D-Locc da Chop remembers coming up on the East side and envisions taking over the KC hip-hop crown

“Text Message,” by D-Locc da Chop, from King Me (Van Brunt Entertainment):

The core acts from local R&B and rap label and promotions company Van Brunt Entertainment — Cash Image, D-Locc da Chop and D-Locc’s little brother, Slopp da Gambla — grew up around Van Brunt Boulevard and 20th Street on Kansas City’s east side. They take turns pushing one another’s projects. Last year was all about Cash Image. Cash’s song “In My Chevy,” from an album called Da Game Coach, had the streets of Kansas City humming. Now it’s someone else’s turn. The Pitch caught up with 25-year-old D-Locc da Chop (he would give us only his first name, DerWayne) between laying tracks at 64111 Studios to talk about his upcoming album, King Me.

The Pitch: You grew up in Kansas City?

D-Locc: I grew up on the east side of KC my whole life. I went to Van Horn High School and Westport Middle School. I started rapping when I was real young, probably, like 7, 8. I used to want to call myself D-Nice. Remember the rapper who sang “They Call Me D-Nice”? My mama said you can’t use somebody else’s name, so she named me D-Locc, and I’ve been using that name since I was, like, 9.

Tell me about your new album.

It’s called King Me. It’s me telling ’em, “Give me my turn. Give me my crown.” The reason I called it King Me is because it seems like I’ve been waiting on my turn forever. I been supportin’ everybody.

This isn’t your first album.

Nope, I came out with an album in ’05 called It’s a Rap. We was just learning with that album. We really just started making noise. I’m the frontman of my crew. Like the motor — the car ain’t gonna run without the motor. We got a lot of CDs at 7th Heaven, about eight now. So we’re making a little progress. I just dropped a mixtape called Gimme My Turn, and I’ve been getting good reviews off of that. We’ve been dropping mixtapes to keep our buzz going.

Do you write music without a beat to go with it?

If I got an idea in my head, I can just wake up early, like, 3 or 4 in the morning. I’ll have dreams about certain songs, then, once I wake up, I’ll be ready to do it. I write the gansta rap for people who do the gangsta thing. I write raps for the women, raps for you to dance to. And then I write the reality kind of rap, just to tell people, do they really got their eyes open and see what’s really going on out here, instead of being blind about money or trying to be tough.

What do you think is really going on?

People don’t think no more. Where I’m from, it’s neighborhoods where it’s kind of rough. And then, all the older people in the neighborhood are probably dead or gone to jail, so there ain’t nobody there to show the younger people nothing. That’s why they think they’re grown, nobody is there to put ’em in their place. So you look at these murderers out here right now, they be 18, 17. When I was 17, I wasn’t thinkin’ about killing nobody — I was trying to get to a party. These young dudes out here ain’t got no guidance.

Do you talk to them?

I do. I talk to all the little cats in my neighborhood. When I see little dudes, I’ll say, like, “Why you smokin’, little man?” Just to be truthful with ’em.

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Did you and Slopp grow up rapping together?

I showed him — well, you can’t really show nobody how to rap. He learned it himself. He just picked up on what I was doing. I used to be with Cash’s record label called F.E.D.X. Records — Folding Every Dollar Extra. We was doing that, but then, I guess, a few people got in some trouble and some people moved out of town. So I started up my own thing, the label we are now. That’s my label, but without everybody else, there wouldn’t be a label.

Who have your biggest influences been?

Rich the Factor’s the man. That’s who’s presenting the album. I been a fan of Rich’s for a long time. Once I got the chance to meet him, we’ve been good ever since.

He’s kind of mysterious. I could walk past him and never know it was him.

That’s how he is, too. When I first met him, I didn’t recognize him, either, until someone said, “There goes Rich the Factor.” I said, ‘Let me go meet him and tell him I can rap.” I think he got the Midwest underground on lock. That’s why I need him to help me get to where I need to go so I can scoot him off the throne.

So to be king, you have to take his crown?

Not take his crown. But he can’t be the king forever. Somebody else needs their turn. And who better but me?

Tell me about some of the big singles on the album

“Text Message,” I think that’s one of the biggest yet. Text messaging, that’s what everybody be doing now. At work, driving — which ain’t cool. The song is about texting a girl. I just met her, gave her my number, she sent me a text, I sent her one back. Flirting. It’s kind of R&B-ish, too. I got a song called “Fresh to Def” right now on the radio, [KPRS] 103.3, in rotation. Little kids love that song. And I got another single, “Thug Like Me,” that’s another single with a singing hook.

What’s the opposite of a thug? A nerd?

Yeah, basically. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with being a nerd, though. I got some friends that are nerds. But I wasn’t raised that way. And I know thugs that go to school every day, get up and go to work everyday to feed their families.

So it’s an attitude.

Basically. It’s, like, the lifestyle you’re living. Like sagging your pants and wearing baggy, long shirts instead of wearing tight pants and tight shirts.

Have you heard about the cities banning sagging pants?

I saw that on the news — where it depends on how far down they are whether you go to jail or not. I don’t understand it. Someone want to wear their clothes like that, even if they look stupid. Let them look stupid if that’s what they want.

It’s one of the most enduring fashions.

Sagging has been forever, since I can remember. It’s a style, just like a button-up shirt with your little sweater and tie on top. Some people like to dress another way. So it’s like, I’m going to ban you because your pants are too tight?

You should open a club like that.

I should.

It’s crazy how many songs on the radio now are about strippers.

Well, that’s what young people are into. There’s nothing wrong with strippers, but I’m not into strippers because I’m not into just giving ’em money. You’re just paying ’em to dance in front of you, naked.

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Get a girl to like you, and she’ll do it for free.

Right. There we go.

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