The year... 1999. The place..... a drug infested cul-de-sac of South Lamar in the 78704 area of Austin, Tx known as The Circle of Death.
Enter the C.O.D.. Back then rap was secondary and finances were very necessary. S. Dot recalls with a grin "We got it by any means please
believe that." S. Dot moved to the C.O.D in 1998. "I met Lil J in 1994. He's my brother so when I came to the circle we just
set up shop." S. Dot recalls. Around this time a young Greezo was running the streets off Brodie and Slaughter ln. After he caught his
first serious case in 98 he turned to the streets full time. "I'm not even from the 04 I'm from Brodie but when I left
momma's thats where I was accepted and where I met S and J. Back then it was R.C., Killa P Mike D AD LG Chill Will Lil J and
S. Young niggas Lil J was gettin busy at like 12." Greezo claims in his booming baritone. The boys would freestyle to past the time
when they were on the block. "We just did the shit for fun" recalls an excited Greezo. "We ain't have no equipment or no shit like that.
So my nigga Phil would beatbox for hours on end! We all just tried to keep up with him." Greezo was the first in the group to really begin
to take rap seriously. Admitted into a group that Phil had formed with some high school friends called Tre Side. Greezo would also go
on to release a local classic album in 2003 entitled 'HOODPOLITIX'. "Right after that everybody started getting locked up. I knew there had to be
a way out of the struggle." states Lil J. "Free my niggas Phil,Big KC,RC, and Mafia Mike D!!!!!! Them my niggas sittin down
right now as we speak." The COD finally got way too hot as an trap often does and S.Dot finally decided it was time to move around.
He moved in with his Dad and re-enrolled in school on a basketball scholarship. Thats where he met Tuk-Da-Gat and a instant
friendship was formed. "We just clicked off the muscle. He was a hustler and I was a hustler so we just combined hustles. Then it was
a paper gettin marathon." Tuk states. S. introduced Tuk to the rest of the crew and he was family. Meanwhile Greezo was busy
promoting Hoodpolitix and performing on major label tickets while still keeping one foot firmly in the streets. After a string
of events in early 2005 Greezo found himself incarcerated and looking at 5 to 99 years on a agg. robbery charge. Lil J who had been
accompanying Greezo and Phil to the studio from the beginning took charge and started paying for studio time to record his Youngest-in Charge
mixtape. "I got in the lab wit S and we knocked that out in a couple of days. Pressed it up and put it in the streets.
They was lovin it a fiendin for more" recalls Lil J. Shortly after S. met and began recording with a aspiring local producer. "We was tired of paying 20 or 30 an hour to record so we hooked up with Joe and started laying down heat.... We needed a name so we decided on
C.O.D cuz it was the only real choice. It already held a special and deep meaning for us". S. Dot, Lil J and the producer Joe recorded over
70 orginal songs for their debut LP "Gutta Music". While they were recording the album Greezo copped out to plea and was released to continue
his career. Things were now complicated when he returned home. "Joe and Greezo weren't really clicking." points out Tuk. "Greezo is the CEO but Joe
didn't know Greezo and thought he was trying to steal the group's shine." Things intensified and eventually led to his departure from the group.
Now down to just S. Dot, Lil J and Tuk the group began recording at "The Palace" Greezo's Cutthroat recording studio. "It just made since for him to be in the group cuz he was in the "C.O.D" when it was just the circle off S. Lamar before this rap shit." Lil J states. So now officially 4 the group recorded and released their first mixtape 'Ova Da Stove vol. 1'. Now classic mixtape comprised of swaggeristic 16's coupled with vivid street narratives and insightful lyrics. Whats seperates the C.O.D from every other group is each individual could very well have a succesful solo career. Each with a distinctivly different style, swagger and appearence. Mr.Greezo aka the Hoodpolitician is the C.E.O. Of Cutthroat records, which C.O.D. is signed to. Greezo's ability to balance lyricism, swag and social awareness make him a threat to any M.C.. Lil J Aka J Weezy the 04 Fly Guy AKA The Youngest in charge is the heart and soul of the C.O.D. His agressive rhymes let you know he is not to be fucked with. J has a reputation for saying whatever the fuck he feels whenever he feels like saying it, and you will respect it. Tuk da gat aka the secret weapon has a slick unorthadox flow mixing smooth rythym riding lyrics with advanced metaphors you have to hear a couple of times before you realize what the fuck just happened. In other words, REWIND. S.dot is the glue that holds the group together. His studio work ethic is unparalleled. "Hit after hit till we reach the top," he says. With everything they have been through individually, and everything they bring to the table as a collective theres no denying that C.O.D. is the future. Go cop that Ova Da stove vol.1 and see for yourself, vol.2 drops in november. 10% of all CD sales are donated to fund a scholarship at Developmental Drug Counseling. So do yourself a favor and move wit the movement or get left behind!!!!!!!!!! Interview by Jenn Willings
