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Jeezy on His First Album: 'Here I Am, 10 Years Later, Doing What I Love — Motivating the People'

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 16: Young Jeezy performs during TIDAL X: Jay-Z B-sides in NYC on May 16, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Live Nation)

Jeezy on His First Album: 'Here I Am, 10 Years Later, Doing What I Love — Motivating the People'

Jeezy's dedicates this Instagram post to 'TM 101.'

Published July 21, 2015

Jeezy has a big anniversary coming up. On July 26, it’s the tenth anniversary of Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation, his debut album with cuts like “Go Crazy,” “Soul Survivor” and “And Then What.”

Recently, the 37-year-old Atlanta rapper took to his Instagram and shared a thoughtful reflection on his album. Some notable quotes:

“You can call it rags to riches, but I like to call it a boy becoming a man and believing in his dreams, goals and expectations.”

“With every song, verse and adlib on this body of work, you can hear that determination, that ambition and that drive in every word.”

“If the album touched you in any way, just know that it was all for you. I'd like to thank my fans and anybody that was a part of my journey.”

Since then, Jeezy has put out numerous albums and mixtapes that have kept his name alive in the streets. His last LP, Seen It All: The Autobiography, was praised as one of his best works to date. 2015's Gangsta Party brought back nostalgia for loyal fans who wanted some traditional trap beats over Jeezy's signature flow. In those regards, he's still viewed as the greatest.


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(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Live Nation)

They say you have your whole life to make your first album, and they might be right. Some call it poetry, others call it the ghetto gospel, but the industry calls it "trap music." Go figure. Either way it's the voice of the streets, and we all know that when the streets talk, we listen. I find it odd when people use a negative connotation like "trap music," when the message (lyrics) clearly states: make it out of your surroundings and be the best man and provider you can be. We call that being a boss where I'm from -- a self made individual that refuses to let his environment dictate his or her outcome in life. This body of work you see before you is just that. Every experience, every up, down and close call. All the nights that you prayed you could make it to see another day. All the sacrifices you made for friends and loved ones you lost to the street life. I can't help but to think of all the obstacles I had to dodge and the times I was unsure. But I continued to keep my faith and hustle strong. I kept pushing! When I said that the roaches were in the kitchen, I meant that! So now when I tell you the floors look like bowling balls, I mean that too. You can call it rags to riches, but I like to call it a boy becoming a man and believing in his dreams, goals and expectations. I never thought of "fame" or being accepted in this industry; my only thoughts were to represent and speak for every man, woman and child that was in the struggle and just wanted to make a better way of life, without taking no for an answer. With every song, verse and adlib on this body of work, you can hear that determination, that ambition and that drive in every word. If the album touched you in any way, just know that it was all for you. I'd like to thank my fans and anybody that was a part of my journey. Here I am, 10 years later, doing what I love --motivating the people.

A photo posted by @youngjeezy on

Written by Eric Diep

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