Hmmmm.
Welcome back to a special edition of All the Smoke Coming to You Live from the College Football Hall of Fame on behalf of the Rocket Foundation and my brother Quavo.
Man, this is a long time coming.
Bro.
We've been trying to connect for like four years to get you on the show, and we're finally here. Man, really excited. Man of many hats. We've partnered in legends and talked about doing some other things. So why are we out here? What you got going on today?
We're celebrating the Rocket Foundation. We're doing the Rocket Foundation, of course, but we celebrate my nephew birthday. We putting it all in once, calling the summit, and we're just doing this for a purpose.
Bro.
It should take our legacy. His name still alive and we gotta be front line and do something about it, you know, from the politics sides and.
In the street side.
So like we just merging this together and building this big old foundation, this big old family, this big you are not alone crew, this big superhero group. Like I feel like we just here to just embrace all that energy of like when you when you lose a love, when we're here for you.
Introduce us to who's to your right.
My dog, Greg Jackson, you know what I'm saying, President of the Rocket Foundation. I'm lett him break it down on how he, you know, started and came here and with me.
Tell us a little bit about your background, too, great, because we ran across past.
What year was that, Yeah, White House?
When I came into the White House, because I worked with the group Advanced Piece, Advanced Peace. Forgive me, we're out there in California. But yeah, tell us how you started, where you started with the Biden administration, and how you moved your way with Cuevo.
Well, my work on this issue started in April twenty thirteen. I was leaving the club with my cousins and just like so many moments, we got caught in the middle of across fire.
Bullets rang out and I was hit.
The bullet hit me, hit two arteries, nearly cost my life, and I got within thirty minutes of dying from blood loss and went through six surgeries six months of recovery. But in that moment, I just kept telling myself, if I could ever get back on my feet, like, I want to do everything I can to make sure no one else goes through what I went through. And since then unfortunately, I've lost a couple mintees and a few friends to gun violence. It's just a huge issue that
keeps raging forward. But I've been an outspoken activist for now over twelve years, fought to pass policy in Washington, d C. We passed the first bill in thirty years on gun violence, the Bipartis Is Safe for Communities Act. And then shortly after that I met Kwavo, and you know, unfortunately through tragedy, but he was determined to make it triumph, you know, and to make it make sure that there's power in the loss that happened.
And we went to the White House. He went to the White House, sat down with the Vice.
President, We met with members of Congress and said, hey, we need a team that can help address this issue every day. And President Biden and Vice President Harris answer and created the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in twenty twenty three. I don't know if it was you that did it, but I got hired and so I was a deputy director there for about a year and a half, and in that job, we
moved forty two billion dollars into gun violence prevention. We did fifty four executive actions, and we fully implemented that big law that made gun trafficking and federal offense that added more money for victims of violence and really added more resources for mental health and youth programs and a lot of the programs that now the Rocket Foundation is working with. And so it's been the honor of my
life to serve in the White House. And you know, I just thank God every day that he got me out of that hospital bed.
So what is the goal?
And you guys can take terms kind of telling what is the goal of this, because I know we're gonna talk a little bit later on the panel, but you're kind of setting up a situation where people can get a hold of you, a coalition of athletes and entertainers and ecosystem where people having issues with with with with gun violent taking call you up and you got boots on the ground. Explain to us a little bit more about that situation.
Right we just like you said, it it goes around the world. You know what I'm saying. It happens every day, It happens in all cities. Man, I'm pretty sure y'all background y'all had to you know what I'm saying, Seeing it or been in it, and so we just you know, kind of becoming those those big bros and those those those leaders who just like you can get on the phone and and and and figure something out instead of going retaliate, retaliating in the streets and being like doing
it the wrong way. It's like we we need to go to the big way. We need to go to the White House. We need to you know, try to change some laws. We need to link up together and get frontline and really like and go hard about this. Cause you see, like other family members and theyvey won't like change, They won't like they want some to be done. And you just can't, you know what I'm saying. You can't just lead a house and just crash out all
the time. So like I feel like I had to put like my patience, my time, my heart, even even my ego. I had to sit aside, you know what I'm saying. It's hard every time I do to these summings, I feel like like one I was there, This's my nephew, so I'm always like supposed to take care of him and bring him home at in any situation. So starting from like I said, starting from this in the foundation is just it's the only way I think I know right now, and and I'm just looking for Like, I'm
I wanna be that vessel. I wanna be that answer. I wanna be that guy that you can call on that's been through it too. So that's that's what I'm at with, you know what I mean, I'm I.
Wanna say this like I think it's I think it's a beautiful thing. Cause like even with my situation with George Sayd, like if I knew I had a group of people already sat in place where I know I can call and I already got a teen together where I know I can move with. What you're doing is very beneficial, bro, cause instead of having to get up and find people that that's like minded, that want that, that care about it, you already have that. So when
it's time to move, y'all already moving one time. That's a beautiful thing. Bro. I gotta salute you fortreciation, right.
We we know not to cut you off.
We know that obviously having someone as big as Quavo and and him using his celebrity and his money and his platform policy is what really moves the th the needle and that's a space that that that you've been in. How important it is teaming up with someone like him and then also moving on the policy side as well to see actual change.
Yeah, I mean it's the policy, but it's also the resources, right, Like what Cuevo described and what Steam described, man is having those big bros to go to. There are thousands of organizations across the country that are doing this work. You know, Safe Streets in Baltimore, Advanced Piece in La A, Detroit, Yeah, Life CA, yep, Force Detroit, Life Camp in New York like, uh, I mean, every city has local organizations that are working
hard to do that hope hustlers here, right. But these organizations, most of them are underfunded. Most of them don't have the you know, a big communications team and they're working every day to connect with folks in these hard times, but they don't have the support. And that's what makes Rocket such a big deals because Quabo can shine a
light on these programs and strategies. You know, we've already granted to over ten organizations here locally to help them build their program, but more importantly tell the story of how they're helping to save lives.
Because the last three years we've seen.
The steepest declines and homicides in American history thirty one percent. And the big difference was not the big laws, it was the resources going to the community groups and they can expand and connect with more folks that are need right. And so we went from you know, small organizations that didn't have resources to now they can get federal money, state money, city money. They're getting support from foundations, they're getting support from corporations, and that's because we're able to
tell the story of how impactful they are. And I think that is something huge. I mean even this year in Atlanta, homicides or eleven percent, right, So we know that if you pour into the community, and we know access to guns is a big problem, but if you pour into the community first, you can reduce violence by so much. And that's where policy meets culture, right, and policy meets.
The voice, and then they and the way that we can change the narrative. That's what That's one thing we did go to a command. There's a loutderstanding. I understand about policies and laws like it, but I did ask her, how can we get the money in the fund into these real grass roops that we know that's doing the
right work, you know what I'm saying. I think that's a big problem because they want to do things to help out, but you don't know the actually people that's doing the word work because you're not in that you're not in that situation, we know, you know what I'm saying. So some kind of way, the people that's willing to put the money in, they need to give them money to the right people to get to these grass roups, organization that's doing the real work, and just just fairbody's awareness.
The term that we we identify for these groups are community violence Intervention Organizations or CBI and and these groups
are doing everything from street outreach. Some of them are doing therapy with families, some are are providing behavior change approaches, but also coaching a football team right right, or working with young folks in sports or different actions and and they come in different styles, but at the end of the day, they're focused on those who are most at risk and just supporting them, you know, so that in that tough moment of crisis, they don't have to turn to a gun or turn to harm in somebody.
You know.
That's why I work with the group Advanced piece up and stocked in the Sacramento. They they talk to the people that are most likely to be sh doing the shootings or being shot like they have the ogs to get out of prison and come back and talk. And we take them to games and raise funds and give them different experiences because we could tell people, tip, we're blue in the face, put down the guns.
But what are we replacing the guns with?
Right?
You gotta replace with opportunity, right, you know what I mean. So until we really start doing that, that's when we start seeing change. So great, thank you for your time. We're gonna catch up with you a little bit later on the panel, and man, you can catch the rest of the panel conversation.
Let's start from beginning, bro, the NAF. Yeah, I had a blessing uh to be called on and off. Come hang with y'all a couple of times. Talk about your a uh, your upbringing and what does atail rep mean and represent to you.
I was originally born in Athens, Georgia, and about about like sixth sixth seventh grade, we moved to Gwenett. We called it the North and shit, we were just some five thirty young niggas just just having fun, making music, doing sports and getting in trouble.
Yeah, trying to figure it out.
Trying to figure it out. You know, everybody stayed at my house. Uh, that's that's Mama crib. We call it Mama hunch o. Everybody stayed there. And then and downstairs we had came up on this laptop and and like a bluebird mic and so I hooked it up downstairs and we had this like gymnastic Mac hooked that thing up downstairs and that thing. You know, we were just in there, just recording, going crazy.
Everybody called Mama Mama. You was raised by Mama Dad, Wasn't there a similar smile upbringing a lot of people don't know the what a mother that's raising a whole bunch of kids and all the kids in the neighborhood, what she go through a day to better sacrifice She make talk about you know what your mom meant to everybody around y'all because even you know, some of your groupmates said talk about how she was a father figure to everybody and she and she gave everybody the real game.
Yeah, she just let everybody inside. All the doors always open, always, you can always get some food. The best cooking straight up, raw, uncut advice. Even like you know, sometimes parents other other kids, parents had like strict ways on like not letting you outside and do like just crazy stuff. You know what I'm saying, My mom be like how your parents not let that you do this and that in the third and so sometimes we'll like the kids used to like run away and just come stay at my house because
she was just so cool and caring. But at the same time, she still ain't let you just do no nothing, since like you couldn't just be able to disrespecting the spot.
And I just felt like it was a level of respect, and it was a level level of like, Okay, we all growing up as young men, we got responsibilities, you know what I'm saying, And she just always instilled it and just always made sure we, you know, kept God first, and watch for the haters, watch for the jealousy, keep your brothers, you know what I'm saying, keep your brothers. Everybody looking good. We share clothes, s same shoes, same shirts.
We gonna we gonna always make sure we look good together. So it was just that commoditiy of it just together. It's like that what shoes on.
Your sister said he didn't get whippings like we did.
Oh nah, I'm the only boy. I ain't really get in trouble like that cause I was on I was the only boy she love on the son. I I think she get that from my grandmoma though, cause my grandmoma had five girls and one boy, and so they used to just always make sure the boy was straight. Uncle both Yeah, I got one uncle. It's crazy.
What kind of music did you listen to growing up? I know y'all all turned down was wrapping up around that time. I was out here when y'all was coming up.
Growing up, we was listening to hot boys a lot. I was a real big T Pain fan. That that kind of how I get the tune and the melodies and shit young l A J. Money.
They don't know how it was.
Yeah, that was huge us Gucci of course, Yeah, Gzy But like the ship that started the sauce in the wave, I feel like we go Features and Leland and d J. That was like kind of gave us our our template and palette on on where to go with with the.
Swag football music first two loves, but your your first love was football. Quarterback always had a ball in your hand as a youngster, had the Gwynette County record for the most consecutive passes completion twenty eight until somebody in the NFL, Taylor Henkey, came and broke that record.
Was he? Where'd you say?
Is that June the Chargers with the Chargers so and a young up and coming NFL player broke your record? Uh, you could really play football. Talk to us about the passion of the quarterback position and kind of while we're here today at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Of course, I always played sports growing up. Quarterback came real late to me. I wonder I didn't play quarterback growing up. I played receiver, corner, a little bit of tight end, and they would throw me at quarterback every now and then, like sprinkle me in because I was left hand and I was.
Just everybody left and I think they sweet, you know what I'm saying.
So they and I had that like just that little itching it and then ship like the first I want to say, ninth grade, we lost one of my third quarterback. I think he broke his collar bomb my other quarterback. He was game banging. He just went cross street, got suspended. And then they were just like doing tryouts in ninth grades, so like anybody come up there. So I seen I seen my one of my buddies. He was a rob seef.
He went down and he's like, I got it, don't worry about I got He came down neck broke coming back they like nah boom. So I was kind of like I want to say last as I'm just like fuck it, I do it. And when I went over there, jail natural it j click. And then ninth grade, I think I played jav I got like most improved player that year, and then like shit, the next year I was I had to compete with a young nag. He was His name was Zay Bridge. I'll never forget you, boy,
you still fire. He like six six, crazy young, just had it all, Like look him up top top to bottom, had it all and just like he went out there. But I think I don't think he was a quarterback. I think he was like a safety or something. But like anyway, he was a cold blooded over. He can do anything he wanted to do on the field. So I guess spring game he just ain't having him that day he got them. They threw me out there first player of the game. I threw a touchdown and.
It was the first player the game.
Yeah, I'll never forget it. We played Collins Hill.
That's dope.
What kind of influence did Mike Vick have on you once you became a quarterback?
Of course I would, and I'm gonna sell him. I was big, was my favorite player. I felt like when he left Atlanta, all the soul left alone. So it was kind of hard for me to be a Falcons fan again after that. But now I'm back.
Yeah, did you play any hoop or was just off football?
I played ball? I played Yeah, I played basketball. I really was good at basketball.
Was like organized basketball.
I played a little league growing up middle school, and then when I got to high school, I couldn't never like get over that spring progress support. I could never get over it. Every time I every time I pulled up, I was feeling. So that's how how they would cut me and then I get mad and then do all spring sports. So I just to keep me like in school and doing my work. I went to play baseball for the first time and I played pitcher in left field and ship. That's what kept me with my grades.
When I was rolling over to basketball, I meant rolling over to football and then ship after that right back again. I'm feeling again. It was just like a like a cycle bro like every DC. I couldn't catch that basketball try out report card flip. So it just I was just like, I'm just gonna be a spring football and baseball guy. But I did it all though.
The athlete mindset, that's something we talked to Kobe about. We recently talked to Ryan Coogler about about just how do you change that mindset from sports to business and your example of music, how to be an athlete help you transition into those spaces.
Most definitely socially, help you to learn how to be a leader. You know what I'm saying, Take charge, control the room, go through ups and downs. You know what I'm saying, a lot of things don't go your way. You gotta be able to you know what I'm saying, stand in it and uh that's what I think in business. And then patience, patience, you know what I'm saying. You won't a lot you even like when you're working out, you thinking that you can go get big tomorrow, but
you gotta you gotta stay at it. So like that football, sports communicate with you know what I'm saying, Having that coach, that father, figures, that big brother, it kind of like shape you get you ready for the outside world. So that's why I be trying to like tell kids, like you should for show you like all three sports to see whatever you wanted, you know what I'm saying, But that one like if you doing one sport right now, you better know you going on the way and like
getting it together. But that's how I feel like it shaped me.
When did music surpass sports? As far as ma'am, this maybe something I could do.
Shit.
After I dropped out of high school, I had playing A didn't work. I went playing B and that was music. Yeah, and but ill we was always good. We was always good. Like we're fucking around and just make songs for the school. They'll love them. Make songs for the for the for the football team. They're like it. I passed my mixtape
out in like eighth grade, me and tape. Everybody laughed at us, you know what I'm saying, But they they knew it was that only one nigga pulled up to the captier like, hey, bro, that Mick Tay matter if I get on him? And that was all set that's how it happened in the cafeterias.
That's crazy.
So they all knew it, but he was the only one that really show love to it.
Yeah yeah, but Take though, Take always been rapping. Yeah, been the one. But he's just no music front to back, you know what I'm saying. Like he used to get in trouble for singing the Turk album left the top the bottom, and he was a kid like then coming there, cuss doing all that cuszing man. Mama came in there and took the whole CD in there thing. He was sick. But like he was just such a student of the game, and like he knew every word to every song. He
knew my words to my songs. He knew like he was just such a sponge. It was like, it's crazy.
I was blessed to be in the studio with you, Gucci, the whole Migos or Juice and Dog at the same time, and you and you were in the booth. This just to call he was you was in the booth. He came in there, helped you with some stuff, and we was all in the chilling. But when he went in there, all of us was in there like like like who this guy here? Like he was he just took that people at there present like he was the best. Every time I seen him in the studio.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying, he was like that bro over but chill though, Yeah, because.
That's how he got his name though take Off was really called his first. It was like one take, you know what I'm saying, Like we started, like when we was rapping, I used to record on this thing called Windows movie make it. It's like a long time ago, and like you had to set it up to where like you put the I had to put the track up there where the movie real would be, and I put and it had like this narration thing so you can just narrate the real you get what I'm saying.
So it was kind of like a song, you get what I'm saying. So but you got it, Like but you started, you gotta keep going. You can't suck up, Like if you fuck up, you got to delete the whole game. So like I would be fucking up, you know what I'm saying, And like we had to start over, start over. But when that man got on one take, one take every time, and then I take off, he got his name that's dope.
I was in the studio the order then, like they did the l a Leaker ship and I like remember that night and I brought you something and I was just sitting there like this ship is dope shows.
Just sit there and see it.
We need to crack that strand we need to get we still we got business plays and stuff going on over here. Man, he's my god. These are big bro cat like serious.
You're known as the leader of the of the migos, But it was true that take off was really the one that got you in the boot for the first time.
He was the backbone. I feel like me and him both was always the fans of just music, you know what I'm saying. Like I said, Bro, we used to ride on our glasses like like soldiers. I used to be crump boy. It used to be God Damn forgot what his name was.
The light. I can't think his name.
I would know my name, Crump well he was. He used to be like dope boy, like for a week. Even we had to sweet you know what I'm saying, Like we just always just been in that. But I was playing sports, so I thought that I would go and he was like or we just get put over. He was fourteen years old, and and asked him what he did. He was like, I'm a rapper. Cops would be like, yo, come in real quick, man, come listen
to this man, tell him what you do. Said, I wrap straight up and like so he always knew that we was gonna be a rapper. And that's why I said the playing b didn't feel like, no, no hard job, because he was already.
Y'all been wrapping back in the days, y'all was putting my sticks to the microphones.
Socks over mics over oh nail, nail, the mic to the nail, the mic to the wall. No MIC's staying. It's kind of like hanging off the corner of the wall. And then you just put like ten socks over it and then make it like and it make it sound like a real mic. And this is like and this like little stick mics at Walmart.
Yeah, yeah, y'all remember.
Those deth mics like the stick ones.
You just.
Get the rapping had to.
With all that, y'all had to find a way to one take everything.
We had to find a way to one take everything. And we just started getting good at what we you know what I'm saying all the time at libs one take verse, one take. If not you, you're gonna mess up the whole song. What's crazy. I used to hate being at the end because I knew I'm a fuck up. So if I'm at the end of you did your versus, you did your versus, and I gotta come in in and and I fuck it up, you gotta start over everybody,
you know what I'm saying. So that was that was that was I'll never forget that.
That was the pressure to get you better though.
Yeah yeah, Polo Club for Polo Club, p O l O.
Talk about it.
Man, they had us burned. That's what I said, the j futuristic of LA You know what I'm saying, that whole Bay by bayh world. We were bowed out extra by who Polo Club.
It was burned out, big horses.
On God, the Bigger, the Rugby, the Levi True Religions.
It was Trim couldn't tell you shit, Oh my god.
The Polo Club mixtape was met with mixed feelings. It was mixed feelings about.
A while cause it was I feel like it actually didn't have it was another member in there shout up with my boy Nick Man.
Nick didn't make the cup.
Huh nah, he had asked. He was just going hard. He ended up doing like fifteen mm. You know what I'm saying. He just took a different route. But yeah, it was just I think we was a little bit premature, like we weren't ready yet. I don't think we were ready. I think I was like seventeen sixteen. It was. It was sparking, but we weren't ready yet. I I'm glad that we didn't take off cause I thought cause I was really thought we was ready. Like I'm like, it's crazy,
but I'm we were just brewing brow and brwing. Then it like that migo shit came. It was just like, okay, north Side Gwenett, we got the migos living here, We got the you know what I'm saying. We the only it's like black and brown everybody in the school week. Okay, cool we migo game. How we gonna we going to migos black? You know what I'm saying. And like I thinks long lived street Scooter God damn j Money OGD. When we came in, they were like, oh, y'all boy
looked like y'all boy got it. Out, it's already dressed. We ain't got it. It's over with, And it was just once we got that official stamp, it was just we were gone.
When during this time, when y'all figuring it out, y'all making the music, y'all growing any og step in and give y'all some game, or y'all learned everything off experience when we was recording.
That's what that's I'm glad that's a good question. You said.
Bro.
We we walked in the studio with other folks. I feel like we was ahead of them, you know what I'm saying, cause of the punch in, because of the one takes, cause of the We was just punching in, punching in, punching in. So we walked in the studio, I was like, damn, bro, we doing it right. You ain't never cause y'all y'all pro so, y'all probably fifteen sixteen doing motherfucking superstar NBA workouts that you don't don't even know that you was doing til you walked in there.
Over there to the gym, You're like, oh, damn, we shooting three hundred fifty y'all? Do I do that at the crib every day. You know what I'm saying, We do in and outs across the pit, you know what I'm saying. So like the formula was o. We was making the formula. We was having the formula already, it was already ready. So when we walked in, we just looked like we was just.
I'm gonna give you some names.
Tell me the first thing to come to mind, or any good stories about them, outcasts.
Greatest group, greatest group of all time for sure.
That what did they mean to Atlanta and you growing up?
First ones to kick the door down, having something to say, the first verbal ones and not you know what I'm saying, unapologetically, and the Dungeon the basement, you know what I'm saying. All that, it's the same. It's just like the boys outside and like having you know what I'm saying, telling them folks to Nigga having something to say, like Nigga having swag and they dripped was just out of here.
Two different, two different worlds. And that's how of course, of course they Andre and Andre big Boy out the whole Dungeon family. You know, they they set the tone for sure for Atlanta ti Ya ti Ya to.
Goat the king Ken you go to trap, sure, question about it? Yeah?
Yeah, that going down three sixteen run when we were moving from Adding to Gwenette. That was our tape of motivation cause I saw I didn't wanna leave at it. I ain't wanna leave at all.
He might too.
It might be my favorite rabbit from Atlanta all time. The show You had a fough too, Jeez, the goat snow Man, ad lib King, he most definitely the ad.
Lib King dominated this era too, especially out here in the Sure A.
Little scrappy, shrill young nigga. You feel like he set the tone for that, that marsh pit music, you know what I'm saying, Like that stuff that Cardy and Kenndam doing. You know, they were going ahead, bust of music. Little Johns, you can get it up like it was just I think they they started leading leading that way.
Soldier Boy, he trimmed too.
He one of the first ones that ever called the migos over. He wanted the first rappers that ever dealt with us, you know what I'm saying. Actually, that's how I met trave at Soldier House, you know what I'm saying. That man traffic went on to dne t you know, he not said this ship.
Go viral, because you want to say you the first everybody.
The first rapper pulled up on them with J money, but the first big one for show with soldiers.
Yeah, Future, the Wizard, the Go Too.
You know what I'm saying, that motherfucker ever got infinity life. You know what I'm saying, You're gonna walk it down, You're gonna do whatever it's ready to roll.
What was your first international trip, asked migos. That just blew y'all mind.
I wanna say somewhere ain't no niggas really went like that, Like Australia was crazy. Australia actually was one of the best times of my life cause we went from like Africa to Australia. But year was just about I wanna say twenty A culture too, twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen, ten for real, twenty nineteen. Yeah, and I end up like we end up making Narcos in the studio, but we got kicked out the hotel because the flight was the next day, and so I guess we couldn't stay there.
So we just stayed in the studio from like six to six, like six am. Tol R The next day and it was just oh, man, man, I don't even know his name. I just heard him in like in the in the other room just playing the saxophone. He was just playing the shit out the saxophone. I'm just like, bro, we need you to come play this shit. And I think we end up doing Narcos in two player for the com relation take. And I just think, like those that moment right that just was was too dope for me.
It's hard to explain, cause like it wa you know what I'm saying it It was just the the studio fucked up. We couldn't we like it looked like you didn't have no inspo there, and we found a a major smn Chis record. That's what I'm saying.
At least expect Travers Traf.
Oh nah, you to you to go for sure? Trave That's my brother. He We feed off each other. It's like Batman Robin when we when we get in there and we just I just feel like he me and I feel like I'm him. You know what I mean.
I wanna ge ask his questions off uh keenon Streets Classics. What was I wasn't making that album? I mean that song to the street. Lucher pulled up rest in Peace School.
Her Peace School for sure. Think it was just one of the nights in QC.
Y'all was all in up. When y'all made that all.
In there, he five, Lucher came in. We was already working on one.
Me school.
We we were doing like three. I think Flipper got on one. The uh team. What you think it is? Doff ye playing with it? Phlipp flipping me Flipper. We all we got on one and then Luther came in I think like a hour later, and then out you like he.
Pulled, we pulled who made to be jeans and make that big anyway?
We When I walked in, I was kind of like that at the end of him, I'm like, man, I'm really ready to do you know what I'm saying, turn it in. But Luke came in, so I'm just like, all right, cool, I got it prepping and get right. So I walk in there, I'm just like, I got money away before that. This put my bitches and new man. But I'm saying it like that. She's like, man, come on out, I got something to say right now and leave that. He go right in the look like your bam,
and then after that it was just magic. Every time I get into like a no I want, I want to say, don't want to, but like not in the vibe when you think you not, it make a smash every time off the goat. Well that's my dog. I missed Off for sure, that Nigga one thousand, always hoigh, spirited, always loved and always god damn laughing like a motherfucker. He just ready to work. I got some I got some shit with Off too.
He is a good dude overall though, to.
Show gonna get you anything, buy you anything for real.
Always done by his paper. Talk about the early days promoting that the promote migos at the Pink Flamingo, he said it back.
And started at that's crazy, that's where it started at because DJ ray g he he said. And he used to be Cardi and set DJ but he still set DJ. But he was in Plink Flamingo, And we had this song called Bando and jumping out the gym, and we had Bando before we even got sign before we even
came up to the city. Bando was the first song that like started like brewing into town anyway, but like to get the niggas to play the song, we would have to like go up there with the DJ, smoke a blunt with them, buy him two drinks or the Blue Motherfuckers y'all remember that the Blue Motherfuckers that and just smoke some weed and ship. He gonna spend it, but we gotta make sure he spend it prime time. Can't spend it when the lights come on, can't spend
it when of the vibe going down. We need this shit hot and fresh like at the top of the top and shit, I wanna say, before we hit hit Bando, we gave him like two records that wasn't really catching. He wasn't moving the folks like that. But when we dropped him off for the Bando bro mm, then I knew like they was coming up to us like yo, this this the one. And then so he started like the DJ would like move spots you like yo, f So Friday he would do like Thursday, He'll do Peak
for me. Go Friday, He'll do Obsession, Saturday he'll do Mansion. And we was just following that, nigga, you know what I'm saying. An every time he DJ here, we come with that blend in that joint and we all had money. We all have paper. You know what I'm saying, fresh, deepest hell, pull up, Camaro charges back to back.
Man.
We seventeen eighteen years old. And then key Motion did he shoot our videos? And he shot all the QC video. He was just out there with a camera like, Yo, can I just shoot this shit? This ship look good and I'll just shoot it. And then that's how it happened. We just go from club to club following our DJ. And then that thing, you know, we put him on
the tape made him the DJ. He been on the road emotionally, been shooting videos for Wham and the old QC City Girls, everybody, all the startup crew since ever since then, everything been like you know what I'm saying, like good money.
Yeah.
Would you ever produce Amigos documentary?
Yes, sir, Yes, sir, we're actually working on that right now. We got a lot of footage.
You mentioned all that footage that's people would love to see.
Yeah, we got a lot of footage.
Man.
We got something.
Yes, yeah, gush, we got put up for Tammy, put up.
We got one road for.
You too, good ones. Tell me if you agree with this statement in Atlanta, A local hit can be a shortcut to the national stage.
Absolutely easy call, easy easy.
What was the first hit y'all heard on the radio? Like that y'all did was like.
Oh, sh bando for sure, Bando I'm talking about band was like band knows. So beginning it's like we used to.
Do nobody lived. When they're talking about nobody, I don't care we we lived in a mansion or a broke down house or everybody lived in bandos.
And ain't nobody knew what it was nobody.
But you live in it.
But like when we dropped that song, bro we had the battle. We dropped that song in Hot one on seven nine, where you'd be like song number one and number two, like we winning about it every week, winning about it. Oh nah, we like that number one? Man? Keep that band no going all right? Bet calling number number one to two? Bando, Man, that's it. And then like ship, we were just like booming. Then I ran into it, like I'm saying, we were following ray g around.
So we go to O sessions and god damn, while this song going on, I'm walking in the section, bump a nigga, I look him up and down he looked me up and damn, it's Aytova. Were like, damn, this this is Aytova. He like, man, he don't lie, Man, what's up? B y'all?
A band?
No boy?
He been looking they used to call a band, no boy. We've been looking for y'all like you talking about like him and Gucci. That's all I want to say. Like, not even a week later, he got damn hit real and what I'm saying who I wanted us to come to the studio, but I was so mad that like just rap because I felt like I felt like we had did it. I felt like we on the radio. We winning. God, damn this shit working everybody. We banned no boys around the town. This ni Guchie. Don't want
to holler us manad you know what I'm saying. I'm like, don't don't call me that boys shit real? He like, man, no real. So I hit Zay cause I got his number one out. When he said they were looking for us, I said, hey, ja, is this added us right? He said this motherfucker sound about right? And we jumped in the car, went straight to the East Side and like everything then it was the rest of history.
Shout out my boy Icond of line got bricks like shack at the free throw. Basketball rappers already always intertwined. Give me some of your favorite lines you use one or two of your favorite lines that you included with basketball players all the basketball games I just did.
I just did a new one. Yeah, I say, little bro, pull up ball player James. You know what I'm saying. You got a little bro you pull up ball player Brandon James. Yeah, that's my favorite one right now.
Yeah. The art of the musical group rap group? Which rap group? Which rap? Our musical group inspired you and the Migos Vision rap group. Yeah, because a lot of people rap, but everybody don't. Don't conquer the whole the whole aspect. Yeah, the entertaining part, the offs.
I was just talking to Metro about this the other day. Saint Lordan Tex was kind of with the swag and everything. Talked about them, I want to say. And then I seen like a clip from like the Cash Money Millionaires when they did they when they used to all get on station back in the day.
Yeah, it was crazy, that was it.
Yeah, And that would put us to that level, like, alright, that's how we wanna do it, you know, what I'm saying, that's the ball. And then we used to always talk about like movement. Gotta have your movement right, gotta explain. You got to get 'em what you're saying. You feel I'm saying, she can't be right here rapping and just with your head down. You gotta you know, at them words out.
Yeah, they paint that picture.
Mama, mama, mama.
The order, the hook, the hook god, yeah, the hook God? Where'd that come from?
Beating them niggas to the studio, beating them to the booth, going making five six songs while everybody go outside?
What's that hook? Lade?
It wasn't damn personally. I would just I was just sitting in the stool, bro and make like five six of 'em and ship like three, two or three of 'em. They want 'em and they want to get one.
But like.
I used to, just always work, always work, work, work, work. I made it kind of easy for the guys.
Is always the hardest point.
I just made it easy for the guys. You know, take gonna come clean up everything I set, gonna chop it down, you know.
So how did the relationship between QC and you got yourself start it.
Started when grew up, grew up, Pad went in and we just felt like when he had like like I said, he when when he came and signed us, I was life changed instantly boom, and like when he went to jail and start trickling back to like that and all side ship. We were like, oh, hell no, we can't go back. We just we just we just velt it. You feel what I'm saying. And we just got I got a call from Pee long way. He was just like, bro, pull up, just pull up, red did em? And it
just pull up and I pulled up. He was talking about p But a month before go out went to jail. People putt me, I mean go up with me in the car with Pete. He was like, I got my buddy coming over here. Don't say nothing to him, don't look at him, don't say no words, y'all. Just get in the car and JT ride. So I'm like, what the hell type of fucking oh geez lord, this here? We just we me and take we just looking like so we get in the car, when we ride go
through hit the city. We ain't say too much. He popped. He was like, ded my new arty to Migo. God damn, I want you to play the music. He played the music in the car p J Ryde. He don't pay no attention. He on the phone getting on the fun So I'm thinking he he ain't fucking with it. I get out the car and leave my phone in the car and and he was like, I say, go up and love my phone. And he said where you love your phone in the car? I just told you don't
do nothing crazy in there. Man call you the So I'm like, man, hell no, fab forward. That's how I met him. So I get the car from him long way long way, like I'm like, alright, cool and shit. We walk in the studio. He had a brand new studio. Ain't nobody recorded, and he like, I just built his own know what to do it? And so I hit, I hit grew up for R I hit go on like we going that way? He like, alright, bet that's
the best bet. Folk caming over with a trad bag full of money and we're like, don't tell me, I dug this up for nothing. I look, I looked down. I did like then n it it's time to go.
Yeah hum. That's his history Culture album twenty seventeen Legendary debuts number one on the charts. The album has bad and bullsry t Shirt, Slippery, get Right with his name, a few some legendary producers on the album as well metro Booming. Is they Toven without hurting any feelings? Which one of them boys is the hardest.
Who you gonna have the best chemistry with?
And they told they Toven started it off from the church.
They told him, of course, ain't he a good dude too? I like about Zay.
It just struck again with the women. Yeah, he ain't gonna never You gonna keep striking.
Yeah. You on the tourist for recording his songs in thirty forty minutes. What are your best memories grinding the studio pumping out song? Like the best memory that you had? You think about them. You know, you still got a long career left. But I noticed that one moment where you sat in the studio and he was like shit stop. Yeah, like man, I came still still kind of surreal to me.
Gotta go gotta be there for Satyr moment.
M gotta be for Sachi.
We was all downstairs in the basement and you dropped the s we dropped the beat and Bruh, we was just I was just fasachi and set say up aside you and take saupiside, and I say upisides you again. Then I went back in and I recorded it and I came out. I'm saying, are we s br I think I'm saying fasata too much? They like, Noah, keep like that. We gonna do it just like this and then everything you know, God damn, I met. I. We was in birthday bash. That boy Drake pulled up. He said, bruh,
I love everything y'all doing. From Pronto Pasachia Bandoh he like, send me either one of them. So I sent him too. I sent him Pronto and Pasachi. He sent that Pasachi and he was gone.
Drake off.
Yeah.
What's it like working with Draken?
Oh yeah, that boy the goat with it go. Like I said, I always cook up shit first, like even with Drake, like even with Walkie Talking Portland, all of these songs be cooked, like I cook him up, and then I just sent him off. I sent him off and like shit jet be. It's just great chemistry. I know what Draken get on. You know what I'm saying. I know where the trap to get on, so I just tap in and shit like that when I sit on in the boot.
When you go there.
You wrote any songs in the RB artists, I wanna say the biggest one we did was eight Shit with Jay Z and Beyonce for sure. Yeah that was life changing too, for real.
Set that up. Yeah, n I would love to write for like.
R and B artists and get in that bad for sure.
Twenty ten's two thousand was CAU was a great year. It was the introduction of basically the rap scene in Atlanta. You know, I remember, I remember not too long ago. You know, I followed you sposted a picture or you take offset Kwan Thug when Thug was going to a situation. Looking back now, bro, A l A lot has changed.
I know me growing up, A a lot of people that I wish was here with me now and the plans we had everybody didn't make you know what I'm saying, And some niggas din't stay down, some of 'em with the bullshit route, you know what I'm saying. To be here to now and seeing where it started and you here now any reflection, well, I'm still a lot of Change's.
A lot of that change, and I just look back at Jim I c I can only just thank God, you know what I'm saying, and just thank God that I'm still here, and just thank God for keeping my antennas connected, you know, allowing me to do stuff like the Rocket Foundation, because if I can erase it, if I can go back, you know what I'm going back to do. Yeah, no question is just I'm just trying to still figure out the this, this formula, this answer.
You know what I'm saying, that what God wants me to do and what my what my nephew want me to do. I feel like before he left, we used to talk about like stuff like like him like us going going to different worlds and like tapping into like frequencies and energy. So like before he before he was gone, already knew like damn, he finna be up there really putting one in for me, feel me. So now I got to like I got to keep my antennas clean. I can't be going too craze, getting too drunk. You
know what I'm saying. You gotta cause when you go to see Sleepy processing all this THATFF. You know what I'm saying, He come to you in your dreams, you know, So I just want to make sure I'm I'm more super clear and sometimes people being aware of that. You know what I'm saying. Your but is your partners and if if they can't, you know, try to plug in the same way you trying to plug in. It ain't no smoke. We just gotta go on different paths. I will bring you to the top. Just let me go
off and go v fiting for the team. I'm gonna come back and grab the squad out regardless. I can't never look at you. I'll never look at you on the side of no road and not do nothing for you. It's oh, you know what I'm saying. So we gotta allow that space. You know what I'm saying, And that's what and that's why I'm at and it fit. It feel great because bruh, I will I was, you know what I'm saying, like every night, you know, crying trying
to figure out why this even happened. And now I'm like, okay, I'm I'm uh, I see why and I'm in a minute, and I got to stay in there and and it's trying to you know, it's time to take charge.
You in there for a reason, Bro, almost three years now, I lost with my little brother and my little sister two months apart. Dang, So it ain't gonna never get easy, But you got that's our motivation to keep pushing. And let me say this too, cause I'm older than you, Bro, I don't ever hesitate the cry because that's the only one we could show people that we love that's not here. Yeah, to show 'em the way we love him in the physical.
It's bout dropping him, you know what I'm saying. So I just I I see the strengthen you and I see you pushing from him. But that's why I'm so admired by it. That's why I l I L I love talking to you, love being around you, because a lot of people don't have that natural strength to keep pushing on. Yes, sir, you know what I'm saying. With everything that's on 'em. Yes, you know what I'm saying. So y you doing something that a lot of people are not built to do. Bro, So understand you different
than you here for a reason? Man pre facts. Yes, sir, let's talk about some of the Migo's most iconic moments. Child's gotta being no shot of yard on Bad and Bougie the best song ever after winning the Globe of Golden gold board in Atlanta. How big was that man?
Crazy our songs, I don't wanna say number three or number two. And when that man got on.
That gloden globe, it took off.
No, he ja, we just needed that lad little extra push on that rocket. That thing he made at number one. But child's game, you know, he from he from Stoneman on, he from Geordi, from Atlanti from we said enough. But he always been a student of the game, bruh. And
he always like kept us in the loop. Like he's always just pull up, come to the studio and just soak it up and just so like the skits for Atlanta, Like I don't know, man, I just think like we his formula to his whole setup, but in a good way.
What I'm saying the first season Atlanta.
I'm just proud to be a party whole flips man. He keep it real and keep it solid.
Look at my dad forty million views on the views on the music video, asked my daughter, I'd be in the car home and I'm still dad. How you feel about that? Even with Cam Newton, I just feel like we should have just everybody. Yeah, I don't know that for sure.
Overly Dad was always just dripped. So when we said look at my dad, it was like, look at my drip, look at my swag. And we was on the stage us just like the first QC group Us Jose.
Flip with.
Even Duke the e p A. What I said, we used to be on stage and like we all had Emmitt Smith was the song that Emmitt Smith and Fuck the Rap Game was the song that we started like dabbing, but we all just dropped one time at the same time, so everybody, you feel me, and so they were just like what that is, Like, man, we're going dad, look you know what I'm saying. So it was just like it's the swag and so ship just went God damn nuts and man, I wish I would have made them
Christmas sweaters like two chains. Like we were just so young and JA Rock started out. It was just were just dropping sauce and leaving. You know what I'm saying, And I think, like Dave is that you could have made.
Some real money. They got so bad when everybody when they talked, they.
Yeah, like the height telling just do this all the time dog burnt out with that ship.
That's the lobby run the ship man. That's all livey run a long way, Like you said, mis all them boyd, they've been running that lobby man. That's the lobby running stuff.
Sure anyone else we did name that? You feel like a new level of fan Excuse me got to.
Go to Rich Kid. Yeah, got shot that boy, risky kid, he never gave up. Yeah, that motherfucker he the real for next kid history is insane.
He come from a bag though, don't he know he don't okay, okay, I thought one of them, one of them, I don't know. It was a rigid kid. I want him too, kid to say came from a band.
Rich from Haiti. Yeah, that boy came through the skateboard, just running around the city. But how we met him, he got damn. He said he had a whole He said he had a whole deal and didn't have it. That nigga just a line like a motherfucker. But I looked his ship up. He had more followers than us. Yeah, he had a blue check and that nigga had loads of beats. So I'm like, man, bring your ass to the studio. And ever since then he never left the basement. And then he walked in. I walked him in. Nigga
gave him a deal. They gave Skipper, they gave skip with a dial. So any any one of my homeboys were walking, they just give me give him money for just being apartment.
Now you got Albam Wayne.
You feel what I'm saying. God, Now you got Albam Wayne and one with Kendrick.
Oh God, that's grave.
When you sit back obviously you're still young. But when you sit back and think, I think there's a lot of rappers, a lot of successful rappers, but y'all elevated from rappers to rock stars. Like when you sit back and come, you think, have you been able to kind of sit back and process with everything else going on just where your guys space and history is.
Yeah, I think I really had a lot of time to reflect, Like now you know what I'm saying, because I'm looking at the memories, you know what I'm saying my boys and looking at my boys, I'm like, why ain't nobody to tell m who was on that right there?
I felt like, yuh, we was going so fast that if I felt like if someone would have just said yo, you know, after you get a number one song, this what happens, or you know, after you get a number one album, this will happen, or you know, after you do a tour, just the way after you do Drake and stuff, this will happen. I think like we was running so fast that we didn't I don't think we could. We couldn't hear that, or I don't think nobody even just said like, y'all three niggas coming for you know
what I'm saying. And I be looking back at that. That's why I feel like I don't regret it. I just feel like we should have just locked in so we can sustain on what we was gonna. We only did Culture three, We only did three albums, you know what I'm saying. And I just felt like it was more to the guys, you know what I'm saying. Still more to the guys. We got a lot of in the ball. But I'm just saying, like I want, I want here, you know what I'm saying.
Yeah, are you in a good space right now to work on music?
Yeah?
Yeah, ship Center. It's being good, No real, Yeah, it's sounding great.
In twenty years, when you look back and you guys are inducted into me hopefully won't be that long into the rock and roll or that that was it the rock and Roll Hall of Fames. What do you want people to know about your group?
The Beat Ghost? What do you want them to say about your group? What message?
The boys was hungry? The boys really came from nothing. Them boys keep God first, you know, always gonna always gonna keep, always gonna keep the rocket alive. We wouldn't even be here if you want for the rocket. And we love our mamals and just trend setters. Boys and Boys came through and changed the game. And we only needed three albums.
Crazy, you know what I'm saying. You don't really think about it.
I didn't really think about it till you said it's really only three albums. Quick hurt his first thing to come to mind. Let us know one album you can listen to with no skips.
On my young Nigga way. I'm going Ken Carson, Ken.
Carson, Top five Atlanta Athletes of all Time, Top Atlanta. Yeah, before before you answer that, tell me how you got the tied up for your album that you're finish.
Drop sat just like like my Renaissan ship Rent a sun man. They can do everything, multiple hats on the trend set of the Hook God, the Hook King, the Chrome God. Don't forget where this flavor came from. And then at the same time Life of course it's my favorite movie, you know, Claude and Ray. It's kind of like you know what I'm saying. So we just always just had that vision. And when we be playing and ship, we see it like how race out the boom boom.
I feel like that's a black thing, like do our ideas. We see that ship like that before we even got there. So that's how I feel like that. That's what I feel about saying.
Top five athletes all.
Time, Top five athletes Atlanta, Atlanta. Yeah, top five Atlanta Ship Nigga might get on me about there. I gotta go cam New, Gotta put the white in the Hall of Famer, Gotta go Josh Josh Smith.
I was just for John's last night.
Gotta go to North Side legend lou Will Will. He came from a little outside and Quay quite Yeah.
Great, you talk about yes, sir, M J. Kobe Bron Wrinkle h ship.
Uh gotta do Broun Bron first, how are you thirty? Four.
I like to Yeah, I like to see first.
Just a heavy second.
I go Kobe second and m J third, only because ninety six I wanted ninety one, you know how, Like I didn't get the I didn't understand that.
Yeah, when I.
Watched the clips, I understand why y'all call him. It was the only skilled guy that was doing everything. But like if you put him a bunch of whole, like if everybody, I don't think.
He do the same thing you put you on in the league. Now he's gonna have forty five.
I don't think so. I don't think so everybody do the same. We all they all eat, you got shape like all of them. Yeah, but you can't touch him, but you can't touch him. He fought through all. Yeah, but I never I'm sorry Black number two. I don't care. I don't kill Black number two. I go Lebron first, Black second, and then long lived Kobe Man, the hummy child, crush Sierra.
Everybody. So everybody had one around the time. Yeah, away from Atlanta. Yeah, if it was one, guess you could see on our show who would it be? But you have to help us get your answer on the show.
You said, what said one.
Time one time. Sometimes get confused, who would you like to see on our show?
But you got to help us get him on the show. Who you think would be a good guess? It only took us four years to get you.
Man.
Gonna tell pull up man, y'all won't pull up man? I say, no, that's even better. You gotta make the call, and so he might do by business my boy.
Yes, sir, We'll be back out of here for Major League the Baseball All Star and playing are you the celebrity game?
That's dope.
I'm playing in, Uh Mookie best got a game on June teenth the Dollar Stadium I'm playing in before we get out of.
Here, back to the eight. I'm glad we missed all.
Your coach legends, Scott. The partnership of business, how legends is legends does help you with your your youth league and all your foundations.
Legends.
Yeah, speak speak to speak to that partnership in Scott.
Since day one, legends of Scott been you know what I'm saying, Like my family, they came in and did all my hunch o days. My hunch o days is what my pride. I put a lot of my pride into I kind of like chilled off this year, but it's more like about like bringing the community, putting everybody in my town, bringing all my my guys. I think Stack came a year we just you know what I'm saying, just showing them that we all could be touched and
filed and heard and reached, you know. And and Scott is the main one that you know, makes make sure everything happened. He dripped my guys, He dripped the team, He dripped Team Huncho. He dripped anybody. I want him to drip you know what I'm saying. Keep them straight, he keep them lazy, keep all the kids who coming in the draft, lace and legend stuff. And his events. He throw crazy, big events. Me and Matt we threw one in l A at the Mumba Academy that was incredible.
We need to run that back down the way.
Let's do it.
We had Floyd Snoop.
This nigga Snoop came into played in the old school high top Chuck Tailors came in and got like six that was the best one. Six rebounds and left one quarter in.
He bounced.
Yeah, they did that one, and then I did another one out here right in Atlanta. Jes Be was here, so like Legends.
Is yeah, we do it. Funny story how we did it. So when Scott launched the brand, we're kind of thinking the faces of who could do what?
Who could do what?
And I was just thinking young up and coming who was in l A And I thought Kyle Kuzma. So we pitched Kyle Kuzma because he was hot with the Lakers at the time, and his business manager past I'm like, let's go get Quavo's.
Like when I walked in there, it was you, Scott. Yeah, you said the same stuff.
Yeah, we said.
We set on the meeting in Capitol Records. Yeah, we went and pitched him the whole idea of being the face of the brand.
And we was like, what seven years now?
Seven years? Yeah, right right when I finished playing, Yeah.
I'm ready. I'm ready for Legends to go. Nike Man, let's go, man, let's lock in. That's how big it is.
Let's go big. Yes, sir man, we appreciate your time. Thank you.
Excited to be here and get to the panel. That's a wrap, yes, sir, So we're here. Before we get started, I want to say one more or send some more love to Mama take off and Mama hancho, and we love you, We love you, guys, praying for you, guys. Kwaivo to the Rocket Foundation, talk to us a little bit about it. Obviously we know why we're here, but talk to us about the inspiration behind it and the ultimate goal of the foundation.
It's all powered by the Rocket. You know what I'm saying. I don't want to say long live the Rocket and we just uh, we just I'm just looking to be a vessel, you know what I'm saying to my family and looking to prove and and and step with my chest up and my head he head here high for my my nephew, and just try to make change the best way I can. And that being said, I want to like commedorate all the guys that's in the community
that ever lost like someone doing gun violence. You got somewhere to come to, You got somewhere to you know, talk to somebody, and you got some people that's gonna pull up front line with you. You know what I'm saying. So and that's us, that's Rocket Foundation.
Now.
Obviously, you being a superstar in this space, why was it important to use your voice, your platform, your resources, you said you want to create a hub of your peers, rappers, athletes, to like to be able to use all of our voices together to hopefully help with this gun violence. But why was that just what was the key to that and what was it like? Also on a two part
question going to the White House. Obviously you have a huge platform, you speak your mind, you use your resources, but we know that to get real change it has to be policy driven. You've been able to do that with your partner, Greg, But tell us a little bit about that journey as well.
It's a tough journey, you know what I'm saying. But if you're gonna do something about it, you got to start with the with the head. You got to start at the top, so only and you can't go the
opposite where you can't go to the streetway. So I felt like being frontline the political way and just trying to get like change and policies and stuff going there, I feel like was a better approach and I felt like we got a lot of stuff done and a lot of grants and stuff, but most importantly, like I'm just here just being an instrument for my boy take.
I'm definitely inspired by by what you're doing in the Rocket Foundation.
A lot of y'all don't know that.
George Floyd was like a close friend of mine, and I was able to experience some things, and I was able to lead the biggest civilis rights civil rights movement ever in history, with eighteen countries in all fifty states protests at the same time for my friend. So what Quapo's doing is something that everybody should take serious because you don't want to have to wait until you lose somebody to stand up and do what's right right.
So what Quapo's doing right now is bigger. It's bigger than music.
It's bigger than anything he's ever done because he's doing something that's that that that that's bigger than him. So y'all pay attention to this and not just what we're saying, but watching all of his actions and what he's doing. It's bigger than what we're talking. Okay, music, let's touch it on a little music. Tell some of these kids out here growing up who inspired you musically?
Growing up? Who inspired me? Was a hot boy's cash money? Of course, that was like the foundation, you know what I'm saying. And then once I got older, as like a teenager, I started rocking out the futuristic way, you know what I'm saying. I was burnt out by the young la, the Jay Moneys, you know what I'm saying, the polo world. So we had came up with a group called Polo Club, you know what I'm saying, before
the Migos. So that was mainly my inspiration. Of course, Gucca man Tip Future, he was a little bit ahead of us, and we would just look at them like rock stars and we got to get there.
Being that you from this area, you're from atl why you think it's so important that you continue to be involved with the youth and start these youth programs.
Because it start with them, you know what I'm saying. While you're in I'm a young rich you know what I'm saying. So I got to give back to my guys, and it's important I give back to the youth, you know what I'm saying. I got my school high school football team.
In here, which my cousin, my cousin coaches you know BYO.
I got a huncho elite in here, some of them guys in here, all myself unself guid and like shit that that signed that hunch O sign that came from hunch O Day. So it's important that I give back and just sean that yeah, you can touch me even though this get big, but we all come from nothing and we need each other.
But also talk to us about I mean we were talking about in the back, these programs that you're putting on, these youth programs in the football space, the basketball space, the community events. That shit takes a lot. It's a lot of hard work and it's tiring. And obviously they just see the star you and moving around. But tell to us a little bit about what the processes of keeping these programs going and strong and getting kids opportunities. You'll tell us you got kids going to college now.
Your first group was five years ago, so you're freshmen are now going to be freshman in college.
I mean, how proud does that make you? And what kind of work goes in behind that?
Man?
Super probably with It takes a lot of work, and like I said, this is my first time, so I ain't really know what I was doing. I was just doing what I love because I love the game and I wish I had a big brother that can you know what I'm saying, Help me out with some cleats or some shoes or some jerseys or whatnot, and it started becoming like a whole thing. So I'm just like, let's do it. We gonna go hunt you or elite,
but I gotta make sure I pay for everything. Make sure I pay for they travel, their food, they everything, everything, everything, even they off the field problems and stuff like that. But I look at myself like, cause I ain't. It was tough for me too. It's tough for me and Mama. I kind of like missed the miss the point where we moved to going it to a situation we ain't had no you know what I'm saying enough for me
to play. So I always just just looked at that like, Okay, I got to be here for these kids and do it for the youth, you know, do it for them.
Music obviously heavy sports background, but music became center stage. Talk to us about you and takeoffs early, just back and forth, musical passion, love and how gifted he was and how you said he just had one of them brains where he spoke everything into existence. He knew y'a always gonna be stars when you guys are teenagers.
Oh god, we was fourteen years old. It's a crazy story, but I think he was about fourteen. I had to be like fifteen, seventeen, seventeen. I'm seventeen. Yeah, okay, I'm three years old. I'm tripping, all right. So then we get pulled over by the police and I'm the police asking.
Him what he do.
He said, I'm a rapper at fourteen old, and they was joking about it, but he was dead serious. And that when I knew he was gonna be something. But at the same time, he used to be like, yeah, you can have that sports stuff. I'm gonna go to the Boothman record And he always knew songs left and right. You know what I'm saying. He always did everything in one take. That's how he got his name Takeoff, you know what I'm saying. Like we would do songs in
one flow. Sometimes I mess up, mess up the whole song. He not messing up here, not skipping a beat, walking, And I just think like he just the youngest in a sponge and a student of the game and know exactly what he wanted. He didn't have a plan beat, he didn't play sports, and he barely went to school, but he knew how to wrapt. Yeah, that's my bull racket. We was outside to stay in school.
That's not good. Stay in school.
We was talking to the outside about business and when you know, we was talking about taking the guns and guns down, and you was talking about you have to put something in the hands. You was talking about building the studio, showing them how to record. How important is it to say one thing but also give them something else to be positive and to go forward.
Yeah, that's my dream. My dream goal is to like put community centers the stuff that I had, Like back then it was basketball and you know, after school programs. But now I'm thinking like bigger, like game systems, you know what I'm saying, and streaming spots place you know what I'm saying, Places where people can learn how to make beats, places where people can play the piano, learn take piano lessons, just some extracurricular after school, you know
what I'm saying. So my goal is to start start there, don't I do want to do the courts and stuff, but I think like kids got they route when they comes to sports. I think like activities and learning how to be you know, active in this world, in this new streaming world, and you know, just doing classes like that. So that's my main goal right now that I want to do for the youth.
Obviously succeeded in music, but you've also been all over TV and in the movie screen.
What is your passion from for acting? Come?
Just Jack's are all trades man, just watching watching TV, looking at looking at stuff and being like, yeah, I can do that, seeing if I can do it, and then once I get into that, into the field of it, I'll be like, Okay, I want to do it.
You know.
I don't never limit myself to nothing, to just being a rapper or just being a once for an athlete. I always try everything just so I can see what I really want to do and it could be another career after you get done doing what you're doing, you know what I'm saying. So that's why I always keep my arms and everything.
Who are some of the bigger actors you got a chance to work with so far, and I'm gonna put you on the spot. What was your favorite project you worked on as far as acting.
I've been blessed to jump out there with the big guys. So I got John Travolta, Robert de Niro, John Malkovich, Queen Latifa. She was the first one who brought like emotion out of me. And it's uh so, I was just I would just learn on set and just wing it, you know what I'm saying. And I just, like I said, I was blessed to be around them, and I'm just studying and being a student of the game.
You got a favorite project you've worked on. I saw Norcos. I couldn't believe.
I was like, hold on favorite project. I got to say, uh, praised it. That's my favorite one.
You look a little bit too natural on nar coas Bro.
Narcos was fired too. Narcos is great. Hunt your weekend, talk about it. We're doing what we're doing, hunt or down or off, you know what I'm saying. We bring all the kids, Like I said, we bring all the kids from the town. We bring all the athletes, all my celebrity friends. We host the game. We either do flag football or basketball, depending on what the weather like. And we put we get shuttles. If you don't got
a ride, we get you picked up. We got booths, scholarship grants, we give our checks and we just have fun. And and this year I just took a break because I've been mainly focused on the Rocket Summer, the Rocket Foundation. But our premise next year we'll be back and it's gonna be another energy and we're gonna be back the Ball and a half for fun.
Talk about the album that's coming out, the.
Album coming out this fall called Sachamo and I'm I'm ready for it.
You talked to us a little bit, and I asked, obviously, with all the stuff that's going on mentally, you're in the right space right now, you feel like to really get out there and jump back into the music thing.
Yeah, I'm ready. I'm always dropping hiss every season, you know what I'm saying. So it ain't stay consistent, but you know, I gotta stay consistent, and whether whether I'm down or not, I still got to feed my people and make sure I got to lift somebody else up when they listen to my music. So I can't just be super owned myself and just being in a shell.
But like just the best I ever felt, and I feel like it's going back to like the essence, but I feel that power and I feel that the power would take in the steward and I can hear them coming through me out the songs and it's just feel it feel like, and I got all the other stuff out the way, and I can see clear. Sometimes you got to get a lot of things out the way to you know, to move forward and go to the place you need to be. Young guys, you know, saying
some of your home was and stuff like that. Y'all gotta figure stuff out. Sometimes you gotta do it by yourself to go up through there. And then you ain't leaving them. You just gonna come back and get them and tell them this how I was trying to do it. If you didn't see the vision, So I feel like this vision is going into this project Satimo, and I'm on one.
I want to talk to the youngsters that's here. I just want to give y'all a quick message while we're here. I know we're talking to Quay and you know we're here to honor the Rocket Foundation, But I want to give y'all just just some advice because I wouldn't be myself if I didn't one. Everything you need to be great, everything you need to be great successful is already in you, right, It's already in you. You don't need to look to
social media. You only need to look outside yourself. Are the mirror for somebody to tell you great, for you to believe it. When you wake up every morning, you look in the mirror and tell yourself and believe you great.
That's all the affirmation you need.
When you looking for through social media and and everywhere, and you looking for advice, are positive stuff to look at. Be careful of what you look at on the internet, because everybody's not giving you positive advice, and everybody's not leading you the right way. So be careful with what you're watching, what you believe in, what you listen to, because it's a lot of people out here. We call the blind leading the blind, and it's a lot of people that don't want to see you ahead or see
you do better than them. So always believe in yourself and believe that the competence you need to be great is already in you, and you don't need nobody outside that mirror to tell you great.
Appreciate you overully.
As you continue to push through for gun violence. Do we see in maybe ten years you doing the next ten years more political work. Obviously you have a huge voice, a huge platform. When people like you put their heart and soul into projects like this, good things happen. With the success of this gun violence campaign and mission and foundation moving forward, can we expect more other projects in a similar space.
I'm just doing what God asked me to do. You know what I'm saying, he driving, I'm just ryding so you know, I'm here to just complete the mission. Like I said, I just want to be connected and keep my antennas you know, clear, so I can speak to my guy and just make sure what it is he wants me to do is just you know, push forward. But it ain't even my control. And if it's on the desk and it's in front of me, I'm open and I'm ready to do it.
Love it.
We're gonna take some questions now, anybody got any questions for anybody up here, for Kavo, for myself, for Stack, don't be scared.
My name Andrew and from uh from I'm from Cleveland, Avenue.
I wonder you got young boy number?
Nah?
I do gotta know.
Yeah, y'all tell him about me.
I'm a bit fan.
Uh.
And I wasn't no, no done with my real question, he said, I ain't done.
Hold on, Yeah, and I like your h that little studio you did with all set take off and uh so, y oh you you y'all are you wrapping in that studio? Ye'ah me's with that, y'all?
Thank you, little bro. I appreciate you.
Anybody else, anybody else? Gee, we got you on the move.
Ge Hey, my name is Brianna. I went to come up project and Sweet Soul. I'ma trying to form it as a do you in the future, like see yourself changing going more towards a message against anti gun violence in your music, Like I feel like your voice, like you said, like that's that's the biggest blessing that the most I gave you. You know, the money came from that. So do you see yourself using the original blessing as a way to also advocate for the exact thing that the Rocket Foundation is doing.
Yeah, And I feel like it's a fifty to fifty because I feel like I still got people around me or what us came from nothing, still living that, still going through that all the time every day. So it's kind of like it's like I have to still let these people know what's going on. If I just go all the way left and don't let them know, then they my guys won't be able to listen to me about what's going on out here outside for real. So I try to, like, I try to like, I try
to like split it. So I do I do records, and you know, I do like country records and records with Atlanta and records with uh Luke Bryant, and I try to like take it to another on a on a country level, but like on an advocate side, I don't feel like I haven't checked that box with a record, But I think I should do a few. I think I think it'll work.
It's a good question. Anybody else We got time for a couple more.
Hey, I'm Ashley Johnson. I am the founder of the Street Widows Foundation. I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. But I lost my husband February nineteen, twenty twenty in De Cab County.
He was shot and killed at a gas station.
I also want to raise up that he was the fourth person killed at that intersection in February of that year.
My question is for U.
Kwavo in your loss, when you had those feelings of vengeance, of wanting to get revenge for or street justice for your loss, what did you do with that What did you do with those feelings? I feel like a lot of our kids deal with that. As a widow, I dealt with that, and especially like with your platform, how did you deal with those feelings?
I'm still going through that. You know, it ain't no timing on that. You know, it ain't no timing on any of that you just asked for. So sometimes you could just be super patient and your revenger come or through God, or your revenger come through triumph and politics. Your revenger come through going through the White House. Your avenger come with passing these laws, changing lives in other kids' life. So like you just you just gotta just sit in it and be ready for it. Your game's gonna come.
I want to touch on that too. My brother was killed when I was sick. My older brother was killed when I was sixteen, and at that age I was really in a difference. I'm a totally different person now, but what the people around me, who I provided for, who depended on me, forced me to not think that way. You know, So when you have responsibilities, when you have people relying on you, then that that is especially as a mother. I know you understand that you got other
people relying. It's easy for you to make the right decisions and you're not being selfless. So I can see you right now, I see you, a strong black woman. I see you, I see I know. It's a lot of people that depend on you, and you got to make those decisions for those people that depend on you.
And it's okay to feel that way, you know what I'm saying. So you okay, you know, so you just it's gonna come.
Trust me. Thank you. We have one last question here.
Hi.
My name is doctor Cynthia Willy and a grief and trauma therapist. The biggest thing I kind of wish that when we get in people get into this arena we have so many youth around us, is just sharing that before they get to that anger spot which takes them
to want to pick the gun up. How important is it that now that we've had to deal with that loss for you all was devastating for you as a family, but even myself being a mother who's buried a child, finding that most people just don't talk about it enough right and therapy is so definitely needed. But the biggest thing is empowering everybody that touches the kid to make sure they have the therapy so that the kid knows.
How important it is for them to have it.
How has the mental health factor changed for you, your mom, your sister, everybody has known. We followed the story for so long, But are y'all really okay?
I mean, you know what I'm saying. We just we going through it still. It's only the second year, you know, so it's still fresh, and every day is in it out, you know. You know, it's it's like we we damn there something on these days like this, we really don't even want to pull up, you feel me, because it's not fun. It's not great talking about this, you know what I'm saying. It's kind of like I said, I was there and this this is my nephew, and my
responsibility is to make sure we all get home. Ever since I was a child, and it just couldn't happen that way, And and I feel like when I come up here, I don't like it, you know, at all. So I'm still I'm still in it. But like I said, like I'm not, I'm not I'm not driving, so I can't be acting out on me. So I gotta act. I gotta act for the folks, and I gotta be here for my for my for my sisters and my my niece and my nephew and my mama. So and
I gotta maintain the house. So you're either gonna lose it all and you're gonna act crazy, gonna go what you know what I'm saying, or you're gonna stand up and be a man and just stay in it.
We all right, Yeah, I think.
Sorry, I know he said that was the last question, But I got this young man here, probably the youngest person who wanted to ask questions I couldn't say no. Come on, please introduce yourself and you get the final question for the panel.
I'm Lyric.
I am ten years old. My birthday's February tenth. And what about kids like me? I used to do pro tunes and yonkers and I work in rough riders, So what about more kids like me that do piano and drums.
Well, we need to go ahead and get you in the studio, sir, with some big guys, and we got to hear you sound I like that, and you just got to keep working. And I think it's time to go, you know, so keep going in and if you are already edit We're gonna put you in the studio somewhere, my guy.
I love it, Yes, sir, Thank you all. Thank you for your questions.
Everyone.
I think what I think at the end of the day. The I mean from that question alone, you see there's interest. There's one. They just needs to be the resources. And we've touched on this before. We you know, we're telling the youth to put the guns down, but what are we replacing the guns with. We need to replace the guns with opportunities, with the resources. And that's why, you know, it was so important for us to come here today because that's exactly what this foundation is doing. So we
want to thank everybody for coming out today. Quavo, you and your entire family. I know it's not easy. We've all lost people and the courage and the strength and the will to keep pushing. Like you said, this day by day, there's no manual on how to grieve or the right or the wrong way to grieve, So grieving your way, make sure you keep God first.
We love everybody and thank you guys.
Y'all