“Buzz’N” iNterview W/ @TasRaww

Get Your Buzz Up is kicking off 2014 with an all new “Buzz’N” iNterview with Beloit, Wisconsin rising artist Tas Raww, who’s geared to drop his latest installment of his mixtape series with “Raww Muzik II” on January 6th.

Q: What’s good bro? Let’s kick things off by letting the people know exactly who you are and where you’re representing from.

A: Tas Raww’s the name,  repping for that 420 kr3w. I was born in Madison, WI & raised in Beloit, WI.

Q: There’s a lot of talent coming out of the WISCO scene, what do you feel you have to offer to that music scene that makes you stand out above the rest?

A: Greatness. There are a few other WISCO artists on the scene that can achieve great things but not too many. I feel I’ll always be looking for ways to become a greater artist and business man.

Q: “Raww Muzik” was your first official mixtape release and it was widely accepted on the street scene. Could you explain the meaning and conception behind the “Raww Muzik” movement and why you felt the need to continue the series with “Raww Muzik II”?

A: Well, Raww Muzik pretty much came about because, just like my last name, I’m one raw uncut dude. I make music strictly about the truth. Whether it’s apart of my past, present or future. I feel there will always be a “Raww” project in the making at all times. Everything I do is 100… With everything that I’ve been through in my life, I have no choice.

Q: For those that aren’t familiar with you and the movement, could you speak a little about the 420 kr3w and how they tie into everything?

A: 420 kr3w started as a skateboarding team. Yeah, almost everybody in the kr3w is skateboarders, except me and a few others. BILIAL “Ko” Hammette, Lil Chief & others all began to create a music group out of 420/gmc green team back in 2010. I was incarcerated at the time & eventually Ko was too. I got out of prison, Ko got out shortly after & went missing Aug. 06, 2011… Me & Lil Chief made it our duty to go hard on the music tip & push through these streets spreading awareness and tryna find our bro as well as showing our talents. #WHERESBILIAL is the hashtag. We grind with Ko in our hearts it’s our mission to find him. Our mission is to also get rich off of music. We’re family. One eats we all eat.

Q: You have some respectable numbers for some of your more recent videos like “Picture This” featuring Lil Chief and Baby G’s “Paranoid”, which were both directed by Arissa Washington. How did the two of you link up together?

A: When I dropped my first mixtape titled “KO’D” with Lil Chief in honor of our missing brother Ko, I was telling everybody to call me if they wanted a copy of the cd & I’d deliver it to them for free. Arissa had called me for a cd, I didn’t know her well. I believe she was 15 years old & had little experience with being a videographer. When I went to drop her off a cd, she told me she loved the kr3w Muzik (kr3wsik) & she wanted to shoot a video for me for free. Little did I know she would be one of the most powerful videographers in the 608 just a year later. Long story short, we did work. Classic work, which I feel has inspired other artists to step their video game up. Arissa and I are like brother & sister now and we will create even more classic projects in the future as well.

Q: Beloit, Wisconsin is also home to another known artist by the name of Rich Porter. The two of you have collaborated before on songs like “I’m On 3.0” and Ayoo Remix”, how did the two of you link up and are there anymore collabs we can be expected to hear from the both of you in the coming times?

A: Rich Porter and I linked up before I even thought about rapping, back when I was a young’n. I was always in the streets runnin’ round wildin’. After I got out, he was one of the first people I talked to when I wanted to jump down in the rap game because he’s been on the scene going nuts for years. We did more work as well that never ended up getting released and as of now no future Tas Raww/ Rich Porter colabs in the making. But I do plan on getting more work done with Porter sometime in the near future. They will be classics.

Q: With “Raww Muzik II” dropping January 6th, what can we expect from the project? Also, what artists and producers will be featured on the project?

A: You can expect growth. If you listen to every track and realize the growth I’ve had since I first started you can feel the motivation. I feel stronger as an artist every single day. Artists featured on the tape are of course my right hand Lil Chief. We’ve got another soon to be up and coming artist outta Sconnie named Wisko Swiss, LJG, JY, Flame The Ruler, .45 and my 2 big cousins Baby G & Mac. I also have a magnificent R&B artist that I’ve worked with a few times in the past by the name of LeWy V. Soldier Click’s very own R&B/Rap artist Lotice is on the tape as well. On the production side, we got Kodak Beatz on “Countin” ft Mac, Tese Beatz on “All Day” ft. Baby G & Yayo out of Chicago,IL who did that “Paranoid” Baby G Ft Tas Raww joint. Altogether, there’s alot of talent involved with this joint.

Q: I’d like to switch things up for a moment and speak about Bilial Hammette who went missing in August of 2011 and has yet to be heard from or found. Let everybody know the story behind this and the #wheresbilial mission. Also, if anyone has information concerning the whereabouts of Bilial, who do they contact?

A: Well like I said before he helped mold the 420 music group. His all day, every day freestyle rap flow had the whole kr3w on some rappin shit. The nigga would rap everyday, literally. Freestyling all the damn time. He was incarcerated for about 8 months in Rock County Jail. Shortly after his release is when he went missing. There has been very little evidence or anything. Before he went missing, he was set to go to Madison Media Institute in September of 2011. He was supposed to start school the very same day that I did. Lil Chief was already in MMI, he’s the one who inspired us to go up there. On August 6th,2011 BILIAL “Ko” Hammette went missing, almost seeming to vanish into thin air. Nobody knew where he was at or what had happened to him. He was just gome….

The kr3w started the #WHERESBILIAL to start a movement of support to aid in finding out where BILIAL is and help solve this mystery. Hundreds of people have used the hashtag now. We got 600 stickers printed up and slapped them all over city to city. We’ve done music videos to Bilial’s songs on Arissa’s YouTube channel as well. We shot a video to Bilial’s single off the KO’D mixtape “Money” with his family and friends in his hometown Dekalb, IL. We also did an exclusive, heartfelt interview with Bilial’s mother, who is also my friend, Lorrie Hammette. I can go on for days talking about how much I miss Ko & how badly I want him home. If anybody has any info on this case please contact your local authorities, his mother or family the kr3w any of the guys. We’re all dying for answers….

Q: Thanks for sharing that with us Tas. Prayers go out to Bilial and the entire Hammette family. I’d now like to take the time to have you inform the people of where they can find you on social media sites and the web.

A: I’m on Facebook the most,  my personal page is / https://www.facebook.com/tas.raww?fref=ts

My fan page is / https://www.facebook.com/Tahjs4

Twitter / https://twitter.com/TheRealTasRaww

Instagram @tasraww

Reverbnation / http://www.reverbnation.com/tasraww

You can also hit up Datpiff for some of my previously released material. http://www.datpiff.com/mixtapes-search.php?criteria=Tas+Raww&x=-1063&y=-298

Q: Lastly, is there anyone you’d like to shout out or give thanks too?

A: I got to give thanks to God, he’s led me towards the right path lately and is going to keep doing so every day. Gotta s/o my mom. She’s always been down to support everything I do and always been there for me. S/O my broski/partna Lil Chief. S/O ERRBODY I grind with in every city and state we attend to. S/o to ERRBODY out here grinding making major moves period.  Salute to the real. S/o to my girl & my daughter. #Motivation

Well there you have it, another “Buzz’N” iNterview completed for the start of 2014 and GYBU would like to thank Tas Raww for joinging us in kicking off the new year the right way. Make sure to download “Raww Muzik II” when it drops January 6th from either Datpiff or Audiomack, peace……

Written By: @blitzb_60505