About YAWNZ
Name - Big Pic
Myspace Address - http://www.myspace.com/bigpic713
Label - Indie
Aight mayne it’s been a minute aint nobody really heard from you mayne, you been chillin out or what’s been goin on mayne?
Yea I been layin low man, uh, I had some issues goin in with my life. You know, shit happened with my cousin AD man, boy got locked up got a long time, and some other thangs I had goin on, but I’m back on it real hard now, Big Pic still in the mix gotta new underground dropping real soon, any day now be on the look out for Big Pic’s greatest hits vol.1 the flow classics. Got everybody on it, Paul wall, Chamillion on it, everybody.
Tell them boys who Big Pic is I know alota boys know you from Swisha House, but let em know who Big Pic is.
Big Pic is an underground legend man, in the dirty south man. I been doin it for a while, started with the Swisha House man all them classics After The Kappa, Before The Kappa, Day Hell Broke Loose Big Pic on all of that man. I was influenced by DJ Screw, Big Pokey, Lil Keke, I came up listenin to them, Big HAWK you know Fat Pat my idol my personal favorite Fat Pat you know I took alota his style and tried to implement it into my own and mix it with mines and you know that was one of the niggas I looked up to was Fat Pat. I met him a few times and shit. He was a real cool cat.
How that was when you met him (Fat Pat).
O man shit I was like hey, how you doin Mr. Fat Pat. I aint gone lie. Man I like ya music. I just told him, cuz I met him when I was getting my surround in my trunk and he was getting his Lincoln fixed, and shit we chopped it up right there. He was cool, real down to earth dude man.
How did you get the name big pic man?
My name was Ice Pick and this dude, my homeboy my best friend his uncle gave me the name Ice Pick cuz he did time with a dude name Ice Pick and he was like man you look like that dude Ima call you Ice Pick man forget yo real name he just threw my real name to the curb so he was like man, but that don’t sound right what bout Big Pick? I was like I like that. So I just took that and ran with it. Im bein serious. Real talk that’s how I got that name man. But I took the “k†off of it I was like I don’t want the “k†on it it’s really PIC so I took the “k†off there. So I took that and ran with it mayne.
How long you been in the rap game mayne?
Man I been in it man, bout a good decade. It started with swisha house in late ‘98 but I started rappin like in ‘96, aint really know what I was doin but I was tryn. Yea I been rappin bout 10 years.
Were you in a group before the Swisha House?
Nah I was just fuckin around on karaokes and shit like everybody else. Just wantin to try it and get in it some how, some way and you know got me a break one day. Really I knew Lil Mario we was partners and he the one brought me to the Swisha House so that’s how I got over there I was givin him a ride over there and I was sittin in there no shit, sittin in there he was doin a flow. I was sittin in there, I couldn’t help myself I’m like damn this nigga goin off gimme a piece of that. And got me a piece of it. It’s on Northside 8 I forgot the name of it, that was my first one. Me him and J-Dawg. So, that was Big Pic’s first one if yall wanna go get that man, that Northside 8 I forgot what track we was on but that Northside 8 was my first one.
How you feel bout that mayne?
Man, Shit, I aint know I was just doin something, niggas was like who is that nigga man? Damn, and I was like damn I musta did something cuz it wasn’t nothing to me I was just havin fun in there high and fulla shit just in there sayin what ever on the mic and then they was like man gotdamn that’s a classic song. We like that. So, I took it from there and ran wit it shit.
Who came up with the name Swisha House?
Um. That prolly be like I guess. I guess we all came together on that. But it was mostly Michael Watts thought of that name. Cuz we smoked alota weed in the house. So, Alota swishas was in that house. These new dudes don’t really smoke like we did, but that old clan man, that’s where that name came from. You look in that mauthafucka you gone see alota empty packages of swishas in that bitch.
Back in the day it was mixtape after mixtape, Siwsha house did alota mixtapes but now it’s more focused on albums, how you think it would have been different if the focus was reversed and more on albums in the past and not so much on mixtapes?
Man I mean ima, tell everybody who prolly don’t know, we had deals in 1998. I mean we was turning deals down. I mean Swisha House the old clan had deals so don’t nobody think that out there that we didn’t have nothing we did we had like 6 different deals we coulda jumped on, but I mean. But the people in charge just didn’t move on none of them.
Artists deals or label deals?
Label deals. Yea. So I mean we had Proirty, all that, Interscope we had deals out there so I mean it just didn’t nothing happen with it though. Aint nobody move on it. Cuz I mean like uh they focus more on albums now is because when you sign with a major label a lot of the focus is on the album when you sign a deal. And some labels don’t even want you doin mixtapes no more. But I mean some of em will give you the freedom to still do that, and you want a new artist out there you want to be able to continue to do yo mixtapes cuz that’s how people know you, I mean everybody still do mixtapes Young Jeezy do mixtapes Lil Wayne do mixtapes you don’t wana every stop doin that. I mean you only doin 1 album a year, you wanna stay in rotation. You know people sittiin around waitin on that 1 album. Maybe you do one every 2 years. Maybe you Hollywood like Michael Jackson and you do one every 4 years. You wanna keep them mixtapes goin and keep yo name out there
So back in the day, when the focus was more on mixtapes how did yall get paid? Was it a cool thing like you down with us or what?
Yea it was really kinda like that boys just doin something havin fun, and then we started makin some money off of it after that tho. You know, we saw where it was goin and we was like man we gotta get some of this and we just took it from there.
What was the turning point in the group, when it became more about money and less about just bein cool?
After that first album when we sold 200,000 almost alota people may not know that. Day Hell Broke Loose sold close to 200,000 if not more I mean that’s from what I was told by the people involved with it. It sold alota units. So I mean shit. We knew then what it was. We already knew what it was that’s y we even did a album tho, cuz I mean that Swisha House just took off and a lot of it is because it wasn’t nothing it wasn’t nothing on the northside it was just SUC so I mean niggas saw something on the nawf and just cligned to it, BUT we was wreckin too tho and it all came together so a nigga was like man it’s another group over there out here man its something else these niggas is goin hard. At the same time alota niggas didn’t like us they was like yall fake SUC fuck you. Alota niggas hated on us man it wasn’t easy it was hard niggas was like man fuck that BS SUC for life. Niggas do it today, to this day. Niggas will tell you. I mean some niggas was just die hard SUC fans man I feel em on that. You know.
Why do you think the group went their separate ways?
Man, its alota personalities over there, financial reasons its alota different reasons that I could tell you right now why dudes went they on ways. I mean it started fallin apart. Ya know I mean, I aint tryna point no fingers I aint gone say and point no fingers I’m just sayin in what I saw I mean it fell apart and it shouldn’t have. That was a monster and it shouldn’t have fell apart you know it didn’t have no reason to fall apart for some stupid shit.
Who was the first one to leave?
Slim [Thug]
Cuz, for a minute it was everybody together then the next minute everybody had went their separate ways.
Yea Slim went and started Boss Hogg Outlawz with his brother Ray Face, so they was the first to leave
After Swisha House, yall went yall separate ways, you and AD started Big Ballers?
Well nah, see, I aint really have nothing. Big Tiger started Run Ya Mouth that was Big Tigers label so I was just messin wit him on that and I was just gettin on everybody shit. Doin alota features didn’t really have nothing. But me and AD came up with the ideal to try that and we took that and ran with it we branched off from Big Tiger and did that.
So Big Ballers branched off from Big Tigers Run Ya Mouth?
Well we wasn’t really just Run Ya Mouth but we was just always involved with it so we like lets try our me and you and go try something and we just came up with that one. And man did pretty good with it really.
So Shit Talkers was that a label or just a group name or what?
Nah that was just a group name, that’s something Big Tike came up with. It was niggas like man we some shit talkers they just, it really was Run Ya Mouth. Big Tiger, Al Boden, Blyncyde, Lil Pat (Big Tigers younger brother) and me and AD of course we kin to Big Tiger we was just always involved with it because that’s our kinfolk so.
So you and AD cousins?
Yea me AD and Big Tike we first cousins, we like brothers. Lil Pat, J boy AD lil brother thats my first cousin too. He locked up too. And if yall wanna holla at AD you can write to him at:
Adrian "A.D." Green (1352143)
Telford Unit
P.O. Box 9200
New Boston, Tx 75570
So when AD went away how was yalls relationship affected?
Well tell you the truth me and him had branched off and started doin our own thing. I had gave him the Big Ballers label it’s like I had helped him build all of that man you just take that and im finna do this over here. So I mean he was doin that he had him a few cats over there and shit we still fuckin around and shit tho but I mean we was close of course that hit me that affected me and shit still affectin me now you know but ima take it out on my pen, you now ima take it out on the paper on the microphone yall gone hear that in these flows. You know ima let the anger out in these flows you know ima let the anger out on that so nigga gone always be on my mind and shit.
Besides ya kinfolk, Big Tiger and AD, who else in the house do you still talk with? Man I talk with all them boys man, me and Archie Lee real close we damn near family too. Lestor Roy them my people there Lil Mario, J-Dawg, lil ron my partner, I aint seen em in a minute but that’s my boy tho you know all of them boys we still holler and chill and shit man when we not workin and shit on shit it aint just like everyday we hangin around each other but we keep in touch we still all partners and shit man we still collaborate our music you see it on our tapes them boys is always on my stuff. We still do shit like that man.
In ya raps you always say RIP to my kinfolk Les, tell them boys about that.
Ok, that’s my uncle. Um, he died you know. Me and him was real close he kinda partially raised me too so me and him was real close. So I say RIP Les man cuz me and him was so close and when he died it was lotta stuff in Big Pic life man yall wanna go get my album I got tales to tell man I done been thru hell and back that’s why when I get to the top I’m really gone be a cat that deserve it wasn’t nothing given to me I earned it. But I mean when I lost him that hit me hard when I first got with the [Swisha] House he passed away like in ‘99-2000 and shit I took that real hard because me and him was real close because that was my uncle and when I holler out Les that’s his son another one of my cousins and me and him real close we like brothers and shit so I mean I be screamin his name all the time man he in Arizona right now.
How did he pass away?
He just had a sickness man. Something like cancer, they couldn’t do nothing about it and shit.
If you could make 3 rules to live by in the rap game what would they be and why?
Man 3 rules, Keep it true man, keep it real with ya self be true to yaself. I mean Big Pic don’t have a deal right now maybe for that very reason because I can’t be Hollywood I can’t be something that I’m not I aint gone be me I aint gone be comfortable with it man to fake it just to get to the top. If you can’t accept me being me and that’s the reason I don’t never get it well I can sleep at night still I’m fine with it. I mean the faken and pretend just to get it me I can’t do it. But that and don’t forget where you came from. Alota niggas scream that but I mean soon as they get it they don’t know you they pushin send and sendin you to the voice mail when you call em. Man I mean, remember where you came from man. What ever, you make it in anything don’t forget cuz it could be taken from you in a blink of an eye and them gorillas gone remember you, you know when you turned ya nose up at em and you may have to go back and lay down over there one day and you don’t wanna burn bridges man fa real that’s real talk from Big Pic man. Cuz niggas gone remember man. Ey man wasn’t you frownin at me man? Niggas aint gone take to kindly to that man.
What you prefer written or freestyles?
It really don’t matter man its all about how I feel right then and there I mean it really don’t matter with me. Of course everybody know I love to freestyle I proclaim myself the freestyle proer aka the freestyle prince aka the freestyle Vince with a 10 on my chest like the longhorn QB so I mean aye, anybody who feels otherwise come talk to me man let me hear you flow, put some money on the table.
Describe ya writing process.
Usually I take a beat I might play around with it man it just depends on what I think. some times I done went right in and heard a beat and right on the spot wrote something, some beats I done had to take it home and took me 3 days 4 days I had to go sleep on it. Go play my playstation and still think about that track it just be like that some time and then bam it hit me and something fall in my lap and I be like o let me go get on that and that bitch be like that sometimes fo me.
So tell them boys what they can look out for next.
Flow General is in stores right now, that did real good man, it’s real hot, one of my best CDs man. If yall don’t got it go pick up that flow general man. I’m dropping that Big Pic’s greatest hits vol.1 the flow classics real soon, it’s gone be both new and classic flows, about 19 tracks. Be on the look out for that, it’s gone be fire. It’s not gone be original beats, nah it’s gone be instrumentals, all of em go hard. Yall can expect to see Paul Wall, Chamillion, Big Tiger, Blyncyde, Al Boden, and AD on that Big Pic’s greatest hits vol.1 the flow classics. Shit gone be fire. I also got a couple of surprises on there but I can’t spoil that just yet, yall gotta pick it up, go get it mayne when it drop. After that drop, I’m also workin on my first solo album, “Represent,†be on the look out for that.
Al Boden? Where he been at?
Al right now he focusin on producing and shit he got tracks this dude got fire man that’s why aint nobody really heard from him he been perfectin his production skills and I mean he a monster with them tracks now, so I mean he say he gone take it from both angels he real good on them tracks man so yall might wanna check him out.
Is it gonna be a chopped version to that CD too?
Yea
Who choppin it?
We haven’t made a final decision right now we got a lot in store for the fans. I also gotta surprise collabo album that yall gonna be shocked and like damn finally them 2 niggas together goodness, I can’t tell you who, you just use yo imagination it’s gone be some hellava freestylin.
Tell them about the album Represent? I know that hoe gone jam fa real.
Yea, That’s my first solo album. Took a long time man, but good things come to those who wait man. Everybody think it look easy man, it’s not easy man. I mean them dudes that look nice on BET and shit them niggas worked hard to get on there people. So I mean, don’t think it just fell out the sky for any of them people that yall see on tv, a couple of em I know personally and I saw what they went thru. It’s hard. Big Pic I been doin it 10 years and I mean a prime example it’s hard it aint about how cold you are I mean you gotta know the ins and outs.
Would you be disappointed if a label gave you a deal and told you that you couldn’t make anymore mixtapes?
I probably wouldn’t take the deal. Cuz I mean, it depends on what kinda things we had worked out. But yea I’d be disappointed I mean it depends on what kinda money it was or what it was I don’t know I might turn it down, that’s what mixtapes mean. You wanna keep ya mixtapes goin. Keep money in yo pocket while you waitin on that album. Cuz I mean when you sign that deal they control everything. I mean you get a check once like wha once every 6 months or somethin like that, and between them 6 months that’s why alota people they gotta go and they was street when the label met em so they not gonna starve so they go sell the drugs or what ever to survive till that check come a lot of em you know and a lot of em get they self caught up cuz they tryna you know stay afloat till something shake in them 6 months.
Ok, Ima say a word and you tell em the first thing that comes to mind.
DJ Screw – Man, legend, um inspiration to me. I know you said say one word but so many for that dude man Big Pic wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for him everybody I got much respect for that dude man.
Mike Jones – Me and Mike talked the other day. Matter of fact me and Mike aight he coo. Hell of a business man you know what I’m sayin, nigga doin it real big out here. Can’t knock what he doin. We talked for a long time.
Fat Pat – Man my idol. Man Partner. My uncle. I don’t know. That’s what I think about this dude one of my favorites. Dude I looked up to, man. One of the greatest of all time. I wish he coulda been here cuz I mean he’d be doin it real big right now man if he hadn’t passed away fa real alota these dudes wouldn’t be out here now that’s out here from Houston I mean they’ll tell you the same thing. They feel the same way about Fat Pat.
President Bush – Man ol asshole, dick weed, dunce. What else can I say bout this dude. I could do another interview on him man.
I know you said DJ Screw was an inspiration.
O yea man, June 27th, Leanin On A Switch. I know I prolly had bout 20 grey tapes man fa real and bad thing bout it can’t find nan one of em now, somebody got me.
And the thing with the North and Southside thing I know it got a lot better, but it used to be where boys on the nawf wouldn’t jam them boys on the south because of some of the things that were said within the tapes. Did yall ever take to that?
Oh yea, man we wasn’t stupid man we saw what was happenin and it was some stuff that never got put out [Michael] Watts was like I’m not putting that out, it was alota pissin goin on in that studio, kinda glad some of that didn’t hit the airwaves he was like I cant put this out, yall go fix that, I mean we wasn’t no hoes we aint just take all of that just laying down so we defended our turf, but its all good now though which is good everybody you know come together and focus on money man that’s what its all about.
For artists looking to collaborate a project with Big Pic, tell them boys where they can go to do that.
They can hit my myspace page up with a message or call me at 281-201-5663