Off the rip, he describes himself as “a two-time felon trying to make something of my g###### self.”
Born in Texas but moving to New York and eventually Miami at 10-years-old, the MMG rapper has been with Rozay since he created the label in 2009.
Real name Richard Morales Jr. was originally a member of Rozay’s hip-hop group Triple C’s, who went on to release their debut album titled Custom Cars & Cycles that same year.
Having his own run-ins with the law, Gunplay feels he’d be a lot further in his career if he was able to just steer clear of trouble. Fast forward to 2019, he’s featured on Rick Ross’ 10th studio album Port of Miami 2, on the song “Nobody’s Favorite.”
AllHipHop: How’s tour been with Rozay?
Gunplay: This is my first night on this tour. It’s good, LA is LA. Everybody tough face.
AllHipHop: Can you bring us back to when you first met Rozay?
Gunplay: Had to be about 15 or 16, I’m 40 now. That’s my big brother man. I just kept going to jail, kept f##king up.
AllHipHop: How many times you been to jail?
Gunplay: A bunch, but I never stay long. My longest was 3.5 months, no bond. Armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon. Made the news, but I beat it.
AllHipHop: What’s the biggest lesson you learned from behind bars?
Gunplay: Don’t come back to this s##t, so I try everything not to go back to jail.
AllHipHop: How’s that been?
Gunplay: Good, I ain’t been back. I caught another charge 9 months later but after that, I got on probation for 3 years. I was done with probation in 2015. I haven’t been back in trouble since. 3 years, I ain’t caught no charges in 3 years.
AllHipHop: I actually had a homie that was obsessed with you. What is it about Gunplay that fans love?
Gunplay: ‘Cause I’m raw and have no filter.
AllHipHop: What do you rap about?
Gunplay: I rap about me busting 2 nuts in one rubber. I rap about saving money. I rap about being nobody’s favorite. Ain’t shave. Ain’t bathe. Ain’t behave. Thank God I ain’t in the grave. That kind of s##t, that’s what n##gas f##k wit me for.
AllHipHop: Speaking of, you’re on “Nobody’s Favorite” on Port of Miami 2. Bring us back to that studio session.
Gunplay: Ross called me up about 1am and said “you in Miami?” I said “yeah.” He said “come out to the studio, I got a verse for you. Do a verse for the album.” I said “alright.” I went in there, I was already up all night on heavy cocaine so I recorded it real fast. Vrrrroom! That’s why you hear it just sound like [Gunplay starts rapping fast]. I was just going in. I didn’t breathe, I’m like “yo oh what? You gon’ get what?!”
AllHipHop: What was the dynamic in the room with Ross?
Gunplay: He left. When I got there, he’s like “boy this is it right here, I’ll be right back.” By the time he came back, I left and the record was one.
AllHipHop: What is the vibe when you guys do work together?
Gunplay: We’ve worked together for so long, it’s autopilot. Once he goes, there goes the beat — he might give me a little vibe like “yo start it off like this,” and I’ll be like this. We’ve worked together for over a decade so you know.
AllHipHop: How would you rank Port of Miami 2 out of all the Ross projects?
Gunplay: Oh man, this is probably the second. Port of Miami is the third, but my favorite out of all of them is Black Market. To me, you can just let it play. It got the street s##t, it got everything to it. Black Market is my favorite, I don’t know why but it is.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite songs off there?
Gunplay: “Carol City,” “Color Money,” “Smile,” every one of them. Every single one of them.
AllHipHop: What’s the best piece of advice Rozay has given you?
Gunplay: Invest in yourself. Focus.
AllHipHop: When can we expect your new album All Bulls##t Aside?
Gunplay: Hopefully I’ll turn it in before the tour’s over. I’m working every day so hopefully, I’ll be done with that and the administrative part. I’ll try to drop around Thanksgiving or something.
AllHipHop: Since you’ve been with Ross so long, how has your relationship evolved over the years as he gets bigger?
Gunplay: It’s always still the same, but I just sit back now and take notes. Learning to invest in myself. A lot of that and staying out the way and staying focused. That’s the number one thing, you have to stay in the studio. You have to create content. You have to have content, that’s currency. That’s everything, man.
AllHipHop: What inspires you in the studio?
Gunplay: What inspires me is knowing that my pen is starting to be like “oh s##t, this n##ga like…” I write. I’m old school man. I’m back in my bag when it comes to my pen, I’m back on my s##t. I got a bunch of records, I’m just waiting for the stars to align. Once the stars align and I get this hit record, I feel like something big is about to happen.
AllHipHop: What’s the reality in being part of the MMG family?
Gunplay: Everybody wants some money from you because they think you got it. I be like “it ain’t for you mutherf##ker!”
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Gunplay: Cocaine, Remy Martin, marijuana.
AllHipHop: You worry about needing cocaine in the studio?
Gunplay: I don’t worry about needing it, but I always have it. It helps me record fast.
AllHipHop: What about adderall? Adderall is a good replacement.
Gunplay: Adderall is good too, but you can’t drink on Adderall because it cancels it right out immediately. I do the Adderall too and it makes me write real fast too. But then when I was drinking, it went away.
AllHipHop: Who’s in your Top 5?
Gunplay: Jay Z, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, and both Baby’s (Da Baby and Lil Baby). Both their a#### are solid to me.
AllHipHop: My homie said you like outdoor activities, is that true?
Gunplay: Yeah, I go boar hunting in Ocala, Florida. You know those big pigs with the horns? I’m just an outdoorsman. I like fishing: sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi. I eat it after.
AllHipHop: Do you listen to music while you’re hunting?
Gunplay: Nah, I be focused on not getting killed and killing. Hell yeah.
AllHipHop: What do you want your legacy to be?
Gunplay: The n##ga that told it like it was like nobody else. Just brutally honest. I want that honest legacy like “yo, he wasn’t here for all that. He was here to really just say what was on his mind and connect with others.”
AllHipHop: What can fans look forward to?
Gunplay: The next single’s coming next month. Some crack dealing, cocaine cooking. Miami s##t!
AllHipHop: How’s Miami’s cocaine compared to LA’s?
Gunplay: I mean it’s good over here too. But it’s good where I’m at too.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite part about LA?
Gunplay: Everybody’s straightforward. It’s a real vibe to me with the gangsters and s##t. With the homies, it’s just real s##t. Ain’t no groupie ass s##t going on. There’s less groupies in LA. I don’t see them, they be like real n##ga s##t. But I don’t know, I ain’t been around too long.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Gunplay: New album All Bulls##t Aside on the way!