SPOTLIGHT: SPARKDAWG EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

SPARK DAWG INTERVIEW
The Boy Hollywood

CHAMP: You recently were at the Ozone awards. How was that?

Spark Dawg: It was blessing man, I was actually nominated for an Ozone award last year. My group Green City was nominated and then this year I was nominated as a solo artist so you know it was crazy man. It was definitely an experience man.

CHAMP: Did you catch a glimpse of the Trae & Jones scrap?

Spark Dawg: I was actually right next to them when it popped off

CHAMP: Oh ok, now I’m interested in your story on how you actually came in the game. What made you pick up that mic?

Spark Dawg: I use to do whatever was cool at the time. When I was younger I used draw then in I started learning how to dance and then I got love for the work I put in. I actually…a lot of people don’t know this but I use to sing. Around 2000 is when I really took this shit serious and I left Texas and took a bus to Atlanta, Georgia and tried to get record deal out there and I hooked up with Lil Scrappy and his management and I ended up rockin’ with him for about two years, and at one point I was actually living with Scrappy nah mean. It just got to a point where I was like I didn’t wanna stay in one dudes town my whole career and I really felt like I wanted to be my own boss so I came back to Texas and came out with First You Get the Money, which was an underground cd in Houston and Scarface ended up hearing our cd while he was working out in the gym. From then he like tracked us down and signed us and that’s it.

CHAMP: Now you’re working on the before the major deal album. How’s that coming along and how’s the process going?

Spark Dawg: Before the Major Deal actually has been done for about two years now. I’ve actually just been sittin’ on it and waiting for the right time to put it out because I want it to be like a real big deal. As far as an actual album, My albums called The Lone Star Kid and we’re pushing this one record called M.O.B with Mistah Fab from The Bay Area and the homey Chopper from Making the Band on there. It’s like the first version of the song. I actually got another version on the song with the homey Juice from Black Wallstreet you know Games label, so I got some shit in the works man. I’ve been doing records with everyone in the game like cats you don’t even know I have records with. I eat off of doing features on other peoples records and whatever I get off my mixtapes so I consider myself doing pretty well for myself considering the fact that all my money is rap money. Got my own myspace for features called myspace.com/sparkdawgfeatures. There’s some stuff there with Trae and there’s some music I did with the homey Shamrock from Atlanta,Georgia. You know I’m just fuckin’ with peoples who’s on my level or higher.

CHAMP: It’s nice to eat off just music and not having to work anywhere else and just put 100% in your project.

Spark Dawg: Yeah man it’s no better feeling. Being able to wake up and know that you are making a comfortable living off of something you do and I know I’m doing my job right, because I’m doing an interview with someone from Canada and I never stepped foot in Canada one day in my life you know what I’m saying! But it’s good that my music gets across the world like that. Speaking of Canada shout out to the homey Luu Breeze and Big Tay and y’all gon’ hear me on the Break Em Off Remix. That record is crazy

CHAMP: Yup yup yup. Now in 2006 you were nominated for the Southern Entertainment Awards. How’d that feel to be nominated?

Spark Dawg: Man it felt crazy ‘cause like when I left Atlanta everybody thought I was crazy for leaving that situation with Scrappy but I knew I was destined for greater things. I knew I could do better if I come back home and blew up on my own instead of ridin’ that coat tail and being known as the dude who’s at somebodys crib. When I got nominated for Best Rap Mixtape of the Year, that shit was crazy. That’s when I knew I was officially in the game you know what I’m sayin’

CHAMP: Now what really woke up corporate America for you was Hit Me On My Sidekick. Was that intentionally a commercial track or was that a track that just bubbled by accident?

Spark Dawg: It’s kind of like a little bit of both. There’s always a method to my madness. I’m not really surprised, I mean I’m thankful but I’m not surprised that I would do that because if you’re in the game and surprised you make good music then you’re really wasting your time but yeah it feels good knowing that I basically coined a phrase people to this day say all the time. They might not even know that I made it up, like the term Sidekick I made it up. Ozone magazine recognized me in terms of Hit Me On My Sidekick. On their last issue they asked me 10  things not to hit me on my sidekick about, so I know that it’s official. I am Mr. Sidekick. I am Hit Me On My Sidekick. It’s crazy, I feel like I contributed something to hip hop and it’s just the beginnin’ you know what I’m sayin’

CHAMP: Now you’re sponsored by Cash is King Clothing. How’d that whole thing happen?

Spark Dawg: Ah man! Cash is King; I believe they reached out to me and I consider myself a pretty fly dude and it worked out. We did a little bit of cross promotion. Then send me clothes every two three months, and I got out and rock it at shows. I got the same type of situation going with Yum Shoes. They take care of dudes like Soulja Boy, Swisha House, Tum Tum, a bunch of muhfuckas. It’s nothing like free man I’m rappin’ and I made it out the hood but I still got the hood in me. I’m from Markville Killeen Texas, but ain’t nothing like free man. If it’s free and fly I’m gon rock that shit you know what I’m sayin. That’s what it is.

CHAMP: Like you said earlier you hooked up with Scarface and The Green City movement is established. What role is Face playing in your career and what else can we expect from Green City?

Spark Dawg: Face plays a major role in my career ‘cause he was the one that co-signed us  and opened avenues. I’ve been in magazines before the deal with Scarface but I was never in a Source Magazine or XXL Magazine so once we got the deal XXL and Source Magazine were the first two magazines to run with the story so shout out to The Source Magazine and XXL and we got Face to thank for that. His name opened a lot of peoples ears. That really did a lot for my confidence and let me know we can do this shit so shout out to Face Mob we in the building

CHAMP: You actually got a joint with our homey Luu Breeze and We actually got the track Glances of My Wrist that debut at like number 2 on our show and I was just wondering how’d y’all connect with him being from Toronto and you being from Texas?

Spark Dawg: Yeah yeah yeah. Really you gotta thank the homey Big Tay for that. He definitely reached out to me and we chopped it up and talked a few times, and once something makes sense to me I’m all with it. It’s gotta make sense for me, so I did my research on him and Tay sent me over the Youtube link for the video and I’ma be honest the video blew me away and I fell in love with the Break Em Off video, and that’s what made me realize that he had a situation that I wanted to be a part of so at the end of the day it made sense. Tay emailed me the beat for Break Em Off and I sent him a verse ASAP because it’s real easy to write to something when the beats jammin’ like the beat is super crazy and it’s a hot ass track so we did that and then Tay had asked me if I had anyone else in mind to do the remix. I told him about my cousin Yung Texxus and I kinda middle man’d that too. I actually had a record that I was featured on with a homey out here in Texas by the name of K-Yung, and a little while before I met Big Tay, the homey K-Yung sent me a record and it’s produced by The Runners, and that’s the Glances of My Wrist. I figured I’d shoot it to Luu and get a lil Canada remix going and then that was debuted on allhiphop.com so it’s poppin man. Me and Breeze ‘bout to do a whole mixtape together so there’s definitely a lot to look forward to.

CHAMP: I say CHAMP does up a lil street video for you guys when you’re up here

Spark Dawg: Yeah for real! I’m definitely with it! I mean and Breeze got some tracks together, the Glances of My Wrist and Break Em Off so we just getting’ started baby it’s goin’ down

CHAMP: That’s what’s up! So what else can we expect from Spark Dawg man?

Spark Dawg: Oh yeah fourth quarter I definitely got some shit poppin’ as far as mixtape-wise. I got  a couple joint mixtapes that I have right now. Me and Mistah Fab are working on mixtape called Class in Session that’s gonna be crazy. I got a Spark Dawg mixtape with all brand new music coming out with Dj Woogie who’s like one of the biggest Shadyville DJs.It’s gonna be called Global Warming Vol. 4 and that’s gonna be super super crazy. Of course I got a new mixtape called The Three Headed Monster and that’s gonna be myself and a new artists on my record label called Heezaleo and artist from San Antonio Texas name Liveola who’s one of the hottest cats in San Antonio so I got some big shit poppin and I’m just working on The Lone Star Kid and making some hot records. Team Sparkalot; definitely look out for them man. I got my first artists Cupeezy, Real Talk, and Yung Burrel and the myspace is poppin like crazy, and if you aint a fan on my myspace you’re a loser. It’s myspace.com/dalonestarkid and get with it and that’s what it is.