[Editor’s Note: “Drinkin'” was the track that let me know Double A had something more than the normal street MC. After meeting and talking with Double A, his knowledge of the industry, his connections and his skills all made me realize he’s Breeding Ground worthy. – Steve Raze]Ask Double A about the Dallas music game and its clear who he feels is best: “I have a solid vision for [my] music and I feel I simply know how to put songs together better than others.” While
much of the mainstream music coming out of the Lone-Star state is
classified as party music, Dallas-bred MC Aaron “Double A” Carter, is
seeking to add more substance, more respect, “…[essentially] I’m really
out to destroy and rebuild.”
This may not be a far-fetched goal for the self-proclaimed “Best rapper in Dallas.” At
23 years old, Double A has collaborated with the best of the best,
released and been featured on numerous mix tapes, appeared on AllHipHop.com’s
“Heater of The Day” all the while maintaining a
solid allegiance to the streets that helped him create the solid
underground fan base that has made him an artist to watch.
Music:Double A Ft. Drake “Slow It Down”
Double A Ft. Inertia “The Untouchables” [Heater of the Day]
Double A Ft. Lil Pooh “Drinkin” [Heater of the Day]
AllHipHop.com: You moved around a lot as a child. When did Dallas become home for you?
Double A: I was back and fourth from Houston to Kansas City, Missouri but I would say that Dallas became my home back in 1994.
AllHipHop.com: What do you feel sets you apart the most from other artists in your position?
Double A: I think it’s
the fact that I actually know what I’m doing with the art form. I know
how to paint a vivid picture in my songs and I listen to all kinds of music
so I’m not just stuck in one box or lane. I have a solid vision for
music and I feel [that] I simply know how to put songs together better
than others.
AllHipHop.com: The karaoke machine played a huge roll in your start in the game. Did you aspire to rap before your 15th birthday or was this a talent you stumbled upon?
Double A: I’ve always
had a passion for the art form. It was kind of like therapy for me and,
it was a way for me to be creative in a positive way.
AllHipHop.com:When did you decide to make music your career?
Double A: When I was 15
I really made up my mind that I could go at this game full throttle.
Myself, Das Mobster and Lil Pooh started a label called NST (Nauf Side
Team) and we just started feeding the streets with mixtape after mixtape. We started as one group but, as the years passed, we started to
focus on separate obligations and I was left alone by myself to carry
the brand name. I continued and my cousin, J Staccs, [along with] Young
Fava of Real Money, Ent. gave me a shot to actually carry my brand as a
whole. The rest is history.
AllHipHop.com: Who were some are some of your primary musical influences growing up?
Double A: I would say 2pac, Jay-Z, Biggie, UGK, Marvin Gaye, and B.B. King.
The way that they all put music together and let the beat dictate what
direction they should go on a song is epic. They also know how to follow
the emotion of the song [while] taking control of the overall concept
of the beat.
AllHipHop.com: You
have collaborated with quite a few big names, most notably, Drake on
“Asthma Team” and “Slow Down.” How did that connection start?
Double A: My producers came at me wit that collaboration. Those
were mixtape records. One day myself and the homie [Drake] will get in
the lab together. The connections are in place; we just have to get it
done. It is coming soon, I can promise you that!
AllHipHop.com: Many artists have gravitated towards social media. How has Twitter, Myspace and YouTube helped you as an artist?
Double A: It has actually put the face with the music so the general public can better identify with me as an artist. Everywhere
I go I have the cameras with me so that the fans and supporters can
experience the moment with me. I think the Internet and behind the
scenes footage gives the people more of a connection with me and [allows
them to see] what I do when I’m in their city.
AllHipHop.com: You seem to be a supporter of a few Dallas artists. How do you think Dallas music has impacted the Hip-Hop scene as of late?
Double A: I’m really
not a strong supporter of the artists that we have in Dallas. There are
only a few that I respect, really will support and listen to their
music. [Artists like] Ray Paul, Inertia, Ace Mitch, B Hardy, Chase Pat,
Fat B, Young Nino, Mr. Pookie, Mr. Lucci, Douski G, and Big Chief. Everybody
else is just in the way of progress. I don’t really see classic
material out of a lot of the artists because they have already shot
themselves in the foot because of the way they have entered the game.
So, I don’t support the current Dallas movement that is occurring right
now. I support the new movement of rappers in the city that can actually
have longevity. I just feel it is time for something completely new
and I feel I can lead that movement. I have full support of the streets
because that is how most of the rappers and DJ’s in my city know me. Every city I go to it seems like [Dallas is] the laughing stock of the music industry. At the same time, everybody comes here to throw parties and make money. I’m
really out to destroy and rebuild, start a whole new wave of MC’s, and
give people a fair chance without being forced to make dance or club
records to get some kind of recognition. That is why I call myself “The
Best Rapper From Dallas” so I can raise the bar and get people to raise the stakes.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve had quite a few songs make “Heater of the Day” on AllHipHop.com. Tell us how “The Untouchables” came about.
Double A: First off,
shout out to Baby Boi, Inertia and the whole G4 family for all their
support and loyalty. I received a beat from my producer, Legacy
Beats, and he told me a couple of days prior that he had an epic beat
that he just finished. I heard the record and the beat and I went in. I felt Inertia, who is a Play-N-Skillz Artist, would compliment the beat and plus, [the collaboration] has been long overdue. So, I sent him the record and he went in on it and history was made. At the end of the day, that record was so powerful that it went from being just a song and turned into The Untouchable Mixtape. Inertia and I are simply out to destroy and rebuild.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve
released and have been featured on several mix tapes. Do you have one
tape in particular that speaks to who you are as an artist?
Double A: I would say the At the Crib 27 mixtape with DJ Slikk. DJ
Slikk was one of the first DJ’s to not politic, just accept my craft
for what it was and give me one of my first full length mixtape
features. During this time DJ’s in my city didn’t want to do tapes with
me because they didn’t think it would have an impact due to the style of
music my city was used to at the time. DJ Slikk took a chance on me and
we made history together. That tape really gave me a chance to show
that I can give a full body of work that you can enjoy and something
that will keep your interest for sixty-plus minutes.
“I’m most
proud of just being able to have people’s attention and ears on a
worldwide level instead of just a regional radius. The connections that
I’ve made in this game have been a life changing experience.”
AllHipHop.com: To date, what are you most proud of musically?
Double A: I’m most
proud of just being able to have people’s attention and ears on a
worldwide level instead of just a regional radius. The connections that
I’ve made in this game have been a life changing experience. I’m just
proud to be able to put out consistent material that the streets and my
peers can enjoy.
AllHipHop.com: With
the entire buzz you’ve created independently, have you thought about
remaining an independent artist or are you eager to sign with a major
label?
Double A: A major label is the main focus because at the end of the day, if you want to be a big artist you need that big push. You can only do so much independently and there is only so far you can go. I
want to be the best to ever do it or at least be mentioned in that
select few. I have five major label offers but I just want to have more
leverage the next time I go into one of those meetings and have the
whole building behind me. My priority is to have my buzz so big that the
major labels have no choice but to make my projects a main priority.
AllHipHop.com: What projects do you have coming up that we should look out for?
Double A: My Destroy N Rebuild Mix tape with Slip N Slide DJ Shaiimillz, the Something Epic Mix tape with DJ Holiday, my street album The Moment and the sequel, Still In The Moment. I also have
the Rags to Riches Tour coming up with Slip N Slide DJ Sinafold and
their new artist, Mike Bless. When all is said and done, I plan on
re-writing history with music. As long as the streets allow and I have a
demand to create epic material then I will be here. My
label, NST, which includes: Lil Pooh, H-Dot, KWill, 1word, and Pablo C,
and I will do our part to keep Hip-Hop healthy and alive.
Visit Double A atwww.myspace.com/nstdoubleawww.twitter.com/ItsDoubleA
