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“I’m not trying to emulate any of my peers, I’m trying to compete with the greatest of the greats.  I don’t feel like my peers are my competition at this point, especially with what I have coming to the table in this coming year…”

Mickey Factz is a little different, a little eclectic and a lot respected.

This Bronx MC launched his career in 2006 with his mixtapes tackling songs by the likes of N.E.R.D. leading up to his impassioned socially conscious rhymes such as his ode to Sean Bell.

[Peep Hip-Hop Wired’s interview with Mickey Factz After The Jump] [More]

By likening himself to Prince and Michael Jackson a confident Factz contends that he sees no competition in the rap game today.

When HipHopWired had a chance to sit down for a convo with this emphatic emcee he told us how he plans for greatness, how he got his first corporate tie-in and he how plans to take things back, way back; all the way to the back to the beginnings with Alpha.

HipHopWired: So your new single “Alpha” is on ItTunes, but when is the official album coming out?

Mickey Factz: There’s no official release for it. Something that I learned from Quincy Jones one time when I went to LA was Michael Jackson recorded over 80 songs for Thriller and the album before Thriller, Off The Wall, and they picked the best songs and they had to submit the best songs out of that. They recorded stuff up until it was time to submit the album, so I’m kind of taking the same approach, trying to find the perfect balance, the perfect sound and making sure everything is right, and once everything is right we will be ready to make a move with it.

HipHopWired: It’s interesting that your bring up Michael Jackson, because I have a quote here from you that says, “Other than that, my ego tells me that I’m bigger than Michael Jackson and Prince, I want to wake this industry up.” So what do you think you’re doing this year to really wake this industry up and make them realize that you’re on the same level as the King of Pop and Prince?

Mickey Factz: Those are artists that I look up to and have the utmost respect for, so in order to attempt to be as good as them you have to kind of tell yourself that’s the kind of work that needs to be put in. It’s nothing but hard work, nothing but performing with a different enthusiasm than most emcees have, like synchronized movements, just a different way of projecting a song.  I’m not trying to emulate any of my peers, I’m trying to compete with the greatest of the greats.  I don’t feel like my peers are my competition at this point, especially with what I have coming to the table in this coming year.

HipHopWired: Right, so you’re trying to be different and express a different sound.  Do you think that either helps or hinders you, because in a way it kind of isolates you from everyone else.

Mickey Factz: The isolation is a great thing.  I think somebody like Andre3000, he’s so isolated it’s like, “Wow, this is amazing stuff”, and when you isolate yourself you kind of put yourself in a place where it’s like, “Ok, if anybody else comes out with this sound, we all know where it came from.”  It’s kind of weird, because I always kind of re-invent myself, because I’m not in the mainstream media, another artist may come out with the same sound or the same particular movement and it kind of seems like they started it but now this time around this year it’s going to be a little different because we’re going to do it properly. We’re going to have people say “Now ok, when somebody comes out with this music, or this sound, or it looks like this, we know where they got it from”.  It’s going to be really different this year.

HipHopWired: With that being said and with you being so different from everyone else, how would you describe a Mickey Factz fan?

Mickey Factz: A Mickey Factz fan is somebody who just appreciates great music.  They appreciate the intellect and the lyricism.  They’re very stylish or they try to be stylish with wherever they are in the country or in the world.  They try to be up on the fashion stuff and they want to be innovative in life.  Everything that I am I created in a brand and my fans kind of relate to that.  I think they’re going to be very excited for the upcoming things that I have planned.

HipHopWired: Are you doing any more work with The Cool Kids?

Mickey Factz: Me and The Cool Kids, we tour sometimes and are on the same bill, but as far as new music, we haven’t really had a chance to get in the studio and work on anything new.  For the most part when we see each other it’s always and pleasure and we’re always on the same bills or in situations like that but no new music as of yet.

HipHopWired: Tell me more about this GFC New York; is that your label up there?

Mickey Factz: Yeah, GFC NY is a branding firm that I co-started and co-own with my manager and my A&R.  We specialize in branding, we specialize in marketing, we specialize in developing new artists and breaking them and showing them the ropes.  We’ve been very instrumental on a couple of peoples careers, including myself over the past 2 years and we’ve done it so well that we’ve gotten outsourced by record companies and record labels trying to facilitate breaking the artists online.  We’re trying to continue to expand the company and it’s going great.

HipHopWired: Who are some of the artists that you guys are working with?

Mickey Factz: Previously we worked with Devin the Dude and we did his marketing, we did Nipsey Hussle’s marketing, and Dali.  With the exception of Devin the Dude, who already had a fan base, all of these artists we kind of broke whhich is the perfect example of the power of marketing strength.

HipHopWired: Now last year, you were on the Freshman 10 cover of XXL and that was a big jump for you, it really jump started things and people really know your name, but with this year’s list were you surprised by any of their picks?  Do you think they missed anyone that they didn’t put on there?

Mickey Factz: No I wasn’t surprised at the list.  I think it was a really good list actually.

HipHopWired: I know you said you were doing work with Nipsey, so if you could offer advice to some of the freshman like Nipsey, Big Sean, Gibbs, Pill,  what would be some advice that you would give them, seeing as how you’re a veteran?

Mickey Factz: I wouldn’t say I’m a veteran, I’m probably just a sophomore now, seeing as I was a freshman last year.  Just to elaborate on your last question, I think everybody that’s on the cover deserved to be on that cover.  They all worked hard last year, they all had substantial amounts of buzz to belong on that cover.  I’m very proud of every single one of them, everyone I’ve seen after that cover I congratulated, but for those that I haven’t spoken to, I would tell them to keep working hard.  The cover is only there for a month, so you have a month’s time to prove to people that after this what’s next.  They just have to continue to work hard like that never got that cover.

HipHopWired: Let’s talk about the deal you have with Honda, now how did that happen?  There’s no major album out, there’s no single, so how did you get on to the corporate side with Honda?

Mickey Factz: Well there was a casting call trying to find an emcee that was sensible, somebody that fits on the brand.  Anybody that knows Honda, it’s not like a Maybach where it’s all gaudy, but it’s also not a Beetle, which is like small and compact.  It’s a great company that firmly believes in making vehicles that last.  It’s about the quality over the quantity, so they wanted somebody who kind of fit that bill, somebody who didn’t represent over-excessive spending money and somebody who was just kind of related to the consumer.  I went to the casting call and I just fit that person, and they were like, “Wow, even though you don’t have a credible major label behind you, you’ve done a lot of work on your own and it kind of represents the consumer who purchases this Honda, who just works and works very hard until they achieve their dreams, so we would like you to be a part of our campaign.”

HipHopWired: Do you think with your corporate tie-ins, do you think that will help you sell records?

Mickey Factz: Yeah I think so.  It brings a different dimension to artistry.  I think a lot of people may never had heard my music and then see me on a commercial, and then go check it out afterwards.  Or vice versa, people that love my music, they turn the TV on and they’re like, “Oh my gosh, this is Mickey Factz on my television screen. “  It’s like they’re championing me, my fans are.  It’s a great opportunity and a wonderful, wonderful position that I placed myself in.

HipHopWired: Are you trying to do any other endorsements?  Are you looking at any other brands out there?

Mickey Factz: The opportunity to work with any other brand is always available and I definitely would love to continue to work with brands and expand the business side of my expertise.  Anybody who’s out there who’s willing, I’m definitely down to work as long as it makes sense with my brand.  I won’t do like a toiletry commercial or something like that, but you know as long as it makes sense, we’re good to go.

HipHopWired: Now that “Alpha” is out on ITunes, what are you doing next?  Are you going to be on the road, are you looking to put something else out, what’s coming up next for Mickey Factz?

Mickey Factz: The video for “Alpha” will be released very soon.  I just saw the final edit two days ago, it looks absolutely amazing.  It should be out in another month, next month for sure.

HipHopWired: Can you give me any details on the video?  What’s it like?

Mickey Factz: It reminds me of my cover for “Alpha.” It’s very visual, it’s very intriguing, it’s very high energy.   A lot of people are going to be surprised at the quality of the video.  It’s a great video, that’s basically what I can say.  It’s really, really, really crazy, I can’t wait for it to drop.  And to add to that, there’s a couple other things in the pipeline that are going to be unveiled very soon.  Things aren’t confirmed as of yet, I can’t really speak on it, but I do want to tell the people that please, in the next coming weeks, keep your ears and eyes open, it’s about to happen!