Despite those who have tried to label him a gangster, street, or trap rapper, Yo Gotti revealed that in his opinion, he views himself as a reality rapper. The Memphis, Tennessee musician spoke on the title of reality rapper after he was asked about his The Return record, “Down In The DM” during an interview on Ebro In The Morning.
Yo Gotti also offered some insight into his recording process, stating that the subject or concept for a record is where he starts first.
“When I hear a beat, it’s always ‘What’s the subject?’ first,” Yo Gotti said. “If I don’t have a subject, I can’t start writing. And sometimes whoever in the studio with me, I may ask them. ‘What you want me to rap about?’ And they just throw something out. And that’s what the song end up being about. So, it all starts with the subject or the concept of the record, with me. And I feel like I’m a reality rapper…I always felt like I’m a reality rapper. Whatever’s happening at the time. Whatever I’m going through or living, that’s what I’m talking about.”
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During his interview, Gotti was questioned about his background in music. He says he was the first in his family to pursue a music career.
At one point, the Southern wordsmith referred to rapping as something he did for leisure, and added that he had no idea it would become something he could make money off of.
“Nah, nobody from my family was rocking with music before me. I was the first one…I was born with the talent,” he said. “And it’s just one of them things when you be in the hood, you just do it with your homeboys at school and all that. You don’t really think like—not where I’m from. We didn’t know no rappers who made it. We didn’t know no NFL players, NBA players. Everybody in our hood, if you made it you was the big time hustler in the hood. So, it was just more for like leisure. I never thought I’d be making money off it.”
