N.C. Central student Troy Darden, aka CEO, is preparing to release his debut album “Pearl Harbor: The Conspiracy.”

Darden is the CEO of New School Entertainment.

He has been rapping since the age of 17, but decided a year ago to start his own label.

“Being in the game and rapping are two different things,” says Darden. ”Anybody can rap, but being in the game means that you have everything from paperwork to connections.”

Tracks like “Just Grindin’ Everyday” and “4AM” are tales of Darden’s own life.

”The focus of my album is to go for yours and don’t worry about what everyone else has to say,” says Darden.

CEO doesn’t wish for a record deal, but would rather follow in the footsteps of hip-hop moguls Sean Combs and Master P., who got distribution deals with companies like Universal and Arista.

New School Entertainment will feature artists such as Triggerman, Ib and Nonsense.

The album will feature Animal, who has credits on AZ’s last two albums.

When asked about the current state of hip-hop, CEO replied, “With all the violence in the game now I feel that you have to take responsibility for what you say.”

Darden went on to say, “You can’t say one thing and mean another because the game is personal. If you’re going to talk it then you have to walk it.”