WNTTLK (We Need To Talk)
Get to know your favorite influencers, artist, entrepreneurs and more.
WNTTLK (We Need To Talk)
Mez Discusses "Loading EP," Collaborations with Childish Major & Leon Bridges, Penning Hits for Dr. Dre, Working with Kanye, & Finding Joy in Music!
What could possibly inspire a rising music star to create an EP filled with tracks that didn't make the cut for an upcoming album? Mez joins us to share the story behind his Loading EP, featuring collaborations with standout artists like Childish Major, St John, Mavie, and Leon Bridges. He provides a candid look into the in-person studio sessions that birthed these tracks and discusses his vision for a balanced life where happiness, family, and career harmoniously coexist.
From penning hits for Dr. Dre’s Compton to receiving a life-altering call to work on Kanye West’s Life of Pablo, I recount my personal rollercoaster of experiences in the music industry. The journey is peppered with serendipitous moments, rapid travels, and the differing studio vibes that have defined my path. Through recounting these highs and lows, I hope to shed light on the complex but rewarding nature of a career in music, especially during the tumultuous years between 2015 and 2020.
Our episode also delves into the multifaceted journey of an artist who has collaborated with legends like J. Cole, Dr. Dre, and Kanye West. We explore the challenges and triumphs of being a creative force in both music and directing, highlighting the importance of resilience and self-motivation. With exciting news about a forthcoming album, listeners are in for a treat as we discuss the thrill of creating new music and finding joy in the process. Don't miss the hidden gems and personal insights we uncover in this deeply compelling episode.
Talk Soon! ✌🏾
Stay connected! Follow @wnttlk on all platforms.
I can't believe I actually blinked when I was younger.
Speaker 2:Is it weird that I really fuck with like my choices? I super fuck with my decisions in my life. Is it crazy?
Speaker 1:I feel like you really know who you are. You're really, you're solid in that. I respect that.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's what it is yo. I can't believe. I performed that orientation at my college. I can say that First impression. But I performed that orientation. It was tight, it was affirming, it was affirming. You know what I mean. I don't have regrets. Yo, I don't have regrets. I don't believe in it. What's up y'all? This is Mez. I just dropped a loading EP and I just thought you know what, nyla, we need to talk.
Speaker 1:What's going on, guys? Nyla Simone, we need to talk and today I got a very special guest in the building. Mez is here. What's up? Finally made it on the pod Finally made it on the pod. Glad you could make it. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I love being here. So the Loading EP yes. Why the Loading?
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, it's always with me. A lot of times there's always like a plan for something bigger. The album is really called, or was at one point called, still Loading. The Loading EP was supposed to just be this precursor to my album, which it really still is a precursor to my album when I made this project it's funny, this is not a project that I made on its own for the consumption. This is a project that came from. I worked on an album and these are the songs that I'm not putting on my album, but I like still that I need to put out that I feel like people still need to hear type shit.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. And I still think it has a flow, like a little color to it, like a mood, which I like. So I was like, oh okay, I could see this being like a little world. It's not even a whole world, it's like a moon, it's like a little moon. And then the album is like a world yeah, type shit.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, all right, I would say I really love Hot Spot, that record, that one. It's kind of sexy, it's a vibe, let's go. Thank you and Around the World with Leon Bridges. First of all, I love the features on here. Yeah, yeah, Childish Major St John, Mavie, Leon. I'm like these are all great picks to have featured. Thanks, Were these in-person type of situations.
Speaker 2:Yeah, every one. Yeah, me and Childish made Hummer Time and the Shelter. Actually, it's funny, there's a studio that Dreamville has that Cole has. It's called the Shelter. It's funny. You'll see a lot of the early artists. There's documentaries where they be like I was at the Shelter and made this project People. That was on Dreamville and we just like friends you know what I mean so we'd go over there and work. I think I was working with Cole on an off-season album I also direct this like a video for that album Me for that album. And me and Childish was in the studio together a lot. We made that song in person. We made it in like 15 minutes. It was so fun. We just was like yo, like Mark B, had sent this pack of beats and then I just went on and then he was like and then he went on.
Speaker 2:I was like oh shit, we just did that the whole time.
Speaker 1:Spider-Man shit in the studio yeah, it was fun I love that. Yeah, child is great. And what about leon leon?
Speaker 2:I was actually surprised to see on the ep yeah, I ain't gonna lie like a leon bridges feature on a rap album is a rap project is super rare it's left, yeah yeah, but now leon, literally cool as hell. Leon I met. I was doing freestyles, like right before the pandemic where I was building these models. He's like um, I like anime and stuff like that. There's this anime called Gundam.
Speaker 2:Okay, and I was building these models and I like rap when I build the models and it was like literally going crazy. I needed to keep doing it Like it's like one of the most engaged things I had probably done on the internet. Liar, thousands and thousands of likes and comments and whatever. And so Leon had reached out out of the blue on my Instagram. He was like bro you tight, I'll fuck with you. You know people do that. And then you'd be like oh okay, thanks, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Most of the time I'm not the type of person that expects anything from anyone. You know what I mean. You know, even that's cool. He just showed some love to like defer the conversation. We got to work, type shit, and you never really know what's going to happen. But one day he hit me yo, I'm coming to LA, like I'm down, you know, we get a studio, we go to True Studio Shout out my man, nick. We get up in person. There's footage of that actually on my Instagram of us making that song. And yeah, we ended up making the song. And then I'm like damn bro, so like what else you got going on out here in LA? You know, I thought he had time to trip or something. He said, oh no, I came out here to do this verse for you or this hook, wow. And then he said I'm about to go back to Texas after this. I was like damn, you know, that's tight.
Speaker 1:That's fire.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, for it to happen that way. So, man, yeah, yeah, you never know let's talk about.
Speaker 1:If I'm being honest, I just want a happy home, babies and a girl. Oh, you know, she a baddie, oh, oh. In the world and the lifestyle that you live, how, how are you able to maintain that?
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't have that right now. So I'm not going to say that I really know how to maintain it, but I don't know, maybe that's like a vision I have for my life. I think that'd be tight. I think it'd be nice.
Speaker 1:It'd be nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean you got to understand. I'm opening a project, I'm painting the perfect picture for my life. I said, if I'm being honest, I just want a happy home, babies and a girl that know that she a baddie and ain't even like it's a beautiful girl, I think she's beautiful or that the world thinks she's beautiful. I think she needs to think that about herself. It gotta be a deep rooted, like I really fuck with myself type of vibe. I'm like, oh, I really need a person like that around. You know what I mean, because I wanna continue to further feel that way about myself. You know, and I said RWB, porsche, which is like a super hard to get, like Porsche from this, like Japanese designer, like these are the perfect things. I'm like, oh, this is what it would be like if it was perfect. So, ideally, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Okay, and in LA, because online I see like these dating in LA things all the time. Dating in LA. Yeah, people are. It's like a horror story thread all the time on Twitter about that, god bless. That's why I'm like damn this. If you're able to obtain this, let's circle back in another interview.
Speaker 2:I wish it for you. Streets is trash I wish it for you.
Speaker 1:I just don't think you'll find it in LA, I guess.
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, you know, it's definitely some. I don't know, I've met some amazing people. You know, it's definitely some. I don't know, I've met some amazing people. You know what I mean Like in different ways, different capacities Not too many, though. I'm not like a. I'm a real selective person. I'm picky as hell about like everything.
Speaker 1:What's your sign? If you had to guess, what would you think? You said very picky about everything, so I'm going to go with Virgo Scorpio.
Speaker 2:I'm an Aries.
Speaker 1:Taurus is cuss, really, taurus, the next day, yeah, oh, I like Aries, but that's giving some Taurus shit.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's that part. Maybe that's the part.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, yeah, all right. So Pinberry Allen Poe family from Baltimore. I didn't even know you had family in Baltimore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, 443-410. It's up, it's stuck.
Speaker 1:Love that. So you're not just Carolina, you partially DMV.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a DMV person, for sure. Yeah, people used to always wonder too, when I came to school, how I'd be dressed. A lot of times they'd be like looking at my clothes.
Speaker 1:In Maryland or in Carolina, in North Carolina, okay.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean, and I think that I was also kind of from like the DMV too. You know what I mean. My mama from Baltimore. She dressed me and my brother since we was kids and she got us like super fly. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I love that duality. Yeah, okay, and then let's get into. I want to get into Hotspot with Isaiah. Did you guys record that in person?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we did. Yeah, see, that does not happen in 2024. I love it. Yeah, I'm a different type of artist, though. It's like people, it's funny. People are gonna be like finding out about me as time goes on.
Speaker 2:But my history in music is kind of like, it's kind of strong, it's kind of like dense, you know, I mean yeah yeah, so as the stories unfold, I think people will understand like it'd be like why you got these people on this project or why does this happen. And you know, like I directed a bunch of videos for Isaiah Rashad with Jack Begg, I did like the headshots video, yeah, oh, I did not know that. Yeah, see, that's what I mean. Like people will find out in time, like my connection through music and stuff.
Speaker 1:You know what? Let's put a pause on the project and let's actually dig into your resume.
Speaker 2:Okay, if that's what you want.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because people need to know we're you want. Yeah, because no people need to know we're gonna learn today. So how did you get your start in music?
Speaker 2:just in general I mean, the first big thing I did in music was write the dr dre content album, that's how I moved to la basically um he had like there's a long story that I'll be trying to be succinct and not tell in detail.
Speaker 2:But I kind of had like a tryout in a way and and I ended up like staying around to write some songs but nothing really had turned of it at first. So I went back to North Carolina, where I was from. But then I was just like yo, I gotta like I gotta get back to LA. So I just shipped my car and like closed out my apartment, put everything in storage and just moved to LA in hopes that I could get back into the situation, or that drain and would reach out to LA in hopes that I could get back into the situation, or that Dre, and then we'll reach out. And then the next day they called me and was like yo, I want you to come back to LA. I was like, oh, I'm already here. I was hoping this would happen. Timing was wild. And then I wrote like 15 songs on this album he put out called Compton with his movie, and I featured on there and some other stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that was like the first like thing thing. That's crazy. Yeah, you just had the feeling.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yo, you're a feeling person, I'm telling you, you, that's what's up, okay, so dr dre, damn yeah shout out to jay I love an entry point you work with goats of every generation yo, I guess I ain't never really think about it that way, but if you bust it down like that, that makes sense. Yeah, makes sense. Yeah. Work with j Dre and then.
Speaker 1:So you're in LA now. You just finished the project Compton. Now what?
Speaker 2:I go back to Maryland with my auntie Tori. Hey, aunt Tori.
Speaker 1:Hey aunt Tori.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm at my aunt Tori and uncle Steve's house and, like, my family was like excited about this Compton album and so like and so like, there's like CDs and vinyls and stuff and they want me to sign them and give them to people. My uncle's a barber, was excited as hell, like yo, my nephew did this album with Dr Dre, like you know what I mean. And so it was like this whole thing. And then I'm at the kitchen table. I'm at the kitchen table, I'm signing these CDs and stuff, and then I get this phone call from Che Pope. Shout out, che Pope. And he's like yo, I want you to come write for Kanye on Pablo Life of Pablo working on his album. And so I was like he's like, can you come tonight? And I was like, no, I'm in Maryland.
Speaker 2:I was sick. That was like one of the saddest moments. I was just so sad and I was like, oh, all right, packed up, told my auntie and them, yo, I got to peel out and put everything in the bag, just dipped out. And then next day I was at Shangri-La, which is a studio in Malibu I guess I think it's Malibu. And then yeah, it was you know started working on music of my own.
Speaker 1:Had to be a very intense studio session, I imagine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nah, you know what's funny At that time? It was mad different he was. It was so like because I had seen him again recently, like I was kind of around more recently, like in talks about directing a music video for him. But the vibe different, was a little different back then. Okay, okay.
Speaker 1:But the vibe was a little different back then. Okay, okay, damn so, dre to Ye, that was pretty cool, yeah, and then started working on your own music.
Speaker 2:Started working on my own music. Yeah Then music business, music industry business, kind of like froze my shit for a while. Yeah. From that point to 2020, 2015 to 2020.
Speaker 2:That's a long time. Yeah, I went through some business industry shit Because people always wonder, damn, why did this dude not just immediately after this stuff? But most people don't know it was a whole thing. But it's crazy. While I was in that situation I ended up directing my first music video Because I was a part of these sessions Revenge of the Dreamers sessions. I'd always been friends with J Cole. He really always been like an older brother in a way. He that way to a lot of people. He look after people. He a good dude. Yeah, the sessions was like a special moment in time, you know from rap music, but obviously for me too. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I end up on a song called Costa Rica which is, like you know, went platinum fast as hell, probably almost double platinum now, or something.
Speaker 1:I was so happy to see all you guys get plaques, yeah it was cool. I'm like this is a moment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was cool. Yo for sure I mean those plaques and my Compton plaques are the plaques that I have. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:So that wasn't your first. You ain't had the flex on no.
Speaker 2:I had it later. No man. I didn't fuck that. That was crazy no. I was just playing. I was just playing, yeah so Costa Rica.
Speaker 2:Costa Rica. But then he had this song called Middle Child. That was on the album too and he had played it for me in the studio him and t minus and then I went in the back I listened to it and I was like like y'all, this is amazing. I really felt with the song. And then, um, not long after he had called me on the phone like yo, what do you think about directing this video? And then actually it was like yo, what do you want to write the treatment? But I was thinking maybe I could direct it too. And I was like yo, what do you think about me directing? He's like yeah. And then so like yeah. Next thing, you know, I directed the middle child video and that shit went diamond. You know, the song went diamond. So it's like it was a huge video. Oh yeah, I mean yeah man.
Speaker 1:Okay, so before we go any further, to catch up to where you are now in 2024 by being able to work with people like Dre, like Ye, like Cole, literally a goat of every generation what is it that you like? What is it that you learn and like? Are you like starstruck at all? You know what I mean. Like I feel like I do interviews all the time. When I met Ice Cube, my eyes like froze, like oh shit. Like I watch Friday all the time. I feel like it's because they're almost like superheroes, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, when you meet them in person, that shit got to be crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, Definitely definitely unexpected. Yo, I mean it's cool that I started with Dre when I moved to LA, Because it pretty much just washed everything away and from there it was just like. I was like oh, what's up, bro, like me and new people was just like pretty chill.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and.
Speaker 2:I had met Cole way before I met Dre. I met Cole like 2012 or something like that, 2013. Yeah, I heard a mixtape of my own and passed him the mixtape and then, yeah, then he like, literally they flew to North Carolina to meet me after the All-Star game, like whatever year that was, and then I played her music. We just became cool.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, yeah, that's dope, All right. So all right, Dre, yay, Cole directing. So 2020 comes Now you can drop again.
Speaker 2:Essentially yes. Okay, Essentially yes, yeah, in a way, he's back outside. Yeah, yeah. So it started with just like a couple songs here and there and stuff like that, but I knew I had album ideas and all these different ideas. But then it's so funny because the way the world works, everyone wants to be able to describe you simply. They want to be able to say Nada is an interviewer. You know what I mean? Do you feel like that's what you are? Are you an interviewer?
Speaker 1:I do mad shit.
Speaker 2:See, you know what I mean. So the world wants to call you a thing and so I started directing videos. I directed Cole's video, then I did some for Isaiah Rashad, and then I did Ari Lennox and I did you know, sir, and a bunch of different videos and stuff with friends, people I'm cool with and I, like you know they work and stuff and like commercials came, like Nike and Jordan. Then I started I own a production company and Supreme and all these different things. So now I got a company and we make a lot of different kind of creative art and stuff Fire. But yeah, as I'm getting back in the music space, people want to call me that. Now I'm like man. Y'all niggas know I wrote an album for Dr who. What are you talking?
Speaker 1:about.
Speaker 2:But the way life is, not only do people want to make it simple to describe you, I feel like but I also think sometimes people have their own things that they're dealing with and that they're going through, and it's not easy to allow you to be free to do this many things. They want to do that too. You know what I mean. But it takes somebody who feels that way about themselves to be able to say that about someone else. That's why I can look at you and say I know that you're not an interviewer, you are an artist. You do more than one thing, you're like a creative person. You know, um. But somebody that's not comfortable with themselves in that way might not say that they might want to make you one thing yeah you know, and so I feel like I dealt with that for a little bit.
Speaker 2:But as, like you know, I started being I'm becoming a little bit more consistent now about dropping or whatever you know and then some of the songs are coming out and then we're seeing like reactions. I'm like, oh, people really actually like this music.
Speaker 1:How did you even maintain the interest in wanting to do music? Because I feel like, especially during that time period, you know we came out of the blog era, golden era, one of the last golden eras of rap. Then you know rap has shifted into such a different direction, yeah. Then on top of that, you know you ended up in a bad business situation. That can kind of deter you and it honestly deters a lot of people. Yeah, so like what kept you kind of just still interested?
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know man, I'm not the type to really shy away from nothing, like one of my favorite low-key things to just say to myself. Or like if I get really like in a bag with someone else, I'm like I ain't no bitch.
Speaker 1:That's one of the first things I say I don't know why.
Speaker 2:I say that I don't know where it comes from, but I just be like you know, and it could be something that simple that just remind me like I mean, really, it's like a light switch. Yo, all this shit is like a light switch. If you gonna do it, you gonna do it, just do it. If you not, then you not. You know what I mean. You know, and I'm not the type to shy away. They're like nigga, did you do it or did you not do it? You know what I mean and that's what I care about, and I'm not going to be one of those like I can't be one of them. People like oh, like no, this thing happened to me and then it makes me feel like I just have, like this freedom to not achieve my goals, like what Hell? No.
Speaker 1:No, living in regrets.
Speaker 2:I don't feel like that. I'm like nah, nah. That's not my style.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Okay so, but in that time were you still recording.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, always. That's the funny thing about it. It's like that's one of the funniest things about it. It's like people will be wondering that and it was funny too when that Revenge of the Dream. So you know, I get in the studio with people. These are people that know me, know I'm talented, but haven't seen me in the studio in a while, whatever. And I'm jumping on these songs and niggas is like yo, some people saying like yo, I think you have the best verse on this song or whatever, like whatever. A lot of times where they just see me in practice or just like coming up with verses like off my head, like the whole thing is happening, and I'm like realize. I'm like realizing. I'm like, oh, I've been basically playing like NBA-level basketball just at home. You know what I mean? I'm just having been doing it in front of people On the court.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:And then even for me, I'm going to the studio. I'm like damn, I wonder what it's going to be like being in the studio with people who just been in front of people and doing all this stuff, a couple thoughts, but then I get there and then people is in awe of me. You know what I mean. Like I'm going to tell you, yo, it was people getting snatched off these songs. It was so many verses on these songs, these niggas getting snatched off these songs, like you know what I mean. Obviously, that didn't happen to me for none of the songs that I did. People really like the verses a lot. I was performing.
Speaker 2:Last night I performed Sleep Deprived Me, luke and Omen and I'm rapping the verse. This kid in front of me going crazy. He like bro, this is my alarm clock for the past five years. Wow, he said this shit wakes me up. I was like, damn, that's ill and so I'm performing. I put the mic in front of him and he started performing my verse. Like there it go it tell you, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:That's fire.
Speaker 2:All you got to do is just keep going until you can see another moment that reminds you of why and reminds you that it's real. Yeah, Because those are like steps, and then it's like everything is invisible in between there and that shit be looking like damn, like I don't know how I'm about to get to the next thing, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, flight of a creative. Yeah. So all right. So Dreamer Camp was that what really got you back into your artistry bag, or no? What would you say?
Speaker 2:I'm trying to tell you, I really was at home. I had ideas for videos for myself, songs. That's why I could put out a whole project with songs that's not on my album. You know what I mean, because I just have so many songs. I imagine you've got fucking albums for days after all this time I got mad music, yeah, mad music, but then I outgrow a lot of it though, too, so it's not like I have so many albums.
Speaker 1:Get another ear. Don't trust your ear.
Speaker 2:True, I ain't going to lie. Hot Spot True Cause, I ain't gonna lie. Hotspot, I thought I outgrew. I swear to God, hotspot. I was like Hotspot. I was like oh no, I don't wanna put this out. I was like my shit don't sound like this, no more.
Speaker 1:No, that was a gem. It's super sexy. Thank you, it's more of an R&B record. It is To be fair.
Speaker 2:That's why I was like Damn I must, I mean. At the same time, it still could have been an attempt at a girl record that you didn't like, which could easily happen. True, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's why, when you say it, I'm like hold on, you need to get somebody else in there, because you probably haven't said it with this music in too long.
Speaker 2:You might be right yo, you're probably right yo, I need to go back through my stuff because, yeah, honestly, it really yeah, yeah, shout out to the ear, shout out to the ear man.
Speaker 1:You know I'm a DJ, I do this, yeah, yeah yeah, Hot spot yeah. Yeah, okay, so loading, so I guess, damn. So, how long are you going to be loading actually? Because now that I know you got this deep of a catalog, like what's the play?
Speaker 2:I got an album coming out next year. Yeah, it's coming out next year, for sure. Okay, now I'm excited because now I'm more like it ain't even for me a target. The target is just to be consistent. That's the target. There's no actual physical, visible target. It's like, bro, if I'm consistent, I'm going to get everything I want, for sure, and the quality of music that I make and art that I make, visuals, clothes I design, like my outfits, sometimes my jeans, really, yeah, yeah, like vests, like all kinds of stuff, like as a quality and attention to detail, I make things. I'm like I just have to be consistent in everything. It's going to be fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure, Agreed. And I think because you've worn so many hats, you know like I'm. I'm just big on intention, I just feel like it's going to hit because your intention is there. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It helps. So, yeah, like I'm a vision person, for sure, like I could see something before it exists and know how to make it exist. You know what I'm saying. Like I was an engineer major in school, so like I always been into like building things, creating things a certain type of way, even like when I'm done with music, when I'm probably like done with music is tough, when I'm like I'm not going to say done with music when I'm like 60, I'm going to start designing shit like furniture.
Speaker 1:Yo 60 is a long time.
Speaker 2:I know, but what's wrong with that? I like it because I like the thought of being older and then learning and then getting into a new bag yeah that's so tight, you know. I mean, I just always like I'm like a, like a childlike person in my inside me, like I'm excited to to like get old one day and still be on some shit, like, oh, I'm about to learn something new yeah or make something new or like, and I feel like I bet you it'll be tight, you know.
Speaker 2:I mean I just gotta like put my mind to it, you know know Evolution. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:I'm here for it. I like it. All right, let's play a game called questions that need answers. You have to fill in the blank. Say that All right. The older I get, the less I Fear. Ooh, talk about it, that's a great answer.
Speaker 2:You're talking to the right one.
Speaker 1:You're talking to the right one, you're talking to the right one. Yo, that is a great answer, talking to the right one, yo every time I ask that, usually I get the same answer, and it's care but fear. Nah, that's another level. I like that one.
Speaker 2:You would never believe me if I told you I don't think you wouldn't believe me if I told you anything.
Speaker 1:I think you would believe me if I told you pretty much what I said. I said what I said, alright, I'm not mad at that. Let's see my personality trait is calm.
Speaker 2:Everybody describe me like that.
Speaker 1:You're an Aries. The math is not math in there for me.
Speaker 2:Because you know what, maybe? I think that I guess the Taurus is more calm, right Taurus is calm.
Speaker 1:So I guess that, like I guess, the Taurus is more calm, right, taurus?
Speaker 2:is calm. So I guess that's maybe what the cusp, it's what like I'm like in person, like this, but then on shows or on a video or something like that.
Speaker 1:The fire. Yeah, okay, I made a complete fool of myself when I I don't use language like that.
Speaker 2:If I took an L, I'd bounce back. You know what I mean Shit. I'm proud of all the decisions I made. Okay.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I look back at my life and I'm grateful, I'm thankful. From time to time, it's good to do.
Speaker 2:It's good to meditate ruminate. It's good to just slow down, Slow down. It's good to meditate ruminate. It's good to just slow down, Slow down. It's good to slow down sometimes.
Speaker 1:I can't believe I actually blinked when I was younger. I was like I really did that shit.
Speaker 2:I don't know man. Is it weird that I really fuck with my choices? I super fuck with my decisions in my life. Is it crazy? I?
Speaker 1:feel like you really know who you are. You're solid in that.
Speaker 2:I respect that. Maybe that's what it is yo Alright when I was in middle school.
Speaker 1:I grew up outside of Baltimore, okay yeah. So I love DJ K-Swift, so I K-Swift legend yeah. I crumped at our talent show. I can't now.
Speaker 2:But I did it you don't got nothing like that. So I have like an example Okay, maybe like yeah, I did a talent show when I went at orientation at Morgan State, at my college. You know, what I mean. So like I could say that like damn I can't believe I performed at orientation at my college, I could say that First impression. But I performed at orientation, Niggas went crazy Like there's a video. So I'm like, damn, I'm happy I performed at orientation.
Speaker 2:It was tight, it was affirming. It was affirming you know what I mean? Or like damn, I can't believe. I sold mixtapes at my high school. I don't know.
Speaker 1:You was always on this path.
Speaker 2:essentially, I mean there's music, there's different things. I mean I've done maybe things I don't know, like some shit that like I don't know. I don't have regrets, yo, I don't have regrets. I don't believe in that. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, I do. I really love that for you. But all right, what is the takeaway you want people to get from the loading EP?
Speaker 2:Man, I don't know. You know my art. I feel like me as a musician. One of my favorite things is just like to be revealing. I like who I am and what I want, and so, like I love the thought of people just being in more connection with themselves. I want you to just get back into you. Like you know what I mean. I hope the loading EP, because the still loading concept was like um, there's never like a perfect time to do anything. Essentially, you know what I mean. Ain't no, never. It's not a perfect window to like get married, to have a kid, to buy a house, to do none of the big, most important shit that people be scared to do at a perfect window, you know. Or to go pursue your dream. Like one day you decided you was about to do this shit. You was like you know what, today is the day I'm not fucking around, no more. Like you decided that at some point.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and so some people never decide that. You know, some people are always in progress, but so still Loading for me was like, oh, like I'm happy that I found a way to be comfortable in progress and in motion, because you ain't never going to be at 100%, it ain't never going to be perfect, it ain't never going to be baked 100% all the way ready. It's like yo just find some peace in the motion, like in between.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. That is beautiful actually. I should have asked that question in the beginning. Love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the loading EP is like the precursor to that concept.
Speaker 1:It's always a process.
Speaker 2:Everything, yo, everything, yeah, yeah, if you could be happy in the process, I think you could be happy with your life, because a lot of times we be like wanting, wanting a future picture. It's like, damn, it ain't like that yet. Yeah, you know, but it's like yo, it ain't even about that, it's just reps. It's like if you're looking at yourself in the mirror and you want like a different body style or something like that, and then you're waking up every day, you're going to the gym, and then you go to the gym one day and then you look in the mirror again, you're like, damn, you're going to do that every day until you get in shape. That's an awful experience.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to lie. I've been doing it every day.
Speaker 2:In what? Looking at yourself in the mirror and saying that, yeah, yeah, yeah, I've been in the gym three weeks.
Speaker 1:This is week three, actually, of intentional eating and working out. I look every day.
Speaker 2:Don't be sick.
Speaker 1:That's what you got to do yo, you're not getting discouraged.
Speaker 2:Even beyond not being discouraged like it's a joy that I want you to have, like in just the fact that you went and did it. Don't worry about what you look like that day If you can find the joy in the fact that you just did it, that day In the process.
Speaker 2:yeah, Every day. Then you turn around and you wake up one day and be like, oh shit, it's like trying to like save money or anything. If you keep checking or like you know how you keep checking the refrigerator when you're hungry and then you know the same thing is in there. It's like you ain't been grocery shopping yet. What are you doing? You know the same thing is there. What are? You doing. It's the same thing. You know what I mean. You ain't even been grocery shopping yet. You got to wait.
Speaker 1:It's like finding the joy inine.
Speaker 2:essentially, yes, yes, yeah, the fact that you just showed up, the fact that you did it, then you be happy about that day. And then you good, you know what I mean. And then you just randomly wake up and then one day you're like damn, I'm lit, you know.
Speaker 1:You be reading a lot of self-help books.
Speaker 2:Why you say that.
Speaker 1:Because you just seem mad grounded. You think so? Yes?
Speaker 2:I read a lot of books. I read a lot of books.
Speaker 1:Do you really yeah?
Speaker 2:yeah.
Speaker 1:Put me on game. What's a good one.
Speaker 2:I read this book called Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza. Really good book. Yeah, my man, mk Asante, just put out this book called Nephew. It's super good. I've been reading it. It's funny because it's not even a long read. That's a story book, but it's amazing, it's like he put out this what did you say?
Speaker 2:Go ahead. He put out a book called Buck that shit was fire. And now he put out Nephew, which is almost kind of like a continuation in a way. But it's mad good, his book. That's my brother, what else? I mean so many books I'ma tap in, think and Grow Rich.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll talk about it. Oh, I like Think and Grow Rich. I read that one, the Supernatural one I heard about never tapped into.
Speaker 1:I really love the Seven Laws of Spirituality yeah, yeah, I know about that book love that book obviously Alchemist, easy read classy run through that in a day yeah, I got the audio book now, so I just listen to it as just a reminder Stay leveled, yeah, yeah. And then also I have to ask is there a certified sleeper? It could be a song of yours, or it could be a song by anybody that you feel like. You just don't understand why niggas don't know about this record.
Speaker 2:Well, I got a certified sleeper of my own, yes, but I don't feel like, why don't y'all know? I'm just like, as people find this song, I think people are going to love this song. It's called Call On. It's on my EP. I just love this song so much. It's the type of song like my personality is in the song. You're like, oh, what's your personality, what's your vibe when you listen to it? It's what my vibe is. That's why I like that song so much. But maybe a song by someone else. I wonder, yo, I mean, I got so many. I'm such a deep cut person. I do this with music, with clothing, with food, restaurants. People don't know about Jacks, know how I get? I'm fucking around to take you to a restaurant. I fucking want to take you to a restaurant. You be like yo, how you know about this. I just like nuanced things. You know what I mean? Randomly. This is a Japanese artist named Yoko Kanno. She got this song called Icy Mice Random.
Speaker 1:Icy Mice.
Speaker 2:Icy Mice. It was on this anime called Ghost in the Shell. On this movie it's almost like Japanese jazz. That joint is crazy. A song that I really like.
Speaker 1:I'm going to check that out. Yeah, I'm going to check that out.
Speaker 2:It's crazy, Like nice clean the cribs type of song. You know what I mean. Yeah. But then it's like rap music that I love. I love all kinds of music.
Speaker 1:Love it and what's your favorite anime?
Speaker 2:Favorite anime, probably, I mean in recent years. Demon Slayer is just unmatched. That shit is crazy. It's just tasteful, so brilliant. But then Naruto is like the best anime.
Speaker 1:It's like not debatable.
Speaker 2:It's not something you can talk about or just decide, it has been decided, type shit you know.
Speaker 1:It's already been decided.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, okay. See, I'm late to the anime world. I just got into it during the pandemic. My boyfriend had put me onto it and to it and I really liked UU Hakushu it's crazy classic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that one?
Speaker 1:no, that's not up there, oh I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, top 10, probably maybe even top 15. You're a meshy, that's my man. I love UU Hakushu.
Speaker 1:Yeah, alright well, thank you for stopping by and shopping it up with me when the album drops. Please come back yeah definitely would like to pick that apart with you. Yeah, yeah, that'd be fun, just shout out your grandma. Everybody know where they can follow you.
Speaker 2:My name is Mez. Mezairs is my Instagram. Mez on Twitter, but I don't even be on Twitter for real. Mezairs on TikTok, but I don't be Follow me there. I'll see you there soon.
Speaker 1:What are you anti-social media Nah?
Speaker 2:nah, nah. I'm going to be there soon.
Speaker 1:I'm going to be up there soon. I'm going to be there soon. Okay, all right, until next time. Guys Talk soon, peace.