"Purple is a color that represents the movement. It stands for strength, power...it's a royal color"

 Northern California...or what we have so fondly nicknamed "The Bay Area" has been the birthplace of many societal revolutions. 6 hours north of Los Angeles, and in the 1960-70's, black communities found themselves inevitably joined together to fight against "The Man" and all his racially biased injustices. Oakland set the stage for the forming of the Black Panther Party and other black liberation movements whose message of "empowerment" infiltrated the hood quicker than the police.

Fastforward to about 20 years later.In the 80's, hiphop traveled beyond its eastcoast borders and across the San Francisco bridge to breed more emcees. Too Short and MC Hammer would ultimately become two of it's most notable additions during this era. Regardless to however you feel about Hammer's lyrical ability, the man's ability to entertain was a movement in itself. Then just when the westcoast appeared to have fallen from grace forever, The Bay Area gave birth to the Hyphy movement and put the West (from the 408 to the 707) in the spotlight once more.

The Bay Area also gave birth to T-MAZZ.

Acknowledged as being one of The Bay's "best" artists, Massive Entertainment's T-Mazz is ripping mics up and down the coast. He is a balanced artist. By that I mean, he has the right proportions of what a rapper needs to be successful in this grimey ass industry. One thing that seems to seperate T-Mazz from the many is that he has this niche for being street and unassumingly insightful. Case in point, on his 2005 release "The Unity Cup" with his colleague OPM1, T-Mazz delivered his street-centric, politically saturated 16-bar verse effortlessly. This fusion of styles was also displayed on the underground and unofficially released Cold World lp.But don't get it twisted. T-Mazz can create a club banger with the best of em'. Hence the release of his single "Go Head Baby" (produced by famed producer Nick Speed) which has been included in radio line-ups on both coasts. Teaming up with LA producer/turntablist Dj Shanx for his most recent innovation The Color Purple, T-Mazz is on the come up. Staying true to his lineage and his East Palo Alto upbringing, T-Mazz is determined to add his name to hiphop's history book.

ARIZE:: Hey what's crackin' with you T-Mazz? We just gon' get right to it.

T-MAZZ:: Cool...that's whats up.

ARIZE:: You know when the Bay Area comes up in this industry, we automatically think of the "Hyphy Movement". Thing is, is that when I heard you I didn't necessarily consider your music to fall in line with the "hyphy" format. You think the Hyphy Movement has helped or hindered your appeal as an artist? What/who influenced you?

T-MAZZ:: Hyphy is apart of the Bay Area. It's a lifestyle...it ain't no fad. This is our culture. And I've been raised in this culture, apart of this culture even before I took this music shit seriously. Really, I've been rapping for almost 16 years, since I was like 9 years old. Having stacks of notebooks filled with raps. And I listened to everybody...both inside and outside of the Bay...outside of the westcoast. Of course I listened to Pac and 40. But I was on Redman. Method. Local, regional, eastcoast, westcoast whatever. So back to what you were sayin'....no. I don't feel like the Hyphy Movement has never hurt me or my ability to do my music. Like I said, its not just music, it's a culture. It definitely has impacted me and my music even though I am not necessarily considered a "hyphy" rapper.

 
"Where Da $$$ @"

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 ARIZE:: I know you did some work prior to The Color Purple. Is it a teaser before you drop your official release? I thought this was a mixtape...

T-MAZZ: Well really, The Color Purple is considered to be a complete LP, my first real album, but we...me and DJ Shanx presented it in the form of a mixtape. Only thing is,is that this is all original production. Original material period feel me. I wanted to do it this way as opposed to the standard way because people tend to jack beats, and they get overdone. You know. Whatever song is popular at the time, you are guaranteed to hear about a million people spitting over the same thing. I was just trying to let people hear me...hear my music...what I am comin' with.

ARIZE:: So why the name The Color Purple? Is the title a reference to the movie or does this mean something different?

T-MAZZ:: Kinda, but really the color purple is representative of much more than that. I mean, the movie and book are definitely apart of history, black history, but the color purple itself symbolizes so much man. Right now, the world is going through so much change feel me. Positive change. We got a black man in office, and he's making history. So all of that, and with what I got going on with my music, I am all about creating my movement. Really for me, I seen it as the color that represents the movement. It stands for strength, power...it's a royal color.

ARIZE:: I noticed you have the Libido Sounds imprint on your CD which is associated with Elzhi (of Slum Village) and producer Nick Speed. How did you originally meet him?

T-MAZZ: Back in 2007, I had took a trip to Detroit to promote the Cold World project. I was invited to do a show out there, opened up for Kurtis Blow which was real cool. So I did that on like a Thursday, but the following day I sat on the panel for the HipHop Congress which was held at Detroit City Hall. It was an artist panel, had some industry folks, local artists, up and coming artists and whatnot. But on that panel was Nick Speed and I was already familiar with his work, but didn't know him by face know what I am sayin? Remember that song "What If" from the Get Rich or Die Tryin' movie? Maaan, Nick Speed did that, and that so happens to be my favorite track from that movie. So im sitting there on the panel doing my thing and a light bulb goes off in my head. As soon as we got the opportunity to network afterward, I go up to Nick and spit a verse in his ear. He shoots me his information and was like "get at me before you get on the plane". Basically it came down to real recognizing real. Feel me? Us respecting eachother's work and trying to make moves together in the process. That's basically how we came to do "Go Head Baby" which is gettin' alot of love right now. Shout outs to my boy Nick Speed. Hahaa.

"Go Head Baby"

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ARIZE:: Yeah, shout outs to him.Lol. But you got some other heat on the album. "Where da $$$" at is considered a banger too. How did you hook up with the other producers for this project?

T-MAZZ:: Chuck Diesel is a producer that did alot on this album.A few tracks feel me. But,I connected to him through Myspace and it was one of those situations where we were hearing about eachother from our mutual friends. So it was like I was familiar with him and him familiar with me, but we hadn't linked up until we chopped it up back and forth on Myspace. Klypso who produced "Where da $$$$ At", is homie of mine from out this way. I've worked with Pizzo who has rocked with alot of Bay Area people...Killa Tay...Keak Da Sneak. But I tried to have people I know who grind as hard as me and who are about makin' good music no matter where they are from.

ARIZE:: What makes your grind so hard with your music? What are people's overall reaction to you when they hear your work?

T-MAZZ:: Man, it's like ever since I really been going hard at this I've been hearing so many good things. Feel me? But what's crazy is when niggas who are more established than me, who definitely been in the game longer, sold more units, all that shit...I am saying, when they come up to me after I perform to tell me that I making them step their game up...it's crazy. That's when I realize I am where I am supposed to be, doing this music shit because I am reaching people. Regular people, my people, and even other rappers, feel me? But yo, to be more specific, there was this one time where I did a show in San Mateo. It happened to be a few mentally disabled kids in the audience, but I remember this one came up to me with his mom and was he was really in awe over me. I mean, starstruck. He was saying how I was  his favorite rapper...I mean all of that. And that did it for me. That right there

"Diamond in the rough back in 1982 /East Palo Alto streets thats what made me /to Section 8 Housin'/Think he's named Calvin/ Old school cat my mom's was datin'/I remember when he had a set of wired Daytons/I always wanted to be like that man/ Til' I saw him smokin' crack/ I can't be like that, Damn/Said "I'm gonna go to school and protect my fam"                                                                                        

  - from A.D.D Babies produced by ChuckDiesel

ARIZE:: So how's album doing? Where can we go to find it... you???

T-MAZZ:: Go to Amoeba in Hollywood, Berkley, San Fransisco. You know it's crackin on iTunes. Go to Rasputin.We sold out at all the Rasputin locations. TheBeatWizard.com. Check out my Myspace. I got videos on Youtube, it's tons of footage there. DubbCNN. All of that...man, look for me. I am here.

ARIZE:: What are you trying to accomplish...what's the next move?

T-MAZZ:: Grind hard and sell 20,000 in the streets. Next...work on getting to major deal offers. Expand nationwide and allow my music to reach alot of people.

"My Back Pack"

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...to go have my music be heard nationwide and get paid? Can't nothin' match that"