Episode 4: The Paint Is Still Wet

We lean into “The Paint Is Still Wet” as a metaphor for being kids under construction, where progress is real even when the process is messy. We also talk music takes, creative expression, and the DIY work we do to keep our space and our sound moving forward. 
• being under construction and choosing progress over perfection 
• why building anything gets messy before it gets better 
• thoughts on Jack Harlow, viral comments, and culture lines 
• appreciation vs appropriation and how listeners hear intent 
• why Tone Stith’s “Fly” resonates across generations 
• vocal taste, spacing, and storytelling beyond riffs 
• painting the room for better feng shui and creative flow 
• building removable studio panels, magnets, and learning as we go 
• taking feedback, growing thick skin, and serving the right audience 

Comment, tag the brother or something, you share it if you will. That’s you can find me on Instagram at Smith Street Sound. SmithStreetSounds.com would be the website where you would check out all the episodes, the music, the blog, and anything else going on over here on Smith Street. Be sure to check out the playlist.  The Paint is still wet Playlist -  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1FwUawMyY3VCM5?si=1ff794585a25486a

Yore on Smith Street is a weekly culture and commentary podcast hosted by Smith Street. Blending current events, pop culture, and storytelling, each episode connects today’s headlines to the deeper narratives behind them — because every moment has a backstory.

https://www.smithstreetsounds.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

We're here episode 4. You're on Smith Street. Welcome, Street Light. I get so excited when I think about it. The name of this episode is The Paint Is Still Wet. Welcome. Why is it the paint is still wet? Well, thanks for asking, I'll tell you. Because we're kids under construction. Maybe the paint is still wet. We're kids under construction. The Lord hasn't finished it yet. If you know about that in Sunday school, what you know about that? Over here on Smith Street, we're always under construction. Building? And sometimes in that process, things are gonna get messy,

he Paint Is Still Wet

SPEAKER_00 0:57

right? You build and you you know constructing, you things get messy, and then you take the time and you tidy up, and then you do it all again, you know. But in that process, you're moving forward, you see progress, you know. In that time and space, things get out of whack. That is gonna happen, but the the goal is to keep moving forward, and this is part of the reason why you see me doing the painting job, right? That's the visual of me doing my building, right? Physically, you see it. That was intentional. I personally like DIY things, I don't always finish them, but I do like them, I enjoy it, and it it stretches my capacity, it it challenges me, and I like to do those things, and so sometimes you see me doing things like that, it's just me being who I am. Welcome, Jorn Smith Street. I'm still building, it's not perfect, and that is the point. Alright, so boom. Let's jump right on into what we're gonna talk about today. This week, it's interesting because in episode two we talked about Neo Soul, and yesterday the internet was a buzz with Jack Harlow, who dropped an album, I believe it's called Monica, and I was listening to Breakfast Club because I love the Breakfast Club, and they don't like it, but I decided to take a listen now. If I was an AR, right, and Jack was a writer, one of the first songs that I heard, when it comes to the melody and the music, it wasn't bad, you know. I mean, if I'm gonna be honest, no, you know, it's it isn't my go-to,

ack Harlow And A Culture Line

SPEAKER_00 3:11

but if I wanted to hear someone on it, I would have a voice like Maxwell doing it. That first song singing in like a falsetto, you know, and it it was a nice groove, that jazzy, very 90s-esque. Okay, again, is it my go-to to listen to? No. Did I get further than two, three? I got to maybe three songs, and then I was like, alright, enough. But Jack is going viral, not for the music, for something that he said about the music or how he got blacker. Yeah, I'm gonna hope that he meant he intentionally went with the blacker sound because you know he's known for his urban sound, if you will. Now, him saying he got blacker, the the internets, the internets did not like it. They didn't like it. And I think that he just was trolling. I hope he was just trolling, because we know you ain't black and you can't get blacker. But intentionally paying homage to a culture that you appreciate, you know, you know, there is appropriation and there is appreciation. Is that appropriation or appreciation? Y'all let me know how y'all feel about it. Tell me. Moving right on along. So I did the open verse challenge for Tone Stiff's fly. I enjoyed it. I think that good music resonates with all generations. I'm a few years older than Tone, but the topic resonated, right? We all want to get away. We all need to escape from what's going on. We all want to fly, you know, like feel like we've been stagnant and we just want to soar in our gift and our being, right? That's what I took from it, and I g I put my own little spin on it, you know, from my perspective. I really enjoyed it. I like doing stuff like that. That's what I enjoy about music.

pen Verse Challenge And Why It Hits

SPEAKER_00 5:46

I like to see people share their perspective through their expression, right? And I love when the singer is intentional about that, you know, telling the story with their expression, how how they say a word or the tone that they decide to use. It always doesn't have to come from riffs and runs, you know, it's it's how you approach things, and that's taste. And I like I definitely like the spacing and his approach to that song. It was very mature and classy. I appreciated that, and it re you know, it reminded me of something that I would do anyway. So, yeah, I'll I'll throw my version up in here, you can check it out.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Talking and the pinion is up, everybody judging them enough is enough. Give me some time and space, I'll build my own. Put me down, I say so.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

It's on social medias. Comment, tag the brother or something, you share it if you will. That's you can find me on Instagram at Smith Street Sound. Smith Street Sound, just like Smith Street Sound. The name of my company is Smith Street Sounds. So if you

y Verse And Where To Find It

SPEAKER_00 7:41

didn't know, you go Smith StreetSounds.com would be the website where you would uh check out all the episodes, the music, the blog, and anything else going on over here on Smith Street. So be sure to do that. Okay, so let's talk about my DIY thing that I like to do. So yes, I do like to work with my hands a little bit. I've I never took a class, nothing. I've always been a novice. I learned things, I watch YouTube now. We got Chat GPT to help us out, you know. So I'll be over here constructing stuff. I do. But just to reiterate, I painted my roomtail. Wanted to change the feng shui a little bit. You know, change the vibe and get the flow right, the create the creative space, you know, so that things flow. It's not all cluttered in here and things like that. I also built some panels because

IY Studio Changes For Better Flow

SPEAKER_00 8:55

I had some meters that were exposed in the wall. So I built some removable panels that was a pain in the ass. Okay, boy. I recorded uh some of the process and I'm still not done. I really gotta finish the panel side. The panel the frame is built. I just gotta put the magnets on it and make sure it stays. I got the right magnets this time. I think I told you guys the first episode I bought the remote magnets and that was a pain in the butt. And I had to go get the proper magnets, and they came. I just didn't get around to putting them on because there's so much going on, you know, there's school and there's this and there's that and there's the other thing, and not to get too personal, you know. I do want to share, but I don't want to overshare. So yeah. But I love to I love that kind of thing. And I thought that it would be good to show that side of me. Because it is a side. I think I get it from my aunt cookie. Shout out to my aunt cookie. I when I was younger, we all lived on a throwing place. My mom, my aunt cookie, Reggie, and my aunt cookie was always making something, sewing curtains or sewing some pants or something, or painting stencils or something, cooking. She's always been that kind of creative person. So I I think I get it from the watching her do that. Always was interesting to me. So shout out to my uncookie. Love you, Aunt Cookie, and yeah. Well, that's it for today. I hope everyone's having a great week. Uh, I'll see you at the next one.

unt Cookie And Learning Creativity

SPEAKER_00 11:00

No, I don't know what the next episode is gonna be. Okay, I came up, but the paint is still wet this morning. I said, ho! That's it right there. Yo, before we go, shout out to the crew of people that have been coming around and just pouring in, you know, bouncing ideas and if you sharpening the irons, you know, iron sharpens iron, you know. So shout out to the people that care enough to give perspective and insights. I think you should do this, or I don't think we should do that, or this is dope, and this is not so dope. But you should try this and don't do that again. I like it all, I love it all, you know. As a person who seeks wisdom and knowledge and wants to grow and expand. You gotta know how to chew the meat spell the bones. Some of the things work, some of them don't. You know, maybe I'll try it, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll try it and don't tell you, maybe I'll try it and then do tell you. Who knows? But I welcome it all. And one

eedback Thick Skin And The Playlist

SPEAKER_00 12:05

thing I do know is that you know you gotta have some thick skin out there. People ain't gonna like everything. You ain't supposed to. Everybody, it ain't for everybody, but that's fine. The people that it is for, though, welcome. Hey, you want to make street. See you next time. And be sure to check out the playlist. There's gonna be a playlist. It's probably gonna be called The Play is Still Wet. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Yes, Smokey, what I've been seeing cruise In our birthday suits On whatever vacations You record everything, but who's with you? So call your boss and tell me some bag BCO till you get back Don't you love just to carry on to please throw it in your bag? First and face Don't Grace.