Last week, HipHopDX concluded the “J.U.S.T.I.C.E. 4 Crooks” contest, with Crooks & Castles, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Karmaloop. The hit-making production trio offered up an instrumental track, specifically intended for the contest and several hundred HipHopDX readers sent in the track with their verses.

The winner was Austin, Texas’ M.I. with his “Maybe I” rendition. By winning, M.I. wins the rights to the song from the producers for Rick Ross, Drake, Jay Rock and others. As J-League congratulated him by video, DX asked him about his plan.

HipHopDX: What are you working on right now?

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M.I.: A self-produced, written, recorded and mixed album The Coldplay Sessions [which is planned for release in] December 2011

DX: How did you approach the beat? What was the writing and recording process like?
M.I.: The contest started June 15th. I wrote, recorded, mixed and submitted the song by 4 a.m. [on] June 17th. [It took me] a little over a day to make the song… I wrote accordingly. It was a serious/dark beat, so I wrote a song bout how it feels to hit rock bottom, but bein’ able to recognize that all you can do is get up and stay on the grind.

DX: Tell us a little about your history as an emcee

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M.I.: I started writing, recording and mixing when I was 14, makin’ beats at 15. I’ve made five albums and a mixtape since 2004. I started building up my Internet buzz in 2010 when I hit over 12,000 downloads on The Jack Johnson Sessions. I dropped Prep Time April 2011 on iTunes [as well as] for free download. [It has] production from Tyler Keyes and features from Laws, Mikkey Halsted and more.
DX: Where will this finished song end up?
M.I.: I’m going to release a new mix with a thirrd verse and I’ll probably shoot a video for it. Hopefully, it ends up back on HipHopDX