Interview By: ESTAXX

I had the opportunity to sit down with Ghost 13, an up and coming artist with a different sound from Miami, Florida. He is very dedicated to make it big as an artist and recently gave us a quick inside look of what he has in the works.

KeepItTrill.com: Let’s start this interview off by introducing yourself to the people that don’t already know who you are.

Ghost 13: Well yeah. It’s your friendly neighborhood emcee Ghost13! Reporting live from the Keep It Trill spacecraft. (laughs) Sorry, I like to space out sometimes. You’ll get used to it… hopefully.

KeepItTrill.com: How did you come up with your name Ghost 13?

Ghost 13: Hmmm… I always give a different answer every time I get asked that question because it means a lot of different things to me. The “Ghost” part is easy. When I started doing music I wanted to be a ghostwriter for other artists. But then, I decided that I might as well write for myself because my rhymes were too personal for other people to use. The “13” is tricky. So for today’s segment, I’m gonna say it was just a number I picked out of a hat! (laughs)

KeepItTrill.com: So you were a ghostwriter before you actually became an artist? Can you tell us more about that?

Ghost 13: No problem, but my memory sucks so you gotta bear with me. Let’s see… once upon a time… (laughs) Just kidding around. But seriously, the ghostwriter thing was just all I really knew back then. I was always a good writer and storyteller. My teachers actually thought I would be a journalist one day. Shows you just how much teachers know, huh? (laughs) But yeah, my father encouraged my poetry and when I wanted to rap he encouraged that too. He was a well-respected DJ in Brooklyn back in his day so he knew a thing or two about talent. He was the first one that saw I was gifted with the pen. So instead of giving my gift away to other rappers as a ghostwriter, I kept it to myself as an emcee. Call me selfish!

KeepItTrill.com: Coming from Miami. the home of Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Pitbull, and others, what does Ghost 13 brings to the table? And what separates you from the next up and coming artist coming out?

Ghost 13: Wow! You cut straight to the point, eh? Hmmm… I can only say this: My goal in music is simply to make music that I personally enjoy. If the next person likes it then that’s cool. Basically, Im never really focused on what I bring to the table because Im just happy to eat! (laughs) And as far as those artists, I like their music but I feel like I don’t really fit into that category. I was actually born in New York but raised down here in Miami. So I don’t really have a distinct style from either one of those places. It’s kind of a weird fusion of where I’m from, where I’ve been, and where I wish I could go. You gotta figure: most artists have a city they claim or a hood they rep. I’ve got my Playstation and my diploma!

KeepItTrill.com: Can you tell the people who you listened to growing up? Who influenced you as an artist?

Ghost 13: Well, my dad was a hip hop DJ, but when I took a look at his record collection there were artists like Sade, Anita Baker, Prince and the fifty people that made up the Revolution! (laughs) Really, I was exposed to a little of everything. My mom loves house. My aunt loves rock and dance music. My cousin, who stayed with us for a while, loved the Uncle Luke and all that stuff that was hot in the 90’s. I think the only genre I managed to dodge was country! So all of these different sounds play a major role in my music. If you listen to The Ghost Tape, there are some really different sounds. “UFO” has a little rock. “Baggage” has a little jazz. “Home” even has whistling to carry the song! Anything that catches my ear can end up in a song. Really.

KeepItTrill.com: How do you feel about the state of hip-hop with people not buying albums like they used to?

Ghost 13: Who cares if people buy albums. If that’s you’re main concern you’re in the game for the wrong reason. Only greedy people worry about that. If you can do what you love and still have food to eat and a place to stay, go for it. Hypothetically speaking, say one person bought 10
million albums. Then, say everyone in the world has heard your music but not one of em bought a single recording. Sure selling that 10 million albums makes you rich, but it’s the world hearing your music that’s important. Cats need to stop crying about albums. That’s weak. Most of the ones complaining don’t even have an album worth buying!

KeepItTrill.com: As an artist, do you utilize YouTube, MySpace and Twitter to promote your music?

Ghost 13: Hells to the yeah! Look, this is the Digital Age. Or the Informational Age. I forget. But whichever one it is, it is the greatest thing to happen to an independent anybody, whether you’re an independent artist, businessperson, writer, filmmaker, whatever! Now maybe one day the computers will throw us into some kind of twisted Terminator-type scenario, but until then you can hit me up at facebook.com/silenthand. (laughs)

KeepItTrill.com: Can you tell the world how long you’ve been rapping and how long did it take to get to the level where you are now?

Ghost 13: I really do hate saying “rapping” or “rap” or “rapper” because I see rappers on tv all day long, and they look silly as hell when you turn the volume off! It’s not even an ego thing. But I’ve been musically endowed since birth! Nah, just playing. Ummm… I’d say about 7. Took a “hiatus” (laughs) then got back at it around 13 when I was in middle school. They wanted to call me “Young Dread”. You understand why that wouldn’t work for the captain of the chess team! Now “Young Dread”, that woulda been a rapper. I’d imagine he would have a big chain with a link that said “YD” or something stupid like that. Hmmm…

KeepItTrill.com: Can you clarify your current label situation for the folks at KeepItTrill.com?

Ghost 13: There is no label. I’m with SilentHand Ent, and we’re independent. And we do everything from comics to short movies so you can’t really call it a label. If someone wanted to sign me, they’d have to at least watch anime and hit South Beach every weekend to make movies, cuz that’s what we do!

KeepItTrill.com: You dropped your mixtape entitled “The Ghost Tape Vol. I: Close Encounters”. What kind of feedback have you received so far?

Ghost 13: And I quote: SUPER AWESOME SPECTACULAR! (laughs) I’ve walked into stores with people singing the lyrics. There are people from places I can’t pronounce egging me on to keep up the good work. To be honest, Im actually surprised at how positive the feedback has been. I don’t have low self-esteem or anything but any time you try something different you have concerns about how people might take it. And The Ghost Tape was very experimental.

KeepItTrill.com: How would the fans get in contact with you, if they wanted to listen to new music or even book you?

Ghost 13: Well, The Ghost Tape Vol. I: Close Encounters is on DatPiff. I also have music on YouTube. Anyone that’s interested can look us up on google. SilentHand Ent or SilentHand Souljaz. You know the name. If it’s one thing I learned, when people want to hear your stuff they find it! So no use in twisting arms with urls and all that.

KeepItTrill.com: I would like to thank you for providing KeepItTrill.com with this exclusive interview; do you have any last words for your present and future fans?

Ghost 13: It was a pleasure to be a part of the experiment. And as far as last words, fans will have to wait til I die for those! (laughs) WE OUTTA HERE!!!

PARTNER LINKS: