Big Boi is best known as a rap legend in Atlanta, but he has also run a successful side hustle called Celebrity Trailers, renting out luxury trailers for stars in films and TV shows in metro Atlanta.
Among the entertainers who have used his trailers are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cardi B, Steve Harvey, Snoop Dogg, 2 Chainz and Tyler Perry.
This business led to “Big RV Remix,” a makeover show which recently debuted on A&E. All 10 episodes are also available on demand on Hulu.
Big Boi’s spirited longtime business partner Janice Faison manages Celebrity Trailers day to day and oversees the TV show renovations for all sorts of large vehicles, be it motorhomes, trailers, Sprinter vans or school buses.
“I tell her what I’d like to see and she makes it happen,” said Big Boi in a brief interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “No task is too big for her. Even if we have to go overseas, she’ll do it.”
The first episode features a single mom who had lived in an RV for six years with her parents and siblings. She landed an aerospace internship and needed the dilapidated RV to be fully renovated so she could live in it with her mom and her nine-month-old son. Her budget? A mere $8,000.
As Big Boi noted, in this case, “we added our own money into it. We stay down with the people, you feel me? And it was great to put that ATlien vibe into the trailer. We do that all day long. This was a challenging one because we had to reinforce the floor. It wasn’t just cosmetic.”
He spent a lot of time in trailers in the 1990s while with Outkast shooting music videos. “I was in a trailer where the microwave didn’t work, the TV had snow on it,” he recalled. “It wasn’t comfortable. After I saw Will Smith’s trailer, I decided I want my trailers to feel like home. I put in arcade games and a lounge.”
His yen for design eventually led to Celebrity Trailers as a business after Georgia passed generous film and TV tax credits in 2008 and demand for trailers grew.
Although the film and TV business has been relatively slow the past year and a half, Big Boi said they are coping: “We still have contracts. We get TV shows and stuff and keep it moving. It’s not as busy but it’s sustainable.”
While “The Big RV Remix” episodes focus on everyday people, there is one episode featuring NBA vet and TV broadcaster Shaquille O’Neal, who wanted a customized trailer that transforms into a outdoor DJ party booth. “He’s been one of my clients for years,” Big Boi said. “It’s a challenge because we have to customize everything for his height. The seats, the chairs.”
Big Boi said he offered to renovate the trailer for free for O’Neal for the show and spent $100,000. When O’Neal saw the final product, he immediately paid Big Boi back in full, no questions asked.
IF YOU GO
“Big RV Remix”
Noon Saturdays on A&E, and available to stream on Hulu