Today we’d like to introduce you to Chinasa Broxton Okorocha and Carlos Dashawn Moore of Tribe Mafia. Chatting with HONK via Instagram, we got a chance to talk with Tribe Mafia about there Music, lifestyle and influence.

Tell us who you are, where you’re from and what you do for a living?

We are known as Tribe Mafia, the “hometown heroes” based out of Austin, Texas. The members of this Hip-Hop duo are Chinasa Broxton and Carlos Moore. As artists, we’re constantly creating new music and performing at countless showcases.

Tell us your story from before the music, when did it all start?

Carlos Moore: Before music, I was expressing myself through a different form of art which was drawing. Also, since sports was highly influential in my life prior to music, I was playing basketball and running track. But music has always played a part of my life, so there wasn’t really a transition into it.

Chinasa Broxton: Before I started getting into rap, I was doing musical theatre in middle school. I had a big crush on my middle school teacher so anything that she requested from me was considered done. I would automatically say yes to anything my teacher would ask while also being a troublemaker in her social studies class. To seek attention from her, I would beatbox on the table and sing acapella songs from Donnell Jones, Anthony Hamilton, Bobby Caldwell and Boys 2 Men. She asked me to audition for the play “Annie Jr.,” because I had a great voice and so I did. I was later casted as “Mr. Warbucks,” one of the leads. After middle school I got into doing more extracurricular activities such as talent shows, sports, and more works of theatre.

Carlos Moore: We started writing music weeks after we met. We met each other playing basketball at our hometown park. We were also pretty popular in grade school. We created a music group, which at the time, was composed of 4 members and we were known as Mix Breed Bros (M.B.B). We went from performing at lunch tables amongst our peers to doing pep rallies. After high school, we started performing at local venue parlors such as coffee shops, tattoo parlors, barber-shops, and small venues downtown. After building a respected amount of recognition in our city, we were offered to perform paid shows during the SXSW spring event.  As cliché as this may sound, we strongly believe with hard work and consistency, fulfilling your dreams are very well attainable. We went from recording music in school bathrooms to touring internationally with Akon in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

What were the struggles you faced trying to get your music out there in the beginning?

Chinasa Broxton: In wake of the upbringing of our career, we struggled with meeting people for booking shows, getting fans to pay for events, and building our brand all around. It took a really long time for us to have the network that we have now. We curated our very own event called the “Tribe Mafia Listening Party.” These parties are designed to help other artists, videographers, producers, and models not only create a name for themselves but also give them a chance to network with one another. We think that we are doing our community a great service by offering these parties because when we started off, we had nothing.

Which song was the one?

Carlos Moore: “Like Cola” and “Triple Double” are both our songs that went worldwide for us. “Like Cola” struck over 1 million views on YouTube and “Triple Double” is currently being played on Sirius Radio thanks to DJ Love Dinero and Coach PR from the Weekend Work show.

WATCH: LIKE COLA – Tribe Mafia Ft Mikey See (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

WATCH: TRIBE MAFIA – TRIPLE DOUBLE (MUSIC VIDEO)

 

When it blew up what was the first thing you thought?

Chinasa Broxton: When we started blowing up, everything just started happening so fast we really couldn’t register everything that was going on with us. We were constantly performing at various showcases, doing back to back podcast interviews, and photo shoots. When our song “Like Cola” reached a million views we were excited, but we were already setting goals for our next mission. Our goal now is to keep growing our brand while helping other emerging local artist from our city.

Do you collaborate with artists that you listen to?

Carlos Moore: We actually do listen to all of the artists that we have collaborated with. With that being said, we are also very picky with artists we choose to work with. If we collaborate with any artists, we most likely have their songs on our daily playlist.

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How many artists have you collaborated with so far?

Chinasa Broxton: We collaborated with over 30+ artist so far.

 

How big is your team?

Carlos Moore: Tribe Mafia has only two members in its band but as you know, it takes more than the artists to make things happen. We also have our PR team whose firm represents us over at BMP Beverly Hills. Shoutout to Christine and Rachel over at BMP, they are awesome! We also have our own cameraman, Samuel Davis and for sound we have Austin’s Texas most prominent DJ, DJ Mash.

What is the best part of doing what you’re doing and what’s the part you hate most?

Chinasa Broxton: The best part is performing is definitely traveling while the best part of making music is that we are able to always create endless content. When we are booked away from home, we are highly influenced by the environment we are in. We think that’s what makes our music so diverse, because we get to really explore the customs and culture we surround ourselves in.

Carlos Moore: The worst part would have to be dealing with scammers, working with other talents who aren’t as motivated, and being able to control any unforeseeable events.

Chinasa Broxton: I’m addicted to overworking myself. I can go days without eating in order to fill the empty void. I am a natural workaholic, once I set my mind on something I will work restlessly until I achieve it.

Carlos Moore: Hookah. I collect pods and want to taste all of the flavors and combinations. One day I hope to own my own hookah lounge business. They are the best spots for me to chill while also listening and writing music.