RASHEEDA EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
CHAMP MAGAZINE
The Boy Hollywood
CHAMP: What are you up to at the current moment?
Rasheeda: I’m actually getting ready to go to a birthday party with some friends of mine.
CHAMP: We’re getting ready to launch the Certified Hot Chick album, which is dropping in June?
Rasheeda: The album is definitely dropping June 16 and it’s Certified Hot Chick with 21 songs on the album and it’s just great music. Great music with substance. I mean stuff.
CHAMP: How do you feel about the anticipation towards the album so far?
Rasheeda: I feel good about it I mean you know it’s my 5th album so I definitely know everything that comes along with it and with releasing and I’ve seen the music industry changing over the years. There’s still a format to getting ready to release an album and all the work that comes with it. I’m excited. I’m just glad to do what I love.
CHAMP: No doubt. Like you mentioned this is your 5th album that you’re dropping. I would assume that there’s some growth on this album but in terms of the process for this album, what was your vision when creating this album?
Rasheeda: It’s funny because the album is really like a manual for like us women but you can say for the men as well, because it’s like we’re letting the fellas know what women won’t take and letting them know that we have standards. I have songs like “Compliment” , “We Being”, “ Show You to the Door”, and then of course I have the empowering hood song “Boss Chick”. It goes from one extreme to the next, but it’s also something for the fellas, because it’s kind of letting them know that ok this is why we’re acting the way that we’re acting. This is what goes on ‘cause we know you cheating and doing wrong, but at the same side some of us have a good man and we wanna talk about that and put that out there, ‘cause I have a joint “Don’t Let Me Get Away”, which is pretty much self explanatory right there. Songs like “If I Was Your Girl”, is letting you know hey I cooked for you, I cleaned for you, and you doing everything right and it’s all good. You can get all this from me. I have a lot going on on this album and it’s really a great manual and music reception with a meaning. Whatever you’re going through there’s something for you to listen to. Then I got the hood joints, like the street ghetto hood joints like “So Official” and “Ridin’ Fly” and “Boss” so I got something for everybody on the album period!
CHAMP: Now in terms of the album are you still working on it or is the album actually complete right now?
Rasheeda: The album’s complete, turned in, ready to roll, 21 songs.
CHAMP: Now is the final product exactly how you envisioned it initially?
Rasheeda: You know what; it is to a certain extent. At first I was thinking 17 songs, but my mind was clicking and the creativity was flowing and then I was adding more records.That was the only thing that was different from the vision I had before.
CHAMP: You had actually shot a video last week. Was that for Boss Chick?
Rasheeda: Yeeeah! That was Tuesday. Just now recuperating from that. That’s some hotness right there lol
CHAMP: I’m kinda upset we didn’t get the invite for the behind the scenes exclusive but it’s all good…
Rasheeda: See that’s where y’all missed out. I mean I had all the bossy chicks all up in there too. It was boss chick from all ends of the video, from start to finish. Y’all missed out, but next time don’t be slippin’
CHAMP: Not at all not at all lol. For the video like you mentioned there are boss chicks from beginning to end. What else was the concept you were incorporating in the video for the single to stand out on a visual aspect?
Rasheeda: You know what. One thing that myself and Frost, which is the CEO of D-Low, we wanted to showcase all genres from different nationalities and on different sides. You’ll see me as a boss chick doing my thing, holding it down, like I be doing ‘cause I ain’t slippin’ and then you’ll see the young ladies in the video who are the strong sexy confident. We have Asian women, Hispanic women, African American women, White women in the video just holding it down and showing that boss chicks come in all different shapes and sizes and all colors period. We in control, we holding it down and this is just what we do.
CHAMP: Got you. To Rasheeda, what is your definition of a boss chick?
Rasheeda: A woman who is in control, confident, sexy, not scared to chances, the captain of her own ship, and not just dependent on anybody. Somebody who can handle they own and rumble with the fellas if need be and then at home cooking dinner for they kids. It’s just an all around strong woman.
CHAMP: Who do we got featured on the album production-wise and artist-wise?
Rasheeda: Production-wise, I really focused on my in house team, which is the D-Low team, which is Frost and Slim and they produced over half of the album. Then I worked with a couple new producers. One named Sparks. He’s out of Cincinnati and another producer named Selassi, who’s an up and coming producer/artist so I got some heat, I got some heat! Slim of D-Low produced “My Bubblegum” “Touch Ya Toes”, and those records before so the chemistry is ridiculous when we in the studio.
CHAMP: Of course the game has made a weird change in terms of how to market your music. The ringtone game is quite heavy and you actually had some ringtone sales as well. What are your thoughts and views on ringtone money vs album sale money?
Rasheeda: Album sale money: if you sale the units there’s more money. Ringtone money is if you sell a lot of ringtones, you’ll make money. You’re getting 99 cents vs $9.99 or $10.99 or $11.99, so if you’re able to sell a lot of ringtones, that’s a really good look, because yes you will make some money, but if you’re able to sell a lot of albums, ain’t nothing better than that because you’re making quadruple the money, and all your product is getting out there and people are able to jump into your world and are able to listen to your whole album. Overall, we wanna sell those albums.
CHAMP: Being a very attractive artist. What would you say are the pros and cons that you face in the industry because of that?
Rasheeda: That’s a funny question. Being that I’ve been an underground artists, a lot of people really haven’t put a face to me over the last years. Nobody really would look at me and be like oh she’s just gon’ get on ‘cause she’s cute. Nah. A lot of people heard the music first and then saw me and would be like “Oh that’s you?!Nah you ain’t Rasheeda”. So for me it was kinda like a different thing and I’m glad that people focused and liked the music before they even saw what I look like.
CHAMP: Now is there gonna be a promo tour for the album and are you gonna hit up Toronto?
Rasheeda: I’m tryina get up there; hopefully I’ll get up there. I’ve been to Germany, Africa, all over the United States, and we are working on putting together a promo tour. We got some stuff penciled in right now, and we’re definitely working on it and I do hope we get up that way ‘cause I haven’t been to Canada so when I do find out I’ma be calling you to let you know.
CHAMP: Alright! So let the people know when the album drops again, and what else can we expect from Rasheeda in future?
Rasheeda: Please just know that the album is coming June 15, it’s called Certified Hot Chick. Right now I have a sneak peak sample available for you guys. It’s the Certified Hot Chick EP. It’s available on ITunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, wherever you go online and get your music from. I’m also gonna be dropping an album with Candy formerly of the group Xscape. Together we have a group called Peach Candy, so that project will be coming out late summer early fall. She’s also the newest member of a popular TV show called The Housewives of Atlanta so that’s a really good look, and I’m really focused on getting in the game and holding it down for the ladies and giving us something to be proud of. Also looking to place in some movies. “My Bubblegum” was placed in Paul Blart: Mall Cop and it’s doing extremely well. Went two weeks in row over 160 million at the box office, also on the Showtime Series called United States of Terror, CSI:Miami, Lincoln Heights, so that’s one thing we’ve been focusing on with publishing and just looking to continue to grow.
BOSS CHICK - RASHEEDA
