12 Days Of RazMas: Day 12 - It's RasMaz Day! Farewell

It's RazMas. It's been twelve straight late nights getting a better understanding of an outstanding album from a young man that has a brilliant future ahead him. "Spilled Milk" is just the beginning. We're sure that Top $ Raz will continue to excel with his musical endeavors for he is a driven individual that creates with purpose. It's fitting that final track on this LP is entitled, "Farewell". He began with a powerful emotional impulse, and closes with a just as powerful moment of reflection. The end is bitter sweet and poignant. Peace and infinite blessing on this RazMas...


1. Farewell is a fitting song for the end of this album. When did you actually complete this song in relation to the rest of the album?

I had the hook and first verse for this track for a while, it was like the third song I had completed. My first intention was to record it over a Prezzure beat, but one night while in the car with my girl she put me on to the Donny Hathaway version of "Someday We'll All Be Free" (a song I always loved but only heard the Aretha Franklin version) and I was like BOOM! That's it, I need that beat. The stuff that Donny is talking about that song, about holding on and his real life story of suicide was the kind of irony I was going for with the entire Spilled Milk project. Like, yea we got to keep moving, you cant cry over Spilled Milk, but then again you will cry over it, cause you're only human. So I sent it to Imagine That for them to flip for me. Shout out to Prezzure though cause the original beat he made really pulled that emotion out of me.

2. What was the inspiration for the chorus and the delivery of it? How do you personally feel about this song? Will you ever perform it live?

I honestly don't know where any of this stuff comes from, its just flows through. Some hooks I have to really think about, like the intro took me a while to come up with, but this one came natural. Aside from "No Tears" this is my favorite track, I'm really proud of how this joint came out.

3. What does the future hold for you Top $ Raz? What will you do different in 2010? What will you do the same?

2010 means demanding respect and getting it. Making better music, smart decisions, and precise power moves. Thinking everything through and having a plan.

4. Are there any last things you'd like to say on this RazMas day? Anyone you'd like to mention?

I'd like to thank everyone involved and all those who have showed love for Spilled Milk. I'd like to thank every artist, fan,supporter, and blogger that helped with this (Iheartdilla, Freehiphopnow, Above Ground Mag, Adam B, Kalil Kash, OISD, Imagine That, Thinker, and everyone else out there) The response to this album has been overwhelming. All I want to say is I hope we keep moving forward, and although it seems like we are moving fast we have a long way to go. I want everyone who is pursuing this rap thing to be rooted to reality. Chasing the dream is important, but so is having food on your plate. Take care of yourselves.

Freehiphopnow.com would to thank Top $ Raz for allowing us to follow him on this journey, while answering all of our questions in an engaging and thoughtful manner. We also would like to thank all of the supports of this project and ask that you continue to spread the word about Spilled Milk.

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12 Days Of RazMas: Day 11- RazMas Eve: Wo(men)

It's RasMaz Eve! Yep It's already been eleven says and we've nearly completed the journey through Top $ Raz's album "Spilled Milk". Today's selection is entitled, Wo(men).In this track Raz tells the stories of the troubled lives some women face that are easily over looked and considered not.

1. Explain what Wo(men) means. Have you ever heard Organized Konfusion's "Invetro", your first verse has a similar theme as Pharoahe's verse in the song...

I called it Wo(men) with men in parenthesis because I'm a man on the song speaking from a woman's point of view. Nah I haven't heard that song before, those cats seem to be the innovators of creative POV storytelling. A lot of cats think Nas was the first to do the whole talking from the point of view of a firearm, when "Stray Bullet" came out a year or so before.

2. Do you have future plans of being a father? If so, how will you introduce your child or children to music?

Yeah of course I'd like to be a father, but no time soon. I'd definitely filter out the explicit music from their ears until they're old enough. I want my children to know their history and know the contributions that black folk have made to all music genres. I also want them to have an eclectic taste in music. When I was young everyone told me rock and roll was for white people. I had to learn myself from that, I don't want my kids to have to do that.

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Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" concludes with Day 12. Farewell.

12 Days Of RazMas: Days 9 & 10 - Be Gone feat. Kalil Kash/ Burning Bridge feat. Scienze

Back to back collaboration tracks with Kalil Kash and Scienze. Definitely two totally different types of records for Raz, showing his diversity.


1. How long have you known Kalil Kash? When did you first begin to record and perform with Kalil?

Top $ Raz: I've known Kalil Kash for about a year and a half now. We met at Training Camp Tuesday open mic at the Pyramid club. That was my first day of pursuing this hip hop thing as a career. First track we recorded was "Be Gone" and then after that was "Right in Kissah" with J Monopoly. We were both coming up and figured it make sense to join forces. In the beginning there weren't many shows so we would give each other a song on our sets, and make sure we performed "BE Gone" at every show so each of us could shine. I think it's worked out well for us.

2. You guys ever discuss doing a full length project, the likes of say Red and Meth's "Blackout"?

Top $ Raz: Yeah we've discussed that. As a group we are Blac Dinero. First priority however is to get our solo projects as much burn as possible. Kalil Kash will be dropping his album in January titled "The Exit Method". It's gonna be dope.

1. Kalil Kash: Looking at the full project, Spilled Milk how do you feel about aside from the fact of actually being on it?

I think the album definitely shows a lot of growth from his last one. Just feels like he took more time with this one to make it a more memorable piece of work. I was very impressed.

2. Kalil Kash: Does Top $ Raz make an appearances on your forthcoming project? When's the album coming and what is it about?

Yes, he appears on "Right In The Kissah" on The Exit Method. I'm aiming to release the album late January. It doesn't really have a concept, but the title itself represents the mental getaway that the album should provide the listener; hence the name "The Exit Method".


1. "Burning Bridge" sounds like a reworked Dilla track. Are you singing? Do you think that in the future you'll be doing more then rhyming on tracks, possibly producing them or even singing seriously?

Yeah that's me and Scienze 'singing' on the hook, without auto-tune! I probably will keep the singing to a minimum. I produced a few songs off my first album "The Narrative", including the lead single SSDD, but this time around I just sent certain songs to sample and put my 2 cents in to what kind of songs I wanted.

2. Do you ever create music with a specific audience in mind? Like you know what, this time out the gate, I think I wanna do a song 'just for the ladies'.

I did that with the first album, and that's why this one is better. this album is just me being honest and not forcing anything. I did what the beats pulled out of me on this one, I didn't try to make a song for everyone. This track is based on something that really happened to me, so I wasn't trying to make something for the ladies, the beat was just asking for it. Before I made that track I was thinking "damn I don't have one track for the females," but even knowing that I refused to ask for a beat from a producer so I could make that track. I wanted to make sure everything came natural, and that's why this album is special to me.

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12 Days Of RazMas: Day 8 - Perfect Strangers - Top $ Raz

We're sure you've already figured out without even listening that this song is not about two silly cousins in Chicago that get into messes. Perfect Strangers showcases Top $ Raz's ability to tell a story. Not just one , but three. Sit right back and you'll hear a tale.


1. How many Perfect Strangers have you directly encountered in your life time?

Ha ha, if you're referring to the characters in the verse, I haven't directly encountered any of these characters, but judging from the stories I hear in the hood and on the news I'm pretty sure they all exist somewhere. Also, anyone who has BET has seen the preacher type in verse three.

2. What moved you to create such a song over this track? Was this another one where you already had the idea in mind and requested the producer use that sample for you to deliver these words to it ?

When I was making this album Badd Lukk was the first producer I went to. We've been making music together since I was 15 and he was 14, we used to be in a group called "UnderAge" with two childhood friends of ours. This was one of the many beats he sent me, with the KEM sample saying "Perfect Stranger". So I figured the best way to use this beat would be to tell a story.

3. When it's all said an done, what do you want people to gain from the music you create? What kind of tattoo are you looking to leave on the art form? How do you think you'll make it happen?

Simply put, I want people to like it. I want people to learn from my music and vibe on it. I want my lyrics to become proverbs, like when shit is bad ya boy is tellin you 'we men, no tears...' or 'hey it's all spilled milk, but you cant let it stain...'. I'm hoping I can show artists you don't need to kiss someone's ass to get ahead. You just have to grind like your life depends on it. Like I've said before, I represent the real underground. We don't put on perfume and a pair of 'stunna shades' and pretend to be friends with someone who knows nothing about our culture or music at 'networking' parties in order to get ahead. We lace up our kicks, get on that open mic list, spit our heart outs, create dope music with quality production, and after a while they cannot deny us. DEAD! video is at 1900 views in little over a week with no management or promotion team behind me. "Spilled Milk" is in everyone's car and ipod. I've dropped two videos and 2 LPs in one year. Can they still deny me? I don't know, some choose to, but sooner than later they will have no choice. We're here! We're in their faces. We are not Perfect Strangers.

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Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 9. Be Gone feat. Kalil Kash

12 Days Of RazMas: Day 7 - Cold Blooded feat. Imagine That

Truman Capote didn't write this tale featuring, Imagine That on Spilled Milk for this 7th Day of RazMas. Top$ Raz did. Tonight we find out that there was a second track that didn't make the official Spilled Milk release and you get to hear it too. We'll call it a bonus. Raz did.


1. Cold Blooded may be the most 'left' track on the album in terms of theme throughout the entire LP. It definitely veers slightly off of the path you charted at the beginning of "Spilled Milk". You only have one verse? It's like this track is off of Imagine That's LP and you're the guest appearance. Break down the song for us. What is it about? How do you know Imagine That?

Yea the original intent was for me to be featured on this track, but I like this song so much I threw it on the LP. We already had a song we did for my album called "Gimme Mine", which I'm sending as a bonus cut, but I liked this song more. "Gimme Mine" was made at a time when I was still trying to find my voice. If you listen to the two you can see on "Cold Blooded" that I'm more comfortable with the flow changes. I met Imagine That at the Training Camp open mic at pyramid when I first started hitting the underground circuit. It was a mutual respect from jump so we decided we should do some collaborations. Back in Oct. 2008 Imagine That gave me my first showcase. I'm really grateful for knowing them cats because they definitely played a major role in getting this album done. They recorded, mixed and mastered 90 % of the album as well as produced 3 joints on it and are featured on 2 songs (Mike Love on Far Rock '95, and as a group on Imagine That). As far as theme of the song, I was tryna talk about what I felt was cold blooded in this world life, the streets, my style, work, all that stuff.

2. Okay. Obviously this album is full of adult language, but you're adamant about the fact that there was no use of the 'N' word. Why is that? Can you explain why you chose to do that? Do you think in the future you will ever do an entire album sans cuss words?

It was actually when I went out to record "Gimme Mine" that I decided to stop using the N word on my songs. Imagine That, for those who don't know, are white (with mad soul might I add). When Imagine That picked me up from the train station they were playing Pharoahe Monch's "What it Is" where he's like 'when they see me they say that's that nigga my last name should be that's that nigga, sounds kinda nice Pharoahe that's that nigga...' and I was kinda uncomfortable. Like not because they was listening to it, but because we couldn't sing along to this dope record without it feeling awkward. It was at that point that I decided I shouldn't use that word at least in my music because all it does is separate us. If you go to any hip hop show you'll see that Hip Hop is uniting cultures together. It's a beautiful thing, I'm just trying to further that unity with the words I use.

As for not cursing on a record, Top $ Raz concludes, 'Nah that'd be corny as hell. lmao. The word "motherfucker" can be pronounced so many diff ways, it's too fun...'

As promised, bonus track: Gimmie Mine


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12 Days Of RazMas: Day 6 - Far Rock '95

It's day six and it's beginning to look a lot like RazMas. A blustery, blizzard threatening evening in NYC. Perfect night to be inside with good company, mellow out and enjoy some tunes. Tonight Top $ Raz along with Mike Love and Vithym transport us back to Far Rockaway circa 1995.


1. "Far Rock 95" sounds like it's something from straight out of the west. What was the motivation for this song? Was it influenced by any artist in particular?

"Far Rock '95" like every song on "Spilled Milk" was inspired by the beat. I sent Courley Dennis the sample, Procul Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale", for him to make a beat out of it and what came out of that was the beat for "Far Rock '95". The beat sounds so 90's I was like yo you know I got to do a '95 flow on this right? I think the Bone Thugs West coast flow is def a staple of 1995. "1st of the Month" is one of my favorite tracks from that year.

2. How'd you decide you wanted Mike Love and Vithym to rock over this one? Did you come up with the concept for the song?

I feel like you should only do features to enhance the concept or completely convey the feel of the song. Mike Love and Vithym have a natural 90's flow so I called them up to get that fulll '95 feel on the song. I wanted to make it sound like one of those 95 posse cuts, where everyone is saying the hook at the same time. I also wanted to get creative and make a clear distinction that this was not us, (I don't move packs of anything except music 'all the way to California') and that we were paying homage to the era. In order to do that, I made sure it was a story line that we were following. This song is their story, them real street cats rapping in 95, that we're paying respects to.

3. In 95 you were like 7, what was young Raz doing, 14 years ago?

Haha, I was just about to go in to second grade. I wrote my first rhyme in the second grade. I was going by my government name Rasheem, until 97 when I heard that Biggie track "Victory" then changed my name to "Cashtro". I was a fat kid, so the line 'used to call me fatso, now they call me Castro' really inspired me. That was actually the first rhyme I learned by heart.

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Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 7. Cold Blooded feat Imagine That

12 Days Of RazMas: Day 5. DEAD! - Top $ Raz

Day 5."DEAD!" Freehiphopnow.com was around for the video shoot for this song. A number of up and coming NYC underground artists make up the main cast of this video. How many faces can you spot?



1. When you wrote "DEAD!" did you have any particular 'real' person in mind, or is this song a general non-specific commentary on a frequent occurrence in many hoods?

An actual person that the kids on the block looked up to was shot and killed in the building across from mine. It was scary to me, instead of learning from his mistakes, they glorified him like he was some martyr. When Terrestrial Papo played the sample for "DEAD!" I immediately came up with the hook, inspired by what was going on at the time in the neighborhood.

2. What kind of feelings if any came about before,during and after the taping of the video?

Before the video I just was focused on making a video that had to do with the song. I'm an advocate for story driven videos, I think anything less is a waste of time. But when the video came out, and I watched it I was like wow. I didn't know the funeral scene was going to be that powerful. Shout outs to Director Lee Walker and cinematographer Max Rejmer for capturing the feel of the song on video.

3. Who were the people involved with the production of the video? How'd you get them involved wit the project?

The entire crew were, like myself, students and alumni of the Cuny Brooklyn College Film Department. Who said you had to spend 40 grand to get a film degree at NYU?

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Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 6. "Far Rock '95 feat. Mike Love and Vithym"

12 Days Of RazMas: Day 4. Get Up Get Her - Top $ Raz

Day 4: We head to the club because we're now old enough too. after all that we gotta go get something 'healthy' to eat...



1. Is "Get Up Get Her" the 'anti-club' club song? How'd you come up with it?

Haha, the 'anti-club' song, I like that. Well I feel a 'club song' can be lyrically dope. A lot of these new club songs have filler verses and are more focused on the beat and the hook. I was fashioning "Get Up Get Her" after the more lyrical club joints like "Lex Coops Bemmas and Bens" and Jay-Z's "Do It Again. Both of those joints are good for club, but they also have some darts in the verses. That's how you do a club track without selling out. When Terrestrial Papo played the beat to Get Up Get Her for me, the hook came to me almost immediately. "If you want that girl go get up get her". As an artist you need a track like "Get Up Get Her" cause it's the perfect call in response for the live show. I usually perform this joint at shows, it's a lot of fun.

2. You turned 21 earlier this year, that means no longer having problems getting into clubs to perform. Do you go to clubs?

Yea my girl has been dragging me to clubs lately. But the 21+ card has benefited me mostly with supporting my peers at their live shows. It's always good to support your peers, not enough of that is going around these days. And then folks wonder why nobody supports them.

3. You have a special diet. What led you to make the choices that you do foodwise?

A few years ago being a vegetarian was a "Special Diet" but nowadays everyone is vegan, vegetarian, or a raw food vegan. There's really no story behind it, one day I was eating a salad with chicken in it and realized I couldn't taste the chicken, but only the tastiness of the vegetable and dressing. So I said, why not let me just cut the meat out all the way. I've never felt better. I find that ever since I went vegetarian things have become tastier. Vegetarianism forces you to be creative, use different ingredients to make a tasty meal. It takes a lot more creativity than just throwing Lawry's and flour on some chicken.

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Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 5. DEAD!

12 Days Of RazMas: Day 3. No Tears - Top $ Raz

We're three days into this celebration of RazMas and now we're taking a listen to track 2 on "Spilled Milk", entitled "No Tears". It's a very personal song for Top $ Raz produced by Thinker.

You know they say the good die young and I'm only twenty-one, I'm scared,
Homie hold knives, hold guns round here
I'm thinking that they killin us for fun, I swear...oh yeah, but we men...




1. For a song like "No Tears" what frame of mind do you get into to write it? What's recording a song like that feel like to you?

Recording a song like "No Tears" is scary because it's very personal. On it I talk about my brother's rebellious attitude and his father's addiction to crack. I didn't make that up, that's real ish. It's my favorite song on the album. Thinker's production on it is just crazy. Those drums spoke to me.

2. Is it true that you don't write? How do you feel about young artists that denounce writing as if it is a 'weak' thing for an emcee to do, and make attempts at free-styling everything they do, instead of really trying to put thought into their songs?

Yes it's true, I don't write. But I think it's very corny to brag about it. It's just a different way of doing things. I find it tedious to write the lyrics down, because my mind is always ahead of my fingers, and it's easy for me to retain the information in my memory. It's like writing the song in my head, it may take a whole 2 weeks before I finish a verse in my 'mind book'. A lot of these other cats get it twisted and think not writing something down is 'freestyle'. It's not, even the most famous of the non-writers, Jay-Z, will tell you it's not an off the top of the head process. Put effort in to your songs, for the most part you don't get props for saying you don't write. Most people just think you're trying to be Jay-Z when in fact many artists, like Common, Biggie(RIP), and T.I, don't write lyrics either.

Tomorrow, "12 Days Of RazMas" continues with Day 4: "Get Up Get Her"...

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Dead - Top $ Raz

El Presidente - Top $ Raz [Explicit Lyrics]

Top $ Raz is back with hardcore slick talk, real rap skills and style + substance. There's simply no denying the kid, straight up and down. Far Rock Stand Up!

Artist Of The Week - Top $ Raz

Growing up in Far Rockaway, Queens, Top $ Raz knew how to rap before he even attended his first day of school. “My brother used to blast Hip-Hop music all day long,” he remembers, “and if I didn’t learn the words to Biggie I would be exiled out the room.” A pretty rough sentence for a kid who was only six at the time, but it was that influence that not only led him to Hip-Hop, but to some very specific types of Hip-Hop. Top $ Raz explains, “my brother made sure I valued and understood the essence of the music and never let me get into the cookie cutter stuff.” While in second grade, when he was just learning how to write, Top $ Raz penned his first rhyme and he hasn’t looked back since. This week I caught up with him to find out more about the depth and diversity of his work, where he gets his incredible stage presence, and the inspiration behind his video for “King.” Click Here...