Tone Chop & Frost Gamble

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:35

I think it's not the still with golden name. These numbers can just name my command stone rain. Tryna sound like me. I can go for days. Just like it find my wrong book in a stroller pain. I can't find ain't nothing y'all say to the mental. That's simple and plain. You too, plain and simple. I've been through things that you lazy been through. And put in pain without having to screen my mentor. It comes easier so naturally. The way I'm rapping these lines is pure mastery. Your level is novice, you can't rap with me. To be real, your skills is unsatisfactory. Chicken is shining, I got a bigger glow. And your chick is a douche like big low. I laugh when you rap and try to kick the flow. Cause your bars is ultra light like Nickelode. Once again, like you soon fight on. I'm on the track to be a bummer for my time. You can be a tiny piece. You put the beats on, and I'm just gonna fight and on my brother Frost. Knowing he's one of the best producers in the game. You ever came across with your favorite? Cut his one of my let me rephrase it. He's my favorite of all time. When we sit in here giant lines, I realized it was only that I saw signs that we had something great in the field was real in the basement building, what took years to build with a strong foundation together with facts. Understand what we built will never collapse. He had the sandwich where we used to came with a rap. He would loop samples up when I came with the raps. He had a forty pack, a mic in his stand. It was those days that made me as nice as I did. He used to rap too. We would slip with his beach, but he decided to quit and just stick with the beats. I know a lot of fake people, but after this painted picking on the fit, two of my best friends. Then I skip to my guns like they glued him a side. With that cheese, I'm telling you no. I do the music out of my selling myself. About him and basketball, like Curtis Blow. I was young with a passion for this. Develop skills fast and new raptors again. Always had rhymes in my mental rhyme folder. His team kicking versus when Ada Rhyme's getting ready to jump on to get reinstalled.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah, he should be jumping on here shortly. We had the old link didn't require the app. He was able to go through the browser or whatever. Okay. So he's just he had to guess install it. So he's he should be on here shortly. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

All right, that's cool. We can get started then when he jumps in, then we can, you know.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Yeah, for sure. Whatever's clever for sure.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

All right, cool. So check this out, y'all. This is your boy AD. Tonight we're tapping in with a powerful hip-hop duo whose story is built on friendship, loyalty, skills, and real culture. Tone chops, frost gables, have been connected for over three decades, coming from Wingham, New York, and building a partnership rooted in bars, beats, respect, and longevity. With their new album, Beautiful Foundation, dropping May 16th. I mean May 15th, 2026. They're taking listeners back to where it all started while showing how the journey has come. So I want to give it up for Tone Chops and Frost Gables out here.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Peace, Sadie. Thank you for having us on. Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Uh I've been listening to your music, man, and and y'all, y'all really have taken it back to, you know, back in the 90s, you know, dropping, dropping these bars, you know, and and you don't really hear music like what y'all doing. So I'm I'm honored to have you guys on here, you know, just you know, to talk about, you know, how y'all got started, you know, what y'all are working on, any projects, and so people can get to know who who who you guys are out here. So I'm gonna start off where, you know, what first pulled you into the hip hop culture.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Well, for for me, and in this is kind of similar to CHOP, you know, breakdancing is what popped off, you know, first. So in the in the early 80s, you know, breakdancing blew up and started going worldwide. And we grew up in Binghamton, which is about three hours away from from Manhattan, you know, a short, short drive, but you know, a very different place. It's like it's a small city with you know with no glitz, no glamour, lots of problems. But you know, we're close enough to New York that we could kind of hear and see what was going on. And so, you know, early trips to the city gave us a gave us a look at what was happening. You know, we both started out as as I I at least I started out breaking, and then I know Chop did later on too. And you know, and we tried our hand at everything, you know. I like Chop is still a graffiti writer. I, you know, I I doodle, I doodle a bit, but by the by the late 80s, there was a show on a there's a community access radio station called WUCI. And Friday nights they had a show called Hip Hop Explosion. And this is like 87, 88, 89, that that era. And they would allow local cats, if they could put together, you know, a good enough demo tape, they'd let them get on the air and play their music. And so that's how that's how each of us got started separately. So we the first time we kind of met was hearing each other on the radio. You know, I heard I heard Chop rhyming over a 45-king break beat, and he was going off, and I was like, man, he's so nice. And then, of course, the first time he heard me was over a track that I produced, right? And and lyrically, I wasn't I wasn't, you know, skill as skilled as Chop was, but I had, you know, the ability to make the beats. And so pretty early on we came together, you know, and and realized that you know our best, our best approach was would be with Chop rhyming and me on the beats. And so we've been working together pretty much continuously ever since.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

So how did you just realize that uh battle rap and and lyricism was that was your lane?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Well, uh you know, back at the in that time, and and AD, I don't know your age, but you know, back in that time it was different. Like if you if you said you could rhyme, you had to be prepared to battle. Someone was gonna like, if you if you put the word out that you can rap, somebody was gonna come see you to validate that statement, right? So it it in those early days, it wasn't like, you know, king of the dot or whatever. It was like you'd be sitting in the barbershop waiting for a cut and somebody walk in and go, yo, uh, I heard you think you can rhyme. And then you'd have to step outside and demonstrate that, you know. So you basically had to move around with some rhymes all the time, ready to go, some stuff, some fly shit that nobody had heard before, because you know, you're gonna get challenged when you're out and about and walking around. And that's what, you know, the the the what's where the battling part of it started, you know. For Chop, it's a little different. He he took it much further. He was he was the resident champion at at a club in in Binghamton, and he was he was undefeated there. So they were the club owners would put out money and people would come in and battle, you know, but Chop kept taking taking the bag every week. And uh yeah, that that went on for a long while. You want to tell him a bit about that, Chubb?

SPEAKER_03 8:28

Yeah, I mean, even before that, though, I mean, that was like, you know, that was like late, much later on, you know what I mean? But I mean, I grew up uh, you know, just like you said, I mean, I I would have like so many rhymes, you know, in my memory or whatever. So, you know, of course you would use the same verse for, you know, same verses for other for different people sometimes as well. But I mean, I had like the the amount of rhymes that I had, battle raps at that time was crazy. So it was like I was just always ready at any time. You know what I mean? Um Frost knows he he felt some of those uh he felt some of those raps back then. You know, but that's why we decided to team up, you know what I mean? So we've been you know working together for 35 years, over 35 years. So, you know, I had uh I used to put mixtapes out, I used to put my own mixtapes out, and I had like Chopper City 1 through 5, Twilight Zone. There's like 30-song mixtapes that I had. But Frost was like always part of what I was doing anyway, beak wise or whatever, you know, I would always hit him up, like, yo, let me get something working on something, you know, he would bless me with something. So, you know, so we was doing songs like that for a long time, you know. This so yeah, I had like 30-something mixtapes before like 2016 when me and him um because I made beats too, so I had like a few instrumental mixtapes too that I did with beats and whatever. But like a lot of a lot of my mixtapes had my production too, though. You know, I would and I would have like all the best rappers from the area or whatever, you know what I'm saying. I was like one of them guys that had a song, you know, like the symphony type of joints. I always had at least a couple of those on my joints too, with like with multiple people, like a cipher, you know what I'm saying, but multiple rappers on one joint. Like a lot of people don't do that no more, but you know, back then I was doing that a lot. I was known for that. So I had like I had a song, I had a mixtape one time called Gladiators, and it's like just every all the dope cats from this area that I heard. So, you know, that's what it was gladiators. It was like the whole theme of the joint was gladiators, you know what I mean? So and it started out with just one joint called Gladiators, and I had like, you know, seven, eight dudes on it with me or whatever, so that was one. But yeah, I mean, me and him have been making music together for so long, and I don't really I I wouldn't even music wouldn't even be the same for me if I if he wasn't involved, you know.

SPEAKER_04 11:09

Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

But yeah, so um I bat a lot of rappers though out here touching ass.

SPEAKER_04 11:15

What's your record?

SPEAKER_03 11:17

I don't know. I mean, one of one of my good friends I lost to him, but he's like maybe the only one, really. We G, that's it. And he's uh he was on my team at that time anyway. So you know, me and him is one-on-one, really. He won one, I won one. So really even three, but we never really broke the tie, and it wasn't really no need to, you know what I'm saying? But that was like really the only loss I was up that I could that I could think of. You know, I mean, I I was killing everybody out here left and right, too. And then everywhere as I go, they was always asking me, man, even if it wasn't, you know, we just I was he cast it, I know yo, we hear some movie, you know what I'm saying? So we would just exchange curses and all that, because I was writing like crazy at that time too. So but yeah, I mean, I mean as long as I can remember, man, this is what I do, you know, since like 12 years old. So I started doing it early on, writing it secretly. You know, nobody really knew I was doing it, you know what I'm saying? And then like 14, 15, I started coming outside with it, you know what I mean. So I mean I've been doing it strong since like 88, 89, you know, like really letting people hear what I got, you know what I mean? So it's a long time.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

So my my question is with with this is a dual question for both of y'all, what makes y'all different from other MCs out here? And I guess when you guys go and let's say like you battle rap, have people been in a situation where you walk in a room and they underestimate you and until they hear you you throwing out bars and they're like, oh, oh shit, like I wanna, I wanna like either A, I don't want to battle this guy, or B, let me let me step up and see what I got against him.

SPEAKER_03 13:07

But I mean, I I used to get underestimated all the time until until the rep got bigger, you know what I mean? And then then, you know, they everybody thought twice about it after that, you know what I mean? But it took a long time. You know, I'd hate to bring up the you know the the color thing, but you know, back then there wasn't a lot of white cats that was nice like me anyway, you know.

SPEAKER_04 13:27

Right.

SPEAKER_03 13:28

So it especially where I live, you know what I'm saying? I was I w I've been the best one for a long, long time here, you know what I'm saying? And then you come to my area, they'll they'll tell you, you know, that I I've been a super nice, you know, this whole time, you know. I really I re once once I engulfed into the into hip-hop, that was it for me. You know, I never you know, and like I said, I make beats too, so I dig into other type of music that way. But you know what I'm saying, like hip-hop is always, you know, that ever since I got involved in hip-hop, that was it for me until this time. And what I say makes us difference between me and him is because uh we stick to what we we do the type of music that we that we love, you know, the type of hip-hop that we love to do, you know. So and you know, we never changed up. We don't we don't do drill rap, we don't, you know what I'm saying, nothing, nothing against, I mean, whatever everybody else is doing. But, you know, we just, you know, that's why one of the jointists says, you know, I stick to my guns like they glued to my side. I'm not talking about a pistol, I'm talking about sticking to my guns, meaning that I stick to what I do and I, you know, and I don't I don't I don't change it. You know what I'm saying? Like, I've been doing this for a long time. And then, you know, so me and him is the it's the same way. That's why it works that way. You know, he he he knows just what to cook up, you know what I mean? Like, when we decided to just bring it together as one, so I could just concentrate on just the rapping part, and then he's doing the piece, you know, so I'd like to so you know, I used to do both. So, you know what I mean? Like, so now when we started putting it all together as tone chop and fast gamble, because it was just tone chop and it was just frost gamble, you know what I mean? But when we bring it together as one entity, you know, it's that's you know, it just he just made it easy for me. I really just I just really wanted to just concentrate on the writing part and the and the you know the the songs. You know, but in you know, like in the in the early stages, I was just rapping rapping, you know, the songs, the my my song, you know, my songwriting and everything has gotten way, way better over the years, you know. So since we put it together, I was able to concentrate on that part. You know what I mean? So, but he knows what it is, like he knows exactly what to cook up. If he cooks up something and he knows, he knows he'll be like, I already know. You know what I'm saying? He makes all types of beats, but he knows if he knows if it's something that I'm gonna want to, you know, that I'm gonna want to take a stab at. So you know what I mean? So yeah, that's that's just the way it is. Me and him is a really good combination, you know. So and we've always been that way. Since the basement where it is recording on a four track and you know, so and he only had just like a rack taper, that's it. You know, you gotta time everything off. We used to spice the beats and the loops together with the tape, take the tape, and you know what I mean? Like went through all the areas, you know what I mean. So, but like I said, we just stick to what we do. I don't know. Some people say could say that it's you know, that it's battle rap or whatever, but when they hear the album though, it's not talking about it. I talk about a lot of different stuff too, you know. It's like a lot of times these days though, you know, I leave out a lot of deep stuff. You know, we got some joints, you know, in the in the in the vault, you know, I leave them out and we just like sprinkle them here and there because you know, people just think they want to hear what we want to hear what we do best, you know what I'm saying? They just want to hear straight blue back bars and heavy punch lines and hard hurts and all that, you know. But you know, we we got you know, like I said, that that's why this album is so important, because you know, we we spent years working on this to to to form it to this one to this one piece. You know, we did hundred songs probably in between, you know, just oh that one's for the album, oh that was for the album, oh we need that one for the album. You know, Fox curates all of that too. Right, you know, he curates all of that. He picks the songs, you know, he picks the songs, the you know, the song titles, everything. Like when you know, when I send him a song, I send him the song, that's the title of the beat. You know, so when I send it to him, it's just the name of the beat and and the hooks and everything was on it. And a lot of times he just he just comes up with the song title and everything. That's what I mean. He just makes it easier for me to rock and just concentrate. I got a lot of stuff going on, kids, and you know what I'm saying? So he just makes it easier for me just to concentrate on the rapping part, you know what I mean. And he's a great he's a good rapper too. A lot of people don't know that, but he is too. He can rap too. I can say a lot of things too.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

So I want y'all to I I just want to also, because the title I had was Beautiful Foundation, 30 Years of Brother Brotherhood, Beats and Bars. So I just want y'all just to like to ponder on the 35 years of work y'all have done and just reflect on that for a minute and just tell me what does it feel like? Because a lot of MCs don't all stay together. Usually egos get in the way and it's oh I'm I'm better than him, or and then it's like I leave and then I go on do the solo thing, and then it's like, oh, it ain't as easy as I thought. Let's come back and do a little reunion situation. But like for you guys to be 35 years in strong, still making like incredible music, like like how does that feel?

SPEAKER_00 19:07

It's a blessing, man. Like we it for us, like maybe it's a blessing too that we never blew up, because a lot of like the groups that you talk about, they blow up, they get a whole bunch of money, and that changes things. You know what I mean? And and Chop and I had like some we're we're getting we drop a video documentary on the 20th to compliment the album where we we talk about our history. And if people check that out, they'll get some details. Because we we had like our first so-called record deal in the 90s, and that was basically like a really bad situation. So we were we got really distrustful and and jaded early on. Plus, we're a product of the 80s, so we came up through the golden era before everybody started talking about gunplay and and and flipping bricks and and and a lot of the negativity, you know. We came up in an era where it was fun and it was positive and it was nourishing and uplifting. And so, you know, we try to bake that into our music. And really, the beauty of coming from that era is we're not exactly tied to a sound. Yeah, we're we're boom bap by sample, we have a certain approach. But when you sample anything that's funky, anything that's dope, you can come with different styles. Chop writes with different topics, and we, you know, we still it still feels fresh when we do it because we're not trying to like remake the same song or the same style over and over again. So, so doing it for 35 years with Chop has been, you know, it's kept me sane. It's kept me happy, and it's it's just it's added so much to the to the quality of my life. And perhaps the best part of it is although we've never blown up, never got a bunch of money from it, we've gotten the respect of elders, of, of hip-hop elders, and and people we grew up as fans of, like especially DJs, you know, people who we grew up idolizing have become fans of our music and supporters of our music. And that that means more to us than than money or fame could could ever provide. Yeah, I like that.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

What what about you? What what is your your your thoughts?

SPEAKER_03 21:13

I mean, it it's hard really not to it's really hard not to um think about how tight we are because not not only he's like Frost is like my biggest fan too, as well. Like he thinks everybody's better than me. You know, he thinks everybody's not as nice as me, you know. I but you know, so that that that that keeps me that keeps me going too, you know. So and and I can probably count the amount of times me and him really ever had an argument or disagreement too at that, even after all this time, you know what I mean? Like we even after all this time we've been working together, man, we don't fight and argue over stupid stuff, and you know what I'm saying? Like we just see eye to eye, especially when it comes to music. You know, not only do we do music, We we care for each other. That's my brother. You know what I'm saying? So and everybody knows that. He's like he's been a friend of mine for the forever. You know what I mean? So we just making music with him is just I I like I told you, I'd I'd I'd really rather not really I really rather not make music if it's not with him. I could, you know, I know some some dope cats that make beats and stuff too, but it's just not the same, you know what I mean? Like so I I just can't picture really, you know, making making the stuff I'm making with him with anybody else. You know what I mean? So that's that's really what it is to me, man. And like I said, he he he gave it up to me a long time ago and said that you know, said that he said that I was better than him, and that's why it's no ego, you know what I mean? Like he he he he ain't eating he he's my favorite producer too, he knows that, but he gives me props from my beats filled. I mean I made beats too, you know what I mean, but it's just not the it's just not it's not in the fold of what we're doing, you know what I mean? So what we do is just me and him, you know. I just like to keep it that way. I wouldn't want to even try to recreate this with anybody else. You know what I mean? Like it has to be with him, you know what I mean. So we came so far from bad thing, even even song, like I said, even songwriting, you know what I'm saying? I got way better than cadence, delivery, everything has gotten better since I was just able to concentrate on that part. That's why I gotta stress that that you know when we put it together, it's so I didn't have to worry about nothing. But he he mixes everything, masters everything. You know, you know, I just send him references and all that, and he mixes and masters everything. And I got all of his beats. So you might have to you might have to ask me for a beat before he gives it to you. That's exactly what it is. You know what I like? I like that. He tells people all the time, like I got all his beats. So I, you know, everything he makes, he sends it to me. So, you know, like you know, so I could dip into whatever, you know, he he got all types of flavor. So whatever I'm in the in the mood for, you know, it's it's there. If he ain't make it yet, it's it's in the folder, you know what I'm saying? So yeah, like he tells people all the time, oh, you're gonna have to hit chopper because he got all my beats. You know what I mean? And he's and the plus, he's worked with other people too. I don't be like, oh man, you're working with so-and-so, now that's messed up. You know what I'm saying? He's he's a he is a producer at the at the end of the day, too, and he's dope. But he's worked with other dope people too, plenty of.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

Yeah, Chop's just Chop's like my AR. Like, there was like in the past, when I was younger, I used to like want to work with more artists. This is you know, when we're at the stage trying to get a name out there more. And Chop could Chop kind of saw me like struggling to find the right person. He was like, yo, you should work with my little man's here who's who's got a good character. That's that's Anthony Ken. And and he and I have done, you know, two, three albums together since then. But that works because like Chop is my AR. Like, Chop knows, hey, it'll work with this kid, it won't work with that kid. So I don't I don't even waste, I don't even waste my time. I'm like, yo, talk to Chop, talk to Chop. Like, he'll let me know.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

So about y'all saying that too, because you like working with artists and all that, and I know sometimes a lot of artists sleep on people because of the presentation, or they feel like, oh, whatever. And looking at y'all, what y'all doing, have y'all got artists that came back and said, Oh, now I see what y'all are doing, can I be a part?

SPEAKER_03 25:39

Yeah, plenty of times with me. People always like, like, I got a song called No We Don't, because people come up to me and be like, he'd be like, yo, like, and it's the approach too, like he says, like, people be like, oh, we gotta do a song. And I was like, we don't though. You know what I'm saying? Like, if we ain't, especially in this area, like if we didn't do one by now, chances are we might not do one. You know what I mean? Like, you know, but people, people do it all the time. They see what we're doing, and then they just they they just want to get in the fold sometime. But yeah, you know, like I collaborate with people. When I do collaborate with somebody, I I have to gym, you know, I have to really mess with them. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, we have to be people's cool people, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm not gonna just collaborate with anybody. Plus, you're gonna get smoked too. So if you want to, if you jump on a joint with me, I'm trying to smoke you. So if if you come give you if you do want to collab, just know that I'm trying to smoke you, and everybody else that's on the joint too, and that's just high-end, you know what I'm saying? So it's not not nothing personal or nothing like that. But you know, even when they say it's not competition, it really is, though. Yeah, you know, and some people have secret competition with you and they don't come out and say it. Me, it's not a secret, like if you smoke.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

Yeah, because I I'm I'm a I'm I'm I was born in '81. One of one of my uh favorite albums, I would say, would be uh The Blueprint. But I listened to Renegade. And I always like Renegade, and uh she might might say something about this, but I always like Eminem's part better than Jay-Z. Because I felt like when you listen to Eminem's part, it was like it was what the song needed. It was like, okay, who's this guy? And listening to, and and I know that like you said, with collaborations, people get out here, not new days, but in the old days, if you if you was on something, it wasn't just, hey, we just on, so I'm on here to smash you, you know, some hit you with a couple plus lines and some metaphors, and you like, oh I'm gonna hit you with a couple and it, but it works. So I like what how y'all, you know, you move and you know how you guys, y'all work together, because a lot of people don't do that in this area, this era. And it's good to have MCs and on here. So I like that I've I've never asked this question, but I'm glad that I have some some some MCs on here. So do you guys think that I guess hip-hop is is alive or can it be resuscitated or is it is or is it just dead? I'm gonna jump in on this one, Chubb.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

I I like I feel real passionate about this because the conversation about how is hip-hop? Well, first of all, I am hip-hop. Hip-hop is alive and well. We are hip-hop. Hip-hop is a is a culture of people participating in it, and it's alive and well worldwide. They're breakdancing in Japan, they're they're writing on the walls in Sudan, they're like it's it, they're beatboxing in in China, it's everywhere, right? Now, the the state of the rap music industry is ass cheeks and and and a lot, there's a lot of garbage being being pushed forward by the algorithm, right? But that doesn't mean hip-hop is dead, just the industry is in a in a in a fucked up place and the way and the the the lowest common denominators are being presented in in an inauthentic way. But I think I think hip-hop is alive and well, and I'm I feel so grateful to to have participated in it and have it have it be, you know, this guiding force in my life. And to, you know, that that it's the power of the cipher, right? Like just we we never blew up, we never got famous, but we've come back to the cipher so many times. We show and we prove, we've demonstrated our skills and we get love and respect on that basis. That's the culture that that's alive and well in my partner.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

Yeah, hip hip hop is totally alive. I got a song called Hip Hop is Alive, too. And it's in it's a dope track too. Like, you know, it's it's like uh, I mean, this is all I know since I was since I was a little boy, you know what I mean? So since I was very young, this is all I know. So I mean, even if everybody was to say, they maybe people do feel like it's dead or it needs resuscitation and all that. But to me, it's been alive my whole life. So I've I've been engulfed in it and I still am, even at the age I am, and I'm up there and age, and I and I and I'm still engulfed in it. You know what I mean? I try to help, I try to guide youth. And, you know, even young people ask me about music all the time, you know. I've been doing music in this area for so long, and the people that know me from the beginning, they've they always come up to me and they'll be like, yo, it's it's it's crazy that you, you know, you stuck with it all this time, you know. I remember when you first started doing it, you know what I mean? So hip-hop is very alive, without a doubt. I mean, I feel like certain I feel like certain type of music not necessarily hurts it, but it's it's not really. I feel like some of it's just they they claim that it's hip-hop, but it's really not, though. You know, it shouldn't be a whole like some people say it should be a whole nother genre. It should. You know, some stuff that they call hip hop, and they really they shouldn't really be calling it that, because that's not what it is. You know what I mean? That's the that's my opinion. You know, a lot of people have the same type of opinion, but that's my opinion. I feel like some of it shouldn't even be called hip-hop. You know, it should be a whole nother name for it. But it's not, it's not it's not a we lose, you know what I mean, but teach his own.

SPEAKER_01 31:25

Yeah, and uh, and I agree with what you're saying. One of the things I I do like is what I've listened to is that you guys still keep the originality of what you do. Though I I feel like listening to you guys, no studio could pull y'all in and say, hey, I want y'all to change up what y'all are doing. And because this ain't this ain't how we want you to do it. Y'all, y'all doing it the way that y'all want to do it. And I feel like a lot of it is, in my opinion, because I grew up in the 80s and I grew up with, you know, Tupac Biggie, KRS1, all those guys, and they they told stories. They, you know, it wasn't all about like other stuff. Like now it's just like, you know, some of it you listen to it and people will be like, hey, do you know what they said? I'd be like, absolutely not. I just I don't like to be right. And I and I tell you, I I had to listen to this all about at least 10 times. But I actually be like, okay, I like it. They like, well, you know, what you like about it? I was like, I just like to be sketchy. A couple of words, and it was kind of catchy, you know. But that's that's where I'm at. Like, I like also I'm I'm liking to see that like the TIs, the bust around, they're coming back juvenile, you know, coming back and setting the uh record straight, like, hey, just because we was gone, don't mean that we can't come back and make, you know, dope music. So I'm I'm I'm glad that you guys are, you know, still out there, you know, making music like, you know, even I got you in rotation on my station.

SPEAKER_03 33:01

Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Hey, hey man, I appreciate y'all because you know, starting out is just it's a lot of artists out here, and sometimes they want the opportunity, but sometimes they don't know how to, you know, do what to do to get to where they need to get. So I would just like that.

SPEAKER_03 33:19

I feel I would like that. I feel like DJ is one of the hardest jobs, especially nowadays too, because you can't play everything.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

You know, yeah, true.

SPEAKER_03 33:27

I'm sure you get a lot of people that said submit music, can't play everything. You gotta, you know, and I really feel like as a DJ, you know, that you should be able to play the stuff that you like. There's a lot of DJs who really just play the stuff that they like. You know what I mean? So, you know, and and I feel like a DJ is a hard job because you know you gotta go through a lot of music, and a lot of it, I'm sure a lot of it is terrible.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

Yeah, but I had learned one thing from a DJ. What he told me was that it ain't always about what you like. I might like you might not like it, but I play it and like a lot of people might look to say, oh, I like this song. And so sometimes it ain't even for me. I I listen to a lot of it. I'm like, it's it's some of it is good. Majority of, thankfully, majority knock on wood, the majority of the music I've gotten so far is been dope music. But sometimes you just have to like, you know, decipher through it because you know everybody wants an opportunity. Usually, like I like to ask, because you are artists, like what advice would you give artists out here that's that's starting out and also that might be getting discouraged because stuff is not moving fast enough for?

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Don't stop. Don't stop. No matter what anybody says, no matter what they tell you, no matter, you know, whether eventually everybody's not gonna like everything you do. Right. First of all. So you gotta be used to be able to take criticism too. And you know, you gotta be, you know, there's people out here, even if you know, have I've been approached by people, even if you tell them they it's not your cup of tea, they get all been out of shape and get all personal and start getting disrespectful and all that. So I tell people all the time, like, if you want my opinion, you know, if I if I I I'm gonna give you my honest opinion. You know, like if I you know, same thing, I would expect them. Somebody, if they if I ask them if they likes, if somebody says they don't like something I do, I don't get all been out of shape and get disrespectful and all that. You know what I mean? But yeah, I I just say keep it moving. Like I say, stick to your guns, man. Like whatever you like to do, keep doing. If you play basketball and and they stick and steal the ball from you all the time, then you gotta keep playing basketball so they can't steal it from you every time. Well, if you shot is if your shot is off, then you gotta keep you gotta get on the court and keep shooting until until you start making all the shots. You know what I mean? Like I I never stop. Like I said, I I I just try to get better at songwriting and you know, just like I said, I I I tackle different topics and all that too. A lot of see a lot of people is not making sense. You know, first of all, when it comes to writing, you gotta make sense, first of all. And then you gotta find a clever way to deliver it and you know, and find your own cadence and all that too. It's it took me a long time to really get it to where I'm at now, to where, you know, my cadence and everything is most comfortable. Like I said, I was always good at writing and rapping itself, like making songs and everything's different. So, like I said, I went from mixtapes to albums and EPs and all that, and that's what we do. So it's like everything's gotta be cohesive and all that. And like I said, everybody's not gonna like everything you do, but keep pushing. Do not give up, you know, keep pushing.

SPEAKER_00 36:43

Consistency is the most important thing, man. In the underground, especially, you have to consistently drop and keep showing over and over again because that's it's the only way you're not gonna like break through the noise. You're not gonna, if you don't have a big label behind you with lots of money, you're not just gonna drop one thing and blow up and have you know everything you want come from it. You have to be consistent, keep like Chop's, keep keep sharpening your sword, keep coming back, and just that consistency is what builds your name and your reputation. Like people will go, you know, you you people would recognize my name long before they could name a song that I produced. Right. And that's that's the power of consistently consistency, just constantly being out there, constantly participating, constantly creating. It's I think it's the single most important thing.

SPEAKER_03 37:33

I always tell, I always tell, especially young, yeah, especially the young guys out here, I always tell them like the craft is important. You know, don't let anybody tell you it's not. The craft part is very important. Like, I know kids that was like the way they was rapping two years ago compared to now.

SPEAKER_04 37:54

This and that.

SPEAKER_03 37:56

Just hearing positive feedback and people telling them, like, look, you know, like I said, I tell them all the time, the craft is important. Don't let nobody tell you otherwise. And you know, you'd be surprised in a couple years how much of a better rapper in the MCs that some of these guys get to, just to concentrate them on that part. Once you got the craft down, and you know, you're and you're do because a lot of people will really just say anything. It rhymes, you know, there's there's so many things. Like if you know somebody says something before, you heard it before, why why would you say it? I mean not.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Never say hot like a sauna. Never say hot like a sauna ever again.

SPEAKER_03 38:40

Never for real. Like I I, you know, some people, some some MCs that I really respect have has let me down the last couple years. Like they would just, it seems like now they're to the point where they're just starting to say anything too. I can't, I can't do it. Like, sometimes it takes me months to write one song. I concentrate the you know, the writing part of the song part. You know what I mean? And to say something dope too. Like, you know, some people don't care about saying dope stuff, but I you know, like I said, that's that's what we do. You know, like even if it's even if it's a topic song, you gotta figure out you gotta figure out how to make it dope though. And make it make it sound dope, you know what I'm saying? So but yeah, that's it. Like I always tell young people, just work on the crap, because people ask me all the time. And and I know people that that started a few years ago, how much better they've gotten in a short period of time just by listening to the advice that I told them. You know what I mean? Like, and I'll never discourage anybody neither. I don't like, you know, when somebody will come to me, especially a young person, and they, you know, I I like I said, you know, if the worst I'ma say to them is it's just not my cup of tea. But I'm gonna tell them though, though, hey, don't don't let that discourage you, though. Keep you gotta keep doing what you love, man. Like I said, with the basketball game, that's with anything. You know, if you're you know, I but I I was a good, I was a pretty good break dancer, dope graffiti writer, all that. I did all that too. You know, so but I always tell people, yeah, you gotta just just work on work on the craft part, you know, and then you can see like I know a couple of young dudes out here who's got so much better since I first heard it. Who wasn't rapping on the beat well, you know, like catching the beat, but not really catching the beat, if you know what I mean? Not riding the beat, like on beat, but not really riding it, you know. And they ride it way better now. The stuff that they're saying is way better now. You know what I mean? So then I always tell them too. Whenever I see a new person, too, I always tell them like that's what I'm talking about. You know, I can see you're elevating and you're getting way better, you know. Not to say that they was ever dirt or nothing like that, but they got way better, right? So yeah, this is music, is hip-hop is different now, you know, it's changing. Yeah, you know, it's a like I said, it's a lot of different stuff that they call hip-hop, you know. So people are doing different stuff. And I like I say, it might not be what I like, but you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

So uh I also want to talk about your your accomplishment. I don't know if this is Frost's or your accomplishment, but Red Letters 13 was landed, the album of the year award in Canada's Gospel Music Award in 2013.

SPEAKER_00 41:33

Yeah, yeah, that was so that's that was an incredible experience. Fresh IE is a Winnipeg-based MC artist, producer, all around amazing human being, and has been making gospel rap, gospel hip-hop since the 90s. He's a two-time uh Grammy nominated artist in the gospel category, very, very accomplished guy, and uh he's a real hip-hop head. Like he really loves the culture and is the culture, his his calling is is the ministry, and that's the music that he makes. But he is he is 100% a hip-hop head and he has a lot of love in his heart. And so, you know, he had appreciation for what I was doing and gave me the opportunity to get on that project. You know, got got a Juno nomination. Juno's are the equivalent of Grammys here in Canada. And um, you know, that that was that was uh that was an incredible blessing and something I'm always always grateful for. I'll tell you another story. After I I produced that, I produced like three remix albums for him. We've done a lot of work over the years. He's featured on our Beautiful Foundation's album. He did a hook for me, did a great job. But he gifted me a uh control surface, a Mackey control surface for my studio. And I will never replace it. You know, it just gives me so much happiness to walk in my studio and see that sitting there, and every single session, you know, I'm pushing these faders that on a device that was gifted to me as a thank you for for producing for him. So that was a terrific experience. Fresh eye, he's a he's a great artist and a great human being.

SPEAKER_01 43:13

Glad to hear that. I'm really amazed that, you know, and I I like these interviews because we listen to the music, but we don't get the chance to get to know the artist behind the music. And I'm I'm like, like I said before, I'm glad that you guys took the opportunity out to, you know, sit down with me and and just, you know, have have a little conversation because my my goal is that you know people can just look past the music and say, hey, that we are as artists humans. You know, we we we we do life, we do life at some time, but we we're out here making making moves. It's it's not always easy, but we're still making making ways and you know, and being consistent. And one thing that I see that what you guys. that y'all are y'all are consistent. You know, y'all, y'all are doing your thing and y'all make it y'all make it headway. So I'm gonna I'm gonna say this like this because you you might say that you haven't blew up. But looking at reading what, reading y'all bio, what I read, y'all, y'all, y'all are are, you might not say blow up, but y'all, y'all are, y'all are out there being known. And people are gonna hear you, hear you all, and they're gonna, they're gonna, when they hear you, they're gonna be like, oh, oh yeah, we we we got something to reckon with. Because even from what I listened to, I was like, man, I said, I was like, yo, these like this guy with these punch lines and these metaphors, I was like, I said, I said, I said, I know he he wasn't a, he wasn't a young baby. I said I know he had to be one of them them 80 babies.

SPEAKER_00 44:52

So when I when I when I listened to I was just like you know you know y'all y'all have blow up y'all y'all are out here doing your thing you you you're making making headway and like I just want you guys just to keep keep doing what you got what you guys are doing because you you as have been a musician you help me to keep going uh as well so before we close out I want to also just a couple things pretty much want to know what your fans uh supporters can expect how they can find you any projects and pretty much what do you want your fans to feel about feel about you when they hear your music well this um I'll jump in here I'm I'm on Instagram frost.gamble Chop's on there too at tone chop I'm not on socials tremendous amount of time but I but I am on there and do try to interact with folks you know for for our for our fans I would say please support beautiful foundations this is a capstone project on our career it means the world to us to to chop told our story our history our our passion we worked with artists on this project who are legitimately fans of us we're legitimately fans of them this is the most cohesive and authentic you know piece of art that we've put together so we're really looking for you people to to support it if you're in the Binghamton area come through on the 30th for our vinyl listening party you can cop a vinyl you know you know give you a pound thank you for supporting our music you know we put we put that event together and we have a documentary dropping on the 20th to to really cement and tell our story our way and with no you know marketing and no promotion behind it just us telling our story the right way so I I I really appreciate everybody that's been rocking with us. You know we've we've had some funerals in the past few years man we're getting to the age where we're starting to lose some fans and that's kind of a a tough thing to to experience and go through. And so we you know tomorrow isn't promised chap and I are filled with with gratitude. We're thankful for the support that we get we're grateful for UAD and for for DJs who put their passion for hip hop um at the forefront and seek out good music and share it we would be nowhere without the DJs the last song on the album is called Thank You DJs you're the backbone of our culture and and we really appreciate what what you do for for all of us I appreciate y'all yes it's Tong Chop on uh he's he's mostly on Instagram but I'm on everything TikTok Facebook you know um X you know whatever I'm on everything so you know um he he does Instagram I mean I take care of our stuff on Facebook you know I I started the TikTok like you know I never really messed with it like that but I mean I'm up to like a thousand followers on TikTok now a little over a thousand just in the past couple months I really started really going at it I was like on TikTok every once in a while but I I try to use all the avenues to try to get us to try to get it to get the music to other people as well you know because I feel like that I feel like any anybody that takes a some time to listen because I I got people that don't even they don't even listen to hip hop but they listen to what we do.

SPEAKER_03 48:23

You know what I mean? So I feel like anybody that really gives it a chance to listen and not to mention we got some of the cleanest some of the cleanest songs out. We don't have to do a whole lot of uh you know like clean versions for DJs and all that because a lot of our stuff is clean I barely swear at all on Jones and I just write that way it's just natural. You know a lot of people really a lot of MCs don't even write that way. Like it's just so natural for me. I feel like it's a lack of vocabulary when you got you know swear and use the N-word all the time like there's people that just overuse it and overuse it's like it's just like you know like you you gotta you gotta learn to write without all that stuff. You know what I mean like I said making sense is a part so you know when when the fans hear our stuff they're gonna get something that's cohesive it makes sense you know and it's punch lines and clever like it's wordplay it's all in there it's it's you know it's all a gumbo pot and everything but it's all you know it's real hip-hop though that's what we do man like I said we concentrate on we we do the music that we love that we would like to hear and a lot of other people tell us the same same thing it's you know they they we do the type of hip hop they like to hear too you know so with fans you know with fans we just want you to really this this album is important you know this is a a milestone for both of us and you know we worked really hard on this you know so we just want people to come out and support especially if you're in the Binghamton area come to the listening you know a lot of people seem interested in it so I'm hoping all those people that were interested really come out and and and listen to the album top to bottom because everybody who has listened to the album top to bottom they all tell us that we got some so you know what I mean like and um and hopefully when they hear this album they go back and listen to all the other ones because we got tons of projects and they're all dope to just like this one you know what I mean so I feel like this is our best you know project altogether but I mean we got so many joints you know then we got like uh we got this raising the bar series where there's eight of them out now and we got nine and ten done so we'll be putting out a project too with the collection of those and you know a lot of DJs love the raising the bar joints when we put them out people you know DJs love those so there's 10 all together I just did nine and ten so we'll be putting them all together as one one through ten all of them together so that'll be coming out at some point and then um you know we'll we'll we'll still be after the album drops you know we'll still be dropped we still got some videos coming and um joint with bad seed with the bad seed we got one with him too which is dope too and I believe a couple of DJs might already have that in their hands already but um we got that coming out but yeah this I mean we're not gonna stop you know regardless we got a nice amount of songs a nice amount of songs in the bulk too so I mean there was a time where we put out a single every couple weeks for like a whole over over a whole year straight. So we just had so much music at that time. And I always agree I always believe it you know I mean you can't take it would you so put it down once once it's out there it's out there you know hopefully like I said hopefully people will hear this album and you know go back and dive in because I know there's there's been a few people lately that tell me you know in the gym they'll be sending me stuff like yo you said this and these joints is old but you know friends of mine go they've been going to the gym working out and they've been really diving into like everything to be done. So you know I hope that more people do that. I I suggest that everybody don't just listen to this project or the last couple dive in because we got a lot of joints you know a lot of stuff that me and did together and it's all dope. You know what I'm saying if you like this then you're gonna like everything else too we got tons of it. And speaking of Fresh IE, shout out to him too because you know he didn't have to do that joint. Frost sent him a reference to how he wanted to the hook the sound and he and he nailed it and that's one of my favorite joints too. And when people listen to it they'll see like I don't just collaborate when I collaborate with somebody I always got lines in there to you know to dig up the person that I'm doing it with too you know so I love that joint a lot and I appreciate that he did that. So shout out to Fresh IE too and everybody else I got like there's a few people in this area that I really wanted on this project and um I got them on there. So you know shout out to Mindframe Yasha Carmelo Marie I mean um the bad seed guard I don't know who else not forget DJ Smooth did some dope cuts Paw Paw Fresh Deacon Blue I mean we got you know we this this is a really dope project and we're proud of it and can't wait to give it out to everybody you know please come out if you're in a band to please come out and check out the listening party it's gonna be dope that's about it you know total chop on everything except I mean we got a tonal chopper frost gamble on on Facebook but I got a tonal chop on Facebook and you know my Anthony Valentine is on Facebook that's my that's my government name on you know it is what it is but if people could check me out on Facebook there too because I share on all three you know so shout out to new Don Records as well. You know I'll I'll you know he he took the project as is and put it out on his own so you know bless John we appreciate it you know I'm saying he he's been working really hard behind the scenes and you know doing a lot of legwork that we didn't have to worry about either that's that was the whole purpose of doing it this way. You know we waited to finish this project to put it in his hands. We really wanted him you know to be a part of this and we're glad that he that he is a part of it where like I said and thanks to you you know I appreciate the interview we appreciate you we got a song on the album called Thank You DJs and that's what it's all about. Because hip hop wouldn't be none without the DJs period. So I feel like you guys got a really hard job you know we mess with a lot of DJs and you know if they don't there's some that play us very consistently and there's some that play us maybe not all the time but they just got so much music you know they get so much mentions and all that so you know we don't ever take it personal but you know Tony touch there's a lot of dope DJs who really play us all the time. Every time we send them something they play you know what I mean so it's so it's dope to have that type of um you know um people that respect us you know say because we grew up respecting all of them too. So yeah hip-hop lives you know it's a lot very much alive I can't wait to drop that song too.

SPEAKER_01 55:43

So um like I tell all everybody I interview any music that you guys have you got by email please send it so I can push it on my end because it like I told artists that I interview pretty much we got to support each other. People can't be out here wanting support but they can't they they can't support but then they want you to support them and it doesn't work that way and it's not not fair to y'all not even I'm a podcaster and radio station and all this stuff but you know and people ask me all the time hey you you you you put out this that and third and like you should get more and then pretty much to me I don't really worry about that. It's just about the being genuine and and and and all that it's not about sometimes the likes the you know people worry about the likes the this the streaming and all that but it's more about do you want to say how do you want do you want to be supported by people that really gonna support you or because I see you working with somebody I'm uh hey let me jump on because you're working with you know that's it Buster Rounds or Jay Z something then people like oh you're doing that so let me jump on with you like it why not why not do it when you when you have the opportunity that you can so you guys just keep keep doing what you guys are doing and and we're gonna keep pushing y'all music and and you know when when you drop because if you want we when you drop your your album you guys can come back and we can we can we can drop it here and you can you know we play it and you know call it a day however you want to do it.

SPEAKER_00 57:23

Appreciate that anything anything you tag me and share it I I share you know what I mean like I oh I I see I see you idea we're trying to push you to it man it's important it's it is yeah I appreciate it like I said like I hear I hear from DJs how how cats are like send them a link to their Spotify and be like play this like what how do I play your Spotify and like they don't they don't be sharing posts and they don't help support like it it's as you say it's supposed to be a symbiotic relationship we're supposed to uplift each other. That's how it works.

SPEAKER_01 57:58

Yeah it's it's a it's a great thing you're doing too because a lot of DJs don't really do interviews like that they don't there's only a handful of them that really do interviews you know unless it's like unless it's like somebody you know that's that's mainstream or something you know what I mean I feel that's great that you do it you know and it's very nice meeting you this was a great conversation we appreciate it I appreciate you too yeah anything you tag us and whatever I'm I'm sharing it man to you know we gotta return for we gotta return the love back you know what I mean I appreciate it so I'm about to close out with y'all talk I had tone talk and and frost cables they are proof that real hip hop is more than music it is history brotherhood respect discipline and foundation the new album beautiful Beautiful Foundation arrives May 15 2026 and it stands as a celebration of where they started what they do and the book that keeps them moving forward hip hop is something you live I appreciate y'all this has been your boy AD hanging with Tone Chop and Frost Gable and we out thank you all right y'all take it easy too but I appreciate y'all be safe all right