Cool Breeze aka Freddy Calhoun has been in the rap game for years. He first made his name known in the major hit “Dirty South” on the Goodie Mob’s “Soul Food” LP. This song was one of the very first to give the south it’s name. With his 2 hits “Watch For The Hook” and “Cre-A-Tine” from his debut LP “East Point’s Greatest Hit”, Cool Breeze made a name for himself as a hungry emcee from East Point Atlanta, Georgia. With the Dungeon Family to back him, he also made his presence known on many other songs by Outkast, Goodie Mob, Witchdoctor, etc. Well, Cool Breeze is back with his family, The Calhouns. “Made In The Dirdy South” is an album of southern hip-hop, hustling, and most of all, family. Comprised of Cool Breeze (aka Freddy Calhoun), The Calhouns also are comprised of Lucky and Pauly (both of Sniper Unit), Slimm, Howg Major, Big Cuzin and more. I had a chance to talk to the man while he was in the recording studio deep in the ‘dirdy’….

T.JONES: “How are you?”
COOL BREEZE: “I’m doing good. I’m working on a new album, which is about to drop soon, and it’s going to be even bigger than the first one. Even bigger, baby! Way bigger than ‘Watch For The Hook’ and dem!”

T.JONES: “Tell us about your group The Calhouns and your new album ‘Made In The Dirdy South’ out on Empire Musicwerks. Who is in the group and what’s the LP all about?”
COOL BREEZE: “Well if you can remember on my first record (‘East Point’s Greatest Hit’), the coolest cutter at camp, Freddy Calhoun was my name. The Calhouns have always been my team, my group that I was going to bring out. I introduced them on my album on the song called ‘The Calhouns’. It was just basically me thinking that once I get in the game, I wanna bring some cats with me that I kick it with. Basically, The Dungeon Family (Goodie Mob, Outkast, Backbone, Slimm, Witchdoctor, etc), we all met through Organized Noise. Dungeon Family are my people but they were never like the friends I grew up with. I grew up with Lucky Calhoun and he grew up with Pauly Calhoun. The Calhouns were my boys so I wanted to make sure they came out. The Calhouns record was suppose to come out before the Slimm Calhoun album (‘The Skinny’). Things didn’t work with Innerscope and Organized Noise so that iced everything down. We bounced back and I had to put out The Calhouns album out first because that’s my resume, if you know what I’m saying. Our new album ‘Made In The Dirdy South’ is hot album. We picked the right topics. We picked the right records. ‘Kingpinz’ was pulled from one of our records. A couple of songs were pulled from my solo project. We pulled the best sh*t that we thought expressed us. It’s a good record.”

T.JONES: “So who are The Calhouns?”
COOL BREEZE: “It’s mainly me, Pauly Calhoun, and Lucky Calhoun. We have Slimm Calhoun on one song. We got Cuzin Calhoun and Sista Calhoun…”

T.JONES: “So are the Calhouns blood related?”
COOL BREEZE: “No, we’re just hip-hop related.”

T.JONES: “Why did you choose Empire Musicwerks and not the other labels that you and the Dungeon Family have chosen in the past?”
COOL BREEZE: “I did that the first time and on my old label, I didn’t really control anything. Organized Noise really did most of it and they did a good job. Next time I did something, I wanted to do it with a company where I can come in a see what was happening. Those big cats start you out and before you know it, you only have a couple of months to make it happen. If it don’t happen ‘like that’, than they move to the next. I said ‘Damn!’ I didn’t want to be #1 because you will fall straight to the bottom if you are #1. I wanted to jump out there and be able to control what we are doing. That’s basically why I didn’t go to the major labels. Anyway, you are making more money if you deal with an up-and-coming label. If you have a name and the label is just getting in the game, you have a better chance of understanding the relationship and see what’s going on. If you go to an already established label that was formed in the 80’s, they ain’t listening to you like that.”

T.JONES: “You have more points on the album too when you are with an indie or smaller label too, right?”
COOL BREEZE: “Exactly! That’s what it all boils down to! It’s about money. It’s also about power. Outkast had the most power over at the old label and with Dungeon Family because they sold the most records. It was a blessing that someone would take me in so I could be that force controlling a situation.”

T.JONES: “Who is in the Sniper Unit?”
COOL BREEZE: “The Sniper Unit is Pauly Calhoun and Lucky Calhoun. They were doing stuff before we connected with the Calhoun name. Back when I was working on my debut solo record, they were working on The Sniper Unit with Curtis Mayfield’s son. It was an independent situation and I liked the way they did it. They have that attitude. I had a major deal and they had an independent deal but they were just doing more sh*t.”

T.JONES:  “How did you meet and hook up with Dungeon Family and Organized Noise?”
COOL BREEZE: “Me and Rico go way back. We were in school together. When they set up the production company, me, Outkast and Goodie Mob were in the studio, in the dungeon. We had already been around, rapping over the beats that they were making. When they got a deal, we had first dibs on what was going to happen.”

T.JONES: “Do you have a favorite track on the new LP?”
COOL BREEZE: “I like the rap game / drug game, ‘RGDG’. I ain’t ever heard an artist kick the rap game on a whole song. You get the rock stars but you never really hear about the rap game.”

T.JONES: "In the song 'RGDG', you state that selling drugs and selling records are extremely similar. Since you were involved with hustling drugs and are now hustling music, what was the transition like from hustling drugs on the street to selling records?"
COOL BREEZE: “It’s no different. The rap game is just like the D-game. It’s all numbers. It’s all about who has this, who has that, who’s doing this, who’s doing that, who’s girl is pretty, who’s girl ain’t pretty, what kind of car you got, what kind of house you got… It still boils down to the same sh*t. It’s the same attitude, really.”

T.JONES: “Are you making a video for any of the songs from the ‘Made In The Dirdy South’ LP?”
COOL BREEZE: “Yeah, we’re going to do an ‘Outfits’ video.”

T.JONES: "Were you happy with your first album (‘East Point’s Greatest Hit’)? What would you have done different?"
COOL BREEZE: “I was happy with the promotions but not really happy with the sales. The situation already kind of froze between Organized Noise & Innerscope because of the previous projects they put out before that didn’t work. It was a situation that I had to bounce back from. There was nothing that I could really do but I was real proud of the promotions since I did 2 videos and had a #1 single. There was some good that came out of it but financially, the first record is really to get your name out, have fun. We bounce back and now, we getting money.”

T.JONES: “Do you have a title for the new solo LP that you are working on?”
COOL BREEZE: ‘I don’t want to say yet. I got so many different ways that I want to come at em’ so once I finish it completely, then we’ll know. Cool Breeze is about to come again!”

T.JONES: “Is Organized Noise going to do production on your sophomore solo LP?”
COOL BREEZE: “Yeah! I have to get with Rico as soon as I get back down there actually. We got that winning feeling.”

T.JONES: “What was it like growing up in Atlanta, Georgia?”
COOL BREEZE: “It was a lot of fun. It’s the south but it’s not the country, it’s the city. Like all the records I made like ‘Dirty South’ with Goodie Mob, that was how we grew up. We grew up fast, got that early. We learned a lot and ran the streets. I’m still here to talk about it to this day. It was a lot of fun growing up in the south. Now, we hear the phrase ‘Dirty South! Dirty South!’ and that makes us feel good since we grew up down here.”

T.JONES: "Who are some of your influences in the music industry?"
COOL BREEZE: “I like so many different kinds of music from rap to rock to country to house. Anything that sounds good, I’m with it. Cube was a big influence. Ice Cube was the one who was doing stuff that I saw myself doing...putting movies together, making the records, making that money and having fun doing it. Cool J too. Anybody that is still in the game from day one, I respect that.”

T.JONES: "What new songs by other mcs/groups are you feeling now?"
COOL BREEZE: “Nelly is making some hot records. Missy too. I just heard that new Missy cut and that sounds good. Cash Money used to make some good sounding stuff too. Hey, I like whatever sounds good.”

T.JONES: "Where were you during the Sept. 11th World Trade Center Terrorist Attack? What were you doing and how did you deal with it? How do you think it will affect hip hop?"
COOL BREEZE: “I was in my apartment in East Point. I think hip-hop is now going to wake up a lot of people. Emcees are going to do a lot of research and get into the books and start reading. Everything has got to mean something.”

T.JONES: “Cap.One aka Cap-1 said that Bin Laden made it real hard for people to hustle nowadays. Would you agree?”
COOL BREEZE: “Well, I don’t know where he’s from but it’s a drought. It’s a drought out here. Actually, after that happened, you could still get anything you wanted on the streets. It’s just recently, you know? Sh*t’s going bare depending on where you are from.”

T.JONES: "What advice would you give to the aspiring underground emcee who wants to succeed?"
COOL BREEZE: “You have to have fun doing your thing. Don’t be focused just on money, cars and sh*t like that. If you really want to make records, add to hip-hop. Put your sh*t together and make sure that hip-hop is going to feel you because in 5 years, that’s what it’s about. Years later, you may say to yourself ‘I have to go back and get that Tribe Called Quest record again or that first Outkast record.’ A lot of cats that come in the game are fly-by-night. They have a sound for that moment but if you truly belong in the game, you have to stay down. After 5 or 10 years, you’ll see what you are really doing. It’s hard to tell people that because everyone wants their success immediately.”

T.JONES: “One thing I love about Dungeon Family’s music is that even though it does sound innovative and it is ahead of it’s time, there still is a timeless quality to the music. Would you agree?”
COOL BREEZE: “Exactly! Pauly and I were just talking about that! If you put your sh*t down right, 5 years from now, it’s going to sound like you just did it. It’ll be fresh if you do it right. If you just do a bunch of  ‘bounce’ sh*t or ’20 inch rims’ sh*t, that’s going to go away because it’s trendy. I try to stay away from the trendy sh*t. I have no tattoos, no earrings. When I first came out, I had some platinum but when I started looking around and saw everybody with platinum, I stopped wearing that sh*t. You have to differentiate yourself. I want to put in a good 10, have fun, make my mark, and be totally different from any other artist. I am different. When you get in the game, do not sound like somebody else. You have to be yourself because you’ll always be different. It’s funny. When a rapper gets their advance, they get some tattoos, their 20-inch rims. C’mon man! Sh*t, it’s like the tattoo shop is in the back of the label.”

T.JONES: “How did you hook up with Kurupt on ‘We Get It Crunk’ from ‘East Point’s Greatest Hit’? What was he like?”
COOL BREEZE: “Organized Noise and I always liked Kurupt’s lyrics when we were just putting Dungeon Family together, way before we even met him. Kurupt was one of those cats that we all liked from The Dogg Pound. I was the first solo artist to come out. Kurupt and I met. He was cool and we had fun. The cut with 8-Ball was done the same way. Organized and I always liked 8-Ball. Rico wanted to bring 8-Ball in on the cut so we did.”

T.JONES: “On ‘East Point’s Greatest Hit’, every copy was the edited version. The explicit version was never released. Was this your idea or the label’s idea?”
COOL BREEZE: “Mainly, it was the record company but I remember saying that I wanted my album to be clean. When we brought the featured artists in, they got edited. We had them do clean versions but Rico didn’t like those versions so we bleeped the dirty versions. It was all out of my hands.”

T.JONES: “What’s up with Cee-Lo? There were rumors going around that he’s not in Goodie Mob anymore. Is that true?”
COOL BREEZE: “I heard the same thing. I even heard Goodie Mob on TV saying it. As far as the artists in DF, I don’t really have like a relationship with them. I have a relationship with Organized Noise. Y’know what I’m saying? We keep things strictly business. You have to do that kind of business stuff. For example, with Outkast, their clothing company, when I see ‘Dirty South’ on clothes, it’s like ‘Whoa! We ain’t that cool.’ If Fubu does it, it’s cool because they are just a clothing company. But if we all came up together, sat in the studio, did each other’s stuff and get up to make some money. You reach back at something you like and it’s yours. I looked at that kind of funny. There ain’t no hard feelings but you have to be real careful about that stuff. I just try to keep sh*t strictly business with artists. My producers are Organized Noise and I’ll always be down with them until the end. They put me in the game, not Outkast and Goodie Mob. Organized Noise put us all in the game. I actually like to keep my distance as far as hanging.”

T.JONES: “Will Organized Noise ever put out an album?”
COOL BREEZE: “Rico is talking about it. He’s locking down some new stuff. We’ll probably do another Dungeon Family album. I had a good time making the first DF record. It took a while but anytime you check the history of any crew, you will find that there are different people at different times. We will always go through it but I would like to see us come together and do it again. That’s what the people want to see.”

T.JONES: “Are there any artists that you would like to work with that you did not work with yet?”
COOL BREEZE: “Yeah, some girls. Christina Aguilera can actually really sing. I write sh*t too. I write a lot of hooks but I don’t sing. I would like to get some girls to sing on some hooks like Christina Aguilera or even Pink. I like real voices.”

T.JONES: “You have anyone that you are writing for or people that you are developing, bringing into the game?”
COOL BREEZE: “My man Kenny Thomas from Alabama is coming up. He produced ‘RGDG’& ‘Partments’ on the Calhouns album.”

T.JONES: “Are there any producers that you would like to work with that you did not work with yet?”
COOL BREEZE: “Not really. I like Organized. I like that different sh*t. Backbone’s album! Lyrically, Backbone’s album was stooped! Backbone and Witchdoctor will be back on my album together again! They were on the first album with me on the song ‘Hitman’. I just talked to Backbone and when I get back, we’re hooking up in the studio.”

T.JONES: “What is your favorite collaboration you did with another artist?”
COOL BREEZE: “I’d have to say ‘Dirty South’ on Goodie Mob’s ‘Soul Food’ album.”

T.JONES: "The abortion stance - Pro-choice? Or Pro-Life?"
COOL BREEZE: “Touchy subject. I guess it depends. I guess if a woman gets raped by some crazy motherf*cker then it’s ok in a situation like that. But if you hanging out and clubbing, getting pregnant and saying ‘I don’t want no baby!’, I ain’t with that.”

T.JONES: “Death Penalty – For or against it?”
COOL BREEZE: “It depends on what you do! If you do some sick crazy sh*t, then maybe you should get it. If you gave it to somebody, then somebody should give it to you.”

T.JONES: "What was the last incident of racism that you encountered?"
COOL BREEZE: “That was in Alabama about a week ago. I walked into a store and asked a white clerk for something behind the counter and they immediately started acting weird and said ‘Nah, it ain’t here!’ like they just wanted me to leave. I’m from Atlanta so I looked at him and thought that I just wished he would transfer to some place in Atlanta. He would get his ass kicked by my homies. We’d beat ya’ down! Something’s never gonna change.”

T.JONES: “Favorite alcoholic beverage?”
COOL BREEZE: “Heineken. I don’t drink no Hennessey. A couple of Heine’s and a little lime is good!”

T.JONES: “Drug of choice?”
COOL BREEZE: “Drugs? Hell no! Tylenol if I got a headache. No drugs, none of that.”

T.JONES: “What’s the biggest mistake that you made in your career?”
COOL BREEZE: “My biggest mistake was when I made ‘Dirty South’ with Goodie Mob and I didn’t keep working myself with other artists and camps. It blew up so big. They made it a single for the group. I should have went and got with other camps from the south and did stuff with them. I always should have done stuff with No Limit and Cash Money. I should have marketed myself more after that song. The song blew up! Goodie Mob remixed it.”

T.JONES: “What makes Atlanta such a strong force in hip-hop these days?”
COOL BREEZE: “I ain’t really pulling my d*ck or nothing but I feel like once ‘Dirty South’ with me & Goodie Mob hit the scene, ATL blew up. With any coast that’s about to blow, if you have a foundation or something to stand on, then, it can go. Miami had the booty music and that’s what blew Luke and them up. The song ‘Dirty South’ with me and Goodie Mob was what blew Atlanta up. We had TLC and Outkast’s first record but to me, once people heard the song ‘Dirty South’, they gave the south a name. Once you have a name, it’s on. Just like the Wild West. When people came out from the West with the gats and the jacking, they got a name for that.” 

T.JONES: “Word Association time. I’m going to say a name of an artist and you say the first word that pops in your head. So, if I said ‘Chuck D’, you may say ‘Revolutionary.”
COOL BREEZE: “Right.”
T.JONES: “Juvenile”
COOL BREEZE: “Grimey.”
T.JONES: “Jay-Z”
COOL BREEZE: “Crispy.”
T.JONES: “Wu-Tang Clan”
COOL BREEZE: “Rough.”
T.JONES: “The Roots”
COOL BREEZE: “Dirty.”
T.JONES: “Tupac”
COOL BREEZE: “Thug.”
T.JONES: “Notorious BIG”
COOL BREEZE: “Hard.”
T.JONES: “Gangstarr”
COOL BREEZE: “Attitude.”
T.JONES: “Bob Marley”
COOL BREEZE: “Music.”
T.JONES: “Curtis Mayfield”
COOL BREEZE: “Sound.”
T.JONES: “Dogg Pound”
COOL BREEZE: “Style.”
T.JONES: “N.W.A.”
COOL BREEZE: “N*ggaz!”

T.JONES: “When did you first start rhyming?”
COOL BREEZE: “Whoo! Thirteen.”

T.JONES: “What can we expect from Cool Breeze and The Calhouns in the future?”
COOL BREEZE: “A lot of records. Of course, after my first solo LP, I took a big break. People haven’t heard from me in about 3 years so every corner, they should be looking for something. They better watch for the hook. I got a lot of sh*t stacked up. I’m with a new label and they are ready to drop. You are going to hear me as often as the other artists out there. Twice a year, they are doing their thing. That’s my goal. I don’t sell dope. I don’t run the streets any more. This is my game right here. We going to go ‘Cool Calhoun! Cool Calhoun!’ and bounce it back and forth, have a good time. We got some stuff in the making. I see myself acting one day too.”

T.JONES: “Any final comments for the people who will be reading this?”
COOL BREEZE: “Cool people music, we about to make it happen with Empire Music. We’re about to have fun and about to crank it back up. We hold it down for the dirty south! I ain’t got nothing but love for the other people who are repping and claiming the dirty south and I want everybody to keep doing what they’re doing so we can make this dirty south thing bigger than ever!”