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Stat Quo |
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 Currently, there is very little information on Stat Quo on the internet, however, here is an interview conducted by Aftermathmusic.com which will tell you some about him:
Aftermathmusic.com:
Sup Stat. 1st off all thank you for taking the time to speak withAftermathmusic.com
Stat Quo:
Naaw I have to thank you ... yiiiipp!
Aftermathmusic.com:
Let's start with your childhood. Where you from and where did you grow up?
Stat Quo:
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Me and my mom and my grandma we stayed together for a while in the Thomasville projects. Moved up out of there, moved up off of 4th &Industrial, which is kind of like the West side of Atlanta. We grew up, it was humble beginnings, we didn't have everything, but my mom made sure that we made it and she hustled to get what she had to do. And me, as a little boy, I was a deviant little motha fucka, I ran the street. Did things kids did. Idolized the drug dealers, and you know, just came up. You know, didn't have no pops. Pops wasn't around. He deserted us an shit like that. That's mainly my childhood in a nutshell, you know.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Why the name Stat Quo?
Stat Quo:
Well the Status Quo is the average of how things have been done in the past. The average state of life and how things have been going and how people are living. The Stat Quo is raising that average. I'm Stat Quo, I'm raising that average of how people perceive rap music. So Stat Quo is changing what the average is. I am the new bar for artists in the game. Isn't that some cocky shit? Atlanta is in this thing, I love it!
Aftermathmusic.com:
Which artists influenced you?
Stat Quo:
Growing up, I listed to a lot of Scarface, a lot of 8-Baller and JG, of course, Dr. Dre, NWA, of course, Outkast, even though that wasn't really when I was growing up, but they influenced me. Local artists out of Atlanta like Kilo, really influenced me as a child into making me want to do this music thing.
Aftermathmusic.com:
When did you start rapping and how it came to it?
Stat Quo:
I started rapping when I was about probably 12 years old, and this song Curtis Blow had out, "Basketball Is My Favorite Sport", I learned the lyrics to it. And what had happened was I started rapping his lyrics and then after a while started making up my own shit like freestylin. So I was freestylin from when I was 12 to probably about 17 when I graduated from high school I went off to college at the University of Florida. And I went out to college, University of Florida, I met up with a homeboy of mine named Dash and he raps and he was like "Yo, you should start writing stuff down." So from that, like in 1997, I just started really getting into writing stories. I starting writing letters in rap. And just writing and developing my penmanship to be a better writer. That's where it really got started at.
Aftermathmusic.com:
What is the number one goal that you want to accomplish with your music?
Stat Quo:
What made me do the rap music? When I graduated college, I did a demo and I turned it into Def Jam South. The president of Def Jam South is Scarface. My plan was to go off and go to law school and do some shit that no one in my family really did. Try to do something different. But when Scarface got my demo, and you know, I told you he was someone I looked up to, he got my demo and told me, "Hey, you need to be rapping man". But when he said that I was like okay let me that this shit seriously. My plans as far law school were put on the back burner because I felt like God spoke through Scarface to tell me that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. I've been doing it ever since.
Aftermathmusic.com:
So It's all about the respect??
Stat Quo:
Exactly! Well, My number one goal is to bring a respect, and bring a voice to this whole southern movement around the world. And really just to up that awareness of lyrical prowess that we have as artists down here in the south and just really add to that and contribute to that movement. Still, like, the respect is not at the level that it should be. Yeah, people feel our music and say its crunk, and get crunk, and get hype to, which is beautiful because that's what its about but at the same time we got messages in our music. We got shit to say. There some stuff in our music that really contains an individual's life. Its just about people just listening to it. I'm just contributing to that and trying to be at the forefront and really be that dude to bring that across to the rest of the public, the nation.
Aftermathmusic.com:
What can you say about the rap scene in Atlanta?
Stat Quo:
The rap scene in Atlanta is beautiful. Its growing. You got people like Lil Jon, you got people like TI, you got Ludacris. You got all kinds of artists coming up out of that thing, that are really putting it down for the A-town. Of course, you got Outkast. It's beautiful right now. As far as me is concerned, I love my city. I represent it to the fullest. I didn't die, I didn't lie dead. Got my ass whooped dead and beat, did all kind of shit. That's my hometown, I'm gonna represent it to the fullest. The hip-hop scene is just growing and getting bigger.
Aftermathmusic.com:
So, you worked with Dre and Mel Man in LA. How was the work with them in the studio?
Stat Quo:
It's beautiful. When you talk about Dr.Dre, he is a legend man. He is hip-hop's Quincy Jones. You know what I mean. He is the guy that has never really lost at anything he is done. And the fact that he hasn't really worked with any artists up out of the south, and they negotiating to sign me right now. It's just a beautiful thing because he is taking me to another level. Just being around him and learning and talking to him. Just being with him in his presence has taken me to another level. Then you talk about someone like Melman, who has been apart and been around Dre for years. It has gotten to the point that if you're talking to one, you are talking to the other one. So at all times of the day when I'm talking to either one of them, I'm just getting knowledge. Teaching me so much and learning how to really be an artist and not just be a rapper and put an album out, and be here today and gone tomorrow.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Tell us a little bit about the collaboration tracks with 50 Cent, Game and Joe Beast.
Stat Quo:
Well, me and game did this record together, Melman did the track. I just did a track last night with Biggie on it and 2 Pac on it and I'm rapping in the middle. Me and Mafia did the beat. Me and Dre just freestyle it, probably gonna be on the mixtapes here soon, its me and Dre on that together so that's really like a lot of the collaboration. I'm look forward to working with artists like 50 Cent, Eminem, and other artists on the label. But I definitely want to establish myself, Stat Quo, and who I am and not try to piggy back off of somebody else. Establish me and then when I establish me, I have my own identity going into the record. You're talking about 50 Cent, you talk about Eminem, these are right now, the 2 top dudes, period. Im not one of them dude that's talkin' about "I spit on a record with 50 and then I get his fans, or get on a record with Eminem, I get his fans". Fuck that. I wanna have my own, I wanna bring some to the table to where when we get on a record together, if that ever happens, "Yo, I wanna tap into some of these Stat Quo's fans." They wanna get in the southern markets. "I wanna get down here and maneuver because there some people who don't really listen to me but they listen to Stat Quo." So I just wanna get my own respect.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Can we expect the tracks on your album?
Stat Quo:
You know, in music, the reason why albums nowadays aren't like they used to be because music, and Just Blaze said this in the article he had, there's a little to much planning in music. So when I'm working on my project I go in there and I hear the beat. Whatever it be, whatever it be. Whoever in the studio and the time, that's who gonna be on the record. So, I'm not gonna sit here and try to plan who gon' do this and do that. The chips gon' fall where they may and God gonna put the people in the position they need to be in. I know one thing, when I put my album out on the shelves its gonna be something that gonna change a motha fucka's life. It's not gonna just be some shit. Oh, here goes another rap album. Not from young Stat. That won't be happening. You know what I'm talking about?
Aftermathmusic.com:
Do you have any plans for more collaboration tracks? Maybe with some german artists?
Stat Quo:
Ah! I would like to work with German rappers. I like to work with rappers from Finland. I like to work with rappers from Japan. I like to work with rappers from everywhere. Hawaii, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, matter of fact, Hali Dilal so we can get on track again. I'm ready for work, that's what I'm all about, doing something different and new. So I'm with it. I love that.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Tell us a little bit your upcomin album - producers, features and a maybe a release date.
Stat Quo:
What I got coming up is a Remi Martin mixtape, it's gonna be be me on there featured with a lot of other artists. I'm on the T-mobile mixtape, with Jay-Z on it, 50 Cent &The G-Unit on it, everybody in hip-hop is on that tape. TI, everybody's on that cd. Then I got the Underground Atlanta Volume 2, which is my personal mixtape, coming out. That's gonna be crazy. That's gonna have the song with me, 2 Pac, and Biggie on it. The joint with me and Dre is going to be on there. That same song is probably going to be on some other mixtspes too. Then I got my single that's "Spinning wood grain and South Coast" that's playing from California to Atlanta to Alabama. So everybody, if you wanna hear that just call your local station real quick.
Aftermathmusic.com:
You are unsigned right now. Is your work with Dre and Mel an indiction that you'll sign to Aftermath?
Stat Quo:
No, I'm negotiating with Aftermath, it's not final yet. We're about 85% done with the deal. There was an article in the Source that said I was signed with the Drama Family. No I'm not signed with the Drama Family, they misquoted him when he said that. That's not true as far as what things that they're saying about me in there. Shout out to Big Chuck. I'm not signed to the Drama Family. I'm negotiating to sign directly with Aftermath.
Aftermathmusic.com:
So Aftermath is interested in you, right?
Stat Quo:
My attorney and their attorneys are negotiating the terms. We just pushin' out some minor details as far as the contract is concerned. That's almost done. You gotta take care of the business first. Its an exciting situation but you always gotta have your business right . And Dre is a fair business man, Aftermaht are fair music people. They are just trying to make it perfect and the best situation for me and my team so we can excel and do the best we can up under his toolage.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Besides the Aftermath label, what other labels are interested on you?
Stat Quo:
Atlantic, Arista, but I'm really dealing more directly with Aftermath because I think that will be a better fit for me for what Im trying to do. I definitely think Dre will allow me to create the kind of music that I feel represents me and Atlanta and give me that freedom. Whereas a lot of other times in situations, people try to put you in a box and make you do certain things that you don't wanna do. Dre doesn't care what kind of music you do, as long as it's hot.
Aftermathmusic.com:
But i think a problem could be Interscope. You know, Rakim left the label, Truth Hurts left ...
Stat Quo:
That has to do a lot with, when you talk about music, music is about supply and demand. That's any product you put out here. If you put Ketchup on the shelves, and you donmt market the Ketchup, it's not gonna sell. If you don't create an awareness for aproduct, people are not gonna buy it. So what happends is, when people sign record contracts, they say okay, now the label has to put my record out. No. What you have to do is create your own buzz. You have to get out here and do shows, you gotta get out here and do interviews, you gotta get out here and promote your own songs. You gotta get out here and talk to these people and try to get on other records. You gotta get out here and promote yourself to where you create your own fan base to where people will put your record out. If you don't do that, then you don't deserve to be put out. You don't deserve to be in this business . You're supposed to be doing something else, this is not what your supposed to be doing. This is a job.
Aftermathmusic.com:
So thats a problem for the artists, right?
Stat Quo:
Exactly. They look at TV, they see the platinum, they hear the beat, everyone wanna go in the studio. But nobody wanna go out here to some little ass town they never heard of and talk to these people and interact with these people called Jodie May momma, Jodie May nephew. Talk to people they don't know, perform in front of 2 people in a bar that they never been to, to create a buzz. Them 2 people might be the difference in your whole fuckin career. I cant compare myself what someone else has done. I know what I'm gonna do because I'm a self made man. I know, me given the opportunity, when everything goes right as far as Aftermath, my album gonna come out. Because I'm gonna do what I'm supposed to do to make my album come out. People gonna know about me.
Aftermathmusic.com:
I`m always laughing when I read your comment, how did you hook up with them. Mel Man: "Yo this is Mel Man, Muthafucka, I'm trying to change your life . "
--> Listen to his answer now <--
(Stat talked about Dre as a person, he talked about Mel, the Aftermath staff. He told us, how he hooked up with Dr. Dre & Mel Man. Very interesting, thats why we decided to upload this audio file!)
Aftermathmusic.com:
What type of feedback did you get from people about your work with them?
Stat Quo:
I went home and let my mamma hear it and she loves it, so she loves what I'm doing. And a couple of my friends, my buddies, they into what Im doing. They love it, think it's a great thing because somebody on his level, talkin' bout NWA, talkin' about Death Row, you talkin' bout now Aftermath. He's changed the game probably about three times with NWA then he came in with Death Row and with Aftermath, you talkin' about Eminem and now what they've done with 50 Cent, he's always been there, and I'm just trying to keep him there. We doin' something new cause he's never found a southern artist. You know you've never seen Dre all in those south artist videos, doin' no executive producing no artist straight out the ATL, straight out of Atlanta. He never done that and so we trying to do something new, we tryin' to take the whole south movement to another level. To a whole other level to where its at a point to where you can't deny it. It's respected, period, point blank. Who else but Dre can do that but him.
Aftermathmusic.com:
What MCs or producers in the game are you feeling?
Stat Quo:
I like Brian Cox, people don't know him as far as hip hop, he does a lot of stuff with Jermaine dupri. I like Midi Mafia, I like Digga, my boy LT out of Cleveland, I like Dub, Ecstatic out of new York. I like Swazy out of Atlanta, of course Mel Man, Ron Seemster, Mike Elizando, that whole staff. Poomp did a lot of the stuff for TI, Lil' Jon of course, Lil' Jon is crazy right now. Jazzy Fae, these are producers that I really like, Kanye West, you know but the list goes on and on. I'm probably forgetting some people, and I probably have they beats and cds in my deck right now. But you miss some people sometimes.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Let's talk about one of the greates MC'S of all time - Tupac. What is your comment about him as a rapper and the person Tupac. Did his music influence your style and rap skillz?
Stat Quo:
His approach to music is the way he influenced me. I had the opportunity to watch a video of him in the studio recording a song and putting it together and to see his professionalism and to see the tenacity of which he attacks on the song and the passion that he shown during the record, it inspired me. When you put something on a song it's like it's touching peoples souls. You reaching' people that you probably will never even meet when you do a song. So it's serious. He took it seriously. He took it as his duty from God to get out here and do records. He knew what he was doing. He knew he was changing peoples lives with his voice and that's what I want to do. I want to change peoples lives. I want kids, when they get to my age, to say, "When I grew up I listened to Stat Quo. He is somebody who inspired me". I want to be an inspiration to somebody else through my music, and Tupac was definitely an inspiration for me and my music.
Aftermathmusic.com:
What do you think about the 7 year theory?
Stat Quo:
As a matter of fact, let me put this out since I'm on the internet. 2 Pac, if you still here, holla at me man. My number is on the inside of my mixtape. Call me, dawg, call me on my cell phone. I'm free 24 hours a day especially for you. That's all I'm gonna say about it. As far as anything else, I'm not going to get into all of that. I don't know if he's here, gone. They say he's gone. So if he's gone he's gone. If he's here, like I said, 2 Pac call me bro, let's chop it up, I need some game.
Aftermathmusic.com:
What are your plans for the future?
Stat Quo:
My plans for the future of the rap are the negotiations with Aftermath, and really get into these street and promote the music, which is the future. Bring something new, something different to the game and try to make history. Really make history, not just put it on a song and say "This is history." Let's really make history. Let's reinvent the wheel with mines. That's what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to reinvent the wheel.
Aftermathmusic.com:
Thank you for this interesting interview and I hope we keep in touch!
Stat Quo:
Thank you. !!
Source: Aftermathmusic.com
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