Tone Colon is a upcoming rapper out of San Francisco's Excelsior District. He has been gaining fast momentum being featured on Mozzy's "Mandatory Check" album, as well as having a upcoming project produced almost entirely by June Onna Beat. Read more about the upcoming rapper.
ABM: What is your rap name? Tell us the story behind your rap name.
My rap name goes by Tone Colon. I was born a Junior to my father Anthony Colon, and I was always called Young Tone or Little Tony. Growing up in Excelsior a lot of the hood called me and my dad Tone Colon. It stuck as a rap name because I knew my music was going to be me and my last name was always important to me and my family.
ABM: How long have you been in the rap game?
I have been fucking around with music since I was born. I tried to learn piano and guitar around the age of 8 but didn't like that shit at all. When I turned 12, I linked up with The DJ Project on Potrero in San Francisco. I was the youngest in, feet couldn't kick the floor. My moms and I had convinced them to let me jump into the program because I was serious about making music. I started learning how to write songs and make beats until I had finished the program. I eventually began working at the African American Arts and Cultural Center as an intern when I was 14, learning how to engineer and make my own songs. I fell out with the owner and kind of fell off of music for a few years. I began writing songs when my uncle died and I only been writing shit on my own for about 3 years now.
ABM: Where are you from?
I was born and raised in San Francisco, to the heart of the Excelsior District. The hood always been diverse with all races, that had to be the best part about it. All of us was bout money at the end of the day. Getting that belly. If you was eating you was good. Every night was a hustle and every day was a blessing. A lot of my niggas don't talk, but as kids we were close. Like my nigga Esai said, "All my niggas dont see each other everyday, but we know its all love when we see each other." My mom and pops did what every other struggling 18 year old couple would do when they got a kid in the hood. Made shit happen. I guess you can say I grew up at the same time they were.
ABM: What got you involved in the hip hop scene?
I been fuckin with rap and hip hop since birth. It's always been my sound. You can ask my mom's about how I would slap fo all the old school shit as a baby while she was rollin round handling that daily shit in the hood. RBL, Mac Dre, Mac Mall, all the old school bay artists. It was that daily shit, only people who knew about growing up right here. Rap and hip hop was how a lot of us got by. It related, it wasn't just bout it being a slap. It had to be real, if it was real. We felt it, and we ate it up.
ABM: Who and what inspires you as an artist?
My biggest inspirations got to be the Dre's. Mac Dre, Dr. Dre and Nickatina. All their shit had a nigga giggin but it meant something. It wasn't no bullshit that a lot of rappers make that dont mean nothing. You can be from the hood all day, but if you stupid then you aint making no real moves. Combining that lyrical shit with reality is necessary. It's required. I'm inspired by the hustle and what it takes to do it. I'm inspired by the sacrifice along with the rewards. Im inspired by my ghetto family who ain't just blood. I'm inspired by all the hoods in my city who trying to make it, we different, but we got common goals.
ABM: How did you end up appearing on Mozzy's "Mandatory Check" album?
I was sitting up in the trap downstairs in my nigga room. We was slapping Mozzy and Philthy like we always did when the relatives upstairs was knocked out on the couch off that shit. They was locking doors and shit feel me. We was slapping this song that had some Juneonnabeat production. I said this dude bout to be it, he gone be the next big thing producing. I decided to holla at June for some beats and some verses. We worked some shit around and I ended up bringing him a verse I had got from The Jacka before he got killed so I could pay him to make a quick beat to it. I slid thru to his spot and he made the beat to All Day right in front of me, had to be the dopest shit. After we recorded, Mozzy ended up tappin in and hopping on the track.
ABM: Tell us about your upcoming project with JuneOnnaBeat?
I'm working on a album produced by June completely with two bonus tracks produced by RobLo and Smiley. It's called My Hustle. It's focused around a lot of shit that took part getting even to where I am now. Shit aint done at all yet, I'm only 21 sitting in a quiet storm. My Hustle is about a lot of my struggle, it also a lot about my rewards. We all eating where I'm from, it wasn't no easy giving like most these niggas, but we doing it at a young age learning from all the OGs bout whats mandatory to survive. We was right there wit em at the park as kids. Everybody know bout it. It's about everyday shit that most us see on a daily basis. That shit a lot of us ignore specifically cuz we got to keep grinding and shit.
ABM: What is your ultimate goal at the end of your career?
My goal is just to leave my city straight. Imma die for this shit and when I get it it's for my hood, my family. I don't need it all, I need my slice, then all my niggas gone eat. My goal is to save the hoods in my city. They moving us out, niggas getting kicked out with they kids and their mom's. People are starving on doorsteps and as a society we are trying to get the cops to stop killing our relatives. Corruption at it's finest when the law changes from "Protect and Serve" to "Enforce and Restrict". If I could take shit back to the 90's a nigga would. Im gonna try, shit!
ABM: How can people reach you?
Y'all can reach me on Instagram (@ToneColon) all day, Twitter (@ToneColonMusic) all day. Shit hit a nigga with a email one time if thats how you rolling, like that nigga Mozzy say, a nigga aint feeling famous or too good. Tap in, Imma respond right back. I'm all bout my business and showing love to those who supporting.
ABM: Any shout outs?
Imma give a big shoutout to Mozzy for helping me get out there. Hunnid percent. Imma give a big shout out to Juneonnabeat for dealing with my bullshit, you know bout it. Nigga was going thru it all on the news and shit. Imma give a shoutout to Ian for being as real as it get when it come to business and spitting that real shit and his partner Seth for gaming me up on some real shit. I give a big shout out to my hood, the Excelsior, and the ones I grew up with, I dont see yall enough but y'all know I'm bringing it back when its time, niggas know where they from and believe that. I give a big shout out to my team and my brothers, Belly Gang. Cooking up that merch and getting it making the dream happen. Check it out, BellyGang.Net. I give the biggest shout out to my Ghetto Family. We done been thru it all, but God aint left us yet.