It’s been three years since the most infamous storm in U.S. history, and still, the first thing that comes to most minds upon the mere mention of New Orleans is Hurricane Katrina. The FEMA trailers still litter the lawns of the once-proud neighborhoods, mold continues to engulf the interior of many abandon homes throughout the city, and the crime rate remains through the roof; comparing New Orleans to a jungle is still a very fair interpretation. And while most of the New Orleans rap community has left, the Chopper City Boyz are still there, and they’re still hungry. B.G., Gar, and Snipe are hunters in the jungle, and like it or not, they’re at the top of the food chain. The three essentially solo artists, who hunt in a pack, have seen more success in the game than most would imagine. Their first project, 2007’s We Got This, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and made it to #21 on the Hot 200 chart. The Koch release sold almost 30,000 copies in its first week, and led to a new deal with Asylum. One unique element that certainly attracted Asylum to CCB is that while many veteran artists such as B.G. attempt to form a group with lesser known emcees, Gar and Snipe can actually hold their own on the mic. The Chopper City Boyz have become a respected collective, drawing comparisons to many of the legendary rap groups from New Orleans’ past. However, not all the news surrounding the Chopper City Boyz has been positive. Following the release of We Got This, the group experienced a rather ugly divorce with longtime member VL Mike. Mike had accused B.G. of being dishonest and unfair financially, and had just begun a solo career when he was gunned down in New Orleans on April 20th, 2008. B.G. and the rest of the group maintain that regardless of their situation, VL Mike was family and they have mourned his passing. “We looked at him as family,” says Gar. “We made history together, so of course it hurt when we lost him. But now we’ve gotta focus on the future.” And in focusing on the future, the group is gearing up to release Life in the Concrete Jungle this fall. Fueled by the catchy club anthem “Bubblegum,” featuring New Orleans artist Lady Dolla, the Chopper City Boyz are looking to eat again, and this time they have a bigger appetite. The world has been familiar with B.G. for a long time, but most people aren’t as familiar with Snipe and Gar. Can you guys tell me what it is that you bring to the group, and why people should pay attention to you? Snipe: I bring myself to the table, that’s what makes me unique, you know what I’m sayin’. I’m a different individual, everybody’s not the same. I bring my originality to the table. Gar: I’m the same nigga that be in every hood. Same nigga, different story, same struggle. I just bring my heart and my authenticity to the group. I’m a real nigga, I’m real loyal, and every circle needs a nigga like me. I’m gonna display that and show that to the world. What made you do a song like “Bubblegum”? It’s a hot track, but it seems like a deviation from your normal style of music. B.G.: Honestly, we already got the streets on lock, we already know that the album is gonna be gutter-gutter-gutter, so we really just wanted to show another side of the Chopper City Boyz. So we decided to give ‘em a club record, a female record, a radio friendly record, but at the same time have it G’d up. Do you find it frustrating that artists like yourself, who usually rap about street life, are somewhat forced to do “Bubblegum” rap to get mainstream success? B.G.: Don’t for a second get it twisted, man. “Bubblegum” is just the name of the song, but if you listen to it, you gon’ see, it’s a G song, and it’s full of swag. I guarantee the real niggas gettin’ money gon’ love that song. Snipe: Like Gizzle said, don’t get it twisted. We just decided to give the club something, but the album is a bag full of gangsta shit.
B.G.: New Orleans ain’t nothing but lions and tigers and bears. Lions, tigers, and bears; if you go to Nola.com or if you check the news down here, it’s really, really, really a jungle. Life In The Concrete Jungle is what we represent. Besides the three of you, who else is featured on Life in the Concrete Jungle? Gar: Aw man, we got a whole lot of features on that thang. We got features from Grand Hustle with Alfamega, to BloodRaw from CTE. We got Rocko on there, C-Murder, Skip from UTP, Hurricane Chris, 6 Shot, and then of course the homie B.G. And Lady Dolla is on the single “Bubblegum.” What’s the biggest difference between this new project and your first group album We Got This? B.G.: Honestly, man, this album is like 20 times better than We Got This. On We Got This we were going through a lot, you know, rest in peace to VL Mike. We were dealing with VL Mike, and he was going through his situation. He was going through a lot. So on this album we’re just going ‘til the wheels fall off. You mentioned VL Mike, and unfortunately he passed away in April, but before he died he was making a lot of allegations toward you, B.G. He was comparing you to Baby and saying that you were dishonest in dealing with the money. B.G.: I never really much entertained it because I know in his heart he ain’t mean it. People do and say that type of shit just to get on, and just to get a name out there or whatever. But it is what it is.
What are your personal favorite tracks on the CD? Snipe: My personal favorite is “Maintain.” It’s a real heartfelt track for niggas that’s going through the struggle. It’ll tell you, at the end of the day, how to maintain.
I saw that you were paying tribute to him on your Myspace page, so I’m assuming you still looked at VL Mike like family? Gar: We made history, so how could we not treat him as a family member? We took one when he left. Despite anything that was going on, it was still real nigga shit. Decisions were made but you can’t fake how you feel in your heart. Snipe: But now it’s Life in the Concrete Jungle, September 16th.
So, how are y’all maintaining? I know you guys still stay in New Orleans. Has the city rebounded from a musical standpoint? B.G.: If you can make it in New Orleans, you can make it anywhere. It is what it is. We’ve gotta work around all the rebuilding, like real niggas supposed to.
It hasn’t been a very good climate for rap groups lately. What makes you feel that you will be able to succeed where so many other groups have failed? Gar: We feel really confident now about this new project. We got everything sounding the way it should. I think people will definitely support it.
Is that what you meant by the album title Life in the Concrete Jungle?
How was it working with Asylum? OZONE MAG // 63