You can Read the Whole Article on Examiner. Check Q& A Below from the artcile.
ST: How long have you been involved with go-go and hip-hop?
RM: I’ve been in the game since 1997. I was one of the original members of the UCB band. It was me, Marcus Clark, and Walker “Tre” Johnson. We used to have band practice in my mother’s basement.
ST: Talk a little bit about the band. Some people think that Wale put UCB on instead of vice-versa.
RM: Like most bands we struggled in the beginning, but eventually we became one of the best new bands in DC. UCB really made their mark on the city. We’ve done a lot of charity events in DC, and before we were even involved with Wale we were already doing shows outside the area in places like Las Vegas and Jamaica. We also had a #1 hit single with the song “Sexy Lady”.
ST: How did UCB begin working with Wale?
RM: Wale was introduced to UCB in 2005 by Kenny Burns (Studio 43), and we formed a relationship with him (Wale) by allowing him to hang out with us and perform a few singles that Studio 43 was pushing. In the beginning it was UCB & Wale, but as his success grew it became Wale & UCB. But we were still right there by his side supporting him and protecting him in the DMV area. Things happened so fast with Wale that we (UCB) lost focus on our projects. When we finally began working on our own projects again I saw a change in Wale’s attitude and his support for us – and I feel that was foul.
ST: Was UCB properly paid for the work they did with Wale?
RM: UCB was not compensated at all for allowing Wale to perform his singles when he was at Studio 43. But it wasn’t a problem, we all approved of it and we did that out of straight love. We didn’t start getting paid until Wale signed with Allido. I believe the pay was fair up until late 2010 when we were still receiving the same amount and he was getting much more. Around this same time he also stopped UCB from performing our music during his set.
ST: How does the rest of the band feel about Wale?
RM: Some members of UCB have lost their love and desire to be a band and have decided to become musicians for hire. Some members feel that Wale is their only ticket to success, and they don’t see the neglect and abandonment of UCB.
ST: But you have to admit that the relationship with Wale did open some doors for UCB.
RM: I feel he helped expose me and UCB to another level of the industry, but nothing that we couldn’t have acquired on our own. I believe this would have happened with or without Wale. The support was expected to go both ways because we never stopped supporting him. Wale uses people to get where he’s trying to go then burns the bridge after he gets there.
ST: Several local rappers (Garvey, Bossman, City Boy, Carty-Yeah, KayeM, Chaos, Mo C.H.I.P.S., Hazzard) have dissed Wale in the past. What’s the story behind your beef with Wale?
RM: It’s not a beef, it’s more of a personal and business problem with his character. This problem started with me asking Wale on Twitter if he thinks it’s cool for UCB to get a 10 minute set at his shows and a 25% raise. For the record, I’m communicating to Wale via Twitter because I don’t have his cell phone number. And he’s not following me back on Twitter so I couldn’t direct message him. I want to be clear that I did not ask him in a rude way. So he responds and says, “I know what it is, you mad, you can have your band back”.
