A-Thug talks "Thug Love" mixtape and Other New Music

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

It is almost summertime in Harlem and A-Thug is heating things up with his new music. In addition to working on his upcoming album, The Signature, A-Thug is also working on other music to support his upcoming album.

While marketing his other business ventures, A-Thug's primary focus is on the music. A-Thug has been in the studio, nonstop recording new music. Some of the songs are for the album and the others for his upcoming Thug Love mixtape.

Recently, Hip Hop Vibe caught up with A-Thug and he discussed his upcoming work and gave us more news about the BRS.

Read the full interview below:

How is the recording for The Signature coming along?
It's amazing how many songs I have recorded. It's almost a battle for the single, I got four hot singles and I'm doing videos for many of these songs. The videos are coming before the official MP3 release. I have more songs the people have not even heard, "Thuggatron" has been out for months, but I have hot songs for the ladies. Each woman I sent those female songs to, they loved.

The Signature album is going to be my classic. Nearly every song on the album will have a video for it. The album is ready to go, but I am waiting on the release because I want everything to be perfect. It is not just about releasing another album, I want The Signature to be that album from me.

Tell us a little more about "Get That Money."
"Get That Money" is an inspirational song. With the economy down, I wanted to lift the spirit of everyone, giving that positive light. This song is for everyone from the hustlers, the people who work the regular 9 to 5, and the corporate guys. Even down to the people who do different things for money, this is A-Thug telling them to "Get That Money."

People love the hook for the song and people absolutely loved the overall theme. Hopefully, I will leak the song to a few websites in a few days.

Do major guest appearances on this album, or is it all you?
No, it's not all me, but we do not have any collaborations yet. However, I have a collaboration with G. Dep that may end up on the album. For the most part, The Signature will be kept in-house. I am really conflicted about using the G. Dep collaboration for this album. But, this album will feature the same BRS team with newer and hotter and lyrics.

So before the end of this week, you will release the Thug Love mixtape...
Yeah, the Thug Love mixtape is coming on Friday, along with Ronnie J'uz' Stone Age Cash mixtape.

Do you think Thug Love will help bolster the sales of The Signature?
Of course it will, the songs off this mixtape will show how well I record and prove to the insiders I have skills. The mixtape will have the industry insiders buzzing and looking for my next release, which will be the upcoming album, The Signature.

What media outlets will you be using to release your videos, will you be on MTV anytime soon?
No, I'm not quite on the MTV level yet, but my team is negotiating and we are working to get my videos shown on BET and VH1. Other than that, my videos can always be viewed through my connection with a few public access channels in the Tri State area. Aside from this, catch my videos here on Hip Hop Vibe.

Fans can interact with me and get exclusive updates from me, by emailing me at blackrollingstones@gmail.com. I will send them the links to download my Icon album for free and also my Shot Caller mixtape. Regardless of who I am working with, I am never to big to speak with anyone who wants to speak with me. I love my fans.

On your upcoming releases, will we see more of A-Thug the artist on your upcoming releases?
That's one you will have to wait and see. I got so many styles, my subject matter has gotten deeper, as I have grown as a person. There is so much I will display on these upcoming releases. I show my growth each time I touch the microphone, but when I release these upcoming albums, you will see the growth. Especially, when you hear The Signature.

Once The Signature comes out, you will see how much I have grown since my debut, Wish of a Rolling Stone, back in 2003.

How does it feel to get buzz outside of your Harlem base, people from many other states, and countries for that matter, are giving you props.
Man it definitely feels good, this is what social networking gives you. Facebook has given me international access and my music obviously has spoken for itself. I was able to connect with a model from Australia and I have even cross-promoted for people in other areas, which is what this is all about.

Tell us more about the products you are working with...
Right now, the primary product BRS is distributing is our own. However, we are more than willing to market other products for businesses, we are honest people and if the people who work with us remain honest, we can put things together.

What has been your most exciting moment while recording these new projects?
The most exciting moment has been the reaction from the people. I have done a couple of shows and when I looked back at the crowd and they were really into the music. On past projects, I have loved the way people praise the artwork of my products. But, seeing the traffic on my website, brsent.blogspot.com, and seeing people wearing the merchandise they have purchased.

The overall experience has been well, doing music videos and spending time with the models. Just having a good time, when things go the way they are supposed to, I have my most-exciting experience.

What other ways are you trying to advance your career?
Man, I keep on grinding, they say a slow grind is better than no grind. I am putting out positive energy and working hard. It is only a matter of time before someone in a higher place finds out about my music, or someone passes one of my albums off to a big name and we truly advance to the big time.

Do you feel as if you are "bringing New York back" with The Signature?
What I'm doing is for everyone. With this new record, I am putting Broadway on, officially. I claim that landmark, I am that landmark. This time around, I am opening this market. Westside, Broadway, Upton, The Heights, these are the neighborhoods I will be putting on. It's not just me, there are so many other talented artists. Many of the artists who end up on Megastar DVD are from this area.

With me being Latino, I feel as if I am putting my people on in the game. I am taking what I am doing and putting it out there for the entire world to see and I know they are going to love it.

What do you want to show the people?
Man, put "Broadway G" back up man. That video shows I am the underground king. After this, when people think of A-Thug and BRS, they will think of not just Harlem, they will think of Broadway.