 | Spotlight : Hot Rod |  |
Vroom, Vroom!A Weekend with Hot RodBy: Sirion Sewell - sirion@seaspotmediagroup.com Agenda: Friday: Saturday: I would like to formally introduce you all to the hottest young talent coming out of the Northwest. Meet Hot Rod, a 13 year-old rapper, who is coming out of Tacoma and headed straight for the top of the charts. He is the First Place Winner of the Apollo Kids Talent Search Competition and is a soon-to-be artist on Bad Boy Entertainment. Sit down and relax as I take you through a weekend I spent with up and coming superstar, Hot Rod. Interview: S: Hey Hot Rod, introduce yourself to everyone. HR: Hi everybody, this is Hot Rod, also known as, Roderic Jamal Deshawn Peters. S: And how old are you? HR: I just turned 13 on September 15. S: What grade are you in and what school do you attend? HR: I am in the 7th grade and I attend N.V. Intermediate School. S: What are your grades in school like? HR: I'm maintaining my 4.0 right now. I've been on the honor roll every year since the 4th grade. I got my first straight "A" report card in 2nd grade. S: Do you have any brother or sisters? HR: I have two sisters, a foster sister, and a half brother. Tanay, Sade, LaKenya and Demonte. S: Where were you born? HR: I was born in Tacoma, Washington. S: How did you come up with the name, Hot Rod? HR: At first, I was going to be Lil' Rod, then I thought about it and there were too many Lil's out there, so, I had to do something different and I just thought about it for a while and called myself, Hot Rod. So I stuck with it. S: Good thinking, that's cool and unique, plus it ties in with your name. How would you describe yourself? HR: Trustworthy, energetic, playful and a Virgo. S: How would you describe your rap style? HR: I don't really have a rapping style, I like to be versatile. I like to do different things. I like to be able to do stuff for everybody, like slow raps and stuff that everybody can listen to. S: Tell me about your relationship with E-Dawg. HR: E-Dawg, he's like...we got this little family joke, he calls himself my step daddy because he always comes over to our house. Even on his most [busy] days, he'll come over just to play basketball with me or something. Big Brothers United! S: How long have you known E-Dawg? HR: I've known E-Dawg for about a year and some months now and it seems like I've known him forever. S: What is the most important advice he's given you so far? HR: Mostly, and I quote, "Do yo' thang, Do yo' thang." And I just do my thing. S: What have you learned from him? HR: "If you want to shake the hater's, take the elevator". He always says stuff like that. But I just learned that you gotta do your own thing, don't let nobody tell you, you cant do it. Most of all, just make sure you have your hometown support. S: How did you get the chance to do in-studio "Roll Call" on KUBE93? HR: E-Dawg just said it would be crazy to get me on the air, so he called up Eddie Francis and said he needed a favor done and brought me down there and I did it. S: How were you and E-Dawg able to open for Lil' Romeo and Master P? HR: I think E. got to do all that through KUBE93. E-Dawg really supports me. He's trying to help me get somewhere. He asked me if I wanted to do it, and I said, "Yeah!" S: How did you come up with your freestyle? HR: Which one? The one I did on KUBE93? S: Yeah HR: I don't know, it seems like it could be a spiritual thing, you know what I'm saying? It just happens, you might just get a feeling. It's like a stage performance when you just get a lot of energy and everything just happens. Everybody has something that they can just do naturally. S: Do you have a name for the freestyle you did on KUBE93? HR: I've never named a freestyle before, but if I were to name it, I would call it, "Happy" or something. Because I was on the radio, people were hearing me and talking to me, saying, "Oh, I just heard you on KUBE93." So, I was just happy. S: Can you give me a verse from the freestyle? HR: Yeah, I remember the whole thing, so I'll just rap it. (Excerpt) "The exorcist couldn't make your head spin faster/he couldn't take me out in a battle with ten rappers/I'm young...But I got more vision than Lens Crafters/That's why these Labels is ready to bend backwards..." S: Yeah, that was hot! S: Do you write your own lyrics? HR: Yeah, most of the time. Unless there's somebody who just wants to help out and also wants the opportunity to get somewhere with their music. When they see that I'm doing stuff, then maybe with their music, we can both go places. But mostly, I'm just writing my own lyrics. S: So, when did you first know that you wanted to become a rapper? HR: It actually wasn't that long ago. I was always into music, you know, Michael Jackson of course. Everytime he would come on, I would get up and start dancing. You know, trying to get some dance moves. My sisters' boyfriend was always doing music and he did a song for her and I was sitting there listening to it, then all of a sudden I got all the verses down and I kept on rapping them, so I liked that. Also Bow Wow kind of put some fire under my butt, so once he started doing it, I was like, "Man, if I want to do this, I gotta hurry up, before I get passed up." S: Do you already have a demo put together? HR: Yeah, I have a demo, with about 5 songs. S: What's all on your demo? HR: I have an introduction and 5 [more] songs. S: How long did the process of creating your demo take? HR: It was actually really quick. We were completing 2 to 3 songs a week. Just working real hard, trying to get stuff out there. S: Who did you work with on your demo? HR: Kid Sensation, who used to work with Sir Mix-A Lot, Cola, two other songs I did at the Floyd Merriwether Studio, Filthy Rich Records and I've been doing some songs with E-Dawg. S: Tell me about how you came to win in the Apollo Kids Competition. HR: In 5th grade, when I was 11, we were trying to get a tape of one of my performances and actually the tape had gotten eaten up before we could send it off. So we couldn't do that, so we put together a little homemade videotape. I did a little stage performance at home and they saw it and sent us a certificate back saying, "Thanks and we appreciate your hard work" and stuff and that I didn't make it. I was kind of disappointed but it was all good. On February 9, I attended a talent show with 41 other artists and took 1st Place, a trophy, and $500.00. We happened to get that one on tape, so we sent that off and then 6 months later my mom was listening to her messages on the phone and they told us that I was in the top 20 finals. And now, I just found out that I won 1st Place, $5,000, a new computer, a lifetime supply of McDonalds food, some school supplies and a trip to New York to perform on Apollo in January. S: Wow! That's great. Who would have thought? What do you plan to do to wow the Apollo audience? HR: Just flow from the heart, come out hyped and have fun. If I'm having fun, then they're having fun. S: Ok, that sounds like a good plan. What can we expect to see from a Hot Rod performance? HR: Energy, hypeness, fun and an encore. S: How does your family feel about you rapping? HR: They're behind me 100%. I have a lot of support from them. S: Tell me about how you hooked up with Bad Boy. HR: As you would know, since you hung out with him, P. Diddy came down to Seattle, August 19 and he was down at The Catwalk. We actually had a plan. We were just gonna go down there and try to meet Diddy. My mom called down there and found out that he was there so we were gonna go down there and my mom was going to pay money to get into the club so she could try to get in there and talk to him. But once we got down there, this guy named Billy who worked there said he was going to get us in there but it didn't work out that way. When Puff came, he had to leave right away. So he just came and left. Billy told us about Tinker, the dude we hooked up with, he said he was staying at the "W" Hotel. So, we were going down there, or at least I thought we were, and it's like 3 O'clock in the morning and my mom was on the freeway and then all of a sudden I'm seeing, "Tacoma-28 miles" and I said, "Mom, were going home, huh?" and she said, "Yeah, I cant be staying out here all late." And I was like, " We gotta go back, turn around, turn around." I was almost about to cry. So then she turned around, went back, and we just waited at the hotel. I was scared, I didn't know what to do, so I just went up there and I was waiting and all of a sudden these Astro Vans pulled up. I turned around and Tinker was standing right there. And I'll never forget it 'cause he said, "Hey, shorty, what are you doin' out here so late?" And I was like, "I'm looking for you." And he said, "What are you lookin' for me for?" He told me to get my mom from out of the car and to bring her into the hotel. So we went back and I told him who I was and I noticed that he had my demo in his hand that someone had given him. So, that's pretty much it and it took off from there. S: Have you started to see a change in people around you, because you might become a star? HR: There's a lot of change. I cant say that there's more negative than positive. I see a lot of change from people my age around me. Some people don't like me because they see I'm doing stuff, some people want to do music and they see that I'm getting places and they don't like that. And some people around me are just...I don't know man, it gets hard sometimes. S: A year from now, where do you see yourself? HR: A year from now, I see myself on tour, definitely 106th &Park, gotta be on 106th &Park, that's pretty much it. Tour Bus. S: Do you have any plans of releasing a single or C.D.? HR: Probably pretty soon. I mean, if I'm trying to tour by this summer, I gotta have something out. S: What do you think about all the kid rappers? HR: I got respect for all of them. They're doing their thing, everybody's succeeding, everybody's selling records. I ain't heard on none of them not selling records. S: What do you think you'll bring to the rap game? HR: Excitement, some heat, and competition. S: What other aspects of the entertainment industry would you like to get into? HR: Well, I just got signed to "ME Modeling", so I want to do modeling, I really like acting and drama. S: That's cool, expand your horizons. S: Who's C.D. are you bumpin' in your C.D. player? HR: Definitely "Nellyville": "Rock The Mic Remix", and I know its track 17, but I don't know the name. That's pretty much it. S: Where have your performed in the past? HR: Ethnic Fest, Soul Fest, school talent shows, my very first one was in the 4th grade, and my biggest one was definitely Safeco. S: Are there any places where we can catch you perform? HR: I actually have a surprise performance tonight. It's a school dance, I'm going to that tonight. And this thing that' s happening with Bad Boy, they're talking about, they want me to tour by this summer. Hopefully that works out. I'll inform everybody, if I'm doing something. S: What type of music do you like? HR: Rap definitely. I like going back to that old school, like, Atomic Dog, Ohio Players, that 70's stuff. R&B, that Usher-type music. Church music, gospel music, all of that stuff. S: Who is your favorite music artist? HR: There's so many people who are doing it out there. if I could put it into sections, out of the kids, it would have to be: Bow Wow because he came out and did his thing, even after Kris Kross, it didn't matter to him. It's hard because Romeo did the same thing. Bow Wow was out there, he didn't worry about what people had to say, he just came out and did his thing. But pretty much everybody out there doing their thing. It's kind of hard to just pick one. But you know, Puff Daddy, he's my favorite right now. S: What artists would like to work with? HR: I'd like to work with anybody who has something to bring to the table. Definitely Michael Jackson, that'd be something crazy. All the kids out there, like, Bow Wow, Romeo. Definitely P. Diddy, you know, gotta do the Bad Boy stuff! S: Who do you like better Romeo or Bow Wow? HR: Oh, dang, that's a cold question! I don't know them personally, so I cant say nothing about them personally. As far as music, they have different styles. Bow's getting' older, he's got that rough, adult style, that old style. But Romeo, he's like my age, 13, so you know, were still kids. S: What is your plan to make it in the music industry? HR: First of all, stick with Bad Boy. Well, I've been getting kind of far, so far, so I'll just stick to what I've been doing now, which is to keep on writing and to find more places to showcase what I'm doing. Keep getting the hometown behind me. S: Are you single? HR: Oh man! Am I single? I am single. Yes I am single. I cant be getting' wrapped up in girls. I already have school, then I'm trying to concentrate on football, basketball season is about to come up, and then I got rapping. So, I ain't got time for girls right now. S: Do you have a crush on anyone in the entertainment industry? HR: Ah, man. This might take a lot of thinking because there are a lot of people out there. A lot of them. Definitely Jane, definitely J.Lo, I gotta throw some models in there like Nia Long, Adrienne and Naturi from 3LW and Amerie. S: What are your hobbies? HR: I like going to the High School football games, all the homies are down there. Last night I went to a late night lock-in bowling party, so that was fun. It went from 12:am to 7:am, stuff like that. Go to the movies, dances, play video games, stuff like that. S: What are your favorite sports? HR: Basketball, Football, Baseball, and video games. S: Did you grow up in the church? HR: Yeah, my mom is a pastor. I've been in the church ever since I was little. I play the drums at church. S: What other talents do you have? HR: Football, basketball, drums, back flips with no hands, skateboarding, bike tricks, and video games, sometimes. S: Do you have any plans on going to college? HR: Oh, definitely. I gotta play college ball, college foot ball and college basketball. And then just get through college. Once I'm done with this rapping thing, I gotta have something to fall back on, so I can get a nice job. S: Is there any specific college that you would like to attend? HR: There's plenty. For basketball: Duke, Georgia. For football: Stanford, definitely W.S.U, gotta represent for Wazzu, the hometown. S: Do you think you're prepared to handle all objectives that come before you? HR: I think so. It's gonna take a lot of hard work. And a lot of sleep. S: Which is what you're not gonna get. HR: Yeah, but I'm ready. S: What do you plan to do to remain humble and to stay grounded? HR: For one, stick with my mom, 'cause she's gonna make sure I'm grounded. Just keep callin' back to the hometown, to the homies. Stick with people who have positive influences around me. S: Tell me about your most embarrassing moment. HR: Dang! I remember, once I got whooped in front of all the homies. It was a long time ago, though, back in the kid days. Like the 4th grade. I'm straight though. S: Is this your first interview? HR: Yep, it's my very first one. S: Are you nervous? HR: No, not anymore. I was at the beginning because you were hitting me with all these big time people you've interviewed. S: How long have you been growing your hair out? HR: It's been about a year. S: What really gets on your nerves? HR: Something that really gets on my nerves would have to be, people that just like to criticize you for no reason. I just don't like them. S: What's your favorite color? HR: It's gotta be red. Because red is hot. You know, "Red Hot." S: What's your favorite movie? HR: I don't know, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Shame. Low Down Dirty Shame, that's the movie right there. Little Giants, the football movie, I like that movie. But now that I think about it, my favorite movie is probably, The 3 Ninjas. S: What's your favorite TV show? HR: I don't know. When I'm not watching sports, I like...Ok, I have a favorite t.v. show for each station, so that makes it kind of hard to answer the question. But I would say, my favorite TV show is Jaime Foxx. S: What's your favorite food? HR: My favorite dessert is sweet potato pie. My favorite food can be different at times, sometimes I like shrimp and sometimes I like other things. I don't really have one. S: What's your favorite candy? HR: It's gotta be licorice. S: Red or Black? HR: Red! S: What's your favorite cereal? HR: Frosted Flakes and sometimes Lucky Charms. S: If you could give a shout out to anyone who would it be? HR: My number 1 fan, my MOM, she supports me, my dog Tinker, E-Dawg, all the homies, Narrows View, U.P., everybody in the (253), and everyone who has supported me, KUBE93. S: What would you like to let the world know? HR: I'm coming. I'm energetic, I'm bringing the competition and I'm just trying to do my thing. So look out. Performance: There's something about Hot Rod that's magnetic. From the first sighting of him you're simply drawn to his personality, charm and the star like qualities that he exemplifies. What else can I say but, kid do yo' thang. Day 2 Hot Rod is:
*For other stories on E-Dawg & Hot Rod, check out, "In The Outfield with Lil' Romeo" along with pictures from the event in the "Music" and "Flix" sections of Seaspot.com. Special Thanks To: Hot Rod, Tangee Mead, and AJ |
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