10 Questions for Travis Porter

Travis Porter may have been hungry when they entered a conference room at their record label, but you’d never know. What the hip-hop trio did show, however, was their stomach-churning sense of humor. “Are my lips ashy?” Ali asked his step-brother Quez, before he replied, “No. Are my lips ashy?”

When Ali, Quez, and Strap sit down to chat with staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud, dressed casually in denim jackets, blue jeans, white sneakers, caps, and scarves, they present quite a calm exterior. What shines through their cool demeanor are the effervescent personalities that make up the character of Travis Porter‚ much like in their video for “Make It Rain.” The 20 year olds, who formed the group in middle school, sport the desires of a man on their newest mixtape, Music, Money, Magnums.

The threesome is now embarking on the journey of crafting their Jive Records debut. The album boasts production from the likes of Bangladesh, Tha Bizness, Kane Beatz, FKi, and more. “We’re taking the Travie way. It’s a one-way ticket to Travie Land,” said Quez. Follow their yellow brick road below.

1. Can you recite any of your first raps?
Ali: “Try me/ Try me ho.”
Quez: We had a song called “Wood on Deck” [and a song called] “Teabag Dat Ho.” [Raps] “Teabag dat h-o, teabag dat ho…” That was the number one song back in Atlanta in the seventh grade. Real talk.

2. Upon getting signed, who did you call first?
Quez: I called my moms. Actually we signed on the road. We signed in Milwaukee. We had gone to a FedEx/Kinko’s, printed the papers out, and sent it in.
Strap: Yeah, I called my moms, too.
Ali: I didn’t call nobody!

3. Are you all single?
Ali: Yes we are! I’ve never been this single in my life.
Quez: I’m single and ready to mingle.
Strap: I’ve never been this single before.

4. What’s the oldest woman you would date?
Quez: “Date” is not the word. I really don’t want to go over 32. That’s my limit.
Strap: The oldest woman I would chop it up with would probably be 28.
Ali: We really don’t want to go over that age.

5. Who would play you in an movie of your life?
Strap: I want one of my little cousins to play me.
Quez: Which one, Kash?
Strap: I want Philos.
Quez: Philos don’t even look like you! We got some bad lil’ cousins.

6. Where do you see hip-hop going in the next five years?
Strap: We’re going to save it.
Ali: Hip-hop is great. There are different parts of hip-hop.
Quez: That’s how I feel too. People trying to be like, “Y’all ain’t real hip-hop because y’all aren’t making the same type of music they’re making.”
Ali: I believe there’s going to be different genres breaking out of hip-hop.
Quez: We’ll probably just break off into our own genre of music. [They would say] “Y’all not hip-hop! Y’all not hip-hop!” I know we’re not hip-hop!

7. Who do you think are some of the most underrated rappers in the genre right now?
Quez: My ni**a Short Dawg is underrated. We’re underrated.
Strap: A lot of people don’t give us the credit we deserve. A lot of people think that we got here overnight.
Quez: Overnight. I hate that line. “So, how do you feel about your overnight success?” What do you mean? We’ve been through that. You’re just now onto it.
Ali: Do your history.

8. Your song “Make It Rain” is a party starter. If you were DJs for a night, what songs would you spin during a set?
Quez: We gotta play “Racks on Racks” [Yung Chris]. When we’re partying in the A, we gotta play “Make It Rain.”
Strap: “No Hands” [Waka Flocka Flame].
Quez: You gotta play “9 Piece” [Rick Ross]. [Imitates Ross] Ugghhhh!
Ali: You gotta play that “Fire Flame” [Birdman].
Strap: You gotta play [our song] “Doggin’.”
Quez: And [our song] “Bring It Back.” The girls, they might be out their clothes by then. The party is over!

9. What do you fight about?
Quez: Stupid stuff, like, “Why you all in my seat man?” or “Hey bro, let me get a chip!”
Strap: Or, “Why you open my chips, bro?”
Quez: Just crazy stuff. Nothing like…
Ali: “Eh, bro, you f**ked my girl!”
Quez: “Why you hit my girl?” Nothing like that.

10. What keeps your bond strong?
Quez: Just by being around each other. We’re a family!
Ali: We live together.
Strap: You can’t create a bond.
Quez: That’s like, “Hey bro, why you f**k with your brother?” Because he’s my brother!

–Tanya Remekie