Interviews

Zora Neale Hurston Festival: Hip Hop Panel

The 2012 Zora Neale Hurston Festival hosted the Be Up Hip Hop panel during this year's 23rd installment of the cultural event in historic Eatonville. The panelists discussed the positive roots of Hip Hop and explored how to utilize...

Are you Hip Hop?

You can’t be Hip Hop by wearing diamonds in your mouth. Hip Hop won’t be found in a Bently or an Aston Martin. Wearing brand names like Coogi, Roca Wear, LRG, or Sean Jean won’t make you anymore a...

Ice Cube’s path to success: Gangster Rap, to Music Industry Royalty, to Hollywood Mogul

Ice Cube needs no introduction, he's conquered music, film, and most currently television. In this interview, Cube talks about his transformation from gangsta rapper to film star and entertainment mogul. He also sheds insight into his journey within this...

Bill Adler interview: A treasure trove of insight into iconic Hip Hop history

I first spoke with Bill Adler in the 80's when I was just a kid trying to get insight into the entertainment industry. I would call the label that he worked at, and he'd take time to talk. Decades...

Jus Allah of Jedi Mind Tricks talks Music, Industry, and Hip Hop.

As one half of the voice of Jedi Mind Tricks, Jus Allah lives, eats, and breaths in the world of indie Hip Hop. His group has enjoyed a significant cult following globally since the release of the their underground...

Interview with Dame Dash

Damon Dash, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella records, the label that launched the careers of Hip Hop's biggest stars, including Jay Z and Kanye West, has new musical endeavors with his label. One of its new releases is "Love and Rockets,"...

Bad Brains interview: Iconic punk rock stars offer a legacy of lessons for longevity

(pictured- HR, iconic frontman for Bad Brains) The singular most important tenet in Hip Hop is originality. Ever since the architects of the culture began to craft the genre, the primary tool was diversity. Their creativity was fueled, inspired, and...

Success in the music industry- embrace a niche: I Fight Dragons interview part 2

In this segment of Insomniac Magazine's Q&A with Brian Mazzaferri, he explains exactly what it means to embrace a niche and ultimately how I Fight Dragons cut out a slice of their own piece of the music industry. As...

Tony Samuel pens kids’ book with positive message

Tony Samuel’s new book about the travels of a young princess named Nadia is currently available internationally. Will You Play With Me teaches young children the meaning of friendship through the tale about a little girl’s trek through Africa...