{"id":3090,"date":"2019-06-10T16:06:46","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T16:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/?p=3090"},"modified":"2019-06-10T17:31:39","modified_gmt":"2019-06-10T17:31:39","slug":"exclusive-interview-with-holy-hip-hop-rapper-vernon-little","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/exclusive-interview-with-holy-hip-hop-rapper-vernon-little\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive Interview with &#8220;Holy Hip-hop&#8221; Rapper: Vernon Little"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Brand Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>\u00a0Name &amp; stage name?<\/strong> Vernon Little.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>Current record label and other affiliations?<\/strong> Bentley Records. BMI.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>What got you to choose holy \u201cHip-hop\u201d?<\/strong> I was raised in church. I also want to leave a positive legacy behind.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3099\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3099\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3099\" src=\"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/vernon-little-gospel-rapper-hip-hop-bentley.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3099\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vernon Little &#8211; Bentley Records<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>My ComeUp Story<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What got you to write songs? (childhood trauma, happiness, money?)<\/strong> At first, it was for the fun of it. I was later told that I might be able to make money from it, so that motivated me a little bit more.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>If you didn\u2019t write, record or perform what other career path would you have chosen?<\/strong> Transportation. \u00a0why? That&#8217;s what my dad did.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>How did the journey in music start?<\/strong> By chance, I ended up at a local DJ&#8217;s (Joe Stick) apartment through a mutual friend (Bernard). Since Joe had DJ equipment and microphones, he asked me if I wanted to rap. I took him up on the offer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>How did you start believing in your own skills as an artist?<\/strong> Joe Stick allowed myself and others to frequent his apartment &#8211; which gave me and others an opportunity to practice. \u00a0What made you \u2018formally\u2019 launch your career as an artist? Joe had a friend named Jack who had a co-worker (Pete) that was looking to record a rap group. After we met, Pete began taking Joe, MC Kay, and myself to the studio to record music.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you began your career as rap\/gospel hip-hop artist?<\/strong> It&#8217;s about business. Of course, \u00a0you have to be creative. But you have to stay focused on the business end as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>As a gospel rapper\/hip-hop artist breaking into the mainstream industry isn\u2019t an easy feat. What advice would you give younger artists looking to get drafted into the game?<\/strong> Production is important. People will listen to your message if you have a beat that gets their attention.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Do you recall any embarrassing moments you had during your come up?<\/strong> Just stumbling over words a few times on stage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Tell us about a time you were faced with insurmountable odds, yet persevered to overcome?<\/strong> I really don&#8217;t have an example that I can think of.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My Daily Behind the Scenes<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is your typical weekday and weekend like?<\/strong> I work during the week. On weekends, I&#8217;m in church, and I usually go out to eat. What do you do when not working? \u00a0Sometimes I bowl, check out a movie, go to a concert, or take a trip out of town.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Where do you find your inspiration?<\/strong> Church, my mom, and seeing the needs of people.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What songs do you listen to that psyches you up and makes you feel strong?<\/strong> Fred Hammond -&#8216;You Are The Living Word&#8217;, Hillsong &#8211; &#8216;I Believe&#8217;, Nas &#8216;I Can&#8217;, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is one thing you do when you&#8217;re feeling stuck creatively?<\/strong> I have to get out and see things. I can draw from people, places, and things.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is the product or book you\u2019ve created that you are most proud of?<\/strong> My &#8216;Double Minded&#8217; EP.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My Now<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>Why are you so passionate about using your music to promote the good news of the gospel\u201d?<\/strong> We all need a little encouragement every now and then. Why do you think it&#8217;s important? A lot of people out here are depressed. Many feel a sense of hopelessness.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>What has music taught you that carries over into the other areas of your life?<\/strong> It&#8217;s taught me patience and discipline.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>Over the years, did you ever encounter famous people who were very difficult to get along with?<\/strong> Not that I recall. I&#8217;ve actually met some that were down to earth. LL Cool J and Fat Joe come to mind.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>As a budding musician and writer, I\u2019m sure you have picked up a lot of valuable insights and tricks of the trade along the way. If you had to narrow it down, what one piece of advice would you give to artists, business owners and entrepreneurs?<\/strong> While performing, don&#8217;t cover the mic with your hand because it muffles your voice. Also, engage your audience; make eye contact if you can. I was also taught in business that you&#8217;ll probably draw 5 out of every 100 people that you solicit. That doesn&#8217;t sound like much until you consider the population.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My Future<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What would you like to achieve before the end of 2019?<\/strong> More national and international \u00a0airplay. I believe that&#8217;s the best way to build a fan base. Also, I&#8217;d like to have another project completed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>What is the most meaningful project you have done?<\/strong> My &#8216;A New Beginning&#8217; LP&#8217;. What would your dream project be? A song with either Kirk Franklin or Mary Mary.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>What&#8217;s one dream you&#8217;ve achieved that you&#8217;re most proud of and why?<\/strong> Performing in the McDonald&#8217;s Gospel Fest at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. I&#8217;ve always wanted to perform in an arena. It was great to be around like minded artist, both amateur and professional. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>Name a charity you are passionate about and explain why it matters to you. How do you show your support?<\/strong> Ezra International. They provide humanitarian aid. I&#8217;ve supported them financially.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<strong>If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your teenage self?<\/strong> Stay out of trouble, and learn a trade\/skill.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brand Profile \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Name &amp; stage name? Vernon Little. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Current record label and other affiliations? Bentley Records. BMI. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What got you to choose holy \u201cHip-hop\u201d? I was raised in church. I also want to leave a positive legacy behind. My ComeUp Story What got you to write songs? (childhood trauma, happiness, money?) At first, it was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[478,475,477,476,474],"class_list":["post-3090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-bentley-records","tag-gospel","tag-hip-hop","tag-rapper","tag-vernon-little"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3090"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3101,"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3090\/revisions\/3101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skillpatron.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}