FLH Exclusive! Mr. Freeze “Red Snow 2” Interview

Monday 2nd May, 2016 by Chad T. Carsten | 0 Comments

I was in line for Hallowicked 2007 in Detroit when a person wearing a killer clown mask handed me a Long Range Distribution compilation titled “Got That Murdercore?” It had a ton of underground artists on it, ranging from Q-Strange, Kardiac, Grewsum, Intrinzik, and even Insane Poetry. I had never heard any of these artists prior, but one artist that stuck out the most was Mr. Freeze. The Freeze track was titled “Burn All The Bodies”, but whoever pressed the discs ended up making a mistake and the Mr. Freeze song within the compilation was actually a full version of the track “In It For A Minute”. I was hooked. I had never heard anything so raw and fierce from hip-hop before. I bumped the song like crazy for days on end! Fast forward almost ten years later and I log onto Facebook with a message from Mr. Freeze’s personal account reaching out to do an interview with him. Talk about a small world! Mr. Freeze is still making dope music to this day and continues to pursue hip-hop, no matter what life throws at him. So don’t miss Mr. Freeze at this years Gathering of The Juggalo’s, for he will be performing with his Supergroup Unlimited Future Objective on the Pendulum stage during the late night hours! Super fresh! http://www.juggalogathering.com/Pendulum-Stage-Lineup/

Here is a Faygoluvers.net exclusive with Freeze! Enjoy!

Chad Thomas Carsten: How did growing up in Connecticut influence who you are as a recording artist today?

Mr. Freeze: Growing up in Connecticut definitely helped shape my life into what it has become. It’s a very different place compared to other states. It has it’s own vibe that is different than NY and completely opposite of Boston. But, we fall right smack dab in the middle. I experienced hip-hop from a different perspective and I think that is why myself and a lot of great artists helped shape the sound it has become known for. We grew up going to shows, getting into trouble, smoking the best herb, hunting ghosts and just doing what was real to us. You can definitely hear the influence of all these things in the music. We do a little of everything here.

CTC: What exactly inspired you to start killing it on the mic and what age were you when you first start rapping seriously?

Mr. Freeze: I think it all came down to being at the right place at the right time. Or wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it. *Laughs* I was 13 and going through the hardest period of my adolescence. My sister had passed away a year before and my family was still recovering from the affects of that. I basically had transitioned into an angry kid and stopped really giving a fuck about what everybody expected me to do and started thinking and doing what I truly believed in. This is where music came into play. Music saved my life! I literally just saw that it was possible to make it work if I really wanted it bad enough. My life could have gone two ways at the time. I could have stayed straight and stuck with school and went on and possibly been a lawyer or something. But, instead I chose this life and took the road less traveled. Here I am over ten years later doing what I love to do. It started out just writing rhymes in a notebook at school and turned into recording professionally and eventually playing shows. All before I was even 15 years old.

CTC: How does the super DC comics villain “Mr. Freeze” relate to your own personal life, versus your own stage persona?

Mr. Freeze: There definitely is a Ying and Yang there. In life, you need an equal balance to maintain basic harmony. With that, you will always have good versus evil. I used to always be a shy kid, even if people back then didn’t realize it. When I gained the confidence to rhyme, everyone that knew me and heard me rhyme for the first time would look at me in total shock after I would spit something. To them, they never saw that side of me before. From there, I would say that I lived two different lives. When I was home with my family or friends just chilling, I was just Ty Mencio. But on the mic, I became Mr Freeze. Somebody that just didn’t give a fuck. Now these days, it’s hard to find a difference. I am Freeze!

CTC: You’ve been rapping for over ten years. What motivates you to keep continuing to follow your hip-hop dreams?

Mr. Freeze: Looking at my daughter and seeing the future in her eyes. Everything I do is to provide a happy existence for my child, and music is the only thing I’m really good at. It’s literally this or nothing for me. On a lighter note, life itself inspires me. Hearing a good original song or piece of music inspires me. But mostly, to prove to myself that I can go as far in this game as I choose to. That is my motivation at this point. I want to see how far we can push it until it crashes. Or until I’m too old to do it any more.

CTC: Why should a hip-hop fan attend a Mr.Freeze show?

Mr. Freeze: If not for the pure enjoyment of the music, I would say for one KICK ASS SHOW! I don’t want to brag or sound dickish, but the reason I have lasted this long and gone this far is largely because of my on stage performances. All I can say is if you didn’t think I was serious before hand, by the time you walk out of one of my shows (one thing is for sure), you will understand how serious this is to me. It’s kill or be killed. Patrick Ewing (who used to play basketball for the NY Knicks) once said, that he and Michael Jordan were great friends off the court. They would go to lunch and Michael would pay and they would have fun together all the time. As soon as they got on the court, Jordan was all business. This is what made him the best. Do whatever you have to do to win. But always remain professional while doing it.

CTC: You recently just dropped a record from your new group: Beyond Top Secret! Why the name Beyond Top Secret and are there any government conspiracies that may have inspired the name?

Mr. Freeze: Beyond Top Secret means many different things to me and the members of the group. Before we came up with the name, we always felt that our talent was evident but that the world just didn’t know about us yet. This built up some frustration over the years, so when we came about forming the group, it just kind of hit me. Beyond Top Secret. Something majorly important that the population of the world doesn’t know about yet. As far as conspiracy theories, I have always had a large interest in the subject. From The JFK Murder, to John Lennon’ s murder, Chem trails, MK Ultra, UFO cover-ups, you name it, I read it. I’ve been highly interested in conspiracies since I read the book Behold A Pale Horse in the mid 2000’s. It changed my entire life perspective and it has never been the same since. I have seen some things in my lifetime that I still can’t fully comprehend. I could go on forever about stories of paranormal or unexplained UFO’S, but I’ll save that for another time. Or maybe even a book! *Laughs*

CTC: What was your main goal and focus for Beyond Top Secret? What did you set out to accomplish with this release?

Mr. Freeze: We wanted to prove that we could make all around good music and still stay true to our roots. By that, what I mean is simple. If you listen to the album, we can all pretty much agree that it doesn’t sound like any Freeze album that has ever came out. In the same sense, it didn’t sound like any Xplizt song you may have heard. We aimed to make all around good songs with strong hooks and unique subject matter. I would say that we accomplished that, hands down. I am so proud of that record, and the response we have gotten since the release of our debut album has been shocking, to say the least. I love our fans!

CTC: How did you go about choosing who you wanted to be featured on the album and why?

Mr. Freeze: Because this was a group project, we didn’t outsource any other artists for features on this album. We thought really hard about getting a big named feature and basically said “Fuck it”. I don’t need anybody else’s name to sell our records. So we kind of just left it at that. All BTS, every song, front to back. BOOM!

CTC: Who primarily produced Beyond Top Secret?

Mr Freeze: As far as production, we had a few beatmakers help out with beat instrumentation. But a lot of what you hear is some good ol’ fashion instruments. We worked with live guitars, bass, and drums on a lot of the album, as you can hear on songs like “California” or “Dark Days”. The original idea was to make a mostly rock-oriented album. But at the end of the day, I am a hip hop artist with some singing vocal range. I can’t put myself in just one box. I need to constantly evolve and push myself artistically so I think this was just another way of expressing that.

CTC: For the track “California”, did you finally make it to California? Any personal stories you’d like to share from your time spent in California?

Mr. Freeze: Hell yeah man! *Laughs* We played LA three times last year. Each trip crazier than the last. First time I was there, I hung out with Ron Jeremy for an entire night and that was it for me. California is like my second home now *Laughs* I can write a whole book on this subject too. I can tell you about weird cults, crazy rock stars and all that Hollywood shit. But we may need more time for that.

CTC: Within Beyond Top Secret, you dove deep into your rock n roll roots with the production. What rock icons do you look up to the most and the reason why you decided to approach Beyond Top Secret with a more rock feel?

Mr. Freeze: Jim Morrison and The Doors were a huge influence on my life. Kurt Cobain as well. I think more so his story. It stuck with me ever since I first heard Nirvana as a child. David Bowie also was INSANELY big in my life. I listened to all of their music religiously and studied it front to back. When I played the Whiskey A GoGo in LA, it was a dream come true, because The Doors were the original house band there before they blew up! So that was special to me.

CTC: Can we get into what state of mind you were in when you first wrote “Dark Days”?

Mr. Freeze: I was looking at the world from the outside looking in. I literally thought, what would a God or outside life form think if they could see us all right now?! Out came the lyrics to Dark Days from there. It was one of the first songs we wrote together as a band and became one of our strongest tracks for sure. We ended up making a video for it and if you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do. Our video guy, Shane McLellan, is literally one of the best in the business right now. Anybody that has seen his work will know what I am talking about.

“Dark Days”

[youtube]https://youtu.be/MSXeBHh1big[/youtube]

CTC: What is your own definition of a hater and any stories you’d like to share when a hater approached you in person?

Mr. Freeze: Man, I’ve had a hundred haters over the years. *Laughs* Recently, my partner and Xplizt along with our significant others have been stalked by this girl who won’t leave Xplizt and I alone. She writes our girls messages, saying crazy shit and is basically just being an all around nut case. It’s actually quite scary. But basically she is mad because we don’t fuck her. *Laughs* Plain and simple. This is just one small example. Being somewhat “known” brings the worst out of some people. The world will judge you even when you aren’t asking for it. That kind of behavior just comes with the territory, I guess.

CTC: What Science Fiction films inspired your song “Spaceman”?

Mr. Freeze: 2001 A Space Odyssey. Hands down. Stanley Kubrick is my idol when it comes to films. I have all of his movies and have seen them all numerous times. But that movie sticks out the most for me. It has helped inspire a lot more than just that one song. Visually, I learned a great deal from that particular movie. That’s probably part of the reason why my videos are the way they are. But that song, lyrically, was about love mostly. The good and the bad, mixed with space metaphors.

CTC: What exactly is the song “Starchild” about?

Mr. Freeze: It has multiple meanings to me. I feel like we as humans are programmed at a young age to think that we are all stars in some way. Ask every teenager what they want to be. I guarantee 9 outta 10 say they want to be an actor, or a singer, or a director, or a model or something along those lines. It’s because it has been instilled in each and every one of us since birth that we are ALL special. Whether unrealistic or not, we are all star children.

CTC: You recently announced Red SNoW 2. It’s the sequel to the wicked underground favorite Red Snow! What sparked the decision to do a sequel?

Mr. Freeze: The fan outreach that I kept receiving over the years, basically. But it really became serious when I was sitting back wondering what my next solo album was going to be. Then I went online and and a homie of mine had left a comment that pretty much said “Red SNoW 2 is what they want “. So I gave the fans that have been there since day one (2007) exactly what they wanted. And I am so glad that I did it, because it makes so much sense. Now is the time. There’s a whole new generation of pissed off kids that are just like those kids that responded to the first album all those years back, and they want to hear something they can truly connect with. I think I captured that again this time around. I can never be what I was then, a teenage kid, mad at the world. But I am a man now who still looks around at the world and has an opinion on what’s going on around here. That is what you’ll find on Red SNoW 2!

CTC: What kind of content can the wicked underground fans expect within Red SNoW 2?

Mr. Freeze: Again, just what I do best. Deliver my opinions and point of view of what’s happening in the world of Mr Freeze NOW, in 2016. I went back and reached out to the old school family for this record. Donnie Menace is back at with me on a ridiculous song with Xplizt. My UFO partner Madecipha makes an appearance. People can remember him from the song “Burn the Bodies” on Red SNoW. Plus, some other talented individuals that helped make this album what it is.

CTC: Is there anything recording wise that you’ve always wanted to do with in the past, but finally were able to get the chance to do with Red SNoW 2?

Mr. Freeze: Yeah, I think that I finally realized who I am as a person and artist while making the album. I definitely went through a complete life transition throughout the six months I spent working on it. Musically I experimented a little with some things, but overall, I think I touched on subjects that I may have never spoke on if I wasn’t making a Red SNoW follow up. There’s some depth there that was new to me in some aspects for sure.

CTC: Can you briefly break down the differences and similarities between Red SNoW and Red SNoW 2?

Mr. Freeze: I was 17 years old when I first started writing and recording material for Red SNoW. It was a different time before I was as wise, but I think being so young at the time actually helped that album become a classic in some people’s eyes. It had a raw emotion that only a 17 year old kid going through life’s every day struggles could think of. I could never repeat that…it’s impossible. But I truly feel Red SNoW 2 represents the current situation quite well. It’s me and who I am all the fucking way. I don’t sugar coat a damn thing and I feel I told my story truthfully to this point. I hope everyone anticipating it’s release is happy with the finished product.

CTC: Looking back at the original Red SNoW, can you give us a history lesson of what inspired you to write the original and why it stands the test of time within the underground?

Mr. Freeze: It came from a dark place. I was going through so many different situations in that small window of time. I was going through money problems, family problems, rap problems, girlfriend problems, the whole nine. It all just exploded on that album and produced genuine feelings I was experiencing at that time in my life. It seemed to stick with people all of these years I think, because underground wicked shit at the time had become very predictable and a little more dumbed down. Same goes for mainstream hip hop at the time. I think it came in at the right time for both audiences back then. To this day, it’s what most people know me for and I’m cool with that. But I honestly feel that will change as I continue to grow more as an artist.

CTC: Any music video plans or touring plans?

Mr. Freeze: We just dropped a video for the single “Like Me” by Beyond Top Secret. It was fun as hell and not as serious as some of my previous videos, so we literally just had a small together and filmed it. *Laughs* We have a new video for my other project UFO coming out next month in May as well for the single “Welcome Home “. That song is crazy!

CTC: You will be opening for Twiztid soon. What do you like most about Twiztid live and what is it that excites you the most about the show?

Mr. Freeze: I’ve been opening for Twiztid for years and have always respected them as artists and performers. From the Psychopathic days to now as MNE, they always proven themselves all around…and the shows are insane!

CTC: The future of Mr.Freeze

Mr. Freeze: Red SNoW 2 drops May 20th on Mercy Counts Records. The group album “Meet Your Makers” by UFO drops this July and it’s absolutely ridiculous music. Picture alien martians sent to earth to destroy the world with rap music type shit! *Laughs* I have so many shows this year. Check the official artist page for all updates. I’m going to stay making these songs and rocking these shows. Thanks again Faygoluvers!

To purchase Freeze’s latest supergroup release “Beyond Top Secret” click here: https://beyondtopsecet.bandcamp.com/album/cut-the-power