A.J. Martin aka A Dot

Hip hop and rap recording artist A.J. Martin aka A Dot is a rising star on a worldwide scale. He’s currently balancing a music career with his career in the U.S. Military. Thanks to modern technology and Google+ Hangouts on Air, I was fortunate to interview view A.J. from where he is stationed in Bahrain in the Middle East.

A.J. Martin has a new hit single titled Missionary, which talks about his plans for the rap game and his life: “I think rap should be more than a dope beat without substance. I feel that the rap game is missing the substance nowadays. The other side to Missionary is my personal experiences. One of my favorite lines is Doin’ this til the end of me, friends yeah they pretend to be, down til you make it then they forget the memories. This is talking about my friends saying that I’ve changed, when all that really happened is that I’ve grown up. With my music, I only write what I know. It’s an outlet and how I express myself. Missionary really captures that for me.”

The single Missionary has an interesting back story. A.J. admits: “Missionary really started with a beat playing for 15-20 seconds and me saying My mission is to get recognition. Then, last year, I actually finished it. And two years later, Missionary becomes a hit. The song shows my growth as a rapper and a lyricist.”

I love A.J. Martin’s single Take Over, so I had to learn more about this song: “That was the first song that I recorded professionally, about a year ago. I wasn’t sure about the beat, but I can take any beat and turn it into a hit. The song talks about how I want to have a major impact in the rap game. I want to be known 30 years from now as one of the greatest to ever do it. With Take Over, I’m letting listeners know that I’m not half-stepping into it. If I have to take over the rap game, then I’ll do whatever it takes. I also want to influence, not only the fans, but other artists. I want to set trends. This track shows the confidence that I have in myself, no matter what critics may say.”

A.J. Martin shared a funny story about how he got into the rap game: “My pops used to own a restaurant. One of his employees was writing rap lyrics while sitting at a table during his break time. Me and my little brother saw him and decided that if he can do it, then we can do it too. We sat down at the table next to him and started writing. Really, that was probably the worst thing I’ve ever written in my entire life! That was when I was 10 or 11 years old. A couple years later, we got serious about it. We showed our pops and he said we had talent, but we needed more substance and to write about what we know.”

That’s where A.J. got the idea that became the foundation for his career: “You get the most passion about something when you can write about it yourself. At 14 years old, what could I write about? A lot of our songs were about relationships and girls. In high school, my brother and I started working on our own thing. I got more knowledge about life, and my music broadened. My strength is that I write about what I know and I always have substance. I won’t pretend to be something that I’m not. We didn’t have to struggle, because of all the hard work our parents put in. I’m not a thug, I’m not a pothead, but I can speak about myself and what’s going on in the music industry and in our society.”

A.J. Martin has a supportive fan club. He believes: “Without #MyDots there would be no Adot. #MyDots are my people. I think of us as a big family. They’re my motivation that takes me from the negative to the positive. They motivate me to keep doing what I’m doing. Without #MyDots, I’m just another rapper.”

A.J. Martin faces many challenges promoting his music while in the U.S. Military: “My first priority has to be the Military, which can be stressful at times. It’s not being in the Military that brings challenges. It’s getting people to really listen to the words being said in my music. You’d think with all the technologies and gateways, it would be easy to gain a following, but that’s not the case. It’s hard work. If you are passionate about something, then you have to be willing to put the time and effort into it. It’s hard to know who’s legit versus those who just want money and don’t care if you make it. I’ve run into a few scams, where I lost a few hundred dollars. You just pick yourself right back up.”

What’s up next for A.J. Martin aka A Dot? “I’ve got a new single Buckwild dropping in the next couple of weeks. It will definitely make you get up and do a little two-step and head bop. I have an EP coming out with my big brother Cobian called Leaders of the Pack. I’m pushing for my first album No Room 4 Error V2 to drop late November, early December.”

As A.J. raps it, “If you ain’t heard, you better listen.”

We hear you A.J., loud and clear.

The Amused Now Featured Artist Series

A.J. Martin aka A Dot
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
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