“I like hockey. I suck at basketball…No really I do.” Decked out in a Hollister fitted t-shirt and Rock and Republic Jeans a soft spoken Ali, 19, laughs as he explains his eccentric hobbies outside of rapping within his group. Equipped with heavy southern accents and request for fried chicken Strap, 19, and Quez, 19, sit idly on the white plush comforters in their Dayton, Ohio, hotel room and explain that their hit single “All the Way Turnt Up” is, “The hottest song out. It’s a hit and a stupid ass club song.” For those of you over the age of twenty-five stupid is a good thing and the “Who Is Travis Porter” movement seems to be an even better thing for the Atlanta native teenagers known as, Travis Porter.

 

 After experiencing recent success outside of the 770 area code this group has barely engraved their names into the mainstream music scene and already has embarked on a grueling five month east coast city tour and anticipating the premiere of their first film in early March. The southern gentlemen who are known for such hits as, “Baddest Chick in the World” and “Waffle House” took time to reflect on their road to success and chatted about everything from the origin of the group name to their boxes and briefs.

  

SM: When everybody first hears the name Travis Porter they assume it’s just one person. What’s the history behind the name? 

Strap: “Um, really we were just trying to be different. The name of our group at first was  Hard Hitters but we changed it ‘cause we wanted a more marketable name. Travis Porter came up and we went with that. People loved it.”

 

SM: So how did you guys create the group? Did you all grow up together or go to school together?

 

Ali: We grew up together. Quez and I are stepbrothers and we knew Strap from school, since middle school. We were rapping then.

 

SM: Atlanta natives have heard you on the radio for a while now but how long have you all been a group now?

 

Strap: Since like ‘07. No, since ’06. 

SM: Who are some of you all’s musical influences? I know there a re a lot of musical artists that have made it big outside of the city such as T.I. and Outkast but are their some other artist that you all admire most? 

Ali: T.I.

 

Strap: Strap. (laughs) Um, Lil’Wayne and Outkast. 

Quez: T.I.

 

Strap: Oh and ‘Pac.

 

SM:  Okay. Well personally I’m going to say that my favorite song by you all is “Black Boy White Boy Swag”.  It’s a song that explains that it’s okay for your personal style to be so different from your swag or personality. Where did the inspiration for that song come from? Does that explain ya’ll as individuals?

 

Strap: Nope it was just a phase.

 

Ali:  Yeah. (laughs)  It was a phase really.

 

SM: So you all aren’t even down with that anymore? 

Ali: I mean we still kick it. 

Strap: We always switch our style up. 

Ali: We’re still different as you can see. Look at us. 

SM: So everyone wants to know if you all are currently signed. What’s the status on that?

 

Ali: (yelling) Porter House! 

Strap: Um, no not right now. 

SM: So right now you all are mostly on the mixtape circuit. How many mixtapes have you all had? 

Strap: Four.  There’s “Who is Travis Porter?”, “I’m a Differenter”, “I’m a Differenter 2”, and “Streets are Us” with Wacka Flacka. We have more in the streets though. 

SM: Are you all trying to get signed? I know a lot of artists are kind of saying forget the labels we’ll do it ourselves. Is that the cause with you all?

 

Strap: We’ll do the labels in a minute. 

Quez: I’m for the labels.

 

Ali: Um hmm. (nods in argument

Strap: It’s just not the time right now.

 

SM: Right, I understand. 

Ali: Now it’s just time to get out there.

 

SM: Well I’ve heard a lot about the movie that you all are doing. Can you all tell me a little about it? Is it a documentary?

 

Ali: It’s a movie about our life.

  

 

SM: About your lives? 

Ali: Yeah.

 

Strap: It’s a documentary slash movie acting slash…

 

Ali: Narrative. 

Strap: Slash narration.

 

SM: That’s a lot of slashes. (laughs) What’s the name of it?

 

Quez: (laughs) It’s called, “Unbelievable”.

 

SM: When can we expect that?

 

Ali: March 6th. It premieres in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

SM: So is there going to be a big premiere for it?

 

All together: Yeah

Strap: Sade gonna be there. Diddy gonna be there. Um… 

Quez: (pauses and looks around) He lyin. (shakes head and laughs) 

Strap: (laughs) It’s gonna be a big though.

 

SM: So, were did you all get the idea for the movie? 

Ali:  We wanted to act. 

Quez: Yeah, we wanted to expand like our horizons and see if we get signed then we can see if we get put in a movie.

 

Ali:  Yeah, cause we wanna be actors.

 

Strap: I don’t wanna be no damn actor!

 

Ali: I wanna be an actor.

 

SM: Why don’t you want to be an actor? (points to Strap) 

Strap: I’m cool. I like doing music.

 

Ali: I like music too but I want to be a good actor too. I like doing new things 

SM: Do you?

 

Ali: I’m going fishing tomorrow.

 

SM: You’re going fishing tomorrow for real?

 

Ali: Yeah. 

Quez: Fishing is not new. (laughs)

 

SM: (laughs) That was my next question what do you all like to do besides rapping?

 Quez:  Play pool.

 

Strap: Pool.

 

Ali: I like playing hockey.

 

Quez: (yells) Stop lying bruh. Stop lying to the people!

 

 

Quez: I like playing basketball.

 

Strap: Yeah, playing basketball.

 

SM:  What’s the status on releasing more material? I recently saw the video on your Myspace page for “Get Naked”.

 

Strap: Yeah, that’s the newest one.

 

SM: Can we expect anymore from you or are you all just focused on the movie?

 

Strap: We got a video for our new single, “Go Shorty”. We have a video for that. 

SM: Is that video going to be on MTV?

 

Strap: No, it’s not.

 

SM: Why isn’t it going to be on MTV?

 

Strap: They said it was to underground.

 

SM: Oh, okay. Well why do you guys think “All the Way Turnt Up” put you on the map? You’ve other songs before that but I wasn’t hearing your name out of the city until that song came out.

 

Strap: It’s a hot song.

 

Ali: Anything with the name Travis Porter on it is going to be a hit anyway.

 

Strap: Travis Porter got some new condoms comin’ out! (laughs)

 

SM: (laughs) I know you guys are really busy. These questions are for the ladies. Boxers or briefs? 

Quez: Briefs.

 

Strap: Briefs.

 

Ali: Briefs.

 

SM: Everyone’s rockin briefs? (laughs) Are you guys single? 

Strap: (sings in Lil Wayne voice) “Yeah, I’m single.”

 

Ali and Strap (singing together): “Had to cancel that bitch like Neno!”  (both laugh)

 

SM: Okay, we’re going to wrap things up with a little word association. You ready?

 

Quez: Let’s go!

 

SM: Waffle House.

 

Quez: Sausage biscuit.

 

SM: Atlanta.

 

Quez: (sings) Georgia.

 

Ali: Ali. (laughs) 

SM: Unbelievable.

 

Quez: Movie.

 

Strap: Trailer.

 For tour dates, music, and more information on Travis Porter visit their website at www.wearetravisporter.com or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/iamtravisporter .

 ♥theriteher