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Posted by Dave
Rap News Network
2/27/2006 10:16:22 AM
Tags and topics realted to this article include Lil Rob. Rap, Hip Hop and Music Videos.
Chicano rap hasn't reached the plateau to that of most Billboard charttopping hip-hop music from the likes of a 50 Cent or even a Jadakiss, but the Cali-birthed subgenre has made strides in reaching other audiences outside the West Coast.
In the early '90s, Southern California groups such as A Lighter Shade of Brown and Spanish Fly, helped catapult the Latin rap scene to new heights and sparked a chord in the brain of a young Lil' Rob, who began to record songs with neighborhood friends.
Since '92, when he released his first tape locally, Lil' Rob has created a strong following throughout Cali and other states in the Western region. With the release of his latest album, Twelve Eighteen, the Mexican rapper has broken through barriers, garnering heavy radio play in several markets outside his native Cali.
With a video filmed for his latest single, "Bring Out The Freak In You," Lil' Rob got up with BallerStatus to discuss how success hasn't changed him and how he's still shocked about how far he has come.
BallerStatus.net: First off, let's talk about the new video. What's the new single?
Lil' Rob: It's for "Bring Out The Freak In You." Actually, that jam was something that was kind of different for me because everybody is used to the neighborhood music from me. John Lopez from [Upstairs Records], just working with him and trying to make hits...not everyone wants to hear the oldies music on the radio, man. I gotta kind of work on a little bit of everything, different kinds of music. I like everything, so it doesn't really matter. Mooks out of Austin, Texas made that beat for me. I just locked myself up in a room and that's just what I heard to it, you know what I mean? That's one of those nasty kinds of beats, so I just [went with what you hear on the song].
To tell you the truth, I didn't even like it enough to put on the album. It's kind of a trip when you work with the label and they put it out there and all of the sudden it becomes 22 on the rhythmic charts. So, because of that, you gotta throw in a video for it because it's working so good. It's a trip 'cause I didn't choose it, so shouts out to John Lopez for choosing that one.
BallerStatus.net: Are you happy with them choosing that song?
Lil' Rob: Yea man, I mean, it's working bro. It's just... I'm neighborhood homie. I was brought up in the neighborhood, but I like to have fun too bro. I like to...it's not about gangbangin' and stuff no more, that's part of my past. Now, it's about paying the bills and living life and trying to make something happen. I'm trying to keep up with the big boys. I mean, that's still me right there, but just a different side of me.
That's why with the video, I had to let people know it's still Rob coming with that. That's why it was a tire shop and I'm wearing the workshop clothing. We were just trying to make the concept seem like I was dreaming. I don't want people to think that Rob went a different route homie. I'm not trying to do it just to make it; it's just kind of working. Just like "Summer Nights," it came out and it was working, so I don't even know.
BallerStatus.net: The track is off your album, Twelve Eighteen, which is out right now. What's the title of the album all about?
Lil' Rob: Twelve Eighteen stands for my nickname. Back in the day, I used to tag numbers instead of letters in the neighborhood, and it just came from that. The 12th letter of the alphabet is "L" and the 18th is "R," so you get Lil' Rob. I got it tattooed on my arms, so I was always like, "I'm gonna put an album out called Twelve Eighteen," so I did. Luckily it happened that way though, 'cause at first, the label wasn't feelin' Twelve Eighteen. I liked the way it sounded, and it's me anyways, you know?
BallerStatus.net: For people who haven't heard the album, talk about what kind of things they should expect from it?
Lil' Rob: Well, you got the neighborhood music for the homeboys, like the oldies; you got a couple love jams; and a little bit of everything -- the club tracks ("Bring Out The Freak In You" and "Playground"). You also got stuff to cruise to, something to f--- to and maybe something to make love to. There's something for everybody. If you don't like one jam, you'll probably like the next. I change my styles up all the time homie, but it's always still Rob from the neighborhood.
BallerStatus.net: So far it seems as though you have received a lot of success from the record. How does it feel to receive the kind of support you have from Southern Cali?
Lil' Rob: It's good man. It's a trip. I'm doing bigger things than I ever thought I would do. I never thought I would ever leave my town, you know what I mean? It was always about, "I'm never leaving my town man. This is where I'm at and this is where I'm gonna stay," but it's cool man. I've been to Miami to shoot a video with Pitbull. I went to New York and this year I'm going to Hawaii. I mean, I just never thought I'd be traveling or even go there.
That's what people need to understand. When you start doing things like that, you see the bigger world out there...bigger than the neighborhood. A lot of kids, growing up, they don't know that homes. Just like me, I didn't know that. I never thought I was going nowhere. I was getting burned my whole career and then I hooked up with Upstairs [Records] and they kept it straight with me. When you surround yourself with good people, it's time to blow up.
BallerStatus.net: As far as L.A., I hear your records playing all the time, but how well is the album doing in other parts of the country?
Lil' Rob: Oh, it's doing good bro. Today, I just got back from Tampa, Florida. That's the other side of the country homes; I didn't even know they knew who I was out there. New York and Philadelphia, a few radio stations picked up the single. It's just crazy. I never thought, you know what I mean? I'm getting played in other places too, but those are places I never thought I'd be played.
They didn't play "Summer Nights" out in Philadelphia, but they are playing "Bring Out The Freak In You." When I say you might not like one song, but you'll like the next one, that sh-- is true. It just appeals to different crowds. [New York and Philadephia] don't know nothing about the homeboy stuff or gangbangin', so it probably don't make sense to them. Even me, it doesn't make sense to me anymore to kill off another dude because he's from a different neighborhood. I dunno...I got shot when I was 18, but now when I look back I'm like, "Damn, that's a lot of wasted money for hospital bills!"
BallerStatus.net: How is your fanbase overseas? Do you get a lot of feedback in other countries?
Lil' Rob: Yea, yea in Japan man. Also, I get emails from dudes in the UK, wanting to get pictures of me and my lowrider bike and stuff. It's kind of a trip. I heard I'm big in Japan, so I need to get out there.
BallerStatus.net: The hip-hop culture has grown so much over the years, but as far as Latin rappers, it's grown, but not on as big a scale. Why do you feel Latin "gangster" rappers aren't accepted as easily in the game besides in certain regions?
Lil' Rob: There's a lot of Chicano rap, and more power to them. I'm not hating on them or anything. I do my thing and I've been doing it for a long time, but...like when I first came out in '92, there was only a handful of Chicano rappers -- Spanish Fly, Lighter Shade of Brown, Kid Frost. Back then I went to the radio station with my single and they didn't think it was that good. That's what a lot of us gotta do -- just really practice and get our sh-- down before we go to the studio because I've heard some of it and it's either really off beat or they ain't really saying nothing. We gotta get our respect somehow, so we got to be able to kill it. Like when I hear Psycho Realm, I don't hear Chicano rap; I hear skills. I dig Chicano rap, but there's a lot of stuff I hear out there that isn't that good. I'm not saying I'm the best 'cause I know people who can out rap me no problem. I'm just saying we got to practice and get it right before we can get the respect we deserve.
With me, now that I'm on the radio, I gotta make sure I'm on top of my rhymes and not sounding stupid or falling off beat. I mean, if you can't rap, how far do you expect to go? It's just practice man, that's what we need to do.
BallerStatus.net: Do you think that most Latin rappers are stereotyped before they even get heavy into the game? Just from seeing the cover or how you look?
Lil' Rob: Oh yea. I mean, it's been a long time since I've been down the street. There's no reason for me to be on the corner no more. But yea, I get stereotyped. When they were working my album, a lot of radio stations said, "We don't do that here" or "There's no Mexicans here." Plus, I had a hard time getting played in Northern California because I'm from Southern California...because of the northern and southern Chicano gang stuff. Back in the day, I didn't even know what that other stuff was about. I kinda did, but I was just a Southern California boy.
I wanna sell everywhere. Cali gets love all over the place. When you get to go to all these places and see the people, you see our Southern Cali influence. You see kids throwing up rags and a lot of them don't even know what that is. They are just following the next man and I don't wanna be the man they are following into a wrong route. Even though I don't [gangbang] no more, I still get the stereotyped. They don't wanna play me in certain places, but when they sit down, meet me and talk to me, they find out how I really am, and it changes. I think they just gotta sit down and talk to some of us. It's not like we're gonna meet for dinner and I'm gonna show up in a bandana, you know? [laughs]
BallerStatus.net: You've been around for a while, so why don't you talk about some of the things you've gone through in your career to get to where you're at today?
Lil' Rob: My first tape came out in '92 and we just ordered 500 tapes and just sold them at the local swap meets. We were just doing our thing. I never planned to be no big rap star. I was rapping because I was hearing Lighter Shade of Brown on the radio, but I just didn't have the money to get to the studio. But, we just started figuring things out, hooked up with a producer, and started sampling break beats and oldies. From there, I had indie labels showing up at my door and signing me, but every independent label I signed with (except for Upstairs) wasn't really straight up with me or honest. And that's how I got f---ed over so much in the beginning. I didn't even know how much I was selling back then. [The indie labels] just wanted the music to put it out. Next thing I know, I sold like 200,000 and I was still broke.
There's just not any loyalty with those labels. With Upstairs, when they give me their word, it happens and vice versa. I don't have to sign something and be like, "I just signed this, so I have to do it." When I tell them something, I do it and it's the same with them.
I quit [rap] a couple times. When I signed with Upstairs, I was done homie. They were calling me off the hook...at work. I was working and they were calling me, asking me if I wrote anything yet. I kept telling them, "Nah, I didn't write nothing," or "I don't feel like writing." I was just at the point where I wanted to quit rapping. But, I ended up putting the first album out with them and it did a little something, so I was just like, "Well, sh--, maybe I'll record some more stuff." Now, it's albums later and I'm doing pretty good.
BallerStatus.net: So, damn, you almost just quit huh?
Lil' Rob: Yea man, I had been through so much bullsh-- that I didn't wanna do it. That's why I don't really feature nobody on my albums. It's not that I don't like you, it's just that I can't trust you yet. I've recorded stuff for people, then I stopped getting along with them, so I told them to not put it out and they put it out anyways. It's just like, "What kind of pride do you got? Where were you brought up at? If you don't like me, take my f---ing lyrics off your album."
I will do stuff with people like the Game song, "My Lowrider." People probably tripped that I was on that like, "Oh, he's gonna work with Game before he work with La Raza," but hey they didn't do me wrong. These guys are trying to do something, they ain't trying to make a song and let it set on the shelf, so don't hate on that.
BallerStatus.net: Well, yea, you gotta do what's best for you. You've some a long way since '92...
Lil' Rob: I'm still the same guy. I don't pull up in a Mercedes on 24's, I'm still trying fix my Impalas up. I'm still the same homie, who lives in the same place. I haven't gone no where. I don't take this rap thing to the head. Yea I rap, but the only difference between me and the others coming up is that I'm on the radio. That's the only difference, so when I see the fans out there, there just people and so am I. I'm not gonna treat them any different just because I'm doing my thing. Sometimes it does get tiring, but don't get me wrong, I'm just like you.
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