Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meccagodzilla. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

MeccaGodZilla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

First and foremost, it’s important to be fully self-expressed, regardless of what the outside world thinks. If by chance what I’m creating or my approach has the potential to create significant social impact for others, that’s a bonus that I’ve welcomed and leaned into time and time again. Most of what I create has meaning—whether it’s instrumental EPs and albums that share love and light vibrations, or rap songs that challenge harmful conventional norms or push for human consciousness to question, heal, and lots more. I’m not the type of artist that is driven by numbers, audience response, or vanity metrics. While it would be great to have tens of thousands of fans (and I do want that, haha), I mostly focus on creating art that means something to me.

With all of that said, in the not-so-distant past, I had the pleasure of being part of a Hip Hop residency program called Next Level USA back in 2018. Alongside a dynamic team of Hip Hop artists, we went to Tashkent, Uzbekistan in Central Asia for two weeks, conducting masterclasses, conflict resolution activities, entrepreneurship panels, jam sessions, cultural excursions, and a culminating concert for a sold-out crowd of 5,000!

It was the first time the community had ever really seen or engaged with Hip Hop artists from the U.S., and it was incredible to be trailblazers in that space while learning about the country’s history—from Genghis Khan’s influence to seeing the original Quran, and so much more. The people of Uzbekistan were incredibly open to Hip Hop exchange with our team, and those two weeks were arguably the best ever. I taught the music production masterclass, Dahlak led MCing, DJ Princess Cut handled DJing, and Leanskee of the Floorlords Crew led the Hip Hop dance masterclass. We were guided by our team leader and talented MC, Mahogany Jones, and were joined by videographer Anshul Gupta and Next Level Director Junious L. Brickhouse, who is low key one of the greatest dancers and visionaries I’ve been blissed to get to know.

This kind of work—using Hip Hop as a tool to connect with young creatives worldwide, sharing love and light energy through the Hip Hop elements while encouraging them to forge their own unique paths and amplify their art—is exactly the kind of project I dreamed about as a young music producer and MC. Back in 2001, I had the privilege of building a Hip Hop union with m1 of dead prez and Omowale Adewale of Black VegFest and at my core, I’ve always been an advocate for artists – it’s literally how I got my start in the Hip Hop music scene of NYC. I truly appreciate that, to this day, I am able to remain actively involved—not only as an artist still performing at shows and producing records, but also as an advocate and activist for Hip Hop. It’s especially fulfilling that Next Level is a program that enables me to continue pursuing my passion for Hip Hop in all these capacities. It’s not just about sharing or teaching, but it’s about preserving the essence of all Hip Hop elements while exchanging ideas, learning from the youth participants, encouraging them, and being inspired by their stories and their unique approaches to music and Hip Hop artistry.

I constantly think about how I can, as a big brother figure, assist my global Hip Hop family in succeeding. In Uzbekistan, so many artists stood out to me, notably Hamma, who was in my music production masterclass—he’s also an accomplished MC and B-Boy—and DJ Loreen, whose talent, vision, and perseverance have deeply inspired me. She is secretly more than just a DJ and I look forward to when she decides to share more with the world, she’s secretly super talented! Additionally, I was honored to be part of Next Level Nepal. where we worked with the Deepesh and Shalonee who run Nepal Hip Hop Foundation (much love to the entire NHF family!!!! miss you guys!!) to create one of the most amazing residencies ever—so different from Uzbekistan but equally magical in its own right. The artists there like YATRII, Jenisha, Subash, Ya20, Ayush, Sonu, Krishna, and all of the participants in Nepal are just so, so special, as are all of the youth of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Lastly, I’m thrilled to be working with Next Level again for Africa. We are set to go to the motherland, and I’m excited about the possibilities with the Next Level Malawi team, Kweza Arts led by the legendary Q Malewezi, the U.S. Embassy, Meridian International Center, and Salama Africa in Dzaleka. Big shoutout to Toussaint!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is MeccaGodZilla, and I’m a Hip Hop producer and MC, born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island.

I’m someone who has lived countless lives—from athletics to electrical engineering, visual artistry, vegan activism, grassroots activism, and so much more.

As a classically trained visual artist under the tutelage of Hanna-Barbera’s Judy Almer (known for her work on Magilla Gorilla), I was fortunate to have an outlet for my sketch work at home, which evolved into fully developed skills in oils, acrylics, pencils, inks, watercolor, and pastels (which remain my favorite visual medium).

As I grew, my passion for visual art evolved into a desire to paint with sound. I was lucky to be mentored by Aja Asi, a big brother figure who taught us how to breakdance and write graffiti when we were young. His mentorship always stuck with me, as he was like a Hip Hop and athletic superhero in my eyes. By the time I was ready to assert myself and use Hip Hop as my creative medium, it was an easy transition—though it took a lot of sacrifice to get the equipment I needed to start producing.

I’m most proud of my grassroots involvement with artists and movements. I had the chance to help build a Hip Hop union when I was young as the head of the promotions department. That job title eventually led me to trying to reach out to MF DOOM and resulted in me connecting with a group DOOM was in called the Monsta Island Czars. This connection resulted in my first music production placement on Rodan’s Theophany: The Book of Elevations, a classic that received esteemed reviews in Hip Hop magazines. I’m also grateful to Divine Life for introducing me to Japan’s real music scene, where I built relationships in Tokyo that led to projects with brands like NIKE, Warner Music, Universal Music, A|X in Kobe, and Capcom. After moving to Japan, I received incredible support from Applebum, who ensured I had the best gear to really “look the part” so that I could powerfully continue pushing my creative movements throughout the city. Applebum’s belief in me, to this day, is nothing short of humbling. I’m beyond grateful for that team! Much love Muneo, Shin, and Miyao san.

I’ve had magical experiences, and my focus has never been on vanity metrics or trends—just being in my creative flow, aligned with my spirit and vision. I don’t waver just to jump on trends because they’re popular or might give me a shortcut to success.

For vanity’s sake, just so readers know—one accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is receiving over 1 million downloads for my American Monsta – The Jay Z American Gangster Remix album via torrents and MP3.com (which no longer exists). To reach 1 million downloads in about 2-3 years (2008-2010) during a time when that was unheard of is humbling. Does that translate to my vanity metrics on Spotify and Apple now? Haha, not really! But it’s a feat I’ve already accomplished and it’s “downloads’ and not “streams” which sometimes are just random listeners – so 1 million people have my remix album downloaded on the low – which is really crazy to process when I sit and think about it.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are many books but I think The Journey of Self Discovery is the one I’ll recommend this go around. It was written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and it explores the spiritual path of self-realization. At the end of sophomore year at Northeastern University where I was an electrical engineering student, I remember someone left this book on top of a garbage pile of countless other book. The cover attracted my eye, and the book was visibly in mint condition so I took it with me in hopes to read it one day. I’m glad I finally did crack it open after a few years of it sitting on the bookshelf. It pulled me right out of religion and the matrix and into the world of spirituality where I dwell to this day.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For the sake of self-preservation, both in the music industry and within the broader NYC community, I’ve had to unlearn being blindly empathetic.

Without getting into too much detail, this shift has been necessary for me to find balance in who I am today. I’ve had to embrace more discernment, temper my empathy, and ignite a greater sense of drive within myself. For the first time, I’ve allowed myself to focus 1000% on my own path, which has been a significant adjustment. Learning to say “no” to anything that doesn’t align with my inner vision has been empowering.

For over 20 years, I’ve been in service to others, from childhood through adulthood, always offering support and deeply caring about what others thought. My father used to say, “Why do you care? People out there don’t give a sh*t about you,” and while I always hoped he was wrong, I’ve found truth in his words. Despite that, I remain deeply grateful for the genuine friends and supporters I have.

In recent years, I’ve realized that after helping jumpstart others’ careers—from Sony Music to other label situations—I often poured a lot of energy into others without receiving the same level of reciprocity. It’s been a valuable lesson, showing me that in order to accomplish the things I still want to achieve, I need to be fully committed to my own journey, aligning with the vision my spirit is guiding me toward.

In a sense, I’ve had to learn to be a bit more self-focused. It’s not that I’ve lost hope or love for my peers, but I’ve come to understand that not everyone shares the same spiritual wavelength or the long-term vision I have to “MANAFEST VISION” for something way greater – cuz at the end of the day, although it’s Hip Hop, ‘it’s bigger than Hip Hop.” – dead prez. I’m fortunate to have a few great creative family members in my life, like my brothers J. Stylez of STILO PRO, Krohme, Junclassic, and my sis COMA-CHI, but they are rare gems.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://meccagodzilla.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meccagodzilla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMeccaGodZilla
• Twitter: https://x.com/MeccaGodZilla
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/manafestvision

Image Credits

Angie Vasquez
Hideki Aono
MeccaGodZilla
Nelson Caban