Rap Radar Rewind: Russ

right absolutely with Uber, who was the ultimate side hustle. Yeah, I might have to do my damn self. How they's kicking in. You gotta feed that baby. Kids, gotta eat man the Corolla. That's how I got Russ Man. He's excited. Man. It was the ultimate sile So man, driving the uper is a new way you can earn extra cash whenever you want, totally flexible schedule. Like I just think, if you got a car, you should empower yourself even one now, Like you said, these crazy times in the economy, you

have an opportunity to empower yourself. If you have a car, get on the road, man, get your op on, man, get your side hustle on Man, stack some paper, Man, howiday is coming up? Everybody about to be broke and beat selling mixtapes? And where eight teams? Man? So get with Uber. Man, listen. If you do earn the extra cash, there's something specially you like to buy. Your car can start making you money. Man, go ahead, get your side hustle,

sign up, sign up to Uber today. Man, what's the website? Man? Go to uber dot com? Back slash? Drive now? Drive now, man, not yesterday? Man, drive now? Yes sir? All right man, Uber, yep, Y know, I guess it's here. Man. This guy's waiting a long time to talk to me. I wait a long time to talk to him. Man, Not at long. He's got this record what they want and now you know, now he gets to be in over that celebrity. But he's putting a whole lot of work to get a

whole Russ. What's up? Russ baby? Welcome to New York Man, not Russell Simmons. Man, are Uss? Are you? Since you're in New York? Man? You got your Trump slippers on? That was a rust line right there? Oh? Was it? Yeah? Yellow? Remember? Oh? What did I say that you did? Wait a second, there's no chance you got too many, got too many raps for us. Yeah. I don't remember having said Trump slippers on that was like the yeah, you dude, I think because I stole Trump slippers one time. There you

go in my hotel. But you saw him, you saw the great, the great rust last night man webst the hall right. Actually I didn't sleeping, no, no, I had to do my homework on you. What happened. My friend he periscope did a little bit for we faced that. So we had a rap radour think about the mezzani from the balcony and he showed me. I was like, wow, this is crazy that webs the hole sold out, sold out. Yeah, second time so that I was at the first one that webst the hale okay, and that was packed. I

was like wow, yeah yeah, yeah, who is the skuy? Right? But how did you do it? Rust? Assistance, bro persistence and self belief? Like you know, I put out eleven projects before I even got a SoundCloud. You know what I'm saying, Like all self produce makes mass engine everything you name all eleven, Velvet Apile, thir Team, Straight from Limbo eight, Vacation, The Edge, color Blind, Pink, Elephant Brain, Dead Silence had to rob you. Are they all available? Yeah,

you can get all of them? Crazy, So do you find fans that really know every all of them? Yeah? Well that's why I like, that's why I have real fans, hardcore fans, because they're like, we've been with you since the album days, like since the mixtape days, you know

what I'm saying. So like, yeah, I did you know, I went to Belgium before I even had a SoundCloud and sold out people I'm saying, so like I've been doing this, but I had to switch up to the approach because I really I was still in the basement with the thousand followers though, you know what I'm saying in Atlanta and then you traveled everywhere. Yeah, now, but like in Atlanta, I've been in Atlanta for like twelve years.

So yeah, Like then I was like, you know, I got to switch up to the approach to get different results. So I was all right, let me do let me put out just as much content, but in a different way because I was dropping three albums a year, so I was still dropping fifty songs type of type of thing. Yeah, right right, because on my DMX, like I'm at the topic yeah. Now, But then I was like, you know what, let me do a song a week until I blow up.

That was my mindset. I was like, yeah, I was like, I'm gonna sit on the debut and I'm not going to drop it because I was like, look, I'm not dropped in another project on deaf years, like, because it got to the point where I was like, no, I think this is too good to just keep dropping without real like years. I was like, you know what, I'm gonna drop a song a week until I blow up.

That's it just started one and yeah, and you know, I just put out a song again like two days ago, three days ago, so like I still like keep up with it, like being on tours harder, but I did just get the studio on the road. So I saw that you tweeted in August you said something like that life wasn't like this for you six months ago. What was life like? Bro? I mean I was I don't know even you remember, but like October CMJ takeover things. I was like I was opening for like J, like

trying to. And I came out and I was like, yo, like what's good? Whatever? My name is us? Blah blah blah, but like I was opening for like you know people at S O B S and like a hundred people, you know what I'm saying, like in February of this year, and so for it to like bet November and sell out for tangent people website all about myself. It is like, well, you said in Atlanta your homecoming show, there was like four people in the crowd at one point. Oh yeah,

literally four people. That's why I have a line wise, I know what it's like to do a show with less people in the crowd than the ones on stage, you know what I'm saying, Because it's like that's why I appreciate everything. That's why I like I have the mental fortitude, like I feel like I'm really dote for this, you know what I'm saying, Like because I went through the downs like and made it out, you know what I'm saying, So like I'm gonna be here for a

long time. So you also, you did it without any coast on, so people think you got a chip on your shoulder because of that, Like I mean, yeah, I put myself on. So it's like I think there's naturally gonna come like a chip on the should. The mentality with that especially too, I was I was watching so many people get put on who had three songs out, These people who put songs out and two weeks later, like they got a picture of Kanye. You know what

I'm saying. It's like that's when I started getting this this Dane and like fun the media type of thing because it's like, yo, I can see that it's a corrupt system. It doesn't reward hard work and it doesn't reward talent. You know what I'm saying, Like the media doesn't now that people do because the people have elected me now to be this thing, right, but the media had never voted for me or elected me. The media was rewarding politics and it still does and I think

it always will. And that's the issue I have, you know what I'm saying, Like these people will put two songs out about it's like and fake independence, critical that you truly or before you just ink with Columbia Partnership the independent journey was really I was like the thing with that is like I was really actually independent. So like a lot of these people are like independent, but

they have major money behind them. Yeah you're independent, but you got two million dollars Synth into you or your dad knows this person, or your cousin is for LSE Business mag or something like that. You know what I'm saying, Like, you're not independent. What I'm saying Like I was independent.

I knew nobody what I'm saying. I sat in my basement for six years making songs, you know what I'm saying, Like, and it finally got popping because I was putting out a song a week that I was producing, mixing mass Andenergin and everything. I was even shooting my own videos. Me and my boy was shooting our own video or whatever. Eggar didn't come in. So like this year, you know

what I'm saying. Before that, I had twenty videos out that I shot, and you know what I'm saying, Like I would put the camera on a tripod and just stand there in the basement and like one of those videos has like tenmillion views. And now it's like I was really really independent. People say that they're independent, but the first project has like big name rappers on. It's like, I'm independent, Like how independent are you? What I'm saying,

how do you know him that you're independent? But you got videos with like you know, X Y and Z rappers. How you do that? You know what I'm saying, You don't see you with No, I don't know. Do you not want to work with anybody in particular or no, it's not even that. It's just like I don't know y'all. You know what I'm saying. Like, but I didn't do

a BT ciphers. Ye were in the same room. Now, I mean, I like, I mean, I like some people, but it's like I'm not going to go out of my way, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm doing my own thing, but I like, you know, people have reached out, Like I like people. I don't like hate everyone, but you give a lot of people props. Actually I'm also the biggest like like if it's something like I'm the biggest supporter of it, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm not like I'm not one of those people

who was too cool to not be a fan. Like

I'm a fan, you know what I'm saying. Like I'm a massive fan of Kanye, massive fan of Drake called the warm Up mass Like, yeah, I'm a fan of I'm a fan of like projects though too, like massive fan of the warm Up, massive fan of the Marathon by Nipsey massive fan of the Kendrick EP, like I was super early on Kendrick when he had like three K followers, and like we read his first show in Atlanta and Ali used to make my ship like back when he was like a hundred dollars and mix ship

and he was like you know what I'm saying, Like now he's probably taxing for like twenty racks. Yeah, of course worked for it. Like now I'm a fan of people too, but like no one ever put me on. No one gave me a coast and I wasn't looking for And that's where like a song like doing Myself came from. Was like fuck it, I gotta do myself. I don't know anybody you said on that one. Everyone's scared to be number one. Yeah, everyone's like because what

I started realizing too, Like I studied this ship. I'm a Psychoandy, And I've watched all the rapperators, all the clever interviews, all the evil in the mornings, Like I'm a psycho, you know what I'm saying, Like the how was that kid? Like who was like the game like you can't stop, but you don't see coming. No one saw me coming. But I was sitting there like a

like premeditated six years psycho. You know what I'm saying, Like just in the like in the shadows, like watching people like a crazy person taking notes, you know what I'm saying. But like I started noticing with people's interviews and everything, like and how they would be moving is like they're so scared to be number one. They're so scared to be like, no, I don't want it. It's like what, like, yeah, you do. What are you talking about?

So you're telling me that as a kid, when you like, I want to be a rapper when I grow up, you said I want to be the number four rapper in the world. That's what you said to yourself. You're lying. What's happened is that you've realized that maybe that's not in your cards. So now you gotta act like that's okay or you don't want it. And you don't want it.

You talk about them in your heart, how you want to have songs that play at the garden and things like yeah, that's crazy, that's old, that's from a project, that's epic that you know that I'm listening. Yeah, yeah, is short, Like that's like I'm not scared to be number one. I want the most number one singers of all time. I want the most number one albums of all time. I want to do I'm doing the Garden next year. You know what I'm saying. Like, and I don't care, Like I'm not I'm not scared to like

fall in my face if it doesn't work. You know what I'm saying. I'm I was the kid in high school who every test I took the second teacher handed it to me. I was writing a hundred at the top of the best. All my teachers, that's all my teachers know. Where does the confidence come from? My dad was always just the biggest ship talking in the world too, know what I'm saying, But it was always like it's an irremovable thing. I think you're born with. It's like

a stain. Yeah, yeah, where do you think that? Things started to really click for you when he was putting out the string of music. When the label started calling. The label started calling like last year, like August July.

It would be like, like, we're the industry people reaching out like whatever, That's why That's why I made what they want Because I was like noticing this influx of people I didn't know from anywhere, and it was all right, but like I know what y'all want, you know what I'm saying, But the like real label cars didn't like start to like uh May June July this year, that's when it was like, you know, but what was it? Like a specific song that was like, no, that's the thing,

because that's what I prided myself on. And like, well, y'all at the last website, I'll show or yeah, I mean, y'all see, like my catalog gets chanted. What I'm saying, I do an hour forty five minutes on stage and every song gets chanted. So like it wasn't just one song. My catalog blew, you know what I'm saying. Like I have your favorite artist discography on my SoundCloud, you know what I'm saying. So like I have a career's worth

of music already out that's what blue. Like, it wasn't just one thing, Like I got sixty songs with over a million plays, Like yeah, what they want has thirty million, but like there's hell of songs with a million, you know what I'm saying. So like it was just you know, so what they what they want different Why did that become the thing that people's entry point to your catalog? I don't know. I mean it was like that it

was pulling trigger, was losing control. I don't know. It's just the melody bananas on what they want to talk about, the post making song. But take us into how you create, because you create so quickly? Right, why create so quickly? Because I don't have to call anybody? You know what I'm saying. You gotta understand, like like every other artist like has to walk in get the beat from this person. Like that's a whole other messa. I couldn't even imagine that. Bro,

you know what I'm saying, Like, are you serious? So you got to do that first? Then you gotta get someone to record you. You gotta get someone the engineer the session. Then you gotta get someone to mix it afterwards. And this is all like because you don't do those tasks, they can lie to you and say that it takes two weeks to turn around a mix and a whole bunch of stupid ship that makes my ship. As I'm going, I'm saying, so like when I'm done recording the song,

the song is done, you know what I mean? So like that's why I turn around so quick like yourself all this, yeah, yeah, yeah, wow, yeah, it was It was a you know, it's a it's a survival mechanism. If I give you weed, a lighter in a in papers in the desert, you tell me you're not gonna get high, better figure out how to roll, you know what I'm saying, Like, that's the mentality though. It's like I wanted to make songs and I didn't know how to make songs, so I needed to figure out how

to make songs. And I didn't know these titles mixers, master's engineers. I was just like I always had sounds in my head and ideas in my head, and I just had to figure out how to get to that. Not later on people like, oh, like you engineered this whole thing too, and you make something like I don't even know what that means, but sure did that, but

now like I know what it means whatever. But it was always just like buy any means necessary, I gotta make it about maintaining some level of full control or just's not find to write collaborators. It was literally because I knew no one like That's what I'm saying, Like I was a kid in the basement. I didn't have any industry connections. None of my friends like knew how to do anything. So it was like it was a survival mechanism. It was like, no one is going to

do for me. That's still the due of myself mentality. No one was like, no one has any information that I need that can teach me. So like I gotta do it myself, you know what I'm saying, So to learn Garageman learned garage man, learn logic, you know what I'm saying, Like that's what I've done. Everything on now is logic. But yeah, man, He's just like you have to you have to do. You have to deal with the resources that you have currently until you get the

other ship. And you dropped out of school to make music, correct, Yeah, I dropped that. It's crazy because dropped out of costs to make beats. I wasn't even making songs, which seems so out of control. It's like I tried out of school to make beats. Like, I know, you're real close with your mom, so how did she She was upset for like a long time, like she like supported it, but she was definitely like every day like I wish you would go back to school. I wish you would

go back to school. But you know, you start doing like you started doing like epic things in life off this music ship, like serious money starts coming in like those like she hasn't she hasn't talked to me about school and talking about was the iTunes checks and exactly. But it's crazy because it used to That's what I'm saying. Though. It used to be like when you're going back to class, and now it turned into like, yo, it's Friday, so

like iTunes Spotify. Like didn't you get supposed to be kind of rewarded to be able to buy her a car on your birthday or to ring to Italy for the first time? Yeah, yeah, that was both. It was crazy. But then that's also when I realized that I picked the right thing to do with my life, because I was sitting there looking at unbelievable views that people like have on their bucket list type of ship. You know what I'm saying, that that people would die to see.

And I got my mom with me too, and I'm sitting there like looking at the g n C and Sanderini, Greece with my mom next to me, and I'm like, I just want to make a song. I want to live, you know what I'm saying. I was like, Wow, I picked the right thing because I have the money and I have the epic like memories and the traveling this whatever. But it's like I was like, now, you know what, the best view in the world is dirty as microphone and the dirty a face fit, you know what I'm saying.

We were talking thinking more about signing fatigue. Some people they get the deal and that's the victory, right, Well, that's that's what they were doing it for. Kind of like people in the NBA. Once they get to the league, they like they're done. So it separates like Kobe from you know, Corns a French right, right, But how much did Columbia player role and making what they want as

successful as it is? Yeah? I mean, you know, I like when I partner with them, right, It's very important that people know it's a part of you know what I'm saying, because a lot of these a lot of these rappers have no leverage. They dropped one song and signed a deal, you know what I'm saying, Like, you get like you got a terrible royalty rate deal. You know what I'm saying. You've got no money upfront, you got probably no version on your master's You know what

I'm saying, Like, I gotta talk, I gotta prophet. I got a fifty fifty deal. You know what I'm saying. Why Because I came into the deal making a hundred racks a month off my music already. You know what I'm saying. Like, I came in already charting on iTunes top fifty. I came in selling out my tours by myself already. I came in with Caro lew Is, the greatest book and age in the world. I came in Kylie was already playing my ship on a snap. You know what I'm saying. So Like, and I had the

whole music thing on lock. I had my graphic designers unlocked. I had my video team unlock. You're gonna give me whatever the funk I tell you to give me at that point, you know what I'm saying, Because you want in on this, because I am. I'm I'm moving like I'm on my own label. You want it, you should want it. But like we're going to make sure that it's a partnership because I don't need that much, So

what do they add helping you get on radio? Saying that's really that was the big decision, was like I want to get on radio. I was looking around all my favorite artists, and I'm like, you all got labels. All y'all on the radio, but you all got labels. So I was all right, I need a level of playing field. That's how I looked at it. Wow, if you think, what that what they want is that perfect

song to be that? Yeah? I think and I think there's a there's an old interview with Jane M and M where they're like, you know, you can try and pick singles, but the people are gonna pick it period. And that's the that's the beauty of having this catalog on SoundCloud. It's not difficult to pick a single. There's

no more guessing game. The Internet eliminated the guessing game for labels, like, oh, I don't know what the single should be, Well go to your SoundCloud and pick the one with the most place and take that start there, you know what I'm saying, And then go down the list, Well, what's what's the next single gonna be the one with thirty two million players instead thirty you know, what I'm saying is like you eliminate the guessing games, so like

people pick those songs whatever. So I mean, I don't want to see your successes and anomaly because there's so many people in SoundCloud things like that, Like what mistakes do you think that they make that I guess don't replicate the same success that you have. Lack of consistency and lack of quality music. A lot of people suck. They're not that great period. So you really of that minded.

If you are dope no matter what, you could be in basement anywhere, you're gonna get recognized because you're gonna make good ships and people are gonna find if you do it consistently and you have the right approach. Because I was. I had dope content always from like the Pink Elephant, like the last like the last like four albums were like solid stuff. Like I still perform some of those songs and they get chanted whatever whatever. But it was the wrong approach, you know what I'm saying.

So like you got to figure out the approach that works for you. Some people can't put out a song every week because they don't record that much, they don't have access whatever. But you gotta figure out some approach where you can stay consistent. Two weeks on the internet is like two months. You know what I'm saying, Like move so fast. That's why I was like, I gotta be in your face every week. You forget about things so quick. People drop albums and in a month, you

don't even know what's going on. Like it's a shame because it would be good music, like Frank Ocean's album was good, but like Boom. I mean, that's the biggest challenge I think for creatives. It's like you can create a moment, but how do you sustain that? You sustain? Yeah, for sure, what you sustain the moment moment by having hits. That's how you sustain. But you're not defined by one record. Yeah you have hits though, you know what I'm saying,

Like you drop a dope album. But if your album has no hits and you don't, you got a tour too. But it's like hits are kind of what keep things alive. They're still playing one dance, they're still playing controller, which therefore keeps views alive, you know what I'm saying. But like, you drop an album and there's no hits, and you don't tow its like, all right, so I had a week in the internet, But how do you avoid the

outsides that don't know? Like you have all these people that the law base that knows who you are and knows everything, but the people just coming into what they want party and that you don't become the what they want? Man, Yeah, well how exactly. That's definitely concerned. But then you got to realize, like when you would when these people would drop two songs right, and then you're like, oh, there is this new artist and you're typing the name on Google,

two songs gonna pop up. That's it. You can't even become a fan of that person. Don't have enough songs to be someone's favorite artists. That's what I said and exposed me. You type, you find what they want. You go type in my name. You're gonna find eleven albums in nineties songs. You're going to be a psycho fan. You know what I'm saying, Like, I don't ever get fans where it's like oh yeah, like he just has that what they want song that maybe is That's how

a lot of people get introduced. But that's not where it ends because there's such a deep rabbit hole of a catalog, you know what I'm saying, Like I have, like my fans have the ability to really go deep and become an instant hardcore fan because of how deep the catalog is. How do you keep that connection with the fans outside of the music, How do you care about you? I literally think I'm the most psycho artist

because I literally talked to all my fans. I gotta stop, like like my managers like yo, like because I'll be like clapping back and fans like popping in their d ms like yo, the funk are you talking about psycho ship? Like I just like I just had to put my snapsot on private like three days ago because like I'd been responding to everyone's saying like good ship, bash it whatever. But then like the screenshots are starting to have more like it's crazy, but like I really I really talked

to my fans, you know what I'm saying. Like on tour, most people cap their meeting greets, right, they do ten meet grease every show. I was like, funk that I'm not caving anything, So I do greets everyone. You know what I'm saying. So it's like, you know, it's it's a vibe, but you don't get bothered by it like comments or YouTube comments. I just told you I stack and because what's the last thing to really piss you off? Someone just did it on the way here. They said

something stupid as they say. They were like, don't podcast no, because I tweeted like, oh, life improves when you put your snapshot on private and some kids like quota of the treatment was like, uh is this are you serious? Like talking about all these other people being something like didn't even make any sense talking to I was like, bro, you talking about like what are you talking about? But we gotta give you problems for the lyrical uh lyrical

bill of these. I was listening to the record bat Cave. I was like, damn, it was going wow, that's super yeah, but me for the BT cipher to that record, just other records about your catalog, Like what's your approach when you're writing? Uh, it's usually like it's usually either I'm gonna like completely sing to you, I'm gonna completely give you bars or like I mean, there's the mixture where it's like I'll do a hook and then I'll wrap

in between those. Usually the ones that go crazy like pull the Trigger where it's like, that's my ideal hip hop song though hard ass beat, catchy hook and hard as raps. You know, I'm from the fifty eminem where all the beasts with Dr J slapping as beats, all the hooks for catching ship and they would kill the verses. That's what hip hop is missing. No one does that anymore. How do you write good hooks? How did you become a good hook for melodic? Yeah? I mean I was

always listening to such uh melody influenced music. I mean there's a quote where it's like, what's music without melody? Rapp is the one genre, the only genre that I can think of that you can walk into the studio and never do a melody and it's still considered a song. No other genre you're gonna walk into the studio and be able to get away with not doing a melody.

Name a genre, you gotta do a melody. So like, I was always listening to every other type of music, and then that's why my introduction to hip hop was g Unit and fifty send Eminem. It was an easy segue because they were doing melodies. Fifties one of the most melodic rappers. Eminem is one of the most melodic rappers, so it was easy. I think I was just like, it's in my subconscious at this point. What artists did

you listen to on side? But my parents would have like earth Wind and Fireplane and and Mama's and Papers and Journey and led Zeppelin and lend a Skinner, But then like b GS and then I would listen to singer songwriter stuff like John Mayer and Jack Johnson and whatever. But then I'd be listening to Tupac and d m X, and but Tupac and d m X super melodic rappers like the Cadences and everything with bananas, like so you know,

Kanye was super melodic. I didn't get into jay Z till I was like sixteen seventeen because the content was too crazy and also it wasn't it wasn't catching my ear from a melodic standpoint because he was not like focused too much on the melody aspect, the verses and ship you know what I'm saying. So like, but jay Z is obviously super dope. But I was always more like intrigued by the melody stuff, and it was like it just so happened that I naturally liked all the

stuff that was the biggest ship in hip hop. I liked the hit sounding ship, I liked all falls Down, I liked in the club. Yeah, I like that. Though. You said in the interview that you're like, if Drake isn't your your favorite of number one, like you're just lying to yourself or something, you know, I said, I said, if you don't think Drake is number one, you're watching a different basketball game. Because it's not like it's not even an opinion based argument. It's like, look at the numbers.

That's like saying this person scored thirty five, this person scored forty, but he did better. That doesn't make any sense. He scored more points. There's nothing to talk about. So you're saying that you feel like that the whole hype of how people can sunodly record stell records anymore is bullshit. You look at Drake, at Drake, look at Cold Cells Records, Kendrick Sells records. You know what I'm saying, Like, mediocre music never sold and it never will. And the thing

is with the Internet, it's so much more accessible. The craft is so much more accessible. So you have this influx of like so much media mediocrity, So like you have a distorted perception of hip hop not selling. It's like, no, there's just not that much great hip hop, you know what I'm saying. So it's like the balances, it's the scales are tilted, you know what I'm saying. It's like it's way more there's way more waxed than there ever was.

So like you might be thinking hip hop doesn't sell because for every thirty albums that come out a year of hip hop, there's one really good when the rest is mediocre. So you start thinking, oh, it's not gonna sell. So what role does people like us have of curating music?

Do we still matter in that process? You guys? As it as writers tastements, however you want to define us as y'all have the ability to to give the right people platforms that And that's the issue that I have with the media is that the media doesn't The media goes off of what labels are telling them. Who the little politics or I've known him from back in the day and this ship, like y'all shouldn't be doing write ups like everyone should be doing a rite upon me. Period.

I don't give a fuck at all anymore because my fucking fan base is bigger than all these publications. But everyone should be doing a write upon me because I'm the first of Like, you need to do an article on the new species you just discovered. Period? How would you define that species? No one ever has produced mixed master engineer written everything they've ever done. Everyone hip hop ever, do you need to be talked about? That needs to

be talked about. That needs to be the narrative, not this other stupid ship, and not even just for me and my fucking ego whatever, but so that the next kid coming up feels like, you know what, Oh, he did everything himself and he taught himself everything. Maybe I can too. The media like promotes these fairy tale last stories like just dropped one song and like see, you know,

I'm in a picture with Kanye. That's not realistic that, it's like that, that's that's not encouraging, that's not inspiring that. But is it? Because we like the like we get caught up in either the trend of the phenomenon at the moment, the moment this is the Mannequin challenge, whatever

it is, like whatever the thing is. Yeah, but it's just like my thing is like I don't blame the people for for co signing wack ship and like these songs for the summer ship that's been going on since I was whatever, like and I get it because you can turn up to it whatever whatever. The issue that I have is the media in the industry co signing as if y'all don't know this ship is what it is. You know what I'm saying, Like this is y'all's professional,

Like y'all know this is whack. Y'all know it's not going to be here by wintertime. So like you know what I'm saying, These are seasonal last rappers. You know what I'm saying, Like for real, like they here one season and gone the next. So it's like the media should know better. I don't blame I don't blame like, you know, the fucking four year old for for not being able to solve calculus, but the calculus teachers should know how to solve calculus. You know what I'm saying.

It's like that's my that's my my Grapecause you think part of your successes is the fact that you've had the drive to go against that that you haven't had that. I mean that's what like, it's crazy because I used to be the kid that was I saw your email. I used to be emailing all these blogs I found. I found the old email. He literally is eating wind the rappertor that com ha. My name is Russe, I'm twenty years old. Here's my new album. I wrote and

produced and arranged everything. Check it out, simple as that. And I was doing that with everyone I know, all these writers and ship all the places, checking in boxes. Bro. I'm saying it's like, if you're like any writer at any of these publications, they type in us on the email like ship ton of emails are gonna pop up.

But some people like you, I think it's a picture with you and sway you said, That's what I'm saying, because yeah, Rob Markman is the homie and swayed Like, I respect those people a bunch because at the end of the day, they fussed with the music when they didn't have to, you know what I'm saying, and like and and I respect that because there's a lot of like there's a lot of bloggers and ship we're gonna wait for someone else to talk about it, right, But like,

you shouldn't need someone else to talk about it if it's dope, because when there's wax ship going on, you right about it in a second, as if it's the new fucking hot ship. But you know it's whack. But it's just safe for to talk about that because everyone else is talking about it, you know what I'm saying, Like, that's that's my issue. You have some fucking some fucking balls and be like, you know what, maybe no one else is talking about this, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

That means that everyone's asleep. Do you get You get an extra kick out of proving people wrong? And that, Yeah, for sure, we gotta get rust on the wrap rate our podcasting, you nowocking you know I do. But it's like it's also like there's certain there are certain like figures that I do respect because it's just uh, reputation, you know what I'm saying, Like funk with you all

because I've been on about y'all. Yeah yeah, yeah, But it's like, yeah, I mean, I get a kick out of being like, oh yeah, now, y'all got me all rapp right, you know what I mean? But it's like it's like it's not about that, you know what I'm saying like you can't. I feel like you can't walk around the game with such a like emotional like baggage of like funk all y'all, Like it's like not healthy, you know what I'm saying, Like you know, I work on that every day. You also talk about the lack

of originality, like the trigger you mentioned. You said, why everybody sound like they want to be from facts and you're from Atlanta facts? But what do you make of that? And then how did you never become part of that

fraternity in any sense? It was just like number one Dad, the like the sound of Atlanta was never really uh something that I was super into, Like I said, like I was, I was listening in the fifty eminem and like those type of beats, the ninety two VPM with the hardass hitting drums and the sick hooks and the flows and people like really rapping and saying ship, Like not that people in Atlanta are rapping the same ship, but like outcast was that, you know what I'm saying,

Like t I s and like ludicrous was super dope, and then like there's so much ship that's just like it's brainless. It's just like I get you played in the club's cool, but like then everyone just trying to do that and ride that wave. And it's just I'm just about everyone being the best them they can be, and these people just trying to regurgitate sounds and ship. It's just like that's you can do better, you know what I'm saying. Like I'm just about people doing better.

Like hip hop used to be so much dope it I mean, like, really what happened though people blame it on the rappers, Like I blame it on the fact that the rappers are not making the music. The producers, the dope producers before you came in. You can't blame it on the rap You're not the ones making the music. Like if I get handed thirty trap beasts, what am I supposed to do? You know what I'm saying, If

you're not handing me dope shit. But like Dre left, Storage left, Timberlan Kinny, I'm saying, all the legends kind of like not as active, not as active as we would like. And those are my favorite producers right there, you know what I'm saying, But like they kind of took a step back. So now who we left with, right? Not great stuff and Also the thing I think that people looking at you like there was a thing that

cold struggle with. Right, if you are self containing, you are the producer, It's like, can you get your credit as a producer because you only hear yourself over you? Okay, so now you have to get these tracks of other people to get your validation. Here's where the media comes

into play. Y'all can help portray the narrative instead, like Billboard rapp right, all these people, y'all need to do articles on me about how I produced makes that needs to be the articles that needs to because that's where you can push that narrative, like the narrative of Col's album with no features that got pushed, you know what

I'm saying. But like that's where the media comes in because you'll have an ability to push certain narratives, you know what I'm saying, Like as opposed to just talking about others stupid ship, like push that narrative. Don't talk to me about this ship, don't do an article on like you know what girl was I talking about? And losing? Like you know what I'm saying, Like to talk to me about the fucking narrative, Like why I'm here like

to beneath the service. Producing makes some masks everything, you know what I mean? Like, that's where the media can come into play. But to answer that, what do you think you get your respect as the producer because we only hear you you being over. I also like I also made it a super big point even on the albums, I would always be dropping my ship with in parentheses produced for us, and every song on my SoundCloud parentheses produced for us. So like I feel like everyone knows

that with me because it's like I've pushed it. I've done as much as I can on my end to push it. But like I said, that's where the media can come in. And you can sit down with these magazines or whatever and you do a whole interview and article and that's the narrative, you know what I'm saying, Like cover of this magazine the Real d I Y produced, You know what I'm saying. You could really you can push that narrative if you want, But a lot of people are scared, you know what I'm saying, a lot

of these media people are scared of it. So if I actually who's keianare me? Oh my god? That just took me? My god, that is so epic. She's whatever, she sucks, But she was actually like all my girls were like cool, they all have potential, but they were just like, uh, not mentally ready. You know what I'm saying. Like she was dope, but you know, ship happens. A lot of people just play themselves because they don't know what the is going on. She ever heard that record,

of course, you know what's crazy. She wanted to be a producer, so uh, you know, she would become to the studio, me whatever whatever. She found that sample right that was like she found that sample. And when I first made that song, I did the hook with her right there. That's why the hook was like this really nice and jelly, you are my girl. And then when the ship went down, whatever I did the verses, I was spashing her. That's why at the end of each first I wrote this hook, who I wrote the verse

that mother? You know what I'm saying. That's how like I'm petty, you know what I'm saying, Like, who's speaking of? Goodbye? Gonna call you from the Grammys too, goodbyes, Yeah, goodbyes. The poor chick. What's crazy is like her in Kiana and I are like best friends in the finding over the fact that I get them in the video the day I met my palace in the video. The first time I met Paala was when she was in the video, the video that I sent you in that email, she's

in that video. Wow. Wow, that's a great trick. That's a good song and something you were saying, it's hard now for you not to write this from the CE celebratory vide now because you've been single now and you had these heart break moments. What I'm saying, i'd be looking for him though, I think stuff is from that too, right, because it's like he's not going through that like take care of drakes of like the vulnerability about records about women.

It's more confidence and it's harder to like it's harder to make those loser control type of songs or whatever, because my songs are about my life. So if I'm not going through that, but like you know something, it's just it's more of a challenge, which is fun. So you gotta like kind of like think back and pull back and like look at maybe past situations definitely be like, oh, shoot, you know what this was actually going on to like this is a different take on it, so's Psycho to right,

like Psycho part two, that was a different take. I have Psycho the obviously part one, but that was a different take. But there's also like a situation right now where like I try to put myself in like Psycho six months, miserably beautiful relationship situations. What's the vibe just honestly, just for what's the vibe overseas? I mean I've seen you in Africa and Europe and the crowds are crazy. They almost look crazier than they are here in America.

I mean, they don't get it, you know what I'm saying. They don't at artists like that, like l A, New York, there's a show every night, right, rappers in your city every night in New York, l A. That was mer unicorn. You know what I'm saying. Tunisia, You're a unicorn. I did a show in Bay Route. You're a unicorn, you know what I'm saying. Like for beyrout is three thousand

people sold out, Belgium was eleven people. Like it's crazy over then, the like the fandom is so like you really feel like a superstar there because they're so crazy about you, because they don't get it that often, so it's dope. Well what was that experience? Like just to go over there from atlant from the basement to Beirut, crazy as hell, crazy as ship, and I brought my mom with me, so like they have to call it the mom Tour. I bring my mom. Yeah even last time,

you brought your whole family. Yeah yeah yeah, so like because my family is off from Jersey, New York, so like thirty five deep cousins. Yeah, I mean my dad's

won a seven. You know what I'm saying. That typical big, huge Italian family, so like but it was it was epic for sure, Like in Montreal, flew my dad up to Montreal two nights go, three nights ago, because I was the biggest show I've ever done, people the Bigges show over here, and like he was on stage doing like the whole Kogan hears and like what I'm saying, he was crushing it like superstars. Like that's clearly what I get it from a private jet experience to it.

Oh yeah yeah yeah, that was the first time. Yeah, we did the private jet. So that so they're kind of like, I guess living in the moment with you. Yeah, well, That's how I feel about well because to me, money is about like money is cool to buy cool ship, Like I just bought this new rolegs today right before I came here. Where's my watch over this? But it's like that's cool whatever. But to me, money is like money is about making creating moments that create memories with

people that like you love. That's the sickest thing money can do, you know what I'm saying, Like taking my mom to the Maffi Coast in Santorini and beyrout and whatever and doing all that and taking my dad on a private jet like that's the cool shit. So you put your homeboy Bentley? Yeah, I mean I didn't. People think I bought him a Bentley Like I was like, yo, like if Drake could, I was like, I didn't buy him a Bentley. I got him a Bentley to be driving when we're in l A any Like, anytime we're

in l A, he can just drive the Bentley. It's like, yeah, people like, yo, he bought where are your Prioritis brought your mama, you brought your you brought your boy Bentley. I was like, yo, how did you become such a

good performer? I was doing it mad times. That's the thing, Like I was one of these people who like blew up and like, oh my god, my first show ever is when everyone's looking at me like I've been performing since I was seventeen eighteen, trying to get on in front of those four people Helen Knights at u g A fraternity houses performing for two hundred drunk kids, or you know, performing at the Mass Grade in Atlanta for ten people. Mad times. You know what I'm saying, Like

mad times? Even watching him off a phone, you had like a lot of energy. I can feel the stage. Friend, what is to me? Your keys to performance? You think that makes the fans enjoy that moment with you like they already loved the catalog and focusing focusing really on the moment, It's like that's epic. It's like like a romantic started a radio right, um not? The Keys to Me is like because obviously I've like I've heard my own song so many times. I'm saying like mad times.

So sometimes performing and you kind of like it's mundane in your head for a second, but you can't let it be that, Like if you really focus on the words that you're saying and like you look at the crowd, like and you see people going hard. That's when I get turned to up. It's like when I see people really like chanting the words back and I'm like, yeah, I feel you because this is what the funk I

made it for, you know what I'm saying. So it's like it's dope, just focusing on the moment, not being jaded, you know what I'm saying, Like performing is a constant like test to like Jade and Jade every second, Like it's like Jade and every second. But you talked about

you pick it up on anything. He said. The chant thing that they chanted, they really do everything, bro, Like I coppelish it like I do this New ship shows were like I'll do the song and then I'll just like I'll sing like one word of it after the song is over, and then they just sing the entire ship, bro. And it's like it's I'm talking songs that I put out two weeks ago, Like I could probably do Psycho part to last Night and then what I gotten chanted.

What I'm saying, like I dropped for the stunt, like right before I went on tour. The next day we did it like in Portland or some ship crushed, you know what I'm saying. And it's like it's crazy because it's real fans, you know what I'm saying that. That's what I prided myself. I'm real fans. I saw that one the firsthand at the Webster Hole, the first Webster Hole show, and again, to be honest, I didn't know who the hell you were. I was like, Okay, this

is New York City, sold out show. This has to make it has to be something behind it. And I went and you came on stage and it was definitely like, yeah, you can't even hear yourself right, everyone's saying things word for word. Yeah, And I sell your Santos a small thing and you was good, Like I didn't know who

you were. You also, like you said, approaching me, like we talked about it before with some people, Like everybody wants to get on this business, but I feel like the way you've carried yourself and interact with people, you know how to be persistent but not across the line and just like be like this is why I am bah yeah, yeah yeah, and make a connection. Like what's

your advice with that? Because I feel like a lot of times people are so hungry to get on and get recognized, they go about it the wrong way, just like the approach. Yeah, I mean, bro, you gotta just you gotta do you to be recognized, to be recognized. I mean I used to be a psycho. Seriously, like we would be spamming like Rob Markman on Twitter, Like seriously, probably spammed you at some point on Twitter. Probably that's who you need to go back and look for the

old tweets. Actually I probably deleted them somebody whatever right now. But you said what's now? But like it used to be like that because you're so hungry trying to get on whatever whatever. But then it's kind of just like, look, what I realized is put out your music, get your fan base, and you'll be good, you know what I'm saying.

Then when you're moving around like you can't walk around with this like fucking mentality, it's just like, look, you know what, at least I'm here, I'm grateful for it, and I appreciate the love, and you know, people are going to give you the energy you give them, so you can't walk around being like a fucking dick. But you had patients too. I think that's under rate have to have patients. Yeah, you correct me if I'm wrong,

But do you have Are you in probation right now? No? See, Like here's the funny because the Young Guy I said, but I'll be done in October. I made Young Guy. Yeah, I just didn't put it out because I was one of those songs. I was like, no, this is too good to drop with no fans, So like, I'm not gonna drop it. When I just started dropping songs on SoundCloud,

I'm away to have a platform. So I did that with in between, I made the other side, Like I had a whole album, Like I had my whole debut done before I started dropping songs on SoundCloud, and then I ended up dropping the entire debut and I have a new one. But like that's how it kept going. I was like, I gotta drop these songs because I

made better ship so I would be swapping what I'm saying. So, yeah, I wanted to ask you about that with some other earlier too, Like artists out there, you guys throw so much music out. But it's like, I think the the idea of the debut album is still boman of sides, right, Like, yeah, talk about the difference of your approach to that, then maybe the records you're just giving people on SoundCloud of you. Yeah,

I mean that like I'm an album artist. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's the thing, that's that's what I started doing. I dropped a leven you know what I'm saying, so like because I know that's where it's at. That's what the longevity is. That's how you become a legend. I just had to go about getting my shine a different way, you know what I'm saying, Like I didn't have the industry connections to you know, drop one project and blow up at I didn't have them, But the

debut is like it's still super important. That's why I'm not gonna play myself. I'm not gonna rush myself. It took me ten years to get here. I can wait another ten months. You said you want the buzz to

be disgusting. Yeah, like Drake that Drake quarter three fifty Sampas. Yeah, for sure, the music deserves it, you know what I'm saying, Like, I'm not going to drop it until it's like I have the whole world listening because I feel like the music deserves and I feel like I have real message of self belief to really tell people, and I have real ship to fucking restore, you know what I'm saying, Like, yeah, even coming from Atlanta, even though you said didn't have

connections like that, Atlanta has been a hub for hip hop for some time. Did you even network with people? Because I wasn't on the scene like that, you know what I'm saying, Like we would just sit in the basement, Me and my boy was sitting the basement record We weren't into like we would never the party go is like that, So why saying tsunami? This is what you get when you don't care about the party scene. You know what I'm saying, Like, my fucker's go out too much?

Like stay inside and perfect some sort of craft. Stop going out? What are you celebrating? You know what I'm saying. So like, no, I just wasn't on the scene like that, So it was really just broke from a basement for real. Do you have a problem with alcohol? No, so, Brian, because I was listening to Serenity and I'm like, are you know? Um know when I was eighteen, So that's when I first started dabbling with like alcohol and ship

I was a kid in high school. I was like anti wee, anti liquor, like bag about it though too, like oh, y'all gotta smoke to that fun Like I was that dude, you know what I'm saying, Like yeah, yeah, yeah, that guy. Um. But then like you know, obviously whatever whatever. Um. But like when I first started drinking, you just like started drinking a lot, like you like a psycho, especially

because you're in the studio or whatever. That was just like some some things are hyperboles that like they're slight exaggerations just to kind of like drive the point home, you know what I'm saying, Like now, there's never an issue. It's just like just making sure because I thought the probation quote a d u y something that caught a du i with powder from the chick from Goodbye Really yeah, we have an epic story with that, like like chicken like life tattooed on the knuckles and shit like epics

like Tupac on our arm. Like these girls were morons though, you know what I'm saying now, I'm sure morons in the sense where is like, uh, you know, life is about self awareness, you know what I'm saying, And like the more where you are of you and your situation and what's going on, the better off you're gonna be. I was always super aware of what was happening with

the universe for myself. A lot of these girls in these small towns, a lot of people in general, are just not aware of when good ship is in front of them, and they played themselves out of very epic equations, Like I've even seen it with with friends, where it's like you play yourself out of being in a good situation because you're not. You have no foresight. You can't see past five seconds, you know what I'm saying. So like, you gotta just have a vision. You gotta have foresight,

and you gotta have you know, awareness. I saw you tweet that you said you always knew we were gonna make this moment we're gonna put in that we always knew. That's why I have a song. Always knew, So I have a song manifest because it's like, even when you were stacking shoes, yeah, I used to work at off Broadway to shoot wear a house. Yes, I would be like, yeah, wow, was that before I was making I was just making beats,

then stacking shoes going into work. Hella high, just like I fucking Finnesse the walkie talkie that I had headphones in, but it was like the walkie you know what I'm saying. It's like like the management be trying to like talk to me or whatever, but like I had headphones in, like I had the earpiece in, but it was playing music right, And like managers would always become enough to me like do you not hear what the funk I'm saying to you? I was like, you just dropped the

new facts are you talking about? Yeah? For sure. Now I always knew it was gonna work. And that's like to me, this is like, but society gets so offended when you have confidence, and it's because they don't have confidence, right, Like, here's the thing with society. They want you to succeed a little bit, not too much. Once you start getting too successful, you start getting these stay humble things, which literally society's way of saying, don't get too much more

successful than me, because then I'm gonna get offended. That's what the stay humble ship means. I never got to stay humble when I was broke. I didn't get stay humble when it wasn't popping. You get to stay humble when people start to see you going past them, because no one wants to see you be more successful than them except your parents and your friends. That's it. And even your friends not not so much unless they're great friends. So have you dealt with that with people dealing with

I hate people that say stay humble. I literally hate it because if you look at the definition of humility, right, it's like this meeking behavior and submissive and it's like a very like docile like like it's not a strong like why like why should I not feel like I'm going to be the biggest artists in the world? Why should I artists come up here and not here whatever? Just interviews and they're like, nod, did you see this coming? Did you think it was gonna work? Like? No? Man,

Like really just what? So? So I should play some weirdod politics to appease societies insecurities. I shouldn't say that. Of course I always knew she was gonna work. I was in the gym practicing, So why should I be surprised when I dropped thirty? That doesn't make any sense? What was that? What? Then? Was I in the gym?

You have it out into the speaking into existing because I was a big like I didn't read anything, Like I was never I hated reading, but I read four books or four books like when I was seventeen before I did this whole journey that really uh kind of mode of my mindset, which was Napoleon Hill, Uh, Magic Ladders of Success, Deep Chopra, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success,

and the Alchemists. You know what I'm saying that Like those books were like really really impactful and like I feel like you got to be mentally equipped, you know what I'm saying, Like I have my arsenal with music, but I also have like a crazy mental arsenal, you know what I'm saying. Because the more information you have,

information is empowered by application of information is power. A lot of people are sitting with so much epic ship in their head, but they don't do anything, so it doesn't matter a great idea, they don't ever do ship with it. Me, It's like I soaked that ship up and I applied it to my life and that's why I moved away. I do and that's why I like, in fact, that's why this should happened, because I applied a lot of those methods to my life. I applied

the manifestation ship to my life. I applied the the you know, uh, believing that the universe is working with me and not against me. You know what I'm saying, Like, I applied a lot of that. I read that you said that everyone's such a devout belief in someone else's ideas, but when it comes to their own, they doubt themselves.

People are always like they're always so like gung hole on all these other people's ideas, right, Like, I mean you even got to look at like people will go I'm not a religious person in the sense that like I don't go to church, I'm not an organized religious person, right, but people will go. You'll catch people going to church believing in what that guy is talking about more than their own ideas. Like, and that's the ship that blows my mind, is like you believe in everyone except you.

It is like it just doesn't make any sense to me. And it's because it's easier to believe in someone else because you don't have to deal with their failures. You know what I'm saying. There's no risk, it's just reward. Wow, the rewards have been coming, man, I mean you talk about finances a lot throughout your music, say now I do. But it's like it's crazy because like it's so fucked up. It's fucked up because I never wanted to be like

that person where it was like hella, money talk. But it's like bo, like I'm kind of looking around, like how are you supposed to not talk about it when it's coming in like this and when like that's part of my life. I can't help it, Like you know what I'm saying, Like I always talk about my life. So if anything, like I have a new perspective on it where it's like, look, you'll know when I was talking about having ten dollars to my name. So hopefully me saying I just made a million in two weeks

inspires you. It doesn't shot on you, but you still want that hundred before. Yeah, for sure we're gonna get that. We don't get there. One thing about the show I think you have quote you said negativity won't be allowed in myself, I will stop it and you'll be hundred percent because I don't like this is not this is

not a place for any of that ship. This is a place for like everyone came here to have a good time and everyone has the same thing in comment, like y'all folk with me, you' all like the music, So what are you fighting each other about. That's the issue with the world is that people fight other people before they even realized, like we probably have something in common.

People out here shooting people killing people doing all this ship without realizing if you sit down and have a conversation, you might actually folk with that person that you have beef with. It's retarded. People are just like, it's that not awareness ship. People are just blind, you know what I'm saying, Like mentally blind. It's it's literally so detrimental. That was after the webs the whole show. Uh, some girl was fighting, guy was fighting a girl. I was

finding a girl. Security yoked him up and yeah yeah yeah crazy. Also like something walked through it. You said some things like society sucks substance out there, so no paruntal guidance looking up to Kim and land of products mixed with persistence could be poisoned if you don't watch it. That's epic that like you went and peeple down because that's like super important writing, you know what I'm saying, Because you look at you look at a lot of people.

You see all these people on Instagram, social media, all these people who who look up to other peoples. This is the sh I'm talking about that who look up to. And it was not a knock to Kanye and Kim. They I would just use them as an example of someone of people, of a couple that people look up to and like, goals, goals, goals. I want to be like that. Why don't you try and be like you? Though? You know what I'm saying, Like, why don't you have your own goals? Why don't you have your own like

ship that you look up to. Why are you trying to emulate someone else's life? Why don't you just do your ship? You know what I'm saying. And then one day you have other people probably trying to emulate your life, but it's like, do your ship. You said one time that Kick Cutty is a massive pioneer, and like, what

did you mean about Kick Cutty? Was like, Kick Cutty really had a big hand in all this melodic hip hop, you know what I'm saying, Like I was early on Cutty with like the kid from Cleveland stuff, whatever whatever I mean. I think Cutty is one of the biggest pioneers for sure, and hip hop also said Little Wayne birth a lot of rappers, A ton of rappers, A

ton of rappers, A ton of rappers. Bro. You can hear so many Little Wayne flows, like all the like even the style from the clothing aspect, like the cadence on the mic, like so many rappers, but not much even the work effict though, like I feel like working. Yeah, oh seven run that he did or whatever, like seventy six songs or some ship. That's what I'm saying. Like there was an article like we if you, if you came to our student that we used to have in

the basement. All on the walls was cutouts of magazines of different rappers and ship. It looked like a psycho Like you say, psychole up, feel like gonna be called I mean it might be called life. The lifestyle is psycho. If I think I remember, I think it might have been Vibe that did something about Little Wayne And yeah, the Vibe magazine we have that we have that hung up along with like literally every other rapper. But that's what I'm talking about. With the media, they put that

narrative out there. I only know that really because it was talked about. Otherwise I would have just been like I remember, No, seventy dropped a lot of songs, but like because that narrative was really talked about on a major media publication. It was like seventies. I remember it was like in big bold writing to like seventy six songs, like that's how you, that's how Yeah, that's how you

productively portrayed the correct narrative. You know what I'm saying, how do you keep productively creating high quality, high quantity just because I think it's because I don't have any rules that I said on myself. I don't have any

uh like limits and boxes creatively. That's why I'm also super proud of the catalog because none of my fans are going to be disappointed with anything I put out for the most part, because I've given you pretty much everything from A to Z. You know what I'm saying, Like you've heard pull the trigger, but then you also have heard losing control, but you also hear some ship that maybe has some like reggae whatever ship in it

or whatever. Like you've heard everything, So like I'm not gonna go left, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm gonna just keep doing me getting better. That's what I respect about Drake. It's like Drake just does Drake every time, but just better. That to me is just genius. It's like, just do you just do better every time? But just

do you? And I think my fans know, like, look, you come to my show and you hear songs are super sloan I'm singing, and then you hear songs were like I'm snapping on you and you hear songs what we're partying. It's like, you know that, like you should just expect anything. No, I don't think so, and I don't think like I think too many people try and dehumanized artists, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm a human.

So like sometimes I feel like this right because you know, people be like, yo, pick a song, like what's like and I've I've dealt with this my own head where it's like funk, like what they want is gonna blow. It's blowing. But it's like, oh, well that's not like

the full representation. But that's fine because at the end of the day, that completely accurately represents that side of me, just like losing a choke completely accurately represents that side of me, and pull the trigger represents this side of me, multiple side of me. I'm a human. What side is what they want represented? The swag on you ship, the funk you ship. You know what I'm saying, Like losing controller is the like introspective, Like I listened to your

emotion ship. Yeah, it seems like DJ's two are embracing the record of hear it more and more. Yeah. Now I've shout out to Columbia for crushing. Yeah, it feels like you getting excited. I saw your tweets and get excited when like you hit your song on the radio. Yeah that's because, like I'm not jaded. I'm seven years old still. You know what I'm saying, Like I like this rap ship. I wanted to be a rapper when I grew up. You know what I'm saying, Like this

is cool to me. You know what I'm saying, Like I don't understand the people that coming to the game act in super Hollywood. That's why I like, like know the power one oh six in of you and ship, Like, Yeah, i'ma talk hell of ship and I'm gonna do all that ship because at the end of the day. I'm not going to go up to acting Hollywood. I got a lot of ship to say, same ship with this.

I could come up here and just be like whatever, Like all right, like cool, get the funk out, you know what I'm saying, Like what does it competitive spirit come from? Lyrically as a rapper? Like was it from? I was always the most competitive kid ever ever, Like I would turn anything into a competition. Still still would we were just that genius yesterday, there's a basketball goal outside of my Everyone, put your ship down, put the jump up. What's the ball? You know what I'm saying,

Like we're taking jump shots? Whatever. I was always like that. I was always playing basketball in school. I was always just super competitive, video games whatever. I was always trying to beat everybody at everything. So it rapped to me, is no difference, Like I want to be the best. But the thing is, like I get my inspiration from my own potential. I want to beat what I just did.

That's what I look up to. Now there's a couple of people who do super epic things like Drake and Kanye that really uh inspired me to like funk, like how the fund did you do that? But like That's why I send it. You know, in interviews, like I like a lot of people, but a lot there's not a lot of people that make me want to get that that makes me say how did he do that? When I say Kanye and Drake, it's just because those are the only two that make me like say, how

did you do that? Everyone else I know how you did it? And like it sounds super good and it's a great song whatever, But I'm not like baffled by the mechanics of it all. Drake and Kanye be doing showing, I'm like, how the fund did you do that? Everyone else just all right, don't be like six team or whatever. It's cool, it's fresh. I listened to it, but it doesn't make me wonder how I love that mind state,

that mentality that you have. Because even prior to you coming in here, we were discussing two new artists want to be legends? Do you want to be good or they're just happy with getting some show money or you know, doing club appearance or whatnot. Yeah, I think I think the I think the youth like doesn't want I think a lot of people that you don't want to be legendary because I don't think they grew up all right, listening to a lot of legends. You know what I'm saying.

They grew up listening to a lot of mediocrity. But I grew up listening to legends. So like that's all I know in hip hop. I never listened to anything but legends. So that's where I see myself. That's why I'm trying to put myself and you know, like I have a U, I have an uphill climb with it because I'm white. At the end of the day, I'm not retarded. I know, like I know what time it is with all this ship. But that's why I'm down

to bust my ass. And that's why I like, that's why I put in the work that I put in, you know what I'm saying, because I know I got to do that much more to prove to everyone that now, like I do have bars, you know what I'm saying, Like I do this hip hop ship, I've really been doing this ship. You know what I'm saying, Like I get it, I get it makes sense. Yeah, And then sometimes you just a too busy water in your grass.

Check if yours is green and fat? Too busy? My own food to check if you're a sweeter fact, so many people are just blocking out the north. Too many people compare themselves to other people. Like that's when you start getting depressed, is when you start looking at other people's lives and you start trying to add sit up and like, oh, like you'll get tent something used on

your song. But then someone will drop something and gets a hundred thousand views and you're like, oh, well, I suck, So you can't do that, Like you gotta you gotta beat yourself. That's it, you know what I'm saying, Like I would have I would have been done with this

music ship if that was my mentality. Like I dropped my album and it got ten place and I dropped ten one and got ten play, So I guess I'm done, you know what I'm saying, Like I was just like, no, well, my last one got ten, this one got twenty, this one got thirty. Like the consistency of uphill Battle. Yeah, so where's this basement now? Is it? Is it? We

still not? Because it was it was my boy Budgas, Like who I started the company Dimon with with the logo came from uh, it was his It was his mom spot, so like we d had to get rid of the house like this year or whatever. Yeah, but man, I wish we still had that room. I'm gonna go back and just buy that. Me and him are going to go do that ship from in the meantime the Young Guy Tour. Man, it's a couple of cities to go, right, Yeah, home stretched at things like two weeks left, but like

I feel like being gone forever. Man. Yeah, So any other big plans before the end of the year. Going to a y at the end of the year to do two shows, which is like epic because a lot of these promoters are retarded. Right's number about life advice. Let me tell you why these promoters are retarded because they're not They're not in tune with how ship works, I meaning the Internet. It's like they don't they get

scared and kofee like they just fucking called today. I think, like, oh, you know, there's not a lot of traction on the site right now because we had to post a second show in Hawaii because the first one sold out in like two hours to a hundred people. Why because I made one post? Because I have real fans, you know what I'm saying? They're like, oh, the second show doesn't have a lot of attractions because you guys posted it and I didn't post it yet because no one gives

a funk what you're talking. You know what I'm saying, Like, what is what's the disconnect? You have no juice dot com? Yeah, I guess you're more popular the Middle East. I'm huge in the Middle East. In the Middle East. Yeah, super popping the Middle East. I was supposed to the Middle East touring December, but like it's math hard to get over there, Like it's like sketchy, like promotives are the long hair, I don't. I mean they hand some good

looks and all that. You know, it's not hurting anybody, but Na, but that that ship came out of nowhere. It was really Saudi Arabia, Like, but that ship came out of nowhere. I just remember getting hit up on Snapchat by all these like Saudi girls and stuff, and I was like, what's happening? Fall in love against exactly? And I love Latinez, but Saudi girls are like like Latina is like slightly yeah, you know what I'm saying,

Like they go kind of hand to hand. But I was like, I was like, yo, what's going Like where is this coming from? And it was so crazy that I had to mention it. People think that like, oh uh, you just mentioned Saudi Girls and then that's what got it crazy. It's like, no, I mentioned it because it was crazy. So in Too Many, that's the first time I mentioned Saudi Girls. I was like, girls from Saudi they be and rowdy, and it just so happened that the first time I mentioned them it was on like

one of my bigger songs. What's crazy is that, Like that's just marketing genius on accident, Like the only time the only times I've mentioned Saudi Girls just so happens are my biggest songs, the Tiger, Too Many, you know what I'm saying. So it's like then it just went crazy because they were also on great songs, you know what I'm saying that people would love anyway. So it's yeah, I'm looking forward to this journey. That Grammy Awards speech is going to be epic. Better not cut me the

better than not gonna cut me off? No chance you're gonna get Like, if you could win an Album of the Year, you're gonna get the engineer Grammy to produce it, but I'm curious how that works. I need I need six Grammys for my album. You know what I'm saying. Any Grammy I win, I need six because I produced it, makes it master and engineered it. Wrote I need five. You your own publicist to not anymore. I used to be, you know, I used to be used to do my own pr I need five Grammys every time I win

a Grammar. I need five out of them for sure. Walk out of the Grammy ship with like a like a wagon shopping car, just like seventy as. Anybody get a rush track outside of Ki in their lab which you or something? Was that? I really love Kalani. I Thinkani is a future vomb I love that puff Daddy said for real, I said it before him. Okay, I'm going to Twitter. You can see I think that that. I said that before him. For rust, I folk with did he thought? Did he did he soun Quincy came

to the l A show. He yeah, he's done now. I fought with Klanni heavy heavy. I would definitely do something Ki. I mean like I guess your idols or anything like that have reached out, not not like the not like the drinks and Kanye's not not yet. I mean, do you think they think I don't. I don't know not. I just don't think that they know about it. You know what I'm saying. Maybe they do. I don't know whatever. But um now I've been telling like Carol Lewis to

like hate Yeah, not yet. Do you have like a dream co operation? I mean I would love to. I want to produce for people, but like not send fifteen beats over an email and then like hear it when it comes out. That's terrible. Really be in the lab and yeah, because I want to like combine worlds. That's the ship I respect about Kanye, like like all of the lights He's got Elton John and you know what

I mean, like really like producing it. Like that's the only way I want to produce anything, is like really sitting in the studio like creating and morphing worlds together. You know what I'm saying, Like that's the shift I want to do. Dream collapse. I don't know. It's interesting cause you would think you're so self contained, but the opposite you want you open. I'm down because I think there's a lot of super talented people. I just think

they make a lot of questionable creative decisions. So I think that if I was like in the studio with you, like we would make six ship, you know what I'm saying, But like you left to your own right. I got beats for days. I'm moving around with like four days worth it beats on my computer at all times. Everyone knows. I got to play this on my computer called the Vault, and it's like three and a half day. Is it just beats? How often do you create it? Like every

day or on tour? Not as much. But I'm always listening to samples though if I'm not like making bees, I'm like listening to samples, even on accident. Like I was just at a restaurant and like stations Amy random ship the samples from restaurants, Ella samples. That's the key, Yeah, for sure, go out to eat more facts. Yoh man, this was great, man Ross. We can probably do part two before Like that was that we barely scratched the surface. Man, what they give us the jamb when we get out

of here? Man? What do we miss? Bro? I mean just so much. There's so much when if you start your own magazine and website, I want to get a recipe book called The Itis. The Itis is gonna be ten recipes that when you eat them. When you eat the recipes, you fall asleep, and it's the itis if you steal my fucking ship. But I was just telling something about that the other day. It's like, because you know what, the itis, when you eat food, go to sleep, I'll have like big as passes on there, like steak

mashed potatoes. Itis crushing you. I mean, it happens in like Italian meals a lot, like eat Boston. You just go downstair. I'm out like turkey. You know what I'm saying. Mandatory nap, It's necessary. You gotta sleep it off. I'm sleeping no more. Man let him know, sir, Thank you, Thank you. This was seriously and honor for real. Wrap It Up podcast