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Bugzy Bogart Tell us about the album, "ninety-four". Bugzy Bogart: It's really going well. It's just about finished. It's been three years in the making, so I'm really anxious to get it out. It's been a terrific experience though. I worked with some of my favorite artists on it – Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, Wordsworth. It was really great. How'd you manage getting all of them to work with you? Bugzy Bogart: Just reaching out. A couple of times I reached out through mutual friends. Juganot helped me get in touch with Joell cus they've done tracks together. I've been doing music for a long time so I've built a pretty good list of contacts. Who was the best to work with? Bugzy Bogart: They were all real cool. Joe and me vibed really good. I met him out in Jersey one morning and we just kicked it. Words is also my man and we think alike. Joell and me are both from the same neighborhood and we even have the same barber at Who's Next? As for Royce, he's just a cool dude. He might be one of the best lyricists out there right now. Three years to do the album? Why so long? Bugzy Bogart: Man, when you're an independent artist everything takes time. Mostly it's a money thing. Do a beat, chill for a month while I get more money up, record the vocals, wait another month, etc. Plus I found out my mother got cancer on January 23rd, 2006, so I took about a year off from music. She passed on September 20th. I almost quit. I wasn't gonna even finish the album. I'm glad that feeling didn't last long. Sorry to hear about your mom. Must've been tough. Is that reflected in your music? Bugzy Bogart: No, I kinda kept that away. I have a verse on "Perspective" that I wrote the day after I found out about the cancer. Other than that, there's a line here or there. I tried to do a dedication song before she passed but didn't finish it in time. And it's been too hard to do one after. I would probably cry every time I heard the album and I wanted it to be a happy experience. Talk about a couple of the songs. Bugzy Bogart: The joint with Joe Budden is real dope. It's with him and Meylin, my ace singer, and we sampled the snares from Bel Biv Devoe's "Poison". That was real hot. The joint with Wordsworth is crazy too, "Sinatra". We're both grown men with families so our perspective is kinda the same. "A Name in the Credits" is my goodbye to rap. I wanna still do music but not as much as a rap artist. I wanna work on artist development and do a lot of writing hopefully. I'm managing an artist named Poizun right now who was on "Elite" and he's absolutely crazy. He's on the joint I did with Royce, "Never Had A Clue". You mentioned Elite. This wasn't your first album. Are you still doing music with anyone else in Culture VI? Bugzy Bogart: Yeah "Elite' was my baby. For those who didn't know, I started an independent label in 2001 called Culture VI Records. I executive produced a group album "Elite", which I believe received an 7.5 or so rating from this site. It was a great experience. I also did another solo album in 2001 called "Rap Music". It wasn't very good but it sold more than "Elite". Go figure. There's only a few people in the group who are really doing their thing still. Tragic Allies, for example. They're doing it big. So is Juganot. I'm proud of him. He's been my boy for like 15 years. And obviously Poizun, his album is almost done and it's bananas. What's next? How do you plan on promoting the album? Bugzy Bogart: The hardest part of being independent isn't making great music, it's letting people know that you've made the music. I'm working with some people over at Digiwaxx who are gonna help me out. Also my man Keese is gonna hook me up with his record pool. I've reached out to a bunch of websites who are all interested in helping promote the album. Having the names on there really helps. I tell them who's on it and they all assume it's blends with old verses! I gotta let 'em know they're all original joints. Me, Poizun and SixXx – who is the dude who really put the whole "Elite" project into motion – are gonna bang heads and put in work like our lives depended on it. Lots of shows hopefully. Anything else about the album? Bugzy Bogart: Man, Meylin is no joke. She added such a dimension that I was missing. Yendi is nasty and anybody who's listened to CVI knows that, but Meylin is so talented and so on top of her game. She's just a pleasure to work with. The album has a heavy R&B influence and really reflects my life. Not a word on there is exaggerated. We wish you luck with the release – which is when by the way? Bugzy Bogart: If everything goes as planned, which it never does, June. We'll start leaking songs towards the end of April. It'll be available on all the usual suspects, iTunes, Amazon, Best Buy etc., but we're pushing the digital downloads directly from the site www.CultureVI.com. It'll be cheaper there then anywhere else and it's a direct download. We can't wait to hear it. Thanks for taking the time out to talk with us. Bugzy Bogart: Anytime. Thanks for having me!