(Photo By Destiny Lloyd)
The Detroit rap scene was forever changed in 2006 when the group Doughboyz Cashout was officially formed. Two street crews came together to combine their talents and began a takeover that would soon gain them the attention of one of the hood’s favorite rap superstars, Young Jeezy. They signed to his CTE World imprint in 2013 and have been quickly making a name for themselves throughout the Mid-West with plans to soon conquer other regions as well. They recently came through the 414 courtesy of the Big Heff Industry tour to do a few interviews and shake up a local venue. Find out what happened when The Illixer got a hold of the fellas after the break.
The Illixer: So I read that you guys were originally two separate groups within the Detroit music scene and you decided to come together as one. Can you elaborate a little more on your background and why you guys decided to unite?
Doughboyz Cashout: We were never two separate groups on the music scene. We were two separate groups in the streets. We linked up and got to hitting parties deep, jumping outta nice cars, Cartiers on, and flossing heavy. The streets been knew who we were and what we were about before rap so when we started fucking with music they loved it cause they knew it was the truth.
TI: Your press kit states that you had a couple of different label offers on the table. What was it about Young Jeezy and CTE that made you guys want to sign with them?
DC: Young Jeezy basically kept it real with us. He didn’t wanna change up our style like a lot of other labels would try to do and his situation made the most sense to us. So we rode with Young Jeezy and CTE.
TI: Speaking of Jeezy, artists who sign to other artists often times get lost in the shadow of that person. How are you guys working to stay relevant and establish your own identity?
DC: We just stay working. Jeezy is a hard worker. He stays in the studio and he on. We are trying to get to that point so we got to work twice as hard. It ain’t no handouts in this game. That’s for sure.
TI: Groups come and go in the music world all the time. It seems like once they reach a certain level of success, things just fall apart. What’s going to keep Doughboyz Cashout from falling victim to that scenario?
DC: I think that’s because most groups are put together by somebody else. We weren’t put together. We all grew up together and been through it all together. We been down together and we been balling together before this music so it isn’t gone break us, we here for the longevity.
TI: You guys have a series of mixtapes called We Run The City. And you just released Volume 4 last month. Share a bit about how the series came to be, what you want people to take away from the tapes, etc.
DC: The We Run The City tapes came from 2008 when we dropped our first mixtape. At that time we were the hottest group in Detroit. Over the years we continued to be the hottest in Detroit, so we continued to name our mixtapes We Run The City with different volumes.
TI: What sets We Run The City Volume 4 apart from the others and what are some of your favorite songs off of the tape?
DC: We get bigger each tape and our fan base grew heavy, so with this one we wanted to introduce people outside of Detroit to our real sound and the Detroit lingo and culture. We and our fans feel that We Run The City Volume 4 is the best mixtape we have dropped so far. Our production is better from our previous mixtapes and all group members have gotten better and better with writing verses. We really don’t have a favorite because every song is FIRE!
TI: You guys are currently on the Big Heff Industry tour. What has the tour been like so far and what are you hoping to gain from the experience?
DC: It’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of sleepless nights but it’s also been a lot of love in cities we never knew had so much love for us. We want to just spread the word about Volume 4 and let the fans see us and bring in new fans. Because once you see and hear us it’s over. You are going to love us.
TI: One of your tour stops was here in Milwaukee at Club Timbuktu. Did you enjoy your time here in the city and how do you feel the event turned out?
DC: Yeah this was actually our third time in Milwaukee. Milwaukee always shows us love every time we come to the city. It’s one of our favorite cities to do shows at. The event went well. We went crazy, jumped in the crowd with the people, and everything. We had a ball!
TI: Besides the tour, what else do you guys have in the works that your fans can look forward to?
DC: We’re working on our debut album, a Doughboyz Cashout movie, we’re also working on a new tour to hit the West Coast and South. We are just staying busy.
TI: Where can readers find you as well as your music at on the web?
DC: You can download We Run The City Volume 4 from Live Mixtapes as well as our other music. Our music is also on iTunes. Our main Twitter page is here, but we each have our own pages too: Payroll, Crispy Quis, HBK, Doughboy Dre, and our booking manager Chaz Bling. Plus, we’re on Instagram and here is the official website.
