Yo Gotti Talks ‘Down in the DM’ Success and Teaming Up With L.A. Reid [VIDEO]

Yo Gotti is spilling the tea about working with L.A. Reid and about his viral track, "Down in the DM."

In an interview with ThatGrapeJuice.net, the 34-year-old rhymer said L.A. Reid is "like a mentor." Sometimes they "just talk" as Reid drops knowledge but there's more than that. "On an artistry tip, he pretty much give me the freedom and the backing to do what I'm trying to do," said Gotti. "If there's something I really need to do or want to do, I can hit up L.A. Reid."

"L.A. is the kind of guy who understands the artist's vision and if he can, he'll make it happen," he added.

As for getting back into making music, Gotti said that he had to "go back and learn the game," before dropping his latest album, The Art of Hustle. "Down in the DM" nabbed the No. 4 spot on the Billboard 200 -- and became his first No. 1 record. But to Gotti, he's had the secret all along. "I feel like I was just doing the same thing -- just making music and making music that's true to me, true to my fans. And the music just grows," he said. "I'm just having fun," he continued later on.

In the interview, Gotti also explains the origin of his name and talks about his favorite rhymers. While he loved Tupac, it turns out that Memphis' local rappers influenced the Tennessee native the most.

Check out the full interview in the video above.