Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, businessman Reality Laster relocated to Atlanta and Miami in search of the best place to launch his rap career. With the release of “Candi Girl” his label FUP Mob (Fuck U Pay Me) is finally STARTING TO SEE THE success he’d dreamed of. How did you end up in Miami? Were you just looking for better opportunities as far as the music business? The weather was real nice, and I just wanted to get out of Atlanta. When I first moved there I was hoping to peep the rap game and take my game to another level. But I was kinda disappointed to find out that a lot of the rappers I had idolized were kinda fake. They were selling records and had platinum plaques on the wall, but for the most part, they were broke. In the rap industry, the majority of the rappers are lying. Probably about 10% of them really have money and are really doing what they say in their music. So that turned you off from Atlanta or turned you off from the rap game, period? I had all these music dreams, but I realized it wasn’t real. These aren’t even the type of people I want to hang around with because it’s all hype. It was a good reality check for me. So I just started to focus on getting my life together. I moved to Miami and put the music stuff on pause a little bit so I could focus on some of my other business ventures and my real estate ventures. But I still have a passion for the music business and a passion to make music, so after I got comfortable, I started my company F.U.P. Mob. It stands for Fuck U Pay Me. That’s the name of my record label and also my group, which includes six guys. I’m surprised that Atlanta was such a bad experience for you. To clarify, I have a lot of respect for the artists in Atlanta. They’ve come a long way from when I lived there over ten years ago. I consider Atlanta the new black Hollywood or black music mecca, and I love what they’ve done for Hip Hop and for the South as a whole. But most of the rappers in the game are broke and don’t own shit. We still have a long way to go. But I don’t want to come off like I hate Atlanta, because I loved the experience I had there. So you’re more focused on your solo career at this point? Yeah, because three of those guys are in jail right now. And having six guys work together in a group is very difficult. Everyone has different ambitions. Some dudes are really trying to have a career, but some of the guys are just doing it for the hype trying to get some pussy. Everybody was going in different directions. You never know what type of goals people are trying to accomplish. Since I was the most business-oriented of the group, I was trying to get them to focus on the business aspect. But I realized that if they have no money invested, they’re not looking at it the same way you’re looking at it. So I’m focusing on my solo career right now. You just shot the video for your single “Candi Girl,” right? Yeah, I did the video for “Candi Girl” and I also did the video for “All My Money Real,” which is going to be the second single.
I have a P&D deal through Universal. It’s a label deal, but I do my own marketing and stuff and they do the pressing and distribution. I own all my masters. I’m going to put out these singles and see if I can create a buzz and come up with a record that’s catchy and that’s working. The “Candi Girl” record is catered more towards females, which is my target market. After “All My Money Real” I’m going to continue to put out singles until something catches. Why did you choose the name Reality Laster? Actually, that’s my given name. Reality Laster was easier to copyright than just “Reality,” so as far as trademarks, everything was pretty simple. It’s a brand, just like Tommy Hilfiger. You mentioned real estate and some of your other business ventures. What other kinds of businesses are you into? I’ve had an internet company since 2003. Since the market crashed my real estate ventures have slowed down a lot, but there’s still a lot of good deals out there. I’m working on my clothing line and my Candi Girl Vodka, which is the most expensive vodka in the world. It costs a thousand dollars a bottle and the bottle is made out of crystals, so you don’t throw the bottle away. Would you say your musical style is in the same lane as some of the other Miami artists? Or being from the Milwaukee, does it have more of a Midwest sound? I’ve got a nice variety. There’s some songs for the girls, some street records, and some club records. A lot of it is Midwest influenced, West Coast influenced, and down South influenced since I’ve spent the last nine years of my life in the South. I like all good music. My sound is pretty versatile. I’m coordinating features with other rappers from all over the country. I’m going to give people a variety of music and stay consistent and continue to release singles. I’m working on the All My Money Real mixtape. When will your album be coming out? The album is called Remember My Name, and I’m going to release it when the demand is ready, I have shows coming up in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas; I’m going on a 20-city promo tour next month and I’ll be hitting up all the markets to touch the people and give them a real live show. Where can people go to get more information about you? They can visit realitylaster.com, fupmobmanagement.com, and my internet company intsolutionsonline.com, which offers a lot of services for guys in the music industry. The “Candi Girl” will be available soon and they can go to Reality Laster TV, YouTube.com/ RealityLaster, to see the Candi Girl vodka commercial. // Words by Julia Beverly Photos by SoCoolPhotography,com
At this point do you plan on building a buzz with the intention of getting a major deal, or putting the album out yourself? (above) Candi Girl Vodka on the set of “Candi Girl” 76 // OZONE MAG