Hailing from the Bronx, Al-Doe has asserted himself as one of Hip Hop’s premier artists with his raw, unique sound and witty wordplay. We recently caught up with him to find out more about who Al-Doe is.

Interview by Brian

Where did the name Al-Doe originate from?

I got the name from one of my managers when I first started rapping. My real name is Albert but everybody always called me Al. One day I was in the studio with (Jae) Millz, Vado, and my manager and they was like yo you need a rap name. My manager was joking and he was like we gone call you Al-Doe cause your name is Al and you be getting that dough (laughs). It was a joke and that shit was mad corny but from there on everybody just started calling me Al-Doe.

How long have you been rapping and been involved with music?

I’ve been rapping and involved with music since I was 17, I’m 25 now so about 8 years.

Where or from whom do you get your inspiration from to make music?

I get inspiration from anything. I could be driving and see something in the street and a bar will pop in my head. I could be at a party and get an idea. My mind is always working so a lot of things inspire me. The main inspiration is my family and where I’m from. I got a newborn on the way so my main objective is to make sure I’m able to provide for him and my family.

What artists would you say had the biggest influence on you?

I would have to say Pun, being from the BX. My favorite rappers have always been Cam, Styles, Shyne, & Fab. Of course Jay & Nas have had an influence on me considering how they both changed the game. And last but not least B.I.G. the name speaks for itself.

Coming from the Bronx, the birthplace of hip hop, do you feel any pressure to bring it back to the forefront of the hip hop world?

I mean sometimes niggas in the streets will be like yo, you gotta do it for the borough etc. so sometimes it’s a little bit of pressure, but at the end of the day, I can only be me and do what I can. I’m just gonna continue to make good music and we’ll see what happens.

How do you feel about the current state of hip hop and if any, what current artists do you like?

The current state of Hip Hop is cool, it’s not like my era in the 90’s when rap was rap, feel me? But the game changes so I’m not mad at any artists doing they thing. I fuck with Kiss, The Clipse, Styles, Fab, Jeezy, Ross na mean, I fuck with niggas that spit. As far as upcoming niggas, I don’t fuck with too many but shout out to all of them, I wish everybody much success.

What makes Al-Doe different from all the other rappers out right now?

I’m bringing dat raw street shit. The game right now is kinda soft in my eyes. There’s a million niggas who talk that killing and drug shit but nobody is as witty and slick as me wit it. The game got a lotta singing, dancing, and harmonizing going on and that’s cool because at the end of the day I’m an artist and I make music for everybody, but I want niggas to be like yo who the fuck is that when they hear me.

What artists/producers have you already worked with and would like to collaborate with in the future?

I’ve worked with Jae Millz, Vado, Remy Ma, I.F.F.Y, my man Dub outta Harlem, J Cardim, Araabmuzik, Omen, Scram Jones, Souldiggaz, Heatmakers, & WMS Sultan. I would like to collab with The Clipse, Snoop, Kanye, Swizz, Alchemist, Fab, Weezy & just anybody that’s willing to help and collab with a young nigga coming up.

Whenever we hear about Al-Doe we also hear about B.B.M, let everyone out there know about B.B.M and how important it is to have a good team around you, especially in this business?

B.B.M stands for Brothers Before Money, they are my day one niggas. My niggas that were there when I wasn’t even thinking about rapping. It’s a tight circle and we’re family. My niggas are quick to tell me yo Doe that verse is trash or yo you bugging don’t do that, and you need dat in this game. I don’t have any yes men around me and that doesn’t do anything but help.

As far as music, what do you consider as success? What are you striving to accomplish?

Success in my eyes is selling records and capitalizing off your talent. But success in somebody else’s eyes can differ from success in my eyes. If I never went platinum but I gained enough money to help people around me, then that’s being successful. I could go 5 times platinum but if I don’t take care of home and help out the people around me then what good is that? So basically if I sell records and gain enough income to be well off that’s success.

What should we look out for in the future from you, any mixtapes or albums dropping?

Look out for the mixtape “From Coke Blocks To Boat Docks” and look out for “The Connect EP”

Anything else you would like to tell the readers?

I appreciate Sublime Dreamer taking out the time for this interview, just look out for me in 2010 and support the whole B.B.M. movement. Hit B.B.M. on Twitter, my whole team is on there and check my Myspace for new music. FREE LUCK!!! BX I GOT US!

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