Interview w/Nelz Gomez of The Gomez Brothers (G Unit/Shade 45 (Sirius Radio)
By: Justin Weleski

When setting up the DJ Cosmic Kev interview I got the heads up that we were going to be hanging out with Kev and a bunch of his friends. One just happened to be Nelz Gomez from the hit Sirius radio show, The Gomez Brothers. In addition to that I also got the heads up that Nelz was a vital part in helping 50 Cent take over the mixtape market since the beginning. He puts in a lot of work over at G Unit Records. So hanging out with the crew I learned more about the man behind the scenes and talked about what goes on in both his worlds and what the future has in store for both radio and record label marketing.

215: How did you get your start in street team work?

Nelz Gomez: Well basically street team work is one of the best entry level positions in the music business. If you live in the city and know your way around the clubs, and the lifestyle, it’s the best way to know how to promote a rap record. You see what’s going on from parades, holidays, weekend events, and etc.

215: What’s your thought on the lack of direct street team work in the past few years? Because a few years ago there was a lot of street presence and a lot of money being thrown around from record labels.

Nelz: Yeah I came from there and know the money you’re talking about. Part of the reason it’s dying off is because the record label budgets aren’t what they used to be. And two…street team jobs really started only about 10 years ago. I would say Puffy was one of the big mentors with the whole bad boy team and taking it to another level with poster boards, stickers, t-shirts and other creative things he did with it. Like when the Biggie record came out he had big balloons in New York and attaching the Biggie name to anything that was big. The best thing I ever seen from Bad Boy, in the beginning, was when MTV wasn’t playing their videos and he put a street team outside MTV with picket signs and just letting MTV know that he had artists selling mad records and they weren’t playing any of them. Puff was real aggressive and wanted attention; he would be outside of a club with a huge street team.  He had the female street team. That actually opened the doors for labels to start putting out street teams along with Rest in Peace Justo from the mix tape awards. He used to run with Nervous, Atlantic and a bunch of other labels.

215: Do you feel Myspace and the internet as a whole is responsible for the lack of street team work?

Nelz: I don’t think it took over but it’s just expanding. The new generation is more inclined to look for information on the computer than the TV. I guarantee that and it’s just another angle and look. So you have to utilize it the best you can. When Myspace came in was one thing but then Youtube came in and it completely changed the game. Now you can watch your favorite video anytime you want and don’t have to even turn on Rap City or any of that. All this is a major reason why 50 started thisis50.com and started giving people what they want; from downloading songs on your iPhone to exclusive downloads of music videos and all that. As far as street team work goes I see the money also starting to go more towards events instead of paying a team to snipe up poster boards and then having to pay the fines. Why would they want to get $15,000 fines in poster boards when you can pay for the artist to appear at a club and just have the team focus on promoting the party and promoting the artist at the event?

215: How did you first get involved with G Unit?

Nelz: Right from the beginning to the very first mix tape they ever dropped. I had just lost my job with Loud records and a lot of labels were folding. At that time I had knowledge and the equipment to press up my own vinyl with Fat Beats. So I stepped to 50 and Sha Money and told them that I wanted to press up vinyl for all the singles they had out on mixtapes. It was so under the radar when it first started we didn’t have to worry about clearing samples and all that. No one’s gonna come after us for 10,000 pieces of wax. But then obviously the vinyl demand died down and now it’s just all about me sending out an MP3 to thousands of DJ’s and it’s a world wide record in five minutes.

215: Where you apart of the initial launch of the mix tape movement?

Nelz: Yeah, and the thought process behind it initially was 50 said he was going to turn the typical 16 bar freestyle that would go onto a mixtape into a full song. So, instead of a mixtape with everyone on it he just wanted to do tapes with just him. He knew how to take songs and make them his own by just flipping the theme. At the same time people wanted to hear just him, so it worked out big.

215: Now going back then in a time where 50 wasn’t looked at as the powerful artist he is now did you guys have any problems with the record label into putting out actual songs on a mixtape?

Nelz: Nah, we didn’t have any problems at all. Because sometimes the songs we put out on mixtapes ended up being singles for the label. Like, for example, “Wanksta” was at first a mixtape song but then the label picked it up for the 8 Mile record; which ended up being 50’s biggest record ever. And even today with “Rider Pt. 2″ which was a big mixtape record and is now all over the radio in regular rotation. So God has a formula and works in mysterious ways and in the end it all just worked out.

215: How did you get your start in radio?

Nelz: The same way I started with street team work, I just wanted to step my game up. I first started on the college level, when College radio was what the internet is today with breaking records and artists. It was more underground and would take risks with artists as opposed to regular radio which wouldn’t even touch them. Then they started to see it on CMJ and would eventually jump on it. So I did college radio for 2-3yrs, and then went to work at Fat Beats pressing up vinyl for everyone from 50 Cent, Alchemist, RZA, to KRS One and so on. They would come to us with records the labels didn’t want and we would just press them up and split the money.

215: Now obviously Serato is a beautiful thing that you can’t deny, but being someone who actually pressed up vinyl for a living. Are you still feeling a certain way about the whole digital revolution with records?

Nelz: Of course, I truly feel vinyl is the best way to get the quality out of a song. From the bass line to the thump; it’s going to be the rawest form and the best way for you to listen to a record. The digital age steps it up to another level (but it’s unfortunate in a way.) Serato came in it and makes it so easy for the DJ and from the label standpoint it saves us so much money to send out an MP3 rather than pressing it up, mailing it, and then waiting for the response.

215: Do you feel that satellite radio will eventually take over FM radio?

Nelz: I think 20 years down the line. You’ll be able to have satellite radio on your cell phone. It’s already available on some cable networks, I forget which ones, but some got cable with XM and Sirius radio on it. So it’s almost there and the only obstacle it faces right now is convincing people it’s worth that $10 a month to pay for. The real hip hop heads are buying satellite radio because the music they want to hear is there. I also compare it to cable television 20 years ago. Back then you heard about it and wanted to see more raw content. Now you have to have cable to even watch TV in certain areas; and to even watch Monday Night Football. So satellite could easily become that next necessity.

215: What’s in the near future?

Nelz: I wear a few hats with G Unit Records promotion staff, doing Siruis radio every Saturday from 5pm-8pm and thisis50.com, which is growing really fast. It’s becoming the Myspace to the hip hop music industry. We’re trying to take it to the next level so look out for it. I wouldn’t be surprised within the next two years or so that you’ll start getting internet in your car. Once it goes mobile you’re gonna start seeing it really blow up. Like for example just look at how accessible navigation systems cost, before it was like $2,000 to get but now they come in almost every car; this where I see both myself and the music industry going within the next few years.

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