Young Scooter Speaks From Jail On Chief Keef, Gucci Mane And His New Mixtape

Atlanta MC Young Scooter is currently serving time in DeKalb County Jail on charges of probation violation. The Southern up-and-comer was arrested—after being pulled over while driving with a suspended driver's license—on Monday, April 8 for violating the terms of his probation, but that hasn't stopped him from releasing new music. With 50 days left in his bid, XXL got the opportunity to talk to Scooter over the phone about his writing process while in jail, being cellmates with Gucci Mane and what to expect from his upcoming From The Cell Block To Your Block mixtape.—Emmanuel C.M. (@ECM_LP)

XXL: First off, how are you right now? How's your mind state?
Young Scooter: I’m ready to get out and get back to my fans. Get ready to do what I need to do.

What’s your day-to-day like?
Really just be writing, and watching TV. There really ain’t too much to do. [Laughs] [I'm] not writing a lot, because I don’t write when I’m on the street, I just go in the booth. I don’t write. So the writing is really new to me, I’ve really just been putting it together like that. From time to time I write, but really I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.

Got it. So since you've been locked up, Chief Keef has signed to Brick Squad. Did you have any part in that?
Yeah, Gucci told me that he and Keef were putting something together, but Chief Keef, that’s my brother. I’ve talked to him since I’ve been in. He know what’s up.

Music-wise, what can fans expect when you come out?
More good music for the streets and more inspirational music. More of the same way, just uptempo. A lot of energy with my music, just turn it up a notch.

Did you write From The Cell Block To Your Block before you went in?
Yeah I had a lot of songs before I came in. Yeah. Actually, I’m releasing it before I get out. I’m releasing the mixtape August 26th, and it’s crazy. It’s like 16 songs on there. Just for my fans, like I’ve got a lot of music, even the music I recorded before I came in. I got 2 albums already recorded, mixtapes, everything. It’s crazy.

Gucci was your reportedly your bunkmate at one point. What did you two talk about?
We just really talking about how we don’t need to be in this situation, how we really have got to do better. We’ve got a lot of fans, a lot of people depending on us, mainly our family and kids. For being a rapper, we’ve got a lot of fans, and they don’t want to see us incarcerated. And both of us being in the same cell that was like kind of crazy.

How do you stay up-to-date with information now? Do people come visit and give you updates or is it through TV?
Nah just my team. I’ve got a team, my Black Migo team, they’re doing what they need to do for me. Like Keisha, Sean.

So, you’re out in 50 days. Name a couple things that you can’t wait to do as soon as you're a free man.
I can’t wait to see my kids, get back to doing what I’m doing. I can’t wait to keep counting some money. I can’t wait to get back to my fans and just to the studio really. I can’t wait get back and smoke some herbs. [Laughs]

Twitter is still going crazy for you with the #FreeScooter movement. Do you think, after you get out, being incarcerated is going to put you on another level?
Yeah I think it would. I don’t got no music that will make me fail. Like I said, my music is for the struggle, and people who are trying to get some money. I’m not trying to make no slow music. Not saying slow music, because that’s not bad. I’m just trying to say the type of music I’m making is money making. Count music.

What have you learned in the rap game since you've started?
Well in the rap game I learned that you’ve gotta—it’s all about talent, you can’t just rush into it because it takes years to get hot. Not even years, it’s really about a song, or nobody just going to buy into your music if you’re just saying anything. So it’s got to be the right time and the right song. You’ve really got to make a name for yourself to keep going and just don’t give up. You’ve got to keep going.