#360 - Calboy

Yo, it's cat Away checking in, checking me out on the bootleg kV podcast.

It's lit, it's a movie.

Let's get it, yo, boutleg cab podcast. Man, we got a special guest in here. Cowboys in the building.

What's up, man, what's happening? What's happening.

I'm chilling, brother. It's good to see you. It's been a minute since. I been like five years since I saw you. What have you been up to?

Working hard, working hard? Thank you? Smart, trying to maneuver, get over obstacles.

Yeah, I mean I saw you did lad like a year ago, and I saw I mean because listen, you have had one of the bigger records in the last five years. Envy me was a moment? Was it triple platinum?

It's five times now, five times platinum?

My goodness, that's fire. That's gotta be a dope plaque. Like, did you get the five times platinum plac yet?

No?

You gotta you gotta buy that one.

Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. I'm gonna get I'll stopped at three.

Yeah like that.

Every time you get a new certification, I need to get a new plaque. It's like Jesus right, But yeah, I mean, I know you kind of went through it with with with the label at the time because you were with RCA M. Now you're fully independent, So congrats to that. I always congratulate artists when they're independent because I think it's the way to go.

Finally free type. Shit.

What was the uphill battle for you with you know, because from a fans perspective, a lot of people like, we're having a cowboy, you know what I'm saying. So what's been going on and what was kind of some of the uh, you know, things you had to go through with getting out of that deal and and trying to move on and get this music out that you're sitting on.

Well, I would say one of the bigger problems was like.

The back end business, you know what I'm saying, Like getting like different personalities to see out of eye things like that to actually get the ball rolling. That was very difficult in my situation, you know what I'm saying, in.

Terms of just like agreeing on what to put out, agreeing on when to put it out.

Yeah, So from a fan's perspective, it looks like cal ain't working or he ain't he don't care about us type, And then I kind of disappeared to them.

I mean that's what I was, like, what happened to cowboy? My boy hit me? And I was like, oh, because I remember you did Divide interview that went viral for other reasons.

It's just a lot of the bs behind closed doors just slowed down, a consistency and the flow.

Yeah, because people don't understand, like when you're on a major label, it is very much a mutual relationship. So in their eyes, per your contract, if you turn a body of work in and we released it, I owe you money. Here's an advance for that album. Right, So in their eyes, their perspective is, well, we got to

Yeah, So that's what it was. Yeah, for sure, And and I figured it out. I got up out of there. Now we work.

Was it easy to get your obviously it wasn't easy to get your release, But tell me about that process of getting released off of.

It took a couple of years.

Yeah, took a little money, took a strong support system.

Did you have to buy yourself out?

Not necessarily, No, okay, but I had to just let a lot of things go.

Yeah, if you get what.

I mean in terms of, like some of your music you recorded on their dime. Yeah, so it's like you record music on their dime, you might not ever hear that music. But do they still have the right Jesus sorry, do they still have the right to release that music? Or is it just like, hey, this is us, you know what I'm saying, Like, you go do your thing.

Yeah, it's really it's really like that, I'm just doing my own thing. They ain't really worried about the other music, but I'm sure they would cause a hass if I try to like.

Drop stuff on you. Yeah, no, that makes sense. I've had friends of mine who's like been on major labels and then they'll get with like a really big producer, like let's just use an example, Timbaland or somebody right right, and then they get off of the label, but they still got all these unreleased songs with like these giant producers, and they're like, ah, do I risk just throwing this shit out there to see what happens, you know. I

Right now working on like all fresh music. You know the energy that I'm in right now, how I feel right now.

So no, the new songs Dope. I watched the video It's dope, Dope record Snap.

For sure, that was one of the ones where I was just feeling myself, you know what I'm saying. But that's the start of it, unchanged, just explaining like what I really went through for real.

Yeah, well for people who don't know because I saw it. I mean, you lost a lot of your personal friends. I think you lost twelve friends in a year now eight and two eight year eight friends in two years. Yeah, so that's gotta be like.

Three of them was family members, a older cousin, a younger cousin, and a cousin around my age.

It's crazy because we hear that same story coming from so many people from your city, right and it's like, you know, ge Herbalt has a song called PTSD and he talks a lot about like the mental strength you have to have to be from where he's from, where you're from, you know what I'm saying. And to deal with so much loss and so much hurt, Like do you ever feel like you had an opportunity to really mourn.

Yeah, behind closed doors when you were by yourself, you know what I'm saying.

But you grow I mean numb to it. You know what I'm saying.

You get used to it. I wouldn't say numb to it because you still care, but.

No, but it's it's used to it. Yeah, you can get. I mean, it's something you can get used to if you get There's women out here who are getting cheated on by the same guy for a decade who I know, And I'm like, well, you're just used to it at this point, like you don't even care anymore, Like you like, shit happens to you and unfortunately, no matter how traumatic it is, like you're kind of conditioned to deal with it. You know what I'm saying.

I always say it could be worse.

That's what I mean. Everything could always be worse. So do you ever feel like you have ever like consider maybe hitting therapy, talking out some of your ship like that.

I tried that before. Oh you did. Yeah, like talking to somebody all the time.

It work a little bit, It's cool, Yeah, but I'd rather just do music for real, like that is your therapy.

Yeah, that's what it is.

I love that this album you're about to release is your first album as an independent artist, right, which is a big deal. Yeah, this is a new space for you to be who you are with already with a five times platinum record, and now you're able to kind of move freely. You're able to kind of call the shot to do what you want to do. How does it feel like it? Is it something there's got to be like a cool just energy to that.

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, I feel free. I don't know why I keep saying that, but that's what it feels like. Feel like a waiter is off my shoulder.

You know.

I get to see certain things, you know what I'm saying. I get to move how I want to. I mean, it's just a better positive energy all the way around, you know what I'm saying.

That's how I feel. You know what I'm excited for.

I was gonna say, what would you say your was your biggest For people who think you just disappeared, what would you attribute that to the reason of that is it? Is it the label thing or is it just like what was? What was? What's the reason why we haven't gotten a lot of music from you in the last few years.

It's a label thing. Yeah, it was a label thing, bro for sure.

Is it hard to still stay motivated if you feel like you're kind of like, no.

I'm still living. You know, my two feet still move, you know what I'm saying. So I mean I'm grateful for that.

Yep.

And I can work and I can grind, I can do what I want to do steal, So I love it.

I ain't tripping. I always stay motivated.

Uh your writing process? Are you the type of artist? Because when I hear your ship, I feel like you lay the melody first and then you go in and feeling the lyrics. Is that what you do? No? Pen straight like.

Stroud this out?

I love it.

My homies be laughing at me because they'd be like, what are you doing in there? He's just mumbling and I'd be like, I'm just humming.

And you know, trying to catch the vibe.

Yeah, And they come back five minutes later it's a whole song. They're like, oh man, that's crazy.

Is that quick five minutes, you're you're a beast.

Yeah, yeah, I'll be going crazy.

I mean you just told me I had like two hundred unreleased songs.

So yeah, I got a lot of release music.

I'm assuming that there's gonna be a whole lot of pressure coming from you. H Do you look five years is a long time from having a record that kind of puts you on the forefront of hip hop for a while, right, right? Do you feel like you have to get any of those like because fans have a short attention span extended I mean nowadays, man, I feel like fans are extremely finicky. They're very fair weather fans, Like they'll be fucking with you one day until the next shit comes out.

And right, and then that might be better or whatever it is right for you.

You kind of feel like you're a new artist all over again, Like you got to kind of remind people who you are and what you're in, what you're doing, and like, you.

Know, I feel like that, Yeah, but every day I get reminded why it's not that still.

You know what I'm saying.

When I walk into a room, everybody know what it is already, so sight somewhere in between you know what I'm saying. It's just a restart for me, but to be a fresh artist. Nah, they know what it is already.

Hey, we got to stop the interview to tell you about our folks at odd Socks. Baby, shout out to odd Socks Man, the most comfortable socks in the world. Listen, they got all the licenses. If you love chips, you know what I'm saying. They got the Funians, they got the goddamn Dorito's. Uh, they got Godfather. What's double about odd Socks is not only is it the most comfortable sock in the world that you could put on your feet, they also just introduce their draws. That's right. We got

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was just you know, he was mad in my comments.

I mean, I mean, at the end of the day, the media, you're giving.

Your you were giving your opinion on how you felt about certain ship. Yeah, you know, it is what it is. People can feel it. I mean, I just had STG walk out of an interview because I asked him about label.

So I saw that, bro.

Yeah you haven't walked out yet.

No, No, you cool.

You. I appreciate it.

You asked me weird.

Uh man, talk to me about just Chicago, bro, because obviously you know there's been so much I mean, shit, man, Derek has a headline and arena tour right now. I was just there, oh in Chicago.

Yeah, that's where I just came from.

Now I opened up. The first day was were you there when the shooting had happened?

And that was the day after the day You weren't.

At that show?

No, I wasn't there. Okay, the crew was there though, some of the guys was there. Well, I went there, but.

The first day was cool.

I don't think it was no shooting though. I think that's cap though.

I don't know. I just know that there was this video.

I know, I know some folks was fighting and somebody might have got cut or stabbed or something.

I don't think it was no shooting.

I just saw the video everyone running and then everyone just grabbing merch. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, see it was a lot of that going on because the show ended early. Yeah, so I think the fans was upset for real or something was was Kodak on that show?

I don't know who was there? Who was there that day?

I feel like kok on that you toured with Kodak? Right, What was that like.

With Kodak? Was fun?

He seems like a fun Hay?

Yeah, he was cool. He was real cool.

Yeah. He seems like a a guy who I'd like to have a beer with. That's it though, That's it. None else. I don't know what else he was doing. Meant just take the beer man.

I was around Kodak when we was doing shows, you know what I'm saying. He hopped on my tour bus a few times. On the record, I had the little portable studio with me set up. Yeah, so I recorded a song fro him.

What draft? Did draft? Like? The scarlet? A little scarlet like.

I had to Apollo?

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hit the Apollo arrow.

Yeah.

We just vabbed the whole time. It was like forty something shows.

As I say, like from when you kind of popped initially that now, how do you feel about like kind of the state of Chicago hip hop?

It's pretty cool. A lot of females is turning up in our city right now. But it's cool right now.

I had a young lady from Chicago here. Who was it? We just had somebody here from Chicago.

That's a girl who Melo? Now?

Who the fuck was just Fendy? Yeah, she's great. Yeah, she's a she's she's super cool. That's who's Mellow Mellow Racks. Is she from?

Uh No, not Mellow Racks, Mellow Bucks?

Okay, okay, because there's Mellow Racks.

So I think Melo Racks from like Miami.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, because she's on Y M C n B. I think her. Are you doing any writing or have you done any been doing any writing for any.

Other artists as recently?

No? Is that ever like a bag you try to get into?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't. I don't tapped in, you know, once or twice maybe, you know, I don't. Gave a few artists a few records. I gave Y g a record for one of his past albums. Uh. I gave a few other people some records. I can't really, you know, say nothing.

I can't say the White g One you could say, yeah.

Yeah, because it was just you know, it was cool. He hit me one time like, yo, you a song with one of my producers. I want it straight like that, like, yo, I want it. I don't want to change nothing on it or nothing. I just want to throw my verse on it.

Keep it moving.

And it's on the album Boom That's fire, and I'm like, I'm with it.

That's dope. Is it hard for you to find like people who are willing to work with you now that you're independent on the production side, that are just willing to kind of like not work with you. But like, like we were talking a little bit off the air, like the biggest part about being independent is the headache of like clear and shit. Yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying. So it's like it's almost like they might still look at you like you got that RCA budget behind Yeah.

See, that's what I was saying, Like I don't think I'm somewhere in between, because people still look at me like that.

You know what I'm saying, They like, yeah, we need fifteen thousand.

You know, this ain't RCA on my own.

It's out of the pocket, you know what I'm saying. They like, you know that's what it is.

That's crazy. I feel like they're because I always hear artists have certain rates, like even if you buy a feature from somebody like the Homies would be like, hey, I'm in I'm in Phoenix home town. Like I tell people, if they're independent, this is the price, but if they're major, this is the price. There's like the indie and the major price. I feel like for beats, that should be the same shit, right it should? Yeah, but or like take a cut, take a nice cut, you know, like let's collaborated.

And then producers still won a couple points and all that extra. So it's like, I don't know, man.

You gotta get artificial intelligence to make you some bet.

That's the thing.

I think AI can make beats. Isn't that happening?

They can?

It's not good. I heard one. I think I heard of fake Timbaland beat that wasn't terrible.

You don't think you don't think we're living in a matrix bro.

I've really started to think about it more recently with some of the shit that's been happening, because I always would be like, like, when you do you see like the birds frozen in the air. There's like hundreds of videos of just birds that just stopped flying and they're just steal in the air.

And they're not flapping the wings and now they're.

Just they're just in the they're just paused.

Bro, showing me the footage to hold on, bro, let me show you, Bro. I want to see the footage of that.

This ship is crazy. This ship is crazy. Hold on, you got the birds?

Is that real? Though? Like?

God, hold on, look, birds got on the water? Yeah, we got more water. We grab a water over there.

Let me see. Appreciate your brother.

The ship it looks like a flash.

Bird man, get the fuck out of him.

There strings doing nothing is the only one who saw it.

Hell, this ship is the fuck out of here is another.

One fucking birds floating in the air, man, get the fuck out of here.

That shit looks real.

People saying that it's dimensional glitches.

I don't know.

I don't know what that means.

I do some research. I don't know.

Well, then when you see the like did you see the government official like saying that they're like aliens are real?

Yeah, yeah, I've seen that, So that it made me even really be like you're seeing that, Like, what's really going on right now?

You know?

I'll be on some other ship though. I already already be thinking of some other shit going on.

What do you think is going on?

I don't know. I don't know.

I just feel like she ain't the only ones walking around this motherfucker like how we think we is.

I think that's the facts for sure.

You know what I'm saying.

I think they're preparing us because.

I mean, if you Christian, if a lot of people walk around say they Christian, I mean they mentioned a lot of different creatures inside of that book we read, so she I mean, what did they wipe out the face of the earth. I don't know.

You know, so you think it might be some demon shit going.

On, No, some like entities you know, you know they speak about giants all type of shit, yeah, for sure, type of.

Non human beings.

Yeah, and shit that you'd be like, oh, this is like, you know, some cool like fairy tale shit, you know, like.

Yeah, well some of that ship might be for real, who knows. I mean, I stayed the fuck out of the way to give my money.

If you look at some of the old school hieroglyphics from like Egypt and ship, some of the ship in those hieroglyphics is like, bro, they got to see this shit. So I'm like, you know what I'm saying, like there had to be some shit going on that like we were weren't privy too, because motherfuckers wasn't.

But I ain't gonna get that to aliens though. I ain't gonna get that to aliens though.

That right there, Well, what's in the hieroglyphics, like the pictures of like like alien looking motherfuckers that were like carved.

Into like me.

I just feel like that was a different type of being. It might be an alien to you because you don't understand it, but.

I guess aliens to us, right, non human? Yeah, I mean it's kind of the definition.

It's like, yeah, so you're.

Right, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're right. I was going to go into some other other shit.

You're good, you got it, but they got like, you know, fucking all this UFO. Like did you see what happened in Las Vegas? There was this family in Las Vegas that called the police because they said there was like three like ten foot things in their backyard creatures right right, and with that, and so the family, uh cia came, the police came. The police saw the fucking thing. So there's the cops bodycam footage being like, I just saw that shit take off from your backyard, Like, am I crazy?

Some done got out of Area fifty one.

Which is in Vegas. Well it's in Nevada. I used to live there, so Area fifty one was wild. You could drive up to like a certain point and.

Then there's some shit over there.

Oh for sure they have. They told me so. I lived in Vegas for a few years. And you know who Molly mall is bald producer, used to be on Love and Hip Hop. He's made a lot of big beats. Yeah, I think so he had a security guard, and the security guard was a former like military decorated guy, right

Uh form, some transforming ship.

Yeah, you know who poo Beer is, the writer poo Bear. He wrote all justin Bieber Shit. Me and poo Bear was just like we were just listening to this dude one night at Molly Mall's crib, high as fun.

What the fuck is going on? I can believe it?

Though, shot my brother poo bear.

Man, I think I think ship like that exists.

Man, I just think, you know, they just let us do. That's why I think they're easing us into some ship, because they got to kind of ease us in now. It's like they just can't just out of nowhere, like yeah, we got to stop the interview real quick to tell you about our folks at my bookie. Man, Look my bookie. NFL season is approaching, and you know what they just

I like that it's just me. I think I just I mean, I flooded myself with features.

You know what I'm saying. It's time to just get a world of me, you know, build on my fans.

And it's important too because this is your first independent album. So it's like, yeah, I'm a stand out on my own for real exactly. I like that.

That's where my mom comes from.

When is the project coming? You gotta release itay yet.

Not an exact day, Give me a couple of weeks. It's gonna be here.

It's coming.

Tune a real song.

How often do you plan on just dropping now that you're like, you know, you ain't got the red tape, the yellow tape around you from the label.

I mean I say every two months, it's not bad. Yeah, I say every two months, I mean a.

Song or a project project.

But I mean I'm gonna ever get them singles and I always feed them.

Every too much dropping the project. I like that. Why be independent if you ain't gonna do it the right way? Right? Yo? It's crazy when you were at What's the Weirdest? Did like because you always hear like when people are on major labels, they get certain features that try to get pushed onto them. They'll be like, hey, look we want to get you in with this person, or hey, this song is just it just just put a verse on it and it's a hit. Did they try to do that with you over there? They didn't.

Most of my features came from me, so.

They never were like, hey try this nah nah.

Most of my well, all of my features came from me. Just like reaching out to people.

People who you fucked with.

Yeah, yeah, Gotti meet derk Alum. It's just like, yo, hop on this for me.

Yeah, there's a.

You know who Bob is. So back in the day, like Atlantic Records had a hard time popping Bob off, which was on their damn not him because he's extremely talented. So at the time, Bruno Mars was shopping around all these hooks because no one knew who he was. He was just a writer. And uh, what was that first Bob song? Was it Beautiful Girls? So that song go beautiful Girl? What's it called nothing on You? Nothing on You?

Oh?

Yeah, called nothing on You? So Atlantic was just trying to get somebody to take the song. Loupe Fiasco cut on it and then didn't like it, so it should have been loop a song he passed on it.

Why did he do that? I don't know.

Igo Goat, by.

The way, tweaked one.

Of the greatest rappers of all time for talking about the straight lyricism. Uh, and then Bob ended up with it.

I was gonna say, but yeah, I usually be hot when I was young.

For sure. What about the OG's in Chicago tapping in with you? Like got a loopey type of dude or yeah, obviously yay's the Goat you know?

Uh Yay? I mean I tapped in with ya.

Camp definitely tapped in with a lot of the other.

Local legends, crucial conflict individuals.

Like that L E. P Bumpy shot the bump Jay. Yeah you about fucking uh? Do or Die?

I ain't chopped it up.

Would you listen to growing up? Yeah?

Yeah, I still I still listen to do it died to this day, I might be cleaning up the house.

Crucial Conflict slept on motherfucking groups ever facts the first Crucial Conflict Awn, which you probably weren't alive for. It's called the Final Tick.

Right when they come out what you I think that.

Was ninety five or six, yet it might have been ninety six. They had a song called Hey show Down. Yeah I was probably I was like ten. You weren't born yet, though, but yeah, do or Die? Pope pimpin man, what are we talking about? Have you, you know, Twists out there doing gun classes. Yeah, he's like teaching people like how to responsibly own weapons in Chicago to protect themselves, so to take people and they do classes like how to shoot, how to look, how to get your license.

Twist. Actually, my my og went to school with Twister.

That was oh wow. The shout out to Twister man.

She says he used to be in the back of the bus rapping fastest. Yeah, fastest. Hell, they used to be telling me nobody want to hear that ship all day. Twist bro, slow that ship.

Down, ship the whole career later.

One of them. All right.

Well look man, a new project on the way.

Yeah, Unchained, Unchained.

Congrats on your independence. Uh we just also dropped the freestyles. You go check that out separate YouTube video. Yeah, for sure, appreciate you pulling up man, and I look forward to to hearing the album I.

Love Brother Fire.

Hey, what up, man? You just watched another episode of the Blue Bay Cap podcast brought to you by Hard Dean. Baby. Shout out to the family at Hard Dean. Don't forget make sure if you're in Las Vegas, you get into that taxi as soon as you land to get into that uber, say take me to Hardean. All right, they gonna take get you. Taken care of the most craziest premium selection of cannabis you'll ever find. Under one roof. It's a vibe in there, the butt tenders. They gonna