While his friend and frequent collaborator B.o.B has been making headlines, DX Next alum Playboy Tre is also quietly working behind the scenes. Tre has written with and for the likes of T.I., Lil John and the Eastside Boyz, and more, and he has been releasing a steady stream of material to get fans acclimated to his sound. HipHopDX caught up with the self-proclaimed “liquor store mascot” at the streetwear store, Hangtime, in Nashville, Tennessee to see what Tre has been up to.
“I got a brand new project getting ready to come out, and it’s called ‘Last Call,’” Tre said. “A lot of people thought it meant I was gonna be done making CDs after this one. It really just means playtime is over for anybody who can’t stand when the motherfuckers who really bustin’ and coming with some creative shit step in the door.”
While Tre’s assistance in crafting mainstream singles hasn’t translated into his own spot on the charts yet, he says he learned some valuable advice from two unexpected sources about the longevity that comes from satisfying a loyal fan base.
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“I saw acts such as Murs, Immortal Technique [and] Wale, who didn’t have a big radio single at the time,” Tre says. “I watched these artists getting in front of 20 to 30,000 people, and the people were going crazy. I had never heard of Murs and Immortal Technique, so it changed my whole perspective on the approach of the game. So much time is spent trying to find a radio single, and not just building a foundation with your music.”
Playboy Tre’s previous mixtapes, The Liquor Store Mascot and Goodbye America are available for download. For more information about Playboy Tre and his upcoming projects, follow him on Twitter by visiting http://twitter.com/PlayboyTre.
