Mr. CAP

Two years ago, Cornelius A. Pratt - a rapper who records and performs as Mr. CAP - was far from the South Park neighborhood on Houston's south side where he was born.

Pratt was doing computer programming in California and Nevada while also trying to get a business off the ground that would assist aspiring musicians with recording, distributing and promoting their work.

Onstage at night, he played ambassador, performing as a member of the South Park Coalition, the storied Houston hip-hop collective founded nearly 30 years ago by his friend Eric Kaiser, a pioneering Southern rap legend known as K-Rino.

Mr. CAP, 40, now hopes to establish himself as a recording artist in his hometown with the release of "All Ism," which draws from his deep musical roots here. - Houston Chronicle

If you're the sort of hip-hop junkie who gets most of your news from Instagram, it probably comes as no surprise to you that Wiz Khalifa's 'gram-handle is @mistercap. Lord knows the "We Dem Boyz" rapper has certainly gotten a lot of use out of the name, having used it to photo-journal endless Love & Hip-Hop-style drama with his on-again, off-again ex-wife, Amber Rose, who just so happens to be the Internet's favorite bald-headed beauty/booty.

If you're over the age of 25 and find all of that a tad confusing, you're not alone. But no one was more surprised to discover the online exploits of @mistercap than Mr. CAP, the local South Park Coalition rapper who has been using that name since Wiz was a zygote.

"I have nothing to do with Wiz Khalifa," Mr. CAP chuckles. "I've seen his Instagram followers. He got five million followers on Instagram as Wiz Khalifa. I don't know if he sold himself short using @mistercap or what.

"I don't even know how to use Instagram," the rapper adds.

So what gives? Is Wiz Khalifa a Mr. CAP fan? Wouldn't be the first time that a mainstream rapper "borrowed" some swag from the Southside of H-Town. Has Mr. CAP got beef?

"I'm not looking for no type of beef at all; I just want to get to the bottom of what's really up," Mr. CAP says. "Everybody's been coming to be about it, because even though I'm not a mainstream artist with mainstream exposure, people know who Mr. CAP is. And that's me." - Houston Press

Mr. Cap: My form of Rap is mainly to appeal to pretty much everybody. So, I can do some Southern Rap, but then I can turn around and do something that’s more international. So it’s more versatility with how I do my songs. When the album comes out, you’ll see it go from “CAP International” to “Fa Money”… It’s gonna be all over the place.

The INDIEgator: So basically, they can’t put you in a box?

Mr. Cap: They can’t put me in a box. Yeah.

The INDIEgator: Ok, I gotcha. Cool.

Mr. Cap: Also, I want to mention some of the Artists that are featuring on the album, including some close friends of mine. K-Rino, Founder of the South Park Coalition; OG Point Blank, Wreckless Klan, SPC, SUC… I know ya’ll remember Lil Kano…

The INDIEgator: Oh yeah, you’ve got a lot of stars on the album. That’s nice.

Mr. Cap: I had to go drag Billy Cook out of the house and get him to come do something with me. I might surprise ya’ll with somebody, I’m not going say their name, but I might surprise ya’ll. It’s not said and done yet.

The INDIEgator: Of course! You can’t give us everything yet. Now you did mention the SPC. What is it like to be part of a coalition like that in Houston?

Mr. Cap: I mean, you know it’s an honor to be one of the original members of the SPC because that’s something that started way back in the mid 80’s. For me to get in during that time and see how it has grown since then, Man… It’s an honor to be respected as an SPC member as well as an Independent Artist. So that’s a real good feeling.

The INDIEgator: Alright CAP, in addition to rapping and traveling, you do a lot of speaking engagements at schools, talking to students. How does that feel and do you feel like you’ve impacted any of their lives?



Mr. Cap: Well when you go and talk to kids, you always hope to impact their lives. But as far as how it feels to do so, it’s an unexplainable feeling being chosen to go and speak to children at schools around the country. That to me is unbelievable, especially being in the position I’m in, I really don’t think I’ve made it to that level where I’m in demand like that. So once again, it’s just real humbling for me.

The INDIEgator: I see that you don’t take humility lightly. What makes you so humble? There are a lot of cocky people out here; I’ve seen them and they’re not even worth all the stuff they talk.

Mr. Cap: I think it’s my experience in the Music business and my experience in life. I’ve had a lot of success in certain things, but I’ve also had more failures in most things. I’ve been homeless before. So just that alone humbles me, knowing that you can be up here one day and the next day you can be down there. It takes nothing but 24 hours for your life to change for the good or the bad. I accept everything as a blessing, EVERYTHING! I’m grateful for everything. What you will hear in my music is me acknowledging God and acknowledging how grateful I am for whatever it is that I have.

The INDIEgator: One of the things that you do as a part of your whole being grateful is working with a charity. You give back?

Mr. Cap: I do a lot of giving back. I actually work with an organization out here in Houston called Social Good In Action (S.G.I.A.) and also 50% of all



my royalties from iTunes goes to the Fender Music Foundation (501(c)3 national music charity). I don’t make trillions of dollars or anything like that, but anything that I make, half of it goes towards them. They fund instruments and music supplies for young Music students around the country.

The INDIEgator: That’s a good way to keep a lot of kids out of trouble. They need an outlet.

Mr. Cap: Yeah.

The INDIEgator: That’s beautiful. Now we’ve featured Social Good In Action, Inc. before. What is your experience like with them?

Mr. Cap: Aw man, the experience with Social Good In Action and Martesha Haynes… It’s so humbling to be able to work with those guys because you can tell the passion to give is unmatched by anybody. They love to give. They love to help people and give to people that are less fortunate than we are. I told her that she can call me anytime, I’ll change my schedule, whatever I have to do. I even got my mom on board too. We came down and gave clothes and food to the homeless here in Houston.

That’s an experience because I’ve always wanted to do that kind of stuff. After all of my shows I always give a pair of shoes, usually the shoes that I’m wearing on the show, and the hat that I’m wearing on the show, I give it to the homeless person in that vicinity. I’ll go and find a homeless person that needs shoes and clothes and stuff and I’ll give them something off of my feet, my back, my head AND a couple of dollars. Everywhere I go in the country that’s what I do. - IndieGATOR Magazine

Hiphop artist Mr.Cap, descendent of the late great blues legend Johnny Guitar Watson has acquired over 20 years’ experience working in the background, accommodating an array of Hiphop legends like; Lil’Wayne, Z-Ro, Scarface, Bun-B, Lil Flip, K-Rino, Mike Jones and a host of others. Mr.CAP now hits the scene with his debut “2 Tha Grave,” featuring his cousin O.N.E. in several tracks under the production of Capital Underground Smash Hits Productions, and O.N.E. 4 Da Money Entertainment. Recently Mr.CAP shared his views in an exclusive interview with Rick Jamm. - Jamsphere

Mr.CAP, descendant of the late great blues legend, “Johnny Guitar Watson,” has come along way in the ever changing rap game. After 20 years of working his trade, you can not question his hustle, songs that paint a vivid picture of a street lifestyle, and his marketing savvy.

With his upcoming single, “Live My Life,” set for release on 12/12/12, Mr.CAP yet again shows his lyrical growth and word play. You gotta give him 5 stars because this single’s put together very well. The production is amazing and even the cover artwork is in the “A” game.

There is a cinematic feel to this release, almost like you’re watching a movie. Lyrically Mr.CAP has never been better, and is certainly climbing the ladder to become one of the dopest indie rappers in the game, and “Live My Life” is a clear representation of that.

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The lush production also takes the spotlight here and is paired well with Mr.CAP’s baritone gangster flow. The beat is so slinky and smug, its almost insulting to call it a beat. The are so many different elements to it; strings, brass and piano, which gives the track such a classy, big-scale feeling.

You can’t go wrong with this single. I think that this is one of his best pieces of work so far. So of you like Mr.CAP, then go get this one, as soon as it’s out.

Give the man his crown, its been well earned, and you’ll be bumping this for months to come too! - Jamsphere