Jeezy is always a stand up guy, and speaks very openly and honestly when interviewed. At A3C Dr. Marc Lamont Hill had a special conversation with Jeezy that was very in-depth. Jeezy spoke about his new album Church in These Streets, the harsh reality of his music, and the evolution of coming from the streets and becoming a positive messenger in hip hop.
Dr. Lamont Hill asked Jeezy about his new album title and said it was not something we would have come to expect out of Jeey or at least hearing God and in the context of his music was different. To which Jeezy gave a great response about how the streets see things.
We hold people in high regard that are able to look out for their community, for their family members or their loved ones, or even create a way that everyone can eat. In the streets it’s all about survival and we hold them in high regard, some of these people end up going to the penitentiary and if they get out and get home and they did everything that they do then they OGs, they generals, they Gods in our eyes. I ran with a lot of cats that people looked at like they weren’t human beings, they look at them like they’re Gods.
Jeezy also speaks on what he believes is a part of his longevity and what he plans to do next
People have been coming to my concerts for 10 years and listening to the same songs. But I don’t think it’s about the songs, I think it’s about the message in between the songs that you say. When you come to a Jeezy show there’s a lot of people that been through the same struggle I been through, lost the same homies that I lost, against the same obstacles that I did and they understand our way of thinking so I want to bring that to the world. When I came in I did trap music, and that did start trap music and I started trap music by the way…When you say Church in These Streets it’s me taking that responsibility, and don’t get it twisted the album gonna be hard.
We also got another connection to his new album and the harsh realities in his music, but also why it is important to hear it.
I’m gonna put it on the table for ya, if you go to church the pastor gonna tell you about the good, the bad and the ugly. He gonna tell you about the devil and everything else, that’s what it is with this music. The good, the bad, getting this money, the penitentiary, the homies you might lose.
Young Jeezy then tells about a friend he hadn’t seen in ten years who just got out of jail. The mentality of how that changes people as he says his friend was talking about he was gonna get back on the same thing that got him locked up and how Jeezy had to tell him it is a different world, a message he tries to put in the music.
Hill and Jeezy also have a laugh about the Pastor Young name and he assures that he has not gone the Mase route. He says he came in as the Snowman and that was for a few reasons.
Now a days, I just feel like someone who has high regard and high standards, it’s on me to give the young cats the game. I told you how to trap or die and… now you want to know the next step and the next phase is, Pastor Young is someone you gotta take seriously. You don’t wanna hear what you gotta do next from the Snowman.
Anyone that knows Jeezy , knows that he always is positive and has a word for you. Dr. Hill asks how he is able to remain that way. He talks about being grateful he isn’t locked up or dead as a main force. Also detailing how he grew up in a trailer that was about the size of the stage he was speaking on. To which Lamont Hill asks how does he come from that to become Young Jeezy?
Just take everything that is really a negative and turn it into a positive…With the album cover with the black cats, my grandmother had me terrified of black cats, and splitting telephone polls and leaving your hat on the bed cause it’s bad luck. You get older and see it ain’t what it is and just take everything that is a negative and make it a positive. I’m dropping the album on Friday the 13th and everyone affiliate that with bad luck…it’s not to throw anyone off but to take this seriously.
This is only part one of the interview with Dr. Lamont Hill and it you do not want to miss the rest as it becomes a even realer conversation.
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