Larry Cheeba is a force to be reckoned with. Hailing from New England, he is able to balanced both club bangers and street wise rap with an effort that will leave you breathless. From his ode to companionship in "Get Myself Together" to the survival anthem "Hunger Pains," Larry wraps the listener in his lyrical story telling that has been a long time coming.
I had a chance to sit down and enjoy some one on one time with him.
Cassandra: First off, let me just thank you for giving me the opportunity to pick your brain, to give the people here in Texas a chance to know you .
Larry Cheeba: No problem
C: Who do you list as your influences?
LC: There are so many who have influence me musically and still continue to. I would say Nas, Biggie, K Solo & EPMD. In my car right now, I am listening to Big Lou from Street Sweepers. He 's feature on one of my songs [Hunger Pains]. He's a great artist like myself.
C: As I was listening to "Get Myself Together" there was a strong vibe that this track was for a very special woman, who is she?
LC: [Chuckles] Honestly, the record is for the mother of my kids but the inspiration for this record originally came from Sandra Thomas. In essence it's directed towards all the strong women across the globe that have held a nigga down when no one else would. If you've been incarcerated before or have family or friends that have been incarcerated you know that it's an emotional roller coaster that makes u look at the people around u…. n also the people who are no longer around you. U begin to put a lot of things into perspective n u see who is genuinely there for u. I think a lot of people who been in this situation can relate whether that person was a friend, lover, or wife to some one that was locked up.
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Cassandra: Well I can certainly relate to this track.
LC: That is the sort of reaction I want. I am bringing real life situations to my music that people can relate to. I am currently working on a video to Get Myself which will be released in the spring. It is going to be a beautiful thing.
C: From your last album, Destined for Greatness, to your latest, Tha Product, in what ways have you grown as an artist?
LC: I am more business-keened. With Destined, I had a great vision to make good music but did not have the business knowledge to really push it. With Tha Product, I am more business-keened and the material speaks for itself. I aint gotta hype it up. Artistically the people are gonna love this album.
C: Obama or Hilary in '08:
LC: Obama
C: Why?
LC: I want to see the brother win. I like a lot of his views and what he has to say. Don't get me wrong, Hilary is great candidate considering she's had the experience of being in the white house, but in my opinion, Obama is what we need.
C: As you have read and seen on TV, Obama has a lot of naysayers in the black community. Some are saying he is not black enough.
LC: With anything, you are going to have haters. If you are trying to accomplish something and you don't have haters, then you are not doing something right. I think the real question is …what would be considered black enuf & would Black America be ready to stand by what that is…
C: What advice do you have for CB readers who want to break into the music business?
LC: Stay on your Grind, stick to your craft & invest in yourself. Go hard and put your whole heart into it. Nothing is handed out in this industry for free. I have worked with many in this industry and it is not easy.
C: When it is all said and done and you have hung up your mic for the last time, what do you want to be remembered for the most? What do you want your legacy to be?
LC: I want them to know I put my all in it – my heart n I was one the best(if not the best to ever do it from New England). This is a very dog eat dog industry and many great artists from my area never got the respect they deserved or get forgotten. I want to be remembered that I stayed on my grind n went hard for my city. When Jay-Z went into and out of retirement, people looked at what he accomplished. I just want to be remembered and acknowledged for what I have accomplished for Worcester. Shout out to everybody in the 508 showin support "THE PRODUCT" is coming!!!
To learn more about Larry Cheeba, check him out on Myspace
Larry Cheeba - Hunger Pains
Larry Cheeba - Get Myself Together