CHAUNDON

CAD: Where are you from?

CHAUNDON: I was born and raised in The South Bronx. Hunts Point avenue to be exact.

CAD: You attended North Carolina Central University. How important is an education for anyone who wants to be involved in the music industry?

CHAUNDON: Education is extremely important in this industry because it is a business after all. The term "knowledge is power" really applies to this industry. They will exploit your ignorance within the blink of an eye once they find out you don't know what you are talking about. So arm yourself with enough information to protect yourself and prosper in the long run. Unfortunately music is not that important to the labels. They just want the plan to sell whatever it is you are recording.

CAD: What do you remember most from your early days performing on college campuses and in clubs?

CHAUNDON: Ah man! The energy is what I remember most. It was exciting and new. Without being played on the radio, before the days of hip hop blogs, it was the energy from the people in the crowd that made the shows unforgettable.

CAD: Who were some of your music influences?

CHAUNDON: My influence began with the local artists in my neighborhood. Mike Smooth(R.I.P) and my boy Fred Black who actually got me to start rappin and taught me how to freestyle. After that my influence came from Big Daddy Kane, Kool G. Rap, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, and EPMD to name a few.

CAD: How did you initially hook up with super producer 9th Wonder?

CHAUNDON: I met him on campus when I transferred to North Carolina Central University in 1999.

CAD: In your opinion, has the Internet hurt or helped hip hop?

CHAUNDON: It did both. It helped by connecting the artists to fans they would probably would have never been exposed to with out it. It hurt by the over saturation of music. The people nowadays don't value music like we did in the 80's and 90's. Back then we would buy and album and sit with it for a year before we even think of asking for another one. Today, an artist drops an album at 11am, the people want a new album by 7:30 pm

CAD: Tell the people a little about your website.

CHAUNDON: www.chaundon.com is not just a website to highlight myself. I made this platform for artists who are unable to be seen and heard on bigger sites. There is too much red tape in hip hop these days. You either have to pay, know somebody or be co-signed by a particular "taste maker". At www.chaundon.com if your music is dope, its on the site. It also serves as a platform for the artists to connect with potential fans. Plus we don't do the gossip blogs or highlight beef. Nor do we highlight mainstream artists. There are millions of websites that already do that. www.chaundon.com is the alternative in order to find great music with out having to sift through 100,000 artists that have no business rapping, producing, or DJaying. We are rebuilding the Hip Hop Community one member at a time.

CAD: What is your advice for young artists in the Carolinas?

CHAUNDON: My advice is to master your craft and be consistent. Do not compromise your integrity to sell a record. And do not under any circumstance measure your success to the next person. It will only drive you crazy and it will affect your music in a negative way.

CAD: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

CHAUNDON: In 5 years I will open my restaurant and will be selling my cook book and dvd.

CAD: What projects are you currently working on?

CHAUNDON: Right now I am wrapping up an album produced by Shuko & The Gunna. No title as of yet and the release date has not been determined yet.

CAD: Shout outs...

CHAUNDON: Shout out to my Hall Of Justus Family, Focus, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, DJ Eclipse, The Bash Brothers and everyone else out there who are contributing quality music to our culture.