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INTRO

Do you remember when hip hop was good? Do you remember when you listened to a hip hop album that actually inspired you? You felt yourself walk away with something… something so powerful it changed your way of life – the way you thought about things. Innovative albums from Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. and Rakim, a tribe called Quest, X-Clan, Brand Nubian, Gang Starr, EPMD and others from that era solidified a culture. What happened?

Even when hip hop was rebellious and angry it still stood for something. It was about having a voice when your surroundings basically made you voiceless, creating an impact against all odds and literally turning nothing into something. NWA, Geto Boys and Kool G Rap still stood for something. They represented the poverty-stricken, mean-streak of the ghetto as their fierce urban voices spread over suburban neighborhoods throughout the world. Then one day, hip hop lost its voice.

Well, I’ve got good news! That vanished voice in hip hop is back…and the name behind that voice is FOCUS…. FOCUS… is best-known as an elite producer, hand-picked by Dr. Dre himself, and placed within Aftermath Entertainment – which is, hands down, one of the most important labels in the history of hip hop.  You’ve heard the music FOCUS… has created behind hits songs from The Game, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Tony Yayo, and so many more. On and off for the past few years, FOCUS… has been working on Dr. Dre’s album, “Detox.”

Now FOCUS… has stepped out from behind the boards and in front of the microphone, creating a timeless album, titled “FOCUS…Presents…’Dedicated.’” I have personally worked with FOCUS… from a distance over the last few years through one of the prestigious companies I work for, Ringz & Partners Entertainment. Then about six months ago, an artist I was working with got a track from him (called “Project Jerusalem”) and I was able to help arrange it and even add a little production of my own. A few months later, after that song, I contacted FOCUS… about sitting down with him and doing an interview for BallerStatus, which is a mega-popular online hip hop website.

FOCUS… and I really hit it off in that interview.  Then one day, unexpectedly, FOCUS… contacted me about breaking his upcoming single “Shine,” featuring Busta Rhymes and Bishop Lamont. He gave me the exclusive on that single and let me be the first to break the song to the media…wow; I can’t believe he trusted me with that. With my business partner, Sabrina, we were able to immediately get “Shine” strategically placed in heavy media, such as XXLMag.com, HipHopDX.com, BallerStatus.com, and countless others across the globe. We gave this single to my radio promotions person, Polo from Polo Workz Promo, and he began aggressively pushing this song in clubs, record pools, etc.

I remember Anslem Samuel from XXL Magazine contacting me about FOCUS… right around Grammy time of this year. I told Anslem that next year FOCUS… will win “Best Rap Album” of the year – in fact, I guaranteed him that FOCUS… would win. However, the unorthodox way FOCUS… chose to release his album may prevent him from displaying that particular Grammy Award in his trophy case after all.  Award or no award, “Dedicated” is by far the best hip hop album of this year – I will even go one step farther to say that this is one of the best hip hop albums of the past five years!

Working with FOCUS… has given me credibility, and I am so grateful to be working with him. We, as hip hop fans, are blessed to finally have an artist such as FOCUS…, who blesses us with incredible music. FOCUS… has also decided to bless us hip-hop connoisseurs with a chance to download his album for free. Yes, I said FREE! Right now, you can download “FOCUS…Presents ‘Dedicated’” at www.aftermathmusic.com.

I am so excited about this interview! This is a very up-close and personal look at one of the most important voices and talents in music today. After all, “A Sound Without Focus… Is Just Noise.”

Words by: Jonathan Hay
www.myspace.com/jonathanhay

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  First thing first, FOCUS..., you are the first musical artist to have a featured interview on the website of the nationally published “UVC Magazine: The Urban Voice for Comics.” Once again, it is an honor to sit down and do an interview with you.  I want to spend most of our time talking about your recently released album, “Dedicated.”

FOCUS:  Thanks for the love… The honor is all mine.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Here we go, Homie… 

FOCUS:  Shoot!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Were you ever a comic book reader growing up? If so, are you still? What is/was your favorite comic book?

FOCUS:  Yeah. When I was younger, I used to be heavy into the X-Men series – anything dealing with X-Men. Now, I just like the movies from the old comics.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Is there any particular reason why you have a dot-dot-dot after your name, Focus...?

FOCUS:  The dots rep the difference between me and other “Focus.’” Since my name got a little heat behind it, everyone named Focus is coming out the wood works – and I’m not a haughty Cat so I wasn’t gonna go by ‘The First’ or ‘The Original’ so, I did the dots… Plus when I was younger, I used to be known as ‘Focus, The Loose Produsa.’ ...LOL.
 
JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  You have received a massive amount of media attention, both online and offline, for your extraordinary debut album, titled “Focus... Presents ‘Dedicated.’” It’s gotten a lot of attention not only because you are one of the top producers in the game – or the fact that you also did the majority of the emceeing – or the fact that you have some of the biggest features in the game – but also because you have generously given this classic album away for free!   Can you comment on this?

FOCUS:  IT’S A CLASSIC?? Thanks, Fam, that’s love!! That’s all I wanted to do – give the listener something great to listen to in this time of cloned music. Everyone is doing the same thing; same beats, same features...everything! I wanted to give the listener a break and show them GREAT MUSIC!!!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Was Aftermath, or any of your business partners, upset or disappointed that you decided to release “Dedicated” as a free download?  After all, the making of this incredible album had to incur a lot of costs and investments...

FOCUS:  This LP, being honest, was done on my time and my dollar.  Aftermath had nothing to do with it, except my brothers Stat, Bishop and Buss coming through for me. Everyone asked me was I crazy, but it worked out in the end…

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Is there any way to estimate how many times “Dedicated” has actually been downloaded? 

FOCUS:  I wish I could find every site that has accurate numbers, but the only one i can follow up on is the few that reached to me. 30k and still going at www.aftermathmusic.com and 30k and still going at www.dubcnn.com. Without promotion, I am not upset with the outcome. There are a lot of sites with a link that I don’t know about...

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  The first track, “Introduction,” is the perfect opening to your debut epic – it features a very personal verse written by you, backed by a movie score like sound.  The orchestration in “Introduction” blows me away!   Did you compose the orchestration? If so, what gear or program did you use?

FOCUS:  Wow, thanks! All of it was done on a Yamaha EX-7, Proteus 2000, MPC-3000 and a Triton Extreme. I sang the operatic voices, and Oscar, my engineer, inserted the effects that made it more dramatic. I love that verse, it had to go on the intro.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Your first single “Shine” features both Aftermath artists, Busta Rhymes and Bishop Lamont.  What was this recording experience like? 

FOCUS:   Buss heard the beat and wrote to it. I am a fan, so watching him write to my music was an honor, so I couldn’t stop cheesin’…LOL. When he was done he cleared the room, including me, and spit his verse and the hook. When he called us back in, I was in shock, yo. We listened to it all night. I didn’t think I could rock before Buss. After a couple days, I spit mine and Bishop rocked his about two weeks later. It was amazing how it came together.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  What is Busta Rhymes really like outside the shine and spotlight? Is he always so high-energy and hype like his public persona?

FOCUS:  Busta Rhymes embodies music, energy, positivity and power. That Cat is just like he gives it...ALL ENERGY! Buss is animated and fun as f*$k to be around. He uplifts when we need uplifting and he’s genuine. There will never be another Bussa Buss!!!!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Bishop Lamont has a lot of public anticipation right now.  How is he dealing with the pressure of being the next released Aftermath artist?

FOCUS:  Bishop doesn’t look at anything as pressure. He is ready! No question, Caltroit and Pope Mobile were huge to me – and I told him that he let some monster hits go, but he continues to look at me and laugh and say, “That’s nothing. That was just the tip of the iceberg!” I believe him, that’s my brother right there...Scorpio Kings!!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Throughout the “Dedicated” album you’ve slipped in a signature sample that says, “A sound without Focus... is just noise.” Where did that sample come from?

FOCUS:  The “Sound without Focus… is just noise” is something I typed into my Mac® and had the [computer] read back. It’s just something I thought people would like so they would know it’s really me.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  On your single “Not So Hard,” featuring Stat Quo (Shady Records), you say that you were raised Jehovah’s Witness.  Are you still a Jehovah’s Witness?

FOCUS:  I’m not a practicing Witness but I still read the publications and I still believe heavily in the word from the Bible.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Several times on “Dedicated” you make references that you are not into that whole diamond- jewellery-money-lust-poison that is blinding the industry today.  Can you interject some insight on that topic?

FOCUS:  It’s just old, Fam. Everyone talks about diamonds. Ok, you got ‘em! Proud of you, but what about the Cats who can’t afford them and [who] go out taking what ain’t theirs to get those diamonds you keep glorifying? They talk about women like things and I have sisters and aunts. Picture your sister as the subject of most these rap songs and you’ll see why I don’t do the same crap. These are just my personal beliefs – Cats don’t gotta like it, you know?

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  The lyrical focus (no pun intended) on your album is about real emceeing and real lyrics...in “S.T.M.S” (“Something That Means Something”), you say, “New York n***as rhymin’ simple over southern tracks.” Do you think that New York Cats’ rhyming styles are too simplified and basic?

FOCUS:  Now they are!!! I came from the era of KANE, RAKIM, KRS-ONE, KOOL G RAP, CHUCK D, DE LA SOUL, X-CLAN, TRIBE, even SPECIAL ED. I had Cats that loved hip hop around me and taught me to listen to real sh*t. Nowadays, kid’s vocabulary is limited. They don’t reach for clever metaphors anymore – Same ol’ same ol’. Music as a whole got to basic!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  You mention hip-hop pioneer Big Daddy Kane in one of your lyrics...what is your favorite Big Daddy Kane song of all time?

FOCUS:  “Raw!”

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  “I Ain’t Gonna Do It,” one of your standout songs in my opinion, reminds me of a song or vibe from the classic “X-Clan: To the East Blackwards” album. Your song gives props back to the birth of this art form – better known as the old-school.  Take us behind the music on that song…

FOCUS:  I used that old school loop “UFO” and just freaked the drums so kids would understand how the old school felt. I still tried to make it feel new but strived to get that old school feel – even the scratches.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  In the powerfully emotional song “8-18-01,” which features a startling vocal performance from Teena Marie, you convey personal and heartfelt lyrics about your Mother, which I’m sure has moved many people across the world.  Is August 18th the date your mother passed?  How were you able to stay positive and truly cope with the loss of your mother?

FOCUS:  Yes that was the date she passed. Um, wow, [being] positive was very hard to maintain. I lost a lot of me when my mother passed away, but I am the oldest of 6 and I am a father of 2. I looked to my kids for strength and power. I overcame depression by keeping up with my family. We all had it hard when we lost her but we all knew she wouldn’t want us seeping into depression and not living. My mother was strong and raised some strong kids. It’s all because of her I AM WHO I AM!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Is there a sample in “8-18-01?” If so, where is that sample from? 

FOCUS:  There is a minor string sample in there from an old movie soundtrack. I don’t know the info off top but once I get it, I will let you know…

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  You also get personal about your two children in “Feels Good.”  From the words of Furious Styles, “Any fool with a dick can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children.”  You obviously take fatherhood very seriously, so how do you balance being a father with working on the highest level in the music business?

FOCUS:  My kids have been with me since birth. I raised them in GA for 6 years and worked at home so they could see how serious the work is. They understand if I don’t work, we don’t have. My kids are very smart. In GA, they had nannies if I needed to go out of town and that wore on them, so they spent sometime with their mother and we, their mother and myself, are only wanted to raise our kids the right way. They are my first priority so nothing can come before them…period!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  While I’m listening to the song “Weekend,” with Raphael Saadiq, I feel like I’m in Minneapolis in a vintage nightclub – that Prince, falsetto-like vocal that Saadiq puts down literally gives me chills!   What is it like working with Raphael?

FOCUS:  Deeq is a great person and a good friend. He was a fan of my father’s so we just clicked once we met. Deeq is a genius, so watching him work was amazing! Like I said before about Buss, I am a fan.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Was the title track “Dedicated,” featuring Ya’ Boy, written from personal experience?  What is your relationship status and do you believe that you can truly have a serious relationship or a successful marriage with the demands of this industry?

FOCUS:  It is written from personal experience and I try to keep my personal life personal – so there is a “personal life”. Meaning, everyone wears and tears on us and our personal lives so much we can’t maintain a regular relationship. If you see me walk in with a female somewhere it gets blown out of proportion and wears on any relationship so my personal life is my personal life…no disrespect, [I] just want it that way.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  One of my favorite guests featured on your album is Rapper Pooh from Lil’ Brother.  How did you end up working with Pooh?

FOCUS:  Pooh hit me up via internet for the “Get Back” LP. I tried to get them something for it but I came up short. They used one of my tracks for a mixtape and when I reached back to them and asked them to do the song they did it that night and sent it right back. THEY KILLED IT!!! Big shouts to a very slept on, yet an overly amazing group, LITTLE BROTHER!!!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  You have been working with Dr. Dre for several years on one of the most highly anticipated albums in music history, “Detox.” Can you tell us why the Doctor wasn’t featured on your album?

FOCUS:  I didn’t bring this to him because I’m trying to make my name without using him – Dre has people using his name every day, all day. I came to the [Aftermath] Math to add to the Math and not take from Dre. I need to get my name to be just as heavy as Dre’s is so we can be the biggest cats in the game. Not just because of his name, but because of my name too. Hopefully, “Focal Point: 1172” will feature the Doc, who knows.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Everyone knows that you have produced with Dr. Dre but have you ever rapped along side him, or spit a verse with him?  Will you have an ill 16 bars on “Detox”?

FOCUS:  Dre just started finding out the things I can do: singing hooks, verses, etc. I haven’t spit with the Doc yet and I’m not planning on rapping on the “Detox” project. He wants me to produce, so I’m here to produce.

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Final question, who is your favorite Presidential Candidate and why?

FOCUS:  I’m not really into politics, but if I was, Barack [Obama] would definitely get my vote. I like the fact he seems accessible, easier to reach then the other candidates make themselves. He seems to really care about people and not just minorities. ALL PEOPLE!

JONATHAN HAY/UVC MAGAZINE:  Thanks so much for this interview and, more importantly, making timeless and refreshing music during this stagnant era of hip-hop. You are amazing!!!

FOCUS:  Thank you so much for having me and thanks for the love, I really appreciate it!

Contact Jonathan Hay at: www.myspace.com/jonathanhay

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