Slimm Calhoun: Cutta Calhoun (Interview)

[Lunatic]

http://www.wordofsouth.com/online/?p=1982

WordofSouth.com: We’re here with Dungeon Family alumni Slimm Calhoun. Tell us the back story of how you met OutKast and became apart of the Dungeon Family.

Slimm Calhoun: It started back in the 90s. I was working with a group called Missile which Bobby Valentino was in and Organized Noize was doing a lot of music for them. I had just been working and trying to network. I then got with Mr. DJ and I was just pursuing my own career as far as rap, doing what I like to do basically. Me and Mr. DJ got together and put a few songs together. He was actually the DJ for OutKast at the time. He played a couple of songs for Big [Boi] and Dre [Andre 3000]. A few years later, they were working on the “Aquemini” album and they wanted one of the songs that I did. Big Boi was interested in trying to put it on there. We never got the business taken care of to get that done.

After that, one day Mr. DJ just happened to call me and asked if I was interested in signing with OutKast. They wanted me to be the first artist on their label Aquemini. From that, we linked up and I met them at the studio. We did a song called “High Schoolin’” which was on the “Light it up” soundtrack for the movie. That was the first song I did with OutKast. From that, everything else happened and we got to working on my album. I signed with Elektra and the first single was of course “It’s Ok” featuring Dre [Andre 3000] and I had Big Boi on “Dirt Work.”

Of course I was on “Gangsta Shit” on the “Stankonia” album, I was on a song called “The Last Call” on the “Speakerboxxx/Love Below” album on the Big Boi side. I did a few other features on other soundtracks and things like that. It is what it is.

WordofSouth.com: You touched on a bunch of stuff I want to talk about. First off, was it a no brainer to sign with Aquemini back in the late 90s?

Slimm Calhoun: Oh, most definitely it was a no brainer. There was no doubt about it. They were of course one of the hottest rap groups and still are one of the best groups of all time. It was definitely a no brainer as far as the situation. The rest is history, they welcomed me with open arms and we just started making music.

WordofSouth.com: And were you happy with Elektra being the distributor for the album?

Slimm Calhoun: Well we had a couple of differences as far as with the label in terms of the business side of things that wasn’t working out as far as with them and Elektra. Before I left Elektra with the Aquemini situation, Sylvia Rhone was trying to sign me directly to Elektra, but Big [Boi] wanted to keep me as an artist on their roster. I rolled with the punches and tried to make it happen. With the business of music and them trying to get me a new deal situated, that’s what has been taking so long to get this album out. Of course Big Boi did the Purple Ribbon situation at that time when I was exploring other options as far as putting music out, but I was still supporting him.

Actually the song “Body Rock” that was on that Purple Ribbon album came from my little cousin who I brought up under me. That was actually a song he and a couple of other guys had. They purchased that song and put Killer Mike on that one for that Purple Ribbon. We’re still networking and keeping the business going. I was just at the studio the other night with Big [Boi]. They’re actually having a party tonight at the Velvet Room that he’s performing at (editor’s note: interview was completed on August 20th) so I will be at that tonight. We are still supporting each other.

I’m actually trying to work out some business with him now about putting this second Slimm Calhoun album out. I have a new single called “Buckle Up” featuring Bobby Valentino and it’s a hot one with the ladies. We’re trying to get all the business ready before we put it out and go full speed ahead with it.

WordofSouth.com: So your relationship with OutKast today is still very good?

Slimm Calhoun: Oh most definitely. We’ve been all hanging out these last couple of months. We’ve been trying to get everything back in order and how it was, situated. Of course with music being how it is, it’s totally different. The music game is totally different now than it was then. You have a lot more artists out here now. With the economy being the way it is labels aren’t spending as much money and not signing onto a lot of projects as much as before. We’re just looking for the best situation to put this new project out. We just want everybody comfortable and happy.

WordofSouth.com: To reflect one more time, are you happy with how much promotion Elektra put into the album?

Slimm Calhoun: Promotion wise they did pretty decent. A lot of it was the timing. It was always piggybacking off the “Stankonia” album. Originally, the “Stankonia” album was supposed to come out before it actually did. What happened was when I dropped my single and we were getting stuff hot in 2000 because that’s when my single came out, my album actually came out in 2001. My single played for a year straight before I actually dropped my album. Where the ball got dropped, they wanted to push the OutKast album back to the fourth quarter and with me being a new artist, Elektra didn’t want to put me out in the fourth quarter because they wanted to try and put me out in the first quarter of the following year. I was originally slated to come out in the second or third quarter and the OutKast album was going to come out at the same time. When “Stankonia” got pushed back, that pushed my project back which kind of threw everything off track.

When my actual album came out in 2001, that kind of slowed the motion because when the album finally came out, I didn’t even have a new single out at the time. We were on the road with the “Stankonia” tour when we put “The Cut Song” out. That actually wasn’t supposed to be the second single – “Dirt Work” with Big Boi was slated to be the second single. The label was calling trying to figure out what we could shoot really quick and easy to go ahead and get something else out there and get started on the next project. That’s what kind of slowed the motion down for me. At the time when the single was out, the momentum was behind the record and everything was moving well. It was just a lot of political things as far as issues. They wanted me to kind of piggyback off the OutKast album and they tried to protect their money by giving me the best chance of me selling records as I could. But when that happened and the OutKast album got pushed back, we had to push my album back to the following year.

I actually turned my album in around 1999 and it ended up coming out in 2001. It was just a lot of behind the scenes political things that were going on that slowed the motion up. But initially with everything they had done, it was all moving well and in motion. The single was doing what it needed to do, #1 on the charts as far as rap singles for over a month. We did what we needed to do initially and just a lot of political things threw off the motion in the end. That slowed the whole process of my album coming out.

WordofSouth.com: And what happened to your label situation with Elektra after the album came out?

Slimm Calhoun: Like I told you earlier, Big and Dre wanted to move the label to a different label because they weren’t satisfied with Elektra as far as their own personal business and situations that didn’t involve me of course. It was their personal label situation with Elektra. Sylvia Rhone wanted to sign me directly to Elektra. Big Boi welcomed that if I wanted to do that but he told me he really wanted me to stick with them and he had my best interest at hands with whatever they could do, he would do. Unfortunately over time and him trying to work a new deal with for the Killer Mike situation with Columbia, it was just a lot of timing and it slowed down the motion. A lot of time passed and we’re still trying to get everybody under the Aquemini umbrella situated with their new situation. It was just a lot of time. Through time, he [Big Boi] started getting different thoughts, feedback and ideas about what you want to do. I stayed as long as I could.

Andre 3000 decided he wanted to pull out of the label because he didn’t want to do the label thing anymore. Big Boi went on and decided to do the Purple Ribbon situation. He wanted me to be apart of that situation but at that time, a couple of years had past so I was trying to explore some other options. I was still featured on the second Goodie Mob album and I was on a couple of independent records. We put a Calhouns album out with me and Cool Breeze. That was called The Calhouns and we put that project out. I was on [Big] Gipp’s solo album. I was on several other projects that I was on. A lot of them weren’t big projects as far as record sales so a lot of people didn’t necessarily know that I was on this or that. I was involved with a lot of independent albums.

They weren’t huge albums but I’m still working. I’m still trying to make everything make sense. I’ve been recording for a long time. I never stop recording because I have a studio at the house so I cut records on the regular.

WordofSouth.com: What types of other options were you exploring? You did a bunch of guest appearances like you said with the different OutKast albums and the KonKrete “What Cha Wanna Do” track. You did slow down though so what other options were you looking at?

Slimm Calhoun: Not even career options, just better situations as far as the music and networking. It’s just been a process dealing with the labels and still trying to keep OutKast apart of the situation and just trying to figure out the best way that makes the most sense for me. Even right now, I have a situation through Fontana/Universal on the table. I’m trying to get Big [Boi] and them apart of it. It’s a situation I can do by myself but me just being loyal to the fam and still trying to keep the brand there, I’m still trying to incorporate them into the project as well. We’re trying to work out the business in that end. We’re still trying to see what makes the most sense.

Being an artist on another artist’s label people don’t understand is actually a harder grind. A lot of people want to see all of us on the same form at the same time and not every artist is always necessarily on the same platform. With OutKast already selling as many records as they sold prior to me coming out, of course they were up there as far as status. For me coming into the game, they brought me on a higher platform but at the same time, there are other markets and things that you have to and lots of ground work that needs to be done for your album to be successful.

WordofSouth.com: So is Fontana/Universal the potential home for the second Slimm Calhoun album?

Slimm Calhoun: For one project it definitely is an option. I just did three songs on the Killer Mike “Underground Atlanta” album that will be out in September. I’m on three tracks on that and that album is actually through Fontana/Universal also. We’re just trying to work together with everybody and help each other out as far as which networks and outlets each one of us has. Hopefully will have this new Slimm Calhoun project in early 2010. I was trying to get something out by the end of this year. The people that I’m actually working with through Fontana, the guy who I’m dealing with has another project he’s dealing with for this fourth quarter. That is why we pushed my situation back to hopefully the first quarter of next year. We’re just trying to get the business straight. Like I said I would like to get Big Boi and Dre 3000 involved if possible. We’re still trying to work it out and they still have obligations as far as their own personal projects and things that they have to do. We just have to see how it works out.

WordofSouth.com: I want to speak about your appearances on the Killer Mike “Underground Atlanta” compilation. It doesn’t seem that Killer Mike is cool with OutKast anymore. What is your relationship currently like with Killer Mike?

Slimm Calhoun: Me and Killer [Mike] are cool. We know that business is business. That’s how we look at it. At the end of the day, we all came into the game as friends, homeboys and what not. But you have to handle your business. Everybody is trying to eat. We don’t do this just to do this and be saying that we do it. Business is business. I ran into Killer Mike at the mall. He told me what he was doing and he asked me to be apart of his project. I came on in and played my role and got on a couple of records. We had one song that was supposed to be on there that was me, Killer Mike and C-Bone actually. We had recorded that song but lost all the files. Since we couldn’t get the files back that ended up not being put on the project. It’s actually a leak record and is on the internet right now called “Hoes.”

As far as what made the album, I’m on a song with Farnsworth Bentley. I’m on a song with some underground cats from Atlanta called Dre & Jay City. And them I’m on a song actually with a young cat out of Savannah called Dodigatie. So I have a couple of songs on there. There just some leak records that I use as a promotional tool to get some music back out there on a couple of projects. I’m working on a few different things. I’m working with a friend of mine named Deuce Poppi with Slip-n-Slide. He does a lot of ghost writing for Trina and what not and he’s been on a few Trick Daddy albums. He is a friend of mine from Miami so we’ve been working on a couple of different little songs and projects that we’ve been putting together behind the scenes.

I’m trying to stay busy. As far as Farnsworth Bentley, I’ve been working with him on a couple of things with his project and helping get his situation situated. On the business side of things I’ve been doing some things, and on the artist side I’ve been doing some things. I have a few producers and we’ve been networking and trying to get placement as far as production on projects and things of that nature. We’ve done some small little films that went straight to DVD sales and different things of that nature. We’re just staying busy and productive.

WordofSouth.com: You do have a second solo project in the works that will hopefully be in stores top of 2010. Does that have a title at this time?

Slimm Calhoun: I have not come up with an album title for it. I do have one of the singles I know for sure that is this Bobby Valentino record that is called “Buckle Up” with him on there. I have a couple of other records that we’re working with. I’m just going through to see which ones I want to keep and which ones I can leak and just put out there. I have a mixtape that I have in motion, trying to put that out. I’m trying to get that finished up and out by the end of this month. I’m trying to get all the business put away with that. I’ve been working with C-Bone on several tracks. We just finished a song up the other night. I’m just trying to stay busy with the fam.

I’ve been working with Backbone on some things. I also worked with Khujo Goodie on some things. We’re just trying to stay busy in our network. I’m actually trying to work with EJ witchdoctor and try to get him on some new music. I talked to Cee-Lo about trying to get him involved on some things too. So, we’re keeping the network open. Of course with Organized Noize, we had the Dungeon Family party the other night and we were all out last week at the club. I talked to Ray [Murray – 1/3rd of the Organized Noize) and he wants to do some new production on me. I’ll be out there with Organized Noize cutting out some new songs. I just did a song with Mr. DJ and he’s actually rapping now – he has a group with a guy called Jeff B. that was in a singing group called Co-Ed and they’ve formed a group called “Mama’s Mustache.” I just did a song with them for their mixtape.

WordofSouth.com: You obviously have a whole lot of stuff going on right now. In terms of your solo album, we know you have “Buckle Up” with Bobby Valentino. Are there any other guest appearances or producers you’re trying to get on there?

Slimm Calhoun: Well I have another song called “Fall Back” featuring Mannish Man, Backbone, Sean Paul of the YoungbloodZ and Project Pat on the hook. That’s another cut I have. A guy who is doing a lot of the production for the YoungbloodZ did that particular track. The Bobby Valentino track was done by a friend of mine named J. Wells. He did some stuff for the second Keyshia Cole. He did some stuff on the independent Goodie Mob album, “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show.” He works with Snoop [Dogg] and Tha Dogg Pound. He did a few tracks for me. I have a cut that DJ Toomp did on there called “Do What You Do.” I have one that I’m debating putting on there called “Off the Rift” produced by Nitti. I have a few young producers that I’m working with like Champ Deezy and my little cousin Pro Kid on a couple of beats. I have a few other cats like Butter who did “Dirt Work” off my first album. He did some new stuff for me. Actually, I have one with Mr. DJ that he did called “The Rich.” DJ Speedy did a few records also. I have Cutmaster Swiff, he is a DJ and he has a couple of tracks that I’m doing also.

We have a few different producers on the project. And actually, I’m still recording. I’m working with a young cat that just sent me some new hot beats; he grew up with my little brother. He sent me some beats the other day that were ridiculous. Actually I think he has one of the beats he sent me also be one of my singles. I have a few different producers. We have some of the cats who worked on the first project and then I have some new producers that are up and coming, young and hot that I’m working with.

WordofSouth.com: You said you’re still recording. How much of the album would you say is done at this time?

Slimm Calhoun: What’s so funny is I have enough for 2-3 albums as far as music. I don’t stop recording until we know it’s coming out because I feel like every day I’m in the studio is a chance for me to create something new that may be better than something else that I already have on the album. I’m just keeping hot music out there. I just try to better myself with each song. I’m continuing to make records because you never know when you’re going to come up with another hit. As many hits as I can try and come up with, especially with me being gone from the game as far as an actual solo album for a few years now. I want to try and put as much hot music as out as possible.

WordofSouth.com: I like that right there. Y’all got the official word right here on www.WordofSouth.com. Slimm Calhoun has a bunch of shit in the works. A new album hopefully the top of 2010 and a new mixtape this year still. Do you have any final words for our readers before I let you go Slimm?

Slimm Calhoun: Just get ready because we’re on the way back. We’re coming to take the streets back over. Dungeon Family for life, ya’ dig?

– INTERVIEW BY: Justin Melo

[funkkid]

 

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

Good lookin out catchin up to him.  There were a few questions I wished you would of asked.. like focusing on the quality of the project a little more and less on label politics.  Like asking him what he thought of the THE SKINNY project, and what his favorite tracks on it were, and the making of the album, and how it all came together, and looking at it in retrospect.