Recording Artist Ziggy: Pushing Mississippi Music to the Limit

by Cyrus Webb

At the age of seven he was joining his father in listening to Master P and Tupac. Now rapper Ziggy has tens of thousands online and beyond paying attention to him.

I first interviewed this young artist from Mississippi in late 2011, and he seems to be just hitting his stride.The road that led the young man to pursuing music may not have been what some see as the best, but it is a testament of what can happen when we work to make the most out of a bad situation. At the age of 14 Ziggy found himself in trouble and used writing as a way of sharing what he was going through and what he was feeling. This gave him confidence to begin recording himself and dropping his first mixtape while just in the eleventh grade. "I sold it for $3 and the people were loving it," he told me in a phone interview set up by Conversations Magazine assistant music editor Stanley Clark.

The rest as they say is history.

Ziggy's video for the song "Jumpin' Out" has over 20k hits on Youtube, garnering him attention not just around the state of Mississippi but beyond as well. He is staying focused creating the kind of music that he feels like others will not only enjoy but relate to as well. "I think I have something for the club, the streets or wherever you are," he told me. "I make music for the people."

Not even those who might be seen as naysayers are making an impact on the lyricist. "I feel like if you don't have haters you aren't doing too much," he says. "You have to have haters to keep you going." No matter what comes his way Ziggy is determined to not let anything keep him from pursuing his dreams, and wish both of his parents supporting him the skies seem to be the limit.

Through his mixtape REAL DEAL Ziggy has been introducing himself to not just his home state but individuals around the world. While on his grind he was noticed by recording artist/actor Tray Chaney (known as Poot from HBO's The Wire) and the two did two remixes together: "Make This Money" from Chaney's own mixtape and "Shake It Baby" from Ziggy's project. "It was amazing to work with Tray," Ziggy told me. "I used to watch this guy on The Wire. Now I have a song with him on my mixtape. That's crazy!"

No matter what comes his way, Ziggy is determined to stay focused on his goal of being the best he can be. His advice for others who are looking to go for their dreams? "Keep going. Don't get caught up in anything that can hold you down. Let your haters motivate you to become better."

Look for Ziggy on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/cmziggy. For booking information contact Stanley Clark at sclarkpickens@aol.com or visit www.realdealent.biz.