Nicknamed
“Cocaine,” Big Kuntry has had dead presidents represent him for years.
The Pimp Squad Click member has known T.I. since the mid ‘90s, and
though rap fans are still getting to know him, the Grand Hustle artist
might be the Tony Yayo of his click: he’s older, street savvy, and has
lots of personality.
With a yet to be titled album promised for 2007, Big Kuntry will help
his team make a run for certified Southern dominance. In the meantime,
the artist introduces himself to the AllHipHop.com readers with his
background, his style, and where he really comes from.
Though Kuntry promises to restore Atlanta rap to the days of Kilo G, he
still defends his Crunk and Snap brethren. True to Southern unity, the
“big homie” is likable enough to win over hearts beyond the Southeast
region he’s dominated for years. But is the music as addictive as the
moniker?
AllHipHop.com So tell me, how did you get involved with P$C?
Big Kuntry: Oh baby. [That was] about 12 or 13 years ago.
AllHipHop.com: Wow, that was a minute ago.
Big Kuntry: Yeah, 12 or 13 years ago we all met in the trap. Shoot, I
was on my own since I was 17. Tip [T.I.] was on his own since he was
14. We all used to stay together and everything.
AllHipHop.com: What would you consider your role as a member of P$C?
Big Kuntry: The big homie.
AllHipHop.com: The big homie? Can you elaborate on that?
Big Kuntry: Like the big brother.
AllHipHop.com: So you’re the oldest, I’m assuming?
Big Kuntry: Yeah, I’m the oldest. I’m the one who straightens out
stuff. I’m the one who does a lot of things and keeps everything
straight.
AllHipHop.com: So how is it being the older brother, are there a lot of responsibilities to that?
Big Kuntry: Great responsibility. It’s like you got all the
responsibilities, but you stay in the back. You get what I’m saying?
Nobody knows you got your hand on everything. You just cool in the
back. Let everybody else shine.
AllHipHop.com: So how is that? While everyone else is shining you’re just chillin’…
Big Kuntry: I mean, I shine anyway. I’m a special type of person, baby.
Ain’t too many guys like me. You go to the other side of Japan, you
still won’t find nobody like me. He might be lookin’ like me, but not
quite like me. It’s a little different. I stand back and let folks have
what they doing, but I still can do what I’m doing while I stand in the
back.
AllHipHop.com: Okay. Do you prefer being a solo artist or being in a group with P$C?
Big Kuntry: I’ve been
a solo artist. I used to stay up the street from DJ Toomp. Before DJ
Toomp’s mama died, I used to go to DJ Toomp’s house to make songs. If
you ever heard the I’m Serious album, I’m the one who had the
“Heavy Chevy’s” song. I’ve been surviving off singles I made. I made a
song, “Still Kuntry,” and I did shows off of that for a whole year. I
got a fan base that’s been waiting on my album for a long time.
AllHipHop.com: So why has it taken you so long to put out an actual album? I mean, so many singles, but no album.
Big Kuntry: Because Tip didn’t blow that first album. You know how you
wait for that guy to blow because it’s easier to look at one person
than five people? So what we was doing was we was putting out these In The Street mixtapes, but [the mixtapes] were setting up for Tip’s album. So when we finally put out a P$C album, he was doing that ATL
movie, so he couldn’t work that P$C album. It didn’t get promoted good.
It sold ‘bout 300,000 or close to without any promotion. So instead of
me just crying and whining like a woman I took that.
I’m tired of folks hearing me on eight bars or just 16 or a quick 12.
They’re not really getting a full picture. So I used that to set up my
mixtape called Cocaine. In the Southeast region and in some parts of the Midwest, it hit hard. It hit real hard.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve been on a bunch of mixtapes. How does it feel to finally to be able to work on your album?
Big Kuntry: It feels great. It’s like I’m just snatching pillows from folks that was just sleeping on me.
AllHipHop.com: Is the whole process of making an album a lot different from making a mixtape?
Big Kuntry: Well, yeah. My album sounds much greater than the mixtapes.
‘Cause you get to work with other people and stuff, but they don’t know
how good you are. Like when you go in there, they try to guide you and
try to tell you how they want the song to sound. You can say okay
‘cause you already know what you know. You don’t have to tell the
person what you know. All you do is be humble.
AllHipHop.com: We know that Atlanta is very well known for its trap
music and Crunk music. Can we expect anything different on your album?
Big Kuntry: One thing about Atlanta, first you gotta understand our
history. You know how folks got their history: Big Daddy Kane and
KRS-One and Eric B. & Rakim. Our history is different down South,
that’s why we buck so hard. We got Luke. N.W.A. was playing hard. You
got UGK, 8 Ball and MJG, Kilo G. You ever heard of Kilo G? You ever
heard of Ghetto Mafia? We grew up listening to all that stuff. Our
music’s different. Like them dances and all that stuff. Before you even
heard of “Two Step” and “Walk It Out,” folks was coming up with dances
like all the time.
I’m still stuck in the ‘90s, so I like making songs that ride. They
don’t have to absolutely be a single or a hard song that makes people
think. I still gotta keep up the [tradition]. Folks call me “Cocaine”
out here. That’s my nickname.
AllHipHop.com: Why do they call you that?
Big Kuntry: I had a song that they couldn’t play on the radio, but this
was the song that probably really, really brought me the money for my
shows. It was called “Cocaine Bought Me Everything.” So everywhere I go
in the Southeast region, folks be like, “What’s up Cocaine?”
AllHipHop.com: Do you ever feel like there’s a lack of creativity in Hip-Hop today with a lot of artists?
Big Kuntry: I don’t see it lacking, I just think it’s different and
people are scared of different. You need your little dance songs. You
always have dance songs. You need your little one hit wonders. You need
your guys who are your lyricists because it’s a balance. Hip-Hop is
just economics. It’s that easy. Supply and demand. You supply a
product, the audience will demand it. Don’t think these [are] some
suckas ‘cause they dancing. You’ll mess up and try the wrong dancer and
he’ll be dancing all over you. So it ain’t like it’s just some cowards
or some gay guys making these dance songs. These [are] some street
guys. Don’t get it wrong. This just they swag, and your swag is what
makes you.
Hip-Hop is evolving to be something bigger than just street music.
Folks say we ain’t selling right now and [if] we keep talking bad about
it, nobody’s gonna sell anything. We need to just elevate and just let
these guys have theirs and if you feel this way you keep doing this.
That’s just how life goes. Everybody got something to say. I feel like
opinions is like a#######, everybody’s got one.
