After three mixtapes and praise from critics, Pill has gone from being homeless to hardly being at home. Last year, Pill was living a life not too far from the one depicted in his breakthrough video “Trap Goin’ Ham.” While viewers were either entertained or embarrassed by the video’s images, Pill was still embedded in them when the cameras stopped rolling. Matter of fact, during the time he was recording his debut mixtape 4180: The Prescription, he was still searching for a cure for the ills in his own life. “I was sleeping in the trap still,” admits the rapper born Tyrone Rivers. “Me and my girl had broke up so I was basically homeless, but I was still going to the studio. I told [my manager] D that I was getting a deal this year. He was like, “I don’t know, maybe if you work hard for two years.” But I was like, “Nah, I’m going hard.” After releasing more eye-catching videos and a strong follow-up mixtape 4075: The Refill, Pill found himself with a deal within six months of releasing his first collection of recorded music. “It was very surprising,” he says, pausing as if he just realized it again. “I had to show people what I’m capable of, my lyrical ability, my dexterity and my willingness to be different with tracks. I wanted to open eyes and ears and in the next six months, everybody is like, “Pill!” I’m like damn. So I’m thankful to everyone who showed support. Without them I wouldn’t be here that quick.” On the heels of dropping his latest mixtape, a Gangsta Grillz with DJ Drama titled 1140: The Overdose (the numbers in the titles each represent an old address), Pill is riding high and becoming one of Hip Hop’s rising stars. OZONE caught up with him to talk about his journey over the last year and the long road ahead of him. A lot of people are hearing of you for the first time, or just now deciding to listen to you after doing a Gangsta Grillz mixtape. How does it feel to get that stamp? It’s refreshing. They’re used to hearing [DJ Drama] work with the really huge acts, so for me to do a tape with him is like a dream come true. When you’re on the mixtape circuit, doing a Gangsta Grillz is like, the goal, because he’s probably the hottest guy in the mixtape game -- not to shun anyone else, though, because I’ve done tapes with DJ Skee and Burn One, and the Empire. There’s millions of DJs, but Drama culminates it all when it comes to mixapes. A lot of people are starting to holler at me or recognize me at the grocery store. It’s a breath of fresh air for the streets because he has his fans and I have mine. Speaking of being recognized, it’s hard to find a lot of rappers just being out with the people. You seem to still be out there, even when you aren’t “working.” Do you think that’s a challenge for you, because people want to view their favorite rapper as a “star”? It feels good to be able to just be out. I want people to say I’m a good person. I don’t want them to say I’m an asshole. I roll places solo sometimes. People bump into me and say, “What you doing here?” I’m ready for the stardom mentally and physically, though. I know what I’m in for. When I started the journey I knew I wouldn’t be able to go certain places anymore. So when you ask for that, you know it comes with that. Nothing is easy.
The passion and realness in my music made people gravitate towards me. I was doing something fresh, real and raw, and that hadn’t been done in a while. In Atlanta, for the last couple years we haven’t seen that, it’s been the lollipop music and the swag music. That’s good music for what it is, but I wanted to make my music for the struggle. I think my shows have a lot to do with it too. People say I kill the stage with my energy. People say they can hear the realness in my voice. Judging from the places you’ve performed and the people that seem to latch onto your music, you appeal to almost everybody. As an artist, does that pressure to try and start making music that appeals to everybody bother you? It’s fuel to the fire. It’s no pressure with me. Pressure makes a diamond around this way. If I got everybody from all angles enjoying my music, I should just keep doing the same thing I’ve been doing. Why switch it up now? I always say, it’s like when the Falcons went to the Super Bowl, they played great all year, kicked ass. They had one of the best records, then went to the Super Bowl and switched up the game plan and got beat. Rapping the way I rap, doing the videos I do, it motivates me to remain consistent. The people can enjoy that. They can enjoy the guy that was on the corner drinking a beer, selling a gram, trying to get money for a pair of shoes and something to eat. They can enjoy the guy that was walking around homeless, in and out of jail. A guy that’s came up from nothing, a guy that was house to house since he was seven and came home and saw his mother dead. Well, I guess it’s wrong to say you please everybody. Most of your videos seem to be very polarizing. Some people love them, others loathe them. I let my haters be my motivators. The people that misunderstand or misinterpret what I’m doing, I don’t let it bother me. I see it, but I really pay it no mind. There’s no glorification in my music. If I’m rapping about it, I’ma show it to you. I’ma show you how messed up it is out here. I want to see you the impoverished side. You never seen me with a Lamborghini and Bentley behind me. I’m not the flexing type. I’m showing you the real, so if you don’t like it, beware. Hopefully you’ll like the next video I do. We’ve seen instances where your music gets lumped into the “trap rap” category. Do you fear having your music labeled as it gets out more? I don’t fear it. I’m concerned, but it only drives me to separate myself from that. When you are grouped or put in a box, it limits you. So I try to go opposite of that. Keep in mind I’m here to share my testimony with the world. People can say, “He’s like Jeezy, T.I. or Gucci,” but I’m me. If the people have watched my ascension, I’ve ascended to where I am faster than anyone else ever. My first solo project ever, video ever, I had all the labels after me. So you can’t put me in a group. I had a video on MTV without a deal. Nobody did that. I was on the cover of XXL without a deal, nobody did that. With no cosign. You’ve cemented yourself as your own entity over the last year or so. But you did get introduced to a lot of people through Killer Mike and Grind Time though. Is everything still good over there? It’s still all love with us. We all still go to each other’s shows. I still go to SL Jones’ gigs, and him and Killer were just at my last release party. Grind Time isn’t a rap group. It’s a brotherhood; a gang.
Getting back to the Gangsta Grillz mixtape, does it feel validating? You’re known in the streets for just being you, but as far as your music, you’ve had more of a web and blog buzz. It’s very validating. Drama brings a large street crowd. It warrants my hard work in a way. The only place you can go is up after a Gangsta Grillz. That is, if you are actually a good rapper with a buzz, not just a trap rapper with some stacks to throw Drama. We’ve seen those, but being that Drama attracts that street crowd and I’m from the streets, it just blends right in, so that gives it the stamp. It’s THE validation.
You’ve been around the rap game for years, but didn’t officially jump in it until recently. What kept you from wanting to go all in? My family had been telling me for years that I needed to get out on my own. They said I’m fi’e and that I need to do my thing. For so many years I shunned them because I was young and naïve and messing with Killer trying to be loyal. Then finally I woke up and smelled the coffee. I was like dang, they were right all this time. There was times when I didn’t believe I could. What stopped me from believing was what was going on at the present time. I was in the trap, I was in jail, I wasn’t in anybody’s college, I didn’t have a job. I was like, “Who wants to hear about this shit?” But I finally realized that this is a testimony so maybe I should do it. Let me take a shot at it.
You were also named one of XXL’s Freshman 10. That was surreal. But it was fuel to the fire. You see yourself on the cover as a XXL Freshman, but after that you’re like, “Can I get a cover with just me on it one day?” If I work hard I’m sure I can do that. Plus I was one of the few on the cover that didn’t have a deal at the time. It makes you work harder and appreciate them for recognizing my talent.
Your debut album The Medicine is around the corner. What should people expect to hear from that and from you in the future? They can expect me to expose my soul and give it to them in my rarest form. They can expect dope beats and dope rhymes, that’s my motto. I just want to give ya’ll something to ride out to. I want to be the soundtrack to your lives. //
What do you think you were doing to get a look like that?
Words & Photo by Maurice G. Garland
OZONE MAG // 53