Hello MaD SoN, from people hearing your music they may not know many details about yourself. So how about we start this interview by asking for your real name? Mike Madison How did you get the name MaD SoN? If you pay close attention to my real name you'll see where I came up with the name MaD SoN. How about your age? 27 Where were you born? Minneapolis, Minnesota Where do you live now? Minneapolis When did you start Rapping and why? Shortly after I graduated High School. I met Jess in High School and started working with him. I was playing guitar at the time and started laying down licks and riffs for some of his songs. I liked to write lyrics so I thought I'd try my luck with MCing. Who are some of your influences? My musical influences are Robert Johnson, Joe Satriani, Jason Becker, George Lynch, Nas, Jay Z, Nice 'N Smooth, Black Sheep, JUICE, Eminem, and a lot of artists from the local scene here in the Twin Cities. As far as people who influence my life in general I'd have to say my Grandparents, Parents, my girlfriend and her family, and anyone I know or see that worked hard to make their dreams a reality. Do you do any production/when did you start making beats? I've made some beats that have been used on Unknown Prophets albums. Wrong Route, Impact, Don't Cry. Jess always helps me to get the percussion sounding nice and the beats formatted for recording. He's a genius when it comes to making beats. I think 1997 is when I made my first Hip Hop beat. Do you still play guitar? Not as much or as often as I would like to. I started playing guitar in 7th grade and played religiously until my junior year in High School. I remember coming home from school in Junior High and playing from Three O' Clock in the afternoon until Two and sometimes Three O' Clock in the morning. Then during High School I would skip class and sneak into the music room to play. Favorite UPs' song? It's hard to pick one. I would have to say "I Don't Expect You To Understand" at the moment. The song's lyrics describe the UPs' love for the music perfectly. The delivery is great, the beat...it's a very powerful song. What other albums have you been on aside from UPs albums? Ludacris', Nas'...ahh..there's so many to name. Just playing of course. Actually I've been on Bobby Hatfield's "Hollywood Hillbilly, Gamble's albums, "Realities of Life" and "Settin' the Record Straight", A local group in Minneapolis called Souls Of Life. This wild and crazy guy named Try D, his album is called "Midwest All-stars" and Brother Ali's first release, "Rites of Passage." Favorite Rap album? Dr. Dre "The Chronic" Lyrically it isn't the best album but that album brings back the most memories. Plus it's an album you can put on anytime to get the party jumping. Favorite non-rap album? At the moment I'd have to say David Grey "White Ladder." Favorite song you produced? "Don't Cry" Artist you would like to work with? Producer: Dre MC: Eminem Guitarist: George Lynch Have you toured? We've done only a few outta State shows. Portland, Maine was by far the funniest one! Do you have any tattoos, what/where are they? Nope Favorite movie? A Polish film called "Fire and Sword" Favorite TV show? Globe Trekker and any Cooking Show I can catch on a Saturday Morning. Do you like to cook? I love cooking. I wanted to go to a culinary school here in the Twin Cities but I lacked the time and funds to go. I can still cook my a** off though. Favorite drink/beer? I like Killians Irish Red or Leinenkugel's Red. Favorite spot to "kick it" in the Twin Cities? I love going and trying new restaurants. Filio's is my spot. Other than that, my house or any spot where there's a hip hop show. Favorite thing about hip hop? It's diverse following. It's roots, what it came from and what it's evolved into. Mostly the fact that there are no limits to what can be done with it. Least favorite thing about hip hop? The business. You could have two groups. One that actually has substance in their music and has skills and another group that has average skills and material without substance and whichever group has the most money and gimmick (usually the unoriginal group) ends up going platinum while the other doesn't make it out their own city. What would you like to be doing in two years? Be successful with our music. Meaning that we have a nationwide tour, full distribution deal, worldwide airplay on both TV and radio. I would love to be able to quite my day job and make a living off of our music.