Gillie Da Kid: Mr. Philadelphia

As the self-proclaimed King of Philly, Gillie Da Kid may seem to be enduring an arduous reign. He has survived multiple gun shot

wounds, has experienced sordid beefs and has recovered from bogus record deals.

A candid chuckle reflects his resilient perspective when he says,

“I’ve never had a bad day in my life. You know, I just keep things moving.”

 

Gillie is in ceaseless motion; his hustle is as constant as

his breathing. “I come from a single-parent household. My mom worked two jobs,”

he reveals. “That’s just what I come from, nothing. But, when you come from

nothing the only way you’re gonna

get to something is with hard work.”

 

Da Kid’s latest mixtape, I Am Philly,

was just released on Figgas 4 Life Ent. and features the likes of Ace McCloud and Don

Cannon. Loving music too much to ever renounce his musical throne, Gillie

explains what circumstances led to him defecting from the anticipated

“Brotherly Love” concert that’s being organized by Beanie Sigel and Nike’s ACG

store. Amongst other topics.

 

 

AllHipHop.com: Why

aren’t you appearing at the “Brotherly Love” Concert?

 

Gillie Da Kid: Because, I’m shooting a movie called King of the Avenue in Puerto Rico. I

just got the call from Ving Rhames

and the director [Ryan Combs]. I have to fly out on Tuesday to start filming

the movie. I had every the intentions on performing next Thursday. Unfortunately

the schedules conflicted and I had to exclude [myself] and start filming for

this movie next week.

 

AllHipHop.com: Was

it purely last minute scheduling; it wasn’t any disrespect towards anyone?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  It’s

my hectic schedule… When I got the call about the whole Nike situation and the

whole concert…I agreed on it right off the back. They presented it to me and it

was something for peace on the streets. And I already got a lot to do around here with the “Put Down the Gun” campaign. I go around to

the schools and talk to the kids. I already do a lot of things in that

perspective around Philadelphia.

 Get Down on Da Ground – Gillie Da Kid

AllHipHop.com: Given

this scheduling conflict, do you anticipate any shenanigans to occur this

Sunday at your show with Cassidy at Transit nightclub? [Ed. Note: the show occurred Dec. 7, 2008]

 

Gillie

Da Kid: 

Me and Cassidy [are] good. We sat down, we talked, we good. It’s

going to be a beautiful situation. It’s just going to be a big concert. I’m

bringing a lot of artists out from Philadelphia with me. I know it’s not going

to be no type of shenanigans or no foolishness from my side. It should be all

love; a beautiful situation.

 

AllHipHop.com: What’s

your opinion about veteran MCs embracing the upcoming or unsigned talent within

Hip-Hop? Can MCs weather these slumping sales?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  To

me, the main reason why the industry is down on record sales is because of the

economy. But, another reason got a lot to do with these record labels. They signing

these motherf**kers that ain’t got no story. They don’t

have nothing about them; all they got is a hot record…

But, they’re gonna make a

million dollars in ringtones; they’re comfortable with that.

 

But everybody that got the

streets, everybody that has a story, everybody that has a following sells

records. Jeezy doesn’t have a problem selling

records, Rick Ross doesn’t have a problem selling records, T.I.

doesn’t have a problem selling records. Name any artist that has the streets,

they don’t have a problem selling records because they have a fanbase.

AllHipHop.com: Is

it essential for the public to be able to reach past the façade that’s created

for the artists by the record companies?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  You

gotta be able to identify with the artist. When we

were coming up, we listened to Biggie because we felt like we could identify with

him. I was on my way to school, I’m in the mirror, I’m

rapping. I felt like I could identify with him. Now, it’s no identification

[with MCs]… Yeah, you can sell ringtones but when his album come out how many

copies is he gonna sell 5,000? I sell 5,000 mixtapes. I sell 10,000 mixtapes

every time I drop a mixtape, 15,000 mixtapes in Philadelphia alone. I got over 35 million views

on YouTube. There’s a reason why I have close to 4 million plays on MySpace,

because I’m a hustler.

 

AllHipHop.com: Is

it okay for MCs to employ poetic license; speaking of things that they’ve never

experienced?

 

Gillie Da Kid: I mean, it’s all entertainment, so you know.

That’s 95% of these artists out here, speaking on stuff they never seen before.

 

AllHipHop.com: While

you were ghostwriting for Cash Money, did you ever envision Lil Wayne getting

as hot as he is now?

 

Gillie Da Kid: At the end of the day that’s a situation that

God put Wayne in. I’m happy for him. Me, I can’t hate on no n***a. All I do is

try to create my own lane.

 

Gillie Da Kid: Do you feel any sorta way about the supposed Hot Boy reunion?

 

AllHipHop.com:

Nah, nuh uh. I f**ks with everybody; I f**ks with Juvie, I f**ks with B.G., I f**ks with Turk. So, you know, it’s all love from me.

Them n****s need to go get they money.

 

AllHipHop.com: Recently

a major record company announced that their digital sales have surpassed their

retail sales. With that being said, what’s the most useful digital outlet that

you use to help promote your music?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  Man,

it’s so many websites and the Internet is so big. You know what I’m

saying? It’s kinda like, it’s a plus and it’s a

negative. Now artists can get hot from the Internet. But now the Internet has

provided artists [a platform] and now it’s not about talent anymore. Like this

Dirty Rik kid, that artist just

feel like he can use the Internet to get hot. And you got someone who’s

creating a buzz on something that doesn’t really [have] anything to do with talent.

The Internet helps you and it kinda

kills you. Because, at the same time now people aren’t going to stores, they’re

just downloading.

 

AllHipHop.com: Will

you be releasing any more PSAs via YouTube?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  With

that little f*** boy, the only reason why I did it was because he mentioned my

wife name in a rap. If he wouldn’t have mentioned my wife I probably wouldn’t

have said nothing about him. He’s not relevant… You’re

disrespecting me and you have 20,000 views in over a week and a half. That’s because

motherf**kers don’t care

about what you’re saying… If you disrespect someone in my

family or somebody that I have something to do very closely with, then I take

s**t like that personal. The actual rapping part of it, none of that

really bothered me. His credibility to my credibility is not even close.

 

AllHipHop.com: Once

he disrespected your wife, that’s when it became personal?

 

Gillie

Da Kid: 

Yeah, when you mentioned my wife on some rap s**t. And at the end

of the day I would have just seen him and slapped the s**t out of him. [It’s] like

he’s in hiding. I haven’t seen him in three years.

 

AllHipHop.com: What’s

the status of Major Figgas?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  The

Figgas is still on and popping. You feel what I’m

saying? It’s just that right now we’re all concentrating our efforts on Gillie.

Gillie’s gonna kick the door

in and then we’re gonna come with the Figgas album.

 

AllHipHop.com: You

mentioned earlier that you’re working on the movie King of the Avenue with Ving Rhames. Is your part in the movie based on life reflecting

art or art reflecting life?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  Honestly,

to be all the way honest with you, I just think it’s a blessing from God. I

honestly feel in my heart feel that God knows that I work hard for everything

that I have. Just by the way me and Ving

met. He saw me on a DVD, he was out in Boston, he was filming a movie, and he

just so happened to walk into a store and buy a bunch of DVDs. The first DVD he

put in, I was on it. He seen me just off a DVD and decided, “I need to contact

this kid.” He felt as though this kid has talent that goes beyond rap.

 

AllHipHop.com: Was

that Marijuana High?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  Nah,

this was a DVD called Ghetto Report.

And for a guy that’s worth as much money as Ving Rhames to call Black Child, Black Child called my dad… My dad

gave him the number [and] Ving called me the next

day. And we talked on the phone everyday since that day; which has probably

been close to a year ago. I talked to him everyday. He flew me out to California, he gave me a house for $2.5 million. To me it’s

just a blessing…that I’m around somebody that has that type of power and that’s

not intimidated by me. I’m a presence and I’m gonna be me no matter who I’m around.

 

A lot of times when you’re dealing with the music industry

you’re dealing with these CEOs who are also rappers, when they get a guy like

me in front of them, who’s charismatic, who has a presence; they’re intimidated

by it. I was happy with the fact that Ving wasn’t intimidated, he was accepting to it.

He’s in a situation where I’m trying to get to.

 

AllHipHop.com: Are

you an MC that plans to retire from the mic to take up acting?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  As

of right now I got three movie roles. I got a movie I’m about to shoot King of the Avenue. And

there’s another movie called Thug

that I shoot, uh, I think in the beginning of February. I’m really trying to

get into the acting heavy. But, that was always my goal with the rapping, to

put my albums out and do me and eventually cross over. You can act until you’re

1,000 years old.

 

AllHipHop.com: Is

there anything else you’d like to elaborate on?

 

Gillie Da Kid:  Man,

I just want to tell people check me out on my MySpace, www.myspace.com/figga4lifeent, you know what I’m saying?  Shoot me a comment, show your boy some love. I got new mixtapes out and I’m coming to a hood near you.