Fade
The Beat Strangler
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illest o.g.
Coming up a product of the 1980's, Stranga The Great saw his earliest Hip Hop influences from being around pioneers such as Luv Bug Starski, Jam Master Jay and Kurtis Blow in Harlem, New York.
Stranga's father and Jam Master Jay's mother are first cousins so Hip Hop runs through his veins. After leaving NYC and being raised in North Carolina in the country, young Stranga became a force lyrically and became known locally and on the internet for his freestyle abilities.
While aligning himself with different crews he became accepted in the underground and has been blessed to work with some of the sharpest lyricist the underground has to offer. He has had music on MTV, and has been featured in a couple national Hip Hop magazines and websites.
Stranga has had songs on numerous mixtapes and built his stock on the internet all while maintaining himself as a local pioneer for the city he grinds in. The most powerful tool that any artist can have at his disposal are the words "Google me", and if you want to see what Stranga The Great has to offer, than all one would have to do is Google him and see what he is up to.
Where are you located?
Currently I'm located in Fayetteville, North Carolina better known as the Two-Six or Fayettenam.
Where are you from?
I'm originally from Harlem, NYC but I left when I was a kid. My mother left and came down south where my grandmother lived and I was raised in a small one-stop light town in North Carolina named Bladenboro.
When did you start making music?
I wrote my first song when I was 10. I didn't know anything about bars or structure so it was basically one verse.
Why did you start making music?
LOL, the first verse I wrote walking down the street in a trailer park in Lumberton, NC with two of my friends. We were trying to impress this older girl who had a karaoke machine so we wrote a nasty song talking about what we wanted to do to her later that night. Needless to say it worked for us.
Do you get compared to Redman a lot?
Yes most def, I get compared to Reggie Noble a lot and a lot of comparisons to Nas and some Killah Priest too. I get compared to a lot of rappers. The only one I didn't agree with was Freeway. I love Free as an artist but I think we are very distinct in styles and vocally.
How would you describe your style?
I would say it's lyrically balanced. I focus on creativity and wordplay. If I could compare it to any known artist it would be a mixture of Canibus, KRS-1, Redman, Nas and Killah Priest. Very dope fusion if you ask me.
Who was your inspiration?
I was inspired by a lot of artists growing up in Hip Hop. Mainly Wu-Tang and Busta Rhymes but I got inspirations from the artists I mentioned earlier and my first inspiration was Kris Kross. Rest eternally to Kris Kelly. Those backwards pants changed my life. Gave me the courage to express myself through words.
Were your parents for or against it?
I was raised with just my mother around. She used to write songs when she was younger and even had a song published with a label when she was a teenager. She encouraged me to write music because it kept me out the streets and out of trouble.
What was your first song that you dropped?
My first solo song was called "Terror In The Dungeon". I had been writing verses for a couple years but I didn't record anything until my 9th grade year. My homeboys had a karaoke machine and used to put mixtapes together with other dudes who rapped from our school. Shout out to Kevin and Kirk.
Did someone have to push you to make music?
Nah, I never had to be pushed to do music at all. It was always in me so it came out naturally. I started out in Hip Hop break dancing in New York as a kid and then when I left NYC I was beat boxing. So the art form of Hip Hop was always in me. Later once I started freestyling and writing, it kinda consumed my life.
Do you still have that same passion?
I'm still passionate about the art form although I'm not as passionate about the pursuit of a career. I have had some great experiences in Hip Hop and some bad experiences as well. It's a lot of bullshit that comes with the industry and I don't care for that part much. I have been blessed to accomplish a lot of my musical goals without being signed to a major label and that is amazing.
How have you grown as an artist?
My main growth comes in the form of learning more about the business and how to market myself. I still have a lot of learning to do but when I first started out all I knew how to do was write and freestyle. Since then I can do almost everything from producing, engineering, promotion, and even graphics for promotional materials.
How many songs do you have completed?
I can't pinpoint an exact number but I have a couple hundred songs in the stash. Most of them are older that I've collected over the years. I don't record as much as I used to but I average at least 25 to 50 a year I would say.
Do you feel artists are making quality albums like in the past or are they just focusing on singles and ringtone sales?
I think that the focus is more on singles but I don't listen to many albums in the industry to give an opinion on them. It seems to me that everything released from the industry is geared towards money and drugs. I'm not easily impressed with those things so I can't get into what I'm hearing in the industry. I listen to a lot of underground Hip Hop and albums from the 90's.
What is your favorite album?
Hard to choose a favorite but it would be a close run between Dead Prez "Let's Get Free", Sporty Thievz "Street Cinema" and Jedi Mind Tricks "Visions Of Ghandi".
What is your favorite song?
I'm a die hard Hip Hop fan to the death but my favorite song is from Black Street "Joy". I can't get enough of that song. A lot of my favorites are R&B songs.
Where is your favorite place to perform?
I've performed a lot of places but the most intimate place that stands out to me would have to be a spot in Raleigh across from NC State called "ShakeDown Street". It shut down not to long ago but it was a small venue and it was very vintage Hip Hop and I got a ton of love in that building.
Have you won any awards?
That is one of the accomplishments that have eluded me over the years. I have never won an award for my music achievements. I have been nominated a couple of times but I never won. Which I think is a travesty, LOL but it's all good.
Do you like to do collaborations?
Yeah collabs are cool if the artist I'm working with is dope. I will work with any artist that is grinding but if they aren't dope than it kinda takes away from that feeling.
Who would you like to work with?
My dream features are Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius, and Pharoah Monch. Pharoah is my favorite rapper of all time and Jil and Marsha I'm crushing on right now. I want to be involved in the creative process with Marsha and Jill because they both are dope writers.
Would you consider yourself being mainstream?
Nah, I'm far from being mainstream but I will say that I've evolved a hell of a lot since I first started. I was so anti-commercial music but now my lifestyle has evolved me to be more versatile. I make music according to how I'm feeling and true, I'm mainly in an underground lyrical mood but at times I want to talk about how fly the chick I saw at the mall is, or how fly my new watch is. So maybe the versatility makes me mainstream but if so it's minimal.
What is your favorite music magazine?
I'm always gonna be partial to the Source. I did an interview and photo shoot with the Source Independent and also was featured in Hip Hop Weekly.
Will you ever retire?
One day I might not do Hip Hop but I'm always gonna be a musician. Music is inside me so there is no expiration date on that. Most of the greatest musicians are in their 40's and 50's and I look forward to experimenting with other genres of music.
Does going platinum matter to you?
Record sales at this moment aren't a factor with me. I make music because I loved to be heard by people who appreciate my words as art. It's the greatest form of expression that I have.
How do you feel about bootlegging?
It's a gift and a curse if you ask me. If I'm popping to the point that people are bootlegging my music that means my first goal is being achieved. I want to be heard so that is kinda the point. But in a business sense I would be disappointed if my records were being profited from without me benefiting from them.
Are you the best at what you do in your opinion?
I don't believe there is a best. I do honestly believe that I am one of the best to do it that never broke ground. I listen to a lot of rappers and truly feel I'm more talented than them but they might make better songs and or might have a stronger work ethic and grind, so it all balances itself out.
What artists in Rap do you like?
Like I said earlier I love Pharoah Monch, but I'm digging any of the artists in SlaughterHouse. Royce is one of my favorites too. I have had every single Fat Joe album so he is definitely one of my favorites. A lot of underground rappers I'm digging. Roc Marciano, Sean Price, and Lupe Fiasco.
Why?
I appreciate the artists who focus on the lyrics more.
What do you like to do when you're not recording?
I love basketball. I don't play as much as I use to but watching it is just as good for me as playing. I'm also a huge web surfer. I'm addicted to the internet. It's a virtual library and I collect as much from it as possible. Fighting sports is a huge passion of mines as well. I'm also a very passionate learner. I'm always researching information.
Do we need more artists like your style?
Definitely, the game needs more MC's of my caliber but only if the artists are being pushed to the masses. It doesn't do us any good to be awesome as artists and not be discovered to the point where we are known worldwide.
When you perform stuff live, what kind of feedback have you been getting?
I was get a bunch of handshakes and a lot of "Yo fam yo shit is dope". It seems that most places I be they don't get to see the token lyrical guy. That is who I am and I'm cool with that. It's like being lyrically aggressive makes me the Dinosaur. Everybody likes to look at Dinosaurs right LOL?
In terms of the future, will you hit the road anytime soon?
Yes I'm in the process of traveling right now. I had a couple of out of state venues in the Midwest but weren't monetarily efficient for me to do them. Be on the lookout for me in Miami, Atlanta, New York, Baltimore, South Carolina, Pittsburgh and a few other cities coming soon.
Is there a dream tour collaboration that you have?
I want to be on the Rock The Bells tour. I was almost there in 2012 I was in talks to travel with Lauryn Hill. Our managers were brother in laws. I parted ways with my manager so that went out the window but any large scale Hip Hop tour is a dream for me, I just need to make them a reality.
Any shout outs?
No Doubt, I would like to say first to all the supporters I appreciate all that you do to keep me motivated. Shout out to Paul Ma$$on for helping me to get my name up on this internet. Would like to say thanks to Huck for holding me down and shout out to HUCKS Ent for adopting me as president. Shout out to my Big Homie GS3 for being my brother when I needed him to be. Shout out to Country Trap Records, Blood Brother Ent and Back2Back and all the artists who grind where we be. All the Fayetteville artists who still in the Struggle.
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