An entertainment mogul in the making Brooklyn emcee and entrepreneur RH Bless is successfully steering his entertainment imprint, Block Exchange Entertainment, through the ranks of the Hip Hop genre.
Bless is the CEO, and as cliché as that may sound nowadays, Block Exchange Ent. functions as the parent company for his independent label of the same name, as well as Block Exchange Films and the B.L.O.C.K. Report: Street Journal hip-hop DVD magazine, which he produces and directs.
As an artist the Brooklyn native just released his mixtape Bring That Beat Back Vol. 1 where he rhymes over classic old school East coast beats. Volume 6 of the B.L.O.C.K. Report is right around the corner as is the second installment of Bring That Beat Back. Bless has collaborated with artists such as Brand Nubian, Talib Kweli, Royce 5’9, and Lil Wayne but he is focusing in on establishing his own outfit of up-and-coming artists like Cess Wonder, Preech and Duss Smittoooo that will make Block Exchange an everyday name.
Unsigned the Magazine interviewed the aspiring mogul to discuss every his budding entertainment company is doing; his mixtapes, DVDs, producing and directing and work ethic. If you don’t know RH Bless, we introduce you to him.
UTM: You are an up-and-coming Hip-Hop artist and entertainment entrepreneur. For those of our readers who may not have heard of you can you let them know where you are from?
RH Bless: Brooklyn, New York – representing the Block Exchange family.
UTM: You just dropped a free downloadable mixtape, Bring That Beat Back Vol. 1, on the Internet where you rhyme over old school East coast classics like Big Daddy Kane's “Ain’t No Half Stepping” and Queen Latifah’s “Just Another Day.” What was your motivation behind the concept of the mixtape? What can fans expect to hear?
RH Bless: Bring That Beat Back Vol. 1 is my way of paying homage to some of the great artists that inspired me and many others like me. I took some of the classic tracks and tried to do some justice to them while lightly staying in the vein of the energy and style the original artists brought to the track. I wanted to show my diversity, so the listeners can expect to hear lyrics and flows all throughout with content. I had fun with it.
UTM: I know you’re staying very busy creating music. You are also scheduled to release a Bring That Beat Back Vol. 2 as well as a compilation CD titled Disturbing the Streets where you feature artists on you Block Exchange Entertainment label. Can you tell us a little about both those projects?
RH Bless: Bring That Beat Back Vol. 2 is the West coast version of Vol. 1. It’s subtitled East Coast Rhyming West Coast Riding. It may be even better than the first one. I rocked over classics like “Murder Was The Case” by Snoop Dogg, “Today Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube, “The Shiznit” by Snoop Dogg and “Shed So Many Tearz” by Tupac. This volume is much flowier and I just let that West vibe carry me through it while recording for it. Everything was first thoughts that I just layer down without looking back. I was in a vibe.
The Disturbing The Streets mixtape series are Block Exchange projects we are putting out to bring back that New York street hip hop music that once upon a time used to disturb the streets. We are trying to bring that 1998 vibe back again – hungry lyrics and raw beats. Look out for Cess Wonder, Duss Smittoooo, Preech and Chippa Blu.
UTM: Now aside from making music, you created Block Exchange Films and function as a producer and director. In fact you own the successful Hip Hop DVD, B.L.O.C.K. Report: Street Journal. What is the general focus of the DVD?
RH Bless: The focus of the DVD is to preserve and uphold true hip hop. It started as a platform to promote everything going on in our camp but it quickly made an impression on the streets and drew in a lot of artists. I was simply just trying to fill a void where I thought other DVDs weren’t covering and that’s mainly focusing on the music, the art and the artist.
UTM: Aside from the DVD, who else have you directed videos or projects for?
RH Bless: St. Laz, M. Reck, Big Skeem, Block Exchange, Cess Wonder, Preech, Dap C from the UK, Sabotawj, my West coast homie Devious from the group Pitch Black, Blockwork, TF Mafia, Push Montana, Skyzoo and plenty others. Those are just a few off the top of my head.
UTM: You juggle many roles within Block Exchange Ent., including being the entity's chief executive. Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
RH Bless: At times it can feel overwhelming because I want everything to be right and on point. I’m a workaholic but I know that not everyone on my team has my work ethic. I then take responsibility for several things at once which can get to be a lot, but we make it happen nevertheless.
UTM: Who else will be making noise on Block Exchange?
RH Bless: Cess Wonder, Duss Smittoooo, Preech and Chippa Blu.
UTM: Finally, where we our readers can find you?
RH Bless: They can find me at YouTube.com, Myspace.com/RHBless and Facebook: RH Bless. Twitter me, Google me – I’m here; Block Exchange is here. Brooklyn!
