While he’s more of a dominant artist throughout the streets of Miami, Florida, Ball Greezy has a softer side that only close friends and family get to see.
Oh, relax! We aren’t trying to squander his name or revoke his B-boy card at all, but if he’s expected to rhyme against melodies such as Nice & Slow, and produce dope albums like Bae Day, wouldn’t he need to be the least bit sympathetic, especially towards women?
During a brief stop through Charlotte, NC, Ball Greezy held a listening party at Queen City Basement, home of Metro Proponent Office and Studios.
Though the artist seemed a little sluggish just from touring, he still agreed to chat.
“I heard about the love in Charlotte, so I had to come and witness is for myself, and of course the empire situation that I’m involved with now. It’s my promo run for the new record that I got called, “Nice & Slow.”
“It’s spreading right now, and I’m just touching basis with the radio stations that’s been playing me. As for the ones that haven’t been playing me, I want to get them on it.”
Ball Greezy said that he dedicated this track [from the album] to the women.
“There isn’t any songs on the album that’s downgrading women. It’s uplifting them,” he declared.
“I felt as if women were the ones holding me down and uplifting me to keep going. They were telling me, 'Bae, you can do it!' That’s why I named the record Bae Day. I got part 2 coming out on Valentines. I wanna keep it sort of traditional. That’s the big inspiration behind that.”
Ball Greezy wrote the entire album—He collaborated with other artist to give the tracks a little sexy mixture.
“On the first album, I had Billy Blue, Mike Smith, Lil Dred, that’s the one with Nice & Slow. I did everything else on the album. That mix was so good that the new mix has Snoop on it, Trina, Tokyo Drift and Pleasure P.”
According to Ball Greezy, renowned artist pay attention to what’s on the radar, and then they reach out according to what’s hot at that moment.
“That’s with anything—even with women who's dancing in the exotic club. The older dancers that see the new performers that come in, who have potential, they get a hold of them first and keep them around; and they take them with them like apprentice, to get money. That’s the same thing with rappers.”
The technique seemed like a page torn right out of movie, The Players Club.
“If they want the new person, they got to go through the old to get to the new,” he imparted.
His theory isn't far-fetched at all. In a roundabout way, that’s exactly how he broke into the industry.
First of all, Kinta Cox, or known to fans as 'Ball Greezy' was born into a musical family. His father was a guitarist who played soca, calypso, among a few other melodies. His dad would host parties out of his home, that was something like a disco hall.
Well, Ball Greezy’s older brother, [another entertainer in the family], aspired to be a rapper. He was the one that helped to launch Ball Greezy into the Miami market in a more off-the-cuff kind of way.
At 14-years-old, Ball Greezy’s music subsisted at exotic clubs throughout the streets of Miami. He collaborated with the likes of Gorilla Tek, Trina and Uncle Luke, before signing his first deal with ICON Music inc.
The masterful rapper collabed with other Miami natives like Flo-rida, Pit Bull and DJ Khaled—He’s teamed up with other artist that aren’t from the feisty streets of Miami.
Ball-Greezy dropped these mixtapes, All or Nothing , Feel My Pain , Feel My Pain 2 and Bae Day, in addition to a number of other mixtapes, as well as features.
Now, after earning his musical war-scars, Ball Greezy is a vet, looking at the next round of up-and-coming rhymesters.
If he likes a person's sound, he'll work with that artist.
"To me, the new artist has a sound that's like hip hop and rock & roll. I don't knock it. A lot of that stuff is fire. I don't do that kind of music, but I listen to them every now and then.
My son listens to them, and I hear all that’s coming out his room. I ask him, "Who is that?" when I hear it— It makes me feel old," laughed Ball Greezy
"My son is twelve, but he'll ask me if I heard certain music... It makes me feel really old."
The rapper's most memorable studio session would have to be during the recording of Bae Day II. "It was a dope situation. Everybody supported Bae Day , but right now, Bae Day II it's hype, and many artist wanted to be take part in the project."
Ball Greezy said that the support is next to astronomical. It’s his season now. Even though he made some hits through the years, it's nothing compared to being in the season of success.
"Somebody told me, 'It can be your time, but it aint your season. It could be your season, but it aint your time—but when they come together...
It feels good to get to this point. It's something that I always wanted. The attention I'm receiving back from the album is good. I feel good right now, and I appreciate everything. It's what I always wanted, and what I always prayed for. Now that I see it coming along, and it's coming together, it's mind-blowing."
Ball Greezy gives a huge shout out to the ladies.
"I thank God. I always had that little advantage. I've always been able to rap, but I wasn't a cocky rapper. It was a reflection I put out, that I was cool. From that, women began to like me even more. When I step out on stage, people want to hear what I got to say, and I have to show them that I'm the full package."
Let's cut to the chase... Ball Greezy would rather share the stage with Beyoncé opposed to any other performer on the planet.
"Beyoncé is perfect. She's perfect for me. If I could do a feature with anyone, I would want to do a song with Beyoncé. Some won’t understand it, but no one would ever knock it. It's like ‘Hey, go for the gusto.’ I don't want to start small and work my way up. I just want to get straight to it."
See, Ball Greezy gets the big picture. Just go straight to the top— All gas and no breaks.
Another factoid about the artist is this, "I don't have a plan B. I don't know what I'd be doing if I couldn't study music. This is all that I see myself doing," said Ball Greezy.
"I've been doing this since I was thirteen-years-old. That's almost twenty-years."
Believe it or not, Ball Greezy has kryptonite. He's wickedly shy.
"I'm nervous at every show. Even if I know they're [fans] there for me, I get nervous. A comedian once told me that a nervous feeling is a good feeling because it doesn't hurt when you get nervous."
His music superhero is his dad.
"I listen to a variety of music. There are a couple of artist that relax me and it's therapy to me. It's passion in the music. I could say, "Bobby Womack, Bob Marley, and Teddy Pendergrass. I could say my daddy, Frank, because my daddy is the one who started the music and made sure we were good. My dad wanted us to be the Jackson 5 without the beatings.
My dad probably whopped me about two times throughout my whole life. All he had to do was just look at me. I always had my way with my dad though, and I still do.
My dad always made me feel like I was the biggest that's doing it. Even when there were times that I felt like someone else was in a better situation, he would say, 'You're better than that.'
My dad is the only one who could talk mushy to me like that."
Ball Greezy started his own record label about four weeks ago.
"I'm in the process of becoming this big major star. You can play this back and show readers the script that I said it. I'm going to be that. I'm going to be a CEO, getting an artist or two— I'm going to blow them up. That's why I'm learning the ropes of how to go, so when it's their turn, I can get them out here and show them what I did—And help them with their passion."
He also said that he doesn't get tired of the hustle. He might get physically worn down from tours, but it's not the same as being burned out from the passion.
"This doesn't feel real to me even when I get interviews at the radio station."
Ball Greezy recounted that difficult moments happen when artist aren't focused on their craft. They’re too stationary on being with a woman or man. They’re getting in their own way, and getting distracted from their dreams.
Well... he said what he said.
The rapper also talked about the importance of support.
"Artist are quick to break off and go to another city for support. You should get certified where you're from, and then break off. People feel like they have to run because they say they don't get love in their city. You have to give them something that they can show love to. Give them something and watch how they act, like it's the first time they've [fans] ever met you, like you're a new person."
According to Ball Greezy, it doesn't matter how thick the support is, it's still an absolute must that you snip and burn bridges the right way.
"Sometimes, you gotta cut people off for the better because you don't want to just drag folks behind you. You might have a friend behind you that's always negative. Just because you grew up with them, that doesn't mean you have to keep putting up with the negativity from them. You wouldn't do it for anyone else, but you do it just because that's your homeboy or your homegirl. You gotta cut them off.
On some business, you better burn them [bridges] because some people may have a load with them that you don't need to be with. It's ways you go about it. It's not what you do, it's how you do it."
Closing Decleration: "Put God first and go home.
Well, alrighty then! Make sure you grab that newest mixtape, and let us know what you think.
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