Thug Life Army

     As you may be able to tell, time constraints limited the interview. We were given 15 minutes, although I had about 45 minutes of questions.

I can say Turk seems to be up beat and in good spirits. He sounded strong and confident. It was good to hear him so upbeat, given the current circumstances.

     There are a few things that should be remembered about Turk's situation. One of the charges has already been dropped when ballistics tests showed that a second officer he had been accused of shooting was shot by another police officer who was present at the scene.Of course, many rap artists have found themselves ''charged'' with crimes, and later are found not guilty of those charges. Tupac was accused of shooting two policemen, Snoop was accused of murder, P. Diddy faced charges in a nightclub shooting, and many others have gone through such ordeals. All these artists were later found not guilty.

     With the time constraints, to waste what little time I had to talk with Turk, by asking questions that I knew he could not answer, or for me to speculate about something that I have no real knowledge on, would have really showed disrespect to Turk and would have just made the focus of this interview meaningless.

     I wanted to know about his upcoming album, because I have heard it, and find it a very good drop.

     Before you let the mainstream media convict Turk, even before his trial, and before you let any media try to convince you of his alleged guilt, just remember that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Anyway that this turns out, Turk should be shown love and respect. Don''t let the mainstream press make your minds and attitudes up for you, and remember the past.

     A legal defense fund has been set up for Turk. Those who wish to make a donation make checks payable to the Tab ''Turk'' Virgil Legal Defense Fund.  They may be sent in care of Da King And I Management LLC, PO Box 73131, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-3131
I''d also like to thank Turk for talking with me.

Robert - Thanks for taking time to talk to us and giving me this opportunity.

Turk - Yeah.

Robert -I really don''t know what to say about your present situation, except I wish you all the best, and with God's help, things will work themselves out soon.

Turk - For real.

Robert -Are things with the Legal Defense Fund going well?

Turk - Yeah, everything is going right; I guess everything is going the way I want it to go, ya know; it's in God's hands.

Robert -Are the industry people and fans showing ya love?

Turk - Yeah, I have been getting a lot of fan mail, a lot of support. They are all sticking behind me. And I am going to show them my appreciation when I come home and do my music.  I am going to do something spectacular for all my fans all across the world.

Robert - I''m glad to hear that, but it is going to be hard to beat this new album. It's hot.

Turk - I already know man. I mean, I wasn''t expecting the results from it, ya know. Like I said, it is one of my best albums, I feel like it is one of my best solo albums. But I''ve got another one that I wrote in here, man, that's just the half of it, compared to the one I got in here man.

Robert -For those who may not know, you were a member of the Hot Boys, right?

Turk - Yeah, one of the original Hot Boys. I mean, there was four of us. Wayne, B.G., and Juvenile and I am Turk, as ya know. But yeah, I was an original Hot Boy and a solo artist on Cash Money Records.

Robert - How did you hook up with Juvenile, BG and Lil Wayne?

Turk - I mean, we all came up as solo artists. I am from the Magnolia, Juv is from the Magnolia. We all from Uptown. And we were just four hot young niggas, and we was the shit going on in New Orleans at the time. I was put on by a female artist named Magnolia Shorty. They came up in the Magnolia one day and I rapped to them. They gave me a card and told me to come to the studio, and Juvenile was working on his album, Soulja Rag. I showed them that I wanted to come. I mean I went there on a bus, they didn''t have to come pick me up or nuttin.'' I went there on a bus lettin'' them know I''m hungry, ready to do this. They gave me a chance, let me get on three songs on Juvenile's album, and the rest of that is history. We formed the group, Hot Boys, and haven''t looked back since. We took a lil'' fall off but at the same time, we fall, but we get back up; that's part of holdin'' it down.

Robert - How old were you then?

Turk - I was 16 when I first started rappin.'' I''m 23 now.

Robert -I see that B.G. is your label manager, how did that come about.

Turk - He my label mate. He is on the same label as me. He has his own record label; I got my own thing going on Laboratory/Koch. He's got Chocolate City/Koch.

Robert - Oh, so Laboratory is yours?

Turk - Yeah, yeah. Me and Keno and Leroy. All of us have branched off and are doing our own thing, trying to start our own thing, put our own fruits out there, ya know. And do it big.

Robert -Do you still call New Orleans home?

Turk - I mean that is always going ta be my home, that's where I''m from.

Robert - Is that where you stay?

Turk - That's where I lived at, but I''m branchin'' off now. I''m on a ''tour'' right now, I really don''t know where I''m going ta stop at, ya understand?

Robert - Right.

Robert -Is it possible we could see another Hot Boys album drop in the future?

Turk - Yeah, I would love to do another Hot Boys album. We been talking about it. I''ve been talking to Babe and them, Slim and Manny, fresh since I''ve been locked up and they talking like they want ta do something, the Hot Boy Reunion Album. But like I said, we are all doing our own thing right now, and when we come together it's going ta be strictly business. I mean, I don''t think it will ever be like it was, but as far as the business part of it, I can see another Hot Boy album.

Robert -About Penitentiary Chances, can you clarify for some that this album is a studio album?

Turk - Yeah, yeah, it was a studio album. I worked on the album before I came to jail. I did write an album in jail to clear it up. But I haven''t recorded the album that I wrote in here. When I get out, I am going to record that one, and that will be the follow up to Penitentiary Chances.

Robert - Well there are some people out here that are twistin,'' and wondering how you can drop an album in your situation, ya know.

Turk - I mean, like I said, I was like Tupac; I stayed in the studio ya understand? I slept in the studio, so I''m constantly working. I mean, you going ta hear Turk when I''m dead and gone, so I mean, they going to wonder about that to. But at the same time, I''m a work-aholic and it pays off.

Robert -The new album Penitentiary Chances is going to drop April 27th. What kind of feedback have you received from it so far?

Turk - Everybody's been saying that the album is hot, the album is hard, and then when I heard it myself, I''m like, man, like yeah, that's one of my best albums. I think it is going ta do something.

Robert -I have to tell you, I was totally impressed with the quality of the album. There is really not a bad cut on it.

Turk - Yeah, I know. This is one of the best one's I''ve put out yet.

Robert -There is a range of joints on this album. Even a lil'' reggae beat on "Music Makes Me High," to the social statement made on "Heartache." I know artists like all their drops, but do you have a favorite song on the album?

Turk - I love "Heartache" for a reason. ''Cause we need love right now in the world, we need that. And the song is for real, man. What comes from the heart, goes to the heart, and I feel that song is going to touch a lot of people. ''Cause a lot of people are going through things, a lot of people feel like I feel, but a lot of people just don''t want to speak it out. And that was my way of expressing, man, we need to come together like one, ya know, and get along.
I''m talking about the war in Iraq to where I''m at. We need to just get together and do it like, ya know, show love for each other.

Robert -Do you look for it to be a single? Or do you already have a single picked out?

Turk - Yeah, I''m looking for it to be a single. That will be the first single off the album. That's the one I''m pushing for. And I am going to let my fans pick the second single, ''cause I owe my fans, and that is just one of the things I want to do for my fans. Let them pick my single, ya know. Put it on the internet, and whatever one ya''ll like the best is going ta be my next single.

Robert -I have let a few listen to the album and they all say the same thing--------They all ''feel'' that track. You really spit it the way it is on this track.

Turk - For real, man. I put my heart into it

Robert -Has any video been shot for the album?

Turk - Naw, I have been locked up 3 1/2 months now. The album was done, but naw, we didn''t shoot no video. I am looking forward to shooting a video for it. Everything is going ta work out, as I said.  Bad things aren''t always bad, ya know.

Robert -Your lyrics have always been on point, but I think that "Heartache" is one of the best, true social statement tracks I have heard in a long time.

Turk - Like I say, what comes from the heart, cuts at the heart, and that came from my heart.

Robert - Has social change always been an important message of your rap?

Turk - No. I have just been maturing. A maturity ya go thru. I use ta just rap about what was in the streets, and what I found out, but ya know, coming to jail and this situation took me thru an experience, ya know. I went to jail before this one, and I wrote that song when I was in jail last time. Ya know, I did 7 months. So the experiences I went thru, ya know made me write that song. And maturity, growing up man. And there's more to life than just rappin about this, and rappin about that. Ya got a lot of things you can talk about man, positive things and negative things. I put both on tracks, ya know. "Cause people, people are living the life. So I just rap reality to tell ya the truth.

Robert -Most of the tracks have a message, really a street-smart message and advice. Is it your hope - that the people listening to this album will heed some of your street wisdom and advice?

Turk - Yeah, man, I want to touch people and let ''em know the consequences if you be like that.

Robert -In listening to the album, I felt like it was art imitating life. I mean, it is a little eerie that this album touches on some of the same things going on in your life at the present, and it all was recorded before the recent situation.

Turk - I already know. That's why I say God works in mysterious ways, and I give all praises to Him, ya know. ''Cause from now on, He is going to be the Head of my life, ya know. Cause without Him, there is no me.

Robert - It is like it all was predicted in the same way that some of Tupac's and other artist's tracks were predictions of things to come in their lives. Do you see that, or have any thoughts on it?

Turk - I already know, man. I agree. And like I said, I can''t take the credit for that. I got ta give the credit where the credit is supposed to be, man, and that's the Man above.

Robert -I see that "Do It For The Money" was produced by you. Is that something you would like to pursue in the future?  Producing?

Turk - Yeah, I want to do producing, I want to do everything man. I want to do everything. No matter what it is out there. Ain''t nothing new under the sun I won''t try to do if it's positive.

Robert -You wrote all the tracks on this album. Are they a ''true'' impression of the real man we know as Turk?

Turk - I mean, it's like the beginning of Turk to where Turk is now.

Robert -You''re a young man, only 23.  How have you acquired the knowledge that you spit on some of these tracks?

Turk - Like I said, man, ya got ta go through things to know things, and I have been through it. I have been through a lot, man, for my age - from drugs, to hustling, to going to jail, to getting my life right. I''ve been thru it.

Robert -Have you been writing a lot lately?

Turk - Yeah, I''ve wrote about 30 something songs in here.

And here is where our time together ran out.
Be sure to pick up Turk's Penitentiary Chances April 27th. I don''t think you will be disappointed