By Shamora Evans
SM: When did you decide to become a rapper?
TOPP$: I think I was in the 10th grade. I had been writing since I was like nine or 10, but I dropped my first album, "T.O.P.P.$" when I was 15 years old with a local record label called Shemazle. [That's] where I realized I had a real passion for the music. It's been "on" every since.
SM: Who is the singer heard on the hook of the track "Whippappeal", and what is your connection to him?
TOPP$: Oh, just one of my homies from the hood, Tristan. He's a naturally talented singer. I wrote the hook and just asked him to sing it for me. He was always a fan of my music, so he was happy to do it for me...Turned out pretty good, too.
SM: How did you come up with the concept for "Whippappeal"?
TOPP$: Well, my homies call me 'Whippa', and the honies call me 'Baby Face'. (Laughs) Really, it was just a spin off of my nickname, plus I love the ladies!
SM: Do you produce your own tracks, or do you have a producer/production team?
TOPP$: No, I have my own personal producer, "Billy Busthead", but I work with many others. I don't care who make da beat, I'm shinning on whoever track!
SM: Your song "Big Body Swang" has the most plays on your MySpace page. Tell us a little about that song.
TOPP$: I came up with it during a visit to Louisiana. Everybody down there was swangin' big-bodied automobiles, girls and guys. Down there, they call 'em "S.L.A.B.'s", and they take pride in their cars for real. It's like a part of their culture, ya know? And, I've always liked big bodies, so that kind of inspired me to write a song about it.
SM: I like the beat for the song "I'm On Dat"...Who produced that track, and have you worked with the producer on other tracks?
TOPP$: My big homie, "4-5th", produced that one. It was, actually, our first time working together...Glad you like it; that's, actually, one of my singles off my upcoming mixtape, "Real Name TOPP$ Vol.1" coming soon to a 'hood near you.
SM: Alright, so you ripped it in "Billy BustHead's" song "Water, Water". How did you connect with him for that track?
TOPP$: Billy and I've been friends since I started rapping. He's actually my producer/label mate. He made the beat one day, just kinda playing around. Then, he called me immediately to let me hear what he created [and] he was so excited. I went to the studio to hear it, we vibed and came up with the hook together. We both already had verses for it, so we dropped the song in about 30-45 minutes, and added another one of our label mates, "LC Baby", to the mixture, and we knew it was going to be a hit.
SM: Are you working on an album or mixtape right now? If so, who is doing the production on the project, and are there any collabs on the album/mixtape? TOPP$: Yes, Im working on a mixtape series titled, "Real Name TOPP$". Vol.1". It's under construction as we speak. I'm working with a lot of different producers on this one. "Billy Busthead", of course, "4-5th", and a few other names...No collabos; sorry, just me! (Laughs)
SM: Name the three hip hop artists/rappers that most inspired you to enter the hip hop world, and tell us how they inspired you.
TOPP$: There are so many, but I'm gonna go with "Snoop", "Outkast", and "Ma$e". Those are the ones who probably influenced me the most.
SM: How can your fans reach out and stay connected with you?
TOPP$: Myspace.com/whippamane and whippamane@yahoo.com. That's all, for now, but I'm about to get on my promo game.