Rap Radar

Interview: Brian “B.Dot” Miller

Despite the recent drama, Young Jeezy’s been busy from the top to the bottom of the map. Last month, he dropped the mixtape, Trappin’ Ain’t Dead and announced the title of his fourth album, Thug Motivation 103. In part two of our interview, Da Snowman discusses his latest projects, Kobe, and LeBron.  

The reception from your mixtape, Trappin’ Ain’t Dead has been real positive.
A lot cats thought it was an album, but I ain’t even look at it like that. When I do mixtapes, I don’t just do it like it’s just street music, I do it as if I was recording a record, a regular song. It came out good though. I got another tape about to drop with DJ Scream in a few and its called, I’m On My Way and I mean, that’s pretty much where I’m at now. I’m working on the album, Thug Motivation 103. This gotta be the one right here cause I’m going back to my roots. I just feel like it was an intervention thing. Everybody was like you need to do this, you gotta do that if you wanna be big. I was like, “man, I’m big in the hood,” I think that’s good enough. That’s who I’m supposed to be, feel me?

Throughout the mixtape, you say “trapping ain’t dead…these niggas just scared.” What does that mean?
I hear a lot people say things and then when they get into the game, they kinda just fall off the streets. I feel like I ain’t scared. I been talking bout this shit. If you ever got any music I done, I been talking about this shit since day one. I see different shit everyday, but where I come from, this all I know, so I feel like I’m a represent it to the end. I just feel like nigga’s was scared. Niggas wasn’t helping nobody get no money out here. Niggas was talking about themselves and they watches and they chain. I’m like fuck that. Trappin’ isn’t dead. Let’s get back to the money, its already fucked up out here in the streets.

So this is like the appetizer to the main course.
Yeah. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League gave me a couple [beats] that’s crazy man. I’m pretty much open man. I kinda wanted to go back and do a lot of the Thug Motivation 101 deal with a lot of those producers, but there’s a lot of new cats that’s hot, so I’m kinda doing a little bit of both.

Is “Biggest Movie Ever” the first single off TM3?
The Biggest Movie Ever”, that’s like a USDA single. Something I just wanted to do. We just create music like that. We go to the club, we come in there do our thing, and everybody just watch. I was like we just had to do that record.

Is there a reason why you reverted the whole Thug Motivation theme?
I feel like that’s who I am. The Recession to me was like just something I had to do for myself. Everyone knows the world’s fucked up right now, so I just figured like it’s time to just get people back on their hustle. When Thug Motivation 101 came out, it was just like people was about getting their money. That’s when everybody just wanted to stay on they grind and get money. I’m try to get them back to that.

What was your intention with “24-23”?
It was a little street record. It was really just a response to a lot of bullshit, ya know. Niggas play wit’ my niggas names, I’m a play wit your niggas name. That’s how I felt about that shit. That’s what it was. I didn’t do it like a diss record. Like I didn’t put it out for the purpose of that. I like the song. I said what I said. I’m a stand on it. You know, Kobe took it home. I thought LeBron was going to bring it home but you know, “24, 23″ [laughs].

Yeah right, Jeezy. I can read between the lines.
Yeah, yeah but for them lame cats that think I’m talking about Kobe and LeBron shout outs to them too! But for all them real niggas in the hood that know what I’m talking about I did that for y’all. Thank me later.

This weekend, you and Gucci Mane are scheduled to perform at the same venues. Are you worried about any potential conflict?
I ain’t worried bout nothing [except] what I’m gone wear, you know what I’m sayin’? Like, what my outfit gone look like, [laughs] That’s my worse problem right now. Like, what I’m gone wear, and what car I’m a drive, and which watch I might put on. Them my only worries right now.