In short
Xanman (DMV/underground rapper) discusses his career path from APG, label/contract realities, independence, drug (Xanax) experiences and “Zandemic” culture, money vs happiness, staying focused, and underground rap trends; he also talks about Pokemon Go and reading.
Guest(s)
Eli from ABG is mentioned as an A&R who pushed for the interview and helped with Xanman’s early label connection. The main guest is Xanman himself (25-year-old rapper). Other industry figures named include Daniel and multiple APG A&Rs; Derrick Milano (APG writer/connection); Earl (publishing education via manager Prez); Walk (TSF/Sauce-related figure); Sauce (Walk’s operation); and No Cap, Quando Rondo, YB, plus producers Earl/others.
Key claims
Artists often misunderstand advances/recoupment; labels may “shelf” artists, but he says his own bad moves caused setbacks (multiple past deals, scattered catalog). He won’t sign again unless the deal makes financial sense and the label has leverage. He avoids glorifying drug use online and says Xanax caused memory loss and dangerous incidents. Money mainly reduces stress (bills), not true happiness.
Notable examples
A hotel story where he woke up from Xanax and was told he fired an AR after someone put a bottle on his head; his “advance” being about $750k (split payments); and his steady streaming incline vs overnight blowups.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOEarly Days and First Impressions
0:04 to 0:44
Hear about the first meeting and interview experience with Eli and Xanman.
“Starbucks refreshers concentrates are coming home.”
Label Experience and Knowledge
0:44 to 1:15
Xanman shares his journey learning about the music business and label dynamics.
“But yeah, so that was like this crazy like come up around that time.”
Understanding Advances and Royalties
1:15 to 2:25
Discusses the complexities of advances, royalties, and financial literacy in music.
“Or where do you feel like your career kind of went from there?”
Navigating Contracts and Artist Development
2:25 to 3:56
Xanman talks about contracts, artist development, and the importance of legal representation.
“So I had to talk to all of these guys myself.”
Reflections on Label Relationships
3:56 to 4:47
Xanman reflects on his relationship with APG and his personal growth in the industry.
“Do you think you would ever sign to a label again?”
Signing with TSF and New Opportunities
4:47 to 6:00
Discusses signing with TSF and the new business insights gained from that relationship.
“But is it enough to justify taking on a deal that realistically makes it so that things are not so great financially?”
The Impact of Signing with an Artist
6:00 to 7:01
Explores the advantages of signing with an artist versus a traditional label.
“Connecting me with No Cap, Quando Rondo, YB, you feel me?”
Navigating the Music Industry Landscape
7:01 to 14:03
Xanman shares insights on navigating the complexities of the music industry and his unique position.
“Like all of that shit, I feel like that they did do their thing, but it was me.”
Signing to Artists vs. Independency
14:03 to 15:15
Explore the dynamics of signing to artists versus maintaining independence in the rap industry.
“I became a part rather than, you know what I'm saying, it's my artist.”
Zanman’s Controlled Image
15:17 to 16:19
Zanman discusses his approach to managing his public persona amidst drug culture.
“I don't really feel like I've ever seen that side of you.”
Show all 41 chapters
Experiences with Xanax
16:21 to 17:45
Zanman shares his personal experiences with Xanax and the effects it had on his life.
The Impact of Xanax on Life Decisions
17:46 to 21:41
A deep dive into the consequences of Xanax on relationships and daily life.
Money and Happiness Debate
21:42 to 24:24
A discussion on the relationship between money, happiness, and life choices.
“But one thing I never did was let the people see me sweat.”
Sustaining a Music Career
24:25 to 28:00
Zanman reflects on maintaining a successful music career while avoiding pitfalls.
“come to worst for it to be that last thing that you rely on.”
The Rise of Overnight Success Stories
28:00 to 28:59
Explore the idea of artists achieving instant fame versus steady growth.
“Because I feel like that they blew up overnight rather than have a steady incline.”
The DMV's Evolving Rap Scene
29:00 to 30:20
Discussion on the influence and changes in the DMV rap scene and audience.
“I feel like, do you feel like your audience is massively DMV-focused?”
Influence of Peers and the Evolution of Style
30:21 to 32:58
Understanding how artists influence each other and evolve their music style.
“So when, but when I came out, my area wasn't listening to nobody else though.”
Navigating Risks in Life and Music
32:59 to 34:26
Discussing the inherent risks in life and the music industry, and how to manage them.
Survival of the Fittest in the Hood
34:27 to 36:45
Examining how environment shapes behavior and survival instincts among youth.
“But that's what I'm trying to tell you, bro.”
The Shift in Rap Narratives
36:46 to 38:46
How storytelling in rap is evolving, especially with themes of violence and beef.
“And everything else, bro, it was just like I wouldn't be further.”
Life Experiences in Different Cities
38:47 to 40:08
Comparing the lifestyles and cultures of different cities and their impact on artists.
“And also, rap wasn't a late thing for me.”
Navigating the Music Industry's Ethics
40:09 to 42:03
A discussion on the ethics of the music industry and artist contracts.
“Like, I don't trust none of the bitches.”
Signing Artists and Content Creation
42:03 to 43:48
The speaker discusses the challenges and thoughts about signing artists in the rap industry.
“Because it's like, I'm going to just be breaking shit.”
Pokemon Cards and Collecting
43:49 to 45:30
A conversation about the hype around Pokemon cards and personal collections.
“I'm saying it can't be true because now it's like rehyped again.”
Reading and Learning
45:31 to 47:29
Discussion on reading habits, favorite books, and strategies to focus while reading.
“That's because I practice that word, though, but I be reading books and shit, gang, like reading books straight up.”
The Use of AI in Music
47:30 to 48:49
Exploration of whether AI is used in music creation and personal preferences in songwriting.
“That's why I do it as soon as I get up, though.”
Underground Rap Scene Insight
48:50 to 51:04
Insights into the underground rap scene and personal reflections on the genre's evolution.
“but i like to rhyme both of the syllables together you know i'm saying so that's how i rhyme so i'd be like um water bottle you know i'm saying porter throttle you know i'm saying whores and models.”
Current Trends in Underground Hip-Hop
51:05 to 56:00
Discussion about trends in underground hip-hop and the variety of sounds and influences.
“Then he would come out on some Plug and B.”
Understanding Music and Fan Bases
56:00 to 57:40
The discussion revolves around the diverse fan bases within the music industry and the unique appeal of different artists.
“Yeah, so it's just like now I feel people don't – I still make music to make music.”
Life on the Road and Entourage Dynamics
57:40 to 1:00:00
The speaker shares personal experiences about traveling with entourage and the challenges it presents.
“Yeah, I be feeling like I'm a OG in this shit because how long I've been around, that's how long I chilled out.”
Navigating Personal Relationships and Success
1:00:00 to 1:02:00
The conversation touches on maintaining personal relationships while navigating success in the music industry.
“But now, we live in a time anybody can come back.”
Philosophical Views on Existence and Science
1:02:00 to 1:05:20
A philosophical discussion about existence, faith, and the scientific explanations of life origins is explored.
“Like, like, bro, you expect everybody to know every top Nio song.”
Xanax Experiences and Personal Stories
1:05:20 to 1:09:40
The speaker shares a humorous yet shocking personal story about an experience with Xanax.
The Reality of Wearing White Underwear
1:09:40 to 1:10:01
A light-hearted conversation regarding the experiences and realities of wearing white underwear.
Xanax Horror Stories and Personal Experiences
1:10:01 to 1:14:01
Xanman shares personal stories related to drug use, humorously reflecting on past experiences.
“Off of Xan It happened when I was in school though bro How young we talking?”
Navigating Relationships in the Rap Scene
1:14:01 to 1:16:37
Xanman discusses the challenges of forming relationships and maintaining boundaries in the rap community.
“Versus you being yourself as Adam yourself, you feel me?”
Grief and Coping Mechanisms
1:16:37 to 1:18:35
Discussion on grieving processes and how individuals cope with loss.
“You already in a place where, yeah, and I'm not going.”
Legacy and Ambition in Music
1:18:35 to 1:23:59
Xanman expresses his ambitions and what he needs to do to succeed in his music career.
“Mine's just more of a coping mechanism for me.”
Ambitions and Goals in Music
1:24:00 to 1:26:00
Xanman discusses his aspirations and strategies for success in the music industry.
“So I'm going to be what my talent can showcase.”
Promoting Zanman and His Music
1:26:00 to 1:26:40
Xanman promotes his album and connects with his fanbase, the 'Zan heads'.
“I'm just being steady while I keep building and then going to wash them out the water.”
Casual Conversations and Podcast Closing
1:26:40 to 1:28:24
Light-hearted banter and final remarks as the episode comes to a close.
“It was like a big-ass Zan-demic, though.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01This episode is brought to you by Starbucks. That is fire. Whoa, that's good. This might be the drink of the summer. Okay, I like this one too. I'm rocking with it. Okay. Try it for yourself. Starbucks refreshers concentrates are coming home. Find them in the coffee aisle and make it yours. First came on the scene and my boy Eli from ABG. He basically was the one hyping you up to me being like, bro, you got to get this interview right now. And I remember that I think your flight got pushed back or something. So when you came to the interview, it ended up being like really late at night. Like we stayed like way later.
0:35We was like here till like two in the morning. Yeah. That was crazy. And then he actually signed you, which he was so geeked on at the time. I think he was still like really trying to earn his stripes as an A &R at that time. I mean, he did good though. Yeah. I did well, bro. He's got a lot of it. Shout out Eli. I mean, the A &Rs love to be anonymous. But like he's done big things. He's one of them ones. For sure. Everybody loves Eli. But yeah, so that was like this crazy like come up around that time. And then I guess like from your perspective, do you feel like you got what you wanted from the label during those early days?
1:15Or where do you feel like your career kind of went from there? I can't lie. Because I didn't know the business, I didn't feel that I was getting everything from them. but since I know the business I was getting everything from APG you know I'm saying yeah usually when artists don't know the knowledge is most of the time they fought bro when the artists are complaining about labels it's some shit that they doing right you know what you signed up for you know you gotta recoup this shit over you know once you sign a dotted line and you got a million dollars you automatically a million negative like people be thinking oh it's starting when you use the budget like I used to think but nah no I mean I see I see that reaction all the time where like artist signs gets the advance and then all of a sudden they realize that they're not getting all of their uh royalties off of streaming anymore and they're just baffled or angry or threatening the label and it's kind of like no that the advance is being paid back through your streaming revenue now and it is kind of wild that people sign contracts and like then figure that up yeah yeah i can't like even with taxes and shit like that like labels don't tell you nothing bro but now that i know the business being in a deal anybody who signed a deal you gotta wiggle your way out of it because you started negative so the money that you get use it to invest into your music don't be a dumbass trying you know i'm saying like go here or go there like or spend this here spend that there like good thing that i got all of the chains and jewelry and did all of that shit back then so now when I get my money is focused on the music yeah my upgrade to whip a little bit you know I'm saying do something chill like but I'm not spending more than a 10 or 20 out of my advance or anything done damn so you you got a big ass advance at that time you really got a million nah nope I got like 750 still that's pretty far yeah yeah I got 750 so it was like the 350 up front and the 350 you know what I'm saying the other half so I completed all of that shit though but did you okay but so you're still signed to APG no no no no you're not oh because the reason why we're even doing this interview is because I saw you at like an APG I think 10 year anniversary right I'm still I'm still with APG for pub okay I'm saying so and plus I got I had a close relationship with the whole team because I didn't have no representation or no manager at the time.
3:43So I had to talk to all of these guys myself. I'm on the email thread learning about the numbers and all of that shit. So I had a close relationship with Daniel and all of the A &Rs I locked in with. For sure. Do you think you would ever sign to a label again?
4:02It's like, yeah, no, because if it makes sense, because you got to think about it like this. the money that i'm making now i'm not stagnant you know i'm saying i'm i'm i'm well you feel me i'm good so it's just like if it makes sense because nowadays the labels what they want to do right they want leverage if they especially if they making oh a five hundred thousand dollar investment they want to be making money immediately before you even drop the album so i got catalog for leverage i got what like 30 singles four albums you know i'm saying that's recurring that I'm getting you feel me every first in a month first in the 15th so but besides that though yeah yeah because I'm like trying to think of like what the circumstances would have to be for me to like really tell a young artist to sign to a label and it's kind of weird because it's like you you haven't been through that process you having been through that process it's kind of like you know you you get to see what having that marketing muscle that streaming, playlisting, algorithmic support looks like?
5:09And I'm sure it's not nothing. It's definitely something. But is it enough to justify taking on a deal that realistically makes it so that things are not so great financially? Not the brag or boast, right? But the money that I'm getting right now off of streaming, they would have to give me the type of money that I wouldn't even be thinking about my monthly money. You feel me? like it would have to be i'm the advance is good but also i don't think about the the money or the advance it's about what the label can do as well because a lot of people will sign you because they see you hiding doing the numbers but who wouldn't jump in a situation when it's good you know i'm saying so you got to find a team who will be there for you or still push you or still put you on a blog like a all of the blogs and a dsp pitching a playlist and bro they'll shelf you too bro you know what i'm saying but again it's most of the time the artist's fault did you feel like they shelved you no no you feel like they stayed pretty consistent no no no i'm not i'm not going i can't blame nothing on the label bro because i made every bad move myself for me not to be here right now and i had to kick every door down in this shit so i didn't have no shortcut bro i am no shortcut at all but did you feel like they really participated in artist development with you like that they actually did things for you in your career that you would not have been able to have ever done yourself like especially during those early years um because like they're supposed to put you with dope producers they're supposed to put you with songwriters they're supposed okay okay so i never used a songwriter they never put me with a songwriter but i know my man derrick milano you know i'm saying so he's a writer at apg locked in with him uh connecting me with Earl on the beat.
6:56You know what I'm saying? Connecting me with No Cap, Quando Rondo, YB, you feel me? So it's like, yeah, facts. Like all of that shit, I feel like that they did do their thing, but it was me. I didn't know the business. So if I would have known, I don't know. And then you got to get a lawyer too, bro. You got to get your lawyers too because. Did you use the lawyer that they gave you? Because that's what I did with ABG. No, fuck no. They recommended a lawyer and I was like, oh, this guy seems sick. And in retrospect, like, oh, he definitely was not trying that hard. I'm so glad that I had somebody on the outside, bro, for this shit because - That's good, yeah.
7:38That's like going to a murder trial with a public defender. Yeah. No, it's worse. It's like you're going there with a lawyer who was hired by the murderer or by the family. Nah, for real. Like, that's crazy. So you got to watch out for your lawyer too. But to answer your question, though, no, I don't feel like that I was shelf. I feel like everything, every bad move that I made was on me. From signing so many deals in the past that my catalog was spread out. So when other people came to me for deals, they couldn't find shit. I'm like, oh, shit, this is with Foundation. This is with Warner. This is with APG.
8:14This is with Hitmaker. You know what I'm saying? This is with one RPM. You know what I'm saying? So I had so much going on. And that's because back then, even when I never been up or never like seen a drought, but people don't know me for having money. When I when anybody that was first introduced to me, see me as an artist first. You know what I'm saying? So that's what they know me as. And the music started to sound different. Like it wasn't structured, you know. So I got the representation that I got now. Bro, I never connected you with no manager. I DM you or text you myself. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
8:51Facts. So I don't be with that shit, though. But after that, I was independent. And then I was at Rolling Loud 2021. Okay. Yeah, 2021. Out here? Yeah. Okay. Like, I was, yeah, I had my own set and everything. So then I signed, you know what I'm saying? TSF. TSF? with sauce. Yeah, with sauce. How did that connection happen? I had no idea. A lot, you know what I'm saying? That's so interesting. Yeah, bro. Real man, he the one that helped to teach me in the business how to really make money in the music besides the streams. Really? So, yeah. Like what kind of stuff besides streams? Features? Nah, nah, nah, nah.
9:41Like, I've been doing the features before him. but just shit outside the streams where you can take the streams and told me about the publishing okay i'm saying i ain't know too much about the publishing like um i didn't know it was sound exchange and all of that other shit but that's what my manager prez told me who i'm saying represent me now but yeah definitely though was all his child but so you were working with him and then how far did that relationship go? Did it end at a certain point? No, it never ended, though. I talked to Walk yesterday. You know what I'm saying? It's just everything don't need to be front line for a nigga to know.
10:23No, he not involved in my, you know what I'm saying, career anymore. But if I tell him, hey, bro, throw this up, it's without a question. Support without a question. You know what I'm saying? So I can't say nothing bad about that. I feel like I've never seen him really sign anybody who wasn't from, like, Texas or maybe like Memphis or I don't know. I mean, I think of Maryland as like the East Coast. Yeah. I don't know if I ever thought about him signing an East Coast rapper. You feel like you were the first one? At least that I know of. I feel like I was the first one from my area. You know what I'm saying?
10:59And you just have a way different style and vibe. Yeah. A lot of his artists kind of rap like him, right? I mean, nah. It's something different. enough that family of rap whereas you're kind of in your own lane yeah that's true i i can't lie that i can't say that i didn't stick out but it's not like somebody who can't rap like a you know i'm saying like a peso peso too you know i'm saying he don't sound like walk he don't use the same instead we ain't gonna do that on songs though you know what i'm saying not even dissing him i'm just saying like you know i feel like i've never really seen him sign somebody that would be like as outside of his usual category yeah like a lot of videos from 2022 like 2023 moving on up like i was with him in a lot of my videos and shit like that though but yeah that's that's my dog he's a solid one definitely so do you feel like that opened you up more to like a different audience and shit yeah it definitely gave me a different fan base too when i took it out my bio Niggas thought that shit split up You know what I'm saying So But nah it's not Still strong Still a You know what I'm saying Family and everything Right Real nigga That's interesting But did you ever like formally announce Was there like an Instagram video Announcing that you signed with him Yeah I went into Johnny Dang with him And uh You know what I'm saying Cashed out He got me a Cardi And I got a ring You know what I'm saying I got some little slight shit too And um He got me a Cardi And he announced it You know what I'm saying a while ago.
12:26But yeah, he announced it. Interesting. That's what's up. But, okay, what made you want to sign with him? What do you think that he would be potentially bringing to the operation at that time? It was no advance involved or nothing like that. It was just locking in. Niggas showed me that he is a you know what I'm saying, a real stand-up guy. I can't say nothing for him, bro, honestly. So, what made me want to sign with bro it wasn't no advance involved but it's paperwork involved so he gave me a light in the image and even when it came to popping it i never seen you know i'm saying i got money been to steakhouses do all of that other shit but it's just like on a level that that is you know i'm saying see an account 500 000 and louis you know i'm saying like shit like that i'm like damn it's it's it's like levels to this shit but that didn't make me like sign to a person though it's just because what we had going on musically, and he brought something to the table for me musically.
13:26If I'm technically speaking, damn near, besides my old manager, Keek, Miss Megan was damn near my first manager that I started to learn this shit from. Yeah, because I've - She helped out a lot. I feel like that's kind of the decision for a lot of rappers, like when they're first getting in the game, is to sign with a regular label or sign with a rapper. And they both have the pros and cons where the labels probably got more of a serious infrastructure in place they're kind of ready to take on like a lot of the duties that you would kind of have to do on your own whereas then like signing with the rapper is a huge co-sign you know like every rapper who's ever signed to Gucci even if it didn't work out and they were on their own a year later is like you always will just put them in this category with Gucci and think of that Gucci co-sign as validating them and you know there's something to be said for that but then a lot of rappers like younger rappers now are very um unimpressed by the idea of signing to a rapper you know like i've had i've had rappers talk to me about turning down future that i'm kind of looking at them like who the do you think you are turning down future but they they got it in their head that it's kind of not a good idea to sign to an artist and they might be right you know because realistically a lot of artists are really focused on themselves But it's a difference, I feel, between like signing to an artist and signing with an artist.
14:44You know what I'm saying? I became a part rather than, you know what I'm saying, it's my artist. And every room that he went in for the people who didn't know me, he, you know what I'm saying, say my name, you feel me, introduced me to a lot of people that had, you know, business ventures, all type of shit, you know, people that I can invest with in the future. And Brad told me independency, you feel me? how important independence was. That was the start of it. That was the tip of the iceberg for real, the beginning of that shit. For sure. Yeah, I mean, I feel like the weird thing about you is that your name is Zanman, and I know you've had plenty of experience with drugs, but I think people kind of almost expected you to be crashing out, doing some crazy Xanax-oriented shit.
15:30I don't really feel like I've ever seen that side of you. Yeah. I've never seen you plastered online. Nah, right, because I always kept my circle small. So the stuff that I put out to the internet, I controlled. You know what I'm saying? Screenshot bitches, you know what I'm saying? Niggas bluffing in the DM who got my number. Shit like that. I never paid attention to the antics, bro, honestly. But when I was doing drugs, it was a couple of people that got me online, but it never went viral. Because I'm so in tune that I can catch it before. And that's not an image that I wanted to put out. Just because I got the name, I wanted them to see the music behind this shit.
16:19But it was obvious, bro. You feel me? I used to be tripping out for real. So it was obvious, gang. I ain't I never been plastic online For no drug shit though Nah But
16:35I used to do it in the open I ain't give a fuck I go live and Do a line off the table You know what I'm saying I ain't give a fuck I go online I ain't never have no heavy whipping phase Or nothing But Zans You know what I'm saying Fall asleep Fall on my ass you know what I'm saying middle of a video shoot so it's stuff like that going on like um but I never glorified that's why it wasn't plastic online because even if I made that shit up me it wasn't no yeah so I'm like zans are a nasty habit huh bro what it was definitely a zandemic yeah back in the day man you kind of came towards the end of it I feel like by the time COVID really got going it's not like people stop doing zans but I feel like people stop talking about it and stop flexing it there was a time period in like 2017 where you would put on a random amigo song or a random nav song and the ad-libs would be like pecky zan zan like everybody everybody was acting like it was just the most fun way to live your life and it's like for real this is very short-sighted but i can't lie i ain't like a zan face but we really turned it up for real when I sip it heavy I sip it heavy but I use it as like an occasional thing now so I am clean so celebration went up niggas put their champagne glass in there I might pour up a deuce you know what I'm saying but I keep it player about it though I don't be yeah just going up when there's a Zandemic though I'm going up off a bar between bars person i'm up 120 on a normal day you're up 120 yeah like between like pills like 30 milligram 30 milligram right bar five you feel me bar 2.5 you know i'm saying like yes like i feel like if i did that i would just like sleep all day i'll just be in the crib yeah and the feeling euphoric but I don't I'm not gonna go back yeah it ain't that ain't me you know what I'm saying like yeah that ain't me I ain't gonna go back but when I hear people talk about doing Zans it sounds really good and then I like just think about the whole experience give me chills but I think about like how it feels you know the next day or like when you aren't on it anymore and you feel like more anxious you don't remember and then just forgetting you don't remember and then you want to do it again straight up i had days where i'd be like out trying to girls and i'd wake up in the morning and like be looking at my texts and like trying to figure out what girl i was trying to and feeling hella embarrassed and like slowly putting together the pieces of the puzzle and feeling like so stupid that i was like on this crazy mission and i ended up in some studio and i don't even remember and some girl I got texts from some girl and she's saying like you know like that something that like basically alludes to like oh you're trying to make out with me in the bathroom and I'm just like what the fuck I don't remember any of that I had the moments bro I had moments like people was like oh yeah um niggas wouldn't even believe if I told him the story because eyes off of xan the only thing i remember is my man doe and he was waking up off his end and i was just taking one i is just kicking in just getting hot and he had the arp and i'm like man you ain't high for real you ain't back you still sleep nigga and he like man put the gun on put the bottle on top of your head and i shoot it off with the ar and we inside the hotel my cousin and walk in just in time, bro.
20:39And the only way you have to explain this is just that y 'all were just so up that you didn't understand why this was a terrible idea. I'm just telling him, I'm like, man, you ain't high for real nigga, like you still sleep. You still sleep, you ain't up like me. I'm ready to get down, go to the studio. And it's like, and Bridget's Lil Puts, you know what I'm saying? It's like shedding my mind, like my memory up off that jump but yeah um definitely seen that shit though and he put the i put the bottle on top of my head i remember it's a gatorade bottle and when my cousin told me in the morning i told him i never drink gatorade again i haven't had a gatorade since like since then probably xanax is what you should have swore off yeah i cut off gatorade and took another zan Nah for real But was that like close to the end of when you decided That you needed to fall back or did you just kind of like Or did other things have to happen Before you decided like you know what this ain't how I want to live Nah Other things happen I put the um Yeah a lot of bullshit happened bro You know what I'm saying stuff that I can't even say But Yeah bro a lot of stuff happened Transpired for me to be like Hey I gotta turn around or this shit gonna really go left.
21:59I can lose it all. But one thing I never did was let the people see me sweat. Even during those times. Nigga, I'd be on one knee and this shit hit high. And it ain't never have nothing to do again with money. Talk them out. Because you know this shit, gang. Money don't bring happiness. No, man. Like. It helps, though. No, it don't. Check this out, right? This is what I'm gonna tell you. boom what's your what's one of your favorite cars or if you even if you have your favorite or if you want to or if you have a dream car if you don't have it already yeah I don't I don't like know anything about cars alright so you have a alright nigga you have an item that you love a lot you have an item that you love a lot and your wife or your girl throw your day off like you pissed right you buy your favorite lovable item and don't take that away only thing that money does is make materialistic shit free that's the only feeling that it give you to make materialistic shit free oh i don't got to look at my car when i go into this place bills paid every month you know i'm saying like a bill don't even exist in our mind is like it's man time it's a pot of life is in a cycle now but that's why i feel like money makes me happy is because the idea of having like bills is extremely stressful to me Like if I feel like I have any kind of problem paying it, but if I have money enough to the point where I feel like, yo, I'm good.
23:33I could not do anything for a few years and I'll be all right. Like to me, that is such a freeing feeling. Like money, money is the difference between the feeling of, I can go on vacation right now. And the feeling of I'm never going to be able to go on vacation. I think a lot of people are separated. People are separated from how depressing the idea of not being able to take a little time off is which, right. But I also don't feel like I can take a little time off. But that's what I'm saying. I see that the money is the tip of the iceberg. You feel me? It's like if everything else go wrong, that's the last resort that you're going to think about.
24:07You know what I'm saying? That's the last shit that you're going to think about. It ain't going to be no this went wrong, this went wrong, this went wrong. All of those things still building up. But you was like, but if everything else go left, I still got this. I don't have to worry about this. Worst come to worst. but you gotta go through the worst, come to worst for it to be that last thing that you rely on. Right. So that's why I say money don't bring happiness. Okay, I'll give you an example of how money brings happiness. You catch a charge. You can't say that. You can't ask jail though, bro.
24:39Two options. The worst, most upsetting thing you could possibly, situation you could possibly be in is probably being in jail. And if you have like a situation where like, we all know people who beat cases because they just had money to get a good lawyer. If it's a million dollars for the lawyer that makes it so you don't have to go to prison for four years. I mean, that literally prison for four years or spend a million dollars. Holy that million dollars is the thing that kept you from spending four years in prison. That million dollars made you so much happier. That's cool. That's cool. But I feel like that's one situation.
25:17We can't go with that. We got to go with the majority. It's still got to be some extreme like going to jail for four years. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't even think that's long. But you know what I'm saying? I was trying not to overdo it with like 20 years. Yeah, but a million, I seen, but I seen, I don't know though. I feel like it's a, it's good when it's used. You feel me? But only thing it does majority of the time is make materialistic, regular, everyday shit like free time. But I think you need to constantly be auditing how you spend money and how it's correlated to things that make your life better and make you happier.
25:51Like I know a lot of people who spend a lot of money on clothes and I really like sometimes look at them and just think like there's no way you give a there's no way that buying that many outfits per month really is like making you happier. It's just you keeping them with the Joneses. It's just you. It's you avoiding somebody posting you on Instagram and saying, look, this fool wore the same outfit four times. Right. Which I really don't want to live a life where I'm like shielding myself against that kind of criticism. I think that's stupid. that's true because you would say that you would probably take a picture damn near in the same fit at least once a year yeah okay but but a lot of rappers are addicted to never wearing the same outfit more than once or at least when they do you know a video or like a show or i really i but that's what i'm saying though it comes with the lifestyle like i'm not a geek about clothes but i like the shop you feel me i probably spend about i say about at the most like 5k a month at the max 5k a month I might buy one item little bracelet here and there stack up you know what I'm saying until it's just like oh shit galore now I can mix up pieces a lot to be said for having like a strong closet where you can kind of make something happen using things that you've already had niggas gotta manage their money though that's what I feel like you gotta manage your money like I'm not even arguing with a nigga and I'm 25 and I'm not arguing with a nigga if I can't see how they raw fire a look or they you know what I'm saying like that's the shit and I'm worried about niggas playing with 200 like bruh my once you have money that work for you like it's so easy and you can do it off a rap that's what I'm saying it's just like bro I'm really living proof of this shit because a lot of people who even came out from my era as zelch shit is over with like Not even from my area, just my era in general.
27:52So what do you credit the fact that you have still been able to make good money from streaming and maintain that fan base when a lot of people who came out around the time that you did definitely didn't? Because I feel like that they blew up overnight rather than have a steady incline. You feel me? I wasn't hearing niggas. You know what I'm saying? No disrespect to nobody. But, okay, if I use the artist from here, I wasn't hearing too many people talk about Roddy in 2015, 2016. You feel me? He came out when he came out, and then he ultimate blew. Like, he went Drake numbers. You know what I'm saying?
28:30People were saying he was going to be the next Drake. Right. That's what I'm saying, within a year or two. Yeah. So you'd rather have a steady incline rather than a blow overnight. So it's just like if you stay small enough for long enough, you're going to be big enough soon enough. That's how I move because, like, bro. little by little by little by little and then you're gonna have your moment and you just got to keep amplifying off your moment but what i already did for the style that i brought to the industry and this shit like not even me but people like gunu you know i'm saying like little dude you know the pioneers of my area who brought in the punching rap and all of that other shit like because i feel like your appeal is that you're like the dmv rapper who inserted more melody and auto-tune and made it a little bit fun, clever bars.
29:22I feel like, do you feel like your audience is massively DMV-focused? Because I feel like that's how it makes the most sense to me, is that they, after all those years of listening to the Hoodridge Pablo one, which I know I'm not, Splurge, that sort of sound, the do-do-do-do-do-do-do flow or whatever. I feel like you came out with that, but then were able to keep freaking the style and changing it up more
29:51I'm not sure, bro, because I know my main fan base and people who tap in with me is not from the DMV. That's one of the main focuses. Don't get me wrong. That's home. I love home, bro. And home love me. You feel me? So I get a lot of love from home. Definitely. but I don't feel like it's, I feel like it's one of the main, but I don't feel like it's the main focus. It's other artists who's being focused on in the DMV. You feel me? So when, but when I came out, my area wasn't listening to nobody else though. I see that. You feel me? When I first came out, like when I got locked up and dropped all of the shit before with APG and everything, like when I was first blowing up, nobody, It was people coming in to where I was locked up at, you know what I'm saying, realizing who I was.
30:47They didn't even believe that I was a rapper when I first got locked up. They found out over time. Also, I'm aware that the two examples I used for the DMV flow are not DMV rappers. Splurge and Pablo One. But they both kind of filled in the blanks. Splurge from, I think he from, what is it? I don't want to say the wrong. Arlington. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep, he from Arlington, Texas, but... he came out at an era, I feel like that he started some shit too, you feel me, with that whole punch and flow. That nigga, Splurge is, you know what I'm saying, he wanted him in his field as well. Definitely. There's lore about how Hoodridge Pablo went to the DMV and figured out that flow and just made all this music that kind of appealed to that audience and was able to grow his fan base a bunch by appealing to that.
31:39I feel like the argument is that he the one who started the flow. Really? Then once we started doing the flow, he came to us and we joined and joined that shit up in so many words. But that was dude, you know what I'm saying? Little dude and goon. Definitely. Yeah, so goon and rest in peace. What are you, when you think about him and like, you know, what his place was in the game, how's that sit with you just like knowing that he was somebody that you were around during those those time period and that like and he's gone now the way that these you see how the underground is now with the crazy beats the 808s the dark you know what i'm saying yeah bro he was the master that she's doing that shit 2018 2017 like he would have been huge right now bro and it wasn't no gimmicks everything authentic about bro right so yeah he would have been the one of the biggest right now in this shit right is little dude still making music he's still at it yeah yeah you gotta tap in bro he you know back and forth doing music you know they're real street cats yeah yeah yeah I mean I picked that up along the way I be like I be trying to stay focused on my craft Because I want to be really great at this shit It's some people who don't even have the blessing That I used to be so small minded I used to reply to everything little bro So many little things used to get to my mind I'd kirk off in a blink of a second Nigga when you would have asked about sauce I would have went off You know what I'm saying Just because how I used to think so I just used to have like a small mind and stop letting dumb shit get to me you feel me if it can be ignored let the issue be one sided you see them and they on man time I ain't playing no defense I'm on man time but you don't I don't gotta act like the big bad wolf in every room and you know what I'm saying and and do all of that extra shit bro I just like to stay out the way really do the shit that matter in life take care of your family you know i'm saying like i don't want none i don't want the kids none of that to go through what i went through i want them to do everything that i did without my mistakes and you know i'm saying my trial and error i'm pretty sure you would want the same thing though bro oh yeah you know i'm saying so i mean it's all about risk and reward you know like as you get older you start to realize that everything's got inherent risk you know every time you go to the club every time you go to an event something could happen and we all know like great people have been taking us from us early doing things that like you would never have really guessed like nobody would ever tell takeoff like hey don't go shoot dice at the bowling alley or the club or whatever and that was the situation that ended up having him lose his life Now, granted, that is kind of like a freak accident, but yeah, for sure.
34:47But we all know people that like just kick it on the block all day and like, you know, in dangerous areas where people do drive-bys and people get into arguments and pull out guns and shoot each other and shit like that is just like, you know, the more you develop your life or the further you get into life, the more that it's hard to wrap your head around why you would take the risk of even going outside if you don't have to, or if The other option is to like stay in the crib and be able to like enjoy yourself. But that's what I'm trying to tell you, bro. It really be survival of the fittest in this shit.
35:19Like it can be a nigga who not on that in the hood that can become that just because the environment that he in. He tired of going like that. He blowing niggas up now. Not playing. You feel me? So he'll blow you up. Now he'll kill you. You know what I'm saying? that he wasn't on that middle school, high school, elementary school, he got tired, bro, because it's survival of the fittest. People really adapt into their environment. And, nigga, it don't come from us. It come from our parents and the parents before and the parents before. That's why it's a damn near generational curse. Why you think that the majority of us don't make it out the matrix?
36:00This shit really going on out here, bro. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So once you raise in these certain environments, if you don't find a way to get out or even if you are square, bro, that don't guarantee nothing. That don't guarantee that you're going to make it through the hole, bro. Yeah. Like, so you might as well know that knowledge and still be able to move out because I say street niggas, what mine says, bro. Especially if you're aggressive, like, they know how to talk business. You know what I'm saying? Like, they know how to get stuff done in their own way. but um i just feel like as a community as a whole bro it'd be hard to escape that shit bro yeah like yeah does it feel like after you when we look at like the dmv rappers who came out and had motion that it went from you know do i do like he was like familiar with the streets and everything like that to like now i feel like the next crop of dudes who really started getting attention after you were like mega street drill type rappers where it was a little bit more like the fans are interested at least in part because they're trying to decode what's going on with all the beefs and whatnot it's like kind of a different appeal yeah i mean i'll just go and realize i feel like a lot of artists not even dmv bro just a lot of artists in general you know i'm saying you gotta create a storyline i don't i don't have nothing against the artists that diss you feel me like because when the artists pass away i feel like the other artists be losing their fan base for real oh yeah that's a real thing i feel like that that happens a lot so artists gotta have their story but you gotta realize with artists will pretend you imagine if I was just known as a diss rapper and niggas ain't know that I can do all of this crazy singing ass shit, you know what I'm saying?
37:56And everything else, bro, it was just like I wouldn't be further. I feel like Audis gonna realize when it's too late that it's even if they, especially if they live through that shit that is it worth their time? You know what I'm saying? Because you can be making money off of something else that can appeal to a way more bigger crowd, but I'm not knocking it though. Yeah, because it's a very effective way to get people to just pay attention to you in the beginning. But there's some people, whatever, like it actually works. But then it kind of puts you in a box and it can be hard to get out of that box.
38:30And even more difficult for people that take you serious as like a real musician, you know. Right. We've all seen like the drill rappers who try to go the auto-tune direction and try to make some rod wave ass music. And it's, you know, it's an uphill battle. Yeah, facts. But I've been delivering both since the beginning of this year. So at least I knew a plan. And also, rap wasn't a late thing for me. I was going to do this or be nothing. So I ain't have no plan being this shit, bro. How old are you now? 25. 25. Jesus Christ. Still young as shit. Were you been living out here the whole time? No.
39:07No, no, no. Last two years. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. You like life out here better? Yeah, bro. Life out here, it's chill. And once you tapped in, like, with the right people, you know what I'm saying, you really straight. Like, I like the way that they move out here because it's political, but it's respect, you know what I'm saying, at the same time. Like, you can see somebody and be on man time with them, and y 'all don't got to kill each other. We can beat the shit. I beat the shit out you in the middle of the street, and nigga, it's over. We good. But win, lose, draw, we get to go home with our life, and it's man time.
39:45It's chill. So I like that about out here. You know what I'm saying? Don't get me wrong. It's still shit that go on. You feel me? The home invasions, the rappers, you know what I'm saying, following people home, all that shit. But for the most part, bro, like, yeah, I like it out here. Like, the politics or how everything be moving, you know what I'm saying? We good. Yeah. Like, I don't trust none of the bitches. yeah that's gonna be a problem i i seen the same bro i've been coming here since 2018 well 19 bro i seen the same bitches with 20 different entourages gang oh yeah you know what i'm saying like i don't trust nathan bro yeah so yeah a lot of people talk shit about la because they say it's so fake and i get that like and they're talking about like the industry i'm talking about like the streets of la or whatever but like that personally i kind of appreciate it because I feel like a lot of people in the music industry and shit like that are like you know it's like this is transactional it's supposed to be fake it's supposed to be fake you know yeah it's supposed to be fake but I don't like the way how
40:56it's fake you feel me that's why I rather do sometimes you feel me with the streets because yeah a lot of niggas do backdoor you know what I'm saying used to be one of them folks but I feel like they gonna be up front with you a little bit more you feel me like just like how my manager is prayers you strict as shit he bro that shit is dumb we're not doing that you're not wasting my money and my time them folks in hollywood bro they would sit in your face and smile and give you everything while they ripping the rug right from under you you feel me so it's like a difference because you ain't see the snake coming right so it's like you know and it's over a long-term process but also those people don't think that they're doing anything unethical because they think that it is on you to get a lawyer or be able to like decode whatever you're signing i feel like they don't view themselves as doing anything unethical on average i mean that's true that's true they're just putting the ball in your court and if they really were to think about it they'd be like listen he's a young kid you don't really know what the he's signing and i would feel terrible like if i was signing an artist and i gave him like a super up deal which is kind of the norm and rap like even for why you never started a label adam oh i just don't the whole time it's just never really felt like attractive to me and even now like i have rappers that i feel like i could sign right now that i think are cool but i don't know i just always wanted to do content i just never really like even wanted to sign an artist bro i seen you on some rain bat shit yeah you fuck rain bat i with them they ain't get my affiliate program oh yeah but uh what's another one this ain't no sponsor but rips by triumph okay yeah they they sponsor me on some shit so oh really what's that it's like with the pokemon that's what i was thinking okay with the pokemon card so damn that's a big business to be in huh yeah like bro Bro, the content I'm going to do with that is crazy.
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43:00Because it's like, I'm going to just be breaking shit. My whole studio set up. I'm up on the line. I'm recording live with the Meta Glasses. Break the screen. Oh, shit. I got a bet. If I win, lose, or draw, I got to buy a whole set up. You feel me? Oh, there you go. Just to keep the people in tune, you know what I'm saying, behind the music and all. I felt like the Pokemon card thing felt like a bubble during COVID. like it was just too hyped up and it just couldn't possibly sustain itself. Wasn't that Pokemon Go? Pokemon Go was like 2016, but like 2020, 2021 is when you had like Logan Paul like opening the big box of original Pokemon cards.
43:38Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, like paid 3 million and all that. Yeah, and it felt like, oh, this has got to be a bubble. This is like people are, you know, this just can't possibly stay this popular. I'm not going to let you talk down on my anime community. I'm saying it can't be true because now it's like rehyped again. all over. No, exactly. I'm not going to let you talk down on a Pokemon, on a Yu-Gi-Oh, nigga, or Don Julio. None of the anime. I f*** with that community heavy, bro. Do you actually play the trading card game? No? You just collect it? No, I just collect it. I got a couple of... I got one 1998 Charizard.
44:15Oh, shit. That my grandfather left me in a safety deposit box, and I have one Mewtwo that's a rare card, but it's only worth like$3 ,500. Really? Charizard is worth about like$22 ,000, I think. Damn. But you don't play Pokemon Go? No, I don't. Level 80. What? Spoiler, there is no level. You still be playing this shit? Yeah, there's no level higher than 80. Pokestops visited,$120 ,000. Pokemon caught,$240 ,000. Total XP,$366 million. Bruh, nigga, iCloud cooked. He been playing this shit for 10 years. It's bad. What the f***? It's bad, bro. I'll do a raid right now. I'll do a remote Kyogre raid right now.
44:57But do you still have to go around and get them now? Or would the game kind of change with the Pokemon Go? I mean, yeah, you got to go places, but it's not as much of that. I remember when it came out, I thought, oh, I got to go to the top of Mount Olympus. And that's where I'll be able to get the illest Pokemon. And then you kind of realize, nah, they're just sort of wherever. But I mean, there are places that are good. like there's places that have more Pokemon but there's not like places where it's like oh I'm gonna get this one crazy Pokemon that you can't get anywhere else which I feel like the game should be like that but it's not nah bro I don't really I feel like do you even got games on your phone though bro I don't be playing no games and shit like that just Pokemon Go and then I have the New York Times app which has like Wordle and Spelling Bee and stuff like that but i don't really do any of them besides wordle you know how to spell yeah pretty good pretty good i think so like pterodactyl type of spell or like wow i don't think i can do that oh yeah that sounds really hard it can't be just like t-e-r-o-d-a-c-t-y no it started with a p oh right oh my god i read my kid that word recently and she was trying to get me to explain why it started with a P.
46:15Yeah. I forgot about that. Can't lie, fool. What, you're spelling good or not? Yeah, man. Well, you know pterodactyl, so. Yeah, pterodactyl. That's because I practice that word, though, but I be reading books and shit, gang, like reading books straight up. What did you read recently?
46:36The Four Agreements. The Four Agreements. Okay. Yeah, it's kind of scary. is like it's like one of those award-winning type of 48 laws of power but it's talking about human domestication and how we like god is instilled in all of us you know i'm saying because we are image of him and it's not like no religious or bible or nothing but it's just talking about the beginning and i can't spoil you the book but it's a good book though it's really talking about life and how to move with you know i'm saying people like i said related to like a 48 laws kind of in a sense. It's real life advice. Full agreements in life.
47:16I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to read books and now I've kind of just come around to not giving a f*** anymore. Yeah. My ADHD is terrible, bro. Reading a book is a hard test for a lot of people. I can't lie. That's why I do it as soon as I get up, though. Oh, yeah. That's smart. I do it as soon as I get up. I ain't touching no phone. I try not to touch your phone or nothing. I got to be focused, bro. I'm going to get back on drugs. It was so hard for me to focus on reading a book in the 90s when we didn't have phones and we just had like a TV in the corner. And now I'm in. Yeah, how I learned all of my big words and shit, I went straight to the encyclopedia gang.
48:01That's how I used to because I heard that Lil Wayne did something in college and studied the whole dictionary and all of that shit. So I'm like, oh, yeah, I got to do this shit. I got to learn about the lyrics, too. Have you ever used AI for a song, like, in any capacity? Nah. You never, like, are trying to think of, like, a rhyming word, and then you look it up with AI. I mean, it's not like you need AI for that. They have apps that are, like, for spelling, and you could have probably done that on Google, but. I try to. I ain't, like, again, I ain't knocking it, but I ain't f***ing with it. Really?
48:37it's just like if i say anything like pioneer uh time i steer you know i'm saying out of here buying gear yeah buying gear you know i'm saying bite right and switch it up you know i'm saying but i like to rhyme both of the syllables together you know i'm saying so that's how i rhyme so i'd be like um water bottle you know i'm saying porter throttle you know i'm saying whores and models. That's how I rhyme. I notice a lot of drill rap that I like is different than the way that I write raps when I write raps in my head or even when I write it in the notepad because to me a good bar is one in which multiple points of the bar rhymes with the other bar but in a lot of drill music it's almost like very intentionally just rhyming one syllable at the end of the bar.
49:31Yeah. It's just like It's just like, I want no jump every day, nigga. We riding around with that five. Yeah. And then see a nigga walk down on him, he ain't looking me in my eye. You know what I mean? Like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That bitch said that I've f***ed, but that bitch lied. Right. It's very like focused on that one bar, which to me, I don't know that I would ever want to rap like that because it feels so easy. It feels like the point of rap is to put interesting combinations of words that rhyme together. At least that's the part structurally. You can't knock the success, though, bro.
50:07So many people who did it, I'm not going to say that it's longevity, just my opinion. I'm going to say that you're going to have to switch it up eventually, but I don't give a fuck, bro, that shit. Yeah, if it's hard, it's hard, bro. It's a couple of others. I ain't going to say. But that's when they switch up, when it's too late. A lot of others try to switch up when it's too late. Man, like, we're not feeling this. Who you going to diss next? And then you get so far into dissing, shit. it go wherever after that bro but i'm not knocking it because i know the conditions of this shit with where niggas come from you know i'm saying where i come from like i'm i can't knock it at all because it's just like yeah i slipped through the crack when the guy never forget where i came from in this shit bro and and that it can go back in any day you know what i'm saying that god can you know what i'm saying strip it all away from you so it's just like yeah i don't like to keep that do you think of yourself as part of the underground scene or is that something that you're not really concerned with even though like if you were to go to an underground show probably you got a lot of fans there people who recognize you like but you consider yourself part of that world all right so as a part of this thing called uh doc plug so doc plug is when you doing like dark trap beats uh slime cedo he is one of those people that was in that too you know i'm saying who was doing like dark plug and shit like that right okay but i wouldn't can i would consider myself underground but not an underground artist you know i'm saying i consider myself underground but not an underground artist if you know what i'm saying right so it's just like the tier that i'm on yeah where i started from yeah like deep in the underground am i still in tune yeah i know the two slimies though sama sons the shea yeah i be talking to net you know i'm saying like i know all of them you know i'm saying so uh like even people okay like this it's an artist named jace jace shout out jace we're gonna be jace jace good guy right so i know bro be chopping up sometimes and all that but he underground but not an underground artist He would switch it up.
52:24He would come out with some shit. Then he would come out on some Plug and B. Then he would come out on, you know what I'm saying? So it's not a lot of, we can, and every lane that I've ever been in, I got a million views from, a million streams from, guaranteed. Every lane I've been in, whether if it was R &B, whether if it was Super Trap, whether if it's some, whatever it is, I did it and was successful in it. yeah because i mean i come from the underground scene to a serious extent like that's what no jobber was in the beginning was like strictly the byproduct of the fact that i was going all these warehouse shows and like getting turned on to all these like rappers that were totally outside the norm and it was very freeing and exciting for me as somebody who grew up listening to rap but i was listening to jay-z and naz and tupac and nwa and all this stuff that like was dope as greatest rap music of all time but also like really had like almost no cultural overlap with my life being a bmx dude on the east coast or whatever and then like by the time i'm going to like bones and and puya and all these type of shows in like 2014 2015 etc then all of a sudden it's like it was just it was so amazing to me at the time because it was like oh this is like a full pack 600 person warehouse venue and there ain't one person that got like a chain on or like you know in here got dirty vans on right and that was just like a totally new perspective on rap and when people give me credit for being like the four at the forefront of soundcloud rap or whatever like that's the world that like birthed that and now you fast forward like 10 12 years and it's like i still interview those kind of rappers from time and time and i like it but like I think about I went to a laser dim show when he first popped out like a couple years ago and it it was dope but it definitely also stood out to me as like I am a little old to be in this environment no but I can't lie it's just like y 'all just saying that because back then it was just on beat and slower yeah that's the only difference now it's just off beat and faster that's the only difference back then it was now you hear I got a bitch in the you know what I'm saying so that's it bro it's just it's just off beat and faster for real but laser shit do be hard too you know what I'm saying you got a couple for sure that I fuck way and like but you know what I'm saying well I think of the fact that like okay like Underground Sound I think it was did like a cipher a bunch of underground rappers like maybe six months ago or three months ago or something like that and I watched it and it's like I feel like the underground right now or at least the side that they're focused on kind of fits into a couple groups which is kind of like people who are reviving older rappers who don't sound like that anymore so like you got a guy who kind of sounds exactly like Lil B he's doing exactly what Lil B doing you got dudes who sound like they're doing like Young Thug in 2015 You got dudes who sound like they're doing Chief Keef in 2012.
55:36So it's like you have kind of artists who are like revival. Like take an artist that you really like, and he doesn't sound like this anymore, but we're going to make music that sounds like how he used to sound. And then you also have auto-tune explosions, which to Slimey is like the most extreme version I could probably think of. But even somebody like Netspen, it's like, it's too much auto-tune for a lot of people, but I feel like the underground scene appreciates the sort of extreme auto-tune because they're so numb to it. Yeah, so it's just like now I feel people don't – I still make music to make music.
56:16A lot of people make music because the feeling they give you. You feel me? Which is still good, you know what I'm saying? because even if you don't understand it, it's people who do understand too slimy, fool, believe it or not. You don't understand them, but it's niggas who understand people like that. So they're in their own lane for a reason. That's why I say there's never no genre in this shit because it's a fan base for everything. Nigga IceJJFish got a million views. So it's just like, you know what I'm saying? It's really a base for everything where you can. I would love to hop in the car with someone and they're actually playing too slimy
56:58like have you ever like gotten your friend's car and they're listening to too slimy because I with him and I respect him and I like what he's doing but I don't know anyone who listens to him like besides like yo check out this crazy ass rapper
57:15I heard somebody play him but not that I was with you feel me definitely heard somebody play him now every time I've ever watched his videos it's more like the whole room of just staring at the screen like I can't even on Brody videos I can't hold you I can't even look at the screen she be flashing and shit seizure inducing well yeah I fuck with Brad shout out to Simon though yeah like Yeah, I be feeling like I'm a OG in this shit because how long I've been around, that's how long I chilled out. But usually people be turning up when they're my age. It's just like I did all of the, you know what I'm saying, OT shit.
57:54But it's like I'm still a young nigga, but I turn up for real. So that's why I don't know. That's why I don't even be moving with like an entourage, you feel me? or like I had my folks that be, I keep one sniper around that nobody see. That's all, bro. That's all, like that nobody see. Yeah, the entourage gets a little tiresome after a while, right? Yeah, bro. I usually travel on the road with like 11 people at once. Yeah. Every meal, you know what I'm saying? It'd be like probably like three people, three people out of 11 people that put up on anything. You feel me? doing all that they can and I ain't gonna act like that I ain't enjoy it you know what I'm saying I really did I really did but was the smartest like the financial decision no no it wasn't so I was like no yeah I'm always impressed when I see rappers who like like I used to buy into this narrative of like oh if you see a rapper and he ain't around is day ones then that means that he's on some fluky shit and he was weird to them probably and that's what they bailed out you haven't heard a lot of people say that about other people though i have yeah i'm saying but what is like your theory no but then i became one of those guys who like is not around like the day ones anymore i'm about to say that bro i'm about to say i ain't with you with that for that no no but i i get it now but i used to hear people say that i remember even like uh peter rosenberg saying that about joe budden one time joe budden went and did an interview and he got all mad at him and shit because they're asking him some mixy ass questions and they were like oh you see the people he's around he's not around his day ones anymore you know that he's up he must have been on some the dickhead shit if these people ain't around him anymore and it's like nah bro you just in the business of music you you outgrow people like this is a business yeah but it's just like i try not to i call my people every day i'm the boy friend bro i go i go to the gym you know i'm saying work out i really write some music and really plot on some shit go out to eat post a couple instagram stories all of that shit bro i'm the board friend i call like seven people a day like just to talk to them on the phone for about 30 minutes how you you good talk to them about bullshit like what's the next play you know i'm saying what's the what's the next step that you taking you know i'm saying like uh being in to conglomerate with this shit but i call my people every day to try to check on them as most as i can bro like because i don't take this shit for granted right you know what i'm saying i'm serious more than ever nigga i'm in a different mode for real bro like i feel the best that i ever have in in everything bro definitely you ever consciously like go in the studio and try to make a hit or like a record that you feel like will change your life or does it ever just Fall into place I feel like you fall into place When you don't try So But at the same time When you don't try You still gotta know What you doing You feel me It's just like I can't just go in there La la la la la You know what I'm saying I can't go in there Saying no bullshit But I can go in there like And structure it And it can still come out a hit without me trying as hard on the lyrics because again music is about the feeling and why i like nowadays music because it's all about nostalgia too like anybody can come back anybody can come back and be hot again you feel me like it wasn't like that in 2021 you feel me or 2022 whatever Like, if you off, you off.
1:01:52But now, we live in a time anybody can come back. We got TikTok. Like, my bitch just discovered my, excuse my language. I ain't mean to say that. My girl just discovered, bro. Nio, a song by Nio gang. Like, like, bro, you expect everybody to know every top Nio song. And I think it's that song called Closer. I got to do some Neo homework. It's been a while since I even thought about his existence. Damn, for real? Yeah. Nobody be thinking about Neo. I got weak army knowledge. He got like three bitches, bro. I mean, he got like three wives, bro. Oh, yeah? Oh, I've seen those. Oh, yeah. Because people be saying three wives.
1:02:42I don't know how people going to be like poly in the U.S. when they don't allow that shit. Hmm. I guess you can't marry some of them on paper. You can only marry one on paper, but then you can live in a house with them. Right. I guess. You would be interested in that, having three wives? Nah, bro. I could never. I could never, bro. I could have some girls I f*** on the side, but I ain't trying to have to be emotionally involved with them. Yeah, like emotionally, you know what I'm saying? I love you, the three girls and all that. But, like, when I was a young nigga, like, and I still am, bro. I just got old show.
1:03:19But when I was, though, probably in my early 20s, that was a year. The thing that trips me out is those, like, Mormon dudes who have, like, a bunch of different families. Yeah. What? Yeah. Imagine splitting your time between, like, trying to be a good dad. Like, I understand if you're a deadbeat. Sure. Like, then you can have a bunch of kids and just go do your thing. Sure. But like if you got like three houses in one city and you're the husband and dad, imagine splitting that time. Like it's so overwhelming for me to even have one marriage and one child. No, for real. So I don't know how they do it, though.
1:04:00But let me ask you a question. Ain't the Mormons like the Amish folks? Similarities. Yeah, similar. But they live different. They live with no electricity. They run theirs manually. You know what I'm saying? Well, that's the Amish. I don't think the Mormons are typically on that. They be wearing the same shit. Yeah. And I used to think that they were Jews. Nah, for real. That's a whisper. Jews. Because, bro, they around, bro. I'm telling you. No, yeah, yeah. Ain't you Jewish? No. Vlad's Jewish. So you're not Jewish? No, I'm French-Canadian and Italian. Bro. that don't have nothing to do with oh religion wise i'm an atheist but a lot of jews are atheists too so i don't trust niggas with no faith bro i'm just letting you i don't i don't i'm gonna be real bro you don't believe in nothing it's like you stand for you you stand for something or you fall for anything i don't believe in that shit because it's just like if you believe in bad it's just like this right you don't believe that it's just nothing you just believe that we was here and i don't pretend to know like what happens after we die like i know it would be nice to know what happens after you die i don't believe that anyone's talking about death i'm talking about living how did life become how how do you think that you think the big bang you believe in it uh you know sure but generally speaking i would just default to like scientists who study this kind of thing because for me personally i'm not really like super interested in like how the world began i never really like spent that much time delving into it you had shit bro like you need to really tap the bro you trapped in the matrix but don't you think that if like we should just default to like scientists about like how the world came to know because how come after all these years they still haven't figured the shit out and don't know what to look at i mean i think they're pretty strong rock clashed together and just made life when has that ever happened on any other planet after all of these years we still can't can't get in contact with a planet never heard a signal what since 1960 or 1970 when we tried to reach out from another planet we heard a you can research this shit too bro tell me i'm capping bro i'm smart as a attack got me up telling you all right yeah i i feel like i should do more to like have strong opinions on this but okay the leading scientific scientific explanation of the big main theory which is that about 14 billion years ago the observable universe was in an extremely hot dense state and began expanding rapidly and so over time energy cooled into particles those particles formed atoms gravity pulled matter together into stars and galaxies the stars created heavier elements like carbon oxygen this shit don't even sound real to you nigga this shit don't even sound real to you it's not even like it don't even sound real to you it you reading it with a question mark over your head right now not really i'll just kind of like defer to like no bro scientific consensus he don't even believe this shit himself i don't i'm not concerned with like believing it gravity pulled once atoms bro nothing but god could have created that game this is the thing i know my strengths and my weaknesses and i feel like i am not a scientifically minded person like what i just read i don't really i don't remember i already i'm gonna forget it i don't give a i'm a i'm more of a culture person you know i'm interested in like music and art and what's going on here on earth so like the whole science thing it's not really for me but either way i'll just kind of like default to like the scientists who spend their life examining this sort of stuff and just assume that they're probably right because myself personally i don't really give a and even like the way i just read that i'm trying to like express how much i don't give a so you wasn't speaking with a question mark you were just saying you don't give a for real i don't really honestly yeah it's just not something i'm really curious about of like how the world came to exist it feels like a little too much for me to understand what happened 14 billion years ago yeah but the one thing i know didn't happen is whatever the it says in the bible no wait whoa whoa whoa whoa we ain't doing that we ain't doing that with jc nigga y 'all got me you got me f***ed up right here talking about jc jck i can't do it you're tripping nigga f*** you nigga you're tripping don't talk about my god you got me f***ed up i think it's cool that you have a god right but that's what whatever helps you sleep at night right whatever helped me sleep at night nigga and i'm and i'm doing great god got me out a lot of situations got me f***ed up right here ain't playing with the devil tripping oh yeah i don't f*** with him but you know it's a cool idea right i understand why people find comfort in it you you don't got no faith none and nothing no nothing i can't see besides like but this is what i'm saying have you have you ever seen george washington how you know he real well you know something that i'm not an expert in i'm perfectly happy to default to the experts who have like studied his life and documented him there's all these paintings throughout his life you know photo i guess they didn't have photography maybe then but i mean it seems like we could be pretty confident that he existed but keep in mind that was like 300 years ago jesus was 2 000 years ago really like tough to to rationalize his existence next up bro next up that's the only thing you want on because i don't even want to go deep into this shit that's the only thing that you want on So tell me about shitting yourself off of Xanax
1:09:44That's actually my next question I just wanted to see how that looked Y 'all got me up right here Adam Check it though You don't actually have to talk Remo just wrote that in the questions That was the first one I saw Nah but for real though I did shit on myself Off of Xan It happened when I was in school though bro How young we talking? Like, this is like when I was... Yeah, I shitted on myself off of Bob, bro. So, yeah, I fell out and I was on the steps, shitted on myself. Then I ran to the bathroom. I don't even want to talk about it, bro. You ever wear white underwear? Nah, nope. I used to.
1:10:29Don't do it. Bro, I used to. You find out way too much about yourself through wire underwear. Nah, what? just so you saying you just saying just say you dirty nigga just say that you dirty my whole life i was rocking black boxer bruce one day you wore white one time you see them skis my girl bought me a six pack of white underwear and i'll be wearing them and then like when i go to take a shower the next morning or whatever i'll be looking at it and be like damn like i didn't know I didn't even know that like how yeah yeah facts I don't be I can't lie though why am I itching probably took a perk you want a perk you got a perk oh you saying it for a little interview come on man try and make me try and make me try and make me go I wonder if he's still on perks got it I feel like you might have left it alone You gotta leave it alone sooner later man Look man I can't lie gang I talk to some folks You know what I'm saying It don't got nothing to do with God it by the way I stay away from all this gang I don't really be f***ing niggas bro You know what I'm saying I really don't I got my circle of Rapper friends that I have But the friends that I do they like family you feel me I go to their states and stay at their house you know what I'm saying and move around with them so it's just like um but other than that don't be f***ing with a lot of niggas bro um it's hard in this life to be friendly you gotta be stern in this shit like you gotta and people don't like to hear no like that's like because men we got an ego you know what I'm saying and and you wouldn't take it as offense unless it have something to do with you.
1:12:32It's just like if somebody passing me the blame, you're like, nah, bro, I ain't f***ing with that. I'm going to roll my own shit. You ain't taking much as offense. But if it have something to do with you, you would take offense to it. Like, hey, Zane, you got to pull up. Nah, bro, I ain't f***ing with you. I don't want to pull up, dude. Yeah, it's tough, too. You be like, damn, bro. Like, you know what I'm saying? Or what I do, you know, or whatever. So it's just like that's why I be staying away from niggas because they don't like to hit a word no and i got that from my manager just being like straight and forward like hey bro we should um nigga produce a dme hey bro we should locked in we should lock in uh produce for a little kid and i got songs with thug and no cap and i'd be like lock in for what make music you know what he means right no no i mean he means make music are you saying lock in for what though you tell me make some music together you tell the nigga for what?
1:13:25Music is a collaborative art form. Hip hop especially. People get together, make music together. I mean you could just say like hey send me some beats. That's what I feel like most rappers say in that situation. Yeah. Send me a 10 pack. Maybe I'll send you back a song. But I feel like pros who do that they be trying to get a quick dollar. You feel me? Because why are you I never trust a nigga who introduces accolades to me when he meets me. That's a red flag. Mike, if you say, hey, bro, I'm no jumper, I interviewed, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, it's like, what do you want from me? You know what I'm saying?
1:14:01Versus you being yourself as Adam yourself, you feel me? So it's like, yeah, bro, that's how I care. But I feel for those people because it's like, let's say you're a producer, and let's say you produce for Kendrick, for Drake, for Youngboy, for all these huge artists, 99 % of the time we still have no clue your name is who you are right and it's like that dude's walking around knowing that he produced big ass songs that we all know and also knows with stunning accuracy that we do not know who the f*** he is and we don't really care and that is like kind of hard for a lot of people to accept and i get that the whole time the nigga did the hi-hats and he'll say that he i'm telling you bro i'm telling you he he did the hi-hats or he added a little bit of drums is that chlorophyll water chlorophyll nah I'm just saying bruh I be eating healthy and shit too though yeah I've been thinking like this is too big and I need to just have a little cup here and then fill up the cup and then I'll just be drinking yeah you do you doing anything pulling out that wild ass it just looks crazy to you it's a lot of water to be lugging around yeah I can't lie but also sometimes I do pods where I might really drink like half of this throughout the podcast damn you know that's true whatever happened to um oh is that what's bro's name Draco and Money Signs Suede Money Signs Suede okay yeah I know who Draco is I'm a nerd of bro Money Signs Suede was amazing too he was gonna be the biggest Mexican rapper out of LA probably ever where they killed him in jail very sad damn yeah Yeah.
1:15:48That's crazy, bro. There be a lot of shit going on. It's tricky. That shit crazy. Being a gang member in prison can go poorly here and there. No, not really. Yeah, it's not supposed to. No, nigga. If you a member and you activist, you stand up man, in my opinion. That's just me. You feel me? I feel like you following code of what nigga's supposed to be doing. But his situation was basically like old heads trying to extort him. While he was in prison. And he wasn't going. So they took him out. Honorable man. Still, unfortunate situation. Yeah. Honorable guy. Yeah. Feel me? I don't got, I don't, this is my opinion.
1:16:29You stood up for what's yours. You know what I'm saying? You already in that situation where type of shit go down. Like it's not like you can dodge it. Feel me? It's not like this happened to you in public. You already in a place where, yeah, and I'm not going. Shit. He probably didn't know that they were going to take it that far. It's crazy, yeah. Wait, I forgot to ask this question earlier, but when the clip came out of Gunu's funeral, which was basically at a club, and they had his body standing up on stage, is that familiar to you? Or was that something that was surprising to you as well, that that was a tradition?
1:17:08You know what? For one, like they be somebody asked me that before but not so much in detail bro like nah bro that's how bro wanted to go you know i'm saying that's yeah bro he real knee you know celebrated he was celebrated yeah that's what i say he was celebrated bro i don't know it's just because it's viral and i hate that internet ass shit like niggas celebrating you feel me yeah celebrating going away it's just like a lot of people were confused because that's not something they were familiar with but I'm gonna be real that's one thing I like about the attitude of people well damn my man went out you know what I'm saying cool tell them put they bitch ass man in the ground and damn I don't care would you want to be on stage like that after you passed at the function I don't I don't be thinking about death I guess I wouldn't mind they could have me in the casket maybe they don't need to be like showing me the whole time yeah I'm just saying like I mean you wouldn't mind that's probably like that's somebody else's preference bro you don't know what the f*** his family had going on whatever we ain't knowing that you feel like you know what grief is yeah
1:18:43yeah i do yeah do you i i was looking up the definition of it and like doing some research about grief the other day because i kind of feel like as much as i know a ton of people who've died and i've had sadness but i don't feel like i've really gone through like the grieving process that like i feel like i haven't lost someone who was that close to me that it me up that bad of what the more extreme version of grief is? I have, but my grief is different. Mine's just more of a coping mechanism for me. My grief is not crying, but it's more like running away from my problems. I had to stop doing that.
1:19:31Stand up like a man, stand tall. Nigga, something happened in Maryland. Nigga, fly to LA had a bad day I'm going to Miami real quick everybody getting on my nerves here, here's some money, I'm out you know what I'm saying but as far as grieving now, yeah I lost somebody that close to me you know what I'm saying, a lot of people since 2020 yeah bro it's a tough process I ain't gonna say like I spent weeks you know what I'm saying inside and not still living me because it even happened to me recently and even if you cry it's just like that's just letting out an emotion honestly some people shit I know they is who take their I used to you know take my anger out when I'm wanna cry you feel me and then I started going to the gym and that and I punch anything yeah I mean like I feel like I've known people who lost someone and literally were just in the crib crying and just in their feelings for like weeks and then on the other hand I know like people specifically in like the streets in the rap community whatever where like they're smoking blunts and drinking lean at the funeral and they're going to the club that night and they kind of like they have maybe like a moment for like the sadness and the crying and then they just move to like it we're gonna celebrate his life and it feels like that is more familiar to me for sure of like we're gonna be sad for a moment but then we're just gonna like make the best of it and and have a good time in your name but then like i was i was listening to a podcast with somebody just talking about grieving and they were describing it as like something like way more extreme than anything that I've encountered.
1:21:35But then I was thinking about it, like, I never lost a parent. I never lost, like, a day, like, a person I'm with every day. You know, it's like this kind of, like, maybe I haven't. You didn't go through it yet. Yeah. You feel me? Once it's somebody that you in, God forbid, for you, right? Hope that never happened to you. You know what I'm saying? Long time happened for everybody. But, you know, blessed. but you don't know how it is to call somebody every day then you can't call them you know what I'm saying like ever again it's like what the you know what I'm saying like yeah bro get that real gang so yeah no there's a lot like my friend Vel from Long Beach like he lost his best friend like the person that every time I ever hung out with him he was with this dude pretty much and when I think about that like I haven't really had that that's like a different level yeah like
1:22:36bruh like imagine if you couldn't call anybody like your your mom you know what I'm saying mom wife anything like like I was my grandparents when I was in high school but I feel like your grandparents are different because they're so old from when you're a kid it's kind of like destined when they're 80 and they die it doesn't feel like a tragedy it feels like the nature of the universe right right right right whereas like when a child dies or like even a person in their teen years or whatever I've seen people grief I can't lie I've seen people grief over you know because it's just like life is precious you know what I'm saying life is good so I've seen people grief over that like over somebody that they because bro especially in the black communities bro like the grandmothers be the family trees a lot of the times bro true true So you got to realize it's either the aunties or the grandmas.
1:23:31Not too many of the bunch of the moms is like the leader of the family. He's like, oh, we going to Thanksgiving at grandmas. You know what I'm saying? The family reunions, everything, it takes place around them and all of their kids because all of their life stem from them, bro. So, yes, they get the most love, the most conversate. Yeah, bro, I've seen people grieve over that. I feel like it's normal Definitely What do you feel like you need to do To make yourself feel like you Did everything you need to do For your career and for music This year What do you feel like are the steps you want to accomplish
1:24:10Steps I want to accomplish bro I'm gonna be One of the biggest in this shit I promise you Adam Adam bro I'm telling you Holmes I'm going to be one of the biggest in this shit. You feel me? Like, talent is endless. I just had to focus up. I had to have the right team, bro. You know what I'm saying? So I'm going to be what my talent can showcase. I know from all of the mistakes of the past, some of them coming to me now, many of them disappeared. You know what I'm saying? like music wise. So my goal is to just show to the world, like shit, a nigga like me can be at a Coachella in those rooms. And I already have over the years, bro.
1:25:09It's like nobody who don't know me, you feel me? Or don't know the name or I don't know. You know what I'm saying? So it's just to keep on showcasing that, bro, to keep building, building an empire to have the independency and my ownership of my music. Everything good already.
1:25:31But I'm never going to get comfortable. That's what I'm saying. I'm coming for every spot. For sure, man. I respect it. I think you got the right mentality. It's not about going viral in the short term and making yourself look like a goofball. It's about just building long term. I could have been did that. You know what I'm saying? It's not about that. That's why everybody be falling short because they'd rather go for$100 ,000 right now rather than for a million later. I'm just being steady while I keep building and then going to wash them out the water. I'm coming for everything in a good way, though.
1:26:11You feel me? For sure. Yeah. My God. Shout out Zan, man. Everybody go turn up Zanman on Spotify, Apple Music, all streaming services, Instagram, YouTube, et cetera. Zan serving everywhere, man. The album out right now. Game not over. Y 'all see that shit, man. That's with Firm Entertainment. Shout out to them real killers. Oh, yeah. Shout out to all my Zan heads. Yeah, all of the Zan heads, past and present. That's just your fans. Hey, I'm telling you, bro. It was like a big-ass Zan-demic, though. Oh, yeah. I can't lie. I knew people who would, like, go to Zan parties and, like, just be describing all the girls, like, on the couches and shit.
1:26:55It sounded not good. Yeah, hello? Yeah.
1:27:02Um, yeah, bro, I'm just making sure that everything's still good.
1:27:09You good? Yeah, I'm okay, bro. You straight? Hell yeah.
1:27:20I just see him bro You know what I'm saying Oh yeah I told you bro I got killer everywhere bro That was a killer? Just sniper Oh shit Sniper across You never see him Oh
1:27:39Oh shit Damn You gonna blow me up too I'm in here
1:27:54good luck with your killing sir um oh yeah but um appreciate it bro glad we ran into each other of course you know i'm saying back and back again we're gonna do this shit again man no jumper let's get it sweetest podcast best podcast sweetest podcast I don't know where I heard that one. Sweeties. Sweeties. Shout out to everybody who watches. Hey, NoJummer, coolest podcast in the world. Check us on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram. Like, comment, subscribe, and shout out to our members who got to see this early, live, first. Pow.
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