1.
DJ Osh Kosh, Light Skin Mac 11, Dav.E, Ceej, Childish Major, OriginalFani, Jace, Curtis Williams, Shakir (Snubnose Frankenstein)
Wiz Khalifa on Two-9:
Two-9 the homies. I first got put onto them a lot of years ago. They were building their sound and scene It was something I wanted to watch and just be a fan of. I knew where they were coming from. We share a lot of the same inspiration. Knowing that they were making beats, writing raps, shooting videos, doing clothing and stuff like that, I just really wanted them to get as far as they could.
I got to a point where I couldn’t stand back and wait no more. I mean these are the little homies! Everybody needs to see these little dudes. I started involving them in the movement just real organically. Out of nowhere, people really started to be excited about it.
Two-9 isn’t a household name, but in their hometown of Atlanta, they’ve got a reputation. As they get more successful, they also seem to be getting more notorious. They cause too many problems. They’re reckless. They open for everyone who comes through their city. They’re overexposed.
This city, despite being so immersed in a music resurgence that spans genres, has a little more way to go to in terms of unity. When it’s real, there’s bound to be shit talked. Two-9 just signed a deal with Interscope through Mike Will, and if the ruckus they’ve already caused is any indication of what’s to come with even more success, then there’s about to be a lot of noise in Atlanta.
Two-9 and friends spoke with us on two separate occasions to take us into their world.
March 2014, in the studio
A lot of people don’t know the origin of Two-9 is that you guys all met and started building in 2009. Since then, what are some things you’ve learned both musically and personally?
Curtis
Just that when stuff be getting real, you start seeing your true friends. Even already, I’m starting to see people that are my true friends, people that been kicking it with me since before I was rapping and then other people that don’t even kick it with me or people that never really would reach out to me now. All they do is hit me up about music. I just learned to stick with my fam and not be fooled by all these people that claim they fuck with us.
Johnny
I’ve seen some people who say they’ve done stuff for us in the past. But they keep tabs on it, you know what I’m saying, they keep tabs on what they’ve done for us… instead of it being a genuine thing. It’s never like that within Two-9.
Osh Kosh
Shit, I’ve learned patience, man. It’s all about timing.
Dave
I learned just to give it your all every night, every time you go out there. You can lose your opportunity at any moment.
Curtis
You gonna get back whatever you give out.
Is there musical history in your families or have you all been the first to pursue music within your families?
Johnny
My cousin raps. Phil Nash. He was actually with DJ Jazzy Jeff. That’s why I started rapping. He used to write, turn off all the video games, all the TVs, everything, and he would write. Just so he could focus. We would sit there and be like, “Alright, well shit, we’re going to do the same shit.” He was older than us so we looked up to him.
Dave
Just being around that, I was seeing how he made mixtapes and how it was when he started rapping in the beginning of his career so I felt like that kind of stuck with me and Light Skin Mac 11. When we first started, we kind of just followed those footsteps. Like paying for studio time, printing up CDs and all that. Seeing that with our cousin, we just kind of duplicated it.
Osh Kosh
I’ve been DJing since I was like ten. My mom was like into hip-hop crazy, you know, just by her being kind of young. She had a couple DJ friends and it kinda like took me in. I’ve been DJing 21-and-up clubs since I was like 13. It’s just always something I wanted to do. That shit was fun as hell… before it was cool though, before DJing was a cool thing to do.
Curtis
I don’t think nobody in my family that I knew of was really making music. I had like some of my mom’s friends that she would kick it with. They were super into music and super into the music that my mom wasn’t really listening to. So that’s kind of what made me start liking stuff and making the type of music I like to make.
What kind of impact does Two-9 want to have this year, and how do you plan on executing that?
Johnny
It’s just energy the entire time. If you’ve ever been to a Skrillex show, it’s just turnt the entire time. But at the same time with different artists, me and my brother Dave… it’s gangsta but they call it revolutionary. That’s what they call it but it’s really some fuck y’all type shit. Fuck y’all, fuck that… just rebellious. Turn the fuck up, break something. You don’t care about nothing. Riot music.
Curtis
We trying to bring a whole bunch of different to the world. Everything is about having fun and energy everywhere. Because we’re all different. People don’t really know what to do with Two-9 cause it’s like Retro Sushi is like this, Curt does this, Fat Kids are like that. But then we do shows together, we do all that shit together.
Dave
That’s dope how we can get on stage and each artist in Two-9 has a different style and it all works together.
Curtis
That’s like having a stage at Coachella. FatKids, Su$h!, Curtis Williams. That doesn’t even make sense. It’s like if you have ASAP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, and Elton John or something. Random ass artists that all make different music—that’s what Two-9 does.
What’s the biggest hurdle you think Two-9 has had to overcome?
Curtis
This whole shit is a hurdle. I never went to college, none of that. Never had a job, none of that. We don’t have any 9 to 5s or nothing. We just make music all day, put money together to go to all these shows. We’re on shows with people that probably have tour buses and crazy shit. We got to put bread together to get a van and get there. It’s dope when we get there but if this was to all stop, we really have nothing at all.
What’s the rift between Key! and Two-9?
Curtis
Key!’s my brother. It’s pretty much… Key!, he’s like a loner, that’s like his thing. I mean, of course, people were upset and all that. Nobody made us have to switch around and made people feel some type of way. Not even just business-wise. Just as friends and stuff, you know, kind of like telling your homeboy, “Ay, I’m not about to hang out with you no more.” It’s like damn, alright. Not even just musically, it’s just like, “Damn bro, you’re not going to kick it with us anymore?”
But then like, you know, he started coming around and people started to understand what he wants to do. He’s just a loner, man. That’s it. We’re cool. But Key! is real into himself. I feel like everybody outside of Key!, we’re not dependent but we all more people type of people. We kick it, we’re goofy, we’re social, we go to parties and really be drinking and getting faded and Johnny be passing out.
If you could speak to your 13-year-old self, what would you say?
Dave
I would just say… my thirteen year old self, I was always trying to get money anyway so I would just say, “My nigga, just continue.”
Osh Kosh:
Oh, he’s such a boss! Dave is such a boss.
Dave
First of all, use a condom. Every time bruh. Not once should you take it off. Just watch out for hoes, bruh. Real shit. Watch out for the hoes. Nah, I’m just joking. But for real: hustle, bro. Read a lot of shit. Read up on shit, know shit, and don’t take shit for granted.
In terms of the Atlanta music scene, how does Two-9’s independent music stand out in a radio-dominated city?
Curtis
Radio stations wanna interview us now. Even though we’re not on there all the time, it’s just something they gotta talk about. Like, why are these dudes on MTV and not on the radio. We see these niggas all the time. Why are they getting these big shows? Why do they drop footage of their shows and it’s packed and everyone knows their lyrics but they’re not on the radio? We was just on 107.9 last night, we did a little interview. They catching wind.
7.
Dav.E, Light Skin Mac 11, Ceej, Jace, Curtis
Mike WiLL Made-It on Two-9:
Shout out to Two-9. Shout out to Raury. Shout out to Rae Sremmurd. Shout out to Money Makin Nique. Shout out to Wara from the NBHD. It’s like a blessing to see music continue to evolve and move forward. Everybody’s so young. We just pushing the creativity forward. That’s why I like Two-9, because it hasn’t been nothing like this—like a real collective group out of Atlanta—since Dungeon Family, and it’s full of creative people. I’m real excited about this movement man. We got a lot of music coming. Whether it’s with Curtis, whether it’s with Ceej, whether it’s with Jace, whether it’s with FatKidsBrotha, you feel me? The whole squad is ill. It’s a blessing. The music just continues to evolve. Atlanta’s like the new mecca, setting new trends and shit. It’s a new style here every other week. This is more than music.
June 2014, The Loft, backstage
Curtis Williams
You just ripped this show in Atlanta on the Cross Faded tour. How you feeling right now?
Like The Rock would say: electrifying.
What have you learned on tour with World’s Fair?
Don’t get too drunk. But I still haven’t mastered not getting too drunk. I been drinking Jameson, Jack Daniels. Fuck honey, fuck all that flavored shit. If you want a chaser you get you a soda or something, don’t flavor your shit. Get some Hennessy, all brown. Ciroc. Shout out to Diddy.
Walk me through this “How To Be Real” feature with Wiz.
That was the first song we did. He had made it while we was out there in LA. I really snuck in and did a verse on it. He had stepped out for a big meeting before he dropped “We Dem Boyz” with the label and shit. While he was gone I threw on a verse on it and he came back and was like, “The verse hard.” We got a whole mixtape coming.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you wake up tomorrow morning?
When I wake up tomorrow I’m gonna smoke a fat old thang and rub a fat booty.
What’s one last thing you want the people of Atlanta to know after this show tonight?
This is what the fuck Two-9’s about. All these people out here man. We gonna hang out here until people leave and then until they tell us to leave. That’s what it’s about, real shit.
Ceej
What’d you learn on this tour?
How to wrestle. I been wrestling everybody. Anybody can get it, you feel me?
What kind of drugs have been consumed on this tour?
Every single drug. Literally every single drug.
That I can name?
Name it.
I name almost a bunch of different kinds of drugs. He says “yup” after everything I name.
Yup. Everything. Trippy shit.
What are you looking forward to after this tour’s over?
We got Two-9 album coming. We don’t know when yet, but soon. Retro Sushi album is done and ready. That’s probably coming out sooner than the Two-9 album. I’m producing a mixtape for my boy Rome Fortune, it’s the sequel to the last mixtape we did, LoLo. Rome, that’s my brother for life. He’s doing this thing and we make incredible music together.
Oh, we got a mixtape dropping with the whole Taylor Gang and the whole Two-9 this summer with everybody.
Walk me through your daily routine on tour.
1) Wake up.
2) Take a shot.
3) Take a shower.
4) Take a shot.
5) Go get something to eat.
6) Get a bunch of shots there.
7) Go to studio.
8) Take hella shots there.
9) Probably drink some water by that time, got to balance it out.
10) After the studio, go somewhere and take more shots.
11) Then, after that, take more shots.
Where’s the best place you ate on tour?
I shit you not, the best place I ate on tour is American Deli in Atlanta, Georgia. I swear to God. I been all over the East Coast. Salute everybody where we ate at… but American Deli is killing everything. 10-piece, mild. Shout out to Trinidad, he’s not lying.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on tour?
I can’t say shit on record. What you just saw is all I can say. Because after that? I don’t know. Whatever. Use your imagination and you’re probably right.
What’s the last thing you think about at night?
Every night before I go to sleep I literally don’t think about nothing. I handle my business and go right to sleep.
Do you feel like there’s a new energy in Atlanta?
It’s amazing. It’s an Atlanta renaissance. I been saying that shit. Shit’s like a dream. All the talent in Atlanta is overwhelming. So to be one of the people at the top of Atlanta independently right now is amazing. Just wake me up. Just wake me up. It’s got to be a dream.
