Geolani Grandz Interview

GEOLANI GRANDZ

If you are a fan of Hip Hop you will undoubtebly already know who Geolani Grandz is but for those who maybe sleeping a little longer than the others let me break it down for you.
Geloani was born and raised in Yonkers NYC, growing up to the street beat of Hip Hop and artists like DMX and Styles P it’s no surprise Geloani himself became a budding CEO and artist wanting to spread the music he grew up around.

Experiencing a rough childhood has only made him stronger and shaped him into the man we know today, without it who knows we may not be sitting here reading about the artist we know as Geolani. But we are and so are many others, Geolani boasts a massive 15,000+ internet features. Now that is a man with serious grind.

Geloani is steaming ahead full throttle with projects and those around him. With 14 artists, 20 DJs and 7 producers inside the Team AFFicial camp it is no wonder they managed to rack up a huge 11 nominations at the Justo Mix-tape awards alone.

A new album/mixtape is currently under production and the time is being spent to make sure when it hits our streets and airwaves it hits with brutal force to keep us all locked down securely to the Team AFFicial and Geolani sound!
So watch this space for further updates and until then kick back and relax into the interview of surely one of Yonkers hottest rising talents... Geolani.

Who is Geolani Grandz?

Geolani Grandz is the CEO of the best team to do it in years called Team AFFicial. I was born in the Bronx and raised in Yonkers. I am a CEO, Manager, Artist, and a Boss.

Where do your musical aspirations come from?

I get my musical aspirations from my block; I grew up in Yonkers around the likes of Styles P, DMX, Sporty Theivz, and more. I use to play the park and hustle, roll dice, and watch dudes spit all day. Shout out to Mike "Dusty" and Bombay who taught me how to write bars.

You grew up in Yonkers NY, what was life like for you as a child in the big city?

My mother was doing her own thing, and my pops got murdered when I was young. So I played the block, moved from friends crib to friends crib. I never really made too many enemies, so anywhere I went I was good money. It was ruff but I think that's why I am built the way I am now, I would not want it any other way.

Tell us about Team AFFicial and your whole movement?

I used to manage Liveson (producer) from D-Block and still manage DJ Lust. People knew I was working hard for them and alot of DJs, artists, and producers kept getting at me for help or management. I told my right hand man Montega we should start something like a Movement so we can put a lot of this talent down. So I said I got the name already, let's run with Team AFFicial (the AFF in AFFicial stems from our label AdoubleF Ent.). So one and a half years later, 14 artist deep, 20 DJs recruited, 7 producers later, we are nominated for 11 Justo Mixtape Awards. We are grinding with no brakes. Also look out for So AFFicial to emerge which is the sister movement to Team AFFicial ran by Ceo Lady Lyric.

You were nominated at the Justo Mix tape Awards for "Best Underground Artist On A Mixtape." How does it feel to gain such recognition for your talents?

It feels great man; it's good to see that people recognize you are putting in that heavy work. To tell you the truth you never know how many people have heard of you until you are told by outside sources. Best believe I'm going to the Justo's to take that shit home for the team.
Do you feel your past experiences have shaped you into the artist and man you are today?
Oh yeah of course, I been around alot of people in the game and learned alot. I have seen all the bullshit that goes along with it, and I see through fake people. Shit, I talk to haters and snakes all day like they my dudes, but don't think I don't know who you are! Plus the block raised me, so I am ready for whatever this game puts in front of me.

What can we expect from the new mixtape "Zillion Dollar Boss"?

I took my time with this project, my last two mixtapes I just did joints and smacked them together. But I have been working on this mixtape/album for about six months, executive produced by Metro Beats & Montega. You will hear every side of me with this project, the last two joints I was basically finding myself and popping off a lot. With this one you will really hear Geolani at his peak and you can see the growth. I have alot of features on this project too (Stack Bundles, Skyzoo, Ransom, Freeway, Donny Goines, Sic Osyrus, St. Laz, Team AFFicial, and many more). "Zillion Dollar Boss" dropping soon.

What is the release date and where can people get it?

I pushed it back to March 2008; I do not know the exact date. But it will be all over the place when I drop, that's fo' sho. You can keep checking my MySpace for updates www.myspace.com/geolaniadouble

Is it true you have had over 15,000 site features?

Yea mang, the internet grind is bananas, shout out to St. Laz. He really helped me get out there when I was on the come up and introduced me to the internet grind.

How important is the internet for an artist like yourself?

Internet is the shit, real talk. You hear from all the people in the streets ... "You ain't in the streets so u ain't popping homie!". I'm like I just reached 30 thousands people with one email blast, people in Alaska know who Geolani is. You think I worry about what these clowns got to say? Major labels are folding right now, what's the next step for them (the internet)? Dudes need to wake up, it is 2008, cop that clk and dump the pintos. Where else can you put a mixtape out and get 68,000 listens and over 21,000 downloads?

You got props in The Source magazine as well. That must have been a great achievement for you? That magazine is seen worldwide by thousands!

Yea it was definitely a good look, it was a review for my "Mixtape Legends DVD". They gave it a good review, I stopped making DVD's a couple years back because it was time consuming. But yeah they helped me get a couple stacks off that from the exposure, shout out to the Source Magazine.

How many mixtapes did you push last year alone?

Team AFFicial probably put out close to 300 mixtapes last year. As far as me as an artist I was featured on over 1,000 mixtapes in 2007. And in 2008 I am trying to triple the grind.

What do you feel makes you stand apart from today's other Hip Hop artists and create your own buzz and following?

Well I get love from everybody, even my enemies show me love. I guess I know how to conduct business, I know how to deal with people. Alot of artist burn alot of bridges, but at the end of the day you never know where that dude could be in a day or two (he might be the one to get you that million). My presence in the booth/swag is off the scale, and my persona is just that good.

The grind is crazy, take a look at Team AFFicial and what has been done in little over a year, need I say more?

People say "Hip Hop Is Dead". Do you think Hip Hop is really dead? Or just lacking right now some new fresh vibe?

Hip-Hop just took a trip around the world, it will be back. Check the net, people are writing about us, "Team AFFicial is the best group of artist since Ruff Ryders & G Unit". Hip-Hop will be back very soon.

So what else can we expect to see from you and your team throughout 2008?

Heavy traffic and top notch product. After I drop "Zillion Dollar Boss", we will be releasing four more projects executive produced by myself (Geolani Grandz). Montega "Human Heroin Pt. 2", Lady Lyric "She's A Boss", Big Skeem "Certified", and Hood Fella "Astonishing Depression". That's just the beginning...

Any final comments?

Shout out to Yo! Raps for keeping it real with me threw my growth, ya'll were the first ones to ever interview me when I first started grinding. Team AFFicial waddup? All my DJs, Dub Floyd, 2Mello, DJ 4Sho, DJ Lust and the rest of TA DJs and outside DJs that hold us down. Shout out to 1226 Management for making things happen for ya boy, all the sites that show love.

INTERVIEW ORIGINALLY SHOWN AT:

http://www.yoraps.com/