Ozone Magazine

Often, a hit record explodes overnight and disappears just as quickly. But for Bone, his song “Homegurl” had to marinate before hitting the charts. Circulating in the Texas region for nearly six months, “Homegurl” got a major push after being discovered by The CORE DJs CEO Tony Neal during the Texas Summer Music Conference last year. Bone, a student at Prairie View University, was signed to Citi USA Ent/Def Jam and the song was eventually added to radio rotation. Now over a year since he originally released the single, Bone and his label are dropping the video and introducing him to the rest of the country, starting with the patrons of All Star Weekend. Here he explains how a small town kid from east Texas landed a big break.

How did you get the “Homegurl” song so hot out there in Dallas? It’s been out for a little while now.
It got popular after Definition DJ Tuss broke it in the club, and then it spread to the other Definition DJs. Michael Watts put it on his I45 2K8 mixtape. Then more DJs started pickin’ up on it. After the Texas Summer Music Conference with the CORE DJs and Definition DJs, Tony Neal heard the song and liked it. He put the CORE DJs on it and that’s how it all came about.

Are you originally from Dallas?
No, I’m from East Texas. It’s not too far though – Dallas is the closest metropolitan area to where I’m from. I don’t say I’m from Dallas though. When I graduated high school I went straight to Prairie View where I met my producer, and he was from Ft. Worth. I wanted to continue doing music, so after that I moved to Dallas/Ft. Worth. I had family that stayed in Arlington so I decided to move there to be closer to the music scene.

What did you go to college for? Did you finish?
I’m actually still in school right now. I’m a history major.

Did your song start poppin’ and that’s when you decided to pursue music, or were you always serious about rapping?
It was something I always did since I was little. It’s just that being from a small town, there really wasn’t an opportunity. I knew I’d have to leave eventually – that’s why I came to Prairie View and moved to Ft. Worth.

Were you known in the area before “Homegurl” blew up?
Nah, actually I was part of a group. When I met my producer we established a group but things weren’t moving completely the way we wanted. I always had this idea for “Homegurl” but I never made it because I was trying to do the group thang. But after I got out of the group and we did the record, it came out the way it did and that’s how it happened.

Do you have any mixtapes out right now?
At school we did group mixtapes. Freshman year we did Kings of the Yard mixtape, we did another one junior year. We were just trying to get ourselves out there.

So you were going to school at Prairie View and staying in Ft. Worth during your off time – where did the song get hot at first? In school or in the Dallas area?
It got hot at Prairie View, and then it got hot in Dallas at the same time.

How long did it take for “Homegurl” to get in radio rotation?
The amazing thing is, the first time it was played on radio was by Michael Watts. Watts played it on radio in December 2008 and the radio spins picked up after that. It was getting like two or three spins a week, nothing major, then it took off.

So when did you sign to Def Jam?
After the Texas Summer Music Conference, Tony Neal introduced me to Citi Under Siege and Citi got me the opportunity to perform for L.A. Reid. I performed for L.A., he liked what he saw, and signed me that day. That was October 16th when I got signed; I believe it was at 11:32 pm. (laughs)

What has the label had you working on the last few months since you signed with them?
I actually just learned that I have the number one priority record in the building, which is a great look, especially coming from Def Jam. It’s a dream come true. They really got behind me and the person I am. I’m just keeping it real for the whole college boy movement. They’ve been putting me out there with the marketing and everything. It’s truly a blessing.

There’s a lot of rappers coming out of Prairie View right now. Is that like the new trend?
I think it’s a tremendous thing. I really hope to publicize that as much as I can. The first record to pop was Supastaar’s “Halle Berry” record. After that, Dorrough had “Walk That Walk” and “Ice Cream Paint Job.” Then I came with “Homegurl.” After me, it was the Party Boyz with “Flex.” All of us have had the opportunity for major exposure, and it’s a lot of new artists coming along. It’s a beautiful thing on campus. It’s a lot of love from everybody. The Hip Hop scene out here is real crazy.

Have you had a chance to collaborate with any major artists yet?
The only one I had an opportunity to work with so far is Tum Tum and TBGz. I was on his song “Just Might.” For me that’s major because I remember buying Tum’s mixtapes. I had to drive all the way to Tyler, which is like an hour and thirty minutes away, just to get the D.S.R. mixtapes. So for me to do a song with Tum was like a dream come true for me. I was in the studio nervous and sweating, but it came out pretty good.

Tum and D.S.R. definitely opened a lot of doors in Dallas, but the sound has somewhat changed since they came on the scene. What are your thoughts on how things have evolved since then?
I don’t think it’s necessarily different, I think it’s just gotten more loose with the younger generation. When Tum and them started it was more like crunk, aggressive type of music, and it’s still crunk and aggressive but it’s more about dances now. It wasn’t so much about dance music back then. It’s more of a party feel now than a fight feel.

Who are some other artists in the Dallas area that you looked up to?
Recently Doughski G reached out to me. I was a quick fan of Twisted Black. He’s one of the most amazing artists I’ve ever heard. He didn’t get a lot of publicity like I thought he would. I used to jam Fat B’s Get In My Belly like every day when I was 16 years old. I’m a big fan of Big Tuck. I’m a big fan of Mr. Pookie and Mr. Lucci and Diamond D. When I found out The D.O.C. was from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, that’s when I knew there was a chance for me. 6 Tre is from Ft. Worth – he’s on the “Explosive” song with Dr. Dre. Listening to them, I saw there were opportunities out there if I kept workin’. It motivated me not to give up.

What are you working on for the next month or two?
We got the mixtape finished called Realest N*gga in the Classroom. That’s what we’re pushing right now. We’ve got my second single coming called “I Got Paper.” It’s already L.A. Reid approved so we’re gon’ get everythang goin’ with that. I’m working on my album with my producer JB. Hopefully we’ll have a summertime release on that.

Do you have your show schedule lined up for All Star Weekend yet?
I’ma definitely be rockin’ the house at the Dwyane Wade/Trina CORE DJ party. I know I got some more stuff comin’ and I’ma be real busy, but that’s the only thing set in stone right now.

For all the out of towners coming to Dallas, where are some local spots people should check out, as far as shopping, eating, etc.?
I’m a big fan of Rudy’s. Sweet Georgia Brown is my favorite – that’s the best soul food in Dallas. As far as Ft. Worth goes, they don’t have the Chill’s Snow Cone stand up right now, but I’d definitely tell you to go there if it was open. As far as clubs, Mistique is gon’ be packed. Beamers is crazy. I heard Diddy is throwing a party at The Palladium. The CORE DJ party is gon’ be crazy, Level 5, Crystal’s, The Ranch in Arlington, they’re all gon’ have a lot of people.

What else do you want to let the people know about?
Boogie music is more than dance. You got real artists that make real music. The dance songs are a foundation – now it’s time to build up. //