"Always Strapped" is the first single from rapper Birdman's fourth studio album, Pricele$$. It was released officially on iTunes on March 17, 2009. The song features Lil Wayne and Mack Maine and was produced by Mr. Beatz. The original version of the song was leaked in 2006 and was believed to be recorded for the Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana collaborative album "I Can't Feel My Face".

There are two videos for the song, first the original version of the song and the remix version of the song.

The first video was premiered on MTV Jams, Sucker Free Sunday, and MTV.com on June 14, 2009 and was the video for the original version of the song. Birdman and Lil Wayne raps their verses from the original version of the song. However, Mack Maine is featured in the video and raps his own new verse. This version ranked at #18 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.

The second video was the remix premiered on BET's 106 & Park on June 15, 2009. The remix video featured Young Jeezy and Rick Ross, who also filmed his part on the video. DJ Khaled, Lil' Twist, Rick Ross, 2 Pistols, Yo Gotti, All Star Cashville Prince, and Kevin Rudolf make appearances in the video. Birdman, Lil' Wayne, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross rap their verses from the remix version of the song.

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Young Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), Lil Wayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and 2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on several popular rap and R&B singles. His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 and sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included the number-one single "Lollipop" featuring Static Major. It also includes the singles "A Milli" and "Got Money" featuring T-Pain and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

Wayne Mack (May 22, 1924 – April 1, 1993) was host of 1960s WDSU-TV, Channel 6, New Orleans, Louisiana children's show that showed the “Three Stooges” shorts. His on screen persona was the "Great McNutt” and he dressed in movie director's garb, along with a large megaphone. His big line was “Lights, camera, action, start the cotton pickin’ show!” just prior to the start of the short subject.

In the Three Stooges movie “The Outlaws is Coming” he played Jesse James.

As in most early day television stations he played several on screen parts, including co host of the “Midday" show, an electronic magazine program, as well as sportscasting in the local evening news. Mack also called radio play-by-play of the New Orleans Saints from 1975 to 1981. A flavor for Mack's broadcast style is provided by WDSU-TV.

Mack, together with fellow New Orleans sportscasters Hap Glaudi and Buddy Diliberto, provided the New Orleans television market with a unique and distinctive repertoire of sports broadcasters. The three New Orleans sportscasters were discussed together by New Orleans journalist Bill Baumgarner.

Jermaine Preyan, (born July 28, 1983), known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American rapper and singer. Mack Maine is signed to Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Birdman's Universal Motown-distributed Cash Money Records, and is currently the president of the label. He is the co-founder of Kush Entertainment and has also founded his own label, Soothe Your Soul Records.

Jermaine Preyan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He formed a friendship with Dwayne Carter aka Lil Wayne at the age of eleven. In 2003, he placed 16th out of a thousand contestants in a freestyle battle hosted by MTV; this, combined with a backstage performance at the 2004 BET Awards with Cassidy,led him to becoming a founding member of Young Money Entertainment with Lil Wayne in 2005. In 2008, Mack Maine appeared on the official remix of Lil Wayne's third single from Tha Carter III, "Got Money," and performed the song with Wayne on Saturday Night Live on September 14. At the 2008 Ozone Awards, he won the "Patiently Waiting: Louisiana" award.

LaRon Louis James (born February 18, 1983), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, actor and member of group Dipset. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma". In 2003, his debut album From Me to U was released by Def Jam Recordings; his next album What the Game's Been Missing! contained the top-ten single "There It Go (The Whistle Song)". He is currently working on his long awaited third studio album Born to Lose, Built to Win set to be released in the 4th quarter of 2012.

LaRon James was born in New York City and raised in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem. He is of African American and Dominican descent. He began rapping at the age of five and at age twelve started duo Draft Pick, which was signed to Priority Records. In 2000, at the age of 17, he made a guest performance on a track on Cam'ron's album S.D.E. and eventually joined The Diplomats.

After the signing of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset, to Roc-a-Fella Records in 2002, there was an influence of mixtapes, features on other artists' records, television and radio interviews, in which Juelz achieved mainstream recognition not previously gained through the various Diplomat mixtapes, and his solo mixtape Final Destination, that was sold in late 2002. After being featured on fellow Diplomat member Cam'ron's two singles, "Hey Ma" and "Oh Boy". Juelz started working on his debut album. In the summer of 2003, Santana released his debut album, From Me To U, which peaked at #8 in the Billboard 200. "Dipset (Santana's Town)" peaked #70 in the U.S. Billboard.