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Freddie Gibbs: Misconceptions of a Corporate Thug

By: seandrasims Updated Category: Features
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Gary, Indiana, and Corporate Thugs Entertainment (CTE) signed rapper Freddie Gibbs has arguably one of the hottest mixtapes out with A Cold Day in Hell, released collaboratively with clothing company LRG. After getting the Young Jeezy co-sign and being featured on several of Young Jeezy’s mixtapes, many of his fans and Hip-Hop critics thought that Freddie would switch things up. But this Midwest word flipper hasn’t missed a beat and is showing his versatility in ways that many rappers in the game can’t.

With work from Jeezy to Big K.R.I.T to Statik Selektah, and a highly touted mixtape, Freddie is letting it all hang out, and he’s not biting his tongue for anyone. Letting it be known that he is going to say what he wants when he wants, Freddie is waiting for one of these rappers “to come check him.” To say he is confident in his ability and capabilities to go far in this game is an understatement, but he is walking the walk and backing up everything he says with purely good gangsta and street music. Take a look at AllHipHop.com’s explosive interview with one of the rap game’s realest characters:

AllHipHop.com: So whats’ up with this Cold Day in Hell project, man? You are getting rave reviews on the ‘net.

Freddie Gibbs: Cold Day in Hell is the best sh*t out right now. F*ck whoever dropped they album this week, or last week, whatever on they respective Tuesday, because on that Monday, the 31, I think I dropped the best project of the year. That’s my opinion, but opinions are like *a####### – everyone got one. But I think it’s the most complete, concise rap project out, and I don’t think you heard no gangsta rap sh*t like that since the 90s.

And ni**as can call me arrogant and say whatever the f*ck they want to say, but, but come check my mouth, because behind closed doors, these ni**as be pu**y and be saying, “Oh I don’t like Freddie Gibbs attitude,” but that’s why I ain’t in all these industry circles with all these ni**as, man, because I don’t give a f**k about being in the in crowd. I just want to f**k with genuine humble people, you know what I mean? A lot of these ni**as is weirdos in the game; shy away from me because I’m not gonna kiss their *ss.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, there’s been a lot of controversial stuff coming out these days about gays in Hip-Hop and in-the-closet gays. Like Fat Joe was saying a lot of rappers were in the closet.

Freddie Gibbs: I wonder who he is talking about?

AllHipHop.com: I don’t know. He didn’t say.

Freddie Gibbs: He said he worked with them, so what’s that say about him? Didn’t he say he worked with some f*gs? Well hey, I ain’t calling him gay or nothing, but what’s that say about you? If I know a ni**a on some sweet sh*t before we go into the lab, I’m kinda cool on it, you know what I mean? Muhf*ckas gonna, “Oh man, Gibbs bashing on gays. Man, get outta here, man.” I ain’t hating on gays. I ain’t gay bashing, ni**a. I’m just not gay.

I wanna surround myself around straight ni**as and b*tches, b*tches that want d*ck… I don’t want to be around another ni**a that thinking about f*cking me, man. I’m not knocking your culture, my ni**a, if that’s what you do.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, man, that’s some wild sh*t!

Freddie Gibbs: I’m not knocking no gay ni**a that wanna rap. Go on and rap. I just think that as a society we go too far with all that sh*t, man. Ain’t no old fashioned values anymore. I don’t know. Everyone want to show how feminine they are by wearing little *ss pants and sh*t.

AllHipHop.com: There’s an artist that came out in Dallas recently that got attention wearing eyeliner.

Freddie Gibbs: Its some ni**as I seen in the game wearing eyeliner – them ni**as gay…I’m not saying arrest all gays or kill all gays. You ain’t getting that out of Gibbs. Muthaf*ckers already think I’m a racist, and I don’t even know what that’s all about, man, or where they get that from. That’s just how I feel, man. I don’t care if people hate, that’s just how I feel man. I don’t really give a f*ck about people hating on how I feel, bro.

AllHipHop.com: Man, all bull sh*t, aside, though, man. That “Rob Me a Ni**a” track is out of control, got a ton of attention across the Internet.

Freddie Gibbs: That was a track that K.R.I.T. gave me, and you know what I mean, I wanted to do that track with another up and coming dude, and K.R.I.T. said, “This track ain’t me, but it’s you. I made it, but it fits you,” so I thought about other artists in the game that I thought that could hold their weight on that type of track that…I believe.

There a lot of cats in the game that I don’t believe. There ain’t too many cats in the game that I believe, but Alley, I believe. I f**k with that ni**a Alley, because when I bumped across him, he was 100, so I f*cked wit him already because of the Definition of F**k S**t Part 1. So yeah, he one of the hardest ni**as out in the A spittin,’ so now we cool and built a relationship and established that. That’s the type of sh*t that I like to do and work in the game. People that I can look at and respect when I look in their eyes.

AllHipHop.com: What is the Gary, Indiana, Hip-Hop scene like? We ain’t heard from Gary since Michael Jackson! Tell me a little bit about it.

Freddie Gibbs: Mainly the Gary rap scene is mainly gangsta rap pretty much, because it’s a city of gangstas and we call it “Gangsta Island.” You know what I mean? The street conditions in that area call for a lot of people to do a lot of illegal activity. The city is infested with drugs and violence. When you got a lot of people and then you have drugs and you take them away, then there is a droughts. There’s gonna be violence, man. There’s gonna be a lot of robbing and the economic situation.

People think the economic situation in the United States is bad now and f*cked up, but it’s been like that in Gary for the last 20 years. People say recession, recession, recession. Ni**as been had the recession. Gary ain’t had no work in years, my ni**a. The steel mills all shut down. You gotta think about the “White Flight” of the 60s and 70s. Muhf*ckas need to do their homework, man, and look at what Gary really is. It was a factory town, you know what I mean, that got evacuated by all the people that was bringing the money in. When there is an economical imbalance, you gonna do what you gotta do to feed your family. That’s why there’s so many crooked *ss cops, that’s why there’s so many drug dealers, that’s why there’s so many crackheads and prostitutes. The conditions of life are f*cked up.

AllHipHop.com: Yea there’s been layoffs goin’ on in the Midwest towns since the late 90s, early 2000s.

Freddie Gibbs: Right, right, all those towns. Yeah, it’s tough, all the Midwest towns, Cleveland, Gary, Chicago, Detroit, Michigan, Youngstown, Ohio – same thing. With the killing of the city’s industry, how can the average man uphold himself, the regular man paying for his mortgage, the guy that makes $30,000 a year paying for his home? You had stay-at-home wives, children had better values. We don’t have the momma and grandma, muhf*ckas out here having kids, having kids with four or five different ni**as or four or five different ni**as. It’s bad and it’s crazier than what people really think it is. Sh*t is going to come to a screeching halt one day. Muthaf*ckas tryna put a computer chip in our *ss. What the f*ck you think they gonna do next?

AllHipHop.com: You sound like a pretty educated brotha, Gibbs. Despite the fact that your music sounds so street, you are highly educated on a lot of issues going on in communities. People probably don’t know off the top how educated you are on these issues. Do you think you are bringing another element to CTE because of that?

Freddie Gibbs: Umm, I’m just bringing my element and speaking on street issues and what’s going on that’s near and dear to me, but I definitely add some form or type of social commentary in my music at some point time. Yeah, I’m a thug *ss ni**a, and of course, I used to bang and s### on the corner with the roughest ni**as in the world. But does that mean that I got to be dumb? Does that mean that I got to be stupid, and does that mean that I can’t learn from those mistakes, or does that mean that I gotta keep doing the same stupid sh*t until I die and go to jail? You know what I’m saying?

That’s what muthaf*ckas don’t understand. They think you supposed to be out here acting like an idiot. I can’t go to jail like Gucci Mane every week, man. I can’t do that, my ni**a. I got too many muthaf*ckas depending on me, man. I’m not coming into the rap game to get street cred. I’m not rapping to make no friends or to get stripes from the streets, ’cause I came into the game with that sh*t. I’m using this sh*t to better myself, my ni**a, and that’s what ni**a’s don’t understand.

That’s the main message in my music, and yeah, you hear the hoes and the weed and all that, because that’s what I came out of. But at the same time, this is the tool that God gave me to better myself, and I try to tell young muthaf*ckas that sh*t.

AllHipHop.com: How about your relationship with LRG? How did that develop? Some real dope videos have come out with you and Statik [Selektah].

Freddie Gibbs: I work real closely with LRG. Shout out to Woody White, that’s my homeboy that I have been working with over the past few years. He gets me right over there, and we shoot ideas back and forth and the gear stays fresh, of course, so I rock that. It’s a no brainer. They did the artwork on the Cold Day in Hell, and they bring a different artistic ear to game, and it’s a good working relationship.

The game right now, with the slump that the music industry is in, you definitely have to work with a good brand. In this Corporate America thing, you have to get the product out, and you have to have cross promotion. I only work with people that I’m friends with. If we ain’t cool, we really can’t work, but Rest in Peace to Joseph. It was sad to see the homie go like that, but you know they over there still doing great things, and I am just glad that I can be a part of it.

AllHipHop.com: You have been coming together with Statik on a few joints. How did you foster a relationship with him?

Freddie Gibbs: Statik really embodies that East Coast sound, and Statik is one of the most underrated producers in the game, just like I am one of the most underrated rappers in the game. I don’t know if people think he is just a DJ because he is on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio, but uh, he is def one of the most talented guys I have ever met and I f*ck wit him. Like I said, he is my homie, and we f*ck around. If I ain’t rap, I would still f*ck wit him.

AllHipHop.com: When you signed with CTE, a lot of your fans seemed to think that your musical style would change. How are things different, and how are they the same?

Freddie Gibbs: I get that a lot, but really to be quite honest, I am doing me, and I don’t think that I have changed my sound in any way whatsoever. I think that people heard “The Real is Back” and “The Real is Back 2” and they heard me featured on Jeezy’s mixtapes, so they figured I am going to go off Jeezy’s style and not stick to what I am doing. But it’s the total opposite. I definitely take things in and learn from Jeezy – song structure things that nobody else adds to the game, and that I look at and learn. But Jeezy didn’t bring me over here to be like him. He brought me over here to do me. That’s being the most versatile gangsta rapper out, and I think that I sold that. It was a big stepping stone, but I think it’s the most cohesive project that you can go straight through.

Yeah, I think that is more people’s perceptions because of who I am with, but yeah, that’s not the case. When Beanie Sigel started f*ckin’ wit Jay-Z, he did him, and I think I bring something to the table that nobody else got. I can go from being all over Jeezy’s mixtapes to going to do an EP with Statik Selektah, and that’s two opposite sides of the spectrum. I got something that’s in the works as well that’s going to be a curveball for everyone.

AllHipHop.com: Your music has a real Southern influence, despite [the fact] that you are from Indiana. How did that come to be?

Freddie Gibbs: That’s just what we grew up on. The Midwest and South are geographically different, but the roots are there, as so many people from the Midwest moved from the South back in the day, so it’s in the roots. But at the same time, we grew up on the Scarface’s, the Ghetto Boys, the Goodie Mob, Big Mike, or T-Love, 8 Ball and MJG, UGK with Pimp C and Bun B. We grew up on that type of sh*t in the Midwest. That was real to us, and that’s the kind of stuff that we grew up on.

AllHipHop.com: Never thought about it like that. So what’s up next, Gibbs?

Freddie Gibbs: I’m gonna do a lot of joints on the Cold Day in Hell joint, man. We gonna do the video for “Let Ya Nuts Hang,” me, Skrilla and Slick Pulla gonna be in the video for that. “Sittin Low” video ’bout to drop with Young Jeezy. I’m gonna do one for my “My Homeboy’s Girlfriend.” I’m just glad I’m in the position to do shows like this and make money on the road.

That’s what I’m doing for the next few months. Me and Dom are shooting “Menace to Society,” just doing projects like this and getting money on the road, you know what I mean? All I’m trying to do is grow and progress, that’s all that matters to me. Every day I grow and get better, and me getting better is putting me on top of a lot of muthaf*ckas.

UK Week on AllHipHop.com: The “Unorthodox” MC, Wretch 32

By: seandrasims Updated Category: Features
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Hailing out of Tottenham, North London – enter Wretch 32 (pronounced 3-2) – a grime MC turned rap star that recently shot to the top of the UK charts with three, Top Five singles, including ‘Traktor’ entering at number at 5 and ‘Unorthodox’ entering at #2 and ‘Don’t Go’ at #1.

He has fans in Diddy and Ian Brown from legendary rock group, The Stone Roses. His debut album, Black & White, entered the chart at #4, making him one of the biggest stars of 2011.

AllHipHop.com caught up with Wretch in during promotion for his single “Unorthodox” for a Q&A to get his opinion on how the scene has developed here in the UK, the link up with Example, his influences, and his Top 5 MCs in the UK & U.S,, and more:

AllHipHop.com: How did you start emceeing?

Wretch 32: I was brought up around music but never actually took the steps to create music until I was 17, with encouragement from my friend Calibar that was spiting at the time to join in. It was an outlet on the estate and a good way to pass time.

AllHipHop.com: Who have been your main influences from any genre of music?

Wretch 32: My main influences are Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, and later on, a few later, after discovering rap – Jay Z and Kanye West.

AllHipHop.com: How much of an influence has the rave scene (jungle and garage) – raves, pirate radio etc. – been on you and your style?

Wretch 32: These are the foundations of the scene we have today – just being on pirate radio back in the day made me feel like I’ve accomplished something, and it gave me the hunger to push on.

AllHipHop.com: Were there any specific MCs that you looked up to from the jungle or the garage scene?

Wretch 32: Yeah, Swiss from So Solid Crew, Mighty Moe from Heartless Crew, I can go on but the list is too much to mention.

AllHipHop.com: How much do you think So Solid Crew have had to with the evolution of grime?

Wretch 32: So Solid played a big part in the whole scene, they were the first to do it big. They had the music videos and albums that fans across the UK actually went out and paid money for. I can remember watching them on TV performing at an award show. It was inspirational.

AllHipHop.com: How much of an influence have Wiley and Dizzee been on your style?

Wretch 32: I am not really influenced by Wiley or Dizzee, I am more inspired by what both have accomplished.

AllHipHop.com: How much of an influence has reggae/ragga sound system culture been to your style?

Wretch 32: It has been a big influence, as my dad was a reggae DJ – I grew up with it. I can remember waking up to my dad’s music thumping out of the speakers in the early mornings.

AllHipHop.com: U.S. artists/MCs previously dominated the commercial arena of Hip-Hop in the UK. Why do you think that has changed so dramatically in the last seven to eight years?

Wretch 32: There’s a lot of inspiration in the UK scene. There are artists achieving goals we thought were impossible (a few years ago), making it easier for the next big artist to learn from.

AllHipHop.com: Who are your Top 5 UK MCs?

Wretch 32: In no order – Ghetto, Chipmunk, Scorcher, Bashy, and Tinie Tempah.

AllHipHop.com: Who are your Top 5 U.S. MCs?

Wretch 32: Jay Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, and Joe Budden.

AllHipHop.com: If you could work with any artist from any genre worldwide, who would that be?

Wretch 32: That’s a hard question to answer. I’ve got a big list I would like to work with, but at the top would have to be Jay Z!

AllHipHop.com: Where do you see the UK/London MC going from now?

Wretch 32: I can’t predict it, but the future looks bright. There’s so much talent coming through.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us about ‘Traktor’ and how that came about. heard that was recorded prior to the label signing?

Wretch 32: Yeah, the beat and chorus was already [laid] down when it got sent to me by the producer Yogi. It sounded cool so I put my verses down and asked for a little tweaking with the words, so that the chorus fitted me, we added a soulful bridge and after approached the label with it they loved it.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us about the new single “Unorthodox,” your relationship with Example, and how the tune came about?

Wretch 32: Before “Unorthodox” came about, I used to bump into Example at festivals, but we didn’t really have time to chat. But when I heard the “Fool’s Gold” beat, I knew Example would be perfect for it.

AllHipHop.com: “Unorthodox” samples The Stone Roses (anthem), “Fools Gold.” Are you a fan of the band?

Wretch 32: Yeah, they had a look to them that made them look like cool gangsters.

AllHipHop.com: Who are you tipping to be big in the UK in 2012 other than yourself?

Wretch 32: Scorcher.

Follow Wretch 32 on Twitter at @wretch32 and on the Web at www.wretch32.com.

Jamie B-C is a writer and online music marketer, who has been passionately involved in UK underground music since the late 90s. He currently writes a blog which follows UK rave and Hip-Hop culture. Follow Jamie B-C ON Twitter at @beatcultureldn and on the Web at www.beatculture.net.

 

Ludacris Releases “1.21 Gigawatts: Back to the First Time” Mixtape

By: JP DelaCuesta (@JPdelacuesta) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Earlier today (November 15), Atlanta native and Disturbing Tha Peace founder, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, released his new, mostly Southern-fueled mixtape, 1.21 Gigawatts: Back to the First Time.

1.21 Gigawatts is being released following Ludacris’ brief hiatus from music over the past few years to focus on acting. Since 2009, Ludacris has starred in over five films, including Gamer, No Strings Attached, and Fast Five, and he released one musical project, Battle of the Sexes, last year.

This should surely hold fans over until his eighth studio album, Ludaversal, is released either in December or early 2012.

Containing 12 tracks with production from the likes of Tone Mason, Big K.R.I.T,. Juicy J, Drugs, Drumma Boy, and Fat Boi, 1.21 Gigawatts also sports verses from some of the hottest and most buzzed about current artists in Hip-Hop such as 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, Wacka Flocka Flame, Big K.R.I.T, and Rick Ross.

Check out a full tracklist and download the mixtape here or down below!

Download “Ludacris – 1.21 Gigawatts: Back to the First Time” Mixtape Now!

G-Dep’s Wife Writes Letter Discussing His Prison Sentence

By: seandrasims Updated Category: Features
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From our friends over at VIBE:

In December 2010, rapper G-Dep shocked the world by confessing to the 17-year-old robbery and murder of a man in Harlem. The former Bad Boy rapper’s sentence of 25 years to life means he likely be in his early 60s before he’s released from prison.

VIBE issued an open letter from G-Dep’s wife, Crystal Sutton, recently, where she makes sad mentions about his PCP addiction and the plight of their children. Read the letter and more HERE:

Rapper Bun B On Why The New School Matters

By: seandrasims Updated Category: Features
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2011 might be considered the “Year of the Collabo,” as the rap world witnessed the bridging of the gap between the Old School and the New School. However, if you’re legendary UGK member Bun B, you’ve never considered NOT working with the young set.

AllHipHop.com was in Brooklyn with Bun B recently on the set of the video for Pimp C-tribute “Pour It Up” by Kidz In The Hall, and we asked Bun B why it was important that he work with the younger MCs these days. View the video clip below, as he also shares more about the cool experience he had working with students as a guest professor this year at Rice University:

Check out Bun B’s thoughts on the recent passing of legend Heavy D HERE. For more info and music from Bun B, visit http://www.myspace.com/bunbofugk.

Hip-Hop Rumors: The Heavy D Edition!!

By: JP DelaCuesta (@JPdelacuesta) Updated Category: Rumors
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 Public Wake for Heavy D Scheduled for Thursday!

On Thursday, November 18, a public wake will be held to honor and commemorate the life of Heavy D, who passed away suddenly last week at the age of 44 after having trouble breathing. The wake will take place at Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, New York from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will be the public’s way to pay their respects before the funeral, to be held on Friday, November 18.

For more details and information about the memorial service, visit  www.RememberHeavyD.com.

“B.I.G. and Heavy” Collaboration Album WAS In the Works!?

In a recent XXL sitdown with Shaheem Reid, Lil Cease spoke on the passing of Heavy D, the influence he had on Biggie’s career, and a collaboration album that was in the works between the two titans:

“After Big took off, it was hard for them to set up the schedules, but, Big always had the idea in his head like, ‘Yo, you know what? Me and Hev doing something together.’ The relationship was there being around the whole Uptown situation. It was a unit, everybody was a family up there; Mary [J.] Blige, Jodeci, Christopher Williams — it was that bond. Him and Big was gonna try to put something together. That’s why they were doing all those records together [and trying to get] a vibe off each other.”

We may have never gotten the album but Hip-Hop did get “Let’s Get It On,” “Jam Session,” and…

…and so was a major comeback…

Whether or not you saw the BET Hip-Hop Awards last month, by now, you’ve surely seen the video of Heavy’s closing set. The performance was just the beginning for what Heavy had in store according to singer Carl Thomas who recently spoke to TMZ about the rapper’s comeback plans following the release of his September 27 album Love Opus. According to Thomas, “Heavy told him he was weeks away from shooting a music video for their song, “Still Missing You.” Thomas said Heavy had a director in place and had picked a location for the shoot.”

BET’s Soul Train Awards Tribute to Honor Heavy D Planned…

 

This Sunday at the Soul Train Awards, which will air on BET and take place in Atlanta, artists and personalities like Kurtis Blow, Naughty By Nature, Doug E. Fresh, Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, DJ Eddie F, and Stetsasonic’s Daddy-O will all participate in a special tribute to Heavy D.


Kardinal Offishall Documents Trip To Horn Of Africa on TV Special

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Toronto rapper Kardinal Offishall’s recent trip to the Horn of Africa is being chronicled on Canada’s CTV all this week.

The rapper took a humanitarian trip to the war and famine ravaged region last month with reps from World Vision, an organization working in the region.

“This trip changed my life,” Kardinal Offishall told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “I saw kids along the Kenya/Somalia border, five years and under, with nothing to eat, no water and not even a place to live.”

Kardinal and World Vision CEO took the trip to bring light to the famine declared areas in Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Tanzania and Kenya.

In total, the areas make up the world’s largest refugee camp numbering 450,000 refugees.

The three remaining segments will run on CTV’s etalk at 7 p.m. ET until November 17.

Dave Toycen, World Vision Canada President, Kardinal Offishall, rapper and producer.
“Kardinal Offishall visited the Horn of Africa with World Vision staff. He was able to speak with a group of Kenyan children in a World Vision sponsored camp near the Kenya/Somalia border
Kardinall Offishall with Locals

League of Extraordinary G’z: A League of Their Own

By: Jake Crates Updated Category: Breeding Ground
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Austin, Texas’ League of Extraordinatry G’z might not have a city to boast as the roughest city or with the richest hip-hop scene, but when SXSW hits their small Texas town, a plethora of industry professionals descend upon their scene. In what has turned out to be golden opportunity for them to network and get their music out to the some of the industry’s most influential tastemakers, the self proclaimed ambassadors to the city of Austin have embraced SXSW and made it work for them in best ways possible.

Comprised of three groups Da C.O.D., Southbound and Dred Skott, this nine member collective describes themselves as one big family. Having performed at AllHipHop’s Best of Texas Showcase amidst Paul Wall & Chamillionaire’s reunion show, “The League” is primed for greater exposure as they are welcomed to AllHipHop.com’s Breeding Ground

AllHipHop:  Explain the make up of the group.

Greezo:The League is comprised of 3 separate groups: Da C.O.D. (Greezo , Tuk-da-Gat, Lil J, S.Dot), the twin brothers that make up Southbound (Lowkey, Sandman) and Dred Skott (Reggie Coby, Esbe Da 6th Street Bully) We all came together in April 2009 shortly after SXSW. Prior to that, Dred Skott and Southbound had a relationship and we had done a couple of mixtape joints with Southbound. We were all highly regarded as Austin’s new talent and figured it would be a good look to come together and put out a mixtape. The more we started f###### with each other though, the more we realized that the League was something bigger than just a mixtape and eventually blossomed to what we are today – a big family. This was ever more apparent when we had to deal with the recent and unexpected loss of our brother, Esbe Da 6th Street Bully. Although he is no longer with us, he left each of us with a part of him and is riding with us in spirit. He left a behind a legacy which you’ll see and hear.

AllHipHop: How does SXSW influence your music?

Lowkey: It doesnt. I mean it doesn’t influence our music so much but instead has more of an impact on it. Austin is our hometown and SXSW is literally in our backyard. Real talk, its like down the street from us. But yeah, it gives us the access to network with artists, industry people, and music lovers from around the world. The livest thing about it is that you never know who you’re gonna bump into.

Reggie Coby: SXSW is the s###! Austin is our home and we are like ambassadors to the city. Like Low said you never know who you are going to bump into. Like in ’08, we met a bunch of cats from Norway after they had asked the Bully to use his lighter. After we start chopping it up, come to find out they were rappers and had been given a government grant to come out to SXSW. So we end up kicking it with them and s### and they came back to our studio smoked a couple blunts and we ended up making some music with them. We still keep in touch till this day. Shout out to Lar Vaular, Leo, and the rest of the camp.

Greezo: We’re also fortunate to have Matt Sonzala who does most of the booking at SXSW to be one our biggest supporters. Matt’s a big reason for a lot of the exposure The League has received from SXSW. Our first official showcase in 2010 was actually AllHipHop’s Best of Texas showcase with the Paul Wall & Chamillionaire’s reunion show.

S.Dot: Ohh yea, we gets it in at SXSW.

AllHipHop: Who are you currently working with, and who would you like to work with?

Tuk-da-Gat: Man, we have been blessed with some great opportunities. So far we have gotten a chance to make music with Dead Prez, Devin the Dude, Killa Kyleon, Killer Mike, Jackie Chain, Shane Eli, Question, K-Rino, Bavu Blakes, Big Rube of the Dungeon Family. This has also led to a couple tours we have done this past year. After having Jackie featured on our “2 Much” track he gave us the invite to open up for him on his west coast tour back in May. Later on in August the brothers Dead Prez had us come along with them after working with Dred Skott. Man I love to f### with Yelawolf, Kendrick, LEP Bogus Boys, and even people that dont even do hip hop all day like Danger Mouse, Fishbone, Damien Marley, and all types of other different artists.

Greezo: We are also are collaborating with Swisha House on a mixtape project that will be released in the near future. So be on the lookout for that.

Reggie Coby: Kendrick Lamar, Goodie Mob, Outkast, Lupe, Erykah, Muhsinah, Ghostface, Bun, Mystikal

Lil J: Jon Connor, Rittz, Freddie Gibbs, K.R.I.T., Action Bronson

AllHipHop:  What are your plans for 2012?

Reggie Coby: Continuing to focus on increasing our exposure and footprint in this game which we plan to do by releasing a number of projects as well as get on the road and do some more touring. We are also planning to make our 2012 SXSW showcase to be one those that will be talked about.

Lil J: Yea, after going on these past two tours across the US we definitely learned how important it is to get out your local scene and jump on the road. It opened up our eyes to see the response we got from cities like Lexington, Boise, Portland, Santa Barbara, El Paso, ATL, and Seattle.

AllHipHop: How has the DJBooth posting helped you guys?

Lowkey: Man, having released our Concealed Weapons 3 mixtape exclusively on DJBooth has most definitely helped us broadcast our music to a much wider audience online. This is the same site that has given a lot of today’s hottest artists their break into the game like Yelawolf, Freddie Gibbs, and Big K.R.I.T. So it was an honor to have been able to do that.

Greezo: Yeah, I actually met Nate at the beginning of the year when I was helping him find a venue for a DJBooth SXSW showcase this past year. He eventually had got handed one of our CDs  at SXSW and reached out to us to do an exclusive project which we released in April. Building that relationship with DJBooth was key because 6 months later we were invited to perform at last months A3C festival in Atlanta on the DJBooth stage with Big K.R.I.T., Jean Grae, Saigon, Pill, Shane Eli, Aleon Kraft, Yonas, JNics, and Jon Hope.

AllHipHop: You guys had a few Jake One beats on the last project, talk to me about some of your favorite producers.

Tuk-da-Gat: We f### real heavy with a producer out here in Austin named Matt Schad. Matt first produced SouthBound’s Seasons Change album. Since then he produced League favorites “We Gon Make It” and “Yes He Is” and a number of tracks on our upcoming projects. Also, Reggie Coby is a beast on the production tip. A lot the artists we have relationships were introduced through Reggie’s production. He produced the Devin single “What I Be On” and has worked with both Killer Mike and Dead Prez.

S.Dot: They don’t nickname him the “Genius” for nothing.

Greezo: We are also working with a producer out of Toronto named Frank Dukes who has produced for 50, Danny Brown, LEP Bogus Boys, Ghostface, and many others. The kid is dope. Be expecting to hear from him on a major level.

Reggie Coby:  S1, Kanye, Dre, Quick, Organized Noize, Timbaland, No I.D., Just Blaze

AllHipHop: Explain the Austin, TX hip-hop scene and some of the other acts to look for out there.

Greezo: Austin is a melting pot of artists. Like most metropolitan cities, there is a local hip hop scene out here in Austin and its filled with a lot of talent. They brand Austin as a the live music capital of the world because of all the music options that are available every night and while there are local hip hop events in Austin it still lacks the casual hip hop listener looking for local hip hop. I think this in large part has to with Austin not having its own identity in the national hip hop game. We are hoping to change to that. I’m sure artists in similar cities experience the same thing. Some dope acts from Austin to look for are: Crew54, M.i, Phranchyze.

Reggie Coby: Yeah I also think it has to do with a lot of trash that’s out there on the local scene. Just because you’re a poet doesn’t mean you a rapper. Some acts I recommend check out are  Kydd and Poison Boys.

Lil J: Ya’ll definitely check out my DIE SLO family. Also, if you onine you need to check the Texas Battle League which hosts freestyle battle throughout the state. Go on youtube and check some of those classic battles like Gutta vs. Phranchyze.
AllHipHop: What’s the next project called?

Greezo: Our next major release will be our first official album entitled #LeagueShit which is currently getting mastered by Mike Mo and set to be released sometime in the first half this upcoming year. In the meantime, we are working on 2 new projects. One with DJ Michael “5000” Watts of the Swisha House and the other with Frank Dukes. Fans can stayed tuned by following us at www.LOEGz.com.

AllHipHop: Will you all release solo projects or is there any possibility that the 3 groups within the group LOEGz will drop projects separately?

Reggie Coby: Oh yeah, without out a doubt we have a number of projects coming out of the League umbrella. I am producing an EP project with Bavu Blakes. Also, prior to my brother passing away we were working on a Dred Skott project I produced entitled W420 that was partially completed. I plan to finish that project. Also, eventually will follow up with my own solo album. Also, we have enough material to release a posthumous Esbe Da 6th Street Bully solo album.

S.Dot: Yeah Tuk-da-Gat and I are working on a follow up to the WhiteBoy Mixtape that we released last year. Lil J is also working on a project with DIE SLO’s Sertified and then we got Da C.O.D. album.

Lowkey: I finishing my solo SouthBound & Down project and then there is a Southbound album that is going to follow.

Reggie Coby: Yea, as you can see there is whole lot music that ya’ll are gonna be hit with.

UK Week on AllHipHop.com: Professor Green’s School of Hard Knocks

By: seandrasims Updated Category: Features
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He says there is a “White rapper” scene in the UK, but that no one puts him in that category or categorizes rappers that way much in the UK. So, look past Professor Green’s milky exterior to the MC that he is – passionate, honest, eclectic even. As one of the UK’s most popular lyricists of the past five to 10 years, Professor Green has built his name on strong tracks and smart marketing, and not necessarily the way he looks or where he comes from.

Admittedly, had Professor Green been 14 years old this year, he says he would have been one of the young rioters who helped destroy parts of London. And, when he spoke up, which isn’t common for the rapper who’d rather focus on music, many people spoke back, and they weren’t all happy with his views. His aptly named track, “Read All About It” goes far deeper than politics, though, and it has helped catapult him up the charts in the last month.

Read ahead as AllHipHop.com is taught some interesting facts about rap and revolution from a thoughtful UK rapper named Professor Green:

AllHipHop.com: First off, I want to tell you that we’re celebrating “UK Week” on AllHipHop.com, and when I asked around about who I should profile, everyone across the board insisted that I had to talk to Professor Green. So, why are you like “the man” over in the UK right now?

Professor Green: I don’t know. I haven’t got a clue! I haven’t been over [to the U.S.]. Things are going pretty well here!

AllHipHop.com: Where are you located right now?

Professor Green: I’m in East London.

AllHipHop.com: As we focus on UK Week, what are some of the important things that our global audience show know about the Hip-Hop scene over there right now?

Professor Green: I suppose that what was kind of like the early 90s for the States – you know, what was happening on your side of the water in the early 90s – is happening for us here now. You know, we’ve really found our voice, and the music’s beginning to cross over, but it’s still maintaining its edge. It hasn’t gotten to a point where it’s suffering yet. It’s in a really good place…it’s healthy!

AllHipHop.com: Okay, so what would you say are some of the differences between the American rap scene and the UK rap scene?

Professor Green: Yeah, we’re a much more a territory. I think musically we have a different sound because we have slightly different musical influences. Especially people of my age, we came up around jungle and drummer bass and garage, and what came from garage was grime. [There’s] a lot of break beat and a lot of rock influence as well.

Obviously, we took a lot of influences from you. But I think one of the main reasons we’ve become more successful is that people have stopped trying to imitate. It’s happened before. That I’ve never understood. How could you expect to compete if you’re entertaining with something that isn’t true to you. It doesn’t make sense to me. But a lot of people here used to rap with American accents.

AllHipHop.com: Hmmm!?! Interesting…

Professor Green: Yeah! For me , that was always crazy. That was like…I couldn’t understand it! How can you put on an American accent? I think a lot of that comes from people not really knowing about the UK rap. I didn’t know about UK rap for ages. My first introduction to UK rap was a guy called Skinny Man, who for me, made my favorite UK rap album of all time called Council Estate of Mind.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, so tell me about some of your American rap influences. Who did loved when you first discovered it?

Professor Green: I was about 12 years old, I think, when I first heard…there used to be a place near where I grew up that we used to go to called Roller City and cause trouble and do whatever we did. And they played music – it was a skating rink – and they played Biggie’s “One More Chance,” the remix. That was kind of my first introduction to rap, and Biggie’s still my favorite rap artist today. After that, I got into Westwood over here, and I got it on cassette, which is showing my age more! [laughter] I’ve always preferred more East Coast rap than West Coast.

AllHipHop.com: Hmmm, why do you think that is?

Professor Green: I don’t know. The main thing is…what are they called? Ones? That sound was always in West Coast production. I never really got it, and I think it was more to do with the production than anything. I always had an ear for East Coast production.

AllHipHop.com: It may have something to do with the distance between us as well. On the East Coast, we’re a lot closer, and there’s still a lot of English and European influence on the East Coast, especially in New York and the New England states. That’s really interesting to ponder. I want to ask you about the change in the music industry. Over here in America, CDs aren’t selling anymore. Everything’s pretty much all digital downloads now. Is that one of the obstacles that you face trying to market yourself in the UK?

Professor Green: Entirely! We didn’t even…my first single “Read All About It,” which is the first single off of my second album, is #1 here, but we didn’t make any physical copies. We didn’t sell any CD singles. It was all just digital downloads. We’ve still done amazing numbers, but if you think about it, it’s kind of upsetting to think of how well it would have done if the industry was like it used to be 20 years ago. We got 153,000 in our first week.

AllHipHop.com: That’s amazing, and I bet that’s one of those reasons that everyone said I needed to talk to you! You mentioned “Read All About It,” which I’ve listened to, and it’s a pretty emotional and soulful song. That’s how I would describe it. So, is that personal for you, or are those just lyrics you wrote?

Professor Green: No, no, no. My father committed suicide a couple of years ago, and we had a turbulent relationship anyway. I hadn’t seen him for six years, and then when he passed, I kind of decided to try and talk my life out a little bit. It helped me turn things around. It was either going to bury me further, or I was going to support myself up.

But when I gained my success – you know, my first album only came out last year – and when that happened, his widow…I wouldn’t call her my stepmum, but she came into the press and said I was trying to capitalize off of my father’s death. I had spoken about his death in an interview and how it had affected me. I’ve never spoken about that women in any way, and that was kind of where the “Read All About It” comes from.

AllHipHop.com: Wow. That’s pretty deep. The album is called At Your Convenience. Is the flavor sort of that personal, deep stuff throughout the album? How would you describe it?

Professor Green: Those are loads of different shades. I’m not into making 15 of the same songs. It’s getting harder to sell albums because people are picking off one or two songs that they hear and they like. But I still approach it as an album, so it’s not all deep and all personal. Everything comes from things that have influenced me and things that I’ve been through. There’s upbeat and fun stuff as well as the serious stuff. As a rapper, you can’t always be serious.

AllHipHop.com: Well, I’m looking forward to letting more people in America know about the album, because I think you’ve got a real eclectic style…like you said, it’s really diverse, a lot of variety. So I want to shift and ask you about some current events kind of stuff. Over here, we watched the riots go on in London earlier this year, and we saw a lot of anger, especially among the young people. Do you think your music can be therapeutic? You talked about using the story of your dad to work through that in song. Can that help with what’s happening over there right now?

Professor Green: Well, it’s hard. I’m not one to preach. I grew up in the same place. If I was 14, I would have been taken part in the riots myself. I’m just fortunate enough to be older and to have…I think when I learned to communicate was when I became a lot less angry. And a lot of people don’t have a voice here. They’re not even sure exactly why it is they’re angry. Now when it all happened, I knew that if I didn’t say anything, I would be called a coward. But if I did, I was gonna be attacked for what I said.

I never tried to justify it, but what I said was, ‘You have to look at why people think it’s okay to behave like this.’ And as soon as I said that, the amount of people I got saying, ‘Now how can you justify this?’ I never tried to justify it, nor did I condone it, but there is a reason for things that need to be looked at. Politicians over here were saying it was the fault of what they call “urban music.” And I really don’t think it was about putting blame on anyone. But there are problems that get highlighted that people just ignore.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, and now you see all of these “Occupy” movements happening all over the world right now, so people are speaking up and demanding their voice now. As an artist, it’s risky to go there…

Professor Green: If I didn’t say what I thought, I’d be another contrived artist. I can’t tell people I’m honest and not speak truths if I feel something, so…I’m kind of willing to take the backlash for it.

AllHipHop.com: Good for you! Another top I’d like to ask you about…recently, I’d say in the past two weeks, we’ve had somewarring going on between some of the White rappers, particularly Yelawolf and Machine Gun Kelly who was just signed with Diddy. And there’s a White female MC named Kreayshawn who a lot of people have negative things to say about. So is there the same notion going on there? I know most of the MCs there are “Black” if that’s a term you use…

Professor Green: Yes, Black, that’s the same way we’d address it. But no. There’s no “White-on-White crime” going on! [laughter] It’s weird. Here…I don’t know about America…I think you all still suffer from segregration. Here, every square mile there has to be a certain percentage of, I think you call them “tenament” buildings. There’s a certain percentage of those per sqaure mile in London, so even with a class divide, everyone is still here on top of each other. So the whole color thing, it doesn’t really exist here. At least in London anyway.

AllHipHop.com: Well, why do you think they’re fighting here?

Professor Green: I think everyone is caught at the moment, and we’re just at a space where we’re actually getting somewhere. So everyone’s kind of [mutually] happy about that. In the underground, there’s always people taking shots at people or whatever, but that’s part of the sport. It’s nothing major, just rap bullsh*t. We’re nowhere near a Biggie and Tupac thing here. Or even a Yelawolf and Machine Gun Kelly! [laughter]

AllHipHop.com: [laughter] Ha! Okay, I’m thinking about the year 2011, and I’ve been asking people lately what their biggest Hip-Hop moment of the year was. Can you think of one? Or yours personally?

Professor Green: There’s probably been a whole heap, and I’m struggling to think of one off the top of my head. For me personally this year, probably the release of that first single. At one point, it didn’t even feel like I would ever have a first album, so to release the first single off the second album…for me, that was my moment.

AllHipHop.com: Congrats. So, is there anything else you want to share with the audience about the UK or what’s coming next for you?

Professor Green: I’d just like people to listen to it and give it a chance, really. It’s always going to be hard, but I think we really have found our own voice now. What I used to find interesting about American rap is that I didn’t quite understand all of it, and that intrigued me. That’s why I got so deep into it. And hopefully, the same thing can happen vice versa.

AllHipHop.com: Well, hopefully we’ll help make some new fans of the UK from this interview. I’ll embed some music so people can listen to it, but where can they purchase it? Professor Green: I haven’t released in Americ a yet! So for now, they’ll have to check for stuff on YouTube. I have a meeting about that soon. I think I’m coming over to New York in January ata EMI. Fingers crossed, that will be the beginning of it. AllHipHop.com: Do you have a website they can check out?

Professor Green: Yes, www.professorgreen.com/uk.

AllHipHop.com: I’ll be sure to include that. Thank you for taking a few minutes with AllHipHop.com. Best of luck.

Professor Green: Oh, thank you for reaching out. It was lovely talking to you.

Learn more about Professor Green and his new album “At Your Convenience” at www.professorgreen.com/uk.