Get By

Patchwerk Studios
Atlanta, GA 2003

This Cash Money shit was starting to get on my nerves. Here I am far away from home hustlin’ my ass off with a bunch of niggas that I couldn’t relate to. I’m doing the kinda music that I’m not really interested in. This Gemini project is becoming a great collection of lovesongs, but I ain’t a love singer so it’s starting to get to me. Everything I’m turning in Slim is loving, but I’m just not satisfied. We had already had the talk. I completely understood what he was trying to do. I kept saying to myself, “Get in character man!” I write lovesongs for other people without a problem so I needed to draw on that same inspiration. For other people, I find it easy to use my imagination. For myself, I tend to use my memory. I write about real life. Pretty much every song on Gemini was about a particular woman that had been in my life at some point. Actually, one chick took up a couple songs… She was too much! LOL! Anyway, I was running out of ex-girlfriends! I needed relief. I needed to write some TQ shit…

This was the thing. Up until this point there was no Thugpoetry on this album. How could that be? This MY album on CMR… How could it not be gangsta as fuck? I got all these dope rappers around and none on my record… No Mikkey, Wayne, or Gillie the Kid. Not even the Big Tymers! Something had to give. I had to go talk to Giant…

I pretty much knew how this convo was going to turn out. I was surprised when Slim was receptive. I told him how I was feeling. “Dawg I got a lot of fans around the world, that have never heard me sing lovesongs. If I woulda been singing lovesongs, they prolly wouldn’t be my fans!” I explained to him that I had my own little niche and that me doing this kind of music was gonna level the playing field with all these other Markz…

I never had anything in common with the R&B set. Most cats I’ve met over the years have been on some complete other shit and have left me scratching my head. I just can’t relate. They’re either extra weird, extra soft, or just extra… That ain’t me man. I live rap. I love rap. In my life, I’ve hustled way more than I’ve loved and it’s evident in my music. Shit, in most stores u gotta hit the rap section to find my records. (Thaz not my choice by the way…) I needed to do some real shit or I was gonna lose my mind…

I’m like “Slim, Fresh just did me a gangsta beat and it’s fire! It ain’t no love shit tho. I think we can at least sprinkle this album with some shit for the block. It don’t have to be a single or nothin ya know?” he didn’t agree but he didn’t have a problem with me doing the song how I wanted to do it. Left up to him, it wasn’t going on the album anyway… Me and Fresh got to work. All I gotta do is get this money…

I instantly tap into the current situation for inspiration. I’m sitting here in another situation where the powers that be are scared to let me be me. I’m so sick of asking, explaining, and trying to get muthafuckas to understand what I do. “Is he a singer or a rapper?” I was sick of that question… I don’t rap. I can’t rap and I don’t wanna rap. I sing R&B music for my neighborhood. Is that unheard of? If it is then it ain’t no more. Some of us are here to get love. Some of us are here to get by… I’m the latter… And if Cash Money wasn’t gonna give it, I was gonna take it.

That’s what “Get By” is all about. Taking what’s yours… If it’s the whole fucking world then let it be! These niggas were standing in the way of me gettin by. I got to “Get By”…

Gemini is possible cuz I straight up stole it. Every time I did new Muzic with CMR I’d always double back and get copies. Baby had this shit locked up but I’m Tom Slick. I was way smarter than them. They’d get drunk and go to the bus and play Madden while I go to the computer and act like I’m checking emails… In actuality I’m clicking on “bounce to disk” and sending that shit straight to my drive… Them silly dudes wondering why I’m always on the compter! LOL! Nigga I’m sending my shit to my publisher b4 u send it to urs saying Lil Brian wrote it!

U play the game.

Do what u gotta do to “Get By”

The new Album Gemini is set for worldwide release in 3 weeks! Buy it and complete the collection!!!!

Stay tuned as next I’m taking u to the “Ghetto” aka TQ vs Lil Wayne in Patchwerk Studio parking lot… LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!