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Family Bidness Podcast Crew
We interview artists and creators to give them a platform to speak on their journey, who they are, and give some insight/knowledge into whatever field they’re a part of.
Family Bidness Podcast Crew
FCMB_KB
When your childhood friend becomes the artist everyone's talking about, there's a different kind of conversation waiting to happen. That's exactly what unfolds as KB joins us for an intimate look at his journey from the neighborhood kid labeled "the bad one" to a rising hip-hop artist with a clear vision.
The brotherhood is palpable from the first moment – not just podcast hosts and guest, but true family with shared history and last names. KB opens up about growing up between Chicago and Minnesota, revealing how these dual influences shaped both his life perspective and musical style. With disarming honesty, he reflects on how the company you keep inevitably shapes your path: "Even if you consider yourself a strong person, if the group around you don't do the right shit, you ain't going to do the right shit either."
What stands out most is KB's commitment to accountability. "Standing on business" isn't just a catchphrase but a hard-learned principle guiding everything he does. This determination shines through as he discusses his recent EP "Loyalty Over Love" and the breakthrough track "Back Down" – a song that, surprisingly, he personally doesn't favor despite its popularity with fans. This perfectionist streak pushes him constantly forward, never fully satisfied even as his audience grows.
KB doesn't shy away from industry realities either. He breaks down the strategic investments required to build momentum – from quality production to paid promotions – dismantling the myth that great music simply finds its audience without effort. "Nobody owes you shit," he emphasizes, underscoring the necessity of both financial and time investments in building meaningful connections.
Listen for the powerful advice KB wishes he could give his 16-year-old self: "Chase your motherfucking goals, don't let up." It's a reminder that resonates regardless of your passion or path – tomorrow's responsibilities have a way of pushing today's dreams to the back burner if we don't prioritize them now.
It's DJ Treble Kid. We got Marquette Wizard in the building. Marquette Wizard, what we doing, man? What we doing.
Speaker 2:Hey, we here, man. We here for another episode. Man, we got a special guest in the building today. Yo, you know A long time coming, man. Yo, we got a lot of new stuff coming, too that we're going to talk about. Yo, kb KB is in the building right now with us. Man, let's go.
Speaker 1:Let me ask this, let me ask this. Let me ask this so how do you actually say your name? Because you got this underscore in your shit, so I need you to properly say your name for the people who don't know.
Speaker 1:Tell us how to KB is like my name, but FC and B part is like the team. So do you say the underscore or is it just silent? It's silent, all right, bet All right, we keep it an underscore. It's silent. You feel me? Nah, for real, though, I was genuinely curious. That's been a question for a while, but that's actually.
Speaker 3:It wasn't supposed to be there, but the way it was released on the platform you know. But it wouldn't be that, no more.
Speaker 1:Hey man, look, we're going to dive into all of this man because I have a different kind of luxury of knowing this guest man. This guest is not just a guest to me, he's not just a rapper man. This is one of my brothers man I'm talking about. We grew up together. I can literally say like sandbox, you feel me, man, this is one of my brothers, man I'm talking about. We grew up together like I could literally say like sandbox, you feel me, and it's, it's, it's, it's. It's rare you could really say that with you. Know, I'm saying like, literally, like same, like our mama's got the same last name, uh, like we was born in the same neighborhood, like you did what I'm saying. You feel me? It's crazy, bro. I'm loving the fact that we're here right now, man, I'm loving the fact that we're here. So I got to ask this question bro, what was it like growing up for you? You know what I mean. I understand you had some shifts, you had some moves. Can you talk to the people and tell us a lot about that?
Speaker 3:I mean we could talk forever, but it really depends what stage, because there was a lot of growing up. Even me being, people still consider me young. It was a lot of growing up, for sure, for sure, I don't think I'm done, but it depends what stage. Like as a kid growing up, I was always he bad, that's the bad ass one. He bad as hell. He can't go nowhere without his mama or he can't go. So I was never going to the parties and shit like that growing up until I got a little bit more outside by myself, probably like 11, 12,. We had moved to Minnesota and that's basically where I grew up at. And when my life changed I took the bad ass to a different level, like you stepped that shit up allegedly.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it really does. I mean, I was a kid still, so it was all like life lessons and shit.
Speaker 2:Can you speak a little bit more on those lessons? What are some of the important things that you learned having to go through maybe some of these tough situations?
Speaker 3:I know being around certain people could cause you to do certain shit. Even if you consider yourself a strong person, you could be the alpha male around a group of males that you be around, but if the group of males around you don't do the right shit, you ain't going to do the right shit either. So growing up like that, that shit taught me like that. It taught me to surround myself with better people.
Speaker 2:Right, like the importance of having people with a similar mindset.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's aiming for some type of goal that could progress me in like.
Speaker 2:What would you, what would you say, might be one of the most important things that you've learned so far? And like, just in life, like going through, like being in the music industry, being an artist and growing up, going through these tough situations, what would you feel is the most important thing you've learned so far?
Speaker 3:Shit. Standing on that business, Standing on what you say you're going to do, just keep me your word. That's the biggest thing to me. You can't say you're going to do some shit and you really don't do it. Actually, I learned that shit from my brother bro that's sitting right here. That was maybe earlier this year. We had a personal talk, kind of got heated a little bit.
Speaker 2:It comes from a good place.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's always like that. That's why it ain't never that one time he gonna call and I miss the call and I don't hit him back. It's gonna always be that. It don't matter what the fuck we going through.
Speaker 2:That's how you know, his family man.
Speaker 1:And to speak a little bit more on that. You know what I mean. To speak on that a little bit more. Man, you know we go through moments in life. You know we all have our pitfalls, right, and it's so important to understand ownership, to understand accountability, um, and balance in it all. You know. You know what I'm saying like. So it's dope to even hear these things, um, but it just also goes to like to. It goes to say to that iron sharpens iron, because none of us here can be who we are without the next person sitting at the end. You know what I mean. We all have sharpened each other in our own ways. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:What a lot of people don't know about KB is that bro has plugged me with my job. I've been employed for the last two years, so to speak. You know what I mean, since we're talking about business. But it goes to show you that this business thing goes both ways. It's not just a financial thing, it's not just a moral code, it's all of it. We say family business all the time, family business over everything, and that's important because it just keeps that model of what we're working towards and what we really building towards Right, but I heard you mention Minnesota, Right, let's talk about Minnesota for a second. Let's how has Minnesota impacted your music?
Speaker 3:To be honest, shit, that's really where all my music come from. Like I don't think I strictly made no musically music from the heart, like strictly from Chicago. I feel like I get all my ideas and the way I rap or just what I talk about with music is Minnesota.
Speaker 1:And can you mention some of those influences from Minnesota? Because I'm pretty sure Minnesota has a rap scene that may not be buzzing to the rest of the world or it may be right, but can you name some of those early influences for you?
Speaker 3:I mean, it was pretty much mainstream that got me rapping the mainstream rappers, it was pretty much mainstream. And then I'll say who got me rapping? To be honest, it was my brother Hammer that started me off. It wasn't nobody, city-wise or locally. I could just pull up Unless you want me to do what everybody else do and name all my homies and shit but it wasn't really nobody. I was rapping first, if you want to be honest.
Speaker 2:What would you say has been a continuing motivator. This is how you got your start, but what would you say is something that continues to motivate you now, as you're creating.
Speaker 3:The people around me Just getting those random calls, those random ass DMs saying this shit hard, bro, I listen to this shit every day. Or people just reciting my songs and shit. They tell me that this shit hard and they know it from word from word. That shit gave me chills, put the make me tingle and all that shit. That shit pushed me hard. I'm like damn so I can't stop. Ain't no way to stop.
Speaker 2:It's like we too far gone already, man. It's like to turn back. It would be way more effort than we already put in, man. So one thing that I do want to say is what message would you have for someone that's also on the come up like you, who's also an artist, just trying to get the ideas out and trying to present them in a way that's different and refreshing?
Speaker 3:I say just keep consistent as much as you could, because life will hit you to the point like damn, you can't make the music. I got a new baby on the way, I got to get a job, I got to make more money, or whatever the case may be. So just keep creating, because only you're going to get better. That's the only way you're going to get better. If you keep creating, if you stop and you pause in your craft, then you will never get better. But if you're working on that craft just like you're working on anything else or anything else, you feel like you got to have it as if you're working on your craft as much as you do that other thing, like playing a game or anything, going shopping, hanging with friends. Sometimes you got to cut shit out, make sacrifices to get you in a better place.
Speaker 1:Well, let's start by asking this right At what point did you know that you wanted to release this project? Loyalty Over Love.
Speaker 3:I knew that it was time ticking Like I had to drop something. I can't just keep dropping videos or audios. I gotta give people a project. I feel like the fans and anybody that supported me want more and more from me and I feel like I was just giving y'all little crumbs. So I released the ep and gave y'all a little project. Half a project, that's what I consider it as, but it's definitely something coming.
Speaker 2:So you were speaking on your visuals. One question I wanted to ask him that was how did it feel to get your visuals played on no Jumpin'.
Speaker 3:It was cool. I mean, I'm going to be honest, the shit cost money. I didn't get on there because I was popping. I got on there because I paid for it and I felt like I could reach some more ears, which I did. So that was the whole point of it. That's how I got on. No Jumper to charging a little amount, pay for it. It's called promotion, but a lot of people don't think you can just drop it and blow up. That ain't how it work.
Speaker 2:So, speaking more on this subject of promotion, right, I feel like a lot of artists these days. They'll be like all right, I got a song that I made, I'm going to drop it, I'm going to post it on my story or whatever. I'm going to post it on every social media I got and I'm going to post it the day it comes out and maybe the day after, and then I don't see a lot of people putting in that time like, all right, if you got a single, maybe take a whole month before to be like all right, I'm going to figure out a budget. I got to do a budget for promo. I got to do a budget for marketing. I could reach out to people that have a certain amount of following, exactly like what you're basically saying and, like you know, you drop that little bag so you can get that promo. You know, and like a lot of people don't see that like, these are kind of the ways that you steadily build your fan base Could you speak a little bit more on that.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's definitely. Networking is a big thing. It's because nobody owe you shit. So you feel like you know a thousand people and you cool with them and they say they your friend and you post. Whatever you do, it don't have to be music. It could be clothes products, anything Hair products, it could be anything You're doing, hair, it could be anything. People don't have to support you. So it's like you pay to play. You can pay for a relationship that can bring you more money in.
Speaker 2:I feel like with a relationship, you might be paying a little bit more with your time. Not necessarily it's the same thing, because time is money. Okay, facts. I got to agree with that for sure.
Speaker 3:Time is money. For sure, time way more important than money, if you can't get time back.
Speaker 2:You would always make another bag Facts.
Speaker 3:That's definitely facts.
Speaker 1:Well, you spoke on investments, right. What has been the most essential investment thus far in you being a recording artist?
Speaker 3:You've got to elaborate on that a little bit more.
Speaker 1:So what is the one thing you need as an artist? What is the one thing you probably spend the most money on? Because you need this as an artist.
Speaker 3:Fucking beats, fucking beats that, really. And motherfucking Damn, that was a good one, because I can't even say beats, because Wardrobe for the videos be crazy. Paying for the videos. Be crazy. Paying for the videos be crazy. Because you were at different scenes. You want to be at different scenes.
Speaker 1:I'll be going out of town with the cameraman, with the cameraman, with the cameraman, with the cameraman speaking on the cameraman, right speaking on the cameraman. Let's hold you down. Let's talk about this relationship with KO to Don. What has been the creative process with your visuals with KO to Don? How did y'all come about meeting and what led to y'all having this working relationship with your visuals Shit meeting?
Speaker 3:What Meeting? Whoa? We go back like down to my first friend in Minnesota. So this shit, the music don't even count with me and him. That's how much love we got with each other. So we been had the, we been had the bond. It's just me moving to Chicago and he was already like at the same time. Like me moving to Chicago and he was already At the same time. I moved back to Chicago in 2017. That's when he started the camera shit. I didn't get to shoot with him until three years later, probably the beginning of the pandemic, and by that time he didn't finish school. For this shit, he sold events.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I've been rapping 10 years, 10, 12, 15 years already, so this shit was already a click.
Speaker 1:And which visual was. That Was the first visual. The feat.
Speaker 3:The first video was a feature for sure.
Speaker 1:And what was the feature?
Speaker 3:Detroit Flow.
Speaker 1:Detroit Flow with Vinny Santana. Shout out Vinny, you know what I mean. Go check that out, if y'all haven't already. You know what I mean, it's so crazy.
Speaker 3:I shot that video. I'd say 2020 or 2021. I made that song when I was like 16, 17. No, bullshit. I pull up my email. That's crazy. How old are you now? I'm 26. And that shit went up like it was brand new. That shit was so old to me.
Speaker 1:That's crazy. So that goes to show you that when you just got good music, it lives on. It lives on, man, it'll last a while. Music, it lives on, it lives on, man, it'll last a while. But that brings us to what I feel is the breakthrough record for you, at least amongst the homies, amongst the guys, just amongst our city, so to speak, wherever we at.
Speaker 1:When we play this record, it's just to even watch what it does to crowds, man, you know what I'm talking about. Man, back down, back down, what, how? How did you get this record? Man, like, because I remember hearing it for the first time, you know what I mean like to walk y'all through this right, we had a studio session, you know, and bro, just like he pull up on me like, hey, man, because I, I had this thing before. All our studio sessions we were always linked smoke some, eat some you know what I'm saying Play some music, just to kind of get our energy right. Before we walked in In this particular session, bro plays this beat.
Speaker 1:I just like, I don't, I will never forget this. He just plays this beat. I'm like, oh, like, where is this going? I say. And then he, just he, he just, he just does his thing and I'm just like, hey, man, what you think? I think I'm about to record this. They recorded and drop it ASAP. I even fell asleep about to record this. Nigga recorded and dropped it ASAP. I even fell asleep in that studio session. But when he recorded that shit, when he recorded that shit, I tell you that's when I tell y'all, that's how you know, when you got a record because some records just have effects on people I'm telling you we in the studio again Da-da-da-da-da, he's heard that shit. I wake up out my sleep. That's the one. There you go. He's just like, as he's recording this shit, I'm just da-da-da-da, I'm like yep, that's the one.
Speaker 2:It really works like that though.
Speaker 1:Sometimes you just hear that shit.
Speaker 2:What the fuck is that?
Speaker 3:And then it's so fucked up Because still to this day, I really don't like that song, like that Wait hold on, hold on.
Speaker 1:Let's speak on Back Down man. Let's talk about this record while we Back Down. What inspired that record and why don't you like the record?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I want to know.
Speaker 1:I have to know this now.
Speaker 3:What inspired it is Shit nigga. I was back down. I was back. Shit tell the motherfucker. After that, I think I went on a fucking rampage. After that I was back. That really let's start. Before that, before Back Down, I wasn't rapping like that how I'm supposed to, and everybody knew I could rap. Everybody around me knew I was a rapper already, but I wasn't rapping like that. I wasn't dropping shit, matter of fact, I was rapping 10 years. At that point, I never shot a video, never dropped a video. I had audio out on platforms and shit, but that's it.
Speaker 2:I had audio out on platforms and shit, but that's it. Would you say that that was almost like?
Speaker 3:a pivot point, a turning point, almost like it set the tone and after that it was like all right, we gone, it's up, it's up, it was over with After that, after Back Down. That's why it was up, it was over with.
Speaker 1:But why don't you like the?
Speaker 3:damn song, because I felt like I was everywhere on there, everywhere in what capacity. I felt like I wasn't consistent and it sounds good, the words sound good, but I felt like I was just jumping everywhere. You mean like energy-wise, or what do you mean? No, like if you want to call a storyline with the storyline or whatever.
Speaker 1:Oh, like the content of the song.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was everywhere. I felt like I was everywhere. That's why I don't like it.
Speaker 1:Now, did you feel that way right after you made the song, or did you?
Speaker 3:feel that way.
Speaker 1:I felt that way when it blew up, when everybody Like that feeling like damn Damn, I can do better, yeah, like that ain't even my best shit, like, ah, for sure, for sure, for sure, okay, okay. So it's that, it's that self-critic, so to speak, the perfectionism I feel, like the song.
Speaker 3:The other song I made, that day Was better.
Speaker 1:And what was the other song we made? Was it Workout?
Speaker 3:I think, I think it was no regrets.
Speaker 1:No regrets and no regrets is out. No regrets is not out. No, oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, no regrets is not out. We got a Lucy, uh-oh, uh-oh. We might have just got a Uh-oh. Now we got some digging to do once the recording stops. We got some, we got some. All right, you got to. You know what I'm saying. Go ahead and pass the hogs. You know what I mean, right? But so I know you speak on. We spoke on loyalty over love man. Like, how did you feel once your project got out? Like, because we know you talked about this big moment of finally putting out Back Down and feeling like, man, I'm back. But how did it really feel to put out a project after putting out these videos, these visuals? Like you really had a rollout. You know what I'm saying. You really had a rollout to Loyalty Over Love man. How did that feel for you to finally have it out? You had a rollout. You know what I'm saying. You really had a rollout to loyalty over love man. How did that feel for you to finally have it out?
Speaker 3:It felt good, but it just made me more hungry. It made me feel like I got to keep feeding them. I can't stop Keep feeding them, but you got to be can't pronounce it like that but strategic, whatever you want to call it Strategic, yeah, you got to be smart about your moves and shit. And basically, behind each audio, each music video, each project, you got to have this budget behind it. If it's going to take a monthly budget, or two months, three months, four months because once that budget is over, I feel like I'm done with that. I might share it once in a while, but other than that I probably won't share it unless a fan shared it or some shit like that. So when people ask me why I don't still share my shit, it's because the budget was over with.
Speaker 2:Well, you probably focused on the next thing already, right, yeah, and then life be happening. So, speaking on that, what can we expect to see from you next? I know we were talking about no Regrets and you just dropped this project not too long ago. What can we expect to see from you next? Can we expect to see things other than music from you as well?
Speaker 3:I definitely plan on getting different pockets, but right now I'm just learning everything. I've been with my homie KD as he's doing this acting thing, been learning from that. I definitely want to get in tune with that shit. I've been getting in tune with a lot of different activities besides music.
Speaker 2:Like kind of getting your feet wet, kind of educating yourself on these different things you might want to dive into later.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely Like shit. I need to learn. As a man I do. A lot of people don't know what I do in life. They think I'm just a rapper.
Speaker 2:They try to put you in a box.
Speaker 1:When are we going to get you on that? When are we going to get you on that Twitch, man? We know you be gaming over here. Man. For those that don't know, man.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I game Bro.
Speaker 1:Hey, bro, been a gamer my whole life. You know we the same age but bro been gaming our whole. We been into the same things our whole life, like it's crazy.
Speaker 3:It's like I game, but I don't game, no more. I only play. That's real. I play when I got time, but that shit be. Oh, I done, made a couple songs, I did my job, went to the gym, did something productive. I'm bored, ain't got shit to do. I ain't tired. Finna play the game. Other than that, that motherfucker is a YouTube player or something.
Speaker 2:I feel that because you only be playing if you have time for that shit, more so if you've done all the other shit you have to do. Yeah, definitely, it's like that little leisure activity you have at the end of the day type shit, yeah, definitely having a spouse too.
Speaker 3:That shit don't be working like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because they be wanting your attention at every shit.
Speaker 3:It's only 24 hours shit, If I'm gone outside the crib 10 to 12 hours. It's only 12 hours in the crib and I might sneak the gym in there. So I'm gone again. So you know.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you this Before we wrap this thing on up right, I know Bro had asked you about advice that you would have for somebody in your situation, but if you could go back and give advice to your younger self, your 16-year-old self, what would you go back and tell them?
Speaker 3:Shit. Take care of yourself first. Chase your motherfucker dreams, because if you don't, you're going to be stuck like everybody else and get too old in life. And you got to handle the personal shit before you chase your goals. And then now your goal's on the back burner. You got that freedom as a 16-year-old. You got that freedom in life that you ain't got to take care of the big shit in life and all your proceeds and shit go to whatever you want. That's the biggest advice Chase your motherfucking goals, don't let up. Work hard. Every day You're going to see 18 and 19 and 21 a different thing. You're going to be living like 30-year-olds.
Speaker 1:That's a fact, man, and that's a fact man, and that's a wrap. Fc and BKB. Man, we appreciate you, my brother, you know what I'm saying. We thank you for allowing us, man. You welcomed us into your home, man, you know what I mean, you know. Now we about to dive into some unreleased you know what I mean Some stuff y'all probably going to hear, hopefully by the time this thing come out. You feel me, but in the meantime, make sure y'all go stream Loyalty Over Love. Go check y'all back down. Y'all got to go watch back down. You know what I mean Check the visuals out bro.
Speaker 2:We got hella visuals out right now, bro, you got to get that shit. You got to do it. I'm telling you Hella visuals out. Hella, fucking creative man. This dude is an amazing artist man. You got to go do it. Do yourself a favor, bro. Go stream Loyalty Over Love man. We here, bro. We here. We got KB, we got DJ Trouble Kid. We got Marquette.
