[rock the dub Interview]: Big S.I.N

Not many of you know this, but before there was a rock the dub, there was The Flow (RIP). The Flow was a pretty ill webzine, highlighting a lot of Urban culture, and is the place where I really got my feet wet with writing shit that wasn't poetry. I realized that I had a knack for interviews, and got to interview a good batch of people - I started up a blog to get some of that material back on the 'Net, btw. Anyways, one of my favorite interviewees was Big S.I.N. He is a hungry MC from North Carolina, who was gaining a nice buzz in his area, but you're talking I interviewed him like 4, 5 years ago. Fast forward to now, and homey has gotten international radio spins, has scored track placement on movies, and had his mixtapes hosted by Slip-N-Slide DJs. He is really on a the move, and I was happy to sit down with him again to speak on what he's got going on now, how his grind and buzz have grown, the recent election of our first BLCKPRSDNT and some other bits. Enter the mind of a mad man...

khal: So you’ve just released your Mind Of A Mad Man Vol. 1 mixtape? How did that come about? How did you get in contact with J Chase to host it?

Big S.I.N: Well, about 3 years ago, when I was living in Richmond, VA, I did a street album calld Mind Of A Mad Man; I sold 200 copies on the streets when I was up there. After I did The Warning Shot, Sin-City, The Underdog and Sanity, I thought to myself “it would be ill to do a mixtape series of 3 volumes of Mind Of A Mad Man, so I just started on it; it was just something different – it got downloaded like 1200 times in 6 days with not much promotion. I chose DJ J-Chase because I wanted the mixtape to have an official host for it, and he is a Slip-N-Slide DJ; I wanted to throw people eoff, because when you think of Slip-N-Slide, I am the last artist you think of!

khal: Whether someone is checking your lyrics or wylin’ off your videos, you can’t help but notice that your whole steelo is that of the everyman, the nigga you see on the corner and give a dap. Does it feel odd to start getting press, especially off of the recent film work you’ve done?

Big S.I.N: Well, it feels a little odd, but I still feel the same; sometimes, I forget about everything, sometimes I am stuck in the mindset that nobody is listening, and if eel like nobody is watching my moves, so it bugs me out when someone approaches me and starts singing “Suicide Note”, but now people are really starting tot ake notice and I think they see that I am not playing games, that I am really driven and determined to make it. The movie was a blessing from God, and I am grateful to Cherie, Brian and whomever the music supervisor for the film was, because there are millions of MCs they could have chose, but they chose me and I am thankful, but I am and will always be myself; I never get gassed and I don’t have an ego. In this game, the second you get gassed, that’s when it’s all over for you, like David Ruffin or Eddie Kane. You will never be on top forever, because it is always somebody that is hungrier than you are, and you can fall at anytime with a lot of regrets; I just stay focused, keep a positive mindset, put God first and go hard!!!

khal: Let’s get into the film project (I Do... I Did) you were a part of. I know you did a song for the movie, but how else were you involved? Do you have plans on doing any more projects within film?

Big S.I.N: Originally, Cherie asked me if I had some songs about a man cheating in a relationship – I am the type of artist that really doesn’t do those types of songs, but I can pretty much write about anything once given the idea; she also mentioned she wanted a joint that did not have a lot of cussing, so I just wrote a song of the plot of the movie with no profanity; it is the first clean song I have ecer done, but when you listen to it, you really don’t even notice it is clean. That’s the only involvement I had in the film; I am just glad to hear my voice in it, period, and I was glad to do it with my long-time partner Stoney Blendz; he is such a hard-working individual, and he deserved it so much. As far as other projects, I think there will be more, but I am not quite sure when. Film is something I would love to get into one day – I used to do theater in middle school (a lot people don’t know that).

khal: How did you hook up with Jackel Hyde? Do you have any projects coming with him in the future?

Big S.I.N: The way I hooked up with Hyde was through a good friend Chocolytte, she sent him to me via MySpace. We chatted a little bit and he sent me a beat that eventually became a song we did called “252”; it was a banger! We then did a joint called “Put Some Money In The Jukebox”; it was a smash in Germany, getting radio play in Germany, Australia and other parts of Europe. It was even played in some clubs in Spain! Hyde and I have an ill chemistry, much like me and Stoney; I love their productions, because it brings something extra out of me as an artist. Hyde did production on Mind Of A Mad Man Vol. 1, and we have a joint called “Bang” dropping in Germany-only. He is also doing a couple of joints on Vol. 2; he is kinda bust right now with his group Tricks over in Germany, and eh is working with an R&B singer by the name of Nytique, but once things slack up a a bit, there will be more from me and Hyde in the future. He helps us get a buzz over there, and vice versa – people are starting to take notice of his work here.

khal: What else do you have going on in terms of your music career? How do you see your 2009 coming along? What would you like to accomplish by Dec. 31st?

Big S.I.N: Mind Of A Mad Man was a huge success to me because I never imagined getting that many downloads in that short amount of time. When the year first started, I was feeling kind of iffy, but once the project dropped and I saw the response, I knew that it was going to be on and popping. I am just going to take it one day at a time, and I am going to continue to go hard, grind and have faith. Last year, I never would have imagined I’d have done the things I accomplished, a lot of it just happened. I will take the same approach this year. Hopefully by December 31st, I will have made it to the big time. I guess we will have to see what happens, but I will go hard regardless. I will also be a part of a mixtape by DJ Davito called The Davido Brigante Chronicles, featuring artists like Large Professor, YZ, Rakaa Irisience from Dilated Peoples and others. It is a follow up to The Intervention, which featured MC Lyte, Busta Rhymes and others, so I am excited about that project.

khal: You represent North Carolina, right? How’s the scene down there? Do you see yourself ever collaborating with heads like Little Brother and other MCs from that area?

Big S.I.N: I represent NC, Henderson/Drewry to be exact, and I live in a small town called Dabney. The scene in NC is crazy – there are so many talented artists in NC, it is like a big pot of gumbo, many different flavors. Once NC gets in the game heavy, I think it will be a wrizzy; the people of NC are great as far as support, and I have gotten a lot of support from my hometown. A lot of them just want to see somebody make it big. I love that about my hometown. As far as Little Brother, I would love to work with them one day; I think they are very talented artists with a lot of integrity. I never had the chance to meet them, but one day, who knows? I have worked with Tre-Dot, P. Batters and Shelly B outta NC; there are a few others I would like to work with but things take time to happen; when the time is right, I am sure it will pop off proper.
khal: Will you be doing any live shows soon?

Big S.I.N: Right this minute, none are planned, but before the summer hits and I get my buzz a little stronger, I think I will hit the stage again. I have a great stage show, with a lot of energy and emotion. It is almost like ventilation for me when I perform, because I put my all into it.

khal: What’s the last record you wrote? Can we get a couple of bars from it?

Big S.I.N: The last song I recorded is a song for Vol. 2 called “Dreamer”, featuring Nesh Bo outta San Diego, with Nytique on the hook. It is a very positive and motivational song produced by Jackel Hyde. One like I say is “got the heart of a champ and I’m poised to win/at the end of the road like Boyz II Men/I’m underrated but I’m better than most/fuck a lame-ass beef cause its chedda to gross”. The song is a banger and I think, with the election of Obama as President, it will be perfect.

khal: Speaking of Obama, how do you feel that we have finally got a Black man as president? Do you subscribe to the thoughts that America is somehow better with Barack in office?

Big S.I.N: I think America is finally ready for a black president; I just wish my great grandmother could have seen it. We have been brainwashed into thinking a Black Man could not hold that title, and it is crazy, because Black people have the xact same education as anybody else. No disrespect, but we havehad some presidents that were not the smartest individuals, but because of race, people were comfortable with then, and black people had to roll with the flavor, so to speak, but it is a new day and era. I am so overjoyed to see HISTORY unfold; I think Obama will be a great leader for everybody, and he is a great representation of what a man should be. He is driven and very intelligent, but I hope people just don’t focus on race too much – I did not vote for Barack because he was Black, but I voted for him because I felt like he spoke from his heart, and I felt like he really wanted to make this a better America for everybody. He came along at a time when we as Americans did not know what steps to take, and he seemed like he had the medicine; I just hope people don’t expect him to turn water into wine in one year.

khal: Do you have any final thoughts or shoutouts before we wrap this up?

Big S.I.N: Mind Of A Mad Man, Vol. 2 and “Bang” are next on deck; I am also about to drop a “best of S.I.N” mixtape, to reintroduce some of my past music to people that are just starting to listen. I will keep pouding the pavement until more people take notice of my brand of Hip-Hop. I will never sacrifice my integrity to get a deal. Shout out to Stoney Blendz, Jackel Hyde, Choc, Cheri Johnson, Nesh Bo, DJ Davito, Big ES, Complexx, Tazzy and Royalty Mag, Tre-Dot, Kurrilina Kingz, Richard Cranium Radio, P. Batters, Jase Alston, Shawn, Jo-Jo, the whole Gate City and Drewry, my nigga B. Townes, J-Infamous, Bug CJ and my best friend on his way yo Iraq, L’Say, and of course RTD – I appreciate all the love you have shown me throughout my career. Stay tuned to Big S.I.N, aka Buck Sandy!

Now that you know who S.I.N is, here's a bunch of cuts of his you need to make a part of your life:

• "Last Night" (from The Lighthouse Project, Disc 1)
• "Bottles In The Air (I Let My Tape Rock Official Remix)" (ft. Shelly B)
• "Money Talks"
• "The Revolution"

Watch out for Mind Of A Mad Man, Vol. 2, which will be dropping exclusively on rock the dub. Keep it locked!

EDIT The Best of Jackel Hyde mixtape just dropped today; S.I.N is all over it - grab it!

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