Born in Galveston, Texas, Chianti represents Dallas, and is an artist that should be on the radar. As his momentum is building, people are picking up on “Pretty Picture” and “Columbiana,” his viral hits. The two songs are building plenty of buzz, at the moment.
Chianti is continuing to expand his fan base, as he channels his influences with his music. The Dallas rapper has the city behind him, a city that is rapidly growing, in hip hop. Dallas has had a handful of rappers have successes, but never this many, and so successful.
Recently, Chianti took the time out to speak with Hip-HopVibe.com, doing an On The Rise interview. He discussed his city becoming a powerhouse, plus his own rising success. Along with that, he had a message for the fans, which was to be on the lookout for more from him.
It’s a very exciting time to be apart this moment. Dallas has spent years cooking up a sound and we are finally receiving the benefit of decades of labor. I’m honored to be a key part of it.
You’ve been on a roll with your music, but were you surprised with how quickly the “Pretty Picture” record took off?
I was totally surprised by the way it took off. However, I’m so glad to see that there is still a market for heart touching music. I was reluctant to lead off with “Pretty Picture,” but now that I think about it, everybody has been judged, looked down on, or given up on. The one thing that we have in common is, “Nobody Likes It.”
Aside from “Pretty Picture,” you also have the “Columbiana” single with Mo3, are you liking the press support of that song, and how does it feel to share that success with another artist from your city?
In the studio it was a real pleasure working with MO3. He’s a phenomenal artist and truly gifted. I consider producers artists as well. King Payn has been very instrumental in bringing what he knew I had in me out and “Drop” has helped me to perfect my sound. These guys have helped me more than working with artists have. Shout out to Hood and Lil Mister as well.
Definitely, it looks like 2019 is going to be a huge year for you, what are some of your plans, as the year goes on?
It is going to be a fabulous year. Expect shows! Shows! And more shows! Promoters are reaching out to us about shows weekly. I would love to attend them all but I let my team decide what will be the best look for the brand.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk of both artist ownership, more specifically, black ownership, both of which Jay-Z talked about on 4:44, as the owner of your own label, how important is this ownership to you?
It is extremely important. It allows you the ultimate freedom to create and develop into the artist you were meant to be and not the artist you are created into. At some point you have to deal with the giants in the industry. There is absolutely no going around those guys but the key is to go as far as you can independently. Black ownership is a must. Hip hop comes from our culture and for years the people that have benefited from it the most have been those that live outside of our culture. It’s our tears, heartache, and pain from our upbringing that has produced these lyrics and melodies. The proceeds should eventually find its way back to where the sound originated.
When will you be releasing your next project?
Once we feel like we have enough people’s attention we will be dropping the EP Hard Feelings. I’d personally like to drop it during this summer but personal feelings and business have nothing to do with each other. I love music but we are also in it to make money.
Who are some artists you would like to collaborate with, in the future?
We are still networking and trying to find artists to work with. As far as collaborations go, initially we were looking to collaborate up. The issue with that is most of the bigger artists view you as a stream of revenue and not an artist yourself. I mean if you say it’s $15,000 for a feature that’s cool. While we are working out the details, at some point I’m going to ask you have you listened to the song and if the answer is no I’m not moving forward with the the deal. We will not pay you $15,000 dollars to freestyle on a track it spent us weeks to produce. At this moment I am in a creative bubble still developing the perfect project. There are artists that I want to work with. Their terms just aren’t attractive enough for us at the moment. There are two artists that I want to collaborate with we just haven’t been able to connect with them yet. Those artists are Kevin Gates and 2 Chainz.
Can you let us know where we can follow you, on social media?
Follow me
Instagram:
@chiantigram
Facebook:
Hi-Way Chianti
Subscribe to YouTube Channel:
ChiantiTV
Register on my Website:
By Stranga The Great
