Illuminati 2G

I2G kicked it with ATL representer Archie Eversole for a exclusive interview. We discuss his new mixtape, Back Like I Never Lefted, which is out now, how he linked up with Needlz, the producer, his thoughts on the Atlanta music scene and much more so check it out.

Illuminati 2G is here with Archie Eversole how's it going?

Aww man I am blessed, I can't complain, cannot complain brotha.

Tell me a little bit about how you got your start in hip hop and who are some of your musical influences out there.

I got my start in hip hop when I was 16 years old, and really it has been a dream come true. I was freestyling on the street corner, and a dude that owned a local record label around here heard me rapping and he asked me hey do you want to do a album? That was every young dude's dream at the time, so I was like hell yeah and it kinda popped from there. I went in the studio grinding it out, because at the time we was local, so we did not have any major label money or nothing like that. I was just grinding it out, staying in the studio each and everyday, trying to do as much work as possible. God blessed me when I dropped the record We Ready, it just kind of took off from there. It was really the fans that took it to the next level, so once the song got so large that the NFL and the NBA was behind the record, it was on from there. The thing that slowed me down was the same dude I was signed to and I am talking about now, we had some business differences so that slowed my project down. That was for the 2nd album because with us falling out, I was still under contract with them and they held me to the fullest extent of the contract which was 5 years. So that is why I am just able now to drop records legally ya dig.

You are now starting to do production with Needlz. How did you hook up with Needlz?

My manager Delaney he came down here when I was just really on my independent grind, doing my own thing. I did not have no company or anything, I was just working. Just recording all the time and getting it out any way possible. At that time all I knew was the streets. So D coming from the Detroit area, that is where he is from but he came from the New York area, and Needlz he had been doing work with Game, Young Buck, 50, the whole nine. So when Needlz heard a record I did on one of his beats, it was really on from right there. Soon as Needlz heard it, he said was on his way to Atlanta, he was going to get with me and put this thing together. He came down here, shot me a couple of beats, and everytime we work, it feels good working together. We have a real good chemistry, we like to work with each other and it really just took off from there. It was a personal thing at first, we just took it into the business realm to where when he got the tracks, I am the artist let's go.

Tell me about your mixtape, Back Like I Never Lefted.

Oh man, DJ Scream, Slummed Out, Dry Rain Entertainment presents Archie Evasocold, Back Like I Never Lefted. I mean the title, it says it all right there. It's back like I never lefted, meaning all the fans that was waiting on me, they gonna get exactly what they been waiting for with this mixtape. I got 25 tracks, 10 original, 15 I am bussing over over peoples beats. Just to show my versitility on this one and show people what I can do because I am not the average southern artist that just makes dance music.

Do you have a release date set for the mixtape?

We are waiting for DJ Scream to turn in the mixtape to us, but the release of my album will be in July, right around my birthday so hopefully July 26th. I am waiting for the company to give me a exact date on it, but the album will be out in July and the mixtape will be out shortly. *Sidenote: mixtape is out now. Click on the link below to download.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TRGO9HBD

Do you have any guest appearances or anyone that we will be hearing on the mixtape?

Right now I just got me and my partners man, because really I wanted to not to use that many features on this mixtape, because I know alot of people have been waiting on me. So I wanted to give them all of me first but on this next mixtape I am doing, I am looking for Killa because we are personal friends. I am looking also to get Bun-B and probably 9 times out of 10 I got to go get the big homie Scarface. Other then that man, if I don't know dudes personally, I try not to do it too much, working with people just for the sake of working with them. I try to have a personal relationship with anyone I work with. But actually my man Ray from Konvict, he is on this mixtape, but I did not get too many rap features but there are a couple R&B cats on there. For the songs that are for the ladies and stuff like that. I got my man Titus from the TrakStarz on there, Ray Lavender from Konvict, and my boy Jaden on there. But other then that, it is alot of me and my click on the mixtape. But it is mostly me (laughs).

What are your thoughts on the music scene in Atlanta right now?

I mean it is what it is. Everybody has they own thing. I try not to judge people for one, so I let people do they thing. It is alot of people saying people ain't doing nothing but dance music, but that is what you are hearing on the mainstream radio. It is still many people dropping mixtapes and albums with real music and not only club records. It is really a opinion, whatever type of music you like is what you buy. Other then that, Atlanta is so multicultural. People coming from up top, the west coast and the east coast, so there are alot of different sounds out here. Even Beethoven who is doing Gucci's beats he is from Cali. It is so much of a mixture. There is alot of different music around here now. Now what you mind hear on the mainstream radio station where yall from or in other states, I don't know. The Atlanta music that they hearing is probably only the mainstream music. But it is what it is, everybody got a opinion, everybody doing they thing. I say just do you. That is what I am doing on my mixtape. I am doing me, I am not doing anyone else.

How do you feel your music has grown or evolved from 2002 till now with the projects that you are doing now?

I mean the music grew up along with me. It matured just as I did. Just as I had to get older and get mature, my music did the same thing. Because really all the stuff that I speak about, because I really try not to speak about nothing on a record that I have not done myself or seen someone very close to me do it. So I could see it with my own eyes because I don't like to tell stories any other way. With that being said, alot of the music that you are going to hear is maturity and a couple of the situations like how I had to get out of the deal and all of the frustrations that I went through trying to get out of that and even just living. While I was stuck in the contract and how I was trying to make a way. My music is real life, I try not to tell nothing I have not seen so that is how my music has matured. Now I have reached out and started doing other stuff, because I now got Needlz and other producers that is pushing me to the next level like you can do this and do that. I have done it in the studio messing around but now I am doing it on records. With all that said that is really what I am on and it makes for a mature situation. The music matured along with me. I was 17 then and I am 24 now.

Do you have any upcoming shows or tour dates you want to let the people know about?

I am putting together a mixtape release party but to know the actual dates, check out the myspace page. My manager handles all that because we are doing so much right now, I don't know where I am supposed to be at half the time.

What is your myspace or website information for people looking to check out what you have going on?

www.myspace.com/archieeversole. I am on imeem also, www.imeem.com/archieeversole, www.twitter.com/archieeversole. If you hit me, I do respond personally.

Do you have a single or anything picked out for the mixtape yet?

Yeah Keep Winning featuring Ray from Konvict. We running with that real tough. It is going on Take The Stage from MTV. They requested the song for the show so it is really turning into a big record for us real quick.

Well that is all the questions I have for you. Appreciate the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts you want to get out there to the people?

I want to tell all the fans that have been still checking for ya boy I really appreciate it. Everyone still holding me down and listening to the music I really appreciate it. Everybody hating I appreciate you too, you are the ones that got me back looking like this. YA DIG!!! (laughs)