Mickey Factz is one my favorite rappers in the game right now. The kid out of the Bronx is so hip hop from his Supras to his specs. Afrika Bambaataa, one of the pioneers of break beat deejaying, was a legendary DJ with an eclectic sound that merged hip hop and electro funk together. Similarly, Mickey echoes and contributes to this legacy by not being afraid to cross borders into other genres of music such as electro, techno, and alternative rock.
Aside from his innovative sound, Mickey also has an unprecedented swagger that he brings to mic that demands your attention demonstrated on tracks like "Talk Yo Ish." However, at the same time Mickey can tone it down and get deep on tracks giving his listeners a peek into his everyday life like on "Up High", a track about his coming to the game. Factz is definitely on the list of MCs on the rise, and somebody we will be hearing about for years to come.
I hit up Mickey via email, and asked him if he could answer some questions for Ill Vibes. As busy as he is he responded within minutes, it was nothing for him to take out some time for the fans. Hope y'all enjoy it!
( Watch and listen to Mickey Factz talk about his music)
1. First off, thank you for taking out your time to show some love for Ill Vibes. Well, for those that do not know about you (we have to educate) tell them a little about yourself from what "Mickey Factz" stands for to your musical background.
When you hear the name Mickey Factz, you automatically say Wtf? And you should because its an unusual name with a creative twist. Mickey is from Natural Born Killers. My musical background is Hip-Hop, Soul, R&B and Gospel. Those are my all time favorite genre's. However, Rock, House, Techno and Electro are slowly creeping up for me.
2. Drop 3 tracks of yours that you think defines Mickey Factz and explain why.
Talk Yo Ish, Up High and Rest Of Em. Talk Yo Ish is just me bragging and being flashy. At the end of the day, that was always me and will always be me. Up High is really the human side of me. After I overstunt on someone I feel bad and I get beside myself. Records like this bring me back to reality. And Rest Of Em is a joint where I just like to black out and show people I aint no joke and I aint like the rest of these cats out here.
3. Being from the Bronx, the influence is apparent on "Back to the Future Vol. 1" as the mixtape sampled New York natives Eric B & Rakim, Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, Raekwon, Black Moon, the legendary Slick Rick, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z. Give us a glimpse of what growing up in the Bronx meant for you in terms of your love for hip-hop.
I grew up where it started. So imagine being a kid seeing train cars painted with nothing but Grafitti. Or my first time you hearing Big Daddy Kane on a record player. Amazing stuff. I used to literally tape over my moms songs to tape songs on the radio. Then play and rewind to copy lyrics down. Ima serious fan of HipHop. A true addiction. This culture meant everything growing up to me and still means everything to this day.
(Check out this crazy freestyle by Mickey a couple years ago)
4. It was an innovative and dope decision to remix the classic tracks on "Back to the Future Vol. 1" as it simultaneously gave it an old school and modern feel. What is the story behind that idea?
Sickamore was supposed to host the tape. We had a meeting playing him the first version. He said it was dope but its just Mickey rapping over old beats. A light bulb went off in Steve-O's head. Let's remake some of the beats and Mickey re-write these joints. So Precize handled most of the production on that mixtape. He murdered it. We wanted to pay homage and at the same time bring the music forward. It also opened the door for Heavens Fallout.
5. What is the best concert you have been to in recent memory? All time?
I can't remember. But I will say I got tickets to see Kanye at the Glow In The Dark tour. So I'm guessing that will be the end all be all
6. Nas, Biggie, or Jay-z?
Jay-Z hands down. I love all 3 but Jay is just a monster. I use his music in every day conversation. There is tooooo much Jay-Z material that is hot. So he gets it for me.
7. Personally, N.E.R.D. is one of my favorite groups and I feel like they are still an underrated group out there in the music industry on all facets from their songwriting, production, and sound. What motivated you to dedicate a whole album to their music for "In Search of the N.E.R.D."?
My A&R Steve-O is a big N.E.R.D. fan and he wanted me to do some of these records. So we looped up my favorite and his favorite joints and created a classic. Its an under-rated mixtape in general.
8. The eclectic vibe on "Heaven's Fallout" is simply ridiculous from the electro sound on "I Like Your Supras", the punk rock sound from Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up", Mark Ronson's alternative rock "Stop Me", and my personal favorite "Something About Us" from the legendary Daft Punk. What kind of music other than hip-hop is in your current rotation? Which artists?
Right now I'm zoning out to Techno and Electro. Currently in my rotation is Dj Mehdi, Bjork, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Kavinsky. I usually have my shit on shuffle so I can intake it all.
9. Drop 5 of your favorite albums.
Michael Jackson - Thriller
John P. Kee - Not Guilty
Jay-Z - In My Lifetime Vol 1.
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
Mickey Factz - Heavens Fallout
10. People have tried to tag you as a part of the Hipster Movement as you have worked with both The Cool Kids (Rockin' n Rollin) and Naledge from Kidz In the Hall (Naledge v. Factz), yet you have adamantly avoided that label. How would you categorize your music and what you are trying to do in the game?
I call it Uber Hip-Hop. I'm trying to bring the game to the future. I'm always looking forward. So right now I categorize myself in that genre. People will follow suit soon enough.
11. I'm feeling the "The Leak Vol. 1" as my favorite cuts of the album are "Don't Be Light", "Automatic", and "Rest of Em." What are your favorite songs from that CD?
Up High, Automatic, Rest Of Em and Another Star. Those records do it for me. You can feel the vibe.
12. What can we expect from you in the summer in terms of mixtapes, collabos, concerts, etc?
You can expect more collab's, more songs, more shows, more videos, more everything. Ima be everywhere just keep your eyes open and put me on google alert. Lol Itz Mickey!
Once again Mickey thanks for the interview and I wish you only the best for the future. Keep making that fresh music and ill vibes. Peace.
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