Young
Buck is stuck. The Cashville, Ten-A-Key (ahem,
Nashville, TN) native was given his walking papers from G-Unit last year, but
the rub is that he is still signed to G-Unit Records.
Despite
his tenuous predicament Buck is willing and wanting to fulfill his recording
obligations. But according to the exiled rapper his attempts at reaching out to his former leader 50 Cent,
and anyone else at G-Unit, have been essentially ignored.
There
is hope for Buck, though. Getting booted from the G-Unit franchise is not the
end of a career. Ask The Game. But while the polarizing L.A. rapper makes a
living out of talking reckless to his enemies, Buck’s sobering return home has
meant less vitriol towards his foes and more time with his family (“I couldn’t ask for a better thing than being
able to spend as much time at home with my kids. They love 50 for whatever
situation he took me through because he brought me closer to them,” says Buck).
It also means, as seen by the new music he’s recently leaked, a desire to get back
down to the business of making music.
So
in the message directly to 50 Cent below there aren’t any shots fired, but the
extension of an olive branch. Peace is not the word to play, after all.
AllHipHop.com: So have you tried to
reach out to 50 Cent ever since y’all tiff went down?
Young Buck: I tried to reach out to 50 man honestly ever since the situation first started. You know with
the first situation with me when I spoke on me not seeing a royalty check in my
career.
AllHipHop.com: So you’re going back til’ middle of 2008?
Young Buck: Right. I’ve been stretching
out to 50 ever since before 50 actually kicked me out of G-Unit. Just on that
strength, I wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with him before s**t got
to where it was and actually let him know about the statement that I made like,
“Look dude, you know I made that statement that I’ve never seen a royalty
check in my career, not saying that you ain’t paid me
no money, but it’s the truth.” Not to say he was taking nothing from me,
but it’s the truth. And I never had that conversation. All I did was deal with
was his reaction. Because he never gave me a conversation, he just pretty much
did his thang and said,
“You know what Buck you outta here.”
AllHipHop.com: Contractually what do
you owe to G-Unit?
Young Buck: I owe three albums. I mean
it’s all kind of characters that would love to buy me out of my situation and
all that good stuff and I think 50’s aware of that. He’s just pretty much, you
know holding on I guess as long as he can.
AllHipHop.com: If you could speak to 50
Cent, what would you say?
Young Buck: If I could speak to him, I
would just basically let him know, “Look. It is what it is. What’s done is
done. Now let’s get to the part of me completing these albums that I have left
amongst G-Unit.” Because as far as me indulging in the back and forth thing,
I’ll let that go. My life is a little bit more realer than that s**t.
My s**t is real life out here. So you know I don’t have time to play that game,
s**t is real. You know I got kids, he
got kids. I’m just trying to complete mine.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of real life,
you’ve obviously taken steps to better yourself financially, what have you done in
that realm?
Young Buck: I’ve never worked a job, so
you do the math. I’m putting myself in a situation where I rely on my
outside ventures such as my watch deal. My shows, they stay booked
up. So that’s keeping me active. I’m actually shooting a movie right now called
No Warning. It’s got me, Omar Gooding, Cuba Gooding’s in this movie, as well as a lot
more other big name actors. I try to do a lot of different things from that
end.
AllHipHop.com: What’s the word on Cashville Records?
Young Buck: Cashville
Records. Man, I still have a situation over [at] Sony Red. I actually haven’t gave
them no product at this
point. Just basically trying to really work my situation out because I don’t
want to have no problems with getting cleared on records and things of that
nature from 50 Cent before I move down that lane, and going that way. And you
know, with no communication, I’m just not been wanting
to hand them no projects. You know I’m involved in the project and I
get disappointed. So I’ve actually been just working man—just working.
AllHipHop.com: Any other business
ventures that you want to speak on that you got going on?
Young Buck: My Tenakey
Timepiece, which is a watch deal that I did with some cats called Horolos, it’s actually doing very, very well. Real good overseas. They’re a watch company
that’s pretty much already pretty big over seas. They gave me a deal that helped
me create my own line, which is the Tenakey Timepiece.
In stores right now, so wherever you’re at, all you gotta
do is go to your local jeweler and ask them about the Tenakey
Timepiece and he gon’ hook you up! I got em’ from $500 to $500,000. Straight up
and down.
AllHipHop.com: Have you been able to
perform and tour and all that?
Young Buck: My shows stay booked up
man. I can definitely say I haven’t had a album out in
the last two years, and I probably did more shows than the average hot cat out
here. That’s one thing I can say. That’s why I give my fans all the love
because I know it’s some unusual s**t for a cat to not have an album out for
damn near two years, and all my f**king shows is f**king damn near sold out.
That just lets me see how strong of a fan base and how in tune my fans actually
are with me. I love them for it.
AllHipHop.com: You still owe 50 Cent money and you say you have been trying to pay him back, what’s the status on that end?
Young Bucks: The communication was not
there period. So what ever I did owe, we could never work out a way of him
getting it or nothing, without conversation.
AllHipHop.com: What was the meeting you
had with Interscope like?
Young Buck: It was a good meeting you
know. I just wanted to see…50 is such a powerful asset to Interscope
and me and him going through our situation, I wanted to see their outlook on
it. Their whole thang pretty much was, “We’re
not getting involved in it, but we definitely wanna
do another Young Buck album. And if we don’t do nobody else’s album, we
definitely want a Young Buck album.”
So
I’ve been sitting on that, looking forward for that phone call from either
Jimmy Iovine or whoever’s over there that put the
budgets and things like that in motion. I’ve actually been having Michael “Blue”
Williams, which is the cat that’s managing me, he’s
been back and forth trying to get some understanding throughout the situation.
Blue’s been back in forth with Interscope,
back in forth on the phone with 50’s lawyers and G-Unit and all that good
stuff just trying to work the situation out. And he’s really not getting too
far himself.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve been hitting us with
joints, so how often are you in the studio recording?
Young Buck: I’m pulling up to that motherf**ka right now as we speak. I’ma
hit y’all with a joint in a minute, that’ how often I’m in this s**t you know
what I’m saying? I mean there is one thing I can say, a lot of people will say,
“Well damn Buck if you’re giving out these hit records you should hold
this s**t for your album. I tell them “This s**t is in me. Everything I do
is gonna feel good.
Regardless.”
I
seen it work for Lil’ Wayne, and a few more big artist out here. I’m just tryna get as much energy and get mine to the streets; the DJs, the AllHipHop.coms.
Because to me, I feel like y’all are the most relevant
thing to an artist career at this point. With everything moving to the Internet
and all that good stuff it’s the sites like AllHipHop.com that people
are really going and paying attention to because not only are they getting the
updated news, but they’re actually being able to hear that exclusive music that
y’all provide. You know, that’s definitely, definitely something that I’m not
looking to stop, even in my situation. You’re definitely going to hear an
[abundance] of records from Young Buck on a daily basis homie.
AllHipHop.com: How does it feel that despite
that you’re still giving fans fresh product, that there’s still people
that want that certified official Young Buck album, but your hands are tied…
Young Buck: You know what I do, I just
tell them, It’s not me, I put it in God’s hand, and it’s working itself
out. Just stay down, and I’m gonna
keep giving you product regardless. But you gotta
know that once I do release an album, it’s probably going to be the best album
not to come the year whenever it does come, but it will be the best album that
you’ve heard from Young Buck up to date. And that all refers back to what 50
told me: “Things you go through in life, make you who you are.” So I
express my feelings and what’s going on with me and my life
on a real level through the music. I really actually base my music off
of reality man.
AllHipHop.com: What’s your take on the
50 Cent versus Rick Ross beef.
Young Buck: I mean I really ain’t been able to just keep up with it and ain’t been keeping up with it like that, but I would pretty
much just say, “Good luck to both of them.” I’ve got my own set of
problems to actually put myself in the middle on either side. I’m a fan of Rick
Ross and 50 do whatever you gon’ do and all that
other good s**t. It’s not my situation, so good luck.
G-Unit – Stunt 101Uploaded by G-Unit-RecordsAllHipHop.com: Your last album dropped
March 2007, two years later what have you learned or what would you change, if
you could?
Young Buck: I’ve learned the business.
I came in the situation amongst a group, and in a group, there’s always a chain
of command. And 50 Cent was the leader in my situation so I stayed loyal
towards 50 and the business of whatever he controlled that was my career in
G-Unit. I put my career in his hands. And you know honestly ever since my exiting from G-Unit, I’ve had no choice but to get straight with the business
because my career is left in my own hands.
I
just totally focused on the business and came to realize that I’ma get better and better with the talent because of my
work ethic. I work everyday with it and I’m seeing myself getting better with the
music. So I just focus on the business to become as strong with the business as
I am with the talent, to actually get exactly what I
deserve out here. What I done went through with 50 cent is something that I
don’t want to go through again period.
I
know my career is far from over, it
just started. This is only my second solo album. My first, Straight Outta Cashville, went past platinum, and then Buck the World was right at gold. In my
eyes, that’s with no promotion in a sense. Because if you listen to the album,
it was an album to me that was better than Straight
Outta Cashville, but it
sold lesser numbers than Straight Outta Cashville. I blame
nobody for nothing. I take the blame for everything. And I just sa,y “Look,
it’s time for Young Buck to move forward.” Young Buck has grown a lot man,
within these two years—from the business level of things. Looking forward
from that back and forth situation for me, as far as G-Unit, you’re just not gonna get it man because I’ve realized that the most
important thing for me to do and the biggest pay back is for me to be
successful. And that’s where my focus is man. My focus is to be as successful
as the good Lord allows me to be. And that’s what I’m doing man.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve mentioned that
you never
made 8 million dollars or whatever 50 Cent said you made, you said that wasn’t
true, right?
Young Buck: I mean yeah. I’m aware of
that statement where he said, “I made 8 million in
my career.” You know, it’s simple man. All I need to do is show you guys
my tax statements man since I’ve been with G-Unit and I mean that don’t lie
right? Alright then so. I’ll just say this much out of
of it. I never paid over a million dollars in taxes
so I couldn’t [laughs]. If I laundered over 8 to 10 million
dollars then I’m a bad motherf**ka. I’ve
heard that statement and I actually smiled and laughed about it.
I
even smiled at the fact of him putting, “He’s a drug addict,” and all
this and that. You know I’ve had my time, I’ve did my
thing. I won’t get here and say I haven’t played the part of indulging
in cocaine at a point of time in my life. It was a phase that came and went
throughout of my life, but that’s been so many years ago honestly that it’s irrelevant
to me. It is what it is, there is no rules in the art
of war. I think 50 pretty much said what he feels is
the truth. But the truth is that I’ve never seen nowhere near 8 to 10 million
dollars and I’ll be happy to provide my tax statements for you guys at some
point of time to clear that all the way on up.
AllHipHop.com: So where did all the
money you did make go?
Young Buck: The whole fact of me owning
any kind of money dealing with my taxes, it’s a situation that came to me when
my career first started with G-Unit. I never experienced that abundance of money legally you understand, and outside of that, I was
a cat that was all over this television, videos, touring, and Roc the Mic tours and s**t, you know all that s**t back then was
moving, but my family was actually still living in the projects. I actually still
stayed in the hood.
Once
I did receive that money, I did everything that anybody from that environment
that I come from would do. And that was to get out of there. I brought my moms
a house, moms a car, me a few cars
[laughs]
AllHipHop.com: Probably a little more
than you needed…
Young Buck: Yeah, probably a little
more than I needed. And also I just wasn’t aware of who
and what Uncle Sam was, you understand what I’m saying. As tax time rolled
around, and they was like, “Yo you gotta give this much…” I’m like, “What?!”
I didn’t know once you made a million dollars, it’s only 500,000. So I was left in a situation where I
actually had to come to 50 and was like, “Look man, I need you on this
one.” And honestly that’s what I thought a big brother would do. I’ve always judged and looked upon 50 as a big
brother in my time of being with him, because I felt like there was no way to
deal with these real life situations that we were going through, whether it was
beefing with Ja Rule or all these different beef
situations, without having a genuine love for a motherf**ka.
I applied that genuine, the s**t that [you] get from the gutter, to my whole thing
dealing with G-Unit. And I would just say that I was more looked upon as
business in 50’s eyes, because I don’t think you can actually do someone—your
brother, the way and things he tried to [do to] the kid, you know what I’m saying? So
you know, like I say, I don’t blame no one for my
mistakes. I don’t even blame 50. I’m not in this interview to actually create
no bulls**t and try to get no publicity from nothing. All I’m here is to give
the truth and pretty much let you know, my friends know, 50 Cent know and
everybody, “Hey man, it’s time for Young Buck to move forward”. The fans
has been waiting long enough and I’m looking for conversation from somebody on
pretty much letting me know this budget is open, and it’s time for you to go on
in and complete an album. Lil scrappy ft young buck money in the bUploaded by isma527
