Featured Interview With Ramsey “Ramses M” Mullaney
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a small English town just outside of Oxford, and in May 2014 I moved to California. I now live in the beautiful East Bay.
I sometimes get asked “why would a guy from England write a book on Hip Hop?” and my answer is in the introduction to the book.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
R.L Stine’s Goosebumps series were the first books I remember buying and reading. I must have been 10 years old, and can remember sitting in my bedroom for entire weekends gripped to his books.
I’d use his writing style as the blueprint for my own writing in school, and can remember always receiving teacher praise for the level of detail in stories. That’s when I realized to be a great writer the first (and maybe most important step) is to read a lot.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love J.K. Rowling’s books (speaking specifically about her post H.P. novels like The Casual Vacancy). I have read few authors who can craft an engaging story as she. (Maybe I also have some childhood nostalgia associated with her.)
Catch 22 is another favorite of mine – pure genius how it weaves together the lives of so many characters in a hilariously engaging way.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“How It All Got Started: Lessons in Life, Art and Entrepreneurship from Hip Hop Icons”is my baby.
It’s the story of how what it takes to achieve ‘success’ in any calling, told through the lyrics and lives of Hip Hop icons.
The book goes into 23 principles, which range from creativity to romantic relationships, from maintaining tunnel vision focus to dealing with negative people, and also features four in-depth biographies of major Hip Hop icons (Kanye West, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem).
The book represents the combination of my two biggest interests: Hip Hop and Entrepreneurship. I have worked on a number of entrepreneurial ventures in the past whilst Hip Hop always provided the soundtrack. The principles discussed are partially based on my own experiences in the worlds of business and art.
The book has taken about 20 months to complete – during that period practically all my time was devoted to the book. The process for writing involved collecting, analyzing and organising hundreds of sources (from my own interviews, to books, documentaries, recorded interviews and even concert performances).
More info on the book can be found at: www.HIAGS.com
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