There are many benefits to working together and Hip-Hop duo Fame and Chizz with over a decade of knowing each other are certainly benefiting from double timing the industry.
In a time when groups and duos don't seem to outlast a few years, these high school friends have beaten those odds and continue to grow together all the while almost effortlessly complimenting each others dedication and talent. Formerly known to the world as The Commission, Fame and Chizz have revamped and are starting fresh. Not always an easy task, but they are most certainly up for the challenge to reach new goals and new success.
Yo! Raps caught up with the NY natives to talk about the dynamic of their duo, their past experiences interning for two of the largest labels in Hip-Hop as well as their current movement and music. Anything is possible and Fame and Chizz are proving just that.
How did you all originally meet?
Chizz: I met Fame back in 1998 in High School. We both went to Louis D. Brandeis high school in Manhattan, NY. We were in the lunch room at the same table. At the time I lived in Brooklyn and the majority of the students at Brandies either lived in Harlem or the Bronx, so we basically formed our little union and chilled together. We were cool with everyone else, but the first day in high school we were looking for familiar faces, or someone who we could consider familiar.
What do you think is the secret to being able to work together since 1999?
Fame: I think this lies in dedication and drive for the same thing. Communication is key also because being on the wrong page and not keeping a closely knitted relationship will result in things falling apart. We are like brothers. Brothers fight and bicker sometimes but at the end of the day we have a job to do and love what we do so that ends up superseding everything else.
Who have been some of your musical icons?
Chizz: When it comes to who I consider musical icons, I think of greatness, no matter the genre of music. I would have to say the late great Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Smokey Robinson, Aerosmith, Jay-Z, Biggie and 2Pac. When you ask most Hip-Hop artist that question you get the typical Jay-Z, Biggie and 2Pac and Nas answer. I consider people icons for the content of their music, the quality and of course their stage presence. There are a few more on my list, such as Kanye, I think Kanye is a soulful artists and genuinely wants to be the best artist that he can be, I don't think it is all about the money. All of these dudes have and always be iconic musical figures.
Fame, you interned with Roc-A-Fella Records, and Chizz you interned with Ruff Ryder, what (if anything) did those internships teach you that you still use today?
Fame: Being around the whole Roc-A-Fella conglomerate helped me recognize the meaning of family and business. In that polygram building I saw a group of people with discipline and one common goal that when they were focused they made history. Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders broke barriers during that time and that is what always gave us the inspiration to keep pushing. I also saw betrayal and some shadiness so from being up there I learned the good in people and the bad in people. Overall it further enhanced my scope to see the real and fakeness in people.
You are formerly known as The Commission, why the name change after so many mix tape placements, media attention and work done as The Commission?
Chizz: To be 100, it was politics, for one, it was extremely difficult to get the rights to that name. Meaning, even if we decided to continue the usage of the name, we couldn't really stop another group from calling themselves The Commission from coming out and doing whatever they wanted to do to profit from the name. Other reasons were, it was causing up a stir, people began to think we were being disrespectful to Biggie and Jay. It would have been a little more convenient if we could have gotten a co-sign from Jay or even Diddy, but that point wasn't reached in our careers, so instead of being black balled, we changed the name. You never know, maybe we will use the name again in a few, this project we are working on is bananas. You see, we are not trying to be DVD rappers, or local rappers, not even regional. Not to say that there is anything wrong with setting that as your targeted demographic, but that's not ours. We are trying to be worldwide, and at the time, that name was preventing it from happening.
You are heavily connected with DJ Premonition correct?
Fame: Yes, Premo is like family to us real talk. Premonition was the first DJ to ever get us spins out there in DC and break a record we have called Get Off on the club circuit. Premo offers his non biased opinion on our music and we respect him for that because as you come up people don't keep it real in fear of you banishing them. If Premo says it's hot, it's hot!
Who are some of the other DJ's you have worked with and have supported your music?
Chizz: Our last mixtape The Renovation was hosted by DJ Superstar Jay. That mixtape is fire, and I'm not just saying it because it's our mix tape, you got to understand, if it wasn't 100 percent we wouldn't release it. But he did a great job hosting that mixtape. For all of y'all that don't know, it's available, Google it and cop it from somewhere. Features from Skyzoo, Nina B. Esso, D. Cash, Jay Butta and more. Then you got the one before that Sleep When I'm Dead that DJ Kool Kid hosted. That was another crazy mixtape that we put out. I got to give a shoutout to all the DJs spinning our joints, I can't name you all but a handful are DJ U-Neek, DJ Premonition of course, shoutout to DJ Goldenboy from LGI Entertainment, DJ Dtweed.
You all have put out mixtapes and had many mixtape placements, any thoughts of an album?
Fame: We are actually working on an album now that we are releasing via Affiliated Entertainment Group and E1 Music (formerly Koch Records). We are making music that people will relate to and feel deep in their soul. Not really in for the one hit wonders even though we have some spectacular club songs. I look at each song we do now as a pyramid. We build it up until it is totally perfect because we plan on it being around for life times to come.
C-Tons produced your current single Get Off, how did you all link together, and how are your fans receiving the track so far?
Chizz: I want to start by saying that C-Tons is a genius, he isn't just a beat maker, he is a producer and A&R. I can guarantee that he will go down in history for being one of the best in a quick minute. To be honest, to get that beat it was like pulling teeth with the boy C-Tons at first [laughs]. When I first heard it, I was in the studio with Fame, C-Tons and Sosa Jones. When C-Tons played the beat, Sosa Jones immediately said, "Yo, that's a Fame and Chizz record right there." The issue came in because C-Tons had made that beat for someone else. However it ended out working in everyone's best interest. DJ Premonition was the first club DJ to spin that record. After that, various DJs put it in their rotation, we shot the video for it, next thing you know it had trending sales on iTunes. So that was a great record for us. It was a good jump start for everything we having going on right now and everything is sounding better and better.
What is coming up for you all besides working your single? Any touring?
Fame: Besides the single and the album we have some things on deck with the good people at the 909 Group that run a program called Drive for Diversity. It's a division of NASCAR that works on bringing minorities into the sport of racing, blacks Hispanics, women and any other minority that might be out of the ordinary to NASCAR. They have a tour coming up that we are in talks hopefully to solidify a spot on. We just came back from Charlotte driving actual race cars with Phil Horton so we are working on branding ourselves with that market as well. We also have some college homecomings we are in talks with of performing. We are always doing shows in our city and any one elses! Our stage show is crazy!
It may be different for each of you, what song that you have done do you feel is the best example of who you are as an artist and your skills?
Chizz: I feel like every song we do shows who we are as artists. I don't really change anything but my flow and content on each song. I am not trying to turn myself into an artist that is nothing like who I really am. Everything I talk about is me. From the record, to what you see when you see me in person. Like I didn't wake up one morning and say, "I want to be a rapper, so let me go get a bunch of tattoos, a fitted cap and try to fit the description." It's all natural. So if you listen to each individual record we have done, you will see that, we are who we seem to be.
Fame: I agree with Chizz but when I think of Fame and Chizz I think of a record that we have that was produced by super producer Hi Fiyve called Can You Feel It. It has the sample from The Fat Boys inspired 80's song Can You Feel It. To me that song has old and new school and allowed us to show our personality and swagger. If you have ever seen us do that live you would understand.
Have your goals from when you first started changed at all? And if so how?
Fame: Not at all! When we first started and decided to really go for the goal and take this seriously the goal was always and will always be family. We don't do this for us first and foremost because we both come from loving families. Minus a father figure in both of our lives we managed with the help of our families to rise and be some responsible young men. So for our family members that can't rap or do something to create a large amount of income we do it for them. To change the route of everyone's life as well as ours. We feel like the protectors of each of our families.
How supportive are your families of your choice to do music as a career?
Chizz: Yeah, our families have been very supportive. Music isn't something that becomes lucrative over night. You have to grind for years, put in that work. You have to have some type of team behind you to keep pushing you through it. We can stand on our own, but a team helps take that stress and anxiety off of our shoulders. Not to mention, when we first fell in love with Hip-Hop was in the 90's. Hip-Hop is completely different now than it was before. Love is love, we still love it though. Shout out to my immediate family, and my team B.Q.E and Affiliated! Let's get it.
Are you all currently with an entertainment companies or labels?
Fame: As I stated earlier we are in a one album deal with Affiliated Entertainment Group and E1 Music. We have our BQE Entertainment company that we have as well and have some other artists ready to be on deck as soon as we break down the door. We are working on doing another deal soon with The Label Music Group and Universal Records as well so we have our hands in a lot of pots right now.
Thank you for the interview, before you go please let our readers know where they can find your music.
Chizz: We appreciate you having us. People can Google Fame and Chizz and they will find everything they need to find. The single Get Off is available on iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon now. Make sure y'all copp that. Our websites are Twitter.com/FameandChizz, Myspace.com/FameandChizz, YouTube.com/FameandChizz
- By So Sincere
