Historian V.P. Franklin said that, “through politics, education, religion or violent and non-violent resistance, self-determination has been the central goal of African Americans.” Well, Professor Franklin is on point with this, but with all due respect, professor, I’d like to add music to this philosophy.

Black folk have been creating new genres of music for some time now. Out of self-determination, Blacks created jazz, blues, rock and roll and hip-hop. From the traumatizing cotton fields to the long Civil Rights marches, Blacks have used music to get through life, work and relationships. Music has also created careers and wealth for African Americans. For instance, immediately following the Civil War, in Memphis, Tennessee, African American musicians performed on the now famed Beale Street in order to make ends meet. On any given day, one could find Black musicians performing on the cobblestoned street in Memphis.

Memphis native W.C. Handy is credited with writing the first blues song in 1909. Wealthy whites and blacks flocked to Beale Street to hear this new form of music that Handy created. Handy inspired Memphis legends such as Memphis Minnie McCoy, Albert King and Furry Lewis, to name a few. Also, Memphis is home of the iconic Stax Reocrds, the label that brought us legendary crooners Isaac Hayes and Otis Redding.

Based on the history of Memphis’ independent music scene, it’s only natural that Memphis hip-hop artist create successful independent labels. Grammy winners, Three 6 Mafia pushed several hits through their independent Hypnotized Minds label. Underground legends, Eightball & MJG have had stellar hip-hop careers. And, up next is the king of the streets of Memphis and CMG CEO, Yo Gotti.

The 32-year old Gotti got his start in Frayser Housing Projects as a rapper and local d-boy.  Fortunately, his raps and hustle is official. Because in 2000, Gotti released is debut, Da Dope Game 2 The Da Rap Game.  After a bad deal with TVT Records, Gotti paid $400,000 to get himself out that deal, he found himself on J Records.  In 2010, he penned the single, “5 Star,”  which peaked at No. 11 on the US Rap Charts. But, J Records folded, leaving Gotti on his independent grind, again. Not the one to be deterred,  Gotti re-uped on his Cocaine Muzik mix-tapes. Then in 2012, RCA released his album, Live From The The Kitchen, which peaked at No. 12 on Billboard Charts.

Today, Gotti is riding the wave of his sixth studio album, I Am (Epic), which features Rich Homie Quan, T.I., J.Cole, Young Jeezy and YG. With the help of music mogul L.A.Reid, Gotti is now boss of his own label, CMG. The label’s first album, Chapter One will be released in less than an hour.  The Source caught up with Yo Gotti to discuss Chapter One, his artist, Zed Zilla, Snootie Wild, Wave Chapelle and his upcoming mix-tape with Jadakiss. 

So, Chapter One is done?

I’m done recording it. I’m just listening to it over and over. Making sure everything right.

How many songs you got?

Well, we did 20. I don’t know how many going to stay on there. Probably fourteen.

You been doing this like 10 -15 years. So, you are accustomed to putting in that type of work.

Yeah, I’m recording on so many different projects like Chapter One, I’m recording on my new album. Me and Jadakiss got a project we working on. So, I’m kinda recording on all type of shit at the same time.

You and Jadakiss got a tape coming out?  

It’s dope. It’s going to be crazy interesting. I think people ain’t going to see it coming. The music so big and it’s so crazy. It started off as a tape, but the music so good we trying to figure out how to put it out as an album, so right now we just working on that part.

How did you hook up with Kiss?

You see Jada’s one of the first artist from up top that was f***** with me. Jada been f**** with me for a while, him and Juelz Santana. So, the type of n*** I am, you rock with me, I rock with you forever. So, our relationship has always been cool. So, whenever he need me to do something I knock it out. And, when I want him to do something he knock it out. Whenever I need him to come somewhere he pull right up and vice versa.  So, it just made sense. It was natural. Everything has to be natural. So, us doing this tape or album together, we not forcing it. We come from the same culture, the music good, so it’s an interesting piece.

How many songs do you have done?

Got like six or seven.

How is it recording with him?

It’s cool because I’m a fan. I grew up on Jada.  So, I’m a fan of Jadakiss, so every verse he put down it’s still, to me, like I’m hearing him before I knew him. This n*** kill every verse.

How did you meet your artist on CMG, Zed Zilla,  Snootie and Wave?

Zilla my n***. I’ve been rocking with him for a minute. He actually from South Memphis. I’m from North Memphis. I met him just from being in the city. He had it turned up in the city, so we joined forces a while back.

Umm, Snootie, he actually just had one of the hottest songs in the city. I had been in Miami for a minute. When I touched back down in Memphis I went to the clubs and I’m like, “Yo, who is this nigga? This nigga just come out of nowhere.”  So, I reached out to him and told him if there’s anything I can help him out with, let me know. And, then I put a verse on his song. And, from that point we started talking about doing some business together. And, so we made it make sense for both of us.

And, then Wave, he a new artist coming up out there. He from Milwaukee, but, I met him in Memphis. He had the streets. I was in Atlanta and I’d been hearing his name over and over again.  I bumped into some n**** in Atlanta and they was talking about him.  So, we actually went on his Twitter and his Soundcloud and listened to his music in Atlanta. And, I DM’d (Direct Message) and that was the first time I talked to him. I told him when I get back in the city I wanted to meet up with him.

So, what producers do you have on the album?

It’s mainly just us. I had a couple features, but I think I’m skim back on them tracks because I want to make sure that the world listen to them.

Have you decided what song you dropping first?

I let the people decide what records should be pushed.  So, we just put the material out and whichever songs gravitate toward the fans, we give them what they want. I always let the fans pick my singles. That was the purpose of me doing mix-tapes in the beginning. I just put the songs on the tape and you tell me what record I need to go with and that’s what I go with.

What’s your favorite song on there?

Zed Zilla got a record on there called the “Realist.” Snootie got a record called “Made Me.” And, Wave got this record called “Magic.” So all three of them are my favorite.

What’s the vibe like with your artist when y’all record?

My thing is when we in the studio I let everybody do them.  I never try to interfere with anybody’s creative space.  And, we all different.  Snottie Wild is totally different from me. Wave Chapelle is totally different from me, so is Zilla. Everybody in their own lane, so when we together in the studio, I’m more so just trying to show them the things that I learned through the years, the structure, the grind, the importance of being consistent and your relationships and things like that. That’s what I’m more so handing off to them. When it come to them creating their music, they doing their own thing.

What do you want for your artist?

I want all my artist to be big as they can ever be. I want them to be way bigger than me. So, I”ll do everything I can, so they live out their biggest dreams and be as big as they want to be. At the end of the day, we one, in my eyes.  Zilla win, I win. I win, he win. Snootie win, I win. I win, Snootie win. It’s the same thing, so you know, I come from the streets, I come from the culture, so loyalty is everything. That’s all I’m trying to get them to see. We going to get money, we going to get money regardless.  I ain’t chasing no money, I’m chasing a dream, I’m chasing success, If we win, the money going to come. That’s my message to them, homey. Because if anybody around me, and it ain’t got to be no rapper, I got lil’ homies with me, I’ll tell anybody that, we going to get money. So, we ain’t going to never let the money divide us or be the only reason we together.

That’s some powerful, manye. Now, let’s move forward. So, I understand that you do a lot for your city?   

I’m in real estate. I’m trying to buy up half of the city. I own a lot of s**t out there in Memphis like residential properties, commercial properties. That’s just being a hustler, trying to diversify the hustle. I get a rush from just winning in anything, being competitive in anything. We just opened up a restaurant in Memphis, called Prive, upscale, fine dining, so we was able to give back and provide jobs to the community. Anything that I can do personally, I’m in on it. Especially with the city, because Memphis made me, Memphis raised me, they was the first people to support me from the jump.

So after Chapter One, what’s next?

I just started working on my new album. My birthday bash is June 15. Last year we shut down the Orpheum. The first hip-hop performance to ever perform at the Orpheum in downtown Memphis. I brought out Young Jeezy, Cashout, Travis Porter. This year, we doing June 15 aging at the Cannon Center. I’m bring out a lot of my partners again and shut the city down.

Them the things that thrill me because I’m bringing the biggest concerts to the city that they ain’t experiencing . Every year I’m just trying to make this s** bigger and bigger.  This the type of s*** that I’m trying to do for the city, so everybody can see it and put them on a bigger platform.

I got like ten already. In one week.  You got to look at it like this, when I was in the street I ain’t sleep. I’d be the first person up and last one to leave, I’m trying to beat them other niggas to the block. I’m trying to make all the money. So, this the same hustle I’m on. This my trap now, this my work now. Music is my dope, so I ain’t got time to play. I’m re-ing up, popping out, re-ing up popping out everyday.

As told to Darryl Robertson (@darryl_robertson)