Although I didn’t speak with Pusha-T I did have a nice conversation with prolific Atlanta rapper Tony Shhnow a few weeks ago. Lightly edited for the sake of clarity.
“Good advice is just advice but this advice might save your life.”
– Tony Shhnow (“Born”)
When I got in the streets, I wasn’t aiming to be in the streets. I got in the streets as an investment to be in rap. I’m proud of myself, cause, I knew what I was coming to do. I remember when I cut the streets cold turkey with no income. I went from being the man that paid for people to get in clubs, paying for girls to get their hair done, Ubering anywhere, flying everywhere. I went from that to nothing.
It was Chinese food and pizza every day. Never getting a haircut. And I don’t have a haircut now–that’s on purpose–but there was a time when I didn’t have the funds for it. To be where I’m at today, with nearly the same amount of money I had when I was trapping, it’s fye, it feels good, it feels great.
Would you say that was your most uncomfortable time?
Slick, but that time made me who I am today. I love it when my back is against the wall. I really love when they count me out. I like to work. I like grinding. I feel like I heard in a basketball interview to fall in love with the process. My album just dropped and I’m still recording. That’s every day. I’m going to record when you leave. I love grinding, I’m going to keep making songs.
I don’t care about the shine. It’s cool and all but that’s not what life’s about to me. I’m trying to be the first real rich nigga in my generation of my family. I’m trying to make sure all the little kids got cars when they graduate. I’m trying to make sure all my aunties have a nice crib.
All I do is rap and play Zelda, Mario Kart, and Kirby, but that’s it, I cut everything off. I don’t even kick it with nobody. If you want to kick it with me you’re coming to rap or watch me rap.
What’s the regimen like? What time do you wake up? What time do you start rapping?
I probably wake up around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. I probably rap until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. Maybe 11 p.m. And then probably go [expletive] some bad [expletive]. Wake up in the morning and do the same thing.
You don’t get bored?
I do brain teasers. Some rappers try to make hits or whatever the hell that means. If all you think is hit, hit, hit, a nigga can get, like, what’s that word? Word block?
Writer’s block?
Yeah, a dude can get writer’s block off constantly trying to make a “hit.” That means all they’re thinking about is what people want to hear. I just make music. I’ll rap on old-school beats; I’ll pull up a beat from the 1950s or the 1970s and rap on it. I’m literally challenging myself with the words.
Not everything is about to get dropped, a lot of songs might, but it’s literally for myself. I’m making music for me, it’s not even for consumers, but to better myself and better my skillset to hone in and sharpen my iron.
When did you start to feel like you were having a breakthrough with your skillset?
Probably around the time I dropped Black Billionaire Club. Then I started doing Killstreak. Something just unlocked in me. I was like, bro, you could really be one of the most lyrical rappers in Atlanta, or in the south, or in the USA, in the world if I keep working and grinding because I surprise myself every time.
I feel like the basketball player doesn’t know if every shot is going to go in. He’s just up there shooting until it starts dropping. It’s the same thing with rap. I’m just in there messing around and it turned into something. Now I got my form and can pull up from anywhere. That’s how I feel, I feel like I can rap on anything now. I’m not scared to touch anything.
I don’t care if Lil Wayne rapped on it, if Jay-Z rapped on it, if Jimi Hendrix sang on it, I don’t care if Marvin Gaye hummed on it, whoever it is I’m going to try my hardest and I’m going to be remembered. I’m going to be remembered. I don’t care who the original record was by, you’re going to remember my verse.
What’s one thing you want out of rap?
I want a GRAMMY independently. That’s why I do the street albums. I could do the mixtape route, like the Pharrell tape, and still be lit, but that’s not gonna get you a GRAMMY though. That’s why I make tapes like the Reflexions, Dis Should Hold You Over, and Da World Is Ours because I know that those could be nominated. And I love rapping over other people’s material, but there’s no real reward…
There’s no trophy for it…
Yeah, there’s no trophy and I want to give that to my mom, like, I made it. I told you I was going to do this.
What was your first rap trophy?
Right now the trophy for me are the Pitchfork reviews.
Reflexions getting a 7.5 is not a bad rating.
Yeah, but I’m going for an 8 though. An 8 or a 9.
Aiming for that Best New Music.
I want that. I feel like that’s gonna be a real trophy. I feel like I got two silver medals around my neck right now, but I need the gold.
Okay, so tell me this, what basketball player is Tony Shhnow?
That’s a crazy question. Of all time? I feel like, of course, I want to say I’m Kobe. Because that’s my favorite player and I feel like I’m clutch. But I feel like… Tony Shhnow is Curry, I can’t miss! That’s what the fans say.
*The room erupts in laughter*
So, based on your producers, who is your Golden State?
Klay is Cash [Cashcache]. Benny [Popstar Benny] is like Draymond. SenseiATL is lowkey Iguodala. And Jordan Poole is Grimm [Grimm Doza].
Last question, what would you say to independent artists right now about the grind?
Don’t look at numbers and put up the 10,000 hours. Put up the 10,000 shots. Nothing happens overnight unless you’re about to do a gimmick, but I can only tell you how to be great. It can go tomorrow if you’re a gimmick, but if you want some real [expletive] that’s going to last, you have to grind, work hard, perfect your craft, and pace yourself.
And go get a [expletive] job. Don’t think you’re too cool to get some money. When things got hard and I was eating ramen, I got a little side job, but I was still rapping.
Where was your job at?
My auntie owned a pressure washing company. I was going around Atlanta washing driveways and sizing up houses. It was a blessing because she owned the business so I went to work whenever I wanted.
I remember going to Sensei's house and I would still be in the uniform. I still got the gahdamn shirt and the pants on. People at home weren’t going to see that. And even if they did, I didn’t give a [expletive] because I’m grinding.
-Yoh