Trying to appeal to his core fans and earn mainstream love has proved a daunting task for Obie Trice. Although his 2003 debut, Cheers, is certified platinum, it didn't exactly make the Shady Records signee a breakout star. Obie's shine was almost dimmed permanently when he was shot in the head on New Year's Eve 2005 while driving on a highway in his hometown of Detroit. That near death experience coupled with the loss of his close friend and label mate, Proof, a few months later resulted in the dark tone of Trice's sophomore LP, Second Round's on Me. Released in August of '06 to critical acclaim, the album unfortunately put up disappointing SoundScan numbers due to circumstances Obie says were outside of his control. His Akon-assisted lead single "Snitch" was banned by MTV because of it's "stop snitching" message, and BET nixed the song due to Trice's affiliation with Eminem, who had personal issues with the station at the time. With a few industry lessons learned and the dark days of the past year beginning to clear up, Mr. Real Name, No Gimmicks is in better spirits and looks to display that on his next album, Bottom's Up. XXLMag.com recently caught up with Obie Trice to discuss his upcoming project, industry politics and living with a bullet inside of his head.
We haven't heard from you in a minute. What've you been working on?
Oh, man, I got an album damn near done already