From the moment the cat's paw jams an AK47 thumb drive in the laptop, O'Grime's new "B.A.N.D." video is a masterpiece of tacos, women, guns, drugs, and money.
O'Grime's L. Rey and Niko Javan have created their own universe, mythology, and language, and invited Lofty to join them for a song. The result is a sick track of freestyle-driven lyrics, and an insistent beat that demands respect for having girls that "bring a nigga dough, and don't even have to ask them."
We here at Crossfade caught up with O'Grime to talk about the meaning of Yoppas and girls who don't like to be called bitches or hos.
Crossfade: How do you approach a girl to bring you shit without asking?
L. Rey: I pull up to the strip, I put a dollar on the booty, get her a bite of my chalupa, and tell a bitch, "Go bring my shit." My first move is always to give a ho a bite of my chalupa. I keep my taco with me, smack the hoe in the booty, bitch gon' bring all my dough.
How'd the song come about?
Niko Javan:The line "Bring A Nigga Dough" is something I sampled from a song called "Udonis Haslem," which was O'Grime and Metro Zu's first collab. I took Lofty's voice, turned it into the hook, and then they recorded their verses over it.
You did the video too right?
Niko Javan:Yeah. I taught myself that type of animation. I would come up with different scenes, and each clip took a couple hours to make, even if it only lasted for a couple of seconds. So I took the concept of the song, of being pampered by women, and sort of turned the visuals into a representation of the lyrics.
See also: Metro Zu and O'Grime Talk Kush, Chi, and the American Dream
That big gold thing is like a money monster or something right?
Niko Javan: Yeah, the money created the monster.
How else did you come up with the scenes?
Niko Javan: Looking back, it was almost like a freestyle. I don't know what I was trying to say sometimes. It's not really a method to the madness, it's just crazy shit. I was trying not to think about it so I won't get held back. Sometimes, trying to think will hold you back.
What inspired your lyrics?
L. Rey: Gotta work these hos. Just working these hos has motivated me. My hos are smart. All my hos got a job, or go to school. On top of that, I train my hos. They know I'm focused on my grind. They come through and they just know what it is. I don't even gotta say nothin'.
How many hos you got?
L. Rey: Shiiiiiit. Right now, I can't even keep a number on it. I even got virtual hos puttin' in work. I got Paypal hos, hos on the phone, hos in Lithuania. They all know O'Grime is tryin' to get it in.
What?
L. Rey: These hos smart. They wanna be attached to something bigger than themselves, bigger than they booty, bigger than they titties, bigger than they box, bigger than they life. It's the everyday cycle. They see that shit. They fuckin' with us real-ass niggas. They know about us, know'm sayin'?
What is "Yop" or "Yoppas" or "Yopping"?
Niko Javan: Yop, yop. Really, I had seen a Jenny Jones boot camp episode where they have all the little bad-ass kids and they bring in a drill sergeant to yell at them. There was this one kid that the guy kept yelling at, but he just kept saying, "Yop, yop, yop. Imma do me." So, I feel like "Yop" is "your own path." Like, fuck it. Take your own path. That's the deep sense, but yoppaz is Latin for bad medicine and slang for ecstasy and guns.
Say I wanna be a Yoppa too. What do I gotta do?
L. Rey: Number-one rule to be a Yoppa is you gotta Yop that bitch correctly. Lotta niggas tryna be Yoppas do it wrong and turn they selves to Noppas. Niggas tryin' to be Yoppas is Noppas. They be tryin' to get attached to hoes like a JPEG. You gotta keep that shit 100 and let that bitch know what it is. Keep your mind on the Hot Cheetos, never put no ho before yo' nigga, wake up everyday, and just do you.
And then......
L. Rey: Hos gon' follow. They gon' see you focused, tryna betta yoself, and they gon' wanna help you.
Damn.....
L. Rey: The concept is just livin', doin' you, don't care what anybody else thinks. They can try and lock you up, but they can't lock up your mind. And then the hos bring the dough.
How did you get down with Mad Decent?
Mostly it started out through Twitter, y'know, talkin' to people whose music I like. I started talking to Derek who is an in-house producer at Mad Decent in L.A. He said, "You should really come out here to the studio. We went to L.A. for nine days and stayed at the studio, then continued our trip to San Francisco and the Bay Area. And that's how the project came about.
Which song did you work with them on?
Derek Allen is featured on "Yopacalypse." I had sent it to him previously and he really liked the vocals. We flew over to L.A. and really worked on it, played it back hundreds of times till we almost got tired of it. Came back and it was completely different.
I saw a music video where you stuck a funnel in a girl's ass and poured water in it, what was going on there?
L. Rey: It was Grey Goose. That bitch was thirsty. She was like, "Who got the funnel?" I got one butt cheek and Ruben Slikk got the other, and we filled her up. She got drunk quick. She's a porn star named Lana Rain. We only fuck with smart hos. Porn star hos got more money than people think. It was her and another bitch named Candace Luxx, two wild-ass hos from Georgia.
What do you say to girls who might like your music but don't wanna be called bitches and hoes?
L. Rey: We not tryin' to talk down to women, We tryin' to bring them up. We have love songs about treating women right. They just gotta be smart and pay attention. The real ones know wasup. If the hoes don't know, fuck it. We 'bout that posh Yoppa shit.
Any shout outs?
L. Rey: Shout my nigga Buss Moves, Fat Nick, and Puerto Rican Smokey. My album comin' 2014.
What else is next?
I have another video coming off my last solo mixtape. Then L. Rey's solo debut album, Puerto Rican Smoke. I'm always working on some different crazy shit.
