Yo Gotti's CMG imprint is producing some big-time talent. Blac Youngsta, despite facing some serious charges recently, has a growing fan base due to songs like "Hip Hopper" and "Birthday" and his controversial social media personalities. Cleveland artist 55Bagz is starting to make noise after dropping his Bond Money mixtape. Now, MoneyBagg Yo is the CMG rep that is quickly making a name for himself in hip-hop.

Since signing to CMG in 2016, MoneyBagg Yo has become one of the hottest rappers to look out for in 2017.

"It was a crazy feeling; I had to ask myself if this was real. Is it really about to happen?" he tells to XXL while in New York City. "I started to take music serious ever since after I knew I was comfortable with who I am and everything behind that. Gotti has taught me that I should chase my dreams, not the money. Sometimes an opportunity is bigger than the bag. I clenched on that."

After teaming up with Yo Gotti for the 2016 project 2 Federal, featuring tracks “Pull Up" and "Doin 2 Much," MoneyBagg followed up with his solo effort, Heartless. The 12-track mixtape is arguably his best body of work to date and shows off his progression as a rapper.

"I just look at it like the vocabulary got bigger and better, my delivery got better and bigger since the first Federal tape," he explains. "When I was making Heartless, I was going through a real tough stuff stage in my career and life. That whole mixtape, I made that in one week. I just think I elevate every time I do something."

For his next release, Moneybagg Yo plans to take his talents to the next level. "Even the project I’m doing right now, Federal 3x, speaking a little early on that, but when y’all hear that y’all going to hear the elevation and see where I’m going," the rhymer states. "JAY-Z, king status. I’m going all the way past the moon with this. I went back to that first stage when I first made the original Federal tape. You can hear the hunger in my voice on Federal 3x."

Federal 3x doesn't have a release date as of right now but it will feature Baton Rouge's Youngboy NeverBrokeAgain and, of course, Yo Gotti. With Moneybagg Yo's name ringing in hip-hop circles, find out more about this upstart on The Break.

Age: 25

Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.

I grew up listening to: “Yo Gotti, Future, Drake, stuff like that. I just started off rapping, I just done it. I picked up what was going on at school; we used to be in the cafeteria at the round table and just freestyle. It popped off like that, I said, 'Let me go to the studio and try a real song.' My first song was this track called 'Bond Money' [laughs]. It was the first song I ever done in my life.

"I didn’t really think I was going to be a rapper, or who I am today. I didn’t really take it serious until like last year. I put out this song called 'I Need a Plug' and it just took over the city. So I said, 'I might try this for real.' I tried rapping and it worked. I enjoy it. It’s something I really love to do. I got a passion for music."

My style’s been compared to: “I think I’m all the way original and just raw with it. But some people say I sound like Kevin Gates and stuff like that."

Most people don’t know: “A lot of people think I’m cocky or arrogant but I’m really just chill and cool and humble."

My standout records or biggest moment to date have been: “'Don’t Know' off the Heartless mixtape. It gets a real response. It doesn’t matter where you’re at, as soon as that beat drop on the song, it’s going down. The whole crowd going to go crazy. Wherever you’re at, the song is going to put you in that mood."

My goal in hip-hop is: “I just want everybody to—even when I’m gone—I want people to say, 'MoneyBagg will get you through your days that’s going bad. He’s going to tell you how this situation is, how that situation is.' I want to get to people through my music."

I’m going to be the next: “[Laughs] Sometimes where I be going they be treating me like Jesus Christ, especially in my hometown [laughs]. But I really want to be MoneyBagg Yo. Where I came from, I came from all the way from the bottom. I want people to look at me and look at my situation and say, 'I can do that.' I want to motivate everybody on this globe."

Follow MoneyBagg Yo on Twitter and SoundCloud.

Standouts: “Pull Up" with Yo Gotti

"Doin 2 Much" With Yo Gotti

Heartless

2 Federal with Yo Gotti

"Yesterday" Featuring Lil Durk

"Lil Baby"

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