Young Buck "Buck the World" interview (Weezy, album...)

[Meho]

If there is anything Young Buck enjoys more than making music, it's probably playing a game of dominoes. On this windy day, Buck is playing dominoes with a few of his buddies while he takes interviews to promote his sophomore album, Buck The World. Talk about a multi-tasker.

It's ok, though. It's not like he has been entering Domino Championship Tournaments. Buck's been too busy to do that.

Aside from recording new material for Buck The World, the Nashville native has become an entrepreneur by launching his own imprint, Cashville Records (which will be distributed by Koch). He's even given fans a preview of what his roster will sound like through the Gangsta Grillz mixtape series.

So in this exclusive, Young Buck gives Ballerstatus.com the scoop on Cashville Records, Nashville politics and some top secret collaborations, which will be featured on Buck The World. Oh yeah, he also tells us what's going on with Lil Wayne kissing on everybody.

Ballerstatus.com: Nashville is Music City, but what's the hip-hop scene like?

Young Buck: That's what the city is going through right now. Nashville is pretty much built from country music and I think I brought a lot of the hip-hop situations out here. With Nashville being built off the country music, that was embarrassing. I don't think the political side has been able to keep up with what we're doing. What you have is a conflict because the majority of people who support country music are white and the majority of the people who support hip-hop are black, so the conflict comes in right there. But, I think I'm kinda breaking that barrier by just being involved with Eminem. This city has a lot of racial tension going down here and there is a lot of separation between white and black out here. Not from the black and white people, but from the political side. I think there's a lot of racism going down in the offices of Nashville. Hip-hop is alive and right now, it's trying to extend. So, it's brand new for them and they're just learning how to deal with it.

Ballerstatus.com: Right. So you're on G-Unit and heading up Cashville Records...

Young Buck: Damn right! G-Unit South is the movement, Cashville Records is my label, man. I just signed C-Bo from the West Coast and I'm distributing it through Koch. My album drops March 20th and I'm looking to release my first project in May through Koch, which is C-Bo. He's from the West Coast, has a real big independent following, so I feel it's only right to make that situation happen.

Ballerstatus.com: So when you're looking for artists, do you have a certain criteria you search for?

Young Buck: Yea, you damn right, man. I look for somebody that has a report card that matches the identity of the person, whether they street or if they come from a nice upper-class home. As long as that background matches what you are, then I know that person is totally being themselves. So, I look for that first when I'm looking for an artist because I know then they will be able to make the best material they possibly can. You got to be straight up with yourself to be able to present your work out there to people like you -- to be able to have a conversation with you, to be able to get on the stage and rock. You can't be working somebody else's life. It's not going to work. So I look for that first and then I look for just good talent, period. You could be any color -- white, black, Asian, Chinese, and you can come from anywhere. If you good and real with yourself, then you got an opportunity with Buck.

Ballerstatus.com: I've noticed you've released a lot of Gangsta Grillz over the past several months and they seem like they're not just Young Buck mixtapes, but Young Buck and company. Would you agree with that?

Young Buck: Yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking for them to be, boy. I'm using the mixtape as my form of distribution. That's my label right now. I haven't inked a deal with nobody in the sense that I feel like I'm promoting my crew and make the people understand, and see what I'm doing with mixtapes. I feel that's the best distribution you could possibly have. So you right, I treat it like the distribution and the mixtape. DJ Drama was Interscope in the sense that he is dealing with me. Whoo Kid was Interscope in a sense he is dealing with me, and any other DJ because with me having a label. With me having a mixtape and my other crew, G-Unit (Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and 50) for me to get them involved in it, I feel like I got something brand new to bring to the table, so let me go ahead and show what I'm involved in. And it's making a lot of noise and you said it yourself boy, you've really been paying attention. My mixtapes are like albums, bro. My mixtapes are better than a lot of sh-- that comes out, honestly.

Ballerstatus.com: Speaking of Gangsta Grillz, Drama and Cannon were arrested a few weeks ago and the RIAA raided their offices. What do you think about that situation?

Young Buck: Oh man, f--- the Feds! I just hung up with Drama on the other line right before you called. Let me tell you something; Drama was built on the streets. Everything you see and every piece of money was made was from the streets. That is something the Feds can't take away. You can't take the streets away and Drama is available for the streets. You're always going to have a Gangsta Grillz. It ain't going anywhere. I'm one of the biggest supporters of DJ Drama, so at the end of the day, Drama don't have no problems, financially or none of that. As long as I got millions, Drama can get whatever the f--- I got. So at the end of the day, it's about making sure he don't go to jail, but outside of that, financially wise, you can count Drama in the game. Damn straight.

Ballerstatus.com: Good stuff. Let's trace back for a second, Buck. Tell me how you initially got with G-Unit and 50 Cent.

Young Buck: Honestly bro, it was really about me being with Juvenile and rocking with UTP.

(Suddenly, Young Buck turns to his buddies.)

Young Buck: It's my go, right? Hold on n----! It's my dominoes... you out.

(He stops playing dominoes altogether and returns to the interview.)

Young Buck: Man, I'm whippin' these n----s' ass while I'm doing this interview. My bad, bro, but you good looking, Bear! You good luck! You just made me bust these n----s. I just scuffed these n----s ass while I'm talking to you, boy!

Ballerstatus.com: Glad I could be of help.

Young Buck: Yea, but like I was telling you, being around Juvenile and UTP Records, at the time, I was rocking with Juvenile and sh-- wasn't really working. He started making statements like, "If an opportunity comes for one of us -- me and the other artist he was working with at the time -- then take it." Sh--, I ran into 50 and when I met him, we just freestyled and sh--, having that type of bond amongst each other. That's the way of how it kinda cracked off. When I met 50, he had Banks and Yayo with him. They actually came by Juvenile's studio bus. We got to rapping and sh--, I end up playing the record for n----s. Banks really liked it and said, "Yo, I'm going to take this motherf---er to the back and let 50 hear it." And that same record ended up being on 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Trying. So pretty much, my sh-- came along. I was never signed to Juvenile, never had any paperwork to keep me away from doing any kind of business, so 50 was pretty much like, "You know what? If everything works out with my situation with Dr. Dre, I'm a f--- with you." And that's exactly what he did.

Ballerstatus.com: Right and you've had a bunch of efforts beforehand, but Beg For Mercy seemed like your formal introduction into the mainstream. Would you agree?

Young Buck: Yea, I damn sure agree with you. Yea, I'm really enjoying this interview because I like talking to people who know what the f--- they talking about. And you know what you're talking about, bro. You pretty much telling me what the f--- it is and that's exactly what that album was like: my introduction. I think a lot of people almost felt like I was a fill-in for G-Unit. Like I came into G-Unit right when Tony Yayo's incarceration was coming about. So, for me, that album was a big statement as far as letting the world know, "Hold on partner. I'm in here for the long turn. I'm here for the longevity." And I ain't just motherf---er with a cool 16 and that's it. I think people are just realizing now that I ain't fully got everything I think I deserve in the game, but I think I'm moving forward and gaining more every single day.

Ballerstatus.com: Your debut, Straight Outta Cashville, dropped six months after that the most maybe. Do you feel Beg For Mercy was the perfect lead in for Straight Outta Cashville?

Young Buck: Yeah Bear, I think it really was because a lot of people had a chance to hear everybody on that and pick they're favorites out of the crew. It gave me enough to establish my own fan base in a sense. And when I delivered my album, with it being a good album, they followed it up. So you know, that's the way it goes.

Ballerstatus.com: Everyone always says you have a lifetime to release a debut album and you went through some shady situations, which prevented you from previously dropping a debut. So how did it feel like to unleash that first album?

Young Buck: It felt like a big breath of fresh air, straight up. I come from the whole independent era with the music, bro. And I've pushed myself all these years to get where I got. It used to cost me 300 dollars to print up a thousand CDs, and I'd sell it for two dollars a piece. You do the math. So I stopped selling dope and began selling my music, and I still get down like that with my n----s to this day. My mixtape sh-- drops, I still go out and sell my own sh--. At the end of the day, it still feels good to be a person who comes from the streets, for real. It wasn't no thang where I was like, "I made it," but more like, "I finally got this going, now let's get to the next sh--," and that's where I'm at with it right now. I don't ever feel comfortable. For some reason, I can't get comfortable, boy, and I've had the money for quite sometime, now. I just can't get comfortable with this sh-- for no reason.

Ballerstatus.com: Couldn't that be a good thing, though? Isn't it always good to stay on your toes?

Young Buck: Yea, I guess it is because at this point, I'm about to bring the Unit to the point where we never left, but in a sense of a record sales, there has been a falling. That's because there's been a falling in hip-hop and record sales in general, overall. We set the standard so high for ourselves, selling so many millions of records, that when you get a gold record for Yayo's album, he's like, "Oh sh--," cause we're coming off 12 million f---ing records sold with 50, two million with Banks, Two million for my album. As for last year, the only motherf---er to go platinum I think was Jay-Z and T.I., so I don't think it's the fans that follow it that much. Knowing the true genre of the business, it fell for hip-hop overall, so I feel like I'm one of those dudes who don't have to worry about album sales. You pretty much know my sh-- is coming out, it's going to be good and it's going to sell. So I don't focus on selling my record, I focus on making the best music possible and getting it out here to the people. As long as that music is good, that sh-- is going to get over.

Ballerstatus.com: Speaking of which, the sophomore is getting ready to come out. So let me ask you, why did you name it Buck The World?

Young Buck: They wouldn't let me name my album F--- The World. They said it fit better on Wal-Mart shelves with Buck The World, and I was like, "Yeah, I agree."

Ballerstatus.com: Seems like they're always trying to censor you, Buck.

Young Buck: For real, man. I was like, "Goddamn, let me tell these people how I really feel!" F--- the world, bro! Like Buck The World! Like in a sense, I am the world right now. I'm on all these people's minds. I stay on the police's mind, I stay on the f---in' media's mind, so it's like Buck The World. And I really don't want to say f--- the world with the record. Buck The World is better. As far as the lyrical content itself on my record, you getting the same street sh--, the same energy from Straight Outta Cashvile, real life topics as always and more... up to date sh-- that's going on. I make my music based on reality, the sh-- that I go through in life. That's the only way people are gonna be a true fan of you. I've been going through a lot of sh--, whether it's the Vibe Awards, the DJ sh-- they got going with me and all kinds of sh--. If you a motherf---er who is in the game and you got one foot in the streets and one foot over here, you go through sh--, n----. You're going to hear it on my record, you know what I mean?

Ballerstatus.com: Yeah, definitely. Who is going to be on the record?

Young Buck: Honestly man, I'm so stuck on this record. I got a record with me and Chester from f---ing Linkin Park. How many motherf---ers do you know have Linkin Park on their sh--?

Ballerstatus.com: You mean Chester Bennington?

Young Buck: You damn, right! That's the man. I got a record with him that's ridiculous. To me, that's probably one of the biggest records I've ever done. It's stupid, bro. It's the realest song I ever made in my life. I got a song with me, Snoop Dogg and Trick Daddy. I got a song with Bun B, 8 Ball and MJG that's called "Say It To Me Face," that's addictive, bro. This whole album is stupid. I got a song with Lyfe that's called "Buck The World," the title of the record. It's a crazy. I got a record called "Hold On," that Eminem produced. I got some rock & roll sh--, y'all gonna think llica is living in this bitch. I'm on some real different sh-- with some brand new, up to date, hood good sh--, man. Just follow me, man. I'm a special type of n----. I think you know that by now, but I'm trying to convince the world n---- that I got this sh--.

Ballerstatus.com: You never really see many rock-rap fused records nowadays. Why do you think that is?

Young Buck: Well honestly man, at the end of the day, a lot of the rap is high energy and a lot of rock is high energy. So you got two things that is really dope, amongst energy, it's just a matter of time before they clash. The simulation has always been there. As far from a hip-hop standpoint, being able to understand exactly what the rock & roll artists are doing and vice versa for them, they're trying to understand what we're doing. It's all about stretching out and working with them, being there and opening up enough to want to work with people like that. For me, I got an ear for music, period. I can hear something and it don't matter if it's rock, country, whatever. If that sh-- is bumping, I'm drawn to it and that's pretty much what happened with Linkin Park. I'm a fan of their work, heavy, cause I'm drawn to what they do.

Ballerstatus.com: So Buck, I heard there have been some problems with you and Lil Wayne. What's really going on with that?

Young Buck: There ain't no problems between me and Lil Wayne. Ask Lil Wayne if he has a problem with me. Lil Wayne will say, "Nah." Wayne did a concert out here in my city. He came out and sh--, I came to the concert, and I don't know, he didn't really wanna come to the stage. But I went on the stage and said, "C'mon, man. You gotta come up here and holla at my city." He was like, "What happens if they ain't gonna let me make it through?" And I said, "Look man, if somebody put them hands on you in here, that's like them touching me. Nobody gonna touch you, so come through here." He came for a minute, but after a while, before the club closed, he made his way to the stage. I never had a problem with Wayne. I was asked a question about the kissing incident. I spoke on it and said, "Yeah, I witnessed it," never once meant to say that they gay or whatever, I just said the sh-- wasn't manly in my eyes. You know, that's not something I rock around, but at the end of the day, there's no straight forward beef with me and Lil Wayne. I ain't got no beef with nobody. All this so-called beef sh-- whether it's Game, all that sh-- is bullsh--, that sh-- ain't about nothing. These cats know exactly what's up with it and however the media perceives it, it is what it is. But I'm in the streets for real, so motherf---ers know how it goes in the street. All that sh-- is bullsh--. It ain't nothing. When the beef turns into a comical type thing, that's when it's met to be left alone. With me, if the sh-- ain't about drawing no blood for real, then I ain't going to f--- with it. If that sh-- gets about swanging and banging, blow this n---, I'll step on in to protect my life, but to other than that, I get to the money. I'm a hustla, n----.

[The King Of L.A]

I bet you have aftermath/gunit/shady/ tatted on your ass .lol.