We caught up with DC Hip-Hop legend Hansum Fatz at his old studio to speak with him on his past, present and future stamp on the city he represents.
Inside The BOX.: Basshedz (Part 4)
Live from their own headquarters…the final installment of our Inside The BOX. feature with DC’s own Basshedz.
Inside The BOX.: Kingpen Slim
The movement continues….this time with Uptown DC’s own Kingpen Slim outside of the historic Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Inside The BOX.: Ihsan Bilal
We caught up with the multi-talented artist Ihsan Bilal to talk to her about her past, present and future. If you haven’t heard of her or her music, you certainly will soon.
Inside The BOX.: Nike Nando
We caught up with Nike Nando following (or was it prior to?) his performance at U Street Music Hall.
Inside The BOX.: Shawn Chrystopher
This is one of my favorite interviews….we we’re fortunate enough to catch up with the rising emcee/producer while he was in D.C. for Howard Homecoming to speak with him on his sound, his career, his thoughts on getting an education, and more.
Inside The BOX.: Basshedz (Part 3)
Live from their own headquarters…continuing our Inside The BOX. feature with DC’s own Basshedz.
Inside The BOX.: RAtheMC
We caught up with another one of DC’s hottest emcees at Borders bookstore to speak with her about her life, current and upcoming projects, and the mark she will leave on Hip-Hop. The movement continues.
Inside The BOX.: Basshedz (Part 2)
Live from their own headquarters…rising production team Basshedz (they worked with and are currently working with Wale, along with their artists Fat Trel & the Slutty Boyz).
Check back as this is only Part 2 of a pretty extensive and engaging interview with three of DC’s next hitmakers. Check out Part 1 for those who missed it.
Inside The BOX.: Wale
We were pretty damn lucky to catch up with the number one rapper in this city of ours while at his (along with The Board Administration & CommunPR’s) Thanksgiving event, which began as Bar 7 and stretched out to various communities in the area. Two things we learned that day: 1) the brother really has haters (whom we learn time and time again to never believe in) and 2) you can’t say he isn’t about bettering the Washington, DC area. After you check out the quick interview up top, make sure to check out the extra footage from the Thanksgiving giveaway after the jump.
Shoutouts to Wale, Greg & the entire Board Administration and affiliates (including Black Cobain & YM, Basshedz Music Group, I Got It 4 Free, Fat Trel & the Slutty Boyz, and more), Patrice & CommunPR, Tony Lewis, Jr. and many more for not only creating this event for the community but allowing little old JukeBOX. to capture the day. The movement continues.
Inside The BOX.: Thee Tom Hardy
We caught up with Thee Tom Hardy outside of U Street Music Hall following his performance on the eve of Howard Homecoming.
Also check out — Inside The BOX.: 9th Wonder
Inside The BOX.: 9th Wonder
We caught up with the legendary producer outside of U Street Music Hall on the eve of Howard Homecoming. Needless to say, the pleasure was all ours.
Also check out — Inside The BOX.: Thee Tom Hardy
Inside The BOX.: Basshedz
Live from their own headquarters…rising production team Basshedz (they worked with and are currently working with Wale, along with their artists Fat Trel & the Slutty Boyz). In the first part of the interview they introduce themselves, describe their sound and how they came together to make music.
Inside The BOX.: Tiara Thomas
We were lucky enough to catch one of The Board Administration‘s own, Tiara Thomas, following their concert at U Street Music Hall. Needless to say, be on the lookout for her takeover in the near future.
Inside The BOX.: Lyriciss
We caught up with DC’s own Lyriciss prior to his performance at U Street Music Hall to speak with his about his life, career, and DC Hip-Hop in general. Pay attention.
Inside The BOX.: WHITEFOLKZ (Mini-Interview)
We caught up with DC’s own WHITEFOLKZ on the set of his video shoot for ‘All I Know’ featuring Philly’s own Tone Trump. His current mixtape Alpha Dogg is out now (as a matter a fact, you can download it right here). Check out the pics from the video shoot (and video footage from NRG Vision) as well if you missed it. Can’t wait to see the video soon.
Inside The BOX.: GLC
By Samantha Luck for JukeBOX.Chicago’s own G.L.C. made it on two of Kanye West’s Grammy-award winning albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration, with verses on “Spaceship†and “Drive Slow,†respectively. He could’ve called it quits after such a feat. But that wouldn’t be the headstrong, determined G.L.C. we’ve grown to know. Rather he’s using his past accomplishments and detriments to fuel his future and showing us who G.L.C., the rapper and businessman, really is.
JukeBOX.: Tell us about yourself, where you’re from and what got into Hip Hop music.
What does G.L.C. stand for? What’s behind that name?
Man, G.L.C. stands for Gangsta Legendary Crisis. It’s basically a reflection of my life. You know. Eight months I learned to walk, couple days after I learned how to walk, my dad died of a heart attack. He was gone. Then at the age of 12, I lost my momma to cancer, then at 14, I died and came back. Diagnosed with diabetes, they lost me for a few seconds. They resuscitated me and I was back. Then throughout my teenage years, I was in a street organization from my childhood through my teenage years. I was often being a pallbearer during my teenage years. Then I messed around and lost my house in a fire, caught a case, going through a lot things that really could’ve had a guy in a detrimental situation. Could’ve had you in bad shape, but at the end of the day, I persevered through it and therefore I became legendary. And I’ve been a gangsta through the street organization that I was apart of, Growth and Development, which has been led by a great man by the name of Larry Hoover. And man, I am the manifestation of “do not become a product of your environment but instead make your environment a product of you.†That’s what my name means. Chu’ch.
Wow. Let me take a minute to reel that in. That’s great, brother. Stamp on that.
Yessir. I have no dispute with that whatsoever. If you can tell us, what artists did you grow up listening to that may have led you to create the music that you‘re creating now?
My style is influenced by 8Ball & MJG. It’s influenced by UGK. It’s influenced by OutKast. It’s influenced by Scarface, Spice 1, Mc Eiht, Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, all the greats. All the greats that came before me. Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T in his prime. You know. It was like some really bad guys. Sir Mix-A-Lot talking that pimpin’, Do or Die, Crucial Conflict, Twista, Psychodrama. It’s a lot of people that I grew up embracing and at the end of the day, I would pretty much say that their music played a bit part in raising me so I was definitely gonna be influenced by them.
　
I’m glad you said Psychodrama. People who really listen to the music from your area know who they are. That’s a talented group of artists that I always listened to myself, so that’s cool to hear you say that. Could you tell us, how did you and Kanye meet? Did ya’ll meet later on or did you know each other your entire lives?
We’ve known each other for quite some time. We met through a mutual friend [in grammar school]. Even in grammar school, Kanye was making beats. I was back then trying to get on as a rapper. I didn’t have no direction, but at the end of the day, I met a guy who had some cold ass beats and his name was Kanye West. We got together. Everything came out fresh.
Can you tell us about the World Record Holders that we saw? There was an album that came out. I don’t know if you can tell us how that came to fruition? And if ya’ll might get together and do something in the future?
At the end of the day, man, who knows. Ain’t no telling. The World Record Holders was young men and young women with dreams and wanting to be something. We all aspired to be great. Young kids with a vision and a little bit of talent and we put it to work. We built us a buzz in the city and it got us pretty far. In the city, it’s only so far that you can go. There’s a whole lot of room to grow.
What upcoming projects do you have and when can we expect that album or maybe a mixtape so we can get more of your music?
I got a new project that just came out with DJ Fierce out of Chicago. He’s a heavy hitter and he’s one the all-time greats out of the Midwest. The name of the mixtape is Respect My Come Up. Vol. 2. The Ism. It’s all over the Internet, you can find it on my website, GLCity.com. I’m also on Bun B’s album Trill O. G. I’m on the deluxe edition. I’m also on the Outlawz album, the great group that performed alongside the late great Tupac Shakur. I’m also on KiD CuDi’s new album, Man on the Moon 2. Due out October 26.…I got about 7 features on different people’s projects. Man, it’s been a beautiful thing, man.
You did a song with Shawn [Chrystopher] called “I’m Good.†How did that song come about?
I met Shawn in Southwest. I saw [him] perform and he did pretty good. I was like let me gon’ head and manifest with this playa so we can gon’ head and win.
When can we expect to see you performing in D.C.?
Ahhh, man. You’ll see me in D.C. as soon as I’m booked. As soon as somebody says, “Yo, we need G.L.C.†They book me and they get me there. I’ma come there and manifest even if I gotta drive. I just left D.C. I had a great time there too. I went to the Commonwealth and they showed a playa great love. My man Judah’s from D.C. I just did a record with him. He’s one of the [Grey Goose] Rising Icons.
Yeah. We’re friends with him as well. That’s a talented producer. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve done with him.
Ahh man, that’s a reputable dude. He’s a great guy, man of honor. My man Shawn Beezy in D.C., he showed me great love when I came out there, and the first track on my new mixtape that I just mentioned is produced by a young kid from D.C. by the name of Adam, he got a last name that starts with a B, but it’s crazy and I can’t pronounce it real good.
We wanted to know if we could get a take on what you think about the whole thing between Wale and CuDi. We know they were good friends. And we love both artists. Just hoping that that could get resolved soon. We don’t know if you could speak on it.
At the end of the day, man, I’m a grown ass man and I don’t do no rap beef shit. If you gonna clown on a nigga, you not gonna put it on a record for real. I know CuDi’s my friend and he’s a great guy. I don’t know Wale. I met him before and he seems like he’s a nice guy. At the end of the day, it’s Hip Hop and in Hip Hop, you’re gonna have rap battling and things of that nature, that’s part of the culture. That’s what it is. I don’t see it escalating to anything more than that. The first time I heard about that I was in D.C., and a guy named A Plus told me about it and I hadn’t heard about it. Then I just forgot. But, it’s minor, man…I come from the streets of Chicago and in the streets of Chicago, if you got a beef with a motherfucker, you don’t go public.
I can agree with that.
Through the grace of God, man, I’m excited, brother. I just did a deal with EMI. It’s a deal that ain’t never been done in history. It’s a distribution deal with an artist that’s never put out an album before. No sales history. I got my own company, Get It Man Entertainment and I’m distributed by EMI. I’m on the road right now, going from city to city spreading this Love, Life & Loyalty. That’s name of my album. Don’t get it for me, get it for yourself. Chu’ch.
And congratulations on that deal.
Out of all the new artists that Kanye signed, who are you looking forward to working with the most?
Just to let you all know, since 2006 I haven’t been signed to Kanye. Kanye is my friend. That’s my brother. He’s my ally. I am not signed to Kanye’s company. I’m signed to my own company, Get It Man Entertainment. But G.O.O.D. Music is my family so at the end of the day, I just gotta say that I believe the moves that Kanye made are going to be great for his company. I think that he’s making a great business decision and they’re gonna win. I’ve always been a fan of Pusha T. I always thought he was super cold. And so through the grace of God, man, who knows we may go ahead and grow and develop together.
GLC x Kanye West – Big Screen
Good talent always comes together at the end of the day.
Yessir. I was just fortunate enough to not have to be in a position where I would have to sign an artist deal just due to the fact of me learning the game from Kanye and seeing how he moved, how he developed his company. He put his first album out and then he was given a distribution deal through his label, through Sony. I haven’t put out an album yet and I was given a distribution deal from my label before I put an album out ‘cause I learned a lot from him.
Buy Love, Life & Loyalty on iTunes
Check out more of GLC:
Inside The BOX.: Big K.R.I.T.
By Samantha Luck, with reporting by Eric Butler for JukeBOX.A double threat, Big K.R.I.T., producer and rapper sets out to make a mark on Hip Hop. Multitalented and driven, his pursuit of the thrown has provided him with a highly acclaimed mixtape, collaborations with the industry’s most popular up-and-comers, and a position on the Def Jam roster. With multi-city tours and a new album in the making, the self-titled and self-assured King Remembered In Time doesn’t show any signs of letting up.
Big K.R.I.T.: Man, it went down man. It was definitely an organic experience. People out there just drinking, performing, man. Doing some kinda bean bag game. I can’t even explain it. We did our thing. Me and Smoke DZA rocked out. So hopefully we’ll have some kind of footage of that coming out soon. But it was definitely dope.
Alright. Coming out as a new artist, you really blew up of the K.R.I.T. Wuz Here mixtape and I seen you had some projects before that. So how would you best describe your music and progression as an artist thus far?
I’m definitely trying to make timeless music. With K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, people could hear the growth, you know, in the music. And if you go back to a lot of my earlier music, I was still trying to find myself with cadence, subject matter, content, even the beats. So with K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, I was like “Alright, I figured it out.†It’s 5 years in the making and it’s really about me rapping about my life. Nineteen records that I produced, different emotions that I went through….It was really like a last hoorah.
So when you say like a last hoorah, did you put in an exceptional amount of effort into this one trying to really make noise? Did you feel like you had something to prove with this one?
It was crazy man. Last year was totally different for me. This year is all fresh and brand new. I’m energized, I’m ready to go. We dropped K.R.I.T. Wuz Here May 4th and I signed with Def Jam in June. Sha Money XL heard the music and immediately wanted to make something happen. To run across a cat like him and Jonny Shipes and them understand music, really not try to change up my music or where I’m coming from and let me rock out as a producer and a rapper, that doesn’t come often. That’s definitely a beautiful thing too because they just let me do me. But yeah, man, it’s an exciting time as far as Mississippi’s concerned cuz to be signed to Def Jam, that’s history, that’s Hip Hop and to be apart of it is crazy.
So being a rapper and producer, doing your own tracks and your own lyrics, what’s your process? Do you put down your beats first or do you put down your lyrics first? Do you make them play together?
Normally the beat come first. I like to sit down and just be like “Man, I want some real playa playa shit.†So I make that. Then as I’m making the beat, I’m developing some kind of idea. I do use titles, I play off titles sometimes. Like sometimes, I’ll come up with a title of a song way before I write it. The record “Return Of Forever†that I did with my brother Big Sant, that he’s featured on, the very first song.on K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, I really played with that title like two or three months before we did the song. And so it depends on the vibe, but normally the beat comes first cuz after that I can feel it and I really just let the track tell me what I should say from that point on.
When can we see you in our city, up in D.C.?
Is there anybody you want to collaborate with on future projects? I know you’re working on an album and everything. So is there anybody out here that you really want to work with that you haven‘t worked with yet?
On DJ Booth’s website, for K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, your representative Goodie Talks was quoted as saying ya’ll dug deep in the crates of music and movie samples. “The first person who can tell us which sample we used will get $1000 cash…” Can you describe the process?
I really came from other producers that did their thing like J. Dilla or Pete Rock, how they chop up samples, and DJ Premier and sometimes he chopped them up so crazy that you couldn’t tell what he sampled so that’s why I was like as a producer it’s an art form in digging in the crates.
No, it’s not a double disc. It’s 22 tracks, but it’s snippets of the samples. Normally it’s the exact part that I sampled, so [this is] just so people can hear how I was inspired by the original song.
Branding. I got a group with my big brother Big Sant, the Alumni, we finna start putting out projects. Continue work. Getting hit records under my belt aside from being a rapper, just as a producer and really just making timeless music.
You definitely got the blueprint down for how to get out here and make it. How’s it been so far on Def Jam, being new to the label and trying to get your music out there? How’s the grind been on the business side?
It’s great, man. At the end of the day, it’s really about me continuing the work ethic that I had before the deal went down. It’s definitely been a wonderful experience to be able to give hope to people around me like “Yo, you can do this. It’s possible to be yourself on these songs and a major label get behind you.” Def Jam definitely got big plans for me and what’s finna go down. They’re 100% behind what I got going on alongside Cinematic Music Group so the business part is good. I done went through too much with that to not get it right this time, you feel me?
Check out more from Big K.R.I.T.
You can also currently catch him and others on the Smoker’s Club Tour (get info here).
Inside The BOX.: Phil Ade
One of our current favorite 15 blesses us with an interview as well as a quick freestyle (after the jump).
Inside The BOX.: K.I.N.G Swagg
Inside The BOX.: Slutty Boyz
Better late than never…JukeBOX. met up with the group in the heart of Sursum Corda in D.C. to speak on who the Slutty Boyz really are, their aspirations in the game as well as their views on the industry and Hip-Hop as a whole. Part 2 to the interview is below. Shoutout to the Slutty Boyz, The Board Administration, Basshedz & Young Millionaires on the good look.
Inside The BOX.: The Board Administration/Basshedz/Slutty Boyz/Young Millionaires
Fat Trel – Black Cobain – DJ Omega – Slutty Boyz
Inside The BOX.: DJ Omega
We caught up with DJ Omega on the set of the video to the Black Cobain/Fat Trel/Tre track ‘Air Force’ at the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill.
Inside The BOX.: The Board Administration/Basshedz/Slutty Boyz/Young Millionaires
Inside The BOX.: Black Cobain
Continuing on with the Board Administration/YM/SB/Basshedz, we met up with Black Cobain on the set of ‘Air Force’ at the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill.
Inside The BOX.: The Board Administration/Basshedz/Slutty Boyz/Young Millionaires
Fat Trel – Black Cobain – DJ Omega – Slutty Boyz
Inside The BOX.: Fat Trel
While at the dress rehearsal (I think that’s what it was) for video for the Black Cobain, Fat Trel & Tre track ‘Air Force’ (which we should be seeing soon, hopefully), we caught up with Fat Trel himself to talk about his past, present and bright future with the Board Administration. Shout out to Basshedz, Slutty Boyz (interview with them coming very soon) and the Young Millionaires.
Fat Trel – Black Cobain – DJ Omega – Slutty Boyz