You just can't stop the grind of a hard-nosed hustler on a mission to stack chips. Whether in real estate flipping brick houses to earn his dough or bleeding the block brick by brick to make a come up, a true money maker is constantly on a paper chase to make his situation better.
Such is the case for Tucson, Arizona-based bad boys AZ Hustlers. Made up of first cousins Lil V and Young Bam, these two self-made street entrepreneurs used the resources they had around them had to pull themselves out of the depths of poverty. Now, they take those same goals, principles and work ethic to the music industry and earned the respect of their peers and peek position as the newest artists signed
to the legendary UGK Records.
And their hard work is sure to pay off with the early 2011 release of their highly anticipated Vista/ UGK Records album Southwest Kingz, which is set to feature several fellow UGK Records artists and major label recording artists.
“We've been hustling and struggling all of our lives,” V admits. “A lot of artist got true talent but are lazy to hustle and get it. Other artist have little or no talent but hustle harder to get it. We got both.”
Born and raised on the south side of Tucson, Ariz., both V and Bam lead the hard knock life. Only a short distance from Mexico, the city was a hotbed for ransom kidnappings and illegal aliens. Their neighborhood was plagued by drugs. So the young boys learned at an early age how to make money on the other side of the law.
“We were always in the streets hustling to eat
whether we did it illegal or legal,” explains V. “To us, it was normal growing up around hustlers, dealers, users, and thugs.”
All the while they were knee-deep in the game, Bam had his heart set on pursuing a rap career.
Everywhere he went, he kept a notebook full of raps. That was until 2001, however, when he got locked up and had to serve a five-year bid on conspiracy, weapons and drugs charges.
“After that happened, I was on the streets hustling by myself,” V remembers. “I knew while he was locked down, Bam would be crazy writing raps. So I bought a drum machine to have beats for him when he got out.”
Before long, V had a surplus of beats with no one to spit over them. As a result, V started writing rhymes. He formed Vista Records and the group AZ Hustlers with a few of their cousins, brothers and childhood friends. And in late 2006, they released their regionally successful independent debut album Arizona Heat.
The following year, Bam was released from prison and as soon as his feet touched free ground, he dashed to the studio. A few months later, they released the much-respected mix tape Real Recognize Trill.
“When Bam got out, he started running the streets again,” V confesses. “He wasn't really focused on music. He was still chasing that fast money.”
When Bam eventually committed to the music, they began recording an album but wanted to do
something dynamic. They reached out to the late
Texas veteran rapper Chad “Pimp C” Butler to
produce a track, rap a verse and sing on the hook.
As fate would have it, Bam got locked up on a parole violation before they could record and had to serve an additional five months. By the time he got out, Pimp was busy promoting the newly released self-titled UGK album, a group to which he was one-half with Bernard “Bun-B” Freeman. But before they could get in the studio to record, the untimely passing of Pimp C on December 4, 2007 would forever impede the recording. They never got the chance to record with the legend.
“We heard it on the news and I didn't believe it,” says V. “We were shocked and in disbelief.”
After hearing rumors all over the news and the
Internet that Pimp C had passed, they called Pimp’s mother, Mama Wes. They were given the shocking confirmation that indeed he had passed. Mama then asked if they would come down to attend the funeral. After a 19-hour drive to Port Arthur, Texas from Arizona, Bam and V paid their final respects alongside thousands of friends, family and fans. The family connection was undeniable and strong ever since.
“It’s an honor to be part of UGK Records. We grew up listening to Pimp and Bun,” says V. “To be signed to a label who's founder set the foundation for Southern rap, is a dream come true and a blessing.”
And they are sure to let the world know that dreams do come true with the early 2011 release of their Vista/ UGK Records album Southwest Kingz, which is set to feature several fellow UGK Records artists and major label recording artists.
“I spit it how I live. I'm not trying to be the best rapper or the best producer I'm a hustler,” V admits. “Anybody can rap or produce but if you can't hustle your raps or production what good is it gonna do you?”
AZ ALL DAY - LONG LIVE PIMP C - UGK 4 LIFE
