iBeast: Interview [2]

I like to think I'm blessed to know the talented people that I know. Writers, poets, singers, and rappers. Once again I'm speaking to #NewGA affiliate iBeast, a man who has released the monstrous new tape Cadillac Diaries. Like his previous project Pimp Said So...: The 1st Supper, this one is pure banger. This time I talk to him [iBeast] about the tape, the inspirations, and the coup of getting Big Sant involved.

LUCIUS: Once again, it’s good that you took time out to do this interview with me. I truly appreciate it.

IBEAST: No problem, bruh.

LUCIUS: I think at this juncture there’s no point in asking you how your year is going thus far. Right now you’re sitting on a monster of a tape. I jam it while I'm at work, personally. How does that feel?

IBEAST: It's crazy because I didn't know if  Cadillac Diaries was as good as Pimp Said So but I'm happy you dig it enough to jam it while you work. Hopefully others feel the same way.

LUCIUS: What track has been the most widely liked on the tape? 

IBEAST: "N.O.M.B. (None Of My Business)".

LUCIUS: Explain to us the choice of Cadillac Diaries as the title.

IBEAST: I wanted to name it Cadillac Chronicles but my teammate Grip told me he was dropping a tape called Fleetwood Chronicles so I decided to go for Diaries instead.  The tape is really more of book than a tape, more of a diary than a book. It lets you see and feel life and its ups and downs from the seat of my Cadillac.  My father told me as a youngster his priorities were as follows: car, clothes, family, home.  My daddy was a Cadillac man, my first car was a Cadillac, and since then I always had a Cadillac. Hopefully this tape shows people that just because you ride big it doesn't mean you don't encounter ups and downs.

LUCIUS: How is this new tape different from the last one? 

IBEAST: This tape was just supposed to be something to hold my fans till i drop Triple Gs (Give Good Game).  It was just supposed to be something pointless to put in and ride to but it ended up being something bigger.  I feel like my production was a lot different on this tape and I was able to use more of my own producers.  These beats were more my style.  I'm very simple. I like strings and bass. I showed that on Cadillac Diaries.

LUCIUS: OK, how is it similar? 

IBEAST: Same shit, different tape. Ya dig? All I can do is kick trill shit and India Catrice is still blessing the songs with her presence.

LUCIUS: Big Sant is featured on the tape. Congratulations on that, man. How did that even come about? 

IBEAST: My dawg RJ Mitchell of Lyricist Corner contacted Big Sant through Twitter while shopping "98" around and he [Sant] liked the track. I was able to pay for the verse because of my supporters and investors so I have a lot to accomplish due to the high expectations people have for me.

LUCIUS: Did you get a chance to meet and/or talk to him [Sant] at any time? If so, what did you guys talk on? 

IBEAST: Never talked to him personally. Just talked through email. I asked him if I could open for him and K.R.I.T.  when they are in the Southeast. He told me that they don't control who opens for them. He also liked the production of my tape and would like to work with us more in the future.

LUCIUS: How was it having him on a track alongside you?

IBEAST: It was pretty cool being on a track with one of my favorite artists.

LUCIUS: Speaking for myself, I’ve been a fan since Pimp Said So. How many new fans have you gotten because of the release of Cadillac Diaries? 

IBEAST: Man, that's a great question. I could not tell you the answer to that question, which is a failure on my behalf. I should be keeping up with those types of statistics but it's hard to market properly when you're working twenty-one hour days. I can tell you Scrap DeVille of Snowcone Addiction (creator of GorillaDrank) is responsible for hundreds of my new listeners.

LUCIUS: Let’s talk on the music from the tape a bit, OK? One of my favorites is “Poppin’ The Trunk” featuring the always talented India Catrice. Explain the process on this one from conception to recording.

IBEAST: I was listening to a Pimp C song with lyrics that said "Ridin’ wit me/She's holdin’ the pistol/While I'm flippin’ and poppin’ the trunk". I just took the last three words and made the hook with it.  The other part came from an R&B song "Before I Let Go" but I forget who sings it. It just fell into place from there. It was just supposed be a song showing women why men splurge so much on the toys they own.  When you work hard you want to play hard, even when it is a bad investment.

LUCIUS: Another track I really dig is “Grey Poupon” featuring Grip. Mind shedding a little light on that one for us? 

IBEAST: Simple, I poured up one day and started moving around while let the beat play on repeat. So I end up just said exactly what I was doing in the hook.  I basically described my self and my rides over the years in the verse. It was just a riding song that will hopefully motivate people to get off their ass and move around. That's the only way to have things.

LUCIUS: The intro of this tape was on some next level depth and realness. How did it feel to live that? What even made you bring that to the forefront as your intro?    

IBEAST: The intro is basically the intro to my diary which you are about to start reading.  I just went in the booth and started talking. I was supposed to talk some shit about big cars, thick broads, and big houses. But that didn't come out. What came out is what you heard.  A number of people told me they cried while listening to the intro. Some even said it was the best song on the tape. Thing is, it’s not even a song

LUCIUS: Now, last song. I was originally about to talk on “NOMB” but I have been knocking with “White On White”. Same deal as before. Speak on it a bit.  

IBEAST: It’s basically #NewGA's take on the bullshit that's been happening in our communities as far as crime and killings are concerned.  I feel like the phrase "black on black crime" is thrown around too loosely.  When people kill our boys instead of focusing on the tragedy at hand, people tend to say, "The whole world stops when a white man kills a black boy but what about all this black on black crime".  I feel like there is no such thing as black on black crime. People have segregated black people in every other way and now we are segregating ourselves when it comes to crime. I call bullshit on that! When our black gangs kill each other we call it black on black but Italians didn't call it white on white when they were killing each other in mafia days of the 30s-70s.  If you chose to be in the game, that's a choice you made knowing the risk. Which is why you make so much money so fast because high risk yields a high reward.  It's not black on black. It’s just crime.

LUCIUS: As always, I have to ask you: favorite track(s)? Least favorite? 

IBEAST: In no particular order: “Duly Noted”, “Gorilla Drank”, “Supposed To”, “Jimmy Fallon”, and “Iron Man”.

LUCIUS: How does it feel to be being mentioned in the conversation with people like UGK? 

IBEAST: It feels great but I'd prefer to be mentioned in conversations with a check. If you want a tape you can order your copy through my PayPal and I'll mail you the hard copy.  My PayPal is iBeastcontact@gmail.com

LUCIUS: Not to go too deep into it but what’s next for you this year? 

IBEAST: I plan on working with three more legendary artists this year. Also I want to travel to Texas at least twice on business and I'm planning to dropping another tape in September.

LUCIUS: Man, when can we get a tape or an EP from India Catrice? She is really talented and I as well as all those who’ve listened to the tape are digging her sound.  

IBEAST: She's actually working on an EP set to release sometime in November. Just in time for cuddle season.

LUCIUS: Now that you’ve linked up with Big Sant, are we going to get any other big names on the next tape? 

IBEAST: Yes, you will.

LUCIUS: Any last shout-outs and/or words of wisdom you want to drop on us? 

IBEAST: Shout out #NewGA, #TeamGorillaDrank, #LC, #HipHopShitTalkers, and all my supporters

LUCIUS: Thank you once again for the interview. I’ll be keeping an eye out and an ear out for what comes next, brother.

IBEAST: Appreciate that.