Yo! Raps chopped it up with singer Masspike Miles about his life with Maybach Music and his boss Rick Ross. Fresh off his live performance in Johannesburg, South Africa, he is opening for Lil Wayne's I Am Still Music Tour, he took a few minutes to chop it up with us while at the studio in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

A soulful voice with a rapper’s attitude, Masspike Miles reps the streets, his hometown of Roxbury, and MMG with a furious passion but, do not be afraid because as an R&B singer his main goal is to entertain the crowd and satisfy the ladies with his music. Make sure you go pick up his new mixtape, Super Fly, which features rap artists like Joell Ortiz and of course Rick Ross comes through once again,

I heard you just came back from performing in South Africa, how was that experience?

It was great man. The people were great and the country was beautiful. I was opening up for Lil Wayne on the I Am Still Music Tour.

Will you be opening throughout the entire tour?

Yeah man, we are travelling all over the country

How did you first connect with Rick Ross and Maybach Music?

I was doing my own thing and I was having shows out in Boston and he reached out to me. He told me he liked what I was doing and that he wanted to work with me, and from there we started making music together. He's a real cool dude and the niggas at Maybach are all real niggas so we just click. When you meet other real niggas you just realize that you have something in common and the vibe is just natural. I also started helping him with a lot of knowledge about using the internet for music. He didn't use things like twitter and the social media and I helped show him how to get exposure online.

It sounds like you may have an interest in the business of music as well…

Definitely. I have my label Life For Life and we have a lot of great artist on there man. I definitely want to expand into all parts of the industry. So, yes I do want to be more involved in the business part of it as well. Shout out to Smoke Bulga who I got to sign with Sony. We've got Staxx Hustlez doing his thing as well and a bunch of projects coming up.

Is it weird for you being one of the only singers on the label?

Naw, not at all man it is not like I am soft because I sing. It's like I said at Maybach we are all real street dudes, so we all get along. I'm not some fake ass nigga. I'm from the streets. You feel me? If I sing about a nigga getting his head blown off, it is because I've seen that shit or if I am singing about getting wet pussy, it is because I am getting wet pussy. They are all real niggas over here at Maybach and we are about to take over this year.

Who were some of the artist that inspired you to make music today.

Well, I started at a young age. I had my first record deal at around 11 years old and my father did music. He was a Jazz player, so he was my first big inspiration. I use to listen to New Edition because hey came out of Boston too. I also was inspired by the great Jazz legends of our time and artist like Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk, Marvin Gaye, but my father was the biggest inspiration.

As you know MMG has a close relationship with Lil Wayne and Young Money. Do you think Ross plans on making you the Drake of MMG?

I really don't know. That is something you would have to ask Rick Ross. We definitely are close with Young Money, Lil Wayne and Drake are family but, I am not trying to be anyone else. I'm just doing me and being Masspike Miles.

Where does your name Masspike Miles come from?

Well, my pops named me Miles after Miles Davis and Masspike came from the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston. I wanted to represent my city with my name and at the time nobody else was really doing that. When people say, "What up Masspike!", they are saying "What up" to Massachusetts, and Roxbury. If someone says Masspike is the shit they are saying Massachusetts is the shit. So it is big for me to represent Massachusetts and it feels good to hear people yell Masspike at my shows.

How long does it usually take you to finish making an entire album?

My last project took me about 3 weeks to finish.

Wow, and what song have you done that means the most to you?

There isn't just one song that I like more than all the others. Every song means something. I wrote it for a reason because of a situation I was in or it taught me how to promote the next song in a different way so, I can't just pick one song, you feel me?

Do your songs about relationships come from personal experiences or are they just made up?

Everything I talk about has either happened to me or to someone around me.

What can we expect from Masspike Miles in 2012?

Good fuckin' music! We've got my newest tracks on iTunes right now. We are going to be doing a lot more shows and continue to run this shit in 2012. I really want to start making my music geared towards the ladies.

What is the best way for fans to contact you or follow the movement?

Hit me up on Twitter man. It is @MasspikeMiles or you can check me out at MasspikeMiles.com.

- By David Williams