Making a Statement
"I love the Eagles and the Sixers too much to leave Philly." Those words are spoken from the man we call Havok that has resided in suburban Philadelphia (Fairless Hills) since age 5, when his parents moved from Boston. Havok has never been lazy with anything, and music is no exception. He has held a job since eighth grade, which paved his work ethic early in life. Havok's parents listened to Hip Hop, and he started gravitating towards the culture at a young age. Among some of the first Hip Hop groups he remembers as influences are UTFO, RUN DMC, and the Sugarhill Gang. Be careful of answering questions that show your age! Throughschool, Havok met his musical partner Stress. Yes, crazy beat, crazy minded Stress. He remembers the early days when their friendship started, "Stress used to get grounded and I would ride my bike to go see him, because he couldn't leave the house." After graduating from Pennsbury High School in 1990, Havok not only got married, but he took his income tax money and started to buy music and equipment. Stress and Havok went to work experimenting and creating sounds that laid the foundation for their group, which they named Surburban Hoodz. Along with others they had recruited, they started to record tracks. The Surburban Hoodz wanted to take their music on a different level, so they gathered a live band to accompany the emcees. Although they had made albums previously, the first one that was actually pressed up was in 1995 called This Boy's Life. By this time, Havok and his wife had a baby girl named Erin. She actually is the first of three girls for Havok and Karen. Am I the only one that finds it funny that Hip Hop men breed girls more than boys? What is it about you all? Armed with an album and positive energy, the Surburban Hoodz set out on a tour up and down the East Coast playing with the likes of The Pharcyde, Bad Brains and Digable Planets. They gained a reputation as punk rock b-boys. As Havok describes it, "We had rhymes over live instruments. It wasn't yelling, just good music." This Boy's Life sold so well, that is served as the financial ground for 215 Records. In between all of this madness, Havok graduated from CHI Institute, and received a scholarship to continue his education. Upon learning about his wife's difficult pregnancy with their second child Breanna, Havok quit school and worked endlessly. Since Breanna, there has been another child named Marissa. He claims that is his last, but we all know how "accidents" happen! Though he devotes time and energy to his family and work, the music never left his heart, and it truly shows.

Connecting the Dots
215 Records was a collaboration idea of Stress and Havok. After they got 215 up and running, the Surburban Hoodz released their second album entitled Genuine Bboys. Havok recalls, "We did everything ourselves, and made money. I'm proud of that." Unfortunately nature took its course with the Surburban Hoodz, and one after another members started to depart. They haven't put out any albums since Genuine Bboys. That never dampened Havok's mood or his goal to succeed and make memorable music for the world to hear. From there, Krush Unit Recording Company and THE215.com were formed. Currently, Krush Unit is overseeing records from The HaveNots, Side Effect, and Splitt. Be on the look out for their releases in the near future. Havok's goal with Krush Unit is to get a distribution deal. Havok explains to me the birth of THE215.com, "I just wanted a place where Philly artists can get their shine and showcase a little bit of their talent. Some artists don't have their own website, and by being on THE215.com, artists can refer people to the site to hear them." By the way, Havok makes it easy for you to be on THE215.com. Just email him and he'll let you know the simple requirements. Following up on a few suggestions he got about selling material online, he recently opened up a store on THE215.com that allows artists to now sell their material! Havok didn't realize how much work it was going to be, but in his own words, "you gotta do what you gotta do." I hear you loud and clear.

Coloring Outside The Lines
The peak of the mountain for Havok musically is to participate in and help Philly Hip Hop get respect, "There are so many talented emcee's here and I believe it's going to show real soon. We just need people to keep it here, and support each other." When he sees people working hard, not caring what others think and letting no one stand in their way, he has love for them because it's a direct reflection of himself. At the same time, he recognizes that he's not good at balancing out his responsibilities. Havok is a "nice guy." He spreads himself thin trying to help everyone out, because he knows how hard it is to go from step to step, so he tries to make it easier for others. Take it from me, that attitude will tire you out very quickly and get overwhelming! Havok gives props to 40th Dimension ("They have a nice hype show"), Prophets of the Ghetto (The first time he saw them, there were only 3 on stage. Imagine when he experiences the whole crew!), Side Effect (One of his favorite current emcees), The Arrakis Squad ("Paul is taking steps in the right direction"), and Supreem Da Regulata ("I'm just feeling his music"). Added to the goals of Krush Unit and THE215.com, Havok has a few personal goals. One being a graphic designer specializing in album covers and websites. For being self-taught, he's doing quite well. He designed Side Effect's website. Check it out!
Regardless of his passion for music, there are 4 people that are more important to Havok than life itself, and that's his wife and three daughters. He jokingly and proudly tells me about his oldest daughter's love for RUN DMC and the Beastie Boys, "She always asks me to put on It's Tricky, so she can sing-a-long." Above all else, Havok is a family man. Havok's voice has no hesitation when speaking of the love for his family, "Everything I do is for them. I want to be a great dad and good husband." Just the way it should be! Can somebody clone him?

subhoodz.com

the215.com

krushunit.com

Article by Deesha
August, 2002