Project Pat: Gangster & A Movie

November 9th, 2007 Author: Brandon Edwards

HipHopDX.com

Memphis rap legend Project Pat is in a good space. He coolly chooses his words with an undertone of optimism and rightly so. 2007 has been a good year for Patrick Houston and his Hypnotized Camp as Three-6-Mafia earned an Oscar nod for penning the seductive “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” off of the Hustle and Flow Soundtrack, struck a deal with MTV for the famed reality series Adventures in Hollyhood, and the fall release of Pat’s fourth studio album, Walkin’ Bankroll. The recent success isn’t overnight or unwarranted.

In 1999, Project Pat made his debut with Ghetty Green; a sonic introduction into the harsh urban terrain of Memphis, Tennessee. He rose to stardom with his sophomore follow-up Mista Don’t Play: Everythang’s Workin’ which featured chart topping hits like “Chickenhead” and “Don’t Save Her.” After numerous run-ins with the law, Pat was eventually booked on a parole violation for felony gun possession and had to serve a brief jail sentence at the height of his success. Post American Gangster madness, a prison-free Project Pat divulges on his particular taste for mob flicks and hood DVD classics as well as his plan to further conquer the Hollywood hills. Read on as "Mr. Googly Moogly" raps with HipHopDX about diversifying ones hustle and sets the record straight on what a real gangster is with the upcoming sequel Choices 2 and a long awaited autobiography.

HipHopDX: What are some of your favorite gangster movies?

Project Pat: I just like Scarface and Superfly.

DX: What is it about those movies that standout to you?

PP: I just like Scarface 'cause it shows how he came up and kind of showed what was going on at the time in the '80s with the Columbian drug trade and all that and you know, it kind of fascinated me a little bit. I liked it and Al Pacino is a good actor and I think he did his thing in the movie. Superfly was the '70s and talking about cocaine in the '70s you know, it just showed us back in the day and I was always fascinated by the '70s. Memphis is a city that thrives off pimpin' and all that... It was just something that I caught onto.

DX: What's the correlation between gangster movies and rap music?

PP: Well, what they're basically saying in the rap industry right now you know, people are talking about the streets and the streets is what's motivating the rap game and down south that's all we really wanna hear. We don't wanna hear nothing else, I mean you know the gangster shit, the shine, the hustlin' you know… People look up to what they know, it's all they know and grew up around and they see everyday and it's what they can relate to better.

DX: Did you ever star in a movie?

PP: Yeah, we had the movie Choices.

DX: Right. It was like a straight to DVD hood flick.

PP: It was about a guy named Bad Choices. Me, DJ Paul and Juicy J wrote the movie. It's a straight hood movie and we supposed to make a Choices 2.

DX: What influenced y'all to do that?

PP: We working on the Adventures in Hollyhood string of movies. We got the script already written for Choices [2] so we'll drop the Adventures in Hollyhood and prolly drop Choices right after it.

DX: Three Six Mafia and Project Pat have been making gangster music forever. Was it always a dream to get into movies?

PP: Well man you know, when it started coming and happening...it just started happening. God gave us the talent and ideas and we just run with it.

DX: Was in the back of your mind and just waiting on the right door to open?

PP: Yeah, we just saw the door open and we ran with it. It's all about the money and we just trying to get it.

DX: Okay. I hear that. We got hardcore classic gangster films like Menace 2 Society and Goodfellas, are you familiar with those movies?

PP: Aww man, I keep 'em in my DVD player. They're in there right now!

DX: Which do you prefer; street movies or mafia flicks?

PP: I love 'em all but I like the mob flicks. The street movies is cool and I like them too, don't get it twisted but the mob flicks be hood. It be stuff that really happens. I like all the mob flicks.

DX: I guess you can relate more to the hood flicks because it's nothing new to you…

PP: Mob flicks are interesting. You hear stuff about 'em then see what they was doing. That's all that is. Just to see what they was on back in the days and see what they was doing.

DX: Have you seen the film American Gangster yet?

PP: Nah, I haven't been to the big screen.

DX: But you've seen trailers and I guess hearing about Frank Lucas is interesting?

PP: Yeah and I've always been a Bumpy Johnson fan anyway so...with Frank Lucas, when I heard about it, I didn't know he had a dude that carried his thing on like that. I didn't know that and I wanted to see how that was and see how they rolled.

DX: Do you think gangster movies influence rap albums or the music influences the films?

PP: Well...you said the movies influence the rap?

DX: Take for example recently where the movie American Gangster influenced Jay-Z to make a new album. Often at times it seems like gangster movies influence many artists and rap albums. Do you think it will continue or the tide will change and music will start influencing movies?

PP: I don't know, I don't know what Jay-Z was doing. I think it was a good move on his behalf but that's about...I don't know, I think the streets is what's motivating the dirty south records down here man. Just the grind and how dude's is hood out here and that's what we talking about, what we seeing and what's going on. I don't think the movies...You got dudes that come out first rapping and then make street movies, they got underground movies on DVD and all that so I don't know if it's the music that motivates a lot of stuff. Like the American Gangster story is about Frank Lucas and he's like an old icon that a lot of people didn't really know about, some people did. I think it's a good story and good concept and you know, I thought it was gonna hit pretty big.

DX: You kind of proved to be a real American gangster because at the height of your success you put in work, served time in prison and you're now back to doing the music again. Would you agree?

PP: I mean, yeah I would agree. I'd accept that, yeah. It's like a lot of people, a lot of fans and we got a big fan base in Hypnotized Minds and people just glad to see me out and everywhere I go people is like, "Man, it's good to see you out. You're doing your thing; you're back on, TV and rapping, you making good music…We buying it and we loving it." "Don't Call Me No More, Don't Text Me No More" is off the album Walking Bankroll and it's in stores right now! It’s the number one ringtone in North America. Anybody else say any different they lying!

DX: How was it making the new album Walking Bankroll?

PP: Aww man it was beautiful. Real talk, I had got my vibe you know, going on these promotional shows. I had got out and people was booking me for shows left and right. I was out in Alabama, little towns in Georgia, that's where I get my vibe from mainly, them little towns. Them little clubs they be wiling and I get my vibe from up in there. I went up to LA to the studio Paul and them got and murked it. It didn't take me no time. We just signed this dude Young D, Hypnotized Minds signed him and he real hot. We just working and out here trying to get all the money we can.

DX: Can we expect a Patrick Houston version of American Gangster anytime soon…If not a movie, maybe a book?

PP: I got a book out and I'm still working on it. I finished it but I got some more stuff to add to it and I'm gonna try and drop it like once we drop this Adventures in Hollyhood [movie] and get some more things off the ground, I'ma try and drop it around that time. In the book I'm talking about the whole Fed thing and talking about these streets and how dudes...it's all falsified now. It's no honor and dudes is talking about they this and they that and it's all garbage. There are some real guys and real soldiers out here but you know, then I'm also bringing the truth to the streets. There's nothing to glamorize, this is real and if you get in this, this is what's coming with this. That's how I always try to keep it. Basically like the raps but I'm just writing a book version. It got my life in the book and it got people's lives in it who I was around. And it's real, the whole book is "fiction" but it's based on a true story. I can't put people out there and incriminate people. I'm working on a title now and it's gonna be fire!