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Where are you from?
We’re based out of Savannah, GA. Pure Pain Records is an independent company that started back in 1998. we dropped our first album, "Crime Affiliates," and moved 20,000 units with no major radio, no video play or nothing. I came back and dropped my first solo album, "I Represent," and that album did like 50,000 units. After that I got into a little trouble, but when I came home, it was all gravy. We started working on the next album and put out the next single, "Cut Friends," and it caught fire. Radio spinning it everywhere up and down the East and West Coast, Universal calling. We got a deal with Universal and we’re thinking it’s gonna be all gravy. We’re working on the new album and doing shows, but Universal didn’t promote it well. They gave us a small budget, between us and [Pastor Troy] and Dirty and Quebo Gold and Miracle. They took one budget that they would use on a regular artist and gave that to us to split among all of us. We just felt like we had enough money to give ourselves than they did, so we gave ourselves a bigger budget. Now we’re doing it independent with this new album, keepin’ it real. It’s a hot album. It’s my third solo album.
So a lot of people would love to get picked up by someone like Universal, but for you, you just felt like it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?
Yeah, if you’ve got money already, and they aren’t gonna be 100% behind it, you can get out here on the independent circuit and make your own cheese. Work the streets yourself and hustle like you’re supposed to. Push your own album. We’ve moved like 50,000 on the independent level. We moved about 150,000 with [Universal], so that little bit of exposure was cool, but we felt like they could’ve done more. We had a bigger budget by ourselves!
Why do you think they didn’t push the album like you wanted them to?
Well I ain’t gonna say it’s a color thing. Look at Nelly, he’s black! (laughs) Nah, I guess they just figure if you don’t already have a name for yourselves they aren’t gonna really push it. So we pushed it ourselves.
So, most of the albums that you’re selling now, how are you getting it to the public?
We’ve got them on SoundScan and everything. We have distribution through other labels, independent distributors who are getting our music out there. We’re doing everything ourselves, our own promotion and our own street work, going to these radio stations with quality music. We feel like this album is really gonna put us out there as a major player in the independent game. It features Baby from the Big Tymers, Luc-Duc from the Iconz, and we’ve got our own clique comin’ straight out of Savannah, GA. Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas, all up and down the East Coast, we’re hitting everything. The beach parties, IMPACT, we’re out there and we’re workin’ it. Any event where people are gonna be, we’re gonna be there too and we’re pushing these albums. We hustle, you know. That’s what we’re here for.
Who would you compare your sound to?
I’m influenced by the streets. I just come raw, real. My name is Camouflage so I always come different. People don’t know what to expect and can’t quite put their finger on it. The music is Southern, it’s street, and I got flavor. I’m comin’ on a different level every time I touch the mic.
Working with Baby, what’s your opinion on the whole Big Tymer / Juvenile beef? Do you think Juvy made their camp, or they made Juvy?
It was a team effort. That’s the only way you’re gonna make it - as a team. They put their power behind Juvy and he did 3 million copies. Ain’t no "I", in "team," ya feel me? It’s a team effort. I ain’t got nothing to say about that cuz I don’t know the inside story.
Do you think the beef is hurting both CMR and Juvenile, or helping them get more publicity?
Oh, it’s hurting both sides, fo’ sho. You have to be down for the cause. If you’re down, be down forever. Don’t let a little bit of change come between you and your folk.
Do you ever see that happening in your camp?
Nah, man. It ain’t all about money with us. We have to feed our folk so that everybody can eat, we’re not trying to just come up for ourselves. There’s people out there who need us. We have people in the penitentiary, we have their families who we’re feedin’. We have homeboys in the streets and the only thing they know is music, so that’s their way out. We’re trying to make it so everybody can eat.
What is the new album called, and when will it drop?
The new album will be in stores August 27th. It’s called "Keepin’ it Real," cuz that’s how we doin’ things, real with the streets and with ourselves. We took the shackles off our ankles. We stopped messin’ with the major [labels], we’re just gonna do it ourselves and keep it real. It’s gonna be in all the major chain stores like Best Buy and FYE.
What’s the theme to the album, lyrically?
It’s like some gumbo. There’s something on there for everybody. I touch on a lot of topics. Some people have compared me to Tupac in the way I come at ‘em. I talk about what’s going on with all my dawgs out in the streets running wild. I talk about what’s really going on in the streets, the drugs, the thuggin’. I have songs like "Fell In Love With A Thug," talkin’ about when a player goes to jail and he got a down-ass chick. She’s rolling with him 100%. And when he come home he’s back on the block doing the same thing, and she trippin’, but she’s still right there cuz she’s down for him. You have your ups and downs in any relationship, but it’s all gravy cause you know who’s takin’ care of you.
Who produced the album?
All the production is done in-house by my clique, Uncut Productions. I co-produced a few tracks.
Any shows or tours planned to promote the album?
Oh, it’s goin’ down. We hittin’ every small city, big city, any club we can get into. We just did the Bounce in Atlanta and ripped it with Baby and Ludacris. We did a show with Archie in Macon, GA, and we got an album release party comin’ up in Savannah. There’s gonna be some folks there, Luc-Duc from the Iconz and Pastor Troy, cuz me and Troy did some bangers together on my last album for Universal.
Anything else you want to say?
Pick up the album, "Keepin’ It Real." Be on the lookout, cuz I’m comin’ full fledge. Look out for the single, "Bring It On," and the next singles, "Layin’ My Stunt Down," featuring Baby of the Big Tymers, and "Professional," featuring Luc-Duc of the Iconz. We’re just makin’ it happen, from Florida to Georgia all the way to Texas, my man Rome he’s coming next out of our camp, and my little dawg Mike Nifferson, he’s only 14 but he’s killin’ em. We’re just puttin’ it down, fo’ sho.