HHNLive.com writer Quinton Hatfield sits down with Jersey up and comer Carlito to discuss the indie grind, hustlin' by any means, getting co-signed by some of the biggest DJs in Hip-Hop and much more.

Carlito on how he's going to stand out from the rest of Jersey: "I have my own style of music. You know how some people adapt they styles to the city of where they come from? I just sound like who I sound like and I sound like Carlito..."

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Quinton Hatfield: You're from New Jersey, and you know they have a pretty solid hip-hop scene. Redman, Joe Budden, Ransom, you have some dudes that made noise. How will your music stand out and take the state to another level?

Carlito: I definitely think my music is going to stand out. Much respect to all them, but when you hear Carlito you hear Carlito. I have my own style of music. You know how some people adapt they styles to the city of where they come from? I just sound like who I sound like and I sound like Carlito. I respect everybody else from Jersey, but I’m just bringing new music to the table period. When you hear songs like “Life of Crimez”, “Rep Yo Hood”, “Ridin Wit A Boss” you know it’s the next level. I’m just trying to be that next Latino icon in the game. You haven’t seen no one from Jersey as a hip-hop Latino doing it big and I’m basically tryna be that dude.

Q: But you do got one dude Big Lou from Camden, NJ?

C: Oh yeah my bad, respect to Big Lou. You actually right he is definitely doing his thing. Shout out to Big Lou from Camden. My music is real different, a lot of Jersey dudes don’t like to do commercial type stuff. Me I’m all for it, I do all type of music as far as commercial and street. I’m not afraid to take it to that level.

Q: In Jersey you have cities like Camden, Trenton, Newark, and many others. The area where you're from in Jersey would you say the sound is different than others?

C: Jersey has their own sound, but what I’m trying to say is that I don’t really focus on that Jersey sound I just do what I do. I just try to sound like myself and have my own type of swag.

Q: From what I heard Carlito is in the streets heavy and a lot of your music touches on that. How do you feel about “studio gangstas” right now?

C: Studio gangstas, I don’t respect studio gangstas at all. I understand you're trying to sell records and stuff, but studio gangstas that don't cut it. If you're going to go out there and go your hardest you gotta come real with who you are. If you’re a gangsta you’re a gangsta, if you’re a playa you’re a playa, if you’re a hustla you’re a hustla. Studio gangstas you just said it, it’s fake. Sooner or later people are going to know, like the streets know what it is. Me being from Paterson everybody from Paterson knows what it is. I’ve been doing this for a while and I get a lot of respect from the community. They know I’m in the streets, they know what I’m about basically. I actually managed to get respect in the streets. I don’t come across as a gangsta dude, I’m a humble dude that’s cool with everybody, but just don’t disrespect me. I respect you if you respect me. If you listen to any of my songs I don’t come across as an I’m a shoot you kill you type dude. I really talk about the streets or what’s going on around me. I also talk about the ladies, because I consider myself a dude that loves to get down with the ladies. As far as studio gangstas I can’t respect that. If you gonna do music be who you are and don’t try to portray an image that you ain’t.

Q: So Carlito is saying "stay true to yourself", right?

C: Exactly, songs like “Life of Crimez” this is a true story. I’m asking the Lord to forgive me for the sins I’m committing, but I have to commit these crimes to survive in these streets on a daily basis. I actually been in that situation where I found myself committing a lot of crimes just to provide for myself and put food on the table for my daughter. People out here in Paterson know that it’s real, they seen me on my grind doing what I have to do to get money. I think that’s why I get a lot of respect, because people seen me on my grind and know I ain’t talking no bullshit.

Q: Right and it’s not like you're glorifying it you telling like it is. You probably couldn’t get a job at the time so you had to do what you had to do.

C: Yeah, nowadays a lot of rappers are making songs about making money and flossing. The thing is you really can’t forget about what’s reality and reality is we're not all rich. A city like Paterson it’s basically poor people and me growing up there we grew up real poor. I always wanted to make sure when I did my music it was speaking of reality. A lot of rappers is talking about flossing all that is beautiful, but what about what’s really reality? What’s going on in these neighborhoods, these communities, and the poor communities? We ain’t all flossin, iced out, we all don’t got Lamborghini’s. We're poor dudes trying to get by and we're trying to make a living the best way we can.

Q: Man I be trying to tell dudes all the time, especially a lot of young cats trying to get on “TV got ya’ll niggas illusioned”!

C: [Laughs], you know what I’m saying. I got songs about flossing, but at the end of the day I got songs about being broke. I got a song about being broke called “Millionaire” where I actually talk about me dreaming of being a millionaire. To not contradict myself I got a song called “Looking Like A Star”. Like I said those songs about flossing is beautiful, but you can’t forget about what’s real at the same time.

Q: Let’s get into your grind, you’ve been co-signed by a lot of major DJ’s. Vlad, Enuff, Khaled, those are big dudes in the game so what was it that made them give you a chance?

C: Honestly they seen that I really was tryna grind. A lot of dudes approach these DJ’s everyday and you really gotta watch how you approach these people. You can’t come across like you that dude, because they gonna shit on you. You gotta be really humble about it and these dudes are real busy. Keep in mind that they get approached everyday. I just got on my grind and I was in the clubs everywhere so my network game really stepped up. I was seeing these guys, but I really wouldn’t approach them on some ol “Check out my CD”. I was just like my name is Carlito “Blah, Blah, Blah,” and I would keep seeing them. I would keep seeing them and they be like “Carlito” right? Finally I got a demo together with original music and that’s how the whole thing started. I was shopping my demo everywhere at hip-hop events and stuff like that and basically these guys kind of already knew me. They didn’t know me, but they knew of me. That’s why I started getting calls and it was my first four songs that caught attention. I got a lot of feedback from that and I didn’t intentionally think about doing an album, I just put together a demo and was shopping it around. After I seen the potential of those four songs when I had those dudes calling me like “Yo whenever you put your next project out I’ll co-sign it”. This is a small industry and these DJ’s they all talk. Them telling me that shit was like “You know what I’m a do an album then”. That’s the whole process of “Carlito’s Way."

Q: When you were shocked by the feeling that you got support by these major DJ’s did that take you to another level to work harder?

C: Oh yeah man I stepped up my game real hard. When you get love from dudes that’s in the industry it’s a whole different feeling. It makes you feel like “I’m ready to do this”. Dudes like DJ Vlad, New Jersey Devil, DJ Khaled, DJ Enuff, Just Blaze, Green Lantern dudes like that telling me my shit is hot just made me say “Yo let me do this shit for real”. With all these dudes showing me support let me make history.

Q: That’s what I try to tell people, it’s always good when your homies on the block tell you your hot which is always the case as their probably not going to lie to you. When you got people in the industry saying your hot it’s a whole new world homey!

C: Oh yeah, it’s a whole different feeling. It’s basically the industry co-signing you. If the industry is co-signing you better come hard and correct. When these dudes are co-signing you, you know it’s gonna be something big.

Q: How are you going to make sure you stick around and don't disappear?

C: I really hope that’s doesn’t happen to me. That’s why when you get deals and stuff thrown at you, you gotta really think about the deal and make sure it’s beneficial to you. That’s why when I get a deal I’m gonna make sure I’m not a one hit dude where you get a hot single and no one knows about you after that. I know I can do it and what I mean by doing it is having longevity in the business. I just gotta make sure I’m involved with the right people that make sure my music continues to be promoted and marketed right. In other words you gotta ask yourself why do these guys have one hit records? Is it their fault or the labels fault? At the end of the day you gotta really watch who you sign to, you gotta really watch the contract, and what your getting involved with. I’m just making sure when it’s time to get the right deal I get the right deal, because I’m not tryna get jerked. I’m making money independently, but I’m keep doing what I’m doing until something will benefit me and I’m like ok let’s do it.

Q: I interviewed an A&R at one label and he told me just like this “At the end of the day you're in control of your own destiny”.

C: Wow, yeah in a way you're right. Unsigned artists are like “Yo such and such label wanna sign me”. You're so souped, excited, and wanna get signed so bad and then all of a sudden you do come out with a single, but then after that no one hears about you. You really gotta watch your step and make sure you sign to the right people. It’s all about timing too, sometimes a record goes off perfect at a certain time frame. Then a label feels like your next single is not ready, right now is not a good time, this guy album is about to drop let me push this stuff back.

Q: Carlito appreciate you for getting down with us, throw out the website, myspace...

C: Yeah, you can definitely check out www.carlitomusic.com , or myspace.com/thisaintamovie. Shout out to Diverse, shout to the whole SKE, and all the artist in Jersey doing they thing. Hit up the site and check out for “Carlito’s Way” hosted by DJ Enuff, Khaled, Vlad, New Jersey Devil. I got a song with Paul Wall called “Mayor of The City” and a lot of guest appearances. Jim Jones, Green Lantern, Just Blaze, Chamillionaire, Saigon. Definitely get ready and support that. I’m a just keep going and going until somebody offers me the right deal. I appreciate the interview Quinton.