TRUE: You are southern bred but when a soulful twist to your music, how would you best describe your style?
SP: My style is a mixture of gospel, blues, soul, and the golden age of hip-hop. You put that in a blender you would probably pour out Slimm Pusha’s style of music.
TRUE: You prefer to travel solo and not with an entourage, what do you think are the benefits of that in this game? Do you think that there is anything that you are missing out on experience wise from not having a lot of people around you?
SP: I cant think of anything that I’m missing out on by not having a huge entourage. In this game, I’ve seen that keeping a ton of people around who serve no true purpose can put you in a tight spot. I definitely belong to an army of silent assassins. But while I’m doing my own thing, the less you chill with the less you deal with. Right now, my circle is the size of a Cheerio. I say work hard, do your own thing and the right people who belong in your circle will come to you and stay.
TRUE: You had a plan to get into the industry through a different way of doing things. Tell us how you broke down the industry and what moves you made that were different from the traditional way of getting your music heard
SP: Well truthfully, I just didn’t want to spam and bug people. I didn’t want to sleep in the radio station begging someone to play my records. I did no talent shows, and I’ve never put out a solo “mix-tape”. I simply wanted to build my own house. I emcee’d parties for about 4 years and unconsciously built a fan base of people who pushed my music. I kind of used the same techniques used to promote parties to promote my music. Staying present on the internet and consistent with good music and creativity kind of got people’s attention. I didn’t really break down the industry, I linked up with LostBoy who manages me, a lawyer who gave a fuck, then took the advice that I was given, said a prayer or three, studied, and continued doing what made sense to my purpose.
TRUE: What artists did you listen to the most when you were growing up? Who was the most influential to your style?
SP: Growing up, the artists that I listened to the most were LL COOL J, Michael Jackson, and Master P. The first album that I ever brought was Ghetto D, no rhyme intended (laughs) The funny thing is that I had to sneak and buy it. I was raised in a Pentecostal home, so anything that wasn’t gospel was not allowed. Nevertheless, we would sneak and listen to the radio to hear artist like Kilo Ali, Raheem The Dream, 8Ball and MJG, UGK, Tupac Shakur, Snoop and Dre, Scarface, Notorious B.I.G. Bone Thugs N Harmony, and really anyone that came on the hiphop radio stations in Alabama in the 90s. The most influential to my style? well I’m inspired by character so, I’ll have to say Denzel Washington, D’Angelo, Tupac, and Pimp C. It’s kind of hard to find a genuine southern emcee who the Pimp has not inspired, he is to the south what Tupac is to the west.
TRUE: Do you enjoy creating the music in the studio more than you do performing on stage in front of people?
SP: I love to create, so I would have to pick the studio before the stage, yet their sort of tit for tat.
TRUE: What about your music do you bring to the table that is not on the mainstream yet? What about you will give fans a breath of fresh air?
SP: In my luggage I bring techniques from blues and the golden age, creativity, fun, courage and truth or encouraging truth. Real people want real music, you’re going to get some wild and crazy shit from me, but I can never forget that hiphop appreciates you more when you’re honest.
TRUE: Of all of the famous producers that are out there right now, whos beats do you think best fits your style?
SP: Pharrell, QD3, Johnny “J”, and Big K.R.I.T.
TRUE: You also have skills on the piano and played the drums when you were younger, do you want to get into producing as well? Why or why not?
SP: I’ve always been into producing, I actually produced a track entitled “GoodNite” which served as the outro to “illDoMagic.” I’m a musician first, everything else comes second and I’ll be producing alot more in the future.
TRUE: What do you think is the main key to you converting into a superstar artist and staying there?
SP: Stay Humble, trust God, work hard and be consistent!
TRUE: Tell us about the “Illdomagic” project, do you have a concept behind it? How does it differ from your other projects?
SP: IllDoMagic is the third part to a four part series. Music is magical to me, how one song can change your whole life. The title really reads “illDoMusic”. It’s a ton of similarities between magic and music. IllDoMagic was the start of a little less partying, all projects. Before that, we were kind of wrapped around my party life.
TRUE: What do you think is the biggest accomplishment of your career to date?
SP: My nomination as the most promising male artist for the UMA’s ( Underground Music Awards) It’s nice to know somebody is watching Mississippi.
TRUE: Is there anything that you have learned along the way that you wish you would have learned from the beginning? What is it and how did you learn the hard way?
SP: Even tho this is such a given, business and pleasure do not mix. I lost a friend by learning that the hard way.
TRUE: Tell us about the Ladyfriend short film. How did you come up with the concept? Who helped create it? How is it doing right now with viewership?
SP: The Short Film LadyFriend was filmed and edited by Premier Guy and directed by B. Rabbit. I had where I wanted to go and staying as realistic as possible. I actually made him go back and put the part in with me eating ramen noodles, because its real to me. shoutout to all the ladies who played a part in bringing my words BACK to life (laughs)
TRUE: What other careers do you plan on tapping into besides hip hop? What are your other goals in life?
SP: Eventually I would like to tap into movies, acting and directing, besides that it’s all in music. All I’ve ever wanted to do was build my own doing music. That includes song writing and producing.
TRUE: What other projects will you be working on for 2013? How can fans reach you and hear more of your music?
SP: In February, I will be releasing my fourth project entitled “DayvidBlaine: Above The Below” which is available on iTunes and www.slimmpusha.com. It’s a little bit more personal than my previous projects. It features Steve Cantrell from GA and all the production comes from Mississippi, with the exception of two records. I also have two more short films in the works from the new project Dayvid Blaine as I gear up to release my 5th project later this year. My name SlimmPusha is everywhere, you can download the SlimmPusha Application on your smart phone to stay up to date or visit www.slimmpusha.com | @slimmpusha on twitter | slimmpusha on instagram | and slimmpusha on Facebook. Im not a celebrity (laughs) I’m just a good artist so I’ll respond.
Much Love to True Magazine for featuring ya main man. It is much appreciated.
