During the summer of 2007 I would blast “Celebrity Chick” in my ride wherever I went. The song, which featured Ludacris, Chingy, Steph Jones & Small World, was the standout single from Disturbing The Peace’s compilation album, Strength in Numbers. When I heard it, I was immediately intrigued by Small World’s
Though his lyrical capability & overall delivery are unorthodox during a period of production-driven southern rap, Small World (born Sheldon Bullock) is arguably the face of
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to sit down and converse with Small World this past weekend about his burgeoning career. I was pleasantly surprised by his wittiness & level of humility. It was a fun occasion gaining insight into the talented rapper’s life, as he divulged about celebrity chicks, his affiliation with Ludacris & why 2010 will be a great year.
JB: I’ve been a fan of yours since I heard your verse on “Celebrity Chick” back in 2007, in which you mention celebrity females such as Trina, Keyshia Cole & Jessica Alba. Can you tell me about your ideal woman?
SW: My ideal woman…That’s something I’ve been trying to figure out all my life (laughs)! I’d say she has to be down to earth, family oriented & God-fearing – that’s first!
JB: That’s definitely important! But who’s your favorite “celebrity chick” now?
SW: My favorite celebrity chick? I would probably say, though she isn’t really a “celebrity”… but just based on the access that we’ve had to her life… Tahiry. I love her persona & her regularness.
JB: Cool. So I’m aware that you have your State of Emergency mixtape coming out this month and next month you have the –
SW:
JB: That’s right! A lot of artists are attaining great levels of success with mixtape releases recently. What are your expectations for your forthcoming projects?
SW: I expect them to be successful actually. And — this is the Small World coming out of me right now — with the quality of my product & the fact that I put my heart into everything that I do; people just respect what I do in general. So I think that these are going to definitely make a big impact.
I have the elite artists from
JB: That’s major!
SW: Yeah, his booking agents & some of the people that have helped with his success; members of his team, they are helping me right now. They’re guiding me in the right direction as opposed to just me being out there on my own, which is what I’ve always done…I’ve always worked on my own…So we’ll see what this does.
JB: Now do you also have an official album being released in 2010 as well?
SW: Yes. Album is called World Premiere. I want — in a perfect world — a March release. But we’ll see, we’ll see what we can do…
JB: Okay. So I know that you work closely with Ludacris & also that you’ve been featured on several singles with him. Will you be on his upcoming album (
SW: We’re trying to work that out. I don’t know yet though…I have a track with him though called “Mr. Magnificent” that a lot of people loved, so we’ll see how it goes & how songs will pan out with the bulk of the material from the album. But we also have a couple of things that we’ve done that people haven’t heard so we’ll see.
JB: What other artists might you be interested in working with in the future?
SW: I don’t know. I would work with anybody pretty much. I like all types of music. I’m not really prejudiced to any other type of genre either…But I have big dreams. I would’ve loved to have worked with
Tupac or Biggie, somebody like that, that inspired me as a kid…
JB: So you said that they influenced you and I’ve noticed that your style is atypical of most North Carolina music, especially what we hear a lot of now. Do you have any other musical influences?
SW: I’m influenced a lot by R&B & Soul music because of how I grew up…I love all of those cats. You might be surprised that I like Keri Hilson…Chris Brown…Ludacris is good —
JB: Of course!
SW: I’m not just saying that because I know him. I remember before I ever met Ludacris… I like Ludacris, he’s fun. He brings a good element to hip-hop. Also, just anybody that’s up-and-coming; I love fresh talent.
JB: Who are some of your favorite up-and-coming artists?
SW: I would say Melanie Fiona. Definitely. I’m a fan of Teedra Moses…I feel her; I see eye-to-eye with her. She’s really before her time and I ‘kinda feel like that sometimes. But rap-wise? Nobody is really catching my eye like that.
JB: Really?
SW: Yeah nobody that I can really think of like that…Depending on what mood I’m in, it could change (laughs).
JB: Alright, so I know about your upcoming mixtapes and your album in 2010. What else can fans expect from you next year?
SW: 2010 is going to be a great year. Definitely focusing on what I have in North Carolina as far as radio is concerned, shows, djs, PR, promoters – I’m just touching everybody! Everybody has been anticipating the projects and wondering what I’m doing…There will be a lot of shows, a lot of appearances…a lot of Youtube footage, some traveling & award shows…That’s my 2010. Staying grounded, staying Sheldon & not letting all of this [success] get to me. I’m good.
Stay updated with Small World via his Twitter page (CLICK HERE) or his official Myspace (CLICK HERE)!
