Pill: Hip-Hop’s New Southern Remedy

Pill longs to be your prescription, your physician, and your addiction. Next up representing for the slums and projects of Atlanta, Georgia, Pill is handing Hip-Hip a large, meaningful dose of medicine that may be hard to swallow at times. But, there’s nothing watered down about Pill so hold that larger glass.

Be clear, the Atlanta native isn’t just another Southerner rapping about the ills of the “trap.” Not quite. Pill represents for the South’s burgeoning new class, equipped with lyricism and vivid imagery to back up. The ladies are there now, but Pill offers a number of scenarios, including a twists of controversy in his video “Trap Goin Ham.” With a co-sign from Outkast’s Andre 3000 and an internet buzz to kill for, Pill is destined to be included in Hip-Hop’s wellness plan.

AllHipHop.com: So tell me, who exactly is Pill and why should I “pop” him?

Pill: Pill is the medicine. Pill is here to answer all the questions that have been missing with southern lyricism. Giving people another insight on rap… Pill is the future.

AllHipHop.com: So you’re basically claiming that you’re the new medicine for Hip-Hop right? Don’t want to quote you wrong [laughs].

Pill: Of course. Like I say, my music can heal you. I feel like my music can make you go through something. It can make you laugh, it can make you cry, and it can make you feel better about yourself. It can also be inspirational and motivational to the people because it’s real experiences and there are things other people can relate to in my music. And like, when music has that type of qualities and people can hold on to it and grasp it, they can really appreciate it because they know love, pain, sweat, and tears came from making the music. That’s why I don’t do so many [mix]tapes. I don’t try give you four mixtapes in a hour or six mixtapes in a week. I don’t do that because I have to take my time with it.

AllHipHop.com: So I see you talk about “Pink City” a lot. Tell us about it.

Pill: It was a place that I trapped at. Pink City was like the trap spot, the getting money spot. A place where people came- it was like a hotel/trap. It was surreal. It was kind of like a horror movie. N****s was on the go like zombies. No body got sleep there and everybody made good money. You almost had to pull yourself away from it because the money was so good- but it was so f**king dangerous. You enjoyed yourself, but it was so f**king dangerous! Shoot outs, police running up on ya… It was actually a movie, you know what I’m saying? So Universal Films… holla at me if you’re trying to get the script for it. Foxx, holla at me if you’re trying to get it. But yeah that’s it, it’s a movie man. It’s like those hood movies you’ve seen, for example Menace To Society and all that type of s**t… that’s how Pink City was like.

 AllHipHop.com: Now how was it transitioning out of “trapping” to “rapping”? You said the money was good, so I can imagine it being hard.

Pill: I think it was a very easy process, but I just had to get used to the type of people that I was dealing with on a regular basis. I really just had to get used to not having to run from the police [laughs]. And also not worrying about stacking a gun all the time and s**t like that. I actually receive a lot of love- because you know there’s a lot of haters in the streets, ain’t no love in the streets. But like with music- with rap fans and music fans period, it’s all love as long you give them what they need and what they want. So I can enjoy something like that. It’s a better side to my life.

 Pill – “The Glass”

 

 AllHipHop.com: Who did you used to listen to while growing up? Who would you list as some of your inspirations?

 Pill: Biggie, Tupac, Outkast, Scarface, Common Sense… the whole Wu-Tang Clan movement, Kilo Ali. I listen to everything. Micheal Jackson, Anita Baker- you name it! All the soulful music. Al Green, Marvin Gaye… it will take me a week to tell you all of my influences, but those are the main ones. I like Jay-Z’s s**t, he’s an inspiration to my music as well.

 AllHipHop.com: You have two major projects under your belt: 4180: The Prescription and 4075: The Refill. What type of personal and music growth did you have between the releases of these two mixtapes? What was different?

 Pill: They’re different because The Refill had more original tracks, but they’re the same because they both obtain same subject manner. I’m basically just navigating you through my life with a different address on each project. The first one, 4180: The Prescription, that was at the projects at Kimberly Court. That was my actually address. There, it came to 4075: The Refill in Admasville. So you know, the only thing different about it is the originality of the tracks.

 AllHipHop.com: 4075: The Refill was like your Drake So Far So Gone. Did you expect such a buzz from this project?

 Pill: Not at all. Like I tell everybody else, “The game is full of hoping and wishing.” You go to the studio, you make the music, you hope people like it and you hope to make some money off of it. So it was a total surprise to me.

 AllHipHop.com: You also caught the attention of fellow ATLien, Andre 3000. How did that make you feel?

Pill: It was a surreal experience for me. I just saw him at a random spotlight a while ago in Atlanta. I got out the car and I handed him a CD like “Hit me up if you like it.” I didn’t expect him to do it… as like hit me up and recite a whole line from the tape. I was like “Damn! Maybe I should stick with this.” [laughs]

AllHipHop.com: Now let’s take it to your video for “Trap Goin’ Ham.” A lot of people thought some of the images were controversial. I understand these images are supposed to reflect your hood, but what’s the inspiration behind certain selected sections of the video?

Pill: It’s just me letting people see what it is I rap about and letting them part-take in it visually. It’s for them to understand and gain a better conception of it. You have a lot of people who rap this s**t but can’t really give you any visuals. I don’t want these people thinking its fabrication. When people saw me around the hood shooting, they wanted to get in it. So for people to be like “Oh he’s doing exploitation” and things like that, it just doesn’t apply when it comes to my music and my hood. They love to see somebody of their own do something and they’re proud of me. They appreciate it so I just wanted people to see the exact hood I was rapping about.

AllHipHop.com: There’s no doubt that the people in the video were from the hood, but I’m curious to know… is that an actually junky hitting a real” crack pipe?

Pill: Yeah and she did that  on her own! I didn’t instruct her to do anything. I went in the store to get a pack of potatoes chips and a pack of cigarettes. When I came out, they were doing the editing and that’s when I was like “What the f**k!” I didn’t even know she was going to do that. That’s what you see though. If you ride past there now you’ll still see her and the rest of the people in that video. So those are actually real people. No set.

AllHipHop.com: You have Gucci Mane, New Boyz, Bun B, Lil’ Boosie and Cam’ron as label mates on Asylum Records. How do you feel being a part of the team? Do you plan on working with any of them?

Pill: It’s phenomenal. I did a track with Bun already. So I look forward to working with all of them because they speak the same s**t I speak. I think it will be more relatable to the people if a group of guys like us can get on a track together and actually paint our pictures. It’s an honor to be on the same label as those guys.

AllHipHop.com: Besides the trapping, what are some other things that went down in your childhood?

Pill: I played ball. That’s one of the qualities that I possess. I played football, basketball, and baseball. I’ve always been athletic my whole life. I do a lot of things that are hobbies and that are just not rap. I did plays and stuff when I was younger. All of that, you know?

AllHipHop.com: Wow! The kid Pill from back in the days did plays? Can you remember any familiar plays that you were involved in?

Pill: I did a  play called “Rotten Apple.” I played Fritz in “The Nutcracker” in elementary school. I forget the other plays that I did, but I did several plays. At one point, I almost got the chance to be on a show when I was a kid. I think they lost the money for the pilot so…

AllHipHop.com: Well isn’t that interesting.

Pill: [laughs] I did poetry too.

AllHipHop.com: If you  had to take after a famous drug name to describe your strength- for example Advil or Tylenol- which pill would it be and why?

Pill: Risperidone. It’s a pill for crazy people…used to calm people down and keep people sane. So I would name myself after a pill that helps you gain your sanity.

AllHipHop.com: So what can fans be on the lookout for? Do you have anything that you’re working on now?

Pill: I’m working on another mixtape as we speak, as well as an album.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have a name for either of the projects?

Pill: 1140: The Overdose for the mixtape and The Medicine is the album.

AllHipHop.com: Are there any dream collaborations that you want for the album?

Pill: I’m still shooting to get 3 Stacks [Andre 3000] on the album… that would be a dream come true to get him on the track. More him than anybody.

AllHipHop.com: Any last words for Hip-Hop?

Pill: I want to say rest in peace to my mother… I owe everything to her. Shout out to my family and everybody that has been helping me along the way since day one. Also, check me out: http://www.pill4180.com.

 Pill – “Trap Goin’ Ham”