EYL #49 100 Bars & Running

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All right, guys, welcome back. E y L.

This is an extremely special special edition. I'm excited special, yeah for sure. Before we before we start, we got some housekeeping items. So if you follow E Y L. You know, we've been traveling around. We're hitting all of our major markets, so d C, d M V, Maryland, UH, Virginia. We are coming December seventh and December eighth. We got a whole e y L weekend planned and we're having a workshop on December seventh. Were two of our biggest alumni,

They give us court.

And then what they're gonna do is that anybody that comes to the podcast, they get tickets to the game right after the podcast. But it's not just a regular game. They play the Clippers, and the Clippers have one of the best teams in the league, one of the best players of all time, Kawhi Leonard and Load Management will not.

Management.

Kawhi's playing, Paul George is playing, so yeah so and we're also going to live stream the workshop too for fifteen dollars, pretty much giving it away. So if you're interested, go to unier Lesion dot com under the events tab and all of the information is there. So all right, So, as I said, this is very special because you know, music is part of our man. We grew up on hip hop specifically, and we just love music.

So we talk. We always quote jay Z all the time.

We always call all these rappers and because that's kind of how we grew up and just listening to rap, that's how we learned. Some things we learned good, some

Right. Yeah, so Bronxe native, we can't forget that.

Yeah. Yeah, you know Shout Corey. You know that's that's the birthplace of hip hop. That's that's where it started. So yeah, man, just a veteran in the game. Have been on major labels, independent labels, drop projects, worked with some of the biggest names of hip hop.

History, from Drake to Kendrick Lamar.

Yeah yeah, so.

You know, it's he's the perfect guest to have because you know, when we talk about entertainment, a lot of times people have aspirations of being in the entertainment business, but you know, they don't really know how to how that works, right, And I was telling Micky off cameras like, there's a lot more people that could relate to his story that could relate jay Z right, because as far as being an independent artist and making a living for yourself and going on tour and selling merch and all

Absolutely, thank you for having me in man excited.

Yeah.

So all right, so we're gonna kick it off a little different how we usually kick off the podcast. How we're kicking it off, all right, So said this all started with the Funk Flex Freestyle. So we're gonna try to We're gonna have one up on flex, one up on Flex. We're gonna very first, breaking history, very first, y l free style. Yeah, Man's gonna bless us with a hundred boss Yeah. Yeah, Lisa and we're gonna and we're going through it. So yeah, whenever you're ready.

Man, okay cool. Uh So I'm doing this freestyle you know what I'm saying off of band from TV. Shout out to Norri, Nature, pun I, p Cam and Swiss for making it.

Thank you, you know what I mean.

And I hit up for Shad. I was like, you know, I want you to pick the topic. I want you to pick the beat, you know what I'm saying. So Troy picked the beat. Rashad picked the topic. So you know today we're gonna be rapping about you know what I'm saying, entrepreneurs. You know what I mean.

Man, Let's get it going.

Let's do it.

Guys. In nineteen.

That's hour.

Yeah.

I saw what I did on the Flex Show, helping the people get out of debt. Bro Shan gave me a call and told me to flex Moe teach him how to work for himself to get Joe said, Joe, you can think ready for that? He said, Mick, give yourself more credit than that. You tell them the facts. That's when I start remembering back working at a law firm, sort and mailing the fact going to work very poor. I'm making twenty k a twenty four. I can't take it anymore. So I made it my business to make

Be a good and a bad guy. Let's start with the good.

Because you gotta find a niche example considered with mars A Choir Twitch. It was other chocolate bars right in the mix, but the company made tools.

Womaning gyro rich.

They saw with the need for something, so they created a product who appease the public. But you gotta do the same. Convent something in your own lane, create the value for the customer you can gain.

You could put a.

Barber shop next to a lounge, or start a laundering at in the college town. Got to know what you're getting into with the creative research.

Don't go and blind you.

The your arrogance. A doctors can't start a business without knowing its medicine, and author can't start a series without.

Knowing the narrative.

Experiment with the benefits of your market.

Know your demographics. Who are you trying to start with? What is your business plan?

Here's how you started.

What is your company about?

What do you call it?

Lady out the services, tell us about the product. Flesh out the numbers. What's your repende target and that's what you make hid now subtract what you spens just to make it. That's your profits and loss it yem sure, hold up. I might be stealing. God might give me your ticket from all the speakings. I might get banned from TV with this Preacher and Nor We're gonna have to re release it as a remix and old sixty five and mixtapes with DJ's walk back, he closing and

Wrong to other reasons.

Let me breaking down people. You can go to a neighborhood restaurant every other weekend the going siste kid because the owners with the beegan but he wants to sell it, so the food is the season. Other customers see that and start leaving. Now they gotta shut the business down where you're eating because the founder they want to keep it.

Another example to believe.

In is how how you rules the product to those who need it? Is it like breathing? Is it worth pulling my wild out with the feasons? Or should I pass des I ain't got financial freedom. See the things you gotta take in account. A real entrepreneur is never wait in it out. They start one company, let it make in them out, and then sell it before it gets placed in the trout and start another company. Every couple of years after and you can repeat those steps,

The best way to predict the future is for you to create it.

And this is for the work of bees.

Don't get cocky.

You get paid for your work.

Don't be snappy.

Don't ask to be the bossy whole shits sloppy because a brand new fighter just won't hit rocky. Ownership's not a reward for work. That's the paycheck. The ownerships of rewards for risks. That's the apex ostead of double tapping asses and muscles.

Google and research the past to the hustling.

Get you a mentor and asks about the struggle and learn from mistakes.

Don't brag.

Keep a subtle.

The last freestyle had the last Nigga puzzle. I ain't rap about a ring and how a flash.

On my knuckles.

A couple of people said that they was trapped in the bubble till they heard my freestyle, and they asked us to double some education and gets you a portions self education and get you a fortunate want to get rich. It's a passion. Trust me, and some people so poor all they really have is money. This verse ain't facetious. Take that lyric down and break the words and pieces. Get you a nice life. Work cohesion, get you one step closer to earn your leisure.

Heard you heard it? Listen, listen, listen, don't ever play yourself. Listen one take only Nickey Fast is burned down my house.

Man.

I'm glad I got insurance. Lisia has been earned, y'all shy man. That was first time ever. Yeah, first time ever or alsia. Yeah, they're gonna be hitting us out now.

Yeah yo yo, I was the first.

Yeah yeah yo.

Just listen to my demo.

Bro, No, that was dope. That was that was dope for me. Man, Once again, thank you for that. I appreciate it.

Absolu.

So yeah, this is gonna be. This is this is dope because all so we got the freestyle and just burned it, burned it down completely, and now we're gonna go into the to the interview part of it to let people know who you are, and then also to to give information for for artists out there that that.

May not know the game.

We said, it's not something that's taught. There's no manual for it. People learning on the fly, and forefathers before, you know, maybe they were learning on the fly as well, so they didn't pass it down. So we're gonna get into that today.

So can we talk about your journey? So it's interesting.

So you were saying you was, you was in college and she was in n y U and I guess after one year you just figured that school route wasn't for you, right.

Yeah, I mean I was. I was studying law, you know, and paralegal studies specifically, and I remember being in the front of criminal justice class drinking a triple shot of espresso with my coffee still falling asleep, and you know, I feel like, you know, and just education works for some people, but for others is to retain some knowledge. It's just it just didn't work for me in that way. So I decided that, you know, I was going to take something that I was doing as a hobby seriously.

So you started college already doing the music thing.

Yeah, I was already doing music before I went to college. I had prolonged college for like six years. I had went two thousand and seven. I had graduated high school two thousand. So as soon as I got to college, I deal with most black people do they just get a job because they want to get to the money. You know, they want money. So I went and worked for six years and then and I was like, all right, let me go to school to make my mother happy. But it didn't make me happy. So I just kind of left.

Twenty four thousand a year. Couldn't take it.

I was, yeah, it was literally and this was five four five was making twenty four thousand a year, you know.

So so all right, so you decided to drop out of school. What is it like, what's your next steps in order to pursue your music career.

I mean at that time, the internet was just butting and I buzzn't Yes, I was on MySpace heavy, and we were changing top eights. We was making people change their top aids, you know what I'm saying. And we just kind of we I had a graphic design person who knew how to work with the HTML and had our backgrounds looking good. So we was, you know, we was a kind of ahead of the game in that aspect.

It at that time, music is being stolen.

Music was right, it was being pirated still, but people were still purchasing. It didn't go into the era of free music just yet, like you could get freestyle like people who still buy music, but people would go on these sites to get freestyles and certain videos, you know what I'm saying, Because there wasn't I think iTunes was out, but it wasn't like concrete just yet.

Yeah, so you built a team around you. Yeah, so who's consistent in this team In the early.

Days, it was a Saint he was my manager and creative director. Then I had Steve O who was also creative director, slash A and R. I had a stylist Quas, I had a producer, Precise. I have my own personal assistant, Lakita. I had a hype man.

So how did all this come about?

Though?

As far as like, you leave college, I'm assuming you don't have any money.

I had ten thousand dollars save, all.

Right, So how do you fund the operation? At the beginning stages?

I mean in two thousand and seven, from what I remember, we I put all my money into a project called Flashback, which was basically wrapping over old school beats, but we had my producer remake them to be newer. We wanted to get DJs to but DJs were too expensive, so we just basically created it and put it on my Space. When we saw it didn't do anything, we put it

But at that.

Point we were using the Internet when other rappers really weren't. Like it was a couple of us like Me Cuddy, the cool kids, cool kids. Well while a we were like the ones using the Internet to get out whereas there was like at that time, it was like fifty cent Kanye. They were all still doing the traditional.

They were still like a crew love type situation, right, like the crew was hot and then somebody from that crew was goawing off and blow up.

But also the labels just didn't know how to maneuver it on the Internet. They tried to fight napster, they tried to fight technology. They they tried to fight all of that, and they didn't realize like they were guys that were more popular than me in the streets. But I was touring like I was traveling. I went to Japan, I went to China before I performed in New York

When you say DJs was charging too much, you mean in the sense of DJ's playing the records on the radio, or DJ's making actual records for you.

DJ's playing the records on the radio, DJs to take your song and put it on a mixtape, DJs to host your mixtape, DJs to play the music in the club, DJs to play the music at events. DJ is just they hear the song.

They wanted money, So that's crazy.

Payola, Paola, that's a real thing. Payola is a real thing.

If anybody's not payola. That's when you pay people to play music on radio station. It's a federal offense.

Right, it is a federal offense.

So people really do that, you know.

It's one of those things.

It's one of those things where incriminated.

No, no, I mean, I mean, it's one of those things where like if you hear a song on the radio, I'm I mean, first of all, I believe all of us in here, we grew up in the era of the nineties and the two thousands, Hot ninety seven. It wasn't power one five at that time. We all am not. We all tried to call up the Hot ninety seven. Any of us ever get through, No, no.

Never, I've never trying to call when when DJ red Alert was on Kiss FM, and did you ever get through?

Never?

Man, never, and you're not gonna you weren't gonna get through because it's already a programmed kind of situation. The music is already programmed for what they're gonna play. Program director, they already the songs are already programmed to play because of how popular it was already it already was, or because the label paid for that.

M So all right, that's interesting. I didn't know that even to for the DJ to either hear your record.

All you ever hear is like, yo, I don't take money.

I don't take a DJs have too much power, not anymore, they used to.

They used to have tons of power.

Yeah, because I would imagine, like and there was a certain time when DJs would break the record right right now.

Like the internet's breaking the record.

I mean, people break their own records.

I mean, I mean when I was when I was on Jive, I was frustrated because I was like, they wanted me to do the DJ stuff and DJ and I wanted to say I'm not against DJs, but I felt like it was archaic because like at some point, like people are not going to go to the radio to listen to music anymore. They're all now they're listening to music on Spotify, they listening to music on Title, They're listening to YouTube, you know YouTube. So I felt like it was archaic and they didn't want to hear

I was like, Okay, you know what's crazy is that, Like the first time I heard about Takashi was like I think a year and a half ago, and it was Uncle Murders Yearly Week. He does like the Yearly Reek after so he's mentioned his name. And when he mentioned his name, like, I like googled him, Like I looked on Instagram. And when I looked on Instagram, he had two million followers. So I'm like, how does he

The radio is only playing twelve records. If you listen to it, it's just twelve records over and over, just the time span and then like they have maybe a new at two section that's like forty five minutes throughout the day. Most people in their cars, it's the same records over and over. Unless they're doing like a show, like an interview that's coming on, that's it. Yeah.

I mean, I mean, like like with Rashaw just said like this, I find new artists and I be shocked that they have over five hundred thousand followers. I find new artists all the time and they just have tons and tons of followers and they sell out venues they don't. And I'm one million percent sure they didn't pay a DJ to be on the radio. They didn't pay anybody to make it happen. They just kind of had their

That's one of the things I think Brooklyn Johny has said that He's like, you want to make it get hot where you are right in your town, then the city will be in love with you, and then your state will find you and then by that time the industry will come get you. Yep.

That's how it works.

So all right, So in the next second, we're going to talk about your experience going from a major to be an independent or everything in between. All right, So you was telling me that you actually have an interesting experience because you you've seen all sides of the game. Yes, from from living the high life being on major labels, to having endorsement deals from Fortune five hundred companies yep, to be an independent and having to grind it out yourself.

Yeah, you know I heard Jim like Jim Jones was probably one of the biggest independent artists, right, and he had you know, independent independent until recently he's like, yo, you need the major because there's certain things that they can provide that you can't as an independent artist.

So your your experience, how was it being on because you're on a few majors, how was how was that experience?

I mean it was it was a great experience, and then it was like a weird experience. So the great experience of it was it was more clout for everybody basically, so like once you say a job recording artists mickey facts, it's like, ah, everybody's all over you. You know what I'm saying. But essentially what it is is a bank loan. You know, they give you a lot of upfront money and you use that money to live off of and

That's the events.

That's the events, and then the other half of the money is for your marketing budgets and whatever else that you spend studio time, features, production, things like that. And basically, if you run out of your money, of the upfront advance money. Then you have to kind of grind it out, but it's limitations on what you could do because the label still owns your name, content and things of that nature.

Before.

But one thing with me, like before I did my deal, I had to hond a commercial, I had a sponsorship with Puma, I had EA sports scenarios, so I had my own merchandise. So when I signed to Jive Battery, they couldn't take They couldn't three sixty me because I was already moving and I was already already had certain

They didn't understand me.

They didn't understand it because he wasn't invested into it.

Coach Chilling Labels.

So one thing, one thing that you said was interesting.

Because, like I said, we we grew up on hip hop and like even in my brain like I have, it's weird, like somebody else say something and then lyric triggers that I remember from fifteen years ago. So one of the greatest rappers of all time Cannabis right, he is one of.

The greats from last six It was pretty crazy.

It didn't work out for him, but people won't remember him. No, no, no, no, he's one of the great that boy. But one of the things that he always said that stuck with me. He said, he said, did you actually your label if it was with Coopable. I'm sure the vehicle was probably beautiful, but did you actually like label if it was with Coopable.

On the second half of the budget. So if you get if I had a million dollar deal, I would get five hundred thousand up front, and out of that five hundred thousand, automatically, my attorney has to get paid, my manager has to get paid, my accountant has to get paid. They keep the other five hundred thousand dollars to do everything that needs to be done in terms of marketing, studio time, features, and then the other Well, if it's five hundred thousand that I keep, I would

Also, it is taxed, So the three seventy five is really like two fifty.

I can you could have it taxed, or you can take it up front and handle it on your own. I took it all up front and handled it on my.

Own and pay the taxes laid on.

Yes.

So when a label says that when we hit a lot of times, they were cooping the money, how's that happen?

Right?

They're recooping the money off of your record sales?

All right, So the money that they gave you as advance, they're taking it back from what you sold.

Yes, in the event that you sell, In the event that you sell, in the event that you don't, in the event that you don't, you in the red. They could write you off as a tax as a as a tax right off, or you're in debt, you're on the label, you're in the red.

Yeah, So how is it as far as label politics?

As far as because you said when you switched labels, the other label didn't believe in in the project the way the first label did, right, So, like I always wanted it this too. Where it's like people push their albums back, Like how did what is it to say? Okay, you're green lit for a release in April?

Do you coming out?

Like how does that look from the inside, Cause a lot of people we just see from the outside of fans, this person's album keeps getting pushed back or this person quick but we don't know, like the single might not have worked, or they wanted him to go in a different direction, Like how does that work at that right?

A lot of times it's analytics that people that the other people in the office is you know, doing. So they'll put a record out for a feeler or you know, to to test it at radio to see what's going on, what's the response, and if they're not getting another if they're not getting a good enough response, they're not gonna start putting gasoline to the fire because the fire is

Of everything basically, So like when you said they could make it back off the album, is that when the points come into play.

Yes, that's what points come into play, and everybody gets a point. So basically you give a point to this producer for making a beat or if they made like if I paid Swiss to do three beats, I would give him a point on the album along. It's like you get ten to twelve points on an album album and the points go One point goes to executive producer, one point goes to another executive producer, then you give

Basically, so a guy like J Cole who produces the album has no features and executive producer, he's keeping all the points.

Yes, So what's difference between points and masters?

Masters are the master recordings that you own. So if this, let's just say, Earn your Leisure was a studio and I didn't sign a record deal. If I pay you to record here, I own my masters. If I come here for free to record here, Troy owns the masters. You know what I'm saying. Rashard owns the masters. If I sign a record label, if I signed a record label, if I signed a record deal, I relinquished my rights to the masters, depending on what kind of attorney I have.

People don't even know that, Like Alcaz has the biggest hip hop selling out of all time. Right.

But in the event that they didn't own a portion of their masters, the label could have said we're selling, we're licensing this song, and we're going to keep the money and they get a piece of the money, right.

And then and then the publishing is when the writing the writing and right right, So in the composition.

Yes, So a lot of times people get publishing confused when they read credits.

Right.

So when you consider someone like Drake, right, people say Drake has ghostwriters. And right when you look at the credits and you see someone like Drake's name, you see Aubrey Graham, right, and you see about ten of the names, they're like, oh, Drake has nine other writers. No, Sometimes I want to say, I want to say ninety nine one hundred percent of the time he's writing his records. I feel like that one time that you know.

He had reference track, say the entire entire song.

Yeah, that one time, I think I think it was I think he was trying to give someone a shot exactly. You know what I'm saying. He was giving somebody a shot, right, and it leaked. But when you see ten names on the project, music is written, there's a producers write music. It's not just producing you you're writing the music. So they're writers on the song as well. And if it's a sample, the people that they sampled are also in

Lyrics probably make more money off the album.

And you well, you see name on other people's but you know, I actually listen. I challenged people to look at them old albums and if you know some of these rappers governments names.

That was That's exactly how I started knowing everyone's name. I would read the credits and like.

You have to open them up opening and you can see who wrote it in the opening credits and all of that. So all right, So this is an interesting conversation because it's very complex and you obviously you are a very intelligent person, right, but you're taking a kid off the street with no education. How is he s posted to navigate through masters, publishing points, budgets.

How do you have And.

It's something that nobody taught you when you came in the game. Nobody taught me to know.

So it's like but a lot of it was also because I was working at a law firm like you guys are in the freestyle, So like I would give my contracts to the junior partners at the firm and we will all look at it together and they will break things down to me. So I kind of understood my contracts. So I had them checking my attorney's work, you know, and I'm checking their work. You know what I'm saying, check lawyers, and.

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I mean, I wasn't taught a lot. I wish I was, but you know, in this game, I just feel like, you know, black men, for whatever reason, they're just not, you know, reaching back, or maybe there is a disconnect. I don't want to say black men are not reaching back. Maybe black men do want to reach back. But I feel like there's a language barrier that has to be kind of severed in order for us to kind of, you know, interact with the younger generation. You know what

You know.

I went through that as a young artist. But if an older artist would have came to me and been like, listen, you need to do this, this, this, this, this is that and that and that I would have listened. You know what I'm saying. As far as your question, what does a young kid do? Man, I mean I would suggest, you know, being headstrong and trying to find a mentor.

It's interesting you said that because like when we spoke off camera and I was saying that, like Sequel is one of our favorite rappers. So when he said, with no union, no dental plan, I can't eat off one honey grant.

I got cavities, and I got cavities.

I need feeling, yo. So when you when when these are things that know? Until Seguel said that I've never even thought about it. Like, rappers have no union, right, even actors have a union, yep, rappers have no I heard nor saying like they like they should try to have a rappers union.

It's imperative because.

It's like even on a label, do they do they have benefits on a label?

Yes, you do get benefits on the label, but you have to opt into it, you have to pay into it. And again, once rappers get a check, that's it, man.

And is it the same if they get dropped from the labels, Like if I get fired for my job, obviously I'm not part of that anymore.

That's it what you're doing drop? Yeah, I mean it's it's one of those things where they're taking uneducated, impoverished black young men and young girls and throwing money in their face. So think about us eighteen, nineteen years old, seventeen, even twenty. If someone offers you a ton of money, you're not thinking about four one K, You're not thinking about health and arans because that stuff already comes out

And that's the thing too, Like you said, with the hotness, a lot of times you feel like you're in and you'll be hot forever, exactly like y'all got this, I'm on top of the world, but in three years you're not on top of the world.

Are you already spent your bread? Yep.

So it's like, what do you do You don't have any formal education, and always said the music business. I want to actually this because we like being in like we're interviewing people now kind of like making all rounds around the music industry. So I told Troy, I'm like this, this music industry. I remember Chris Gotti told us this when you interviewed them.

Shout to Chris.

He was like this, this isn't a real industry. It's the only place where you can be a high level executive with no qualification.

Like you know what I'm saying.

You know that's true.

I mean it's we run into people and we're.

Like, really, like, how do you how you call? How did this happen to give somebody a million dollar budget? You don't, you're just friends with somebody, but you just.

You was hanging out with them and they.

Put you on intern and you learn here, and it's like, we have a good you picked the right record, you were there at the right time, and that happened to a lot of guys, and.

You're a senior executive because you picked the right guy at that time. Yep.

But then somebody else told us that that's kind of done on purpose because the higher ups keep it unorganized, unprofessional, because it's like a bunch of chickens just running with the heck's cut off. The artist don't really know what they're doing, but a lot of executives don't really know what they're doing either, but the high level executive they know.

Like.

So I was going into the off I was going into the label every like twice a week, and it was to the point that people thought I was an employee there because I just wanted to know what was happening with my project every two days. I just needed to know, you know what I mean. And that's how I was able to have a great rapport with a lot of the people that were there. I was about to call them co workers, but they were technically were

It's like, I just want to create the music. I just want to create.

That's what Cheese says.

Jesz has a clip that's one viral on Instagram saying that he got taken advantage of because he wasn't educated pretty much paraphrasing, he wasn't educated on music business. He had lawyers that screwed him over, and he felt he felt intimidated to even let somebody know what was going on because he's geezy, he's a snowman, so it's like for him to get ripped off, it's embarrassing, and he just went with it because he didn't know.

He didn't know what to do.

How do I tell somebody like I'm the snowman and this little guy over here with a bow tie every day.

I Mean, it's frustrating because this should be some sort of educational workshop for new artists that come into the game. There's so many people that don't know anything about the music business. And a lot of times these guys, they some of these guys don't finish high school and they, you know, they get into the game and they just think the money's going to come in forever. But think about, like if it comes at all, right, but think about

That's a fact.

So that's a perfect sebuay into our last seven, we're gonna talk about the independent game, what you got going on now? And yeah, educate people want to be talking about the major side, we're gonna talk about the Yeah, all right, So in the last seven, we're going to talk about the journey, your journey as an independent artist. This is something I think is extremely valuable because, as I said, there's a lot more independent artists out there,

Right?

As far as is it is it you fund the stuff yourself or is it that they funded a hybrid approach?

Like, how does that work to be an independent artist?

I mean, there's different ways to be an independent artist. The best way to just kind of explain is tell my story real quick. I mean, after leaving the label in twenty twelve, at the beginning of twenty thirteen, I had ninety thousand dollars in the bank, and then at the end of twenty thirteen, I had four dollars and fourteen cents in my bank. Account. I made a song about it's called four fourteen.

Yeah.

I say remember yeah, because I remember looking at the bank statement like this is that's unbelievable, and that I think my back was against the wall because, like we said earlier, I didn't have any job experience from twenty thirteen, well from twenty seven to twenty thirteen, so I'm looking at six years of just not working, just doing music. So I panicked. I tried to get a job. It didn't work, so I was like, okay, I have to be an artist. Even though I quit, I was like,

Okay, so how is it as far as like, do they distribute your music as well?

Yes, they distribute all my music on all streaming platforms and they handle that side of it, so I'm able to give them my whole catalog. They take a percentage off of that catalog, and I get a check every month.

So everything you did prior to coming to the independently though, you have.

I own? Yeah, I own everything, Yeah, even from the label, because again I didn't sign a three sixty deal and I was in the black. I was not in the red.

So all right, So as far as like press, do you do you handle that yourself or is that you get help with that?

I handled my press myself. I mean, on my last project, we hired a publishers to do the work, and he got me on you know, some some online sites and some playlists on some streaming sites, and you know some radio on serious satellite and things like that. So that

You know. Yeah, how about Tory, I know you mentioned you had a booking agent. That's still true or do you handle that now yourself?

Yeah? I handle all my booking now. I mean I had an agent last earlier this year, but it just didn't work out the way I wanted it to work out, and even previously I had agents before. But you know, I have a baby on the way, I have a wife at home, so if they're not booking me the shows, I have to book my shows myself, okay. And I hired promoters to you know, get the people in there. Along with promoting on my own and making it happen. And you know, running a van on my.

Own, you know you're putting the money up yourself.

Yeah, I put it up the money myself.

So all right the road.

So you talk about streaming, how much do you get paid for stream Like what's that breakdown? Because I've seen a bunch of different numbers on the internet, like a quarter, a fraction of a penny for every stream? Is there a set number that everybody gets for streaming?

Or yes, everybody gets the same set number. It's like zero point point point point. No, it's point it's zero point zero zero zero six. And then the numbers is like pi three point four world, you know what I'm saying. But it's basically zero point zero zero zero six. And then you have to make you have to stream so much in order to see like a decent jack.

What's the what's the one that you get paid for the most? Like streaming service?

Is it title?

They say?

Title is the is the morning the most? You get paid the most from title? But you still need all all streaming sites in order to get a decent jack. You can't just put on title. So for instance, like what my when my pay she comes in every month? You know, it's not just title. It's title, it's Spotify, it's Pandora, it's Apple Music, it's iTunes when people purchase the music, which is always the best because you keep eighty percent of the money. So if it's ninety nine cents,

How do you make it to those curated playlists because like I'm not just saying, I'm thinking, like songs just pop in there. Like once I download a certain playlist, if a new artist comes in it just do you have to pay for that? As there's somebody at the streaming service that actually just says, oh, I like that song, we're putting that in there.

I mean, sometimes it's the labels that own the playlist. Sometimes if you're very cool with the people that run the playlist, you can get lucky. Or if you're a very popular artist and the song is very popular, they'll the person who runs the playlist will put that song on the playlist, but you know, the labels figured it out, so they kind of have control of everything.

Again, So like, are your payments coordinated through like all seven that come to you streamlined at one time? Yes, from and that's from the label that puts it on. Yes, Then they cut the check, then they take a percentage out of that, and then they putting all right, So it's like CD baby or something like that, right, or toon Core.

Or toon Core right. But sol Spasm is my distribution, so and I guess my checks would be different from another person's checks because I have sixteen to seventeen projects, so I'm like steps ahead of someone who might only have two or three projects. You have leverage, so like I'm getting a substantial amount of money every single month.

That's mixtapes and albums can combined.

But the mixtapes all right, so let's talk about mixtapes mixtape that's how does that work?

Same same thing? Could you put mixtapes on streaming services too?

Right now people are putting them on there, but before it was the cool But I think you can put them on there now, but it's still it's still like.

What's the difference, Like, like I know Drake put out a playlist, then there was there's mixtapes.

And there's albums. He just came out with his first album, but he has like six projects. What's the differences.

It's not like.

The marketing rollout from the label. Okay, that's the only thing different. Because he was on he's on Massive Pill Deaf Jam, I believe. So massa Pill was handling the mixtapes and they were putting that stuff out, so he was probably getting financed by mass A Pill. They were, they were handling that. But then this big project is a death Cham thing, so like deaf Cham is now handling the rollout. They're probably taking that budget from when he first signed four years ago or whatever, and now

How about endorsements that I know you said that you have one with a Sports and Puma and of course.

Yeah you got the before Yeah, I mean a lot of that stuff was before I had did my record deal. So they just were interested in the brand they built. They bought into who I was, what I represented. They saw that, you know, this kid is an image that can be pushed out there without being too flashy. That was one of the reasons why Honda chose me, because I was not flashy. I didn't have a big chain on. I didn't have the crazy jewels on. I didn't come

Sim so you get royalty checks from the game the person.

And now you don't get royalty checks, you just get up front show. But the commercial you got royalty checks. Yes, I got as long as the commercial played. Yes, the commercial. That commercial ran for about four or five years, and I was getting checks every day for four or five years, no part of four five months, four five months, and I was getting I was getting checks every single day, every day.

So they calculate like how many times it aired, and then they send you a percentage of that.

Yes, yes, on top of my music being in it, and on top of me acting in it. Like it was like three separate.

Checks, music check, acting check, and then a residual check. A lot of checks.

It was a lot of checks. There's a lot of checks me, all right.

So if I'm a kid that just loves music, I'm recording, can you give me some advice, Like what's the first steps? I don't have a major break record deal, but I want to get my music out there?

What do What do I do?

First steps is to build a team. It's like a pyramid scheme. You know that I used to sell Kirby vacuums back in the day. You know what I'm saying. And even like the Cutcold Knives, and it was I want to say, you're selling Eastna, But you know, I would have to go into these wild areas to sell these things. And whenever we would come back to base, they will always say to me, you need to go to your friends parents' homes, and you need to go to their friends parents' homes. And that's how it needs

You know what I How stressful is it? How stressful is it to be a to be an artist?

That's another thing I don't think people fully understand, Like it's not it's not easy profession, And yeah, how stressful is it?

I work twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes my wife is angry at me because I'm always working, But that's what it takes. I feel like if, like you said, some artists do get hot and then they stay hot for like two three years, and then that's it. You don't hear from them no more, you know what I mean. I'm one of those guys that's been out for eleven years now, I'm living off of music. I make six figures a year just independently, you know what

Fast money don't last too long. You gotta chase it.

Fast money don't last money. That's a good quote, you know what I'm saying. It just doesn't. You have to. You have to diversify, like I don't. I don't just rap either, you know what I'm saying. Like I try to make investments on certain things, like you know, trying to buy home. You know what I'm saying. Looking, I was just telling a man off camera, I'm trying to get a tesla because it doesn't depreciate. It appreciates in value.

I think virtual reality is gonna be big. We haven't spoken about that yet, but I think that virtual reality is gonna be huge, especially in sports.

Oh yeah, it's going to be I think they tried that this year with the NBA Lead Pass, where you get the virtual reality and you could sit courtside.

It's perfect.

You think about it, It's like, am I going to pay ten thousand dollars that only one percent of America has.

To watch Lebron? Or will I pay one hundred dollars? Yeah, it's not bad.

And to feel like I'm literally right there, especially sports like boxing basketball, you can't that court side feel means a lot.

Oh yeah, that look is a lot, That's what I said. But that's one of those sports where it makes sense to do it. Like some sports are not great being viewed live. Right, If I go to a football game and I'm sitting in the upper deck, I have no idea what's happening down there. I just know that something stopped. Right. It's not like when you're on TV and you can actually hear the refo that was the call. Oh, we can see the instant replay. Some things just aren't made for consumption, that's true.

No, this is well. I think they're going to do a combination of both though.

Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. If you get the virtual reality now you can see it, but you.

Can hear a commentators talk about it too.

Yeah, that's why you hear about the games with the headphones on.

Yeah, it's gonna, it's gonna, it's gonna get to that level. I just feel like you can't just want to just do music and that's it. It's it has to be more. It has to get into acting a little bit, get into creating a merchandise, you know, make something that people don't you know, or won't create, you know, like be creative. I feel like these are the things that you know, artists need to kind of take back, not just their ownership and their music, but the ownership and their imagination.

We just said. I just it's funny you just said the word artists because hey, Buggy he said next project is last one because he wants to focus on things outside of music and this is the time now while he's hot. I had a quick question. You said you were trying to get a job right before, Like what what.

Were you gonna try anything? Trying to do anything anything anything at that time I was desperate and there was nothing for me. There was literally nothing for me. And you know, I had shows lined up, but I had to wait to get the second half from those shows to even you know, make some money. So I had to kind of I had to thug it out, you know. I was trying. I was trying to work at I was too overqualified for burger king and underqualified to work in the office again. So I was just like, I got.

To do music.

How does that work? I'm glad you said that.

When everybody talks about like getting paid on the back end for the shows, you get paid up front fifty and then after you perform you get the fifty percent.

That's usually that standard, Yeah, standard right after you perform. Sometimes before you get on stage, sometimes after depends that.

I've heard like artists not get on stage because they the promoters have money.

Sometimes the promoters do pay for play, so you know, they'll charge, you know, artists to sell tickets before the main act gets on so they can make the rest of the money to pay the headliner.

Have you had bad experience promoters before?

Not a lot, but I've had some. I've had some bad experience. I mean, the best the best shows that I've had was corporate shows because you're gonna.

Get paid corporate money.

Corporate you that money is guarantee. You can go on stage without getting paid and you you know you're gonna get paid eventually, like or you'll sue. So those are the probably the best shows. You know, there's contracts put in place where you have to sign a contract music agreement, performing agreement with a buyer talent buyer that you will get paid before the night is over or at the end of the night when you settle up, depending if you did a door deal or depending on if you get a guarantee.

Some you ask your music question before we wrap it up.

You work with a lot of artists, like I said, from Drake to Justin temple A to Andrew Kendrick and then underground artists as well and mainstream are everybody.

You work with a lot of different people, right Who who was.

The most enjoyable for you to work with as far as like the talent level? Like who did because like I used to play ball, so like sometimes I played backble somebody I know, like there's special like I played like Mike Beasley went to school with me and I knew he was younger than me, but I knew like he was special.

I knew he's gonna make it to the league. I just knew he was special.

Did you ever have that type of vibe with anybody like that you worked with, Like this dude is different.

Yeah, I mean it's a lot. I can be here all day. I mean I remember when I got Drake's verse back for Overdose on Life. We were talking about that earlier and I was just like, Yo, this guy is fucking dope.

Did you see it happening like people saying Drake is the best rapper ever?

Did you ever imagine he can be put in that category?

No, not the best rapper ever. It was more like it was more like, this guy's light skinned, he's marketable, and he could rap really well. This is before he was singing really and I was just like, Yo, this dude is dope. He got a knack for choruses and everything. And then like after we did that record, he kind of he kind of just ran into not ran into, but I remember when he hit me like yo, like I'm meeting Wayne tonight. I'm about to meet Little Wayne, and that that changed it all and I was like

And he doesn't write rhymes, right, that's true.

That's true. He didn't write his rhymes. He so I was like, I was like, yo, like I want to do this record, bro, And he was like, I, how do you want to do it? I was like, I want to do uh five eight bar versus. And he knew with my talent level was so he kicked everybody out the studio.

He's used to that, going back and forth with Kiss Yeah.

Yeah, but yeah, but he it was the fact that he kicked everybody out, Like why do you kick everybody out? Because it was just too crazy, Like everybody got go it's me and you know, but he stayed with other artists when they did their records, other artists were still there. Everybody had to go when it was me and him and we just we just did that record. That JOm was wild, you know what I'm saying. For Legends, you know Royce. Royce was a dope session. I asked him,

Well, you got a verse back of me like, damn, I gotta go rewrite.

I don't rewrite my verses. I try to rewrite them.

But you ever felt like, yo, did he bothered me on? Yeah?

Yeah, you know, but I let it. I let it rock. I let it rock. Yeah, shout out, you know what I'm saying. And lastly, John Legend. I mean when I worked with John Legend, he was on tour with Shad day Man and he and he it was an overseas tour and he came off tour when he had his day off in New York and we went in the studio and made our record and then I asked him can you do some stuff over? And he was like sure. Like he was the nicest artist ever, you know, that

Pow make you appreciate you coming telling people I know you on tour right.

Yes, yeah, I got a tour coming up. It's called the Fan Tour. It starts November twenty ninth and the ends December twelfth. We're doing Boston, New York, Philly, Baltimore, Virginia, North Carolina, Atlanta. You know, hopefully we'll put up the fly here so you guys could check it out. And you know, just come check me out mickey fax dot com if if you see some merch that you like, or is there's some music that you uh yeah, he got the Enigma button on everybody hang, I got them

I appreciate that, bro, Thank you choice.

Yeah. Shot out everybody on patreon dot com. Y'all know that's all proud to pay program as five tiers. We are at over one hundred patrons, man, so shout out to everybody that is joining. Like we said E y L University for our top tier four and five members, you're going to be getting access to our webinars. So make sure that y'all go and check your messages so you can have access to the links. Every Wednesday at eight uh and U y L we actually put out some new merch man so we got the fire Bloody

Yeah, for sure.

And then once again don't forget December seventh and December eighth, we coming to d C. We're doing the workshop from Overahoma Elite and Wall Street Trap on the seventh, and then we got our very first live podcast and then the Wizards Clippers game after that, following after that, all of the information is on legia dot com on the events tab. You can loudstream a workshop if you're not damn person. E y l University we have classes every

Support this.

Sure and the book tip of this week is the autobiography of Johnny Cochrane recommended.

I guess Mickey, great book.

Great book.

I promise you really really really good.

Johnny cockin people don't understand how you know what the thing about Johnny everybody knows him for the oj trial, right, Yep. He was a high powered lawyer way before. That's exactly because that was the dream team. But he was the head. A lot of people somewhat like some of the lawyers felt the way because this is Lloyd, like Johnny Cockrow Shapiro, like these dudes Alan Dershuis. They was high powered lawyers. Yes, Johnny Cochran and he's the quarterback. A lot of a

Yeah, So he did a lot of social change before the old j case. He did a lot of pro bono work because he was also he was also a DA but he did a lot for South central l a man like because he was in the thick of the racial uprising there. So I implore all black people, please, people of color. Please read the autobiography of Johnny Conchran. That was an incredible book.

Incredible you have guys, Thank you for RockA what us We see you next week.

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