Shimon and Ariel Ovadia have had no formal training in design. While they spent time observing their father’s garment business, these two Brooklyn-based brothers have managed to shine through their lineage and in doing so, have launched their own label, aptly titled Ovadia & Sons. In 2012, Ariel and Shimon were named GQ’s Best New Menswear Designers in America and they’ve positioned themselves as making gear for real dudes – timeless, classic, and ever so sophisticated.

Life+Times: It’s all about the fit and details – and you guys, plain and simple, nail it. What makes your product unique?
Ariel: One of the reasons that we started Ovadia & Sons is because the clothing we wanted didn’t exist. We have our vision of the way we want clothing to look, feel and fit. We use high quality fabrics and pay close attention to fit, detail and design. We love to borrow from the past and recreate it, so there is a fresh yet familiar feel.

L+T: If you had to choose one iconic guy who represents the Ovadia and Sons customer – who would it be and why?
Shimon: Its’ tough to choose just one. For me its guys like Gary Cooper and Clark Gable. Those men had personal style and a certain coolness to them.

L+T: What are your five rules to getting dressed?
Shimon and Ariel:
1. We believe that you can make your own rules. Just know what works for you.
2.Confidence. You need to feel confident in what you’re wearing.
3. Always feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. Make sure you’re wearing the clothing and not the other way around.
4. Dress according to your mood. It will change your day.
5. Don’t spend too much time with fashion trends. They come and go like the seasons. Classic is always in style.

Shimon: The brand has an identity and the vision is clear. From the cohesiveness of the collections to the quality and fit of our products, it clarifies the message that we’re giving.

The hopeless expression that was transfixed upon Kobe Bryant’s face said it all.

Kevin Durant, the NBA’s MVP runner-up, and Russell Westbrook combined for 52 points, as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 116-90 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals series on Monday. Bryant and a much-improved Andrew Bynum each scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers (with Bynum grabbing 14 rebounds) but the look of despair on Bryant’s face served as an indication that the window for him to obtain his sixth championship is closing– rapidly.

Two games after trailing by as many as 28 points in a blowout loss in Game 6 in Denver, thing got worse for the Lakers, who were down by as many as 35-points at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday night. Kobe and company responded to their last thrashing by defeating George Karl’s talented Nuggets 96-87 in a thrilling Game 7 on Saturday night. Now, the Lakers will need another big bounce-back performance for Game 2 in OKC on Wednesday night.

“I’ve been on the receiving end [of playoff blowouts]. I’ve also been on the end [when] we’re dishing it out,” Bryant told ESPN. “My experience is telling me to stay patient and think the game through. We’re going to have to make our adjustments.”

In 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers were pushed to seven games by the Houston Rockets during the Western Conference semifinals. They were blown out in Game 6 and had to go back to L.A. for a decisive Game 7. The Lakers struggled then with inconsistency and displayed little effort on both sides of the ball, before advancing on to win-it-all, giving Bryant his fourth title. On Saturday, it wasn’t just Kobe’s heroics that helped L.A. overcome adversity, but instead it was the return of defensive stalwart Metta World Peace that rallied the Lakers past Denver and provided relief to a struggling squad. On Monday, not even World Peace could save the Lakers.

In his mind, Kobe was able to see a jagged journey to a championship in’09. But, after L.A. wasn’t able to close out the Nuggets early last week, and after their woeful defeat in Game 1, Bryant’s vision of the Lakers’ future is not as clear as it once was– and he’s beginning to sense that his quest for six just might be in jeopardy.

At age 33, the huge degree of responsibility Kobe took on during this lockout-compressed season –Bryant took 36 percent of L.A.’s shots while on the court and posted a Usage Percentage of 35.7– has severely worn him down. On Monday, it was Bryant who had to check Westbrook, and the Thunder All-Star point guard either got by Bryant himself or had a teammate set screen– with no Laker defender there to step up. At one point Westbrook ran Kobe into a back-screen, and then soared for an alley-oop pass from Durant with no one from the Lakers’ frontcourt coming over to help. Kobe was furious at the lack of defensive help. As evident in his post-game comments, after the L.A. failed to finish off the Nuggets in Game 6, Bryant is sick and tired of carrying the Lakers’ load. He turned a question about the return of Metta World Peace from a seven-game suspension into an indictment of his teammates: “He’s the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with that sense of urgency and no fear,” Bryant said of World Peace.

Was Bryant’s comment a slap in the face to Pau Gasol and the Lakers young center, Andrew Bynum? Absolutely. Was it necessary? Totally. For Bryant, success is valued in the number of titles one accumulates. It’s part of his #Kobesystem philosophy. Like the latest campaign for his Nike sneaker demonstrates, Bryant’s firm belief in mastering “success at success at success” is deeply routed in his pursuit of excellence. Over the years, the Black Mamba has become a different animal, but still remains the same beast. If the ultimate goal of winning a championship isn’t attained, in Kobe’s eyes, the entire season is viewed as a complete failure. He plays to win. And he expects his teammates, he goes to battle with night in and night out, to possess or adopt the same mindset.

Kobe has shown legendary durability for a player of his type. His streak of excellence is virtually unmatched. While Bryant’s only 33, he’s in his 16th full NBA season, including two lockout-shortened ones. He’s played the equivalent of more than two and a half seasons in postseason games alone. By comparison, Michael Jordan played only 13 full seasons and only 11 were in his prime with the Chicago Bulls dynasties. In fact, Kobe has played 34 more postseason games than Jordan –and counting. But Jordan never lost in the Finals. And Kobe has– to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Finals. MJ has always been Bryant’s measurement of success in basketball and has served as his greatest-inspiration, as well as his primary target to catch. But as the Lakers continue to struggle this postseason, Kobe’s pursuit of MJ may fall short.

This season, Bryant averaged 27.9 points per game –his sixth best scoring average of his career– second only to Durant’s 28.3 ppg, who Kobe conceded the scoring title to by sitting out the last game of the regular season. To nearly lead the league in scoring in his 16th season is unprecedented. According to ESPN Stats & Info, heading into this season, the highest scoring average for a player in his 16th season or later was 23.4 ppg by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1985-86. The highest average for a guard that late in his career was 14.8 ppg by Reggie Miller. Which means Bryant is still a bad man on the court, but without the right pieces around him, the individual accolades mean nothing to Bryant if the Lakers get knocked out of the playoffs. Kobe is trying to lead the Lakers to their third championship in four years. And to do so he will need an all around team effort, especially from Gasol and Bynum, who have both, turned in subpar performances this postseason.

Now Bryant and the Lakers will have to get past Durant and the juggernaut Thunder. For the first time in a while, the Lakers are the underdogs in a playoff series. It’s the veteran and playoff-tested Lakers versus the young and athletic OKC– who is exacting revenge for their 2010 playoff loss to the Lakers. Does the Black Mamba have enough in his arsenal to will his team passed the mighty Thunder– and ultimately to the crown?

For orchestral arrangement writer Doug Jenkins and the classical ensemble the Portland Cello Project, hip-hop and classical music have more in common than one might think – Just listen to their flip of The Throne’s “H*A*M.” With a set list that now puts historic pieces alongside modern day hip-hop anthems, the orchestra is looking to bridge the gap between the two styles of music and show that good music is well.

When did the Portland Cello Project start?
Doug Jenkins: The group started about five years ago, randomly. There were a lot of classical music groups who were trying to play in bars and unusual places to bring classical music to the people, like Matt Haimovitz playing the cello suites at CBGB’s for example]. We thought we’d try the same thing, but we quickly evolved away from classical music to a place where we were trying to bridge all musical communities together, collaborating and respectfully adapting.

L+T: What’s your role in the group?
DG: I write the overwhelming majority of the orchestral arrangements, produce the records (I run a studio in Portland). And, I play cello in the group. I basically run everything except for the booking and PR. We’re an independent group, so a lot of what we do is DIY.

L+T: At what point did you start incorporating non-classical pieces into your set?
DG: Maybe the third show. And it was immediately clear it was a good idea. From then on, we’ve sold out every single show we’ve played in Portland.

L+T: When you first heard The Throne’s “H*A*M,” what was your reaction?
DG: I listened to it over and over. The structure, the textures, the lyrics and just the overall idea of the song. Like JAY Z describes in Decoded that hip-hop can be a creative exercise using the form of 16 bars explaining why you’re the best at what you do. “H*A*M” takes that to the utter, absolute extreme not only lyrically, but musically.

L+T: What’s the process to play that song as an orchestral piece?
DG: I’ve scored and re-scored that one a few times to make it work. It seems like in each re-write the key was to just make it bigger. More horns, more winds, and way more cellos to give it the depth. We put a chorus in at the beginning just because, without lyrics in right away, ours would have lacked that initial punch – the chorus is so big. Otherwise we’re true to the structure. A lot of extended technique and flutter tongue and stuff in the winds and brass were used to do something like that ascending synth figure Lex Luger used a lot on his songs that year. For the players, it’s pretty natural. The rhythms in the rhymes make total musical sense, and where you hear parallel grammatical structure you also feel parallel rhythmic structure, so musically in translates to an instrumental naturally. For example, that section where JAY Z’s rhymes all use the conditional perfect tense: “Y’all motherfuckers would have been moved/Y’all motherfuckers would have been chewed.” It’s all rhythmically very logical and natural to follow.

L+T: PCP has also done Kanye West and other Watch the Throne songs. Why them?
DG: We recorded a lot of other songs by other producer/composers that just didn’t sound as good in the end with us doing them. We decided no matter what when choosing the cuts for the record that we’d not pay any attention to anything other than how good the songs sounded in our specific recordings, regardless of the originals, regardless of if they were all by the same folks. We just wanted to make a good record. Kanye West’s stuff, whether it’s a piece he’s producing himself, or whether it’s something someone else produced he’s a part of, has a consistent and impeccable quality to it. Both the small details (the sounds and textures), and the big picture elements (how sections contrast, and even just the way his bridges are actual functioning musical bridges), lend themselves to being great instrumental pieces, because there’s so much depth to the musicality.

It’s definitely annoying when people come up to me at our shows at tell me that we made Kanye West enjoyable. Frankly, I barely changed anything but the instrumentation, and in performance we try to stay as true to the spirit of the songs as possible. The people that hate on Kanye West don’t seem to understand that, all the things they complain about, they would have complained about with Beethoven. Beethoven also didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, dealt with heartbreak in similar ways, and alienated himself, but, he was a great composer, and an artist who wrote music from a very honest and human place. Their musical structures are even so similar. I think it’s a mix of being closed-minded and not knowing anything about Beethoven that keeps people from making that sort of connection and accepting Kanye’s productions/compositions as great music.

L+T: In terms of cultural impact, do you think hip-hop music will ever be put in the same echelon as classical?
DG: It’s all perspective. I mean, hip-hop is the most vibrant and influential American art form around today, hands down, and anyone who doesn’t realize that is simply ignorant. So what echelon does that put it in? The bigger question is, will the disparate groups of American culture ever be able to break down their differences and open their minds to see the value in all art forms. Music is supposed to be universal, isn’t it? There are so many barriers to break down in this country for that to happen. Cultural elitism and racism are rather powerful forces keeping us all apart.

L+T: If you had to make an album of classical takes on hip-hop songs, which would you choose?
DG: Like recreate a whole record? If you mean a whole record, I’ve been thinking a lot about The Roots‘ Things Fall Apart lately as a complete, overarching work. That’s a special record compositionally and texturally.

L+T: What’s your favorite classical sample in a hip-hop song?
DG: I really like the use of the “Franz Liszt Totentanz” in [Juelz Santana's] “Second Coming.” (I think that’s a Just Blaze produced/composed track?) He takes it to a pretty epic place, which fits the feel of the original. That and that it’s the “dance of death” in an inspirational Nike setting is a pretty fun irony. I actually hope no one ever uses “Carmina Burana,” again, just because it’s over done. But, maybe I’m wrong about that. That’s the cool and unpredictable thing about hip-hop producers. The second I say that, someone will use it in such a creative and unique way, I’ll have to eat my words.

L+T: If you’re trying to get someone into classical music, what would you introduce them to?
DG: Maybe something modern that’s relatively universal, but not too popular. Like spiritual minimalism. Like, Arvo Paert. Or maybe John Tavener or something. If you really like rhythms, Arvo Paert. Maybe start with that Gideon Kremer recording of “Fratres (1)” or “The Cantus for Benjamin Britten.” If you really like textures as opposed to rhythms, try John Tavener, like that Svyati album with Steven Isserlis playing.

L+T: So what’s next for the Portland Cello Project?
DG: Lots of touring for the next six months! And then…where the wind blows next…

As curator of contemporary art at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in South Africa, Nontobeko Ntombela says her role as a curator is one of a collaborator. She specializes in research on South African contemporary arts. Ntombela recently curated the show “A Fragile Archive” reconstructing painter Gladys Mgudlandlu’s 1961 Cape Town exhibition, in which she included works by other South African women artists such as Valerie Desmore, whose work was first exhibited in 1943.

“In the early 1960s Mgudlandlu was acclaimed as South Africa’s first black woman artist. In spite of recent scholarly research that has shown this claim to be inaccurate, it has nonetheless had a significant impact on the way that her art continues to be positioned,” she writes. “Inaccuracies and discrepancies regarding the position of artists such as Mgudlandlu and Desmore are still perpetuated, and this has bearing on the complexities and contradictions of the making and meaning of their archives.” Life + Times spoke to Ntombela about the role of her role in curating these arts.

L+T: What qualities do you look for in the work that you curate?
Nontobeko Ntombela: This is for me always contextual. The answer would be content, relevance, importance and currency. Currency to me does not mean the work is always contemporary, but in relation to art history, and the intent of the curatorial concept, this then determines its currency. This is also not in terms of commercial value. I have no experience working in a commercially driven environment. My curatorial experience has always been in an educational and developmental environment. I am also curious and interested in the alternative, or rather in works that push the boundaries so the speak, hence the interested in the more contemporary works.

L+T: How do you incorporate your community based and cultural interests into your projects?
NN: The ‘how’ would be through the curatorial narrative and exhibition navigation tools used at the time. For the most recent exhibition, there were various things that I considered with regard to the audience participation in the exhibition. These were activated through a number of strategies, text, audio and the obvious placing of work. The cultural interests in a sense are then translated through the framing of the curatorial interest. You may well be aware of the amount of work and cultural interest there is currently in South Africa around the ideas of memory, archive, activation of deserted spaces, redressing an correcting past imbalances. This is the phenomenon that is currently occupying cultural interests particularly in the arts.

L +T: Tell us about “A Fragile Archive Exhibition at JAG.” How did this project come about?
NN: It been a project that I’ve been wanting to do for the last four years. My first interest was based on the socio-political attributes in the works of black women artists. I began with one artist – Gladys Mgudlandlu. Throughout the research I then became fascinated by the idea of the ‘first’ and how that speaks about visibility of black women artist in the South African Art scene.

L +T: Do you favor working with South African artists? What do you think are some of the strengths you see in the work produced in contemporary South African circles?
NN: Yes. Their works are immediate to me. I relate to the medium, context and strategies, because they also speak to the current South African trends. The strengths have to do with context, South African arts, as with arts from other countries, responses to time. The South African political dispensation brought about so much change in the country. This has generated so much more new vocabulary in the arts. Over the years new trends have been set, so that it has extended to becoming a more global vocabulary, which was previously prohibited. Transformation continues and new definitions are being created. At the beginning of democracy there was a great deal of focus artistically on the notion of identity, which was indicative of the changes taking place. Today the definition of identity no longer holds the same description. The articulation of this through artistic mediums has also changed. This I think makes the strength of South African work.

L +T: How do you decide to work with an artist such as the exhibition you curated with Gladys Mgudlandlu?
NN: Mgudlandlu was an impressive personality. She was not only an artist and writer of African folklore, but also an innovative and dedicated teacher. It is a tribute to her and an indication of the love and respect she inspired that to her community, she was always “Gladys the African Queen.”

Nearly 30 Artists. 3 Stages. 1 Weekend. September 1 & 2. Philadelphia.

Tickets on Sale May 23.

Made In America | #MadeInAmerica

The last time the Big Apple experienced a major sports surge was during the mid-to-late ‘90s and early aughts. The New York Knicks, Yankees, Mets, Giants and Rangers were all championship contenders. The ’94 Knicks and Rangers had the city talking “title town,” when both Madison Square Garden tenants reached the final rounds of their respective sport. The Knicks fell to the Houston Rockets in six games and the Rangers went on to be crowned Stanley Cup champions. The Knicks reached the Finals again in ’99 but were eliminated again by them Texas boys– this time it was the San Antonio Spurs. The following year, in 2000, the Yankees three-peated as World Series Champions defeating their Subway Series rivals, the Mets, in five games to claim their 26th title. And that same year, the Giants rode a seven-game win streak to Super Bowl XXXV, but only to concede the title to the Baltimore Ravens.

Since then New York Sports teams have had their share of bad luck. Fortunately, for New Yorkers the tough breaks already looks to be a thing of the past, with the Giants claiming their second Super Bowl title in the last three years in February and the Rangers seated as the top-team in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Despite the New York Knicks being bounced by the Miami Heat in the first-round of the Eastern Conference on Wednesday, basketball is back in a major way in the Empire State. The Knicks have a promising starting lineup with Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Jeremy Lin– that will be competitive for years to come. The borough Brooklyn will welcome the Nets and the New York Islanders to the fresh-mint Barclays Center on Atlantic avenue, that will sure ignite a thrilling subway series with the tenants of MSG. There is no ceiling for how high the Brooklyn Nets can reach. With a new arena and fan base, the days of being the cellar-dwellers of the NBA are over. Basketball is back in the borough that has produced and nurtured so many stars.

On the gridiron, the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants aren’t the only team celebrating down Broadway. Broadway Tebow has arrived in the Big Apple and the New York Jets, can’t wait to unleash him in their wildcat offense with QB Mark Sanchez at the helm. With Eli Manning and Victor Cruz leading the way for the G-Men, the tandem of Sanchez and Tim Tebow are poised to make things interesting in the city. Next season, could we see a MetLife Stadium co-tenant Super Bowl?

New York is a city that demands winning and the Yankees are the winningest sports franchise in the city. Although, the Bronx Bombers are off to a slow start this season –with the great Marino Rivera sidelined for the year– the good sign is Yankees captain Derek Jeter is leading the majors in batting at .420 and in hits with 50. With Jeter batting well, the rest of the Yanks slugger’s bats (Robinson Cano, A-Rod, Teixeira) will awaken in time for a summer surge.

Serving as motivation is the Yanks cross-town rivals the Mets. Winners of five straight, the Mets are starting to resemble the “amazin’s” of old. After completing the sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, the Mets are now five games over .500 for the first time in two years and are ranked third in the National league East and steadily climbing. With a roster of youth, gritty players the “amazin” Mets appear to be back, but let’s see if they have enough to snatch a wild-card spot come September.

New Yorkers are poised for another sports resurgence.

Picture a perfect California day, sun beating down, and the top dropped on a sparkling, new 2013 Mercedes-Benz 550SL winding up and down roads through the Hollywood Hills. The driver has an arsenal of technical speed tools and creature comforts at her disposal, which makes this the kind of ride that is a treat to maneuver through a night on the town or with wild abandon on an open road best suited for speed.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL 550 is the sixth generation roadster from Mercedes-Benz, building off of the heritage of the original 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL. From the driver’s seat, the SL 550 offers a delicious, unparalleled convertible experience.

This six-figure sports car, with a base price of $106,375, melds performance and ultimate comfort. The “Airscarf” blows whispers of warm air on the passengers’ necks from the headrest. On a scorching, hot day the climate controlled seats keep the leather cool even in the sunshine. If something smudges the windshield, no need to put the top up to avoid overspray. The liquid sprays directly on the glass in a piece of new Mercedes technology. The windblocker behind the seats keeps the cabin air still even at high speeds and twisty bits. The music is clear and resonant in the air, as the low-end notes on the bass seem to rise up from the floor where the Harman/Kardon Frontbass audio system speakers are embedded. When the retractable hard top is in the upright position, the SL still delivers a spacious open-air experience, due to the Magic Sky Control roof that changes the glass façade from opaque to translucent — one step more sophisticated than tinted windows.

The SL 550 is light on its feet due to the use of aluminum — 275 pounds lighter than the previous SL, and two inches longer, which means it also gets decent fuel economy for a car of this power — 26 miles per gallon on the highway and 17 miles per gallon in the city.

Power comes in the form of a 435-horsepower V8 engine that goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. The ample 515 pound-feet of torque adds considerable growl. The engine seems to idle before its blips back into shape in a matter of moments, optimizing the gear changes. The driver’s seat bends with the contours of the body on the turns, and the paddle controls add zest of the wicked engine. Drivers can select sport or comfort in the optional active body control to maximize handling.

Where the SL has lost points from its biggest critics is in its exterior form — too many lines drawn on what was expect to be a more sinewy exterior. The side panels taper off into an angular upright rear. The challenge of stuffing all this wondrous gadgetry into a lighter, high-powered convertible seems to have gotten in the way of ultimate beauty. Still, it’s by no means an unattractive car, and envious LA drivers still oohed and ahhed at stoplights. Yet, at the end of the road, for the SL 550, it’s on the inside what matters most.

Meek Mill’s rapid ascent into the hip-hop stratosphere was well deserved. The Philly bred rap stalwart shook the scene with his breakout cuts “Tupac Back” and “Ima Boss,” having rappers salivating enough to spin the new classics into their own freestyles. Rick Ross was the added bonus, supporting his MMG affiliate on the cuts. However, it was Meek’s grade A brand of street rap that moved him steadily through the ranks. After that, it was nowhere but up for the artist who is an avid selector of hard beats that match his tough rhymes. With Dreamchasers 2 having dropped this week and his debut album Dreams & Nightmares closing out the summer, Meek Mill talks to Life+Times about success, the streets and now, joining his MMG cohort Wale as part of Roc Nation management.

Life+Times: With Dreamchasers 2 out, what was your mind state going into this one as opposed to the first Dreamchasers?
Meek Mill: I was just trying to make it bigger than the original one, because the original one was big…it really making my name a nationwide name. It was my first mixtape as a signed artist, and it kind of like stamped me. This mixtape I just tried to go a little bit harder, pick some better beats and bring some more energy into it to make it bigger than the last one.

L+T: What do you suspect will be the “Ima Boss” of this mixtape? The track that will really hit the streets hard.
MM: I don’t know, you know I really like the fans to choose. My favorites though are “Amen,” “A1,” “Racked Up Shawty” with Fabolous and French Montana. But I like to let the fans pick.

L+T: Your success happened quickly once the world really took notice of you, but for you what would you consider to be that one moment where you realized something big was happening?
MM: When you start traveling around the world and you start meeting people and seeing all of the people you looked up to in the hip-hop game and they’re respecting your music and recognizing your music, that’s when I kinda knew it was real.

L+T: With Dreams & Nightmares coming this summer, what’s your process going into it?
MM: Just grindin, really. I’m staying on top of my game. I don’t think anything really changed, just spending more time in the studio grindin’ harder and harder trying to produce the right music and the right album.

L+T: What has being a part of Maybach Music Group really meant to you so far in your career?
MM: It taught me a lot; it gave me a lot of help and plays a big part in my career right now. [Rick] Ross helped me take my career to another level. I always had a buzz in my city, but Ross helped me get noticed nationwide and then worldwide. Working with Wale, Rick Ross, Stalley, and all of those guys just takes a little bit of weight off my shoulders.

L+T: So you’re signed to Roc Nation management…
MM: Yeah, that’s the new deal I put together. Me coming up in this rap game, I was always an underground artist coming up by myself and making all of the moves by myself. And my manager – he’s just like me, we’ve been coming up in the streets by ourselves. So we just decided to partner up with Roc Nation and take things to another level.

L+T: Now that you’re aligned with two of the most important organizations in hip-hop, how do you feel that’s going to define your career?
MM: I think it’s going to take me to the next level. I’ve got Warner Bros. behind me, Maybach Music Group, and Roc Nation; some of the most powerful people in the game. That’s like 80 percent of the game right there. You know, Ca$h Money, they like family. So it’s like you’ve got everyone on your team at one time, and it feels good to have all that behind you at once. It’s like a force that can’t be stopped.

L+T: Will you still be dropping a mixtape with Ace Hood?
MM: Me and Ace Hood…we talked about it. We did like one or two songs, but we never really finished it. You know Ace is working on his songs and performing in different cities and I’m working on my songs, performing in different cities, so we never really had the time to put that together.

L+T: You mentioned picking some better beats for your debut album. Which producers will you be working with?
MM: I think I’m going to be working with some of the same producers like Jahlil Beats, Cardiak, All Star, Key Wayne, Young Jerz, and those type of guys. They’ve been presenting me with new music. Now I’m at this level, I’m able to run into more different producers like Just Blaze and Pharrell and those types of guys, so hopefully we’ll end up working together soon.

L+T: What about collaborations with other artists?
MM: You know me; I like collaborating with artists I’m cool with already. So all of the artists you see me really kicking it with and building friendships with, they might be the people that’ll end up on my album. I haven’t made any final decisions yet.

L+T: Because of your success, do you feel like you’re bringing the street rap back to Hip-Hop? It’s been gone for a while.
MM: Yeah, street rap’s kinda missing. I think people just leave me an open lane to do it on my own, you know what I mean? That makes it more fun. French [Montana] is also bringing street rap back, he’s a street rapper. There’s a few other rappers that are doing street rap, but a lot of new rappers ain’t really on that. That’s where I come from; I’m not really good at rapping about that other stuff because that’s not where I come from. Maybe traveling the world, I’ll be able to see more and participate in some type of way. But the streets are where I’m at right now.

L+T: If you weren’t here now, where do you think you would be?
MM: Ain’t no telling where I would be. I’d be doing something, though. I’d be somewhere making some money.

Jahlil Beats has produced tracks for everyone from Lil Wayne to Diddy, but it was his breakout hit, Meek Mill‘s anthemic  ”I’m A Boss” which has catapulted him into the hip-hop spotlight. Here, the 23-year-old Chester City, Pennsylvania native takes Life+Times through his process, talks about signing to Roc Nation and offers a glimpse into his reality.