"Artist 2 Artist" hosted by Jim Jones
Dipsets own Jim Jones, sits down with Artist on his own new podcast "Artist 2 Artist" where they deep dive into culture, music industry & experiences.
"Artist 2 Artist" hosted by Jim Jones
Albee Al hosted by Jim Jones (ep. 17)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of Artist 2 Artist, Jim Jones sits down with Albee Al for an unfiltered and insightful conversation covering everything from his early upbringing in music to the evolving landscape of today’s industry. Albee Al opens up about how his environment shaped his sound, the grind it took to build his name, and the realities of coming up in the streets while pursuing music. The two also dive into the rise of streamers and content creators, and how their influence is changing the way artists gain exposure and connect with fans. A major highlight of the discussion touches on the disconnect between New York and New Jersey—two regions with deep hip-hop roots but often divided in recognition and unity. Albee Al shares his perspective on bridging that gap and what it means for artists coming out of Jersey.The conversation doesn’t shy away from real talk either, as Albee Al gives his honest thoughts on street codes, loyalty, and the controversial topic of snitching.
What's up, everybody? Welcome back to Artists and Artists. This is a conversation that needs to be had uh brought to you by Playmaker, Playmaker Show. Um today we got a very dope guest. Um one of my first up and coming artists on the show as a guest, so we're about to start a whole new thing. Um shout outs to Albiya, ladies and gentlemen, for coming in here today.
SPEAKER_00Yo, yo, yo. Love is good, Cabo, what up, though, brother? What's up, my brother? Easy style, you know me, man. How you feeling, man? Feel good. Appreciate y'all for having me. Appreciate you for having me, man. You know it's always love with us, man.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I mean, I've I've been watching you in the game for a minute. Um, and as of recently, uh definitely um created a bond and shit like that. Shouts to Peso and shit like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, shout out to my dog Paiso.
SPEAKER_05A few other people we have in common, but I want to go back to just probably give some of these people some insight exactly on who Al B Al is. So, where are you from?
SPEAKER_00From Jersey City, Marion Projects. I'm from Jersey, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Shouts to Marion Projects.
SPEAKER_00Marion Projects, man, land of the loss.
SPEAKER_05Land of the loss, huh?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Not the easiest projects to grow up in.
SPEAKER_00Not at all. Not at all, bro.
SPEAKER_05You seem to be pretty influential over there. I've seen you went through a lot of ups and downs. I don't really like to talk about people's um uh downside like to I like to pick up. So um know you had your spats with the law like a lot of us did. Um and um through all of that you seem to come out and be able to reinvent yourself.
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_05Um now when you knew that you was to get your freedom, um was the decision made uh about doing music?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, hell yeah. You know, you know, I was already um, like I always knew how to rap, I always knew how to rap. Like I always was like, like always fucking with the pen and pad, writing, rap, like I used to be get the uh instrumental CDs, get an instrumental CD and find a beat and just write to it. Always try to do a freestyle over, always try to do a beat over. So like even when I was in um grade school, I used to be probably like in like like nine years old, writing, writing raps in school, the teacher take my raps, do them away, tell my mother I'm not doing my homework, I'm writing raps. Like I always like, I mean I remember this like just seeing videos on TV, like um, who just had me like ready this ready to rap. Like just seeing uh basically like the the poverty of the uh of artists from like for instance the when I first seen Juvenile Hun video and the Hot Boys video when like we on fire, like just running through the trenches, and I'm just like yo damn, like this shit look like our neighborhood a little bit. Like it made me feel like we could be on TV one day. So that's why I really start getting into it.
SPEAKER_05How long have you been rapping? Like besides like like seriously, like or I mean like I say I start taking it serious.
SPEAKER_00Like I was I was like when I was like 13 years old, 12, 13, it was uh this big king pick. He used to run with my pops named Peter Bond. Shout out to Peter Bonds, Jersey City. Um so Peter Bonds used to be like uh he started this group called uh Exit 14B. That's a Jersey City exit on the uh turnpipe. So he's uh he started a group on there. So he just tried to pay homage to my pops by putting me on there. So that was like my first time like ever like being in a studio. So I always knew how to rap. Like, so it was like a real, real studio. I used to probably just rap with my friend uh crib or whatever and shit, but a real studio, so he used to just like put me in there and I learned like character, learned how to like it was like an artist development for me. It's uh old head, Mr. Low Cash, Rigor Mortis, Rest in Peace. Like they they gave me like style to rap because I was just like a 16 bar spitting punchline and good. They gave me like how to bring it out. So so by the time I was 14, I'm like the way these people was treating me when you know, um, that's when Bow Wow was real hot, like there's a young artist that could make it. I'm like, I probably I know I'm better than him, but then I heard he wasn't writing his own shit. I'm like, oh yeah, I could make it with this shit. You feel me? I'm like, because I'm writing my own shit, you feel me? So that's when like so. I say about 14 years old, that's when I was like, oh I I I could I could do something with this. This is what I'm no, this is what I want to do. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_05When did you figure you could make some money from this shit?
SPEAKER_00I just I felt like I just if I get get next to the right person, get next to the right person. It's this dude named for my hood. He passed away, his name, um Manzini or whatever. I remember when uh Puff did the first making the band, I had to be like 12 years old, I had to be like 11 years old, bro. He brought me all the way to New York and just try to like get me to like audition. We came too late, the shit was closed. He just wanted me. The old niggas was like, yo, let's let this motherfucker get in some front of somebody and rap. That's crazy. I never told that story. That shit just popped in my head. But I never, I couldn't, I couldn't rap for nobody. And then the first time I rapped in front of a rapper, it was uh or somebody that's in the industry, it was Spliff Star. Joe Button was shooting a video in Jersey City, and everybody was like, Albe, come around here, you got busted rhymes out here, they interacting with the people. So I came around there and I and I probably was like 12, 13, and I rapped for Splif Star. That motherfucker, he was like, Yo, you gonna be some. I just seen Spliff for the first time probably like two years ago, and he was like, That's you, motherfucker, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, Yeah, I'm here down, it took a little while, a little trials and tribulations. That's fucked up. But I'm here, man. Word up. Shout out to Spliff Star too.
SPEAKER_05No, I'll be I want I like asking these questions because people don't get to see all the things that people gotta go through in order to reach where you are now, and you just starting, so you got so far to go. And and you're one of the most talented people, um, I would say out of Jersey, but also in New York City and shit like that, especially for up-and-coming artists. You your pen game, your pen game is crazy. Like, I can't say that I've been watching you spit for a minute and shit like that. And when you first came out, they was giving you the similarities. Like, yo, you sound like me, yo, you sound like that, but yeah, and that that's that's that's a that's a dope to have people even saying that and shit like that when you was first coming out, and then now I see you people start to hear your own thing, like from breaking the doors. Cause when you come in the game, they always associate you with something or you sound like something and shit like that. And yeah, now you straight Albi Al or you kicking ass. Let me ask you this who's your favorite who Jersey artist?
SPEAKER_00My favorite Jersey artist, uh I had to say he passed away. He ain't really, he uh name Rick Mortis. Rigor Mortis, probably my favorite Jersey artist, Tretch, my favorite Jersey artist. And um, my man, he used to be like, he was, he ain't, he ain't, he ain't had a drive, he ain't keep going like how I went, but we was like in the same class, and he was like my competition. Like, and I used to be like, yo, what's up? Like not, it was like a friendly competition. He from my city's name, Illinois, man, and I just wish he would have just kept kept going. Like, I wish he supposed to've been like here with me, you know what I'm saying? His team over here, my team over here. You feel me? That bat motherfucker used to, we used to drop like the like the freestyles, the mixtapes, and he used to go hard on them shits too, man. I used to try to catch like every mixtape and go crazy on that shit. You feel me? That was our you know that was our Jersey City sound. You you ever did any like battling, like pull up, pull up us, battle with all that shit?
SPEAKER_03I disappeared.
SPEAKER_00I did I used to, that's where I come from. I come from the like the battle and shit. Like, so I used to like like be in my hood, like my brother, man. Rest in peace, my my my twin Meach, man. Meach used to be like, like, he my biggest fan. So he be going hood to hood, like every project, so my little brother, my little brother, better than whoever, whoever you go get, you feel me? Old old head niggas, new niggas, whoever, go get him. So he'll bring me to these hoods and he'll bet on me. And I go battle everybody all through the city. Now always win, word up, always won.
SPEAKER_05So your name been ringing bells as far as the music in Georgia City for a minute now then.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, hell yeah, hell yeah. Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_05So how does it feel to know that you come from a certain part of Jersey, but you like the representative there then? Like when you move around, I see I know people out in Georgia City. You know, I got some stores out there, so you're not I I I hear a lot and shit like that. So when you come outside and then the respect you get and the smiles that you get from the kids and shit like that, how does that how does that make you feel?
SPEAKER_00It feels good, because just to know that they look at me and they see inspiration. You know what I mean? Because you know, like, like certain certain people in the society, in our community, like like the police and them, some of them like they look at me and they see they see that they see the bad, they don't never see the good. But then you got some officers that actually fuck with my music and actually fuck with who I am and and and and want to see me go. Because I used to, even when I was in jail, I see some COs, they just would be mad that I'm in here, like, ow, man, I fuck with your music so hard, man. You did this shit already. And I and that shit would take getting in from getting just hearing that from like a cop or some shit, that shit just be like rup, like, damn, you telling me this shit. You know what I mean? But then you got then you then you got the kids that just looking at me as inspiration, especially when I go to my projects and they just running up to me, asking me for dollars, asking me for, you know what I'm saying? Having me, yo, Abby wanna do this, and just looking at me for hope. You feel me? And I just want to let them know, like, it's shit possible, you know what I mean? You know it's still a fight though, no matter what. Your grind ain't never gonna sleep. You can't stop doing what you don't, even when it looked like you made it. You gotta keep going because it's it's it's it's it's easy, it's it's hard. You think it's hard to make it? Yeah, it's of course it's hard to make it, but it's it's harder to stay relevant and stay can like stay on top too. They don't know it's heavy as the head that wear the crown, man. Word up.
SPEAKER_05That's real shit. It's easier to make some money, but it's harder to keep it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's that's what I was trying to say to me.
SPEAKER_05I mean, it's the same way going to the top. Yeah, it's easy. It might be easy to get there, but can you stay there?
SPEAKER_00Because when I was broke, I ain't understand what this nigga said when he said more money, more problems. I ain't know what the fuck Biggie was talking about. I'm like, I want them problems. Of course, nobody don't you rather have a rich problem than a broke problem. But when you got that bread, you're a target, and then you got you then your family start treating you different if you if you tell them no one time, your niggas start treating you different, your niggas, your niggas and bitches be asking for more shit than your kids ask. You know, your kids want, of course they want the fly shit, but they want your time. So it's just so much shit weighing at your shit, man. It's hard. It's hard being real, man. But some I I ain't gonna stop being it. Fuck it.
SPEAKER_05It's a great position to be in, man. You decide to be the boss and the leader, you know, nine sides out of out of ten, you're the last person that receives any gratification. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_05You you you get what you what you put yourself in position for. But it seems like you you handle it pretty good. Uh watch how you move around, you move tactic. Yeah, you get a lot of respect and shit like that. People don't play with you. That's just like that's the type of shit I like to see. As far as as the industry, well, let's go here. Jersey and New York, right? There's always been like some disconnect from us being right across the bridge. But for me, since me being living in Jersey for so many years, it's not just the same thing to me. But for you, what do you think causes that disconnect? Or you think there's any disconnect between Jersey and New York?
SPEAKER_00I think it's a I think it's a big disconnect. I think the disconnect comes from uh this New York being a Mecca and and then like the the people, the gatekeepers that's and let's let's like running, running, uh pushing the buttons in these rooms, them the New York niggas that just don't like they just they taking, they ain't trying to let them jersey motherfuckers get in. They showing me love. I appreciate that. You know, WAP just came home, they show WAP love. They pick and choose what they want, you know what I mean? But they fuck with me. It took a lot for me to even to get that. So I'm grateful that motherfuckers fuck with me. I appreciate that. But I just feel like they don't be wanting nobody to snatch that shit. And they and they and they they feel like they be protecting that shit from us when we could we can we can move together. We could all get it together, but they ain't but they ain't they protect it from us, but they ain't protect it from the South. You feel me? That's the shit that I ain't like. You feel me? It's like they let the South come over here and do what the fuck they want to do. They let the South come over here, be all over the radio, but it comes when it comes to them Jersey motherfuckers. I don't know, man. What's that about? I that's the question I want to know. I want to ask that.
SPEAKER_05You know what I'm saying? I don't know. It definitely, definitely, Jersey, definitely always been shaded from the New York standpoint of the music industry. But that's been going on for so many years. But for every genre, every era, every time period, Jersey has always had an artist that stood out and be a very successful. Absolutely. And you are changing that because now you've become sort of a liaison from Jersey to New York because so many of these artists in New York fuck with you. Word up. You know what I mean? So and it's so close in proximity, it's like you it's no you can't see the difference when you pop out now and shit like that. So what you're doing is commendable. I don't think you should stop because I think that you could make all that disconnect kind of disappear and turn into a connect and shit like that. Because Jersey has a a a lot of dope ass artists. And Jersey has its own sound, like you're you go crazy, but then Jersey has the house music sound of that people don't even know. Well, they're starting to know because a lot of artists starting using the beat temples and all that shit. Exactly. But a lot of that house music comes from Jersey and shit like that, you know what I mean? So yeah. I think you got a lot more doors to open when it comes to that. Um, speaking of your brother, because I know uh I see you uh done records about him, I see you always mentioned them in interviews and things like that. Um, this was your real brother?
SPEAKER_00Hell yeah, it's my big brother. That's my big brother. Me and my mom, my mom my father had seven kids and shit. My mom's only had two, so that's that's the two that came for me and my mom my mom's got two kids by my father or whatever. And that's that's me and my brother. It was always like yin and yang. But he was just always like the protector. He was like Superman. He was the one that wanted to go do it, so we ain't gotta go do it. You know what I mean? He hit the streets first, he grew up faster than me, way faster than me, because he's my big brother. We ain't had no father. You know what I mean? So he just like in the streets figuring it out. So by the time I got there, I ain't had to do certain shit. I ain't start, I ain't had to start like trapping. He me and him used to fight because he sees me in the streets trapping. He one of the reasons why I don't smoke. You feel me? Cause like he he used to be like, he catch me around that shit. And he smoked, we used to start fighting. What you doing around this shit? You see, catch me in the trap. What you doing ahead? We start fighting. All of that shit. But then it got to a point where I just got too, I got too big, too, the streets. I started doing my own reroute and going my own way. He ain't going with his friends, I ain't with my friends. I start getting in my own shit, and then it was just like, he like, I can't really trust these niggas anyway. I'ma take my little brother with me. You feel me? So that's what it was like. Alright, we was like the canon undertaker after that. You feel me? Destruction brothers.
SPEAKER_05So looking now with everything that you've done, do you think you've you are doing everything he wanted you to do?
SPEAKER_00Honestly, yeah. I think I think he I think he's looking at me smiling. I think he's looking at me smiling, but he I think he also like, yo, you could do way more. Like, I think he feels like that. Like, you could do way more. Don't don't get satisfied. Even though I know I'm not satisfied, he just feels like it's something else that I'm missing, or feel like it's something holding me back and I and I could get it done. You know what I'm saying? So I defin I know I know he my biggest fan. I know he I know he up there, like, yo, my little brother kicking ass right now. Niggas can't fuck with my little brother, still popping his shit. You feel me? But I also know he like, because I could hear him, like, yo, you gotta do this, you gotta get this done. Why you ain't do this yet? I hear him talking to me, talk to me. That's my ghost. I'm possessed by that nigga.
SPEAKER_05Is this is this something specific in this game that you wanna do that you haven't done yet?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I just I feel like I feel like uh it's just something missing. It's something missing. Like, like the streets fuck with me heavy now. I just gotta, I gotta, I need that mainstream record. So once I get that mainstream record and that record go, I feel like whoever hear that mainstream record, when they fuck with it, they're gonna go back to my catalog and turn me up even more. And they gonna realize how how how I ain't never miss from any album I ever dropped was always that. No skips.
SPEAKER_05I ain't gonna lie, you know, one of the things that um helped us out a lot is that we would always move around. Just to get away from everything that we used to and everything that we used to see, and get some clarity and can move around. So that's why I always found myself in like Miami, or find myself in Atlanta and stay down there for three weeks, four weeks at a time, do albums and everything out there. And that's gonna put you in a whole different mode of music. You know what I mean? So sitting here listening to you and things like that. Sometimes you gotta go other places to find that sound, to find what you need, because you're gonna be feeling different. The the life you live in is the music you're gonna project. Right, right, right. You know what I mean? So when you're stuck up here in Jersey City and you in the city, naturally you're gonna project what you're moving around and doing. You get out of town and the sun rays start hitting you, and you start doing some ball and shit, it's like that shit all comes with it. Like it's just little tricks and shit like that, and you got it. And now's the time to do it while you're still fresh in the game, you start moving around this country and building rapports and relationships with different states and different people and shit like that and make your travels even easier and shit like that. Absolutely. There's a lot to offer out there.
SPEAKER_00Nah, for real. I've I've you absolutely right, because whenever I'm in um, whenever I be out there in San Francisco and I'm in, I'm at the Empire Studio and all of that, my my mind is open up to new things, just seeing shit. That whole day, this like it everything be out there, like even in Cali, LA, anywhere. You know what I'm saying? Miami also, my mind, like my mind does open up just the way, the way, the way the atmosphere is. You right, you feel me? I'm I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna take heed to that shit though. I'm gonna take heed to that. Home be addicted sometimes, but it feels better when you get a fuck out of here, you know?
SPEAKER_05And then um Mainstream radio looks like what now, what you think? Because it's like from what I know, mainstream radio to be, uh mainstream radio hit to be part of me. It don't seem like it works the same as it used to nowadays, with so much social media and streaming, and there's only a few artists that actually attack the radio because they have the budget for radio promo. Right. You know what I mean? So it's like it's much easier for you to do it than we was.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01It's like so.
SPEAKER_05I believe so. Because it's it's not conventional anymore. So I'm trying to figure out in your mind, like what is what does that look like for me nowadays? It's like you got so many systems set up that if you're smart and shit like that, you can kind of if you got a dope. It starts with the music, first of all. You heard? But the way shit is set up now, like, even some of the records I got, if I was to really push them and shit like that, I think they can go a lot further than if I were to put some on it. I mean, I just I'll just be doing music and just doing music and like it. But if you sit down and concentrate on a lot of these records, like these kids are doing, kids are popping out with hits and going on around the world and tours and shit like that. And it that doesn't necessarily be a mainstream record, but you getting mainstream money.
SPEAKER_00Right, right, right. I agree with that. I agree with that.
SPEAKER_05Because a mainstream record cost you a quarter million dollars.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they only they don't and and then nine times out of ten, these labels don't even know what a hit is, shit just go. They don't know what the fuck it is.
SPEAKER_05Because it's different. It don't start from radio no more, it starts from the streets and it starts from the computers and shit like that.
SPEAKER_00Exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_05And then you got these TikTok kicks, like you're saying, 10 seconds of the song, that shit is out of here. Out of here. So you don't know where the fuck are here's gonna come from next day. But what works is nowadays we are able to get richer off our built-in fan bases.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I got a cult following, so that's what that's what helps me out.
SPEAKER_05And that shit just keeps getting bigger, keep getting bigger. As long as you feed it, yeah, and stay sturdy and keep being who you are, get bigger and bigger and bigger, they're gonna start turning all your records into the records you want.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_05Hell yeah. You're gonna be on the road touring, super bag. The more you drop records, super bag. You don't you're still on Empire, right? Yeah. See, like all of these independent uh distribution models wasn't out when we was doing it. I was lucky enough to be able, like, I'm just going independent, but kids got a a uh a big advantage nowadays than we had. But only if they understand what the workload it takes to market or promote an independent artist.
SPEAKER_00Agreed, agreed.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean? So this is what empire is dope at. That's what a lot of artists don't see and shit like that.
SPEAKER_00Is they motherfucker could go viral just just off his phone. He don't even and never been, never sat in a label before, never set with been around a superstar. You became a superstar overnight.
SPEAKER_05Now moving forward, moving forward with that, it might not happen again for them a second time.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Nine times out of ten, it don't. And it's and that's and that's where the labels be trying to, you like the major labels, you go to them and they and you expect them to give you a bag. They won't give you no bag or crazy, knowing that you a complete, you, you, you're a complete artist, but then they'll give a motherfucker that just got one hit, all of this money, and then he he then you fuck mad at you gave him all his money, but he can't give you another hit. And all you gotta do is push these records out of I got right here.
SPEAKER_05That's why you see 80% of all the labels are closing up shop and firing people because a lot of mistakes were made when all these streaming successions started happening, for the TikToks, and they paid out millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars to a lot of artists that couldn't recoup because they would never ever produce the same amount of motion that they did from what they signed them for.
SPEAKER_00I wish streaming ain't never exist. I wish I was here when the time when they had to go to the store and buy the.
SPEAKER_05That was a fly time. I ain't gonna lie. I won't take nothing away from streaming because your time evolves and you gotta keep up with the times.
SPEAKER_00But they need to give us more money for that shit though.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but it's not so take somebody was telling me this the other day, so it was and and it made sense. He was like, all right, so how about this? If because of streaming, he's like, so now imagine. You get paid every time somebody played the record on your CD. Like if I got a C if I brought your CD and I'm in my house and I play that shit 4,000 times from the moment up in my house, you heard? Yeah, yeah. We didn't get paid from that.
SPEAKER_00Nah, we didn't.
SPEAKER_05We just got paid from the one CD. We didn't get paid from every time a nigga spun that shit.
SPEAKER_00But how many times you gotta listen to that shit just to for the be down as one download? That's crazy.
SPEAKER_05That is crazy. That's crazy. But it works. It works. I mean, it might it might be out of a few, it's it's it's difficult. I mean, myself is a hustler, so I don't put myself in no corner. I don't care where you're gonna put me, I'm gonna figure out to make it work the way I need it to work. You know what I mean? I was just telling somebody the other day, like, yo, bro, I might not can't get a hundred for a show a night, but I can show you how to make a hundred in a night. You heard?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_05Long as I get my hundred, what do I care how I got it? Yeah, yeah. You heard? Absolutely. Yeah, as long as my end result is the same end result I was looking for, whether I get it, do one show tonight or I'm doing a few things to hustle up to add up to that hundred.
SPEAKER_00That's all that matters. Hell yeah. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_05So that's how I look at a lot of this shit and shit like that, because the streaming shit is confusing to me. But I encourage it because it's the new wave and it's a new platform for people to make a lot of money. Like, we didn't have these platforms. The crazy thing is it just allows everyone to be a rapper. You can wake up today and be like, I'm gonna be a rapper, I'm gonna put my shit up and start streaming today.
SPEAKER_00Sure do. Everybody's a motherfucking rapper.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean? Like it and not saying it wasn't a million rappers when we were coming up, but it wasn't accessible as it was. Like you you you had to be somebody. You had to really have rap, you had to be had got notice. Yeah. Uh you had to start from the streets, then you had to go to your to the to the fucking mixtapes. When the mixtapes got high, people started knowing you more. Now the labels was calling, like it was a process for you to get to the pro leagues and shit like that. Now everybody could just jump on the water and be like, yo, I'm about to drop an album.
SPEAKER_00Yo, fuck that. They come over to jail, never rap there. It's like, y'all about to drop an album. They they they just wake up one day on the streets. Yeah, about to drop an album.
SPEAKER_05And you got the artwork, everything posted on your IG, and you got the album release party and all that. Ready. You heard? Like, nobody knows now one record. You got the album dropping. This shit is crazy. It's crazy. It's crazy out here, man. This shit. But I encourage everybody to be the artist they want to be. I don't I don't knock nobody's hustle and shit like that. Just don't waste your hustle. A lot of people are wasting time with things that they know can't be. That was one of the things that I always want to be as real with myself when it came to doing my music.
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_05But you can hear you just like you the first person, nigga. If you if you don't smell right, you the first person to smell it. Right? Nigga, if you rap whack, you the first person to know it.
SPEAKER_00You're supposed to know it. Right? I don't think niggas be knowing that shit though. Get the fuck out of here, bro. It has to be like big no, bro. You haven't seen somebody just so confident and they so trash? Like, yo, you really think you yo, no, but then it's like you can't even tell them motherfucking ass no more because them ass niggas blowing up, man. You feel me? It's rough out here, bro. It's like, damn. But you got some niggas like, yo, what you doing in there? And he really like confident that he him. He him, you feel me? Like, it's different. See, rapping is different from singing. See, you got singers, they know you can't sing. You know you can't sing.
SPEAKER_05Uh oh, you do a bad.
SPEAKER_00You know it, you know it.
SPEAKER_05But rapping, some motherfuckers be like, I'm nice, I'll go for you hating. You feel me? And that same nigga that said that might end up gone. Like, nah, this is crazy. I got chosen shut up sometime, man. But before all the music, before all the music, and I know we all had a story. What were you into? Outside in the streets, running the gunning, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I was in the streets, heavy. I would like cause I like I said, I always rapped or whatever, you know what I mean? Always, I always knew how to rap, regardless of what. That's just that just came with it. It's in my DNA. My pops was a rapper. Like, I always loved hip-hop, loved music. But before, before I could even feel like I could make it in rap or whatever, I was definitely hard in the streets. Because just coming from where we come from, like, you know what I mean? Just being loyal, just being being loyal to my hood. You know what I mean? You like motherfuckers be getting Rico charges for being for being from where they're from. Like, this where I'm from. My mother was raised here. My mother, mother was raised here. Y'all calling us a gang now. We a family. You really is. Like, you feel me? My mother used to babysit him, her mother used to babysit me. You get what I'm saying? That's this our community, but they done, they done tricked us out our spots by letting these motherfuckers get Rico charged for repping where they're from. When it's what we else supposed to do. You got enemies coming down there trying to do things to us. So we gotta protect ourselves. Or this my this my boy I'm with this nigga all day. He go to this hood to go see this girl, he get jumped. Now we gotta go around and defend my boy when we see these guys. Why wouldn't we not supposed to let him get jumped? We gonna run away. What the what I don't understand what they want us to do. So that's how the street shit starts from there. It starts from there, from this fighting. Boys and girls club shit. You feel me? Going to play ball against this team. He fouled my man too hard. So now my hood fighting his hood. You feel me? We beef after the game, we gonna fight us. You know what I mean? It's just regular shit. It was just regular hood shit. You know what I mean? So I I've been around this shit.
SPEAKER_05What was one of the biggest lessons you learned from going through all of that?
SPEAKER_00That uh ain't nobody gonna have your kids. Nobody gonna have your kids, bro. Like, you got some people they gonna they gonna they gonna dip in there, probably on birthdays, holidays, pull up on your kids, make sure your kids straight. Like, yo, if they could, but at the end of the day, your kids need a father a day. You know what I'm saying? They need to holler at you a day. Whether they speak to you a day, just to know that you there every day, it's different. It's different. When you realize that, that's the that's one of the hardest things I had to deal with. Like, yo, damn. Like, I know, I know how I was coming up, how I was doing, little girls. When I was when I was fucking with girls, just being just being a shark, me and my niggas breaking girls' hearts and all of that shit. You feel me? So I'm like, damn, niggas about to try to do that to my daughter. I gotta show her the game. How I'm gonna give her the game if I ain't there. Like, do a phone? Yeah, I could do it through a phone, but I can't, is it's it's different when you're there. You explain it to her. When she crying, when she coming to you well, heartbroken, you can explain to her like it's a whole different thing. You know what I mean? So that's one, that's the biggest lesson I learned, man. And I and and I learned that my mom's need me. My mom's need me. So I be on some robot shit. That's the only reason why I be chilling, like that's the only reason why I don't be crashing. But sometimes I malfunction, like I say, I'm a robot.
SPEAKER_04I like that one. You nigga said sometimes I'm malfunction.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you know what I'm saying. I mean, we we all malfunction, man. It's natural. We only human, man. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes I malfunction, man, but I'm programmed for family all the way.
SPEAKER_05Now, speaking, speaking about being in them situations, I like to say my niggas go away at school, but when you when you're incarcerated, I know that things are a lot different. And as of really recently, um a few rappers have been online um debating about PC. And um naturally in the street, PC is not uh it's a no-go if you get locked up. You know what I mean? But today somebody else was making an assumption of niggas should sign to PC because I believe it's a better a better situation. And the it's I don't I don't know. You heard? Like I this has never been my life. I was always fortunate to have money for some lawyers and be able to, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05You maneuver the V. Yeah, you know how I go, but how do you feel about that situation? Because I don't have no comment on it. I haven't been in that situation.
SPEAKER_00I got a big I I I think that shit. First of all, man, let me explain what PC is. PC is a no-go, especially if you like a real nigga is you claiming you're a real nigga. PC is that's it's just ducking, ducking smoke, duck, ducking altercations. But it's actually like the worst place to be in jail unless you unless they put you in a rapo unit. You feel me? They got they do that to some niggas when they're PC. They put them on the tail where where the bunch of rapists is at. You feel me? So because they keeping them a they keep the rapist away from the goons, because we you know what we're doing to them niggas in there. You feel me? But if you go on a regular PC in jail, first of all, you you you you 23 and 1. You and if you probably you probably 20, you probably 23 and a half, you feel me? You probably coming out for 30 minutes, 40 minutes to shower and phone. So you're not even gonna get in the privilege of the population where you can use the phone when you want, you can shower when you want, you feel me, really be outside playing car, pla playing cars, going a wreck, all of that. You taking them, you taking away from all of that.
SPEAKER_04Shit like being in a box.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's exactly what PC is, you feel me? You feel me? And then you went you down there with a bunch of scary ass niggas, scary ass rats. Who you gonna beat down with? Who you gonna beat down with? Who you gonna chop it up with about your case? He telling already. So for for anybody, this anybody that's claiming their street nigga and they was okay with PC, they already know what comes with that shit. Ain't no go. Ain't nobody, ain't, ain't nobody supposed to be in no PC, man. Ain't it ain't it ain't a better place, none of that shit. I think anybody that went to PC, they ain't real right.
SPEAKER_05Nah, I I'll be watching, I'll be looking at your dram, and you very vocal. I don't uh we don't this this we don't we ain't we don't cause problems on the show, but we do address certain things. And I want to hear how you thought about this because I seen that when when um they said uh fuck the streets, I see you was very vocal about certain things that you said. Now moving forward, the way that has been explained, how do you feel about what was said? Because I understand what they were trying to say, but the way it was said didn't come off as such.
SPEAKER_00Aye, so bet. So I don't believe them niggas, man. They really mean that shit. For real. Straight like that. They recanting their statement. The motherfuckers know what they said, they made they they they know they said some fuck shit. They meant that shit with their heart, bro. They really was like, yo, nah, fuck the streets. This is how I feel about it. So once now, like all that backlash came and everybody starts speaking up, like, the fuck you mean? They realize, like, damn, I can't really show these niggas who I am. I can't really show these niggas like like like this down the dirt. You feel me? See the thing is with a bunch of these niggas, bro? These niggas was really nobody's in the hood. Niggas really nobody's coming up. They just, they just they just pop to hit the lotto with their talent. So now they on and now they the boss. That don't make you the boss because you got the most money, my nigga. Fuck you mean, nigga. I I got I like I got I got hella I got hella bread. I'm the leader of my camp because I leave my camp, but I also got motherfuckers in my camp that isn't gonna be like, man, you we doing that because posts that jump off the roof. You get what I'm saying? Nah, it ain't that. My niggas, we gonna we gonna come up with a plan. We got a lot of niggas that's saying, we ain't doing that today, bro. It ain't happening. You feel me? So, you feel me?
SPEAKER_04I got the same nigga.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you feel me? Like these motherfuckers got a bunch of yes men around them, so but in the reason the motherfuckers said that shit, like 21, you came up in this shit on some savage shit, nigga, straight wildin', like you feel me? Blood shit, all that shit, gangbanging shit, all that shit. Now you saying fuck the streets because you living where you at, but you forgetting where you came from. And then the motherfucking the reason he said that shit, it's the whole statement. That's what blew my motherfucking mind. You know what I'm saying? That motherfucker said, young Doug, you and Gunnar, you need to piece it up. Some shit like that. Y'all need to piece it up, right? Big sweep this. We already know he told, we slept it under sleeping under the rug, fuck the streets. That's where he meant that shit with his soul. He thought that out. He ain't just say that. You see how we just talking? Shit is freestyle, it's off the muscle, the memory, or what we know. He typed that. He read it again and was like, I'm gonna hit sin on this motherfucker. He meant that, man. Niggas is weird, bro. And then niggas is stamping that shit. All of that shit got me thinking, though. Because like, even with the TI shit, you feel me? Like, T. T. I felt like he could poke his chest out towards the East Coast because he felt like Atlanta was under fire because of the so-called juggernauts from Atlanta was looking like they okay and rat shit. So now TI come out of his shit now and want some shit like, man, get the best nigga from New York. Let's go. You wanna call you wanna call the whole shit out of now? Because y'all niggas did bad. That's how I looked at the T. I said, I don't know, nah nah nah nah nah. He said everybody, the flex got on his ass, you know?
SPEAKER_04I didn't hear that. He said everybody. He didn't just say fifth, he said everybody. He said that fifth.
SPEAKER_00He said it's his fifth, don't want no smoke. Anybody else from New York want this shit? You feel me?
SPEAKER_02I seen but niggas trying to get on his back.
SPEAKER_05He came in that shit up in the came out.
SPEAKER_00I seen but he bombed the tribe state all because of his niggas, his little niggas. That he that's a that's a that's holding the torch, you feel me? That he they looking bad out here. Now he like, yo, man, fuck that, man. Y'all niggas got Atlanta, like I said, Atlanta got something to say. Y'all ain't gonna stop talking about Atlanta.
SPEAKER_05I'm gonna keep it funky. Now let's talk about this. T.I. might win in Atlanta. Mm-hmm. You heard? Yeah, yeah. But if he was to do a versus head, I'm gonna put Jada on him. He's not losing in the versus. Yeah, you cannot win against. I don't care about no other rapper in New York. Yeah. Jada is the full-time MVP of this versus shit. Yeah. There's nobody want no smoke with him. They don't want no smoke with the game. Don't want that smoke with Jada in the versus at the garden. It's not gonna go the way you want. And TI's my man. That's my bro. But in Atlanta, I can't, I cannot, I won't, it's it's it's gonna it's gonna be hard. He got slaps in Atlanta. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he got slaps for New York too, but it's different in New York. You heard? Like, it's different. I don't I don't know who else he's beefing with, but I know from what I've seen, you go come to New York and play with Jada in that versus, you gonna have you have a long day. You're gonna have a long day. Do it in the garden. But I I respect it, man. I mean, I don't know what's hard going on. I'm not I'm not mad of I'm not mad of nothing that T.I. and his family did in the midst of everything that's going on. I didn't get to hear um like he was coming at the whole New York. I did hear when he was coming at the 50 and shit like that. Yeah. I respect all that type of shit. Stand your ground, nigga. Don't move with me and shit like that. You know what I mean? And but if we talking about the whole New York, it's like, you know what I mean? Like, tell you. New York is a different place, man. You can't, you know what I mean? You can't come here and just this it's not gonna, it's not gonna be not gonna be that easy, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Buster Rhymes got some smoke for him too.
SPEAKER_05See, I didn't even say Buster, because you nobody's winning against Buster.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he can Buster Rahmer walk through him.
SPEAKER_05I don't think you for Buster to lose, you gotta bring like Drake out of somebody. Yeah. Because the the the just the energy alone, he gonna I've I've been on Toro Buster, and that was 20 years ago. He's still killing stages badly right now. Like bad. Like it's a different type of thing when he gets on that. Like, yeah, I ain't wouldn't even, he I don't even think he's in bus's cat. And that's anywhere.
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_05You heard? Like, I think Buster could go anywhere in this in any of these states and give you give you smoke. Give you smoke. You know what I mean? Like bad. Like this, this, this.
SPEAKER_00Nah, bust him. He him with that shit. Yeah, nah, but you leave bus up. I seen him perform before. He he go crazy. And then you gotta have a split with him, forget about it.
SPEAKER_05We've been on tour. We been our first tour was with Puffy. Yeah. Bust uh, like, bro. I watched these niggas in real action. Right. This when it wasn't nothing. First of all, performing is nothing like it is now. Right. You know what I mean? Like people really sat together, put a show together, meticulously sat down, figured out how to do the crowd participation. Like, this is a real orchestrated thing. Right. When we in Cam first started out and we had to do his show, like, and if it was an hour show, like we know every minute of that hour on what we doing. If we fighting, if we talking, or if we doing like you dig, like it's a real production. It's it's not like it's not like how it used to be anymore. And those are one of the factors that niggas like Bust are always gonna win. You heard? Because yeah, you might got some niggas that just put a record on and gotta do nothing.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_05Right? But if you know how to control the crowd, yeah, because that's and that's what verses is about, though, right?
SPEAKER_00If you know how to control the crowd, it's a rap, bro.
SPEAKER_05And bust got me. It's entertaining. The more you know how to entertain the people, you you're going to win.
SPEAKER_01Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean? Well, not about you got the dopest records. That's cool. Yeah. When it's played in your car and played on the radio. When you pop up on that stage to entertain, if you're not an entertainer, they just gonna be looking at you like you're crazy.
SPEAKER_00And that's why that motherfucker, an entertaining ass nigga, man. He got it, he got it. Shh. Word up. What's she what'd Sheik say on that song? He said to the day him on Bus got the best show. Word up. Best show he ever seen, something like that. What's that Still Feel Me?
SPEAKER_05What?
SPEAKER_00Uh that that uh that Sheik Lu song on Walk With Me album. He was like uh Puffin' Buster got the best show he ever seen. Oh one of them songs.
SPEAKER_05I don't know.
SPEAKER_00That's not that's the song called Still Fill Me.
SPEAKER_05He said it in the song? Yeah. See, I ain't even I ain't even I'm gonna be. That's a classic album, Walk With Me. I gotta listen to it. I gotta hear, I gotta hear the beat. I'm burnt.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's not Walk With Me, talk with me.
SPEAKER_05I gotta say, like people be trying to. You know who's like my like like my Jim Jones almanac? It's my man Black, my man Dark. Like, I I'm so burnt out. I I I will forget most of the journey I've been through because I'll be so focused on where I'm going.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05You heard? And that's why I'll be sitting here. You never hear me sitting here clamorizing and bragging about the street shit I did.
SPEAKER_00Nah, never.
SPEAKER_05I could go down the line with Gotti if I want to. Fuck you niggas that's been in the street, like you dig? Like that's not never been a thing to me. I got some other shit to do. I was best enough to be able to get through that to get here to be able to do some other shit trying to get done in life. You heard me? I respect that. You know what I mean? And I always stay in tune and still got all my niggas the same way. You heard? But in the midst of everything, and I'm saying the use for a reason, in the midst of everything, and no, and and I I've never love anyone different or treat them any different. But you still have to find out how to separate what you're doing from the people and what they're doing. Not separate the love and the camaraderie, but it gets tricky as you start going up. And I had to learn, I had to, it took me a long time to figure that out. Because you start to feel guilty, like you're not doing what you so you understand what I'm trying to understand what I'm trying to say? But that separation is needed, especially if you do want to help any of your niggas that you feel deserve to get out of their situation. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Cause if you don't figure out how to separate so you can go get there to start bringing them up even further for the one that deserves it, then you're still gonna be staying sucked right here.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_05So that's just that's just one thing I I want to tell you. I know for you coming in this game and being such a tough-spirited person and shit like that. I know a lot of this shit could be weird for you. So I know dealing with a lot of these people could be weird for you. And I had to go through the same thing you did. And sooner or later you'll come to different realizations of how to deal with all these people.
SPEAKER_00I seen some on Instagram with um, I think it was Ghostface or Ray Kwan, one of them. And they was like, they asked somebody for a verse or something. And he seen the artist would like ask them for a verse, just trying to network with them. Probably a new nigga trying to come coming up you at the ball right now. He said, Yo, let's get one. Something like that, I seen it. And he said the artist like kind of like like hit him with the the Okie doke that he said, they've been doing the okie doke since the 90s. So he already knew what he was on. But you feel me? He said he's like, yo, he said, he said, yeah, we gonna get it, we gonna get it every time you see him. You feel me? So that that that's some shit that I be dealing with with certain artists, like, you get what I'm saying? And me being who I am, I'm a man that stands on morals and principles, a man of my word. So when an artist play with me like that, I take it, I take it personal. You feel me?
SPEAKER_05As you supposed. But you can't take it so personal to let you get you off your dean. Yeah, yeah. You can't let them people see how personal you took it. Right, right, right. Yeah, you just gotta glow up. Because we now we not in the streets. So some of the shit that we might have took personal, that if that shit was in the hood and you told me some shit, and every time, third time I saw you, we still ain't, and you took now next time I see you, I'm it might get a little bit, but this game ain't like that.
SPEAKER_00It ain't like that. That's right. That's what I'm learning though. You did? That's what I'm learning.
SPEAKER_05These niggas is they are a lot of these people are weird. I'm there are a few stand-up people in here. And everybody stand up in different ways for different people. So pardon me. There might be way more stand-up people for other people than me. I agree.
SPEAKER_00That's probably what's going on too, then. Cause I because that because people, I be saying niggas jacking motherfuckers like they such and such, or they real or some shit. And I be like, I ain't see it.
SPEAKER_05It's all smoke and mirrors. You all smoke and mirrors with me. They jack who they want to jack because they know they could live their smoke and mirrors together and not have niggas like us expose that. Exactly, exactly. Like you niggas is soft, bro. Like, don't like you like like you, you know what I mean? And that's another thing. I ain't got time to expose people, but for you moving in this game, the more they do that, you use that as fuel to keep killing these niggas. Cause nine times out of ten, they're on their way out and you on your way up. Yeah. You heard?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_05You're pretty much going to be able to do what you want in this game in a very small amount of time. And I don't think that you need, per se, the biggest hit.
SPEAKER_03Nah.
SPEAKER_05You just need to be steady, consistent, and what you're doing. Because you got a different generation listening to your music. Fuck these old poop niggas. They don't got the sauce no more. Right. And nine times out of ten, if you're talking about any rappers, they are older rappers and shit like that. Because the younger ones you in tune with, fuck them niggas. You heard? They need you more than you need them. Right. You heard?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_05You already got it laid out, nigga. And you got Jersey and New York. Yeah. Just keep pushing, nigga. Keep making dope music that the kids can relate to, that the hustlers could relate to, that the killers love. You heard? That's all you gotta do. You already got your shit carved out.
SPEAKER_00Hell yeah. I'm gonna keep giving them that ow y'all shit. They know what's up.
SPEAKER_05Don't stop yourself from keep extending your hand to different artists. Right. You heard? Don't let one artist being a dickhead discourage you from the rest of the people. You know what I mean? Because there are some dope people out there for you to meet. Yeah. Game. Yeah. You know what I mean? So keep that line open and shit. Open to meet you niggas, man. You heard? Yeah, man. Stop playing my man Albi Al Meet you niggas. When he wrinkled one of your shirt and suddenly shit like that.
SPEAKER_02I tell you niggas, man. For real, man. Y'all niggas in PC, man.
SPEAKER_05PC ass niggas, man. What y'all got here? When someone you care about gets locked up, what does real support actually look like? Calls, letters, money, or just staying solid? That's from the question box now. We're going to the question box.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I think all the above. All the above? All the above, without a doubt, man. It's hard being real, man. You feel me?
SPEAKER_05Is it one thing you look for specifically when you if in them situations?
SPEAKER_00Just staying solid. Staying solid. I take that. I take that over, I take that over the calls, the money, and the letters. Just stay solid. Because you got some people when you go to jail, they jump ship. Whether it's a girl, whether it's your dudes, your bros, they start go fucking with other people they ain't had no business fucking with. Just forget about you. Just stay solid. Just remember who we was, what we created, what we built, and how strong it could get after this shit. And then it's and then if the person jammed up with me, you gotta stay solid. You gotta stay solid. You feel me? And I ain't no way in hell, like you feel me. That's you it's mandatory.
SPEAKER_05No, that's how that's so like my nigga Melly Melly was doing this whole bit. I don't need nothing. That's how I be, yo. Just make sure you, nigga, you already know, man. Make sure you take care of my son.
SPEAKER_00I'm not a bit, I'm out of jail. So it's like that's what a lot of people said. I'm not a jail. We're gonna figure this shit out. This shit, if the money order stopped coming, I stopped. I'm gonna be all right. I'm gonna be all right. We gonna figure something out. Somebody gonna get laid on. Somebody gonna get put. For real. Word up. We're gonna be waiting canteen come one way or another. One way or another. You feel me? For real, we're gonna eat that motherfucker. When you still got my jail weight now. You can tell I was in that motherfucker eating. I ain't lose this shit.
SPEAKER_05You definitely still got your weight. Crazy. Yeah, I be fucking around a little here and there. Nah, you gotta get up in there, bro. Pause. Fucking a lot though. So it's like that's a different type of workout, though.
SPEAKER_02What is that? Cardio.
SPEAKER_05That's like doing. So you know they say like every time we ejaculate is like the equivalent to running the fucking marathon. Stop running so many marathons. The marathon don't stop.
SPEAKER_02Don't stop. I swear to God, man. Yeah. On that, on that.
SPEAKER_05Oh man. Was there any lessons that you learned from from being incarcerated?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. I realized the hard way. Yo bitch gonna fuck. You know what I'm saying? It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt the bit. It's gonna hurt when you're younger though. Like, like my last bit, I give a fuck what a bitch is doing. This just pick the phone up. I've been going to jail. I've been in youth, I've been in the youth house, I've been to youth correctionals, I've been to prison, I've been to counties, you know what I'm saying? I've been to jail, I've been to Kraft. Shout out to Jersey, I know what craft like. You feel me? I've been there, so it's like like um the lesson I learned in that motherfucker is that the either the the the lesson I could get to people that's going through this shit right now, somebody that's back, or you fighting some shit, don't just let your lawyer work, you gotta work with her. You gotta work with him, you know what I'm saying? Shout out to Adrian Edwards, but you feel me, you gotta fight your case too. Don't just be like, if I got a good lawyer, my lawyer's gonna hold me down. You gotta go in that law library and you gotta fuck around too. You gotta read them laws and figure shit out. You know what I'm saying? Because your lawyer got other cases she's working on, you feel me? And she might just tunnel vision on your shit when it's trial time or when she gotta put this motion in. You know what I mean? So you gotta be able to pull up shit too. Like, I think we should put this motion in. You could this right here could work for us, you feel me? So that's how I know about. Like when I'm in jail, I don't just sit around. I be like, I'm I know, I know what the fuck I do. I'm trying to figure out, I'm trying to figure out how to get home too. This is how my lawyer's trying to get me home. I'm trying to get home too. I'm not just waiting on her, like, yo, why am I not home? Why am I home yet? I'm like, I think I should go home because of this. You feel me? This right here, this law says X, Y, and Z. And this is what happened. They say my case is then a third, da-da-da. And I'm and she's like, you know what? You got you right. You feel me? And that's that type of shit. So that's a lesson I learned. Don't just be in there just waiting, just waiting, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that's what my cousin did it did. He fought his way back with his lawyers and the law lobby. But we would just talk about how uh the game, but so now let's let's do this. Let's see if we could give you an alley oop and put it in the atmosphere. Are there any artists? Don't matter who the uh new artists established artists, any artists that you would like to work with right now.
SPEAKER_00I still want I still need that record from Drake. Me too. Fucking me. I ain't one of them niggas.
SPEAKER_05Yo, Drake, Drake, come on, come on, come on, Drake.
SPEAKER_00No, you see this shit. No, you feel like the world against you. Come on, Drake. Light skinned niggas gotta stick together.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's a light skin. You know what I'm saying? Like this light-skinned shit, you feel me?
SPEAKER_05I mean you can give me the kid. Whatever y'all are. Y'all are you he gonna come? He's gonna pop up, man.
SPEAKER_00I still wanna get one for Drake, man. I ain't gonna hold you. I gotta get one with Drake, man.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it is, man. Shit like that can happen, man. Drake is a dope person, man. He's one of my favorite uh artists in the game. I think a lot of people know that. He's like my my energy.
SPEAKER_00Uh he's fire to he's. He's fire.
SPEAKER_05I'm waiting for I'm waiting for the iceman to drop. I know he definitely gonna pop and pop it, pop his shit and shit like that. It's been a minute though. Um, I can't say, and not to be funny and shit like that. Like, for me, his music is missed in the atmosphere. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Like, he still he still they still shook some shit with that um with him party next door. They still got the clubs going stupid.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything he does, but you know what I mean. Whenever you hear him about the bomb, he usually shakes everything up. Everything stops. Yeah, I'll drop both the phones. Everything stopped when he put out music and shit like that. So we looking for the iceman to come out and Drake's return and shit like that. But my man Albia needed uh one of them drizzy verses, man. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Fuck with me, fuck with it. I'm with that.
SPEAKER_05Oh man, uh gatekeepers. How you feel about gatekeepers? Do you do you know what a gatekeeper is?
SPEAKER_00What's the definition of a gatekeeper?
SPEAKER_05A nigga that's stopping everybody from getting to the bag because he knows all of the info. See, then the the thing is about this, they said the game, they used to say the game is to be sold, not told. Right that's why everything was held so tight, and nobody was giving nobody no information and shit like that. Now they handpicking who deserves to be in this elite group of people that's gonna pop off. I never agreed with that.
SPEAKER_00Who the fuck stamped these niggas, man?
SPEAKER_05I that's the way the game has been, way before we got here. That was how they built the game. And now moving forward, it's just getting worse and worse because now you got weird people with their own arterial motives that are doing weird shit. It's kind of trying to change the narrative of the culture I'll be feeling like. You dig? Like it's just it's just weird to me. But I never was a fan of that. So everything that I've ever done in this game was to open the gates.
SPEAKER_00I understand. I understand who I am as far as like and what I represent. So I understand what the shit, the things I represent, the gatekeepers, ain't cool with that because they don't stand for the same shit that I stand for. That's like the people that comment and say if if if if I drop some shit and they put it on a blog and you see people in the comments and they bashing me, I understand that I'm not their type of nigga, because they're not, they're not my they they they ain't built like me. You get what I'm saying? You gotta think about that, because a real nigga like me is never gonna go and comment and do some hating shit.
SPEAKER_05No, they they they've made a lot of real niggas rich niggas. Remember that. Sometimes they just let in the gangsters that they want to, because somewhere down the line, down the line this shit gets blurred and they feel more comfortable with what I can see. But they make their most money off of gangsta shit. Or they used to. You heard? There was few ill, few, few ill gangsters that was in the spot. You know what I mean? Like, you did? As you can see, some of them still around.
SPEAKER_00But what I'm saying is like the gatekeepers though, the people that's pushing the buttons, like if you real, if you real, you ain't reluctant. You can't be a gatekeeper if you're real. Like you, you feel me? It's like it's just that's just they're reluctant to deal.
SPEAKER_05They reluct. That's what we want to see.
SPEAKER_00That's like that that that's that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_05So you can't that's what they are worried about. Right. They're not worried about the real niggas. Some real niggas they know they ain't gonna have to worry about them bringing a bunch of other real niggas in with them.
SPEAKER_00Right, right, right, absolutely. You heard?
SPEAKER_05Uh-huh. They like this might be a safe real nigga right here. He's he's looking up himself.
SPEAKER_04You heard he's not gonna bring a bunch of real niggas. We could give you heard? Yeah, we can we can fuck with this guy. Take him to the moon, get all the money off him, everything. You heard? Yeah, yeah, yeah. This real nigga look like he might bring 30 other real niggas with him. I don't know if that's the safest thing to do and shit like this.
SPEAKER_02We could, like, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_05But it's changed now. Like, I don't think I do believe there's gatekeepers, but I don't think the gatekeepers have as much control as they once had because of the way everything's happening.
SPEAKER_00I agree.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean? Like, you you do have those, and but y'all figured out a way to make so much money without having to deal with the gatekeepers if the gatekeepers are going back. Because remember, the labels didn't figure out streaming. They catching up to streaming. It was the young people that kind of infiltrated the algorithm to kind of force a streaming to be made because of all the earliest social media platforms that people were using to hear music and shit like that.
SPEAKER_00I experienced some, I think since I gone um, what you call that shit? Spotify. They be gatekeeping on me. Every time, every time um they try to pitch a record for me to get on the uh on the playlist, I've been home for three years. I done I done did some of the biggest features, some of the um I done trended on YouTube, like for many songs that I done dropped, YouTube trending by myself, no, no, no uh plays, none of that shit. Just all me. And I try to push it on Spotify for uh I ain't never I never been on Spotify playlist since I've been home, since I've been any record I did, biggest record, any of that shit.
SPEAKER_05And it's another thing. So you're so knowledgeable about different shit. Like, I don't even know what the fuck a Spotify playlist is. I don't even know. They would have to tell me if I'm on the Spotify playlist. But with that being said, then this should be an easier fix. I don't, I don't, there should be no way that your music is not on any of these plays.
SPEAKER_00Not one. It been on Apple Music, uh Apple Music.
SPEAKER_05So this is not so you got Empire. I personally know a bunch of them people up there.
SPEAKER_00They haven't Gazzy, Gazzy done, Gazzy done send word, all that shit. They not none of my shit. None of my big records, big features, none of that shit. All my all my uh Spotify views and all that shit and streams is all LBL. And all and my biggest um promotion is me posting it on Instagram.
SPEAKER_05So these playlists naturally help the artists on the street.
SPEAKER_00Because you gotta think about it. If if a nigga like me, if I got a fire song, like my like my song Come Back Outside, one of the one of the one of my bangers I dropped since I've been home. So you got that song coming on after an NBA Youngboy song. You feel me? NBA Youngboy, one of the biggest artists that's streaming, one of the hottest artists out right now. So NBA Youngboy song will come on, and then my song will come on after that. So now people that don't know my music, they who they only know NBA, they like, oh what the fuck is this? This shit fire. So now I got new fans.
SPEAKER_05It's on the same playlist.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's what Spotify be gatekeeping with me. I ain't I never been on. So anybody that ever heard my music, they just heard my music. You feel me? Somebody put them on. I got my own distribution. My fans, my distribution. Word up.
SPEAKER_05You said damn Spotify before.
SPEAKER_00I've been trying, they don't want to sit down with the gang. Yo, I'm telling you, look, I'm gonna change man. You gotta understand, man. I don't know why, what y'all heard about me. I'm a change, man. I'm willing to sit down with all y'all. YouTube, Spotify, Apple, IHeart.
SPEAKER_05I think I can help you out. I think I can help you out. Yeah, but help me out. I mean, I've been in a game long enough where I know a few people that know you do, bro. That's in it. I definitely can help you get a meeting. That's why we had turned me out. I definitely can help you get definitely can help you get a YouTube meeting. Definitely could do that. Um I definitely could reach out to Spotify for you and to one of their reps and shit like that, just to have a conversation. See, it ain't a conversation don't hurt. That's all it is. I don't want no favors, just want to make it. You got enough charisma that when people hear you talk, I don't I don't think it'll be a problem. But you gotta be a door to be open somewhere. And I don't I'm gonna call Ghazi too. Like, I'm not you told me I'm gonna call I'm gonna call Ghazi myself. Like, yo, bro, let's go Operation Spotify. I think I mean he be Gazi be Gazi making a lot of money, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Ghazi makes a whole lot of money.
SPEAKER_05African Grammys from the Africa for the for the for the for the music from the kids. Like, you know, that when I was locked up too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah? Yeah, word up. When I was locked up, you know what I'm saying? Shit was running low, you feel me? He uh he sent some brand for my mom.
SPEAKER_05Nah, Gazi, Ghazzi's fair. You know how I Ghazi came in my life at a very weird time for me in music. And that was at the very beginning of him actually starting to sign major artists. I was the first artist on Empire, besides what he was doing in the bay and all that shit. Like the first ranger. I helped him crack. I helped him crack the whole Empire. I can't say that. You heard? But that's my guy. You heard we both cancers, man. What's up, guys?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, all day, yeah, all day.
SPEAKER_05And I've I've watched him what he's done from where he started. You know what I mean? Like I believe he gave me like my first check, and it's all right. So you know I'm looking at this shit like how Michael Jordan was one of the illest niggas in the NBA, but never get to get a Steph Curry check, right?
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_05So my first check over there was 40,000. I know some Detroit niggas that got a couple million out that nigga. I'm like, yo, what the fuck is going on? You heard like you heard, but it's good. It's good. That's how the game goes and shit like that. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Like I was like, was 50,000. He gave me 50,000 in 2019. My album did so good. My next check he gave me a half a million. See. And then I went to jail, spent it all on. I bought a lot of jewelry. I went to jail, spent all the time. You know what I can say?
SPEAKER_05You know what I can say? I might not have never got the biggest check. I always got money out of Ghazi. But he let me use for about 10 years straight, he let me use Empire like a bank. You heard? Yeah. Like a bank. I need 25. Send me an invoice. I need 25, send me. And then he was like, yo, bro, I don't care what you do. It ain't over 15, they gonna send it to you. Like, like, like, nigga, I was going abuse, and then I get the album, the album budgets. Like, but now looking back, I understood and I appreciate that. Nah, all the way, all the way. I I definitely appreciate that. Cause he definitely gave, he was saying, Shazi's dope.
SPEAKER_00Yo, Ghazzi 100, man, all the way. Shout out to Gazi, man. That's my dog.
SPEAKER_05I've seen what he's done for so many artists. That's why I respect him and shit like that. Like, yeah. I've been in this game for a very long time, and I've seen some of the dopest executives and some of the wackest executives. Ghazzi is on my list of some of the dopest executives because I watched him help his town. You heard? Absolutely. All the way. I watched him help his town first. You heard? Absolutely. So that he's like the mayor in the bait and let that man. You heard? And then I watch him spread his love around the industry and help people along the way. Right. You know what I mean? So I definitely tip my hat to Ghazi for that, man.
SPEAKER_01All the way.
SPEAKER_05Uh what does when you leave here? What do you want people to know about you?
SPEAKER_00I want them to look at my I want them to look um I want them to look at my music, right? Like, cause my music tell it all, you feel me, as far as like, it says a lot. I wanted to feel like like like the book of Eli. When uh Eli walking around with that and he got all the answers. I want it, if something something ever happened to the world, you feel me, 50 years, 100 years from now, I want somebody, when they find my music, it just be like, ah, damn, this he was going through this, like, like the book of Psalms in the in the in the Bible, you know what I'm saying? When he was talking all of that, I want them to look at my music and feel like that. Because I know people look at it like, oh, I'll be just aggressive. I'll be becoming like this. He always no, I'm talking about. If I talk about that that street, it's just it's just retaliation. You get what I'm saying? Somebody to hurt one of mine, you feel me? And I and then we gotta get back. And if we don't get back, somebody gonna hurt another one of ours, or somebody gonna hurt me, you feel me? And that's just the that's the part of the game that the prosecutors and the judge don't understand. You feel me? And I just preach that to the streets where as though like I get it. I'm one of y'all. You feel me? Like, I'm one of y'all, you feel me? Yeah, we want to move in a whole different direction. We wanna move, carry ourselves differently because it's different ways to get money other than streets. You get what I'm saying? But the streets is who we are. But when you listen to my music, I want you to get that message, man. Get my pain, feel what I was going through. Because somebody's going through the same. You feel me?
SPEAKER_05They can relate to that So what's the next level after the retaliation for IBI?
SPEAKER_00Um Be with my brother. Be with my brother. I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm riding for my brother to I'm a skeleton, man. It's it's just like that. Once I get my my retaliation, once I get my my answers, you know what I'm saying? Once I'm done. Cause I'll tell you one thing, like, people be like, yo, your brother see you here, your brother doing, you know what I mean? I know he's watching you, so proud of you. But my brother also knew nobody could tell his little brother. You feel me? He also knew how he was raised, whereas though, like, we gotta protect each other. My mother blame my mom for that. My mother raised us like that. Always have your brother back.
SPEAKER_05You know what the true retaliation in this, even retaliation for your brother, you know what it is. What? Just one word. Success. With that being said, another episode of Artist the Artists, brought to you by Playmaker. I'm my man Al Bell, Jersey City's finest, your lookout for him. Drake, we need that merge, Drake, and no peace, take. I got a gift for you, got a jacket for you. Um, we'll catch you all in the next episode. This is a conversation that needs to be had.
SPEAKER_00Who's the phone to take it for the beginning of the phone?