Doing it big from the South to the Bay, Tracy T of Money Bound Records is keeping his hustle going non-stop. Photo: Apollonia Jordan

Apollonia: So, Tracy T, I know you have the label Money Bound. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and what you bring to the rap game?

Tracy T: I'm 150 percent real and I bring a lot of flavor and realness when it comes to my music and the songs that I write and record. I bring swag and real shit to the team. It's a whole ‘nother movement with me and I have a whole different approach to this game. I'm coming at ‘em all kinds of ways, fuckin' em' up like that.

Apollonia: How long have you been rapping and what influenced you to get into the music industry?

Tracy T: I've been rapping since I was 7 yrs. old. When I was 7, I had a producer by the name of Cheeba, who was from New York. He used to write my first lyrics, and when I was 9 years old he was murdered. After his death, I decided to continue on and keep rapping. The second manager I had name was Shawn Q, who also managed the group Alliance, which was under NCE Entertainment.

Apollonia: You have an album coming out, titled "Catch Up." Can you tell us more about the album and maybe some songs we can expect on the album?

Tracy T: The album is basically an album to get people to catch up to me, when it comes to my lyrics and this whole rapping movement. I'm in the fast lane now and I done caught up with everybody, then passed them up. Now, it's time for them to catch up with me and what I've passed up while I was out here switchin' lanes. I'm trying to get them up on game. I got a song on the album called "I Got Swagga" and it's basically introducing everyone to my flavor and how I do it. I'm bringing a lot of swag to the scene.

Apollonia: Coming from the South, and seeing how the Southern artists are really blowing up, how do you think you can compete with other Southern artists or bring yourself to the level that they are on?

Tracy T: Put in the grind, work hard and keep going with it. The best things I can do is think smart, make the right decisions and fuck with the right people. As long as I know my vision and stay focused with this, I know I can make it. All you need is a million dollar vision to get the million dollars. That's all they had was a vision and they stayed with it and stayed focused and kept it going. It really ain't too much of nothing to do it; you just have to stay focused and motivated.

Apollonia: What outlook on the South do you bring that may be different from other Southern artists?

Tracy T: I've really been through a lot of shit that they been talking about and I got a lot of swag and love coming from the ladies. I know that right now they have a lot of dances coming out from the South, but everybody from the South ain't on that. I respect them for doing their thing, but that's not how I move. I'm ‘bout to come out and do the South like 50 Cent did New York. I'm going to do my own thing and instead of all the dances I'm coming out with my own sauce.

Apollonia: Tell me about your label Money Bound and how you put that together?

Tracy T: I been screaming Money Bound since the ninth grade. It's been a couple people who came and left, like Skinny from the Alliance; he was a part of Money Bound and it's tattooed on his arm. Money Bound consists of just me and my brother and a couple of other dudes who were able to bring something to the table.

Apollonia: You've been on both sides of the industry, major level and independent. What's the difference between being on a major record label versus being independent?

Tracy T: An independent label can make the moves they want to make, whenever they want to make it. A major record label might make you push your record back, and I feel you have to limit yourself on a major level and with independent the sky is the limit.

Apollonia: Who are some of the artists you've worked with in the past or would like to work with in the future?

Tracy T: I've worked with the whole Thizz Nation South, Trill Real, Young Capone, Jim Jones, Mac Mall, Magnolia Chop, Rydah J. Cyde, Gucci Mane. I've worked with a bunch of talented artists. In the future, I'm trying to work with any talented artists who are willing to be a part of this movement. I gotta hook up with Kanye one of these days.

Apollonia: You're pretty young ...

Tracy T: I turned 21 on Oct. 7th.

Apollonia: Many young people around your age aren't really motivated or got they mind right. What motivated you?

Tracy T: What motivates me is remembering when I was 7 years old rapping. That sticks with me and I was like I going to do this for Cheeba. My niggaz in the streets love me and they look forward for me to come out. So really I have to put it down for my niggaz in these streets who really didn't take the initiative to make it happen. I'm doing it for them to show that I can make it do what it do.

Apollonia: You've been chillin' out here in the Bay lately. What do you think about the Bay, the Hyphy movement and everything that's going on out here?

Tracy T: I respect everything they got going on. They have their own movement and I'm ready to get down and start fuckin' with them. Everybody movin' out here, so I'm tryna move with the movement and make it happen like that.
Apollonia: Where can someone check out your music?

Tracy T: I'm on a lot of mixtapes in Atlanta and they can check me out on them. You can hit me up on my myspace page at www.myspace.com/moneyboundreup. Shout-outs to the real and all the niggaz out there that 150 percent. If you're 55 percent or 95 percent, you ain't real and I can't fuck with you. It's catch up time...

Email Bay View staff writer Apollonia Jordan at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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