Duke - story of a young rapper

Watch TOB Duke full episode on his come up story as a rapper in Detroit after a sudden death of his brother/cousin, turning his negatives around, and being around Polo G and being signed to Interscope.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:04

I'm good, I'm good. Well, it's good to have you here, Duke. Um, so welcome to another episode. Welcome to another episode of Chile Whippa. And I'm your host, Bo. In this podcast, all we talk about is chill kind of conversation, you know, and how to be the best you.

SPEAKER_03 0:21

Come chill with me, man. What y'all doing, huh? Chilly Whipple! You know, just hear cool stories and just chill. You know the type of conversation you have while you're chillin' with your homies. But you get to just witness that, witness that, witness that, witness that, witness that.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

What's up, what's up, what's up, everybody? What's going on? I'm T O B Duke. You know, I'm from Detroit, you know. And we, you know, I'm I'm looking forward to answering some questions, eating some of this Korean fried chicken. And yeah, let's do it.

SPEAKER_04 0:56

Yeah, nah, it's good to have you too, because finally I get to bring one of my best friend, my homie, and my brother to this, you know, and want to hear a little bit more about your music journey, who you are, and just talk regularly like we always talk.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Right, right. No, for sure. This is just another, this is another, another Friday, man. Another Friday, man, where we're just having this like a normal conversation. So, yeah, let's do it.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

Cool. All right, hold on, hold on, hold on. Don't try to chicken yet, man. Let me do the let me do your intro first. Okay. Go ahead. All right, man. So I met Duke a couple years ago through music and fashion. Duke, it's uh, do you want to introduce yourself a little bit or do you want me to do it since you're pretty good at this?

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Oh, yeah, man. It's me. Still be Duke, man, Detroit native. Um, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:46

I you know, you know what? I'll do it. I'll do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me hear it. I hate to talk about myself. Let me hear you do it. I don't want to hear this.

SPEAKER_04 1:52

All right. One of the musical genius. Next up and coming rapper, they say a couple years ago, so he's already upcoming, coming up, whatever y'all want to say. Uh being signed to Interscope slash Geffen. That's the same one that um signed Kendrick, I think, you know, we're in our A. So that GNX, not like us, whatever, pretty big. Same label. Um he was signed to Polo G when he was like, what, 16, 17?

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Like 17, 17, 18 years old.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

So a young, rich, accomplished dude, you know?

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yeah, for sure. For sure, yeah. That was definitely like that was uh, that was like, you know, that was one of the highlights of my life. Was, you know, at the time, like he was my favorite artist. Like at the time. Like just he was just coming with something different, you know what I'm saying, than what everybody was already putting out. So it was just like it was, it was crazy for him to like kind of notice me and you know, take me under his wing for the time that he did. And it was just it was dope, you know what I'm saying? Like uh, I I saw like he sh he he he showed me some of the like, like basically like I hadn't seen no 10-bedroom mansion until I came around him and I I I hadn't rolled around in foreign cars and for for 30 days straight. And you know what I'm saying? Like it was just certain stuff that he showed me and it was my first time experiencing it. You know what I'm saying? Right. Like even like even like a mansion party. Like I never had been to a mansion party before I before I met him. Like, you know.

SPEAKER_04 3:28

So it was just So it's almost like your formative year learning how to be like you was already. I mean, you know, you some would say that's like going becoming a man, and you becoming a man in a in a crazy journey journey.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

For sure, for sure. Yeah, most deaf. It was that's what it kind of felt like, for sure. No, I don't want to I want to try this chicken. Okay, let's try this. I want to try this chicken, man. I'm gonna try this, man. They say Korean fried chicken spices. Did you have one? Like some of the best ones. No.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

No, okay, shit. Let's try it.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Let's see, let's see, let's let's get this crunch ASMR. Honey garlic.

SPEAKER_04 4:03

Oh man. I have I have a lot of questions for you, but what's going on?

SPEAKER_06 4:08

What's going on?

SPEAKER_04 4:10

But maybe we can start by just painting a picture of like how you grew up, who you are, you know, then we can go into like the eps and flows of everything later. So maybe you can tell your story, like, how do you grow up in Detroit, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Coming up in Detroit, you know what I'm saying, you get it, you get a little bit of everything. Um And what I mean by you get a little bit of everything, you know what I'm saying? You see, you see the you see the the the bad, the good, you know what I'm saying, the neutral. And like, you know, you see, you see, like, his levels, you know what I'm saying? Like, we the we the motor city, bro. Like, we and we are known we are we are known for a lot of things people wouldn't think we were known for.

SPEAKER_04 4:54

Like what?

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Like like Jiffy cornbread was made in Detroit.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

I don't even know what Jiffy cornbread is. You don't What is it? Tell me. I know what cornbread is.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

It's like, it's like Jiffy, it's Jiffy is like like basically like like one of the number one brands of cornbread. Like Jiffy is like uh a brand that that most like black black homes use, you feel me, to make cornbread. And it was originated in Detroit. Okay. Same thing with Fago. You know what I'm saying? We made Fago. Oh, yeah, yeah. Or, you know, four motors, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_04 5:28

Yeah, yeah, no, that one I know.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

And like, uh, what else?

SPEAKER_04 5:31

Like Fago is like Fanta, for those who don't know.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys, Fago, Fago, you know, it's some, it's, it's, it's a certain, it's a certain crowd that's that's drinking Fago and they're doing it a certain way. We ain't gonna go too deep into detail. But yeah, basically, you know, coming up there, like my grandma, my grandma had me in a choir or whatever, you know what I'm saying? Like, no. Growing up, like, yeah, I was in church choir. Like, growing up, my auntie was like, my auntie is like a very great singer ever since we were kids, ever since we were kids. We only we're only four years apart.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

And Detroit is like on that Motown too, huh? So then there's like that musical background right here.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Motown, you know, Motown Records, you know what I'm saying? We we signed some of the greatest people, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, you know what I'm saying? Aaliyah is from Detroit. Yeah, yeah. I know that. Yeah, yep, yep. Aaliyah is from Detroit uh from Detroit, so yeah, man, Motown, Motown Records, baby. They still up and running to this day. You know what I'm saying? They just had Youngboy sign. Uh he's not in that deal anymore, but you know, they still they still messing with heavy hitters, like they still to this day. But yeah, man, like I said, you know, church choirs grew. But yeah, that and then, you know, like my my my father and all of my older cousins and uncles, they were like, you know, more of the like flashy type, you know, rap music videos, cars, clothes, jewelry, women, you know what I'm saying? Like, right. Like they showed me to that side. So it's kind of like I merged them.

SPEAKER_04 6:58

So you kind of got two influenced.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Basically.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

What was the just details? What was what was your favorite church song? Or like some shirt song that you was like singing a lot? And like what was like some cars or things, flashy things that you grew up seeing, you know, I feel like that early influence do like sometimes make you like, oh, I want that when I get older.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Uh Wade in the water. Wade in the water. Like, that was that was one of my favorite songs, singing church. Um happy day. Oh, happy day. We used to sing that a lot. Well, I used to wanted to sing that a lot in church. Um my cousin, my cousin got a grand, got a grand national T top, you know what I'm saying? Same, same car Kendrick Lamar got the inspiration from to make GNX. I mean, that's what that's what a GNX is, a grand national X. But my my cousin got a T top. It's like Lime Slime NBA Youngboy Green, you know what I'm saying, and black, and it's just, it's dope. And and um, like I grew up seeing like uh my big cousin, uh Pete P. Hustle, like, you know what I'm saying? He had he had Ruchies and sh on on everything. Dude got like one of them big, big vans with like Ruochies and PlayStation 5s and TVs in the inside and shit like that. What game was you playing? Uh NBA, 2K, whatever 2K was out at the time.

SPEAKER_06 8:28

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Madden. Like, oh, it was it was more like sports games, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, older cats and sports games. We weren't really no superhero stuff. One of the like biggest things that like, you know, kind of shook my world up was uh my brother passing, well my cousin, but you know, we grew up like siblings, so you know, I say brother. But that was, that was, that definitely like, it definitely like fucked me up. You know what I'm saying? Like it, like, I've been through a lot and I've done a lot that I'm not proud of. But I wasn't expecting that to happen. You know what I'm saying? Like before my cousin died, his older brother died. His older brother.

SPEAKER_04 9:08

And how old were y'all? Y'all was pretty young.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

I was, at the at the time, I was 13. You know what I'm saying? And then when my cousin died, I was 16. And my cousin lost his big brother at 16. You know what I'm saying? I used to rap to him. He used to be like, never stop, always keep going, like, don't never stop. And he just, you know, he died. And they kind of died in the same way. Like, you know, in the car, somebody shot him up while they was in the car. And you know what I'm saying? It's it's just, it's like, I don't wanna, it's not a coincidence. You know what I'm saying? Like things happen the way they're supposed to happen. But man, what's crazy is I was with him, me and my me and my me and my other cousin, which is his, my big cousin that died, which is his little brother.

SPEAKER_06 9:55

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Me and my cousin, Juan, we was with him the whole week up until the day he died. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And one day, out of that week, one day, I think it was the day before he died or two the two days before he died, and one day, him and the girl got into it. You know what I'm saying? So they used to always get into it. That day, when they got into it, he was just like, man, what? Who gonna do what? You know what I'm saying? He just had a whole nother energy. Long story short, man, she lied and said that he tried to harm her while her children were around. And her baby father, you know, any anybody who got kids, they're not trying to think about what's actually true. All they heard was harm and they children. You know what I'm saying? And I understand that, I do, to a certain extent. But, you know, she lied and, you know, it happened.

SPEAKER_06 10:59

You know what I'm saying? It's we're here now, you know? So yeah. Yeah. You know, um, that's the bad, you know?

SPEAKER_02 11:11

But with that being bad, I turned it into good, you know what I'm saying? By putting my emotion behind all the music and never stopping, like he told me to never stop. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_05 11:24

Right.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

A lot, like a lot of people knew him. Like a lot of people knew him. So it's like, damn, his little cousin rap, let's tap into him, let's see what he, you know what I'm saying? Like, I used to, I used to be a kid listening to songs, and I would imagine it and sing it and act it out like it was my song. Like I'd be in my headphones, acting like I'm in a music video. You know what I'm saying? Like, so I always knew I wanted to like, you know, make music, sing and rap and stuff like that. But yeah, man, that's that's where we at now.

SPEAKER_06 11:54

That's where we at, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 11:57

No, I appreciate you sharing, man. And um with all of that, like, um, and how did that impact you, like his death, other than the music? Like, it was that like, you know, first time that you saw like how, how, how life could really be, you know? Like, did that make you feel scared, make you feel anxious?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

It made me, it made me feel everything. You know what I'm saying? Like, it made me feel like everything.

SPEAKER_04 12:24

Cause you was only like 13 or 16.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

I was 16 when he was cute. So it's like, he, he, he only two, two, three years older than me. So it's like, damn, the same shit could happen to me. I've had a lot of family members be murdered, but I've never had somebody that close to me while we was just so young, like, just get murdered. You know what I'm saying? Like, I never, like, I I experienced loss in family, but not like that. I saw it like right after it happened. Like I saw, I was at the scene literally 60 seconds after everything went down. You know what I'm saying? I saw him in that state. You feel me? So it's like, it I was everything, bro. It was, you know.

SPEAKER_04 13:06

Yeah. And just to shift a bit, I know, um, I know the song you blew up on was Spaceship. Was that a song that you had made in relationship to what had happened? Or after that you just kind of like started doing music more heavily, and then that came around.

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Yeah, yeah. It was, it was more so. I started doing doing music more heavily, more, more heavily and kind of like experimenting with stuff. And back then, like at that time, I was like literally writing everything. Like I was, like, I wouldn't go record a song until I was done, it was done being written. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, so um, I was making a whole bunch of different type of music, and then one day I was just like, like, on some real junk, like Polo G made me wanna like, me wanna do like the street gospel shit in a way. You know what I'm saying? Cause like, I don't know if you know the song. I don't know if anybody else is gonna know the song. It's called Deep, it's called Deep Wounds. You know what I'm saying? And when I first heard that song, I'm like, like, what the hell? This coming from him? And it's like, and it's like, it's it's sentimental, but it's like still like street grungy in a way, like, and it was just like, damn, like we you ain't gotta like, like you ain't gotta get on a song and be like, oh, like super gangster and all that. Like you can like, you can show a whole nother side to you.

SPEAKER_06 14:36

Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

And then one day, like, and keep in mind, I would do like remixes a lot back then. Like, I would do like I still do remixes, but like back then it was like doing remixes would help me unlock new flows, new cadences, and stuff like that. And one day I'm like, you know what, let me just try to start my own, let me try to, let me try to make my own song that I didn't have to remix to sing. You know what I'm saying? To sing. To sing, you know. Okay, okay. I start make I was just listening to like acoustic guitar beats, and you know, the one that I used Spaceship popped up, and I'm like, damn, hold on. Damn, like, I don't know where it came from. You know what I'm saying? Like, it was just like, I just want to hop on my spaceship. Like, I don't know, I don't know how I even thought of that.

SPEAKER_04 15:32

How old was you when you recorded that? And like, how and I think you say it blew up like a year or two after it.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

So, yeah, so I was 16 when I recorded the song.

SPEAKER_04 15:42

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

But it dropped when I was 17.

SPEAKER_06 15:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

In like the summer of 2019. Um, it blew up in Detroit.

SPEAKER_04 15:53

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Like it blew up like locally.

SPEAKER_04 15:55

Oh, so when I met you, it barely just blew up.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

Like. In a way. Yeah, in a way. Like, like, it blew up locally. Like, cause you feel me, like, a lot of people already knew the song.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

Keep in mind, like, I was one of them dudes, like, man, fuck TikTok. I'm not never getting on TikTok. They, they, they, they running gimmicks on that bitch. Like, them, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm just like, man, they ain't real on that motherfucker. They just trying to get the next click and shit. Like, then I ain't doing that TikTok shit. Boom. I end up me and boom. I first go around with blowing up locally under me and Polo G. He came to my city.

SPEAKER_04 16:30

He that's how he was. He ended up bringing me out.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

Initially. You know what I'm saying? He ended up, he ended up, because no, I sent the song to um one of his friends.

SPEAKER_06 16:42

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

And one of his friends like was texting me back, like, bro, you hard. Like, keep going. You know what I'm saying? And I'm like, if this Polo G man's, I know he's showing this to Polo G. You know what I'm saying? So one morning, I'm, I remember I shot a video. Shot a video, shout out to Lut, shout out to Eric, shout out to my brother Eric. You feel me, LED Productions. If you know LED Productions, if you know who Dex Osama is, then you know who LED Productions is. But um, we shot a video, right? He literally edited edited it the same night. I'm on the phone with him while he's editing it. FaceTime. All right. He like, boom, I'm about to post it. I go to sleep. No, I post a clip of it, then I go to sleep.

SPEAKER_04 17:24

Uh-huh. On the Instagram. Not TikTok. On Instagram. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:28

I'm asleep. My cousin Juan on my page the whole time. He at the time he had my, he, at the time he had my Instagram password. Like he was kind of like lightweight manager. You know what I'm saying? Like trying to keep stuff in order. Like, it was just me and him. You know what I'm saying? So we was just trying to do what we could. Um, I guess he was on my page and on Polo G homies live, and they was playing my song on a tour bus. You feel me? So he, like, yeah, this is his brother on his page right now. Ooh. You can hear his homie, you can hear Polo ask his homie, like, yeah, this is City, right? He's like, Yeah, we're pulling up to a city. Ooh, oof. Then I woke up out of my sleep. All I seen was Polo Capilla followed you one minute ago. I wake up, I'm running around the house, draws and everything. Grandma, he followed me. He followed me. Polo G, she, who the hell is G Polo? I'm just Polo G, you feel me? So I'm showing her. He DM me, like, send me online. Yeah, yeah, woo, woo, woo. Yeah, let's send me a song you want to perform. You know what I'm saying? So we link. Boom. This all in like 2019. You feel me? Right, right, right. Couple months go by. He ended up hitting me up like this, this, and this. This is what I got for you, and this is what we could do. You know what I'm saying? We end up forming an alliance, you know what I'm saying? Right, right, right. Um year, a year and a half go by, I'm back on my own thing. You know what I'm saying? It was just time for me to like do something different and go my own direction. I ended up dropping Sky.

SPEAKER_05 19:07

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

And that ended up doing super well for me. That was like a project that was just like, everybody still talk about it to this day. Like, bro, when you drop Sky, bro, it was like, it was like you was leveling up, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 19:19

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

So, boom, I'm shooting videos, I'm planning rollouts, doing all this, boom, I dropped that tape. Damn. I go to a place called Auntie's House. Mm-hmm, right? And they do live performances.

SPEAKER_04 19:35

Kind of like on the radar.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

Yeah, you know what I'm saying? But like they're they shit super dope. Like they literally had a kitchen, you know what I'm saying? Fucking stove, refrigerator, cereal boxes on top, you know what I'm saying? Really look like Auntie's house.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

Right, right. They like commanded to the whole aesthetic.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

So I go on there, I do that, pay $200, you know what I'm saying? Do the sh do it. And posting the clip on TikTok. Just want to hop in my spaceship and get away from it. Shaq, like, just try, bro, just try. Josh, like, bro, just just try, bro. Just try. I posted it. Shit went viral in like 10 hours. Then I get 10 label calls in 12 hours. You feel me? So it was just like. It was like an instantaneous, like. I was like, what the hell? I flew to New York. You know what I'm saying? I sat down. I sat down with Columbia. Columbia, if I never would have sat down with Columbia Records.

SPEAKER_04 20:43

With Polo G and the whole gospel rap, like, do you feel like that's this pressure to always kind of like be hard and all that? You know? For sure.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

And then especially, my bad for Cleaning Road. Go ahead. Especially as a black man, you know what I'm saying? Or just a man in America, period. You know what I'm saying? We are, regardless of what lifestyle you live, we all are expected to be just like the toughest and be able to hold in our our emotions, you know what I'm saying? We we we talk about this all day, bro. We talk, we have emotional conversations, you know what I'm saying? We we really say how we feel, you know? So it's just like, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:21

Yeah, because I feel like us guys, like the vocab could be like, I'm cool. It's all right.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

It's cool, right? And that's the it is what it is.

SPEAKER_04 21:29

People don't even know all range of emotion. Um I'm angry. That's the maybe I'm tired and I'm I'm good. But people don't really say like what, like, I'm sad. Or like I miss somebody, or like that might need company, I need conversation. Yeah. Cause then you're like, uh that's kind of weird, you know? So I feel like I feel like we we do a good job at that, right? Even like for me too, right? I think that came more so when I came to America, where I was like, damn, I noticed that um people. People out here are overly tough for no reason.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

Yeah, for sure. You know, and then it's it all started with me and you ain't know each other, and we walk in stow, and just one of us catches looking at each other, and it's like, what you looking at? And it's like, damn, like, you know?

SPEAKER_04 22:17

Right, right. Instead of like, wait, how you doing?

SPEAKER_02 22:19

You know, like it's it's crazy. Like, it's that's like that's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 22:23

And it's almost defensiveness too.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

But the first time we Mario'd up, we went to the beach, right? This motherfucker goes.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Yo, dude, if you look at the ocean, man, if you look at it, it's just fighting itself. What if if the ocean just realized and look at itself, it's just one big body of water. I said, damn.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

It's the most beautiful shit I ever heard in my life. Cause like it's so true. Like when you come back into reality and you back, you know, sober or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 22:56

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

And it's like, dang, look at the water. Like, it is crashing. It is fighting itself. You know what I'm saying? It is. But but if it realizes just one big body of water, it don't gotta fight.

SPEAKER_06 23:08

Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:09

Like, you know, and that's that's that's people.

SPEAKER_06 23:14

Right.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

That's people coming together.

SPEAKER_04 23:16

Because what do we do now?

SPEAKER_01 23:18

We be watching animated music, we be going on bikes and shit, you know what I mean? Like, it's like things that like, it's it's wholesome.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

Inner child, we we kind of, you know, we kinda like, we kind of like bringing back out that inner child in us, you know what I'm saying? Like, in a sleek way, like almost every day.

SPEAKER_04 23:38

And and I feel like men be so scared to do like some simple stuff, and it's always like, oh, I gotta get money, I gotta get a nice car, I gotta do all this shit.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

It's like, bro, one day, bro, you just wake up, bro. I'm gonna say this to all the Y-ins, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_06 23:52

When is it?

SPEAKER_02 23:52

One day y'all wake up, y'all should just think about like, what if I just go around some nature and just take everything in? What do I have to lose? I need to go see a big body of water, you know what I'm saying? What do I really have to lose? Right. You know? So it's like, yeah, y'all should try something different, you know what I'm saying? Instead of waking up grabbing that, yeah, wake up, get in a car, get yourself together, go be one with the world, you know?

SPEAKER_04 24:21

As I come to America, I remember like that's all this Asian stereotypes. And I I feel like I'm glad that I felt like I came here when I was 13. So I already saw myself as a human before I was Asian. Not saying I neglect my Asian identity, but I didn't even know what Asian was because to me I was Thai.

SPEAKER_05 24:39

Right. Right?

SPEAKER_04 24:39

Like growing up. And then I feel like when I got here, then they're like, oh, he gotta be smart. Which I am smart sometimes, but sometimes I'm not.

SPEAKER_01 24:50

I love trust.

SPEAKER_04 24:52

Different subjects and stuff like that. Oh, I'm I was gonna act proper and things like that. So I feel like, you know, I think even meeting you, right? Like with people who like there's stereotypes and boxes that are put upon us, but we also like live outside of those boxes, you know?

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Right, that's real. That we do we do the we live, we live right outside the box.

SPEAKER_04 25:12

And and and it's freeing, you know what I mean? It's freeing. I think I think that's the thing. I feel like people either spend time neglecting their own identity, trying to like fit in what the box people say, or trying to get out completely. You know, and I think it's like it's like maintaining those two balanced.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Like now it's like everybody wants a dark-skinned girl, or everybody wants like an anime character-looking Asian dude. Like, you get what I'm saying? Like, like, it's it's just it's it's funny how the oh, how the turns have tabled.

SPEAKER_04 25:43

Funny as hell.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

But yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:45

And I think that's just a good to say, like, be yourself. I think so. Because I feel like I've always known them, like when I was young, when I was 16, I ran the marathon. You know what I did? I carried the Thai flag on with me. Ain't nobody ain't nobody know where Thailand was back then. People thought of Asia as like East Asia. My whole art name is Bow Thai. I was just like, you know what? I'm gonna rap this, I'm gonna represent myself the way I know because y'all got misconceptions, you know? And um.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Oh boy, we're in a marathon.

SPEAKER_04 26:15

Do you have any like relationship tips or like even like approaching women tips, you know?

SPEAKER_02 26:20

Regardless, as far as relationship tips, never try to change your woman. Never try to turn her into who you envision her being. Like, never do that. Never do that. It's never gonna end well. Like, in no situation, unless you get a woman that's fine with you trying to change her appearance, change the way she talks, change the way she walks, all that. Like, have you tried that? And like Yes. That's all you're saying this shit. Yes. Never do that.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Why? What happened in your experience?

SPEAKER_02 26:52

Um, it just it just didn't end well. Like, it just didn't it just didn't end well, man. Like, you know.

SPEAKER_04 27:00

She's like, who the fuck you think you is, huh? How about approaching women and like being yourself and all that?

SPEAKER_02 27:06

Always compliment. You know, always start off with a compliment. You know what I'm saying? Um, never ask, how are you? That's like, how are you is like saying what you're doing over and over. You know what I'm saying? Like, never ask, how are you? Like, never ask that. Like, like, you know, like come different. Like, like ask her, like, ask a girl, like, you you you ever roll a giraffe before? Like, just, you know what I'm saying? Like random stuff. Like just something stupid. Like, you know what I'm saying? Be witty, be silly, you know what I'm saying? Like, a lot of girls like that, surprisingly. Always be yourself for sure. You know what I'm saying? Like, always be yourself. You know, you know, as far as dating, date, like date ideas and stuff like that, bro. Y'all need to take a page out of this guy book right here, man. My boy over here, man. My boy over here taught me everything I know.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Put that attention, bro.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Put that attention. Nah, nah, but on the real, though, on the real, um, you know what I'm saying? Like, bro, like, get you a girl that's cool with going to look at a view. You know what I'm saying? Get you a girl that's cool with being in nature and having a conversation with you. You know what I'm saying? Get you a girl that's cool with having a picnic and y'all bring food that y'all both made.

SPEAKER_04 28:35

You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, we going for a wholesome, hearthy situations. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Like, find somebody who loves you for you.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

All in all, though, I'ma say this.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

You shouldn't date if you're broke, though.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Yeah, why?

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Because women have expectations, regardless if she is a superficial girl or down-to-earth humble girl, regardless. They all have expectations.

SPEAKER_04 29:02

You should also not date when you're broke, because you probably should get some money.

SPEAKER_02 29:08

You should probably get some money for yourself. For yourself. For sure. For sure. That's number one. But like, women have expectations, bro. Like, you know what I'm saying? Expectations cost money.

SPEAKER_01 29:22

Because life costs money. Life costs money. Because food costs money, rent costs money. Entertainment costs money. We're not even talking about surplus or abundance there. We're just talking about basic necessity.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

Basic necessity. Basic expectations cost money for sure. So it's like, don't date if you're broke. Like, that's number one key. Like, focus on yourself, learn your emotions, learn what make you mad as a, you know what I'm saying? As somebody that's trying to be in a relationship with somebody, learn, learn what, learn yourself enough to where it's like you know what you do that would make your significant other mad. Learn your emotions, learn yourself, you know, get obtain all of your basic needs before you get into the dating pool. You know what I'm saying? And make sure you're secure with yourself, bro. There's a lot of insecure dudes out here, you know what I'm saying? Jealousy is one thing, but insecurity is you never want to be insecure. Being jealous is okay. You know what I'm saying? You might be jealous. I was jealous. You had all them dudes around you, you know what I'm saying? Even if you wasn't paying attention to, I was jealous. Mm-hmm. But not, oh yeah, I was insecure. Like, what?

unknown 30:37

What?

SPEAKER_02 30:38

Insecure. No way. Like, so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:42

The most important relationship might be a relationship with God, but I the the second one or the most one might be a relationship with yourself. Because you really gotta learn how to love yourself. I feel like even us, we talk about that, right? About having voids sometimes and then trying to fill it with like relationship women, entertain men or like even accomplish men, especially as because men, a lot of men, they don't know how to tap into their emotion, and we're just taught to like, okay, go get that.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

Go get the money, go, go, go be successful. So now when they see you now, it's like, look what you left. But in reality, you ain't stopped to truly take care of your mental health. Right. And see, and you you ain't you ain't let yourself grieve.

SPEAKER_04 31:24

Even like, even if you have everything, you can lose it all if you don't have yourself.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

And like I know that. I I know that right there. Like, off experience.

SPEAKER_04 31:34

What was it, what was that experience like for you?

SPEAKER_02 31:38

Um, you know, when I signed that deal, bro, like I could say all this now, bro, because I'm I'm so comfortable with myself and I can look myself in the mirror every day. Um I was with somebody, right, and I left them to be with somebody else once I gained everything that I've ever wanted.

SPEAKER_06 32:00

Right.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

You know what I'm saying? And it's it made me like I never really stopped to pay attention to everything that was happening and how I felt, truly felt about it. I was just like, just push forward and like I had everything. You get what I'm saying? Like I literally, you seen it first of all, you know what I'm saying? I'm spending five five thousand plus on, I'm going shopping, I'm buying this, I'm buying that, I'm doing this and doing that. And it's like the person that helped me even get to this point, like I just left them behind. You know what I'm saying? And I forgot with somebody else. And it was just, it was just like, I was just all over the place. I ain't really know myself, you know what I'm saying? And that, and that that shows that I didn't know myself. Right. If I could just leave somebody behind that's supposed to be most important to me, you know what I'm saying? And you know, it's just nah today, in today's time, you know what I'm saying? Me and this person, we've reconciled and they forgave me, and we have what we have, and it's like, but it'll never be the same. You know what I'm saying? And I and through all that, I lost everything, you know what I'm saying? I lost my mind, you know what I'm saying? I lost the girl that I thought was the girl of my dreams, you know what I'm saying? I lost money, I lost friends, I lost time. Right. Oh God. So it's, you know. I'm definitely, I know I'm a number one, I I know that from experience for sure. You can lose everything if you don't truly know yourself.

SPEAKER_04 33:43

Sometimes your dream come true and you can't be there to live it. Because you're just kind of like stuck in your own cycle, your own pain and your own hurt, and then you just get more distracted. It's almost like you can't carry the weight of what's happening.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

That's what it was, though. It was like, damn, do I really want to do this rap thing? I got all this money, I got all this shit to do. Like, do I want to do this? Like, and that's when I was just like counting on like substances and doing drugs, and you know what I'm saying? Like just spending excessive amounts of money off of impulse and getting high and going to the mall and splurging and riding around all day, smoking weed and just just making like poor decisions, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_04 34:28

So you feel like you did that because the pressure of it too?

SPEAKER_02 34:31

The pressure of everything, you know what I'm saying? It was just like, I thought I was ready, but I really wasn't. You know what I'm saying? Like.

SPEAKER_04 34:38

Do you feel ready now? You feel like I'm more than ready. Yeah, you think and what do you think helped with that?

SPEAKER_02 34:43

The fear of being left behind. The fact that I had it and didn't do what I was supposed to do with it.

SPEAKER_04 34:48

But I mean, you can also reframe it for like a push for growth now.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

No, no, for sure. But but still, that's the lesson learned. Yeah. That's the lesson learned. Right. I had all this shit at a very young age. Right. And I didn't do what I was supposed to do.

SPEAKER_04 35:02

We're gonna end on this question. If there's a holiday, if you can make a holiday, what would that be and what would that look like?

SPEAKER_02 35:11

Hug your neighbor.

SPEAKER_04 35:13

You really on the kumbaya life. Have you ever seen Lightning King? Duh. Of course. Who's your favorite character in Lightning King?

SPEAKER_02 35:21

Probably the monkey.

SPEAKER_04 35:22

Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

Probably the monkey. Because he's supposed to be like the crazy old batshit person. Uh-huh. It's like, you know, misunderstood.

SPEAKER_04 35:32

Is that how you feel, Moses, huh?

SPEAKER_02 35:34

Yeah, for sure. Um hug your neighbor a day.

SPEAKER_06 35:38

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 35:40

Give a fuck what problem you had with this person a year ago, last week, today. If you don't hug, jail. Jail's time. That's right. Jail time. You don't want to show no love to nobody? Jail. Jail. You want to be different and all? Jail. Jail. Hug your neighbor. Hug your neighbor.

SPEAKER_04 36:00

In what way you feel misunderstood, man? That's a lie. That's a loaded question.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

You see, right. You see, I just got to think about dinner, everything. And my response is.

SPEAKER_04 36:12

Second.

SPEAKER_02 36:13

My response is everything.

SPEAKER_04 36:15

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 36:16

Um, I feel I feel misunderstood in everything that I do.

SPEAKER_04 36:20

Yeah, what do you wish people know about you? I guess.

SPEAKER_02 36:23

That I wasn't like, I'm not this like super egotistical, like arrogant person. Like, I really do love all and I want to see all win.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

Why you say that, like, nah seriously? So I'm like It's like you're trying to convince yourself too.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

No, no, it's the truth. Yeah. It's the truth. It's like people think like, you know, I'm unapproachable. Stuff like that.

SPEAKER_04 36:59

Um I think that also has to do with like prejudice and people just, you know, judging you from how you look.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

How I look, tattoos on my neck, like wild hair, dark skin. Sure. Um yeah, I just you know, you know, some from some of my Instagram posts, I be, you know, people say I'll be going on power trips, they think I'm like super egotistical, but I'm not, though. Like, you know that.

SPEAKER_04 37:26

Nah, nah, nah, nah. I know you're not. You're cool, man. That's why I like you. I can be. You can be. That's why I did that. Like, I feel like that's why I say you are a dynamic person. Like, maybe people just see one side, but there's a lot.

SPEAKER_06 37:41

For sure.

SPEAKER_04 37:41

I don't think that's human, you know.

SPEAKER_06 37:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:45

And especially with like social media, the world perception on people, conditions, and even just like you being an artist. It's like, you know, everybody's trying to fit a mode again or see a picture and they just run with it, but they don't know that that picture is like expansive and ever changing too, you know?

SPEAKER_02 38:03

For sure, for sure. Like, you know, I was seeing a post like um stay away from people that won't allow you to change. Like, they they so they so caught up on who you were and all the stuff that you've done in the past, you feel me? Right. How you gotta stay away from those people, you feel me? And you gotta, you gotta, you gotta show your change through other ways that they can see, but not directly towards them. Cause you gotta really, you really do gotta stay away from people that don't think you can change. If you ask me. Oh, yeah, he he can't do that. He he never gonna change. Like, what?

SPEAKER_01 38:43

What type of shit is that? Like, like have some fucking face. You feel me?

SPEAKER_02 38:46

Like, like, on God, for sure. Just gotta stay away from them type of people.

SPEAKER_04 38:51

All right, y'all. Thank you for having us. Thank you for having Duke here. Any last word for the audience?

SPEAKER_02 38:56

Brush hour six coming soon.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

All right, we got we we're gonna do we're gonna do one more.

SPEAKER_06 39:02

That's like all right, come on.

SPEAKER_04 39:07

All right. All right, thank you, y'all. Any last word you got for the audience?

SPEAKER_02 39:11

Be yourself, man. You the best when you you, you know what I'm saying? Can't nobody do you better than you. And yeah, you know what I'm saying? Peace, love, light, you know what I'm saying.