Joell Ortiz

Interview. Christian Grant-Fields

Joell Ortiz is a real dude. Hence his choice not to use a different moniker when rapping. “I am real. No nicknames. This is me,” says the 26-year-old Brooklyn native. “I’m what you would call a fan with a deal.”

Ortiz created a buzz in the rap world with the release of his mix tape Who the F*** is Joell Ortiz?!, which had every major A&R in rap asking the same question. After meeting with damn near everyone in the industry, Ortiz finally found a home on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, whose roster includes Eve, Eminem, and Busta Rhymes.

“I go left when everyone goes right. People were telling me to sign with an East Coast-based label, so I went left…to the West,” he laughs.

Before his highly anticipated major label debut, Ortiz decided to give the streets an appetizer in the form of The Brick: Bodega Chronicles, which is to be released on Koch Records on April 26th. We recently caught up with the former basketball player and rapped about D-Wade, the Boston Celtics and the Florida Gators.

Dime: What made you start rapping?
Joell Ortiz: Man, coming out of my building when I was like 11, 12 years old. Seeing guys in a cipher, hearing the oohs and ahhs. Seeing the girls on the bench listening.

Dime: Did you come up playing ball in Brooklyn?
Joell Ortiz: Yeah man, I could’ve played for a major college. I love ball. I had to stop to take care of my mom, who at the time was running the streets. I was a Jason Kidd-type player. When I was coming up I had the opportunity to play with Ron Artest and Smush Parker.

Dime: Who did you follow growing up?
Joell Ortiz: C’mon! As a kid everyone admired Michael Jordan.

Dime: Did you come up a Knicks Fan? Are you following the NBA right now?
Joell Ortiz: Nah, I was a Bulls fan. My uncles tried to feed me all that Celtics nonsense. I am a huge Dwyane Wade fan — that’s my man. It sucks that he is out right now. But to be honest with you, I am on my March Madness sh*t.

Dime: Oh, word? What college team do you follow?
Joell Ortiz: I am a Dukie man. But I think the Gators are going to win it all again. They took their lumps and are going to get on the right track. Billy Donovan is great and he has a special player in Joakim Noah. I don’t see them having any problems unless they run into a team like Kansas.

Dime: Damn, you know your stuff! Do you follow street ball as well?
Joell Ortiz: Yeah man, I’m an athlete. My favorite streetballer is probably The Professor. He got a sick handle.

Dime: Who were your rap influences coming up?
Joell Ortiz: Man, I’m pretty young. I’m 26. So I started listening to rap around 1992, 1993. I would have to say Jay, Nas, and B.I.G.

Dime: If your rap skills were basketball skills, who would you play like?
Joell Ortiz: Whoa! That was an ill question! Damn, that’s a good one. Well…I can score whenever, I don’t talk a lot of sh*t. I’d say…Gilbert Arenas. There are nights that he is unstoppable. I am that type of dude that will give you 40 but is humble about it.

Dime: What separates you from all the other rappers out right now?
Joell Ortiz: I’m honest. I am a real guy who loves his craft. I enjoy this. I paint real graphic pictures. That how I am different, but really, we are all the same because we are all from the hood, y’know?

Dime: What should we be looking forward to from Joell Ortiz?
Joell Ortiz: My Koch Records release, The Brick. It will be in stores April 26, and after that my Aftermath release. I can’t talk too much about it, but Dre and I have some bangers for y’all. I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s like how you never let the kids open their gifts before Christmas.