As a street hustler, you've got to be smarter than everybody. You have to outsmart the police, you have to outsmart the people in competition with you, you have to outsmart all the opposition.
Yo Gotti
Some people just like to do their own thing. I ain't sayin' it's wrong, but me, I wanna hustle with another hustler. I think two impactful hustlers, or three, or four, is a stronger force.
My key to surviving and winning is hustle. I think once you lose your hustle, you lost everything.
I don't do credit cards 'cause my mama told me back in the day she never dated a man who tows a wallet. 'Cause that mean he ain't have enough money.
I always understood the importance of relationships, respect, standing on your word and your name being good.
Yeah, I've never been afraid to put my own money up on what I wanted and what I believed in or who I believed in.
Real estate was one of the first things I was doing. I kinda like mistakenly fell into that. I bought a house early in my career, and in my head, it was like, if everything goes wrong, I own this one house, you know... As I started doing concerts and more concerts, I started buying more houses.
PUMA has been an iconic name in the fashion world for decades, their ability to remain at the top of the game in not only sportswear, but in culture and fashion is inspirational.
I grew up playing the games, man, back when it was just Nintendos and Sega Genesis.
I feel like it's our job, between me and Jeezy and Gucci - I feel that's who the streets look at as far as trap music. So if it's gonna be saved, we have to save it.
I'm one of the few artists who started from the ground up for real. Not taking no records to the radio station begging no DJ to play it. When DJs started playing my records they called me for them. I ain't pull up and ask nobody for nothing, I ain't pay nobody nothing.
I think you could get a good accountant, but I think I am the best accountant for me. Can't nobody count my money like I can count it.
You know, things that's important to you, things you passionate about, you should fight for it.
I believe that if you got good people around you and they put in the work to help get you where you at, everybody should eat. No man should be depended on another man.
Of course I'm blessed. Super, super blessed. I also believe that you don't get nothing that you don't go for. Even with your blessings, you still gotta go do it.
There's nothing more valuable than your freedom in your life. When you're in the streets you're gambling with that 24/7. If you don't know that you're just flat out dumb to me.
I would buy a house, and try to buy a house every month. I didn't have education or information about real estate at the time. I learned after I bought a few houses, and then I kind of fell in love with the rehabbing of the houses and fixing them up and just the whole process and turned it into a business.
As far as artists go I like Don Trip. I think Don Trip is one of the coldest artists, that's my little partner.
When I'm working on my music, I take special care to make sure the sound is perfect.
I am a situation. I am a walking situation.
I like to make music from a personal standpoint, and the music that feels good to me, and when the music becomes big, it's even better because it's an even more organic feeling than when you, like, tried to make the hit record.
This whole 8 for $8 tour, I handpicked every city, every market on this tour, I handpicked myself. I wanted to go to New York, I wanted to go to Baltimore, I wanted to go to Philly, I wanted to go to Chicago, I wanted to go to Atlanta, of course I wanted to go Memphis, I wanted to go to Oakland.
I played pee-wee football coming up. If I had known the type of chicks they would get when I was in school, I'd probably focused on it a little more.
That's how you want your sound to be - global.
Memphis is just like any other city. I'm pretty sure it's like the streets of Baltimore, with your hoods and traps.
I think people may regret not following their instincts a lot.
I got kids so whenever I can, I fly them out to the cities I'm in.
I didn't study no rappers when I was coming up. I was studying moguls. I was studying Jay Z. I was studying Puff. I was studying Master P.
Me, myself, I ain't never had no problem hustling with nobody.
Memphis breeds hustlers, I feel. It's just cutthroat living period, so to survive around vultures and savages like that, it prepares you for whatever profession you go in.
When I was young I was getting more money than the old heads. I was smarter and tighter, so whoever's team I was on was at an advantage.
They say you're blessed to be a blessing to others. There's no better time to live that saying then the holidays. Especially when so many families are struggling.
Back when I was growing up, I always had one foot in the street and one foot in music.
I think 42 Dugg is a superstar - he's got the voice, the music, the look and the hustle.
My cheat meal is whatever I think about. One thing about me is whatever comes to my mind, if I want it, I'm going to eat it.
You're only as good as your team, so if your team's strong around you, it just puts you in a greater position.
When I'm driving, you have a different feeling when the police get behind you and you're not even breaking the law. The tension is so high.
I love to learn, I love to be educated on different levels.
Roc Nation is strong, I'm strong and powerful on my own, and when we put it together we're unstoppable.
One of my homeboys from my neighborhood had actually taught me how to rap. He was the rapper and we would all go over to his house. It would be like 10 or 12 of us in there and he'd write everybody's rap in the house and would give everybody four or eight bars.
It is super important to know what you are getting yourself into when signing a deal. I learned that the hard way.
You could be the best lyricist or rapper or songwriter, if you ain't mentally prepared to put in the work, it's a waste of time.
Me as a person, man, I'm just rapping reality. Every time I get in front of the microphone I'm just speaking about real life and what's happening.
I would watch all of the videos that came on on BET and MTV. I was infatuated with the hip-hop culture.
I recorded 'The Art of Hustle' album three times because I had the time to do it.
Probably more than half my life, I've thought from a trap mindset, a hood mind frame in the way I was moving.
I got a lot of respect for Drake, most definitely; he's killin' it.
I most definitely respect Jay Z hustle and everything he built. He's a businessman first and I think he respects my hustle.
I grew up in a family where my brother was in prison. My father was in prison.
When people are watching the George Floyd video, that could have been me. I think people are just afraid that the people who are supposed to be protecting and serving you are against you.
