Episode 459 w/ Mario

He is drink chess, motherfucking podcast man.

He's a legendary queens rapper.

He ain't agreed as your boy in O R E.

He's a Miami hip hop pioneer put up as d J e f n. Together they drink it up with some of the biggest players you know, me and the most professional unprofessional podcast and your number one source for drunk drink chans Mosca.

Days New Ye see, that's it's time for drink Champion. Drink up, motherfuck mother? Would it good be holding the boy in O R E. D J E. Evan is on Pauls right now. Salute to damn. I ain't gonna say that crazy more radio make now this man.

Since he come out, he has been a heart throb. He has been taking these ladies hearts. Uh, he has been making babies. You know what that's like. It's the ultimate like like respect, like when a person can come up to you like you know, you know, I meane, some kids your ship.

You know what I'm saying.

I know that's what they be doing to them. He got two Billboard Awards. He's fresh off a tall He's smell.

Like a gat in Europe because that's that money smells.

Case we're talking about he's here. We don't get into all this. We're gonna drink because he got the illest drink order. He ordered Kmis Kazazu and he said a little bit of Chef Parkinet. But he's a legend, he's an icon. He's been down, he's been doing this. He can can drop an album every five years. It doesn't matter. His fan's gonna stick with them. Yeah, they're gonna ride with him and every time he comes out, they're gonna come out with him. In case you don't know what

Beautiful, Thank you. I appreciate you.

Now you just came off to all Europe. Now all right, now, this is this is me now my experience when I go to Europe. Sometimes I feel like the fans are more appreciative.

Yes, And it's not even like a thing where it's like fans here aren't.

The culture is just different. They live different, They think about.

Things different over there, like over here, were like, yo, we're going how we get into this bread today we're trying to become entrepreneurs. Everybody here is is just on this hype of you know what I mean, getting to it and survival and this and this and that. There are people a lot of places they just living like they're chilling, like they riding bikes. Yes, you might go down the street and it's like a bike like you see a couple of cars with sheep, see bikes park,

They get there early. Everybody's injured, everybody's in the building.

You're going to nine, everybody's there by eight o'clock at they see so setting up, you know what I'm saying.

So it's just different. It's different.

The love is different. And they don't see you what it's talking to. Go to them all, you know what I'm saying. Go to the club and see their favorite artists every time.

You know what I'm saying. So, yeah, it's just different. Yeah.

The first time I went to Lenox Mall, I remember it was like two or three people in Atlanta, the Olynics Wall, two or three people in the More. Now you go to the Lions Mall, everybody's a star.

Nobody gets nobody in America. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So, so where's your favorite place to perform? I'm here abroad man, Australia and Africa bro okay and and a crazy thing Africa or so South South Africa. Ship let's go.

But no, bro, I would say I would say that that that tripp in Africa was crazy because it was me Sean Paul Farrell Snoop, my first time going on the international tour with like those type of legends before.

But for that it was like I went on tour Destiny's Child overseason. That was my first like to be doing.

We were doing like fifty thousand seaters, you know what I'm saying. So it was just like it introduced me to African the way I've never seen it before. So that for me, it was just like a whole culture shop just seeing us that many black people in one place, right and then also just like the different mixtures of people and just it was just beautiful.

That was crazy about Yeah you're good, but so you always wanted to be?

That was that was?

That was it? Man. I don't think I had a choice, bro.

You know, my mother when I was a kid, right from Baltimore, when I was a kid, bro my mother. She was a single mom, right, so she we did everything together. When I was younger, she used to cut my head, like she didn't take me to start taking me to the barber shops. So I was like ten right when she first figured out I could sing.

It was actually, did Mama fuck you up?

That?

She was nice? She was nice because haircut with the bowl going like that's not really a favor. And she used to give me the skin fait like the ball fade like she was nice with it.

But like you know, when I was like four years old, she got me this mic that tuned into the radio like remember Mike used to. She was sleep one morning she woke up early and I probably had on some Missmax socks and I hadn't like some some shorts or something. I was in the living room just singing, but I was holding a note. I was like, you know, singing along with the radio. And she was like, yo, he my son got it, like he can. He can hold her tongue like he don't know the words, but he

This is what she told me.

She started keeping music around me to keep me away from all the other stuff that was in Baltimore.

Like you know what I'm saying. My family grew up in it. It was you know, we was outside Baltimore, you know what I'm saying. So it was like, wow, feel me.

And so that was her way of like giving me a passion. Like you know, a lot of times you grew up with y'all got kids. Happy father Day.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying, don't look at it, don't look at that work, don't work give yourself a bullshit damn sorry. And so when you picked up the microphone, did you already have some music in? Like pick up random now.

So my mother used to play keys there you go. So when she was pregnant, she was playing the keys. Obviously I was feeling the frequency of that right, it was in there. She could sing a little bit older. My father sing too, even though we didn't grow up. I didn't grow up with him, but the talent was there. But for her, Like I was about to say, it's like, you know, sometimes you don't know what your kid's gonna

Cat, I got one.

You know what I'm saying, let me get them because you got to give kids something that because if not, they get into you know, the outside, they getting the shipped. You don't know where we're gonna go anyway. So yeah, that's when I developed. Now when I turned like nine, in tense, she started taking me to the barber shop. The first time I got paid singer was in a barbershop,

Of talent, you know.

So that's say that day I sung and I got paid like twenty thirty hours from East Barboro. So that's my first payday as a you know what I'm saying. And so who don't like moneyga? I was like, all had cool, this is I'm gonna do this. But that was a setup for them to pay you. It was a set up for you to sing and that pays you because you would It was like a little right.

You know what I mean, little homie whatever.

But you know, yeah, bro, I think singing just like my grandmother used to play Marvin Gay and gospel music and you know all the old school, old school My mother used to play hip hop, R and B pop, biggie you know what I'm saying, Joe R. Kelly Voice to men. So I grew up around so much good, authentic music, like it's just in me like that.

So you knew that was a microphone. You knew my show in absolutely one.

But let me ask you, right because coming from Baltimore right now at the time, of course, you know, New York dominated the music scene for so long, and it was like, you know, Jersey had run, that Philly had run. It's like, you know, Baltimore like kind of almost stopped short, like you know, after Delaware. Like, so it was was it difficult being from Baltimore or was it easier? Because you got people like Kevin Lows and Drew Hill and they're saying like, okay, I'm following in those footsteps.

So I'm asking you, now, Baltimore got a lot of talent, a lot of hitting talent. You know, I think back then it was even crazy, like in the RMB scene because Drew Hill, they obviously they put bottom on the map.

M V wise, I didn't know Kevin Lowes back then, you know what I'm saying.

I met Kevin once I became, you know, an artist, and I started.

Moving around, but like he was very instrumental in the music scene obviously.

But when I did my first talent show in Baltimore, I didn't even understand the talent that was there until I seen it.

I'm like, Yo, this is crazy because.

I was the youngest. I was like the youngest artists on the talent show. Everybody else was older, you know. But yeah, I think that the Baltimore talent scene is just it's just it's just so far removed from where everything is happening at Like if people with the same talent whereas in LA or closer to New York, like you would see more automore artists, you know what I'm saying, Or if if niggas actually make it out of the city.

You know what I mean? Yeah, for sure, I'm asking hypothetical questions I got from the Wire. Yeah.

Every time I just watch the Wire and someone get locked up, they will always say the Baltimore guys, they say, if you fuck me, I throw you in there with the DC guys right right then vice versa. They would say, this is kind of like the same thing. Like I had to like I grew up thinking Baltimore and DC, Like yeah, yeah, kind of like what I saw that in Hawaii. I was like, holy shit, is that is that like a thing out there?

Like Baltimore and DC.

Just don't get It's not a get along thing. It's just a differ for the world. You know, d C culture. D C is more you know, go go politics is it's people there are more business minded, you know, people are exposed that they're surrounded by a system that's built on structure and numbers, and so it's just different. But you still got the streets, the White House and white Craft, you know what I'm saying.

You still got the streets.

But yeah, it's just a different culture altogether. Okay, But yeah, I like DC though.

It's drinking time. I believes little you can't you go do some flyers chemists.

I'm gonna start with that, you know what I'm saying, and then go for.

I'm saying, the only person that just applies you the older came was who I forgot, But there was someone opens because the first couple of stores that we went to only two bottles of opus, and we.

Like, you know, yeah, are you in the old school of music?

Like that?

Man?

I'm sure's like it's the foundation, bro, Like, it's really the foundation, you know. And if you listen to a lot of R and B today that's popular or that's becoming popular, it's infused with you know, old school feelings, infused with soul's infused with alternatives, you know what I mean. So yeah, that's the foundation. If it wasn't for I wouldn't call myself the R and B Emperor, which is something I just started saying this year. If I didn't have with that, you know what I'm saying, I wouldn't

Yeah. Now one of your one of my dope songs, it's Brave my Hair. Yes, sir, I gotta say brush my hand now, but yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah.

So so I mean I was going to say, how did you come up with that song? It's like kind of like an oxy man, right, but let's let's get into it.

For show for sure. This was I was in New York. We recorded Squad Studios, Quad Studios, Home, Qua Studios Studio. To get home, I'm still.

There, I got so. I had just got back from justin. Firm was already out, I believe, and we was already starting moving on the album wasn't out yet. I just got back from doing some press runs. But I had been away from home for a minutes. So my hair was half in and half out, you know what I'm saying. And normally I would be able to go back home get my hair braided by my normal you know girl. It was like this was me getting used to being on the road traveler, so I had to get different

My hair braided. So herl Lily, he in the studio with me.

We having this whole conversation shout out to her lady, realistic writer. And so the whole time I'm talking to him how I feel about it, he writing notes in his head. I leave the studio, I come back in. He already got a verse on the chorus when you look at me something to let me see.

A fifteen year old getting his dough back came forth to the studios, hopping o limbuses, rocking the lake.

Like he already started, like he's he's he illustrates your life in a different way, Like he's one of the most prolific writers. It just came out of.

Those conversations, bro. Just you know, it was just it was just raw, raw energy. Bro, Like my whole first album was written like that. That's amazing, except just a Friend.

That was the song I Ain't Gonna Lie. That was an usher single.

Damn you write my interview that was question because First off, just a friend. Did you ever meet biz biz Mark?

You know?

I met Biz on the first video shoot. Bro. He came to Baltimore. Bro we shot in the video resting piece of my own man, biz bro rest piece of swimmer. You can't. Business said this bad luck if you pour your own drinks. Oh that's just okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, my back can't. This is a song, yes, yes, yes to Canton right wine, So you that's healthier for you, right? Healthy? Follow my brother solo to you man, Yeah, to you.

Soz Biz came to the first video shoot.

Man.

He flew to Baltimore. You know what I'm saying. He flew like to the city. We shot the video in the city, like you know. So he really he really helped me carry this record and co sign it on a different level because obviously it was originally his and it came out the year I was born, which is actually crazy nineteen eighty six. The original justin Friend I learned that later, so it was like it was just

Did you already knew who Biz was at that moment?

Bro?

I mean I'm fourteen. Yeah, yeah, I just turned fourteen years old, So it was like of course, of course, but like they put me onto it, but I didn't know originally for that.

Yeah, but the fact that you listen like that, that shows the grown man and you even as a kid, you know what I'm saying.

Man, I grew up fast.

But I was also around like I had some ghosts around me, Bro, Warren, Camel, Herold, Lily. You know, I was working with the underdogs back then. There was the staple of R and B back then, you know what I'm saying. It was like if you ain't have an underdog song, it's like he wasn't really making an R and B album, you know what.

Like you know what I'm saying.

So I just I was around a lot of ghosts, but I was I was learning so much. I think that's a big difference too. Like today it's like not a lot of artists have a lot of ghosts around them. That's kind of putting them on game, right, They just like, how can we make this person hot?

You know what I'm saying.

But I was soaking up so much information from everybody on top of the fact that I already had my own understanding of what real music was, you know what I'm saying. So all of that kind of that was my artist development, like being in the studio. The first record I did was on a soundtrack. It was on the soundtrack for Doctor Dolittle Too soundtrack. It was called Tamika, Me and Fab And my first time going into a real session, I was in there for sixteen hours in

You need right here. What you're going to do you know what I'm saying.

So yeah, it was all of that, bro, Like when I listen to certain joints, like listen to Drowning right, Yeah, I asked you you coldest, right, and I was like, Yo, do your music come out better?

Like when you go through drama. It's like, I mean, I'm.

Asking that because you know, when you listen to a hip hop album, right, you see a person For most part, ninety percent of us, like this is things that we went through, right, these are things that we went through. All we're going through at the time, and it's like R and B. It's like sometimes we be likeing to feel y'all pain.

But I think pain is something that connects us all bro.

Like like I'm gonna come back to this, but like if you think about pain, like most of the things that we that go viral, like if something pop up on your feet and it's two people fighting, you're gonna watch it versus if you see two people just talking. Like like like I think that that that destruction is a part of life. But it's about why is it destructive? Is it destructive? Because it's just a storm that lacked the treat that was a destructive because we're unstable, imbalanced,

Bro.

My pain is my light, bro, My darkness is my light.

I took everything that I went through, everything that I learned, even to this day, and I transmitted into energy that's useful.

You got to transmute all your pain into useful energy. So that's what music is. I think that it's therapeutic too, for sure.

But yeah, when I go through Drowning was a song about you know, being in love with two women, right, yes, and drowning in one you know, ocean of love and drowning in another.

Tears and pain.

Right.

So, as men, especially when you're growing up, you go through that, like you you know, you have a lot of you have more options, right, being an artist, you got more options.

Bro.

It was just a real thing, And I feel like that's why I felt like that when you listen to it, it was like it's easier to write, right when you just talk about the truth, the.

Drama about how about one one woman man, m Okay, now you're going to You're like that.

That's like you said, like you lawyer, right, like yeah, that's like that's my song then, yeah, that's like that's like.

Yeah. But it's saying both.

It's saying that that she's a uh like she is ready for one man and ready to move into a certain period point in her life where she's ready for everything all that comes with and you saying that I recognize that.

You are and I'm ready to be with one woman. You know what I'm saying.

It's like, I think that was just a player on words because I was lying, I going to hold you out.

I was at that time. I was like, yo, let me just make a good I was like, sometimes you got to be creative, you know.

I was inspired just by I'm a very imaginative person.

Bro.

I'mna be honest.

I feel like a lot of my childhood is stripped from me, you know what I'm saying. So a lot of times I just imagine love because I didn't grow up. My grandmother died when I was twelve. Right now, she was like really like my second mom, it's not my first mom in terms of her presence.

You know what I'm saying, yeah, for sure.

And so you know, my idea of love is kind of a little I'm still learning what that is, you know, I'm still learning like what that is in terms of like a partner in life. I look around and I see love. Nature is love, you know what I'm saying? Self love, you know, fastening and restraining from certain things.

That's self.

There's so many different versions of love, right, But in terms of partnership, you know, that's something I'm still I'm still.

Learning about you.

I mean, so music is the way for me to imagine, like all right, let me just let me imagine what just.

What it feels like. I didn't let me love you. I didn't know about man, you make me go down. You ain't gonna watch that week about that's about working with Gucci man break up. Yeah, But wasn't that when he first came home from or was that? Yeah? Yes, that's when he first came home.

Bro.

I just got very hard to get this game, for sure. I'll be trying to call him now for Nigga pop out at this show. You know you can't, Gucci, yeah right now? But you know he family man. You know what I'm saying doing his thing. I'm proudly gucci, but bro, that that was.

You know.

I recorded the record Atlanta with with Sean Garrett. Right, I was in I was in Baltimore at the time, and at the time my manager Jay Erin called me. Right, He's like, Yo, we were working on this album. I think that's on the that's on the DNA album. Right, Yeah, we're working on DNA and uh, we was just looking

Okay.

At the time, he's my manager. He's like, yo, I think I think we got we got one. He's like, you gotta fly to Atlanta like a sap. I said, it's worth like find back. I just left Atlanta, Like nah, you got it.

You gotta come cut this. This this is crazy.

So I go to atletter go in the studio with Sean. He jumping all off the tables. You know, Sean, he you know what I mean this he going crazy and he pressed play. As soon as I hit the beat drop, I knew it was.

I knew what it was like. This is one of the ones. I knew what breakup was when I first heard it. Banley, that's produced it, bigger By.

That's sho He sent the record. Yes, well, no, Sean, the director ain't gonna lie okay. He wrote the record. He wrote the record, and this was a specific specifically supposed to be like my single, like they were in a session to work on my album.

He wrote the record.

When I cut the record, Sean like, I ain't gonna lie real, like I was gonna keep this.

As you're going to take you back. He came across his mind to think about taking the best. Want to let you know. You gotta understand. But at this time me and Sean was like that was like my brother, you know what I'm saying.

So like a lot of times, you work with writers and people and it's very political. You go in, you work and it's you know, nice to meet, you do the record, you leave. Me and Sean was outside together. We was going to clubs. We was going to strip like we was turning we was turning up, you know what I'm saying. So it's like we was having fun. So it's like at this point, it's like your homie saying, like, Nigga, let me just I'm gonna just stand there.

At the time, I'm like, okay, cool, after you dropped the vocals, Yeah yeah, I can see yeah, that could be good. And so you know, and uh and so I'm like.

We're just going back and forth on it because at the time, he was also working on the he's working on a record for another big artist. I'm going to mention the names right now and this moment, but he's working with another male artist. At the time, he was working on the R and B album hip hop album, and there was another record that I wanted that he had for that person.

And I was like, Yo, let me get this record that person. That person was that guy exactly, And.

So I was like, Nigga, let me get this, Like, let me get He's like, Nigga, if I give this record this, Nigga killed me.

Bro.

He's like, I can't give you this record, you know what I'm saying, But I'll call make a call for you. So we was kind of negotiating. I was like, all right, no, no, no, no, no, this is about another record. But I said, if I get that, then it's like, if I do this, you got to give me that records. I can't huh the person I told you about earlier, so and so for so this was you know, this was, but it ain't end up happening. I ended up getting that record. I

Go get Gucci on it for you. I say, Nigga Gucci like that. He's like, nig he just came home.

Cut, I said, because we was thinking about features, and I said, I bet. I said, let's let's let's make it happen. You know what I'm saying, Let's let's make it happen. You cant Gucci on it, We make the play and I'll go, I'll go figure it out with the label.

You feel me? Mind you I'm coming from like love songs crying out for me. You know what I mean, just.

Record, you know, no records. But it's like breakup was a different. You gotta under stay, you know what it's like being signed to a label. You got to convince niggas that this is the move. Yeah, I need you all to spend some bread and y'all might not believe in it, you know.

What I'm saying. So that's what happened. That's what ended up happening. I had to fight for that record. I had to fight for it, like me and at the time ahead of the late like we got into it like like I'm not this was r c A at the time, so it's like I'm not putting I'm not about to spend money on somebody. That's not like I'm not about to do like it was just a It was a But the record came out and it spoke for itself, you know what I'm saying. So yeah, it was.

It was a crazy little journey. Yeah, Gucci came out, he put a verse on it, and I think it was his first like real mainstream, so the energy around it was just crazy. He leaving, he came to Baltimore shot the video with me at my carib at the time, like it was crazy.

It was. It was a vibe, bro, break up was a whole Yeah, jeez, what do you like more coming?

Yeah, making the record or performing the record. It's two different worlds, Bro, I feel like performing a record.

It's like I said, like this, it depends on who I'm working with. I can't say like every.

Record is saying like when you're working with people that you actually enjoy work Like sometimes when you work it's not like I said, it's more political. It's more like making records. Back then, it was not as fun as making records now. Now I'm having more fun.

Back then, it was like, all right, bro, we got you set up with this writer, this producer.

I had fun with Scott Storch Scott stories, but I have Yeah, it's like you know, back then it was a little bit more. I didn't have as much control. I wasn't involved in the setting up. I was just showing up, singing, doing the record. It's like, Okay, Neo coming in the right or this person coming the right. Had had a great time working with Polo. That's my nigga. You know what I'm saying, Like, just it's certain people that was like it more fun making the records.

And sometimes it's just like you do the records and you keep it more. You know what I'm saying.

When I work with Stargay, we did how our breathing all those records like they're they're more structured, uh, you know, underdogs more structured.

You know what I'm saying.

They got five writers in a room, two writers or whatever whatever, it's two rooms going all right, Mario, were ready for you to cut your vocals over here? You go over there, you cut the vocals. You you know you you you know you in with goats, so you delivering. You really focus just on that. It ain't about having fun. It ain't about girls in the vibe, it ain't about

Have you ever made a.

Record particularly like like like like for me, right, my first album was a component over Jega, right, and we had all these hood records, right yeah, and it were great, right, but they were like they were slow.

So going into my solo album, I made What What What What? Just for the clubs. You know what I'm saying. Did you know what it was when you did it? Yeah? I kind of did. I didn't. I didn't know one hundred but I knew that.

If it had this reacted the way I wanted to react, this would be a hit. But I made that record particularly because I needed a club record. Have you ever made records like that where you're like, you know what I'm I'm gonna do it, like maybe a super Girl for the all ballot record, like you.

Break up? Is that for sure? Okay? Break It is definitely that, bro, because we would look like I said, we was looking for that energy. I think the main one the journ I just deal with with the journal I deal with Tiger and Wayne.

That was definitely like, okay, it was that that was a it was that was a different thing because originally Tori was on the record, and then Wayne and Tiger ended up doing the actual version that we put out with the video and everything Toy got locked up, so yes and no, okay, it was it wasn't about him being locked up. It was about I wanted to actually move the record, Okay, I wanted to shoot video like it was like, I wanted to have fun with the record,

Did the record together.

So it was just like, yeah, it was it was a tough call, but yeah, you know that that one was definitely one of those like, yo, let's do something for the summer. It was another record that was in that in that space. I feel like a ballot that was in that space.

And music for love. But that's that's that's not nothing you regret, not at all. What was talking about.

I was asking the way you said it. Yeah, I was saying, do you ever have one that you did it for the label and you regret it?

Oh that you said them that I did for the label that I did for the club. Now you good hey man, you keep going. It's true.

One that I cut for the label Know Some Music for Love, Like that was the record that I did because I wanted I wanted to do something that was like R and B baby making record that could also be played in the clubs.

Music for Love was that.

It was like, I feel like every R and B artist got to have if you want to be like a golden and ship, like you got to have something that can play everywhere. It's like r Kelly was one of them, Like he made records that play album.

Oh yeah, he said, you gotta hold away, you got you said, I was Kelly elise Y.

He got It's eight minutes. It was eight min and sold. Back then, I just found that it's fifteen minis sold. Man, I'm going, I'm going to renew.

My black listen It's it's undeniable. It's telling right, you know what I'm saying.

So I feel like, yeah, like with music for a certain records, I always try to cover, like having records that can work anywhere and then also giving you classics. I feel like a great R and B artist can do all of that, and I that's what I've been trying to create. With my catalog throughout my career. You know what I'm saying. So that's that's the goal, bro, that's the goal.

Let me ask a quick question because you missus Sean Garrett. You see Sean Garrett a Dream going at it like on.

On like in the person not but that's regular. If you know Sean, that's that's regular.

Let me tell y'all something. R and B y'all been that, y'all gangsters a long time. Bobby Brown told us a little bit like we was like, okay, maybe.

Not everybody, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because I go backstage and I'll be like, damn, these motherfuckers don't have fights.

They got popa ree smelling, yeah, smell good. Ship like school motherfuckers is justice Gags. There is USA Sean Garrett and Dream. I feel like we you know, we.

Our emotions be, we let our emotions out.

And the music and ship, you know what I'm saying. But then when she gets real, get.

Real about giving people their flowers or they can smell them, they thoughts while they can think them, and they drink while they can drink them. Brother, what you have done to this game? You have been relentless. You have dominated you have and you have never I've never seen you complain. I don't think you have the stress day in your life, you know what I mean?

Like, bro, let me give your hours gold flowers. Yes, yes, God, I love gold go oh, there was offences idea.

But.

For real man, you know it's rich. It's rich. So so you look like nothing really bother as you because I mean is in the two things that that means. It means you like real good at how.

Oh you're real good at blowing it off like it probably does bother you. But it's better than Lorie to not address it from you from Queens. That's why left Rock City, Come on Queens, nine thirty, came on to New York one one three six eight.

That's right. No, no, no, no, no no. But I'm are you ready for me asking my question? My bet? You know I want you to ask question. Yes, you from Queens. Bro, you've been through a lot of things that people know, Yes, but you've been through a lot of things that people don't know. Mm hmm. And I'm almost certain that the things that they don't know.

Has been the foundation of your character and your decisions and who you decided to become.

Today more than the things they do. Know, all right, you're not gone. Yeah yeah, that makes your noise for that though.

In that whole journey, then you have your observation of other people and the things that they've done and ended up in situations that you don't want. Like you, you know, whether you ended up in bass situation that you got out of it. You here now, but you've been able to observe your world and to side how you're gonna fit into it on your terms.

I learned early on.

I grew up around killers, drug dealers, gangsters, drug addicts. My grandmother was a god loving person. My great grandmother went to church every three days. My grandma went to church and pray for my family every day days. It still ain't work.

I seen.

I've been seeing death since I was four years old. Wow, wow, I've been burying family members since I was five years old.

Listen.

I buried my mother in twenty seventeen. Oh oh bless, I fought demons with her. She died from a heroine and fitting not overdose. Like I really grew up in this shit. I don't talk about it because why do I need to talk about it? You know what I'm saying, I don't you know, I came up in a town where it's like, nigga chasing on the internet wasn't a thing like that's not even to me, that's not I don't mind when people do it for whatever reason they

And it builds a bond, my bond with myself.

You know, when I was in the darkest moments of my life and me and God talking to me, talking to myself, I'm.

Like, Yo, you are you got? It's just you, nigga, It's just you.

So every decision you make, every person that's around you, everything that you do, you got to be able to hold yourself account like every choice you make. So for me, dog, I don't just I'm not impulsive on I'm just not impossible on shiit like you. It take a lot from me. If it's not something that's real, I'm not gonna get triggered by it. Like you gotta be real, bro, and then when it's real, it's real.

That's it.

It's that simple. It seems like you don't join the circus, like even me. I don't let things bother me, but every now and then I joined the circus, like I.

Got me a scenario, and I can tell you how we'll respond. Okay, what you mean? Uh? Your album drop?

One of your artists, your people friends go on Shade forty five, They ask them, yo, uh did you did you hear.

Mario new album? And he goes, well, I couldn't get into it.

One of my piers, one of your peers, the person that you know, Okay, how would you respond to something like that?

Why do I need to respond? That's his opinion? Okay, but I get it.

You're saying the cloud chase a version be like making my albums out ship.

Let me if I respond and people will go pay it.

I don't think like that, bro, Like I think that I think a part of me sometimes a part let me be honest with I think the real nigga in me sometimes stunts the I was, I'm gonna say growth, but like the attention that I could be getting right. But that's the thing is like, Bro, I'll be seeing niggas do that and then disappeared two years, So what the fuck does that even mean?

What are you standing on? All respect? And he said one of your peers.

So since let's say the example live on Shady forty five, Yeah, the comment, so yeah.

Do you acknowledge that? What kind of comment that he wasn't into the album? He just said, okay, but like radio, like right now, you see the way he dropped. It depends on how it said. It just depends, bro. It depends on the energy.

Bro.

It's like if you like, you don't funk with that nigga, Like if it's if it's that energy, if somebody asked me about.

It, then I would ask the question.

But I'm not gonna go if it's if it's I'm not gonna go out of my way to be like oh he said, like that's like, okay, you has your opinion. If he wanted to direct it to me, then it would be a different conversation and I probably would talk to him in person and.

On the owner ship. But I don't know. This never happened, bro, So I think the question is why people don't let's just say that. Let's just I think that's the real question. I'm gonna shot for that. It's cool, bro, that's that's everybody. What are you trying to? Yeah? Who h'll be the rizard? Going to a part of the wine? Please? Okay, where's the uh at the drink? Okay? You ready drinking drink? He said, yes, okay, and you got that burning. I

Yeah, all right, So Quick Time with Slime is a game where that we ask you either or and you get can answer truthfully.

Right.

We're not pulling it out of you if you have a story with either world questions. If you say if you say yes, then we don't drink, and say no, we don't drink. If you say both, yeah, did.

We all drink? Let's do it drink? You got cosoo right? You want to cast shot? Yeah sho shots? Yeah?

Yeah?

Yeah? All right? Cool? Okay, cool, two options. I ain't gonna lie.

Mario's too smooth man, He's fast smooth. I don't think I don't think it's gonna work on that. Yeah, yeah, yeah sure and he got he got, he got, he got twenty twenty five.

Michael Jackson jacket on too. You know Michael, Michael, that's my guy, bro, Like Michael one of my biggest inspirations.

Him and Marvin Gaye, Him, Marvin and Steview, like those are my three tops. Like we're not yeah, bro, you know they're trying to say. You can see right now, you know it might be reversing.

Its like you know, he might be he might be able to like he might be able to a little bit, see.

Y'all right, right, right right, okay, yeah, ready you explained right, yes, okay, this is the great first hold on. We're gonna wait for Jamie. Okay, okay, shots, Okay, I'm not for sure. Okay, this is great what it is at this point. Great first question Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder Damn, that's crazy just now yeah they all right, look, okay, I'm gonna be honest. I'm gonna have to go with I love Stevie.

That's Stevee. We just talked recently. I love Stevie. I'm gonna go with Marvin I'm not on FaceTime. He will FaceTime that sidn't got uh, I'm gonna go with Marvin. Oh wow, you know we're not drinking. Okay, I'm gonna go with Marvin. Damn. I don't take a shot. Okay, take a shot. It makes sense. Yeah.

No, I've got no story with Marvin. Bro, But I wish, I wish I could have met him, you know what I'm saying. For sure, But no, Stevie is every time I see Stevie, he always compliment me on what I'm wearing.

Bro. He always threw me off. He always feel me off. You know what I'm saying. Stevie, Man, He's just he's like that uncle that you know. I'm gonna be honest with you.

I can't tell you all the conversations that I have with Stevie because he Stevie's a real nigga little key bro. Like he have a conversation like he like he really understand things that's going on around him that you don't think he understands. He understands people's energy so fast. Probably his intuition may be better than yours. It's kind of crazy. Yes, you know, like he'll call like in a room, like he controls the energy in the room around him without

I feel like I.

Understand his life more, you know, not getting in love that you want from the people you love, being misunderstood using music as therapy.

But I think he came out in a time where.

You could be versatile and it still be accepted in a way where it's still mainstream.

You know.

Now it's like you kind of got to stay in up. You got to give people a pocket, you know what I'm saying. But he used his music as a as therapy when he did What's going On, Like he left.

Music that's therapy for me.

My grandmother used to play that record, Mercy Mercy Me, Like, you know, I would love to be able to make those types of records because those are I resonate with those. I feel like my life is made for me to make pay music that liberate people. But I just didn't come out like that as an artist. I came out as you know, a love boy and all that type of stuff. That's how I was marketed as a young artist. And I've been trying to make that transition, you know, because.

That's like the next.

The album that I make, that's like that I have a name for everything. It's going to be a completely different sound and a completely different intention behind it, and I feel like it's gonna be something that liberates a lot of people musically and lyrically. That's what I'm here to do for sure, outside of the R and B shit. You see that as I foresee it like it's it's it's the album where my soul is really gonna be able to feel like, Okay, we let it out.

Bro.

You know I ain't gonna kock it over. I got it. We let it out, Bro. This is this is it? You know what I mean? Marvin did that.

That's why I would say Marvin, he did that, he was able to do that, and I want to do that one day, shot for it.

So yeah, TUPAC or d m X, whichever criteria you want. Have you ever met either? Oh yeah, I know, I know X.

I never met Pop before. Neither X and my uncle was actually they were, they were friends. They knew each other very well. My uncle rest in peace. Anthony Hardaway rest in peace.

D m X, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go. Yeah, motherfuckers. Man. Yeah, you just want to drink.

I do.

Recipes, but I never It's hard to pick. It's hard to pick to pick. I mean, tell you the truth, if it wasn't for a pocket, wouldn't be a d MX. So I guess you can take that angle. But there's certain people who love DMX and their own right well, who didn't even know.

Pak, you know what I mean.

So absolutely so I say that I can see the synergy of why you say that for sure, you know, because that's that's that's a big statement.

But I can see the synergy of why you say that just in terms of why do you say that, Well, because it's the truth.

I mean, if it wasn't, if it wasn't, Pot came out first and Pop's energy and I'm gonna tell you the trade crazy ship when when DMX came out from DMX had.

The band dan on and everything. He wasn't trying to be Pot at all. That was just his style and Yonkers that was just how they dressed it at that time.

And so if you listen to the content of their music, content doesn't match at all.

It's just like the like the persona.

But if you listen to DMX really really good, he's preplaying a doll as supposed Park was actually a black activists. For sure, they had they had they looked similar, they both had six backs, but they they let they walked. They walked the same route, but in the opposite directions. I get what you said, they walked the same boardwalk, you know what I mean.

I feel like later on in his life, DMX did become more of like he started speaking more on like yo our power.

You know what I'm saying. He prayed a lot like he you know, so he did have that prophetic energy and.

Like you know, I mean what I would slightly disagree with say that he became more of God as opposed to Park, he became more of the people. So that's the only different for sure, that's the only difference. Like DMX fell motion love of God. Like you know what, I'm sure like DMX last days his life, he was with us almost every day, that's crazy. And he would come and this is how he talked to me, Like because I just drink wine and champagne, I drink soft liquor like you still drink.

I'm like, bros.

But that's not the type of person. He was a great person, resting piece to him. Both bro Okay, so let's go to the next one.

Joe or Tank Man say what up my nigga? Joe Man? Okay, Joe Joe explanation? Why I mean.

For those who like may not understand R and B all the way like that, I just think Joe he was more instrumental in my upbringing of R and B. You know what I'm saying, Like he was really somebody I study you know what I'm saying. Thanks amazing. You know what I'm saying. I feel like I love that he's still here doing his thing and he's incredible. But

Do in music. But yeah, I would say Joe, Yeah, I respect that show. New additional Jackson five, Jackson Fox. Okay, because that Jackson bond is a new addition. Correct, I don't know.

I never say without this without that, it's for me, that's two different time period inspiration for sure, for sure, for sure what Jackson Five's is Jackson Five's.

At birth Mike Michael Jackson Bro Birth to Go. That's just that is like, yeah, yeah, you can play that right now. You don't even know. If you play that to a kid who doesn't they won't know. That's the true definition of timeless music. Timeless bro.

And just just like they let you in their life in a different way where it's like you you learn artists development from Jackson five. You got a chance to see like, Okay, this is what it takes to really be and you also got a chance to see the growth. Bro, Like, there's never been a group in history that I know of. Please know that you've been able to see them from five, six, seven years old all the way to how old is Mike when he passed away?

Fifty? Bro? Come on, bro, like it's never been it's never forbidden. You know that. You know they family, you know their history, you know his dad was whatever.

You know.

It's just it's so.

Much energy and information there that it's like you can't compare it. It's just crazy.

Yeah, I agree with that. Oh, Bobby Brown or R Kelly you know that's the cocaine section over there, right, R Kelly?

Okay, you know y'all picking an interesting artist like that. That's not me, I say, Kelly, Bro, you know it's it's a writer, you know, R and B goat again. It goes back to the Emperor conversation, being able to go from I believe I can.

Fly to this is my son because the it's like, it's just it's too many different.

If if if these people were generals of armies, who would you want to be a general? You would be like, yo, you he's gonna teach you how to snipe she with.

The handgun, play with your hands like Bobby.

But not to take nothing from Bobby. You know what I'm saying this is he's an icon. You know what I'm saying, He's There would be no Usher without Bobby, right.

Everybody say like being an artist like you.

Got it, Like you know, it's like you gotta kind of like crash out a little bit, be a little bit of a rock star, be a little bit of a junkie to sucking, be like on top type ship like bro, Like, nah, Bro, you just got to understand darkness and light because I feel like some people that's that way of like going to the dark side. My way of going to the dark side is like internal is mental. It's fucking.

It's very you know what I mean. I dealt with it early on, so it was like it's just it's more of a mental thing for me.

Like I feel like if I did them type of drugs, it wouldn't do nothing to me.

Wait until you do those drugs and then no, I'm trying to no, I'll give it.

You say no, no, listen, no, Okay, I've done plant medicine before.

Right, Okay, It's just it's it's just.

It's just a different type of it. I haven't gotten that for yet because I might not be here. I won't come back. I promise you if I did Aauasca, I would You would never hear another R and B album from me again.

You would never hear another to heavy metal. No no, but but the constant, the constant, the content would be different. I just it would be a whole of a different situation. I'm not. Yeah, it was kind of like it's like it's I said that. Yeah, That's why I said not for sure, for sure. You know what I'm saying.

I feel like if I if I, if I did that, I think I would if anything, I would probably just have a crazy episode of like wanting to get it out of my body quick and then you always see me go through some crazy ship in front of you and then it would be gone.

Like it's just yeah, but can you explain further the plant medicine you're started with, Oh, yeah, for sure. My first one was I started with shrooms.

The one I've done the Yeah, but it's like but in a ceremonial sense, it's a different thing when you do like God, does you know what I mean?

You're secluded in you in your own space.

You know, it's just a different level of recognition, you know, with your soul and recognizing yourself in a completely different space and understanding, like there's things that's answers questions that I had that I was able to answer on plant medicine for myself that I wasn't able to answer, or you know, being in the normal state where I'm dealing with life right and it's really healing, bro because it allows you to, in a short period of time.

Live like ten years of life, go back, literally go in.

And heal certain parts of yourself that you hadn't paid a since to do because it's because it's coming to the forefront in a way where you can't escape it.

It's like putting everything in front of you. You know, it's beyond it's like a cosmic therapist, if you will. That kind of sounds the way Mike Tyson is. It's like a cosmic therapist.

We're interviewing Mike Tyson. We did hroomed too right on the interview in live on an interview. I guess who gave it to us, Mike Tyson. No one's gonna tell Mike Wow, Wow, he just goes like this and we're like, we're scared, like because who tells no to Mike Tyson?

Right, and he like kind of like shelves it at us. I love it. I love that for ya. That's amazing. My wife said that was the happiest he's ever seen me. I was around that, Bro, that's fire.

I mean if we were to be more like vulnerable like that and life, imagine what we be able to learn from each other if it was that like that's you know, but yeah, no, not playing medicine is amazing, bro. It definitely changed my life. And it it's almost like I know, I understand this realm a lot better because I understand how I'll say immature, like if I had to to to this is an immature real in a

We reward you for that versus that's corny or that's this, Like just little things like that.

Rewarding the better parts of ourselves as humanity, that would change so much, you know what I'm saying in our society.

It really would. But it also comes with just being real, you know what I'm saying.

It's just like, no one's gonna change overnight, Like shit don't happen overnight.

But reward those little steps that people take. That's real. No, I've helped people change.

It's like that by understanding, like all right, cool, like reward people for like the things that they do. That's hard for them, bro, because everybody don't have the same struggles. Some people really struggle with things that's hard for them. It's hard for them to break them demons. You reward them, like, you know, by seeing them like yo, I see that you're working on this instead of shunning it or making them feel like, oh this that's corny or whatever.

You know what I mean. I was talking so smart in the hood the other day and I was like, yeah, what what's homeboys? Yeah? Son, he was like sneaking going to college. He thinks he a smart and ship what the fun is conversation? What we haven't right now? Like, yeah, God's trying to better himself and go to college.

Yeah, think smart and sh I was like, damn, I just don't calibrate on the same level.

Yeah, it's just it's just horrible. But I feel like sometimes even I met people smarter than people that go to college. Bro, it's not even about college.

It's about it's about your own understanding of life and how deep you're willing to go down the rabbit hole to understand what's going on.

Especially today we live in a completely different world.

It's like education is very important, absolutely, but It's also important for you to educate yourself beyond what you learned in school, beyond what your parents taught you, beyond your religion, beyond everything so you can understand. So the game that we plan Monopoly and multi dimensional Chess, this is what's going on. But yeah, Jada kiss or nas back to the script. Yeah, you gotta drink Jada. Yeah, as as far as you want, y'all set this up. Sons can drink. I get it, I get it.

I give it you guys. Uh damn, I kind of got a drink to that. Bro. That's kind of crazy. Can I can I say this something way? This game goes that you want some real melicine ship, Yeah, I mean you can still sip it, but you got to go to the to the Coso Zoo.

We got it for you, baby, Consoo. Nobody orders cosso you the only one classic. I'm in the resource. Okay, what she got a joint with Jada Kiss?

Jada Kiss is my niggas. It's hard to go, but you had a joint when you worked together. Now yeah, yeah, I worked when I was on this was it? The last? What album was that?

Bro?

I believe it was the last album that came out right, the last album that came out, King's Disease, Ye, King's Disease. Bro the second one.

Okay, walked in the studio, him and hit Boy was me and hit was supposed to work. He was in there working with nas You walk in the studio and never know who hip boy want being with.

And I was.

It was just like he was about to close the album up and I heard the record. He was like, Bro, we started vibing in there. I'm like, put some vocals on this right now, like one of them things like I just cleared the guys.

I'm like, yo, I'm in I'm in the studio with we locked in, put some vocus on the record, and yeah, man, like he's just one of his nas Is is just a different space. Bro.

You know, he's one of the ghosts of lyricism and storytelling and you know he's uh, he's definitely in my top four.

Even five. I like that. I've never heard a niggas say top four.

I'm not gonna gonna bite you, ship gonna get you up on the top four, Okay for sure, all right, Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock.

Mm hmm. I'm gonna say Dave Chappelle because I feel like he took more blows for the culture, Like he took more blows.

For the art.

He's he's he's not he's not scared. He don't got no fear of them, you know what I'm saying. Like he went to the dark side and came back. I respect people like that because I understand people like that. It's just like, yeah, Dave Chappelle, for sure, Okay.

That was easy a car or T pay wow, order to? Yeah, it's crazy. I mean I have to go like as far as what just yeah, no order to.

I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say T pain. Let's say tea paining bro shut out the T Yeah yeah, yeah. It was a love of the stripper, his first nigga.

He was a love with the stripper.

He was the first person it's been. He's been in love with trippers now, but he was the first one. In a minute, he definitely was what.

I'm still in love right now. I've been in love with the stripper before. We all been in love stripper before. You're playing bro.

Everybody didn't you know why because they accept me for whatever.

That was.

From the gym balls. They still.

You know, it's crazy, but like some of them like sometimes like they see so much ship, like they just got like they're you know, it's about women.

Interesting about women.

They are women, whether it's a girl who's never been touched before or a girl who's fucked a thousand men. Okay, I'm being honest. Women have so much they hold. I mean we can make a joke about it. When you like energetically women are you can learn from both sides, like you can you know, a woman who deliberates herself from that type of uh world and and and gets her light back, like she's going to have a lot

But like also, no, it's not just experience, bro, she does I'm trying to put it in at the worst, it's just more about it's about the energy that she I feel like you're trying to say you can make a whoror housewife. No, I'm not trying to say that. I'm just understood that I just understood that. I apologize.

I feel like they've just gone deeper in some ways. That's necessary for certain types of information.

You know what I'm saying. In life, you know what I mean. It's not even those who understand understand what I'm saying. That's what I'm talking. Let's do I'm saying, you know, just as as as powerful in different ways. I respect that, Okay, Rockefella Rough Riders mm hmm. Damn.

I feel like they've both made impacts in different ways. So it's like, I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with rough Riders on this one. Your head rock rough Riders, your head Cutters, Rockefeller.

I'm gonna go with rough Riders on this one.

Jacket says rough Riders because Michael Jackson toughness.

You know what I'm saying. So you're going rough Riders. Yeah, I'm gona I'm gonna take a shot. I doubted you. I thought you were with a Rockefeller someone's you don't have to take a shot. I'm gonna tears. Yeah, I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with rough Riders on

Bro.

I feel like they was like just like really like just more like Nigga, we you know what I'm saying, we locked in, Whereas though respect to Rockefeller and everything, I felt like that was more like, I we just get money together.

M hm. You know what I'm saying.

I feel like Rockefellers was on some like I mean, Rough Riders was on some and bikes, Like, you know, bike culture in Baltimore is big.

I say you probably I had a bike on.

My first album. I had a fucking two fifty on it. Like so it's like, you know what I'm saying, Like.

We big in Baltimore. You probably probably see them like as a kid. They probably don't even like, yeah.

Yeah it was lit, Yeah, yeah it was lit. So yeah. Yeah that video that's I don't even know that. Yeah he shot mad videos there. This one I did not write this question, but he keeps is he is he Kevin?

No no, no, no, no no no.

I don't even make.

God they based it off for you. They watched you for the first five questions. That's how they watch it. So this one is a good one. I wish I would have wrote this Chris Brown or Usher.

That's low key easy mhm h nah. I would say, yeah. I mean, I'm gonna say overall, I'm gonna say c B over Usher. I'm gonna say I'm gonna say c B okay, And I'm gonna tell you why I'm about to take you out down a different that's the path. Let's cool.

Yeah, I can see things that most people don't see or choose not to see, and a lot of us can, but we don't talk about it. You know, some people in his life is given paths that are meant to be studied. H I see these path is is.

It was given a.

He was just given a different path, bro, And he represents something that I feel like, you know, a lot of times we overlook because of you know, mistakes that he made. You know, not everybody, but a lot of the world and a lot of people behind the scenes and shit like that. You know, I made some mistakes behind the scenes. I know how those does affected me. So I can only imagine what BRO deal it. You know,

And so you know, I feel like when CB or if he wants.

To really like step away focus on himself for like three like two a year, I give him a year because alien he can do it in a year year and.

A half maybe and really like focus on what God gave him all the way. But what do you mean by that?

Bro?

Like just just my nigga felt he don't like he's on He's on the runner now you doing?

You know.

But it's like sometimes we feel like as artists, we gotta I'm not saying is how you feel. I'm saying looking from the outside of all right, So I've been here before, Like we gotta like, we gotta keep the ship going, we gotta we gotta stay when it's hot, we gotta keep but sometimes we also.

Need to step away and be like, you know what, let me get my let me really like tune into my guy energy all the way.

If he did that all the way. You would just see a different being. You already see it, that being, but you see right now. That's why I say C B and I'm not saying that. Yeah, that's why I say CB. You get it, you get it right, you got it, you got it, you got it, you got it. You got to hit that on the note. Look up to Chris Brown got the clips or dog found Uh, that's a good versus, that would be. That's a good vers.

I'm gonna go with Uh. I'mna go with doccowne okay, Gucci Man or jeez.

M h.

Motherfuckers yo okay mm hmm. They go to both of them to big up, big up, uh, Sam Cook or Al Green? Al Green? Okay, love Sam Cook, love love his soul, love what he represented in terms of.

Making specific records to liberate as people you know, think yeah, his his music was just yeah.

Al Green.

As a musician and as an artist as a writer, I a would say, you know somebody I resonate with more, But.

All right, Tory Lanez for the Weekend. Oh that's because they broke both from Canada. I guess you didn't write this. I get no publishing. I get no publishing this, it just comes out of my label, but I get no publishing. Lanes bro Lanes over the weekend. Yeah, bro, what are you talking like? No, I'm not gonna lie about talent. Okay, okay, we're talking about Tory is one of the most talented niggas. Yes, yes, yes, obviously the weekend actholeague wise, right, you know.

What I'm saying, Like, it's interesting to see hear R and B perspective, right, because she like when I listen to R and B.

All right, Okay, I'm thinking about so when I'm going about to go.

Do a festival show, and I'm about to go do a show, and I'm like, Okay, I'm looking at my team and I'm like.

This is the production this is I'm like in it.

Of course, if you would say like production wise and like you know, in terms of mainstream and startom and like team and this.

And this what is late the weekend?

Right, we talk about raw talent. Nigga put the mic on, play a beat. I'm gonna write a song in fifteen minutes. Tory Lanz.

Yeah, yeah, Now, Tory Lanez. I did a feature with him. He sent that ship back in like five minutes, like it's like he wrote this shit already, like and then like like I didn't send him to beat or nothing.

I just sent it to him.

He just he's like like he's like send it to him now. And I was just like, all right, who you one of those guys. I was like all right, and like you know, like you know, you know, I'm used to every parody in the industry, so I'm thinking, like I'm gonna send it to him, and he's just gonna like ghost me.

Like he was like like I text him and you get it, and he asked me and then he's like, yes, I got it. And it was like I was like, what the fuck? Had vocals in there and everything. Yeah, you're right. I never got to do that with The Weekend. I'm good.

I never met The Weekend avaunt or genuine. I ain't gonna lie about to say that anyway. Come on, nobody with the Pony. Come on, Patty LaBelle or LaRita Franklin.

That's that. This is the first one. I'm like, Okay, that's good. That's a good one.

Patty or Aretha frank mm hmm, ship because like me and Patty that's like Auntie, Yeah, that's personal. But I would go, I would go, I'll go Wreatha only because I'm gonna say, without Aretha, that wouldn't be you know, without a Resa, that wouldn't be a Patty. But like I feel like there was, Like I actually did one of her songs on the Mass Singer and you know Glo.

Rilla's I Ain't got no bitch, no nigga ain't got me. That's from Aretha Franklin. You know that's from Aretha Franklin. That's crazy. Yeah bro, Yeah Franklin from one of them, so crazy.

She so bro her music, like she's saying again, like chills through my body listening to her music, like you hear you can hear.

The pain in her voice, like in a different way. Yeah, Like, yeah, go with that's crazy. I't know that though. That's goldy for new artists to be doing. That's goldy. Look Tiger a little Wayne, Okay, it's going on, Yeah Wayne bro okay.

Because there's no no way, no Tiger. If there's no way no Tiger, I'm just ye coach stad.

Yeah, yeah, you're talking about right now. Because let me change it up a little bit. Tiger or Big Sean mhmm uh man.

I wouldn't even compare these artists, but I would say just yeah, lyricism wise, big sean. Okay, you know what I'm saying.

A couple more go back at the interview. Yeah, okay, morning to go back to the interview about you. Okay, I want to take that Lloyd or Trey songs.

You're with Lloyd Ben Hold up, I won't go I'm gonna go Trey. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. L A or Miami, be honest, man, depends on what type of nigga you is. But we'll go with uh.

Miami just doing some fun ship like having fun like good energy, Like if you want to be in the Devil's then and still go outside and the and the environment gives you energy back.

Miami. If you want to be in the Devil's then in an environment don't give you energy back. In l A, a real ship like I. You know, in Miami.

I can go out and be on demon time when I was or not on anyone, and I go outside at six a m.

And I sitting under the moonlight, and I just I get all my energy back. Okay, Okay, you go outside this you ain't getting your energy back.

Don't give it away right right, that's ill Gott Storch or Timbaland, oh la, you get.

Your energy back, but you gotta take it from somebody else. That's the crazy brute. But you said what Scott Storch or Timbling damn.

Mm hmm.

I'm gonna go with Scott Storche It's only two morns because that's an interview pits Markey ol dbs mm hmm. I love biz. I'm gonna go with o dB. Okay, is that a particular reason why? I just feel like o dB was just more of a lyricist in a way.

I feel like he has been a part a part of some records, Like I understand him more lyrically in some ways, and I feel like, uh, I don't know, bro. I look at him and I feel like I see somebody that I know from Baltimore. I see somebody that I know from where I from. I don't know if it's relative. He's definitely everything.

He's gonna ask me this question.

Yeah, I've seen o dB somewhere in the bottom line. It definitely seems like a piece of biz, love Biz, the last one get Yeah, Yeah, this is our favorite.

It's called it's loyalty or respect.

Loyalty or respect. Yeah, I take respect, Okay, I take respect. No, I take loyalsy.

Let's just take a shot, man, I'm gonna take loyal Okay, I'm gonna be.

Tell you why, cheers. I'll tell you why, bro, Because niggas can fake respect. People can fake respect.

You can they fake loyalty as well.

Not really, because at some point they can fake respect you because at some point the loyalty.

Like you can you can you feel loyalty?

I don't know about y'all, but I can. I can see, you know what I'm saying. I can see when the loyalty, like I feel like loyalty and respect to me kind of seeps into like they kind of touch each other. That's why I took away, Like you know what I'm yeah, yeah, no, no, no, yeah, But like at the root of it, I'll take the loyalty over the respect.

You know what I'm saying, because.

If you disrespect me, I can disrespect you worse right then and there, and then you got inside you got to decide if you really want to do that again. But loyalty wise is like I'd rather you be loyal to me because I can fix the respect part, I can't fix the loyalty, right, I feel like that. I feel like I can fix the respect even if, even if like you don't respect me when I'm not around, I can't control it.

But when I'm around, I can control it. How you respecting?

But the loyalty part is like, you can fuck up a whole bag, you can fuck up generational wealth, you can fuck up a lot Lloyd's friendship.

You know, Okay?

They asked me. I said, do you have questions Formorrio and Rob Marksman? You know Rob Marxman, This Rob Marxmith on my face? He said, yeah, ask him if he ever got sick of saving the damn princess? Did he ever consider just leaving her ass there?

I have no idea what Bro talking about. I don't know what he's talking about. Neither. Should I just call him? This is on Twitter? He said? Should you call him? You call somebody? Yeah, I know, because what is he talking about? Hold on, let's see you're closer to the Rob. We don't know what then you're talking about? Your question?

We got, we got, we got Mario right here. Rob from XXL magazine used to be x L.

I'm sorry, man, I just I just wanted to want marl or No, Mario has no idea what you're talking about. I was joking with you, man, I know you were an interview. Now you talk about super Mario. I'm like, you got me, you got you got, you got you gotta be good. Let me take a shop of that. Let me take a Yeah, you got another bottle over my head too. I see you see you taking my man. Come on, man, he said, I was joking. Yeah, okay, okay, all right, let's talk about crying out for me?

Yeah, what was you here when you first heard that record? Would you when you first heard it?

What was you like? What was your feelings? I felt like she was crying out for me. Yeah, yeah, crying out for me. I mean that record is like.

That was like, you know, if you take Mario and Joe to put him in one like that was my joy moment. That was like my version of what Joe to see what it did in R and B at the time, you know what I mean, shout out to Jasper and pull it and done.

That was that moment. You know, that was like raw. That was like, no, nigga, this last take my voice don't got no more but truly truly me like I was cracking, like I was.

It was very wrong, It was unpolished, but that was just me, like just really on some real R and B shit Like yeah, okay, definitely one of my favors in the catalog for sure.

Yeah yeah how about Space? Mmm? Did you literally the space?

Space was like some of my new album Glad You came and just came out what came out in December. But Spaces is if you listen to it musically, it's really old to like people who.

Like jazz and you know, jazz and R and B fusion music. This album is like a.

Homage to like music that was inspired by. It reminds me of my grandfather. My grandfather used to if my grandfather was alive, he would have loved to come to this show because he loved to drink and he loved jazz music. No, No, my grandfather, he grew up in Baltimore. He worked at a beer refinery since he was like fourteen years old, so like he was really you know, he was in that shit like he you know, you go to his always neat house, neat at a bar play Jazz Music Records he put me on the jazz

You know.

So, yeah, it's Mo's the best restaurant in Baltimore, m Pless you know what I'm talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Bro, it's one. It's definitely one.

They got my picture up there, they got your pitch and yeah, you made it a legend. That's my favorite restaurant.

Fire But like but Moses, like it's been around for a long time. So it's like I get it, you know what I'm saying. I used to go to the more like Captain James. Like Captain James, I used to go like late night type ship. But like, yeah, Moses definitely up there. That's because I ain't gonna lie. I can't like drive through.

Like if I'm driving through, I gotta stop and I make sure my picture is still up there. Yeah. Yeah, cleaning and ship with some wind decks on there. All right. Yeah, you know, I don't Baltimore what you get you when you went there, it was just what I get. I get the to tell what the cheese on top of it, with the with the with the crab, all the crab, with the butter. Oh I gained twelve pounds, no problem, right then and there. We don't have to wait tomorrow

And by the way, because people just say Baltimore with the crabs, yeah, Baltimore actually has some of the best seafood in the world.

Not just the craft.

I'm a represent for y'all because because you travel.

Yeah, everyone just just gives you because it's fresh.

Bro.

Yes, it's right from the Chesapeake. It's fresh, right, and the seasoning everything is theirs, right, the d of.

The yeah right.

But everything else I got to get imported certain.

Times, yes, but Bortimore got seafood is crazy. So all right, now this is this is this is one of the best records the history of the world and the history of the world, in the history of the world. This is when ever, gosh, when they meet they girl. You know, sometimes you just just meet a girl like that's my soulmate, even if it was for two seconds, two years, for two.

Seconds or whatever.

Sometimes love come on and it's like every day, I'm gonna be honest with you.

Every such a blessing.

Every day, it's such a blessing, like like that ship right there, Like I'm gonna be honest like some artists.

Yeah, to have a record like that in your catalog, it's so unique. And that's when we played every wedding it's it's an unidentified object. It's an alien in your catalog, every wedding.

Everywhere this baby shower setting the moves sending them revealing, which that it called the revealing.

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, general gender revealed absolutely, yeah, I know what I mean.

Man, everywhere like listen, listen, there's nothing nowhere that that record can't be played. Yes, like like even in the ball game, ball game, God proposes to his girl.

You should let me, like, there's nothing you went in atari are you You could sing to your child, your mom, your girlfriend? You know, it's just it's just a damno. Let me take a shot for that one. I wasn't. I wasn't ready for that. But I think it's to be studied.

I think it's definitely gonna be studied as a as a writer, as a as somebody who like has been more instrumental writing wise, Like I've been studying different types of records, and I think it's still a record to.

Be studied in terms of the simplicity and it's impact. You know what I'm saying. I love you as it's just a classic, bro, It's an omnipresent, spiritual How many times do you perform it that? Like, do you before more than once? Or you just do? I mean like like yeah, yeah, like bring it back, like like yeah it's twice, okay, twice I do one with the record.

In one agapella. Yeah, that's usually how it happens. And that's when the girls go yeah.

That's when that's when the umbilical court is like.

Yeah, no, no, that is a real yeah, like it's a real universal record, like like it's a global record. I don't think I'm gonna be honest with you, Yeah, I don't think that record will never die. Every day such a blessing because there's someone somewhere that's always to let you love them.

You know what I'm saying. Everywhere, like no matter.

What, you don't know, you need love even you know you want it. It's crazy, man, it's I never get tired of performing it. I never get tired of seeing people like in that space, like no matter what they're going through, I've seen, bro, I've been in the biggest audiences in the world. I've been in Southern clubs with just dark energy, you know what I'm saying.

And he's still sing seeing like gangster singing the record like you still sing.

You know.

It's just like love is universal, bro, It's like you can't even change, like it's just it's and it's crazy because you like, at times, there was a time as an R and B artist when you look at the charge and you look at the things like damn ducking with R and B.

No more like shit dark out here for us? Why the numbers looking like this? Why they offered me only for the show? What the fuck is going on? Because hip hop is just going so crazy.

Niggas ain't want to come out, like you know, and even if they didn't want to come out, the promoters didn't want.

To pay you for you know what you deserve, you know what I'm saying. But like now, this is just it's different.

R and B is like respected again and it's back, and it's just you know, I think it's records like let Me Love You. That's a part of the reason why R and B still love because they still play it on mainslaand radio today.

They still one of the few.

That they still champion and be proud to play without the red tape, you.

Know what I'm saying, And that's a blessing. I have one of those records because not.

Everybody has that, you know what I'm saying, Especially for my my, you know my when I first came out, like the artists that came out when I came out. But you know, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, bro, Like this I was I was meant for this I was meant for, you know, the resilience that it take to be an artist.

You know, everything that I grew up seeing and been through all that. It just it made me a soldier for you know, fighting through whatever it takes to keep your your train moving. You know what I'm saying. You got to keep it moving, you know what I mean. And obviously those records are a superpower, but the new music and having you know, just having the platform and having the talent.

You know, let me tell you through, I used to have seen that record still and it's like getting those notes some nice is harder than others.

But it's like.

I still feel like when I first heard the record, I still feel like when I first singing in the studio, I still feel at that love for it is still there, and I'm like, Damn, through everything I've been through, I still have to love for it.

That's all God, bro, Because sometimes you can not, like you know, you're getting numb, Like certain points, you're just getting numbing. You're just going through. How many buns, nigga, how many bunks you got right there? You're still going, it's still going, still going.

Still In the role you play as an artist now then up and coming artist and they want to redo it, is that untouchable.

If they want to redo the record particular, or doesn't sing it over a redoor, doesn't use the.

I think any classic is kind of untouchable in general. But you can, you know, it's like it's like a young.

If you you know, when you date somebody and then you might like five years later, y'all might have a little moment be like it ain't the same, but it's still you remember it.

It's like this ship he was my little love and respect that wants to honor you and do that track. You know you're not the same. It's never gonna be the same. But I think that's the beautiful part about making classics.

Bro.

The whole point is like, don't touch it. No, no, no, Like, if it's done right, it can be a moment for this generation. Bro, Like I'm not like that's my record, but if it's done right, if it's done right.

I've had at least fifty to seventy artists over the course of my career hit me to be like, yo, I want you to redo this during woman like no, good man, it's got to be it's got to be.

The right and maybe it doesn't need it, who knows. But let me tell you the beauty about that record.

Like, uh, you know, most of the time when it's a hit record, you know, R and B, you know, the females claim it, and you know, the females claim it like they claim like this is their record. You hardly ever get to see like guys step up and be like I like this record.

I'm fun with this record.

That's kind of like the first record that I've ever seen like dogs but like everything and everything, like like that's the first time I'm kind of seen guys claim it like you know what I mean, like like and and and except their vulnerability except there, uh what Ralph transmits their sensitivity, you know what I'm saying. Accept that, like but claim it though, Like you know, that's why this record is very very special.

It's because it's toxic at the root of it. Love is toxic. Okay, Okay, the record she forgot that far forgot no, but this is. But it's you know, it's in love with a little bit of Texas City.

It's like but it's like I don't know, if you it depends on where they're at, you know, in the relationships, like you know, mm hmm, yeah, you don't believe his stories.

You know that they're all lives.

It's like you catch on her when she's weak, when he out of town, even fucked up.

You know.

It's like women are interesting creatures. Man.

I don't know, bro, because like you know, a good woman right when she's locked in with her dude all the way, she might entertain some ship.

Some of y'all, some of the lad's gonna look at this and be like, now that's not true. A good woman will never entertain way.

It's like her level of entertaining maybe responding back to a text that she been the North for fucking.

The whole year, niggah. Where So another level of.

Entertaining from a woman could be going out to meet the nigg at a gas station. Who knows, right, but I'm saying that let me love you the conversation versus for those moments when a nigga sucking up in a.

Relationship or he's just not as president.

And you you know, was sucking up and like that nigga that she's been ghosting for the last six months, he slided in for a second.

Yeah, yeah, whatever, right, you know you you're talking about two different scenarios.

Say, yeah, but yeah, it's that whatever scenario it is, it's that little quick space where it's like she might do something she wouldn't normally do. You should let me love you, right, Or it's just simple like everybody interpret interpret music different. It could be a girl that's single, that she's been celibrated for whole year. She finally meet one out of the hundred guys to try to talk to her. It's like, like, what's up, Like like she might that he might get that chance, right, you know.

As far as like bar for Bar, you wanted the top two in New York, Bro, Bar for Bar, Jada Kiss for Sure who the other one that in there?

Bro, I don't even know who the other one is yet. I don't know. But Jay's top two bro bar for bar, top two in New York and New York like his his you know, maybe top top three, top three, top three, give me that space. But yeah, Jada, that's my nigga. Bro.

Yeah, somebody else speaks for a Nicki Minaj? How did that come about? That's when she was like first thought, bubbling correct.

She was already lit. Okay, you know.

This is I was in Atlanta, I was working on I was in between albums, and again, I'm always looking for records to like kind of reinvent my conversation. If you look at my catalog, you'll you'll hear just like different conversations throughout my career. Tapped in with Polo when to see him. He played me this record. I got

We recorded a record Atlanta with Polo. I send it to Nikki. She loved it all. Top okay, Mark nah and said it. Yeah, we sent it to her. She sent the record back in like two three days. She loved it one. You know, when Nikki loved the record, she she would with her she don't but Bro, it was this was. Yeah, it's my first time working with Nikki. Yeah, first time, and.

I felt like the record had a very like it just had it had a special conversation in it in terms of the lyric, but also energetically and production wise. It just it was grungy, but it was also soulful. And I'm like, yo, I need it. I want to put a female on this record because I feel like it's not enough conversations, you know what I mean with females and males. It's like classic moments. I said a

Your label, her label, My label didn't get it at the time. And I'm like, Yo, this record is so timeless and it's so special, you know. And yeah, bro, but Nikki came through. Bro. She she killed it.

And you know, the video that we put out wasn't even my concept like that. The video that came out was completely different from the concept I had for the video and what I wrote for the treatment, because I knew that me and her being on a record at that time was visually it was important. Everything, the whole everything was was super important. So you know, it was just one of those moments that and that was the last record I put out with RCAA before were independent.

It's like, you know, when the planet line up, but the planet, you know, it's like those those things just don't happen.

As artists, we're like different solar systems, and shit, we got so much energy moving around.

It's like not to put us on light.

But like when planets aligned, you got to respect that and like put it in perspective and understand what's happening, you know.

And so it was one of those moments where I was like, I bet, like I need to I need to be able to move how I need to move yeah, but none of nevertheand like it's still a special Records, still incredible.

But the impact could have been way bigger than what it was, and still to this day is still one of the ones.

I still got it in my show for sure.

Speaking of being independent, you've been around both era physical copy, yeah and streaming.

What do you think about streaming today? What do I think about it? It's if I was in a room on both sides.

I feel like there's one side whereas like the people that don't make the music, it's like, oh, yeah, how can we eat off of the shit on another level before anybody else? And then there's another side that's saying, like, yo, how can we protect ourselves from them eating off our shit? If I was in this room over here when they like, I wish I was in that room amongst that conversation. It's just like, bro, I don't know what happened. I wasn't in neither one of those rooms. But I wish

It is bro cast. It costs too much.

And this because then you have all the other agencies that like became popular. You know, you got like three four steps of people that are eating off of you putting out a record.

You know what I'm saying.

You got all this shit behind the scenes, you got all of the agencies and marketing. Like it's just it's it created a lot of ways for other people to make more money than the artists sometimes make in a sense, you know what I'm saying. So some artists, not all arts, but you know, the blessing of having like a catalog is different because I rather I stream one hundred million on the album or not. I still go out and

That's not the thing.

But in terms of like fairness or streaming, because you asked me about streaming, it's unfair. It's unfair, bro, It's raping the game. They raping the game. They for years, you know, but I feel like it's going to turn around. And then when they turn around, all those companies that work a lot of people's publishing and all that ship they about to eat crazy and hopefully you kept some of it so we can eat.

So God comes down from earth.

God did come down. He came down from leaving. Yeah, and he said, Mario, you need to make one record, save humanity.

One record.

I'm gonna give you. I'm gonna give you one producer. We're gonna give you one artist. Damn, Okay, who is you picking?

Dead?

Are alive? That's the part I was. You're very shocked.

You can have that.

I'll give you that, yes, run record Quincy Jones. I'm glad for sure. I said one artist, I want a writer.

Yeah, one artist and one producer, my artist and one producer, Quincy Jones.

You can have a writer too if you want, you gotta. You can have a writer to need Quincy Jones as production as production Quincy Jones. And I'm gonna say, damn, the feature of the writer. And I'm gonna go all I'm gonna go to artists and artists Jones and then Quincy Jones. Steze want that?

Now?

I know.

It could be Marven two honestly, look because yeah, but I'm gonna go Stevie Quincy Stevie, and then you got to write her now mm hmm, I'm gonna go Marvin is the writer. Yeah, Steve bar sounds like it hit to be folks. Yeah, yeah, Stevie.

So you ain't get another shot. Don't get another shot. You just say humanity, what I'm saying, we got you know, why would we just think? God damn shut shut? So So let me ask you, and boy is there If I was ever asked this question back then, I wouldn't know how to answer it, right. But you know, as I'm mature, and you know, I got to different levels in life. I realized that this is this, this question that I'm about to ask you. I have a lot

Like you know what I mean? Like, all right, let me just let me break it down for you a little bit.

Yeah, all of us coming from the hood at one point, we don't think our ship thinks once we start making a certain level, right, certain vel and even your friends sometimes your friends can kind of tell you, but they're not living what you're going through, right, So all of us kind of like goes through a certain process that we have to kind of learn. Is there anything thing

And I was like thirteen grand and I was like, no, I'm not kidding this. Fifteen grand. You know that girl winds up being Rihanna. Yeah, I'm laughing because I know how you probably felt. But yeah, like what I'm saying is you ever been in your own bag where you're sucking up your own bag that much.

I've probably been in there a couple of times, don't know even no aboudty but two yeah, like bro for sure.

I was. I was living in Jersey at the time.

Around the time Just a Friend came out, Jay had like two shows in Madison Square Garden.

We said, Jay z okay, yes, and.

He wanted me to come out on the set and would meet me and all that and how whatever. And at the time I was I was dating this girl in Jersey and the night that they wanted me to come out, I had already had plans for her. So at the time I managed to hit me like, yo, look, you gotta put the s on Jay.

When you come out. I was like, I can't.

Is this massive square? It's massive Square? Just a Friend is out moving. I just came up promo to so you know, I met something, you know, the Minican Puerto Rican Vibes type ship Washington Heights Energy but.

In Jersey though, Jersey just the himporter again yeah, help you out. Yeah, appreciate you. But like so, yeah, and I passed up on that, you know what I'm saying, Yeah, bro, yeah.

And it was it was you know, I don't know if Jay took that some type of way, you know, But I was young. I was young, young bro, having fun.

But yeah, and certain things, but like I don't know, I never got an invite that might be it. I think that's the time. Yeah, that was one been a couple, bro, Yeah, I was. I was. I was wild when I was younger.

Bro.

I was just I didn't care as much I was youm bro, I was.

I had a great I had I was having a good time. I was a young artist, you know. But I wasn't aware of my power at the time. I wasn't aware of who I was in the world. I didn't know, you know what I'm saying.

I didn't know. I made a lot of mistakes, you know what I'm saying.

And uh, sometimes those things do haunt you behind the scenes and you don't know, and you know that right of course, maybe it does.

All I know is I learned from my mistakes. I keep it moving and I just I'm never stopping what I do you know, but you know living you learn, bro. Yes, I'm gonna take a shot. Yeah, no, no, no, bro, listen, you know, look look at literally.

This look look look respect for ja.

Yeah yeah, look at look at that. That's that's that, that's that socking it.

Wait, let me let me move over from this. Uh okay, I know how to deal with this later. I can deal with those thements all but let me uh you were trying to.

Sack you real quick. Let mean what you talking? What you got going on over there? I mean, I know you drink, how you deal with this, what you're doing for your liver? Whist told me what your living people, I'm fucked up. But Rizza said, there's only two alcohols that's uppers. Mm hmm.

It's the killer and sockey. Everything else is down this. So since you said that, I kind of like makes sense to me. Not for sure, I've been like kind of like fuck it. Okay, yeah all right.

Now, by the way, it's an upper. It's like, yeah, it's lighter, yeah, lighter, it's lighter. It's like it's still it's still good there. Yeah, if you drink enough.

Of them, right, yeah, And these motherfuckers drinking my ship over there. They thought I ain't see them, but I chose you.

I choose you. Okay, yes, yes, let's talk about that. This is Babyface introducing me to writing in a different way. Man, shout out to Babyface. Man, we work show.

Baby Face is one of the most simple, Like he makes writing sound so simple, but he has over one hundred hits, number one hits.

So it's like I'm asking him questions like, Okay, what makes it hit?

He's keeping it so simple and talking about just the simplicity of having a conversation. But then when you see him do it, it's like, I think, because of how I think, I make it more intricate the way I write sometimes, especially on this new album, but like now I'm trying to adopt this conversational aspect of writing, because writing music is of course, once you get a song written, you want to perfect the unit, dude, But it's as simple.

As having a conversation.

The best records are you can write the lyrics down and read them and it just looks like a conversation.

But in the studio, with life, you deal with your own thoughts. So you got to kind of like you gotta yourself in, like.

You know, you got to open up your mind and open up a pathway where it's like, Okay, if I was just a normal person, how would I have this conversation but then still be genius at the same time. So I feel like being an artist. Babyface Master kind of like that space Bro. I work with him on I Shoose You played. He produced and helped produce it, play the guitar on it, and help write the record.

And just how easy he.

Made the process, how funny it was, how easy the process was to actually creating a record like I Choose You and he just got He's got a gift that I feel like, you know what.

Neo reminds me of that in some ways.

The way he approached writing music and be honest like he kind of is like our generation of what Babyface was doing. Always tell him that because this is super simple. He writes the records that are conversations, you know what I'm saying. But baby Face, I think he was more romantic in his approach, which is why I choose.

You feels like, you know, it feels like that that's a record. When I perform, I'm like roses out you know on that record?

Yeah for sure. Yeah, it's one of them records. How about Closer?

So you're telling me records that you like, you listen to? These are the records that you because I'm like a lot of people don't know about some of these records.

This blow up Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, listen to that play Let's get you right, ladies.

You know what I'm saying, right, that's right now. Closer shout outs to the home inter I also have.

A record called Closer. Okay, yeah yeah yeah, but mars Is nine ninety six. I'm old, you know, I'm sure the still go.

But yeah, closest fire that that that records on the album I put out independently actually during the pandemic, bro, during the fucking pandemic. You know it was it was I'm like, yo, I gotta put it, I gotta put a project out. It was I was working on so much music, and I was sitting on a lot of music, and before the pandemic, I think it was right before me uh tron, I went in the studio to make it like a few records and I just made an

And if Noriega bringing it up, you.

Know what I'm saying, let me let me ask you because the biggest thing for me, right I did I went through the same transition.

Right.

I was on a major label. I love the major labels. It was kind of coming down. I went I went independent, you know what I mean. Everyone thought of the glits and glady, Oh, you know, independent, I'm gonna get all my money. But you don't understand is.

You have to work, Nigga. I waste so much money on my first independent album of my own money. I went independent when it was just starting to get popping.

Like the popular you had to be like the example, shout out the Gazi man O Nimam Ghazi.

Nina was Tina wasn't there at the time, Da how that's how yeah early, you know what I'm saying.

But like, man, it was one of the great look I look at life like this, bro, Like I'm really like that wasn't a waste to me. Me spending. I spent four hundred thousand dollars on the album and it was distribution though they did.

Yeah, but you out of my motion through money was like four hundred thousand plus on it. Because I was still doing ship, I was doing as an artist, Like I was still going to the fucking big studios. I was still going to you know what I'm saying, a paramount still.

No.

I was living in La so I was going home and going toess Okay the night of the studio twenty five hundred dollars. I didn't yet understand that independ I didn't understand how to play monopoly with it yet.

So for me, it was kind of like chess because I was like that moment was.

For me to learn the business of being a boss, being your own boss, and so now I understand how to play with numbers in a completely different way. So it wasn't a loss for me coming out of my pocket doing this and this and that, and you know what I'm saying.

Recouping that. So I have to say, you did you recoup that? Yeah? Pretty much? Okay, okay too. Took some time. You have to look at yourself like what am I doing?

Like you said, go back to what you say. You thinking you independent? You about to get Nah, that's not how it works.

Bro.

Now you got you gotta you gotta plant the seeds before you see it grow, you know what I'm saying.

And sometimes those seeds take time.

And then on top of that, you gotta move as if you gotta envision it already there. Yeah, you gotta move. And you still got money to spend, by the way and make you know. But luckily, again, this is the beauty of having a catalog because I can still go and do shows and make more money to do partnerships and then be smart about how I do.

You know, that's the blessing in it.

But with total artists, total artists who go through who's about to go through with me, and you just went through.

Right, you had a choice.

Now, I'm not going to tell you what I'm gonna do because I want to hear yours. But if you had a choice, I just pivot pivota moment. But you said I could either stay independent and I could go with such a such or.

Do it yeah, or I can stay with a major. We say stay all right, you're talking about a new artist. You're talking about It's different, bro, No, I'm talking about season artists. I'm talking about Okay, okay, Like what would you have done? Like like now, knowing your experience.

All right, this is this is this is what I would say outside of your your artistry, outside of you being an artist?

Right, what else are you doing outside of music? Are you do you have a good team? Do you got good credit? You have good you know what I mean?

Business?

Like?

Are you investing in different?

Like?

What are you doing? Because I am doing that?

So you scamming whatever whatever you're doing to make your money? Like do you have money to play with outside of that? To whereas though you could say, like and you know, I bet I'm going to use the machine. I'm not gonna take a lot of money. But I'm definitely gonna use a machine because I.

Got a millie over here to live off in another.

Five hundred whatever your number is, to put into a project. Right, if you have that, I would say, don't take a lot of money from the label, use the services.

Take just take enough. I don't even know if I'm saying too much. Take enough to where though, It's like, until.

We get to the point where we one hundred percent don't need the politics anymore, because we people say, oh, you won't need it's the politics are still there.

Okay, we ain't there yet. We might be there soon, but we ain't there yet. So let me ask you.

We all know this rumor, right that it takes like one hundred thousand to one hundred and seventy five thousand to make a record, a hit record.

I don't even know if that's true.

No more.

I think it just depends on your relationship. I'm asking, yo, I'm asking because back then, that's how it was. Back then, it was cutting drive.

We know, yeah, yeah, crazy change though, dirty station, crazy dirty station?

Right now, for sure, I.

Don't know how you pay that one fifty you automatically added to the Spotify playlist or you automatically add added to the action.

It's about relationships, bro, Yeah, because money, right, But like I think I think it's more about relationships and like, you know, the bread, but the relationships too, bro.

You know because right now, what do you think is more about Is it more about the playlist or is it more about the actual radio?

I think it's about your relationship with your fans mixed with everything else, how you perceived, how hard you work with, how people will receive your music, how people feel about you overall, like their relationship with your music. You know what I'm saying, Because some artists, I'm like, I'm like, damn, Like I can't. I don't know what artists like. Don't ask me.

I'm a little lit right now.

But like some artists they have the music, but they don't have the relationships. And then you go, you know, they can sell some of the artists can sell tickets. Some artists can strain records. It depends on your relationship with overall, with the whole situation. It depends on how you bring yourself. It depends on what you've been putting energy into. Some artists are great touring artists, but they don't necessarily stream. Well, some artists stream great, but then

Is radio still necessary.

If you can afford it, If you can afford it, yeah, just for the Yeah, if you can afford the Just what are you talking about, like mainstream, you're talking about top forty?

What you talking about?

I'm talking about period because like like like I guess today I went to New York City?

Was it yesterday? Day before? Yes?

I think the expectations for major artists is to break records at top forty and be on radio, and artists major artists like artists that are like artists like myself or somebody that's been in the game for a long time. It's like, oh, if you don't have a record at top forty, then you have him. But for me, I identify success with the overall your personal life and your business life and your artist's life.

It's not even about what's going on on the internet no more.

Bro.

I can promise you that I haven't had a hit and I stopped counting the years, but I've had motion and the way that I think, in the way that I move outside of music, and my relationships and the things that I invest in, certain things like I don't necessary I love music. I do it because I love it, and I do it because it's quick. It's like, to me, music is equivalent of street money. I can I can leave here tomorrow and go make eighty thousand, one hundred thousand of the show.

But do you feel me? But I don't have to hit but then the audience I wish, But I'm so grateful for it. Thank you guys, Thank you to the fans. Thank you so much.

Well, I'm saying that to say that, but I'm saying that to say, bro, I've evolved as a being. There's so many other things that I'm meant to outside of music business wise that I don't have.

But I make the time for it.

But it's harder because as the artist, you gotta go to the show, you got to be present, you got to be at the production meetias. You gotta be And I wish that's something like I'm like, Damn, I wish I had two days of spare sock and folks on this other business venture. That's about to make me twenty million, that's what and so not for sure one thousand percent. And then so it's like it's blessed to have both sides. But where I'm at missing now, it's a different place.

How you're setting your whole life up. About the smoking mirrors, real life ship.

Now I can truly see that that you're a person, whether in the beginning or the end or wherever it is, that you learn how to play the game, and you didn't let the game play you, my brother.

Man, that's the solid serious man. Listen, you don't understand. I've been in this game twenty seven years. I've seen like that. Huh. It's called heavily Heavenly Sockey. I don't work for them, not yet. I'm throwing my hat in the ring. It's nice. Yeah, it's like it's like a little it's like a gobby in like a sweet like sweet.

Yeah, it's Cool's cool, yeah man, But that's the definitely, can't let the game play you, nah, because you know why, I have a son. One day I'm teaching them Monopoly and Chess off top, putting books in front of them all top.

You know you got a daughter though, right, No, I got no kids yet. Okay, okay, since you say that in the Bropast club, I thought she was shooting the club. Great, Yeah, it's great. People been saying have the Fathers Day to me too. Maybe it's something bal I don't know. You get you an Oh my god, he didn't have it in twenty two years. This is this thing.

Were go, hey, mister Lee, don't laugh too for our laugh to you. He's fifty nine.

This is different. This is different. Shout out to all the moms and dad's out there, you know, handling the responsibility perspecting these kids. Man, kids, kids is the most vulnerable that they're some of the most vulnerable in our societies, you know, kids because the world is like you know, they don't even understand what's happening in the world all way. You know what I'm saying, That we're on the front line of standing up or creating the world that they're

This was like, no, I ain't gonna lie. You got your R and B ship going on right now? What this was this a photo you did for this?

You're about to do it type of he's bringing the wrong boxes. I don't know why. That's what I was screaming early Okay, photo shoot. You know what I'm saying, I get it, bro may hate you know what I'm saying. I got done done? Yeah, man, So what's the next? Yeah? Mario. What's Mario doing next? Musically?

Experiments and having fun with it, bro, you know, you gotta have fun with it right now. I got some music coming out, singles coming out, you know, into my next project. I got album out called Glad You Came Up, put out in December. But you're just having fun with it, bro, you know, really experimenting and working with people that I'm having fun with. Acting too, Yeah, no, I got to, Yeah, for sure, I got. I got a few things in

Not just the acting.

I've done the acting, but just like do you know, intellectual property wise, like having my own production, having my own screenplays, the ideas that I come up with with my team and we build you know, because it's it's yeah, it's it's my mind is its constantly moving in that direction. I got investments that have made like certain experiences that I'm creating. Right now, I can't talk with it. I

Right, Yeah, you got a role for you want my acting coach? Coaches don't make enough money, but yeah, bro, that bro.

And you know, of course like taking the music and the touring to the next level, you know, really tapping back into the performance bag.

And loving the love the performances. And yeah, bro, just stepping back again, rewinding the times, if you will, rewinding the times hypothetically speaking, right, Yeah, I said, man, Mario, good.

Join one group, I guess, joint one group, joint one group for one week?

What group you join?

Its great question? Uh, let's say the five Heartbeats don't exist.

We gotta be they gotta exist. Real group right now? Liggas don't got groups no more? What groups exist?

Right now? All right? Just maybe you artists. That's a lot. All I'm gonna go with.

Groops. Damn, that's kind of crazy, all right, I'm gonna say, uh, it's between.

Jagged Edge mm hmm, I say Jagged Edge, bro Jagged Edge and who else?

Who's the other choice? And T G T that's Tank. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see that.

Not even on some like I just I feel like I could bring something different to the group. Really, you know what I'm saying. Uh, you know what I mean, fighting and all that is great. I know all three of them. You know a lot of d m V ship, a couple of West Coast Yeah, okay, cool, jagged As though, Yeah, I feel like that would be some ship for sure. I ain't gonna lie.

I will pick new Edition, Okay, I would pick the eighties new edition put on my Yeah, for sure, I'm gonna be.

Ready for my propogative. Okay.

Like if Bobby asks is I'm okay, you got you got you want to stop drinking? You gotta stamping it like.

I forgot that.

Taking back sounded jagged just on some you know some jagged as just on some you know crooning.

They made classic music records that will play that every wedding. They still got Yeah, I drink good all night. They could drink. What was that versus experience like with you and Marion?

For me?

It was great.

Yes, it's a great experience for me for sure. You know that she was crazy, bro, it was dope. I mean, I feel like going into it, I already knew. It was like you being on the block with the homies talking sh and playing good music and singing. It's like karaoke, you know what I mean, but you're singing your own music, you know. And I don't know what aspect of it this is. There was a lot going on.

It's a pandemic, so of course there's a lot going on. People are scared, and then here comes versus entertainment. Everybody's at home.

That's crazy, you say a lot of people don't bring up the pandemic part, but it definitely was.

That's the big part. Yeah, together, it was together. Did you see it? I did see it, but I don't remember it. That's when that's crazy. You were right, Yeah it was.

It was.

It was yea, yeah, it was. It was truth, me against Mario and his whole army. I had a whole army with him.

It was crazy, bro, I didn't even know he had allies like that. I know, at the end of the day, it's all, you know, it's all for the love of music. But I definitely didn't know he had allies, you know, so I had to like it was like I had to like take him all down one by one, sniper, like my god, like a good snipper. But yeah, it was cool, man, it was good. It was a good knight for R and B. You know what I'm saying, Yeah, arm beat.

It was at one point, you know, a person you know what what what he kept saying, you know, I'm gonna make R and B alive again.

I'm going to make R and B alive again. Where else was he saying, huh what else what they're saying, that's what they're saying, I'm R and ME back. It was basically, uh, you know the guy, yeah, lovey, it's okay.

All right, But did you ever ever heard that statement like where where people felt like, you know, at one point, even now, I said that our forefront of one of our forefathers, said hip hop is dead. Yeah, and you know people have to you know, refute him, and you know, he embraced it. And he was like, Okay, well maybe hip hop isn't dead. Maybe he lives in the South, or maybe he lives in London or whatever whatever is ever a time where people were saying that, like, you.

Know, R and B is dead and you personal. I never took a person of Okay, but you heard them for sure.

Okay, I only took a person when they started trying to paintings less.

That's what it was like. Damn, Like okay, now I'm taking the person I was personal, you know, but like, nah, I think that this is what we do. You know, we are we We are innovators, bro. We innovated hip hop. R and B. We're the innovators of this culture.

Bro.

So it is our conversation. But it's almost like us what we're doing on the internet. But if we were all sitting at that conference talking about it, like Nigga.

Army is saying, all right, when you should have did Nigga, you're the one that you need to do what you need to do. It's just like we.

Are having this conversation out in the world, you know, for the world to get involved in it, you know what I'm saying. So, yeah, I'm glad that they have, because it's a reason why I feel like, you know, it's still here, is because we continue to have the conversation and we continue to push the culture forward by having a conversation. But also I think that the problem, I feel like it's the people that have control over

Right. So I went to the BT Awards this past one. Yeah, okay, and.

You know, I was just coming back from the UK and Europe on my tour for Glad You Came album.

They hit us about, you know, doing the BT Experience. Yeah, glad you came for the album. That's that's out. I took that wrong. We're bad, You're good, but.

It's glad you came. Yeah, for sure, we are though, you know what I'm saying. We glad you came for the experience.

But it's like they hit us to do the BT Experience.

I'm so happy, like grateful, But when I didn't even know they were doing a one on six in park situation. But the timeline of that everybody was on that like it was no reason why I should put a pump on the Red Carpet show, because that was the moment where you should have had a Mario performance in the actual show, you know what I'm saying, Like that wasn't There was some good, decent performance, but as far as what I do and what I represented during that time, it was missing from that set.

And I feel like those are the moments where you know, we got to represent R and B and represent our culture the right way. We don't do it all the time.

And this is not even me, Like I speak about myself a third person all the time. Bro, I promise you that I really I'm so happy in my life, like I'm really blessing and I enjoy my life outside

It wasn't represented that night.

I feel like in terms of male artists from that era, it was missing from the stage that night, on the main stage outside of hold On, even though Jamie Jamie Fox is the first of all, Jamie Fox is the goat, like you can't even but in that era, I mean, like of my you know what I'm saying, the artist that was out that time.

Yeah, but I think.

One of the things I did see this was one of the best bets put together for sure.

Yeah, one thousand, one thousand percent. It was an incredible show. Yeah, one thousand percent, big up, constant, juice Ski Bro, big up to.

The whole new regime of young artists, like it was. Can you trying to make it seem like I'm down the whole show.

I did not know.

I see you look like face because you know, look at your face?

Hold On, be honest, I didn't see the whole Awards show. I've seen clips of it, so I'm bro show. Yeah, pointing out the clip I saw, Bro, I.

Don't I never go outside. I went to these BT wards. I knew how incredible it was going to be. I'm specific talking about should be talking about R and B bro specifically. Yeah, I understand, no, Bro, Yeah, it was an incredible show, bro, Like I was inspired, like super inspired by it, super inspired.

So everyone, you know, they have their ten year career and the new thing is now to venture out and do something different.

We know you do after acting. You know, we got the production. But is there anything that you think of a podcast? Anything that I think stream like that? I would do that? You for yourself? Would you do a park? Not yet? Okay, because AI shifting.

Everything is shifting, money shifting, the way niggas is paid shifting. I'm a businessman, so I'm thinking five years ahead. I'm like, Okay, what podcasts gonna look like in five years?

Take home. I'm not saying they would take over, possibly in some ways, but like I'm just saying, like the structure of it business wise, if I don't show up another no, no, no, I'm not saying that.

I'm saying that the way you get I'm saying that the way you getting paid right now may change in the.

Next three we get mustered together. I know, Bro, I'm not saying you had I know, I see you. I heard the conversation was having outside who was coming in. I was talking about money.

I respect it, but I'm saying that, Like, I'm like, Okay, if I'm gonna do it, I want to do it at the highest level possible for me. And then I'm like, okay, well, other things can I integrate from the other relationships that I have. I'm just thinking, you know, yeah, you put it together, time illusion experiences. How do I calculate my time with experiences? How do I want to experience things?

In the future.

So like, Okay, I'm gonna do a podcast right now, but like maybe the shifts and changing may happen in the next year that make niggas get pay more. Right, maybe I should wait a year and just to vet the content. But you know what I'm saying, I don't know. I just be thinking, like I'll give you one advice about the part, bro. That's kind of like it cuts through the thing.

Like I wish when I was making records that I had these algorithm numbers, because what I mean by that is, you know how you you go on tour, right, and you're going to all and you go to these miscellaneous states. I'm not going to say a state because I want to go back to there because if they pay me, I'm going back. But you go to these miscellaneous states that don't really matter in your algorithms of selling albums.

Right.

So what happens is they'll put you, like the record label will put you on this whole toll and it'll be a thirty two cities tall because the reason why they put you in a thirty two city tour is because they have to eat up their budget.

But you're in places that it doesn't matter. But right now I can see exactly actually what thirty two states that, right, and they might not be the states that people think.

It's not gonna be the states. And guess what, We're okay, we're going to Little Rock, Arkansas. We're okay with going to fucking s outskirts of Delaware. We're okay to go on the Sacramento Sure, but I don't want to go to Las Vegas because you think there's Las Vegas and.

No one gives a fuck about it. No one in Las Vegas. They're thinking about hookers and fucking his passion. Right now, they ain't thinking about hookers and gambling.

Why the fuck away in Lost Bank? You under stayd I'm saying, so I'm thinking about it. So all these twenty seven years, I'm looking like that.

I got jerked.

For twenty seven years, they sent me to the to the places that they wanted them to descend, to eat the budget up. But right now I can Lil Wayne can do dreams champs, and I can say, Lil Wayne, go here here, here, here, here, here, and stay the fuck away from here here here. You had four views there. What do you do you think those four people are gonna come out fifty five times? Let's get the fuck

Just tell you something.

Man say, I'm not gonna say the state away from such and such, go over there, go on this whole side, This whole side is with.

That like that one like you hit Holy it's real ship. Though, I'm being honest with you.

When I saw when I saw like, I started to study the algorithms of what we're doing here, and I said, if I was to drop a record right now, I would not.

I would not any for fifty two states. That's when we got fifty two, right, fifty all right, whatever, man, I gave you a sex for two all right, so fifty states, right, even the fifty states. I would not hit fifty states.

Like if they gave me a budget, I would hit the twenty two that I know I can double up on me because there was twenty two.

Okay, let's just.

Let's break it down. I'm just giving you an example. Just say the twenty two is one is Pennsylvania. I can break it down from Philly to penn State to Harrisburg. Those are three different stops in that same state. And I can do the same exact numbers, probably even more and didn't move on.

So it's no wasting time now.

So now, Leo Colns told me it's the best time to drop music in the music industry because you don't have to you know, package it and you know do all that.

I agree with that.

Actually, yeah, I do agree with that. And it's crazy because after this album came out, I was like, yo, I just I want to do it one more album. That's just like a passion project, bro, And then after that, I just want to start. I have thousands, like broad I, let's say thousand, but I probably got at least eight to nine hundred records, if not more. Wow, that's just sitting in hard drives. Not to say that those deserve

You know, it's it's not even you just got to have fun with it and do do what you want to do what you love and have fun with it.

Bro.

Give the people the music. Stop holding back. You know what I'm saying. I'm in that in that vibe right now for sure, like you are.

You are technically the Kevilliles. Now you are technically Leo Cohns like you.

It's crazy.

You can show like from what you do from here on out, yeah, and follow you can show the next generation like yo, listen, we could be signed to ourselves, not for sure, you know what I'm saying, and move and move.

Ourselves like it. I'm sorry to put the responsibility on you like that. That's fine. I've already taken onto it, taken on the respons Yeah, for sure, you know exactly. For George, I love it. I love hearing it from you. You know what I'm saying. You've been in the game for a long time, bro, even like the podcast, like this is a whole other space. Yeah, I mean, how many hours a day do you have to spend on this?

We're organic, like if a person comes to Miami with it, but we don't like have like schedules, and so you.

Can do a lot of like this, Like you can do this and then go do like you don't have to like you're not sitting here all days. So yeah, I mean it's it's definitely a space that I've thought about tapping into, but like it has to be I wanted to be a little different, but like, yeah, bro, you know it's it's what it is.

What I'm trying to tell you is it's catering to your audience. That's what I say. It's like, you know, like sometimes you know, like I stopped doing.

Shows right after this ship happened because I don't want to go to a show and I'm going to I'm going to see this guy's fans.

I'm going to show with this guy's fans, right, Like, so, I don't want to be. I don't want to be.

I'm jealous, like I want, I want my fans, right yeah, if I'm not doing it, And then I say the time, you know, I've got to realize. Yes, I started to realize, holy shit, certain people, all right, let me let me give that.

Let me I'm sucking up this story. Let me let me just give them.

It's only two times in my whole career twenty seven years, I felt like I traded fans. It's only two times, like me doing records with Redman and method Man.

God bless them, I love them. We were the fucking same fans.

It's the same exact fans me doing records with Cameron, It's the same exact fans me doing records with Mardy.

It's the same motherfuckers they brought us that. You use the same toothbrush they use the same, the same the owner man, and the same lotion. Right.

Only two times I ever felt I traded fans. When I did a record with R Kelly and when I did the record with Daddy Yankee. Wow, I felt their audience followed me, and I was just like, oh, okay, that's what a collaboration means. When you collaborating with the person with the same audience, that's not collaborations, that's just you being Sometimes.

She's doing it for the culture, if I get it. But yeah, I got a hit record, Yeah I got this a hit.

But it's just if it's just if it's just to collaborate, that's it kind of doesn't matter.

I'm just being honest with you. It's it's a classic to y'all.

If it's not a classes to the people who gives a fuck, you should have never throw it out, you know what I'm saying, So.

All right, dam coming out, I'll tell you that. Let's take a shot, yo, Mario Man, thank you, man, thank you for coming for I wanted to ask him something. We take a pee though everybody took a peep of me. Still ask the question when you come back.

I know you give it up for writers who have done some writing for you on some of your projects. Yeah, are you big into the writing? Have you written for anybody else?

You know?

I've written records that could one thousand percent for other artists, But I've been stingy meant like, because I've been more instrumental in my own writing, I'm like, yo, I need to really like, I want to get some records off that I wrote for me versus like other artists writing for me. That's what I've been on lately. But one thousand percent you'll you'll probably see in the next.

Couple of years, like records that I wrote for other artists for sure that I just haven't used.

So I definitely got some fire in the in the in the chap for sure, in shame. So yeah, I got some fire in the chamber that I'm ready to drop.

So yeah, we're looking forward to that. Yeah, for sure. I just not yo, yo, you're taking us at you with my whiskey. I seeing you big yeah, with the biggie, I see you. Yeah, man.

You know from here, you know, we level up generational wealth, you know, yeah, to make sure we you know, anywheregotiate artists for sure. You know, I'm building so the way I see it, right, you know how you know Motown was back in the day hmm, when the artists would get signed, they had a family for them to come to.

When I say family, I don't mean.

Like, oh, little, but they had me, like they had producers, they had writers, they had songs already had you were coming into a system that was already Not that I want to make an artist other artist music, but just like a community. So right now I'm building a community

It was my own brother.

So New Citizen I started when I did my first independent project. And it's crazy that the name new Citizen, you know, it's just how it relates to what's going on in the world today, like really becoming a new citizen of your own personal universe.

That's what I created for. Well, yeah, bro, you know that's that's the thing.

I got New Citizen investments where I invest in different projects, random shit that you would never expect me to be that I'm into, not on the actual like me putting out coins, but I've invested in companies that have both coins and also have tangible assets as well. So yeah, and they're doing like ship all across the board like so yeah.

Yeah yeah, He's like yeah yeah yeah yeah. Bro. It's not bad though. So one day I heard you say, so let's talk about faster. Yeah yeah, okay, Now what form of fast than you talking about?

So the first fast day was for twenty six days, bro, water it was it was it was rich I was doing it, or organ cleanse Oh wow.

So there was a there's a guy that I was working at the time. He had developed these.

Organ supplements cleansing supplements, but in order to do them you had to not eat, so it's just like a water fast.

And it was like twenty six days. Well that was the twenty six days you fix twenty six days. I lasted twenty six days. Yeah, okay, wow, I last it.

Yeah.

And you know, I think people are more comfortable speaking about these things today.

You hear about it.

But it's true with what we talk about in terms of really getting to that level of connection with God and with yourself that it's impossible to do without fasting.

There's no other way to.

Experience there's no other way to experience spiritual awareness and evolution like fasting. Besides fasting, honestly, because you're want to face so many parts of yourself that you didn't even know was there. You're gonna face your damer You're gonna face your emotions, You're gonna face your fears. You're gonna face your desires, your fleshly desires, your human desires. You're gonna face all of you know, all of the things

They used to say fast to feast, sat again.

They used to say faster feast, like you fast for three days and then you go feast and then you fast again.

That's what they said. Okay, back in the days. That's where okay, fast thing comes from. Okay, okay, faster feast. Yeah, I didn't feast.

I didn't feast on twenty six days. When I did, it was all fruits, it was all that.

It was soups.

No, No, it was just a huge freeze and raw foods like vegetables and raw But this was also during the time where the energy on the planet wasn't as intense. Okay, there's a little lighter okay, right now. I don't think I could do that because I'm I stepped back into music. I stepped back into the you know, I stepped back into the field in a different way. I wasn't around people at the time. I wasn't nobody was feeding off

We shot. No, I'm trying to buy past ship.

I got it.

I gotta do that with my business. Yeah, you asked me a question, want to I signed up for this show? Nah?

But yo, it's it's it's it's Bro's it's simple, bro. It's you know, when you start the body and the physical of all of the things that make us weak, then you tap into your true light.

Bro.

This is it's it's something that you can't really arguate it. Science is something that our ancestors do. Is something that you know, we've even practiced that we don't remember.

We forget because our memory gets white and ship, you know, we forget the things that we were born with.

You know, our ancestors practice, and so those days starts to come back to you. The body starts to eat away at all of the bullshit.

I said, Yeah, that's you fastened. And then those who choose to take that route and to take that that that.

Journey, get initiated into their own level of awareness and spiritual.

Advancement.

You know what I'm saying. It's one of the best things you can ever do for yourself. I see a lot more people doing it today than I've ever seen, and I love seeing it.

I've seen Kevin Gates talk about it as well.

Kevin Gates talk about it, and Eli Chapter talk about it. It's a real thing, bro, It's it's Nigga's not just yeah, it's real.

You know.

Celibacy fasting, whether you're preserving your energy, you're preserving your energy.

You're tapping back into your your true self, your true light, your true powers.

I did two years, year and a half. Honestly speaking, I did the year and a half. I would say two years, but I did the year and a half. Celibacy, Yeah, no jergging off neither.

Nothing bro my nigga nothing, bro nothing nothing nothing. Now that's discipline, like he can win man. But it's right.

But again again, now we were. Now we're going to a different side of the interview. All right, let's go on over here. Okay, this is not anything. All right, let's take it. Let's take it to a whole other level. Imagine thousands of years ago or hundreds of years ago, what.

Everyone want to call it.

You are a man and you're set to go on the journey to another part of the land. You got to leave your wife and kids.

You're going on another part of the land that you're set out to find, a new space, a new country, a new whatever. And you're emperor. Okaying.

At the time, it's like, Yo, I need you to get on this ship with two hundred other men because I believe that.

There's something on the other side of this water.

Say one of Abo Bakari's you know generals that's on one of those ships that you sent over from right, you can't have sex.

You know how long it's gonna take you to get to the west.

Right, But along that journey, all that energy that you are holding is giving you the strength to go on this journey. I'm just using this as an example. You're not thinking about sex while you trying to survive. You're not thinking about sex. You're not thinking about You're thinking about Okay, I'm on this voyage. I'm on this journey, you know. You know, I think that we think about all of these things more because we're in the world

I want some.

It's like, nah, Like, as men, we got to redefine what true power is, especially in this in this where we are now. We need as much energy in quarter as we can get to get through is happening right now, you know what I'm saying. But that's just the way I look at it.

You know what I'm saying but because it's yeah like you you like girls will trying to come on to you, don't give them to your your number, none of that.

Facts. They ain't in the room. You're hard to get. That's what's up, spun man. You know what I'm saying, because she has set you up though, yeah, set up. You ain't been in them headlines, that's what you know what I'm saying. I understand the game. Yeah, you understand the game. Let me take a shot for that. Understand the game. It's about longevity. Bro Okay, I got you on my own page, Like, you know what I'm saying. You've been doing this ship.

We ain't even doing this for two weeks, man, So you got two weeks off, you said two weeks.

But two weeks before that, I went to Cairns and I went to Monaco. Yes, and this this is how rich stay was. I had a drone following me and nobody even looked at me.

You know, it's like it is different the white people like, who get a fuck? But it's like ship. But I just say that, And it's a new world that we're going into. You know, I feel like your energy is the new currency. And you know what I'm saying energy. I think that was very important what you said. You could steal your energy.

The newer that we're going into is just like you know, you you gotta be really aware of everything you know that's happening.

As there's like a big there's there's a wave of.

You know, shifts that's happened that's going to make a lot of people rich really quick. And if your mind is not on the frequency of like what's happening and thinking for it, you might miss out. You might have an idea right now that you're sleeping on or not. You or somebody might have an idea right now, but because they're focused on feeding their senses and they're not even thinking about this ship, they're like, I'll get to it, Like nah, Like somebody else wanna do that idea and

I don't.

I don't talk about it a lot because I feel like I don't I don't want to. Social media is the Matrix and the devil, you know what I'm saying. So it's like I don't I don't like to like, I want to keep it pure. I want all my blessings. I don't want to mess them up.

So you don't be on social media.

I am on social media, but I only post like artistic things or like pictures of what I'm doing. I don't really post a lot about like the things that I'm doing right now. Don't really need social media to work.

That's what I'm saying. You fast for social media as well.

Back then, Yeah, I wasn't even on social media doing that fast. I wasn't on social media at all.

Okay, Bro, I was BRO. I wasn't around people, Bro, I was.

I was to myself when niggas be like Nigga would use that for I was literally in a whole over realm of existence really, Like I had just moved to La from Baltimore. I moved away from Baltimore because I had to or I was on dio B and jail right and so I just needed to completely shift my perspective on life, you know.

And I think people think like just because you've had success or just because you've had like like, nah, like real shit be happening in life where.

You actually have to preserve yourself in order to survive this shit life' is life, real life shit, you know, And so.

So I can be here today, you know what I'm saying. So, yeah, it's real, bro, It's real.

You know.

Don't take for granted all of the people you know, like the nine nineteen Keys of the World and all these other brothers that are out here, like really like trying to like explain to people, like yo, what the future is about to look like, because it's real.

It's a real thing, you know. I just it's it's it's real, man.

You know, if you're called to do something in your spirit is calling you to try something new or do something new or change your you know, the way you live in listen because you might be one of the ones that's actually supposed to liberate you're you know, your soul family.

You never know, would you ever do like a country album where I do a country album, but I do any type of album. I can do any type of music if it's with the right producers and the right energy. For sure. Yeah. Absolutely, Like say.

I played it role and like it was like I don't know, you know, uh, talking about when the country music was first starting to kick off in the black community.

You know what I'm saying, I would play I were playing it in the movies. Yeah for sure. I'm just saying, like, way is to tell different you know, because I feel like that story haven't been told yet black people in country music.

Yeah, black rock and roll has been told because it's actually documented that black people actually invented rock and roll.

Yeah, it's been told in the movie. Yeah, doubt for sure. Yeah, yeah, come on, come on for sure.

Yeah.

So anything else you want to tell your fans before you get about of here.

Man, that's bro. I mean, we just celebrated Mario.

Listen.

Sometimes be a good shoot on the rais the way you take shots. You know why we celebrating the career. I appreciate, man.

Let me just tell you something, man, you appreciate it. They say, go where you appreciate it or not where you tolerated.

Yeah, let's let you know. Thank you appreciate it and you celebrate. Appreciate you, and you motherfucking appreciate you.

Late and elevated. I represent us, you know what I'm saying. I represent strength, I represent focus. I represent you know US alignment, Bro, you know New Citizen, and what I plan to do over the next few years hopefully sets the standards for like new.

Artists coming to the game.

Bro.

A lot of people about to start making a lot of money real fast if they're focused. And I feel like, you know, invest your money, you know, make relationships, be uncomfortable a little bit. Sometimes sometimes a relationship that you're uncomfortable with can can take you into doors that you know you normally wouldn't get into. You know, invest your bread, bro,

Production hosts and executive producers n O r E and dj e FN.

Listen to Drink.

Champs on Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Drink Champs, hosted by Yours truly, dj e FN and n r E. Please make sure to follow us on all our socials that's at drink Champs across all platforms, at the Real Norrie go on I g at Noriega on Twitter, mine is at Who's Crazy on I g at dj e f N on Twitter, and most importantly, stay up to date with the latest releases, news, and merch by going to drink champs dot com