Get Shawty
Hood anthems and industry beefs tell one side of Shawty Lo’s story. Thankfully, the charitable foundations and entrepreneurial efforts tell a whole different tale.

by DeMarco Williams

If you were a celebrity who struggled with Diabetes like rapper Shawty Lo, you would have probably done what he has and start a health foundation called L.O.L.O. (Loving Our Little Ones).

If you had only taken music seriously for a few years and still came out with a smash debut like Units in the City, you may have done what the laid-back Lo’s did and tease fans with a monster mixtape, I’m Da Man 3, and give them more full-length heat this spring in the form of I Am Carlos.

If you walked in Shawty Lo’s shoes –We’ll just skim over other recent highlights like the feud with T.I. and the penning of an autobiography- you might have done a lot of the same things the Atlanta native’s done in his brief time in the spotlight… well, everything besides launch your own cologne. Even by wacky hip hop standards, the business move smells a bit odd. In this one-on-one with INsite, Carlos Walker makes sense of the new scent and tells why 2010 is just the beginning of his musical ascent.

What’s going to make this year a great one for you?

What’s going to make 2010 a great one? Right now I’m working very hard with my record label and my foundation. I’m working harder than ever, you know? Just trying to be successful. It feels like I’m still an underdog. I’m just trying to reach my peak.

When you speak on being an underdog, you do a lot with your foundations and whatnot that tends to get overlooked. Do you wish you got more credit for those kinds of things?

I don’t need any more press. When it’s time, [I’ll get recognition]. [Doubters might] say I’m just doing stuff. But this is what I choose to do. When credit is due, it’ll be there. What I mean by underdog is that I’m not where I want to be in life, but I’m working hard to be there.

I saw the behind-the-scenes footage from the Atlanta video shoot. It looks like you, Ludacris, Soulja Boy and all the rest had a good time. Is that generally the case around them?

It’s nothing but love out there. We all get along. We all doing our own thing, but it’s nothing love. Everybody showed love. That’s how we do it.

How would you describe the love from rappers in other regions?

It’s all the same. Everybody respects and shows love. Everybody doin’ they own thing. It’s just love for the artist. I be out on the West Coast, East Coast, the Midwest, you know, and I get the same love. When they come to my town, they get the same love.

What all do you have on your plate, musically, for the next six months or so?

Okay, I got the new mixtape called I’m the Man 3. It’ll be released in the beginning of February. I’m working on my new album, I Am Carlos. It’s coming soon. I’ll say April.

How are you approaching the I Am Carlos recording process differently than you did with the first album?

It really ain’t that different. If it ain’t broke, I ain’t gonna fix. I’m pretty much using the same formula. I just elevated my rap skills and my image.

Specifically with the image, what kinds of things have you done differently?

Everything is different with time. Back in 2008, everybody was thinkin’ I was [focused] on the beef with me and Tip. I just wanted to be easy. Then, in November of ’08, I just wanted to show the real side of Carlos. They know Shawty Lo, but now I talk to more kids. I be at the schools. I do a lot of stuff for the people.

Speaking of the kids, why is the L.O.L.O. Foundation so important to you?

Coming from where I come from, man, it was hard. I was raised in the projects. I barely had Christmas. I barely had clothes to go to school. Just to make another kid smile [is good]. I really didn’t smile that much as a kid. It makes me feel good. I got 10 kids myself. Seeing kids smile and taking care of them makes me feel good.

Define a good rapper. What makes a rapper special?

You’ve got to give it your all. You’ve got to have your acting skills up, your rap game, your swagger. People don’t like to just see a boring rapper just standing there. Your performance [has to be good]. You have to have consistent hard work. You can’t just make one song and live off that one song. You gotta keep working like it’s no tomorrow.

Some folks thought you’d do one song and be done.

Yeah. All that motivates me. All my life I’ve been told I couldn’t do nuthin’. I can’t be mad with what people think. That kinda helps motivate me, you know what I’m sayin’? I had three hits off Units in the City: “Dey Know,” “Dunn Dunn” and “Foolish.” I had a lot of street bangers they sung in every club. Last year wasn’t a big year for me. I kinda had to reflect. I had so much going on. I’m about to make a really big comeback for ’10.

You gotta tell me how this cologne idea came about.

Basically, my manager and my publicist talked to the company about my cologne and made it work. I smelled about 10 different fragrances and chose what I liked. We got a deal done and I’m ready to roll.

Describe the scent to me.

It ain’t nuthin’ loud. It’s like a nice fragrance. It’s fresh. It’s what I like to wear. I wouldn’t put nuthin’ with my name that’s not right. All my people agree that it’s a nice smell.

Besides smelling good, what’s the best part about being Shawty Lo?

Keeping it real. Shawty Lo is gonna always keep it real, no matter what.

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