Standing in front of Tampa's most recognizable high-rise, a booming voice seemingly appears out of nowhere, “This is security. You must leave the property. Otherwise the police will be called!”

It took a half hour to set up the lighting and camera gear but before taking a single shot, we were asked to leave. Stifling moments such as these are not uncommon for the local rap artists known as The Villanz. They were faced with contempt and disrespect from their fellow peers from the very beginning and deliberately chose their name out of consequence.

But The Villanz are looking beyond their initial discouragement and focusing on their ultimate plan which will complete itself when Di-Vine (a k a Die-Vinny) and Main release their talents on their first full-length album as a group, but more importantly as an alliance. For The Villanz, success in this redemption will not only be measured by impressing their former adversaries with their musical skills and meticulous sound production but with the recognition and respect that comes with showcasing the city that has given them this opportunity.

We hung out with The Villanz during their nighttime photo shoot where it was not so much themselves, but downtown Tampa that was the center of attention. True local products that spawned from the branches of Seffner and Suitcase City, lyricists Di-Vine and Main, together with their manager Idris, are pushing for a worldwide sound while never forgetting where they came from.  Whatever path lies ahead for The Villanz, one thing remains certain ... Tampa is going with them.



REAX: How and when did The Villanz rise up?

Main: About four years ago. I had a group but it just wasn't going right so I left to work with Di-Vine. The vibe that he had going on was what I wanted to do.

Di-Vine: I also had a group but we didn't have the direction and I took it more seriously than a lot of them. I found the same qualities that I had, in Main, so I stepped to him and said, "Why don't you do a song with me?" and the chemistry was crazy. In 2003, The Great LP was released and Main was featured on it. I already had the idea of coming out with The Villanz project so I wanted people to get used to hearing him with me.

REAX: Who works the beats for The Villanz?

Main: We do that, too.

Di-Vine: Our production is a culmination of me, Main, my little brother and also FunkGhost and others. Usually, we do our own beats but for this new album, called Neighborhood Heroes, we're branching out and collaborating.

REAX: On the track "Get Honey," you drop the line, "I hit the corners hard like Barber." You guys throw a lot of references to Tampa's culture and in essence, that's showing respect. Is that a conscious effort?

Main: I was raised in Suitcase City on 22nd and Fletcher. Sometimes it's an unconscious effort but it just comes out on the paper. Being raised up here, if I didn't do that, I'd be facing some trouble.


Di-Vine: I was born and raised in Tampa, that's where I'm from. I don't know anything but Tampa really. I've been all over the country but I love this place cause it gave me my character; it gave me my strength.

REAX: What are your feelings on the scene here in Tampa, as far as hip hop?

Di-Vine: I think the scene is coming up. It's had its ups and downs but it seems on the up and up now. We got a lot of people in Tampa that faithfully come to our shows. I love the scene.

REAX: What do you feel is the biggest difference between the scenes of bigger markets, such as New York, and smaller cities like Tampa?

Main: I had the opportunity to work with some guys from the New York underground scene and as far as I'm concerned, there's a strong foundation here in Tampa. If you go to different areas, a lot of those guys will have a pigeonholed sound. The object is to get your sound to be universal, where everyone can understand it and vibe with you.

Di-Vine: I think it's getting stronger here because people are getting out of the mindset that you have to rhyme like you're from Tampa. I think the more people that open their minds up and do universal music, just good music, instead of worrying about trying to sound like something... by just being themselves, I think it will come into its own.

REAX: How did you guys come up with the name and the meaning for the The Villanz?

Di-Vine: It was something we came up with together. I had the idea and came to Main about it but he came up with the meaning. We just felt like, people weren't taking our lyrical marriage seriously. We were catching a lot of flack from the local people not liking Main or me personally. So at the time, we figured they looked at us like we're the villains. But really, we're the heroes. When we say heroes, we mean real. We're not fake. We're not poseurs. We don't front. We speak from the heart. We do what we do out of love for what we do. When I say haters, there are all kinds of different sources of hate that you receive. Not just from another group but if somebody tries to deny you an opportunity... that's what we got.

Main: We're just trying to do what we do and we just do good music, man. And a lot of people hate us for that.

REAX: Promotion is a large part of the business and you've found a perfect fit with your manager, Idris Faruq. How did you hook up with each other?

Idris: A brother by the name of FunkGhost had brought Vinny by the studio that I was recording in and I noticed acutely that he walked with his head and chest up, not arrogantly, just his normal swag. He had a 3-song demo with him but real crudely produced. He played the demo and it was really good. I asked Vinny how many songs he had and he said 17. He came to my house and he performed all 17 songs in front of me at one time until all 17 were done. I sat there in the living room and had determined that this kid is 19 years old and at the time, from what I had seen, was clearly the most impressive lyricist I had ever heard out of Florida. As I watched Vinny, emotionally speaking, it all came to me that he would be the one.

REAX: By working with sound engineers like Kilo-D, you guys have separated yourselves from the pack in terms of sound quality. Aside from high-end production, what's the most important element of The Villanz?

Idris: We really believe we have a national sound that does not limit us to a region. We're trying to make the kind of music that will be here. We are trying to qualify ourselves to be a band that stands the test of time. We're not a snack food. We're trying to be a full meal.

Photos by Chris Russick