CMG's Big Boogie Talks New Mixtape, Shares Rare Gems From Yo Gotti & More

Big Boogie

Photo: Mr. Wattson

Big Boogie has been through plenty of pain and sacrificed a lot to stand tall as the artist he is today. His new project is the result of a man who's finally able to brag about his riches and talk about his struggles without it disturbing his inner peace.

On Tuesday, January 31, the CMG artist released his latest mixtape Definition of Big Dude. His sixth project is a complete 180 from his debut mixtape Definition of Pain, which allowed him to open up about his trial and tribulations for the first time. Now that he's signed to one of the most popular rap labels in the industry, Big Boogie takes the opportunity to flex his success like he's never done before.

"I feel like this is my biggest album," Boogie tells iHeartRadio. "Cause tomorrow ain't promised. I put my heart in it. Everything I did before I went crazy with it. I did my thing. But this album just different. I'm delivering my words different. My mindset is different. I'm wiser. My energy different is up more. I know how to give flowers so I can receive them. So it's like this whole album is just special and it's the real deal."

Born and raised in Memphis, Big Boogie has been on the grind for over six years. During his journey, he spent most of his time building a strong following with projects like Pain on Paper 3 and Final Chapter, but he also experienced plenty of hardships. His father passed away in 2019 and his brother Brandon Webber was killed by police that same year. Losing his family members cut deep into his mental state, but he continued to move forward. Fortunately, Yo Gotti took notice of his craft and signed him to his CMG imprint back in 2020. Gotti iced him out with a signing chain during a dinner ceremony to celebrate his signing. He dropped his first project via CMG Final Nightmare shortly afterward.

"Gotti could be walking so long, so far and I could be standing right here," Boogie says. "I'm still gonna clap. Even though he can't see me clapping, but he gonna hear me clapping. So all the flowers to Gotti. If I can get a million flowers, he can get 'em only if he can hold them."

Definition of Big Dude serves as the follow-up to Big Boogie's UNDERRATED project, which features his stand-out track "Pop Out." Boogie recently sat down with iHeartRadio to talk about his newest mixtape, his tight bond with Fat Trel and Trina and more. See what he had to say below and listen to Definition of Big Dude now.

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

iHR: Let’s talk about the single you dropped right before the album “12 4” Where did the title come from and how did you come up with that record?

BB: 12-4 is my brother Brandon’s birthday. He got killed by the police so I wanted to name the song 12-4 for his birthday on December 4th. Every time I hear it, I’m thinking of him. It’s like he’s telling me ‘Let’s go!’

That's pretty deep, man.

Yeah, it's a real meaning behind it. With anybody who passed away that was close to me, I put 'em in my music. In some type of way, they make me happy. So I add 'em to anything that I got going on like a concert or a song or interviews. I feel good talking about 'em now. Cause at first I was in the shell, so I ain't really like talking about them because certain things will break you down.

I lost my dad on Valentine's Day. So it is really, it really weird to me. But that’s why I got a big concert going on. I got something going on in Memphis on Valentine's Day with me and Trina. I just like to stay uplifted, man. You feel me? That mental thing is real. So I like to stay my head above water. I like to keep going. I like to be happy about everything I'm doing so I'll be happy. So I'll be good.

It’s good to see you maintaining your mental health. How'd you form that relationship with Trina?

It was on my birthday. She hit me and she told me Happy birthday and everything. So, you know, I got that blessing, man (laughs)

I feel you!

So I got that blessing and I'm like, “what?” You feel what I'm saying? So she told me Happy birthday and everything, so I'm like, “dang that's hard.” We just got to conversating and everything and we got a real good bond. We got a real good bond. She locked in with my music more. I mean, it's a good feeling. It's a good feeling to have a legend a part of your journey. I cherish every moment.

That's dope, man. Hopefully you get a collaboration out of that, especially now that your new mixtape is here. Let's talk about Definition of Big Dude. I noticed that it kind of has a correlation with your debut mixtape Definition of Pain.

Yeah, see Definition of Pain… You see how Rod Wave is? Rod Wave became successful strictly off pain music. So I came in the game like I didn't care about what I'm rapping about right now at the moment. Cause I ain't have nothing to show. I ain't have nothing. I just had a story. So that's all I had. I ain't have no jewelry, no cars, no money. I ain't having nothing to flash off. I wasn't big dude that first. I was just Big Boogie and I had a story to tell the whole world, the streets, my neighborhood, and I couldn't vent. I wasn't a venting person, so I just had it rough. The only thing I got is my words right now. So I'm just finna rap. Whatever they feel, they just feel. I hope they hear me out. I hope they feel me. I hope I get far with it. And I got far with it.

So I started getting happy and everything, right? I started getting happy with my career. I started dancing more. I started smiling more. I'm gaining weight. I'm like, "Oh yeah, now time to talk." Now it's time to talk about what I earned. Let's talk about what I did. Let's talk about how I gave back. Let's talk about how God good to me. Now I can talk about my fans, give them they flowers. They gimme mine. I'm shouting out all the DJs like DJ Self.

Shout out to DJ's for real. As far as the project goes, what would you say is one of your standout songs? I know all of them are your babies.

I was definitely to say, I don't know (laughs) But I say "P*ssy Monster" with Fat Trel. And the reason why I say that is because our vibe. I'm a ladies man, so I know exactly what the ladies want to hear. I know exactly how the vibe is. I know exactly what rhythm every woman dance too now in this generation. But everything crazy. Everybody gonna love the whole album. You not skipping a song, period, but "P*ssy Monster" I love that one.

How did that collaboration come together? When did you connect with Fat Trel?

I was listening to Fat Trel when I was like 16, 17. I never knew him, but he stood out to me. His voice and his delivery. So I hit him up. He was in jail. I was like, "Bro, I can't wait until you get out so we can make some music. I'm a real big fan." I never knew this man was gonna text me back. He texted me back and I'm like, "oh s**t," you feel me? Like, whoa. So we just got to communicating and we got to talking on FaceTime while he was in prison. I could be in the studio with girls in it. And I turn the camera around like "Bro look at this." I know he in jail so I'm like "Hey, you know bent it over for my brother. He on the phone in jail." And they did their thing. He like, "Bro, I can't wait to meet you. So we talking every day like we already brothers or something. Like we already locked in and we don't even know how we look for real.

When he went to jail again, and I still didn't see him. So recently he just got out. He came to the studio in Atlanta and I stay in Atlanta. So he was like, "Brody, I'm gonna be in Atlanta these days right here. I wanna spend time with you the whole week." And I'm ready! Cause this is my boy. So we do each other music. Like he do music for me, I do music for him. Ain't no waiting, ain't no weeks go by. Same day. When we met each other... It's so crazy, man. We hugged each other for like 30 minutes. He was like "Yo we locked in, man. We for life, bro." I was like, "Man, I got you. Whatever you need, I got you. Let's be brothers."

You're definitely in good company. Speaking of your friends in the industry, you've had a lot of success since you signed to CMG since 2020. What are some of the gems you picked up over the past three years from Gotti and his team?

Me working with CMG is amazing. It let me know my time ain't my time no more. It helped me notice that I gotta make sacrifices to get where I'm going. It don't matter what I'm doing. I'm gonna have to make a sacrifice to not do that so I can elevate. My biggest sacrifice that I'm real tender with is seeing my daughter. So if I'm gone so long, like months or two, only thing I can do is just FaceTime her. Sometime it'll help me, but sometime I need to feel her spirit. You feel what I'm saying? Sometime I need to feel her to her hands touching me. Cause I gotta let her know, like, I'm not going nowhere. I'm just working. Like I got your back forever. And my little girl knows. She three, but she notice. That's my biggest support. My whole family support me a hundred percent. But my daughter, she's my energy.

Gotti also told me like, just have fun. Don't chase the money at all. You feel what I'm saying? "Cause all money ain't good money. So have fun with it. You young, stay out the way. Be safe. Enjoy family. Enjoy everything that you going buy. Just just be you. Just be young. Just don't crash. Don't be in the way. Don't get mixed up with anything. Don't do nothing. Just be you and have fun with your career.

Was your daughter born the same year you got signed?

Yeah.

That's a lot of blessings, man.

Yeah. It's like on my new song "Outside" I just put out on the second day of the New Year. I said "I had a daughter as soon I made it. I'm a great pops." You feel what I'm saying? As soon I took off, my daughter was born. It was amazing to me. So my daughter came from my career. I can't do nothing but go crazy for my career because she came from it. I feel like if I ain't never go hard in my career, I would've never met her. So that's how I look at it. That's why I'm so crazy about my career. That's why I'm crazy about everything I got going, family and everything. Cause I know I can make people happy. The only thing that makes that makes me happy. They gave me my flowers appreciation and my daughter is seeing me grow. I love it. I'm also big on just elevating. I love that I'm elevating. I love that I'm working with this big team right here. I love everything about it.

It seems like you're definitely in love with it. I know you definitely gonna get your flowers this year, especially after you appeared on the Gangsta Art compilation album for CMG. How was it working on that project?

I was shocked. Ooh I was shocked as hell. Me and Gotti don't really just drop videos like that but this year it's coming. I knew what he was doing and I knew what I was waiting on. He the head honcho. So he gotta win for everybody that's behind him. So I'm rooting for him regardless. I'm proud of him and I appreciate him. I love everything he doing. I love the label. I love his mindset. It don't matter if he making me learn a lesson from this right here. I appreciate it because this career is making me a man. It's making me a great father. It's making me a superstar. It's making me good with my mental. It's making the world love me for who I am.

The love is real. You've worked with plenty of CMG artist from Gotti to Moneybagg Yo. Outside of CMG, who else do you wanna work with?

I wanna work with Akon. I know I'm gonna be him one day. Not saying I'm gonna be him, but I'm gonna be in his shoes one day. I just wear different size than him. II look up to Akon in a lot of ways on the grown man tip. Everything Akon does is beautiful to me. He there for his family. He there for his culture. He just there. His music is different. It hit home. He's smart. He's laid back. He's not in the mix. I can't wait to meet him. That's my daddy's favorite artist too. He's the one that got me crazy about Akon. Before my daddy passed, like every day he bumped Akon. He was like "That's OG man. That's Akon man. He a convict." He was like, "Son, never forget it. You a convict. A convict mean you a warrior." And I'm like "That's deep." I've been a fan for so long.

My condolences. When did your dad pass?

My daddy passed in 2019. I was in school fosho. It threw me off, bro. I ain't know how to make a song. I ain't know how to eat for like a month. I dropped outta school for three months, but I still graduated though. I went back to school and graduated. I really lost myself. I was dating this girl. I was just at her house and I was lost. I didn't really know what to do. My sister busted in her house and she was like "You got this. Daddy good. He see what you doing. He wants you to do better." So I'm like, "Bet, say no more." You know? I ain't drop my head even though I broke down. But I ain't drop my head though. I just gotta keep going. I just gotta keep my head above water. And I got close to God. Every day I get closer to him. That's how I carry myself. I carry myself as a warrior.


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