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Lil Wayne To Be Sentenced, Begin Jail Term Today
Mar 2nd
After a postponement for dental surgery, the Cash Money MC is expected to turn himself in.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Lil Wayne
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
This is it.
Barring any colossally unforeseen circumstances (or eight more root canals), Lil Wayne will be formally sentenced and finally turn himself in to begin his one-year prison sentence in New York on Tuesday (March 2).
The sentencing was scheduled for last month, but Wayne’s attorney requested a delay due to dental surgery the rapper required. Judge Charles H. Solomon agreed to the last-minute request and rescheduled the proceedings for March 2. The New Orleans MC has had more time than he requested to recover from a reported eight root canals in one day.
“I don’t want this to get pushed back anymore,” Judge Solomon told the rapper’s lawyer during his last appearance. “This is the last adjournment.”
Wayne is set to appear before Solomon on Tuesday afternoon and plead guilty to attempted gun possession. He’s then expected to turn himself in immediately to begin his prison term.
The rapper reached a deal with prosecutors in November to plead out to a lesser deal and in return he is expected to be released from prison as early as October of this year. In 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested for gun possession following his first headlining performance in Manhattan at the Beacon Theater. A gun-possession charge in New York could have landed the Cash Money superstar behind bars for up to 15 years if he was convicted.
New York is among the toughest states in the country when it comes to gun-possession laws.
In other states, Lil Wayne could have reasonably gotten off with a misdemeanor rap and probation. However, in New York, mostly law-enforcement officials and those affiliated with authorities are permitted to carry firearms. The Empire State’s stringent gun laws were originally enacted during former governor George Pataki’s administration.
Ultimately, what Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to amounts to him being able to have access to a gun. Police did not find a weapon on the rapper when his tour bus was searched. Rather, the gun — registered to his manager — was in a bag located near the rapper, hence the attempted charge.
Lil Wayne has been working feverishly in recent weeks to complete a number of videos and songs to stay relevant during his physical absence. That pace he’s gotten accustomed to, however, will come to a screeching halt, according to a New York corrections officer who spoke to MTV News.
Once the rapper lands behind bars, his days will be as regimented as his recording schedule — but will be maintained by the prison warden, not Lil Wayne.
“He’ll be housed with inmates who are classified in his category, and he’ll be able to be a regular inmate,” the guard said. “He’ll be able to watch television, go into the day room and congregate with people of his classification.
“He’ll have no preferable treatment at all. He’ll be treated like a regular inmate,” the guard, who declined to be identified due to the classified information he discussed, added.
Lil Wayne is also still facing charges in Arizona, and his trial is set to begin there March 30.
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French Montana Says Debut Album Needs To Be A ‘Masterpiece’
Mar 2nd
‘I’m not no overnight rapper,’ Akon signee tells Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid
French Montana
Photo: Konvict Music
The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive
French Montana is in no rush to put out his debut album. One of Akon’s newest signees said he has enough money to continue serving up material through mixtapes, such as his latest, Mac Wit Da Cheese 2. His first album has to be classic, French said.
“My album is set for late summer,” French said last week while shooting a video for his mixtape track “Bad Habits,” with guest Bun B. “It’s called Excuse My French. I’m just working. I wanna come with a masterpiece, man. I’m not no overnight rapper. I’m comfortable with where I’m at. My followers are my real followers. I ain’t no phase. I’m here to stay. [The release] could be late summer, it could come out past then, as long as it’s a masterpiece when we put it out. … You gotta understand, that’s what they gonna remember you for, your first album. Biggie’s Ready to Die, UGK’s first album — you wanna come with the same thing. The title gotta live up to the music.”
Bun and French share a mutual respect for each other’s grinds, Montana said.
“The video is called ‘Bad Habits,’ ” Montana explained. “Everybody got a bad habit. I sent [the track] to Bun. Bun heard it, laid the verse in like five minutes. I sent it to him, he called me back in five minutes. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ ”
“I was in the lab, I was already in that zone,” Bun added. “It was something that I felt made sense, that I felt represented his movement, repped my movement, and we spoke to people on a real level. That’s one thing about UGK music. We can’t be fabricating sh–. We kept it real with each other.”
Streets Is Talking: News And Notes From The Underground
French isn’t the only new guy Akon is looking to put out. The worldwide superstar just signed Southern California’s Ya Boy to his Kon Live company.
“Ya Boy is one of the hardest workers today. … He’s an amazing artist that never got a chance to shine,” Akon said in a statement. “He never gave up, and now he has a chance to shine not only on the West Coast, but internationally.”
Ya Boy’s new LP should be out later this year.
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.
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On Johnny Cash’s Birthday, A Look Back At His Final Interview
Mar 2nd
Shortly before his death in 2003, the Man in Black talked about death, drugs, and hearing from fans.
By Kyle Anderson, with reporting by Kurt Loder
Johnny Cash talks to Kurt Loder in 2003
Photo: MTV News
The great country legend Johnny Cash passed away in 2003, but his legacy remains alive. This week saw the release of American VI: Ain’t No Grave, which pulls together the last of the songs Cash recorded with superproducer Rick Rubin. And on Wednesday, Cash’s 1958 tune “Guess Things Happen That Way” became the 10 billionth song purchased from the iTunes Store. That milestone earned downloader Louie Sulcer a $10,000 iTunes Store gift card, as well as phone calls from Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Cash’s daughter Rosanne.
Today would have been the Man in Black’s 78th birthday, and in honor of the outlaw icon, we take a look back at MTV News’ conversation with Cash just a few weeks before his death in 2003.
Kurt Loder visited Cash’s sprawling estate in Tennessee and talked openly to the legend about his career, his music and — in very frank terms — about the prospect of death. The conversation would be Cash’s final interview. He never made it to 2003’s Video Music Awards, where he was nominated for six prizes for the clip for his cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.”
Cash’s remarkable career renaissance was in large part thanks to Rubin, who stripped Cash’s sound down to its core parts and applied his wise, haunting, world-weary voice to a number of traditional standards and covers. The American albums grabbed the attention of stars like Kid Rock and Bono, put Cash back on the radio and introduced him to an entirely new generation of fans.
“I hear from a lot of fans,” Cash told Loder. “I appreciate all that — all the praise and the glory. It doesn’t change the way I feel about anything, though. I just do what I do.”
Johnny Cash released his first recordings for Sun Records in 1955 and was an integral part of both the country scene and the birth of rock and roll. Success came quickly, and he indulged in the rock and roll lifestyle. “There was a package of myself, Jerry Lee [Lewis], Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins,” he said. “We were all young and wild and crazy. As crazy as you can get. We discovered amphetamines — or I did, anyway. Jerry thought he was going to Hell for not preaching.
He went to seminary and wanted to be a preacher, but he turned to rock and roll. He would tell us all we were going to hell. I said, ‘Maybe you’re right, Killer. Maybe you’re right.’ ”
At the time of the interview, Cash was no stranger to death. In May 2003, his longtime wife and performing partner June Carter Cash passed away. But despite his failing health and loss of his life partner, Cash continued recording with Rubin. “She told me to go to work,” Cash told Loder. “Three days after the funeral, I was in the studio. Everybody thought I was crazy, but I was in the studio for two weeks. It was great therapy for me.”
A man of great faith, Cash knew that the end was coming, but he didn’t fear death and was comfortable with the idea of his own mortality. “I expect my life to end pretty soon. I’m 71 years old, but I have unshakeable faith,” he said. “I’ve never turned my back on God. I never thought that God wasn’t there. He’s my counselor, my wisdom — all the good things in my life come from him.”
When Loder asked, “Where do you think we go?” Cash knew right away. “We all hope to go to Heaven,” he told him.
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Juvenile Arrested In New Orleans
Mar 2nd
Rapper arrested on charge of misdemeanor marijuana possession.
By Shaheem Reid
Juvenile
Photo: MTV News
Juvenile’s time in the studio was interrupted by a trip to jail on Thursday. The New Orleans rapper was in a house that he uses as a recording studio in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, when police stopped by to investigate an anonymous tip that the smell of marijuana smoke was coming from the house.
Police say that when they arrived, they could smell the smoke from as far as 10 feet away. When Juvenile’s producer Leroy Edwards, 42, opened the door, the authorities say they were greeted with a cloud.
Officers searched Edwards, found marijuana on his person and he was handcuffed immediately. Police detained the other people in the house, including Juvenile, for about two hours while they obtained a search warrant.
Once the warrant was executed, officers found a bag containing half an ounce to one ounce of marijuana in the kitchen area. According to the authorities Juvenile, who was eating at the time of the police’s visit, acknowledged that the bag was his personal property. He was arrested after signing a statement.
Juvenile (born Terius Gray) does not live in the house. St. Bernard Parish is southeast of New Orleans, and the house where Juvenile was arrested is located in the residential neighborhood of Arabi.
Juvenile, who was arrested for marijuana possession in 2008, and Edwards were taken to jail and booked on charges of misdemeanor possession of marijuana at around 6 p.m. Both were released on bond a little before midnight. The case is scheduled to be handed over to the district attorney’s office for prosecution.
Juvenile could not be reached for comment at press time.
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Exclusive: Lil Wayne Talks Pre-Jail Dental Surgery In New Clip
Mar 1st
‘If I’m talking a little funny, I’m fresh out of the surgery,’ Weezy says before Tuesday’s sentencing.
By Shaheem Reid
Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News
Nino Brown: Road to Rikers, Part Five
Seven more videos in one night — Lil Wayne was handling his business on Saturday. Early Sunday afternoon, while watching the Miami Heat take on the Orlando Magic, Weezy was taking a short break but had already mapped out his night.
The man you can find on Twitter as @liltunechi sent in another clip exclusively to MTV News before he is sentenced to prison for attempted gun possession on Tuesday and begins serving his time. In the new video, Weezy is at his Miami home laying out his Sunday night activities.
“I’m back, fresh out of the surgery,” says Wayne, whose sentencing was postponed last month due to dental surgery. “If I’m talking a little funny, I’m fresh out of the surgery. If I’m talking a little funny, I’m still days from the medicines. My words may slur, but my grill’s back, bi—! Still got two days left [before I go in]. I lost count. We shot seven videos last night. Tonight, we gonna eat, then go to the studio, then we gonna get some verses in and party with Stunna tonight at Liv [nightclub]. I still haven’t got no [sex]. This is becoming an America alert. This is a tragedy.”
In a previous online video, Wayne had addressed how his work schedule was interfering with him having sex: “You can tell I’ve been working hard. Sleeping alone. I’ve been sleeping with my clothes on.”
On Sunday night at Miami’s Liv nightclub, Wayne was supposed to attend yet another birthday party for the Birdman (the Cash Money CEO has been celebrating his b-day since around Valentine’s Day with parties across the country). The shindig turned into a surprise farewell party for the Birdman Jr.
Wayne was presented with a cake that read “Keep Your Head Up Weezy! We Love U.” Besides the Birdman — who debuted four new star tattoos on his head — Young Money artist Shanell also attended as the newest signee to Cash Money Records. Bow Wow, Mack Maine and Amber Rose were also there.
Wayne and DJ Scoob Doo are also filming the reality DVD “The Nino Brown Story Part 3.” The first two installments are available at DJ Scoob Doo’s Web site.
Check back with MTV News for more on Wayne’s “Road to Rikers.”
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Exclusive: Lil Wayne Films Videos, Holds Farewell Party Before Jail
Mar 1st
MC gives us a peek into some footage he shot during his pre-jail weekend in Miami.
By Shaheem Reid
Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News
Nino Brown: The Road to Rikers, Part 4
In Lil Wayne’s world this past weekend, Saturday was bleeding into Sunday morning and the one constant was that Weezy was excited to be working. Wayne shot seven videos between those hours for himself, Rick Ross, Drake, Young Money artist Shanell, Travis from Gym Class Heroes and Diddy.
In the latest clip to come into MTV News from Wayne and his videographer DJ Scoob Doo, the Cash Money MC takes us on a trip to Miami, where he shot scenes for Diddy-Dirty Money’s new video “Strobe Lights.”
“I’m the hardest-working man in show business,” Wayne said on the way to the set. “Shout-out my n—a James Brown. Young Wayne Carter.
“Look at the attitude, though,” he continues with a buoyant swagger. “This is what you artists need to catch. Look at the attitude. No drugs, no nothing — I ain’t even get no p—-. I go away in two days, I ain’t even get no p—-.”
After Wayne goes in to shoot his video, we see him leave and go back to his Miami estate.
“There you have it. Nino. I don’t know how many videos we did,” he said. “But y’all saw it. Now I’m back where we started. I’m about to get my bottom grills and we party tonight. Nino! @liltunechi.”
Sunday night Wayne held a farewell party at Club Liv with his Cash Money/ Young Money family members such as Shanell, Mack Maine, Bow Wow and the #1 Stunna, Birdman.
Wayne and DJ Scoob Doo are also filming the reality DVD “The Nino Brown Story Part 3.” The first two installments are available at DJ Scoob Doo’s Web site. Check back with MTV News for more of Wayne’s “Road to Rikers.”
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Exclusive: Lil Wayne On The Videos He Shot Last Weekend
Mar 1st
After a postponement for dental surgery, the Cash Money MC is expected to turn himself in.
By Shaheem Reid
Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News
Nino Brown: The Road to Rikers, Part 3
In the latest video he’s sent to MTV News, Lil Wayne (a.k.a. @liltunechi)
gave fans a little bit more insight to his work schedule over last weekend. With the clock ticking before he’s expected to begin his jail sentence on weapons charges Tuesday, Weezy filmed seven videos in one night
— on the heels of shooting between nine and 10 videos in two days last month. In his latest video clip, Wayne says he shot footage for videos by Young Money artist Shanell (whom he recently denied rumors that having a child with, Diddy, Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes, Rick Ross — and of course we already know about the videos he shot for Drake and for himself.
“Show these artists how to do it,” Wayne says on his tour bus in a clip shot by DJ Scoob Doo and sent to MTV News on Monday afternoon (March 1). “Seven videos in one night. Follow me, artists!”
In the Drake video, “Afrika Boombata,” Weezy wears a Marilyn Monroe T-shirt. He had vaccilated between wearing that or one of his @liltunechi tees. We also know that the McCoy video is called “Tattoo Girl,” and the video for Diddy-Dirty Money is titled “Strobe Lights.”
A early version of the Dirty Money song leaked weeks ago and features everyone performing over a techno-type beat. “When the ceiling hits the floor, I’m gonna find my way to the door,” Diddy sings on the leaked version of the record. Later, Weezy raps, “The strobe lights are dancing/ We’ve taken all the chances.”
“I’mma show y’all the [work] ethic of a true artist,” Wayne said in one of the clips he sent to MTV News over the weekend. “You know what I’m talkin’ about? Seven videos. I shot 10 in two days before. Now we about to do seven in one night!”
MTV News will have more videos from Wayne — check back for the latest!
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Lady Gaga Adds European Tour Dates, Announces U.S. Arena Tour
Mar 1st
Singer will take Monster Ball back to Europe after hitting Australia.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Florian Seefried/ Getty Images
Lady Gaga loves her overseas little monsters so much, she decided to add more dates to the European jaunt of her Monster Ball Tour. The tour was scheduled to wrap March 8 in the UK before picking up in Australia for a number of dates. But Gaga will head back to Europe in May for 10 new dates, as well as two rescheduled dates.
It was also announced that Gaga will embark on her first major arena tour when she returns to North America this June, hitting 30 cities. More info is coming soon.
Gaga will be on the road with glam-rock band Semi Precious Weapons, who recently spoke to MTV News about what it’s like to the opening act for the woman who was once their opening act at club gigs in New York.
“When we met her, we were doing shows here bringing, like, 300 people or so, and we were looking for bands to open for us,” bassist Cole Whittle recalled. “They were all boring, but she was fun and partied, and her and [Gaga's performing partner] Lady Starlight had a really cool show. We were like, ‘I’d much rather see this than some hipster band.’ ”
So they opted to do the future pop star a favor and have her join them for their shows. Despite the fact that she was playing to very small crowds, she was beyond thankful for the spot.
“She was big fans of ours before we met her. She was so grateful to be playing with us, ’cause she loved us so much,” singer Justin Tranter said. “She was like, ‘I’ve never seen so many people! Thank you so much for letting me open.’ It’s obviously a little different now. Them tables have turned! [Back then,] it was still the most awesome thing we’d ever seen. It’s still the most awesome show we ever saw. She’s always been the coolest girl!”
New European dates for Monster Ball Tour:
»May 7 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Globe Arena
»May 10 – Hamburg, Germany @ Color Line Arena
»May 11 – Berlin, Germany @ O2 Arena
»May 15 – Arnhem, Netherlands @ Gelredome
»May 17 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportspaleis
»May 21 – Paris, France @ Bercy
»May 24 – Oberhausen, Germany @ König-Pilsener Arena
»May 27 – Nottingham, UK @ Trent FM Arena
»May 28 – Birmingham, UK @ LG Arena
»May 30 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
»June 2 – Manchester, UK @ MEN Arena
»June 4 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield Arena
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Lil Wayne’s Jail Time: A Prison Guard Breaks Down His Routine
Mar 1st
Rapper is expected to start one-year prison sentence Tuesday.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway and Rahman Dukes
Lil Wayne
Photo: Thaddeus
Now that Lil Wayne’s teeth are in order, the superstar MC is expected once again to turn himself in to authorities, this time on Tuesday, to finally begin his one-year prison sentence stemming from a 2007 arrest on gun charges.
The rapper will be formally sentenced in a Manhattan courtroom by Judge Charles H. Solomon after last month’s postponement due to Wayne’s dental surgery. Wayne is scheduled to enter his plea, and authorities will then whisk him away for processing at New York’s Rikers Island.
There, Weezy’s world will be unlike anything he’s experienced before in his life.
According to a prison guard who spoke with MTV News, the Cash Money lyricist’s hectic life of recording, touring and performing will be replaced by a regimented routine that features wakeup calls at 4 a.m. and dinner at 3 p.m. The guard, who declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information, said Wayne should be treated like a regular inmate for the most part, obvious safety concerns aside.
“He’ll be housed with inmates who are classified in his category, and he’ll be able to be a regular inmate,” the guard said. “He’ll be able to watch television, go into the day room and congregate with people of his classification.”
Wayne’s classification, however, will most likely be decided based in part on his fame, the guard said. The guard also suggested Wayne would be placed in the Eric M. Taylor Center at Rikers, on the north side of the facility in East Elmhurst, New York.
“It’s a high-class area where he will be segregated from [the general] population,” the guard explained.
The rapper, though, won’t be in a dormitory setting, as a retired corrections officer told MTV News last month. He’ll likely have his own 10-by-15-foot cell with a toilet, sink, bed and one window. “He’ll be able to see another wall [outside the window],” the guard said.
Wayne also will not be able to make many of his own decisions during his incarceration, including what recreation he participates in and the option to work. “He probably won’t be assigned a job, just to keep things quiet,” the guard said, alluding to the rapper’s safety and the overall safety of the unit he’s placed in.
When Wayne graced the cover of Rolling Stone recently, he said he would bring an iPod loaded with music he could write to; the guard, however, emphasized that an mp3 player would be classified as contraband, meaning the rapper would not be permitted to have one.
Weezy will have plenty of downtime, though, of which he can choose how he passes the time. In between the rapper’s 4 a.m. wakeup calls for breakfast, 11 a.m. lunchtimes, 3 p.m. dinners and evening lights out, he has a number of options. He’s allowed to receive two visits per week, which can be any day of the week or weekends at various times.
With his commissary money, he can purchase a transistor radio. It’s unlikely that he’ll visit the law library, as he has no appeal to make for his case; he’s widely expected to be released after eight months if he serves with good behavior. If he wishes to participate in religious activity, he can be excused to visit the places of worship within the prison.
Throughout Wayne’s sentence, he’ll have an intermittent amount of time to interact with fellow inmates. According to the guard, that decision is one that is made by the governing officers of the facility to keep things orderly. For the most part, Wayne will be isolated and treated like any other numbered prisoner at Rikers Island.
“He’ll have no preferable treatment at all. He’ll be treated like a regular inmate,” the guard said, with one added caveat: “He may have heightened security. A guard will walk with him when he moves from location to location.”
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Lloyd Banks’ V5 Is ‘Going Back’ To His Roots
Mar 1st
‘Just reflecting back in the studio,’ he tells Mixtape Daily of the new tape.
By Shaheem Reid
Lloyd Banks
Photo: G-Unit
This Week’s Main Pick
Street Kings: Lloyd Banks and DJ Whoo Kid
Holding It Down For: The G-Unit
Mixtape: V5
Real Spit: Two days before we were originally supposed to shoot the Lloyd Banks Mixtape Daily segment, the G-Unit rapper was arrested in Canada on assault charges. While waiting on his trial, Banks has bounced back with the hit single “Beamer, Benz or Bentley” with Juelz Santana.
The entire G-Unit is currently on a two-month European tour, but their youngest member left a gift for the streets on the Net. Yes, we got Banks in front of the cameras to perform a record from the mixtape for the first time.
Banks started his latest round of mixtape rampaging toward the end of 2008. The onetime Mixtape Artist of the Year at the Justo Awards said he had to get his spot back.
“Just reflecting back in the studio,” Banks said of his underground assault. “Just going back. People always say, ‘Go back to your first album,’ I went back further than that. All the success came from [my early mixtapes] Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank Part 2 all the way to Part 4. I was like, ‘You know what? I did that in a matter of two years.’ I said, ‘I’mma do what I did in two years in one.’ I did Return of the P.L.K.; that came out in September [2008]. I went from that to Halloween Havoc; it came out in Halloween. Cold Corner came out in December [2008]. Then it was 4-30-82 [last spring]. Then V5 [in December].
“By the time I got to V5, it was a good five or six months between tapes,” he added. “I didn’t plan it like that. I just never stopped recording and touring. By the time V5 came, I felt a little pressure. I told them it was gonna get better every time. I think people embraced it.”
Banks’ official album is due later this year. It will come out independently.
“I’m aiming towards summer,” Lloyd said of the release. “Mid-summer, late summer. I won’t drop an album until I feel the buzz. You know, as an artist, when you feel it. I’m working independent. Everything they’ve heard the past year has come out my basement, including ‘Beamer, Benz or Bentley.’ When you first come on as a new artist and you hot and you got a buzz, you could sell doo-doo on a stick. The label makes you feel like they did it, when they just called their boy and dropped the record off.
“Now it boost my confidence when I know I can make a record in my crib, send it out and receive finances from it,” he added. “Whenever it’s through iTunes or whatever other outlet you have, I’m happy with it. I’m not gonna rush it, though. If it came out after this year, it wouldn’t matter to me, as long as it’s the product people expect.”
Joints to Check For
» “Power Back” “I was in the zone when I wrote that record,” Banks described. “It was actually a typo [on the track listing]. It was supposed to be ‘Power Pack.’ You know what the power pack is, people. That’s the vein I was in. I was reflecting. It was real rap. It wasn’t about having the best punch line. I wrote the record for me, and it was real things said in it. I really had a homie that was well on his way as far as basketball goes. He went to college, and somebody slipped him something [in his drink]. He ain’t been the same ever since. It was more a record for me and the people I grew up around. Every city has something that reminds you of yours. I like tracks with music,” he added about the soulful soundscape. “Tracks with things going on.”
» “Rather Be Me.” “My record is gonna sound like that. How it’s put together from top to bottom and ends like a movie,” the Punch Line King said. “That’s the route I wanna take my album. ‘Rather Be Me,’ is a deep record. It’s one of the joints. I didn’t let nobody hear it when I was recording it. I was in the zone. It felt like a movie to me. It’s crazy, because a lot of people think I’m talking to somebody in particular, but it’s not. It’s talking to anybody that’s a coward. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. When you hear the little funny things like, ‘Banks doesn’t want to be G-Unit.’ N—a, I am G-Unit. This [tattoo] been right here on my hand. Before anybody was signed, it was me, Tony Yayo and 50 Cent. To take that away from me is like taking away my legacy, to a certain extent. We worked too hard for somebody to tell me to drop my G-Unit.”
» “We Remain.” ” ‘Chronic, Fiji and a brand-new Lamborghini. When you see me, it’s a half a mill easy,’ ” Banks raps. “Rap needs me. That was me just going. It was a record that wasn’t necessarily recorded for the mixtape. I felt I needed that, where it was a full, long verse, a bridge. That’s as gutter as it gets. That’s one of the first songs I recorded for V5. It set the tone. The ‘Green Day’ record, ‘Southside in the House,’ all those records were spawned from that record. It’s just dark, man. You could see yourself in your neighborhood, and it’s me reflecting. I still come back to this neighborhood where my friends still stay. To go from success to being doubted to having success all over again, I feel like the underdog and that the streets are behind me.”
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.
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