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Posted On:
Aug-24-2008, 02:23:59 PM PST
IT SEEMS NOW ADAYS BERGS MOUTH IS ON DIARHEA OVERLOAD MODE...but this time he may have a point
peep what he says in this recent article:
Like the robots that inspired his $70,000, double-sided Transformers chain, there’s more than meets the eye with Yung Berg. Initially, it’d have been easy to dismiss the 22-year-old Chicago rapper, nee Christian Ward, as another flash in the pan after he came out of nowhere (although he was signed by DMX at 15) in 2007 with the club smash “Sexy Lady.” But since then, Berg has collaborated with Ray J on the top five hit “Sexy Can I,” written songs for Ciara, Diddy and Cassie, and dropped “The Business,” a steadily climbing heater featuring his own artist Casha. Rhapsody grabbed some time with Berg while in Philadelphia promoting his debut, Look What You Made Me. Here, he discusses writing R&B records, being mentored by 50 Cent, and dealing with hometown hate.
Rhapsody: What made you decide to sing on “Outerspace”?
Yung Berg: That’s my favorite song on the album and actually the next single. That was one of the ones that slid in at the end because the album was wrapped up, but I did “The Business,” “Outerspace” and four other records in a week’s time in L.A. I write for a lot of different people, so what better way for me to show that I write R&B than do it myself. Not only that, also just to swagger out on n*gg*s and show that I’m multitalented for anybody that was ever like, "Berg is a one-hit wonder."
When you write for someone like Ciara, do you also vocally produce the track?
The layering and arranging, I do myself. I wrote and produced “The Business.” We working on Casha’s album right now. I’m writing all her joints on her album. I just got a knack for writing songs. I’ve really been into R&B a lot lately. The-Dream’s album was crazy to me. That’s probably what [got me] started on the whole singing sh*t. The people that mix my records, Dave Pensado and Jaycen Joshua, they mix everything The-Dream ever does. They work directly with Tricky [Stewart], so that’s how I got the plug with Tricky and just started working with him [for Ciara]. R&B is even easier for me than rap because it’s not like you’re searching for the craziest metaphor. As long as you have a dope melody or topic, you’ll be fine.
Do you have any musical training?
It kind of just came naturally for me. Just listening to other people’s music and dissecting it. I’ve always been a studiohead. I know how to work Pro Tools and my own sessions. I’m a fast learner and have God-given talent.
Besides Ciara, what have you been working on?
We working on Brandy’s stuff. Me and my partner Rob Holiday are locked in with Diddy right now for the whole month. We working with Puff real close on Cassie’s project and a whole bunch of things on Bad Boy. Actually, we did what might be [Diddy’s] first single, “Truth Is a Lie." I haven’t really heard the finished product ‘cause Puff likes to get the record and live with it. But I know what we turned in was an R&B record. It’s fully singing. My man K Young, Rob Holiday and I collaborated on it. [Diddy] might end up singing it. You never know with Puff.
So how much does it cost to get you in the studio as a songwriter for a song?
$30,000.
Your song “Around the Way Girl” is based on your experience losing your girl to Juelz Santana, right?
That didn’t actually go on the album, but “Around the Way Girl” is crazy. I may end up leaking that. People [blew] that sh*t out of proportion. It’s not like she was dating Juelz. She was with him and couldn’t send me my money. That was a rough time in my life because I was really feeling shorty. But it inspired me to go hard. At that point, she was all I had besides my music and she turned her back on me. That was like ’05. I was working with Erick Sermon and living at his house. I met him through his cousin, Pillow. We met in Atlanta and then they flew us out there and we ended up making crazy records. Anyways, I took the money out of my trust fund and I couldn’t open up no bank account, so I gave her the money and she ain’t wanna send me my paper back. Like $10,000. To a n*gg* with no deal, that sh*t was crazy.
It was no telling what she meant when she said she was with him. She could’ve been in the car behind him. You know how them girls get. We all sharing ‘em.
Is it ever weird dealing with a girl who’s previously dealt with another rapper?
I don’t really ask. I’m not really concerned with no d*ck but my d*ck. No homo. I ain’t thinking about what else happened prior. I’m wrapping my sh*t up, going in, and it is what it is. I ain’t concerned about what they done dipped in. I don’t really f*ck with too many of them. When it’s, “That used to be such and such’s girl,” I’ll ask for the history and find it out, ‘cause you know the streets talk. I like regular girls, too.
One thing I found to be interesting is the relationship you have with 50. When was the first time you guys met?
I met 50 last year. I had just finished the “Sexy Lady (Remix)” video. We went to his office at Marc Ecko’s building and chopped it up. He was schooling me on the game and giving me advice. Last time I had seen 50 was about a month ago at TRL. He was promoting T.O.S. and I was there promoting “The Business” ‘cause it just premiered on TRL. I look up to 50 like a mentor. When you see anybody that came into the game so quick and soaked up as much cash as he did and not concerned about nothing, it’s inspirational.
When you were talking greasy about Bow Wow on "Do That There," and stated you had problems with him in an interview with DJ Envy, why was 50 encouraging you to go so hard at Bow Wow?
He wasn’t going hard at Bow Wow. Me and Bow Wow are cool for the record, so I’ll speak upon it. In the lane that we in, he had that lane on smash at the present point in time. So, I was like, "You gotta help me get him." So I came in and [50] was just joking around. It wasn’t like he sent me down to go at Bow Wow.
Got you. I was reading that Kanye actually gave you the “Jesus Walks” beat and you made a song to it?
Nah. Him and my producer at the time, Boogz, are real close. I was living at Lupe Fiasco’s crib ‘cause Boogz was Lupe’s producer. Lupe was there and they were playing stuff. ‘Ye gave Boogz a copy of “Jesus Walks” and a couple of other beats. I went and two-tracked it and added that sh*t to my demo. And f*ck*ng Rodney Jerkins fell asleep eating a Crystal’s Hamburger in Atlanta at Doppler’s Studio listening to the “Jesus Walks” beat. Nothing was different except some strings. So, that let’s you know that you never know what the f*ck is gonna happen.
Like Rodney fell asleep ‘cause he had it on loop ‘cause he liked it so much?
Nah. He fell asleep like sheep, n*gg*. Like it was nothing.
So you and Lupe were living together at the time?
Yeah, at a crib in Chicago on the South Side. Lupe was working on Food and Liquor. He had a deal and everything signed with Atlantic working on his album. Lupe was always sick. Super smart dude. He don’t smoke or drink. I never seen him do none of that wild sh*t I be on. We used to kick it at the crib. Lupe was one of my first supporters as well. He was always like, “Berg’s that dude.” Back then, I used to just pride myself on spittin’ like, “I’m the best rapper alive”-type sh*t. Now, I don’t even go hard on that lane.
There was a VIBE article a few years back where some Chicago musicians complained about Common not doing enough to help out other Chi-Town artists. How do you feel when you hear stuff like that?
That’s b*llsh*t. It's not opportunities in Chicago so you gotta be able to holla at other avenues for yourself. What’s really the problem as long as you still rep Chicago? I don’t hear Common talking about he don’t love Chicago. He put on for the city. Back at that time, I was in the 'hood so Common had a different type of music. Chicago is just a city full of haters. It’s the ‘hood, n*gg*. It’s f*ck*d up. Nobody got nothing so they don’t like to see nobody else with it. Name one person from Chicago that’s in the business that Chicago really has love for. Who would you think?
Kanye West?
Wrong. Kanye can’t walk through the ‘hood. Name the last time Kanye been in the ‘hood. If you think about it, never. Never in seven years probably. Ain’t nobody [in the ‘hood] got no love for Kanye.
Didn’t he shoot the “Homecoming” video in the ‘hood?
That sh*t was downtown, dawg. And then they went by one of the projects. That wasn’t the ‘hood. He still wasn’t no ‘hood dude. Everyone known him from being musical. Same thing with me. They don’t like people that get on. That’s why Kanye still reps Chicago to the fullest, but he not in the ‘hood in Chicago.
Didn’t Common shoot “The Corner” video in the ‘hood?
Common's a different situation ‘cause to n*gg*s in the ‘hood, Common is a conscious rapper. He not in their lane. They feel like Common is in a league of his own.
Does Lupe get love in Chicago?
Lupe’s situation is also different because Lupe is a conscious rapper. N*gg*s in the ‘hood don’t like nobody unless you affiliated with gangs. It’s the worst city in the U.S.
When you go back, you don’t really go through the ‘hood?
Yeah, I was just in the ‘hood. I did Rap City: My Hood. It’s f*ck*d up in Chicago. If you not affiliated with nobody, nine times out of 10, people gonna try and extort you.
I interviewed Bump J for VIBE in 2004 and it seemed like he had a lot of love from the streets.
He had the streets, but he couldn’t control his n*gg*s. They robbed and stole everything from everybody. And now look. Where is he now?
Does all that make you have kind of a love-hate relationship with your city?
I love my city to the fullest and I would never let no dude in my city make me feel some certain type of way about it. I just don’t like some of the n*gg*s that’s in my city. But the majority are on some cool sh*t
The unique personality which is the real life in me, I can not gain unless I search for the real life, the spiritual quality, in others. I am myself spiritually dead unless I reach out to the fine quality dormant in others.
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Viewing 1 thru 2 of 2 posted replies
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Posted on:
Aug-24-2008, 02:26:56 PM PST
Dapz:
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i semi agree with what he says about being affiliated with the hood...
AND BUMP J STORY IS REAL...BUT IT SEEMS LIKE YOUNG BERG IS THE WHIPPING BOY FOR DAMN NEAR EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN BEEF RELATED
HE IS THE NEW VILLAN IN HIP HOP NOW
a la RAPS CHARLES BARKLEY....NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK HIS MIND.
The unique personality which is the real life in me, I can not gain unless I search for the real life, the spiritual quality, in others. I am myself spiritually dead unless I reach out to the fine quality dormant in others.
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Posted on:
Aug-26-2008, 06:55:02 PM PST
Dapz:
0
blows cobwebs off....*COUGH
*HACK
WHEW!!!! WELL AT LEAST I GOT A FEW VOTERS THAT SHOWED UP! LOL
The unique personality which is the real life in me, I can not gain unless I search for the real life, the spiritual quality, in others. I am myself spiritually dead unless I reach out to the fine quality dormant in others.
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