Making a lasting impression, or even a sudden impact, in the music industry is an uphill battle. In the hit and miss world or music, faces come and go at a rapid pace and there just simply isn’t much room at the top of the ladder. Those blessed with longevity can often last the test of time but for others simply breaking through in the first place is a battle all too familiar.

Just last year, Fort Lauderdale, Florida native COA Babii, also known as Legacy, made waves of his own with his dance hit ‘WIGN’. The song features and upbeat and fresh approach and infuses with it the new dance craze derived by Babii. From Miami to Tallahassee, the single has been getting heavy rotation and it is just the type of springboard that an artist like Babii needs if he is to take his career to the next level in the years to come.

In speaking face to face with Babii, it’s evident that he is man out to tackle as many fields as possible. Blessed with both intellect and raw ambition, Babii has found a way to combine the two in slowly making a name for himself in the industry. At just 23 years of age, he is wise beyond his years in many regards and has a full understanding of just how many more steps he must take in his lyrical journey.

Whether rapping, producing, or songwriting, Babii’s life revolves around creating music. On a Wednesday afternoon, Babii sat down with 24 Hour Hip Hop and discussed all of the above mentioned facets of his life, plus many other revelations. From learning how to live on his own, to coping with the loss of his Mother, to his current goals in life, COA Babii has learned from his past and is ready to embrace the future. In his own words, this is COA Babii, Unleashed… 


 
By Myself…
“I had five siblings growing up. We were all raised by a single mother, working two different jobs growing up. She had to basically bring the food home and in a lot of ways we pretty much had to raise ourselves. It was pretty hard and I mainly stayed in the hood. I’ve been around street life for as long as I can remember and I pretty much had to learn how to get things by myself.”

Getting Away from Reality…
“Music was something I always loved. Before I started writing music I was writing poetry. Poetry was a way for me to get away from reality. I was able to express myself and also find myself at the same time. Basically I just wrote about everything. I’d write about things that were going on and the places I wanted to be with my life. I just wrote about my goals and dreams in life.”

My Motivation…
“During that time in my life, what kept me going was not wanting to be where I was at that point in time. Seeing everything around me in that situation pretty much was the motivation I needed to keep going. I knew I had to keep pushing forward if I wanted out of that.” 

The WIGN Craze…
“I did start a new dance called WIGN. It’s funny because I consider myself much more of an artist as opposed to a dancer. I mean I can do a little two-step here and there but I’m not the biggest dancer. WIGN was just a crazy vibe I was feeling. I wanted to come up with something new, something that the hood dudes could feel and at the same time something the females could feel as well. Pretty much, WIGN is just wildn’out. It’s a new dance step out there for everyone who is feeling themselves.”

Playing Different Roles…
“I actually started out songwriting then I went into producing, then rapping came naturally. I do a little bit of everything and I feel like I am an all around artist. I love song writing because you can basically make yourself into a completely different character. You could be a good guy in one song and a bad guy in the next song. You can play different roles in each different verse. Like I said, to me, it sets me free and gives me a way to express a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t be able to express in reality. Producing is a good vibe to where you can really produce some hot stuff and have the feedback of everybody nodding their head and really feeling their selves to it. To me, when I am a producer, I really feel it within me and when I release it onto a keyboard or a drum pad it just comes out and it’s like a piece of me. Rapping is a way for me to express myself in a different way. I get a kick out of just being on stage and performing. I get an adrenaline just seeing thousands of people
cheering for me and that is like a high to me. That’s my rush.”

Accomplished…
“It’s a good feeling to step out and have people recognize you and scream out your name. Even having a few kids look up to you and admire you can touch you because when they tell you that you mean a lot to them or that when they hear your song it just gives them a good feeling. It makes you feel that you really accomplished something big to make someone else’s life better.”



The Good and the Bad of Florida…
“I feel like Florida right now is the best place to get out there. To me, it’s like what New York was back in the day. I feel that the whole movement has shifted down to Florida. You have the sunny weather, you have the beautiful women, the beaches, and there are so many cultures out here that it just gives you a wide variety of chances. The bad thing I don’t like about Florida is that there are a lot of crabs. You have a lot of people who are stepping on your toes and trying to hold you down. They don’t want to see you more successful than them and there is a lot of competition down here. It’s pretty crazy.”

The Fuel to My Fire…
“I look at it like this. When you have people hating on you that means you are really doing something. You should be worried when you don’t have people hating on you. When everybody is cool with you is when you have a problem. I definitely say that competition is the fuel to my fire. If it wasn’t’ for people trying to compete I wouldn’t be as good as I am at this point. If they are coming for me I am coming for them too.”

Reaching Out…
“My goals for the future are to work with a lot of established artists as well as up and coming artists. I want to reach out to people who aren’t able to voice their thoughts and talents. I want to be able to help bring the best out of a lot of people while also being a role model to people who are out there looking for some guidance.”

Day by Day…
“I just love life itself. Just living day by day and being able to wake up gives me a good feeling. That gives me the understanding that I am able to wake up another day and accomplish something more than what I had done before.”

The Entertainment Field…
“I definitely want to get into acting, fashion, and the whole business management side. Basically everything in the entertainment field and fashion field I am going for it. What I like about fashion is just being a role model because people are always looking for the next thing to come out. People want to know what is new and what is hot. I just want to be a pioneer for that.”

Money…
“I feel like the man makes the money and the money never makes the man, so money definitely wouldn’t change me. It would give me a lot of opportunities to turn some people’s lives around but it wouldn’t change me. If I had money I would put it towards a little bit of everything, from music, to family, to investing in different areas so that the money continues to come in.”

Pushing Yourself…
“To be successful in this industry you have to be determined and driven. I see cats coming out almost every day. You seem to have a new rapper on the block every single day. To keep up with things you just have to stay self motivated and not give up. If you have to work like five jobs just so you can survive and still find a way to get your music out there you have to do it. Nobody is going to push you except for yourself.” 

Behind the Names…
“COA Babii stands for Center of Attention. I was born into the views of everybody, having all eyes on you at all times, wondering what I was going to do next. I just felt like I was the center of attention. As far as my name Legacy, I just feel that I was put on this earth to create some kind of legacy. I feel I am here to keep things going and really change things.”

Looking Out…
“You definitely have to look out for snakes out there. You never know who is on your team. Friends are the ones who mean everything to you, but at the same time you have to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. There are so many backstabbers out there, from families to everyone. You never know who you can trust nowadays.”

Inspiration…
“I’d have to say my mother always inspired me to keep going. She is no longer here; she passed away on April 2nd, 2006. Losing her was t he hardest thing that I have ever had to go through. Her name was Miss Joseph. That’s what keeps me going. I don’t think I’ll ever give up because of her.”

Not Stopping…
“Struggles outside of that would be day to day living, wondering if you are ever going to reach the point where you are trying to get to. There are a lot of temptations. Every dude knows that females are one, money is another, and pretty much just all materialist things in life. I try to bypass all of that and stay focused pretty much. Every up and coming artist knows about the struggles, from getting your music out there, to getting DJ’s to hear you, to building a fan base. Getting picked up by a record label or distribution is pretty hard work. I would like to say that I still have a lot of work to do but I’m still not stopping”


To Learn More about COA Babii please check him out at www.Myspace.com/LegacyCOA

If you liked the Article, please hit Chris Robinson up at www.Myspace.com/BoxingHarmony