#RookieOfAtlanta Interview w/ @IamMilesStone

1. When did you fall in love with hip hop?

 • I fell in love with hip hop around 13. I was at a point where I needed a way to get my problems out & not get into trouble. I felt hip hop, I felt music in general.

 2. How do you get your ideas for music? 

• I listen to the beat & I attempt to capture EVERY sound in the music perfectly. Im not just a rap artist i'm a songwriter as well. I try to make a song, not just rap over a beat. So using my creativity to make melodies, hooks, etc. is what I do. 

3. Why do you rap? 

• If I wasn't rapping, I wouldn't be alive. Hip hop saved my life on everything. It's one of the only things I actually can see myself working towards & the only thing that gives me a drive & a focus. That's why I rap, so that I can continue to live. 

4. What was the first song you knew from start to finish? 

 • First song I knew from start to finish, if I think about it for real, would probably be My Love is the Shh thanks to my sister's influence. I hung around her alot growing up and she was HOOKED on 90's R&B, Jay-Z, Method Man, etc. which is why I love 90s music so much to this day.

 5. What separates you from the other artists in Atlanta that rap?

 • What separates me from other artists in general is a couple of things. I dont have a music background in my family but I been involved with music for a while now myself, which has sharpened my songwriting skills. Also i'm the North Carolina, where alot of dreams & hopes never see the light of day, so my perspective of seeing things is different than others, making my music come from a different place. 

6. Why did you name you tape "Hard Liquor"? 

 • Hard Liquor originated at first when me & the producer by the name of Wino Willy tried to come up with the name for an EP we were trying to do & wanted both of our names to be represented somehow. So the project progressed into more than an EP and we decided to call it Hard Liquor. The symbolism behind it is the basically a summary of my subject matter. Life is something we all go through and we all have hard times. being under the influence is what alot of people do to make life better. Hard liquor burns if you take it straight, like the truth does, which is life. You use liquor to have fun & enjoy yourself & also just to get through struggles. That should tell you what to expect from the project which will drop early 2014. 

7.Who all did you work with on your tape?

 • I didn't have too many features on the tape, and as far as the features. just listen to the tape & follow me @iammilesstone to keep up with me, people will learn what they wanna know. 8. Who is your favorite artist right now? My favorite artist right now is Big KRIT, he's one of my idols, hands down. 

9. Who do you want to collab with in the future?

 • I wanna collab with some dope indie artists in atlanta on the come up like Money Makin Nique, EarthGang, Mach Five, Rome Fortune just to name a few. As far as artists on a larger scale I would love to get a track with Chance the Rapper, KRIT of course, T.I., Curren$y Spitta, Yelawolf, and the list goes on. I just have to put in the work to get these rapper's attention. 

10. What type of beats do you like? 

 • Soulful, sometimes something edgy to get trashed to, I like beats that are made like they were composed for a movie score. Basically I like my beats like I make my songs: having a storyline & having a beginning, climax & ending.

 11. How long does it take you to record? 

 •  It depends on my preparation for the song. Practice makes perfect, so if I did take the time to practice, it can be knocked within 45 minutes to an hour, the quickest was 30 minutes. If I just finished writing the song it could take 2 hours. I've never went past 2 hours, time is money in the studio. 

12. What do you want people to take away from your music?

 • I want people to think about life in a different way. I want them to expose life for what it is, with my own country perspective. I want to be remembered as a story teller, but only telling stories that's real, like an old ass man (which i'm usually described as) 

13. What do you want your legacy to be? 

 • 10 years from now I want my music to still be relevant and able to play. I want to go down as one of the greats, & I continue to improve my skills so that I can do that. I want to be known as a legend back in NC as well as nationwide, even worldwide if possible, which anything is. 

14. If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be?   

 • That would be the album that made me take hip hop seriously, The Black Album by Jay-Z. Hands down 

15. How did you know rapping was for you?

 • I know its for me because I cant see myself doing anything else. Without my love for music, i'm just a dry person with NO direction. Hip hop has helped shape who I am, it's part of me. 

16. Who are your influences?

 • Outkast, Curren$y Spitta, T.I., Big KRIT, and Kendrick has slided on that list as well since I hard Overly Dedicated.

 17. What experiences in life have made you who you are today? 

 • Ah man, just life really. Having to experience abuse, having family in jail, dead, coming from nothing to be where I am now, which aint much but it's better than nothing. My habits of being under the influence, becoming a man, all that factors into my subject matter. 

18. When everything is said and done what do you want GOD to say to you?

•  I just want em to let in the gate thats all. I talk to em alot so he aint gotta say nothing at all, just hope I get accepted into the kingdom.