Punch (TDE)

R and B Money.

We are than take Machi. We are the authority on all things R and B ladies and gentlemen money. Was tankal This is the R and B Money podcast. Yeah, the authority, yes, on all things R and B Arena R and B alrena topping.

I don't even come outside.

For less for less than this is? This is we are here.

Yeah, tell them who we are with.

Oh, President, didn't they look at this credits here? You know we're gonna get into the credits.

I just want to announce my brother in the building, Terrence Punch Henderson, the president of t D right now currently.

Currently appreciate that. Are you feeling, brother man, I'm good money.

I know.

I know that, I know Broy Yeah, t D of course.

Like it's it's.

You know, there's a there's a thing you know that that we're all able to recognize when we're in this business.

And there's the word is dominance. When when you have.

A crew or or a label or you know, a thing that comes along and just says, look, we're gonna we're gonna own the time for a moment. We're gonna lock up billboard, We're gonna lock up social media.

We're gonna lock up branding.

We're gonna We're gonna just lock that up for a moment and secure a spot amongst the.

Top of everything.

Yes, sir, because you can call it out the people that are at the top of the game. It's not a mystery. We know who's in the fucks these peoples are right, and you guys keep doing it? Man, what what why are you doing this?

Why?

Why be so disrespectful that the was that the goal to disrespect everybody?

Absolutely come through and shake this thing.

Yeah, but now you know what it's really just about, in its essence, is just the passion and love for what we're doing, You know what I mean. I don't sound like too much of a cliche answer, but it's real, Like I think we'll be doing it, most of us be doing it free if it wasn't even getting paid. So it's that that same passion and love that we started with, and people just happen to relate to it.

I don't think you can do it unless you have that right because everything else is so fleeting, everything else is up and down, and so is what is the nuance? What is the deciding factor in you staying in when when the desires and the dreams look cloudy and don't look like they're adding up to the thing that you believed it was going to.

Be, it's gotta be some love involved, No, absolutely, you know what I mean. That's what it's all about to me, is the It's that exchange of love back and forth, like once I learned something, then I can pass it

So to expound on something you said, just even you're saying stripping things down right, right, let's let's let's let's let's go back to the beginning and strip down this whole inception and the mindset that you guys had with starting to label like TD.

Right, So I start from the beginning. I was.

I was trying to start my own record company with a couple of more partners that I went to school with you know what I mean, I learned very quick that you need a few dollars to to get that.

Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.

So I was just always constantly studying music, the music industry, anything I gotta do with it. The magazine pop up, I'm reading the cover to cover, an interview on I'm watching it behind the scenes. Come, I'm looking at that and uh top, who's my blood relative?

Oh y'all family? Family?

Yeah? Okay, actually yeah, uh his mom and my grandmother sisters.

Wow, makes even more sense now, right.

So he was just getting started in the music business, so he won foot in the street, one foot, you know what I'm saying, trying to get things going. So he built the studio at his house and Carson. So I always pull up, like I have a little lunch break or something that worked.

How far is is Watts to Carson?

It's, uh, well, Compton is right in between. So it's Watts, Compton and Carson if you're traveling straight down Central, so it's one city over. But so yeah, I pull up on him, and you know, we'll just talk and talk and talk and just had these conversations about music and about business.

So at one point he was like, Yo, you just come over here and do it with me.

So I'm like yeah, So that happened, and that's when the early days of TD started the form. So we have artists coming through and producers coming through making beats. So eventually Jay Rock came through maybe a few months after that. Kendrick came through a year later. So then we got school Boy Q shortly after him.

So and what year is this?

This is uh, it's about four, roughly maybe three going into four.

So what look, so.

What was your your setup in terms like in terms of the structure, what was the invitation because you're saying you guys were starting a record company, right, and what did that necessarily entail to to get the word out, to get people thinking that they needed to come through and see what you guys were doing.

I mean, our whole thing was just trying to figure out a way to get to these major labels. So he was doing stuff like this, snak the top or go to the industry book, that thick industry book they and in the back it's a glossary like everybody names and positions and they offer his phone numbers. So he had called a label and fake like he had a meeting with the CEO whatever and they end up calling him back and build a relationship like that.

It was that or we go pack down record plants you in there, we.

Go you've lived on.

Figures.

Yeah, So you guys were really like, we're going to start a record company, and it's going to just encompass everything a record company does, and then we're gonna we're gonna start looking for the pieces to put together to make it what it is.

And then you start naming all the all the artists. Yeah, and Jay Rock obviously from your neighborhood.

So that's that made the most sense in the beginning, right, Yeah, it's talented young homie from your neighborhood.

It's the first thing we're gonna invest in.

Absolutely.

But the thing is, like we was winging it, yeah, I mean were trying to see what was going to stick. Yeah, because again, we didn't have no prior experience in how to build a record label. So we're just going off of kind of you know, I mean, just pieces that we seeing or stuff we're hearing about and just building from there. Like even the way Jay Rock came about, like it was another guy from our neighborhood that was

So this nigga ended up.

Leaving Jay Rock stay.

Jay Rock stayed.

As soon as he walked out, that's from Top pulled up. I was like, where so and so at man, he took off. I'm finna go to the studio rolling. Jay Rock opped in the car. Another dude opp in the car. Once he hear a Jay Rock voice, that.

Was it's how long did it take y'all to get the Warner deal?

Uh? We got the Warner That was your first was the.

First one street into the major label system? Right, yep?

It was.

We got that deal off of tops relationships, you know what I mean, Like, we didn't build the buzz in the street first yet, and then because of the buzz.

Get the deal.

So it was all on relationships and they heard rock and they like rock, and that was the deal.

From there, I think that was about oh six maybe so.

A few years then, yeah, for sure. So had you guys had any music out?

Not really because this but again, this is a funny time in the business to transition between all of the digital stuff and then the blog era.

And all of this stuff. So it was like, where do you actually put it out?

We press somem CDs up, you know what I mean, and you know, we get out and go try to sell them and hand them out.

But that was the extent of it at that time.

So at this point it's just really money going out.

Yeah. Absolutely, letric build.

Crazy, right, I mean, because that's that's the thing, right, Like we always talk about it. We pride ourselves on being an informative show absolutely, you know what I mean, and letting people know like what this thing takes and how this you know. Obviously we're in a different era now where a lot of cast is getting.

Cracking on their phone.

Yeah that's far in few, right, people don't And a lot of those casts that got cracked on that phone was only cracking for a year, six months, eighteen months. We're talking about twenty years, twenty plus years inste that y'all still doing your thing and at the highest level. So that initial three years probably helps sustain what you guys are now, oh.

For sure, because that built all of the chemistry that built. That was the learning period, That was the incubation, you know what I mean, like everything we imagine everything we're doing now during that time for like what you said though, like money was just going out, like everybody eating off the top pocket at this point.

You know what I'm saying, everybody, the whole team at this point.

Yeah, man, ain't nobody got no jobs. Ain't nobody everybody trying to do this music thing. So that's the dollar menu on a jack in the box every day.

Me and mister split the happy Males. Yeah, right around the corner.

To the mind and caramel Apple.

I know the menu, will That's exactly what it was trying to figure it out.

So and again the studio is attached to the tops house.

So, like I said, when the electric bill going crazy, like we were running the studio all night.

That's that's the part I was going to ask you about that because you said you put a studio at his house.

Right, So not only.

Is this like you know this that he has for you know, creating this label. It's not like he got this somewhere else either, right, y'all going to his house every day.

Absolutely, So.

It's a door that lead into the house from the studio, so things going right to the kitchen too, right yeah, and eating up all a couple of noodles and cereal and whatever. So it was like really everybody's house at this point. He welcomed everybody in. Yeah, you know what I mean. But again, that was the that was the period that really cemented us in what we was doing in our goals.

And ultimately there was no real success from that first deal.

No, it was not at all.

So now you go three years, you get to the deal, but.

Then you also find out what this music business shit it's really about.

All we learned quick because we thought once Swoon's Rock signed, we won.

It's over.

Yeah, that littlely you know, that's when it starts, right, you know what I mean, That's when it really you really got to get cooking at this point. So we were sitting back taking a lot of direction from the record company, which never been the thing to do, just from a standpoint of we dictate the culture, you know what I mean, and they helped facilitate what we dictate. So we was sitting back and waiting for them to do it and tell us what to do and how to move and this and that, and we ended up

Life, my life the week before. It was a whole regime change at the label.

Been there, b We all know about those, right, So when they come in, they shut down everything that was going on before them.

You know what I mean.

And we're like, yo, we hot just one week a week before. Shit, So they, you know what I mean, shut that down or whatever. So radio backed up. We ain't really get no real spins on it like we should have or whatever.

Like this.

When Wayne was at his peak, it's like eight, you got everything you need the boy, we got our you know what I mean.

So you can imagine how we felt at the time.

So do you immediately try to get out of the deal.

Nah. We actually said, you know what, it's a regime change. I understand it. This business. Let's try to rock with these dudes and see, you know what I mean, Well, we can get get out of it. So we ended up going through another year of hoops and then pushing the gold post back. M hmm, because what I actually figured out.

Was they didn't really want us there, but they didn't want to droppers m hm. You know burbank is right around the corner. You can drive up the burbank, So they didn't want to deal with that headache, so to speak.

And at that time, I want to say, there was no other rap over there was it, you know what that time because I mean Warner at that time, in my opinion, was known for R and B and like Eric was signed there at that time.

Right at that time, it was us. It was Mike Jones.

Was Mike Jones.

Yeah, and then uh forty when he had that surgeons.

Or whatever he did, he had he did have that. He did have that dealer at the time.

And a little scrappy was over there too, So they had like that thing going the west.

And mixed south. Yeah.

But so they were asked us to do stuff. We'll hit that goal and then they'll move it. Say all right, now you gotta do this. Then we do that spot in the time, right, because they really they was doing stuff like when they knew we was coming to the building, you know, down their promo room. They had their priorities. They hurry up it right at the name at the top of the board for a couple post is up here,

So we like, all, we know what time it is, so we went, uh, we end up acting for the release and what year is this?

Now?

This is twenty ten.

It's now twenty ten, right from an initial deal that got done in six right, oh yeah, yeah, come on, you got to speak on it, bro, because people think it just got cracking because we haven't even got into scope yet.

Then got scope. What I'm saying, he ain't got into section eighty yet.

Right, it's insane. What's funny is.

Rock was shooting the Freshman cover twenty ten Double XL Freshman the same day me and Top went to the office to ask for the release.

So we in the office, you know, I mean, we're going back and forth, we arguing with these dudes, and what.

Stuck out to me was one of the head guys, was like, you know what, we like you guys. You guys are cool. Call us if you ever get a Southern artist. And I'm like, that's right. That was my face, just like that, like what are you talking about? Southern artist?

So it let me know then, like how the industry worked. So it's hot time. So that's what they wanted to focus on, and that.

Is what they had been making some money off of.

Yeah, for sure, you know what I mean.

This is when oj the Juice Man was hot, like I said, Mike Jones, and the Houston thing was moving, Little John was popping, Atlanta was booming. So it's like, oh, you're not looking for talent, you're looking for whatever the trend is. So we don't belong here nowhere like all right, were out, So we left with everything like all the masters and a promo van m.

Hmm got down you heard him, pat down, left with a Warner promo ban promot.

Leave so wrapped it in j Rocks. Oh man, we outside. We took that thing across the country two times.

Oh, this is great, that's great.

When when I got when I got out of my deal, I don't think I took a promoman with yeah you still got the kids right, You got the kids right?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I.

Love that thing up put them in there too.

It's funny. But you know what, though, what we learned from that is we can't rely on nobody but us.

Yeah, so looking back at it, it was a blessings a teacher, but moment teacher, absolutely absolutely, because now Kendrick is bubbling, so we know what to do now.

So he's bubbling right after you guys walk away from that deal, yep, and and what what how is he bubbling?

What is he on? What did he do?

This is so now this is the blog era, you know what I mean. So when you send the blogs your record, they're doing right up on it Man introduced and you letting people know who you are, where you're from, and then they'll post a song and people are going during comment.

So that was the thing.

So all the blogs start showing a lot of love at that point. So whenever we blast out a joint, everybody will posted everywhere. So we started getting a little traction that way. So now's we're going straight to the people now, as opposed to waiting on a record company to do something.

And at this point, Kendrick is hype man. He going road with him, right he was.

I mean that's what technically, yes, but I mean not really.

He's doing his own artist thing. But to put him on stages, he's on stage with Rock.

See, the plan was we want to showcase Kendrick too.

Okay, you know what I mean, because he building at the same time Rock building everything Rock going through.

He's going through right next to him.

So if Rock got a show, we have Kendrick do two songs in the middle of his set, wild hype man until yeah, so he hyped man for rock, Rock would go off. He'll do two records Rock come back, and you know what I mean. So that's how we was running the thing so you can get familiar with him.

It's very.

Town yeah right, you know what I'm saying, Very very bad boy ish, very like just continuing to use the heat.

Yes, right on over, absolutely, right on over, Like yeah, I love that. No, for sure, that was the whole thing.

Like we're a team, you know what I'm saying, even with rock, like Rock making his album, everybody's involved. Yeah, if they got a chorus, idea, let me try this hook on your thing, all right, back do it. If somebody got a beat they got from somebody, this might fit rock for his album to send it to him.

Like everything was was team oriented.

Was it a thing?

Where was it a thing where where it was like, Okay, this is what's lined up right now. As you say that, rock is lined up right now? So everything is rock. Everybody all hands on deck, absolutely on rock time.

Yep, that was the That was the mindset because this was this is the motion we had at the at that point.

You know what I'm saying.

He had the record deal, he had the most buzzed. So if he crack off, that's gonna open the door.

For everybody else.

Yeah, And as y'all putting these records out with dot, the blocks start taking to them, right, and then y'all start working on section eighty.

Yes, even before that though I'm missing the section, we'll start getting a lot of interest. When we went to the East Coast and we did a lot of serious satellite freestyles, and that this would be like if we see old footage, is us and Nipsey up there, so it's like he was on the same circuit.

He'll be leaving the uh.

You said picked up on my phone.

Nigga.

God, that's crazy. But we're on Sirious like Nipple.

Be leaving one of the shows, We'll be walking right in and it's a few times that we intersected and then you know, freestyle together. Once people start seeing us doing that, that gained a little notoriety back here, you know what I'm saying. And that started happening around the same time the blog earl was starting, so everything was moving.

That's back when all media had to come through the East coast, right, you had you had to take that trip to New York. Like listen, we all remember that time. That's been really been in this industry. Like you had to do your press run, you had your label meetings, you had to go to New York, you know what I mean.

And that's when I got a lot of a lot of my connections.

Like when we do the press run with Warner, I got Richie Abbitt, he was the publicist there and he was so cool, like he was showing me the ropes while we were doing the press run. So he's introducing me to everybody in every spot too. So now when we go and it's not about rock, I can make these same phone calls and pull Schoolboy Q through and pull Abs sold through. Yeah, I mean before you, I

Talk to him a few months later, Yo, this kid Kendrick is moving. Bro mean I might want to try to do something like yeah, I heard his name. I keep working all right, So now Kendrick is hot.

A few months later and I'm like, yo, he's like, man, I know you man, y'all coming to New York and his time soon said, we ain't got no plans for it, but whatever whatever. Doctor Dre said his nigga name on the radio on part one on six, same exect called me, Hey, we want to fly out out right now.

Can you get to the right I was like, how many? How many tickets y'all need? Book? You say your name, say your name? They wait, no, say Bubby Johnson.

You get to the airport.

Well.

It was funny that that switch because this whole time we had been pursuing. Right now it's transition into what we pursued.

A little bit.

Yeah, loft the Theaterre.

Yeah, yeah, I know, but yeah about that was exactly.

That's how the ship goes. So here's the question when Dre is saying his name is Drake involved at that point or he just shouted him We had met him yet, we didn't even met him yet. But what made him shout him out.

There's a few different stories. A few different people said they told Dre about Kendrick.

You know him, the one right, yeah, right.

So however that happened through some of them, people like he ended up looking at his stuff and he liked it. So he just happened to be doing a uh interview with Big Boy, which he don't even do interviews. I think he was just starting to was he starting to push Cush at that time? I don't remember what he was doing, but he was interviewing and they asked him about a new artist like this kid from a Compton named Kendrick lamar Stock went up instantly.

The reason I asked that is when you say, Dre, I was trying to get Kendrick on the record. Yeah, And and myogi was like, no, I'm gonna call I'm call top, I'm gonna get it done.

I was like, all right, cool, this is right before, you know, right before the mayhem for sure being pursued. It ain't go boom yet, right, it was there, and I was like, I'm about to get this.

Niggas like Tank, it's gonna cost you know, it's gonna cost this man, Mike. I think he's worth it. I think we give it to him. It's like, all right, well, I'm gonna let him know. And I think maybe a couple of days it went by and I was like, so, what's the what's the word on Kendrick? Yeah, apparently Dre said he not doing no more features.

What have to do?

Bro?

I was Nick Money, ready that song. Ready, I'm about to get Kendrick Lamar. And the pursuit has gotten to a point to where it's untouchable.

At this point, you weren't part of the plan.

Good luck.

And shut down. It is a wrap. Next time you see him, he will be heading the.

Ring near you.

So they got a little different.

I got the ass. So you go do y'all take the trip to New York. Oh absolutely, let's take the trip.

Oh man, we met with everybody too, like they flow.

Us out and yeah, I've been there, don't get courted.

One lay won't label flies you out. The other labels find out you're there. Listen, how much how much jil friscos do.

You want bro.

Give me?

As in Club Red Velvet cheese cake.

We had a ball, but it's like we just wanted to see what you know what I mean, what the thing was. Man, it was such a drastic difference from us saying, yo, we dope to people saying yo, y'all told like it's insane.

So we met.

I think we hit everybody. Were the Atlantic, we had the Borner, we had Death Jam, did the Universal Meeting, all types of stuff. And this was all before we even went sat down with Dre.

Before you sit down with so obviously something told y'all to hold off.

Though Yeah, we wasn't gonna move until we went and hollered at him too, you know what I mean, Like at this point, it ain't no need to rush, you know what I'm saying.

We've been waiting for this long.

Let's see what what everybody's talking about. So we end up Kendrick ended up going and writing some records for Dre.

And uh.

And section eighty is out at this point, Nah, I'm working on sections working on it, yeah, because Section eighty was still an indie project though correct.

Yes, but he was signed to Aftermath Interscope too, but they were We let him know that, Yo, we're doing this like this one's.

Still on us, you know what I'm saying, And they was good with it.

And that was one of the reasons why we actually said yeah to going with Dre because when we had a conversation, he was like, Yo, I don't want to change nothing about what y'all doing.

If it's something I can come in and help and enhanced, I mean I'll do that. But other than that, y'all just keep moving. How y'all moving? You know what I'm saying. If y'all need me, I'm here.

I mean Section eighty project was that through Empire, That's what I thought. That's what I thought.

Yeah, I think we got their first platinum.

Yeah right, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're gonna make sure them away your things, you know, I mean trying to help, right, guys, just trying to help me Now, that's that's dope. That's dope.

And then so now you okay, so you get you get to deal with Dre. Yeah, y'all shut down Tanks feature.

We gotta get back.

To that man, you gotta that might have been capped by the way that might have been I ain't ever turned down no bread that might have got lost.

Let's just re we rig back the conversations you should have put down.

I was trying that's funny.

So you said, you don't know you're going there.

So from from that point now we're now we're trying to get into the first official relief and right well, now.

You know what, before that, we did a situation with Tech nine and Travis Ogwyn that's strange music.

I remember that. I do remember that because y'all was on y'all was on the road with I do remember that, and that right there was h That.

Was a big learning experience too, because I think they showed us how how to tour and how to do merch because they operation is the best I've ever seen the music business.

I still don't have a TV. I've been tops with my friend for a really long time. Every time I see it, I said the same thing.

You know, I got you right on top. I still don't got my hoodie. I would have a TD hoodie on right now, would have red had on everything.

Fake time here.

Everything to put you on a groove chat with the merch du come on man.

T podcast.

I make sure y'all good.

So y'all going tour, y'all y'all on the road.

Right with tech ninety Yeah, and y'all are seeing because this is the part that I'm paying attention to.

All of the schooling. Yeah over time. Yeah, you know what I mean. That was, man, that was so important.

Again, just watching how these dudes work, even the markets, like they do the A markets, the B markets, then they go do the C market, so the SE market is covering what they were doing in the B market.

So it's pretty much all money in yes, you know what I'm saying. So that they they method of.

Touring was was really a thing that we took to heart and put it incorporated in what we do.

And that's how you really established artists, yeah, road and build up real fan bases. Absolutely, most people ain't going to Des Moines, especially urban artists. Ye, real talk, you know what I mean.

People even a major city, people skip over Phoenix.

In the urban space for sure. R and B definitely don't go there, you know what I mean. And that's tough and taking I speak to a lot of people who are like, yo, when are y'all coming at Like, bro't nobody the booking out here? Are the and it's right, it's right next door. But then also stopping in presno, stopping in Bakersfield, absolutely.

All the markets, like people into.

Yeah, because they think that everybody's just gonna go to Oakland? Are people gonna go to Sack? Real talk instead of saying no, no, no, no, I'm gonna come to where you are. Just do the smaller venue sell that out and uh for the tour, where do we go? Uha, California because Sacramental on the outside of Sacramento.

Outside on the outside of Sacramento. Because I asked you, I was like, it's people's people. Yeah, he's here, Yeah, people coming here.

Yeah Yeah, we're outside the sack that Jink was sold.

I'm like, yeah, buddy, okay, all right because I've never been there, right, But I'm also a guy that's like I'll come yeah, Wheatland's yeah.

Yeah, it's right outside the sack. I'll go anywhere.

And what's crazy is those people will be the most turned Oh it was going up what I'm saying, because they don't get to see people yea.

And mostly there are people from the major cities who moved there for either better life, get a bigger, bigger house out there, it's more quiet. Sometimes your money go bad, you gotta get somewhere where it's more affordable.

Conve been there.

You gotta go with your better Corona build up there, you gotta go with your money. Stretch a little bit, stretching. Listen, I was stretching a Rancho cuckoomung and Corona.

How was the.

Cracking? They figured me out.

It's funny.

Yeah, I remember I remember a show I did and in Fresno. Did you say Fresno in this club? Yeah, like about three or four hundred. Yeah, remember that, Yeah, I say, great remark.

He was like, Nigga's gonna be crazy because from Fresno it was exuing there.

I remember that show like it was yesterday to this had just before downstairs. I remember.

That's how I go, man, Because again, these people don't get people that just come there all the time. So when you in their town, they want to go and have a blast and they party like they ain't never seen you before.

So is that something that as an executive that you push to your artist, that you like when you're having your conversations about brand building, about bilding out there fan bases like listen, it may not be sweet all the time, and it may not be the biggest venues or the biggest city sometimes, but these are the people that will hold you up.

Oh one thousand percent.

Remember the first show we deal with Kendrick, it was like eight people in there bro no way, literally like eight people, not including the twelve we bought still Rocks. It was in the Long Beach hm hmm, yeah, so.

We went there. I mean the stage was about the size of this table right there.

Well, it's whatever, like, let's get to it. And these days, if they ever have fun, they gonna tell people. And that's how you build it. Like they tell people, and they tell people and they bring folks and you got a fan base.

Yeah, I think that's also a lost start.

It's like with the phone, everybody makes it seem like, you know, as soon as you pop about, it's a thousand people there. It's the allure because this is the other part about that they introduce in my opinion, they introduce urban artists to the festival very early. Yeah, a festival used to be something that you had to be really established to get there. Now you can have one record and they'll put you on a festival show, which

Now they're actually paying you to show up to do that one song, and it's.

Great for them because they're getting the energy, the selle, the whatever of the one record, But they're crippling you as a hard ticket selling artist, right.

But that's the thing though, like when you say with festivals to me, if you unknown, that's the opportunity gains more fans, of course, but you can't confuse that with your hard ticket sales, like you said, because you'll go do a show and nobody show up, and you do a festival in the whole tenth for that's because it's a thousand other artists on this bill and people are floating around to see what's what. So if you're there and you got one song, rock out kill it and

Yeah, it's just it's just like the idea of you hitting that festival stage and then having to come to terms with them seven people.

That they labeled in that venue, like and that is a reality.

I didn't know nothing about No Festival, so I was never, you know, programmed to believing that that would be a reality for me. Well, the one thing that did kind of I had to kind of get used to was I have been singing backgrounds with Genuine and live in arenas, right, and then they would call me out the sing a little solo and screams was crazy.

Those must be my screen, you know what I'm saying. It was, you know, those the Nigga Virginuine screen.

All right.

But when it was my turn, I was for sure, you know, I was prepared to thug it out, and thug it out. I had to in a van with everybody and the crew and the equipment. Exactly I did. I did a dirt floor with with two mics, one mic for me and one mic from my background singers, and it was both on short chords. And I still took my shirt off and I laid on that dirt floor and my song absolutely, yes, sir, absolutely, my little off fin up got on my knees.

He was a little male fit. Listen them thirty two people in that place, felt me absolutely. I'm sure they'll talk about it, right And did you say that? I'm just like, that's just the lost art. They just getting back to the.

Streets, you know what it be too though. It's a lot of ego involved. So to go out there and there's only a few people out there, like that's not a comfortable feeling for a lot of people, especially you don't have that mindset where I got to turn these twenty people up, you know what I mean, because how artists are presented again kind of like what you was mentioning, they presented to be stars already.

When that's not it's not at all.

It's not the case.

Even like with the artists we got right, Like the first four dudes that promova I'm telling you about literally followed Game on tour across the country.

In that promovp. It's fifteen of us in that advanced you know what I'm saying opening up for for Game during his tours l A X tour.

I made it under that I did get it almost can oh. Yeah, yeah, I said, I got I gotta put.

You on one, that's all. I got one.

I got one with you and kid and yeah, I'm on the way.

But like so the new artists that come after that, they coming into an established situation.

So now they can hope right in on the tour bus, so they don't know the struggle that.

We went through taking I have that conversation all the time, bro, because like I am a and for anybody who's watched the podcast, I'll say this, like I'm.

A reminder of that to people. I'm like, hey, nigga, I slept on the floor. Yeah, like yeah, yeah, but you know they ain't gonta sleep on the floor no more.

But I did say and and there's and there's something to to buildings, building up tough skin, to dealing with this ship and understanding that Amen, it's gonna get ugly sometime in here.

What are you going to do? Yeah, real talk when you're faced with that.

Yeah, my thing is I'm gonna remind you just so you understand, and I want you to be grateful for the position that you're in.

You say grateful one time, because that is not a thing, right, and especially not a music business.

Now.

People being grateful they feel old, right, Like nobody owes you anything.

That's real talk.

Going back, I chose to sleep on that floor. Yep. I could have stayed my ass in the bay.

I could have did whatever hustling I was doing back home in my comfortable bed. I was like, you know what, I'm going out here to make a life for myself.

So in doing that. There's no furniture in that room exactly, but that.

Room is connected into a house that has a studio that at any point of the night I could walk my black ass over there and start writing these songs, real talk so that I can try to change my life.

And I am grateful it built that.

It built so much character, bro you know what I mean? Like I remember we had all start weekend, like we all drove down.

But that's definitely a time we realized you not that you're poor, brose so many rich niggas at All Star, man.

We had that the Flamingo. Ten niggas in one room.

Sleep Vegas All Star Weekend. Yes, when niggas had a side show.

That year, it was oh man, y'all was we ten deep in one room? Yeah, so asleep sitting up in the chairs. Somebody's sleeping the bathtub. Like, get in where you fit in out there working? You know what I'm saying, so a lot of artists don't understand that and haven't been through that, and you can kind of see it sometimes in their hunger level, you know what I mean. But I'm reminders though that they're healthy.

I think the thing that I've seen from the outside, and you can speak on this because it's your company.

I feel like.

Everybody that I know of that I've seen, they gotta earn their ship at tde absolutely, like even when y'all do your initial deals, it's like, all right, we're gonna give you the opportunity. We're gonna give you a deal, We're gonna put some money in your pocket. But this is not you're a star today, right, You're not. You're not Schoolboy Q today, You're not Jay Rock today, You're not Kendrick Abso you.

Are brand new, right, real talk. So we're gonna we're gonna help you get your buzz going.

Mm.

Then we're gonna figure out where we're gonna take it.

Yeah, because that's the other thing and it you know, and if I'm getting too deep into how y'all do y'all business, but.

No, you good.

How y'all license deals? More so than it is y'all doing labeled partnerships or you know what I mean, Like y'all are fully owners of TDE. There is no code this with this company that company.

Nah, it's uh, it's just you know, it's just real partnerships. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Like the cis a deal. The first one we did with r c A. It was a licensing deal. I think it was like at the time, was kind of one of its kind, you know what I mean.

It was kind of the transition when people started breaking away from giving away everything from Jack exactly.

M hm.

So you know, we just try to try to push the envelope, you know what I mean, try to.

Try to break new ground, you know what I'm saying, because like again, the rules of this business are so old and we're still living by these same old standards, like we're not even in that time period no more. So the deals need to be updated and switched around. So that's what we try to We try to push the envelope on that.

So when you go from you did the Warner deal, now you do the Interscope deal. Now you got the shout out from doctor dre.

He he uh.

He shuts down my feature text.

Him when we live like that, When is the moment where you guys, as as it labeled as guys who've been trying to crack the code, because now you know, the deals are one thing.

Getting a deal done is one thing. But actually.

Feeling like you're headed towards somewhere really successful and even seeing some fruits of that labor is something completely different for sure.

When is that turn for you guys? For me?

That happened before all of that.

Actually this happened in twenty ten when we put out the Kendrick Lamar LP no EP I'm sorry. So one of the songs we did on there a song called Faith. I'm on it with Kendrick and BJ.

You're on yeah, tell them, tell them what you're doing on it?

Yeah, saying bars yeah, bars, yeah, yeah, talking a little bit get.

Us Yeah yeah. They'd be on Twitter. Ye he doesn't. Yeah he has on Twitter.

That's a difference.

That's funny.

But now we was doing so that's out and we're doing an in store in Carson at a app Soul's Grandfather record shop.

So you know a crowd of people coming.

This young lady came up to Kendrick and I'm standing right there and she was like, Yo, this song stopped me from I mean, harming myself. And at that moment, I'm like, oh, this is bigger than just recording records. We're actually affecting people's lives. So I figure we had a bigger purpose at that point, and if it infects enough people then it'll pay off in other ways as well.

But that's the goal now, you know what I'm saying. We want to do something that helps somebody.

At the end of the day, you guys have established yourself at this point as a powerhouse rap label, right, even if that's not the you know, the intention, it's just what happens.

It's the music business.

Everything is about boxes that nobody wants to be in, of course, but now you're in that box, your.

West Coast, gainst the rap, all those things, right, just.

This is what they do.

Yep. Then y'all hit a full a full turn.

Yeah, they said, you know what, We're gonna sign an R and B artist that's not from the coast.

And it's a woman. Yeah, what's the what's the thought process into that?

That's exactly what the thought process was for me personally.

So I'm looking at what we're doing so we established, we got Jay Rock, we got Kendrick Uh, Schoolboy Q popping on the radio. Now we got apps, so that's everybody's favorite rappers, favorite rapper, Jay Rock, got his joint out.

We established. Now we're a hip hop rap label.

Yeah yeah, yeah, cracking.

So my mindset was like, all right, I want to branch out and see if we can become a dominant music label.

And that was my mindset moving with Scissor.

Because that's not something that is normal either though, right Records, Like you said, becoming a music label, Yeah, most hip hop labels, in my opinion, they don't really know how to make that transition, right because him and I talk about this all the time that the radio department is different.

You know, it's not.

You're not servicing the same DJs. Truth, they it's a whole another game.

See.

But one of the advantages, right, What attracted me to her was she approached her songs as an MC, you know what I mean, as opposed to a traditional R and B singer or just a singer in general. Like she approached it as an MC. Like I'm listening to the words and the metaphors and the stuff She's saying, I'm like, oh, I know what this is. I'm familiar with this because, like I said, we got four hard hitters, So it's just a matter of transition, transitioning that in to.

What we're doing.

Where do you find this? How do you think, bro? It was all accident. Actually, Kendrick had a show in Brooklyn, and I remember this because this was exactly a year four Good Kid Mass City dropped, so it was a year to the day, October twenty second, twenty eleven. So he's doing the show and she's helping out one of her friends be on the merch booth, so you know, I'm trying to get some merch. They ain't have my size. They had all little nigga sizes, So you know, we

Gotta vibe vie with the T shirts and I'm gonna try to act like I'm not with you listening to.

You, right, But apparently this was one of the first real songs that.

She actually recorded, So she had did some stuff before, she would mess around on hooks with friends or whatever, but like that's her first real record, Like I think.

This was the second one she did. So from there we we kept in contact and you know, she'd send me stuff she was working on, and we talked back and forth, you know, give advice and this and that.

So that went on for two years years before I mean we actually decided we're going to work together.

So has she been even shopping stuff to let anything?

No, No, it was more so just around New York around the cool kids in New York at the time, and because literally that song I heard was a part of her first EP, so that was the first thing that she ever put out to the public.

So I was already kind of on board at that point.

Yeah, I mean as far as just on some consulting with her, helping her exactly.

So I was in New York one time we met up and her manager had just quit. I said she didn't want to work with her no more.

I was fumbled with, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're talking. She's like, you know what you should just is me?

You know what, You're right, Let's do it because you're already believe in it.

Yeah for sure.

See, but I didn't want to like push or you know what I mean, because she had her things she was trying to do, so I'm just respectful of that. And when you know, she needed advice or whatever, then I lean in. But once that opened up, I was like, all right, bat, let's go.

The moment that made it?

Yeah, yeah, pushed through, like okay, absolutely, how is the conversation with top though, or does he already know about her?

Nah?

Now he didn't know about her. It was actually strategic about it. I know this dude so well.

So I went around the camp. First, they had her music, so.

Yeah, you put the hair, you put the headphones up, right, who would you listen to?

So I let Dave hear it first. Dave liked it.

Because Daved the first person that told me about Sissy.

Oh really, yeah, that's crazy. So I let him hear it first.

He liked it.

I let Moosa hear it. Musa liked it. Then I went the top. No, I let Kendrick hear it too, so everybody loved the music. And then I hit top.

I'm like, YO, got this new artist I think we should mess with. He was like, yeah, anybody heard it yet? Yeah, Dave heard it, Musa heard it, Kendrick heard It's like all dope. Like, man, you've seen her perform live. Yet she got to showing Brooklyn coming up and fly out there with Dave. I was ready, you know what I'm saying. It was like all right, bet, and he heard the music and he liked it. So then once we flew out there, we surprised her. She didn't know he was coming.

It was a learning curve though, bro, because again I'm coming working with four dudes. So now it's this woman way different. Oh my god. I always tell a story with the fellas.

I can say, Yo, we got an interview in ten minutes, get up and wipe their eyes.

Hot right on camera.

It's called bro.

I tried that with her. Hell, we gotta do this little MTV thing, like thirty minutes. She lost her whole head. It was insane.

Forty eight to twenty four hour press.

Now they started at five six in the morning morning. It's insane for the day of press that don't start too new.

Right, real talk. So it's like I'm learning like all of this stuff on the fly now, making all type of mistakes.

Oh man, you gotta hurry up before a show to go by tampons, and.

That's a whole different thing. I'm talking to hair people now, I'm talking to people about skincare.

You know what bundles are now, Bro, we went out of here somewhere.

My god. Yeah, they make money to what.

Yeah, like they want what, Yeah, they want it, And it's a different and it's a different expense. It is super because dudes, you know again, jeans, T shirt and we're good Jay's and a hat.

Yeah, we're good.

You know, if you're really feeling good about yourself, thought chain on you got you gotta take you out, fed up a few a woman that that that fit.

Bro now everything everything so again.

So imagine like my mind is just expanding now because all of these new things that I got to learn in real time.

Did you ever feel like I'm a fish out of water?

And I don't know, like like almost am I holding her back from from a management standpoint right? Because you know I talk about it when I first started managing Tank. Yeah, I just asked a lot of questions. I asked a whole bunch of questions. I was never the guy to act like I just knew something. He'll say that, he'd be like, Jay, It'll be like I'm gonna call you right back to because I'm gonna go. I just I never wanted to be the nigga that was fron Bro.

Hey man, I don't know this. Hey can you help me?

But you coming from this this other world into a completely different world and with a woman, did you ever feel.

Like shit, am I in the way of where this thing is going? Because I don't know some of this shit?

Nah, I ain't never felt that way because I know what the goal was. The goal was to get her to the people.

Okay, If I can get her to the people, however that may be, then I think we're gonna be good. So that was always my mindset, even when I didn't know something or whatever. Like, I give her a lot of credit because she knew a lot of different things as far as market and who the market too with outlets that she understood absolutely thousand. So with that plus I mean my experience already, like I never felt like I was a fish out of water.

Like, yo, we just got to get these people to hear you once they hear you with good money.

Yeah, so absolutely my daughter.

Now, y'all, I want to say that Sizza is the only artist that I've ever had to like make that phone call for for tickets.

I can always find out I figure this out.

Like one of my guys, who was, you know, a close guy for me, man, that really be you know, making sure I'm straight with my train, my son, just some other stuff for me with with with the basketball side of it called.

Me and.

Y'all ticket was impossible. I possible, Like the only way to get a Sissor ticket was to call y'all.

And I just didn't want to call Tip. I ain't gonna lie because not about that. You know what I'm saying like this my friend, like you know what I mean.

I don't want to be I want to be that guy because I know how that is sometimes when guys got to call me about ship like that and it's like, fuck, this is like super sold out show right, super sold.

In the market that you don't ask for tickets. It was in Atlanta. As a ticket in Atlanta, my nigga will get you free bundles, so it will get you free bundles, bro straight up.

And my guy called me and I was like, funk, I can't tell him no. Mark is my guy.

I can't tell him no. Call Top Top, I need you, and he was, and it was you know, I was. He made it easy because you know that's my guys. He's like, I got you.

But then they get to the concert and the people it will cause acting like the name ain't there. So what do I gotta do? Top again? Pay grade man.

So I'm like, I'm calling it's worth four fived man. That was as him about we will call, like the asshole.

Who's having will call for you because we lost we don't know what. And you know.

He took care of before me. He was like, that's good, it's good. I got you any make the phone call and got to take care for you. But it was just like, that's why I hate having to call people and ask for that type of ship, because I don't want to be calling top calling punch about no damn tickets, damn show six.

It was my daughter. I had to she was losing her mind, that's right. And I needed to be dead of the year.

Absolutely, I had to be.

I put in my car and then I was talking to cars on the phone. I was like, yeah, man, just you know, just trying to figure out the sensor thing. He said, well, have you talked to our good friend?

Yeah?

I talked to him, you know, but if you want to talk to him too, you want to reinforce it right.

Now, what it was said, get top on the phone, right, that's funny. It was a great line because that's really a thing. Get top on the phone is a thing you might be on TD next.

Look at you, man. They might be looking at you.

Man.

I'm just checking the temperature right now. T tank man, I do so. He not looking, but hopefully I do something right now. Catch his eye.

He ain't looking.

I know you hear you.

I know he hear me.

What you got for my brother? As you ventured off into this R and B world twenty thousand a night. We know you know a little something about it, and the people are interested.

What they want to know.

I don't know if you've gone down the rabbit hole to understand this thing that you are part of in such a major way.

If you do, they're asking for you.

Fu.

Yeah, your top five, h t far.

Your top five?

They want o be singers? What if they want all and be song?

We got to know before you go.

We're gonna go big God be folly for you. Yeah.

Yeah, you're fun, that's right.

Yeah, Yeah.

We want to know what y'all was listening to in that promo Van y'all took Man the punch R and B punch. Yeah, your top five R.

And B singers, Man, top five, no order, right, just for.

What you feeling? All right?

You gotta go with h I gotta go Marvin m hmm.

Yeah, it's a great place to start. I gotta go.

Uh that nigga, Rob Kelly, Yeah, yeah, we were scared of Ye, we're scared of I gotta go with the King of R and B Wobbi Browne.

I see what type of time? Yeah, I see what type of time.

Get a lot of hate, but I gotta go keep sweat.

We're not letting.

I said this on Twitter one time.

I wish they would. Yeah, not the sweat.

Not the nigga that got his masters in his garage signistself before signing this to yourself was even a thing real?

My last one. Man, gotta go kind of moderate see that between uh sure and Christopher mm hmmm.

I'm listening. Chris Raymond, Chris.

Chris Raymond. Absolutely, I like that. That's your brow brown You do fine.

You have no argument with me? One.

Yeah, that's what I say.

I like the.

The crack air R and B. That's Bobby and uh Kee sweating Teddy Riley.

Believe it he was selling dope.

I love what was it?

What's the movie? Uh Jackson Jackson? Yeah, that's real. Lauren was rm B when he had the skis up there. Yeah, I know she was excuse right, I'm seeing b man ship.

You see.

Her anyway, And he let her answer the phone. Man, he let her into the phone when she called. And his homie, hey man, he was in love, wasn't though he was. He's listening r v ye put you in the place. I can't in front, put you in the place. And he had that fine thing too that he canceled.

On it. He was wilding, bro, he was wilding, was wild another one?

You know.

The top five R and B songs, Bro, that's impossible. Come on, whatever possible.

It's possible R and B songs.

Yeah, you know what songs? You know where I got songs go? This is your world?

All right? Well love is joined together by the temptations.

Don't go temptations?

Yeah, okay, all right, y'all know that's all.

He's a player for real. I expect that. Yeah.

I ain't said it be easier to take the wet from water or to drive from saying if anybody stop up from holding hands, And you said that, I said, yeah, see, I like metaphors about how you take the wet from water.

But yeah, that's that's that's one of them. I gotta go. What's going on? Why I gotta go and make it last fever?

That's one of my favorite songs of all times. Yeah, yeah, I.

Gotta go with uh Smoky and Quiet Storm Lenny Williams because I love you?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah, is that fine? That's fine? You got through it. Man.

I just had this conversation with my son, and I said, what are you gonna play for? When you need to let the song speak to her? To me, that is the conversation we gotta have with the youth.

Like I get out. It's funny games.

I like the songs y'all be playing, y'all jump around to y'all doing the dances too. But you can't always speak for yourself, none of us can, even you got three lyricists in here.

We've all written songs. Sometimes though, you need to push play because I love you, of course, you know what I mean. I watched TV till the TV went off, going nowhere fast. We've reached the climax, what you know what I mean? But we're undone. Yeah, yeah, that's how you gotta to speak for you talk to you.

Who's saying that type of stuff now though? That's what we're talking.

About He actually mentioned sizz, which was which was wild to me. Right, this is a young teenage young man and what ever take his song for her is snooz. He loves snoozs He loves snows like broll.

It's so funny. He loves snooze. And then what's the other song? Get mad at me? Man? But my daughter, my daughter. My daughter walked by his room and was like, dad, he listening to twin What have you been?

That also kind of was a glaring thing for me to say. Damn, where the young fellas? That's giving him?

Who's Keith sweat?

Break your piano back out? Let's go ahead.

I ain't saying no I ain't saying no names. Yeah, I ain't saying no names.

I ain't saying no names.

He was.

What you need don't say she I ain't saying no names.

So we've come to that segment. Okay, signed with you know, very important part of the show. We tell us a story funny or fucked up? Are funny and fucked up?

All right?

The only rule to the game you don't say no names.

Oh that's crazy.

So as soon as I explained that, she'll start popping in here like yeah, I can't tell that, but yeah, you know, that's that's the only rule.

You know, you could say, you know where you was ad Always in Miami, always in London. I mean, because we know you, you've been everywhere in the world.

Yeah, RB taking place, Yeah, I like that taking place. Tell us tell us this story. Man, he gotta be R and B related. No no, no, no, no, all right, mm hmm.

It's gonna sound crazy with no names. There's a bunch of people involved. Let y'allull know their names.

I'm sure.

All right, So back, So themy just did this song right, pissed the gang of people off.

Everybody was mad at it. So we uh when the song came out, he was overseas. Then he came back to the States. First place we stopped in was New York's and the first thing we do is say, let's go to the club because we wanted to check the temperature.

See what everybody was on.

LA stuff.

Got down.

So we get to the club. So one of the homies approached us and talking about this particular record. So we're going back and forth. Oh, it's not personal, it's just this this and that, it's cool whatever, whatever. It's like if we're playing basketball, I'm gonna try to beat you. You're trying to beat me. And we were good after, like, yeah.

Okay, cool a friendly, friendly fade if you will. Another one of the homies walk up you a little drunk, said, yeah, y'all, niggas, y'all need to let's go back and forth and keep it on.

Wax or whatever or whatever whatever.

So the two dudes who.

Approached, they get into a little back and forth, little argument with each other.

With each other, now, okay, because.

We didn't we didn't know is they ain't gotten an argument before we got there, so they was kind of continuing it.

So okay, things settled and we go to the vi P. So in this VIP section, it's literally the front roll of the Grammys in this one section, and it's four of us were in there, like we in there fans almost like yo.

That's so the only that got into it with the other one. He's sitting two steps down from me on the on the couch, so it's somebody right here. I'm right here the rest of us. And then so the nig came back to him, the ones who got an altercation earlier. He's like yeah, and if you ever say what you said to me earlier than God.

And he grabbed a bottle from the table because it got all of the alcohol choice and he said, what you're gonna do? Hit me on my head of the bottle. He's like, nah, I'm gonna break it on the table and cut your throat. So it's like a movie, right, Like, oh, so it's right.

So the nigga standing on the ground reached up and tried to grab dude by the neck.

So dude reached around and fired on him and they both fell on the table, knocking all the drinks over. So all these celebrities just in this one spot, it's a scuffle. Now huge scuffle, so it just sounds weird with no names.

Other nigga came who was best friends with one of the super celebrities. I was over there. He came and start beating up one of the nigga's house on the ground. So it's kind of clearing up, and he grabbed a nigga put him close and seeing who it was, and this dude was signed to his his homie, but he couldn't see what he can see.

He have his glasses home, so he mopped and looked like he felt so bad after the whole.

Thing he was signed to.

He was signed to this dude who was going at him and his partner. His partner came and jumped in because he thought he was.

They was going at his man. Yeah, so whole scuffle breakdown. They get them off the club. A table was back set up in like less than sixty seconds, like it never happened, Like it never happened. Up with the ratio from celebrity the regular person was like seventy thirty maybe, so every section was like full of celebrities, I mean music people, movie people, whatever. But it's like it's like it never existed.

But they were prepared for that. Oh man, that happened in there before.

That was my That was my favorite, Like night music, little dust.

Up, little dust up, Right, he's the party going. That's what a song can do, right, It created a little song created, he.

Created a little dust up.

Absolutely can't well, apparently they ain't want no problem with y'all. Oh no, it was good money.

Yeah, yeah, let me focus back on I was looking for you.

I said it earlier.

What's funny is the dude the big dudos in the thing. So this was over. He looked at me at point he was like, look, he like every minute of.

I've seen some of this. We came here to shake the temperature, right, this is what it is.

Yeah, man, that was fun that well, my brother Punch, we appreciate you man, doing great things. Bro, appreciate that we are We are fans, supporters, yeah, brothers at the same time.

We always here for whatever, man, but please man, keep that ship going.

Absolutely. Also, I want to congratulate y'all. I love what y'all doing.

Like when we ran into you at the spot, like y'all talk about the music. You know what I'm saying, that's something that's that's really needed. There's a lot of BS that goes on that people cover WHI y'all deal with the actual musicality of it, and that's like, I mean, that's my favorite thing.

So yeah, I applause off what y'all do. Thank you.

I mean, the information is what's gonna last ultimately absolutely, and that's gonna you know, usher in the next generation of whatever it is.

They can't do it without the.

Information, absolutely, So that's what we're here for, man, So we appreciate you doing the what you're doing well. Sir, thank you lady, and jim My Money is Tank. I'm J Valentine and this is the R and B Money podcast, The authority on.

All things Arena, R and B.

Al Rita and if You Snooze and Wake your.

R and B Money.

R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show, and you can connect with us on social media at j Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com or slash R and B Money