Rich Hil remakes Nneka’s “Uncomfortable Truth”. Shout out to No Limos and Decon.

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As the daughter of a bass player and a house singer, Muffy Gaynor has always danced to the beat of her own drum. Armed with a downtown Atlanta buzz, new management and super producer Shondrae Bangladesh by her side, she’s prepared to takeover in 2010 one semester at a time. Just don’t call her eclectic.

…on what her musical parents think about her career

My dad tells me to go back to college and get a job. He wants me to move back up to New York. He is such a New Yorker.  He tells me I’d make a lot of money as a courtroom typist. Dad thinks my journey has been a scam thus far because music business people are shady; especially when they aren’t major. That’s his stand. He doesn’t get into my music either. Sometimes he says “join the army”. So on the days when I feel like I’m standing still, I’d say to him “Ok cool I’m going to join the Air Force”. But  then his response is “No!!! Follow your dreams”.  So who knows [what he thinks].

Then there’s my mommy. She was a singer and for a long time wasn’t with me doing this either. Probably because of the worry and [uncertainty].  But after I started making moves with Coach K  [Ed. note: Muffy's Manager], she saw I wasn’t playing. From that point, she started to tell me to project my voice with passion when I use my vocal instrument. She gets all excited and is totally supportive.  My mom has always been my #1 fan. Her advice is “don’t get a job and focus my energies on this goal”. She believes that hard work will pay off.

My step-dad, who I just found out was not only a music engineer but a Detroit techno producer as well, is also very supportive.  He bought me a Mbox mini, a microphone and a Apple computer to work on. He’s always been the one keeping me up on the latest technology.

They’re basically like keep going and upgrade as much as possible.

…on her love/hate relationship with Twitter

There’s many times you feel alone in this industry. Everyone is out here with strange intentions. I’m an only child. I don’t have a boyfriend nor come from a big family. Plus my friends are just freaking weird sometimes. So I’ve made twitter like my lover slash family slash friend. It’s kind of gross actually…a habit I want to kick. I’m just addicted to it. It’s like my vent machine. Maybe it’s like a written reality show.  These are my deep and sincere feelings on my grind to the top. I know since I’m an artist, I should front and act hard, but I believe people will be happy with my sincerity. At the end of the day, they can relate to struggle and the winning that comes out of it. Everyone wants a happy ending, just as they want a plot and a climax.

…on the differences between living in Detroit, Newark and Atlanta

I went back to Detroit last year because a family member passed. But I don’t go as often as I would like to because my grind consumes me. Plus I don’t want go back until I have something to show them. Maybe even something inspiring  to share. But I probably need to go and get the love I need so I can stay off of Twitter. The part of Detroit I’m from (West side off of 7 Mile) is pretty hood. It’s not as bad as the East side of the D, but it’s the mentality overall that’s slum like Slum Village. But there are a lot of ballers and divas out there.

I went to Newark last year. My mom lives there still so I definitely go back when I can but it’s the same thing as Detroit: really hood. Mom moved to Newark when I was about 12 for a job transfer while working for RCA/BMG. We ended up in Newark after my fathers’ sister suggested it to her. It’s like the Spanish Harlem area of Newark. Newark is off the chain with stolen cars, pot holes and lots of litter. It looks gloomy like Detroit, but since I’m [more familiar with] Detroit it looks even gloomier to me. I’m more scared in the hood in Detroit. I witnessed a lot of shootouts growing up and almost every time I go back. They do not play in Detroit.

Atlanta is like black people heaven. I’m sure crazy things happen too. Like I had a homegirl who was shot and killed in our crib. That was like “back to the hoodness”. But for me, it’s still like heaven. Dope apartments and nice restaurants. Black people getting money, living in big houses, driving nice cars and owning businesses. It’s inspiring. I have friends who complain about the potholes here, but they’re nothing. This road is smooth. I guess it’s all about perception and experience.

…on working with the eclectic Bangladesh

Bangladesh is interesting. I’m still learning how we work. Is he eclectic? I don’t see him as eclectic but maybe that’s because I’m eclectic too. It’s just regular to me. But eclectic is a nice looking word. I guess that’s what I am, but I don’t see if others do. I sincerely just do what comes natural to me. It’s probably the same for him. Bangladesh and I have the same zodiac sign (Pisces), so we mesh well. I kind of understand him without words. Must be the eclectic energies. Working with him is exciting like a kid in a candy store. Dope beats galore! But it’s not easy because Bangladesh is one of the best. I think I challenge him with the concept of what perfection is because I’m not perfect. That’s the beauty of me. We just keep it progressive. Together, we make progressive popular music on the “Muffy” project.

…on Bangladesh beats she wishes she had or passed on

I don’t get to pick them. He really just gives me what he wants me to have. I need to earn my musical status on my own to be able to come pick which one I want. But he is always working on stuff I wish could be mine. I just try to think about it like when I get on for’real for’real, I’ll get all the dopest beats ever  made by who ever…watch. But right now, he can’t give me the dopest beats and make money because my tax value as an artist is still that of the hungry and starving. Just to keep it funky, it’s maybe she’ll make it status. The other artists that are on will feed his family. Automatic checks in the mail.  This is still the music industry. It’s a business. I just play my position to the right and grind from the left. Regardless of the beat, I got to work with what I’m blessed with. To me they are all dope, so no I haven’t gotten a chance to pass over any yet.

…on her videos “Gone Hate”, “Sweet” and future video “Get Um Girls”

I was suppose to shoot “Get Um Girls” last semester. I call  industry quarters “semesters”.  For those who don’t know what “quarters” are, it’s an industry term for  every 3 months of the fiscal year. There are 4 in each year in which they plan and make things happen in. But then Gucci Mane went to jail. FREE GUCCI! Big ups to Mizay Entertainment. I’m one of the new additions to that management family [Gucci Mane, OJ The Juiceman, Nicki Minaj etc]. Anyway, we didn’t shoot the video. It’s rumored around the office that we might make Gucci a cartoon for the video. But I haven’t heard any official word. I’m very excited to shoot it because it’ll be my 1st major video.

I did “Sweet” recently all on my own with the help of the film kid Daq Ofori. It didn’t have anything to do with Bangladesh, Mizay Entertainment or Coach K. The video was just a Cupcake Mafia venture. It was shot to get some attention from my people. Let them know I am ready to make moves. The beat was made by Head Rock of Battery 5. We actually did that song along time ago on my grind, before Bangladesh. People like that song in the hipster scene . “Sweet” was basically some fun Andy Warhol-type art. But as far as the single itself, I hope it gets pushed this semester. If not, it’s on to the next step on the ‘pinkprint’  layout. Regardless of what song or who, we’re going to get it poppin’. 2010 is my breakthrough year. I can feel it. I’m out to gain a lot of respect and in turn money, so I can keep making art to inspire the masses.

…on what she wants people to think about “Muffy”

I would like people to think sugar & spice & everything nice. I want them to think art in motion. I want them to think Ms. Muffy has that love potion and what the world needs now is love love love.  She brings the sweets and love to the game. That organic eclectic funk of  sincerity and originality. I want them to think she is fun. I want them to think if she can smile I can too. I want them to see the rose in the concrete for what it is and not what it was. In seeing that, I want them to think and know love is the ruling power of the universe and makes all things possible.

…thank god she’s famous because…

I didn’t even know I was already famous, but thank god! Because God knows whats best for the Universe: love, happiness and fun!

John Colombo - Directors Reel from john colombo on Vimeo.

…on the amount of videos he’s shot

Damn, how many videos? Less than 2008, that’s for sure! My 2009 goal was quality over quantity, I think I did about 40 or so but my goal for 2010 is to turn some corners into arenas I haven’t been in & challenge myself. I want to do some more work outside of Hip Hop, as well. I do have a personal “Top 10″ that I hope to work with that is still standing from last year. Raekwon was the only one I knocked off the list. I am not saying who else is on the list, but I will say there are 2 more in production!

…on his most memorable experience while shooting

That’s a tough one for me because each shoot is a fun and unique experience in it’s own way, although I do remember having an actual “feeling” the day I shoot the first video for Slaughterhouse “move on”. I felt like I had done something for Hip Hop that day and more than any other video. That says a lot considering I shot the WU video 3 days prior and at that time Slaughterhouse was brand new and was really just about amazing lyrical content, you could hear the pain and emotion in all of their voices. They had all been burned in some way by the establishment, but that didn’t matter because it was just about music! I felt I was helping to propel that type of mentality in our industry.

…videos he wished he shoot

I had a great treatment recently for Juelz Santana’s “Mixin Up The Medicine” but Rik Cordero did an awesome job on it so I was not mad at it..But, there have also been a few that haven’t been made that I had treatments for such as Kanye’s “Coldest Winter” & Jay-Z’s “Forever Young “.

…on working with Raekwon

A friend of mine hooked us up to do a commercial for a campaign I was doing. The night that we shot the commercial Rae asked me to shoot the first single off of OB4CL2, my natural reaction was: “When do we start”!

…on what’s next

Ok, now you have me revealing the “Top 10″ list! People like Mos Def & Raphael Saadiq are atop the list.

…thank god he’s famous because…

Otherwise, I probably would not have many famous friends…ha!