#79 - Belly

This guy signed to XO. Yeah, I have a great conversation with Belly, So looking forward to y'all checking that out. Shout out to our sponsor or good folks over at odd Socks. By the way, this just in. We're gonna be in Miami for Rolling Wow. Confirmed odd Socks boot Ken't pop up shop in Miami for Rolling Loud. Details coming soon in Miami with odd Socks. I'm gonna have the socks, I'm gonna have the underwear. That's all I'm

gonna wear during the interviews. I doubt I get many interviews because I'm gonna be naked in odd socks and underwear only, and I have a dadbod, so it's not too pleasant to look at. But nonetheless, I'm sure Jack Harlow will show up. He won't mind because he gets the humor. Nobody else will, though I don't know Little nas X my pop in anyway. Odd socksofficial dot com keyword bootleg keV save twenty percent off. You're gonna get socks, shoes. Wait,

no socks. They don't have shoes. They got slippers, So you're gonna get socks, slippers, masks by the way, Fuck fucking who's wearing masks anymore? God damn it, not us in California. We don't have to at least uh get your underwear all that, man, But listen. Odd socksoficial dot com Keewort Bulet Cap saved twenty percent off. Let's get into our interview with Belly. Why not? Let's go all right, Yo, it's the Bulet Cavs show man. We got a special

guest in here, my brother Belly. Yes, sir, welcome, sir, of course. Man, I've been extremely privileged to actually listen to your new album that I don't know when it's coming out. I don't know when it's coming out, but you got you've got. You've got a few records out from the album. You just dropped the money bay Yo project or song rather and video right videos out yep. But this album is it's got some uh. I don't want to give away too many of your secrets, but

it is a man Hi. I mean, You've had, in my opinion, like projects that I consider personal classics like for me, but this project feels like some of these names you got on the same song songs have never been on songs together, and they're like the biggest of the big Like this album feels like I know it's not your debut album. I know it's not in any means your debut, but it feels like like like your biggest moment is like still still to come. Like yeah,

absolutely man. And I feel like the more the more I created with this album, Like the further along I got into the album, I was like, all right, there's something, there's something happening here, you know what I mean, Like just the songs we were able to create together and stuff. It was just like a different experience. Even creating it was different this time. I really took my time you

know normally. I'm just like, you know, well it's been a few years, man, because Immigrant came out in twenty eighteen, and that was your last project. Yeah, that was the last one. That's insane. Yeah, what what made you take so much time off? I want to say off, but take so much time to work on a body of work. I guess honestly, it wasn't all working on this project.

First was working on me. Yeah. I was gonna say I wanted to get into that because I know you went through some depression and ship the last few years, and it was like it was it was like deeper than that, you know what I mean, Like you know they put titles on things we go through, you know what I mean. But yeah, I was I was just I was just in a position where I had been

in the game for so long. I kind of experienced you know, the ups and the downs of the game, and you know what I mean, everything the kind of you know feel and I don't know, man, just got to a point where I was like, it's all I've ever done, Like I got I want to I want to just sit down and just see what what my you know, my brain comes up with, you know, what I mean, And really it was it was like an investment in myself because I didn't really work or at

least like you know, working away like where like money was coming in all the time, like it was right, I had to like block that, uh you know that financial fucking yeah, because you're always motivated by the bags, you know what I mean. It's like, yo, when you have so much money coming in and and that you kind of have that mental expectation in your head, like

I'm sure that's hard a hard thing to turn off. Yeah, but it was like it was at a point where it was like, cool, I could I could die right now with however much money in the bank, and then you have your residual money coming in anyway from publishing and music and all that. But yeah, but I mean, you know when when you when when you sit down, like like the career that I was blessed enough to build, right, it sustained a lifestyle that I was blessed enough to live.

And then when you cut that, you really realize how crazy, uh, you know, spending habits just just just just the way I was living was just crazy, you know what I mean. So it was it was a good time for me to just sit down and just like reassess everything and uh and like really see, I was like, you know how they say like let you know, let the bird go and it comes back. DMX said that, and that's all I remember. DMX said that if you love something,

let it go. Yeah. In facts, that's really facts, because like I was like, yo, you know what if this is if this is really for me the way I know it's for me deep down the side, but that don't matter right now. Like if it's really for me, then something will draw me back to this and and I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna feel better about it than the first time I ever did it, you

know what I mean. So as far as music, music, yeah, yeah, so so that's that's how music started to feel like like you started to feel like work before the break, before the hiatus, you know, yeah, job absolutely. And it wasn't like I was, you know, being told like do this or do it was just going in the studio was just like all right, like you know like what

now you know what I mean? And you know it just it just it was It was the best thing, I think, the smartest thing I ever did in my life was to just sit down for a second and just take a breath and just you know, figure things out. What was that motivation initially where you you came to a point where you were like I gotta do this, like I gotta it was? It was it were you just overwhelmed? Like was there a breaking point where you were like if I keep going down this path, I

might go crazy or something. What was it? I think I was just like so focused on all the negative things that were going on in my life, you know what I mean. And it was a lot of things. It was things on a family level, right, things on you know, obviously financial levels and all everything. You know, there was a lot of things going on with my

career everything. So I think I think like when I initially when I wanted to step back and you know, really take the break, it wasn't like a decision I made. It was I just can't go there right now, you know what I mean. They like, oh, there's this this thing going on or this event or this session or whatever. I just can't. I can't go there right now. I can't Like I wouldn't even I would be doing you with the service if I showed up in this state, like I'm not I'm no good to nobody right now.

I just need to go somewhere and just figure my life out, you know what I mean. So that's what I did. It wasn't like a specific moment. It was just like me just just being so repelled by the other ship that I just wanted to get away from it, you know. And what what Because I remember I tapped back in with you, I think late last year or something with talk and you were like, yo, man, you know, I've went through a real bout of like being down,

you know what I mean? And what exactly like was the breaking through point for you where you were motivated again to make incredible music because your album is incredible. Thank you man, Thank you. You know, I'm blessed. I'm blessed to be around some geniuses and some people that do what they do with the highest level, you know what I mean. And I think just getting to watch Able firsthand, you know, the Weekend first and of course music and just Crazy Run he was on. I mean,

I mean just that album. I feel like it's just I've never seen an album with more legs like yeah, man, like he's gonna tour for that album next year and it came out of twenty nineteen, Like it's crazy, and honestly the album deserves it because it's like those are the things that inspire me. When I watch someone put together a masterpiece like that and I got front rod, you know, seats to the show, like that's that's inspired. Those are some of the moments that made me be like, yo, yeah,

you know what I do. I do love this. There's something about this to that that like, you know, it's it's something that's different than anything else on the planet. Nothing else can make me feel like this. So those those are the moments that started to kind of swing me back, you know what I mean. Yeah, I mean creatively, like I feel like you're kind of a When I meet other Belly fans, it's like we're like we're like, uh,

it's almost like an exclusive sneaker club or something. You know what I'm saying, Like like if you know, you know type shit like oh you fuck with Belly? Oh shit, Like yeah, you know what I mean. I love that though.

I love that. I love that man, yeah, because I still feel somehow you're still you still don't get your flowers as far as just your talent in your catalog, and you know, when we talk about the best rappers, and obviously you haven't, you know, you've taken taken a few years off, but just in general, I feel like your name is should be in more of those conversations. It's cool. I think it will be, you know, I think it will be like I get to feed my family with this man, I get to support my life.

I get to do whatever I basically want to do, doing something I love every day. You know. And by the way, congrats, I know you and your girl just took a big old step and you told me about it, like like last month or something that. Yeah, absolutely, man. You had to go to New York to meet her family. Yeah yeah. When I met the family, amazing people. Man.

It was like, you know, it just showed me. You know, like when you look at somebody's family and they're that good, You're like, Okay, I know exactly where you came from. And if I remember correctly, you're saying your girls Catholic or her family's Catholic, and you're obviously from a Muslim background, right, so when you went out there, you tell me the story about you gifted her parents something you had to

go get a statue somewhere. Yeah, I mean it wasn't don't have to it was but no, but but but but you got you know, you went out there to make an impression obviously, as we all have, you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, man, I

went out there, and honestly, I was. I was nervous because other times and other points in my life when this situation would arise, like with you know, previous relationships and or whatever, man, I would I would show up to the house and they would, man, they would go in you know what I mean, like they would I would be in an interrogation room basically, right, you know. And and so I think this time I was like mad nervous, you know. I wanted to make sure I

did everything right. And uh, you know, I went bought the gift obviously, I bought some wine, and I went to the crib. And mind you, I don't I don't really get nervous over a lot, you know what I mean, Like, it really takes a lot to get me nervous. I was damn there shaking, you know. But from the first moment, man, like the door open, you know, her Pops was just like open arms invited me in. It was it was for me, it was a new experience. I've never I've

never had that happen. Yeah, yeah, you know, so it was it was just really dope to have to have like that type of like welcoming response and just really really good people. Are you? Uh is this because obviously you know, being belly, being somebody who's uh your your your wraps are extremely uh descriptive when it comes to women and ship. You know what I'm saying is, uh is how hard is it for you to like like like make a conscious decision to be like, you know what,

I found the one? Like it was that because I think we've all been in situations where we are we think we're in love, but I think a lot of it's lust, right, But to really find that one person and I just got married a couple of years ago, it's like it just feels different, man like and like you could again you have a that's the best thing in the world, though, Yeah, it's really the best thing, Like, you know, from me, I think when I when I found that, I wasn't looking for it, and that was

the best. That's the best part about it. Best part about it. It's like I don't think she was neither. I mean, it was just it just happened. And I think that's like, I know it sounds cliche and all that, but that's really me and my wife. Like I didn't. I was no. I got out of a real shitty uh not married with a relationship with my son's mom. It was terrible, and I was like, all right, finally I'm free. I'm gonna just get it out. It's good. Yo yo yo, yo yo, all right. But I was

like ready to just take down. I was ready to catch some bodies in these streets. And then I'm her and I connected and I was like, damn, look at this. I was not expecting this ship. That's really how it be, man, And like I'm I'm over all that other ship, like I said, like the like the like the life quote unquot Yeah, like I think you know we've lived that ship. Man, it should turn me off so much that I walked

away from the game. Like that's like that whole ship I think comes with so much baggage and like of course evil shit around it. Like I just it was a good thing for me to leave all of it. And then on top of that. Just having somebody like Dina in my life like she was, it was like an important moment for me to meet her, go into my next like where you were in life like she kind of Yeah, I feel important man, like she really even when I was down on my you know, my worst, like,

she nurtured me back, leveled you up, man, got you back. Yeah, And you know it's a blessing, bro. Like I that to me is one of the best things, if not the best thing that ever happened to me, is you know, locking down with one person, having one person that I know got my back and I got hers. That's amazing. Bro. Why is the album called See You Next Wednesday? Man? So I, Man, I go down rabbit holes with ship, you know what I mean? So I with movies and

all that. Of course, John Landis he directed like thriller, bunch of hit movies in the early nineties, and he would always sneak that into his movies. I See You Next Wednesday would be like a billboard or like a thriller. When Michael Jackson gets up to walk out of the theater, you hear the voice whisper see you Next Wednesday in the background. That was like his Easter egg and got a lot of his movies, right, So I thought that

was cool. Just just like that, I was just like, oh, as dope as hell, like I'll just you know, I want to pay homage to John Landis, you know what I mean. And I dug deeper obviously the rabbit hole, you know what I mean, you'd be high as fuck

just trying to find out more. And finally I got to the to the to the gist of the whole thing is that was the first script that he wrote and it never got made right, and that in that position that I was in in that moment, it was It was crazy because when I read that, I was like, I I know why, this is like kind of call on my name, you know what I mean? Because the way the dots connected it, it just felt like the same thing I was going through it, like I'm making

some shit right now. I don't even know if it's going to see the light of day. I don't know if I'm gonna come back to let it see the light of day, you know what I mean. So when you were working on this project, you were just working on it for you. You were working on it like to turn it into your label or to like, yo, this is a hit, or you know now you were just working. Yeah, it was honestly for me, it was like getting in there and testing and challenging myself to

be like, Okay, what you did yesterday sucked. Like I had to like really just give myself talks because you know, like I said, it was like relearning all of this shit. You know, you walk away from it for so long. It was always my outlet, like my way to like say things and all that, you know, So it was really hard to not have that anymore, to be going through shit that I want to talk about and I want to be able to put in songs. But it's just the way my brain is taking it. It's not

letting me, you know what I mean. It's not letting me put nothing on paper. I can't think of nothing witty to say around these things, or nothing poetic to say around these things. It was just too black and white in my head for me, you know what I mean.

So I think it was like a challenge to myself to get in there every day and be like I fuck that, Like I'm I gotta break this wall and like do what I do, you know, just you know, it's really what I do best, you know, so day by day I really just had to just build myself back up, and you know, God blessed the album ended up being what it was. But really, if it didn't go there and I wasn't as proud as I am of this project, then that really would have been my

see you next Wednesday, John Landa Style. Yeah, I think you and I might have even had like I think we each when I said that was my favorite songer Like, that's crazy because that was my favorite. So I'm trying to remember what the name of it was. I don't want to give away if it wasn't any it wasn't a record with a big feature, though it might have been something to do with the devil or demons or something.

Was Is there a record light? I'm trying to think there was some some man, the album is crazy, But I feel like on this project you definitely touch on a lot of personal ship that you've You've always kind of grazed over a lot of your personal life, like

ship with your pop stuff like that. Like I feel like on this project, like you really dive into some some issues that you know you've gone through and ship like talk about there's your journey with with with drugs and ship, because that's something that you've always been very upfront about, whether it's get like being super loaded on ship, getting clean or et cetera. Like where how are you doing now? You know when it comes to obviously we're not talking about weed and ship, you know what I

mean when it comes to the other ship. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I quite like quote unquote hard drugs right right, right right quit a couple of years ago. Hard liquor too. I don't drink hard liquor no more so you don't you when you say hard liquor, so you're not drinking tequila. You're just just just wine wine, maybe like maybe sak

sometimes I stuff like that. But it's just like wead wine and psychedelics for you know, you were talking me and you had a conversation about psychedelics, but right before you came out and you said you were thinking about writing a book or you're gonna write a psychedelic inspired book, right, absolutely, yeah, what's it? What's it gonna be called? How psychedelics saved

my life? Tell me how they saved your life? Man? Well, I think again the rabbit hole, Yes, I started reading a lot of a lot of literature about just dosing, what different doses could do for you, and it just all depends on the effect that you want, you know what I mean. So I started microdosing in the middle of wow ship that was going on. Of course, of course I started microdosing. And I'm not gonna say like, oh, it was like this magical fucking just wake up and

everything is you know, chipper. It was like slowly over time, like I started to gain a little more clarity and uh, you know it just it just kind of helped me find not even like a happiness, but it just helped me find like like the like the beauty and a lot of ship, you know what I mean. Like I'd go outside and like, damn, that's a that's a fucking beautiful flower, you know right. I would have never stopped before, you know, So I just I don't know, it just

and I was microdosing. So it wasn't like making me like a loose. Yeah, it was just like kind of just uplifting my days, you know, when it was going on. And I think you know, from there that was like LSD microdosing and water and then now I do shroom tea most of the time. Yeah, see, I've never done the shroom tea. So how much would you put in the tea? Like, because it depends really like depends on what kind of day you're trying to Yeah, Like I

like a light vibe. Like I might put a half a quarter, okay, to the whole pot, which is like, you know, six probably six tea bags and that right there. Like if you want to get fucked up, you still can if you drink all of it more than a few glasses, you know what I'm saying, Like, you'll definitely get fucked up. But I just sip as slow. I'll be in the studio work and creating ship and I sip it slow, and it's just it's like a it's

like a different type of vibe. Man. It's just it's like like it helps my brain in different types of ways. So when you say psychedelics save your life, you would you say, because I for people who don't know. I think a lot of people don't understand like the therapeutic benefits of of shrooms and even M D M A you know what I'm saying, in certain instances. But but is that would you consider like your experience with psychedelics

to be therapeutic. Absolutely, it didn't used to be, right, It used to be more probably recreational, right it used to be Yeah, it was, it was creational. And it's like I was sitting in between where like the positive effects would you know, it's like the hero dose, which is all all I mean, yeah, it's gonna make you

discover yourself. And then there's the microdose, which is you know for your mental health, right, you know, just just like again, if you microdose, you can have a productive day, go to work, you can you know, do all that sho have a more productive day. Yes, that's I think that's why people do it. Yeah, so you haven't done the hero dose yet because I remember we talked and you were saying that you want to do it, but

but you're not ready yet. Yeah, it's got to get you know, it's still like coming out the dark space. I want to be fully out before because that's something that's something that's like serious. That's that's man, it's for me. You look, shrooms never really sat well with me. Ah when I was younger, like when we were taking shrooms recreationally, like I used to bat trip like all the time. Wow, what I mean like and I don't want to say

like bad, so you know, overused. I mean, just like you know, that uncomfortable kind of dark feeling, it turned into a fucking burning movie, you know for sure. Like that's that's how a lot of my trips started to feel like. You know, so I think shrooms. My love for shrooms came back when I started microdosing shrooms and making tea and stuff like that, because I was like, Okay, this is the dose that my body appreciates, right, this is what this is exactly what I like, you know

what I mean. And it's been like I said, man, it's been therapeutic, life changing. Since have you dabbled in in DMT yet, it's very crackheadish. I mean you literally smoke it out of a crack pipe. So just if you ever decided to do that, I'm definitely not You're gonna dispend anything out of a crack pipe. You're going to disappear for fifteen minutes, You're gone. Yeah, I've heard. I mean a lot of my friends have done it,

you know, and and stuff like that. But that ship and then the other ship is the Ayahuashka, which is like a but that you you got to do with the shaman go to Costa Rica, you know, I mean, you could do it in Orange County, you know what I mean? Yeah, send me the address. Yeah, no, no, that's that's the man. I think. I think. Like money Man just tweeted this the other day. He was like,

we're not doing uh pills no more, only shrooms. He was like the first rapper in that kind of space that I saw kind of say that, you know what I mean, Because I'm like, you know, a a lot of these kids are so fucking you know, perked out fentanyl and all this ship and it's like, man, I think I think shrooms has gotta be the next wave. Bro. Man, that ship is all them pills and all them opioids and all that shit is so garbage, man, Yeah, so garbage.

It's just dangerous. Just I feel like you're gambling with your life every time you do it because you don't know what the fuck you're getting. It's it's like, it's it's a sad thing to see, bro for real, because you know, you only you only hear one time. It just takes one bad pill take you off the map. You only hear once, man, what was the worst experience you had with drugs man, where maybe like you were like, damn, like this shit, Really I got to reconsider what the

fuck I got going on over here. I had a bad situation happened to me a couple of times, but the one that always comes to mind is that I was in New York. You know, I was like going through a breakup at the time. You know, shit was just just felt, you know, for me. A lot of times when I get in them dark spaces, I just feel like the world is all against me. Everybody's against

me everything, you know what I mean. Yeah, so I just sat in my hotel room, I answered the phone, and I just got high, bro, like whatever I could get my hands on. I was just like trying to escape whatever my reality was at that time. Then I woke up on the bathroom floor. Yeah wow, like all right, here was bruised. I guess I had fallen, you know what I mean, ship And that was like that was like the awakening, That's the beginning of the end. I

didn't I didn't quit there. I didn't because I was, you know, still messed up, you know what I mean. But yeah, so it's also a lot if you're on that ship regularly, people don't understand how hard it is. You just like to quit cold turkey off. Some of that ship is not healthy. Yeah, to be honest, you know, but I'm glad man. I grew a lot. I think I'm the type of person I got to experience things. I gotta like, you can tell me a thousand times with something might do. The stove is hot, the stove

is hot, you go fight. You got cool? Yeah, you're right, you know, Like that's how I am. So you know, it was a blessing in disguise that really showed me everything that I never want to be. That's some real ship, I think. I think too, Like like you said, like we we I mean, especially you and I probably similar

in age. We kind of came up in a different era of socially when it came to some of those drugs, and I think it became so like it's so accepted to get into certain drugs that if it was the nineties, people would like clown you for And like you said, like you know, you go through a situation like that, it really makes you look at yourself and be like, damn, I I if I was looking at me from another person's body, but look at this fucking guy like that's

really what it is. And honestly that's see I approach life like outwardly like that, because you know, people will be like, oh, Yo, don't you know, don't don't get around this person or this style. This guy's a bad and I'm like, Yo, you could learn what not to be from somebody and it could be equally as important as learning what to be from somebody else, you know what I mean? And I had to learn what I

didn't want to fuck be, you know. That was that was that moment and looking at me like yo, to say, I don't like this for myself. I wanted a shout out to to the homies, the La Leakers, because I feel like you've you just did three for three on the freestyle Brothers. Yeah, that first one was so crazy, I felt because that first one happened after the Flex one.

That I thought was that that was after the Flex one, right, Yeah, when Flex did his top freestyles and you put you in there after it was the fucking weirdess shit ever But anyway, I digress, but Yo, you you came that that that first Leakers freestyle was so crazy because I know Hove was a fan of it, and there were so many like I feel like that kind of woke a lot of people up as far as like, Yo,

who the fuck is this guy, Belly Who? I mean, obviously people didn't know who you were already, but like, how important was that first freestyle to like just everything for you? You know what I mean? Because I felt like it really kind of puts you in a whole nother space. Yeah, I agree, that really had more of an effect than some of my you know, biggest songs or like singles right that were out. So I go back. I probably listen to that thing twice a month. Man,

I'm forced to listen to it. I still get tagged in that freestyle every day, you know, hero villain. This is all perspective, no false elections. Yeah, but yeah, it did. It did a lot for me, man, It really changed my life. And I think the dopest part about it for me was what it did just amongst my peers, you know, mm hmm, because a lot of a lot of you know, colleagues of people in the game that I know or work with or just vibe with whatever, you know, we know of each other's talents, you know

what I'm saying. But I don't think a lot of even like my own friends or peers knew you had it like that, knew I was going to go in there and do that, you know, So I think, you know, it just it just like gave me like this new found kind of like perspective or gave other people like a new right people who weren't already tapped in. Yeah, for sure. So I think that was like the dopest part. Yeah, was that because that freestyle came out in was it

twenty eighteen? I think it was twenty eighteen? Was it was it earlier? Was it twenty seventeen? Was earlier than that? It was maybe twenty seventeen there, twenty seventeen, probably because after that you did mumble Rap, I feel like, and Mumble Rap was like, I think, a project that doesn't get talked about it enough because it was just bars. I mean, it was like you know, it was it was something I had to do. Man at that point.

I think at that point, not a lot of people were putting out projects like that, like I feel like now, especially because of what you know, Griselda did and you know, came back or literally just put They stumped the fucking game out with this ship, you know what I mean. So I feel like now everybody's really inclined to want to, you know, put out rap music and come back to the bars. And you know, yeah, I think what happened too because I think, you know, Griselda has been actively

around that time, they were active, you know. I just think that I think that what was dope about the pandemic And obviously Griselda was on fire before the pandemic, but I think it just kind of made people listen to music differently because they weren't standing on couches anymore. They had to listen in their car at home or in their headphones. So I think if you like, look at the Best Rap Album category from the Grammys last year, it's like us a lot. It's a lot of just

bars in this motherfucker. So I think, you know, guys like Freddie Gibbs and for Rayster five nine and all these guys who have been putting in work. I just think it was like last year was such a good year for real. I'm not talking about them like now now we know Freddy and of course no, I didn't

know they're gonna put out some rap shit. I'm talking about people that we wouldn't expect to put out rap ship right now, right right, being like Yo, you know, like like shit I could rap, you know what I'm saying, trying to and trying to do something that maybe three or four years ago they would have even tried. You know what I'm saying. Oh, that's for sure. I think

like that shift is kind of like evident now. No, I think so too, and I think it's been It's It's great for me as a fan because I was in the like money back Yo's album and I'd be like, Yo, there's some ship on here that I wouldn't have heard, you know, And I love Yo's album, Like, but there's some ship on there, and I'm like, this is some ill like just hip hop ship, Like yeah, man, money Bag Yo's were them guys bro talented, very talented, got

talented as a hip hop head yourself, who are you like, obviously you got Benny on the project. I mean you got some other legends on the album. But who are you a fan of? Right? They say we've got nas on the album. Oh, I don't know. Listen, I don't want to be Okay, so you got nas on the album. We've got Boozy the Weekend. No not, we can't say that.

Oh okay, so I believe that the Weekends. I'll let you tell everyone who you're comfortable with the telling who's on the album because yeah yeah, yeah, so we got the Weekend and NOAs it's a joint called that for it. Okay. So yeah, so they're on the same song together, all right, we get talking with songs fucking crazy, it's fucking crazy, and we shot the video. I'll show you the video.

We were talking like, Yo, this should got to be like victory type video, like, man, yeah, I think, uh, you know, it's an incredible visual, bro, Like it's just it really looks like a movie obviously. Benny Yeah, yeah, money bag yo, yeah, money bag yo. Man, I got able again on another joint. Yes, but you know that'll

come out. He's on the total with three now. The third one is just he's just doing bad but he's on there though, but he's just doing the background vocal because remember when I heard it, You're like, yo, that's him doing background vocals. I'm like, bro, you got it. You got it on your own three times technically that's pretty crazy, man, this is super dope. What was it like, like rapping up on a song with Nas, because that

is scary. Yeah, that's got to be scary, right, you know, like obviously it's a fucking one of the biggest honors of my life of course ship, you know what I mean. It's somebody that I've learned from and respected and looked up to, you know, half my life. So but scary, man, it's like, I hope not just don't watch me on this ship, you know what I mean. That's that's really

how I felt. And my verse was there was already done time I sent it, you know, So you're you had to send your verse in like because some people will, you know, they might get the NAS verse back and they might revisit their verse. That's that's that's against the rules. Okay, yeah, so that's the unwritten rules. But some people do that. Shout out to memory llll did that on the four three two one joint, and that's how the whole cannabis shit happened. Oh I didn't even know that. Yeah, but nah.

So so when you got NAS's verse back, where you like, I held my own. I mean, man, I'm I'm I'm just I'm just glad he did what he did on it. Man, he killed that ship. And I think for me, it's always I think it's gonna cut through no matter what, because it's like a personal verse, you know what I mean. It's it's like some real I talk about some real things, and I think that's always gonna cut through, you know what I mean. People are always going to feel that

type of thing. So, first time The Weekend and NOAs have done a record together. Yeah, amazing. What is Able's influence on the album? Like? How? How? Because I know you guys are very close obviously he's on the project a lot. But as far as just like like when he hear like, does he give you notes? Does he give you his thoughts? You know what I'm saying? Hell yeah, Hell yeah. Bro. He's he's super involved, man. Like I

can't say enough about that dude. Bro, Like with everything that he's done as an artist, bro, Like what he's done as a person and just for like the people around them, and you know, just the just the blessings that he's that he's been able to bestow on different people and just the world in general and just help and all that like it's to me, it far exceeds even when he's done musically top tier. No, he seems

to be like just from like an outside perspective. Obviously I'm cool with you and Manny and sounding those guys, but like he seems to be like probably like one of the exceptions when we think of just like people who made it that big that are just like loyalist. Fuck you know what I'm saying. And he's just he's just himself twenty four hours a day, like you're not gonna knock him off his axis. Like he's himself. He's always going to be that no matter what. That's why

you know he doesn't get weird. He'll never be like that movie type of artist ever. Yeah, you'll see him at like like you'll see him at random ship and you'll be like, oh, the weekends, he's for the people, man, Yeah, I trust me. Yeah, No, it's crazy. You have some writing credits, like obviously with I want to say, someone just told me that they looked at the writing credits on Blinding Lights and you you have you have credits on that record. Yeah, I do you know, like with

that stuff. I'm sure you've heard me say this before too. You know, like I never like to go into the songwriting stuff for like what I you know, what people see credits on right, because like that can mean a bunch of different things, by the way. Yeah, like and not only that, it's like especially with somebody like you know, The Weekend or like a lot of the people I work with, which is the type of artist I love to work with, are people that create their own world.

They create these songs and then you know, Abel's pen is crazy ridiculous, like the guy could write his ass off, you know what I mean. So for me, it's just like it's kind of like a blessing to me to be like, yo, ship you want to you know, you want the fact you're contributed. Like yeah, like like I'm I'm, I'm exactly, I'm. I feel just blessed that, uh that you know, different artists feel like I could compliment to

something they already got, you know what I mean? Yeah, because I feel like you know, for me to you know, give give a record or whatever. You know, it could be a demo. You can get a demo and might like it and you might record it. And I've had songs you know, go like that. But like the artists that I really love to work with. It's like I'm really coming in collaborative effort, and it's like it's something

that's already there, you know what I mean. It's it's it's like something that the artist has had such a great vision for already, you know. Like I said, like, those are the type of people that I like to work with. No, that is crazy because that record is like obviously when the biggest songs in the last twenty five years, but it's also a record that was so

brave because it just felt like the eighties. It felt like it felt like something like we jumped in a time machine and it was like it's like such a nostalgic record, but it's also like a current pop hit like oh yeah, Like and then the whole album had that heartbeat for sure when you heard like like when you first heard that record, like prior to whatever you contributed, like like did you feel like, oh shit, this is

because it's legit. I mean, I think it might be the biggest song of the last five years at least. I mean, I know, it just lived in the top ten on Billboard. I'm just I'm just proud that we win as a family. Bro. That's that's really that's really the best part of all of this, you know, in

the super Bowl, Man, That's what I'm saying. Like the fact that I could look around and you know, see guys that have known for at least a decade all around me, and everybody successful at what they do, everybody's happy.

That's that's the great feeling in the world. That's like, you know what I mean, other than individual wins of course, which of course, like you know, you got to feel good about, but regardless, man, just being able to look around at the FAMI and see everybody in a good position, Bro, That's that's the dream. Yeah, man, what is There's something I wanted to talk to you about that has obviously had escalated since I saw you last. I saw you

about a month and a half ago. You know, I know you're very passionate about what's going on with your people overseas in Palestine, and I've tried to do my best to educate myself on a very complicated situation. But I think that you know, me and you had kind of spoke about like how it's like it could be I'm sure it could be frustrating because It's like, I feel like there's only so much you could say before

people try to like label you some shit that you're not. Like, you could be very critical of government, of countries, of you know, without being somebody who's criticizing a whole people. Absolutely, I've never in my life criticized the whole people. Hey, interrupting the interview to tell you about our good friends at odd Socks. Now, as you can see, I always have my odd socks on, baby. You know what I'm saying, Oh, shout out to my bony ass knees. Listen, go to

odd socks Official dot com. They got all the craziest socks. These are the outsiders. You know what I'm saying. They got SpongeBob, they got Cheech and Chong listen, breaking bad Godfather. Whatever you need, they got it. And now they have underwear. That's right, you can get your odd socks underwear. The boxer briefs are the best underwear that you could ever fit on your ass. Trust me when I tell you these are chucky draws. What you know about top ramin underwear?

All right? Go to odd socksofficial dot com. Use the keyword bootleg. Kevin checkout and you'll save twenty percent off of your order underwear, masks, slippers, socks, whatever you need. They got it. Odd socksoficial dot com keyword boutleg Caba check out, save twenty percent all right back after the intermission, we had mic issues, but we're here. Well no, I mean, obviously, man, I was bringing up you know, what's going on in

Palestine in Gaza. It's a complicated situation, but it's also really like on a human level aspect, it doesn't seem very complicated. Yeah, I don't. I don't think it's it's very complicated. You know for Palestinians, it's been a struggle for a long time, and it's like this this like cycle keeps repeating over and over, you know what I mean.

It's like it's hard to see real change happen when people aren't being told, you know, the whole story about what's really happening over there, you know what I mean. And again, you know, like I really feel like it comes down to it comes down the people having to hold their governments accountable, and that's I think that's the only way we could change, you know, the status quo. The way they even perceive us and look at us and stuff like that is like, you know, it's it's

dehumanizing at the end of the day. It's like, uh, you know, Palestinian people some of the most resilient people in the world, of course, gone through some of the worst atrocities, and all anyone's asking for that, anyone that's speaking out, all anyone's asking for is some compassion, some compassion, some human rights, and you know, not not to see the situation through bias eyes, to actually just look and do the proper research and then you can come up

with your own answer. You know. Yeah, I mean from what I've gathered is like obviously what transpired during Ramadan?

How that like like you know, I spoke to my friend Adam Rice, who's Jewish and his parents go to Israel every single year, and he was like, we're wrong in this thing, man, Like what did like like, why would you do that to those people during their holiest time and expect like things like you know what I mean, Like like nobody like wouldever think to do that and expect anything good to happen of it, you know what

I mean? And even Peter Rosenberg, who you know, again is obviously a Jewish man, you know what I mean. Me and Peter talked about it pretty extensively, and he kind of mirrored the same thoughts, you know, And I think it kind of comes down to, like you said, holding your government accountable in the same way that if Donald Trump's a piece of shit and somebody from fucking Europe is like, man, Donald Trump's a piece of shit. That doesn't mean the Americans are pieces of shit. It

means that, yo, you know. And I've heard that the guy who and again I'm not like the craziest like as far as like who's like being educated on the ins and outs of of the government in Israel, But I've heard from people who I trust that like, yo, essentially the guy who's running shit in Israel is like their version of Trump, like hardcore right wing, like crazy,

like crazy Neo Khan type ass motherfucker. So it's just rough, man, because like you see some of these images of these people and it's like, dude, like this, I mean, his his his own government is holding him accountable and he just got ousted from his position a few days ago. See I didn't know that. Yeah, you know, he's on corruption charges, being accused of bribery. It's all kinds. This is not a it's not a favorable human you know what I'm saying. So it's it's easy to see how

somebody like that could really, you know, put poison the well. Yeah, And I think to what people have to understand too, And this I've always said this about America, like just in general, Like, yo, like, if you're what do you expect to happen if you're like imagine if you're a kid in Gaza, right and somebody bombed the building you live in, and let's say you lost your mom, Like, what do you expect that kid to grow up feeling about? You know what I'm saying. It's almost like it's a

cycle that will never end until it ends. Yeah, I mean you know, to me, I feel like it's just gonna have to come down to people just just looking at it as a human issue. Politics on the side. You know, there's there's civilians, kids dying, you know, and the thing that the thing about the whole you know, we're gonna hunt a specific militia or whatever, right, and it's like I'm all for it. You want to go, uh find some some criminals or whatever the case is.

And not in that particular situation. I'm talking just in general vaguely. Yeah, you know, but you shouldn't be killing civilians to go get to the people that you're mad at for killing civilians, Like it doesn't make any sense. There's got to be a better way to approach all of this, which is also what happened with the United States,

like Obama and the drones. And I mean, this shit is like happened so much where it's like, Yo, at what point in time is getting the bad guy where it's killing a bunch of innocent kids, you know what I mean? Like this is crazy because again it's like

who suffers? Bro? Yeah, and then and then and then it's almost like the psycho gets hit on repeat because imagine I can only imagine if I grew up somewhere and someone my my parents or my sister died or my best friend died, like how I would feel about whoever the fuck did that for the rest of my life and it's like it's just never you know, It's just it's almost like the gang shit, you know what I mean, Like we always talk I'll talk to the homies,

who are you know, gang bangers out here? And like I'll be like, yo, like what is the Like, how's the violence? He's like, how are you going to tell somebody to not turn up on that crew when they they they took their brother a cousin? Well, you know what I mean. It's it's it's like what it's like you said, it's got to be a human rights thing, man, And I think unfortunately I wish like our government would

have stepped in and done more. But like you said earlier, it's like that politics shit comes into play again once you throw all that politics bullshit you know, out the window. And that's why I wish we had Bernie man and you just stop and you have some you fucked with Bernie, right, Yeah, I thought. I think Bernie is like the illest motherfucker, like he should have been on President bro. Bernie's great man.

He's Jewish right like, and he don't give a fuck Like he's like, Yo, it's about human rights, but this thing ain't about this. The thing is it's not about being Jewish, right, No, but you know what, you're right and we know that and we can have that conversation. But the Internet and Twitter and it's like you're either there or you're here. There's no in the middle. Bro.

I got people from all walks of life, So do I Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, whatever you want to name, Atheist, whatever you want to name. One hundred percent that I consider some people I consider family, friends, colleagues, co workers, whatever. That to me never means nothing. It'll never stop my love for you, It'll never stop my support for you. It'll never stop nothing. Everybody just has a stop and

look at it from a human issue. Take the tribal the tribal shit away, Take the politics government, take all the all the bias, all all the things you want to feel, take those away and just be like, yo, let's just look at what's going on here. You know what I mean. No matter where you are and what country you're from, if you love your country, you're gonna hold your government accountable until they're doing the right thing. I saw you posted the kid from Palestine, the rapper,

the young kid. Yeah he actually uh, I think Gazi just signed him the empire. Yeah, so shout out to Ghazi, but yeah, shout out to Gazi. You were able to tap in with with him like directly, because he's going to like he talks to everybody kind of around me, all my guys. Yeah, I mean, so it's just a matter of time before we connect. You know, what's his name because I don't I don't know if the time I had, but I saw the video. I think you're

reposted the video. Yeah, I think his name is I'm not sure because his Instagram name is different, but I think it's Abdual. I think his name is Abdual. Yeah. I saw that. I was like, Yo, this kid man, he's incredible. He's incredible. I love that kid man. I think his bravery, his courageousness, you know, to be able to do what he's doing is incredible. Man, it's incredible. And then he can rap Hello. He's young, so you already knows it's gonna grow into something. He can rap beautiful,

you know, talk about so you for people. You know, you've been an independent artist for a very long time before you were fucking with XO. You've you were you know, I remember seeing your name for a long time. I remember I think you had a record with the game, and you've been doing your thing for a minute. Obviously, coming into the XO fold, I didn't have a record with the game. Was a snoop. I had two records. It was snoop. It wasn't the game. It was snoop. Yeah,

me and game never worked together. No, it was snoop. Yeah, okay, yeah it was snoop. I was was it a snoop of the game? I was gonna say snoopid first? But uh, you come out with XO, you have a smash record, like might not with with with with the weekend? Having a record like that, is it like a gift in a curse? I mean, obviously it's a gift more than anything. But like that's such a big song, like it's it's I mean, did you find yourself ever chasing that record

like at any point in time? No way that happens sometimes when you come because honestly for me and my background of what I come from, right like like I let songs go all the time, you know, so I have no personal attachment to records. And what that did for me, like the mentality that it built inside of me, was I could do this again? Like I don't. I'm not gonna be married to the song. If if this person as a vessel could push this song further than I can, who the might a stand in my own way,

you know what I mean. That came from guess what, wake up tomorrow and I make another one. It doesn't have to be that right or something that dope, you know what I mean. I think sometimes that happens tho, where I see artists like that, they come out swinging with such a big song and they almost get like lost in the sauce of that record. Nah. For me, it's like, I'm happy we got might not and I'm happy it did what it did. And the sound is video was crazy, video was crazy, all that. But that's

that's that's its moment. You know. I'll never try to recreate that moment again. You'll never get that moment again. Talk about your relationship with Nipsey Man. I'm Nipsey's somebody who you know, I was close with since about nine. One of the greats you're on arguably one of the best songs on Victory Lap. You know here, I know, I'd always see all the XL guys around nip Like anytime he would do an activation, I'd see Nab over there.

We'll talk about y'all's relationship. Man. When I first came to La Man, nip was somebody that was just like just like like instantly you know a friend. It was crazy, like just like two three weeks and then knowing NIP, I felt like I knew him for like ten years, right.

He was that kind of guy for sure. Yeah, And like he would pull up to the house, you know, he would come through with Slow shout out the Slow Slow was living with me at the time, and Studio City and Nipple pull up man, and just like it wasn't even about like working. It was he would't even want to, you know, not like he wouldn't want to, but he wouldn't even play his records. He'd just be like,

let me hear what you're working on. I thought that was so dope because you know every rappers get everybody wants to play you there ship and they're like, there's the ox, you know, that's the Ox. He was always just like, now, let me, I want to hear what you're working on. Like he was just genuinely like you know, always always interested and whatever was going on, it was. It was vice versa, you know, like I was always a fan in it. It wasn't just from when we met.

Before we met, I was a fan of him so I made sure I let that be known, you know, throughout the whole course of us working together and and and being friends and all that, I let people know the the level this guy was on was different, you know what I'm saying, Like it was it was something special to see somebody like that come around and double up, Like was that something that was pretty much like done? And then you you you added your part of like how did that? How did how did you end up

on that song? Because it's, like I said, one of the best songs on the project for sure. Man. They brought me the song and we're like, basically, you know, Nip been wanting to work with you on something whatever, Like he doesn't know that we're giving you this, so just you know, do your thing and then we're just gonna basically like you know, play it for him and be like yo, you know what I mean? And yeah, it was nuts, bro, Like I remember I did this.

There's way more of that song that never made it to the song. You know, did you have a verse on it? Ever? I had a verse on the song. It was funny because that was when I first got that fucking victory lap on Spotify. That was the first song I went to and I was so disappointed that you didn't rap on I mean, you did your think on it, but I was like, I was like, oh, Belly and Nip. That part that Nip ended up using throughout the song that was that was like my outro

after the verse. So that was like, you know, that's how I kind of ended my verse. And but it was it was. It was long as ship, man, So it's a it's a long song currently, That's what I'm saying. The song is to be like seven minutes and forty five seconds. I never I was never like, damn, why why didn't you keep you know, I was just happy to be part of it. That project was a classic to me. The first time I heard it, I was like, this ship, this ship is a masterpiece. You know, in

our world, that's a masterpiece right there. Man. Yeah, I think we get one of those albums like every few years where we're like, yo, just to live forever, you know what I'm saying. And I think I think your album might be one of those, man. You know what I'm saying. Man, thank you. I hope so Bro, Like

you know, I make this ship between four walls. I think I told you this when you came you know, because you were one of the first people that came through and listened to the full length mastered versions of the songs. You know, I think I told you that, like you had your producers locked in, your guys are there. It's hard because you make shit between four walls and it's like you're the only opinion that's on it, you

know what I mean. So sometimes things feel personal to you for certain reasons, but you know you're being biased because again it's your song. It's like, no, but I said this and that ship resident it doesn't matter. None

of that matters. Now when you leave the four walls and you know, people like yourself come through and listen, that shit is really nerve racking to me because I'm like, nobody's heard this ship yet, Like I don't know until now, I still get like butterflies about it, and I don't know, like you know, I still get like kind of nervous about it. Before I play the music for the first time for people, you know what I mean, and we

have no idea when it's coming out yet. Probably before the end of the summer, was assuming I mean you yeah, I think probably towards July. When's the beginning of the summer. We're in the summer right now. I was just in Arizona was one hundred and eighteen degrees. So you're going to Palm Springs this weekend. It's gonna be fucking It's gonna be twenty degrees tomorrow Jesus one, twenty one, twenty. Yeah, you're going out there just to create, right, Yeah, go

out there, maybe hero does. Maybe just let go. Man, it's a lot. It's a lot, man, Man, there it is anything. I mean, I know we talked to You'll be doing some weed shit soon. The book hopeful. So this book that you're gonna write, this is like like you're going through with this for sure. This is like something where yeah, yeah, I'm like the book. It's not

one book too. I got a few ideas. This is just the one that I'm like most confident with because this is like something that I just this is the era that I'm just coming through now, so everything's still fresh in my mind. I can talk about it and talk about all the benefits that I had from it. So you know what's crazy, because you're such a movie buff, would you ever consider like like and you're such a

great writer. Would you ever consider like writing fucking screenplays? Yeah, I would love to, Man, I just feel like it's like not my area of expertise. So you know, I would want somebody to just kind of show me the ropes, you know. And I always feel like that, like it's just good for somebody that is in that world that knows the little ins and outs and just the little

things that people look for. Like you said, you're gonna do this book with like an author right where you just kind of some kind of shit, right, Yeah, I'm you know, like I could write, man, but I'm not gonna sit there and write a book. It's just not gonna happen. No yet. No race is too fast. Yeah, you know, so it's a good way to do it. I just get the writer there and then I go on my little rants and before you know it, man, we got books. You know what I mean? Because this

is real shit that I went through. So when I talk about it, I can talk about it clearly every time. This is all ship that's still freshened my mind, that affected me, you know in big ways. So have you decided? Uh, you know, I think when I engage my wife, we got married like inside of two years. I was like, Yo, I don't want to be one of these fucking guys who's engaged for fucking five years and everyone's asking what the fucking wedding is. I was like, We've tried to

figure this shit out as fast as possible. Have you have you thought about like where you guys want to get married? Yet we want to get married at the house, man, you know, at our house, and I think you have told me that, Yeah, that's when we want to get married, Like we all this, you know, big extravagant, crazy shit like I just want to make sure all our loved

ones are there. And it also kind of weeds out like having an invite too many people, cause you could be like, yo, you know, we're doing it at the house. It's small, it's private, it's cozy. Yeah, because if you if you, if you get like the big venue and you don't invite like every rapper friends you have, you know what I'm saying, especially like just all the random industry people, you know, it's like, no, no, we did

it at the house. It was private. If you have this record coming out the next day, oh man, anyway, we'll listen. Bro. The album is hopefully coming to see you next Wednesday is coming soon. A new record with the money Bag Yell is out go play that Ship weekend, and Nas is on the album videos already shot ye video shot Man was it was it? Whose idea was it to put Nas on it? Honestly, I can't remember exactly whose idea it was, but you know, shout out to Anthony and Nas. You know, it's it's like a

it's an extended family thing. Yeah. And then obviously the next bucket, this feature you're gonna you're gonna get. I'm putting it in the airs, gonna be the whole record. Whenever you get the whole record, it'll be big. I can't wait for that. It's gotta happen. Ye, Like, I don't know, I don't think I'll ever retire if I don't get that one. It's funny. Yeah, Benny said the same ship. He's like, he's like yeah, He's like and he's signed, you know, I mean obviously your rock Nation

as well. But it's like he's almost like Betty's such a big J fan. He's like, I don't feel like I ever feel accomplished until I get that song. Yeah, I feel the same way. Like you notice, man, Like when I write my raps, I always pretend like he's is getting ready to grade me. You know what I mean? What's your favorite J album? That's tough, man, That's tough obviously a reasonable doubt for me, it's reasonable doubt. That's

just because that was my introduction. Yeah, I mean so, I think that his most slept on album though, And I think people don't give this album enough love because there's some bullshit on it. It's Blueprint too. I love Blueprint too. That song Meet the Parents, He's like one of the best storytelling songs of all time. Like, whenever I like tell people like I'm like, yo, go to fucking Blueprint too, press play on Meet the Parents and like listen to it five times in a row. It's

like a Quentin Tarantino movie on wax. Yeah he's different, man, I hope has been different. He's been different, bro. Yeah, I hope's that dude. Man. Yeah, he's literally the blueprint. That's why it made so much sense to cause out in that because he's literally the blueprint for the epitome of what a rap life should look like. Somebody that came up in the streets and turned to rap, turn into a mold. The way, the business, the everything man, every aspect of his life. You know what I mean.

He's literally the epitome of what all of us should be aspiring to be. We'll look see you next Wednesday, coming soon, Belly, Go fuck with him, and we're gonna get some weed from you soon too,