Music is something that’s always been a natural attraction for me. I always know I’m going to like a song after I press play and my head immediately starts nodding after the first 10-15 seconds of it playing. That happens to me whenever I listen to the 17-year-old, Chicago native, Martin $ky’s music. I turned on the song Sold by him and I simultaneously connected with the song as I heard it through my MacBook Pro’s speakers, sitting in my room and listening to it with an open mind.

“I’m always making music. I never see my friends” is one of the lines in the song Sold by $ky. Most 17-year-old guys nowadays probably spend their free time going to parties screaming “YOLO!” and chasing after girls while $ky simply states, “…had my first show in months and y’all niggas ain’t even show up.” He also goes on to say, “I ain’t seen my girl in months though, she prolly think I’m cheatin’.” This is all stated in the song Sold where he raps about how hard he’s been grinding musically.

Martin $ky says he began rapping at age 15 and has been producing his own beats since he was at the young age of 13. He said he started out being in a group called Modern Vintage but that no one was as serious as he was so he decided to eventually make Modern Vintage (MV$$) his own solo project. He’s now been doing nothing but grinding and trying to get his name out there in the Underground Hip-Hop industry.

Kisanii Flow: Who are your biggest Hip-Hop influences?

Martin $ky: Kid Cudi, Curren$y, MF Doom, and Yeezy.

Kisanii Flow: Out of those artists, who would you say are the most artistic and why?

Marin $ky: Kid Cudi because he kind of made what he wanted and his sound made him become his own category of music. Like, I wish I could do some shit like that.

KF: You can. What do you think sets you apart from other artists?

M$: Well, I make my own beats and I just follow the foundation that’s been there for me. A lot of other artists feel the need to dumb down their music. I just make what I feel and it all comes together.

KF: What message do you want to send out to people?

M$: Do what you want. Also, as cheesy as it sounds, you can be whatever you want to be.

KF: What kind of audience do you lean your music towards?

M$: The Hip-Hop heads, the know-it-all hipsters, and just regular people. I want everybody to mess with my music really.

KF: What kind of kid were you growing up?

M$: I was just an average kid. I played games, went outside, and watched TV. I used to want to be like the people in the music videos though. That shit was cool to me.

KF: What do you want people to see you as?

M$: The dude that was always working, never slept, and was just cool as fuck.

KF: Who’s your favorite producer?

M$: 9th Wonder.

KF: J. Dilla or Madlib?

M$: Dilla.

KF: Why?

M$: His stuff was so cold. Like, his beats were hella dreamy and solid sounding. Plus, as crazy as it sounds, some of his songs speak to me in a way. I could listen to them all day. I got a whole playlist of just Dilla beats. Plus, the Donut concept was cool… nothing wrong with Madlib though.

KF: Do you produce for other people or just yourself?

M$: Just myself.

KF: Would you produce for other people or no?

M$: Yeah, I wouldn’t mind producing for some people.

KF: There are a lot of young rappers in Chicago trying to make it in the game right now. I’m sure you know and have heard of some of them. What native Chicago rappers do you listen to and support?

M$: Aw yeah. A couple of older cats have been reaching out to me and what not. I hella support the homie Julian Malone and Fonz-E Mak. They’ve really been showin’ love and what not. I mess with Rockie Fresh too because he seems pretty cold… all these other dudes too cocky.

KF: Any upcoming projects? What’s your goal for 2012?

M$: Well, I just dropped my 2nd EP but I won’t be releasing anymore projects until the buzz grows a little more. I may drop another EP in the near future though. Goal for 2012 though? Eh, I just want to be further than where I am now. I’ve got high hopes for the rest of the year and a lot of stuff is coming my way.

KF: Any last comments?

M$: Just remember the name and expect to hear more from me soon for everybody that’s still sleepin’.

Wteve Baker is a young 18-year-old rapper from Maywood, Illinois. He says he’s always rapped but just began taking his career seriously over the summer of his junior year in high school. Baker’s mixtape 40z & Nintendo’s just dropped recently on January 21, 2012 and is already impressing many. The meaning behind his mixtape is the relationship between him and his father which never turned out to be what he wanted. “He’s an alcoholic and the only time we spent time together was when he was playing nintendo’s or drunk off 40z”, Baker says. Baker’s mixtape takes a rebellious teenage approach while the the first song on the tape is entitled, ‘Ignorant’. He discusses a lot of topics in his raps that other teens can relate and nod their heads to. Click on the link below to download Wteve Baker’s mixtape.

http://hulkshare.com/tr2ek5nb23rp

Remember the show “Cat Dog” that came on Nickelodeon in the ‘90’s and the early 2,000’s? Viva Galindo whom is publicly known under the DJ name “Meow Mixx”, is a native from Chicago’s north side. She spins alongside her friend Ari aka “DJ Prudence” in their music collaboration Cat Dog. Meow Mixx is the cat and DJ Prudence is the dog. Although Meow Mixx has been active in the underground music industry since 2010, she says she’s only been spinning for six months. “I have gotten to work with well known DJs. My friend Ari and I created Vivo Productions, which is an underground crew. We throw events all over the city of Chicago. We throw loft parties, raves, whatever you like to call it… I spin acid house, and old school house. Ari spins more ghetto tech and neo-house”, she exclaimed. Over the weekend I got the opportunity to interview Meow Mixx for Kisanii Flow via Facebook. She’s such a down-to-earth and quirky girl and her often different colored hair matches the vibrant music that she creates. Her mixes make you want to do nothing but get up and dance with it’s upbeat sounds.

Check out Cat Dog’s soundcloud at http://soundcloud.com/cat-dog-2 and click here to like their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-Dog/265064110182724?sk=wall.

Kisanii Flow: Being that you are a Chicago native and that House Music originated in Chicago in the early 1980’s, how important is it to you to keep holding the scene together? What do you plan on doing to keep people interested and keep things fresh and new for your audiences?

Meow Mixx: Keeping the scene together is probably the most important thing in my life right now. We throw house parties all over the city and promote local DJ’s. We also throw shows with local bands and fundraisers for our friends. I send out our flyers all over the Midwest, and I keep in touch with other crews from the city.

Kisanii Flow: I saw tagged pictures via Facebook of you painting something. Is painting another art form that you take seriously, or is it just a hobby that you do in your spare time?

Meow Mixx: I recently just started painting. I’ve been using oil pastels for a few years and I’ve finally taken it to the next level. I guess you could say, I really just love art. Wherever it ends up taking me, I’m down.

KF: How does it feel to not only be an upcoming DJ but also a very young business woman that’s already started her own company? Do you have any advice that you would give to aspiring young artists that want to join the music game?

MM: In the beginning it was extremely nerve wrecking. The industry is a really tough place to make it in as a woman, but they eventually saw that I wasn’t leaving. My advice would be, always stay true to yourself, play what you want, have fun, and don’t give up.

KF: Who’s your biggest musical inspiration?

MM: My friends are my biggest inspiration. They have played at North Coast, Lolla, and Dayglow. Seeing them grow up and become well known is what keeps me going.

KF: Which do you prefer? Actually spinning records the old school way or doing things digitally? Why?

MM: Personally, I would love to spin on vinyl but it’s really expensive. Haha. I spin digitally. I wouldn’t say it’s easier but you can store more music on a hard drive or USB than you can on a crate of records.

KF: Any upcoming projects or events?

MM: My friend and I are spinning at Roundeye in February. Also, we’re throwing an event called Francotopia in April. Hopefully we’ll be spinning at an after party in Detroit during DEMF weekend.

When I was a kid, my parents used to throw house parties in our basement and I grew up falling asleep to house music. I’m happy to say that I have finally found a way to put my love for music to use.

Sidenote: Kisanii Flow does not own any of these pictures.