Kanye West’s “Real Friends” Loyalty & Betrayal Breakdown | Play It Loud Podcast S4E6 (Audio) Now Ya Talking Network

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What’s up y’all, it’s your boy J.Solo and welcome back to The Play It Loud Podcast, where lyrics meet life!
In today’s episode, I’m breaking down Kanye West’s "Real Friends" from The Life of Pablo — produced by Kanye, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, and Havoc of Mobb Deep, featuring Ty Dolla Sign.
We’re talking trust issues, fake smiles, setting boundaries, and how real friendship looks when you’re grown.
I’m reflecting on my own experiences: smiling through tension, being "too honest," helping people who didn’t want it, and why family events sometimes just drain your spirit.
No filters. Just real talk. Let’s dive into it.

Topics Covered:

Do you assume people have hidden motives too often?

What does a real friend really mean to you?

Can you support others without comparing paths?

Why some family reunions feel more draining than joyful

Setting financial and emotional boundaries without guilt

Make sure to like, subscribe, and leave a review if this episode hit home for you!
Follow The Play It Loud Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
Hit me up on IG @NowYaTalkingNetwork — Let’s talk about it!

Transcript

Do you assume people have hidden motives too often? What up y'all it's your boy jay solo and welcome back to another episode of the play aloud podcast where lyrics meet life and on this episode i'm diving into kanye west real friends off his album life of Pablo produced by kanye west boy wonder frank dukes and have it from mob deep featuring Ty Dolla Sign.I can't wait to get into the episode and break down the lyrics that stand out to me personally.No filters, just reflecting and giving y'all the real about the situations at hand.Let's get into it.real ones.Real friends.How many of us?How many jealous?Real friends.It's not many of us.We smile at each other.But how many honest?Trust issues.What is a real friend to you and what does that mean? Real friend means somebody who has your best interests at hand, somebody that looks out for you, somebody that comes across the opportunity they presented to you, whether you're interested in it or not, just to give you some game, something to look at. person that shows up to events that they're invited to.If they can't make it, they let you know they can't make it for reasons that happen.They just don't ghost you and don't show up and leave an empty seat at your event or whatever you got going on. Somebody you can be honest with.Some of you can share stories, war stories.It's like a small knit circle of like your own personal counsel.That's what I consider real friends. People who really got your best interests at heart. Not many of themA lot of them jealous. Real friends.Have you smiled at someone while hiding how you really felt?So if y'all know me, y'all been listening to the podcast, man. think I got what the Joker had.I smile or I start laughing with situations.are not really feeling genuine or how they should feel.Like if I don't feel comfortable in the situation, I might just smile or just laugh at the situation just to avoid confrontation or taking stuff to a whole nother level.So I definitely have smiledin the situation just to try to hide how I'm feeling at hand, you know what I'm saying?Just to try to keep things cool and not cause a scene and be that guy that's always causing a scene everywhere you go.So I just smile, laugh at it.It is what it is, man.I've done that.How honest are you with your own circle?Some people say I'm too honest at this point in life, butWe are eighties babies, man.Some of us pushing 40.Some of us already 40.I don't see what's the point of sitting here sugarcoating stuff when these people are beyond grown adults in life.You know what I'm saying?So some people say I'm too honest, man.Maybe I can cut it back, tone it back, but I don't feel like it because most of the time I don't say anything unless I'm asked about a situation and then I go a hundred percent truth of how I feel about it.And that's when people's talking about I'm cutting too deep and I ain't giving nobody no grace and stuff like that.But I do give grace.I try to make my grace amazing.But like when you ask my honest opinion, I'm giving you a hundred percent honest opinion of how I feel about it.And what was the buildup of this whole situation that I didn't watch unfold until you want to start asking for advice about situations.Like, come on, man, what we doing?Letting folks live.I can't blame you for having the angle.I ain't got no issues.I'm just doing my thing.Hoping you doing your thing too.That's real right there.Do you assume people have hidden motives too often?Hmm.I try not to be, man, but I really It's hard at this point to see people that's really genuine and be having your best interests at hand, man.SoI ain't gonna lie, though.I assume people be having hidden motives because that's just what I be seeing, man.Like, nothing It's rarely you find somebody that's genuinely doing something for you these days in life.You know what I'm saying?LikeEven people giving you a jump now, you got to assume they're going to ask for a couple of dollars or something for helping you out when you didn't even ask them to help you.Like, what happened to the days of just helping somebody out and be like, hey, man, just pass it forward.You know what I'm saying?Take it and bless somebody else with a situation or whatever.That's why I always assume people got hidden motives.I just maybe I'm ruined like that.I don't know.Can you genuinely support someone without comparing your paths?I can support people without comparing it with what I've been through because everybody got their own paths.Everybody got their own journey to reach whatever they're trying to reach in life.So I definitely can genuinely support somebody without comparing it to what I'm trying to do.As a friend, if you're a friend of mine or, you know what I'm saying, you're somebody I rock with,If you trying to reach someone that I might've came across in an experience in life, I'm going to give you, try to do my best to give you a little blueprint so you can skip some of the speed bumps in the, in the, in the forks in the road that I had to deal with.So you can just get a smoother path than what I had.I even get backlash for that.Cause some people be like, man, I would just want to learn on the path of my own and all that.SoEven with that, I even try to be careful with that.It's like no matter what you do, it's going to be some kind of conflict, somebody having an issue with something, even helping people.It becomes a situation.I give you an example.So I do delivery.I'm an independent carrier also.So I do deliveries and in the delivery world, it's best to have closed toe shoes, not even steel toe, but like closed toe shoes, have your feet secure or whatever.So somebody asked me for help and they had on sandals, like toes exposed, everything.So they asked me for help.So as I'm walking up, I'm like, hey, I got you.I'll help you with it.But I said this specific words.Hey, you might want to put on some shoes because you're about to run over your feet.So when I said that, they lost their mind.Oh, I don't need you to help me then.I just get somebody else to ask.I just ask somebody else to help me because y'all always come over here with a slick mouth.And that's why I don't deal with black dudes and this, this, this, I don'tAnd it just went downhill from there.I don't know what dealing with black dudes had to do with anything.And I hate the black female versus the black dude whole conversation and arguments.I hate that's up with a pastor because it's like, I just can't.You asked me for help.I came to help.And I said, you might want to put some shoes on to protect your feet because you're about to run over your feet.Now, I don't know if she took that as I'm telling her what to do.I don't know how she took it, but I'm assuming that's how she took it.And she just went off.So I just told her, hey, man, you can get my face with all that.And I just walked off.She started going back and forth.But in the day, man, it's just it's hard to be a good citizen out here in these streets.and offering your advice and help the people.So sometimes I just don't say nothing and I just let people self-destruct.It is what it is, man.It's just what I've become now.Family distance.I'm a deadbeat cousin.I hate family reunions.Have you been emotionally absent from family events?Man, listen.If the cousins I want to rock with are not at this venue, at this event, or locationBoy, listen, I'm finna be ducked off in the cut.I'm in the cut chilling.I'm gonna go find my little cousins and I'm gonna just play with the kids.I'm gonna go have fun with my little cousins.We gonna find something to do.I'm gonna do whatever the little cousins doing.That's what I'm doing.And that's how I escape all the foolishness at the family reunions, dog.That's what I do, dog.I'm a deadbeat cousin.I hate family reunions.Why do some reunions feel more draining than joyful?To me personally, I be feeling likeSome people just dare to be in people's business and try to figure out what people got going on and how people look so they can go back and tell the people who didn't even come to the family union.That's just how I feel about it all.I just feel like it'd be a drain on joy.The people who are genuinely there, you can tell because they active, they going around, they talking to people, they trying to see how people been, reaching out, exchanging information, man.Hey, I'm with Kanye on this.I'm a deadbeat cousin.I hate family reunions.Out of touch.I couldn't tell you how old your daughter was.Couldn't tell you how old your son is.I got my own junior on the way, dawg.Plus, I already got another kid.Are you too caught up in your own life to show up for others?Be honest, man.I am.And I choose to be becauseAnd I just don't be seeing people making effort as a unit to do things together, to collab with the family or even with friends.I don't see the effort put together to put stuff together as a whole unit no more like that.SoHey man, if that's how y'all feel, I just get caught up in raising my kids and doing my thing with the solo game.Shout out to wifey, shout out to my daughter, shout out to my son, shout out to my immediate family, mom, dad, sister, nephew.Shout out to the immediate circle because I just, I don't be feeling like people be making effort, man.You got to make effort.to be close-knit friends, close-knit circle.And I don't think people be making that full effort to make these things become, you know what I'm saying, the reality.So I don't feel bad for it.That's just what I do.How do you balance being present for your own kids and still being family to others?I be family to my kids.And if somebody reach out to me and make effort of trying to put things together, friends, events and family events, whatever, I balance it out.Like my kids going to be there.My family going to be there.We'll just make this a whole family friend unit or whatever it's going to be.Like that's the balance you got to have because I'm not sacrificing my time and efforts.If ain't nobody else putting forward effort.And that's just what it is, man.Make the effort.I show the effort.surface level bonds couldn't tell you much about the fam though i just showed up for the yams though are you guilty of being around only when it benefits you i don't know i don't know i i don't try to do stuff like that man because i already know how that make me feelSo honestly, I don't think I just show up when it benefits me, but I definitely see them people who only show up when they only benefit them.And mostly, as I said in previous episodes, it'd be the people who bring ice to family reunions and friend functions.It'd be usually the ice people.It's usually the ice people who do stuff like that.How do you rebuild deeper family connections? Man, you got to make effort. Everybody got to make effort to make these family bonds and get deeper. You got to make efforts.You got to connect.You got to see what everybody, see what your family interested in.Rock with the family that's interested in the same things you interested in and connect that way.You know what I'm saying?Like everybody ain't going toFriends or bond, just because we got the same blood, that's just not how it go.Especially getting older, seeing it and see how things operate. Just because we family and it is what it is, everybody not going to be friends like that.So find your connections, see who you rock with in your family and make them connections and reach out.If they don't respond back to you, then, hey, it might not meant to be.But that's the only thing I say, man, make effort and reach out and see who rock with you in your family and see who don't. Financial boundaries. Please don't pressure me with that bills because everybody got them.That ain't children.Yes, sir.Shout out to Ty Dolla Sign for that bar.When is it okay to say no to helping someone financially? Every time. To me, you ain't got to share your money or finances with nobody that you don't want to.That's just how I feel, man. Everybody got their own bills, especially if you ain't no child. Everybody got something they got to pay, some obligation they got financially.And I feel nobody has to share their money if they don't want to share their money.That's just how I feel aboutNow, for me personally, I really take on, hey, if I do give you this money,I really don't expect it to come back.But if you do give it back, I appreciate it.And you know what I'm saying?Might be a deeper connection there or something like that.But I don't really give out money and expecting it to come back because we already see how that go.Majority of us see how that go already.You give that money out, you probably not going to get it back.They always going to come up with an excuse of why they can't give you the money that they borrowed the money for.It's just, if I give it, I don't even expect it back.But if you do give it back, I appreciate it.And we might be a little bit closer after that situation.You know what I'm saying?Because I'm not even expecting it back.How do you set healthy boundaries without guilt?Usually I let people know, man, the stuff you don't go for.And to me, there's no point of being guilty about protecting yourself, protecting your peace.There's no point of feeling guilty about none of that.Like, you just got to put the wall up, let people know what your boundaries are.If they can't deal with it, that is on them.I'm pretty sure they got their own boundaries that they got set.So, hey, respect the boundaries.I don't feel guilty about setting no boundaries to protect what I got going on.Since we're talking about real friends here, let me put y'all onto Misfits Market.This is how you can save money and make a difference at the same time.Misfits Market delivers fresh, mostly organic groceries straight to your door at up to 40 percent off store prices.They rescue high quality foods that would have gone to waste just because they're imperfect or in outdated packaging.What?You're getting a real savings reducing food waste and supporting farmers all in one month.Click the link in the description to get full access to savings and help make a difference.Me personally, I would.So go ahead and click the link below.Loyalty check.Oh, you've been nothing but a friend to me.Niggas think I'm crazy.You defended me.Yes, sir.Who defends you when you're not in the room?Have you given the same loyalty back?Man, listen, that's one thing I do not like.I don't not like people talking crazy about people who's not in the presence of the conversation, though.I don't like that.And I'm not saying I don't do it.I do have no conversation because I get asked about it in certain situations.And I say exactly what I feel because I'm asked about it.Also, I would say the same exact thing if that person or whoever that is, is in the room.You know what I'm saying?So like, I don't really care.I don't know if you call it a tough guy energy or whatever it is, but like, if I'm asked about a question.I'm going to answer it whether the person is there or not, because I don't I've just is what it is, man.If there's an issue with it, address the issue, because I'm going to see if I'm asked the question, I'm going to say exactly what is need to be said.That's just how I go about dealing with things, man.And I just hope, you know, when people talk about me or talking crazy about me.I hope that my close-knit circle of people who I rock with are checking all this stuff that's being said.You know what I'm saying?Because what's the saying?If they said something about me and you coming back to tell me, why do they feel comfortable about talking about me in front of you?That's the saying.Blood versus real.Money turn your kin into enemy.Niggas ain't real as they pretend to be.Has money ever changed a relationship in your life?How do you tell the difference between family and real ones?I say this.So, yes, money has changed situations in my life.And, likeIt kind of don't even be hard feelings though.It just be, I know I can't deal in money.I can't do business.I can't deal with money situations with this person no more in life.I still see them for who they are, but like far as when it comes to money and it's changing and business and all that, I can't do it with you no more ever again.It's dead.That whole transaction is dead.I can't deal with it no more with you.It's over with.It's over with.How to tell the difference between family and real ones?To me, the real ones are the family.The real people you rock with, the real people you deal with, that is your family.It doesn't always mean blood.Your tight-knit circle, your people you can call emergency situations, your day ones, the ones that can, you know what I'm saying, if you move out of the state, they'll come visit you out of state.Those are the real ones, man.Those are the real ones.I don'tthat's the family those people right there are considered family to me not just the ones that's blood related the real ones are the real ones the real ones are the family the ask i hate when a text you like what's up fam hope you good you say i'm good i'm great the next text they ask you for somethingCome on, man.When someone reaches out, do you brace yourself for the ax and do you do the same thing without realizing?Well, listen, and I'm pretty sure y'all can relate to this.text message or that phone call from somebody who ain't even in your call logs for the last 2 to 3 months 4 months and next thing you knew you get a text message or a call or missed call from that personI automatically brace myself for that ask.Like, what do you want?What is going on?It better be emergency.And I ain't gonna lie.I might not even hit them people back.They gonna have to call somebody else.And tell them about whatever happened or whatever the situation is.And then that person who I'm rocked with for real, gonna have to let me know what the deal is, what the situation is.Because I don't play that gone 5, 6 months, no call, no text message.And then you randomly hit me up.I'm automatically expecting you to ask me for something.Shouldn't be like that.You know what I'm saying?And they might be the grace they talking about I need to give people.But like, I try to give grace, but not in that situation though.Why is my phone getting annoyed by a random call or text message at this point?It's been months.It's been years.I'm automatically expecting that.Do I do the same thing?I do not do the same thing.With intention, I reach out to people who I know.Like, for example, my elders, my uncles.Um, my older cousins and stuff like that, who we might not be in the same generation or like the same field of work and all that.I've reached out to them.I make it a intentionally, I reach out to them just to check in.Hey man, what's going on?Da da da dawhat y'all got going on.I tell them how I'm doing.And then it'd be like, all right, cuz, all right, nephew.And that'd be it.Like, I intentionally do that just when I'm thinking about them people just to reach out, send a text message, call, just to do that.You know what I'm saying?And I intentionally, I don't ask them for nothing.i don't ask them for nothing especially if it's been months at a time like i don't ask them for nothing not saying i don't reach out to people that ask them for stuff or certain information or anything like that but those bonds have been built those those connections have been built to reach out and ask for exchange of information or stuff like that not always money just exchange the information or um you know what i'm saying just some insight on some stuffLike, I do that intentionally, man.So reach out to me.Reach out to your OGs.Reach out to your aunties, whoever you need to reach out to.Just keep that check-in situation going, you know what I'm saying, with your people.But don't randomly call people and ask for favors and money after there's been months or years at a time, dog.Like, come on, man, we got to do better than that.Betrayal.I had a cousin that stole my laptop that I was just on.I paid that nigga two hundred and fifty thousand just to get it from real friends.What was the worst betrayal you've experienced?So here we go.So honestly, it came from running my own family, my own blood, somebody that I trusted, somebody I thought I could put into a situation to help them, you know what I'm saying?Just create something better for their life and their situation at the time.So that same person stole private information from one of my clients in a business that I had.They used that same information to buy things, commit fraud.And the wild part about this was she knew other people.that was employed, that was doing the same exact thing for months at a time.Then when I finally found out and called them out about it, they flipped the script, started acting like I was the one that was out of pocket, like I was wrong for holding them accountable for the things that they did.Now that I don't speak to them like I used to or anymore, I'm acting like I'm too good for them, like my ish don't stink.But truth is, I just got tired of dealing with the back and forth, tired of being treated like I'm the one that's doing harm while they play victim and not take responsibility for the actions that they did.But, you know, man, sometimes, you know, growth feel like distance.And people who aren't really ready to grow with you, they always take that personal.So, you know, that situation right there, man, that was the ultimate portrayal for me.Like, because I definitely went out my way.I really second guess my own personal decision.And majority of the time when I do stuff like that,End up going bad or I have to redo the whole situation to do everything over again.So maybe I should have just listened to my first mind, man.But, you know, they say give benefit of the doubt.Try to give people a little grace.And this is what my grace got me.You know what I'm saying?Ultimate betrayal.Like it's a situation, you know, that's just going to have to be.It is what it is.I don't even have hard feelings about the situation.And like I said in the previous bar that we talked about,They are who they are.It just won't be no more dealings as far as financial or using any of my resources or my family resources or anything like that anymore.Y'all are on y'all own.It's on y'all.I'm straight.There's no hard feelings.Everything is everything.I hope y'all the best.Hope the kids good.Hope everything is straight.Maybe our kids can grow up and maybe it'd be a different situation for them growing up.But as of right now, I'm straight, man.I am good.With all that being said, with the breakdown and everything, let me ask y'all this.Have you ever had to walk away from someone in order to protect your peace?And was it worth it?Let me know down in the comments.Send us a message directly to the podcast link on Buzzsprout and let us knowShare your experience with us, man.Have you ever had to walk away from someone to protect your peace and was it worth doing?Let me know.Karma and distance.I guess I get what I deserve, don't I?Word on the street, they ain't heard from them.I guess I get what I deserve, don't I?Talk down on my name, throwing dirt on them.Yes,Do you believe in karma and have you ghosted somebody because they hurt you or because you hurt them?So let's get into this karma part first.Y'all know how I feel about karma.Karma take too long.Hurry up and get to it.And it's not because I want to see somebody suffer.but because I know what was done wasn't right and sometimes it feel like the people who do the most damage always walk around untouched smiling like they ain't left no scars behind on nobody dog andI know y'all feel this, though.I can't be the only person that feel this way.I can't be.If I am, something wrong with me.And I know ain't nothing wrong with me because little brother got them birds, huh? Shout out to Juvenile. Answer the second part, though.I ghost, but I really wouldn't call it ghosting.I just start showing up in places where I feel like drama and situations are going to happen. You know what I'm saying?Like, I ain't ducking nobody.I'm just done inviting chaos into my peace and into my family lives.You know what I'm saying?Like, the sucker activity has been exposed.And I just don't want to be around it.And, you know, by me not showing up to certain things, I'm pretty sure they feel like they won at something, but ain't even the case or the situation.You know what I'm saying?But the truth is, I can have a good time no matter where I'm at.You know what I'm saying?I'm not cheating people.I'm not manipulating situations.I ain't playing shady, especially with the people that's close to me.So if that means I got to fall back and protect my peace and my energy, that's exactly what I'm going to do.You know what I'm saying?Like, I just go elsewhere and have a good time.I ain't ducking nobody, man.I just don't want to be around situations where I know stuff and go left.And me, I'm in extremists. I'm going to take things to a whole nother level. I'm going to turn out being a bad guy, and I'll probably be the one that's getting in trouble for the whole situation because I'm going too far with it. So, you know, man, that's just what this episode is about, man. Real friends, Kanye West featuring Ty Dolla Sign.This is another episode of the Play It Loud podcast where lyrics meet life. Let's go.