Anyone signed to Guwop has the ultimate cosign.
Insert Yung Mal, who you may have seen come up alongside his fellow Zone 6 native Lil Quill.
Now, the Atlanta spitter is here to focus on his craft and independence, unleashing his debut solo mixtape titled Iceburg.
The 1017 Eskimo/Alamo Records signee arrives dripped out per usual, shedding yet another layer in his life for his growing fanbase.
The new project is laced with 15 braggadocious songs with features from his Gucci Mane, Gunna, Lil GotIt, King Von, and Pi’erre Bourne.
AllHipHop: For those who don’t know, who is Yung Mal?
Yung Mal: I’m Yung Mal, but I’m Iceburg. Nobody hasn’t really been calling me Mal like that.
AllHipHop: Why do they call you Iceburg?
Yung Mal: Because I’m cold.
AllHipHop: Atlanta got a lot of hot artists coming up right now. What sets you apart?
Yung Mal: Other artists may be writing. I got word that these other artists be writing. I don’t write music, I just freestyle. I know a lot of other artists freestyle too, but all my s##t is real organic.
AllHipHop: Talk about focusing on your solo artistry.
Yung Mal: Ever since I started, I’ve always rapped with someone else — with my little brother, with my other brothers who died. I just felt it was time for everybody to see something different. To see me.
AllHipHop: How’s it been?
Yung Mal: It’s good, it’s still the same. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s still a job. You still just working.
AllHipHop: You look at it as a job?
Yung Mal: Yeah, it’s definitely a job.
AllHipHop: Talk about enlisting Lil Gotit & Pierre on “Action.”
Yung Mal: That song was really actually kind of built. I made the song and it had a whole different beat on it. That song was created because I sent it to Pierre with an open verse. He sent it back, but I don’t think he really liked it. Actually, it wasn’t even on beat to me, so he went back and made the beat over. Then here we are right now.
AllHipHop: What’s your relationship with Pierre?
Yung Mal: I met Pierre through mutual people that we know, through Young Nudy. That’s who I really met him through. But when I started doing my thing, he just kept in touch with me.
AllHipHop: What about Lil Gotit?
Yung Mal: That’s my Lil bro. He right there, you know Atlanta. He be working. I talk to him, not on no rap s##t so you know it’s real. I talk to him a lot, not even on no rap s##t.
AllHipHop: Best memory recording “Action”?
Yung Mal: I can’t even remember really because we didn’t record it all together. I sent it to Pierre, then I sent it to Gotit.
AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot?
Yung Mal: That whole thing was fun. It was in Atlanta, the whole thing was cool.
AllHipHop: What’s one thing you want fans to get from Iceberg?
Yung Mal: The actual breakdown of me. It’s just all of me, me describing me on the beat. My day to day life and what I done been through. That’s real s##t I’m rapping.
AllHipHop: What’d it mean to get Gucci Mane on “Fresh”?
Yung Mal: He sent me that record. I hit him up and told him, “I need a record. I’m finna drop my album, I want you get you on it.” He sent me that record with an open verse, then here we go.
AllHipHop: How has your relationship with Guwop evolved over the years?
Yung Mal: He just texted me actually. He just dropped a new song, so he texted me. We were talking about the new song that he just dropped with YoungBoy and DaBaby.
AllHipHop: Biggest lesson learned in fatherhood?
Yung Mal: You can’t wait on nobody else. If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself… if you want it done right.
AllHipHop: How old is your kid?
Yung Mal: 5. He’s finna be 6.
AllHipHop: Does he know daddy’s a rapper?
Yung Mal: Yeah fasho, definitely.
AllHipHop: Who’s in your Top 5?
Yung Mal: Me, Lil Quill, Gucci, Thug, Gunna. That’s all I ever really listen to, Atlanta s##t.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite Gucci song?
Yung Mal: “First Day Out,” because it’s a freestyle. I’m talking about it didn’t have a hook.
AllHipHop: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Yung Mal: In another country somewhere, just living life.
AllHipHop: Are you still rapping in the other country?
Yung Mal: Yeah… maybe.
AllHipHop: I talk to a lot of rappers who want to retire by then.
Yung Mal: Maybe. Who knows, it’s gonna be something big though.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Yung Mal: Iceburg is available everywhere right now.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite song off the project?
Yung Mal: “Numbers.” Everybody loves that song, I guess it just grew on me too.