Interview: Gunplay Speaks On Drugs, Swastikas, and His Deal With Def Jam

The swastika tattoo is a big controversial topic amongst your fans as well as critics. Can you clear the air on that?
Yeah, it’s just my symbol of genocide to the bullshit. Mass murdering the bullshit. Too much bullshit out here. I came to Nazi that shit. I came to Hitler that motherfucker. Put all the fake motherfuckers in the gas chamber and gas your fuck ass. That’s what I’m here to do. So niggas better walk light around a nigga. I’ma show niggas. I can talk but I’ma show niggas. All that fake shit, I’ma call that shit out and I’ma stomp that shit out. I got a mission. Just playing the game for the meantime.

What’s your favorite album & why?
Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt. That’s like, to this day, you listen to that and you can still hear how talented that nigga was way back when. I was young listening to it…but I listen to it now and it’s shit I’m going through now that he was dropping jewels on back then. It just gives me way more respect for him. I really respect that man. You know, music is built off emotions and shit is like that.

When you can relate to a motherfucker, that’s when you really build that bond with that artist as a fan. I’ve been coming up through life listening to it… it’ll be a situation maybe where I was 22 or 23 that pertained to that album. Today, I’m 30 and I’m still going through shit he was talking about. It’s like damn near a Bible. I just keep coming back to that motherfucker and flipping through that shit. That one and that Nas’ Illmatic and that Riding Dirty and that Thug Life.

What’s one thing about you people wouldn’t guess?
I love video games, man. I’m a video game nerd. Call of Duty, that’s the only thing I really play though. I’m a freak with it. I don’t leave the house. It’ll fuck up my life, that’s what I’m trying to say.  I gotta put it away. I gave it to my son. Just smoke me some weed, pop a pill. Especially when I pop a pill around that surround sound and I’m just all into that shit. I’ll be there for 2 or 3 days, won’t shave, bathe, nothing. I’ll notice it suddenly like hold up man, I got to turn this shit off.

You know how they say you know you got an addiction when it starts affecting your business and shit. You start putting shit off and shit. I said oh man this is worse than dope. I ain’t ever fuck up my business because of dope. I’m never late because I’m high or drunk or no stupid shit like that. But I will be late by some Call of Duty. One of my favorite maps comes on and I’m like alright just this last one. Next thing you know, I’m late as hell, fucking up. Like oh, this is a serious problem.

Having been in the game for so long and just now getting recognition and a deal, what advice do you have for other artists who might be in the same situation?
Just have positive people around you. Have people that genuinely want to see you succeed. Not people that want to use you for their success. Watch out for that. People will use you to get to where they got to go. And when they get there, they won’t know who you are. You got to get a team that you know in your heart want to see you win. And once you see them make sacrifices for you, you will make sacrifices for them. Just watch for that, build your brand. And if times get rough…shit, handle your business nigga, get back in them streets, do what you got to do. Just don’t get fucked up. Keep your shit right.

Have you heard Ross’ new album? What can you tell us about it?
Yeah, that shit’s crazy. Super dope. I don’t know if it’s going to top Teflon Don… let me see. I don’t know ’cause Teflon Don was a gem. I’m not going to lie, that shitted on everything around the time it dropped. Everything going on, they just embodied that shit, man. It was a great body of work. But this new one might be the best one yet.

If you could explain your current situation to your eighteen-year old self, how would you approach that? What would you say?
I’ll just tell him… I don’t know. I’ll just tell him man, it’s going to be rough. It’s going to be long and rough. A long, rough, lonely road. The people around you… man. Watch out for the people around you, man. They don’t mean you no good. Just make sure you get your shit right. It’s going to be a long, lonely road. You’re going to think you got a whole bunch of motherfuckers with you but when the shit hit the fan, don’t nobody be around. Prepare for that, little one. I’d pat him on the back and send him on his way.