Exclusive Interview with R.E.A.S.O.N. Formally of Relay/Thug Line

Thank you so much for this oppurtunity, it is greatly appreciated.

SaveOurHipHop:  To get right into it, how did Relay come to be?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  Wow…that’s a long story lol. But, basicly the group started as a dance group with me, my sister, and a few friends from the neighborhood back when we were 5 years old. We performed everywhere in and around Atlanta, until we met 2 producers Carl & Ken who worked at Daddy’s House Studios and they encouraged us to go outside of just dancing and to expose other talents we may have had. That’s how we got into rapping. I wrote my first rap at the age of 9, and we formed a group called “Perfect Image” or P.I.P (Perfect Image Posse …lol) with my sis Dasha aka “Snappy”, myself, and another girl named Mesha aka “Chyna Doll”. After a few years, we added another group member Vaneesa aka “Slick V” from around the way and changed our names to Relay. Ofcourse we felt since we were older we had grew out of the old name “Perfect Image”. I met Disco Rick through a radio rap contest and he introduced us to Krayzie at one of his shows in Atlanta. We rapped for him, he loved us and then Krayzie flew us down to Miami. We recorded the song and worked with him from there…

SaveOurHipHop:  Did you all get to record an album, because i believe your group was one of the first ones set to release an album on Thug Line.
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  Unfortunately, although we constantly pushed to work on an album, we didn’t get an opportunity to do so with Thugline. We recorded a few songs here and there while on tour, but nothing solid.

SaveOurHipHop:  What was your time like on the label?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  Well, I can’t exactly say we were “signed” to Thugline Records. At the time from what I understood Krayzie was still working on getting everything set up, so we never signed any paperwork or anything like that. But one thing I can say is that Krayzie did take us under his wing, always saying we were apart of Thugline, and helped show us a lot about life on tour, the industry, etc.

SaveOurHipHop:  When was the decision made to go your own ways?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  Well, shortly after the tour ended we were told by the road manager at the time (Steve Lobel) that we were going home and they’d be in touch. We talked to Krayzie and he told us that we were taking a “short break”, so we took the next flight back to Atlanta. We tried calling them after that, but they didn’t answer, and finally we tried one last time, but the number had been changed. We never heard from them again.
As far as Relay was concerned, Slick V got into some legal issues and got locked up for a hot minute. Chyna Doll on the other hand really crossed me and my family and was kicked out of the group. I won’t go into it in detail…but one thing I can say about this industry is that you can never be naïve on getting your money. PLEASE ANY UP AND COMING ARTIST, TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Slick V, Krayzie, and myself wrote the lyrics to the song on his album. Unfortunately, we didn’t take care of our paperwork, and I didn’t receive any royalties for completing the song. I was young..probably about 16 at the time…so I wasn’t really that educated on publishing, copyrights, royalties, etc. Our group’s lawyer was Chyna’s mom’s friend… so you do the math. She basicly took credit for writing the song, and I heard through word of mouth on the streets that she bought a new car, was ballin’, and everything else. Meanwhile, I went to work and back to finish school at Open Campus.

SaveOurHipHop:  I heard one of the members ended up going to jail, is that true?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  I heard one of the members ended up going to jail, is that true?Yes, “Slick V” ended up getting into a situation shortly after we got home from off tour, which I won’t discuss because I won’t get into her personal business. She’s out now, we talked a few times some years back so hopefully things are going well with her.

SaveOurHipHop:  Are you still in contact with any of the group members, Thug Line Artist or Krayzie Bone?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  I still communicate to K-Mont from Thugline on myspace from time to time. Like I mentioned before, I talked to Slick V a few years back, but nothing recently. I haven’t spoken to Chyna since 98’. I haven’t been in contact with Krayzie or any of the other Thugline artist since that time.

SaveOurHipHop:  What all have you been up to since that time?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  After the whole Thugline thing, I had to deal with the realization of failure on so many levels. I had to go back to school and face the same people who thought we were blowin’ up. Face my family with no money. I basicly got back on my grind, went to Open Campus or “da camp”, and graduated in 2000. I got a job, I’ve never shyed away from working, and worked very hard and have been working since that time. I never went to college… not really for me. Reality set in..I had to make a living for myself, shelter, food, everything so the music thing took a back seat for a while. I did some things here and there with the music, but nothing concrete. I will admit, I was completely devistated by our group breaking up because music is the only thing I’ve known since I could remember. We had always been together…so it was a hard pill to swallow. Around 05’ I finally got back into the rap thing and got with my sis “Snappy” and we formed a group together called “Duo”. That ended after a year or so, and I decided I was going to do my solo thing. I still believe in the dream me and my sister always had, so I formed my own independent label called Duo Entertainment as a testiment to our dream. It’s an all female run label and we hope to be the first to do it. I spent time educating myself on the ins and outs of the music business and writing. I really have a team of people behind me who support me 100%, and please believe I got my BIDNESS ON POINT, KAY!

SaveOurHipHop:  What is R.E.A.S.O.N. an acronym for?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  LOL, it actually isn’t an acronym. I just put it that way for myspace. It’s actually just REASON.

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SaveOurHipHop:  What can fans expect to hear on your album, and are you signed to anyone?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  Something fresh and new. I try to do everything I can to separate myself from other artists out there both male and female. I write about the real things going on in our everyday lives. I keep it all the way real, focusing on what regular people go through on an everyday basis. The majority of us are not “ballers”. We struggle everyday to make ends meet, to feed our kids, just to live, but we have goals and dreams just like everybody else. I try to express that in every song I make. Its really a movement and I think my fans will enjoy it. My music is very versatile, I don’t stick to just one sound or rhyme scheme. I work with a number of up and coming producers to get their name out there like Super Producer East who worked on songs like “Reason”, Dj B-Eazy who did “Do What U Do” and my title track for my upcoming album “Art of Music”, and C-Gizzle who did “Be Me” to name a few. I want to uplift and bring together our community by writing heartfelt songs, and writing lyrics that our help others to think outside of the box. 
Right now I’m pushing my demo, setting up performances for 1st quarter (look out for me in the streets ya’ll!), working on my upcoming mixtape “Comin’ From the Back” and finishing up the album called “The Art of Music”. The Art of Music is that we can express ourselves however we want. The Art of Music is that we can be heard on a larger scale and use that power to reach out to others and put knowledge and positive things into their ears. It’s truly an Art and I’m proud to be apart of this new movement. 
I’m also working on putting together my own independent label called Duo Entertainment. I’m not signed to anyone as of yet, trying to do the independent thing. I have a group of friends, family, and just people in general who believe in me and want to see me make it. I’m proud of my team. Shout out to DUO ENTERTAINMENT! WE ALL LADY!

SaveOurHipHop:  When can we expect it?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  I’m working on having my mixtape done by summer of 09. Hopefully the album should follow towards 3rd quarter. I’m performing all over the city of Atlanta and surrounding areas, promoting, and getting my stuff out there.

SaveOurHipHop:  Any last words for the fans?
R.E.A.S.O.N.:  I really appreciate all of the support I’ve had throughout my career. I’m talkin’ about people that have believed in me since day 1 and have never stopped believing in my talents. When peope believe in you, you feel like you can accomplish anything. Trust in God with all of your heart and always keep him first. Trust in your talents and never stop believing in yourself. Most importently, use that talent for the greater good. If you have a voice, don’t waste it. Don’t let people who don’t want to see you make it get the best of you, and KEEP WORKING! The music industry is tough, so keep your name out there. Perform, stay in the studio, write, focus on the task at hand. What you put into it is what you will get out of it, so always put your heart and soul into whatever you believe in, and let God do the rest.

Thank you once again, and continued success?
Please feel free to visit R.E.A.S.O.N. at her myspace: www.myspace.com/duoentertainment