Traxamillion

Northern California's hyphy movement is one of hip-hop's hippest underground scenes, with its own influential look, lingo, and sound. Hyphy's even got its own car culture, with scrapers ghostridin' and yokin' all through the Bay Area. But it might not stay up there for long.

Producer Traxamillion—one of hyphy's principle architects—has just dropped The Slapp Addict, which boasts a veritable who's who of Bay Area stars rapping over his own infectious, gritty production. His approach has already seen comparisons to Dr. Dre's classic The Chronic, but will it be enough to shift mainstream rap focus from the Dirty South to the Wild West?
                                                                                        
Nokia Unwired has words with Traxamillion to find out.

Nokia Unwired: How do you see your new album, The Slapp Addict, fitting into the current rap game?

Traxamillion: It's the soundtrack of the hyphy movement, so I hope it gives a platform for all these artists out here to shine. I think we got a song for every hood out there… There are a few tracks on there that you wouldn't think I produce, but for the most part I kept it real: up-tempo hyphy club bangers.

Nokia Unwired: The record features Too Short, San Quinn, Mister F.A.B., Keak da Sneak, Zion I, on and on. How'd you hook up with all these cats?

Traxamillion: In the Bay, we are all connected; we are at the same clubs and events, and work with the same people. So we all network and hustle together.

Nokia Unwired: Any plans of working nationally, outside the California scene?

Traxamillion: Yeah, I'm tryin' to take it as big as it can get. I'm lovin' what they are doin' down South—the Young Dros, the Lil Waynes—they are hot.

Nokia Unwired: You've been doing your thing since before hyphy was a movement. How'd you become almost synonymous with the sound?

Traxamillion: Producing the track "Super Hyphy"—that set it all off. After that, I made "Grown Man" and a few other hits from the movement, so my sound gets labeled "hyphy."

Nokia Unwired: What do you think of hyphy culture's spread beyond the Bay Area? Is it cool if kids in, say, rural Idaho start yokin' their rides?

Traxamillion: I think if it gets too watered down and commercialized then that's bad. But if we're all eatin' and nobody gets hurt…then let's get it! I'm not hatin'!

Nokia Unwired: Do you think the Bay Area's influence in hip-hop has been underrated? Do you see that changing now?

Traxamillion: I think we set trends but we never had the marketability outside the Bay that we do now, so I expect to see a lot more Bay cats out there. A few of us have signed deals so it could be big.

Nokia Unwired: Your song "Yellow Bus" celebrates the whole "going dumb" aesthetic of hyphy. Can you describe what that term means?

Traxamillion: Goin' dumb is just wylin' out...letting loose. It's not too scientific.

Nokia Unwired: You've done several tracks for PlayStation3's NBA games, right? Would you be opposed to doing a full score for a video game, a la Trent Reznor?

Traxamillion: I'm trying to do games, movies, ringtones—whatever it takes to make it happen.

Nokia Unwired: Is that what it takes to be truly successful in the music business?

Traxamillion: I think being truly successful is what it is. Just keep at what you love and things will happen. It sounds corny, but it's real.