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How long have you been rapping?
Chocolate Thai-Probably
like, maybe like 8 years.
You have a project coming out in February.
Chocolate Thai-It's
out right now. The Real McCoy and it comes with
The World is Not Enough DVD. Both of them are packaged
together.
What can you tell me about the CD?
Chocolate Thai-The
CD is my baby, its like my other kid. I worked with MC
Lyte on the project. She hosted it. We did a couple of
joints together that I think are pretty timeless and pretty
classic at least in my opinion. It was like, Lyte is the
one who taught me how to rhyme.
Really?
Chocolate Thai-Not
in person but her doing what she did that's probably like
the first hip-hop artist that I liked. I used to listen
to her and the way she rode and learn how to count bars
that way and write songs like that. I was pretty young.
Most people probably started out writing verses. I never
did that. I was copying Lyte trying to write songs. That
was a big dream right there. I think we did a great thing
together.
Are you still independent or are you signed now?
Chocolate Thai-I'm
just doing me. To me being an artist means you are working
on what you do. I came from the TV show and it's Interscope
and Showtime and people see me and they are like "How's
50," "How's Em?" It's not like that. I got mad love for
Interscope, I still talk to people from Interscope but
I'm not signed there. I was never signed there I basically
did a TV show with them and I just put this project together
to myself to get music out to the people who want to hear
from me. I'm talking to labels right now. I'm shopping
right now. I don't know how it's gonna fall. I'm not looking
for A deal just to be A artist, I'm looking
for Thee deal to be Thee artist signed.
I'm not rushing nothing. I gotta a lot of love out there,
doing shows hopefully I'll be all over with this project.
I want to have a machine behind me, don't get it twisted
cause I can get some more people but I'm alright.
I know some readers probably missed the show. Can you
tell my readers about the show?
Chocolate Thai-Interscope
Presents The Next Episode. It aired on Showtime. It
was a reality TV/series/battle slash everything. Basically,
it was them following me with the cameras leading up to
a battle in Brooklyn. I beat a guy named Diabolic to go
to LA and more of the same thing when we got out there,
more of the reality stuff. I went to the finals with Spitfire
and I lost it in the extra round. They couldn't call it.
Jadakiss didn't ask for another round. I lost it, but
I learned a lot from the experience. It opened my eyes
to what I want to do in this music business.
I talk to a lot of rappers and they don't battle so I
wanted to ask you. Prior to the show was battling something
that you felt comfortable with?
Chocolate Thai-That
was my first battle ever on TV. I didn't even know that
there was this whole world that existed. Cats in California
can tell you all the cats in Brooklyn that battled somebody
last night. I freestyled, freestyle is my forte, I do
this for real so I'm going to strap on my boots if they
wanna battle that's what I'm going to do. It's pretty
crazy cause alot of the times I was talking about myself
instead of the other people crackin' jokes and stuff I
was just doing it in a way that people wanted to hear
more because they kept passing me to the next round. I
did my thing with but to be considered an ill battle rapper,
I never was a battle MC. That was my first battle and
last battle until somebody calls me out.
I know you mentioned MC Lyte but
what other artists were you influenced by coming up?
Chocolate Thai-Salt
n Pepa definitely was the other one. It would probably
have to be 50/50 between Lyte and Salt N Pepa. Lyrically
I don't play with it, I like party tracks, I like to
rep the chicks and everything like that Salt N Pepa
influenced me. Monie Love put together one of the most
classic alums. Her first album was well rounded. I learned
a lot from everybody. Jadakiss is that dude, Jay Z is
that dude, Big is that dude, those are people that I'm
real fans of .
When did you decide rapping was something that you
were going to pursue as a career?
Chocolate Thai-To
be honest with you I feel like I was given two talents
in life as far as what I can do. Basketball was one of
those things but I don't live a basketball players lifestyle.
So once I started smoking it was a done deal but you know
I got it in when I was out there. Around the same time
I was playing basketball I was doing music. I used to
sing, I used to dance, anything that had something to
do with music. Once I got to the point where music started
taking over more hanging out, drinking, all that kind
of stuff I knew what I wanted to do and it wasn't basketball.
You've done one reality series. Would you consider doing
another reality television series?
Chocolate Thai-If
the premise was good I would do it. For real, a lot of
people have problems with reality shows and a lot of people
have a problem with the dial a rapper stigma and all these
different stigmas and I'm with all these stigmas. I don't
have a problem with it. The show was not a bad experience
for me. I probably would not be where I am right now if
it wasn't for the show. I wouldn't have been able to touch
as many people as I have. TV is a beautiful thing, I'll
be on the cooking show if they get me on.
How has being on MYSPACE.COM increased your exposure as
an artist?
Chocolate Thai-I
believe MYSPACE is the future. I'm a fan of hip-hop. I'm
a disgrunteled fan of hip-hop, the people kinda feel the
same way and I think it shows in record sales and in tours
and in all that different stuff. I think the industry
thinks the game is suffering, the game is not suffering
but I just think they need fresh meat. I think the people
are going to go where they need to go to get it. If they
stop selling crack in New York and they only sell crack
in New Jersey there will be a million crack heads walking
to New Jersey. Myspace is New Jersey.
 Chocolate
Thai interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, and
Thabiz.com 2005
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She
is the founder of Thabiz.com
and Imissthe80s.com
and writes for the Rap,
Teen, and 1980s
section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as
a writer and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising
inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights,
paying
entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or e-mail her at webmaster@thabiz.com.
Chocolate Thai interview may not be reprinted, copied
or distributed. You may link to this interview.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com
January 2006.
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