La Chat’s been doing it big for a long time. A queen of Memphis rap who's been steadily recording since the late '90s, she got her start even earlier, when she entered a talent competition in 7th grade and impressed a young Juicy J of Three Six Mafia. Famous for a relentlessly boss attitude and diva mentality, she's still grinding away, having just now put out a mixtape Krumbz 2 Brickz that's as tough as anything she's ever produced, and playing her first-ever show in Brooklyn this Saturday night, organized by vogue and rap superstars House of LaDosha, who told us they are her biggest fans. We talked to her about where she's at in her career, how she's stayed on top and what makes her a true diva. Go listen to "Chickenhead", "2-Way Freak" and "Good" for a refresher course in La Chat's raw realness, and check below for the full interview and info about this Saturday's show.
I saw on your Twitter that you’ve never played in Brooklyn before. It’s never too late. I’ve only been there on business. Never to party with fans and stuff like that. I’m so honored that they’re bringing me. And I’m gonna go out! Whenever I get out of town, I’m ready to go out and see other cities, see how they get down and see how they do. That’s just the type of person I am. I like to mingle.
Do you play a lot of shows in Memphis? Yeah, I play a lot of shows in Memphis. I have a club I play in. I do things special. On Tuesdays, that’s my talent night. Wednesdays is my ladies night.
You put out a mixtape recently? Yeah, it's called Krumbz 2 Brickz. I’ve got Waka Flocka on there, I’ve got 8Ball on there, I’ve got Gangsta Boo on there, I’ve got Gucci Mane on there.
You’ve done so many songs with Gangsta Boo. You really seem to love each other. Yeah, that’s my homegirl. Regardless of the rumors that everybody’s trying to put out, we’re so much alike and so much different that put together, we’re the same. When she comes to see me, she stays at my house, when I come to Atlanta, I stay at her house.
We recently ran a story on the current state of Memphis rap. What's your perspective on the scene right now? Memphis, we still grinding. We got a lot of talent down here, got a lot of people lookin’ at us down here, but we still hustlin’ and trying to come above the water with it.
How have you stayed on top of Memphis for so long? Well, I’ve been doing this since I was 13, but I’ve been doing this professionally since ’98. My fans keep me going, my family keeps me going, and just the mojo that I have for rap keeps me going. It’s like, “Why stop? I could go make a good song and everybody gonna like it and it’s me.”
And you have to be tough, too. Yeah, and I’m the only girl. I just rap about real stuff. I rap about real stuff, street stuff that’s going on. There’s a lot of rappers that’s out here and they rap about glamorous stuff, and that’s probably the things that they’re into, but me, I really was a street chick. That’s all I know to rap about...And, I guess because I’m an Aries. Aries, we’re rams. We’re bull-headed
And Aries is the diva sign. Aretha, Mariah—they’re Aries. Do you think you’re a diva? Yeah, I think I’m a diva. It’s just something about how when I walk, the crowd just move out of my way. When I walk in a room, it’s all eyes on me. So that enough to say, “Diva.”
