Joe from the excellent Perfection is Perfected recently had the opportunity to interview HD and was kind enough to share it here on 100 Grand on My Wrist:
I met up with HD on Easter Sunday at his aunt’s house in West Oakland. Soul and R&B music blasted from the living room while we sat on the porch and talked. HD rotated between drags off a blunt and bites of his auntie’s lemon meringue pie. And in customary HD fashion, he sipped from a bottle of promethezine, which—fittingly—he stored inside a jacket pocket close to his heart. As various aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews moved in and out of the house while discussing his career thus far and moving forward, I realized how essential family is to HD the artist. Although stints of incarceration certainly have interrupted his output, more than anything else it has been his desire to do things his own way by keeping it in the family that has governed his work.
And for those of you hoping to read about HD’s beef with Lil Rue, Livewire, or DB tha General, spoiler alert: HD didn’t have anything negative to say about any of those rappers and in fact, he wished them all the best.
When did you first start rapping?
I’ve been rapping forever. Basically, since I was like six or seven years old. My uncle— Che-D-Ness—he had a studio and I just used to get it in. I’d always go in on his beats. He gave me my first mic. I’ve always been rapping in the hood, like in my circle, but I really just got serious about it like three years ago and started pressing up my own CDs.
What made you decide to get serious about rapping?
When the hyphy movement started getting a lot of exposure, I felt like I could take it to another level. Not just rapping in the hood.
The funny thing is that I don’t hear any hyphy influence in your music. You never seem to compromise your vision or sound. There’s an HD sound and there’s a Bearfaced sound. In fact, you stay within the Bearfaced camp. That seems like a conscious decision. Do you ever want to work with artists outside the Bearfaced camp?
Yeah. I’ve got something coming with Ampichino, the Jacka, Dem Hoodstarz. What it is about me though, is that I’m self-contained. It ain’t really got nothing to do with everyone else. I give credit where credit is due, but I feel like I’m working on something a little different. I’m trying to get a story across right now. A story that’s really explaining me. So I want my fans to know me on a personal level, while still being a rapper. I’m trying to project an image of who I am, so as far as me getting a lot of features, it don’t really fit with what I’m trying to do.
But you do get a lot of Bearfaced features.
That’s family, so I’m still telling my same story. When we do our thing, we all got a story to tell, but it’s basically the same story. We’re with each other twenty-four seven, we been through all the shit together, the same struggles. And I'd rather just vibe with my people when I express myself. When I go to the studio, they’re all with me.
And I do look forward to doing that with other artists, but it’s a conscious decision to stay with Bearfaced all day. I’m a loyal dude like that because we’ve got talent in our camp.
Are you mentoring them? Hen Sippa, 600BJ, and Lil Rod all have some good tracks and raw talent, but none of them are really on your level as far as writing hooks or comfort with their flow. No shots.
I hear you. I understand. Everybody is progressing. Everybody is trying to grow in their own way. I’ve just been a little more dedicated to it a little longer than they have. And now that they see me really consistent with it, I think they’re catching the hang of it.
I want to return to something you said earlier about showing who you really are. Some of your videos, a lot of your songs, and even an album cover features your daughter.
That’s my motivation. I owe it to her, you feel me? She’s three years old, and it was three years ago that I decided I could take this to another level. That’s why I tell her on every song, “Laylay—daddy’s got you.” It’s really about her. I just want to make sure I have something for her when she gets to my age, because I already know this world is hard.
Do you worry about having your daughter around all this stuff?
I do. I never bring my daughter around the shit that I’m involved in. But still, at the end of the day, I try to come home to her. And eventually, when everything gets greener and to where it’s supposed to be, we’ll be up out of here. But as of now, this is all I know and that’s what you hear in my music. I’m basically repping for this right here and I hope everyone acknowledges that.
So are you saying that if your lifestyle changes, your raps are gonna change?
It should change, but HD is embedded in me. That’s my style. If I do change, I’ma find my way to say it. It’ll still be HD. I’ll only add on to what I already know, and make things better. But I’m never gonna switch up my style. I might do a couple of commercial or radio but I’ll still stay true to HD.
You said you’ve been rapping since you were a little kid. What rap did you grow up listening to?
Pac. I’m a big fan of Pac. He was a Black Panther at heart. That’s Oakland shit.
Did you grow up in a political household?
Not directly, but I grew up with aunties and grandparents who were involved with the Black Panthers back in the day.
Also, you never smile in your videos. Do you smile in real life?
[laughs] Yeah, I smile all the time in real life! If I see a female, I might smile once or twice. But most of the time, when I’m in the booth, or doing my videos, I’m nasty. I’m just trying to get my point across and tell you from my heart.
You just always look very serious. Not even necessarily sinister, but just unaffected.
Nah. I’m emotional about this shit. It’s serious to me. It’s music, but it’s more than that.
But are you having fun?
Yeah, I’m having fun because I’m doing what I do best.
Outside the Bearfaced Gang, who are you listening to nowadays?
Jadakiss. I just heard of this dude Don Tripp. He got a mixtape called Guerrilla that I been listening to. I’ve only been outta jail a month, but I hear he be going haywire. 2Chainz. And Lil Boosie—I feel like we part of the same struggle.
You go in on a lot of recycled beats, but most of those beats aren’t from Bay Area rap songs. Or even West Coast.
To tell you the truth, I didn’t grow up on a lot of local rappers. I did listen to Dogg Dound, Pac, and the rest of Death Row. I grew up listening Bone Thuggs, Dip Set, Cam’Ron, Jim Jones, Juelz, Hell Rell, were my favorite for a while. I grew up on the Philly niggas: Memphis Bleek, Beenie Siegel, Emilio Sparks, the whole State Property. TI from time to time. I fuck with Rick Ross and Meek Mills. That Dreamchasers mixtape. I’m listening to 2Chainz.
Can you talk a little bit about your Extortion Muzik series?
Extortion 1 was basically us trying to extort our way into this shit—get our foot in the door. I made something out of nothing. Extortion 2 was home invasion—I had gotten my foot in the door. I had some exposure and had a chance to get in folks’ homes. Extortion 3 was “have money, have heart.” I done came up, I done hit. I got what I was looking for. I been in the house and am ready to have money, take this money, and make this shit rock. A lot of niggas got money, but not a lot of niggas got heart. And I’m trying to have both.
What’s this Black August CD you’ve got coming out?
It’s what I call a “caution tape.” It’s basically an album, but I might throw a couple mixtape beats just to get on it. It’s set to drop around August.
Is that the next album coming out from you?
No. Coldest Winter Ever is already available online, but the actual CD is dropping in stores in a couple weeks. I’ve also got a CD coming out with G-Dirty called Black and Rebellious: The Makings of a Felon. It’s a deep CD.
What about Breaking and Entering?
That’s my actual album. That’s coming out early summer. On that I’ve got beats from Hood Noise, Blitz Beats, Che-D-Ness beats, squirt diesel beats, Sam Gamble, AK47, and DJ Fresh.
What was it like doing the Tonite Show?
It was real cool. I hit up Fresh and let him know what kind of style I wanted on it. If you listen, you’ll hear I don’t have the typical Fresh beats on my album. I hit him up, let him know what style I wanted on it, and I just stayed in the lab twenty-four seven. Actually, I recorded that CD while I had an ankle monitor. I was on house arrest at the time.
Do you have any pending cases at this time?
No. I’m good. I’m on paperwork, but I’m good. I’m ready to travel and tour in other cities: Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Seattle.
You’ve become well known for your ad-lib “smack smack.” A lot of people think it refers to the sound of gunshots and in your videos, you’re often seen doing a slapping motion along with it. How’d you come up with that ad-lib?
I’m from the six. Six-one. It just sounds good together.
Are you okay with other rappers starting to use that?
It’s an industry. Everybody gonna bite off of stuff. From time to time, I’ll take stuff from other great artists that I feel. “Smack smack” originated with me from the six. It mean we out here smackin’. It can also mean you get your issue, but it generally mean we out here smackin’.
How’d you and Blast Holiday hook up?
He’s from the neighborhood. My uncle—Che-D-Ness—he had a studio. They had a group called the Affiliates, and Blast used to come through there and gas. I was just a little nigga, I was like 13. Not even in high school. I been knowing him in the hood. He’s got an album coming called This is Not a Movie.
Where’d you go to high school?
Oakland Tech, Berkeley High, and a couple high schools in a Vallejo.
Anything else?
Shout out to the whole Bearfaced Camp: Lil Rod, 600BJ, Hen Sippa, free G-Dirty. Expect great things.
Thanks to Joe and HD for this interview and don't forget to go out and support good music from HD and the whole Bearfaced Gang.
I met up with HD on Easter Sunday at his aunt’s house in West Oakland. Soul and R&B music blasted from the living room while we sat on the porch and talked. HD rotated between drags off a blunt and bites of his auntie’s lemon meringue pie. And in customary HD fashion, he sipped from a bottle of promethezine, which—fittingly—he stored inside a jacket pocket close to his heart. As various aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews moved in and out of the house while discussing his career thus far and moving forward, I realized how essential family is to HD the artist. Although stints of incarceration certainly have interrupted his output, more than anything else it has been his desire to do things his own way by keeping it in the family that has governed his work.
And for those of you hoping to read about HD’s beef with Lil Rue, Livewire, or DB tha General, spoiler alert: HD didn’t have anything negative to say about any of those rappers and in fact, he wished them all the best.
When did you first start rapping?
I’ve been rapping forever. Basically, since I was like six or seven years old. My uncle— Che-D-Ness—he had a studio and I just used to get it in. I’d always go in on his beats. He gave me my first mic. I’ve always been rapping in the hood, like in my circle, but I really just got serious about it like three years ago and started pressing up my own CDs.
What made you decide to get serious about rapping?
When the hyphy movement started getting a lot of exposure, I felt like I could take it to another level. Not just rapping in the hood.
The funny thing is that I don’t hear any hyphy influence in your music. You never seem to compromise your vision or sound. There’s an HD sound and there’s a Bearfaced sound. In fact, you stay within the Bearfaced camp. That seems like a conscious decision. Do you ever want to work with artists outside the Bearfaced camp?
Yeah. I’ve got something coming with Ampichino, the Jacka, Dem Hoodstarz. What it is about me though, is that I’m self-contained. It ain’t really got nothing to do with everyone else. I give credit where credit is due, but I feel like I’m working on something a little different. I’m trying to get a story across right now. A story that’s really explaining me. So I want my fans to know me on a personal level, while still being a rapper. I’m trying to project an image of who I am, so as far as me getting a lot of features, it don’t really fit with what I’m trying to do.
But you do get a lot of Bearfaced features.
That’s family, so I’m still telling my same story. When we do our thing, we all got a story to tell, but it’s basically the same story. We’re with each other twenty-four seven, we been through all the shit together, the same struggles. And I'd rather just vibe with my people when I express myself. When I go to the studio, they’re all with me.
And I do look forward to doing that with other artists, but it’s a conscious decision to stay with Bearfaced all day. I’m a loyal dude like that because we’ve got talent in our camp.
Are you mentoring them? Hen Sippa, 600BJ, and Lil Rod all have some good tracks and raw talent, but none of them are really on your level as far as writing hooks or comfort with their flow. No shots.
I hear you. I understand. Everybody is progressing. Everybody is trying to grow in their own way. I’ve just been a little more dedicated to it a little longer than they have. And now that they see me really consistent with it, I think they’re catching the hang of it.
I want to return to something you said earlier about showing who you really are. Some of your videos, a lot of your songs, and even an album cover features your daughter.
That’s my motivation. I owe it to her, you feel me? She’s three years old, and it was three years ago that I decided I could take this to another level. That’s why I tell her on every song, “Laylay—daddy’s got you.” It’s really about her. I just want to make sure I have something for her when she gets to my age, because I already know this world is hard.
Do you worry about having your daughter around all this stuff?
I do. I never bring my daughter around the shit that I’m involved in. But still, at the end of the day, I try to come home to her. And eventually, when everything gets greener and to where it’s supposed to be, we’ll be up out of here. But as of now, this is all I know and that’s what you hear in my music. I’m basically repping for this right here and I hope everyone acknowledges that.
So are you saying that if your lifestyle changes, your raps are gonna change?
It should change, but HD is embedded in me. That’s my style. If I do change, I’ma find my way to say it. It’ll still be HD. I’ll only add on to what I already know, and make things better. But I’m never gonna switch up my style. I might do a couple of commercial or radio but I’ll still stay true to HD.
You said you’ve been rapping since you were a little kid. What rap did you grow up listening to?
Pac. I’m a big fan of Pac. He was a Black Panther at heart. That’s Oakland shit.
Did you grow up in a political household?
Not directly, but I grew up with aunties and grandparents who were involved with the Black Panthers back in the day.
Also, you never smile in your videos. Do you smile in real life?
[laughs] Yeah, I smile all the time in real life! If I see a female, I might smile once or twice. But most of the time, when I’m in the booth, or doing my videos, I’m nasty. I’m just trying to get my point across and tell you from my heart.
You just always look very serious. Not even necessarily sinister, but just unaffected.
Nah. I’m emotional about this shit. It’s serious to me. It’s music, but it’s more than that.
But are you having fun?
Yeah, I’m having fun because I’m doing what I do best.
Outside the Bearfaced Gang, who are you listening to nowadays?
Jadakiss. I just heard of this dude Don Tripp. He got a mixtape called Guerrilla that I been listening to. I’ve only been outta jail a month, but I hear he be going haywire. 2Chainz. And Lil Boosie—I feel like we part of the same struggle.
You go in on a lot of recycled beats, but most of those beats aren’t from Bay Area rap songs. Or even West Coast.
To tell you the truth, I didn’t grow up on a lot of local rappers. I did listen to Dogg Dound, Pac, and the rest of Death Row. I grew up listening Bone Thuggs, Dip Set, Cam’Ron, Jim Jones, Juelz, Hell Rell, were my favorite for a while. I grew up on the Philly niggas: Memphis Bleek, Beenie Siegel, Emilio Sparks, the whole State Property. TI from time to time. I fuck with Rick Ross and Meek Mills. That Dreamchasers mixtape. I’m listening to 2Chainz.
Can you talk a little bit about your Extortion Muzik series?
Extortion 1 was basically us trying to extort our way into this shit—get our foot in the door. I made something out of nothing. Extortion 2 was home invasion—I had gotten my foot in the door. I had some exposure and had a chance to get in folks’ homes. Extortion 3 was “have money, have heart.” I done came up, I done hit. I got what I was looking for. I been in the house and am ready to have money, take this money, and make this shit rock. A lot of niggas got money, but not a lot of niggas got heart. And I’m trying to have both.
What’s this Black August CD you’ve got coming out?
It’s what I call a “caution tape.” It’s basically an album, but I might throw a couple mixtape beats just to get on it. It’s set to drop around August.
Is that the next album coming out from you?
No. Coldest Winter Ever is already available online, but the actual CD is dropping in stores in a couple weeks. I’ve also got a CD coming out with G-Dirty called Black and Rebellious: The Makings of a Felon. It’s a deep CD.
What about Breaking and Entering?
That’s my actual album. That’s coming out early summer. On that I’ve got beats from Hood Noise, Blitz Beats, Che-D-Ness beats, squirt diesel beats, Sam Gamble, AK47, and DJ Fresh.
What was it like doing the Tonite Show?
It was real cool. I hit up Fresh and let him know what kind of style I wanted on it. If you listen, you’ll hear I don’t have the typical Fresh beats on my album. I hit him up, let him know what style I wanted on it, and I just stayed in the lab twenty-four seven. Actually, I recorded that CD while I had an ankle monitor. I was on house arrest at the time.
Do you have any pending cases at this time?
No. I’m good. I’m on paperwork, but I’m good. I’m ready to travel and tour in other cities: Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Seattle.
You’ve become well known for your ad-lib “smack smack.” A lot of people think it refers to the sound of gunshots and in your videos, you’re often seen doing a slapping motion along with it. How’d you come up with that ad-lib?
I’m from the six. Six-one. It just sounds good together.
Are you okay with other rappers starting to use that?
It’s an industry. Everybody gonna bite off of stuff. From time to time, I’ll take stuff from other great artists that I feel. “Smack smack” originated with me from the six. It mean we out here smackin’. It can also mean you get your issue, but it generally mean we out here smackin’.
How’d you and Blast Holiday hook up?
He’s from the neighborhood. My uncle—Che-D-Ness—he had a studio. They had a group called the Affiliates, and Blast used to come through there and gas. I was just a little nigga, I was like 13. Not even in high school. I been knowing him in the hood. He’s got an album coming called This is Not a Movie.
Where’d you go to high school?
Oakland Tech, Berkeley High, and a couple high schools in a Vallejo.
Anything else?
Shout out to the whole Bearfaced Camp: Lil Rod, 600BJ, Hen Sippa, free G-Dirty. Expect great things.
Thanks to Joe and HD for this interview and don't forget to go out and support good music from HD and the whole Bearfaced Gang.
