The legendary Baton Rouge MC broke down his album Preserved track by track to give a better perspective on his Strange Lane debut. Here is Young Bleed’s breakdown of the first half of the album.

“Stamp On It”

Stamp on it is just putting my brand on the record. It’s more like a seal for selling something. It’s more or less saying “Put your name on your product and get your money.”

“Boot Up”

That’s a Louisiana chant–we say that back home “Boot up!” It means we’re getting ready to fight and tear some shit down or what have you. In those negative times and in those negative situations, you gotta put your game face on.

“It’s Nut’n”

It’s a comeback song. All the shit you went through that made you coming out in the end, you realize “I didn’t think I’d make it here but at the end of the day it’s nothing.” Everybody go through this, that, and the other. Basically coming up from an underdog coming up to the top–it’s nothing–nah-mean?

“Holla At Uh Dog”

It’s just like the 2Pac “Holler If Ya Hear Me”, it’s just like DMX’s “Get At Me Dog”. When you see me, holler at me! I’m out here, I’m working, let’s get connected and stay connected. Holla at yo boy, yah-mean?

“Hurt Nobody”

“Hurt Nobody” is one of those songs to where I’m speaking of coming up from a negative environment, but still I come in peace. Really, I ain’t no murderer. “Don’t start no shit and there won’t be no shit,” in simple terms. I don’t want to have to hurt nobody and hope anybody trying to hurt me.

“Husle’ Ball”

That’s a term I came up with combining the streets with the basketball and the football game, more or less. I have a cousin that was on his way to pros years ago but he had an accident and injured himself so he went around and played with the overseas teams in Europe. When he came back home he was a part of my label Trap Door Entertainment and my family. We started playing basketball and doing things together, so what we did was combine the streets with the sports, and saying we’re going to make a new game and call it “Hustle Ball”.

“Wut’z Up”

That’s more or less a reality check. I’m here again, I’m back again, I was gone but “What’s up? Talkin’ that shit might get you fucked up!” It’s one of them kind of comeback tracks that’s explaining my legacy as far as being a Southwest rapper and my evolution. It’s really rerouting the game for me. Coming from South and back into the West, you’ll hear me mentioning some of the California incorporated with the Louisiana. It’s like that–reality check I’m back again.

“From Da City”

They normally call New Orleans the city as far as where I come from, Louisiana and Baton Rouge, New Orleans in particular. I’m really cornered in the aspect of what’s going on in Baton Rouge right now. For those that no, it’s a murder capital right now and things like that. What I’m trying to do is shed some light in one sense on that situation and more or less bring you into my world and describe the type of things that are taking place today. They’ve always taken place there and are still taking place to this day as far as the murders and all kinds of different things–drug dealing and killing all the way around. Basically that man, it’s like a “Welcome To Baton Rouge” song.

“Wall Uh Fame”

“Wall Uh Fame” is one of them songs to where I’m a street kid coming from the streets and into the fame. I recognize that there are a whole lot of pioneers before me. It’s been a lifelong dream for me to get into the game and make certain connects. A lot of old heads from blues, to R&B, and of course rap. Curtis Mayfield cleared a sample for me on my second album, My Own. I had the privilege of meeting Rick James and Roger Troutman–we were getting ready to do some things before he passed. That song in particular tapped into me. It made me think of Jam Master Jay and a lot of the legends of hip hop. A lot of my music favorites that done been here have passed away. In the wall of fame, you live this life until you die, like Cash Money says “We ballin til we fall.” All those guys I’ve looked up to, Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes…people have just been dying and passing. That was culture shock for me coming from the street game and into the music world. It’s like salvation or revelation, like “I made it now.” But once you get here you could still lose your life just being from that street corner. So what I’m trying to do is grab the broken pieces of all the pioneers before me and put together and reconstruct this wall of fame. If you had a wall of gold plaques and platinum plaques and an earthquake hit your city and they all fall off the wall, it’s like coming home and seeing this wreckage. It’s more or less like the album cover Preserved here. That’s the exact idea of what I’m talking about. You see all the destruction of the music industry. What I’m trying to do is grab all the pieces and reconstruct and put it all back together again.

Click here to purchase Preserved.