Jeezy, who released his Seen It All: The Autobiography album last week, says he wanted to make a few points clear to Def Jam on “Me OK.”
“When L.A. Reid was in office, made some history up in Def Jam,” Jeezy raps on the track. “If Jizzle ain’t droppin’, nigga, what the fuck is Def Jam? / I know you heard how your boy bossed up at Atlantic / Boss shit, might just drop my next album on Atlantic.”
“That was just the truth,” Jeezy says when speaking about this to Billboard. “I was basically saying I got options and putting it into the stratosphere that I am really a boss. Even for my fans and peers, I’m not going to be the person just all blacked out in hood atmosphere. I can go into these buildings and move things around, too. I been in that game. I been at Atlantic over there head of A&R. I A&R my own records at Def Jam. It was like, look, here’s where I am with it, I can do either or—know that though.”
Despite all of that, Jeezy says his relationship has been good with Def Jam since the release of “Me OK.”
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“It’s cool man,” he says. “Sometimes you got to flex your muscle a little bit and you have to let people know where you stand. They think you just a rapper, it’s like, ‘Nah, man.'”
Jeezy Details Inspiring Kendrick Lamar
Jeezy’s raps have influenced many other emcees, as heard on Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city, which references Jeezy more than once.
“It just shows you the impact,” he says regarding good kid. “That made me feel appreciated because that is all the way out there in Compton. It just showed me that they were young and really listening to what I was saying and what I say has to count and that’s why I can’t just say anything. At least I was instrumental in leading him to respect music and respect what I was doing enough for him to put it in when he had his shot. That’s real. He could’ve been listening to anything.
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“When I heard it, I smiled,” Jeezy adds. “I was like, ‘That’s what’s up.’ I like Kendrick a lot.”
Jeezy Reveals 50 Cent Conversation About Jay Z
While Jeezy praises Kendrick Lamar, he says other young emcees may not be able to sustain success.
“With these young cats coming in right now, it’s like they are not going to be able to keep putting out the same records with the same substance and have a career,” he says. “For me it’s like carving out that new space for Trap, if you will. It’s like what do you do when you really trap? You get into this music game and you adapt. You still building and still striving? Who are you at that point? I talked to 50 Cent on the phone [years ago] and he said, ‘If I was still in the streets I’d be an enforcer.’ He said, ‘If Jay Z was in the streets, he’d still be a boss. What would you be?’ Before I can answer he said, ‘Nah don’t answer, what would you be?’ I’m a true hustler. I’m a true leader, that’s who I am. With what I do, I don’t think cats can get in my lane because it’s almost too authentic and too real. That’s what this Seen It All is about. It’s like carving out a new lane for Trap. It’s like where they gonna go three, four albums in. You have to talk about some real life shit. I’m carving out that whole lane. Not to knock it, but if you’re on the outside looking in you might look at our music as ignorant. I wanted to be the dude to straighten it out because it’s not ignorant. Its like okay you talk about drugs, give us something else to sell.”
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Jeezy On Perception That Trap Music Is “Ignorant”
Jeezy elaborated on the point regarding Trap music when asked if he thinks it is viewed as ignorant.
“Yeah,” he says, “because they don’t understand our culture. Our culture is about, if you really listen to the music, it’s about uplifting. It might sound crazy. It’s uplifting for these young cats in the hood because that’s their big dream. Their big dream is to go their favorite club with their best chain and their car and be that guy. I been that guy. I understand. I’m with you all the way. I want you to be that guy for the rest of your life, let me show you how to do that. There’s going to be a time when you’re not even going to need that and you’re still going to get the same respect because they are going to respect your mind and that’s my journey with this to make us respect our mind because I feel like I opened that door for trap rap. That’s how I got out of my situation. All I had was what I was going through and people identified with it.”
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