Few crews shaped Southern Hip-Hop the way the Hot Boys did in the late 1990s. Emerging from Cash Money Records, the quartet of Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., and Turk helped transform New Orleans bounce and street rap into a national movement. Albums like Guerrilla Warfare and hits like “Bling Bling” pushed Cash Money from regional powerhouse to cultural empire, and broke down the door for Southern rap to dominate charts, radio, and fashion. It was all done on their own terms.

But that success came at a course.

Time ushered in turbulence like prison time, label tension, personal fallout, addiction, and strained relationships. Turk’s character arc is one of Hip-Hop’s most dramatic, going from Hot Boys stardom to an eight-year prison sentence, then rebuilding his life with sobriety, business ventures, and community work.

In this AllHipHop Q&A with DJ Thoro at WonWorld Studios, Turk speaks on loyalty, feeling intentionally left out of key Cash Money moments, the unresolved rift with B.G., and how surviving addiction created newfound purpose.

AllHipHop: You’re in NYC with family. What’s new with Turk right now?

Turk: Man, I been moving around. I got my book The Autothugography of Turk. I got another book Surviving Ho… If you ever been betrayed, I’m giving you a blueprint on how to survive it. I got seasoning too. Spicy garlic, spicy lemon pepper, hot salt. I be thugging in the kitchen, you feel me? So it only makes sense. Think outside the music. But I do got the Joseph album out too and to me it’s one of my best albums. I was in consideration for a Grammy even though I didn’t get nominated. I hit number five on the iTunes chart independent. I was up there with people that got nominated. If I would’ve been with a major label, all jokes aside, that’s major.

AllHipHop: Do you feel like that’s been your story, people overlooking you?

Turk: I feel like I misunderstood. You one of the first ones in New York to embrace me. We had the record “It’s Hot” and that meant a lot to me. A lot of people you make connections with and when they get to a certain level they get selective amnesia. That’s my story. How soon can you forget? I can’t forget who I slept on floors with, who I was in the heat with, ain’t have no other option. But people do forget, bro.

AllHipHop: Back to “It’s Hot.” You were the only one campaigning for B.G. when he was locked up. Where did you and B.G. go wrong?

Turk: “Only he know why he acting the way he acting.” He has yet to say what I did. “He know what he did. And I know what he did.” And when I respond people quick to say see that’s why. No, that’s not why. Before that’s why, it was why. And you haven’t answered that yet. I hate to keep talking about it, but we connected so they always going to ask. Your story is my story, my story y’all story. People still asked me in jail when we gonna do Hot Boys this and that. Then by the grace of God we had sold out shows. Wayne ain’t have to embrace that situation but he did. Hopefully whatever that is will wear off and we can sit down. If we don’t sit down, just respect each other. You go your way, I go my way. It’s all love.

AllHipHop: From the outside looking in, it feels like you’re getting excluded. Why weren’t you in the Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz?

Turk: I really don’t know. People be like he know. I don’t know. And they can’t tell you why. I believe it be miscommunication. If I’m telling you as a man I don’t know, don’t tell the people I know. That’s deflection and manipulation because it really not nothing. I’m not going around saying all kind of stuff because I really don’t know why they acting how they act. Maybe they just going off what everybody else saying.

View this post on Instagram

AllHipHop: Birdman shouted you out during Verzuz and the energy felt weird to some fans. (He called Turk a ‘lil b##tch.)

Turk: It wasn’t no energy to me. That’s how we talk in New Orleans. Shout out to that Turk. I look at it like they realized it was an epic fail without me and Wayne. No Limit came and gave the fans what the fans wanted. We don’t always have to agree but we can agree to disagree and keep it moving. I’m a grown man. I’m trying to take care of my family. It ain’t personal.

AllHipHop: What would you like to see happen moving forward?

Turk: I tried everything I wanted to happen. I was politicking for Hot Boys and it manifested. We had successful sellout dates. Then we went on a tour outside of Wayne and it wasn’t so successful. Even with Wayne and Live Nation, his contract said he only doing it if it’s everybody. Wayne the bigger artist and he humbled himself like we got history, these my brothers, let’s get the bag. He did that. Then the rest of them act how they act and try to put it on me like it’s me against all y’all. That’s for somebody who don’t know no better. Ten dates turned into less, dates getting canceled. I’m not on that tour no more. I don’t even think it’s going to be a tour.

AllHipHop: That’s a lot of money left on the table.

Turk: All money ain’t good money. I’m my brand. I’mma make money with you, I’mma make money without you telling the same story. My money don’t stop. The world so big. I’m out the hole. I see the hole with the W. So I’m always going to get the W to make a hole, W H O L E.

AllHipHop: You mentioned legal action, can you speak on it?

Turk: It was very successful. Things that should be talked about is talked about and things that shouldn’t, it is what it is. I let the world see me happy.

AllHipHop: It seems like B.G. and Birdman have the main issue with you. Juvenile even reacted after your Drink Champs interview.

Turk: They got to answer that. I still don’t know why Juvie did that. When I went on Drink Champs I made sure I didn’t drink so I spoke clearly. I didn’t disrespect none of them. It was to get clarity. But it seem like the more respectful I be, people think it’s time to disrespect. Disrespect won’t be tolerated. I’m a man before anything. I can’t even call it the past because I’m always reminded when they do interviews and try to pass over me intentionally. How you going to speak Hot Boys without Turk? How you going to say Cash Money of that era without Turk? That’s intentional. That childish. I wish them the best but if you tell a lie on me, I’mma tell the truth. Telling the truth ain’t hating.

AllHipHop: As a fan, it felt like a void without you and Wayne at Verzuz.

Turk: Definitely did. You can’t mess with me when you want to mess with me. You mess with the fans when you want to mess with them. Prior to that I already knew I wasn’t going to be on it because Baby ain’t the one funding that. The money came from wherever it came from. They made a decision. Business is business. I ain’t pointing fingers. Any promoter trying to book me, you don’t have to go through none of them. I got my own team and administration. Like we did the situation with Wayne, no problem, sellout. That’s what you’ll get. I’m not going to mess up nothing. That childish. Don’t get mad because I’m telling my story. Don’t get mad I’m doing podcasts and live streaming. Now they doing the same thing five minutes later and trying to leave me out intentionally.

AllHipHop: Are you done with reuniting?

Turk: I’m always open-minded, but I’m not advocating for no Hot Boy reunion. That ain’t first on my platter. I’m making love, make money. I’m into content. I got business outside music. Turk-N-Rescue, I go to recovering drug addicts, because I used to be on heroin and cocaine and I’m giving them my story, trying to save a life. Speaking to kids. I didn’t grow up. I’m not no little boy no more. You can’t control me. We can work together but you can’t work me.

AllHipHop: You said you were addicted to heroin. How did you kick it?

Turk: I tried everything. Cheating probation, drinking bleach to clear p### tests, damn near killing myself. Rehabs, 28-day, six-month programs. Spending money. None of that worked. I OD’d January 2004. Three days after I OD’d I got on my knees and prayed, told God the only way I would stop is if it got life-threatening.

Three days later police kicked in my door. SWAT shot 52 times. I didn’t get hit but I got charged with attempted murder on police. I went to prison. Eight years, eight months, 16 days on a 22-year sentence. In there I read. I found out who I really am. Relationship with God saved my life. I got to figure out what was important. I came home, did the right thing, with my wife, my family. I been clean since 2004. Over 20 years. It starts in your mind. One second at a time.

AllHipHop: What do you want to leave people with?

Turk: I don’t have malice toward them dudes. But I ain’t kissing nobody ass. Stop making insinuations and just be men. If it ain’t no problem, that’s the solution. Reputation is the cornerstone of power. You can’t ruin my reputation by being in your feelings about something that ain’t nothing. I ain’t took no money from you. I ain’t took no life from you. It shouldn’t be no problem. If you tell a lie on me, I’mma tell the truth. Every time.