Industry 101
Mr. Boomtown
IN the Past ten years, the name “Mr. Boomtown” has joined the ranks of notable music video directors LIKE Hype Williams, Chris Robinson and Anthony Mandler. The Port Arthur, TX native, born Nahala Johnson, went from working for the Dallas Cowboys Television network to directing music videos for some of your favorite artists including Pimp C, Mike Jones, Slim Thug and Gucci Mane. Here’s his story. So, you started out working with the Dallas Cowboys? Yeah, I produced the Jerry Jones Show and flew out to Aruba to shoot The Making of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Calendar they play on ESPN all the time. Not a bad start. So did you ever use the Cowboys cheerleaders in of any your music videos? I was only working with the Cowboys network for a year before my music video for Pimp C’s “Pourin’ Up” dropped, so I really didn’t know all of cheerleaders like that. They were older than I typically like to cast anyway. Do you direct and cast the ladies? No, not necessarily. Budgets don’t always allow for casting directors or casting calls, so sometimes I call on people. I like to work with individuals who know my style and will get the job done, so there has been an occasion where I’ve called on someone I’ve worked with before. Does it ever get catty on a video shoot? Are girls going at it like an episode of Flavor of Love? I haven’t really had to deal with that personally. That’s a big reason why I like to work with women I’m familiar with. Casting directors generally handle issues like that. The one issue I see or hear the most is the whole light skin versus dark skin complaint. I remember hearing women complaining about how directors were pushing the dark skin girls to the back, so the light skin curly haired girls would be in the front. That really stuck with me, so I try to acknowledge the issue and create a balanced perspective. Your videos always have a strong sexual undertone. Is that something you aim for? Sex sells, but I don’t shoot anything that degrades women. It’s really all about what people want to see, and that’s what consumers of that style of music want to see. Who has been your biggest influence in making music videos? I’d definitely have to say Hype Williams. I remember being in Miami on set of the “Big Pimpin” video with Pimp C and seeing all those women; I had never seen anything with that type of budget before. Pimp C had just bought that Mercedes that he’s was standing next to in the video
and I was just watching Hype work and asking as many questions as I could, trying to soak it all in. I met directors Little X and Benny Boom for the first time there. Back then they were just starting out. They both were Hype Williams’ [assistant directors] at the time. It was crazy. I’m sure that video had to be a wild one to make! So what is the hardest part of your job? I’d have to say the hardest part of my job is staying relevant, just trying to keep the business flowing and keep my name in your ears. Kind of like how Gucci is doing with shooting all his videos or how you always heard Hype Williams name at least once a year. You’ve got to let people know who you are. I’ve made sure you see my name somewhere in my videos. It could be on something like a candy bar or my name across the whole screen, but it wasn’t until I started branding myself that my name started sticking people’s minds. Have you been put in a box for being a Southern Hip-Hop music video director? I really don’t consider myself to be a down South director. We can do rock, pop and R&B videos, but we come from the South; I’ve never shot a video in New York or LA. I mostly shoot in Texas and we have a huge Hip Hop culture in this area. I love Hip Hop but I can do more. I got my start through Rap-A-Lot Records. Is it hard to crossover? It’s all about getting the video commissioner to believe you can market the artist, but it’s really the artist who can bring you in the door. If you do a good job your name begins to circulate. That’s how I got on. Pimp C gave me my first shot at directing and I’ve just been rolling ever since. What do you think made you stand out to Pimp C? Pimp C and I actually went to high school together when I had my own rap group called the Hardy Boys. I was in 11th grade when I met Pimp C, who was in 9th grade. Pimp C was rapping too and we met through a classmate of mine who also happened to be his neighbor, and I would always go over his house cause Pimp C always had recording gear and we’d make beats all day. So when he got put on he looked out for me.
How do you feel about BET canceling their infamous show, Uncut? There was definitely a market for it. I think they started getting more flack for its content as its popularity grew. Artists are still making uncut edits to their music videos because there is a market for it and there will always be. That’s why Scarface and I shot the video for “High Note.” That has to be one of the wildest videos to come out since Nelly’s “Tip Drill.” Was it your concept? Naw, Uncle Face had the treatment in his head already and laid the idea out for us, so we just had to bring it to life. He wanted to do something controversial; something that would make people talk and pay attention. Y’all accomplished that for sure. When shooting a video like that, how do you get a woman to get over any inhibitions she might have? When I approached that video, I was debating on whether or not to cast a stripper or not. I knew we were trying to push the envelope so we needed a woman who’d be comfortable with her body and what we’d be capturing. And a friend of mine came to mind and she had no reservations; she was down. That’s just how you’ve got to come at it. You’ve gotta find resources. Someone will always be willing to work, they just have to be presented with the opportunity. True. Well, you’ve accomplished a lot this decade. What’s been the biggest change in how videos are made during your time in the game? There hasn’t been much change. I think everything was changing when I was just getting in the game. Budgets were just beginning to shrink; it went from getting an average of $400,000 budgets to barely being able to get $100,000 dollar allowances. I’m sure that has been a frustrating trend in the industry. How have you been able to cope with the change? We work, bro. I never let an issue of money get in the way of my money. You have to keep working hard and eventually money and success won’t be a problem. // Words by J. Anderson OZONE MAG // 41