EP: 727 - AZ Chike Interview (uncensored)

I appreciate it. Brother, Yeah, yeah, yeah that what two times is crazy? Yes, sir? Got that sound, It's got that hike sound you feel yeah yeah yeah, A little growth to it is definitely there though. Yeah right, like yo, thinking back to like my World twenty eighteen, twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen, twenty eighteen, my world right from to now, dog Yo, what a journey home. Yeah, the work is being put in, brother, Yes, her skin Yeah, and I know at first you wanted to be like a conscious rapper.

Yeah yeah, right, who's your inspiration? Was it like common? I hate you sound so cliche? I said, it was definitely just the whole TV when it was on like the High Power era. You know what I'm saying. Definitely GD A lot of people sleep on him. He don't do it no more. But I'll give it to Big Shan too. But I was really referring to Tiger, like Tiger early days, like black thoughts and shit like that. Like that was the vibe, bro, that's what you feel

me like for sure. Yeah, me and the homies we prided ourselves on knowing how to rap, so the conscious way it was was the move. But it started off with as far as like rapping, it was a group. You were in a group, right as is a group? Yeah? Yeah? Is a group? Yeah. We started off like ten deep, like crazy, like ten DP. Now is including me is down to like three four you know what I'm saying. But I love it, you know what I'm saying on this strong survive you know? Yeah, for sure, it really

starts out that way right. You know when I got in the radio, it was four of us. Now it's just me all good? Oh good? You still keep in contact with the other members, Yeah, yeah, them my brothers. I talk to them all the time, play the game group chat like my spare time. We just go out and have fun random more. No, they all still rap. They all still rap. Uh no disrespect. No, No, it's good. They all still rap. Like you know, I'm very in

tune with that type of ship. I still give my input and help them out, like you know what I'm saying. Now that I'm at this level, it's like so much free game I can give them. So yeah, yeah for sure, boys. Yo. So at this point, do we have a stack of songs that we're just picking from for for singles? Uh? In a sense yeah, technically yeah, honestly yeah, yeah, due just got a shitload of song We got an album, right yeah. Yeah, I've been working, bro, I've been working

and I'm still working. I just hate to use the word, but I just want to really perfect this ship. You know what I'm saying, you have, I don't want to rush it, and you know what I'm saying, it's just it gotta be right, like you know what I mean, just due to the men that I'm in right now, you know, I got to come out the gates swinging, like and since you know, this album has to be my version of Good Kid Mas City, Like it has to be that, and I'm not taking it nothing less,

you know what I mean? You want to drop a classic and absolutely like I have to. I have to. I absolutely, we have to.

gonna hold them back and I'll just lock it. I'll be good. You're best under pressure. Yeah, yeah, I surely got a third grade one. I did homework every day. I never turned it in though I had a backpack full right hand to god. My teacher called my mom, told my mom, I'm like he do homework every day and got my ass whup And then she was like where your homework at? And she went through my bag. We had these like these monthly calendars, right and you

fill them up and you get some free pizza from Domino. Yeah, I kid, you know I filled up like four months once I turned all my homework in.

for sure gonna work out. We've been dropping a lot of projects, bro throughout the years, right, But do you consider yourself a new artist? No? I don't, but to others I might be. I would say I'm a new artist growth wise, because this is the first version of this hike, Like you know what I'm saying, Like, there's I've never been this way before, you know what I mean. So in a sense, yeah, I'm new thanks to the growth, you know what I mean. Yeah, we're watching it, bro,

we see it. It's insane. I appreciate it. It's really happening, bro. Yeh fact, how many variations of Pekaboo is there? Would you say? I think it's only two, the one y'all heard and the one we did. Yeah. I just think he just shortened it, like the original Pikaboo was a lot longer, and we did like more different flows and different casuses, like more going back and forth. But I feel like he just did that to have more to work with, which is great too. Yeah, of course it's

better to have more than less. Yeah, but with y'all here was literally the beginning of the song, like that's how it start off. Like he didn't switch nothing around, everything extra, he just literally cut off. You know what I'm saying, Is there a line that didn't make it onto the version that we have now, not that you wish would have made it, Not that I could remember. I know one of the other segments. I think I did another like set of like rapping on the Pikaboos.

There was another segment like he had me like rapping, like like it was back back back. It was crazy that that was pretty dope. I wish that kind of made it, But that's probably it. I mean, y'all, maybe a remixed dog.

love the challenge. Yeah, I love the challenge and it's okay to lose as long as you know how to you know what I'm saying. So yeah, that always makes it. I feel like losses make it stronger than wins, to be honest, you know what I'm saying. That's the truth. Yeah, So talking about something that all the time you gotta lose to win. Yeah, one hundred percent. Unred Hazy Chick is here my j Yeah, sir, man, game time, let's

go back to that real quick. So like when you drop game time, right, like, what what what's the intent for game time? I love the production on it, man, Yeah, yeah, I appreciate shout it dupree. You know, it's all in

the name man. Just honestly, it's literally game time, Like you know, it's time for me to lock in that I've already been doing and it's just showing that I'm not letting up, you know, front of the song to the video itself, like you know what I'm saying, it's just standing on that like you know what I'm saying.

was changing clothes. I wasn't changing clothes somebody in my ear telling me about something or I gotta I want to. I'm very hands on, so I want to see how sh it is being done, and you know what I mean, it just makes me more confident in doing it. So it was it was on the goals, moving fast.

what I'm saying. And give me a little when I go out there, you know, when I put this together. So yeah, for sure? Yeah, Like, are you sure this looks good? It's a thin line between fly and Corny sog know, and to them, you look good, but you don't feel good. Yeah, that's the problem, and that's the loss right there. That's a lot. And if I do end up looking at Corny, let it be on my time because I chose to do that. Yeah. Yeah, so there's no one else to blame but yourself. Facts. I

can live with that. Yeah for sure. What was it like opening up and being on tour with Shortline Mafia? Man? That was dope. Soon of the best times of my life. Yeah, how were you? Uh, there's like twenty three, twenty twenty three, y'all a wild and that was twenty three. Yeah, it was crazy, It was yo, and nobody Nobody's never asked you that question. Yeah, shut out the my guys. Uh.

It was crazy times. But I also took a lot from that, Like you know what I'm saying, And I always say, I don't feel like people give Shortline the flowers they deserve, like like those was the first artist I've seen like around my age, like the young niggas like really torn the country off the West Coast, saying like a lot of motherfuckers can't do that. Even bigger West Coast artists that was bigger than them could not

do that. Like I'm watching them sell out the Webster Hall in New York, I'm watching them sell out Missouri, Atlanta, and I'm with him. I'm seeing this ship and it's like it's not even like the people just showing up, like no, these motherfuckers screaming the words word for words. So crazy it was. Yeah, it was an amazing experience. And you know what I'm saying, we had hell of fun, Bro, I'm sure there was a lot of fun going on. God take me back so much doing bro you memories.

Uh and back then short Line too, they were they were going crazy. Yeah yeah, Nah, that ship was nuts, Bro, That ship was nuts. I don't know, I'll tell you what crazy. I don't know. They're gonna be mad at me for telling this, but I think it was in Missouri, right and uh, I guess they like brought some girls onto the bus, but they didn't know Phoenix and Jez didn't know that they girls the actual girls full out there.

I think still remember this. They got them and they girls followed the tour bus and got on the ass. That ship was so crazy they got caught for sure. That ship was crazy, bro. It was so much that crazy shit because you gotta think about Shortline Mafia. They was really like fifteen twenty deep in all time broh, Like I fucked it all over it out yeah yeah, yeah yeah. I don't know how they did it, but they did it, bro. Like I said, that shit was epic.

I got to see like the rest of the country, like my first time in Cincinnati and all this shit. It was like thick snow and you know what I'm saying. And also with them, it taught me how to work a crowd because at times they did have a lot of openers and the crowd would get wrestless, like Nigga were here for Shoreline, Like they would start changing shortline, and you rapping the people that are working the hardest of the people that are opening up a toy. So

I did so many days. I just start learning, like I never got boot off stage, and not because I was just so crazy on stage. I just knew how to read the room. You know what I'm saying. If the crowd wrestlers, I'm not going to go do my whole set. I'm going to go do my bangers, crowd and gauge and I'm out. You know what I'm saying, Bring someone out from their town. That's what I did. They did Webster Hall. I kid you not, we did Webster Hall. New York is a tough crowd. New York.

They don't play that shit. So I'm already hearing niggas get booed off stage. And when I went I brought out Rich from New Jersey, so they went crazy. You know what I'm saying, Like Rich, he came out for me. Yeah, yeah, I'm telling you I knew. I knew the playbook, bro, like they wouldn't get me fu Yeah. I mean tonight, bro Hell and they will boo New York. They talk about your feelings. They don't give a fuck.

those up, getting it done. Bro. You pulled up the Tyler creator and said a fade or a feature, what's it gonna be? My ship? And then post for a picture and told him say, gee, I'm not giving them no time to think about it. Let's take this slip. You think about it on your way home. Furet for either Yeah, yeah, yeah, this music is my life. We're gonna put my life on the line. We're gonna squabble up, shoot it out with you. Give your feature, We're gonna

fight my Yeah. As long as we can. Yeah, as long as we can make beautiful, creative music, we can scarred, knuckle up. As many times you want to talk, you know what I'm saying.

went to a restaurant the day of my birthday. I kind of feel like it was like God, Like I was just chilling the waiter. He was black. He looked at me like you wrapped, but he friends, he got the little accent and ship. He was fucking with me. Then like another waiter came and I was eating dinner by the Eiffel Tower. And it's like at a certain time it started like doing a little sparkling ship and the waiter lady was like, when me take a picture for you? Like it was crazy, bro, it was crazy.

It was crazy. It was cringing. Yeah, Like it was like, honestly, didn't even need nobody, Like you know what I'm saying, But it was crazy. I found me a never I could never do. You could never do nothing like you never do. I would love. That sounds so good when you got a wife and kids at the house. I would love to do that. Yeah. I'm the first born though, so it's like, oh, yeah, you used to doing ship by myself. You know what I'm saying. You have to

be your own grown up. Yeah, yeah, you have to sign your own permission slip and I found a photographer out there on TikTok like I have to. I was the searchion on TikTok founder. She was cold. It worked out, dope, it worked out, man. Sad. That sounds like when you went to Italy, Bro, you went your son? No, yes, fire people on them for they think they hit Americans. But yeah, I had a great experience. It's like yours. No fact, food is great. Did you ask cargo or anything local from there?

fucking sellout. Why do you come over here first? Take your staff beca like you know what I'm saying, Yeah, you're a fucking shoutout, like you want to come over here and ball out in front of the mirror. But you know what really hit me is that it's the demographic. Yeah, it was just a demographic. It was a lot of black people out there. But I'm like, pars sit on top of Africa, like it was a lot of colonizing going that way. And I'm like, so it made sense.

So it even hit me harder. I'm in the airport, I'm saying, all these black people and they don't even know they speaking straight French. I'm just like, damn, that's crazy. So I gotta go to Africa, bro, Like I have to my man, that's what. Yeah, I gotta go. You learn any French? Fuck No, I start trying to learn French once I'm leaving, Like it's crazy. I swear to god,

you want to come back? Yeah? Yeah? And I'm like I was like I was at the airport early so I'm just like buying ship and I was trying to talk to the ladies. I'm like, let me learn why I'm here, Like, it's a little too late for that. All I knew was Mercy. That's it, Mercy, Gee, that's rank you. Yeah. I just keep saying thank you, Mercy. Oh Mercy. Yeah yeah, come from France, Mercy.

Yeah for sure. Yeah. Yo, the video of you sitting on the couch with your people watching kinder Reform Peekable with the Super Bowl and then he does your verse. Bro, Yeah that was crazy, crazy man, Like I got you. I don't imagine what you were feeling. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that was insane. It was. It was a rush, bro. You know, we didn't we didn't think he was even

gonna do that. My manager stud it was like, we're just gonna watch it and to see if he's gonna even do Peekable, Like we just thought maybe he gonna do peopable. There's no way chance he thought he was gonna wrap my verse. So that that shit was crazy, bro, Like that's an honor, right, Like all right, Like being there would have been crazy, but like him doing your verse makes it so much more important. Yeah, that's even better than me being there, bro, because he's doing he's

going out his way to do my my verse. Like you know that shit is like that shit is like a good stain to have, a good score to have like in a sense of like that shit's gonna live with me forever, like you know what I'm saying, Like that doesn't go nowhere, Like you know, it's now a staple in my career and.

best friend. When I talk to that best friend, Jay Reel, shout out jal uh. He is an executive assistant and he always know everything, Like before it happened, even before gn X dropped, they called me the night before about doing like some extra vocals. He was like, I'm gonna call and let you know. And when they dropped the next morning, he was literally one of the first people to call me. He was like, bro, yeah, nigga, I

want to tell you so bad. And then it was the same thing with the Super Bowl, Like when it happened, he was one of the first people to call me. He's like, yeah, you doing for to say, I want to tell you so bad, bro. But he like uh. He was like he was asking die while he was rehearsing, like like, you're gonna really do his verse, like yeah, I'm gonna make that nigga shit look good, like you

know what I'm saying. So that ship is though that I get to I know the front end and I know the behind the scene, like you know what I'm saying, Yes, sir, Yeah, Kendrick really my boy man, that's really my guy.

standing in the test of time, proving myself. You know what I'm saying. And yeah, they email me, Bro, we knew, we knew. We freaked out when we found out too. Next door coming through, Yeah yeah, that's gonna be ever crazy's gonna be yeah yeah yeah, why smile again? Dog Yoah, I mean ship I know. And then it's the hometown show,

you know, Bro, it's the whole town show. And like I get hit up all the time every day he do, because you know, he performed people every night and we did, uh, we did like promo for it, like to where when our song come on, they play us on the screen. We did a whole shoot with PG Lane for that and yeah, man, it's amazing. I can only imagine what's gonna be like in person. You know what I'm saying.

It's gonna be crazy. It could be another I mean I think it's gonna be I mean the pop out was so legendary right right, right right, But like for those who weren't there, it's almost like a maker right right, you mean, yeah, yeah, there it is. This this, this is gonna be one of the ones though, thinking about the pop ups one day, this ship is going to be three days. Such a legendary tour. Bro first nine million, stop playing. They're gonna make more than in l A. Yeah for sure. Onred percent.

playing bro. Next week is super full for me, but that's gonna be work. Yeah. Yeah, I got like six shows in seven days next week, so it's gonna be a crazy week for sure. That's wild. Man. When you recently pulled up to our tenth birthday party too, we appreciate that was lit. That was lit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up my guy, Ron stupid man. He always giving me the heads up, for sure. I was That was crazy to have you there, man. We appreciate that for sure,

of course. Man. So the album on its wife. We're working. Yeah, we're worried hard hard Bro. I'm doing as much as I can as possible. Definitely, with everything going on, it's either you know, stuff of this nature, just doing my press or a show or album. Like you know what I'm saying, like I'm not too much fucking off or just going out my way to have unnecessary fun. As dull as that might sound, me, being focused is fun for me because you know, I get to reap the

benefits of it, and no locking an equal success. Yeah, I gotta make this shit count at the end of the day, you know what I'm saying. But I'm working. Like I said, I got a lot of strong solo records. It's the feature side now that I need to execute. And I feel like it's coming up. Like you know what I'm saying. It's a lot of stuff and talks. A lot of big artists have reached out to me, see me opens to different things. I guess it's just

really seeing what fits the world of the album. Like it could be a great song from a great artist, but if it don't align with the album, it's gonna make it a little more difficult because you you know, I mean, I would love that, but I don't want to be thirsty and just throw off the whole vibe, you know what I mean. So there's so much to be considering it, would you so hands on? Bro? Yeah? Bro, like it to be considerate of. And but I know,

once I get the features, then I start synchronizing. I started doing all the in between stuff that's basically the glue to the pieces of the album. Like you know what I'm saying. So I'm working hard. I'm telling you, we believe it, Bro, We believe it. Man, you can't wait to hear it. We watching though. No, Yeah, it's gonna get right man. We're gonna see you at the gr next door. Yeah, see you on stage. We'll be

in there, dog, We'll see you there. Bro wearing security. Yeah, I'm telling you ship, I don't get that the call. I'm about to be with y'all. And hell yeah, we're gonna walk in as catering man. What We're gonna figure it out? See tight Cruise Show Real ninety two three, My guy salute. Yeah, sir appreciates.