Big Oomp
Interview by Black Dog Bone
From Murder Dog vol 8 #3
What attracted you to the music business instead of any other kind of business?
I met these two guys that was really really focused and they got me goin. That was DJ Jelly and MC Assault. I was into real estate when I met them, I was into real estate heavy. When I met those two, they were so focused on what they was doin, I invested a little money into them. Got one record store. It started from there and it picked up and did so good, I kept investing. Now this is where we at. Just gonna keep growing and getting bigger.
At the time that you started your record stores was there a lot going on in Atlanta with Rap?
No, there was no underground back then. It was like one or two artists out underground, but underground was real small. There wasn't even no eyes on it then. Then came me startin to put out album after album. We're the one who crunked up the underground out here. It started off in 1991 with mix CD's with DJ Jelly and MC Assault. And then opened some record stores. After the record stores, i
n 1997, I started up Big Oomp Records, which is the record
label.
A few years ago there was no hardcore street Rap coming out of Atlanta. All we heard was the records you put out like Sammy Sam and Intoxicated, also Ghetto Mafia.
We were in Murder Dog way back when you were first starting out.
How did you meet Sammy Sam?
I had heard about him. He was doin real good in the projects, rappin and freestylin, doin parties. So I got in touch with him and asked him do he wanna get down with Big Oomp. I put him out in '97.
What's going on with Sammy Sam? Is he still on Big Oomp?
Right now we're workin on his new album, but the dude is a real street guy. He ain't like the artists that's always around and callin in. He's an artist that hustles in the streets. He just rap cause he loves to rap. He don't rap like that's his job and that's his career. He rap cause he like to rap. He's a real street dude.
Who else is in your label?
I put out my first group, Major Bank. Then came my artist Baby D. I got Loco and Intoxicated. Lil C and Slim J. All these artists been with me since I started the record label. They used to help us with the record stores. They was rappers, they been with me since I got started.
Who does the production for Big Oomp?
I got a production company--top quality production with three producers. Freddy B, DJ Montay and MC Assault. All our stuff is in-house.
Did you expand your record stores?
Yeah, I expanded. I got seven stores now. And I'm about to open up two in two different states. I got one just about to open up in Alabama and one in Tallahassee, Florida. We're a chain now. We're like the number one retail chain in Atlanta right now. As far as how many stores we got. There's no other chain bigger than ours except for Wherehouse music.
How did you do all this?
Hard workin. I got my business partner, MC Assault, me and him work hand in hand and we make it all come together. And we got other key people like DJ Jelly that help us out with all the ideas.
I heard that your stores have been key in breaking in a lot of underground artists in Atlanta.
We push the underground. All my stores are in the ghetto spots, the hoods. And you gotta keep the love of the streets. If not you ain't gonna get no money. At the same time, these big chain stores, they're not tryin to help nobody. If the majors come in breakin off all that co-op money, and the independents come in there with no money, they don't wanna talk to 'em.
Do a lot of artists come from out of town and put product in your stores?
Oh yeah, all day. Every time somebody come through Atlanta they gotta find us. Once they get here, the word is you gotta deal with Big Oomp.
How is your record label doing?
Real well. We got major labels callin every other week. I just signed a distribution deal with Red Distribution. Press and distribution. All the artists on Big Oomp will be distributed nationwide.
Since you started you've probably seen a lot of changes in Atlanta.
What I see happening in Atlanta is that within the last three years a lotta people blew up underground. And the majors came in and sucked 'em all up and just swamped the industry as far as Atlanta. They put it all under control, put it on lock for the people who they puttin their money behind in some other states make it to the top. They just keep the underground on the low low. Everybody who got hot in Atlanta got a deal, and ain't one of 'em blowed up yet.
You feel that the majors don’t want the independents to blow up?
Yeah. When the independents get a buzz the majors come in, give 'em a deal for close to nothing and they don't do nothing else with 'em. Just to get 'em outta their way. Just sign 'em, give 'em a little money, and just shove 'em. They don't do nothing with 'em, cause they got bigger artists they're pushin.
That's like what happened in the Bay. A lot of people in the Bay were making big money independently. The majors locked them all up in contracts and killed them.
Ain't makin none of them rich or nothing. Just buyin 'em out and sittin 'em to the side. The independents are better off staying independent.
But as soon as the majors come to town, everybody runs to get their deal.
Everybody. Like right now I got a new label startin up. Cause with Big Oomp the business is startin to push us up past the independent level. We kinda past the independent market with Big Oomp. So we're starting another label, so we can stay-stay independent. That way I can keep getting the independent money.
What do you think about South Rap in general right now?
South is hot. Everybody's checkin for the South. You got big New York rappers makin Bounce records now. That's from the South.
Interview by Black Dog Bone
From Murder Dog vol 8 #3
What attracted you to the music business instead of any other kind of business?
I met these two guys that was really really focused and they got me goin. That was DJ Jelly and MC Assault. I was into real estate when I met them, I was into real estate heavy. When I met those two, they were so focused on what they was doin, I invested a little money into them. Got one record store. It started from there and it picked up and did so good, I kept investing. Now this is where we at. Just gonna keep growing and getting bigger.
At the time that you started your record stores was there a lot going on in Atlanta with Rap?
No, there was no underground back then. It was like one or two artists out underground, but underground was real small. There wasn't even no eyes on it then. Then came me startin to put out album after album. We're the one who crunked up the underground out here. It started off in 1991 with mix CD's with DJ Jelly and MC Assault. And then opened some record stores. After the record stores, i
n 1997, I started up Big Oomp Records, which is the record
label.A few years ago there was no hardcore street Rap coming out of Atlanta. All we heard was the records you put out like Sammy Sam and Intoxicated, also Ghetto Mafia.
We were in Murder Dog way back when you were first starting out.
How did you meet Sammy Sam?
I had heard about him. He was doin real good in the projects, rappin and freestylin, doin parties. So I got in touch with him and asked him do he wanna get down with Big Oomp. I put him out in '97.
What's going on with Sammy Sam? Is he still on Big Oomp?
Right now we're workin on his new album, but the dude is a real street guy. He ain't like the artists that's always around and callin in. He's an artist that hustles in the streets. He just rap cause he loves to rap. He don't rap like that's his job and that's his career. He rap cause he like to rap. He's a real street dude.
Who else is in your label?
I put out my first group, Major Bank. Then came my artist Baby D. I got Loco and Intoxicated. Lil C and Slim J. All these artists been with me since I started the record label. They used to help us with the record stores. They was rappers, they been with me since I got started.
Who does the production for Big Oomp?
I got a production company--top quality production with three producers. Freddy B, DJ Montay and MC Assault. All our stuff is in-house.
Did you expand your record stores?
Yeah, I expanded. I got seven stores now. And I'm about to open up two in two different states. I got one just about to open up in Alabama and one in Tallahassee, Florida. We're a chain now. We're like the number one retail chain in Atlanta right now. As far as how many stores we got. There's no other chain bigger than ours except for Wherehouse music.
How did you do all this?
Hard workin. I got my business partner, MC Assault, me and him work hand in hand and we make it all come together. And we got other key people like DJ Jelly that help us out with all the ideas.
I heard that your stores have been key in breaking in a lot of underground artists in Atlanta.
We push the underground. All my stores are in the ghetto spots, the hoods. And you gotta keep the love of the streets. If not you ain't gonna get no money. At the same time, these big chain stores, they're not tryin to help nobody. If the majors come in breakin off all that co-op money, and the independents come in there with no money, they don't wanna talk to 'em.
Do a lot of artists come from out of town and put product in your stores?
Oh yeah, all day. Every time somebody come through Atlanta they gotta find us. Once they get here, the word is you gotta deal with Big Oomp.
How is your record label doing?
Real well. We got major labels callin every other week. I just signed a distribution deal with Red Distribution. Press and distribution. All the artists on Big Oomp will be distributed nationwide.
Since you started you've probably seen a lot of changes in Atlanta.
What I see happening in Atlanta is that within the last three years a lotta people blew up underground. And the majors came in and sucked 'em all up and just swamped the industry as far as Atlanta. They put it all under control, put it on lock for the people who they puttin their money behind in some other states make it to the top. They just keep the underground on the low low. Everybody who got hot in Atlanta got a deal, and ain't one of 'em blowed up yet.
You feel that the majors don’t want the independents to blow up?
Yeah. When the independents get a buzz the majors come in, give 'em a deal for close to nothing and they don't do nothing else with 'em. Just to get 'em outta their way. Just sign 'em, give 'em a little money, and just shove 'em. They don't do nothing with 'em, cause they got bigger artists they're pushin.
That's like what happened in the Bay. A lot of people in the Bay were making big money independently. The majors locked them all up in contracts and killed them.
Ain't makin none of them rich or nothing. Just buyin 'em out and sittin 'em to the side. The independents are better off staying independent.
But as soon as the majors come to town, everybody runs to get their deal.
Everybody. Like right now I got a new label startin up. Cause with Big Oomp the business is startin to push us up past the independent level. We kinda past the independent market with Big Oomp. So we're starting another label, so we can stay-stay independent. That way I can keep getting the independent money.
What do you think about South Rap in general right now?
South is hot. Everybody's checkin for the South. You got big New York rappers makin Bounce records now. That's from the South.
