Hello, welcome to the Hang With you podcast. This is your host, rj. I'm here in Los Angeles, california, a place that I lived for a few years over the course of my life. I'm here visiting my sister right now, but a big reason why I came out here is to do an interview, and I'll be doing that with my boy, Kwai. What up Kwai? What up bro? How we doing? How we doing? Dude, I'm great, why? What up Kwey? What up Rosie? How we doing? I'm doing good.
Speaker 1:So, kwey, I came to move out here to live with my sister and we were looking it up. I met him on a Ty Dolla Sign music video Shoot and, yeah, we just met on set. We started talking and we stayed in contact ever since then and he just came out here to chase his music dreams and I came out here just to find myself, kind of. So I'm here visiting my sister doing all that catching up, and I was like my boy. He just dropped his new EP, which is going right now, and so you know, if you get a chance, go check out my boy. A new ep he just dropped, uh, but but yeah, it turns out. 2017 is when we met and, uh, our lives have just gone in completely different directions and we've we've gone through a lot and, uh, you know this podcast a lot has to do with mental health and so, you know, we're gonna kind of dive into the things that we went through on his come up and what he's doing now in life and things he's gone through and how everything's working out for him right now.
Speaker 1:So, with that being said, I'm going to interview you and learn a little bit about you. Yes, sir, let's do whatever you want to do, man. Yes, sir, so we're here in the Velvet Room. Yes, the Velvet Room, the Velvet Room. How did you even stumble upon the Velvet Room to begin with? So I have this producer, daniel Richer. Shout out to Daniel, bro, we were collabing a little bit. He got replacements on this EP and I remember one time he invited me into this deep camp. It's just like a group of friends just producing, right? I'm like, yeah, bro, I'm going to pull up Because he's a young producer. He's fired. He was in this room. Come up in this room. I'm up in this room and the owner of the studio is basically one of his good friends. Shout out to Hoppy, you feel me?
Speaker 1:Ever since then, I've been locked into this room because it's such a vibe in here. We've been going through my process a little bit. We've been here for a few hours and the energy, bro, it moves in here. It feels good. Whatever kind of art you want to make in here, you got the space to do it. I feel like you can be in your thoughts and not have anything else enter in. That's what I get from the vibe. It's very punctuated, it's very much a vibe. It's very much my getaway. I've learned that you only let certain energies into that space as well, because you don't want nothing to disrupt the flow. Exactly, this is really my fulcrum. It used to be like fur, right here. They changed it a little bit. They be like Ferg, right here. They changed it a little bit. They changed a few things in here. Since the night I've been in here, it's still the same.
Speaker 1:All the memories, 2017, that's when you first came down here, right? Yes, sir, that's crazy, bro. It's been a long time. It's been a long time. I know A lot of things I talk about on the podcast.
Speaker 1:I'm kind of going through my travels and going back to the places I live and meeting the people, talking to those people that made an impact in my life. I feel like everybody I talk to, I take a little bit of it, whether it's the do's, the don'ts, the bads. I ain't going to make that mistake, because I heard it. You know that's real and yeah, man, it's good to see that you're doing good. So now I want to, you know, get into the nitty gritties and kind of get your story out there, and then we'll end on some questions and some shout outs and then we'll both get back to work like we do. Let's get it, bro, alright, bro, alright, and some shout outs, and then we'll both get back to work like we do. Let's get it, bro, all right, bro, all right.
Speaker 1:So you're 32. Yep, and you were born in Louisiana. Yes, that's home. New Orleans, louisiana yes, that's home, that is home. I just came back from there last week. Yeah, you were doing a graduation. Yeah, you're doing up to the graduation. Oh, yeah, mom, cousin, he graduated law school. Okay, yeah, I've been back twice this year, once for the Super Bowl and then for this graduation. I plan on going probably like one or twice more. Okay, same one for every season. Yup, yup, celebration. We turn that down like half a notch, half a notch. So Louisiana, that's where you lived first, and then we'll get into Atlanta and Los Angeles and those travels.
Speaker 1:What age was it when you left New Orleans? That was your first move, right? Yeah, like, as a grown, like, you know, that was 2014, 2015, ish. So I want to say I was probably 23, 24, around that age. Okay, so up until that, louisiana, that's all you know. I wouldn't say it's all I know.
Speaker 1:My mom, she's from Trinidad, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, my grandparents are from Grenada. My earliest memories like, like you know, we were talking about this talk. Yeah, I wanted to get down and you know time, I wanted to get down and learn about your family and everything. So, like my earliest memories of me being in Grenada with my mom and I used to think I was four, my whole life. I thought I was four years old when that happened Recently I asked her and she was like that was 1995. I was born in 93. So I was two years old, not even probably two, who knows how, probably was one going on too, you know, but that's like my earliest memories. And yeah, grenada, trinidad. I went to Trinidad in 2008 for the first time and I think, just doing that at a young age, just like show me that there's more you know. So, yeah, new Orleans is like my upbringing, but I did have different things.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you got family in both places Trinidad, green Bay, up here. I love the place, I love it, I love it. So what's life like growing up in Louisiana and where you grew up? You know, take me through, you know neighborhood, your family. You live with your mom. How did that live? I lived with my mom, my dad. He went about his business, you know, around the time I was born or whatever. You know how us men and women we go through things. It was my mom. You know a lot of island influence, a lot of island music, so I didn't really, let's say, grow up American. They're best friends with Trinidadians, so I grew up listening to that music. But you know I'm outside hanging out with my friends, so I got that also. My father he's actually from Michigan, they're from Flint, grandparents from that side of Tennessee and I just learned a lot about them last year Shared properties Gone into a whole bunch of stuff. Yeah, it was mainly my mom.
Speaker 1:And in New Orleans, man, where I grew up. I grew up on the west bank of New Orleans and gunshots every night. A lot of my friends, some of them dead, some of them killers. You know, and it's crazy, I grew up, let's say, in Harvey. They call it White Harvey when I grew up, but there's a skinny canal that separates us from Black Harvey and that's where everything's going down. You know so it's. That separates us from Black Heart and that's where everything's going down. You know so it's. And my friends over there too. You know so. We all got to go to school together and all of that stuff. It's just that, oh, this is where the white people live. This is where the Black people live. They make this much money over here.
Speaker 1:You know, my mom was blessed enough to buy a house on this side and bring us up the best way she can. You know, because you heard that anybody. No, it's not, but it's still bringing poor kids, Poor, not at all. Single mother, you know, always, yeah, so, yeah, moms play a big role in your life. Yeah, hustler mentality Always told me you want to own your own business, you don't want to work for nobody. We talked about the entrepreneurship and that level of shit. Yeah, it comes from that. It comes from that. What's wrong with the hustlers? Yeah, music, entrepreneurship, that's kind of your avenues right now.
Speaker 1:When did you develop those type of things? Did that come from the Louisiana ring up or did you develop like, when did the music start? When did yeah, when did that start? It's funny, man, because, yeah, let me ask that. It's funny man because last year I found out my dad used to play golf with James Brown.
Speaker 1:Really, yeah, so like, growing up I got like this old picture of my dad. You should have used a moat town, yeah, you know for sure, for sure. And my dad, he was a master pianist. He like could play anything with his eyes closed, like hands moving so fast. It's like, how is that possible? But from you know, from little he had us playing instruments. You know Every instrument. I grew up playing the violin. You know that type of stuff and that's where that influence comes from. And he always used to like send my tapes of Michael Jackson, like his old videos and stuff. It was always there.
Speaker 1:And then on my mother's side we grew up in a church. My grandmother had a church in Louisiana and my grandmother was a singer. Like me and my brother are the only guys that can sing in the family. We're the only ones that can really sing in the family. We're the only ones that can really sing in the family. But other than that, it was my grandmother and she used to always sing in church. So you know the gospel notes and hymns and stuff like that. I think that plays a part in it. Also, I love when that pours into hip-hop too as well. You know what I mean. Those are some of my favorite tracks, those old samples from that type yeah, real shit, that's the best thing. It's so soulful. You know I love mixing those boys together.
Speaker 1:So, louisiana, let's see Louisiana, you go to Atlanta. I know a job there. Right, that's how we got there. Katrina, the first time I went to Atlanta was Katrina. That's the first time. Yeah, Shit, I'm in middle school. Shit.
Speaker 1:You know, in Louisiana me and Florida people we always have this joke. It's like we used to hurricane every year, every year. It's not like an earthquake that comes out of nowhere, it's like, nah, we know we're on this time, you feel me? So it's just like Trina coming, and they're like man, we ain't worrying about this shit, and then it started getting bigger. And they're like man, we ain't worrying about this shit, and then it started getting bigger and they're like, man, we ain't alright, we just gonna get out of here, just for you know, just to be safe. You feel me? So, yeah, we boarded up the house, packed everything. My brother wanted to stay. So we went to Houston, stayed there until, like, it did what it did. Then we picked up my brother and we went straight to atlanta.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you got family at this spot. No, no, not really. You know, like louisiana folks, we got family in houston. We got family throughout the south. You know, yeah, but, um, that exactly, but to think of like immediate family, not because my mom's, like first generation, I'm the first, you know. So we don't really got that many people. We're all soldiers, bro, just taking the kids. We gone, yeah, we gone. We got to do what we got to do. That was the first time. That was the first time.
Speaker 1:Was there any major events in your life of living in Louisiana? You grew up in where you grew up. You happened to be on the other side of that line, which is good. You lost a lot of friends and then, on the other side, same thing. I have that familiar sort of path of growing up. What kept you from going down that road. I know your mom was a strong guide for you and your siblings, but what else, like, kept you from, like, getting in the streets? What was it that kept you from getting in the streets? Disease to get rid of?
Speaker 1:Um, you know, I got pulled into it at another age, but like early on. Let's just say this parents have a way of controlling things. They can control that with their child if they want to. So certain strings were pulled where it's like I just strayed away from it, I got stabbed. I was in a fight. I got stabbed in my head and on my neck. After that I just like I was just, I fought a lot. I was in martial arts and stuff, yeah. So I always been like a fighter.
Speaker 1:But after that it was like, let me chill for a little bit and I started playing baseball Nice. So I think, like the baseball separated me from hanging out after school doing some other shit that I didn't have no business doing. You know, I think that that was like a big part of it. But also just having that self-knowledge, it's like I don't want to do this. Yeah, I don't want to do this. You know what the consequences are. You see it, yeah, it's just a lot of us. You know, absolutely, absolutely. What took you to Atlanta? Oh, because we went over it a little bit. It's you're 13 and it's 2008. Yeah, that's when we first went to Atlanta for the treatment. Yeah, and then you're in your 20s when I go back to Atlanta. What takes you back to Atlanta?
Speaker 1:Some shit happened like, uh, the stuff we were going all year we were going, yeah, I dropped out of. I dropped out of college. I was at Nichols State in Louisiana. We went to Nichols nah, not at Nichols State. They actually got a really good program. Yeah, they do. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, I wanted to walk on, but like, honestly, like I think I stayed at Nichols for a year, sat out, went back and like that's when, like maturity I wouldn't say maturity hit, but like it's just like I know what I want. Now Shit started to click drop out. You feel me, we could go through that whole little process. We ain't gotta go through all of it. But you know, yeah, just going to college, separating from the city, doing your mischief in college, you know, you see the ropes of that. And then it's like man, I'm like. You know, a lot of people drop out.
Speaker 1:I wasn't in my classes. I used to minor in music but I would skip class and I would be making beats in my room. I'd have a bitch in my bed, but you know. But I'm in my room making beats and my fucking teacher mad at me like you got so much potential, but why? It's because you're really not teaching me. It's like us as sponges, like we gain what we need and then after that it's like I don't need it. You know, I don't. It's excess shit. So that's why my grades slipped.
Speaker 1:I left out of school. I moved to New Orleans. Man, shit, I got in the street. You feel me? I see shit happen. I was like fuck this shit. I got a job offer in Atlanta. I said all right, shit, I was gone.
Speaker 1:But before we go to Atlanta, I got a couple of questions about the roots of Louisiana a little bit. How did the culture of Louisiana shape you personally? Do you take any of that? Is it your music? Everything, man, being from New Orleans, I wouldn't. You know every place that it's what's going on, but New Orleans is, I wouldn't.
Speaker 1:You know every place got its what's going on, but like, new Orleans is just a different, it's just a different monster to me and it it, it shaped the hustler in me, it shaped. It shaped the hard work in me, it shaped like the chip on my shoulder. You know it, cause that place is a tough place, that ain't. That ain't no easy place. No, not at all. It's a very tough place and, um, very high rates in a lot of, a lot of things. And, um, but, like the music, the culture, the food, it's all flavor. You know, like the Powerpuff Girls, you know, and he just putting all this shit in the pot, you know, there's a whole bunch of shit in the pot that fucking shapes you. And um, yeah, man, it's everyday In my music, in the way I walk and talk, the pieces.
Speaker 1:You know, you know, the hospitality, there's so much shit, that's a big one. Yeah, people are missing that a lot these days, unfortunately. You know. Yeah, you know, it's like there's this divide. Now it's like since the computer came, it's like, you know, it's a detachment. Now it's really hard to connect. Yeah, like, when you're so connected to this, how do you? You know, you know this is the reality that we're supposed to be in. Now we have a matrix. Now, you know, you gotta escape it. That's what I'm trying to say. That's what I'm trying to say you gotta escape the matrix, bro.
Speaker 1:Oh yep, so alright, what's something about growing up there that people outside of the South don't understand, about what you do? That's hard. That's hard to say because I don't know the perspective of someone that's outside. Well, I know some perspectives. I'm living in California. I see how some people don't live off the west side. You know, there they hold life. That's a different world.
Speaker 1:Sometimes, if I had anything, I would just say to the people there it's just like there's more here, there's more to the world than where we at. Like I said from a young age, my mom bring me to Grenada when I'm two. It's like it shows me that there's more. My first memory is of the waterfall there. There's no waterfalls in the world. So of course I want to go to the waterfall. I want to know what, and a lot of us get stuck where we at.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of shit that goes on in life that makes us stop and be stagnant or be complacent. But there's way more in this world than what we know. If you don't grow and you don't expand your mind to try and learn that your world is going to be so just Real shit. You know what I mean. Yes, waking up like that every day and just being like I'm cool, knowing what I know, and sometimes it's like, but we're not aware that that's what we're in. You know, it's like. It's like the analogy with the fishbowl, like if a fish is in a small bowl, it's only going to go to put it inside the big ass, you know. And sometimes the fish don't even know it's in the fishbowl Because that's all it knows. That's all it knows. It don't know it's an ocean. It's the perfect fucking analogy For real, about life, growing and traveling to experience those things.
Speaker 1:We got to experience people. We really got to be around other people, other cultures, that's everything. Because everyone does it different. Everyone does it mostly different, like other countries. We got to get in here. Some people do it wrong. It's up to you, us, as humans.
Speaker 1:One of the main goals is like reproduction. Yep, we should want to gain the knowledge, to give that to us, pass it down, you know. But if we know only this, and we can only teach this, how can we expand? How can anything? How does the culture go? You get it, bro, the job. What was the job there?
Speaker 1:In Atlanta, there was a moment that will take you out of Atlanta to go to Los Angeles. How was your experience in Atlanta that time? Before you know, things went bad. I was working, man. It's like I dropped out of school man. I was making fast money. Well, I dropped out of school, I started working at Jimmy John's you know Drew Brees, shit, learn shit and some knowledgeable shit. And I worked somewhere else, got in the street and it was like fuck this.
Speaker 1:My brother got me the job in Atlanta and, um, that was, I was taking pictures of cars. Um, and it's just like my first real job. I'm making like 50 bags a year. He sent me a nice, basically, we'll take pictures. We had a set of dealerships throughout Atlanta. We'll pull up, we'll take pictures of the cars. I had to go do training in Jacksonville Hot as fuck.
Speaker 1:But to do that and you know you making good money, you take like 20-30 pictures of cars a day with a video, probably doing like 20 cars. You get paid per car. That was the job. But you know, you with a son, yeah, you hustling. But me as a young man is like I don't know the value of it. It's very valuable, but I don't know the value of it. You feel me, it's very valuable, but I don't know the value of it, because that's not what I want to be doing. You know, I want to do what I want to do to get where I want to go. But uh, you sure of that? You know not even sure, because it's just that I want to do it my way.
Speaker 1:And even with that job, they had me fly out here. We went to, we flew out here, flew me to Orange County, yeah. And because I wanted to move to California, when I was in New Orleans it was like, do I want to go to New York or do I want to go to California? I visited out here like, oh wait, do I want to go to California? I visited out here like, oh wait. After I came from Trinidad I visited my uncle out in Compton, long Beach, and I just was like man, I want to go to Cali. So when I was leaving New Orleans I was telling my homies I was like man, let's go to Cali, let's go to Cali. But you know, they got family. I got family too, but I don't really give a fuck. It's like I know there's more out there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you look good, yo. But uh, oh, yeah. So your uncle was out here, yeah, but uh, oh, yeah, so your uncle was out here, yeah, so they flew me out here. Nah, nah. Well, I got two uncles out here, but, um, like one of my uncles, he gave me a few apartments to fill me up, but, um, yeah, so they flew me out here. But it was like so far away from Hollywood I'm like I can't do what I want to do. I'm out here working. If they move me out here, I'll be out here working. So it's like man and it's hot.
Speaker 1:I was in Orange County and the one person that was like rude to me was a black person, really Crazy. And I was like crazy, yeah. So he really crazy. And I was like crazy, yeah. So, um, he was trucking and driving, he trying to suck up to his, yeah, whatever. Well, um, I went back to atlanta and some some racist happened or whatever. I ended up quitting that job.
Speaker 1:But in the process of me quitting that job, on that job, I met a homie and, like our whole group, I clicked with the whole group. You know one of the homies from New Orleans. He was a producer homie to rap with. Then my brother to this day, zay. He's from Chicago, he knew them through Twitter or whatever. He moved from Chicago or whatever you know he's. He like he would he done, took photos for like Tiana Summer Walker he was her sister and like um, a few shits, but uh, but this was like the beginning of it.
Speaker 1:You feel me, it's like we all just like clicked and it was right before I quit or whatever I had quit that job and we was just on the hustle bro. We was on the hustle bro, like we'll pull up on Gucci man. We'll be on Snapchat trying to figure out where DJ Khaled at Like no, for real. Like we was. We chilled Me and Zay was talking about it earlier today. Like we chilled in the Lowe's Hotel for like for like. We got there at like 2. You know we ain't seen Cali until like 1 am. You feel me Like we was in the lobby just chilling and running across people and then, like a 10, 11-inch dude come in.
Speaker 1:He fly as fuck. My homie was like man, that's somebody. I'm like man, that ain't nobody bro. He was like man, that's somebody. I'm like man. That ain't nobody he's like. Let me charge my phone, charge. His phone came back. This him. It was fucking Lenny S Kodak Lens. He used to like yo. He was like I'm nobody. I'm like, yeah, that nigga got all fake Yeezys, bro, that ain't nobody. He was like yeah, I'm nobody. But then he showed me up. We walked up to him. We was like you letting us. He was like ching ching and we sat there and had like a 30-minute conversation with him. Khaled came down, talked it over with him. That was our little click. We pulled up on Ross and my homie. He posted it on Twitter. Ross hit him up come to the crib. He was at Ross' crib for like three months. You feel me. So, yeah, that's how I met our mentor. So basically, so that's how I met our mentor. So basically say, we dropped them off at Ross Cribb. You know shit happened.
Speaker 1:I moved here, I moved to Cali and in the process of that happening, I know that's, you know that's Ross' producer. He sees that and was like come on, come with me, I need you to do some shit. And they ended up flying to California. They introduced him to me. He started bringing me to the studios, sitting in writing sessions, seeing him make beats for Block Boy, jv and all this. You know I don't really care the name drop, but yeah, you know, he just brought me in the atmosphere, you know, and teaching me a lot of shit about the game and that was my introduction into the music industry. But it started from moving to, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know we skipped a whole bunch of steps.
Speaker 1:I'm just very interested in it all for sure, like how it came to be, like we've been on friends' social media since then so I could always, you know, see, you know you don't really post them like that, no more, which is like I think it would get me. I'm on the same shit. A bunch of years ago I was like I'm done. You know what I mean. Yeah, for sure you get over it.
Speaker 1:Yo, I think it's maturity, because a lot of people, a lot of this shit is fake man. A lot of people want to be in front of a camera showing their lifestyle but that's not really what's going on behind the scenes and you know it goes with the mental health. Everybody want an image. Sometimes you got to be authentic. You know I didn't even want to rock none of this shit, but you was like man and a couple years ago it was way heavy. It's already heavy, but it's like I don't really like.
Speaker 1:You don't need to show, you don't need to, you don't need to show nothing. It makes the hard work that you do show at the end that much more beautiful. And and the surprise that comes behind you know what I mean. Yeah, you work for it. Yeah, exactly everybody, everybody faucets everything they have, like nobody had it, but like when you got something special, like you don't even know what I'm doing in this place. You know what I'm saying, right? Hey, this is like. You know, I post those stories here and there, but this is like people getting to see a real glimpse of.
Speaker 1:I really wanted to show you the recording process, show you the recording process. You feel me One day. One day, the next thing I do when I come out here, we'll be like a little mini-document and we'll go through, we'll do it and we'll catch up again and see where you're at. We'll do it like that, because I still gotta go work with the boy out in Atlanta. Oh, yeah, for sure, we gonna make that happen.
Speaker 1:And also, shit, not to get off a little subject the bro right here. So he used to ball overseas? Yeah, like. But now he's a designer. Okay, bro, he made some pants for me. So fucking cold bro. Oh man, if he had them bitches on him right now, I love it bro. Yeah, yeah, like this. Hey, shout it out, bro, I'm telling you, I just want to put people on that that deserve it.
Speaker 1:I see the hard work that goes on behind. You know, like I've been friends for a minute, bro, and like you were just grinding, you're grinding the same, you know, even though you put your product out. You know, like that mentality is the same. It's crazy, but they don't get to see before, they don't get to see the rough days. You know, they don't. You gotta hustle every day to be able to afford to even try to look forward to it. There's so much they can do with it. Man, I actually was thinking about a week ago. I was like if I added up like how many times I've been in this room, so not to you, feel me, yeah, I usually get this from 12 hour sessions, right, like, so it's only 12 hour sessions in here, yeah, and I used to do that like two, three times a week and I did that for like a year, just like just grinding.
Speaker 1:You know, and it was not only this studio, it was my homie, xander. We was at Trace Studios, that's my main engineer. And then my uncle, he got a studio also. You know, just going from place to place and putting that work in, you feel me For real. And when you go like let's just say you're going to go do a feature somewhere else, I mean go in some other booth, like it's nothing. It's nothing like let's just say you're gonna go do a feature somewhere else, I mean going some other booth, like you know, and it started way before it is, it's like in new orleans, my brother, you know, the truth happened. Yeah, my brother ended up going to jail in atlanta and, uh, when he came back to new orleans in his crib when I was in high school, he ended up building a booth. You feel me Got the Pro Tools. So me and my homies, we all in his crib and he doing tattoos and shit and we just like playing around. You feel me With a basic fucking auto-tune. You feel me we was just Fruity Loop. I still use Fruity Loop, that's what's on there. Fl Studio all day, fl Baby. So Los Angeles, that's when we meet. Yes, sir, you're grinding, so where you're at right now.
Speaker 1:I got some questions. You know, mental health is a little bit about this too right, for sure, you've been in the industry. Like we'll say that I got some questions. Mental health is a little bit about this too right, for sure, you've been in the industry, like we'll say that right, you've been out here for more than a handful of years, right, I think I got into the music industry, like I started to get around that like 2019. Alright, so you've been around, you've seen things, you've been to places, you've been to parties. You've been to whatever Not no ditty parties, ain't no ditty parties. But man, shit, you already know. But about the mental health thing how has the music industry affected your mental health, like positively and or negatively? You know, I've been around a lot of shit too, and I was partying my ass off when I was older.
Speaker 1:See, this is the thing, like all of us got different upbringing and this world makes us into what we are, right, yeah, but the way we are kind of like helps shape that, and you got to be able to like sometimes withstand things. It's about how tough are you. Do you have thick skin or this extra shit? Yeah, yeah, there's so many variables. So with the music industry, like you know, there's bitty parties, or like there's just shit out there. Like you know the bitty parties, or like, um, there's just shit out there. Like, easily all the time, like, nah, nah, it's not even in a negative way, it's, it's just like you just see humans, you know, and the way humans behave, you know, yeah, have you ever? You know um, have you ever like just people watch all the time? You feel me, it's just the way people, people behave.
Speaker 1:So, like to be in those rooms, you gotta be a fly on the wall and just see like people watch, you know, um, like I used to take martial arts right and when I was like a white or yellow belt, I still used to watch the black belts like do they forms and stuff. I wasn't allowed to do that type of shit but I used to watch it. You had my mom like I learned the form by just watching it and they were mad at me that I was doing it better than them. But I wasn't even a black dog yet. You can't do that yet, you know. But you're kind of cultish with the rules of like when you can learn. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, being in the rooms, I'm, I sit back and I observe and I I watch, and that's one of the best ways of learning and, um, you know, just learning the way people.
Speaker 1:My my first studio session was A$AP Bird. Yeah, beat Billionaire. He took me in the studio with A$AP Bird and he did jet lag. That nigga did jet lag in like 15 minutes, bro, really Like I seen him cook the beat and then he went in the booth and he made that motherfucking song so damn fast. But it was his creative method, you know. And then being in other sessions with other artists that made music that were signed, they also they didn't do it just like him, but they did it sort of like him. So that, like that influenced me to make music a certain way.
Speaker 1:But you, your question was like there's also that aspect of like so many motherfuckers in the industry is creeps. You feel me A lot. How did that influence me? I ain't, I ain't, you know, I ain't dealing with that type of shit, you know. So it influenced me in like many different ways. Yeah, you're aware, it makes you more aware.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my question is like, in what ways are you saying like specifically? Like, I guess if you're not like drinking, like every night in the studio, like smoking you know a lot of people do that right, like that's never been. Nah, nah, we up in here to work, there you go, we up in here to work. Now, when we in here, we gonna buy a bottle, we might sip some weed. We gonna definitely smoke some weed up in this motherfucker. Other than that, it's like when I'm outside of here, I not really like I'm not no drinker. Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 1:You, how did? How did the so? Martial arts? Um, now I'm starting to kind of figure it out, because you guys, you and beats you. You guys put this place together boxing, or oh, okay, so we missed that part. Oh shit, nah, cause, that's after. That's like, yeah, cause, alright. So you gotta connect the dots. Let me connect the dots, alright.
Speaker 1:So where we at I moved out, went to Atlanta, shit happened in Atlanta, but I got my team moved out here. We was doing that, we was doing the casting, I was doing the casting, shit. That's how I met you. I met you two months into being out here on the Ty Dolla $ign, hit the ground running and then Save and Beat Billionaire flew out here in 2019. That's when we started to make the music shit. And then you know Beat, he's a legend already and he don't really need to really work.
Speaker 1:So you know, as a family man and as a man, should, you should focus on your family. And his son got into boxing and with that, like I went down to Atlanta and we went to the fucking like their gym. It was in like the farm behind the crib, but it was cool Like they training the kids how to box. But you know, being like like their gym. It was in like this barn behind a crib, but it was cool like they training the kids how to box. But you know, b's, like man, I want my own shit. You feel me, it's just some ball shit. Like I want my own shit and for my son, he can come in here whenever he want and he can box whenever he want.
Speaker 1:So he found a spot, man and shit got the spot. We tore it down, bro, like we tore down the whole motherfucker. Like it had like the office ceiling with the white tiles yeah, yeah, yeah. And next door it was like this African spot. When I went in there, like the white tiles was gone. All you seen was like the bare top. Yeah, yup, um. And I'm like, well, you know, he got like the sprinkler system and shit, so it looked like a loft or some shit. Yeah, I'm like, bro, we gotta tear down the top. He said hold on, let's ask. We asked like two more. They said, yeah, yeah, we gotta tear down the top, tore down the top, we broke down walls, we painted the whole thing. He painted like Muhammad Ali before it may well go on the wall.
Speaker 1:We drove down to South Georgia. We picked up a ring like it was pouring rain, bro, we in a fucking Jeep, gladiator like sliding like with the fucking shit on the back. We had the. You know it's raining, so we had the packet on the back and shit like. But just thinking about the hard work and it's been like two years and that the gym is fire, it's been over two years. Yeah, two years it's been going on. Three man, it's called um, I think it to take that spot out.
Speaker 1:I wasn't able to do it my last trip to Atlanta. I did get some good interviews and shout outs to Young Lottie in Atlanta yes, sir, and but yeah, beat Billionaire, that was the boxing gym. That the I, the. I guess that's the boxing gym. Yeah, we're going to learn about that. I'm going to go over there and interview people there.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so that's the boxing gym. Yeah, and there's a lot of screens. Let me pull it up. My bad, I just had to do some crazy ass stuff. Oh good, all right. You know, I checked my phone and I'm like, oh, what the fuck? Yeah, billion dollar box, billion dollar box. Yeah, we're going to check them out and yeah, so it's just like that was for his son and, but you know, he that was for his son and uh, but you know, he got like his son was fighting with like golden glove winners and shit. So he got some young, I think they're they're not amateurs, they got some pros. That's awesome. Yeah, so you have them. Rip it off, yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like I'm part owner, but that's my brother, you know, and you know it's just like we all just want to help each other build something. Yeah, a legacy, you know. Yeah, yeah, it takes a team. It takes a legacy, you know, it takes a team, it takes a village, you know, and I'm just grateful that he brought me on the team.
Speaker 1:I remember the night I met him, I was in the Jeep Wrangler. I played him some music that I made you feel me and I brought them from the studio. You feel me. It's kind of like a movie, like how everything just fell into place. You never know who you're going to meet, where you're going to meet them and what that relationship can turn into. Business, friends, become family.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just like how you treat people and also being a good person. And it's just like how you treat people, you know, and also you know being a good person and keeping your name good. It's like when people could vouch for you. Like it was my homie, zay. You know, he met Zay first. Zay introduced him to me and it's like, okay, zay is a. Yeah, zay introduced him to me and it's like, okay, zay is a cool nigga, so you must be a cool nigga. Oh, and you make music. Zay take pictures, so you make music. Okay, let me I and like what can you do for me? It's not like what can I do for you? It's like what can you do for me on some shit? Yeah, you know, uh, there's always a trade-off with I want to say if you're not useful to someone, you're useless. Yeah, you know, when you start with trying to be a good person first, then that's how you end up with any situation. Yeah, you know for sure, because you gotta be authentic.
Speaker 1:People see past the bullshit very fast. Yeah, once you see it, one time it's like Radar. I ain't dealing with that. No, you're already a couple steps ahead and you can see it. Like you said, people watching If you do that long enough, you're gonna figure some shit out, exactly exactly.
Speaker 1:But I feel like a lot of people don't keep a watch. I guess it's like my mother would be oblivious, oblivious. They're just walking around, living like the way they live. Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy. But you know like if it was easy, everybody would do it and everybody would be successful. But it's not easy. Easy what you're doing, you know, like how many, like you said, just the cost of being here, it's the hours, like, yeah, it's a process, and then like it's like starting a business. You know, yeah, um, you know, other than music and shit, I got like two companies or whatever I do on the side. But it's like a lot of people don't start a business because they're afraid it's going to fail. But that's where, like the music, they don't try but which I have a friend out here, a group, and he said what you are in one thing is what you are in everything.
Speaker 1:And basically, if you're afraid to try in one thing, you're afraid to try in everything. If you're mediocre at one thing, or if you put mediocre effort into one thing, you're going to put mediocre effort into one thing, you're gonna put mediocre effort into the rest of these things. You know your whole life. That's who you are. You feel me. So.
Speaker 1:So I like, from leaving New Orleans to like investing in myself, going broke, like when I moved down here, I didn't contact my uncles, I packed everything in my Jeep Wrangler and just drove out here, a Jeep Wrangler that get 11 miles per gallon. So Atlanta, that out here, you feel me. And then like we didn't get into the part of like sleeping in the whip and all that extra shit. You feel me. But to do that, but you have in your mind like the outcome of where you want to be and if you believe in yourself, like starting the business, you gonna see that shit through. And when you do that, I feel like God sees it and he's like I'm gonna help you out because you see that you're striving to do something.
Speaker 1:But if you're not, you know, if you're not trying, nothing ever gonna happen. You know you can't be like stepping on people to try to get to get where you want. Don't't throw nobody under the bus. You know, and that's a lot of people do that. But see those gatekeepers or those people at the top, see that shit and they see, oh you a snake. I'm not about to let you get over here because you're going to try to snake me once you get to this level, you feel me. That's why I go back to keeping your name clean and being a good person and just do things the right way and don't force things. Your village, your tribe, is going to come to you. You don't fall into y'all. Both come together because vibrations meet like vibrations. You know they say in space. I forgot because the absence of whatever, like if a light metal sees another light metal, it gets the legal attaches and it doesn't. It can't be taken apart, no matter what. Yeah, and you know that's what vibrations are. You feel me. That's what vibrations are. You feel me A lot of people don't know about how important that is and just like everything that goes on around a player, yeah, and energy in that way is the same way you talk to it.
Speaker 1:You know how much energy you put into this. You know, like dictates, how successful this is. You know, if all you think about is this, if all Michael Jordan thought about was basketball, that's why he was that good. Exactly, you know, exactly, it's very missing from like culture these days. I don't know, I think I feel like this culture is like a little too kind and lazy a little bit. I'm lazy a little bit, you know, it's just like I just feel I'm lazy as fuck too sometimes. I'm not even wrong, I'm just saying, overall, I'm really out here just like I'm fighting for like this, because I know how much it helps people and what I'll be able to give my legacy and what I'm going to be remembered for and what my kids are going to look up to. For me, that's where I'm at with the whole thing. Everybody's journey is their journey.
Speaker 1:While we're on the music From the Shadows with Love. How did that name come up and how did the whole thing come together? You said it to me right when it, when it came out, bro. Very good, thank you, bro. Thank you so, um, you know, uh, me and my, my bro xander, like we, I think like since 2022, late 2022, we like been just locked in. We really locked in 2023. We just grew a sound. So we've just been building a whole bunch of songs we always talk about. We've never really talked definite of how I'm going to release any of the music or whatever. I got a laptop full of songs but I've been teasing that I'm going to release music and of songs. But I've been teasing and, like yo, I'm going to release music, release music.
Speaker 1:But a few weeks ago I got a business. I got a car rental company right and, like in the past two months, one renter I don't really care that he rented the car because he's from Russia and he was escaping. He was like they were, they do the draft over there. So once Putin was like he's not the awardee, yeah, yeah. So he's that over here, you know. So he ended up in one of my cars. He told me this afterwards but he ended up wrecking my whip and I really don't care for that one. But like a week ago, two weeks ago, three weeks I forgot how many fucking weeks ago the renter yeah, I just bought this car in January, got everything straight, got it on the road. A week go by, he's like, yeah, I'm going to extend the car. An hour go by, he's like, yeah, I'm gonna extend the car. An hour go by and he didn't send the money. So I track my car and like I see the voltage is like 4. I'm like, oh fuck, text him. You wrecked my fucking car. So this is two cars. Man, what?
Speaker 1:That night I went to sleep. I woke up like 4 am. I was like man, fuck it, I'm about to release some music. Man, that's what happened. I was like, bro, I'm about to. So in that instant I had all the R&B songs in one album. So I just listened to each one of them and was like, okay, these are the ones I want, chose them, released it. Like. Two days later, man, I was like man, fuck it, I need to. And I've been holding on to it for so long. I needed to just let this out. And then this I've been listening to like Party Next Door. So I've been on some R&B vibes lately and I've been dealing with this chick man she just man, she a fucking headache, and a lot of these songs. Like I made these songs before I met her, but they kind of like fit the criteria of what's going on with her. So I was like, let me just put this out here. Well, it's been really good, bro, I'm proud of you.
Speaker 1:You said you were like looking for your sound, like a long time ago I don't know how long ago, but we were talking and you you played something. I listened to it and I'm like, oh, that's tight. And we were talking do you feel like you have a good grasp of, like, what your sound is, or like what you want it to be, or where you're gonna go next with it? A little bit autotune, is that always? Yeah, I'm a, you know. Like at the beginning, like people tell me like I don't need autotune and I really don't, yeah, but for aesthetics, um, for the times that we're in, yeah. And then, like it's Like when you think about space and the future, auto-tune is kind of like that song that you remember that there used to be a movie on Disney. I think it was like is it Zoolander or something like that, zoom? So it's something like they're like some futuristic shit, but it's like that's what Auto-tune is to me. So I really felt with it. And, like music, it changes with time, yeah. So I can't just say that like.
Speaker 1:This is my song, you know, because I wanted to some of the shit I was playing earlier and I'm not going to play it on here. We probably can play a song, but anyway, next time. But it's a different song. This is an R&B album. The next album is going to be like a rap trap album and then, who knows, I might do a country album one day. Shit, there's money to be made in that too. You know what I mean. Like crossover shit. It's like really a thing. Dirk and Morgan Wallen yeah, you're right, you're right, you're right.
Speaker 1:It's like not to get kind of like I'm not making it, you know like, yeah, it's like I want this shit to stand up. I do want to be like on that level, yeah, but I want it to stand alone because it's like you make I'm not making music for like mainstream. Yeah, I'm not to like. Oh, this is just when I make these beats, it's like this is just a feeling like, and I'm more like I could take some country guitars, but I'm a morph those guitars to make them sound how I want to slow them down, whatever you know. So it's like creating your own genre. Yeah, you got like Playboy party sounds nothing like oh my gosh, bro, that's a whole new. You know what I'm saying? That's a whole. Yeah, he is right, but I don't want to go there. Yeah, that's a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to do some lightning questions. Let's go Five years from now. What are you going to be doing? Maybe career-wise, or just you have multiple businesses. What are your goals for you? Where are you going to be in five years? In five years, I will be 37. That's young.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say by that time I would want to have my crib in New York, in Manhattan. That's a dream right. I would want to have my crib in New York. That's a dream right. That would be fire. But honestly, like owning properties, owning properties, multiple places Me and you were talking about, like Sponsor, portugal, you know, I'm working on my dual citizenship Trinidad and Grenada.
Speaker 1:That's two potential places. But Grenada opens me up to a lot of stuff. I could go to Europe and probably buy a property. I've got to look more into that type of shit. That's the wave. It's like building up enough equity to start to play Monopoly around the world, you know, and then we're in Europe.
Speaker 1:Traveling through Europe is so much cheaper to do that. Man, man, I hear I hear you can take the train from wherever to wherever. You probably could take the plane, everything. That's one thing I realized on this last trip. I went to Portugal last year. I'm going here in less than a month and, yeah, you got to come check it out. I'll definitely take that trip. You said it's in June, though. Right, yeah, I'm come check it out. Nah, I'll definitely take that trip. You said it's in June, though. Right, yeah, I'm going in June, but I'm going to go twice a year, every year. Okay, what am I planning? If you go later in the year, let me know, I'll take that trip.
Speaker 1:What does it look like? If you're going to get popular or something in Trinidad or Grenada or something like that? What's the landscape look like? What would you look like? I've never been out there. It's like mountains. We have property in both places. Trinidad is real close to the beach, you know, but that's not really too many mountains, okay, but you know that's not really too many mountains, okay. Northland, but you know it's cool to like own shit. Yeah, but I just came from Tulum recently and, like you know, they're building up Tulum a lot right now, like it's still like slums, yeah, but they're building up resorts and stuff, because, you know, the American dollars are there and there's more places like that all over the world than just the homes. You know, in Trinidad there's the vehicles. You know, well, today was the home, second half, but you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:So it's like investments, like where can we park our money? That'll make us more money, more passive income, because that's, you know, that type of stuff, yeah, we talked earlier about like you know, yeah, that's really like when you ask that question. We talked earlier about like I'm on a scene, you know, yeah, that's that's. That's really like when you ask that question, like where do I see myself in five years? But, you know, establishing, establishing wealth, interest, that's the mindset. Mindset, bro. Yeah, I'm going to see where we're at Life lessons, perspective questions.
Speaker 1:All right, we're going to finish off. There's another question for you and then we'll do shout-outs. Good, if you're younger, self can see you now, self. What would you do, younger self, any of the things you accomplished? Were those? Any things that you would like?
Speaker 1:As a young age, I experienced things I thought I would never, you know From, even like riding in the Rolls Royce, that type of shit, like it's the little things. And like my younger self, looking up to me, is like yeah, you've done something. You've been in the rooms, you've written for people you know these people but the job ain't over. Kind of like it's just like finish the job now. It's like you've come this far, you've got this far, you got the experience. Now it's time to capitalize. If my younger self saw me right now, it's just like yo finish the job. You feel me, you made it, bro. Not yet, but the finish line is it's a rest.
Speaker 1:I just talked to my bro like it's like it's right there. It's like we god put us in these positions, you know, for a reason. So it's like it's right there, it's up, but it's up to us. It's like going back to the message earlier, it's like do you have that thick skin? Do you have that mind? Do you have that mentality to finish that job? It's so easy to get there and just be like you feel me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what's next for you? Music videos, marketing, like just figuring it out, you know, because you're your own boss. We were talking about it earlier. It's like you own yourself, you know. And this, like we were talking about it earlier. It's like you own yourself. You own your. You know you're a star in your own right. You there's instagram now. You know you're your own media out there. So it's just getting more content and just releasing it and um, that's about it. I really want to just like for the rest of the year. I'll probably release the rest of my music. I want to go into 2026. Let's start off some new shit, because I'm tired of holding on to it. It's a lot of good shit, so I need to give it out. You're doing your thing, bro.
Speaker 1:How do you define for yourself success today? What does that look like to you? What does success mean to you in this moment? Being well off, being taken care of man. You know we live in crazy times right now, you know. But that's life and I bet in the 1800s it was like we're living in crazy times. You feel me, but you got to take care of yourself and I've seen my mom work, I've seen old people work and it just it. I don't want to be an old person working. So at a young age you gotta take care of what you gotta take care of to be well off when you're holding right. So that's how you know. That's what I'm on. It's just like this taking care of self and saving money and putting it in the right places. And you know I, like you know I own my time. Like I don't clock in. You know, every day when I wake up I'm clocked in, you feel me. So that's what it's about.
Speaker 1:And when I'm 40, I want to be able to like I got 500K saved up, like it's easy to talk about that type of shit, but that's really like the mentality, because if you had $500,000 right now, what would you be doing? Making more off of that $500,000. You feel me Not fumbling the bag, not fumbling the bag, and it gives you the wiggle room to it. We travel a lot. We do what we want to do. It's at a cost right now, but that cost is going to pay for it. You know you got to pay that cost. The currency, like if you look at currency, money, whatever material things, I think the memories I have from traveling and the relationships that I've built from just leaving home far outweighs any dollar amount that I can make and for their own self, I feel like that brings you the wealth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Opportunity, your network is your network who? Yeah, opportunity, your network is your network, who you know, and it's not getting money from. I'm not saying in that aspect. It's like when you touch different places and you touch different people and you open your eyes to different things, you open up more opportunities. That's facts. That is probably the best fucking information I've ever been on this shit ever. That's right there, q.
Speaker 1:Before I go, I want to say thank you. I appreciate you for doing this. Do you want to shout anybody out? Let anybody know you know your final words or whatever, or where they can find you and listen to your music. Oh shit, yeah, damn. All right. You can find me on Instagram, anything. Just type in Q-U-I-E Francis F-R-A-N-C-I-S. I should pop up. That should just be the name. If you're looking for my music, it's just under QI, q-u-i-e. You can type in Q-U-I-E from the shadows, with love, and that should come up for you to all of my music. Shout out to you, bro, for creating this platform, you know, and really caring to go out, because how many people really do that and you travel on your own time to do that? I do, bro.
Speaker 1:You called me a journalist today, bro, and I appreciate that, because the more and more I do this, the more I'm like, all right, yeah, that's what I'm doing. I'm just out here showing what's really going on. You're a life journalist, bro, and you caring about going to people with some stories that journals, bro, and you caring about going to people with some stories that shit's important, bro. Me on those travels and all those situations, you know, whatever it may have been it could have been four in the morning, a rooftop in LA. It could have been in the mountains somewhere in Montana, fishing in Minnesota.
Speaker 1:No matter what, bro, I've connected with so many people and I've just like taken a little bit away from all of them. But their story, bro, like you went through that and you're just like living your dream right now. Like you have to hear it though, to be able to like either know you can do that or capable of doing that. You know, but it was me being like fuck it, I'm full set and I'm just rolling the dice. I'm going to this state and going to this state For sure, just what's in my car right now? Right, and just doing that, bro, it opened up so many opportunities and changed my mindset to the point where, like I'm cool with so many people that I can pull up here and do this with you, like same thing with people in New you know wherever, in another country you know, and that's what it's all about, bro. Yeah, we should probably like get an episode in London or something in Portugal, bro, I'm gonna do one.
Speaker 1:So, like, at the pad, there's like a rooftop. I grew up on this little rooftop my grandma used to. And just like bro, it's just trees, beautiful mountains, vineyards as far as the eyes can see, and the sunset, bro, nuts, it's like a little mushroom. It's chill, man. That sounds amazing. I'm telling you that's what it is. It's like all the people that you know have brought me in.
Speaker 1:It's like the same way, I'm just returning the favor. You know what I mean. Like that's what that place is there for. I can't be there every single day and take. You know, like most of the people I pull up, they want to help me around the house or do whatever.
Speaker 1:I'm like you're here two weeks, do whatever you want. You got a place to stay. You want an authentic experience, bro, like that's what it is. That's where my dad just wanted to show everybody around and do all that. So you're more than welcome. You know what I'm saying. You've been real good to me, bro. So, yeah, I want to say thank you, bro, I appreciate you and we're going to catch up here soon. Thank you, everybody, and I'll see y'all next time. Peace, boom, that was perfect, that was fire. Oh my, yeah, I appreciate that. Well, you've been doing this, bro, two years, bro, all night. Yeah, two years. I've been on my grind for two years. Honestly, it don't even feel like that was like this real conversation. That's what I like, bro, like I swear my whole life. That's what I was, thank you.