“Gettin DOWN with The SOURCE”
“Gettin DOWN with The SOURCE”
Interview By: Mike Recka
Website: http://www.thesource.com
TXRap: 1st of all, we here @ TXRap.com would like to thank you takin time out
of your busy schedule to do this interview & congradulate you on
your success as CEO of both The SOURCE & DOWN Magazine. Can you explain
how you made the transition from being an “employee” @ The SOURCE to
becoming the actuall “employer?”
J.Miller: I’m still making that transition. I have an “open door” policy, where
all of our employees can come see me anytime about anything, which I
think comes from my years of being a “regular” employee. But, I think
that policy is abused from time to time and some people forget at the
end of the day that I’m still their boss. Sometimes I have to restrict
myself from too much interaction, ALL the time, to try create the
boss/employee line in tact.
TXRap: Being that you’re a “white” person in a predominately “black” business,
do you find it hard to convince people that you’re a genuine Hip Hop
lover & not just another guy tryna capitolize on this billion dollar
industry?
J.Miller: It’s rarely been in an issue. I can’t think of anytime where I got the
impression someone didn’t think my interest was genuine. Usually after a
few minutes of conversation, and them getting my history of being atThe
Source since I was 18, and working here for free for nearly a year just
because of my love for the music, they seem to understand that I’m into
it for much more than the business.
TXRap: Now we’ve all heard the verbal lashing former SOURCE CEO Benzino
directed towards both you & OZONE Magazine CEO, Julia Beverly. Have you
& Benzino gotten a chance to talk & settle your differeances in a
peacefull manner?
J.Miller: Not really. We saw each other at court (for the Kim Osorio sexual
harassment trial) and he said something like, “Hey, at least we can
be on the same team here,” but he still calls randomly up to the office
to curse, rant & rave, etc. It’s more funny now than anything. We think
we should just hook a recorder up to the phones and record him, ’cause
some of his lines are really funny. He creates very interesting ways to
curse people out.
TXRap: DOWN Magazine has grown to become one of the most successfull Southern
based magazines since it’s initial launch a few years ago. Out of all
the regions in the US, what made you wanna dedicate a magazine strickly
about the South?
J.Miller: That’s always been my preference of styles within hip-hop. When Cash
Money came out and was doing it big back in ‘97 and ‘98 I really began
to notice a huge difference in the style of music that I preferred–it
was almost exclusively Southern. It’s still that way now, really.
Especially the music in Texas. I still think the “Wreckshop Records
Era” in Houston–towards the late 90s–is one of the best periods in
hip-hop. And I still love to hear a verse start with, “I’ma come down.”
TXRap: Besides running 2 of the biggest Hip Hop Magazines in the world, are
there any other ventures you’re persuing right now?
J.Miller: I’ve got a new website called mixtapeofthemonth.com. With the mixtape
market getting so cluttered, I created a site where you can subscribe
for 3 - 24 months to get anywhere between 1 and 3 different mixtapes in
the mail each month. You can choose between the genre’s also–there’s a
southern package, east coast package or the mixed package. We do the
work of finding the quality DJs so you don’t have to worry about it.
TXRap: Now we all know that The SOURCE Magazine is known as “The Hip Hop
Bible.” With that being said, how do you personally feel about the term
“Hip Hop Is Dead?”
J.Miller: I think it’s ridiculous. Look at most of the people
saying that–how old are they? I don’t hear 16 year olds, or 18 year
olds saying that. I tell people around me all the time that OLD people
have always criticized the music kids are listening too. It’s happened with
every generation. That’s because people associate music with having a
good time and partying. Most people over 30 or 35 have stopped partying,
so they don’t get to see everyone jammin’ to today’s hip-hop. As long as
I can personally put together a CD filled with an hours worth of new
music every month that I can put in the car and ride out to, and a few of those tracks still give me goosebumps, I can’t call the music dead. If anything it’s more alive
than ever. Whatever type of fan you are–conscious rap fan, Crunk, strictly
lyrics, whatever–you have access to more of a variety than ever before.
And the beats–there’s no question, the tracks are tighter than ever before.
Just because you don’t hear your favorite style on the radio doesn’t
mean it doesn’t exist. Look around, and I bet you can find something you
enjoy.
TXRap: You guys have launched alotta careers by showcasing hungy artists in
your “Unsigned Hype” section in The SOURCE like Eminem, Notorious
B.I.G., Common, & Greencity member, Yung Texxus just to name a few.
With that being said, who are some other artists on the underground tip
that you feel are on they’re way to makin it big in the future?
J.Miller: There’s so many. DOWN is filled with about 20 of them in every issue.
But, I am glad to see that Saigon is finally about to drop. We had him
in Unsigned Hype years ago. Lyrically, I’m not sure there are many, if
any, that are better thanhim. I would also love to see Magno get off the ground. He’s one of my favorite underground artists.
TXRap: Recently, a few online sources have reported that the shareholders that
invest in The SOURCE Magazine aren’t too happy with the condition
previous CEO’s Benzino & Dave Mays have left the magazine. Its rumored
that The SOURCE just filed for bankruptcy. Can you speak on that
situation & clear the rumors up for the readers & fans?
J.Miller: That story really took me by surprised, because it was no secret that we
were put into bankruptcy back in July of ‘06. It was also no secret that David Mays
(the original founder and previous owner) and his friend (who was never
an owner) Benzino did a lot of things to put the company deep into debt.
When I came back in January 06, my first goal was to clean up the
editorial content and get the integrity and credibility back. I think
we’ve done that. We’ve also changed the design of the magazine in the
past few months. The struggle to get advertisers back is ongoing. But,
newsstand sales are up–and we still sell over 250,000 copies every
single month. Sometimes we outsell XXL, sometimes they outsell us. It
really comes down to who’s on the cover, or who’s featured inside, and
how well it’s timed with who has a hot record.
TXRap: Again I wanna thank you for doing the interview. Are there any last
words you’d like say b4 we end this?
J.Miller: Texas is like my home away from home and I stand up for it all the time
up here in New York. That said, remember I’m still from Oklahoma, so
don’t be surprised when you see me in pics turning the longhorns upside
down. Go Sooners!
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