Under a wave of post-performance whistle-blowing last night, we grabbed the very thing that the game has been missing, Juelz Santana, made our way through the crowded Kodak Gallery floor like the ghosts of Barry Sanders and Herschel Walker and put him under the spotlight for a real quick Q&A, covering his hectic schedule, the Snowman, the Marvellettes, and the elastic nature of the word, "wait." But the waiting is over! Read to achieve!
What’s this week been like for you, leading up to the release date?
Oh man, it’s been crazy. Interviews, promoting my ass off.
You been traveling around a lot?
Hell yeah. Just came back from LA. I did the Vibe Awards. I actually won there—Diplomats won best group. I was nominated for Street Record Of The Year. And I performed “Run It” with Chris Brown. So I’m just enjoying my blessings. It’s a beautiful thing.
I know that the album is coming out next week, but people are also getting pretty hopped up for the Best Of Both Hoods tape that you’ve been working on with Young Jeezy. What’s the progress on that?
Yeah, right? People are fiending for that. Real soon, baby. It’s so crazy, they’re making prequels like it’s Star Wars—fake joints, you know? But when the real one comes out you’re gonna know. People are gonna be like, "Yooooo!" For real, there’s gonna be a lot of hype. It’s gonna be crazy when it comes out, ya dig?
Tell me a little bit about, “Oh Yes” and the “Mr. Postman” sample.
Heatmakerz did it. I recorded it a while ago, like seven months ago. I was like, yeah, this is another one of them things right here. That’s a song I always used to love growing up, you know? Just a little toddler right there. So I had a chance to sample that but I never thought it would clear. But when it did I was like, I gotta get on this one, B.
Did you immediately write the rhyme to interact with the “wait,” sample? Like, “still flippin..."
Most definitely! I can flip weight. I can tell somebody to wait. "Sorry I’ve made you wait so long." Lotta things!
What are some of your favorite tracks on the album?
Top to bottom. I know a lot of people say that but I just enjoy each song and I got a personal thing for each one of them. They’re all different. There’s a lotta different topics. I have a song called “Daddy”, I’m really feeling that record. And then there’s a song called “Gone”, where I’m telling two stories—where people been in situations where they lost their lives. They’re real incidents, both stories, but the chorus is talking about how people never appreciate life until someone close to them is gone.