Author Topic: Stat Quo Interview (Read 143 times)

KURUPTION-81 · « **on:** March 02, 2004, 02:19:22 PM »

Status Quo is like the average, which is the bar that most common folk live by. But new Shady/ Aftermath signee Stat Quo is set to change the bar that hip-hop is judged by. Like Im real cocky with that. Like thats some cocky s**t right there, he says, but we going to go ahead and deal with it. There is good cause to be cocky after going to college, graduating but defecting from a 9-5 for the grind in music. All of his grassroots grind culminated with a deal with the good Dr. Dr and his protégée Eminem.

AllHipHop.com talked to the Atlanta resident and he explains how he got to where he is and where he is going.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me about yourself.

Stat Quo: Born in Atlanta Georgia Grady hot villa. Me, my mom stay in Thomasville Heights Projects which is off of by Marlin Ave. in Atlanta. Move from there to the southwest side of Atlanta to South Carolina Stone Tree apartments. Then move to a far west towards an industrial area, thats pretty much the areas I stayed. I moved around a lot cause my mom tried to keep me up out of s**t. Ni**as was a little trouble. My daddy wasn;t f**kin there he aint never do s**t, wasnt bout s**t. Rapping wasnt really my thing. I did it for fun, but I really thought I was going to be a hoop star. I was going to play basketball.

AllHipHop.com: Your people say you got a degree in International Business.

Stat Quo: When I graduated high school, I went off to college at University of Florida, beause I wanted to play basketball. So I was also trying to get on and do the basketball thing just end up really.. I got the school thing. I just really got into it, and when I graduated I had planned to go to Law school, but I did a demo.. And I had heard Ludacris on the radio talking about ‘I just sign to Def Jam South. So I was like F**k this s**t Im a do this music thing.

AllHipHop.com: So you graduated?

Stat Quo: Yeah I graduated, but I was like shit I need to get some money and the hustle aint going to do it forever. Cause I had hustle my way through school and I still was hustling. Sometimes them degrees man, getting them jobs it aint really that it aint as easy as they say. I started rapping full time man.

AllHipHop.com: Why didnt your roll with Scarface?

Stat Quo: Man, like he had a lot going on and his s**t was just starting up. And at the time, like I thought I could just do a demo and turn it in and thatd be it. I just thought a motherf**ker was going to give it to me. So, I wasnt willing at the time to put my shit in the street and to put my own money behind that and put my shit in the street. So I didnt deserve to have no record deal.

AllHipHop.com: So talk about your mix tape credibility and the grind behind that.

Stat Quo: Man I did so like I said I had done all these demos and I had turn them in all these motherf**kers, everybody knew me the industry. Me and my homeboy Zeek used to sit up at Def Jam South just at the office man just really just sit back and watch the game. And this motherfucker 50 Cent got this shit on lock. What the f**k? Why the f**k? Whatd he do; Yeah this ni**a got a mix tape. And then I was like damn Im from Atlanta motherf**kers really dont be mix tapes down here. So I was like listen and Zeek was like man lets do a mix tape. I was like you motherf**king real lets do a mix tape. So I did the Underground Atlanta Volume 1 and man we got out here in the street and we was sending them out, mailing them out all kind of shit. In the street, all around every time handling them to people. Thats really how that shit got started. It was the mix tape.

AllHipHop.com: So talk about your difference from you and artists like Lil’ Jon and Outkast and other Atlanta rappers.

Stat Quo: Its just another facet of the game. Its just like 50 is a different New York artist. He dont rap like Jay-Z. People try to stereotype that area as being everybody out that area is like that person. Lil Jon and Outkast is way different. Outkast and Youngbloodz is way different. Ludacris is way different. So me and all them motherfuckers is way different. Its all represent of A- town. Its all one big happy family.

AllHipHop.com: What you working on now?

Stat Quo: Im working on my album. Im on Shady Aftermath and Im working on my album right now. I got probably five or six songs dont. And you know trying to get it out sometime September.

AllHipHop.com: What artists will you have featured?

Stat Quo: Scarface is going to be on there for sure. Young Marshall - Eminem going to do some beats. Hes going to rap, Dre going to do some beats.

AllHipHop.com: You did a mix tape with Dre first?

Stat Quo: I did this freestyle shit on my Underground Atlanta Volume 2. I did a freestyle with a Dre. That’s the s**t I put out.

AllHipHop.com: You doing something with Eminem?

Stat Quo: Yeah Im doing a mix tape Eminem cause hes going to host the mix tape. Its Underground Atlanta Volume 3 thats going to be the next shit to come out. And then after I put that out Im a come out with my album.

AllHipHop.com: How you met up with Dre?

Stat Quo: When I put that Underground Atlanta Volume 1 out, and [Mel Man] handed it out to him in the street. He got the CD and [Mel Man] called me like eight times on the phone, which I was already out in L.A. cause I was working with this R&B group called Isis. He called me like eight times on the phone and I kept hanging up on the him, because like I thought it was my peoples playing around with a me. You know cause my people be acting stupid. I was like man I dont even know if Mel Man still f**k Dre like that. So I go over [to the studio] man and I played like three songs. Hes like Play these songs when you go up in here. Hes like Im going to change your life and I walk up in there man and there was Young Andre that was Dr. Dre right in front my face. I put my fucking songs on this ni**a knew the words to my s**t. I;m like I just lost my mind. Dr. Dre is a motherf**king mad man. Hes an alien. Hes not from the planet Earth. Dude is from somewhere else. Hes a motherf**king alien, you understand me? Andre 3000 them motherf**kers they aliens for real. You cant be from this planet dog what they be doing man. Like Jay-Z is an alien dog. He got like eight hundred rhymes. How you remember all that? Like whats wrong with this dude. I just hope to try to get close. You feel me?

AllHipHop.com: Have you named the album?

Stat Quo: Its tentatively titled Hot Sauce man. And I came up with that title cause like food is good man. But when you put that hot sauce on it, it really just takes it to that other level.

AllHipHop.com: What do people expect from you?

Stat Quo: Hey man shit that real s**t hey we going to talk about life, we going to have some fun, we going to just introduce another side of this A-town through me. Im a let them my people speak vicariously through me. And Im a deliver a message for motherf**kers that aint been heard.

AllHipHop.com: Where you see yourself in the long run in rap?

Stat Quo: Man behind a desk with my feet up. You know on some Bill Clinton and s**t with a Monica Lewinsky in between my lap. Something like that. Cutting somebody a check.

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