In today’s current Hip-Hop
climate, there is no better promotional tool as effective as the mixtape. No
longer do record companies hold the power to impose their data calculated will
upon the Hip-Hop community. Thanks to this ever-popular medium, the streets
now dictate who is hot.
In 2002 mixtapes gave birth to Hip-Hop heavyweight 50 Cent. Behind the incredible
momentum of the G-Unit movement was Queens’ own DJ Whoo Kid. With his CD’s,
the Y2K NWA’s story was broadcasted in every hood. Through strategic planning
and cross marketing he has been able to carve his own niche in this business
within a business. Allhiphop.com caught up with New York’s mixtape king and
chopped it up on current G-Unit affairs, what’s he been up, to and why no mixtape
DJ is doing it like him.
Allhiphop.com: Are you still signed to Capital Records?
Whoo Kid: Yes, but I am in the middle of transferring to G-Unit Records now.
The lawyers told me that we are in the final stages of that. So I’m going to
be 50 Cent’s permanent partner.
Allhiphop.com: Partner in what aspect?
Whoo Kid: As far as albums, marketing, his clothing line, future artist development.
Because of me, The Game got signed. I helped Banks and Young Buck with their
marketing. You got to understand, I just don’t do these CDs, I do everything,
radio promotions, the imaging. We keep our promotions going by leaking songs
to other DJ’s, but they just don’t promote artists like I do. Lloyd Banks didn’t
get promoted at 100% the way I did it; the covers, the superstar status, with
people hosting the tapes. It looks iller when Banks has his own CD, not just
his songs mixed with other peoples songs. CD’s like Money In The Bank
1 and 2 are classics. Those CD’s started trends. You see people with tats on
their hands now; people are rocking two rose gold chains at the same time. If
I give a “On Fire” to another DJ they’ll just put “On Fire” with other wack
songs because they don’t have access to all the hot music I can get or create.
Allhiphop.com : How do yours differ from other commercially available mixtapes?
Whoo Kid: I won’t allow artists to do their own songs of course. I’ll be checking
it thoroughly, not allowing any bulls**t songs on there. A lot of DJ’s just
accept whatever songs artists hand in. I would have Red Spyda produce 60% of
the album, you know Dre too. I would pick some other producers for it like Kanye
or whatever. Some of the songs will be freestyles; some of them will be real
songs. I’ll try to have combination of artists that people would want to see.
The reason I did over 300 new songs this year, because a lot of those songs
will never get cleared, but society forced them to get cleared. Like Pac’ and
50, you couldn’t clear that, society cleared that. It got bootlegged so much;
we started getting BDS spins on radio. We got lawsuits from Tupac’s mom but
it came to a point that people wanted to hear it on the Tupac soundtrack. She
ain’t really give in. We worked out a deal were she would just get the song.
It wasn’t our decision or her decision; it was society’s decision. That’s all
I do, I just do s**t for my fans.
Allhiphop.com : Some people were were disappointed with Lloyd Banks’ Hunger
For More. How did you feel about it?
Whoo Kid: People were disappointed with Lloyd Banks album?
Allhiphop.com: Yeah, some people.
Whoo Kid: I thought it was a good album. Like I said, society is always going
to have their opinion. Everybody is going to hate in their own way, he sold
450,000 records first week so it can’t be that bad. So where is the hate coming
from? If the album sucked, there is no way he would of sold so much first week.
The guy is growing and learning. I am not backing because I roll with him. I
see his work ethic, and it’s serious. He doesn’t really chase chicks on the
road like some artist I know. He is always working, always writing. His freestyles
prove no one can f**k with him. He’s the punchline king.
Allhiphop.com: Have you heard Shyne’s record dissing 50?
Whoo Kid: Yeah I heard it.
Allhiphop.com: What you think of it?
Whoo Kid: I mean, it is what it is. Like I told you… when I was a kid I was
never into all that gangster s**t, so I don’t really understand what Shyne is
talking about. But I guess he took 50’s supposed diss out of context. Basically,
50 was just p##### at Irv Gotti trying to get at Shyne, when 50 was trying to
get Shyne on G-Unit records. I guess he is taking advantage of 50 saying something
bad about him to sell his album. Him being in jail and that whole club s**t
that happened with him and Puffy was enough hype. I guess he wanted to add more
to his hype. 50 just said one line, he didn’t go into depth dissing him.
Allhiphop.com: I heard 50 and Yayo already did a song coming at Shyne.
Whoo Kid: Nah, there is nothing coming back at Shyne. 50 has too much on his
mind; his album and other future projects.
Allhiphop.com: You are working on a Mixtape for the Rap The Vote organization?
Whoo Kid: Yeah I own a lot of stuff and I hate paying taxes. If I get a million
kids to vote against the system, maybe I can get my taxes lowered (laughs).
I was always ignorant when I was younger because I didn’t give a f**k about
voting and I probably still don’t give a f**k about voting. But they woke me
up where voting could help with not all the real problems like health, but it
could help other areas. I never cared about it because I was a young kid and
I didn’t give a f**k, now as I got older I am more aware it’s important to an
extent. It doesn’t really help Black people because of the racial s**t, and
they don’t give a f**k about our acceleration. But we could put a certain person
to help us in some way. I am trying to get into it not to see what they are
doing but just to change certain things and certain laws. And if my CD can miraculously
get 100,000 votes where something is changed where it will help you, then it’s
worth doing.
Allhiphop.com:Why is your hustle so successful?