You were a strong advocate for the “Respect My Vote” campaign. Are you optimistic about the “change” that Barack’s election means for the country? I definitely think it shows growth and breaks down the boundaries. It shows the outstanding possibilities when you work hard, when you believe in yourself, put passion in what you do. Knowing that you have to go away for a year starting in March, what kind of mindframe are you in right now? Does it affect the way you conduct yourself now, both professionally and personally? It doesn’t. You’re just thankful that you’re coming close to the time where you can put this all behind you and move on. Do you anticipate being in there for a full year? What have they told you as far as that goes? Nobody’s told me anything. I can’t say. I have no control over that. Right now, I can only anticipate what I know for sure and that is once I’ve lived up to my end of the bargain, then a year and a
day is what I have to live for. “Ain’t I” is a big record for the Grand Hustle camp. Yung LA is Dro’s artist, right? Yeah, Dro brought L.A. to Grand Hustle. Obviously it’s a known fact that you’re a great rapper, but I think you’re also underrated when it comes to your business skills and the team you’ve assembled. A lot of artists have their own “record labels” but never even drop another artist’s album. How do you find artists that are motivated enough and take the initiative to keep that momentum going? I don’t think it’s a point of finding those people. I think you got to take the people you have around you and inspire them to do better. You’ve got to lead by example. They learn by watching me. They compare what they do to what they see me do. I invite and welcome everyone to do what it takes and create opportunities. I even help them create opportunities so they can reach my level of success if not go further.
Even in light of the legal situation you’re currently facing, I read that you still take care of the people in your camp financially because you didn’t want them to suffer due to your mistake. How many people depend on you for your livelihood? If I’m not mistaken, I think we employ 33 people. You just have to do good business and structure your [company] financially in a way that your business can still exist and function properly and fiscally without you being physically present. That’s a lot of responsibility. Sure. And that’s just Grand Hustle. That’s not counting a crew, or Club Crucial, or Street Cred, or any of my other endeavors. That’s just Grand Hustle. I don’t know how much you can actually talk about the case… Nah, I ain’t gonna talk about it in no specific detail. I don’t think it’s nothing else that could be said about it that ain’t already been said. I think it’s a lil bit redundant right now to keep
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