Hip-Hop Wired: Over the years you’ve built a successful brand around being an authority on all things Hip-Hop and pop culture. How did go from local phenomenon to a global one?
Sway: I think my brand was created in the 90s when my partner King Tech and I got on the radio and started producing artists and putting out music. The Wake Up Show freestyle tapes put a lot of artists like OutKast and Eminem on, helping them secure deals. At that time, we were just the pillar of integrity and people knew that Sway & Tech are really about the culture and the passion. Back then I probably appeared a little more mean because I would really challenge artists about their craft and things they did that was anti-culture.
Hip-Hop Wired: That’s funny because from watching you on MTV most people wouldn’t characterize you as being “mean.”
Sway: I kinda grew out of doing that so much, and started growing into an understanding and building relationships. I think all those things we did in the 90s helped bring me into the new millennium. By the time I got to MTV I had created enough of a foundation through helping so many artists. No matter how much we made or how much recognition came, we remained the same and nothing changed coming to MTV. Of course the exposure got a whole lot larger and the brand built that much more equity, but I’ve stood the test of time. My objective was always not to be clumped in a category or be compared to anyone kinda like how Jay Z is in a category of his own at what he does. So I’d like to think in terms of broadcast journalism, I’m in a category of my own. Not going to journalism school or studying broadcasting, I had to create my own lane.
Hip-Hop Wired: Do you think that lack of formal training has actually been an asset?
Sway: It worked because I was so different from anybody else that was on MTV. Their audience didn’t even really know my name at first. I was just the dude with locks in the big hat. Actually, because I was so deeply rooted in radio, it took years for the people who knew me from the Hip-Hop community to realize I was the same Sway from Sway & Tech. They thought I was another person.
Hip-Hop Wired: Was there any backlash from Hip-Hop fans when you first went mainstream?
Sway: You know as soon as you work on a network like MTV some people are going to say you sold out but that’s that kind of ignorance that needed to be defunct. Because you have to grow, you have to establish success. If you think about my history growing up in Oakland, the least of my worries is what the next man thinks of me. I don’t care. I’m at a point in my life and career where I don’t feel like I’m trying to prove anything. At the same time, you know I’m not a sucker, I’m playing chess.
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