Photo of Ali-Han Ibragimov by Vanessa Nweze.
We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Ali-Han about his latest projects. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Ali-Han! It is a pleasure to speak with you. We know you’re brimming with excitement over your video game company, your production company, and your record label! Thank you for granting the interview. What inspired you to start your companies?
Thank you for having me, the pleasure is all mine! Well, when I was a kid, I loved video games. I could be sitting in class or playing outside and ideas would just be flowing through my mind, like “oh man, wouldn’t it be cool if I could do this in a game?” Or “What if the story was about this, and I had to play it that way?” I’d create my own board games, I’d cut maps and figures out of paper and all that. When I would play a video game myself, I would never stop thinking about other features or things that game could’ve had to be better. So one day I just came up with an idea, plotted out how the game would look, and started writing the script. In the process, many other ideas have been born. So I decided to open up the company and make everything happen.
As far as the music goes, I’ve been heavily influenced by music throughout my whole life. I and my high school friend Tao would go to his crib after school, and we’d just have fun making music. At some point, I started to get deeper into music, I started to understand what goes into making a record, how to structure a song. I fell in love with the process. I was researching a lot about how a record label works, which people are involved, everything. I wanted to give talented artists a platform, give them a voice, and create a culture, unlike any other label. At that time, I also came across two artists, E.T.I and Rockimonsta, and I really wanted to sign them and work with them. After having a conversation with them, E.T.I decided to partner up with me to set up the label, and we successfully signed both him and Rocky.
The production company, that’s been another dream of mine since I was a kid. When I watched Scarface for the first time, I was very inspired. I wanted to be an actor and director myself. Then I watched a bunch of other movies that really moved me, movies like “Pursuit of Happyness”, “Seven Pounds”, “John Q”, “The Dark Knight”, “Schindler’s List”, “The Intouchables”, I can go on and on. I wanted to tell stories that will move people, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with my partner Rashan Allen. He’s my partner in all my companies and business ventures.
All this may sound like a lot, but I’m a firm believer that one can do as much as he believes he can do. I don’t put a limit on myself, and neither should you, nor anyone else.
Tell us about the video game company. What types of games do you produce?
Currently, we’re working on “Antinomy”. It’s a story driven, open-world, action-adventure set in a fictional 19th century Middle Eastern country. The story revolves around a group of people who take justice into their own hands. We follow young Nathaniel, who is a newfound leader that will have to make a lot of decisions with unforeseeable repercussions. He then discovers that a ghost from the past is behind all of his challenges, and from that point on its justice vs. personal vendetta for him, which is hardly the same thing.
In “Antinomy,” there will be a lot of moral questions and dialogues, one of the most commonly occurring being that of justice. What is right? What is a just punishment for this crime, or that crime? The player will have to be the one who decides that. There’ll be a lot of moments where the player will be given food for thought on many different subjects, and that’s exactly what my company, MOORvision Gaming, stands for. We want to have a meaning in every story we tell, we want people to think, and grow, and be moved.
We also have a number of other projects already planned, but I prefer not to disclose any information about them just yet. When the time is right, we’ll announce them.
Will you take advantage of the digital platforms, such as Twitch?
We sure will! It’s a huge platform, and we’ll definitely make sure we make the right use of it. I’ve got connections with some people who have a following on there, and I have a bunch of other people in mind that we could potentially work with to bring the necessary exposure to all of our upcoming projects.
In addition to starting the video game company, you created a record label. What are your plans for the label?
Short term, we’re focused on standing out as a brand, surrounding ourselves with the right team, developing our artists and making sure their upcoming projects are the best they could be. We are looking to expand on the producer and engineer fronts. But long-term, we plan to compete with the majors. I aspire for the people to think of VSOP Records when they think of a powerhouse when they think of greatness when they think of mastery, and I’m sure we can get there. We have a very dedicated, hardworking and open-minded team, and we continuously add pieces which have been carefully analyzed. The future is bright, man and the only people that can stop us is us ourselves.
Do you have any artists lined-up?
We do! Like I said, we are currently operating with E.T.I, who is a soul artist. We just released his debut EP titled “I Luh V.S.O.P.” on all major platforms, and he’s working on an R&B project called “I Luh V.S.O.P. too”. Both projects are mostly produced by our talented in-house producer Parris. Our second artist, Rockimonsta, is working on his debut EP as we speak! You can set your expectations very high for his project, he won’t let you down. I’m also working on my own project, that I’m personally producing from top to bottom, featuring E.T.I, Rockimonsta, and some other dope artists that I personally enjoy listening to.
We are considering signing a couple of other artists at the moment, who I can’t name ’til they officially become a part of the family.
Will you be holding auditions?
At some point, we surely will. Not yet, though.
Are you accepting demos?
Hell yeah! Any singers, rappers, producers, engineers, musicians, and just about anyone else who is interested in joining us on this journey could email us at vsoprecordz@gmail.com
We’ll be looking forward!
What do you hope to accomplish with your companies?
Stories, in any form, and music, are two of the most powerful things in the world. Our goal is to bring change and positively impact the world through our work. Like I’ve said earlier, I was raised on movies that inspired me, and I and Rashan want to create content that serves that exact purpose for countless generations. We won’t ever put out any work that we don’t think has potential to be timeless.
Our companies are really extensions of us. Just like my work, my primary goal in life is to inspire people. Besides my Family, who is my biggest inspiration, I’ve also been influenced by people like Kobe Bryant, Dr. Dre and Tupac. I carefully studied each one of their stories and learned something from each one. Love and obsession with the craft is a common trait they all have. Kobe would always be the first to come and last to leave the practice, spending hours perfecting the overlooked details in each move he’d perform on the court. Dre would be obsessed with perfection, working on “Detox” for over a decade before scrapping it and starting a new project from scratch. Tupac would stay in the booth writing and recording song after song, song after song, song after song. Focused. I’ve watched countless documentaries and interviews watched them do what they do best, and to me personally, I experience something magical every time. I want to be that person for someone else. I want kids to think “oh if he did it, why can’t I?” when they hear my story. If I can inspire one person to successfully chase their dreams, that’ll make me feel like everything I’ve built with my companies has been successful.
Are there any projects you would like to add that we haven’t mentioned?
Yes! We are about to enter pre-production of our debut feature film “Bompton Had a Dream.” The script was written by my partner Rashan Allen, who will also be directing the film, while I’m producing it together with Alice Jean, and my longtime friend Petru Chirtoaca is the film’s executive producer.
The film’s story revolves around a top high school basketball player, who is about to announce his decision on which college he’ll commit to, and this day he’s just trying to get to the park to shoot some hoops, but on his way there he faces a lot of distractions. The narrative touches upon issues that occur daily in the inner cities all around America, and we hope to raise a discussion about a lot of topics that will be brought up in the film. It’ll be interesting to see how the world reacts to this story.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
To be honest, the way I’m living my life right now, I’m completing that sentence in every possible way. I love my life, I’m very grateful to God for a life where I do what I enjoy and love on a daily basis. I’m grateful for everything that I do have and I don’t have right now, because I have confidence that I’ll earn anything tangible that I could possibly want, and everything intangible I could dream of, I already have. I’m a very happy human being. I just want my family to be proud of me and my accomplishments, and I try to show them gratitude every step of the way because, without my family, there’s no me.
Connect with Ali-Han:
Website: MOORvision.com
Instagram: @ibragimovalihan
Featured Image Credit: Photo of Ali-Han Ibragimov by Vanessa Nweze.
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