(2003) As a founding member of the Screwed Up Click, an elite group of Houston based rappers who free styled on DJ Screw’s famous mix tapes, Wreckshop Recording artist big Moe has been a vital part of Houston’s thriving underground.  His patented combination of rap/singing has made him one of the most popular independent recording artists in the Deep South.  In addition to having one of the region’s most successful independent albums entitled City of Syrup, which sold a whopping 200,000 units and counting, Big Moe is one of the Texas’ most sought after artists, when it comes to doing features and hooks.  In fact, according to many of the artists he’s worked with, a Big Moe feature can garner an independent artist as many 20,000 sales in Houston alone.

Recently we sat down with Big Moe to talk about his life, his music, and his labels big deal with Priority/Capital and his new album Purple World.

Big Moe, what’s happening playa?

Nothing just chillin’

I guess the first thing I want to ask you is how did you get the name Big Moe?

Well, my real name is Kenneth Moore.  I got the name Big Moe because I was a big type dude.   When I was young, I used to dance and people would call me Disco Danny.  I used to dance and I used to play a little sports.  I wasn’t no sports type but I wasn’t really a lazy type dude growing up.  I played football, I tired to play basketball, but I was too big.  I played baseball and when I used to go to bat people used to say hit it out the park Big Moe and I just kept it from that point on.

Now you’re from Houston, what part?

I’m from Houston’s third ward, the Southeast side.

What was the name of your neighborhood?

What was it like growing up in the third ward?

I grew up kinda hard.  The kitchen stove would be used to keep the whole house warm.  I remember one time when we didn’t have no heat so we got together in one room and used two or three space heaters so we could keep warm.  Sometimes we’d have to rent a room for two hours in order to take a bath right quick.  It was real hard back then, man, real hard.

I heard that before you started rapping that you were in an R & B group, is that true?

Yeah, I’m really an R & B type of singer, you know what I’m saying.   Before I really got into the solo rap thing, I was in a straight R & B group called Second Verse.  We met up in 1990 and fell apart in 98.  We were signed to this dude called Chris Morris who played with the New Jersey Nets.  Everything was going good at first, but then something happened and that went down the drain.

Damn, what happened after that?

I thought my career was over after that.  Then I hooked up with DJ Screw and he gave me another chance by letting me on his album.

How did you hook up with DJ Screw?

I had a cousin who DJed every Thursday at this club where I was a bouncer.  DJ Screw started working there also and we used to hang out with him, help him bring his boxes in and stuff like that.  So one day he brought me a tape and he let me hear a demo of his album that was going to come out nationwide.   I was playing an instrumental from the tape and started singing and rapping some lyrics I made up and he heard me singing and said "I’m going to take care of you if you hop on the album."  So I hopped on the album and the album did real good and everybody wanted know who was that dude singing?

That’s how I got through that song on DJ Screw’s album 3 in the Morning called “Sipping on Codeine.”

So did you do any touring?

I was doing shows making a $150.00 a night, I wasn’t getting’ much, but at the time I was doing what I loved to do and the little money I was making was just gravy.   Everybody else was probably bringing home a lot more than me and the crowd was getting just as crunk on seeing me perform as they were seeing them, but I guess that’s all a part of paying your dues.  I wasn’t complaining. I wasn’t trying to make all of the money anyway.

So what happened after that?

After that it was like there was no red light.  It was on.  I started getting on DJ Screws mixed tapes and I was on everybody else albums in Houston, even people outside of the Screwed Up Click.

Name some of the artists whose albums you’ve appeared on?

I was on Big HAWK’s album.  The Botany Boys’s album, ESG’s Album, Big Pokey’s album, Pimp Tyte’s albums and Fat Pat’s.  But my album did better than everybody albums that I’ve been on.  I never would have thought that would happen, but I guess that just the way it goes.

Why?

At the time there were a lot of people listening to me and by me being a singer/rapper I didn’t think that my album would do as good as all the other albums that I was on.  I always used to think that there was no way I could do better than them because they always had some hot lyrics to go along with their beats.

Is that why you waited so long to get with a label and do a solo album?

A lotta people would come at me, asking me when I was going to sign a record deal.   At the time I was a part of the Screwed Up Click and I was loyal to Screw.  I wanted to sign with Screw, but he was like hold up.  One day we was talking to him for a long time about signing me and he said something like Moe, it ain’t that I don’t believe in ya or nothing like that, it’s just I don’t think that I’m ready to start bringing out groups.  He said he wasn’t ready for that.  He said that he didn’t want to be no CEO.  He just wanted to be a DJ.  And I felt that….I respected that.

Okay how did you hook up with wreck Shop?

At that point, I could have signed with three or four different labels.  Jam Down wanted me, but they had Lil Keke.  And everybody that offered me a deal I’d always go to him and ask him, well, what do you think about this one? And he tell me what he thought.

I used to hang with Noke D over at Wreckshop all the time.  I used to hop on ESG albums.  D-Reck knew I was real with it, but I don’t think he was really feeling me at the time, but Noke D, he saw the big picture.  He was the one who wanted me to sign.

After I did a few songs with ESG and people started feeling me, so I winded up doing shows with ESG and I’d have it crunk.  D-Reck used to be at some of the shows and he saw how I had it crunk like ESG and thats when Wreck started to see the big picture.

Okay what was it about Wreckshop that made you wanted to get them?

Like I said a lotta local labels were talking to me, but Wreckshop was talking what I wanted to hear.  Plus I felt comfortable being over there.  So I signed in 1998.


And a year later you dropped your first album, the Barre Baby…..

Yeah, the first single from the Barre Baby was called “Mann,” and it did real good, but I didn’t know that the single that was going to take the album over the top was the “Barre Baby.”  But, I’m grateful for it.  I sold about 200,000 units and it’s still selling.  That’s a pretty good amount for an independent.  I use to run into different rap cats on the road and they’d be like you sold 200,000 units and you ain’t signed with nobody yet!  That’s unusual.  But I ain’t in this just to be signed to a major label.  I’m just happy to be able to do it and make some good money at the same time.  But when we do it I know that it’s going to be a pretty good step for me.

Okay, you label has hooked up with Priority, tell us how that did happened?

There was a guy at Priority looking for the record.  A potna of mine had put something good in his ear about me.  He told him that I was hot.  But the dude went out and did his homework.  He had heard a lot about me, but he wanted to see if I was really as hot as my potna said I was.  He checked my scans and flew out to Houston and asked a couple of people who their favorite artist was and they all told him me.  He even asked other area artist who were their five favorite artists and every artist said my name.  After that we went out there and let them hear the album.   They loved it and we loved the deal they offered.  After the deal was cut, we asked them did they want the old album or did they want a whole new album.  They said that they wanted a new album, so that’s what we gave them.

Okay tell us about the new album?

The new album is called Purple World.  That’s because purple is my favorite color.  That’s the color of the car I drive that and gold.  Plus I’m from the City of Syrup….this is where it comes from so I feel like I have to represent it.

Who did the production?

Platinum Soul did the production.  That’s Noke D and Salih.

Now you have a very unusual style. It’s a mixture of both rap and singing…….

Yeah, I call what I do sing/rapping because that’s just what I do.  I sing and I rap.  I do both.  I like them both and I do [both of] them well.

by: Charlie Braxton © Down-South.com