Published: Wednesday - April 27, 2005
Words by William E. Ketchum III
Copywrite (Photo: O.D.O.T. Records)
Copywrite has already made his stamp in hip-hop history. In 1998, him and his group MHz released "World Premiere," establishing themselves as the first artists from Columbus, Ohio to drop a rap record ("Everybody knows that a few cats are originally from Columbus, like Tash and E-Swift, but they chose not to rep," Copywrite confirms, encouraging readers to peep The VIBE History of Hip Hop for further documentation). He dropped his solo debut, The High Exhaulted, in 2002 to much acclaim, and he released his mixtape Cruise Control Volume 1 last fall. Many artists would have been content to join the likes of artists like Ras Kass, Slug, Jedi Mind Tricks -- underground mainstays with platinum respect -- but C-Dub isn't satisfied with independent success.
He knows he's got the talent to make the jump, and he's currently fielding offers from everyone from Babygrande to Dame Dash Music Group and working with the likes of Just Blaze and Lil Jon. Die-hard fans need not worry though; Copywrite doesn't plan to compromise his artistry for the dollar. "I'm not trying to put out some bubble gum, no cotton candy sh--, no 'I'm white' records to capitalize on my race," he asserts. "I'm just trying to put out some hot f---ing music." In an interview with BallerStatus.com, Copywrite speaks on mainstream acceptance, Ohio hip-hop, and future plans.
BallerStatus.com: What's been going on man?
Copywrite: Right now, I'm having heavy talks with Dame. It's looking like it's a real good chance that I could end up over there with his new situation with Def Jam. Also, Babygrande just stepped to me the other day, and I didn't really get to holler at Chuck Wilson (Babygrande head) yet. That's basically it, man; really, I'm chillin'. I'm not in a rush to sign a deal, just to say, "Hey, I signed a deal." I'm just chillin', coming with consistent music. I'm doing a Sickamore mixtape to follow up Cruise Control. I'm always working on an album, I stay in the studio working on sh-- to go towards my album. I'm just relaxing in the sense of not just running out and grabbing the first offer, but at the same time, I'm staying in the stew.
BallerStatus.com: What kind of reception have you gotten since your most recent mixtape, Cruise Control Vol. 1?
Copywrite: Ever since it first leaked, I've been getting nothing but good feedback. Some of [the material] on there is a little old, that's why I'm real eager to get out the next stuff. When the Sickamore mixtape comes out, after that, there won't be anymore [old material released]. "Beautiful Trainwreck," I did that song so long ago. "Size 12s," I had those rhymes written before I released High Exhaulted. The next sh-- that comes out, is all fresh.
BallerStatus.com: You've been underground for a minute; how does it feel to finally be creeping up on mainstream success?
Copywrite: It feels good. I can't say every rapper, but I know me, in 1992-93 when I looked at the cats on TV having a video, I'm trying to be like them. That's what I consider making it. To me, making it is not just having a few 12 inches out floating around, and having 15,000 people know who you are. That's dope, I'm not knocking that, that's a very good start. But those aren't my aspirations as an MC. But the way sh--'s going now, it's silly. It takes so long to get there, that sometimes it doesn't hit you like it may hit other people, because you've seen it happen bit by bit. Some sh-- is too out there; when you tell people a situation, they're tripping about it. I've got this Lil Jon beat that me and [Memphis] Bleek are supposed to do some sh-- to, and they're telling me to hurry up and get it done ASAP. It's no joke, it's real. Fans of Copywrite, for them to hear that I'm doing a track with Lil Jon, and not even having an album out, they're like, "Damn, who the f--- is helping him out?"
BallerStatus.com: Is there anybody else you've been working with?
Copywrite: I've been working with Needlez, not actually being in the studio with him, but just recording to his sh--. I like that dude's music a lot, his sh-- is real fire. Sometimes you might hear producers say their sh-- is fire, then you hear the beat CD, and there's not one hot one on there. This dude is crazy, his beat CDs are just flames. There may be one or two that I don't like, and like 10 that are just hot.
I'm also about to get up with Just Blaze; we've been talking about this for a minute. He was at the Grammys last time I was down there. I got up with DR Period, I'm definitely working with that dude. I'm working with Kwame, J-Zone, RJD2, and I'm working with Elite, who did "Shoot Outs" from Jadakiss' album. I'm just trying to continue in the search of making some real hot hip-hop sh-- on a major label. I'm not trying to put out some bubble gum, no cotton candy sh--, no "I'm white" records to capitalize on my race, I'm just trying to put out some hot f---ing music. Some real hip-hop -- that sh-- that was abundant when I was coming up, but it's not really around right now.
BallerStatus.com: Like you said, you've got a lot of stuff coming up. How do you hook up with names this big?
Copywrite: My manager plays them my music, and they feel it. It's that simple. There's no politics involved, he just presses play and lets the music talk. They either roll with it or they roll against it, and nine times out of ten, they're feeling it. It's crazy, because you do so much sh-- as an independent artist, and sometimes you wonder, "What am I doing this for? Are people even hearing it?" When Just Blaze first started hitting me up, this guy's quoting my lyrics from High Exhaulted. The sh-- is surreal to me. Back then, if you would've told me that Just Blaze was going to know my lyrics, [I would've said] it's silly. It's not like Just Blaze is Michael Jackson, but at the same time, he ain't no slouch [laughs].
BallerStatus.com: You've got some association with Dame Dash and the Roc; tell me about that.
Copywrite: That all hooked up with the Roc The Mic battle that I was in. I met Bee High, who is Jay's cousin. Since then, it's just been on. They say that in this industry, it's all about who you know, and that sh-- is so true. You can be the nicest there is, and you can be the wackest there is, but if you know that right person, it doesn't matter. You can get a lot of things done for you. He basically told me that he managed J Dilla, and he dropped some beats, and he just basically came through with everything he was saying. He played my sh-- for Jay and Dame, and it just worked out the way it did. Every time I would go through a new song, he would play it for Dame, to the point where Dame was like, "Okay, I think dude is serious, he's got sick songs." I think [Dame] has a lot of sh-- on his table right now, as far as trying to settle his new situation, but it is what it is. I've got a few options, but I'm not really rushing into any of them, 'cause that's how you f--- around and start to have a grudge.
BallerStatus.com: Why didn't you ever sign with Roc-a-fella?
Copywrite: I don't think I'd sign with the Roc. I don't think the Roc is in existence right now, but even if it was, with the roster that they have, I'd have to wonder "Where do I fit in? When am I going to drop?" I wouldn't sign with anybody unless I had some type of clause in the contract that said that if they don't drop the album by a certain date, that I can drop it somewhere else. I'm not just trying to go somewhere and sit. I can do more sh-- on my own than I could with a label, having to ask them if I can drop stuff on my own and not having them put out my album, me just sitting around for nothing.
BallerStatus.com: Did they ever offer you a deal?
Copywrite: Something like that. We were in talks with them right before things got really hectic over there, and we were just waiting around to see where the ball was laying.
BallerStatus.com: What's it like to remember being in talks with them before, and seeing their situation now?
Copywrite: It's crazy. It shows you that you shouldn't even take the smallest thing for granted, because it could just end. Granted, it didn't end because of bad business or because they couldn't hold their weight, it ended because they wanted to go their separate ways. But you can never underestimate anything. You should always be prepared for the worst, because when you're not, that's when the worst happens. Just saying that [pertaining to them] seems like a crazy situation, because who would've thought? I would have preferred that my crew didn't break up the way it did, but sometimes, people just don't click. We stopped clicking after a while.
BallerStatus.com: How did your crew break up?
Copywrite: Basically, bullsh--. One person had an issue and was acting silly. If you look at O.D.O.T., it's basically everybody from MHz except for one person. If there are four people in a room, and one person has a pproblem with everybody, and nobody else is having a problem, obviously, it's that one person. It wasn't a specific incident, it was just years and years of bullsh-- building up, people not being about their sh--, being liars, sh-- like that.
BallerStatus.com: Tell me about your label -- O.D.O.T. Records -- and your crew.
Copywrite: O.D.O.T. is a crew I put together, "Ohio Dogs On Top." It consists of Jakki Tha MotaMouth, Tage, KingDom (who's from Cleveland), Catalyst (he's from [Ohio]), and then M.E.T.A., and that's that. I'm trying to put Ohio on the map with some real hip-hop, and basically these are the cats I'm f---ing with. I'm all about helping the next man if they want to help theirselves. I'm not that dude that hates on people, I'm not that dude who tries to hold somebody back. I like to help people who have talent. I know how it feels to have your sh-- out, and I want to make people have their sh-- heard to the world if it's good. The cats I'm f---ing with are nice, so I want to let them do what they do.
BallerStatus.com: What's the hip-hop scene like in Ohio? How do you feel about the newfound appreciation for Midwestern hip-hop?
Copywrite: Man, it's like the same 25 people in every single event. I can't even front. Musically, it used to be kind of hot for a minute, in '92 and '93. A lot of the MCs were real sick at the open mics. For a second, you would forget that you were in Ohio. Right now, it's just whatever. Like I said, it's a lot of bullsh--. I'm going to get cocky real quick. Like I said before, we put our sh-- out there, we were the first ones. A lot of cats are running around out here trying to run with old MHz members and sh-- to get props, or doing albums with the MHz DJ to get known. It's cool, but a lot of cats in Ohio forget who got the scene started, who got the ball rolling as far as putting sh-- out. History really tells it, so you can't ignore it, but they would like to.
BallerStatus.com: Recently, a variety of Midwestern artists are blowing up. You've got Nelly, Kanye, Eminem, etc. How do you feel about this emergence?
Copywrite: I love it. Everything that's out [from Midwestern artists] to me is hot. All the MCs from the Midwest from Nelly are hot sh--. Eminem, good; Kanye, good; Twista, good. It's a lot of sh-- that I'm proud of from the Midwest that are getting a lot of noise. But for the most part, I have no complaints.
BallerStatus.com: So what's next for you?
Copywrite: Without any deal being signed or anything, first up is the Sickamore mixtape. I've got crew members that are putting out their mixtapes, I'm probably going to have a little bit of a hand in that, at least. I'm finally going to drop this single from Cruise Control, "Happy Hour" produced by J-Zone, backed by "Beautiful Trainwreck" produced by Jake One. After that, I'm going to do the Sickamore tape, and probably drop another white label single with the Kwame joint on it and some other crazy sh-- I've got. That's about it. Just staying in the studio, working on some bangers.
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