CHAKKRA
TARA
Hip-Hop was always around me. My dad used to play
Wu Tang, Jay, Nas, Blackstarr, 50, Ja Rule, Joe
Budden, just a bunch of kats I didn’t know that well
but heard on a day to day basis. We would play
Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Busta, all that. When he picked me
up from school sometimes he would pull up playin’
The Black Album or Nas Stillmatic (The irony in those
choices). My boys at the time always were playin’ the
latest mainstream sounds, so I kind of got in touch
with the new sounds on the daily. One day my dad
pulled up bumpin Lil Wayne’s “Mr Carter” from the
Carter 3. I think it was a Friday. That basically set the
tone for me because at that moment I told my dad
that I could be big just like weezy, or even bigger. I
don’t know if he really had faith in me then like he
does now, but one thing is for sure, since then I never
looked back to question that decision. I used to have
a lot of regret in my life, but if there is one thing I
know for sure, I don’t regret becoming an artist.
Even though you’re young, you seem very
sure of where you want your career to go.
How did you become so clear about where
you wanted to take your career?
I’m 19 going on 20 soon, so seeing how things have
been falling in place pretty slowly...lets say this has
been a very difficult journey. If there is anything I
learned looking back on a lot of this “clout” I gained
over time, it’s that none of this is overnight. I was
in Chatam, Virginia when I started recording music
heavily off a USB mic in my homies closet. I was in 8th
grade at the time. Every time I finished recording, I
was waiting for Kanye to call. On my soul! I thought I
had it down to the science but it seemed clear to me
that you need more than just lyrics to bring to the
table. I didn’t even know ‘til recently how far I could
take my career. I knew I wanted to get to wherever I