Tupac Back: Justin Bieber Feature From July/August 2011 Issue

In the heart of most rappers is a pop star dying to get out. Maybe that’s why so many hip-hop artists have taken such a liking to the pop phenom Justin Bieber. Co-discovered by Usher and signed to Island/Def Jam by L.A. Reid, the 17-year-old Canadian star received a Best New Artist nomination from the BET Awards last year and won four American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year. A bit stranger seeming is the endorsement he’s gotten from some of rap’s biggest MCs. During the past year, he has collaborated with Ludacris, Kanye West and Raekwon. He struck up a friendship with teenage Young Money rep Lil Twist and was the titular subject of a Lil B song. And sometimes, when the mood is right, he even busts rhymes himself, under his own MC name, Shawty Mane.

But maybe it makes more sense than you’d think. Bieber is actually a lifelong hip-hop head (still not that long!) who was introduced to rap as a toddler. XXL caught up with him recently to talk beats, rhymes and life.—Vanessa Satten

XXL: How long have you been listening to hip-hop?

Justin Bieber: I’ve been listening to hip-hop, basically, since I was, like, like, three. My mom listened to a lot of Ma$e, and my dad introduced me to Tupac when I was, like, like, four.

Oh, Tupac? So you were a Tupac fan early on.

Yeah, I was a Tupac fan.

Did you ever believe any of the conspiracy theories that he might be alive? Or think he might come back?

No, I don’t think so. I think he’s dead.

What about when you got older? Do you still listen to him as much?

Yeah. I mean, I’m still a huge ’Pac fan. But when I was, like, eight or nine, I could rap all of “Thugz Mansion.” Like, the whole song. My dad taught me.

So was it a big deal for you at all when you started to meet rappers?

Yeah. I was a big Ludacris fan, and then I was able to meet him in Atlanta at his restaurant. And I was freaking out. It was a crazy moment for me. Then I got to do a song with him, which was incredible and just a great experience. Probably my favorite rapper now, right now, at this moment, is probably Lil Wayne.

How do you pick your favorite? What do you base it on?

Just the stuff they do. Like, he’s on a lot of songs and some of them get repetitive, but usually he’s on.

You play around and rap, but do you ever see yourself trying seriously?

[Laughs] Not really. I just do it for fun, but nothing serious. I don’t think people would take me seriously if I came out with, like, a rap album.

In the beginning, did you ever get intimidated by rappers? ’Cause it’s a whole different genre of music from yours.

Yeah.

It’s fascinating how you have been so accepted by all the rappers. Your being so young and from a genre of music that’s so different, it seems pretty cool.

It’s great. Drake, he’s kinda like my big brother, and, like, a bunch of people I’m just really close to. I mean, most of Young Money—I know all of them, and they’re really cool and stuff. I try to associate myself with them. But not too much, because, like, you know, I don’t wanna get hurt or anything. [Laughs]

FOR MORE OF JUSTIN BIEBER, GO TO PAGE 2

It looks like you and Lil Twist are really cool with each other.

He’s, like, one of my best friends, actually. I was just with him last night, at the basketball game, and he’s just a really cool guy. He’s really talented, and everybody should know about Twist.

Both Asher Roth and Drake have spoken about giving you advice and mentoring you. What kinds of things do they tell you?

Just to keep a straight head and make sure to always, um, keep family first. Basically, just regular, normal stuff.

When you meet guys like Diddy or Raekwon or Young Jeezy, is it awkward? How do they respond to you?

It’s really cool. It’s great that, you know, I’m able to get the respect from these people, knowing they’ve been doing it a long time and they do it different. You know, they’re in a whole different category. So it’s great to get that kind of respect and know that they don’t think I’m just corny. You know, just a corny pop singer. They actually respect me, which is really good.

How do you decide what rap artists to collaborate with?

I pick different people. I like Wiz Khalifa. I like a lot of people who are new, who are hot right now. I kinda pick and choose who I associate myself with and who I want to be on one of my records. I kinda see what they’re doing and how they’re doing for radio, how they’re doing in the public, and, basically, try to make the best song possible.

Can you talk a little bit about Shawty Mane, your rap alter ego?

[Laughs] He comes out about once every four months. Not that often. Just kinda do something fun and show something to my fans.

You had a concert in Israel where you rapped Busta Rhymes’s verse from “Look at Me Now” with Chris Brown.

[Laughs] Yeah, it was really cool. And then when I was in Australia, Chris came out and did his part, and I rapped Busta. It was really cool. It was a fun experience.

You were the first person Kanye followed on Twitter. Was that cool?

It was great! Kanye is awesome. Kanye is really cool. I got to be in the studio with him and work with him and see how he works and talk to him—and talk to him as a friend, and not like someone business. He’s not really an asshole, like everyone makes him out to be. I mean, he can, he can do bad things, but he’s really generally a good guy.

He’s an artist. Artists come with all different sides to them, right?

Yes, I mean, he can make bad decisions, you know, as well as everyone can, but generally I think he is a good guy.

What rapper do you wanna work with?

I would like to work with Wayne. I wanna try to get on Tha Carter IV. That’s my goal.

Anything else you wanna say about hip-hop?

I think that Tupac is the best rapper ever! He’s the best rapper. He’s the best rapper alive.

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