Tyrant aka Lil Ty is a prime example of an emcee who bounces back like a ball every time he hits the ground. He’s rocked the streets of the underground hip hop scene across the county including St. Louis and New York City and he released an independent album called “I’m That Nigga” which was deemed a classic but received poor support. Now Lil Ty is working on his sophomore album titled “The Design” with a presidential theme and a lead single called “Choosy Lover”. HipHopClub talks to Tyrant about his new album and single, his opinions on the “New St. Louis” as well as sharing with us his current status with BET’s 106 & Park Freestyle Friday champion Big Will, who was also his friend and other half of their legendary rap duo The Slu Cru.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: What has Lil Ty been up to lately?

Tyrant: Basically man I’ve been sitting here chillin and getting my new album together that I got coming out called “The Design”. I got 12 new tracks on it you know what I’m sayin. Coming real soon in ’08 you know what I’m sayin.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Ok. How difficult is it to get some momentum underneath a new project?

Tyrant: For real it wasn’t that hard at all because it drives me to be heard by everybody. Like my first album I sold 3,000 copies but it wasn’t enough for me. So like this time around it’s going to be a different type of thing and I’ve got a whole other type of market and I’ve got a better idea so it kind of drove me more to make more of myself. You know what I mean?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So you have a single and a video called “Choosy Lover”. How did you create the concept for that?

Tyrant: First of all my man Thomas Cook, who’s singing on the hook did the beat for “Choosy Lover” then he came up with the hook idea for it. All I had to do was come in and lay it down. He was like, “Ty, I got his nice joint for you!” And we just went in and laid it down. You know what I mean? Simple as that.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Were you happy with the outcomes of your previous projects?

Tyrant: No, not at all. Real talk I feel like a lot of people slept on the first album you know what I’m sayin. But I mean, it happens to the best of us. You know what I mean? It just motivated me to be able to put out something better and work more harder because maybe that wasn’t the album that was going to jump me off. I had to see where I was at to know where I’m going. So I had to take a step back and build up more momentum for this album.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Can you tell us more about the new album “The Design”?

Tyrant: It’s basically like I’m the president of the city and I got a whole other type of vibe that it’s going to be on. Like it’s going to be on the issues of hip hop, it’s got a lot of things that’s going to be on “The Design”. It’s got everything that you need. It’s got your steak, potatoes, your corn everything that you need on it. I got my club banga. I’m going to start off with the song “Choosy Lover” but probably around March, springtime and summertime we got a single coming out called “My Dude”. And it’s going to bang in the clubs it’s going to bang real hard. And after that we’re just going to get on the positive side. It’s just a whole other type of vibe and it’s called “The Design” because I’m showing people how to design something. You feel me?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Yeah. That’s what’s up. That’s real cool. So do you consider yourself as a part of the “New St. Louis” movement?

Tyrant: Man, real talk I’ve been gone, chillin trying to get me together you know what I’m sayin. That “New St. Louis / Old St. Louis” I mean, like real talk it’s kind of like… it’s real cheesy to me for both sides of the perspective. Because if you want to be realistic, the Old St. Louis is like a thing of ok; I use to listen to the Bulletproof’s, the Sub Zero’s and “The Tricks With a Good Raps” and all that type of stuff. People use to support! People use to support the old St. Louis. But this “New St. Louis”, they don’t even support each other but they want to act like it’s a movement. You know what I mean? And so I don’t think it is a “New St. Louis” and an “Old St. Louis” I think it’s just a St. Louis that don’t stick together anymore. You feel what I’m sayin?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Yeah (laughs)!

Tyrant: So real talk it’s like me, I’m representing Ty and I’m coming in as the president of the city and trying to squash all these issues. You know what I mean?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Yeah, you hit the nail right on the head with that one.

Tyrant: (laughs) That’s what it is though. You know?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So are you at the liberty to talk about the rise and the fall of the empire that you had with Big Will for those HipHopClub readers who don’t know?

Tyrant: I mean like fa real, fa real you know what I’m sayin with me and dude, like I just got through talking to him probably 2 weeks ago. We finally talked for like the first time in about a year. You know what I mean? It was just a whole bunch of things that was a misunderstanding. You know, I wish him the best on what he’s doing and we just sit around and we talk because before anything, it’s rapping or anything. We’ve always been friends since like the sixth grade. So it was always just a thing of misunderstanding. He thought one thing and I, you know what I’m sayin, was going another way. But like, you know what I’m sayin, we cool now and it’s water under the bridge. You should probably be looking for a song from me and Will on this album.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Oh, ok! You’re giving us the exclusive. Letting the cat out of the bag during the interview, huh?

Tyrant: Oh yeah. I’mma let it go. You hear me!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Does it bother you that people don’t mention you as one of the best emcees in St. Louis?

Tyrant: The people who recognize real music in here, they already know who I am and I can’t say that I’m not considered in that top because everywhere I go even when I’m trying to be noticed and I sit back and people be like this and this and that. So it’s like I’m not saying that I’m not noticed to where I need to be at right now but the streets is talking you know what I’m sayin. I don’t have the most radio play and I don’t have the most spins right now but the streets know that once I get my chance it’s going to be a whole new day in St. Louis. You know you got your haters that don’t even want to give me the props but it’s cool because I’ve been putting in my dues and this time around it ain’t even no asking about it, it’s just going to be taken. So they can congratulate or they can get in line. You know what I’m sayin?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So is there anything else you want the HipHopClub readers to know?

Tyrant: Just be looking out for the album “The Design” you know it’s going to be coming soon. I promise you it’s a classic, not just a classic… a super classic. It’s coming soon. Lil Ty, the president of the city #1 on everybody’s list after this album you hear me. It won’t be no debate about who the best and this and that. Not even just in this city, just period. I promise you. You hear me?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Thanks for the interview dude!

Tyrant: Aight, that’s what it do, my dude! B-E-Z!

--By Marrio (St. Louis Ben Grimm) Gardner