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Boo The Boss Playa – Who’s the Boss?
Interview By: Melanie J Cornish
 Mississippi isn’t necessarily known as a Hip-Hop stronghold, nor is J Records infamous as a purveyor of Hip-Hop. But bringing some shine to the state that has delivered David Banner and heading up a new division within Clive Davis’s Kingdom, Boo Da Boss Playa is ready to change gears and set standards for both state and label.
 Having been a staple on the streets of Mississippi for numerous years, churning out mixtape after mixtape, street album after street album, Boo and Royal Dollar Records are readying up for his first major release. Having been signed to Interscope, Boo understands the basic fundamentals of business due to first hand experience.
As many labels fail to market artists nowadays, Boo explains his perspective on the topic in this exclusive interview with Nobodysmiling.com. He talks projects past and pending and what he takes into consideration when it comes to crafting his new album.
Nobodysmiling.com : You are repping Mississippi, which has only really seen David Banner in the spotlight. Is there a lot of pressure on you?
Boo : Well I have been holding down my state for a minute and really, they are just waiting on me to drop this album to lay the foundation.
Nobodysmiling.com : Now the build up to the album involved the mixtape with DJ Drama, the Drugstore joint. With the recent issues that he has been going through, has that hindered or helped your mixtape?
Boo : It hasn’t hurt it or helped it; I feel that Drama is going to be ok and all we can do is pray for his situation. But as far as the mixtape scene, it has helped a lot of cats as far as getting their name out. People had never heard of a lot of cats until they got their names out in the mixtapes. We are wishing for the best with Drama right now.
Nobodysmiling.com : You have utilized the mixtape scene; does this unsettle you in anyway?
Boo : That is an outlet, I try not to look at the negative side, I just hope this situation will be alright. It will affect everyone. It is an outlet, but this is out of my hands. We can concentrate on it but we really can’t do anything about it but all we can do is pray and hope that the situation pans out. There are a lot of DJs and we have just to keep our fingers crossed.
Nobodysmiling.com : Now you have this major label situation through Royal Dollar Records, how was it for you going from making all these mixtapes for the streets to making a mainstream album that will be marketed by a major label?
Boo : Really I use the same formula. I use it for making the independent albums as I am just giving the people me. My music isn’t going to change because I signed with a major, from my mixtapes to my independent albums I just give the people me in my situations, in my day to day.
Nobodysmiling.com : You say you are using the same formula but are you using the same budget?
Boo : Nah that is different [laughing.] But that has allowed us to step it up production wise.
Nobodysmiling.com : So what are we looking at in terms of production?
Boo : I did joints with Swizz Beats on this project and Mannie fresh, Jazze Pha, Collie Park. You know I am just going to pick the hottest records out of the stuff that I have been recording. We are going to take the main sixteen out of all the records I have recorded.
Nobodysmiling.com : In terms of the producers, you went with a lot of big names and some people try to avoid using so many big names on an album, when it comes to the budgeting on an album; why did you opt to do it that way?
Boo : These are some of the people that I respect in the game and I like their music but I also balance it out with the people that I deal with. You know I also include some of my in-house producers too, to give it that balance. These big cats are people that I have been following for a minute and I always looked up to and I finally got the chance to run with them. The chemistry is crazy and when we get in there we come up with some bangers. It is a growth process and this is how I have grown as well.
Nobodysmiling.com : Talking about balance, do you find nowadays a lot of albums; don’t really have an understanding of balance?
Boo : I try to make something for the people and give them what they are looking for and the reasons that I buy albums, I take that into consideration. I want to hear that balance, so I know the fans need to hear that to so it is important to me to balance that out for them too. It is a competitive sport, Hip-Hop, but you have to consider your opponent; you know what I am saying. You may have a similar record to someone and when you hear theirs you might not want to put yours out. You have to study and come up with the best material. I will go into the studio and do a gang of songs and make sure that I have the type of songs that will move off the shelf. If I have to do eighty songs, I will make sure I do those eighty songs to make sure that the album is solid. If you want to be the best at what you do and you want people to accept the music you come out with, I will make sure that it is right.
Nobodysmiling.com : You have a deal with J Records, a label not known for rappers, why did you take that risk going with J?
Boo : It is real open over there as far as the rap goes as they just launched the rap department, look at TVT, no-one looked at TVT before they came out with Lil Jon, and I feel that I can make the history happen over there at J Records. I feel like I can open up the urban side over there for them. So I went over there with that in mind, there is no competition over there, so they will be pushing Boo music. It is not like they have ten artists coming out this year. These are all the same questions I had to ask myself, you are asking the right questions [laughing.]
Nobodysmiling.com : A lot of major label artists aren’t happy with the way they are being marketed, regardless of who you are. Is this something you are bothered about, or because of the independent grind that you have been on; it is something you will just get on and do anyway?
Boo : Really, we just took a chance on each other and we don’t know how it is going to pan out, we just hope for the best. I am just trying to make sure that the people up there are doing what they have to do and I am going to do my job. So if everyone is doing their job we ought to look good at the end of the day. But if they can’t do their job we have to search for another situation as then it wouldn’t be right over there. We did take a chance on each other.
Nobodysmiling.com : You have been on the scene for a minute, you had a lot of majors looking at you..
Boo : Yeah I was with Interscope as well. I signed with them and that wasn’t working well and I had to get out of that situation.
Nobodysmiling.com : Was that easy for you as some people get caught up in label politics which kind of disheartens them?
Boo : Yeah it was easy as I just asked for my release, once I realized it wasn’t a good situation; it wasn’t moving how I wanted it to move. There was no problems in getting that.
Nobodysmiling.com : When is the album coming out?
Boo : I mean it depends on the momentum of the single, but I am thinking it will be around June time.
Nobodysmiling.com : Nowadays people crash and burn, they put out one single and think that is enough promotion for consumers to go out and buy the album. What is your formula?
Boo : Really, as far as putting music out, we have been staying consistent for a while and now I am about to put out the official one. But we have been in the streets laying the foundation as far as music goes, the record I did with Jeezy. That was on his mixtape and it was on my mixtape and then we did the video. There is the Make it Rain with Jazze Pha, we are just putting records out there to get people familiar with the sound first of all, to get to the situation where people will have heard more than one record from me. That helps the fan base and obviously helps market you. Then when we hit them with the official one they will already be familiar.
Nobodysmiling.com : What has been the hardest part of getting here in your estimations; you know getting to this point?
Boo : The hardest part, is the people with all their different personalities, you know trying to get people to see your vision and having them accept you.
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