Published: Friday - November 14, 2003
Words by Ruben Diaz
Young Buck (Photo: Interscope)
After the leader of the G-Unit embarked on a solo career with phenomenal success, there was troops waiting in the mist for their time to shine. 50 Cent wasted no time in forming G-Unit Records with Interscope.
After shouting out the crew and eventually making "G, g, g, g, g-uniiiiit" a household name and phrase; capitalizing on the mixtape circuit; and having their own shoe and clothing line; 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and the incarcerated Tony Yayo prepped their highly anticipated group album on their own imprint. Bumping the release date two weeks from November 28 to November 14, G-Unit's Young Buck tells BallerStatus.net why they're about to make the industry Beg For Mercy.
BallerStatus.com: How did you meet 50 and become part of the G-Unit?
Young Buck: Basically, back when I was 16 is when I first started getting off into music. Cash Money [Records] was some of the first cats I had met. I had already left school, dropped out in the 9th grade. And I just got out there to see what was happening. I was from Nashville, Tennessee and they was from New Orleans and you know, it didn't work. I had spent a lot of time [at Cash Money Records] just doing nothing. I was pushed to the back, and I accepted it. I came back home (Tennessee) and was back to the streets, hustlin', and doing the things you gotta do to make a dollar, you know? But, during my time there with Cash Money, me and Juvenile became good friends. And after years had passed, he was talking about getting his own company started and New York was one of the first places he had went to. And this was two and a half years ago from today, I'm 22 now. When we was in New York, he had ways of getting in touch with 50 and he wanted to get down with 50, so I pushed the issue like, "Yo, make it happen" 'cause I was already a fan of 50 by then. 50 ended up coming by and he brought Banks and Yayo with him and they played records they had and I played records that I had back and forth for each other and I could tell 50 was kinda feelin' my music and I was really feelin' theirs and we all kinda clicked. We was both still in the streets, we both didn't have nothin' and it was kinda weird us clicking like that -- me being from Tennessee and them being from New York.
Later on that night, we ended up recording a song that was on the first 50 Cent mixtape, 50 Cent Is The Future. And from that night on, we stayed in touch. Then I was flown out to California when he was working on the Get Rich Or Die Tryin' album. We recorded "Blood Hound" that was released on there. And I've always been down with G-Unit, you just didn't see my face on the mixtapes and all that.
BallerStatus.com: I read on the bio that you and 50 made a deal that whoever gets a deal first comes back for the other. Did you believe him when he said that and when did you get that call?
Young Buck: I believed everything he said from day one, and that's different for me because I've had bad experiences before in the rap game. So, for some strange reason, I believed him.
BallerStatus.com: Were you still in Tennessee when you got that call to join 50 in California while he recorded his album?
Young Buck: Yep, I was still in Tennessee. I was still in the projects. I had just got into some sh--. I was gonna really do some stupid sh--; I was in the car. What was crazy is I had a speaker phone, and I had all my homies in the car on the way to do this bullsh-- and they heard it. So, it wasn't hard for me to fall back and be like "Nah man, y'all can go ahead and ride with that one" 'cause I wasn't trying to risk that.
BallerStatus.com: You mention being down with Cash Money back in the day, how long did that last?
Young Buck: I was around them dudes since 15, so about three to four years. Me, Turk and B.G. is still good friends and I still talk to them.
BallerStatus.com: So, is there room for any collaborations between you and Cash Money Millionaires?
Young Buck: Nah. I mean we ain't linked up yet, but if it happens later it happens.
BallerStatus.com: So there's no animosity between you and Cash Money Records?
Young Buck: Nah, ain't no animosity because even though my situation didn't work with them dudes, I look at any situation that didn't work as a learning experience, so I'm good now. And as long as they good, I'm good. But, if anyone has bad blood, then my blood becomes bad at this point now.
BallerStatus.com: Now you guys got this G-Unit album, how long did it take to record it?
Young Buck: We recorded that album during the Roc The Mic Tour. We had a studio bus following our regular bus. So, we would take the energy from the concert(s) straight into the studio. This was an advantage 'cause we got to see what would and wouldn't work, so the majority of the record is up-tempo 'cause there was so much energy being out there on the road. Release date is November 14th.
BallerStatus.com: Why'd you guys title the album Beg For Mercy?
Young Buck: With all the success that 50 had with his album... if you really look at the game, it's not a lot of artists that's sellin' right now, so with us coming back again, we're looking to repeat the same success or gain more success than 50 had. And thats what it is, we're gonna make 'em Beg for Mercy; we not gonna stop.
BallerStatus.com: So, basically it's a message to the industry?
Young Buck: Yeah really, to anyone that feels like "Oh, they not gon be hot."
BallerStatus.com: What are your thoughts on your camp being part of the biggest beefs in hip-hop right now?
Young Buck: It is what it is. You know, I feel like beef is gonna be there whether it's the biggest beef in hip-hop or the smallest beef in hip-hop. I'm just in a situation where the beef is located.
BallerStatus.com: Do you think that the beef between your camp (G-Unit) and Murder Inc. and The Source will eventually be squashed?
Young Buck: Honestly, we'll never be friends. I ain't even gonna say that it'll never be squashed because at this point, it's not even on our agenda.
BallerStatus.com: Back to the album, who's featured on it as far as artists and production?
Young Buck: We don't believe in fixing something that ain't broke, so we stuck to the same production and chemistry. So, you get the same quality of music that you got on Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. So, we got Eminem, Dr. Dre, Megahertz, No ID, Ayatollah, MIDI Mafia, Nottz -- a lot of big name producers. We reached out to Joe the singer and Butch Cassidy as well. Plus, we all got solo joints on there.
BallerStatus.com: After this Beg For Mercy album with G-Unit, what's next for Young Buck?
Young Buck: It's really a non-stop working process for Young Buck and the G-Unit, period. So, you can expect solos from all of us. I just did a remix with Lil Jon and Pastor Troy and I also just did a joint with Petey Pablo that's gonna drop. A remix with Mary J. Blige, I did a song with Titty Boy, one of Ludacris new artists. I got a lot, a lot of stuff that's in the makin'. Oh, and I also got a mixtape out, The Sopranos with DJ Whoo Kid.
BallerStatus.com: Did the cell phone and 2-way start blowing up ridiculously after 50's Get Rich Or Die Tryin' album dropped, with people asking you guys to do collaborations?
Young Buck: Yeah man. The phones got to blowin up. 'Cause a lot of cats you wouldn't think would want to work with you; WANNA WORK WITH YOU! And as long as 50 say it's good, it's good with me homie as far as the features. But if I got bad blood with you, it ain't gon happen. If you got bad blood with me, it ain't gon happen, so holla at the kid.
BallerStatus.com: Do you guys have a set price for like a 16-bar verse or anything like that as far as being featured on someone else joints?
Young Buck: Nah, just holla at Sha Money (XL).
BallerStatus.com: Since 50 put you on, are you looking to do the same? Do you have a crew you're waiting to put on?
Young Buck: Yeah, yeah I got a real big crew, dog. I'm from Tennessee, man, before this situation, I was just doing it independent. You know, we don't have no mixtape circuit there, we have an independent circuit. That means I can press up 300 CDs for $300 and sell them at $15 a piece, so that's $4500. And I was sellin' that like dope, so my bread was coming. I used the gas station as a CD record store. The Citco gas station was my record store and to this day, it still is.
BallerStatus.com: You guys did a lot of flossin' on the "Stunt 101" video, what are the last couple things you bought?
Young Buck: In 21 hours, I'm gonna finish closing on a house I bought for my mother. So, that's the biggest thing I bought.
BallerStatus.com: Did you all have input on G-Unit clothing line that's coming out and the G-Unit sneaker?
Young Buck: That's all 50. I mean we gave our input, but it was his deal. Make sure you go buy them G-Unit sneakers, they out now.
BallerStatus.com: Describe Beg For Mercy the album in one word.
Young Buck: [cell phone rings] Controversial!
BallerStatus.com: Can you give us any hints as to who 50's taking shots at on a certain record he's said to be doing on Beg For Mercy? It said it's not the usual names/people he's used to calling out.
Young Buck: I would just say stay tuned.
BallerStatus.com: What are your expectations for this album?
Young Buck: We spent a lot of hard work on this album and I just feel like when it drops people are gonna be able to feel Young Buck and feel Tony Yayo, and all of us as individual artists, not just us collectively. I just hope the album represents that and also, it's a lot of things that's going on aside from G-Unit that the world knows and don't know. So, it's all there in one bracket, Beg For Mercy.
BallerStatus.com: When's it dropping again?
Young Buck: They moved the date up to November 14th.
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