FELIX PENA
Interview by: Angela

How did you go from being called PORNO to being called Ninten2 (Nintendo)?

FELIX PENA: Well good question. At some point in my life I was going to stop rapping. My stage name before was Porno. I wanted to concentrate on my video company and get with a good girl, but my friends and a lot of my fans started getting depressed for some reason and they wanted me to continue. I noticed that I wasn’t meeting a lot of people like I was when I was rapping and the girl I was with was just playing games so I decided to go back rapping and I told people that game wasn’t over and I was coming to take control of the game and that’s when Ninten2 (Nintendo) was born.

You are Dominican and were raised in The Bronx, New York. Were you also born in NY?

FELIX PENA: No I was born in Dominican Republic, I was living with my cousin Veri. She passed away in 2004. She was the one that started showing me songs by Vico C. I move to New York at the age of 12 years old to live with my family.

Oh ok. How often do you travel to the Dominican Republic?

FELIX PENA: I only went once and haven’t been there in a long time. I miss my people but most of my family members are here and the others are in Germany but I will be going soon. I hear they are playing my videos in a lot of places over there.

Wow. So are you German and Dominican?

FELIX PENA: No I am 100% Dominican.

Oh ok. Got you. I have heard that your teachers in middle school used to stop class to let you rap in Spanish. How did that happen?

FELIX PENA: Well in middle school I used to be a class clown, my best years. I could do anything I wanted and didn’t get in trouble for it but my teachers always kept telling me that they saw something in me. Mr. Arieta, Miss Perez Miss Sanchez. I still remember all of them as if it was yesterday. They knew that I liked to rap and they wanted me to experience what it was like to have an audience. When they would give us a free time or a break they would send me to rap. I still remember the song "Se me caen los Pantalones" and the other song called "Yo no se sumar" ha ha ha all the kids used to sing my songs after class

You? A class clown? I never would have guessed. j/k I love your sense of humor, you are hilarious. Did that gain you a lot of fans from your school?

FELIX PENA: Yea I always keep humor in my rap songs. If you hear my songs you always going to find a line that will make you laugh. I learned that people want to be entertained and that what music is all about. I met a lot of people in school especially when I got to high school at the age of 14. The Music from Puerto Rico "The Noise Live" was hitting the streets of New York and more kids wanted to battle and free style. A lot of people heard about me and they used to gather around me after school in the lunchroom and in the gym locker rooms to hear me rapping. Groups of like 15 people, even black kids used to like my songs even though they didn’t understand a word I was saying.

Nice. That's great when you can be the cross over and have everyone love you. How many cd’s have you put out so far?

FELIX PENA: So far I have only been doing mix tapes in the underground the last one I did was supposed to be sad because I had recently broken up with someone I really love and she was very special to me, so I came up with this mix tape called "Me Dejo La Novia". I didn’t expect that many people would be laughing about it. Ha ha ha. The intro of the Cd has a skit where my ex calls me to tell me that it's over and I start crying out of nowhere. There’s another skit called “Free Style Battle” where I battle the best street rapper from PR called "Asesino Lyrical" "Lyrical Assassin" he tries really hard to put me down with violent words but no one is feeling him and then when it was my turn all I say is over and over is "mi mama me mima" "my mom loves me" and you hear every body going crazy for my song and he gets mad. Ha ha ha.

That's crazy

FELIX PENA: It’s a metaphor for how much love I get for just being me.

That's great. When is your next cd due out?

FELIX PENA: Right now I am working on something Different the Cd is called "Escuela De Pimps" School of pimps" and is set to be out in 2006. Some of the songs from the new album are already playing on the Radio and the music videos are already on the streets, on the Internet and TV.

Wow very nice. How do you promote yourself?

FELIX PENA: Well that’s the advantage of being a video producer and a webmaster I can put up my stuff there as mass media so it’s not just showing my music to the Bronx or New York. I am showing my work to other states and other countries and they already look at me on the web and watch my music videos. That makes me a super rapper. Ha ha ha. It’s like having God right next to you. You get everything you want.

Exactly. I love the Internet. It's a great promotional tool. You started shooting music videos at the age of 14. How did that come about?

FELIX PENA: You see Angela everything is a process of course I wasn’t going to do anything professional at the age of 14 but you see I’m pleasing my curiosity. If you want to learn the best thing is to play around with it is just like learning how to ride a bicycle you fall and keep trying until you learn and then you get more advanced and start doing tricks with the bike. Some people just give up and never try again. I still have my old videos from when I was 14 years old; I look at them from time to time and say to myself, “If I only knew how far I was going to go doing videos”.

Nice. I bet there is a HUGE difference!

FELIX PENA: I am 23 now

Wow. So 9 years difference, that's a lot. You still to this day produce videos for other artists in the Bronx area. How do you promote your services? What all do you offer your clients?

FELIX PENA: Well I try to keep both things separate my work and my music are different things. I keep my work very professional because the work I do is professional. My company is called Nonimo Labs Entertainment. I have a team of professionals working with me. I know how hard it is to be an artist and not have anyone to push you so I help produce videos for upcoming artists and I give them the lowest price. I think it’s fair. We also design their websites so they can show their music videos across the world like I have. I promote my company over the Internet, News Paper and word of mouth. A lot of people still don’t know how cheap they could get a professional music video done with my company.

That sounds good. So, How did your documentary HUSTLE UP LATINO start and who all has been featured so far?

FELIX PENA: Well first of it’s not mine. I personally edited the DVD magazine Hustle up Latino. It is a documentary of Reggaeton artists. All the major artists from Puerto Rico are there, like my man Bimbo, Baby Ranks, Yaga y Mackie, Luny Tunes, Eliel, Hector El Father" and so on.

Oh ok. Does that come out every month? Are you the full time editor for that magazine?

FELIX PENA: Not every month, more like when all the material is in. I am not the full time editor of that company they have an editor they produce regular (English artist) dvd magazines but they need it someone to edit their work who knew Spanish and at the same time knew what was hot in the streets, and I came across.

Nice. You told me that you want to be a BIG movie director. How do you plan on following through with those dreams?

FELIX PENA: Well I am a movie director already I have produced some short films and everywhere I go (no joke) people are always talking about my movies and my work everywhere I go I would either hear someone saying “we were just talking about you” or I would hear them talking nice about my work and that’s how I know I am doing good work. I can produce a good movie with a low budget. Imagine if I had a big budget. Even though I know all this video techniques I take college classes to get a degree so that I can make my parents proud of me.

What about the music? Will you leave music alone when that happens?

FELIX PENA: Yes I am going to have to. I do music for fun. Trust me music especially Reggaeton is one of the best things that has happened to me and my fans and my people will have to understand that I have to move on in life. Until then they better take advantage of me and move as much as they can with my Latin flow.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

FELIX PENA: Well I try not to see myself in the future; like I said I let God take control of my life he decides whether he wants me to be someone big or if he wants me to join him. If God wants, I see me making it big in Hollywood surprising the world with the best movies ever.

Ok I got you. I can relate to that. What is your official website?

FELIX PENA: I have two. My music website and my company website they both official I am like super man with two identities. Ha ha ha.
www.FelixPena.com Music and www.NonimoLabs.com Movie website.

Do you have any advice for up and coming Musicians? Directors? Fans?

FELIX PENA: For Musicians..... No matter what you do don’t give up no matter how bad you are doing and if someone says your wack thank them because they only telling you what to change to be better....
For Video Directors make sure that this is what you want to do because it’s very hard and there is a lot of competition in this game but if you do want to do it, challenge yourself to do better videos then the last one you did last time.
For my Fans a big kiss and a hug, well the kisses are for the ladies...

Do you have any shout outs that you would like to give?

FELIX PENA: Yea. A big shout out to my Mom and Dad Felix Senior and Rosario, My baby sister Ana I love you.. My slow sister Jetty I love you too.. to Aida you the love of my life... A big shout out to my fans in New York, and my Dominican people, My Puerto Rican people and to all the haters I got mad love for you all.. No hay mas que hablar "Nueva York Ponte en Pies" Tu sabes quien yo soy el que no Juega. Ninten2.

Well thank you very much for the interview. I appreciate it.

FELIX PENA: Thank you for choosing me to be interviewed by you.

~Angela