GOZZA sits down with ROX-TV for an exclusive interview to talk about his music, the Michigan scene, and much more

Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. Tonight we have a special guest in the house and a personal friend of mine. The one and only GOZZA. I’ve been a fan of this cat for a long time and I’m really happy to have him with us tonight. He’s had an amazing career in the hip hop/rap world of the 810 and the Murder Mitten at large. So lets get to it….

As an underground rap artist/hip hop artist, can you tell the readers exactly when you fell in love with the music? Do you remember a specific song that really did it for you or possibly a group? Whatever that defining moment that brought you into the world of rap, can you tell us about it?

My earliest memory of hearing the music and falling in love with Hip Hop was listening to a radio show in the 80s called “the Boogie” with my older brother Ryan. We each had a small radio and we would put them together with the music playing on one and while the other was recording the show.  Through “The Boogie”, I was exposed to the greats like Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, Beastie Boys, Fat Boys, NWA, LL Cool J etc. When I heard these legends I immediately fell in love with Hip Hop and my life hasn’t been the same since. “The Boogie” even inspired my first attempts at recording my own music with my brother and I creating our own mock radio show complete with our own rap songs over borrowed instrumentals.

I know from being a fan of you music that you were involved with an underground rap group called the Juggernaut. I was actually in attendance at one of your shows back in 1995 at the Foxes by the Creek Club in Swartz Creek 810. What do you remember from that night? How did that show come about?

Oh yeah, the ol’ Juggernaut days. The Juggernaut was a super group with several members including myself, Jackpot, D-Madness, B-Mood, Brainstorm, DJ Phizyx, and extended fam DJ Fish. We all met in 1993 at a local teen club called EZ Street in a “Rap Competition”. Shortly after, we all became friends and decided to form a group through our mutual love of Hip Hop and a respect for each others skills. I remember that night at Foxes By The Creek in 95 very well. It was our first big show and it was the release party for our first cassette single “Act Like You Know”.

We were all very nervous when we pulled up to the venue and saw a large crowd lined up around the block waiting to get in. We made our way to the entrance and we all walked in the building lined up like a Royce Gracie fighting team. The energy was so intense in that club that night and the packed house was beyond hype. As we made our way to the stage I saw so many of our high school friends in attendance to support us. DJ Phizyx dropped the first beat and the Juggernaut took the stage. We started performing our songs and the audience went crazy complete with body surfing and a rowdy mosh pit. The entire show went great and we had so much fun rocking Foxes By The Creek that night. It was a night I will never forget. The show came about because we had met the owner of the club a year earlier when it was located in Perry Michigan and it was called the Foxes Den. We had a successful show once at the Foxes Den so when the owner opened the new spot in Swartz Creek, we were one of the first local acts he asked to perform.

Juggernaut had a single out called Act Like You Know. When I was coming up, that was blowing up the local neighborhoods by my house. What can you tell me about that Single? Do any copies exist today? I heard there is a video for it on YOUTUBE?

The Juggernaut “Act Like You Know” single was released in December of 1995 and was a huge success for us. We had made an earlier version of the song in 1993 at Lighter Touch Studios in Flint prior to the Juggernaut when we were called the D.L.P. DJ Fish produced the original version and it was one of the most popular songs that we performed for years. When we decided to form the Juggernaut and needed a single to represent us on our first release we went back to “Act Like You Know” and revamped it. DJ Phizyx produced the final version at Boomin Records in Flint adding hard hitting drums, jazz breaks, and some fresh scratching.

This version went over extremely well with our fans and is still a popular jam to this day. We sold out of the cassette single over 10 times at the local record store Wyatt Earps. Copies do still exist today. I talk to fans online that still proudly hold the tape in their collections. I have a few sealed copies myself in the Gozza archives. Yes, there is a music video “Act Like You Know” on YouTube. After the Juggernaut disbanded in 1996 we continued performing the song under our new group name the Artfull Dodgers. When we released our Dusted World EP (10th Anniversary Edition)on CD  in 2007 we added “Act Like You Know” to the track list. Shortly after that, we put together the music video for the song using actual footage from the Foxes By The Creek show. You can find the video under Artfull Dodgers “Act Like You Know” on YouTube.

Now as time went on, you started another underground rap group called The Artfull Dodgers. What can you tell the readers about that group? Maybe share with the readers, the releases you guys had, shows with other Flint Rap Groups?

Artfull Dodgers formed in 1997 out of the ashes of the old Juggernaut crew. When the group broke up in 96 due to creative differences I considered going solo, but after making a song called “2 Different Styles” with my old D.L.P. partner Jackpot I changed my mind and decided to form a new group called Artfull Dodgers with myself, Jackpot, and producer DJ Phizyx. We did all the recording for our debut project the Dusted World EP at Boomin Records in Flint Michigan from 1996-1997.

DJ Phizyx handled the production and Mr. Slate engineered the project. Dusted World was a very successful release for us. It opened many doors for us and was met with critical and commercial success. We followed up that project with 3 more albums including Lazy Eyes in 1999, Second Wind in 2002, and Off The Credenza in 2007. We did countless shows and tours over the years as Artfull Dodgers. We performed on the Vans Warped Tour in 2004, The Live Lyrics Tour, at the famous Hip Hop festival Scribble Jam, The Shelter in Detroit, and many more festivals and venues. We shared the stage with a lot of great artists at shows including Killah Priest and Cappadonna of Wu Tang Clan, Too Short, Lords of Brooklyn, Non Phixion, Eminem, Esham, I.C.P., Petey Pablo, MC J.U.I.C.E., Project Born, The Dayton Family, Dice, DJ Assault and many more.

At some point you decided to start out on a solo career in the rap game. What year did you decided to become a solo artist? Can you key in the readers on some of the early things GOZZA was up to during that time period?

I decided to become a solo artist in 2010. Artfull’s last release was in 2008 and although it was successful, things slowed down and there was not much potential for a new album after that. Being an artist to the core, I never stop writing or recording so I didn’t hesitate and kept on working on my own music. It was actually always a goal of mine to put together a solo album since I was a kid and first started recording. I began spending more time in the studio working on beats and within a couple years I had wrote and produced my debut solo album “Here Comes Trouble”. I dropped the album in September of 2010 and it got a great response from listeners and even long time Artfull Dodgers’ fans.

The album went over so well I put together a live band to tour with and continued recording new material. I released two more solo albums after that, 2013’s “Zig Zag” and 2017’s “Scorpion Dragon 76”. My production and song writing continued to evolve and improve. Both of these albums did very well for me and solidified me as a solo artist. The SD76 album was the first project I produced all by myself and I enjoyed that very much. There’s a great sense of freedom not having to rely on other producers or MCs to complete your work. This paved the way for my upcoming album “Black Vinyl” which I also produced completely by myself for my own EarthMovers Records label.

You’ve been referred to as a triple threat in the past. Can you explain what that exactly means? Producing, MC, Beats….what exactly is a triple threat in hip hop?

A triple threat in Hip Hop is an MC/DJ/Producer. Building your skills in all three realms of Hip Hop to become a master of this art. I started out only as an MC or rapper but years of recording and hanging out in studios I developed a love and passion for making beats and producing records. Watching fellow producers like Phizyx, DJ Psycho, and Bangtown aka Pharlon work on music inspired me very much.

I have done beats for many albums and artists including Project Born, Camp Lo, Meli’sa Morgan, Dice, J.U.I.C.E., and more. After working hard to establish myself as a producer I went on to work on my DJ skills. I started my own radio show called the Gozza Strip on Flint’s WKUF 94.3 FM in 2005 and took resident DJ jobs all around Michigan. I had a lot of success DJing over the years and took a stand against mainstream music by “breaking records” with my show and supporting the amazing local talent in Michigan that is so unfairly overlooked.

You’ve worked with Bootleg of the Dayton Family? Was that like?

Working with Bootleg was great. He was a very cool cat and a professional artist. I first met him when I  did a show with TDF at the Cannibus Cup a few years back. Shortly after that he was a guest on my radio show and we developed a friendship. I got a chance to work with him in the studio on a Project Born song for their Born Dead 4 album which I was recording. He was very easy to record with and he came with a great energy in the lab. Razor sharp flow and lyrics were on display when he got on the mic to drop his verse. He quickly put together his parts and even took the time to drop a introduction for my own song “Totally Insane” which is the Project Born collabo joint from the upcoming Black Vinyl album.

You’ve got a dope video out now called “Totally Insane” with Project Born, tell me about that experience and the relationship you have with those Juggalo Legends?

Thanks fam, I am very happy how that video turned out. Shots out to Swigz and Low14Films for working their magic on it. The experience of making the video was so much fun. I tried to get real creative with this video and there were times I really felt like I was on a set making a movie. Project Born and DJ V1Rus came through to do their parts and it all came together perfect. I especially love all the incredible Flint Street Art that is on display in the video. It really brought a lot of energy to the production. I have a really cool relationship with Project Born. I consider them very good friends in my life.

I first met them at a show back in the early 90s opening up for Esham and ICP. They were very down to earth and cool from the moment I met them. Over the years when my own music career started taking off, I had the chance to do many shows with them. We developed a good friendship during these time and had a mutual respect of each other’s hustle and music. Around 2011 they approached me to start recording at my studio with me engineering their new album. We had great chemistry in the studio working together. PJB continued recording all their music with me throughout the following decade.

I have produced and collaborated on several songs with them including “Bedrock Beatdown” from my Zig Zag album, “Rap Bastard” along with Dice from my SD76 album, and “Nightmare Walkin” from PJB’s “Born Dead 3” album.  This new joint “Totally Insane” is my favorite of all our collabo tracks. The song turned out so well I knew I had to put together a spectacular music video to express my vision. In the video I portray an escaped mental patient spreading sick Hip Hop music through the streets of Flint. The video was released on Halloween 2020 and has been met with a great response.

I understand you got some very big news about a new album, I believe it’s called “Black Vinyl”. Please tell the readers about that album and why it’s so important to the culture of true underground hip hop…..not only because its a dope album but the fact that you’ve refused to let the ART OF SCRATCHING fade into the sunset. Tell them why that’s so essential to the culture?

Black Vinyl is my personal love letter to record collectors, beat makers, DJs, and those that still believe in Hip Hop. I have always felt the DJ is the backbone and essential part of Hip Hop. The elements of Hip Hop DJing, Rapping, Break-dancing, and Graffiti Art should never be taken from the music and culture. These components are what made it special and so ground breaking. It’s really amazing how the culture was built from using two turntables, records, and a microphone.

I have always done my best to honor and include these elements in my music, especially on this new album. Somewhere along the line when Hip Hop went commercial, greed came in, and many people lost the pure artform that started it all. So with this new album “Black Vinyl” I aim to showcase the art as the Hip Hop Gods intended. I have a DJ scratching on all 12 songs on this project. The fam DJ V1rus supplied cuts on 8 of the songs and DJ Zac Carter and DJ Psycho handled the other 4. Guests on the album include Pharlon, Project Born, Bootleg, Philosophy Cole, Jozi Whalez, Ill Tone, Syruz Grizm, Aslaam Mahdi, and Davey Devastator. I plan on releasing the album online plus I’ll be pressing up copies on both CD and Vinyl.

I’ve been a fan a long time of your stuff. Are you working on any on special projects or do you have special announcements to share exclusively with the ROX-TV readers?

Thank you very much. Right now I’m putting the final touches on “Black Vinyl” to be released in summer 2021. After that I have an instrumental album that I’m working on, a new Born Lethal collabo project with longtime friend Jozi Whalez, a project with the Detroit fam Origix called OG, and a new MixTape that I’ll be dropping for free in support of “Black Vinyl”. Two more music videos are in the works as well. I’m doing a double video for the title track “Black Vinyl” and my collabo with Pharlon “Warriors” which will feature a complex Kung Fu action scene, and a  comedic video for my new song “A Nobody”. I’m always working on beats too so I’m sure there will be some dope Hip Hop artists rocking Gozza beats this year too.

Shouts out. I’m old school and shouts out are essential. Shout out anyone you want brother…