ARTIST FEATURE + Q&A ~> GHOST DA LYRICAL

Ghost Da Lyrical, Brooklyn born Queens raised, is the unsigned lyricist here to bring back that old-school hip hop much. With a bright past and a dark future, hip-hop in the present needs that light bulb change, and this aspiring young artist has already started unscrewing. With an erratic sociopath style, Ghost Da Lyrical has been heavily influenced by hip-hop's golden years. Ghost proves to be exactly what his name is; LYRICAL. He is versatile to say the least, with songs ranging form pain and suffering to good times with everything in between. With the completion of his third mixtape entitled "Mainstream Killah", Ghost continues to finesse his way into the ears and ipods of many. With hit singles like "Hold Da Throne" & "Don't Let Go" and classic freestyles such as "Exhibit G" & "Slow Down", it's no wonder Queens is buzzing about him. However, one town, one city, one state, one region, is never enough to this artist, and Ghost won't stop until he has international status. He's not that far off, almost national already, hitting mixtapes and getting radio spins in Milwaukee, Detroit, Sacramento, and all over South Florida. It's safe to say Ghost is on his way to making his dream a reality.

There's not doubt this talented artist is passionate about his craft. Read on to check out AllureRadio's exclusive Q&A with Ghost.

AllureRadio: What made you decide to pursue music as your career choice?
Ghost Da Lyrical: I never really "chose" music. All my life I was surrounded by good music, and with the late great Jackie Wilson's blood flowing through my veins, it's been encoded in my DNA.

AR: Describe your style or are there any artists you get compared to?
GDL: I feel that my style is very versatile; I can basically adapt to almost any genre of music. I've recently been called "The Modern Day DMX". The person who wrote it described it as my voice captivates my audience with power. I like that feeling.

AR: Who are some of your musical inspirations?
GDL: I get over 90% of my inspiration from hip-hop's golden years, which would be the early '90s through late 2003 in my eyes. The exact year things got ugly for hip-hop isn't too clear, but albums like Ready to Die (Biggie), Capital Punishment (Big Pun), All Eyes on Me (Tupac), The Marshall Mathers LP (Eminem), Reasonable Doubt (Jay-Z), It Was Written (Nas) and When Disaster Strikes (Busta Rhymes) have heavily influenced me. I left a couple out, but those are the albums I can't do without.

AR: What is your opinion about today's hip hop & lyricist?
GDL: I feel hip-hop evolved to a point where saturation and mediocrity became a "trend". A lot of artists don't even put any time or effort in what they create anymore. Lyricists has to be the rarest thing in hip-hop now. Guys like Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, Fred The Godson, J. Cole, Pusha T, and Lloyd Banks hold this title right now, but with pressure from labels to sell records, it won't be long before this list shrinks. One thing I commend is Eminem & Shady records refusing to accept mediocrity, at the expense of not getting radio spins. If fans feel you are dope, they will support you regardless, which is exactly why Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I & Royce Da 5'9 survived without labels for so long before they built Slaughterhouse.

AR: Biggest accomplishment so far in your career?
GDL: I feel the biggest accomplishment in my career is being recognized on an international level. Not only am I currently getting spins out in the United Kingdom, I caught the attention of WU-Tang Management's "DJ Twinn Loco". With that opened up another opportunity in the states, as I am closely affiliated with another Wu- Tang Management representative, "Justis Hype". To have my talents recognized by them is a prestigious honor, and has continued to open doors for me, even now.

AR: Artists you'd like to collaborate with?
GDL: Everyone says Jay-Z or Nas, but I would love to do tracks with Yelawolf, J. Cole, Royce Da 5'9, Fred The Godson and Reek Da Villian.

AR: Most valuable advice you've received regarding the industry?
GDL: A couple of people who do press asked me what would I try to do next, and my natural response was to get record spins on major radio stations in New York. They told me that getting on the radio is nice, but the way the market is going, it would be easier if the radio chased me, versus me chasing the radio. If I market myself beyond radio, I'd have a much easier time accomplishing what I want. Great advice, good looking "Buttaflyy".

AR: What's next for Ghost?
GDL: Well currently, "Mainstream Killah", my third mixtape, is circulating the internet. Great responses from it so far, so expect to see me performing a lot of tracks from it for the year. Also, I'm currently working on a huge mixtape with another artist who shall remain nameless for the time being, but as close as we are, it was only a matter of time before we came up with something like this, and an EP for the late part of 2011.

AR: Any last words for your fans/supporters?
GDL: Shout out to Grapevyn Ent. for giving a struggling artist a chance, Fat Boy Radio for sponsoring the tape, L 'Creme clothing, Skrillz Photography, Kevz and the rest of my UNDVYD team, Wu- Tang Management, DJ Truey, who is responsible for all my radio spins and mixtape placements outside of New York, and last but not least, to Allure Radio for this feature. To any and all fans, whether it's 10 of you or 10,000 of you, you guys are the fire that drives this movement. Your love and support humbles me. Much love also to NiqueNique.

Be sure to follow Ghost on Twitter ~~> @GhostDaLyrical