It’s been over three months since Buck the World was released to the masses. Young Buck’s second album may lack the surging singles of his debut, but his 2007 effort remains a pillar in “album of the year” discussions, with or without strong radio play. While programmers might duck the Buck, media headlines and rumor mills haven’t. Starting with 50 Cent’s backing down a peace treaty with The Game in March, now to alleged crew-dissent on stage at recent shows, it appears as if the media is chipping away at Buck vs. 50 to parallel what appears to be Cam’ron vs. Jim Jones. Buck promises it’s not happening. Instead, the Nashville star clears up the rumors bluntly. While doing so, Buck reveals that he may be following Scarface and Snoop into production duties this year, and he’s got the 808’s handy. Lastly, the G-Unit superstar discusses why there is an industry-wide sales slump, and how through releasing non-fiction records like “Slow Ya Roll,” Buck hopes to bring back good music, and slowly approach his second platinum plaque. Unlike the streets, in an interview, it’s never hard to get Buck. AllHipHop.com: Can you clarify the rumors about what you said in regards to 50 Cent and Vitamin Water recently? Young Buck: Yeah man, I ain’t said s**t, bro. At the end of the day, it is what it is. But nah, I ain’t said, “F**k G-Unit” at all. I don’t know really where the rumor came from, [or] how it came about; because I ain’t said no parts of “f**k” nothing. Wherever the rumor came from, I’ma clear it up and say, I ain’t say s**t about f**k G-Unit…Vitamin Water neither. I ain’t made no money off of Vitamin Water, that’s 50’s thing.AllHipHop.com: Is that where it started? Did you make a comment about that?Young Buck: I think that maybe where the rumor came from [is] on stage, I said, “50 ain’t gave me none of that four million that he made from Vitamin Water, so don’t ask me for s**t.” But as far as saying, “F**k G-Unit,” nah man, not at all.AllHipHop.com: Just to clear the rumors up, everything is good?Young Buck: Yeah, everything 100%, man. I got Cashville Records, I signed the Outlawz, C-Bo, my group 615; that’s the movement for me, you know what I’m saying? My album doing real good, at this point. My s**t is almost ready to go gold.AllHipHop.com: Where is Lloyd Banks?
Young Buck: That n***a in the gym like a motherf**ker. That n***a
like, “Yo bro, I’m coming back; I’m tryna be bigger than 50.” This
n***a been working out and in the f**king studio. Banks is good.
Banks tryna fall back. He making people miss him so much that when he
do come back and the people see the things that they ‘bout to see, they
gon’ really love him and enjoy it. The Unit—we good, bro.
Every good crew has its ups and downs. But the power in the crew is
the strength in numbers, and we stick together, through the thick and
thin. If you get a gang of false n***as together,
you might not have no problems. But you get a gang of real n***as
together, you gon’ have time for motherf**kers to bump heads, don’t
agree on the same thing and all kind of s**t. But like I said, bro, we
remain the same n***as that we came in the game as. Throughout all the
hate, and all the beef s**t, we still stand in this motherf**ker strong
like a motherf**ker. It’s just about getting back into making good
music, and making that [work].AllHipHop.com: A lot of people want your next single to be “Slow Ya Roll.” What made you write that record?Young Buck: You know what? The [album is] real life. All those things that I’m saying on that record is actually true, as far as my auntie just finding out she got AIDS; she’s locked up, she dying in the pen. S**t like that, I’m speaking the truth. When I say, “They found my nephew, there was no flesh, it was just bone,” that s**t is real. So just going through day to day life—real life experiences is what created the record. And just knowing that a lot of times motherf**kers move so fast, that be the cause of they death. So it’s always cool to slow ya roll sometimes. And I worked with Chester Bennington, from Linkin Park, in a sense because, I done noticed that there’s a lot of people from outside of my environment that I come from, which is the ghetto, the hood, that’s in touch with Young Buck, you know what I mean? I like to cater to those that cater to me. Linkin Park’s [audience] is big; it surprised me he was even up to do the record, but he did it. It came out a hit. I actually wanted that to be this single. Straight up and down, I wanted it to be my second single. I fought and I’m still fighting, you know what I’m saying. Hopefully we’ll be able to wrap my record up with that being my third single…everybody’s pushing for it, I’m pushing for it. I think it’s a problem clearing the record with they label, but I think the people really, really want to see that record brought to life. AllHipHop.com: What’s your take on the people criticizing Hip-Hop right now?Young Buck: Well I think some of our political people are some of the biggest hypocrites that we have in America, like their s**t don’t stink; when everybody’s s**t stink. So they’ve got to be able to accept an opinion. An opinion is like an a**hole, everybody got one. They can’t judge that life that they lived, to today’s times. ‘Cause times have changed so much. So if you actually don’t have not even no knowledge of really what’s going on in that neighborhood, or where that artist background has really come from, or what that artist has been through in life, it’s kinda hard to put a judgment, not on just that artist, but anybody, period. And a lot of politicians that direct their negativity towards that Hip-Hop artist is just mainly all for they opinion. I think a lot of these political people are bigger groupies also, because they chase that light, chase that camera, and they want to kinda keep themselves seen in the light for always pushing some type of line. Some of the people who said something about Akon probably got his damn CD in they damn car when they leave, see what I’m saying? It’s hard not to. We get outside of the fact of feeling that those people are human beings too. And even if they’re not fans of our music; they have nieces, they have nephews, they have young adults that are part of they family that I’m sure don’t agree with some of the things that they say about such artists. I’m here to just put in on they brain to let them know, I represent the political prisoners. I don’t represent the political side of what today represents. Our political people that we have right now, to me, I don’t consider all of them as true leaders. Because some of them is committing adultery on they wives and things of that nature, and then push a line that say you know, tell us what not to do. So until you clean your own s**t all the way up 100%, keep your finger to where it need to be.AllHipHop.com: What made you sign Tha Outlawz?Young Buck: I mean, honestly man, it’s always been a whole little connections amongst my whole life with whole Tupac Shakur…I caught that area of music, I’m 26 years old. Me and C-Bo, honestly, had always been good in the streets before I actually got behind a microphone. Once I got into position to start my own thing, he was one of the first ones I stretched out to. C-Bo was ‘Pac’s favorite rapper. He always kept that connection with Tha Outlawz after ‘Pac’s death, and he was like, “Yo man, Tha Outlaws really want to be a part of what we got going.” It was a no-brainer for me, and we just started to hang, bro, and run with each other. S**t, bro, the connection got real crazy. They be scaring me a little, they be telling me I do certain things like [Tupac]. At the end of the day, it’s all about keeping it real. And that’s what ‘Pac did when he was here—same thing I want to follow. It just makes my s**t perfect. It’s an honor to f**k with Tha Outlawz….because they was here before me. So I don’t feel like a CEO, man, I just feel like a n***a that got a team. AllHipHop.com: As far as musically you have a lot of diversity on there. What are you looking for when you pick beats?Young Buck: I let the music take me. I’m listening for something that can match the feeling of whatever I’m feeling when I go in that studio; because I don’t have raps ready. I’m just going in there listening to the music. It’s like the right music provides the title of the [song], the concept of the record, you know what I’m saying. It’s not nothing particularly that I’m looking for. I just know, if I’m looking for a party record, I’m tryna find something with some 808 [drum] in it. You can’t come to the South without no f**king 808. That’s just a lil’ piece of game for all these other artists. You want to get out here and make the s**t shake through the South, get you some 808 in your music. Actually on the low, bro, I been producing, that’s been my secret game. I’m coming out with it. I produced three, four tracks on my first project that I’m a release, a [Cashville] compilation; it’s pretty much all of us. I been selling a lot of tracks for a lot of different artists. I want to kinda keep it low so I can shock a lot of people when they find out some of the s**t that [I] made. AllHiopHop.com: What kind of equipment do you use?Young Buck: I was f**king with a lil’ bit of everything. I f**k with the MPC 3000, 4000, lot of different sound modules and s**t, Motif. It’s a lot of different things, bro. I’ve been getting a lot of these different drum kits from Sha Money and Dre, too. I been asking a lot of these n***as for they drum kit, know what I mean.AllHipHop.com: A lot of people are talking about the sales slump that Hip-Hop is going through, why do you feel there is a slump in sales?Young Buck: I think, honestly, man, that a lot of artists fool the fans, but the fans is not actually fooled. A lot of artists fool the fans by basically putting together these albums that only got one or two records on it, and making these fan go spend that $15, $20 on that album, and it’s basically not worth it. Fans just got back to getting smart, and that’s when they start resorting to the Internet and downloading s**t, you know what I’m saying?I think a lot of artists have f**ked it up by putting out bulls**t. And I think, for me, those same fans that go and buy my bootleg, it’s out of anticipation, and then they go right back and buy my album—being that I deliver an album from top to bottom. I really ain’t thinking about sales when I go in there and make an album, I’m just tryna make a strong classical album that’s gonna play here and pretty much forever. I’m consistently going 20-30,000 [units sold] per week, and I ain’t even got to my second single, which is just ’bout to hit.
