Meet Billion

Who is Billion?

I'm an artist, through and through. Not only with what 'm working on musically but also some of my other projects in the works. I'm Hispanic, from Miami so I carry rhythmic blood in me. Living in New York has reinforced what I love about real hip-hop and I think that shows in pretty much every thing I do

Which Hispanic artists have created opportunities for you to be able to create music?
 
Well we can go as far back as Hector Lavoe or Carlos Santana but I think in hip hop it would have to be trail blazers like Fat Joe. He's always been a big supporter of Hispanic people in hip-hop. Also more recently, it's good to see Joell Ortiz and Pitbull getting out there and doing their thing.

Who were some of your earlier influences coming from Miami?

I think specifically tied to Miami, I'd be doing a disservice to my city if I didn't mention JT Money and Trick Daddy. But other than them, back in the 90s when I was in Miami, I was listening to a lot of Wu-Tang, Jay-Z and The Beastie Boys. 

What would you compare your style to?

I was talking to Dan about this the other day and I think we came up with a pretty good comparison. Bare in mind the comparison is mostly in execution and concept than it is in sound. I think I like to write a lot of party tracks but won't sacrifice lyrics at the expensive of making something catchy...I think I like to write a lot of party tracks but won't sacrifice lyrics at the expensive of making something catchy...much like Busta Rhymes or Ludacris do. I respect them for that because the can still get a club jumping while keeping lyrical integrity. I liken myself to them in that way and I hope that comes across with the new album SPF Dirty.

Tell Litt about the upcoming album?

Well, the exciting part about the new album is that we've been trying new and unique ways to promote it. Earlier this summer we started giving out free downloads to some of the track that just missed getting included on the album for one reason or another.
Something to both promote the album and give back to the fans. We've also been shooting our own videos, the first of which will be out really soon.
The album itself is a collection of bangers, perfect for any party. I produced a lot of the album myself, along with Dan Haedicke, so the beats are strong and have lots of southern flavor and I peppered that mix with my word play and punchline driven lyrics.