Dorrough is not your ordinary up-and-coming rapper. The rookie is out making a name for himself and gaining success that rivals veterans in the game, and he’s only had a record deal since early this year. The Dallas, TX native already has two char–topping singles back to back under his belt with “Walk That Walk” and “Ice Cream Paint Job” creating a huge buzz on both radio and television. But for those that know the man hit singles really shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Dorrough was featured on fellow Texan artist Superstar’s local smash “Halle Berry”, which was reworked by Hurricane Chris this year and became a huge nationwide hit. Dorrough took the momentum from that collaboration as well as the buzz that he created from his mixtape grind and turned it into a record deal with E1 Records (formerly known as Koch) that included his own imprint, Prime Time Click. If early success is any indication of what’s to come it seems inevitable that sooner rather than later the whole industry will be walking to Dorrough’s beat.
AllHipHop.com: What’s it like as a new artist to have two big back-to-back singles already?
Dorrough: I mean as a new artist, first off I’m fortunate to be in a situation where I have two singles that are actually working, and not necessarily that they’re just big but the simple fact that they’re working. Seeing that it makes me want to work harder and come up with an album, which I already did. Seeing that, it really just inspired me to keep doing it.
AllHipHop.com: What was the inspiration behind those two singles?
Dorrough: mainly most of it just started off as mixtape tracks. With “walk That Walk” I was down at the HBCU college scene at the time and I was just going by different females and all the sororities and all that and the environment was what I was feeling and vibing to when I made the track. “Ice Cream” paint Job it was really just off the mixtape s### that I had been working and putting together and that was one of the songs that I ended up putting out and it just caught on. Really it wasn’t anything abnormal about me doing those tracks, I do a lot of songs and those were just the two that caught on.
AllHipHop.com: I’ve heard that you’ve done over 25 mixtapes since 2005. How do you keep up with that pace and come up with material that fast?
Dorrough: Man I mean at the time that like all I literally did. It was easy for me to have access to the studio and studio equipment and I would get different beats and put something on them and send them out to DJs. It really wasn’t that hard to get in contact with different DJs, it was just about me just doing the material and giving it to him and after that just getting on the mixtapes.
AllHipHop.com: So you went to college right?
Dorrough: Yea I went to Prairie View A&M, outside of Houston. It’s an HBCU.
AllHipHop.com: When did you feel you were ready to stop school and pursue music fulltime?
Dorrough: Man, almost when I got down there. Honestly it was like I was doing music full time even when I was down there. I didn’t stop going until fall of this year. My last semester was Fall 2008 which is last December. Basically when it all started taking off and I started just performing a lot. I really wasn’t able to be down at Prairie View as much as I should have been, so I just kind of felt like I wanted to take off a semester to avoid conflicts with the music you know. That’s when a label also came to the picture too. I got signed and from there kind of made it full time.
AllHipHop.com: Would you say being around the college campus atmosphere and being able to push your music on the students helped you out a lot?
Dorrough: Yea I man that’s what probably gave me the biggest buzz more than anything. I took advantage of that whole situation. I can’t even think of any situation that would help me out more than that because I was around everything that I needed to be around you know what I’m saying, especially with the music that ended up catching on. I would have to say definitely.
“Ice Cream Paint Job”
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AllHipHop.com: Where would you say you fit into the Dallas, Texas Hip-Hop scene right now?
Dorrough: I’m trying to fit the standard right now, so whatever category that puts me in that what I have to say.
AllHipHop.com: How did your deal with E1 Records (formerly Koch Records) come along?
Dorrough: Well “Walk That Walk” had kind of got big in the South. Radio wise it was real big in Dallas and Houston. Then they came in and the started pursuing me after that and right after we negotiated a deal “Ice Cream Paint Job” was popping up on the radar in California, San Francisco. That’s one of the biggest markets you know what I’m saying. So with me having two songs in three big markets, huge markets and its two songs I guess they were kind of like well this dude busts, so being that they came and eventually they started working for records.
AllHipHop.com: So I heard they gave you your own imprint with them called Prime Time Click?
Dorrough: Yea Prime Time Click
AllHipHop.com: What type of responsibilities does that bring on you?
Dorrough: Right now I’m more about branding it and I’m more about branding it with myself. My point is to get as hot as I can and branding it as much as I can so when we start putting out projects people will respond to them. That’s all it is really its just trying to open doors.
AllHipHop.com: Down South rappers seem to be categorized or stereotyped as being gimmick rappers. People tend to bunch most of the new southern artist coming out as club rappers instead of lyrical all around rappers. Do you feel that description fits you?
Dorrough: Nah, I’m definitely lyrical and one thing is when this album drops people will get a real feel for me as an artist and really see I’m the real deal. Really I don’t really do too much speaking I’m more about showing people. People can say what they want and people can talk as much as they want, so I don’t really do too much speaking on that I’ll just show them. So once the album drops August 4th the music will speak for itself and then people can correct their opinions after that.
AllHipHop.com: What can fans expect from the new album?
Dorrough: They can expect it to be the best album to drop this year, I put a lot of hard work into it. We’re expecting four to five singles to come off the album including the two that are already out. Man I mean it’s some fire on it, it’s complete. It’s got different feels different songs different styles different everything. No song is going to sound like anything else that anybody else has, it doesn’t sound like the singles that are already out. It’s just a well balanced, complete album.
Dorrough “Walk That Walk”
AllHipHop.com: For people who aren’t aware of you yet, how would you describe yourself as an artist?
Dorrough: I’m an artist that for one is real passionate about what I do and I’m always trying to breakthrough and give them something that they’re going to feel. I want people to know that I’m an artist that caters to my audience. I’m always trying to kick something hot for them, always trying to kick something that they’re going to relate to, something that’s relevant to them. So that’s saying I’m always going to relate to my audience.
AllHipHop.com: What type of fan and audience are you trying to bring in with this album?
Dorrough: With the album I’m just trying to touch everybody that ain’t already feeling it. I feel like there ain’t no age limit, no specific age group that it can only touch. Basically anybody who ain’t already familiar with me or fans of me that’s who I’m trying to reach out to.
