Webbie Speaks On Lil Boosie: “He Gonna Be Home Before You Know It”

Webbie and Lil Boosie used to be inseparable. During their days coming up in Baton Rouge, LA, Webbie and Boo consistently dropped underground mixtapes that caught the interest of the late Pimp C. Once Pimp signed the duo to Trill Entertainment, they released two collaborative albums—Ghetto Stories and Gangsta Muzik—that were highly regarded in Southern rap. It established them as two MCs who could deliver raw, uncut rhymes about their gritty lifestyle.

Their run together didn’t last long. In 2010, Boosie was indicted on a first-degree murder charge and is currently serving time in a Louisiana jail. With Boosie’s imprisonment and the death of Trill associate Lil Phat, Webbie has let those hardships set him back a bit from making music. Now he's re-emerged and seems focused on mapping out a game plan for his forthcoming album, Savage Life 4, as well as preparing for the eventual release of Boosie from his incarceration.

There’s no straight answer on when Louisiana’s most respected rap star will be out. Webbie has been in constant contact with his friend and labelmate, keeping his sprits high by telling him to "stay ready;" once his partner comes out, it’s back to the grind. During Webster’s visit to the XXL offices last week, he talked about Boosie’s absence in an open letter to the fans. Read on to find out why he prays for Boosie, the music they've got planned for his release, and the type of conversations he has with him everyday. Trill Fam for life.—Eric Diep (@E_Diep)

On Lil Boosie's Incarceration And Getting Boosie Back

"I’ve been living real life. I got so much going on. Like the way this music, it happened so quick. We would go to the studio and we out the studio. We run back down the street and do [what we do]. At the same time, we was rising quick. Everybody was coming; we ain’t even notice. That’s why when the situation struck—real life—we wasn’t even focused. We wasn’t really focused. [With Boosie in jail and Lil Phat dead] that would hold anybody back. One more time, rest in peace to my little brother Lil Phat. If a song has three verses, [Lil Phat and Lil Boosie are] two. Now, I got one verse. It’s just filling in the gaps and the whole thing.

"I pray man. I’ve been [telling] Boosie that he coming home. I think God put him in jail to save his life. That’s what I think. I think God put him in jail to save his life. It wouldn’t even feel right to say, ‘He would have been killed out here.’ It would have been worse. I think something bad would have been out here. Because the situation and everything that’s going on and all that. God run the world. He see the future.

"Being in jail, you ain’t never gonna understand the feeling. I can’t tell you. I ain’t in there. You never really [know], until it happen. Until you back. They had him on lockdown and all that crazy stuff, but he back. Cause I told him, I said, ‘Man, I’m gonna tell you I told you.’ Until he be right here and I said, ‘I told you.’ That’s when he gonna really feel like, ‘Man, that’s great.’

"[Last time I talked to him was] Saturday. Eight days ago. I don’t even worry about what we were talking about, it’s just regular stuff. Pictures. He always tell me, ‘Man, make sure you fuck two of them hoes for me.’ You heard me? But you know, shit nothing wrong. We both got people that we love. So for the wrong people who might read this, we just playing man. It’s just the lifestyle.

"[I've kept in touch with] his momma. She’s there. She’s spiritual. His brother, my brother. Like brothers, you know what I am saying? It’s really normal. We got the light. We are blessed to have the light. Shout out to [Boosie's cousin] Donkey, man. That’s on some real street. It real life. Man, every song that I do is a tribute to [Boosie], because we on a mission. This shit is just a part of our life. That’s what I told him on the phone. ‘Man, we are gonna get past this and we are going to the Bahamas. We are going to be laughing, smoking a blunt.’ I'ma say, ‘I told you.’ This is a part of our life, but we got a long way to go in order to be where we want to be. Cause we ain’t doing this shit just to be at the end of the day—smoke a blunt and fuck a girl and wipe our shoes and shit. We are trying to have our grandkids [be comfortable]. That’s what we do. Our hunger. Fuck it man, I’m taking it. That’s how we is.

"Man, I need him. I need him. We need each other. That’s what we need. I know that when people say, ‘Man, they say he might get life. They say he might get the death [penalty.]’ I prayed for him. I talked to God, we got it right, bruh. When you come out, it ain’t about this. It’s about when you come out—be ready man. When you ask me what the things I tell him? Be ready. That’s the main thing every time. Stay ready. Stay ready. ‘Stay ready. I'ma be ready.’ I told him, man, when you come out, it’s over. You heard me? It’s over. I’m not talking about me, I’m not talking about him. As an individual, you as a person, when you straight, laid-back, eating some steaks in there, relax man. When you come, you gonna be somewhere and say, ‘Man, I am here. This is what we work for man. I am here.’ You gonna look to the side, ain’t nobody gonna be on sides. You just gonna be looking back because you gonna be on top and you look down.

"The real world in touch with everything we are doing. I thank God. You know, the crazy thing was—I was in Chicago the other day. ‘Man, Webbie and Boosie ain’t cool no more.’ Yeah, y’all are crazy. I can’t. Even if I didn’t want to. Even I get on the phone and say, ‘Man, I ain’t your brother anymore.’ You just can’t. You can’t. I mean, it’s just real.

"[Making Gangsta Muzik 2] is all that nigga talk about. That nigga want to do that. That nigga want to do that. Gangsta Muzik 2. You asking. People asking me that. I say most definitely. What I do, I don’t need to be, ‘Oh man, shit.’ That would probably fuck up the mindset of a nigga. What you gotta do is focus, set it back down, and just do you. Don’t fuck with [what] anybody think. That’s what got you here. Don't [do] this kind of music for this kind of people. Do this or that from your heart. You heard me? I am a God person, even if you heard a lot of other stuff. I am everything in one. I am a White man. I am Black. I am everything. From the heart, I'ma keep coming. I'ma keep coming. I'ma keeping coming until I can’t.

"That’s my brother man. That’s my fam. We grew up like regular. If you never got into an argument or whatever the fuck, or whoever the fuck, or disagreed. That’s my trill, you heard me?

"Boo, he gonna be home before you know it. Everything good, bruh."

On Making New Music And Renewing His Focus

"Everything is in the making [for new music]. Everything gonna happen like I stole a bike for Christmas. God put that shit together. We probably really gotta get on this because they really trying to turn us into superstars, like we really stars. We need to be able to answer these type of questions. The single we have coming. Boo got the single “Where I Am From,” he about to be dropping like around the same time I drop. It’s going to be good.

"The main thing is God, bruh. If everybody pray, you can be whatever you want to be. That’s the main thing. That’s what I represent. I had my chances in life and I am thankful that I am still here. I was at a point, I shouldn’t have ran. I could have hollered at him, took the rail, and put it in the back of my pocket and Boo would stood be free. But we weren’t focused enough. So I always tell the kids, you can be whatever you want to be. Stay in school, focus and be somebody. Don’t try to be me. Don’t try to be Boo.

"Does it look like I seem more focused? I got the mansion there. The kids got clothes. That’s another reason that make you all high. At first, we was stealing money. I am gonna quit saying stealing. That’s was when we was hustlin’. Grindin’ and getting some money, trying to get some cheese. When I am at the studio or when I am at the house, you get one of them big pounds. You know what I am saying? You know when you was young and you used to go buy...‘Yo, let’s go half on a bag of that dime.’ Nigga put five dollars on the way. All that shit? Man look here—Every time I get another one of them pounds, I don’t sell weed. I’m straight, man. Let’s just leave it at that.

"Back with Savage Life 4. It gotta be better than any one of them. I’m gonna be me forever. Only difference between Savage Life 1 and now is my twins. I got my babies. I mean, I had no kids or nothing. I was chillin.’ I was thuggin’ coming around New York, fucking everybody and their old lady and all that. I was free. But I am still free and single. Shout out to my family. Shout out to my people. Everybody. The difference from this album—like you said I am focused. I got these people out here. I don’t need anybody thinking they can fuck with me man, thinking I can’t do what I do. This is what I do man. It’s gonna be straight. It’s gonna be Gucci.

"I’m straight. I never fall off. Savage Life forever. Forever is gonna be this. I fall up when I go to heaven. I'ma go up. I never step back and said, ‘Oh, I think I need to release music. I think I need to take some time and focus.’ No. Life was doing. Life did. I didn’t even pay attention, it just happened. Shout out to all my people, man. My fans that’s out there. They know what’s up. I didn’t go nowhere. I’ve been right in the middle of the street. I’m surprised I haven’t gotten hit by a car. I’ve been right in the middle.

"You know what? Being that we drove these cars, these Phantoms and all that. Look here, shoot. That nigga bought a new shirt. Look at me, I’m still wearing “I Love New York” pajamas. You know what I am saying? You heard me? You gonna know when I fell off because of my pride. I ain’t gonna back to the ground. When you all hear, ‘Oh man, rapper Webbie ran in the bank. Him and Trill Fam had AK-47s and I think they got away with $37 million. Cash.’ That’s when you know I fell off. What you think? I’ma fall off and lay on the ground? No, that ain’t where I come from and that ain’t where I am gonna go. You gonna hear about it when I fall off. You gonna know when I fall off.

"You ever run across a situation where people say, ‘Man, you can’t dunk. He can’t dunk.’ Man, you are gonna go out there and dunk it again. You gonna go out there, dunking backwards. Just doing what I do. Matter fact—that’s the new single. It’s called “What I Do.”

"I got the Trill tattoo across my chest. Trill forever, man. Savage Life 4 coming. October 1."