We got an opportunity to sit with one of the stars of the newest series Love & Hip Hop Hollywood, the one and only Miss Hazel-E as she dishes on the show, her musical influences, and so much more.

Check out the interview.

Since people remember you as a publicist, but you crossed over as a rapper, what is the transition like?

Hazel-E: The transistion you know, I’m not going to say it’s easy because building up my credibility in the music world was definitely something I had to work on, you know. People know you from business and all of an sudden you transfer over into the artistry world like “is she legit” you so I actually had ti really put my work in. I had put out my first mixtape in 2008 with Idris Elba the actor which was called Shoe Fetish and he goes by DJ Driis. So after we dropped my first mixtape and the first video “Valley Girl”, people definitely knew that I was serious but it definitely took a lil minute and then I got signed to Swishahouse out in Houston, where I’m from.

So, you know as I kept working, you know people kept believing and so using the publicity to help me definitely, I’m going to use all my resources, I would be dumb not to. But I spent so much time building other artists that I definitely put those skills to use to make my own artistry turned up even more. So, the skills I’ve learned behind the scenes have definitely helped me for now my debut in front of the camera and definitely pushed my music in a bigger platform.

Who inspired you musically?

H.E.: My musical influences, my all time favorite is Madonna, you know. I was a military brat grew up in Colorado, so I’m a pop, rock, hip hop kind of chick, you know. Madonna definitely is my first love in addition to her Gwen Stefani, Fergie. I feel like they’re like pop rapper even though they’re pop artists. Fergie would bust a flow, you know singing Fergalious and Gwen Stefani with I ain’t no Hollerback Girl and I love that. When I saw that they were kind of like rapping and singing but low-key rapping, I was like, “okay they’re turning up, so I could catch the wave too” and in addition to that I love Pharrell and my other all time favorite Lenny Kravitz, so I’m kind of all over the board. Oh, Jay Z is my rapper of course.

In three words, how would you describe your music?

H.E.: My music has grown since I begin and now I’m all turning up. I got a record like when you go to the club, you’re going to put that on and turn up. It’s a party girl music, I got the chick anthem. My business and my company is called Girl Code Incorporated with Girl Code Inc., so I’m all about the women supporting each other, getting an education, and I’m trying to come across intelligently through my music but still turning up. You could party, you could get it poppin, you could get an education, and still have a good time. You don’t have to be out here doing ratchet stuff and you don’t have to be a stripper to become a rapper,  you could have the education & be educated and still have a love for music, and do it well.

Congratulations on the show, Love & Hip Hop Hollywood, how did you get cast for it?

H.E.: It was definitely interesting process once the word was out that Love & Hip Hop was coming to Hollywood, I definitely wanted to get in that mix and a couple of my friends were already interviewed to be on the cast. So, with them persisting saying  my name, “Hazel Hazel, we have to get the rapper from the West Coast, it has to be Hazel, she got the Valley Girl Movement.” So it was definitely everybody co-signing each other. We are an unit in some sort of way pretty much on the cast and everybody knows everybody. Definitely word of mouth in addition to I have a huge online buzz, and I’ve done the covers of Urban Ink, Black Men’s Magazine, and I’ve been in AllHipHop and Worldstar Hip Hop.So I’m actually out there so when they went & did their research,they really realized I was official, I just never had a big platform and I feel like the show is going to take it to the next level for me.

Have you ever met other cast members from Love & Hip Hop NY or Love & Hip Hop Atlanta?

H.E.: I’ve met a couple of cast members from the other seasons. I’m really cool with Karlie Redd and I know Lil Scrappy that’s the homie as well. New York, me and Teairra used to be room together and I met Emily B. and Chrissy through her. I know a couple of the other cast members not necessarily really close but if you were to ask me who I’m close to I would say Karlie Redd and Scrappy out of Atlanta.

Out of the females in your cast, who did you form a bond with?

H.E.: Teairra Mari. We were working getting to it and you know, you could look at our track record. We get you this money together, we host parties together, we turn up together. When she could help with publicity and getting gigs. We always put the two and two together like we could do this together. So Teairra definitely who on the cast I have the closet relationship with.

What can fans expect from the show?

H.E.:  The fans could expect some Hazel one keeping trill straight up valley girl from Houston, somebody turned up and hold my own. It’s about music and it’s about showing the world like yeah I come from this pr background but I’m really outhea in these streets getting to this music. Like my first single, I’m about to drop it’s called, “Na U Kno” produced by Paris Steeler out of Bandcamp out the Chi. So that’s going  to be the street record and then we have another record coming out towards the end of the year with Jeremih called “Say So”. So, the fans could expect good music coming from Hazel and a lil love here & there and definitely showing what this Hollywood life is about and how you get to it. Try to maintain some integrity in the process, you know. Some people are willing to sell their soul for fame and I’m not one of them.

Who is your #ManCrushMonday?

H.E.:  Man Crush Monday is going to be Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers. I was born in Ohio in Cincinnati but I’ve moved out when I was a kid because my mom was in the military, so I kind of lived everywhere. I know he’s out in Cleveland but I’m going to rock with Kyrie Irving. I think he’s dope.

What do you think of Remy Ma’s return back to music?

H.E.: I love it and I’m super excited. I love Remy I’m in the 740′fizz-i and I like the street record that she dropped with Khaled. I think it’s dope, I’m excited to see what she’s going to do because I’ve always loved Remy Ma and I think that she always kept it real. I think she’s going to come back to the game and bring something real interesting.

Would you do a collaboration with her?

H.E.: Definitely, definitely. I’m actually hosting the female Hip Hop honors out here in LA and they are honoring Da Brat this year. I think she’s slated on the ticket. So, I’m excited to connect with a lot of real women in hip hop. Hopefully, we could start uplifting and building each other up instead of coming for each other’s necks. We always have to give homage to the ones before us and she’s definitely was dope and she had an unfortunate situation.

Since you have the music & the show, what’s next for Ms. Hazel?

H.E.: Hazel is fin to takeover the world you know, what I’m sayin. It’s my time, I’ve been out here grinding in these streets musically in 2008 and in the industry since 2004, when I first got my internship as a publicist. So, I feel like I put in over 10 years in the game. I feel like it’s my time to shine and I’m dropping hot records, hot videos, and I’m about to be on the number one show so you know sky’s the limit. I got a brand called Girl Code Inc. that I’m going to be representing the ladies & the models and take it full circle. Whatever GOD put on my lap, I want full advantage of it.

Make sure that you follow this star on social media on Twitter and Instagram at @hazelebaby and Tune in to Love & Hip Hop Hollywood every Monday at 8 pm on VH1.

Matia is on Twitter (@ms_hip_hop) and she’s very excited that Love & Hip Hop made it to Hollywood