Jeezy has revealed that his greatest drive for success and all he’s achieved today was drawn from watching Tupac Shakur.
Speaking on REVOLT TV (founded by Diddy in 2013), Jeezy made an appearance as a special guest, hosted by Shirley Ju, the main host, joined by DJ Scream and Big Bank.
The interview centered mostly around his Verzuz battle with Gucci Mane, how he handled all that, what truly transpired, and his growth so far.
Shirley started by asking Jeezy what his biggest motivation and drive is with all the growth he’s achieved, him getting older, and having a different perspective about what life is all about, different from the old him after all that has transpired in the past.
“Let me ask you this, so with your growth and with you getting older, and you having a different perspective, understanding better how life works, what part did your wife and children play in this?”
Jeezy responded:
“I think that once you have a real responsibility, a commitment to protect, provide, profess, it’s real, and I don’t get into anything.”
Further explaining, he has a daughter and son whom he has to secure generational wealth for. But growing up, all through his career and life in general, he never had people around him he could draw inspiration from other than listening to Tupac. He drew his desire to hustle and handle certain situations in life from the legendary rapper.
“Because he had morals, values, integrity from what I’ve seen, he stood for something. So all the people that I was around, they didn’t really stand for anything, you know what I’m saying? So they were just like working their jobs, you know, they had their vices, but there was nothing like principles. So everything I really learned about hustling, like, you know, about holding my own, how to handle certain situations, was when I was listening to [Tupac].”
The rapper has always spoken about how much Tupac Shakur’s music resonates with him, shaping his resilience, purpose, struggle, and authenticity.
He admitted that Tupac’s music always reflected the harsh realities of “street life,” using their stories to paint pictures of their struggles and experiences, so sharing a lot in common.
He equally drew inspiration from Tupac’s life quotes and philosophy through his motivational and inspirational words.
Tupac’s outspoken nature and always seeking after the truth were worth emulating, coupled with the fact that he [Tupac] had built a legacy and influence, making him the most ideal individual to look out for in picking lessons on navigating through life, according to Jeezy.
Speaking on his Verzuz battle with Gucci Mane, which started far back in the early 2000s with their collaboration on “So Icy” in 2005—which was a hit but developed a strain over a failed business dealing and ownership, which led to a conflict between both rappers. It led to both dissing each other, with Jeezy first dissing him on his diss track “Stay Trapped,” where he allegedly put a bounty on Gucci Mane’s chain.
The beef intensified when Gucci Mane sh*t and k*lled Jeezy’s very close associate Henry “Pookie Loc,” which he was sued for but beat the case, claiming it was in self-defense. This only escalated their beef, leading to multiple diss tracks and their famous and much-anticipated Verzuz battle held at Magic City, Atlanta, where both dissed each other for 19 rounds, but at the end of the night, Gucci and Jeezy shook hands and seemingly squashed the beef. Gucci even said, “Ayy man, no disrespect. It’s all love.”
Jeezy said he felt like it just had to happen, and what he realized is that in life, nobody wins and nobody loses, and that somehow came off as the best outcome.
“It was the best outcome it could possibly be, you know what I mean? You get two street cats that have been through a lot over the last couple of decades or so, but it takes the Magic City stage in a multi-billion-dollar business to help us come together and figure it out.”
He’s been carrying the weight on his back for years while people think a certain way, but telling his side of the story is not necessary because those who were with him right back then know the real truth. He’s not going to reveal anything because he’s solid
