KarenCivil.Com got the opportunity to sit down and interview Harlem based rapper Vinny Cha$e who seems to be making quite a lot of noise nationally and all over the internet. The listening session and video preview party for Vinny’s latest mixtape “Golden Army” was held at Quad Studios in Manhattan, a studio that has produced billions of dollars worth of records…and to our knowledge, the exact studio where 2Pac Shukur was shot in the lobby…Historical! Sponsored by the star filled public relations firm The Chamber Group and Riazul Tequila, this was surely an unforgettable experience. Read the entire interview of the Golden army listening session and download Cha$e’s mixtape “The Golden Army” after the jump…

Including attendees such as Aaron Reid, a handful of writers from XXL, Complex and The Source...The listening session began to take way. Storming in through a cloud of dank smelling smoke, Vinny Cha$e walked right in and got to work.Wearing tons of gold, he introduced himself and his project to a crowd of industry insiders who were snapping pictures all night. The party eventually moved into the studio, where Vinny played for everyone the video to his hit “Biggies and Jordans”. Surrounding the bar, and taking shot after shot of the great vanilla tasting Razul, we headed to a private area where we were able to chop it up with Vinny on his new project!

KarenCivil.Com: “Everybody says Vinny Cha$e, who are you? Introduce yourself for those who listen to your music but don’t know you too well”

Vinny Chase: Well i’m from Harlem. Born in Trinidad. I moved here as a kid when I was real young. I was raised here. I was filming I started in this game through film. Recording dudes like Juelz Santana and Lil Wayne on tours and things like that.

KarenCivil.Com: When those artist came through New York City, is that how you would link up with them?

Vinny Cha$e: Yea, well I actually used to live with Juelz Sanata. So through him I got to learn a whole bunch of shi**.

KarenCivil.Com: So you rap, and you consider it more than just a skill but an art form right? Is that the specific genre that you would place yourself in?

Vinny Cha$e: I mean yea, that’s just apart of the things we do. That’s apart of the creative outlet. But I do a lot of things. I design clothes, I make art. All types of conceptual art. And then I make music. Anything creative is what I like to do. And its just that the music has been moving.

KarenCivil.Com: So, the Golden Army is why we are all here. Describe that. What does the Golden Army stand for? What do you want to say to your listeners?

Vinny Cha$e: We’re planting our flag. We’re here, we are from New York, and we’re staying. It wasn’t created just for ourselves, but for anybody you know what I mean? To be creative. To better the world by making our Shi**.This is just the beginning. We’re an independent movement. We make our own moves and our own decisions.

KarenCivil.Com: So the track “Biggies & Jordans”, a record most of your listeners know you by. How did that come about?

Vinny Cha$e: We basically wanted to do something for our culture. It really means culture. It’s the type of stuff I grew up listening to. I grew up listening to Biggie, and wearing Jordans. The finest of both worlds. It’s kind of the feeling we wanted to bring back. We feel like it was missing in the city. New York City. That’s the whole feeling we’re bringing behind The Golden Army in general. We’re about doing things independently.

KarenCivil.Com: Are you trying to remain independent your entire career, or are you aiming to sign with a major label?

Vinny Cha$e: We’ll probably sign our label under a parent label, but I want to remain signed to my own company, my own label. I want to remain president (haha)..

KarenCivil.Com: Who have you worked with that you are proud of, and would want those fans to hear those collaborations?

Vinny Cha$e: I’ve worked with a few people on the come up. I worked with Soulja Boy to Sonic, to Juelz to Mikey Rockz. A couple of people that I have collaborated with, but so far in the past few months I have really been focusing on my own. I didn’t want to be the type of artist to come out and just have all these different features on my project. I want to stand on my own two feet.

KarenCivil.Com: So what’s next? After the Golden Army, after the approaching weeks, what’s next for Vinny Cha$e?

Vinny Cha$e: What’s next is whatever we feel like we want to do. What ever is creative. More fashion driven projects. Coming up with with pieces that we think are going to change the game. I have a collaboration coming out with Fresh.I.Am with the Cheer$ Club. It should be big. Most of the stuff I’m going to be doing after music is going to be fashion driven! The difference between me and other rappers is that I really do this fashion thing. I really do it. I create in reality. I won’t just pose next to a t-shirt.

Stream Vinny Cha$e’s latest mixtape below “The Golden Army”, and keep your ear out for him in the streets of hip hop. — KarenCivil.Com