Woo Child: The RAPstation Interview
By Chris Hensley
Woo Child has just released a slick new video for "Center Stage," the second single off his new EP Hiers. "Center Stage" features soulful St. Louis crooner C.Jay Conrod and the entire EP is produced by three-time S.L.U.M.fest beat battle champion JBJR. Fresh off the heels of the fiery debut single "Don't I" (a rapper's rap song in the best way), "Center Stage" celebrates chemistry of the human element. Woo's music has been used by the WWE as entrance music, in official MLB and NFL network TV shows, and he's also featured in the soundtracks for video games Saint's Row 3 and UFC Undisputed 3. We recently got a chance to talk to Woo Child about his music exclusively for RAPstation.
RAPstation: What made you decide to start rapping?
Woo Child: I had always been a writer, doing poetry slams and stuff like that. When my folks in college at Washington University [St. Louis] formed a group and asked me to spit some of my writtens, I jumped at it. We performed at Sounds of the Swamp, a campus-wide event that allowed bands to compete for a slot at our larger event called Wild. We didn't get it the first time, but eventually got booked for Wild and killed it; voted best at show. But that first show was it for me. The crowd response, the energy; I was hooked. I was recording in my dorm on my roommate's PC with a Radio Shack mic, putting together my own little solo demo cause folks wanted more from me specifically. I stuck with it and kept grinding.
Which rap album influenced you the most and why?
I'd say Redman's Muddy Waters. In my mind, Red is the dopest emcee to ever do it. That's a collab I'd love to do to this day. His wordplay, the energy, schemes all spoke to me and got me amped. Then I saw him and Method Man perform on the Hard Knock Life Tour, and they went flying through the air while performing "How High." I was blown away.
How has the response to the Heirs EP been?
Amazing. Off this little EP and the videos, I'm booking the Heirs Tour for April. That's a big thing for an indie artist; to be able to hit the road and reach the people, and even more than that, have talent buyers believe in your product enough to take you out your local scene and rock. It's all so crazy right now, but I'm loving it.
What's the St. Louis rap scene like?
Growing. I'm loving the energy that's coming out of the city right now,and I see myself as the dark horse. I try to set myself apart by doing things nationally, like licensing my music to WWE, getting my music placed in video games, stuff like that. With this new video, I think I raised the bar for the city. This type of quality doesn't hit the local scene very often, if at all. We're trying to take this one to MTV, Revolt, Fuse, everywhere and really leave a mark. I rep STL and my hometown, Flint. I got a lot of people pulling for me right now. I'm just trying to live up to my own expectations and make them proud.
What are you working on for 2015?
I'll be trying to capitalize off the success of this tour and video, hit more cities, and try to take this tour overseas. I'd love to get some more stamps on my passport and I got fans over there that are always asking when I'm gonna make the trip. I think it's time.
Woo Child: The RAPstation Interview
Woo Child: The RAPstation Interview
By Chris Hensley
Woo Child has just released a slick new video for "Center Stage," the second single off his new EP Hiers. "Center Stage" features soulful St. Louis crooner C.Jay Conrod and the entire EP is produced by three-time S.L.U.M.fest beat battle champion JBJR. Fresh off the heels of the fiery debut single "Don't I" (a rapper's rap song in the best way), "Center Stage" celebrates chemistry of the human element. Woo's music has been used by the WWE as entrance music, in official MLB and NFL network TV shows, and he's also featured in the soundtracks for video games Saint's Row 3 and UFC Undisputed 3. We recently got a chance to talk to Woo Child about his music exclusively for RAPstation.
RAPstation: What made you decide to start rapping?
Woo Child: I had always been a writer, doing poetry slams and stuff like that. When my folks in college at Washington University [St. Louis] formed a group and asked me to spit some of my writtens, I jumped at it. We performed at Sounds of the Swamp, a campus-wide event that allowed bands to compete for a slot at our larger event called Wild. We didn't get it the first time, but eventually got booked for Wild and killed it; voted best at show. But that first show was it for me. The crowd response, the energy; I was hooked. I was recording in my dorm on my roommate's PC with a Radio Shack mic, putting together my own little solo demo cause folks wanted more from me specifically. I stuck with it and kept grinding.
Which rap album influenced you the most and why?
I'd say Redman's Muddy Waters. In my mind, Red is the dopest emcee to ever do it. That's a collab I'd love to do to this day. His wordplay, the energy, schemes all spoke to me and got me amped. Then I saw him and Method Man perform on the Hard Knock Life Tour, and they went flying through the air while performing "How High." I was blown away.
How has the response to the Heirs EP been?
Amazing. Off this little EP and the videos, I'm booking the Heirs Tour for April. That's a big thing for an indie artist; to be able to hit the road and reach the people, and even more than that, have talent buyers believe in your product enough to take you out your local scene and rock. It's all so crazy right now, but I'm loving it.
What's the St. Louis rap scene like?
Growing. I'm loving the energy that's coming out of the city right now,and I see myself as the dark horse. I try to set myself apart by doing things nationally, like licensing my music to WWE, getting my music placed in video games, stuff like that. With this new video, I think I raised the bar for the city. This type of quality doesn't hit the local scene very often, if at all. We're trying to take this one to MTV, Revolt, Fuse, everywhere and really leave a mark. I rep STL and my hometown, Flint. I got a lot of people pulling for me right now. I'm just trying to live up to my own expectations and make them proud.
What are you working on for 2015?
I'll be trying to capitalize off the success of this tour and video, hit more cities, and try to take this tour overseas. I'd love to get some more stamps on my passport and I got fans over there that are always asking when I'm gonna make the trip. I think it's time.
