Who is Outasight and what does he stand for?
I am young man with big dreams when it comes to music. Raised in many different settings, I've experienced a lot, but it also has helped me be the artist I am today. I stand for my art, not compromising my identity or sound for the simple sake of being the next flavor of the month. Although that makes my road longer, it is the only way I know.

You've dabbled in different types of music...what would you say is your favorite?
HIP HOP! In the words of KRS ONE, "Rap is something you do, Hip Hop is something you live." For me, I sing and rap, but I live hip hop. I grew up around so much different music that of course I was going to dabble, whether it was singing rock or jazz, or even just starting to sing on hip hop tracks. I think it is important to take all your influences to the table when it comes to defining your sound...and i would have to say my sound is very eclectic, but it all somehow revolves around Hip Hop music.

You play with a live band, is this a set band or do you switch players per shows?
I've been playing with the same guys for quite some time now. They are an amazing group of musicians and I actually grew up with the guitar player, Drock Benjamin, and met the bass player (Colin McNaughten) a while back, so besides a working relationship, we are all good friends. It creates a great chemistry when performing that cannot be duplicated by session guys.

You work with producer Tri-State....do you work with other producers...how did Tri-State aide you in recording your material?
At this juncture in my career, I work with various producers in an effort to really expand my sound. Tristate brings a really soulful approach to his beats, which I love, but I feel its important to have some variety. Other amazing producers I work with include Va Beach's Dante Lewis, Brooklyn's own Dre Bond, and this crazy ill cat from Australia by the name of SDub. Each one of them brings such a different sound with their music, yet, it is all amazingly dope and blends seamlessly with the right songwriting...that's where I come in. To answer that final question, Tri helps with mixing on any of his tracks that I work on.

What can we expect to hear on your upcoming self released EP. "Employee of the Year"?
You know I have always been so hard on myself as an artist that I've never released any sort of cd, whether it was a mixtape or what have you...So, first off, this is a big step in the department of personal development! In all seriousness, the CD is an accurate reflection of a young artist who blends soul and hip hop music to another level. I take risks with the music, it is an eclectic combination of sounds that come together to show a truly original piece of work. I think it is some classic shit to be honest, and well, a great way for me to start releasing music.

What do you feel are some challenges in today's music biz?
Right now, there are many challenges faced in the music biz. Companies do not want to take risks, they rather stick to the formula and continue to produce marginal results. This is why some of music's biggest and most relevant acts today all had to scratch and claw their way in...take Kanye for example, he's probably the hottest rapper out right now, but there was a time the industry wouldn't give him a shot because he was doing something no one else was doing. He was mixing a new sense of self doubt and vulnerability with some Rocafella bravado at a time when everyone was sayin' the same old crap. The industry should embrace the originators, but they never do. The industry hops on late and tries to buy the cool out...It's a vicious cycle really, and the companies want to know why albums sales keep declining every year? You're putting out a lot of the same crap with a new face. So for me, that's my biggest challenge, staying original, staying myself.

The labels wanted to change who I am to, it is almost a math equation they work out, these clothes plus these producers plus these videos plus this press equals this amount of record sales and profit. HA! I can't follow the formula man, I am who I am, and if it happens to blow up, so be it.

Who did you grow up listening to and how have they influenced your music?
My mother was a record collector, a certified crate digger, so music is everything to me. As a child, I loved Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. As I continued to get older, I really listened to everything! There was a time I had Bad Brains cd's right next to my Tribe Called Quest. In high school, I used to go out to drum and bass parties, loved that shit too. I appreciate the classics of genres, Blackstar (Mos Def and Kweli), Illmatic (Nas), Voodoo (D'Angelo), Reasonable Doubt (Jay Z), Midnight Marauder (Tribe), but then I love music that most people never even heard of, like 4hero, Portishead, and Prefuse 73...I mean really I am influenced by it all, great music is great music, this why I can listen to Jeff Buckley and John Legend in the same breath, its all under the branches of dope work...ya know? So if you listen to it, and you love it, it influences you somehow no matter if your an artist or not, it all is relevant in its importance...music is just that real!

Being a white dude in the hip-hop scene is not an easy task...how you think you're doing?
I'm doing fine. im here to really destroy color lines. i recently said this in a song I did with my good friend and fellow artist Print, "Recently I've been in the strangest places where race is no longer the case for turning faces, so turning back to basics would be a wasted moment of time, so why would i ever waste mine". I hang out with all types of people, all colors, and we don't see the big deal...I chill in Bedstuy, I am the only white guy in the room, no one cares...Its a generational thing, I think. Who you are, is who you are, JUST BE YOURSELF!

The color lines really are an industry thing more than a real life thing, cause the industry loves to label shit, and white rapper is a label most people don't wanna have...ha ha, me, i don't care what you call me. I've heard all the white jokes in raps, I've battled with the best of 'em, that shit is nothing to me. I perform in Brooklyn and all over NYC constantly and have had the opportunity to rock all over the world, and people definitely accept me for who I am. I think most of the time they're more surprised at how well I can sing and rap at the same time, rather it just being another white boy.

How did the MTV Power Girls gig happen and do you find it's hard getting your name out there?
The MTV thing happened 3 years ago, and really nothing came out of it. It's mainly my fault, I was young, and really thought people would be knockin' on my door with contracts and oppurtunities...HAHA! Yea right! You learn soon enough that nothing in life is easy, you must work your ass off to get your name out there. I believe in my music, I believe in myself, so to any great lengths I will attempt to have the masses hear what I do. Getting your name out comes with time, good music, and hard work. You have to be out there, not sitting at home putting a new song on MySpace every day on industry beats. You gotta mix it up. Do shows, corner cyphers, open mics, festivals, clubs. This is what I do! And I love it!

If you could start your own country what would it be called and what would it be like?
I'd call it the Land of Love, and it would be the chillest place ever. It would bump dope music all day and there would be beaches everywhere. Just straight kickin' it and if someone starts up some shit, they get put on a raft and sent somewhere else! No wars, no bills, just music, women, and ll Sounds too good, where do I sign? I was gonna call it Outasightonia and I would be dictator and shoot lasers out my fingers, but Land of Love sounds way cooler! Can we make it happen?

For more info and some listening material....visit Outasight's MySpace! You can also check out the Promo video from his new EP "Employee of the Year"....you know what I'm sayin'?