Rival talks about another Leave of Absence

"Rumors are rumors, this ain't one of them! I mean I'm here now, I left for a while, but I came back" Rival spent 6 months away from writing and recording... He has been working hard on his newer projects and they have shown to be great. But what happens when Rival releases the Yes Sir Records Mixtape and his own solo mixtape, is it break time again? Many have asked and Rival says the same thing everytime... "its like no but at the same time yes, I won't be releasing much it'll be back to writing, writing, writing, recording, recording, recording, promoting, promoting, promoting. the only time people will say OH HES BACK, is when I start talking about putting out another song or album..." So during the promotional stage of music is when he comes back? When does he leave? being that Rival isn't a mainstream artist things are done differently.

Mainstream artists put the album out and then tour, promoting the new album. Rival promotes online and hands out fliers about the new music. So cut the tour, Rival sits back down with an iPod loaded with new instrumentals and a new notebook with a five pack of pens. Then he becomes less active online, so everyone thinks he's taking time off. "They should think that, its logical to call it a leave of absence cause technically I'm absent from the musical world. While I write and record the new stuff and then pick the album out of what I'm done with then come back and release it..." But does it benefit Rival's image or hurt it? With Rival "leaving" to write and record new music at 3-4 months at a time, what does it do to his image as a rapper or songwriter? "Personally I feel like it helps, because it gives me time to really feel the music I make its not just me rhyming over a beat, its a song with a meaning... But professionally its like I leave to write and come back and shit changes in that short amount of time, it really does, new people have started dropping songs left to right, older people have changed their styles and mines still the same it may change with the seasons but it doesn't completely change so I guess its up to the fans..."

From Rival leaving and coming back three already in his 5 year career, some songs are better than others. During Rival's first leave he was fresh off the rookie boat in 2006... He released "Drone (Fake Friend)", "Dem Dubs", and "On A Leash"... "Outta those songs I'd say I connected best with Drone, but On A Leash had a real message, no one really knows it but that song is about a record label, They don't have me on a leash, No label does no label ever will... NOW listen to it I promise it'll change... [Laughs]" During Rival's second leave from music last year. He came back with a few great songs as well, he came back and released: "Fell For You", "Ya New Man", "Knucks Up (Diss)" and his first R&B Single "Amazed". most of the songs were Love related so we can guess he had some love things going on during his "time off"... "Wow last summer! Um in my personal love life YES a few things happened, I mean I'm not going to get into detail about it but I was with my current but I also had something going on with someone else, shortly of course but i did write on those feelings and from that one person I was inspired to write Amazed and then a few weeks later Fell For You was compiled on three different girls and expiriences, then Ya New Man was back to the girl that changed that year, For my career that was an outstanding thing, for my personal life, not so much, I don't regret the decisions I made cause good shit came from it." So with this most recent return Rival has already added to his musical contribution with song such as "Drop the Tracks", "The Type", and the currently awaiting release "Anywhere, Anything".

So when is the leave taking place Rival? "[laughs] Not gonna be one, I mean I hope, I'm planning on writing again no doubt, but I am planning on releasing a freestyle mixtape in September with a couple of written songs as a bonus, And working on collaborating with other artists so, Not leave this time... After the two mixtapes drop, a few freestyle solo songs are coming out then the Freestyle mixtape, then the songs I am currently writing are coming out. It should be a great year for me as a writer and performer..."