Tell us a little bit about yourself and your new store?
I am Michael “Mastermind” Scott from Houston, TX. I am the CEO of I-10 music. I have on my team J.T. Fields, my Vice President, from W. Palm Beach, Florida, and Quincy “Dallas-B” Wheeler, Promotions/Advertising and Marketing Manager, from Dallas, TX. I-10 music has been around for about two years, but we’ve just recently opened our music store on Dec 6, 2003. We specialize in screw music and mix tapes originating from Houston, TX. Our mission is to promote music of artists that are big in their city, but are not nationally known. We also have an entertainment side of the business focusing on modeling, special events, and concerts.

What brought you to San Diego?
Well the idea came from a guy from Houston, to open a store out here that would focus on underground tapes called “Skrew”. I was already in Cali due to my military service. I took his advice and ran with it.

What did you feel San Diego was missing that you could bring to it?
We meet a lot of people who are not from here but they miss their music back home. I-10 music’s goal is to bring that to San Diego. We believe music is cultural, period. In the hip–hop world, we meet people who have roots connected to other places. I-10 is trying to let everyone experience other cultures of music.

Considering the other underground music stores around, how are you different?
The main difference is that we are the only store that has the real deal when it comes to Skrew music and southern connections, hands down!

With music stores’ taking a hit from the wave of mp3 downloads, how do you plan to avoid becoming another casualty?
Since the beginning days of I-10 music, we have run into a lot of people downloading and bootlegging music. No one can stop people from downloading or bootlegging, but you can’t get everything from the internet. At our store, we provide the real deal for those consumers who want the real deal.

Tell me a little more about your products and what your target market is.
Our number one product is Skrew music. It originated from Houston, TX, and was born into the hip-hop community around 14yers ago by a man named DJ Screw. It became real big throughout the south and consumers have introduced it to the mainstream. We consider it to be the type of music you can learn to enjoy! We also provide our consumers with other types of mix tapes from both the east and west, and DVDs. Our target market is everyone who is interested in music. We draw no color lines!

Do you have any upcoming promotional events planned?
Yes! Be on the look out for more I-10 concerts, artist and label signings, special events, and the I-10 models.

How often do you get new music in?
Every week, so don’t miss out!

Anything else you'd like our NLY10 readers to know about you and your store?
Catch them I-10 bois wreckin’ the city pushin’ i-10 music and entertainment. If there’s anyone looking to network or need promoting, holla at’cha bois!