We were fortunate enough to be presented with the opportunity to talk to Big Pooh. For those who don’t know Big Pooh is one half of the critically acclaimed duo Little Brother. In this exclusive interview we talk to Big Pooh about his new album Delightful Bars, his upcoming projects including a Little Brother project as well as the current state of Hip Hop and who he thinks we be the next NBA Champion. Big Pooh’s Delightful Bars is available on iTunes now and will be in stores on 5/5/09.
Hype LG: Thanks for taking the time out with us, we always blast your music on the site and appreciate you taking the time out for the interview. First off let’s start with the title of the new album ‘Delightful Bars’. What inspired the name and the very unique album covers?
Big Pooh: The name just comes from a play off or an extension of the mixtape I put out ‘Delightful Bars’ back in September of ’08. ‘Delightful Bars’ is just telling people that my rhymes is nice. Like what I’m bringing to you is nice. The covers, that was just something different we wanted to do. Normally all of the covers that I’ve done as a solo artist or with Little Brother have been covers where he (Phonte) was on the cover or I was on the cover, or our faces were on it. I just wanted to do something a little different and do something a little artistic and that’s where the women came into play.
ADS: Ok. (Laughs) So I was actually reading that you are calling this album a “street-LP”. So you are not considering this your solo album?
Big Pooh: I definitely consider this a street LP even though it’s put together like an album and that’s because I pulled these tracks. I started recording some of these tracks back in ’06. Before we went in to do ‘Get Back’. It’s just a collection of tracks; I had over 40 something tracks recorded. Working on my second album, I got together with Young RJ, who is actually helping do my official sophomore album, and we just picked out the ones that we actually wanted to keep and the rest I just had, I and I was like I am going to just put them together.
ADS: As far as ‘Delightful Bars’ can you let us know some of the features and some of the producers that you are working with on this album?
BP: Some of the producers are, 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Illmind, Jake One, OhNo, and The Co-Op. For features I have Jay Rock from the West Coast, Big Treal from Carolina, of course my boys Jozemo, Joe Scudda, Chaundon from the Hall Of Justus. My home girl Mushinah from DC. So I feel like it’s well spread out on the features, well spread out on the producers. I broke out of the normal realm of things or box that people normally expect, whenever I do something, I tried to branch out a little bit.
ADS: So as a group Little Brother, you and Phonte have three critically acclaimed albums. Phonte is doing his thing with the Foreign Exchange and this is your second album solo. With all that said, when can the fans expect a new Little Brother album? You guys are still making music together I assume.
Big Pooh: Oh yeah we’re still making music together. We are going to try and bring the people an EP towards the end of this year hopefully. The EP is called ‘Left Back’. It’s a collection of songs and remixes, including songs that ended up not making the cut for ‘Get Back’. We are just working on solo stuff for the most part right now. I still want to put out my sophomore effort “Dirty Pretty Things”. Phonte actually wants to put out a solo album, and we want to go along with those plans before we actually sit down and do the official fourth Little Brother album.
ADS: Ok Cool. Lets switch gears for a minute if you don’t mind. I wanted to know what you thought about the current state of the rap game. I know Little Brother was on Atlantic Records for a little bit and you left that situation. But in the age of the “internet rapper”, where it seems like artists are getting buzz before they get major deals, are you happy to see that record labels don’t make artists as much anymore being as though Little Brother created a name for yourself without a major label behind you?
Big Pooh: I just think hard work makes great artists. And I always believe that hard work will get you where you want to go. And I think that a lot of the new or up and coming rappers, they see their little buzz that they have for the moment and they feel like they have a sense of entitlement, when they haven’t really accomplished anything. I’m happy that they are getting recognized and I wish them all the best but just know that you have to accomplish something. Buzz is only going to carry you so far. To me, that’s the only real problem I see with the new artists is that sense of entitlement before they even accomplish anything.
ADS: We talked a little bit about your upcoming second solo album “Dirty Pretty Things”, can you tell us a little bit more about that project and when should we expect to hear it?
Big Pooh: Hopefully it will be ready to go at the top of 2010. Me and RJ got to get back together in the lab and go back to it. It’s like one of those things where we’ve had the music for a minute and then ‘Delightful Bars’ happened and we kind of put everything on pause. As we come back and start listening to tracks, some of them go cold to you, and if you don’t have the confidence in the track you don’t want to give it to the people. So we want to go back in and start recreating and hopefully by the end of the summer, we can have a nice product together and get ready for it to go at the top of the year.
ADS: Besides the next album what’s up next for Big Pooh?
Big Pooh: I know definitely I’ll be spot dating this summer. I know Little Brother we’re going over to Europe in like a week. No actual tour plan as of right now just a lot of spot dates.
ADS: Alright we will be on the lookout for that. One more question, I heard that you are a big NBA fan, the playoffs recently started. Who do you have winning it all?
Big Pooh: OH MAN! (Laughs) I think Cleveland and L.A. are going to be in The Finals. I’m going to give the edge to Cleveland just because they have the home court advantage and they don’t lose to often on their home court. The only real loss they have at their home court home is to L.A., so it’s going to be a battle. A part of me wants to give it to L.A., but I think that its LeBron’s year to get one.
ADS: Yeah I think so to. Alright man. We appreciate you taking the time out again. We wish you the best of success’ Delightful Bars’ is one of your best works so far. We wish you the best of luck and thanks for supporting.
Big Pooh: Well, I thank you man.
