INTERVIEW: Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist Talk Gatekeeping In Music, New Album, 'Not Like Us' + More

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

The Breakfast Club Morning, everybody in Steed j n v Ess hilarious, Charlamagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. You got some special guests.

In the building.

Yes, indeed we got the Alchemists.

We got Larry June and two Chains. Welcome album. Life is beautiful as out right now.

Early Album of the Year contend. It's still early. It's only February. Early Album of the Year contender. Man, I appreciate that.

Man.

Change came in here, like, where's my picture on the wall? I'm walking around here? But his picture is right there.

Next thing.

They got his feet up, He got his feet up there.

No, I hadn't been to this location.

It's the first time here.

It's my first.

It's been a minute since you've been up here.

So how y'all brother's feeling feeling good? How about you?

I'm good.

Change had to make the wall number one of your legend. That's number one. But number two Chains was the first, the first breakfast club show we ever did. Oh boy, and the first person say anything was too changed? How'd you get two chains around?

Matter?

You were here so at the time, we didn't have no money right, so to change did it for the love?

And Charlemagne was supposed to handle transpen what.

Change was red hot?

I mean red hot like early too early in carnal? What's the word in car nations of two change? You don't know what red hat? But Charlamage was supposed to handle car service. Charlamagne man had a car. Charlamage didn't say it was a caravan, picked up two changes in the caravan.

Yes, yes he did.

You just thought that was cool. I had the money.

But you're supposed to let a nigga know a van gonna come pick him up, and not a black.

I don't know they was going in a van. I thought they had asked yourself.

But change that he never he never did, never play and always never talked.

About alwayshows love.

We always appreciate that, Sir three link up for this album.

How we do it?

Well, let me see, I know Larry and I work together before. I'm a fan of his music. You know what I'm saying. He a player. You know what I'm saying, I'm a player and I don't know. We had a conversation like just about doing a couple of records. Yeah, and he's somebody that is into like cohesiveness and everything. So he was like, we just need to do one producer. You know what I'm saying, We're gonna rob with Al And it just started becoming like you know what I'm saying.

Yeah, And how did Alchemists get to play? Why was he the producer? Why he was the one that's like, this is the sound we want for this?

We had we were already working like we've been talking for a while. We had a couple of records in motion, like the last couple of years, and.

I've been working with Al but with me a lot of my projects, they would have different producers, so I would have two or three our type joints on it feel good, but people would just kind of go towards the party records or the trap records. So it felt good for me just to do what I really like to do best is and that's a.

Rapt Those real hip hop beat, that boom battle you know what I mean?

That sun done.

Yo yo yo?

What about those type of that sound energizes your pen.

My voice is able to cut through on samples. With the trap drums, I'll be having to like kind of yell a little bit. I can sit down and record. When I'm doing these songs, I'll be having to stand up record trap songs and then and I'd be having to kind of be creative and sometimes it hit it and sometimes it miss but I have to be creative around the drums and kind of peek my head out. But with those loops and things like that, I'm able just to get my idea across looser.

Yeah, you get looser because it's like it's just a phil at it's not like you know, like it's kind of understated the production, so at least room for like the lyricists, like if you if you got something to say on those type of beats, you're gonna flourish, you know, change Larry there, those type of mcs like less is more.

It's found on that like a file a like yeah, like a raw versus like a stacked up like I would compare like a track to something that's layered up on the vocals.

Some of these are kind of just.

Raw and it's just like a mood, you know what I mean, where it's like they're just to just to move their pens.

So it's like the focus is on the lyricists.

And you know, I mean change, I don't. He's been one the people who know music. No to Change has always been top tier with the pen like, but he always had the knack to make hit records too, you know, but that never fooled me, Like I could tell the MC's like a big Sean or somebody who's like, yo, he makes shit records, but he can rap like extremely well, like.

With anybody who you would put on any list, you know.

So so that's your comference on the trap is not really a trap you just do for us?

He ain't really no, So of course I trapped before, right, and even on this type of subject matter, I talk about the streets and the trap. But early on I'm always throw Tech under the bus for this.

You know.

Early on, I was doing a mixtape. It was called all Ice on Meal. It was a double.

Mixtape, and I had who doing was it? It was you and who else? It was him? A screen, and then I gave Tech like some my your.

Kids stuff, and he was like, boy, I don't want I want some boy, give me some of that trap. And then when I gave some of that trap, he came back with like data saying, boy, I'm telling you they rocking with this right here. So he was more as a manager, more data driven as far as like what the people were kind of leaning towards. When I would drop a project that had some some lyrics and

You know what I'm saying. I ain't get my meeting Stiles after thirty.

You know what I'm saying. I'm still out here having more motion in the ocean. I'm saying, business is doing good. The rap's gonna come out. We're gonna talk about how we got these businesses in this passive income going. We're gonna popy like that. You know what I'm saying. I ain't spending no blocks. I ain't got time to go to jail, leave my family. I ain't no more crash dummy mission. You could never get me like that. So

I don't like that, you know what I'm saying. Like, man, God did his thing with me.

Now, you like to collaborate a lot.

Change Like it feels like you like competing, right, whether it's early on with Drake or it's with Wayne, it's with Larry ju And why is that you never fall back? You always seemed like you want to do that more.

I think Atlanta is a place that we just are into doing collaborations, you know what I'm saying. Atlanta artists always we always work together and work with different people. We never had that problem, you know what I mean. So, like I said, respect Larry, I wanted I wanted to do this project. It wasn't Larry idea. I like, we ought to do this, you know what I'm saying. And I was just I wanted to do it too.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm just letting you know. Like I mean, I go to Vegas, I go to Miami. I tell DJ Man put on that smoothie. In nineteen ninety one. I tell him, I want to hear that before I get out of here, you know what I'm saying. So it was just about it was just genuine organic like his campaign. It was just organic love, and so it.

Came organic too though it wasn't even We didn't think too much about it just kind of came. Yeah, he had a few records, sent it to me and then we just kept that ship rocking.

It was real smooth.

What I like about you you wrap about.

You wrap about a lot of health and in organic living, Like what got you into a mindfulness lifestyle and what made you start putting that in your music?

You know, I started a little like I dropped my first mixtape when I was fifteen. I was kind of talking about a lot of shit that I wouldn't really like fully into. Then I had just tuned into my real what I was into and like my actual life, and when I saw I wrap about my day to day shit to just start working for me, you know what I mean.

I'm kind of like him. I didn't make no.

Bread into to my thirties really too, so you know, I had they go through the ups and downs and really finding myself as an artists, and when I start talking about the shit that I really like to do, it just kind of start coming natural for me.

So early on you had a lot of cap in your app.

Yeah, I was.

I was fifteen sixteen, you know, I just kind of more influenced by the hip hop, you know what I mean, and the shit you know what I mean. And it's finding myself as an artist, you know what I mean. And when I start doing that and really like fall on like what I want to do and start working out.

Did somebody tell you how did you just check yourself? Did somebody be like, come on, nobody.

Didn't tell me I was around all that. You know, I'm from that, you know what kind of that was like my my environment and shit. But it was just more like what can I bring different to the game? I was like, you know, it's only one me. I can talk about my life and what I do and people will relate to it.

Some people might not, you know, people will. I'm thankful that some people do.

You talk about financial literacy a lot too, which is interesting because you know, to chains he talks about flexing a lot, right so and spending a lot.

So how did that you know?

Mention the studio, Uh, listening to a lot of audio books, you know in high school, like you know, Robert Kolsaki and shit like and stuff like that, and just just trying to do better, you know what I mean, coming from that environment, and you know, just trying to switch it up and do something different and have longevity in

But I still I still flex.

I talk about shit, my fleck's a little different, you know, I might talk about a fifteen dollars orange juice some ship like that. I'm just saying about hop out with the lawsuit to the side, very peacefully.

I'm talking about Now you.

Got a bunch of singles that you drop on like different platforms like streaming platforms and then YouTube exclusive, how do you like figure out what's going drop where?

Because in different places.

So when I do it, just the YouTube, I just put it out.

I don't think too much about it, just put it out just more just for the for the fans, and uh, just keeping it going. I don't really think I don't think too much about it. I talked to day, but just do it, like, let's do it, do whatever we feel. I don't really think too much about it.

What do you like about Larry is an MC?

I mean when you know, first linking with him, it was like first like the tone, you know, like I go off of music, you know, like obviously Resting Peace Prodigy that was like my brother. We did a lot of music together and sometimes it's just like the tone, it's just something similar to her with Body James or it was like Larry tone was crazy. And then I was actually late. Once I got hip to his shit,

You know the Monico joints. Yeah, for your album Go Joint.

Before we did Great Escape, we did one joint for his album, and it was like, I felt like there was potential because sometimes you do one record with somebody and it's like one and done, and sometimes you.

Build a better relationship.

Plus just like my brother now, Larry is super likable, like he's just one of the coolest movies, just my brother. So you know, in music you build relationships sometimes beyond how long did.

This this project take?

Because I saw an interview you said if you Larry, you said, rapping gives you anxiety?

Uh, with that?

Working with Change he changed that. But he worked so quick and he owned he on my phone with a verse. With a Verse, I had to switch my whole program up so that this was pretty quick, you know what I mean. We got a few records we didn't put out yet, and it was I ain't I was keeping up with Change. I ain't got he was. He was giving me the sauce, and I was see what I

I'm very thankful.

Is that pressure of that pressure line by the verse.

It ain't it ain't pressure. It's more like I'm just I'm getting better, you know what I mean. And he he are real lyricists. He really really do this ship so like he give me like styles and I ain't even thought about even doing me rap like this and try this and just putting me in a different box. Just like when I did the Great Escape with you, I was telling him like, man, I love these beast dudes.

He was putting me you know what I mean.

He made I think he made us both step up just because of the level that changes as an artist and as perfection. It's like we went out to Atlanta and got to work with him in his lab and just got to like get his energy in his world. That was like is different, super impressive, like sleepy in his in his city. It's like I went home like as a different animals just seeing his operation like change

I want to.

I feel like Wayne was on you like that change. I feel like I feel like I can see you and Wayne working together and Wayne hitting you up, like where is the verse?

The song is done?

You know?

This was men and Wayne?

We this we was.

That's why I was on him like that because I'm used to Wayne shooting it right back. I'm used to thinking I'm finna smoke this guy. And he sent it back with just some crazy shit with wind level and some lyrics and and so it was just like telling Larry, just don't they don't overthink it, like you know what I mean. So with man Toune, we actually have hundreds of we work really fast together. He's someone that I can go on. I can go in the booth with

You know, I was gonna ask you what you mentioned earlier with Prodigy two questions with that, Are you surprised about how much love that Prodigy is getting now in the last couple of years.

I feel like people are.

Dissecting what he's been saying, and I think they missed it before. I've been seeing it more and more and more recently.

I always felt like that was gonna happen, like they become like more legendary after, you know, because they did so much work.

It was like insane and you could just peel.

Back layers of prodigies rhymes like he went so far, he was so ahead of his time that it's like and even them, it's funny them being small too.

I always felt like them being.

These two little guys, like they would be rediscovered in twenty years by some young kids like mob Deep, Like if some kids finds them in twenty years, they're gonna hit it, strike a gold mine. Like their discography is like unmatched, and you know, yeah, I mean Pea's legend lives like he did more than the average person while he was here and even left behind a lot of stuff.

So we're lucky enough to be working on a new mob deep project.

There's another we have change.

It looked like what doing the beats and you know Nas is.

Involved, and yeah, man, it feels.

Great, just even just like when you hear his voice again, you're gonna be like, wow, missed you know what I'm saying, Like how much we missed it. It's a void just not hearing his voice anymore.

The Metro reach out to you because when he was inspired, it seemed like Prodigy inspired couple of projects.

I reached out to him actually and thanked him for that because I thought that was so dope. When they sampled his voice throughout the album, just kept his spiritual That was just super and.

Plus you know him in Future had a little bit of history as well.

In Future were cool.

There's a video that they never came out with that p is in actually a Future video and that it never came I forget what song it was, but they were they were cool.

It was a dope contrast artists with creation from Somebody is Ship Poppers Pope.

But I think we're keeping the tradition alive even doing this, that's doing you know me coming from you know, you know where my history and then Lincoln with somebody like Change and Larry and just bringing it all together.

You know you have a bar when when you That was my secon question.

Do you have a bar of artists that you work with, like you be like I'm not working with him because it's just this doesn't fit or is it like I give everybody opportunity like Larry Jewel fists chains fists, but certain one somebody.

Else might not fit.

That might say you I need alchemists a beat cool, but yeah, certain artists fit more where I feel like I could make whole projects with like you know, Rock Marcy, you know Body, James, Larry, June to Change.

Of course, Prodigy and I. You know I do have some like repeat you know friends that I work with.

I told I told him I'm making my pop producer by rocking with me when we had them conversation like nah, you know low key underground like boys stop make yes pop out here.

But I think I get the jacket put on me sometimes and be in this like purist, keep it real hip hop I'm really not that.

I don't I love music.

I don't want to be put in a box. I don't want to be limited.

Even when we did Generations, you know, join on the album at first, Change was like he didn't even want to hear any.

Of those beats because we started that record together.

First, and he was like, I don't want those shorty alchemists trapped men.

Because to me, I have different bags I go into depending on the artist. Like if you listen to the rock Marshy O My Day last December, those beats sound nothing like these, so I know how to like kind of create different palettes. But that joint at first, Change was like, we're gonna use this for something else. And then we thought about it and was like, you know what, we should add that into the album because it's like it's.

Blending the sounds a little bit.

I don't want to. I'm not a purist. I'm not like I hate that other stuff. Keep it real hip hop.

I love all good and it's bad, you know, in every category.

To me, I love that song Generations.

You know.

The hook is we the Generation got all these kids on the Dirty Spry, We the Generation got got them on the Perkys every night with the generation got them on switches. What was the conversation about that hook? Because Larry you from that generation, I was influenced by a lot of that, So I know y'all had to have a conversation about that song.

Man is the truth.

It just it just when you look at you know how it is. You know, everybody you get a little older, they try to unk you to death. They try to you know, they try to drink most syrup and you to death. They try to smoke more whatever than you to death. You got to be like, bro, we do want to.

Turn y'all out.

You know what I'm saying.

We the one got y'all. It's like when I go back and I listen to somebody like eight Ball and m JG. Who I came up on. They had songs like robbery. They had me lurking, you know what I mean. And so it's the same thing that I know. If it wasn't a music, it's the videos. It's the lone blunts and videos we had. It's the double cup this stuff, y'all. Daddy was attracted too. And then y'all come up and well,

So that's where the idea for generation. So how do you course correct that though? Or do you even try to cause correct? Do you just acknowledge it a I know we did that.

I think you just acknowledge it for me, you know, you know, I know it takes more than one person to try to save the world, you know what I mean, And so trying to be, you know, a frontline soldier was just not my idea for this. It was just more like finding a creative way to say we started a lot of what's.

Going on right And it could go both ways too.

That's why I thought the hook was dope because it could be positive or negative like we the generation didn't, or it could be like an admission of gilt and growth.

Yo, I'm sorry, Yeah, it's growth about where his kids and his businesses too.

But he also let you know where he came from and where he you know, his growth, but you know, he young and that's the environment he was in, and uh, he letting you know where he at now.

He talking about the LLCs and things like that.

So I see, I look at it as growth, like you know what I mean, we the generation, but you know what I'm saying, look at me now, like I got multiple businesses, like I'm taking care of my kids and my coaching, you know what I mean.

So I thought it was dope.

The next generation is more prone to listen to somebody who went through it too and survived it than they are to somebody who's just telling them they don't do this and that. But you didn't go through none of that.

Yeah, it's back back in October, you had a I know, I was saying, you wasn't with def jam no more. He wasn't going to resign you a free agent?

Is that still? Yeah?

This was my first independent produ jack that I've dropped, like I don't know, man, uh, twenty since twenty maybe eleven or something, twenty ten, I'm not sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, tweeny twelve of my first boats, but I was signed a couple of months before that. But yeah, this was my first independent project. I just wanted to kind of like test the waters. I don't have anything against step Jam. I've been with them over a decade. Found you know. It was it's ups and downs and everything, you know

And it's it's freedom.

Do you like it? Yeah?

Because like they was like we need to drop this next month. I was like, we can do it this next week, Like we need to They was looking on it was like Christmas. They was like we need to come next the end of January. Then I started being like, damn boy, this empire.

Yeah, but you also got money to change. Like everybody can't be independent. That's the part of the independence. Folks don't talk about. You got to have the paper.

The paper ain't no, yeah, you the budget. Now, you know what I'm saying.

I ain't fully wrapped my head around need to take what was calling me about the faults and.

Fifties and sixties. We just we just chilled.

They can't get.

It.

Is like it just be different when you plan. You know how it is. I describe it.

You know, when you have somebody else money, I describe it like this. I just I described like when you get a run a car, you don't never like stop up a speed marks, you just jump them.

Damn.

You get your own car, you do like a you know what I'm saying, you do like a thing. So when you got other.

People money, you're more reckless, you know what I'm saying. That's what I'm trying to say. You got all people money for me, I'm not gonna, you know, fuck up the bag. But I might be a little bit more reckless.

But when it's my.

Money, you go over that speed mass low.

The difference between having your own studio and paying for studio time. When you have your own studio, you can work, go to sleep, come back when you're paying for studio time. In my opinion, you ain't even got time to go pee. You got the guy, damn this working you got you know what I'm saying, came in here. So that just been my mindset to be efficient.

So what do you like more?

Major?

I haven't been independent, you said October, So not even six months yet. But for this to be my first independent project, I'm geek now, but this to be my first and then you know me come this way, I'm kind of it looks like a Rin benvention of Bantonio.

You know. You know.

When you spend other people's money, steal your money, they gotta pay it back.

Yeah, that's probably why I'm so officient.

This time around. Them numbers matter because it's it's a whole different game for me.

I kind of ain't been stunning numbers for a long time because, like I'm gonna be real, I don't own me or my team were not. We so late to the back party and the streaming party. Once you hear about it and who doing and all that stuff, you kind of get discouraged. Like, man, you know a lot of people are helping themselves or whatever you want to call it, or cheating or whatever it's called. But then I think about how I go in the studio nightly I come up with this stuff. Nobody's beside me helping

You're a jone company right from the beginning.

I will Warner Brothers in like twenty seventeen for like two years, did a couple of EPs with them, and then I went like fully distro kid like a couple of years, like just straight on the cell phone app.

And then my team Double Empire. Would you do you like execution?

Uh?

Man?

I like independent. I can get to go drop sit whenever I want to do it. I don't got to think too much about it. I don't look at the numbers at all. I might say it a lot, but I just put it out. It's more like a long term game for me. It's like like buying stocks in yourself. Like we're putting the music out there. It's streaming. You know, you're streaming that. You gotta just click that button. It's coming. So it's like stocks. I'm putting that ship out.

Either go like it or you don't like it.

But it's not about acknowledge about your art.

You all gotta go platinum and and that I would love to, you know what I mean.

But I'm just keeping it going, just keeping it going and expressing my mind through through the music and people relating to it.

And I don't think nothing of it, you know what I mean.

And then tonight you'll performing Jimmy fallon show.

This is your first first time, my first time.

It's crazy legendary.

Man.

I'm over here looking around, like, damn.

The game, Larry, because I mean, you got such a good head on your shoulders. Mar Like I said, you talk about financial literacy, you talk about mindfulness. One of the balls I love on this album. You say I never had a bitch that was hard to keep found out, found one solid hole.

Was all I need.

I'm like, for such a young man to understand that, especially the lifestyle you live, it's found on that line for.

Me just from you know, you know, I have my kid early nineteen, you know what I mean.

You know, I was forcing this to have been a single father very early and now it just kind of changed my mindset on even like having women around period. Like, you know, my son ain't been around multiple women at all, so it was like it just showing him like I'm not married and nothing like that.

So he never really got to see see that.

So I have to always like let him know that, look, I'm not married like this, but it's it's good to get married.

You know, I have one person that you're dealing with.

And I wouldn't always like that, But as I got older, I started understanding, like, man, one solid woman can change everything.

You know, you say older, you're thirty three, Yeah I'm you.

Know, but yeah, I'm still doing numbers. Man. I feel like I feel like I don't leave this ship. Like a couple of times I ain't go hold you.

I feel like I'm way older and I feel like they know peace peace like having one solid woman's peace, you know what I mean. I feel like, you know, I haven't really experienced that fully yet, you know what I mean. But I'm getting there, you know what I mean. But uh, I think it brings a lot of peace. It can help you work more. And I realized that when I was recording that song.

It wasn't your father, your uncle, just life like it was more life.

Because I had I used to have a multiple you know, I was a multiple kind of guy, like you know, I had honeycomb high.

I was you know what I'm saying, spots like a cheetah, you know what I mean.

You know, I was moving and grooving and it was taking up too much of my time, you know what I'm saying, from like working and being with my kid and dealing with this situation.

And this happened now and got called.

Text too much extra ship like you know I'm talking about. So yeah, that's that's kind of where the line came from.

How important is that change? Because you you know, you you a married man yourself, you allays see you out with your queen.

How important is that to have that?

Oh, It's very important for me, man, especially having somebody that mature out to take care to make sure home straight, make sure the little Michelaine and stuff straight, someone that fully supports me, listens to my music critiques me. She sent me a very very dope message the morning I woke up. The first message I read was from was from Keisha saying basically saying, I was a lyrical god. JUSTI just doing what she's supposed to do my ego,

Man.

We got the same habits. You know what I'm saying. We go out, you know what I'm saying. She come to Candy Land with me. It's just like, you know what I'm saying, when you find somebody like that. I love that line as well, you know what I'm saying. We shot the video for that. I thought I was like, Bob, I'm saying one one, but I don't think they kept

You inspired me to saying you how you move with your wife? I'm like, yeah, that's how you do it. That's that's how you rocking, and you got your kids and that's real, you know what I mean. I was really inspired by that.

You know what I mean.

You mean you're talking about your wife all the time, Like, yes, that's how you do it. You know that's real bullshit. Every boss got they queen I'm talking about. So, oh it is your son thirteen, You turned thirteen, he had the hotel right now.

You have to have to bring in my school for this man.

But see, okay, so how does that work?

You know what I mean?

Because you don't hear about a lot of single dads with these careers.

It's tough.

How he was torn with me since he was little, like you know what I mean, I probably trained him on the spinner van, you know what I mean. So like sometimes I can make it work, like my dad, he'll help me on my my grandmother and my mama fly in and help. But he get times like this where it's like you got a slide, Come on, we get the online working, you get to get him a room, and we just try to just get it done now. Just I'm just trying to make it happen that you

Y'all talk about that thoughing life is beautiful, y'all talk about trying to balance being a father, you know, and your career.

So that's conversations you'll have off the mic.

I think it's just evident. It's just the energy he's gonna talk.

You know, he spoke about Eli a couple of times, and then you know, I'm I'm Halo, like the second highest earner in my household.

You know what I'm I think.

He get money.

How do you do with your son? Because I see your son hollering at women.

Now, Helo like that you chill out a little bit, a little bit or I ain't never told Helo even be humble, nod that you know what I'm Stay there, you that confident cocky, don't even man humble, won't because what do this mean?

What do this mean? If he ever asked me one humble men? I'm like, I don't know, I don't know. Stay like you are. And it's just about you installing confidence, especially in you know, young black boys. You know what I'm saying.

I'm on them about you know, getting his books done, whether he reading on the way to train or whatever. But it's just, you know, it's a blessing to have because I honestly feel like he is a direct reflection of my father, who passed in twenty twelve.

I felt like Helo.

He just too mature to be nine years old, certainly. Yeah, so I'd be like man and he started casting just like my dad was.

So I really I'm into you know, I'm a spiritual type of person, so I'm kind of into that. And then my two girls they growing up driving. My oldest is driving to school. So it's just like you look up man, next thing, you know, you know, the house is gonna be empty and a little bit or whatever that is, you know what I'm saying. But it was cool to kind of pop about it over these type of vibes, you know what I'm saying. And that's that's that's what it is. I don't think it's about what

It, and I can sleep good at night knowing that what do you want Halo to do, man, because God's the limit for a young Halo. What do you want him to do? Like you personally as a father, what would you want to say, You're going to the league.

Okay, you're going to league, so you want them here going to the league. I just really say, you know, no, I didn't go. I didn't go to the Super Bowl. I watched it at my studio back in Atlanta with a couple other guys. I had the chef cook and I just actually had a show in Chicago on Saturday with Jeezy, and so I came back to Atlanta Sunday because I wasn't sure how it was some question marks about the New Orleans trip, and I just came home and chill like that, and then I came back out

So, and I'm coming trap from Vegas. I had the club live right before like some we got the airplane was straight to the the video. But it'd be hard. We're getting it done. We looked back like happy we did all that. Kind of tired, but like, look back we did that ship coming.

From the Bay Area. How difficult is it to get that sound out right?

Because a lot of times when people think of the Bay Area artist, they put them in a box.

How difficulty was that for you?

You know, you got to jump over the loops and come from different angles, and you gotta be first.

You gotta be respected.

You know, they gotta know something about you, like know that you ain't like just a random dude talking about this and that you got to jump over them loops like I was. I was blessed to be able to have connections in atl you know, living in atl when I was a kid and coming from a different angle and working with people over there. Like one of my first mixtapes with tm AD eight the way Mafield, he gave me a b pack. That was my neighbor, you

I hit him. I hit a few beats. That's the dope.

Think about Atlanta.

Just everybody, just like you do the mood to Atlanta if you want to. And just my first the way I met Wayne was just like this.

I was I was obviously selling weed, and but I was I was selling weed, but I was using the money to book studio time and Patchwork, which is like a renowned studio on Atlanta. This by one of the X Falcons players. Everybody would be in there, you know, that's where people went. And so I was in like a little b room and baby them from cash Money was in the a room, thirty cash money dudes whatever.

Whatever.

So somebody came to in and say, hey, them boys, them boys next door need some weeds. So I was like, sh I come over there. You know what I'm saying, it's like the number ones. You know what I'm saying. I'm being cool, but like he wasn't smoking that time, but he had some other guys. They take my weed.

I'm telling them. I think this was like four fifty at the time.

You know.

You know what I'm saying, I take I give them the zips they don't no money come. You know, I'm like, I don't know, I can't give nobody. No, we ain't in that position. So I ain't up going to New Orleans with them following them about this, now follow them about this nine hundred and so this was this was before Katrina or you know, they had all these mansions. Everybody had a match. They had a matching for everybody.

He did it, so yeah, I just.

Never collected it.

So every time you see him, you could be like, that would have been.

More valuable I needed. Then I looked up. I was on the way to New Orleans about that. I'm like, they go to my Slim. We out here, we are what we're going.

I'm going. I ain't got nothing to do.

I go to New Orlean but I'm not.

But you know, you ever thought about changing your name again? Because you went from teddy boy to to change and now you you know you're a mogul.

You ever thought about I go by Tony? Okay, I ain't say to change the whole album. I didn't even think about that. I did, but that was intentional.

Absolutely.

Wow.

Now the one I asked a hip hop question, favorite production on the beat? Mine is always shook ones my deep. That's how I start with your alchemists favorite production of all time, all time?

I mean that's so I'll just say maybe what you're saying, E P M days, I ain't ready for that.

You are ready for that? Shoot one?

You know?

I just picked one.

If we're talking about favorite, like ow, you know we had to be a certain producer. I can't just say favorite beat of all time.

I don't think too bright, that's too wow, how many damn songs?

Because it's that one soe that you always hear that beat just like h and that's always shook ones for me every time I heard ship.

Wasn't just set it off in the party, he says out. You know what I'm saying, you got.

Pocket plan it just I think for me, it's moved. I'm I'm mood moody, yeah, mouy. So this morning when I woke up, I listened to Life's Beautiful because that's.

What mood I was in, right, I went, I heard that beat me that thing. It was stupid. It just came on as like a movie when I can see it, you know what I mean. I saw it like that. When the beat came on, it.

Was like that was the last song we did too.

That was the intro, was the last one.

Last.

We did that in Atlanta.

And when we did it, we did that that boy now we did that. No, we did that in l A l A four in the morning. Remember, Oh yeah, that's right, But it.

Was the last song we did.

That's right, watch your name now, Life is Beautiful.

That's how we was feeling at the time, life feeling change. Change came up with that one.

Yeah, because honestly, the song that Larry did, Life is Beautiful. I really love that song. I really love that song. I love that the context, the content of it. And then when I thought about it, and obviously I thought about it before the because I thought about the La fires as well, because I got homes in l A.

And so I was like, but any of them affected?

Nah? Man, God, that's good. I'm trying to sell one y'all, so I'll let me. But but I said to say that, I didn't want to be offensive to somebody whose life wasn't beautiful.

At the time.

But I kind of just overall I overrode my opinion on that and I just brought it to the guys. I think we should call life is beautiful because I think if you just got life period, you know what I'm saying, you just got life at a period. That's that's what I was trying to like, you know what I'm saying, pinpoint right there?

One line I love when the records too, you said I don't gate keeper on want everybody to eat, and that that's very true about you. Has there been a time when a gatekeeper trying to keep you up all the time.

Man, I'm impressionable. Man, I'm you know, I'm somebody that somebody probably try to set a screen or try to block on. But man, I'm someone that truly believed that if it's for you, it's for you. So but yeah, I've been in that. I'm saying, now we talk about numbers and all that. This is a big secret, been going on for years. How people been manipulating the game. Ain't nobody came and say, shorty, I just seen a little dude in my in Kindland, in my club. He said,

In my set.

So then when I seen that, my intendency, I don't know if you really about business because you got the same stuff.

Yes, they just I shouldn't even have been judging, because boy, when he showed me popping up like little bitty measles.

But he can make you what he can do.

He show he just was like, I do this. I make sure. And we was in the club. That's another thing. I hate talking in the club to y'all. Man. I can't get y'all, and then I.

Don't want to get too clock if you spit on him, go crazy.

So that's why I kind of be y'all might think I'm funny.

Man.

Let's clear this up now. Let's let's just write a letter or something. Write a letter, maybe write a I don't know how we should communicate in the club. If I don't give you my number, let me think on him. But just getting really close to me. If I'm sitting down over me, I hate that, so I'm gonna stand up. And if you am my ear, I don't like too loud.

It's too loud. Then I got to.

I got to see what you want?

Is the unclalled this. I got headphones all the time, so I don't know. You know, that's just the part.

But I did see some stuff and then it popped up a couple of weeks later, so I probably need to find a little buddy, what about.

You the same ship? Like I heard you in the breakfast club.

He got the he got the recipe. We're gonna We're gonna outstream Kindred this week. I'm gonna.

That's just about you and you. Yeah, I think a few times, you know what I mean, but I don't really see it as much.

I'm not gonna lie be in my own bubble, but I think people do try to gay keep, But I try to do my thing so much that I can avoid that as much as possible. When I'm focused on the I'm more like fan driven, like for the people. So you can try to get keep with the people, rocking with me all the haze, it don't even matter. Like the people is the people. I'm still doing digits, you know what I mean. I'm still pulling up, hopping out, drinking orange juice and ship you know I'm talking about.

You know what I mean?

That the fans like listen to all the outside and ship, don't you know? They shouldn't do that. I can't get him on that show, then fuck it. We go keep going outside. We'll keep hopping that trunk, and we'll keep doing numbers.

You know what I mean about you?

They try to keep you away from certain artists, and I mean just straight up gatekeeping is corny.

It's laying.

Anybody who does that is like a sucker to me, Like you're insecure, you know what I'm saying to me, gatekeeper has got to be some of the dumbest shit. Like there was some stuff I encountered over the years, but more than that, I encountered the opposite, like DJ Premiere, Like when I first met him and was around him, Like I met jay Z my first time with Premiere, and he was.

Like, Yo, this is al He's dope, he got beats.

And what I took from that was like Premiere is the utmost level of secure.

He's not afraid.

If you gatekeeping, you must be afraid that this next guy is gonna come take your spot.

Get up out of there.

That's nasty. I don't I don't approve of gatekeeping, Like we stand against that, you.

Know what I mean?

Now, you just meet the grams.

Originally was that a gospel record supposed to be a gospel samples is from a gospel gospel record?

Yeah, what gospel loawgs? You made that dog shit?

For you know, I didn't.

Like yeah, and I you know, yeah, that's that's the gospel record here.

The sample was how do you feel wh people make your beat like this record?

It happens a lot to me, it does happen to you like fifty of the animal things back then, and it was the Bang Bang and I will come like I want to be switchering.

Really.

I tried to tell the rappers, hey, I'm switchering, like leave me out of it, you know, but they end up making me the battleground. I mean, I'm indifferent to it, just like I'm not. I don't have a dog, you know. So it's like I make I make beats.

Do people get mad at you though?

Cause sometimes I know you're like, but look, here's the beat.

I'm not sure for.

Sure, but you know, in that case, I had sent the record to dot like like excuse me months before that happened, and like I heard it when everyone else heard it, so it was like, yeah, that was one of them situations where it was like I don't like to get involved in stuff, but sometimes it happens, you know.

It was you know, it was tricky during the time when p in Mall Deep and for J.

It was always a weird thing and it probably stopped me from doing work with J back then.

You know what I mean.

But you know that's what you posted Which times we spoke for sure back then?

You know what I mean, Like definitely you was so click with MOBP what I mean you remember back then it was kind of like it was like there are instances where they're like, damn their family and it would kind of be awkward.

Listen, man, this is a crazy question because I asked my I said, do you feel more like an East Coast producer or a West Coast producer?

He like, what coast?

And then we walked into my piece of spot.

And it was like to New York, Yo, yo, yo yo. I never thought about you with the West Coast are synonymous East Coast production? Nociper said, But no, I never never, right, Okay, we made my mark out here, like if somebody had to tell me to look like the top tenies go producers of all the time I'm putting documents on that.

Queens.

I mean, I put in a lot of work here, you know, So, I mean it's blessing in New York embraced me and I had an opportunity at the time to work with like think about that era, like I was working with Lives Mob Deep, you know.

In the time when they was like aplan airplane.

How'd I get And I went to school first, I went to YU and then I just stayed here. I was already tied in with Mugs. Long story short. He connected me with Mob Deep and that everything happened from there. That's why I love Mob Deep forever. Like I actually had to ask Pe when he was beefing with Knaves to go work with Knaves on god Son because that's what we go back to the beef thing. I respected P is that and P was during their beef and P was like, oh, I know you're gonna give him

It was like, what are we gonna make it for jay Z?

It wasn't for him.

I played it for him though.

Yeah, you know hip hop, you know Campbell, it has been my brother for a long time, and I should go over there and play beach. And one time he popped his head and he just checked it out and it wasn't for him, I guess, but you know, yeah.

Why did you lie to Drake about being good? Kendrick said, two, Chain said you good?

But he lied? Why you do that?

You know?

I just think it was kind of like some word play because Drake and I got a song called no Lie, and so when he said he lied, I just felt like, I don't know, but I didn't take it as no kind of way. I don't think he was taking a shot at me. I've heard all type of instants when somebody wanted me to say something back. I just think it was a Mama where it was about Atlanta artists, and you know, I do have a couple of plaques

When you first heard it, what was your reaction?

Well, I can tell you that I can tell you that people who name me didn't say felt some type of way, you know what I'm saying.

So I don't I was okay with it, you know what I'm saying. You got other line of art at homies.

You know, I don't just a little babies a little basic and he said, keep me out of that.

I want.

Yeah, some people didn't want their name. Some people was like, why you didn't say my name? And it just no, like it's just a moment. It was just a moment that you know, but it didn't do nothing to me. I know, I think my my harmony, my my middle kid definitely says somebody asked at school, but it didn't get it didn't get hectic.

It was it was yeah, not in here. I didn't hear no, he said.

Line the last verse.

I never heard that. But that song.

Is on purpose, like you for the lights, like refuge.

With everybody.

I can particularly hear that that song. Fully, I heard a lot on Instagram and stuff like they need. I was doing the album with him at the time. I wasn't listening to too much ship though like that. But uh, you know, Kendrick, it's a little Kendrick. He hard respect the Kendred Sure. I just didn't know he brought you up.

That's crazy.

You never heard that.

Last Verson, by the way, phenomenal last Verson coming on the picture, like kept saying like they're talking about.

I didn't see that, but I never heard.

You know what it is.

You know, it's not a lot of songs with three verses. Three verses, so it's three verses the third.

You know what I mean. That's my opinion. I don't think a lot of songs. I don't believe.

On everything.

I love He he in his own bubble. That's why I love Wayne.

That's why I love him me.

That's why I love me.

You know what I'm saying.

Be in my own bubble.

I mean, of course I know some of the things I need to know, but I really be clueless to a lot of stuff.

And I'm cool with that.

I'm just cool with that.

You ain't here with Kendrick. Did you on the four first?

Oh God?

One last question?

Change?

How does it make you feel when you hit gods?

Like Tyler the Creator co signing this album Life is Beautiful and he actually said two chains you on this type of time.

Is yes with a bunch of essays.

It feels good. I have a great report with child. I don't think people know.

You know what I'm saying, great port and he's booked me for it all before when I was in a wheelchair. He booked me and was in the front. So I've listened to his last couple of albums and supported what he has done. And then I guess this one just spoke to him. And he has a lot of influence, so it felt good for him to not hold his nuts on something that he thought was very tasteful, and he didn't. I didn't ask him to do anything, he just did it. So you know a lot of these artists a gate keeper.

I don't know that's another version of gatekeeper.

But I can't let nobody know what's hard like.

That sometimes sometimes with no matter was the man.

I appreciate that.

I respect him.

Crazy me too to yours, Like like, what's your class.

Man? That's a good question, you know, maybe you know change, Yeah, you know, it's.

A different generation I'm talking about, like your classic Like uh said, he don't hang with the young.

Man really old?

Yeah yeah, he really like what he really I grew up with, like you know, MESSI mar Juice, the jack at A lot of classic they was older. I always hanged with a lot of older people, you know what I mean. So I really didn't really know too many people. But when I was in the a I met, uh you.

Know O G Mack go.

Tmdiate a lot of them rappers like that that New Atlanta, like the Batman Keys and all that Curtis and all.

I kind of all that, you know what I mean. So I seen that whole air and ship like that. Yeah, I was.

I was at nineteen. I became a father, so like I wasn't really I was trying to get my bread up. I didn't have no whip. I was trying to really, I said, I got nine months to get my ship together, and I just put my head down and I just was trying to create this world for myself. So yeah, I kind of missed a lot. I didn't go to no proms, I didn't do none of that. I was strictly yeah, like the Beautiful Man.

Let's let's get into a joint of that which I want.

To hear.

Life is Beautiful and text like the single Bad Choices, which I would hear Generation Generation. All right, let's get in the generation. Pick up the album streaming right now to Chaine, Larry You and The Alchemist. It's The Breakfast Club, Good Morning, so.

Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast