The Brwn Drby Haberdashery Blog

So…as most of our faithful readers can see–everything is gone. Word to the wise: when you upgrade your WordPress, make sure you saved all of your files (like double, and triple check–don’t just assume you did it right). But we kinda like Diddy in this mug. “We can’t stop/ We don’t know how to stop (take that, take that)”. Aw well, back to the show. But what BETTER way to start off the New Brwn Drby Order than to introduce to some and present to others Mr. Exclusive himself! The 10.5 Interview series continues! Peep game…

Chuck Tony: What’s your name, where are you from, and what’s your claim to fame?
Randy Roper: The infamous Randy Roper aka Randy Exclusive aka R.E. I’m from Charleston, South Carolina. I’m the Carolina King of Publications. I was the first hip-hop journalist of my kind, in the state of SouthCarolina. I really took hip-hop journalism seriously. I hooked up witha lot of magazines and websites. I interviewed a lot of celebrities andI gave a lot of local artists exposure. And from there, I became one ofthe top hip-hop writers in the South.

CT: What do you have going on now?
RR: Right now I’m music and online editor for Ozone Magazine, which is the #1 hip-hop publication in the South. Aside from that, I write for allhiphop.com, hhnlive.com, and I have my own blog writerblockmedia.net. I write, therefore, I am.

CT: What do you have going on right now?
RR: I’m in the process of hooking up with another well known website, but I’m not saying any names just yet. So,just wait and see. Aside from writing, I’m getting ready to host and drop some mixtapes. Me and my homie Sam King, he’s a rising mixtape DJ from SC, have some plans in the works, so be on the lookout for that. I mean, I do more than just write, but the other shit isn’t as glamorous as the music business. But like Jay-Z said, “you can bullshit wit’ rap if you want.” I got my chips stacked in other places but I can’t let ya’ll know all the secrets.

CT: What do you want people to know about you?
RR: I want people to know that I really love music. Whether it’s rap, R&B, reggae, pop, jazz, whatever, I just love music. For some reason, because I’m a music editor and I do a lot of album reviews for Ozone, I’ve gotten reputation of being a hater when it comes to my comments on people’s music. But it’s not that I’m a hater, I just love good music, and when I feel that someone is putting out music that’s not quality and that’s some straight bullshit, I call it like I see it. I just want people to put their heart and soul into making music, because I put my heart and soul into loving music.

CT: What DON’T people know about you?
RR: Some people know this, but I don’t think everyone knows this but I always give my honest opinion. Like, no matter what it’s about, if you ask me something or ask my opinion, I’m always gonna be honest. You might not like what I say, but it’s gonna be an honest opinion. A lot of people ask my opinion when it comes to music. I get a lot of people that ask me how their music sounds, and sometimes it’s hard for me to tell someone I don’t like their music but I have to be real with people. If I don’t like it, I don’t like it,that’s just my honest opinion. Some people respect it, some peop lethink I’m full of shit. But I’m just being honest, and if you ask me something, that’s what you’ll get from me.

CT: What’s you favorite color and why?
RR: Black is my favorite color. I’m a black man living in America. And growing up society has tried to tell us that black has a negative connotation. Like, if you look up the meaning of black, you’ll see descriptions like “dark, sinister, evil, sad, gloomy, disaster”. And we’re taught that this is what black is. But that’s not black. Black is beautiful, so I embrace the color. In my house, my couches are black leather. My accessories are black. My kitchen and my appliances are black. I mean, I just keep black around me, cause it’s a beautiful thing.

CT: What do you hope your legacy will be?
RR: I hope my legacy will be that of someone that helped people along the way. I mean that I want my legacy to be judged on the amount of lives I touch. The number of people I help. People I inspire. When it’s all said and done, I want people to know that I cared. That I gave back.That I reached back and brought other people up with me. Like, if I climb up a mountain by myself, I’m gonna be up there all alone. But if I climb that mountain, and I’m helping other people climb it with me, when I get up there, we all are gonna be up there together. And if we’re all there together, there’s no way we’ll fall, someone will always be there to catch you.

CT: What was your last sneaker purchase?
RR: I bought my old girl some sneakers a couple months ago. I can’t remember what they were, but they were cute on her, so I bought them. I like keeping my lady fresh. But that same day, I bought myself some black Chuck Taylors. I already had a pair but I messed them up in the club, so I had to buy some fresh ones. The sneaks gotta be fresh. Chicks don’t like seeing dudes with dirty shoes on. Hell, I don’t like seeing chicks with dirty shoes on.

CT: What’s the last cd you purchased?
RR: The last CD I bought was Alicia Keys’ last album. I’m a music editor, so labels send albums to me, so I hardly ever buy CDs. And if they don’t send the album, I’ll just download it. Yo, gas is about $5 a gallon, I don’t have money to spend on buying CDs. I’m sorry.

CT: In your opinion, is the South killing hip-hop culture?
RR: But no, the South isn’t killing hip-hop culture. Wack rappers, a lack of creativity and lack of artistry are killing hip-hop culture. It’s not just in the South. There are wack rappers in everywhere. North, South, East, Midwest, West, overseas. I can’t front like a lot of bullshit isn’t coming out of the South, it is. But it’s coming out of other places too. Like that “Chicken Noodle Soup” shit, that wasn’t a Southern song, that was some New York shit. But you can’t point to a whole region and say you’re killing hip-hop. I can never say that, not as long as Outkast, Scarface, UGK, Ludacris, T.I. and cats like that are representing the South. Point at individuals, and start holding people accountable.

10.5: Any shout-outs?
RR: Yeah, shout out to my Carolina people really trying to put SC music on the map. B-Lord, Charlamagne Tha God, Venom, Chuck T, Frosty, my dude Sam King. All the artists Lil Ru, Gemstar, Danny! Shouts to my Ozone fam, Julia, Eric, Maurice Garland, Jen, Malik, Terrance. All the bloggers out there, eskay, Dallas Penn, Necole Bitchie, Rizoh, free Blogxilla. Shouts to all my family, friends and frat back home. And a special shout to all my readers. Whether you read my words in the pages of Ozone or if you visit my blog on the regular, I really appreciate all the love. And one last shout out to Chuck Tony for reaching out to me for this interview. If I forgot anyone, my bad, ya’ll know it’s still love.