SKILLA BABY ON GETTING SHOT & THE STRUGGLE TO FORGIVE | DETROIT REAL ESTATE, STOCKS & NEW ALBUM

30:02I really want to live. I really want to spend my money. I really want to get on boats, travel, have podcasts like this where we're having teachable moments. People really don't understand this too, the value of life. Like, I don't think young kids understand if everybody leaves, bro, you're going to be depressed. Kill everybody. you're going to be one depressed individual who have nobody to talk to you'll be so lonely and that's not that i think people don't understand that the real goal in life is to be happy and whatever that is to you happiness that's the only thing i'm chasing i don't want to be mad every day i want to be happy for sure so you know being obviously god-fearing man and such a positive person and you know a breath of fresh air when it comes to the music industry do you have any level of like bitterness or anger like when you when that tragic incident happened you got shot right does that make you your heart colder or does that make you angry inside to be like damn i'm a positive person like i didn't deserve this or like is that something that you just say that's out of my control?

31:17Honestly, it made me bitter. It made me evil. I had to really, that was my hardest fight. Like, as men, I said this on a couple other podcasts too, our pride is like everything to us. So people don't really understand. And by me letting something slide or me taking a step back and not really doing the easy thing to do, which is to harm a person or do something crazy. And I'm not saying I'm I'm not saying that. I haven't been this type of person before, like because I'm not perfect. I've done, I made mistakes and stuff. But as a maturing man, and this album really helped me with that, the hardest thing for me was let it go.

32:16Like, that's, people don't understand. Like, I think only real grown men will understand this. And this not going to make me look cool at all. So I just want, I wanted to be the person that let younger people know that the hardest thing to do, like the most gangster thing you could do is heal, like live, avoid situations. that's the most that's the most hard thing i had to do i had to really with my two managers i'd be on the phone they like they watch me go through this i had a real evil stint to where like i was really evil and i had to hide myself in the house because a lot of people would have caught that short end of the stick like a lot of people would have caught that like and people don't understand like it's so easy for me that i have money i have resources and i'm a i'm i'm not a gangster no more like but i can go there like i i understand myself i can go there so the hardest thing for me to do was let that hurt go yeah so you you titled the project the price of fame interesting title i wonder is it a cautionary tale because you talked about having the money and feeling paranoid?

33:50Or is it an educational project where it's like, look, this is what comes with it? The price of fame is really, I want it to be broad to where you can have your own cost to what success costs you. My price and your price might be different. I want it to feel relatable to the average man, average woman, and they struggles because people don't really talk about normal people no more. So it might have cost me time, partying. I don't do drugs. I don't drink. A lot of stuff I want to do, I just don't do because my whole life is dedicated to success. You might have cost time with your kids. You might have had to travel for work.

34:45You might, like, I want to be home in Detroit. regardless of everything that be going on. I like home. I love it. But I know I'm bigger than that. And it's not healthy or conducive to my situations. So that's like a cost, like happiness.

35:11It's just all the sacrifices that you put in to take care of your family or doing what you love or being successful. That's what the price of fame is. And fame is just a word to replace success. Like, it just sounded better saying fame, but fame is like a synonym for success when it comes to my project. Like, all the sacrifices and the price it costs, price you pay to be successful at what you do because nobody want to work for 20 years straight, but everybody got to take care of their family and everybody has these responsibilities that they have to do. I want to talk about the music, but I just want to go because what you said was insightful as far as, Waldo has a TED Talk where he talked about he forgave the person that killed his brother.

36:05And he was like, if he didn't, his life wouldn't be where it is now. and forgiving doesn't mean that you just forget about something but it's like King Vaughn's last interview actually ironically enough I think it was with Killian Wallow and he was saying like you know the eye for an eye and I kill you and you kill me and then before you know it everybody's dead and he was like somebody got to be the person to break that cycle? Because if not, then it's a never-ending race to the bottom where everybody's going to end up killing each other and nobody's going to win. So it's like, how do you communicate that message to young people?

36:48Or being that you went through it, right? What would be your message to somebody that has something done to them or has something done to their family member? And it's like, look, you can do this path if you want to, but nine times out of ten you're going to end up getting killed you're going to jail so who really is winning in this situation right everybody now your mom is mad like everybody's just a losing losing losing losing so how do you how do you relay what you just said to somebody else that may have gone through trauma I think the the coolest way to talk to kids and like the only way to get through through to younger generation is not to lie to them I think as parents, as older people, as chaperones, as mentors, people be trying to be too politically correct and had a correct answer, which my correct answer might not be another person's correct answer, but I could tell them my experiences and the options, you know.

37:55so I can't really say like and lie to a kid and be like I forgive this person or I forgot this because I'm working on it I can say I'm working on it and like even as a parent I wouldn't tell my kids like um don't do that because I wouldn't do that I would give them the options like you could do this but this is what's probably gonna happen if you do it right because Because when it comes to kids, and I know this because I was a kid before, we all have been kids before, nobody, kids don't like authority. So I think the best way to teach a kid is to guide them somewhere and don't let them bump their head on the big tree.

38:43But if it's a little branch, listen, bro, I'm telling you that branch there, bro. If you want to bump your head, I'm not letting you do nothing crazy, go to jail or nothing. but if you want to bump your head and get scratched up, bro, I'm telling you, you're going to get a scratch. Because I know when you get that little scratch, you're going to come back and be like, Pops, you told me I was getting that scratch, and it hurt. And I'm not giving you a Band-Aid because I told you. Now, if you got a stab wound, we're going to the doctor. But if you got that scratch, bro, listen, bro, you better do what we did and lick the wound, lick your thumb, wipe it off, and go play.

39:23because I think that's the most healthiest way to... Earners, what's up? Look, on Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves. Here's one most people skip, and it starts with Insurify. Most of us never shop our car insurance. The policy renews every year, the rate creeps up a little at a time, and nobody calls you to tell you. You stay with the same company because it's easy, and that convenience costs you real money. That's what Insurify fixes. Real quotes from more than 120 top insurance companies side by side. About two minutes, free, no phone calls, no pressure. And if there's nothing better for you right now, Insurify keeps watching and tells you when that changes so you're never stuck overpaying.

40:06Millions of people have used Insurify to shop for their car insurance. So insure with Insurify. Go to Insurify.com. That's I-N-S-U-R-I-F-Y.com. Insurify.com. Quick one before you jump back in. You're listening for ways to help teams move faster, make sharper decisions, and turn scattered context into work they can use. ChatGPT for Business can help. ChatGPT for Business gives teams a shared workspace with admin controls, permissions, and access to work and codecs in ChatGPT. This means your business can move from question to answer and code to rollout quicker. Join over 10 million business and enterprise users worldwide already using ChatGPT for work.

40:49Download the ChatGPT desktop app or contact sales to learn more. We talk a lot about ownership and one of the most important assets you can own is your digital real estate. Too many entrepreneurs rely on social media platforms they don't control. Your website should be the center of your business. Framer helps you build a professional website without all the friction. It's more than a website builder. It's a complete website platform. Your entire team can collaborate in real time, make changes instantly, and publish updates in minutes instead of days. Framer's AI agents work alongside your team to create content, refine pages, manage your CMS, and optimize your SEO all in one place.

41:30And because everything stays editable on the same canvas, you maintain complete control over what goes live. That's why everyone from startups to Fortune 500 companies and brands like Perplexity and Miro trust Framer to power their websites. Learn how you can get more out of your site from Framer specialists or get started building for free at Framer.com slash earn for 30 % off a Framer Pro annual plan. That's Framer.com slash earn for 30 % off. Framer.com slash earn. Rules and restrictions may apply. When traveling for events or festivals throughout the country, every dollar matters. We compare flights, prices, hotel rates, and restaurant options.

42:09So why wouldn't we compare rides? Personally, I always check lift before booking a ride. Prices can change throughout the day depending on traffic, weather, and what's happening in the city. If you're headed to a concert, out to dinner, or catching up with your friends on a Friday night, taking a few seconds to check lift could leave you with more money to enjoy the experience. Save money. Check lift. tell the kids like i can't lie to a kid and be like yeah i forgive this person or i forgot that i can't but i can say listen this is how i talk to god every day i'm trying to take baby steps i set reminders to talk to god to make sure when i do get these thoughts I talk to God first, you know?

42:56So if I did it, I understand I had this conversation and I thought about it. I think the biggest way to tell the younger generation is if you're going to make a decision, sit on it first and weigh your options. I think we're so quick to respond and as a community, especially like as a black community, we're reactionary.

43:27And that's what harm us most because we're so reactionary that we don't weigh our options. We don't weigh our options. Like Pastor Warren Campbell told me, you might not be wrong. You might not be fighting right and wrong. And I say this a lot because that stuck with me when he said it to me. you might be fighting right and what's wise you might be right to go do that but are you willing to sit in prison for 20 years you might be right to go do that but are you willing to lose this person in your in your life forever might be right to go do that but does it is is that your values somebody steal from you and or somebody hit you and you go do something is that really your values if it is your values I understand you it's not my values but if it is your values right first wise you know what I'm saying yeah it's your values to stay away from your family for 20-30 years because guess what you was the you was the patriarch so that's why a lot of my stuff if I had to sit on it because I take care of my whole family.

44:45So of course, I want to be a gangster and do all the gangster stuff, but am I willing to go sit down? Yes, but is that conducive to my family? Like, can my family live their same lifestyle without me? No, so it's, I can't. Those are prophetic words right there. I want to talk about the self-reflection part because you kind of alluded to it earlier. You said, I realized that I was an evil person. And I'm wondering, from that standpoint, what got you out of that space? Is that the moment where you turned to faith and became even more devoted in that space of your life? Or was there somebody that was in your corner that was like, we don't want to see you like this.

45:28We got to get you out of this. Or was it something therapeutic? Was it music? How did you get out of that moment in time? My album helped me doing that. But more than my album, I started going to the gym. and set my timer to pray. And I had got shot in May. I got surgery in June. Started healing up. I started getting in the gym. I got in the gym like my body was messed up. So I started getting in the gym in like November. From November 1st to January 30th, I went on this fast. no sugar, no bread, no sex, no sugar, no bread, no sex, and no potatoes. And that really helped me stay disciplined. That was my first discipline test.

46:26Like, I had to discipline myself and really make my mind stronger before I made my body stronger. I had to really test my faith, see how much I would pray and how much if I would keep working out. And I ultimately passed that test, and I think that wasn't even my biggest test. My biggest test is going to be when I do get everything I want and see if I'm still going to keep praying. I still pray two, three times a day when I have everything I want and everything I need. and I'm just being honest with myself because it's a hard task. It's not, it sounds easy, like, man, just go pray. But when you hit your knees when times was good, it's way different from when you hit your knees when times was bad.

47:17When you don't need nothing, when you don't want for nothing. Are you still going to thank God for grace, forgiveness? are you still gonna ask God to walk with you through the good times just like he walked with you through the bad times like people forget about that like you gotta stay prayed up regardless of your situation yeah that's my biggest test I think coming and I'm just preparing myself for that that season because I feel like right now I'm in a season of shitting shitting all the old dead away all the old skin, all the bad stuff off me when all my skin looks clear and the coast is clear, am I still gonna walk with God?

48:03Am I still gonna stay prayed up? Am I still, am I gonna cut my timers off? That's my test that I think I'm preparing for right now. Are you seeing that influence around the people that you're with, right? Like, is your crew now saying like, oh, we're on that too, right? Like, are you starting to see that? Or is it solely just you at this point? And maybe people are starting to see like, we need to have that discipline, right? Because I would feel that you're the leader, right? Because in the family, you're the leader. They start to take on characteristics that you have. Is that happening for you?

48:36I ain't with all older guys. So we like, I understand that a great leader follows too. So we all take values from each other. We hold each other accountable. When I got my weight vest, my manager, Juan, over there, got his weight vest. He started fasting. He started eating better. My manager, Rocket, we did it together. We fasted and eating together, praying. We switched our whole diet. So we all taking accountability for each other. And this is why I'm motivated to keep doing it. And just like when I was talking about my mental health struggles and my journey with God and my faith journey, so many people was DMing me saying, and they don't even know I'm seeing their messages, how they turning on their timers to pray or they sending me passages from the Bible or just what I said helped them with their struggles.

49:43And I don't really broadcast it or post none of them because that's their struggles and that's their story. And I just want them to know, like, if they listen to this podcast, keep sending them because I see them. And some I do respond to. I had a girl tell me her whole story the other day and I just listen. I think people don't understand the value of listening, not responding and just letting people know they heard and being seen. Talk about music, the music business. How are you learning the music business as far as coming in, you know, learning about, you know, royalties and learning about show money and learning about how to pay taxes?

50:25Like, who's giving you the education and how are you learning about the music business? I learn as I go. I ask a lot of questions. I bump my head a few times. and I think that was the best lesson was bumping my head. And I just take my time. I try to, before I do anything, I study it now. People don't understand that.

50:54Earners, what's up? Look, on Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves. Here's one most people skip, and it starts with Insurify. Most of us never shop our car insurance. The policy renews every year. the rate creeps up a little at a time, and nobody calls you to tell you. You stay with the same company because it's easy, and that convenience costs you real money. That's what Insurify fixes, real quotes from more than 120 top insurance companies side by side. About two minutes, free, no phone calls, no pressure. And if there's nothing better for you right now, Insurify keeps watching and tells you when that changes, so you're never stuck overpaying.

51:31Millions of people have used Insurify to shop for their car insurance. So insure with Insurify. Go to Insurify.com. That's I-N-S-U-R-I-F-Y.com. Insurify.com. Quick one before you jump back in. You're listening for ways to help teams move faster, make sharper decisions, and turn scattered context into work they can use. ChatGPT for Business can help. Chat GPT for Business gives teams a shared workspace with admin controls, permissions, and access to work and codecs in Chat GPT. This means your business can move from question to answer and code to rollout quicker. Join over 10 million business and enterprise users worldwide already using Chat GPT for Work.

52:14Download the Chat GPT desktop app or contact sales to learn more. We talk a lot about ownership, and one of the most important assets you can own is your digital real estate. Too many entrepreneurs rely on social media platforms they don't control. Your website should be the center of your business. Framer helps you build a professional website without all the friction. It's more than a website builder. It's a complete website platform. Your entire team can collaborate in real time, make changes instantly, and publish updates in minutes instead of days. Framer's AI agents work alongside your team to create content, refine pages, manage your CMS, and optimize your SEO all in one place.

52:55And because everything stays editable on the same canvas, you maintain complete control over what goes live. That's why everyone from startups to Fortune 500 companies and brands like Perplexity and Miro trust Framer to power their websites. Learn how you can get more out of your site from Framer specialists or get started billing for free at framer.com slash earn for 30 % off a Framer Pro annual plan. That's framer.com slash earn for 30 % off. Framer.com slash earn. Rules and restrictions may apply. When traveling for events or festivals throughout the country, every dollar matters. We compare flights, prices, hotel rates, and restaurant options.

53:34So why wouldn't we compare rides? Personally, I always check lift before booking a ride. Prices can change throughout the day depending on traffic, weather, and what's happening in the city. If you're headed to a concert, out to dinner, or catching up with your friends on a Friday night, taking a few seconds to check lift could leave you with more money to enjoy the experience. Save money. Check lift. Business is about leverage. So don't go into business thinking that everything is supposed to be 50-50. This is not, that's not that. I'm trying to have more leverage than the person that's countering me.

54:12So if I'm dealing with a label, I'm trying to go have more leverage than them. And if I'm dealing with anybody, I want to have more leverage than them because now I have room to negotiate. Because anything contractual is final, you know, until you fulfill that obligation of that contract. and I think people need to understand that about business. Business never changes. Business is business. And I think people go into a business with emotions and thinking everybody's friends. Even your friend when it's business is business. Like, I don't go into business with love. I don't. I just not. I don't have no emotion.

54:59I don't go into it with hate either. But I don't have no emotion when it comes to business because my business is final. If I tell you, I'm going to do something for you and I'm going to give you 80 % of the proceeds and that's contractual, I'm going to do that. I'm going to stand on it. And when you start getting rich, I'm going to stand with you too. I'm going to give you 80 % so I fulfill my obligations. That's my business ethics. That's what I stand on. But when it comes time for you to give me 80 % and it's contractual, I expect that too. because I'm going to take my losses with my wins. That's just how business works.

55:37I done lost stuff in business. I done won in business. So I understand that's how business goes. Did you always get, or did you always have that mindset? Did you get to that point? I hear a lot of people, especially artists, they love making the music. They hate the business side of it. Do you, I mean, you said you have no emotions. Did you get forced into that point or that's always been the mindset since you stepped in the game? It was like that since I stepped in because I watched other people go through it. And I love doing business. I love my losses just as much as I love my wins because I'm a person that's never getting too high or too low because I know it's coming.

56:17I know a loss coming. Also, I know after this loss, the only way is up. After I go down, I know I'm going back up. So I ain't really tripping. I done took losses and nobody knew it. Like, like even beyond music, like I done really lost three watches, Richard Milley's. Nobody never knew. Like they could, they know because they not on my wrist, but they don't know how I lost them. I didn't get robbed from them or anything. It was just like, I lost my watches. And my first one. Just misplaced them? Yeah. My first one, like it got, no, the first one. So Richard Milley's like, they, they rubber band.

57:00So my first one, I was at a fight and a bunch of people crowded around me and it got like got off my wrist. Boom. Like they bump you. They do like a pickpocket thing. I've seen something like that before. So that one I had no insurance. My second one I lost in my homeboy pants at a hotel. He let the lady wash his pants and my watch came up. But I had that insurance. So I'm just saying that to like, I done took losses and I learned from them. Like my first watch, I wasn't insured. It was$200 ,000 loss. My second watch, they cut me a check for it. So it was like, and I lost jewelry and other stuff in between there.

57:47And it's like, I understand what comes with the territory. I don't hold this much value to these objects. You invest in the market? The stock market? Nope, I've never done that. I'm listening to your mindset, and I'm like, he would be a great investor. I like try, look, I try to invest in Bitcoin, right? That's why I don't be doing like stock markets and crypto, because I've invested in Bitcoin, and I invested in, it's another one. Ethereum? Nope, it's like an Asian name. I forgot what it's called. Solana? No, I start with something else. I got the thing on my phone but it's another it's another one I invested in it and I kept my late my money sitting there and it was sitting in there and it wasn't doing nothing I was like man I'm gonna go do something else with my money as soon as I took it out it went up I was like yeah bro this is not my thing I ain't patient enough okay that was when you talk about the components of not looking at these things as losses understanding that hey we've hit a a certain part or we've hit a metric and the only way is up.

59:00That's how we looking at charts, right? Like I'm looking at it like, all right, we hit a moving average here. The next way has to be up. Or even if we fall back, how much further are we going to go? How are we going to learn if we do this? And I mean, so when you saying these things, I'm like, yo, damn, if we just use that same strategy inside of the market, obviously we got to have discipline. That part is key, but those are some of those characteristics of somebody who's going to be a great investor. Well, that's why you would be, because you have discipline. And you have it, right, exactly.

59:29You already have discipline in your life. So that's the key. Like he said, that's the key to the stock market. People, all right, you ever hear it's like, buy low, sell high. You heard that before. Most people in the stock market, they do the exact opposite. They buy high and sell low. Because it's like, let's say Bitcoin, right? They've been hearing about Bitcoin forever. Everybody's talking about it. The barbershop is talking about it. They keep putting it off. They keep putting it off. And then Bitcoin goes to$120 ,000. And then it's like, damn, like it's going to go to a million. I got to get in now.

1:00:02And they put their money into Bitcoin,$120 ,000. Then what happens right when they put their money in? It drops. It drops to 70. It drops to 70. Then it goes to 60. So now you're thinking like, damn, I lost 50 % of my money in four months. This is crazy. It's definitely 100 % going to go to zero. I don't want to lose everything. Let me just take my money out. And then as soon as you take your money out, it goes up. Like, you know what I'm saying? So that's why more people buy at the top and they sell at the low instead of doing the opposite. But that comes down to the discipline. But like over the long run, because obviously you're a very intelligent person, the stock market, I think that that's something that you should probably get into because you like real estate already.

1:00:43So you understand properties appreciate. And the stocks, you know, all of these companies, Apple, Microsoft, Google, they're not going anywhere. so it's like if we could become owners in those companies that's just long term that's the contingency plan that's the that's the contingency I think it was taught to me wrong yeah see that's it somebody just told me man put your money in this it's going up how y 'all explain it when you're seeing the metrics of it and you're seeing like alright you're explaining this like buy low and sell high they're not really explaining that they're just like I did this and I you know They're not explaining like the whole process.

1:01:25See, everything has a process. People like, see, we as a community, we take the elevator up. So you land on the top floor. People don't talk about the steps. Like they didn't tell you they took the steps. They put you on the elevator. They ain't telling you like they walked this step, step by step and went to the top. And the market is looking for that person that says they don't even know why they did it. They just did it. They made money. because chances are they're going to thinking that that's the strategy to continue to make money and in the market like the whales like these big institutional companies they'll wait for it to get to a high they'll take profit you never know it takes profit then it falls and they know that if you see it go from 100 to 70 most likely you're gonna be like i'm never doing this again let me just take my 70 when you take it they've already made money up to the 100 they're gonna put money back in that 70 it's gonna go up to 150 you see what i'm saying like that those are the ebbs and flows of it just over the course of time though we we so short-minded that we think immediate gratification i gotta turn my 100 into a thousand and i have to do it within two months but you've haven't had money for your whole life why you gotta do it in a month you know i mean we just it's the mindset shift but the education part is important understanding why you're doing it not because somebody told you it changes the game for you definitely yeah i was um talking to some guys in Arizona, there was some business owners and they was like inviting me into their, um, they had like a, um, investment group, but I didn't really do it because I don't understand it.

1:02:59They, they invest in companies right before they go public. Oh yeah. That's, that's, yeah. They was like startup companies. The IPO game. That's where the real money is really, it's, it's risky. because it's like by the time it goes to the stock market, people had already made 1 ,000, 10 ,000 % of their money, right? It's like if you could invest in Meta, when Mark Zuckerberg first started, yeah, first started the company, right? Like that's how they're making hundreds of billions of dollars. But it's like baseball. I see you got the MLB hat. Shout out to Slow. Yeah. That's the thing with baseball.

1:03:38All you got to do is hit three out of 10. you're an all-star. That's not really a good percentage in life. 30 % success rate in most life is, 30 % is not good. But in baseball, it's like damn near Hall of Fame, right? So that's what they did. They just try to hit like one. If they can get 10, they can get one. And if they get that one, that one will make up for the nine losses. I tell people this, right? When they don't invest in the market, I say, think about the wealthiest people in the world, right? Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk, Larry Ellison, they all have the same thing in common. They got a company, they own shares of the company, and it's publicly traded.

1:04:20The more the value of that company goes, the stock goes up, their value goes up. So like when Elon has SpaceX IPO and he owns a large percent of those shares, and he has Tesla already, now he's the first trillionaire. Right? But we don't, we not think like, that's how they're building wealth, right? They're creating companies, those companies are going to part with, they have companies that have moats and they have competitive advantages and they have a brand loyalty inside of it and people invest in it. And that's the way, like, we got to get to that point, right? We see wealth in our community, entertainment, sports, but somebody's paying those people.

1:04:53You know what I mean? The mindset shifts. So like when they put you in these races, it's like, okay, they're not explaining it to you, but they might not be explaining to you because they don't want you to be a part of it. But that gives you the challenge to go educate yourself. Like that's the next piece. But what you said, that was intelligent though. Never invest in anything you don't understand. That's how people lose money all the time. They just, because then it becomes gambling, right? When you don't fully understand something, then you're just doing it because you think you can make money.

1:05:20And thinking that you're going to make money usually does not, that usually means you're going to lose all your money. When you think you're going to make money, you got to know you're going to make money. That's the difference. Like, so you did the right thing, but you know, I'm sure you'll have a lot of opportunities throughout your career, but let's talk about acting. 50 Cent, he's become like a mentor to you, right? Yeah. How has your relationship with 50 Cent developed? My guy, TV, he from New York, he introduced me to 50 TV. My guy, I rock with TV. After I met 50 through TV, I had seen 50 at the Super Bowl when it was in Vegas.

1:06:03And Dan, somebody that's close with 50 right now is actually my manager now, but I met him through somebody in Detroit. So when I got with Rocket, we just started going to acting classes. I did that for like a year and a half. And then he was like, when you ready, I'm going to tell 50. So Dan, I went to acting class for like a year, and then he figured out I was ready. And he told 50, showed him myself tapes and stuff. And then after that, me and 50 been having like this relationship to where every time I ask him for a new opportunity, like not like to give it to me, I just be like, I feel stagnant.

1:06:51And he'll give me some work. Like he'll be like, all right, I got this audition for this. I got this for this. and he put me with an acting agency and he just been supporting everything I do and I'm blessed to just have him in my corner and he just be wanting to see me win so that's like I fuck with 50. And you're gonna be on power? Yeah, power of origins. Acting school, you really feel like that really really helped you? Yeah for sure because I just like when we was talking about the metrics of the stock market. Everything has the process, the language, the verbiage, the ins and outs, the, when it comes to acting, you got to know your marks.

1:07:37You got to have, like, what if you have an intimacy scene? They got intimacy coordinator. They teach you how to make people feel comfortable, teach you how to talk on set, understand what people are saying, you know? So camera angles, if this, when this camera zooms in on you, how your body language should be when this camera zooms out, when it's a wide shot. Like, you got to understand this before you just get on camera. And people, I think people jump into it and don't understand it. And that's why some people don't look comfortable on screen. Then you got to understand what you're comfortable doing, what you mature enough for, what roles fits you to make you look the best, you know?

1:08:24So you got to understand all that too. We got the track list for Price of Fame. And we saw one of the biggest influences of our life, for sure, on the track list. Talk about the Nas relationship, the Nas feature, how it came about. Yeah, man, I mean, that's somebody that we lived through our whole life. Man, somebody let Nas hear my album. It just started off with them letting Nas hear the album. man I thought he told me he told us that it was a breath of fresh air like and like I was like I was threw off at Niles Niles ain't say that like this Mount Rushmore Niles yeah then conversations just turned into I'm getting on the phone with him and I'm like this really Niles I'm on the phone with Niles but Niles such a cool cool guy he a cool cat so like I'm like I'm on the phone with Nas then it turned into I man Nas gonna get on your Elf I'm like nah I'm like nah Nas ain't getting on my Elf you're a tripper boom so then I fly out to see them and we were just kicking it and then a few months later nah they sent me a video of the Nas versus I'm like wow that's crazy and it was like more I valued it for more personal reasons I was selfish like man I got a Nas verse more than really understanding that Nas is on my album like this like a bro this like a head nod in hip hop like you know what I'm saying like this Nas Nas ain't getting on everybody's stuff that's a fact and I'm like man I got Nas on there like even with the with the other features I got like I be feeling like I got that's why I was so selective with and I didn't just add anybody to my project.

1:10:26I felt like I got what was necessary. That Nas moment is a thing. The first time you hear, I get love in Detroit like I'm Skillet, baby. What's the reaction from you? People don't understand that he was coming to Detroit a couple of times, hanging with us before I even... He knew I was a rapper, like Jack Harlow. So he used to be cool, like, on tour. I forgot who he was on tour with, but he was like the opener, him and Seti Hendrix. They used to hang with us because Sada was super big, like, especially in Detroit. So Sada, baby, was super big. So I'm hanging with Sada. Jack Harlow hanging with us.

1:11:15But Jack Harlow hanging with me because Sada bigger than him at the time. we just like two young kids just you know what I'm saying we just rock around downtown and stuff and then like Jack Harlow text me all the time and just be checking on me like man I'm glad you talk about this or I see what you're doing keep doing that like we don't even talk about music so when he did that I didn't that was big for me because I didn't know he was gonna do that they just was like man Jack Harlow did this do you approve it I'm like, what you mean? I hear I get love in Detroit like Skillababy. Then I heard it all the time.

1:11:55I'm like, whoa, this is crazy. Number one single in the world. Number one single in the world. Man, that was a cool moment for me. Like, crazy. That was, a lot of people, that might have even been the introduction to you. Like, who is Skillababy? Yeah, exactly. Then they start going down the rabbit hole. So what can people expect from this album? Like, if, okay, this is their first time really, really, they've heard your music before, they know who you are, but this is the first time they're going to listen to you from start to finish. What do you want them to get out of it, and what should they expect?

1:12:28They're going to expect what to expect from this album. Raw emotion, top-tier lyricism, great features, teachable moments. Ernest, what's up? Look, on Earn Your Leisure, we're all about smart money moves. Here's one most people skip, and it starts with Insurify. Most of us never shop our car insurance. The policy renews every year, the rate creeps up a little at a time, and nobody calls you to tell you. You stay with the same company because it's easy, and that convenience costs you real money. That's what Insurify fixes. Real quotes from more than 120 top insurance companies side by side. About two minutes, free, no phone calls, no pressure.

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1:15:46Save money. Check lift.

1:15:52Wittiness. Everything. Big records. A story. Top to bottom, a story. and I just want them to really just sit with it because the music is great, but I want them to sit with it and understand. And I don't want to tell people what to get from it. I want them to understand. I want them to get what they want from it. And I want them to really sit with it and comprehend what the project is and how important it is for culture. Like, I think it's a lot of ethical values on there, faith-based concepts and values. And I think everything was led with love and started with God on this album. So I just want them to understand that, like, and get that from it.

1:16:53And I feel like it's a classic. A classic in the making, man. I appreciate the conversation. I had watched you with our sis Pretty V, and I was like, man, I wanna speak to him. When they said, yo, I'm like, we gotta do it. Just because I hadn't seen an artist, I hadn't seen anybody really go deep into vulnerability at the stage of their career that you're at. And I was like, the same way Nas said, that's a breath of fresh air, when I heard you speak, I'm like, that's a breath of fresh air. I was like, we gotta sit down with him. I wonder when you're looking at obviously yourself, Detroit, what's the legacy?

1:17:30Because you see people that artists and they come into the space and they want to get on and they want to put their friends on and make more music. I feel like there's a bigger calling for you though. What do you see your legacy being? I think my legacy is just being obedient to what God told me to do. And I feel like teaching people through my story, finally figured that out. Like, I think I could bridge the gap between what's cool and what's not cool. Like, far as like the youth thinking, like being a good guy is not cool. I think I could fix that only because like, you see how I could dress for Pretty V interviewed and I feel like this, I feel like a young guy.

1:18:25today and just like this and talk about financial literacy. My head be all over the place, but my intent be the same. So my intention is always good. So I think my legacy is just to be God's guinea pig. Like I think, let God lead me into everything I'm doing and all my decisions that I'm making and just if I help one person, I feel like I did my job for the day. Well, I appreciate you, brother, man. This is a dope conversation. You got a bright future. Tell the people all the information, you know, the album, the title, where to get it, when to get it, the whole vibe. The Price of Fame dropped August 21st.

1:19:17Show Me Love just came out. you can get it everywhere on all platforms please sit with it and understand it I think you'll get financial literacy from it I think you'll get faith values from it I think you'll get just a complete understanding of who I am and why I am who I am why I act how I act. And I just want to thank you guys for having me up here. This was, this is like one of the coolest interviews I've been on. Appreciate it. Y 'all and Pretty V. This was like, yeah, like this was like a really cool conversation for me because that's why I'm into. And I always like learning. And I learned from y 'all guys today and that was, that was really big for me.

1:20:16Yeah. We're not done. We're not done learning, man. We're going to hold your hand in this stock market investment thing. I think it's important because I think once you get it, that's your level of intelligence, I know your natural thing is, let me go give it back to people. So we're going to work on that with you. Appreciate you. Yes, sir. All right, y 'all. We'll see you next week. Peace. Ernest, what's up? Look, building wealth isn't just about making money. It's about knowing where your money is working for you. That's why we partnered with Empower. Empower is all about helping you invest well so you can go out and live a little.

1:20:46Their free Empower Personal Dashboard gives you a complete view of your financial life in one place. Track your net worth, monitor your budget, analyze your investments, set retirement goals, and more. You've worked hard for your money. Now make sure it's working hard for you. Download the Empower Personal Dashboard or visit Empower.com. Not an Empower client paid or sponsored. Before you sign off, you tuned in for ways to help teams move faster, make sharper decisions, and turn scattered context into work they can use. ChatGPT for Business can help. ChatGPT for Business gives teams a shared workspace with admin controls, permissions, and access to work and codecs in ChatGPT.

1:21:30This means your business can move from question to answer and code to rollout quicker. Join over 10 million business and enterprise users worldwide already using ChatGPT for work. Download the ChatGPT desktop app or contact sales to learn more.

1:22:05That's what Insurify fixes. Real quotes from more than 120 top insurance companies side by side. About two minutes, free, no phone calls, no pressure. And if there's nothing better for you right now, Insurify keeps watching and tells you when that changes. So you're never stuck overpaying. Millions of people have used Insurify to shop for their car insurance. So insure with Insurify. Go to Insurify.com. That's I-N-S-U-R-I-F-Y.com. Insurify.com. When traveling for events or festivals throughout the country, every dollar matters. We compare flights, prices, hotel rates, and restaurant options. So why wouldn't we compare rides?

1:22:46Personally, I always check Lyft before booking a ride. Prices can change throughout the day depending on traffic, weather, and what's happening in the city. If you're headed to a concert, out to dinner, or catching up with your friends on a Friday night, taking a few seconds to check Lyft could leave you with more money to enjoy the experience. Save money. Check Lyft. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.