Lil Tex

Es scheint ganz gut zu laufen für Newcomer Lil Tex: sein letztes Underground “I Got Next” wurde in und um Dallas gut aufgenommen, das eigene Label Wired Up Entertainment entwickelt sich prächtig und wenn wir den Aussagen des selbsternannten “Texanators” im Interview mit Don$P Glauben schenken dürfen, dann war das alles erst der Anfang….

What’s up Lil Tex, introduce yourself first…

What’s up, this is Lil Tex, a.k.a. Tha Texanator a.k.a. I do this in my sleep, man. Straight from Dallas, Texas, home of the killers, home of the G’s. You know what it is. Crime Boss City, man. What’s up to all my military folks serving our country overseas man, big shout out to anyone doing that, for real.

Did you grow up in Dallas?

I grew up on the Southside of Dallas in Highland Hills and Oak Cliff. We got a bad reputation especially in Highland Hills for having short tempers I guess you could say. *laughs* Growing up, man it wasn’t all peaches and cream, I lost my father at a young age, my mom did whatever she could to support myself and my little sister. Couldn’t have asked for a better mother, even though we never had it all, she did what she could so we could feel like we did. As a youngster I did my running around, you know, fuckin up. Gangs in Dallas are real bad, when you start getting into that gang mentality, it just grows and grows next thing you know you doing some serious shit.

How’s the situation on the streets in Dallas right now?

The streets in Dallas are fucked up, straight up bro. We were the murder capital a couple years back, we was the number 1 crime rate in the United States for about 6 years running, all kind of shit is going on down here. Now these streets just aint listening, they talking now, which is fucked up. The feds are taking people in every day in every hood around here. The FBI and DEA have regional headquarters in Dallas, so if you doing your thing, it’s the feds coming to get you, not the SWAT or Police Department. Shit A&E has a television show called Dallas SWAT, it’s a reality based show on the SWAT team in Dallas. The whole fucking show is them kicking in doors to traps and shit, and they the ones that ain’t even rolling, just cause they got so many spots to hit because so many people are doing talking these days to get out of shit. It’s fucked up. They lock a nigga up quick over some bullshit. I got too many people to shout out that’s caught up in that system, for real. Got too many people lost for good over some bullshit, for real, I can’t even list them all. People just ain’t hip to how gutter Dallas really is, it goes way back, Dallas was made on some gangster shit from way back in the mafia days.

Let’s get into your music, who have you been working with?

Off the muscle, I’m doing my own thing. I got my own record label, Wired Up Entertainment, with my partner Mason LaDue. We started it back in 2004 and really just cranked it up this passed year. As far as who put me in the door, man I got Dallas, Texas legends co-signing for me. The Gator Main, Bo Leg – free Bo Leg by the way, we need him back out here fooling on these beats. They the ones that put me in this door. DJ Dip from GO DJs in Houston was the first DJ to put me on wax. He went to my high school, Carter, he put out all my “Carter Classics” mix tapes that really got me noticed. Ray Prince was the first promoter to put me on stage, shout out to Prince, man. I have worked with a lot of artists in and out of Dallas. Of course Gator Main, Ball Playas, Bo Leg, Stampede Records, Y.G., Faddy Daddy, Money Maine, they all family to me. I have worked closely and done shows with ESG and Lil KeKe. They fuck with me because I can hang with them on that freestyle shit. E like to get up on stage during a show and freestyle straight off the top of the dome, free styling about niggas in the crowd and all that, and he told me that myself and Brandon Stacks was the only young niggas in the game that could fuck with him on that type of shit. Lil KeKe is all the way love. Dallas got a lot of love for KeKe, I fucks wit him. Big shout out to DJ Cap at The Bomb at Big T in Dallas, he really is putting me through a lot of doors as far as breaking into the radio right now too.

Who has been the most important persona in Dallas-Rap as far as putting the town on the map?

Honestly, I feel like Dallas is wide open. There is so much talent, someone needs to step up to the plate and hit a home run. We have had a couple step up, and maybe they didn’t strike out, but they didn’t hit no home run. Before he got locked up, I felt Bo Leg was the one that really in truly properly represented what Dallas rap is all about. After he got locked up, I feel like its back to being wide open. Which is strange, because so many eyes are on Texas right now, and for one of the biggest cities in Texas to not really have a staple artist is strange. I plan on being the one to crank out that grand slam in the bottom of the 9th, real talk. No hate, I love to see artists getting money, getting recognition for the grind, but someone need to step up and represent Dallas to the world.

You’ve released a mix tape called “I Got Next”. Tell us something about this project…

“I Got Next” was my first project with my record label Wired Up Entertainment. Basically, myself and my partner Mason just got in the studio and grinded this underground out in about a week and a half. I don’t use a pen and pad, I listen to a beat, compose in my head and go in the booth. Ask anyone who has recorded with me, if they have seen a pen and a pad with me. It was nice, felt real good to put that out and give some real shit for the streets to jam. It’s now available for free download on our myspace page. What I liked about “I Got Next” is that it was almost 100% me with no features. I think the only feature on the whole CD was my big homie Gator Main, on a track we got called “Rush Em” which did pretty good in Dallas.

What does that mean, 100% you?

I’m just a young fly flashy fresh to def, young nigga man. You can see it with your eyes closed! That’s why “Fresh 2 Def” fits so perfect for me for my single. I really am that nigga. I really am known for being extra fresh. I did that trapping shit, that ain’t an image that’s a way to get money. I’m a regular young nigga with money out in these streets seeing what it does. I don’t claim to be no extra gangster ass nigga, but I do have niggas for that. I don’t claim to be a big ass d boy, but I do have niggas for that. *laughs* I’m known out here, all kind of different niggas see themselves in me. From the pimps, hustlers, macks, gangsters, whatever they all see a little them in me. That’s why I relate to so many different types of people.

So what’s coming up next?

Right now, we are working on our next underground, “Mo Money Mo Problems”. We also got our lil youngsters doing their thing, Da Perfect Team with Ace The Don and Lil Tay. We also support our lil homie C Hen of the JumpOutBoyz and Yung Mike. We got some youngsters that are coming on with it. They really forced they way in to the picture, but they shit is hot so we got to get them out there. What myself and Mase want to accomplish is, to let everyone know how much these streets really do cut for a nigga. We know, but the rest of the world really doesn’t. So we are going to bleed these undergrounds until we got folks really requesting for Lil Tex and Wired Up Entertainment. Then we are going to go ahead and drop the album. Real talk, by the time I am talking a real album, I will be talking some serious cash money. You might fuck around and see some people on there that you didn’t even know I could reach out to.

Is that the complete label roster?

Like I said, we got myself, Lil Tex, I also own half the label with Mase, CEO Mase is what we like to call him. On the label, we have Ace The Don and Lil Tay, Da Perfect Team. We also have our DJ, Lonestar, going hard on them tables.

How hard is it to keep an independent label like Wired Up Entertainment running these days?

Mase and myself have been in the independent game for a minute, even without Wired Up Entertainment. Mase broke in to this game down in Houston, fucking with DJ Yellaboy which lead to Boss Hogg Outlawz, Swisha House, Street Pharmacy, Dirty 3rd Records, pretty much everyone doing something when the Houston niggas was really just murdering the independent game. He really got game from a lot of people that are in the spot light right now selling millions. He knows the road game from fucking with Boss Hogg, he know that CD Store grind, he know bout doing big shows when he was running with Paul Wall. He really was blessed to get game from all kind of different people in different areas in their careers. At first, everyone tried to get him to rap, but the business was so much more in his vision. On my end, I saw the Bo Legs, Gator Mains, all of them fooling on their own, to where, we know how strong being independent can be. It’s no joke though, being independent also mean spending a bunch of your own money. There are pros and cons for both sides of the fence, but for right now, we are independent and loving it. Of course, major labels, get at me, we always open to talk!

Are there any artists you would like to do a record with?

Lil Wayne. Off the top. No questions asked. He is the best rapper alive. Juelz Santana, Dipset, I be on that shit. I really feel like maybe not in the same category, but I got they swagger. I feel like they are just me with millions. I feel like I could fuck with them on that mic for real, but it would be some straight up respect shit, cause those the niggas I really jam. Jeezy of course, TI. That’s the type of shit I am on. Real talk though, I fuck with anyone. I respect anyone’s grind and hustle and I aint tripping on doing a song with anyone. Fuck it, put Rosie O’Donnell on the mic with her loud ass, I will record a track with her!

What do you think of the rapgame today?

Not what it used to be. That’s the first thing that came to my mind. DJs are getting raided by the feds for DJing! Niggas ain’t getting they cheques, record labels are really doing anything to trap a nigga to they situation. But that’s all a reflection of what big of a business rap has become. It’s not simple anymore. It’s not record a song, give it to a DJ, play it on the radio, do shows, sell CDs. It’s a lot more to it than that now, and a lot of good talent gets lost in all the bullshit chutes and ladders you got to go thru to get heard. This is something I do, I do this shit, so I can either sit back and complain about how shit go, or I can say fuck it and follow the path that you have to take. If this something you really want to do, you are going to do whatever it takes to get where you want to be. If you are satisfied with a local hit and being a hood celebrity, then there is a way to that. I’m trying to go international, and there is a way to that, and it ain’t easy.

Of course I have to ask you about your favourite Screw-Tape…

Slowed down music just ain’t the same. I’m a Fat Pat, Big Pokey ass nigga. I’m a 3 in da mornin ass nigga. I jam Screw, Fat Pat, Big Pokey, SUC, they raised me. I’m about as big of a screwhead as you can get in Dallas. My favourite tape has to be “Blue 22”. I can’t even tell you why, it just be jamming like that to me. I really like DJ Yellaboy on that slowed down shit now, but people need to realize there is no other Screw. There are variations, but Screw is Screw. DJ Yellaboy, DJ Cap, you got to reach and find the bloodline that has been doing it since Screw was around. OG Ron C is another one.

Is there anything you know about Germany?

Man, honestly, I know VERY little. I aint even going to stunt. But that’s why Germany needs to get me over there and rock a show! My visa is good for travel! I know they be drinking the shit out of beer, though. They be getting loaded. Germany got they own style, they like the Lil Tex of Europe maan. Fly, Fresh 2 Def! I need to see a German woman to properly judge the country. Don, hook me up!!

That’s it, time to drop some final words…

Man, of course, a lot of love to Don$P, G’z 4 Life and ugrap.de for the love and support. What’s up to all my people over in Germany, all my people serving the United States overseas, I know Germany has a lot of our military bases, so shout out to them, I aint going to speak on no war, but anyone who fight for me for any reason got my support. What’s up to every body showing us love man, we international. My name Lil Tex but I am worldwide. Check us out on the web, on our myspace. Let us know what you think! I do be on myspace chatting, so send me an e-mail. You can also reach me at liltex@wiredupent.com , I check that shit, its me. Wired Up Orangutan Gang, we all over the place. Fuck with me.