Harlem’s own Jae Millz took the industry by storm with his slick lyrics and ability to lyrically body MC’s at the drop of a dime. Discovered by the late, great Tupac Shakur’s wife, the youngster slowly but surely etched his name into the brains of hip-hop heads everywhere. Influenced by Big L, Cam’Ron, and Mase, three guys who he saw on the block everyday growing up, his Harlem swagger is apparent in every single verse he drops.

It wasn’t long before Steve Rifkind, the man credited with jumpstarting the careers of The Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep,  came and snatched Millz up. Unfortunately, thatesituation just didn’t work out. Jae is now repping his WannaBlow Entertaninment label to the fullest and is sure to surprise a lot of people in 2008.

What's good man?  

What up? What’s good? First off I wanna say Happy New Year to all the readers and the whole Sixshot.com team for reaching out to do this interview. Other than that everything is everything... I just dropped a mixtape called Zone Out Season. I put it out on the internet first, on my myspace page at www.myspace.com/jaemillz  and within a week the downloads was crazy!

So tell us man, you grew up in Harlem, around Mase, Cam, Big L. What was your relationship with them like?

Well actually, I didn’t grow up around them as far as being childhood friends and all,
but basically they grew up on like 139th, 140th 7 Lenox or so and I grew up on 144th and Lenox, but they we're a couple years older than me. I just always remember Big L riding a bike or walking to the pizza shop on 145th and he always, and I mean always had the newest Gortex or Timbs or the newest, Pelle's or Avirex's. I remember all that, for real.
Rest in peace to my G Big L too.

What was it like for you growing up in Harlem?

Just like it was for anybody else growing up in Harlem. It was about staying fly, going to all the parties, you know, trying not to get snatched up by the boys because nobody wanna be locked up. You know regular shit but some of my days was different because I used to go to niggas blocks 15 deep like what’s good! If he hot, where he at? That was how most of my days were spent after I hit like 13.  

What made you get into rhyming?

I was always into music as a kid, my uncles and aunts played everything from Guy to De La Soul in my grandmoms crib, and so I soaked all that up. Back then though, I was on my drawing shit, cartooning and fashion and all that. But in like 7th grade I started taking rap serious. I was probably one of the worst niggas ever to put a rap together back then, but by like late 8th grade I was a fucking beast, early!

We've seen you on the DVD's battling when you were already put on. Do you think people respect that even though you were signed, you would step into the battle ring?

Honestly, I don’t give two shits what people respect; everyday it’s something new with these hating ass critics. Me doing all that Smack shit and Mixshow Power Summit battle,  shit was me just showing I don’t give a fuck! That was me showing a deal doesn’t matter, a deal don’t make me. You gotta respect that!

You actually got discovered by Tupac's wife right? Tell us about that.

Yea, I did.  I was at my little brothers basketball game up in Harlem, and I was known for getting in battles, that was my rep in the hood and i started battling this kid while the game was going on. She overheard some of the shit I was saying, took my phone number, and later on that night she came and got me my mom's and my brother and took us down to the Hit Factory in downtown Manhattan.  That was the night I met Tone and Nige, WannaBlow Entertainment.
 
What is Wanna Blow Entertainment and what is your role in the company?

WannaBlow Entertainment is the label that I been with since that night, that’s what I ride for, that’s what I rep. What Jay-Z was to Roc-a-fella, and what Eminem was to Aftermath. That’s what I am to WannaBlow Entertainment, simple as that.  

How did you get with SRC? Are you still with them and are you happy with the situation?  

Basically, the SRC situation came when I went to Universal Records after I left Warner Bros. Records. I was signed to Universal before alot of the staff changes happened, so when the "new" people and the "new" staff came in the higher powers that be decided the whole Jae Millz "rap" thing should be under a more "rap-friendly" environment, feel what I’m saying? And for the record, no, I’m not on Universal/ SRC no more but there's definitely a trick up my sleeve though.

Do you feel the mixtape game has changed a lot?

Hell yeah! And not for the best either, this shit is crazy now. The mixtape game was already fucked up, now it’s basically over! That’s why I made my latest mixtape Zone Out Season, a free download mixtape because at the end of the day it aint even worth the bullshit.

You were on the "Ridin' Dirty" NYC remix, was that a real good look for you?

What? Are u fucking kidding me? Of course!!!... Shout out to my man Chamillionaire too, he looked out on that. He saw and knew what was going on with my project over there, and honestly he ain't have to throw me on there, at all!

But it most definitely was a good look overall, that was one of the, if not thee biggest song of that year. So with me being on the remix, what does that say? 

How do you feel about the music coming out of Harlem right now?

No comment! I plead the 5th!!

Where can we expect Jae Millz to be in 5 years in the game?

Who knows, but I definitely wanna be doing something else other than rap music. No disrespect intended, but ya boy is a bit bigger than putting words together in a booth. So whatever its gonna be, its gonna be some big shit. Big business, ya dig.

You've worked with a lot of big producers, anybody in particular that you just have a great chemistry with?

Believe it or not, I’ve worked with alot of producers, and I’ve never felt more comfortable than when I record in Miami with Cool and Dre. The vibe is just on some fuck it, we gonna chill, record, joke, get dressed, pull the cars out, and take this shit to the club. No wait for the label ok or nothing, we just lay it, go to whatever club is poppin' that night and play it! I fucks wit them. 

Were you ever signed to or managed by Puff?

Nah, never. That’s just extended family, all the way, he good peoples. I fuck with Puff hard body too.
 
So tell us man, what can we be checking for in the near future? I know you got a lot poppin'.

Well, before we end this I wanna tell everybody one more time to make sure you go download that Zone Out Season mixtape from my MySpace page . It's free, the only thing you gotta pay is attention, feel me? And last but not least look out for that "Holla at a Playa" remix, featuring my homie Lil Wayne. He was on the "Bring It Back" remix I did, along with Fabolous so I know ain't nobody expecting this. I'm about to smash the radio and the streets with that in a couple weeks.
 

Anything you'd like to say to your fans at Sixshot.com?

Just keep supporting ya boy, keep fucking with me. I know the wait been long, but its gonna all be worth it. Again download the mixtape, there's production from Ron Browz, Minnesota, L.V, Arm and V.Don, and this new producer I been working with out of Boston named J.Cardim and that’s basically it. Just look out in these next couple of months, I might drop some news and shock the whole industry! Stay tuned.

This interview was conducted and written by Jon Michael. For comments or suggestions, hit him up at sixshotjm@gmail.com