If you have been keeping your ears close to the streets of the Southern underground then no doubt you’ve heard the name and music of Baton Rogue native Lil Boosie. With six mix tapes and two underground albums Lil Boosie has been heating up the streets of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and beyond for the past four and half years. Yet despite his impressive buzz stretching back in 2002, major label were reluctant to sign him. That all changed when Trill Entertainment inked a major deal with Asylum Records and the world caught a glimpse of what Boosie Bad Azz was capable of on his compatriot’s Lil Webbie’s national debut Savage Life. He also made a strong showing on David Banner’s single “I Ain’t Got Nothin’” All of this plus a ton of more mix tape appearances has brought the anticipation level for his debut album Bad Ass to a fever pitch. With this in mind Down-South.com dispatched ace reporter Charlie Braxton to talk to the self proclaimed bad azz trouble maker and here’s what he had to say.

Boosie: Tupac. Coming up I mostly listen to Tupac. I didn’t really listen to nobody else except Tupac and a little No Limit and a little Cash Money, but mostly I listened to Tupac.

Down-South.com: How did you get started in the rap game?

Boosie: I got started in rap game…..well I was rapping to people in the neighborhood and people got to talking so I met a guy name Frog. He was one of C-Loc’s best friends. He brung C-Loc to me and I rapped fro C-loc and every since then I been rapping.

Down-South.com: I know that when C-Loc got incarcerated for a while you were kind of quite on the regional scene but you were still doing your thing in Baton Rogue real tough.

Boosie: Yeah, when C-Loc went to jail I was pretty much on my own. I was like disgusted and shit. After I got over that I started messing with Trill Entertainment. They took me to Texas and I started working with Pimp C. I did a couple of songs with Pimp C and that’s how I got with Trill and everything started taking off. But by me losing my CEO that like really hurt my stride for the game. I really ain’t give a fuck.

Down-South.com: One of the strategies that you used to blow yourself up in the streets was mix tapes. In many ways you like the Southern version of 50 Cent.

Boosie: Yeah, I’m like King of the Mix Tapes bruh. I feel like I was supposed to have a national album out in 2002…2003, but unfortunately it didn’t work like that but that mix tape shit I’m the king of all that.

Down-South.com: I wanna go back to what you said about listening to Tupac. One of the things that I do find similarities between you and Pac is that you’re not afraid to talk about what’s going on in your life, good or bad.

Boosie: Man, that’s how I am. Whatever I go through in my life I’m gone rap about the shit. That’s why I used to listen to Pac. I don’t give a fuck what happen I’m gonna tell you about it. Pac [taught] me to be like whatever is on my mind I’m gonna talk ‘bout the shit. Pac really made me believe. I’m a trouble maker like Pac. I stay in trouble. Pac made me wanna say whatever it is I wanna say. If I’m gonna fuck a nigga up then I’m gonna say I’m gonna fuck a nigga up. Them deep mama songs…..that’s why I used to love Pac, that nigga’s is so deep.

Down-South.com: Now that kids are listening to you the way you listened to Pac, how did that make you feel?

Boosie: That makes me feel good when people come up to me at the club and say man you like Tupac. When you rap your shit I just know you real. I just feel this shit deep inside. Being compared to Tupac….that shit [is] like immortal; so right now people are just showing me much love. I got the best music in the streets, mix tapes or otherwise. It’s just much love right now. Pac still motivates me right now. I got Pac in the deck right now.

Down-South.com: One thing about you is that you express your pain very well; does rapping about it help you to deal with it?

Boosie: Sometimes. Sometimes it helps me deal with it, sometimes it don’t. I just can’t hold nothing back. That’s how I made it through all this time, rapping [about] my life. Whatever’s going on in my life sometimes it might be some shit that I wanna keep secret but I just let it out anyway. I just don’t have no cut on me, bruh.

Down-South.com: How many mix tapes have you put out?

Boosie: I done put out like six or seven mix tapes bruh. I did everything from selling them on my own. No contacts with distributors. I was just on the streets selling them my own self, whatever it takes to get in the door.

Down-South.com: I understand that you, Webbie and Pimp C have a group called B-12…..

Boosie: Yeah, me, Webbie and Pimp C suppose to be working on a project but it’s been postponed because me and Webbie are busy working on this album Gangsta Music II, that hits the streets right after my Bad Ass album. We’re working on the B-12 album also. We’ve done a few songs, but as of right now it’s not official when we’re gonna drop the album.

Down-South.com: Tell me something about your first album?

Boosie: My first album is called The Youngest of the Camp. That was with C-Loc. I recorded that album in one weekend. I did it in one weekend in Texas.

Down-South.com: How old were you then?

Boosie: I was like 14 or 15.

Down-South.com: Tell me about the new album, Bad Azz?

Boosie: With the new album I’m hittin’ ‘em from all angles. I got the women songs, I got the gangsta songs, I got the love songs; it’s just a classic album. I’m hittin’ ‘em from all areas. It’s not one song that you can just listen to. Like [on] everybody else album all the songs sound the same. This album is just versatile. This bitch is the truth.

by: Charlie Braxton © Down-South.com