In Depth Interview with Hot New Rap Duo Ride Out 163

(RAP DUO RIDE OUT 163 - Reign & Piff)

Give us some background info as to who you are.

Piff: I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I was raised by a single mother for the first two years of my life. My biological father bounced on me and he wanted no involvement in raising me. That was a major let down. My Moms got married and we moved to Queens, NY where I met Reign. This rap shit is all I ever did since the age of 13. Being a bad ass in school always led to punishment. In my house the radio was always on and that led to me having a passion for songwriting. Constantly listening to the radio molded me to becoming a true MC and loving my craft. Reign: I was born in a small town called Chambersburg PA. I'm the product of a Puerto Rican mother and an African American Father. As a kid I moved around a lot from place to place and state to state until I was about 13. That's when I came to NY. Prior to NY, I lived in Pittsburgh, Ohio, Kansas and Chicago. I guess you can say I was a Mid West boy..LOL. The reason I moved so much was because my mother got better job opportunities to better our lives. It was nice living in those states. I got to meet a lot of people and see how there's something a little different in every state. I feel that is where I got my diverse style (rhyme scheme) from. Being the oldest of 2 kids and having to be the man of the house, because my mother was a single mother, I had to grow up a little faster then others. At first I thought it was "wack" that I didn't do everything every other kid did. But it set the ground work for me to become a hard worker and never allow anyone to tell me I can't achieve my goals. And that's why I love music so much; it allows me to let my feelings and emotions out. As my career continues to grow, you will see and hear the complete story of Reign....

What sets you apart from other rappers?

Piff: What sets us apart is our natural talent. We didn't just pick this rap shit up last year and started running with it. The feel and sound we have with our music is very different. Me and Reign are very diverse when it comes to concepts. We work very hard at what we do from shows to studio sessions to promoting ourselves. We know the business and we understand what sells and what doesn't. Reign: We're so diverse when it comes to making music. We can go in the studio one day and make a club banger and then the next day we can write a pop or rock song. There's nothing one dimensional about us. We work hard at what we do and more importantly, we don't mind taking constructive criticism from others. That's something a lot of artists can't do.They feel like they're too big for someone to tell them to improve their flow, production etc..That's one of the main problems with Hip Hop; There are too many EGOS!

What is the philosophy by which you live by?

Reign: My philosophy is "Work like a slave & Eat like a king." The bottom line is that if you don't work you don't eat. Don't be a couch potato complaining about being broke! Get your ass up and get on your grind! Piff: Basically it's "Go hard or Go Home." You have to go out there and get yours! Nothing is handed to you in this life time. Hard work always pays off if you set your mind on reaching your goals.

Which artists have inspired you?

Piff: I have been inspired by artists such as Jay-z, 2pac, Biggie, Dmx , Big Pun. You can hear the pain in their music and the struggles they went through. As for Jay-z his mentality is bananas! He's a very smart business man as well and expanded into a whole brand. That's something I would eventually want to accomplish when my rap days are coming to an end. Reign: P diddy, Jay-z, 50 cent, Big L, Big Pun, BIG, 2 Pac and Wu Tang. They all inspired me in different ways. Diddy, 50 cent, and Jay-Z all have a crazy work ethic. They don't allow the word "No" stop them from getting what they want".

Who does your production?

Piff:We get most of our beats online and we have an in house producer who's pretty nasty with the beats. We're usually picky with the beats, because we don't just jump on any track. The track has to be dope! It has to have the potential for a mixtape banger or a hit for the radio.

What is your opinion of the current state of Hip Hop?

Reign: In my opinion, the rap game is just going through a mid life crisis! One good thing about the current state of Hip Hop is that there's different levels of Rap music out there.. You have Jay-z, Lox, Slaughter House and 50 cent for adults. And then you have The Cool Kids, Soulja Boy, etc for the younger fans. There's a little something for everybody. Piff: Well, I feel that the game is at an all time low..LOL. I cant' respect the dances and hooks some of these artists come up with. They sound like kiddie "sing along songs" to me. Concept and thought are basically thrown out of the window now a days. On top of that, we have the Internet age that's reducing album sales like crazy.

If you can change one thing about the music industry what would it be and why?

Piff: I would change all of the politics. I call it "politics and bullshit" because with all the politics comes a lot of bullshit. Labels want to see a whole bunch of shit you've done before even giving you any light at all. They don't want to put money behind artists anymore to market them the right way. Reign: I would get rid of all of these wack artists who come out with cd's with only 2 good songs on them and the rest of the songs are fillers. People don't want to buy a cd with only 2 good songs on it for $15.

Any singers would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Reign: Hell yeah, I would love to collaborate with Elton John, Paul Mcartney, Maxwell, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Sting, U2, Lionel Ritchie and Prince . I would like to work with artists who you would not expect me to work with. I like to go outside the box.. Piff: I would love to work with Trey songz, because his sound is soulful and he has an old school vibe.. I would also like to work with cats like Maxwell and Lionell Ritchie

What producer would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Piff: I would like to work with Swizz Beats for the simple fact that most of his beats are hyped up and he seems like a humble dude to work with. The session would be crazy. Besides Swizz, it really wouldn't matter as to other producers we would work with, as long as the beat is sick and the vision is there for the track. Reign: Producers.. I want to work with someone who has the passion and love for music as I do and just doesn't do it for a check.When it's only about the money you don't work as hard and you loose your hunger...

What is your favorite part of your live show? How has it evolved?

Piff: The part of performing I love is always the transition from the first song to the last song of the set. When we get the crowd hyped and participating its like an all time natural high. Reign: We go hard when we are on the stage. I like seeing people happy and clapping,.We are in a recession, so you have to give people their money's worth. No if ands or buts about it!

What is your LP going to be like?

Reign: Our LP is going to be bananas! Expect a lot of diversity. Our tracks are so different from each other. We got joints for the streets, the ladies, the clubs, and even stressed out tracks about real life sh*t. Musically, we want to be able to touch people in different ways.

What is your website?

Piff: The Website is www.Rideout163.com

Any final words for the people.

Piff: I want everybody to realize and understand that we're not your typical rap group. You're going to see a lot of things with us that you won't usually see with others.. We will go down in history as one of the great Rap duos.

Reign: When you hear a Rideout163 song, I want you to remember that we do this for the love of the music and for all of our fans.... Also keep God first, because none of this is possible with out his blessings. RIdeeeeeeeeoutttttt

LISTEN TO RIDEOUT 163'S BLAZIN' NEW SINGLE "CRUNCH TIME"