Fame demands responsibility. One should remain responsible to himself, as well as those that he chooses to surround himself with. To some, the pursuit of fame eventually turns into an expedition to infamy. The desire to become an instant success has seduced countless people into committing asinine faustian bargains. They concede their soul for fifteen fleeting minutes in the disorienting spotlight. Overnight stardom is often rewarded with permanent obscurity.

With diligent perseverance and personal humility, one will not need to compromise integrity to earn success. Juelz Santana is the incarnation of hard work. He reveals, "I feel like I can look in the mirror at the end of the day. I don't feel like nobody out there can really blame me for anything, too much." His reflection is confirmation of what is needed to succeed within the music business -- he exudes personal sacrifice.

Triumphing over stagnation, Juelz Santana is flourishing in his current situation. Skull Gang is the new movement, but it will always be Dipset for life. The musical adulation that he immersed himself in, growing up, is what motivated him to make the transition from the block to the booth. As he embraces the different styles within hip-hop, he earns respect from other MCs. With the pace at which he is working, who knows what 2009 holds for the proven wordsmith.

BallerStatus.com: Some folks believe that hip-hop has become too commercialized, or that it's experiencing a lull. But, instead of fussing about what hip-hop is lacking, your grind demonstrates what it can be. What made you embrace the motto: Sacrifice what you got for what you believe in?

Juelz Santana: Ah man, it's just like that's how we were built. That's how I saw the game built. I watched Russell [Simmons] build Def Jam. I was actually there, first-hand when Dame [Dash] and 'nem was building Roc-A-Fella. A lot of people didn't believe in these movements, or in these things, and [were] told a lot of the things that they were doing would never happen. It took people to say, "Y'all funny, y'all don't realize what we have here." So, they sacrificed a lot for things that they believe in. And, that's what I'm doing. Because the same thing you said, I see the same thing going on with these labels right now.

Def Jam, I have a great relationship with Def Jam. They love me and my project, everything I'm doing. It's just that, as far as the movement and bringing new artists and new talent, it's like the way they move. I gotta be the one to bring that energy, and show 'em that way about what I said: sacrificing what you have for what you believe in. [But] everybody's trying to stick to that same way of doing things the way that they do it. They gotta stick to the quota because that's the way it is.

A lot of A&R's they get paid one check a year. Not one check, they get paid a salary and that's it, whether the artist fails or wins. There's no more A&Rs that when they sign you, and if you didn't do good, then they might be out of a job. So now, I don't feel like that passion is there. So that's where I feel with me being an artist, and going through some of these things myself, I'm able to bring that energy back. Because, I know what you have to do and you have to sacrifice what you have for what you believe in. You gotta show God that you're willing to dish out for the blessings that ge's going to give you in the long run. You have to show him that you're not just wanting to receive, receive, receive. What are you willing to give for what you want to receive?

BallerStatus.com: Do you believe that you can be that catalyst for change? Can you show them that if you're still hungry for it, you get out there and make it happen?

Juelz Santana: I mean, I hope so. I never looked at myself as a role model. But, I know I am. I know people look up to me and all sorts of ways. You know, I did a lot of things at such a young age. And even with me being in the position that I'm in, even though I was in a bad situation for a little minute, I'm still very young and I know so much. I'm still in a situation to do so much in this game. I'm still at a very young age, so it's kinda scary. But, at the same time, I'm just grinding. You gotta take it one step at a time. I'm trying to be cautious of the things. I do because I don't want to make the wrong steps. Ya dig, just trying not to go too fast when it comes to business and things like that.

BallerStatus.com: You have been a very busy man. Last month, Skull Gang made a collaboration as part of the Bad Santa album.

Juelz Santana: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we definitely participated in that.

BallerStatus.com: Is it true that you personally financed the videos?

Juelz Santana: Yeah, man. I do that all the time. That's been my motto, like that's part of sacrificing what you have for what you believe in. Labels want to pay for the single that's playing on the radio, but sometimes you need to give people visuals. People are not buying into some of the people with the biggest records on the radio; [they] aren't selling no records that's because people don't know these people. They just know the record that they hear in the club. And that's all it is -- the record that you hear in the club, and the radio, and that you can download it from the Internet. Nobody is buying into artist no more. People want to go to the store and know that they f*** with you. You gotta be the type of person that even if you put out a bad single, the people may still go to the store because they know what you're capable of.

You understand what I'm saying? It's a whole different thing. That's why [Lil] Wayne was able to do the numbers that he did, because people bought into Wayne. They bought into the brand that he created. They didn't just buy into the one record. If he had just did "Lollipop" -- of course, "Lollipop: helped everything that he did because it just added to the crossover success -- but, if he didn't do that ground work, as far as putting out all them mixtapes and doing all that work, he wouldn't have did that. And that's all part of the groundwork. Everybody knows, but I don't think the labels know that. The label may think it may of just happened over night. Wayne knew he was putting in work and the results were astronomical.

I felt like I was definitely running in that same lane until I was stagnant as far as my business side, so I wasn't able to do a lot of things that he was able to do as far as features. And, you know just go out and be my own boss.

BallerStatus.com: Who makes up Skull Gang. When and where did the Skull Gang Movement originate?

Juelz Santana: Skull Gang Movement is originated from the people that I had around me. Knowing I was always gonna do this Diplomat thing. That's what I try to tell people, even if Cam (Cam'ron) was still here -- it's all love with the whole Diplomat movement. Me, Jim [Jones], and Cam we're still all together, it's just Cam is not around, ya dig? For what ever reason. It's not that we don't want him around. To make a long story short, the Skull Gang would have came about anyway. We were all becoming our own bosses; it just would'a been under the umbrella of the Diplomats.

Just like Jim had Byrd Gang before, even when Cam was around you heard about Byrd Gang. Pretty much, it comes from the people I have around me, [the ones] that I believe and the talent that I want to utilize. Just as much we were the Diplomats, we all stood out in our own way. Jim is Jim, Cam is Cam. So, we had people around us like that too. Everybody can't be a Diplomat, everybody can't be Byrd Gang, everybody can't be Skull Gang -- that's when these entities come in. That's why when I built the Skull Gang, I didn't try to copy what Diplomats was. I know that Diplomats will be something that will never be able to be copied, so for me to try and copy that, I would have been losing right there. My whole thing was to build another entity that I knew the game was missing and I knew the people need and they would love, coming from Juelz Santana.

That's why I have my man, Richmond Rabb, he's from VA. Not only is it a South sound, but it's a South sound that's unheard. It's not like all of the other things you've been hearing from the South. Nobody's ever came from Richmond, VA, that's where the South starts at. You got Virginia, but then you got Norfolk and all them other parts that a little more towards the north. You know, like the Clipse? they're really not as Southern as Southern rappers. You know, so that whole element is different. Then I have my man, Unkasa, he's from Harlem. He's just a whole different energy; he's just so creative at what he does. Then I have my man, John Depp. He's from Queens. Just like I tell people, even though that's New York, it's a whole different. It's like Dipset and G-Unit. It's so big, we're both from New York, but the sounds are different.

I tried to put together a movement, the only sound that I wanted to acquire from the Diplomats was me, Juelz Santana. That's always gonna be in my blood, ya dig? That's always gonna be in my blood, all I'm gonna do is grow. I'm never gonna change. And then we have the lovely Starr. She's an R&B artist, so you know we got that R&B. If you get the mixtape, The Skull Gang Takeover, you'll hear the difference, you'll hear the energy. We're trying to make this big, we're trying to make this brand so big.

BallerStatus.com: When I first heard "Jingle Bellz," I thought that was Monica singing on the track. But, when I got on YouTube to listen to the song, I found out it was a whole different woman.

Juelz Santana: Nah, that's my artist Starr. She's from Harlem. Her voice is crazy. Her pen game, she writes everything that comes out her mouth. That's one of her extra qualities. You don't have to put her in the studio with nobody. She's capable of writing anything. She's great. A lot of people are taking an interest to her; we have a lot of meetings set up. So hopefully, you'll be hearing a lot from her too. And we're working on the Skull Gang compilation that we're going to released from Koch. You know, the future is looking bright.

BallerStatus.com: With the next project, Skull Gang Takeover Continues, do you have a concrete release date for that?

Juelz Santana: Right now, Skull Gang: The Takeover, it's already in the street right now. September 19th we put that out; we've been putting out videos. We're gonna re-release that with all the videos and a DVD. Then we're gonna put out The Reagean Era, which is my solo mixtape, along with The Takeover Continues, that's another Skull Gang mixtape. Then we're gonna do another Skull Gang project, which is a compilation size mixtape with Koch. The title of that will probably be The New Movement, The Movement. That'll be more like March, some time around then. And after that Born to Lose, Built to Win. That's my solo album...

Hopefully all of my artists, we'll have our situation with all them, have their solo deals. And we'll just be back to back with everything. I'm constantly dropping these albums -- Starr will be dropping her album, Rabb will be dropping his album, Depp will be dropping his album. It'll just be, you know, a frenzy.

BallerStatus.com: Def Jam has an established machine behind it, have you ever considered transitioning to the full independent route?

Juelz Santana: I want to make it to where I'm my own Def Jam. That's what I'm trying to do with this whole Skull Gang thing. No disrespect to Def Jam, but that's just part of sacrificing what I have for what I believe in. Basically, what I'm trying to accomplish with this is making to where we are a Def Jam ourself. We're gonna have people that branded the label just like Def Jam had LL [Cool J], the Run DMC, you know? The people that are the face of the label in the sense that built Def Jam. Now you have artists that are keeping it [Def Jam] alive like me and Young Jeezy. That's how I want Skull Gang to be. I don't want it to be something that was just there for a little minute, like they got a little deal from Def Jam. I want us to become the Def Jam.

BallerStatus.com: Being a New York MC mixtapes are second nature...

Juelz Santana: Oh yeah, you know we started the whole mixtape thing.

BallerStatus.com: Creatively, do you have to have a different mindset when you're making a mixtape as opposed to making an album?

Juelz Santana: Um, yeah, definitely. You know mixtape consists of freestyles. It's a lot more -- I wouldn't say fun, but you can do more fun things doing a mixtape. An album is more strategically planned, strategically plotted out. So, for many different reasons for me, album sales, for me I'm trying to fit so much into an album. With a mixtape, if you want to, you can put 30 records on a mixtape. If people listen, they listen. If they don't, they don't. That's the great thing about a mixtape. You can have so much fun on a mixtape because it's uncensored. You can say whatever the f*** you want to say on a mixtape. When you got an album, at the end of the day, you got to send your album into the label. Don't get it twisted, there's definitely freedom of speech, but there's definitely some things that you can't say, nobody can say. That even the label will have to turn around and say, "Yo, we can't say that right there." That's the difference when it comes to making an album and a mixtape -- you got a lot more leeway when you're making a mixtape. You can really do what you want, you can rap over other people's beats, test the waters with different things, you know.

I BallerStatus.com: In your opinion, is it possible to reinvent yourself without compromising your core fanbase?

Juelz Santana: I feel like my core fanbase is still with me. It's no reason for them to ever question me. You're as good as your last one and my last one was great. It's just been my stagnation with my business as far as that. It's nobody like us out there. Still, at the end of the day, we set the pace for everything that's going on. Even the artists, they still watch us to see what's going on. They checking the swag, we trendsetters over here. It's in our nature. So, reinventing is never hard for n****s like us. Every time we do a video, we reinvent some sh**, whether it's a new trend, or a new something.

The one thing I want to say to all of my Diplomat fans that's so used to seeing us together. At the end of the day, when you really look at it, it shouldn't have no effect because it was a bad business deal. If you ask Cam, if you ask Zeek (Freekey Zekey), we still here. It's a reason why all of us [are] together and Cam is not around. It's not like we just bugged out. We wish it could be the way it was too. And at the end of the day, we're all men. We gotta do what we gotta do. And if some person wants to sit up and f*** what everybody else is doing ... just like I tell people "There's a thin line between loyalty and stupidity."

But as far as reinventing myself, I don't think that's a problem. People have been waiting for Juelz Santana for so long with the energy that I bring. The ladies love me.

BallerStatus.com: Have you become used to the unblinking public eye?

Juelz Santana: Yeah, it's the life I chose, bottom line. I have to take what comes with it. We love to live the life; we love to party. Be able to do shows, get money. There's other things that come with it, you can't have everything. So, that mean you're on blast, the things you do. Like you said, the eye is always open, you gotta watch out. You can never get used to it. But when you think about it, you've worked so hard to get this, so deal with it.

BallerStatus.com: You keep that in mind when people approach you?

Juelz Santana: Yeah, yeah. I've always been a humble dude. If a person ever approached me and didn't get a decent response, it probably wasn't my fault. I probably just didn't hear you. Other than that, I show that love. I'm not one of them dudes that you can't reach out and touch, that you can't ask a question to, you know? I ain't got my bodyguards pushing people on the floor and all that. (laughs)

BallerStatus.com: What makes you the voice-box of the youth?

Juelz Santana: Just coming up, my energy. Man, look what I've been through. Who would want to do the things Juelz Santana did? I came from the hood, from the bottom. Know what I'm saying? I lived both lives when I was in the street. I had a good family. I'm not saying a good family like we was rich, but I had a mother that wanted good for us. But at the same time, I got caught up in the street. I managed to make it out, do some positive things when it came to this music thing. I went hard. I tell a hell of a story, and it's not a story, this is real. So, when I say story, I mean, it's the way I put it together. It's just the voice of the youth. If you grew up in the 80s, what I speak, it's just so vivid to what's going on, or what's went on. It's just everything. I just tell it like it is or I try to.

BallerStatus.com: Have you ever felt as though your loyalty was preyed upon?

Juelz Santana: I mean, yeah, to an extent. I felt like me being as loyal as I was to Cam, I was taken advantage of totally. That's why I always want the people to know -- that's what I try to tell the fans, some fans just don't understand, they just think that since we not together, "oh somebody was disloyal." I think I was too loyal. To a point where he may of felt "You know what, he ain't never going anywhere, no matter what. I'll just keep him in a situation that I got him in. F*** it, he don't know nothing." And that wasn't the case.

BallerStatus.com: When was the last time you spoke to Cam'ron?

Juelz Santana: Um, we haven't spoken in a while. I don't know the exact timeframe when I last spoke to him.

There's no hard feelings with Cam, that's why I never talk bad about Cam. Even through the midst of everything, there's a lot of other things I could be saying. That's not what my whole thing is based on -- trying to bad mouth Cam. My thing is moving forward. I got through my deal. The only thing I ever said was that he took advantage of me. And that's just real, I gotta say something. That's just the God's honest truth.

As far as the Diplomat album, I'd love to do a Diplomat album. There's no hard feelings towards Cam. I wish the best for him. My whole thing is moving forward. It's Dipset for life, that's in my blood. I feel Diplomats. Cam was always Cam'ron, ya dig? He was Cam'ron before I came along and he's still Cam'ron right now. When I came along, when we put this sh** together, that's when you heard about the Diplomats. A n**** can't take that from me, can't nobody. I'm standing in front of the mirror right now, I feel good about myself. A lot of people can't do that. A lot of people can't stand in front of the mirror because they know a lot of the things they did wasn't right. As long as me and the mirror is cool, I'm cool.

BallerStatus.com: What's going on with I Can't Feel My Face?

Juelz Santana: It's done. Politics, that's what's going on with it ... politics. It was a lot of labels that was involved, a lot of things that needed to be done. But as far as the album, it's done. Me and Wayne got about 30 records recorded sitting in the computer just waiting to release them. I'm bout to call Wayne now. We're 'bout to talk and put something together and release the album the way we want to release the album. It's done. And just know people, the album is done and one way or the other, you will get I Can't Feel My Face. I promise that.