Photo by Malik Brown of rolling out
Alex “Big Baby Cheef” Eaddy has always been passionate about hip-hop. Cheef is a rapper that can do everything well, such as freestyle, battle rap, sing, write, arrange, executive produce and entertain. He’s worked with a respectable list of key industry players including Kevin Gates, Trap Beckham, Shawty Lo, Boosie, Pastor Troy, Cuban Doll, Young Chop, London On Da Track, and more.
Cheef spoke with rolling out about his career, growing up in North Carolina, and what he wants people to take away from his music.
Where did your love for music come from?
Growing up, I didn’t really listen to rap music until I was seven or eight years old because I was being sheltered from it. My love for music stemmed from gospel and oldies, my pops and mom [would]just let it play. My brother started coming home from college more and he came into the picture, and I had an auntie that used to come around all the time and play rap music. I used to love to ride out with her, and she played it all the time. I just started hearing it, and the more I started hearing it, it felt like the time you meet your homeboy for the first time who teaches you how to stick your middle finger up. … I was like “I like this.”
What’s the message in your music?
I tell people that my music is conscious trap music, and I say I’m a conscious trap artist because I can really rap. I make great music that’s a vibe, and … that fits in with the time so much that it stands out. The message I’d be trying to get across to people basically is just whatever the beat is telling me to do. I try to inspire people with what I’m saying, but I also be wanting to lead. I want to create moments for people. I want my music to be a staple in somebody’s mind. The reason rappers like J. Cole and Andre 3000 are my favorite rappers is that I feel when they say certain things. I want people to be like, “Dang, I feel that,” or “Dang, my mom and my dad did that too. That happened to me on the block, too. I missed that opportunity, I should have done what he said.” I want people to feel like when they have nothing, they have something.
