The Government Names Lil Weavah Interview



Check this out: cruise the sunshiney afternoon away, day off, sliding on dirt roads with the city way back in the rearview mirror, smoking skinny little joints and letting that Lil Weavah CD bang, backseats rolled down to let the sunwarmed cabin air leak back into the trunk and keep the amp from getting too cold, 10s banging and just digging on the genius of that Killa Kamikaze out Atlanta, Georgia. I'm going to say it again: Weavah is one of the realest in the game right now, the whole game, from West Coast to East Coast to Third Coast. If you haven't bought Home Team, you need to. (The IAP Store has it for under eight bucks, so hit them up). (And hit up the official website to find out when he's coming to your town and keep updated on his mixtape spots). He comes with that studied, bulletproof flow, spitting like he's got ten years in the game-- and he's only twenty years old. And check this out, too: I called the dude up and shot some questions at him about the rap game, the dope game, and his plans to get it popping on a major label. Like Akini says on the intro, "Always representing the real."

Aight, you ready?

Yep.

What part of Atlanta are you from?

I'm from Southwest Atlanta.

I heard you shout out Rasaq and Chamillion on your album. What do you think about there being a new rivalry between Atlanta and Houston?

Um, rivalry as far as actually beef rivalry? I don't know about that. I'll tell you what I'll speak on. They show me much love in Texas. Cham and Rasaq, I showed them much love when they came through, took them to all the record stores. I get much love when I go to Texas.

You've got the number one independent album in Atlanta right now-- in Georgia. Are people start to recognize you? Are you a pretty big deal when you go back to your neighborhood?

You know, I been rapping in the hood for a long time. I been rapping since I was six. Everybody knew I was rapping. I had a record out as Killa Kamikaze that blew up pretty big industry-wise. I formed relationships with record stores. When Home Team came out in September, with the underground game and P$C-- that's T.I. and them-- I knew how to sell, I knew where to sell.

You were rapping when you were six?

Yeah! I was rapping about six, my cousin and I. I play it for people when I do interviews, when I do interviews in person here. Way back in 1989, man.

What were you rapping about when you were six!

You know, about how we wanna be a star, we wanna be big. [Laughs]. It's amazing! You know? Where did my consciousness come from at that age.

Who were you listening to then?

I got my first record player when I was four. I had two records: Run DMC and Patti Labelle. Actually! My bad, my bad, Run DMC and the other was Gladys Knight.

You spit similar about the drug game, the dope game, to how T.I. is doing. I've heard T.I. say some stuff about crack being the best thing that ever happened to the hood, because it's letting cats get money. Are you with that? Do you subscribe to that whole philosophy?

I mean I'm still in the hood. I speak on dope 'cause thats what I know. I know the dope game inside and out, how you can succeed and how you will fail. I mean, you gotta realize I got folks in the pen right now for some working with some heavy weight. But I always say in my raps, I aint never get deep into the crack. That's a whole other game in itself. I wont lie, I was around plenty dudes moving it, but like I say, thats a whole 'nother underworld that lives diffently day to day than the green. But, I understand people gotta feed they kids, so at the end of the day, folk do what they gotta do.

You just straight up don't fuck with crack?

Nah, that's automic five to ten years if you slip up. Weed is a different game. Either way if you really getting it in, you got twelve watching, or maybe even feds. But if y'all dont know, coke is another level of street hustling. It's deep, man, but I dont really want to get into all that.

Do you get any heat from street niggas for shouting out real specific shit in your raps? Like, you were saying how much you get a quarter pound for!

For what. I'm a street nigga. Thats what niggas want to hear, a real nigga. Street dudes come up to me like, 'Damn shawty you be getting it in for the low.' [Laughs]. But because I hang or for the sake of this interview, because I hung with big time inner city trap stars, what ever I was in on was for the super low.

How important is it to stay true to that, stay true to it being street music, trap music?

I do street music but I'ma take it outside the street. I'ma give you the hood perspective, show the folks in the hood that the hood is not everything. The hood ain't everything. If you don't wanna be in the hood, you ain't gotta be. On my new album, Home Team, on 'The Block' I explain you gotta save up money and work with it. You ain't gotta work in a crack house, you can buy houses. Fourteen, fifteen year old girls ain't gotta prostitute themselves. I can help you get a job in the hood. School ain't for everybody.

Did you graduate?

Yeah. I'm going to school right now.

College?

Yeah, I had to. To be where I'm from and have seen what I've seen, I had to take advantage of an opportunity I was given. My folks didn't have a chance and some of them really wanted to go. But I'm still in my same hood. Ain't shit changed. Before the industry rap, it was just me in the hood rapping. And even then I was a neighborhood hero. I stay down shawty. It's more kids in the hood looking at me more than they look at probably a lot of other rappers.

Do cats still try and hit you for a zee?

Who?

For a zee, an ounce.

An O? [Laughs]. ...Well, um, they do... but I'm not really into it....

Aight, enough about that. Do you plan on staying on the independent hustle--

No...

--or trying to get on a major?

Definitely not. Definitely major. I've been talking to some and hopefully talks will heat up.

What do you have out in stores that people can cop right now and what else do you have coming out in the next little while?

Right, the Home Team, number one underground in Atlanta-- or Georgia, basically-- out right now. Upcoming... a lot of mixtapes right now. I'm trying to hit the mixtape game real, major labels real hard. I'm doing some stuff for a major album. We haven't gotten the budget yet but I've done some stuff.

Is there anyone you want to shout out?

Yeah. I wanna shoutout B-Ray down in Florida, CPB, Duce, DJ Burn One, Young Dro, Quez and Raeniece. And everybody thats been keeping it real, man.

Cool. Aight, that's it, man.

I appreciate you hitting me up, doing the interview, showing love. I just try to represent for all the folks out there, without them I'm nothing.