Coutain | Why Loyalty, Love & Peace Matter More Than Fame | The Corie Sheppard Podcast

In this episode of The Corie Sheppard Podcast, we sit down with Coutain for a deeply personal and powerful conversation about pain, purpose, love, and the journey behind his music.

Coutain shares his story growing up in Sangre Grande, shaped by family, faith, the block, and the cultural influence of calypso, reggae, and Caribbean music. He reflects on the lessons from his grandparents, the importance of discipline, and how early life experiences helped shape his mindset and identity. 

The conversation takes an emotional turn as he opens up about loss, grief, and the passing of his cousin Shanna, whose belief in him became a turning point in his decision to pursue music seriously. 

Coutain also breaks down his creative journey—from experimenting with music, finding his sound, and building a team, to working with key collaborators who helped refine his artistry and push him toward a professional career. 

A major theme throughout the episode is intentional living—in music, relationships, and life. He speaks candidly about loyalty, honesty, and why his personal relationship inspires his music, as well as his commitment to creating songs that go beyond surface-level themes and stand the test of time. 

The episode also explores:

• The evolution of soca and bridging genres
• Respecting the legacy of artists like Sparrow and Kitchener
• Building a unique sound and creative identity
• The discipline required to succeed in music
• Why he’s focused on peace, purpose, and life after music

This is more than a music conversation — it’s a story about growth, self-awareness, and choosing a different path.

Coutain is a Trinidadian artist whose music blends soca, dancehall, reggae, and calypso influences, shaped by his upbringing in Sangre Grande and a strong foundation in family, faith, and culture. His work is driven by intention—focusing on storytelling, relationships, and creating music with lasting impact rather than just momentary success.

Key Themes / Topics (for platforms like YouTube chapters or Spotify)

• Growing up in Sangre Grande & family influence
• Faith, discipline, and life lessons
• Loss, grief, and turning pain into purpose
• Finding his sound and entering the music industry
• Loyalty, love, and relationship values
• The meaning behind his music
• Building a legacy in soca and Caribbean music
• Life after music and long-term vision

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Arrival

Corie 0:00

Yeah, Cole Wheel and others, leave you on your own here. Welcome to the Corey Shepherd Podcast. My name is Corey Shepherd. Welcome back to everybody who's been listening. Thank you for all the new listeners that have been tuning in. I want to say a special thank you to all the people who have pledged our Patreon because it's not easy to pay David Wales. So it's good to have some money coming in so we can sort that out. Today I have a special guest who we have booked for months and months and months. Long, long time you know, David. When how long we waited for this man to come here? I want to welcome Kutsa into the show. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Bless the blessed.

Corie 0:30

Everything good? Yes, sir. I tell you, men don't want to go to school today, though. Men want to stay. They say, Daddy, I could come. I just want to see Kutin. You know what I mean? Easy, man. I can't happen after I go to school.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

We're gonna make it school. Go to school.

Corie 0:45

Maybe if you send that message, it'd go with Canada.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

No problem, I do it for sure.

Corie 0:50

Only no come back from Canada. I see your thing on the brother.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

It was cool. It looked like it was cool. Yeah, it was cool. It gave me um a little cough as well. Yeah, because the temperature from what we accustomed to took obviously different things. But although it was cool, it was heartwarming. Yeah. I'll say that for sure. You receive all over there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was all the playboy. A moment in time because it wasn't only about just the music, it was about generations. Like Christo, myself, Corey, you understand. Um it that that brotherhood had, you know, in that moment in time was something that I don't think usually happens. So it was such an honor to be part of that. So you big up Dr. J, say me and you all. What's Dr. J? Salute to Dr. J. Yeah, yeah.

Corie 1:47

The men doing work long enough.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Funny enough, he was on his podcast before. Seriously? Yeah, that's good man, that good, he's a good one.

Corie 1:54

He's a good one. Now, by like you look cool in the video, look like you had on a hoodie a jacket.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Palo and he had jacket. Um, but it had to keep me warm because I I remember they they bought the um the puffer jacket, the north face, and they bring it in the airport for me. And the thing is, when we was now reaching in, I think Christopher was saying, 'cause I'd be cool in her. I said, nah, man, I'm sure you're gonna be cool. I said that bad. And I remember taking all my shoes in the plane. And I was sleeping at about six o'clock because we ran about seven: forty-five or eight because the flight gets delayed. And I am sleeping. I talking about full-on sleep snow, and I feel something biting me on my foot. I jump up and where is this, fella? This coolness. I don't understand it. And when we reach the airport now, everything ran smooth. Walking out the airport, I ran straight back inside. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is not this is not how I expected Palo. Forget that. But yeah, it was it was nice leader with a really nice experience.

Corie 3:08

Well, good congrats, congrats. I

Canada Trip And Brotherhood Tour

Corie 3:10

listened to interviews with you before and more important that team. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that a little bit. I know he's not seasonal, man, right? But Carnival season, how it was this year.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

It was amazing. Yeah, yeah, amazing. Um like to hear him say I open them, but I believe once you have life, you're always open to some sort of experience or some lesson. So, within this season, it had different lessons as well, too. So um it was nothing short but a blessing for me, and it was very hard on me because in a time of uncertainty, people didn't expect, you know, they didn't know, they didn't know if Carnival will uh, you know, continue if it would happen. But everything after God it happened, and yeah, I believe it had a lot of great music this season as well, too. Some that probably would have gotten um lost within the uncertainty. But everybody buckle down, yeah, everybody do what they're supposed to do, and as artists, they let the music prevail.

Corie 4:19

Yeah, that's about that because for us as patrons, right? As either by a costume, either by fet ticket and thing, I could wait, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. I can see all the war situation looking. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I suppose you working since middle of last year, I suppose. More or less, yeah. Yeah, so what is it what is it like when you're hearing them kind of rumors and you know you have songs like where you have?

SPEAKER_00 4:39

All your studying release dates and honestly, um I don't want to come across as arrogant or insensitive. But when I make music, I do make music with the intention for it to boss. You know what I'm saying? I make music with the intention for it to resonate or for people to find solicit. So that part it will have the questions, and the questions will come from people around. Like it can't be people who who job is to really focus on how you're gonna make sense. I do my work in terms of putting all my heart and soul into you know, creating something that will stick because to me is about finding comfort in this because where words cannot speak, music will speak, you know what I'm saying? And it it was worrying for some, but for some strange reason why myself, it was like music now, but yeah, I mean it will have delays because despite you know wanting to put it out, it still have a way in which we do certain things, still have a format in which we try to follow, it still have you know um certain structure we will follow in terms of making sure it reaches the masses, so that was the main priority for Tano and myself, right? It dig along with Brooklyn as well, too. So, yeah.

Corie 6:19

It's something I'm

Carnival Uncertainty And Release Timing

Corie 6:20

watching with you all. Before we start, well, you have a kind of reverence for things that come before you. When Terry Lyons was here, I say that song's so nice, well, it didn't bong to say Mr. Walker at all. You could have said wherever, right? As a writer, as I writer, you could have made the song into wherever you want. In your mind, you you're using references to songs like those deliberately when you're writing? Yes, I know.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Yes, I know. Because if it makes sense, why not give it the longevity or the recognition it deserves? Because to me, this is how it become immortal. Lute them from free tongue. You understand? Lute, you say people will do things and do it for the now. You know what I'm saying? You want to become immortal, yeah. Do things with intention. You dig? And the ones that come before us, they basically pave the way. And in paving the way, you see how the music sticks because I never get to meet Kitchener. I never get to meet Sparrow. I never get to meet Black Stalin, but I understand what he was doing and still learning while going along the way. And I think part of my sole duty is to shine light to the generation that coming after myself on what these men doing. These men come like the godfathers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It makes sense in me too, because nothing new under the sun. You have nothing new under the sun. I didn't create nothing. If you hear a melody from me now, you some part of the way, I think I hear that already, you know. You know what I'm saying? You can't play, you can't put a thing on it, but you hear it already. Yeah. And that is because somebody else, years, decades ago, probably might have the same melody. Of course, but music only had 12 notes. Exactly. So you see what you can do. Some of them don't work too good together. Exactly. And as as you know, let's just say history does repeat itself. You know, it's just how you put your spin in it. Right.

Corie 8:25

Is what will keep you part of the legacy going. Well, then a question I have because all you put in all

Honouring Calypso And Old Lyrics

Corie 8:30

the spin in it in a real unique way. Because Mr. Walker, you know the song. You know Mr. Walker, you know the song. So what would I quattro is test things here, you know, to see if men can sing song in a while. Forget the quatro.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Now that I you see, so I would have been open to hearing them things for my grandfather. Small. You they so she ugly, yes, but she wearing them expensive dress. All right. Yeah. Alright, alright. Yeah, so I hear this thing, it's right to right true. And what are you doing? I hear this. We singing for that. And you go in, you're going, you go in, and good morning, Mr. Walker. But I catch you. It making sense. So I said, Papa, what that song is about? You care? Yeah. So you ain't listening. You hear me listening. Is basically from why would I why would I get from it? Because he's asked, yeah. Tell me what you think this song is about.

Corie 9:28

Yeah, that's an education too.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

So at that point in time, Sparrow was talking about this young lady, who maybe not pleasant looking. I don't like to copy for ugly. I don't like it. Sparrow said, let me help you, right? Say she's ugly, yes.

Corie 9:44

But she's wearing them expensive dresses.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

People say she's ugly. But she's father full of money. It's a good deal. You understand? So he more he focuses on the fact that it's a bag. I can secure myself there. 100%. Yeah, but in this day and age now, no well, before you go and try and talk to the father. In this day and age now, unfortunately, it happened to single parents. A majority of single parents home is mothers, you understand, running the road. Respect to the mother, same way. You think and now you have to go and talk to mommy. But you can't go and tell mommy, hey, I hear you have money, so I can marry a daughter. How you go to do that? How you gonna do that? If she tried to secure herself, I make sure she tried to secure the same way too. How you go just jump in the mix and saying, Yeah, boy, I can take some of your money. No, she works hard for that.

Corie 10:37

And you also can't tell the mother, the daughter ugly because chances are she gets from the mother.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Exactly. So, but in this case, in this scenario, is uh place out her genuine feelings and love that would inspire the intention to turn it around. Because you know, here we're going on have feelings for your daughter, and this is what I could do because sometimes my father will tell me, a father say that you know majority, and we don't say all because I could, you know, change what he's saying because some sometimes not everything, you know, is the truth. But yeah, in terms of you know, it it don't have to be a fact, yeah. You dig but majority of women will born with their value in society. Whereas men now, we have to work hard to prove yourself and find with value. You dig? So in this scenario here, with the source concern, I trying to provide the reassurance to you. I know going and shack up with the daughter in a place where she will suffer. You dig, have intention to give you house and land by a wedding band. Oh, the game. The most important thing is she love. Right. You dig? And build a future with her. And I think it's something that everybody will sing around that they wouldn't sing about that.

Corie 12:00

Yeah, no, no, it's something I wanted to tell you about because I tell a lot of people mother this is no cool, we'll be honest, but I wasn't really planning to get shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. For what they read, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

But no, but you see, you see, is again the intention behind it and the person because some people say something, sometimes you you spend us at us with nothing. Nothing, keyword is nothing, nothing, yeah. And they will catch

Love Commitment And Life After Music

SPEAKER_00 12:30

on, yeah.

Corie 12:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But again, you have a genuine it you could feel it. I don't know if it's in the way it's sing or the way it's right, or probably the combination of the things. It feels like a genuine youth trying to talk to a mother about about a daughter that you're planning, you have real plans for. I try my best. Yeah, you're trying your best. Yeah, and I try him out, and you wouldn't like it. I try back. You know, I like Junieli a lot, right? So I try to see Junieli trying to see. I know, I mean, carnival this year. What you walk on the stab and them on your road and take on Juniel asked about no palo, not asked.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

You know, he see me as me. And you see some people go. I remember the other day. I'm walking for the big lady asked me in your poor. She said, Um, she says, Do you think I decided? She's serious? I think I mean. I big woman asked. She said, No, it is. I know you see, I see individually, I know you say I lady and think about it. It conduct you flick it. Who frick? No, I don't know when the dogs come out in life. You understand? I live in my truth than you know, yeah. I cannot afford to deal with two man the same time. I can't do it because it has so much thing going on, and you know, it's just a matter of being honest and being transparent. I know sometimes we go song good, and the wool of people, the real people think I real man. Real people think I'm right, them song you write. No, no, no, no. No, but where feel the song of them coming from? Well, I get that why I can't write now. You saw them coming from this one person, you understand? I it I inspiring it and like you know, and you say me from she being the person inspiring me. Hopefully, that uh hopefully, you know, other women will feel respected and you know, realize that it have more to life and it have more to love than just that surface than the surface now. It's possible to find that person and to you know stay true to that person and with that person. Some people they know that some people don't that. You understand? I like peace. I I love peace, you know what I'm saying? And it is just breed, um apart from peace, it just breeds a more comforting space to keep focus because what people don't understand, or people fail to understand, it's our life after music. And that is where my heart really lies now with the life after music. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Some people don't understand, you have to leave the game before the game leave you. Why are you talking like this? You know in the game you're supposed to be here for. I know in the game I understand it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm still understanding because somebody was telling me a song or hit there's have more or less three years, and then afterwards, yeah, they catch you next one. But why you sit in reggae songs who have three years, it's just life, it's a lifeline. You understand? And why you sit in Caliphs who have more than three years you play it now, and it's swinging a party. And it just comes back to that level of focus and that level of commitment. Uh you're having this person here, they rock with you. And because it's not easy to be with artists, it's really not easy to be an artist. So sometimes it is strongest to learn this battle sometimes, yeah, yeah. You think because it could it can play on your mind. Me, I telling you, I can I can't take one and thing.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

I so I don't want to do, I don't, I don't do it for myself. I understand. You think it's just a matter of being real with yourself. If if you're focusing and you're committing to something, you you do it to the best of your ability and you stay intentional, you stay true because that will reflect on other things in life. Like music, you know, where you plan to invest your time and your energy, and time is a currency that people don't understand. You can't get back. You can't get back. So why waste time, you know, doing the moves? Yeah, I understand you, I understand you.

Corie 17:05

And it's a real something I admire in listening to your music and listening to your talk. You've been listening to salute to Laud and Bashia and Junior Lee and then he's Lord and Bashia. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Bad, bad. Funny interview. Funny, funny, funny. But um, when you watch, like we have a tendency to look at classics like Mr. Walker, and you know, Sparrow is an old man now. You know what I mean? Salute to him. Salute to your father. So I feel like if he sang it when he was died, that's just reality. Yeah, truth is if you watch back when Mr. Walker comes out, them fellas that would have been 20-something to so is your your mentality then because Sparrow is a man, you singing the opposite of a sparrow. Yeah, he's going to sing out because you I hear you in an album. I see Ben What Dick. I said, but what is my know about Ben What Dick? Yeah, I um a junction. Yeah, yeah, so so Sparrow, I grew up in a parent family, right? My my grandfather and them from Grandy, too, coincidentally. Yeah, which one are you? Me know how bad by the pun, by the pun.

SPEAKER_03 18:03

By the pun, by the way.

Corie 18:06

I must give a known them to two or three times where they come from. Did they leave Grandy and live in the orphanage and then live uh Lavanti Road? Okay, okay. The little music in the orphanage with Riky. Penti all musicians went through that orphanage, was where the music came from. But when you look at all Star Wars parang back in the day, we it's Kaiso we was really singing. So I even have a small eye singing Ben, what did me and know it's a no meaning? Yeah, it's when I get big, I sing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But how you finding songs like them to reference? Nobody don't know them songs who from your era.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Nobody's gonna learn. That's the most important thing. They go learn. And I'll always make sure to say, yo, this comes from someone else before. Yeah, so this comes from a great as well. So it comes back, same thing to Papa, Papa singing that song too. He I don't know. When I had a catch, some kind of energy fast, so cow sounds so he write this. He write this, just sing it, sing it, sing it, yeah, sir. And he's still with you know quick now. Yeah, son here, mama. He the joy that I would see my grandfather singing with these tunes and them. With yours, yeah, with no with with those songs, you know, the great and them song. If this could bring him joy after how much ever is, you understand, again, turn it into something that will bring joy to our next generation and go last year again. You understand? Because it's not mine. I just being part of it, I passing. I passing through, I do my part. So I just whoever has catch inspiration from it in the next generation, they'll do the same. You dig? So, yeah, yeah, them, hey little boy, let me tell you this. But you know this one and then you're free. I hear the police. You wouldn't know me, but I wanted to show me a girl wrong. Yeah, they call me, right? And yeah, I again you watch him, man. He's singing it, he's singing good. Tell the sister to come down quicker or something for she. And it's not them hot to the tell she's a Benwood Dick man from Sandy Granny. And guys was standing on Sandy Gandhi. So that was my first soca song. Yeah, but is that a better way to introduce myself? Yes, and let them know where I'm from.

Corie 20:28

And yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You have an album that was Big Blood too coming from the product of Big Blood, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that grandi origin and background important to him sometimes how you see that. Yes, yes, it is. I don't know the Kutan name in Grandi, yeah. So it's one of the famous grandi names, you know what I mean? Good people, you know the series.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Good people, good people, yeah, yeah. Good ad woman, dead people, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Growing Up In Grande And St James

Corie 20:55

That that that whole because grandi is more country life. I grew up in St. James. We we are stone shroud away from tongue. We see Carnaval from small live and direct with everybody who but all the greats. Yeah, to pass in St. James. I'm not sure where they come from. That's true. That's true. You have to, you have to. Only do that video in St. James, Mr. Walker. Um, yes, yeah, that's about two blocks from where I live. I was born and grew. Yeah, see that cemetery, it's our short only looking at it.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

Yes, yeah, the right because that was not too far from um Kingston.

Corie 21:24

Yes, yeah, like literally, yeah, not too far from a place. Yeah, that's between a school in St. Agnes and that cemetery there. That is where we grew up as boys. That cemetery was we played wrong. It's had no real place you could have played cricket and fly kites and things. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The cemetery and no electrical line over it. So we still got it to fly kites and them kind of thing. So it's yeah, that's that's that's home. Yeah, but that home life in Gran, you have whatever influence that is for you up to today.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

But it was everything. I like a pro, you say I grew up in a beautiful household. Yeah, um. Not everybody perfect. Same way. Plenty of lessons was learned. And you know, um, thankfully I have a mother that very real and raw. And I will like to say I have a grandfather real and raw as well. A grandma that real and raw were very grounded in fate. So my kind of person that you know she go watch your play yourself. I didn't send it to go and pick a whip. So you picking the whip. Yeah. Yeah, sir, you go and get cut us with. And if you didn't pick a whip that, you know, suited for you, I will help you to go and pick a whip and add the whip that you pick. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sir. So, yeah, coming from a background, you know, it was something that how to pay. In a complex way, it was difficultly beautiful because boy days is boy days. I would have taken my own part. You understand? Um I come from no I come from humble beginners. You know what I'm saying? We didn't we're not the richest, you understand, but we make it what we have to do. Learn to make what you have to. And from making what you have to do, I decided to play fast. I decided to play fast and you know. Lyme in places and not supposed to be lying, and you know. You dig, but all our spar tight, all our sparter listening and learning because the ground is what teach me plenty things I know today. So, could I tell me a wise man go learn from his mistakes, but a wiser man gonna learn from another man's mistakes, and that's what I've been doing my whole life. Learning from other people to the point that I don't have to learn from their mistakes, then will elders will watch me and tell me, hey, I'm telling a story about myself and show me, you know, certain realities in life, and it's what I take from it. Why I take from it and what I make use of in my personal life. So I I probably would have been the person to get him more trouble in the house. Yeah, for sure. I'd have been the person to get him more trouble in the house. So from in school, from going to school, in the three secondary school. Yeah. Yeah. And then finally landing, and I went to Holy Cross College, um, Northeastern College, and then Sandy Grandi Educational Institution. Oh, okay, okay. And so proud about all. So like a farm-oriented place now. But the principal, Mr. Ronnie, his wife, Mrs. Ed, Ms. Mrs. Edwards, um, all the teachers, they never made you feel less than the potential you have to be. Right. You understand? So even when things are a little, you know, difficult and we being hard-headed youth men and ending up in back and forth with police and whatnot, they never turn the back, they never auto paid. Judge. Anything like that. They open their arms again, welcome us back in the school. And you all go in on say, learn from this. You sure you learn from this? They move forward, no. You understand? And the same thing with home. Never really say, they never judge. You understand? What they will understand, this is part of life. And something my grandfather always says, my grandmother is always saying, easy child, easy parents, that will never change no matter how old we get. And yes, we hear this shit about once a man twice that child, we don't ever forget. Who in church? Yeah, we in church, you understand? And for that, I have a different level of respect. Um my father and I would have had back and forth. Because he has his own separate life. So we'd have a back and forth for some years, and only recently, the relationship that we would have formed, you know, it actually formed, which is something I thank God for. Yeah, that's good. You dig? And a wise man in him. Real wise in him. Too hot boy. I may believe it's not coming from. Yeah, but yeah, yeah, you think, and more listen, that that that family life is always about, especially granny and and and grandpa is concerned, and man, them uncles, you dig, my aunt and them, always something with family. You dig, and then it would have Shanna Marie, Fuentes, my cousin, who, like a sister, who unfortunately passed away. And honestly speaking, I would have started getting a little serious music through Jalen Miller, right? Which is her uncle. And I'm gonna release African answer.

Corie 27:38

This is what age now, you still you're done with school and what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

20, 20, 20, 10, 19, 20, yeah, yeah, around that time. And that time I still had it. You want to, you know, I do all the other things I supposed to be doing. You think? And like dabbling, take feeling his man. And you've given me an opportunity to see ways like to create music from scratch with the knowledge that he had. I remember after making African dancer and basically starting local and recording real thing, he just disappeared. And then them songs is yours, I don't want nothing from it. He, um, his wife was pregnant. And that's something we value more than after God. After God, we value the family life. Yeah, you see, right? Yeah, that's important, yeah. Yeah, so I was like, alright, cool, no brother. You and the scene. Right. Those are comment, so yeah, you think and from that now, Shana will I be pushing, pushing. We said dance all kind of things, she does have doing all kind of things just to keep us out of trouble.

Corie 28:55

Yeah, so them teenage days, for instance, you you already have music on your mind, like you're not knowing it.

SPEAKER_00 29:00

I was not a music thing. Yeah, I was you know you had a talent, you know you could have sing and them gonna drink. I know I could have not. But I find I was too soft. I wanted to be, you know, a man. I wanted to be outside the yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so I went to be, you know, all my cousin and my bra and I'm on, or my dog and I'm on.

Corie 29:23

I don't that. Yeah. I was telling that before we start. Like, we're not here you talk about some of them things. It's like that same St. James Cemetery War was a was a kind of a choice I had to make in life. It's a crossroads, basically, because I want that is what I wanted more than anything else in life, right? That was it for me, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was soft, didn't it? Soft in that capital team. I see mad when the fight starts.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

I hiding behind somebody, I will flick a few blows at them because I started you had a harder choice to make than me because what I see left.

Corie 29:56

Because the thing about it is I really just want to be this, so when we go on the block and we talk, no man can say it's a cover. So I'm a penalty one stone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I ain't penetrating to hit nobody, I'm friends hate anybody. I penetant to miss. At least people don't come on the block, they'll say Corey. You know what I mean? Yeah. My mother and father, same thing you talking about, but they try their best to get me off to stay away from that. Yeah, but it had people in the area too. Like it had a fella named Carlos. Carlos is a man I look up to like a father, and I always remember I went Fatima, right? Everybody I know in my area went Compreh or Junior Secret, St. James Secret, right? And Fatima. Get my mother, I'm inside. I could only be outside of my mother in Richmond. And boy, when I come to Lime on the block now, Carlos running me home, boy. I didn't like that at all. So let's go. I used to get a real horse and Carlos. And I meet him the other day, and he was, you say, boy, watch what you're doing now, boy. Yeah. He said, That's what I was trying to tell you.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

He was part of that life, yeah, yeah.

Corie 30:52

Right. Well, he said was, yeah. Well, he hiding names to protect the centre.

SPEAKER_00 30:59

But you see, sometimes people can see things that we can't see. You understand? Yeah, and God is use anybody. It could be somebody who less fortunate than we, somebody who people will pass on you and say, nah. Simple signs. You understand? Sometimes, you know, I for example, we had a um a gig in South. And that day was Jiggy, right before Egon show. And went in south, went back up the road, performed again, come back. Before that, we reached the gig in South. It had this Ella stand up. Who is this man? I said, Father, my name is Scooter. He said, I don't know, I like your style. I said, seriously, he said, yeah, yeah, yeah. You see, energy take him, man. No, he seems performed nothing yet. I said, I appreciate that, father. Going inside, perform. You understand? Was that small crowd? You dig, but energy was loud, it was big. So do all the do and looking to leave. Coulds come now, could I confuse it? Come and could, you know me, but you come and could you come, you know the call you could. You know something. You understand? You see, I tellin' you. He said you have plenty of things in stores for you. He said you have he said, where going now? I said, I go on next gig by father, but I said we had to go. He said the amount of riches, you are just lying now waiting for you. And that's how to be money. That could be peace. You understand? That could be seeing people in a better position and that'll bring peace for me. You think and he say, always remember to keep the father first. I walk in and short to message me, hell lies that messenger, I tell you now. So to message me, BBI, B in the backseat, yeah. Or you take you no father was talking, he said, that messenger, it's no coincidence. Nobody communicated with each other. I say, you think everybody had the same mental and he doesn't know when your father sends somebody to talk on his behalf. No, don't get tired of the devil. Could do the same thing to a point, eh? Of course. But that way your disarnament and your faith comes into play. You had to open ears, you had to listen, you had to observe, you had to pick sense from nonsense, you could see it clear. Of course, of course. That won't do it, you did.

Corie 33:32

Yeah, many times in life. You talking about that on my pause reason. Because I always remember being, by this time I decide, right? I say, you know what, I do in the school thing, I could do it good in school, I could, I could, I could do this. So I probably I work in TSC anytime. I must be doing my master's at Then on TS City time to study to it. So I've got more three lunch a day. Every time I come back, I say all the lunch. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've got my panchos and tongue and really just study it and all. And the first one roots man, you know all Kaiso, so you do this first. The first one roots man walk in the place. And so I don't know what it is about the first one. I don't never forget. Like when you're talking about the old man, he just acts if he said, Well, it's a no-yah big voice, every yeah. Say, anybody say you stood on that man first two things, to the one thing he says to you, you have a successful face. He said, But that's your choice. Yeah, that's the end of the conversation. Yeah, and you just like what the hell wrong with the first two? Why are you looking to see if I can get a song to sing? You come to tell me what's the thing. Give my other song. Is that right? But it's the truth is what you're saying. It doesn't know any moment. Sometimes you ain't sure why the messages come in. True. But even when we talk to you, like if just feeling your energy and talking to you, like I go say tomorrow, and you're gonna say after God.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Yeah, you know what I mean?

Corie 34:43

You grow up religious and take

Church Lessons Intentional Living

Corie 34:45

any household. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

It's a bit chasing, Francis Harrison. It's a bit changing. I was our town boy. I was yeah, I was in the choir, I was in church.

Corie 34:58

But then you know you could sing, you was in the choir.

SPEAKER_00 35:00

No, no, I was in the choir playing drums. Oh, seriously, I was in choir playing drums and they were here, man, trying to hold her notes. Why take a beating drum, a pelting note, a ball and all the place are singing, and you know, it stemmed from that, but is again mama. Mama tell her go on, you know, go by the altar and whatnot. And but I mean go up there, boy. I sat up outside watching. My grandma used to wear all the shades, and uh seen everything. And I saw me hang outside that's it. I don't see me. You ain't go up there and pay reverence to you, father. And I watched when I say, Mama was in church for what? What is in church for to say was in church? It's about difference. You go in church to show reverence, not say now you can't do it outside of church too. But if you go in there, don't papa, show the man in your house and that'll stick with me. So when you're doing something, be intentional. You think remember I playing football, S P and M Y. And I suppose uh mass Saturday night. And I love the football, I can't play football by running off and long, having fun. Young, young boy. And I got married to the back of church, but now a man was so she presents, it it's so strong. Snap and she watched me with this shades. I said, Yeah, my brother's bad. I gotta call it. She pinch me, follow. Go. I walk home in my eye, we water up in my eye. I try not to look down because the water go run. Alright, since I thought about it, can I hurt it from there? You say you're gonna do something to it. If you're not gonna do something, communicate. Same thing with good brother, Melie. All you have as a man is a word. All that, you know what I'm saying? Being in church and you know, certain teachings would uh play a different part uh where I am today, keeping my grounded and learning to the soon and just knowing everything is in moderation and intentional now.

Corie 37:40

Yeah, of course, of course, of course. It's funny because that same grandfather tells you to say all the time that one from Grandi. Like when you teach them in Grande. Yes, yes. So when you say you're gonna do something, do it, do it. Yeah, if you can't do it, communicate. So it's part of it's part of being a man, that's what we all we have, as you rightly say. So, how is it now balancing that? Because I is we talking about similar brilliance. I grew up in church, my mother and them trying to keep me inside, but I I love the block. Yeah, but what I really like is the little line is shit talking. I want to be on the block, I want to get home inside. The block is home, block is home.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

You see, some of the greatest teachers will come for the block area, they can't turn your back on it because I wouldn't say I would spend plenty of time on everybody block back at pass. I could pass and yeah, because you see whatever. And it had a little I wouldn't call it, you know, by the corner where I used to base home, the block, but they used to play football, they used to call the mutants. Right, right. Yeah, so they used to call the mutants and men like Stone and Chiny and Pampas and Wolf and them. Good footballers, and red one, them, good good footballers, wasa, my cousin and them. And you just learn lessons from these brothers to me too. I remember I hear reggae all the time, but the kind of reggae that I would hear from Stone Stone go put Dennis Brown. Yeah, it's right. You know what I'm saying? Gregory Isaac. Well, you know what that era? They took over sugars. And some of my musical background comes from the block. You understand? It's all about again moderation. What you choose to take from certain things in life, it don't all have to be negative. You can't blame them for everything because circumstances put people in the place that they are. Sometimes people have their back against the wall and they have to do certain things to survive. Nobody coming and save them. So I can't judge somebody because they're living their life, or I can't judge somebody because they choose to do certain things. And I could pray for you and say, but I already hope you don't have a resort to that. That's certain things I don't tolerate and stand at all. Not to be contradicted, you understand? But sin is sin, boy. It's not good and no bad sin. And who is me to cast the first stone? My house is glass. Of course, of course. I wish more people know that. You understand? My house is glass, and not perfect. And again, what you take from it is up to you, just as of us that today is your choice. Yeah, of course. Yes, and nobody has to hold your hand together. And because your parents are not trying their best, you make a child, but you can't you can't make their mind.

Corie 40:22

Yeah, of course, of course.

SPEAKER_00 40:23

You can do all in your power to you know, try and let them know, hey, you function like this, and you go have a certain outcome here, you function like this, you have a certain outcome here. It has circumstances to action. I think that is where we just fall short as a society. You don't preach to children that it has certain you know, consequences to action. It has good consequences, it has bad consequences. Because people just watch consequences as a negative thing. Of course, of course. And that's not the position. No. So when I hear certain songs like that and gain certain experiences from them one of them and learn it, bro. I was bigger than this. I had a piece of weight on me, follow. Um through smoking and and and playing football. Well, to me play football, and one of them they see me run up and down on the field. You can just chasing the ball, because I just want to lose. But I didn't look at it like that at the point in time. I just go in there to you know, get some kind of structure in your life and some kind of discipline, say me to a learn and this that that being around them brothers and them play a part in making my man. Because certain things that my grandparents and my grandfather and my and me and my father would not be able to teach me I learned day.

Corie 41:42

Yeah, it's a funny thing. Men especially is a real important conversation because whom I grew up with my mother. My father was living south, I live in St. James. So even the influence he had, you know, I afraid my father a little bit. Yeah, but he ain't there every day. So I could I could man my mother would work. Yeah, yeah. She had to work late too. From the time I hear she signed up for a course, I glad because she had to work late. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doing whatever I want. And like I was telling people, I said, I grew up in a house with 17, 18 people. Yes. You know what I mean? So the influences sometimes is my cousin who talked to me. Sometimes a man like Atelia Carlos has a big influence on my life right now. But you're talking about your cousin identifying a musical thing in you.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Yeah, like

Losing Shanna And Turning Pain

SPEAKER_00 42:20

Shanna, she. But she was. She was who pan more for that committee. Shanna would be the person that she would have started off with a cloth and brand named Prestige House. So she started selling, like bringing down clothes and selling it. Right. Shana we used to work and I realized by this working thing enough for me, Paulo. I could hustle, I show. But the hustle, she will hustle is now, you know. Yeah, but selling illegal. But she had respect for one of them though. And that's how she lives with them. She understands, you know, communication and language. And everybody going by Shah to get clothes, whether it's Holestyle, Postal, and Montcumbrian, Fetch, something I'll bring in down, like Louis, Gucci, this, that, everything real in her. She'll bring in the dung, you name it. And then she said, but you know what? Because I feel like it's starting my own thing in it. And I like Shanna Bonefly. Yeah. You go in. What you mean? It's that. And being around Shahna. And then afterwards being exposed to music, you understand? I believe God set up them thing simultaneously for it to happen. Before Shauna passed away, Shah watched me and tell me before I close my eyes, you go be you will be singing music. Nobody expects Shah to pass away. And it was around COVID time. So, four years ago, yeah. And that shake my kennel carry found out the day before my birthday, some some minutes before my birthday. So I was confused. I messaged you just the day before. Yeah, I said on the same the day of the the like what evening on the um what do you call it evening on the 10th? I say cause I hear I hope when you come outside tomorrow, girl. I said, don't worry. Love. You know his function. And I'm gonna respond. I ain't gonna respond and say, well, she probably handling something, you know, they probably give her treatment or whatever. Well we will have like five minutes, and come and tell me she's not dead. And I watched them like they don't cook.

Corie 44:40

Yeah, can't believe it.

SPEAKER_00 44:41

Yeah, son, there's Jimmy October, Jimmy October with my cousin too. So his mom, Auntie, Auntie Core, she said, she said, love her ways. She said you can't check, man. Auntie Papa again, right? No, Vika. I said that I said I'm gonna go inside because you know I read Beetle. She said, um, can't check me. Nah, I can't. I said she said, Well, when you show them tell me, I said, everything I so I think my cousin get whole, thinking goes get whole. Right, so and Jimmy go behind him, he probably get whole too. So I hear me now, hmm. How are you doing this one now? And I reach you, I show. She says, Where mommy? My right here. Alright, she says, um, baby, Marie, Marie going in. Want up? No, at the sand, no, general or something. No, she gone. First time I cuss one in my life. Yeah. I never I cuss my my aunt, I don't cuss, yeah, and I don't know. I just cuss, but I don't cuss with them. I was confused, so I went in that shock for like about two, three hours. So I used to drinking, you know, them plastic on them. The punching. Yeah. I used to drinking that straight. Yeah, just to catch it. And I don't man do drink as much and things, so but I can drink. But you understand. And is when I see my cousin and pop, I see Kai and Cebu and you know, seen everybody reaching. Because normally they reached by me before my body, like Shana, and I think I used to spell, I used to bring in my body, Shana. So the same hour that I'll the same time I'll be bringing in when I finally passed. And I say, serious, boy. And from about one o'clock, so yeah, it's a hit, man. I fall asleep crying. I give up the next day. I give up crying. Yeah, yeah. Did you have a body? Crying all day. Trunk like a fish. Crying.

Corie 47:07

Motors, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:09

All the cousins, all my family, all my dog, and them, everybody in the yard. Because the funny thing, the first time my mama was trying to plan out a life for me, I was celebrating my body like that. And that comes and happened, so everybody was done already on the way. See what things happen. Yeah, and that's how I say so they come to celebrate my life while I say that life one. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And my grandmother, visit my grandma, real bad too. My mama had to tell me, I'm gonna tell you something, eh? Whatever you do, to make the mistake and question God. I never had the intention to question him. You understand? I never had the intention to question him, but it was something that was. Yeah, and big. Yeah, it was hurting, still hitting. You understand? But this is with the harsh reality of life coming to play that, you know. The ones that you have are wrong, you ain't gonna be here forever.

Corie 48:02

And we was talking about that before we started as a crossroads. Because if that's the person who telling you, because you know what she said, not telling her. I tell you how to do music.

SPEAKER_00 48:11

I because I was saying, you mad all that real soft, nobody could take me serious, nobody got no respect for me on the ground. I can't do nothing. Men go say yes, singer. I know that I know that if it's anything we and the thing is in schools, I was singing, like when we were at school, we go knock this and thing and whatever, and freestyle and chant, freestyle and thing, but they say outright singing, singing, like all the notes and doing what you're doing. I didn't think I had the potential to write the camera music already. No, no. So all then you write to nothing, you just no, serious, no, yeah, son, all that time I playing the ass and forming the fool. My foot all as being my own man and trying to make my own lane and trying to, you know, see how much I could survive. You dig because my mother loopers too. So all that was a reality. Uh a reality for me because Queen Alice, since she since I was in about four, son, five, she lived with it. No, still, thank God. But you know, is it's still not something easy because it always had back air mental. Yeah, you know where it went through. Exactly. And within that time, when Shauna passed, I would have lost a good bit of rather same way too. I remember come and gone, you know, son childhood brethren. No talk to you, he now tell me sorry about Shahanna. You come and dead right after. You know what I'm saying? So that's a reality had to face.

Corie 49:45

At a young age, you're talking about to be going through plenty of pain. It's not a typical, a typical story.

SPEAKER_00 49:49

No, that that you see, other pay boy pain, pain inevitable. Pain inevitable. Again, to understand it more than ever that it's not something you dwell on, it's something you you build on. If you allow pain to take you over, you ain't gonna have no emotion now. It ain't so again nobody will come and say, You can't make no excuse because alright. You got a headache, you can manage my headache to me, and take a panel. Go ahead. You know what I'm saying? Now to some people, some people will disagree and say, yeah, you can't be so insensitive and never tell another feeling you can feel. And you can go through the emotion, but at the same time, always remember to live in reality that life's still going on. And if you you you decide to dwell on something and dwell on somebody passing, you ain't doing yourself no justice, you ain't doing them no justice, you ain't carrying them legacy, you ain't living in the light that them see the potential that you have now. So, all that was like a driving force to me. I remember after canvas, this one now gone. I remember after saying thank you and walking out the stage as soon as I break the corner by the jumps behind the trapset. I remember Lee, one of my oldest and truest friends. I remember brother, I like to say friends, but yeah, brothers. I remember breaking down one time talking about crying non-stop. Yeah, so he did tell me, yeah, go ahead. Go ahead, go ahead. I said, boy, if she was alive to see this, it's something that I don't think she would have had the words to say because I proud I ain't watched the hug, the the love shit I gave me, I know. Yeah, come back to the one moment. Yeah, yeah.

Corie 51:50

I didn't take a drink, you know. This thing real so this is real heavy. This man didn't bring no ginger for me. Like when we think we take a drink while we think it's because that we're talking about is things that sometimes people just go through. Yeah. Real late in life, but a lot of people mightn't go through them things young. Yeah, yeah. So at that time with that person and her leaving them words with you, that's another crossroads. You're making up your mind at that point that you want to do music.

SPEAKER_00 52:12

Yeah, remember when I would have started uh because you see the the musical adjoining, you understand, it had certain players involved that you know um uh it was crucial to the to to playing a part and end up in the point that I end up. You understand? It had certain parts of cross, it had certain things and that then continue. And you know, that was that.

African Dancer Breakthrough And Team

SPEAKER_00 52:40

And then it had, you know, like apart from the the TDSK production, the Kingston, the Brooklyn, then it had um the Walla come to play. Right, right, right. So when the Walla come to play now, it's called the Walla Father, you all father, he comes to play, he changed my whole outlook on where music is concerned. So how you know all these people?

Corie 53:05

Because you come in from a home, you're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_00 53:07

Right, you said it was a funny thing. Right. That is all in the father plan. Know them people from Adam. Yeah. I intend to meet them people at all. I then but get me to come out of my base, but I ain't gonna leave. I paranoid. I don't I am from Grandy. The furthest I probably see is a remain. Yeah, so when I would have started to go UE, I back and forth home and day. That was it. And that was it. And my mother telling my uncle would have basically started off, and then you know, it's going from there. And then fast forward back to um the wall I know the walla would have met me when we were shooting the video for African dancer, because all this thing happened in a very short space of time. Meeting all these people happened in a very short space of time, whether year and a half to two years, and then the wall that would have come into play because African dancer would have pop off, and then so that's your first real dance. That's my first the first song that would have come out was real thing with um Cleveland Book and TDSK. And from that, you have been African dancer. I remember coming from experiencing Carnival in town for the first time. I see I get our difference of energy and inspiration. Yeah, it would drop music. I just see it, they just go in town to watch. Yeah, I tell you, yeah, I just see people enjoying the self without anybody getting about without anybody saying, you're not different world, right? You think and I say, yeah, but and I had African dancer, African dancer probably about two years old before I dropping.

Corie 54:52

Serious? So what make you because you don't know you could write, you don't know you could sing. What makes get to that point where you're going and write and sing a song?

SPEAKER_00 54:59

Well, African dancer was more or less just singing about again reality. At a point in time you are like somebody and you know singing about feelings and watching other people relationships and seeing how people thinking because at that point in time I sing it. But you're watching people experiencing certain love and you're seeing it, you see, you're happy for them. You know what I'm saying? And I say, Yeah, boy dog, but I could sing something here and just pull from the experiences and whatever. And it had, I mean, of course, I can't remember it's a party with a go, boy. A party me and Rafael and what I go. Um have you what party do you used to have um during Christmas Eve? Like it's Christmas Eve or the day before Christmas Eve. It's something around that, but I can't remember. But we have our party, I remember going on there, and you know thing are we enjoying ourselves and I guess oh gosh, but I'm gone with that. Just that I'm gone with that, and I'm gonna tell you something. I have no game, I can't track nobody. I have no game, I can't wait for you.

Corie 56:23

Things are looking good.

SPEAKER_00 56:26

I'm gonna be very real and wrong. Yeah, then so you see that thing and try to be a smooth man now dog and was uh I have no game, I am very shy, I'm I am very quiet, I am not for with that concern. I I can't tell you I can't I don't have a thing that I can't that brace thing desert. And I don't man, I don't have no big self-festive to say, yeah, I did that now by Palo by humble beginnings, by love and light. So thing whatever that's time with and you lie that's how it boom and like that experience, you know, toward somebody that in that time no really is is they say come girlfriend teaching, but it's how your first love and then you have you know um somebody thinking of an enemy real love. Me know what that though yeah, as I can say I love you, I love your following right, right? We had someone uh we talking to it wasn't together, but showing uh uh a mutual you know energy and that all that pass from that passing experiences lead to you know observing how other people is interact with love is concerned, and I say all right, cool take that experience, play it in our song. I play it in our song, yes or no boom creature song is nice. We see if we can build something, but I say how some guitar because your voice your voice even Cleveland use the term TDS can say that because I if I started with it be like more danceful and raping what thing whatever and then say Palo, you can sing by try and hold that note and go down the road and that I say cool and I go and I singing, I singing a lot of time. I'd always tell people as a consumer before I produce our music. I always listen to music, love music, different music, same too. And when it catches it, catch. So I will until the first year we try to put it out, thing I will cut. The second year you say we put it out that video, that I will cut. The third year now, I say yeah. So I think the tenth of match. The tenth of match we report um African dancer. And I remember that song, Scientic Create Albuz. I remember walking in school because I used to sell by man off the sack day. And my son by SC smoking. Somebody passed. Yeah, this one, I think in the download. Yeah, man, thanks, I appreciate it. I yelled it past it. Right for driving a car. This on your radio, isn't it? Yeah, I said me on your radio. I know I sent nobody this one. This is only on YouTube. Put my phone. Shana, you send carry this or something? She said, nah, but why am I? It's on the radio, you lie. And select a carry from Grandi as well. You know what I'm saying? He and Penny was playing it on the radio. And um, that's where I will uh link with Kai West and you and them. And them brothers trying to catch me for you longest wife. I think what we love when they again I don't leave my bass, I don't want to see nothing, I don't see nobody. It's not my business to be outside. So when you put this song, you walk down the road. I put it out inside. Right. Yeah, smoking with my life. I couldn't. And my passing studio, in studio by boots, and I'm a point in time, and then go say, how will we catch you? Family catch me. Nah, I done, I done ready, I active I look at the waiters. And then listen to nobody, nobody I gotta be talking about. I cool. And I'll be moving with cool bass, Gian Cool Bass, yeah, and Kristen Sibron point in time, and and Ko C Myers, my little cousin. Right. So three of them basically I be managing me. Would not be for long, but they managed me playing a part because people are modest trust. Of course. Um I doing that, and I tell J and I said, boy, I get them in my word, but I had to go. Mm-hmm. Again. Your word. Ragging on a car. And I'm not traveling. My grandma tell me. I don't want your travel because last time I traveled, somebody pop a gun to you, and you tell them squeeze. Yeah. That you can't ship in the side beyond. I know I'm very ignorant. Yeah, thank God, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. After God, thank you. And apart after that now, baseball, you see, alright, I'll pick you up. Pick me up, and we went down. It was opposite, but we smoke his and buntees, so we mini buys now. Yeah, yeah. That's the corner. Mama reached in there, and big of Koji. Koji, I never say it too. I said. So yeah, but I've been moving my time carta. I'm watching the crowd. So we're going outside. But this is performance now, this is the studio. I said, we went outside it. Yeah, that's I said, no, but it's too much of people. I don't know where I is, but I said, no. They said, dog, you're safe. Um classes, family as well, too. So class, classes down there. Now right I'm safe. You are wrong here. You are not coming out there, you mad. Yeah, you exposed them, I said, nah, but I said, easy to go with me. I said, nah. Just paranoid, let's be paranoid understanding. And I said, Then eventually they came out to come outside. Always playing a hoodie. You want to wait to see me? I want a hoodie account up there. I sit on. I said on, yes or no. Sad to sing. At that point in time, when I boy ye was, you know. Yeah, that he sung. So I incorporated. Started sing. So you Twitter will know it's a catch on. It's had a catch on. It's a little talk, but it wasn't too bad. Then afterwards, after shooting the music video, you understand. Um the boy Christian. You understand? Christian Kun Kun. Jared, Jonathan Hines. Um again. If I remember, there's no other for you. But it had a good bit of people, and Christian being from Grandy as well. He sick as you're going on. I went by him and said, bro, I think I were you to do the video. I say, you could do I see me. I don't know this thing is running with time. My price. Right, right, right. He said, nah, they for Grandy. He said, they different generation of Grandy. So I watch him, yeah, with the price. He said, nobody thing. I said.

Corie 1:04:24

So you interest that when you say no price, you say grandi.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:27

No, at that point in time, everything about price work. Of course. If I don't, if I don't know, yeah, I not I if I pay by if me and you sit down by a block of me and go, you know how hard time I done with you.

Corie 1:04:38

No trust.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:39

I not asking for no favor, Apollo. Yeah, son. It's not like I meet you along the way. I mean you went through something or whatever. Nah. And then that is where the relationship between Krista and I form and them other brands and them. And funny enough, Kristen Aunt was with my uncle in the days, the day after the fight, all that. That makes me close I never do. So Krista Radusan said, I will reach out to this one, that one thing. Everybody was on board. I was something so exciting because like, what is the thing I seen going on on Instagram? All that to remember be on Instagram, I follow in about 2,000 people. And I have what 9800 followers. But here is the heights in it. I follow in them 2,000 people because I tell substance in it. I learned in. I learned in. And my proof of bit tells us it's black. Yeah, you can't do it. With a ghost, I don't I don't want to see me, I cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And from now, from that that that interaction with Kristen and things put together a team. And I remember Kristen opened his house thanks to Mom Semi too. And we stayed there. We stayed by Kristen. I talk about everybody, production team what part to play. Majority, I talk about a good bit of brothers stayed there. We

Building Videos With Respect

SPEAKER_00 1:06:10

try to make everything work.

Corie 1:06:11

Yeah, so that is our creative space now. Yeah, different world for you now again.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:15

Yes, we're now going into the creative space. I remember we went um Think It's Miracles and Kristen would uh um bring Janice one of his sisters and them to play, you know, the the um music individual. I don't know how to function around them thing. I think so so I know I remember Kristen telling me, yo, just pass your hands with face and just you know why say long rather than do so and then everybody started laughing to start to say, Oh gosh, there's a no to the point that it it just is a matter of respect, you know, nothing to me. And from that day I say boy, going forward with music videos concerned, there's something I go in and put on here now. Yes, it could be a thousand people who prefer to be, you know, half naked or whatever in in videos, but the majority of my videos shouldn't be that. It should be a space where women could still be clothing and still feel sexy, still feel, you know, empowering, you understand, and the option is up to you.

Corie 1:07:21

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:22

So I tell you what you gotta do. I'm giving you an option, showing you my vision, and you making it a suit so you be comfortable, so you can be authentic and natural as possible. And from that video, you know, I remember we had a river scene. And we went down with the road. I remember I used on a rock, and then I gave up, I had to pretend like you know, we prepared to go in the river. I'm not going to river. I wasn't going to the river at the point in time because no, not not I wouldn't go in the river at the point in time because I so much other things to shoot. Okay, okay. And if I wet my head, I really pay in you. And I remember Jenny's um look at the takeoff, she top. And you if you go in the video now and watch the video, I turn on one time. I'm not supposed to turn over, but just offer respect, I turn on you think, and all these things had part to play in the creative process of learning what I wanna video from why do I in a video, yeah, something like that. Even um in the video with um hide and seek and all you dig with um why the great rebel Ankila and it was that hey Russ, you had to be a bit more, you know, expressive because I just did. I don't know what to do. But you see, you're talking about this all then you knew you you're still trying to find a way. What to do, and I have no problem with not knowing what to do because it's not the intention to be those superstar. Oh, yes, you understand. So in my head, the music you weren't supposed to do. Alright, nice. Next one.

Corie 1:08:56

I can say it. But at that point, you're conscious of the fact that you had to keep coming up, you had to keep producing your writing and thing fully at that point.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:03

And from that part with Kunkun and whatnot, and always supposed to support, it would have led to now meeting the wala. Kunku would have came by the waller. And from meeting the wala, I would have met Kess. And that is where a whole thing is. That is where that is where I was confronted by A you taking this serious or you're not taking this serious.

Corie 1:09:32

But even that, right? Because you you know, when you talk, even in talking about finding the songs, finding your own way, you're sure about yourself, you know. That you could see them influencers you're talking about with religion, the grandy life, your household and your family, the block, all them influences merging into one now. Yeah, how all that end up in UI? What how you end up in UI?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:52

What were you doing? I was doing um sociology and criminology. I didn't finish because another pass. I don't look at the finish too. I understand.

Corie 1:10:01

And I said, nah, but at that point, do you see in your life as that academics going study and do criminal?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:06

No, I just wanted knowledge. I didn't want to know. Yeah, no, but I would have um given my passes in SGI, and then after I pick up myself and going up on campus. I remember I tell my mother going up on campus. What do you mean? And showing qualities I wanted to go to school. And showing qualities. You think? But still, you understand I still without that knowledge, and I still wanted to gain certain, you know, that educational background because I know what I could do for you within society to a point. I understand. You understand? And to me, it's a balance of street sense and common sense and then book sense. Yeah, well, more or less common sense, street sense, and then book sense. That's how I watch it. It makes sense, it makes sense. And yeah, so that was going on with me with school and whatever, and but it just didn't finish.

Corie 1:11:05

But I actually do plan to try and start back, but the funny thing is, like people talk about not finishing as if you didn't knowledge that you're getting in full so much of a year. That knowledge ain't going away. That's what something I want to ask about. The album is 1996. What's significant? You're born 96. But bad album, like I was listening to it just on the way here, and there's a well, I mean, I shocked to hear now say how you still coming into yourself then because they have an ease of listening to your music. By this point, you're comfortable singing, you're fine, you're singing voice on the same.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:38

I would say that he helped me and shaped my sound. Yeah, I remember he telling me that I used like fire away off of yourself. What you mean? He say music-wise. I say, I still think about it. He said, You're going on we'll create and shape a sound for you. I said, I'll play the sound. No, a sound. And he had to explain to me if you hear if you hear how to pay by a flow, or you hear a similar cadence, you can identify it with the artist. So if you hear something in a certain pattern, you can say they boju. You understand? Hey, you can see the junior go. Oh, you can see the bungee. You understand? You can see this case. You know what kind of it? Yes, sir. You can see the blazer dan, you can see the multi-center, you can see, you can see these things, I sash out all of them. But I don't understand what that means at the point in time. And it are plenty things I had to learn in terms of letting the music breathe, spacing, um, pronouncing words properly because slightly tight tongue. So I fight off a real bad thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:53

All the greats, right? All the greats, all the greats about kitchener and them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All the greats.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:00

All the greats. So so at that point in time, you know, I would have, you know, sit down and say, all right, cool. And then you'd have introduced me to Kes. What is he? To do music with you know artists with on the Trinity Bad side and when the soccer side. I wait to give it a gap. So you had that from us earlier as that? Yeah, I wait to bridge that gap. I wait to do that life kind of bridge that gap. Yeah, and I saw I wait to show that you know, one is not in that separation thing is is is is it has space for everybody. On top of that, too. If you think about it, Calypso and Soka artists. So we can't know a bit different from where it was before. But Calypso was more or less the the village news that we used to find out what's going on. This how they would have tell it, hey, this happening here, that's going on day. Calypsoans will talk about that. And it's the same thing going on with Jimmy, but they met them talking about the life.

Corie 1:14:02

You grew up with your grandfather listening to them. I was talking yesterday when I recorded about Blakey. Blakey, that gangster in and out of jail. Sparrow, but if you say sparrow, Teeth Jig and Dyna. That's sorry. You say he was in jail or two of them was in jail. Sparrow came out first. Yeah. But yeah, yeah. But yeah, they're right.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:22

It's telling a story. It had when he when you look at men like Blazer. Blazer from the knowledge I know, Blazer was a well-respected man. Well respected. Well respected man. You understand? And he still makes it uh um his duty to still give so music. Music so music on your whole that love and that that energy that people could enjoy.

Corie 1:14:52

But even when you're creating now, you don't see it necessarily as genre, genre, genre. You're going to make music.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:57

I'm going to make music because if I look to saddle genre, genre, genre, I'll get lost. I sort of box myself. I'll lose the plot. And then I'll limit in where it could go. Yeah, so I'm because we are dot on the map. A very important and influential dot, I must say. But this what's going on right now with the musical, like the generation now, all them boy and them come from similar background in life. All them boy and them come from certain things, them, and more of them see certain things in life that was hard. The Kimi, the Crystal, the Zerima, the um the Zebi. You know what kind of way? These men who singing. I remember telling me, like, could yeah, I think Asoka, leave me alone now, but I'll tell you. I'll tell you. Nah, if you sing Asoka, you're gonna boss. Nah. And I glad them boss with Asoka. I give it in that title that talking.

Corie 1:16:00

It's not easy, man to have a right.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:06

Like, brother said, and I remember do so and hard form with our catch. And when art form catch, that is when everything started changing. Yeah, change again. The first first legal work in my life is ministry education. And that was for six months. And that's it. And right after that, what no he was doing?

Corie 1:16:31

Like, grandi thing about Jimmy October, say the same thing. Let's just walk out and walk with a little ring grand.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:35

No, no, no, no, he was working there for a while. No, Jimmy was working there for a while. Jimmy, Jimmy would have walked from boys told straight up to by the hospital. And sometimes he walking from the hospital, I walk the back with his big head for in the years, and he's very welcomed and happy. And I am telling him, You are crazy. I remember when I tell Jimmy, as a cuz they were going on, I was singing by Temina.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:58

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:59

Yeah, you know how it is. He said, Because what you're doing cannot mesh with this, you had to choose. And the same thing come back down to what the wall. And guess what I tell me? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You say choose where you want to go. You can't mix. You could exist within it, but you can't be actively doing certain things. You know that kind of thing.

Corie 1:17:25

Well, you study the music, you see Diddy and Puffy go through the same um biggie. Same thing. It's a choice is a choice.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:33

And I remember when we would have started 1996. 1996

The 1996 Album And Brand Identity

SPEAKER_00 1:17:40

would have started um right after COVID. Like right after COVID. So probably a little during COVID. Because I get COVID and me and walk out of COVID again, but I think last for two months, Padua. I could not see my weight. I thought I was going home. Yeah, sir. Because I remember calling my mother. I told him to sign us. So I go and I check them Kristen. Kristen give me that. Kristen checked me out. And Krista was asymptomatic. And Kristen do son and he basically made me far because he had a project, he was doing it with whatever. And he did up and no happy go carry guys. I sniffling, I can't catch myself. And I said, because carry me right up by the um clinic boy. Like doctor, and then I told you medicine. Yeah, so one day, call the next morning. Um blessed. Um positive. Yeah, COVID 90 results. Yeah, man, tell me. I know drinking. I feel a normal, I say, yeah, my sinus is pass over. Um, yeah, yeah, positive. I say, alright, alright. Ma, oi, tell me, what they say, positive, oh fuck. Quarantine a lot. I say a lie. I say, yeah, girl. She said, come up the road. So we come up the road. I'll cover it, I'll come up the road, and you know, then okay, what I'm saying. And right afterwards, that after that, I would have went by the wall and I guess now again over COVID same to me, both sides of visible in the same zone now. And we do so, and I said no. I said no, and during the COVID, all these ideas I have talking about right now, think this, that, whatever. And you know, seeing which direction I want to go. Always structure. Is it structure? Always structure. We I want to go with this, that, wherever. And that's right. Let me try and massage the thing, and he would have shown me the importance of how to maneuver and building a brand that is for you. You are the steady ship. As leaders always say, you are the steady ship. And I remember this yeah, I would have draw this logo here in in Northeastern College, and it's a thing is the um them counts all that kind of probation office kind of thing. Right. And I said now. I went in the office car in trouble. I mean taking on the man, I just doodling and drawing. I draw a little bit too now. Right. I draw and keep it. And then me, I mean with a bag of my head, I had a loud intro with it. If I not around my family, yeah, and I would find I was speaking spoken too.

Corie 1:20:40

Yeah, I was watching Apple Music and I said, But what the girl is low? Israel stand out enough to everything.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:47

Basically, is myself now, man. Now it's symbolized, it's symbolized. So makes sense. And before I would have a name, uh uh brand called Family Nation. People used to think it's a gang and this and that, whatever. It wasn't that, and it evolved into this more or less now.

Corie 1:21:02

Yeah, it's a reflection on yourself, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:04

And my ma Christian showed do all that, what's this? What? He's like, so why use this? Oh, serious. He said, This is it, this is you. And from there we went. It is from there. And because I was I was saying, by nobody go take that serious, the heater can serious. Yeah. And it went from there, and after going from there now, this is where the songs and them would have come into play. So the intention behind these songs on them in 1996 is the influences that I would have been exposed to, where the musical background is concerned, Sony Reggae, the dance hall, calypso, yeah, son, the RB, the hip-hop.

Corie 1:21:47

You hear through the albums, yeah, son, all them things. And you know, funny you're saying that too, but it's almost like I hear in it when you say the influences. When you say Kaiso, I hear any grandfather influence. And when you say reggae, I hear them fellas only block with Gay Gregory. Exactly. I just hear all that music.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:02

And within that space, right before that, I can't be, I can't leave out an era that continue all now. That era with Brooklyn and myself. That little boy bad.

Corie 1:22:15

Yeah, different.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:16

Yeah, and very, very humble soul and so open-minded. You dig? And I would have started trying out a massage and creating certain things with dice concern. In terms again, influence from Terra Fabulous and Super Cat and whatnot.

Corie 1:22:36

So, something I hear you say Bomba Clam foot the power fire.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:40

I remember that from the Super Cat.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:43

And things like that, I will channel on me and Brooklyn would uh experiment, and then afterward, the wall I would come into play now is like he polishing that song. Understand, understand. You dig and I see the things I want to talk about. Yes, that is team, I thought he jamming, and you know, thingy sex and this and how it's but it has certain topics that people ain't gonna touch on it. Nobody talking about courting.

Corie 1:23:09

Yeah, no, not like oh, you're talking about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:11

Nobody talking about courting, nobody talking about um reassuring somebody, nobody talking about love in different capacities, showing that love is not an easy thing, and that will make it so beautiful.

Corie 1:23:26

Of course, of course. No, they're gonna kill if you talk about certain songs then when I say them these people here, right? The people responsible for social media and things. So art form, right? Yeah, yeah, you you when you write songs, always write them in your phone is right on paper, you have a book with singers in your head. Yeah, so some in your head, you tell all of it, then it's a little junillion that was not that. I tell you making up this as you go along. I wanted to see it on paper, and if it's in your head, we don't believe you. Everybody here, voom kakakai.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:56

I know I it's cool, caca, man. And I do ask what it means, I don't know what it means. It was intrusive thoughts and it win. Just how I'd live your couple of things. It win. It would have been on this song with um that Brooklyn would have produced with um Brown and Myself, Divine. At the end of it, I say it. And when I say it, if all they ever repeat that, I saw a swing for it. Do not do that, do not repeat that. And they started laugh. And I remember when they were there, he had already made well. We started building the beat. I said, Yeah, boy, uh-huh, quick. But I was flowing so like it fits so perfect. And he turned out, he was like, Yeah, for right, that is it. You sure? He said, That is it, you're being expressive, and I saw them, yeah. Be free in expression now. And now we cakam back, back up, big up the good body with the fat pronoun. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course, I had a bad ride. So everybody had a bad ride. And now you're the catching that, right? Try to catch your attention. Try to catch your attention, you know. If you go and listen to what this song already is saying, you really ain't talking about a woman, the the power of a woman. It's no competition when you step out on the road prowling. Your face shine like a diamond. No, man, you all this you know, revelation and understanding come from you know, grandma and mom and aunt and them, but I experience in a different sense of you know, love right now, you know what I'm saying? In life, so I talking about the power of a woman in itself now. You think I'm saying yeah, and more or less I giving her I giving her flowers by extension, other women say me too. You think yeah, because some people will say, you know, you're underneath the glue, and I the power day. Yeah, but it has more to them than that. You understand? It's more to them than that.

Corie 1:26:16

You see, you lose Jimmy up to whatever. That's how I'm adept, you know. Tell me something when he comes out how this design song with hot fries. So the hot fries up front, you catch me. Yeah, well, I think that's what the whole song about, you know. But it it almost don't matter what you say after that, and even somebody grandi, and like when I look at grandi artists, M1 in particular, and the way they used to design songs, free songs. Yeah, so even with the way you design that song.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:41

Alright, I could openly and proudly say that element of being free and experimental comes from them fellas. Them fellas didn't care about your rules. You understand? Pick up ace, pick up menace, pick up criminal. I was talking to Krim the other day. You understand? And me and Krim reason reason for a little while on your phone before reaching on the road. And tell me something he says stay the way is a because you have an unapologetical kind of way about you that wouldn't resonate with who you don't need to resonate with. You think and like things like a love of your role, you and I love you, and if I eat and you give me that songs like that, that the things that catch me. So that part in um art form uh she rocks so, she dips so, she likes Pacman and Calip so that come from different elements, same way too, but that melodic structure that them have by breaking them rules, yeah. Best to implement that as much as uh as possible, not intentional, but it done is still limited. You understand?

Corie 1:28:06

Yeah, so I guess outside when some of them music was playing for I know what treason was treason. I know what them dude to juve. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was the time I was promising people mother or kind of thing. Fall in love on your road, you said, let me buy a house and land and say, and then my ash went, they're gone between Julia and I am telling you Treason was a force.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:27

Carnival Darling in itself, like bro, and you see, things like that too. Me and GBM would have made a song respects to that. And before it reached to that, the how to pay boy, the journey with Duala would have opened my mental and my mind to create with certain you know brothers within this space. You understand? We connect. Now, some people wouldn't agree with how I make music because I had a we had to be cool, we had to understand each other, we had to connect, yeah. So energy. Some people just say, well, let me make a change, it works so for me. Some people co-sounder.

Corie 1:29:08

Right, to understand. Yeah. And

Why Great Soca Takes Patience

Corie 1:29:10

it's that. Yeah, but it's important because the energy you bring into this space. Like it was funny. We start with that thing with Sparrow, you're changing it. And I know a lot of other people involved. I hope to have all of them, Brooklyn Tano. I hope to have all of them around here at some point. But even when I was David and I, Hoppy invites us starting to talk about um top 101 soaker of all time, right? And at that point I realized I know purpose there because I really want to hear shorty, and I have a real thing for the old music, right? Like you. And I always remember youth man coming and say, Oh, yeah, whatever this 101 thing, jam tongue had to be in there. And my first thought is jam tongue. I was like, explain what you're saying to me. Because at that point, I come the real arrogance and then this place is our worthless ever. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know they hit up on a jump one. So I say, explain. But when he breaks it on and he explained it, I say, you know, the thing about it is when you reach we age, you got the music kind of reach me, right? Me leaving my house. I like you, I like you long time. I home. And you hear any song home versus hearing it when you're outside. It's the same thing I'm talking about being in Juve when treasons come out. It's different to listening to that. Home, home. Yeah, very, very different. But when you when you look at what Jamzung do in this space, how different the sound is, or what his song is about and thing. But I hear you in an interview saying that you're taking influences from black man feeling to party. That disco daddy, we would have daddy is Charlie Roots.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:34

We don't watch our document, she may turn up. But Jam Tong about three versions. Serious. I'm gonna tell you something. Soka to me is one of the most difficult things to produce reason to me. To me. Reason being, I have a different level of respect and reverence for Soka being from the land of it now. I just want to be intentional and very careful with it because of um seeing what the the elders and the greats would have done, I want to do the same thing as we were talking from before. So when I say something, I want it to last forever. I don't want it to be, yeah, catch now, and that is it. I want to be sparrow age, and people getting on bad. You understand? I want to be barren age, and people getting up bad, same way. You know what kind of way. So that is why So if you bullet and you ain't hearing that, it's scrapping you again. That's right, forget that. Go back to the must love you in a studio where you must speak. No, no, no, no. You see, and that's the funny thing. Then we just say, I'm not feeling nothing. And if we're feeling it, it just don't make any sense. Because if we can't feel how you go feel it, you understand? How would them go feel it? And if all you feel is women, how outside go even dream to feel it? You so this is where the groundwork is coming to play it very frustrating. I remember my time coming from the studio time, but I'm driving, he can't not have a song playing, no radio on, he AC on, he doesn't see any fan blood and men vex. And he go, could touch now and he go, Mike, na na na notion. Man vex because land next day in the office. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that is where soaker is concerned to me. Right, yeah. You know what I'm saying? And everything else has come like that for me because now I could I singing freely, I singing it, read it, write, uncut. So I do how to be as you know, careful because when it became so to me, I want to make soaker that the elders and the children and them could enjoy. Yeah, yeah. Have a space for them too, not only about being this group, this age group here in the middle. Of course, and it have that part that it's them will carry it on.

Corie 1:33:08

Yeah, of course, of course. And as you hear it, because when the youth man explains it, and then they play the song in the room, the first thing I hear is Talent put on something sweet, which is done a big line already. I mean, that's a hard line to open a song. You know what I mean? That's the kind of thing we stick from all and then tell people in real life and hope it works out. I couldn't put that like that. But black styling says just put on something sexy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:30

So I that that that comes from the probably the um stop good. That they put on something. Also the melody too. Not not exactly, but it it to lights fire. The night we go in and have some fun, stop so good in the night. I just feel it.

Corie 1:33:59

So I wait to feel the same for you feeling that time. You could do that now, and then the discussion the horns and how dramatic that it trays.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:10

And then it breaks down that catch it. Let's go and jump down. And he introduced log drums that's answered, which is more so found in our piano, I believe. So, yeah, so all them little things to create a bigger song and and evolve, right? Already been happening now, but yeah.

Corie 1:34:37

So it's you're focused on that in terms of how you create, how you build music. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But them referencing your head already, it's not like you're going digging for some of them things.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:44

No, 95% of the time, no. 95% of the time, no. I it's done there already, and I will if I want to be sure, I'll go back and dig.

Corie 1:34:55

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:55

So and just out of respect, I'll go back and dig.

Corie 1:34:57

Gotcha, gotcha, got you.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:58

So yeah, so from that era with Duwala, from Brooklyn, Dwala, then Tano. Yeah. That is where it started. I said, that is where everything just switched right after. I remember Kes telling me when Junction would have dropped a tunnel. Dwala was like, it's a good song. Kes say, um, could you mean stage is here? Take your time. Say, yeah, don't let's tell them things, so what do you like? And I don't know if I was ready for that. I had to get ready. I remember going on his stage and he would have had talk back. Tack back is more the same progression. And I learned a hard lesson. They men not at that point in time, he had to go with his show. I cannot tell him what to do. So I don't go and tell him what to do. He go in at certain pace, and but then dun dun dun dun and I hear any song from me. I see, before I go on stage, I said, but it's fast why catching this one now. And I run on it, but I am not with that. But I go up that stage. And I said, never again or they will catch me like this. And afterwards, from from being on the alternative stage, because that was the first fet I would have attended in my life. The first fet and only the only fet I would have attended in my life during Carnival. It's different now because performing in fetch now. Right, yeah. And when last it was Jam Tong, last it was something that it was a moment in time again because he would have bring out um Lord Nelson. And that itself, I was like, wow, because you bridge the gap. Um he performed medicine, then I performed Jam Tong, then Nelson called with this go daddy. Crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then this year now with a man. And within that journey, it have plenty people that I would have met that actually help influence and help shed light on certain lessons that you wouldn't know. So, like GBM Neutron, full blown, Teja, um, Lady Lava, Ay Sasha, you they um who again Ufan. Yeah. A good bit of people, yeah, a good bit of them. Um you could hear it when you listen to you.

Corie 1:37:35

Yeah, listen to the music, especially the albums. When you listen to the music you're playing together, you could hear the influences. Talking about them stages, canvas, oh I know I know that team, and and and you all do a lot of work behind. I hear you say too that them fellas and then force you to do it. Say you wasn't sure about doing this stage and thing. What make or you decide to do your own

Canvas Shows Community On Stage

Corie 1:37:55

your own shows?

SPEAKER_00 1:37:58

I was not allowed to I went to her backyard, I went to do something her backyard. Album fire coomba, yeah. We sing her two tunes and yeah, break bread and rejoice, God is love. Then them come and say now by fire, but we could go. Song for song for this. Right. Okay, we song for this. Alright, nice, cool, beautiful. Yeah, and you know, the names of them come back to me. It's a free tongue young brother. Sorry, that's how I had to mention it. Alright, but yeah, and one of them do songs and say, What are y'all going on? We go try some. And I just see face of this thing, it's our whole engine making sense. It have you know, it have Shortwith, it has J-Man, it have Tayo, it have you know, um Corey, it have A J and B, Brooklyn, a good bit of them one, it's plenty. Sorry, it's a Lee. You dig? Um, but it's a good bit of us. And then it has life events who would have taken the chance in me and say, hey, I do something. I remember playing it together, went to Song 4. There we are, I would have met Nareba and Kantar and them, and it was like, hey, we could do something. We could change and you know, I would have linked with Salcedo and them, and I'll only line met Keynes, Joshua Keynes and whatnot. And bro, that year we would have started to pull together ideas and try and bring what we'd like to see a blank piece of canvas to life in terms of referencing. We're the blank piece of canvas and whatever choices we make within life, reflect and make the painting today. So it's a space where everybody is free to come and you know, enjoy and create and listen and to experience because it has no judging, it has room for everybody. The only thing is that we ask that, you know, you just be careful in terms of the age. Because it's real like raw it and cut. I got you. So yeah. Um and the brothers that are called out there, everybody doing things in their own way and you know, pushing their own scenes to now come back and form this movement that we have here going on. Yeah, and when we took the time to put together these set lists and all that thing for canvas and whatnot, it was a real it was a big part of my career because it's something I never see myself doing, and I was none that how I end up here trying to plot, you know, plant um what do you call it? Yeah, and I remember the night of Big Up Jamali, same too. Big of Jamali happy company. I remember we would have been preparing to go on the stage and why preparing yes or no? I am hearing people outside, but I am doubting. So I asked Abby, I say, how much people are outside. Because how much people is outside, normal. I said, All right, good real good, eh? I call Queen. Say Queen, how much people are outside? No, I never walk in front. I said, Oh see, what they lying too.

Corie 1:42:03

I like the team, I like this thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:42:05

I pick up myself and I gone. I push my head. I said, no, no, no, no, no. But I see this whole CR brown because his tones is that the news, the shades of news is tones because I want to to keep that that you know that elemental being rooted in that way. Of course, of course. I'm remember walking out on that stage for the first time. I walking out on the stage, I was seeing I see our people about the first one had about how much have you eight or thousand. Eight or thousand people, the first one. And now remember I say, mm-hmm. We got 20 people here tonight, man. Yeah, that's what you think. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you know, I don't know the logistics. I see a ticket movie, but I don't know the song ticket movement, so I don't try to put my you know momentum on that one.

Corie 1:43:06

Like this team.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:07

Yeah, so on top of that, too, it had a difficult time he was going through in terms of making things happen or whatnot. And then boom. After I ran out on the stage, this crowd started going out to it. Insane, and everybody started singing along. So instead of me singing these songs, I have my people, my community, my village, yeah, singing some good music

Final Thanks And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_00 1:43:33

with me.

Corie 1:43:33

Yeah, so it's always a testament to where you start, no, because our community and the village is right where you start and and understand what it means here. And I want to tell you, congrats to on all these success. Big inspiration to us. I want to say that. Well, they say me too. I know what that. But this team we have here, they're gonna tell you, right? When when all them reach out and I see your email and I see cuts and we screenshot that and I say, hey, we're talking to the right people. So to the audience was listening all the time, right? But but I see, I see that if you want to come here and do something with that, no, we're doing something right now. So congrats on us, brother, congrats on the brother. Congrats to you too, for me. For sure, ladies and gentlemen, could tell me if you're wrong about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:44:11

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm checking, brother.

Corie 1:44:16

Yes, I'm frightened.

SPEAKER_00 1:44:23

It's one thing, it's one thing.