Since signing with Young Money Entertainment, we haven’t really heard anything new on PJ Morton. For fans worrying that he might not get the attention he deserves at the label, he has reassured them that they don’t need to worry as he has full creative control over his music and decisions. Check out what PJ told YKIGS below about why he signed to YM:

“I have full creative control over the music I do, so I knew it was the right spot for me. I think that’s kinda the misconception about Young Money overall. It’s kind of an old school concept that they have over there in the sense of back in the day, people signed artists that they believed in and they kinda let them do what they do because they already believe as opposed to trying to change who the artist were.” Morton went on to add, “I think they’re bringing back that ‘I don’t care’ creative attitude back to the industry. That let me know it was definitely the right place.”

PJ Morton is currently working on his debut Young Money release, a new EP called Following My First Mind, which will be released in the next few months.

PJ Morton Reveals Details On Signing With Young Money Ent is a post from: Young Money HQ

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MTV recently chopped it up with Lil Twist about who he gets advice from when his Don’t Get It Twisted album got pushed back from 2011 to 2012.

“I talked to my mom mostly, and then Wayne,” Twist told Mixtape Daily about whom he sought advice from each time his Don’t Get It Twisted album got pushed back. “Wayne and Young Money president Mack Maine are like my brothers, and Drake also. Drake is always a good person to give advice. Drake went through everything as far as being a new artist and on the same label, seeing how everything went down,” he said of his Young Money labelmate. “So he was just letting me know what was going to go down, how I need to go about it and just how to overcome the stress that I was feeling coming out with this album.”

Lil Twist Receives Advice From Drake About Overcoming Stress With His Album is a post from: Young Money HQ

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In the video above, Drake talks to Mando Fresko about the women who got “DRAKE” tattooed on her forehead (you can see a pic in the video). Drizzy says he wants to speak to the lady who got the tattoo done and understand why she did it, but he also calls the tattoo artist an asshole and says he would fuck him up if he ever came across him.

“The guy who tatted it is a fucking asshole, for real. I don’t fuck with that guy. Fuck you to that tat artist cause you’re an asshole for real, and you should lose your job. You should never do tattoos again. I don’t fuck with you and if I ever see you, I’mma fuck you up.”

Video: Drake Threatens Tattoo Artist Who Tattooed His Name On Woman’s Forehead! is a post from: Young Money HQ

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1. Tyga & Chris Brown – Deuces (Feat Kevin McCall)
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Jason Pollak: Hey hows it going? Chris Richardson: Not too bad. Just getting ready to start the day. Watch some football. Jason: Oh yea. Who’s your team? Chris: The Bronco’s. I am pro-Tebow. (laughing) Jason: Haha, yea. Me too. Chris: I think he’s a winner. He’s not the most fundamental guy, but in NFL, they take their job very seriously. With the amount of money their being paid. He’s a very dedicated player. It’d be nice if he got a little more graceful throwing ball, but that’s not even my concern. We just need the whole team behind him. It’s cool to have that dynamic. Who’s your team? Jason: I’m from New York, so Giants, Mets. Chris: Oh yea I like the Mets, my buddy actually plays for the Mets, David Wright. We went to the same school together. I also am good friends with the Uptons (Justin & B.J.). Mike Cuddyer too, he’s on the Twins. We all sorta grew up together, going to the gym. I’ve played sports my whole life. I was kind of one those, jack-of-all trades guy. I played short stop and third base. I had a knack for short stop. I also played football and basketball. I wound up playing some D-III football. I was going to go to either the University of Virginia or Virginia Tech, but my grades weren’t high enough. They wanted a 4.1 and I had a 3.8. So they were gonna scout me and I was going to transfer to one of those schools my sophomore year. Jason: What happened after that? Chris: Well after my first year I came back home and began working in Hooters. Little did I know I would be working there for the next four years (laughs). But anyway, I was performing at this talent show and Teddy Riley picked me up. He’s produced songs for Michael Jackson, Blackstreet. I was with him for about a year and then I ended up working with a different producer when Riley moved to LA. Through my new producer, I met Timbaland and began working for him. Jason: What was it like working with Timbaland? Around what time was this? Chris: It was great. I actually didn’t know, but Timbaland’s home was basically right around the corner from me (laughs), so that was cool. It was around the time that Justin Timberlake was working on his FutureSex/LoveSounds album and Nelly Furtado was working on her Promiscuous girl material. I was pretty much trying to get signed as a producer/songwriter/artist…basically, sign me as anything (laughing), I didn’t care. That’s also how you kind of make it in the music business. You have to be pretty diverse. Jason: Yea, that’s true. So where did it go from there? Chris: Yea, so while that was going on, I had decided I wanted to try out for American Idol again, this was my third time. I had tried out twice before, but didn’t make. I’m a third times a charm type of guy, so I felt I had to go do it. However, pretty much at the same time, Timbaland asked me if I wanted to be on his Shock Value album, which was a huge deal. I was a huge fan of his (laughs). So I went up to New York and actually wound up making the cut for Hollywood on Idol. When I came back home and told Timbaland, he basically told me I had a decision to make. He was moving from Virginia back to Miami where he lived and I had the choice of either flying down to Miami or going to Hollywood. I already had a record with Timbaland, he just had to finish it up. He wanted me to join his group and push me as an artist. Ultimately I made the decision to go on American Idol and go that route. He already had Ryan Tetter from One Republic and Keri Hilson. That was before Keri came out. Timbaland was still looking for a way to release her. Jason: Yea, that’s awesome. I remember when she was blowing up and that song with her and Wayne where he goes– “Miss Keri Babyy”. Chris: Haha, yea that was a great song. Once she finally came out, she really defined her own style. They were worried she had too similar of a sound to Beyonce. I remember talking with her about all of that before she came out and when she finally did I was like, “See you’re nothing like Beyonce at all. You have your own unique style.” And yea, that song with Wayne, it just shows you the crazy power he has. Almost everyone on YMCMB has a track with Wayne as sort of a validation. Sometimes he jumps on so he can push his new artist. They have their own methods and the Wayne method has seems to work pretty well. He’s crazy. Jason: Yea it definitely has. So back to American Idol for a second. What was the whole American Idol experience like? Chris: It was really great. They give you the opportunity to become a star, but it’s all about what you make of it. That’s why you see so many of these Idol star’s, kind of stalling in their careers. You still have to work very hard in order to build success after the show. The show is basically a great platform. They show you what life is like as a celebrity and musician. It’s just a taste. You know, we do the concert shows once the season ends and they are all sold out. We did sixty something shows and every single show is sold out. It’s crazy. Jason: Yea, it seems like a great learning experience. Chris: Yea, but the fame can go away as quickly as it comes. You know, one day I walk outside and I can’t move. There are girls and fans everywhere. Then, once it’s over, so is that. The four years in between doing Idol and being signed to Cash Money was kind of weird because you go from being so popular, back to being a nobody sorta. It’s kind of a reality check. It made me question whether or not I’d ever make it. Like after all of that and still no record deal. But I just kept working extremely hard, performing every chance I got- I don’t think there’s a single place in VA that I haven’t performed in- and I eventually got what I had been working so hard for. And the fame isn’t necessarily what I wanted. I wanted an everlasting career. The show isn’t meant for that. It’s a seasonal thing. If you don’t work hard to maintain your music career after the show, it’ll never happen. Jason: Yea that’s definitely true. So now you’re signed to Cash Money. You guys are pretty much directly affiliated with Young Money, correct? Chris: Yea, like when people ask who I’m signed to, I say YMCMB. It’s basically the same thing. It’s just like, you rep the squad. Only difference is that Slim and Baby sign artists to Cash Money and Lil Wayne handles the signing of his artists to Young Money. It’s really great to be signed to a label like this. On the Cash Money side there’s myself, Kevin Rudolph, Jay Sean and a few other artists, but we’re all like a family. I don’t think I see too many labels travel around together the way they do. Ya know, there’s a family camaraderie. Things are a bit different with us because we are a more in house record label. We roll through award shows together, do shows and events together. We just held the turkey give-a-way in New Orleans. It’s almost like a high school clique. It’s great to have the whole crew there, supporting you at all these events as opposed to just your inner circle or publicist. It can get boring that way. There is an age difference amongst some of us, but as long as we keep that medium of making great music together, age doesn’t really get in the way. Jason: Yea definitely. What was it like before you signed to Cash Money and were looking for a label? Chris: It was a bit difficult because labels wanted to sign me to a production deal where I would just do songs for other artists. They wanted to buy the music I had made for other artists and all the catalogs I had organized and kept together. I had been writing so much I had like a catalog for Rihanna, a catalog for Justin, a folder for Wayne. And that just isn’t what I wanted. I wanted someone to push my own music too. So I went back to Virginia for a little while and I signed to a manager who didn’t have my best interests in mind. Then I met my current manager Josh Berkman. We were just out one night and I played him some music. He liked it and he invited me down to Miami where everyone else was. I chilled there for 6 months, just getting to know everybody. Jason: Yea I see. So how do you go about making music? What are some of your methods? Chris: I like to stay late. Sometimes til after Wayne even leaves. My whole theory was that if I consume myself with just music, I will make the best music. So I usually get into the studio around 7 AM, and leave at 8 o’clock the next morning. After I make my first album or two, I’ll take a break then. I make it an effort because you see all of these other people that are successful using these methods. It’s a little different for me because they do rap, I’m in different genre of music. I’m in there cutting 30 sets of vocals while they cut 4 records in that amount of time. I’m only recording two line at a time and stacking harmonies on top of it. (laughs) It’s a longer process. Also, with my music, I want to do it in different ways. I want to kinda be all out there. You know, instead of getting your typical guest feature, I want to get Flee from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to play bass. Jason: Yea that’s funny because I was thinking the same thing the other day. It’d be great to feature Anthony Kiedis or someone like Slash on a record. Chris: Man, haha, that’s weird stuff. Yea, I completely agree because the way I am looking at it, music now and just in general, everyone is always featured on everyone else’s records. Jason: Right, and it’s almost become a universal sound, where everyone can collaborate together. Chris: Yea, exactly. The consensus is you team up with other great talents in the music industry and everyone does songs together. You know, I see it all the time. All the big people from Cash Money, all the big artists from other labels out there- their always teaming up, well, because they make money. Jason: Yea definitely. You guys also recently signed Busta Rhymes as well. Chris: Yea, I knew about Busta. He is always in the studio working heavy with us. He’s always around talking to us and Baby. Jason: So, I gotta ask, what’s it like working with Wayne in the studio? Chris: With Wayne, it’s really just an inspiration to witness him and how he works. There are also some similarities between himself and myself, which is cool. It might be an age thing, but I don’t know, I feel like I’ve become wiser over the last two years. Wayne and I think in the realm of being persistent and consuming yourself in it. You make the most out of it and when your finished, make sure you have enough to take care of yourself. But plain and simple, he’s just a humbling person. He’s just a great person to be around. It’s the same with everyone that is there all the time. Baby’s always there, Slim’s always there. We have certain in-house producers that are always there such as Detail. We’re keeping it family, so that’s cool to me because you can always just call them right up. There’s almost no need to go searching when you have such a team environment around. It’s just a different way of doing it. It’s unorthodox the way they do it sometimes and I think the Young Money Cash Money fans really like that. There’s a good vibe here. I definitely wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Jason: Yea definitely. So what is Slim like? You really never hear too much about him. Chris: Yea, well both Birdman and Slim are really intelligent people. Ya know Baby tells me everyday (imitates Baby’s voice), “You’re gonna be a star Chris. You’re gonna be a star”. (laughing) So that’s always good to hear. You don’t see Slim too much because he is mostly behind the scenes. Slim’s a mastermind, ya know. He’s the guy that analyzes everything and is making sure everything is put together and going out. He’s the one that fills the voids and picks the records. He picked “Lollipop” because no one at Universal liked it. That’s how Slim bases his choices. If they don’t like it at Universal, that’s the record he picks. If they do like it, he goes back and picks another that they didn’t. A lot of the records you hear on the radio came about that way. (laughing) He’s crazy. He’s also always reading books. He’s very smart. Slim’s basically a mastermind of strategy. He applies that to building this mega-mogul company. And behind the scenes, is kinda more of his thing, but he’s there every night at the studio. I’ll be working upstairs and he’ll be downstairs working with everyone. Jason: What about the rest of the Young Money crew? How is it working with them? Chris: It’s great because I can just bounce around from studio to studio seeing if anyone wants to catch a vibe. Like I’ll help them out if they need a hook or some production work done for their mixtape. It’s really all about building an opportunity. I think that was the point of me kind of being this freelance writer/musician within the camp. I think I have gained a lot of respect amongst them with out really having a smash #1 single out at the moment. It also shows that I have the ability to work on any genre of music, while my own album. I’m really trying to shake the whole American Idol thing and have people appreciate me for my own music. And now that I’m signed, when it happens, it happens. Jason: Has there been anybody in particular you have gravitated towards more? Chris: Yea, me and Tyga got pretty close. We have the single out called “Far Away”. I got to perform that with him when he was opening for Chris Brown on the Fame Tour. We did about 20 shows in arena’s and fairs, all sold out. I’m a bit used to the whole arena concert scene mostly because I had the experience of American Idol and those sixty shows under my belt. Like when we walked into the Staples Center it was reminiscent of Idol and everything. It was pretty cool, so I wasn’t too overwhelmed by it, but it still was a terrific experience. There was a different dynamic about it. Instead of singing cover songs, I’m singing my own songs. That’s something the show doesn’t allow you to do too much, so that was really great. Jason: How did that song come about with Tyga? Chris: It’s the first song off his album “Careless World”. It came together in a cool way. His producer was in LA and he was like we should work together. And Tyga, not only is he a great rapper, but he’s great song writer and musician. I feel inside every rapper, they want to be a singer. He’s even admitted it (laughing). But he’s written a lot of songs for artists that sing. He puts together the melody, words and everything. So basically his manager said he had a record for me. It was a rough record, kind of unfinished. I really liked it though and I took it back to my condo and layed down the hook. Wayne initially didn’t want it to be the single. He wanted more of a street sounding type of song, but Tyga didn’t come with one, so we went with this and it’s done really well. They pushed it to more rhythmic and urban radio before they pushed it to more of the pop sorta radios. So they were a little confused as to how to push it at first, because it wasn’t as hardcore as the other songs they play. But it it did great. That’s also part of being an artist. You can’t just make songs and be like, “Okay, now tell me what to do.” You have to pay attention to the radio charts and how to promote yourself as an artist as well. Jason: What do you think is important to building a long, successful career? Chris: I think being established. If you look at the success’s from the label, they all have a strong foundation. Nicki, Drake, they built that bottom layer to further build off of. If an artist is established, the label will make more money. You will get more endorsement’s and more feature’s. That’s definitely one of the things they have figured out here. They let their artists grow and develop. Like I said before, it’s a unique label. It is almost like freelance music making. You show up and kind of do whatever your feeling. The studio is your office. Through that, you get stronger and make songs that will eventually carry your career. And here at Cash Money, you know, they just got that edge. Their hustler’s. They grind like no other and their almost billionaire’s by now. It’s still the same, hasn’t changed. Jason: How do you think you have matured over the last couple years? Chris: Well I’ve been working my ass off to get into this business. It has become more of a goal now than it was when I was younger. You see all the glamour and fame that come along with it. Now that I’m older, I see it’s more about the business. Now it’s like- How do I maintain this and build a career so I can take care of my family. When you’re younger, it’s like, “Lets go party!” (laughs) Now my mindset is different. I have my hands in a lot of baskets. I want to make my own label, production company, I have my own publishing company. I want to make hats and clothes. Jason: Yea that’d be awesome. Do you have a name yet for your clothing line? Chris: Yea it’s called Stateline. My publishing company has the same name. We started with hats. We do snapbacks, trucker hats, fedoras, fitteds. We have some of that have a militant vibe. A lot of them are in prototype stages. We are going to try to get into the extreme sports scene. Pretty much anything X-Games oriented. Being from VA, I have always been riding bikes around and stuff like that. We want to spread it out to any demographic that pretty much wears hats. Once I get established, I can begin to ask my friends in other business’s to help rep the line. Jason: Yea, maybe you should call up David Wright, have him throw a hat on during a press conference. Chris: (laughing) Yea I know right, but he’s the type of person that would do it. He’s a really nice guy. A lot of people from VA have a good upbringing and are genuine, humble people. And it’s funny because a lot of people from Cash Money remind me of people from VA. Their from the South too. When I met them, I was like, this is a done deal. They were very similar to my friends and family back home. Jason: Cool man. Aright, so that brings us to my last question. What’s coming in the future? Can you tell me a little bit more about your album and any other projects? Chris: Yea, well he had the debut single for my album about seven times now (laughs). We have the song and we’re like, “This is it!” Then it isn’t (laughing) and I’ll do another record and their like, “That’s the one!” Haha, so it’s pretty much been like that, but I’m completely okay with that. I’ll make a whole albums worth of singles (laughing). These days you can make a lot of money from singles. I think Drake is a pretty big reason for that. We all remember “Best I Ever Had” and his numerous other singles. He was already making good money and establishing himself way before “Thank Me Later” even came out. But we’re really looking for that one track for Wayne to jump on. When we finally got it, that’ll be it. That’ll be the one. But you know, I’m happy doing what I’m doing now. Like I said before, there’s a method, and it works. I’ve seen how successful Nicki and Drake have become and it’s awesome watching their careers develop. Wayne basically took them in and taught them the whole music business. He really molded them. Anyone that says they would have had this success at other labels…just really isn’t right. They would have had their success, but Wayne gave them that foundation. What they didn’t know about the music business, he was basically like, “Here ya go,” and it’s been really inspirational to watch them take off like they have. I can’t wait to drop my own single and album. I am extremely happy to have found Cash Money. Their the only label that wanted to push me as an artist and thought I was a different. Ya know, there are millions of white dudes that can sing, it’s now my job to add my own twist. So, as I mentioned before, I want to add unique features and create a nice vibe on my album. We already have Travie McCoy, I would like to get Tyga, I would love Flee. Slash would be awesome. I am actually friends with Slash through Ellen DeGeneris. I met Ellen through Idol and we became friends, so she invites me to her birthday party every year. That’s where I met Slash and that’s how you make those weird connections. Its through these random events and people you know. So that’d be great if I can get some of them. I also like searching through the vast amount of talent in the industry. There are tons of producers that out there, that are really good, it doesn’t always have to be a big name. But yea, that’s pretty much it and I guess keep your ears peeled for my debut single and album!

1. Jason From SpotOnLi Interviews Short Dawg
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3. Jason Pollak’s Exclusive Interview With Lil Chuckee

“‘Roman in Moscow is like a teaser to Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which will drop on Valentine’s Day,” Minaj said. “When I say it’s a teaser, it’s like a trailer to the movie, it’s like setting the stage and I just wanted to touch the surface. It’s the wackest thing on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.” On the track, one of Minaj’s most wayward alter egos Roman Zolanski is running amok in Moscow after escaping from boarding school. “Well, he was there in Moscow secretly because alter ego Martha wanted him to go there, so they put him in this thing with monks and nuns; they were trying to rehabilitate him,” Minaj explained. “But I can’t tell exactly what happened, you’ll just see it in the video format, but let’s just say he got out of there.”

1. Nicki Minaj – Roman In Moscow
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3. Nicki Minaj Promises Debut Album Will Drop This Year

1. Shanell Speaks On Upcoming Single With Lil Wayne & Drake x More
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STARK, a digital culture magazine, recently interviewed Young Money’s Princess, Shanell. They talk about SnL‘s shyness, Red Hot Chili Peppers, dancing, her creative process, and plenty more things. You can read the full interview after the jump!

You seem to be the quiet one in Young Money. Is that just your m.o. or is there a reason behind that? Are you shy?

I’m not shy at all.

There’s things or I guess, a way of going about my artistry that I hold dear to my heart. I know that music and the music business has changed where, for instance, Skype, Twitter, uStream and those things have gotten a lot of the artists that are popping right this second—those things have gotten them popular. I’m more into longevity and being an artist that people years from now still inquire about and still want to know about. I guess it seems like I’m quiet, but I just don’t like putting everything out there all at once. I don’t know, I just think like the Madonnas and the Michael Jacksons of the world, there was a mystery to them. You couldn’t get everything from them. You couldn’t talk to them in their apartment on uStream, and you couldn’t just hit them on Twitter and expect for them to hit you back or else you’ll hit them back saying, “Oh my god, I’ve been writing you and you don’t respond.” I think that those are real stars and it’s kind of like a protection even for the fans and the fans don’t even know it. Like if you could get in touch with the person—an artist that you love and you know everything about them, at some point you discontinue your interest in them because you know everything.

So to me, I haven’t even put an album out yet and there’s a lot that people know about me and of me, you know, more than I would really want people to know. And just like the rumors and shit….I don’t know, music is in a different place. I’m here to sell music, and you know, make people feel good, and I plan on being around for a long time. So those things that like the Hip-Hop community does, isn’t something that I really take part in. And because I’m signed to a label that’s Hip-Hop based, people expect me to do a whole lot more….They’ll understand once the music comes out and once I do what I do, I think that people will understand me better and the ways of me being more quiet right now until I actually have something out there for people to buy.

It’s interesting that you say that. I come from that world and I don’t come from that world. You know, growing up in New York in the ’80s and ’90s, Hip-Hop becomes a part of you. I was an Executive Editor/General Manager at a Hip-Hop publication for a while, so trust me, I understand your standpoint completely, especially being a woman in that scene. But are you concerned at all with being an alternative artist who is very close to that scene?

A little bit only because of the door that I’m going through. I feel like—first of all, I’ll say this. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but Young Money. You know, I’ve been writing for people for a long time. I’ve been dancing with a lot of different artists for a long time. So I’ve seen how all these labels work. And you know, over at Young Money, it’s a situation where if you’re really an artist and not just somebody who has a cute face and can hold a note—like if you’re really an artist, Young Money let’s you do what you do, which at a lot of these labels, most of the A&R’s are scared to lose their jobs. They’re like, “Oh, let’s do what works, let’s not try nothing new.”

So Young Money, Wayne and Baby, they’re like, “We’ll let you do what you do, but you know, there’s a right time for everything.” And I think now they feel like it’s the time to show and prove that Young Money is more than just urban Hip-Hop. So I’m like the experiment baby, like I’m the first thing off of Young Money that isn’t just Rap.

And that’s a dope thing, right? It means that you’re the first lady of that new shit, so to speak.

Definitely, and so that’s the only pressure is that I’m the first come out that’s doing Alternative Fusion. Like I grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. I know a lot of people don’t know where that’s at, but I grew up listening to Wu-Tang and Nas, Biggie, but at the same time, I was listening to New Kids on the Block, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So…[Laughs]

Right! [Laughs]

So my brain is fused in a way that I can’t even separate the music. So when you ask me to go in the studio, or you ask me to create an album, it’s going to be a fusion of all that.

So you know now I’ve got to ask you, what is your favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers record?

Shhiiit. My favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers record is [she sings:] “Give it away, Give it away, Give it away, now!” [Laughs]

[Laughs] I’m actually a huge fan too. I have Anthony Kiedis’ book Scar Tissue…

Me too! Actually what’s crazy is Wayne was reading that in jail. Me and Wayne were reading that book at the same time. He was reading it and I was like, “Oh, let me go pick that up.” And I was like, “You know I used to listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers…early!” And he was like, ‘I like this book because it’s real.” These are real experiences that a real person went through. But like, I didn’t even know all of that until just recently when I read this book.

Would you ever work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers?

I would but what are they doing right now?

Well they were on tour this summer and they just dropped an album I’m With You in like July or August.

[Laughs] Okay, I might have to look into that…But yeah, I like that fact that being an artist wasn’t what Anthony Kiedis wanted to be all along through life. He just kind of found his niche and he made due with it. And the shit was dope, but it was a fusion of shit that he experienced and knew. It wasn’t, “I’m going to be a rock artist!” You know…I don’t think a real artist goes into this whole thing thinking like that.

But you’re really a creative spirit, who is very hands on with every aspect of your work. I remember seeing you on set and thinking that was awesome. So to me, you’re not your run-of-the-mill artist. You’re like an artist’s artist because you create everything, everything from scratch. You’re a dancer, you’re a songwriter and now an artist and creative director. So how did you evolve into this space from “I’m Shanell” to now “I’m an artist”?

Ughh! [Laughs] I started dancing when I was a kid, when I was like seven. My mother put me in dance school and I didn’t really want to be there because I wanted to run around and play with my friends. When I moved to Atlanta, I actually went to a performing arts high school called Tri-Cities and when I went there was when dancing had to not only be dance. You had to be able to sing, you had to be able to act. What they instilled in us was if you’re an artist and you’re dancing, you’re not just going for the dance jobs. You’re going to go for the musical theater jobs. You’re going to go for the singing jobs. There’s not one that doesn’t exist with the other, so be able to do them all and you’ll be able to work a lot longer. So that’s what I learned in high school and I just kind of used my tools from there in this mainstream world. What’s crazy is that mainstream world was a whole lot more lax. People didn’t rehearse, but like in high school we rehearsed for months before we put on a show. But in this world, the mainstream world, we rehearse for weeks and I was like, “How can you get a show down, and know what you’re doing in two weeks?!”

I think those are the things that Young Money appreciates in me because they allowed me to put together the tours that have gone on: the I’m Still Music tour, the I Am Music Tour and the America’s Most Wanted Tour. Like I was creative director for a lot of that…

And that could not have been easy managing all of those people…[Laughs]

No, not all at…Whhhhhaaat?! But it was fun because I learned the greatness in both worlds. Like Wayne and a lot of the other people in Young Money are more, “This is who I am. I’m real and ain’t nothing about me rehearsed. I just get on stage and ‘RAAAAAHHHHH!’” And there’s a beauty and essence in that if you can touch people and it’s not a practiced thing. But there’s also a beauty in being able to really sit down and build something that you know is going to touch people.

So to put those two worlds together on stage was something that a lot of people don’t get to do, like people that do artistic directing for a living. Like I don’t do it for a living, but I can do it and I’m going to do it for all of my projects. You don’t get to do that. There’s a lot of artists that if you can’t tell them what to do, they’re not going to move on stage. But with Wayne, I could basically show him the picture of what I’ve built around him and he’ll jump in and make it work. And depending on the people I hire—I usually hire people that I feel can go with the flow because it’s like, this artist is an artist themselves. So I can’t tell him where to stand, but just be ready to move when he moves. It’s crazy because the show changes every day. It’s never the same way twice.

Wow, I didn’t know that.

Yeah, I just evolved from dancing, to singing, to acting, to writing—it just all kind of one can’t live without the next and that taught me a lot now because you can’t trust everybody with your creativity. If you write a song, you can’t trust somebody to direct a video to see and feel the same vision that you saw? As an artist you have to have your hands in everything or else it’s someone else’s interpretation.

So creative control essentially…

Pretty much so.

So is there a different process from when you are creating for yourself or creating for another artist? Let’s use writing as an example.

For a long time I was focused on just writing for other people, helping out whoever needed help on Young Money, but now that I’m working on my stuff, this shit is hard! “What am I going to talk about?!” [Laughs]

[Laughs]

In the process of working on my own stuff, I’ve had a couple of other sessions where I’m working on someone else’s stuff, and I’ve seen how quick and how easy it is to work on their stuff. So I’ve said to myself when I go in to work on me, I’m like, let me act like I’m just writing this for somebody else because I allow myself to be a little more calm and not so nervous. That is something that I’m working on right now. That is my homework for the next three-four months is to just calm the fuck down! I’m so excited to just be working on my own shit that I just want it to be so right and I want people to love it. I’ve put the pressure on myself and I’ve just got to calm down. I know how to do it, but now I just got to do it.

I heard once that back in the day when you were writing for other people, after a show everyone would go out and you would just head back to your hotel room to write. Do you still do that, put yourself in a zone and just write?

[In joking cracked voice] No… No, I don’t do that no more! [Laughs] …If I could just send a message to people, writers and people that are inspiring artists, it’s so hard not to get jaded. It’s so hard not to get caught up in—and I’m not saying I’m caught up but I’m saying I know now how to keep a grasp on that shit. …How do I say this…I love what I’m doing, but this shit is not what it’s cracked up to be.

It’s not just about the creative, it’s also about the business…

Oh my god. [Laughs] And that’s not what I got into this shit to do. I want to be a writer and a producer and I want to be in rehearsals with dancers all day—That’s what I want to do. But I find myself on the phone more talking politics and trying to explain my creativity, which is hard. It just fucking happens! But like now, I think that I’ve semi lost that, which is a good thing and a bad thing because I was really hungry at that time. I was like, you know, “I’m chasing this shit. I’m chasing it. I’m chasing it.” But I’ve learned that you have to let it come to you, and you’ve got to take the time to live your life and then come back to the music because otherwise, you ain’t going to have shit to talk about but you sitting in a studio for months and months and months and months and not coming up with shit. So I’ve learned, go out, have some fun, live a little, experience some shit and then come back and write.

Not only that, when I used to go on the road with people, they used to go out to after parties and get paid to be there. I wasn’t getting paid, so I stayed the fuck at home or in the hotel and wrote my music. [Laughs] But now I’ve got these after parties that I gotta go to, I don’t have the same time that I can allot to those things. And you know…the part about being jaded is that I learned to stop chasing a dream and instead make the dream happen for myself. I mean you got to. It’s like you can chase it and you will never catch that mutherfucker. But if you sit there and just work, stop running and turn around and look at you and come back to you, you got to do that or you’ll just chase it forever. Stop trying to keep up with what everybody else is doing because by the time you do it, it’s old. So you have to create something and make people and things come to you. It’s harder, but it lasts longer.

Shanell Interview With STARK Magazine is a post from: Young Money HQ

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