Interview: Joe Cool Talks Chicago vs. Louisiana, Working at McDonald’s, and "I Wanna Sell Drugs"

A new generation of rap is upon us. This new crop of emcees were freshmen in high school when Get Rich or Die Trying dropped and graduating when Soulja Boy redefined buzz. 22-year-old Joe Cool has an interesting story to tell. The young spitter, who was recently interviewed MTV and subsequently quit his job at McDonald’s, has a riveting song titled “I Wanna Sell Drugs” from his majority self-produced project Cooley Hi. He’s from Leedsville, Louisiana, a small town in the South, but his experiences in his hometown, Chicago, and with Houston’s screwed music have shaped his sound. Read below to find out more about his music, growing up in Louisiana and Chicago, and working at McDonald’s before his NYC debut at SOB’s on July 18th.

So how did it feel to get on MTV recently? How did it go about?

Dolly, my manager, kind of linked that up for me. After the tape we had a little bit of buzz, we did a little bit of touring and we just used that and she just linked it up. Then I shot out to NY and we did MTV, and Sirius Radio. That’s my first time ever coming out to New York.

Yeah? You were in cabs and the whole nine and shit?

[Laughs.] Yeah, I had the whole experience. Chillin’ in Manhattan, eating pizza. Waddup to LRG!

They’re working with you as well right now?

Yeah, They’re definitely cool peeps. We keep in contact.

Maybe you guys will do a collaborative tape. They’ve done a lot of great collaborations.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. I got a tape coming out with the homie DJ Waxx. He’s from the same area of Louisiana that I’m from.

How does it feel to be in this position now where people listen to your music?

I’m from Leedsville, Louisiana dog. That’s like the smallest population you can think of. The population is like 10,000 and under. So nobody from my area is doing it how I’m doing it right now because most of my area, in up north Louisiana is known for club music and stuff like that. We never had somebody come out and do what they want to do. I’m kind of like the first one.

Do you guys get influenced by Jay Electronica or Lil Wayne or even Curren$y? Do you feel a part of that spectrum of Louisiana hip-hop?

For the masses. For mainstream Louisiana, I feel like they’re really on that club scene. I listen to everything. I listen to A Tribe Called Quest. I just studied hip-hop since I was young. I’d go to High-School like I just want to battle people. I’d fucking watch 8 Mile and go to school the next day and style on people.

How did you get into hip-hop? When did you decide this is what I want to do?

I finally sat down with myself, and I sat down and thought about what made me happy and what I was passionate about. When I was in my freshman year I was like, yo, I’m about to do this music shit. I was doing my music since I was 16. Locally, people knew me because I had all the quality music. I was making my own beats, recording and engineering and marketing my own stuff. I started gaining all this respect and credibility. So around Louisiana people took me serious and I took myself serious. So after high school I was like, I don’t want to go to college and pay these loans. I believe in what I’m doing and I’m passionate about it so let’s go.

How did your folks feel about that? I know a lot of that was the inspiration for your single “I Wanna Sell Drugs.”

It was hard, bruh. I had to convince my mom. I’m the oldest son and grandkid so she was like, you’re going to college and all this, blah, blah. Our family came from Chicago, and my mom joined the military, and she moved us down here pretty much. From then on she was on me. She just wanted me to do something good for myself but this music is good for me.

So you had a big city influence in your family already.

Yeah, that’s kind of like my niche, because I’m still Louisiana as fuck but all my background is Chicago. I stayed there as a kid and I stayed familiar through my cousins. Obviously Kanye and Common were big influences there. Then when I got down here I got influenced by the southern side of things. I was listening to Boosie, Webbie, Screwed Up Click, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire and all that Texas shit. Leedsville is right on the border of Texas, and when I first got down here Mike Jones was big. He was still underground. I didn’t even see Mike Jones face. I didn’t see anyone’s face until the video for “Still Tippin.” When it came out mainstream, everybody was like, “Ah, shit.” But we we’re already on it, bumping screw.

I feel like Louisiana hasn’t really had their next movement in a minute. Master P — that happened. Cash Money — that happened. But that’s just one side of it all. People know about trapping but not this kind of trapping. People go to college, they come back and they just get stuck here. People become content. People go to the club, hang out, and go to Walmart. The shit that I’m doing I take it to heart, because I can say, “It don’t matter that we in Leedsville, you can do what you want to do.”

Where’s the name Joe Cool come from?

My real name is Terrence. I used to go by the name T. Brown. But when I got older and I was working on my tape that I never released, I made a freestyle that was on the “Everybody” beat by Fonzworth Bentley. I was like, “Yo, it’s Joe Cool,” and that shit just felt right. I was on this Peanuts, Charlie Brown thing. I was really animated with it. So it just kind of stuck.

How did the process go about with Cooley Hi? Was it different than before?

Yeah, it was because the first tape I just put together a whole bunch of stuff just to put it out for no reason. I just did it because I never really released anything. I learned the business side of shit and everything. When I did Cooley Hi, I just took everything I learned and put it into that. I’m older now. I know more about what I want. I just wanted to make a solid sound. I just wanted to balance everything. I loved including the crazy soul samples but at the same time the crazy ass bass.

What do you use to produce this project?

I use Fruity Loops demo version. I’ve been using it since I was like 16. I was downloading shit and trying to get shit from my homies but it never came out how I wanted it. I always wanted my own sound. A lot of the young guys coming up produce their own stuff, like Travi$ Scott.

Your manager told me you were working at Mcdonalds before. Are you still there?

[Laughs.] Yo, I quit. I was working at McDonald’s for a mean couple of months. When I went to NY on MTV I was still working at McDonald’s. I don’t know any artist doing that. I just quit when I got back from opening for Curren$y in Texas on his Jet Life Tour.

I feel like Louisiana hasn’t really had their next movement in a minute. Master P. That happened. Cash Money.That Happened. But that’s just one side of it all. People know about Trapping but not this kind of Trappin’. People go to college, they come back and they just get stuck here. People become content. People go to the club, hang out, and go to Walmart. The shit that i’m doing I take it to heart because I can say, “ It don’t matter that we in Leedsville, you can do what you want to do.”

Did you think your song “I Wanna Sell Drugs” would connect like it did?

I made the beat. I was in one of my homies’ studios just fucking around and the beat just started talking to me. I was trying to rap and working at McDonald’s. I wanted more money because I could get me a car and do all this shit I need to do. A lot of my homies when I first got down here sold drugs and it made me think about it. I felt like it would have been easier for me because I was so connected to it.

I guess it’s a good thing you’re pretty good with the music thing.

Yeah man, I just had a homie come home from selling drugs. It’s kind of sad, you can get years behind selling weed and stuff.

So what’s next for you?

The name for [my next mixtape] is going to be Drivers Ed because I feel like I took my courses and now it’s time to take the drivers seat. It’s time to play. I know I’m going to release it this summer. I’m opening for Elzhi in July at SOB’s. I plan on doing me, and so far it’s been working, man.