Fendi P Delivers With “Fendi P3’… “My Goal Is To Have Each Project Better Than The Last Project!”

Fendi P stepped it up yet another notch with his recent release, “Fendi P 3!” The New Orleans spitter delivered 15-hot tracks for the summer.

Fendi P has been putting in work for quite some time now. His work speaks for itself and his work ethic comes out in his music. Bar for bar and line for line, Fendi is one of the more talented young artists out right now, and he’s quick to point out, he doesn’t sound like anyone else. In fact, there isn’t anything traditional about the New Orleans, Louisiana native, now living in Atlanta. Most would say he doesn’t even sound like a New Orleans rapper. His low-tone voice and slow delivery puts him in a lane of his own. It’s not the typical upbeat southern slang that you’re used to. Strategically changed his name from, “Corner Boy P” to “Fendi P” for a more global appeal, Fendi has been a solid on, Curren$y’s, Jet Life label. He has delivered two gems this year with, “Carrera Red,” and “Fendi P 3.”

Fendi taps in and breaks down the album, his sound and explains the reason behind his name change.

You just dropped, “Fendi P 3.” Amazing album. I love the fact that you keep the New Orleans legend, Fiend on all of your albums. What’s that relationship like?

Fendi P: Fiend introduced me to the studio. So, I always… if I hear a record that sounds like him, I’m going to definitely reach out and get it done. I don’t sing, so whenever I want that soulful sound, most likely my go to is, Fiend.

Especially if you’re going to do a smoking song, you gotta have, Fiend and Curren$y and you did that on, “Lighter Back.”

Fendi P: Yeah, come on. You know I had to make it happen. I’m like a dope ass producer or something like that (laughing).

(Laughing) where did you meet, Fiend? Is that just an old school New Orleans relationship?

Fendi P: I met, Fiend at the shop; Street Customs. I used to hang around, Musa. And Musa was managing, Fiend and Fiend felt like I looked like a rapper. I wore hella throwbacks and shit back then.

How do you feel like you have grown as an artist from “Fendi P 2” to “Fendi P 3?”

Fendi P: “Fendi P 3” is a dope album. It was well put together. I actually had, “Fendi P3” done before I did “Carrera Red.” I was doing, “Fendi P 3” before the 2009 tour. Each project I do, I be wanting to step it up. My goal is to have each project better than the last project.

You have amazing storytelling abilities. Do you feel like your tough upbringing helped you get your message out in your music?

Fendi P: Like I said, I wasn’t even a rapper. I was a fan of music. I was a fan of… New Orleans, we had good conversation rappers like, Juvenile would have a whole conversation rapping; Soulja Slim and Mac. Those people were part of my influence outside of the way I was brought up. I’m a fan of music. I always try to create different kinds of music.

You definitely put me in the mind of, Mac.

Fendi P: Free Mac, man. I was definitely a No Limit fan. They were putting out 3-albums a month.

You actually hit us with a lot of music this year as well. Was that by design or just the way it happened?

Fendi P: It’s just the way it came out. The only thing that was intentional was, “Carrera Red.” I would’ve put out more music than I did actually. I have a double EP called, “Gold VVS Player Made,” that I recorded before, “Carrera Red” and “Fendi P 3.” I just been holding it down. I always like to work. Being in the studio is fun as fuck to me.

I’m sure the studio is therapeutic for you, mix that with your creativeness and I’m sure you spend a lot of time perfecting your craft in there.

Fendi P: I’m a fan of myself. So, I be like, “Shit nigga, you was snapping on that motherfucker.” It’s kind of like I’m in competition with myself because I gotta make a record that’s better than, “Paid In Full,” the next record gotta be better than, “Pretty Tony 2.” It’s so much work that you have to do when you creating and when you dropping so much music and when you’re underground. When you’re underground, you have to put out so much music compared to the mainstream artist.

It seems like your stories come from personal experience. Does that make putting pen to pad easier?

Fendi P: That’s the easy part. The hardest part is finding the beat. I don’t write the music until… see the beat tells me what story I’m going to tell you. There are more stories in me that haven’t came out yet. The music didn’t allow it to come. I basically do what the music tells me to do. I have fun no matter what kind of record I’m making. I just be trying to have fun. So the right production gives me the platform to display my lyrical talent.

It’s a very diverse album too. You have the hard street stuff, you have the slower beats flow, upbeat flow, smoke song, party song. In today’s world where there is so much competition, how important was it to hit different sounds and show that diversity?

Fendi P: They won’t be so easily to box you in. See when you too diverse, they don’t give you full credit. If I was just simply, “Corner Boy,” trap rapper, they would be expecting only that. But it’s way more topics that you can touch on. The only thing I try not to touch on is more like political shit and stuff like that. Ion give a fuck. Shit be way beyond our powers. Before the decision was brought to us, it was passed through several people of power hands. So, it don’t matter how the fuck we feel about it. That’s just what it is.

How did you and Curren$y get this Jet Life thing off the ground, man?

Fendi P: Man, I started with, Fiend and Musa. Musa was managing, Fiend and he also was managing, Curren$y. That’s when I started rapping. Both of them took a liking towards me. We migrated under one umbrella which was, Jet Life. I been knowing, “Spitta” before, “Fly Society,” before Jet Life. When he was on Ca$h Money. I was rocking with, “Spitta” for a long time. It’s just that I don’t hang with, “Spitta” every day. So, the internet people wouldn’t understand our relationship if they don’t know. I been fucking with my guy for a long time. If you notice, I only rep, Jet Life. I don’t have a Fendi P Entertainment or Corner Boy Records or nothing. It’s just Jet Life.

What made you change your name from Corner Boy P to Fendi P?

Fendi P: To be more global and accessible. I want to do more. Let’s say they had a school day and they were looking for a speaker where you’re going to speak to some students. Would you let your kid tell you that, “Daddy, tomorrow we’re going to have, Corner Boy P come talk to the school.” They would be like, “What the fuck?” I know I’m not raising my kids to be what I was. I wouldn’t let my child talk to, Corner Boy P. You gotta realize, let’s say it’s a person that don’t know me. They only going off my name. Fendi P is easier on the ears. You don’t know what kind of person this is. You don’t know who, Fendi P is. But once you hear, Corner Boy, you already got the box. You gotta be a street nigga, you gotta be a drug dealer, what is he going to talk to these kid’s about? What is he about? So, Fendi P to me, I could go further. Also, I’m a corner boy at heart. Don’t get it twisted, it’s just you grow up. I’m not 17 and running wild no more. I got 2 kids. I done made it past a lot of my restrictions that I never thought I would bypass.

That’s a real thought out strategic move. I applaud that for sure.

Fendi P: Yeah, you gotta plan it and then you attack on the plan. You can’t just go headfirst on something. You might have to do it a few times.

You have two dedication songs to, Fat Mike. Explain who he is and his significance to the album.

Fendi P: Fat Mike is a person that’s in every city. He’s blessed with the qualities of having a nice household, momma and daddy, people might have a good job to where they over give. Then the person grow up, used to be treated to everything. You know some parents, once you hit a certain point it’s like, “You’re old enough, you should have a job,” but you never taught them about valuing nothing. You just gave them everything. Now you feel like they are old enough, you tired of giving them everything. You want them to go out there and go work for it now, but they don’t know how. So, by them having everything already, they took a liking to what everybody else likes; the fast life, the money and cars. Because that seems like it’s easier to get than to go to work and punch a clock. So, he’s hanging out with the wrong guys not knowing you can act a certain way. A lot of people go out here and don’t read the handbook and go out here and do something that could result in your life being taken from you. The streets don’t have a rulebook, so anything goes. When you play the game, you go to jail, you failed the game. You play the game and you get killed, you failed, you get shot, you failed the game. The game is meant to be failed. Nobody is meant to win the game. That’s just a story that I witnessed growing up from that person. A person that’s out here and didn’t really have to be out here. When you mingle with the wolves and you not really a wolf, you going to eventually be prey. That’s a real live story. That happened. That’s not just me penning something from imagine. They have stories like that in every city. There are multiples in every city. He’s not the only one. It happens every other day.

You spend your time between New Orleans and Atlanta. Does getting both sounds musically help with your creativity?

Fendi P: Atlanta is different than New Orleans. One thing I like about Atlanta, it made me try different foods. Now I eat Jamaican food. I like jerk chicken now. So, being in the club, it’s a different atmosphere. Out there it’s more flamboyant. New Orleans is more laid back and chill. I’m used to chill and laid back; I’m not used to flamboyant. I’m not used to having to having to need a section and 13-bottles. I can’t fucking drink 1-bottle, what the fuck I need 13 for. Everywhere you go out there you have to park your car. I have a different head space out there. I don’t know nobody in Atlanta. I’m not bothered with nothing. I wake up with nothing or nobody to bother me because I don’t know nobody. If I’m somewhere in Atlanta, it’s because I want to be there. I’m not, “Oh, let me see if they over there. Let me go swing through.” I’m focused on what I need to be focused on.

You know I gotta ask you if you’ve crossed over to the Falcons. Saints or Falcons?

Fendi P: No, I’m with the Saints. I’m going with the home team.

“Paid In Full” is my favorite off of the album. What was the thought process behind that record?

Fendi P: (Laughing). “Paid In Full,” it was time for me to drop a record. I ain’t put out no music since, “Late Night Early Mornings.” And then I recorded “Gold VVS,” but then I held it. IN the midst of me recording, “Player Made,” “Paid In Full” was one of the beats. It just was too hard for a “Player Made, so that’s what made me start recording, “Fendi P 3” because I already had, “Reposado” when I had an off day on the, “Late Night Early Mornings” Tour in L.A. I did those two verses. I already had those two records. “Paid In Full…” it’s like if you’re going to do it and do it that slow then you have to bring the up-tempo lyrics and they had to be hard body lyrics, bar to bar from the beginning until the end. Shit just be happening sometimes. That pen be having nitrox in it.

How do you take it when people say, “He doesn’t sound like he’s from New Orleans?”

Fendi P: I don’t know how to take it because if I don’t sound like a New Orleans nigga, who do I sound like? My accent is heavy as fuck, but when they say you don’t sound like a New Orleans nigga, that means you’re not using New Orleans slang every five words. That’s what I take from it. I’m not using, “Ya heard me,” “You know what I’m sayin.” That’s what it is to me. Outside of that, I’m an international player, I been around the world more than a few times. I don’t know how to take it, long as they don’t tell me I sound like another nigga, I’m alright with it. As long as they say I don’t sound like this rapper or that rapper. My content… I don’t have the same content. I don’t talk about shooting a nigga and having my dick on the gun and constantly talking about the same shit. That’s what separates you from the average up and coming rapper. Up and coming rappers be feeling like they have to talk about what the next rapper talking about. You hear them talking about they got a fucking Lamborghini or a Wraith and it’s like, no, you don’t have that car. Why? What I’m rapping about, I done touched that shit. You can see the shit I’m telling you. It’s like fucking mind paintings. You can see this shit.

I appreciate the time and keep representing for the city. Love Fendi. Anything before I let you out of here?

Fendi P: We good, just, “Fendi P 3,” video for, “Paid In Full” coming soon, single for “All Hunnits” and “Who Run It.” Stream that motherfucker 3-times a day.

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