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Check out this interview with Doughbeezy to find out what it means to be “built for the streets”:

So, how’d you get your start in the local music scene in Houston?

I’ve been doing this for about 10 years.I started rapping when I was 18 or 19 and people eventually started telling me to hang it up. I thought about going at it really strong for a while longer and that’s when things started to happen. I got a call from my manager and he told me to start going to these events they were doing with local artists. It introduced me to a new scene and artist I hadn’t heard of before. I ended up going to showcases at KickBack. It was an event done through SF2, a popular store out here. I won three best artist awards in a row and that’s when I released Reggie Bush and KoolAid.

What was it like moving to Houston from Cleveland as a kid? Did you totally just immerse yourself in the culture? Do you have family back there?

Man, i moved from Cleveland to Columbus as a kid when my parents split up and I remember my mom saying she could move to Houston and get more money. That’s really all I remember. Houston is what really raised me. I rep Houston.

Being from Texas, there’s so much culture and history. How does it feel to be a new artist stepping into such a big legacy?

Man, It feels great to be standing on top of what Screwed Up Click did or what UGK did. I’m just looking to make my own legacy and keep it going.

Is Houston a long way away from Screw tapes and that culture, or is it still very relevant for the city as a whole?

Well, Like you said even if we aren’t playing the music here, someone else plays it or takes things from the culture. Even 2 Chainz walks around with the double cup and I’m sure he would tell you where that comes from. With that being said I don’t think the culture will ever forget about the Screw tapes and it’s roots. The culture never dies.

What sets Houston apart from everywhere else when it comes to style?

One thing about Houston we ain’t really caught tight jeans around the ankles and everything. People having their shirt so tight you can see they heart beating. We haven’t really got on to all that stuff. We really just stick to our baggy jeans and a fresh fade.

So where do your aliases SouthEastBeast & Doughbeezy come from?

Well i’m from the South East side of Houston. The dope boy name comes from things I did when I was younger that I’m not very proud of but DoughBeezy came about because I thought I would run into copyright issues with Pillsbury or something like that (laughs) plus people in the hood started calling me Beezy so, it just came together.

How was it performing at SXSW?

It was an honor to perform at SXSW seeing as how I was there connecting with people off the stage a year before. I felt really blessed to be in that situation.

So, your mixtape Blue Magic seems to be doing pretty good out here? Tell me about the recording process and what gets you into the mood to write?

I don’t write anything down. I haven’t written in almost four years. It’s funny, when I was thinking about giving it up, I was watching an old episode of The Fresh Prince Of Belair and Uncle Phil was reminiscing on his prom day. The Al Green song, “Let’s Stay Together” came on * Starts singing “I’m soo in love w/ you”. Man, I wrote bout 16 bars in my head and memorized it till I got to the studio. I realized it was better recording that than reading off the paper I wrote.

How did you know you were built for this Hip-Hop industry? What’s the part of it that people don’t get to see?

People don’t get to see the stress. People don’t get to see the hard work and the time away from your family and your kids.

What does it take to be in this music industry? Is this the only thing you could see yourself doing?

Well, I didn’t finish High School and it’s not something that I’m proud of. I definitely plan on going back to get that, but the music thing was something that I could always see myself in and it’s finally getting to that point. This music takes hard work and just the will to be there. Me and my guys, HeadWreckas, haven’t signed no ink on any paper at all just yet. Everything at this point has been an independent grind.

What’s coming soon?

I’m working on Reggie Bush and Kool-Aid Part 2 coming real soon. We don’t have an official date but look out for it. Shout out to Respect. and the whole team. I really like what you guys are doing over there.

How is Doughbeezy built for the streets?

I’m built for the streets because I came from the streets. My parents split when I was 7 and my mother and I moved to Houston at 13. Every since then, my mother always worked 2 jobs and while she was at work, I was in the streets. And still to this day no matter how good things get, I’ll always come back to the streets!