Interview w/ Poverty’s Posterboy
All roads to Wednesday go through Poverty! If you are ready to experience hip-hop in Albany (Oregon), then you are going to want to check out Bogey’s Bar & Grill (129 1st Street) every Wednesday night for a showcase of local and national rising rap talent. Local performer and Bogey’s Entertainment Manager, Poverty’s Posterboy, this committed husband/father has been leaving his imprint on the local scene with his hands deep in all aspects of the biz, from producing to rapping and booking local shows (and not exclusively hip-hop). The rap community in Albany appears to be thriving, with several acts on the rise, Poverty and several others we have interviewed previously are taking the blue-collar approach to fame – taking care of business and chasing the dream. So, whether your thing is rap or you are looking to book locally, all roads go through Poverty.
HC Is there any significance or story behind your name?
POV Me and a friend were joking around back in 98′ and picked it and it just stuck. Plus I have never had a lot of valuable stuff, so it fits!
HC How did you go from dreaming about rapping to performing live and cutting albums?
POV A lot of hard work and determination. Hours and hours of grinding and trying to figure out the game.
HC For those who are unfamiliar with your set, how would you describe yourself – do you lean towards a particular style of hip-hop? What can we expect from a Poverty’s Posterboy show?
POV I don’t really lean towards any particular style of hip-hop, I try to do me! A lot of energy and entertainment, a show they wont forget.
HC Beyond performing, you are involved with producing albums and promoting shows. Tell us more about your studio work – what are you set up to do and how long have you been doing it?
POV Right now my studio is down. But should be done by early 2010…in the process of building a new one. I have only been recording for about 8 months and beat making for about 6 months. But I have only been writing/rapping since March of 08′.
HC You are the Entertainment Manager for Bogey’s (Downtown Albany, Oregon) which hosts Hip-Hop Night every Wednesday. How did you get involved with Bogey’s? How long has Bogey’s been supportive of local hip-hop? How have you seen the local rap scene grow through this relationship?
POV I have always known the brothers who own it, but have been performing there for about a year now. Bogey’s has been supportive of the local hip-hop scene for the last year and a half. I have seen a lot of growth through this relationship such as, acts like Rappin’4-Tay and Celly Cel come to Albany, as well as a weekly hip-hop night.
HC Are you an Albany native? From your experience has Albany always been good to hip-hop or has that been a lot of work by yourself and others to get it to this point?
POV Yes I was born and raised here. I believe that it has taken a lot of work and still more before we are embraced.
HC Whenever I ask people about the history of hip-hop in Albany, certain names keep popping up, i.e. Murder Creek, Weside Ink, Paradox, etc. What can you tell us about the who and what of the origins of rap in Albany?
POV Those are the rappers that started the scene here in town. And since then have helped out a ton of artists, myself included.
HC What are some of your early influences that got you into hip-hop?
POV Too short, Eazy E, Dr. Dre, WU Tang, Tupac, Biggie, Everything really.
HC Where are you currently grabbing inspiration and/or frustration from and how has this been affecting your music?
POV Life. That’s what I write about, the struggles that we all have to go through. It’s helped to push me to write better and better songs.
HC Where can those interested best connect with you to find out about news, releases and tours?
POV www.myspace.com/povertysposterboy, or go to Bogey’s on Wedensday nights…129 1st st in downtown Albany.
HC Are there any big plans in the works for the remainder of 2009 that we should know about, whether from Poverty’s Posterboy or Bogey’s?
POV Yes lots of big things going to be happening…keep checking my page to see whats going on.
HC What have been some of the most important lessons for you as an aspiring artist? Any words of wisdom for those wanting to pursue their dreams of rap stardom?
POV You can lose alot of your close friends over the dumbest things, Takes money to make money in this game, keep your family as close as possible…they are some of the ones that will always truly have your back and keep on grinding.