Billy Blue
Original Magazine Pages
ABM: Let's begin with a formal introduction; let the fans know who you are, if they don't already know you....
Billy Blue: This ya boy, Billy Blue, One of Dade's Finest, North Miami, East Side, West Side. In every hood, gotta love ya boy, because I love the fans. But you know, just doing me.
ABM: Every major artist has a beginning of where the music, the idea, and the inspiration came from, can you describe a brief history of where it all started for the infamous Billy Blue?
Billy Blue: Wow, where did it start? I don't know, man, one day I use to just sit back and watch people rap and I use to be like that damn, 'This is what I want to do, yeah, I want to rap. I want to talk about what I see too.' But you know, people talk about cars, money, shit like that, but I was like I ain't got no money, I ain't got no cars, what the fuck am I going to talk about, so I was fuck it, let me talk about what I see for real. We selling drugs, we doing check scams, we doing anything we got to do to get money. We selling T.V.s, robbing 24 hours a day, so I was like, you know what if I incorporate all this into lyrics, niggas are going to like it. I remember one day I was freestylin' on the block just spitting some shit, so they was like, 'yo, you should start rapping, you're really good.' So from there it just went on. Just talk about what you see and do, be real, that's it. So it was my homeboy C-Lo, if not for him, he put me in the studio, it was my time, I lost my breath about 100 times (laughs). I couldn't record one song, but I'm here now.
ABM: As a matter of fact the name Billy Blue is a real interesting name, unique I would say, what is the origin behind your name?
Billy Blue: Alright, Billy, Billy comes from 'Billy the Kid,' cause I was always quick to pull out for no reason really, fuck that, I just wanted to catch somebody, like, 'What he said?' and just pull out. So they be like 'Quick Draw McGraw, Billy the Kid, chill out.' It came from there, you know, niggas calling me Billy the Kid, Billy the Kid. So when I was young, my mom had passed away when I was 11 years old, 11, 12, so people use to be like 'Damn, boy, this dude stay blue in the face every day,' I mean every day just, blue, blue, blue, 'What's wrong with you?' So it just stuck with me, 'There go the blue kid right there.' So I just incorporated the both names in Billy Blue and I don't know, man, I'm just me. You know, the one that's quick to pull out, laid back, nonchalant, just fuck it.
ABM: Now let's get into your music; I got to admit your style is definitely original with the delivery and the lyrical matter. Every song that I've heard so far entrails a vivid storyline, what thoughts fly through your mind when you actually sit down to write a potential hit?
Billy Blue: (Laughs) What happened the night before, what happened last week, like 'Oh shit, kid, I gotta go talk about this.' So then they was like, 'Damn homie, you got to stop talking about everything, like for real, you going to get us fucked up.' (Laughs) Man, niggas wives going to leave them, police going to catch them. But it's like for real, everything I talk about is the shit that I see, everything I go through, everything I see my homeboys go though, shit I see people I don't even know go through, so it's like, something to talk about. You can talk about your life and you can talk about the next man's life, because he might not be able to express it, but when he hear your music, he going to be like 'Man, this nigga talking about me, man, I need this right here.' That's how them storylines come out.
ABM: It is definitely obvious that you are bringing a different approach to Hip-Hop, can you give us a brief idea what your game plan is at hitting the drastically altering industry?
Billy Blue: To be real, I think I'm going to touch everybody in the hood, everybody outside the hood, everybody who wants to go back and listen to the storyline, everybody who want to be like, 'Yo, this nigga relating to me.' I can't say that Hip-Hop ain't real right now, to me Hip-Hop is still there, but I'm just bringing my little flavor. I'm just bringing what was missing, what everybody stopped bringing as they went more commercial. But ain't nothing wrong with going commercial, do you, if that makes you money, do you. But on real, let's talk about what's going on in the hood, what's going on behind that backdoor, what people are really doing. Like I tell niggas on that song 'D-Boy, so fresh on the track' and this is what I had spit, 'Hip-Hop this and Hip-Hop that and word on the street is the south can't rap. Hold up, if snap rap get you hoppin' in yo hood, I ain't hatin' on you homie, do it, it's all good, mean with it.' Fuck it kid, Hip-Hop is still here it's just evolved, everyone just doing it their way, expressing how they feel, and I fucks with that, I ain't going to down talk anybody, 'This man can't rap, this man talking shit.' You just rappin, that's all I'm going to say, 'You just rapping.'
ABM: Now it is apparent that you are coming hard at the game, what would you say sets you aside from all the other artists already in the industry?
Billy Blue: I'm talking about something they ain't talking about, that's it right there homie. I'm going to tell you, I talk about dope, but I don't talk about dope from track 1 all the way to track 17. I talk about hoes; I don't talk about hoes from track 1 all the way to track 17. I talk about robbing, but I ain't going to talk about it from 1 to 17. But from 1 through 17, you going to hear about all that shit, I'm going to give you a bible, here man just pop this into your CD player, it's going to show you. See some niggas ain't born to be real niggas, some niggas were made, and some came from life experiences. A real nigga is like a person who's been through it, vibe with his homies, he do what he got to do. He shows people 'I'm here for you; I'm that nigga that you need.' And this album is going to show you how to be real with yourself, accept who you are. My album going to teach you about yourself, it's a bible.
ABM: I think you mention this, but what city do you rep, just let everybody know?
Billy Blue: North Miami, baby, Eastside, Westside. Little Haiti's finest. I fucks with LH all day. But I'm a North Miami baby, from the old school 10th Ave to old school 6th Ave boys. I went to Oak Grove Elementary, went to T.J. (Thomas Jefferson Middle), and got kicked out of T.J. for stealing the principal's car. I fucks with North Miami that's my home, that's my love, that's my first love. Little Haiti, you know, I love Little Haiti because they accepted me. And now every hood accepted me. So really I'm every hood right now. From North Miami to Little Haiti, Opa Locka, OT (Overtown), CC (Carol City), dawg I got to jump up to Broward, 6th Trump Sunrise, Davie, them niggas in Davie. Dawg, there's a lot of places, but I got love. My first home is North Miami and after that, I'm everybody's baby. Oh yeah and them Chicos in Winwood as well.
ABM: Before we close this exclusive out, just to clarify rumors that have been circulating all over the city, Poe Boy was scouting you and your music, are you officially signed to Miami's hottest label or is everything still pending?
Billy Blue: Man you put me on the spot. My manager Big Chuck got to be here to answer that question right there. All I'm going to say is I'm a part of a family, I always had a family, but I'm a part of a family now. But ya'll already know what it is, when ya'll see the chain on my neck, ya'll already know, just say it's official. But right now, my dawg Big Chuck, he'll let you know what the business is.
ABM: When can the city, as a matter of fact the world, expect your debut album?
Billy Blue: The album, you know what, if I could drop this album tomorrow I would, if I could knock on everybody door and say 'Here's my album, here's my album,' I would. But right now, I got to discuss that with that with the label. But it's coming soon.
ABM: How would the fans go about contacting you or hearing some of your music?
Billy Blue: First off, 24hourhiphop.com, ya'll going to find me there, Billy Blue and on my myspace at myspace.com/305billyblue. You know, send me a comment, send me a message.
All Bay Music Magazine, Issue One (Volume One, Collectors Edition). Web edition transcribed from the print issue for allbaymusic.com. Text appears as printed, including original spelling and punctuation.