Wassup Big Ken? This is Al T. for New
Power Magazine. How's everything going for yall ?
Big Ken: Wassup man. Everything is going
real good.
Could you start off by giving the readers
some history on you all and how you started off?
Big Ken: Ok. We are 334 Mobb, consisting
of myself Big Ken and Sawed Off, from Montgomery, AL. The Gump,
a.k.a. The Gutta. That 's what we call it. We started off working
with my pops, singing gospel. Pounding niggas. I'm talking bout,
like the Jackson 5. You know what I'm saying ? Then we just kind
of went astray and got into
the rap thing. Right now we just rap, sing, and produce. And that's
where we came from. My Pops is a minister and was real strict
on us. Then, you know, we got into them streets in the Gump, southside
Normandale, and just started doing other things. We got it all
wrapped up in one.
NP: You all were once a part of Raheem's
label Tight 2 Def. How did that experience affect your approach
in the music business today?
Big Ken: Being with Raheem was a cool
experience. We sat behind Raheem a lot. Found out what he was
doing. It made the experience a little bit better. Just dealing
with people like Raheem, you got to have your eyes open and be
on your P's and Q's. It made me a better busi-ness man than I
was. Doing the things he wasn't doing, we are doing now. It all
worked out for the good. But like I say, too, we wish Raheem the
best. He just went through some problems himself. We praying for
him and his outcome, and he's already out of it. But business
is good. Just being around him, he gave us different exposures
in different areas. We all know Raheem is very known in the Atlanta
area. We met a lot of people and did a lot of things. But now
we are no longer affiliated with him. We moved own. Business is
business.
NP: Do you all have your own independent
label now or are yall just working as a production company?
Big Ken: Right now the label is Blackdrop
Entertainment. That's basically what we came up with. We sat down
one day and was thinking like what's the next move? And we found
out that nobody's gonna work for you like you. Nobody knows your
passion like you know it. You know how you want to build your
house better than anybody. So if you are capable of doing it,
that's what you should do. That's basically our house, BlackDrop
Entertainment. And the production company is Beat Kings. That's
us too. Me, my partner T-man, and Walt. We are the Beat Kings
- the production company. Blackdrop is the label. We got a few
artist, consistings of us, and a R&B artist named Tiffany
Day. Just different artist just trying to do it. Trying to sign
this deal. So labels don't get us twisted. We aint signing to
nobody basically. It's our label. we had to start something.
NP: So what’s the name of the first
single off the album you all have out now?
Big Ken: The name of the first single is
called "Uh-oh, They Fighting" featuring T-Rock, who
was formally with Three-Six Mafia. Basically came form the clubs
when somebody start fighting and they have to shut it down. We
cut two of them. The other single is "Nah Mean”. You
know how everybody be saying "u know what I mean?".
We just called it "Nah Mean". Then we leaked another
one out called "So Tired'. That's how we got
hit up by Contglomeriaty Films. They wanted to shoot a video for
a DVD called 3rd Coast All-stars of that song (So Tired). The
song is basically talking bout hardships and
what we going through.
NP: Was all the production on the album
done by you all, and did you all have any special appearances?
Big Ken: The street album is what we dropping,
also known as the mixtape. But we are not going to call it a mixtape.
A lot of artist get it confused. To us DJs drop mixtapes, we drop
street albums. On the street album we got DJ Drama- who yall talked
to before, DJ Bobby Black, DJ Navs from Hot 107.9 in Atlanta,
Bonecrusher, David Banner, and Sammy Sam. The main DJ that is
mixing it is DJ Judgemental. We also got Tiffany Day and all the
production is basically done by us the Beatkings. A lot of cats
know that our production is some of the tightest in the industry
as far as independent artist, as far as any artist! We got heat
up on the beat. Holla at ya f olk, 1-800-203-2270.
NP: Besides rap, what are some of the other
genres of music that influence your style of music?
Big Ken: Well us, I'll say me personally.
I listen to Anthony Hamilton, Scarface, Calvin Richardson, gospel
- like Mighty CLouds of Joy. I try to listen to anything to get
that down home southern feel. We listen to commercial guys, too.
But we basically try to keep it hood. We just got to keep broadening
our horizons and keep different things in our ear. We can't just
bump Lil Jon all day, cause sometime you don't want to get crunk.
You want to calm down some time and listen to Anthony Hamilton's
"Coming From Where I'm From". We felt that to death.
Just listening to him sing as if he was in jail, he sung it like
he meant it. Scarface really talk like he means it. Now Sawed
Off on the other hand probably like Crucial Conflict, Twista,
Goodie Mobb. We just keep it wide open man. Cause if you just
listen to one type of music, your music is going to sound like
one type of music.
NP: Well we see that in the South that
Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, and some parts of Florida is known
pretty well, in your opinion what is it going to take for the
Twin States Mississippi/Alabama) to start gettin the recognition
they need?
Big Ken: Since you ask that question, I
want to clear something up. A lot of people
ask us why did we move to Atlanta? We didn't move to Atlanta just
for the music opportunity. When we were still in Alabama, we was
looking at all these artist on TV, and we was sitting in our room
and all you think about is "we can't never get there, do
this and do that". My parents had moved to Atlanta. We stayed
here in Alabama. We didn't want to move to Georgia. We was like
"For What?" But then later we got kicked out the house.
We got our stuff threw out on the street. So then we moved to
Georgia, then we got contacted about doing a song with Sammy Sam
and Lil John, but later we got took off of it cause we did not
sign the contract with them. But really its going to take f A&R's
to come down and look at Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma and look
at these places that is untouched. It’s like how can a man
make money if money is not in his community. I see these dope
boys with they label working it. I seen Banner come down and work
the Atlanta market. I'm sure MS was showing him love. But it is
sad that you got to leave. I mean you got to leave. Cause being
in Alabama its a lot of cats that is just stuck. It’s an
artist down there got a song called "Stuck in the South,"
and that's really what you feel. All this talent and passion down
here and nobody recognizes us. Unitl Def Jam and Universal start
picking up the New Power Magazine, and the magazines that is really
representing Tha Gutta, that's when they gone say "We been
sleeping.” New York ,I don't want to hear no more New York
garbage." Dont nobody hate on them. After Jay-Z, I don't
need to here no Fabolous. All these rappers sounding the same.
Its starting to get repetitious. Let's hear something else. Shout
out to Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi. Shout out to part of Mississippi
that don't nobody know about. That's for real. Cats that’s
down in the gutta that’s grindin. I feel you. 334
Mobb feel you man.
NP: What are some of the things that keep
you motivated when you thought things were not going to get better?
Big Ken: You sit down and look at your
environment. I'm 21.I say to myself, where am I going to be at
35? I love my Pops. I look at him, seeing him working, and breaking
his back. Do this and that to make ends meet. I don't want to
be at that same spot. I want to be more than that. That 's motivation
enough. The cats that I be around, I know when they 40 they still
going be smoking dope, and selling that same crack that is destroying
their people. I don't knock nobody cause we did what we did, but
at the same time I know I don't want to be at that same spot.
That's some more motivation. When you sit around and see people
on TV that don't have as much tatent as you. That drives you.
And Really, The Faith in God. The faith of a mustard seed moves
a mountain. Thats the faith in the crack and the prostitution.
You got to have faith in God man. That's what moves us. Our family
and friends is our motivation. And big shout outs to The New Power
Magazine. Big Shout outs to
KG.
NP: In 2 to 5 years, where do you see 334
Mobb?
Big Ken: A lot of people ask us that question,
and right now I can't say. I just hope we are further. Thats basically
what all I can say. There is no guarantee that you are going to
see tommorow. I can sit here and say this all day. 334 Mobb is
going to go platinum. I don't know man. I just hope my brother
stays out of trouble. I hope I stay out of trouble. I just hope
to be alive in 2 to 3 years and just keep kickin it. As far as
the music tip, cats got to know that 334 Mobb is one of the realest
groups out. We are not going around here flossin about ice and
diamonds. For what ? That's not what I see. That's what make my
people want to rob you. And cats wondering why? Its because you
running around here flossin. In 2 to 3 years man, I just want
to be alive.
NP: Is there anything else you want to
say to the readers before we close?
Big Ken: All I want to say is look for
that 334 Mobb street album "Here in the Gutta Vol. 1".
I don' t want to be like other niggas man. Get the cd. I don't
care if you down-
load it. Just as long as you get the message. This is like the
Farakhan newspaper, everybody needs it. If anybody want to book
us call 1-800-203-2270 or e-mail us at
whois334mobb@aol.com. Hell Yeah I'm putting the information out
there. I don't give a fuck what another nigga do. Cause if a label
want to get in contact with us, get in contact with us. We trying
to spread the gospel. And Shout out to The New Power Magazine
and who ever is reading this. This is a real magazine . I hope
God bless yall into being one of the biggest publications in the
nation. Its like.. magazines like the Source aint even repping
the South. The South the biggest force in the music industry.
And they still got Benzino f uck - ass on the cover and shit.
That's why Isupport The New Power Magazine. I'm giong to get cats
from the Gutta to support it, too. So from 334 Mobb, anything
that The New Power Magazine needs, contact 334 man and we be there
for you. Like I told KG, I would appreciate just a corner in the
magazine with our name on it and no picture, cause its just a
blessing to be in it and for your parents and friends to see you
in it. Like the cats are doing something. But much love to The
New Power Magazine and be on the look out for that 334 Mobb street
album "Here in the Gutta Vol.1".
visit our website at: www.334.net
1-800-203-2270
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