Everyone has a dream and when you realize that it can be made into reality, one doesn’t stop to attain his/her goal. For Mario Dewar Barrett, his dreams started at four-years-old and were supported by his mother from that day on. Always dedicated in having a career, Mario learned how to play piano and continued to grind hard early into his teenage years. With success at such a young age, one would think that he would suffer from all the challenges and stresses that come with being a child star. But for Mario it was another step in his journey of accomplishing a dream. The Balitmore, Maryland native has been doing just that.

After earning kudos for his portrayal of “Andre” in the Richard LaGravenese directed movie, Freedom Writers, the next love is to appear in more films. In addition to that, on October 21st on MTV [at 10pm EST] – there will be a documentary in which the Mario shall speak, in detail, about the precursor to his dreams – his mother. But right now, in J Records posh surroundings overlooking a grand view of Central Park, Mario sits down with HipHopDX and talks about his new project called Go, shares his appreciation for his fans and reveals a deeper side about his mother.

HipHopDX: You got some nice reviews for your role in Freedom Writers, are you going to do anymore films?
Mario: Currently, it is in the works. I just read for about six, seven different films. I’m just trying to work my way around Hollywood. I want to let them know how serious I am about it. They need a new, young black male lead to be in the spotlight and do his thing. I’d do any role that would touch the world, not just the U.S. I would like to do a movie along the lines of Transformers.

DX: If you had to describe your experience in the music industry in one word – what would it be and why?
M: Oh, snap! Hmm, one word…? Eclectic. I can’t really find a word that describes the feelings that I feel as a person, as an artist, as a creator, as a singer and as a human being. When I travel, how it feels to be outside of the country, I notice the connection between myself and the people. The fans – how they connect to the music here and abroad it’s just… I don’t know, it’s like a cotton ball with all of these strings coming through it. Even though, there’s a lot that goes into it, but it’s a beautiful experience for a person like myself.

DX: On this latest album, you say that this is more personal and more revealing. What was it that allowed you to open up more for your fans?
M: I think what caused a lot of it was me wanting to come outside of my shell. I never had that many friends, so my albums were a way of allowing my fans to know about me and for me to talk to them about the issues of a young man. From being in relationships to being out of relationships, everybody needs somebody to confide in and I want to also show them what type of person I am. I want people to know how I am when it comes to family. The song "Do Right" is definitely one that describes how it was for me growing up in Baltimore, having a mother who was a heroin addict, being a support system for her and her being one for me. I had friends who were in the drug game, but that just wasn’t my choice. I chose to do what I do with music, whereas they chose to make their decisions. This album kind of touches on a lot of different things; even during recording, I was going through a lot of different things that sometimes would mess with my creativity. I eventually got out of that and I got on point. That’s why the pictures that you see [points to album layout on the table] are so focused, they’re so personal and passionate – that’s how I felt when I was doing the album.

DX: You have a documentary that’s going to air this weekend and in it you talk candidly about your mother. For those who aren’t abreast of the situation, would you mind talking about it just a little bit? M: Very hard… but doable. At the end of the day, the bond between a mother and any child is unbreakable. It’s something that you can’t really describe. When my mother and I were younger, we had a great relationship. She was the person to help me discover my talent at a very young age. Even at that time, I was doing everything that I had to do… even if it meant giving her that tough love, you know? I was going to do that so that she could help get herself together. Through that, after she got well and got clean, she thanked me. I think that made our relationship even stronger in terms of understanding and trust. It’s hard to trust someone who’s an addict. I couldn’t trust her at that point, but now, I can trust her with certain things and depend on her – it made our relationship stronger.

DX: Music aside – what are a few things that no one outside your circle would really know about Mario?
M: Wow… that’s a good question. I don’t know if I want to tell you that. [Laughs] I box. That’s how I take out my frustrations. I can be very aggressive for no apparent reason, at times. I don’t know if that makes me crazy, you know… [Laughs] The "Crying Out For Me" video was a reflection of some things that could happen to someone who’s in that type of relationship, though. Continued on page 2 »