QuietGunz

Raised on the mean streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, QuietGunz continuously used music as shelter to escape the harsh reality of his surroundings. His most recent single "Stay Alive" has been dubbed a military themed song, influenced by his service in the Marines...
The song was co-produced by the HeatMakerz, most notably known for their work with Dipset, Juelz Santana,Cam'ron etc... - XXL Magazine Freshman Edition

With a reputation for being a man of a few words, upcoming emcee, Quiet Gunz has embarked on the trajectory to build a name for himself as a Hip-Hop luminary. Following a feature of his debut single, "What I Carry" appearing on the NYLA Media Power L.E.A.D.S Vol.1 Mixtape; hosted by DJ Self back in February, Q.G has gone on to release singles, "2 Gunz," and "Silent But Deadly." Moreover, the U.S. Marine veteran armed with his do-it-all-yourself attitude, has managed to secure tours as well as digital distribution deals with over 30 retailers nationwide. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an island contaminated by poverty, violence and corruption, Q.G found refuge in music as an escape from the harsh reality of the cruel streets of his native land at a young age. - Joonbug.com

The 6'6 New York based rapper QuietGunz is a former U.S. Marine and accomplished songwriter / producer hailing from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Well respected for his lyrical ability, QuietGunz most notable single "What I Carry (2Gunz)" has been featured on "Hip Hop vol 2" a compilation album by To the Fallen Records, which is currently distributed through Universal Music Group/Fontana. The single also appeared on the NYLA PowerLead mixtape hosted by 105.1's DJ Self, Prince of New York.

E.H.M.P.: Let’s start off with the meaning of your name Quiet Gunz?

QUIET GUNZ: I'm a laid back type of dude by nature. People always comment on how quiet I was and tell me I don't waste my words unless I have something meaningful to say. And having joined the Marines by the time I turn 18, that's when the Gunz part kicked in. You literally live by the gun. It’s like an extension of your body. You go to sleep with it, you eat with it, take it everywhere.. So I became thequiet kid who shot the loud guns. QuietGunz. A name that symbolizes my style.

E.H.M.P.: Do you consider yourself a rapper or and MC and why?

QUIET GUNZ: A rapper can get on stage, get the crowd hyped, rap and walk off the stage. He's a rapper. An MC control the crowd and don't necessarily need to rap. I combine both rapping and MC'ing. One thing about me when I do shows, I don't like to bring a crowd, entourage or buses full of homies. That's a "preset audience" that'll rock with you even if your performance is horrible. I like to capture the audience that never heard of me. That's the challenge and key to success in everything. Get out your comfort zone, do what you're destined to do and get judged by people who are not bias about your music.

E.H.M.P.: Who are some of your inspirations?

QUIET GUNZ: My favorite rapper of all time is AZ. I like Inspectah Deck, Black Thought from the Roots, Kool G Rap, Mos Def, Nas etc.. I listen to any genre of music but I get inspired from lyrically inclined artists. Growing up in Haiti where reggae music is influential, I used to mimic Shabba Ranks and Bounty Killa. I learned how to structure rhymes in develop a flow doing that when I was barely 10. I also love riding around, cruising to West Coast music.. Being a producer I always look forward to hear Dr. Dre productions.

E.H.M.P.: Where can our readers listen to and or download your music?

QUIET GUNZ: They can download free tracks on my home website www.quietgunz.com. If anybody wants to support they can download via itune, amazon and most major online retailers. They can also connect with me on facebook, Instagram, twitter by looking up QuietGunz. I be off the radar like a sniper but if you holla QuietGunz you'll find me. - Thisis50.com

The 6’6 New York based rapper QuietGunz is a former U.S. Marine and accomplished songwriter / producer hailing from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Well respected for his lyrical ability, QuietGunz most notable single “What I Carry (2Gunz)” has been featured on “Hip Hop vol 2″ a compilation album by To the Fallen Records, which is currently distributed through Universal Music Group/Fontana. The single also appeared on the NYLA PowerLead mixtape hosted by 105.1’s DJ Self, Prince of New York.

E.H.M.P.: Let’s start off with the meaning of your name Quiet Gunz?

QUIET GUNZ: I’m a laid back type of dude by nature. People always comment on how quiet I was and tell me I don’t waste my words unless I have something meaningful to say. And having joined the Marines by the time I turn 18, that’s when the Gunz part kicked in. You literally live by the gun. It’s like an extension of your body. You go to sleep with it, you eat with it, take it everywhere.. So I became thequiet kid who shot the loud guns. QuietGunz. A name that symbolizes my style.

E.H.M.P.: Do you consider yourself a rapper or and MC and why?

QUIET GUNZ: A rapper can get on stage, get the crowd hyped, rap and walk off the stage. He’s a rapper. An MC control the crowd and don’t necessarily need to rap. I combine both rapping and MC’ing. One thing about me when I do shows, I don’t like to bring a crowd, entourage or buses full of homies. That’s a “preset audience” that’ll rock with you even if your performance is horrible. I like to capture the audience that never heard of me. That’s the challenge and key to success in everything. Get out your comfort zone, do what you’re destined to do and get judged by people who are not bias about your music.

E.H.M.P.: Who are some of your inspirations?

QUIET GUNZ: My favorite rapper of all time is AZ. I like Inspectah Deck, Black Thought from the Roots, Kool G Rap, Mos Def, Nas etc.. I listen to any genre of music but I get inspired from lyrically inclined artists. Growing up in Haiti where reggae music is influential, I used to mimic Shabba Ranks and Bounty Killa. I learned how to structure rhymes in develop a flow doing that when I was barely 10. I also love riding around, cruising to West Coast music.. Being a producer I always look forward to hear Dr. Dre productions.

E.H.M.P.: Where can our readers listen to and or download your music?

QUIET GUNZ: They can download free tracks on my home website www.quietgunz.com. If anybody wants to support they can download via itune, amazon and most major online retailers. They can also connect with me on facebook, Instagram, twitter by looking up QuietGunz. I be off the radar like a sniper but if you holla QuietGunz you’ll find me - Jackthriller

E.H.M.P.: Lets start off with the meaning of your name Quiet Gunz?

QUIET GUNZ: I’m a very laid back type of dude by nature. People always comment on how quiet I was and told me I don’t waste my words unless I have something meaningful to say. And having joined the Marines by the time I turn 18, that’s when I the gunz part kicked in. You literally live by the gun. Its like an extension of your body..You go to sleep with it, you eat with it, take it everywhere.. So I became the quiet kid who shot the loud guns. QuietGunz.. A name that symbolizes my style



E.H.M.P.: Do you consider yourself a rapper or and MC and why?



QUIET GUNZ: A rapper can get on stage, get the crowd hyped, rap and walk off the stage. He’s a rapper. An MC control the crowd and don’t necessarily need to rap. I combine both rapping & MC’ing. One thing about me when I do shows, I don’t like to bring a crowd, entourage or buses full of homies. That’s a “preset audience” that’ll rock with you even if your performance is horrible. I like to capture the audience that never heard of me. That’s the challenge and key to success in everything. Get out your confort zone, do what you’re destined to do and get judged by people who are not bias about your music.





E.H.M.P.: Who are some of your inspirations?



QUIET GUNZ: My favorite rapper of all time is AZ. I like Inspectah Deck, Black Thought from the Roots, Kool G Rap, Mos Def, Nas etc.. I listen to any genre of music but I get inspired from lyrically inclined artists. Growing up in Haiti where reggae music is influential, I used to mimmick Shabba Ranks and Bounty Killa. I learned how to structure rhymes in develop a flow doing that when I was barely 10. I also love riding around, cruising to West Coast music.. Being a producer I always look forward to hear Dr Dre productions.



E.H.M.P.: Where can our readers listen to and or download your music?



QUIET GUNZ: They can download free tracks on my home website www.quietgunz.com . If anybody wants to support they can download via itune, amazon and most major online retailers. They can also connect with me on facebook, Instagram, twitter by looking up QuietGunz. I be off the radar like a sniper but if you holla QuietGunz you’ll find me





E.H.M.P.: Tell us something you have never told anyone about yourself?



QUIET GUNZ: I’m the realest rapper you never met





E.H.M.P.: Any thank you and or shout outs?



QUIET GUNZ: Shout out to all my day 1 n****z from M-Block in Spring Valley, Monstah, Schello P, Blaze,Rob, HY, iLLa-I, Howie Dodat (look out for him), my brotha Hak, E-nyce, Nono, Pat..Congrats to the homie Junior Galette getting that 3yr contract renewal with the New Orleans Saints..

Special thanks to Mountaindawg Ent staff, Joanne Rullen of Matlok Music, Ron Alexander, Star from Star & Bucwild, AD the General and everybody who been showing love and support - On the Rise Magazine

Like Pei, this month’s featured guest--Mario Louis--also arrived on the shores of the U.S. as a teenager. Besides being a prolific rapper and music producer, Mario also served in the U.S. military and is preparing to tour with To the Fallen Records.

To Mario, we say, “Bonn Ane”--Haitian Creole for Happy New Year! Check out the Haitian hunk in the pix above and below, and follow him at these links:

www.quietgunz.com
www.facebook.com/quietgunz
http://twitter.com/quietgunz

Here’s Mario’s story:

Q: Lately, Haiti has been in the news for its tragedies, but it can't be all bad. What city were you born in, and what was it like living there?

A: I was born in the L'artibonite section of Haiti. My dad left for the States a week later, and then mom moved back to the capital, Port-au-Prince, when I was three months old.

Growing up in Port-au-Prince was rough, but it was beautiful. Despite all the struggles and political unrest, it was my home sweet home. It's the kind of place where you expect anything to happen at anytime. Nothing surprises you after awhile, and then life goes on.

Q: How old were you when you left, and what was it like leaving and coming to America?

A: I left Haiti at 15. It was painful. It was kinda like mixed feelings. I was happy to be reunited with my dad and to know a better life and opportunities were waiting ahead, but it was painful leaving it all behind. My family, my friends, my neighborhood.

Q: Why do you think that so many African Americans, and Americans of other ethnicities, know little about the Haitian Revolution and its significance to the history of black liberation?

A: The Haitian Revolution took place in the late 1700's and ended in 1804 with the African slaves in Haiti defeating the French army. The same way the Internet is popular in our time today, slavery was the biggest business around the globe back in those times. It was a conflict of interest for the American government to deal with the free Africans in Haiti, when every African in the United States was still enslaved. The last thing they wanted was for African Americans to be inspired to start another "Haitian Revolution" in their own backyards.

Q: How many languages do you speak, and what are they?

A: I speak four languages. Haitian Creole, being my first, was spoken at home and in the streets. Then, French, which was always on TV, media, books, and spoken in school with the teachers. Both Spanish and English were mandatory in junior high school, but I had already learned a lot of Spanish since my dad’s side of the family lived near the Dominican Republic border. English was the last one I picked up.

Q: What were the hardest and easiest things to adjust to after you moved to the U.S.?

A: Everything was hard moving to New York. It was basically starting your life all over again. Here, I come from Haiti, where everyone knew me and I knew everyone. Then, I wake up one day and nobody knows anything about me or cares to know. It was hard to communicate with peers in school at first. It was a big change, and the hardest part was accepting that change and adapting to it day by day. So nothing was easy really easy, but it didn't take me too long to adjust because I was never shy to ask questions or make mistakes.

Q: What led you to join the U.S. military and how long were you in it?

A: I was just looking for avenues after high school. Many of my close friends were getting involved in the streets and I was watching some of them go to jail. Others were being deported back to Haiti. I wanted to go play college basketball, but couldn't get into the schools I wanted. So that's when I joined the Marines. But right before I went in, I got accepted into UMES in Maryland. I still had the option of walking away from my military contract at that point, but I chose to stay in the reserve for six years after boot camp. It's still one of my proudest accomplishments to date.


Q: Tell us about your music--how did you get started and what’s going on with your career now?

A: I used to listen to a lot of reggae when I was a kid and that's how I learned my first song structures and how to rhyme. Then, my cousin introduced me to rap and I started hearing AZ, Nas, and Xzibit. After I moved to the States, I started writing my own stuff in high school and people used to be amazed. I remember one time somebody had my notebook and, for like a whole day, my rhymes were being passed around the school and people were coming to me like, "Yo, you always quiet, but I ain’t know you rapped. You nice wit it, son."

When I went away in the military, every down time we got turned into a freestyle session. In college, I started doing talent shows and performed on military bases. But it was all a hobby. When I wanted to get serious with it, I realized it was costing too much to buy beats. So I learned how to make them myself. Then, recording was costing me money. So, I bought all the basic equipment and taught myself how to record. I was so addicted to the whole process that I acted as if I were a record label on foot. I got into graphic design and created my CD covers and flyers. I then released my first project "Silent, but Deadly" in late 2007. I sold it out of my trunk, online and received lots of offers from DJ's, promoters, and semi-pro basketball leagues to perform.

As of now, I'm getting ready to release "Trigga Muscle: a Tribute to the Troops and Fallen Warriors". One of the singles recently got released on a compilation through To the Fallen Records, which is an independent label distributed through Universal Music Group/Fontana. They've helped me reach a larger audience and are preparing to tour various military bases.

Merci beaucoups, Mario. Wow! Four languages, a prolific musician, and cutie-pie to boot.

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