C

rews, posses, clans, and cliques; the Hip-Hop landscape is littered with “supergroups” whose dreams of collective success became the CDs we now use as coasters. As the co-founder of Brooklyn’s own Boot Camp Clik, Buckshot is one of the few people to avoid such a fate. With over three million units sold independently, a loyal international fan-base, and enough successful business ventures to make Russell Simmons respectfully tip his Phat Farm fitted, you would think Buck would be satisfied with his position in the game. Not so. The man Tupac Shakur affectionately dubbed the “BDI Thug” is intent upon further solidifying his position in the game and gaining the recognition of all who tried to take the trademark BCC sound-by any means necessary.

To hear him tell it, former peers who have failed to acknowledge his contributions to their careers and media types who he feels have disrespected him have Buckshot ready to “George Bush the button,” and declare all out warfare. A nationwide summer tour and the release of Boot Camp’s The Last Stand, will serve as the initial salvo, but should things turn ugly Buck and the rest of the Duck Down staff have enough ammunition to last well into the better part of 2007. That’s just one of the benefits of being in the rap game, in some capacity, for over 15 years.

AllHipHop.com: You got your start interning for Hank Shocklee and Eric Sadler at Soul Records. Do you remember how that contributes to your current situation or any demanding tasks?

Buckshot: Just watching everybody and watching what they do. Most of the s**t that I know is based on ambition, intuitive knowledge, focus, and dedication. All of these things are common intuitive tools that you need. I didn’t go to college, I didn’t finish high-school, so I had no choice but to be successful at what I do. I had to learn and be good at what I do because there was nothing else for me. That’s not just rap, I knew that I couldn’t rap for the rest of my life, so I did that first. I knew that the records could stop tomorrow, the people could be like, “Nah, we’re not feeling your whole s**t,” tomorrow. So I gotta make sure that I’ve got a foundation today. So I did the record thing simultaneously, if not before, I got the deal as an artist ‘cause I knew what was more important. And I’m not saying that every artist should do that because some people are just not built to own labels.

AllHipHop.com: It really seems like everyone wants to play CEO these days…

Buckshot: That’s cool, because they’re all recognizing that they are where they are and there’s a respect that goes along with that. No one can sit there and tell them that they’re not going to be nothing, but man, if I could tell so many of them to stop what they’re doing and just do something else. I would never want to tell anyone to stop. A motherf**ker could be in the street doing something totally assed backwards style wise, label and all that and I still wouldn’t be like, “Man you need to quit,” because who am I to tell you what to do as far as quitting?

AllHipHop.com: So it’s more of a guidance thing?

Buckshot: A lot of times I just keep my opinion to myself. Honestly, some people do not belong in this music industry. I can’t tell that person not to be making records. That just goes to show you that all the people that say rap is wack they’re supporting a lot of the bulls**t that’s out. It’s crazy, ‘cause it’s a lot of snitch issues; I’ve got a lot of snitch issues. Rap is a full time sport, this is a game, this is a hustle. Get your grind on, don’t complain, just do what you gotta do. For one thing people are like, “Yo where’s Boot Camp at?” Let’s deal with those issues.

AllHipHop.com: It seems hard to believe that you have to deal with those issues considering the types of moves you guys have made.

Buckshot: That’s what makes you work harder, I don’t ever want to be that dude that’s always complaining. But, sometimes you can’t avoid certain conversations when you’re on the other side of the fence. Everybody’s doing what they do, everybody’s making moves and you’re at the crib on the grind, so you’re not trying to sit back and be quiet when it’s your time to say s**t. Like, [BBC Radio One’s] Tim Westwood.

AllHipHop.com: What happened with Tim Westwood?

Buckshot: That’s a big dude; he’s a huge name. Tim Westwood is the n***a who basically runs London. That n***a got on some f*ggot s**t! Now, I never was the dude in the music industry to be like, “F**k this n***a,” I swear to God, if you hear an interview from me, that s**t would go everywhere else but talking down on some other dude.

AllHipHop.com: How did he disrespect you?

Buckshot: He played himself and he played us. Here’s this dude that I’ve known for over 13 years, we helped build his career! And he’s acknowledging this over the air. So we come up to his station, we from America-we not even from London, and we’re coming all the way up to your station to promote the fact that we’re on tour and we’re doing things now. We got s**t jumping, it’s not like we’re sitting back and collecting dust. And he sat back and s**tted on us for some nobody [artist] that doesn’t even have anything jumping right now, when he had all eight of us in the studio. We were in the booth and he’s like, “Yeah I’ve got blah-blah-blah here,” or whatever. Then at the last ten minutes he gives us our acknowledgement like, “Oh yeah, we got Boot Camp up in here.” This n***a gets on some bulls**t like, “Oh man, my fault I don’t have any of your records with me. I know it’s the last minute but I don’t have any of your records.” We have ten minutes before the show ends and he doesn’t have any of our records so we’re talking over other peoples s**t on top of the fact that it took him another ten minutes to acknowledge us after we walked in. So, I’m just saying all of these things that go down, that’s when I turn into the beast. I’m a ‘Pac breed, so you’ve really got to watch your step because you don’t want me to cross that line. That’s why my n***a came and got us, that’s why we were the only n****s he f**ked with. We them n****s that are ultimately righteous, but if you make us flip one time and get us hot, it’s a wrap.

AllHipHop.com: By all accounts, Brooklyn is not an easy place to make it out of. How much of that mentality do you take in the boardroom as a businessman?

Buckshot: I’m just one type of individual, and there was always my type of individual. I’m a conscious person and I’m proud of it, I come from a school or a breed of n****s that are the same way-conscious but will kill your ass. That s**t is dangerous, no one wants to be that way, but we’re f**king warriors man. Shaka Zulu was that way, he had mad love, he didn’t want to kill people, he had another reason why he did what he did.

AllHipHop.com: In line with that, can you take us through the progression from Buckshot Shorty to B.D.I. Emcee to where you are today?

Buckshot: As Buckshot Shorty, I was a teenager, very young, and I was relentless about getting my business done and reaching for the stars. Buckshot became an older version of that. People think Buckshot Shorty was less conscious, but I was more conscious as Buckshot Shorty than I was as Buckshot. I was more in to my Deen, I was more into Islam, more into my Arabic, more into the Quran, more into the Bible than I was as Buckshot. I definitely wasn’t on some ignorant, smokin’ weed, “Yo b***hes, n****s, what, what,” type s**t and then I became Buckshot like, “Hey I’m this intelligent man and I’m going to try and find myself because that’s not the way anymore.” Get outta here, I been conscious. I was conscious at 11-years-old in the mosque making Salat.

AllHipHop.com: The game has changed a lot, what do you think is the ideal situation for you?

Buckshot: The system that I’ve got over here gets me paid, all I gotta do is sell the records. The one thing that I didn’t want to do was to start babbling off like, “Yo Navarre is straight, it’s love over there. I’m getting guap, and this, that and the third.” I’m not about to start spreading none of that because I was there when Koch first came up and nobody was f**kin’ with them. Quiet as kept we were promoting them, and then the next thing you know everybody’s at Koch. People would call me up like, “Yo Buck, how’s Koch treating you?” And now they’re doing the same thing with Navarre like, “How are they treating you?” They’re treating me the motherf**king way they’re treating me, get on, do you and go find out yourself. I’m done with that.

A lot of people are just whoremongers; they’ll come around and eat off of your information and won’t even acknowledge you. I can’t even get a phone call from certain people, or acknowledgement. I may not be as hot as I was, but always acknowledge me. You may not want to give me the bonus package that I had when I was hot, but acknowledge me when I call you. If we were doing business before, and you really want to say to my face, “Yo Buck, I’m saying you not hot like before,” then say that. Don’t disrespect me and try to play me by not even acknowledging me or not even taking my phone calls because I’m going to see you again.

AllHipHop.com: Buckshot and the BCC in general seem to have a strange connection with Tupac Shakur, how do you explain that?

Buckshot: It’s f**ked up because ‘Pac basically said, “Oh s**t, I really f**ks with them n****s from New York.” And we lived with ‘Pac, so that’s what’s real about it. We broke bread, shared the same bed, me and ‘Pac f**ked the same b**ch. It’s way beyond rap. It’s because we share a certain soul, it’s like being soulmates of a friend. When you meet a n***a and you just know that you were meant to be friends-you feel it. So when ‘Pac passed, the s**t was a killer. Yeah, more of the world would’ve knew about us off the strength of that relationship, but a lot of those people are major d**k riders. Part of the people genuinely have it in their heart. Everybody else wasn’t even riding with ‘Pac until he got major, and he got major when he flipped out. He got major when he was like, “F**k y’all. I’ma give you n****s real speak. This is what y’all want-fast cars, money and hoes? Then f**k y’all n****s then! Take it-fast cars, money and hoes! What’s crackin’?” The f**ked up thing is that people still grab on to that like little kids. They still pay attention to the money, cars and hoes part and just say, “Aww f**k all that other s**t ‘Pac was talking about.” But that’s the ways of the world man, 85 percent of the population will always be deaf, dumb and blind. They’ll always be led like sheep to the slaughter.

AllHipHop.com: So do you take the same approach as Prodigy from Mobb Deep, he said every once in a while you have to sneak some medicine into the peoples food?

Buckshot: That is true, man…it’s funny because Mobb Deep’s record came out and their first week they did 100,000. The second week they did 28,000 and the third week they did 18,000 copies so what does that say? Does that mean that Mobb Deep is over? Are you saying they should try to be negative to get people’s attention? Prodigy did it, but I think he spazzed out a little too much.

R

ockness Monstah can be a hard man to keep tabs on. You would probably have an easier time locating your long lost Yo! MTV Raps trading cards or those exclusive Dunks you’ve been lusting over on eBay. Since the release of Heltah Skeltah’s sophomore effort, Magnum Force, Rock has been linked with DJ Lethal, Scott Storch, and a host of other people, except his fellow Boot Camp Clik brethren. Fans of Rock’s independent singles “Let’s Rock” and “Like a G,” who’ve been clamoring for his return to the BCC will undoubtedly want to circle July 18th on their calendars, as it marks the first new collaborative effort from all eight members since 1997’s For The People.

Fickle listeners may have been quick to throw Rock on the back of a milk carton, but his time away from the limelight has apparently been well spent. Rock’s contributions have critics calling The Last Stand some of the BCC’s best work yet. It’s been ten years since he dropped verses on Nocturnal, but the center for the “Fab Five” still maintains his mix of humor and raw honesty, whether he’s airing out his former grievances with crew members or admitting to being the one who “hit your b*tch” in his man’s van.

AllHipHop.com: The last time we profiled you, you mentioned that things were kind of tense between Duck Down, Dru Ha, and yourself. What changed in order to make this project happen?

Rockness Monstah: Things weren’t good with me and Duck Down at the time. The long and short of it is that Priority Records played us against each other. I was trapped in a bad situation and I didn’t agree with the way it was handled, so I jetted. That was all a bunch of sucka, paperwork s**t and Priority. I was in a position where I had to make a move, I’m a man, everybody’s a man, n****s gotta make moves that are good for their lives. But, with Duck Down, understand that Dru Ha is also Boot Camp, and never on any record or any mixtape did I ever say, “F**k Boot Camp.” I probably said some things that I shouldn’t have said because I was angry, but I could never play myself and say, “F**k Boot Camp,” I’m one of the fathers of Boot Camp. I never got down with Boot Camp, I’m one of the n****s who started this s**t. That would be like me saying, “F**k my kid.”

AllHipHop.com: How much does your personal direction differ from the material that you release as a member of Heltah Skeltah or BCC?

Rockness Monstah: On my own personal stuff, it’s just me. If you ask Ruck what it’s like doing an album without me, he’ll tell you that it was fun; he didn’t have to worry about hearing my mouth. You don’t have to worry about the approval of anyone else because it’s your s**t. Me and Ruck always took a little longer to make albums because we’re different. We complement each other perfect, but it’s hilarious—one day we need to catch it on tape. We need to catch it on film just to show the people the hilarity of us picking through beats. We go through so many beats, one will come on that he’ll like and I’ll be like, “Get that bulls**t outta here!” One will come on that I’ll like and he’ll be like, “Son, what the f**k is that,” and then take the whole CD out and throw it across the room.

AllHipHop.com: Some people like both albums, but your fan base is usually divided between Nocturnal and Magnum Force…

Rockness Monstah: We do have two different fan bases, but the funny s**t is we’ve always said that we were “understream” or “mainderground.” We were always on the borderline. We were underground because we wasn’t flossy with our raps, our s**t was hardcore. The sales will always have you labeled underground, especially when you couple that with the kind of music we make. But we just got that charisma, we’re a whole lot of fun to watch and we do have that mainstream appeal.

For whatever reason we didn’t go all the way over, but all of the mainstream rappers-we’re they’re favorite rappers, a lot of them n****s don’t admit it. That’s why I don’t talk about other rappers. N****s ask me, “Who’s your favorite rapper?” If it comes up in conversation, I’ll answer it – but not when no n***a asks me. F**k that, ‘cause I know I inspired a bunch of these motherf**kers running around here, and that’s all good. Them n****s don’t mention me, but it’s cool because I hear myself in there. When them n****s start to respectognize then I start showing a little bit of respectognization.

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of Sean Price, rumor has it that you two were down in Virginia working on another Heltah Skeltah album.

Rockness Monstah: Actually that’s not true. We went down to North Carolina and we were finishing up his new project, it’s called Jesus Price: Hip-Hop Savior.

AllHipHop.com: I noticed that on The Last Stand you guys reworked classic lines from tracks like “Here We Come” and “Operation Lockdown.”

Rockness Monstah: That s**t all comes natural, it wasn’t even so much of a reworking. I heard that beat and it just gave me the vibe. We were working on one song and I was like, “What, we can’t use that beat? Cut this s**t off and put that beat on right there.” I asked Ruck if he was feeling it and once he told me yeah I said, “Let’s go.” I’m like, “Yo you got eight? Good ‘cause I got 16,” and from there we started the “Here We Come” s**t. It just sounded like it was supposed to be intro-ish.

AllHipHop.com: It makes sense to reintroduce yourselves- a lot of people were literally little kids when those original songs dropped.

Rockness Monstah: Yeah, no doubt, we know our fans. I know what a good memory does for a person. If I could give you a good memory-I always call it the flashback technique. That’s when a n***a be rhyming and he’ll just sneak in a bar from back in the days, n****s like that kind of s**t.

AllHipHop.com: You are the self-proclaimed A.W.O.L. soldier, what happened to all of the side projects you were involved in such as collaborating with DJ Lethal?

Rockness Monstah: That was a good situation at first, but in my opinion, that n***a Lethal is a DJ and not a CEO. He had a label because he could have a label, he was like, “Fred [Durst] had one, f**k it, I want one too.” He got one and it was a beautiful thing, they gave me a lot of money, and I made a couple of records. First I was on Priority and I took the Priority album with me, so it wasn’t like I had to make a whole album when I got there. I made a couple new songs and once the album was done nothing happened. Lethal’s label was small and I remember Lethal saying to me, “We need somebody to take control of this project,” and I’m like, “N***a that’s what I’m trying to do!” The problem was that the label didn’t believe in me, I didn’t sell a million records so they didn’t believe I knew how to sell a million records.

Then there was the stalemate of [the singles] “Let’s Rock” and “Like A G.” Interscope was on Nate [Dogg’s] nuts, they had a mouth full of Nate nuts. They wanted to put that song out first ‘cause they’re a West Coast label and it had Nate on it and all of this, that and the third. The song was mad west coast and they’re like, “Listen we’re trying to open you up to a bunch of new fans,” and I’m like, “Look, let’s go with ‘Let’s Rock,’ it’s a Rockwilder beat, it’s me, and the beat goes rock, rock. Everything fits, it’s a perfect song and it’ll work.” For what ever reason…I guess it’s like I said they was just on Nate’s nuts too bad and it was a Scott Storch beat. What they didn’t understand is that if you put that out first my fans are going to go, “Aww c’mon, Rock had to go get Nate?” Meanwhile, if you put “Let’s Rock” out first then when “Like A G” comes out they’ll think, “That n***a is really blowin’ up, he’s f**kin’ with Nate Dogg and all that!” You can’t go from point A to point C without going to point B first, in the fans eyes; they don’t believe that, they’re not that ignorant.

You can’t just go try to jump from world to world, you’ve got to solidify your own world and then everybody else will come to you. If everybody knows you for being a certain way you can’t just come back with a P. Diddy beat and expect the fans to think that’s just what’s poppin’. Nah, it don’t work like that, and I knew that, but I guess the f**kers at the label didn’t know that. They’re just trying to go off of Nate and Scott, and Scott wasn’t even that hot yet, [Dr.] Dre was still taking credit for his beats. He was still under Dre at the time, but Dre’s name wasn’t on my s**t. They were hoping they could get Dre’s name on my s**t, that was why. I just had that feeling, I knew. Now if you go on my myspace page [www.myspace.com/alvinkatraz] and you look, I’ve got both of the songs sitting on the page, you see which one gets the most hits.

AllHipHop.com: Any last words?

Rockness Monstah: Get that album, The Last Stand. We’re here to make a difference you motherf**kers; long before we’re done we’re gonna bridge the gap. Understream is going to be for real-mainderground. We’re gonna bridge the gap because we’ve got every kind of n***a in our crew, every kind of n***a you can find in the hood, one of us in Boot Camp represents that. We’ve got something for everybody, so that by the time we’re done the Black Panther n****s will be chilling at the same party with the Armani Exchange n****s and the n****s who sell crack and rob. One of us is talking to each and every one of y’all. Let’s get it to poppin’ and let’s get it to rockin’!

When an artist sees his face on a fictious “missing milk carton,” it can elicit either disdain or motivation for that MC. For Rampage, it was a sign that the game was missing him, prompting his return with Have You Seen? on his own Deep Freeze Records this summer. The milk hasn’t spoiled yet.

While a lot has changed in Hip-Hop since his 1994 scene-stealing cameo on Craig Mack’s “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix),” Rampage still remains on his New York ish, fond of the era when he rhymed alongside groundbreaking artists like Biggie and his cousin, Busta Rhymes.

Armed with plenty of industry lessons, Rampage aspires to be a strong CEO as well as an artist in 2006. While still representing the Flipmode Squad, Rampage sets the record straight on why he stayed away from the limelight and why it’s important for New York MCs to stay in their element to regain the throne.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of people only know you from your cameo on the 1994 classic “Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)” and as Busta’s cousin. Let the people know who Rampage is.

Rampage: Well, I’m Rampage, official lieutant of the Flipmode Squad. I was signed to Rowdy Records in ’92, where I released my first single, “Beware of the Rampsack.” I left Rowdy/Arista in ’94 when Craig Mack called me. At the time, he let me know he was a fan and asked me to be on the remix of “Flava in Ya Ear.” When I jumped on “Flava in Ya Ear” in ‘94, it changed my life. That whole “94 summer, I used to open up for Biggie whenever he went on the road. I just feel like I’m one of the last Mohicans as far as that street, authentic Hip-Hop s**t. Fast-forward to 1996: I was signed to Elektra Records for about seven years. Once that situation went under, I just chilled, moved to Philly, got into real estate and just took a break from the industry. In Philly, I hooked up with a producer named Felony Music while promoting parties in Philly through my own production company, which is how I started Deep Freeze Entertainment and the rest is history. But Flipmode is still the squad and we are still together! We all talk everyday and I’m with them 100%.

AllHipHop.com: Does being affiliated with Busta hinder your career, as far as pressure from labels to sell?

Rampage: Hell no! My lights is still on! [laughs] Busta inspires me and taught me everything I know about this game. What he does can never hinder me; what he does inspires me.

AllHipHop.com: Why a solo album now, especially after a long absence?

Rampage: Because I’ve been away for so long and plus I always been a solo artist. I just got caught up in a lot of label stuff, which prolonged me from putting out a project. Plus, DJ Scratch; he motivated me as well. He put that vibe in me to “do me” and to get back to the music. Plus working with Felony Music, I just felt like it was time to get back in the studio. So everybody who loved me has just been blessing me with records. Scratch, The Neptunes, this dude from Israel named Prayon who’s crazy, just mad people who wanted me to return to the game.

AllHipHop.com: Describe your production and your rhyme style…

Rampage: A lot of fans listen to what they can dance to; that’s what I’m about. I make records that you can feel but I make records that’s universal that I can be big on, that’s gonna keep me rotating on the radio and in the club. When I hear a beat, I just want to get what I’m saying across. But I pick a lot of beats based on how I feel. My rhyme style is hard, direct, and just global.

AllHipHop.com: New York is in a slump but a lot of people are looking at Busta, based on Hot 97’s Summer Jam and his string of singles, to bring it back to the East. Do you think that means it’s Flipmode’s year?

Rampage: Yes. Him and Scratch is on the grind right now. I think that a lot of these MCs don’t pick good beats, a lot of them feel like they’d rather be a CEO than make music. I think a lot of these dudes need to stop settling for office jobs and get back to the music. In the South, they CEOs but they make good music. Now you got everybody getting back to the music. New York. We always been that official “Hip-Hop s**t,” but lately, everybody would rather go to a party or chill in Miami, rather than get back to the music. Plus, without the producer, an MC can’t stay fresh. A lot of these dudes ears ain’t fresh. Take Grandmaster Caz; his flow is ridiculous! You let him loose with some of these new producers and he’s back. You just have to stay focused on the music. A lot of these dudes got production deals and pieces on they neck but they not getting back to the music. So Bus, doing what he’s doing, is official. We make music, that’s what we about.

AllHipHop.com: You complained about other rappers becoming CEO’s but you’re a CEO—

Rampage: — I’m a CEO but I’m about the music. A lot of CEOs ain’t about the music.

AllHipHop.com: What that always the plan since you got in the rap game?

Rampage: It became the plan when I saw what Elektra was doing to us. They would make money off of us and charge it to our next record. I don’t like s**t like that. With a major, if you don’t sell a million or two million, you’re considered a flop nowadays. But independently, you sell 50,000 units, you make $800,000. Two days, I moved 7,000 CDs with no video. So I’m in the right business. [laughs] Plus, I do my own promo tour out of my pocket. I like this independent thing, I’m on the grind.

AllHipHop.com: What other projects do you have outside of Hip-Hop?

Rampage: I have real estate, a barber shop and a beauty salon both in North Philly. And I’m working on a screenplay called No Love in the Room.

AllHipHop.com: Who would you like to work with?

Rampage: Everybody. Anybody who wants to work with me. [Smiles] Kevin Federline’s brother came to my concert out in LA and gave me Kev’s number. His brother was like, “Kev’s a big fan of yours.” He said that they were big fans, so that’s a good look.

AllHipHop.com: They didn’t have the baby with them, did they?

Rampage: [Laughs] Nah.

AllHipHop.com: It might lead to a song with Britney.

Rampage: Whatever works. I never said I didn’t keep the number. [smiles]

A true-chain smoker will light one cigarette off of another, it prevents from having to use matches or a lighter. Perhaps that’s what Atlantic/Grand Hustle Records considered when they piggybacked Young Dro’s Best Thang Smokin’ off of TI’s highly successful album, King.

After three years of making powerful appearances on albums from T.I., P$C, and DJ Drama mixtapes, Dro hopes to show the world what Atlanta locals have known for some time. The 27 year old is not concerned with a perceived late entry to the game, but rather, he’s using the scar tissue from his former street life to provide wisdom where most youngsters can’t. From his days as a Kriss-Kross fan to his presence in the company of killers, Young Dro appears to represent all sides of Atlanta. Lean your shoulders as Grand Hustle’s newest star talks about the streets of Bankhead, competition, and his unique sense of humor.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think that the appearances on TI’s King helped promote this album for you? People are already throwing around “Album of the Year” claims…

Young Dro: My appearances on his album? Naw…not really. I think it helps, but I ain’t puttin’ it all on that.

AllHipHop.com: Certainly, you’ve got one of the hotter singles out with “Shoulder Lean.” I just didn’t know if going into all that, you felt you had some added push…

Young Dro: Yeah, it did. I would say so…very much so. It did play a part of my role in the game today. I would say so.

AllHipHop.com: Last year was all about College Park. Already, 2006 seems to be Bankhead’s year, within Atlanta. For those that don’t know, I wanted to educate some of our readers who may not know about what distinguishes Bankhead from the rest of the sections…

Young Dro: Bankhead is where I’m born from, and there’s a lot of real cats that came from there like Kilos and the Hard Boys back in the day. It’s the roughest side of Atlanta, as far as the streets go. There’s more projects over there. We got more rats and roaches and all that good s**t over there. Where I’m from, when I first opened my eyes as a baby, all I saw was Bankhead.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think that street element has created its unique quality in the music from Bankhead?

Young Dro: I think all parts of Atlanta do. That’s just where I was born, [but not] where I spent all my time. I’m came from the southwest [part of the city] where Goodie Mob and them are from. I’m a southwest cat. I spent parts of my life on every side that really just had the realest stars in it – Collipark [College Park] and all that. That’s where a lot of my friends are from. It ain’t really just ‘bout “Bankhead this, Bankhead that.” Atlanta is bigger than Bankhead.

AllHipHop.com: So many artists today on the verge of their debut are 21, 22 years old. You’re 27. Do you feel any additional pressure to hit the ground running, or do you think that you might have more wisdom than most?

Young Dro: I know I can bring to the record what other cats can’t. Age really ain’t make no difference. There’s a lot of artists out there that’s successful with age, you know?

AllHipHop.com: We all know you’ve been in the streets for a minute, but how long have you been rapping?

Young Dro: Professionally, since ‘bout 2000.

AllHipHop.com: Warner Brothers has Bohagon. Bad Boy had Yung Joc. Atlantic/Grand Hustle has you. It seems like the majors are all competing with each other in the way of new artists from Atlanta. Do you think that competition exists among the artists?

Young Dro: Nah, I don’t think so. Everybody wants to sell records, and everybody gonna say what they got to say, but I don’t think… if they compete, they’ll sell. Nobody sayin’ nothin’ ‘bout competin’. I don’t know how everybody else is lookin’ at it, but I damn sure am not competin’. I’ma sell my records, ‘cause that’s what I want to do. I’m not competing against nobody.

AllHipHop.com: You were shot in the stomach, and could not laugh in the healing process. Do you think that affected your sense of humor at the time or today?

Young Dro: I was able to laugh, but it hurt like a mothaf**ka, and I really just had to stop laughin’. It didn’t affect my sense of humor. It just…I feel funny. That was the [problem]. I was makin’ my damn self laugh. [laughs] That s**t hurt like hell too, ‘cause I stayed sayin’ funny s**t that was funnier than myself. It really just made me try harder to heal up so I could get my laughs in.

AllHipHop.com: Did it affect the way you moved?

Young Dro: Um…yeah, there was a lot of changes…a bunch of changes. Like, my stomach is all tore up right now. It wouldn’t have been like this if they hadn’t shot me. [I have] a ton of stitches and s**t. I used to be ashamed of the s**t, but then I broke out of that s**t, and started wearin’ no shirt.

AllHipHop.com: Do the girls dig scars?

Young Dro: I really didn’t even care.

AllHipHop.com: TI said “Young Dro is comfortable around killers.” What does that quote mean exactly? I know it seems obvious, but elaborate…

Young Dro: I mean, when we were comin’ up, that’s who was around – with the same kinda attitude, the same sense of humor, the same dreams. You could take me to the exec’s office, and I can sit in, and I’m comfortable around killers too.

AllHipHop.com: We’ve all been in those intimidating situations. When you’re in that situation, do you just go about it boldly or be your same old self?

Young Dro: If you’re around somebody that you fear, be normal. I wouldn’t suggest that you fear nobody though. I wouldn’t be cool just tellin’ you that you should fear this guy here and this is how you should act around him. Me, I wouldn’t suggest that you fear that guy. I would suggest that you be yourself. Don’t worry about the next man – don’t fear him. Fear God, I guess.

AllHipHop.com: Everybody is wylin’ out to “Shoulder Lean.” When TI came out, he started with fun, club-minded songs. Then he took it to other levels with depth on the album. Is that something we’re gonna see from you too?

Young Dro: Man, [on my album] we talkin’ ‘bout the past really, what we saw. I took ‘em to church. We talk about schoolin’ – all kind of positive things. We talk about the negative too. The album’ll weigh itself out. I talk about past relationships I’ve been in, I share ‘em with the people.

AllHipHop.com: With the time you have between now and September, could you throw one of those deeper issues in as a single?

Young Dro: That, I would be into. Every song I write, I write it as a single. Instead of just making follow-ups, every song can be televised.

AllHipHop.com: What was the first show you ever want to as a rap fan?

Young Dro: My homeboy, Chris Smith [“Daddy Mack” of Kris Kross]. That’s one of my best friends.

AllHipHop.com: Word? What’s he up to these days?

Young Dro: Still chillin’, still right around the corner from me.

AllHipHop.com: What was your first rap performance like?

Young Dro: I performed in town at the Bankhead Bounce. That s**t was fun as a mothaf**ka.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your plan for the day the album drops? Atlanta? New York?

Young Dro: The day the album drops, I wanna be in the mix. I am gonna be doing things to promote the album, but wherever it is, it’ll be a hell of a day.

AllHipHop.com: What do you wanna do to get it just right between now and then?

Young Dro: I got “Day Two” of this Gangsta Grillz mixtape comin’. I’m gonna give ‘em something for radio, if they can catch that. But I’m gonna give ‘em “Day Two” to assure ‘em. I already got the ammo for it.

It’s no secret that the independent spirit is not only alive, but it’s quite fruitful in the South. That said, why is the best selling underground ATL artist rhyming about his car breaking down? Lil’ Weavah is cut from a cloth that has not been publicly seen in some time. Having sold over 20,000 units of his self-released albums, the Southwest Atlanta representative could easily partake in bragging rites. Instead, he’s out to change the way his city appears in music.

While Weavah has rapped with the “rubberband man” and the Grand Hustle team for several years, the 22 year old affirms that he refuses to rhyme about selling crack cocaine ever again. He’s most interested in easing the load of the struggle than celebrating it. Weavah is completely independent, and the artist has recently won the attention of Kay Slay, Whoo Kid, and DJ Envy. With major labels fast approaching, Weavah’s “underground” status may soon change, but the rapper believes that his morals and messages don’t have to.

AllHipHop.com: You’re the “Top Selling Underground Artist in Atlanta” according to Soundscan. How would you define “underground” because that term can be quite vague?

Lil’ Weavah: How I do it, “underground” is: you’re not a major artist and you’ve never been affiliated with a major or independent label – basically, you out doin’ your stuff in the street – whether through mixtapes or street albums. I wouldn’t say “underground” and “independent” are the same thing, because you’ve got independent labels who go through major distribution. Me, I got that street audience. When I say that, I don’t want people to think I’m just talkin’ ‘bout the hood – just consumers in general. Underground is having the consumer without Clear Channel, Radio One, MTV, BET, and so on.

AllHipHop.com: I know you’ve been doing the mixtape thing as well. But you use albums instead like, Underground Music. What’s the benefit there?

Lil’ Weavah: Most of things I do are not done in the spurt of the moment. I live in a major market, and I didn’t know anybody with any connections. All I had was the people in my neighborhood sayin’, “Okay, we like your music. When you gonna drop somethin’?” So without any connections, I just had to come out with my own tapes. I didn’t know how to get on a mixtape down here. I’m not payin’ money to get a mixtape, ‘cause I don’t know what that’s gonna do – I ain’t even got that much anyway. So I started with 20 dollars and would go to the studio. I’d hustle up some more money and go again – they was sorry beats, boo boo beats. Everybody in the hood loved it; they didn’t care. It kinda popped off. It gave me some more money so I could come with the Home Team CD, which is the first thing, industry-wise, that got my name out there. By then, I had a fan base in my hood, which allowed me to do some collabs with Grand Hustle. This was right around Trap Muzik, which was the hottest thing in the streets of Atlanta. Bohagon and T-Rock, who is from Three-6-Mafia got on [too]. After that, it really opened up some eyes. So now, I didn’t have to worry about how I was gonna get on these mixtapes, ‘cause they started reachin’ out.

AllHipHop.com: On the album, you’ve got a record called “Street Talk,” which deals with the misrepresentation of Atlanta is a whole. What’s being misconstrued?

Lil’ Weavah: I’ll say that it’s just things of Atlanta that they may be leavin’ out. For instance, the way you see it now, either everybody’s sellin’ drugs or everybody’s crunk at the club. If that’s gonna sell for you, that’s cool. Where is the struggle at? Everybody already done had every car, why ain’t people talkin’ ‘bout the bus system? I’m in the hood that everybody raps out, right now. You got people who work to take care of they kids. I just feel like there’s more to be shown. But it’s not always the artists’ fault, it’s the labels too.

AllHipHop.com: Southern rap is so dominating right now. In the North, there’s this perception that any rapper who’s remotely making a name for themselves selling CDs can make millions, easy. You rap about not having money. Why?

Lil’ Weavah: Right here in my hood, everybody knows me – I can’t come out and play a gangsta. I can’t lie ‘bout nothin’! This is rap – everybody lookin’ for a [reason to disprove you]. The way I beat that is by tellin’ the truth. My car [breaks down] sometimes. It’s got the wheels that people be talkin’ ‘bout, but it stops – and I rap about it. People come up to me and say, “Eh, that’s real talk when you rap ‘bout your car breakin’ down.” Then again, I always feel like you can’t rap ‘bout what everybody else is, ‘cause then you ain’t talkin’ ‘bout nothin’.

AllHipHop.com: I know the majors are on the verge of hollering if they aren’t already. When you get that advance money, does it worry you that you’ll have nothing to rhyme about?

Lil’ Weavah: No. One thing I’ve learned is that rappers do not have a lot of money. I’ll be the first one to come out and say it – some rappers. Plus, my content is about the struggle – the common struggle. I do a lot of female tracks too. I don’t think you ever run out of content.

AllHipHop.com: So there was a store in your town that at one point did not want to carry your CDs, but later sold out?

Lil’ Weavah: Peppermint Music in Southwest Atlanta in one of the only black malls in [the area]. This area is in between Bankhead and College Park. Rico Books, who [is now with] Bad Boy South, he ran the stores. This was in 2003, when I was just sellin’ CDs in my hood. He was like, “We don’t really have many slots on the shelf, I don’t know.” That was the first time. I went back again like, “Everybody’s buyin’.” [He told me] “Not now.” The third I went, I saw a Grand Hustle mixtape, and I was on it. I was like, “Rico! Rico, look! This says ‘Lil’ Weavah,’ that’s me!” So I grabbed the next three people who were walkin’ by – who luckily, I knew – and was like, “If my CD was in the store, would you buy it?” All three said yes. He bought some. Within a week, they were gone. That’s what got it started ‘cause you can always sell in the street, but if you on that retail, you good. When people see it in the malls, it’s a whole other ballgame. It means a lot to me! I can do well on Amazon.com, and I can do well in suburban Atlanta. But for them to buy up everything, it meant a lot for me.

AllHipHop.com: Are you ever worried that you’re thinking too locally?

Lil’ Weavah: No. With every product I do, I’m expanding the markets. I don’t see how anybody outside of Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama could’ve got the Home Team CD. Then on the mixtapes – boom, we hit MixUnit and others. We’re getting a bigger audience. With Underground Music, we’ve got national distribution on an underground title. Now, when I’m looking at the sales sheets, I’m seeing Idaho, Montana, Rochester, New York. Atlanta DJs have always been my backbone. DJ Drama, Burn One, DJ Scream & MLK, The Black Bill Gates and so on, they’ve always had my back and helped. Now you see me workin’ with DJ Envy, DJ Whoo Kid, and Kay Slay. That’s how you expand the market. I would never sit back like, “Everybody in Southwest Atlanta loves my music, I’m straight.” Even this, this is how you take it to a national and worldly level with AllHipHop.com probably being the number one Hip-Hop site on the planet.

AllHipHop.com: Is it hard to get noticed by the New York heavyweights?

Lil’ Weavah: If it’s a freestyle you hittin’ ‘em with, it needs to be lyrical. It needs to be “I’m not what you think the South is.” I travel back and forth to Harlem every summer. You gotta know your markets.

AllHipHop.com: I read that you knew Tupac’s sister very closely, and consider her a mentor?

Lil’ Weavah: One of the schools I went to, Washington High School, in downtown Atlanta is a historical high school: the same one that Dr. Martin Luther King went to. It’s the first black school in Georgia. [Sekyiwa Shakur] had an after-school program called “Teens on the Rise,” something I was in. We talked in groups about everyday life situations and how to cope with daily struggles. She played a big part in all of us – everybody in the school.

AllHipHop.com: As far as keeping your head above water?

Lil’ Weavah: As a kid, you already know “This is Tupac’s sister.” Some things your parents or teachers say, you’re not gonna just say, “You’re right.” But when you got Tupac’s sister, to any kid, when she speaks you listen. When she talked about bettering your life, you listen!

AllHipHop.com: What do you do to better your community now as figure kids might know or look up to?

Lil’ Weavah: Two years ago, I was driving down Simpson Road which is in Bankhead. I saw two crackheads who looked like they didn’t even have faces. At that point, something hit me and I said, “I will never talk about sellin’ crack in a song no more. I will not talk about anybody else capitalizing off crack in a song.” It hit me like…this is my community. I’m not gonna brag on that right there. That’s somebody’s momma. That’s somebody’s momma who’s probably a classmate of mine.

AllHipHop.com: So what’s your plan of attack? Are the majors reaching out yet?

Lil’ Weavah: Even this week, I’m in meetings. I look at the situations – I gotta be very careful. I just want the best situation for me to succeed. I want to be a priority. I don’t want to be put on the shelf. I don’t need development. I want the marketing. I know how to get money. I’m not trying to get jewelry and that. I need a marketing campaign. I need someone who knows what’s going on.

AllHipHop.com: You say you don’t need development. Do you think with a major label machine behind it, Underground Music is an album that would be in the mix like Yung Joc, Young Dro and so on?

Lil’ Weavah: I’m already 18 songs deep on a major album. On Underground Music, maybe “Drugs, Sex, and Violence” and maybe “Freaky Things,”…other than that, no other track would make it. For a major release, you always have to realize who your audience. We talkin’ ‘bout different beats, and some things maybe not as local.

www.MySpace.com/LilWeavah