Pr-Ism
Interviewed by: Angela

Angela: It is very nice to get the chance to interview you. All I can say is wow. After I saw your performance at your record release party, I knew we had to interview you. Thank you for giving us the chance to learn more about you. You have been making MAJOR moves lately in Chicago. You have had several articles about you written in local papers. Are you getting excited with all the buzz that has been going on about you lately?

Pr-Ism: Well I’ve always had a little buzz, but it’s nice to see that other people see that I am serious about my craft.

Angela: Most definitely. You tried out for Sabado Gigante recently. How did you hear that they were having try-outs?

Pr-Ism: Well a journalist friend of mine out in Colorado instant messaged me that very morning. That was an interesting story in itself.

Angela: Can you tell us a little more about it?

Pr-Ism: well it all began when I was 2. LOL. No no no. Usually I am online and most times I get positive feedback on the things I do as the people are updated by pictures and stories that I post up. Ironically, there was one who wrote me from COLORADO. There is a small community of Puerto Rican people there so I guess her seeing me doing positive things here in the city where she is originally from, made her proud. She decided to write me. We exchanged IM names and we wrote each other for some time.
One morning, as soon as I moved my mouse and the return message came up on that screen she wrote me. She let me know that there was an audition for Sabado Gigante going on right in my neighborhood. Being an active artist, I felt no need to go to a talent show, or what I had considered it to be at the time. (I was soon to find out that it was of a greater magnitude than I expected)
I told her that since it was in my neighborhood I had to at least show my presence in the hip hop/reggaeton community and that I had decided to attend nonetheless. She then told me the dollar value for the victor and I saw that it was a lot more serious than I anticipated. Whether or not the money was involved I already decided I would do my best. As the day continued I received calls from some of my other sources, my dj (SKOR), a friend Sergio and they informed me of the same thing. Ironically enough, when I decided the songs I was going to perform and showcase my skills with I called upon some artists that I worked with that were also attending this function. The web was starting to show. All in all, whether or not I was the one chosen for Sabado Gigante I gained most of the publicity ending up n the front page of extra with an article inside as well. I went there with no expectations, tried my best and made the best of it.

Angela: Were you very nervous about going to perform at the try-outs?

Pr-Ism: When I went to try outs, I went with supreme confidence, I had nothing to lose, this was merely something for me to showcase my abilities in front of people whom in the long run, could matter. This is how I felt in the beginning. Suddenly my people were asking me if I was ready, and if I know this is worth x amount of dollars and things that were kind of putting the pressure on me to win. I had no pressure really, I knew that I was one of the most active Latino hip hop/reggaeton artists on the streets today so I am content in that knowing I had the edge, that is, until I went up stairs and noticed the caliber of the competition! I noticed some of these guys have been doing music almost as long or at least as long as I have, I knew at this point it was something to take serious, but I did not want to lose calm.
If I may refer to an analogy:
When I play basketball hard and try to hard, my skills are not as sharp, they are at there best when I let the game come to me. All in all I just wanted to be me and flow....natural.

Angela: Are you still waiting on a call back?

Pr-Ism: No not at all, the impact that I was able to make on the judges and the other accomplished artists themselves was all I went there for to begin with. Now they know of me and they know I am tapping right over their shoulders. I accomplished what I had set out for.

Angela: When does the final decision come out as to whom they will have on?

Pr-Ism: I am oblivious to that.

UPDATE: SINCE THIS INTERVIEW PR-ISM DID GET A CALL BACK AND WILL BE TAPING FOR SABADO GIGANTE SOMETIME IN OCTOBER – keep doing your thing PR-ISM!

Angela: Oh ok. So you won AMBASSADOR ENTERTAINER of the YR award. For those of us who don't know exactly what that means, can you please tell us?

Pr-Ism: THE AMBASSADOR AWARD is given once a year to an individual in the world of entertainment that has not only displayed great talent and skill in their field but has also carried themselves with honor and dignity and has opened doors for other individuals to pursue their dreams in entertainment. (These are Rob Ruiz's words via Yahoo IM from Puerto Rico! That’s real!

Angela: Were you nervous to have been nominated?

Pr-Ism: There were never any nominations to be nervous about. I was a special guest of honor. I thought that it was just about the fact that I have songs on his movie soundtrack. The movie titled GIGS, but there was a point in the beginning of the night, where prior to the movie, he took the time to point out his first ever ambassador award and was speaking out the qualities of the person who deserved it, being sarcastic, I was pulling up my collar to the friend in the seat next to me as to say, "Well, I’m flattered", as we chuckled about it in the audience, the more he went down the list of qualifications, the more I wanted to know who could this be....and in all honesty, who could this be, aside from myself. Then he called my name! I had to deliver a small speech on stage in front of about 3, 400 people in attendance. As A guest of Rob Ruiz, I thought that I should have something prepared, just in case so I did have the first couple of sentences for a short speech ready in my mind. It went over really well, I spoke eloquently.

Angela: You hosted the Chicago PUERTO RICAN Parade. What exactly were your hosting duties?

Pr-Ism: I had the opportunity to host in a great portion of Humboldt Park, the center. The sponsors were DEMOMIX, THE BASSMENT and EXTREME RENEGADE RIDERS
I was chosen to be there host. Daily we had a surplus of 500 to 1000 people that stopped by us to see what was taking place in our section which at times was more populated than the main stage area! We had some of the best DJS in the city such as DJ NONSTOP, KWIK, SHABAZZ and SKOR just to name a few, so with us was where the party was at. I came in contact with thousands of people and everyone expressed appreciation for the energy I was able to bring and the safety I was able to uphold while holding the mic and Emceeing all day. This included hosting the area, Interviewing artists such as Johnny P one of Chicago’s own, Co-hosting/interviewing Gloria Velez hip hop video diva, promoting our booths and the products we had, holding a live open mic right on the spot to name a few. I was able to generate a big buzz on the strength of that even, the Latino community who did not know about me, found out. Most importantly there was always a serious undertone amongst all the euphoria, I made sure of that. Which was: "We have to make everyday, a PR day parade."

Angela: Exactly!

Pr-Ism: This is not to say it is all about Puerto Ricans. It is to say, the love that all Latinos (as you know there are more than just Puerto Ricans in the PR parade) are showing each other during the coarse of this week, should endure beyond. It was important that I addressed that often and thoroughly. Also, in clubs, hosts always tend to say things like, do my ladies run this MF, things like that to get the crowd into it, that’s understandable, but holding he mic in an event of that magnitude allowed me to realize the power I controlled so I decided to say things like, where are my high school graduates at? (good responses). Where my college graduates at? (poor responses) I wanted them to be acknowledged and to have the opportunity, a spotlight and a sense of accomplishment! I am proud of you all I said, this way you won’t have to try to sell records like me. I would downplay what I do which is a constant grind/hustle, verses getting their education and having something a bit more concrete. I believe in myself and I have faith that I will succeed, but it has not been an easy path to walk, nor is schooling, but for it to come to fruition in the end is a lot more likely than a talented artist. This was for the kids who might have been looking up to me since I was in the limelight.
Those were the greatest of responsibilities! Sorry if I went off into a Tangent!

Angela: LOL. It’s all good. You held your first release party, which I attended along with Kristin and Epidemic. Were you happy with the turnout of the crowd that night?

Pr-Ism: Absolutely, more so in the fact that we were able to captivate the crowd for such a duration of time. As you know our set was nearly 30 minutes in 15 minute segments, not only did we keep and 18 an over attention span, we were able to make them wait in between to catch us come out for the second showing! That to me shows that we are good on cd, good in the recording booth, but most importantly good live! Lots of artists do not have all of those qualities; many are good at one or the other. As an emcee/lyricist, I was able to be very crowd interactive. Playing that roll allowed me to earn the position of HOST at many venues. Based on the fact that I was "live/energetic" and able to get good crowd reaction. As I hosted I understood other ways to do this.

Now as an emcee, I have learned from both perspectives, which gives me a great edge when I am in front of the crowd. More than just a bunch of ill rhymes, confidence, eloquence, charm, presence,
PASSION! The artist I am, I do shows solo on the regular, since I perform so frequently, I cannot expect these artists to arrive at every event. The fact is, I held 2 versions of my cd release party, one of which took place at Mambos, which is 18 and over and primarily a Latin crowd, so the artists I selected for the roster were the ones that I intended on showcasing for this particular crowd. (not to mention time constraints) My second record release took place almost a month later at Subterranean. Tuesday night is host to the longest running open mic where 606 entertainment have been doing there thing for over 6 years, thus I had to bring out the more hip hop oriented music (AND ARTISTS) that are on the PRISMIXX volume 2. This was a vital opportunity for me to be able to showcase the versatility that I possess in both English and Spanish, hip hop and reggaeton! No one in the city is doing it like me right now at this point in time. There may be many, but not many that can do it better in both. That is there are artists who may do it better than me in Spanish, but in English, no chance on me. And there may be artists who do it in English that have nothing on me in Español, therefore I have a unique ability to showcase and I think having 2 cd release parties for both of those different styles covered that to the fans. I am the first in Chicago, as long as they know that, because I know there are many to come.

Angela: LOL. Ok you answered like 4 questions there, way ahead of me. LOL. You opened for Slick Rick and Slum Village in Minneapolis, MN.

Pr-Ism: Yes just recently, it just goes to show, that when I put on those shows for my cd release party, I wanted the crowd to feel like it was a production. That’s what it was, without rehearsal. I am sure the crowd and all others will take me into consideration when opening up for a major group like the artists you fore mentioned. www.iautonomy.com is the website for the group that I am honored to be apart of, THE NETWORK CREW, we were blessed to go out to Minneapolis and open up for such prestigious acts! We showcased or skills just as we did at Subterranean for our cd release party and the crowd showed us so much love and support. The hip-hop community is strong out there.

Angela: Is that something that you were excited about doing?

Pr-Ism: Its’ just another day at the office for me, with a little perk at the end. Unfortunately, sometimes I am so determined to make sure that when crowds see us perform they are left with a lasting impact, I forget about whoever is coming up before or after me because no matter who they are, they had better bring there a game to the performance or well make them look bad with the caliber of our lyrics, stage presence and music.

Angela: Do you think that the crowd in MN responded as to you as well as they do to you in Chicago?

Pr-Ism: The crowd in Minneapolis in the venue 1st avenue (owned by Prince, the artists formerly known as) showed us as much love and respect for our craft as the hip hop heads in Chicago do yes, with one slight difference: They were more willing to support. The cd’s that we had were selling like crazy and it may be contributed to the fact that were from the big city in the Midwest, whereas Chicago heads are a bit more reluctant to buy. It might be attributed to the fact that we are the guys next door, simple Chicagoans just like them, we don’t have a video on BET or MTV, we don’t have a song on 1075 or b96 so what would compel them to buy it? Only our stage presence and performance merits the purchase. We have done well here.

Angela: You have also hosted 2 Rhyme Spitters competitions.

Pr-Ism: Again, the fact that I am a good host and a good lyricist/emcee landed another great opportunity in my lap. I cannot tell you how fortunate I have been with determination, drive, consistency and passion. Richardson Seng Producer of a series of FREE DVDs called cherry bomb noticed me at a local open mic and invited me to attend.

Angela: Do you feel that has given you more respect in the Hip-Hop Community?

Pr-Ism: Yes in several ways, it gives us the opportunity to have a sense of "community", in many ways it was an assessment of who that community is comprised of and those who contribute to it. As you se the cast of judges, emcees, and the host are all Chicago are artists that will be immortalized on film and will always recognize each other through the impact of the event and dvd and aftershocks thereafter.

Angela: Tell us a little bit about the break down of Rhyme Spitters.

Pr-Ism: Rhyme Spitters was an emcee battle concocted in the mind of Richardson send form Toledo Ohio, a man who knew nothing of hip hop until he decided to immerse himself in it head first! While watching the movie 8 mile, he felt that it was so scripted and thought to himself: Could this really be done? He already had dvds under his belt and set out to complete this vision immediately! He recruited people like myself and others like me to find out more about the ethics and etiquette behind the scenes on how something of this nature could be done. Everything else is a wrap! I must say I give credit to him because I this industry you hear a lot of talk and not much in the form of action, he planned, he executed.

Angela: You are also hosting the Tony Yayo cd release party. What exactly will you do there? What kind of hosting? Are you expecting a HUGE turnout?

Pr-Ism: This is the first time that this venue will be opened in some time, we look forward to a good turnout, promotions have been done on the streets, on the phone and online by Bassline Entertainment. My hosting duties are as they always are, keep the crowd in to it, keep it safe, provide energy, and set an example of demeanor we would expect when attending our functions, off the record: (Sort of like a poster boy for the team) LOL!

Angela: What other things do you have going on this year?

Pr-Ism: Right now were trying to get into bigger things such as opening this new venue every Thursday at PUSH, we call it "stepping our game up". In terms of music, the PRISMIXX Vol 2 is making noise for us and is perpetuating a list of shows and events that I must attend, it’s been a blessing and I am currently riding the wave. We will begin PRISMIXX VOL 3 soon as the supply for the VOL 2 is diminishing rapidly and soon will only be available online. Vol #3 will showcase more Chicago talent (which is one of the goals of PRISMIXX series). I want to continue opening up for bigger acts and rocking larger venues, till the point where the talent is undeniable. My goals are being achieved step by step, what I have in store for everyone is growth, longevity and persistence on a consistent basis, because I know that through me the door for many other talented artists will open, I am driven for them and family! This is how it will remain for now. As an artist, host, promoter, performer and teacher by the way, I do not want to spread myself too thinly. The roles that I take on now are all things I am passionate about thus keeping up with them all is tough work, but it is callusing me, building me up for when "the time comes". I’ve earned my stripes.

Angela: Do you prefer to be called PuertoRicanIsm or PR-ISM?

Pr-Ism: Well I have been writing rhymes since at least 90-92 so I was about 14-15 when I actually started getting good at it. The name I chose then reflected my age and I grew out of it. The group name was MORLOCK CREW. At the age of 18 we were performing in venues opening up for some of Chicago’s up and coming artists when Chicago hip hop was blossoming. My name became P.R."ism” Something that had a meaning to me, I knew that I wanted to reflect not only hip hop culture but the culture of my people as an artist, this I knew in time would be a very heavy burden as I would try to live up to the PR part and be THE Puerto Rican to other people who are naive to the difference in Latino ethnicity. I knew my name had to start with PR.
PRowl (I have always loved owls) na,
PR ide (yes I have PR pride, but that’s not it)
PRism the P.R. Stands for Puerto Rican "ism" is for matter, energy and light. So I was a Puerto Rican, but I was also matter, energy so I would be just like anyone else not above, this balanced it out. I did not want to seem like I was putting my people o a high horse through the lyrics I spoke therefore a balance had to be maintained as well as humility, this is why I am very careful, I do not, smoke, drink or do any drugs so in some ways I am the antithesis of what a RAP artists is that you see on TV these days, but I carry the flag with me wherever I go so I represent my people whether conscious of it or not. This is why I just "keep it real" no ones perfect, but I am an upright person and in that honorable.
Quote from "LAST DAYZ" on PRISMIXX Vol 2:
I’m feeling the motivation from the artists working their hardest, and there demonstrating. Got no time for hating, faking, ain’t no time for waiting,
Few slots, vacant, the hot spots been taken, (by me LOL)
I FEEL WE ROCK SPOTS, WITH THE REAL HIP HOP
CANT TAKE $#!+ FOR GRANTED WITH AN INDUSTRY WE DONT GOT,
IT ONLY MAKES US STRONGER, ENDURED A LOT,
IF ONLY YOU REALIZED HOW HARD WE FAUGHT,
GOT SCARS TO PROVE IT,
16 BARS WE LOOSE IT,
GET US UP IN FRONT OF A CROWD, WATCH US MOVE IT,
SHOW HOW I FLOW IN A SHOW, NO WATCH ME PROVE IT,
THOUGHT YOU WERE DROPPING THEM BOMBS WATCH ME DIFUSE IT
It breaks down to the fact that we have no industry here, but its inevitable, though they want Chicago to be a consumer state, our time will come, we will shine and the talents all here.

Angela: You have such a wide variety of music that you like but what is your all time favorite song by another artist?

Pr-Ism: HA HA HA HA HA. All time favorite right now here are 2, Mary Go Round by Musiq Soul Child and It’s Whatever by Aaliyah. hahaha there not even hip-hop songs LOL!! Why is that, hip-hop artists these days really don’t move me LOL!

Angela: LOL. THAT'S FUNNY

Pr-Ism: I know but it’s the truth. Those songs have been in my heart for at least 2 or 3 years and still have not gone anywhere so that’s why I can say that convincingly, other songs in hip hop that I appreciate and actually love come and go. Those songs are consistently ranked on top.

Angela: What is your favorite song out of all your songs?

Pr-Ism: My favorite right now I have a few that have endured and they are the most conscious of all. All of which are unreleased, one is on myspace.com. Angels kiss and Hope. Oh lord it’s hard to decide which of these are the best, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they all have live instruments and some of the deepest lyrics I have poured out of myself through the pen beside a song I have titled true story. These are all songs you would never hear on the commercial stations because they are so not mainstream.

Angela: I know. If I had to pick a favorite out of all your songs I would have a hard time too. I am sure that it’s way harder for you.

Pr-Ism: I’m ok with that, and imagine I am not choosing from what the public is listening to right now, I am choosing from a play list of songs that will come out on my first ALBUM PRism Lyricism. The songs on this album will consist of some of the same party tracks your used to on PRISMIXX vol 2, but takes it back to the roots in hip hop like vol 1 rough rugged and unpolished with strong delivery and full of content. The deciding difference in the album was that I did not have to make it a party all the way through, I could take the time to slow it down and take my time to tell a story, stories which I hope will touch those who can relate and gain an appreciation from those who cannot.

Angela: What producers have you worked with?

Pr-Ism:
Wes: the bank omnimedia
Maurice Joshua
Ivan "bodysnacha" chaparro:Jibarosoul
Imaran DJ SKOR: Bassment sound
Dan Crawford: Hipnotic
Dave Mac
Brother El: generic excellence
Anton Kociolik: morockmusic
Sin Igual: jibaro soul
Grimm: boca studios/add agency
Bruno"joe blaque"
Chris "C-jillz"
Kool out kris: urbanized music
Nael Shahaede: Force 17
Deka derse: Sick doctors
Abi Cruz
and the list goes ......................LOL!

Angela: WOW. THAT'S A LOT! LOL.

Pr-Ism: There’s more, I have over 100 songs recorded

Angela: OMG WOW. Is there any one person in the industry that you would say has helped you out more than anyone else? ONE PERSON – LOL.

Pr-Ism:
Producers: Ivan "Bodysnacha" Chaparro and Wes of the bank Omnimedia
DJs: SKOR
In those categories those are the nominees. Sorry I know you said 1.

Angela: Do you have any advise that you would like to give to other up and coming artists?

Pr-Ism: Keep writing, cultivate your ability, never give up that one song, your favorite song never blows up, have faith, there will be more "favorite songs" to come! Work hard in carrying out your plans! Failing to plan is panning to fail. Watch out for my new movie ahhaha unofficial right now but oh so official, cant tell you yet! Also I would like to let the artists in PR know hat they’d better start speaking on that conscious message instead of glorifying the guns and drugs there’s an epidemic going on and our people are being effected!

Angela: AWWW. TOO BAD. LOL. Do you have any shout outs that you would like to give?

Pr-Ism: Yes, to Indie Street Latino magazine for noticing all the artists that are up and coming. All the people who have stuck by me and kept faith in me when I was at my lowest point. The artists who are currently working with me at this time, stay dedicated
And the fans, keep up with me yall I know it’s hard to do, but lets keep it busy!
Holla back!

Angela: Thank you! I really appreciate the time that you took to do this interview with me. It means a lot. I want the whole world to know about you and your music. You are great and deserve to be heard. Your message is a positive one that will make people happy. I wish you all the best in everything that you decide to do and you know that you always have friends at Indie Street Latino