Kidd Kidd Wants To Bring Back Gangsta Music

Kidd Kidd has been keeping rap fans on the edge of their seats. Last year, the G-Unit signee impressed listeners with free tracks like “I’m A G,” “Everyday” and “Middle Finger.” Many considered these to appear on his Street Fame mixtape, but since then Kidd Kidd has announced the project will be an EP for purchase. But not to worry—he’s now prepping the release of his #RG mixtape, slated for 2014. While out in New York, the New Orleans rapper swung by the XXL offices to discuss his new projects, how he is bringing back gangsta music and the state of G-Unit. —Eric Diep (@E_Diep)

XXL: Do you see yourself craving your own lane in hip-hop now?
Kidd Kidd: That’s the best way to do it. 'Cause when you do it in your own lane, you give people ears because it is something different. As far as just with gangsta music, period, nobody is doing that right now. I was just saying this yesterday, I was talking to my little brother, man, and we had a whole hour conversation. He called me and we was just talking and talking. All that I am telling you? He was telling me. “Ain’t nobody doing it in the game like you. Ain’t none of these niggas sound like you. Y’all niggas talk about the same shit, but they ain’t not gonna talking about it like you.”

There are so many street rappers out today. Why do the fans relate to your story so much?
I speak from the hood; I don’t speak from a nigga that had bricks. You know what I am saying? “I got bricks. I copped the Bentley yesterday.” I ain’t the nigga saying that. I’m the nigga talking about the bills, the grind that we gotta pay. The struggle of the whole shit, the struggle before the fucking success. And that’s what a lot of people relate to. 'Cause everybody fucking struggles. Even when you get success, that shit is not all peaches and cream. The saying is true, that mo’ money, mo’ problems. That shit is real. I feel like a lot of people relate to me on that. Just straight coming from the bottom.

How often to do you talk to 50 Cent?
I talk to 50 every damn day, especially if I am in New York. I see him every day. Everyday in the office, he’s checking on how the project is going and how things are moving. I talk to him a lot. The relationship is good. 50 is a street dude. He like street music. That’s another reason why he picked me up. I’m coming to the Unit with my own movement though. Rida Gang. He respects that.

What is the state of G-Unit? They have been relatively quiet as a group.
As far as a unit, we’ve been quiet because you got everybody trying to do their own thing. After ten years, everybody grows up and you branch off. You try to get your own business. Look at Wu-Tang Clan—you don’t see them all together, but it is still Wu-Tang Clan. They can still come all together when it is time. That’s how it is with the Unit. A lot of people, they don’t see that. All they see is separation, so they feel as though, “Oh man, there is no G-Unit no more.” Nah, man. G-Unit is still G-Unit.

Who is still on the roster?
Everybody is on the roster. There’s only adding to the roster. I am just added to the roster. A lot of people get that misconception. I’m not here to replace nobody, trying to be nobody else.

I had this one guy, even though... I am never too big to respond to a motherfucker. This one dude, he was like, “Man, I don’t believe why 50 Cent chose you over Banks.” I replied to the nigga, “How can you say he chose me over Banks?” What you mean? Banks is G-Unit my G. What you mean? Man, you trippin’! I am not trying to take nobody’s spot. As far as G-Unit the group, I am not G-Unit the group. That’s what people need to know. I am Kidd Kidd, a solo artist, with his own label.

You’re fortunate that 50 is putting a lot of energy in you because he knows that you are gonna blow up.
Yeah, something he tells me, [is] he sees a lot of him in me. Just as far as the life that we lived and trying to make something better from it and trying to bring this whole wave of new gangsta music. The form of hip-hop as it is right now is just how it was 10 years ago before Fif came in the game. Before Fif came in the game, what was happening? Ja Rule was singin’. They had a lot of rappers that were singin’. The game was kind of soft. Fif came. Boom! Gangsta music back. You know what I am saying? I feel that’s how it is right now. The game is soft. I feel like I gotta bring that gangsta wave back.

It’s funny 50 sees himself in you because your mixtape grind is similar.
I am so serious right now, I wanted Street Fame to drop the next damn day when I announced the name of it. The quality of the music was too good. That’s not a problem at all, so they wanted to make it an EP. So I say, man, for myself, not only just for the fans, for G-Unit fans, for Kidd Kidd fans and my city—I took it upon myself to say, “Look, I am gonna record #RG.” I am going to record these songs and I am going to put them out and call it #RG because I owe the people music. A full body of music. I been recording for so damn long. I been on G-Unit for a minute now. That’s what the people want.

Let’s talk about Street Fame. What can we expect?
I feel like—real talk—I look at all my music as making an impact. The project is just adding on to the legacy. For real, that’s how I look at it. Even #RG, I want that to make an impact. Why? Because if that makes the right impact like I want it to make, you can just think about what Street Fame is going to do. It’s going to make you crave Street Fame. That’s what I want. I want people to drool over it.

Previously: The Come Up: Kidd Kidd