Mr. Capone-E vs. Sick Jacken
versus
tue 9/30/2008
| name | Fahad Azam. | Jack González. |
| hometown | Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley. | Los Angeles' Pico-Union district. |
| age | Thirty-ish. | Thirty-ish. |
| 10 years ago | In and out of jail for gang-related activities. | Half of Psycho Realm with his brother Duke. |
| the look | Bald and beautiful. | Bald and beautiful. |
| self-described style | "Sureño Hip hop." | Hip hop. |
| gangsta lean | For parties. | For funerals. |
| label | Hi-Power Entertainment. | Sick Symphonies and Ruff House Records. |
| homies | Mr. Criminal, Lil Rob, Fingazz, MC Magic. | Mr. Cartoon, Esteban Oriol, DJ Muggs, Immortal Technique. |
| debut album | Mr. Capone-E & The Southsiders. | The Psycho Realm. |
| signature track | You Should Be a Model. | In This Lifetime. |
| killer collab | I Like It with Nate Dogg. | Stone Garden with B-Real. |
| headlines | Concert promoter cancels Mr.Capone-E concert due to fear of gang violence. | Psycho Realm forced into hiatus after Duke is shot and later paralyzed from the neck down. |
| in their own words | "I now see ex-gangsters trying to start a clothing line or a magazine or a car businesses or they're into graphics. Ten years ago, when I got my start, there was none of that. They looked at people like me and said, 'Damn, you're doing that, I'm going to do this.'" - Mr. Capone-E | "We don't have day jobs so this is what helps us make the music you like to hear. If you like something that you know an artist is bringing, invest in that artist and let him keep making that music you like to hear. All-Star shit aside, you guys help us eat." - Sick Jacken |
| most recent release | Dedicated 2 The Fans. | The Legend Of The Mask & The Assassin (with DJ Muggs). |
| the critics | Music Reviewer: "What separates Mr. Capone-E from the pack is his ability to continue to fashion intriguing arrangements which add, rather than overwhelm, intriguing beats, and laying everything with interesting lyrics." |
Remix Magazine: "If Sick Jacken isn't well known above ground, he will be. His biographical sketches and poignant calls to squash street violence are in a class of their own. Hear the sound of legends being made." |
| webprops | 139,035 friends on official MySpace. | 18,506 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Pleading love to his girl in Let Me Love You Girl. | Traveling to the other side in Land Of Shadows. |
Mr. Criminal
as seen on myspace
mon 9/15/2008
Although rapper-producer Mr. Criminal reps the Los Angeles hipster haven of Silverlake, California, he contends there's only one way to describe his style: "West Coast Southside G-funk Latino gangster shit."
Since hooking up with Hi Power Entertainment eight years ago – when it was still run by Chicano rap star Mr. Capone-E – Roberto Garcia, aka Mr. Criminal, has been nothing short of prolific. He's released an album every year since 2003, beginning with Criminal Mentality and followed by Organized Crime (2004), Sounds of Crime (2005) and Stay On The Streets (2006). Last year's Ryder Muzic spawned the underground banger Side to Side and the L.A. radio hit Mami Mira, a breezy party jam featuring the earworm vocals of West Coast veteran Nate Dogg. Music blog Idolator says Criminal's beats are "custom-made for riding low, and serve as evidence that he loves the sound of breaking glass."
On his latest release, Rise to Power, Mr. Criminal teams up with East Coast gangster Fat Joe on Drop It N Rock It, a club-ready track that could just as easily be found on an album by T-Pain or Akon. But make no mistake, there are enough of Mr. Criminal's Zapp & Roger-influenced beats on on Mr. Criminal’s latest tracks to keep lowriders bumping and heads nodding until he drops his next album.
Mr. Capone-E
as seen on myspace
fri 3/28/2008
There's no question Los Angeles rap veteran Mr. Capone-E is down for la raza: "I was raised with homies and the culture… I'm down to do whatever it takes to have better opportunities for the gente." Whether he's of Pakistani descent is less clear.
Mr. Capone-E spent the '90s in and out of prison before transitioning into Chicano rap in 2000. The self-described "Sureño rapper" has released over 10 albums, most of them on the label he founded, Hi Power Entertainment and has also collaborated with artists like MC Magic, ODM and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, among others. Smoothed-out tracks like Don't Get It Twisted featuring Twista and I Like It featuring Nate Dogg have helped Mr. Capone-E get mainstream radio play in LA, including Chicano rap shows like Pocos Peros Locos on Power 106.
An entrepreneur as well as a performer, Mr. Capone-E recently sold Hi Power Entertainment, home to acts like Mr. Silent, Scrappy Loco and Bizzy Bone. But he's promised to launch a new label, with his first signing to be partner-in-rhyme Mr. Criminal while his own solo album, Diary of a G is scheduled for release later this year. For his haters, Mr. Capone-E offers a humble comeback: "I am doing what I can to keep bringing up the movement."
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