Chicago’s own Yung Berg is ready to step back into the spotlight. After a few years of hustling and writing music, Yung is gearing up his brand new mixtape “Mr. Ward” for release today, as well as a brand new album that will drop later this year. Yung may be all about the music, but he’s also no stranger to controversy. The “Sexy Can I” rapper has caught a lot of flack within the industry, had some naked photos released and beefed with Ne-Yo. But Yung is shutting down the outside noise and concentrating on getting his music heard.
GlobalGrind had the opportunity to sit down with Yung Berg and ask him some burning questions and boy, did he deliver! Berg spills the beans on everything from working with Diddy and hooking up with a Gossip Girl, to how he felt about the leaked photos, proving the naysayers wrong and the real power of blogs. Check it out.
GG: How did you get involved with Diddy’s Last Train to Paris?
YB: I lot of people don’t know that the biggest misconception about me is that I’m just like a rapper or something like that. A lot of people don’t know that like all of my records that I’ve ever been involved with from “Sexy Lady’’, ‘’Sexy Can I’’ to ‘’The Business’’ I’ve actually wrote and produced those records as well, you know?! Diddy actually reached out when ‘’The Business’’ was like hot or whatever. We went to Diddy’s House and I was like yo, I had a song called ‘’Out of Space” and I’m like yo I want to go with this song, but I’m singing the whole song. Let me play it for you, so I played it for him. He’s like, homie, ain’t you singing on ‘’The Business’’? What are you talking about? And that’s like how our relationship started, and believe it or not he was working on Last Train to Paris at that point and he just sent us in the studio immediately like yo, let’s get this sound together. I’m not going to front; we worked like a couple of years on that project. It’s even countless songs that are not even out that he just got in the vault. The Love vs. Hate mixtape just came out. We have like eight records on that tape and not counting the joints that are on this album. It was really crazy, like it happened real organically like I’m saying that he and I are best of friends and we hang out every day and Twitter each other or whatever. But, just to be able to work with a guy of that magnitude and for him to like my writing and my production is just the ultimate compliment.
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GG: We heard you have a new album coming out this year. What is it going to be called?
YB: It’s still untitled at this point. I’m dropping it in the Fall. The album is crazy. I’m really excited about like, all the records, but there’s like three records that really stand out to me. My new single featuring Roscoe Dash called ‘’I See You’’ that’s on the album. I have a joint called “Girl, I Wonna Know’’ a.k.a.‘’Sexy Can I Part 2’’ featuring Ray J that is the 2011 version of ‘’Sexy Can I.’’ Then, I have a joint called ‘’Love in the VIP’’ featuring Sean Kingston, that’s crazy on the album, as well.
GG: What should we expect from you for the next coming years? Are you going to keep doing music and production? Do you want work with anybody?
YB: Yeah, I want to work with everybody. Recently, I’ve been working with Jim Jones, Roscoe Dash, Lil’ Scrappy, Ray J, Brandy, Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl. So, I’ve just been keeping busy on the behind the scenes tip, but I’m just now coming back out with my new project. I’m going to continue to do both at the same time and just maximize everything.
GG: Describe your studio session with Leighton Meester.
YB: The weird thing about that whole record is that I had a homie named K Young and we actually linked up with a partner named Justin Troutman. He produces all pop records. He did records on Katy Perry’s album and things like that so I went in the studio and I didn’t what I was doing it for. Universal set me up, like yo, go write with these people, make a record. I didn’t know what I was in for. I walked in and I heard the beat and I was like, ‘’I do not like this.’’ I was coming from being a rapper at a rap session to going to that session and then a couple of shots later; there we go. We have a song, it’s called ‘’Contagious’’ on the album.
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GG: We read comments on a site and they were saying that they can try to bring him down, but he’s going to come back with more albums. How do you feel about people saying that about you?
YB: I represent millions of people because I’ve been through hell and back. I’ve been through so much bull*%it in my whole career. I don’t sensationalize it, personally. I take everything that I go through and I know that I just represent people that have just been through bulls%*t. That have been through the fire to get to where they are and stayed down with this music business. Stayed down with whatever they wanted to do. Whether you want to be a doctor or a lawyer or whatever; my story is something to look at. It’s easy to point out the flaws and say, well, this happened to him and this happened to him, but when you like at the other things like shorty is resilient and shorty has tough skin. He goes through all this other stuff and he’s still able to come back and then still make hit records. Can’t nobody take away that I make good music, but now it’s just all about cleaning up the image and letting people understand me.
GG: What was going through your mind when you saw everyone wearing your chain?
YB: It really didn’t matter to me, because nobody really knows the real story behind that. For me to go back and say, yo, well let me give you an exclusive and tell you the story. Like, half of the dudes that want to hear the story are not going to buy a Yung Berg album anyway or going to buy a Yung Berg ringtones. So, it’s like, why give closure to a situation for someone who is not even supporting the movement.
GG: Image is very important in the Hip Hop environment. Were you just like, ‘’How am I going to come back from this as an artist, as a rapper.’’?
YB: I took it two ways. I thought of it at first and was like man, this is crazy. How am I going to bounce back from this? On the other end, I just dove into the music. Seeing people with that chain, I’ve been hated on my whole life. I come from the Southside of Chicago, so tough skin is something you have to develop initially. I really stayed off the internet to be honest with you. I wasn’t even on WorldStar or any of those sites. Knowing about it and knowing the whole world knows about it; what am I going to do? I still have to be Berg at the end of the day, so do I let this be trivial and let it get the best of me or do I swag it off and keep it going? At the end of the day, that is what I have to do.
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GG: Prior to that moment, you were a new artist on your way to becoming that dude. Soon after the chain incident occurred and you fizzled down. Do you think your songs are good enough now to regain that success?
YB: Definitely. I think that they’re even better because the time and the relationships that I have I can reach out to people. I was making those early records inside my house in the basement. Now that it’s on a whole other plateau that I can reach out to a Diddy or something like that or even take my record and make it bigger. I think I’m in a better position. Not only that, I don’t prefer the easy road. That road that I had, it was easy. I prefer this road because now, even if you’re not a fan of me, I’m able to talk to you and have a conversation with you and you’re able to walk away with something you didn’t know from me that can possibly sway you to listen to something and when you hear a record and it catches you again; then it’s like I’m really rocking with Berg. He went through all this nonsense, I’ve talked to homie, I’ve sat down with him and people have him f@#ked up and now he has another record. I’m rocking with this. I would rather make people believers than to automatically just get the praise because when I had those hit records, people were not hollering me and giving me the praise and I was producing and writing those records. Nobody was really saying that’s dope. It was more like, oh you have Ray J on your song, that’s why it’s hot or you have a bunch of features on your album or when are you going to do a song by yourself and stand alone. Not knowing that “The Business,” that was my artist I wrote the hook for and put her in the booth and made her sing it. Sexy Lady, I wrote that hook and made dudes sing it, all the joints on my album. Trey Songz and Amerie; everybody that was on my record was singing my hooks.
I didn’t know how major that was for me when I was twenty years old. I’m sure if I would’ve conveyed that message they would’ve been like this dude is a producer, he has a lot of stuff going on. At that point, it just seemed like I was just another dude with some records. There was no story behind it. There was no message and that is what I felt was missing in the beginning part.
GG: You also had another bit of drama. When Jenna exposed your naked photos were you like why do I have all this bad luck?
YB: I wasn’t exposed in that situation, that was some nonsense. You ever been with a chick and you’re having sex with her and then you do something and stop answering her phone calls? She gets upset with you and she goes out and says, ‘’OMG, I hate you’’ and tells your friends all that other stuff. It’s just that I’m famous and she has a Twitter with 40,000 followers and she can say something and somehow they give video vixens and models relevant material to say. It was so random and it just seemed like something that could have happened. Nobody even reached back to get any information on any of the story. It’s like that came out and it’s automatically true. Because Jenna said it? And like, Jenna’s my peoples. Anything that can go bad on me and Jenna will be going in on somebody. She just tried to go in on me with them little naked pictures. She’s on Twitter talking about I’m the best she had in her life and she’s like better than Fab, Weezy. Just went on a rant and just named dudes.
People really can’t take into consideration whats going on with this. In the media, with Yung Berg it’s not fixing anything. It’s automatically the worst story and that’s what it is. There ain’t no cleaning it up. It’s pointless for me to even rebuttal because I can walk out of GlobalGrind right now and a car runs over my feet and then police come to me to fill out a police report. Now, its Yung Berg’s talking to police, they’re going to run with that. I look at different things and I hate to point out people’s situations or whatever because I’m not like that. But, I look at Ross, I look at people that just overcome adversity and it’s all because of good music. Put the music out and let it speak. I was upset when the headlines happened, but I remembered Chingy told me, ‘’Dog, don’t give f*@k about that s#%t, worry about when they stop talking about you.’’ Even your piece in the XXL, I’ve seen you clown me in the XXL or whatever and say something crazy about me or whatever. I don’t hold that against you because you don’t really know me, and it’s the perception that you received when you’re sitting down at your lap top.
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GG: What did I say? (laughs)
YB: I don’t know this was a while ago. It wasn’t in this one, it was a while ago. It was like a few issues back and you all were having a debate.
GG: I think the question was the artist who was most hurt by the internet.
YB: It was something along those lines. I can sit here and tell you the behind the scenes story, but what does that really matter? Like me and you are going to know and you’re going to get it. If you cut the recorder off I will tell you the real story, but I don’t want the real story to be floating around because it’s sensationalizing things that are in the past. It’s now 2011.
GG: Ross’ career was almost flatline, but he beat 50 and then he put out good music. Does that give you hope?
YB: Yeah. That is the ultimate satisfaction. If I can be sh#tted on by everybody in the world and somehow land on Diddy Dirty Money’s project out of nowhere. This is shockers to people that don’t know what I’m doing. I obviously have something going on. That lets me know if I can go into the studio, I can be signed to Epic Records and be in their food chain. They can ask me if I need writers and producers and send me on a world tour to work with Cool & Dre and everybody in the world. I just produced “Sexy Lady,’’ I gave that to you all. I turned in this record, but now Koch calls me and flies me to New York to come work with Jim Jones and produce records for him and do these things of that nature. People that really understand my story and are around me. Like Jim, like I was in the studio with Jim and he works like he plays the beat for hours. I don’t get down like that. I go in, I hear it and the first thing that comes to my mind I just go in and say it. I was like, “Yo Jim, just go in the booth. Why are we just sitting here? Go in the booth dog, go live in that joint.’’ He was like, ‘’You know I don’t let anybody tell me s%#t, right? He was like, ‘’But, I see something in you that everybody doesn’t see. And he was like I’m rocking with you. The dude went in the booth and did exactly what I wanted him to do. So when I have artists that are inspirational to me and are listening to me for my skills. When I have Rico Love, which is one of the biggest writers out right now and we’re writing on the same records, that’s the inspiration. Changing a perception consists of making my rounds. It takes meeting with people like you that can spread the word that can change the audience’s opinion because this is all media based or online.
All its going take is for me to be here, you see me on 106 and Park tomorrow, the girls are going to be ecstatic and a different persona. You can just feel me. I’m not going to lie, I came across as a cocky, little young dude. I mean, what are you going to tell a twenty year old that’s doing it? That’s like telling Soulja Boy something right now. That’s why he’s bugging out. Not bugging out, that’s why he’s doing him. You can’t tell noboby that achieves that amount of fame that quick and that amount of money. It’s not like Im just a puppet, either. I’m making the beats so my publishing is right, I’m not in 360 deal. Im getting money. At that point, not only did I not have the right people around me to keep me grounded, it was just mayhem. My management was f$%ked up too. No disrespect to them because they might be good for somebody else, but they were fu$%ed up. When that situation came up and they tried to say that I was a racist way back when. My manager was sitting right there when were having an interview. They chopped up screwed that up so crazy that it just made me look unreal. I was like, as management you’re supposed to pick me up.
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GG: Do you think bloggers don’t understand the power that they have?
YB: Hail no they don’t. On some real stuff, 99.9 percent of the time when these little blogs come out, I’m with one of the baddest bitches in the world the night prior, waking up from a hangover. I open my Twitter and it’s like Yung Berg blah, blah, blah. Im like WTF??? Then the calls start happening, then your manager and PR. Yo, I don’t know whats going on. Just like those naked pics. That’s a prime example of how anything with me can be taken to whatever headline you want to take it to. Now, if people would’ve taken the time to notice that I was eighteen, nineteen years old in those pics. Pause because I’m talking to you and you’re the homie. I had no tattoos on my face in those pics or none of that. If you look at ‘’The Business’’ video I had tattoos on my face and that was damn near three to three and a half years ago. So you can put things together and know that im not just on Twitter sending pictures of my penis. But, Im not going to get out there and…
GG: Makes no sense.
YB: No!!!
GG: Do you have any songs in your arsenal right now that is just going shut this thing down?
YB: Yeah. I have a joint that is called “So Amazing” that I just shot the video for. Its going to be real controversial because Natalie Nunn is in the video and we’re acting like we’re fu%$ing on the internet. For the record, no I have not smashed her out, its just friends. That record is just like talking to people in Chicago because more than anything I can take all the hate, but I know my city as whole looks at me like crazy. I hear the rumors, but when I really look at the history and I really do the research, Im one the youngest and most successful artists to come from Chicago at the youngest age possible. But, I don’t get that look. So, Im talking about that, Im talking about all the trials and tribulations. I have a new video called, ‘’ Loving You like Me’’ that’s on my new mixtape called Mr. Ward that comes out March 17. Im getting my Eminem on, like, Im going to poke fun at everything because I don’t give a f%$k. At the end of the day it’s not stopping anything. Im still getting a check, Im still hanging around cool girls.
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GG: How have you changed from when you first got in the game? Are you more cautious when you’re picking out girls? They’re still throwing at you, we’re sure.
YB: Definitely. It’s changed because I’ve changed. Im not the same person I was at the point. I was just getting it. The rock star lifestyle. But, right now Im still crazy with it on that end. You just have to proceed with caution with different things because after you go through turmoil and internet stuff, it’s like yo chick I need you to sign this disclaimer, let me get a photocopy of your photo I.D.; all of that because you never know. The person that put the pictures out of me was someone that I really know that was mad that we were not doing business with them anymore and tried to f$%k up my s$%t. And, it ain’t no chick, I don’t know that chick.
GG: What’s the latest tattoo?
YB: It’s still healing. It says Mr. Ward, it’s the mixtape I have coming out on March 17th.
GG: What are you doing tonight?
YB: Want to come to Perfections? Me and DJ Clue have a party there?
GG: Absolutely.
