Most of the time when you hear that record you’re gonna be in your car. You’re gonna be driving and weighing out what’s in your bank account and in your pocket and where you’ve got to go and everything you’ve got to pay. [The record] is just one of them thangs to lighten up your day and put a smile on your face, to know that people can still have fun with what they do. Do you think sometimes people get you misconstrued as just being a joker, just a funny, cool type of dude and not really a street dude? I think what happens is, I’ma cat that came from the hood, but I always wanted better. In my mind, everything I gotta do, I don’t have to be hood to do it. I think a lot of times people misconstrue hood with just straight up ignorance – like if I don’t say some ignorant shit, I’m not hood. You can’t just say that. It is what it is. Some people do say, “He’s a cool cat; he ain’t gon’ do nothing. He probably ain’t never did this, sold no dope, trapped, none of that.” Hey man, just ‘cause I don’t talk about it in none of my music don’t mean I ain’t never did it. Just ‘cause I don’t tell you what the work cost me when I was comin’ up
emphasize how much drugs they’ve sold and how many people they’ve killed in their music? Because it’s more people that listen to that music that can relate to shit that the average cat in the street does. If you feel like your consumer base is only the hood, then you’ve gotta say the shit that’s right next door to ‘em, that’s right downstairs in they own house, the shit they see walkin’ right outta they door. You gotta paint that picture for ‘em so when they pop it in, it feels like they’re comfortable; in their environment. They can understand it with their eyes closed. They can understand it if you say it backwards. A lot of times people use that as their reference, what they’ve done and what they’ve been through. It kinda validates who their character is as a rapper or hood nigga. What’s your take on the so-called Atlanta beef between Shawty Lo and T.I.? It’s all good. I know it’s a better way to Bankhead on the map and show that Atlanta’s got some real hustlers and squads here, but they’re putting Bankhead on the map. That’s what they’re doin’. T.I.P. already put Bankhead on the map; don’t get me wrong on that, but Shawty Lo been in the streets for a long time, for real. I think some people blew what he said out of proportion and then it turned into a nigga realizing that people are actually fucking with him by saying that. It just turned into niggas talkin’ shit to each other. But at the end of the day, I think both of them cats are some hustlers. They’re smart enough to not do nothing dumb and jeopardize their careers or freedom. I think it’s moreso them utilizing what they got, using their talents, and the art of marketing what they do. That’s how I feel, to be honest with you. How does Bankhead compare to College Park? How would you break that down for somebody who’s not from Atlanta? It’s hood anywhere in Atlanta. Anywhere you go in Atlanta it gon’ be hood. The thang about it is, some parts in Atlanta are just more slum shit. You gotta think, in Atlanta, Bankhead is super-ghetto. College Park is ghetto as hell, but it might not have as many projects. College Park’s got projects, but Bankhead’s got a lot of projects. You got Bankhead Courts. You can turn around off of Bankhead and you got Etheridge. You go on up and you get to Overlook Atlanta. You can’t forget Bowen Homes. It’s a lot of places you can go right there on Bankhead and be like, “This shit is super-hood.” It ain’t like there’s no hoods in other cities, but I think sometimes the level of positivity could be greater in some parts of Atlanta.
don’t mean I never did it. I did a lot of shit. Matter of fact, I just released a record. Block put out a record I did called “What’s Really Good” on the No BitchAssNess mixtape. Listen to it. It’s truth to a lot of shit, and a lot of the shit is rumors too. It’s one of those records where I’m talking in third person. I’m rapping about myself and what people say about me. Then after you hear the record you’re gonna be like, “Damn, shawty said some real shit.” Then you gon’ turn around and see a crazy ass video like “Lookin Boy.” It’s like, “Damn, he really explained it. He’s an entertainer.” Sometimes you have to explore different things to entertain people. Shit we used to do to entertain you doesn’t necessarily entertain you as much anymore. Why do you think artists feel so much pressure to
When you say you signed Hot Stylz, do you have a production company or a label? What’s the name of your company? My company is called Swagg Team Entertainment. I feel like we’re a full-blown entertainment company. It’s one of those record labels where I stand behind the people I believe in and the people I stand behind believe in me. (laughs) No homo. So who do you having coming out besides Hot Stylz? I got Traeyon. He’s an R&B dude. He can really blow. You’ve got my dude Grind outta Kissimmee. He’s a Puerto Rican cat that grew up in the hood, but when you hear him you’re not gonna even believe he’s Puerto Rican. I got more cats comin’ like Play Boi. It’s the Swagg Team All Stars. Right now I’m just enjoying being able to make some decisions, as far as being in that CEO seat.
Are all of those coming through Jive or are you looking for different things for everybody? I’m looking for different outlets. I have had a very good relationship with Jive in the past, helping establish a relationship by doing records with a lot of their different artists, like the record “Fuck You Pay Me” with my homie Sonny V, and of course the record with T-Pain, “Buy You a Drank.” We built such a good relationship that they took me everywhere with T-Pain. I traveled the country with this guy, at different award shows and everything. They didn’t have to do that. Homie coulda rapped the part himself. But they really believed in the artists and supported them enough to do that, to spend that extra money to make sure he was well-accommodated. I took heed to the whole process that I witnessed, so inevitably I went to them. I have a few associates [at Jive] that are highly favored, so it was a better situation to walk into it like that. And what’s the status of your next solo project? Or are you kinda focusing more on the label and your other business ventures? I’m focused, making sure all my music is right. I’m very focused on both. But for the most part, can’t nobody do Joc but Joc, so I’m gonna be focused from a different angle on my project. With my label, I can sit back and say, “This is what needs to be done, here’s a checklist of the steps I have to take to make it work.” For the most part, I’m working. Do you know when your next solo project will be coming out? November. It’s called Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood. You were on the Forbes list last year for rappers who made the most money, correct? Aside from the things we’ve already discussed, what are you doing to make sure you maintain your spot on the list this year? I’m planning. All these things we’re talking about right now, it’s not just talk. You’ve got some people that just talk shit and say what they’re gonna do and what they wanna do, but you never see it manifested. With my case it’s a little different. Instead of me going around talking a lot, I really just let it happen. That way you can never say, “He just talked a lot but I never saw much progress. I heard a lot of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives come outta his mouth but I never saw success manifest from what he spoke.” I’d rather just let my actions speak a lot louder than my words. That sounds like a good way to finish off this interview. Anything else you’d like to add?. For anybody that’s listening, God bless you. Life is too short. If something ain’t working, don’t give up. Just keep doin’ what you do ‘cause best believe, I felt like giving up a million times but I didn’t. I put my faith in God. I believed in myself and I just hit the block running. I laced up the Nike Airs and just went running. I said, “I’ma get to the finish line one way or the other.” I still ain’t made it to the finish line ‘cause I don’t know what my finish line in life really is, but I’m still runnin’ the hell outta this race. We get tired ‘cause we’re human, but as long as you continue to prepare for tomorrow and keep puttin’ your all into it, you’ll be alright. That’s what I wanna leave with the fans. When you think about Joc, know that I’ma real nigga. I’m not with no games. I’ma grown man. I got kids. It’s not a game. //
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