Though most remember Charli Baltimore for her time with Murder Inc. Records alongside Ja Rule and Ashanti, her time in the game runs much deeper. Before her time at Murder Inc., Charli Baltimore was making music and had affiliations with rappers such as The Notorious B.I.G. and others. She is still making moves now.
Last week, Charli Baltimore resurfaced with her “BMB” single with Trick Trick. She is a native of Philadelphia, but Charli Baltimore now lives in Detroit and working together with Trick Trick on a new label. The next release from their new venture will be the upcoming Hard to Kill mixtape.
Hip Hop Vibe had the opportunity to sit down with Charli Baltimore and she was open about every question asked. She talked about the resurgence of the female rappers in the game and “BMB” with Trick Trick, which is also her label name. Charli Baltimore spoke on her Hard to Kill mixtape and the possibility of working with Ja Rule again.
Read the entire interview below:
How do you feel about the resurgence of females in the rap game right now? I think it’s awesome. Females have their moments in the industry and they go back and forth because it’s a male-dominated industry. But, it’s great that they’re out and there is a little something for everyone right now.
Would you go as far as to compare this era of hip hop, in general, to the one you originally emerged in? I think that rap has evolved to a point where there is something for everybody. Rappers tend to usually follow a trend and when the music changes, they changes. But, right now, there is a lane for everybody. It’s a good melting pot right now.
Which part of hip hop are you enjoying the most right now? I’ve always been lyrical with my music, so I enjoy a lot of lyrical songs that make me stop and replay. But, at the same time I love my Jeezy and 2 Chainz when I’m driving long distances (laughs). I like it all, but the lyrical is the era I came from with B.I.G. and Pac. Trap music gets me where I gotta go when I’m driving though.
Do you feel as if hip hop is ready to hear new music from you? I try to stay away from the word comeback. People think when artists are not there in the mainstream that they fell off. Most artists, especially those like me, are doing something behind he scenes. Those who closely follow my career know I have been working on music and writing for people, working with artists. A lot of my work has been behind the scenes. I take my time with the music, so I make sure it’s as perfect as possible. I don’t consider this a comeback, but I’m in the mood to put some music out there. I am doing this for the fans to give them something. I’m a quality over quantity kind of person.
Can you tell us more about the “BMB” single with Trick Trick? The “BMB” single was produced by Salom. I thought it was a great introduction record for the new foray I am tapping into. He is the president of my new label and it is a great way to introduce fans to my new mixtape, a real hip hop record. But, the beat inspired me to go ahead and introduce the Hard to Kill mixtape.
Are you pleased with the numbers the “BMB” video has done? I am, actually the video leaked before it was completely finished. It sucks, but I’m not mad at it. It has been a while since I dropped any visuals and I am getting great responses for it. We went into the video and the record knowing it was not intended to be a mainstream video, but that is the reason we shot it the way we did. Going into it, we knew what this video was. But, sometimes the mainstream sees it as something we are pushing, pushing, pushing, but we do everything as a production, nothing is treated as small. All the records are big records to us and having our own label makes it easy for us to make our own decisions. With that being said, this is only a mixtape and we shooting videos that look better than a lot of people’s albums. So, we are going in right now and aiming as high as possible.
Can you tell us more about this upcoming mixtape? Hard to Kill has eleven songs on it and we are putting out the best project possible with it. I have to say it is a personal mixtape and I am going into aspects of my life a lot of people have asked about. All of this is going into my music because my fans want and expect it. Anything I don’t put out in interviews will be put out in this tape, coming from a mental standpoint because the industry is really tough. So, Hard to Kill is the perfect title for me to introduce my project as a whole.
Will there be any other features on Hard to Kill? I have trick Trick, an artist we are currently working with Marley, L-Street, an artist from Chicago, and then Cash P from Detroit. But, I tried to keep the features low on this mixtape to reintroduce myself. I know a lot of people have features on their tapes, but I might hold off and do that on the album.
Is there any chance of you working with Ja Rule in the future? I never say never. There is still a lot of love I have for Ja over there. They really pushed me as an artist to the point that I needed. Irv Gotti had a vision for Murder Inc. where every artist dominated every aspect of music. He wanted to have something that went way beyond a triple threat. His vision was deep, but the ball ended up being dropped. But, coming out of my deal with Sony, it was a great situation and he began working with me and it was like boot camp over there and it molded me into the essence of Charli. At Sony, I don’t feel I got the right treatment to know the business and making records there. Back then, it was just rapping without even knowing how to count bars and a lot of artists went into deals lost. With the whole Murder Inc. experience, I got Rap 101, we would do 48 hour lockdowns. I do not regret being there because we had a lot of success even though it was not fully realized. But, Ja Rule is one of the most-talented people I ever worked with and I say never say never because I still have a lot of love for them over there.
Where can we find you on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? So, it’s all @CharliBaltimore. I do my social media stuff. I’m not as up on it as I should be, but you all can feel free to follow me there. My fan page is Charli Baltimore Fans. Shout out to my girl Kamera in Toronto who runs that for me.
