Biography

Hamilton Park, North Dallas: Mista Long (aka SugaFoot Black) brings an insightful, poetic, and passionate perspective to street life in his music. You'll experience his dramas from a Dirty Dallas point of view, a story untold until now. Sharing with you his stories of the pimps, dealers, and hustlers Mista pulls you into street life as it is, and as it was for him. You'll walk in his shoes and gain an understanding of his visionary lyrics as he narrates the streets of Dallas/ Ft. Worth.

These are my stories, my confessions, my passions my demons. I want people to respect me as a man and a MC. My topics are harsh but real. This was the last call for me so I didnt hold anything back, ya dig? The true measure of a hustler aint about the struggles he overcame. Its about how he overcame the struggles! Mista Long.

Mista Long where you from and what city you represent?
I represent Dallas, Texas, North Dallas to be exact. The Northside, a neighborhood called Hamilton Park. I represent 2-1-4 to the fullest, long before 9-7-2 was even an area code round here.

How did you get the name Mista Long?
About 1995-96, I was called Dallas Long. I came out of a group called Choc-Lit Sit-E and after years and years of rappin and being with different groups - I still wasnt signed and still wasnt getting the respect that I felt was due to me as an artist. So, I changed my name from Dallas Long to Mista Long because Mista is a sign of respect. Its a sign of maturity. I chose the name Mista because I had grown up in the game and I was due the respect. Now when people holla they call me Mista. Long is for the amount time Ive been in the game.

Now Ive heard plenty hot verses from you, describe your style.
My style is street, my style is artistic, my style is expressive, my style is truth. If I had to call it anything, I would call it Street-Hop.

What music has influenced you in your life?
The biggest influence I had startin out was Funk music. From that era with Curtis Mayfield and Super Fly. All the guys that made folks want to be cool were my first influences. Then, when I picked up the mic at eleven, it was the East-coast rappers with all the lyrical styles like Rakim and Kool G Rap. Kool G Rap especially, because he was a hip hop kat but he was street. Streets of New York was my favorite song back in the day. First it was Funk, secondly hip hop artists with lyrical style.

When you write, what influences you to write on the topics you speak on?
When I write, either Im writin about feelin a certain way or about somethin that happened to me. Other times the music I hear brings a certain emotion and makes me see a picture and I use my pen and pad to draw that picture in words.

Who are some of the artists youve worked with from Dallas?
From way back, I actually grew up down the street from Azim and Bumble B who were two of the original members of Nemesis with DJ Snake and Big Al. I worked with them as a teen. Ive worked with Ghetto Priest, Kotton Mouth, Pimpsta, Breed and Al Breed, and a bunch of other folks man. Big ups to Kotton Mouth cause he always respected my style lyrically. He was one of the kats that edged me into being more south wit it. He said Texas had to be Texas man, so you talk and walk like Texas. Oh and 6-2 and El Dog of Genacide was part of a click called the Bodums Click with me back in like 94. They two of the coldest to do it.

Past or present hottest MC youve ever heard in the game?
One of the hottest MCs to ever do it? Past - Rakim. You couldnt touch what Rakim was doin at the time. Mr. Mike from Suave House and Young Bleed are two of the most unknown to do it from the Souths past but they dont get they props though. Right now, present I would be hard pressed not to put myself in that category but I have to be realistic and say Jay Z.

Since nobody could imagine it becoming what it is today, where do you think hip hop is going?
Hip Hop is going to go places that nobody is going to be able to understand twenty years from now. Its going to be a global music. Its going to be the new sound of jazz, the new sound of Opera and the new sound of R&B. Every nation is going to take hip hop and what it turns into is what that nation does with it but with that hip hop sound. It will be what everybody is doing twenty years from now. It wont even be called hip hop no more it will just be called - world music.

Do you think Dallas has a fair shot at the King of the South crown?
Oh, yeah I think Dallas has a fair shot. The South is hot. We always have been hot since U.G.K. Since RapA-Lot started and Suave House. Dallas has a fair shot because weve had guys like Kotton Mouth and Six-Two. Weve always had hot artist in Dallas. Its just the matter of grindin and doin whats necessary. Sleepin 10% of the time and workin 90% of the time.

What should people expect from the Dallas (DFW) underground music scene?
People should expect a whole new sound. We hit em over the head a few years ago with Pookie and Lucci and that defined the Dallas sound at that time. It wasnt chopped and screwed, it wasnt that H-Town sound. Its really artist who are lyrical. Dallas has always been about lyrics, style and flash. Dallas music will change what ATL is doing with the Crunk music and its gonna change what Houston is doing with screw and carrying on the bling. I think Dallas is going to bring it back to the essence cause were so diverse here that we have all of that in our music. Were trendsetters down here man, even though our local radio stations dont show it. Style is what you can expect from us as a city and as rap artist.

A lot of artists now dont understand the type of hustle you have to have to make it in this game. Do you have any suggestions for peeps trying to break in the music business?
Its a formula called the C.L.A.M.P. The C is for your concept. Your concept has to be exactly who you are. If your conscious is eatin at you because the shit you saying aint really you, then your concept doesnt work. The L is for your lyrics which feeds back to your concept because your lyrics tell who you are and what you stand for. You have to be true to yourself and be that person your lyrics are sayin you are or people will see that youre a fake. A is your appearance. Your appearance has to show that youre walkin what youre walkin. Its you personal image in the eyes of the people that see you. Perception is Reality through the eyes of a stranger. M is for your music because you have to have hot music. Your music has to tie all of these things in together and allow them to ride over it. P is your performance, your every day swagger. Youre performing 24/7 a day. Paris Hilton strikes a model pose even if shes coming out of Starbucks Coffee. You got to be ready to perform all those things all the time.

Worse experience youve had while trying to get your music put on?
Ive had some, like in '97 I lost a deal for $1.8 million with PayDay Records because of somebodies bad business practices, but none have been so bad that it soured me against the industry. Ive had a few experiences with people in the business but I havent had a situation or experience that has been so horrible that it stopped me. It's all paying dues.

Explain the relationship between Dallas and Houston?
We dont do Swangas and Vogues (laughs). Nah, Its like two super powers like when you look at America and Russia. Were in the biggest state on the continent, you know, and youre looking at two extremely large cities both sitting in the top ten of the country as far as size and population. Its really a testosterone driven type situation because they wanna say mines is bigger and we wanna say ours is bigger. Right now between Dallas and Houston the relationship is getting better but they come in here eatin at our table right now and we aint getting a plate down there. The relationship is a little bit strained but were gonna find a way to break bread and work it out. I got love for my H-Town potnas though.

Name some artist in the industry right now that you would want to work with on a project?
I got to give it to my home boy 6-2. He need to holla at me for real for real. I would love to work with Outkast because they really are the kats from the South that got on the Source Awards in 94 and said the South gots somethin to say. I would love to work with them because they spoke up for the South and they were lyrical and they showed that Southern hip hop is a real form of hip hop. Also, T.I., hes real. And of course who wouldnt work with Jay Z. Thats guaranteed money. Other than that I would stick to what I know like UGK, Slim Thug, the boys from Swisha Houze and a few other Texas legends.

Whos bangin those tracks youre on?
Dawgs Dabato. When you meet him youll never know hes a producer. Its like walking through the projects and seeing a rose garden. Hes a kat from the neighborhood and the streets like everyone else but hes refined and artistic. When hes behind that beat machine he drops the bangas though.

Heard you did time. Tell us about that.
If you cant do the time dont do the crime." I was in a situation where I felt like I needed to get money like everybody else. Ive been to college and finished High School and I was raised in a Christian family. It sounds funny but all that stuff was the biggest factor with me wantin to be in the streets. I didnt want to live my life thinkin that all to life was a 9 to 5 job and going to church on Sunday. For me, I had to explore the world and find out what it was about according to Mista Long. I was right there in the hood so the streets were around me everyday. I took my cloak of protection off and got into the streets. Banged heads with a couple of people and the streets are always watchin and talkin. The streets will show you love man but the streets dont love you. When you start to make moves thats when kats start to talk and hate the most. I made a few power moves, things happened which put some money in my pocket. A few people hated that. Po Po came and shut me down. I cant say it was a good situation cause I dont wish the penitentiary life on nobody, but I learned some things inside of the pen about respect and hustlin that you could never learn from Donald Trump. I did the time and it put me in the state of mind Im in now. What was is what was, what is, is what is, and what will be is what will be. I did that. Next question!

Weve been hearing that Dallas will represent the New South. Do you think youll play a major role in defining the sound that will come from Dallas?
Yeah, my sound is true Dallas. I cant say my sound is true Oak Cliff or my sound is true South Dallas or true Pleasant Grove or true Fort Worth because its not. Im from Hamilton Park but I hustled with everybody in DFW. My sound is DFW. I think my life over the years and everything Ive been through will really express to people outside of Dallas what Dallas life is like on the streets and everyday life in Dallas.

How have you grown as an artist over the years?
Ive grown to understand that music is real. You know? Whether youre a rap artist or you do house music. Ive come to understand that I had to be true to myself first in my music. My music has grown with me and Ive grown with my music.

Streets R watching whats your next move?
Get in the studio and bang out as many songs as I can. Jump on as many mixas I can. Politic with as many people as I can. Continue to get my name and my music out there. Get a deal and shine on the world. "Mista Long for President.

Mista Long will continue in the path of Southern hip hop royalty inline with D.O.C, U.G.K, Scarface, and 8-Ball & M.J.G. Hell return us back to an era when artist use to write and you remembered every word. The New South will usher in a new breed of heavy-weight MCs standing on the shoulders of hip hop.

For more information, bookings, or interviews please contact Mista Long @ 816-786-7149 or e-mail mistalong@tmail.com. Also check Mista Long out at mistalong.com.