Alright, how about some stupid shit? I know there was some stupid shit on the show. When you and Kyra had that stare down. (laughs). What the fuck was that all about? Do you think that was just Dame’s way of fucking with ya’ll?

B: Yeah, you know, Dame and them... They loved having that stare down. They were cracking up. The hardest part about the stare down had nothing to do with the stare down. It had to do with keeping a straight face while everybody is just cracking jokes on you. But that’s how his crew gets down. They capping on each other all day. So you don’t take it personal. The shit is funny, so you’re sitting there like knowing you doing some silly shit and you gotta sit there.

So how did you feel about all of the other competitors?

B: I mean overall, now that we are away from the show and everything, I can say that I got respect and a certain amount of love for all of them. I think during the heat of the competition they’re not really getting to know me personally. They really aren’t seeing the real B.Dot. They’re seeing the competitive side. So, I realize that I’m probably seeing the same side from them. But I didn’t take anything personal on the show. I really stuck to myself in the house. And they didn’t really show it that much but while a lot of people were chopping it up, I’d be sitting back reading.

I still talk with Ray to this day. You know, that’s my man. And he’s a real dude. Despite what people may think from what they see on the show, he’s hustler and he’s gonna get his money. And we probably gonna be working on some projects together.

When you were watching the show was there anything that somebody said or done that
you were kinda like shocked or like what the fuck was that?

B: Uh… for the most part no. It was very funny to me when I seen them all.

Did you take any exceptions with Kira’s Kung Fu Louie shit?

B: To me that’s like I’m use to seeing ignorance. You showing the world that you ignorant. I don’t give a damn, cause I’m still going to be here and you gonna be on a flight back to Los Angeles.

Right, you gonna end up a negative $18.

B: Exactly!

Was there a favorite mission that you did. Besides the money clip one because you killed that. But was there a favorite mission outside that or a mission that you weren’t feeling.

B: I don’t think that there was a task that I just didn’t like. They all covered different aspects of running a business, but there are some that stick out in my head that I liked the most. One was King Dome Classic. And that was mainly because it was an event where we were really giving back.

To actually see like all the youngsters who might not have had a lot of different opportunities. And we were passing them free stuff, like free ice cream and stuff like that. So, I thought that was hot. And also the thing is the inside of Dame that I hadn’t really seen before. That’s not really in the media, not covered in MTV news or any of the news covers. And his foundation, this man cares about the community. And he is very concerned about it. And you begin to see it from King Dome Classic to having people like Minister Ben Chavis around him at all times. I actually liked the office challenge too. The one that just came on…

Really???

B: You know it sounds wild. And people were like “man, you like answering phones and stuff like that?” And it’s not so much that I like to answer the phones. But I think that it was good experience to know how a office like that would function. With me being a CEO of a record label, we independent though, so we not the size of what Dame’s running right now. But we on that same path so one day I want to have an office like that. So for me that was really the only task when we really saw the inter-workings of the business.

So you think like the missions were helpful at you reaching your goals? Or did you think that it was more of some kinda scheme put together by Dame just to put ya’ll through hell?

B: I think it was a mix. I think that some were definitely to teach us a lesson and I think others were just, to test these us. Like the photo shoot. I learned a lot on there. That was my first photo shoot. And we really got some jewels dropped on us. (Also) the bike challenge, which I think was important, but also I think that was a test. (They) put me in a helmet, and had to bike around New York City. In the middle of Midtown, through all this traffic just to see if they really gonna put the hustle.

Is Dame truly the asshole that they portray him as on BET? Give us your perspective.

B: First off, Dame’s a good dude. You know so there’s this perception of him being an asshole. And can he be an asshole? He can be an asshole to the people who deserve it. I’ll put it like that. If you come sideways you’ll see the asshole in Dame. But to me that’s a good trait cause it’s like that’s how you make sure that people not getting over on you. You know when you got millions of dollars, and you’re running a company like that people are gonna try to get over on you. The other aspect that I saw is that Dame is a good dude that is very loyal. Like extremely, to the point where he looks out after those who he was on the block with him. He’ll give opportunities to those he respects that wouldn’t necessarily get opportunities in other places.

Word, word. So, what you think about that uh…

B: Hey, you know that joint was wild. We were hot as hell up in that house. We ain’t have no AC up in the house!

Ya’ll ain’t have no AC at the crib???

B: Naw! We ain’t have no AC, and I still don’t know why. I don’t know if was to cause more tension or if it was because of the sound. I don’t know because sometimes they’ll be like the sound would get messed up by the AC. But then I was like I don’t know. The AC in the Apprentice house don’t be messing with the sound.(laughs) They edited out a lot of how we were looking in the house. Cause we were looking nasty up in the house sometimes. You couldn’t help it just sit there and sweat. I averaged like three showers a day.

Damn! Yeah, that’s that New York humidity, and no AC doesn’t help. B, was you tired of being watched?

B: (laughs) You definitely get tired of always like being in front of the cameras. Like literally sometimes you be like “I just wanna go to the bathroom.” You get up to go to the restroom and the cameras follow you while you walking to the restroom. And you just like “Damn, you know sometimes I would just go into the bathroom for five minutes to chill out and get away from the cameras.” Because you know that’s the only place the cameras won’t go. So I’d go in there and close the door and just chill for five minutes. You still want time to yourself sometimes. I mean I be trying to leave sometimes. You know and the cameras are still in my face. And I’m like “come on , ya’ll aren’t really going to use this footage. This is not going to make the show.” But that’s what we signed up for. So I can’t complain.

I just wonder if they kinda like pushing the envelope to see who’s gonna do what. Or who is going to lose it. It seemed like you kept your composure pretty well.

B: Yeah, I think for the most part wasn’t any physical fights in the house. That’s one thing, as far as the show, we bust down a lot of those rumors too. So, you can have a group of us (black folks) in the house and we’re not gonna fight. You see what I’m saying?

Yeah

B: Someone’s not gonna end up going to the ER or looking hella ignorant. Even though we were competing, once we were done competing it was all good.

Alright, so let’s talk about you, let’s forget about the Ultimate Hustler for a moment. Let’s talk about who is B.Dot. What was you doing before the finals of Ultimate Hustler?

B: Oh yeah, most definitely. You know for the past two and a half years, I’ve been running my independent label called Conduit Entertainment with my man, who is originally from Arkansas his name Epiphany. He’s a rapper you know (and) that’s our first artist. He was out in New York, he went to Stanford too (with me). And after he got out he went to New York and he really wanted to pursue his ambitions of being a rapper. He was like hey this is what I want to do, this is my passion. So, he was out there, and at the same time I had got laid off from my job, so as it turns out I was working in a little tech start up or whatever. So I get laid off and I got a severance packet at the same time I’m talking to him. And I’m like “Aye, you know all the big time rappers have really done it themselves over the past decade.” That’s to say the ones that have really came up and made cake in the industry (have) done it themselves. And so I was like why don’t we do this?

So, we wake up and start the company and everything. We quickly saw in New York the importance of kinda having that type of hometown allegiance and having that background. So we upped and moved. I moved from Cali and he moved from New York we went to Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas, for me everyone was like “what are doing man? You done graduated from here, why you moving to Arkansas to start a rap label?” But for me though it was like the fact that they didn’t get it, that a lot of people didn’t get it (that) told me that I was on the right path. Little Rock is a midsize market that clearly got a base of people that like rap, (and are) into hip-hop, but there’s no sound that defines that state.

Very true.

B: You know so in states like Mississippi that’s just as small. And you know the population getting put on the map by folks like Banner. Who’s to say Arkansas can’t get put on the map if it’s done right? It’s no competition until we go in there. And then in less than a year and with our first release we had rotation on the number one hip-hop station out there. We were the best selling independent label out of Little Rock. And we was moving. And so we started acquiring new talent out there. That’s one thing that I learned too, there’s talent in every single city and every single hood in this world probably. You know I’m in small towns that I ain’t even heard of people coming here- Pablo, Arkansas; Setha, Arkansas, and finding jewels.

Like straight up, I signed this group Suga City, a two man rap group, and I’m really feeling them and they just some soulful cats. You hear their music and it’s almost like you can feel the South. It’s like, I won’t even say that they’re conscious, (but) they are for that average Joe, who just sits on the porch and lives that life. Then in a different city I signed this solo rapper. This young cat, his name’s BK. And he’s just vital you know, use to be on the block doing his thing, but then he had a baby and everything and he knew it was time to kinda get serious. And his flow was sick, so I signed him too. And since then we’ve been putting out mixtapes. We did over ten thousand sold independent, and we done branched out of Arkansas into like Tennessee and Alabama, Louisiana, they doing shows a little bit. (In spots like) Shreveport, Monroe, uh, a lot of the colleges in the area- Grambling, UATB and University of Little Rock. So the independent thing down South in a midsize market we started throwing the buzz out though.

So being as though you are running your own independent spot down south, especially where music is really hot right now. How do you feel about everything that’s coming out? How do you feel that the label can make a difference? Is it coming at a different angle than everyone else? You know give us your little perspective on all this.

B: Well, first off, when we started the company we realized that everything that we put out is going to have some artistic technique behind it. You know what I’m saying?

Right

B: I’m not one of those cats that’s like in order for it to be real or in order for it to be good, it’s gotta be conscious. I don’t think that way. To me an artist likes to communicate, communicate everything about the human condition. The good, the bad, the pretty, the ugly, you know what I am saying? The pain, the love, and the joy and all of that. Folks like Pac. So you listen to a couple of Pac’s albums and you can see that. You know you see the conscious, graceful, intelligent organizer. You see that ignorance though out there, who gets a little mad and wants to fire at somebody. You see the players, the pimps, you see the artist in them and that’s real. That’s Pac. If that’s him… that’s him. You know what I’m saying? I don’t even judge that. And people say you are contradicting yourself. Well, show me some human that doesn’t have contradictions in they mind, in their heart.

So, when I started the company and my partner started the company it was so like whatever we put out, it was going to be real. And so we tried to stick to that. I’m not gonna put out a crunk record just because crunk is hot right now. We not gonna put out a so-called conscious song, just cause they like “ok, we need a conscious song.” Our artist are artist that spit from their perspective in life. You know from whatever they grew up in. Because they grew up with no money, having to hustle, sold everything under the sun. You’d have a much different perspective than what I would have if I was a rapper. So, I look at it as long as they are staying true to themselves I have no reason to put them down.

As far as the industry in general right now It’s so much money involved in it that you start to get people outside the culture, from outside of the whole movement try to pull the string and control the button. And so what’s happened is that these dudes that don’t understand it they go strictly on numbers. So, it’s like Houston’s hot right now, Mike Jones, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, you know them dudes hot right now.? Next it’ll be another city. In St. Louis you had Nelly, then they said ok we need another one, here’s Chingy. So they are always gonna be a step behind a bit because the trends are still made in the streets. And they are only going off major sales numbers. What the suburbs are buying. And so, they spend all this money on Chingy, so that he won’t flop. But Chingy’s lost in the streets. Chingy didn’t have any hood validation any more at that point. So, that’s the one problem in the industry and a lot of the independents and those who don’t have the benefit of being with a major can’t compete in marketing, promotion, and distribution wise Sony’s. I can’t put a record out internationally right now. I just don’t have the money for it.

So is there anything else that you want to get out there. The finale is
Tuesday right?

B: Yeah, yeah. Tell everybody to text the letter “b” to 64242.

Cool, plug that.

B: You gotta plug that you know? They could go to BET.com too and vote there. Cause the text gotta fifty cent charge. So if they go directly to www.BET.com/UltimateHustler there’s a link there where they can vote for who they want to win.

Ok

B: We got a new single coming out from my group Suga City. And we are shooting a video right after the holidays. So we gonna be putting that up on BET real soon. That songs is called “Lookin’” and it’s fire. It’s some laid back southern stuff.

Anything else you want to say before your life hopefully changes forever?

B: (laughs) Just keep a look out. We got the little site www.conduitentertainment.com. It’s a state movement and we’re bringing the integrity back to hip-hop at all levels. Straight up and we taking control of it too. Ain’t nobody gonna pull the string but us. They dealing with a hustler, you know what I’m saying? I’m not gonna let you bullshit me. You’re not gonna control me. Not when I have the same intelligence that all these other folks have. Like the Sony’s and the BMG’s and all that. So when we deal, we gonna deal to keep you paying for it.

That’s what’s up man. The last question…. Are you
the Ultimate Hustler?

B: Hell yeah! Without a doubt. I mean you don’t see the other cats getting interviewed by Hiphopdx!

That’s what’s up kid!

Check out Suga City (from B.Dot's record label Conduit) with their hot single "Lookin" in hiphopdx's HOT TRAXX