RealTalkNY got the opportunity to talk to Young Buck thanks to the people at Interscope records. We discussed the sales of his latest album, “Buck The World,” his business ventures(TV show,clothing line), and status with, The Game and G-Unit. Young Buck was speaking some real talk and seems to have a genuine love for the music.

You can check out Young Buck’s new video, “U Ain’t Going Nowhere,” and his official website.

Young Buck: Real Recognize Real
Interviewed by: Nigel Degraff

RealTalkNY: What first inspired you to start rapping?

Young Buck: The struggle man, straight up man. The struggle and the love for the music. I was one of those kids who were aware of Kool Mo Dee, Run DMC and all of them cats. All I did was hear that music, you know I’m 26 years old, I caught the Tupac era. That is when I really started to understand the music. During the, “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” and, “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” I was coming of age as a young man.

RealTalkNY: A lot of people have dreams of rapping, how did you make your dream a reality?

Young Buck:  I hustled myself to get where I’m at right now. In the beginning I was blessed to be able to run into cats like, Baby Brown Williams, that were already established in the game. But it didn’t work out for me, so I got back into the streets and realized it only cost 300 dollars to print up 1000 cds. I sell them for 10 dollars a piece, man you do the math. So I slowed down from hustling on the streets and started hustling my own music. Then I started to see I can make money with something I love to do. It started with just loving the music and then I saw I could make money, it wasn’t crazy to me then.

RealTalkNY: How was your initial experience in the rap game with Cash Money?

Young Buck:  It was a learning experience partner. At the beginning of it, I though it was where I would kick my whole thing off. But it didn’t work out for me. I think their careers were really moving in the midst of when I came about. So the main focus was pretty much all leaned to them. That was the struggle for me. It was an experience, you know what I mean. I was around trying to make my thing happen. I could give you a gang of stories and tell you I was dishing around with them but I can’t think of one cd with me on their. That is what I really was there for, so it was just a learning experience money.

RealTalkNY: Did it affect your motivation?

Young Buck:  Yea, shit it motivated me a little more. Just to see what they were doing, the progress in them and the fact that I was right there. It made me want to really get out and make my thing happen, regardless of if it was with them.

RealTalkNY: How did you get down with G-Unit?

Young Buck:  It just came about with me just rocking with Juvenile and UTP. When we were on the road we ended up running into 50, that was before he had did the deal with Dre. I ended up playing a record for 50 that he really liked and that record ended up being, ”Bloodhound,” on 50 Cent’s, “Get Rich Or Die Trying.” So actually he was the first cat that gave me an opportunity to be heard. That’s all I ever wanted from anybody, just put me on something to let me be heard, let the streets be the judge of me. If they say no, I’ll find something else for me to do. But they said yes, and you know, he was a real nigga then like he is now. He said if my thing works out with Eminem and Dre, I’m gonna come back and make it happen for you, and he did.

RealTalkNY: What were your expectations, going into the first album?

Young Buck:  I expected to just come into the game and sell over gold and it went past platinum. Believe it or not this second album exceeded my expectations, with the crazy world music and Hip Hop is in right now. I was thinking I would do a solid hundred number type, just pretty much feeding off of everybody else’s energy. I was almost able to crack two hundred and I’m damn near gold. I’m past three, so my shit is moving bro. I guarantee with my album and any album out now, you go to go out and make it happen. You go to go grind it. People saying the whole bootleg era done came in and is playing a part right now, but I don’t think it is affecting me to the point where I won’t be able to sell my records. I’m consistent, doing 30-40 thousand records a week, so I think I’m gonna get there pretty good. It’s all about having a good record. I think the bootlegging and shit becomes a part of it when the rappers start fucking over the consumers by giving them an album that only have one or two good records on it but charging them 15-20 dollars. I even resort to buying some of these niggas shit on bootleg, I’m a victim too. At the end of the day it’s a test, if you can succeed with the test with these consumers then they can understand you got an album that is good from top to bottom. The same muthafucka that spend those five dollars on the bootleg will get that real CD. That’s what I go through. It’s a grind for me, I’m god’s child, I will win at anything I do, and that’s on some real nigga talk.

RealTalkNY: How did life change for you after the success of the first album?

Young Buck:  There were a lot of things, being a real true nigga, that I hand my hands on that was considered illegal in the streets. To walk away from that was the biggest change for me. Outside of that, taxes man, I never experienced taxes and shit, I got brown bag money in my time. For the most part nothing really changed. I use to feel that if I got a million dollars I would just kick back and wouldn’t have to do anything anymore. Then I got a million dollars and it seemed like I had to do a million more things to keep that million. For me it’s just an experience, whatever doesn’t kill me I take as a learning experience anyway. Nothing really changed man, just the name on the mailbox.

RealTalkNY: Did the people around you change?

Young Buck:  I done experienced having friends that were there and pretty much expected something coming from what I was doing. I have no problem with giving, that’s my life. I come from nothing for real. I understood that whole give and receive line, it’s always good to help give to those that want to help prosper themselves. I experienced the whole thing of having friends that were down for me for a long time walking away because they expect something to be handed to them. It’s cool to do that, when you have a close friend you take care of them, but it is up to them to maintain what they are doing, it’s not a constant hand out. I’ve had people around that I have not known all my life that were put into a position to protect my life crack up, you know it’s a lot of different things.

RealTalkNY: Did you feel a lot of pressure while making the second album, due to the success of the first one?

Young Buck:  Nah man, I didn’t feel any pressure at all. I just know at the end of the day I wanted to make an album totally different from my first one. When you’re an artist with one foot in success and one foot still where you come from, my environment happened to be the hood, when writing up music and thinking up things it tends to come to you. I’m a person that’s still there, so for me it’s about interpreting what’s going on. A lot of rappers make music just to make music; I try to have a direction with my music instead of just rapping. I like to give you real life situations with mine my nigga.

RealTalkNY: What was the direction of, “Buck the World”?

Young Buck:  In my first album, “Straight out of Cashville,” I really wanted to express to the world, who I am, where I’m from and what I am about. I did that, so on this album I wanted to give them that same hard street music that they are always gonna get, being from the environment I come from. I realized there are a lot of people in touch with Young Buck that don’t come from my environment. So I catered to all and I catered to me. You’re going to get a versatile record, I feel it’s more a truer street album out of Young Buck.

RealTalkNY: How is working with Dr.Dre

Young Buck:  Man, it is a lot of work. Dre is a perfectionist, he will have you saying one damn line for 24 hours. He wants you to be fully confident with what you’re saying. So he is just a true perfectionist, working with Dre is an honor.

RealTalkNY: How is working with 50 cent?

Young Buck:  50 is a person that knows what he wants to do. With 50 you don’t have to look for a direction, because he already knows it. He damn near probably thought about the shit a year before he even started doing it, he gives you that kind of vibe. He’s just a good dude to be in front of.

RealTalkNY: How is working with Eminem?

Young Buck:  Working with Eminem is crazy, you don’t know what the fuck to expect, this muthafucka is nuts. But it is always going to be real and it’s always going to be good. Expect the unexpected when Em is around.

RealTalkNY:  Do you have any plans to tour Europe?

Young Buck: Your damn right, I love overseas more than anything. I think the energy out there at the shows be crazy. Everything I ever been to overseas been sold out, I can’t wait to get out there and sell out every venue that I’m in. The people out there love me bra, and they show it. I can’t wait to get out there and perform my old records and my new records.

RealTalkNY: What is the current status of your reality show?

Young Buck:  We are bargaining right now with MTV 2, but everyone wants the show. So I don’t know if it will come on BET or VH1 but we are negotiating with all of them at this point. I think there will be eight episodes. It will show the life behind the music. My life is real bra, you hear me say a lot of things on music, a lot of people are like nah man that can’t be true. Such as my aunt is in the penitentiary dying with AIDS, things of that nature. I give you a chance to see her. Or my nephew that was killed at the age of 13, I show you the gravesite. My reality show is going to bring to light the grim reality that certain individuals live. The show will solidify the truth behind my music. There will be different twist to see my life on and off camera. It’s going to be real issues and real stories. I’m trying to find my father and things like that man.

RealTalkNY: Do you feel your growing as a person and as an artist?

Young Buck:  Both man, I got two little girls. We only get older, not any younger. With the music I’m becoming more involved with the business side of this shit. I just signed the Outlawz and C-Bo to my label Cashville records. The growth of me is going to come regardless.

RealTalkNY: How has having kids change you?

Young Buck: Kids change your life a lot man. Certain things you know you would react to or do when you didn’t have any, you now think about them and hold up. They weigh your options, for a street nigga straight up and down.

RealTalkNY: Can you tell us about the G-Unity Foundation?

Young Buck:  The G-unity foundation is a way we give back as a whole, as a crew. We provide support for national disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. When you from the hood and then gone from it, your not going to be able to run around this muthafucka like I do with out giving back. You got to give to receive. My whole thing is I have always been involved with a lot of things in my community before I was Young Buck to the world. I would take my street money and help do things in my city. I did things like help remodel game rooms in the boys and girls clubs around here. I probably donated more to the children homes than any of the damn country stars around here, and they got a bank roll way bigger than mine. They really respect me out here in my city man. For my good deeds and my bad deeds. They respect the good deeds because that’s what I’m doing now. They respect the bad deeds because without them I wouldn’t have been able to give to the community. I’m a real stand up type nigga out here.

RealTalkNY: Do you consider yourself a role model?

Young Buck:  Why not, if you came from the projects, sleeping with the roaches and the rats, to living in a 6-7 bedroom house and having a Ferrari. Obtaining it the legal way, then damn right, I’m a role model. I’m a role model because I went from nothing to something. I look at myself as a role model, and you should look at me as one too. Everybody is a role model in some kind of way. Anybody doing any kind of good deeds is a person to look at.

RealTalkNY: What is your current relationship with G-Unit and 50 Cent?

Young Buck:  Everything is a 100%. The day you see me walk away from G-Unit, god forbid, would be death or jail. I don’t believe in walking away from anything I helped create. My nigga 50 is fucking filthy rich, you heard about the Vitamin water deal my nigga. You know how much money I got? I’m good, I’m not trying to talk shit but I’m just saying we good. It’s just about getting this music back to where it needs to be honestly bra. Other people are checking the sales but I don’t fear any of that. I just know it is about having quality music, as long as you got that you got everything. At G-Unit we got that, times change but one thing that doesn’t is realness.

RealTalkNY: There were reports of you trying to diffuse the beef with Game, how did that work out?

Young Buck:  I ain’t fucking with the Game any more. I tried to stretch my arm out and at least get an understanding of the situation. We had a conversation and left on the note of you do you without involving us and we do us without involving you. Then he reneged on that by going and dissing me and the crew in a damn mixtape record after the conversation. When he went and did that I gave the world a chance to see his character and what kind of person we both are. You see the type of man I am by going to try to get an understanding. You also get a chance to see the type of individual he is by reaching his arm out saying ok I got an understanding and than doing what he did. So this is for the fans and the people to make the decision from this point. I have nothing crazy to say, because I’m in the streets with it for real. I don’t know how shit may be if I run up on a muthafucka that is playing any other way than right. I just say he’s doing him and I’m doing me.

RealTalkNY: Do you try to avoid rap beefs?

Young Buck: At the end of the day I try to get to my money bra. I try to stay focused on that end, that’s what I’m here for, to support my family and give my art to the world. That art happens to be something I love which is rap music. If anything gets in them middle of that, then hell yea I’m not with it. Whether it be rap beef or a bullshit nigga. Once I see that shit interfere with my bank roll I figure out a way to either get it on for real or get away from it. I’m a get it on for real type nigga or fuck you.

RealTalkNY: What is Cashville records current status?

Young Buck:  I’m running the streets right now, I’m the hottest thing going. Now it’s time for my shit to soak in with all the DJs, who pretty much get your music to the people. I’m working with the DJ’s, I feel they are the core of the game. I’ve always respected the DJs in the utmost way. At the end of the day they are  ones that play the records and breaks the records. I’m in the business world with the labels, as for as every independent and major you can think of. They are sending me offers and I will make my decision in the next few weeks. I’m definitely going to do two deals an independent deal and a major deal. I’ll probably drop a compilation first.

RealTalkNY: What business moves are you making outside of music?

Young Buck: I got a clothing store, Cashville clothing, and its crazy bra. We sell G-unit clothing, we sell everybody’s gear. A lot of artist getting clothing lines like myself, I figure why don’t I get my own store to sell my own clothing line as well as everyone else’s. My clothing line, “David Brown,” will be in stores in June. I made a million dollars off of preorders for my clothes already on the low. My shit is real hot and real affordable. It will be in all the major stores, they putting in a rush order on getting my shit. I got some real fly shit, I got a clothing store and I got a record store. The record store will be open in probably another month, “Cashville Records.” I figure if there are no CDs selling, I’m going to get out there and sell them. It will be on Jefferson Street, one of the most historical black streets in Nashville Tennessee. You know I’m gonna get to the money, for real now. I got a restaurant, “Cashville Chicken and Waffles,” open 24 hours.

RealTalkNY: How long you plan on rapping?

Young Buck:  I plan on rapping for the rest of my life. I’m gonna be an old nigga, with a cane my nigga, on the stage with a mic doing my god damn thing. I love this shit, if you take the money away, I would still do it. I would get my money from somewhere else but I would still do it.