EXCLUSIVE: Turk Talks Upcoming Projects, The New Generation Of Rappers, His Vision Of Unifying Hip Hop & More

The AllHipHop Turk Interview Part 2

(AllHipHop Exclusive) Here’s part 2 of AllHipHop.com’s exclusive interview with Louisiana rapper Turk. The original member of Cash Money’s supergroup The Hot Boys talks in detail about who he has been recording music with, which rappers he would like to work with, upcoming business deals, and his idea for uniting Hip Hop.

AllHipHop.com: On your Blame It On The System mixtape you have tracks with both Wayne and Juvenile. Do you have plans to record more tracks with either of them?

Turk: I did a song with Juvie and Young Jeezy called “Pay The Rent.” Me and Juvie did like four songs. Me and Wayne we putting some stuff together. I did some stuff with Mystikal, Gudda Gudda. I’m working with underground artists. A lot of these artists that’s in the game today they not working with underground artists, but I am. I’m working with the big stars and the little stars. Anybody that’s got something going on, I support it.

[ALSO CHECK OUT: Turk Ft. Mannie Fresh & Juvenile “Man In My City”]

Right now you’re an independent artist. Do you ever see yourself signing with a major label?

Right now, my management, Mizay Management, we in the process of getting some distribution. Quiet as kept, things are working out. They looking at me. They seeing my movement. I came out pushing. I dropped two mixtapes in the eight months since I’ve been home. I’m just staying focused and ducking all the b#######. I just stay focused on Turk.

You just got out [of prison] last year. How has the industry changed since you went in?

I think that everybody in the industry just got a different way of doing things and telling they story. I respect everybody’s craft. I like Chief Keef. I like Grand Hustle’s movement. I like YMCMB. I like G.O.O.D. Music. I Like Jay-Z. I like Maybach Music. I like variety. God likes variety. He made us all different. That’s just how the world is. Nothing gonna stay the same. Everything gonna change, but at the end of the day it’s music, and it’s universal.

Speaking of different styles of music, have you heard Kanye’s new album [Yeezus]?

I haven’t heard it yet, but I know it’s gonna be stupid. Kanye always got something up his sleeve. I salute that brother because with the critics and everything he go forward. He proves them wrong every time. They love him, and they hate him at the same time, so I salute that brother.

You were talking about music changing and people doing their own thing. You have a lot of Hip Hop heads that kind of feel like there is a certain part of Hip Hop that’s being lost, especially with a lot of the younger generation of rappers. What’s your take on what the younger emcees are doing musically?

I mean that’s they lifestyle. When I came in the game with Cash Money we were rapping about shining and flossing and blinging. Doing things that we were living at the time, so you can’t knock these young dudes that’s out here young and thuggin’. I feel like these young n##### taking over right now. I salute them. I support them. The OG’s, I respect them too, but they gotta get out that egotism. They gotta just get with the program and accept it for what it is like I’m doing.

Are there any young artists out now that you haven’t worked with yet that you’d liked to do some music with?

I just tweeted out that I needed to holla at Chief Keef. I want to get something on and popping with that guy. I look at the struggle of where he come from. He started from nothing, and he made a name for himself. I like his music. I look it at on MTV Jams, and I say look at this young n####, they loving him. Lil Durk, all these young n##### out here doing they thing. I salute them.

I got my young n##### the YNTO (YungNikkaTAkinOVa). They branched off in Atlanta. They branched off in Memphis. They branched off in New Orleans. They moving. It’s they world. I’m just in it.

When are we going to get some new music from your camp? Any mixtapes coming up?

We about to drop the Ynt presents YNTO. They coming up next in July. We gonna drop it probably like the last weekend in July. We just got a whole of stuff going on. I got my book coming out The Autothugography of Turk. Louisianimalz Vol 1 in stores now. I reached out to my whole state. Nobody ever did that. I’d showed love to all the guys making moves in my state.

I just want to reach out around the world so we can do something like a “We Are The World” type album where everybody get together. They put they state together, and we all come together. Make this s### big. That’s my vision, and I believe that it can be done. We gotta stop hatin’. We gotta stop tearing down each other. The OG’s gotta speak out, and salute these young n#####, because they could be doing some other s###. They could be in them penitentiaries like I just come from. They trying do something with they life, so I respect that.

You dropped two mixtapes this year. Do you have any other projects on the way?

I got the Re’Flamed, my album. Like I said, we in negotiation with the distribution. Bout to get a major distribution behind me. I been shooting a couple of videos featuring a couple of artists – Bo Deal, Wooh Da Kid, the whole Brick Squad Monopoly. I’m f###### with them tough. Gloss Da Boss, I’m bout to shoot the video with her in Atlanta. I just did something with Kuntry King. The whole Hustle Gang. I’m f###### with them. YMCMB. Everybody showing love. A lot of people f###### with me now, and I’m real humble with it.

[ALSO CHECK OUT: Gloss da Boss – “How Ya Do That” feat.Turk]

You seem to be at a point now where you feel like it’s time that Hip Hop in general comes together.

That’s what we gotta do. Y’all too. Y’all gotta help us come together too. It’s a lot of money out there. It ain’t no reason that this person should to tear this person down. I did a lot of reading when I was locked up, and if people come together we better in numbers. That’s my whole thing. I gotta promote that. I stand for unity. It ain’t no Bloods, Crips, GD’s, Vice Lords with me. I’m neutral. I speak for all those guys. I salute all those guys. I respect all those guys.

I got a real n#### movement. I’m a make a n#### be real, because that’s in all of us. We come from that. Especially just being down. Just being Black. We come from that. It don’t take [much for] a person to stand on what he believes and move forward. When God wanted something good, he said it and it was done. That’s where I am at with it. My faith is strong. I believe strong. That’s just the way it’s gonna be, and I ain’t gonna change for nothing or nobody.

[ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Turk Speaks About Recent Lil Wayne Comments And His Issues With The Media]

To download Turk’s Blame It On The System or Louisianimalz Vol 1 mixtapes visit datpiff.com

Watch Turk’s video “Reckless” below.

Photo credit: Julius KodaK Wilson