54th Platoon: Next From New Orleans

[STILLDRE IS THE GODFATHER]

Monday - April 21, 2003
Article By: Chuck Jones ()
While most of the rap world would say FB Entertainment’s (clothing giant FUBU’s record label) premier group, 54th Platoon is an overnight success--I know another story. Though Nu Black (Thomas Valentine, 21) and Nut (Jackie Washington, 24) probably don’t remember, I spoke with them back in spring of 2000 on the brink of their indie release “Downtown Symphony.” We were partying it up at New Orleans’ famous Tipitina’s French Quarter during one of their many weekly events. There were no label execs, no beefed up security, and everyone had love for the “9th Ward Kings” 54th Platoon.

Just ask JS (Nut’s cousin Jochan Scott, 24), who appeared on FB’s compilation “the Goodlife” beside hip-hop heavyweights Nate Dogg and Nas, has anything changed. Dressed in a fresh white tee, he sits at the edge of the couch in the antique-styled lounge area of New Orleans’ Fairmont Hotel, “The grind is in us—its just about makin’ the rest of the world respect that grind,” he says. “It’s just to the point where everybody happy to see us get our chance. We been the underdog for years,” interjects Nut in his lazy muffled drawl. With a Utah Jazz throwback over his shoulder and matching Adidas, he is the most calm of the three present (Tevin “TL” Lashley, 23, wasn’t present).

Nu Black is more animated when he speaks on the elevated level of love they’ve been experiencing thanks to a new single “Holdin’ It Down (produced by Lil’ Jon)” in rotation. “Like we was in the House of Blues the other night,” he says exposing his gold teeth. “Our cousin was introducin’ us—he said the “9th ward got their own song,” can u feel that?”

With all that love brewing in New Orleans’ most notorious ward (the Third is the most popular, but take a ride through the lower Nine…) the word leaked to the Big Apple, that another group in New Orleans was making major moves. Nut explains “A mutual friend of our brought a CD out to New York. He got with Carl Brown, President of FUBU and said ‘Dog u need to check these cats out.’ He came down here saw us, how we was runnin’ the venue (and) our business structure. Then we got on stage and he was like ‘I gotta have ‘em.’ It was a marriage.”

That marriage came when Fubu forked over a reported $1 million to ink the independent giants. With Carl Brown’s backing, (Black says Brown put “his nuts on the line” by signing a southern group over all the NY talent) the label signed a distribution deal though Koch, North America’s leading distributor of music, video, and DVD. JS maintains that there is separation between the clothing line and the label, which houses 54, The E.N.D., and Drunken Master. “When we first got with Fubu, we were already makin’ records. It’s not a dictatorship. We bring our ideas to the table that logical, they’re behind us 100%. They understand that they’re a clothing company—we make records,” he says matter-of-factly.

With making those records, they used the leverage of their nationally respected parent company to surpass their regional limitations. “We self-sustained,” says Nut calmly looking me in the eyes. “We can go to your back yard and make it happen. We dealt with N.O. Joe; we went to Houston. We dealt with Craig Love and Lil’ Jon; we went to ATL. We went to New York; we dealt with Tye Fyffe, Megahertz, Epitome…”

“There’s never been a South group that could go and rock eastcoast beats,” interjects JS, noting that their style combined with their label has opened many doors. “Dealing with Fubu we meet alotta people. We always meet on the strength of Fubu initially. Once we get to talkin’ and vibe with people, all kinda things come about. So its alotta people that’s tryin’ to get at us right now.”

Nut sees the opportunity as more than Harlem Globetrotters fits (although they enjoy priority in the apparel department), “We just wanna set the foundation and open as many doors as we can open, like certain brothers opened for us. We do this outta love, and we want the respect. Cause they don’t respect the South,” Nu Black concludes, “Now that we got eyes on us, we feel a devotion, a need, to hold them eyes on us.”