Interview conducted by Hugo Lunny
MVRemix: As a songwriter, who has influenced you?
Rico Paysos : As a song writer I must say, I stole a little bit hear and there in order to create my distinctive wordplay. Language is a tool, like the stone to the caveman. You have to evolve with it, play with it, use it to your advantage and adapt. I took the advice Johnny Juice gave me as a youngster, you can’t think about now, you got to think beyond when you write, he influenced me, I took that advice and ran with it. That’s why you never hear me twist words the same, or use the same delivery.
MVRemix: How did you first get into rapping? Who was your biggest personal influence?
Rico Paysos: We used to bang on the table in lunch during junior high school, and niggas would just start spittin’, I was always the dopiest in the cipher. I used to make these tape cassette mixtape and sell ‘em for $2, just ‘cause there was a demand for it. My biggest influence personally is Nas and my old cuz [cousin] Jus Rolle’, and funny thing is you won’t either one of their styles in my music. I got many influences and artist that I fucks with, but my most affluent influence is myself and my life.
MVRemix: How does living in New York shape your attitude towards music, art and culture in general?
Rico Paysos: I was told you make in the city that never sleeps, than you can make it anywhere. I think NY is the mecca of all music, art and culture, now if you want to talk about hip hop music, art and culture, we still home to the league leaders, but a lot of new artist have no substance aren’t original they wont have any longevity because they are making music for now, not for all time…and art and culture man, ain’t no swag like a NY swag, hate or love it!
MVRemix: How would you describe your style/sound?
Rico Paysos: I’m indescribable…you can’t put Rico Paysos in a box, I’m the undefined variable…call me X, Y, or Z.
MVRemix: How did the name “Rico Paysos” come to be?
Rico Paysos: I got “Rico” when I turned Crip, I was the only dude in the gang of Puerto Rican decent so the homies called me “Rico Loc”, then I started rhyming, I went thru a bunch of names, then I just said I’m gonna run with “Rico”, and nah mean I couldn’t just be “Rico”…so I played with language and words and tried to find something that would define me, Paysos, Pesos Spanish for dollars or money… as a youngin’ and as a grown ass man, I love money, so “Riches and Dollars”, “Good Money” (English translation) just made sense, cause it makes sense to make cents a wise man once told me.
MVRemix: What separates you from other rappers? Why should I opt to listen to your
music above others?
Rico Paysos: My wordplay, my delivery, my voice….pop in my new disc “The Addiction” or the joints I got on “Sour D and Goose”….if you want variety, and honestly, I can do everything, I can get on any beat, with any artist, and make genuinely good music. I ghost write to so check cutters holla at me, I’ll take ya artist style to the next level. People listen to me cause I have fun doing this, I enjoy it and I love it, and if you can’t feel that, go take a nap!
MVRemix: Although popular, don’t you feel company names revolving around the lust for
money are getting rather tired?
Rico Paysos: Damn man when we started ForTheLoveOfMoney, Inc in 03 there wasn’t no teams out like that, but ForTheLoveOfMoney isnt about money at all, its about Life, the root of all evil, realistically its the reason we dress fly, holla at the shorties, drive nice cars, wear big jewels, want big cribs, and nice things its For The Love Of Money, whether you want to admit it or not money makes the world go around, especially Hip Hop.
MVRemix: Tell me about what you’re currently working on musically.
Rico Paysos: I’m building up my catalog, building up our network, our promotion and our press. Currently I’m on the verge of hitting one million plays on MySpace, so somebody is listening out there. I want to keep making good music; I got “The Addiction” my 4th solo project, “Sour D and Goose” with Envy. I got the video shoot for”Love Me For Free” featuring Gully G this weekend. We shooting a video for “Dump Dump” featuring. RozeGold Cali’o and Gully G and I’ma Blocc boy. We also shooting with Drahma Magazine for their DVD, I’m not sure which record we gonna go with for that. I’m still indie, so nah mean I’m lookin’ for a sexy situation to put myself in with it be a deal or distribution, I don’t care, as long I can make music that makes you think or shake your ass, or think about shaking ya ass. I’m satisfied.
MVRemix: What is your aim with music? Are you looking for commercial success or artistic depth?
Rico Paysos: I’m lookin’ to enjoy myself, I make music cause it allows self-expression, it allows me to be imaginative, to be a story teller, to be amusing, to be entertaining. I want commercial success with artistic depth, I make music for the party and I make music for you to ride in the whip or blow an L and meditate too.
MVRemix: How did you meet up with DJ Envy?
Rico Paysos: I met First Lady El from the Murda Mami’s and the rest is history!
MVRemix: How did you collaboration with Konvict music come about?
Rico Paysos: The Swat Team DJ’s, that’s my DJ team, they got me in that position.
MVRemix: Have fun with this one, a la “Fight Club” - “If you could fight any celebrity, who would you fight”?
Rico Paysos: Yo! real talk, I wanna punch Lil’ Wayne in the mouth, cause he be talkin’ bout bangin’ mad wreckless, and he never lived that life man, he been rappin since he was Bow Wow age, and Bow Wow was brought up around some official Crip homies, and he even used to C-Walk bacc in the day with the O.G locs like Snoop and Dogg Pound, and he ain’t running around today actin’ like he bang and he got more cred than Wayne, but if Bow Wow acted like a gangsta no one would respect him. Now I dunno how this clown gets a way with fakin’ like he damu, I know mad official bloods, whether I like them or not or they like me or not, It don’t matter. Wayne, he not an official dude and he kisses niggas in the mouth [laughs] and his name is Weezy “Fuckin” Baby… If that ain’t homo, I don’t know what it is. He say he fuckin’ baby in his name, like it ain’t a secret, I’m done let me roll blunt up and exhale… I been jumped, cut, stabbed, shot at, locked up for bangin’, and dudes running stuntin’ for TV. Homie it ain’t sweet, bangin ain’t easy, it’s a rough life, it’s la vida loca for real!
MVRemix: Would you win?
Rico Paysos: I’m official with the chin checkin’, and I ain’t scared to take a hit, we breed scrappers in my hood ya dig. It wouldn’t be a fight, he probably never had a bout in his life, make that square lets shoot that 60. [laughs]
MVRemix: Do you have any non musical aspirations?
Rico Paysos: Well how bout this I got my Bachelors Degree in Media and Communications, I’m more than just a rap artist, and more than a hoodsta, I did my time, got my mind right, and went to school, now I’m on my entrepreneur thing, I dibble and dabble in a lot, I just can’t be an average Joe Schmo… I want to start my own adult dvd collection and magazine, and continue building up ForTheLoveOfMoney, Inc. multimedia entertainment.
MVRemix: What was the last book you read?
Rico Paysos: Honestly on my own merit not cause someone told me too, it was Tookie Williams book, his words made me change my life around, Tookie wanted all the locs to stop bangin’ and slangin’ and if we used the charisma we use to build up our hoods and sets, and utitilized it positively and invested into our community and not into the aspect that pollute our children we can make a change for the better in the community, like the Big Homie Snoop man, he do a lot of good for the hood, its all about giving back.
MVRemix: In a sentence or less, what do you do to relax?
Rico Paysos: Write music, fornicate with beautiful women, smoke weed and drink liquor.
MVRemix: Finish this sentence: ‘In a perfect world…’
Rico Paysos: There would be no std’s cause going raw is the shit.
MVRemix: What next do we have to look forward to from you?
Rico Paysos: I don’t know my G, I could die tomorrow so enjoy Rico Paysos while he here.
MVRemix: Any last words?
Rico Paysos: Can I get an “Aww Yeah!” It’s ya homie the rebirth, I’m the dope selling hope for a small fee. “The Best Thing Since Free Air and Raw Sex” hit me on myspace.com/ricopaysos, email me at ricopaysos@gmail.com. I’m down to earth and real cool man, I’m an open book enjoy a chapter or two. Shout out my cousin Groove and my producer Dot -Street Blaze out in Iraq. RozeGold, Gully G, Crush Poe, Jus Rolle, Cracc Val, No-No, the whole ForTheLoveOfMoney staff, my family, and friends. One Love keep it swervy derby and scrap the sky!
Original Rico Paysos Interview
