Hip Hop Artists Tha Regime

Sometimes, no matter how hard you push and work, you need some support or back up to make it to that next level.

Sometimes, you just have a connection with someone that you just KNOW means great things for everyone involved.

For Tha Prophet and S.O.T, joining forces and becoming the Tha Regime gave them the best of both worlds.

Formed in August of 2013, Tha Regime (‘Tha Prophet’ Joe Jones, and ‘S.O.T.’ Nick Bottine) came to be when both rappers decided that the other would be the perfect foil for their style. S.O.T. is the rapid fire, Twista type rapper that makes you stand up and really pay attention. Tha Prophet is more guttural, the deep-voiced spitter whose voice is so huge that you can’t help but listen.

Tha Regime will be rocking the stage at Shark’s Club on January 18^th together, but Tha Prophet and S.O.T. have been dropping solo projects as well, such as Jones’ new video for the song ‘Voices’.

A former solider in the U.S. Army from Louisiana, Jones sat down with me to talk about Tha Regime, and whose ankles he wants to break and why.

What is going on in the life of Tha Regime?

Right now, we are in the process of putting out our ‘Frontlines’ album. We have a show coming up January 18^th at the Shark’s Club with Handz Onn. We are also getting into the act of shooting our own videos.

Tell me about Winter Session?

This hip hop invasion started years and years ago with Josh Hands Onn Russell. Every time he would put something together, regardless if I was in a group or not, he would invite me down to perform. Now that he is doing it, and since we have a bit of a local buzz, he asked us to come and perform. We get a 45 minute set that night instead of the usual 2 or 3 songs we normally get asked to do.

What brought you two together?

He was at the same show that I had done, and I had never met the man. I talked to him back stage, and we listened to each other rap. I dropped a comment on someone’s Facebook page about basement studios killing hip hop. My comment was basement studios aren’t killing hip hop; what’s coming OUT of the basement studios is what’s killing hip hop. He agreed with the comment and hit me up on Facebook. He said he was looking to start a group as real as the comment you made. That was August of 2012.

How is being in a group different from being a solo act?

As a solo artist, I don’t have to do as much work (laughing). His style is completely different than what I am used to. I normally listen to a beat, play the beat over and over again, and then write my lyrics. Him, he can take two minutes to listen to the beat in the studio, write his verse and be done with it. His work ethic is crazy.

How do the things you learned as a solo act help you now?

It helps me because I know how to promote. Nick is great, but he is a fairly young cat. He doesn’t know as many people as I do. I mean, I can teach him a few things, but at the same time, I am learning from him.

Tell me about RGM Entertainment?

RGM is a dream I have been having for years. What it stands for is Real G Music, or Real Guerilla Music. It is something we want to build more into a movement than a label.

The video for Voices you did with your phone. Tell me about that?

It was a very personal song and I didn’t want to get out there with real expensive equipment and shoot the video. I wanted it to be raw and gritty. It’s in my house, it’s in my studio. I wanted to keep it that way because that is where my creative thinking comes from. All I had was my cell phone, so you use what you got.

Describe your music.

We are more in your face, brash and raw with it. We don’t believe in doing the same stuff that everyone else is doing, talking about money and cars and women and all that stuff. Our style is pretty much the essence of what hip hop was.

Who are your music influences?

The biggest influence I have is Tupac. The stuff he did back in the day smashes a lot of stuff out today.

When did you first fall in love with music?

If you are old school, you will remember this. I will have to say back in the Biz Markie days. The way he did that video, with the Mozart video and all that, it made me realize that someone could get on TV like that and clown and be successful.

As a fan, what was your first concert?

I went and saw Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown back in the day. I first saw Bobby Brown, and then I saw Whitney Houston.

Name and artist, alive or dead, that you would want to do a song with?

Alive it would have to be Eric B. from Eric B. and Rakim. Dead, it would have to be Tupac.

One song that describes your life?

In a nutshell, ‘Voices’. That whole song is the truth. We deal with voices every day. You deal with your own voices, and sometimes they can be your worst enemy.

You are making a mixtape of your all-time favorite songs. What is the first song on it and why?

I would have to say Dear Mama by Tupac. That song was a classic. For someone to write a song that praises his momma like he did…yeah. Not too many people do that anymore.

What are some of the good things in your mind about the music scene in this area?

The fact that there is actual TALENT in this area. A lot of undiscovered talent. That fact that this talent is out there and will continue to grow. They will come out of the closet and get themselves heard.

What can be improved about the music scene in this area?

What needs to be improved is the unity. I am not saying that to step on anybody’s toes, I am saying it to step on your ankles and break the motherfuckers. The unity needs to improve in this area as far as the hip hop scene goes. There is too much hatin’ and not enough congratulatin’.

Best Performance you ever gave?

I would have to say a performance we gave at the Legion Hall in Racine. That was our best performance. That was crowd was nuts and we fed off the energy of the crowd. That show was nuts.

Worse show?

The one down here at Antro. It wasn’t even a show. We got the mics, and the sound wasn’t that great. Needless to say, after one song we were done. We just gave the mics back and walked off. And we had NEVER done that before.

When all this is said and done, what do you want people to say about you?

I want them to say that Tha Regime is one the realest groups out there. They don’t fabricate nothing and they bring it to you raw. If you want to listen to real music, listen to Tha Regime.