New Young Buck interview

[Meho]

Platinum-selling rapper Young Buck talks about his forthcoming disc, squashing his beef with The Game and more.

By Ahmad T. Childress



Young Buck is ready for his close up. The G-Unit soldier, who has had his fair share of media coverage for all the wrong reasons over the past two years, is about to drop a new disc on the masses next month. The 25-year-old is set to release Buck the World (featuring guests like Snoop Dogg, Young Jeezy and more) Nov. 28th.

Buck follows his platinum selling album, Straight Outta Cashville with Buck the World and hopes to win over even more fans this time out. The Nashville native is one of the most solid artists in the G-Unit camp, with a distinctive southern accent and lyrical dexterity other rappers covet. We talked to Buck recently about a recent lost dice game and a trip to the "Trap."

From there we talked about being in the G-Unit, his time with Cash Money Records and if we will ever see an end to the feud with The Game.

How is the album coming?

Young Buck: [With] my first record I wanted mf's to understand who I am and where I'm from. I think I did that. Thanks to the fans they made that one platinum. I did not have any limits making this record. I had more time and comfort making this record. I recorded the majority of the record in my own [studio]. This record is ten times better than my last album.

How did you pick the songs for the album?

YB: I wanted to have a brand new feel. You have a lot of hardcore through the majority of my first record. That's me, that's my life. With this record my life is pretty much still the same gangsta shit happening but at the end of the day it's been a lot of good things too. I express more of the good out of this first single. It's a record to ride to, it's a record that you can hear in the club get your dance on to and at the end of the day it's a record that the women definitely gonna love because I am speaking, in a sense to them. I think I do real well speaking form the [man’s] point of view.

Which producers did you work with on this album?

YB: I worked with way more big name producers on this album than on my first album. I worked with Dr. Dre, he produced three of em', Eminem a couple. I worked with Akon, Jazze Pha and Lil Jon.

Who are some of the featured guests on Buck the World?

YB: I got records with Young Jeezy, T.I., and Pimp C on the hook. I got records with me, Snoop Dogg, and Trick Daddy together. Me, Bun B and 8 Ball & MJG; me and Trey Songs; me and Lyfe (Jennings) so it's a lot of features, but I put a lot of [the guest appearances] together so I could make room for the solo records. You are gonna get a lot of features but you damn sure gonna get a lot of Young Buck.

I saw an early track listing for your album Buck the World that included a song with Lil Wayne. Did you guys really do a song together?

YB: I ain't never had no record with Lil Wayne. I don't think you will ever see me and Lil Wayne together no time soon. It ain't no beef or nothing like that. I came up around those cats (Cash Money Records) ,and since my success there has never been [any] response [from them] in a positive or negative way.

Since you got your start with Cash Money Records I was wondering if you had an idea as to why so many artists have left the label. From B.G. to Juvenile and most recently, Gillie the Kid have all left under different circumstances.

YB: Shout out to Gillie the Kid. I can you tell you all these stories about how I'm 25 and I dropped out of high school to move to New Orleans. I lived there for two and a half to three years with Turk (Cash Money artist) Baby (Cash Money Records CEO, Bryan Williams). It was my brother's car, the yellow Ferrari that's in the "Ha" (by Juvenile) video. See I can tell you all these stories but what I can't tell you is go pick up this album, I was featured on it. I never got the opportunity to be on a project that was actually being put out, but I spent a lot of years around those cats. Baby understand why I left, [he] never gave me [any] opportunity to get on [anything]. That's when I realized it only costs $300 to press up 1,000 CDs and I could sell them for ten dollars a piece, you do the math.

How did that situation differ from being involved with G-Unit?

YB: That's why I appreciate 50 [Cent] so much because as big as our roster is you still [get a release date]. 50 don't say nothing he ain't gonna do.

Are you going to do any touring?

YB: Hell yeah, that's where the money's at. I believe in touching bases with the people before the album is out and while the album is out.

Do you have any mixtapes coming out soon?

YB: I [have] been really staying alive through the game through Gangsta Grillz and (DJ) Whoo Kid. I just released my first Gangsta Grillz [mixtape] called Case Dismissed and my second one called Welcome to the Trap House. I also have the Chronic 2006 hosted by Jamie Foxx and that's by Whoo Kid. I am expecting an invitation to the Mixtape Awards.

Do you think the there is a going to be a point where the whole feud with The Game and G-Unit will be over?

YB: I’m at that point right now. I honestly feel like, me personally like it’s been enough put out from his end [and] our end. Enough out there so people can make their own judgment on what’s real and what’s fake. You won’t get none of that shit from me. I ain’t make one reference towards homeboy on my album. I ain’t got shit good or bad to say about [The Game]. I feel better, in a sense saying, ok I ain’t going to push that line with this one.

Do you see any effects of all this feuding on the music?

YB: All the beef situations surrounding G-Unit caused Hip-Hop to almost move in a perspective of thinking that you can get on a record and say fuck you and don’t even know [the artist]. And then gain recognition to sell a record. Our shit results from real life situations and it pans over to the music side of it because [people] are trying to express what they feel like would happen if it came to that point.

Ain’t shit happening. Ain’t one bullet flew from [their] end. For me to feel comfortable about it and my conscience not to bother me, if it come to that, is to say ok I gave [them] a chance. I ain’t going to fuck with this shit. That’s where I am at with it. I ain’t make no reference to not only Game, but Jada, [Fat] Joe, none of them. I ain’t devote none of my energy to that bullshit. If it’s about that, we’ll handle it like that, but otherwise I’ll eat from the music not from rapping back and forth with you [rappers]. And just how you know about the beef situation, the police know. So it’s like I gotta kind of play it a little different you know?

Do you think that DJ’s and media outlets just jump on it to push their thing of sell their story?

YB: In a sense that’s the way it becomes but most beef situations that the media jumped on have been real life. The biggest has been the Tupac and Biggie situation; there has never been [anything] as real life as that situation (Hip-Hop wise) other than the Ja Rule and 50 situation. Where people were really hands on and understood that lives could be lost.

What do you feel about how the G-Unit situation was handled?

YB: There [are] other ways of handling that homeboy could have did, like not voicing your opinion on a fucking radio station and just calling [50] and tell him how you feel. it I just think there are a lot of different things individually withheld with Game where maybe he just didn’t feel as far as the [G] Unit but he did not go about handling his business as I would. My way of handling anything is dealing with whatever comes out the horse’s mouth itself and not involving the media and everybody.

Last thing, what are you listening to right now?

YB: Man I fuck with a lot of Scarface, that’s the OG. I listen to a lot of Snoop Doog, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, 50. T.I. and [Young] Jeezy, they [are] like my favorite Southern artists right now. Tupac don’t ever come out. I’m a Biggie fan so he get a lot of play.

On that note, Young Buck headed back to the dice game to get his money back. Young Buck’s album, Buck the World will be in stores on November 28th.