It's right up there with the anti-snitching T-shirts as the must-have fashion item in the hip-hop community right now: a Young Jeezy Snowman shirt.

Earlier this year, Jeezy and Def Jam started giving out the shirts -- which prominently feature Jeezy's Snowman logo across the chest -- as promo items for the rapper's LP Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. As Jeezy's popularity has grown, so has the fervor for the shirts. They've been heavily bootlegged but Jeezy says he's not angry at all.

"I got a clothing line, United Streets and D Boy Apparel, U.S.D.A.," he said. "By the time the line drops at the top of the winter, it's gonna be straight. I got a deal with Rocawear, we about to push the line. ... If the 'hood likes it, I love it."

Jeezy says wearing one of his tees is like having a ghetto pass.

"You gotta understand what it symbolizes," he explained. "It symbolizes a young hustler. If a cat goes and gets fresh, hits the club or goes to an event and he has a Snowman shirt on, it's almost like a white tee. You can throw on a white tee and G your way through the party. You might have a Snowman shirt on and it's all good. Everybody can't afford the Gucci and everything. It's the next best thing, the Snowman.

"Snowman is a cool dude," he continued. "He's a gangsta too. There's a Snowman in every 'hood, several Snowmen in the 'hood. You gotta be that dude to look up to with the car and the girl. Whatever you do, be the best at it, because that's what the Snowman is going to do."

Jeezy is still out promoting his debut LP. He says he's all booked up for the next several months but still has time to sneak in a few videos. Although nothing has been solidified, he's hoping that Def Jam shoots a video for Mariah Carey's "Shake It Off" remix, a track that features Jeezy and Jay-Z.

"When I got the call [from Mariah], I was like, 'I don't know if that's me,' " he remembered. "She was like, 'Nah, it's gonna be your type of beat.' I'm like, 'Oh, for real?' Then when Hov called he said, 'I'm gonna do it with you.' I was like, 'Dag, this is big.' But when I did it, I kept it me and kept it 'hood. At first I ain't think she was gonna like it but she called and said she loved it. From there it was a wrap. That's history."

As far as his own album is concerned, if the Snowman has his way he'll be shooting at least three more videos. He's leaning toward "Trap Star" as his next single but he and Def Jam have not officially decided yet. According to Jeezy, they have, however, agreed upon an imprint deal for his Corporate Thugs Entertainment record label.

"Jay-Z is doing a lot for that label," he said of El Presidente Hova. "Just knowing the streets and giving young people that leeway. I just got a label deal over there. I let him hear the music, he said it's hot and it was outta here. It was a done deal."

Jeezy's first artist is Slick Pulla.

Check out the feature

">"Young Jeezy: Putting His Mouth Where His Money Is" for more on the Snowman.