Decypha: Every Album Gotta Story to Tell

About five to ten years ago, the underground and local rap scene in Lexington, Ky. had the streets literally begging for more rap artists. Rappers like Rob Jackson, G-Mack, Bonafide Circle and Lextown Hustlaz led the forefront while other Lex-town rappers followed and made their own names for themselves in the city. Not to mention the lyrical standouts of Flawless Black, Young Chu, Studio and Kae State grabbing the attention of their peers in-state and out of state.

But in the midst of some of these rappers success, their was one at that time who went highly unnoticed and soon became a diamond in the ruff. It's kind of like describing a person who got picked in the last round of an NBA draft and they went on to become a hall of fame player. If the rap profession was a game, he would have pissed off a lot of teams and coaches because instead, they chose to go with a more popular player like Greg Oden ...which we all know was a bust! However, David Drummond, better known in the rap game as Decypha, would explain it different. To sum it all up, he would tell you it didn't matter how major other rappers were in the city. To him, it was about respect. And if you didn't have it for him, he would simply take it. To understand Cyph's triumphs, struggles and his grind, you have to understand how it started from the beginning. Just like a book goes by the pages and chapters, with Cyph's five mixtapes, every one of them has a story to tell behind his success and progression.




How did you start rapping?
Cyph: It all started with an Outkast song called, "Me and You." I had the cassette joint with the instrumental on the other side. I started rappin' on it and was like, "What the f*ck am I doin'?" It was only for recreational purposes at the time. I sucked at writing so I use to freestyle. When I would freestyle, n*ggaz thought I had written my sh*t, but I just mastered it.

How was your first mixtape, "The Outline," formed?
Cyph: It was created off of frustration because when I first started rappin', I rapped consciously and n*ggaz wasn't feelin' it cause they said I wasn't street enough. I only had two features on that mixtape. People thought I couldn't do a project without Scoupe (another rapper from Lexington). Plus, it was a lot of competition going on in the city at the time.  


A Star in the Making....
BY this time, Cyph had caught the attention of Block, CEO of Black Life Entertainment. After dropping the Outline 1 in 2003, and the Outline 2 about year in a half later, Cyph had definitely earned some respect in his city. He would eventually join Scoupe and Kae State over at Black Life to form the trio NHB. A third mixtape titled, "The Answer," was supposed to be put out on Black Life, but somehow, things didn't go exactly as planned.




Can you explain to me the situation with the third mixtape and how that came about?




Cyph: Black Life was supposed to print my project (The Answer), but it really didn't happen that way. I was still recording at Troy B's (local rapper from Lexington) crib, so I had 13 songs. I put that out the same time Black Life put Scoupe's mixtape out. We started doing shows all over the city and county. The Answer was supposed to be hosted by Scoupe. They wanted me to follow his footsteps. I ended up doing things myself, which was a blessing in disguise, so everything was gravy. Once Block seen how I was doin' it, he had more copies pressed up. It wasn't that the mixtape wasn't dope, but Block didn't wanna promote it because I think he had his money invested in something else.

Then you dropped Reality Check 1 and 2 hosted by DJ DCeezy. What was the motivation behind those mixtapes?
Cyph: Everything! Reality Check 1 was checkin' everybody who was still talkin' like I couldn't do it or had something else to say. Reality check 2 was me checkin' myself. You can't have a reality check unless you check yourself.

Was there ever an NHB album?
Cyph: Block wanted to do one. We recorded some songs and did a couple of shows, but it didn't really happen. The Reality Check mixtape also came from this because I thought that n*ggaz was gettin' ahead of themselves. Scoupe wanted to work on his mixtape, State went to do his. So for me to stop working on something and put focus on something else wasn't working.


So did every still get along? What kind of reactions were you getting from the Reality Check mixtapes?
Cyph: Everybody was still together but we was doing our own thing. The reaction from Reality Check was crazy! I said what other n*ggaz was scared to say. That was my mentality then. Now, I just keep my cool.


In order to separate yourself from the rest of the pack (other rappers) what were some changes you had to make?
Cyph: I had to cut some people out of my circle. At the end of the day, how many n*ggaz  in the hood is buying a CD? There's a lot of people saying that they support music, but they don't actually buy it.

How has the rap game changed?
Cyph: Back in the day, you had the best n*ggaz from every hood come together for one cause. When that Lextown Anthem dropped and was played in the clubs, everybody went crazy! Now its n*ggaz wanting to be individuals.


What are you currently working on?
Cyph: A promo CD to be released just digital. Just for the Dj's and the ladies. It should be out November or December. My album should be out next year. And I definitely wanna finish the reality check sequels. 


Cyph Bonus:


How did you and DJ DCeezy hook up?
Cyph: Black Life did like a small county tour. I met him in Maysville. He was the first Dj to be honest with me. He definitely had a major effect on my music. He's part of the reason I do so much more club music. Reality Check 1 was street music, Reality Check 2 produced a single. (Turn it up ft. Page)


A favorite Quote Cyph likes to use:
"I got a bunch of people around me, how many do I really need?" - Dr. Dre.