We are extremely excited to have featured your latest EP “Cold Hearts Break Hearts“, being a Hip Hop artist we never of heard before this, please tell us who is Chilly Winters? Where part of Detroit are you from? How/When did you start making Hip Hop?
All I am is just a misguided kid from the bottom, that was never handed an opportunity, working my ass off to earn a place in this world. I was actually born in a Port Huron hospital. From there, I was technically raised in a trailer park out in Chesterfield, MI which is 23 mile & Gratiot. It was a dysfunctional situation. My parents didn’t have a lot of money. They had 3 kids. My dad played in a lot of rock n roll bands for biker clubs, like the Outlaws, and with that came a lot of pills, cocaine, & alcohol, you know? My father could often get violent & really take shit out on my mother and as a kid that shit was always tough to see. Once my parents divorced, I was 11 & my father moved back toward the city and we lived at 8 mile and john r for quite a few years. So im definitely and Eastside kid. I bounced back n forth from my father’s house to my mother’s house, which was in Chesterfield and she lived on Gratiot so that is what I always claimed. Thats where we always hung out, I was always wit the homies at the spots down on 7 mile & gratiot, used to kick it down by the McClelan area, and I remember a time my dawg got shot down on Helen. When I was like 14 or 15 years old, that’s when I got into selling drugs and bringing them from the city to the suburbs. After years in the streets, the party, the chaos and the struggle eventually everything led to my own drug addiction and deeper confusion. In dealing with all that, when I was 19, I lost my 2 best friends, both to over-doses. I spent a lot of my teenage and early 20s locked up in county jails. I went to prison for 1 1/2 years for home invasion. Last year I lost my father & thats when I decided to get out of the streets and really go hard pushing a positive message in my music. Ive been writing poetry since i was like 8. I used it as an escape from the harsher things within my childhood household. I started rapping when I was 14 for the homies and my family. But it wasn’t until shortly after my dad died I released my first single to digital platforms. Ever since a child, the freedom to express myself has always been in my blood. I want to help other people get through their struggles, like I want to help other mis-guided or lost type of kids that may need guidance from someone who has been through it before. I dont know, I just feel I have a story and a message, I have something to say and i just feel like I’d be stupid if I didn’t use my voice.
We notice your style is really Boom-Bap driven and mixed with the trap sound, let us know how your style if different than all the rap artists out there!
I feel like my music is different because of the amount of energy i put into developing a relationship with every single one of my listeners. If they don’t relate to one bar, I will make sure they relate to the next one! Not everyone breaks life down like me. I’m pretty blunt & straight-forward. I tell shit exactly how it is and I stand up for what I believe in. And I think people need someone like that in their lives to where if they feel some type of way, good or bad, they can pop on one of my records and escape whatever reality they are trying to escape. Or better yet use my story as motivation to get them up and out of whatever struggle they may be in. I’m not in it for the money, I’m in it to better the community and the people around me & that is exactly what sets me aside from the rest!
How often do you perform? Are you touring this 2019 year?
It was only a year ago that the “Chilly Winters” name had even surfaced to earth. We took a little bit of time to develop a solid sound but now that we got it & we have the newly released EP to push, doing more shows is definately the priority. But, I did perform the day the EP came out on April 20th for Twiztid’s 7th Annual 420 Bash in Pontiac, MI & that was super hype, but I’ve only done 2 shows in my career as of today.
Let us know about the creative process behind your new EP “Cold Hearts Break Hearts“?
Cold Hearts Break Hearts was produced by Detroit Producer & my long-time friend Gage Lane. Gage has been the mastermind behind, pretty much, all my production, even before I was releasing music. Basically, I like to create a vibe based off something I went through in life. I want to be able to relate to as many people as possible because I know there are a lot of people that share the same struggles as me. So once I got my vibe, I’ll head over to the studio where I meet Gage. From there we discuss the direction we want to take with an instrumental and it’s mood. We always create the beat together. Once I got the beat, that’s when I write. I just write whatever is on my mind, whatever I am going through at the time, or something I went through in the past. Once the writing is done, I name it & then I can get in the booth to record it. From there, Gage will mix & master the track, always turning it into pure dopeness. We just keep it coming from the heart, following the process we know, connecting to the people we love!
Where do you see yourself in 5yrs?
Wow, 5 years is a long time to look in to the future. I dont even know if I’ll be alive tommorow. Honestly though, if I play my cards right, in 5 years, I’ll be in a position to help a lot of people that need it!
When are you planning on dropping another project in 2019?
I definitely want to drop a single around the time of my birthday which is September 5th, shout out VIRGO NATION! Right now we have a lot of work to do focusing on the Cold Hearts Break Hearts EP but in a couple months you could probably expect a single out of me. Keep in mind though, I plan on dropping a lot of freestyles and short videos throughout the months. I got a new freestyle coming out in a couple weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
Being an Detroit-based Hip Hop artist, are there any Hip Hop influences you have in the underground game that is based in your city?
Absolutely! For a long time I think all of Detroit rap was pretty much underground. I can’t say that I, personally, have that unique style of a Detroit rapper, but Detroit rap has its own sound that separates it from the rest of everything else. I think for those reasons like nobody could get their foot in the door but now, as of recently, artists are really breaking out in the industry & I think what Tee Grizzley & Sada Baby are doing for the city, along with the work they are putting in, is completly flawless. I think Peezy & Steven B The Great got really big things going on as well. You know I gotta show love for Payroll & DoughBoyz Cashout, The Green Guys, & Supparay Videos. A lot of dudes out of Detroit are really creating that “WOW” factor & I’m really fuckin with it. Back in the day though, when I was a teen, I absolutely loved slidin to some Blade or some Tuff Tone. Or even rockin that K Deezy to the max. I try to look up to any artist in the city that I feel is dope and is workin hard. I learn a little bit from everyone, which adds up to a lot, and then I go about it in my own way. It’s dope!
How does social media playing a role in your success? How are fans/supporters helping your movement?
Social media just allows me to connect with way more people in a shorter amount of time. But to be honest, I like to really develop & build relationships with the people on my page. From Instagram to Twitter, Spotify to AppleMusic, Im still going through some of the beginning stages in establishing my online presence, but I think things are going really well right now and I am extremely grateful for every single person that is standing behind me boxing front line. Shout out to all my supporters!
With this being an underground hip hop site, we always ask this important question. What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?
I love this question because so many good things are coming from the underground right now. But to me, Underground Hip Hop is pure expression. Everybody deserves to be somebody, at least in my eyes, but a lot of the time, the kids growing up in the struggle dont have anyone listening to them. Hip Hop gives them that voice. Hip Hop is the outlet to that struggle, pain, blood & war. Underground Hip Hop is the life story of the streets put together by many different soldiers & wether you want to contribute to that book or take knowledge from that book, Underground Hip Hop is open to everybody! & that is whats so dope about it.
Where can people find you on the Internet? Drop all the vital links.
https://www.chillywinters.com
https://www.instagram.com/onlychillywinters
https://www.twitter.com/onlychilly
https://www.youtube.com/chillywinters
https://www.soundcloud.com/onlychillywinters
https://apple.co/2Y2qzXM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kimk81acT5hXWluSHweCG?si=YJdNHK2rT_WKTFpdOVwLwQ
Lastly, and shout out?
Big shout out to everyone standing behind me. My 2 brothers who have supported me since day one, even through all my bullshit. My mother for never giving up on me when i was lost and in prison. My producer, Gage Lane, for always being there behind the scenes to tie up any loose ends he can. I definately have to shout out my girl, Ms. Winters, for all the sacrifices she makes because she seriously be crushing it for me. Big ups to UGHH for having me on the blog And most of all I want to shout out the City of Detroit and the rest of the world for giving me a chance in this game. PEACE!
Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com