Chip Tha Ripper is probably rap/hip-hop’s most known unknown hailing from Cleveland, Ohio. He’s one half of Almighty Gloryus, a duo with fellow Cleveland native, Kid Cudi, and has been featured on tracks with artists like Big Sean and Curren$y. Chips latest mixtape ‘The Cleveland Show’ has been getting a lot of kudos from blogs, critics and hip-hop fans alike. The S.L.A.B. Ent. (his own record label with S.L.A.B. standing for Soul, Loyalty and Business) artist has been spending his time in the studio working on projects and performing. In an interview with Tha ‘A’ Side, Chip talks about why you should care who he is, what the music scene is like in Cleveland, and what he thinks about the state of hip-hop. Without further adieu, Chip Tha Ripper. Alex Washington (AW): What got you into rapping?
Chip Tha Ripper (CR): What got me into rapping was the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ with Will Smith, that’s when I first learned aboutrap and what it was.
AW: Some people would put you in the same category as Curren$y, Drake, or Kid Cudi because of your delivery style, how do you feel about that?
CR: It’s definitely good to be classified among the realest. People say good things usually, sometimes they don’t, but regardless I just keep trying to make more raps.
AW: The Cleveland Show, everybody is talking about it, how does it feel to know that people are feeling you like that?
CR: It’s over-whelming, in the back of mind I think it’s going to come to an end, who knows, it may not come to an end. For right now, I’m just going to act like tomorrow it can be over, that’s why I’m as cool as I can be.
AW: What is your favorite song off the tape?
CR: We cut down from so many songs, it was like 78 songs and we had to cut them down to fit on the CD, a lot of songs didn’t get to make it. I would have to say it’s a tie between “Movie” and “Couple Dollas.” “Couple Dollas” is brand new to me, I recorded it to another beat and the producer said we couldn’t use it because they sold it, so my homeboy just made another beat behind my vocals and I didn’t hear it until the day before it came out, and I was just like “Damn … hell yeah put that on there.”
AW: What do you plan on doing with the other songs that didn’t release?
READ MORE
CR: They are going to be put out there and I’m working on a couple of other projects right now. There were a couple of songs that Cudi pulled from The Cleveland Show and said he needed to use for his up-and-coming album, so yeah, they’ll be out.
AW: Who are some of the people that influenced you?
CR: Will, the Fresh Prince, that’s how I really first heard of rap but I’m influenced by songs. “Ghetto Dope” that’s a dope ass song, I wouldn’t say I like Master P as much as I like “Ghetto Dope.” Most people would say the whole person influenced them when in some cases it’s not like that. When people make songs they’re in different moods; one minute Tupac is talking about blasting your ass and in the next song he’s talking about keeping your head up. So yeah, songs influence me, not people.
AW: I wouldn’t exactly think hip-hop when I think of Ohio, what’s the scene like down there?
CR: It’s not really a market for music here; people are worried about how they’re going to pay their rent. It’s cool to be able to survive in an environment that I’m not supposed to survive in. We’ve been supporting ourselves off of music for the past six or seven years, and one of the very few, if any, that are doing good. It’s going to get better in Cleveland.
AW: What do you think hip-hop is missing right now?
CR: I wouldn’t say it’s missing anything, I will say it used to be different—it’s evolved. When I first start listening to rap there was Big L, Biggie, Nas, when you look around there’s nobody like that anymore. It just changed a lot, maybe because the world changed. I think it’s going to get to where it needs to be, especially with my contributions.
AW: You’re performing in Detroit this weekend, are you excited for it? How do you feel about Detroit?
CR: I love the D, every time I come up to the D I hit up Big Sean and we chill. I been up to the D, two or three times and I swung up there with [Kid] Cudi one time when he was on tour with Asher Roth. Other two times I just came to kick it with Big Sean and Finally Famous.
AW: Speaking of Kid Cudi, how did you even come in contact with him?
CR: Cudi is the homie, we have a couple of mutual friends that kind of connected the dots. Couple of my guys went to school with him, and they reached out to him and he already knew who I was. We met up in Chicago because he had a show there and we became friends; that was like three or four years ago.
AW: Why should people take time to listen to you?
CR: They should take time to listen to me because they’ll hear themselves. When a lot of rappers make their music, they’re talking verses to people. I talk with the people, it’s like the people are facing whatever I’m talking about with me. The same with Cudi, he’s not talking about what he’s looking at around him; it’s more about feelings and the situations he has and how he handles it. It’s like some people lose when they over do it, Pimp C got to the point, that’s what I like to do. You knew exactly what he said and how he meant it because he said it how meant it.
AW: What do you want to say to your fans and your supporters?
CR: Man, I love y’all and let’s get it. Don’t kill me if I snatch the mic from a singer at an awards show, I didn’t mean it. That’s all, just ride or die with me.
Chip Tha Ripper will be performing in Detroit this weekend along with local artists: P.L., Ro Spit, Selfmeyi, Earlly Mac and others to help celebrate Erica Hayes aka DJ Bunny's 21st Birthday.
Doors open at 9 p.m.
Date: THIS Saturday
Location: Bert's Warehouse
No comments:
Post a Comment