours playing by myself, reading comic books, writing raps, writing scripts and reading history books. I spent a lot of time on punishment and my moms said, "No outside, no TV and no toys." So, shit, all I could do was read and write most of the time. I inherited a short fuse from my dad so I had at least one fight a week in school. People that I grew up with adapted to me, though. I eventually started making friends and I was just known as the "weird nigga" on the block. Niggas was like, "Yeah, I know he dresses different and shit but, on the boss, he'll fuck you up!" Ha!
SBF: I understand GL Joe will be shooting a video for you in future, when can we expect its release?
M: Yeah, GL is shooting the video for a song I have called, "I'm An Asshole" that should be dropping in September.
SBF: You are an extremely lyric- and content-based MC, how do you feel about Hip-hop's move into the mainstream? Do you think it has taken away the MC's ambition to be a master of lyricism?
M: Naw, I love Hip-hop going mainstream. I want it to be as big as possible and everybody has the right to tell their story as long as they have a respect for the art form. Some of these rappers out ain't MCs at all, just hustlers trying to make a quick buck, but the real MC will stand the test of time and it's up to the fans to decipher the real from the fake.
SBF: How do you usually start off your day?
M: Nothing special, take a piss, have the girl in my bed make breakfast, hop on the internet and take care of some business on there, get dressed and head out the door to handle some more business.
SBF: How did you and M.I.A. end up working together on her single "Come Around"? What was it like to work with her in the studio?
M: One of my best friends, Mano (Million Dollar Mano), was her DJ and one day
she was in Chicago at a club while he was spinning and Mano dropped "Juke Them Hoes" and the crowd went crazy, as usual. Then M.I.A. asked, "Who made this song? This shit is banging." Mano told her, "My boy Mic Terror," then e-mailed her some more of my shit and she loved it. The next day she hit me on Myspace like, "Yo, let me sign you," and we've been working together since then. We got some more shit in the making that y'all need to look out for.
SBF: On average, how long does it take you to write a song?
M: About an hour.
SBF: What do you think about Barack Obama's run for presidency? What sort of changes do you hope will stem from his nomination? Does it matter?
M: FUCK POLITICS! Ha! But naw, I just want Barack to win so black children can have a role model who isn't an athlete or a rapper. So that they can aspire to be president, you know; just let them know that there are a lot more options. If he can get the gas prices down I'll be happy but as far as real change, none of those muthafuckas makes a difference, just another android in a suit.
SBF: About a year ago you engaged in a battle with an MC by the name of Mazzi and then released Lesson C, which is a classic diss record. Have you since moved on and what are your thoughts on battling today?
M: Yeah, I've definitely moved on. That dude's a nobody. But as far as battling goes, if any of these so-called rappers jump out of their body and say some shit I don't like, I'm going to annihilate them! I bite my tongue for no man and you will hear about it, if you're worthy. Some of these nobody-ass rappers don't deserve the free publicity. Like a wise man said, "Choose your battles wisely."
SBF: Would you say that you are a role model?
M: Yeah, I'm an Anti-Role Model. I'm like the snake in the Garden of Eden; I just show you an alternative. Ultimately it's your choice whether you follow or not. But to all those rebels, assholes, atheists, anarchists, degenerates, and perverts, I'm like Michael Jordan.
SBF: You've mainly built your following through performing, Myspace and promotion from your record label, Phedz. If given the opportunity, would you sign to major label?
M: I'm working on that now actually. I can't tell you which label until the deal is finalized but, yeah, most definitely. I want to spread the Mic Terror gospel to the world. Hahahahahaha(sinister laugh)hahahahahahaha.
SBF: What can we expect from Mic Terror in the remainder of 2008 and the whole of 2009?
M: The same thing we do every night, Pinky! Try and take over the wooooooorld!!!
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