Hurricane Chris obtained his name from devastating battle competition, causing havoc, and leaving crowds in silence, in the similar fashion of a Hurricane storm. His first single “A Bay Bay,” inspired by an
event for DJ Hollyhood’s "Bay Bay" in a club, garnered him the
attention of Mr. Collipark and a contract with Pologrounds Music/J Records. Hurricane
Chris' 51/50 Ratchet hit stores on October 23rd.
The Pack
is derived of four teens from Berkley, California: Lil B, Stunnaman, Uno,
& Young L. The Pack are Too $horts protégés who gained his attention
from the skateboarder "Vans" song through Youtube and Myspace and instantly
became a cult classic. Their album Based Boys
is available for purchase October 30th.
Mistah Fab’s
nationwide success stemmed from his controversial single “Ghost Ride
It.” He is becoming a central figure of the Hyphy movement, a musical and cultural
offshoot of Hip-Hop from the Bay area that emphasizes having fun, or
“getting dumb” in the local slang. Mistah Fab’s other notable
mentions stem from recently crushing his competition, Royce Da 5’9”
in AllHipHop.com’s freestyle battle at SOBs.
Read on to learn how these
rising artists gained momentum in an already flooded market of rappers.
AllHipHop.com: Coming out as a
new artist, how tough was it getting the attention of good producers
for your album?
Hurricane Chris: It wasn’t
hard because I came into the game with all of the producers I needed.
The movement we were putting on the forefronts is what they wanted when
we got into the game and it would have been stupid to switch it up.
It was a blessing we had all the producers we already needed to make
our type of music.
Lil B: Hard work. We
have our in house producer Young L who creates all of our beats.
We picked out the producers that we like to work with and that matches
our style of the direction we are heading towards. We want a producer
that doesn’t mind being different.
Mistah Fab: It’s very tough
because a lot of good producers value their production, which they should.
Many producers don’t like taking chances with new artists because
they could give that beat to a renowned artist and it would probably
have done ten folds what it would do for the new artist. As for
new artists, you have to show that you belong and not wait on big names
to blow up because the Timbalands and the DJ Premiers were once in-house
producers.
AllHipHop.com: What have you personally
done to get your song played by DJs in the clubs or radio?
Hurricane Chris: Personally,
I do stuff everyday to make sure that I am on the radio. Before
I was signed, I got an independent record label called “Go Live Entertainment,” that was our launching pad. It was the only resource we had.
We Gassed up our own vehicle, driving state to state to radio stations,
and performing shows. Whether it took spending our money to get
songs played on the radio, personal relationships or favor for a favor,
we did it.
Lil B: We are walking billboards,
everywhere, interacting with everyone, on the street making friends
and fans. We did everything we could. For the DJ’s, we
would be at all clubs and parties with a burned CD with our contact information
on it. The clubs would play our songs because the streets already
knew about us and we would get a big response. It’s a struggle
but you have to make people mess with you and DJs were hating at
first.
Mistah Fab: You can have the
hottest song in the world but if you don’t have a relationship with
a DJ, it will not get played. It has a lot to do with egos and
DJs feeling like “F**k that artist he thinks he’s this” and
vice versa. The airplay and exposure you get in the clubs and
radio is definitely about relationships. Fortunately, for artists,
the internet is a great thing with certain outlets where people can come to
and listen to your music. They don’t have to go to a club or
listen to the radio. Off a relationship, you build a rapport with
DJs. That shows him that anything you bring him, is spin worthy,
a history of no let downs, but you first have to generate a fan base
from the streets.
AllHipHop.com: What attempts if
any have you guys done to get your first street credibility?
Hurricane Chris: I didn’t
have to attempt to do anything for street credibility. All you
had to do was say my name and everyone knew me in Louisiana. I
have a background; the last name Dooley goes a long way. I didn’t
have to go out of my way to do a bunch of dumb stuff because people
already knew who I was.
Lil B: Promoting, be in everyone’s
face introducing ourselves as “The Pack.” We pressed up promos
such as flyers in our in-house studio. We were at the malls, streets,
bathrooms anywhere you can think of. Our first song was "Booty
Bounce Bopper." People from down South, East coast, and over here
heard of the song and we got our first street credibility because it
was cracking in the clubs. The girls were behind it 100% because
they could shake their butt to the song.
Mistah Fab: You can’t have
street creditability without being in the streets. You have to be out,
and people have to see you. Also, don’t just hang in your neighborhood
but neighboring neighborhoods. You have to go to other hoods and
generate a street buzz and you can say whatever you want in your lyrics
because people know you that you be around. They see you in the
hood with your jewelry on, riding through.
AllHipHop.com: With the state
of Hip-Hop, do you think it is easier or harder for a hip-hop artist
to do well?
Hurricane Chris: It isn’t
easy, but it isn’t too hard because you see all of the people who
are making it. It’s hard but there are ways around all of the
mayhem but it depends on your relationship status and the kind of resources
you have. The state of the music game right now, it is easier to get
on and make a hit, but it is hard to stay in their ear.
Lil B: It’s on the artist
to make or break themselves. It’s harder for the artist to break
big because you have to have a hit single for anyone to even mess with
you. On the other side, the underground is starting to come back
and you don’t have to be mainstream anymore to be making money.
Record sales are hard nowadays because many artists don’t have die
hard fans. The fans aren’t buying their albums because they
only like a single. We are around touring with a solid fan base
that rep The Pack. Some artists sell a lot of ring tones but don’t
sell many albums because the fans aren’t stupid anymore and can tell
what’s a gimmick.
Mistah Fab: Definitely harder.
The dollar is scarce nowadays. If people spend their dollar, it
has to be a guaranteed album. Spending a dollar on a new artist
isn’t always a good thing to do. We live in the day of ring
tone rap. You have many new artists come with a big single and
that is the only thing you will ever hear from them, modern day one
hit wonders. No one wants to spend his or her dollar on one song
when you can just go download it or have it as a ring tone. The grind
is definitely harder. It’s all about what artist is going to
get out and work the hardest and show that he belongs.
AllHipHop.com: Does the hate from
the public push you harder or slow you down?
Hurricane Chris: The hate makes
me go harder. The hate is like gas in a car.
Lil B: It will push us harder
because the hating means we are doing something good. It’s hard
when people hate on you but they can only hate on you for so long.
Mistah Fab: I’m never worried
about hate. I’ve been hated on all of my life. It’s motivating
because the more people that say I can’t, is the more that I say I
can. It doesn’t slow me down at all. It speeds up my progress.
AllHipHop.com: From your area,
what are you adding differently to the rap game?
Hurricane Chris: I am adding
versatility to the game. I don’t see anyone out there right
now that are keeping the club and the streets of white and black folks
jamming at the same time. We have the “Hand Clap” in the clubs and
“A Bay Bay” is a street and club banger. We just dropped a
new single, “How Players Rock” for the grown and sexy.
Lil B: We are creating a new
genre of music called “Based Music.” Our album is coming out October
30th. Many rappers have the same formula of what they
are doing, rapping about the same stuff. We are bringing a new sound
to the table for the future of Hip-Hop.
Mistah Fab: The rap game today
is so sugar coated and I don’t think we have a problem saying what
we feel in the Bay Area. Everyone wants to be so safety cautious that
they don’t say what they really want. Personally, I am going
to say how I feel and exhibit that in my music. I’m not afraid
to lose. I can take a chance and start again if I have to.
I will give it my all because I’m not afraid to go to zero
AllHipHop.com: How do you think
affiliation to a rap mogul helps or hinders the game?
Hurricane Chris: It helps when
you get power but it all depends on how you use it. Many people in the
game have power they can use to help better more situations than the
one they are in currently.
Lil B: We are affiliated to
Too Short. It’s a big step, he’s a legend. We learned so much
because he has been through the game for so many years. He’s
teaching us the game.
Mistah Fab: It can only help
you. In some cases, it hinders you because you become a shadow
rapper. For instance, someone signed to Jay-Z, it’s hard because
you will always be compared to the predecessors. But, when you
come under a great producer and you put together music, it can only
help you because great and great equals greater. And the fact
that it is a producer and not an artist, there isn’t any conflict
of interest.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think Soulja
Boy Tellem’s popularity from the internet is a good balance because
his success didn’t stem from programmers or DJs from radio stations
and or mixtapes?
Hurricane Chris: He’s been
on Myspace doing his thing. He had fans before he even got his
deal. Most of Soulja Boy’s fans that he acquired before his
deal are the same fans he has now.
Lil B: Personally, I like Soulja
Boy because I heard his underground mixes before he blew up. It’s
a blessing he got that exposure from the internet. It’s true,
it’s what the fans want. The DJ’s play a huge part because
they run the music shit.
Mistah Fab: Reiterating what
I said earlier, he created the demand. In this day and age, radio
only enhanced what he did himself. Public and personal are two
different things but both are pivotal to your success. A DJ may
not like you and would feel Soulja Boy corny and because of their biased
opinion, they won’t give the public access it or reject it.
Soulja Boy sold 117,000 in his first week so it shows people are still
buying records and I love what he’s doing. He’s a young kid
and he’s representing his vibe and music.
AllHipHop.com: If you could change something about the music industry, what would it be?
Hurricane Chris: I would change
rap beefs, critics for the way they are approaching artists and record
labels. I think the labels should care more about the artists. About
rap beefs, I am not a fan of addressing a problem that you have with
another grown man over a rap record. Music is made to express
yourself but I feel that if you have a personal problem with someone
than you approach them like a man. I don’t understand where
that came from putting your business in the streets. I don’t
feel the world should have to know about your problem with another human
being.
Lil B: Rappers stop lying to
the kids, stop promoting what they really aren’t doing and weak
producers should stop charging all this money for beats that aren’t
all that tight. Be real. Change the ego that comes
with the rap game. Lots of people have egos and don’t deserve
it. I understand if the street loves you and you are making hits
but if you aren’t, you really need to cut it out. Many rappers
come out and talk about dope dealing and killing each other but a lot
of these rappers are rich. I came from the hood and I see what
these rappers are doing to my people. If you do talk about it,
talk about the struggle and talk about what u did to get where you are
at instead of glorifying it because everyone’s in jail. I am not going
to lie to any of my people.
Mistah Fab: I would stop the
region hating. People are region racist. I would also stop the
radio politics and I don’t have a third reason because everything
is the reason why you do it. You need fake rappers for people
to respect the real rappers when you need them. I think everything
is what it is for a reason. It makes you live how you live and
make the decisions that you make. Like, my father died from A.I.D.S.
and I wouldn’t change that if I could because it made me as strong
as I am. I think that God has a mission for everyone.