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2 dadesignatedhata.com
No part of “Interview with Dana” may be reproduced in any form by
any means without prior written consent from Dana Da Designated Hata®.
For permission or interview requests, please contact
(Vol. 1 - No. 3)
3Nobody’s Fan™
I step into the studio to sit down with G Swagger to discuss his
latest projects and what’s going on with Hip-Hop. To the left of me
there’s an old school Ms. Pacman video game and I’m fresh out of
quarters. To the right of me there’s a state of the art studio hidden
in the suburban cut of Far Rockaway, New York. As we chill out and
listen to his latest projects, I’m completely surprised at how nervous
he is in the presence of Da Hata. A few spins later he loosens up and
I get the chance to learn about him just a little bit more…
A R T I S T S P o T l I G H T:
G SWAGGER
4 dadesignatedhata.com
D: What made you decide to start rapping?
G: Well two years ago I started taking it seri-
ously, but I’ve been doing it since I was about
14, and you know just me watching what the
game is going through and wanting to be a
part of it. I came up on the golden era, which
was the 90’s. It was just something that I did
when I was in high school for recreation, and
that I got a really good response from when
I was doing it. Everyone gravitated towards
me because I could do this, so I was like
maybe I should get some money for it. I de-
cided to make the transition and become a
real artist, but if there weren’t any money in it
I would still do it for recreation.
D: Well I listened to a few of your songs
and they sound really polished. They don’t
sound like those mixtapes songs. Everything
sounds like a finished product that you actu-
ally took the time to put it together. It’s not
like your putting bullshit out there.
Home Town:
Far Rockaway (Queens), New York
Age:
Early 24
Shoe Size:
12 without sole 11½
Favorite Snack:
Oatmeal Cookies
Musical Influences:
Michael Jackson, Nas and Al Green
Sports:
Football and Basketball
Favorite Movie:
Belly, Sate Property and Bad Boys
Label:
Independent, Fam Click Entertainment
5Nobody’s Fan™
G: Definitely not. I mean you know, I’m
just at a trial and error point right now
where I’m trying all different types of
music. I want to be able to reach ev-
erybody.
D: Are you signed to a label?
G: No. I’m currently independent
and I have my own label, Fam Click
Entertainment. I’m establishing art-
ists’ right now.
D: What’s that on your arm?
G: I actually got a tattoo of Fam Click
on my arm when I was 17 years old and
that’s why it’s so big. I wanted to turn
it into something real positive. Now it’s
my entertainment company and I’m
establishing other artists and I want to
sign myself.
D: Anybody in particular that you want
to sign?
G: I got this singer up in Boston called
Chemistry, but I just want to establish
myself first before I put my focus into
someone else.
D: Do you like doing collaborations?
G: Yeah, I’m not going to say no. It just
depends on who it is and if they’re go-
ing to make me go harder than I usual-
ly do. I like the essence of competition
when we’re making a record, so I love
collaborations. I can’t say that I don’t.
D: Do you want to be in the room at
the same time with other artists when
you’re collaborating on a record?
G: It makes for a better record I think,
but if someone emails me a song and
says, “here get on that”, I’m gonna do
that too. It just depends on who “that”
is. A lot of people might want to hear
that person and me together, so I’m just
going to give them what they want.
D: I’ve heard you on a few songs that
had collabos. I even heard one that
included Cassie. How did that come
to be?
G: Well you know….
D: You getting all shy and smiling and
shit…What’s that all about?
G: That was just a record that I heard
and I hopped on it. As soon as I heard
it, I heard myself all over it and that’s
kind of the lane I’m trying to stay in for
a minute.
6 dadesignatedhata.com
D: So she doesn’t even know you’re on it?
G: Um, I don’t think she does….(laughing).
I send it out to her all the time. Cassie holla
at me! let’s make the real remix happen.
Puffy’s coming out with all these other re-
mixes and they not sounding good. No
hate though.
D: What’s with the disclaimer?
G: Ah, no hate. I’m with the Designated
Hata but I just wanted them to understand
that I have a better remix than Puff Daddy’s
remix of the “This Must Be love”.
D: What is the Rock Star Society?
G: It is a clothing line, a film company, a
lifestyle. It means from the Rock to the top
basically. We’re from Far Rock and were
coming from the Rock and the star signi-
fies the top basically. I’m a model for that
clothing line and they’re dropping their
second line this summer. We have our
own film company that we’re establish-
ing right now and we also just shot my last
video “Private Affair”. Basically, we’re just
a band of brothers all from Far Rockaway,
New York, trying to make it.
D: Did you go to school with them?
G: I went to school with a few of them. I
went to school with my man Rockstar Re-
mix, he’s one of the owners. He actually
started it, and I went to school with a cou-
ple other guys. For the most part I just ran
into these dudes. I came up with them and
we’re all going in one direction. We saw
each other’s vision, and we decided to
band together…yah know. You can’t stop
10-15 of us if we all do, what we do, and
perfect it. Definitely, Rock Star Society…
yah know!
D: I always hear that you’re
doing a show. Name some
people that you’ve opened for.
G: I don’t know if I’ve opened
for any major artists but I’ve
done some shows with Mick-
ey Factz, Charles Hamilton,
dudes like that. You know, I
run into these guys all the
time.
D: Yeaaaaaah Charles.
G: oh you know him?
D: No, I don’t know him personally but I
watched him get his jawed tapped on the
Internet…(laughing)
G: Aw man….shout out to Charles
Hamilton.
“Ah, no hate. I’m with the Designated
Hata but I just wanted them to understand that I have a better remix
than Puff Daddy’s”
7Nobody’s Fan™
D: He got a couple of songs that I like.
G: He shouldn’t do extra shit yah know.
D: I don’t know if he was thinking about
those 16 or 12 bars that he got out of his
mouth before you know…BoW!
G: I mean you know… that’s what hap-
pens when you talk reckless.
D: So you’ve opened for Mick-
ey Factz, Charles Hamilton,
part of XXl’s Top 10 new up
and coming list.
G: Yeah you know, that’s re-
ally it.
D: When you’re on stage it’s
really you performing by your-
self?
G: I work with some other
artists by the name of Yung
Juggz, Rocstar Remix, and
Fly Guy Nyckz. We got a lot
of music together so we do a lot of our
shows together. We’re kind of like one
team and we go hard.
D: For the most part you’re an independent
artist but you collaborate with them?
G: Yeah, I collaborate with them but we
are all individual artists. We’re working on
a group project as well so be on the look
out for that.
D: What was it like to film your very own
music video?
G: I felt like I made it for a second. like I
reached a new point in my career. People
took their time to put it together. The mo-
ment itself was surreal but it was a good
experience. The video was shot in a pri-
vate loft out in Brooklyn over looking New
York City. Everything just came together
and it ran real smooth.
D: You had a team of people really helping
you out?
G: Yeah, even one of my home girls from
the Bronx that I met via MySpace for
the very first time came out to help. She
heard about what it is we were doing and
reached out to Ric Cash, who’s the Gen-
eral Manager for the Rock Star Society.
D: Is Ric also your manager?
G: No, not for me personally. Just for the
whole Rock Star Society movement.
D: How long did it take to shoot the
video?
G: It took two whole days to shoot.
“Ah, no hate. I’m with the Designated
Hata but I just wanted them to understand that I have a better remix
than Puff Daddy’s”
8 dadesignatedhata.com
D: I noticed that “Private Affair” was
recently featured as the behind the
scenes music for the Wendy Williams
Show that was posted up on Mediat-
akeout.com. How did that happen?
G: It was actually a homeboy of mine,
Scenario, that filmed that behind the
scenes piece. He really liked the song
and wanted to film the video, but by the
time we finally got the chance to hook
up I had already completed it. Scenar-
io works with Charlamagne the God
and approached him about placing
the song. Scenario called me up and
was like, “Yo, how would you feel if we
used Private Affair for the background
music?”, and I was like, “cool”.
D: That was a major move right there.
How did you feel seeing this jump from
radio and club play to television?
G: It felt good. I’m never satisfied so it
takes a lot to get me ecstatic. It’s get-
ting noticed and it’s a good marketing
tool, but it’s a small step to something
big that’s about to happen.
D: So what G Swagger single are you
pushing right now?
G: I’m fresh off of “Private Affair” right
now but I’m going to go with this new
single called “lifestyle”. That’s the one
I’m trying to flood out there.
D: Who are some of the people that you
would like to work with in the industry.
G: Well as far as females go I would
have to say Jazmine Sullivan or leela
James, and a lot of people are thinking
I’m gonna say a rapper but I’m gonna
say Justin Timberlake.
D: J.T.?
G: Yeah, definitely.
D: He does have soul.
G: Someone of that cloth though, you
know. Everybody else is just full com-
petition. I don’t need another rapper. I
can tackle another industry with some-
one from another genre.
D: Any producers in particular that you
would like to work with?
G: Timberland, Pharell, Swiss Beats
and the No ID guy that just did the
9Nobody’s Fan™
DoA beat for Jay Z, and the guys from
the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. league, I really want
to get on one of their joints…they’re
the ones that do a lot of the Rick Ross’
beats. Yeah he sounds fresh, he got
that new sound.
D: So do you have a real strong
work ethic?
G: Real strong. I mean when I’m in
there I’m in there, you know.
D: ladies and gentlemen, I just got to
tell you know that G Swagger is sober.
He is not high, he is not drunk, he is
not tipsy whatsoever. He is complete-
ly 100% sober and that is so rare in
today’s industry.
G: Definitely not. Everybody’s gettin’
high man. Ain’t nothing wrong with that
if that’s what you want to do, but that’s
just not my thing.
D: You don’t need it to be even
more creative?
G: Nah. It just doesn’t do anything for
me to feel like I need it.
D: I can respect that.
G: In a social environment that’s cool,
I’m not knocking anybody.
D: So does that mean you don’t like to
be around the smell of weed?
G: I actually like the smell. There’s
nothing wrong with it, at all. It doesn’t
bother me one bit.
D: ladies, in case you didn’t know,
G Swagger is a very handsome man.
You actually look better in person than
you do in pictures. Does everybody tell
you that?
G: In p ic tures , yeah. I th ink that
persona l ly.
D: I saw your picture and I was like
he’s alright, and I then saw the video
for “Private Affair” and I was like he’s
good looking… but I now that I see you
in person I have to say that you’re a lot
better looking in person.
G: I appreciate you saying that…for
real (laughing)
D: Yeah, cause you know if you were
ugly…(laughing)
G: You would have let me know?
D: I wouldn’t have even said anything
(laughing)
G: oK, oK.
10 dadesignatedhata.com
D: Are you a boxers or briefs kind of guy?
G: Briefs...(signing)…we don’t
do that…(laughing)…we don’t do
those…(laughing)…I’m a boxers
man…definitely!
D: So what do you do for fun?
G: Hang out with Ms. Sui Generis.
Shout out to Sui Generis. I like to
hang out with her. That’s my home
girl right there.
D: For real? I think she’s kind of mean…
(laughing)…that’s why I like her! She’s
a hater in training…well actually she’s
not even in training, she’s running her
own little boot camp.
G: I also like to play basketball, work
out, hang out with my peoples, you
know things like that.
D: What’s your fantasy vacation?
G: Wow. I don’t really like to take
vacations.
D: Why?
G: Just for the fact that I feel like you
have to earn one of those.
D: You’re a big celebrity, you got
money in the bank , no b i l l s to
worry about, everybody’s taken care
of Mom’s, Pop’s, cousins, aunts, un-
cles, the dog, everybody’s taken care
of. Where would you go?
G: Cuba.
D: Why Cuba?
G: I Googled Cuba actually and they
got a couple things going on out there
that I like, or maybe even France and
the French Rivera. Something like that
where I can eat
some artichokes,
eggplant, drink
some Pinot Noir,
red wine, things
like that…(laugh-
ing).
D: What about the
red light district?
G: Is that Amster-
dam?
D: That is Amsterdam.
G: No, I mean because all they do out
there is smoke weed right?
D: What inspires you to write lyrics?
G: life. The day-to-day things that go
on, things that bother me, things I’ve
11Nobody’s Fan™
been through, the conditions that I
came from and where I’m going with
my vision.
D: Does the music have to be playing
for you to decide to write or something
just happened and you decided to pick
up a pad.
G: I mean it’s both. If something hap-
pens or if something comes to me in my
head, I’m gonna write that down and
then I can come up
with a whole song
from just that one
line. or if I’m hear-
ing a beat that I
like, right away its
just gonna write it
for me in my head
basically. Beats talk
to me. It’s either/or.
I mean as far as me
just sitting there and trying to, it’s not
gonna work, it’s never gonna work for
me like that ‘cause it’s not gonna come
out the way I want it to come out.
D: Do you ghost write for anybody?
G: I can but, no, not right now. But I
can, holla at me though. I will write any
song that you need me to write. What-
ever genre it is.
D: As long as you get a check!
G: As long as that ASCAP check comes
in the mail. Holla at me.
D: Tell me about a moment when some-
one was hating on you.
G: Not too long ago, I met this DJ at
a party who was like, “send me this,
send me this, send me this”. I talked
to him for a whole week and I sent him
the songs. I walked into one of the par-
ties that he was doing, and he had no
idea that I was coming. I sat there from
beginning to end and he never played
my record, but he’s been telling peo-
ple that he’s been playing records for
me. So when I ran up on him he was
just like, “oH SHIT”. like he had just
seen a ghost ‘cause he ain’t know I
was in there. And I was like, “Yo what
happened? Why you ain’t play my re-
cord?” Since he couldn’t come up with
the proper response, I told that nigga
that he was hating on me and I was like
FUCK IT.
D: What are you not feeling about the
industry?
G: I’m not feeling these old niggas that
don’t want to pass the torch. I can’t
stand them man. like Jay Z and Busta
Rhymes…all these niggas man.
12 dadesignatedhata.com
D: You mean the fact that they keep de-
ciding to come out with the albums?
G: Yeah, Yeah…they keep coming
man. like what the fuck? like give me
a break and pass the torch already!!!
These niggas don’t want to put no-
body out. They just want to keep mak-
ing records and in New York they keep
fucking with all these old niggas. For
example they all dick riding Jay Z with
that Death of Auto-Tunes track, but I
take that Auto-Tune’s shit as an evolu-
tion. That’s what the industry’s come to
now. I just think Jigga is hating on the
evolution of it. Don’t hate on the next
nigga if that’s how he gets his money,
if that’s how he’s doing it. I could care
less because that’s not what I do.
D: It’s just a program that they’re using
right now. You have to know it or prob-
ably use it.
G: I hate that they don’t want shit to
change. That’s what I hate.
D: Well if the industry changes they got
to change.
G: Yeah, absolutely.
I’m not feeling
these old niggas that
don’t want to pass
the torch. I can’t
stand them…they
keep coming man.
like what the fuck?
like give me a break
and pass the torch
already!!!
G SWAGGER
13Nobody’s Fan™
To learn more about G Swagger check out his website: www.gswaggermusic.com
To purchase the clothes check out: www.therockstarsociety.comG SWAGGER