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It’s not often that you find child stars who grow up and are successful — maybe even more successful than they were to begin with. We’re sure you remember Sonny from the classic movie Paid In Full.

Well, we got the chance to catch up with the young star, known now as Remo the Hitmaker.

Remo grew into a very mature and widely-respected young man who has an incredible work ethic.

Having worked with the great Chrisette Michelle, Jadakiss, Fred The Godson, Fatman Scoop, as well as the newest female rapper Mona L, we found it necessary to chat with him.

He speaks candidly about auditioning for Paid In Full, the positioning of New York in the music industry, getting his start in music and who he thinks are the best rappers and producers out!

Check out the interview below!

Global Grind: We can’t believe you’re Sonny from…

Remo The Hitmaker: Paid In Full?

Yes. What does it feel like to be a part of the NY Classic?

Before I got into the music industry I was both a model and an actor since I was five. I had an agency.

I still have a modeling agency and a TV agency based out of New Jersey.

Back when I was like 11, they told me I had an audition. I ended up missing the audition the first day.

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You missed it and still got the part?

It was snowing crazy and my mom hurt her leg. I was a little kid. I didn’t know my way around the trains like that.

So the second day, we actually get down there and then I went in there and auditioned.

Jay and Dame, after I did the audition, they saw the tape, and they were like, ‘That’s it, that’s him for the part.’

It was a good experience though. It was just on TV a couple of days ago, on B.E.T.

How did you get your start in music?

It started around 2008. I’ve known DJ Webstar for a while. That was around the time Ron Browz had a record out called Pop Champagne and Web called me and said ‘Bro! I need a record that’s gonna compete with this record. It’s crazy!’ I told him I would see what I could do. I had the studio in my house. I went in the crib, did the beat. The funny thing about it was, I didn’t even like the beat at first when I made it. I did the hook, sent it back to him. He hit me up and said, ‘Yo! This is fire! Yo, you wildin’!’ I asked if he liked it for real. He said it was fire. I told him I didn’t like it and I would send him something else. He said, ‘No, no, no. You buggin.’

The following week I went to my family reunion down South, he called me and said, ‘Bro, get ready, when you get back Flex is going to drop bombs. Juelz and Jim are on the record.’ That was my first record ever on the radio, “Dancin’ On Me.” After that, once I got back it was crazy. It was like, wow! It was that quick. It definitely got me my push and my start.

Who is your favorite producer?

My favorite producer is Rodney Jerkins. I look up to Rodney.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three albums with you, what would they be?

Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt, Usher’s 8701 and the third one? I have to say 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’.

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Who do you think is the best rapper out, female and male?

There’s two males I think are fire. Drake is so dope because he says things that people don’t say in their rhymes.

I feel like us as young people, we can relate more to Drake. Then Fred The Godson because his bars are just crazy. I don’t think nobody is messing with him and Drake.

Female wise, my artist Mona L. I don’t think there’s no female messing with her. Sorry. That’s just how I feel.

I’m not trying to sound cocky, but I think Mona L. brings something so different and she’s spittin’ bars.

Young girls in the hood are going to be able to relate more to her because the stuff that she’s talking about, she’s lived it. She’s going through it right now. It’s real life situations.

What makes you different from the producers and songwriters that are out here? What makes you Remo?

I would have to say I’m a work-a-holic. I don’t go to parties. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. When I say I’m a work-a-holic, I’m a work-a-holic. I’m in the studio 24/7. I do not leave the studio. Unless it’s something important I have to do, then I go take care of it. Then I’m back in the studio. My heart and my passion is with my music.

What separates me from a lot of other producers is I’ve taken the time out to study my craft, perfect it, to have my own sound. Rodney Jerkins, I look up to him. He’s never taught me anything, but I listen and understand that he does this and does that. I put my twist to it. Then perfect it, make it really perfect. Remo The Hitmaker’s sound stands out from everybody else.

Can you talk about your process of writing music and producing?

It’s funny because a lot of people ask me this question and I really don’t have a process. Sometimes I can be in the car and I could just be humming something and I’ll record it on my phone, on a voice note. When I get back to the studio, I listen to it and go from there. I don’t really have a process.

Sometimes what I do is do the track, go in the booth and then lay down the melody. I won’t say any words. I’ll sing it, hum it, listen back and then I’ll put the words to it. Or my writer G The Diary will come in and write, he’s a dope songwriter, that’s part of the “Wave” family. He’ll come in, write and lay it down and it’s done.

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So what’s up with “New Wave” and “Music For Life?”

New Wave is a brand new company. It’s me, my partner/manager Hunc, Jabba, Mona L. is our first artist, I’m the producer, and the songwriter G The Diary, that’s the whole New Wave family.

Music For Life is my own personal company, which I started back in ’08 when I first did the record “Dancin’ On Me.”

Things just came together so it’s New Wave/Music For Life.

I think you’re doing a really great job of bringing NY back. Do you think NY is ever going to be back in the forefront of hip-hop?

Do I think NY will come back? No. Not like before when we had Bad Boy, Rocafella, Murda Inc., Ruff Ryders, Dipset, Violator all at one time. New York was killing it. I don’t see NY coming back like that. We as artists and producers, we don’t support each other. Everybody hates each other and that’s not good. Down South they show each other love. They back each other up. In NY, they don’t do that.

Everybody wants to be number one. Nobody wants to be number two. Nobody wants to help you out. Sometimes you have to be number two. It’s a growth process. You have to grow. I just don’t see it because there’s no support, everybody’s beefin’. Half of the artists from NY are always beefin’ with somebody. Always. There’s always a problem.

You’re not going to catch a West Coast artist beefin’, they’re tired of that. They’re trying to make music! The music industry is not how it used to be, people are not selling albums anymore. I don’t see it. If it happens, it happens. I will support it 100 percent.

I love New York, this is my hometown, but I don’t see it happening.

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Who is in your dream collaboration?

I really want to work with Brandy. I’m a big Brandy fan. People don’t understand how dope Brandy is. Brandy is so dope and I think that a lot of people are not getting it.

Yes, she’s trying to come back hard.

Yes, she needs to come back to her old self. I really want to work with Brandy.

That’s my dream. Because if you’re musically inclined, come from church, you do runs, why would you not want to work with Brandy?

Don’t get me wrong. I liked the Human album, but it wasn’t her. That’s not the Brandy we know.

I think she needs to go back and hook up with Rodney Jerkins, the person that gave her her sound.

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What’s something that people don’t know about you that you would like to put out there?

It would probably be Amy Winehouse was one of my favorite artists. It was sad that she died. That’s wack.

She was kind of like a Lady Gaga version to me in a way because she had her own lane. I love Amy Winehouse. She was dope. She had her own style. She just stood out from everybody … like Lady Gaga, she stands out. She’s just different.

What’s your favorite color?

My favorite color is green.

Money Green?

Yezzir!

Forest green?

No regular green. (laughs) Just green.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

I can’t answer that because I haven’t gone on vacation yet. I’m always working. But I am definitely going to go on vacation soon though.

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There’s a shortage of female rappers out there. What do you think the future holds for Mona L.?

I don’t want to push it, but I believe in her 100 percent. I think that she’s going to be as big as Nicki Minaj and maybe even bigger, because Mona … she’s like a star. You could just look at her, she smiles and just wow.

She got your attention, and Mona is such a people person, she loves people. She’s goofy, she’s funny, and she’s not Hollywood. She wants to party. She wants to get in the car like, ‘Yo! We here! Whats up?!’ She learns fast. I think that’s what’s going to separate her from other artists. She learns, and I don’t know how she does it but (snaps), that girl learns fast. Smart. She is stubborn at times (laughs) but she learns fast and she’s dope … and she’s humble.

I see her being big soon. I see it. Honestly, she would definitely be a role model for young girls. I can see it because like I said before, I think she’s going to be able to relate more to the young people.

What are some of the projects you are working on or currently have out?

I just finished doing this record with Jadakiss’ new artist. His name is Emanny. The record is called “I’m Out.” It’s off Emanny’s new project, his first single. The feedback we’re getting from the record is incredible. It’s crazy right now.

Then I got my artist Mona L., we just dropped her new single featuring Jadakiss, called “New Love.” It’s featuring me. I’m on the hook.

What else I got? I got Fred The Godson. I just did a new single for him and Fatman Scoop featuring Lloyd Banks.

I got “Toast to That” by Jadakiss featuring Fred The Godson and myself. That’s about it for right now.