Published: Tuesday - October 2, 2007
Words by Slav Kandyba
Topic (Photo: SRC / Universal)
There are a couple of things that set newcomer Topic from the rest of the legion of rappers seeking to make their name known out West. For starters, his voice has already been exposed to the masses via BET's popular "Comic View" show. That catchy rap you hear at the beginning and end of each show? That would be "Get Your Laugh On," an original recording from the West Covina, California, MC (real name: D. Holman).
While some may think starting a career off a TV jingle might be a joke, there's certainly nothing funny about Topic's position as a member of the SRC artist roster, which includes Akon, David Banner and Pharoahe Monch. Signed in 2005, Topic began to record in earnest late last year after some personal setbacks. Since, he has has released a mixtape called The Coast Guard, co-hosted by the unlikely pairing of DJs Skee and Kay Slay. In an interview with BallerStatus, Topic discusses exactly how he hopes to parlay his mighty industry connections into success.
BallerStatus.com: I was just reading this press release about you, and it said you were involved with the theme song on BET's "Comic View."
Topic: "Get Your Laugh On" I think is what they called it. It's been on there for two or three years, it's kind of crazy.
BallerStatus.com: Yeah I know what song that is too.
Topic: That was unexpected. I did the record actually like a long time ago, probably two years before they started playing. Then out of nowhere they started using it for one season and then another season and another season and I guess it just stuck around.
BallerStatus.com: How did that opportunity come about to do that?
Topic: Robert Townsend had a show and a friend of mine introduced me to do music for it. It was called "Jokes." I did a record called "Who Got Jokes." The show didn't really get picked up, but the producers from that show were with Robert Townsend who heard that song and they wanted me to do something for "Comic View." I did and I thought they didn't use, the same way they didn't use the song for "Jokes," but eventually they did use it a couple of years later.
BallerStatus.com: So that exposure is related to how you got on the scene and got signed to SRC or was it your grind?
Topic: To be honest, I got signed really the way that people don't usually get signed these days. I got signed off of music, not my hustle or my street buzz or none of that. I was just fortunate to know the right people. A lot of cats get signed once they get their buzz up and reps for the label or the A&Rs come out to see them. For me, I sat in front of (SRC founder Steve) Rifkind and he signed me on the spot, off of one record we sent to him. He heard the record and called me back on it. He wanted to see what I look like. The deal was history since I met him.
BallerStatus.com: How long ago did that happen?
Topic: I actually signed in '05, but I had some complications, like personal issues, but I really didn't start recording again since late '06.
BallerStatus.com: You're coming from West Covina?
Topic: Yeah.
BallerStatus.com: For people that don't know where that it is, can you tell them?
Topic: West Covina is 20 to 30 minutes east of L.A. and all those areas you are used to hearing about like Compton and Watts. I wasn't born in West Covina. I came from West L.A., that's where I was born. My older brothers were gangbangin', so once I started getting into that same path, my moms moved us out there to avoid that stuff. It really helped me to create a better personality, I'm more well-rounded.
BallerStatus.com: I hear different things in your music, from gangsta to G-funk. So what you think you're bringing to the table as a rapper?
Topic: I talk a lot about the West Coast. It's a lot of new cats and a lot of old cats that are trying to put the West Coast back on top. I'm not really like the average West Coast artist and I've got different sound, different face and different rhythm. I'm bringing a new and fresh energy.
BallerStatus.com: Let's talk about your mixtape, The Coast Guard. Both Kay Slay and Skee's name are attached to it. Explain that, how did that happen?
Topic: It was put together strategically. I ain't just moving around for no reason. I have a reason for everything I do. Getting with Kay Slay was a good look for the East Coast. For the streets, he was a pioneer in the East Coast. And then getting with Skee, I felt he was one of the biggest mixtape DJs out here, the West Coast. And then the name of the album is The Coast Guard. So it's appropriate -- both sides, different coasts. It just really made sense. It's more of a street representation, my album's more well-rounded.
BallerStatus.com: So what's the status of the album?
Topic: Just working on it, working with different producers. It's basically 70 percent done. I just wanted to bring Topic to the table rather than have someone co-sign me. And that's the common way these days, but I didn't want to do that. When you get the album, it's going to be well rounded. My music is just good music around the board.
BallerStatus.com: Within SRC you've got quite a few artists that you can work with. Are you working with anybody and what's that experience like?
Topic: Me and David Banner, being first and foremost, he really extended his hand to me and he's been showing me a lot of stuff to not have me bump my head on a lot of issues. It's pretty good look to have that type of camaraderie with a labelmate, not because we're on the same label, but because we click as people. That's a good look, especially being a platinum artist, he's a seen a lot, been a lot of places. Then, from the jump, I worked with Akon and we always constantly running into each other being at the same places and we got to figure out a way to keep in touch sometimes. Those are the only two I had an opportunity to sit down and work with, 'cause I don't really just work with people just because of the simple fact that we're on the same label. We gotta build a personal relationship first and that at that point we do records together.
BallerStatus.com: So let's talk about the song you did with Akon a few years back called "Swagger" ...
Topic: That was a record that we basically put together like spur of the moment. My boy Nephew was there and he pulled the track up and we took the track, then Akon came later that day. I actually freaked the record and did another version where it's just me by myself with Akon. I've sent that out to a lot of people. It's off my street album and streets have been asking for that song. It's kinda cool because it's more a raw record for Akon.
BallerStatus.com: So this was recorded some years back?
Topic: Yeah, this was done about a year and half back.
BallerStatus.com: Let me ask you this question about mixtapes in general. You're signed and at this time, it seems you should be working on your album, but you're promoting your mixtape. Are you planning to put out more mixtapes?
Topic: I'm working on one called This Is My Life. Basically I try to keep working and I don't really follow the traditional mixtape format. The only thing that I have that is the same is just with the streets, I have DJs hosting. I mean, you want to keep your relationships with the DJs, that's just good business in general. But on my mixtapes, I don't really take a lot other people's beats. I might grab one or two, on a mixtape you might hear three, four or five at the most. I stay recording. If it ain't going to make my album, I just throw it to the streets.
BallerStatus.com: Can you talk about the origin of your name, Topic? It's self-explanatory, but what does it represent to you?
Topic: When I first started rhyming, probably like ninth grade, I started off as a rapper, period. I did a lot of open mic in West Covina, Pomona. I freestyled, at the time I could rhyme about anything, so people were like "pick a topic." And at the same time it was like a metaphor, everything starts with a topic. You got to pick a topic before you write to it. And it kind stuck with me.
BallerStatus.com: You had an opportunity to sign with SRC, but overall, it seems like the indies are thriving these days. People like Jim Jones go to Koch and do pretty well, so why would you want to go with someone like SRC as opposed to an indie?
Topic: Well because in order to go indie, you got to have the right importance to really win. First of all, when cats say they're getting 8 or 9 dollars an album, that's not true. You're getting 4 or 5 dollars. But that's not really how cats win. For me, it's like, ok, like you say, Jim Jones. Jim Jones and Dipset didn't win on Koch until after Cam'ron went platinum on the Roc, which is a major distributed on Def Jam. So after you got somebody who basically goes one time platinum, they're bringing other cats with them, even if they're eating off the bread he created alone, and they sell 200 thousand here or a buck-fifty, they're gonna win because they're eating. At the same time, you look at a person who is on the major... for example someone like my labelmate Akon -- he's pretty much selling more records than everybody -- and Jim Jones ain't eating like Akon. Or he can't book the same shows at the same venues where Akon can. Not because they're music isn't the same, it's for the simple fact that Akon is on that major machine. If someone has Aftermath machine or any other machine, they'll win. A lot of these cats are street cats, they're used to the fast flip. With the indies, you can see your progress pay off immediately. But when you're on a major, you can book different shows, different venues. That's why I ran with SRC also, because they're the only major that operates like an indie. You can check the history how Rifkind operates.
BallerStatus.com: So what are your expectations? Is it to come out and go platinum?
Topic: I have expectations to be honest. I ain't really trying to have nothing less than platinum, even in the climate that the music is. But I also understand my plotting is going to be a lot slower than most cats. Certain people live in a house and the house operates a certain way, you eat a certain time. I'm on the same foundation that Akon and David Banner were at. When Akon's first record came out, the uniqueness of it was, the way they played the singles from the street instead of the radio first. In the first week, sales seemed like a failure to most people, he sold 18,000 records. What I'm trying to say is that basically with SRC, you don't look at the first week sales, but the success overall. I don't expect to have a fast start, I just expect to win the race.
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