REAL TALK: I.A "The Kamaaina Classic"

KALANI: It's no secret that as far as hip hop in Hawaii, the genre will always be in the minority. What are your thoughts on this and how have you succeeded despite it all?

I.A: In the music business in general you have to have thick skin. I love music, but Hip Hop is my passion and the culture as a whole. So no matter what, I'm going to do it because I love it and I think thats why I have gotten this far in the business as well even though its not the genre of preference here in Hawaii.

KALANI: What are the biggest hurdles you and other hawaii emcees face?

I.A: I see Hawaii embracing the local Hip Hop scene a little more these days. The problem the Hawaii hip hop scene faces in my eyes is not having a consistent movement. We're not putting out the music as much as the Jawaiian and Reggae artist here on the islands so I feel like we are being over shadowed.

KALANI: Talk about some of your biggest struggles, trials and tribulations you've had to overcome to make it?

I.A: Just staying with it and grinding business-wise. My passion for hip hop will always be there, but the challenge is trying to do it on a professional scale. All the time and money put into it have been the biggest challenge while still working and keeping the roof over my head at the same time.



KALANI: What do you think makes Hawaii such a hard market for hip hop?

I.A: To me there is no exact sound thats been established for Hawaii hip hop. I think once that sound has developed, we will be able to push that sound as a unit.

KALANI: What did you think of when you heard Creed and Emirc were also coming out with new projects around the same time as yours and what does that do for Hawaii hip hop as a whole?

I.A: I think its a good look for us. Its a movement for Hawaii hip hop. 3 Hawaii emcee's, 3 different fan bases, and 3 different styles. Now we just have to keep this momentum going.

KALANI: Some may think there is a friendly rivalry between hip hop artists, is there?

I.A: Yes, Hip Hop has always been competitive. Its about raising the bar for the next emcee to raise it further. Look at where hip hop started to where its at now.



KALANI: Personally how do you try to REP Hawaii AND hip hop to the fullest?

I.A: For me, I take the culture of Hawaii and put it into a hip hop perspective. Hawaii is where I'm from and its who I am, so I try to speak that through the music.

KALANI: How would you rank the strength and talent of Hawaii artists today in comparision to two or even three years ago?

I.A: As artist you can only continue to grow sharpening your craft. The music has definitley gotten better, though I wish that some of the OG's in the scene were still in it.

KALANI: You said you gave out hundreds of copies of your mixtape for free at the Birthday Bash, why go through all that trouble? What are other examples of you getting your grind on for your music to be heard?

I.A: I want my music to be heard, so why not distribute it to the biggest local music event on the islands. I try any possible marketing angles to get my music heard, even if I have to give out my music.

KALANI: How do you share the responsibility with other artists holdin' down the 808?

I.A: We have to rep our culture and keep the music real to ourselves. If we speak about it we should be about it.

KALANI: Nationally why do you think Hawaii is "overlooked"?

I.A: We haven't been overlooked, I feel we are undiscovered raw talent. All we need is one artist to make it, then everybody is going to be looking for our scene as well.

KALANI: What would you call your biggest breakthroughs successes to date?

I.A: The biggest success is being able to brand my music, and getting support from the fans demanding Hawaii hip hop. I'm just happy making hip hop...

KALANI: What are some of HAWAII HIP HOP'S biggest breakthroughs and successes to date?

I.A: Having it being accepted here in Hawaii, a couple years ago we couldn't say the same. So its definitley getting somewhere and the hard work is paying off.

KALANI: How do you envision hip hop to be like in the islands in five years?

I.A: It would be nice to be recognized nationally by that time. But no matter how far we get, I hope we try to keep the music true to ourselves....