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Outside the Box: Twitterview with SyLen

Published by Tyler Hakes on September 10, 2009 at 2:01 am

SyLen is a super-fresh MC from Hawaii that’s working on her new album. We did a twitterview with her to find out what it’s like being a female MC from outside the continental United States, and she also hooked us up with an EXCLUSIVE look at a track from her new album. Check it out, and thanks again to SyLen for talking with us.

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SyLen and JIK – Feed the Fishes | Download (Usershare)

aGM: Okay! It’s officially 9:00PM EST time to get started! @MissSylen is the interview subject — are you ready?
I am.

Excellent! I’ll let you do what you do, please introduce yourself. Who is SyLen?

SyLen the best rapper you heard of like once from somebody who knew somebody who heard something, Hip-Hop Artist from Hawaii

Excellent. Do I even want to know what the weather is like in Hawaii right now?
Yes, same as all year long…sunny.

What about the climate? Particularly the hip-hop climate in Hawaii, tell me about that.

The climate out here is like El Nino, you never what you’re going to encounter at any given time regarding hip-hop, whether or not it’s terrible to the freshest sound you’ve ever heard.

[Is] there a lot of hip-hop to be heard coming out of Hawaii?

Yes, but it’s not readily available unfortunately. We don’t have too many local businesses that help support the growing culture of hip-hop here. Its always been alive here, but just not publicly exposed much.

What about a being a female MC in general, how many others do you know of in the area?

I personally have never met ONE female emcee here & don’t even know of any that exist here…there must be some though. ??

You seem like you’re pretty certain that there are some, why is that?

Well I figure it like this, if I exist here (and not everyone knows that) there must be others. There [are] female MCs nationwide.

Seems logical to me. Do you think female MC’s are slept on, in general, more than males?

Yes, because most people have the mentality of “You’re good for a female MC” & keep you in comparison of a small caregory. Dope is Dope…and if you don’t understand that you’re a sleeper.

Dope is Dope…and if you don’t understand that you’re a sleeper.

So how do you break that habit? How do you get people to see you as equal to any other MC and realize your talent?

You really just have to go out there and “do what you do”, talent is recognizable when people open their ears.

And you definitely are doing what you do. You’ve got this track called “Feed the Fishes” to share, what can you tell me about it?

What I can tell you…is to be prepared. I’m about to alter your mind state.

Before we release the track, give us some details on the album. What are we expecting?

Well on the entire album the best way I could describe is “1985 to 3030″. Its got a wide variety of sound that compliments each other along with emcees with totally different styles, but like I said earlier dope is dope so stay tuned.

Okay, so I’m going to let people check out this track real quick. SyLen & JIK – Feed the Fishes: [Download Link]
What are people’s reactions when they find out that you’re a female MC?

My last reaction was Friday..”I would of never guessed you rapped!” Apparantly people don’t realize that Hip-Hop is [tattooed on] my wrists. Its usually a surprise until they hear me & then the new surprise is “Wow you’re good at it.” Us female MCs are rare commodities out there, especially us good ones.

The best way I could describe is “1985 to 3030″.

What keeps you inspired to “do you” when you think about the stigma there is out there against female MC’s?

I don’t let the stigma bother me honestly. What I do is Hip-Hop and one day I was told “I plan on making music for the rest of my life” by JIK and I felt the same way & since then that’s what I’ve been doing. I have no plans on stopping, only plans on achieving the most I can through this and enjoying it.

What kind of a role does making music play in your life?

Its what I live for, aside from my son. Its definitely always been the most important “thing” in my life & that won’t change.

That’s dope. It’s been over an hour now so I’m going to wrap it up with one last question if that’s cool.

Sounds like a breeze to me.

What is your favorite part about making music? What drives you?

There is no favorite part for me about making music, the outcome of it all drives me & keeps me in motion to better myself.

Shoutout to the group I’m in…OMNi, which consists of @DodgeCitysOwn <-Lunchbox @mercurywaters @obsidianblue @earlflynn,John The Baptist, Tapez, Kneegrow, Inzo, Terell Xxx, Kil Beats. They definitely keep me going.

Well I wish you the best of luck with the album and I’m looking forward to hearing more from you. Thanks for taking the time for this interview!

No problem & thank you too. There’s more to come soon.

10 Responses

Tweets that mention aboveGround Magazine | Outside the Box: Twitterview with SyLen -- Topsy.com Says:
September 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Pizzle Mane, aboveGround Magazine, SyLen of Hawaii, SyLen of Hawaii and others. Pizzle Mane said: RT @MissSyLen: RT @abovegroundmag Check it: Outside the Box: Twitterview with SyLen http://bit.ly/soOQH [...]
Sincir Says:
September 10th, 2009 at 6:31 pm

Yo… Sylen do ur thang… I heard the exclusive and its “Dope”. Just know Respect is a matter of leadership not position, title or GENDER. I myself is from the 50th rock, and word in AZ is that Sylen is goin “hard”.

Success and Nothin Less

Sincir

AGm: Yall should do follow up with this cat, I’ll be reading. 100
tylerHakes Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 1:31 am

Definitely, expect to hear more are the album is closer to completion.
SyLen Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

For those who run through my shoutouts, OMNi member KIL BEATS was beat jacked by FIZZY WOMACK aka LIL FAME of MOP recently on the New MOP Album, FOUNDATION.

*FULL DETAILS HERE: http://bit.ly/1DF6VF (along with the beat/track)
Please check the link & educate yourselves.

Its truely ashame to see this happening, especially in Hip Hop. At one point & time I had much respect for MOP and now how am I to know if other things had been jacked by them throughout the years. More details are to come of this by KIL BEATS himself via YOUTUBE.

To stay updated with this situation check me out via twitter.com/misssylen or check OMNi member LUNCHBOX via insidethelunchbox.com
*This will not go unnoticed.

Thanks again to Tyler @ aboveGROUND Magazine for the interview. Theres definitely more to come from me.

SyLen
SyLen Says:
September 12th, 2009 at 7:12 pm

I also wanted to thank whoever comes thru here. I appreciate the support.

Fizzy Womack admits to jacking Kil Beats beat on DJ Premier Blog:
http://djpremierblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/other-face-of-foundation.html
YouTube Interview with Kil Beats to follow on Monday 9-14-09
knowjuander Says:
September 12th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

SyLen honestly although I wasn’t feeling the track, i was however, feeling your portion of the lyricism. I saw on the island for almost three years but have relocated to Kentucky where there is NO hip hop scene, so make sure you take advantage of what you guys have there… get up with some of the heads and EARN your respect; nothing is given in this game…. and though it’s not fair… you have your work cut out for you – that’s just the way it is… make yourself better from it. I like what you got working, but persistence and practice are the only two things that make you better. Never forget that… and keep grinding. Peace Love and Aloha.
SyLen Says:
September 14th, 2009 at 4:13 pm

To knowjaunder:
Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to check me out. I understand its definitely a different kind of track, but I figured why not sprinkle that on em. The beats/rhymes are going to widely differ on the album. Persistance is what’s up & I plan on continuing to practice, make moves, & earn my respect.

Peace & Aloha

…it means a lot.
Tuppa Says:
September 26th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

Dope shit
Avalon Studio » Outside the Box: Twitterview with SyLen Says:
September 27th, 2009 at 11:32 am

[...] abovegroundmagazine.com [...]
Wnętrzarz Says:
June 11th, 2011 at 3:41 am

Nice post, you are making more and more nice articles.