Read the full interview on AllHipHop.com!
TDot Illdude is here to provide you all the vibes.
Hailing from New Jersey but now based in Los Angeles, “The Vibe Is Heavy” rapper and singer has been steadily making a name for himself, from landing a feature on Meek Mill’s “Dreamchasers 4” to now having his record played in all major nightclubs in Los Angeles.
“The vibe is whatever you do that makes you feel good.”
AllHipHop sat down with TDot Illdude, real name Thomas Goodwin ahead of his Vibe Is Heavy 3 listening party at Live Nation in Beverly Hills.
AllHipHop: For those who don’t know, who is TDot IllDude?
TDot Illdude: I like to let other people say who I am, I’m not really good at saying who I am. Just listen to my music and you can really find out a lot about me. I work hard. I care about my family and friends. I’m a man of respect but at the same, I like to have fun. Morals are very important in today’s culture because a lot of people — especially rappers and people in entertainment — don’t have morals no more. When it comes to respecting friends, family, females, people that put them in position and helped them out along the way. If I had to pick one thing, it’s morals. I have good morals.
AllHipHop: Talk about linking with Meek Mill on “Problems.”
TDot Illdude: He’s somebody who had to hustle and got it on his own. Obviously he had a few people help him here and there, but before he blew up, he used to be killing s##t in Philly.
Putting his own money up, doing what he had to do. I remember the day when he went on the radio. He had a bunch of people hitting up Rick Ross so he could get on the remix. Ross saw it and from there, everything unfolded.
My experience with Meek has been amazing. He’s my favorite person that I’ve worked with so far, it’s nothing but love and respect. When we in the studio, it’s not like he’s a celebrity and I’m a nobody. He makes you feel like an equal. He shows everybody love in the room.
When we in the studio, he’s like “yo what you got? Go lay something.” His team shows love. I don’t got nothing bad to say. I’ve had amazing experiences with Meek.
AllHipHop: I had just interviewed Melii, and then I saw her on Championships. I love how he puts people on.
TDot Illdude: He been giving people chances too, it didn’t just start. Even when he wasn’t this big, he always gave people chances. That’s why I respect him 100%.
AllHipHop: So you were with him when he was battle rapping?
TDot Illdude: Yeah, I used to battle rap too. That’s how I got my respect in Philly, from being on this DVD called “2 Raw for the Streets.” That was big. Especially being from Jersey, we was in the Music Hut.
Anybody from Philadelphia knows, 52nd street, you can’t just go there. Somebody gon’ put they hands on you, something gon’ happen.
Me and the guys I went with were so good, they were like “yo, respect. These motherf##kers come over here 5, 10 deep, from the trenches in the middle of West Philly.”
We went in there and did what we did. I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal but that s##t got me a lot of buzz and respect in Philadelphia. It catapulted my early stages of TDot Illdude, gave me a nice platform.
AllHipHop: How are you feeling going into this Vibe Is Heavy 3 listening at Live Nation?
AllHipHop: Who’s in your Top 5?
TDot Illdude: Jay Z, Nas, Biggie Smalls, Tupac, and… I don’t even wanna get into the 5th because it’s gon’ offend people. Alright fine, Eminem. He used to be in my 5, but these last couple albums and this last little run….
AllHipHop: The last album wasn’t bad.
TDot Illdude: Yeah, but the energy around it just wasn’t my favorite. Eminem, come outside. Be around the people. He just cut himself off from people so much that he dunno what to do. He’s an incredible rapper, but he dunno what’s cool anymore. Like his first album, that’s in my top 5 albums of all time. The one where he put his wife in the trunk and all that? Unbelievable. Nobody can rap like that.
Jay-Z’s my top overall, but Eminem is one of the best rappers ever.
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