Lil Wayne checks in with Flex for an exclusive interview about life in Rikers. Wayne talks about his website weezythanxyou.com and which artist he would like to work with upon his release. Wayne also speaks on Eminem, Drake, Nicki Minaj and what he does everyday in jail.

Only 94 more days till Lil Wayne gets out. #freeweezy

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2CARjUCuJA

Source: RapRadar X Karen Civil X Flex

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.

In a recent interview with NewLilWayne.com, Gudda Gudda confirmed a big new Young Money/Cash Money tour starting in December. Check it out:

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.

Lil Wayne

Earlier tonight Lil Wayne and DJ Drama linked up for a interview on Drama’s radio show. During the interview, Lil Wayne spoke to Drama about his birthday events (which included jetting to Minnesota to watch Brett Favre), the successful tour he just finished, Young Money, Drake, Nicki Minaj, the new Young Money single “Bedrock” and its big mixup, his Forever collaboration with Eminem, his prasie for Jay-Z, and his upcoming mixtape. The most exciting news for fans is that he is working on a mixtape titled “No Ceilings” and he tells Drama “You know me, I’ll have it done in a week”.

If that doesent excite you, I dont know what will.

Listen/Download Interview below.

Lil Wayne/DJ Drama Interview [Audio]

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.