Lately, there has been so much talent in Hip-Hop coming out of Florida. One of these artists that deserve so much respect for grinding so hard to get his career going is, 2 Pistols.

2 Pistols has a hit single that is getting play on all the major radio stations entitled, “She Got It,” featuring T-Pain. He was on the grind so hard that he was able to hook that project up before he had a deal and get it on several popular radio stations throughout the country.

2 Pistols discusses how hard he had to work to get to where he is right now and how he got his career on the move. He has an album that was released this month called, “Death Before Dishonor,” and it’s very important that people pick this album up. He promises that you are going to love the album and you are going to get to know him has a person when you listen to his tracks.

The Florida rapper put in an effort to make sure that this album was for everybody and has songs that everybody will want to listen to. 2 Pistols wants this album to put an end to all the comparison that is going on with him and other southern rappers. Once people hear his album and understand his music he feels that he will stand out more among other rappers especially, rappers from the Florida area.

So, read further as he talks about his album, his childhood, his career, and why he would like all comparisons between him and other artists to stop.

Your album, “Death Before Dishonor,” was released on June 17th. What can we expect from this album as far as the music on there?

It’s just an album for everybody. It ain’t a person that I think I left out. It ain’t a person that has been left out that’s been in my situation. If you ain’t never really been in my situation then I don’t think I included you too much. You got a pretty well rounded album. I wanna say I got about six singles on there that can do well at radio and can be top five singles. I got records up there where you can get to know me from a personal stand point, what I been through, where I come from, and what I had to do to get to the situation I’m in now. It’s just well rounded. You get me as an individual but, you also get your records that you wanna listen to wit your man or somebody can ride to a record with his chick. I got a lot of good records on there.

Why did you decide to name the album, “Death Before Dishonor?”

The title came from hearing a lot of people say it when I was coming up. It was always loyalty and death before dishonor. It’s just a couple of words we put together. It’s the definition of a real person or a real individual. I wanted something that represented me. So, from any angle I’d rather die than to be dishonored. That’s whether it be in the streets, whether it’s a homebody or his girl, or I’m messing around with my homeboy’s girl. I don’t wanna be disloyal in any kind of way. So, I would rather die than to be dishonored and that’s it.

Alright, so a lot of people are feeling that single with T-Pain, “She Got It.” What do you think it is about that song that has everybody loving it so much?

It’s a self-esteem record for females and a lot of females feel that they are sexy. So, that’s their song because they feel like they got it. Whether they feel like they got the nicest ass, the prettiest breast, the prettiest lips, or the prettiest hair, that’s how they feel. It’s a self-esteem record for females. From a dude’s stand point, every dude knows a female that he feel like she got it. Dudes can relate to that and they got this chick that they hollered at and they feel like she is just everything. They put that ringtone on for her. I feel like if I put that record together, females buy records, dudes really don’t. I still can catch both but females will love that more and pretty much understand that.

A lot of people have been doing songs with T-Pain and T-Pain is really blowing up. Did you do a song with T-Pain because that is somebody you wanted to work with or because he is doing songs with everybody right now?

Nah, to be honest with you I did my record with T-Pain way before he was on everybody’s records. I did my record with Pain before Plies did that Shawty record with him. I had my record before that but it’s just that I ain’t have no deal. I paid for my own situation. Everybody else that did records with him that blew up, already had deals. The label funded their record so it made their situation happen quicker than mine. So, I mean I was on the grind. I was just grinding it out on my own in my small city reaching out to whatever other cities that was picking up my record from myspace.

When I hollered at Pain I had met him at a radio event and I was doing my little promotion where I was bringing billions of artists to my city. I just thought that his voice would fit even though he was R&B; he was street at the same time. I ain’t want a R&B cat that was straight R&B that would sing the females to sleep. I wanted somebody that was kind of edgy. I had did the record with him right before “Buy You A Drink” got out at the peak. So, right before he started promoting for his second album I had got the record done. It just took time for my record to come out. It was a well thought out process. I really didn’t think that many people would have records with him to the point where it would start getting overwhelming. People are like, “Oh, that’s just another T-Pain record. I really didn’t expect it to go that way. I just expected my record to stand out. I didn’t know he was going to have a bunch of records.

How did you end up getting your deal with Universal Republic and why do you think they invested in you?

They were the first label to reach out after they heard my song on the radio. They are a company that checks radio and they love radio. So, if something is popping and starting to get a little spice on the radio they are going to do their research and check on it. They checked in on my situation after they heard me on the radio and my song was doing good on the radio in my area. It was buzzing in my area and I had already got my song added to regular rotation in my city. The Tampa Bay station is one of the hardest stations to get on but they influence other markets. So, once you get on that one you can get on so many other radio stations throughout Florida and Texas. It’s even hard for a signed artist to get their record played on there and I got on there without a deal.

Then on top of that I had mixtapes in the streets. I was selling out crazy shows in my area so, people were embracing my movement. So, it was a no-brainer for them to be like, “Let’s spend some money on him.” I did a deal with them because they initially came at me with a meeting and they was like, “Yo we here to do a deal, we ain’t here to give you the run around.” The two other companies I met with were all giving me the run around saying things like, “Yo I want to give you a deal but I only want to a deal for the one T-Pain song.” They didn’t want to do a full album deal. Republic gave me the deal I wanted off top in the first week. So, that’s why I went with them.

I think you have a really unique style. When I was listening to you songs I noticed you have lyrics, beats, good hooks, and everything. How does it make you feel when people compare you to other artists like, Plies?

I hate that actually. Yesterday, I just did Rap City with him and I did the booth and he didn’t. I did the booth and all of that but I think that if he would have did it people would have separated us immediately. It would have stopped the comparison. I don’t know if he is enjoying that comparison by it just continuing but like I said, if he would have rapped after me or before me I rapped people would have stopped the comparison immediately right there. I don’t think that he comes from that type of music that I come from. I listen to artists like Jay-Z, DMX, The LOX and The Tribe Called Quest. I listen to a lot of different artists and I pull a lot from artists in other cities and states. I think that he is only trying to be regional with his music and he caters only to the South. That’s cool and all but I don’t pride myself on just speaking on stuff that is only for the South.

I also don’t try to brag or boast too much about me going to jail, me selling keys, riding on 26 inches, and fucking the baddest bitches in the city. I may talk about that a little bit but I don’t talk about it that much. In the streets if you really, really been in situations and been selling dope; you don’t glorify that shit as much as that nigga do. So, I really don’t think that he been thru that shit or done any of that. So, when people really realize what type of artist I am and respect what I talk about in my music; then they will understand my music and stop the comparison. It’s going to take a minute. Any nigga that’s really in this shit, they ain’t really got to talk about it. From a female stand point, if a nigga is always bragging about his dick; his shit falls. If a nigga bragging so much about how he can fuck the shit out of you, majority of the time the nigga ain’t bout what he was talking about. It’s the same way with females, when she is like she this and that, most of the time it’s garbage. So, I ain’t got to sit here and talk about I did this and that. I might talk about it a little bit but I don’t glorify it to the point where that is all I talk about. You feel me?

You know I hope that comparison goes away as soon as your album drops. I guess people that compare the two of you are probably comparing your radio singles. When I listen to the two of you I see a big difference. You do seem like an all around artist and a lot of southern artist just cater to the South.

I go to spots that them niggas never been to. I’ll go to Utah and do a show and they’ll fuck wit me hard. They don’t even know him like that there. I’ll go to Oregon and do a show and they don’t even fuck wit him like that. I have no problem with going to Cali, Oregon, or going to Utah. I think he just went to Texas for the first time. I been going to Texas and doing my shit in Texas. So, a lot of states are on me. I think states like Florida, S.C., N.C. and those areas are trying to fuck wit me but they doing that comparison shit. People see me and they are like, me and this nigga look alike. I made sure I didn’t wear no hat on Rap City and no sunglasses. I went on there and I let him rock what he was rocking and I rocked what I was rocking.

You can look at us clearly and see that we don’t look alike. We damn sho don’t rap alike. It bothers me that they do that. I think they do it a lot because we came out with T-Pain, we both talk about females, we both from Florida, we both short, or we wear our hats a certain way. I see where the comparison is coming from but if they really sit and think and analyze the situation there is no comparison at all. I mean the nigga is probably like 45 years old. He can’t take his hat off because he has a receding hairline. I really ain’t trying to say something out of the way about a nigga but it makes me mad to the point where I do. People are comparing us and putting us together like that. It’s getting to the point where people are like, “are you tryna dis this nigga?” It’s really not like that I’m just trying to show people. I’m trying to bring that to light. I’m like look, “compare these two things so you can shut up about it.

I feel you! Now, Florida is taking over the game and doing a big movement. You are part of this big Florida movement going on so, what do you plan to do to keep Florida in the game?

I plan on collaborating with artists that are outside of Florida more. That way I can be more well rounded and not just a Florida individual. When you see my video, you are not going to see a billion Florida niggas. You may see nigga from the West Coast or a nigga from Chicago. You are going to see various niggas and I’m going to be universal with mine. When people say 2 Pistols, I want them to be like that nigga from Florida but every state fucks with him.

You ain’t going to have to worry about me; every time a nigga see me I’m wit the same Florida niggas. I’m going to fuck wit Florida niggas and we goin to be cool but I’m not going to be on that we can’t do nothing outside of Florida. I’m not going to isolate myself. Like I said, it ain’t going to be the same ol’ niggas in there every time you see a video. There are a lot of videos that come out of Florida and it’s the same Florida niggas in there. I think that’s happening in Texas too. People came together and it was cool and everything but at the same time, they needed to let other niggas be a part of that shit too. They should do that, instead of just isolating Texas and only using artists from Texas.

I read that you went through a lot growing up and your parents were in jail about 60 percent of your childhood. If you don’t mind me asking, why did your parents go to jail?

My mom and my dad went to jail for drug trafficking. My mom is not in jail right now, she like fucked up in the streets or what have you. If she was here with me right now she would have no problem saying the shit that she did with me growing up as a child. I have mutha fuckin memories of me being a baby and moving mutha fuckin keys in my diaper. The police weren’t checking my diaper. I been through a lot of weird and twisted shit. My parents felt that they was just trying to get ahead. My dad was a heroin dealer when I was growing up. When I was a growing up, I remember getting into a bag of heroin and coke trying to see what the shit was like. I remember putting the shit in my mouth. It’s kind of weird that I grew up like that but I respect that shit.

I know what it is to be involved in that and I know that is not what you should be doing. I know that it is not what I personally want out of life, you know, to be involved in the streets. It just showed me at a young age what I really wanted out of life. I still wouldn’t change it for nothing because it made me the person that I am today. My mom and dad was in jail for drug trafficking and 80 percent of my family has been to jail for drug trafficking. Every one of my cousins, uncles, and even my grand parents were in jail for drug trafficking. My grandma died four of five years ago and they let her out of prison to go home and die. There was really nobody in my family that wasn’t involved in this shit and I don’t say that to glorify the shit. I been there and I know what that shit is about, if a nigga wanna get in depth. They did what they did and that was that. I don’t really try to get into all that.

Probably more people than you know have had that type of childhood. More people than you know can probably relate to those situations. Do you think that those situations kind of made you stronger?

Yeah, I mean I got a lil’ girl right now and I’ll never put her in a position like that. My little girl is spoiled as shit and she been that way since I been getting money in these streets. I kept her that way because I never wanted her to grow up the way that I grew up. I think more black kids need to be spoiled. So, I do any and everything for her. She goes to the store and grabs all types of shit. She grabs shit just because we in the store. I allow it because I ain’t have that growing up.

I can see a biography or a movie or something coming out of this. What you think?

Yeah, let’s do this! I think that’s how people can get to know me. When they get the album and check the album out they can find out who 2 Pistols really is. The people can get my Gemini side. So yeah, we can do a movie. T.I. got me with that T.I. verses T.I.P., it’s a borderline between insanity. I think T.I. showed that. He is one of my favorite artists, I can say that. I respect everything that he has done for the South.

So, you are a Gemini?

June 11th is my birthday.

I’m a Gemini too.

Oh yeah [laughs].

Who are some more of your favorite artists in the game right now?

I mean T.I. is. I liked Wayne when I was coming up but then I fell back a lil’ bit. I don’t know, I’m weird because I’ll like a nigga until everybody else start liking him. After that it’s like I don’t like them anymore.

[Laughs]

When everybody going crazy and they are like, “He the shit,” that’s when I don’t even want to talk about the nigga no more. I want my little secret artist that I really feel but I just seen an interview with Lil’ Wayne and I’m starting to get this shit. Mutha fuckas don’t be letting you live sometimes. This nigga is only an individual. He gives good songs and things for people everyday. Sometimes people don’t understand that this shit is entertainment and they wanna get in your personal life. They try to put this rap shit with your personal life because you tell stories from your real life in this rap shit. I seen him bug out on the interviewer and I was like, “Oh shit, the nigga is a real person.” He ain’t caught up in that industry shit. He grew up in that shit so, I respect him for everything that he is doing right now. I like T.I. because he a real individual too. The nigga got his court issues and I got my court issues.

Real niggas recognize real and I just relate to everything that the nigga talks about. That Jeezy, “Thug Motivation,” made me be in the position that I’m in right now. I went in the street and I got as much money as I could and I took that shit and applied it to something positive. I used that shit as a stepping stool. I think that’s exactly what that nigga did. It was just me understanding his story and getting what I thought that he did and I pretty much did the same thing. I heard in an interview that the nigga used to bring people to his city too. His shit popped off too. We went down the same lane of coming up. His situation popped off and it’s a little bit prettier than mine is right now. I totally respect him. I don’t really fuck with none of these new niggas to heavy but the ones I do fuck with, I fuck with them because I see were they come from. I think what’s fucked up is sometimes the people don’t know me but the artist knows me. Sometimes I’ll be out and a nigga like Mario or Shawty Lo will come up to me and they’ll be like fucking with me heavy. The people might not be fucking with me though. The artists are respecting my situation right now. It’s kind of crazy.

You had a good point earlier, when you were talking about the media and Lil’ Wayne. The media is doing that a lot with not just rap artist but people like Britney Spears. I hope it doesn’t cause the artist to self-destruct.

It was somebody but I can’t even think of her name. She is signed with Universal Republic and she out here buggin out. I wish I could have did a record with her but they fucking with her and Brittany Spears. I pray that they fuck with me, please come fuck with me. I’m going to give them exactly what they are looking for. Everyday it’s going to be some crazy shit going on with me. I’m using that shit to my advantage. Please come fuck with me.

[Laughs] It’s publicity.

I need that, please let me get it.

What other projects are you working with on?

I got my artists Deca, Jay Flame, Cebo and Young Skee. Actually Jay Flame is in jail right now. He just went to jail like two days ago. He got like a year and a day shit, he’ll be out by that time. Yeah, but I’m working on their stuff. I just did a feature for this dude, he got this song “Thugs Cry”. I just did a verse on that shit and that shit crazy. He just signed to Republic. Yeah, I jumped on that. I got this single with Ray J called, “You Know Me,” it should be out on the Internet.

So, people can start grabbing it like money. Besides that I’m just grinding and doing mixtapes. I’m really trying to connect with the DJ’s and talking about this music. I also want to be able to call a nigga for his birthday. I’m trying to fuck wit niggas on a real personal level. I met a lot of fuck niggas in this shit that will be like, “Yo we cool and we are going to do a record.” They just all give me that industry talk and you can’t really vibe with a nigga. I pride myself on trying to meet niggas and get to know them outside of this music shit. When we out at the club and we in the spot and we are feeling like fish in that bowl because people just starring. We can’t even have a regular conversation and not get caught up in shit.

I appreciate the interview! Do you have any last words for Yo! Raps?

Make sure you get the album, it’s well rounded. I think people are going to be surprised. I don’t expect it to do crazy numbers the first week but after people get the album and understand my flow, we gonna be good. I think I’m going to do alright.

Alright, thanks again for the interview. I wish you the best of luck.

Make sure you pick up the album.