We were lucky to catch up with Michael Pereida recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

My start in music was different than most I would say. I always loved words & was heavy into writing. Whether that was poetry, short stories, journaling, love letters,(that never were given to the girls I liked) cause I was shy lol, My sister Bianca is a vocalist, my other sister Mercy was always doing the latest dances in the 80’s & 90’s, & my parents loved music. I first started performing with the Purple Bee Crew around 2000. They would have jam sessions at clubs & would call me up on stage to freestyle on the mic while they created live improv music. I would come up with chorus ideas & then make up verses on the fly to fit the song idea. We did this for years & still do to this day, when our busy schedules permit. In 2003, I got married & a few years later we started a family so I had to step away from the music at that time to focus on my family priorities. Fast forward years later, and I finally sat down to write & release my first Hip Hop song with my sister Bianca in 2013. The passion for music never left it was just dormant during those years but one thing I learned at that time was that making music gave me so much peace & comfort so I started doing it more & more. Which now today has led to several tours mostly with my label & promotions company College of Hip Hop Knowledge that I manage & co-own with the founder & my good friend Jason Anderson-Ebener. I do wish I would’ve started focusing on music much sooner as I believe I would be further along in my career at this point if I had. But I do appreciate all the lessons I’ve learned along the way & they’ve made me a better artist today.

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.

I explained a little of how I got into music previously but I’ve always loved music. I have to thank my parents & my sisters for that because there was always good music playing in our house or in the car on family trips. I give a lot of the credit to my family for influencing me to be a music lover which has encouraged me to pursue being a creative in the music world. Now as the day to day manager of an independent record label & promotions company called College of Hip Hop Knowledge. I do more than just make my music. I work with artists on our label & try to help them develop into the artists they want to be, while utilizing my knowledge & experience to try to help guide them safely through the treacherous music industry. I also curate & host live music showcases including a monthly event called Fresh Fridaze that we (CHHK) have been curating since 2019. We have won awards for this monthly Hip Hop showcase. I also offer songwriting as a service, music cataloguing, music copyright services, tour booking & music distribution. I have come a long way in this journey & that has been heavily attributed to hard work, sacrifice & dedication. I’ve definitely had some help from others along the way that have helped open doors for me to continue to elevate in the music realm but I’ve also put in lots of hours of hard work dedicated to honing my craft & skills that have enabled me to walk through those doors when they’ve been opened to me. I’m most proud of our company College of Hip Hop Knowledge because we’ve done it mainly on our own, with very little help from others and we’ve done it the right way by doing honest business & treating people right. I’ve built so many bridges in the industry by simply treating people with respect & standing behind my word. I put my entire heart into everything I do. I’m passionate about the Hip Hop Culture because it lifted me up when I was at my lowest points in my life & has never failed me. I’ve been able to travel the country because of music so I will always be grateful for every fan that supports me, every artist I get to work with, every venue that books me, every opportunity I get to do what I love so much. I’m proud of the person I have become because of music.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve experienced a lot of loss in my life. I lost my Dad at the age of 13 & then my mom also passed several years later. To say I was depressed after both of those terrible events is an understatement. I fell into a deep hole of depression & it caused me to lose my job that I had been at for 11 years that I busted my tail & had worked my way up to the Director level from the very bottom starting out unloading trucks. When that happened my family & I moved to a new city for a new job opportunity. A few years into what felt like starting over for me, I started to feel sick all the time, weak, restless but no matter how much I rested or slept I was always tired. Finally I went to see a doctor & I found out that I was experiencing major renal (kidney) failure, my kidneys were not operating properly & I was really close to death. My big sister Mercy, who introduced me to the Hip Hop culture at a young age, who I also call my superhero, saved my life by giving me one of her kidneys. I had a kidney transplant nearly 10 years ago. Through all of these obstacles & challenges music & writing have always been there as a place of respite & solace for me to lean on. Music has allowed me to share my stories through my art. I have a song called 1331 off of my album called “It’s All Love?? that I wrote about losing my Dad & my Mom. That song helped me heal those wounds & allowed me to move forward from those darker days. This is why I love & respect music so much. It’s valuable to me like an art museum craves that next big art piece. I truly believe I wouldn’t be here still today if it wasn’t for music.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an artist, I love the freedom of expression. Music is art & art has no boundaries. Being an artist & creative has shown me not to ever limit myself or others. Our minds are amazing and that’s where we decide what we can or can’t achieve. Music has taught me to “Go for It” & to not doubt myself. It’s built me into a better human being & has given me confidence that I didn’t have before. I love the impact that it has on fans & supporters. I feel like I inspire others through my art. Not only because of the content but because of how I’ve been able to navigate & accomplish goals that I didn’t even know I could achieve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chhk512.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigmicpereida?igsh=MXV1eTA2cm0yMGtqMQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.pereida?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pereida-62018a58?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Twitter: https://x.com/bigmicpereida?s=21&t=1biwlKBqdAPSDmcCUNU0bQ
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@collegeofhiphopknowledge?si=p7OkklbZWTdyO1wB
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/Y38qbRDPhNQTav8Z6
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/bigmicpereida?mibextid=LQQJ4d

  https://www.instagram.com/chhk512?igsh=MXFjMzA0ZXJsNjRoNw==

  https://www.instagram.com/freshfridaze512?igsh=MXQxZ2E0czJrdDM4bg==

Image Credits

Sean Campbell