Another one of D.C.'s sons is on the cusp of breaking out as an artist—Fat Trel, a longtime affiliate of Wale (another D.C. representer) has reportedly inked deals to become the latest member of Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group and is set to be managed by Roc Nation.

While there's plenty on the horizon for Trel, his rise brings up an interesting question. With plenty of other cities and regions (Chicago, the Bay Area, Atlanta, etc.) getting their shine in recent years, why hasn't the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) had its own run? Wale may be the major voice of the region, but he isn't the only one. After all, the DMV is a melting pot of cultures, filled with a multitude of talented artists and distinct voices.

In an effort to build on the city's strong foundation, Trel, who's the leader of the Slutty Boyz crew, wants to not only put on for his city but also for the team he came up with. Last week, he stopped by XXL's offices to discuss the industry's passive slighting of DMV artists, the origins of the Slutty Boyz movement and his new mixtape.—Emmanuel C.M. (@ECM_LP)

On Fat Trel, 2012:
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On The DMV Hip-Hop Scene:
"I definitely believe we’re the frontrunners of D.C., Maryland and Virginia, I wouldn’t even doubt it. That’s not just me being cocky at all. If you check the stats, you check the records and you ask 'em who’s poppin,’ they’re gonna say Fat Trel and the Slutty Boyz. I definitely feel like we’re the frontier of the DMV. Of course Wale, Wale gonna forever be the first official artist to make it out of the DMV, that ain’t going to change. Wale a special kind a person, he a different kind of person. You can’t put him in a the category with a lot of niggas just by the standard of looking at him and listening to him. I feel like what the DMV represent and what they stand for and how they want to be looked at, I think we are a great definition of what the DMV is.

I don’t wanna sound like a nagger or I don’t wanna sound like I feel some type of way but I definitely feel like [hip-hop slights the DMV]. For what reason, I have no clue. I’m not even asking. I’m just going to go hard; I’m forcing myself into the industry. I'ma go so hard motherfuckers won’t even have no choice. I always had that mind state when I first started. But I definitely feel like we get overlooked a lot. To be honest, it ain't just music—sports we get overlooked, young niggas be playing ball on the gridiron be getting overlooked. Singers, dancers, actors, we get overlooked a lot."

On The Popularity Of The Slutty Boyz:
"The Slutty Boy movement is a group of young boys from Washington D.C. Our name started before we was rappers. It’s really based on... us just fuckin’ a lot of bitches, And, bitches realized when they would start sitting down with their girlfriends and they start telling secrets, and this bitch tell her friend that she fucked Dew Baby and her friend be like, 'Oh I fucked him too!' It really started with Meatchi and P Wild... I guess it was kind of a disgust kind of thing when it first started, like bitches were disgusted by us, and it gave us that name by accident, like 'Y’all just triflin’ y'all just a bunch of slutty-ass boys, y'all just some Slutty Boys, y’all just disgust me.' And we took that and we ran with it, 'cause it was true, and we just put the music behind it and videos, and we started doing our own thing as far as dressing-wise, and making up our own language and our own vocabulary and our own dictionary and it just blew up. But we’re artists now. We’re grown, we’re matured, and we got a huge message for Washington D.C. to spread to the world.

I definitely feel [the] fan base is growing, I definitely feel it. It snuck up on me. I just wake up and my Instagram followers is going crazy, to the point I had to call my managers and make sure he’s not buying me followers or buying me comments and shit. I was just trying to figure out where all these people coming from. I definitely feel like I’m getting popular, but I feel like I deserve it though. And I want to work harder; I want to be more popular. I want to do more features, I want to do more shows, I want to do more interviews. Since this my job, I just want to go hard with it. I want to win employee of the month, then employee of the year. That’s what we’re working for.

fat_trel_1
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On His Next Big Project:
"The next big tape is Sex Drugs Money & Guns, the tape dropping in August. We’re just really focusing on that. I think that’s gonna be my first real big official introduction to the world, so we’re just tryna make that perfect. We’re just tryna perfect that and do what we gotta do with that.

Tape is crazy. I’ve got the Slutty Boyz on the tape, Wale on the tape, Chief Keef on there, [Lil] Durk, King Louie on there. I don’t wanna speak too soon, might have Rich Homie Quan on the tape, I know we’ve got some work together, I don’t know how that’s gonna go, if he’s gonna let me use it or whatever. Black Cobain on there. Oun-P from the Bronx is on there. YG on there. 12 Hunna did some production on there. Mustard... the producer for “I’m Different” and “R.I.P.,” we got some work from him on there. The tape is gonna be crazy. There’s a lot more people too, I know I’m missing people. But yeah, it’s gonna be crazy.

The track with me and the Slutty Boyz, called “I Swear,” produced by Young Chop—that’s gonna be a crazy joint. I think people are gonna know exactly the message we’re tryna send when they hear that joint.

I just feel like, niggas been grinding...I’ve been grinding now for six years, independently, and I’m pretty sure the actual industry know about me, but I feel like on the large scale, the fan base...I think it’s gonna be their first time getting a whiff of me. So it’s the biggest tape of my career so far."

MMG
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On His Relationship With MMG:
"I always said Rick Ross was my favorite rapper. Long before I met him, long before I started rapping, long before I thought it was a slight chance of me meeting him. He was always my favorite rapper. MMG is one of the biggest labels in the game right now. All you hear is that MMG tag on everything. Rick Ross is going crazy, I feel like he’s definitely the biggest artist in the game right now. I can just tell you stay tuned to see whether its official or anything.

I’ve been hustling a long time. It was at least two years before I met Wale, then two years after I met him, we just linked back up on a business standpoint to help further what we got. We built this from the ground up. Nobody believed in us, nobody wanted to help us at the beginning. I think we’re the real pioneers of what we’re standing behind right now."

FatTrel
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On Working With Roc Nation:
"Yeah, dealing with that paperwork, man... those contracts. I really can’t say a label name, but.. .it’s in the works. I’ve been meeting up with [Roc Nation Vice President] Rich Kleiman lately, and of course Wale... just feeling it out, tryna figure out what’s the best home for Fat Trel and the Slutty Boy movement, we’ve been tryna find a good home, and I think we found one. So that information should be released soon.

Really what I want to do, man—first of all, I’m a really big believer in getting what I deserve. I just want to work hard, I’m not in no rush to do an album... I want to go capture fans, I wanna tour and go to different markets and grab fans, and then get ‘em ready, I don’t wanna just be that new kid on the block, drop some shit, and then hopefully you guys come fuck with it because of the singles. I want to build my brand, I want to build the Slutty Boy movement to a powerhouse, 'cause I think people still get stuck off the name, and they chose whether or not they gon’ fuck with it off of the name. This year, they’re gonna get a lot of understanding of us and, it’s our job too to make sure motherfuckers understand it. So what we want to do is just tour man. I want to go capture new fans, I want to just work on my performance effort and just go crazy with it."

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