Many may argue Travis Porter are no role models for young black boys and girls, but there is no denying the Atlanta bred Hip-Hop trio make music with catchy beats, catchy hooks, and catchy lyrics that might just catch you off guard. Their songs are laced with heavy sexual content with titles such as “Fucked In The Car,” “Get Naked,” and “Make You Moan,” but after producing their own biographical film and starting a YouTube channel that gained over twenty million views the trio caught the eyes and ears of executives at Jive Records. Now ,newly signed, Lakeem “Ali” Mattox, Donquez “Quez” Woods, and Harold “Strap” Duncan are fast on their way to making their mark on the world. Parlé Magazine had the pleasure of getting to know them to get their side of the story.
Parlé Magazine: I hear you guys just signed to Jive records. That’s exciting. What is the biggest deal about being signed to Jive for you?
Quez: We get to work with our label mates and Jive got a lot of hot artists.
Strap: Just a good support system. We have some good promotion and a strong team behind us. We still have a lot of control over where we want to go. Whatever direction we want to go in, that’s where we gonna go.
Ali: It’s just a great opportunity to work with Jive.
Parlé: So who’s the lead amongst you?
Quez: We’re all leads. We all have the same amount of shine.
Parlé: Have you all known each other for some time? Were you childhood friends?
Strap: We’ve been knowing each other since like 5th grade. We’re all real good friends.
Quez: We’ve been a group since 7th grade. We had a name called Them Hardhitters.
Parlé: How did you eventually come up with the name Travis Porter?
Strap: We were just all sitting in the basement one day trying to think of a more marketable name and we just thought Travis Porter was perfect.
Parlé: What would you say sets you apart from other groups?
Ali: We’re Travis Porter. There’s no one out there like us.
Parlé: Okay so I’ve heard some of your songs. You have a song called “Fucked in the Car,” and you have a song called “Get Naked.” What would you say to someone who might say you’re not sending a positive message to your audience? You’re sending a negative message. You’re using all this profanity. What would you say to them?
Quez: Everything we talk about is positive. Everything we talk about is about our own experience. We’re not telling anyone to go get fucked in the car. We’re just talking about things that have happened to us.
Parlé: Do you write your own music?
Quez: All three of us write everything ourselves. And we make beats.
Parlé: Where does that inspiration come from?
Strap: You know, it’s from our own experiences. Being on the road so much and going to other countries, we’re exposed to a whole lot. The only way to let people into our lives is through our music.
Parlé: So when can we expect an album?
Quez: We’re not releasing any dates yet but we have a mixtape dropping at the top of the year. The album will be a follow up to the mixtape.
Parlé: Well we’re all anticipating that. Do you have a twitter or facebook you want to let people know about?
Quez: Twitter, @IAMTRAVISPORTER. Facebook: just type in Travis Porter. Keep looking out for that “Make You Moan” video on 106th and Park.
Parlé: Thanks a lot for the interview.
Images (l to r): Ali, Strap & Quez
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