Interview by Charlie Braxton
Ok, when I first met you some years ago, you were going by the name Lil Mall, now you call yourself Meezy now. Why the name change?
Basically rebranding. I felt like a whole different person and wanted to have a fresh feeling. It came from my Louisiana rap friends, Lil Trill and Lil Phat.
You from Jackson’s Shady Oaks neighborhood, which is a pretty rough area. What was it like for you growing up?
Growing up the area wasn’t like it is today. Still was drug infested but with way less murders and other crimes going on in the area.
What was your earliest memories of music?
I remember being in Freddy Young studio when I was like 13. I remember being a fly on the wall around all the local artists that came before me.
Shady Oaks has produced a lot of great rappers, like Rated X (AKA Rainman) of Wyldliffe Society. Did you listen to any of the early rappers from the hood or the City in general?
Coming up I had never heard of any artists from my neighborhood but Rat Pac. And I had never heard they music but they was a part of my family’s record label, Monetary Records. My uncle was close friends with Rainman and we met a few times but no real connect there.
How did you start rapping?
I use to be in studio with Monetary Records at Freddy Young watching all the older cats hustle and rap about it. It caught my attention young.
You put out your first mixtape, Live from Shady Oaks when you were still in High School. That tape created a big buzz for you throughout the city. How did you manage to accomplish that, and, more importantly, how did it affect your schoolwork?
I released music in school, but not til after I graduated. I came out with the Live from Shady Oaks series. At school I made a song about few of my female classmates kinda in a negative way and got in trouble, but it also brought me notoriety at school amongst my classmates.
After the success of Live from Shady Oaks, you quickly followed up with Live from Shady Oaks Vol. 2 and 3, which built on your street momentum, but I noticed that you did something that most local rappers didn’t do back in the early 2000s, you also utilize the internet to spread your music. What made you do that?
I was low on funds and resources as an artist, so I had to find other marketing avenues.
How many volumes of Live From Shady Oaks have you done thus far?
Six.
How do you feel about the music game going from CDs to streaming? Do you think it helps or hurts the independent rap game?
With streaming you’re able to reach more people, but with CDs, you’re able to keep a more accurate count of sales.
Are mixtapes still a viable tool for independent rappers?
No, the streaming industry has taken over.
You have transitioned from doing music to producing and directing movies? How did that happen?
I was watching a lot of Indie movies and kept telling myself I could do it.
Tell us about your two feature films that are streaming on Tubi and Amazon, Crosses and Double Crosses?
Crosses and Double Crosses are two movies based off everyday situations in Jackson, Mississippi.
How long did it take to shoot the first movie?
Crosses probably took me two years to do it because I went to prison for five months on some bullshit. Plus some people who were in the movie got killed while I was locked up so I had to reshoot some of the scenes when I got out.
What about Double Crosses?
I shot that in eighteen days.
Have you done any other films?
Yes, I have one on the way soon called Wrong Address, starring Charleston White.
Are hood films the next wave for indie artist?
Hell yeah! They’ve always been another avenue for hip hop artists.
What’s next for you, more movies, more music, or both?
Both. I’m here to work.
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