Lil Tjay opens up about the aftermath from the shooting from a year ago, collaborating and working with NBA Young Boy and Ice Spice, explains his post about the charts and Gunna, his upcoming Beat the Odds tour, and more!
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00:00 The amount of money I probably would have paid
00:02 if they would have just allowed me to brush my teeth.
00:04 It's crazy 'cause, you know,
00:07 waking today I could do that.
00:08 Yo, what's going on?
00:09 This your boy Lil Tjay and you're watching Billboard News.
00:12 ♪ Grr, bow, I'ma skip town, see my wrist down ♪
00:15 ♪ Everybody wanna fuck with me for benefits now ♪
00:17 ♪ Man, I wish my nigga Smelly could've seen me lit now ♪
00:19 ♪ Sit down ♪
00:19 ♪ Body drop all the time, I don't feel nothing ♪
00:21 ♪ Swear to God, you're gon' make me go kill something ♪
00:23 ♪ Told my shooter, "No mercy or chill, boy" ♪
00:25 ♪ Two, three billions, you think it's shit sweet ♪
00:26 ♪ Lil nigga, I ain't never gon' stay in my head ♪
00:28 ♪ If you're too deep, it's a whole block deep ♪
00:30 ♪ Swear to God, I ain't never gon' ♪
00:31 (upbeat music)
00:35 - Hi everyone, it's Katrice J here with Billboard News
00:37 and we have Lil Tjay in the building, welcome.
00:41 - Happy to be here.
00:42 - Jumping into your new album, "222,"
00:45 I wanna know, are those angel numbers?
00:47 - They are angel numbers and, like, I had a situation.
00:52 I feel like "222" just like, you know,
00:54 it's just been playing a big part of my life.
00:55 - Your first single off the album is "Project Walls"
00:58 with NBA Youngboy, he's one of my favorite artists.
01:00 ♪ Roaches, Project Walls, that broke, I seen all ♪
01:04 ♪ Tryna change my life, damn near tried it all ♪
01:07 What was it like working with him
01:09 and is there anything else in the vaults
01:11 we can get from you two?
01:12 - God-willingly, I'm definitely looking forward
01:15 to hopefully doing some more songs with Youngboy.
01:19 And, I mean, I feel like it was just like,
01:22 I feel like it was great, like, the reaction was amazing.
01:25 I feel like that's what, like, a lot of people wanted to see.
01:28 - It's been off the charts, literally.
01:31 ♪ She just shit lookin' fat ♪
01:33 ♪ I'm a gangsta, I keep it legit ♪
01:34 ♪ I gon' hold you, I told her some secrets ♪
01:36 ♪ So she know I be on that shit ♪
01:37 You performed with Ice Spice for the first time,
01:40 your Bronx sister, at New York Hot 97 Summer Jam.
01:45 What was that feeling like?
01:46 What was it like performing with her,
01:49 knowing you have that connection with her?
01:51 - It's crazy because I was supposed to have performed
01:54 and I had missed my set.
01:55 I was late.
01:58 For me, I was like, yo, Ice, like, yo, bring me out.
02:00 We had spoke about it, like, before that.
02:02 And I wasn't sure and I wound up just doing it.
02:05 And it was churn, I ain't gon' lie, that was lit.
02:07 It was kinda like one of them full circle moments,
02:10 you know, being that, like, I met Ice, like,
02:13 before she was, like, you know, who she is today.
02:16 And to see the crowd go crazy for her
02:18 for the first time in person was lit.
02:22 - 100%, I saw all the videos on social media.
02:25 It looked churn, I wish I was there.
02:27 So, also, it's hip hop's 50th anniversary.
02:30 You're from the Bronx.
02:32 How does it feel like being a part of the legacy
02:35 of, like, the borough of where the birthplace
02:37 of hip hop was created?
02:38 And you're literally a part of what that city
02:41 is, like, bringing to the table.
02:44 - I feel like it's just, like,
02:46 it's kinda still shocking to think, like,
02:50 I just, like, think about the influence I got on kids
02:53 and how people, like, look at me.
02:56 I try to put myself in perspective of when I was younger
03:00 and how I used to look at artists and think about artists.
03:03 And I'll be like, damn, I do got some power.
03:06 And it's like, it's a blessing.
03:09 I'm honored to be a person in that position for the city.
03:12 - Now, speaking of blessings
03:13 and switching gears a little bit,
03:15 you know, you obviously had a rough situation a year ago
03:18 with your shooting.
03:20 How are you feeling now with your recovery
03:22 been like a year later?
03:25 - I feel like I feel the best I could feel.
03:27 Like, you know, my body works fine.
03:30 My mind's in an all right place, you know,
03:33 and my music is doing well.
03:36 And I feel like trajectory for the next five years
03:39 is only up.
03:40 - Do you feel like who you were a year ago
03:42 to who you are now, do you, like, see any differences?
03:44 - I feel like I take life a little bit more serious now.
03:48 I take my career a lot more serious now.
03:51 I feel like I'm more appreciative, you know,
03:55 when I was like in the hospital,
03:57 when I had my situation, like,
04:00 I remember I had woke up
04:01 and I couldn't really like get out the bed or nothing.
04:04 And I had like a tube in my throat
04:07 and I couldn't brush my teeth.
04:09 Like it was for days and the amount of money
04:12 I probably would have like paid
04:13 if they would have just allowed me to brush my teeth.
04:16 It's crazy because, you know,
04:19 like today I can do that.
04:20 Like I would have paid like to have a Sprite
04:22 to get up out that bed.
04:23 I'd have emptied my whole account.
04:25 I would have went into debt for 20 years
04:28 just to wake up and just walk.
04:31 And now everybody can do that for free.
04:33 - You named your new tour, Beat the Odds,
04:37 and you also have 22 dates.
04:39 - I personally didn't even realize that.
04:41 - Really? - I didn't even realize.
04:43 - Yeah, you got 22 dates and your album is 2-2-2.
04:46 So you have like the number two surrounding you.
04:49 - Yeah.
04:50 - What can you tell us about this new tour?
04:51 - The theme is gonna be like celebration.
04:54 We're gonna be turning up.
04:55 Life is good, you know?
04:56 And I just wanna like, you know,
04:59 turn up with my fans.
05:01 So that's how it's gonna be.
05:03 We're gonna be up.
05:04 It's gonna be like the club.
05:04 We're gonna be at this party.
05:05 We're gonna be in this spot.
05:06 - I'm very excited for it.
05:08 I can't wait to check it out.
05:09 And switching gears,
05:10 they were saying that you were shading Gunna
05:13 by just putting a little emoji.
05:14 Like, I thought it was funny.
05:16 Do you wanna clear the air a bit about that?
05:18 - Yo, I promise you,
05:19 I didn't even think none about it.
05:22 I put like a glass, like ah.
05:24 I put it like, and I posted the charts.
05:26 'Cause I'm like, it was like my like little like sub,
05:29 like yo, stream my shit, make me number one.
05:31 Feel me?
05:32 But I wasn't thinking about Gunna.
05:33 Like I promise, I would've,
05:34 if it would've been,
05:36 it could've been Favi, Polo, people, I fuck with it.
05:38 I just put that emoji there,
05:40 and they ran with it, I guess,
05:42 'cause it was something to talk about.
05:44 - Definitely ran with it.
05:45 Definitely something to talk about.
05:47 But hopefully they can be talking about
05:48 this new tour you have coming up.
05:50 - Yes, they need to go.
05:51 - I'm very excited for you.
05:52 Thank you so much, Lil TJ.
05:54 Make sure y'all check out the new album,
05:56 "222" and the Beat the Odds tour coming up soon.
05:59 (upbeat music)