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Philly Rap: Thanks for talking to us today Plummer, start off by telling us, who were some of your influences growing up?
Plummer: Tupac Shakur
PR: What was it about Tupac that influenced you and did he influence your rap career or in making the DVDs?
PL: Well, I went through one of those stages where I was like, Yeah I want to be a rapper. But, I didnt actually start rapping until I was around 13 or 14. He influenced me in other ways too, as far as, he was the only one that was straightforward, spoke his mind and bold. Thats what I always admired about him.
PR: So, how did your whole career in the DVD business get started?
PL: Well, at the beginning, a little while back, I was a rapper myself. A lot of people in Philadelphia have a problem with giving you a shot if you aint nobody. It kinda pissed me off, I tried to hit some guys up like 2 Raw for the Streets and Big Star and they kind of gave you the run around to the point where it got me so pissed off that I was like, it must not be rocket science to do this. Thats when I figured out I wanted to do it myself, and I just thought, when I got on top, all of these dudes were going to bow down to me.
PR: If it werent for people like you, or other DVDs like 2 Raw for the Streets, a lot of people wouldnt have a chance to shine visually. Do you agree with that?
PL: Well (pause), it all depends on the situation. During the time I first started Im Not a Rappa, I put people on the DVDs that were in the same boat as me. They were trying to get their names out there and people were neglecting them. The first people I actually worked with were Reeseman and Young Hot. They had taped for about 50 dvds and no one put them on there. We were lucky because Im Not a Rappa Volume 1 slipped right through the cracks where it needed to be. At that time, it was only North Philly and South Philly held by headshots, and there was nothing like a Shotta DVD to hold the Westside. Thats where I came in, and they helped me network and get all the guys.
PR: I was just watching Im Not a Rappa 8 the other day. Is that the most recent one you have out?
PL: Yeah, thats the last one that I have done and I was actually going to make that the last and final one. During the course of making DVDs one through eight, I found that it was more bitter than sweet. I thought about all the stuff I had to go through with the rappers and I figured, Okay I did it for two and a half years, Im just going to go on living my life. At that point in time, it was something I wanted to do, but as I get older and more mature in life, I see thats something I can put to the side.
PR: So, now that youve put on for your city, do you think youve been given the credit that youre due?
PL: I really wasnt looking for any credit, but if I do get any credit, its greatly appreciated. I felt as though I made a little noise, and that was the best thing, good enough for me. For example, I see a lot of guys posting thousands of Myspace banners saying Vote for Me at the Philly Hip-hop Awards. Like, if Im not getting an award on BET or something like that, it doesnt matter to me. Philly Hip-Hop Awards mean nothing to me. I could care less about that.
PR: So, you never have been a part of the Philly Hip-Hop Awards?
PL: As of now, Ive never been nominated for an award. And, I couldnt really understand why because some of the guys nominated for the DVD documentary were people who really didnt put no work in. I went to some of the stores and calculated the sales of other DVDs and they were nowhere near as high as mine except for a selected few, but it really wasnt no thing to me.
PR: Well, a lot of people definitely have respect for you no matter what. We recently talked to Blu-Flame and he had nothing but respect for you. He commented that you were real about getting someones name out there, and you werent looking for money.
PL: Its definitely appreciated and it feels good to get the respect. As far as the money thing goes, I think those guys looking for money are doing it because they know that their product isnt marketable. I never charged those guys I put on there because once my product releases Im making hundreds and thousands of dollars. My DVDs done made it everywhere from Philly to Florida and even all the way down to Texas. I even got contact from some guy in Europe. The only problem I had was that it was going so far so fast, and I couldnt feed the people like I wanted to.
PR: It really just took off.
PL: Yea, like, when it goes so far so fast, you gotta keep a certain circle of people. I kept people like Young-Hot, Blu-Flame and Reeseman, and these are the characters that I move with. So, if a guy in Florida buys the first DVD with these rappers on it, and he buys the second one and theyre not on it, hes gonna be like Hey, whats going on?
PR: I want to take you back to Im Not a Rappa 2 hosted by Young Hot and Reeseman because that was the first DVD that I purchased. Looking back on the whole Headshots/Touchmoney battle, what were your thoughts on that?
PL: Okay, I want to define who I am. Young Hot and Reeseman were the artists. They needed something from me and I needed something from them. I always look at myself as a businessperson first. As far as the Headshot/Touchmoney battle, I like rappers from both sides. I dont show favoritism to no neighborhoods or none of that. I never picked a side.
PR: What did you think on the actual battle between Joey Jihad and Reed Dollaz?
PL: I think they both delivered good stuff. On Im Not a Rappa 2, Reed released two fierce battle raps. Couldnt get a response from Joey that time. Those raps were very nasty. I wouldnt say it was a tie, but they both had their moments. I dont want to declare a winner.
PR: I want to fast forward a little bit it Mville Exposed, which was Tommy Stars and Reeseman Kackalack. Our followers want to know, what was that situation about? Be careful, because the ladies love Tommy!
PL: (laughs). Im sure youve watched movies where people all start out together, and then when success hits, things start to change. There is always one person that feels neglected, one that feels like they did everything they could for him,
PR: And they were those people?
PL: Yes. Heres the thing, a situation started where a problem became of both sides, remember how I taped both sides? Now, at the end of the day its just music. If you youre sensitive about something, then why do music? I let them say anything they wanted to about anybody, but then it became a problem when someone said something about them. That wasnt fair? But, these same guys you talk about, Im cool with them too. This is still a business. I gotta keep the business moving. It became a matter of he said she said, and we stopped speaking. I kept on doing my thing and he got up on the Headshots DVD and kept making comments. Actually, my profit doubled after they were off of it. Nowadays, I dont have no problem with them.
PR: I want take you another direction now, I want to talk about Daddy-O, because hes one of my favorite underground artists. I was watching Im Not a Rapper 8 the other day. Whats he up to?
PL: I love everything hes up to. Hes working on a mixtape, Im not allowed to say information. And, hes also working on tours and shows. Hes in the studio making a whole bunch of music hes going to release all at once.
PR: Quick question, how were you really able to stay ahead of the game? After you released Im Not a Rappa, a whole bunch of DVDs started shooting out.
PL: Wow (pause). When I came out DVDs out were Heavyspittas, Got Spittage and others. These guys already had did their thing. I was sitting in the crib, watching these guys DVDs, so when I dropped a product it would be different from theirs. My first DVD I just ran around with a camera and handed them out. Then the second one I sold, and people started to look out for the Im Not a Rappa DVDs. Then I started to make a profit on it, and it went from there. Anything I do I go hard at it, and thats how I stayed ahead of the game.
PR: So what can we expect from Plummer in the future? Im Not a Rappa 9?
PL: Yea, Im still in the thought process of that. When it comes out its gonna come out with a bang since its the last Im Not a Rappa DVD. Its gonna be crazy. But, Im gonna take my time and work on that, so its not going to be anytime too soon. Just look out for that DVD Philly!
