Club Shay Shay - Club Shay Shay - Miguel Part 2

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/SHANNON and use code SHANNON and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! Miguel kicking off global CAOS Tour in February 2026. Tickets on sale at https://officialmiguel.com/   CAOS album out now https://miguel.lnk.to/CAOS_CAPR    Miguel — Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and R&B visionary — joins for a rare, unfiltered conversation on his two-decade journey through music, love, and reinvention. From the early days of Sure Thing to the bold experimentation of his new album CAOS, Miguel opens up about art, heartbreak, and the pursuit of creative freedom. He reflects on writing Sure Thing after a real-life breakup, how the label tried to give the song to Usher, and what it was like watching it explode again on TikTok over a decade later — charting higher than ever before. Miguel revisits how the industry once told him he was a “hard sell” as a half-Black, half-Mexican artist, and how he turned that rejection into timeless success. The conversation dives into love, divorce, and letting go — from dating since age 19 to walking away from a marriage in his late 30s. Miguel shares the emotions behind Always Time, the pain of realizing love sometimes means release, and how that experience shaped his growth as a man and artist. He opens up about what fatherhood means to him, why he protects his child’s privacy online, and whether he’d ever get married again. Miguel also breaks down New Martyrs (Ride 4 U) — a protest anthem rooted in compassion and frustration. He discusses immigration, identity, and growing up in California as a proud Afro-Mexican, exploring how politics and humanity collide in his art. When asked about ICE and deportation, Miguel doesn’t hold back — reflecting on watching hardworking families get torn apart and what unity between Black and Mexican communities really looks like. He shares stories of collaborating with some of music’s biggest names: Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Travis Scott, and Mariah Carey. From crafting “Rocket” with Beyoncé to recording in Jamaica with Alicia, Miguel reveals what it’s like creating alongside icons while staying grounded in his own vision. He even opens up about performing with Jamie Foxx, singing karaoke with Rihanna, and the energy of sharing stages with Drake and Future. Miguel talks money, ownership, and the business side of music — from learning about publishing and royalties to why streaming both empowers and exploits artists. He shares his smartest financial lessons, the importance of owning your masters, and what he’d tell new artists navigating fame in the streaming era. The conversation gets personal and philosophical too — touching on cancel culture, conspiracy theories, and his viral art stunt that left hooks pierced through his back. Miguel explains what drove him to take that risk, what it symbolized about pain and transcendence, and how he’s learned to embrace discomfort as part of his artistic evolution. At 40, Miguel is stepping into a new chapter. He reflects on being a Scorpio, on patience, on finding peace, and on the balance between chaos and clarity that defines CAOS. With honesty and humor, he toasts to love, fatherhood, and the next decade of fearless creation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From NBA champion Stefan Curry comes Shot Ready, a powerful never-before-seen look at the mindset that changed the game. I fell in love with the grind. You have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around. Success is not an accident. I'm passing the ball to you. Let's go. Steph Curry redefined basketball.

Now he's rewriting what it means to succeed. Order your copy of the New York Times bestseller Shot Ready. Today at Stefan Currybook.com. thank you for coming back part two is underway what is money what is what what have you learned about money um you got to make money work for you um the saying is true often that you know you got a you got to you got to set you got to put up big money if you want to win big money yes um debt is good crazy yeah the right debt right um and of course like like you said i love that you said this

early that it's a tool the the great thing is that even though i was raised really religiously somehow i didn't ever feel that money was bad it was the pursuit of money that was bad and and i think a lot of my um friends and i think culturally Often what we get is that money is the root of all evil. And it's actually not, it's just a tool. It's the pursuit of money and making that the thing, the all seeing, all being goal. That's what becomes the root of all evil. It's the pursuit of that at any expense.

So, you know, just remaining, remaining balance in the perspective, that it's a tool. And that the ultimate, like you said, is like freedom. It's like what we're really looking for is freedom. Yeah. And what does that actually mean? And everyone has a different definition of what that is, right? Yeah. Yeah.

How about you? Like, what's the, what is money for you? I buy very little for myself. A sister, a mom, a brother, my kids. I live. I got a house. We got two cars. Hadn't bought a car in five years.

Probably going to be another five years before I buy a car. because I just get in the car and drive the same car. Right. My battery is dead in my car now because I haven't driven. Haven't been home. So me, that's, I've always, I'm a, I'm a provider. I've always been that. From the time I was five or six years old, I was working in the field.

I would come home and give my grandmother $10. $10 back in 75, 76, 77 was a lot of money. But it was the fact it made me feel a sense of accomplishment. Yeah. So I still feel that now that I'm, able to provide for my family and take care of my family. So that's what it, that's what it, for me, that's what it. Provide. Yes. I've got to provide for my family. I got to make sure they're okay. Me, I'm going to be fine because if I got to eat ketchup with a knit needle, that's what I'll do.

Word. But they. Serial with the fork. I just need, I just need to, I don't ever want my family. I never wanted my grandmother to work. I'll worry. I never wanted her to worry. I never want my sister, my kids, my brother, my mom, I don't want nothing more. Let me stay up at night. I don't sleep anyway. I got insomnia. So let me worry about all that stuff that you guys get to rest comfortable. Worried about. It's like Colonel Nathan Jessup said when he had capy and the thing, hey,

you need me on that wall. They need me on that wall. Word. So they can rest comfortably. Word. So that's what, so what is some of the purchase? When you got some money, you're like, damn. Growing up in Inglewood and San Pedro, though, you're like, shh, give me some bread. What I'm going to do, what I would do. I've never, in the same way, though, I've actually been kind of the same, same vibe.

Like, growing up, first job, as soon as I could, 15, I was a tutor, you know, my parents were split up and my dad was a teacher. But my mom quit her job to make sure that we were on a, we didn't. get we didn't go too far you can get sidetrack yeah we didn't get to and and I was a knucklehead I wasn't like bad but I was mischievous yeah and so sometimes I would find myself in the wrong crowd and my mom just wouldn't have it you know and I think when she caught wind of that my tendency to kind of like oh like let's go have some fun this and that she was like no so in a lot of ways I took on responsibility early on to help with my brother to help with with my own to and I've in the same way been I've taken the same view so I don't

really buy a lot for myself um man the only car I bought I bought as a gift I did as a gift to myself it was an old F 430 Ferrari it's a car I wanted when I was younger and um it was already old yeah it was already old but it's the only car I've ever bought and it's still there right still got I drive it every once in a while but I'm not really big on a um on you're not big big on material things though I'm not really a big I don't collect watches you when you see me it's pretty pretty chill yeah yeah I do I do care deeply about how my family is so I think my biggest accomplishments the the biggest things is by my mom house like you said like that's a I think all of us is like yeah you got mom a house you got

getting getting you know out of poverty but like fixing fixing fixing this thing at pop's house or like let's you know what I'm like oh you want that okay bed at the crib got you let's do that or my cousin needed to bail my cousin out or hospital bills or I actually feel more that's I am I feel more accomplished being able to do those things yes especially because it means so much more with your family we're lose I feel like I'm like losing my family so fast And when my grandmother's, when my grandparents started to pass, and I started to see, like, my, I really started to pay attention. Like, everyone's getting older. Yeah.

I feel the same way, because I'm at the age where, man, they're old. That's me now. You're like, yeah, we're the same age. That's me. That ain't old over. All of a sudden, 50s are not old anymore. It used to be, hey, you're holding you. That's so old, yeah, yeah.

50 old, you're almost there. You're almost there. Shit. You almost. Now all of a sudden, man, that's a long way, man. You got plenty of time. Yeah. So much time.

That's how we look at it now. That's real. It's real. But yeah, those are my more, my, I prefer to save my money for those things. Right. And then in the meantime, again, in terms of like, I want to put it to work. Right. I want it to work.

So when things happen, it's okay. Yeah. If you could go back at any point in time, I'm going to give you. you a pen or an eraser. Right. And you can go back in a race and do anything over, would you? Hmm.

No, I think everything that I thought was kind of one of those ones that I was like, I would do it differently. It's built character and it's actually fortified my sense of self. And it gave me an opportunity to prove to myself

that I'm proud of myself. Right. To do things that make me proud of myself to hold myself accountable or to to go hey that wasn't right man get it together right and then to go okay i'm going to do it like this now and to have the conversations and to go you know i'm deeply sorry when i was wrong um to when i make you know when i anything that i felt was like oh i wish i could do it better i look at it with so much gratitude now more so because I've taken time to kind of go, I've learned a lesson from it and I have an actionable way by which I

will do it different. Now, will that yield the result that I'm looking for? I'm learning in real time, but I know one thing I'm proud of myself at paying attention to how I am to adjust. Like I said, when you're saying, whatever advice that you were giving up, it's really like, look at your, look at my morals and my, the things that I'm, operating from, you know, and that's what's actually informing all of my action now. So, no, I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't take that eraser. Yeah.

Because who's to say that I would ever get to this point where I would be like, no? I was thinking the same thing. Had I, if I could go back and change some things, I don't go to Savannah State. I probably don't meet the people that impacted me the most in my life. I had some great professors at Savannah State from Haynes Walton to Norman Elmore, to Joanne Green, to. yours, I don't meet these people

and maybe I don't go on the path that I'm on so I don't want to change it even if I could I don't want to change it right you miss all of the all of the great things that you've got in between

and make me make us who we are soup it's it is probably the coolest thing in looking back now because I think before when I would look at things like with a little bit of sadness I think in the beginning of the

eight years between my last album and now looking back was painful and i think now it's with so much like okay gratitude i see where i was i see what i was doing i understand took me some time to really like uncover like what was going on there all right mike you were you were going through this you had resentment about this you really were trying to figure yourself out here and to look at all of the things and go man through the chaos through the chaos you've actually found a part of yourself that is worthy of celebrating and building on and preserving and look at you you're a good human being man you're able to address your your wrongs you're able to stand up on the things that you're right about and you fight for what you believe in you speak out about what you see that's not right

you're deeply passionate you're deeply happy you have a pureness about what you do and how you approach things that mean that you care about this world and preserving something that it matters that there's real hope and there's faith

that is to be to be like nurtured regardless of what's happening and somehow you've been able to do all that damn you've got a great family your dad is the best best teacher your mom is the most beautiful incredible like supportive person in the world you got a great Latino family who gave you all that you know what I'm saying you got poured into

all of it you're not like your grand like your nan just sacrifice you just start I go I go back now with so much more like gratitude uh I couldn't take that eraser to that couldn't do it do you ever find yourself sitting back um I find myself and I really do it like when my brother and I talk because we talk a lot about how we grew up and growing up and him being there and he was always there for me. Do you find yourself looking back and like, damn I come a mighty, mighty, mighty long way? Even in that dream,

the gift that I gave to myself, it wasn't this good. Word. Ooh, say that. Cheers to that. Cheers to that. Cheers to that. I will say man third and center I grew up on third and center in San Pedro

I don't know if any anyone from LA most people from LA don't even know where San Pedro is or where that is in terms of like how deep and how far away that is from this that we that we're experiencing it's one of the most obscure

places and and from there by way of like delusion and passion and nurturing lots of bad decisions lots of great decisions yes a lot of lost sleep and sacrifice that we've talked about man I look at it and I go who who could ever imagine and yet I knew yeah and how dope it is like when you when you work with young up-and-coming talent on the field off the field how important it is to have that and I think that's like the i think why i watch you know she she is i love to see how incredibly delusional everyone had to be and all the things they accomplished and greatness that they've achieved right

to be to sit here across from from you and you know what i mean it's like we've we've devoted ourselves and everyone that we get to work with is why when i step into a room I never I don't treat people more or less everyone is the yeah everybody's here for a reason we all have a real purpose and that's the that's the beauty of this whole thing and that's why you know I'll never want to take the eraser and you know and do it yeah you know we we worked hard to get here and I believe it that's a that's that's what this whole thing is about you know what I'm saying it's about looking at all the chaos all the chaos that we experience in each iteration of our life and taking that and building on it and refining and honing on what is valuable and what's worth preserving and what's worth letting go so you know whether it's whether it's you know becoming the kind of voice that says okay this is not right in the world or what have you or if it's just about every day going this is not right right here let me address it right I think

think the purpose is always we're getting better and we're doing it better and I'm so blessed to be around so many who do it every day every day you know what I'm saying that's that that's the best part you work with Kendrick Lamar J-Cohle Travis Scott Mara Carey Alicia Keys ASAP Rocky Lill Yadi Waleh obviously that's a very eclectic very very different group all bangers all killings so when you when you go work with somebody what's your mind said okay we go and And so today is, today is the day and tomorrow I'm going to meet with Mariah. I'm going to meet with this Alicia Keys or I'm going to meet with this person. So what's your mindset the night before you go meet with said person to sit down and try to come together on a project?

I don't even, I never, I'm more like, I'm going to walk into a space. I'm going to be myself. Whatever happens. That's all we ever did. That's all we ever had to do is to just go in and go. go, I did the work. I trust the work. I trust the work. So I've been really, really fortunate to kind of like get these moments where with people who also believe in their craft in the same way. And also, there's a lot of trust. Yes. It's like when you get on

the line, you know what I mean? It's like, any time you line up and everybody's on the same accord and we're like, all right, well, shit, we don't rehearse this. We ran this play a million time. Nothing better than when the plan comes together. Hey, I trust you. I trust you. We let's go. we're going to do it, you know. And so I think there's a little bit of all of the work that gets anyone into a session that leads to them being in that room and going, hey, I fuck with you. I love what you do. Trust what you do.

It's going to be dope. Right. I'm going to do what I do. It's going to be dope. Let's make the best shit that we can. Yeah. So is that, so I read that you and Alicia, your project, you guys were in Jamaica. So how does that, how does that work?

So when you guys come together, they invite you, they say, Miguel, we want you on this, we want you on this project. So do they tell you before you get there what they're thinking is, what they're trying to do? You don't realize what's good. You don't understand the direction that they want to go until you actually get there. Yeah. And then you hear their vision for this project. And he's like, okay, okay, okay.

Yeah, like for that, for work in that example, this is different because Alicia's, she's going to, she's like bring you into her world. Okay. You know, and so at this time, we got on a plane, and we got on a prop plane. Me and Drew was on the plane, like, the dude with the, the dude took our bags. He was like, welcome. Thank you very much. Took our bags, put him in the back of the plane, took off the, the vest. I mean, jumped in the pilot seat.

Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Are we going to be all right? Yeah. We understand that Jamaica's have a lot of job, but this ain't what we meant. I love that they're hard working. Yeah, you take it back and you fly in the plane? I said, okay, wait a second. We prayed.

We prayed. It's a three-person prop plane and we go and finally we get there and of course Alicia's there with the biggest smile and she's super welcoming. Swiss is there. We eat great food and she brings you into her world. That's a different thing. She has a vision and she's for her. for her she's an artist

she's an album artist you know what I mean and Alicia obviously has had massive songs and of course but she's one of those artists that is like she's crafting she's really chefing

when she gives you an album that experience is different than you know when you go in and it's like okay we trying to make a like we're trying to make a banger we want a song that's going to hit everything and everybody and they're going to love and they're going to go crazy different headspace

but I always I always go in with like what is the what is the what is the what is at the fringe of what you want to say and how you want to feel and like how can I actually

just be the person to say it and that always is worked out so yeah I just want to I'm an enabler when I step into the room even if I'm not on the record right

when I step into the room I'm an enabler I'm like what is the most potent wild, pure, honest thing that we could say, or you could say right now that is like, no, we want to hear that, we want to feel that.

As a fan, you know, so that's how I step in. I read you say Kendrick is one of your inspirations. I mean, I think Kendra's from Compton, right? Yeah. Compton. You were from, like, Englewood, grew up in San Pedro. Did you know Kendrick before? Like, were you familiar with him before?

No, no, no, no. I met Kendrick through music. And I would say, like, he's one of many, you know, I would say a lot. I'm inspired by my peers in the sense that I love watching them go. I love watching the world grow because of them. You know, I think Kendrick put a lot of people on to Compton in a different way, in this generation. Yes, yes. know what I'm saying?

And that's real, that's the world, you know, knows about Compton and he reps is super hard. But it's the same way that there's plenty of artists who rep where they come from and have put those places on the map that I just go like, man, I'm inspired by that. I love the education part of bringing people into your world. And yeah, I'm working constantly to refine how I do that. So, yeah, yeah.

Of all the artists that you work with, Who would you like to collab and do an album with? Of all the artists that you work with, they say, you know what, Miguel, let's do this album. And I was just texting Cole. Really? I was just texting Cole.

It's weren't. I think a collab album with Cole is like one that they've been asking for. Oh, bro. I'm sitting here on Shay-Shay. Telling me welcome anytime. Yeah. in an interview real quick but Shay said what up I think Cole would be would be

special I want to do another project with Blue I did a project with I was I'm on a project with Blue I don't know if you know blue and Exile are blue I met Blue when I was maybe like 14 we went to high school together yeah okay I was those you We're going to say Blue Cantrell, but clearly you talk about somebody else. No, no, word. But Blue is like, has a classic hip hop album. Blue in Exile, Below the Heavens. Shea, listen to this album.

Okay, I'm going to take it out. This is a one. This is like when you get on the plane, you can listen to this album. Yeah, see, I like to slow it down. I mean. Yeah. And it's by me. It's super, it's a good one.

And it's like, it's a headphone album. So it's good for travel. Yeah, okay. So when you go back to the crib. Yeah. and have to charge your car back up. But I want to do it. I want to do another album with Blue.

Okay. But I want a proper album. But I love to do it with Cole, I think. Cole would be really, really special. Especially because we're, I think we're aligned in a lot of the human ways. You know, it's like, nah, like we're trying to be good human beings, you know. Not that anyone else isn't. Right.

But I just know, I know him enough that way. Right. Where I'm like, oh, no, yeah, it'll be, it'll be dope, yeah. Are you the king of hip-hop collabs? I don't know. I wouldn't say, I wouldn't, I wouldn't say the king. I think there's a, I'm definitely, I definitely have some special ones. I got some special ones for sure.

Yeah. Like, you wrote for us. I think, did you write for Usher, Mary Jay, Jaim? Yes, I did. Uh-huh. Jahim. um marriage music soul child yeah yeah uh we've done some ones did i don't think i do it for i don't think i did for um music though you didn't do anything can we double check that there might be records

i've written records and i don't even wow it's true make sure you get that credit now that's why i turn when you turn 40 you forget things you let you get that credit um how is it because it's very interesting to me because like when I get a script let's just say I got to read something for this product and it comes out a certain way but I have to add some of it I add live because I needed to sign like I talk yeah it's you so when you write let's just say for the sake of argument you're writing for Mary Jay you're male she's female yeah or Beyonce Beyonce how because it's it's funny how you're able to do that because I look at I look at Hove. He wrote still

DRE. Come on. For Dr. Dre. You couldn't tell me, Drey didn't write that because it sounds you. I'm like, how the hell? That takes a special talent to write a song that you're not going to sing. Someone that's going to sing it, but you're writing it in their

voice. Right. Yeah, valid. And it takes a special talent to be able to take that and make it their own. Yes. So there's a, there's an art to that as well. I think I always

I think in terms of like I said I'm an enabler I'm like mission of this though like I'm I'm your friend that's gonna be like

yeah we should though like let's go like if you have an idea and you're like man I don't know if I should do this like but I kind of want to go do this you don't know a thing on the shoulder like yeah we should do this

I'm the friend but not in a way that's like I'm I'm also I'm also realistic and I'm also you know I'm paying attention to all the things but I think that there's something special about excitement

and I honor excitement when you're excited about something that is an indication that you're it's like hitting your spirit it's like you're like

I want to do this you know and I think more I didn't realize this one sorry cool sorry are you calling yeah I just told it I was like, I was like, oh, but I'm sorry, he just, he just hung up.

There's something about excitement that's special, and I really do honor. So I think about what excites the artist, what would excite the artist, and I'm a fan first, so I'm thinking about them in a fan way and what I know about them and what they seem to resonate with the most. and I'm thinking of anything that may excite them, and then I'm thinking of what their audience may be excited by. So, like, for example, for Rocket, for Beyonce... Yes, I was going to next, but... Let me sit this ass on you is the first line.

Damn. What meant... Which one of us is not thinking, and I'm sorry, this is a long time ago, don't... Also, the whiskey kind of... I was a call, might have me, you know, know, speaking, but I'm thinking in terms of like

as a man listening to Beyonce, what do I want to hear? What excites me? And then I'm going, what is she trying to convey? And at the time, I think she was wanting to, she was, from what I understood, is that she really wanted to lean into the fact that she's a grown woman. And she was in, you know what I mean? So I'm listening to her tell me like, okay, this is where I'm at. I'm

Oh, okay, bet, bet, bet, bet, bet, what's exciting? To her exciting was showing that she's like, you know, leaning into her feminine and she's being sexual. I'm grown and I'm owning my sexuality and this and that. And I'm going, well, shit, I'm a fan and I'm what guys like, what do we want to hear? And what do girls? What do you do? Even what do women want to hear her say? What do her audience want to say for themselves, too?

What's exciting? Shit, let me sit there. Let me sit this ass on. I'm going to go with the thing that sounds the most exciting. So that's where Quickey came from. That's where... Do you ever get afraid that you're going to write something like,

what are you thinking? No. Yeah. That's why a lot of songs are not out. We'll keep those in the ball. We'll keep that in the ball. But no, I think that's where I come from, excitement, like what's inside.

Because that's interesting. Because writing a song for a woman when you're a male, and obviously there are a lot of male songwriters that write for women. But how difficult is that? Because you don't think like they think. You don't see things how they see them. But on this song, I've got to. Right.

I've only written four, four, four specifically. Maybe like, again, the beautiful, I didn't start that song thinking about writing. for Mariah Carey. I wrote that song actually as a song for my album and it actually didn't fit the tone

overall. And then we adapted it to better fit Mariah. And she wrote on the record to make it fit her, right?

Same thing with B but B was a little closer because she was telling me and she was telling all of the people that she was working with where she was at

and what she was looking for. So I think it's it just It just depends on the situation. And I think with female, which is one of the things I want to explore more is working with more, like collaborating more with just artists in general, but like I feel like there's an EP with female artists like in there. Writing on their behalf, I think is about the conversation that we have and what they

want to communicate. So it's more about them and what they want to say. And then me enabling that. Was a rocket inspired by DeAngelo's rest of soul? Mm-hmm. Rest in peace, D. How does it feel? What ballad at this point is not inspired by untitled?

Like, there's really, I think we'll always go back to the church of DeAngelo. And that song is a, it is a, some artists have songs that are, like statements of their artistry and what they represent and that's a that's his that will forever be like a mainstay of the power and soul and funk in connection to the legacy of all of those things in his predecessors our predecessor right that live forever in his music and also his ability to do it in his own new new way it's what makes him yeah it's his it's a what is the word for that there's a word for when things are just theirs but it's it's one of those you know it's that so so yeah for sure i mean there's probably

not a session that i don't go into where we're not like just even in conversation talking about right untitled and voodoo yeah it is it's so sad that such a young man gone at such a young age but isn't this crazy though like our health is this this could go in a million different directions shay like we could talk about how systematically you know our health is being tampered with every day um and it has been for for decades especially amongst blacks you know you know the tuskegee those those experiments we are we're all aware about that But are we paying attention to how the water is being tampered with? Are we paying attention to how the produce in this country is not nearly at the level of the potency in terms of vitamin and all that stuff?

It's not as potent as it was before decades ago. We've got things in our air that are being sprinkled from above aluminum and so on and so forth. and that's that's verified we have our weather being manipulated we have you know it's a lot of things that have to do with our health that is crazy right you know it's and and so when i when i when we hear an artist like this being you know having passed so early because of cancer What is it? What's this? That's crazy, man.

It is. That's crazy. Also, it says a lot about how we got to, we should, we should be talking about our health more often. I think there's a big, big, I mean, look, I'm going to talk. I haven't, I'm turning 40. I have yet to go do like prostate, all of that stuff. I'm late. I'm a prostate cancer survivor.

Man. When did you find out? Well, I started getting, I started getting tested early. I started getting testing at the age of 35. My dad died at 39 and he had prostate cancer? No, he had oral cancer, throat cancer. Okay, so it was in that. And he had two brothers that didn't make it to 50.

So it ran in my family. So let me, I started getting testing at 35 and went in for a routine colonoscopy. And my doctor, I knew something was wrong when my doctor didn't call me back. I was like, it's only been, it's just, It's already been some days. Yeah, this was in 2016. I was diagnosed in 2016, had the surgery in 2017, and I've been clear ever since.

Wow, man. Yes. Oh, man, I go to the doctor and I go to the doctor. For what they call, what this premium cross? Oh, I'm going. Let me go to the doctor. Listen, but hey, I'm going to take advantage of it. For real.

Listen, come on. It's crazy. It's not a part of the conversation. You know, on both sides of my family, there's been cancer, so I should be paying attention. And yet I know, and I have not, you know, and why is it not something that we are talking about more? It's crazy. Well, we couldn't, well, growing up, there's not a whole lot of blacks that could afford insurance. So we didn't go to the doctor unless Jesus was sitting on the foot of the bed.

That's valid. Yeah, I mean, okay, I saw it at the foot of the bed. I got to go to the doctor now. But before the end, we weren't going because we didn't have health insurance. You put your family in debt forever and forever to pay those bills. And we weren't going to burden. We looked at it as a burden. The one thing we're not going to do is burden our family with debt.

Yeah. So we wouldn't go. That's it. Yeah. So now I'm going. I'm going through my deductible. First two months of the year, I'm going through my deductible. Let's run it. Run it.

That's why you got to go to Thailand and get all your shit checked out. Look it up. Look it up. I'm telling you. You wrote for Titi, Tiana Taylor. Did I? No, she covered your song, the girl with the tattoo. Yeah, that's right.

How does that feel, let me ask you, how does that feel when someone covers one of your songs? That's like, that's ultimate, that's ultimate, like, nod, you know, it's like a... Tip with a cow. Yeah, it's a really dope nod and, and also she, she's, her voice is incredible. Yeah, I love. She's incredible. everything she's like I she can do it all she can dance she can

choreographed I honestly think when I think she's gonna Oscar is in yeah yeah she's that's like she can really she can she can theoretically she can get an egon she can get anemmy tony Oscar she can do it all there's really

nothing she can't do exactly like creative directing too I'd be like man she's shooting other people's videos directing other people videos I'm like oh she's talented man when you when when someone covers a record or like even even when they're asking for like a you know they want to clear clear a sample or a song i think that's like a nod to i i talk to my younger self yeah

and i go see you're right and then that in itself is like a keep going whatever you're doing now just keep going they'll figure it it will it will it will be heard and and felt by who it's meant to be felt by. And that's what's the most, like, gratifying. You covered, uh, uh, scissors the weekend. Would you, would you like to do something with scissors? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, why not?

Why not? I love that. I think the fans would love that. Yeah. Um, but there's a lot of people. I think there's, there's a lot of, like I was saying, there's a lot of collabs that should happen. There's a lot that should happen.

Do you have, do you have your people? people reach out to their people, or if you bump into them, let's do something together. It's always like that. Everyone's always like, let's do something together. But, you know, sometimes they just be playing. Like, hey, man, give me a call. Hey, here's my number. And you change the number tomorrow. It'd be like that. It's like that. Come on, man. It's like that in every, all of our industries that people be like, y'all, yeah, yeah. We all together with you. Look, I'm going to tell you, I've done it before

myself. I have also been the one that's been like, yeah, yeah, yeah, cool, cool. It's not going to happen. That's not going to happen. I don't know that fool. You know what, though? I've actually decided in my life now that I don't want to make music with people that I can't go have coffee with or have a drink with. Okay.

I'll probably be more likely to be like, Shay, let's jump in the studio. That what I'm talking about you. We're having a drink together. You feel me? Like, it'll Saloo. Saloo. A couple drinks now. Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I would with some artists because what I've learned is like, what happens is you get in the studio and then you start to learn the motivation is different. Their motivation is what they're looking for out of this thing. Maybe different than what you're looking for, what you're actually showing up for. And then once the music is made, then you've got to show up for the video. And then you got to show up for, you know, you want to promote it and this and that. And then if the song isn't really representative of what you both actually are like, if there's not a real thing that you really are like, oh, no, we're trying to make music that matters. Right.

If they're like, no, I just want the hit. And you're like, well, I want to say something that is different or interesting or like hasn't been done before. You know, whatever. Oh, wow, we'd love to be impactful, but I'm not chasing that. Well, then you come out with a product that ends up being some weird mix and then you still have to promote it. and I'm... You're not there anymore. Yeah.

You did a karaoke of Rihanna, my girl. Mm-hmm. You want to work with Rhee? You know what? We've talked about working so many times, but I would kill that. Like, I would produce an entire album

for her that would go crazy. You'd say, man, re, she's like really in a family. She got kids now. I don't know if she's really into it. Right. Really like that. And actually, what would be crazy,

I would EP an album for her. her and Rocky, that shit would be insane. Because I have both. Right. I have both. Like the energy, I'm like, oh, no. And I've, I've worked. I would crush an album for both of them for sure. Yeah.

I know you saw when Jamie did a sure thing and blame it. Brough. I just saw Jamie at the Blue Note, too. He, you know what? It's funny. We used to have a Southern spot at Savannah State called a Blue Note.

When you go get fried chicken and gizzards, livers, and fries. It's in Thunderboat, Georgia. It's right. Rocking district from Savannah State campus. So when you said the blue note, it made me think of that. Bro, did you, for real, gizzards, for real? Yeah. Oh, you don't need gizzards?

Not really. Not really, huh? I've never had gizzards. Really? How are they prepared? Fried. Everything fried is good. Who did he?

The right. The right. Hey, so, man, man, what is that? It's fried. Okay, it's good. It's good. Yeah. That is bus in.

Yeah. But would you do something with Jamie? Fox? Yeah. In a, in a, that's also one of those people where you can sit and talk, like,

Jamie is one of the coolest. He is. All he wants to do is joke, though, man. He got to get to have a conversation without you joking all the time. Yeah, but I mean,

it's the best, it's the best thing about. He is the best thing about. Yeah, he's a great, I would love to write with him, work with him. I think he's also one of those ones that's like he's one of our talents that I feel are even still unrealized in terms of their

impact yeah like jamie on the jamie fox show was incredible yeah jamie before that on in living color and stand up on in living color and stand up incredible then you move forward and you're like his out his career as an actor yeah incredible and then in music incredible so you're just like, oh, man. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. He might be one of the most talented people that's ever been created. And not really, like, trying to be like, now, I am the...

No, no, he really... He died of, but like you said, I mean, from stand-up to acting, I mean, when he did Ray... And he did, what is, the pianist? With the piano, when he was the guy, the homeless guy, he... I mean, what can he do? He's, um, yeah, the, uh, the range, that range is like... I don't know if we've seen someone with range like that.

It's like when we say acting range, when you look at a Tom Cruise or you look at Robin Williams, rest his soul, you look at a Samuel L. Jackson. Yeah. And he could be a villain, and he can make you laugh, like, it's your family. You know, it's like, it's crazy. He was incredible. What's your favorite song right now? Like, who's Miguel listening to in the car? Right now I've been listening to Show Me The Body, which is a, and I'm waiting for them to put new music out.

I think they just dropped the album. But Show Me The Body is like a punk band from New York. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So you got a very eclectic taste of music because I mean, a lot of these... I was like, you were not expecting that. Nah, I was not expecting that.

Because some of these, the groups that your name, and I'm like, I ain't never heard of it. You know what? The new Turnstile album is Fire. What? Turnstile. No. Punk band, yeah.

So you're in the punk band? I grew up in San Pedro, which is a art punk haven. So when punk music was really like kind of hitting its... peak, San Pedro in the United States was a place where like the more avant-garde punk music was really like flourishing. There's a band called The Minute Men that come from San Pedro. And I grew up maybe four blocks away from like one of the premier venues that they would come and play. It's also like a, it's also a big skate city.

So a lot of skaters would come to San Pedro. And I also grew up kind of at the apex of where all of that comes together. punk music classic rock from my father's side and then soul music all have a big influence and just alternative music

overall I have a big influence on the sound and that's why you hear a lot of like heavy guitar in my music why

even melodically I approach music the way I do. Would you do a cover song? Yeah what did I cover more recently? I covered Careless Whisper

for the rock music George Michael, huh? Yeah. Yeah, we did that. But, like, on record. Yeah. Because, I mean, you got, hey, look, you got to be doing,

you got to be really, really good when you do a cover. Valid. People are going to say, you should have left that alone. That's valid. That's true. They get real, like, and I'm also protective of my favorite artist. You should have left that alone.

Don't touch that. Now, the guy that did the cover, and you're like, he sounded better, is Luther or Whitney. Because Whitney take your song, You're like, You should not, you should not,

you should know. It took Donnie Farts. I'll always love you. That was Dolly Parton. And Luther took like seven or eight. You're like, I don't know who sung that before Luther, but they should have left that alone.

I don't think I have the voice for that, obviously. I don't, I don't think that I'm, but see, like DiAngelo covered, he always had a cover on his records, you know,

cruising. Yes. You know, Smoky Robinson. Yep. You know. Africa. We're listening to records

And Africa on Voodoo is like A1 It's a, it's very, it's like I will always go to that record on a Sunday You know? I don't know I don't know that I have the The voice for it, but I would I have, I don't know if I have

I'm brave enough to put it on record, record Yeah, because you A Because people are going to say you should lead that low man It's rough I'm like, what would I cover? That's a good question Let me ask you this. When people, it's funny, because I talk to LL and I talk to a lot of different people that have had people do their songs or sample their song.

And I say, let me ask you this. When someone comes and says, I want to do this, do you have to hear their song before you's like, you give it clearance? So if somebody came to you and they say, man, let's take this problem. I want to, I want to do this. Take your song and do with it. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

No, I got to hear it. Nah. Because I had Bobby Brown on the Bobby said, man, if I hadn't known, I wouldn't let Brett to do my paragon. I think, come on, Bobby's like, nah, bad. I mean, it kind of fit, though. Yeah. It's kind of fit. I get it.

I get it in terms of, you know, you know. Also, I mean, he probably liked the check, though. The check was probably nice. Really? Listen, we're not mad at the bag. But, yeah, sometimes there's not really worth it. But, yeah, I do have to hear it. Right.

I got to hear it. Because sometimes they are not. Yeah, they'd be joking. They'd be trying to joke on your song and I ain't put that. No, we can't do that. You're not about to take this, nah. Have you ever had a song stolen? Song stolen?

No, but I've been a part of like some songs where I didn't get credit that I thought I should have. Nothing that I would, I would, I'd never say it. But, you know, I came up as a writer. Right. it was the way that they explained to me that I would actually make my way to being an artist you know people what you're trying to do is too

left you're no one knows that you look like or what you are like you're too ambiguous and you know they're weird dressing weird shit so they were like right right be a writer and that's how you'll carve a path for yourself

and in that process I definitely miss some credits that I should have gotten but there's always get back you know I think all it always comes back so yeah you know this is a part of the part of a thing and that's why that's why

I started S1C I started S1C for the same reason for the same reason of like don't want people to be taking advantage of be educated about the industries that we are that are a part of making our work seem and that really enable the stories to be told,

but go in with leverage and knowledge about how they work. Right. So we're never agreeing to or acquiescing to things that in the long term don't benefit the creative freedom or the financial freedom that we deserve, you know. So let me, with your introduction to mainstream reality TV when you were on BET? Yes.

Well, I'd already seen, we had seen, like, Like, you know, the real world. There were a couple seasons of real world. That was the first introduction of reality TV, the real world. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But in terms of being on television and being a part of that process and, like, narrative, being a part of someone's narrative that you have no clue about, I just.

Well, they don't paint you as favorable. Bruh, I was the villain. Yeah, but they told you up. Yeah, they did. But, you know, I, again, I always say, like, it always comes. comes back like it always works out that's why when you asked earlier you were like would you take an eraser to it i'm like you know what no because in the end i always end up the the truth always is always like look when i'm wrong i say i was wrong hey and look if people are going to hate me for

that when i was wrong that's their prerogative that's cool everybody that's supposed to be with me and pay attention and support and whatever they hear because they really care and that's what they do. I actually would be wasting my time trying to convince people who don't want to. Correct. So cool. That's great. That's fine. But it always comes back around. I was on this show and they painted

me as a villain and they told me that I was walking into a situation that they were looking for a lead singer. Huh? How do you go from a lead singer to a villain? So I walked in and they're like, yo, so we're looking to like bring in a lead singer. We found all the supporting

members. We just need a lead singer. And I'm 14. I'm like, bet, 15. I'm good. I'm like, you got the right one. All right, bet. I'm down. I'm ready.

I never considered being in a group, but I'll be a lead singer, bet. So I go in. And yeah, it's a thing. They had already had their group together. And to them it was painted as this guy's coming in to take someone's spot. So we don't know who it's going to be. But we're going to see.

And one of you is going to have to go. go home. Really? And so their whole interfacing with me from Jump was like, who's this? Like, who are you coming in? We've been hanging out. We've been, we earned our spots here and who are you to come in here? And that was the position that they took.

It's so crazy that that's kind of like still one of those things. But yeah, that was my introduction. I learned very quickly the, it's TV and editing. Right. You know what I mean? It's editing. So they made you look really bad. They cut it.

They told you up, though. I don't think they made me that look that bad, though. It did. They did. But, you know, shit. We're here. So, look at your image when you first came out, they had you with tall tees. Yeah.

Bro. You not a rapper? Yeah, definitely not. But that was the image they wanted to portray? If they thought that's what would sell? Man, I think even I was like, okay, this is me, you know. Right, you're trying to get on. You accepted everything.

19. I'm looking at it like, okay, well, shit, I'll put on a, like, I was already wearing, like, big t-shirts. Okay. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't like it was like I all of a sudden became a different person. Right. But when you look at what I was choosing in that time versus the real person behind the the music and, like, all of the things that inform, like, who I, my identity, who I am.

It definitely was, like, one of those ones where I was like, all right, well, I'm trying to figure it out. But, I mean, how did you dress 20 years ago? You know, it's like, good and terrible. You know what I'm saying? Good and terrible. That's how, that's how I was saying. You know, I think the thing is, like, when you get some, you have an idea of how you want

to dress, if I ever got some money. Right. You know, I wore summer clothes. When I was a kid, I wore summer clothes year round. Some of my brothers, some my uncles, some of my cousins. You know what I'm saying? So I had summer clothes. So I always said, if I got me some money, I would get me something nice.

And so when I started making money, I dressed, you know, I went through the fan where I had all the throwback jerseys, the Dave Winfield, the creams, all that stuff. And then you go through the big oversized jeans, the Red Monkey. That was the era. Yeah. And so you go through that faith and then you realize like, bro, leave that for them young kids, man. You are your late 30s. You can't be dressed like these kids. And so now, you know, you just, I dress like I'm comfortable. And by the man, you dress like a yoga teacher. Bro, I'm 57. What I'm supposed to dress like? What I'm supposed to dress like? What I'm supposed to dress like? I'm 56. What I'm supposed to dress like? I'm going to dress like what? I'm just trying to figure. You want me? I earned this. Yeah. You want me to dress like what? You want me to dress like, you know, who am I supposed to dress like? I'm a 57 year old. Right, right. And so that's the thing. It's just like, okay, just accept who you are and dress. What makes you feel comfortable?

I think the key was really figuring out, like, my, I was figuring out my voice, even as a writer. Okay. And as an artist at the time. And I was working with a lot of people who, again, I was telling you, I was like, coming from being a writer, it was a lot of people who were like, you should do it like this, do it like this. And just trying to find my identity and find my way. So, yeah, when I started out, you guys are, I mean, Anyone watch, you can go back, look at the, get your hands up video.

You know what I mean? I've got, I've got the fit it on. I've got big, big shirt on, big pants on. But, you know, everyone, every artist has their journey. That's where I was at at the time. The journey is everything. Right. The whole journey is everything.

It's about, it really is about, like, honing and refining, right? Have you ever been star-struck? Yeah, first time I met, Jay, for sure. I was like, man, this is like reasonable doubt. This is like, whoa, okay. Blueprint. And I'm a, I'm a student of hip hop. I come from hip hop, like, really.

So I think one of the biggest artists I met at the time, you know, one of the first was meeting Jay and I was like, and it wasn't, it wasn't that I was fumbling. I just was like, oh, shit, I'm really in this room. with Jay-Z Wow With Ho I'm You know what I mean It was a

Oh I'm The work is here It's put me here So it was cool Also yay was there You know It was a lot

It was a lot How hard was it I guess the music industry Looked It's like Here's a guy He's half Mexican He sounds black

He looks Filipino Right So So what So what we do it here? That's the, that's, that's been the hurdle. I've been, I've been, you know, trying to, trying to clear this whole time. Look, man, I'm, I would say I'm like, on the cutting edge, man.

What can I say? Yeah. Shout out to my parents. They were forward thinking. Yeah. Big shout to my parents. They were way ahead of their time, you know. Your mom is black.

Your dad is Mexican. Yeah. Yeah. But you got coming up. being biracial you're not black enough you're not Hispanic enough so you're kind of in purgatory

it's like like where do I mean how did you how did that like as a child because you know a lot of biracial kids especially if you're black or white you're not black enough you're not you're not white enough well I've gone through a lot of my life

trying to trying to figure out how to make make to get myself to a place where I felt like I was enough enough is the right word because that is the feeling I wrote a whole song about this called

What's Normal Anyway on Wildheart and I put out called Wildheart and it very much starts too proper for the black kids, too black for the Mexicans too square to be a hood and what's normal anyway you know

is um that that was the that's how it felt growing up i think now i don't i'm really proud to be both right i'm so proud to be like man i get to i'm repping for both yeah i don't feel like i have to um i don't have to be any more or less you know than anything um i think there's a tremendous amount of work in that feeling so i'm i'm grateful for that And man, shout out to everybody out there, you know, multicultural is definitely a, it's a challenge because the way that we're, the world is, it feels like you're supposed to choose. Yes. And sometimes it's insinuated that you have to be a certain way. But what I found in these last eight years was a tremendous amount of acceptance.

first and foremost, like, of myself, which allowed me to see that I was already accepted as both from those. You know what I mean? It was already there, but I had to claim it for myself. Right. Which is an important learning, so, yeah. Bad Bunny performing the Super Bowl.

Best Bowl, thank God. Bro, you know, a lot of people ain't happy by then. Yeah. And watch the money flow, too. where he's performing the real thing is like we're seeing how it's really all about money when you were asking about money i wanted to talk about this but my view of money is that is the that's the motive for everything and understanding that it can't be the daily the goal like that can't be our motivation for money but understanding it's its significance in the paradigm and how that

that affects everything so it trickles down when we hit money when we touch the money and when we when we stop viewing things and then it starts that's why when you see jimmy kimmel and they cancel him and they bring them back because the viewership goes down crazy that hit the money yeah you see you feel what i'm saying so you know the the super bowl having bad bunny they're probably going to make the most money they ever made yeah i almost would go on whatever betting side and be like i bet you they make the most money they've ever made to date because of his performance

but ultimately the whole thing is you know it really comes down to the money and when they see that bet you they bring another Latino on on your new album Chaos you do a couple of songs in Spanish why did you do it this time

why you do? That's like that that's the accepting and feeling accepted and discovering a new like um it's discovering a new sense of identity a more proud sense of identity that feels like i can be proud to be this you know and that i don't have to prove anything i am you know that felt natural and um i think also that has to do with becoming a father really does give you a different appreciation for how you were raised and your parents and your upbringing and looking at well it has for me it made me look at my my experience growing up with so much gratitude and um in that is my my gratitude for my for the culture i was given on both sides right and that made me feel even more empowered and more like Like, no, this is very natural for me. And what it did was writing in Spanish unlocked saying some things that I didn't know that

I needed to say. Some things that paid homage to like my family that I needed to say. You mentioned, touched on it, you're a father now, got a new baby. And you posted it on social media, blurred out the face, but you didn't. But you didn't. Mm-hmm. Why? I mean, what made you, what made you decide?

Because a lot of times when people, they don't post their kids or they blur out the face, but you're like, hey, it's like, hey, here's my offspring. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So in the album, not just in the album in my life, it was having my son that really triggered a lot of the work that I needed to do. and the realizations that I kind of had, it really triggered a lot of things that make this album whole. And it wasn't until writing Angel's song

and seeing him for the first time and forgetting the madness that's playing out in front of us that I felt a different kind of hope and faith that I haven't felt in a long, long time. And so that really just gave me a whole other perspective of life. And it made me be able to finish some songs. It was so significant. Then also I know that I've lived out a lot of my relationship in the public.

And this was so significant that I felt if I didn't express the immense life, like how proud I was to be a father how impactful it's been on my life and also how impactful has been on my creativity I would have never I couldn't put out an album if it honestly I couldn't have put this album out if I didn't have my son I wasn't going to do another album I would I was I don't think I would have had the at the the way that I was moving or avoiding the work that needed to be done I would not have had the fortitude to put another album out and that's because you know the moment you do something in the public you become public scrutiny everything you do because of public scrutiny and i'm

tremendously sensitive about my work and the last time i did this i just was like man you know what i could see my influence and not just mine but the influence of me and my peers in the work now and at the time they said it was I was a weird of they said this and that and I had all these feelings and all these emotions and I said you know what I've been lucky enough to do this and I'm okay I can provide for my family and I'm bought like I said bought my mom crib I can look out for my I'm doing you know what I'm saying I can provide for myself myself all of these things if anybody comes to me I can I can do man I did it do I really want to deal with everybody but uh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha about this and that with no context with also the insensitivity of like I'm a human being just like you I've actually at every point I've given myself to this and I put it in front of you just because I'm like man I'm I want to live it out out loud and that's um that takes a lot of energy anybody that you've met here knows that you know that you know that yeah so I didn't know that I want to do this again and it was him that actually gave me the fortitude.

It was him, it was having him that gave me the, it was the domino that made me look at myself, that made me find the pride and the gratitude that I needed to push me into prioritizing, this is what's the most important moving forward, to finding that I want to give my time and attention to things that are impactful to other people.

So when I am away, I can justify it and go, Daddy, Bobby was away, but, you know, we got to do this for these people and look, look what we're doing. And look at the time that we spent, you know, I'm so sorry I was away, but this is how it, I can justify that. Right. You feel me? Yeah. It was the domino, and I found so much learning and empowerment through it that I couldn't not keep it a secret. Wow.

There was no way. It was such a, it's such a significant part of my growth. so yeah that was a side of money yeah how different are you raising your son to what your dad did for you money aside do you see similarities and things that your dad said to you that you now say to your son obviously he's very very young but how different or how similar are you going to raise your son to way you were raised i would say similar i would say my dad was like and is my My dad is like, my dad was like my, he didn't have the most support from his father. Not that I, I don't think my dad, my grandfather didn't want to support him.

I think there was a lot of, they were very similar, so they're but heads, but man. I see you get emotional when you talk about this. Man. My dad's the shit. He's your hero, isn't he? He's the shit, man. Mr. P is the shit man, you know, he's he's he really believed and he always told me I could do it He gave me a lot of things, but I think the thing the most thing that he gave you was confidence in you. That's right

Of all the things that he's given you Yeah, you life and he was your father. He's been in your life, but he convinced you Mm-hmm mm-hmm that you could do this. It's valid. It's super valid. He never took away. I think we we're born with the convincing that we need that we deserve and that we are everyone all each and every one of us you know but my father was um he was aware enough in his youth it was only 23 22 going on 23 he was aware enough to not rob me of that but to me but to reassure me that I could and I mean that makes me one of the luckiest people in the world you know Did you always want kids?

Yeah, I always thought I, because my dad was so dope, and look, my mom is amazing. Right. Don't get me wrong. But I think very often we, we forget that that dad is, you know, when we have, I was lucky, you know, so I just, I. Because everybody's like, hi, mom, happy Mother's Day. We do all this stuff. We do all this stuff for the mom. And we should.

I don't want to say, but sometimes the day is shit. My mom is the shit. Like my mom is, especially now in my life, I'm like, it's a whole different kind of, I love her in a way where I felt maybe I couldn't have even understood. I couldn't have understood the sacrifice of her body, of her time and her, you know, that she put in. But yeah, my dad was the shit in terms of like this vision and me being the man that I am. and becoming who I am, a lot of it is from him, you know, a lot of that, both of my parents, but my dad believed heavy and said verbally, you can do whatever you, what do you want to do? Like, he was like, what do you want to do, puppy?

Do you want to go to them, you want to be an astronaut? You want to, you want to be a fireman, you want to be a teat, what do you want to be? You can do it. Whatever. If I said today, if I said anything, he would be like, you can do that. Wow. You can do it. Right.

And he'll be real about it, you know? So I have a tremendous, there's a special thing about my father. He's just, he's the shit, man. You don't get married again? Your ex, you and your ex, you dated 10 years before you got married. You was married for eight, nine years. You see marriage in your future again? The real short answer is no, probably not.

I'll probably never get married again. I think I'm open to it. if I feel that the real partnership is, supports it. And that's really the thing. But right now, I'm very happy to love someone and I'm very happy to be loved, you know, and to really be able to lock in, especially on behalf of our son. So we're, even though I may not believe in the construct of marriage because of what it actually has become as a marketing thing. Yeah. I believe in the, in the partnership part.

You know what I'm saying? So I may not call it marriage, but I do believe in locking in with somebody and having partnership, whatever that means for anyone out there, you know what I'm saying? However that looks. Right. You're going to bless us with a new, another song from the track on the album, Chaos, is called New Martyrs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we got to do it, listen. I got a chip on my shoulder

I got the blick on my waist I checked the time on my phone I put this mask on my face if you tell me that you're with it babe are you with it babe tell me that you're with it babe because I'm with it babe I got my pride on my sleep

I got my seat on my mind If this shit don't go It's planned I swear I won't leave you behind If you tell me that you're with it babe Oh are you with it baby Tell me that you're with it babe Because I'm with it babe

She said I'll ride for you I'll ride for you Oh I'll ride for you Tell me that you're with it, baby Cause I'm with it, honey Yeah, yeah, yeah

Now Here we go, babe You ready I put two shots in air tell everybody to drop they hit that silent alarm just keep your eyes on that clock I watch them while you get it back yeah get it back no matter what they call us lawless or new martyrs they say God never gives

any more than we can bear. How much can I lose without changing who I am? Yeah, yeah, give me what's my. Oh, we gonna take it, take it, yeah, yeah, give me what's mine, oh. And if I hear sirens outside, and I can see the lights flash, let me kiss you goodbye. You know, I'm ready to blast, and she said, I'll ride for you. I'll ride for you. Oh, I'll ride for you.

Tell me that you with it, baby. I'm with it, honey. Yeah. Yeah. Love can be silent when the system may be silent when the system may be more. Wow. Yeah. Banger.

New martyrs. How did that song come about? That song is just about being angry. It's about being angry with all of the, all of the injustice that we're seeing, especially like on a human level. And like how we're also seeing extreme action being taken, that's relatable, that feels, that could be felt as like justified. I think we're going to see more and more of that as we go on

because we're just watching the systems by which we're meant to express our wants, our demands, what we deserve out of this country. We're going to see, as we're seeing that fail, we're going to see more and more people taking extreme action. I mean, it's wild to watch people be killed in the news, you know, people who are making. decisions that affect people on an everyday basis making decisions that affect their pockets at the expense of human beings, you know? So I think this song comes from just that anger of watching that happen in front of us, yeah.

How difficult is it to see a lot of people? Some people have been here 10, 15, 20 years, 30 years, hardworking people that have paid taxes and families being ripped apart. man there are people being pulled out of their homes we're talking about citizens being put out of their homes this is like this is like estoppo type shit that we're seeing and the question is what does it look like not today and tomorrow but what does it look like in a year from now like how does it look 10 years from now and what does that mean for us you know that's the question um when you look at the parallels in terms of um nazi germany and the the just the signs that were kind of like pointing towards where the where the energy was was going um there's a lot of parallels it's a lot of parallels the the institution of kind of a private force kind of enforcing the uh enforcing the uh enforcing that nationalistic sort of narrative that immigrants shouldn't be there, you know, and to the point where they were, it was, it's very similar. It's very similar. So, you know, it's a scary

time. It's a trip. As a society, are we becoming more desensitized? It used to be when we saw something on television, I can't believe that. We were shocked. It was shocked the very conscience of our soul. Now we see it and we're just like, oh, okay. Man, everybody got a million things going on. So it's easy. And then the scroll is so, it's just like, you know, this is every day. It's not impacting me, so I just keep it moving. That's how, and to a degree you can't really, this is systematic, though. We have to like pay attention to the fact that it's like been systematic. It wasn't always like this, exactly. It's just every, you know, just a new update, new, new thing. they're rolling out a new initiative it's a new thing it's just inch by inch then you figure out

then you realize how far away you were from the goal you know and so um I do think it's it's with intention and I um and it's with a long view you know I think this is yes this is not a short term no yeah this is not a short term play so um look I'm not I don't pretend to be like I'm I know all the history and all that, but I've done a little bit of research and I know how I feel. And that's where the song really actually comes, comes from. It comes from, man, you know, it's really feeling like something's off. And I would, I will wager, most people feel like something's not right, you know, something's not right. So, you know, the song is really meant to just reflect the angst, I think, that we're all feeling.

that we deserve better. And I'm really happy that, you know, we're able to perform it today. So, yeah. Miguel, you're part Hispanic. When you see Hispanics for Trump and you see what's happening in your community, like you said,

some law-abiding citizens, some people have paid taxes for 20, 30 years, and some, this is the only home they know. They don't know Mexico or wherever they came from. They know this. Yeah. And they're being pulled apart. When you see Hispanics for Trump,

and you see what's happening in your community. Do you feel a certain type of way? I'm not here to judge anybody. You know, I think everyone is allowed their own perspective. That's the whole beauty of what was supposed to be, you know, a democratic system in America, right? Listen, you're free to believe and, you know, believe as you will and express, you know, with the due process, your opinion, right? I do think that there's so much information. that it's hard to see the truth

and even the truth you have to do a lot you have to search for where the truth is coming from I think also systematically how we get information is being controlled what information we get and

and seeing the information in its pure state uncut unstepped on you feel me it's so it's a it's a task and we're already so tired So I understand that people can be, it's easy to maneuver people and skew the truth in a way that maybe appeals to, you know, certain people.

I don't judge anybody for how they feel. Look, I'm going to tell you, I have democratic beliefs and I have, you know what I mean, Republican beliefs. That's, that's, and I think the bipartisan system overall is really at the core of the, look we a lot of that is it's rooted in a lot of the same spirit executed in a different manner you know and so but we used to be able to talk now we can't now we can't even talk oh you over there we'll stay over there I'm over here I'm gonna stay over here that's it and I just speak to you over to come you got your it used to be okay we agree to disagree now we can't disagree yeah yeah yeah we disagree I hate you it's because it's

become too sensitive everything I think is this is everyone is very sensitive or overall there's a sensitivity that actually works against getting to a solution and and the greater the greater ones always say that they're willing to come to the table that they want to have conversation in order to find solution and I think anyone who takes a strong stance in terms of our representatives so as to it to sort of like rule out having real conversation constructive criticism and conversation around issues is a red flag I'm gonna get you out of here on this

your father was black my father's Mexican Mexican your mother's black so you're biracial and then his mom your son's mom is Asian Chinese yeah so are you gonna sit down and explain to him you're part Asian

you're part Hispanic you have the best of both worlds you don't have to choose aside you got the best food from all players like yeah you got the enchiladas and you got all yeah you got the enchiladas and you got all yeah yeah um i will i will do my best to instill in him the the fact that he is more than enough and he's human and from what i've learned through art is that this whole experience is about humanity. And all of the things that people think are different about you,

a reflection of their interfacing with this world and with this thing. But really what I hope to instill in him is that he will have to find his wholeness and in this whole thing or maintain it. And I, more than anything, want to bolster that. I want to, I want to protect that he always feels whole and never feels any question. But no one can make anyone feel more or less that they don't decide to subscribe to. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

So what I hope to do is just instilling him that, man, he is everything all powerful, all knowing already. You know what I mean? He's got it in him. He's a reflection of. the source. We are made in his image. And as long as I can help protect

that by just by reminding that he's everything is possible. All things are possible. If you can feel it and see it and imagine it clearly and to move in that direction with like real principle, I think we won.

This is Miguel. His album drops chaos. Make sure you go stream it and buy it. Grab your tickets for North American tour with kicks off February 10th of 2026. And he's a scholar at NYU. Miguel, that's right. Thank you so much, man.

Thank you. I appreciate it. All my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price. Want a slice. Got the roll of dice. That's why all my life. I've been grinding on my life. Yeah. All my life. They're grinding all my life. Sacrifice. Hustle paid the price.

Want a slice. Got to roll a dice. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life I'm running all my life