If you been into the chopped
and screw scene then chances are you’ve heard the name and voice of Dirty 3rd
Record’s recording artist Chalie Boy. His unique flow combined with his
powerful voice has made him one of the most revered up and coming underground
artists in Texas. Recently Down-South.com sat down with the Texas hard hitter
and here’s what he had to say.
 Down-South: Where are you from?
Chalie Boy: I’m from Hearne/Calvert Texas.
Down-South: How far is that from Houston?
Chalie Boy: In reference to Houston it’s about roughly one and a half to two
hours from the city limits of Houston.
Down-South: What was it like growing up in Hearne/Calvert?
Chalie Boy: Growing up in Hearne/Calvert is regular. It’s a country town, far
from the average city fast life, but you know it’s just good. You’re around good
people. It’s calm. It’s not really as active as the City. You know we got
ourselves stores and little holes-in-the-walls so we know how to get down with
everybody else.
Down-South: Tell me in terms of music what kind did you grow up listening to?
Chalie Boy: I grew up listening to blues, jazz, and gospel, a little bit of
everything. I just listen to what I like to listen to. If it sounds good to my
ears then I’m gonna listen to it. It don’t matter where it’s Spanish, oriental,
whatever. [It don’t matter] whether I can understand [the lyrics] or not, music
is universal, sound is sound, if you like it then that’s what you gonna go for.
Everybody goes for what they like.
Down-South: How did you come in contact with hip hop?
Chalie Boy: Ah man going all the way back to 2 Live Crew’s As Nasty As They
Wanna Be, back to NWA, back to Public Enemy, back to the Sugar Hill Gang. I mean
it’s a lotta groups like that. My mind skips trying to think about them right
now. But I’ve been around music since I was born. I mean I love music. I love
sound. Sound puts me to sleep at night. So from that on to Texas’ own Geto Boys,
Big Moe, over to the West Coast’s Nate Dogg and his soulful sounds that’s pretty
much the culmination of the style that I have.
Down-South: You mentioned Big Moe as one of your influences and I can certainly
hear some of his style in yours but it also reminds a lot of some of the things
I hear the New Orleans bounce artists do, particularly Pimp Daddy, DJ Jimi, DJ
Jubullee, Choppa, and 5th Ward Webbie who all sort of sing/chant to the beat. I
was wondering do you have any relatives in Louisiana or did you listen to a lot
of New Orleans music coming up?
Chalie Boy: Don’t get me to lying [about relatives in Louisiana] that I know of;
no I don’t have any. But, like I said, New Orleans and Louisianans period, other
than Texans, they put they heart into they music. Whether it’s chanting loud or
screaming you know it’s coming from they heart when they say what they say and
they get everybody into it. When Cash money started out doing they bling bling
thing everybody was on it, but it was also how they presented it. I admire that.
I admire anything that you do coming from yourself that gets people on it. And
that’s what I want. My sound is my sound. It [has] my feelings, my emotions in
it and if it gets your attention and you become a fan for that then I appreciate
that because I’m doing me.
Down-South: You are becoming one of the artists to watch in Texas. I first came
in contact with your music through DJ Bull’s mix tapes. How did you hook up with
DJ Bull and Dirty 3rd records?
Chalie Boy: I hooked up with Dirty 3rd Records through a guy named B’nard. He
and DJ Bull had a music room running in Brian College Station called The Shack.
I would come in every Friday with a pay check and buy at least two or three
different things from them, both major label and local albums. He already knew
that I could sing from all of the interaction between other customers coming in
checking to see what I was doing. So one day he told me that DJ Bull wanted some
music and wanted to know if I wanted to record some songs or some freestyles if
I did I should come down. I came down one day, they were busy, and they didn’t
really know me so first off it was sorta like a who-are-you look. But we came in
and sat down and had a discussion over the situation. They let me drop
something. They liked it. And I did a couple of more things for that underground
project which was called No Hoes Barred. After that they called me in for a
couple of more projects. Then finally the sat me down and asked me if I wanted
to join the group and I said yeah. I’ve been with the 3rd every since 2000.
Down-South: How many mix tapes have you’ve been on since 2000?
Chalie Boy: Since 2000 I’ve probably been on about 50, that’s just on Dirty 3rd.
Down-South: How many have you been on overall?
Chalie Boy: I like to think that I’m probably close to 100. I’m not really sure
on that. But I’ve been doing a lot of work. A Lot of work gets on mix tapes that
go under the radar. It goes on cats that be under the radar who are still trying
to get out there. I feel that all of the work that I’ve done is the reason for
being what I am today and the reason for me being what I am about to be. I mean
everything that you do may not be heard everywhere, but it is being heard
somewhere. I do it for a purpose and people get you for a purpose.
Down-South: How do you describe your style? Do you rap or sing or do you do
both?
Chalie Boy: Man, I’ve been singing since I was a child. My mother is a musician
at my church, the Old Elam Missionary Baptist Church in Hearne Texas. That’s
still my church and when I’m available on Sunday I still get up and sing. My
mama still gets on me about doing that. So I started off just doing the singing
thing because that’s all I knew. Rappin’, I honestly started off rappin’ in 2000
when they asked me if I wanted to do some rappin’, but I’d been listening to
cats like Nate Dogg and definitely, of course Big Moe. I mean they sing and they
can rap. And then Nelly came out right about that time and that made believe
that it’s possible. All I gotta do is work at it. So I like to say that I fit
into the category of those guys who do singing and rapping. I really have no
definition of what I do. I just like to define it as good music.
Down-South: I know that two of you biggest underground albums are Chalie Boy’s
Greatest Hits Volume 1 and Chalie Boy’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 and that you
continue to do mix tapes. What’s your next big project and will you do a full
length album?
Chalie Boy: I’m gonna do an above ground album, I’m working on it now, but at
the same time I’m going to continue to do underground mix tapes. That’s what
keeps you in the public eye. That’s what keeps you popularity up because in
noticing how albums come out on major labels you drop an album and they spend at
least eight months pushing the album.
That’s a lotta time to be on the road, promoting one project and it’s not really
out every where you need it to be and you’re not around to show your face and
people wondering where you are because they haven’t heard anything new from you.
The mix tape keeps you going. So in the process of me still working on my album
which will be called Versatile Child, I’m dropping mis tapes and still getting
on mix tapes –that’s extra promotions. While I’m doing my songs and my verses I
get to so drops and let my fans know when the album is coming, how long the wait
is.
Down-South: Do you know when Versatile Child is coming out?
Chalie Boy: Well I got several major underground projects that I have on hand
right now. Making My Way 2, Love it or Hate It is gonna come before versatile
Child. Love It or Hate It is myself, Ryno and Magno. All three of them are
coming before Versatile Child the album. Between all of these underground albums
with original beats, I’m still grinding on these mix tapes so for all the fans
that’s been waiting on Versatile Child to come don’t worry it’s still coming
just be patience and don’t be mad at me.
 |
