Rap Radar: Hit-Boy

Yo, it's a rapp raid our podcast. My name is beat I Elliott Wilson. We're back in LA.

You know you made the flight b I he left that.

Rainy New York situation I heard, man, I had to get an arc man. But back in sunny California cut off Khaki's French braids and house shoes.

You know, I moved to California when I saw that New York rain man, I was like, I made the right I made the right boop every it look like a little monsoon many alright, man, Okay, you had a surfer drowned too. I guess, yeah, fact drown But how was you Was it really as bad as it looked on the news?

It was all right? Yeah. I mean certain areas, it's like the ones that always get messed up got messed up. But like in my.

Area, it was pretty good. So did you drive in the.

It wasn't driving. I wasn't driving. I was stationary, you know what I'm saying. Listening to that thirty eight Spech episode, Man, you know.

I feel good about that.

Man.

Finally got to talk to spash Man. He's a good guy. He did the red thing that we love.

Man.

He actually helped promote their episode.

You know what I'm saying.

A lot of artists don't like to do that.

Right. That was a good conversation with spash Man, and I'm glad he finally got the time to talk to him.

You know, Special Machinery, Yes, sir Special. Should we get these guests?

Right?

Be that man who we get in the future. Man, it's time to get to that third quarter, fourth quarter? Getting a little antsy man? Who we looking at in terms of the rap rate our podcast? Roster?

Man?

Can we get some big ones?

Man?

What you thinking?

I mean, Beyonce has a movie out can we get Are you going right to the top? Why not Beyonce in the movie? I mean, Beyonce has a movie. J Cole's Killing features left and Right?

So you like that? So you like a Little YACHTI record?

Man, like the Little YACHTI record, you know with him and j Cole killed it. I like the Meek Mill and Rick Ross record, you know. So it's some big dogs out here. I think we could finish out strong on some Ariana riverro type is.

I think Meek Miller Rick Ross is probably the maybe the safest bet that we would get in the fourth quarter. Man, we go back with those guys a little bit and they're doing the album together, then that might be it.

Man, might have to do it in another arena. You know what I mean.

Exactly, Man, But Jake Coleman, that's your man. Man, get him on the text or something. Man to talk to cold world.

Man.

Then you go to like high school with going to high school with Man.

We had the same ball, but we went to the same barber shop, which is close enough. But yeah, we'll see. Maybe we gonna make magic happen.

Man.

But this guy today, he's been making magic happen all year long. Man, hit Boy, hit Boy. Yes, I've interview hit Boy man so many times. Man.

I don't know how he's never been on the Rap Art of podcast. But here we are. Man. He's amazing, dude.

Man.

This year he's been super prolific to Surfer Drown series. He's got two NAS albums, which is a total motherfucker six NAS albums. Like this guy won't stop and then it pops, Big Hit, Big Hit just came home. He's working on the project. They got album coming out, so I felt it was undeniable. It's time to get hit Boy to sit down with the boys to rap rate our boys.

Yes, it's the hit squad for real, man. Like he also has contributions on the Don Tolliver Project. He did a whole album with Music Soul Child. He did joints on Travis Scott. I mean, the guy's just not stopping, man, He's not stopping.

So he's a good dude.

Man, A little that Chauncey Hollis guy, the Holland Crew.

Yes, and he's sitting on two diamond songs, so it's only right.

But Paris and uh and uh Sycamore diamond singles.

Man, it's pretty pretty pretty successful.

But as he told us, man, he don't even put those plaques up.

Man, you don't put the plaques. He chase those plaques. Man ain't chased nothing like that, man. And it was bussy at the father and son thing.

Man.

I don't think it's ever been done in hip hop the way they're doing it, like a real father son, actual bloodline, and like, you know, like when he put it up, he said, is anybody done it like that? I mean, obviously we used to hype a bird man a little Wayne, but they weren't really daddy and son, right, Even.

Though like Father Like Son. That was an incredible album.

It was it was It wasn't really fathering Son, but these guys are really blood relation.

Man.

And then dudes, you know, super youthful looking, look like we say, look a Nipsey Hustle beats.

Uh yeah, Big Hit reminds me of like you take Nipsey Hustling prodigy, then you got a big hit.

You know what I'm saying exactly the Holland Cruise here th So, Big Hit does make an appearance.

Spoiler alert, Big Hit does make an appearance.

Man.

We had to put him on.

He just dropped the new visual the day we taped this. The truth is in my eyes, man, powerful visual and that's coming out sooner than you think. Yes, and you're gonna look out for that.

Yes, And he said, and JPay right, Jay.

It's gonna come on JPay first and then it's going to hit the DSPs I think shortly after.

So you know he's already a business minded, business minded man as they all are. Man, hit boy, Man, this is gonna be a good one man, Father and Son. Finally Hit Boy on the Raporate our podcast, Let's.

Get it Yo, It's the Rap Rate All Podcast my name is beat I Elie Wilson, Ellie. How can we lose with shit like this?

Man?

We can't lose, man, Absolutely, I feel like I've talked to this guy many times, man, through the years, from Paris and Paris or whatever.

But so honor man say that he's now.

Joining us for the first time finally on the Rap Rate our podcast Hit Boy Boy.

When I walked onto the set, I'm like, oh, this is the real Rap Rate all right.

Although Elliott his beat out now it's official.

Official, but here, you know, as we enter the fourth quarter, it feels like you might be the producer of the year. Man. Wow, I mean if you think about this year a long. We have two NAS albums, Magic two and three. You have two of your own projects, sir for Drownd one and two. We got the music Soul Child album. We got work on Don Tolliver, Travis Scott.

Wow.

Are you tired yet?

Man? I'm not. I feel like I'm just warming up man, Like you know me, Like like Elliott said, we've been knowing each other for a minute and when we first met, like that was my days of really literally trying to figure it out, you know, I mean figure out just even the music side of how to tap into them sounds and really just lock in. So now that I've pretty much got my formula, I'm like, I'm using it up.

Yeah, because even when you first get with that joint, you deal with alchemists, and you know you played amiss to control by mentioning some of your peers. But to me, it just showed like you're the point now where it's like there's a certain fire, you have a certain confidence you have now that's like it's time for you to really claim your place in this game.

One for sure, No, I mean you know the game. You know, it's solidbout progression and staying locked in and just becoming your best self. So you know, I wasn't on that particular song like a lot of people feel like taking it personal and oh he diss and he talking crazy, but it's like I was just giving my point of view on you know what I've seen, you know what I mean. I'm not saying that these guys can't do these sounds or they they whack or whatever the case is. And I never said none of that.

So you're always just working, no breaks.

I mean not really, bro, it's like all day. I mean, I love it. It's really like it's fun. It's like video games. Bro. I don't know how else to put it. Like I just it's literally the beats have always been purely fun for me getting into the game, and then you figure out how it works. That's when your brain starts to like, Okay, you gotta break it down on a more technical level. But I keep the base of it is just having fun.

Man. I told you tweeted last month, you said, I'm just creating. I've been checked out of the industry. Can you expound it a little bit?

Yeah, I mean, like I said, going through the game, you start to learn about it, you start to understand just how deep it is. You know what I mean, and when you focus too much on that, like you will drive yourself crazy. So it's like I had to just start thinking purely about the music and knowing that if I'm doing the right things in that arena, it's gonna get me to where I need to be, you know what I mean, versus being like, oh I need to I mean, you know, people, I got a network.

Right, So, what's like the average day for hit boy? Like how many beats are you cranking out?

Like a day?

I can't really put a number on it. It's like as many as I can get out, That's what I do. Like, I go till I'm literally like I'm so tired. My brain is fun think no more. I just go, go go. And just like sometimes I might get twelve joints, sometimes I might only get three, but it's like I just try to make sure they sound like right when the artists come through.

Do you remember like the most cranked out in one day?

I mean probably in my younger days, I probably coulda did twenty something beats you know what I mean. When I was only doing beats, but now they got to think about it. It's again about the progression, Like now I'm engineering for nas as well, so I'm not able to just you know, sometimes a producer when they got an engineer, they could sit in the back still make beats while Naves is cutting. I'm sitting there with me, And now it's like me and him and I'm recording him.

So funny you think someone you working like that and inspire NOAs to move it.

I guess the faster show he said that.

He said that. He said that he was like, man, I don't know if I could have did this many albums this quick if it wasn't for just like how locked in you are on this ship. Like you know what I mean, he give me the same credit I give him, He give me that same credit back, like we both inspired each other.

So he took David Kim's spot man.

He mixes albums. Yeah, like that's his primary thing. You know, he'll record here and there, But David is mixing multiple albums working on his own album right now, you know what I mean.

Yeah, it's not the first time you ever engineered somebody.

Or nah, no, I've been you know, engineering since back, but like really locking in with the artists of that caliber, Yeah for sure.

So six albums with nas hip Boy six man had six albums.

Sixth album You text me that. Nah, that's crazy, bro, in that span of time, I didn't even realize we dropped three albums since next I mean this November b KT three anniversary. So it's three albums in less than a year. That's I didn't even realize. That's wild. Time is just funny.

What do you look at it?

Legacy watches against a hip hop like when you look at it, like, what what makes it so special?

I mean just it was a moment in time, you know what I mean. I feel like we always talk about it and not. My perspective is like I feel like, in five, maybe ten years, this thing will just be looked at as and be respected a lot more than just because it's been coming so fast. It's hard for you to get used to it. It's hard for you to lock it in because we switching up the sound as well. Every time. It's not just you know, soul.

Did you know that he was gonna do a trilogy? Because Part two came out just two three months ago.

Right right right right? Not even yeah, shit, no exactly in July. I mean, nah, bro, it just it just be going, like you know, I'll just get it hit, you know, text from nas like man, I'm trying to record, like won't pull up. You know, It's that simple. We just and it just worked, bro. Like he's staying there with me here a lot here like wait around while I'm cooking up joints to be writing vibing. Then boom, we record, get some shit done and we go to

But you even empowered yourself this year too. Before we get back to Nights with Surf for Drown. The first one, right to me, felt more almost like a compilation, like you allowed others to get this shine on. Was that like your intention when you're going with that project?

Kind of? Yeah, just to give people because I put the instrumentals on there too, so it was like to really showcase my producers side in my artistry, tell some of my story, and then do it alongside people that I respect musically, you know what I mean.

But going back to now is with the Magic series, Like what do you guys record Do you do it in New York, La? No?

We record everything at my studio at Childie. It just comes to the STUDI bro, like we like here hit me like I'm trying to pull up at one it's one o'clock. Hitting nas is pulling up, you know what I mean? And it's like I'll give you know, I just like turn my phone off, put my phone to the side, like really try to give all of my attention to the time we spend in the studio.

And then when they headed and I's hit, he talks about, you know, whether we did Diamond or Hall the soul, we did it for our soul. Like I think, what's interesting about all these projects, it's not defined by sales numbers and things like that, as people seem to enjoy the art, Like why do you think it's connecting in that way?

I mean, that's just where he is at, you know what I mean, as an artist that's been doing it, Like he got his ways that he want to move in the game at this point. So it's like he not gonna pop out and do a million interviews or be trying to just like you know, politic with the people to just like, oh I want to sell to y'all, Like it's not this is how I feel right now. I'm getting genuine bars off that pertain them my life

Rock with it, right y'all. Definitely rock with that Magic three. I saw that you guys at the interview together, you e cited that one as the favorite out of the trilogy. Why is that one, y'all guy's favorite for you? Particularly? What made that experience different? Man?

I feel like that was the album I have been trying to make for him that whole time. Like, yeah, just like the way I was chopping samples and use my usage of breakbeats on that album. I feel like I had splashes of that and pieces of that on all the other albums. But this is where I really feel like I nailed. It's just like giving people a true no sound, but for now. You know what I mean, It's not gonna be illmatic. It's not gonna be it was written. It's like, this is what I feel like

Yeah, they said, like this is a whole like a whole era of now.

Right.

So you have a NAS sort of beginning illmatic it was written era, you have that stealmatic gossip era.

Now you have the hip boy era. Like Crazy's like, that's.

Crazy, that's big. I mean I never would have I never would have expected it's crazy though. Man. I always would say to myself, like I work with people like jay Z Benning, the Butcher, NAS like all these East Coast artists not even realizing, like my grandpa was from Harlem, so I got that in my roots without even you know what I mean, I even know that recipes to

Yeah, no, I think it's not like I see, like if you have like a NAS the fiftieth birthday party in New York, like you're going to be with all these old og legends from the nineties like the Fat Joe's and all these guys Ray Kwan and no, you see those guys and like you writ in the mix with them, Like was it right?

Connecting with those kind.

Of guys And that was ill? That was man, that was a great night for Shure. I mean just the respect and uh energy they gave you, you know what I mean, Q Tip like showing me crazy love. Ray Kwan Norri just Autumn dudes, man, like you know obviously that's that's like hip hop worlds worlds, you know what I mean. So just to get that respect and let like just let further let me know, like okay, you've been doing this on some sort of the right track.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do you know that nas was naming these albums after each other when your guy's doing these sessions.

Man, nah, they just they just came together. Man. They just like he would he would throw like little hints in the songs and then it would just be like, well, it only makes sense to do it as a you know what I mean.

I asked because he's like, you know, being at these albums of sequels, I wanted to know, do you have any pressure living up to the predecessor?

Oh? Yeah, for sure, for sure. I was mostly I was, And this is the one that's criticized the most, like Magic too as far as what I've seen. But from the jump that was like we had just came off. He had gave people seventeen solo songs on KD three, Like, bro, you could just have fun rap on some different type of beats, like just like try shit, you know what I mean? And a lot of people don't be ready for that, but that's where he was at, That's where

Do you guys make music for that session? Or they're like leftovers from like a KD one session that go with to Magic.

It might be a small idea that might have been he might have did a hook or might have laid a part of a verse, and you know, he might bring it up and finish it. But for the most part, bro, it should be off the cuff. Like most of them songs, you know, like you said, Magic two came out July and this Magic three just dropped what recently, It's like all most of them songs was just like after Magic two, you know what I mean, like real locking Magic one though, that's that's the joint, that's the one.

Remember when I when it dropped, that was do you ever hit boy so much?

You put it in your top three hours?

Absolutely? I was mad though because it dropped at the bottom of it. Yeah, like I already put the list almost out and it was like instant classic, man, And I said it was like the best NAS album since maybe like God's Son Crazy or like still Madic, but like Ugly.

For the Children. For the children.

Yeah, Ugly was like such an important song because people talk about like the state of affairs and stuff like that, and you know, that was just a great moment.

Yeah, I was bugged out. I had people hitting me up like, yo, y'all, how did you do this magic one? He talking about like stuff that's just dolphin just like all these things that had just been going on. That's how on the cuff this has been, you know what I mean, just like really locking in in.

A moment, but you really put on for the city to a don.

Yeah.

I was. Yeah, people from Queen's. I was wondering how they was gonna take that.

At least I went to Queen's guys. So when now just saying what he's saying, it's like, oh my gosh, like we got one. You know what I'm saying, felt you.

Can put your chest out in the bridge absolutely to challenge you to make the hardest birthday song of all time?

How did you do that?

Yeah? He's like, man, I want to drop one from our fiftieth man, damn for sure. So you know, I mean I was already in the groove of just making good beats at that moment. So when he came in, like I was chopping it right there, and he like, this is it. This is the joint you.

Know what I mean, fever joint?

Do what do you think it was about it? Like, because it's like a psychedelic rock sample and stuff like.

I mean, it's the driving forcing and it's like the groove is just constant, it's moving from even like the chops is like two different chops. But they never they never stopped. They never have like a moment of breaking momentum. Yeah.

Yeah, it's funny because a good friend of ours Wayne though.

Yes, Well, the topic to the uh, I think you've seen on social media about sampling now and the state of things, and I know you probably yourself on taking like you're sampled Eddie Kendrick. You're not using Eddie Ketdrick's record that other people have sample, You're taking another song and.

Chop it up.

Like, can you speak to that about how you're looking at sampling now in the overall landscapecause it seems like a lot of people. It seem like the criticism is that some of the sampling seems lazy and people are just trying to just catch the heat of a record that came before it.

Right now, I feel with Wayno was saying as far as like people taking just a full blown concept as well as the sample too, It's like, you know, to each his own man, like people make music for different reasons, but as far as like my I always just wanted to be like the most creative I could possibly be, So taking somebody's full whatever just ain't for me personally, you know what I mean. I want to try a sample that people will hear and be like, damn, I

So you're like actively digging in the crates find obscure.

I got all my samples saved from when I started making beats in two thousand and three, like I style, I had them on CD, but now they're on drives and I've been collecting sounds. So that's what that's twenty years now.

Wow.

Wow, place you transform. You buy records and transform them to I was.

Buying CDs and you know, with different sounds on them, and I would now I'm trying. I mean, they're transferred on the drives now, so people don't use CDs.

So why after all these years, why is FL Studio still a weapon of choice?

Man? I'm just locked in on it, and they keep they keep, they keep leveling it up as well. Like the newest version is like that you can do stuff on there that I'm I wish I could, Like I would have I had to super manually go in and do these things and it would take a long time.

Right, that's what's up. You're not opposed to embracing the technology.

To a new day. Man was hating on FL when I was on it all the years. I used to be like that ain't real beats and all that. I heard all that stuff. So yeah, now fl probably is like the number one most used doll I would say, you know what I mean, especially with the youth.

Right absolutely with that critique. Though when it comes to now, it's how do you critique him when you're in the studio?

How do you produce?

Not?

How do you produce not?

I honestly have to just like start just just like, you know, I feel like the only way I was gonna get to be that producer I really want to be was to just produce him and be honest and give my input, you know what I mean? If I feel like, man, maybe you should try to move the second verse to the first verse, you know what I mean, like just try to shift things around, like or just like maybe speed up the flow on this part. Like I like how you like, you know, it's like just arrangement.

Yeah, were you apprehensive at first, like trying to orfer advice?

I mean maybe when we first linked, he was getting to know each other, you know, I started to understand that he was genuinely open to my ideas and open to me, like, you know, giving us suggestions, you know what I mean?

How did y'all meet? Anyway?

We met originally in like twenty thirteen. I did a demo with Frank Ocean and Frank Ocean played it for Knaves. He was like, me and Frank had a session of our own, were just working on music, and he was like, he did a hook. He was like, yo, I'm about to go work with nas. I want to play this hook for him. So he played him, played it. Naves was rocking with it. Whatever. That song didn't It actually did come out on Lost tapes too, but not with

Ye.

So but yeah, fast forward twenty twenty, like Ripe pre COVID, before it all went down, like we linked up. I saw my homeboard double in the studio with him and I was like, bro, you gotta get him over here. I was like, I got joints right now, I'm sitting on gold and so he was like no, I said, he down to come tomorrow. I was like cool, you know,

Wow, what's the first song that you guys recorded?

The first idea we laid down was because I had to hook with Anderson pack on it for All Bad off KD one, so yeah, and he wanted it. He wanted to do like some Valentine's Day type music, Like yeah, so that's what that's where my head was at. Like I had the Don Tolliver hook replace me, and then I had the All Bad joints, so he hopped on.

That's the foundation of it.

Well earlier this year too, man, you got to perform with the God at Madison Square Garden. How was the experience, you know, rock in the garden with NAS.

And I was I was just to be in a garden period, But then hearing fifteen twenty of your beats playing crazy, that's like damn. Like I've been in MSG and seen you know, niggas and parents performed or uh big you know, yeah, exactly different shit, but it's like to see like that many of my joints played, and it keep the momentum in the tempo and people show love. It's like damn, like I gotta keep going.

That was an amazing Nons performance.

Yeah, so I never seen him so charged up like I thought. He get it in another like half hour with like NonStop.

See rocking the T shirt.

I was there, man, I don't even beat that.

Or and you got to perform composure? Was that the song you got?

No, I just came out for Michael and Quincy.

Michael and Quincy, that's right, But you did do composure like with nas though on the album.

Right.

Was there any other time that you wanted to hop on a song?

Plenty of times, but it's like, you know what I mean, that's notas you know what I mean. You gotta let him do his thing. And yeah, we worked on ideas and got the composure joint. We did the tide Off Surf Drown one. He showed me love with that, so yeah.

And then of course Lulu Wayne, he showed a lot of love man on that Never.

Die No we went. He went crazy like that. Flow was just relentless to keep the same rhyme scheme the whole verse. Like I'm like, damn, that's that's why you at that level.

How did that come together for him to be on the project?

Man, he sent that verse in like super buzzer beater, like got added to the I was landing in New York for the listening party and heard it for the first time.

Wow.

So yeah, it was last minute, but it was just he already had the idea when he laid his verse, he was like, man, we should get Wane on this.

He took the little the light of there's no light of noise before he wraps his verse. Did you take that out?

Or maybe my engineer did. I don't know.

It was even better when you got fifty finally officially on the office side, right, How was that experience for you?

I wanted another eight personally from him, Yeah, sixteen, But I mean, you know I liked him just talking and ship, you know what I mean, just just showing love to Nas, showing love the jungle, like just to see that that bond like for on that you know, on that for for for their history, Like it's just ill right.

I think it's kind of ironic, like you and I have had such great success, but you didn't really grow up on NAS's music, Like that right.

Right right, just being from the West Coast being younger and I heard like the popular song yeah, you know what I mean. I didn't really dig into like like the deep Cuts and all that until we start locking in.

Oh. I was gonna say, like, when did you finally like get hit to what album? I guess you gravitated towards.

I mean still still Madic was always my joint, like I always love that album, but just like digging into like the stuff that came out in the nineties or whatever the case was. Was like after we started locking In, and I'm like, I gotta really you know, this is an assignment, Like I got to really put some thought into this and really understand what's going on.

And growing up in l all. Who are you listening to? Like, what did you grow up listening to?

Man for Show? My first favorite artist was Snoop Dogg, My first favorite rapper, I would say, watching you know, his vhs, listening to his album ice Cube for show, n W A Dre you know what I mean.

Definite, So definitely all the West Coast legends, all the legends and your uncle. He was in the R and B groups in the group.

That was my first musical inspiration and just life inspiration to see that. Okay, it's that level, like you know what I mean. He was living great and had everything a young black dude could want me to mean. So it's like I saw that side of it, and uh was inspired by that.

And be clear that group is true. There wasn't no.

Clear they had They had joints, crazy videos, they had style, they could dance all like.

So I guess that he was more of the inspiration of like putting you onto new music, Like how did you get exposed?

Yeah, I mean the first time I heard NWA was in his car. I remember that. I was probably four or five years old, and just the music, the way them beats, them drum breaks and all that was hidden. I know what that was at the time, but I knew that it felt epic and just the way they was talking to Voguer conversation. Hearing it at that young of an age that it was like watching a movie.

Yeah, and plus being in LA you get to see it in real time.

Right.

But also your mom had an influence too, right. She was like one of the first people that believed in.

You for sure. Yeah, I mean she she just kind of empowered me in the sense of just let me do my thing. Like she I was fifteen sixteen in the crib making music, and she would let me to the point where like family members or her friends would come over and be like, why you let him make all that noise back there, you know what I mean? And she was just happy that I was in the crib and I was doing something.

Productive, right, You brought you like your first equipment.

Man, Actually, my grandma, my dad's mom bought me my first computer that I had fl on, and then my mom had got me some speakers. My whole family pretty much chipped in and just gave me different pieces that I needed that was like real important for me to have at that time.

You know what I mean, right, because I know that eventually he started selling beats for the porno guys and stuff like that.

Man, right, my my cousin rest in peace. Fashion. Man, he did a lot of stuff though he used to work for ninety two point three to beat when this dude THEO was on ninety two point three time, for sure, yeah, he like so he had come around the family and like had pictures with celebrities and all types of shit, and like I just looked at him with a certain respect. But then you know, he was also a photographer, he

And that's like in the early two thousands.

Yeah, I was like a two thousand four two thousand.

Thousand dollars one a long way back in those days.

Oh yeah, for sure, I was helping my mom pay rent and all that.

Eighteen Yeah, but speak to the points of big money.

You also was very clear recent interviews that you went you some real financial hard times and you got yourself into control of your career. Can you speak more about that, like, how did you How does somebody who kind of like you know, gets recognized you have all these hit records, but then the money's not where it needs to be. How do you recover from that? How do you rebuild?

Yeah? Put it in more in context. It's like I had money out there, like I had you know, different label checks or placement checks, and it just was to the point where I was just so over the industry,

And speaking of to the businessman, you made headlines recently for the work on Travis Scott's album. Work got out that you're selling part of the publishing that you do, right Nah.

That started out honestly as a joke. I'm in the in the studio with my manager with the homies, with my pops, and I'm like just laughing, like, y'all bet you I could put this on eBay and make more money than the label is trying to pay me for my actual work on at Travis and Beyonce song And right now it's pretty much overdouble what they're trying to pay me. That shouldn't even been papered up. I don't even have PAPERWORKO.

Okay, So because you did a small portion of it that they use is at the issue?

I mean, I guess so as far as the feed, But you know, it's like it is what it is. Like, I feel like it's just you could have just erased my part if you was going diminish you know, me to the to this point. But it's like it's just funny, like how the industry is That's that goes back to what I've been saying this whole time, just like I can't really take the industry side of this ship, man. So it's like I've already made more money off eBay

What it is?

What it is?

Yeah, people, I don't think myself the hell. I don't think people understood that. They didn't get that explain.

It was a joke. But it's like, damn, this ship is actually like people really betting on this joint. It's like hundreds of people tapping here, you know what I mean. I try to have something I had, somebody DM me like theyre trying to trade me stuff. Somebody tried to trade me some Travis Scott Jordan's for some Travis Scott published and I'm like, come on, man, that's hilarious.

But I like about you too.

In social media, you give it up like you speak about how you fund at the time, like they tweet it.

Like nobody likes each other.

Like I've been around. I've been around all of them. They all talk crazy about each other. I'm not putting their names out there, but yeah, it's just like it's the music business. But it's like I feel like just in general, like a lot of artists don't like other artists, a lot of producers don't like other producers, Directors don't like other directors, and it's like it's an ego thing. It saw that, it's an insecurity thing, whatever the case may be. But it's room for everybody to do their thing.

Are you and Kanye in a good place?

Man?

Because a composure to you said that you know, he told you your face that he was trying to hold you back.

Right he did. That was the only one of the last times we was really kicking it like that around when we did Easy for Game. And I have nothing against Kanye at all. I really, I really think he's one of the funniest people ever, Like, but unintentionally, you're not even trying to be he just it's expressive and he says what you want to say, so it's just funny. But no, man, I mean, I don't even want to go there. Man, it's all love.

Congratulations niggas and parents that go diamond.

Really this shit, sir, Nah, that's solid man, for sure. I feel like that song go platinum, another platinum every year and I have two years, Like I feel like it's never don't stop.

How did you celebrate when you got the word about it.

I was just making more beats. They don't really be you know what I mean. That's cool, but I'm like, what's next?

Man?

That's my That's my whole thing right now. I'm like every beat I make, I'm like cool that shit all. I'm straight to the next beat. Versus back in the day, I probably kick back, you know what I mean. Like, Nah, I'm as many as I can get out in the day. That's what I'm on.

But you got to think about it. Reflect right, as illustrious as jay Z's career is, you gave him his first Diamond song.

I didn't even I couldn't even explain that one. Like Damn, that's crazy to me. You would think he got mad diamond, right, you know what I mean? But they are dimon They hood domin real nigga diamond, you know what I mean, Like real real ones know what's up and.

You're working with another Carter missus Beyonce. Yeah, I'm going back to twenty twenty two. You know he produced a song thick off the Renaissance Project. Did you have be in mind when you when you created that song?

When I created that beat, I actually did have her in mind, But I created the bet in twenty fourteen before some sessions that she invited me to. She had some sessions in LA and invited me to come work, and that was one of the beats that I was in the original batch that I made to present to her, and she kept it from twenty fourteen too. She dropped it on Renaissance.

Yup.

Wow, So did you forge? Did you forget about that record?

I don't.

I don't really forget about it, cause I'd be like I I I go through all my beats, I would hear it here and there, Like I like, I got thousands of joints. But sometimes I'll be trying to find something and just I still find go through the files and I'll click on Niggas in Pairs, Goldie, I'll click on the back Seat Freestyle, so they all just still there in the in the files. So I would hear it here and there and be like, damn, I know

Know what I mean. Were you with the were you down with the fans for the Justice for Thick movement on the tour?

Oh?

Man, I was I'm not even hip like that.

Yeah, so you know, I think it's one of the most popular records on Renaissance, right, but she didn't perform it on the set list, so some fans were like, justice, I don't even She ended up performing a couple of days, but it was like a whole movie that t shirts and people were people were voting.

That's a good one though, especially for the joints. They all love it.

But we loving you on your own music too, man. Like I said earlier, you know, you got Surfer Drowned one. She just had Surf for Drowned to your other project that you put off this ship with your dad. You posed the question that it's just the first father and son. I don't know if littl Wayne and Birdman count not Blood.

Yeah, I mean I can't even explain it, can't put it into words. Like we've been, you know, talking about doing this, talking about locking in, but you know, obviously he got locked back up. We were starting to do it, was starting to get some momentium before he went back in and for him to touch down, like we dropped several drownd two Like a month later he was on

And what's about what's what's the what's the status with you and the Alchemist man? Like what's all right?

Man? That's like, yeah, that's that's that's some stuff. Were working on some cool stuff.

Man.

We got we got a lot of music. We're just putting some things around it. That's just gonna like really bring people into a world. Like so I'm excited about that.

Well, you're wrapping over each other's beac, you're running over.

All that. We're putting our beat together and getting different artists on him with us not even rapping on him or just like we just mixing it up, we having fun with it out. That's that's that guy right there.

Man.

Yeah, how did that? Does the original thing come together? How did that whole?

I mean, we always have been cool. We always have been cool. We always have been talking about linking up. And I remember seeing some clips of him going viral on stage performing with Larry June, and he was like, people like, yo, I need to hear more alchemists. So I'm just riding in the car one day and I just thought of that idea. I was like, yo, I should do like a control type of verse over an alchemist joint and have him rap over one of my joints.

It's surprised a lot of people, Like I think people didn't know that Alchemists started off as a rapper.

Yeah for real, Nah, that's crazy. He been doing this. He was young and like sure, like I don't know how old he was. We looked like he was thirteen fourteen exactly.

Yeah, But do you think produce sometimes it underrated, Like we're not seriously, you take your bars, but like sometimes if somebody so weird a producer, they may not get that credit as much for the for the rapping.

Yeah for sure. I mean, you know, it happens, but that's just part of the game. I just feel like producers in general just are not because we don't we like as far as the artists, right, like they get a hit, they get the market in, they'll be all their faces everywhere, So producers don't get that fan fare on the same level. Even though we're doing half for

You know what I mean.

Crazy, So you still feel like you have to prove yourself.

Every day, every day. It is just is what it is at this point.

Life after jay Z Freestyle, Right.

It's a lot of great things though too, you know, so you gotta take the good with the bad and just you know, understand more and more how to navigate and and just like create your own world.

Yeah, that's the thing too.

You have a world now, so you don't have to chase after It seems like whoever the hot rapper.

Is, blah blah.

Are there any artists out unrelated to you that caught your eye in terms of like like in their music or things that caught you ob recently?

Yeah, this dude, Benjamin Earl Turner, he got he got like dope visuals and some cool music. Man, I listen to so much ship and when people ask me these questions, I'll be blinking. I'm down to work with whoever. I'm down to work with the sexy red you know what I mean. Like she pulled up to the studio one time and she met pops and all that, and uh, play some joints, but yeah, I really want to tap in with her.

I try to tell beat that about sexy sexy look at it.

I'm from the show Me state, you know what I mean.

I got some up, but you know I got some stuff coming with Rhapsody, some real you know, hard rap female ship, you know what I mean. Yeah, I'm just locked in or whoever really want to work?

What else you got come and be?

Hey, man, bro the Alchemist shit. Definitely big hit album Surfer Drowned three, but that's gonna be next year, so I have to take it to that complete level. Actually, you know what I'm leaving out the homie who is super talented, My nigga, Denzel Curry. We got like probably twelve thirteen joints in the stats right now. That's crash. He even got me rapping. Yeah, really for sure.

He's locked and came to Chalice all locked in.

Wow, you got busy on that Tony Fontana floid though, Man, what a part five on the way as well?

Man, I might as well close it out right right right, got finished, got to follow through, man.

And on Sunrise he had your own moment too. On surfing draft. We talked about it earlier, like this got a big hit man, that's your dad.

Yeah, people still don't even be believing it. Man too young, I mean, but you know he's uh a lot of his youth got ribbed from him, like you know, getting going getting locked up at nineteen, staying in there to what however, he was thirty something and uh yeah that's ship I mean. But I mean he preserved itself and he fucking he owned it, like he got that voice. Man. Like I feel like this is one of the first like full voice rappers from the West Coast since Nipsey,

Yeah.

I got hip to him grinding all my life, and I could have believed he said it.

I'm your father, and I was like, lying, that's funny.

But what's it like seeing him like gain fans and becomes.

His own ill man, like just being out people want to take pictures and shit like yo, big hit, like it's crazy man, And uh, it's just dope that we got this lane in this avenue because the street shit is authentically in him. It's not like a fake like it's like that should be calling him and mother if you're trying to get him to go jump back into certain lanes where it's like we got to just take the slow roll right now and just get it all the legal way, you know what I mean. And he

As a matter of fact, since we talk about big Head, let's get his perspective. Man, word up. He goes, yeah, bro, yes, sir, there you go. You know, Larry June said I could change in sixty days, but for you, it's ninety days since you've been home.

I bought about a hundred ball hundred twenty.

It's moving.

I felt like ten years.

Are you adjusting everything big here?

I mean, I'm really not.

I'm just taking it and flighting taking flight and you know I'm setting the tone and.

You have your own project on the way. Yeah, yep, can you talk about that.

I mean this I'm on like my tenth project for double about the first project, like the first week I was out, So I mean they've just been you know, sharpening it up. Yeah, you know, I met little details, right, Yeah.

The truth is in my eyes.

Yeah, the truth is behind that.

Oh man, it's just and you design it yourself, right, It's just.

The real man, God is self explanatory.

You know.

The pain my nigga is undeniable. You know what I'm saying.

It's certain things I kind of wear my I kind of wear my emotions on my sleeve.

You know.

I don't.

I don't do too.

Good at ah expressing myself and holding things back like I just you know, sometimes I overly express myself. That's my sometimes my gift and my curse keeping it too real.

But yeah, that's what it is. And you're releasing it first on JP. Right.

Well that's a good question.

But just to give back to you know what, I mean, to get some hope to the dudes on the inside that you know it might be finna touch down like then, what I'm gonna do not You could see somebody in that really went through that same struggle, like you know what I mean, yeah for sure doing anything.

Were still tapped in with all my all my goons in jail, man, shout out to everybody. Locked up man, stay strong, my nigga, Stay focused, stay prayed up. You know I'm saying, state, stay energetic, state moving man, and stay positive and don't let nobody, you know, crush your dreams, man, because I don't give a fuck what situation you facing.

You can always get up out of it.

Man.

It's a little pole in every situation. Man, Keep pushing, keep fighting, and.

You know you stay focused the thinking when you're coming out, you're gonna hit the ground running the way you are make this music right.

Yeah, absolutely, I mean it's a struggle man, trying to not to even jump back in the game, like you know, because this is a whole different game. It's slows held and you know, you gotta have a lot of patience man, and you gotta be dedicated. You gotta really want it. You gotta just live it. This is a way of life. You can't look at like no money. You know what I'm saying, is what it is?

Right, you came from the Penn Street to boards and Tom Squid. Oh god, how was that? What was that feeling?

Like amazing?

It was like I can't even explain it, you know what I'm saying, It's a feeling that's like, damn, it's dream come true. You know you manifested, always dreamed it in my head, always visualized it, you know, saying me and him, you know up there up that top. Just there's no limit. And like I say, it's just the beginning anyway, So ain't no telling where we're going with

It's been out like it's like real people. And it's comments you know that that relate to the struggle or relate to the story or whatever the case is. That's what's so dope. Like we ain't come out trying to Oh we need him to, we need to buy a million followers for him. It's like it's all come in. This is all organic organic.

Ya talk about that relationship a lot on the grinding my life part too, you know, like from the visits and sneaking stuff into the into the dance floor, the visiting room, things like that, right, Like was it hard to reveal so much?

Nah? Really, I feel like we both transparent people, you know what I mean? So we we wanna we wanna give people the authentic every time, Like this is what went down, you know what I mean. We ain't gotta put no extras on it. It just is what it is.

Right, Yeah, I I ain't really wanna do it. There's a lot of stuff. Be reluctant, kind of feel bad.

I ain't really proud of the shit, you know what I'm saying, But just had to do what had to do. The Slavakas, right, weren't nobody sending me shit? So mm oh, you know, you gotta do what you gotta do. Man, It's just the family ties is is deeper than what you know anybody can explain.

Man.

It's it's you know, the extent that anybody will go through the pain that they see, is they don't really give a fuck. They'll break the law, they'll kill somebody, whatever they you know what I'm saying. So y, yeah, that's that's real family, tis man. That everybody's feeling, you know what I'm saying, regardless if it was breaking.

The law or even doing whatever. You know what I'm saying.

But a lot of things, money came by, you know what I'm saying. That was my medication, you know what I'm saying, for me not to snap to do whatever I was doing.

You know.

But yeah, you remember the moment that finally kind of hits you that you realized that it was outside and was really elevating in this business and your son's becoming really like looked at as one of the best producers in the game, and shaking Ship.

I was.

I was locked up in the hole and getting transferred, and I was listening to some music and R and R getting transferred and I'm hearing Travis Scott slapping and I'm like, damn, I was, I've been heard it. And then when I finally got to a situation, I didn't hear Ship, you know, for about six seven months in the whole isolated, And that was around that time and I found out like damn, okay, yeah that part right there, yep, So you know, I start working. I don't know the

Yeah.

Two Dominant album, two Dimond Records. Right all right, there you go.

About that blessing.

You put the plaques in the whole, in the in the study.

And I ain't bro I probably got fifty sixty plaques that I ain't even collected yet. I got so many plaques. I ain't been focused on that part of the game. I've been focusing on running them up. So like when I when I do go get my plaque, just probably put one hundred of them joints. So you know what I mean. I got a gang of them already, but I haven't collected none in years.

How do you feel about the comparisons, like people liking you to like Nipsey? You know that's like big shoots to feel, especially out here on the West coast.

Oh man ship, Uh, I mean shit, it's a it's an honor, I guess you know what I'm saying. It was cool men nips like I met Nip. You know when I at the time, I didn't know he was Nip.

You know what I'm saying.

We was on one O six in Park and they was doing some ship like they did a song whatever.

You know.

He pushed up on me like what up, Like like man, your boy, like that's my real one, Like I fuck with him. I'm like, y'all, you know, Nigga stepped in front of me, like nah, I fuck with him in a real way, like Nigga.

You know what I'm saying, I ain't know who he was, you know what I'm saying, Like.

He pushed on the state they did whatever they did, but I got locked up.

You know.

That's when I found out really who he was, when they hit me asking to do the grind in my whole life, you know what I'm saying.

I seen all my life ship ship is on me.

But yeah, I mean it's it's cool, man. I mean I wish he was here, man, so I already know where where the shipped on the game for real.

Definitely would have connected at some point.

And when I linked up to do racks in the middle with Nip, one of the first things he asked me was how it Pops, you know what I mean, Like he made sure to stay tapped in with me every time I linked with him, Like make sure Pops a straight type ship, you know what I mean.

Man, nipples, Like when I brushed my teeth to G's on cry on me every morning, like I'm a fan type ship.

And I'm like, all if.

I knew he was nip at the time, you like, damn my nigga, let me get let me get on the song.

And so I was just.

Brushing him off, like, yeah, I know this nigga's crib like I like, but I know how tight they was and I never heard him rap.

You know what I'm saying. So I was sleep.

Are you excited to perform hit some of the cities and stuff like that?

Man?

Absolutely?

You just did the Las Vegas.

Conway put you out right?

Uh, Jayworthy?

It was it was Worthy.

That was a different show. Show brought and Jay Worthy brought his mind and they just did the low Rider show out there in Vegas.

Yeah, I watch out for the Riders record was hard.

Shout out with me, jay Worthy, Shout out jay Worthy.

Walk.

I know you critique nows like you said earlier, hip boy, but how do you critique your father when it comes to the music.

Man, same way. Man, I'm gonna just keep it honest and just like you know what I mean, he had creative so he opened the creative ideas and we uh, we just get it to that finish line. Man, that's my whole thing. Like I'm gonna be open your ideas, you'll be open the mind, and let's just make this record the code as we can. For Shure, I'll do the same thing like take versus, move ship around something that he may not have looked at as the hook.

It's so weird because your guys more like brothers than fathers.

Crazy man, for real, way about ninety days, you finna get you.

He's gonna be bigger than me.

It's time for that journey.

What's the key to the youth? Man saying? How you feel you look?

Man?

What's the secret man?

Man?

Jehovah Man, I guess secret man. You know a lot of vegetables, fruits, man, Try to stay working out off the cayenne pepper, all that mayor jinger.

You know what I'm saying, I'm off.

It can't workout playing man, yea, for real, you're for the West Coast? What did you grow up listening to.

Oh Man ship everything man back in the days shop?

I mean I was. I was.

I can remember being in out sitting on my daddy left slapping. Uh uh, don't push me because close to it. Oh God, yeah, yep that I mean. Then I grew up off the krs. You know cars one. My nigga bears Marky. He just your lover her like n w A like real.

You know what I'm saying.

African bomb body stumping on the earth for my big black boost.

You know what I'm saying.

That exactly was Uncle Jam's army.

Jam's army, My nigga like was just West Coast like just a movement. You know what I'm saying with Ka and KGFJ. You know what I'm saying with Bobby, Jimmy and all them. It was a it was a radio station my nigga was. They was booming. Uncle Jam's army used to come and just I used to sneak out the house. Nigga tied my sheets together and climb out the window.

You know what I'm saying.

Still ours nigga with the school driver really pushing to go to these functions.

What I'm saying the year young nigga, Like we used to.

Be jealous in the East coast because k was the West coast state, but they was first to play hip hop twenty four hours, Like oh, ma couldn't play hip hop two o'clock.

Of the afternoon till ninety seven. All that came along.

It was jealous, are like, oh mad like lay they can hear hip hop all day?

What year was that?

But it was staticky though it was late eighties fifteen K.

Yeah, I think it.

Was like eight late eighties when it first eighties like eighty three, eighty two early on.

Yeah, yeah, and we never had that. We only had our rap shows at night.

Eighty four to eighty five all through there.

But it was young yep. Yeah, it was born as hip hop was hip hop pop like and right down all.

But speaking of Thisty, I really don't think there's a real father son. There's nothing ever been anything like to say about history for me.

I mean I feel like, uh, you know, you can look at people that may have put themselves in position and then pulled up their son, but it's like Conne Reverse. This time, I've been doing my thing and the music getting established, and now I'm helping you know, him to get known through what I'm doing as well. So it's like it's a good trade off man Like, and he really dedicated. Like everybody who pull up, like it's like, you know, shout out to homie Killer Twine from All

That's what it is. The truth is in my eyes coming soon man.

Words on that.

Man, what do you think people? How people gonna connect to that with listeners?

Man, the truth is in my eyes. That's that's a real piece for the West Coast and just music period, Like somebody that's really been through some stuff that most people don't experience, you know what I mean, Just like really putting that out there and making it enjoyable to where you could digest it. But just like it's a real raw story, you know what I mean? Been through some, You been through some. You got stories for days. Man, it's crazy.

Hey man, I mean I gotta say some of that ship. I don't even know.

It's nothing to be proud of. Man, I ain't I ain't bragging. I'll be trying to fall back. But he's like, nah, got love.

Yeah, if you don't want to speaking of what were you locked up for for those nine years?

Oh? Ship?

Right now?

Hitt and run, hitting run yep, before that three bricks Coke, gang of guns. But I ended up beating the gun charge and got out early. They went right back and some counterfeit checks got I went right.

Back for the checks again.

It was a district.

But then I went back for the for this hitting run gotcha. Yeah.

You talked about it on the Big Showing record a little bit. You say you're on a million dollar restitution.

Yeah, man, yeah, meant out a restitution. But that all that's all for me. Man, They kept me like five years. I'm finna text. They ask for some millions. Now, they held me five years over.

They go take a big hit for real world.

It up. We appreciate you, guys.

Man show finally got on the rap right Whenever y'all bring the car test back. Man, we gotta go up for shure.

Man say let's go, Let's do it.

Yeah, appreciate man.

Yeah, the Hollis Family. Man Wrap rate our podcasts.

Yeah, rap Radar is. The Interval Presents original production from hyper House, produced by Laura Wasser Hopt and producers Elliott Wilson and Brian B. Dot Miller. From Interval Presents executive producers Alan Coy and Jake Kleinberg, Executive producer Paul Rosenberg. Editing is sound designed by Dylan a Lexander Freeman, recording engineer Jeremy Ogletree. Special thanks to Charlotte Jenkins, Tammy Kim, and Jasmine Sanchez, Operations Lead Sarah Yu, Business Development Lead