Royalty

Los Angeles rapper Royalty has built an remarkable fanbase on MySpace with a grassroots hustle and unofficial remixes of hit songs like Rihanna's "Unfaithful" and Chris Brown's "With You." The self-proclaimed "King of MySpace" talks to us about his grind, why he posted his phone number on MySpace and getting sandwiched between Baby Bash and Pitbull.

Why Royalty?

I'm glad you asked this question because I love to answer this. People on the street always ask me this question as well. My biggest inspiration and idol in music would be the legendary Prince. I love everything about this dude – his style, his swag, the way people hate on him for being different. Yet they still love him. His presence just demands attention and respect. I've always wanted to walk in the same footsteps and could only hope my career to be like 10 percent of his. I couldn't take the name "Prince, Jr.", so I took the next closest thing, Royalty!

Are you Latino?

My father is Puerto Rican, he came from the island when he was 20 years old. He fell for this amazing white woman who nine months later would become my mom. Haha. So I'm mixed, Puerto Rican and white.

What makes you different from the thousands of "MySpace MCs" out there?

Other MCs try too hard to become accepted. A lot of people expect fans to just fall in love with them and praise them. That's not the way the game works. Instead of focusing all my time and effort in my local area, I've spent hours upon hours on MySpace, reaching out to fans from all over the world. So while these other artists sell 100 copies of their mix-tapes or albums to friends and fans in their neighborhood, I'm selling my records to people in different countries.

How do you plan on taking over the world?

As an artist, I just want to have one or two great years and have a worldwide hit record. Then I will branch off and pass the torch to the next in line. I don't want to be in the spotlight when I'm 30 or above. I'd rather be doing TV and movies at that age. Or sitting back being the CEO of a record company that gives people with real talent a chance. Because these days, major labels seem to overlook talent and sign artists with some bullsh** album sales or radio play. I'm in the industry to make great music and I want to help those who want to do the same.

What's up with all those remixes popping up on your MySpace?

Remixes have always played a huge role in my career. My first huge opportunity actually came from an unofficial remix of Rihanna's single Unfaithful. The song blew up on Myspace, receiving over 1,000 downloads per day. It soon crossed over from MySpace to radio, and over 30 radio stations across the U.S had the remix in full rotation. Def Jam was not to happy about that! Haha! I now have five mix-tapes full of remixes available for sale. I only make remixes to songs that I truly vibe with and feel it would sound better with a Royalty verse on it.

Is MySpace the only way for an independent artist to survive?

I don't think it is the only way for an indie artist to survive, but I do feel it is vital. I have booked over 200 shows and appearances through MySpace. I have sold over 10,000 albums through MySpace, I have a clothing line for sale on my page. MySpace has given me an opportunity that would have taken me at least five to 10 years to achieve. I have over 115,000 fans worldwide on the site. Over 10 million plays and six million profile views. MySpace is helping me become a household name.

You have 115,000 friends on MySpace? Are you using bots (computer programs that add friends)? Be honest.

Honestly, when I first started MySpace there were no bots. I was putting in about eight to 12 hours per day, going through the "browse" section just begging women to check out my music. Eventually people started to grow a bit curious about me when all these girls suddenly had me in their "Top 8" next to Baby Bash and Pitbull.

I've never used a bot, I wish they would have been around when I started. Not to spam people, though. But they do make it a lot less time consuming. With 115,000 friends, it's hard to reply to every message and comment, a lot of people get upset that I don't always respond. I just try to tell everyone that I do appreciate and love every time they reach out to me, it's just impossible to respond to everything. That's why I have my cell phone number on my MySpace page now. I'm in the studio so much or traveling – I can't always get on MySpace. But I love my fans enough to want to stay in contact with them. So I gave them access to reach me directly. Holla!

Visit Royalty on MySpace.