N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode we chop it up with the one and only, Ryan Leslie!
Ryan stops by to share his journey! Ryan discusses how people doubted his plans early on, building a core fanbase, and much more!
Ryan shares stories of working with Fabolous, his past relationship with Cassie, losing his laptop prior to βWatch The Throneβ album and much much more!
Lotβs of great stories that you donβt want to miss!!
Make some noise for Ryan Leslie!!! ππππππ
*Subscribe to Patreon NOW for exclusive content, discount codes, M&Gβs + more: π*
https://www.patreon.com/drinkchamps
*Listen and subscribe at https://www.drinkchamps.com
Follow Drink Champs:
https://www.instagram.com/drinkchamps
https://www.twitter.com/drinkchamps
https://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps
https://www.youtube.com/drinkchamps
DJ EFN
https://www.instagram.com/whoscrazy
https://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductions
N.O.R.E.
He is Drink Chants Mother Bucky Podcast Make He's a legends Eary Queen's rapper. He's agreed that your boy in O R E.
He's a Miami hip hop Lionere put up his DJ E f N.
Together they drink it up with some.
Of the biggest players, you know what I mean. And the most professional, unprofessional podcast and your number one source for drunk.
Drink chans mother das do ye see that's it's time.
For drink Champions.
Drink up mother, Mother? Would it gonna be hoping? It swished to be this your boy in O R E? What up his DJ E f N?
And this is drink Champs japri All make Toys guest Today's Guests. I literally think it's the smartest person probably.
Ever had on drink chest. The fact that I've heard it.
He went to Harvard at fifteen years old, graduated at nineteen, had his own has his own platform. I thought I thought the record label was just going to try to kill him. At one point he was the director to consumer. First, he was giving out his phone number. He's doing concert, He's selling the tickets. It's this man is a mogul. This man is a legend, writer, producer, everything. I've been trying to give this man his flowers, and today we're gonna give him his flowers. In case you don't know who the fuck we talking about, We're talking about.
The one only impeccable. Now. Now, I thrive in dumb rooms. I played that. I played that role.
Good?
That role?
Good?
Are you uncomfortable around other scholars or other like you know, what is that Ivy League school?
Or who do you? What do you IQs?
Now?
I feel like I can. I can move in really any type of room. Yeah, And to be honest, like when I first got on Harvard's campus, it was a little you know, it took some getting used to just a being of color and you don't row no. And then also being as young as I was, you.
Know, fifteen for real.
Yeah, so you learned very early on to just sort of move in any type of room. But I really got to give it to my father man, when I was coming up. You know, my my parents are from the Caribbean Islands, and they worked their whole lives in the Salvation Army, and so they knew that they weren't going to have really you know, all kinds of wealth stacked up because they sacrifice wealth in the service of others. I mean still to this day, my mother's you know, going to build hospitals in India, try to retire her and that's what she wants to do. So my father very early on decided, hey, we immigrated to the United States, I want my kids to be set up, and I know the way to get there are the only way he never was yeah, yeah, and the only way to really get there, in his opinion, was through education. So he didn't want me going to just any old schools. Anytime we got to a new city, he said, look, let's go find the top tier private school. And then he would go in and he would advocate, hey, I'm a servant of the community. Can you take care of my and my kids in yeah, doing We're not doing the tuition, but we do service in the community. Can y'all, you know, make an accommodation for our kids. But he also said, look, we ain't just doing the private school because he was still running the boys and girls club as well, So I had to move in both circles. Would we would go to private school and then go get my tail beat on the basketball court at the Boys and Girls Club in Richmond, Virginia, you know what I'm saying. So I think I think the other piece of it though, as well, is in terms of service to others. You never realize the stories and the backstories of folks who are in those homeless shelters, who are in those places, they didn't just you know, they weren't homeless their whole lives. So they have backstories as well, and you have you have to sort of learn how to be empathetic in any room. And it really doesn't matter. Like I just I think on a human level, everyone is going through something, you know what I'm saying. So if you could connect on a human level, whether you're with venture capitalists in Silicon Valley or artists, you know, you talk about a heartbreak and they you know, they going automatically tell you know what I'm saying, somebody that did them wrong across them, et cetera. And there's there's always, I think there's always a line of communication that you can that you can connect with somebody on on a human level.
Have you ever had a bad day? Have I had a bad day? See your music, I'll just be happy, Like you get up out of the bed with silk robe on. That's just man.
You really do put in a happy movie. Give your sad songs are happy. Like you ever like had a bad day, of course you did.
But yeah, I mean I think we all do. I think it's all I think. You know, when you talk about those rooms though, if you're ever in a room with somebody, that's that's worth let's say three hundred five hundred MS or a billion dollars. Wow, whatever your bad day is, Yeah, it turns good. They really You say, oh, I have a fifty thousand dollars problem or eighty thousand dollars problem or one hundred thousand dollars medical issue, and they're like, oh, that's that's small. So it puts things in perspective. And I'll say this, Actually, when I first got to New York City and was just producing, I was running around, you know, just running around producing, doing clubs, dating, and I did I think at one point there was like a record that I was waiting to come out, and I was, you know, I think we was on a chopper doing a photo shoot or something, and I told my girl, I said, hey, you know, I'm not I'm not. I feel like i'm not having a good day, and she said, is your family all right? I say, yeah, they're fine. Are you healthy? Yeah, I'm fine. She says, so what's a bad day are you talking about? And actually, you know, it brings me to that quote. Somebody with zero dollars, right, and they feel like they have a million problems. But someone with all the money in the world and they don't have their health, they only got one problem. Right. So for me, I'm healthy, I'm still of you know, in great health and strength. I still have you know, great relationships, and so there's not really any reason to ever have a complaint.
You have a very interesting story.
First off, you, like you said, we went to Harvard, and most people go to Harvard and they get away from the music industry. You went to Harvard and you went towards the movie it was the industry.
Did you feel like you was moving backwards at one point?
I mean everyone that I initially told my plan to thought I was moving backwards. They said, well what are you doing here? And I think maybe the biggest, the biggest challenge to overcome initially was my own family, right, because when I was on the road to Harvard, as you said, parents were like, okay, how are we going to afford this?
You know?
So my dad said, hey, look, you know I'm in the Rotary Club. They have these speech competitions, So you're going to write a great speech and you'll go and speak to all the Rotary Club members and they'll put up a couple of dollars to put in the kids, so you can, you know, have some money to move around. And so I wrote a speech about how I wanted to be a neurosurgeon. So that very was very inspirational. You know, my dad was so proud of it. I was pre med my first year at Harvard, and I realized, you know, the kids that were in my chemistry class, bi biology class, et cetera, they had a passion for science, a passion for medicine, a passion for what they were studying, the problem sets. And I found that my passion was just music. And I said, look, you know, if if this is what's keeping them up at night, I need to do what keeps me up at night. And I went maxed off my credit card. I didn't even I had I think everybody does that when they go to college. You get a credit card. And I went straight.
I was in jail, so maybe noted out to you. I'm sorry.
So you know, when you get on when you get on campus, every bank got the table out go sign up like a credit.
Card lending board, of course. And so that's exactly what I wanted.
So I was cutting hair on campus, and I wanted my little dorm room to feel like the barbershop. So I had to have you know, five this CD changer and you know, the receiver and everything, and made everybody listen to my records because you know, we had there wasn't many. There wasn't really a black barber on Harvor's campus. You had to go to you know, you had to go to Central Square or whatever if you wanted to get your haircut. So I said, hey, I'm open for business, and anybody that came into and we called the barbershop Shady A's because shady because you can't. You're not supposed to run a business at Harvard, right, which is why like Zuck and Bill Gates, they just dropped out. They were running their businesses so shady and then eights because we charged eight dollars of haircuts, so Shady A's barbershop. And then I used to have a line of folks. And you know, it's like when I came in today, if you got a barber, they're about their craft.
You got to sit there and wait, you know what I'm saying. So I would have my missed have found out you got a line on side.
Yeah. We had everybody just sitting on the couch or whatever, and you know, we cut everybody's hair, but we actually for me, I would have my records and people would have to listen, you know, while they were waiting. And that's how that was my initial sort of focus group.
And folks.
Folks were saying, yo, you nice. So I said, hey, I'm gonna I'm gonna go for it.
You was like the uber driver, you see the Uber drivers. Yeah, everybody is going on. So you're still paying off people student loans. Howard you pay it off a couple of student loans.
Yeah yeah, I mean I think really right now sort of what's been super important for me. I think everybody has if they're extremely fortunate, that they have a number of acts in their lives.
You know.
So maybe my first act was a starving artist. Then I became a producer, then I was able to be an artist. Then I've build a technology company, and now I'm really at a place where you know, once you reach a certain level, it's about how many how many people can you send the elevator down for to bring them up? And so, you know, I started to realize that, especially in the United States in music, there is so much talk about money, cars, jewelry, the lifestyle, et cetera. And it's very aspirational. Get the hosts right right right, show right for show, it's very aspirational. But as I started to kind of, you know, have that one on one direct relationship with the people who are supporting me, you realize that America and actually many countries around the world is actually engineered for folks that only make forty fifty sixty thousand dollars a year, right, And so to be able to educate folks, you know, sometimes you could you give them a check. Well, give them a check. It's totally different than teaching them how to fish, how to navigate finances, how to navigate the financial markets. How somebody who's a postal worker can retire a multimillionaire if they know how to put their money, you know, and put it to work the right way. So I would say that's the act that I'm in now is you know, when you start thinking about legacy, it's about how many families, how many people can you touch. And what happened is, as I was because you're right, I gave my phone number out to everybody, and as I was talking to folks, folks were saying, Yo, Ray, you know, we love the music. We love what you're talking about, whether it's you know, like you said, happy song, sad songs, et cetera. But you got a couple of records where you're talking that talk money wise, and is there something that you can share with us, because we'd be willing to, you know, support you even more if you can show us the way. And so we built the club and you know, we've we've basically been mint minting every day millionaires through the Wealth Planning Club. And then also what I realize is that a lot of artists they don't actually have a backup plan or and they don't actually have what they consider or what they what they you know, what could be their plan B or play see or their second act or third act. Not everybody's going to be able to just do a podcast. Not everybody's going to be able to do a fashion right.
If you do, they don't have retirement plans or anything. Oh man, they'll spend it all when they get it and not think of what comes after me.
Yeah, and so I always say that.
I always say the music industry and boxing is the only place that don't have.
Like a what is it a union union? Yeah, it's like yeah, and then look up the music industry show you.
And so I think, now, what's what's been awesome is to be able to say, hey, look everybody, if you've ever seen my Twitter, Instagram, et cetera, you can reach me directly. And if you're looking for that type of guidance, if you're looking for an infrastructure, I got a hold team, I got a whole staff, and we provide that kind of like business infrastructure. So give you a case in point. Somebody came to me and had just gotten in advance. Maybe it was a seventy somewhere between seventy to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars use music advance, right, And basically the first thing, especially young artists want to do is when they get that money, they say, hey, I want to put my mom on payroll, right, And that's great, you should, you know what I'm saying. But you don't have to actually pay that money. You can actually put that money in a vehicle. So the money pays your mom a salary the interest of that money. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So let's just say, for example, right, you get a Let's just say, for example, you get one hundred thousand dollars advance.
Right.
Currently, there are vehicles, and we help artists structure those vehicles where you can earn four percent per month. It's not a crazy amount. But if you were going to put your mom on payroll at four thousand dollars a month, yo, Mom, here's a debit car, here's a credit car. You got a four thousand dollars bounds every single month, that one hundred earning four percent per month is going to pay her for the rest of her life. And that one hundred never walks down, right, So the one hundred never walks down. The hundred is just sitting there. It is throwing off the forest, throwing off the forest, throwing off the four Mom is set for the rest of her life. And you actually did something smart with your money, as opposed to saying, hey, I'm going to put my mom on payroll and pay the four because if you pay the four in twelve months now you only got fifty thousand left. Then you pay the four again in two years now you got zero. Where if you put it in the right type of instrument, then the instrument will pay her. And then what's dope about it is once we start unlocking that for artists, right, they have an incentive because now they understand where the money. When the money comes in, they want to put it in these kinds of vehicles, right, what's the vehicle like that for example.
Like high yielding?
Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm not financially if I'm not going to call out stuff cause because people have to really do their own. But there are there are vehicles, and that's what we work on now, you know, because like I said, I could you know, I always think of my life in terms of how can I be most of service. So when I first came in the game, you know, somebody had to sit me down because when I first came in the game, obviously at twenty when I first moved in New York twenty two, twenty three, I want to be the star. I want to be dance. I'm in the offices, dancing around. We were actually shopping an artist, but I'm the one, you know, dancing around in the office and everything, and somebody had to really pull me to the side and say, yo, right, listen, if you really want to be of service and you want to be valuable, yeah, of course you need to put the creativity and energy that you have in these offices, but put them put that energy towards the projects that folks already have invested money in. So the first one of the first records that I actually placed was New Edition hot Tonight. So there's a record called hot Tonight on New Edition, and so that was a record that I had actually written. I say, yo, this is going to be my songs, will be my single. But when I came to New York and played it, New Edition had just gotten signed and they say, yo, this is going to be the first single for New Edition. So it's about being of service. So making that sacrifice sometimes will open the window, open the door to relationships, to opportunities, because people know, hey, look, this is somebody I can go to who's a if we need that single, we can go get it, get one, you know what I'm saying. And then what happened? Is that open the door? Then fab need a single yo, you'd be killing them, Red Cafe need a single fly together, you know what I'm saying. And then basically now I realized, Okay, now there's plenty of other producers, right. And I also feel like if you go on YouTube now, every producer that is look looking to illustrate their skills, they followed the blueprint that was originated when I was trying to show my skills, right, so I would just be on YouTube, have a camera, Yo, is how I make it be et cetera. If not the first early early on YouTube, early on MySpace. Right, So I realized, once you pass the baton and the mantle and the gauntlets passed to the next generation, where is the way that I can be of service? And then I start realizing when I'm having conversations, even just in this conversation, hold on, there's a financial instrument that does that, right. And it's not that we're we haven't been around money. And for me, I didn't learn this in college, but I did have a mentor that actually say, yo, right, listen, when you get your check in the music industry, make sure you put a little bit aside, here, here, here, and here, and then give me a shout three years, five years, eight years, twelve years later and tell me how much it double triple, quadruple, and man, I still have those conversations, and so I realize now there's a responsibility that I have if somebody is an artist, if somebody is a manager, because you know, COVID hit people super hard, right, especially managers. Right, managers were making money based on their artists being able to tour. Once the artists can't tour anymore, where's there, where's there? Where's their income coming from? Right? But if they had a little bit saved, they called Ryan Yo, right, listen, you know we locked in, we shut out, We can't tour right now. I got a little bit of bread. It need to last me the whole year, or you know, until we get to the other side. And there's also no guarantee that on the other side of whatever the season is, that your artist is going to be hot again. Right, And so that's why initially it was it was about and actually I'm headed. I'm headed tomorrow. Shout out to Jazzy Jeff. He runs a playlist retreat and he asked me to come speak at the Playlist Retreat because I think what was interesting or has been interesting about my story is I didn't need a million fans to be engaged. I only needed ten or fifteen thousand fans. And if you really think about that, that's you know, old the money's going to you, it's all coming to me. And back then when I was doing in twenty thirteen, you know, and we'll probably talk about this, my laptop had gotten stolen. Everybody laptop got stolen, and so at that time, you know, when the laptop actually got stolen, I lost the judgment right because I was running around, say, you know, I got a million.
Dollars, I had to actually go to court. I thought, I thought you said because second right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, like some of your publishing or something like that.
Yeah, just just for a short amount of time until it was taken care of. But the blow that was dealt is and that story is crazy because it was right. It was literally right in federal court down down in New York City. So you know, I'm living down Wall Street area. I like to be around findings. Living down Wall Street, there's a bodega. They still had a bodega. Somewhere at Wall Street, right. So I went to the bodega. I've been going to this modega, you know, getting my breakfast. But this day I walked in and the guy behind the counters like, yo, can I take a picture with you? I said, Yo, I've been coming here. Why today is the day for the picture? He said, well, you want to cover in the New York Post today, So I'm looking to cover the New York Posts and it has a headline, you know, rap weasel, you know, must pay for whatever laptop or because that was the day that the judgment came back. But the crazy part about that story is not just that he wanted to take the picture, but it was actually because when I went to actually pay for my breakfast, it was declined, and I was like, yo, how's this possible? And what I realized is that when you actually have a judgment, that the federal or state government can come in and seize your bank account.
So literally I going to you know, I didn't know.
I went to sleep and woke up the next morning there was a two million dollar hole froze frozen, so I couldn't even get literally a breakfast sandwich. And he was like, yo, if you take a picture with me, we all good, I said, you know, but that was right around like twenty thirteen whatever, And so I wanted to make sure that, you know, in a centralized banking system, that's what's possible. The government can come in and just seize your assets. So it wasn't necessarily because a lot of folks say, well, Ryan, you were early on bitcoin and you were early on crypto. Necessity is the mother of innovation. So in order for me to feel like I could actually still have control of my finances, I moved everything to decentralize. So all of my tour advances, all of my merch all of my digital sales. I had taken it off of Spotify, but you got to pay me in bitcoin. So twenty thirteen we got earth hundreds and hundreds of payments and transactions and bitcoin at one hundred and twenty five dollars a coin. Last time you check, where's a bitcoin at. Now. I'm not saying this for any other reason, because it wasn't that. It was just a genius move. It's almost like you and I think, if you put good energy out in the world, even if you get a curveball, and even if something happens where someone else will be like, man, I just got hit for a million dollar lawsuit, but they charged an interest in my accounts of frozen for two million. If you sit down and you have gratefulness for just your ability to still have curiosity and ingenuity, then you're going to have these ideas and opportunities and as long as your lines of communication are open as well. That's one thing I've always wanted to make sure is, Look, anybody wants to reach me, text Ryan dot com. You can go leave your number in that website and I will text you back. Now, I got one hundred thousand plus people in my phone, but that's why I had to build a software so that I could manage all of it. But in those times, yeah, superphone, But in those times where people actually, you know, they they feel like they want to be of service or of help, you're not unreachable, you know. And I find a lot of times when people going through something that's that's that's tough, they want to sort of retract from their their friends or fan base, et cetera, not realizing that that. I think the the default human impulse is to be helpful. You know what I'm saying, the default human impulse is to be helpful. So when I actually, you know, was going through that, somebody was like, yo, man, you know, why don't you look at this bitcoin thing? You know what I'm saying, And that way made a serious way, you know what I'm saying. And so I think that's really what my real crusade and purpose is now. And I'm setting up different infrastructures so that I can actually handle all the inbound because I think, you know, we're in Miami, but I think, you know, Miami money is a major issue. So anyone that's interested, you know, and I know for sure I can actually understand from the concept of that feast or famine season that happens in music, right There's gonna be times where you're super hot, everybody wants you for a club appearance, everybody wants to book you for tour. Then you're in between albums and you're like, mm, where you know what we got going on? You know, saying, So the ability to actually set up a financial infrastructure so it's smoothed out. And if you have a couple, you know, you have a couple of dollars put away, they're gonna work for you and they're gonna work for you in a really powerful way. So that's that's really, you know, that's really what I've been working on now.
So let me ask you, right, Because when Twitter first came out, I'm the boso. I thought that this was just between me and the fans. I had no idea that other people could see the same conversation.
Public I knew it was. I thought if you, I didn't know, if you wasn't following me, you can.
Still see my messages, like you can go on my thing. I thought this was just for my fans, and I had to learn the hard way the buckers just being nosy. Most of these motherfuckers wasn't fans, they were just being nosy. How did you make your super phone?
Like?
Did you know that through Twitter and my Space? Did you learn that? Yes, I got caught.
I was giving out my phone number and I didn't want to, like you know what I'm saying. It was like it was bad, but it was bad for me.
But I think I think where that really was born from is you know when we first and I say weird, was really just me and one of my brothers, Rashid Richmond.
Started the company.
Yeah, and basically, you know, he was actually and he's always been super early. So he he had actually built a social network and was exchanging emails with Mark Zuckerberg. Like that's how early he was on building social networks, right, and he's still you know, send me the screenshots, et cetera. So he basically was like, look, right, if you if you check out the the MySpace music charts, I want you to check out who's number one today, and then tomorrow, I want you to call me and check out who's number one tomorrow. And he had a way that he could actually manipulate, yes, early, and he could make anybody number one on MySpace music. Now this wasn't a Billboard music chart, but he was that early in the game to understand that.
Social financial repe I don't remember what, I don't ever making money up for my space no.
Deals, Yes, yes, Zach right, And that's exactly how it worked for me. So I already was doing records inside of you know, the record label ecosystem. But one of my biggest challenges or gripes was that I would do records and then I have to wait. I gotta wait until the album's done. I gotta wait until this time for you know, such and such to be mixed. I gotta wait until you know whatever release states, et cetera. Sometimes my records wouldn't even come out. You know, you feel like you have some great on an album and then all they've decided to move a whole different way, you know what I'm saying creatively, So I decided that I wanted to actually sign an artists do the whole album, top to bottom. I didn't have the whole thing, the whole yeah, well produced the whole thing, right, the whole thing. I didn't have no big studio, you know. I was in a one bedroom apartment in Harlem. But we made that whole Cassie album. And I called my boy Rashid. I said, yo, listen, I don't know what these MySpace music charts really mean, but can you get my project now?
This thing that?
Can you get my project that I'm working on number one on the chart? He said, yeah, what do it looked like? I said, okay, let's just send you a pa oh. He said, yo, this is out of here, right, so just a picture and then we had me and you the record. That thing went crazy on MySpace. It's still actually kind of going crazy now. I mean that record still that we're talking about, you know, almost twenty years later, it still has a life of its own. But that's really how it all started. And so we had built for Cassie like a quarter million an audience on MySpace in terms of friends, right, and then all of a sudden it became a graveyard. Everyone moved to Twitter or they moved to something else. And I say, yo, all those people, we don't have access to all those people no more. And I said, look, that's a I feel like I'm I was just renting the audience from that platform. I should own the relationship. I felt like, hey, you know, what is what really is our oldest social handle. I feel like Instagram has done a great job now dms you actually, you know, you can kind of get a sense of you know, messaging you, and you know, when they send you a message, you get a chance to kind of see what they've been up to you Yeah, I just saw you. But even before that, I feel like the cell phone number is the oldest social handle because it allows you to actually, you know, have a personal line of communication, which is like you said, is private right. And so basically I said, look if I really want to have a real relationship with someone. And actually, I'll still challenge anybody today if we went across this room and say, yo, go in your phone, scroll all the way down. How many contexts do you have in your phone? Over the course of your life, You've collected thousands of contexts. The reality is you're probably only in touch with three percent maximum. Sure, so if you got a thousand people in your phone, maybe it's thirty that you maybe if that that you're talking to all the time, right unless you unless you's your job, you're a salesman or a manager or something like that. So my concept was I would prefer to actually have a direct cell phone on everyone because if people feel as though I'm someone of influence in their life because of the music, then I'm gonna have a high rank if they feel like, Yo, I got Ryan Leslie's cell phone, you know what I'm saying. I got Ryan's number and more personal and it changed.
But it got to be a headache too. You know, you got to have that one fan that hits you all.
The time for sure, because he's ten dollars one time you think you just want to be there, I gotta be annoying people's annoying story.
No, actually, I think you'd be surprised. Man, I think I think, And let's be real, let's be real. Okay, let's just say, all right, you know you actually meet someone that you truly respect. Right, let's say you you you went somewhere, you even met Barack Obama and he gave you his cell phone number. Are you really going to abuse that? Probably not? Probably not.
Now, you're right, some fans, there's a lot of them. Some people don't got class exactly exactly.
But we built the software in such a way that you know, we we have safeguards in place, right, because you know.
What's funny, To this day, I have a friend that I met through my Space because he he jacked me on my stake.
Yeah, he jacked he actually ran my profile and like yeah, and I was like, you know.
He hacked me. Yeah, And I'm friends with him to this day because he was good. He's not working there anymore because he can get he's not working in the more.
But when we used to take I'm sorry, IM sorry, I'm gonna sidetracked, but.
I mean we just we like if someone made a disc record against me, I would take their whole page.
Back then.
Yeah, he worked there, so he was.
He was a super Norwy fan and we became friends. So you are absolutely right. He could have easily, but I didn't respond. He could easily turned into like one of those super fans because like he was telling me, you recons I forgot about doing.
It, and to this day we're friends, so you are. And I think he did that because he thought somebody was impersonating you.
Yes, that's why the person Ye. Yeah, So I mean I haven't really had any crazy. Well actually I'm I'm.
Let's get let's go there.
Okay, I do have a crazy. I do have a crazy And you know what, I honestly believed that that this person is mentally ill. So I don't want to know or whatever, but this person's mentally ill. And they would literally find me on every channel, Twitter, Instagram, Discord, cell phone, everything and was like, oh you know. And actually I've had stories where people felt like they Someone actually pulled up at h at at at the at our spot in Financial District and was like, yo, you know we're married, right, I say, what you talking about?
Now?
We married? I got the whole certificate and everything, and I sent you money and this and that, and I'm like, Yo, this type of stuff is actually happening out here, you know what I'm saying. But I said, look, you know, I'm sorry, miss, but like we're not married. You know what I'm saying. It is wild.
It is wild. Yeah.
Oh man, So hold on, okay, this is one Kuck Thomas Slime. Well, first off, before we do with Qrick Thomas Slime, we want you to know our show is about, you know, giving people they flowers while they're alive. We wanted to give you your flowers. You are one of the most remarkable people in this world.
We wanted to let you go there, Chris, because I'm gonna be honest with.
You, the first and the fifth person to ever do something is always that risk taker.
Right.
Most of the time the reward is worth it. But the fact is that you three sixty to yourself.
Think about it. You can throw your own merchan you control.
When I found out that you were selling the tickets direct, yeah, shows it's smart, but that's a lot of work.
So yeah, are you physically doing that?
Yeah? So the way that we've had to do it, like let's just say we're going to do a venue in New York. We ad the venues have deals with Ticketmaster or whatever the vendors are, so we buy out all the tickets and then we are the we are we are our own resellers. So when people come and get the tickets we said, we could say, Yo, the whole venue sold out already. But that's because I can just go. If it's an eight hundred seater, I'm still doing, you know, theater. So I see the eight hundred seater. Bang, we get all the tickets and then people text in and we just send them.
What you're doing is you're buying them from Ticketmaster, Yes, at a wholesale rate or regular Well.
We bught we buy up because we want to We want the stats that we've sold out.
So you're also buying the stats by buying all the tickets. Yes, all the books sold out already, and then you could do whatever you want with yes, exactly.
The Actually, how about like states like Miami, Like states like Miami became like a New New York. What I mean is they're not impressed by nothing, right and right, y'all know this, yea know how foul y'all all out here.
They all know this, right, So but this is this is a this is like a market.
Like they come out if they want to what happens if you you buy out and then only fifty percent?
Do you lose money? Nah?
We always have Okay, you know our process. Our process is a reservation.
Okay.
So we'll say, hey, look, we're going to do one night only Miami for example, right and we'll say, hey, look, if you're interested, reserve and tell me how many tickets you want to reserve.
Extent I keep forgetting.
So they come in, they fill out a little form, they say, Yo, I want five tickets, I want two VIPs et cetera. We already know before before we go to the venue, and we might actually say, yo, we need a bigger venue. You we are our reservations. It's crazy right now, you know what I'm saying. And I think that's really it's nuanced. At the same time, though, it's a very simple, let's call it. It's just a very simple sort of transition to the information age. If we're in the information age, we should be making decisions based on information, right, based on information and data. So if you have a means to collect that information and data, then your decisions are just going to be better business wise. You're never going to be holding a bag on anything, right, And so that's the reason why even if you think about brand new artists that are coming out trying to do merch now, they have just on demand printing, so you don't have to go buy seventy ninety one hundred T shirts. You just say, hey, look, this is the logo that I want, this is what it looks like, and then through your e commerce store, they will only print and ship what has been ordered. You know what I'm saying. And so we're getting better and better and better are and more efficient at being able to allow creative minds to build enterprise around themselves. And I think, you know, there's there's I think there's no better time to actually be an entrepreneur than twenty twenty four and beyond.
I think I think a lot of people have an issue processing the analytics of things to understand it the way you might understand. Not everybody has that knowledge to say, Okay, this is what these analytics mean, and this is how I equal it to.
This marketing plan. Yeah, execute it this way.
Yeah, but I would say this, You're you're only as good as your crew, right, and if you're the creative in the crew bring in, then you can't you can't say like, yo, I'm going to be the three sixty everything. In some cases maybe you know you you're just like, oh, you have extra hours in the day and you can do four hours of music and four hours of data analytics. But you have to think this industry, the creative industry, whether it's film, whether it's podcast, whether it's YouTube, whether it's influencing, whether it's music. You have so many people that are magnetically attracted to this industry. They want to be around it, but they're not creative. They are the analytic. They are the analytical person, they are the management person, they are the operations person. And it's just once again, I think it's just about putting the bat signal out and saying, look, I want the greatest of the great to be around If you think what I'm doing is great, I want the greatest of the grade around me. And you build that team.
Now, when you open up the site, did you take your music off of Spotify? And I'm iteling yes, And now you do you think now that same usic you put back on your platform, do you think that helps will hurt you.
I think it helps. And the reason for it is because when you really you know, at the very beginning, it was more about doing the experiment because we needed to do the experiment, make sure it works. And you know, these are the type of conversations I was having with Nip. Nip did is proud to pay?
Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, Zach, how you guys?
You guys?
Yeah, you know what I'm saying. And really that's that's that's got to be through through through my guy Nathan McCartney. If you haven't even been noticing what Nate has been doing, he has an Instagram profile called the Bag. It's crazy data analytics about the music business and everything. If you check the followers of that page, it's like somebody Who's who? And I'm talking about music, film, investment, et cetera. But he's always wanted been one of these guys that's had his ears to the ground and was one of the first guys that that that worked with me on superphone as well. But he actually was the one that put me with it.
So yeah, actually, I don't know. We're bouncing around, yeah, but we're going to cover all grounds. He comes to you and says, I want to sell a take for one thousand dollars.
Yeah, And basically you didn't think he was out of his mind, nah, because he had already he had already done.
That's right, you know what I'm saying. That's the one that they bought a thousand of them? Yeah, yeah, what a thousand of the Now he bought a hundred. So that was the screenshot the ten bands. One hundred albums out one hundred dollars, ten bands, right, So he had already done that. But he said, yo, right, listen, you know I've been looking at what you were doing.
Like we just sat down and compared notes, and I say, hey, look, I'm gonna be honest with you. If you allow folks to actually give you what they believe is worth to them, and you don't put the price on it, then there will be some folks that will come through and say, hey, I think your music has changed my life. It got me through whatever I've had. Folks come to me, and actually this is for any artists.
Yo.
Your song got me through a breakup, your song got me through cancer, your song got me through whatever it was, and to them it's priceless. So if they have it, they'll give it and if you don't put a cap on what you think it's worth. Hey, it's worth twelve dollars. Then I was showing him in my superphone. Hey, I got folks that have spent twenty five five grand, you know, fifteen twenty five with me. He's like, yo, off a twelve dollars album, and I say yeah, because once you build a relationship, they'll tell you what they want in terms of what's premium. And so when he was putting the whole package together, it wasn't just Yo, here's the CD four thousand. You got to go to a show or you know some I got a phone call, whatever it was, and I say, yo, man, let's do it. And you have the app, and you got all the data, and you know every single person where they live, in their zip code, and then you know what I'm saying, and you can actually show them your appreciation for their support.
It's all the stuff that you did.
And then even what you're describing here pre Patreon, because it sounds like the Patreon model.
Yeah, it was pre Patreon's crazy.
Yeah. Yeah, let's say it in your intro.
It's like your real threat to the industry because if they have more of view.
What are they needed for listen nervous.
I never worry about that for the simple reason that when it's your time, it's just your time, and you have to do the most that you can with the decades that you have. And we really only get three four if we talk about decades, you know what I'm saying, And we're lucky if we get three or four of them, you know what I'm saying. So you have to do the most that you can with the decades that you have. And if I really think about it, some of the artists that we still revere to this day, there's this concept of like the artist's age of reckoning, where like some of our greatest were all gone by like twenty eight Yeah, yeah, you know what I'm saying, and so they did what they had to do with the time that they had.
So for me, I'm like, yo, I've had plenty of decades, you know, And so if what I'm able to do is plant the seeds, whether it's plant the seeds for like you said, a Patreon or you know, any of the superphone competitors that have come out right and clones that have come out, or plant the seeds for the next artists to be able to know what to do with their money, how to do it with their money the right way.
I think, you know, there is a possibility to actually have a like a real creative middle class, right because you know, for me, and going back to the beginning of the conversation, for me going to Harvard and then saying I want to be in music, everyone just assumed I was going to be broken. Just assume they just say, Yo, you want to be creative, you want to be in the arts. You're going to be starving for a long time. You may you might might just get that break where you you're the one percent that actually gets on. But I think as you're talking about, if you understand how the data works, as Nip was talking about, you understand how to connect with that core group. It doesn't matter, even if it's just a product that's not music, even if it's just a you know, you're you're starting a coffee brand, you're starting to liquor brand. Whatever. You find that core group and you can appeal to them, they will be loyal. And I think it allows for there to be an actual creative middle class where you can actually and it's tough though, because that's almost like a that's almost like an oxymoron. And I'm gonna tell you why, because most folks, when they think creative, they don't want to be middle class. You know. It's like it's like when when you say, you know what you take, I rapped for the drive. That's not what you're doing it for. But the bottom line is that if you're doing what you love to do, and what if you can, yeah, if you can earn a living doing what you love to do, how valuable is that you made it? How valuable is that you know what I'm saying? And so really, for me, I think, really that's that's the crusade that I'm also I'm not worried about, you know, if it's my time or you know, all the greats, the greatest of the great their their impact was even more exponentially increase by the fact that, you know, maybe folks felt that they were going too soon. Where you talk about Martin, you talk about X, you talk about Nipsey, you talk about Bob Marley, you talk about Pack because Jimmy Hendrick, the body of work that they have, that's all you got. And then you start realizing, man to be that age and be talking like that, playing like that, thinking like that, you know what I'm saying, and it sets the bar for us that are actually still here. We're still here, so we better be continuing to push. You know what I'm saying.
Am I hearing you? Correct?
And when you say that, you're happy enough with just planning the seed almost like you believe in what you're saying.
Open source is an open source.
So everybody could go do this, yes, because I would hate for corporations won't name any companies to take.
Your idea and then run with it and then monopolize that what you at. Yes.
Yeah, he was one of the first investors in Super Cool record label.
For lack of a better term, they are participating, so I think make the stallion at something Yes too.
Yeah, so Cardi Bad Bunny zaying from one direction, Miley Cyrus.
The record label. They're doing this through you direct.
It depends sometimes their management company, sometimes just to the label.
But yeah, I mean, I mean, I would think in order for artists to reap the same benefits of you, the only how they can do that is they do the direct to you.
And I think that goes I think that goes to your question. Once the knowledge is open source, then it allows for folks to build on it and and iterate, you know what I'm saying. And I think that's just the human cycle. We got it. We have to enhance and iterate, you know what I'm saying.
For lack of a better terms, you are like the Steve Jobs of this. So you know what I'm saying, Like, let me take that of it. You know what I'm saying.
So it's like, it's like, that's what I's that's that's That's the one thing I want to commend our community is that if we know, if we have the information, we'll go support the information. A lot of people don't have the information, and a lot of people are probably saying.
Well, this guy is super smart. He went to Harvard. He's the only one who can do it.
But just saying it's it's it's I went to Harvard and I am swerper smart, but I'm not the only one that can do it. And you'll get down like for me search and I love the fact that I see Megan has something in your black home. I love the fact that I found out nut that to you. You think that's going to be more popular, like more artists gonna come. Do you think Jay Z would drop an album on your platform?
Yeah, I mean I think honestly, I think it's I think it's all possible. I think it's all possible. And at the end of the day, for me, it's just about, like I said, being of service. So if this is a way I could be of service, then great. If it's more on the money tip and people want to figure out, hey, I just got my advance. I don't want to mess it up, you know what I'm saying. I can do it that way as well. But I'm in a great place. I'm in. Uh, you know, I'm super blessed, and so you know, as much as I can give what I found is the more that I give. You know, my parents are religious, so they say, look, the more you give, the more your cup will be filled, so that you can give more, you know what I'm saying. So I'm good where I'm good.
Yeah. You ever thought the music business would come down to this, like, because it's like it's so much disposable music out there in the nineties, in the two thousand and I don't want to sound like that old guy.
Oh in my day, right, But I'm just gonna just just to deal with the facts. It felt like music when it was when it was analog. He had to be in the studio together. It felt like the music was better. Doesn't that I feel like that. I'm super I'm in that world too. I listened to.
Thriller, right, and I listened to those records I listened to, you know, and actually one of the folks that really put me onto this was Tommy Mottola. So my first my first record was with Casablanca. So I had records and I came in and played it for Tommy and he said, yo, right, these are good. But I got my guy t bone Walk, and he's just gonna come in and just play play the records for him and just see what he come up with. Man, this guy came in and put baseline lines and Tommy Mattola was playing guitar because he because Sony's music studios are still open at that time. He come in And so I think there is a there is a there's a certain magic of that time in that era, which is probably nostalgic for me, you know what I'm saying. But I mean, listen, you know, each generation has their own you know what, what what matters to them? You know what I'm saying. I think for me, I'm just an old I'm old school like that. You know what I'm saying, It matters to me.
I love analog. Yeah, where were you at when you heard that? Kanye kind of like challenge.
A whole court. He did it on here, but he kept going.
It just happened here, But like that was like, now, I'm smarter, right now, I see that he Actually I didn't.
I didn't know I was living in them. I was living in history.
Now that it's history, it's like, damn, it's the first time you've seen a person.
I don't want you to say a black person.
I don't want to say a person period company and then kind of like prove it like not the racist part.
But the fact is that they kind of kept selling the sneakers. They kind of like like and was where was you when you found out this? How you've got a relationship with you? Yeah?
I really I kind of live in my own bubble, you know what I'm saying. So I'll see little things that are happening, but I mostly invest my energy, time and resources where I can make a difference, and so in that struggle, that's his struggle, maybe a phone call of support is the most that I could offer. When I'm talking about the artists that come to me and they you know, they're not taking on a corporation head on, but they want to take care of their mom or they want to do whatever. I know that my time, energy and resources is well spent, and I can see the impact and the result of the investment that I'm making. So you know, I think I might have just been, you know, just wherever I was when I saw it, and say, hey, look, you know, more power to those who are fighting those fights. And I know where my actual strengths are. I know where my muscle per se can actually add value, because I.
Would think that him and Todd Dallas signs of poaches, but a.
Loongs on your platform, Hey, let's make it happen. Not because you have to think about it, all the things that YE just talking about and been through. Then you come to find out that Voltures was on Atlantic and you're like, what that didn't.
Make sense to me. I remember it was your monopoly or some of it a tweet and it's like this whole time I thought this is what you was fighting for to be independent and then come to find out you got a secret deal with Atlantic. It does does not make me mad.
It just makes me disappointed because I'm just like, Wow, I thought we were fighting for independency.
Hey, and I'm willing to be in the trenches and fight for it with whoever wants to actually fight that fight. Some folks they don't want to fight to fight. They actually they actually just want to be creative. They don't want the actual added weight of actually having all of their customer data. They want to just you know, And it depends on where you are in life. What is it that matters to you, you know what I'm saying. But if you want to run your creative business and enterprise at a data driven level, which is how every great multi trillion dollar business runs their enterprise, Amazon knows everything you've ever done on their platform, everything you've looked at, they know. Instagram knows everything you've done on their platform, everything you've looked at, they know every conversation you've had, whether you give them permission to or not, it's on their servers. Right. So if you decide that you want to actually shoot for multi trillion dollar status, which now there are several companies that have reached multi trillion dollar status. We saw in video get to multi trillion dollar status just this year. You have to run it and assume the responsibility of managing, navigating, and analyzing that data and so.
And there's the AI tools to help you get out.
Of course, of course, of course, but you have to have a desire to do it. So it's almost like people will say, well, why so and so selling their publishing, Well, it's because they would like to actually have bring forward the actual revenue to today and let somebody else wait for the revenue payoffs, right, And somebody will say, well, you know, that's your annuity, that's your retirement plan. But if you get two hundred million dollars up front, that's tw hundred million dollars of front. You could do with that what you want to do now, at the health and strength that you have now, then waiting fourteen fifteen years for that two hundred million to trickle in, you know what I'm saying. So, I think everybody has their different motivations and desires for how they want to run their business, and more power to them for those that want to run it at that level to have that infrastructure technologically, analytically, then that's what we're here to help out with.
Now, what life would have been like if you never lost that laptop and you made Watch the Dome album.
Wow, Well, I mean, actually we can look at the trajectory. I'll probably be hit boy, there's nothing wrong with that.
It's nothing wrong with that.
It's nothing wrong.
Okay, because I think it's imparis I'm trying to yeah, Okay, okay, okay.
You know what I'm saying. Okay, And there's nothing wrong with that. And I think he's had a he's had an incredible run. Yeah classic, yeah to me, we know, you know what I'm saying. But I think I think the world in the universe and God shows you where your light can really shine, you know what I'm saying. And that's how I really feel like. There are folks that come to me yo, man yo, your studio videos, yo. You know, like we just did a tiny desk, you know what I'm saying. And the bottom line is, I feel like the gauntlet has been passed. You know what I'm saying. We passed the mantle on now I'm doing what the producer could actually do they can't do that.
Because I like, I don't when people say everything is meant to be. Sometimes I think life makes a mistake too sometimes because I just think I don't think like would that record would have sound like what you hold?
And yeah, man, we got at that moment.
At that moment, I'm trying to figure out what because you went hard for the laptop when that happens, so yeah, and then I yeah, I kind of find out that was one of the reasons wives because you had watched the Throne.
Yes, so they never came out, never came out, you got That's why it's in the laptop.
Right, you ain't got it never came out.
I want to hear how that record style, you know what I mean as a fan, as a fan, I want to hear that copies of that anywhere now.
I mean maybe maybe they have because we were recording out in Bath, England. So whoever that engineer is, he has he got Yeah, he has a big He.
Gonna tell that somebody he goes nobody he got him.
Now let me ask you, being the fact that you have this direct relationship to your fanst We'll take a couple of years.
Back to the album yes, and the album was just for one of one. One of one is one is that something you've ever been offered to do? And two would you do it? Yeah?
So I don't me personally, I truly believe that music is forever to be distributed. Right. It is a strange business model, right, I think it's an extremely strange business model because literally I've seen art and it's hard to wrap your brain around, especially down here are bossles down here. Sometimes you go into these galleries and you literally see it's a canvas and it's all red, and that's that's the whole thing.
Garbage on the floor or whatever.
But it's literally someone paid twelve million or twenty two million dollars or a hundred million for it, you know what I mean. So that doesn't exist in music, you know, I'm saying. I think Wu Tang was at least shooting for that. But I think the difference with music is that it's it's created so that many can enjoy it, you know what I'm saying.
You're right about that. I go to art be every year. I haven't seen the paint and I like yet.
I have not seen ones we like her on the walls outside you know what it is.
It's not meant for me, this is not this is not for me. I'm here for the advance. I'm here to talk and kissing babies.
But but there's some scamming it too, that's not Yeah, it's an incredible viehic for.
People. There's people using exactly absolutely absolutely, So we want to do quick time s line. Let's go. Let's go.
One thing when we talk about the number thing we can't forget. We got shout up Mike Jones. He was doing the yeah, yeah, you know Texas. He was on something.
Yes, it was.
I always thought ya, I wasn't giving out your real numbers. This is your real number?
Really?
Okay, Okay, we're doing here, right guys.
Yeah, so do you want to get a designated drinker? Yeah, because you ain't drinking. Look before we go on, before we go on. This is a certain thing that I love about having this job.
One is to see if the guest is drinking and what they are drinking, right, and we always bet, well if they're gonna be on time or not.
Okay, I lost to you to say you came at four four. I was like, he's going to be here early. And then the other thing that was was was very impressible.
Man.
Yeah, I bet on you lost whatever about it. We had the circle of block. Okay, okay, okay, yeah, but you got to be in there better. But I thought when we did this that she was going to have, like it's always someone say this is off the table and you can't ask that. I thought you was going to.
I almost bet that she was going to say this is off the table, this is that. And when I found out that you did not say none of that, I was like, Wow, this guy is about that life. So yeah, that's that's all. Yeah, you'll be surprised or ship. We go through and people two minutes.
Before, as many of y'all know, drink Chance wants to give flowers, but people are here to receive them, giving flowers and celebrating our legends while they can still smell us. We have partnered with What the Flowers to create this movement where everyone can give flowers to the legends in their lives. You can now order a custom flower box for to someone you want to show appreciation to you by visiting w w W dot w T flowers dot com.
Orders.
You're gonna go first. We want to get them a designated rive. I explained, Can you explain.
We're gonna give you two names, two places to things, and this is really just to bring up people, places and things stories like anybody, you pick one and nobody drinks. If you pick one, okay, nobody drinks. But if you say both or neither of them, like you don't really want to answer it, then we all drink the table drinks. If you have a designated drinkers at Oh, Michael, yeah, I a lot.
He look like you got drunk a lot of vacuum.
That changes.
Yeah, okay, So please, any stories come up with anybody. We're not trying to diss anybody. It's all love for everybody we mentioned.
He could be right there, Yeah, be on the side of him. Okay, bet he said that's your Barbara, Mike fall.
Okay, I'm about to say that it's kind of weird that Barbara are gonna drink cool my bad. Are you ready? Yes, Kanye farrouh. We have a quativity one.
You said story. I gotta tell a story. No, no, no.
The game is you pick one or you pick one or none?
Yeah, I picked one or none.
You can say both, No, you pick and if you pick, we don't drink, right, if you pick one, we don't.
If I want everybody to drink, I say both.
Smart.
But we're saying if you've got stories with anything, this is really just to bring up names and places and people you're working for.
Both Okay, Okay, he got a shot? Yeah, slo s better not and baby shots because is okay? Oh yeah, yeah, get to kill the Matt Delly. That was funny. That was funny.
Okay, let him get his drink. Okay, yeah, okay, that's funny.
There you go.
Okay, Chris Brown or Usher, you gotta take one shot off top to catch up Chris Brown Usher both? Damn you both in all of this. Fabri kiss, I.
Know what you're gonna say, Fab's that's that's my guy.
I make great music together. How did you guys connect?
Man my the the late Gray Edwards? You know what I'm saying. So I had a I had a record call used to be and he said, Yo, we're gonna get you need a feature on this, and he went and got fab and you know what, I was so naive early in the game.
What do you mean?
And so we got in the studio and I tried to tell Fab I didn't like one of his lines or something like that.
Looking at me, He's like looking at me. I was brand new, I had, I had.
It was it was my song. And was like, yo, I got you know, I got surprised for you go in the studio, Fab, you know, and and he said something like it could be how it used to be, uh because it used to be the charm. I'm early like a rooster on a farm with a Jacob exclusive on the arm. And I said, I said rooster like that's not a good He was like looking at me, like, you know, but from there we you know. He said, look right, he said, look, this is what I'm known for, right, Like you know these type of lines and punch lines. That's that's what I'm knowing. So I said, okay, place right.
I say, doctor Dre does that all the time. But he was new, he was great new, Okay, okay, okay, brand okay, all right. Swiss and Timberland mm hmm, Swizz, you worked more of a Swiss, right.
I've actually never I never met Timbo. Never met really I mean talk about a super huge student, but never met Timbo.
Hopefully that changes up to you. Yeah, for sure, Premo or p Rock neither. We don't drink. We do drink neither, Okay, any reason why neither? Just no, no influence there.
Well, no, I just don't have any.
I don't.
I don't have any. You say that I don't have a story, right, No, No, it's.
Not about.
Any any criteria to if you picked somebody, it could be anything. It doesn't have to be a story. We just say if you have a story, he's just so smart.
Just over. But sure, okay, So if we go back, like damn you don't like pretty much? You got it? Yeah, Johnny Gill or Ralph Tresvan both. I think you're gonna say, Ralph tres Both, I mean I did that. I did the New Adition record. That's right, both, New Addition, that's right. Well, I don't know who're gonna go with this, Michael Jackson or Prince. And if you got a story with Elip, please chair.
We gotta go both?
You give neither?
Look like both on that.
That's hilarious. Good gonna the table any story with m J Prince?
Well, I actually the closest I ever got to having a Michael Jackson story was just being around these producers from Philly vidaland Dre and they had done they've been working with Floyd Tree and I remember being in the studio session and they were playing the Butterflies record that Marcia had written for Mike, and I was just like yo, and I think they had his vocals and it was that's the closest to an actual store. And then I think the VMA's one year, I actually was able to ask Quincy Jones. He was backstage at the VMA, so I was able to ask him a question, you know, just about that. But that's the closest I've ever been. But in terms of just Prince in general, that's a whole nother level. In terms of musicianship and independence, he was.
Yeah.
And also when you think about it, the legend is that he was sixteen years old and he went in the studio and he didn't have a demo. He just went in the studio and just made it in front of everybody's and so that really was what inspired That's what I'm saying, at like sixteen or seven, team, he didn't have the demo, They just say yo, they put the tape. And this is back when they were running the tapes, you know, what I'm saying. He laid all the drums, then he said, you're running back, laid the guitar running back, and laid the bass running back, laid the vocals, et cetera. So that's really what the blueprint was for all of the studio videos that I was making, you know what I'm saying.
Speaking of Prince, non source the story on this show he's We asked him if anybody ever denied him, and he said Prince denied him because he didn't own his own Master's. Prince was on but You was loud show. He was telling people you own your own ship. So imagine that coach IV got the mike Liz for Ralph sent him a bunch of beats.
This story is amazing. And Michael called him and said, no, I want with I want? He was like, if you.
Fact?
I always what your mike listening to me like gatest it.
Out like something else says like in the back he's listening like literally here for rel sweat and like He's like, yo, you don't believe it's called And I'm like.
What He's like. I took got a form with Michael Jackson's people and they said, if nor gang I wanna beat, don't send us to beat. Wow, always bike in the car, put a band on. So I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I had a flashback Di Angelo or Anthony Hamilton, the Angelo. I heard he's coming up with a new project too.
Man, even if this man never came out with another project. Yeah, the Voodoo album was yeah, absolutely Wu Tang or n w a Wu tang.
Teddy Riley or Raphael sad m.
Teddy Riley.
It was because of proximity of Virginia. I wouldn't say that well, I mean Virginia. Well, I mean and Teddy.
First of all, just right, so Black Street guy. And then if you talk about Pharrell Timbo, they came out of there, yeah, I mean and Davante and Jojessy. Literally I was studying everything those guys, did you know so? And they all said Teddy was the he was the godfather basically.
Now, this is what I don't know where you're gonna go with This could go either way. I could beat on your answer, but I'm gonna think I'm gonna lose because you've been shocking me all day. And give us the story if you got one Quincty Jones or doctor dre.
The R and B is pulling you one way and then Pop is pulling you the other.
Dre Wow did not know.
I did not expect that.
No, And the only reason is the in the club beat was the beat that that that I basically I felt like I modeled my entire career off of just the beat itself, because basically, like even right now, I could go and basically the simplicity of that and the ability even without the lyrics, for me to just actually be able to beat box that beat, and how simple it was and how it not unbelievable. So when you think about the biggest record I ever had, I can sing that bing bing bing bing bing bing bink and and and if you think about that, how sparse that is sonically? I mean, so I mean and also to be honest, Quincy just seems like worlds apart, even for me musically, in terms of what.
As a producer, like planet or just historically, how are you seeing worlds apart?
Well, I'm saying like if somebody came to me and say, Yo, here's a forty piece big band orchestra and arrange something for Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones closed his eyes and conducted, you know what I'm saying. So I don't even put my like, you know, Steve Prince, you know, I don't even put myself in that, you know. But when we when I think about the reason why I say Dre is, I feel like, Okay, I'm not. I wasn't necessarily musically trained. I don't know if Dre was musically trained, but he had there was something first. So that's to be able to recognize and be that sort of sonic architect, you know what I mean.
So that's you know, the next three Mary J. Blise or Eric a bad both, thank you? Yeah, light work both, booth booth both either hit make up or hit boy. Yeah, don't look at me neither. I don't.
I don't. No stories are either one no no stories, and remember what the story we're gonna go on this forse with stories. That's that.
Just make that clear.
That's your no stories analog or did you.
You took your shop? Bro Oh, I've been took the shop. Okay, I got another one analog analog and me too.
I'm with you on that, and then you can go to go to the next ones thriller or bad thrillers.
Tell you it was the thriller, type of dude thriller that I don't know. I just feel like he had the jacket at one point, gloves or coming boss like that, like in a good way. A lot of us had that Michael Jackson glove stop righting, yeah, looking around people, not even gonna make eye contact right now. They had had the jacket too, had all right, Whitney, Okay, you go, you start Whitney or ritha Whitney, d J Quicker the Riza, Mm hmm.
Neither.
You're neither. Yeah, I'm not used to it. The tupocket d m X.
POC.
You got a story, then this is your criteria. Yes, okay, but I obviously he was going before way. But but my like I said, we started the whole.
Cassie project and Rashid literally it was like, yo, I don't care who you're listening to, et cetera, et cetera. It's all Pac all the way. And also uh poc because there was when I I actually was one of those kids that went to a band camp and I you know, I had camp. I went to a band camp, so so you know, I had one of those you know, one of those super early adolescent you know crushes, and she she basically, you know, I wanted to make records, you know, write songs. And she was like, oh, well, you know, I'm doing this song for Mother's Day and she she had the Dear Mama song from from back then. Yeah, exactly right.
Cool Isaac Hayes or Curtis Mayfield, mhm, neither. Okay, she knows you better go down. Okay, I know where you're gonna pick on this one. At least let me take the shot.
I say he's picking the second he's been saying. I been saying like James James Brown, James Brown.
Or Jimmy Hendrix Sun like Jimmy Hendrick and Bob Marley is like your your thing, but James Brown both both both because you're a fan of Jimmy Hendrick and mar Yeah, like that's that's yeah, but but for different yeah different and James Brown.
Yeah, James Brown, James Brown.
He came up to me and said, keep saying playing my ship ship Okay.
I mean, if I look at the Dodging Girl video, that's that's a that's a James Brown. That's actually a James Brown reference. You know where, because in that video I'm wearing the tuxedo. I come down to join. We got the band playing. That's that's the actual James Brown reference.
Everybody took this shot. Oh I took my shot already, this one. Thank you. So I'm gonna ask you this, but then I'm I'm gonna ask you in exceparately a different way. Major or independent?
Major independent? Independent?
Okay, your first two albums was on Motown. Correct, Yes, this is this is This is me being a straight spoiled It was hard for me to go from a major to independent because I like the four Seasons. I like, you know, sether sist And when I went from major independent, I had to down grade. I don't know if that's the right world, but.
It is. Damn yeah, but I had to down grade.
It was yeah, yeah, like it was. I had to go back to the sheriff team. But it was completely different from me I had. Like I wasn't a multi platinum like I had. There was a lot of respect for the musicianship, but it wasn't like our multi platinum Billboard number one hits and you know, records and clubs and the hottest et cetera, et cetera. But it looked like that to us at least it maybe maybe maybe maybe it looked like that. But I mean, to be frank, we sold one hundred and eighty thousand records the first town and sixty thousand on the second. Now, the second one we got nominated for a Grammy. But I mean that's a total of I mean that's we didn't we didn't even you know, and still the era where you had to sold like crazy amount of records.
Yeah.
Literally, I heard you say this before, but you literally made more money for your independent albums than you did now.
Is that entirety? How about the tours? Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. I didn't even tour off of those albums.
You know what I'm saying and what you're saying.
So like once we went independent, then I understood, like, Okay, this is how we're going to really get to the money, because that's I think. What's so it's very opaque when you're a major label. You're at the major label, things are paid for, studios paid for, advance is paid for, travel is paid for, et cetera. But then once the sales come in, unless you reach a certain amount, you gotta wait till your next album budget opens up before you get paid again.
It's a bank yeah, age first deal or something like something like that.
And that's what I'm saying. It's just like you know, for me, I don't like that opacity. I want to have full trans that again, yes I want yeah, so old paid. That means contret you know you want. I want full transparency, right, And so that was quote unquote none of my business. You know how much did they make?
You know?
And so that's why I really wanted to go independent because I was like, Yo, if we sold one hundred eighty thousand records the first time, how did I only sell We're in the information age, how do I only sell sixty thousand the second time? We should just email everybody the first.
US sales because they could have did that. And like you said, they didn't give you the information. So maybe you sold because we were saying the records everywhere, so we had maybe.
I truly believe, man, I think that the records were favorites amongst artists. So if artists were sending round, yo, you heard Ryan's join, et cetera, they were favorites. But when I went to Germany, I was not on the radio. In Germany, everything was on little mixtapes. People were spending it in clubs, et cetera. But there was that real ground swell of people that's like, yo, I like this music.
You know.
I remember me asking for like account and things like that, and they're telling me that. The recordats saying, oh yeah, we spent five hundred grand in Japan and we spent two hundred and fifty thousand of Germany and we've been we spent this in only in duself my favorite player. I'm gonna have Burg Frankfoot, all that, you know, Berlin and all that.
You know.
I've been right some time. But what I'm trying to say is when they did that to me, I couldn't like it was I don't know. I don't want to say it wasn't ordered in back then. I just didn't know about it. There was no way for me to There was no Instagram, so they said they had a poster of me in Japan. I had to just tell you, you know now that they were scamming everybody that way for real. Yes, the marketing budgets they were, they were ciphoning money like I got cal This is why, this is why, this is why.
You love the majors because the era that you were in was when the record labels were flushed with cats, so they didn't make you pay back.
They would be like, cool, they will let you off.
Your cousin's so flush with cash.
Still, let's not It was crazier back then. That's the record of off of CDs. I love Mark back there. I love this isn't argue all the time because he's a super independent guy, which I just think that independent.
If you want to go to major, be independent first so you can leverage and have a better deal.
Oh no, with the machine, I.
Feel the opposite, And you can tell me. I feel like you should be go major first.
Let them spend that budget on you, yescause they can't never take back your friends. It's not like that now. In his era was now they're accounting for every penny. I'm not a dinosaur man. Yeah, yeah, ago, in the terms of the record business, it was. Yeah.
What I'm saying though, is I agree if somebody else is going to spend the money to make you famous, and then you can actually leverage that and make sure you do it the right way and you can.
Come out whole. But now a lot of these artists aren't coming out whole. They're stuck in that now. And these deals, you mean there was so they kissed the money. They haven't recouped. Someone who stuck with the record then you could not recoup. And they were doing well. The labels they.
Could have had liked you as an artist, We're like cool, yeah, no problem, and we'll let you out your deal. Let this person buy you out your like they were making deals left and right.
I don't think as Norrie, I never recouped. I did as Norri, I spent so much money. I mean, like I wanted to Norri signs.
Today he's signing a three sixty deal where the name Noriego or Norri is violent label.
And when you don't recoup, you can't use that name.
You better go on as Sir Francis Junior ncut there, make a little buddy time. They got spooky are crumbling as we see them right now. I think the tech companies are the new record labels.
They're his.
I think your Idea period is a new record label for those two.
I'm talking about the bad guys. When I say imagine, now imagine, we take you your concept concept right and now you showing people you listen, because even when you was dropping independent, it looked like you was apasior.
Oh because we I mean we were, we were moving that way. You know what I'm saying, which is but that's the other piece of it is it requires also the financial infrastructure because otherwise, like if you can make one hundred grand, pay four thousand dollars a month forever, then that means you can make a million dollars, pay forty thousand dollars a month whatever. Right, So that's really Once you have both the business infrastructure and the financial infrastructure, then it becomes an infinite loop. And that infinite loop is really what that's really what an artist needs to be able to say, like, you know what, I want to go record my next album and in France somewhere you know, like the Rolling Stones City.
Yes, right, so you know what I think?
I think you being as smart as you are, right, you having this early idea that's fucking genius.
We all know. We all know it's genius, and we all.
Know if it works, when it works, how artist the artist can benefit off of this? Right now, radio is still important, right, I told this the fact Joe the other day, I was like, Yo, if I was to ever drop a record again.
You're gonna work by radio like him, Like, I don't want you to hire somebody there.
You you know, you know every PD he's put in twenty seven to more years he's been in that work.
But Joe has to fight. He did it. I feel like that's the future, Like when the concept that you have for artists working for other artists and artists are saying I always love Violator for that Violator was like artists managing artist. Chris Lighty was like an artist. Yeah, And that's why I think this is going.
Like I know it's sounding so minute, but I feel like fat Joe will be running ahead of a radio apartment. See how he just dropped the record just now, and it's just everywhere everywhere, not because he's my friend, she was just everywhere, and I'm like, he knows what he's doing. Eventually, we're going to hire ourselves to do.
To do, to work on your platform. You think it's gonna go that way, let me speak to his.
I would like to see that. We don't. What I will say though, is just as you said, there will be other iterations of platforms for folks to actually communicate with their fans. I think the money piece is more of an issue because the money piece is what people, even like you said when we started this conversation, said, I didn't know there was something that could do that, right, And so I feel as though for me, even moving from music to technology is because I felt like I could serve a wider transh of the population.
Just go right.
So I think the spread, I think now you're right, But the ability for money management from the concept of what artists really like, because we, like you said, we like the four Seasons, we like the you know, if we can if we give fly charter, we like the fly charter. If we could go vacation, we could go on a destination recording. We'd rather do that than the bedroom recording. Right, So it's about how do you work the finances to be able to deliver that. And that's why I think, like you said, when we when we were doing independent albums, we still.
I thought you were still on the major I'm saying, like me and him always arguing, and it's like, yo, you know what, it's taking the best of both worlds and mix it together.
And I think that's what this is like for us to make.
Independent money, yes, but to look like a major, look like a major is back in it, because then you lose nothing.
You actually gain everything. And I believe that this is a and to be I believe you struck.
You struck, to stand struck, to stand on your own independently and strike strategic partnerships with whatever major entities. That's that's really the goal, because that's where a lot of them you can get a lot of financing from.
Why it started to cut you off.
Think about it when you're doing it on your own, and if you don't show up to the radio station, it all gets on you. But now if you have somebody who's professional in that position, it's like you don't you're still independent, but you got somebody else helping us, saying, you know, listen, we got to make it the cosmic cab at five pm, he's going to pull our record if.
We don't do it.
If you have somebody who has that experience, I think, why wouldn't you do that? I think that's the only thing that's missing from this beautiful idea. It's like, you know what it might be really us running us. When I say us, don't mean you raise, I mean the people. That's a part of the culture. What I'm saying, it's it's important, it's important.
I think we should make a noise to that. Okay, had the moment ahead. Where are we at here? Okay? Are they over there snitching on you saying you ain't take the shot? Ellmatic or ready to die.
Both?
Okay? Yeah, yeah, that's a great answer.
You need to know this.
I bet you didn't think he was. He was gonna come again with your kid drinker, but now you drinking to a drink sa I got.
On the time Diana Ross or Donna Summers, Diana Ross from lew that.
Missy or Eve? Missy? That was any stories? You're not telling us any stories?
Diana Ross. That's a favorite of my mother's, you know. And uh, Missy Elliott, I mean just sort of set the standard. And I think I think, really, did.
You say Diana Ross and Missy No, Diana Ross or.
Donna Summer and you said Missy or or Eve?
And so he asked the two questions at one time.
Right now, Missy? Really, you know, I think the signing of Missy out of that camp as well, right at first, right, I mean, that whole camp. Honestly was just super ultra incredibly ill because that was it was Timbo, it was Missy was genuine, it was play.
But it's like it's like for us to something in the water over there. Yeah, you know going on? Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. I got next one, all right, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye Stevie Wonder. Did I hear that Stevie Walker walked to the stage one time?
Yes, he's confirmed.
You can see we always get told us we have so many stories. I'm seeing a lot of ship. Did I hear that story that ye walk to the stage together something like that?
Yeah, okay, I forget where I was performing and it was something.
Yeah, he didn't have a walking stick, let's be real. He walked up, was like, what's up?
Like, like, yeah, I respect that motive or phantom motif playing guys you got this arm?
Yeah right? Or ghosts the race, Well he's he's thinking he went cars he put it together.
That's not what it was, right, you know, I said, right? Or ghost Space Ray Kuan or go Space talking about I'm glad I think you you saved me for.
This one one because he actually did a record with me. Wow, Wow, Moriah or Lisa Keys both man's so much more life music industry or the tech industry. We're both okay, And I knew he was gonna say that, Like I said, it's not even in there. That's not in there. I just made that up and I new it's not.
In it real quick, okay, because before when I said about the tech industry is taking over the music industry, what is your take on that, Like how everybody's kind of vilifying the Spotify's and all the DSPs.
Like, what do you think it's necessary? I think they necessary evil.
I believe that there's a symbiotic relationship between the creativity and the technology. Is necessary and it will take several iterations until it will be perceived as fair. But I believe, like you know that there there was no other way to go than a Netflix or a Spotify, right. But do you like it's all the entire library of all recorded music is in my device right now? Well, the lever of humanity is yeah, but that but that's what I'm saying. So it's it's inevitable, and it's almost like how people are they might want to vilify AI, but it's inevitable, and so you were just we were just talking about motif versus you know, phantom. But when you think or STEVIEE Wonder, the guy Ray Kurzweil who made the cursewhile synthesizer, he's a you know, a super forward thinker on what's called technological singularity where you won't be able to tell the difference between a human and a and a robot at some point. He believes that at some point it's going to converge. And so that's why you have a neural link from Eli Musk or whatever that he will put a chip and it's like, okay, you either assimilate or do you you know, at some point there are folks that are going to say, hey, I don't want the chip in my child. But then does that mean that your child is not going to be behind all the other kids that have a chip. Right, So at some point there is going to have to be some sort of of you know, convergence, and it's about us as as a as a race, as a species understanding how we do that in the safest way possible.
But putting your financial cap on, don't you think that the conversation should be have because these we're seeing it in real time.
The DSPs are making an incredible amount of money. Spotify has got three hundred and sixty five million billions and they're making billions.
I mean, yeah, yeah, off of you know, because obviously the model is that now anybody could be an artist and feed that.
Yeah, and you know, and and it generates income.
But that's exactly what I'm saying. At some point, through different iterations, we will get to a relationship that is fair and equitable. But in the early stages, he who controls the cash flow controls how the actual pie is divided, you know what I'm saying. And right now, as as.
You're optimistic that it will pan out.
It's inevitable. In my opinion, Like.
Snoop Dogg, I believe he's the first one that said it's unfair these music splits are.
Yeah, he's the one at that status, but a lot of people have been saying that, Yeah, yeah, I believe he's the first one I saw, like yeah, yeah, no, no, definitely at that status that was willing to step up.
All right, producing or singing, singing, performing. I mean there's really just no Yes, being a producer is awesome, but I mean there is no, there is. There is no substitute for being on stage in front of I mean talk about it. You could be in it, you could be in the lab and imagine it as a producer. Yo, this is going to be crazy at such and such, but when you do that festival stadium you got people jumping and singing every word back is no, there is no substitute for that.
I always say an artist that's a producer is the most unselfish person on the planet because in order for you to make a hit, especially after you know where I hit it feels right, that must be feeling like giving a like a the way.
Have you ever given away of record?
It was like, well that was that first record, that was hot Tonight.
Okay, that was that first d You want to get that?
No, but you had it? Yeah, we let it go, let it wow?
Okay, all right.
Lionel Richie or Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, you got a story with him.
Well, in my family, they're very religious family, So there were only two non religious A tracks in our house, and one was Linel Richie and the other one was Michael Jackson.
Everything else was easy like Sunday morning.
Well, I mean it was no, No, it was the one with All Night Long on it.
Yeah yeah, okay out Cast gk.
Our Casts.
It's a twenty fifth anniversary of Outcast the first Yeah, I probally like the second album.
Rick Ross or Meek mill Rose clips or marb deep Oh clips just because push your tears on something that I like.
Very happy.
He just he's just right right now. That's that's his fan clips over here. Laurence Hill or Queen Latifa, Lauren Hill. I was going to say Lauryn Hill no matter who you said.
Second, and the reason for that is just you know, uh two parts of that once again grew up very almost sheltered. But yeah, that's all my mother could talk about, My mother and father could talk about. No was her performance in Sister Yeah, yeah kid, Yeah.
Do you realize she only has one album?
That's all you need? That's crazy, that's all you need that album?
When you have that, that's all you need. I mean you got to count the Fuji's. Yeah, that is her album. We didn't say, but that's.
Another it's all.
In my opinion, that's as close but almost as close to a perfect album as you can possibly get in terms of what in terms of what I like.
I mean a lot of everybody would agree with you.
The world, the production, the songs, the emotion. I was actually this crazy. I was just watching. I think it must must have been like an MTV unplugged or something like that. And then she actually because one of my favorite records is the X Factor record. But then there's a clip on YouTube where she actually is freestyling at the end of it and it's all live and it's just that whole vibe is just and.
The fact how Son is out here, Yes, a part of the mally extended that that is great. That is greatness. Her album is such a positive album too. Yeah.
Yeah, it's the last one for quick time of sliming. We get back into the interview. Loyalty or respect?
Loyalty?
Wow?
Loyalty? Well, I mean, listen, you can be respected by many, even by those who don't know you. But to have loyalty or to have true betrayal, someone really has to know you.
M that was hard. He's got a flight sing. Okay, what times it's flight? Mister Lee? Yoh we got you drunk man? Yeah yeah, yeah, don't take my last shot with you.
Okay, Okay, let's talk about the wealth Plan before we get about it at what exactly is the wealth Plan?
They'll be touched on it a little bit earlier, but.
I feel I feel like we've we've covered it because it's it's more of a concept than an actual, you know, the wealth Plan. So it's just more of the fact that we have a service that we provide, whether it's to artists, musicians, but anybody. I have folks that have been longtime fans of mine but work at Facebook, work at Google, and they're like, Hey, I mean, I'm the first person in my family making tech money, and I don't want I want to be that different differentiator in my family for how our money is going to grow, you know. And that's the crazy piece about it is you could be really smart in technology, you could be really smart in college, you could be really smart in music, you can be really smart in business, but you don't know anything about investing and how to make the money work for you and last forever, and how to actually do it in the right ways with tax laws and all that kind of stuff that allows you to really live how you want to live. And for what we do at Wealth Planned, it's kind of twofold one is just how to teach people how to invest. But number two, what is money unless you can enjoy it with the people you love when you're in the best years of your life. Because a lot of folks put a huge they put a huge emphasis of retirement, etc. And yes, you should have a great life in your golden years, but you should you should have a great life now with the people you love, you know what I'm saying. And so if you know how to take a small amount of money and make it work for you so that you don't feel like I said, and we gave that example, if you want to hire your mom that in many cases it seems like it would seem like a massive financial commitment. But if the money is doing it for you, then you can do it and actually feel great about it, you know what I'm saying. And that's really that's that's really what the wealth plan actually is all about.
That's something I mind about you throughout all this thing that everything's going on. It's like, you stay positive, gotta be It's not it's not easy. That's not easy, not always. I mean, even though you're making it seem like it's easy, like and you like I said, do you have music?
Like like, God bless me for using this term, but you you remind me like a male shot day, Like you know what I'm saying, Like I can't get a massage, listen to your ship?
Be cool?
Still be cool? Crazy right now saying like it's music that made me feel good, Like I'm not gonna listen to I'm listening to some smooth ships. But how do you maintain that positivity? Like this ship is? It's crazy right now? You can say crazy things.
About whatever you want to say online and yeah, and you're maintaining you're not jumping out there, not commentated.
On, you know, whatever's happening. And the reason for it is because there actually is no better feeling than being helpful to someone. And I'm telling you just something as simple as you know, if just imagine how you would feel if you know, you in line in a Starbucks or somebody and somebody says, you know what, I actually what do you order?
And I got you.
It's something as simple as that. But on the flip side, if you're the person who's able to do that, that gives you that kind of that kind of positivity that you're able to do something for someone. And so I think really there's two parts of it. Number one, take care of yourself so that you're in a position to be helpful enough service to folks. So obviously, if you're taking care of yourself, you're gonna feel great.
Right, It's like the plane mask, right, put on yourself first you can help kids.
And then number two, actually be in that spirit of service, because there is no greater reward than knowing that something that you've done is actually helpful to someone else. And that's that that and and so that's why that's why I have the optimism about music and technology. That's why I have the optimism with you know, if people are not making that much money in music or that much money period. I have seen literally, I have seen folks who have taken you know, mail carrier, commercial truck driver salaries and turned it to millions of dollars. And it's because they just need to know. It's middle school math. But somebody just got to show thee. Yeah, and they have somebody, They got somebody that's going to show them, you know. And for me, I had someone to show me. So that's really what it's about for me. Now, It's that legacy of actually saying and whoever wants to talk to me about it text Ryan dot com. Still to this day, you leave your number there and it's my direct number. And obviously I've got technology to you know, make sure that we weed out the bad actors and we have you know, safeguards in there. You know what I'm saying. But the bottom line is that there is no I couldn't be at a better place because I see every single day the impact that I'm having, and it's it's it's a real commitment to the furtherance of community, the furtherance of our culture, the furtherance of just humanity in general. I know it sounds either lofty, but that's.
In the Golden rule, like do want to others that you would like to be Yes, exactly, that's a basic thing.
Yes, everybody should implement. Yes, you know for sure, we know you got to go.
But on this day, Monday, September twenty third, at six twenty three, Yeah, do you think that we would be.
Talking here and Didy being And yeah, no, I did.
No, absolutely not, absolutely not. And I think really for me is because when I first got into the music game, we talked about Tommy Montola. It was Tommy and Puff, those were my mentors. Puff was on the management side. Tommy saw me as an artist. On the publishing side, Puff and Gwen Niles they managed me. But I've always been in my own insulated. I didn't see any of this going on. I literally did not see any of it. So all I saw was someone who gave me an opportunity, somebody who put me in the room with all the biggest artists. My first placement ever was on Beyonce because of this connection Britney Spears, you know, doing Danny Kane singles for Loon, singles for New Edition. But that's because I basically was in my little Ivory tower making stuff, sending it and literally, you know, incredible connections and and uh and and opportunities were being created from the music. So all I needed to do was be in the music. But even today, I mean y'all can see, like from from even me being in Harvard that young I just I never acquired a taste for alcohol, for drugs, for partying, and not to say when I got to New York, I was And that's actually how I met Cassie, because I was like, yo, I'm I'm I'm a big producer. Now I'm going to the club whatever, you know what I'm saying. But like I just I have never really had that as advice. I think I have obsessiveness in other pursuits, so I would have never literally never. And also, you know, folks have always talked to me and say, hey, you know, they've asked me, you know, hey, how do you feel you were you heartbroken? You know, puff took your girl whatever it was. And like I understand when a story or a narrative is not for me, and once it was no longer for me, then there were other narratives and stories for me to invest my time, energy and resources into. So even for all of this to yeah, of course you heard, but I never. I was just in in my ivory tower the whole time, so I would have never.
I admire your attitude, for sure. I admire your maturity.
I admire you're holding it down for sure, because you know, there could have been a lot of things you could have answered that, and you answered that like a grown man. You answered like a person that is not petty. And I'm very petty, so I could recognize when a person is not to take going down that same block that I stay on.
But I respect that, man, I respect that.
Man.
Thank you for being here. I know you got to catch a flight, take a couple of pictures.
To get a drop and yeah, yo, man, we really wanted to get your flowers. May deserve it, man, you deserve it because you leading the way for every artist, not just independent artists, major artists. Is who find out you know, how much that, how much have they given one hundred percent fit for and receiving so little and when you know, I had to take me years to find out, but you leading the way and me seeing you do it in in real time. Yeah, you know, I'm seeing I get to witness you do this in real time. I get to witness you, you know, your shows in real time, say your merch in real time and sit back and say, damn man, that's something that eventually want to do with Drink Champs. You know, we want to drop a compilation album and I just feel like everyone should should pay attention to your story.
Let's go and we got your back.
Drink Champs is a Drink Champs LLC production hosts and executive producers n O r E and DJ E f N listen to drink Champs on Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Drink Champs, hosted by Yours truly, dj e FN and n O r E. Please make sure to follow us on all our socials That's at drink Champs across all platforms, at the Real norriegon ig at Noriega on Twitter, mine is at Who's Crazy on ig at dj e FN on Twitter, and most importantly, stay up to date with the latest releases, news and merch by going to drink champs dot com