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Trel Mack - Mack of the Year
 The city of Philadelphia definitely has made its mark in hip-hop over the years. In the early stages the city was first put on the map with Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith, Schoolly D, The Roots, and many others Philly has brought it’s share of hip-hop with it’s own unique sound. As Philly hip-hop continued to rise the 215 brought in the game more stars with Beanie Sigel, Eve, Cassidy, Gillie Da Kid, Elliot Ness, Freeway, and now as the Philly hip-hop generation continues to grow it’s next biggest star is on the way. After building a strong buzz over the internet with the hit singles “Autograph” and “Be Ya Man” a ladies man by the name of Trel Mack is here to make his way into the industry and that is definitely with the strength of Street Knowledge.
 Hailing from North Philadelphia Trel Mack is not your average MC, especially when it comes to the business. While many upcoming artists think that just making music is all you have to do to get in the game they have a lot to learn. By co-founding his own independent record label Street Knowledge Entertainment exposed Trel Mack to become more business savvy in the industry and more known for just music. While Philly is very known for it’s street DVD’s with some of the city’s best underground talent Trel Mack knows theres other things to get yourself in the game besides that. Linking up with one of his best friends and Nobodysmiling.com’s own Quinton Hatfield AKA "Q Tha Question" Trel Mack discusses how he feels on the current state of Philly hip-hop, why he makes music for the ladies, the new album “Mack of the Year”, and the future goals of SKE!
Nobodysmiling.com : First off being a new artist from Philly what does Trel Mack have to bring to the game?
Trel Mack : I gonna bring something different, something new, and something fresh. I gonna bring something unheard of before. I gotta come out here and kill it doing something different than what somebody else is doing. My whole thing is making music and doing other things business wise to get myself out there. I don’t care if it’s into stocks, owning clothing companies, record label which we already do with my ni**a Q-Hatfield which is Street Knowledge Entertainment and we about to make it happen this year.
Nobodysmiling.com : No doubt and thanks forgiving me the quick shout out real quick
Trel Mack : No doubt.
Nobodysmiling.com : How you feel currently about the Philly hip-hop scene right now?
Trel Mack : I mean the hip-hop scene is what it’s been. I ain’t really feeling it too much right now, because Philly don’t really have no outlets like I said before. We need to bring more Philly artists out there, we need to make a change in the hip-hop game and do it real big. We got a lot of street DVD ni**as and that’s all they know. I’m not gonna hate, but I’m just gonna do me, I got a whole different path I’m wanna follow. Ni**as need to follow my path, I’m not tryna be arrogant about it but it’s just my time to shine and that’s just how I feel. Do something different man, that street shit ain’t gonna last forever, do more than those DVD’s to get your self out there. I learned how it was back in the day when Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff had it, they was doing the damn thing back then. They knew how to bring a different approach the game to get themselves out there, now Will Smith is a movie star and everything. That’s what I’m tryna do with mine man, I’m tryna put Philly on to the map all across the globe, ya feel me.
Nobodysmiling.com : What part of Philly you representing?
Trel Mack : I’m representing “EA All Day” North Philly and that’s who I’m riding for right now.
Nobodysmiling.com : Being a Philly artist who you feel is holding Philly down right now?
Trel Mack : I f*cks with Gillie man, Gillie’s really holding it down for Philly. This ni**a reps Philly to the death. A couple other artists like Reed Dollarz, Joey Jihad, they doing their thing on the underground and I appreciate them for trying to put themselves out there to make it to this game. Of course myself, Q-Hatfield that’s my fuckin inspiration right there, shout out to you again, so that’s what it is man.
Nobodysmiling.com : Why you think it’s so hard for a lot of Philly artists to get in the game?
Trel Mack : It’s hard because their not following the path they need to follow man. They just doing the same old thing, they think they can just sit there and wait for somebody to come sign them and give them a deal. You gotta go out there and get it that’s what makes the business. Know your business before you do anything or you are going to come in this game and get messed up. That’s why it’s hard for Philly artists to get where they wanna be now, because they not following the right path they need to follow. Just go out there do what you do and make hits that the whole world can sing. Just don’t make something that your block can sing, because if you do that that’s the only fan base you gonna have is your block. I want go international man, like I said in my other interview I wanna take it to Mars and Pluto some shit unheard or seen, that’s how we got to do it down here.
Nobodysmiling.com : Like they say there is no money in that hood fame.
Trel Mack : I mean it’s all about how you do it. It’s a lot of cats that made a couple thousand with hood fame, but like I said that shit don’t last. Rap don’t last period, that’s why a lot of people getting into movies and stuff. You just gotta get that outlet where you can make a career out of your craft instead of just making it a hobby being some shit you just do here and there, you wanna do something big with it. Somebody will say “Yeah Trel Mack he killed it in the music game” that’s how I want people to see me as, ya feel me.
Nobodysmiling.com : Why you chose to make music for the ladies?
Trel Mack : That’s my style and that’s who I am. I never was no hard-core drug-dealer, I’m just being myself. I’m a ladies man, the ladies love me and I love them back so that’s who I really dedicate my life and my music to. I make a club banger here and there, a gangsta track I can do that too but my main focus is the ladies. Don’t forget the ladies always buy your albums, the ni**gas just dub the shit, Jada said it the best. That’s just what it is man.
Nobodysmiling.com : With that being said I know you had to be fan of LL Cool J.
Trel Mack : Of course I got a couple CD’s of his that I listen to now, I’m a big fan of LL. A lot of ni**as hate on LL talking about he getting old, but ni**as can’t say he getting old he did what he had to do in the game. If he wants to continue what he’s doing let that man do him. I fucks with LL, LL knows how to keep the ladies coming and that’s the path I’m on.
Nobodysmiling.com : What about Mase?
Trel Mack : Mase, that’s always gonna be my ni**a. Mase is a ladies man too, all the girls love Mase. Mase came and did his thing with the slow flow and ladies liked that because they felt they were being charmed and shit. Mase I fucks with that dude, Fabolous is hot too, Fabolous makes bangers for the ladies.
Nobodysmiling.com : That’s what sells the records too!
Trel Mack : Yeah that’s exactly what sells the records, big up to those guys for doing the thing.
Nobodysmiling.com : Now you work with an artist by the name of Crystyle Veron in London, can you tell me how that go down?
Trel Mack : Man Crystyle is amazing with the music. I met her through this website called soundclick.com. I sent her a message telling her I needed a singer to collab on a song with. I just went to her site and heard all this music that was so beautiful, I was like “Damn her voice is so powerful”. I was like “Damn I gotta work with her” so I had sent her a track from XZ big up to him on the beat for “Autograph”. He sent that to me and I got it to her and she did the hook and just murdered it I was like “Damn this girl is off the chain”. Ever since then we been collaborating, we did the song called “Ghetto Fabolous” and that is smashing them man. It’s crazy I just did my part on it and I think I did well. We just did a track called “I Wish” and that joun (Philly slang) is gonna be hot. That’s gonna be on the album “Mack of The Year”. In the future me and her are thinking about doing a future best of both worlds like Hov and R. Kelly did. It’s gonna be different, because it will be female on it that’s killing the whole CD. So I’m just preparing to drop this album and my boy Q Tha Question (Quinton Hatfield) is coming out with that mixtape Q Tha Question “So What’s Tha Motherfuckin Answer”, coming from Street Knowledge Entertainment so holla at that too.
Nobodysmiling.com : Can you explain the meaning behind “Autograph”?
Trel Mack : “Autograph” is just like my route to the fans, it’s to tell my fans that I got they back and they got mines. If you ask for my autograph I’m a give you my autograph, I’m never like the rude type. You know a lot of these rappers they got a big head about themselves, they don’t show no love to their fans. They just dish them off, if I see people chasing me I don’t care. If you ask me for my autograph it’s nothing to me, I would give you a hug, a kiss on the cheek but the girls only for that. It’s just showing my fans I’m there for them, if they embrace me I’m a embrace them back. It doesn’t matter I’m a show them the same amount of love and give them 10% more.
Nobodysmiling.com : Me and you started the label Street Knowledge Entertainment so for the fans that don’t know can you tell them how we meet and how that came about?
Trel Mack : That’s crazy when you meet somebody with the same grind level as you man. It’s this library in downtown Philly and I used to always go there everyday being on my grind looking for connects to get my music out on the internet. I used to see Q there and be like “That ni**a stay on his grind” and somehow we got the talking exchanging maths. We just exchanged big minds like “Damn Q be on his grind I be on my grind” so we put two minds together and made one big mind that’s gonna smash him. We came up with Street Knowledge Entertainment and that’s gonna be the heart of Philadelphia right there. We come from a whole different approach were as though that’s because we came from the street doesn’t mean doesn’t mean we got no knowledge. We know how to use your brains creatively, we just tryna venture out there and touch things that haven’t been touched before. That’s the whole mission and that’s what Street Knowledge Entertainment is all about.
Nobodysmiling.com : That’s what’s up you said that, because it’s a misconception that it’s a lot of dummies from the hood but it’s some smart cats in the hood just like us.
Trel Mack : Yeah that’s right all the smart people don’t come from the suburbs. We grew up here, this is where we was born and raised it’s not our fault. This is where we were raised, it’s not always where you from it’s how you bring yourself up. If you choose to do something different with your life and make something happen do what you do. A lot of people tell me “Damn Trel you don’t look like you from around here, you look like you should be in Hollywood or somewhere”. It’s just the way I carry myself, but “No ni**a this is where I was born man” it just I carry myself different from everyday else, ya feel me.
Nobodysmiling.com : Why you decide to call yourself Trel Mack?
Trel Mack : People been calling me that for years ever since I was young. Ever since I was a young bull they be like “Yo what’s good mack, what’s good Trel Mack”, because I was just a ladies man. I just ran with it and as I got older doing this rap thing it was like why not call myself Trel Mack, the ladies is who my music is for.
Nobodysmiling.com : Tell people the future goals of Street Knowledge Entertainment?
Trel Mack : It’s just so many goals man were tryna achieve. Were tryna get this music thing out here going all over the globe with that. Quinton Hatfield AKA Q Tha Question publicist/CEO/journalist is doing the thing and he’s gonna take that to another level because he’s a hip-hop journalist like no other. This ni**a ask anything he wants on point, because that’s what he do he ain’t afraid. We tryna get into the clothing line, our own magazine, getting into movies, our own movie company, were just tryna do big things. Not so much all about the music were going different with it and were gonna take it to a whole different level.
Nobodysmiling.com : Everyday we hustling legally!
Trel Mack : All day!
Nobodysmiling.com : Tell fans about this upcoming album “Mack of The Year”?
Trel Mack : “Mack of The Year” man that is coming soon. It’s gonna be a lot of hot joints on there, good production and everything. We got Eddie Kain a producer holding it down for Philly, me of course Trel Mack the upcoming artists coming out of Philly. We got Crystyle from London on there, it’s a lot of bangers on there for the ladies, and it got some things on there you can relate to. Big up to NOK Music Productions from Jersey and my other supporter we call young C.H. Crory Henderson doing the skits and everything. It’s gonna be a nice fun album man, it’s gonna be different from all these other albums in the streets right now. People gonna hear it and be like “This is hot, this should be on the market hard”. We don’t chase no labels we are the label. I wanna thank all the people who did those drops for us, it’s so many names I can’t remember but ya’ll know who ya’ll are. Trel Mack and Quinton Hatfield AKA Q Tha Question we appreciate that. Hopefully someday on the future we will be able to work with ya’ll cats and make this thing happen.
Nobodysmiling.com : Trust me we going to meet them and make it happen!
Trel Mack : Definitely man no doubt about that.
Nobodysmiling.com : Shout out to Nobodysmiling.com (NBS) for showing us some love, Trel anything to say to the fans out there?
Trel Mack : Definitely hit me up “Mack of the Year” comes out this year. Fans can get at me on myspace.com/trelmackmusic and shout out everybody that embraced me helping me get through this. Shout-out to Q Tha Question get at him on myspace.com/qhatfield, Crory Henderson AKA Young C.H., and Street Knowledge Entertainment for life. I wanna give a big shout-out to Shawn Skeen for hooking me up for Nobodysmiling.com, all the artists in the game that gave us the drops Bobby Valentino, Joe, Twista, DJ Khaled, Omarion, Paul Wall, Devin The Dude, everybody.
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