#298 - E. Ness

into the building and kind of monetized it. I was I was battle rapping. That's how I mean. What is about Philly man that the battle rap shit is just so like, you know, I feel like you guys are just like a walking Smack DVD out there. Yeah, man, it's real. The coach is real heavy. Out there is a Commonwealth's city, so it's like state and it's just like real competitive, and we all bunched in together. It's like row houses and so it's people on top of people.

So the competitiveness is real heavy. So when it comes to battle rap is real aggressive and sometimes they can spill out into streets. I technically technically was in Philly once. Okay, but it was only because I rode the train through from DC to New York. But they did stop. There was like a stop in Chester and I looked out the window. Chester, Pennsylvania looks like it might be the worst place on the planet. No, it is. It's real bad.

I remember just looking out the window on my train and there was like two like naked kids just in the streets running around, and I remember being like, where the fuck am like a third world country? Put my maps on said Chester and then I googled it and I was like always lit out here, shout out to Chester, man,

I need to get out to Philly. Hey, what is the because I always hear if you go to Philadelphia that there is like the tourist cheesesteak spot, but then there's like the real spot, right Well, max Max is like the spot where you want to go to get a real, authentic cheese steak. Gino's is the tourist spots, So don't go to Gino's. I'm not going belittle any landmark in Philly, right It's not what I'm into. What I'm just saying overrated. If you want to go get

authentic cheese steak, go to maxis broadinary. It's almost like when people come to LA and they expect Rosco's to be like the best food they were eating, and it's like, guys, it's just do I come here? That's what they say, Like, Bro, you want to go to rad school? Like it's okay, But I've been coming out here since the early two thousands, so I'm like over the like yeah, like the first time being out here type shit. So everybody want to come that come out La. They want to go to

rad schools. But it's all right, yeah, I'm saying, but if you've been into Atlanta and Glad, it's just the same thing. Or if you go to Arizona go to Lolos Chicken and Waffles. I would argue to say it's the best chicken and waffle spot I've ever had shots to Lolos for sure. When did you feel like the

battle rap shit? Because like you're I feel like you're really in your bag right now when it comes to like being looked at as like one of the elite guys in that world, Like when do you feel like you kind of had hit your stride in terms of

getting your respect in that world? Because it's like a very it's like almost like a I feel like you could be a diehard hip hop head and not know what the fuck's going on in the battle rap world because they are so different, and it is like such a subgenre of It's almost like we have to be baptizing the battle rap coature. Now you have to go

through something. You have to have a near death experience or com close to dying from them to even sanctify you as being anybody that has any validity of saying anything or speaking about battle rap coach. It's that intense, right, so I don't speak it. So with that being said, it's a high regard for battle rappers and their accountability. So over the weekend it was a battle rap. It was a battle big battle League. You were here, that

was here for that. So it was the Ownership battle League, which in the main event being a King Bob versus Daylight. They like being a residence in West Coast, So yeah, like a beast, so shot them they like. And we are from the same battle rap click which is Dot Me t Rex, Murder, Moot, Daylight, Big Cannon, real deal.

So is that's a serious crew. You guys are like the nWo battle Rap and a lot of flat from that from being from Philly and being that as a New York based click, but Daylights from l A right, so it's all over there. Yeah, is there other clicks like that? Yeah? You got gun Titles. You got the Goonies,

which is aheaded by Twerk. You got gun Titles, which was kind of like Coke Coke Coke founded by h Tay Rock and sus Surf was so yeah, you got little like clicks dark Side, you got a bris Rowstein and t Top So it's like little sub clicks and what's the name of our nitties from Phoenix? Right from me from Phoenix? He's down with a fuck my bad gech Gotti and him are called every fucking bar e f B. I like that. See all this ship Like I know the names, but bro, I'm not in tune

with the battleship like that. I just feel like I don't have the bandwidth to like learn this. Like when I was a kid, I used to download the battles on Napster, like when it was like Supernatural and Juice. Yeah, those those guys is like almost like ancient artifacts compared to where it's at now. And then I would no disrespect for those guys. Guys are the fucking goats. They are the fucking gods of the ship with the freestyling off the top of the dunk ship in the room

and all that. In the crowd, it's different. It's not brand motherfucker's got wavy hair, dreadlocks, bald these these crip members is blood members, Latin King Well no, and then like there was like the Smack DVD era and like I got my name because I used to sell a bunch of bootleg mixtapes and and DVDs and ship at the Swami, So I was like the Smack DVD eras are probably the highest peak of me being like super engaged in that ship. And then obviously I know who's

killing it, Like I know yourself. I know murder Mook sues my boy rum Nitti is incredible. Uh. Yeah, there's there's guys that, especially Loaded Lux, you know all these guys. Of course, there are legends that if you're a part of the culture, you have to know who they are. I'm just not I haven't bro I've watched a few, like in the last year, but like when there's these big events, I feel like I'll just catch the highlights on Twitter, right, So batter rap it's like a it's

like a revolving door. So you're only good as your last battle and if you don't do very well, they put you in a box. So I mean, if you don't do other things to h to like to pose that.

So I went and built the whole leverage on the other side of the spectrum with my music, reintroducing myself as an artist or red and creating myself always into the point and putting out a new project where I got the battle rap culture and there I got tay rock on there, I got method Man, I got Benny the Butcher, I got a vital Corey Guns, Beanie Siegel Freeway, I got all of like the top spinners on my Jones.

So I used that the leverage and the buzz that I built with my freestyles on social media and the content and uh and and and the projects and the materity I was putting out outside of batter rap to leverage batter rap to get the bigger bags in the bigger looks. Because once you lose in the eyes of the culture, they put you in a certain box and it's like boxing. You got to climb back up the ranks until you get to the top brass and compete with like the top tier guys. And if you got

the catalog, you got the music outside of it. It's almost like it it would behoove them to not include you and shit, because you got a fan base, you running it up on your own, you know what I'm saying for sure, and shout out. I mean a lot of there is there is a stereotype, and I don't know how true it is or not, but back in the day, there used to be a lot of the guys who did battle rap weren't great at making records. I mean, that's the number one stigment. And I was

the guy who bridged that gap gap. I was one of the first guys who started out battle rapping on the corners of Philadelphia and in front of the Chinese stalls and stuff like that, and actually took it corporate and made an album and came out with a full fledged album and you, I mean was able to you know, go like walk on, take a walk on both sides right and still having a seat planet and battle rap coach as well as like mainstream I mean releases and

stuff like that. Because at two thousand and eight, when I battled Mike signed the World Series of Hip Hop, I was still currently sign a boy and was like currently like back then, recording for my solo release. My son shot Tolf, So yeah, so like that's how far I go back, And that was before Smack was created. At that event, Smack was the actual cameraman. He was

hired to do a service. So now look at them now to where they're a full fledged company and got the caffeine dail and all the things they got going on. So I was a part of that. I'm a part of those building blocks. I just don't get my credit, but I embraced that fact. So that's why I'm here still twenty years later, beating these young opponents up, beating

a new competition, up, getting there with the youngins. Let them know that a guy that's considered some would say pass his proms still got enough in the tank to get in there and destroy these guys, these young cats. Hey, we got to stop the interview real quick to tell you about the homies at my bookie that on anything anywhere, anytime at my bookie dot ag and check this out. If you sign up right now with the keyword bootleg, You're gonna get a first deposit bonus up to one

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sent me a pick like believe you don't worry about that. Yeah, no, because everybody you know, I just want to sorry by saying I knew Kanye for over twenty five years, way before he was saying I always knew what he was going to do. Yeah, I know, always knew he was different. And just just short story. We had a mutual friend playing Pat and Phillris Buler. They there was executives over def Jam had dropped, so uh, you know we have mutual friends and dur like during the recording process, I

up making the band album. I invited him to the to the crib recording and soho at the Double Brownstone. By chance, mister Bentley said we couldn't have no company. So I had to tell Kanye he couldn't come in and submit beats. And then two years later, mister Bentley signed to Good Music. That's so hilarious. I forgot that he got signed. I forgot Diddy's assistant had a record deal and put out some records. Yep. So that was crazy. I always me and finds the worth. Always laugh about this.

You don't even remember when you let Kanye in and now you're signing him. That shit's hilarious. So me and Kanye had a relationship and by my Instagram a presence and just dropping freestyles of being consistent. He's seen one of notice styles. He said, Yo, been my bro for a minute, come out and gave me an open invitation to come you know, some writing sessions with him. Yeah,

so I saw that. You know, there was the I don't know if that documentary is ever going to come out, but he was previewing a record and you were saying that you were on that record with him and Soldier Boy. Yeah. Well I did some references, so he was actually hearing me playing a reference off my phone for him. In the footage, he was both in the car and you know, I mean I forgot he was being taped because he's

being taped filmed all day long. If you're like helping ya, right, what is the what mind state you have to be in? If you're like I have to help the like one of the greatest artists of all time. It was just it's not like working for Diddy. Working for Ditty is like real. So okay, So everybody asked me why I put out so much material on why I'm so it seems like me, it's an easy transposition for me to

keep putting out these constant freestyles. Well, when I came up in a bad boy system, they used to make us write five verses for every verse. So if we was doing a three verse song, I would have to write five verse fifteen verses per song. Wow, So and then you pick the best one, which usually is the first fucking verse you wrote, right, So from there you're like, so I got thirteen extra I got fourteen extra verses just just just unused, unused. Do you still do that? Yeah?

Every now and then. Well, back in the mixtape games, with mixtapes for Heavy, I would take the the the DJ Sycamores and all those type of guys. So, no matter whether I like the beat or not, And this is what I got from Diddy. This is one of the lessons I got from Diddy. He was like, that's just not writing about the writ into the beasts that you don't like. He's it's not about writing to the beasts that you do like. Try writing to the beats that you don't like. So then when you hear a

beat that you do like, it's like fucking it's like water. Yeah, so I take I take every beat off the beat CD and write it's sixteen to it, no matter whether I like it or not. Hey, that's how you sharpen your your paying for real, because if you can write to some ship you don't fuck with, then if you start writing for somebody else and they might not be in your bag. Now I got an endless supply material. So when I do go do these writing sessions, it's not me physically half of the right now you can

just I'm just pulling it out. I'm just pulling ideas out from everywhere. Wow, that's that's crazy. Uh, you got the new project out? Sure? Is this a mixing? This is a mixtape? Shut up, everybody. I know everything is digitized. I'm kind of one of those guys that's like coming into the new fruition of the where whereas on Spotify is we were trying to get that up and running down. But this is what I was everywhere here boy says,

it's everywhere. But as as an artist that's been around, has been seasoned, I didn't come and like, come into the game around you know this era, right. So me and my team, we're still in under construction, figured out I got to get a distroc kid account. That easy? No, it is that easy? Is that easy? He's like, Bro, we got But everybody that said, why you got thatsaur nostalgia? You're not a I'm not a Dinostaur. But I want to tell you this is for the nostalgia. Ye let

me tell you. This is literally how I made my whole entire for the nostalgia. This is That's what I'm saying. I used to for all the hip hop heads. This is not that I outdated. This is for the nostalgic feeling of mixtapes. I used to go to the actual hard copy and I used to buy these jewel cases and burn these CDs and print these covers in my parents' bedroom. Yep. So this is not saying I'm outdated. This is paying homage to where I came from. Physical products. Yeah, physical

real fans can support. So that's the friends in that and friends, I got Bitty the Butcher, which is the first single trifecta. I got the single feature in Zoos and DJ Crazy This that was then and this is now. Got the blicky out Corey Guns, Beanie Seagull, Vodo and Who's who Like it's just like all speeders, who's you? If we're talking about the Mount Rushmore of Philly rappers, who's on it? Man excluding yourself? Beanie Segua has to go there, Meek Milly has to go there. Those are

the Black Thought. Yeah, those are the three, right, and then the fourth one is kind of it could be free way it could be. Yeah. So I got those three at the top, but you need one more. It's Mount Rushmore. There's four people schooly D schooly D the og I like it. That's like the og era. Yeah. Black Thought is like one of the most prolific shot the Thought lyricists ever man shot Crazy Yeah crazy. Hey, we got to stop the interview real quick to tell

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So shout out to Harden. Go follow him Hardy Underscore Las Vegas. Check out more info about them at Hardean Las Vegas dot com. Let's get back to the interview, all right. So that's how people can go get it. And I got the cheesecake too, So I turn limits and elimonade and he speak about that too, because I always but I gotta throw it in there. I was trying to go the whole interview without Yeah, I am tired of it, but I'm not never tiring to make

money from you. Yes, so listen, you have your own cheese? And what year was Making the Band? Two thousand and two? Jesus so two thousand and two. Making the Band was one of the best reality shows ever. The most iconic episode is when you guys had to walk to juniors. Yes, cheesecake, revery, humbling experience, Yeah, lesson being learned and everything. It's not about what you want to do. It's about what needs to be done and get the job done. And you

have your own cheesecake. Have my own cheesecake? Is it good? Yes? It is? How can they get it? Follow me on Instagram? That's cheesecake at any s S C h E E S E c A k E. Is that something people have to be in Philly to purchase? You could purchase an offline. We're trying to get the deal with the Oh, you got to get the ghost kitchen and we got the we got the boxes with the with the with the like the frigeration built in with Oh listen, all you got to do is get a ghost kitchen. Situation.

Ghost kitchen got to put me up. Okay, if you ever opened up Postmates and seen that, like DJ Khalid has a restaurant, or like Tiger or whis Khalifa have like their own restaurants, like in every city you go to. Okay, what it is is you you'll you'll hire a ghost kitchen.

So let's say you're in La or you are in New York or wherever you think you got a big following, right, you find a commercial kitchen that does Postmates or grub hub shit, and then you have you have a restaurant virtually online and all those cities, and this kitchen handles the fulfillment. They're pretty much licensing your likeliness to sell your cheesecake, but they cook it. They have the realest. They just essentially give you a cut to use your likeliness.

Oh wow, put me on. So now you like, like if you open like Postmates right now, you'll see like DJ Khaled has a restaurant Postmates, I got you, got you. So he doesn't have a restaurant, but he just they just selling his product they give. They using his likeness to sell. Yeah, it's kind of like a lot of people are doing the ghost kitchen waves and just to clean it up. The album is everywhere digitally everywhere. It's on Spotify, It's on Apple Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and

it might be an odega there. It is all right, man, we'll look yo new YouTube video with the freestyle, so check it out. Appreciate you pulling up, brother. What's the next battle? Award? R b a ar pi that's versus a ward? Stay tuned? What is it? I don't know. I was supposed to be on the May tenth card ARP. Holler at me. Do you battle people who are your friends? Ever? Always? I battle my fucking grandmother. If the check is right, I like it. There it is so I want no smoke, man.

Est Appreciate your brother,