600 Breezy has been looking to pivot in his career, and he did so with his latest album Retaliation. The 31-year-old rapper has been known for only one style of music that involves the streets of Chicago, but now he wants to switch things up and give his listeners a fresh new perspective on his life and the things that he’s been through.
Tell us about your album Retaliation.
This project was different for me, this isn’t the old 600 Breezy. I used to come out straight like, “I’m from Chicago, we gang banging, this is what we’re doing.” But it’s different for me now because I’m making different music, real music that can be played in clubs and on the radio. I still give them the street side of me but I’m giving them more, so this project was like a big comeback for me. I’ve had so many legal issues and I’ve been to jail throughout my career. Now I’m a free man, I’m off parole, and I have no legal issues, so I’m pushing with this album, and I’m going to continue to do it. This is just the beginning, I’m coming with way more, this was just the stepping [stone].
What inspired the album name?
We were at the midpoint of finishing the album, and I was asked what was I going to name it. I was going to go with Art of War 2, but I said no, and that’s when I thought of Retaliation. It felt like get back to me. It was like me coming back fresh. That was the perfect name for my project. That’s why I use all the mug shots. It was telling a story like with all of these things that slowed my career down, but now I’m back and I need my retaliation, and I need my spot.
What does music do for you?
Music has been a very important piece of my life. My mom and my dad are heavy on music so I grew up in households where the majority of the time it was music blasting through the house. With my mom, it could have gone from Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige to Three 6 Mafia and Project Pat. When I get in certain moods I just want to listen to music.
Music is a big part of my life and I’m sure it is for everybody else because it makes you feel. You also learn a lot from music. I’ve heard a lot of things that I never knew about and when I listen to artists, they say certain things and when I go to their city or state I’m like, “Oh, that’s what they were talking about.” Music is soothing, and it’s like meditation.
