Rap Radar Rewind: Big K.R.I.T.

cousin the buildings going on? Yes, sir, oh yeah, yeah, Like you know it was something el what I'm saying, I'm saying, well, I feel like, you know, it's a real statement, like to say, critic is here? Like what what was? What? I was it important to make that statement? It was? It really mean for people that were like, you know, the crip was here was your big breakthrough right that everybody saw the listening to you now to

come back to nine years later is here exactly? Um. The greatest thing is so next ship the tea, your

anniversity of cripples here, so rolling into that. I feel like the confidence I have what I've been through in my career, ups and downs of being an independent artists, then being signed, then you're seeing what's happening with streaming, and then being that artist where I'm bitter and I might feel like people aren't listening to me and in my music terms aggressive sometimes and they're finding that space where forever in my a long time comes out and

I'm like, man, I'm just gonna be myself. I'm independent, I'm winning, you know what I'm saying. Me and my team were together, we know what we're doing. We got multi you know, on heels all of that. It's like now I feel like I'm here now, Like I'm in these circles and I'm around a lot of the O G s and the legends are looking at me and they're like, na, younger, you're doing your thing too, Like

now you where you need to be. And and then to even be around a Rico love him, like, man, you're doing your supporters of disservice by not going even farther with your music, Like your underground is cool, You've been there, Like people know you can wrap, but what else can you take your music signcle what else can you say? Who all else can you work with? And I think critics are just as me really showing people like, man,

I've been around, I've been doing this. If you was unaware in the corner, and I pay attention, like now, look at my catalog and look at the people that I've worked with. Then look at the people I'm working with now. And I deserve to be on this field, and I'm on this field. I'm playing. I'm still hit Ny Harme runs. Trust me that that caught my attention. You see three hundred songs t that wass ain't you still got the globe? So what keeps you motivating and inspired?

I would say the people, man, the people. And then knowing that I haven't said enough yet, I still have a lot more to say. Every day something happens in the world. I have a conversation with somebody that I've never met before, and it inspires me to to to write, inspires me to to talk about whatever that particular topic was. And then when you talk about the way production is now and some of the producers have the opportunity to work with, it just becomes this grand schemes, grand things.

It's just food with love. But it's for your soul, you know what I'm saying. And so for me. It's like, I don't feel like I ever could stop or even if I wasn't rapping, I figure out a way to be able to give people that same feeling musically. And this album features mostly outside production. Definitely only produced one record, Blue Flame Ballet, you know what, Little Ballet is the only one I needed it. I needed to mean this.

I mean, it was one of six ways. She was like, man, but I was like, I gotta have that one, and um so blue Flame Ballet was the one I was able to just get kind of funky with it, like I'm a big fan of funk Parliament, um, you know and all that and then sounding and field, and I was able to do that. I don't know what the Blue Flame is, the legendary The legendary Blue Flame is a famous strip club that I've wrapped about a number

of times. I mean, yeah, I mean it's just I can appreciate the talent that goes into what these women are able to do. It is amazing. Um it's like Olympics a lot of the times, so like, I've never seen anything of that nature, and I feel like doing a song that you weren't necessarily here and then the vibe and I was able to have this amazing singer, anat Roll, singing it to give us operatic field. And I feel like I was able to bring a tab of the theater to the idea of being in the strip,

the strip club or playing ballet. And I plan on it, but I don't know what we're gonna be able to show that video because I still wanted to be nostalgic to what strip clubs are like. But yeah, just my spind on it. But why outside production? Usually do things on your own? UM? So shout out to Rico Love and had the oportunity to go to his music conference. UM, I want to say, it's like two years ago and Rico once again, he was on the panel, and Rico kind of challenged me, like, yo, man, get in the

studio with me. Let's work on your next album. I want to see where we can come up with. Um I'd already been working on them at the time, but knowing that it was I knew I was gonna have an opportunity to work with other producers I might not been aware of. Then. It was like, Yo, Danger Ligen, the Danger want to work with you too. So getting in with Dangel put me in a position where it's like he's playing these beats. I'm like mind blown. I'm like, yo,

hold up, you know what I'm saying. But then for me, it's like, now I got to elevate the way that I think about approaching the record instead of just all right, I got these eight balls, the twil balls to do it, Like, now I want to approach the way I wrapped as more of an instrument. How do I compliment this the sonics of this, the drum casses, the pattern, switch it up all the way. And then with that came we just wanted to work with other producers from that from

the jump. Then you got DJ Camper, you got with the Michaels, you got Done Cooley one. You know, um, don't forbid if I'm missing somebody else, but you know, it's just like going on. But yeo, man, working with these other people that gave me this this landscape or production, like, man, I would have never made that for myself. And then as the writer, I'm like, I'm getting this call and

get it right. And then it's a collective effort because all of them on the level where if they feel like I could have went a little harder, I could have said I'm a little doper. Then they're gonna be like, yo, bro, you Yeah. What was the most challenging wanting that way, like to stit out to you that you was proud of, like you you took the beat and like you really

made it your own. The most challenging one, oh Man, Addiction was interested because when we did it, Addiction, Yeah, it was like so Wayne and Sweetie, thank god they was able to jump on the record. Kind of near the end of the finalization of the album. I did the record in l a months before we decided to use it, So it was probably like three o'clock in

the morning. Does let me I'm just wrapping. I'm just going through records and just like well ricoes like bro, I got this record from down Cooley on, Bro, we need to work on this. I'm tired, but everybody else is dumb awake, like everybody like we gotta let's just do it. And so it was just kind of fighting through my natural things like you know what, I just

want to go to hotel. I come back to it later, and like trying to feed off the energy and then seeing how far I could go with trying to make something that I knew was like, this is a little out of my comfort zone with the time and the tempo, but how can I beat me? How can I kick this cadence? And then Rico came over the concept hook wise and then yeah, yeah, yeah, Man seem like Rico

loves was a key component. Definitely, Man, definitely, because again he gonna go in there even be like, Bro, we try and make the big We need to make the record, bro a little and you and wrap and wrap. It's not like a no, just dumb it down like now, I was like wrapped, you know, and the record like obvious shows that because the thick con verse, like I don't care if you learn it or not. It's about me being as intricated as I possibly can't tell the

story that meant something to me. So yeah, it fair to say that this album is a sequel to I don't know, man, it's hard to say. I think it's Remember when I did Crip was here for me? It was about it was like a Lance Hurrah. It was like, man, I have twenty something records and it's some West Coast, some East coast song, got the New Orleans bounds, something in Mississippi Country you know, um, And I was like, I'm gonna give people everything because I needed them this.

If this is my last chance, then I gotta let them know I can rap and I can do this. I think create is here is like that me coming back to, like, you know what, I can wrap on any kind of record. I'm capable of singing and I'm capable of changing my My cadence is more the juxtapositions in the flow, like it's it's ways to do it different and showcasing that almost kind of like how I feel like I did on Crip was here the showcase I can I can wrap with anybody or any kind

of sound way. Really good that J Coole got man. Yeah, yeah, that was that your first time because you know you did something with klid before, but it's your first time working with him like on your own individual songs. Definitely, I was saying that, yeah it I mean, I think

it's for me as time and as everything. Bro. I believe even the kind of record it is, Um, it made sense for it to be now, even when he's at in his life and why I'm at it creatively as well, because you know, normally you want the radio record, right you're trying to make a certain record and you're

trying to you know, is it? I think the timing now isn't about that more or less, like how can we make something powerful, something that will um kind of help people to help them understand a certain topic that they might be going through. And UM shout out to with the Michaels because he produced the record. He's also on the hook UM and I had the record and I just knew Cold was like the perfect person. What

do you think connecting to that man? Because I think he can understand even in what we do, not only do with the society. And maybe the risk is he's taken as an artist in order to like just voice his opinion no matter what people say, and having to

take that backlash and come out from it. But you want to protect that on your integrity, but your family and your friends around you, and you want people to know, like, this is what I believe in and I'm believing it's stronger enough that I'm willing to risk my career on it. And if you hear his verse um compared to mind, it's for me, it kind of it kind of brings it all full circle because me, I'm like all right, any streets, things are going crazy. It's a lot going

on this world. If it's me and my family, I gotta do what I gotta do, take care of mind right, to make sure we all get home. Him is to prove it perspective, if you believe in me as an interviews with a person and what I bring to the table, and show me some love and support. I don't necessarily know the woman he was talking about, but now I know, ye now man exactly, And so I'm pretty sure like when it comes to us as artists and how we interact with the people are that we see and meet

that supported us, I wouldn't be in a situation. I mean if people didn't listen to my music and didn't want to see me perform and didn't believe in what I was doing. And so I think I think more artist probably should take like a page out there, like sometimes they for artists to truly appreciate some of the law fans, because you always want your audience to be bigger right now for the bigger things. Yeah, sometimes you can't lose sight of like the foundation of certain there's

certain fans. I'm it with you that you know that they may from the beginning shows like like the show is turned into family barbecues literallyast like I've seen people and they it was they were they were just friends at one point. Then they end up becoming couples at the show, then they get married, then they have kids, and now I'm like, I'm like dapping them up, I'm like daving them over, and I'm like how the baby doing. But that kind of connection is a connection that you

can't run from in this industry, you know. That's the connection that as we move around and we meet people, we create a bigger family. Yeah, And so you have to remember that when you go in the studio and you decided to write some of these songs or when you decide to interact with new people, because they just

they're part of the family too. They might not have been in the beginning, but they're gonna run into that same person at the show like, oh, you didn't know about this, I just tut it down record that he did. Let me tell you about this. Yeah, yeah, definitely it's a connection. How you said Felting put yeah he put me on yeah yeah connection yeah yeah, and then he put on the dot you mentioned family. Amazing thing content peace you did or you got to have a conversation

with your father and came what inspired that to do that? Oh? Man, um, it's if I think for me, people, especially my team, right, so we have conversations and the Dutch Steve oh very big on me doing things that like when I'm having conversation, like, man, if that's how you feel to do one of those, they do something like that, and so they know the bond that I helped my father and him being the person that listens to every record I put out, even the verses that sometime like Pops, how did you hear

that that? Man? I don't know, but it's jamming, you know what I'm saying, and just being very aware of what I got going on in my career, and so they feel like it would be really great for me to have a sit down with my pops and it's kind of hash out a lot of the emotional things that I may have went through in the beginning of my career, but he was able to see and the competitive spirit he gave me and how it helped and then it started to hurt me let on in my

career and then diving into that because I think people not only need to hear that conversation just me and like fathering something, but just all the other artists that feel like they haven't made whoever and they're like proud and really they have and they just need him to say, Yo, you got it, You're good. Yeah. So yeah, you're still calling them before you going on the airplane. Well, now, long time you talk about Yeah, yeah I call, I call around, call around, y'all make phone call on flights

just because it makes me. It makes me comfortable. And even if even if you got to go to work in the morning, I'm not tripping he got that call like hey man, I'm on the weight going down the road to l A. Just won't let you know. They're going back to your competitive spirit because you've always been like biging declarations and always feel like you know you may not be getting to do that you deserve. You

said you're going through a transition. Now you have the beility to cheer other people on definitely, and noticed like talk about that transformation, how how how tough that was? Man Um. I think it's when you get to a point where you just want the accolades. You see what other people are getting and you feel like you might deserve that same thing. Yeah, I came to a realization for myself that even if I got this stuff, it

probably wouldn't make me happy. A lot of the things around me, and the fact that I was able to help my family make the music that I wanted to make, um be like literally hang out with the people that I never thought i'd hang out with, have conversations with Bumby just about life, and it's like, man, look I'm good, Like this is great, Like you know what I'm saying. And from that point it came to doing the album forever in my a long time and just totally just

doing whatever I wanted to do, doing a double album. Whatever. We ain't with the labels like hey, we're gonna drop twenty two songs. Why not? At some point it just didn't matter. We're humans, and I started like them like, man, I don't know where it feels like to go through that, but just no, bro, if you need to hit me up, man, you need to go get a steak or something chill you can, you know. And once I got to that point,

it just it made it so much easier. Like I'm like, man on that verse hard or that track crazy like other people. And I think it might have been a shocker to some people because I'm hitting them like, hey, bro, let's work sometimes because they talk, you know, I'm under a rock. I'm like to myself. But really it's like, no, man, I always wanted to work. I think I just was afraid of the note or like if I do get the note and I'm like, I ain't rocking with me

that I had to let go of. That had a line on every time talk about being in competition like myself, yourself. If I could with me, there's no second place. So when did that become apparent to you because like you are a competitive artist? Oh man? Because it got to a point of the feels in MyD a long time, I guess um that people started to look at if I heard if somebody gave me an opinion it was based off of the record I dropped before that it was based off the freestyle I drop before, It was

based off twelve or twelve. It was like, oh but returning forever still my my jump, you know what I'm saying. And so it wasn't them actually look at me like man, but y'all don't sound like you know they were always going back to the records that I put out, and so at that point I was like, oh no, I'm tripping, like I've carved out of space for myself. I can't be like the homie. I can't be like this artist. It's me. And once I focused on end's like I'm good.

Like I just gotta keep being solid, keep testing myself, not only lyrically, but um just visually, like even the visuals not everything has to feel different. And now it's almost like since I let that guard down, there's so many other people that came aboard this, like Buch she literally did the videos and she probably gonna do all of them, but she killing them like she didn't create energy. And it's like but it's like just being that free to live. People like, yeah, man, you you've seen me

come up? What you think I should do? How you feel about my visuals? Now? You know he is a very proprocative visual I like that one Plantation Records. Man, you gotta put that medicine in the good food man. That scene. Like the people that haven't seen the video like this all of a sudden that I think I'm watching the rap video Underrated underground Rappers and lyricists in

this country. That was a real scene. Shoot, mind you that we didn't get it right the first time, so they had to do that a few times, and they need different shots of it, you know what I'm saying. And so he's like literally saying it over and over again, and then every time the cut he like a man, I just want you to know. I don't think I feel anything like this at all at all. And then the child touches here like during this state touches, oh god, and the dudes like, hey, man, I just want you

to know. I do not feel comfortable, but you know, but I think it's important that we do push the limits and boundary just a little bit. I'm pretty sure with some people are maybe some artists around that might have been uncomfortable seeing that that that particularly same, But it's important to know, like, man, when you get these deals and stuff that you you want to make sure your pat working on. You want to make sure you're

actually presenting who you are as an indivisible country. But because once you either get older or you're not the primary source of income from them, things might change, you know. And so thank god streaming came. They didn't know what I was capable of doing. I was able to get off a little bit easier than some artists do um And so yeah, I can celebrate. That's why I do

the Deacon spin in the video. And you know that celebration that smile is real, you know, like sing from real life sit I would say so, I mean from the perspective of just being the kind of artist where you're in a position where you don't if you if you're trying to get your point across, you're trying to create music from a certain perspective in place, and if if they don't really believe in it, then it's just

really gonna go out. Or if it does go out, is it gonna go out the way that I needed to? Does anybody really care about what I'm doing and the building and or they connected to they do care, then how much? Or is it something else gonna come sweep me through? But I'm locked into this position where I can't really go anywhere, I can't really do anything, and you know, so it's I mean, it's it's one of the things where as the artist you you obviously want to be signed, you wanna you know, go to that

next level. I've seen that all my life documentaries and yo, I mean, and it's not for everybody. Some people have made it work for themselves. Maybe they figured it out. Me on the other hand, I'm telling my story didn't necessarily work for me, but I learned a lot from it to the point where I can have a multi and I know how to partner now because will never be signed directly. You gotta partner with me. I got

my whole machine and I got my own mothership, you know. So. Yeah, So you think at this point you found closure with that situation. Yeah, I say so definitely. Man, Look, it was a learning listen. I think I needed to learn that in order to appreciate what I got going on now and to to move forward as a businessman. You mentioned the twelve for twelve freestyles. I remember on the Flying Lotus one you said you put up the bullshit to put on for the South, Like, what was the

stuff that you had to put up with? I mean a little man. You go do an interview, people are like, hey, bro, ho feel to see buildings, And I'm like, man, we got buildings, bro, we got building man. Like man the horseback Man, You'll have your on horseback, No, we don't like riding in cars. Mostly old schools like old schools. But it was just a misconception of being from where

I'm from and what that interview might turn into. Or you're talking to somebody and they ship down and they say things like, man, we didn't expect you to talk like that. So it's like it's not even it's it's more about being misinformed than anything. So I can't really if you've never been there before, you wouldn't know. So there's two ways I could have really took that ideas. I could have well, but two ways I normally did.

I get frustrated about it, and then now I'm like, let me rap about this and take you there, or I'm not gonna sit down and explain you man, just come down sometimes see how we move. It's just dealing with that and like becoming um bitter at times. I feel like I had all this pressure to prove that ain't like that, we ain't likely Yeah, we got it, like you gotta come down there, like don't pay attention to what's in the movies and all that stuff. And so I dealt with that a lot of my career.

And I'm laughing the underground laughing. Yeah, yeah, you know what, you're laughing on the ground, Yeah, laughing on the ground. I've heard about it. B review review, Yeah yeah, favorite, Top Team, Top Team, Worst Worst. I was no morefore but but see that was upon working on that album. I was I will say that was a part of me that was aggressive and I wanted people to understand and get instead of instead of taking you. There was always like I was forcing you to come then yea.

And when you go back list of stuff you said, you can hear you the anger and that. Yeah. I like music. I like Chip on the shoulder, I mean, but not with anxiety. I'm talking about like I'm talking about you're talking about Okay, we got one more day to record this. You get right, and you can tell I'm like, man, I might have could have said that word a little bit better. Um. But even even with that, it's like dealing with sample clears and stuff. That's a

long story. But when it comes to that album, I could tell that. Yeah, I was frustrated because I feel like they don't get it. They people aren't gonna get it, Like I gotta show them. I got a shown and it shows. But over time, I catalytically like man, I'm okay, Like it's it's good, it's this nixt route, let's do

this's different. And it just kept kept going from when you're here in the music now, like what what feelings you get when you listen back on this new album, Like in terms of your mind, state of temperament, likes, there's certain emotions that you feel like overall always freedom.

It's freedom there. It's a confidence that I think I didn't I didn't have as much back in the day as far as what I wanted to say verbally, are a punch line here there, or doing a record and I having punch lines at all, you know, just feeling like I'm gonna get straight to the point on this um, even from a hook writing standpoint or singing standpoint. Um, it's all more like this is exactly what I wanted to say. This is how I wanted to say it, and some people might get it, some people won't, But

this is how I wanted to convey my art. And it wasn't like back in the day. It was like again, I know, I'm attached to the South, and so I got to do this a certain sound and people expecting this this album was more like I really want to see how far I can be creative the sound board or whatever, and then just up yeah and just applying my bust effort to it. What's the whole rollout plan? Because like you snuck up like that and the last

year different what your mind state was. Man. Yeah, But TDT was the beginning of me working with Rico Love and Danger um Uh in Miami, So it wasn't like we wanted to come directly out of forevers of my along time and drop an album. So it's like trying to do an EP kind of test the waters. Um. And this is also around the time that Steve Ow and Dutch were very like, hey, man, let's just let's just create, not necessarily make it attached to all your

previous works. Because I've been telling this story for a few years from Catlaptic up to now, so I know, I'm let's just do something. It's a little free you. And so that's when you get the record energy, you get the work the record um hire or you get um learned from Texas and pick yourself up because it's me just like, man, we're in the studio, let's make fifteen songs and oh man, let's these gonna want to be gonna choose a jam and let's do it kind

of thing. And then it caught energy caught for real, and so it's like, Okay, the freedom that I had making this EP is the same way I need to go into this album where I'm not trying to like put this together with this and I'm like telling this and then sometimes I'm like, oh, well, this doesn't fit unless it's like like no, man, just be free creatively

and then see what comes out of it. To the point where I recorded a lot of music for this album, it was definitely collective effort as far as my team with everybody like man, bro, let's just try this different, or maybe work with this producer, work with this artist, because it was important that I got out of my comfort zone to the Aximum um and young Man and shows sonically even how some records like out of Space still fit right there with a record like um Life

and the Sun, but then creat here got the energy and the bounce just the same as uh the record made off Dude, but it's different. It's different fields, different cases, and yeah, man, and still eate a weight in basin at the same time, I feel like you had that confidence on pick itself up, like it're so motivational. For definitely it could have made the cut. Oh man, No, I mean so it was. It was. It was a difficult process of what to put on the album. First off.

I mean, look, man, it was a lot. It's a lot of songs that didn't come out and lord Wood and they still got their time at some point. But it was literally like all of us sitting in the room going over probably fifty four or sixty maybe sixty, kneeling it down to probably like twenty to listen to those over again, getting the eight team, kneeling it down the fifteen. We was in there from three to like, now you believe in doing the full body of world

deaf albums? Yeah, I mean we got to do, you know, I want you to. I mean, but I also make music for your car, and most people spend more time in the car than do anywhere other than sleep. So for me, it's like if you get the point A to point B, now that's how I'm gonna get you. And I've traveled enough with it now at all. The two previously released tracks that made the cut, where Energy and learn From Texas. Why those two songs you think survived well, I would say energy because we dropped the

video and it just went to hold another level. They already had had the numbers and the excitement that we've seen and people posting it on social media, which is also a healthy way of gaining I mean, people are interacting with the song, and so that was a no brainer. And then just from the sports era, like and how I feel about performing that particular record, Um, I'm from Texas.

Is I have this thing where I not only do I have to always do or due to Texas or how much I have knowledge I game, like musically and culturally from Texas. But again, we saw how people were really relating to the learn from Texas aspect and the song, and so that does not mean they pick yourself up, don't get performed now, hold on, I'm not gonna hold the South to and and unlike the last album, I mean, if people came in there tour, I did literally that

whole album. This this tour is gonna be a tad bit different. So I don't know some classics, Yeah, don't don't get your twist to get what I'm saying. But those two records. I think this is what not only sonically made sense in the flow of it, and we just saw a different kind of response to them as well. It was important to pay homash to Texas from Mississippi, man, because Mississippi and Texas on an underground music level, they like system. Brother, it's one of their family. You know

what I'm saying. With you blow up, you stay there and you just keep hearing your market. Um. And then again you g K were one of the first. It's like the first group I saw that they were from a country time like mine, like poor authors, like super small, and they way to do what they were what they did. There was an unapologetically country thing happening while they were making the music too. Maybe some people didn't understand what they were cortially talking about, but I totally got it.

And it made me proud to be like, I'm count you know what, like um yeah, And so for me to just paying homage and then talking about Slim Thug, You're talking about s G talking about uh, the ghetto boys. You know what I'm saying, are people It's week you're talking about Paul Walk for me and there, you know what I'm saying, like, oh lord, don't forget some night you know, screw You know what I'm saying, the way you know, bonding boys like it's you see, you know

what I'm saying. Most you know what I'm saying. Now, you know, what's it like forgetting some people I'm so sorry? You know, saying Okay, your zero you know, I shout out to kill you know, my bad Wolf, the Michaels from H Time. What's it like being such a fan of all that and a big U G K fan and then really becoming true friends with bumb It's it's crazy. That's that's that's that's like to be with people that don't know you produced a lot of music with Yeah,

I call produced his last album. I mean, we're trying to tread it. I'm sorry. And then um, just being able to have him on country Ship, you know what I'm saying, Being able to have a multitude of other records with him, and then at at the same time I can call them like, O G, I'm going through something. You know just what you think I should do? You know this is giving me some anxiety? How you think

that's move on this? And him like really hit me with something like well, this is how I deal with it when it when I was going through that in the industry, and I mean, it's it's crazy, it's really crazy. What's something about Bumby that we don't know that would probably surprise people? Man, we just ain't gonna be as a problem. Maybe some people don't know. Bun will have a full blown conversation with you and write his verse at the same time, which makes me wonder if he

was really listening to you and conversation. Could he be? But I don't know because we've done some records. While I'm pretty sure I did not, like I'm pretty sure we were talking about it did not help with his writing. You know what I'm saying. We're talking about Gumball, and he writes a super lyrical record about being like the U. G K Trio king like there's no way that the Gunball conversation up there, and you know, so I don't know. But and then og maybe fifteen minutes to write a verse.

You're pushing it on that like one of the one take to break it to this house and dude or no sense, no, let's see I'm talking about but he But then that's that's just one song. Out of the six songs they're doing the day because he won the one like now playing we got played the next beat like what we're doing, what we're working on? Still on yo? He on it. So yeah mentioned um people that you pay homage to you. I know that I believe you know you kind of tip that n Yeah, and you

know you said you can't believe what happened. No one can how his passing affected you. I know you said he took a break on social media, definite to process everything. Man, Um, so the believe record we we we literally shent off and reached out to to to jump on. I seen up at an event in Atlanta not too long ago. Well it was probably a month before that, and I'm

still working on the album at the time. You know, I'm going to Miami with danging them and we do that song and he was like, who can we get on this? And then um does also has had a relationship, you know, years ago with with Nip and I knew him when I first signed a cinematic music group. Because yeah, and Um, you know, reached out like, man, you know you'd be perfect for this kind of thing. Bro. I was playing that record for somebody that morning and then

found out that had happened. And so it's one of those things where it's like I I social media is what it is. I'm like I am most people when things like that happened, specially people I know, like they here trying to do something positive and for that to happen to the homie, I kind of just fell back, you know, I wouldn't recording, we making no music. And then then you got the whole thing where you're trying to figure out, oh, we's down the road, like man,

we're putting this on the album or not? Are we putting anybody else on this song? And I'm like, I don't think so, Like I really can't. I don't see how we could. Um, And then trying to figure out a way to pay homage to the homie with that, Um,

I don't know. Man, that was real, dog, you know what I'm saying, because you see the positivity and you see where it was, like what the homie was going with it and and how people responding to it, and then you see excuse my friends to funk she happened, right, and yeah, dog, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, but I'm glad that's part of it. That record had to make the cup? What's the overall statement of that record? Man? Because you just want to believe that everything gonna be okay. You

just want to you know. And the beginning of the verse sounds and stars are more aggressive from how I believe in the beginning of my career that all it took was a few records, and then I get signed and I get on and it turns into a longer bout than that, and you finally get on. You want to help everybody, But then you're about is a it's a it's a tab bit more sporadic. Now, it's like

more things that you have to pay attention to. And then when you get to the second verse of just believing that people want to see you do well, people want to see you healthy. The things that you are taking in and your mind and your body and soul were really supposed to be there to help you. And then tragedy strikes or things don't work out the way you want them to. Um, And yeah, it's just an overall thing about life. And I'll try out to sum

it up the best I possibly can. Yeah, And you said yourself, you you want therapy and and definitely and definitely depression and things like and and mentioning that and and that song is important too, and it's it sprinkles of it and other records. I think Out of Space is the record where I kind of talk about just wanting to not be around people, to kind of want to be off on my own, about myself, but then

try trying to find a more creative way. And then drinking sessions, drinking drinking sessions straight on right, and people know I can go there, but then how can I how can I change the dynamic a little bit sonically for a person that may not be as aware of anxiety or aware of the they go to depression, they

might hear that song black Man. I sometimes ride around in my car too, like I don't want to be bothering or sometimes just fall back like And it's just trying to create that soundscape too, to make it more worldly and still about me. In the same thing that reminded me drinking sessions of the NAS record Drunk by Myself, the stage gave me that. Yeah, it's like, sometimes you

don't feel like talking. The people just want to be cut off from the world, and so and that's and that's a great thing and sometimes it's not you decided because you remember we used to get down to be drinking whiskey, Like what was that process? Like changing like health wise, like eating better. It's hard to go to the gym in the morning if you're talking about the hangovers you can have. Literally you get older, your body is dealing with it differently, the days go by a

little different, hangovers last longer. Then you find out this very valuable thing, especially go to therapy. The hangovers encourage irrational behavior thought processing. So a lot of times when people aren't dealing with their emotions and they hit their vice hard, they wake up the next morning and still can't quite grasp what's going on, and that they make

irrational decisions. It could be a phone call, it could be a text message because you're not hydrated right, And so it's it's very important that I kind of dialed it back, especially on writing this album. There was days where it was just a shot of coffee, you know what I'm saying, like, hey man, I just need to stay away his coffee. It's gonna help me write this verse. But instead of instead a shot of some brown you know. But yeah, we used to get down back and there

was cool we used to be. But I also a way the whole lot more bad than to you know what I'm saying. It's a large here too. Now. That was just to prove I can still do it. I think, I think, if you can still grow your hair, do it, you know what I'm saying. And so yeah, I decided to do it. And I'm gonna keep letting and growing to something go bad. Yeah, And I want to say this on behalf of my father. My father had long

hair too. He's not balled in through natural causes. They had a curl and most stuff and back in the day that it's currel super cool. But they do something to you, I'm saying. But other than that, he would definitely have the heir I got. You want to shot you out, Pops? Not your fault. Did yours want to make music? Was that his dream? No? My pops wanted to be My pops want to be a baseball player.

I played, Yeah, I played baseball because my pops And then uh, he went to school to be an extra a technician and it couldn't finish because you had to take care of Why Why did he feel so qualified to really be critiquing your music and know what, you know, what's good because he was gonna be honest with me. I mean at then the day him and my uncle Jay probably too, most honest people I know. And the minute I play something, they would immediately like that's trash, James,

maybe you need to do something else. I mind you do. I'm making the beats in the kitchen. I'm just making beats in the kitchen, and the kitchen is like you know, the then and the kitchen together, so they either watch the TV sports, playing the game. I'm making everything in my here from I cannot wait to unplug the jack so I could live it everybody here and out. When I'm playing showing up now, that's just terrible, you know what I'm saying. And then they're gonna let me ride.

I can play three minutes because I'm putting breakdown, you know what I'm saying here the whole piece, what you got going on? And then it's like, yeah, that's terrible, you know. But then it went from being as terrible, it's like okay, you know what I'm saying, like oh you did that, and then it went from there like

put that on CD from me. You know what I'm saying, and then it just kind of kept going and then I stopped putting my words on top of it, and then it became it's like, oh snap, Like then I go sample a song that they remember brothers and I got him, you know what I'm saying, Yes, of course, yeah, I mean, but back then, it's it's almost like if you're playing a video game against your older brother and he beat you, You're not necessarily gonna stop playing the game.

You're gonna play when he ain't playing. You can't get better at it while he outside. Then he's gonna play you one day and then low kick on motor car back, don't kill you. Know what I'm saying, I don't know how you did it? What you mean? And so for me, and it was it was like I had to I had to somehow get the approval of get them to the point where they liked it. And I think that was the beginning of me wanting to prove myself and it was healthy and it became something that kind of

heard me let off. What did he think about doing the whole conversation thing? What's his feedback? Oh? Man, he hit me because he went to the Mississippi picnic. You know what I'm saying. He's like, hey, Jay, He's like, man, everybody has asked me about the interview. You know what I'm saying. They saying he said a little real calm, you know, really collected. You know what I'm saying. You know,

everybody liked it. You know what I'm saying, Like, it's all like, yo, you're getting it shine, you know, and which is great. And then for him to be the kind of father with a lot of people know that he was definitely pushing me, not only in the baseball field, but even musically throughout. It was like, yeah, yeah, it meant a lot to him because you have a conversation like that with your mom, of course, of course, but we're gonna have like a totally different conversation a whole hour.

My mother's libel to tell y'all about my birth. And then it's like it's gonna be like what it's gonna be like my birth and what I used to do as a kid. It's gonna be like before we know, it was like my mom was gonna have some music question, but now I gotta tell him about this picture too. It's gonna be that dynamic. But no, mom, dude, would definitely be something we wouldn't have to because on the last something Mississippi, you said she getting a teacher. Yeah,

my mom is a third grade teacher. I literally went and just child like I was going his mother's day. I went down, I was want to see you, and I was gonna holler at the third grade class and I end up meeting the whole school right and it was just like take pictures with everybody, sign autographs and kicking and it was it was crazy because I remember to some degree being that young and m it was like it was exciting for me to see how excited

they were. And a lot of kids kept asking me if my shoes but Lens, I was confused, like your third grade, Like how do you know? I'm like, I'm like no, I but it was important for me to do that, man, And I'm excited for for my mom's doing because she's always been like like math genius on the low, but then forest teaching us in school books and stuff. So it's a passion. You mentioned Mississippi earlier.

I think about the other record you have, like skits and like who are those guys man Carlos Mill and Chico bean man. Yo, oh man, that that is. That is a whole another conversation. The boys so hilarious, bro, and we had so much more content, but we had to figure out how to narrow it down. But the idea of the album too, and a lot of the reason why they're talking as prestigious they don't this is like this is like high end country ship, you know

what I'm saying. It's like me elevating the idea of what people think either normally talk about all the way to do it right, which is another in the Blue Flame, Bad Lake. Um. But once they had once it was like, oh yeah, man, we're doing high end countryhip. That's when they end up doing. But they heard Mississippi. Then they went in and did the skid and then the way they would talk to each other about the horns and all this. So I was like, how do you country ship?

We don't want it's like some tuck seedough coufling, you know what I'm saying, kind of vibe straight, but it swangers on a cheriot, you know what I'm saying. It's like old schools still apart here, you know. It's like, yeah, man, so that was your idea to bring them in. Carlos Miller reached out and I wanted him to come listen

to the album. Um, and then I played a few records for him, but just because I'm a fan of them and what they're doing same um and yeah, he was like, yo, bro' gonna bringing Cheko through too, And I'm like big because I was like, yo, row they didn't do a skit and so they both get in there and be the dynamic is ridiculous. They some freestyle kings. I tell you the black It's crazy. It was idea

was to do these murals all across Man. I gotta shout out of my team for that man once again, Man Dutch uh stev Oh, and just them putting and curating a wave of something other than me doing the music. You know, we do the covers. You know. Conceptually I come up with I want the album flow and all that stuff right. But this time, not only was I creatively have been working so much on the album and dealing with some things emotionally that I didn't necessarily focus

as much on certain things. And then my team picked up slack and it became this thing where y'all were seeing stuff go up. When I was seeing stuff going and I was like, it was inspired me. You know what I'm an, So I gotta give a big shot my team for that. They masterminded a lot of what you see now, you know, and then they told me

they would. When I was like, bro, I don't know if I can work on this album right now, I was like, bro, just work, do what you do, take your time, get it to us, and we're gonna And then they say, one more time about this toy. You said we're gonna get some of the classes. Yeah, I ain't gonna tell you all of them. You already know if you know, but you do, you do know, but you can get here shoo. I'm ready, boy. Really, it's gonna be so excited. And then you got bigger people excited.

It's crazy crazy, and you missed making beats. Now I feel like you played off with the beasts. We get everybody else production. I mean, based on my productivity, I guess I don't like. I kind of like, I guess I like what you got right now, but don't get your twisted man shout out. I gotta throw this out of enjoy a RTIs you gotta single out right now that I produced that was like the last record I was able to produce, um, which is a single lot

right now learn you? Yeah, So I'm still I'm still there, but I think I'm more like focused on the album, trying to figure out the tour, I aspect and what we're gonna do, and then yeah, lord William getting back into production because I ain't gonna front. I learned a lot from working with the people. I learned from like the way they produced the energy. It's like, man, I know I got I got work to do, but going

this yere, So how do you measure success now? Because you don't put these like heavy expectations on yourself now, Like what what will satisfy you with this project? Man? It's hard to say. So I had to say because me, it's it's always been especially now man, it's it's almost gone with it's it's already moving, I mean future. Yeah, people are excited about it. Some of the venues are already we got, We're done, you know what I'm saying.

So it's like, man, I guess it's excited to see what happens, like how people respond to the album, how the show's paying out, what the show looked like, and the energy that comes with it, and um, yeah, man, it's been a it's been a little ministerince I've been on tour, So I feel different. I feel better. Do you think it takes to survive and we've seen it go?

I mean the key is like for somebody maybe like I've already been in the game, but like, man, be like the fourth or fifth year in the game, but man, I see like the future that they can still contribute to this culture and still have their place. I mean, I think combining your hunger and your passion I always will keep you afloat because you're gonna find a way too, even when the game changes up to kind of morph

and and find your spot in it. I still have the hunger that I had when I first came out. My passion is just the same equally and making music and seeing how it can affect um a room, how can it affect the subject a topic. It's still something that I'm very much interested in seeing always, and I see what goes on in the world, I see what happening in society. And if if you're creative, then it don't matter how the game go, you're gonna figure out a way to stay attached to your voice and how

to get your words words out there. Then they only wanted people to hear what I had to say in the first place, So everything else is kind of a bonus. You know, there was a I forget what song it was, but you said something about a hit record. Don't ask me about a hit record. I forget what your album was.

That was a freestyle twelve joints. Possibly, who knows, But nonetheless the point the question I want to know is like, does that still not affect you like I think as as and this is maybe it's just the younger version of myself and still always wants to hear a song on the radio. There's nothing like it, I mean, because you just come from that, um the idea of a hit has changed now that you don't you don't actually hear it on the radio to know it took off.

Because you have streaming, you have different ways of viral e going up. You know what I'm saying. Your song can be come and hit record and it's not even your video. Somebody else elevated it, right, Yeah, you know. So for me, it's just about finding that balance where I'm not just going for the gusto and losing who I am creatively. But people still know that that champion

me anyway. They know that I'm gonna try to take this move and as far as I possibly can, I'm gonna do my best to make sure they see me and despot that they think I should being, and then bring all my funk with me. Like that's that's the goal. Now, it's like more times bigger than me, And so how do I keep pushing that envelope so all the other artis that signed a multie won't be put in a situation that I might have been putting as an artist?

What's the what's the future of multi future? More times, more time is bigger than just wrapped. I want to say that too, Like I feel like it's all literally about being multi talented, multi purpose. You do more than

one thing. So if you videographer, if you're a muralist, any kind of creative, I think multi should be able to to kind of find that way for you, find that home for you to where you can match up with a producer that needs a cover, You can match up with an artist that needs you know, his march done or design or jewelry or whatever we're talking about. Visuals.

I think that's what multi should end up being. But the first step is the music from that's the vehicle, and the music is good man, positive, hard, let's go, no the negativity, Okay, let's embraces. Let's go ain't even in the old school. It's cool, man. What's your favorite record on the album? Boy, that's hard to say that. I like energy a lot. I like the no pun intended energy. Yeah, you know what I mean? Um, what do you mean he said the world is killing me?

Was that a tough time? I mean yeah, I mean, but that's just in general, that's all of us. I mean, that could be the foods you eat, the what do you drink? That could be the police officer down the street. Don't mean to make all his rhyme. Yeah, but it could literally be visually what you're taking in the messages you receive, the comments that people give you. It could be anything, and they're just finding that positive energy through the mist of it and trying to share with people. Um.

I mean, obviously Mississippi is one of my favorites. Um for the people that heard I freestyle the whole verse, which it's five minutes, man, I mean, and I freestyle the whole verse player where that Yeah, no, no, but see it was it was the fluidity of it because Daniel played the record and it didn't have like the horns and everything. Yeah, it was just really like baseline drums. And I was trying to write to it and I could not because it would have been too to the greed.

So I was like trying to be more sporadic, more like an instrument of jazz is man. So I was like, man, I'm a just freestyle and so um and then the acronym comes out of that. Right, is fun for me because I got to be the first person back academ out of Mississippi and so yeah, just to break it down, maybe I'm so southern, I sometimes skilled and ignorant people's perception of independence. Damn. Maybe I'm so sudden. I sometimes selled ignorant people's perception of independence. Damn I m I

crooked letters yo. Yeah yeah, yeah, yes, I got one. But I definitely love energy prove it because of the cold versus crazy that the whole album is really appreciate it, bro, appreciate you brother, Yeah right here, wrap it up. Podcast