An interview by Chris Loos with Shawty Lo:

Shawty Lo what’s good man?

What’s happening big homie.
Man I appreciate you coming all the way from Bank head. Here you are man, how are you enjoying Cali?

Love it man, I love the west coast. It feels good to be out here in Diego, I’m loving it.
I know it’s been a long trip for you, but this is no new thing to you right?

It’s not a new thing true, but for me it’s a new thing as a solo artist right now.
What’s been your biggest lesson learned coming from a group and now doing a solo project?

Actually what it is I’m the Ceo of D4L (records) but when I had a group I was no rapper. I started the group in 2003 but I ended up going to prison in 2004 and was blessed to get 1 year and came home in 2005. That’s when I did my first solo song called “I’m a man”. People were like Shawty Lo, that’s the type of music we want to here from you. Cause they know I’m from the streets and they were like we going to vouch for you cause you from bank head. I thought I did a song about love but I kept recording and kept recording. Then 2006 came and I did a mixtape with DJ Scream down in Atlanta and the rest was history since then. They were like boy you’re the one. I still got my group in bank head, I had a business partner he tried to do contracts and that was stopping the group from coming out.
For an independent artist, like your self who has now started their own label. What’s the toughest thing or word of advice you could give them as they start into the business side of music?

Its like it don’t happen over night. It seems like it happened over night for me cause It’s been a little bit over two years. If you are independent, and if you feel you got good music you can try to sell it. You wanna try what I first did. You feel you got a hit put a couple songs on CD and burn it. CD’s don’t cost that much, pass them out you got to promote yourself. Give it away for free, give it to the club Djs. You got to give it 110%. So you know what I did, I was putting my music in folks hands every where just giving away CD’s at the mall’s and everything. I finally got a single called “Owned to the Street” and it got hot in the club, folks started requesting it on radio and there we went.
“Dey Know” out here is still a monster in the club, and then the remixes what you followed them with after that was hot. I gotta ask you who’s idea was to make the “DEY KNOW” t shirt that everyone was wearing in the video?

I’ll give it to my company D4L records, my label Asylum and my management hood hit after hit, and my mortgage named hood rich. we all work together as one.

Well when I saw that shirt on the video that’s what caught my eye for sure! But then hearing the beat was another HUGE reason. (laughing)
So where do you see yourself growing to as a solo artist?

I can’t see myself but going anywhere but straight to the top you know, cause every thing I do I work hard at it. I don’t rush in, I take my time and do what I do. As long as I got breath to remain, I’m a work hard to do what I got to do to get where I want to be.

Who were some of your musical influences coming out of the ATL?

Basically my inspiration is my people. I was inspired by, say, on the west coast Eazy E, in New York probably Jay Z, they are my two favorites.
And those MCs are two whole different worlds.

Yeah, see when I was younger and wild I use to be the shortest and use to be a lil bully and used to have so many dudes with me so they just called me the young Eazy E. Then when I started getting money in the streets, I used to listen to Jay Z and I said dang, he’s talking bout everything I’m doing and I felt Jay Z more than anything! Big up to Big and Pac but in my era it was Jay Z.
Listening to “Dey Know” and “Foolish” it sounds like you having a ball making music bro?

I’m working hard man! I’m trying to.
Well the music sounds fun. Is it fun for you right now?

It’s fun for me. I ain’t no freestyle rapper or anything, but like I told you I’ve been rapping for a minute now. I sit down and I take my time. I don’t write to any beat. I take my time. It’s like I put it in the Oven and I’m baking it, you know that what it be.

From the business side of it, being a CEO, what’s the best advantage you feel like you have by putting yourself in a situation with Asylum?

You know my first situation was a bad situation. But the second go round as you sit down and look over everything, I felt it was a good situation and if I didn’t I wouldn’t be in my situation. I mean, my team, were good! I love my label! I love Asylum records, we work hard, we do what we do.
When I asked who was makin the most noise in the ATL, EVERY friend of mine in Atlanta that’s into hiphop, told me “Shawty Lo is the truth out here”. So big up dog on everything you’ve been doing down south dogg.

Appreciate it big homie
I don’t wanna be mr. controversy or anything, but what is it that happened between you and TI? If you don’t mind talking about it?

Nah it’s all good, we can talk about it.

People talk without knowing what really happened, so I just figured I’d let you tell it.

You know I use to be a big fan of T.I. He’s a great rapper, I don’t take nothing from him. Around the year 2006 when I came to be a rapper, I guess he heard I had a “King” song in the streets and his camp said “he cant get on that song” cause he felt he’s the only king and I couldn’t say I was the king, so I didn’t sweat it. So one of his songs comes out a couple of months later “Big Shit Poppin” he said in the song “I said I was ‘King’ and them lames started laughin’ and same suckers now want the ‘King’ on a track with him”. He shouldn’t of shout at me.
So then when I made the “Dun Dun” record “he say he from the west side, there must be two sides” he didn’t say my name so I didn’t say his name. I continued to work and whatever and so couple of months later he caught a case. The gun case in Atlanta. So you know ain’t nothing there. After he gets off the case and whatever, he comes back out of jail feeling cocky. He came on the radio in Atlanta about a month and a half, two months ago, just talking bout me, whoomp whoomp just saying all kinds of stuff about me. So that’s when I said I’m a go expose him over here cause you know, he claims my street. Bank Head is the real hood. He ain’t from my hood. You can see on the internet I got a camera, have you seen it?

(Laughing.) Yeah, I’ve seen it on youtube.

He (T.I.) went to texas and tried to see Flip, come to Bank Head and see Shawty Lo. You said you got people in Atlanta, they’ll tell you I’m their guy down there. T.I. is just a rapper. I’m a street cat. He want to talk to me but ok… Fifty (50Cent) just recently he went on and made a song about it. and T.I. responded by saying he wanted to keep it positive and didn’t want to talk about fifty. But he (T.I.) says I’m a dog barking at a moon. But I say who’s the moon now.
(Laughing.) Ha! Keep doin your thing dogg! So now that you’ve got to get out and do some shows, and see how fans react to your music, what have you enjoyed the most?

My fans, for them just to sing my music word for word, I just love that. I’m not like any other artist, when I come to the club I stay and chill. I take pictures with everybody, I sign whatever. All the promoters say “you are gonna go along way cause you do stuff that the rest of the rappers don’t do. They can touch you”. I’m humble. I have mine in the streets. I don’t like to brag, but I used to be the big D-boy down in Atlanta. When I had mine I had lost it all one time cause I was so arrogant. When I lost it all it did let me see who my friends were, it let me see who my girl was. But when I got it back it made me a different person, it made me humble. That’s why I call myself “Dun Dun”, cause I’ve done it all! I’m humble now. I respect life,.I respect everybody. I look at you. We’re people. I don’t think I’m bigger than you and I don’t want you thinking you’re bigger than me. That’s how it is.
Its been a pleasure meeting you! Its not always that way meeting an artist. But you’re a very genuine person! You’re gonna do GREAT! Before we wrap it up, whats your myspace?

www.myspace.com/therealshawtylo check me out on Youtube too. I got a DVD on the streets called “Shawty Lo. The Real Bank Head story,” its the truth!
Well tell me something about the DVD real quick?

It’s exclusive! It’s about me. It’s about where T.I. say he’s from. Shawty Lo the real Bank Head story. I’ll take you through Bank Head where T.I. never took it through. I take you through the hood this is Shawty Lo, its me man, this my life do what I do.