Young Money, is arguably one of the hottest recording labels at the moment in the industry and literally has at it’s fingertips tons of talent. In that corps of talent is rap artist Short Dawg a Houston native who is lighting up the mixtape trail. His latest mixtape to hit the scene, Southern Flame Spitta 4, has the ear of the street. Short Dawg has had a tumultuous career including a stint with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons’ Music Group (RSMG) before becoming part of what he referred to as the “winning team” in Young Money. Finally, while he hasn’t reached the level of stardom of his fellow Young Money counterparts such as Lil Wayne, Drake or Nicki Minaj, the rising star still has his fair share of fans. It certainly sounds like he is gaining momentum on his Young Money colleagues. –ramone mack
Describe the mentality of a rap artist.
Well, I cannot speak for other people, but for me making music is the most important part and its like you’re using a different part of your brain.
What was your inspiration behind your two latest mixtapes Southern Flame Spitta 3 and Southern Flame Spitta 3.5?
The fans no doubt are my inspiration. A lot of them were feeling the first two mix tapes and wanted an encore, and an artist always responds to the fans … actually I just dropped Southern Fame Spitta 4 last month.
How does it feel to be a part of essentially the hottest rap record label at the moment?
I mean it’s always good to be with the winning team. Actually, me and Birdman were just talking about how I grew up listening to Young Money and am how I am part of the record label now. When I was younger, I used to have my Juvenile Army bandanna on. So it’s definitely special to have grown up looking up to some of these cats, and now to be with them is really special.
Most people are under the impression that being a rap artist is all fame and glory. Can you explain the hard work and the different facets of your job behind the scenes, the things that people don’t see?
What people don’t see is the different personalities and types of people that you have to deal with. There are some people out there who don’t even have a talented bone in their body trying to throw salt and bring you down quickly. But you just have to stay focused and keep on your own grind.
