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One of the great things about hip-hop in 2013 is that there’s room for everyone, even if you’re a little different or quirky. The only criteria? You have to be an interesting. You have to be a character.

Sonny Bonoho (pronounced bone-a-hoe) is a character. Over the last year or so, the Asian American Washington-native has released a number of videos for songs like “The Vag,”  “Just Met Her Last Night” and “Cougars.”

All the songs have a number of things in common: the tracks are lighthearted, while the videos are strongly produced and very entertaining.

A couple of months ago, All Def Digital, Russell Simmons‘ Internet channel, premiered the video for “Concubine Juicy.” Since then, the video has gotten a ton of clicks, picking up more than 66,000 views on YouTube.

After seeing all the interest in the video, we had to talk to the kid. We chopped it up with Sonny a little while ago and he told us all about his come up.

Check out the interview below.

GlobalGrind: So, what’s your story?

Sonny Bonoho: From a welfare kid to recording in my own room, having my daughter push record and play, man, to getting here, to having an interview with you. That’s how I can introduce myself, as Sonny Bonoho.

How long ago were you recording in your room?

Shit, that was like four or five years ago.

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Tacoma, 30, 40 minutes away from Seattle.

What’s Tacoma like?

It’s a place where it’s pretty tough. You get tough skin being raised in Tacoma. If anybody can live and get out of Tacoma, you can conquer the world. It’s like a little Compton. In Tacoma, there’s a hood called Hilltop out there and that’s on 23rd. And down the block from there, 44th street, would be Salishan, and so Salishan is just a bunch of Bloods and Hilltop is a bunch of Crips.

So where do you fit in within all of that?

All my cousins and all of them were a bunch of bangers, but they all knew that I loved music so much that they didn’t want me to be involved with that. So I stuck with rapping and doing music.

Is the “Cougars” video a good representation of your music?

Yeah. It was just experience. I just had a cougar experience; I didn’t even know what it was, at first. I told my friend: ‘It was just a old lady, man, this good looking girl came up to me just prowling on me, man. What is that, man?’ And he was like ‘you had a cougar experience.‘ And I was like, ‘what is a cougar?’ And that’s how I got the inspiration for that song.

I always use humor for serious situations. I try to have a certain kind of balance. When I talk about serious stuff, I always add a smile to the end of the story, or something. I’ve been doing that for a long time, man. That whole weirdo stuff that I be rapping about, it seems like the world is warming up to it now. People wearing crazy long tube socks when I was wearing tube socks since day one, man. Back in the day, I was wearing cowboy boots and shorts.

They made fun of you?

Maaan, cooome on. They was like, he’s out there. That was my character. I would go on stage with cowboy boots and shorts on and a Coogi sweater and perform. But I don’t do that no more.

You seem very turnt down, compared to your music, which is pretty hyped.

Yeah, it’s a character. I play an entertainment character where I morphed into this alter ego. My alter ego is just this get-wasted animal. It’s a beast when it do come out. But when I’m interviewing, I’m coming with a business mindset — this is a brand. This is a multimillion dollar brand that you’re talking to. It’s going to be a big machine, and I know it, cause I always been convinced, because this is not an overnight thing. My business and my empire is pretty big, bro.

How worried are you about your name, Bonoho, and trying to sell a product with it?

Man, you know I’m not worried about it. Because, at the end of the day, it’s not Bone-a-hoe, it’s Bonoho. It don’t mean nothing. It was just a name given to me, not on some ratchet tip, like he about to go bone a hoe. Nah, it’s just a name. And if Wal-mart don’t sell it, I’m still going to make money, man. That’s not going to stop my grind.

How is the rest of 2013 going to play out?

It’s going to be amazing. Many videos are going to come out. I’m affiliated with Raw Koncept now, he manages Nottz. Nottz, Asher Roth and Travis Barker are having a EP album thing going on. They are about to go on tour, they’re about to put me on tour, opening act for them.

I’m also working on a couple of Nottz songs right now. We’re about to shoot more videos. I got another video coming out soon, and it’s going to be stupid dope. I’m excited, man. When Sunny Bonoho leak out that video, it’s going to be exciting for hip-hop.

Are you working on a mixtape or album?

No. Just a song, man. Just a song and a video. I realize I’m a visual artist.