Scarborough, ON – No one ever said being an artist was easy... well, at least not in this day and age when it comes to the hip-hop industry. With the quantity of artists working the circuit being at an all-time high and the steady decline of physical sales, it falls into the hands of the artist themselves to also wear the businessman hat and propel their careers forward. If they can’t do that, they might as well call it a day and hang up the mic. The traditional formulas are out the window, it’s time to adjust.

For a minute now, Toronto’s Bishop Brigante AKA The Gambling Man has been one of the Dot’s most anticipated artists who has a ton of videos under his belt for notable singles but no album; a couple of mixtapes, a ton of guest appearances but no full-length projects officially released under the moniker of Bishop Brigante. In an industry where planning out strategy and executing those plans swiftly is almost as important as the product itself, Bishop’s album debut was to be the climax to years of hard work and independent achievement. The deal with Bodog Music was setting him up with the type of machine an artist of his status would need to effectively work the industry and ultimately release the album at the level he had envisioned. It’s one thing to release an album but it’s a whole other story to release an album with money invested and a big level plan in motion. I mean, could you find a better fit? The Gambling Man with one of the world’s biggest gambling companies. You don’t need to be a marketing expert to think of the opportunities that present themselves with that type of setup.

So Bodog didn’t work out and Bishop’s here to give you a bit more insight on what happened but the biggest news is the decision he has made to release a brand new album basically before the end of the month. He still has a catalogs worth of unreleased material that was being crafted for his Bodog release, but for this project it’s 100% brand new material with a specific theme in place. 10 days, 10 producers, 10 songs? What’s this all about?

Let’s get into.

HipHopCanada: So let's talk about where you're coming from and then we'll get into where you're headed. What happened with Bodog?

Bishop Brigante: Well, with Bodog it's really simple. Everything in the initial stages of the deal was wonderful. We had a plan and goals we wanted to accomplish to make a difference in this forever staggered industry. The thing was, and I knew this going in, the company had never worked anything regarding hip-hop in the time they have been around. Now in the beginning people would voice their opinions to me about this factor. But I weighed out the pros and cons and also rode with the promises that were put in front of me in regards to marketing and promotions. It all seemed to gel perfect considering they were a huge gambling company and I was The Gambling Man. I could be crossed promoted in the poker industry, which is huge in itself, and also reach out to the hip-hop audience in the same breath. Thing is, I never had direct and constant interaction with the big wigs regarding the project and how to stay a float in this grueling industry. Keep in mind, before I was ever signed, I was always kept in the same brackets as a Kardi or a Saukrates, meaning the anticipation and the idea that we could make a huge impact for our industry. I had that same vibe with one street mixtape and a couple videos. Why? Well because I knew how to market myself and keep myself out there in the public eye musically and stayed busy in many different avenues. I was touring and making stupid money when I had no songs written. I just knew how to entertain and people saw the artist in me and knew there was money over here. So when I got involved with Bodog, I kind of left things in their hands to focus more on the creative side of the business. I can make 3 songs a day. It's nothing for me. But I'm always keen to what going on with my business side of things. I started noticing early that things weren't going in the right direction. I was very vocal in how things work in "our" industry and how they need to really get into it so we can make a powerful impact with this record. I kept getting the run around and eventually it came to a screeching halt. I think the straw that broke the camels back was the way the 420 record was worked. We had the video in pocket and things just weren't coming together. Now at this point, all promises were nowhere in sight and things had to change or I was ready to move on. I ended up going over all of these things with my team and my family and really hammered it out to find the right resolution. At the end of the day I chose to leave the company and get back to business on my own. There is absolutely no bad blood with anyone at the label or anyone involved. It's just sometimes people don't get it, and it's very hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

HipHopCanada: Are you in the process of looking for a new home?

Bishop Brigante: Most definitely! The only difference is my goals have changed and what I want now is much different than before. I have started my company "High Stakes Music" and I'm in talks with different companies regarding distribution. I know too much about the way things work and how to make big things happen to now take the passenger seat again and have my fans and haters wait another year for a "debut" Bishop album. Instead, I would rather have some investors become partners and let me do what I've always wanted to do. Put out great music and develop other artists to achieve their dreams and goals as well. And that's why I've started this company. I have so much unreleased and unheard material that I could drop a triple album tomorrow. So for right now, the business is in full gear, the music is sounding better than ever and I'm basically back to the Bishop Brigante that the people know and love.

HipHopCanada: The biggest news right now though is The Poker Face album will actually be dropping pretty soon and you're going to be blogging about the experience right here on HipHopCanada. What fueled this release and what's the concept?

Bishop Brigante: I'm glad you brought that up. Here's the birth of the concept. So the readers have a proper time frame, today is "Day 2" of The Poker Face project. I basically woke up a couple days ago and was thinking to myself. Majority of these huge artists like say a Jay-Z or a Beyonce, or Usher or whoever, don't spend 2 years making records. Sometime they even announce when they are going to do one and then they hideout for weeks and bang out a record. Well I put myself on the Brigante 10 Diet. It's simple. 10 Producers, 10 Days, 10 Songs, equals my new album The Poker Face. I kind of figured that with my own studio and a billion beats at my disposal, why haven't I even put out one full album for the people alone? I always waited on the business or the right time and whatever! Now I'm like it's time for the people to get what they been waiting for. My plan is to consistently stay on this diet for albums and mixtapes alike. Bang ‘em out and promote the shit out of them until it's time for the next one. Tomorrow is "Day 3" of my first diet!

HipHopCanada:  No doubt. So which artists and producers are you bringing on board for the album and how did you determine who it would be?

Bishop Brigante: Well it's still early; I have banged out 2 records so far completely finished. The first one is called "If It Ain't About..." and it's produced by Grammy Nominated producers Tone Mason. I know they’re going to love that I said it like that. Working with them was hella over due but Melle hooked it up right! Remember it's day 2 so he hasn't even heard the joint yet! But let's just say it's definitely a single and can bang heavy in the clubs. Today I got a beat from Mr. I Make Hits himself… Spinz! Rappers I don’t know what you are doing but you need to throw some of that money to my homie for production. This dude got some sneaky hip-hop heat up his sleeve. Straight banger… the joint is called "Money On The Floor" and it features my fellow Scarborough homie Richie Sosa. Count Money was in the building today and we got the shit banging out the gate. So far both joints have every element the people want. They can bang it in the clubs, they’re perfect for the streets and the lyrics are for the heads.

HipHopCanada: Where and when will it be available?

Bishop Brigante: In 10 Days! Well 8 days now! Nah, but seriously, the 10 days is when the album will be vocally recorded and then we send it in for mixing. We should keep that at ten days too depending on the engineer’s schedule. Then we will get into the promo of this record. I just want the people to know that the record will be finished and no turning back in 10 days 100%. I'm going to mix the first single first. So we can hit radio and get the buzz and the vibes popping proper this time around!

HipHopCanada: What other projects are you working on?

Bishop Brigante: Well, The S.L.U.G. double CD is 100 % completed and we’re releasing that as soon as we get the artwork back. Hands down I can honestly say that the record is one of the, if not THE best CD to come from the city in a very long time. I can't even match another album to this one. Every single member went in on this record. We have a bunch of features too but it's mostly the mans them ripping these joints. Kinsmuv did all the production. Again rappers… holler at my homies for them beats! Invest in yourselves! Look us up at http://www.myspace.com/slugfam.

HipHopCanada: A lot of people have been asking about your acting career and when you'll be doing something new with that. The talent is obvious so I guess now it comes down to your interest in pursuing it and the opportunities available to you. What's the word?

Bishop Brigante: I have a serious passion for acting. The only problem is finding the time to research the proper agents. I wish I could find one agent who would take me on and handle that business. The other problem is that I don’t want to get an agent with a bunch of rappers and shit. I want to take on real deal roles… hard stuff that will challenge me like when I did theatre. I want some roles that will pull my potential out of me and translate onto screen or television. I’ve been telling Drake I'm a fuck him up if he don't find me one soon. Either that or my next plan is a permanent move to LA.

HipHopCanada: Anything else you want to discuss?

Bishop Brigante: Just want to thank everyone for the support of the new “Hard Times” video! The response has been amazing. Thanks to Flow for giving it the rotation. And remind people to vote for it on the HipHopCanada/OTA Live Megacity Countdown! Stay tuned and tell everyone you know that The Poker Face and S.L.U.G. - The Weight is Over are both coming very soon! Peace.

Editor's note: I've had the privlege of hearing up to "Day 4" so far and I'm confident in saying Bishop fans will not be disappointed. For more Bishop Brigante check out http://www.myspace.com/bishopbrigante or http://www.myspace.com/slugfam.