Mickey Factz

It's amazing what a little pressure can do. Fans have been waiting patiently for music (or any news, really) from Lupe Fiasco and his All City Chess Club, and now it finally seems like a mixtape could be on the way.

The first rule of All City Chess Club is: "If they said it, they're in it." That's the word according to Lupe Fiasco, who gathered a few talented young rappers that were "rocking on the same wavelength" to form a powerhouse collective. The problem, however, is that J. Cole, Wale, Blu, Mickey Factz, B.o.B, Asher Roth and company haven't linked up to record anything substantial, but Lupe says the right efforts could yield a mixtape in the near future.

Lupe has his own album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Part 1, coming up this fall, but during this week's episode of"RapFix Live," a few members of his club — Diggy, Mickey Factz, and B.o.B — had questions for him about the status of the collective.

Mickey Factz, echoing the sentiments of fans, wanted to know, "When are we gonna get everybody to do this All City Chess Club project, brother?" adding, "Call B.o.B, I'll get Wale, I'll get Cole — let's just make this happen. It's getting ridiculous now. We're going on about two years now. Let's make it work." Lupe, momentarily taken aback but generally amused by the barrage of questions, laughed it off, then gave in. "Aight, let's do it," he said. "Everybody who's a part of the All City Chess Club, let's do it. Let's make something happen. I'm ready."

Since we've haven't heard much from or about the crew, save for their "I'm Beamin' (remix)," Lupe explained his original vision behind the all-star collective: "Everybody [has] their own piece, and I never meant it to be a Wu-Tang thing or nothing like that," he said. "[It was] just to show some unity from everybody who was rocking on the same wavelength — so Blu, Asher Roth, the Cool Kids, Mickey, I reached out to J. Cole, I reached out to Wale, Diggy of course, and my man Dosage from Philadelphia."

Of trying to rope everyone in to record a project, Lupe said, "That's gonna be mayhem, but ya'll wanna do it? Let's do it. It's a process. We'll put it together correctly and write, and make sure everybody gets their fair share. I think it'll most likely live in the mixtape world so we don't get caught up in that label thing."

With the head count over 10 at this point, it seems reasonable to expect a mixtape project from the All City Chess Club over a studio-backed LP. "You know, the publishing splits on that are gonna be bananas?" Lupe said, laughing. "And that's what I was tryna tell 'em, like, 'Man, you gonna get like 30 cents [each].' "

So, new mixtape from All City Chess Club following Food & Liquor II? "I'll do my best. I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best," Lupe said.

*video of the interview can be seen via URL - MTV

It's amazing what a little pressure can do. Fans have been waiting patiently for music (or any news, really) from Lupe Fiasco and his All City Chess Club, and now it finally seems like a mixtape could be on the way.

The first rule of All City Chess Club is: "If they said it, they're in it." That's the word according to Lupe Fiasco, who gathered a few talented young rappers that were "rocking on the same wavelength" to form a powerhouse collective. The problem, however, is that J. Cole, Wale, Blu, Mickey Factz, B.o.B, Asher Roth and company haven't linked up to record anything substantial, but Lupe says the right efforts could yield a mixtape in the near future.

Lupe has his own album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Part 1, coming up this fall, but during this week's episode of"RapFix Live," a few members of his club — Diggy, Mickey Factz, and B.o.B — had questions for him about the status of the collective.

Mickey Factz, echoing the sentiments of fans, wanted to know, "When are we gonna get everybody to do this All City Chess Club project, brother?" adding, "Call B.o.B, I'll get Wale, I'll get Cole — let's just make this happen. It's getting ridiculous now. We're going on about two years now. Let's make it work." Lupe, momentarily taken aback but generally amused by the barrage of questions, laughed it off, then gave in. "Aight, let's do it," he said. "Everybody who's a part of the All City Chess Club, let's do it. Let's make something happen. I'm ready."

Since we've haven't heard much from or about the crew, save for their "I'm Beamin' (remix)," Lupe explained his original vision behind the all-star collective: "Everybody [has] their own piece, and I never meant it to be a Wu-Tang thing or nothing like that," he said. "[It was] just to show some unity from everybody who was rocking on the same wavelength — so Blu, Asher Roth, the Cool Kids, Mickey, I reached out to J. Cole, I reached out to Wale, Diggy of course, and my man Dosage from Philadelphia."

Of trying to rope everyone in to record a project, Lupe said, "That's gonna be mayhem, but ya'll wanna do it? Let's do it. It's a process. We'll put it together correctly and write, and make sure everybody gets their fair share. I think it'll most likely live in the mixtape world so we don't get caught up in that label thing."

With the head count over 10 at this point, it seems reasonable to expect a mixtape project from the All City Chess Club over a studio-backed LP. "You know, the publishing splits on that are gonna be bananas?" Lupe said, laughing. "And that's what I was tryna tell 'em, like, 'Man, you gonna get like 30 cents [each].' "

So, new mixtape from All City Chess Club following Food & Liquor II? "I'll do my best. I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best," Lupe said.

*video of the interview can be seen via URL - MTV

Headliner: Mickey Factz

Mixtape: Mickey Mause
Essential Info: Chances are you won't hear any tracks from Mickey Factz's Mickey Mause mixtape burning up radio, but that doesn't make it any less poignant. Lupe Fiasco dubbed it a "#MasterPiece" on Twitter and even Swizz Beatz gave it a push, sending out the link over the social networking site.


The highly conceptualized tape, which samples from producers Danger Mouse and deadmau5, finds the Bronx MC in character. He isn't Mickey Factz, but instead Mickey Mause, a 1980s graffiti artist who strives to make a name for himself among the greats like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Fab Five Freddy.

On his way to infamy, Mickey Mause stumbles, hitting every pitfall imaginable. "He just got involved with drugs, alcohol and sex and later contracts HIV," Factz explained to Mixtape Daily of his character's fate.

The story line plays out over the course of 18 tracks. On "Hulk Hogan & Crack," Factz as Mickey Mause paints a gritty picture of the 1980s NYC party scene on a crumbling canvas. Through his raps, the MC goes from bombing graffiti on old-time trains to posting his work in gallery spaces to parties with New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden. It all sounds fascinating, but his ups are quickly drowned in drugs and other destructive behavior.

The trippy and electro-tinged "Taking Pictures of Girls Naked" details a passionate sexual encounter that eventually spells doom for the tape's protagonist. On "A.I.D.S," Mause looks back on his life, remaining celebratory on the upbeat dance track despite receiving some shocking news. "If tonight is my last night, please don't cry/ Just remember the good times of my life," he sings on the song's hook.

In order to successfully sell his story, Mickey had to employ method rapping — a process where he would mentally and physically become the fictional character he is singing about. "When I first started the project, I was rapping as Mickey Factz, I was telling the story from Mickey Factz's point of view, and my A&R Steve-O was like, 'You need to rap as Mickey Mause,' " he said.

At the behest of his trusted friend, Mickey grew a beard and took up painting. He admitted that the change initially affected his personal relationships — his friends and family members didn't quite understand the metamorphosis, but Mickey marched on. "I really had to become the character to make sure the point of the character and the project came across correctly."

- MTV

Headliner: Mickey Factz

Mixtape: Mickey Mause
Essential Info: Chances are you won't hear any tracks from Mickey Factz's Mickey Mause mixtape burning up radio, but that doesn't make it any less poignant. Lupe Fiasco dubbed it a "#MasterPiece" on Twitter and even Swizz Beatz gave it a push, sending out the link over the social networking site.


The highly conceptualized tape, which samples from producers Danger Mouse and deadmau5, finds the Bronx MC in character. He isn't Mickey Factz, but instead Mickey Mause, a 1980s graffiti artist who strives to make a name for himself among the greats like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Fab Five Freddy.

On his way to infamy, Mickey Mause stumbles, hitting every pitfall imaginable. "He just got involved with drugs, alcohol and sex and later contracts HIV," Factz explained to Mixtape Daily of his character's fate.

The story line plays out over the course of 18 tracks. On "Hulk Hogan & Crack," Factz as Mickey Mause paints a gritty picture of the 1980s NYC party scene on a crumbling canvas. Through his raps, the MC goes from bombing graffiti on old-time trains to posting his work in gallery spaces to parties with New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden. It all sounds fascinating, but his ups are quickly drowned in drugs and other destructive behavior.

The trippy and electro-tinged "Taking Pictures of Girls Naked" details a passionate sexual encounter that eventually spells doom for the tape's protagonist. On "A.I.D.S," Mause looks back on his life, remaining celebratory on the upbeat dance track despite receiving some shocking news. "If tonight is my last night, please don't cry/ Just remember the good times of my life," he sings on the song's hook.

In order to successfully sell his story, Mickey had to employ method rapping — a process where he would mentally and physically become the fictional character he is singing about. "When I first started the project, I was rapping as Mickey Factz, I was telling the story from Mickey Factz's point of view, and my A&R Steve-O was like, 'You need to rap as Mickey Mause,' " he said.

At the behest of his trusted friend, Mickey grew a beard and took up painting. He admitted that the change initially affected his personal relationships — his friends and family members didn't quite understand the metamorphosis, but Mickey marched on. "I really had to become the character to make sure the point of the character and the project came across correctly."

- MTV

BET Music Matters alum Mickey Factz made his name by flooding the Internet with music before it was status quo. The Bronx native has earned accolades including a spot on XXL’s Freshmen Class of 2009 thanks to his highly artistic approach to music and his willingness to stand out from the crowd. Factz newest project, Mickey MauSe, was released on March 26 and is the latest example of Mickey’s unique brand of hip hop. Through a fictional '80s graffiti artist named Mickey MauSe, Factz paints a picture of the best and worst of times in 1980s New York City. BET.com spoke with the Internet-savvy MC to get his take on hip hop on the web, his Tumblr and how he feels about every rapper and their mother shouting out the artists he’s been idolizing for years.

BET.com: What can fans learn about you from your Tumblr?
Mickey Factz: Mickey Factz is an artistic artist. Someone who is visually inspired by different images. And Tumblr is probably the best way for me to communicate with my fans aside from Twitter. To let people see what I’m going through and what I’m feeling visually. So you get a quick understanding of Mickey Factz as a person. You may see pictures of Warhol, Keith Haring or Bruce Lee or Malcolm X — people that were influential in my life. I don’t go on Tumblr to post naked women and things like that. I may have celebrity crushes that I might post, but for the most part it’s just a lot of influence that I love to post on Tumblr along with my music and things that I’m dealing with.

Right now it’s en vogue to shout out Basquiat and make other references to high art. How do you feel about that trend and hip hop’s newfound interest in the art world?
It’s definitely something that is endearing to hear bigger artists speak on Basquiat, I just feel his name shouldn’t be used because it’s the cool thing to do. At least do some research on who Basquiat is, who he was and what he represented. I’ve been saying Basquiat’s name for the past five years — y’all can fact check that. But aside from me just dropping Basquiat’s name, I drop Salvador Dali’s name and Keith Haring’s name… I’m not just a particular fan of one artist because Jay-Z happened to mention him and everybody’s going crazy about it. I prefer to do my research on who the artist is and actually go to museums to see their art in person. I’m not someone who just wants to live off a dead artist's name because somebody popular mentioned [them].

What were you trying to accomplish with your “Avant Garde” video?
It’s just basically getting a backstory of the character that I created named Mickey MauSe, who was a street graffiti artist in the '80s who grew up around Basquiat and Keith Haring and Andy Warhol. [He] was sort of under these guys. If Mickey MauSe was a rapper, that would be his freestyle track. It was basically me giving a back story to who he was… Mickey MauSe is a character that I created to kind of tell the world a story about someone who was underappreciated, overlooked, but extremely talented. It’s basically Mickey Factz telling Mickey MauSe a story, and Mickey Williams [Mickey’s government name] telling Mickey Factz a story. So, it’s just congruent issues that happen in this whole project. It plays out like a movie/soundtrack and everything is basically relative to my life as well. With the exception of some of the things that happen later on in the tape.

How does the concept carry on through the whole tape?
I tried to basically make a bunch of references to the '80s. There’s no new metaphors, no new references, this isn’t 2012. Instead of Jeremy Lin on the Knicks, I speak on Kenny Walker and Bernard King. I speak on the fact that these guys have beepers and big cell phones instead of smart phones… I really just want to educate people on this particular art space and time. Because, like you said, people are using the name Basquiat and not really knowing what he represented and what he was about. So the story is basically not just my story put into a graffiti artist, but is it also a story of a Basquiat and a Keith Haring because I read their autobiographies to gain knowledge to put this project together.

What are your strongest memories of the '80s?
I was a child back in those days. So the most that I remember of the '80s is the music, the clothing — Jordan’s were definitely popular towards the end of the '80s. Crack, I used to see crack pipes in the streets. One of my aunts was on methadone, so I never knew why she was always tired, but I saw it. That image always stuck with me. And wrestling always stuck with me, like Hulk Hogan and things of that nature. So that era was a very raw and gritty era in New York City.

You were a pioneer for hip hop as far as leading the culture into the Internet space. How do you feel about the Internet’s role in hip hop right now?
I definitely feel the online Internet presence has oversaturated what we have as far as quality goes. But in terms of just where it’s heading, I think it’s headed t - BET

BET Music Matters alum Mickey Factz made his name by flooding the Internet with music before it was status quo. The Bronx native has earned accolades including a spot on XXL’s Freshmen Class of 2009 thanks to his highly artistic approach to music and his willingness to stand out from the crowd. Factz newest project, Mickey MauSe, was released on March 26 and is the latest example of Mickey’s unique brand of hip hop. Through a fictional '80s graffiti artist named Mickey MauSe, Factz paints a picture of the best and worst of times in 1980s New York City. BET.com spoke with the Internet-savvy MC to get his take on hip hop on the web, his Tumblr and how he feels about every rapper and their mother shouting out the artists he’s been idolizing for years.

BET.com: What can fans learn about you from your Tumblr?
Mickey Factz: Mickey Factz is an artistic artist. Someone who is visually inspired by different images. And Tumblr is probably the best way for me to communicate with my fans aside from Twitter. To let people see what I’m going through and what I’m feeling visually. So you get a quick understanding of Mickey Factz as a person. You may see pictures of Warhol, Keith Haring or Bruce Lee or Malcolm X — people that were influential in my life. I don’t go on Tumblr to post naked women and things like that. I may have celebrity crushes that I might post, but for the most part it’s just a lot of influence that I love to post on Tumblr along with my music and things that I’m dealing with.

Right now it’s en vogue to shout out Basquiat and make other references to high art. How do you feel about that trend and hip hop’s newfound interest in the art world?
It’s definitely something that is endearing to hear bigger artists speak on Basquiat, I just feel his name shouldn’t be used because it’s the cool thing to do. At least do some research on who Basquiat is, who he was and what he represented. I’ve been saying Basquiat’s name for the past five years — y’all can fact check that. But aside from me just dropping Basquiat’s name, I drop Salvador Dali’s name and Keith Haring’s name… I’m not just a particular fan of one artist because Jay-Z happened to mention him and everybody’s going crazy about it. I prefer to do my research on who the artist is and actually go to museums to see their art in person. I’m not someone who just wants to live off a dead artist's name because somebody popular mentioned [them].

What were you trying to accomplish with your “Avant Garde” video?
It’s just basically getting a backstory of the character that I created named Mickey MauSe, who was a street graffiti artist in the '80s who grew up around Basquiat and Keith Haring and Andy Warhol. [He] was sort of under these guys. If Mickey MauSe was a rapper, that would be his freestyle track. It was basically me giving a back story to who he was… Mickey MauSe is a character that I created to kind of tell the world a story about someone who was underappreciated, overlooked, but extremely talented. It’s basically Mickey Factz telling Mickey MauSe a story, and Mickey Williams [Mickey’s government name] telling Mickey Factz a story. So, it’s just congruent issues that happen in this whole project. It plays out like a movie/soundtrack and everything is basically relative to my life as well. With the exception of some of the things that happen later on in the tape.

How does the concept carry on through the whole tape?
I tried to basically make a bunch of references to the '80s. There’s no new metaphors, no new references, this isn’t 2012. Instead of Jeremy Lin on the Knicks, I speak on Kenny Walker and Bernard King. I speak on the fact that these guys have beepers and big cell phones instead of smart phones… I really just want to educate people on this particular art space and time. Because, like you said, people are using the name Basquiat and not really knowing what he represented and what he was about. So the story is basically not just my story put into a graffiti artist, but is it also a story of a Basquiat and a Keith Haring because I read their autobiographies to gain knowledge to put this project together.

What are your strongest memories of the '80s?
I was a child back in those days. So the most that I remember of the '80s is the music, the clothing — Jordan’s were definitely popular towards the end of the '80s. Crack, I used to see crack pipes in the streets. One of my aunts was on methadone, so I never knew why she was always tired, but I saw it. That image always stuck with me. And wrestling always stuck with me, like Hulk Hogan and things of that nature. So that era was a very raw and gritty era in New York City.

You were a pioneer for hip hop as far as leading the culture into the Internet space. How do you feel about the Internet’s role in hip hop right now?
I definitely feel the online Internet presence has oversaturated what we have as far as quality goes. But in terms of just where it’s heading, I think it’s headed t - BET