Being an underground MC has its price. Sometimes it is hard to get the recognition you deserve and hard to get people to remember your name. But Baby Krown will not have that problem. Baby Krown is a born and raised San Diego MC and has a legendary cousin in San Diego by the name of Cricet. He has already been putting in work by doing shows and battling to get his rep bigger. He has made a strong name for himself now and is in the position to take his skills to the next step by releasing a full-length album. He possesses the will and desire you need to make in the Hip-Hop game and he will no doubt excel in it. When his album finally comes out, he will let everyone know that he is "King."

JC: So how long have you been rhyming and MCing?

Baby Krown: About eight years.

Now how long have you been taking this seriously? When did you start actually wanting to do this for a career?

About three or four years.

How did you get start getting into it seriously? Did you meet someone or did you just decide?

Being from Dago and what not, I looked up to all the Dago pioneers as far as people that was doing it back in 1990, 1989 and s**t like that when they used to have the battle of MC's back at "Fam Bam." The Aztec Tribe, Black Mikey, my cousin Cricet, One Nation, are people that started the shit in Dago as far as I can say. They put the foundation down for MC's like me and other MC's that are probably out here in San Diego that won't say. But I guarantee that if they didn't see those cats doing it, they probably wouldn't be as strongly influenced how they are today.

Coming from San Diego, how has it influenced your music and what you do?

I can't really say. I got my own style. I didn't want to be like them. I wanted to be different. A lot of people, when they hear my stuff, they say I sound like this, but certain songs I sound different.

Now have you done performances and things like that back in the day before you started really coming out now, and how was the fan response?

Yeah, me and my cousin, Cricet, did the Greek show back in 1995. I did a couple of shows at the Thomas Payne. Mr. O's and Ministry. A lot of different places. And the fans, they dig it. They know, most definitely.

What is the title of your new current project?

The Outcome.

What is the concept behind the project?

The title means finally coming. The outcome is going to be what you are hearing on the album. And after you hear the album, you are going to know the outcome. I got a lot of variety of things that I'm talking about on the album. It's not based on one thing. I mix it around. I got some party cuts. I got some pure Hip-Hop cuts. Then I got some little R&B singing on my s**t. So it's a lot of different stuff. It's a good vibe.

What is the meaning behind the name Baby Krown?

Back in the day, anyone in San Diego can tell you about the Krown King Masitcor's. It was me and my cousin, Cricet, and we was known as the Krown King Masitcor's. Being that I'm Cricets little cousin, and I was real lyrical, I had the name Baby Krown King. Ever since then, it has always been Baby Krown. I kind of stuck with and I don't even want to change it because it's the first rap name I had and I want to keep it.

Was Cricet the one who first put you on?

Yeah. He didn't even know I was rappin'. I used to be in the lab. I wanted to study Hip-Hop first. You know you got cats that just come out and they sound garbage because they don't love it. So I wanted to study it and love it before I even tried to speak or rap some Hip-Hop. So my cousin didn't even know I was rappin'. For three years he didn't know. At Rockers, I just came up and started freestylin' and he looked at me like, 'What was that.' As far as puttin' me on, yeah.

Now have you done cuts with Cricet back in the day?

Yeah. As a matter of fact, his new album that is coming out, I'm on six cuts along with Steve Vicious.

Now is Steve Vicious going to be doing the production for you?

Steve is doing a little of the production. I got other producers.

Are you going to be featuring other people on the album or is it strictly going to be just yourself?

I got other people that are going to be featured on there. I'm in the mix of working things out with other artists.

Are you doing more shows now that you are getting close to putting an album out?

Right now we are just focusing on the album. When shows come up, most definitely no hesitation. You know I love to rock a show.

When you sit down and write your songs, are there any rituals you go through?

Nah. When I write my songs, I write them acapella. I don't use no music. I just sit there and think about what's going on, as far as in the streets. It's just a thinkin' process.

Do you sit down with concepts first or do you just start writing?

I like to have a concept first because it's easier that way, because to me when you sit down and you just start writing and you don't have a title. Most people just do it like that, they just write some s**t and then they make a title up later, but it's just different strokes for different folks. I like to have a title, so that way I can feed off my title and keep the title in my mind.

With other people doing the production, are you ever going to step into that area?

I'm going to step into production. I had a lot to say in some of the cuts I have made. I don't know how to play the instruments but I can tell you what I want. I'm getting better as far as the ear for what I want.

In all the things that you have done in Hip-Hop, what is your most memorable experience?

When I slayed Twice As Nice. I'm saying names. If any muthaf**ka want to bring it to me, I want you to write it down. Bring it. Because I'm a MC first homie. When I slayed Twice As Nice, those were the two MC's that muthaf**kas thought they had skills, but when I slayed them in front of everybody at Golden Hills Park. Nah, but when I tore they asses up, that was the most memorable. That was my first big name MC, from what I heard.

So are you still taking to heart battling?

It's to the side. But if any muthaf**ka wants to test me, I will not shut my mouth. You got some MC's that just gotta battle. Battlin' is always going to be a part of a MC's life because that's what we know. It's just like gang bangin', you know 'What's up Blood, what's up Cuz,' and they get their little fight on. As far as MC's go, you know you step to me homie and I'm not gonna run.

Do you find yourself getting battled more these days or has it slowed down?

Nah, people don't step to me. You know what it is, I keep it cool with whoever. I don't go out thinking I'm the best MC because when you do that, people are going to step to you. When you got a big head. You can't have a big head. You gotta always be humble when it comes to anything.

How do you feel you are going to find your place in Hip-Hop when your albums drops? What do you feel you are going to change?

As far as changing, the way I come off being from the West Coast. You got West Coast MC's, it ain't no puzzle, that want to be from New York and real perpetratin'. I'm gonna represent the West Coast to the fullest with skills. A MC with skills. A lot of people when they hear me rap they be like, "Man you can't be from San Diego." That's what it is, the MC from Dago need to represent San Diego. Represent it right. When I say represent it right, I mean quit talking with a f**king accent like you are from New York. Represent it and don't be ashamed, because that's the difference between us and them. Like Jayo Felony, he's a cool MC but he ain't from San Diego, he's from Virginia. But he came to Dago in 89. But I'm pure San Diego with skills. Let'em know you're from Dago and that's the good thing about it. The change I'm gonna bring in is the way I'm comin' off and I'm comin' off tremendously.

How do you feel about San Diego's Hip-Hop community? Do you feel we have gotten the ball rolling, or do we still need to do something?

We got the ball rolling. For us to have the B-Boy Summit down here when we had it down here. Back then we had the ball rolling. There are die hard Hip-Hop fans down here.

What would you like to see change in San Diego?

Just how people be perpetrating. I wish the perpetrators would represent their s**t right. Don't be somebody you're not. Find your own image man.

What is the future of Baby Krown?

Platinum hits baby. Platinum hits.

If you could say one thing to everyone in Hip-Hop, what would it be?

Don't sleep on San Diego. For real, don't sleep on Dago.

SDU