Chamothy The Great
A lot of people recognize you from your association with Die Slo but might not know you're also a dope solo artist. What do you think are the positives and negative aspects of being in a group when trying to also show the world that you can musically stand by yourself?
The positive is that I have a whole squad who supports whatever I do and helps in whatever way possible. We've built this brand name up over the years and it helps give anything I do an extra push. Otherwise people are still like "What the fuck is a Chamothy?" On the negative side, I have to do a little more to stand out. Otherwise I'm just "that cat from Die Slo," when in reality I made the beat, had something to do with the hook, recorded the song, mixed it etc. But that's what being part of a group is about, you gotta be able to put that ego aside. It takes a lot of parts to make this big machine work and keep it running so if one person isn't doing their part, we all feel it. My solo work is where I get to flex and let my ego out and have things exactly how I want when I want, on some my way or the highway type shit.
You've seen a lot of Austin rappers come up over the years. When did you first meet the guys in Die Slo? What are some of your first memories of seeing other hiphop acts that came out of Austin as well?
I met the homies in the squad through my homie Big K. He was cool with J-dub and J-dub had a Group with Mex and Sertified. After havin a few sessions with them we just clicked and JD was like "You should meet my homie Stat" who was a part of a group called THC. After makin a few tracks together everything else just started falling into place. Some of my greatest memories come from thuggin with the squad at Ruta Maya's. This is where I first saw acts who had already been doing things like COD, The Kriminals, Lil Sicc, etc. These were some of the first events where I saw artist performing a show and not just rapping in one spot.
When did you first get into making beats and rapping? What was the equipment you were using? What do you use now?
I've been making music forever since waaay back when I was in band playing the fuckin baritone because the drum section was full. The fuckin baritone bruh ... I had always liked writing songs and rappin and shit but I just never openly did it. When I got to high school Chamillionaire and Paul Wall was boomin at the time! That opened me up to the whole underground Htown sound and even Dallas had DSR and what not. We'd be in the locker room or at the back of the bus on the way to games just jammin instrumentals and trying to freestyle on some 99 "I done came down" type shit. I had joined choir around this time, then I got kicked out of athletics because I was always failing something. Since I wasn't on sports any more, I figured out I was good at choir. REALLY Good. My teacher convinced me to sign up for some music theory classes. I learned how to write sheet music before I ever had a computer. Then my Junior year, Moms got me a computer and shortly after a homie put me on FL. Thats what I used all the way up to last year when my computer went out. Now I'm on Logic and have no complaints.
Any new songs or projects you're trying to promote? What are you cooking up to drop next?
Definitely, I'm always working on something. Right now I have 2 singles out, MT4T's and E.D.M. (Early Dis Mornin), both of which are going to be on my "Dead Petals EP" coming out in a few weeks. It was originally intended as a free project I was doing to drive sales on "The Late Bloomer" since niggas are still sleepin on that but it took on a life of its own. I consider it the perfect mix of riding music and the whole 808/Trap/TurnUp sound goin around. Bottom line "Dead Petals" is shit people wanna hear. "The Late Bloomer" is shit people need to hear.
You can follow Chamothy The Great at twitter.com/iamchamothy and instagram.com/iamchamothy.
Soulfresca
So how did the group Soulfresca form?
Mayo: We went to middle school together, parted ways. Linked up several years down the road.
Steelo Foreign: Real recognize real. Max Lo layed the foundation, Mayo and I built the house. Bada boom bada bing.
Mayo: It's rare to find this type of chemistry so we took it and ran with it. Destiny. Lucy helped a little as well. We met Trey in middle school too. I created a group with Trey before Steelo and I created Soulfresca, called Capitol Outcast. We were serious but had no idea what we were doing. But we stuck with it.
Steelo Foreign: Then next thing you know we were workin on the "Upper Room" EP. We were just creating music for the city, 4 sessions at Launchpad and next thing you know we had an EP. It was just good to hit the ground runnin with your friends and just pretty much winging it. Whatever felt right at the time, we did it. Like Mayo, he's one of those people that I work with almost every day.
How would you describe your sound?
Mayo & Steelo: Good vibes. Good intentions. Good quality. Psychedelic freedom and Rick Rubin.
Your last EP was all produced by Max Lo. How did you link up with him?
Mayo: Max Lo is my uncle. He helped me out with a lot of confusion and was always there to put a smile on my face and a beer in my hand. I'm a writer, so having dope beats given to me by a seasoned producer like Max was a blessing. But he moved to Long Beach, and now Steelo produces Soulfresca's beats.
Steelo foreign: Yeah, Max is the unc for sure! I used to live with him for a bit before I started to produce and I'd wake up to him chopping a sample, dude would have like 5 beats done before breakfast. He definitely inspired me to start producing, and now that's what I do with the majority of my time. We may have some surprises real soon with some Maxlo production, y'all Just gotta stay tuned in.
Who have you been jamming recently? What's some of your favorite Texas music?
Steelo foreign: Personally I jam R&B as much as possible. Definitely my biggest influence production wise. It doesn't get much better then 90's R&B, and my appreciation for Texas music is still in the 90's, like Z-Ro, Paul Wall & Chamillionaire, DJ Screw, and maybe somebody like Devin the Dude, can be found being played around the house on a Monday or Tuesday, that's just how you get your mind right for the rest of the week. As for an artist that's modern day, JCole is a good one, he's one of those guys that I look to for his production more then his rapping. Just a solid musician to learn from.
Mayo: Recently? A lot of Queen, Sublime, Bob Marley, Daft Punk, Ghostland, Ritchie Havens, Gorillaz... I've been listening to hip hop since I was a toddler so it's been nice to venture off and listen to genres that spark new thoughts and emotions. The only Texas music on my iPod right now is all local Atx hip hop. There's great folks out here making solid music that deserves to be heard by the masses and I couldn't be more proud! It's happening!
You can follow SoulFresca at twitter.com/steeloforeign and twitter.com/cmayomusic.
Capn Kirk
Today people know you as one of the vocalists for some of Austin's buzzing new acts like Sip Sip and Subkulture Patriots. How did you get your start in music and how did you become involved with these groups?
First off, I just wanna thank all my friends, family and fans because without their support, none of this would have been possible. Growing up, my father was a professional musician. He played with groups like Timbuk 3 and the Killer Bees. And my mom always sang in the church choir so music has been a big part of my life. I never had the patience to take the time it takes to master an instrument but I like talking shit so I started rapping. And I guess you could say music runs in my blood. SKP (SubKulture Patriots) came around from a like minded approach to hip hop shared by myself, RuDi DeVino, HBZ and the Brain. We were fortunate enough to do some cool things I think in large part because we aren't the stereotypical Texas crew. And the throwback sound of Ruler Why was refreshing or nostalgic I think to some heads ears. Since forming in 2010 we have added DJ Aspekt and Austin vet DOS. So I'm really excited about what the future holds for us. Sip Sip was started by my brother AJ and some of his high school friends. So I basically just forced my way into the group using the big brother card about a year ago. I think they appreciate me now though hahaha. But really they started it originally with the intention of being a hip hop backing band. And at one point in time we flirted with the idea of SipKulture Patriots but it was just too many people. I managed to stick around and have been blessed and inspired to be able to work with some of Austin's finest musicians. It's really incredible. You can check Sip Sip out at Lamberts on May 30th. #shamelesspromotion
Your mixtape with fellow Austinite Click Clack effectively marks your solo debut. How would you describe that EP as far as stylewise and how it came together?
I'm so confused by the term "Mix Tape" haha but that's another discussion. But on the FMBO e'klektik project the first thing you notice is the beats are futuristic. I was there when they were being created and so I just channeled the energy they gave me. To me they said "grab a chick, roll up, pour up, turn the music up and ride," so that's what I tried to convey with the lyrics. I called it e'klektik because the style of my delivery is derived from several styles if you will. I did what people in the city and around the country know me for on tracks like "Grind" and "mAKe" as well as what people who hang out with me know me for like "BBO," "Dead Brain" and "Stupid Fly". As far as the concept, I just thought it would be funny to make like a mixed breed wave. Its kind of a joke because I think everyone is a "mixed breed". But some people take that shit so seriously. Me and Click Clack are both mutts so it made sense to outsiders I guess. If you haven't checked it out yet. Get fucked up and go to www.fmbomusic.com!
A lot of locals in the city know you rep 78723. What are your thoughts on the recent changes in the area and the overall gentrification of East Austin as the town grows in stature and value?
I love the 23. Three fourths of my immediate family members still live there including myself. It was a great place to grow up in Austin because of the cultural diversity. There were black, Latino and white families who all called each other neighbors. Change is hard; on one hand, you want to see your property increase in value and your neighborhood to create revenue. But it is tough when the reality of that means some people aren't going to be able to afford their homes and are forced to leave a place they lived for 20 plus years. When it starts to lose its diversity due to the relocation of its original inhabitants then it loses some of what made it such a notoriously great place to live. When some out of towner builds a million dollar house next door to yours and the hipsters start pouring out the wood works like fucking white walkers, sometimes you wanna swerve on a biker. But all in all, like everything there is an upside and a downside. I will say though, not fearing a plane is gonna land on your home is nice.
Who were some of your favorite artists coming up? Who were some of the emcees who influenced your style?
Coming up I listened to ALOT of different types of music. I loved Bob Marley, DJ Screw (SUC), Nirvana, OutKast, Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Pac, Rage Against the Machine, Beethoven, The Wu Tang Clan, Bach, Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre. I think I was most heavily influenced by Zach De La Rocha, Ghost Face Killah, Biggie, DJ Screw and SUC.
You can follow Capn Kirk at twitter.com/23_CapnKirk and instagram.com/therealcapnkirk.
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