It’s a rule of thumb in hip-hop that if you make it big as a rapper you have to put your boys on. Usually this ends up with disastrous results but on the very rare occasion the group can live up to the hype of it’s leading man. In this case it’s veteran rapper B.G. who put his boys on and showed them the way to a career in rap.

The Chopper City Boyz were formed and lucky for us members Snipe and Gar can actually stand on their own as MC’s. Already releasing one successful independent album it’s time for their sophomore effort and they seem more ready than ever. Sure the B.G. co-sign doesn’t hurt but best believe that these fellas can rap. Sixshot.com caught up with the Chopper City Boyz to discuss their upcoming album, learning from B.G., and making songs for the ladies.

Aight fellas, the single “Bubblegum” is a little different from what you normally bring to the table. Did you intentionally want to take it in a different direction this time around?  [Listen to "Bubblegum"]

Snipe: Yeah man I think we just wanted to give that single to the ladies. The last album we had the single with David Banner on it. This time around we figured it wa s time to ride with the ladies.

Do you think that catering to the ladies will widen your audience and make it more diverse?

Snipe: Most definitely because it’s like we’re tapping into a whole different area. Last time we kept the streets happy which we’re going to do this time as well but this time it’s gonna be for the ladies too.

Gar: We go against the grain with it man. This joint is for the females but it’s for the strip club too. If the strip clubs love it then the streets love it. You shit can go from the strip clubs to the radio, believe that.

The first album was a success. Do you have any predictions for this one?

Snipe: This album shows a lot of growth man. We lost two members. Actually we lost one member. One member is workin’ on some shit. I feel like our skills are more developed now and I just feel the growth and I know the fans will too.

Gar: Sky is the limit man. They say to expect the worst and hope for the best but I ain’t even expecting the worst. Sky is the limit and everybody is gonna see what’s really good. If you need a fix we gonna fix it.

How does this album compare to the first?

Gar: This album knocks the first album down. We seen more money. We had more experiences. We developed more and there’s just a lot of growth. The first album was us really just getting our feet wet. We learned how to handle certain things. I was trained by a vet. I just feel real good about this album. The music is a lot more passionate. The first album accomplished what it was supposed to accomplish but this one is something else. I don’t wanna sound cocky but I’m overconfident right now. I can’t wait. I’m too excited and I wanna hear what the streets are gonna say. I’m just excited and I feel five times better than the last release. I can’t wait. This is a whole new ballgame.

The South has been dominating hip-hop music for the last few years now. Where do the Chopper City Boyz fit in the Southern movement?

Snipe: We fit right up there in the middle man. Everywhere has a chopper city. Every hood has a chopper city; it’s just all different names. We just rap reality. We make music based on the things that happen in the hood. We cater to people who have different hustles. We’re hitting all the markets. Chopper City is real hood and we’re gonna keep hitting you with that same shit.

You guys released the last album independently and it was a big success. What was the key to your success with that album?

Snipe: First of all we couldn’t have done that without God. Secondly, people were really feelin’ the music. Coming from under B.G. it’s like people expect a lot from him so we definitely had to come with that heat. It was a big success and it took a lot of hard work. Like I said we were coming behind B.G. and he’s a big dog in the game. We just tightened our screws and handled our business.

With all the tragedy in New Orleans do you feel like the hip-hop scene is starting to get back its momentum?

Snipe: We never really left because  Lil Wayne and the Hot Boys always been holding it down. Big ups to Wayne for selling that mil in a week. We got a lot of talent in New Orleans. Wayne is heavy on the scene but there are a lot of artists doing their thing. C-Murder is doin’ his thing. Plus New Orleans got us, the Chopper City Boyz. We took a sting with the whole Katrina thing but people are starting to put their lives back together and get focused.

As a group what does each of your bring to the table creatively?

Gar: We bring originality, our own style, and the struggle. This is reality rap. We tell people what we’re going through and they can relate to that.

So you feel like this album is really going to be universal and hit all audiences?

Snipe: Most definitely. That last album was our first album. We were independent then and now we’re with Asylum. Of course we’re going to have a lot more success and a lot more fans. We understand the game more than we did so we’re definitely expecting more success.

Do you feel like your fans are really looking forward to it?

Snipe: Yeah man people come up to me everyday asking me about it. We get it on the streets. People hit us up on Myspace. It’s been a second since we dropped so people are ready. We been doing our little mixtapes but people are ready for the album because they really wanna hear our whole story.

Have mixtapes helped you out a lot as far as exposure and expanding your fanbase?

Snipe: It’s good for an album to be anticipated and mixtapes do help with that. Mixtapes help if you wanna be heard. It’s hard to get a following so you gotta get to eh people in the streets. Big ups to all the DJ’s out there.

Do you get a lot of love from the DJ’s in your hometown?

Gar: Of course man, absolutely, they show us a lot of love and we appreciate that.

Anything you guys wanna say to all those Chopper City Boyz fans out there?

Snipe: Ya’ll could hit us up on the Myspace, www.myspace.com/snipe. Check out the new album coming out August 26th. Be who you are not who you ain’t. Stay on the grind and check out our single “Bubblegum”.
 
Gar: Thank ya’ll for being loyal to us. Thank you for bearing with us and grinding with us through the struggles. We go through real shit like ya’ll do and I appreciate ya’ll. Thank ya’ll for followin’ us and we not gonna stop. We gonna keep it comin’ to you. Chopper City is every hood and every ghetto.