By Shamora EvansSM: Okay, so you started out with "OutKast" and the "Dungeon Family", then you dropped your debut album, "The Skinny", in 2001. So, what have you been doing since the album?
SLIMM CALHOUN: Well, right now, I got three songs on the "Underground Atlanta" compilation that'll be out September 1st. That's one project that I got going on, and then I'm still working with "Big" [Boi] and "Dre" [Andre 3000] on some things and getting things situated with them. But, I've been working with Fonzworth Bentley on a couple things, helping him out, and then I'm working on my new project.
SM: Who is working with you on your latest project, as far as production?
SLIMM CALHOUN: I've been working with "Sean Paul" from the "Youngbloodz", and I got a cut with "Manish Man", then I got a song called "Fall Back"...Uh, I got some other stuff with "KB", who was formerly part of the "Face Mob", on the project. Then, I just did a song with the "Outlawz" last night, so I got a couple different cats on this project.
SM: Tell us a little about your new single, "Buckel Up".
SLIMM CALHOUN: I got a hot new song called "Buckel Up" featuring Bobby Valentino. Right now, I'm still trying to get some of the particulars worked out with that record right there.
SM: Will you be shooting a video for "Buckel Up" and, if so, when should we start looking out for it?
SLIMM CALHOUN: Well, actually, yesterday I got a call about the record from the actual producer, and somebody else is trying to get the beat. So, we got some other stuff that we just found out about yesterday to handle, but I'm trying to get all that business squared away now. So, "supposedly", we should be shooting a video for this song.
SM: Alright, so that's what it is! (Laughs) When can we expect to hear a new album from you?
SLIMM CALHOUN: Well, it was slated for some time early 2010, and I'm trying to get some mixtape stuff out right now in the next couple weeks. I'm just trying to see how everything works out. So, everything IS in motion...Like I said, you know, "Killer Mike" is putting out the "Underground Atlanta" compilation through Universal and that will be out on September 1st. I got a cut on there with Fonzworth Bentley that's, actually, a dedication to "Pimp C" and two other songs with a couple other independent cats. So, I've just been trying to stay busy...I did some stuff with "Khujo" from "Goodie Mob", and I just cut a couple records with "C-Bone" from "Konkrete"...And, my homeboy, "Duece Poppi ", who does a lot of stuff with "Trick" and "Trina" and "Rick Ross" and 'em, I got a couple cuts with him. Right now, I got a hot one called "Party in My Pocket" with him, so I've just been staying busy.
SM: Are you signed with a label right now, or are you doing it independent?
SLIMM CALHOUN: I'm independent, but the "Underground Atlanta" compilation is through Universal, and it's through the same company for my solo project. We're just trying to get everything squared away, and I'm trying to get "Big Boi" and "Dre" involved, and I got a couple meetings with them to get all the particulars worked out and make sure everybody's on the same page, you know.
SM: Cool; so will fans be able to catch live performances in the near future?
SLIMM CALHOUN: Yeah, most definitely! With the dilemma that's going on with this "Bobby V" record now, I'm trying to see what's up with that. But, actually, I had a couple of things in the making where I was gonna start trying to do the song performances on some of Bobby's sets at some of the shows he's been doing, and then doing some shows with 'Big', as well as doing some other shows by myself.
SM: Now, considering the current climate of hip hop, what do you think has to happen to get hip hop album sales on the rise again?
SLIMM CALHOUN: Well, at this point, I think we gotta get the economy out of the hole, as far as getting the hip hop sales. With that alone, I think if we can get the economy back moving, then we can get the sales up. But, outside of that, and just 'music' in general, it's as far as going digitally. I mean, the computer is, like, what's happening right now, even though digital sales are only 20% of the urban market. And, that's not even a big percentage, as far as the actual sales, but you have a lot of retailers that aren't ordering that many pieces anymore. So, therefore, it's just hard to say...I think the economy is going to determine where, not just "Hip Hop", but MUSIC as a whole is going 'cause all sales are down as far as music is concerned, from your major artists to your independents. And, of course, I think we're gonna continue going forward in the digital light, but you don't have a lot of kids who are actually buying the records digitally. I mean, they're buying the little ringtones and stuff, but most young kids don't have a credit card to buy music on the internet. So, we're gonna have to find a way to incorporate it where even the kids can get the albums online, and make it more accessible for them. And then, we have to try to figure out ways to block it out from people taking your music and blasting it off on the internet. I mean, 'cause once you put these songs out here on the internet, they're pretty much up for grabs. A person can download it from you for a dollar, and then go make whatever they want off the same music...So, it's a lot of different things that have to be done, and we're gonna have to take a deeper look into that to try to preserve the artists' rights and sales and still keep everybody happy at the same time.
SM: What advice would you give to those aspiring to become a hip hop artist/rapper in the music industry today?
SLIMM CALHOUN: Well, the game ain't change too much...You just gotta practice your craft and be the best at what it is you do. I feel like it doesn't matter what you feel your sound is because everybody who's trying to make music thinks their music is hot. But, you have to perfect your craft, you gotta get out here and try to network because 'networking' is a very big part of anything, just knowing who you dealing with...Learn to use the internet to maximize your opportunities without big budgets, be more creative with your words and ways of putting your music out, and it's about getting the most with the least amount of money now...So, just really studying what's going on and understanding the digital market, because at some point it's gonna turn where digital is gonna be where ALL the sales are, even though it's a small part of the percentage right now. If you grasp the concepts now, and start learning and understanding how to maximize the digital game, the people who understand it at this point are gonna be the ones getting the most out of it. Whether you're an artist now and later on you start trying to put other people's albums out, or what have you, that's still gonna be the wave of the future, regardless. So, the main things are networking, understanding what's happening in the field that you're dealing with, and then expanding, exploring, and creating to try to make it better.
SM: How can fans and business reps contact you?
SLIMM CALHOUN: They can always go to my email, Cutta411@gmail.com, and for fans, if they have music that they want to send, send me their information to that email, too. I do accept music, so they can send all of that to my email address. And, then they can get up with me on Twitter http://twitter.com/slimmcalhoun, MySpace http://myspace.com/slimmcalhoun, and Facebook, too.