Ben Steezy – Q&A Interview
We are glad to be able to catch up with you, for those who don’t know who you are, let the public know!
It’s Ben Steezy baby! The young emcee breaking onto the scene right now holding it down for Arizona.
Gone Green Records is the label reppin the music, how did that relationship go about?
Gone Green Records was founded by myself and my two friends/business partners William “Dolla Will” Hamburg and Brian Wentzel. We started the label with the intention of using hiphop as a vehicle for social change (specifically within the criminal justice system) and of course to make dope music. It’s been a learning experience for all of us and we’re stoked on the progress we’ve made.
Congrats on the the new single “#MTW” we posted last week. Looks like the feedback has been awesome, and the song has pretty much gone viral. How are the fans taking in the track?
Thank you, it’s been a real blessing. When you’re just starting out I think it’s normal to be nervous about how receptive people are going to be to your message. I’ve been blown away by the response we’ve gotten so far. I think the depth of the third verse caught people by surprise, I’ve gotten a lot of messages on Facebook and Instagram from fans that are interested in the humanitarian work that we’re doing. That was really dope to see!
How did the new single come about? Who did the production? Who did the artwork?
The new single was actually inspired by a couple of key events. I served a three and a half year prison sentence between 2011 and 2014 and once I got out I partnered up with Brian and Will to work with and grow the multiple companies they had started under the Gone Green banner. We grinded pretty much non-stop for two years constantly delaying gratification. Finally we decided to treat ourselves a few months ago and bought three black Mercedes. We were on the car lot when I came up with the line “Walked in the dealership, left with three Benz’s / My team winnin’, my team winnin'”. The song took shape after that. We have in house production done by my best friend and roommate J. Rockne he’s the one who hooked up that bangin’ ass beat. The artwork was done by Round Box Studios. They do all of my graphic design and photography, really solid work.
Any musical influences that molded your music?
Nas and Scarface have always been a huge influence on my life and my music. I really enjoy that raw story telling and hardcore street knowledge.
We notice this is the beginning of a bright future for you in Hip Hop. What project do you have coming next?
The music video for #MTW will most likely be the next project that we drop, but as far as new music goes there’s plenty in the queue, people will just have to stick around and see. [laughs].
We respect your solo grind, but who would you like to work with if you had the chance?
I’m really feeling Sincerely Collins right now. I finally had the opportunity to meet him recently at a Respect the Underground event in Mesa, AZ. That would be a great collab, I’m always excited when he drops new music.
Future shows, tours, etc?
I’m just coming off of a string of shows that I had lined up in AZ and Cali. Got a lot of love in the Bay Area since I’ve been out here. We’re in the process of solidifying some more shows, follow Ben Steezy on Facebook to stay up to date on when I’m coming to a city near you.
Feel free to drop your links so fans could find your music?
Ben Steezy Website
Ben Steezy Sound Cloud
Ben Steezy Facebook
Ben Steezy Instagram
Ben Steezy Twitter
Our famous question! What’s your definition of Underground Hip Hop?
Music for the streets by the streets. The most raw and unapologetic art form there is. My happy place.
Lastly, any shout outs?
Yeah, shout out to the Green Team, Dolla Will, Brian, Matt, Aaron, Tony Maloney (Watts Up!), Lena, G’ma Mary, Tony Vega, Josh Rockne, Round Box Studios (Josh and Olga), The whole Hit Hoarders Productions team, Stackz Nyne, Shizzy Sean Mack, J Reed, Black Boss, Wild Lovey, Everyone at Respect the Underground, JustUs, Bag of Tricks Cat, Henny Flatz, everyone holding it down for Arizona HipHop and HipHop in general, Luke Gilbreath, Kevin Calkins (Trilthy), JJ at KPOO 89.5, Bryan at Q 102.9, All my people that rock with me and come out and support the shows and stream the music, my friends and family that give constant support, and most importantly Anna for being the most loving and supportive girlfriend a guy could ask for and seeing the vision clearly before I even could. Love you babes!
