0:03

zane lowe apple music which

0:06

good this it as a low interview series i'm home

0:08

on welsh as a in his back next week but

0:10

in the meantime and wanted to bring you is conversation

0:12

with like a superstar like towers his

0:15

album love you that is going i came out in march

0:17

and zane sat down with him to talk about the project

0:19

is an album packed full of collaboration

0:22

with sooner jeep alvin and daddy yankee

0:24

mike self confessed mentor daddy yankee

0:27

i might add he dive deep into the process

0:29

of making this album as a follow up to twenty twenty

0:31

one like like enjoyed this conversation

0:33

and then take a listen to the album for the full experience

0:38

who

0:40

are both of

0:41

her wow and

0:43

allow a ballot about the

0:45

i grew by and like obama

0:47

other little de la mama do the will mamady

0:49

was like someone like the guy

0:51

your garage but a man model

0:54

of but the bulk got our lama bizarre improvise

0:57

that i leveled up whoever

1:03

was

1:03

go was go my bron you are mad

1:06

good to see superstar thank you bob

1:08

and you will come back think you'll you'll

1:10

absolutely blessing article

1:13

music on this album in the to hopefully

1:15

wrong on a conway bro you can't

1:17

miss twenty three

1:19

the twenty three songs me crazy a lot

1:22

of songs yeah bro i'm i'm

1:24

you

1:24

know this generation are and i pushed to

1:27

to make a lot of music

1:29

because the way that that the industry's

1:31

moving or insatiable yeah we're

1:33

homebodies all that always solar time

1:35

we gonna be cooking up you know to to

1:38

serve up you took your time in and

1:40

you've come back with something which shows so much growth

1:42

congratulations think you're on on always important

1:44

you already they are you in the new in the room

1:47

everybody loves you oddest love you fans love he thinks a

1:49

sweet but you've clearly pushed herself

1:51

on this album and a lot of different directions you

1:53

know what was the most challenging part for you it really what

1:55

do you look back on this now done where's

1:58

the growth for you i the

2:00

to create we know how will

2:02

that pressure so in this

2:04

album my last album i made a lie for

2:06

the streets near a you know when you

2:08

you you by perfume they give

2:10

you like coffee so my last album is the coffee

2:13

for these new new flavor from

2:15

from make you know this is like global

2:17

music but with

2:18

their my island vibes

2:21

in or layers these my essence i

2:23

still can rabbi have you know my

2:25

bars but this music is like more global

2:27

saw this on that was listening

2:29

to right now we was late for jamaican

2:32

does our structure you

2:34

know we came from that you can say you're

2:36

in the pocket on there so hot i mean the whole album

2:38

and and you cover so much ground to a point

2:40

enough for you to to say

2:43

to the world now in

2:45

our i came from an environment where i needed

2:47

that authenticity that's that's the street

2:49

music that's like i'm speaking to my

2:51

to my fans to my people to my community this

2:54

is my tout a gonna be genuine

2:56

you know college anyone right been a

2:58

going to say to the world this is what i'm capable

3:00

of there is what i can do because

3:02

our at the beginning i was trying to

3:05

trying

3:05

to explore what i can do

3:08

i

3:08

didn't knew where where i can

3:10

take it so now

3:11

is different now i see where the

3:13

game is going so i know was missing

3:16

so

3:16

i play with it i like i like that

3:18

i think about why we do this while

3:20

we end up in the arts making music

3:23

it because it's similar yourself

3:26

as a perfect combination of

3:28

reality and imagination

3:30

yeah it's like what you know

3:33

and you want to talk about but you gotta be

3:35

able to dream it up right yoga

3:37

studio on people like to enter to

3:39

to your dogs you know lane your mind

3:41

we're so at the beginning i was doing

3:44

and they

3:45

just for fun now i'm

3:47

i know what i want to press you know

3:49

and i am the voice of

3:51

the you i

3:52

feel like i got their responsibility

3:54

when did you realize that that was your responsibility

3:58

on where

4:00

when i saw that the reaction of the people

4:02

a when they listen to my songs i just

4:04

wanna just was trying to escape

4:06

from the reality less a bra

4:08

rams the pressure was gonna do

4:10

in my life so i started to music

4:12

how

4:12

important help have your friends

4:15

been toward helping you

4:18

stay fresh not do things that

4:20

others are doing how honest a they i i

4:22

think they they are like

4:25

guilty cause they they

4:27

the ones that told less charged yet

4:30

they tommy like you can mop lot

4:33

you know you gotta take advantage of that that

4:36

gift that yoga goes at the beginning

4:38

i i

4:39

didn't had the vision a

4:40

i'm gonna lie i was late now i

4:42

don't want to be you know artist

4:45

man adelaide the but then they

4:47

the ones that tommy lot you're like my

4:50

you gotta do it and and go this

4:52

way this isn't wow what the games now

4:54

this is the the new one who had

4:56

i make a record with this one so as

4:59

are still i use them like they're my

5:01

judge in

5:01

my music you got some real friends yeah you

5:04

keep him around you

5:05

always you know they got up at a uneven

5:07

are less a i'm in l a now so

5:10

i'm going back to be arm and show them

5:12

when

5:12

i made musically you know like always

5:15

they are like your you been you

5:17

when cooking are you know it you see them illusion

5:20

when you pull work in a now young un

5:22

gonna see it as talk about home you

5:24

know what pr

5:25

and other parts of the latin

5:27

word have given us but in particular

5:30

right now not to create a hierarchy but pr

5:32

as given us song

5:34

many gifts yeah that's where i'm from

5:36

to the us ice i see what political

5:38

i com played

5:39

that first bet when

5:41

when they

5:42

lay it on was born you know like

5:45

is

5:45

something more the musee

5:47

and and everybody knows devolution where

5:49

it came from you know the can you speak to that

5:51

laser and can you kids because people think of analysis

5:53

genre of music that does big numbers and cells are

5:55

stadiums can you talk about the more pot

5:58

that it's more than just music what What

6:00

do you mean? It's more than 30

6:02

years like developing this

6:05

genre, you know, it's like history.

6:08

It started, everybody got a history

6:10

of how it started, you know, but it

6:12

came from the underground. So

6:14

now

6:16

it's like

6:17

pop music, you know, we got big

6:19

names, but those big names,

6:21

you

6:21

know, they were like in my position now,

6:24

even from the, you

6:26

know, from the beginning, from zero,

6:29

from the bottom, like they say, but

6:31

now we got like, you

6:33

see our generation,

6:35

big names from Daddy Yankee to Bonnie,

6:38

you got like a lot of people

6:40

representing, you know, what's beautiful in the

6:43

end about this is that it always comes from

6:45

struggle. Yeah. Anything fresh

6:47

and exciting that captures the world's

6:50

imagination and shows growth. At the beginning, you remember

6:52

like hip hop that people were like,

6:55

the police would let you play

6:57

hip hop. That was happening with straight poverty. I

7:00

mean, like, yeah, I mean, you know, turntables

7:02

as a form of entertainment was because people couldn't afford

7:04

instruments and all the stuff that you need to make music. People

7:06

couldn't get in the studio. So they went into a block. It was a block

7:08

party. DJ's going back to back. Cause it's

7:10

like, that's the cheapest and most effective way. They're gonna look the way

7:13

they're gonna look for the way. They're

7:14

gonna find the way. But now we came like, like

7:16

Biggie say it was all a dream.

7:19

Like

7:19

you don't even notice where, where you can

7:22

take it. So now

7:23

I just enjoying the process,

7:25

bro. Now you're on a hit record with Daddy Yankee, somebody

7:27

that you must have looked at as a kid and gone, if he

7:29

can do it, I can do it. Was it that simple? Definitely,

7:32

bro. I saw Yankee like a superhero,

7:34

you know, that a Yankee, that

7:36

was he and those names.

7:39

I saw them like, you know, I was

7:41

growing up growing up watching

7:44

them, like making it. So

7:46

I didn't,

7:48

if I tell you, ah, from, from my

7:50

little age,

7:52

my young age, I was 19 years old

7:57

when I decide like, let's put music

7:59

out.

8:00

what were you doing at nineteen years old at that moment

8:02

in time when you made that life changing decision

8:04

to focus on music

8:06

with the talent you had one other path

8:08

could you have taken where were you going and life if you have

8:11

i was i'm a normal person i was studying

8:14

and

8:14

working so i had that life

8:16

i didn't have time for me because

8:18

i want to like got hassled to so

8:20

i saw the music like from

8:22

from my escape from reality to

8:25

my household then this is i live

8:27

from from music you know so i see

8:29

a different now but i i still got

8:32

the

8:32

hunger and the passion of

8:34

making music lay yeah i of

8:36

go about know would it be how about that one a

8:38

i care about you know my music

8:40

sounds millionaire did

8:43

there's no way you can make a song

8:45

that to me shows the kind of growth that

8:48

this song shows

8:49

hair go again

8:51

currency is a real one air

9:00

while i'm while the up

9:03

my well that but

9:05

the orlando and mud that

9:12

oh mommy

9:21

mommy all my family i mean similar

9:23

com probably and go well beyond me

9:27

but got us into hop from

9:30

what i've got me for app that

9:33

might as he know

9:35

could you've ever imagine when you and nineteen

9:37

and you are really inspired by making

9:40

those records that are going to move your friends move

9:42

the streets that you get there

9:44

that is a very

9:47

tasteful timeless

9:49

soul record really if you look

9:51

at the arrange air you know are at

9:54

that time i couldn't tell where

9:56

i was going cause

9:58

less

9:58

a i was playing baseball the say but

10:00

i i was bought him but i didn't new

10:03

the direction now i see the game and

10:05

i just swinging swinging air was soon swinging

10:07

now i see you where we

10:09

are let's see the game what

10:11

we need so i don't have that

10:13

pressure and it

10:15

think of the the best thing

10:18

that helped me is that i'm a student a

10:20

still a student music so

10:22

we my free time

10:24

study new people were wherever it less

10:26

a bugle on inspiration and i was beggar

10:28

but i wanna wanna see why that

10:30

is by you am embarrassed block you know i liked

10:32

was brazil we gotta talk about a couple

10:34

appears and contemporaries who are covering ground

10:36

never covered before we gotta talk

10:39

about money because i

10:41

feel like what bunnies achieved in the last

10:43

two years in particular he was already the mathematical

10:46

king air he's gone down below through their have

10:48

open a lot of doors for

10:50

the young you know the new generation in

10:53

in the music and

10:54

and even the people the was before

10:57

cause is

10:58

not just music know

10:59

he came with the whole baggage

11:02

so

11:02

he

11:02

opened doors falls the say everybody's

11:04

talking about point already gotten cause

11:07

you know we was making music before him

11:09

by

11:10

he he took the game

11:12

to another level so now is a rebuttal a

11:14

old as they go or what they got independent

11:17

i think is really important that you know we focus on that

11:19

i keep saying to people who love music

11:21

you know when all is said and done and the next ten

11:23

years when people will look at bunny

11:26

as the probably on paper

11:28

just and just numbers the most

11:30

might like with margins and and and

11:32

profit and how much he owns and what does that isn't that

11:35

beatles level you know the most successful

11:37

musician and history of neither because he's

11:39

but he's retained his rights is retained

11:40

his is is my oh mercy everything

11:43

everything you

11:43

know it does does the new the

11:45

new model of or the business

11:47

you know and you're studying a of course

11:50

even

11:50

musically you know in that you can take out

11:53

the

11:53

way de mais makes music

11:55

i

11:56

respect the phone for from him you know he

11:58

he's not like i'm missing

12:00

He's an entertainer.

12:01

Entertainer. And a business

12:03

builder. Yeah, of course. You

12:06

know. A brand, you know, he has

12:08

this brand and when you're winning, you know,

12:10

you can, you know how to move.

12:12

Artists love you. I mean, you know, the

12:15

people you've lined up and collaborated with already

12:17

is incredible and sane. What's

12:19

the most important thing about a successful

12:22

collaboration for you? What is most important?

12:24

I think that the respect, you know, that you

12:27

give each other, it doesn't matter

12:29

if you are like a new artist

12:31

or a legend, like they say in the game, like

12:34

when

12:34

they see you got it,

12:35

they're gonna

12:37

tell you and of course you got to respect

12:40

so they can take you in the new

12:42

level. So I think that's the key

12:45

of my success.

12:46

Is there one, because I would never ask

12:48

you what your favorite collaboration is. I've tried that before.

12:51

It's disastrous. No one wants to say. But has

12:53

there been one collaboration that you feel that you learnt

12:56

the most from, that you walked away from and went, okay,

12:58

I actually retained lessons

13:00

from that experience.

13:01

I think, you know, the Daddy

13:03

Yankee one, because it's not the

13:06

first time we collaborate. Every time,

13:09

even the first time I saw him, he

13:11

was

13:12

giving me like game. You know, like

13:15

when I see people that I look up to,

13:17

I'm trying to learn.

13:18

So they see that when

13:20

they see like

13:21

he's coming up, he got the hunger. You

13:24

know, they help you. So

13:27

I think whenever

13:29

I get together with them, it's

13:31

like Bonnie too, whenever we talk about

13:33

how we entertain, like how we move, so I learn

13:35

about them, everything. Yeah, because he moves

13:37

stealth too. And so does Yankee. I mean, that's the crazy

13:39

thing is that you have this inside track now. These

13:42

are your mentors, right? Yankee's a mentor. Yeah,

13:44

Yankee I see like in the music, like a mentor and

13:46

not only like directly, like

13:48

I see a lot of interviews about them.

13:51

Like they don't even know.

13:53

It's from when I was

13:55

younger, you know, now

13:57

I got everything, even not only.

14:00

And in my, you know, in Spanish

14:02

game,

14:03

I study like legends, the hip

14:05

hop game from, from Dr. Dre,

14:07

you know, to Jay-Z. I studied a lot

14:09

of legends that... You're putting Drake on that list? Of

14:12

course. You never know where he's coming,

14:14

you know? He always like... Because there's so much ground.

14:17

And the reason I brought him up is because, and I hope you take

14:19

this the right way, I actually see you in

14:23

the same light as Drake. Of course, yeah. Because

14:25

on this album, you cover

14:26

so much ground, just like he does. Like he'd

14:29

have an album with the most emotional

14:31

moments, the hardest moments,

14:34

the danciest moments. Yeah.

14:38

He can bring you... He makes music. He's a genius

14:40

making music. And I think

14:41

this triangle in the music, like Drake,

14:44

Jay-Z and Biggie

14:46

is my, like, my element. They

14:49

were like the ones that I said, like, I want

14:51

to be, you

14:52

know, want

14:53

to be part of this game.

14:55

And of course,

14:56

the people from Puerto Rico,

14:59

my music, what I do. But when

15:01

I take it to an...

15:02

This game, Drake,

15:04

Rabi, yo, is one

15:06

of the most that I look up to. You

15:09

mentioned all three of the greatest lyrical

15:12

artists ever. Biggie, Jay-Z

15:14

and Drake,

15:16

you know, what they do with words and their music is

15:18

another level. I'm still listening to Jay-Z

15:20

albums, Biggie albums, Drake albums, and rediscovering

15:23

meanings to things. That's why

15:25

I look up to

15:26

Drake so much and I love

15:29

hip hop, like the elements. I'm

15:32

a lyricist. When you listen to Camo

15:34

King,

15:35

you can tell I'm a Biggie and a Jay-Z

15:37

fan. Yeah, you can. Yeah, I can hear

15:39

that. I can hear the softer side of Biggie's music, but he always came with

15:41

the hard subject matter over the softer tracks.

15:44

You know, he'd hit, you know, Puff would give you that beat that

15:46

makes you want to dance and then Biggie would hit you with the lyrics

15:48

and make you want to...

15:50

That combination. I'm a fan of that, bro.

15:52

I've been studying and I was

15:54

looking like to the common denominator of

15:56

the pair with them. And I said, like, they're

15:59

talking about the lifestyle. you know, so you gotta

16:01

keep it real. Because

16:02

whenever, you know, new artists,

16:04

new artists, they trying to like fake

16:06

it till you make it. And right.

16:09

I think that's an error. Because when they

16:11

see the evolution, like they saw mines,

16:14

they appreciate more. And I appreciate

16:17

more. I said like, I'm not going back. So

16:19

I gotta put, put

16:21

work on it. Is that what like Mike was to you,

16:23

an important first statement, you

16:25

knew you were going to end up here on this

16:27

album, but you needed like Mike to do what he's going to

16:29

do. And it was, I was releasing

16:31

a lot of music with pop artists because

16:34

they may, they may reggaeton too,

16:36

but you know, there's a different lane. It's

16:38

like, well, they want what you have. Yeah. And

16:41

you can take a little bit of what they have. So I'm

16:43

ready to collaborate, but I knew

16:46

I was coming with a lot of songs like

16:48

that. And I said, now I can, I need to fit

16:50

the streets.

16:51

Now I got that balance.

16:53

So I'm coming with this album and just

16:55

to show what I can really do.

16:58

I had an album before Easy Money,

17:00

Baby. And I did it for that.

17:02

After Easy Money, Baby, I started

17:04

like doing

17:05

features with people that I have, I

17:08

have no idea what's going to do. Cause they

17:10

saw like, Oh, he can do mainstream music too.

17:13

So with this album, I'm going like

17:15

a new level. I can hear it. And the thing

17:17

is like, I think most artists, when they get to

17:19

a point when they want to reach more people, it's,

17:21

it's never as consistent as,

17:23

as albums like this are like, like you,

17:26

you really feel comfortable in all these different

17:28

places. You know, you talk about a Kama King

17:31

song, you know, or an altar.

17:34

That was crazy.

17:36

Yeah. I made that with Nestle. I'm in the master,

17:38

one of the

17:39

like legend producers. Like

17:42

we see and they got a lot of hits with him

17:44

with them. And I went to

17:46

his studio, like, let

17:48

me see what he got. And I entered

17:50

to what he do

17:51

and combine it with what we do.

17:54

So I think it's like, it's going to be

17:56

a club anthem, bro. It's a club anthem. When

17:58

I heard this, when I was like.

18:01

that is

18:03

crazy to to the sound design

18:06

room

18:08

that

18:13

wow wow

18:22

suburb or but at the library

18:24

law but as a lot then as i

18:26

am the okay my time

18:29

when you're in the studio new hearing a song

18:31

like that and

18:32

you hearing it come together in the producers doing

18:34

with a producer does right the the

18:37

working at their highest level you what's

18:39

your process of never asked you what's your

18:41

process how do you get to a place where you're ready to

18:43

go in the booth and lay down a track how do you conjure

18:46

up the theme and narrative the flow the

18:48

delivery i

18:49

don't have like are

18:51

like a formula i

18:52

just lead the bit talk to

18:54

me when

18:55

i have talked to get in the booth i knew

18:57

that i that guidance you know like the guy

19:00

like it gonna be a hook gotta

19:02

have something to get his into the studio

19:05

so

19:05

i realized that a lot of years

19:08

from my career like later late

19:11

that

19:11

remember we we spend a lot of

19:13

time in the studio but what you see in the studio

19:15

speakers you

19:17

know keep equipment but when

19:19

you live and then put it in

19:21

music than does when you get his

19:23

by are like you see new things and

19:25

i saw when i started like traveling

19:27

new colton you knew people

19:29

you see every the new new clubs new

19:32

warm and everything you get inspired but

19:34

if you go leg in a studio every day every time

19:36

you're gonna speak about the same yeah and

19:38

i realized that but

19:40

i gotta have an idea to

19:42

get in the book i was but the people that

19:44

getting to adam drug light from the top

19:47

i can't yeah because

19:48

i one could you wanna dance

19:51

your what's your right yeah i've

19:53

when you're traveling you

19:55

probably do your best work in

19:57

between shows and studying every

19:59

right watching the whole time. From the airport,

20:02

everything, taxi, everything. I watch everything

20:04

because

20:05

I get inspired from the hustle. So

20:08

that's why I

20:09

still got that. You

20:10

know, it's a spirit. When you're a hustler, you got the

20:13

spirit inside. Don't matter how much money

20:15

you make, how down you are, you're going to

20:17

get back up in the game. So I feel

20:19

like

20:20

in my music, I give that message.

20:22

You

20:22

know, you could have applied that attention to detail

20:24

and that commitment to studying a craft,

20:27

to anything. And you said before you were studying

20:29

and you had a job before music really started

20:31

to happen for you. What were you working toward?

20:33

I mean, if you, like I said, if you hadn't picked music

20:36

as your life, were there other avenues

20:38

that were interesting to you? I

20:40

want to be like a physical

20:42

therapist. I wanted to be like

20:45

exclusive for a

20:47

boxer or a football team. You know,

20:49

I wanted to make it to a whole

20:51

another level, but I was in PR. I wanted, I

20:54

need to travel. I need to, you know, I

20:56

think about it. You know, it was like, let

20:59

me see what I can do.

21:01

Whenever

21:01

I was in the college, I was like, I'm

21:03

not making money, any money to, you know,

21:05

to invest in this. I know I

21:08

got the talent, but

21:09

I'm really confident. Let me see. So that's

21:11

why I enter like

21:13

putting music to my friends and they're

21:15

like, that's you. Yeah. If

21:18

it was for the people, I was

21:21

my last day at work. I was,

21:24

I was having that night at our performance.

21:26

So

21:27

let's say the mall, I was in Ladyful Locker.

21:30

The

21:30

malls close at nine, let's say at 10.

21:33

And since I get

21:35

in, you know, in the, in the, to work, everybody

21:39

was like, yo, at what time you got on stage? Yo,

21:42

I'm going to see you tonight. I'm like, there's the path. That's

21:44

the path. And everybody knew I was

21:47

there. It was like,

21:49

now when they listen to the music, it's like, though, when

21:51

they see you there's like, you

21:52

know, they appreciate it, but they told you, they

21:55

told you, they told you. So I had this friend, he

21:57

was like, yo,

21:58

you got to leave that work.

22:00

So, you

22:01

invest time in it.

22:03

And he was telling me, like, in six months,

22:06

we're

22:06

gonna talk. And I didn't have that vision. I

22:09

was, like, getting, like, 300 bucks every

22:11

two weeks. So I saw that, like, nah,

22:14

I got this.

22:15

Forget about it. Nah, nah, nah. I'm gonna take my

22:17

time. But then I was,

22:19

that night, I'm like, nah.

22:22

I'm undoing it. I talk to the manager. I'm

22:24

like, yo, I

22:25

need to leave. Everybody

22:27

knows I'm here. And she understood.

22:30

Yeah, because I think from what you're telling me, everybody

22:33

else could see what it just took you a minute to figure out. Yeah. That

22:36

this was the path that was laid out for you. You just had to choose

22:38

to go down it. This is really interesting. I'm

22:40

loving this conversation. Going back to Puerto

22:42

Rico, and I just wanted to ask you, from as someone who

22:44

grew up there, you know, people

22:47

always looked at Puerto Rico as a vibrant and

22:49

beautiful part of the world. You know, even

22:52

when I was a teenage kid, you know, through the arts, there was always

22:54

that sort of, Puerto Rico,

22:56

whoa. Like you knew that the music and

22:58

the culture was alive there. But now

23:01

the world is, like I said, we're getting

23:03

these gifts, this music, this art,

23:06

and it's

23:07

coming from inside the community. So it's not

23:09

like the artists coming from there are changing

23:12

and trying to fit into our world. It's

23:14

actually saying it's always been here. It's

23:16

exciting here. So my question is,

23:20

what impact do you feel that is having

23:22

on the community back home, watching

23:24

the world starting to dance to the music

23:27

and admire the artists? You

23:29

know, that's why every

23:30

month you got

23:32

new artists.

23:33

Everyone's trying to, if not

23:35

being an artist, like they know

23:38

that in the industry they got

23:41

space. They

23:42

could be

23:43

cameraman. They could be, you know, there's an

23:45

industry. So everybody, everyone

23:47

does the new hustle,

23:49

making music.

23:50

But remember this in Puerto Rico, this comes

23:53

from the salsa time, you know, the salsa era.

23:56

So that the new generation... It's

23:59

always like that.

24:00

we wanna be like us you know like

24:02

what i was in their position so

24:05

but not this is not for everybody does

24:07

would you got our realizes all you

24:09

gotta is

24:10

for the one that one at most current

24:13

not aware for is not about talent is not

24:15

about the gave none on you got

24:17

up to work on i mean that's

24:19

really what like mike is it

24:21

it's use saying i'm jordan i'm not

24:23

not that i'm like i've got hang time like

24:25

i would and i've gotta do the work ethic the

24:28

like i owed it does the word you don't you get a

24:30

other com michael jordan unless you take every

24:32

waking second it and you find

24:34

somewhere i studied my best place

24:36

i study from

24:38

jordan to to my

24:40

whether i studied to gaze yellow jc

24:42

a study whoa marley as tony michael yes when

24:44

i studied them the best

24:46

to

24:46

get mad when people start throwing a the names around

24:48

as the goat to get mad

24:51

i mean people do i was a habit or was a

24:53

new york last we can someone was telling me that it was le

24:55

bron and in some on the other day was trying to

24:57

tell me it was stiff as the go on like a guy

24:59

like i think when they when they say go a cns

25:02

as on level cause

25:03

so we can courses for

25:06

when you when you were like ago in a goat

25:08

level let's

25:09

say messy

25:10

and cristina yang

25:11

out a bit messy i know

25:13

less the middle for me was he misled

25:16

by all y se a methods of you can tell

25:18

they are you in in a level in a certain

25:20

level that during

25:22

you know

25:23

you can you can go wrong

25:26

with them on insanely is

25:28

like the word get the guy study them role

25:31

really

25:31

a love it is is a really

25:33

poor now for you and ago and am clearly

25:35

a really really proud of it could you

25:37

played to first one was finished my friends

25:39

my friends in all i

25:42

when

25:42

i see that the reaction

25:44

from

25:44

them they

25:45

won't lie you know people just one

25:47

antonios those dope and then a

25:49

light and yea i can listen to the news

25:51

i can tell they what they will tell me

25:54

lake nona

25:55

does not album material

25:57

you know they will tommy and and they were in

25:59

my presence

26:00

and this album

26:02

a change allay a couple times cause

26:04

remember i i stop put

26:06

a music out to

26:08

create and then it was like yo

26:10

i gotta come with are

26:12

you

26:12

know my presentation this is my new was

26:14

when you know this

26:16

arise like mike

26:17

being on a superhero

26:20

in i was late i

26:21

wasn't when my uniform now on would the uniform

26:24

because it does it because that's the thing that i think

26:26

that's what really push as hard tickets

26:29

it's like okay great to go see somebody with natural

26:31

ability perform songs that i know but

26:34

when you come out and you know your

26:36

job as an entertainer there is to entertain

26:39

analysts so you can like i said the admit this

26:41

is the reality but

26:43

now you can really use your imagination

26:46

a to present it is entertainment

26:48

so now i realized that it

26:50

was like

26:52

i didn't knew that michael thought

26:54

of as he was late my towers owners

26:56

i was like michael everywhere

26:58

now i'm like when

26:59

or i gotta for

27:01

my towers i

27:02

am i know the difference a

27:04

you know the difference how's it feel now

27:06

being might hours then how's it feel different

27:08

you feel so the confidence to feel

27:11

like invincible is

27:12

part of a you know like insight i

27:14

worked to be the best but i i feel like

27:16

i'm in the last position you

27:19

so i i never liked take things

27:21

for granted you know like i gotta work

27:23

to for it because the line is

27:26

in

27:26

i was back everybody

27:27

was being your position so with

27:29

are aware of heart

27:30

you know the people forget how much time you put into

27:32

this and also you came from and i think people

27:34

alive he would discover new user i now feel that your part

27:37

of this new wave but i mean you know where it will wear a decade

27:39

into this and you even even

27:41

i forget about it because when you like it

27:43

you put the work and you you don't suffer you're in

27:45

the moment

27:46

i think about how you got you started thing with that in really

27:49

essential moment of the the democratization

27:52

the even sharing of music from

27:54

oddest to

27:56

friend and and peer group

27:58

of for south hub of the internet really open

28:01

those doors for you we

28:03

all needed to like give you a green light and

28:06

the we are told you this is your audience but

28:08

you in in on the on the internet and

28:10

you in know my audience is my age

28:13

i

28:13

think the internet like

28:16

it was our to lie for me my art is

28:18

like like me light we're talking on

28:20

a while but bombing us on a big

28:22

names

28:23

you could that i will andrew the internet gay

28:25

was like the new path

28:27

like you're

28:28

gonna opportunity to you know everyone

28:31

can go viral so if

28:33

you made something though

28:35

for sure you're gonna be like it when our

28:37

listeners you you're gonna have like are a

28:40

fan base so from that you're

28:42

gonna develop it you know adam eve

28:44

well as proof of concept you

28:46

know works what was the first one remind

28:48

us what the first one that really went

28:50

viral when you were like i

28:53

this is the past my expectation you know my first

28:55

song it

28:55

was i'm like

28:57

i didn't see a pyro

28:59

late late in social cause

29:01

i didn't have social been what

29:03

i saw like the nice

29:06

nice

29:06

three days a

29:07

lot of people was the first

29:09

they took layer three hundred place

29:12

on delayed done but then people

29:14

you know everyone that new me

29:16

they

29:16

were like this is michael does my isn't

29:19

to him and his everyone

29:21

the zombies low

29:22

as you that really you know you gotta and

29:24

i'm like none on i had the begin i was like none of this

29:26

a friend as i've run ah

29:29

as ensures that you know i didn't have the confidence

29:31

the what we yes so what were you what was your biggest

29:33

if you can think back to that young my towers

29:36

what was the biggest fear you had

29:38

about owning up to your own not i

29:40

remember i am the type of person

29:42

that i knew a lot of people and always

29:44

had like a was like to

29:46

we a fresh and i'll always in you know hanging

29:48

have been no one knew like i

29:50

like to

29:51

be an artist or do a robber

29:53

or whatever they call me i yeah i didn't

29:56

show that to be able so does way

29:58

that was funny like seventy or eighty

30:00

Like, yeah, so like you're young. Nineteen, nineteen years.

30:02

So

30:03

the first time I got up, performed,

30:05

I had to perform because every cover,

30:08

they wasn't with my picture on it. Like no

30:10

one knew who was Mike Towers. But

30:12

when they the first time they started

30:14

to record me and

30:16

people was like, oh, so a video, I'm like,

30:19

I can fake it. I told them like,

30:21

yeah, I like that. So from that time, they

30:24

saw me like as an artist. So because

30:26

they saw how

30:27

how I believe in me, you know, my confidence. But

30:29

I inside, I wasn't. Listen,

30:31

it's hard. I mean, there's

30:33

a lot at stake at that moment. Like if

30:36

you if you said, yeah, that's me

30:39

and one person who's

30:41

your friend went,

30:44

even even people, you people, you pay

30:46

more. Even even if they liked it, they were just like, I'm

30:48

going to I'm going to keep this guy grounded like

30:50

I'm not going to let him get gas. This guy, it

30:53

could have been the moment that made you stop. Yeah.

30:56

Right. It's like it's it's so delicate

30:58

at that moment when you're young to know

31:01

how I'm going to be real. I I

31:03

talked to my girl. I was like, yo,

31:05

I'm going to like this. But if you think

31:07

that this is too much thing,

31:09

like I don't do it. You

31:12

gave her that the opportunity. No,

31:14

no, no, no, no for her to decide. Yeah.

31:16

Like

31:17

tell me the truth. Like, but I think it

31:19

may have influenced you. She was like,

31:22

I like it. You got to do it. What

31:24

you're thinking about? I'm like, okay,

31:26

I'm gonna do it. So I saw it from that time.

31:29

Like, how's that? That is that's a really

31:31

important moment in this conversation, because I think for any

31:33

young creative listening right now, it's

31:36

delicate. It's on a balance at some point

31:38

in your life, whether you choose to do this or

31:40

not do this, thank goodness that you did so

31:42

much amazing music here, bro. Is there one

31:44

right now that

31:46

if you were to put this album on in your car, you

31:48

would go to first and play first.

31:50

Right now, I think the one with

31:53

Al Canhal and the last one, because

31:57

it got like the vibe from

31:59

the streets.

32:00

And the last, the... Yo,

32:02

Don Quixotego, the name, you know, which like our

32:05

inspiration, bro.

32:08

Yeah. That piano is boss piano

32:10

too. It's got the boss piano. You're expecting

32:12

the mafia, like the boss is walking in. Yeah,

32:14

bro. Yo, Don Quixotego, the name, you know,

32:17

you're expecting the mafia, like

32:19

the boss is walking in. But

32:22

the boss is walking in. You're expecting

32:24

the mafia, like the boss is walking in. Ha!

32:27

You're expecting the mafia, like

32:29

the boss is walking in.

32:32

The collection,

32:34

when the pattern is not there, the collection

32:36

is not there.

32:38

You're expecting the cap of the song,

32:40

the

32:40

interaction, and

32:43

you're expecting to see all of them. You're expecting it.

32:46

Oh, yeah. ExecutiveFU's

32:58

here! Yeah,

33:01

i feel the inside of the stadium.

33:06

See? What was that? The one that played

33:09

audio shit was it was good?

33:11

Like, I worked two in one. I

33:14

gotta be... One for you and

33:16

for the streets and one for the world. That's

33:18

my game. I've been,

33:20

you

33:20

know, I realized that

33:22

like early... You have been studying because

33:25

that's how Drake does it. Yeah, yo, I'm

33:27

telling you, Drake is one of my biggest inspiration. Yeah.

33:30

And I respect like

33:32

how he moves, you know, how many people he puts

33:34

in position and in the charts just

33:36

to... So I try to do that

33:39

even

33:40

with new artists because I was there too. So,

33:42

you know, there's gonna be a lot of people

33:45

even bigger than me, but I just want to put

33:47

my, you know, my good touch on

33:49

it. You love to rap. Love

33:51

it. You love it. Yeah. You

33:53

know, the hip hop is like a way of living

33:55

and I

33:57

don't like to... You know, when

33:59

I feel...

34:00

like I left in

34:04

the past, I need to go back to it.

34:06

So

34:06

it's like I need to really, it's

34:09

like a feeling. So that's why I know

34:11

for a fact when this album

34:13

comes out,

34:14

people will start to tell me like,

34:17

yo, I love it, but

34:18

we need that mic back. They

34:21

like that every time, so I play with it. Yeah,

34:23

but that's fuel, right? Because next time you get on the mic, because

34:25

you have to get harder and better

34:28

every time. Sometimes I got to feel a little bit of pressure

34:31

to get into my, you

34:32

know,

34:33

the best expression of me. I

34:35

haven't done this with anyone for a long time,

34:37

maybe ever in this capacity. Let's

34:40

make a playlist right now. Let's make a new playlist in your

34:42

car. We didn't have to make the whole thing, but

34:44

let's figure out from across all genres

34:46

of music

34:47

who comes to mind when you start a new playlist

34:50

like that? Like, who do you really, outside

34:52

of perhaps the Drakes and the Jays, like even your

34:54

contemporaries, newer artists, who do you listen to? Because

34:56

I'm looking at the people you've collaborated with, and it's diverse,

34:59

dude. I mean, Marshmello and Numani,

35:01

I mean, it's like, you obviously love music.

35:04

Yeah, I love the game, bro. But

35:06

if I got to come with a playlist,

35:09

it depends

35:10

what we're doing. But let's say we got like all

35:12

around, I got to come

35:15

with Romel Santos, got to pick

35:17

some of the records from Aventura,

35:19

and you know, by himself, I got to come with

35:22

Malcantoni,

35:24

I got to come with, you know, Drizzy, you

35:26

got to play Drake, but let's say people

35:28

legendary, I got to come with

35:31

Bob Marley, bro. For my personal

35:33

playlist, Bob Marley,

35:35

Michael Jasso, I like to play like

35:38

Jimi Hendrix, like

35:40

even I like to play, let's say, Cote

35:42

Ranks, shower Ranks, that type of

35:44

music. I can hear that though, in Fort Jamaican, man, because

35:48

you stepped into that space with ease.

35:51

Like, that's a hard rhythm. And you

35:53

know what? I never

35:55

try to jump in one of those records.

35:57

So it's

35:58

like, I

35:59

love it.

36:00

good so i get inspired by by

36:02

and then when i start

36:03

too late to put our what i

36:06

want to his

36:07

late one of one so

36:09

i

36:10

loved our rec of bro this talk about

36:12

the other side of what you do then because

36:14

we spent a lot of i'm celebrating it the journey

36:17

from a young person importance of family

36:19

and friends the focus

36:21

in the study that you put into your craft and the quality

36:23

of the music with tic those boxes thus

36:25

far as talk about the side

36:28

of it that's been the most challenging

36:30

what have you struggled with have anything to come to

36:32

terms with since this has become your life

36:34

i speak to a lot of artists in my life and

36:37

anxiety is a common thread throughout the throughout

36:39

the arts the pressure to perform in

36:41

front of people as an example and just

36:43

also just have having people kind

36:45

of on your payroll that you're responsible for his

36:47

become more successful those are two examples

36:50

like what's been some of the challenges for you

36:52

since this became your life you'll

36:54

i gotta i gotta love or of situations

36:56

in real life bodies

36:58

out they say they show

37:00

must go on you know like here so

37:02

that does i see a lead the like are

37:04

my brain is your entertainment

37:06

but i keep a light brown

37:09

you know to the earth girls everyone

37:10

can get caught him in this game

37:13

i go crazy on a lot of i kibble like

37:16

this is my work the music the day

37:18

that i decide to

37:19

not do a more is located the people

37:21

that see me and i am on

37:23

my towers but i'm

37:24

not doing this

37:26

anymore i'm doing a i'm a guy like

37:28

or

37:28

dreams i got more goals in in

37:31

up in will be site music's or i

37:33

know hopefully i can go

37:35

out of the guy you know like yankees don't know

37:37

what

37:38

about other responsibilities and life the balance

37:40

between because becoming an artist

37:43

and following your dreams is quite a self absorbed

37:45

situation right it's like it's sort

37:47

of an acceptable narcissism it's like i'm just gonna

37:49

do me and i need to in order to be successful

37:51

i have to focus on making a life starts

37:53

to take whole body twenty nine now twenty

37:56

nine twenty nine you know some point we're

37:58

talking family right

38:00

we're talking people in your life like

38:02

i mean how is that balance between

38:05

who you are responsible for and you share this

38:07

life with and your own journey is

38:09

is crazy is very

38:11

difficult brokers sometimes

38:13

you're the hero heavily guides you have any i gotta

38:15

gotta get you got a little three years old right arm

38:18

ran times think you will sometimes

38:20

you are you in in the house i you are the the

38:22

hero but

38:23

in the house they don't see you didn't

38:26

get your absent so

38:27

you're that billion the house and

38:30

other yard everyone wants

38:32

to we're near you know

38:34

they once you every every blaze

38:36

of the same thing i'll check it at the door so

38:39

sometimes you get i'm gonna lie

38:41

bro sometimes might even my mom the she's

38:43

like oh

38:44

i know how is he on i'm late as

38:46

doing this for ya so the music

38:49

right

38:49

now is my

38:50

main question the question need be careless

38:52

the salmon or realize your dedication by

38:55

am parent

38:55

and will do that too i get

38:57

it like when you say you can to hustle

39:00

hard now i

39:02

know further garlic a little boys three

39:04

see i figure out what you got your

39:06

says you'll you'll still went went whenever i go

39:08

on combat he he got new

39:10

tricks assessment me i see you got

39:13

me thinking about five to ten years a restaurant

39:15

hustle so the very least i get

39:17

the tend to twenties and i'm home air

39:20

and you know he he and his little by

39:22

understand what i work yeah but

39:24

why he'd why he doesn't understand

39:26

is like i'm

39:28

far away he thinks yeah the

39:30

face time with you know the phrase they reside i'll admit

39:32

that i'm bad at the same let me tell you my let

39:34

me tell you might you're on borrowed time with that because pretty

39:36

soon he's gonna realize you're not there and

39:39

it's tough it's to for me i can get in the way view of

39:41

of your drive but i'm like you said

39:43

you've gotta motivate you yeah does does

39:45

way you know before i had

39:47

him i was doing it is for me

39:50

but

39:50

my way carbon i know i gotta put

39:52

up a work at the cause

39:56

i need to leave a legacy you

39:58

know for them can i say something which is

40:00

probably gonna seem strange given

40:02

that it's the first time we've really met, but you're an

40:04

impressive guy. Like,

40:08

listening to the music,

40:09

it's impressive the amount of ground you've

40:11

covered on this album and pulled off. I mean,

40:14

it takes people five, six albums

40:16

to normally get to a place like this, you know? It

40:18

feels in a weird way like your first proper album to

40:21

me. I don't know how it feels to you, but like, I love like

40:23

Mike. This is

40:25

like, I was making music in

40:27

a session.

40:30

A producer, Slow Mike, told me, this

40:32

is like your graduation. Yeah.

40:35

So I feel it like that. I felt

40:38

what he told me like, this is like

40:40

you

40:40

are in a new level with this one.

40:42

You are. But at the same time, you carry

40:44

it really well, really thoughtful and dude,

40:47

everything you're gonna go do. I can't wait for the Mike Towers

40:49

boxing, boxing

40:50

franchise. I've been starting the

40:52

game a lot. So a

40:54

lot of time. So, you know, I'm a

40:56

person that in that training business,

40:59

that's just a license to print money. That circuit training

41:01

business. How many maywithers are out there now? Oh

41:03

my gosh.

41:04

Now, I'm the type of person that if

41:07

I am not doing it

41:08

the correct way, I'm not doing it. So that's why I

41:11

take my time. But when we

41:13

go into

41:13

that game, we're

41:15

gonna. Don't

41:18

forget to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

41:21

We'll be back next week where Zane sits down

41:23

with Fall Out Boy.