HIP HOP VIP: Alex Montana

ALEX MONTANA: The Underdog

Alex Montana turned down a $50,000 recording deal. Sounds like a lot of money, and a dream come true for the 20-year-old rapper who started rhyming three years before he was eligible for a driver's license. Why'd he refuse it? They asked too much. They wanted creative control. Montana admits he's not the most popular rapper in the Valley. But he's not trying to be. He's trying to make music he thinks is good, and he thinks he's doing that. If you're a true hip hop head rocking lyric driven tracks, you'll probably agree with him. 

Real Name: Enrique Gonzalez

Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico, then Chicago, then seven years ago Brownsville

Rapping for: 8 years

Listen to: "All I Want is Respect" and "Love to My Haters," this cat's flow is sick and his passion intense. These songs will fire you up.

Who would you collaborate with if you could collaborate with anyone?

I'd have to say Big Pooh from Little Brother. He's improved so much. I've listened to him over the years, and he's just gotten better every time I've heard him. It's amazing to listen to someone one day and then hear how much they've improved the next. That's why I'd like to work with him. He's been through a lot. People saying he's never going to get anywhere. People hating on his music. Definitely and underdog story.

-Do you relate to that?

Oh yeah. I've got to be the underdog out of everyone. I get the most hate thrown my way from what I see. I'm not doing music like everyone else is doing. I don't make catchy hooks or anything like that. I make music like I feel it should be done. Not too many people can say that.

If you were having a conflict with somebody would you fight or walk away?

It depends. If my girlfriend is there I'd walk away. If she's not, I'll throw down with anybody.

Any essential clothes or shoes you always have to rock?

The one thing that I rock a lot and everybody notices, my trademark is a blazer. I always got to wear a blazer wherever I go. It could be just to the store and I'll be rocking a blazer, it doesn't matter. My blazer and my Adidas. I have my whole Levi straight-legged jeans type of thing, but what I must wear is my blazer and my Adidas.

Describe the hip hop scene in the Valley...

Sometimes I want to say it's close minded, but at the same time you have people that are open minded to hip hop. There's some people that are doing the repetitive type of thing, I don't want to hate on anyone's style, but there are some people that do the repetitive type of SPM type of rap or cholo type of rap thing. That's cool, but open up your mind a little bit. That's not all that exists. There's more to music than just that genre. It just seems like the majority of people here are very closed minded to anything other than that. Other than gangsta rap.

Hip hop idol?

I don't necessarily have someone I think is an idol. There's a mixture of people that I consider my influences. Everybody says Nas. Everybody says Jay Z. Everybody says those people, but it's people that are still little. I listen to a lot of Atmosphere. I love Little Brother...it's people that like. Immortal Technique. Immortal Technique is amazing. Reasonable Doubt, '96 Jay Z, that guy was the shit. The Jay Z that I'm hearing now isn't necessarily as good as '96 was. Illmatic Nas, that type of thing.

What's the best rumor you've heard about yourself?

That I turned down a million dollar deal. Some people were like is that true? And I'm like ‘naw dude, I turned down a $50,000 deal. Nothing major.' But a million dollar deal? Some people blew it out of proportion. I don't think I'd ever get offered a million dollar deal. That's crazy.

-Why'd you turn down the $50,000?

The contract was basically, in plain English, you're basically going to do the music how we want to do it and you're not going to make much off of it. It was very restrictive and the percentage I was going to be making was like 0.8 or something like that. They were going to have a topic set for every single song on the CD and that was it. I couldn't do it. I don't regret it. It was a good decision.

If you were producing your ultimate video, what would the girls look like?

I like smart girls. If anything I'd have my girls dressed up to a T looking like lawyers. I guess the whole less is more thing.

Freestyle a few lines go!

Hey yo I spit to split, the competition into two symmetric pieces, unable to analyze my lyrical thesis, leaving the critics speechless and the competition sleepless simply because the cops can never defeat this, understand the cops weak, they tried to pry me from my gold, but the quickest of them never deprived me of my home, never level with them simply because I'm on another rhythm the best battle rapper is my victim. My murderous rhymes from my sadistic mind will collide with them never simplify, we stand and can die with them.

What's the biggest stereotype you hear about rappers?

The whole I want money, ass and fame type of thing. I know a lot of people that just rap for the money. They have that dream of getting the money, all the fame and to be recognized. That's the wrong reason to rap for. The other one is that girls in videos have to do something to get there.

-That's not true?

I think it is true, but I'm not saying anything about that. That's none of my business. I'm staying out of that one.

If you got signed to a big deal tomorrow and you had a ton of money, what's the first thing you would buy?

The first thing I would do is get my car back. My RX 7. I miss my RX 7. She's getting rebuilt right now and I need to finish paying off the rebuild so I can get it back. It sounds stupid, but that's the first thing I would do.