How long have you been with Zone 4? I’ve been with Zone 4 for a couple of months now since Polow Da Don came to me. I was doing a whole bunch of hooks. I ain’t never write no full songs. He came to me and was like, “You need to do a full song. I like your voice and your concepts.” “I Gotta Dolla” was the first song I did down here in Zaks studio. I had energy; I kept the whole room alive. I used to rap but I gave up because ain’t nobody understand where I was coming from. The way to keep myself alive in music was by doing hooks. That’s one of the main parts of a song. Have you ever written something for someone and later wished you had kept it for yourself? Plenty of times, but at the same time I look at it like, I’m YV; if you want to be greatest you have to prove to yourself that you can do it. I can do another [song]; I can give him one and make ten more for myself. That’s how I am. So have you learned anything from Polow over the past months? I learned plenty of things. Everybody knows Polow’s a genius. I learned so much from him on the business side. I learned so much on music, like how you’re supposed to put things together and making different hooks that I would have never even thought of, putting beats together. He’ll show you a little bit of everything. You produce as well, right? I do it all baby. It’s just that I don’t want to put it out there yet ‘cause I’m trying to focus on one thing. I’m an artist so I got to get all that together. I make beats; I record myself, everything. Who all have you been working with on hooks? Actually, my stuff hasn’t come out yet, but I got a couple with E-40. I just did two more for him last night but we don’t know what will happen with it yet. Lil Jon produced a couple songs for E-40 and I did a couple of hooks for them. I worked with Attitude ,who’s on Warner Brothers. I’ve done stuff with a couple of local cats in Kentucky and down here in Atlanta. “I Gotta Dolla” is a club song. Is the stuff you’re working on now pretty much the same types of songs? Yeah. Me and Polow went in on a song called “Stroke.” It’s like an up-tempo beat, like some Florida stuff. I was actually born in Tallahassee,
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Florida. I was raised in Kentucky. I like to give stuff to people from both the states I’m from. Florida’s tempo is real fast. The next one we’re going with is “Stroke.” It’s like a dance record for working out. You know how you got your trainers and stuff? We got something for that. What are you expecting out of your deal? What are they talking about doing for you? Videos, getting me out there, and making me poppin’. I’m a star so they really gon’ do whatever it takes. I’m from Kentucky and I have a chance to make it big. There’s a lot of stuff on my back. I got a lot a stuff I can carry and make history. If I make it pop, that’s Kentucky. A lot of y’all are like, “Kentucky?” That’s why I’m wild; I’m crazy. I do whatever. I’ll jump on stage; I’ll flip, whatever, get all in a girl’s face. So represent for Kentucky. What’s the Derby all about? You have your separate crowds. Some of the people go to the racetrack and watch the horses and bet money. But me and my crowd go downtown, more towards the hood where it’s partying and music, shows, different artists, people that come from outta town. We go more into Broadway, the West end to the East end. It’s just crazy. We’re trying to get Polow to go down there, Greg Street, all of us. How long have you been in Atlanta? I’ve been down here for about two and half years now. You gotta love Atlanta. That’s why Atlanta has so much respect ,because artists like me can come from anywhere and they give you a chance down here. They listen before they just throw you up under the bus like, “Aw, we don’t like that.” You’re gonna have haters everywhere you go. Shouts out to B.O.B. for that one. See, my homeboy Willy Will moved to Atlanta first. That was my producer; he raised me. He got on through connecting with Atlanta people and working. He came down here and then brought me on. Actually, my cousin had a KY) went down deal with Universal(Louisville, but something to where his stuff didn’t pop. He actually had the “I Gotta Dolla” song first. They didn’t catch onto it; they ain’t like it. It isn’t bad or nothing so we took it. I went to my cousin and was like, “That song is a banger.” Polow loved the song. They came to me and was like, “Why don’t you do it?” But the song belongs to you, right, according to the paperwork and all that?