Pitchfork

As our own Tom Breihan put it in his review of Young Jeezy's second and most recent album, The Inspiration, "There's wisdom in his ignorance and ignorance in his wisdom." That is, even though the Atlanta MC rehashes the same old drug talk and motivational speak in his lyrics and in interviews, he does it with a charisma that makes possible the occasional revelation.

When I talked to Young Jeezy and the other two members of his USDA crew-- Blood Raw and Slick Pulla-- about their new mixtape, Young Jeezy Presents USDA: Cold Summer, they were unsurprisingly repetitive and promotional. Nonetheless, there were moments of comedy and poignancy as we talked about Cold Summer (which comes out May 22 via Def Jam and their own Corporate Thugz Entertainment), their communities, the slang that permeates their lyrics, and the rumored street team comprised entirely of white girls to promote the single "White Girl".

Pitchfork: How is the Street Dream tour going?

Blood Raw: Aw, man, it's beautiful. It's real good exposure. It's real good politicking going on, and we're getting a lot of love from the fans.

Pitchfork: When you say "politicking," are you guys making connections backstage? Are you working on collaborations, like with Lil Wayne and Rich Boy?

BR: Well, we're also doing promo, as far as USDA. We're going to the radio stations, doing some marketing by passing out t-shirts, CDs, after-parties, and different things like that.

Pitchfork: There is an obvious pun going on with the name USDA. Why specifically did you choose that acronym?

BR: It's really just a coincidence. When we came up with "United Streets and D-Boys of America," we just spun it up to USDA. That's the acronym for that. That represents our movement. It's really not trying to make a spin-off.

Pitchfork: It's really just a coincidence that it also stands for the United States Department of Agriculture? There wasn't a little bit of name recognition going on there?

BR: No, no, not at all. It's just a coincidence. It just so happens that those letters stand for that.

Pitchfork: What's the deal with the "White Girl" street team? Who came up with that idea?

BR: Well, actually, it was a joke at first, and when they placed it on the [MySpace], it started going crazy. We started getting a lot of reviews. But it wasn't nothing that CTE wanted to do like that. It was just like, "Let's see what we can do." It was supposed to be here and gone, and the response from it was incredible and it's just taken off on its own.

Pitchfork: What is the role of those girls on the street team going to be? Is it going to be like the Miller Girls who go to bars and hand out free stuff?

BR: I really can't elaborate on it too much, but I know that it's really like-- it's pretty much street promotion, helping promote this single: passing out CDs, passing out t-shirts, flyers, putting up posters, whatever. I don't really know.

Pitchfork: I think the reason why the idea of the all-white-girl street team to promote "White Girl" is funny is that it rubs the real world definition of "white girl" against the drug slang. Do you guys have any other funny encounters where people think you're talking about one thing and you're actually talking about something totally different?

BR: Not necessarily being funny, you know, but anything that's new, you have to be different. So I feel like that was just a promotional, marketing strategy that was going to be different from the ordinary.

Pitchfork: But you haven't had anyone talk to you about your lyrics and think that you're really just talking about snowmen and playing in the snow and stuff like that?

BR: Actually, we're going to take that for an example. "Snowman" was so different, and people try to make it such a bad thing. But when you look at the Snowman you think of Christmas, and here is a guy who's a loving dude. Everybody links Santa Claus with the Snowman. You know, it's all about marketing in this game, and that's one thing that Corporate Thugz Entertainment is trying to be on top of.

Pitchfork: Is that the real secret of CTE, Young Jeezy, and USDA, that it's about drugs on the surface, but deep down it's all just about love and a holiday feeling?

BR: I mean, when you're an artist and you come from a certain period in your lifetime and you've been through things and you can't get away from that-- you try to get away from that as a person, but when you do real music and you stick on things you've been through in your life then you have to talk about things you know about. I'm not saying it in a negative way, but you have to bring it to the attention of the viewers and the listeners to understand that, "Hey, this is where I came from, and this is where I'm going." You feel me? So you could think of a million bad things that I did in my life, but the one good thing nobody never brings up.

Pitchfork: What are some of the good things that nobody brings up?

BR: The things that we've done as a label, giving back to the community. We played a major role in the Katrina situation. We gave away so much-- I can't even tell you. I know we did-- what?-- two Gs of trucks full of toys. Not toys but back to school programs. We did the essay contest for the Jeezy album. We gave away so much, and people never recognize the good things. They always try to bring the bad things up.

Slick Pulla: These are three guys who came from a different background but was all in the struggle, and, you know, cats can look and see that we came from that to this and all they got to do is follow the same trend.

BR: That gives me another idea. I come from Panama City, Florida, and I could never tell you an NBA player from Panama City, Florida. I could never tell you an NFL player, a hockey player, nobody. But when the kids look at Blood Raw and see what I came from and where I am now-- and I haven't even made it big yet, but that's just an inspiration to them. I have the kids telling me all the time how they look up to me and they're so proud of me. And it's just the small things that count.

Pitchfork: What is it like going between the local scenes where you're so connected with the community and then being on stage in front of thousands of strangers? Is that an odd feeling?

SP: It's not odd because we'll be speaking a universal language. Those people, our fans, feel like they already met us before we even met them. We been places and cats'll come up to me like, "Look man, I really feel what you're doing. Keep doing it," talking to me like they known me all my life. When the music connects with people, it's a beautiful connection. And music can make you feel like you've known someone who you've never met, because sometimes people say on tracks, like through songs or whatever, they say things you're thinking. And when you hear that you be like, "Aw, he feel like I feel!" And when you hear that, you feel like you're closer to them. You feel like you almost know them.

Pitchfork: Since USDA is a three-person group, do you have an ideal three-person group that you would like to see, if you could mine all of rap history?

BR: Young Jeezy, Blood Raw, Slick Pulla! [laughs] That's the best I can give you. There was one three-man group that was about to come out for a while, and it was highly anticipated, but they never came out. They never did the album. It was Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule, and I'm talking it was hot! If they would've done it, that would've been a good move. I don't know what happened.

[Blood Raw and Slick Pulla get Young Jeezy from the studio, and he gets on the phone.]

Young Jeezy: Hello?

Pitchfork: Hey Jeezy, how are you?

YJ: I can't complain, and if I did, who'd care?

Pitchfork: [laughs] What are you recording right now?

YJ: I've been doing a verse for R Kelly's album.

Pitchfork: How's that?

YJ: It's going good, you know. From what I heard, that shit is crazy.

Pitchfork: It seems like he's doing a lot more rap-oriented stuff than the traditional r&b.

YJ: I mean but that's what's cracking right now.

Pitchfork: Have you ever listened to an edited version of one of your albums?

YJ: Nah, I never have. That's a good question. They might fuck me up with that one.

Pitchfork: You never wanted to hear what it would sound like?

YJ: Nah, I mean, I normally sample all the mix-downs, but when it comes to that type of shit, I don't be around.

Pitchfork: At this point, you're pretty famous for your ad-libs. What gave you the original idea to start doing that? Is there a story behind the first time you ad-libbed in the studio?

YJ: No, I mean, when I do my music, it's just how I feel it. Sometimes my punch lines be real street, so if you ain't really on no street shit you might miss it. So I always ad-lib it to give it that extra oomph.

Pitchfork: So it's just for general emphasis? Some guys keep notebooks or write lyrics down, but it seems like you could go in and improvise the whole thing.

YJ: Yeah, that's what I do. Straight off the top of the head, baby!

Pitchfork: How do you feel about the "White Girl" street team?

YJ: I think it got misconstrued, and that ain't what we on right now. I don't know how that got out.

Pitchfork: So it's not actually happening?

YJ: No, come on man.

Pitchfork: [laughs] It seems like a funny idea, as a way to promote the USDA album.

YJ: Only thing about it is that it'd be a gimmick then, and we don't do gimmicks.