By: Patrick Alcine

For the last six years, Florida hip-hop artist, Madd Illz, has established himself as a premier battle emcee. Illz has won or placed well in some of the nation’s biggest battles. At Atlanta’s Illfest, he beat out 49 contestants for the top title, many of which are well known and established artists. At the World Rap Championships, Illz won his division and ended with a ranking of number eight in the world. “What is starting to happen is it’s turned into a sport,” Illz explains. “It’s become just a platform to launch legitimate artists’ careers.”

Madd Illz’s approach to the rap game tends to be left of center. Unsigned and self-funded, he’s managed to tour extensively in the last few years hitting cities, filling clubs and turning heads from East to West. His first tour, appropriately named the “Do it yourself tour”, was his way of letting the masses know exactly where his head was, and promoted him as an artist that holds tightly to the independent ideal. “We came out to prove we didn’t need a label, or anyone backing,” Illz says. “We didn’t know what to expect, but the response was incredible and it just got better.”

Most recently, Madd Illz wrapped up a twenty-city “United Slaves of America” tour, promoting his fourth album. Illz and other rappers on the tour participated in canned food drives for the homeless and other charitable endeavors. “We wanted to show that we, as artists, can give back to the community and not be slaves to an image or a lifestyle.”

After two years of scaling back his recording and touring schedule to get his battle hosting and promoting company, Grind Time, up and running, Illz is back to release more of his outspoken attack on the status quo in 2009.  “I love making music relevant to what’s going on in our society,” Illz says. “I want people to recognize my music and take something deeper from it. For me, it’s not strictly for entertainment.”

To read more pick up the current issue of Crunk Magazine