Tony Yayo On "Drink Champs": Eminem & G-Unit, Rap Beef, Street Life & More

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.9K Views
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Celebrities Visit SiriusXM - March 7, 2023
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 07: Tony Yayo visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on March 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
The New York rapper is a ridiculously entertaining storyteller with a lot to tell.

Tony Yayo has a lot of stories to tell within hip-hop, whether from his own career, his work with G-Unit, or the wealth of knowledge he gained since then. Of course, given that he's such an entertaining storyteller, an episode of Drink Champs with him as the special guest is bound to hold some highlights. In it, he tackles those topics plus studio sessions with Eminem, the East Coast and West Coast beef, ghost producers, and a whole lot else. Moreover, the New York rapper also went over some "this or that" debates at the behest of show hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. Some of the debates included Paid In Full versus Criminal Minded, A Tr*be Called Quest versus Brand Nubian, and loyalty versus respect.

In addition, Tony Yayo also revealed some interesting insights into 50 Cent's career. Apparently, Fif didn't even like "Many Men" when he and his team first started working on it. Furthermore, that song went on to become one of the Queens legend's biggest hits of all time. Still, it's quite odd to hear about how such a beloved song might've just been a throwaway at some point in time.

Tony Yayo's Drink Champs Episode

Previously, the 45-year-old spoke on how working with Eminem caused a lot of controversy for G-Unit, which he readdresses here. "We even got called house n***as for f***ing with Eminem,” Tony Yayo had shared to DJ Vlad. “The Source, they would take it to a whole ‘nother level. That’s when the disrespect for me was like, well damn, what does color have to do with anything with music? What does color have to do with anything with people? I don’t care what color or religion you are. That’s just me. We from New York. It’s a melting pot of people. We grew up around all kinds of people, so I don’t give a f**k what color you are. I don’t look at you as a culture vulture ’cause you white. That could be somebody else’s opinion. It’s not mine."

Meanwhile, Tony made sure to contextualize his success with an incredible amount of gratitude. He recalled just being a kid from the block who loved hip-hop and eventually made it to some of its highest highs in the 2000s. If you want your dose of hip-hop history and culture discussion, don't miss out on this conversation. Also, keep checking in with HNHH for more news and the latest updates on Tony Yayo.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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