Rapper YG gets reflective in the latest cover story for the FADER magazine’s year-end issue. In the interview, the Def Jam artist discusses a variety of topics, including how gangs and his own life have changed since achieving success in the rap game.

Gang life started at a young age for the "My N----" rapper -- especially since he was surrounded by it.

“All my friends was gangbangers,” he said in the interview. “We was breaking in houses before school. After school, we was partying. We going to Paramount High School. It was a lot of riots - Mexican and black riots, gang fights. They called us to the office one day like, ‘Y’all gotta go. Y’all are the reason all this is going on, y’all the head honchos.’ We in the 10th grade!”

But YG has some insight on what allures kids to gang life. “Our culture is gangbang s---,” he says. “So as a kid, this all we see. Mamas and them trying to keep us away from it - my mama was - but some homies’ mamas was [banging]. They all from the same hood. So you seeing this s--- as a little kid. It’s scary. It’s the s--- your people don’t want you to do.”

Although the "Bompton" rhymer claims it's a bit different now with the new generation who don't focus so much on colors like red and blue.

“This s--- been going on for so long, half a n----’s family be Crip members. Even today, some of the older homies don’t be approving of that type of s---. They be like” - he adopts an exaggerated, quivering senior citizen’s voice - “‘Back in our day, we was beefing with them n-----! It wasn’t no being cool, none of that!’ But everybody understands. Times change, s--- different.”

But one things for sure, like many he wanted out and when he got signed to Def Jam it was lit. "When I got signed, I spent all my money on a spot and moved all my people into a house in Inglewood and s---,” YG recalls. “We all in the house. The house turned up. All the homies over there, bitches -- we doing everything. My mama and them live there. Everybody here. It’s popping. S--- was a movie.”

Check out the full interview at thefader.com.

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