M.L.B. (Music.Loyalty.Business.)

M.L.B. stands for Music.Loyalty.Business. three elements that both live and die by. DP (Da Produca) and Nova were sitting in the studio one summer afternoon in 2000 and were trying to come up with a name for their group. Nova was joking around and said that it would be funny if someone named their group NBA. They then began naming different sports leagues, and they came across M.L.B. As a joke, they decided to keep it. Then they made it an acronym, saying that it stood for music, loyalty and business. It was then that it began to feel right. It epitomized them, so they decided to keep it. DP is the one that makes the beats for the songs. When creating a beat, he initially hears the finished product, and then works his way backwards to the elementary sounds for completion. By doing this, he can pick up on the tiniest sound or noise that can make the biggest difference. "The key is I think about the intangibles first, not just the kicks and snares." Both Nova and DP write the lyrics for their songs. Although it may come naturally, they can both agree that writing can be difficult. DP feels the most complicated thing about writing is making words flow together and stick to the topic. When he writes, DP knows just how the finished product will sound because, as he says, "I write it how I rap it." Nova feels that the hardest thing about writing is trying to express yourself in a way that everyone can understand and accept. He wants his words to reach young and old, black and white, rich and poor. His audience literally includes everyone. Since M.L.B. reaches out to an eclectic audience, it draws inspiration from all types of artists and genres of music. Nova is influenced by Ludacris, Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Ice Cube, Slick Rick, Jadakiss, Beanie Segal, Public Enemy, the Isley Brothers, Lincoln Park, and Rose Royce. DP is most influenced by Missy Elliot and Ludacris. He admires the way Missy always puts her personality in her rap, and he likes the way Ludacris stresses different words in his songs. While DP and Nova are influenced by the artists they listen to, they are also studying them. They are students of the game. They can see what works and what doesnt work, and then they form that into their own styles. Novas style is just him trying to sound like himself, not like anyone else. "Its just me being me." He doesnt want to sound a certain way just because thats mainstream and popular at the moment. DP's style is more reflective of the Neptunes, just in the sense that it is unique and weird. Throughout everything that has gone on thus far in their lives, DP and Nova reamin true to their music. Each song sounds different than the last. They keep you guessing every time. All the while staying true to Music.Loyalty.Business. - their montra. M.L.B. is DP and Nova. "It started with the two of us, and it will end with the two of us." M . L . B .