Welcome to the Good Stuff. I'm Jacob Schick and I'm joined by my co host and wife, Ashley Shick.
Jake is a third generation combat Marine and I'm a gold Star granddaughter, and we work together to serve military veterans, first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and their families with mental and emotional wellness through traditional and non traditional therapy. At One Tribe Foundation, we.
Believe everyone has a sword to till, not only about the peaks, but also the valleys they've been through to get them to where they are today.
Each week, we invite a guest to tell us their story, to share with us the lessons they've learned that shaped who they are and what they're doing to pay it forward and give back.
Our mission with this show is to dig deep into our guests journeys so that we can celebrate the hope and inspiration their story has to offer.
We are thrilled you're joining us again.
Welcome to the Good Stuff. Today, our guest is fantasy A, an absolute legend from the great City of Seattle, Washington. He's a rapper, producer, actor, and advocate for people with autism. Fantasya himself has autism and proudly speaks his truth.
He's a beloved member of his community and the muse for the filmmaking team Doctor Clean Productions. Their short film, Fantasy A Gets Jacked is a cult classic, and their debut feature film, Fantasy A Gets a Mattress, recently one Best Narrative Feature at the Seattle Black Film Festival.
He's a magnetic leading man on screen, a beast on the microphone, and a shining light in his quest to speak about living with autism.
I am already so excited for this episode, smiling already. Let's jump right in. Let's do this. Yes, Fantasy A, thank you so much for joining us. We love the energy that you bring to the world through your music and the films that you've started, and we're so thankful for your openness and honesty when it comes to talking about autism.
Thank you guys for having me. I'm looking forward to tell you about my whole story.
We were jamming out the other day to your Summer in Seattle video.
Oh did you Yeah?
It was so fun. It's such an uplifting song. It made me want to go walk on the pier and eat ice cream. So glad to hear that you can't listen to it and not be happy. That was a pretty little lady you had in there with you.
Yeah, I've known her. We were co workers at ball Park Stadium. Oh cool, Moble Park, Oh fun, very cool. And that's how that's how I got her involved of being doing projects with me, and she's inspired of what I do good and that made her really happy.
I imagine you have a lot of people that you've inspired that have wanted to be a part of your projects. I have a question why Fantasy A.
Well, why I picked that stage name. It's because I just read books that's based on magic and fiction, like Harry Potter and The Lawyer of the Rings and much more more like wizard magic. And because I like to go around a lot, and I'm the hard person to miss When people haven't heard of me and they want to meet me so bad, I'm the hardest person to miss, so I moved around quickly. Some people who want to meet me need to catch up with me before I disappear again.
That's right.
And the AA stands for my real name, which is Alex So that's.
Hrad and I completely dig it, brother, and I completely relate to the whole disappearing act. So when did you first start loving hip hop?
When I first started hip hop when I was about four years old, when I was in my mom's car when she's driving. I like to listen to old school wrap me like Tupac, Victoria's Big Stoop Dogg and other artists out there. That's how I first started loving hip hop.
Tupac and Biggie.
Yeah, I mean two of the greats, right, I mean two legends.
Yeah, like who who whis? People don't don't know who Tupaca b i G Is. Huh.
I'm pretty sure those people don't exist. Like everybody knows who Tupac and Biggie are.
Everyone knows. Everybody knows already over the years.
So fantasy, what was it in Tupac and Biggie's lyrics that spoke to you? Or what did it start off more as the beat that really started to speak to you.
What they're talking about like life expressions and much more. That kid relates to what I've been through. So that's that's that's that's how reason I want to be like them and say differently than what they written.
Yeah, for sure, that's beautiful. I mean music has that ability right to really speak to us.
Yes, exactly.
What was it like growing up for you?
It was tough to be when you're younger. It is because you know, I have ups and downs and something that kind of bothers me. That kind of made me think of how nervous and afraid when growing up.
And what was it like in your household when you were a kid.
I have my one brother, one sister, one's younger and one's older, and just my dad, my mom. He would live in the small house with only one floor, and that's it. It's a bit different, to be honest.
Did you and your siblings get along? Jake and I both have siblings, and we were very different from them.
We always got into arguments and fights. You know, it's like it was in the past. We didn't get along with each other back then, and now we get as we grow up. We just learned our lessons.
Yeah, isn't that interesting? Fantasy like, because it's the same with us. We talk about it all the time with our siblings, and we see it with our boys. You know, they go at it and it's like, hey, really yeah, you know, just like last night I was like, hey, hug each other and look each other in the face and tell each other how much you love each other right now. Of course they hate it at the time,
but they'll hug each other. And then I told them, one day, you're gonna miss this one day where you guys will you know, you're gonna have your own families and live in different places. You're still gonna be tight, but you don't get to see each other as much
as you want, just like with our siblings. And you're gonna miss this, you know, And they're gonna think back on it because the same thing that with you growing up the way you did with the siblings, and you have your arguments and your disagreements, and now that we're all adults, it's like, we know how much of a blessing it is to have siblings and to be able to have that relationship and that connection.
What was the relationship like with your mother growing up?
Well, when I was young, my mom and I don't get along with each other because of the meltdowns I've been and then couldn't get my way, and my mom doesn't want to get my way, so I get angry with her, have meltdowns, and through middle school and high school, my mom and I don't get in along with each other because the way acting and it's really hard for me.
Do you feel like they just didn't understand you.
Yeah, my mom doesn't understand me and much more, she doesn't understand what I want and she just doesn't want to do it. So that got me really angry. It makes me want to do something. And my mom is a bit afraid that I do meltdowns and bad and my mom doesn't want me to be around her her because of what I did. It's something personal and and and after high school, my mom.
And I.
Slowly to start getting along again. And the fact is my mom she just had a health issue. She suffered a stroke back in twenty sixteen, and she's also diabetic, so and she she couldn't take care of herself sometimes. But I still do love my mom and she's still here and I was, and I always checking with her and she calls me. And we used to live with each other before I became independent. And my dad he was an alcoholic and that kind of affected my life ability.
My dad and I don't get along with each other often while I was young, younger and after high school and before I grew up. It's because of his alcoholism. He also suffered a stroke in Alzheimer's and he kind of makes me really uncomfortable and afraid. And and I usually talked back to my dad, which is I shouldn't do that makes him do something that he shouldn't do to me, and he should know that that makes him a bad father. No father can do something bad to
their child with autism. My dad doesn't understand autism. Well, that's why he treats me that way. Yeah, so my dad and I don't get along with each other back in the days, and says he had a stroke. Him and I we talk sometimes and he loves me still, and he and he he makes mistakes and he overcomes his mistakes and he's that he's sorry.
So thank God for that. We all get older and we grow and we understand, you know, and then we start to get wiser the older we get. You know, it's just more life experience. I'm grateful to hear that fantasy grow.
Yeah, if my dad is not alcoholic, he should be a better person. He should remind himself be a better person. That's what that's that's what kind of dad I want.
What about when you're in elementary school? What was it like for you.
To be honest, it's just a bit different because when I was little, I usually have hard time paying attention and don't get along with my classmates. Usually I did something that I shouldn't do, like throwing stuff in the ground. That was the old me. That was the old younger me.
It's just like that. I couldn't learn anything like right, and I usually get in too large meltdowns at school because I would I'm in special ed. I'm in that specialized class with people with disabilities, and I usually get angry when I couldn't get what I want and it couldn't do anything that I want, can't play around my classmates during recess, and it's tough because I get angry usually when I have bad days at school.
In elementary, yeah, for sure, did you have many friends?
I hi set friends, but I have no friends. When I was in elementary school, I have no friends at all.
That must have been really hard for you.
It is what kind of impact did your teachers have on you when you were coming up through school?
Well, the impact that I get from them is they don't know how to handle a person with disability well. And I found it irritating when they like try to like rab me and put and put and put me at the wall, which I don't find it safe.
And you're just a child at the time, right, how do you how do you even try to understand that.
I'm just trying to like calm myself down and try to control myself, but they just held on to.
Me, and.
I just could not help it.
You know, we go through these traumas as children, and then we get into adulthood and we hadn't really done anything to address those childhood traumas, and then they seep into our adult life. Then we experienced a high stress
situation and we don't know how to handle it. And it seems like through the various forms of art that you've become so accustomed to and you've gotten so experienced with through music and now film, it seems like that's a way that you've really been able to channel that and grow and heal forward from those traumas in your childhood. So when did you start making music?
Like that introduction of music, it won't got into just till I'm in high school. Actually, it's called hip Hop Club, which is one of the after school programs I go to. It's only run every tuesdays.
What made you want to sign up? Obviously you love Biggie and Tupac, so you're like, oh, hip hop Club, I'm in that.
Yeah. What makes me want to join that is when I was at my old school at club in high school, I used to write my own rhymes, and when I went to EMP When which is now MoPOP, I just learned how to make my own beats through those machines they have, and that's how I get into music and record myself and much more. That's why I want to get involved with Hip Hop Club because it will help me put me on the right track and show everyone that I have feelings to share.
I'm curious to know to fantasy, what was it like to connect with the other students in the hip hop club when you went to the Center school.
Well, I told the students of what I've been through. How music helps me is to express my emotions and take me into the better path, and I just want them to do the same thing. Music takes them to the good path and remind themselves how good they are and not to worry about what other people said about them.
Did you connect with some other friends in that group?
Yes, I connect with the other three people like Sam and Peter who are who put together a hip hop club. They're really cool to connect with.
Awesome.
Rapping helps me to make my verbal skills better because I had speech trouble back in the days, and it's kind of hard for me for people to understand what I'm saying and everything. So rapping helps me to get my verbal skills in a right direction without messing up.
I respect and admire your courage for being your authentic self in this endeavor of creating your own music and now films. It's just something to be admired, and I love it. You and I actually have on the acting side, definitely, not on the music side, but on the acting side something in common because I've been able to do some acting too in my day. I really enjoy it because I get to kind of channel my life experiences and
have it portray somebody that's not really me. I would love to know where did you get in to the acting side of it?
How do I get to come to it? I just kind of joined this, uh this program. It's it's on the weekends, though it's within a different different organization, and they do they do this play audition thing for people with disabilities. We were auditioned for a play and we'll just do it for fun, and we did the real thing. It's down at the see how Children's theater at the Armory.
And so that's how we got into acting. And that's how I get in the drama because it helps me to express my interests, get my feelings out and show people that how how well I am to get myself.
Going absolutely and how did how did this? How did making music and how did acting? How did that change your life?
How it changes my life is not to look back in my past. And so that's how I get into music and acting because if I will help me to overcome my disability, so it would would not come back to haunt me. And and it helps me to get myself up, stand myself up and believe in myself and not to fail myself. That's the reason why I'll get into music and acting because it will overcome it will help to overcome my failures.
I personally love being on set when I get to be in a film. For you, what's it like to make a movie?
What is like to make a movie. It's it's cool because I've never been by someone if I can be in a movie before they just experience about me and they asked me if they wanted to make a movie about me. So and I said, oh, okay, I'm down for that. Awesome. So that's those that's what that's what gets me into being in a movie is by you know, say yes and accept it.
Yeah, what really drives you to do it.
What drives me into acting is when I go to bed and it tells me what a great day to be doing the filming and bew, be a good actor? How great? How great I am? That's what That's what I said to myself before I went to bed.
Good for you. We all can really learn a lesson there that positive affirmations and speaking kindly to ourselves and telling ourselves, you know, today was a great day and I'm doing good.
Right.
I think that's a great lesson we can all all learn from that.
Everybody should practice every day.
They should because if they don't practice it, then you never know what's going to happen to them. They will, their failures will come to them and they they will probably didn't listen to themselves, right, that's absolutely right.
Okay, So we were watching some of your stuff on YouTube and you are so entertaining. It's so much fun to watch, and I mean it's hard to watch anything done by Fantasy A and not just have a huge smile on your face. So thank you again for bringing joy to the world.
No doubt anytime. I'm glad it helps you.
Guys, it really does. It really does. And the movies you made with Doctor Clean Productions, they're absolutely wild and hilarious. So we just want to know what's it like because recently you were at a film festival.
Correct, Yes, I was.
What was it like to see your movie up they're at a film festival.
I was really shocked that they premiered it on the big screen and I'm just laughing, laughing, laughing, and I'm like, wait a minute, I'm on the big stream. That's what I was thinking to my head.
Did it just give you this great sense of accomplishment?
Yes, it gives me the great accomplishment. And how proud I am to help those.
Guys out to put that together, most definitely.
And I'm telling you it was the best moment of my life to that to make the film festival happened, the best moment of my life.
Ever, how did it feel to be embraced by such a loving, supportive community after having such a hard time socially when you were younger? Now you're older and you're an adult, and you were at this film festival and you were up on the big screen and you had all these people giving you love. What was that like? What did that do for your heart and your soul?
That's a good question that got me all hyped up and loved. It truly helps me. What to do with that is is to keep keep on thinking positive. And that's what that's one of my reaction is. It's just the beginning. So that's how I how much pride I
am of how big my heart has become. That I have a great heart, and I feel loved and I feel so much energized that every the whole community knows who I am and knows how much I changed their minds when they see me, what I've changed and what I made them become.
Most definitely, and you, I mean you are clearly very proud of Seattle. Tell us about Seattle.
Well, Seattle is a good city where people go on tours to like see the Pipe Place market, to say, you know, all the great parks and cherry blossoms and water parks and waterfront and Alkai Beach and golden gardens up and Ballard. That's that's Seattle is a good city. But everything's changed around there, you know. But I remain in Seattle until I die. And and people who are from out of town they love Seattle. And some of them don't because you know, they don't find it interesting.
That's just them. But me, I am proud of my city of Seattle because I just want them to like be happening with me changing their attitude and remind them of the same model every day, and that kind of made them happy. That's kind of made Seattle the happiest place to be around.
And another great lesson that we all should be focused on every day. Right, It's all about mindset. You are clearly such a great ambassador for the city of Seattle. What would your ideal day in Seattle be?
My ideal day in Seattle will be Friday, because that is when everything gets cooled down at the end of the day and I will say to myself, Wow, what a great week I have. Glad that day's over. So that's the ideal day that comes to my mind.
Good for you tgif we have.
Something else in common. When it comes to public speaking, I do a lot of public speaking.
Oh do you I do? That's cool?
Yeah I do. And for me it's therapeutic. You know, every time I get off a stage, my soul is a little bit lighter. I feel a little bit lighter just from being able to express that emotion that we all carry. And so I was curious, So know, how is how is speaking publicly about autism impacted your life? How is it one helped you deal with autism? And how has it impacted others on their view of autism.
How it impacts them is when they have like bad days or something, and how it impacts them. How it impacts me is when it comes to autism, I usually like get distracted on what's been going on. And for the people of the autism too, they get distracted and they didn't pay attention and they have speech troubles. I was just tell them to like remind themselves to listen better,
learn better, talk slowly so people will understand them. And tell people to respect of who they are and socialize with more people so they can get a hang of them, so they can get a hang of me. So they'll be more understandable of what I've been through and I'm autistic, and I want them to accept that. I want them to talk, you know, nicely to me than being badly, because that will make me uncomfortable and scared. So I just want them to know that, not to scare me with their attitude.
We all just want to be understood, right, And that's across the board. That's a human thing. And I know when you were in school, I mean that was a couple decades ago. We didn't have all of the resources that are available now for people that have autism. So in your experience, have things gotten better?
Well, it got better now, but back back in my childhood days, it didn't get better because they don't understand what autism is and they just took it the wrong way.
Thank god, we've been able to progress with the science and having a better understanding of it and to where we can provide people with more resources who have been diagnosed being autistic. You know, I mean, that's my little brother is one of them. And it's so really yeah, and it's just so courageous of you, fantasy like you have so much courage to be able to do what you do on top of working, and then you create in the art industry with your music and with your acting,
and you're such a light. You're such a light regardless of your past and your childhood that was tough and you've been able to come out on the other side. And you inspire people all over now because of the films and the music. And it's a beautiful thing to be able to say that, you know, more people should take the fantasy approach.
Yeah, you know, more people should.
Yeah, more people should look at life in the light and not the darkness. And you are such a light. I just want to commend you for your courage, because you have a lot of it, and I think that it's something that by default makes you an inspiration to
the human race. It's not that I think that. I know that because I get to meet people all around the world and I speak to a lot of people all over and I'm telling you, don't stop the path you're on because you are an inspirational human being and you have a lot of light to give this world. And the fact that you're continuing to do it and you're continuing to work as hard as you do. It's such a beautiful thing. I'll speak for Ashley and myself when I say this, We are honored to know you
because you are a beautiful human being in fantasy. You really are.
That's really sweet. Thank you so much forgiving me that. That makes my day great. I'm really glad to hear it. And that's that's more like it.
That's right.
Yeah.
What would you say to someone with autism that's struggling?
What I should tell people with autism is, don't think of bad thoughts, think of what's coming to you. Think of good thoughts.
Think about that.
People will love you, but it takes time. Just wait for the right time to come. Some people will come to you. That's why I should tell the people with autism. When people comes to you, you won't be alone. You'll never be alone until the right time comes. When the right people come to you, you won't be alone anymore.
Ah, that's beautiful. What advice would you give to someone who has an autistic family member, or maybe not even a family member, maybe they just meet someone that has autism. What advice would you give to people.
For the people who hasn't met an autistic person before, when you meet them, just respect of who they are treat them nicely and help them out. Help them. If they have bad days and people have been bullying that person with autism, just stand by that person, have their back and just keep that person safe and help the person out. If that person has a meltdown, just get that person to calm down and just accept who they
are and just talk them treatly. That's what the person to tell should do if they met a person with autism is to get to know them better, make them happy, don't make them look afraid. So that's why I should tell people who will meet the autistic person.
That's great advice.
That would be great advice just for any human to agree human.
You know, everybody should do that, right they have to, Yeah, because.
All of us are fighting something. All of us are struggling with something, you know, whether it's paying bills or you know, having to get I need a better job to make more money, to provide for my family more, or I miss my parents or parent, or I miss my siblings, or you've lost someone or so on and so forth. And this sharing of love, which is essentially what you just say. People don't understand the power of
healing that that has. And when you want to make somebody comfortable, the best thing to do is to just completely love them, just love them, knowing that everybody's fighting something. The words that you say that you've worked so hard in your life to be able to communicate to us are beautiful and they should be wretched in stone, because that's what life is all about. It's about just being a good human being and doing everything you can to
help others. And I just think it's awesome that you figured that out obviously a long time ago, and that that's what you're doing now in your everyday life. It just truly inspiring fantasy. So thank you for that. Don't ever change. I'll tell you that, don't ever change.
Appreciate it.
I love what you always say when you're signing off, and you always say be yourself, be inspired, and be respectful, and I love that. I want to get a sign made and put it in our kids' rooms that just says that, and then I want you to sign them if you would, because we're gonna put them up in their room. If you wouldn't mind doing that, I'll send them to you, and then we can even do like
a fan mail segment. We'll just send you some fan mail and then you can do a video and then we'll have the boys write something to you and then you can just read them on your fan mail. Is that cool?
That'd be great because I do all fan mail videos.
Awesome.
What's your favorite piece of fan mail you've gotten?
The favorite piece of fan mail ever gotten is from one of the YouTubers who who was in elementary school, and I find it's handwriting good, but then write it's a bit funny, but he is still learning though.
Yeah, yeah, I think it's awesome that you do that and you take the time to do that, and that it means a lot to you.
What brings you joy?
What brings me joy is to get people that I know together and I'm telling my family members how much I love them and how much they been there to take care of me in case if I have bad days, if people give me hard time, They're always been there for me. That brings me joy. And what else brings me joy is to meet the people who I trust, who are will be my real friends. It brings me joy, and like it brings me joy when I remind myself think of great, great thoughts from others and told me
how much I appreciate changing their minds. That brings me joy a lot.
Oh, I just got goosebumps. Fantasy A. You bring us joy, and thank you so much for coming and being on the good stuff with us today. It is such an honor to meet you and thank you for all of the work that you're doing, not only with your rap music and your acting, but also speaking about autism publicly so that more people can reach out and just understand each other better. And where can people find you?
Well, where people can find me, y'all can find me on YouTube under Fantasy A, and you also can find me under SoundCloud Fantasy fan King, and y'all can find me on Twitter under hip hop King four three and also you can find me on band camp under the same name Fantasy A.
You are crushing it, Fantasy Thank you so much. Whatever you're doing, keep on doing it, and keep on being true to you and keep on loving you, because that's what matters, man, That's what matters, and you're doing it brilliantly.
You really are such a pleasure to meet you and get to talk to you today.
Thank you so much for having me to get to know you guys and tell you about what I'm doing and my whole entire story, you.
Bet, Fantasy, the honor and privilege is all ours, brother, And I'll tell you what. You got two new true friends in Texas, all right, So don't you forget that. And we're gonna be definitely staying in touch. I promise you keep bringing lights of the world.
Brother, I will. I appreciate you so much, Thank you so much. That makes my day great. I really appreciate you too.
Awesome.
Thanks right.
Please do yourself a favor and go find the short film Fantasy It gets jacked on YouTube, find his music, and make sure to stay updated on the future. Fantasy agets a Mattress.
It's greatness.
It is pure greatness, the fact that he gets to find therapy and something that he loves and grow forward all at the same time. It's not only entertaining an awesome I mean it's perfect for the perspective that we all need to one go easier on ourselves and two.
Find the courage to grow forward and also have that compassion for other people because you never know what they're fighting, You never know what they're dealing with and what their reality is each and every day. So many great lessons to take from this episode.
Yeah, he's a truanspiration.
I just want to know where the best laugh in Seattle competition is because I'm submitting him for that. His smile, his smile, laugh contagious.
Yeah, our people's stock went way up. Yeah, no doubt about it.
Huge inspiration. Thank you so much for listening. If this episode touched you today, please share it and be part of making someone else's day better.
Put on your badass capes and join fantassa and go be great today. And remember you can't do epic stuff without epic people.
And y'all, Mama, y'all to be remember, be yourself, be inspired, and be respectful.
Thank you for listening to the good Stuff. The Good Stuff is executive produced by Ashley Schick, Jacob Schick, Leah Pictures and q Code Media, Hosted by Ashley Shick and Jacob Shick, Produced by Nick Cassilini and Ryan Countshouse. Post production supervisor Will Tindi. Music editing by Will Haywood Smith, edited by Mike Robinson.