Seemingly on the brink of resurgence, Aftermath Records — the powerhouse that legendary producer Dr. Dre built — is sporting a slimmed down roster these days. Stat Quo, the Atlanta rhyme animal who joined the camp in 2003 is the latest to acquire his free agency from the label, without releasing an album. He sits down with TSS Crew’s TC and explains the shocking truth to why his album wasn’t released and his plans for the future on the heels of his latest mixtape, The South Got Somethin’ To Say. Apparently, so does Stat Quo.

TSS: So with all the attention that the South gets nowadays, you still feel like they’re going unnoticed?

Stat Quo: Oh most definitely. There’s still a lot of people on the Internet that has a lot of negative things to say about Southern MCs based on some of the other type of music that comes out. You know “They can’t rap, they can’t spit.” Because we all know that the East Coast fathered rap music, so it’s like the South and the West are like the kids and the father is always gonna look at it like the kids aren’t going to be able to live up to their potential. In the father’s eyes at least.

TSS: Yeah, but I don’t think anyone’s ever accused a Stat Quo of not having skills. You get the sense of who they’re addressing…

Stat Quo: Oh nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!!! But for me it’s like when Outkast was doing their thing, I don’t just do it for me. It’s like if my son wanna rap and he’s three years old. If he wanna grow up to be a rapper or my nephew and nieces. I wanna keep the shit going for them.

TSS: But how do you personally feel about some of those artists that they are talking about?

Stat Quo: You know what? At the end of the day, I’d rather have them making bullshit songs instead of doing some bullshit to get on. You never really know people’s circumstance and if that’s the hustle they wanna use, then fine by me. But I feel like it’s my job being that I’m not in it for the hustle of it, to actually keep the integrity of it going. And to show people that you can be “Hip-Hop” but still be commercial.

TSS: Would you say there’s any justification that those artists go on to release an album and your situation ended up the way it did?

Stat Quo: You know, I feel like every man has their own path and I’m not upset with someone making money doing what they’re doing. I would never hate on another person getting theirs. My situation was so unique along with the people I was dealing with, so I can’t just sit there and criticize someone for getting on. But sometimes yeah, in my heart…I feel left out sometimes. I still want my chance to get my shit poppin’ or whatever. But it is what it is. God’s gonna let me get mine when it’s time.

TSS: O.K. and you just dropped the mixtape [The South Has Somethin' To Say]. How much material do you actually have? I’m hearing crazy rumors of like 300 to 400 songs. What’s that about?

Stat Quo: Aw man. What people have to understand that me as a Hip-Hop artist, I got my grind and how to do this music and how to approach it, from the best! From Scarface, to Dre to Em. You know what I’m saying? These people are constantly working. So when I get up in the morning, I just do music. That’s all I do. All day long. And I’m not counting the music I’ve done with Dre and them. Aside from that, I plan out putting out a tape out once a month. About fifteen tracks of new material for people to listen to. And it’s just about me expressing myself.

A lot of times when you’re making music, you can be in a situation in terms of marketing, worrying about a single. It’s not no boundaries with this. I can do what the fuck I want. So as far as that situation with Dre and them, I said what I said. Anyone who wants to read that interview, can go back and read it. That’s what it is. It don’t even make any sense for me to keep touching on it. It’s not about me trying to be offensive or fucking up somebody’s shit. I got love for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, Shady Records and Interscope.

I’m not one of them motherfuckers to be like “Fuck Interscope!!!” You know what I’m sayin’? (Laughs) I mean…why? “Fuck Jimmy Iovine!” Why “fuck Jimmy Iovine?” He’s been a good business man for years. There’s none of that. I don’t have any of those feelings. I appreciate my time spent over there. I went all over the world with them dudes. But at the same time, when it comes to the music that I recorded with my voice on it, I know how that shit goes. You leave and that shit just sits there. And me, personally, knowing that I was there for five years, I want people to be able to hear it and enjoy it. And like I said, it’s not about no money. I don’t want no money. It ain’t about selling no albums…FUCK going platinum. Fuck all that shit. This ain’t about no money. Everything in life ain’t about a dollar. It’s not always about recognition. It’s about Hip-Hop. That’s what it’s about. It’s about that I love Hip-Hop music.

And when I make great music with innovators and pioneers like those two gentlemen, and I just got it sitting there…? I feel like I’m doing Hip-Hop a great disservice by just letting it sit there. I’m doing Hip-Hop wrong! And I’m not gonna sit back, twenty years from now and rap might not be want it is today, and say to myself “I could’ve done something to help. I could’ve inspired somebody.” Because when I was younger and people like Scarface used to put songs out, that shit inspired me to want to do this! So you never know how your music is gonna inspire somebody else. So if I put a crazy joint, which I got a bunch of ‘em (Laughs), and some young motherfucker in Nebraska hear that shit, he be like “You know what? I’m finna rap like Stat Quo or I’ma make beats like Dre and Eminem.” And he come out like he the next motherfucker!