On the Rise: 1-10

By The Rap Scout
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

One of the younger members of the Cment Boot Music Group family has been getting a lot of play. 1-10 has been recording music with his family for as long as he can remember. Recently, he released his single, "Tonight's the Night." The song has taken off, building solid buzz for the young rapper.

With his single taking off, 1-10 is recording plenty of new music and has major plans. Still working with the family and putting together side ventures, the future looks bright for 1-10. As he works on new music, he still intends to promote his "Tonight's the Night" single. Recently, 1-10 spoke to Hip Hop Vibe.

Read the entire interview below:

How did growing up in a musical home help guide you towards rapping?
Growing up in a musical household helped gear me towards a musical career, but I would not say that is what geared me towards rap. Living in a home where both my mother and father performed for a living, I was always drawn to the stage. Me being around to hear, and sometimes take part, in my parents music as it was being made is what gave me my ear for good music, so hearing todays music hip hop music lose that classic sound I grew up on and love is what really geared me to rap.

Where did you get the name 1-10?
The name 1-10 is a name I gave to myself one night when I was in the studio and my brother, Panic, of Cment Boot Music Group, was explaining to me no matter what I’m going through outside the booth, it shouldn’t matter once I get inside. I should let loose and give it one-hundred percent and I told him I could do him one better and give him 1-10(one-hundred and ten percent) I liked the way it sound and I try and give that effort with everything that I do so the name kind of just stuck.

Because your father is a legend in the game, do you feel any pressure, as an artist?
My father has done some legendary things in, and for the game, but he is not a legend in the game just yet, maybe in my eyes, but I plan to get him there sooner than later he is deserving of that. As for feeling pressured, I can say that is the one thing that I do not really have to worry about. My father tries not to pressure me. If anything, he allows me to take my musical ideas as an artist and gives me the proper feedback and tools to help mold my creativity so that I get the quality and the sound out of my music that I look for cause that’s the one thing I won’t do is release anything I’m not satisfied with.

How are you creating your own lane in the music industry?
I am creating my own lane in the music industry by making my music unique. I am not attempting to follow any trends or to sound like anyone I have heard before. Yeah I rap, but I would not categorize myself and be bound to one genre. Anybody can ramble on about gun bustin’, drugs, and street life, it is to be expected of young African-American men. So when you hear my music no matter if its rap or R&B I want it to give that feel good vibe with a blend of street knowledge.

Did you expect "Tonight's the Night" to become as big of a hit as it did?
I didn’t expect it to have such a viral take off as fast as it did. However, I expect much more from my music so it’s not a hit for me, at the moment, but when “Tonight’s the Night” is getting played in heavy rotation on a mainstream FM radio stations, I’ll consider it a hit.

Are you excited about Cment Boot Music Group for the remainder of 2011 and going into 2012?
Of course, I am excited to continue to deliver good music from my mind to the ears of others. This year (2011) has been such a good year for Cment Boot, as a whole. This upcoming year, I look forward to doing a lot of traveling for promotional purposes, as well as a lot of performing giving the camp and myself wider spread of listeners and fans. I’m excited to progress and continue to grow as an artist.

When will you be releasing more singles?
I’m not too focused on releasing a single, as of right now, simply because I’m not sure of what I want that next single to be. My main focus at the moment is completing a large package of music which would give me a larger variety of songs to choose from to be on my album.

Who will you be working with in the near future?
In the near future, I don’t really have any plans on working with anyone outside of my camp, because I want my very first album to focus mainly on my talents. I haven’t really thought about having any featuring artist, but if I was to work with someone in the near future it would have to be my boy Ito, a Harlem native with some slick lyrical delivery. But, I’m willing to work with anyone who has a diverse sound, word play, skill, and the passion it takes to make it in the music business.

What type of advice has your father offered you about your music?
My father has plenty of knowledge about the business aspect of the industry, as well as the personal so the intake of advice is never ending. I can honestly say I learn new things everyday. The one thing that I can pin-point that stuck out to me the most would be him saying to me “no matter what you do, you have to be mindful of the fact that the opinion of the public is important if fans aren’t pleased then you lose money along with losing fans,” so I keep that in mind while making my music I want everyone to be able to enjoy it from the younger generation to the elder crowd.

Ten years from now, where do you see yourself?
Ten years from now, I see myself on magazine covers, selling out arenas, and touring the globe with my support system behind me,. By then I hope to have my music at the top of the Billboard charts.

Outside of rap music, what do you like to do?
Outside of rap music, I like to do things like hang with my family because I always enjoy their company. I also enjoy shopping, going out to eat, checking out the latest movies, or hitting a club dance floor to try out the new dance crazes. Nevertheless, For the most part just kicking back and being myself.

How do you respond to negative criticism and positive energy?
Positive energy is always a good thing to vibe off of, but you should possess that quality alone for others to feed from. However, in my eyes, all feedback is good feedback, so when it comes to negative criticism I take that and use it to my advantage and it does not affect me at all. What that does is give me an outside perspective, which will only drive me to work harder and do better. It is what it is you have to keep your haters employed but when the hating stops take another look at yourself because that’s when you should be worried because that can only means you doing something wrong.