You may have heard that North Carolina has been called a “Black Hole” for musical talent. Certainly, that is not true. There is more than an abundance of talent coming out of the state – it’s just that N.C. artists haven’t yet been given a proper chance to shine. Enter Bettie Grind, an artist poised to change that perception of his state, and the Carolinas as a whole.
Bettie Grind is a charismatic young businessman who works to get his music heard – and his plan is taking flight. He has tons of ambition and some pretty lofty goals, but The Heat is confident that we will be seeing much more of Bettie Grind in the near future. 
We had an opportunity to talk with Bettie Grind and he had a lot to say:
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: So who is Bettie Grind?
BETTIE GRIND: Well, the biggest question people usually have, is where does my name come from. Bettie Grind pretty much comes from the situation of people saying, “I bet he grind” or “I bet he hustle.” It was something that came from Charlotte, North Carolina. I was the first artist to reach the national level from the independent side, as far as my record crossing over and going onto radio and playing in about fifty different markets. I’m on quite a few stations. The single “Dammit I’m Fly” was produced by Drummer Boy. I have a label, Hood Supa Star Entertainment, that I run along with partners of mine, Fresh and Cash. Bettie Grind is representing the Carolinas. We’ve been distributing mixtapes throughout the Southeast for a while. I have “I’m Slow” and “What It’s Gonna Be” and now we have my two records. I have a hit called “Ciroc Money”, also produced by Drummer Boy. That record hit #1 on online radio compared to Lil Wayne and Drake, Kelly Rowland, and “I’m On One” with DJ Khaled. This has been one breakout record. 
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Coming from North Carolina, do you find it difficult – that you have to fight more to get your name out there than you might have to if you were from another region?
BETTIE GRIND: Oh definitely. Definitely. I say the Carolinas because I represent the Carolinas – Charlotte rests on the border and is almost between both. I get the same respect in both places, so I kind of look at them as one. In my opinion, the Carolinas are one of the hardest places to come out of in the Southeast. You can kind of see the hesitancy in it because if you look at the Southeast, we’re kind of the only place that hasn’t really had a movement in Hip Hop. You got the upper states, from Virginia on down to Florida, across Tennessee, Alabama and Texas – all of them have had some kind of run. The Carolinas is yet to have one, so to be in the position that I am, it’s the kind of situation that most critics – DJs and people with labels have told me they’re surprised that I’ve made it this far. They call the Carolinas the Black Hole. They say nobody will make it out of here.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Who do you look forward to working with in the future?
BETTIE GRIND: I think any Hip Hop emcee would want to work with Jay Z, but honestly, I would love to work on an album with Kanye West and Dr. Dre. I just like the different directions that they go in and the way they push their artists – they pull out something different. I definitely would like to do something with Alicia Keys. She’s brilliant. I wouldn’t want to stay in one realm of music – just Hip Hop – I would love to do something with a live rock band like a Nik-L-Back or Blink 182 or something like that and just lay my lyrics over it – that type of thing. I just want to work with a lot of people in the industry. I just try to prove myself and try to be better every day.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Are you looking to get into anything else in the entertainment industry?
BETTIE GRIND: Yeah, I would definitely like to take Bettie Grind and brand it a lot more. Getting into clothing or acting would be fine, but I’d really like to get more artists out and expose them. I want to focus on music. Anything else would be a blessing, but I want to give other artists from the Carolinas the opportunity to see what it feels like to have your record on the radio in multiple states and regions.
THE HEAT MAGAZINE: Where will we see Hood SupaStar Entertainment in five years?
BETTIE GRIND: Honestly, wherever God takes us. I really see us being the next Rocafella Records. We’re kind of doing the same thing and I really see us being the next big movement for Hip Hop. My album’s coming and it’ll give you a good piece of Bettie Grind outside of club anthems. That’s just a very small part of Bettie Grind. I’m striving to be the best. I’m aiming past the stars. My whole objective is to give the Carolinas a face, so we’ll see some respect.
EDITOR’S NOTE: You can check out more on Bettie Grind on his website, BettieGrind.com. For booking or interview information, contact Shalinda Pruitt of EgoMediac at shalindapruitt@yahoo.com or 404.382.8008 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 404.382.8008 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 404.382.8008 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 404.382.8008 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
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