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It’s been a minute since we’ve heard some new material from the ‘Youngest In Charge’ at the ROC, but rest assured, the Young Gunz are back on the scene, hotter than ever. The Situation caught up with Young Chris to get the latest...
As
part of The Dynasty at the R-O-C, the Young
Gunz are in a position envied by all budding emcees hoping
to make their mark on the Hip Hop scene. Being recruited early on by Roc-A-Fella
artist Beanie Sigel for
his State Property clique
was a blessing for the Young Gunz, but they have since proved that they
can make hits on their own too, with their 2003 debut single ‘Can’t
Stop, Won’t Stop’, which had airwaves blazing across the US
and the UK.
Although it’s been a while since the boys were in the spotlight, they’ve been hard at work on the road and in the studio, and now the Philadelphian duo are back with their sophomore album, ‘Brothers From Another’. “After the first album, we went on tour with Kanye on the Common tour, then we had a little break for a minute and went back on tour with Jay for the ‘Jay-Z and Friends Tour’,” told Young Chris. “We recorded the album on tour too; when everybody was at the after party, we were in the hotel, working. So by the time we finished the tour, the album was done.”
Such dedication and love for their art shows just how devoted the Young Gunz are to their music. Explaining the difference between their latest release and their debut album, ‘Tough Luv’, Chris said, “There’s definitely a lot more energy this time around, ’cos we were on the road, working and whatever, and also ’cos of personal issues and our situation changing… I mean, I don’t have to tell you that Roc-A-Fella split up, so we got a lot more to talk about. We’re basically saying that we’re brothers, and we won’t stop, you know?” He went on to describe the kind of producers and artists they have on their new LP. “This time we got Daz, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Slim from 112 on a track called ‘Don’t Keep Me Waiting’; we shooting the video for that real soon… We got Pooda Brown, an artist from our own label G.I.F.I., (Get In where you Fit In), my man Memphis Bleek’s on the album, and Kanye with John Legend.” Having kept things mostly in-house, Chris is keen to stress one thing: “We just wanna get off the ground on our own first, without other people. You know, we probably the only group at Roc-A-Fella that came out and never had Jay on the single!”
Speaking of the Jiggaman, what did the young’uns learn from their time on the road with him? “Basically just to stay ahead, that’s what I learnt from Jay, to stay ahead of the game,” told Chris. “Like, he be in the studio from seven in the morning, and don’t even come out till two, three in the morning! That’s real man, that’s what keeps me motivated. He ain’t ever gotta touch another mic, another studio again; he can just sit back and enjoy life.”
As the new president and CEO of Def Jam Records, Jay-Z really is living the life. But whilst all the changes at the ROC Headquarters have meant a split in the roster of artists between Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella and the Damon Dash Music Group, the ‘youngest in charge’ aren’t too affected by it all. “It’s just a little change, that’s all. It doesn’t affect the way me and Neef work, you know? It’s still love.” Even choosing to stay under Jay-Z’s command doesn’t seem to have had any negative effects on the Young Gunz’ relationship with Damon Dash. “I went to his office the other day,” revealed Chris. “He wasn’t there though, but you know, it’s still love. You know how we do, ‘tough luv’.”
Another pressing issue that fans want to know about is that regarding M.O.P. and their alleged parting of ways with Dash. “I don’t know wassup with them,” confessed Chris. “I don’t know anything as such, but you know, last time I heard, they were still rolling with Dame.” Then there’s the question of the Young Gunz’ affiliation with State Property. “Yeah, we’re still cool,” he answered calmly. “I just spoke to Peedi Crakk the other day; Omillio Sparks every time I come home… I haven’t spoken to Beanie ‘cos he’s behind bars, but it’s all love, we family.” Despite this cool front, there have been rumours of a lack of State Property presence in the visiting room of Beanie Sigel’s jail in Philadelphia, Pennysylania, where the rapper is serving a one-year jail term for drugs and weapons charges. “There’s always rumours, you know?” said Chris defensively. “To get the truth, you gotta talk to the source. There’s a lot of lies going round… We been on the road, so we’ll be seeing him soon, but we tight, it’s all love.”
Having met at school in their teens, Young Chris and Neef, (born Christopher Ries and Hanif Muhammad) have been rhyming together for nearly a decade, but they’ve not always had an easy ride. They were brought up in the Nicetown area of Philly, an area whose name is somewhat misleading, considering the drugs, gangs and poverty that the place is renowned for. However, against all odds, the duo have come through and made a success of themselves in the hip hop world; a surprising feat, given that Chris didn’t really listen to rap music until he met Neef. “When I was younger I never even thought about rap. He [Neef] introduced me to Hip Hop. You know, my brothers were into all that, but I was a bit of a late starter,” he revealed. “When I got into it, you know, Big was poppin’, ‘Illmatic’ and all that... Jay was just coming up; The Lox were getting into the game, so I admired them all, just like everybody else.”
Yet, it was to be their fiery summer single, ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop’ that propelled them into the top flight of the rap industry. “We never even thought it would make that kind of impact, we just threw it out there. We didn’t even know what the single was gon’ be back then,” told Chris. “Then radio started spinning it, you know, the East Coast, even the West Coast was loving it. Everybody was showing love to it, so we had to have that as the first single; we couldn’t ignore the fans.”
Now promoting their second album, Chris feels that they have both grown as artists since they first hit the limelight. “Lyrically, mentally, you know, all round. We’ve definitely matured a bit since then, ’cos as an artist in this game, you gotta be a lil’ bit of a manager, a lil’ bit of a trader, you gotta be a lil’ bit of everything.” He continued, “Now we got our own label, and we got Pooda Brown, that’s the first signing. After that, I ain’t sure yet, but basically, we just gonna run with Pooda Brown first, do everything we can to get Pooda noticed.” When asked his opinion about Jay-Z’s latest protégé, Teairra Mari, Chris is quick to answer. “Oh yeah, she tight! You know, R&B, they’re doing their thing right now, so it’s a good look.”
It wasn’t long ago that The Game and G-Unit started hating on Memphis Bleek and the Young Gunz, but when I touch on this contentious topic and why the beef even began, Chris simply replies, “I don’t know. Rap beef, I don’t even touch that sh*t.” With an attitude as rational as this, it’s easy to see how the Young Gunz have come so far in their careers.
The boys were recently in London to promote their new album, but were so pushed for time that they didn’t get the chance to play any live shows. Young Chris however, promised that they would be back soon to tour the UK. “No doubt! As soon as Freeway and everyone else is out, we gon’ put together a tour, and I’m sure Jay will make it happen overseas as well, so yeah, definitely.”
Finally, any last words? “‘Brothers From Another’ in stores now, and we’ll see you all soon!” You heard the man!
The Young Gunz new album ‘Brothers From Another’
is in stores now.
