Concrete Magazine #70 by CONCRETE Magazine

concrete615.com 6-12 ...................... Young Buck 14 .............. Producer: Tay Keith 16-17 ................... Slimm Body 20 ............................ DJ Coop 22 ...................... Xavier Payne 24 ........................... Big Fella 26 ................... Music Reviews 30 .....................Change Musik Publisher: Capo Ad Executive: Capo Art Director: Rex2-tm Editorial & Nash 10 Photography: Tavell Brown Staff Support: Deandre Haynes, Chris CMR Rhones Ad Photography: Visual Flavor Ad Graphics: C3GRAFX, Kyro Ink Publishing Consultant: Bryan Deese

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CONCRETE: You call Nashville home, how do you feel about the changes that’s going on here? Young Buck: I think it’s a beautiful thing going on in Nashville. If you go in any direction you’ll see cranes so it let’s me know that the city is growing. One thing that I think could be paid more attention to is the fact that when you do come to clean up certain areas that these are the homes of people and you have to keep the families and their well being in mind. I feel like things need to be handled fairly for the people that are losing their homes and their establishments. There has to be some type of common ground were everybody is satisﬁed. You should give them the same respect that you’re looking for. CONCRETE: Do you feel making yourself so accessible to the public helped you or hurt you? Young Buck: I think it helped me. In the beginning of my career I wanted to do exactly what I’m doing now and that’s to be accepted around my city, so that when people see me they don’t have that fear of saying, “Yo can I get a picture or can I get an autograph.” I wanted to be able to move amongst my city the same way I’ve always been able to move around my city even before I became an international celebrity. I made myself accessible to the city by choice not by force. I felt that would motivate the next person to say, “Hey I can do this too.” I also realize that being so accessible may cause people to forget who you really are and what you stand for. continued on next page

Being so accessible may cause someone with success to face the same reality as someone who may not have that same success. CONCRETE: What do you feel has held other artist out of Nashville back from achieving the same success as you? Young Buck: I just think that the artist in Nashville are working with what’s given. The platforms they are dealing with from a local perspective, which is radio and you guys CONCRETE. CONCRETE Artist only have a few outlets even with club promoters and venues. All this stuff needs to work collectively for an artist to grow. I feel like during my time coming up I was dealing with a lot of the same issues that we are still dealing with today. That’s what made me leave Nashville to go and explore.

There was only so much I could do here. You have venues that segregate in a sense whether it be because of skin color or genre of music, a lot of times that effects the artists growth. We have to learn as a city to be open to other genres of music just as open as people have been to country music. I have also felt a lot of negative energy from artists that feel as if the fact of me being successful with my career that I am obligated to put someone from here on. I don’t have the power of saying, this artist is dope go put him on. There is a process and it didn’t happen for me over night. I don’t think any artist should look at anybody as a person that can give them their success. It’s up to you and the work you put in. I have had a lot of artists on my label and I don’t have ill will with anybody. continued on next page

I’m more focused on my career but there is nothing more I want than another artist from my city to become as successful or if not more successful than me. CONCRETE: You have a crazy Taylor Swift story. Can you speak on that? Young Buck: Yeah when I was in prison, I was doing a ton of reading and one day I grabbed a Vibe Magazine and opened it up straight to a story with Taylor Swift. The ﬁrst thing I see is my name. I immediately started getting into the magazine and Taylor Swift had made a statement saying,”She use to drive by my ﬁrst house that I owned in Hendersonville and look at all my cars and was inspired.” That was so amazing to me that one of the biggest artist in the world was speaking on me, this guy who came from the ghetto and was blessed enough to take his talent and make the best of it. Just to think that she use to ride by and think, “Man look at that.” I was sitting in prison and thinking this is crazy, but it was genuine she made that statement and it was real. I would love to make a record with her and have a portion of the record be donated to charity or something that will help the city of Nashville. That’s a goal because I know what something like that could do for the city. CONCRETE: You recently dropped 10 Toes Down. How would you describe this project for those who haven’t heard it yet? Young Buck: It’s a statement, 10 Toes Down is a project that I created immediately after being released from prison. Before I violated and went to prison the energy from me dropping these mixtapes consistently was through the roof. I knew soon as I got out I needed to get right on it. The title for 10 Toes Down explains itself. Your 10 toes down now with this magazine that’s why it’s as successful as it is, I’m 10 toes down in this music business. So being 10 toes down continued on next page

means you’re truly standing for what you are involved in or what you stand for. CONCRETE: Bandplay and Steveaux produced this project in full, what made you work with just them two? Young Buck: I have had a chance to watch both these guys grow. I met Steveaux at the point when I was experiencing my separation from G-Unit. I have to include these guys in the mission that I am on right now. I have always felt like I owed them at least that much to rap on their music and give them that shine. I also feel like that is our sound and these guys have so much history with me that they can provide that sound that I am looking for. Bandplay has produced multiple records throughout the Tenakey mixtape series. That is a series of mixtapes I created to drop ten tapes in ten months and I’m at number ﬁve. CONCRETE: What’s your favorite song off this project and why? Young Buck: I really like “200MPH’” it’s a record that is speaking on some of the things that I am experiencing now. Also the intro “10 Toes Down’” it basically is a statement that sets the tone of where I am at with life right now and my outlook on how the game has treated me. I also really like “In Your Feelings” that’s a record that everyone can relate to male or female and those records are the best that you can make as an artist. CONCRETE: You and Drumma Boy have posted a few pics in the studio together, can the people be expecting a project from the two of you? Young Buck: We are actually wrapping up Back On My Buck Shit Volume 3. Volume 1 and 2 are probably the biggest mixtapes of my career. Me and Drumma Boy have a crazy chemistry, when it comes to this music there is certain people you have a chemistry with that is magic and that is what me and Drumma have. This Vol.3 project is by far the dopest mixtape we have done together. I went with some features on this project. I just wrapped up a song with Tee Grizzly I also have Cap-1, 2 Chainz and Lil Boosie. This mixtape is going to make people realize that we are here. We are realizing that there is nothing coming from the bull sh*t then why not scratch each others backs. Me just watching the city I have nothing negative to say about the way it’s going about because I know our time is now. I’ve watched the city be put in a position where there is no where to go but up. We fought so much with each other that we realized it’s time consuming, money wasted, unnecessary headaches and a bunch of bullsh*t by not supporting each other. The good thing about showing somebody love is it doesn’t cost you anything.

CONCRETE: Where are you from? Tay Keith: I’m from Memphis, I currently go to MTSU and this is my senior year. CONCRETE: When did you realize you wanted to be a producer full-time? Tay Keith: When I got my first YouTube check. It was like $100.00, it was from Google AdSense. At the time I was putting free beats out, I had hundreds of thousands of views on my channel and thousands of subscribers. CONCRETE: You’re savvy when it comes to knowing how to register your music. Is that something producers overlook nowadays? Tay Keith: I honestly feel like the game is washed up. Rappers aren’t paying producers, or giving producers credit. I feel like I built my name up at the perfect time were I was able to get my credit. You have to have a name before rappers can respect you or build a relationship with them and come up together. Producers nowadays are jumping that step and getting that big placement through other producers and they are running off with these young producers beats. CONCRETE: You have worked with some big artists, who was your first placement? Tay Keith: My first placement was with Wacka Flocka. After that I ended up getting a PNB rock placement. I got a placement on his first mixtape when he got out of jail and I always stayed in contact with him. I would hit him up and he would hit me back when he could. I respect him because he stayed down and humble. CONCRETE: You produced several records for Blac Youngsta how did that come about? Tay Keith: That happened around the time when Blac Youngsta was about to sign with CMG. I reached out to him because I had been hearing the “Heavy” song. His name was buzzing in Memphis before he signed the deal. After reaching out to him he f*cked with my sound, so I got my first placement “Old life” which was on I Swear to God God. Our first banger was “Lil B*tch” and then we eventually did “Gang Gang” with Money Bagg Yo and that’s really my biggest hit now. CONCRETE: You produced Blac Youngsta’s diss song on Young Dolph “Birthday’”. What’s your thoughts on that? Tay Keith: I sent him the beat and he had it for about a week or so. Then after the situation happened and he got out of jail he jumped on it. It’s pros and cons, I can’t say it was a bad thing, but I just can’t say it was the best idea. It’s the industry one thing. I learned about the industry is it’s good about publicity, everybody has to make their way somehow. It pushed my name out there a little bit more. It helped me because I’m on a better platform now.

CONCRETE: You had a strong movement going while pushing your last two projects, it was halted by you getting shot can you speak on that? Slimm Body: It’s one of those things where you could dwell on it or you can let it push you. It can really turn you into an animal. I feel like I died so I’m on my second try now. It was an attempted robbery and that’s why I got shot because I wouldn’t give them anything. I was delirious for like two weeks. I was open for three days and I lost my pulse twice. I got shot at 3:00 am and I was suppose to leave that morning

at 8:00 am to meet Wendy Day. So that’s where my mind was at when I came to. CONCRETE: Tell us about what you were pushing when that happened? Slimm Body: Trap Life Crazy it’s more or less a life style project. Trap Life Crazy Crazy, is me and my brother Blow who is ﬁghting a case at the moment. We came up with it together by catching the vibes of the summer and it turned into magic. It’s riding music perfect for the summer. It’s full of content and it’s real. Before I dropped that I released my solo project Life of a Hustler and that was rereleased as a fourteen song project.

CONCRETE: You mention WE a lot. Can you explain to the people what WE means? Slimm Body: WE is the acronym for my label Wholesale Ent., but WE is us, it’s anybody who feels the same as us and you come from that real place. The real hood not the rap hood and you’re chasing something bigger than where you’re from. That’s WE. CONCRETE: Do you feel being shot will make it harder for you to move in the music industry as far as trusting people you’re working with? Slimm Body: I’m a certain type of person that moves a certain type of way. Everything I do is a means to the ultimate goal. So when it comes to business I can do that. I’ve been surrounded by people who will reach around and cut your throat in a minute so the industry isn’t sh*t. I didn’t deal with dumb people in the streets so there is no way I’m going to go where there is millions of dollars ﬂoating around and do some dumb sh*t. CONCRETE: With all this gun violence going on what’s some advice you would give to someone new to the streets? Slimm Body: I would tell them pay attention to the signs. People going to let you know their vibe and what they are on but it’s up to you to pay attention. You know when someone isn’t good for you because you get that feeling. That’s what they need to do is trust their vibes and don’t let the money blind you.

CONCRETE: So you’re out the hospital starting to bounce back, what’s the first move you make music related? Slimm Body: Call Wendy Day! She f*cks with the movement tough. I knew I had to get back to it and start building this brand and trust me, WE will be the ones to do it. CONCRETE: Shortly after the shooting you were already back on stage opening for big acts, who were they and was that difficult for you? Slimm Body: I just had to keep moving. If you start something you have to finish it. The pain brought me strength and I remember times as a kid I would have to make it happen and if you don’t you won’t have food to eat or a roof over your head. If I didn’t take those opportunities I would have never been able to open for Curren$y, Devin The Dude or have my company help sponsor The Vibe Fresh Pack Tour Tour. CONCRETE: What’s coming up next for the Slimm Body fans? Slimm Body: Make sure you go back and get that Slimm Body EP and that Trap Life Crazy project if you haven’t already. WE are getting ready to release the third installment of For My People mixtape series. It’s full of music that I had been recording and just never released. I have Hustle Gang Ra Ra on there, I got Spotlight Banks and Block 125 on there. It’s full of great music. I’m also working on the Cartier Visions project. I have two more projects one produced by Ra Ra and the other produced in full by Killa Musiq. I’m just building my catalog so when the time comes I will be ready and ahead of the game.

HomeTown: Nashville Favorite Designer: Jermaine Pratt (JPratt Boutique) Three artists in your playlist: Lauren Hill, Tupac, and Dom Kennedy

CONCRETE: Can you tell us about this producer hat you’ve been wearing? DJ Coop: I actually have an album in the works. I’m taking heed to the producer side and the DJ side. I feel like they are both intertwined together so I’m working with new artist and old artist to try and make those pieces match. CONCRETE: Do you have a title for the album yet? DJ Coop: Yes, it’s actually called Jealous got me Strapped Strapped. I got that title when I was in Texas shooting a video with KIlla Kyleon. One of the cars popped the trunk and it had lights that said Jealous Got Me Strapped and I was like yea that’s it. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about the new single you just released? DJ Coop: The single is called Huff Puff and Bandplay made the beat. It’s got WILX and Half a Key on there. We are about to drop the video here soon. There are certain people I just want to get heard it’s not always about the money. I invested my own money into this record to try and make it a hit. CONCRETE: So your going the Funk Flex/DJ Khaled route? DJ Coop: Yes. I would say they are some of the pioneers of that area. I rock more with DJ Scream and Bigga Rankin those are the people that touch the culture I move around in. This project is to expose new artist. There is a lot of talent in Nashville but there is a ego problem and a crab in a bucket mentality. CONCRETE: What do you look for in a artist that you work with? DJ Coop: Stability and the grind is important. I would rather come through and put the icing on the cake if the foundation is already there. An artist has to be productive and relevant, there has been plenty of singles to come out of Nashville that had potential but the artists behind the songs didn’t have the knowledge to really push it. CONCRETE: For other DJs reading this what’s some steps to take to start eating off their talent? DJ Coop: Stay consistent. I never gave up. I quit my job four years ago and when I did I had to ask myself do I want to make this amount of money working forty hours a week or do I want to work four hours a night for four days a week and make the same thing. I would say to up and coming DJs if your going to do it then do it but never half ass it. CONCRETE: Tell us about the tour your on? DJ Coop: I’m actually the tour DJ for Young Dolph’s new artist Key Glock which happens to also be my nephew. I’m playing management/DJ role because he’s nineteen years old and doesn’t know the business side of it yet.

My name is Xavier Payne I also go by Xpayne. Born in Flint but I’ve been in Nashville most of my life. I grew up close to Antioch, and graduated from Nashville School of the Arts in 2005. CONCRETE: How would you describe your style of art? XPayne: I would say in 2 words ‘black pop’. It’s basically the culture I grew up in, expressed through colored youthful ambition and just a ﬂat kind of cartoony style. I don’t even look at it as art. I don’t want to sound corny, I’m trying to write songs, tell stories and make movies just on paper in one little square. CONCRETE: How did your art get featured in The Source Magazine? XPayne: Through the magic of the internet and social media. The work they wanted to be in the magazine was something that I had done years prior. It had been circulating around and it was the combination of timing with everything going on with the Tupac movie. They posted it on Instagram and then the art director of The Source emailed me and basically was like, “aye man I want to use this” and I was like, “Hell Yeah”. CONCRETE: You were a featured artist for Pac Fest. What did Pac Fest mean to you? Fest XPayne: That was great, I had a lot of fun. What Pac Fest meant to me was there’s an authenticity to the image of Tupac that I feel gets missed through a lot of controversy. I feel like Pac Fest is here to preserve that authenticity. CONCRETE: During the Pac Fest you had a chance to meet Datwon the editor-in-chief of VIBE Magazine who said he was a fan of your work. What was that like for you? XPayne: It just feels good man. It’s like you put all this work into just getting your name out there and you see somebody from one of the cultural’s Mecca come to you and tell you that your work is important. This is going to go worldwide I want to be a global artist and that kind of reinforces that feeling. CONCRETE: What’s some advice you would give artist that are trying to get into a position to live off their art? XPayne: It’s just positioning you have to do your best to put yourself next to people who are where you want to be. It’s a matter of wanting to do it and having conﬁdence to do it. Put yourself around people that celebrate with you naturally. Don’t go where your tolerated go where your celebrated. Don’t be afraid to mess up, do a lot of stuff. You put the work in the quantity becomes the 22 quality. Just keep going your doing better than you think you are.

CONCRETE: Where did the idea for Pac Fest come from? Big Fella: It started off as just a birthday party then the movie was coming out and his birthday was coming up. There was a lot of energy around that day. We booked the date, then about a month out we were like how are we going to promote this event? I was like we need to do a Pac festival and make it the 7 day theory, seven days of Pac. We had thug passion and Tupac cake. Alize was involved and we got the whole community of Nashville involved. CONCRETE: What events did the Pac Fest consist of? Big Fella: The Pac Fest consisted of parties and intellectual conversations. We had an event for the kids sponsored by Kid Extraordinaire Magazine, its a publication for kids ages ten through fourteen. They had released a Tupac edition for the summer. We had a lot of food, Slim & Husky was dropping off almost twenty pizzas per event. Seafood Sensation hooked it up. It was crazy. We had pop up art shows and movie screenings, it was 7 days of events. CONCRETE: You had some amazingly talented visual artists on display at the Tupac Birthday party can you tell us about? Big Fella: We had like sixteen of some of Nashville’s dopest artist. We had Dough Joe, Xpayne, Omari Booker, Kyro Wolf and there was a lot of others as well. There was just a whole host of community organizers, businesses, artists and music companies that came together to make this happen. We had BMG Nashville, who owns the majority of 2Pac’s catalog and Thalia The Muziq Queen. She had them bring the actual 2pac Platinum plaques out. That’s a Nashville story, when 2Pac’s catalog makes money the checks are coming here. CONCRETE: Tell us about the ﬁlm screening you did? Big Fella: We were suppose to have the screening of the All Eyez on Me movie but we ended up screening The Resurrection and that was presented by the International Black Film Festival. We also had the National Museum Of African American Music to make it ofﬁcial. We used Tupac’s stance on art, culture, music, community and we used that to pull everybody together it was really pretty interesting. Next year is already in the works and it’s going to be even bigger.

Chucky V - Who Is He

By the looks of it Chucky V wants you to judge him by the music and not by his image. Teaming up with T Stoner for this ten song project full of bangers and a few dope features. It starts off with the song “Made It Happen” where Chucky V tells the story of an underdog pushing through the struggle with no one having his back but through it all he still made it happen. Jellyroll lends his voice on the song “Crazy” and WILX delivers some ﬁre on the song “Savage”. This project is full of bangers and is a must have. Salute to Chucky V whoever he is!

Jones Ave - Lit from the Laundry Room

“What’s Up World” is the perfect introduction into this new mixtape from up and coming MC, Jones Ave. “Who I Am” is a letter to old and new fans it introduces Jones Ave and his laid back flow to the masses. “Playin Fields” is a accurate depiction of coming up hard on the streets of Tennessee. Listeners will appreciate the traditional old school hip hop sound from Jones Ave’s flow on the smooth tracks that make up this project. Lit from the Laundry Room definitely sparks your interest and leaves listeners anxious for what’s next.

DJ Svnny D- Yee Mix Vol.1

Check out this brand new mixtape full of theme songs to ride to for the summer. DJ Svnny D shines the light on artists like Wilx (Early), 615 Exclusive (Zero), and an appearance with southern hip hop wordsmith Rich Boy (Bandplay) lending a hand for Snype Lucas’ single. DJ Svnny D shows that he has an ear for talent with this project as he looks outside the box for hot new songs. Check for the catchy college theme song “I’m Broke” from new artist Phresh Kyd and stay on the look out for Svnny D’s next mixtape.

Jitsu Gaiden & T Que - Secret Of The Snooze

Jitsu Gaiden and T Que The Hurricane join forces as the “Grown Ass Ninja Turtles” with heavy production from Murfreesboro’s own Hot Rod on the Beat. After a solid opening, they link up for “Keep it Trilll” with fellow Nashville artists Lroy DaBoy and Lil Vac for a nod to UGK. “You Smoking” is a standout track that the 420 crowd will love after the ﬁrst listen. “Ninja Silence” is an instrumental closing track that will have listeners eagerly waiting on the next dope mixtape from this duo. Over all a solid project that is well orchestrated, get your copy today!

CONCRETE: How did you guys meet? Change Musik (Humble Me): We went to the same church but the church that we went to had multiple locations so I was in Murfreesboro and he was in Nashville. We ended up having an event at the Nashville church and that’s were we met each other. CONCRETE: Were you guys both pushing as solo artist before becoming a group? Change Musik (David): Yes I was a solo artist and Humble Me was in a group. I really didn’t have any intentions on being in a group but we started rocking together and doing shows. Everytime we had something going on it just always ended up being me and him. We formed a group Change Musik and now we have a tv show Change TV that airs worldwide in about 120 million homes and in 24 countries. CONCRETE: Being a Christian artist you wouldn’t expect you to be working with artist like Jelly Roll and Struggle, how did that come about? Change Muzik (David): Jelly Roll is like my brother. I’ve been knowing him before then when we grew up in Antioch. This man is trying to do something positive with his life doing a Christian song. I knew Jelly when he sold drugs and was inspired to be a rapper. I would take Jelly to church with me on a Wednesday night and I would pick him up from the trap. I don’t agree with everything they say but I still see God working on them.

CONCRETE: Tell us what we can expect from the project? Change Musik (Humble Me): You can expect honesty, help, great music, not because it’s us but you can expect great music because what everybody has inside of them is great and we understand it. We’re just shining the light to show that everybody has greatness in them. The reason why I say help is you may not know what to do with wherever your at in life but through this album it’s going to help you do that. (David): If you know better you do better and the features that are on the album are Jelly, Struggle, Pro from Memphis, Wess Morgan is a gospel singer that was nominated for a Dove award and he’s a phenomenal singer and some unreleased stuff we’re going to put out with Haystack that’s really dope. Ultimately the goal is to get you back to God. Our mission is to convert the ones who are wrong and encourage the ones that are trying. I think the music is powerful and it’s music with a meaning, It’s really going to touch some lives. CONCRETE: Production wise who are some of the people that produced this project? Change Musik: Ricky B, T Stoner, Stevie, DJ Dev and Jelly produced some stuff from like a listening standpoint but he was a tremendous help and so was Struggle. We did ﬁfty songs for this album and picked the best seventeen. The production is quality and that’s one thing we’re really passionate about is teaching people to just use what you got.