This weekend marks the 10 year anniversary of Young Jeezy's major label debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Back when it dropped in 2005, Jeezy was your "favorite trapper's favorite trapper" but also the Best Rapper Alive. But he wasn't a particularly gifted wordsmith so he relied on his uproarious voice, his clever references, but most importantly, the authenticity of his street talk.
But how real was it? Well, to hear Jeezy tell it, it was very real. Remember, Jeezy rose during the height of the Black Mafia Family. And he was well connected enough for BMF's head honcho, Big Meech, to drive from Atlanta to New York to personally appear in the video for Jeezy's "Soul Survivor." (It's also worth noting the "federal nightmares" Jeezy rapped about weren't far off: In 2005 many members of BMF were arrested and the organization was dismantled.)
Not only did his street connections show up in his music, they showed up on his album cover too. When we spoke with Jeezy to reflect on the making of TM 101, he told an anecdote about how he refused to do the photoshoot unless they had real money. Watch the clip above.
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