Keela

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http://www.streetlevel.biz/Artist.html - www.StreetLevel.biz

THE HUSTLER’S REPORT: We’re here with Keela. Let them know what it is?

KEELA: We’re at the crib just chilling, with a dice game going. It’s “Da Unexpected”, that’s the album that’s coming soon. It’s going down.

THR: We seen the graphics on there, it’s nice.

KEELA: Mike from Promotions Ink done it.

THR: We see you have a very active CEO and that’s rare in these situations.

KEELA: Yes, my CEO Dirty is the best. He’s the best CEO you can have. He’s like Puff. You don’t know anything about a CEO unless you see these 0’s.

THR: Let’s talk about the album. It looks like you’re doing it real big. Let us know what’s going on.

KEELA: This album is looking like it’s going to put Flint back on the map, bring it back like cooked crack. Real talk. It’s looking like the biggest shit that ever happened to this city.

THR: This is your debut album, right?

KEELA: Yes, this is my debut album. Quit asking me, “Keela when the next album coming out?” Nigga, you stole my first one and burnt it. It’s the same one with a different little twist on it.

THR: Tell us where you see yourself six months from now?

KEELA: I see me, A., Cookie, Dirt, and everybody at Padboy Entertainment in matching 757’s. Holla at your girl. Catch us flying out on your set in six months.

THR: Wow, she said matching 757’s. That’s a plane in case you didn’t know.

KEELA: Yes, catch us flying over your sets. Pushing this motherfucking album. That’s the new work. You can’t get on the plane with it, but you can’t get on the plane without it.

THR: Tell us what’s going on with the album. What type of features you have on there?
KEELA: The album is titled “Da Unexpected: Da Good and Grimmey.” On the album we have features by LiL Flip, B.G., Gucci Mane, Blue Davinnci, and West Pad.

THR: We’re a couple of weeks away from the release of the album. It’s a big project. It has a lot of buzz going around the city. You’re putting it down real heavy with the promotional aspect. Let me know how you feel.

KEELA: I feel real good. We got the truck wrapped from head to toe out here. Just doing shit like that. I feel it’s a long time coming. Everything we’re doing, I feel we deserve.

THR: The album was shortly postponed by a couple of days. What was the reason for that?

KEELA: Man, first time happening, they say it’s unheard of. The master scratched when it got to the distributor. So, it had to get sent back to Germany. But we added the Gucci Mane song on there. So it all worked out good.

THR: So, it worked out for the best. Just to bring the people up to speed, you been in the scene for a long time. Let the people know what’s been the process of you getting this project together?

KEELA: Shit, just growth. I’m trying to give it to you right, not just give you a half ass project. I’m trying to give you that crack from ’88. That shit you can listen to from front to back without skipping through a song. I’m trying to give it to you like that every time.

THR: How many tracks do you have on the album?

KEELA: I think it’s like 17 or 18. We added the Gucci Mane song on there.

THR: What would be satisfactory for this project, number wise?

KEELA: We have to do at least 100,000 through soundscan. I don’t care if you’re buying it in the streets or in the stores, let me know so I can put it in my numbers.

THR: As far as getting this situation together, what was the easiest part and what was the hardest part? I know it took a lot of work, patience, and money.

KEELA: It’s not really hard for me. It’s just when you’re doing this album shit, you’re not in the streets. You’re not out there making money. You know that shit is going to come eventually from the album. That’s the only hard part, trying to stay legit and focused on this shit. The rapping part comes easy. The other hard part is finding producers and shit like that to fit what we are trying to do.

THR: What exactly are you trying to do?

KEELA: I’m trying to bring back girl rap and put the females back on the map. Like when Brat, Left Eye, and everybody were rapping, everyone wanted to hear what the bitches had to say. I’m really trying to put the female back on the map. I want to open up doors and avenues for people around here. I’m trying to put the entire city behind us and make Flint feel like Atlanta. Make everybody want to come to us. It’s talent here.

THR: After the Keela project, what’s next for Padboy Entertainment?

KEELA: We have the Street Government mixtape, “On That S.G. Shit.” On there we have Cookie, D-Lee, and West Pad. We’re signing niggas. Man, we’re doing all types of shit. We’re about to bring out a movie. We’re really focused on pushing this project, trying to get some feedback from the people.

THR: Now, on a more somber note. The community as a whole just lost two legendary members of the rap community. I’m talking about O.G. - T.H.R. MAGAZINE

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check out - aqueelah "keela" el-amin

GENESEE COUNTY
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION

Sunday, October 15, 2006

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Aqueelah "Keela" El-Amin can be heard online at ww.mlive.com/edge, or listen over the Journals VoiceLine by calling (810) 767-2274 or (800) 979-2274 and punching in BAND (2263) when asked for a selection code.

Photo courtesy of Pad Boy Entertainment



Name: Aqueelah "Keela" El-Amin


Home Base: Flint


Sounds Like: Comparisons to other female rappers fall woefully short, so think of Twista's speed raps and Dayton Family's Flint-centric imagery crossed with the sass and attitude of Da Brat and Li'l Kim.


Moving Units: Upon its release on Oct. 4, Keela's debut record sold 1,500 SoundScan-verified copies in one day, largely due to text messaging campaigns, some local radio play and guest spots on albums by well-know Flint groups such as Skanbino Mob. Those sales brought the attention of Sony Music, which has offered a distribution deal that's being worked out and would put her record in stores in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and more.

"This is my debut, but I've been doing this my whole life, so people have been waiting years to hear this record," she said. "I'd be out rapping and people would say they had people who could beat me - their brother or their cousin or someone who thought they could take me down. But I'd take all of them down, and that's what made people interested in me and want to hear a record."


Flying Words: Hearing gruff and violent lyrics fly out of a such a tiny woman at 100 mph causes many first-time audiences to do a double take. But beyond the gimmicky speed and stark images, there's some startling wordplay at the foundation of Keelah's self-penned songs.

"I wrote my first rap when I was 8 because my brothers would be rapping with their friends, and that's what I wanted to do. So I came up with a rap I called "Friend or Foe," and they liked it and let me rap with them. The speed thing, it was just something I wanted to see if I could do it and see how fast I could go because Da Brat would do something like that. But not every song is like that because you don't need to do that all the time to talk about the things I talk about. Life in Flint, the good things and the bad things ... this is the stuff I want people to hear, and no one's going to make me change something because these are my songs."


For Your Ears: The new "Da Unexpected - Good & Grimmey" (Pad Boy Entertainment) is out now and available at Nick's Records & Tapes.


Love You Live: A record release party today at Flint's Purple Moon Nightclub will feature Keela and several members of the Pad Boy Entertainment roster.


Net Works: www.myspace.com/keelaofpadboyent

- THE FLINT JOURNAL