24: You recently released your album “The Arab
Store” for free online. What was the motive behind that?

The motive was I was tired
of sitting on the music. I’m still putting out my debut album “Automatic Vibe”.
I had so much music, I had the opportunity to put out myself so I didn’t have
to listen to anybody but myself and put it out.

 

24: Your first single “Money Round Here” Feat. T-Pain did quite well but it seemed like
their wasn’t that much support from your label as far as marketing and
promotion. What was the problem?

The problem, I think was record labels don’t spend
money anymore so I guess they made what they wanted to make back on the record because
even though it may be doing good for you, it probably not be doing good for
them. They’re not going to spend no more money unless they know they are going
to make triple back or quadruple. That’s what I think. I think they stopped
spending money once they felt they made enough money off the record. That’s
what I think but who knows the truth though? You know how that goes. I’m just
an artist.

 

24: Are you happy with the
feedback you’ve been getting from the album so far? 

Absolutely.
I put it on WorldStar at the top for free. One of the first artists to put
something for free on WorldStar. That costs stacks… It’s already paid for
itself though because for features, people calling from overseas like people in
the military to Penn State called for a fraternity party so it’s already paying
for itself that’s why I gave it out for free because I knew my core fans was
gon’ want it. I had to supply their demand.

 

24: Besides The Arab
Store,
you also mentioned the release of a DVD titled “Automatic
Grind“. Is that still coming out?

Absolutely.
Cool bought a new camera so all the footage I shot on the old camera, I hate it
now because of this new HD camera he has so I’m just revamping and shooting new
scenes with the new camera. That was the hold up; switching out cameras.

 

24: With the Arab Store, were
you able to do everything you wanted to on this respective project? 

We
did everything we wanted to do. We sat down, I said I wanted to put this record
out for free and I wanted to put out more original music because I put out two
mixtapes back-to-back and a lot of it wasn’t original and a lot of people
wanted to hear me on some original music and with some features. A lot of
people don’t know I work with a lot of artists through Cool & Dre so I put
together the songs they allowed me to use because there still was a lot of the
music I couldn’t use on Arab Store that’s on my real album so I used the best
work they allowed me to use or could use.

 

24: The last time you were interviewed by
24hourhiphop, said you were in the middle of “a trade“ between labels. As of right now, what is your current
label situation as of right now?

I’m still signed to Polo Grounds/J Records as of tonight while I do this
interview and that’s all I’m going to say.

 

24: Are you still signed with
Epidemic?

Absolutely. Those my brothers so whatever label switch, if there’s a
label switch, will absolutely be through Cool & Dre.

 

24: When you call yourself
part of the “Top 5 from the crib,“
that can be a good and bad thing, depending on how fans feel about the newer
artists out there. How do you going about to separating yourself from the other
new artists out there today who may they are top 5? 

How
do I separate myself? It’s up to the people. You can label yourself what you
want but the people are going to tell you if you’re lying or not so I feel once
you press play, you decide but I’m going to feel like that from the gate.

 

24: When you put up music for
free, does it bother you at all that you’re giving out all this free music or
do you look at that as something that you have to do at this point in your
career?

I look at it is as you
absolutely have to because if you want people to want your music, at the end of
the day, it’s about them wanting your music. You’re going to make your money if
you got people that want your music no matter how they get it. You can sell it
if you want, people that really want it are going to get it. There probably not
even going to buy it. Everybody know how this music thing is so if you want
something you can get it and we tryna get the hook up anyway so if you with me,
I skipped all of that. I’m not a record label, I’m one man. I don’t own a
studio, I never really had no team. It’s always been C-Ride, Cool & Dre and
they do what they do. I always did what I wanted to do so I knew I was going to
make the money back and I always been the type of artist to give out my music
for free, since I started and everybody knows that so I wasn’t going to change
now.

 

24: Who would you say is your “Top 5” artists from Miami right now?

Including me or excluding
me?

 

24: Including you.

Me, Brisco, Billy Blue,
he’s one of my favorite rappers for the crib besides myself, Jimmy Dade and I
gotta say Reggie Cashflow.

 

24: What’s next for
C-Ride in 2010?

I’m
working on my debut album “Automatic Vibe” and who it comes out on,
that’s in the air. Shout out to Polo Grounds though, I still love y’all. Still
working on my debut album, getting that right and I’m working a single myself,
it’s called “What’s Hood”
featuring Gorilla Zoe. It’s on the Arab Store. Me and my managers, Cool &
Dre, we all going to radio ourselves and working that record ourselves.

 

24: How important is it for
you and Cool & Dre to work the record yourselves rather than through the label
or the radio promotion team for the label?

You
can do it that way but your not doing it yourself because If they say stop, you
gotta stop if you go through the label and they work the record and with my
situation, it’s kind of touchy, so it only makes sense to work it ourselves. I
put the Arab Store out myself and I’m getting all the feedback so it only made
since to put out a single. That was my plan from the get-go; To put the CD out
with a single so I wanted to put the CD out first and let people tell me what
song so I don’t make no mistakes and they chose “What’s Hood” featuring Gorilla Zoe so I’m going all out
like I always do.

 

24: How would the fans go
about contacting you?

You can email me at Cridebooking@gmail.com or C2daride@gmail.com, C2daride.com, you can download the CD for free on there and you can
contact through my website.