Words by Arête (@arete88)
Chicago’s hip-hop scene is finally getting some much-needed notoriety outside of Cook County. While every artist is contributing their fair share, some artists have been going above and beyond the call of duty. Recently, we sat down with one of the most celebrated artists in the city, Brick Squad Monopoly’s own Bo Deal. The self-proclaimed “Debo” is preparing to release his third installment of his highly successful mixtape series, The Chicago Code — this one entitled Revelations. The Ground Up and Killa Klan general takes us into his world — and assures us that his hometown popularity will spread nationwide.
He talks about his upcoming projects, his relationship with the Brick Squad, the state of Chicago hip-hop and much, much more.
FSD: First and foremost, we want to salute to you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to rock with your FSD family. What’s the latest with Bo’s buzz?
Bo Deal: The buzz been good, man. The buzz actually picked up after my project, Good Side, Bad Side. That was like my first mainstream mixtape, and it was hosted by DJ MoonDawg and DJ Holiday. It got a good look on LiveMixtapes.com and received a gang of downloads. That was like the first mix tape that really got me popping.
So after that we did with the Chicago Code 1 & 2. The shit start taking off from there, because of the features, production, and the push behind it. Ever since then, the buzz has been crazy. I get a gang of shows outside of Chicago, so that lets me know the buzz is bigger in a whole lot of other places than I thought. So it’s been good.
FSD: For the people out there who don’t know about your affiliation with Brick Squad Monopoly, let them know how you and Waka Flocka linked up?
Bo Deal: I met Waka through Gucci, before Waka was even rapping. I had plugged up with Gucci business wise, but he wasn’t looking for an artist, and we weren’t looking to sign. I already had my own movement. Waka kept telling me to fuck with him and Gucci, but I never fucked with them. So when Waka blew up, and started rapping and he got his label, he was like “Now you gotta fuck with me.”
So my situation with them is different because I’m Brick Squad Monopoly/Ground Up Productions — which is our thing. I have 100% control over everything I do. I have a say so, and we come to the table and sit down on everything that we do — which is different from a lot of other artist over there. My situation was structured around me because I already had a movement.
FSD: Speaking of your movement, who is part of the team? Do you have in-house producers, and rappers under the umbrella?
Bo Deal: We have actually been pushing our artists a lot lately. We got my brother Mac Mecca. We’ve got BFN. Our first lady Mellow G Blanc. Also, Eddie Low, Vi Lord, Ghetto Tone, Lil One, C-Lo, Paper Boy — who is an artist and a producer — and Capone. We’re starting to push-off a couple at a time. Our in-house producers are 2K Beats, which consists of A-Wall and Cicero.
FSD: With you being a native of Chicago, how does your Midwest style mesh with Brick Squad’s Southern sound?
Bo Deal: It flows naturally — they love Chicago niggas. You gotta look at it like Chicago being a big melting pot. Everybody from here, the majority of the people on the Westside from where I’m from, they all come from down south. My mother and them was born and raised in Mississippi. All of my people’s family is from Arkansas and Alabama — they all migrated here. If you a real nigga, I don’t care where you from. If you real, I gravitate to real niggas everywhere. We get along good, everybody respects everybody, and the music comes out excellent.
FSD: What was your upbringing in Chicago like?
Bo Deal: I had a pretty good upbringing, but I just wanted more. I came up in a single family household, with my mother who couldn’t do for all of us the way that I wanted. I wanted more. So we got out there and did what we did to have more. But I can’t sit here and say that I grew up not having what I wanted — I was one of the kids on the block that had all the games, all the game systems. I just wanted more, and by wanting more, the only way to get it was to take it [Laughs].
I had a lot of other kids around me that wanted more, too. So we got together and that’s how we formed; and we just start taking it — until it started landing everybody in jail. But I had a normal household; my mother did what she had to do. She was the mother and the father and she did a damn great job.
FSD: There is no denying that you’re a public figure here in the city. With that being said, what are you doing to uplift your community?
Bo Deal: We have the Alpha House which is where we are right now — it’s where they used to bring all the kids from Gateway. Kids who caught cases, doing drugs and all that. We come down here and teach them how to write bars, how to make beats. Every year we try to throw back to school picnics, where we giveaway book bags with all the school supplies for the kids. I do this for my people. With me, I don’t love rap, I’m just being real.
FSD: Can you elaborate on that?
Bo Deal: It fell in my lap. Literally. I was in the joint and I was doing it to play around, but there were guards and officers, who were like “Damn I don’t even like rap, but you’re dope.” I’m talking hillbillies and shit — they was like “I don’t like rap but you make a nigga listen.” They were throwing talent shows in there, and me and my cousin A Wall were tearing shit down. So I got out and tried to do it for real. We shot a cheap DVD called Ghetto Passes, which got in the hands of somebody at BET and they called me for 106 & Park. I went on there and won Freestyle Friday. I kept winning for for a month and a half straight, and it took off from there.
So by me being the face of the movement, I’m trying to get through the door so I can open up doors for everybody else. I wanna play the back. I like sitting back and listening to the music, and critiquing the music — making a way for my people. So that’s really what I’m on. I don’t plan on being an artist much longer. If I can break through to where I can get in and get some good bread, to where I can put it behind my people, that’s exactly what I want to do.
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Good interview and salute to the homie Bo Deal!!! He been grinding for a minute and he 1 of the few artist that represent the “real Chicago”!!! 089 Hustlaz got ya back big homie!!! Sweeper!!!!
Good look for the big homie
I always thought this guy didn’t have any sense, I respect him a whole lot more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1lwzLjRbMQ
Hi to Bo Deal’s interviewer,
I enjoyed reading the interview with Bo Deal. After following the local hip hop scene for several years as a photographer, it is nice to hear about the business itself and the context for the performances I attend!
Thanks,
Emily Grimes