FAT CATS

Since the Fat Cats have directed videos for everyone from Twista to T.I. and locked in a four-video deal with Bad Boy, I was curious to find out how they’ve become so successful as music video directors in the hip-hop scene. So, I sat down with Randy (right) and E (left) on the set of Ludacris’ “Diamond in the Back.” Frankly, the Fat Cats must have incredible film skills because they certainly aren’t getting these gigs with their winning personalities and glowing charisma. These guys sat through our interview as if it was a root canal, not a promotional opportunity. Ah, well. Maybe they are camera shy. But who cares how friendly the directors are, as long as the video comes out hot? Here’s what they had to say:

So are y’all brothers, or related somehow?
Randy: Good friends. We’ve known each other since high school.

How did you guys get into film?
Randy: I have a degree in Television/Film from Morehouse, and E has a degree in Marketing.

Did you start with commercials, music videos?
Randy: I actually started PAing and working as an electrician on music video sets. Me and E used to go to the movies every Friday and Saturday, for a whole year, and we ended up deciding to work together.

What role do you each play in the partnership?
Randy: I’m like, the technical half of the duo. He’s the creative half. But we sort of married the two, instead of keeping them separate. Everyone has a duty.

For music videos, who usually comes up with the concept for the video? The artist, or you?
Randy: Well, this video, for example, it was really [Ludacris’ manager] Chaka’s idea, and we put our two cents in. We just came together, it was a collaboration. We take ideas and fill in the blanks.

What was the first major video you did that broke you into the scene?
E: Backbone, “5-Deuce, 4-Tray” We got a lot of work off that video.
Randy: That was our first big-budget video.

Creatively, what was your favorite video to film?
Randy: Ludacris’ “Blow it Out Your Ass.”
E: I’d probably have to say the last Jagged Edge video we did, the black & white video, “What it’s Like.”

What made you decide to film the whole video in black & white?
E: We just wanted to give it a different look, cause nothing out there in the market was black & white. We just figured it would work with the whole concept of the video.

Out of all the aspiring music video directors, why do you think you’ve been so successful?
E: We didn’t quit. Stuck to it. Believed in ourselves and just kept on keeping on, consistently.
Randy: The key is to not give up, like he said. There’s a lot of directors out here doing it, so you have to find your niche. And when you come up in the business, it helps to have friends like Chaka Zulu, we’ve known him for a long time.

Do you plan on moving into feature-length films?
Randy: Yeah, we actually sold a movie to Columbia. We sold the idea, and the script is due in a couple weeks. We’re scheduled to shoot that soon. We’re working on some TV stuff also, just trying to keep the creative juices flowing.