0:27

Hello, Hello, Hello, was poping friends, appreciate you being here always,

0:32

Thanks for rocking with us. This is episode fifty three. We get

0:35

it up there. Give us a follow on Instagram at Underscore FTR pod I'm

0:39

at Angelina on air. This is for the record with Angelina And in this

0:43

week's episode and for the culture, Will Smith reunited with Jada Pinkett Smith in

0:49

Baltimore and had a few words for her and let's talk TV. Netflix has

0:53

us messed up all over again, and bitch, there is a door dawsh

0:58

thief in the building where I were. And then today in the Bay Rapper

1:02

producer, the insanely Talentedmani Draper joins the show. So by all means,

1:07

let's get to it. This is for the culture, for the culture or

1:15

the culture. This is where we pick a headline and ask if they,

1:18

she or he did it for the culture. Listening to you guys, I've

1:22

been doing pretty good too, not bringing up this damn couple and they're mess

1:26

not talking about it, but we have to, we have to have some

1:30

thoughts. So Jada, she's been continuing, you know, her little press

1:34

tour for her memoir Worthy, this upcoming book that she's getting ready to put

1:38

out. We've been seeing Will and Jada in the headlines up forever. You

1:42

know, at first, I think it was like America's favorite couple. You

1:47

know that Jada and Will love and then there were these ongoing rumors about them

1:51

possibly being in an open relationship and maybe it's not what we think it is.

1:55

There's something weird going on behind closed doors, America's favorite couple. Then

2:00

the entanglements happened, further fueling those rumors of being in an open relationship.

2:07

Then the slap heard around the world happened. Then you got Jada constantly throwing

2:12

these little jabs that Will. People are like, does does she even love

2:15

him? Are those even his kids? No, there's no denying those damn

2:19

kids. All this stuff keeps happening, and then Jada drops a bomb and

2:24

comes out to say that they haven't even been together in the past seven years.

2:30

They've been living two complete separate lives. Then she hit us with the

2:36

bomb. We find out they haven't been together and like over seven years.

2:39

Well, since all that happened, she recently did a show. I don't

2:45

know where it was at Baltimore. I don't know she was doing you know,

2:50

another stop to promote her book, and Will made a surprise appearance,

2:54

and he told the audience, I just really wanted to come out and just

2:58

be here and hold it down for you the way you have held it down for me. We have had a very, very long, it tumultuous relationship.

3:06

By the way, if you thought before this I knew how to say tumultuous, I didn't definitely had a Google how to pronounce that word. Continued,

3:12

Will Smith says, we called it brutiful. It was brutal and beautiful

3:15

at the same time. And then it goes on to say that Jada is

3:19

the best friend I have ever had on this planet, and I'm going to

3:23

show up for her and support her for the rest of my life. Can

3:25

I just say something real quick before this when Jada the thing I was most

3:30

annoyed with Jada, you know, when she started bringing up the stuff about pac not just because it gives the internet so much AMMO, because people already

3:38

are always trying to say that she's still in love with him and make little

3:42

jokes about Will Smith and you know, disrespect his family. So not only

3:46

did I give the fuel, but it just was it was just corny Godata

3:53

Jones Pack's last girlfriend before he passed away. First literally was with someone,

4:01

so like, some of her story doesn't add up, like did you say

4:04

like they were gonna get married or some shit like houseway he was in love

4:09

with someone before he passed away. My thing is, though he's had many

4:13

relationships in between that time, and you do not see these girls constantly going

4:17

online speaking on Pop's name. I don't know, It's just it was a

4:23

little corny to me. And this. I think it was at that moment

4:25

where I was like kind of feeding into where everyone else is saying, because

4:29

honestly, for the most part, I still love will and Jada, but it was getting real corny and I was like, man, I'm tired of

4:34

her too. I was jumping all the way. I'm gonna being tired of

4:38

Jada. So now Will Smith has come out showing her mad love, and

4:43

honestly, y'all go hate me for this, but I gotta respect it.

4:47

I've got to respect it because you know what, Yes, they are annoying

4:53

and they are so fucking messy that I don't even understand what is going on

4:57

in that household. But one thing that don't do is stick together and I

5:02

have to respect it. I was talking to my mom about this earlier,

5:06

and I hate that I'm comparing it to these people because I truly do hate

5:11

these people. But I'm like, man, who is someone else that is

5:15

so annoying and so messy? But they stick together? And I instantly thought

5:20

about the Kardashians because I am a Kardashian hater, although sometimes I do find

5:26

myself a giggling at their little clips when I'm scrolling on TikTok. But my

5:30

mom loves them, and her big thing is that, like, you know,

5:33

but they stick together as a family, Like she loves that they just

5:36

like stick together as a family, like no matter what mess happens. And

5:40

I'm like, damn, I'm me over here, Kevin for Will and Shade

5:44

like this, I saw this tweet that just really summed up how I'm feeling.

5:46

Shout out to add King Bale straight on Twitter. I've been following her

5:49

for a minute. Her tweets are fire, but I also follow her letterbox

5:53

d account. If you're not familiar with that Apple website, it's like,

5:57

I don't know. People go on there to like comment on movies. You

6:00

can rate them but it's not like just like as they come out, like you go find like an old ass movie and like and writing the comments what

6:06

you think about that movie, and like rate it out of five stars.

6:10

It's pretty dope. I follow hers. Her views are always fire. But

6:13

anyways, so Hollywood reporter put out Will Smith, during surprise appearance at Jada's

6:17

book event, quoted, our union is sloppy experiment and unconditional love. Jada

6:23

is the best friend I have ever had on this planet, and I am

6:25

going to show up for her and support her for the rest of my life

6:28

at King Bill Street retweeted it and said I love them, I'm sorry,

6:30

and then followed up saying I love a good, messy failed marriage. Every

6:34

new complication adds more to the lore and my entertainment. Open marriage, separated

6:40

for seven years, showing face in public, coming to her defense publicly,

6:44

dul memoirs and pressed tours. They're allegedly back together. Literally Shakespeare couldn't write

6:48

it. Bruh, Shakespeare cannot write this, and apparently they're thinking about writing

6:53

a book together now. I don't know what it is about them being absolutely

6:57

insane and messy and still sticking together and showing each other the most of love.

7:01

I'm here for it. I'm sorry, I'm kind of rooting for them.

7:05

Even when the Internet was going crazy and going in on Jada and I

7:11

did find the pop stuff corny and she is making Will look a little crazy

7:15

out here, but it didn't bother me as much as it was the entire internet. And I'm you know, I'm reading all the commentary and the only

7:20

thing I could think of was how much I loved mind You. I was

7:23

probably like ten. But when they hosted the BET Awards back when the BT

7:27

Wars was like firefire, like the hosts were always crazy, like Mooney Jamie

7:31

Fox. When Will and Jada did it YouTube right now, Will and Jada

7:36

two thousand and five BT promo Like the commercial. I had watched it actually

7:41

today because I was talking about it with a friend and the commercial like gave

7:45

me serotonin. It like starts off with like Will Jada, the whole family,

7:48

Willow Jadaen. They're like hello, They're like babies and they're just like

7:53

this happy family and they're like hey, the Smith's invites you to the bt

7:56

a Wards. Like it's like real preppy, real clean, real Brady Bunch

8:01

and then in the promo, like the cameras cut, they're like, Okay, we got it, and then like Will is like yelling at Jaden and

8:05

they're like all cussing each other out that that's dismiss for you. They don't

8:11

make no sense. I love it. I don't know. And I remember when all this was happening, I kept thinking, like, abe kind of

8:16

fire if they hosted the VT wards again with all this going on, samehow

8:22

this girl's like kind of reading for them for that book and for them to

8:24

have like dual press tours. I'm here for the mess. I want to

8:28

see more of it. Jada needs to tone it down a little bit on

8:31

the corniness. But I don't know. There's something about them truly not being

8:35

perfect, not being a perfect couple, be in this big ass mess and

8:39

still sticking together and briting for each other and still kind of being this beautiful

8:43

family. Like that's Will fucking Smith one of the greatest actors of our time.

8:48

I don't know, I say, Will Jada always doing it for the

8:50

culture, that's my hot take. Let's talk TV. Why is Netflix raising

8:58

their price? Says once again, I'm triggered. I think this started literally

9:03

yesterday, October eighteenth. It's I'm recording this on the nineteenth. You're probably

9:07

gonna hear it on the twentieth anyways. So basically, the basic plan,

9:11

you know, the nine ninety nine per month one is now gonna be eleven

9:16

ninety nine. If you're paying nineteen ninety nine like me, whopping twenty dollars

9:20

for premium, We're now gonna have to pay twenty two dollars and ninety nine

9:24

cents. Twenty three dollars. Oh my god, twenty three dollars. No,

9:31

Actually, I'm glad I brought this up so I can remember to cancel

9:35

my shit. The thing is, I don't use Netflix like that, like

9:41

every once in a blue moon when I'm tired, because I watched literally everything

9:46

HBO has to offer me. And okay, I don't use Disneyplus so much

9:50

either. I told y'all last week, I logged in in the first time

9:52

at Forever and Binge watched all the Disney Channel original movies. But I'm heavy

9:56

on Hulu, HBO, now Amazon Prime nowadays. I rarely go on to

10:03

Netflix. I think the last show that I was like really keeping up with

10:05

besides Stranger Things, is dead to me a Christina Applegate and the third season

10:11

had finally came out, the final season, and it was a mess.

10:13

It was pretty terrible. But after that, like, there's not a true

10:16

show that I actually keep up on Netflix. And I will say, every

10:20

once in the blue moon, when I finally just don't know what to watch

10:22

on the other show I'm using, I will log onto Netflix, and I

10:28

feel like every time I do that, the app crashes on me at least

10:31

good three times. And then I'll go in there and then I will watch a documentary and then be big in my documentary bag and watch a bunch of

10:37

dogs on Netflix. But that's about it. Netflix. You are so lucky

10:41

you have the Last Dance on there, But I'm pretty sure I go watch

10:43

it on Prime too. So I'm just saying, helpold of this streaming service

10:50

to not be giving us any fire content. When was their last like really

10:54

good show that everyone was houckd on. I would really have to think about

10:58

this, because I don't know for you not to be adding any like fire

11:03

movies either. I'm always looking in the movie section because you know, I

11:05

let me a good rom com and I'd be scrolling. I gotta go through

11:09

like where you skip all the genres and you're like, just show me all the movies you have on this fucking app, and you're just like scroll it

11:15

and scroll it and scroll and end up watching something that like you never even

11:18

heard of, and you try to watch it for you not to be serve

11:22

and fire content like that and constantly raising your prices is insane to me.

11:28

So we'll see if I actually cancel it. I know always say I'm gonna

11:30

do that every time they do this, and I don't because we still have

11:33

those moments of like needing all the outlets to watch something like never satisfied,

11:39

and I Am not going back to cable, I know every time they raise

11:43

the prices, like we all say like, oh, you might as well just go back to cable, or like we have all these streaming services,

11:46

like what's the point. I'm not. I'm sorry. Even though this is

11:50

a lot when I added up, it's still not the price of cable. When I was living with my parents, I was like one of the only

11:54

bills I had, and it was like three hundred dollars a month. We

12:00

didn't even have like we had probably like HBO, but we didn't have show time. You know, we didn't have all the channels. That's too much.

12:05

I'm not doing it except for maybe you know, the live sports. But you know, you could pay for live TV on Hulu if you like,

12:11

just buy the NFL package. You could you know, watch it through

12:13

ESPN or whatever. I don't know that one. I would consider getting cable

12:18

for once I get a TV in my living room, because that still has

12:22

yet to happen. But you know, Sundays I like to go to my

12:24

parents' house to watch football anyway, that's like, you know, my time

12:28

with my parents, to go visit them, or go out to watch with

12:31

someone, or actually go to the games. So I don't know. I

12:35

don't know. I still gotta think about that. But I don't know. Who needs to hear this Netflix raising them prices. Let me know what you'd

12:39

be watching on Netflix if you love it that much to be paying over twenty

12:43

dollars a month. Let me know, add Angelina on Air or ads Underscore

12:48

ftrpod. I said, if you wanted to go to Tailor's, just tell

12:56

a brother you want to go to Taylor's. Nice You said that? Oh hell yeah, man, I laid it out right, I says, I

13:01

says, I says, I said, bitch, bach bitch. I feel

13:09

like I gotta keep this one semi short because one Chris is not here this

13:13

week. And I'm also really really excited for our today and the Bay guest.

13:18

And also I feel like nothing excited, exciting has happened to me since

13:20

Monday, which was the last episode. Something kind of funny happened today.

13:26

I guess I'll share it. So I came into work early. I'm so

13:28

tired of coming into work early, because you guys know, I get off

13:31

late, like today, I thought I was gonna leave exactly at ten. I finished all my extra shows. I had a track after my live show,

13:37

and then I forgot I got to record this podcast. But it's okay.

13:39

I like talking to you guys, but it's like eleven thirty right now.

13:43

Anyways, came in early. I had a meeting with Reading Partners.

13:45

If you don't know, I am a board member for Reading Partners. I

13:48

used to volunteer with them back in my Lake Shelay Days early Lake to Day

13:54

Lake Lay Days, so back like twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen. It's a

13:56

really dope nonprofit education pro It's not just based in the Bay Area. But

14:01

basically there'd be there's students in schools that are like six or more months behind

14:07

grade level and reading, so you'd volunteer. I would go in I think

14:13

I was at the time two hours a week I was doing. I would

14:18

volunteer. I approve Elementary. But basically they have like books that are color

14:22

coded and it's based off the reading level. So like you would get one

14:26

student, you'd read to them a book that was marked with the yellow sticker,

14:28

and then you would keep going and then suddenly that student could start reading

14:33

books that were marked with a green sticker, and you just see their reading

14:35

improved. It's a really cool program. I strongly encourage you if you're looking

14:41

to do some volunteer work to go volunteer. You could do it virtually too. I'm gonna actually link it in the podcast. But I had a meeting

14:46

with them basically on how to improve their social media and like just ways that

14:52

we could get more people to volunteer, because I will say it's such an

14:56

amazing program, but it they are socials, it's just a little bit outdated,

15:01

a little bit in the Stone Age, Like the message is still very

15:05

clear. But I will say, a lot of it is just graphics,

15:07

and we know how the algorithm works. Like you have to have videos,

15:11

you have to have trending sounds, you have to do you know, collab

15:15

with the influencers. Like there's just so much that goes into social media.

15:18

And props to this team because you know, I feel like our meeting was

15:22

very it was very productive and we all learned a lot. And you know,

15:28

we're throwing them a bunch of feedback, the people that run the page.

15:31

But like at the same time, it's like it's two people running it,

15:33

and they're really running the program. They just happened to have a social

15:37

media page. It's like there's other A lot of people need a whole social

15:41

media teams, is what I'm saying. Like it's a lot to run a

15:45

social media page, you know what I mean. So anyways, we're just

15:48

brainstorming on that and then getting volunteer dates straight because a lot of us also

15:52

volunteer. But yeah, I used to volunteer with them back in the day

15:56

and I was doing good and then I would try to go back and my

16:00

schedules started getting crazy, especially when I started going back to radio when I

16:03

was doing like my college radio and it just never worked out. And now

16:07

that I've been, you know, a little more settled here at Wild and

16:11

with my career in radio, I've been trying to think of ways I could

16:14

go back and work with reading partners. But I know, like volunteering,

16:18

I can't do it as much as I used to. And yeah, I

16:22

had a meeting with them to get on the board and so far I like

16:25

it. Anyways, had a meeting with them through thirty, then had a meeting with my boss at four, and then after that I probably should have

16:30

came into the studio to finish tracking, but of course I was like,

16:33

let me go talk to Von chop it up with him. So meeting him,

16:37

had ordered some food, ordered me a little pokey bowl. You guys

16:40

know, I love my sushi, but I'm broke this week, so I was like, we're gonna have to get a little pokey ball, no roles

16:45

this week for me. Whatever, eat our food, carry out, live

16:48

in our lives. And then it's like an hour or two later and security

16:53

comes up and he's like he walks in with the bat. He's like,

16:56

this isn't yours? Is it? He's like, bitch, I know you do not just order more food and I'm like, no, that that's not

17:00

mine. That's not mine. I already ate. And then he's like,

17:03

oh, have you seen Vaughn. I was like, I think he's in his DJ booth. He doesn't have it. And then Van gos up to

17:08

me and he's like, hey, yo, is that your door? Hush?

17:11

And I'm like no, you know, I already just ate and he's

17:14

like, oh, yeah, well the name says Joseph or something on it.

17:18

And I went downstairs and they like took a picture of me with it,

17:22

because like Chris was handing it to him thinking it was his, but

17:26

it's not his food. So I don't even know why he let DoorDash take a picture of him with it. Anyways, we're like, what is this

17:32

bomb? Was like, it is some chicken taco's up in there. I don't know if you want to try it. I was like, oh,

17:37

you know, I am gonna be hungry later cause we ate kind of early, like four mind you, I'm here till like midnight Long Story show.

17:42

We end up beating this man's chicken tacos, but we cannot find who this

17:47

Joseph is. Mind you, No one is here at night, Like it's like three people up in here, me, Vaughn Dre cause we're like live

17:56

at night. And then sometimes there'll be some people in traffic, but we know who they are. But on the way out there was this guy and

18:03

I don't know who he is, but I was trying me and I'm trying

18:07

to avoid him. Were gonna go in the kitchen like while we were leaving

18:10

to like fill up our waters and wash you know, our dishes or whatever,

18:14

and we saw someone was already in there, so we like immediately turned.

18:18

I don't know why we did that. We're just like, who the hell is that? Like it's like, why who else is here? We're

18:22

like a little scared. And then we went to the other side of the

18:26

building and we're like, we have like these little lockers that I heart gave

18:29

us. I never used them. You could like claim one. I was like, I should probably do this, you know, I could put some

18:33

snacks up in here, some tampions. I should utilize this because I,

18:36

damn, you live here at the station. Why don't I use this locker? And that mystery man came by and like said hello to us, and

18:45

we're like, damn, I think that's Joseph or Josh or this mystery chicken

18:51

tacol person. Anyways, that is my that as exciting as my week got,

18:56

I accidentally stole someone's door dash and maybe we should have said something,

18:59

even though hours that passed. But guess what, I already tried two of

19:02

those chicken tacos and they're pretty good, and I wanted to finish the other

19:06

two that were in there, and I did. I just did it before I started recording this podcast, so I feel like I'm gonna have some bad

19:12

karma. But also there was like no name on the ticket. I don't

19:18

know how von knew that this person's name was Joseph. I think when he was like, tak it to the dasher, I don't know that is a

19:23

little blur. He was like trying to tell me what was happening. I

19:26

didn't really understand what's happening. But when I saw the bag, you know, like the receipt that they like attached to it or staple it. I'm

19:32

reading it. It doesn't even say what the restaurant is, because that was our main thing. We were like, this is how we were trying to

19:36

justify us eating this mystery person's food. We were like, yo, what

19:40

if this is a new taco spot and the tacos are fire, But we're

19:44

not gonna know that unless we try the chicken tacos. But then we're looking

19:48

at the bag and we're like, damn, we don't even know where they're from, though, because the receipt it just says three chicken tacos. It

19:53

literally does not say the name of the restaurant. It doesn't say the name

19:56

of the person who ordered it. So there goes our excuse of justifying stealing

20:02

this person's food. But I feel a little bad because, you know what,

20:04

I've been there. When you order something you already waited for DoorDash,

20:07

they're taking forever to deliver your food, and then finally you get a notification

20:11

that's been delivered. You go maybe downstairs, wherever the hell your front,

20:15

front of your house, wherever you're at, and you're like, where the

20:18

fuck's my food. You're looking out out the door, you don't see nothing,

20:22

and then you gotta get a refront for your money, but you're still starving, Like I've been there. You know what, Maybe this is my

20:27

good karma having this food get delivered and it wasn't even my idea. I

20:32

got talked into stealing this food. Anyways, That's what happened to me.

20:36

If you ever stole someone's food, let us know on door Dash or let me know like your tragic DoorDash stories, because I have a couple of those,

20:41

and I feel like this was my good karma of all the time door

20:45

dash has fucked me over. So you love me know and let me know

20:48

if I'm dead wrong too. You could put something in the comments on Apple

20:52

Podcasts in the review section or hit us up on Instagram, at Angeline,

20:56

on air at Underscore FTR pod. But yeah, that's the most exciting thing

20:59

that happened to me this week. But I'm really excited for our Today in

21:02

the Bay Gas, So let's get to it. This is Today in the

21:06

Bay with your hosts and Jelina. Today in the Bay we have a special

21:22

special guess this man really be rapping, rapping and producing kind of does it

21:29

all for Sid to Richmond a boy Monty Draper. How's it going. I'm

21:33

so excited you're on. I feel like we planned this like twenty years ago.

21:37

I should. We're finally making it happen. You have something really cool

21:41

that you brought to the community that you're doing for other artists. And we're

21:44

going to get into all that, but first let's get to know you. For those that don't know, when did you get into music? I get

21:51

I've been getting asked this a lot too, And I hate to sound like the grumpy old man, but it's been forever, Like I don't remember life

21:56

without music for real, for right, but post colleges, like start taking

22:00

it serious, move back to the Bay twenty thirteen, and then from there

22:04

it's just been like d down, grinding, grinding, well, even like

22:07

when you were younger, like who puts you on? Really? To man?

22:11

I give? I give my aunties, my god brothers, and I

22:15

always say my god brother, but I thought about it the other day. I gotta say my god sisters too, because they you know, you got

22:19

to figure they were teenagers in the Golden eras, so like they played me

22:25

clueless for the first time, all these saucy little cultural staples that you just

22:29

kind of need to kind of find your way creatively, and that all of

22:32

it influenced me so and like what age were you when they introduced me? I was that was seven, eight, nine, ten, Like some of

22:37

your most influential years. And man, like my auntie playing me juvenile.

22:42

She went to Southern. She came back for her first Christmas away. She

22:47

a freshman at Southern. She like, yeah, she had four hundred degrees

22:51

on a cassette, like she recorded it off of New Orleans radio and then

22:53

brought it back home. So it's those memories I have the fondest moments of

23:00

music and being like, yeah, I'm about to do this forever. Really

23:02

I love that and that, like those people are so important because like I

23:07

was talking about this with uh, I think this is that Mexicano t he came in here anyway go and he really be rapping too. Yeah, but

23:14

he's wally young. Yeah, I mean I'm twenty nine. I think he's like twenty three orself he's a baby. So like I was talking about how

23:19

like, you know, growing up, we weren't really into like the whole

23:22

East Coast versus West Coast thing, but I was like, I was definitely

23:25

influenced by it because I had my uncles being like and like even the block

23:29

I grew up on, like, oh no, we only look like for the longest, probably not when I got to high school, right was I

23:33

listening to just like mom figaus like like it wasn't cool to listen to stuff.

23:37

It wasn't till I was high school. And I think my stepdad he had the Ready to Die album and that's all he played in his car,

23:41

right, And I was like, wait, this is tight, And like

23:44

I remember my mom, she like forced me to go to the Heart of the City tour. Wow, the jay Z and Mary Yeah, But like

23:48

to me, I was like, no, like, no one listens to

23:52

jay Z. Mom. I'm like, this is gonna be so whack. And I remember like Jaws to the floor, like everyone just wrapping word for

23:56

word. Like after that, I was like, I gotta go to every

23:59

album he's ever put out. See. But that's I'm so glad that we're

24:02

in a space now where we could be honest about the truth of those stories,

24:06

right right. And I was the same way. All my OG's and

24:08

my older homies they did not rock with East Coast music at all. It

24:11

was like naset and like Jay They'll get that out of here with straight rumpilation.

24:18

You're forty to click. Like they even like Brother Lynch and seem like

24:22

that's what they was on they was true West Coast Quinn like yeah, and

24:25

then here I am. I had one My brother had one older homie that

24:29

was y'all tripping Jay the greatest ever and he played me reasonal doubt when I

24:33

was a kid, and I was like, bro oh, y'all bugget if you don't like this, Like y'all really hating if you don't like this.

24:37

And it's just like, you know, we even talk about the bass sound, like a lot of times people definitely like to put BA Area artists in

24:41

a box like you gotta have this one sound, but like I feel like

24:44

it's so bigger than that, Like like they try to put hip hop in

24:47

a box, like you think pop could be anything, and like to me,

24:49

it's just like you don't like music, like if I only watched the

24:52

Niners when they play, or only watch the Raiders when they play, I

24:55

don't like football like that, like you're just a fan of that. So like, how do these people expect us to like only sound like this?

25:02

And you are like everywhere with your sound too, which I love, thank

25:04

you so much. It's I think that's a part of it too. We've

25:07

been trying to figure out a grand national shot out Mark GN team. But

25:11

I think that's what brought us together. Bonded us is like we are all

25:15

West Coast babies, our cultural stratus LA different part of East Oakland, West

25:22

Oakland, Richmond like, and we all came together to really create this thing.

25:26

But what we all have in common is that they go, you can't be from the Bay. You don't sound, you don't have the Bay sound,

25:30

or you don't have to be anesthetic or it's like, what does that

25:33

even mean? Because all I know is music, you know, so funk

25:37

music, gospel, like jazz like this the home of all of those have

25:41

like a lot of that stuff was birth here, right and you throw it

25:45

all in the pot. You don't know what you're gonna get from a Bay artist. But I think Atlanta goes through that. I think Detroit goes through

25:49

that. I think Houston goes through that. You just meant, you know

25:52

what I'm saying, Like it's hip hop. They try like even like when

25:55

people say like backpack wrap or conscious rap, it's like rap is rap?

25:57

Are you raping? Or you not rap? Come on? You know what

26:00

I mean? So like that is crazy to me. Okay, before Grand

26:03

National, though, you were so since you're a kid loved music, when

26:07

did you get like serious? But yeah, post post I guess college for

26:11

real, But I always say post college because I kept I kept hooping.

26:15

I went to I went to Southern Oregon on athletic scholarship. As soon as

26:18

I got there, I started working in college radio. Dang, I like

26:22

that, boy, I'm talking about that yet basketball career, Yeah, for

26:26

no, that's I mean, it's crazy because it's you. I say it

26:29

in every blue moon was like a like a real statistic, like from hooping

26:33

and rapping. And you know, I don't even say that with shame.

26:37

I actually say it with pride because if it wasn't for if it wasn't for

26:41

the access that basketball provided, like I ended up at an art school anyway,

26:45

you know what I'm saying. So it's like music, music followed me

26:48

wherever I went. And I got there and they had a radio station and

26:51

I always loved radio. And then I went down to interview and Bro was

26:53

like, ain't nobody working there? You could do whatever you want, and

26:56

he just gave me an hour a week to play straight here pop and then

27:00

sue plow Chief. They would record the songs and send them right to my

27:04

email. These are all from the same area, my partners forever, Like

27:08

you'all went to school together. Okay, cool, cool cool. So what

27:12

moment for you was it like like made the complete switch, Like I don't

27:15

want to do this anymore. I don't need to focus just on music.

27:18

The day of my last hoop game, like my last collegiate hoop game,

27:22

wow over, I got back and I went right to the studio, Like

27:25

it was crazy. It was. There was not there wasn't even no time off. It was just like hoop was over and I was in the lab

27:30

Like it was crazy. That's crazy. And like who taught you? What

27:33

came first for you? Rapping or producing? That's a great question. I

27:37

guess rapping just because producing was so far removed, Like you had to do

27:44

hell of stuff to be a producer. You and you had to have a

27:47

particular you had to have this beating machine, you had to have this year to have that. And it was like by the time I got all that

27:52

gear, I was like, bro, I'll just write a rap like yeah,

27:55

and then you got to be good at it, you know. But

27:57

that's what that was the thing, Like I got all the and I guess

28:00

part of my brain was like I was gonna work itself and it didn't you

28:03

had to know how to use it, like y'all got it. I'm just

28:07

gonna wrap. And then but then I really started appreciating like what people could

28:11

do with sound and the producing came way later because I didn't even know I

28:17

was doing it. I always shout out my homegirl kayle Mont. She was the first one that came to a session with me, and I'm like,

28:22

I wrote the part, I sang it, and I was like, yo,

28:25

just replace this what I did right here. Yeah. She's like,

28:29

who gonna record I'm I'm gonna record it. Whos gonna range it? I'm gonna range it. She's like, bro, how have you been producing?

28:33

I was like, I don't because you think just making the beat. But

28:38

you know, you learned quickly that making the beat is not producing. And

28:41

we talked, my boy were talking about that in the cars, Like as

28:45

a producer, how value a producer is? You know, on radio,

28:48

it's like, yeah, I'm not on their personality the talent, but the

28:52

producer can sometimes make her break the show. And it's a lot with the

28:55

albums, like who is producing and not making the beat. Who's producing this

28:59

record, because as if that person don't have a vision or any creativity is

29:02

liable to fall short. Like just what an artist left to their own visis

29:06

good luck. Like I've benefited so much from being a part of a team

29:10

of producers where they're just like, hey, bro, put this on, say this, use this beat, tried it like it's it's it's by so

29:15

much goes into it, and they're just like even putting the songs in the

29:18

right order. Hey listen, like that's really the part, Like you'll have

29:22

a whole sequence, and then we had we share the notes. You'll wake

29:26

up in the morning. Somebody from the crew has completely rearranged the order.

29:30

That's the order. If it was the best, it's what we rolling with,

29:33

Like right, forget what you had when you went to sleep, now

29:36

move this here, and at least I feel like I've benefited the most from

29:40

it, just like watching you know, just watching it all come together,

29:44

right, I think of like like for me, like Volume three, I'm

29:47

a big jay Z fan, Like I love all the songs on there, but like as a whole, like I think the transition is just like so

29:52

bad where he got the records, it doesn't get as much love as it

29:55

shit, and no one talks about that too, where it's like the the

29:59

sequencing play such a big part in the story of how you receive those songs.

30:02

So if you got in volume three to my recollection, there's a there's

30:06

enough hit records where you can just kind of anchor the the sequencing to that,

30:11

and it was filler in between. And that's what it sounds like everybody,

30:14

I can play it and sound is cohesive as Volume two, as Reasonable

30:17

Doubt, as Blueprint. You know, when you're getting to those, you're like, oh, this sounds like a whole story, and I think I

30:22

feel I feel like Jay's on record admitting some of that stuff too, right

30:26

right, right, yeah? Yeah. I love how you always just like

30:30

give credit where it's to like who puts you on and what you learn from

30:33

who? Like what does that mean to you? Like acknowledging literally everyone on

30:37

your team because you're like really big on that if so that every I hell,

30:42

I appreciate everybody's energy around celebrating the fifty of a hip hop but that's

30:51

only telling a very very small part of the story, right, And so

30:55

what happens is these larger marketable narratives kind of become the truth when it ain't

31:00

that. There's a lot of more giants that this whole culture's shoulders are built

31:07

on that will never get the light of day. There's somebody in the neighborhood

31:10

that was the first one to have this type of beat machine, that record

31:12

this, that that, and that rapper goes on to be whoever the biggest

31:18

in the name, but that bro who sparked that I did never gets mentioned.

31:22

And what it what I feel like it does at least, is that it cuts off the culture from its roots, and it's what's the equity from

31:29

for the people from from what you can right if you if you didn't completely

31:33

detach yourself from them and you larger than life, now you don't have no

31:36

connection back to your people. They not attached to your assension, your career.

31:38

So now there's this big ass gap and hip hop specifically whereas hell and

31:44

people earning and then it's just people down at the bottom keeping it going.

31:47

That's why when you see somebody rise from the ashes and they speaking that that

31:51

real, You're like, damn that that person is speaking for the people.

31:53

For that's what they mean when they say that, you know, so that's

31:56

for me at least I've learned the value you were like really passing the rock,

32:01

you know, making sure that the person you couldn't have done this without

32:06

knows that that you couldn't have done it without him, like you you like we joking about all on this interview took but every time I saw you,

32:14

And you know how funny this industry is, especially, people act different depending

32:17

on where you see him at. You show me love no matter where was

32:21

at, Like, we're gonna do this. No, I feel the same way. I remember, like because originally we used to go to I met

32:25

you through special like she would teach people how to like basically like do that

32:31

at their podcast, but it also like doubled as a networking thing, and

32:35

like you know, I people be like, oh, yeah, it's your podcast, dope. I remember one time I ran into you at like an

32:37

event, I don't know if it's a concert or something, and he like said something specifically about the episode and I was like, Oh, he really

32:44

listens. Be tapped it. But that's really it. Yeah, investing in

32:51

relationships. At the end of the day, you can get caught up in the numbers hip hop is down this what in sales that only applied for the

32:57

people that ain't spinning their own bread and really investing in themselves, that don't

33:00

reply to the to the Bay getting it out the Trump for real like that,

33:04

and you never know what you're talking to. On top of that, you know what I'm saying, like, don't just be just we're talking about

33:07

this turn turning up y'r humanity. It is like, bro, y'all could

33:09

be worried about AI all y'all want to if you can't get the humanity part,

33:14

now AI is the last of your worries that part. And yeah,

33:16

you talk about like exactly the Bay area and like the community because we know

33:21

you have a strong team, you know, and I feel like you've been around the same people for a while, like the same people. You know.

33:25

There is always that narrative of like, oh the Barry don't stick together.

33:30

I don't see where that narrative comes from. The keep that keep that

33:32

narrative to y'rselfs because you know what I think the narrative really is. It

33:37

is like people are like so entitled. I feel like sometimes people be feeling

33:40

like because I'm from the Bay Area, you need to fuck with me.

33:43

And it's like, okay, but is it good? People scared of it.

33:47

I talked to my mom this morning. We uh, that's just my

33:51

dog. We check in and we talk about everything, and that we ended

33:55

up in that like we were at that point now where I didn't been through

33:59

enough life, lost friends and all the shit where we can relate on a one on one and we start talking about entitlement and like people feeling like they

34:06

get access to you all the time of the day and it's like, bro,

34:08

what are you talking about? And then but then on being on the

34:12

other side of it too from a great standpoint, it's like, bro,

34:15

you are not nothing is promised like nothing. And then especially in this rap

34:19

shit, like people be confusing like really loving it with famous shit. Those

34:22

are not the same things, right, do not. Exactly, if you

34:27

want to be famous, get your ass on the Gram, on TikTok or

34:30

whatever and be funny, go make us get whatever. But you might not

34:32

eat for this brouh. I see see, and I see both sides of

34:37

that, because exactly, I'm like, there's some people who always say that

34:40

it's like your shit is not good. I'm sorry. Like so some people

34:45

be like, oh, the Bag don't stand together, It's like, yes they do. If you look at a lot of these albums that are dope,

34:50

it's a lot of people on it, Like what are you talking about? They're not doing weird stuff, like even Peab like Michael Steed on tour

34:57

with him, you know, like that's a shout out, bro, Like

35:00

that's that's why I'm be saying, like I don't know what those narratives are

35:04

about. The Bay don't stick together, because I know for me, if

35:07

it ain't p it's Roj. If it ain't Rid, it's Sue. If

35:09

it ain't Sue, it's Murf. If it ain't Mirf, it's scandal.

35:13

Like everyone's always looking out for body. Bro. I can call any of

35:15

the homies and they come through in the in the clutch, like the Siner

35:20

verse, No problem, send to beat, no problem. I don't. I haven't run into that. We in Portland for a Dame's release party,

35:27

Oh don't and fab fab and like we up there kicking it like it's like

35:31

for real, it's family. It's way bigger than like stop trying to bring

35:37

family, humanity, community politics in the rapture that ship, and then even

35:40

the opotion like how you said about fame, like I mean not gonna get

35:44

canceled or like say any names. But there's also people who are very much poppy. Look at their Instagram. They're getting all the views, all that

35:50

and these, and then you'll get people like, oh, how come y'all don't play them? Or how come the bay don't show them love? It's

35:53

like, do you do you listen to him in your car? What's you

35:57

play it? And then the ends are being no because they mean good people

36:00

or like you know, yeah there things are popping, but it's like,

36:02

do you really listen to that? Right? Like the same people that say

36:06

that don't even be bomping out. Don't want to point the finger for the

36:09

politics of it is crazy. But you went on twirl Res Yeah, was

36:15

that your first tour? That was Yes, that was my first tour. It wasn't the squad's first tour. I think or been on tour with Nip.

36:22

Deuce has been on the road a lot before and then passed with the battle. He's been everywhere. But for me, how was that experience?

36:28

What like I got I got a whole new respect for that again. Playing

36:32

rap shit like that is when it comes into full effect. You gotta I'm

36:37

watching Roger City the City. Mind you. He's still grieving the loss of

36:39

his parents. It's never not gonna be. That's what the album is about.

36:44

So city to city there are people showing up because they also lost someone

36:49

in that album helped them get through. So now they're bonded by this experience.

36:54

And brug got to put on a show every night and you go,

36:59

oh, he's like right, completely special, And that's what opened my eyes

37:04

to it. It's like, bro, we got to be we got to

37:06

be creative as hell with our offering to the people because he's like some of

37:09

them shows were like on a Wednesday night or Thursday night, off night.

37:13

And I remember in Columbus there was this couple that had driven from Detroit, Like what y'all did y'all from where? Like yeah, it was however many

37:20

I'm like, wow, total nerve of us to you recorded this song and

37:27

now you think again to your entitlement, Oh, I get to do a

37:30

show now and people got to come see, don'tbody gotta come to do right

37:36

and in a heartbeat, So that is what I cherish the most from that

37:39

tour? Would it be in my first one? I got to go with

37:42

actors Stellar's Rage and then have my bros with me, and it was that

37:47

was that was really like being a part of a winning squad and just doing

37:52

your part. Like all you gotta do is do this and we'll be successful.

37:54

Right you like learned a lot from that, learned a lot. Let's

37:58

talk about your connection with Kevin Allen formerly known as Ark the Jerk, the

38:01

Jerk. Yeah right there, hands up. Crazy. It's like a specific

38:07

time in my life, a flashback. That is crazy. Those songs were

38:15

going off. How did that relationship come about? Again? But baby,

38:20

people not sticking together. It's not a real thing. I DM bro was

38:22

like, hey man, I tried to use this email to get to you.

38:24

Didn't work, But I'm hitting you on a DMC if you do do

38:28

this record for me. He was like, bet where are you at? Send me to Addie. He pulled up ten minutes later. It was crazy.

38:35

That was a twenty eighteen, twenty seventeen and ever since seeing me and

38:39

bredban So, did he like tell you about the group or like, was

38:43

it this is we already? This is way before that, like like like

38:47

he was doing a Kevin Island Project album. He was just making the transition

38:52

from ARC to Kevin Allen. So we did that record. Now we just

38:57

we're learning about each other, like, oh broight you tight, like come

39:00

come open for this show. And then we packed out with his cry Baby

39:04

now used to be uptown. We packed it out, just me and him

39:06

on the bill and oh bro we dowed in. So we just kept making

39:09

songs, making songs, making songs. And then by the time, like

39:14

right before the pandemic happened, Dreamville dropped The Revenge of the Dreamers too,

39:20

and he hit me. He's like, b are you watching this, and like he's like, we could totally do this. It's like I know,

39:23

right, And then next thing you know, he sent out a text like

39:27

pull up to the lab. And then that was that was the start of

39:29

it, Like it was just put up a lab, but it was a response to Dreamville and like watching them get all those artists together and just make

39:36

something so special, we knew we could do the same thing. So is

39:39

it a group or is like an art collective? I always get a little

39:42

confused about it. At first, It's like, oh, it's like thirty

39:45

people have been here, Like how many people are in this group? It's

39:49

a it's a it's a group now for show Kevin Allen Brookfield Duke's passwords,

39:54

myself, Grand National, the artists as a collect as a group, and

40:00

then the art agency where we have needs like from from podcasts to filmographers and

40:07

even like local businesses. You you don't trip how much art is a part

40:10

of every aspect of business. So you need marketing materials if you're a small

40:15

business. Because we've had to do it by ourselves and make our own show

40:20

fires, our own CD covers. I could totally design your menu now you

40:23

feel me, So come to deal with me as opposed to dealing with some

40:27

bigger agency that may not even be in your your your region, that has

40:30

no understanding for your storyline and your community. So Grand National is gonna pull

40:35

up. We're gonna spend the time to do the R and D learn why

40:38

you know, for the record matters in the Bay, and then we're gonna

40:40

design your whole website, you your commercial everything to come to market to have

40:46

your story really connect and convert. And we figured out how to do it

40:50

for ourselves. You're like there, we could offer this as a service. So then you add a cultural strategist to it, a creative director, and

40:57

and and some some some capital. You know I'm talking about. We can

41:01

we can really change the world through using art as a vehicle. Hip hop

41:06

just so happens to be hours. Yeah, you know, it's our commercial to showcase our talent beyond. Yeah, bro, we want to do like

41:13

you you see rappers eventually end up in office and stuff like that. You

41:16

know, So we really had, we really have created access points to create

41:22

change. So now it's really time to leverage it and retain some of the

41:24

equity so we can change our neighborhood. So that's the missing key, right,

41:28

We've generated all this value and don't have nothing to show for it.

41:31

Not this time. You're not about to outsource our services. It's like,

41:36

bro, I don't need your marketing budget. Excuse me, I need your

41:39

marketing budget. I don't need your budget to design to design a creative like

41:43

I do that all day, but to market it and to circulate it and

41:45

populate it further in the world in the universe. Run that and then I'll

41:51

be able to convert and bust my moves off of that, but you're not gonna shut me off from the equity though. I can't wait to see what

41:57

more you guys do. I mean, I just think of like someone like

41:59

for real, you know, like I went to the first something in the water and like the way he really made it all Virginia ship, like all

42:06

artists like jay Z came obvious Jameson not for Virginia, but like for him

42:08

to go back to the home time, like nah, the special guy is really gonna be some crazy special guests, you know, and just like but

42:14

made sure this ship gonna be in my hometown though, you know what I mean. But look you you immediately I said what I said and your your

42:19

one to one was for real, So you know what we on? Other

42:22

people still playing dumb, like wait, what y'all doing? You can't do

42:25

that? You gotta pick. Why can't have a music festival? I can

42:28

have a fashion line and I can have It's been done over and over.

42:31

You just don't want it to be done because of where we come from and

42:36

how it's looking and how how rude it is still staying to the people like

42:38

look what Hiro did. Look with yeah, underground, we come from movements

42:45

and collectives that are for the people and end up changing the world. So

42:49

we're not gonna and the barriers different everything you call over today, did you

42:53

you will on Twitter? We do it all. Everything comes from here that

43:00

y'all got to do a block party or festival we did. We did fake

43:07

Fest last year and the announcement for fake Ass Holiday is coming very very soon.

43:10

And we would let that y'all pull up as like, yes, what

43:15

fleas or anything you know? I want to I want to be okay,

43:20

we're gonna talk later. We're gonna talk later. But yeah, going back

43:22

to like you just always showing love to exactly people who started where we come

43:27

from. We gotta talk about every blue moon real quick because you got to

43:30

join on their call. Earl and Todd. That's a hit that might be

43:35

a smash record. I'm not love. What are the inspirations you come from?

43:38

I mean, obviously you know you love paying back, but like y'all

43:40

even switching y'all clothes up to sound like that, it's crazy. Honestly,

43:45

the honest truth is we just down and out, like our artists are saving

43:52

grace and when when all bets are down, me and broke and go to the lab. Like me, when go to the lab, order some food,

43:57

smoke, It's like, man, let's make us home. Short start

44:01

smalling, just immediately started smiling. He start making like making the beat,

44:05

and then before I know it, I'm rapping like Short just playing. But

44:07

DJ Sopolker is our homie, so we can make the song and send it

44:10

right to Pope and go play it for Short almost like so many oh's like

44:15

not just the lyrics, like not just like even just like the beat beat

44:17

exactly, but we just we just met Banks at the at the at the

44:23

the Mount Westmore tour, like hysterical deuces, like you never met it before,

44:28

Like nah, bro, it's one of my heroes for sure. We're just talking to Banks. So now it's like, oh, bro, we

44:32

really come from a lineage of mob funk soul, Like let's let's keep that

44:37

alive. We don't have to do nothing other than just be ourselves. And

44:40

then the real true like when we knew we had to do that song and

44:45

put it out, is when they start putting out the top fifty list of

44:49

the greatest rappers ever, and it was too many lists without forty and Short

44:53

at the top of it. Was way too many lists. And I get

44:57

it because they're talking about lyrical ability just that. But if we're talking about

45:02

the arena of rap, sales, performance, sustainability, legacy, all these

45:08

things, I don't want to see another motherfucking list without forty bars on there.

45:16

But even but even even with talent and all that stuff, it's so

45:21

subjective and so regionally biased. I'm not even having that. Y'all can have

45:24

that conversation. It's a lot of y'all folks that shouldn't be on that list.

45:30

If we're talking about that, then right, so make it even across

45:34

the board. Just who've been putting numbers up the longest. It ain't a

45:37

lot of names you can name higher than forty and short. I'm sorry, so put some respect on it. And that's all we were doing, is

45:43

like, hey, our legends is tight. We love them to death.

45:45

We would not be here without them. This is how we show keep the

45:47

name alion. Listen. I love it. I love it speaking of because

45:55

Versus is one of the best ones. I guess we'll go back and watch

45:59

and look at with Hoodie Polketto in the versus, what do you have first?

46:06

That's dope? Shout out to the legend of Big Von two. That was one of my favorite verses. But we were just talking about how the

46:12

Jada the locks and the dip Set one truly is one of the best ones.

46:15

And I have peg had Jada on cautionary tale that versus like it really

46:22

is iconic because you think people were kind of shipping on versus after that easily

46:28

dip set. I thought they were gonna smoke them, like not even close

46:34

talk Instagram stories. I'm not hiding it. I was like, are you

46:37

kidding me? Like, just gonna smoke them easy, and so I had

46:43

wasn't even closed. I had. Homi was talking about it, and it's

46:45

like, oh, you don't remember bad Boys air locks, So it's okay,

46:49

I'm not gonna fault you for it. But it wasn't even I don't

46:51

know these records. It's just like dip set is dip set, like you

46:55

know what I mean. But Jada really said, fuck all, y'all,

47:00

it's insane. That was That was a special moment. That that part though,

47:04

what you're talking about. Thank you for pointing it out. That was

47:07

that's how we feel, you know, as people you like, y'all wrap

47:13

for it. It's like, yeah, we really wrap it in there. But there is this a negative connotation, especially being from the Bay, that

47:19

is is corny or is stale or whatever. It's like, Bro, it's

47:22

not that. And then I promise you, like dipset would learn. Don't

47:27

nobody want to be on the show? Its like not when you got to,

47:30

Like, bro, I gotta wrap after them, right, And that's why that's why I love people like Roger and p that have not closed the

47:36

door and just give us a chance because they're not competition is what they look

47:40

like. They're looking to be pushed. We're looking to push each other.

47:43

Hey, bro, he's like, hey, come to my sessions. I

47:45

want to play you something. Tell me what you think. Vice versa. He Roger picked our single. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's

47:51

the type of camaraderie we have, But it's competition at the end of the

47:54

day, Bro, Like, I'm not going to hoop and the best,

47:59

please because it's just gonna make us better. But if to your point,

48:01

you making like you're not telling your homeboy that ship what, then it's we

48:05

gonna we're gonna pay for that as a collect right, right. You can't have a bunch of s man right around you. Uh but yeah, no,

48:10

I love that you had that intro. Like I specifically someone puts that

48:14

like who shot your free song streaming? And I be pumping that ship like a monthly in my car. Well it's crazy, like I was saying,

48:19

like people were saying how versus is falling off? And rightfully so, like

48:22

once they started doing the live shit, like but that was a live one

48:24

and like to this day, like that's always the clips are going viral and

48:27

like shout out to tech really because like Jada was surprised at the records,

48:31

like he was stowing them and you can hear Jada being like, oh I

48:34

forgot about this one, like and that's like talent to like be able to

48:37

pick up a beat like that and then just have perfect breath control and like start rapping the shit like crazy. Put some respect on our names, man,

48:43

Yeah no, he he bodied it crazy. My favorite record though,

48:46

is a bigger Shia, just because y'all playing with so many different sounds.

48:50

I feel like you were like on your n r D shit like he gave me like dance a little bit like that record. That might be my favorite

48:58

song too. Yeah, Okay, what was did you produce it? That

49:01

is? Uh, that's the Wodies. I mean so how we work too

49:07

is where it's rarely gonna be something we do or wen't produce it. It's

49:10

hella rare. So yes we produced it. But I gotta give a big

49:15

shout out to my brothers, the Woldes uh Von Carter, Carter Boy,

49:20

Bennett, shout out Bennett, David Firth, the whole squad, like they're

49:23

they're special, Like they they're next up. Like if you're not getting your

49:28

record producer mixing master about the Wolds bro you tripping? I love that record

49:31

like n R D three Stags, like just it was just different. What

49:36

was the inspiration for you on that record? Dance? Like we just really

49:40

want to see people dance, Like we have this affinity for bring that fun

49:45

route fun like turn turn the music on and dance and really groove though,

49:52

Like make it about courting somebody you don't like whatever you into sexual preference wise,

49:55

but make it about it being an exchange and energy, like that's what

50:00

we meet over. So make it sexy, you know, right, Like this is when I can play at the barbecue with my family. You know

50:05

what I mean normalize that again where it's just just pure vibes and not weird.

50:10

But it's like having music with the frequency of like death. No,

50:15

I get that shit out of here, bro, Like we can we can

50:19

make sexy players. Yes, I love it. I love it. So

50:22

what is like in whole? What does this project mean to you? And like, how do you think you've grown since? Like communion even not past

50:27

ep Wow? What every blue moon means to me is proof of concept.

50:32

That's our internal north star where we're not waiting. We're just gonna keep showcasing

50:38

our abilities, Like no matter what the circumstances are, how resourceful we gotta

50:42

be, just gonna keep going. So every blue moon, specifically for me,

50:45

is proof of concept that we are limitless. No matter what iteration or

50:50

grand national you need it to be, it's gonna be stellar and everybody's gonna

50:53

show up as if it's a grand national project. Passes is knee deep and

50:59

like preparing for Battle and some other big projects he has working. He shows

51:01

up for the record. Danielle stops everything. It makes. These beautiful designs

51:07

just make us be able to flood the marketplace in a real way. Strategy

51:10

deuce is a and R but like it's it's it's it's more unstoppable. So

51:15

that's every bluemon's proof of concept that we're not going to wear Grand Nationals on

51:17

your ass here. We're not going I love it. And the learning process

51:22

is exactly what you talked about. It's just like getting out of getting out

51:28

of your own way and allowing yourself to be produced and curated and pushed to

51:34

levels that you didn't even know you had. You feel like you stepped out

51:37

your cover zone a lot more in this one. What it's like, a bro, try this, Like let's just do this, and you're in the

51:43

verse, you're in the booth cutting your verse, and then somebody in the

51:45

room because not even just Irk this time, but the world. Carter's amazing

51:50

at it. Why he's going to have a long, successful career where he's

51:52

just like, nah, bro, you should say it like this and then

51:54

you trust that and then you get a better result with the combination of the

51:59

word you versus this producer producing you like that. And that's the education we

52:04

want to bring to like making great ass music, like allow producers in and

52:07

R. I'm saying that's hard, Like do you guys ever, I mean it's a big team. Do you guys ever be like nah, we are

52:13

ye, No, we're human, human egos and ship like it's I'm not

52:20

saying it like it's easy. All I'm saying is you got a much better

52:22

chance of creating a very special, timeless product in any event you let your

52:28

saucy homies come in and sauce it up. Like just just don't be weird,

52:30

bro, Like, yeah, have an open mind, you gotta.

52:34

Yeah, that's dope. That's dope. And I mean, not only are

52:37

you making dope projects wrapping producing, you does this really cool thing that you're

52:40

doing for other artists now teamed up with filmmaker Courtney Pain. I was reading

52:45

The Oakland Side so that you guys are the tiny desk for West Oakland.

52:51

Tell me about this project. So so salute to Carl and Brown. They

52:55

have this beautiful facility, Mama Dog Studio that is attached to a production company,

53:02

film company, Corduroy Media, and Sean and Carl Corduroy together and Carling

53:07

Plar Old Mama Dar together and together they just have this really fly thing going

53:14

on that I saw it and was like, Yo, this is amazing. It was almost like breathtaking that it existed in the middle of the West,

53:20

right, And so you walk in You're like, yo, all these possibilities.

53:24

Are y'all doing original content? And this is pre pandemic too. They're

53:29

like, no, not really, It's like, damn, I might got something in mind. I went home that night and I made the pitch deck

53:35

for life what would be lie for Mama Dog? And asked Car for a

53:38

meeting when in a week later and pitched it to him and he was like,

53:42

this is kind of cool. Can we think on it. A couple

53:45

of weeks later, pandemic happens, world shuts down, nobody's doing nothing.

53:47

He's like, yo, ain't nothing happening around here? Now? You want

53:52

to shoot the first episode? So we shot the first pilot Grand National,

53:57

Secret Sidewalk and then uh Anissa strings first episode. And even then I knew.

54:05

I knew Anissa was a star. I knew a Secret Sidewalk was gonna be coming. I really believed in what we had with Grand National, so

54:10

to put those three acts on there and we did it. We had a

54:14

great time. But you know, like you said, the views didn't didn't

54:17

do shit at all ran it back with Jane Hancock, Ian Santimiano and Numbers

54:24

didn't do shit, but Jane got signed, Ian got motion like it.

54:28

It was only ever meant to be an equitable asset for all parties involved.

54:32

So Mama Dog in Cordoray would get original IP, these beautiful and insanely talented

54:38

artists would get these dope Hollywood level calling cards to like grow their visibility and

54:45

their brand and social print, and the Bay would be lit again. Like

54:49

we would like we would have a platform the way you go to you go

54:52

to la you go to Atlanta, you go to New York, like you're

54:54

stopping by these media outlets, and it's like they come to the Bay and

54:58

no one does like, go do that your radio interviews please, Like we

55:02

need we need to show like how valuable our market is. So it's like,

55:06

all right, bro, let's make something. Let's make something that can add to that where people come to the Bay they start thinking about our media

55:13

circuit again because we're we're still a top ten market like regardlessly regardless of what's

55:15

happening in tech and economics and everything, We're still really valuable, right,

55:22

and just wanted to create something, but we had enough talent to start with

55:24

basically, So just been reaching out and all my people have been showing up.

55:30

Shout out Ryan na Cole, Dame Drummer, Soul Development, Kevin Allen

55:32

Brookfield, Deuce ass j Wall pair of nights. Like I've been really blessed

55:38

to just make phone calls and like you really got to believe in it and

55:42

keep it consistent because when it does get to that point, like people are

55:45

going to look at those old episodes and be like, oh they got woof woop on Kevin Choice, the this next one coming up with Camar Bell and

55:57

Rafael Kassol all this, the steppers are pulling up like one no number eleventh.

56:02

You. I make sure the whole squad get the invite, but I

56:05

would love for you to be in a building. Yeah, so how does

56:07

like do people get to see the performances live or is it just recorded?

56:12

Like how does live in studio audiences? But it's invite only. You got

56:15

to really know, you know, you got to know what's going on. So I'll make sure there's no like link for people to go my tickets or

56:21

nothing. It's not even because again it's not it's not really about that right

56:25

now, it's not even it's not even like it's given the artists like give,

56:31

but but also being curated about artists. I want to treat artists like

56:36

they deserve, like not what your your followers say, not what your Spotify

56:39

monthly listeners say. It's like Ryan the Cole is we we damn it,

56:45

don't deserve her. She's such a phenomenal talent, so says, allow me

56:50

to treat you as I view you, so you can start to stand on

56:52

business around the Bay in and around the world and get your get your worth.

56:55

I want. I want to see my people look a certain ways.

57:00

So that's that was really my vision for wanting to create this show. I just so happened to end up with some beautiful people. Shout out Liz Boston,

57:06

who's our original producer that got ship cracking, Court who's a creat incredible

57:10

just thinker, but my co host as well too. Just so much heart

57:15

in it, Like can we put heart in it first and then we can live with whatever comes from? Right now? That's so dope. So where

57:20

could people follow studio and everything? Oh yeah, just a life for Mama

57:24

dog on on YouTube really is a place like subscribe, I can't like,

57:30

I feel like we can have that conversation because you understand, like our subscribers

57:34

drive so much. It's been happening too slowly, but surely and now it's

57:37

starting to populate. But then the way Google and Meta got holds on algorithms

57:42

like you gotta pay to play, So we try to just we're just trying

57:45

to fight. We fight an algorithm just to break through and be that that

57:49

be that bright spot. Yeah, in the algorithm. Basically it's going to

57:52

happen like i'all got all that crazy talent in there. I love that it's

57:55

in West Oakland too. It's just like all of it. Oh, can

57:59

I shout out the house band into uh our our m d jj ley you

58:02

bro like such an incredible creative Keith Snowgrass on bass, Doug Jones on the

58:08

keys, josh Ickbon on guitar. Who Am I crazy? Just like a

58:14

whole band? No, No, it's crazy, it's crazy like we we've

58:16

been We've been blessed. But that was it was. It was Tiny Desk

58:20

meets Late Night with Fallon in the roots. So got the house band who

58:23

I Am? They take the music and they treated with so much care and

58:27

by the time the artists come in, they fully developed and imagine what these

58:30

songs could be. And that's so cool. Yeah, go listening to the versions to you. Them songs are crazy, all right? So subscribe on

58:36

YouTube follow the subscribe what is next for you? Because I feel like you

58:40

got hands in a lot of pots cooking everywhere. I just was, uh

58:46

shout out Carena them for not like rushing me out of the conference room because

58:50

I was finishing up talking to Tim, and Tim hats what I'll be saying.

58:53

Project hell early, but I feel like it, But I feel like

58:57

it puts pressure on the crew to like, now we gotta do it.

59:00

Uh, Our first PLO signals coming very soon. So we got we got

59:05

a project exclusively produced by Bro and yeah, were about to start started dropping

59:10

that, but I want, you know, we want to do it the

59:12

right way and make sure that our people have it first. Were to explain

59:15

the story behind the story behind the story that got us to this point.

59:19

So we're excited about that. Is it coming this year? Yes, yes,

59:22

very very soon. That would be tight premiere premiere tonight. We're excited

59:30

about that National Time Times PLO. That's gonna be fun. Uh. Eric's

59:37

got another solo coming, Deuce is finishing up some stuff past. I'm excited

59:43

about that. I just sent Chain some fire. Damn man, it don't

59:47

stop it. I got I got being riger in pretty deep on the joint

59:55

Me and Scandal the Dark Lord. Uh it don't, I don't stop.

1:00:00

I got a bunch of music coming. So I'm excited. Where can people

1:00:02

follow you? Mini Draper? Everywhere? Twitter? Ig, YouTube? I'm

1:00:07

probably the best time no, so you really get to see day in the

1:00:10

life. Shout out to the homies to help me get my YouTube page up

1:00:15

to speed. Or I'm just doing vlogs and like fly shit, so you'll

1:00:17

probably see me with my family, or you'll see me on some rap shit,

1:00:21

or I'll be cooking. I don't know that it'd be different things.

1:00:23

But they're just trying to really just create a world there. So YouTube for

1:00:28

real. Subscribe to the YouTube channel and I'm a link all this in this podcast episode. So I just look at the details your socials, all the

1:00:34

YouTube channels everything. Thank you, Thank im five. I'm glad we finally

1:00:37

got to make it. I know, I'm so god thanks for coming by and with the next project. We're gonna have you run back up here,

1:00:43

I say every time. Let's go. All right, y'all, thanks for

1:00:45

hanging out, Follow Money Draper, Grand National Live for Mama Dog Studios.

1:00:51

I'm looking all that in the podcast. If you want to volunteer for reading partners, I'm putting that in there too. If you like us, if

1:00:55

you love us, take your little fingers typeing for the record with Angelina,

1:00:59

I hit that's a subscribe button. Give us the thumbs up five stars.

1:01:02

Please please please leave some reviews. We love or reading all your comments,

1:01:07

especially on Apple podcasts, and it helps us a lot too, like for real, so I appreciate you being here. You can follow us on Instagram

1:01:13

at Underscore ft R pod on that Angelina on air and I will talk to

1:01:16

you next week. Okay, love you, bye bye. We're the Smith

1:01:21

family and Jada and I will be hosting the two thousand and five BT Awards,

1:01:25

and we promised to make this year's show something that the whole family can

1:01:29

enjoy, even the kids. I'll beg yo, Lilla, this is in

1:01:35

crod. We look like a bunch of secks. I bet snoops. Kids

1:01:37

don't have to do this kind bullsh I bet snoops. Kids can fight though,

1:01:40

that's why you use stunt those in your movies. You're gonna wish you

1:01:44

had a stunt double when I'm time. Fired of that at the two thousand

1:01:46

five BPT Awards Tuesday at eight, no BT in the house. If you

1:01:58

look Orick Dot, just Aggle backe it, just Agle sack it, Just

1:02:15

Agle sack it. Question, just Ago wack it, Just Agle wack it.

1:02:34

On the record, record of w