Young Jeezy Says Economy, 2pac Influenced “TM103″

Jul 30, 2011 by Deezy

In a recent interview with MTV at his second sixth-anniversary show of his debut LP Thug Motivation 101, Jeezy discussed how America’s economic woes impacted some of the topics he discusses on his upcoming album. He explained that the nation’s debt crisis has not only sharpened his instincts as a businessman, but also provided him a new perspective as an emcee.

“TM 101 dropped at a time when money was so plentiful that you could’ve had too much of it at some point, and everybody was happy,” he said. “Everybody was flamboyant, everybody was living, and nowadays it ain’t like that. So when I dropped TM 101, my whole focus was, ‘We’re gonna get this money and that’s what it’s about. We’re gonna get this money, we’re gonna live life, we’re gonna have fun.’”

He adds that his new album will focus on getting back to those ideals and principles that got you to the money in the first place, admitting that the economy has hit people hard.

“The evolution of that [with] 103 is more sort of like situations, like, ‘OK, yeah we got to the money, we lost it two or three times, but what are we gonna do to maintain? Are we gonna maintain? Are we gonna get back? Are we gonna stay focused on the get back, or we gonna get off track? Are we gonna pay attention to what they’re talkin’ about, or pay attention to what we need to do?’ That’s what the evolution is about.”

Jeezy also claims 2pac’s music, with it’s poignant and timeless social commentary, heavily influenced this album.

“It’s about knowing what to do. When I was growin’ up and I was listening to ‘Pac, all his situations apply to me today,” he noted. “I never knew that, I was just listening to the music and I thought it was good music. Everything that he said applies to me today. Keep your enemies close, money over bitches – that’s real talk.”

Check out the whole interview: