Hellcats & Hip-Hop with Killer Mike, Funkmaster Flex, and Chop Towbin | Billboard Roundtable
In celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary, Billboard Deputy Editorial Director Damien Scott sat down with GRAMMY-nominated rapper Killer Mike, DJ Funk Flex, and legendary Dodge dealer Chop Towbin to discuss all things Hellcat, Hip-Hop, and how Dodge made its mark in music history.
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00 What's up, I'm Damian Scott from Billboard Magazine.
00:02 This is it.
00:03 I got three of the illest car guys in the world today talking s*** with me.
00:07 What up, my name is Damian Scott.
00:26 I'm the Deputy Editorial Director at Billboard for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
00:32 Billboard and Dodge linked up to celebrate one of the most iconic, hottest cars to ever roll out.
00:38 To do so, we've linked up with an amazing cast of people.
00:42 But before we get to them, I think it's important to highlight how important the brand of Dodge is and has been to hip-hop.
00:50 How influential the brand has been for over a hundred years.
00:53 It's set trends and delivered some of the hottest models I think we can all agree has ever graced the streets.
00:59 Let's just jump in.
01:00 I'm joined by hip-hop legend and Grammy nominated.
01:04 Yeah.
01:04 Congrats, man.
01:05 Thank you so much.
01:06 Congrats, Killer Mike, the guy who soundtracked my life in New York City, the legendary funk master Flex.
01:12 Yes, sir.
01:12 Amen.
01:13 And one of the biggest Dodge dealers in all the United States, Chop Tobin.
01:19 How did you guys get into cars in the first place?
01:22 You just said the General Lee.
01:24 The General.
01:25 I'm a southerner.
01:25 That was it for me.
01:27 We ain't going to play like it didn't exist.
01:29 That car--
01:29 Let's not mess around with this.
01:30 Let's not even play.
01:32 There was a little black kid in the South, and he loved cowboy movies with his grandpa, and he loved seeing cars go fast.
01:39 He grew up in a family where the men ran Moonshine and cool stuff like that when they were younger.
01:43 And man, one day, Bo and Luke Duke popped up with their cousin Dave.
01:47 Channel 2.
01:48 And this orange car popped up, and it was the most radically ill car I'd ever seen.
01:55 It was fast.
01:56 It was jumping shit.
01:58 Bo and Luke Duke was getting out saying cool stuff.
02:00 Uncle Jesse was fair.
02:02 And Daisy.
02:03 Oh, man, that was it.
02:04 I wanted-- from that moment--
02:06 The roll cage and the door being welded shut.
02:09 And they got in like Nascar.
02:11 Come on, man.
02:13 You had to be down with it.
02:14 Flex, what do you have?
02:16 You can talk about your collection.
02:18 Everything.
02:20 I'm a super old school muscle car guy.
02:23 I mean, my new joints is I got the Durango, the Hellcat, and I have the Hellcat Redeye.
02:33 That's what I drive every day.
02:35 Wide body.
02:36 The wide body.
02:37 That muscle car, which was really just a dressed up version of what already existed
02:44 with a little horsepower and some better suspension.
02:47 As a kid, to see the brighter color or the bigger wheel was just naturally exciting to
02:54 us.
02:55 My dad had a Cutlass.
02:56 And in the backseat, I could smell the gas.
03:03 When the carburetor floods, you start to get that smell.
03:08 And I was like, I really like this smell.
03:12 Like chicks with lavender.
03:13 I can smell lavender on the bed.
03:18 And mixed with that exhaust is like crack to me.
03:22 So I experienced it with my dad.
03:25 And then that was, I wanted a muscle car.
03:28 He wanted a bigger engine and a smaller body.
03:30 I mean, that's it.
03:31 And Dodge has been good with that.
03:35 From the door.
03:36 You know, they had a car in the 50s that was like a 300.
03:40 I don't know if it was Chrysler or Dodge.
03:42 But they've been on that muscle car, big engine energy from the door.
03:48 And the Superbee in '68, because Road Runner and Plymouth had the Road Runner.
03:55 But they had a Superbee, which was like, it was a package on a Cornette.
04:02 And it was just like that 440.
04:06 I mean, it's something.
04:07 Even now, you buy a used one, it's a 50, 60 grand car.
04:12 Also, it's like a race car that's on the street.
04:16 It's a quick one.
04:17 What was it for you, Chavo?
04:18 What was the thing that jumped out at you?
04:19 It's a trip, because I'm going to bite his style.
04:22 I literally didn't even think about it until it was Dukes of Hazzard.
04:25 I used to have my General Lee and all the little cars from the show, the police cars
04:28 and everything, I would have them set up.
04:30 And I was a little kid.
04:31 And I was ready for that show.
04:33 You're talking about a TV show where they would jump a Dodge Charger through the air.
04:37 And I was like, I didn't even think about it.
04:39 But as soon as you said it, that was my childhood.
04:41 Like, shameless plug, my album Michael.
04:43 When you buy the physical copy, and you open the wax of the CD up, there's a picture of
04:48 me, my grandpa, my great grandma.
04:51 I have on a cowboy hat.
04:53 That cowboy hat says the General Lee on it.
04:55 I have on the cowboy boots, the overalls, and there is a General Lee car somewhere under
04:59 the Christmas tree for me.
05:00 It's early.
05:01 It's early.
05:02 That was it, man.
05:03 So before we got started, I heard you guys talking about your own personal collections.
05:07 Now, you sell them, so I'm sure your collection is just insane.
05:11 Can you guys just talk about what Dodge models you currently have in the fleet?
05:15 '68 Charger with a 518 Hemi.
05:18 Crazy, crazy build.
05:20 It's a blue with a red gut, Superman vibe.
05:22 And then I got all different types of cars.
05:25 I have cars.
05:26 Redline tire on that, my brother.
05:27 You like 'em?
05:28 That touches a place.
05:29 I have a '07 in the wrapper, brand new.
05:32 Superbee, no miles.
05:33 Just sitting there at the house.
05:35 And I got a little elevator.
05:36 You never drove it?
05:37 I never drove that car.
05:38 I wanted to have something, like when I first got in there, we didn't have the hot, there
05:44 was some of the cars that weren't as hot as right now.
05:46 So we took the stuff we had.
05:47 There wasn't even SRT?
05:48 I don't think there was RT yet.
05:49 There wasn't SRT yet?
05:50 So I started putting rims on Intrepids and TVs back in the day, and I wanted to make
05:54 it affordable so everybody could ride one.
05:56 We called it Chopper Edition.
05:58 And that car, for an affordable price, was moving, and we sold like 300 of them in one
06:03 month.
06:04 Just custom cars and got some play.
06:05 And then we just started, like our Ram trucks at the time, we put rims and lifted them and
06:10 lowered them.
06:11 Just make it hot.
06:12 Make it something that you want to ride.
06:13 And then our product just came to life.
06:16 Ralph Gilles came on the scene and started designing the baddest cars on the planet.
06:19 He's amazing.
06:20 Yeah, Ralph.
06:21 That's my man.
06:22 That's my man.
06:23 That's amazing.
06:24 There's no other brand doing 800 horse with AC.
06:25 Yeah, 800 horse with AC and in four-door versions, because a lot of divorce, a lot
06:31 of kids out of wedlock, a lot of dads want to stun on moms, man.
06:34 You know what I mean?
06:35 Just to keep it real.
06:36 A lot of step-dads want to show dads you weren't what it was.
06:38 What's in your collection right now?
06:41 I got one monogamous to one Hellcat, and I'm looking to become polygamous and get a David
06:46 pretty soon.
06:47 But my Hellcat's a daily driver.
06:48 I got a Hellcat.
06:49 It's world famous because people call it Zombie Cat.
06:51 The problem with the competitors is they try to make something that looks good, and they
06:55 put the horsepower, but they don't put the suspension.
06:58 The steering, the braking, the suspension.
07:01 It's not the same.
07:02 That's what it is.
07:03 Can I say it's the emotion?
07:04 I can say with our car, it's the emotion.
07:05 So in '15 when that first Charger Hellcat came out, I got a white one, and now it's
07:10 a wide body.
07:11 I still got it.
07:12 I love it.
07:13 I still got it.
07:14 And it's a wide body.
07:15 Suspension was weird on the Marley ones, though.
07:16 Mine's bad.
07:17 I'm weird.
07:18 I got all kind of rims.
07:19 I got all kind of weird shit going on.
07:20 But that car, to me, when I hit the gas, I remember driving it, and I had my son in the
07:24 back, and I'm like, "This doesn't make any sense.
07:26 I'm going to smoke a Lambo, and I got my kid in the back."
07:30 This is crazy.
07:31 It's crazy.
07:32 It's emotional.
07:33 On the way back down through the city a couple days later, I get hit by the state patrol.
07:36 They're like, "Bloop, bloop."
07:37 And I'm like, "The state patrol?"
07:38 And he gets out.
07:39 He says, "Mike, I thought that was you.
07:40 I just wanted to see it in person."
07:41 They say that.
07:42 I've been pulled over just so they can see the whip.
07:43 Can we say that?
07:44 What other car has that happened in where you get pulled over so they can see the car?
07:45 And super asking the price.
07:46 Can I say Dodge?
07:47 Can I say Dodge right now?
07:48 Any Mopar guy above 55 is a different type of psycho.
08:01 Explain.
08:05 He can have four 440 engines laying in his garage.
08:08 He's not selling you one.
08:09 Even if he has nothing to put it in.
08:13 He'll show you.
08:14 He'll tell you, but he's not selling you it.
08:17 They're hoarders.
08:18 I think like how you said, like Buick and Chevy.
08:21 I think they drop on ... Mopar guys hoard.
08:25 So in witnessing the hoarding, I want to start collecting.
08:30 I'm not a hoarder, but I want to see what this energy is like.
08:35 I want in on that.
08:36 I want in on that.
08:37 So they're older than me, and I want to have a conversation with them.
08:42 Man, sometimes with classic cars, especially a Mopar, you want to join in that conversation
08:47 that they have in.
08:48 You also want to be ready if somebody tests you.
08:51 You can't do 440 big block torque if you're sitting in a 383.
08:56 Somebody's going to test you.
08:57 Or they're going to say something slick to you like, "Oh, that's a ... Yeah, why'd you
09:02 keep that motor?"
09:03 You don't want that convo.
09:04 So you either come with the big boy stuff, and you lay it out.
09:08 But Mopar is the most collectible right now, and they hold the biggest value.
09:14 Classic and new.
09:15 All you talked about, the TV shows that really inspired you and ignited your love for Dodge
09:23 and cars in general, but as it pertains to Dodge and Hellcat and rap, where do you think
09:30 that connection started?
09:32 What I like about this Dodge, it made power affordable to the worker class again.
09:37 And a lot of working class guys used to be street dudes.
09:40 You know what I mean?
09:41 It's like my grandfather.
09:42 My grandfather ran Moonshine.
09:43 He also was one of ... After he started having kids and grandkids, he was like, "I can't
09:47 run Shine the rest of my life.
09:48 I'm going to work at Chattahoochee Brick."
09:51 His first car he gave to me was a Plymouth Valair.
09:53 It wasn't much of a car by way of speed, but it had bed seats for my high school girlfriends.
09:57 It was our hotel room.
09:58 The next one I got, my dad gave me a Dodge Dart, which is a little quicker.
10:03 What year?
10:04 '72.
10:05 '72.
10:06 I remember working at Six Flag.
10:09 A white kid walking up to me, he was like, "That's your car?"
10:12 I was like, "Yeah."
10:14 He was like, "And girls ride with you in that?"
10:16 I was like, "And that's why you ain't got no girl."
10:17 I think he was in a Toyota or something.
10:19 I was like, "It's square.
10:23 You won't think it's much unless you love a car."
10:25 Then you're like, "There's something about it."
10:27 I think what Dart realized that we could give people power for affordability.
10:31 Guys with good jobs.
10:32 Guys who work for the city.
10:33 Guys who work for UPS, FedEx.
10:36 To me, that's what Dodge represents.
10:38 They represent the worker class can be in the market of super car without having to
10:43 pay super price.
10:44 I remember just listening to artists.
10:47 I think first from the south that were always-
10:50 Thanks for giving us that credit.
10:52 Always talking about how they had these muscle cars that would blow the doors off your Porsche.
10:58 They had these big block old cruisers that would roast your Lambo.
11:05 They really perfected that Chevelle.
11:07 It was huge.
11:08 That Chevelle came out of there and it came up to us.
11:15 I bet in Atlanta at '71, '72 is gone.
11:21 Over here is the '70s.
11:22 In New York.
11:23 But now it's all over now.
11:25 I think you see, you were bringing up like Lil Baby.
11:30 He'll rap about having a Lambo truck, but when you see him on Instagram, he's always
11:33 driving his whole car.
11:34 I remember when Savage was up.
11:35 I remember when Savage, I was-
11:36 Yeah, Keith had a mean one.
11:37 I was behind.
11:38 I think Dodge, I don't know, Thornton.
11:39 It was like I was second or third in line.
11:40 This one was like, "Oh, I'm going to get a Lambo."
11:41 I was behind.
11:42 I remember when I was driving a Lambo, I was behind.
11:43 I remember when I was driving a Lambo, I was behind.
11:44 I remember when I was driving a Lambo, I was behind.
11:45 I remember when I was driving a Lambo, I was behind.
11:46 I was second or third in line.
11:47 This one I still thought, "Okay, I'm going to get the Demon," before my wife was like,
11:48 "Nah, we're getting the compartments thing."
11:49 I was second in line behind another rapper.
11:50 I always thought it might have been Savage, but they was like, "We got you."
11:54 You know what I'm saying?
11:55 And when it came to my turn, it was the last one had gone and she was like, "We got the
11:58 compartments anyway."
11:59 I was like, "Well, boom, it's cool."
12:00 But I love to see young dudes and American muscle.
12:04 You know what I mean?
12:06 I love American muscle because I know we producing it out of here, but to me it's just such a
12:11 lineage.
12:12 I remember talking to dudes out of Detroit, their grandfathers worked at the Dodge and
12:15 the Plymouth Ford factory.
12:16 You know what I mean?
12:17 That means a lot to me.
12:18 Good pictures online too of old factories.
12:20 Yeah.
12:21 So cool.
12:22 Yeah.
12:23 Dodge got better than any other American muscle car.
12:25 They understood that guys who buy muscle cars have enough money to eat steak.
12:29 So they should probably be comfortable.
12:30 My man, he's 6'8", right?
12:31 My man I walked in with, he's my corporate manager.
12:33 He rides a Hellcat.
12:34 You know what I mean?
12:35 And he can fit 6'8".
12:36 Hey, can I just say this?
12:37 What does this car have that a lot of other cars don't?
12:41 That our car is cool.
12:42 How hard is that to-
12:43 Are we gonna keep it a bug?
12:45 Our car is cool.
12:46 Our car is actually speed.
12:47 Our car is something you wanna ride in.
12:48 Our car is a car that is affordable that you're gonna put in a rap video.
12:51 You're not gonna put certain cars in a rap video.
12:54 You can tell Dodge listened.
12:56 They made the changes from the first couple models.
12:58 You saw that they were listening.
13:00 Just as it was getting ready to get a little boring, that wide body came and shut the gate.
13:06 You took the words out of my mouth.
13:07 Man, shut the gate.
13:08 The gate was shut after that.
13:09 They always been better about color too.
13:11 Even from the '60s.
13:12 Especially the last two years.
13:13 They've always been-
13:14 No, no, even in the '60s.
13:15 Throw 'em back and throw 'em back from the '60s to '70s.
13:16 The purple, yeah.
13:17 They always-
13:18 Whole guys love that B5 blue.
13:19 Man.
13:20 It feels like they brought a bunch of colors back.
13:21 Sublime green.
13:22 Yellow to purple.
13:23 Go mango.
13:24 We got the colors.
13:25 These are the colors from the old school.
13:26 And brought it back.
13:27 Exact color.
13:28 Always the smartest.
13:29 What's that green called?
13:30 Sublime green.
13:31 That's sublime, bro.
13:32 Even when the electric one dropped.
13:34 And I heard they was putting a fucking, just sound effect.
13:37 I was like, they know their audience.
13:38 I don't know what they got going on, but I know they're always gonna surprise us with
13:41 the biggest and the best.
13:42 That's what I've seen.
13:43 I'm gonna get my charger from you.
13:44 I want the electric though.
13:45 You know I got you.
13:46 When did you realize that, when did the shift happen as it pertains to like, new Hellcats
13:52 and the perception that you were talking about with Dodge.
13:55 When did you first realize that that shit was happening?
13:58 As far as like the music and the culture and the-
13:59 Yeah, the whole hip hop culture kind of coming around to the brand.
14:03 I just remember like, for me, even all the way back to the Hemi.
14:06 As soon as they dropped the Hemi, we started whipping them.
14:08 Like that was the thing we were doing.
14:09 Then you saw it in the Bay.
14:11 You saw it down south where people were just whipping them.
14:13 You see the sideshows and people were having fun with these cars.
14:15 And I remember doing that when people were looking at me like, what are you doing?
14:18 You know, I was in the lot doing it.
14:19 And we were filming.
14:20 We wet the lot down and we would have fun and just play with it.
14:22 And we were over 400 horse, right?
14:23 At the time.
14:24 Three, high threes.
14:25 Which is a lot.
14:26 425, the SRT.
14:27 Yeah, that was a lot.
14:28 Yes, sir.
14:29 Yes, sir.
14:30 And we just started playing with them.
14:31 And then like, I have in my collection, I have a SRT Magnum.
14:35 When that Magnum came out, sheesh.
14:36 People hate.
14:37 I just-
14:38 No, the Magnum is hard.
14:39 No, the Magnum is hard.
14:40 He turned down my soul, boy.
14:41 You lying.
14:42 The Magnum is hard.
14:43 Oh, man, the Magnum is so super hard.
14:44 You go through any hood in America and there's a Magnum.
14:45 What's up with the old white dude in Florida?
14:46 OG Magnum.
14:47 Who drive the Magnum?
14:48 I love to see OG pop.
14:49 I got a stock Magnum, brand new in the wrapper.
14:50 Pretty.
14:51 Charcoal gray.
14:52 I was so happy to get that.
14:53 But I just think that that's the car.
14:55 You just got the muscle car and people out there.
14:56 And then they started customizing them.
14:57 Because you got to figure that's one of the most customized cars ever.
14:58 Have you seen the new Charger, the electric Charger in person?
14:59 I saw the red one at the New York Auto Show.
15:00 I thought it was beautiful.
15:01 There you go.
15:02 Because this is what I'm asking real car guys.
15:03 So people watching this know by listening to this, these are real car guys.
15:04 Own these cars, live this lifestyle.
15:05 When I seen that car, I was with Lynn from Turkey Leg Hut.
15:06 We were just walking up on the street.
15:07 We were just walking up on the street.
15:08 And I was like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:09 And I was like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:10 And I was like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:11 And I almost got a little emotional because for me, this is my world.
15:32 And I had that feel.
15:33 It still got that cool look.
15:34 It's got that old school Dodge logo.
15:35 It's got that old school Dodge logo.
15:36 And those lights going all the way straight up.
15:37 And I'm like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:38 And I'm like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:39 And I'm like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:40 And I'm like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:41 And I'm like, "Oh, man, this is a real car."
15:42 And it's all the way straight.
15:43 And a long line in the back is giving you '68 vibes for sure.
15:44 And you know what we do, horsepower.
15:45 We don't play around.
15:46 So we're going to have the biggest horsepower.
15:47 We're going to have the hottest car.
15:48 We're going to have the hottest car.
15:49 We're going to have the hottest car.
15:50 We're going to have the best technology.
15:51 We're going to have the best technology.
15:52 Do you think Dodge is going to be able to continue that relevancy within hip-hop if they go all electric?
15:53 I guarantee it.
15:54 I guarantee it.
15:55 Because they're always going to have options.
15:56 He's not saying, but that's the one they're pushing.
15:57 But I'm hearing six-cylinder turbos coming.
16:08 If they do it, it sounds good to me.
16:09 Yeah.
16:10 And a six-cylinder turbo means the body's going to be lighter.
16:11 Right?
16:12 What's in there.
16:13 I'm just telling you.
16:14 I mean, I got a couple friends up there who tell me.
16:15 They know I love the product.
16:16 I mean, I heard four, four, 500 horsepower.
16:17 That's what I'm hearing.
16:18 Why do people leave the yellow trim on the spoiler?
16:19 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:20 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:21 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:22 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:23 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:24 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:25 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:26 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:27 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:28 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:29 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:30 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:31 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:32 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:33 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:34 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:35 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:36 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:37 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:38 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:39 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:40 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:41 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:42 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:43 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:44 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:45 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:47 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:48 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:49 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:50 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:51 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:52 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:53 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:54 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:55 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:56 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:57 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:58 I always want to see the yellow trim.
16:59 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:00 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:01 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:02 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:03 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:04 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:05 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:06 I always want to see the yellow trim.
17:07 I'm excited to be able to continue this on in the future.
17:09 I'm excited to be able to continue this on in the future.
17:10 I know I'm a power brokers dealer.
17:11 I know I'm a power brokers dealer.
17:12 Power brokers means you can put even more horsepower in a car.
17:13 Power brokers means you can put even more horsepower in a car.
17:14 Power brokers means you can put even more horsepower in a car.
17:15 What I would love to see is chances to go horsepower up.
17:16 What I would love to see is chances to go horsepower up.
17:17 What I would love to see is chances to go horsepower up.
17:18 Horsepower electric.
17:19 Horsepower electric.
17:20 If there's a gas version one day, horsepower up.
17:21 If there's a gas version one day, horsepower up.
17:22 I just know Dodge doesn't play.
17:23 I just know Dodge doesn't play.
17:24 I just know Dodge doesn't play.
17:25 I just know Dodge doesn't play.
17:51 Man, this is dream come true.
17:53 I'm excited.
17:54 I'm excited.
17:55 I'm excited.
17:56 I'm excited.
17:57 I'm excited.