Meet Cardboard City member Timmy Wiggins.  Timmy and I first met last year when I performed during the Cage “Depart From Me” tour in Boston.  He’s one of those people who I automatically clicked with. A real cool down to earth dude, which is hard to come by in the Hip Hop world.  After connecting, Timmy invited me to his hometown of Bristol, CT to perform at his CD release party for  “The “90’s Joint” Mixtape (Hosted by Chauncey CC). It’s a solid collection of classic 90’s instrumentals.  Timmy’s rhymes are no joke, reflecting on past experiences while giving you that raw energy that we all can appreciate.  Here at Kinda Dusty, we like to chop it up with artists who we respect to give you an inside look on how we make music.  I sent over some questions to Timmy and here is what he had to say.

The Hip Hop game can be very grueling.  It’s no secret that the music industry has been suffering, making it extremely difficult for artists to earn a living.  What motivates you to stay involved during these strange times?

(Timmy) I love Hip Hop.  I hear a beat, I wanna rock.  I see a stage, I wanna be on it.  Politics and/or financial incentives have no effect on that feeling.  I’m humbled by the fact that I can entertain audiences by doing what I love.

This is my new favorite question to ask Emcees.  Do you write with a good old pad and pen, an electronic device (Blackberry, iTouch, lab top, etc.), or take the Jay-Z/ Lil Wayne approach?

(Timmy) Pad and pen.  Though I do take advantage of our handheld technologies.  I’ll use my Blackberry when I’m not at home.

You recently dropped a project called “The 90’s Joint” where you rocked over nothing but classic 90’s instrumentals.  How did that come about and how did you narrow down the beats when there is so many dope choices from that period?

(Timmy) Me and Chauncey grew up together in the projects.  We were teenagers in the 90’s and Hip Hop was far more exciting than it is now a days.  He said we should do the mixtape and started sending me beats.  Its impossible to fit everything we wanted into a 60 minute mixtape, so I just  tried to mix it up as much as I could.

One take or punch ins?

(Timmy) I write for one take.  I do however use punches to add a different tone or emotion to a certain line or two.  I grew up recording on tape, so it’s second nature to write for one take.  I always keep in mind how my verses are gonna come across live.

Cardboard City is an impressive collection of artists from different music scenes.  How did you become involved?

(Timmy) Daryl Palumbo is GAWD!!!! I am blessed to have his light shine upon my face.

How do you feel about rappers who include their recorded backups or verses when performing their songs live?

(Timmy)  During the “Depart From Me” tour I watched my brother Yak Ballz kill it every night.  He took the stage alone and tore that shit up.  By keeping his backups on the track he forced the crowd to focus on him alone, the artist.  I back it.

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