The ??? and BoneWeso: inside the visionary & underground essence of the Mini Mansion.

PEACE. First of all, we have great respect for your art: the sound you bring, the language, and the raw, real attitude you put into your music truly embody—for us—the purest essence of the underground. It’s exactly what we stand for and want to keep supporting and sharing. So we’re really excited to ask you a few questions. So how did you first cross paths? And how did you meet Estee Nack and get involved with the Mini Mansion circle?

???: Well, actually, Bone Weso and I are literally family. We have relatives and cousins in common—I’ve known him pretty much my whole life. I met Estee Nack over ten years ago through Bones, who’s loosely related to him as well—they’re distant cousins. So I’ve been around the Mini Mansion circle forever. It’s where I really started rapping. Estee is basically like a father figure to me.

BONE WESO: Yeah, me and Estee Nack are third-generation cousins. I’m 49, so I might be the oldest in the Mini Mansion circle. I’ve been there since the beginning, really. I got into Hip-Hop back in the ’90s, but for the longest time, Nack used to call me the “mainstream guy,” because I was known for producing reggaeton, dancehall, and mainstream hip-hop during what we call the golden era of reggaeton in the 2000s. I produced hits for Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, and others. I worked on albums like Sangre Nueva and Mas Flow Pt.1& 2. I used to travel a lot to New York, L.A., and Puerto Rico for those sessions. Back in the days I even produced for Def Jam and Roc La Familia—real mainstream stuff.

Yet both you and Hidden share Dominican roots, correct?

???: We’re 100% Dominican, but born in the U.S.

So Bones, when and how did that shift happen—from mainstream to a more underground style as a producer?

BONE WESO: Even though I always listened to Hip-Hop, I wasn’t really familiar with this underground, renaissance-type of sound… It was Estee Nack who brought me back into it. He introduced me to artists like Roc Marciano. That’s when I started making these renaissance-type underground beats.

It’s only in the past few years that I began producing this style. I made hundreds of beats in a short amount of time, but it wasn’t until 2024 that I started releasing them. The first project was SYSTEMATICALLY WE WERE NEVER FREE with Nack.

Wow, that’s surprising — listening to your production now, it feels like this style is second nature to you…

BONE WESO: Well, I’m 49, so I’ve been into Hip-Hop since the early days. I grew up surrounded by music. My father played merengue, and my family was always listening to salsa, jazz, afro, funk—everything. I’ve been producing for a long time, so making this kind of music comes naturally to me. It’s just something I have inside.

How did your collaborative album THEHIDDENSPLASH come to life? Was it made side by side in the studio or remotely? What was the creative process like?

BONE WESO: Estee Nack was the one who gave us the green light for THEHIDDENSPLASH. He suggested we do a project together. Hidden and I had known each other forever, like I said, but never actually recorded together. So we linked up at the Mini Mansion and just started creating. There wasn’t any pre-planned concept or title.

???: Exactly. It was all super spontaneous. We met up at the Mini Mansion and some other studios here in Lynn where we record. Bones would pull up a folder of beats, and I’d be like, “Boom, this one’s fire—I’m rapping on it.”  That’s our formula: having no formula. We’re just ourselves—plus a bunch of shrooms and modelos [laughs]. We recorded a ton of material in a short time—way more than what ended up on THEHIDDENSPLASH.

BONE WESO: You gotta know—I’ve got like 1,200 underground, jazzy, renaissance-style beats already categorized in folders. So in the studio, I just start playing them for the guys, and boom—they pick what hits. Sometimes I’ll cook something new right there on the spot. We don’t go in with a plan: if it sounds fly, then it’s fly. Skits, titles, cover art—that comes after all the tracks are recorded. For THEHIDDENSPLASH, most beats came from my vault, but I also made a few on the spot.

Hidden, how did the lyrics for this album come about? Were they pre-written or made spontaneously?

???: Like I said, it was all fast and natural. I write pretty much everything in the studio. Bones plays the beats. I pick the one I feel is the right one, I write, record, and boom then move on to the next. It’s easy for me. What I write represents who I am, how I see life, my experiences—so it all comes out organically.

The album sounds raw, direct, and unfiltered. What kind of energy were you hoping to capture, and what’s the message behind the project?

???: The message we wanted to send with this piece of art is simple: you can do whatever you want. Especially today, with all the means we have to create music, fashion, whatever…you know me? We’re just using those tools to express ourselves. You can control your reality, create in your own space, and put the best of your art into music form for others to enjoy.

Bones, your beats are gritty and raw, yet the sampling and layers give off a cinematic feel. What inspired the sound for this album, and how do you go about choosing your samples?

BONE WESO: Like I said, I grew up with a lot of musical influences—salsa, jazz, dancehall, afrobeat, funk, you name it. I’ve always had that musical background. But once I shifted from mainstream to this renaissance-type underground sound, my whole approach changed. But you know, when you produce mainstream sh*t, you’re chasing hits, money. But with this underground sh*t? It’s just about art and culture. What I do now is like painting on a canvas.

Hidden, your lyrics feel like vivid street paintings—mixing knowledge, life, and experience. What inspires your writing, and how would you define your style?

???: What really inspires my lyrics are the teachings of the Five Percent. That’s the foundation of everything—the backbone of my music. A lot of what I write comes from Supreme Mathematics and the teachings of Five Percent.

When I build with my brothers, when we share ideas and stories, that definitely helps my creativity process. The Five Percent teaches you the Knowledge of Self—how you see yourself in everything around you. You feel me Estee Nack and Al.Divino introduced me to both this renaissance sound and to the Five Percent teachings.

The cover artwork is dope too. Who made it, and how does it represent the album?

???: That was done by our brother Infinite (@infamusGOD_infintepowergod). He’s special. He’s into visual art—digital and physical—he raps, produces, does everything. He just listened to the album, drew what came to mind, and sent it to me. And it was perfect. Exactly what I had thought, visually.

Your name and look immediately evoke cult video game energy—like Mortal Kombat. Where did “???” come from, and what’s the deal with the mask?

???: Honestly, it wasn’t some premeditated thing. The “???” was for my name—“The Hidden Character.” So I figured I needed a mask—any mask. Boom, I just put it on. That’s how it started. But the name actually isn’t The Hidden Character, it’s just “???”: three question marks. But people kept asking, “How do we say that? What do we call you?” And from that came The Hidden Character…you know?

The whole “???” name came about while I was in the studio with Al.Divino and Estee Nack. We were recording The DOOR, my first feature on this renaissance wave. I wasn’t even taking music seriously at the time. They asked me “What’s your artist name gonna be?”and I didn’t really have one. I wasn’t taking the music seriously back then. So Nack goes, “I’m just gonna call you ‘???’ since nobody knows who you are yet.” And I was like, “Aight.” Then when the track dropped, people were like, “Who the fuck is that with the three question marks? Who’s that?”* and boom, that became the identity.

So that’s how The Hidden Character was born. It just stuck. But officially, the name is still just “???”—three question marks. The mystery became part of the persona.

Bones You’ve been dropping fire this year. Any upcoming projects you can tease?

BONE WESO: Yeah, like I said—I’ve got tons of beats ready. Some upcoming projects I can already tell you about are collaborations with Erg One, NYEUSI LOE, and Chyna Baejing. All of them are on the way.

Tell us about 23 Incredible Industries. What is it, and what does it represent?

BONE WESO: 23 Incredible Industries is Estee Nack’s independent label. Funny thing—some people thought the name or the hand sign in the logo was gang-related, but nah—it’s just an indie label. The name and logo actually come from the number of the house where Nack used to live.

Mini Mansion is like an umbrella—many artists, many things under it. 23 Incredible Industries is like a branch, a true independent label.

Last question Bones: We know that in the MiniMansion, Divino is tapped into the culture of graffiti writing… What about you?

BONE WESO: I started writing graffiti back in high school. The name ‘Bone’ was actually given to me by Erg One. I used to roll out with Relm, Rebel, Magick, Vape, Alroc, Soul 4, and Dizmo—real writers from Lynn, MA. just a bit of vandalism We’d go out on little missions, out on the train tracks…

Chaaan! ☠️⚡