WestCoast Rydaz: The Champ Bailey album dropped in April, are you happy with the response it's been receiving?
Bailey: Hell yeah. Im diggin it. I wouldn't have it no other way. How I handled it, from redoing the Too Short cover, people noticing how I paid homage to those that paved the way, to the record release party. It was poppin at that thing. All my features, people just soaking it up. I'm proud about the debut. You get your whole life into your first album, so everything on that album from the intro to the outro needed to be said. People real receptive to it. I didn't hear too much hate.
WestCoast Rydaz: You went with the whole Too Short theme cover, what inspired you to do that?
Bailey: Basically I just liked his cover. I'm a lightweight simple dude. I don't like all that covers doing hella shit, wearing jeans that do hella shit. I'm just a simple dude. It was clean, it say bay area to me, him sitting in that old school. So I just had to put the 2006 twist on it. That's pretty much it. It was clean and simple, straight to the point. Fly. It was easy to sign your name big as fuck on the posters for the people, plenty of room.
WestCoast Rydaz: So you got the video to "U C It" all over MTV Jams, what was the process of getting that added like? How did you get in rotation?
Bailey: My management. They got alot of connects. People shouldn't be afraid to ask on top of that. He know people well cause he good in the business, but for those reading the interview, don't be afraid to ask. If your shit is hot, you can't deny it was hot! Producers come up to me all the time talkin about they got beats, I ain't gonna deny em. You can't deny what's hot. If it's hot it's gonna be used. On top of that they just loved the video. They put it out there for us and it's been a good look. People usually go: radio spins, then the video. We went the opposite direction with the video. MTV Jams love us so much and my manager is respected in the music business, shout out to Tom and Ron Hyphy, they runnin that. They was fuckin with it, so now hopefully we get the radio on our side like MTV been backin us. I went out to New York and did MTV Overdrive, Urge, I did some dot com radio out there. I'mma be headed back out there in a day or two to get back in that building, probably host the MTV Jams bay area session or somethin. That's really what we trying to get into on that part.
WestCoast Rydaz: Your labelmate J Valentine got picked up by J Records, and you undoubtedly got some majors looking at you....will we be seeing Bailey on a major anytime soon? Have you been in talks with any labels?
Bailey: Yeah. Definitely. I been in some meetings. They diggin it too. Alot of people is ready, they lightweight nervous about the whole hyphy movement. They not to sure about it, but the thing about me is, if you listen to my album it ain't hyphy. It's very universal, a good debut album. But I ain't steppin on the hyphy movement, cause I love every artist out here that's trying to do it. Especially the ones getting they cake. They kinda nervous right now. Numbers ain't looking right, people ain't coming out to shows, selling out. 50 and TI can come out here and sell out a show damn near faster than E-40 and Too Short can. That type of shit. We need to stop, we need some more support out here.
But yeah the meetings going good. Def Jam, Jive, J Records, Asylum, Sony. Pretty much all them east coast ones right now. I'mma knock out them west coast ones soon while I'm out there. Some people made offers already, I ain't gonna say who. It's all about a matter of time, being patient like J be telling me. I be so ready man.
WestCoast Rydaz: You're real anxious..
Bailey: Yeah I'm anxious to rep this shit right.
WestCoast Rydaz: What are some upcoming projects in the works from City Boyz Muzik. We got the scoop on Wedding Crashers, talk a little about that.
Bailey: It's clean. Another hot mixtape like the Hide Ya Breezy one. It's young niggas having fun making they music. Just knockin out songs. We got a few jacks, we got a few original shit on there, a few snippets. Quinn got on there with me on an original song. Clyde Carson, we reflipped Fuck Faces. Hoodstarz, we got an original one called "What What". Amongst that, just me and J Valentine killin it.
WestCoast Rydaz: So that should be out in a few weeks?
Bailey: Hopefully. We not even sure. J pretty much running that department. But yeah it's the Wedding Crashers, the industry created a party, we might as well crash it. They ain't letting us in, that's the whole thing to it.
WestCoast Rydaz: Let's get into some background info on your career. How did you get into rapping?
Bailey: My older brother Quinn. Taking notes and learning the do's and don't with him. GLP, thats Seff, D-Moe, and JT. Just being a young nigga around them while they was in the studio, in the booth. I never really wanted to rap, but I just seen how my brother do with his shows and his video "Shock the Party." Everybody just respecting him! I would say any younger brother want to be like his older brother if he doing something productive with his time and being respected at it. So as time went on I kept listening to Big Daddy Kane. The first album he had me buy was Eric B and Rakim - Paid in Full. Just knockin all that old shit, seeing how he did his thing I slowly got bit by the rap bug. At the same time I wanted to help my brother. Not lyrically but back him up so to speak. He be Batman, I be his Robin.
WestCoast Rydaz: How was Fully Loaded formed?
Bailey: Fully Loaded was formed by Don Toriano. He already had an album. Me and Big Rich was in BRP, this projects down the street and we just be rapping. We put out little CDs together along with other youngsters from the hood and just passing em out, making a name for ourselves in Fillmore. Just getting our buzz up and doing song on top of song. Big Rich was producing at first, and after school it was always to the studio. Or I'd be fucking with my homies up here on the Casio for real rinky dink type shit, but we was putting our rhymes together, that's what it was all about. Then Toriano just came and holla'd at me and Rich to form a group. I think Quinn informed him to do that though. We followed suit. Chuck took a listen at us and really backed us up and believed in us. It was looking good, taking little certain trips about as far as Kansas City. We did a few albums, a few mixtapes. That's pretty much how that came about.
WestCoast Rydaz: Was your time at Done Deal a learning experience for you?
Bailey: Yeah. Definitely. It had to be. I was a young nigga just learning. Seeing how to rock the crowd and what they like. Saying what needed to be said. I just had to stay true to my identity, that's always my thing. I ain't gonna be something I ain't, I'mma always say what I feel. I ain't got shit to prove man. I'm from Fillmoe, niggas know it's real out here.
WestCoast Rydaz: At what point did you break off and do your own thing?
Bailey: I would say 2 or 3 years ago. With Fully Loaded we didn't have any creative differences, we were kind of at a stand still. It was real stagnant for some reason. I can't really remember, but Ya Boy was real hot with his 16's Wit Me. We was ready to get in the door. Whoever would be the ticket to get in the door that needed to happen. We thought it would be Ya Boy, we thought it would be Quinn, we thought it would be me. We was like let's do it and get it poppin, and we didn't know which way to go. So we just started working on a new Fully Loaded mixtape to get our buzz up again and do the new album. It just didn't come all the way out. I can't really remember the reason. It probably was that our business wasn't handled good.
WestCoast Rydaz: Yeah I remember seeing the mixtape promoting the new album and then it just never came out.
Bailey: Yeah then you never saw it.
WestCoast Rydaz: So after that, how did you connect with J. Valentine and get City Boyz going?
Bailey: Of course J was in LA writing R&B songs for A-list artists. He from Fillmore, he from the hood. He just heard about me doing my thing. He was making his cake and wanted to put it into something and reach back cause he was getting paid. He just heard about me, my work ethic, my style, and was pretty much diggin it. You have alot of shit to go off of, all the albums that we had and who my brother is was also a good look. So we had a mutual friend at the barbershop. He was telling me J was looking for me and wanted to holla at me about taking it to the next level. I was like, aight I just gotta let my homies know. I gotta let Big Rich, Know (Toriano), Quinn, Ya Boy, Willie Hen, let them know about my movements and we can do it.
I let them know I was finna be making a move. They was wit it. They was like just go ahead on. I don't remember the real reason for it, but I felt like damn, what is we doing. I was damn near finna hang up rapping and move to Atlanta or New York or LA and just work. Just OG work. But J holla'd, and they gave me their blessings to go ahead on. I did it. We was just working, cutting out hella songs. I got over 100 songs still, after all the mixtapes. The Living The Dream, Fuck Yo Couch Sampler, Hide Ya Breezy, and the album. All from City Boyz Muzik. That's J Valentine's label, he's CEO of course.
WestCoast Rydaz: If you could go back and make a decision differently would you, or do you feel like everything fell into place and happened for a reason?
Bailey: It definitely had a reason. It just flow like that. I'm a roll with the punches type of dude. I ain't sweating it, I just let the wind take me as long as I keep my face forward I know what's finna happen. I know I'mma handle my business. So I wouldn't have it no other way. If that's the way it's gon go, then that's the way it's gon go. I ain't sweatin it cause I got J Valentine and Major Buckets on the beats. They are vicious. I ain't got no yes men around me. I got men that's about they money, and they wanna see me on top, along with J. So I'm not upset at all. It's just a whole other avenue to get to the top. I ain't forgot about none of them, hopefully they ain't forgot about me. If we make it there I'mma reach back. I'mma reach back to other artists that's in the hood. Not only in my hood, it could be Oakland, EPA, Richmond, whatever. It's a world out there and alot of niggas don't be getting out. That's why I'm thankful for J letting me see that type of shit. I'm in the same clubs as ol' chubby ass Reuben Studdard, I'm looking at Serena Williams' ass in person. Just hella little shit like that. Niggas need to get out, see them other places, write about some other thangs.
WestCoast Rydaz: Who are some of the producers your working with and would like to work with in the near future?
Bailey: It's pretty much inhouse City Boyz Muzik. Major Bucketz, knock out all them beats. He's real versatile with it. Fast, slow it down, whatever you want, he does his thang. Troy was on there, another homie. He did the song with me, Ya Boy, and Big Rich. The hood lovin that one. My other patna Sixx John, who is Neo, the R&B artist's partner, he did the one with Shawn Stockman, Stay Down. Other than that it's just City Boyz Muzik. I ain't gotta venture out but I am though. I'd love to fuck with Polo the Don out of Atlanta making them fire tracks. He did the one with Keak Da Sneak and J Valentine for J album (Keep It Goin). He made Fergie's new one and the Pussycat Dolls. He serious man, he slappin. I'd love to work with Cool and Dre. I'd love to get an E-A-Ski if I could, or a Rick Rock, or a Droop-E. Keep it real bay with it. Havoc, Alchemist, on top of that any other young nigga that's making fire.
WestCoast Rydaz: Your in house production is real clean though, real versatile.
Bailey: That's what I mean, it's just laid out for me. It's just a path I gotta take. It ain't really to difficult, I gotta make sure I stay focused. Don't drink on too much Patron. Have fun and try to get it poppin cause it is the music business. We just gotta get our business straight, I got a tight circle around me man. It's good.
WestCoast Rydaz: What are your thoughts on the whole bay area scene right now, for example the Hyphy movement. Do you think it's making artists box themselves into one sound in order to get noticed?
Bailey: I don't know it's kind of tricky. It's definitely getting us out there. Tell Me When to Go, Keak, 40 and Lil Jon. Opening up another avenue, it's good! It's cool, we just can't limit ourselves to that cause they definitely turning it into a fad. It's gonna be gone like the Harlem Shake or some shit. It's more so our lifestyle though. That's really what we do. Without thinking, we gonna put on our stunna shades, they gonna shake they dreads, they gon ghostride, they gon' call bitches rippers and runnas. They gonna throw up the t's, the Thizz. It's what it is. Alot of people out there making it a fad, we just gotta make sure we deeper than that. Keep our concepts up like 40 and Too Short been doing. They got they real songs at all times too. It's just our way of having fun. I ain't mad at the hyphy movement we just gotta expand and be ready to do more than that.
WestCoast Rydaz: Yeah people need to realize they don't need to use the words dumb, hyphy and stupid in their song titles..
Bailey: We definitely making it a fad by making it a fad by wearing it out. The world paying attention, so hopefully we can take advantage of it because we definitely serious about it out here. We serious about that music. As far as the bay area artists, I would just say we need to break bread together man. Keep it intact like everybody else doing.
WestCoast Rydaz: It's good to see the old vets like 40 and Too Short supporting all the new artists. In Cali you don't always see as much unity as the bay has.
Bailey: Yeah, it is good to see them backing it. My only thing is I wish they would've done it a little sooner. But it's good though.
WestCoast Rydaz: So what's up with another Fully Loaded album? Have you guys talked about doing another..
Bailey: We ain't really talked about it. It's pretty much instilled in us. That's what kicked it all the way off for us. We ain't talked about it. I think what needs to be done is one of us needs to make it. I would hope that we could do the Eminem/Nelly thing, and reach back to the group. Somebody be the face of it. I wouldn't be mad at that, or if it don't get poppin that big, only if the cake is right. If the business right, we could end up eatin off of it. Good eatin. That's what I would say. It needs to be pushed and promoted right. It got it's ups and downs though, being in a group. In Fully Loaded, we fresh, we fly and all but we keep hearing Fully Loaded. You don't hear Bailey, Big Rich and Toriano. It's entities in there that need to be said. We fresh and we don't rap the same, we individuals. That's the plus side, we get to hear Bailey, Bailey, Bailey. You know who I am, it's getting around now, it's circulating. I'm glad out here we can reach back and remember Fully Loaded for what they did. But that's nothing man, we get together right now, it's gonna be for real fire happening. That's pretty much all I gotta say on that.
WestCoast Rydaz: What about another San Francisco Giants album? You, Quinn, and Stompdown together again...
Bailey: Pops stay asking me about that one! He giving me pimp suits and all kind of shit!
WestCoast Rydaz: He's ready huh?
Bailey: Yeah he's ready. He's ready to do the Mac Sauce 2 man. Shout out to Stomp Down! Doin it! Did the intro on the album. He wanna do some more of it. That Mac Sauce definitely ain't expired. It's just that we focused on what's happening with our solos right now. It's a good look though, we will probably do that.
It's definitely game on there. Pops wrote all that when he was locked up. He came out like "Sons, yall need to spit this for me." So he ghostwrote the shit and we put our individual flips and twists on it.
WestCoast Rydaz: So wait, Stomp Down wrote you and Quinn's lyrics on that album?
Bailey: Yeah! He wrote the lyrics. That's where we get it from. He wrote the whole album in jail, on everything. And we just gave that to pops. "Go head and eat, we gonna do that for you." That's why it's just super mac spittin on that thang.
WestCoast Rydaz: Let's get on the subject of "Fuck Your Couch". We just recently dropped a song by the same name of yours from Aftermath artist Bishop Lamont. Word is he recorded it a long time ago though. What's your whole take on that?
Bailey: Man, I ain't trippin. It don't really bother me man - to be honest. He got his version, he just got inspired by a Dave Chappelle skit, just like me. I ain't heard it but I heard it ain't on the concept of mine. As far as really fucking up a nigga couch. I think he just spittin, but I don't wanna go back and forth about it, who recorded it first and whatnot. I didn't hear his version, he probably didn't hear mine till it was well too late. I ain't trippin man, lets do the remix. Fuck Yo Sofas.
WestCoast Rydaz: That's cool for you to clarify. Alot of people were blowing things up, assuming he bit off your song concept.
Bailey: I don't think he biting. The homies around me who heard it said they don't think he bit or no shit. They lovin it, you know what the Fuck Yo Couch is doing out here for me. But it's good, he doing his thing. I ain't mad, go ahead and run with it. And they also talking about the Young Joc "You See It." That's good though, I aint mad. I'm a laid back type of dude. For you to get under my skin you gotta do alot. I ain't really be trippin. I got songs for days and I'mma do it. On my Livin Da Dream I had a song called Rockaway and Fat Joe came with Lean Back. I still put it on my mixtape like they need to hear it. If you go back to OG Living Da Dream I got Rockaway, "Back, back, forth, forth" talking about the dance. And I was finna run with the Atlanta dance and try to get on the map with it same way Fat Joe did, but he dropped. I got a song called Grills, did a while ago. Nelly came with the Grillz. Virgin, they heard my song but I wouldn't say they heard my song and flipped it real quick, Jermaine Dupri done gave it to Nelly or some ol shit like that. It happens like that. It's all gravy though man.
WestCoast Rydaz: I want to get into the whole "U C It" situation with Numskull. Apparently he was dissing you on Pepsi Mic Smash cause he claims he originated that. Are you trippin off that?
Bailey: Hell nah. Like I said I don't be sweatin shit. Till a mothafucka really tell me what it is. I told him, I holla'd at him at a club a while back and he asked me where I got it from. I ain't understand that, "huh?" Cause I ain't hear his version. I told him, Ed Lover, the nigga that kicked off my video, I got it from him watching the Hood 2 Hood DVD. Ed Lover, 3 fingers, U C It, Tell Me When To Go. He said all that shit. On citaz. All that. We just rewinding that. I watch TV, I read books, I watch DVDs, that's where I get my inspiration for half these songs from cause I know there's other people like me that's watching the shit too. So I pay homage and let Ed Lover do the intro to the video cause that's where I got my idea from. I told Num that and he was like "oh ok, it was on that?" I left it at that.
WestCoast Rydaz: This was recently?
Bailey: Nah this was a while ago. This was way before the video. This is like when it first dropped and the song was lightweight in the mix. I was on my promotional tour pretty much. This was a while ago, I think at Juvenile record release party in Santa Rosa, that long ago. I don't know if he was on his record release party. That's all to it. I ain't hear they version. Is it like mine?
WestCoast Rydaz: I don't even know that he has a song by that name, I think they were saying it was their phrase.
Bailey: Oh it's their phrase. I don't know. He was real receptive to it, like oh okay. I don't know. Probably alot of people don't be thinking it's finna pop off like it's doing. As far as the Young Joc thing it just look funny cause he say Go Dumb in his version.
WestCoast Rydaz: Any last words you'd like to end this interview off with?
Bailey: I just wanna encourage people to pick up that album, Champ Bailey. Go get it, Amazon.com, CDUniverse, all local record stores in Northern California cause I only dropped here. It ain't nowhere else. It ain't nationwide, we was finna look into that with some distribution company, but as soon as we was about to sign the contract we backed out cause we was getting phone calls from majors. So, it's just out here but you can order it, CityBoyzMuzik.com. Yall know that MySpace bullshit I ain't finna get into that. You can download the ringtone too. Put in Hip Hop/Rap, go to search, put in Bailey and that shit will pop up. Please help a nigga out, get a dollar 25 a ring tone mayne. Download that thang. All the DJs stay spinning it. I don't care if you at a house party at a little ass garage. I appreciate yall for throwing it on, keep it in rotation. All the fans and supporters, recognize that I'm a student of this rap shit and I'm trying to make it to the top. I'm not thinking small at all, I'm not content with what I got. My little apartment, my car. I don't give a fuck. I got 24's in here sitting on the kitchen floor, I don't give a shit. I ain't happy with that. I'm trying to it way bigger than that. So just keep ya eyes on Bailey. And yall need to backtrack and see that I'm sincere about this, lyrically. This is what I do. Backtrack, pick up all that old shit. Look forward to that Wedding Crashers and that J. Valentine record cause I'mma definitely kick my feet on that. You'll be seeing me. To all the artists, I'm ready to network. Let's break bread man. Cassie and Rhianna, holla at me baby. We need to do something, for real. Together, all three of us. [laughs]
Make sure to hit up Bailey himself at myspace.com/champbailey.
Bailey: Hell yeah. Im diggin it. I wouldn't have it no other way. How I handled it, from redoing the Too Short cover, people noticing how I paid homage to those that paved the way, to the record release party. It was poppin at that thing. All my features, people just soaking it up. I'm proud about the debut. You get your whole life into your first album, so everything on that album from the intro to the outro needed to be said. People real receptive to it. I didn't hear too much hate.
WestCoast Rydaz: You went with the whole Too Short theme cover, what inspired you to do that?
Bailey: Basically I just liked his cover. I'm a lightweight simple dude. I don't like all that covers doing hella shit, wearing jeans that do hella shit. I'm just a simple dude. It was clean, it say bay area to me, him sitting in that old school. So I just had to put the 2006 twist on it. That's pretty much it. It was clean and simple, straight to the point. Fly. It was easy to sign your name big as fuck on the posters for the people, plenty of room.
WestCoast Rydaz: So you got the video to "U C It" all over MTV Jams, what was the process of getting that added like? How did you get in rotation?
Bailey: My management. They got alot of connects. People shouldn't be afraid to ask on top of that. He know people well cause he good in the business, but for those reading the interview, don't be afraid to ask. If your shit is hot, you can't deny it was hot! Producers come up to me all the time talkin about they got beats, I ain't gonna deny em. You can't deny what's hot. If it's hot it's gonna be used. On top of that they just loved the video. They put it out there for us and it's been a good look. People usually go: radio spins, then the video. We went the opposite direction with the video. MTV Jams love us so much and my manager is respected in the music business, shout out to Tom and Ron Hyphy, they runnin that. They was fuckin with it, so now hopefully we get the radio on our side like MTV been backin us. I went out to New York and did MTV Overdrive, Urge, I did some dot com radio out there. I'mma be headed back out there in a day or two to get back in that building, probably host the MTV Jams bay area session or somethin. That's really what we trying to get into on that part.
WestCoast Rydaz: Your labelmate J Valentine got picked up by J Records, and you undoubtedly got some majors looking at you....will we be seeing Bailey on a major anytime soon? Have you been in talks with any labels?
Bailey: Yeah. Definitely. I been in some meetings. They diggin it too. Alot of people is ready, they lightweight nervous about the whole hyphy movement. They not to sure about it, but the thing about me is, if you listen to my album it ain't hyphy. It's very universal, a good debut album. But I ain't steppin on the hyphy movement, cause I love every artist out here that's trying to do it. Especially the ones getting they cake. They kinda nervous right now. Numbers ain't looking right, people ain't coming out to shows, selling out. 50 and TI can come out here and sell out a show damn near faster than E-40 and Too Short can. That type of shit. We need to stop, we need some more support out here.
But yeah the meetings going good. Def Jam, Jive, J Records, Asylum, Sony. Pretty much all them east coast ones right now. I'mma knock out them west coast ones soon while I'm out there. Some people made offers already, I ain't gonna say who. It's all about a matter of time, being patient like J be telling me. I be so ready man.
WestCoast Rydaz: You're real anxious..
Bailey: Yeah I'm anxious to rep this shit right.
WestCoast Rydaz: What are some upcoming projects in the works from City Boyz Muzik. We got the scoop on Wedding Crashers, talk a little about that.
Bailey: It's clean. Another hot mixtape like the Hide Ya Breezy one. It's young niggas having fun making they music. Just knockin out songs. We got a few jacks, we got a few original shit on there, a few snippets. Quinn got on there with me on an original song. Clyde Carson, we reflipped Fuck Faces. Hoodstarz, we got an original one called "What What". Amongst that, just me and J Valentine killin it.
WestCoast Rydaz: So that should be out in a few weeks?
Bailey: Hopefully. We not even sure. J pretty much running that department. But yeah it's the Wedding Crashers, the industry created a party, we might as well crash it. They ain't letting us in, that's the whole thing to it.
WestCoast Rydaz: Let's get into some background info on your career. How did you get into rapping?
Bailey: My older brother Quinn. Taking notes and learning the do's and don't with him. GLP, thats Seff, D-Moe, and JT. Just being a young nigga around them while they was in the studio, in the booth. I never really wanted to rap, but I just seen how my brother do with his shows and his video "Shock the Party." Everybody just respecting him! I would say any younger brother want to be like his older brother if he doing something productive with his time and being respected at it. So as time went on I kept listening to Big Daddy Kane. The first album he had me buy was Eric B and Rakim - Paid in Full. Just knockin all that old shit, seeing how he did his thing I slowly got bit by the rap bug. At the same time I wanted to help my brother. Not lyrically but back him up so to speak. He be Batman, I be his Robin.
WestCoast Rydaz: How was Fully Loaded formed?
Bailey: Fully Loaded was formed by Don Toriano. He already had an album. Me and Big Rich was in BRP, this projects down the street and we just be rapping. We put out little CDs together along with other youngsters from the hood and just passing em out, making a name for ourselves in Fillmore. Just getting our buzz up and doing song on top of song. Big Rich was producing at first, and after school it was always to the studio. Or I'd be fucking with my homies up here on the Casio for real rinky dink type shit, but we was putting our rhymes together, that's what it was all about. Then Toriano just came and holla'd at me and Rich to form a group. I think Quinn informed him to do that though. We followed suit. Chuck took a listen at us and really backed us up and believed in us. It was looking good, taking little certain trips about as far as Kansas City. We did a few albums, a few mixtapes. That's pretty much how that came about.
WestCoast Rydaz: Was your time at Done Deal a learning experience for you?
Bailey: Yeah. Definitely. It had to be. I was a young nigga just learning. Seeing how to rock the crowd and what they like. Saying what needed to be said. I just had to stay true to my identity, that's always my thing. I ain't gonna be something I ain't, I'mma always say what I feel. I ain't got shit to prove man. I'm from Fillmoe, niggas know it's real out here.
WestCoast Rydaz: At what point did you break off and do your own thing?
Bailey: I would say 2 or 3 years ago. With Fully Loaded we didn't have any creative differences, we were kind of at a stand still. It was real stagnant for some reason. I can't really remember, but Ya Boy was real hot with his 16's Wit Me. We was ready to get in the door. Whoever would be the ticket to get in the door that needed to happen. We thought it would be Ya Boy, we thought it would be Quinn, we thought it would be me. We was like let's do it and get it poppin, and we didn't know which way to go. So we just started working on a new Fully Loaded mixtape to get our buzz up again and do the new album. It just didn't come all the way out. I can't really remember the reason. It probably was that our business wasn't handled good.
WestCoast Rydaz: Yeah I remember seeing the mixtape promoting the new album and then it just never came out.
Bailey: Yeah then you never saw it.
WestCoast Rydaz: So after that, how did you connect with J. Valentine and get City Boyz going?
Bailey: Of course J was in LA writing R&B songs for A-list artists. He from Fillmore, he from the hood. He just heard about me doing my thing. He was making his cake and wanted to put it into something and reach back cause he was getting paid. He just heard about me, my work ethic, my style, and was pretty much diggin it. You have alot of shit to go off of, all the albums that we had and who my brother is was also a good look. So we had a mutual friend at the barbershop. He was telling me J was looking for me and wanted to holla at me about taking it to the next level. I was like, aight I just gotta let my homies know. I gotta let Big Rich, Know (Toriano), Quinn, Ya Boy, Willie Hen, let them know about my movements and we can do it.
I let them know I was finna be making a move. They was wit it. They was like just go ahead on. I don't remember the real reason for it, but I felt like damn, what is we doing. I was damn near finna hang up rapping and move to Atlanta or New York or LA and just work. Just OG work. But J holla'd, and they gave me their blessings to go ahead on. I did it. We was just working, cutting out hella songs. I got over 100 songs still, after all the mixtapes. The Living The Dream, Fuck Yo Couch Sampler, Hide Ya Breezy, and the album. All from City Boyz Muzik. That's J Valentine's label, he's CEO of course.
WestCoast Rydaz: If you could go back and make a decision differently would you, or do you feel like everything fell into place and happened for a reason?
Bailey: It definitely had a reason. It just flow like that. I'm a roll with the punches type of dude. I ain't sweating it, I just let the wind take me as long as I keep my face forward I know what's finna happen. I know I'mma handle my business. So I wouldn't have it no other way. If that's the way it's gon go, then that's the way it's gon go. I ain't sweatin it cause I got J Valentine and Major Buckets on the beats. They are vicious. I ain't got no yes men around me. I got men that's about they money, and they wanna see me on top, along with J. So I'm not upset at all. It's just a whole other avenue to get to the top. I ain't forgot about none of them, hopefully they ain't forgot about me. If we make it there I'mma reach back. I'mma reach back to other artists that's in the hood. Not only in my hood, it could be Oakland, EPA, Richmond, whatever. It's a world out there and alot of niggas don't be getting out. That's why I'm thankful for J letting me see that type of shit. I'm in the same clubs as ol' chubby ass Reuben Studdard, I'm looking at Serena Williams' ass in person. Just hella little shit like that. Niggas need to get out, see them other places, write about some other thangs.
WestCoast Rydaz: Who are some of the producers your working with and would like to work with in the near future?
Bailey: It's pretty much inhouse City Boyz Muzik. Major Bucketz, knock out all them beats. He's real versatile with it. Fast, slow it down, whatever you want, he does his thang. Troy was on there, another homie. He did the song with me, Ya Boy, and Big Rich. The hood lovin that one. My other patna Sixx John, who is Neo, the R&B artist's partner, he did the one with Shawn Stockman, Stay Down. Other than that it's just City Boyz Muzik. I ain't gotta venture out but I am though. I'd love to fuck with Polo the Don out of Atlanta making them fire tracks. He did the one with Keak Da Sneak and J Valentine for J album (Keep It Goin). He made Fergie's new one and the Pussycat Dolls. He serious man, he slappin. I'd love to work with Cool and Dre. I'd love to get an E-A-Ski if I could, or a Rick Rock, or a Droop-E. Keep it real bay with it. Havoc, Alchemist, on top of that any other young nigga that's making fire.
WestCoast Rydaz: Your in house production is real clean though, real versatile.
Bailey: That's what I mean, it's just laid out for me. It's just a path I gotta take. It ain't really to difficult, I gotta make sure I stay focused. Don't drink on too much Patron. Have fun and try to get it poppin cause it is the music business. We just gotta get our business straight, I got a tight circle around me man. It's good.
WestCoast Rydaz: What are your thoughts on the whole bay area scene right now, for example the Hyphy movement. Do you think it's making artists box themselves into one sound in order to get noticed?
Bailey: I don't know it's kind of tricky. It's definitely getting us out there. Tell Me When to Go, Keak, 40 and Lil Jon. Opening up another avenue, it's good! It's cool, we just can't limit ourselves to that cause they definitely turning it into a fad. It's gonna be gone like the Harlem Shake or some shit. It's more so our lifestyle though. That's really what we do. Without thinking, we gonna put on our stunna shades, they gonna shake they dreads, they gon ghostride, they gon' call bitches rippers and runnas. They gonna throw up the t's, the Thizz. It's what it is. Alot of people out there making it a fad, we just gotta make sure we deeper than that. Keep our concepts up like 40 and Too Short been doing. They got they real songs at all times too. It's just our way of having fun. I ain't mad at the hyphy movement we just gotta expand and be ready to do more than that.
WestCoast Rydaz: Yeah people need to realize they don't need to use the words dumb, hyphy and stupid in their song titles..
Bailey: We definitely making it a fad by making it a fad by wearing it out. The world paying attention, so hopefully we can take advantage of it because we definitely serious about it out here. We serious about that music. As far as the bay area artists, I would just say we need to break bread together man. Keep it intact like everybody else doing.
WestCoast Rydaz: It's good to see the old vets like 40 and Too Short supporting all the new artists. In Cali you don't always see as much unity as the bay has.
Bailey: Yeah, it is good to see them backing it. My only thing is I wish they would've done it a little sooner. But it's good though.
WestCoast Rydaz: So what's up with another Fully Loaded album? Have you guys talked about doing another..
Bailey: We ain't really talked about it. It's pretty much instilled in us. That's what kicked it all the way off for us. We ain't talked about it. I think what needs to be done is one of us needs to make it. I would hope that we could do the Eminem/Nelly thing, and reach back to the group. Somebody be the face of it. I wouldn't be mad at that, or if it don't get poppin that big, only if the cake is right. If the business right, we could end up eatin off of it. Good eatin. That's what I would say. It needs to be pushed and promoted right. It got it's ups and downs though, being in a group. In Fully Loaded, we fresh, we fly and all but we keep hearing Fully Loaded. You don't hear Bailey, Big Rich and Toriano. It's entities in there that need to be said. We fresh and we don't rap the same, we individuals. That's the plus side, we get to hear Bailey, Bailey, Bailey. You know who I am, it's getting around now, it's circulating. I'm glad out here we can reach back and remember Fully Loaded for what they did. But that's nothing man, we get together right now, it's gonna be for real fire happening. That's pretty much all I gotta say on that.
WestCoast Rydaz: What about another San Francisco Giants album? You, Quinn, and Stompdown together again...
Bailey: Pops stay asking me about that one! He giving me pimp suits and all kind of shit!
WestCoast Rydaz: He's ready huh?
Bailey: Yeah he's ready. He's ready to do the Mac Sauce 2 man. Shout out to Stomp Down! Doin it! Did the intro on the album. He wanna do some more of it. That Mac Sauce definitely ain't expired. It's just that we focused on what's happening with our solos right now. It's a good look though, we will probably do that.
It's definitely game on there. Pops wrote all that when he was locked up. He came out like "Sons, yall need to spit this for me." So he ghostwrote the shit and we put our individual flips and twists on it.
WestCoast Rydaz: So wait, Stomp Down wrote you and Quinn's lyrics on that album?
Bailey: Yeah! He wrote the lyrics. That's where we get it from. He wrote the whole album in jail, on everything. And we just gave that to pops. "Go head and eat, we gonna do that for you." That's why it's just super mac spittin on that thang.
WestCoast Rydaz: Let's get on the subject of "Fuck Your Couch". We just recently dropped a song by the same name of yours from Aftermath artist Bishop Lamont. Word is he recorded it a long time ago though. What's your whole take on that?
Bailey: Man, I ain't trippin. It don't really bother me man - to be honest. He got his version, he just got inspired by a Dave Chappelle skit, just like me. I ain't heard it but I heard it ain't on the concept of mine. As far as really fucking up a nigga couch. I think he just spittin, but I don't wanna go back and forth about it, who recorded it first and whatnot. I didn't hear his version, he probably didn't hear mine till it was well too late. I ain't trippin man, lets do the remix. Fuck Yo Sofas.
WestCoast Rydaz: That's cool for you to clarify. Alot of people were blowing things up, assuming he bit off your song concept.
Bailey: I don't think he biting. The homies around me who heard it said they don't think he bit or no shit. They lovin it, you know what the Fuck Yo Couch is doing out here for me. But it's good, he doing his thing. I ain't mad, go ahead and run with it. And they also talking about the Young Joc "You See It." That's good though, I aint mad. I'm a laid back type of dude. For you to get under my skin you gotta do alot. I ain't really be trippin. I got songs for days and I'mma do it. On my Livin Da Dream I had a song called Rockaway and Fat Joe came with Lean Back. I still put it on my mixtape like they need to hear it. If you go back to OG Living Da Dream I got Rockaway, "Back, back, forth, forth" talking about the dance. And I was finna run with the Atlanta dance and try to get on the map with it same way Fat Joe did, but he dropped. I got a song called Grills, did a while ago. Nelly came with the Grillz. Virgin, they heard my song but I wouldn't say they heard my song and flipped it real quick, Jermaine Dupri done gave it to Nelly or some ol shit like that. It happens like that. It's all gravy though man.
WestCoast Rydaz: I want to get into the whole "U C It" situation with Numskull. Apparently he was dissing you on Pepsi Mic Smash cause he claims he originated that. Are you trippin off that?
Bailey: Hell nah. Like I said I don't be sweatin shit. Till a mothafucka really tell me what it is. I told him, I holla'd at him at a club a while back and he asked me where I got it from. I ain't understand that, "huh?" Cause I ain't hear his version. I told him, Ed Lover, the nigga that kicked off my video, I got it from him watching the Hood 2 Hood DVD. Ed Lover, 3 fingers, U C It, Tell Me When To Go. He said all that shit. On citaz. All that. We just rewinding that. I watch TV, I read books, I watch DVDs, that's where I get my inspiration for half these songs from cause I know there's other people like me that's watching the shit too. So I pay homage and let Ed Lover do the intro to the video cause that's where I got my idea from. I told Num that and he was like "oh ok, it was on that?" I left it at that.
WestCoast Rydaz: This was recently?
Bailey: Nah this was a while ago. This was way before the video. This is like when it first dropped and the song was lightweight in the mix. I was on my promotional tour pretty much. This was a while ago, I think at Juvenile record release party in Santa Rosa, that long ago. I don't know if he was on his record release party. That's all to it. I ain't hear they version. Is it like mine?
WestCoast Rydaz: I don't even know that he has a song by that name, I think they were saying it was their phrase.
Bailey: Oh it's their phrase. I don't know. He was real receptive to it, like oh okay. I don't know. Probably alot of people don't be thinking it's finna pop off like it's doing. As far as the Young Joc thing it just look funny cause he say Go Dumb in his version.
WestCoast Rydaz: Any last words you'd like to end this interview off with?
Bailey: I just wanna encourage people to pick up that album, Champ Bailey. Go get it, Amazon.com, CDUniverse, all local record stores in Northern California cause I only dropped here. It ain't nowhere else. It ain't nationwide, we was finna look into that with some distribution company, but as soon as we was about to sign the contract we backed out cause we was getting phone calls from majors. So, it's just out here but you can order it, CityBoyzMuzik.com. Yall know that MySpace bullshit I ain't finna get into that. You can download the ringtone too. Put in Hip Hop/Rap, go to search, put in Bailey and that shit will pop up. Please help a nigga out, get a dollar 25 a ring tone mayne. Download that thang. All the DJs stay spinning it. I don't care if you at a house party at a little ass garage. I appreciate yall for throwing it on, keep it in rotation. All the fans and supporters, recognize that I'm a student of this rap shit and I'm trying to make it to the top. I'm not thinking small at all, I'm not content with what I got. My little apartment, my car. I don't give a fuck. I got 24's in here sitting on the kitchen floor, I don't give a shit. I ain't happy with that. I'm trying to it way bigger than that. So just keep ya eyes on Bailey. And yall need to backtrack and see that I'm sincere about this, lyrically. This is what I do. Backtrack, pick up all that old shit. Look forward to that Wedding Crashers and that J. Valentine record cause I'mma definitely kick my feet on that. You'll be seeing me. To all the artists, I'm ready to network. Let's break bread man. Cassie and Rhianna, holla at me baby. We need to do something, for real. Together, all three of us. [laughs]
Make sure to hit up Bailey himself at myspace.com/champbailey.
Damn thas long
