#106 - D Smoke

of what you do. Absolutely give me why the name, Warren Wonders, what's the what's the background behind that kind of dive into the story of the artwork. Warren wonders, is that project that's about showing the world the two sides of what it means to be a youngster from Inglewood who is pushing the line on both fronts. You know what I'm saying. On one side, I got a heart for the streets. You know, my big brother grew up in the street element a little bit more than

we did, and we were we were there. But by the time we were coming up as teenagers, you know, Pops was in the house a little kids. My Pops was locked up, so we was fighting, doing the whole nine. He come home, We're more so, like a little bit more straight and narrow, but still you know, parents can't afford to drive you everywhere, so he's still catching the bus.

We in the actual streets of Inglewood. So warre on wonders is that we're familiar with this, but it's you know, for the sake of arriving at that place where you can look around and be proud of where you are, what you've gotten. So you can't experience the wonders in life if you're not willing to confront and experience the war, you know. So it's just that duality of being d smoke that I wanted to share. And then what about the cover because the cover seems like there's a big

message behind the coverage as well. Yeah, absolutely so. Of course, one of my main values is other than family, is community, you know what I'm saying. So that picture represents the community that puts you all the different elements like you know, from the girl with her hair wrapped with the rollers in their hair blowing the bus to the girl with

the booty short song too. You know howmies with the wave cap do rags, flip flops, the bottle, the speaker, the lo lo bike, is just like we get some of everything in the community that all contributes to who you are as a person, and that's lifting me up to you know, uh, to be able to you know, the symbolism of breaking that chain and it's an actual gold chain that's kind of shaped like a new So it's just all those symbolism that represent all the people

that it really takes for any one person to be free.

You feel me? Do you feel like because I feel like, you know, like when you listen to the album, like you talk about like you know, game, banging over turf that you don't own, or dirt you don't own, right, do you feel like that that was like those kind of messages weren't being presented to your generation, for the kids who were from where you were from, Like, and like maybe you're kind of setting a new because I feel like there's so much game and a lot of

the shit you're saying. There's so many lines and I'm like, man, this is a real grown man, Like hell shit, but like that line, like how important is that for you to kind of you know when it comes to you You're from Inglewood, you know what I'm saying. And obviously

when you're from La. Gang culture is on the present, even if you're not in it, when you're in Hollywood, when you're in downtown, everywhere, everywhere, one hundred percent right, So, like you know, there's it's it's it's hard to be the guy to be like, hey, you should a gang bang because you don't know the story behind Hey did

someone lose a brother or a cousin or whatever. But at the same time, like there's there's got to be a middle ground where you know absolutely well, let me, I put it this way, gang banging isn't being a member of a gang. Let's say that isn't wrong, you know what I'm saying. It's the it's the culture, not the overall culture. It's the activity, it's how it's done. It's the lack of connection between the big homies who know better and the young homies who got something to prove,

you know. And and that's just not a gang. It's not just a gang banging thing, because outside of gang banging in other cities we still find the violence, we still find of course the same problems. It's just a community thing, a culture thing. First and then so I have I have a heart for people like I feel like it's human instinct to connect, to build, to form

organizations to or you know, outside of gang banging. In Africa, we had tribes, you know what I'm saying, And one tribe over here might not get along with a tribe over here. So it's not me preaching against gang banging. It's more so preaching against the ignorance that makes us organizing, uh them versus us type thing. You know what I'm saying, Like why I'm not I'm not a gang member, but why do I feel the need to keep a pistol

on me? You know what I'm saying. Or you said that you have a five mile you go through five different neighborhoods on your commute commute. Yeah, and the kids and the kids who you're teaching don't realize that you you got you gotta you got a peace on you come on period period. True story, you know. And that's because like I taught, I taught on well, I taught

several places. One I was teaching close to home when I taught at Inglewood High then I taw at Westchester and that of course you head in west You're not passing through too many hoods like that. Outside of Inglewood.

And then but it was when I taught on Vermont and sixtieth coming from Century and Lebrea, that it's like, okay, I'm out of this neighborhood in Inglewood through these other three neighborhoods in Inglewood, through you know what I'm saying, you know, the a trade through the you know, it's like all these different hoods, for forbid, you have to stop and get gas. Come on, now, you be getting gas on our side right before you get in there, you know. And and and then of course that's an

exception to every world. I've stopped to get gas in another hood, you know. And you you kind of hope that somebody ain't having a bad enough day to where they not listening to reason, or they or to where they don't ask no questions at all, you know, because that happens. It had been times where it was like they just pulled up a start busting. That's tragic, you know.

But then there's been times where I'd am impressed and I could tell he looking at me like waiting for me to say the wrong thing, and I could tell he got a gun on him, like hand all tucked and everything, and I'm like you know what I'm saying, And it's just a matter of you know, have you mastered yourself enough to be to look him in the eyes and be like, I'm solid, bro, I hope all is well, which you know, and just let him make that decision to be like I want to do do

I want to do a good human being harm. And I think even behind all the gang stuff, there's there's this People have to be triggered and pushed over that little edge, and sometimes fear pushes Being scary will push people over the edge, you know, it'll trigger that up, that instinct, that predatory instinct if you look like, oh two shitah, I got it, got it. Whereas if it's like now all is well, bro, God bless you, you know,

but it's direct. It's like I'm not scared of you, but I'm looking into you like I know what you got. You know what I'm saying, And if you're gonna do it, you're gonna have to live with the fact that you did it in the wrong situation. You know, because fear tales on a lot of people. Some people are afraid because they know they might be on the bad side of some well deserved krmer they might have done something

similar out there. You know, that's not my story. So if you're gonna pull up, if you're gonna pull up and bust on d Smoke, you're gonna bust on somebody that's proud of what he did, then done right by his family and his business partners. And I'm gonna look you in your eyes like, damn, is this that? Because we all got our day? You feel me like, and I don't. It's not that I want to go, but it's like I've seen, I've been in those situations where it could have been that you know so, and and

a lot of so much as outside your control. So like you're referring to, uh, find my way, you know, in so many ways, it's like we're all navigating. As a teacher, I'm still navigating. I'm navigating, like like the law one. You know what I'm saying, California is an you know what I'm saying, I'm navigating the law. I'm navigating. Uh, you know, going in there wanting to be effective with the kids, but I'm in the middle of the hood and it's a lot working against me. Just they mindsets,

you know. So, So yeah, this this album kind of shows shows both of that and and it shows love to the people. It's like people got to forgive theyself, like they be hard on theyself, like, man, I ain't got to figure it out. But and that's okay. So that's the thing, by my way, It's like we all out here trying to find find our way, and once we think we found it, we still navigate. That's real shit. You said some ill shit. You had a line where you said that your wife drove you to sanity. Uh huh.

My wife came in my life drove me to sanity, which I think is dope because again I'm married. But I feel like we don't hear enough about you know, the benefits of having a solid woman behind you. Absolutely, it's how much honesty are people willing to give, you know, and not just honesty, vulnerability, you know, because what was that it was a Superman movie or was it a Superman movie or somebody referred to a Superman saying, you know, leave Clark kenn at home, don't bring Lois Lane into

the workplace. You know what I'm saying, Because that's what people Predators will exploit, you know what I'm saying. They see the strong chest and they're like, oh, I can't penetrate that armor, but I could grab her and make you been the knee to you know what I'm saying, to save somebody that you care about. And in the

same sense, I feel like rap has that tendency. We show up with our strongest self, you know what I'm saying, Yeah, and then lo and behold, we got somebody that's loving us into strength, you know what I'm saying in all honesty. So but yeah, I said my life. My wife came in my life, drove me to sanity, distinguished between the sweetest in vanities, coffee, no cream of killing me softly.

I need an energy. Call me your fashion. But in the canopy I'll be getting what these whole promises can't deliver. Ain't got no canvas, won't paint a picture, Ain't got no time for they faint attempts. My little house is straight, made the bricks, climbed the mountain, and then made the river. You know. So it's like it's just the truth of it, and not that I'm imposing that view on anybody. Like if you ain't found that person, don't try to make

their own person. That for sure. That's a huge mistake. Don't do that, you know what I'm saying, like, don't do that ship, Yeah, you know. And and I think even prior to finding her, I think we're all a little bit guilty of like because we got our hopes up that we got somebody, you know. But but yeah, so that's that's a little bit of like straight honesty.

We're like, like, you know, there's something to be said about like being in a relationship where it's not taxing on your mental And I can only imagine with where you are in your career right being on the road or I don't know, the pandemic kind of probably halted a lot of your travel. But you do go to Africa, right, I did? I did go to I mean, in your

your profile is a lot more higher. And I'm just I mean, in any relationship, your specific set of circumstances might make you know, any relationship a little bit more difficult at times. So it takes it's a special kind of woman to not add any bullshit to your plate while you're trying to be de smoke. Absolutely, absolutely, some of that comes from just confidence, you know, like and and confidence doesn't negate that a woman's need to be reassured.

You know what I'm saying, any woman is gonna because the reassurance is not in It's not just in her being reassured in herself, it's reassured in your intent, how present you are, and your feelings. You know, the fact that your feelings haven't changed. You have to reassure them of that, you know what I'm saying. So, but when you have to, But when somebody needs reassurance of who they are, it's different. Then they've put you in a

position that you nobody deserves to be in. Because you can say all the things in the world, but if you're not happy with you, it don't matter from you. It gotta come from you. So but but yeah, you you definitely need somebody that's confident, that is shutting himself and bold enough to be honest when it's not it's real, you know, and that's you got to be that too,

you know, the responsibilities on both sides. There's additional work on my part and on my wife's part to maintain something that that is true and strong and can withstand little stuff. You know what I'm saying that It's it's no secret that women on the internet are gonna be like, that's my husband that never met me, you know what I'm saying. And you got to just brush that off,

you know. Yeah, No, I mean I feel like, yeah, because especially when you were when the show first came out, there was bitches was I mean, respectful young ladies, we're loving you. They're going crazy. No, it was going crazy. It went ut. I mean, bitch is in the most respectable way possible. We know what you mean. Beautiful, independent, yes, timely, yeah, you know, creative. Yeah right, I'm just kidding, just kidd kidding, shouts all the bitches and dumb shouts, all of them.

You know you you just announced the tour right before you got here, right, I did. How many dates is it? It's it's like twenty two man, that's big too, And I know that I wanted to be thirty three. But there had to have been a Black Habits tour that was supposed to happen. It was cooked. We actually we had those dates reserved for the Black Habits, not these exact days now, but we had those all of those venues already lined up, and then the pandemic just fucked

everything up. We literally, you know, Cordat hit me up because even before we released Black Habits, all I had was Inglewood High, right, but we had that moment in a strong following and the songs from Rhythm and Flow, and he was like, bro, come on tour with me, the Lost tour, Yes, yeh. And he did some dates in January, so it was he hit me into December like top of the year, you hopping out? And I was like, bro, I'd love to, but we're closing out

a project right now. He was like say, lets I understand, you know, and you know, we still put out Black Habits, and Black Habits did what it did, you know, so there's no regrets here. But it's like, damn, is there any world where we still put it out? And because the world exactly because the world's about to shut down, we go outside, like all right, we only got one money to hop out pot especially you know with cored eight incredible artists that I respect, like how he approaches

you know, creativity, his music himself. He's one of the best man, one of the greatest way way early like to be his age and to be doing it like that, it's like it's dope to watch who like who else is another artist or two that are your peers that inspire you. Man. I'm not talking about the ogs because

it's easy to say Snoop or Dre or who. I mean, like, you know your peers man, just a couple man, just because I I don't distinguish between like singing and rapping and stuff like right of course, like the Sminos, you know, the Saba is crazy. You know, uh Masago is crazy. Those are my guys. And then I'm from Cali, so I'm just I like hood Ship too, So you know what I'm saying, Gee, Perico to Homie, I always look out for way he's in the video. Yeah, go to Homie.

You know. You know what I'm saying. R J he in the video too. Then my dogs, but when they put something out, I'm listening because they got the thumb on the on the pulse of the streets. You know. But but it's just you know, and then it's just music that I'm just you know, I love I love like soul for Ship like alex I, you know what

I'm saying. So but yeah, do you feel like I feel like on this album, like as as as lyrical as a genius you are, I think you really pressed pressed the pedal down on on just wrapping your ass off on this project. Like, what was your approach this being your sophomore album, Like we talked a little bit earlier, I think definitively it's better than Black Habits. Black Habits. We'll get to the Grammy nomination, which was a big deal.

But what was your approach your mind state going into recording this album that was different from Black Habits because Black Habits, like you said, the show Happens, you already had Englewood High was already out right, that's your first project coming out off the TV show, you know, and now you're established, you got through a pandemic. You know, what was your mind state recording this one? This one?

It's just a lot of real life, frustrated energy in this one, and I think that makes for good art, you know, Like I was, really, I'm pushing myself because I want to translate the turmoil that's happening inside. Plus it's still the joy of where I'm fortunate enough to be in life, what I've been able to accomplish in a short amount of time after a long amount of time,

you know what I'm saying. I've been at it for a long time, but then these two years two and a half years are crazy, you know, so so, but it's like the inner turmoil is like, damn, why would I have this big, this big opportunity. You know what I'm saying. I got faith. I come from a god fairing household, so it's like, God, why You're gonna give me all this and shut the world down, Like let

me go outside, you know what I'm saying. So for that to happen, It's like some of them, some of those songs come from that energy, but it's like you frustrated, but you still know who you are, so you're gonna give them that energy back. It's like in Inglewood, like before I had a group of money, I still knew that inside it was something that distinguished me from what was outside. So I wasn't gonna let nothing run over me,

you know. And in the same sense, that energy gotta be in the music otherwise people will applaud it a little bit, you know what I'm saying, like, oh, good stuff, cool, you know, but they're not gonna champion it because it's when you show them, when you show them both sides of yourself, the angry side, the upset side the vulnerable. When you show them all of that, then people feel like he doing it for us because they know that, don't You don't stumble on that. You got to push

to that, you know. So the way the album came about, like right when they announced that the tour wasn't gonna happen and we no longer prepping for tourists, like I'm at home, bro, Like right, it's a weird moment for all of us. I'm at home. Yeah, Like hey man, Simmy beach, bro, yeah, Simmy Beach. And the first song I did off on one Wonders, is shame on you? Oh wow? You know what I'm saying. Summer in the winter time. So it's February, it's just after no, it's March,

the month after Black Habits was done. Somemer in the winter time. Smoke back on this beat, act like it's dinner time, full packs, no receipting, no LoJack on my heat in case I have to throw that in the river. After Seneta, I'm good, I'm good, I swear I'm good. I ain't losing no sleep, I'm hood, I'm wood, I'm well. I want to be see no defeat. I pull that off the hip, to shoot the shit, to piss the voltures off the coaches in good hands. God damn, that

man is so and sick. You know what I'm saying, just like talking my shit here, like I'm here. Give a fuck if we can't go on tour, if you know what I'm saying, if we reached we hit what we think is like a goal, and then we find another like detour that we got attack. I'm still here. So some of this music is shit. I gotta tell myself, like, hey, man, talk yo shit, smoke, you know, because I remember listening to early jay Z, not early jay Z like midted

away jay Z and uh. From the outside critics were saying, oh he braggedocious this and that and the other. But I was at the time when I'm seventeen listening to it. It's like, that's the shit I need to say about myself when I'm walking through the city to feel how I need to feel to get past all this. You know what I'm saying, I can't humility, don't get you passed.

You know what I'm saying, your immediate circumstances. It's that sometimes irrational sense of heightened self that'll have you you know, confront challenges head on and overcome the motherfuckers. You know what I'm saying. So that's why, like I don't apologize. People know I'm a humble person based on my interaction with them and in the music too. They're very intentional moments where you give people just lessons. I'm a teacher, but in order for them to care about those at all,

you gotta just take the gloves off. And sometimes, hey, man, I always say this is like the greats, Like, you know, if we think of Kendrick right, think about that control freestyle, I shouldn't. I don't even think that shit came out on the Control verse. Rather wasn't even a freestyle. But I don't think that song ever officially came out. It's just like leaked on the blogs. And he would never think about that moment how important that was where he

was like, Yo, nobody's fucking with me. Sometimes you gotta, hey, smoking on your top five. This is the most low profile motherfucker in the game, period and out of nowhere smoking on your top five. Like sometimes you gotta hit motherfuckers in their mouth so they respect you, period period. Nah, for sure, man, that that's great. So you know, I feel like I saw the video, right, you shot a lot of that when you were in Africa? Absolutely Legos? Where where wash? Like? Time wise, when when did you

go to Africa? I want to say Marchbruary this year, Fabruary of twenty twenty one, right, yes, So talk about that trip because that's kind of an interesting time or kind of like mentally feels like we're over the pandemic even though it shit's still hot, you know what I'm saying. But how was that trip? Man? That trip was, by the way, first time there. No, that was my second time, okay, Jerry. I had been to Abuja, Okay, which is the capital.

I hadn't been to Legos, which is like the old capitol where it's way more history and stuff, way more people in Legos. That trip was interesting, man, because one traveling during you know, pandemic time or whatever we want to call this era. It's just it's a heavy lift, you know that. Like literally the airport experience is a whole different experience when you enter in another country during that time. So it's damn near traumatic because it's like,

you know, you're getting stopped a million times. I got threatened, like within the first but in the first fifteen minutes I got threatened to get arrested because my mask wasn't over my nose, you know what I'm saying, Oh my god, it was below my nose. And she's like, lift your mask above your nose. I was like, okay, for sure, haphass Lee and I'm talking though, so I'm talking and my mouth is opening up and down like a yeah, Shanks, we got this and that and the other, discussing where

we're going, what the plan is it? Come back down. I got two bags in my hand, so I'm not thinking about it. She's like, if I have to tell you this again, I am going to have you arrested. And I was like, I was like, down, Smoky, down, like I want to You're not it. Yeah. I wanted to be like, man, I don't want to have to sock on those security guards if you don't have me arrest and make sure the real police come because it's

too early. The plane ride was too long, like we had already gotten stopped so many times that I was it had to be connecting flight right, oh, absolutely what we might have flown through London or something and so, but of course that was all going on in my head. I pulled up my mask and was like, and it just what gets me is they always got like they always got the black people policing the black people. You

know what I'm saying. They got somebody looked like my auntie telling me pull up your mask, you know what I'm saying. And I know she's just doing her job, but you know, it just ends up and me feeling violated. Like listen, the world is going, it's fucking crazy. The world is fucking crazy, dude. And I'm vaccinated, right, but like a lot of the shaming and like the I like to call it caring shit going on against people who aren't vaccinated, it's so fucking ridiculous. Absolutely, it like

makes me sick. Like when I see people the way talking about Kyrie Irving and shit, I'm like, yo, like not like people have the freedom to do what they want with their body. They want to do whatever the fuck. And I'm vaccinated, and I get the run me the booster, run me all the shots. Fuck it. You know, I already got a fucking Michael trip in my pocket everywhere I go, you know where the fuck I'm at, I got I got two phones right, you got kids, yeah,

for sure. But this this, this, the world is going crazy, bro, like definitively like crazy, like motherfuckers are. So you know it's crazy because as much as Trump divided us, it's COVID shit. Oh it might be worse. Oh easy, it's easy. It's wild, bro. I feel like we're in a movie. Bro as wild. It's it's a whole different planet. It

seems like it's it's just if you read there. They are books that were written long before this time that talk about the the dangers of of information, like information being controlled by one central entity, the way people view one or two right, the way people view the world, the way our opinions are so fed and you know, it's so built into our daily schedule, whether it's TV, whether it's Instagram, that we're not even aware that our

opinions are being regurgitated. Is what we heard, and we're kind of told to believe, you know what I'm saying. And people feel so strongly about them, like they came up with it, you know what I'm saying. So I came up in a time where critical thinking was encouraged. Just something that's good, like ask questions because it's only gonna either get you closer to the truth or give you a better understanding of something that you didn't already know.

But now now we're in a time where the people who ask questions are made to seem like dangerous, like the literal word dangerous. You're dangerous, I mean you, it's dangerous Nikki. And I saw what Nikki like all this stuff, Nikki to it and people acted like she killed a baby on the internet, and I was like, am I missing something here? Did she not say she'd get vaccinated if she had to to go on tour? Like? What

the fuck is going on? Right? Right? No, the narrative is that they, whoever the fuck they are, would like for people to believe that that by having choosing to exercise your ownership of your own body in a way that says no, or let me ask some questions here or or at the at the end of the day, it's the no that bothers people like no, it's you know, yeah,

you know, I mean the question. I mean, the questions are are deemed as problematic as well, because you know, ultimately you want people to to be able to be told to do But we're getting too far into that ship like the reaction. The world is fucking weird, so we should people should feel comfortable being honest. And we talk about shaming when it comes to women. We talk about shaming when it comes to you know what I'm saying, We don't want to talk about it when it comes

to people who say I disagree. I feel like like we are in an era where everyone is shamed if they don't go for the status quo for anything socially right. And it's like, you know, you can't have any independent thoughts without being boxed into one one world. Like it's like, hey, if you you either think and agree with me on every issue, or you're this, or you're dangerous, or you're dangerous, or you're a piece of shit or you're whatever the

fuck it is where it's like what happened? But the powerful part is I come from a school where as soon as people start trying to make you out to be something like I, I you know, what's that song I be? That be all that I'm dangerous? Let's you know what I'm saying. The time, you know ex, I was like she was mad at something I did, and and and it was just it was like a brief like a brief little relationship. We was trying something. It didn't work, you know, And in my book, I'm like, hey,

it didn't work. We can be cool because we're grown and it's respect. But she started calling me on my name like you this, you this. I was like, hey, you know, I'm not sure what you used to, but once you think that about me, you're you're free to walk away. You don't have to call me names. Just don't call me, you know what I'm saying. And then she kept calling me names, but calling me to call me names. So I was like, how about this, I'm him, I'm that guy. You know what I'm saying. If you

want to call me fuck nigga. You want to call me something, I'm him now exactly save me as that in your phone. So if you ever pick up the phone to call me, know that you're calling him. And you got to feel some kind of way about that. Yeah, we talked about you, you know, having a gun illegally and and and like the gun thing or or semi. I don't know the complications of having a gun a legal owner of a firearm. I mean when you were

talking about moving, I don't know. Yeah, well, we're talked about the complications of being a legal firearm owner here in California. In California, we gotta have the fucking clip in the trunk ship by the time you fucking go get through dangerous. Well, what's crazy is like my whole life I been I wouldn't say an anti gun person, but I never gravitated towards guns. But I never really understood, Like I kind of have evolved on the issue since I moved here because I'm like, yo, it's low key

really hard to protect yourself out here. It's like and what we talked about earlier, like when I say that to certain people, they look at me like I'm a fucking maga person or something, because I'm like, yeah, I think we should be able to have guns like period, period. And its the assumption on one person's part that that makes you automatically more powerful than the next. It I think in a certain way, because I think in a

certain way it gives people. It just levels the plan field, right, And I also believe in if you if you're a gun owner, you also need to be ready and willing to remove yourself from a situation. Still exit, of course, still of course, being very very well tempered and mannered. Just because you have a gun, that's that does not give you a reason to react any differently than you would react to any other situation. I also think you should go through a background check to make sure it's

some crazy motherfucker. But the just don't make you bullying undred but I do. I'm like, you know what we think about, Like you know, on this side of LA right now, like you know, West Hollywood, Melrose, shit is hot out here. Like I don't know if you see the video of the guy in the LaMelo ball jersey or they try to run up and rob him and he had a gun. Three kids ran up on this dude and this girl and they didn't know this dude was strapped too, and so they ran up on him,

guns out. He turned around and lit him up. They never found I'm the guy, the guy who actually shot that, but it's all on video and they're like, we're trying, and only in California will that guy probably go get in trouble for protecting that. It's just documented, documented that his life was yes and he was acting in self defense. Hey what up, man? We gotta interrupt the interview real quick to tell you about our family at odds Socks. Now when I be riding for odd Socks so hard, man,

it's because I really love the product. They got the most comfortable socks in the fucking world. I got a pair of odd Socks Basic song right now, go get those. They got the socks WWE joints. You know what I'm saying, shot to the undertaker, PEPSI, motherfucking really whatever you need some weed socks Nickelodeon. But really, they got the draws. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm holding a pair of top of Teo underwear right now. You want some pop tarts on

your dick? Pop Tart draws And these motherfuckers are so comfortable, like man, So listen. You gotta go to odd socksofficial dot com and use the promo code, the discount code bootleg keV at odd socksofficial dot com. You'll save twenty percent off underwear the most comfortable socks in the world, crazy licenses. Not only they got the ww they got the scarface, they got the street Fighter, they got the Nickelodeon.

They got it all. So make sure you hit that website, Oddsocksofficial dot Com save twenty percent off with the promo code bootleg keV. All right, go do that shout out to odd Socks. Let's get back to the interview. Talk about getting nominated for Best Rap Album of the Year and Best New Artist of the Year, which I even think is a bigger deal because that's a much harder

category to crack, right as a rapper. What was your like, tell me, like, just your you know, obviously that's a life changing moment to gives that when you wake up in the morning, you know, I know how those Grammy mornings are. When they announced the nominations super fucking early, it's East Coast time, Like, what was that? Like? Man, we were going to the gun range. Ironically enough, we were going to the outdoor gun range where you know,

you can have multiple people in our section. We are shooting down, you know, down the lane, and my mama was gonna come all kind of people. It was. It was just a hot day and I'm actually in the car and we get the call it's like you nominated, And we we had grown accustomed to being up for consideration, so I'm like, I'm like, okay, nominated, Like we got the actual nomination or like we're in consideration for the next stage event considered it like no, you have a

Grammy nomination. You're like, you're gonna be at the Grammys, Like what's you mean, right, you know? And then I'm like, oh shit, like that, like so it hit us. We got excited and and it kind of that's another time where our little plans had got derailed because we already had what we thought was gonna be a project. It wasn't called War and Wonders at the time. We're planning on dropping something late twenty twenty, you know, like we're gonna hit him in February. We're gonna hit him again,

you know. And then that happened. So it's like, okay, well until the Grammys happened, this is it is still Black Habits season, you know. And but so getting getting nominated for Best Rap Album, I think it speaks a lot to two for Early for early project, for me to my storytelling ability, for it being a cohesive body of work, and for having a very clear identity among

the rap albums that came out then. I think for Best New Artists, of course it spoke to the body of work, but that spoke to my my my new presence in this world. You know what I stand for. How I show up, the music that I put out, the visuals behind it. I think it's just like people saw saw me as somebody that came in and fell a void, not just on the musical front, but on the like you know I come from. You know, I grew up in the nineties, so we had Tupac out

there being vocal across different boundaries. It was, you know, I was a Tupac fan more when I was a Tupac music fan, you know what I'm saying. Like when Tupac was in a movie, it was it was dope, more impactful movie. When Tupac spoke about it issue, you wanted to listen. And then when you put out something, you know you wanted to learn it too. You know,

your body is banging, baby, y'all. Let the way you flownded time to give it to Daddy Sugar and to tell me how you you know what I'm saying, like you feel that like because you believe them, you know. And I think when we put our music, people believe like what I say and where I'm coming from, and they want to know more. So I think that worked to our advantage. If you ask me, I'm putting out better music right now, I agree, you know, better music.

I love Black Habits, but you know, we were learning. We're learning in front of the world, and that's cool. I love when that happens, you know. I want the world to see me grow. So everything is going how supposed to. But I was a little surprised to keep it one hundred. I was giving myself to the third project because I made Black Habits to tell a very specific story. This is my family story in the project.

When they go back to my first album, I want them to find Black Habits about Jackie Ron and their three sons, Ron getting locked up, big Bro being from families but looking out for his young younger bros. I want that story to be what they find, you know, and Pops coming home and being a great father. I want them to find that whole narrative. So with that being like the introduction to a long essay or to a novel, I didn't expect, you know what I'm saying

to get recognized that way. If it was, I kind of expect to be et to be the ones you know what I'm saying, Like, Hey, lyrics of the years exactly. Yeah, I feel like they had categories for that. But it kind of speaks to because the Grammys, it's not just the black community voting. It speaks to the crossover appeal of my story and what I represent when I stand up and and either rap speak or just show up, you know. And I was proud to have that moment.

But as you can see, what's more important to me is we're here to stay. And they got to see that every time we put some out it's worth being respected, it's enjoyable, and were pushing boundaries so well were I mean, obviously, you know I always say this, I do think that the pandemic did help people enjoy lyricism again because there wasn't no clubs to be standing on couches. Was all that shit was out the door. Motherfuckers was listening at home in their headphones or in their car or running

or whatever. People were listening to music a lot differently, and I think that the Best Rap Album nominations really reflected a scope of music that was like kind of like showed us where we were for the last year. People were listening differently Black, Like I can imagine doing an album that's like all talking my shit, you know what I'm saying, and a time like that to kind of bite you in the ass, like people would get mad.

It's like we're dealing with realer stuff. I think it's season even a casual listener to want just a little bit more, you know, Yeah, yeah, for sure, man. But of course I enjoy all kinds of music, so even even from like who people understand is like the somewhat conscious educator dude. It's like, man, music serves multiple purposes, so I don't know none of it. But twenty twenty was a time where they were like, Okay, who's actually

able to speak to what's going on? And if not speak to what's going on, say something that that at least has some semblance of truth and honesty and real storytelling. If you think of the nominees, it was Alfredo Black Habits, Royce. Shout out to Royce for finally getting one King's disease, I'm missing one Chica, Oh yeah, j Electronic Chica was best Electronic. And it was like, Yo, these are all like this is all bars lyricism straight up, And it was just like, Yo, whoever wins, it's like a win

for the culture. I knew it was going to be Nas. I told her. I was like, it better and I'm nominated, but I'm like, all right, if I take it home. I knew I was gonna feel some kind of way, like, oh shit, because I one. Because it's like you ever seen a boxing match where two fighters bang it out and one is famous or real famous, and he kind of gets whooped a little bit, but you know, he smiles and raises his hand after the fight too, like yeah I won, and we're like, no, the fuck you did?

And then they announced, uh this dude, you know, the popular one wins. You know, they look on their face always tells the story like yeah, thanks, but it's like, damn. You know I loved King's Disease. I din't. I didn't think it was the best album in that category, but I knew he would win because Nas has never won a Grammy. It's his time. It's his time, man, he deserves I wish they should could retroactively give Nomadic and

it was written and you know all that. So I was like, yo, like, now's the time for them to do right by Nas, Like it's kind of like all that time. Leonardo DiCaprio never had an Oscar and then he got one for the Revenant, and it was like, there's other roles he probably should have gotten, but he deserves Just give him a fucking He's Leo, he deserves a fucking Oscar. Nas Knee is a Grammy Absolutely who

won Best New Artists? I don't uh make the Stallion shout out to Megan Meg had a fucking year for sure, man, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. If you had to pick a winner outside of Black Habits for in your opinion, what was the best album? Now? Who deserved to win? Like? You know, obviously we can say Nas. You know it was a good look for NOAs to get it. Who I like? I like? I did like King's Disease a lot. I also like, Uh, I also like, what is that not the algorithm? Uh?

You're talking about the Royce shiit? The allegory is allegory. Yeah, yeah, I'm saying algorithm allegory. Yeah, he killed that as Furo was tight as hell, And I'm just talking about like Royce is a beast. It flowed, he wrapped his motherfucking ass off. You know what I'm saying. I can't I said algorithm, but allegory was hard. It was fire. I put it on and ran. When I was living downtown couldn't do much, but I can put it on and

ran and was just gone. It was just good to see him get that nomination too, man, because he's one of the all time greats like lyrics, lyrically, he's your rapper's favorite rapp top tier. I feel like him Loope. There's like a few guys who are like absolute master level alien mcs who just don't get the respect and like and Royce is one of those guys. Absolutely shout out to Royce. So with this project, you have John Legends on the album, your Brother's on the album, Boogie's

on the album, marsham Broch is on the album. Uh not? I mean really, I want to say, outside of Boogie, was that the sole hip hop feature? Uh? Toby Okay? Yeah, he's incredible, incredible, Yeah, genius, He's I fucking that dude, A true artist. Yeah, his visual just everything about his aesthetic, the should he be saying it is so ill and it's just and it's so direct and like, yeah, why has nobody ever said this like this before? Period? And

unapologetics from Houston? Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Houston Niger boy, he said some ship, Like what was that recor? He said, because I throw hands? What the fuck is Yeah, try Jesus. Don't try me because I thrown hands, Like, come on, bro, the why is no one ever said that? Come on try Jesus, not me, Like, you know, Toby's on there, so we're very selective and it's like Toby's the one one rapper because that's just my bro. I feel like

our position in life is so similar. Both college graduates, family men that are just like have this strong sense of responsibility to our family and a place where we're from too, you know, to be lyrical, to chatallenge what it means to be at the top, because you know, he rapped like he going for the top seed, you know what I'm saying. And but he's still he does so without compromising himself. There's a lot of mutual respect there.

And then and then west Side Bugie is just like he that's the man like on my underrated list of like and I didn't say him because he's on the album, but on my list of underrated rappers and artists. You know, I saw him perform before the world really knew about him. It was an event at the Adida Store in Hollywood, and this is Sir performed there too. So I'm back

there supporting Sir on a song. And so the world don't even really know what songs I have where I'm featured on the Surf song because it's on the early evenings and stuff. But I'm performing that with him, and then Buggie get up and rip it, and you got the you know, the signs of like, oh there's some gang bang street ship. But I'm like, oh shit, he's a lyricist. Oh shit, he telling stories like like Bugie's dope. You know. So we're being selected. I got all kind

of voices and singers and stuff like that. But when it comes to and musicians really like my boy Marcus Paul playing the horns on several songs. But when it came to rappers, it was like, we're gonna have a couple of moments. You know. I did reach out to YG you know what I'm saying. We connected on you know, on several things from a community van. We keep just running into each other, but for this project it didn't happen. So you know, we went ahead and move forward. Tell

me if this is right or wrong? I don't know why I keep hearing focal or you having a record with Cardi b tucked no comment. Okay, in my opinion, that means yes, I'm gonna say no comment because if I say no. If I say no, I'm also saying it's not supposed to happen. That's fair. Okay. It could be. It could be a yes, it could be a no, but I'm gonna say no comment. I look forward to to reconnecting with Cardi, though, you know what I'm saying, it's been a minute since we we got in you know. Well,

I mean there, that's another thing. Rhythm and Flow season two was gonna happen, and then the pandemic happened, and I'm sure you would have made an appearance in some capacity. Yeah. I would have sure showed up and be like, hey, you would have been like a guest. I guess I guess Judge for an episode or something like the LA episode, Like, yeah, we got guess Judge, right, I remember when I was there,

you know. But no, you know, if they need me, when they when they pulling up, I'll show up for them. But I don't know when and if that's going to happen, so in a different time. You know, how how hard is it to find people who can make your visuals come to life? You've done a good job of finding those people, I like to point out, but man, like your your videos are so amazing, Like, I think that the the bigger question is what is the real effort? What role does the artist play and making sure their

videos come out how they want? You know, you look at people's work and you see it's like do they have a certain quality a caliber of it. Then you add your vision and your attention to detail to their experience and capabilities, and then you're gonna have your video.

It's just I don't think a lot of artists know what it means to be be very active in that process, you know, from from looking at the small details of what the shot list is in the treatment, like like Noah, I don't want to do this, and I say no a lot, but I'm not gonna just be like hell no, I'm gonna be like no, what about this, Let's try this and so, And working with like Sergia, who's incredible, who did all the nip stuff, it's like we have

developed a chemistry where it's like he we communicate it like expecting both of us to have feedback, you know, because I'll shoot a video director a a an idea that's super underdeveloped, but it'll give them a sense of direction on the okay, where to go treatment, you know what I'm saying. For example, when I work with Child on the Honeyjack video, great video. I love that video and so my favorite one. It's so good. It's a

little movie, you know. I told her I want to do jazz club and it's in the twenties or you know, thirties or something, and uh, and then I told her I want to be like working in the club and drinking and by the end I step up drunk. Every detail in between, like from the bus to this, like, yeah, where do you find that bus? She did? She Child is a genius and their whole team is dope, you know, Child and nasty and and so it's always a pleasure to work with them. But but yeah, so it just

depends on it. It's like the artist having an idea of what they want to do and how they want to be portrayed, you know, Like I know we would we had talked before how you were reinvesting a lot of the early money you were getting after the show, into the into your videos, like into your into the project, into your own ship. Right, absolutely, I'm assuming you know this is prior. You may be true. I don't know when I know you. You ended up getting with Empire

relatively soon after the show. Yeah, we we shot that video. We shot that the first video, and another video on our own dollar. So we shot no Commas on our own dollar. We shot uh uh Honeyjack on our own dollar, you know, and put together other materials around the rollout prior to getting with Empire. So by the time Empire came along, we had a lot of it already ready to go. It was yeah, we had stuff ready to go, and that was that was key because we were we

were negotiations. We didn't just talk to Empire. We talked to you know what I'm saying. We talked to Columbia, we talked to death Jam. I think we talked to Moldtown. I'm sure everybody, I mean everybody was trying to sign you. Yeah, they were trying to sign us for sure, but you know it was it was too early for them to sign us to what we wanted to be signed to. Right, You're not going to give up. I always tell everybody, don't never signed too fucking early, man, because then you

end up with the shitty terms. You might have an advance, but you better make that shit last because you ain't getting no money out of your music. E exactly hell of a business person, Well smart man. I mean I think that that's something too. Like what I was gonna say, it was like you investing in your own ship and making sure your visuals were topped here before you had

you know, all of this. I wouldn't say you added some notoriety based off the show, but as far as having like respect, respect and all that, like, you know, a lot of artists wouldn't do that. You know a lot of artists might go get a rover or something or or or you know, put their money anywhere outside of themselves and their craft. Bentley, Yeah, cash, cash, afford.

So you took the money from winning the show and pretty much just parlayed that into your own ship, right, absolutely absolutely, and you know said put something to this all right, you know, but the rest of it we invested, chipped off my team, chipped off my mom and pops. You know what I'm saying. You know, like here kicked back a little bit and we just kept working. Would you and your brother ever do a joint project together? Yeah, hell yeah, we look forward to it. That's got to happen,

look forward to has that? Has it been discussed? Absolutely, We've had some conversations. We've had some conversations. Just got to get Top Dog the sign off on it. I'm sure I'll do that, no problem. Oh yeah, Top I mean Top is he's he's not one to stifle creativity or ideas. He's like, how can we make app you know what I'm saying. So yeah, that wouldn't even be I know, you had gone on the road with your brother before and obviously him being a part of one

of the biggest operations in hip hop TD. Like, what are some things that you saw as a spectator kind of behind the curtain of what TD does that you've learned in kind of a play to d smoke. Absolutely, TDE employees don't give nobody no passes, Like if it's not right, they own it. And I'm talking about these are nice people, you know what I'm saying. TD got some gangsters and then they got some scholars. They got you know, people see top You know what I'm saying,

but they got employees from different backgrounds. But the culture of it is if it's not right, you're not accepting it, you know. And so you know, coming from like the regular workplace, whether it be a school where you're a teacher, it's like, I want to be the agreeable person. So it's like, no will be flexible. I understand. There's none

of that. There's none of that because when you show up, if you make it a habit, or if you have a tendency to give people passes, like whether it be the hotel stuff ain't right, or you're just not treating us right. You don't make a habit of giving people

money that ain't doing you right. And but when they treat you right and they take good care of you, then you have a contact for a long period of time and you go back to that business and they take care of the people that take care of them if you're giving them, if you disrespecting them because you think we just some rappers showing up, like not that they're gonna go big, but they might go big in a very professional way, like Okay, we're not having the

right conversation with the right person. Let's talk to somebody else. Oh you that person. Okay, well, since you're the top person, I want you to talk to my guy. You know what I'm saying, who's the legal person, right, because I'm feeling real disrespected right now. You know however it is And when that starts happening, things start to get real

tight around your organization. And then you show up with a different level of confidence because people your reputation is that your expectation, because your expectation of yourself is high, your expectation of how people deal with you is high, and if they meet that, then y'all all good. You know, there's no problems. It's not like we looking for problems. Were just looking for perfection, you know what I'm saying. So being on tour with them me that it taught

me that it's all hands on deck. It taught me that. It taught me business structure, right, because there's top dog, but each artist has their own day to day one or two people. Then as a company, they have people who are on multiple teams. You got somebody who might be on tour with Isaiah one one group of months, and if Isaiah's out off cycle, they'll be helping out with the serf stuff. You know what I'm saying, Because I saw there was a part where Matt you know Max, Yeah,

Isaiah's guy. Yes, yeah, Matt came on tour with us, and because for some reason Edgar you know, couldn't do a certain couple of days, and so then you just see these people picking up slacks. So now it's like, Okay, I want to structure myself like the winning teams. You know what I'm saying. If if I'm in a race, I gotta have an engine that the same winning car had. Otherwise, you know, I'm already I'm already handycams. So it just

taught me that ethic. It taught me to be gangster about your shit, you know, and not not not unnecessarily not that you know, projecting acting tough gangster shit. It's none of that, because it's that calm like respect. Treat people with respect. But any time people are like careless in how they deal with you, it's addressed, you know, and corrected if possible. And if they correct their self, then you right back home, right boy, Like oh cool, See I knew we handle that, you know. So what

was a lot? I mean, obviously going with Empire where you're essentially still independent, You're still in your masters, You're you know, you're in a great situation. You know, Empire had two other five Rap Album of the Year nominations. You know what I'm saying. It's a major indie, you know, working closely with Gazi and Nima. What's that like? Because I think Gazi and Nima are still somehow underappreciated in

the music industry for what we're doing. Gazi and Nima are extremely supportive, but they're supportive in a sense that they as as very independent businessmen. They can see where their help is needed or not. So they kind of just give us the green light to go our go to guy at Empire to really rally people. Is Gentry to our gentry? Yes, so Gentry is like riverside Gentry, Yes the way, Gentry out the way, buddy. But no, Gentry is our go to guy. Gentry travels with us.

You know what I'm saying, Gentry is there. He's a strategist. You know what I'm saying, Gentry. If the energy in the building ain't right, Gentry's like, hey, y'all liked smoke? Is still that motherfucker? Like the music? He's putting out and turning in stuff that he's not putting on. The project is still at this at this level, and they know I'm gonna do my footwork. You know what I'm saying. This, This rap shuit ain't easy, you know what I'm saying. So just to show up, just to keep showing up,

is a decision. But to me, there's no there's no alternate decision. So when they put some on the table that's going and put us in the room, I'm gonna show up, you know. And it might be a hard night, it might be a long studio session prior to and I might collapse when I lead a room, But when I walk in there, they gonna think like, I'm gonna

be fully present. Yep, you know so, And that's the confidence that they have in me, that that that if if Gentry has to go back to the people and be like, look, let's let's put some energy into this. Let's we need the room around this, you know, because just because you're signed doesn't mean there's a certain level of investment on all the people's parts. It's a lot of moving pieces. There's a lot of resources at Empire, and it's real powerful when they feel invested in it

and they rally around something. And they've done that for me last time and this time. So you know, our first our first agreement was for one project, and then based on how that was doing, it was like, hey, y'all want to do this again. We was like, let's go whilere we going first one did great. You know what I'm saying. We got a Grammy nom We got

two Grammy nominations. And it's a win win. It's a win win because they left me with an enough to uh, they left me with enough to be able to, uh, you know, to make money off of what I'm doing and have the freedom but still have that support to be like, bro, we're not gonna have you out here just spending your money as it comes in all the time. We're gonna back you and we're gonna put something together that's mutually beneficial. You can still look yourself in the

mirror and be like, I'm a man. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, not all contracts. That's important, man, so important. How long are we gonna have to wait for the next album, because I know you said that there's gonna be one almost right after Black Habits. We're like, we're gonna drop this and then Hip upside the Head and then you know, so so shoot, shoot. It all depends on what the next album is. You know, we got a lot of music, and so it's crazy making music you love that don't

make the playlist. You want to put it out just because it's like, I don't want to hold it from you. But then when you also make working on a body of work, if it don't fit in the track list, you're like, okay, well maybe we hold onto this or you know, or pitch it for a movie, you know what. I'm maybe in five years we get De Smoke's Lost Tapes his version of Lost Tapes just keep collecting, or

Kendrick you know where Kendrick's untitled you know stuff. Yeahs oh my god, n titled had get top on the come on Lost Tapes was fucking the first Lost Tapes was crazy. Oh Blaze of fifty exactly. Well, listen, man, the album is out, go get it. I'm sure you can be rolling out some more visuals soon. Absolutely, we already own it and anything else that you got going on you want to plug man, any we're going on tour, of course, the tour coming to a city near you,

coming to a city near you. Just announced it right before you pull up. On the go get your tickets, man, all right, go buy some merch. I like the I like the hoodie. Is this a purchasable hoodies? This is not purchase. It's one on one. Well there's that. I got to ride one on one. But we got some stuff. All right, man, We'll go support the Homi D smoke appreciate perfect