R3 Da Chilliman is warming up to the idea of being comfortable with chaos. The SoCal rapper spent most of his childhood in the streets, doing anything he possibly could to become more independent – which includes leaving home at 15. These days, you can find him on tour with Fenix Flexin for Fall 2022, or in the studio writing rhymes about his hardened past. 

At 22-years-old, R3 is keenly observant of everything around him. He even notices the slightest change with when (and how) to move, something that he credits to becoming a signed artist. “I can still be on the same blocks I was on but I can’t be there as long as I was,” as he explains. Still, the former backyard bandit-turned-rapper doesn’t turn away from his Moreno Valley roots, especially because that’s what made him Da Chilliman. 

Simple and emphatic, words spill out of R3 effortlessly. With tracks like “Blamp Camp,” his first single released after being discharged from the hospital following a near-death experience, he speaks on survival through a convincing flow that feels dauntless. And on the equally successful “Rock & Roll,” which was remixed by Peezy earlier this year, R3 shines a light on his love for poles, freak bitches and Wockhardt. 

As he’s gearing up for the release of his next project, Chilliseason, R3 is also hard at work becoming the responsible parent he always needed: “I’m doing everything I did so that my son don’t gotta do it.” In that, he’s not alone. But more importantly, R3 is competing with the man in the mirror because he’s outgrown his past self. 

How is life as a touring artist? 

It was an honor. I can’t take it for granted. It was a dope experience and I love it, but I ain’t gon’ lie, I be nervous before I perform. Even if the whole crowd is yelling my name, ready for me to come out, I’m still nervous. 

What about performing makes you nervous? 

It’s probably like a mental thing because even if I’m performing in California, where I’m from, or I’m performing somewhere far, I still get that feeling. After I get the first song out the way, or midway through the second song, that’s when I start to feel comfortable.

Beyond touring for the first time, you’ve also accomplished something else in your young career: become a signed artist. And you’re the first person from Moreno Valley to do so. 

That right there, that’s what motivates me to keep going. I love that I get love everywhere I go, like outside my city when I see fans that I know or when I’m in my city and I got young kids that’s 13, 14, or 15-years-old running up to me and telling me they look up to me and shit like that. That’s why I keep rapping – ‘cause I remember being that lil kid, listening to music but it wasn’t nobody from my area that’s getting signed, or going up like that. But now that I’m that, I gotta keep going. 

Not only does that speak to your determination to succeed, that’s a reflection of your resiliency, too. You literally had tubes in your chest last year after surviving your own near-death experience. 

I set goals for myself. People don’t even know, when I was in hospital, I had a limited number of people who could come and see me (only one person could come in a day), so when my manager was coming to see me and shit, I would ask em, ‘do you think when I get out of the hospital, I’ma blow up wit rap?’ He used to laugh and shit but like, I had a straight-ass, serious face, ‘cause I’m not tryna be the rapper that’s just rapping forever and never go nowhere wit my career. He was like, ‘bro, if you get out this hospital and do right, nigga, ain’t no limitations for you. You the only person that can set yourself back.’ So I came out of the hospital, dropped that first song and it went up.

And which song was that? 

I think I dropped “Blamp Camp” the first time I left the hospital. 

How would you describe your creative process? You talk tough shit on beats while rapping in complete sentences – simple, yet emphatic. 

I ain’t gon’ lie to you, I think the reason why I rap the way I rap is ‘cause the people that I listen to… I like rap people that I feel like it’s really them. It’s really that type of person, get what I mean? So when I’m rapping, I’m really just shit talking and speaking what comes to my mind. 

Who are some of the people that influenced the way you rap?

I wouldn’t say as far as rhyming, like there’s anyone I’m tryna mimic or copy, but I like the people who didn’t follow nobody’s path: the people who came out and made their own lane. I feel like that’s why I went up – I came outta my city and made a different lane, and now other people following this lane that I’m building.

How were you first introduced to music – where did it all start for R3? 

I’ve always been that type of dude to be motivated to get money, and when I rap (certain shit I say), that’s how we talk – that’s our lingo. My group, the people I’m around, that’s how we talk. (Rap) was really just a matter of taking how I talk and putting a lil’ bit of twist on it and then putting a lil’ rhythm on it wit the right beat.

I don’t ever force myself to rap. No cap, the reason why I always post ‘send me beats’ is ‘cause no exaggeration, I probably got over 15,000 beats that people done sent me in my email, but I’ll go through 100 beats in the studio before I find one that I like. I like the beat that talks to me. Ion wanna force myself to rap, I want that shit to just come to my head. 

Have you always been this outspoken, or is that a trait you picked up over time? 

I feel like, more recent, I’ve talked to people but I don’t open up that much, either. In reality, I’m not even a talkative person. The people around me are the ones that see me talk the most. When I’m in public, or I’m out and stuff, people always think I have an attitude but Ion have an attitude, I just rarely talk.

My parents instilled in me at an early age that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason, because we should listen twice as much as we talk. 

And my mom used to always tell me that so it’s like I observe. I’d rather observe than sit here and talk to everybody. I wanna see what’s going on. 

Have you always had a strong relationship with your parents? 

I left my mom’s house at 15 but it’s like, my love for her (and her love for me) has always been unconditional. I was just grown at an early age. But my mom, even till this day, I talk to her everyday. That’s a motivator in my life. If it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t get this far because I wouldn’t have a lot of motivation – her, and my son. 

Looking back on things, is it fair to say that you missed out on your childhood? I don’t even think I could drive at that age, let alone consider myself an adult.

As far as being an actual kid and doing kid shit, at 15, I’m thinking I’m grown, but to society I’m still a kid. With being a kid, it’s certain stuff I didn’t do but it’s not even that I wish I would’ve did it – sometimes I think I’m glad I didn’t do (kid shit) because it made me into who I am today. Me having to grow up early, I was probably beating myself up about it back then, like ‘damn, you got all this weight on your shoulders and you young,’ but it’s like… that developed me into a man. I had to teach myself certain stuff that my mom couldn’t teach me. 

Was dad around?

My mom and dad, when they was together, my dad was in the picture but they split up when I was ten. You know how that go – once your mom and dad split up, that kid relationship go, too, sometimes, depending on what your household like. My mom never stepped down, though. My dad ended up passing away, but like two years before he died, we grew a better bond. Once he understood that I didn’t need him financially, I was just tryna kick it wit him and shit like that, that’s when our bond grew. 

What was your biggest takeaway from those last two years with your father? 

I ain’t gon’ lie to you, my whole life, my dad was a hustler. I watched my dad really get money my whole life, and that’s something he really instilled in me. I’m money motivated, and I thank him for that. I’m not gon’ say my dad never did nothing or he just hated me, but he was absent – get what I’m saying. He had his own motion going, and me seeing him do that is what made me become who I am. But I knew to never put that type of relationship on my son.

You’re breaking the cycle. I commend you on your hard work. 

Hell yeah, ‘cause you gotta think about it – if you a street nigga and your son become a street nigga, what did you teach him right? I’m doing everything I did so that my son don’t gotta do it.

And hopefully son son won’t have to take anyone’s chain, either. I know you’re the “Blamp Camp” general but “he must not want his chain ‘cause he seen me and didn’t tuck it” is a crazy bar. Are you out here just bullying people? [laughs]. 

Man, it’s like… back when you was running reckless, doing hotboy shit – if he was tryna show his chain off, better tuck that shit if you not in the right area.

Facts. If anything, that’s who you were, not who you are today, right? 

I’m still that, I’m just smarter. Every chaotic thing I was doing, I’m still that, it’s just a time and place for it now, and I’m starting to understand that. That’s why I always say that I’m happy I signed a deal ‘cause it wasn’t just about ‘ohh, everyone just knows I’m rich.’ No, that’s not what it was about. (Signing a deal) helped me grow, too, because I had to start moving a different type of way. I can’t do certain stuff I was doing. I can still be on the same blocks I was on but I can’t be there as long as I was. 

In regards to timing, what about signing with 300 (Entertainment) felt like the right decision? 

You know how I told you how I always set goals for myself? 

Yeah. 

Literally, May of last year, I was telling my manager, ‘bro, if I don’t sign a deal by this time next year, I’m done wit rap.’ I swear to God, May 5th of this year, that’s when I signed. Around February or April, that’s when all the labels started tapping in, but 300 is what made me feel the most comfortable.

Has signing with 300 allowed you to accomplish anything that you wouldn’t have been able to do as an independent artist? 

I feel like what they helped me build was team chemistry. If I would’ve stayed independent, I could’ve blown up – that wasn’t a problem – but signing taught me so much shit about this rap game that I didn’t know, and I needed to know. 

Can you elaborate here? I feel like so many artists are left in the dark when it comes to the benefits of working with a label versus staying independent. 

Strategizing. I drop music a lot, right? When I signed, I still dropped music a lot but it’s about when you drop music, and what song. I don’t just drop any song. I’m still gon’ drop that song whatever day I wanna drop it, but it’s about what song comes out at what time. 

Has there ever been an instance where you wanted to drop (a song) and didn’t have the label’s support? 

Everyone goes through their lil’ disagreements but I feel like it’s been a smooth ride for me because when I wanna drop a song, they let me drop the song I wanna drop. Say for example, if I wanna drop it right now, today, they’ll be like, ‘how ‘bout we drop it in two days and you post it today to give it a lil’ bit of promo.’ It’s never ‘no, you can’t drop that song,’ it’s just about doing it the right way, getting the right cover art. It was times where I was dropping songs with regular pictures of myself. Now, I got real cover art. 

Speaking of art, you’re covered in ink. Do you remember your first tattoo? 

My first tattoo was my mom name. 

Is there any significance behind your mom tat? 

I’m like 16, 17 so you know, when you tryna get your first tattoo, it gotta be your mom name in order for her to be okay wit it [laughs].

Similar to the music that you create, your tattoos tell a story, too. 

I feel like all my tattoos describe me, though. A lot of people look at my tattoos and be like, ‘why he get that’ or ‘he got money all over his body’ and certain stuff, but it’s like, I got different money (tattoos) for different meanings. 

Which tattoo means the most to you? 

For sure my son name in my head.

Talk to me about the journey to becoming Da Chilliman. 

The world sees it as a breeze: ‘he’s a star right now,’ get what I mean? And I Iove being in this position, but it was a lot of work that came behind this. Days I felt like giving up…  that’s why I thank my manager a lot ‘cause I ain’t gon’ lie to you, my manager believed in me on days I did not believe in myself. Like, I ain’t even wanna rap because it’s like bro, I’ma get money regardless. I almost didn’t care about this rap shit. But he was like, ‘bro, you got a talent that you can’t throw away.’ It was times where I was getting frustrated – I got 12-hour sessions and I’m ready to go home, and he’s like, ‘bro, make another song,’ and I’m like, ‘fuck it, I do got another song in me.’ 

It’s one thing to have a good manager, but it’s another to have someone that truly believes in you. 

A lot of people need that, too. That’s a key in this shit right now that a lot of people not even understanding. A lot of people switch up on the person that believed in them. 

I’m excited for you. Everything you’ve sacrificed up until this point wasn’t in vain. You did it, my nigga. 

Even the doctors was telling me they couldn’t believe I was making it. That used to make me feel uncomfortable.

What’s next for R3? It’s almost time for Chilliseason, right? 

I feel like (Chilliseason) gon’ be my hardest tape that I’ve ever dropped but I always say it’s not gonna be the hardest tape that I drop. I’m always tryna outwork my old self. New flows, new lyrics, new lingo, everything has to be upgraded. As time upgrades, you gotta upgrade, too. Time ain’t gon’ wait for nobody. I be competing with my old self, tryna outdo the shit I did already.