Las Vegas native Yowda has been one of the more consistent artist over the last couple of years. Releasing over 200 songs and being featured on over 50 projects. The MMG artist illustrates his experiences and lifestyle in his music. A few years ago, he was sought out by Fox’s Las Vegas local new channel to speak about gangs in the area. In the interview he talked about music saving his life and being his outlet from the streets. I had the chance to chat with Yowda as as well, read below as we talk signing to MMG, The Gucci Boycott, Nas and much more.
LilMissChitChat - Who Is Yowda?
Yowda - A Cool Dude.. Super Cool, all around..
LilMissChitChat- What is the culture like is Las Vegas?
Yowda- West Coast Vibes Forreal, Forreal.. LA is only 3 hours away so we got the same vibe over here. The way we talk, dress, the gangs… it’s all the same. The Bay and all that too.
LilMissChitChat - What made you want to start rapping?
Yowda - It was a bet. I lost a bet… My friend was talking about this Lamborghini he was gonna get and he bet me he was. He said if he got the Lambo, I had to take rap serious. He got it and I did.
LilMissChitChat - What do you think about the current state of Rap music?
Yowda- I think it’s a platform where everybody can eat. If you just want to have fun and mumble rap, there’s a lane for you. If you want to be a storyteller, there’s a lane for you.. There’s a mood for real shit, a mood for when you about to go out with ya girls.. It’s a mood for everything... everybody doesn’t want to hear that conscious, positive shit all the time.
LilMissChitChat- Who do you consider the top 5 rappers of all time?
Yowda- Nas is my favorite rapper of all time. My first CD was Nas’ I am… I actually stole it too. After him would be Jay-z, Rick Ross, Jeezy. Then of course the West coast guys like Snoop, Mac Dre and them.
LilMissChitChat - Besides yourself, who do you listen to on a regular?
Yowda- Honestly, I try not to listen to myself when I leave the studio. I try to stay current. I’m a fan of everybody. But I do listen to classic 60s,70s rock. I listen to a lot of everybody and everything except country.
LilMissChitChat - You’ve collaborated with a lot of artist over the time. For example you have tracks with YG, Philthy Rich, Rick Ross, Gunplay, Mozzy, Riff Raff, What has been your favorite collaboration thus far?
Yowda - Everyone I collaborated with was someone I really f*cked with. We just hanging out, vibing and we start recording. I did full projects with Mozzy and Philthy Rich… we was just Vibing out creating.
LilMissChitChat - What artist would you like to work with in the future?
Yowda - It has to be a vibe. I’m not into emailing a song and then you emailing it back. Maybe if it was Nas lol.. He’d get a email real quick but besides that nah. It has to be a vibe.
LilMissChitChat - What made you want to sign to MMG?
Yowda - Rick Ross got a hold of my very first CD and we just clicked. A few years down the line, he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse.
LilMissChitChat - You recently released a video entitled “Banned”. What was the inspiration behind the video and song period?
Yowda - The Gucci situation was going on and I just ran with it. The beat came on and I just thought about it and my mans was like "yea.. that’s fire".
LilMissChitChat - How do you feel about the boycott against Gucci?
Yowda- I don’t think they did it on purpose. A lot of designers are gay and honestly I never seen a racist homosexual. It was a messed up situation of course, they should have been a little more concious as a brand. But if it takes something like this to make us support each other, let’s do it but let’s do it forreal. Let’s not just boycott for 6 months and then forget about it.
LilMissChitChat - If you had 24 hours to live, what would you do?
Yowda - To be honest, I would fuck with my son, nobody else. Just spill out everything in my brain and dissect his. I would make sure he remembers what I taught him his whole life. Lessons and values he could instill in his kids and so on. If I could do that, I would rest peacefully.
LilMissChitChat - If you could sit down and have an hour conversation with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
Yowda - That’s hard because I don’t know if I would want to talk to someone business wise or family…. Actually f*ck business because n*ggas could give you the blueprint and that still not be it. I would sit down with both of my grandmothers.
LilMissChitChat - If you had to choose between true love and your career reaching it’s full potential, what would you choose?
Yowda - True Love because how could you really enjoy everything you have, if you don’t have someone to share it with. People have a bunch of money and be lonely and then there’s people with no money who have somebody and are genuinely happy.
LilMissChitChat - What can we expect from you up and coming?
Yowda - My album is dropping at the end of the month. I’m waiting for the cover art right now. I was on Empire last season. You’re gonna see more stuff like that. A lot of more appearances and moves being made.
Be Sure To Listen To His Single "BrickMan" featuring Rick Ross below: