Gunplay Tells How He Got His Def Jam Deal in Living Legend Doc Part 3

It's been a long, tough road for Gunplay to reach his long-awaited debut album, Living Legend. But now that the LP is in stores—it came out July 31—Gunplay has been looking back at his successes and hardships along the way in a new documentary series presented by Def Jam and premiered by XXL. The first two episodes follow his early life as a drug dealer in Miami and how he eventually met Rick Ross, while today's third installment focuses on his path towards his own solo record deal with Def Jam.

Gunplay's early career alongside Rick Ross would eventually manifest itself in the group Triple C's—aka the Carol City Cartel—that included Ross, Gunplay, Torch and Young Breed. The group's first album, Custom Cars & Cycles, released in 2009, would be 'Play's first true taste of the bigger record industry out there.

"Ross not the type to just give you things—give you money—you have to work for it," Gunplay says. "So I earned everything I did. I started from carrying bags, rolling blunts, hype man, to the Triple C's album; that was his success. I was happy for him, I was instrumental in that success... And I'm not the type of handout or ask for anything, so I always had that hunger of, 'I want that, too, for myself. I want a hustlin' record by myself, I don't want nobody to just give me things, give me a record deal. I wanna earn that.'"

A big single with Waka Flocka Flame led to a first international tour and a solo deal with Def Jam that came just at the wrong time for Gunplay, while he was on the run from the law. Watch Gunplay explain how that situation tripped him up in the third episode of Living Legend above, and don't miss the first two episodes from Gunplay below.