Earlier this week i caught up with one of Young Money’s recording engineers Mike Cadahia better known as Mike Banger. Recently Mike spoke to NewLilWayne.com about what exactly he does as an engineer for Lil Wayne and the Cash Money/Young Money family and his work in major projects such as the new “I’m Not A Human Being” EP set to be released September 27 and the most anticipated album of the Carter series “The Carter IV“. Check out what Mike had to say below.

First off, Thanks for taking your time out and speaking with us.

No prob. I appreciate the support.

Tell us about yourself, how long have you been a recording engineer and producer for? And how did you meet Lil’ Wayne?

I actually did not intend on becoming a recording engineer but I picked it up along the way. I’ve been doing music for about ten years. I started off playing drums, I rhymed a bit, got into making beats, bought a keyboard, recorded some songs, and learn to mix them. I couldn’t really afford school so a few small studio internships gave me the experience needed to take on bigger internships. In the end a bunch of free hours and unpaid internships are what led to me meeting Lil Wayne. He worked with just about all my colleagues and industry friends before I finally got the call from my homey Drew. It was kind of crazy and nerve wrecking because the session was about 2 hours from the call at The Hit Factory Criteria which I had never been in or worked at.

Now, As a recording engineer and producer, what are your roles in creating the music that we hear everyday?

I record, organize, receive feature files and store everything he lays down along with every beat that is submitted. We usually start a session by hearing beats till he likes one then looping wherever he wants to start thinking at. I guess we have good chemistry because we really don’t need to speak much while heavily working aside from the lyrics floating in the room. He’ll just nod at me and go in the booth. The beat or the idea he’s coming up with will influence how I prep his mic channel with eqs, distortion, autotune, etc… if he didn’t already request something. At first the many things we do now regularly which have advanced into a style of our own took some time and experimentation. He might tell me where to chop or screw or whatever but for the most part now we both feel the records and do creative things as the songs production progresses. My ideas I choose to share selectively knowing he has the right to shut them down with no remorse and kick me out of the studio. As soon as he leaves I make beats to show him on our next session along with any others I received. He always rearranges what us producers intended on producing so it always comes out more creative and interesting than we expected to hear.

Now let’s talk about the upcoming EP from Lil’ Wayne “I’m Not A Human Being”. You recorded “Right above it”, the first single from the EP. This is one of your first major recordings. Is it true this song was never set to be on the EP?

“Right Above It” was a song we had been back and forth on for a while. There are a few different versions. He’ll always fix a verse or make it better if he can but this one was special. Everyone in the studio loved it the first time before any changes but he is a perfectionist. KY began recording this song and it was one of my earlier sessions the first time I was flown out to L.A. I also mixed this song which I didn’t expect to do. Before he went in he didn’t tell me to use this song for anything but his manager heard it and the executive decision was made.

We know you’re close to Young Money, can you tell us about your relationship with them? Are there members that you’re closer to than the others?

I love my team. I’m from Miami so I get to see some more than others but it’s all good. I keep the line always open 24-7 and let them send anything my way to work on. Sometimes they gotta hit me up for technical difficulties with their laptop setups. I’m closest to Wayne since we work every night overtime but I think me and Nicki are telepathically connected.

In terms of work, have you recorded any material on Wayne’s Carter 4? We know you’ve been doing a lot of work for the upcoming EP.

We work so much that anything can be put together at a time like this. #FreeWeeZy. C4 could have been put out as is but instead they chose this EP idea which I like better too. He gave me many ideas before he went in too. I could’ve put out 3 albums. I Am Not A Human Being is dope though. C4 I’m sure will be completed as soon as he comes home.

What are your thoughts on Lil Wayne’s prison sentence? Do you think the music game is missing Lil’ Wayne right now?

It sucks that he has to sit in there but at least its less than a year. He’ll be out soon. I hope whatever the reason or outcome to this is positive. Of course we all miss him.

KY & Lil Wayne

Recording Engineer Finis White, better known as KY has one of the most important jobs in the music industry. He is Lil Wayne‘s right hand man/engineer in the studio, crafting the sound of all the rappers songs. In addition to working with Lil Wayne, KY also works closely with Wayne’s supergroup Young Money. Recently KY spoke to NewLilWayne.com about what exactly he does as an engineer for Lil Wayne and the Cash Money/Young Money family.

“Well an engineer is the person that makes the music sound the way it sounds. A good engineer is a must. You can have a hot song but if it doesn’t sound the way it’s supposed to, it might not come out hot. Also the engineer has to understand the artists that they are working with. Every artist has their own way they record. If the engineer is messing up it throws the vibe off, which in turn affects the way the song turns out. The difference between engineer and a producer. The engineer records the song, the lyrics, tracks, the beat, and gives the song its sound. The producer is the person that puts the song together as far as lyrics and arrangement. The producer is not always the person that makes the beat. In my case Wayne produces all of the songs because he has the vision of what the song should be” KY told NewLilWayne.com.

KY also spoke on his involvement in both the Rebirth and We Are Young Money albums saying “I had fun doing Rebirth; it was something different for me and Wayne. I haven’t done Rock before, so it was fun getting to use different plug-ins and just overall doing new things. Wayne is playing guitar on almost every song. Producers Infamous, Drew [Correa] and Cool & Dre came through big time for us on Rebirth. Drew and Infamous would make tracks on the spot in the studio with Wayne. Cool & Dre just kept dropping off new heat every week. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League also helped out a lot. They sent me a lot of great tracks as well. Shanell also was a very big part in helping to create Rebirth. She of course wrote the single “Prom Queen” but she helped craft a lot of the project. My favorite tracks on Rebirth are On Fire, Paradice, Drop The World, and Knockout. The Young Money album was fun to make. Everybody would fly down to Miami. We like a big family. Everybody is cool and down to earth. I love the album though because it gave everybody a chance to let people get a look at what everybody can do. Plus I love to work with everybody else besides Wayne, because Wayne already knows what he wants in the studio as far as sound. I get to be more creative with everyone else. I like giving each artist their own personal sound. Kane Beatz and Chase N Cashe did most of the production on the Young Money album. I met both of them in Atlanta before I worked with Wayne. So when Wayne said I need beats I called the best people I knew that had a new sound. I got my first mixing credit on this album also, “Steady Mobbin” that was big for me. My favorite tracks on We Are Young Money are Steady Mobbin, Gooder, Pass The Dutch and Bedrock. Also shouts out to Mike Banger and Jewfro. They were a big help with both projects.”

According to KY one of the main aspects that hurts artists and labels in today’s environment is the fact that music leaks onto the internet everyday.

“I hate when music leaks because of course people love what we doing, but most of the time those songs aren’t done and over at YM we pride ourselves on quality. They would love the songs more if they were done. It’s not really much we can do because they hack emails or people might come into the studio after we leave and get the songs and put them out. We don’t email anymore so it has calmed down a lot but as soon as we do send it out, it’s on the street in less than a week. Another thing is that when songs leak that were going on an album it pushes the album back, because we have to keep making new songs that people haven’t heard, “ KY said about how this affected work with Lil Wayne and Cash Money/Young Money.

KY also spoke about his major role in hooking Lil Wayne and Eminem up with producers Chase N. Cashe for the track Drop The World.

“Chase N Cashe and Hit Boy produced the record. I met them in Atlanta at ZAC’s, they produce for Polow’s Zone 4 imprint. We were in LA in the studio at Westlake. We needed beats. I didn’t have Chase’s number so I hit him on Twitter and got his number. He sent me 4 tracks that night. When we did it we weren’t thinking about putting anybody one it. It wasn’t until about 2 months later Wayne said I’ma get Em on this. When Em sent the verse back we was goin crazy cause he killed it. I think it’s one of the best tracks on Rebirth.”

With the anticipation building for Lil Wayne’s Carter 4, KY said “Of course after Rebirth the Carter 4 is up next, he already has about 20 records for it done already.”

Lloyd Does An Exclusive Interview With NewLilWayne.com

Between releasing a new EP which features the likes of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, touring over in Europe, and making the ladies bed’s rock; Lloyd is definitely making a big splash in the music industry. Lloyd not only is crooning the ladies, but he is also making club smashes like his latest single “Pusha” with rapper Lil Wayne.

First off, you recently released a new EP that can be downloaded for free. How has the feedback been so far and why did you choose to release it for free?

Accessibility for my fans. I chose to release it for free so that my fans could have easy access to it. Anybody can download it in any country around the world. The feedback has been good.

On the projects first single “Pusha” you worked with Lil Wayne. Can you tell us how this collaboration came about and what it was like working with him in the studio?

He’s a good friend and a great addition to any song, any genre. There’s something about his delivery that’s alien-like. I never know how he’s going to approach it. Its exciting to watch him work. We sent him the record and he knocked it out. It was as simple as that.

You have unfortunately had to deal with a lot of the negative politics that come from being in the music industry, however now you seem to be past that point. Can you tell us how the independent route you have taken has been going.

The best thing about being young is having time to try different things. I’m enjoying my newfound independence and it’s going great. We’re taking our time and plotting our next move.

Can we expect to see a video for the single Pusha? If so can you please give us some details on when the fans can expect to see that?

Yes, there will be a video for “Pusha.” We’re still deciding on the concepts for it, but we have some dope ideas. I’m hoping to shoot it in January.

Another popular song off your EP is “Take It Off” feat. J Holiday and Nicki Minaj. Can you tell us how you decided to work with Nicki Minaj and what that was like?

One day, my friends and I were debating on who’s the best female MC in the game. I said that I liked Nicki. Since leaving The Inc, I’d started to work on some new tracks at my studio in Atlanta with J.Holiday and a few friends. Upon completing “Take It Off”, we both agreed on her. I spoke with her on the phone while I was touring in Europe. She agreed to do it and she killed it.

Lately you have been doing a lot of work with Young Money, including collaborating on their hit single “Bedrock”. What was it like doing a music video for the track in Miami with Wayne and the crew? How did it feel to replace Omarion on the track, since your hook was a lot better?

Working with them was great. Nice weather, loud music, and pretty girls in pajamas. Drake’s funnier than I thought, haha. My homie Jay Rock was out there. Tyga running around with Bengals pants on. Somebody got pushed in the pool. Overall good time. Omarion’s got a version?? What’s it sound like?? Better than Bedrock?? No way. Haha.

Many people have speculated that you are going to join Lil Wayne’s label Young Money. Can you confirm this to us? Have you been in talks or have they offered you a deal?

A lot of people think I’m already signed over there, but the truth is that I’m still a free agent and I haven’t signed with Young Money/Cash Money. I don’t want to get into specifics, but I have been talking to them and to some other labels. It’s an important decision and we’re not gonna rush it.

You have now had multiple hit records with Lil Wayne. Is there any upcoming projects you and him are working on that you can speak about to the fans?

We’re both working, but not on anything specifically together. He has The Rebirth and The Carter 4, and I’m working on my new album and a couple mixtapes. There were rumors about us doing a project together a few years back, but that was just wishful thinking by the fans.

Now that you have released your EP, what do you have in store next? Will you be joining Cash Money and Young Money on the new tour? What else will you be doing, and when can fans expect a full album?

I may pop up on a few dates, but I’m not officially on the tour. I’m staying busy on the road promoting “Pusha” around the world. I’m gonna keep working on my next studio album, tentatively titled “Love Never Dies”. I plan on releasing it in 2010 after we secure a new deal. Stay tuned to younggoldie.com for more details.

Gudda Gudda does an interview with NewLilWayne.com

In case you missed it, click here to read part 1 of our interview with Gudda Gudda of Young Money. In part 2 of the interview, Gudda speaks with us about his mixtapes and solo career, Young Money‘s upcoming moves and being on No Ceilings. Read below to catch it all.

Your mixtape Guddaville has been a big hit with fans, with many of them treating it like an album of its own. Do you think that Guddaville has helped increase the buzz and hype for both you and Young Money?

Oh definitely. For me as a solo artist it was a good look to put out my first body of work. Definitely was a good look for the team, too, cause I had the whole team on it throughout the whole album. It was good, a good look for everybody.

No Ceilings the mixtape was recently released and fans love it. We were originally told that it was going to be Lil Wayne only on this mixtape, but you have a killer verse on the “Break Up” remix. Can you tell us how that verse came about?

I just was in the studio while he was recording the song and just asked me if I wanted to get on it, he was just like “you got a verse?” I was like “I ain’t got nothing written that I think will fit on it but I’ll write something real quick to it.” I just wrote the verse in like 15-20 minutes and laid it. There wasn’t really behind the verse I just went in real quick.

We know that Young Money recently had the “Bedrock” shoot in Miami, what can you tell us about the music video?

All I can say so far is that the concept of it is “The Real World” like the reality show The Real World. The concept of the video is surrounding that, you know its hot I think its gon be hot. I ain’t actually seen the video yet its not done getting edited so I can’t really speak much on it but it definitely looks like its gonna be a hot video.

So you’re already on the 2 singles for “We Are Young Money,” plus you’re on “Where’s Wayne,” and “Sacrifice.” Will we be seeing you on many more songs on the album?

Yeah you’re gonna see me on like 80 percent of the album, 85 percent to 90 percent of the album. And I’m also on Birdman’s Priceless album and I did some writing on it also. I might be on Rebirth, I don’t know for sure yet, I’ve never seen the list for the Rebirth. I’m pretty sure I’m on it.

As far as your solo career, have you been working on a solo album much?

Yeah I’m just starting piling songs right now you know just putting up a gang of material. Just getting ready for my time, just sitting back patient waiting my turn thats it, putting songs up right now. Getting ready for it so the day he let me know its time for my album I’m at least halfway ready.

Do you know when we can be expecting your album to be released?

I can’t give you a date right now, I mean we got the Young Money album coming out thats the most important thing right now. December 22nd, and Rebirth comes out December 22nd same day. Birdman’s album is out, you should be hearing stuff from Drake probably after. That’s whats going on until February, Young Money, Rebirth, Drake.

Alright Gudda, thanks so much for taking the time out to catch up with us. Good luck with the Young Money album and your own stuff!

Thank you very much.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUohO8zxHFg

On Twitter some members of Young Money have been talking about a tour coming up. Could you tell us anything about this rumored tour?
Definitely got a tour starting, supposed to be anywhere in between the 10th and the 14th of next month. Its a Young Money/Cash Money tour.

How long will it last?
I ain’t even catch the dates on it yet, I just know we goin’ out on tour, when the albums drop.

Will it be as big as either of the last two tours?
I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be either as big or bigger. We don’t take two steps back, you know every time we do something we try to keep moving forward, more progess every time we do something. So, definitely might be either bigger, if not on the same level as one of the others. But its definitely gonna be a big tour.

This is huge news, I can’t wait to go see Young Money and Cash Money in concert again soon! Make sure to check back here soon for part 2 of the interview, where Gudda speaks about We Are Young Money, No Ceilings, Rebirth, and his own solo album. Shout outs to Gudda and Greg, make sure you follow them on Twitter!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FTAowP76SY

“Say go DJ, cuz that’s my DJ”.

Its unquestionable the energy that Lil Wayne has while onstage performing in front of thousands of screaming fans. However not many fans know that its his DJ (DJ Four Five) who helps Wayne kick up the performance factor another ten notches.

In a NewLilWayne.com exclusive DJ Four Five revealed his DJ influences and also spoke on his onstage chemistry with Wayne, saying “He’s a beast, I have got to follow him so you know I watch to see his body language and I know when to skip over to the next song”. Four Five revealed how he was picked for the successful tour saying that he was simply “picked off a list”. Lastly Four Five touched on the fact that he has had opportunities to be in the studio with Wayne however it has not happened yet due to busy plans.

As far as plans go for DJ Four Five, he is preparing for the european leg of the tour which is set for the 7th and 8th of October at the Apollo.

Nicki Minaj at the America's Most Wanted Tour on Friday Night

Reminder: For part one of this interview, click here.

NLW: Ok, that gets into my next question. I’ve been really meaning to ask you this one. You recently did an interview with XXL and it spoke deeply to us because you said “I’ve got my mind on my money and I’m not going anywhere.” Can you explain to us your business savvy and how that took importance to you in getting your priorities straight so that you’d have a good future? Because I know you have the song on ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’ and you’ve always been a business-savvy woman, how did that play into the decision?

Nicki: Yeah well it plays a part because if it didn’t play a huge part, I would have signed already. You know what I mean? A big part of the reason why I didn’t sign is because I know that whenever you do something you have to look at yourself as merchandise as stock and you know obviously you wanna wait as long as you can before you sell your stock right? That’s how you make your money and thats what I was doing with my brand. Nicki Minaj is a brand to me and I wake up in the morning and I think I am Nicki Minaj, and Nicki Minaj is one of my brands I promote and so I wanted her to get bigger and get more, you know, notoriety before I decided we weren’t going to sign because obviously the record companies would then have to step their dicks up and so that in a nutshell should explain it. I mean I’ve always been a business-savvy person but I think more importantly you know business savvy as a female goes hand in hand with knowing your worth, and let me just say not as a female, in general. If you know your worth, you bargain because you feel like “Hey, if I give you me, you get something that is A 1, top notch. So you have to show me that you know that I’m worth that.” And I think that in a nutshell is really where I stand with this.

NLW: I know you’ve been doing mixtapes in anticipation for the debut album. Who can we plan to see on the album outside of the Young Money family?

Nicki: All of my biggest records that I’ve done so far for the album have been just me alone. I don’t really know if I wanna do too many features for my album because I think my mixtapes have been you know inundated with features and people need to know who Nicki Minaj is now. And as of right now as far as producers I have a lot of up and coming producers and I’m not big on you know big name producers although I’d love to work with Will.I.Am and as far as artists go you know I just don’t know at this point I love people like Natasha Bedingfield, I love her singing voice and Amy Winehouse’s singing voice and I’d like to gear my album probably towards pop so probably if anything I’ll have a lot of those type of features on it. But not too much rap because I am a rap girl and thats what I do and I don’t think I need to have many different rappers on my album.

NLW: In terms of work on some of the newer albums, will you be featured on Wayne’s Carter 4 or the Rebirth? I know you’ve been doing a lot of work for the Young Money Compilation album.

Nicki: Yeah, you know, let’s say that I recorded a very insane track with Wayne for the Rebirth and I don’t want to give away any surprises he may have for us so let’s just say as of right now I don’t know but I did a dope record with him that should be on the Rebirth and let’s just see what happens.

NLW: With your huge fanbase, especially female and Ken Barbies, how do you find yourself adjusting lyrics to make them suitable for teenagers?

Nicki: Well what I’ve been doing is when I write verses I try to think “Hmm, how can I write a verse without getting bleeped out on the radio” and kinda stream myself that way and once I do that it winds up being cool for the teenage base and then just ninja Barbies cause there’s not a lot of cursing and crazy stuff. And in doing so I’ve realized that I don’t have to curse all the time, I don’t have to curse to be swagged out. I think my personality and imagination comes across in my rhymes whether I curse or not. I’ve been cutting it out a little more than normal recently.

NLW: When I look at you as an artist one of the main things that I see right off the bat is your individuality and making a name for yourself on your own. However we do have to ask, if you did have to compare yourself to one female rapper who would it be?

Nicki: I would definitely have to say that I couldn’t say one, you know? I would say if you mixed Lauren [Hill] and [Lil] Kim together and Foxy and Remy and Eve’s business savvy and Monie Love’s accent and you put it in a pot and you just call it Nicki Minaj. I’m influenced by everything in rap that’s ever come before me. At the same time, I’m an individual.

NLW: I know you said that you don’t get to spend as much time with Young Money as you would like to, can you tell us about your relationship with them? Is there one member that you’re closer to than the others?

Nicki: Mack Maine, well he’s my big brother, I talk to him all the time, I love him daily. Drake and I probably are the most compatible as far as just being able to talk and I think when we were on the tour Drake and I were closest because we would talk about our futures and our plans and we have a mutual respect for each other. So I definitely feel very close to him and Mack. Mack Maine is my brother I could talk to him about anything, he makes me feel comfortable and he always makes me feel at ease and so everybody at Young Money they’re like my siblings. But those are the two I’m really close to.

NLW: We know you have a bunch of projects in the works, can you tell us about any future projects? We know you’ve got a jean line and doing some acting in the future, anything to tell your fans to be on the lookout for?

Nicki: Well obviously be on the lookout for the debut album, and I’d like to direct some attention right now to NickiMinajFans.com because a lot of people have been asking me about a website, a great little girl named Ashley put together a fansite for me and she updates it on a regular basis, check that site out because I may get something new tomorrow and it will definitely be on there. But as of right now, I’m working on choosing a single and once we choose the actual single we just have to make sure all the barbies request it on the radio and 106 and all that. That’s the way we’re gonna go, I don’t wanna do too much before my music starts really popping because I think that would just really not make sense. But after my music starts really popping then I’ll do all the other great stuff that I love to do which is acting and even some modeling and not to mention the jean line and all the fashion. I have something else that I’m working on for the Harajuku Barbies, I’m planning on putting a lot of stuff out like Minaj gift bags and it will come with a lot of little goodies for all the barbies when I go out. We’re working on it right now and soon we’ll unveil it.

NLW: You mentioned modeling, we saw some of the footage from your shoot for Dr. Jay’s, it was absolutely great you were swagged out, shout outs for that.

Nicki: Thank you, yes DrJays.com shout out to them and actually I’m the only artist on that campaign that is not signed, and I think that’s big and a lot needs to be said for that I mean I don’t even have a song on the radio, and everything I do its like I’m always compared to big artists and a lot needs to be said and I owe it to the people that support me, like they get out and they make sure that they spread the word about so me I have to thank all of them. Including you, people like you. This interview has been, you’re so knowledgeable, and a lot of people don’t interview me like this, they usually don’t have any background knowledge about me at all. You definitely get a shoutout before I go.

NLW: Thank you so much, and now I have my last question, can we expect to see you on the tour this summer with Young Money?

Nicki: I’ll definitely try my best to make it to every show, a lot of times I have scheduling conflicts but we will be there at least some of the time to support them and I’ll let everyone know on Twitter, as long as you’re following me you’ll know.

Gudda Gudda

In the interview below NewLilwayne.com writer Lonte chats with Young Money/Cash Money artist Gudda Gudda. Gudda speaks on working with Lil Wayne and Young Money, his background, and much more. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.

NewLilWayne.com: What’s good Gudda, I just want to say thanks alot for your time because I know you’re a busy man.

Gudda Gudda: Much love, preciate you.

NLW: Give us a little rundown of the history behind Gudda Gudda. How did you get signed to Young Money? What were some of the things you were doing before Young Money?

Gudda: Shit, I met Wayne when we was like 17 or 18.  He was doing The Block is Hot. I seen him at a dice game and what not and we been rocking since then. And then he told me he wanted to do his own record label, but first he started his own clothing line. After he got that situated and everything, he told me to start writing raps and the rest is history.

NLW: Young Money is one of the hardest working groups in the industry. What motivates you guys to work so hard as a group?

Gudda: Wayne is a big part of it, by him always being in the studio that just motivates us to keep working and keep shit moving because he always is in there, you know what I mean. For that nigga to have that much money and be in the position that he in, he could fall back and get lazy but he don’t. He in there trying to bang it out just like everybody else.

NLW: Drake just recently signed a deal with Young Money, what are your thoughts on Drake as an artist and as a person?

Gudda: Oh yeah, Drake is that dude, real good dude. That’s like a brother to me. I can’t even front. Drake is a real good dude. As far as an artist, I think he is lyrically gifted. Good singer and rapper. He is just a lyrically gifted dude. Much love to my brother Drake.

NLW: Aside from Young Money artists, who are you feeling in the rap game right now? Do you have a top 5? Male or female?

Gudda: Outside of Young Money, I rock with Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, and of course Hov. These are not in order or anything; I’m just saying them off the top. Its alot more I can’t think of right now.

NLW: What about Fabolous? His album leaked and he has a joint with Weezy that’s pretty tough. You rock with Fab at all?

Gudda: Oh yeah, that track is pretty tough. I rock with Fab and I always liked Fab and thought he was a good artist.

NLW: How often is the entire Young Money in the studio together and what is it like?

Gudda: As a matter of fact, I’m on the way to the studio right now. We always in there together, as far as what it’s like, we all just be in our zone and try to get as much done as we can. We get alot of stuff done and work good together. Everybody bonds real good with each other and we get stuff done quick and the best possible way we can.

NLW: How do you all decide who is going be on a track when it comes to Young Money collaborations?

Gudda: Well honestly we don’t. We just hear the beat and start from there, you can pretty much tell who fits the track and who doesn’t. Some of us know that we don’t fit in on the track so we fall back, because everyone can’t be on every track.

NLW: Your one of our favorite artists in Young Money, we have been bumping that ‘Sacrifice’ & ‘My Reality’ alot lately. I was wondering when the world will be blessed with a ‘Gudda Gudda’ album?  Is that in the process or what?

Gudda: Oh yeah man, the world will be blessed with more of me in the future. Right now, aside from the Young Money album, I’m working on my new mixtape hosted by DJ Ill Will and its titled “Guddaville” and that should be out next month sometime. So be on the lookout for that.

NLW: Speaking of the Young Money album, when is it being released? I have heard numerous dates. Is it releasing with Rebirth or sometime later?

Gudda: We are actually working on the album right now, and it was said to be released with Wayne’s “Rebirth” but I’m not going to say that it’s a definite release with Rebirth but it will be out to the world soon.

NLW: Wayne’s music has always found a way to leak due to various situations. Do you ever feel you’re at risk of someone getting your material and putting it all out there?

Gudda: I mean it bothers me but at the same time it doesn’t, if you know what I’m saying. It’s always some niggas or nerds trying to hack email accounts and shit like that to leak music and what not. It’s something we can’t control, but that’s why we work so hard to keep plenty of material because you never know what might happen.

NLW: Thanks Gudda, we just want to thank you for giving us the chance to do this interview. We greatly appreciate it and wish you and Young Money the best of luck in the future.

Gudda: Much love my nigga, 100.

In the interview below Cash Money Records‘ newest artist, Jay Sean, speaks with NewLilWayne.com about his experiences coming to America, working with Lil Wayne and Birdman, his first American single “Down,” and his upcoming album release. Check it out below and let us know your thoughts on the interview and his arrival to America in the comments section. Look out for exclusive pictures from the “Down” video shoot coming soon.

Jay Sean

NewLilWayne: First of all Jay, I would just like to thank you for taking the time to speak to us. It’s greatly appreciated.

Jay Sean: All good man!

NLW: Tell us a little about yourself Jay. What represents you as an artist?

Jay: Well, as a person, on the whole I don’t really take life that seriously, I’m pretty laid back. But as an artist I take my craft very seriously. I’m a hands-on artist..I get involved in every aspect of my career. From writing my own songs and co-producing with the producers on my album (the Orange Factory and Alan Sampson), to choosing who shoots my press photos and album artwork (amitandnaroop.com). Even for the videos I work closely with the director and come up with the concepts. I believe in raising the bar so I never stop working..I chase the dream not the competition!

NLW: So everyone’s heard that you’re now with Cash Money, but no one knows exactly how this signing came about. Could you enlighten us a bit on how this deal went down? Did Slim and Baby just hit you up and ask if you wanted to be on the label? Did you have to consider it at all or did you agree right away?

Jay: Slim heard my material through my producers in USA and was into it. He started asking for more material, videos, pictures, stories, and stats and asked if I had a deal in the states. Eventually I got on the phone to Slim and he was mad cool, and so complimentary. He genuinely loved the music and that meant a lot to me. He also understood my story. This album I put out on my own record label, Jayded records, and independently sold around the world. I think he respected this because that’s how Cash Money started too. So he was like, “man, we just want you to do you, we got your back, we’ll take you to the next level”. That’s all I needed to hear. Labels just aren’t like that anymore! That’s what makes cash money so unique.

NLW: It’s been announced that you’re going to be re-releasing your latest record from the UK, “My Own Way”, with five new songs in America. I listened to the album and I love it. Judging by ‘Down’, I’m guessing you’re not going to change your style much for America?

Jay: I can only do what I do and what I know best. I don’t want to “change to fit in, or to be accepted”..and I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, I just know that you can’t ever please everyone, so the way I see it, I will offer America what I do, and I can only hope they like it! I’d rather succeed doing “me” than to change everything I know and lose my identity as an artist.

NLW: Speaking of ‘My Own Way,’ any idea of when the album is going to be released?

Jay: We’re looking at sometime in the fall!

NLW: Jay we know you have played for large crowds of people in Europe and Asia. Are the crowds any different over here in the United States? Do you prefer small venues where you can get really close to the fans, or do you prefer huge crowds?

Jay: Every show and every country is different. That’s what makes my job so much fun. The crowds vary in terms of their “nuttiness” as I call it..some are very cool and laid back and other are crazy and bombard the stage! On the whole, I like to get involved with my fans, talk to them, vibe with them, catch joke with them. That’s what’s important to me. They’re like family!!

NLW: What’s the craziest fan encounter you have had both over in Europe as well as in the states? What’s your favorite place in the U.S. so far?

Jay: Well I definitely remember a case in Australia where one of the girls caught a plane to each of my shows during my tour there. She came to 6 different cities and was there in the front row each time. At the last show she ran on stage and jumped on my back during my performance. Security kicked her out, but she waited and ran after the car. We thought she was gone, but she showed up at the hotel, security kicked her out AGAIN..except I woke up to find her asleep outside in the hallway so she could catch me in the morning. So yeh, she was pretty nuts. Lol.

NLW: So you just recently shot your video to ‘Down,’ what was it like meeting and working with Lil Wayne and the Williams brothers? When can we expect to see the video?

Jay: Man, that experience was crazy. First off, slim and baby made a trip down to UK with their whole crew, so all the guys were there repping. We did a bunch of interviews together and rolled together the whole time and that allowed us to get a real cool vibe with each other. We all real tight with each other now. Like a family. It was their first time in UK so I tried to show them a good time. We shot Down in 2 days, them moved straight on to the Birdman joint which features myself. And shot a vid for that too. Then it was straight to Miami to shoot with Lil Wayne. He was mad cool. So supportive, chill and professional. He’s amazing in front of the camera. He welcomed me to the family and said that he really loved “Down”. That was a great experience for me man.

NLW: We’ve heard that you’ve got Lil Wayne hopping on a remix to ‘Tonight’ and that will be your second US single. Will there be a video for that? When can we expect the remix to come out?

Jay: Actually, that was just a rumour. There’s no truth in that unfortunately!!! The next joint is crazy too though, so watch out!

NLW: Jay, you’ve been called the English version of Ne-Yo. Do you agree with that? Who are your favorite American artists to listen to?

Jay: I take that as a compliment. Ne-yo is an unbelievably talented singer-songwriter and I think he changed the game when he brought melody back to pop/rnb. He’s one of my favourite artists. I grew up listening to mainly hip hop and rnb. Artists like Big L, de la soul, a tribe called quest, das efx, krs one, gangstarr to name a few. I also loved listening to jodeci, blackstreet, joe, brian mcknight, glenn lewis, dwele, musiq..these are some of my favourite singers.

NLW: I just saw on your official site that you’ve been adding tour dates this summer, any chance you’ll be joining Lil Wayne and Drake on their tour in July that NewLilWayne confirmed?

Jay: That’d be amazing. I hope so, I may be joining Wayne on his UK dates in July so let’s see…

NLW: Last year at the Grammy awards, you mentioned that you’d like to work with Akon. We think that would be great; are there any collaborations with Americans outside of Cash Money we can look forward to?

Jay: You’re gonna have to wait for the album!!

NLW: Is there anything else you’d like to add Jay?

Jay: Man, I just wanna say how excited I am to be here in America with my music already on the radio! I hope that y’all feelin it and that you come catch me at my shows..the American audience has been amazing to me so far I just can’t wait to see where it goes from here! And make sure you keep your ears open for my new single “Down” which is on the radio right now!

NLW: Alright, well thank you again for taking the time out to talk to us. Good luck with your album, and keep in touch!

Jay: Fa real. Thnx man. Peace!

Check out Jay on twitter, his website, and myspace:
http://twitter.com/jaysean

http://www.jaysean.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jaysean

Young Money member Shanell AKA SnL

“In today’s slumping music industry, there lacks a lot of talent from rappers and singers who just follow the crowd and do as they’re told”. However this is not the case for labels like Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment. Recently we caught up with Young Money artist Shanell, who is taking the music industry by storm. Shanell, also known as “SnL”, considers herself the soft and sexier side of Young Money Entertainment, and as a singer and songwriter she has lots to bring to the table.

Newlilwayne.com: Shanell, we just want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to interview you.

Shanell: No problem.

NLW: Shanell we know you have been involved in the music industry for a while now, can you tell us a little bit about your past before you became involved with Lil Wayne and Young Money?

Shanell: Well I started off actually as a dancer, and I used to background dance for a lot of artists. I always did music and one day I just decided to go hard on my music and started to just come off the road with my dancers and work on my music. I met with a lot of people and started writing for a lot of people as well as working on my solo project.

NLW: We know you have worked with Kelis, Danity Kane, and many more. What was that like?

Shanell: It was cool, I mean at first I wasn’t a writer I was more of an artist. I think when I use to go in and work with other artists I understood more of how important it was to get their idea crafted instead of just writing a song which a lot of writers do. I try to really get to know the artist and what they’re trying to get across in their music so it ends up being like a collaboration at the end of the day.

NLW: Can you tell us about some of your influences in the music industry right now?

Shanell: In the industry right now I would really say, well with my time that’s where my influence comes from. I listen to a lot of Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Janet Jackson. [Laughs] but then I also listen to Wu Tang Clan and Nas and a lot of that kind of stuff. So my music is a collaboration of that kind of stuff if you can imagine what that sounds like. I would call myself the funky 2009 Cyndi Lauper with like a hint of real east coast hip hop from like the eighties. That’s what I listen too, and that’s what I listened to growing up. Right now I mean there are people I listen too; of course I listen to Wayne, Drake, and Robin Thicke. I mean I listen to a lot of people, I think a lot of people are great, but my influences kind of come from what’s embedded in me from when I was growing up.

NLW: Shanell, we know you wrote and are featured on Lil Wayne’s new single Prom Queen. Can you tell us about the song, and what it means to you? How did the song come about, and how did Wayne choose it to be his first single?

Shanell: Prom Queen [long pause and laughs]. “Well what it means to me, it’s something I think that if you want the victim of the Prom Queen be it “the Prom Queen or the guy in that story”, like you’ve seen its the guy that likes the popular girl and she disses him all throughout school and then maybe later on in life when they get older they might meet up and you see that same popular girl and that same guy but the role reversed”. Now that guy that was supposedly not so popular is doing well for himself and he’s like “I used to like her?” [Laughs] So that’s where the concept kind of came from and I thought that working on Wayne’s Rebirth like he’s doing a lot of different stuff and when I brought that to him he really liked it. I thought he could best get that song across, so we decided to work on it and record it. In terms of it being the first single, [laughs] honestly I don’t know. They just told me that it was going to be the first single and I think he just really liked that it had a storyline that a lot of people could relate to. You know being that he’s branching off into [interrupts] and I want to say this to, a lot of people are calling this his “rock album” and he is to, and it’s really an album of a different type of Lil Wayne music. Rather than putting a stamp on it and saying that its rock, it’s more of a different side of Lil Wayne where he can express his intellectual side or more fun side just to reach another demographic of people. He thought it was a good song and it had a great story line and a lot of people can relate to it.

NLW: Shanell, what was it like to be featured in Lil Wayne’s music video for Prom Queen? Also can you tell us about the concept of the video since it’s a bit more edgy than what Wayne usually goes for?

Shanell: Yes, well I guess he was really kind of trying to get the story across. We worked with Dave Meyers on the video and you know they had come up with the concept of just drawing together the picture of what was in the song. Bringing Korn in to be a feature group as well as myself, [gasps] which was like amazing [Laughs]. It was different and just very interesting. So you’ve seen the Wayne videos and it’s like ok, “let me just surprise people and show them the other side of me”. I would think like his real fans would appreciate this, because you know there are some people that like hip-hop and some people that like rock. However there’s some people that can’t hear anything but one type of music, and I think he really wants to show his listeners from both sides of the spectrum like how to appreciate the other type of music. His true fans are definitely the ones that are going to get it and support him.

NLW: Yes, we totally understand this because a lot of people hate on the fact that he’s branching out and they’re not looking at the bigger picture.

Shanell: Yep, and I mean the same thing kind of happened with Outkast and even Kayne West. I mean at the same time you’re reaching another whole world of people that don’t get it. I mean it’s not like he’s done rapping, we’re working on The Carter 4 album as we speak. For those who can’t hear anything past rap, there’s something for you coming up [Laughs].

NLW: Well we’re excited for both.

Shanell: Good. I mean this album Rebirth is going to be fun, fresh, and dope.

NLW: Most recently you just got done with the “I AM MUSIC TOUR”, can you tell us about sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in hip-hop?

Shanell: It was crazy [Laughs], in a good way. Like the first night I was backstage waiting for my cue, and I was just like wow. I mean like even as a dancer I’ve done big shows, but my nerves were just going crazy backstage. I was like come on man; you’ve done this before [Laughs]. It was just a whole different thing to be up there with a microphone holding it down just as much as Wayne, Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, and T-Pain; so it was really cool.

NLW: Yep, I actually made it out to three shows myself.

Shanell: Wow, really! What cities?

NLW: Well I was front row in DC, which was amazing. I was also at the show in Hampton, VA and Baltimore.

Shanell: Thank you so much.

NLW: You’re welcome.

Shanell: For those who didn’t come see the show, I don’t think they understand it was like more than just a “rap show”. I know a lot of people that I invited were like oh ok, but then realized what was behind it. We had so many different elements in the show; from the band; to the singing, to Young Money coming in, and the dancers and everything. It was just so much more than what use to be a “rap show”.

NLW: I definitely saw that. You know I have been to a lot of concerts and you know it’s usually just the rapper and his entourage or hype man. This was so much different, he had the band floating in the air, and he came in with the introduction to the theme song of Saw; “that was just incredible”.

Shanell: [Interrupts] Wow I’m impressed you picked that up! Not a lot of people picked up that small detail.

NLW: Yep, it was just like those small details you guys put together that made the show all the more amazing. You know the backup dancers, the pyrotechnics, you singing backup vocals, Young Money coming out to shine (Nicki, Twist, Mack, Gudda, T-Streets, Drizzy, Chuckee, and Millz).

Shanell: Thanks.

NLW: Shanell, we are really feeling your new song on Nicki Minaj’s mixtape “Beam Me Up Scotty”, can you tell us about the track “Handstand”?

Shanell: Yes, well Nicki was working on her mixtape and a producer that I have worked with since the beginning of my career was Bangladesh, so we got some stuff from him. We went in and were just like we have got to collaborate, you know we’re the girls of Young Money [Laughs]. You know they got “Every Girl”, [Laughs] so we got to represent for the ladies. So you know we were in Atlanta, and we went and recorded. It was real fun and we just had a good time.

NLW: That’s crazy, we definitely see that. You and Nicki on a track is dope, you know you’ve got that softer and sexier side of Young Money but it’s mixed with that fierce flow as well.

Shanell: Yup, and you know I’m going to put a mixtape out soon as well, where the ladies can represent and we can have our voices heard.

NLW: Can you tell us about your musical relationship with Wayne? We understand you helped him a lot on the new album The Carter 3. Is it true that you helped Wayne find both “A Milli” and “3 Peat”?

Shanell: Yes, “A Milli” has been someone I’ve worked with forever. Maestro who did “3 Peat” is also someone I’ve worked with for a long time. Those are two producers I was working with in Atlanta on my stuff at the time, so when Wayne was working on The Carter 3 I decided to bring him some music and see if he liked it. Those guys were the first on my list and you know they trust my judgment, and Wayne trusts my judgment so you know it worked [Laughs]. It really worked [Laughs].

NLW: Yes, well we’re definitely feeling it. You know there’s fans out there that I think sometimes don’t realize what goes into putting an album together. They think you know Wayne just goes in there and boom “it’s done”. But we know that the Young Money family and that the producers you know have a collaborative effort as a whole, and we really respect that.

Shanell: That’s the one thing you know that I appreciate about being a part of Young Money. It’s a family thing; we are all in their helping each other out and giving each other ideas. I think at the end of the day it shows, when you get on stage and when you’re selling records. People might not see what goes into it, but they can feel what goes into it. We have fun, and we create good music.

NLW: Could you enlighten us on how you met Wayne, and how you were signed with his label Young Money?

Shanell: Well I was on tour actually dancing for Ne-yo at the time. I was just always recording when I was on the road; you know I had my little studio set up and all. I was playing music for different people, and you know Ne-yo and Wayne really appreciated it. Wayne was like if you want to really do this writing thing, go ahead and do it. So he kind of took me up, and was like let’s do it and that’s how I became “Shanell of Young Money”.

NLW: We know you have a group called the Girls Club. Can you tell us about that?

Shanell: Well what it is basically, is like a female sorority in the music business. “You know, nothing against guys, we love you all” but we were trying to create a support system for all the women in the industry. Be it artists, radio, Internet, choreographers, or any women that just have to stand alone. It was me, my sister D. Woods, and Mika Means who is an artist on universal. We kind of grew up broke, you know me and my sister grew up together [Laughs]. But we all grew up around each other and we just decided to put something together for the women.

NLW: Can you tell us about your writing in the industry? What artists have you written for?

Shanell: Of course Kelis, Danity Kane, and Lil Wayne. I’ve worked on projects with Keri Hilson, Usher, Beyonce, and a lot of other different people. You know you kind of learn working with different artists that the creative world is kind of hard. There is not a book or a recipe that’s written for it, so you just have to take it as a learning process and work with artists as well as yourself.

NLW: We know you are working on the upcoming Young Money compilation album, what other projects are you working on?

Shanell: Well right now we’re really just trying to focus on finishing up Rebirth and the Young Money album. But after that then I really want to hone in on a lot of my work. I mean right now I haven’t been really working on a lot of different stuff because I am trying to give Young Money and Wayne a lot of my time. I will definitely get back to writing for other people, but right now the focus is making Young Money the greatest it can be.

NLW: Can we expect to see you and Young Money on the new tour that Wayne just announced with Soulja Boy, Jeezy, and Drake?

Shanell: Of course [Laughs].

NLW: That’s great; we’re very excited and hope to come catch a show or two.

Shanell: Yes, so everyone look out for your girl Shanell aka “SnL”. Also look out for Nicki Minaj and Drake, get their mixtapes if you have not gotten them. I tell you, we’re trying to take over the world on every side of music [Laughs].

Please leave us some feedback in the comments and on the forums about the interview. Also stay tuned we have a lot more exclusives and interviews coming soon. Also for more information on Shanell check her out on myspace as well as on twitter. The link for her twitter is http://twitter.com/shanell_SnL and the link for her myspace is http://www.myspace.com/snlent