Trae interview from WWC

[ABN]

WorldWideConnected.com: What made you wanna go from being underground to being distributed by Rap-A-Lot?

I mean on the independant scene I’ve seen alot of money, ya know… but I was only able to move so many units. Now for what I’m doing and the movement, I’m trying to really expand world wide so I feel I needed that machine behind me. With that machine behind me there’s really no way I can loose, really. I can only win with that machine behind me.

WorldWideConnected.com: But you still got your label G Maab Entertainment, right?

Yeah

WorldWideConnected.com: Are you still in creative control?

Yeah I’m in creative control. Anything I do man, it’s a mutual understanding with me and the label cuz you know that will only be right. I got my fanbase from doing what I do. My fanbase grew every time I drop so I need to keep doing what I do. I feel like I got a new sound I’m bringing into the game. I’m not trying to do what everybody else do. I’m not trying to jump on the bandwagon. I can just do me and I’mma be aaight.

WorldWideConnected.com: Your first release with Rap-A-Lot will be your solo album Restless. Can you tell me a little bit about the album?

Restless is all new. It’s a new album. No redid songs. The album was produced by Q-Stone and I got a couple of tracks Mr Rass Nova, G-Line Entertainment and Young Chill. I mean Restless is hot and it’s been anticipated for a long time. It still is! So it’s like everything’s gonna be like a new entity. It’s gonna show the world everything there is about me, from my street credibility to everything man. The album is just an all around classic, man.

WorldWideConnected.com: Why did you name it Restless?

You know it’s like… say you went to a movie or something, or anybody’s life story, when it comes to the point that they restless at any given time anything is about to happen they can end up going off or anything can happen. Hurtin’ somebody or anything. When it comes to the point that you’re restless, you finna give it to all. You’re getting’ tired of going through the same shit you’re going through, ya know what I’m sayin’?

WorldWideConnected.com: Yeah ok. You mentioned a few producers. Do you have any guests on there?

Yeah of course. Young Noble from The Outlawz, Jim Jones from Dipset, Paul Wall, 3-6 Mafia, UGK, S.L.A.B Slow Loud And Bangin’, Mya, Shayna, Bun B, Fat Pat… I mean there’s quite a few features but see the way I did it I did it good. You know how somebody will have an album full of features? It ain’t like that I got a lot of songs by myself. But what I did was I collaborated with some people on there but didn’t let it overcrowd my album. It still got a good feel.

WorldWideConnected.com: What’s the release date?

June 25th.

WorldWideConnected.com: What’s the name of the first single?

First single right now that everybody’s bumpin’ is “Swang”.

WorldWideConnected.com: Yeah I’ve heard it it’s a real tight song. Why did you pick that track as the first single?

Cuz it represents our culture and it represents two of my partnas that passed away which is DJ Screw and Fat Pat. A lot of people understand about down south and they understand about the slow type of music but they’re not really understanding where it’s coming from or what went with it. So what I did since my album is highly anticipated and they are gonna listen to whatever I put out the first time around, I felt that this was the best way for me to come out, ya know?

WorldWideConnected.com: Yeah.

There was no better way to represent my team and what I do.

WorldWideConnected.com: You mentioned DJ Screw. What do you think would’ve been different in the rap game if he was still alive?

Well… One: Everybody wouldn’t be leaching off his name trying to sell a few records. We wouldn’t let that happen and we still don’t let that happen at all. And two: It would kind of be the same because at the end of the day he was gonna Screw this whole world up and that’s what’s happening now. Everybody’s understanding what Screw is. I mean that’s a whole different way to look at it.

WorldWideConnected.com: Yeah.

What I can say is that his name ain’t never gonna die as long as we’re living.

WorldWideConnected.com: So you don’t like when people slow their music down and call it Screwed, huh?

Let me tell you about it, man. They don’t understand! They think this is something that’s just gonna sell them a few more records, but they don’t understand that that was a man and they don’t understand that that’s a culture. That’s the way that life’s been down here in the south basically around Texas and Louisiana, ya know? So it’s like… they need to understand what it is before they just slap that title on their CD. They need to know more about that man and they need to know what it is… And if they really wanna use it, they need to contribute to his family for using it.

WorldWideConnected.com: Yeah…

Whenever you see my titles you never see me put “Screwed” on my titles I always put SLAB. SLAB! Read my lips: SLAB! SLAB stands for Slow Loud And Bangin’. I made S.L.A.B to make a form of slow music so I can represent how my n*gga represented, but I don’t really use his name like that. I uplift his name in my music, but I did it to where I can still represent for him in the right way and I know I feel comfortable with it.

WorldWideConnected.com: Ok. You’re known for keeping it real. Do you see a lot of rappers in the rap-game doing that?

Yeah, some. It ain’t a lot, but there’s some.

WorldWideConnected.com: What do you think about the people representing the South?

I mean at the end of the day… I’m proud cuz it’s my own team at the front like that. I mean I can’t really judge somebody I mean they made their music I didn’t do it. All I can speak on is myself and what I bring into the game: Straight realness and street shit. I represent for a lot of mothaf*ckas, man. That’s what I’m bringing to the game. I’m not bringing nothing but what I feel is right. It’s the truth. That’s why they call me “Trey the truth”.

WorldWideConnected.com: Allright. You’ve released quite a few underground albums. Which one would you say is your favourite?

At the end of the day, I don’t have a favourite song or favourite album because everything new is basically just me spittin’ out so I feel a different way at different times. So I don’t really have a favourite. I might be in an aggravated mood and wanna pop in one of these CD’s, or I might just feel a down and out mood and bump something more for that. Different moods for different reasons, so…

WorldWideConnected.com: I mean do you feel like you’ve got to top the older albums, that by many are considered classics?

Yeah one thing I’ve got to do when my album drops is I’ve got to top the last one. If I can’t top the last one I won’t put it out. I won’t feel comfortable. Cuz you know I do this shit for my brother Dinky who’s incarcerated, man, and if I’m gonna be at the best I can be I always got to elevate more.

WorldWideConnected.com: Are you working on any other projects right now?

Right now I’m in the process of thinking out exactly how I wanna do it but I’m in the works of trying to get a movie together. I’m doing videos now with South Porches Films. Whatever you can think of I’m in it, man. I’m out here to get it. These other mothaf*ckas are out here playin but I’m out here getting’ it for real.

WorldWideConnected.com: You had some legal problems when you were younger. How did that affect you?

It made me wake up from being a young hard-head. At the end of the day, it was a blessing. I mean I’m younger than a mothaf*cka trying to be out here… I ain’t gonna say I was wrong for the wrong reasons, but I wasn’t necessarily wrong for the right reasons either, ya know? When people do bad they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do to survive. That’s what I felt I had to do, but I ended up getting caught up one day and they really brought reality to my ears. We’re talking real large time numbers that I wasn’t… I mean if I had to do it I would’ve done it but that’s not something that I wanna do. I don’t wish that upon no man. But at the end of the day they dropped the case from aggravated robbery to just regular assault so that was a way for me to get probation off of it. It came out allright but I’m not a dumbass so it was all too much for me to pick up. As a kid they scared the shit outta me so I learned my lesson.

WorldWideConnected.com: Allright. Do you plan on doing any touring?

Yeah. Rap-A-Lot is setting up some stuff for me right now, so…

WorldWideConnected.com: Yeah Rap-A-Lot’s got a lot of projects dropping this year. Will you be a part of other Rap-A-Lot projects?

Ofcourse man. You’ve got to realize, man, that for me loyalty is everything. So whatever they’re doing I’m gonna support it. They support me and I support them. That’s what family come in.

WorldWideConnected.com: How about a Guerilla Maab project? Is that in the works or…

Naw. I mean everybody’s really working on their solo-careers right now.

WorldWideConnected.com: There was a rumour saying you and Z-Ro weren’t on good terms.

I mean at the end of the day everybody go through what they go through and grow. That’s my cousin and that ain’t gonna never change, so… So regardless of our disagreement or whatever… You know us having disagreements with us doing what we’re doing for a living, it’s always gonna get spiked up 20 times more than what it really is. At the end of the day we sat at the table and we talked, and that shit is over with now. It really wasn’t that big, we were just disagreeing. We ride like two different persons now. He’s doing what he’s doing and I’m doing what I’m doing. People ask us all the time: Will we do another album? I don’t know if we sit down at the table and if that’s what we come up with then cool. If not, we’re still gonna tell everybody “go pick up his album” and “go pick up my album”, ya know? It ain’t really that big of a deal. We just ride it for what it is, man.

WorldWideConnected.com: You mentioned doing a movie. What kind of movie’s that?

I got a few ideas. This first one is really gonna look on over my album and what I need to do so I haven’t really decided how I’m gonna come out with this first one here, but when I do decide it’s gonna be on… Like right now I’ve got to sit at the table and make sure what I’m gonna do. If this [a DVD] is what I’m gonna do then I’mma get in there and I’mma write on some scripts and once we have a script we deal with the best.

WorldWideConnected.com: Do you have any other artists on your label at the moment?

S.L.A.B. Slow Loud And Banging. That’s my main focus right now.

WorldWideConnected.com: So there’s an album coming from them too?

Yeah they’re coming.

WorldWideConnected.com: What kind of stuff do you listen to when you don’t listen to your own music?

Umm… I listen to a little bit of everything, man. I’ve got a lot of love for D-Block, like Jadakiss and them, and… I fuck with a lot of people, so…

WorldWideConnected.com: J Prince had some stuff to say about G-Unit. Is that something that you’re gonna get involved with?

It’s simple. J’s on my team, so at the end of the day if he ain’t feelin’ something I’ve got enough love and respect to ride with his emotion. Whatever he’s feelin’ is what I’m feelin’. Just like I’m sure if I have a problem with somebody they’re gonna ride it out with me. So whatever he’s feelin’ I ride with it. I mean shit, it is what it is… The way I see it right now I don’t think anybody wanna come down here fuckin’ with us. We got this right now.

WorldWideConnected.com: It’s a big year for Rap-A-Lot…

Not just this year. It’s like a helicopter. We got a lot of shit coming and they’ve got a young asshole on the team now so we ridin’.


WORD ASSOCIATION

Paul Wall

That’s my homie. One of my closest homies.

Kool G Rap

I just did a song with 'em.

The Bootleg Squad

Shit I thought it was funny, hahaha.

J Prince

That’s my homie, man. It’s like an older brother, you know mentor type of thing.

Bun B

That’s my homie too.

Master P

He got his hustle on, man… so he a hustler.

Fat Pat

A legend and one of my true homies. One of my team-mates.

Scarface

A pioneer.

Young Noble

Oh yeah that’s one of my close homies. He’s been doing his thing a long time and he deserve everything he get, man.

Yourself, Trae

Asshole by nature. The truth. Dinky’s little brother. That’s what it is, man.

WorldWideConnected.com: Anything else you wanna say before we wrap this up?

Free Dinky. D. R.I.P DJ Screw. R.I.P Fat Pat… And shit I’m an asshole till I die. Trae the truth the streets can’t be fucked with.

[Eddie G.]

Good interview, props

[Bojakabo]

nice, looking forward to that album