An interview with a truly prolific King!



Goldenways: What was the most influential verse you ever heard? Why did it hit you so hard?

Icon:
     It's hard to say. There a lot of verses that have influenced me for different reasons. I guess ultimately my most influential verse would be Method Man's rhymes on "Bring the Pain" because those were the ones that made me start rapping. Everybody knows Method Man is one of the coolest rappers ever I don't think I have to explain that hahaha.

Goldenways:  What do you hope the average listener takes from your music?

Icon:     That's a good question that I guess I've been knowing the answer to as long as I've made music but for a really long time I was very much caught up in proving I was the best ever to the world that I lost sight of it. with all the things I've been experiencing in my life for the last few years, it's come full circle though. I've been listening to a lot of Joe Budden lately and it's like he's saying things in his music and hitting the mark with what I feel about a lot of things. It's the feeling that there is someone else out there that feels the way I do about these things. So when I make the majority of my music now I make it with the feeling that someone else out there feels the same way I do and they just need it articulated in music so they don't feel as alone in this world as they want us to believe.


Goldenways:  How would you summarize the state of "underground" hip hop?

Icon:
    In every way it has become a microcosm of all the things wrong in not only music in general but the world. I think that's what happens to everything really, relationships, businesses, everything. It starts out good and then everyone else wants a piece of it so it becomes clique-ish and stale and goes to shit for one reason or another. There are still a lot of people making great music but not getting heard and it is my goal to make a difference in music period. Not just underground shit. Fuck the bullshit I'm trying to get a grammy!


Goldenways: Do you think that "underground" hip hop is strong enough right now to bring hip hop in general to a more lyrically intelligent and quality driven state?

Icon:
    In my naivete I believe it's possible. That's what the third renaissance is all about, however I just came off tour and the tours that I headline are always a reality check for me that this will always be a game of inches for me. I believe we could all rally behind one emcee or group and bring them to the next level, I guess I'm just disappointed that it's not me that they will do it for hahaha.


Goldenways: Your rhymes are so put together and complete...do you do much revising and critiquing your work...or is it really just that easy for you?

Icon:
    I've always been very careful with my words. I'm a very critical person so everything that comes out of my mouth goes through a gauntlet before I give birth to the thought so of course when I write I do it with a certain amount of scrutiny. It's natural for me to do that, I just take my time and get it right the first go round.


Goldenways:  On your album "Mike and The Fatman" the song "Poverty" really touched me personally. Especially the verse:

    "Here she is homeless, former smoker and battered wife/ Yeah her appetite for love, and hope is magnified/ She's broke but not broken, life pumps under her skin/ A businessman spits in her hands, "Change comes from within"/ With that saliva in her palms/ And delight in her heart/ She prayed "For your sake I hope you know how right that you are".
    What inspired you to write those lines?

Icon:
    That whole song is something I'd been wondering about for some time, basically it's like who is truly poor? The one who follows their heart and gains experience and ultimately ends up with no material possessions to show for it? Or is the person who conforms to societal beliefs, falls in line, and never really follows their dreams but has all types of material possessions and accolades is that person rich? So here in these lines I'm explaining that this woman she has been through it but she still follows her heart and she knows how to live, she's not upset that this "rich" man has spit on her she turns the other cheek and offers him a life lesson, but the question is...are we listening?


Goldenways:  What advice to you have for those trying to sift through the oversaturated hip hop market in search of quality?


Icon:
    Keep searching until you find what you are looking for because it's definitely out there. Also give music the time to sink in. We're so caught up in the microwave music world that we live that we don't give our modern day classics the time that we gave the old ones to sink in. Once you find a brand you can trust, continue to support them so they don't shy away from their greatness.

Goldenways: What advice do you have for the up and coming artist?

Icon:
     Never stop dreaming. Refine your hustle. Never sacrifice your artistic integrity, for any reason. Not for money, not for love, nothing. All that shit is fake.

Goldenways:  What artists do you respect not only for their work ethic but also, lyricism, quality, content and consistency?

Icon:
    Dos-Noun, Qwel, Pharoahe Monch, Ghostface, and everyone else on my team.

 Goldenways:  What does Hip Hop's Deepest Days mean to you?

Icon:
     Everyday of my life for the last nineteen months.



Get to know Icon The Mic King even better @:


http://www.myspace.com/iconthemicking


Iconthemicking.com


iconthemicking.mypodcast.com/


http://www.youtube.com/iconthemicking


Much love to iCon The Mic King