By: Jason “Prince of the City” Prince

New York City is known to breed talented young emcees that have great lyrical content; Jimmy Billions is an up and coming rapper that is keeping the NY standard intact. The Young Brooklyn Emcee is quickly making a name for himself both virally and in the streets. I was able to sit down with Jimmy to find out about his story and how he plans to turn up the heat in 2012.

N54: Let our readers know who you are? Jimmy Billions, a young philosopher from Brooklyn

N54: How did you get your rap name? Being in the city with a friend of mine, we were just leaving the bbc store and started debating rap names.

N54: How long have you been rapping? Been rapping a little over a year now.

N54: What made you want to become a rapper? Knowing I can speak to every and any person through the power of music was something I fell in love with.

N54: Who were some of your influences when you were coming up? Of course the king himself Biggie Smalls, Jay-z my all time favorite, Jimmy Spicer (he was the influence behind the ‘Jimmy’ part of my name), Big L, Nasty Nas - The list goes on.

N54: Do you feel the pressure of being a lyrical emcee being that you are from Brooklyn? Not in the least, every MC is gunna do their thing feel me? I’m just an addition to the game, but at the same time I am gunning for the throne. The industry might feel more pressure then me. The industry has become extremely competitive with talented young Emcees.

N54: What do you bring different to the table? One of the many things I can bring which I feel a lot of these lyricists lack is versatility. I can pretty much get on any track and make it better than the last.

N54: How would you describe your style? I definitely think I have a unique style. I tend to play around with a track (test flows, freestyle) before I actually start writing. My flow is kind of  new and bouncy with but you can definitely hear my musical influences through my lyrics, I’m sorta like a mime with my own distinct flow.

N54: I see you are very active on twitter and facebook. How has that helped your grind? Social networking has definitely helped the grind. Being able to get sound out is a blessing, I just gotta keep attacking.

N54: Are you signed to a label or management company right now? As of now I’m unsigned, I am however working on a deal with an upcoming label called Official Hitz. Big expectations.

N54: What is it that you want to accomplish in the rap game? Short term, I just wanna make an impact. I want to feel like my music matters and isn’t perceived as just one of the bunch.

N54: What is your writing process like? I like to vibe to an instrumental for a while. I find myself mumbling over a track to get my flow right. Before I write I have to make sure I have the best possible flow, when that’s established, I take my time constructing the lyrics to make a hit.

N54: What has the response been like with your mixtapes and viral videos? No mixtapes yet but all of my singles and videos get positive feedback. I take pride in my craft.

N54: What Projects are you working on right now? Currently working on 2 mixtapes, “RIP City”, which is basically my introduction to the game is set to drop some time between now and February. You’ll be able to hear the raw underground of me, all of the tracks are industry beats. Following that is “The Bambu Vol.1”, this is more of an album mixtape, still raw but then you get the original side of me and how I actually put art together.

N54: If you could work with any artist dead or alive who would it be? Jay-z, definitely.

N54: How can fans or promoters contact you? Always on the twitter: @JimmCastellano, Facebook.com/JimmCastellano and email me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

N54: Do you have any final thoughts? Shout out to Nine5Four, Prince of the city, DJ TopClass and the whole BilliGang following!