24: What would you say influenced you the most to start doing Music?


West Philly Blake: I would definitely have to say my brother Tone. Every time I would be around him he would be freestyling  and at the time I didn’t know what freestyling was but I would just try to do the shit anyway, but my shit would never come out as hot as his. So from that I just admired him doing it and at the same time he wasn’t taking it serious he would only don’t it when he was only drunk or high or with his homies or something. I though to myself like I could take this shit to the next level. So when I was a young boy I really use to rap his shit. I think I was like in 6th grade and people knew me for spitting because I would always rap his shit. So I would say my brother Tone was my biggest influence in this music shit.

24: What do you feel your bringing to the music world?

West Philly Blake: Distinction, Originality, Lyrics, niggas these days just be saying anything and I feel like I bring that superiority to the game with my music “Authenticity”! Everybody wants to do what everyone else is doing and I haven’t changed since I started doing this you know what I’m saying and the proof is in my city. In my city alone, what I’m known for is “Lyrics & Swag” ya dig.

24: How did you end up on 106 & Park?

West Philly Blake: That came about through a female I had knew in Atlanta she would always be at T.I. club which is called “Club Crucial” and she loved my music and one night she seen this guy name Chuck, Chuck Anderson a former A&R over at Grand Hustle and now he’s over at Konvict Music. She went up to him told him about me gave him a CD like its this dude from Philly name West Philly Blake and I promise you your going to love him. An he gets CD’s all the time so you know he figures whatever this dude is probably wack. So when he actually heard it he called me right after and I was in Philly at the time and he was like “Yo, You got some Shit”. From then on he started linking me up with people he knew and Grand Hustle producers, Konvict Music producers, etc. This went on for like two years and he put me on to a lot of good things. He’s definitely a real good dude. Lol, I know I’m going off topic but Shorty from Atlanta had signed me up for 106 & Park and I didn’t even know. She just hit me up like you got to go to NY on July.18. I was like cool went up killed everybody they put me up against in the auditions. I got a call back and they gave me a date to come back to the show and the rest was history.

24: Did you feel any pressure by going on the show and proving to the people that may feel going on 106& Park is like a “Gift & A Curse” because it can gain you exposure and a record deal but with results like Gin, Posta Boy and SunNY it as yet to turn into stardom?

West Philly Blake: An that’s what I agree on. I said it to someone else recently, no stars have ever came off of 106& Park. Gin was cool but he wasn’t a star, Posta Boy was cool but he wasn’t a star and this is what I’m bringing to the table. Not only Swag, Lyrics, and originality I’m bringing “Super Stardom”! I got the image to do a Baby commercial in the morning, a Gangster flick by the afternoon a rap album mid evening then I can do the Opera in the night. I’m versatile with it!

24: A couple of things are circulating on the streets that you might be signing to Rick Ross new label Maybatch Music so is that something that might pan out in the near future?

West Philly Blake: It’s a lot of speculation going on with that, shout out to Rick Ross, Maybatch Music, Triple C’s and Grind House that’s my company. The Rick Ross situation came about from me shouting him out on 106& Park, I basically set a trap in the fifth week when I was about to win I set a trap. After I won I shouted out all of the record labels that was looking at me right then and there. The first people I shouted out was Triple C’s, Maybatch Music & Grind House. Grind House is my shit, Triple C’s & Maybatch Music is Ross shit. The next people I gave shout outs to was Hana the general manager at Grand Hustle because they was fucking with me because Chuck worked over there. I was just in Atlanta two weeks ago recording and did a hook for Young Dro, the shit me and Alphamega did you can Youtube that. Just type in West Philly Blake and you’ll see the session with me and him just come right up. So after the show the first person to call back was Rick Ross people’s and the next thing you know I’m there in Maimi. I been out there for the last  month, 2 weeks ago I flew to Atlanta then came right back to Miami and now I’m back in Philly. Ross had me out there recording with all of his artist thats on Maybatch Music. The first time they flew me down there I didn’t even get to meet Ross, I was out there for a week just working with his artist doing interviews and videos and shit then I bounced. Two days later I get a call like we need you back down here, as soon as I got there we went to Ross crib, the one that they showed on MTV Cribs. We met he dap me up said he loved what I was doing and shit, next thing he said was he wanted to hear them records I had been doing so we went in to his office. The nigga played 3 records cut it off and was like we going to the studio. He was actually in the middle of finishing a verse for a record in his living so when he finished his last bars he start skipping through some beats, then he played the new Ludacris single ft T-Pain and he was like I’m doing a remix to this do you want to get on this and I’m like hell yeah. So the next thing you know we both writing at the bar at his neck & neck. After we finished that shit we went straight to the studio with a 5 car entourage laid the shit in less then 10 minutes and that show the shit popped off.

24: That’s Crazy……….

West Philly Blake: I’m trying to open up a situation for my company in January, I’m not trying to get a solo deal I have a company I don’t really need anything from a  company all I need is the name on it, that stamp on it and we do our own thing. Thats all I wanted and he gave me the official Co-sign and the official remix with me for “Free” just because he fuck with me so much. An you know by January we’ll open up bigger numbers because I got Grand Hustle on my top, Konvict on my top and Maybatch Music. He knows every thing that’s going on and I just want the right situation and you know all the record labels get there new budgets in January so we gone see but as far as it is now its Grind House/Maybatch Music!

24: Tell about some the projects your currently working on?

West Philly Blake: Currently I got a mixtape out called “Less Then God, More Then Man” we done moved about 10,000 units of that in the last couple of months. I’m working on my album right now. We got the single called “Do Right” I just put out which has started spinning and getting play.

24: Who are some of the producers you have been working with and who would you love to work with in the near future?

West Philly Blake: I been working with Street Runner, Sean Francis, Stoud and The Band geeks who are with Grand Hustle, Travis Morrison over at Konvict Music he’s the head of A&R, other then that my main producer is T Banga who does most of my stuff and he’s actually my brother in law.

24: Who produced the new single “Do Right”?

West Philly Blake: My brother in law T Banga.

24: Besides yourself you else would you say is Next In Line coming out of Philly?

West Philly Blake: Tell them to look out for Tone Trump!

24: What should the readers look out for from you in the near future?

West Philly Blake: Look out for the “Get It All” video trailer coming soon, shooting two videos one for my single “Do Right” & “Doing It The Best” soon as I get back down to Miami and 09 is just going to be great we gone drop a record every month. Right now I’m not focusing on mixtapes. It’s one thing that I learned when I was down in Miami is that its all about “Records”! They got niggas who drop a CD with one song on it with a clean version, dirty version, instrumental and niggas is caking up. You know what I’m saying so its all about records so for 09 look for a lot of records from me.

24: How can someone find out more about to and check out your music?

West Philly Blake: They can just check me out here on 24HourHipHop.com.

24: Is there anything you want to say to the readers?

West Philly Blake: Proper Preparation Prevents you from Poor Performance and Heroes get remembered but Legends never Die!