Yo Gotti Reveals ‘The Art of Hustle’ Album Features Songs With Pusha T, Lil Wayne and Future

Yo Gotti is a bona fide hustla. For the past two decades, the 34-year-old rapper has been entrenched in the game, supplying fans with hit record after hit record. The Memphis native's worth ethic is unquestionable. Just look at everything he did last year. The Epic Records signee released five projects (Concealed in January, The Return of Cocaine Muzik and The Return of Cocaine Muzik Pt. 2 in August, The Return in September and CM8 in November).

A veteran MC releasing five mixtapes in one year is something you just don't see often -- other than from Gucci Mane, who is currently sitting in jail for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. For Gotti, life is one big hustle, which is what helped his 2013's I Am debut at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. It's also the focal point of his forthcoming album, The Art of Hustle.

Gotti expounded to us in 2014 about his upcoming LP. "I wanna get deeper, you know, let people know where I come from," he said. "What it was like growing up, the house, the women that was there, my aunties and everybody being in the streets, the downfall to it, them going through their prison time, federal prison time, getting back out and being hustlers in different forms. And all the valuable lessons and shit I learned from watching them and being in the streets myself and going through my own [situation]. So I want it to be a story on this album."

Three years after the release of I Am, it seems like fans will finally get their hands on the highly-anticipated album. Hip-hop heads already got a taste of what to expect with the first single "Errrbody," released in 2014. The track landed on the Billboard Hot 100, however, it's his newest single that's making noise. The social media ode "Down in the DM" is at No. 31 right now and climbing fast. So XXL got Yo Gotti on the phone to talk about the new single and get an update on what's going on with The Art of Hustle, from who's featured on it to when it will arrive.—Emmanuel C.M.

XXL: Fans have been waiting for your new album, The Art of Hustle, for about two years now. How close is it from being done?

Yo Gotti: I Am was a classic album so when I’m building The Art of Hustle, I got to make sure it's on that same level or greater. The album is done, we’re done with the mixing stage and we’re mastering it. It may come out any day now. The way the game is now, you can just drop out the blue, and we may come any day.

Who’s on the album?

I got Future, I got [Lil] Wayne on the album, Pusha T, a few more. The album is going to be great.

So just to be clear, there will be no other mixtapse before The Art of Hustle?

CM8 was probably one of the last of the CM series that I am going to do, which is why I went on a tour and hit the eight cities in eight days. That was a celebration of the whole CM series, the mixtape, 'cause right now I’m on focus on album mode and putting out this album from this point.

I asked that because you dropped five projects last year. How much music do you have? It seems like you live in the studio?

I got crazy music. Anybody who know me know that I’m one of the ultimate hustlers. Whatever I do, whatever I focus on, I overdo it. So I’m in the studio every day doing three to five songs. I got so much music it's crazy. That’s one of my biggest challenges, just putting the album together. When you trying to pick 14, 15 songs from 60 to 70 songs that you liked -- not just 60 or 70 that are aight -- 60-70 songs that you feel are the best songs you have.

Were you surprised how well “Down in the DM” was received? I hear it all the time.

“Down in the DM” is probably one of my favorite records. Just across the nation, it’s connecting people. I had a lot of records that connected people fast. I just think the context of what it's about and the time we’re living in, it was the record that needed to be made right now. I happened to be the one that made it.

Was there a song you expected to blow up other than “Down in the DM”?

No, I wouldn’t say that. One thing about me is that when I do the music, like “Down in the DM,” I did that record in like 15-18 minutes and I done four more records in the same studio sessions. I done a record called “General” that has Future, I done a record that has [Lil] Wayne on it. I do the music so fast, I don’t even project what it’s going to do when I does it.

See 40 Hip-Hop Albums Turning 20 in 2016