“Stay straight baby. Stay straight. It’ll all make sense one day. Forget the prestige – Congo Square in the flesh.” – Fiend
It was 1995, the year that the world would come to know rapper, Fiend. Having released his first album, “I Won’t Be Denied”, on Big Boy’s label, Fiend was well on his way.
Two years later, he signed with No Limit Records and the rest as they say, is history. Fiend’s lyrics will forever be etched into our memories, as they are deep and thought provoking. His lyrical skills are most definitely on another level.
Fiend is now currently touring with Curren$y and quite a few other popular artists on the Smokers’ Club Tour – a move that is taking his brand around the globe.
Fiend made numerous appearances on No Limit features and in several instances, took them over like they were custom written and produced for him. His second album, “There’s One in Every Family” was a bonified hit and has become a solid classic. It made it to the top spot on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop chart and in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 – quite a feat for a New Orleans rapper of that era. “Street Life” also debuted at the top of Billboard’s charts, as he introduced another hit to the world. “Walk Like A G” is a classic street anthem to this day and is even more memorable because of his collaboration with the late New Orleans legend Soulja Slim. “Can I Ball” and “Shell Shocked”, duos with Mac, are two more Fiend hits that will forever live in the streets and beyond. The list is truly endless.
Fiend was one of the legendary artists who helped lay the groundwork for the genre. He’s worked with artists from Mia X, Mac, Mystikal, C-Murder, Silkk That Shocker, Mr. Serv-On, Three-6 Mafia, and Master P to Snoop Dogg and UGK to the late legends Soulja Slim and Tim Smooth. Fiend has added the title of producer to his already impressive resume. 
We recently caught up with Fiend on the heels of the first part of the Smokers’ Club Tour, which is set to pick back up on October 12, 2011 and also includes Curren$y, Method Man, Big Krit, Smoke DZA, The Pricks, Corner Boy P, and others.
Fiend filled us in on his latest projects, and he dropped some knowledge on us about the industry:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: How’s the tour going?
FIEND: It’s getting ready to crank back up on October 12th. We’re just getting back from ATL. Good people, good times. Good times, good vibes. Because of Curren$y, a lot of the younger fans are familiar. He helped get downloads of the mixtapes. Many of the kids are aware of me through Curren$y.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: What’s your latest project?
FIEND: It’s “Cool Is In Session” – it dropped 7/28/11. I’m trying to drop a new mixtape every two months. I hope the drop the next one on 9/14/11. The most recent one was a little late, but I hope to drop a mixtape every other month.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: We have several NOUE affiliated artists that cited you as having a huge influence on their careers. What advice do you have for the younger artists in the industry?
FIEND: Learn the business. You have to learn the business. Go sit in somebody’s library or somewhere and learn the business. Have a plan and execute it. You can be in the studio and waste hours, days, months, or even years, and if you don’t have a plan …. If you learn the business, you get the most of out of the experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You gotta out hustle cats. It takes structure to get serious and you better know what you’re selling. You gotta stay consistent. Somebody once told me, “Ricky, have some prestige about yourself. Don’t be a whore for the business. Don’t jump at everything.”
THE HEAT MAGAZINE:: What do you think about the newly formed New Orleans Union for Entertainment – the N.O.U.E.?
FIEND: It’s a nice movement. We lacked organization and structure in the hip hop scene. You have to know what you’re working on. New Orleans has a lot of talented artists – rare artifacts for real – but the music scene hasn’t’ progressed due to a lack of structure. Culture year round in New Orleans – Congo Square in rap form. Maybe one day they’ll get it.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE:: What are your thoughts on the loss of a legend, Tim Smooth?
FIEND: Tim Smooth was the big brother for Down South artists. He saw the talent and helped nurture that talent. He will really be missed. Lord knows what his family is going through right now. I can only imagine. Tim was one of those cats – whether he was on the road, in the studio, or just in life, he always helped out in crunch times. He was the only man who had been there a lot. He was a hip hop big brother, no doubt, and he’ll be greatly missed. He’ll be greatly missed. God has a plan. Tim was just another soul that left entirely too young. Tim Smooth helped me through some tough times on some real life ish.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: How do you see the music industry evolving?
FIEND: You gotta stay consistent. I’m dropping an album every two months. People know what they want now and they’ll go straight to it. I make music and go from there and I’m interested to see where it goes. A lot of music is overlooked. It aint’t easy, but God is great. I get up and keep going at it. There’s more to the music I’m making. It’s packaged well and has a message in it. Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Is there any other work you’d like to get into?
FIEND: Movies – cartoons and voiceover work. I would love to narrate. That would be cool and I’d still be making the music.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We salute Fiend and look forward to hearing much more from him. He is a legend whose music continues to evolve. Make sure to check out the Smokers Club Part 2 and his new releases. Visit Dat Piff for downloads of Fiend’s mixtapes: Dat Piff downloads
You can check Fiend out on these sites:
http://www.facebook.com/Fiend4DaMoney
http://twitter.com/#!/fiend4damoney
http://www.facebook.com/smokersclubtour
http://twitter.com/#!/JETLIFEOFFICIAL
This was a nice, “Where Are They Now” piece. Fiend was and is still a strong staple in N.O. Hip Hop. I like the fact that Curren$y is introducing new audiences to one of our lyrical gems. What saddens me is that Fiend, like many other great artists (MAC, Soulja Slim, etc) that dawned the No Limit/Cash Money major market brands never got the celebrity he was due. But like life all is in due season. I hope that he will garner the success he has been due. This was a great piece!