[Interview] Chuuwee: Sacramento's New Rap King (Part Two)

In part two of our exclusive interview with Chuuwee, the young rap king talks about Black revolutionaries, his theory on religion and why he’s disappointed with the new generation.

TWV: Okay, so those were the easy questions; the icebreakers. Do you mind if we get a little bit personal?
Chuuwee: No, go ahead

TWV: How old are you and when is your birthday?
Chuuwee: I’m 21 and my birthday is September 7th, 1990

TWV: A lot of your songs, they seem to reflect a strong sense of purpose and strength of character… In one of your songs you even call yourself a young Martin Luther King. Being that you’re so young, where do you think this comes from?
Chuuwee: A lot of it comes from me being very, very bold. I try to say stuff that will make people say things. I’m very big on shock value but a lot of the time, people don’t contest the stuff I say. So I think just being confident in what I’m saying and being strong-minded in what I’m doing, I feel similar to a lot of the black revolutionaries that I look up to. I’m not necessarily saying I’m the next one, but I feel similar to them in that when I’m very passionate about something, in my work, I try to get that across.

TWV: Funny that you should mention black revolutionaries because whenever I hear your song, “Reign”, it reminds me of the Black Panthers and Huey Newton. What was the inspiration for that song?
Chuuwee: That song, I was watching the Malcolm X movie in my hotel. I can’t remember what town in Virginia; it was like a really small town and I was with one of my homies just working and writing and reflecting. When we left the hotel, I was just thinking about the Malcolm X movie and then I was listening to “American Gangster”, and in the line Hov said, “Since when did a Black man become king.” And I was just thinking on that and reflecting on that super hard. There have been several Black revolutionaries or several iconic Black people that have been deemed kings. We got the King of Pop; Michael Jackson. We got several different kings or people who have been perceived as Kings but Hov saying that really made me think like we don’t really have anyone who would be the equivalent of a king. We have many political speakers and we have very intimidating and motivational figures, but no king. So I just took that idea and ran with it. Just trying to write something profound.

TWV: Who are three people that you look up to?
Chuuwee: I look up to Martin Luther King of course, Che Guevara, and I look up to Vince McMahon. They symbolize coming from nothing, or an obstacle or setback to thrive and excel in what you’re trying to do.

TWV: You also said in an interview with LA Stereo TV that you feel that a lot of young people don’t care about certain things… What do you find most disappointing about this generation?
Chuuwee: What’s most disappointing about this generation is their attentiveness in the wrong stuff and their quickness to grasp onto concepts that aren’t fully thought out. Like that whole Stop Kony Campaign.