Young Jeezy: Real Talk

by Bayer L. Mack

What kind of nigga tell lies to himself, then turn around and tell the same lies to his fans?

Despite its various job titles, markets and divisions, the music industry can be summed up in two words: party and bullshit. To be honest, Im not much interested in either one. For me, hearing MC Lukewarm brag about Soundscans (he more than likely paid for) ranks right alongside post-sex pillow talk on the list of things I like to do. Please, cant I just go to sleep?

In an industry dominated by backstabbers, yes men and con artists, truth is the proverbial needle in the haystack. You can imagine how refreshing it is to meet somebody real, like a T.I., Willie D or a Slim Thug. The type of cats that arent afraid to say whats in their hearts, not just whats on their minds. Def Jam recording artist Young Jeezy, who will release his major label debut Lets Get It: Thug Motivation 101 on July 26, is that type.

The 25-year-old former street hustler from Atlanta turned a love for music into a legitimate grind and hasnt looked back since. Getting his foot in the door by promoting Cash Money Records releases through his own Corporate Thugz Entertainment, Young Jeezy peeped the game from the inside.

Relationships, grind and staying down, Jeezy says when asked what he has learned from his experience in the music business. Everybody got money. If it was all about money, then everybody would be [successful]. You have to have goals and make plans. If niggas knew better, they would do better.

After seeing the riches Cash Money was making, Young Jeezy struck out on his own with b>Come Shop With Me. The solo debut sold more than 50,000 copies independently and set the stage for his major label deal with Def Jam. While the entrepreneur admits that he aint no rapper, Jeezy does recognize the importance of getting just the right beat. Selling yourself, he says, is the key to avoiding the outrageous prices some producers ask for.

Niggas is coming with twenty to thirty stacks [thousand] in grocery bags to pay for beats, explains Jeezy. People will keep [charging that] as long as there are niggas willing to pay it. Most producers will work with you [on price] if they think you got potential. If all a producer do is drop off some beats and expect to get paid, you know something is wrong.

Beyond little nuggets of wisdom like this, Jeezy says theres not much more to the rap game.

Real talk? Theres no business to learn, admits Jeezy. Do you. I really dont do shit. I dont watch Rap City or anything. Maybe I should, but Im out grinding. [Def Jam] aint never dealt with a cat they had to catch up with. I be doing shit they dont even know about.

One thing Def Jam does know about it is creating and controlling the image of its artists. The illusion of grandeur on display in magazines and music videos fuels the imagination of fans and drives record sales. Jeezy, however, has found success by stripping away the glitz and giving listeners the other side of the game. Everybody aint living like that, he says of the glamorous street lifestyle popularized by record companies.

Some experts believe, with the growing lack of parental guidance in the home, rappers have begun filling the void created by absentee mothers and fathers. Young Jeezy doesnt dispute this claim. Real talk UGK and No Limit raised me, he says. You cant go to the big homie and ask him how much this cost or how much you should be charged for something. Even if he did tell you, it dont mean hes going to give it to you [at that price]. Rap music hipped me to the streets.

Jeezy uses the stage hes been given to dispense real talk to the young listeners that cop his CDs. His music, while unapologetically explicit, is laced with the time-honored values of hard work, honesty and self-reliance.

Everybody gangsta until they get incarcerated, Jeezy offers when asked about the negative influence so-called gangsta rap has on todays urban youth. I got to ease truth into them. Aint nothing like having everything and knowing it could all be taken from you the next day along with your freedom.

Rappers as role models might be an unavoidable reality, but what happened to the village that was supposed to be raising the seeds?

They all living the same nightmare, says Jeezy in describing the ghetto mindset. So why should they help you?

One thing is for sure, Young Jeezy had no trouble finding people to help with his major label debut. Tried and true heat makers like Jazze Pha, Mannie Fresh and DJ Smurf lace the beats, while southern flame throwers T.I., Trick Daddy, and Young Buck blaze the tracks.

Im a huge fans of all those cats, Jeezy says of the stellar guest appearances on Lets Get It. On all the records, I knew what I wanted from each artist the beat everything. For them to fuck with me on GP like that, its really crazy. We smoked a couple of blunts, talked shit and hit the booth. Then we kicked it later. A lot of these artists out here are doing collaborations with people that dont even like them.

After talking to Young Jeezy, you begin to wonder why a straight shooter like him would even bother with an industry notorious for BS.

Exposure, answers Jeezy when asked to explain his reason for jumping to Def Jam despite his lucrative success in the independent game. Im taking one for the team because I got a lot of people I want to bring up. Plus, bootlegs was killing me because I couldnt drop everywhere at the same time.

They say business makes strange bed partners. While his move to a major makes perfect business sense, Young Jeezy is well aware that his no nonsense attitude will ruffle feathers in corporate Americas ivory towers.

Industry dont want street niggas in this shit, Jeezy states matter-of-factly. I kinda slid through the cracks and they like, Aint nothing we can do about it now. But they dont want no street niggas in this shit. If you let one in, all of em coming.