Young Buck

WHO?MAG: Who do you have on the album as far as producers and cameos?
YOUNG BUCK: We’ll start off with Dr. Dre, he produced a couple of them. From there you got Eminen, Lil’ Jon, DJ Paul, Hi Tek, Justice League, and Jake One. A lot of producers did the damn thing. Feature-wise, you’re going to get me, Snoop Dogg, and Trick Daddy together. Then 8ball, MJG, and Bun B. Also Linkin Park. It’s a real versatile record. What I did was combine a lot of my features so I can save a lot of room for my own solo records.

WHO?MAG: What’s the difference between your new album and your first album Straight out of Ca$hville?
YOUNG BUCK: I think with Straight out of Ca$hville, I wanted to let the people know exactly who I am and where I’m from. I got the concept from NWA Straight Outta Compton. With this album, I’m established already with the people. Now it’s about letting them know what’s really up with Young Buck and what direction I’m trying to take my music in.

WHO?MAG: You started you rap career at the age of 14. What made you want to choose that path?
YOUNG BUCK: I’ve always had the love for the music. It wasn’t necessarily for the money, because I’ve always found myself getting into the money before I actually saw any money because of the music. It was just the love of the music and the love of the art. I like to see people enjoying themselves to something that they’re hearing. It developed from that.

WHO?MAG: How did you hook up with Baby from Cash Money records back in the days and why was an album never released?
YOUNG BUCK: My homeboy that’s incarcerated, Little Jimmy, introduced me to Baby. They were recording in my city. I was in the streets and my homeboys wanted let him hear my rap. Once he heard me, he liked what he heard and it pretty much started from there. That’s the reason of me pretty much not being there. I can give you all these stories and tell you about me being around, but I can’t tell you go pick up one album to hear my verse. The reason I was there was to be heard and my music. That was the reason why I had to have my own ambitions and make my own career happen which I did.

WHO?MAG: How did you get on the Bloodhound song on 50’s first album?
YOUNG BUCK: I had that record before 50 [Cent] had that record. When I met 50 I already had that record. I think that was the first record 50 heard from me. He loved it so much to the point when he put his album together, he came and got that record from me. That was the first time I’ve ever had any money given to me as far as record-wise. He told me if anything works as far as his situation with [Dr.] Dre he’d come back and get me. That’s what he did.

WHO?MAG: What happened with DJ Will in Atlanta?
YOUNG BUCK: That was pretty much a situation that got tangled and twisted through the media. It got twisted when they said I put my hands on DJ Will. I never once responded back knowing the truth would eventually come out and it did it. It actually came to the Core DJ’s, one of the heavy reps, Tony Neil, who straightened out the situation. Pretty much on the strength of the Core DJ’s, they showed me that the love is always there. The story got twisted that he actually played a Game record and I rushed him. I was paid to perform at the club. As I walked to the stage to perform the One Blood record was dropped. Maybe I thought my DJ had dropped it since he was set up on the stage. After talking and screaming to him, I noticed there was another DJ booth in the back of the club. I don’t know what’s up with me, but if it’s real disrespect you’ll bring the record back. He brought the record back. I think I was wrong with approaching the cat from leaving the stage because when I left everybody in the building left with me. I tried to conversate with him, but it was hard to conversate because of the crowd. I chose to walk away before the situation became all the way out of hand with people thinking I put my hands on him. There was never a permanent ban on none of my records. The bottom line he is a DJ in a hot station in Atlanta. After the situation was resolved he put my records on and ended up being number 1 on their station.

WHO?MAG: What’s your perspective on the music industry nowadays?
YOUNG BUCK: It’s getting good because the fans have gotten smart. Instead of them going and spending $15 dollars on an album that has only 2 cuts on it, they’ll buy your bootleg. The ones who really deserve going to spend that money on that album, they’ll go out and buy it. It’s pretty much who has genuine talent than anything else.

WHO?MAG: Talk to me about your label and that you signed C-BO and the Outlawz?
YOUNG BUCK: My label is Ca$hville records. I got a group 615 which is the area code of Nashville which consists of me, Little Murder, and a cat by the name of D-Tay. I also got C-BO from the West Coast and the Outlawz. Me and C-BO got out in the streets before rap. Once I got in my own lane of being able carrying my own company, he was more than willing to jump aboard. He didn’t mind rocking who he already knows. I guess as far as street credibility, knows somebody taking his career as serious as he taking it being that I grew up listening to C-BO. A lot of people are aware of what he’s done in the independent world. I’m pretty much here to bring it on a worldwide basis with him. The Outlawz situation came about through C-BO being that he and the Outlawz kept a tight knit. Once they seen the direction of C-BO, they already understood.

WHO?MAG: What’s your thoughts on that album that they put out independently of yours a year or so ago?
YOUNG BUCK: That’s a gang of bullsh*t. The music they put out I was sixteen or fifteen years old. I think the people that bought the album already knew what it was. It just goes to show some slick sh*t people do. Being that I had that material at a young age starting to make things happen, the minute I got direction and started moving in the game, the first thing those folks did was put a cool album cover on and put it back on the shelves. But hey, I was still spitting that gangsta sh*t even then.

WHO?MAG: What are your thoughts on Bootlegging?
YOUNG BUCK: I feel like bootlegging in a sense is a good thing for me. My album was bootlegged 30 days before it hit the shelves. When it came out I still had the number on rap album in the country. I had the number one album in the country if it wouldn’t have been for Country ass Tim McGraw. I think at the end of the day it comes back to good music. The bootlegging only plays a part if the fans aren’t sure if their artist is delivering.

WHO?MAG: What are your thoughts on DJ Drama and the whole situation that happened with him back in January?
YOUNG BUCK: We support him. All [DJ] Drama is doing is taking the material and making them stars. Putting material to the streets and giving it to the people first. He’s also developing that artist for the label, being that he submits for them. It’s so many ways. Drama does so much for both sides: the artist and the label.

WHO?MAG: Why do you think he got raided if he’s helping the labels out?
YOUNG BUCK: I think he got raided because you’re dealing with a situation that you got these divisions. They are making these hip hop police that focusing on trying to stop the force of hip hop being that it’s so strong. Some of those people that support them among the force and those police officers are the same age bracket, but not dealing with the same material things that we created and we got in life. The way of them showing their hatred is through that way a lot of that plays a part, which is so far from our minds that we forget that age to be police officer is pretty much around the same age as the most successful rap artists. Then if you do the math on the paper, it don’t add up. Them muthaf*ckers risk their lives and don’t get paid sh*t. That is why they become crooked, because they don’t really want to do the jobs that they do, most of them.