BIG FACTS feat. STARLITO

Published Sep 24, 2024, 10:00 AM

Starlito chops it up with the Big Facts podcast crew, diving into his journey with his loyal fan base and his iconic feature on Jeezy’s mixtape with “Grey Goose.” He keeps it real about his standing with Birdman and Yo Gotti, and opens up about squashing beef with Young Buck.

Starlito also shares how his daughter has transformed his life, his take on authenticity in the rap industry, and gives the lowdown on his latest project.

This conversation gives fans a raw and authentic look into Starlito's world, blending personal insights with industry truths.

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Big bang what it is. You don't be on nothing, I be on okay, So let me ask you bring you big big facts right now.

Visit the new website today, big factspod dot com. A line from the Culture Lab and the atl is time for that big facts. We hear, Big Bank Baby j d J screen Welcome in Nashville's home, the one, the only, the legendary.

Starting lead on ski startling though.

Man, yo yo, your fans interesting, man, they've been threatening us about this. Man, your fans don't play man. How did you get this type of loyalty from your fan base?

I say, just stand down. You know, I think I earned my fans one, one by one. That's the way I feel about it. Yeah, after trunk hand in the hands, even on the internet, you know, I take pride and on what you see is what you get. And I think people you know, honored that you give and give respect. So I feel like my audience I look at them more as an audience or almost like a family or a bond I had with the people that take to my music and my brand.

So you feel like you give them as much as they give you too, like you pour into them. You give them music, all the time. You give them shows, you get them lifestyle, you give them merse, you give them game like you feel you pour into your fans like they're pour into you too.

I try my best to you know. It's a lot of my music is like almost like move music, I guess, so sometimes you might not have it, you know, the way they bring it to me. A lot of times the people that that type of my music lift me up and give me, give me together, and give me a pocket. But I try to reciprocate, try to give it back to them as best I can.

A lot of a lot of the a lot of the world, at least Atlanta, like the streets probably first heard you, even though you were doing music before that, on that Great Goose record with GIZI and Got It.

Yeah, on that mixtape. Yeah.

Did you like, did you envision at that time that that was going to plan and seed to help you get to where you are now?

Nah? Hell nah, you was just rapp It was it was just making music. I was like nineteen all the time, and uh that shit was like an inside joke from my neighborhood, and uh it just kind of caught fire around my way. I think Coach K. Coach K and Jazzy Fad was in the club in Nashville and heard it or heard it. May have been that sign been something else they heard it brought it back this way. I guess Jesus heard it the same time. Yo, gut. It was reaching out from some of my other music I was putting up. It just kind of like the perfect storm. Like at that time we had similar followings, you know, on our home bases where we were from, and uh, you know, they all reached out in a cool way passing through Nashville whatever, and like did another version remix of the record, which ended up being the one we serviced the radio and ended up on tracking like yeah, you know, classic moment. But no, I didn't I be lying to say money then or no the deal cash money probably came in the months six months, I think January, I think five is when I did the cash Money universal Alltown Dud. It was through y'all guy in his company. But uh, but no, I ain't. I didn't envision it. Being that it just happened, was like a perfect storm.

Then I would then I would be your passion music.

Now I was in the basketball before that, I was probably high school times, but just reality, like, you know, the odds against you with that, that's one in a million shots. So sometime around the same time, I wanted to do the music, and it was a hobby, it was something to do, and enough people started telling me I was good at it, I started to believe it. And by the time I went to college, it was like being around. I went to TSU, I went to HBCU, been around that many Black people are the same, you know, age and culture from different places. It kind of you know, it was like a launching pad for it, but now it was it was sports, you know, just trying to get out the hood. Like this is what we looked at as a ticket for it. But it went from a hobby to a passion to a hustle. Yeah, and you know, once it started making sense and once it become lucrative, it was like, I'd rather do this than than what the other options was.

You feel like you're the biggest from Nashville, Like that's the statement, the biggest.

It ain't for me to say like, uh, good right, I mean, it ain't for me to say now just now this this is my truth though, but it's a bunch of reasons why I say that, Like one, just one, I am, like, I'm you know, in the process of killing all my ego. So I say, it's not for me to say because if that's what I subscribe to and that's what's important to me, I can lose myself. And like, as far as metrics go, I ain't the most accomplished. I mean, it's certain things I could problem myself up on, But what do it really mean? You know what I'm saying. I think Buck went like double platinum or something like that. If I'm not mistaken of Gun the group four three or four times platinum. You know, Jelly Rolls a rapper my partland one of the big arguments, one of the biggest superstars in the world right now in another line of music. You know, he come from hip hopably come from a rap lane, and so like, I don't just see the value in comparing it. Like one of the things I'm probably proud of is staying power, you know, sustainability. Y'all was just talking about me getting a deal in two thousand and five, and I'm you know, I'm still here, still later. Yeah, there's still people that want to hear me and see me. So it ain't. I don't think it's about being the biggest. I think it's about like what what kind of value you can retain, longevity, how you go to the farther It is the file.

But but but one day I gotta salute you on and that's how cool. I receive that energy. But you doing this shit and dependent the real independently for sure, Like when you say grind hard, like I hear about it.

Like y'all go.

Shout shots, a dun trip to y'all go to a city, pack out of show.

Ain't no radio, ain't no none of that. It's just people know.

Yeah, for sure, Yeah, ain't. I ain't took a record the radio in fourteen years, probably twenty teen, you know what I mean. Not that it's the right I don't think it's the right or wrong way, you know, it's however you get to, you know, respect your don john my bood. But like being signed, I had people like trying to guide me in a certain direction. We need this kind of record, we need a single, we need to hit yeah, you know, six words or list in your chorse this and then I'm like, as an artist, that kind of watered down my craft. You know, I'm in there wracking my brain trying to do it, trying to make another great goose, trying to create a moment.

When losing your people too at the same time losing myself.

Yeah, yourself, because I might just got something to say that somebody gonna feel fat. And as you see music change, well a lot of hits don't even got courses no more. You mentioned don Tripp he got in the game with the letter to my Son record didn't have a course, just pain ocean passion, you know what I'm saying. Going through a custodian situation with kid poured this ship out when it got a deal with the score, like he's still in the game, just off being him, you know. But it's like I started to see that then were running through the budget. You know, we get a record, it costs to work records, you know, so I soaked all that up. I'm like, yeah, I don't think that's the only way to do it, because I'm seeing a lot of things work. I'm like, well, I like I like that. I'm gonna try that for myself. Yeah, just you know, just work, trying to work my own plan.

So do you.

But have you ever desired like plaques and Grammys and like, have you ever desired that?

Have you ever had that moment.

Where you're like, man, maybe damn, maybe it would be nice to have a Grammy plaque or some of that other more mainstream ship.

Man, that's funny. I got two plaques last week. It's from some stuff from yesteryear. But I just never physically had the plaque, just being independent, just you know, certain parts of it. I mean, the records registered in otherwise I got paid the coordling and that matter a little bit more. But I got a plaque from like Father, Like Son album, and I got a plaque from a Little Baby album Harder than ever. And it's a lot of other artists that I work with, and this is just my truth. A lot of times I lived through their successes in terms of the trophies of it, because I'm like, we all part of each other's story, and I'm like, I'd be so happy, Yeah, I'd be so happy to see other people come up. It's like, as long as I'm still in it, Like my trophy is the testimony of people that are reached because a lot of times, like I mean, for show, the plaques is metrics, this sold this, this streme is the numbers metric or whatever, but awards itself, it's politics and all it and not to mention like I don't. I took myself out of the mainstream, right you did, so, like I ain't. I definitely ain't in it for that.

You know.

It's it's cool, you know, even now I'm doing some writing, I'm doing some other things behind the scenes, and some of that might end up, you know, with the level of achievement, and that's cool too, But I just ain't in it for like the recognition fact. Uh. Like it's just truthfully, I think it's cool for whoever it does matter or apply to. It just don't matter to me.

You think you're gonna continue to do like be in the music business like throughout the rest of your life, like regardless.

If I can get some of these other moves working, for sure, because that's that's what I'm like. I'm from Nashville. We got it's like an epicenter like music business, but it's outside the route and if I can figure out to get into some of them doors, some of them rooms there here, yeah, because it's just too much money, like yeah, development and exactly, like, because that's that's part of it. I feel like I got the market in mind. I just don't really so much have a desire to be at the forefront of it myself. It's like, if I can find something that this could work, yeah, we could do that, Like I could do that to something old and gray, you know from the cut.

So my thing is with you, like when it comes when it comes to Nashville, when it comes to music, and when you put those two together, you are worldly considered a legend in that era, like from both of those worlds. So coming from that current legend status, is there anything that you feel like you could accomplish or that you haven't done that you want.

To aspire to do?

Yeah, for sure, I got I got my own like ideas. One of them is taking my music or physically going.

Out the country with music international.

Yeah, that's that's one of the things I was. I felt like I was kind of on course to do it when we after we dropped Step Brothers three and then I fucking around got in some trouble and yeah, and then after that I had a child and between you know, yeah, life exactly, and so I kind of shifted my focus away from that being like just a direct goal. But that's they did something I want to do because because rap music got you know, ass a pill. Yeah, all the same way.

You have legend status over here in the States. I'm sure that status will translate internationally overseas.

Maybe, But regarding yes, will, I mean hopefully. You know, I'm just saying for it to take me there, like whatever, whatever the results of it, because because I've been able to do that, you know, me come from Easter Nashville. Like I can remember my first show in Florida, my first show in California, my first show, Like every time it was like surreal, whether it was for free, whether it's for the low, whether it was for the strength, whether I was throwing the show and pack it up, like just the fact that like this took me there. So look, that's what I'm like. I ain't being funded, I ain't being fake humble to say that. I'm just not telled to the results. You know, It's just something I took in and like enjoy the journey. A lot of times we'll get so fixated on the destination and things, or we can sell ourself of short just by expectations, like if I can get off across the water wrapping and it's like i't have to come out of my pocket to do it. That's the that's the when if I end up being able to stay there, come back all the time here y'all rather. But I know that, like the court, like following, like that ship was a brick by brick. That was a grind. So I don't. I don't never expect to just go somewhere and just be wild fire. You know. I used to stay down here and was just a guy in the crowd. I can remember one time going to get something to eat somewhere. It was like outside food truck type of thing. It's probably like twelve thirteen years ago, and I'm standing away on my food and five six people back to back run up on me, and this after I like, I got family here. I've been here since I was a kid, back and forth and it was just like damn. I couldn't say what happened. Yeah, it was like, damn, it's different, like they you know, I'm being recognized exactly. I wasn't here doing no rap shit. I was just here. I'm like, damn, I'm somebody in this face.

But I've been you know, is it somebody ain't got a chance to work with it that You're like, Man, I know I make some hardship this, n.

Oh nah, not really. I'm a fan of I'm a fan of like lyricism and more like the purest rap level. Outside of that, I feel like I work well. I missed with people that they got different styles, but I ain't never like seeking it out. Like I collaborated with a lot of people, a lot of like big dog namesake type of artists, but I never like pursued it. So, you know, as far as collaboration go out, I be wanting to work with like vocalists like R and B singers or somebody just bringing something different to the folks. Like I said in the space I've been in, I'm like, music is music, writing is right, and I can put the words together. I'm like, can come with some collet ship for you to sing kind of thing or you know, But no, I can't like pinpoint like specific producers. Yeah, I mean, whoever can bring somebody of them in a different sound like I can't you put me on the spot. I'm trying to think of. But you know, a lot of time as an ind like you said, it's to throw the name stacks out of there, it's a ticket to come with it. Like I'm you know, I'm a hustler. I'd almost rather work with the upstart. I'd rather like discover something, try to blow some somebody's situation up and be in on it. Then you know, just attaching to the to the namesake. But it's it's a lot of producers that I work with on it come up. I like to circle back with and see what we come up with. Now that we probably both found our sound. And I talked to de Rich the other day, and that's somebody that I watched sty down, you know, create a sound and he still like got a sound in a certain pocket and still making hits. And we always just kept that kind of relationship without making a whole lot music. Just we just leveled, you know what I'm saying. Signed type of people, and you know, I reached out like I want to work with them, want to get them in with some of my artists I got on my label. Now it's just like for sure you got the track record or hit Mica or whatever. But yeah, I just I just feel like what's for me is for me. I don't like to go a way out of my way for it.

What there was going some stuff like going on in Nashville, just some I don't know if it created like division, but just some like a little back and forth. I think your name was in it, Buck and some other people. Is all that have y'all buried the hatchet and all that is? Everybody at least cordial, like we're just gonna let it be what it is.

Yeah, yeah, that that specific situation. I just brought Buck out at a concert for sure. Yeah. Yeah, we passed were more than straight, like just grown man time, et cetera. I brought him out. I brought out a few artists from from Nashville. It was a It was a concert celebrating a twenty year run for me and band played. The producer band Player was on the bill as well. But I brought out a couple of artists on my label, Trapperman their Big Top. I brought out papers An artists I collaborated with since since the beginning of my career. And I brought out Quantit Cash and Buck and Quantity and Bug represented like I was trying to tell the story, like this is where it was when I got in the game quantit Cash was on fire from my side of town. Young Bug obviously came through did what he did. Me and Paper kind of in the same like generation, same class are doing it. And then the other two artists trapping Mandal Big Top, like is where I see it going as far as Nashville street music. Otherwise, just the culture that you know that I emerged from. But I brought out buck last. It was like it was really shocking, you know, considering our history back and forth.

But we got think that was just ego stuff or was it.

It was I think it was. It was ego. No got a problem, Nah, nah, it was. It was a territorial It was imaginary crowns. The same thing I was saying where I kept a detached from the whole ego part of it. It was, you know, we got a rich history of working since five o six and did a whole type together at the time, thirty four of the records, always like everything was everything. We've had ups and downs even prior to then, and it was you know, this this game it can turn into a pisson contest or it's like you know, somebody's up here, somebody's up here. You're passing each other on the way, the way it's people in your ears. You know, it just got weird on the ego level. But and when it came to a board, I charged it to both of us, you know what I'm saying, As I can say I was ego tripping as well, but the way it played out, it was just I learned so much from it, and uh because it was like a setback, even like psychologically, because because it forced me to like check myself and take inventory on like perception, because a lot of times were moving off that we're moving off how we think people feel about us. You know what I'm saying, It's really more important how we view ourselves. You know, what you see in the mirror because that situation that you know, what what was like visible to people. You know, I don't I ain't got to relive and going to the detail of it, but I use a whole lot of restraint not to go somewhere else with it in the moment, you know what I It was in the high school or a basketball game of three fifty seven of my draws, and it's like I could have went somewhere else with it. And then you know, the media aftermath, it's like, oh, maybe when I said two days later, I overreact to, you know, a situation, get aggravator south the same people like, man, you're crashing out, you know. You like between the two situations like literally for that hours each other, I'm like, you can't win. You can't win with people. So I'm a gangster if I take it there, you know, use my better judgment. I see police at the end of the east side of the highway. I just need to get up out of here. I don't care about the optics of it. And then on the other end, it's like if I react how y'all say I should, then I'm stupid. Then y'all you know what I'm saying. And it's even if it's just environmental or how you just prone to react or something or whatever. Even even if that was a mistake, it's like people won't let you live it down either way. So it's just like I died it back and it was like, then, how do we even get to that point like you should? It's ego. It's ego because I'm like I got to a point where like, man, I ain't I ain't living for this rap persona. I ain't living for approval. I've been through a lot of shit to the point where I was even in that environment like that, moving like that, it's because I'm out ease. I'm in my old stompaing grounds, whereas then I don't been through a little bit of head things. So I'm gonna protect myself and I'm carrying myself a certain way. But I'm really here on community time and I'm like, so, but I don't know's it's a lot to it.

Yeah, but it's good y'all got past that. Yeah, for as y'all considered, like be honest, like the ogs of it. So that's it's a precedent for.

Yeah, all right, example a better example because also people feel like you gotta have problems. That's gotta be a part of your come up story. It's like you gotta it's gotta be me versus and that that's something we just pro that's just programmed a want in our psychis like in order to come up, I gotta put something else down in order to be big me has got to be little something else And that ain't that ain't true. We really better off as a collector, you know. So even with that show like even with niggas sending things to the side and figuring out a better way to you know, I'm saying, go about it is. It was about that was a conversation, really, I mean, we had conversation. Proud of there. But it's like, man, it ain't about you, it ain't about me. It's about it's about the people that's gonna come after us. To be able to see a better example and see that. It's like, it's a better way to go about this.

Else what you were doing, Like what your upbring was like just straight up.

I mean I was it was. It was me and my mama for the most part, single paying home. I'm you know from I ain't gonna say the absolute worst of it, but I'm you know from from around the way. And uh man, I grew up smart, I tested gifted, I skipped first grade. I came up in a in a rough area. But I thank my mom for like putting me in better schools and whatever like it gave me some some options. But I also came up seeing everything that it was to see. So by the time I was coming to age and could figure it out for myself, Like I said, when it wasn't sports. It was a lot of other stuff, you know what I'm saying, environmental, The neighborhood was right there, you know what I'm saying. It was well, I'm gonna try to get me some money kind of thing. And uh, I say. I just had a diverse upbringing.

How you get into the music.

Just trial and error. Just I actually wanted to make beats, and there was some niggas around my way, some people I went to school with that was like more inter rapping. I wanted to try to make beats for him, but I would always write something to air beat I made and my beast was sorry as hell. That was really really the end of it. Like I hear other people beasts and just like, yeah, that shit better than mine. But every time I write something, they'll be like, man, get on the song with us, like your verse home what kind of thing. So that evolved and I left the beat making a loan and kind of got it, you know, fell in love with the writing. The wraps put you know, actually recording recording myself. That was probably around fifteen sixteen, But that was, like I said, it was a hobby. It was just something to do. By like eighteen, I was trying to put the put the music out and get heard. And the first thing we put out just from the neighborhood, between the neighborhood and the campus, you know, which was cross town from each other, it just kind of caught fire. Like I put out some music nine months later, I damn that had a deal.

Oh so yeah, when you when you when you stop when you start rapping, and ship got seen about the music that you quitched everything else Cold Turkey just focused on music or what you one one foot.

It was a man I was. I was in the I was in the thick of it, you know. My peers and my support system was that. Yeah, it was that so so I was. I was in it, you know what I'm saying. Like, but but I was the rapper, Yeah, you know what I mean. So it's one of them things like you in it, whether you choose to be in the lie you know, all the way up to probably I got accomplished enough to be able to separate myself from it. But early on it was like like I said, when I dropped that first type and we was and we could get five and ten dollars a CD, and I'm going home with money in my pocket off the CDs. Right. It was an instant decision, like I rode a hustle this, yeah, but you know everything else is the same environment. It's it's like because it's gonna slow up and you know, but I had a partner that told me I can remember losing all my money shooting dice and uh and I'm like from something, you know what I'm saying, just put me back in the game kind of thing, and he shot off on him, was like, man, you need to get some more CDs. It's like fuck that you need to get some cee these And I'm like, and I was because you know, I'm trying to get back instantly. But it was like the advice or the gravity of advice was so real because it's like I took so much more than what he actually said. It's almost like if I if I give you this and you go get jammed up, and it's gonna be on my conscious knowing that you got something, you know what I'm saying, better than this, or you got something to come like almost like risk free, so to say, like to see that the music is a sweet lick if you if you work hard enough at it. And I took from that. I won't say it was like a cold Tarket thing at that time because it was one for then one for that, even even with being signed and all that, because it's like, man, that shit comes slow. They'll release a budget or they release half your budget on the front end, and you sitting until they sign off on it, and it's like yeah, so it's like that kind of dry up or I ain't just gonna sit around y'all and wait on. You know what I'm saying, direction like I'm gonna go for what I know. I gotta go back home. I got to make something happen. But it was, like I said, them conversations are like, man, this is what you're supposed to be doing. Kept me, you know what I'm saying. The geared with that, And.

What's the first city that picked up on you heavy, like outside of your city?

Memphis? Memphis, Tennessee. It's like two and a half hours from Nashville. And like I said, the first person to reach out was yo, got it. This is while I was still in college. But a lot of people from TSU are from Memphis. There's a lot of people, you know what I'm saying. It's almost like half and half, and I think a lot of people from Memphis then went to school with me, was going back home with the music. And by the time I started working with got it in, like, oh, foh it just a lot of people think I'm from Memphis. You know, I've seen people I seen Memphis artists make the top five lists and have me in it, which is crazy to me, Like I ain't even from there, but a lot of people from other places, like I've been on the West Coast, like you from Memphis, and I'm like, that's just how much they embraced me. Now, you know, when I was working music and radio, I had songs going number one back to back on both stations like from you know, street level radio. Everything, Like they always took to my music and always treated me like like them. So yeah, Memphis was definitely the first, and still to this day, it's just like second home type of time.

Anybody that follow you know, like your daughter is your world, man, tell us about how having the kid change you, and also talk a little bit about her, You being comfortable having like her in the studio with you, because we see them pictures too where you like have her in the studio with you, like while you're cooking up and all that.

That part just happened recently as far as involving in the music making process. My daughter's five should be six in like a month, change everything from the same thing I was saying, the timeline of going through some stuff, catching a catching a fresh case. And then I had a child maybe six months later or the following year. It changed my own mind front, Like I already was kind of like detaching from the whole like rap game, rap persona thing, but it just made things white reller, like I ain't just living for me. I mean, it was like a different purpose, a different approach to what I'm doing. And on the same way y'all, like you got training or whatever, I'm just mold conscious or like what I put out the energy wise, the things I say and otherwise. Because I got a little person that's list hanging on her word and she know how to work our passed. She'll end up finding this terview for what is worth Like at the top of the year, you know, she was I was on like local TV on like a new station, but it was an interview platform and she was watching it.

She was like, why she keep.

Calling you that I'm like, I ain't thinking none of it. She's like, why she calling you Lido? And I had to kind of explain it to it. Then I'm like, it's my stage name, this and that, and you know, then she go up granted, like, you know, the name of my daddy's stage is start Leado. You know, I'm tripping off of it. But since then she just a little by little understands it a little bit better. I'm like, because I ain't gonna really had nothing from her. I told myself, I'm always keep it yeah, keep it real, be as honest.

As I can.

But I know it's things I said and done that's gonna be difficult to explain. So the best I can do moving forward is is make sure i'm you know, everything is like it's best I can on up and up to the point where I feel comfortable bringing into my work environment, you know, because it's different than it used to be looking you know, it's a different vibration and everything. And then she got her own dreams and whatnot. So she's she's featured on my last album. She's actually singing on there. You know, I got like set up in the crib. She wants to record more than I do half the time at the house. But yeah, just it just changes me completely. Man.

So i'mnna throw this out there because I want to hear what he goes.

This is gonna be good. It's your daughter birthday, covering up. You're supposed to take your daughter whatever.

Right, But they call they.

Got triple the bad what you usually get for a show. What's star lad though doing.

Man, I'm gonna keep it real. We uh, we're gonna we're gonna do it triples big when we resevered what we got going on, Like that's just the right. Yeah, I mean that's.

That's that's the nature of how you that's the nature of what it is.

Yeah, other way, I ain't. I like to say I wouldn't cancel something. It's best I could. But you know, as far like even on the family and like as a as a provider, as a bread winner, like I can't see, uh, unless it's something we just absolutely can't work around. Like I can't see whoever. I can't see a mama not going to work handle a business like we have to move things around, like you know, we scheduled this today. I told you I left a soccer game and came here. You know what I'm saying straight from the soccer field. But it's like I gotta go to work and you know what I'm saying, my support system gotta understand and Brycete if anything, it's like, well let's pile up, y'all go to the city with me with the show. Is that.

When I get one, you're gonna find.

Yeah, turn it into that, like what you saying, triple, It's like, you know, it is what it is short of a you know, uh, I mean it's this gain don't wait for nobody. It's hard to like you take things for granted and think it's on your terms and your time. It'll leave you behind, like regretfully, like had to miss a funeral before because it was you know what I'm saying, We got contracts and otherwise, and it was like I had to make peace with my attachments to this person. Wouldn't you know what I'm saying. It wasn't defined by whether I was at this funeral service or not. And you know, and even the other family members was they understood it or whatever. It's like, you know, we got a business gotta get tended to, not to say it comes before any or everything. But it's just gonna make it make sense on the other end, because if I ain't earning my key, then you know, I can't really but halfway through my job as a father. That's real. But for sure, it's not that this music thing or whatever take precedence. It's just like I said, it's my hustle to it. Yeah it is. I gotta I gotta earn my key.

Trip you fully comfortable though? What if she wanted to jump in all the way or like rap and be in this industry? You're fully comfortable with that it nah?

But nah, But I will say I'm behind or support of whatever it is you want to do.

So why you're not comfortable?

Oh, because I'm not as much a fan of the culture of it or the you know, like Bank asked me, like I might be in the business of it for as long as I can. But comfortable, I say, nah, because it's not necessarily what I want for her, you know what I'm saying. Because it wasn't easy. It's not a you know, people can see they see the highs and kind of miss the loss other times or what it might have took to get there. But I ain't gonna like discourage her from it or try to keep her from doing it. That's what she want to do.

I just basically saying, you don't want to see her to go through the stress of this shit, right and yeah, right, No, in the manipulation of trying to make you something that you're not, Like you said earlier, you get signed to life, she go to a major. Now it's certain things they want you to do outside of what you wanted to do, like make are three word whatever you just say earlier, you remember.

Yeah exactly what Yeah, just overall, I just like part of it for me is like, like I said, I've been at this professionalist since our eighteen like a little bit over twenty years, and it's consumed so much of my my life. You know what I'm saying, This became my life, like I wanted to live free and have my own experience. Is part of what I'm saying. Like, because whatever she's doing, I want her to be the best at it or whatever. So if it's like most recently, just she says she want to be a movie star, And I mean, I don't know as much about that game, but if that's what she want to do, then it's acting classes, it's theater camp or whatever. Like I'm gonna support it. I'm gonna embrace it, nurture and all that. But it's like, do you want your kid to be a child star because a lot of a lot of the child stars ended up with with weird, weird stories to come with it or you hear you know, Hollywood.

And like, so the best I can do is I think you had to pack it up though, like you have to pack up your everything you're doing. Yeah, to pursue that, for sure, that's the only way I would do it like that, Like my daughter, she would dish the business.

Noney, Yeah, I can't let you go out there with.

No right.

Her parents type shy.

At least you get a you know, get your husband some something.

Yeah, for sure. But but I mean, so that's just my truth for like, I don't I don't necessarily like I want that, for want of the choose this, But I ain't finna like like right now, she the sports, She into, I want her to play basketball because I like basketball. But I asked her, like you want to play basketball? She said no, that we ain't playing basketball. You know what I'm saying. She want to play soccer, we're playing soccer. Whatever it is, I'm I'm with it, you know. I think I said on the song or whatever, you're with on with on the on the song that she featured, I'm talking to her pretty much on the song.

That's the cycle though, because you you probably didn't end up doing what your people wanted you to do.

Not necessary, right, So yeah, it wasn't. Yeah, my dream probably wasn't legitimate to everybody that that loved me or bought me up or whatever. But you know they ain't. They ain't ship on it necessarily either or discourage It was just kind of like but yeah, I remember that it being like rapping like until it's like, damn, are you rapping for real? Like when I got a deal or whatever. It was so but like you said, I just gotta be hands on with it. I can't just let let it wrong.

While Hey, when was that moment for you? I always ask people that like that moment when you just start like feeling like yeah.

Oh, one of them, I'm gonna pinpoint a couple of difference. One of them was, oh fo, I was at the Essence Festival, me and me and my partner drove straight from I think it was in Clarsville, Tennessee. This is about an hour the opposite way. It was at a you know, small club, hood club kind of thing. We left out of the club drove the New Orleans and to link over God in them. They make the introduction with you know baby and Slim Little One, et cetera. We go down to Essence and and I get there and it's like they kind of like know who I am, know the music, and you know, it's clear like they I'm like, damn, I'm in at this time, like in a room I never saw my you know what I'm saying. That's how we listened to, Like I'm like, damn, they really want me to be you know a part of this. I was kind of like a deer in head license. I was so young and just impressed by it. But it was a moment of I'm like, damn, I ain't think I ain't think i'd be here or I'm hearing I'm somebody so to say that was That was a moment, but it wasn't really like a defining moment.

What do you do for your company to do that moment?

Oh man?

It was.

It was unreal. I don't even know if it did as much for my confidence. It was just like it was like a pinch yourself kind of thing, like, damn, am I really here like this? You know, from seeing somebody on TV or listen to somebody at that time with five six years and you there and you're supposed to be there kind of thing. I don't know if it did as much for my confidence. It's just it was just unbelievable. But it was a moment that it was like, damn this, this shit really happened. Is I've already at taken it farther than I could have seen or imagined past that I made the Billboard charts were talking about plaques and otherwise, and it wasn't like I don't remember what I was fifty sixty something, but it was the top two hundred album charts. In twenty thirteen, when I dropped the album called Cold Turkey. It's funny that you asked me call Turkey thing. I dropped the album call Call Tark and it charted on Billboard and it was I was ready to put the music out for free, like on live mixtapes and all that, and my partner had linked me with Empire, and I just serviced it like an album, just trying some shit, and at that time, I was like, even though I've been in the game down in ten years, at the time, it was at that moment I'm like, damn, I'm again, I'm bigger than this. These are metrics, like I'm bigger than then. I saw myself with that, then I imagined, and obviously with that, it was also return on it. It was like from working in somebody else's system and trying to just fight to get you know what I'm saying, get back budget money or whatever and cut corners to like I did this myself and people taking to it. I'm like looking at reading them. I get an email from real board and I'm like, ain't nobody do this shit with me? You know? At that point it was like okay, yeah, I'm I'm here.

Seeing that direct direct check.

Yeah, and then that was okay, yeah, that was probably the next quest. Yeah, and then I dropped the next like four or five projects. I dropped out here, Bill, because when I got that first check, I went right back to the studio. I'm from drop a note, one check, got email, you know, and I dropped Fried Turkey four months later. He Bill board drop step Brothers too, and it was like top top fifty something went on the tool with Kevin Gates and it was that moment when College Turkey, it was like, oh yeah, I don't like, I don't need nobody like I took meetings with labels after that, and I'm like, y'all really can't move me because the thing I'm doing, the things I would be going to y'all to try to make that and so like, to me, that's that certified me as like an independent. Like everybody can use help. I don't want to say it wrong, like I don't everyone needs help, but I don't require it in the sense of like y'all help. I don't necessarily need that kind of help. I don't need y'all money because I know I can make money out of this now. It's just by recycling my money or refining it, doing it better, building my team up. Let me instead of using you'll people, I'm gonna hire some of my people to do some of the same things. I'm gonna find some people that's passionate and to go harder for me. Then then I'll be number ten in line. If I sign up over there, I'm number one. Over here, but yeah, it was. It was that moment with called Turkey, and that just that pushed me forward probably the next five years.

If you're talking to an artist like right now, like tell them what it really is to be an independent artist, Like what is really gonna take? Because I think some people don't. They like the screaming, but they don't really know what it's gonna take and what it really is.

Man, the game changes so often and so fast now, I think what it really takes is being adaptive, being a quick learner, and and being willing to learn. Like independent is a word people throw around like that could just be a fancy Wells saying I ain't got to deal yet, unsigned and but truly being dependent means you gotta be soaking it up as you go and figuring out how to apply it in real time. Like because like I said, I don't think it's a cookie cut or blueprint or success. I don't think it's one way to do things. But you got to figure out what works for you in mash and really do that. Like independent and large part I mean spending your own money so a lot of times that's the hard part.

And not being scared to spend it.

That part that's that's a big part of it. But I think I think learning and growing with this because we got all the tools. Like man I met I met this cat that's in college now that was sharing his music with me, and I was like, where you you know here just moving were recording that. It was like, man, I did all this on my phone and I played it in the car, like sound like my music, like quality wise, like sonically, and I'm like, man, I ain't no excuses, you know what I'm saying. We have to pay so much to get our music to sound like that. I'm like, he got an iPhone and so it ain't no excuses, you know what I'm saying. We got We got the resource to get your camera, get your engineer or whatever, you know. Interface all these tools. They ain't necessarily cheap, but they're cheaper than they ever being. It's they more accessible because you can rent shit, you know what I'm saying. So part of it is the game I would give somebody as an independent is man, you gotta try, you gotta push, Like I know so many people with talent, they think that's enough. It's to push more than the talent, you know, what I'm saying, that's that's anything else. It's hoopers that is cold as NBA players, but they ain't cultable, you know what I'm saying. Or they don't do the they don't do the leg they don't do the conditioning work. It's somebody going harder then you. You might be better than them, but they going harder. And so it's that's like I said, learn as you go, and don't be afraid to try ship and use all these resources that you got, Like I said, the earning fans one for one, it's like, all right, I ain't going to the radio because that costs five figures every time that we go to try to do that. But I got these platforms and these mediums where I can interact with people. Somebody feel like they're a part of what you got going on, they more likely to go share with somebody else. And that's how you grow audience, just as well as being on the station, you know, one time or ten times a day or however that might go.

So I'm sure you take pride to and being independent and actually owning all your shit, and so what you think about the artists that go sell all of it? Would you would you sell all the rights to you. Would you sell it off for the right ticket? That's the key phrase, for the right ticket. The same way was like like would you take you know, triple for this? You know, that's just that's just being rational. Yeah, that's just being rational because you can have attachment to something, but it's like what is it worth?

What is it worth to you? As I say, everybody got a price, It ain't even that. It's just like what you're doing is for you to sell it though, yeah, on some level, so you're.

Selling it at that man, man, I wish you mother will come to buy my cat.

But but I think it's about knowing big. It's like knowing what you want to get out of because the only place I really disagree with that is selling yourself short or selling it off too soon, because it's like, like you said, if you build up the value in it, it's like anything else, you're building a value in it to wait till it don't got no value no more, or you know, you want to sell it at the highest point kind of thing or license or seller part of it. I think it's about making it makes sense.

But iin't. I don't feel like i'm finishing it.

So if I said that they finna give me the money to boot me up, I'm going to make my best ship.

Now right right right, you know what I'm saying. That's what I see some people in the headlines and people like why he's selling. I'm like ship because he's still on fire.

Like again, I'm.

Gonna take this second. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, make a greater value, gonna really turn it, or I'm gonna find ten more of me to go invest in, you know what, build some more catalogs up that I got ownership stake in or whatever. So yeah, I think, like you said, the right ticket, if it makes sense. I do think people sell themselves short, going in on the front end and selling it off before they even make it.

That's not like a publishing deal.

Not even that, because that can make sense. I'm just saying people to go sign up, like you know, you signing your rights away on the front end. You know they give you a big checks. Like man, that these people give you a million dollars, it's probably because they see it as being worth ten or twenty in this life. So you might all have stayed down and put the work in and go earn your teen rather than taking the one. And then that's that's all you ever saw was doing that. That's what you know, the one conflict. And that's why I was at when I was building a value up. I'm taking meetings like what you want to do, like nothing, keep grinding because you know what I'm saying, because trying to cast me out right now, I do the math.

It's just all I'm doing is got damn waiting a little longer to get more. Yeah, but taking this now, if I take this now, it's cool because because I feel like I need it now.

But I'm already worth this.

Yeah. And if you're working, if you if you're actually working your move, then you're gonna make more.

It's just like taking a fucking the first settlement offering a car accident. Like they offer you some ship just to get you out of the way, and if you need the money bad enough, you'll take it when really like you deserve more because.

You fucked up in the bag, be taking that ship. It ain't really be down, really be hurt.

This is.

What they take it off the table.

But they got to investigate this ship.

But look, but look, this rap ship could be like that too.

Some people doing this as a link. If you're doing it as a link, the cash out get low and go like. But I'm saying that at the point I knew, like I got value in this, I got staying powered, I got the formula for me at this point, like, I don't want you all money to build me up because I don't. I got equity in it. I'm building up to this point already. I'm gonna just keep building and turn it into something else, and y'all might and double back in a few years and put another zero in that or something and we can wrap. But you know, it's it's different if it's like you know, it was probably times in my career was like shit, I don't know. If I don't, I don't be around next year to make more music. So what you got? You know what I'm saying. That might have been your mindset about it. But you know, at the point when I'm like my feet planning in this and I'm at it, it's like, nah, I'm let me just get back to the studio and find something else to put out, because like you said, I ain't I'm not doing traditional promotion. I'm not doing none of the ship, y'all gonna have me go and do. I can do this on my time, my turns, And I'm saying an instant return like folks.

On a different level though, like your people really fuck with you. Niggas fuck with you so they own you hard.

You know what I'm saying. I've been hearing niggas for years and years and years.

Like, nah, I fuck with bro like even rappers like till y'all can't even rappers like me, Nah start leaving.

You know what I'm saying. I don't never heard the niggas say you know what I'm saying. Nah, you know what I'm saying. That's on some real ship.

They'd be like, who hard that nigga a hard You know what I'm saying. They be saying, he started a lot of ship. The nigga don't know. You know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying, Like for real, I just give you that right now, face to face.

That's real, that's real. Yeah. Should I honor those that say it out loud too? Yeah? You know, because that's in the game too. People hold their nuts on you and act like they didn't see what you doing. Just just the same and it's like, so put.

The book bag of nuts on their backs.

Counting enough so the people that that do recognize and cold the nuts in fact around stupid. It's real, it's worth something, you know what I'm saying. That's that's worth something to me.

Thank you, dope broad big See they won't glad. I ain't went no real rap because that should have been hard for me to stages.

So like you just so god damn poised. You know what I'm saying is what the word poised?

Yeah?

You know what I'm saying, Like you don't seem like you easy get rattled. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's a gift, bro, Yeah.

Ain't you don't pop it when you can pop it? You know what I'm saying, That's a gift because I'll be talking shit.

But a lot of experience, man, like they say, probably come before the file, and I just the times when I was most full of full of myself, that's when the bullshit come my way, you know what I'm saying, And that's that's just on a life level. So I take it good the bad in between, I type the ship and stride. You know what I'm saying, My my brightest days or damn, it looks like the worst of it cause one week condition where I come from to tuck it in, you know what I'm saying, when you go through something, And that's why I put certain shit on my music because it's like I know what they feel like to have to act like, ain't nothing wrong with you and it out yeah, Or I'm speaking with somebody that you can't see.

You don't know how to and don't even got the nuts to let it out there. Yeah, for sure, what's the what's the uh?

Like one of the most memorable experiences from a fan, like walking up on you telling you their story or whatever.

Oh man, somebody somebody told me that they was they was going through something that was in the hospital. They was I don't remember the condition they said they had, but they was going through it and it was like, damn, the deathbed type situation. And they taught their people to play play my Mental Warfare album and uh, they was like they listened to it every day and they attribute that to them turning the corner with they you know what I'm saying, from their illness the spirit together. Yeah, And I was like, they was crying telling me telling me this and now that's just you know, in confidence, and I was like, I for whatever was worth. I believed the way because people shared other things like that, but it was it just it moved me because I know why I was there when I made that music, and I couldn't pinpoint what it was. They heard that they had that effect on them, but they believe that moving forward, and for them to be able to share that with me, it was like, damn, Like the power of music, you know what I'm saying. You can be making something to get yourself out of a dark space or whatever, and then it come back tenfold for somebody else, you know. And it's been a few stories like that, people like I was going through chemotherapy and I made them play this every day, and that was just it was just programming my mind and like I'm gonna be all right kind of thing. I'm like, damn that that just do something else for me as a like as an artist and as a person. You know, a lot of times I meet a lot of people that I ain't encouraging it, but I meet a lot of people that got ground hard, got my logo tattooed on them, and things like that. I'm like, damn, like this comes from the block. This is from the neighborhood. Like you, I'm in Colorado and you know what I'm saying, and it's something that you attach yourself to that much to you know, like damn, it's a lot of moments like that. Like you said, the people, if they rock with me, it seemed like they rock with me completely, like people grew up with me. It's a lot of times that you know, the all the farther I go with it all that. I get a lot of people like man, I've been listening to so I was in sixth grade. I'm like, which make a nigga feel old, But at the same time, like damn, and you're still rocking with me kind of time or like I said, just just things that like whatever I was doing back then wasn't in vain because it brought you along and you still hear kind of thing. But yeah, people is like testimonials almost because I'm like, damn, I ain't. I ain't see myself as that I was. Like I said, I started off just just on some man I was. I was a punchline rapper. I was rapping probably like fab or somebody when I first started just you know, trying to make.

Every line be.

Like you know, to evolve into like uh like storytelling to just being relatable and all that. I'm like, so I ain't see starting off when I was first putting pee in a past that somebody would be able to say my music was life changing for them. Will save they like when people say stuff like that, it's like, damn, that's that's deep, you know what I'm saying.

You still like throughout the process of your career, Like, did the communications stay intact with somebody like Stunning Gotty, Geezy and all them.

Nah?

No, I probably talked to got It most recently. A lot of people know me and God that kept a open line, a pretty a pretty cool relationship past that. I think our last song, money bag Yo, brought me out in Nashville his arena tour, and you know, it reached out and I chopped it over got It backstage there. And I think because of how and when we linked, we you know what I'm saying, our bond kind of more or less they of the same.

You know.

When I went on went on my own, I think it was a respect thing because not only it was just you know, I came into it as as my own man, but I also took it, took it up a notch on my own. And I mean we had conversations about that or like like I said, on respect and vice versa, like he definitely took it up ten not since then even I command him turning up so many other artists because I was one of his first artists, and like I don't have no I don't have no regrets of how things worked out or played out with our situation. But the same thing I was saying, I look at it as part of like part of that success stories to learning curve or you know what I'm saying, the hiccups and the hurdles with our situation. I'm sure that he got some game when he learned some things, you know what I'm saying. Broker in a deal with me or the other artistles around at that time was able to, you know what I'm saying, get right or do some better different moving forward. So I always am like we for show a part of each other's story and their regard the other people. Like nah, I think some of the other situations was what they was. It ain't they ain't like no negativity or bitterness or whatever, just on certain levels just business and then in real time like, uh, some of the situations just kind of stopped where they was. But now I ain't really kept kept in touch.

Why imposta syndrome?

For the name of this project, my album, imposter syndrome kind of it was a double meaning one on the literal like scientific like medical or whatever. The imposter syndrome is like like the belief that your best isn't good enough. It's like if you like self doubt or or whatever, like having imposter syndrome, if y'all sat here and was like, man, I don't I don't know, I don't think. I don't think big facts is top tier like that kind of mindset. So that's something that probably I might have dealt with it early in my career. I think a lot of people deal with of like and I feel like I've conquered that I got on the other side of it, of like I'm the best there ever will be it being me, and so like I don't have imposta syndrome, you know, And it's like showing improven like look why I am now I ain't dealing with it? Like that's a that's a flower mindset. It was like, now, as long as I'm doing my best, that's good enough kind of things. The opposite, the double meaning of it is also the rap game. I think, damn there, everybody is faking. I think a lot of people are wearing a mask. I think the rap game in large is full of impostas, and so it's my commentary on it. It's kind of like I said, double a sword, or like most of the people y'all listening to their posture and they're putting on you know what I'm saying. I think a lot of people are miserable just what they present. And it's like, so I was, you know, it was kind of a play on words in the sense of like the the record y'all your favorite rappers are damn live. I remember that song. It's like, I like, that's that's my commentary on it, and I'm I am proud to not be in that space. Then I ain't wearing a mask. When I walk out the booth, I'm the same person. You know what I'm saying, Go get in my car and go home. I'm the same person. Like that's what that's what I'm bringing to the game, And I ain't knocking nobody for listening to nothing else. So I enjoy some of the music. I just know I crossed paths with some of these people and it ain't with you. And so it was between that, like I said, on a mental health level of like, man, you good enough, you all right, You're gonna be all right, like just stay down or whatever else. And then I'm like, you ain't gotta be like nobody else, So you ain't gotta You don't have to do what everybody else doing to succeed or win. And I'm proof of that. I'm living proof of that. Like you said, I'm comfortable in Mom's skin, so I don't have to you know what I'm saying, certain things don't matter. It don't matter to me anymore. And that was part of the theme of it. I ain't I come from a certain element and it's proving and whatever else, but I don't have nothing to prove, so on this album, I'm not really I'm not propping up like street shit. If the songs one I'm talking about street things is like from the element of regretting it or from like thinking better of it, I'm detached from that or even you know, on the outro, it's Kyle finished line again a double meaning of like, man, I did all it, Like that's cool, but it really ain't cool. But also are they finished line? Because they ain't did half of this And it's like and y'all looking, this is man, you hear that? Like, Like, I mean, I don't lost so many homeboys, friends peers that like. And I've been on both sides of out of foolishness to say that, ain't it? That ain't cool? Like you know what I'm saying. It's probably some drill rap that I hear and like and turn up to if I'm out of feeling it. But I'm like, I can't. I can't do that, Like I almost feel like a sucker if I do it in this space because I've seen it. I've seen the results of it, and it's like that ain't nothing to celebrate. But you know what I'm saying, I'm older, I'm I've grown a little wise out of vives to this point, So I'm just trying to speak to certain themes and ideas from like all around it because a lot of times we can only get we only get one vantage point on one perspective and That's why a lot of artists be stuck in that mold because they might have broke through talking this kind of talk and it worked, it hit, it might have been real, it might have really been their story. But then you had all the success and you stuck there. And that's the only kind of music you can make. Now at that point, you're faking, you know what I'm saying, because you ain't living like that.

I think the power tongue can attract certain stuff for sure, for sure.

Yeah, and that's why I'm like, nah, I want to I rather keep it real, you know. And even just on the narrator level, you know what I'm saying. I got three or four relationship songs on the album. It ain't really been my strong point of my focal point on my music, but that's more of my reality than shoot them up, bang bang or sell this. And like, man, you know what I'm saying, I got more dealings with women than confrontational stuff on this level. And I can talk about this molde directly and in a better space. But but I saw it's like what you're taking from and what you learning from it, Like I used to be afraid to make them kind of songs for thinking like, oh man, they gonna say I went soft for this and there now in the space like this is my reality and what I found is some of the Street Cats and everything, like man, that's my favorite song, the love song, the breakup song or whatever. It's like, Damn. It's like because we're human, you know what I'm saying, And ain't nobody doing it. Ain't nobody making them songs because it's just like we just gotta be hard on the gap. We gotta you know what I'm saying. It's like, what about being hard on yourself because you know what I'm saying, you messed up or whatever. You know. So yeah, it's like being in a certain pocket or like, man, I ain't wearing a mask and I think I think we need to pull the mask about. Yeah, you know, free yourself from it because I seen it. Man, I've seen people with a lot of success. They're like they're miserable because it's like I got put.

You're looking in the mirror, Look in the mirror.

Stress nigga fakeing fuck?

Man?

Yeah, you nigga know they faking fuck wake up every day trying to go outside and be faking. Yeah, that ship.

That ship has to be miserable even even even even even like in relationships or anything else, like you know you're faking them, motherfucker.

You gotta remember your line exactly. You have to remember your line. You gotta practice this ship that then you lose yourself.

Once you lose yourself, you're gonna be mad all the time because you know you ain't even got you will you just mad as fuck? Man, you shaid faked fuck like this ship eating you up. It's a lot of niggas going through that ship. Yeah, nigga, many mad niggas.

You know, I know, nigga, man a mother, have the phone, Just have the phone and.

Come on, man, niggas don't want to stop. Fans nigga want.

You a bit.

You Yeah, for sure.

I'm just saying, like real ship. It's just like, man, you folks help you.

You.

You gotta remember that time you was big. You you couldn't wait till somebody wanted the picture to be heard or you know what I'm saying.

You couldn't wait till motherfucker recognized you.

Now that they recognize you, get on your nerves because they you knowing they're not recognizing you.

They finished line.

What you said, they finished line. They recognized no facade, and like you said, now you gotta you gotta own it. You gotta embrace that. And I mean that's got to be exhausting and everything else. Like man, I remember a conversation and I kind of spell the details or how it went, but I was encouraged to rap about certain things like when I was young, and I mean, truth be told, it was it was my reality. So I'm like, it's second nature. I know all about it to talk about it. But it was like from a corporate level. Later, the older I got, I was like, damn, this is a this is an agenda, this is like this is what it the type to get to, you know. And I don't know if it was agenda, if it was just what was working. So they like go with this move, and I'm like, man, I can't beat them just because that's working for them. But I also like fast forward and look at it like they stuck though. They can never get out of their caricature, like because I guess because it worked or because they took it so far like just exaggerating shit, and you know what I mean, I'm like, no, I mean I might wake up in a bad move. I might want to tell you everything and went wrong. You know, I remember that song breaking through walk a Flog Funk my money up now that that song moved me because up until the end, it was just like a hundred bricks, We're gonna you know what I'm saying.

I'm like to hear young niggas say everybody nigga seventy five million times.

Yeah, it's like.

They're relatable, you know what I'm saying. Just being given a different perspective of it was like, Damn, that's.

Why people like the pay music too, Like like the wrong way with the Resisshauns or whoever the case is. The nigga that just going there and saying, man, I'm hurting.

You need to stop hurting God Damn, Like some of these niggas ain't never gonna get out that part.

It's power for something that saying that, it's power. The tongue so good.

I'm just saying, like how many niggas like, damn, bro, I want to see you happy? Bro? Yeah?

Yeah that too. It's gotta be balanced.

It'd be business too on that level.

I guess happy heal at home, nah man, I just think. I just think you just can't take this ship literal no more. You know what I'm saying. Like we're just saying last last week was interviewing.

Yo, like you can't take these artists literal, like back in the day, I used to take like artists literal, like too short.

You can't tell me that Nigga wasn't too short. You know what I'm saying.

Eight bolling brother, I was that I was. I was with them Nigga was talking about in my mind. You get what I'm saying. So then I funk around, turned around to.

Meet you, and it's like, I ain't doing that. I ain't never since then, I ain't ever believe in that type of shit no more. It's like I don't take it literal like the tooth fare, Yeah, you can't.

You just gotta look at it for what it is. And I tell my kids that, I tell my grand like, this is the same thing you see. Okay, you see the man that died in this movie, right, I'm gonna go his Instagram that he go, he ain't dead. Same thing you see the boy rapping by he doing all that. He hear you what it like? You guys just letting them know that this ship is like like you said, cartoons or some ship. Yeah, I mean it would memorize you.

It's a it's a very like smile select few that they appeal, they aesthetic, their lifestyle actually matches, you know what I'm saying, how they're rocking. And to me, that's the that's a sweet spot, and that's you know what I'm saying, that's the ones that's here to stay. That's the ones that people like really embraced because because people feel that fact, you know, And that's what that's my trophy is for somebody, you know, to be able to say, man, nah, I met dude and this happened. You know, Man, I met him. I had my kids, right, they asked, but my kids great? Like do real like that ain't in my wraps. But it go parallel with what I'm rapping about. Yeah you know what I'm saying, especially like now, like like you asked me, like being a parent is at the front, Like that's what I wake up and go to sleep doing. I'm daddy before him anything else. So it's spilled over into the booth. Two hours ago, my almost paternity leaves like it was coming out of covid. I'm spending twenty four hours with my child, like the world shut down. Like I was telling you, that's when I got most hip to y'all show. I'm watching the Zoom episodes and I'm like, I'm but I'm she right there. You know what I'm saying. Everything she eating, I'm cooking. You know what I'm saying. It's like I ain't leaving an eyesight when it's time for me to go make some rap songs because I missed rapping because I couldn't go to the studio. I couldn't get out of the damn house. So when I could, I ain't really had nothing else to wrap about. It's time I'm living like I couldn't leave out of there and go wrap about. I ain't nobody doing no street shit unless you're scamming or you know what I'm saying, whatever, getting anything like that. But I'm like this what I'm doing. So you know, I spoke on it and it's like shit, I imagine it's a lot of other people doing the same thing, you know, and so it become relatable on their level, but a lot of people don't have it. Like That's that's what I cherish more than how much your sales, how much your stream. And fortunately it's still like viable. It's still you know what I'm saying, still like in you know, in the mix.

That's why I like I said, this ship with folk like we've been conditioned.

Man.

You know what mother can tell you got to learn how to act. I hate that. Don't tell me to learn how to act. Ain't acting. I'm being me, Yeah, just don't fuck with me. You can't act like that around them. I ain't acting.

Like in certain places you can't act like that. Well, I don't need to be there if I can't be me. That's a real nigga shit though.

You got a lot of people feel like if you got it.

Bro, if you gotta go in a environment and change who you are to be in that environment, eventually you're gonna you just all you're doing is pulling your man down and then you get mad if a motherfucker try you a certain way when they trying the nigga you acting like you here.

If I was being men you with, then I ain't going for that what you're doing.

I don't even play like that. I don't even talk like that. I'm not engaging in that type of conversation. It's just like you put yourself in one of them parties, one of the weird parties that you know these folks doing in the party, you know what these folking on for, and they try your niggas feel on your.

Ass and you ad like, you may see what we're doing this party? What was on? I ain't even going so I can't act like.

But niggas is not acting though for real even not even just rapp acting real life people. Like it's hard to even it's hard to even distinguish if your loved ones acting.

Friends and your family.

It's hard out here, bro, Like cause this this this internet ship. Don't put like a facade one dough over everybody eyes. Bro, It's like I gotta be like this, so I gotta act like this. I gotta shit fucked up.

Yeah, for sure. That was That's what I was going with it with the album, was like, of course, I'm speaking from my own unique perspective because I like music, and I'm comparing it like rap game because it's it's a competitive space and it's like how do you set yourself apart? Or this? What like I said, this is what I bring to the typele it's different, but on a like human night your level, or like you said, the human condition where we at like most people are posturing or because of that, we programming the idea that what you're doing ain't good enough. You know, like I've seen it, like you got your your own memories, you got whatever to share, and you're like, man, well I can't, I can't post it. I ain't gonna post my car because it ain't this kind of car, you know what I'm saying, Because but it'll be somebody else that rent at that car and took a bunch of pictures in front of it, but they making you feel like yours ain't good enough. You know that J Coles love yours like no such things or life that's better than yours. Like that might be one of my favorite rap songs, just the mindset of it, because it's like that's impost syndromes, like we are lost in large part because we it's keeping up. It's you know, comparing your life or whatever your optics to somebody else's like, nah, it's good enough. You're waking up, you breathing, you healthy, whatever you got. It's something you know what I'm saying, you can want more, but you know it ain't a successful failure based on like if that's the you know what I'm saying, you're giving it all you got. Like, man, that's that's great.

You know what soppy my life turned out?

For sure?

Then how it go, I'm straight, you know what I'm saying. However it go anything from this point on, it's extra, Brook. We weren't even supposed to be here in niggas mind. Niggas ain't supposed to be here.

Doing this, this sen in no podcasts. You know my leg cram this ship extra whatever else come after this, Bro, I'm already blessed. That's how I look at this. Niggas be one what another nigga got. That's what they say. Comparison is the cousin of hate.

Joy.

No, that is the cousin of hate. Comparison. If you see a nigga always comparing himself. But I got the though you slick hate what the fuck is me? And you were not in competition on thumb or two?

Tell you what your ship hard?

I ain't gonna say turn around and be like, but wait, do you see mine? You know what I'm saying to me that slick hate. Yeah, why do you even gotta say that?

Yeah?

Oh boy, you Sally got now. But you just killed them, But you don't be killing them like me.

Yeah, startled man. We appreciate you.

Man.

Finally touch it down on Big Facts.

Make sure you'll definitely shot the capo too for putting this together.

Got us aalute capo, you know what I'm saying.

Tap in with starleto check us out at Triple W dot Big factspot dot com, the Big Facts networks right now. Visit the new website today, Big Fact expod dot com dot com

BIG FACTS with Big Bank & DJ Scream

Two Atlanta legends Big Bank and DJ Scream bring you the long awaited BIG FACTS Podcast!
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