What kind of projects are you working on right now? Is there an album in the works?
I’m working on another mixtape and my album. I’m writing and working for a lot of people like Ryan Leslie, Sean Kingston, 9th Wonder, Busta Rhymes, and Rick Ross.

From here, where are you looking to go in terms of your music?
My thing is to do the unthinkable. I want to bring Staten Island back on the map. It’s not all about Wu-Tang, though Wu-Tang definitely put us on the map. There’s a lot of talent coming from New York but really no singers out here. It’s time for us to start rubbing our elbows again. I love rap and hip hop—I mean, I’m signed to a hip hop label—but as a singer, I’m looking for that good music with substance, that good talent. And what I want to do is represent my town really well. Like Staten Island, we’re in here too. ‘Cause when you think of Staten Island, you think of Shaolin, and we respect that—we gotta respect Wu, the pioneers—but Staten Island has a future too, and that’s my push.

When news broke that rap pioneer and Wu-tang member Raekwon signed R&B act Kofi Black to his label, the music blogosphere was spiked with curiosity on this young talent. Well, VIBE.com recently sat down the with Staten Island native to disseminate his musical style, relationship with Raekwon, and his ambitious, hustle-driven goals for the future. –Tanya Chen