Mellow, what’s going on with ya?

Man, really just been out here trying to push this music, staying down on the grind, just being a true disciple about mine. And you know that I’m about betterment so I’m just trying to better myself and others around me.

Now I know that you’ve been in the game a minute. You used to be down with a group called Wildliffe Society. Tell us about that.

Fa sho’, Wildliffe Society originated back in 1991. We were among the first to really put it down for the underground. We were the first to bring the whole gangsta flavor to the Jacktown music scene. We were the first to make the underground acceptable to the ear. When I first started it might have been two or three rappers, but here, lately, we got three thousand rappers in this city. But basically Wildliffe Society was the fertilizer that made the whole ground want to grow.

What was the first song that Wildliffe Society ever put out?

Man the first song we put out was called Baldhead Hoes Suck Dick. It was an underground gangsta walk classic that blew up Memphis, Milwaukee, all the way up to Chicago. It was out under Select-o-Hits this was back in 92.

What happened to the record?

Ah, basically at the tie we didn’t know the biz. We were just some bothers out there trying to change the product and try our hand at the music game, but just didn’t have the understanding. Had a hot product, but just didn’t know how to get out there and promote and market the record. We just didn’t really know enough about the game to maintain like we’re supposed to.

Eventually you all ended up with a record deal on TVT? How did that happened?

That was 1995 with Blunt/TVT. AT the time Ja Rule was with Blunt, Mic Geronimo was with Blunt, Jay-Z and the whole fam was with Blunt. It was the same old thing again. We had the hot stuff, but basically didn’t have the push that it took to take it to the next level. Or it could have been G.O.D. holding me back so I could really spread like mayonnaise to the youth, and really give other people the opportunity, because this music thing ain’t nothing but an opportunity. So Wildliffe kinda opened the door for Children of the Cornbread.

So what happened to Wildliffe Society?

Basically the thing that happened to Wildliffe Society was the group broke up. You got Sleepy Nevilles and Howie How, better known as Shake Em Up Sounds, they wanted to break off and do their own thing. They’re doing gospel now. They were the DJs. The other MC in the group, Rated-X, he wanted to do his own thing. So man I was under so much street trauma that I had to get out there and survive just so I could get out the game one day. But, overall, Wildliffe was a great creation. It was just like they say, you can be right on time or before your time. I think that Wildliffe….we was just before our time.

So what gave you the idea to put together Children of the Cornbread?

Well they were my first invention off my label On-The-Block music. It was like some homeboys of mine from four or five different counties in the State. The click that I want to create was a group of the best MCs that the State had to offer, who were coming from certain [socio- economic] condition, who were trying to get out of those conditions. And my whole spiel was to replace the crack/cocaine with the rap game. So Children of the Cornbread was my way of giving young brother an opportunity to step into this rap game because I am the Godfather of this thing in Jackson.

Name the members of COC.

The Cornbread consist of JDC Click, which is Chris Loc and Judge Dread straight outta Jefferson Davis County. Coming out of Simpson County you got Pretty Much Love and you got the Simpson County Gs, which is Jethro and Dollar Bill. And straight outta Hinds County is Dirty Boy off West Street here in Jackson and J-Mack outta the Queens in Jackson.

Now you guys did an underground tape?

Yeah, it was called So Many Situations. That came out in 1998.

Tell us about your current album?

It’s called I’d Rather Be Hated Than Loved and I ain’t gone lie, it’s like the spice on fried chicken. It’s like good barbecue. It like everybody all over Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee are picking up on to this album because it’s too real –straight from the Jiffy Mix box.

I heard that you have a solo album coming out. Tell up what up with that and some of the other projects you’ve got planned?

No doubt, it been ten years in the making. I’m calling it UPS, Universal Pimp Status. It’ll probably be out right around October and the Children of the Cornbread album; Straight Out the Oven will be right behind it. I’m also looking at a movie script called Balla, Balla. I’ve got a record store about to open and I have plans to open the first black owned strip club here in Mississippi. But the thing is to really keep this music going. You know I’ve got some new groups coming. I’ve got the Crack Babies coming. I’ve got Sweet Hazel coming. I’ve got Sunshine. I got Young Guns. I got Ratigo. I got a whole of flavor coming.

Any final words for your fans?

Mellow: Basically, everything that I put out is gonna be real. If you want to just hear the music game that’s straight from the streets, straight from the ghetto, straight from the grind then you gotta peep a Mellow T rhyme. And just be looking out for On-the-Block Music. We coming!

by: Charlie Braxton.  © 2002 Down-South.com