OJ Da Juiceman is currently in the lab working on his first major label album. With a gang of mixtapes already making his name ring out, he quickly rose to prominence last year and endured some hate in the process.
Checking in with Hip-Hop Wired, he discussed his new project, his partner in crime Gucci Mane and the tension between him and Young Jeezy. He also gave an update of his partna Wacka Flocka Flame who was shot last week and shared his perspective on the streets of ATL.
HipHopWired: What’s popping Juiceman? What’s going on with the album? The streets is calling for it.
OJ Da Juiceman: It’s called The Otis Williams Jr. Story: Based On a True Story. They say they want to put it out second quarter but I don’t have an official date right now but it is in the works. It’s coming out on my label 32 Entertainment , distributed by Asylum/Warner Bros. And I am managed by Mizay Entertainment.
HipHopWired: Ok, Ok. With all that said, who did you work with as far as producers and any collaborations?
OJ Da Juiceman: I did a couple of collaborations but they haven’t cleared yet so I don’t want to really overstep my boundaries and put my foot up my own A-S-S. But I did them with some R&B cats because of the fact that I had some melody and singing hooks to where I couldn’t sing them so we stepped to a couple of R&B cats to help me out on the project.
As far as producers, I got tracks with Nard & B (Lil Boosie, Maino, T.I), Fat Boi (Gucci Mane’s “Wasted”), Danja, Jazze Pha, and a couple of up and coming producers based in Atlanta.
HipHopWired: I know you’ve heard the criticism on your lyrical ability and people clowning your metaphors and hooks at times, how do you feel about some of the negative feedback you’ve received?
OJ Da Juiceman: I look at it as criticism come with the game and I endure it and when I hear those comments from the Internet bloggers and stuff it just makes me be more creative when I go into the studio and play around a lil more and make the people who are mad even more madder.
HipHopWired: Let’s switch gears for a second, what’s up with your boy Gucci? How’s he holding up?
OJ Da Juiceman: Me and Gucci done talked on several occasions. He good but you can’t really live the life in there but as long as your books are straight and you got money then you top priority in there so he kicking back cooling trying to wait them days out.
HipHopWired: Since he’s off the scene for a second, how do you plan on holding it down on the musical front till he gets home?
OJ Da Juiceman: I’m continuously working, putting out mixtapes and holding my position in the mixtape game like I always have. I’m 31 mixtapes in the game right now and I just finished up a mixtape with DJ Drama called “Orange” that’ll be out in the next couple of weeks.
HipHopWired: I know your boy Wacka Flocka Flame was the victim last week of an attempted robbery and was shot several times. Have you spoken with him and how’s he recovering?
OJ Da Juiceman: I haven’t spoken to Wacka since he got shot but I have spoken to several relatives of his that’s around him and he straight. He been in and out of surgery getting everything back together and making sure everything back working like it was before. He straight though. Everything is good with him, ya know. That’s the big homey.
HipHopWired: The streets of ATL definitely can be grimey. How do you manage to stay out of trouble and keep coming home safe?
OJ Da Juiceman: The streets is what it is. It’s been like that since I’ve been in them. You know I got shot 8 times dealing with the streets before the rap. It was a bad brick deal gone bad but the streets gone be the streets and it’s hard to really steer around that depending on what type of life you’re living. If you’re out there in the streets everyday then you got to endure what the streets bring to your everyday…ya know what I’m saying. I just try to stay in my lane and stay out a ni**a hair because one thing about it is the streets hungry and I’m hungry too.
But the streets probably a lil’ bit hungrier because they see me out here and I got the deal and probably think I got a million dollars but a million dollars is no kind of way in my perspective or in my pockets . So I just stay in my lane and try to stay up out everybody hair and try to stay in the studio and keep making music. Therefore if anything happens to me it’s gonna happen in the studio.
HipHopWired: True that. And speaking of staying out of people’s hair, Jeezy came at you and Gucci pretty hard last year with the “24-23” diss. But several weeks back Gucci, Jeezy and DJ Drama publically squashed their beefs. So are there any plans to work with Young Jeezy now?
OJ Da Juiceman: I can’t really comment on that because that’s what him and Gucci got going on. Me and Jeezy, we good other than him clearing up saying my motherfu&%king name. Other than that I really don’t plan on doing no work with him but other than that I’m gonna keep staying in my lane and keep my Shyte OJ Da Juiceman.
