Mike "Pizon" Scala's earliest recollections of Hip Hop include he and his friends sneaking into their older brother's room to hear uncensored versions of NWA songs on tape. He was just a little boy at the time, and if his parents knew what he was listening to, he'd probably be in trouble. Suffice to say, his initial encounters were brief. It wasn't until after he finished elementary school that he genuinely began to appreciate and fall in love with Hip Hop. Since his hometown of Rosedale, Queens did not have a high school of its own, he began riding a dollar van to school in 1994, spending several hours a day on board listening to the music and learning about the culture from other passengers. Before long, he was a certified Hip Hop head with a knowledge of its history and a respect for its roots. And it was becoming increasingly clear that remaining a spectator was not an option. A naturally gifted writer and the son of a former Martin Scorsese actor, Pizon soon realized his destiny was to continue his father's legacy in showbusiness -- not as an actor, but as an MC.

Word began circulating around Cardozo High School that Pizon rhymed. The school's reputable MCs decided to put him to the test and invite him to an afterschool cipher session to see what the hype was all about. Impressed with what they heard, they immediately invited Pizon to perform with them at an upcoming school talent show. When the talent show was later canceled, Pizon came with the idea of recording a song together instead. The song would be called "Dozo Dawgs," and it featured a show-stealing Pizon verse in which he vindictively dissed a female classmate for not giving him a chance. Though he later apologized for the diss, it marked the first time Pizon truly recognized how powerful his words could be. And he liked how it felt.

Determined to make a name for himself, Pizon sold copies of the track on cassette and CD. With this hand-to-hand release, his upstart label La Scala Entertainment -- a play on his last name and the famous opera house in Milan -- was born in the summer of 2000. Pizon was now out of high school and ready to launch his career. Though he went to college and would eventually become the first member of his family to earn a degree, music remained his focus. In 2001, he organized and released Battle Mode, a compilation of tracks by fifteen upcoming artists in search of a voice. Two of those artists were Timid and Killah, who along with EJ, Analyze, and Da 27th Element, now make up The Fam -- Pizon's crew of longtime collaborators and allies. Pizon and Timid went on to release XIV:XIX (14 MCs, 19 tracks), the official follow up to Battle Mode, in the summer of 2002. That year also saw the release of the Growing Pains EP, a now rare six-track Pizon solo effort that included such crowd favorites as "2'n the Mornin'" and "Step Up."

Somewhere amidst the commotion, tragedy struck as Pizon learned that his then-girlfriend passed away in a plane crash. This resulted in "Angel Wings," a beautiful song written and recorded by a 19-year-old Pizon that many still consider to be his best work to date. It was eventually released on 2003's The Lost EP, an overdue joint project with Timid and Killah that was offered to fans for free as a promotional tool. The overwhelming positive response, with some fans heralding it as their favorite song of all-time, led to Pizon adopting a more personal approach to his music. When his father later died of Hepatitus contracted from sharing needles in his days as a drug addict, he wrote similarly moving songs about it. After giving a copy of one of these songs to a friend, his friend called him from the side of the road, claiming he had to pull over because the song hit him so hard that he could not listen and drive at the same time. Another of these songs would be saved for Pizon's solo album, but first he had some more business to handle.

Pizon had been dabbling in production for as long as he'd been rhyming. Initially producing out of the necessity for beats to rap over, Pizon's unique production style would catch the attention of artists such as Mr. Fayce, who in 2003 commissioned him to provide unorthodox backdrops to compliment his unique vocal stylings. The collaboration proved successful, as at least one of the resulting tracks received national airplay in Fayce's native Bahamas. With Pizon's stock as a producer suddenly rising, he began making beat CDs and selling tracks to local MCs. He continued offering his services as a producer while simultaneously working on his own material, and in 2004 he additionally became a radio personality. Since its inception, OneTwoOneTwo Radio has featured interviews with some of Hip Hop's finest artists, and has been home to some of the most riveting weekly discussions on radio.

Though he's already achieved more than most artists ever will -- performing all over the country, appearing on Internet, college, and mainstream radio stations, having his music played in the US and overseas, and capturing the hearts of thousands of fans worldwide -- this is still only the beginning. With several years' experience under his belt, Pizon now readies himself for the release of his long-awaited solo LP, aptly titled I Am Hip Hop. His versatile subject matter -- ranging from heartfelt and sincere to playfully misogynistic -- combined with his laid back NYC flow, over production by some of the game's most talented producers (Domingo, Kno, and Pizon himself), will ensure that this project brings Pizon success never before seen in his young career.

Yes, his father would be proud.