Recently, The Source had the opportunity to catch up with Taylor Gang general Chevy Woods while the crew wraps up their Boys of Zummer tour with Fall Out Boy and Hoodie Allen. Speaking to us on the cusp of the release of The 48 Hunnid Project, the Pittsburgh bred artist is a living a high that few artists ever get to experience in Hip-Hop. Not only becuase is he rolling nice one’s of the Khalifa Kush with Wiz and the team, but he’s admittedly opening up as an artist, and reaching a level where he truly has control over the songwriting and recording process like never before.
Coupled with some big time features on this project from Dej Loaf, PJ, OG Maco, Post Malone, Rico Love and of course “The Captain,” this might be Chevy’s most consistent effort yet. Read up on what Chevy Woods has going on with The 48 Hunnid Project and hear more about life behind the scenes on the Boys of Zummer tour that’s been crushing it city after city with high energy performances and packed venues.
The Source: Whats up Chevy! Thanks for catching up with us man. Just getting started things off here, it seems you’ve had some success with that Dej Loaf record man. It doing really well online these days online, how’d that come about?
Chevy Woods: Well it came together in the studio in LA and the song was written by my friend PJ. She wrote the hook, we kind of sat down and put the plan in motion and when I got it back it was exactly what I had in mind. Dej has the same background as I do being from Detroit in the Midwest, I’m from Pittsburgh, it just fit perfect and it’s big music. We shot the video, it came out word for word how we wanted it to be.
The Source: You can tell there was that Midwest connection there, thats pretty dope. About the 48 Hunnid Project, How did you come up with the title for it and what does it mean?
Chevy Woods: Well I had the title for a while, the title was just going to be called The 48 Hunnid EP. But when I sat down with Wiz he was thinking it should be called The 48 Hunnid Project. I hadn’t really heard that before and he hadn’t either. He was like, “just do something new.” The title comes from the block where I live and where my mom still lives today. It’s where I learned everything I know as a kid, a teenager, as a man, all of that, so I just wanted it to represent where I come from and what I represent, so when I say 48 Hunnid the people know where that is and what it means.
The Source: It seems like you are coming up with some more conceptual ideas like the SXSW Texas project and The 48 Hunnin Project. Gangland was cool but it seems like you have some more developed concepts you have going on.
Chevy Woods: It’s just me opening up more as an artist, instead of me just slapping stuff together. I’m entertaining things that I may not have entertained in the past and I’m figuring out how far I can go with the music. Now I have more melodic sounds, and people have seen me blossom, I’ve been doing it a while, but its exactly what you are saying with more concepts and content driven songs.
The Source: And this one you got the features on this too, you got PJ and a lot of acts… OG Maco, Post Malone…
Chevy Woods: Yea PJ is a big part of the melodies and sounds on the record. She was an inspiration to that – me seeing her and the way she works made me record the songs the way I did. Looking back on it, I was not being taught, but I was teaching myself by paying attention. I was picking up on the things that I learned in the studio from other people and applying it to my music.
The Source: And the OG Maco record – that should be a big one online right?
Chevy Woods: Yea, we just both happened to be in LA one day and we were talking for a while and he was free and I was free. Really we could have did like 5 or 6 records, but we just did one and we wanted that feeling. The feeling and music is way better since were were able to meet and build and go hook for hook, bar for bar.
The Source: The project is affordable and its got a good number of songs so people should be encouraged to go get it.
Chevy Woods: Yea man thats how I feel too, I’ve been giving it away for free for a while and now I have the platform for fans to go out and get it. When someone’s writing a book on someone’s life it takes years. Ive been doing free music for the past 10-12 years so I think now that its a good time to get it out there. Its like a good book that I’ve been writing for a while and now people are going to be finally able to purchase it.
The Source: So you are on the Boyz of Zummer tour, I know its crazy back stage out there with you guys, can you recall any one anything from the tour, anything funny or classic moments?
Chevy Woods: Hmmm… oh yea, We got these lil mo’ped things that we go and ride around on just when we are chillin and drinkin, kickin it after the show. People ride them through the ampitheater and around at night when nobody is here. So, Wiz was on this trail and he looped through the trail. And he took someone on a trail and mind you he has on no shoes and sleeping pants and he pulls up on the bike and he hits some gravel. Well the bike starts to slide and he slides with it but he did this lil splits thing where he did the splits and he bounced right up. His feet weren’t scraped up, pants didn’t get ripped, he was just standing up, never fell down and just stood up drinking Jamison. He was just like, “Its magic man, you gotta know how to fall right!” I was just crackin up becuase he didn’t get hurt at all, it was hilarious. (laughs)
The Source: What is the strain of choice on tour?
Chevy Woods: KK baby, KK baby… Khalifa Kush, thats why we call it KK.
The Source: OK word, What is the drink of choice? You mentioned the Jamison, we know you got the Bombay on deck.
Chevy Woods: Yea well Jamison is just around for when the Bombay runs out, or just for a shot here or there.
The Source: What was the best show so far?
Chevy Woods: I’d say probably Toronto, for me becuase they always support all the music. They arent’ just there to see Fall Out Boy or Hoodie Allen or Wiz, they are there for everyone. It has has good food, good hospitality, I’d say Toronto is my favorite place personally.
The Source: What songs on the project are doing well for you as far as crowd response. What are you learning on this tour?
Well, I’m only doing the one song with DeJ Loaf from the project, its a rap and rock type of show so you got to get to people to participate, keep the energy and hone in on the crowd. Watching Fall Out Boy, you can tell their energy does not fall off. Their set is up, its amazing and you can tell by the crowd’s reaction. Just learning how to put the right songs in there that give the right energy for the crowd.
