Wake up Midwest, let me introduce you to Ricardo Sanchez aka Mav. Born in Chicago Illinois, he made his way to Phoenix in 1999. It was perfect for me to have our interview on the first day of school for one of his two children. You could hear the excitement in his voice as he spoke about his morning. He said both his sister and his love for this music was the inspiration that got him started. His lyrics come from a place of positivity and his message delivered with a hard edge your gonna love. You will soon know why this rapper is still in the game!
How long have you been on the grind? I started recording songs in 2003. 2005 was when I got my first song on the radio, dropped my debut album “Micadvancement” and joined the group Sol Camp.
What have you learned on your journey? I have learned that it takes a team to really get work done. For years I tried to do everything myself but things get done faster if you recruit a team. That is why we started Es Oh El Musik so we can all promote each other and work to get our music out to more people.
How do you prepare for your gig? First I research what type of crowd it is gonna be then I choose my songs based on that. If it is a underground hip hop show I wanna make sure the set is different from when its in a packed hip hop club with mostly women. After that I practice til its time to hit the stage.
Whats happening now? Currently we are working on the compilation for our Label Es Oh El Musik, I am working on my 3rd album and also working on a album with Zig Zag of Nb Ridaz. I also run a bunch of hip hop websites with Akt Aktion such as Phoenixhiphop.net, Houstonhiphop.net, Losaneleshiphop.net and more.
Time to enjoy Mav of Sol Camp!
