Feature: Tony Yayo Spits Game on 50 Cent: Bulletproof Subscribe to this RSS feed

Tony Yayo dropped us a line on his upcoming game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Will the game be mo' sicker and mo' realistic than Grand Theft Auto? We'll see about that, Tony.

Tony Yayo

From street pharmacist and former felon to soon-to-be legendary MC, G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo's already played countless roles in his topsy-turvy music career. Now he's gearing up for the most exciting one of all: a supporting turn alongside friend, mentor and 11x platinum-selling hip-hop legend 50 Cent in Vivendi-Universal's Bulletproof. The game - featuring a script penned by Terry Winter, Emmy award-winning producer of The Sopranos - sees players fighting to take down New York's top crime families. We cornered Yayo, whom you'll run the streets with in the adventure, to talk about the reality of life on the (virtual) wild side.

Q: How tough is dropping mad skillz on a videogame to doing so on an album or other musical project?

Tony Yayo: Tougher, man... Seriously, it ain't no joke. I mean, you sitting in a booth all day, just like you do in the studio, but you got nothing to look at for motivation. You know, you gotta be screaming out all this noise, telling people to watch out, make sure you speaking a certain way... it's all got to fit the game. But you got nothing to go on - it's just you in there with a microphone and your imagination.

Q: Did you know anything about gaming going in?

Yayo: Yo... I go way back with gaming. Years and years and years... That Mike Tyson's Punch Out was nice back in the day. And I ain't stopped playing since. I got a PlayStation 2 and an Xbox. Playstation 2 is my favorite though... It's got the most crazy sh*t for it. I'm checking for that new Mortal Kombat game [Shaolin Monks] right now. But you still gotta give the Xbox respect... It's bananas too.

Q: What's your exact role in Bulletproof?

Yayo: Riding shotgun, just hanging with 50. He's the general. [Young] Buck, [Lloyd] Banks and me, we all there helping the player, helping out 50... You got a job to do, and we there to make sure you get it done, even if it means bucking somebody down.

Q: You're positive this whole project doesn't sound a little wack?

Yayo: Nah, no way. What you ever seen G-Unit do that's wack? Everything we do, we go full force, put our all into it. Dedication, consistency... That's the name of the game. We never do nothing if we can't do it right. Bulletproof the same. We put in a lot of hours, took hundreds of pictures, gave ideas for the game. It'll shine. Trust me on that.

Q: So it's not just another Grand Theft Auto clone?

Yayo: Naw, we got violence and all, but we way more realistic than Grand Theft Auto. Everything we do is raw. I ain't saying Bulletproof is how things go down for real necessarily, but we on a different level entirely.

Q: Something people would never guess about you and your posse from playing the title?

Yayo: Money and fame don't make the world go around. An artist isn't defined by the things he owns. It's his talent, his willingness to grind it out that define him. The perks are nice, but you've gotta pay dues too. There's a lot about hip-hop you don't see on no MTV.

In-Game Tony Model

Q: How closely does videogame Yayo compare to real-life Yayo?

Yayo: He got my good looks and my sound. He can rap. He also knows how to play with bombs... he's a disposal expert. So I guess he's even sicker in some ways.

Q: Last, but not least, what would you like people to take away from the game?

Yayo: That it ain't about no violence. It's about loyalty. That's what matters most. Keep it real with the people you came in with, your friends, your family. They'll keep it real with you. You got no one else to depend on, even if you ain't in a [messed] up situation like the one we involved in here. That's the truth.