Interview by Charlie Braxton
Homebwoi, tell us a little about yourself?
I was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia; a little city 45 minutes south of Atlanta. I was signed to Collipark Music/Asylum/Warner Music Group back in the early 2000’s where I came to record, and be featured on multiple Ying Yang Twins albums, DJ Khaled’s Listennn…, B.G. aka B. Gizzle’s the Heart of the Streetz Vol. 1, and WWE Wreckless Intent.
How did you get into hip hop?
I was introduced to Hip Hop by my older brother that challenged me as an 8-year-old kid to freestyle battles. After multiple ass whippings because my vocabulary was so limited, I kept working on my craft. After he came back from an 8 year stay in Germany, I was ready for him.
You were signed to Mr. ColliPark’s label, how did that happen?
It happened through my manager Big Vic XL. He owned a local record store in the Atlanta area. I had produced and recorded a song called Gimme A Break (Which sampled the TV show Gimme A Break) Mr. Collipark heard it and wanted to meet with me. The rest is history.
When did you part ways with ColliPark and why?
I parted ways with him around 2007. It was a big mess. My manager started a management company with Mr. Collipark’s brother, I found out later that my attorney was appointed to us by Mr. Collipark’s attorney (Which answers why he started going ghost), and we had creative differences. A lot of issues came from personal and business decisions that I feel we both made that ultimately put a dark cloud over the situation.
What did you do after leaving the label?
I kept creating music for a while. I stopped once I ran into DJs that would ask me where I had been. They said they were inquiring about me to do shows and was told that I had retired! Lol… After receiving that feedback multiple times, I went to college and got a degree in Computer Science.
Back in the days, the CD or tape was the main medium by which independents were able to move their music in the street. Today, the main medium for music is streaming. How do you feel about this change? Has it helped or hurt independent artists?
I miss the old days. The fans have too much access to the artists today. In some ways things are better because you can distribute your music to all the major platforms. On the flip side, this is also bad because there’s no quality control in music anymore. Artists are required to give away their work for free. In the end the independent artist is being hurt. As an independent artist in the analog days, I could make at least a dollar for my single. Or 10 dollars per cd that I sold out of the trunk. Today, I can have over 16 thousand streams and only make a dollar. That’s basically highway robbery. Artists are being forced to be content creators and reality tv stars to sell music today. In my opinion it’s no longer about the music, but the hype around the artist…
Do you think all of this was good for rap?
I don’t. Rap music have always received lower budgets than other forms of music, yet rap music is used the most in marketing. Because of the easy access in music today, there are no longer institutions in place to help groom artists. For rap music, this is bad.
Today, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music and the like are the main vehicles what do think are the pros and cons of each platform?
YouTube pays out more and still seems to be a top contender for music consumed through video format. The problem is that people are not looking at long-form videos as much as short-form ones, such as Reels and short stories. Facebook is not as relevant for the younger audience, but it can be a gold mine for older artists as a means of promotion. Spotify is where most people stream music, but it pays the artist less than any other platform. And now, with the new rules to no longer pay out for music under 1000 streams, they are an enemy to independent artists. Apple music is cool if you’re in Apple’s infrastructure, however Android is the world’s leading smartphone platform. I said World, not America, Lol.
Is radio as relevant as It was during the 90s or are podcast more Important?
Yes! Radio is absolutely relevant today. Podcasts are cool, but they have yet to take over radio. With radio you get a performance royalty, you get streaming royalties from podcasts. Not to mention, to listen to a podcast you have to have a job working from home, a car that’s up to date to connect your phone or have internet access. You don’t have these constraints with radio.
What about club play?
Club play is still relevant as well. All age groups that are old enough to enjoy the night life are still benefiting from hearing what they like or something new at the club. Be it strip club, night club, or bar and grills.
Also, the 90s and early 2000s saw the dominance of the mix tapes in terms of marketing music, but today they seem to have died out. What do you think happened to mixtapes?
I think they became obsolete. They are in my opinion what opened the door to this new free form of music consumption. Add in the fact that now I have access to who I want and what I want 24-7 mixtapes are no longer a valid form of music consumption.
What are you up to now? Do you have new music out?
When I’m not making money in Corporate America, Lol I’m still recording and producing. I released a Documentary and album titled “How to Tame an Elephant”.
Tell us about it?
The documentary is streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi TV, and a few other outlets. The album can be streamed on all streaming platforms. I even have tangible copies available at homebwoi.com.
Who did the production?
I produced majority of the album. I had help from Dayzel the Machine, one of the producer down with D-Block, and one of my partners Mike Ewing Co-Produced a track on the album with me.
Speaking of production, who are some the new producers that you think are hot?
Bruh, I don’t really know any of the new producers… Everything that I hear sounds the same from ATL Jacob to Weezie… I’m not as in tuned with the game as I used to be. Nothing really excites me about rap music anymore.
How do you feel about the current state of rap? Are there any new styles that have come up?
I feel that the current state of Hip Hop is greatly missing the OGs and variety of different sounds. We’ve lost the sounds of live instruments being played in songs. Then when the OGs make music, it seems like they’re making music to gain the children, hip hop music is depressing… It’s sad when piss poor beef tracks are the talk of hip hop, or a chick with her ass out doing the same shit that 90% of all the other chicks hip hop is doing is the talk of the streets… It’s just sad.
Are there any new rappers you’re feel?
Yeah, I fucks with 3D Natee. She’s dope as fuck! My homie Dyce Payne is dope too.
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