Fashion In Aktion: Livin' It up with THE PHANATIKS

Okay so I finally had the opportunity to interview THE PHANATIKS, and I must say, that had to be the funniest interview ever. I wasn't able to speak to everyone from the group, but I had the honor to interview Xavier Hawkins (BeatMaker/Producer) and Aswad Umazar (Producer). They kept me laughing the whole the time, they both have very outgoing personalities and I must admit that when it comes to business they are definitely on top of it. Here is the interview between Xavier, Aswad and myself.

Date: July 29,2009
Group Members: Xavier Hawkins, Aswad Umazar, Jeffery Foster, Tony Riley and Tyrrell Cherry

Interviewed: Aswad & Xavier

-How did you all meet?
*Aswad had told this ridiculous story about him bullying Xae for a pencil back in high school and thats how they became friends. Of course that was a bogus story. Lol.
X&A: We all went to the same high school and met through mutual friends.

-Where are you guys currently located?
X: Well as for myself, I currently in Woodbridge, VA but I plan to come back to Carolinas soon. I'm venturing out a little bit, but there is no place like home.
A: Well you see, I currently reside in Charlotte,NC but I myself loves to travel. But I'm usually in between Charlotte and Los Angeles.

-Where are the other memebers located?
A: Jeff is here in Charlotte,NC and his brother Tony is currently in Wilmington,NC. Oh, we can't forget about T.Cherry. Truthfully, T.Cherry is all over the country. He is never at a set location.

-How did you all come up with the name "The Phanatiks"?
X&A:Originally we were "The BeatMasters" but the name was already taken, so Jeff came up with the name Phanatiks and its been that since then.

-Why do you all want to record and release your own music?
A: I believe that Charlotte has the potential and I want to us to put or city on the map. I also believe that with our skills and different talents, The Phanatiks could definitely attract different cultures and more diversity.

-Who are your musical influences?
X&A: We all are huge fans of The Neptunes, Timberland, Dr.Dre, Kanye West, The Underdogs and Shawty Red. Thats just to name a few.

I wanted to give you all a brief snippet of our interview. As stated before, these guys were fun to interview. It has truly been a pleasure to sit and get to know them. They are definitely on the rise in the entertainment industry. You can reach out to them personally and check out their music on myspace. www.myspace.com/thephanatiks if you have any questions or comments for them.