Curren$y is not your normal rapper. The first 5 minutes of our zoom interview were spent talking about the mutual connections we had as he looked for the keys to his Rolls Royce truck. He was not trying to flex or anything; that is just where he had to go to charge his phone. Once we were settled in, we started what would become by far my favorite interview of all time. There are not many people who are as solid as the Jet Life Records shot caller. As a New Orleans native, Spitta grew up idolizing Master P, C-Murder, Baby, & Slim. Watching the growth of independent labels like No Limit and Cash Money Records helped him develop the blueprint for his own musical empire. The blog era legend has hundreds of stories about his childhood that would seem fake if he was anyone else.
Curren$y has experienced so many peaks and valleys in music that it is amazing to know he never gave up. From being the first artist on Young Money to working with Dame Dash, he has now built his own multi-million dollar empire with his partner Mousa Hamden. The tandem has a team of amazing artists in the fold that all share the same moral compass as the admirable lyricist.
Spitta always floods his fans with music because he raps about his real life. Therefore, he never runs low on inspiration because he lives life to the fullest every day. He does not have to order his groceries or send someone out to shop for him. Although he has thousands of fans, they all have bought into the lifestyle. Jet Life is a lifestyle, and it is built on respect, good vibes, and even better weed. From clothing to sports, to cars and music, Jet life is an enterprise. Spitta and I spent about an hour discussing his come-up, musical output, and latest project Collection Agency.
Check out our awesome conversation below!
Ahmad: First things first, please introduce yourself to the few who do not know who Curren$y is!
Spitta: Awe, man, there are a few people who do not know about Jet Life, Spitta, and Curren$y. They may have heard about me from their friends who are a bit more hip than them. Yeah, for those who do not know, that’s who I am and what I do.
interjects with excitement* I found the keys bruh!
AD: I know you have a bunch of cars man, which one is that the keys too?
Spitta: It’s the Rolls truck man! I had to find my keys because I need to go in there and charge my phone.
AD: I am not going to lie, this will be my first interview where the person is in a Rolls so this is already lit.
Spitta: I swear it has its own forcefield or something man. I swear it has its own service in here. I think planes got to call me if they are going to fly over it. *chuckles*
AD: If there were a picture in the dictionary next to consistent, it would be a photo of you next to a phantom. How do you keep coming with heat?
Spitta: Well, I know many people who drop consistently, but they are not being played. I personally stay true to the sound my fans fell in love with. The sound has changed so much over time, but I personally continue to make the same song for years. Some artists try to transition to a different sound and betray their day 1 fan chasing something else. I come from the blog era, and I am blessed to have put together a loyal cult at that time. You know what, my parents would say this about their time! Those were the days. I gathered a big group of fans, and we have been on this ride together since then.
AD: Jet Life Recordings is not just a label it is a lifestyle. Explain how you were able to build such a strong brand with name recognition over time?
Spitta: I am happy about Jet Life being a brand with music and apparel that people have looked to for so long. We still have a lot to do. Apparel-wise, we are excelling, but we are not a powerhouse just yet. It’s not merch! Are you calling it merch when you go to the Gucci store? No, you call it a cardigan or whatever you bought. What we are doing right now is clothing! This could be in those ads you used to see in the ads in the newspaper for back-to-school shopping. This is like Sean John!
AD: Your newest project Collection Agency has you in a dope bag! You have a few with the homie Trauma Tone on there. Can you talk about how this project came together?
Curren$y: Man, he is that one! He has managed to unlock my inner New Orleans even though he is not from here. I don’t know if it is how he places his drums or what, but it makes me feel that way. But people love the project, man, and I am happy. I never let the projects sit before. This time, we built up the anticipation. A lot of times, people just skip over my work because I drop so often. They do not believe I can talk much differently in such a short time. As long as I am alive, I have new things to rap about.
I only have one feature on there with my bro Larry June. They often complain about me having too many features, so I only did one this time. I think they want to hear me Rap with certain people, but sometimes they think it is too much. That is good, though, because that means if I do not get the videos done, it’s on me.
Luckily, I do not have to chase anyone down to do the visual, so if I do not, I am just lazy. To be honest, I need to shoot one tonight! I just got this 30 car garage where I can put everything at. I used to have like 12 at my house, and it took a while for my neighbors to realize I wasn’t doing anything illegal. The neighbors are complaining, but honestly, now that we got the new spot, we are good. I am not tripping.
AD: Jermaine Durpi is one of the least talked about legends in our space. Talk about your song paying homage to him and the visual you shot for it.
Curren$y : Man! He said he wanted to produce my next project. That is awesome, and when I said what I said about him, I should have known what would happen when I spoke it to existence. Back in the day, some of my friends had some not-so-savory ways of stacking chips. They had started getting so many chips that they started copping a bunch of cars. They had so many that they would just let me hold some of them.
One time, my mom asked me who the Cadillac truck was for and I just said that Master P had got everyone trucks and it was for C-Murder. Keep in mind at this time I did not even know these people but shortly after I started rocking with them and my mom never even knew it was a lie. Well, she knew when them boys went to the Feds so she had the newspaper and seen the cars that we had in the front yard.
Fast forward to today, Jermaine Dupri wants to do a project with me after I mentioned him. Now I have to find that Daffy Duck iceberg sweater he had on for the video. I got a gang of old Iceberg! I do not have this one at this time. I’m going to get me a big jar of weed and sit in the back and let him drive me to the A. Shoot man, we going to cop you a ticket, and you can come to kick it in the studio while we record the tape. That can be a whole other feature bro. I am serious too! I will go the first day and make sure it is cool, then we are going to knock out the project, and you kick it for a few days. Hell yeah, that would be dope.
AD: Man, I will be down there as soon as you say, word bro! Speaking of inspirations. What’s your favorite restaurant in New Orleans and what 5 people would you take (DOA) that have inspired you over time?
Curren$y : Meril, they are the greatest! JD for sure. Did you say dead or alive? We will take Soulja Slim, Nip, Raekwon, and we are going to take C-Murder. No matter what it looks like, I want to tell C I never got confused about what I know he did for me. I know what he wanted to do. Situations came, and he had to go to camp for a while, but he intended to see me on this level or even higher way earlier in my career. Shit get’s fucked up with the distance, but I would make sure he knows what he wanted for me.
Man, right before Nip passed, I missed his birthday party. You know you always think, you are going to catch up, and then he left. Raekwon is like my uncle on the cool. He told me I need to sound like I sound. He told me never to change because the real ones are always going to vouch for you.
AD: I always wanted to ask you since I am such a big fan of your music. How has fatherhood impacted your music?
Curren$y : I take so much more time to really focus on my business now. I take time to ensure their success because I doubly need the money now. Every day I wake up, and he has unforeseen needs. He cannot get a job right now, so it is all good; I got it for now, haha. You know he likes to do many things, and I am a big kid myself, so it works out.
AD: We mentioned it earlier, but Larry June is the only artist on your project. Have you all discussed doing a project before?
Curren$y : Yeah we just trying to decide if we want to do an EP or a whole thing. You know if you put 5 people get upset but if you do too much then people burn out on you. We have a lot of different records though right now but we want to actually kick it and create some more. I do not think I want to do with just one producer right now. I like how Collection Agency has multiple producers because you can’t really prejudge what the project will sound like.
AD: How do you feel being so down to earth has helped you and how has it hindered you in the industry?
Curren$y: When you move with an elitist style, people relish any chance they have to spend with you. Then you got a dude like me who is outside every chance I can get. I am always chatting with strangers, vibing out, and even talking to dogs. My name does not really have much of a draw if you put me on a club flyer because people will be like, okay? I was smoking a blunt with him in front of Walmart earlier. That hurts me at times but being this solid allows me into just about any room I want to be in. They wonder why I do not have a TV show or something by now because I am so solid. Then they do anything they can to make something shake for me. So it’s pros and cons.
AD: My homie Miles Weldon who is a huge fan of you asked when the next episode of Highs & Lowriders on Youtube?
Spitta: Man, as soon as I put all these cars in this warehouse. Once I get off this call, we will be moving some of them over there now. It’s like 30 of them, and we are trying to put a pool table in there and everything. At one point, things slowed down because of the pandemic, but it is back popping now. I always look forward to the weekends when we can have our competitions on Sundays.
AD: What car do you think you will grab next?
Curren$y: The Land Rover Defender! I seen someone with it and I was like oh yeah I need one of them. The whole Jet Life is on the list for the new Ford Bronco. I don’t think I will drive it foreal so I probably might cop the Land Rover defender, so that is in the same order.
AD: Is there anything left that you would like to tell your fans before we get off here?
Curren$y : I always tell people to keep the six-burner stove. You need 6 different things cooking at a time so that once one is cooked to finish, you can help everyone eat while stuff keeps going. I got my model car factory and race track, so I have been selling many cars. You know Jet Life is above all with everything. Cruise Life is moving around for the community with cars every week. Lastly, we are working on a full-on movie. We had Revolver before, but this would be a full-length one.
Curren$y is easily the most humble legend I have ever spoken to. He knows his resume and the fanbase he has, but he knows who he is first. He never gets too caught up in the lifestyle because he knows where he came from. After our interview, we spent time talking about some things off the record, and the conversation was so awesome he invited my lady and me to New Orleans for a weekend. He took my girlfriend and me to his favorite restaurant after his video shoot.
His partner Mousa got us together with endless clothes, and his homie Lambo Vish was kind enough to help us maneuver through the city. Curren$y and his Jet Life family are just that, a family. They love great music, great weed, and even better business. Not many people get their flowers while they are still here. I am happy that this cover story can serve as my bouquet to one of my favorite rappers of all time.
Stay tuned for the Jet Life CEO’s next moves and peep his latest LP Collection Agency after the jump!
