Raw Roots - Rap News, Interviews & Reviews

Chance

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Written by Stu

Coming from the same hood's as DMX, Lox and a host of other heavyweights this Yonkers bred kid has his mind in the right position and is sure to blow shortly. With a similar track to Chance's "Bout Gettin Money" doing the rounds from Jae Millz, Chance takes some time out with Raw Roots to speak on this and his life so far in the music biz.

Alright, for all that havent heard of you this is your chance to speak, let the world know Who you are and where your represntin'?
My names Chance and I represent Yonkers, NY the home of the brave.

How did you come to get in to rap music?
When I was about 10 my mother bought me Puff Daddy’s No Way Out and I spent the whole night listening to songs like Victory, Been Around The World, etc etc and the following morning I decided I wanted to be a rapper.

Why the name Chance, is there any meaning behind it?
Around the same time I decided to be a rapper I was reading an article about Puff and it said ... Shawn “Puffy” Combs. I was young so I just assumed rappers got their stage names from their middle names, so I shortened my middle name, Le’Chance, and eventually it just stuck.

With your Father as VP of Black Music at Polygram do you think you were destined for the music industry one way or the other?
Yeah definitely. If you look at my family music plays a huge role from my Grandfather who used to do national promotions for some big label back then to my Uncle Base (R.I.P) who was a very popular and very well respected DJ in Virginia.

Has your Dad been able to put you on to any majors or people that can get you to the next level?
My father has helped me learn the ropes of the business and how things are handeled behind closed doors. But as far as getting out there, networking and laying the groundwork for my career I’ve really tried to get in there and go from the bottom up. Also, it’s a completely different music industry now with the success of mixtapes, dvd’s, and the internet artist aren’t developed or marketed the same way they were 10 years ago.

Coming from the same area as artists like Jadakiss, did this affect your ambition and heart for what you wanted in any way?
If anything it showed me that it wasn’t that far fetched. The Lox, DMX, Mary J. Blige, Sporty Thieves and so many other talented people came from a 2 mile radius in Yonkers. And a lot of them are real, so when you’re from that area it’s nothing for you to see The Lox or X just chillen like any other nigga. So knowing that these niggas made it from my hood just gave me that extra bit of confidence to know that I could too.

You started out fairly young as an artist and had a group locally, can you tell us how this came about, who was involved and why it ended?
Well the most serious group I was in was called T.B.K. for Tall Building Kids, since we lived in a 27 story building the biggest on my block by far. We basically just started out as a bunch a kids who spit and when I found a recording program on download.com we started making tracks in my living room and put out a mixtape. It was me and my niggas L.A.C., Big D, Juudest, and DT. Eventually, we broke up as a group to pursue other options but it’s no bad blood and I still fuck with Big D with this rap shit. Yall better look out for him in the near future cause he’s definently a menace.

You toured a fair bit globally via school and you mentioned the fact that it opened your mind, what were your views prior to visiting these places and how did it change?
A lot of people who grow up where I’m from never really get a chance to see outside their own hood. I was fortunate enough to see 11 different countries from when I was 12 up until I was 16 as a Student Ambassador. I lived in peoples homes around the world, went to museums, talked to government officials, went to school and just experienced so many different cultures that it helped me to understand there was a world outside of my block. Also, meeting the other delegates from across the country and developing relationships with so many different kinds of people helped me see the different mind frames and values that people have around the world. I know fiends and I know millionaires so I’ve seen this world from a bunch of different viewpoints.

You went on to set up Bralec Harlit Entertainment who is involved with that?
Bralec Harlit Entertainment is my vision for a multimedia conglomerate. Right now it’s a record label which includes myself Big-D and a couple other honorary members and I am building my lifestyle brand Crack Distributors along with my partner SamShyne through mixtapes, a weekly internet college webcast that will start back up in late January on wpub.org, and parties.

How have you and the label been received with the mixtapes you have been featuring on?
People are showing us so much love it’s amazing. I feed of the love and it’s what really keeps me recording and keeps me grinding.

Earlier this year you featured on a mixtape by Tapemasters Inc. how did you manage to get involved with this?
A producer I was working with at the time slid me their contact info and told me to holla at them. I reached out they let me know they were feeling the record and a week later I was on a mixtape. Shouts to Tapemasters Inc. we are actually going to be putting out a major mixtape called “The Chronic Chronicles Presents: The Rock Star” in the first quarter so look out for that.

During your Freshman year at college you dropped "Bout Gettin' Money" and true enough it's a banger, what made you drop that record and who produced it.
Well it was produced by someone I grew up with but come to find out they were a snake nigga so I’m not even trying to show them any love right now. But when I heard the beat I connected with it so quick because I’m a hustler to the core and if I’m about anything I’m “Bout Getting’ Money”. I threw my mic up in the closet of my dorm room, recorded the track and just put it out there.

Right now Harlem based Jae Millz has a track out called "I'm About Gettin Money" and true enough they’re both very similar, do you want to speak your mind on that?
As far as that situation goes I’m not accusing anybody of stealing my record or anything like that but when I heard the record I was taken aback a little bit and wanted to make sure that I got the word out there that I already had a similar record out, to protect my interest and the interest of everyone else involved with the project.

You currently have a bunch of mixtape projects in the works and your Solo album, can you give us a little insight in to any of these?
Well right now I’m working on “The Chronic Chronicles Presents: The Rock Star”, I’m also working on an untitled mixtape with a couple other artist from New Jersey but I don’t want to speak on that until everything is set in stone. I’m working on a lot of mixtape material for different DJ’s and I just stay in the studio cranking them out. ’07 is going to be a big year and right now we just getting ready for the takeover.

What inspires you to keep grindin' and pushing for a major deal?
I love making music, I love performing, I love my fans and I love my haters. I just love the game and I’ma keep going until they make me stop.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
Working on my tenth album, still grinding and still getting money.

Chance is there anything you want to touch base on that we havent spoke on?, any shout outs?, advertisements? this is your space.
Shouts to all my niggas on Baghdad, D-Block, Ravine, and Glenwood. Shouts to everybody that’s riding with Bralec Harlit and Crack Distributors. And everybody that just keeps it real with me. Check out the myspace at www.myspace.com/bralecharlit and just look out for ya boy in 07’. I’m a keep grinding and keep living like a ROCK STAR.

Thanks for taking time out with us
Bout Gettin Money - Chance