Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - 42 Aloe Blacc + Maya Jupiter

Episode Date: November 11, 2020

Today in episode 42 of Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew, we chat with powerhouse couple, Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter. In our conversation with them, we talked about everything from their personal life to the importance of teaching our children history. Aloe and Maya are both musicians, activists, parents, and incredibly talented individuals. Listening to them shed light on a some really important topics was truly an honor and we're excited to hear your thoughts. Without further ado, we bring you Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter. If you haven’t yet, please rate Couple Things and subscribe to hear more. And if you have suggestions/recommendations for the show, send us your ideas in a video format – we might just choose yours! Email us at [e-mail]. Last but not least, learn more about Aloe and Maya, and all they do at the links below. ––– Follow @aloeblacc on IG ▶ https://www.instagram.com/aloeblacc/?hl=en Follow @mayajupiter on IG ▶ https://www.instagram.com/mayajupiter/?hl=en 'All Love Everything' out everywhere now! ▶ https://aloeblacc.lnk.to/AllLoveEverything ––– We’re supported by the following companies we love! Make sure to check them out using our links below. Butcherbox! ▶ Use our link in to get a FREE Turkey! New members will get a free turkey (10-14 lbs) in their first order when you sign up for ButcherBox! Plus, shipping is always free! You can go to https://butcherbox.com/couple today to claim yours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to a couple things. With Sean and Andrew. A podcast all about couples. And the things they go through. If Sean sounds out of breath, it's because she is. She actually got tested for COVID today, although it came up negative. Yes.

But you are sick in some capacity. We're bummed because today was going to be our first live stream show. Yes. We're going to start doing live stream solo episodes when we're not doing interviews that's going to go on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. and that way we can actually get questions live as they come in and we talk about the topic of the day. But we're not bummed because today's guest is epic. Oh my gosh. I loved talking to this couple.

They, Andrew and I have had really, really deep conversations ever since we talked to this couple. I'll let you introduce them in a second. They said something about teaching kids about history that has shook me to the core and I think is one of the most beautiful things. And one of the most brilliant things I've ever heard. And it's just, it's such no-brainer. And you'll hear it. Don't worry. So we sit down with Allo Black and his wife, Maya, both musicians and really phenomenal thinkers,

I think, phenomenal talents at their craft. I enjoyed this conversation because Allo and his wife had some phenomenal wisdom to share. So I'm going to let you guys sit back and listen to it. And we'll save Sean her voice. Yes. But before we jump into the show, we should say that Allo recently, released a new album called All Love Everything. It just came out in October. So we'll link that down below. And if you want to find out what these two are up to, we will include their information,

all the links to everything in the show notes down below. So check that out. And if you haven't, subscribed to this show or given a rating, please do so. Helps us out. We love hearing what you have to say. But without further ado, I bring you Allo Black and his wife, Maya. much for joining us on the show. It's a pleasure to meet you. Nice to meet you. Thanks for having us. Wow. Well, we're going to have a fantastic conversation. I'm really excited. I understand that you guys have been in Los Angeles. You guys live in Los Angeles. How long have you guys been there? I've been here my whole life, basically. I grew up in Southern California. Maya came in 2008. Yes. I've been in 13 years. Wow. Maya, would you mind sharing your origins?

Yes. I grew up in Australia, in Sydney, Australia, but I was born in Mexico. My father's Mexican, my mom is Turkish, and we migrated to Australia when I was one. And then I decided that wasn't enough. So I migrated to States when I met Allo, fell in love and decided to test things out. And so far, two kids later, I'm still here. Pass the test. You could say things are getting pretty serious in between you two, then. Yeah. Okay, so the first question we always ask anybody on our show is take us back to the moment you guys met each other for the first time. Wow. Right. Okay.

The moment I met Maya for the first time, I was at a music conference in Melbourne. And she was the national television and national radio voice for hip hop. And I was just this up-and-coming artist, and I was trying to promote my music, and I somehow was able to get an interview on her show. That's a low-key way of saying I interviewed him, and that's how we met. Wow. Hey, very romantic. It's a first, actually, for the show.

I mean, I feel like it's worth. What questions did you ask, Maya, that won him, his heart over? this must have been an intense interview right yeah and i cringe when i watch it back like i can't because i you can see me smiling from ear to ear and i never dated before so just putting that out there i mean she food all the celebrity she had her pick of the litter and she chose me she looked she saw this was like low low price stock because it's through the roof Okay. So I'm curious. What was it about the interview or about each other that you were like, this person? This person I like. So I was in radio and it's so funny because I really remember having this thought of, you know, a stack of CDs on my desk. I'm going through the mail. I'm listening to, because, you know, I spend most of my day just listening to music. What am I going to play that evening? I was doing a hip-hop show. And I got his album and I saw it was from Stone's Stroh. So I recognized the label.

I'm listening to the music, the influences. I start reading his bio. His parents are from Panama. He's first generation American. And a lot of his early stuff had Latin influences in the music. It had reggae and dance hall, soul, hip-hop. It was all the things, as a hip-hop artist myself, was all the things that inspired me.

And I remember the distinct thought reading the bio going, man, if I lived in L.A., we'd be friends. We'd be friends. Like, we'd hang out. Maybe we would collaborate, make some music together. And just kind of feeling, sometimes, you know, being in Australia, it's a beautiful country, but you do feel very separated from the rest of the world. Like, you're so far away from the action, especially L.A., you know, where it all happens.

So, but I just thought that, and I, I thought, But I knew straight away that we had similar inspirations musically. And I thought just on a on a hip-hop peer-to-pea level, we would get along. She made the interview happen. Wow. Okay, so after the interview, wait, can I interrupt? Yeah, you grew up. Well, hold on, a couple of things.

Maya, can you say panama again? Panama That's cool I've never heard anybody say it like that is that is like authentic How did you say it? I was trying to say But in Panama

they say Panama Yeah Allo you got to say it now I got to Panama Okay I mean Did you try it out? Nope

And then wait I got to know who followed up Allo were you like Like did you flip and ask Maya question during the interview? You're like can I get your number though um how did that happen so it was a so where a video the show i was hosting is a video channel so he wanted to give me that his DVD which had the video clip so we could play the video with the

interview come he says come to the after party um no no it was like the dinner yeah so at the music conference that i was at red bull music academy i had a DVD that i could give her so she could play my music video on the on her show and then he invited me to the after party of the academy i invited him to the to a hip-hop australian hip-hop event that was happening i worked to like midnight that night and after that night i was like hmm do i he's not here and i and i go do i go or don't i go and i had this feeling i'm like i don't really want to because i don't want to or you know groupie or anything like that and I was like stuff it I'm just going to do it so I jumped in a cab I went by myself I didn't bring any friends because I was like just in case

and he was at the front of the venue waiting for a cab to leave and I thought she wasn't going to show up I waited all night and I arrived in the taxi and then he sees me and gives me a big hug and says you came. And then we just drank orange juice. And that was... Allo chees-in. Allo's reliving it right now. This is great.

This war's my heart, guys. It was me. I chased. I love that. Okay, so then you guys start dating, talking. Yeah, talking sort of over the internet. Then Grammys Week in the U.S. came around. And her television network sent her to the U.S. to interview all the big stars again.

And her producer said, just in case one of the big stars fall through, line up some indie groups that you can also interview. So I also had an indie group. I was a song art. I had the group with a DJ named Exile. And she interviewed my group. I was like, let me call. February, Grammys always falls around Valentine's. weekend's week and I asked her out for a Valentine's concert to go see Wycliffe at the House

of Blues. Ooh. That's amazing. Dang. That puts our first date to shame. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

So you go on your first date. How does this progress and then how long until proposal marriage? Wow. Okay. First date. So February 07. February, 7. I move over April 2008.

Oh, yeah, one year. One year of longest vacation. And then we got married 2010. Yeah, there was no Zoom back then. It was only Skype. Yes. Wait, did you have the Skype camera that you had to like attach the top of your computer? Yeah.

Yeah, Saturday. Wow. Yes. And actually buy like Skype credit to call. Yeah. I still have like 20 bucks on Skype anyway. Uh-huh. iPhones didn't exist yet with FaceTime.

So, right, you know, this is all very early. Pre-smart phone technology. How did you guys, how did you find your long-distance experience? Was there a lot of like T-9 texting, you know, the flip phone action? How did you make it through it, I guess, is what I'm asking? It was horrible. We saw it like three times in a year. We met in Hawaii, which was, I think.

So after that February 1st day. When do we meet in Hawaii? I want to be April, but I can't. I think it was May. Okay. We were talked every day, and so I would call him on my way home from work, which would be morning time in L.A. Oh, the time change.

As I'm driving through traffic, and the next day, I'm a day forward, by the way. Wow. Driving through traffic, he's waking up and we're just talking. So we spoke every day, and eventually it was like, okay, we need to see each other. because you know what's going on and I again man I'm really responsible for this relationship yeah she's guys I purchased my flight um I purchased my ticket we we talked about when in our calendars were was there a window of like five days and he was touring and you know doing all kinds of stuff and I was working three jobs like I'm on TV radio plus I have my

music. So I'm working like six days a week. So I was like, okay, this is the window that it can happen. I go on orbits and book my flight. Wow. The email and I was like, I'm going to be in Hawaii on these dates. What are you doing? Where are you going? That's awesome. Oh, my gosh. And Alice stepped up and made plays, huh? I had to buy my ticket. And then I was like, okay, I got the hotel room and made the arrangements for a hotel. And when I got to Hawaii, I was there before she got there. So I just went and like decked out the suite with all kinds of treats and food. And I got a couple of lays.

And when she showed up, I had a sign that said, Maya Dawkins so instead of her last name I put my last name and so she got off the airplane and sees this sign and then I put the lay on her and went to the hotel room and never wait did like a proposal come after that it wasn't also came like a year a couple years later you used the last name two years before you got married I is the most romantic dude alive take notes take Oh, my, how to, okay, I want to hear the proposal story because it's obviously going to be epic. It's not. It doesn't need to be.

Your entire relationship was already epic. This is like, we could speak a whole hour on this conversation. And by the way, we just released our whole like footage camera of that Hawaii trip. Of that Hawaii trip, it's on the everything lyric video. So if you look at his lyric video for all of everything, you'll see. polarites of um yeah that whole Hawaii trip of that entire oh we're bought in now I need to go watch everything I got chills this is yeah like this is what they're talking about this yeah okay dang anyway um the proposal proposal I wasn't prepared I didn't know I was going to ask her

to marry me when I did but I just felt like it was the moment I wanted to and I didn't have a ring. We were on a plane heading to Mexico. We were already in Mexico. We were playing for one point. Amazing trip through Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula

going from, you know, Mayan ruins to the beaches and visiting some of her family in Cancun. Chichenica, Palangans. So parameds. I saw grab down. That's it. And so we're taking off from

like one part of Mexico to land. in another part of Mexico and I look out the window and there's this beautiful sunset and I look over at her and I'm like I just want to spend the rest of every sunset with you will you marry me on the plane on the plane and I was like what you're like are you proposing to me I don't see a ring she's like the seatbelt signs on you can't even get on your knee I said yes, but I'm thinking, okay, what, like, I'm just not thinking this is real. Yeah. Arrived to my auntie and uncle's house, and he tells them that we're engaged.

And I was like, when I engaged, and he's like, yeah, you said yes. And I was like, where's the ring? So he makes a ring out of, I'm going to say, aluminum, right? Is that right? Aluminum. Yeah. An origami ring out of a chewing. And I still have it, by the way.

I still have it. That's adorable. And I just laughed, but, you know, eventually he proposed again when my mom came to visit from Australia in her presence. Annie gave me this ring, so. Wow. Oh, that's beautiful. I mean, that's beautiful.

I mean, you don't need a lot of things for a proposal, Allo, but like of the list of one thing, like the ring has got to make it on. Hey, he technically found one. Now, here's the thing, though, it's so funny, hearing love stories, like, when Sean and I talk about our love story, it's like the most embarrassing. It makes me look terrible. But in the moment, like, proposing on a plane, the aluminum ring, it's like, it just means so much more. Like, you know, as funny and as ridiculous as the story may be, it's like, it's awesome. I love it. I'm not a diamond girl. Like, I never, you know, this is an opal. You know, I never said, I need a diamond. and that it i'm not a fancy person like that so i think he knew that but you know she still deserved her proposal moment to be something more special than well you made it up you made it up you made it up for it with the i do video okay so fast forward a little bit longer

you guys have two beautiful babies now seven and four how is parent life treating you guys I enjoy it. I love it. I'm happy to be a father. I think in our very first conversations, I had said something crazy like, I want seven kids. And then after having two,

I was like, I want two kids. Yeah. He said the same thing. He's like, I want a football team or something. And then we had our first one. And he's like,

maybe one. Maybe one's good. Yeah. It gets your heart, the first one. It does. I love parenting. I think nothing prepares you for it, can prepare you for it. And it's it's challenging because you don't ever know how you are going to be as a parent. So you can't even have conversations. You think you know and then you become a parent and then it's wow to sleep drain to not sleep train.

Sugar, no sugar. TV, no TV. I mean, it's just you know. So I'm sleep train, no sugar. TV. It's like you, you walk around with your list. I am this. She is that. So one of the most fascinating things we read about you guys was the no TV, not because it's no TV.

Like, that's amazing. But you guys don't do TV for your kids because you think it takes away part of your kid's imagination? Well, so we noticed that our kids are. are extremely creative but in the moments where there is let's say we're flying 14 hours to Australia get a lot of TV on when when they when we get to Australia the next week is all of processing of this media that they saw which is no longer their creativity it is now implanted from someone else's ideas

and thoughts about structures and storylines when they're super creative on their own. So we want to be careful about what kind of messages they're getting from, you know, from elsewhere. Like my kids without, you know, some of the things they've seen probably wouldn't have a concept of like guns and shooting, right? But it's on, it's in the media, right? And we're like, we're no gun family. So do we want to have these other ideas that we hadn't had a chance to broach the conversation

and talk about, okay, mortality, respect for life? Exposure is one thing. But there's also a lot of research around how media in general is not the best development. mentally for children. And for me, it comes from more of that aspect of, you know, what happens to their brain when they're watching a screen and, you know, their brain making sense of all these pixels firing at them. And just seeing for myself, like, if you watch children, watching a screen locked in, they can't, they can't take their eyes off, but they become like zombies, right? I noticed that afterwards, my daughter would, you know, hit or kick, act out in ways.

that she would never be like, you know, other than if she wasn't in front of the television. So I started noticing, okay, you know, I can see that this is sort of unwinding that needs to happen. And we, our children are in a Waldorf school, which is a Rudolph Steiner education, and that's very, you know, they're rooted in, they have their reasons for no media, but they also introduced us to the neuroscience behind it. And it's sort of this idea that, yeah, you're going to get that 30 minutes for yourself because it buys you time to, you know,

get the dishes done or get the food made or whatever. But then 20 minutes of watching causes like needs about 40 minutes of unwinding from it. And there's research that shows, you know, in terms of comprehension and, you know, kids' levels of comprehension are much higher when they haven't been watching as opposed to kids who have just been in front of a screen.

So there's a lot of research around why it's not great for younger children. And, you know, it's not that we do none because, I mean, especially in a pandemic. They're in media time. It's been going higher. We just try to really balance it and not do too much

and maybe leave it limited to Saturday mornings or grandma's house or, you know, just that. It was crazy. I was raised on TV. Like I had, I had eight hours of TV a day until I was probably a sophomore in high school. And I was like, I'm good. I don't think I'm ever. Almost cold turkey TV.

And so I think there are merits for it. I think I learned a whole lot, but I saw way more than I needed to see. It's also different. We don't have like, now we have iPads that never ends and YouTube channels that never end, that go on and on. There's an addiction, definitely. And then also, what I've learned is there's a $4 billion industry in marketing to our children.

And there's a thing where they call, what was the term that I was telling you about the other day? It's something friction. Oh, yeah. Purchasing friction. Purchasing friction. And this is the label that they give to parents, that they call us purchasing friction.

So how do they bring parent away from the toddler? So the toddler can buy things because you know that when you're at the door and they market to your kid right in the aisle when you're about to check out and it's just same idea. So I don't like, I just, that bothers me. A big industry is marketing to my child to tell them to get that LOL doll and to nag me for the next three hours that I have to buy it. So you as creatives would appreciate that. I don't know if you ever heard of the book, The War of Art. So the Art of War is,

like this ancient. Yeah, yeah. But that someone came out with probably 15 years ago, the War of Art, talking about the creative process. And he talks about how the point that you would get bored is really like when your creativity starts to blossom.

Absolutely. I love it. So instead of filling the boredom with, you know, consuming social media or reading the news, news or whatever, like just sit there and see what your brain comes up with. And it might be crazy and weird, but it also might be genius, you know. Those are the most wonderful times in our family and our household when the kids are trying to find something to occupy their time with. And you see them in their own world, creating their own stories, building their own

universe. Yeah. And as a parent, you love it so much. You just want to go and squeeze them and hug them and just like cuddle because they look like they're having so much fun, but you also have to just kind of like, okay, let me give them their time space. And as soon as you make them aware of it, you break the fourth wall and they're like, you know, then they realize, oh, okay, can I do something else that. Can we watch? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. thing. I'm curious. I mean, you guys live in the entertainment world and there's something so beautiful about watching our babies just live in such this like perfect world where they're not touched by all of just the madness around them. But as adults, you guys live in the entertainment

industry, which is chaos. How do you guys still find that separation as parents and as a family to have boredom and to keep, keep it out of your family life, if that makes sense. Yeah, it's all about simplifying life and brings me to another book, Simplicity Parenting, which is an incredible book by Dr. Kim John Payne, and it talks about not, you know, overpacking your schedule and filling up, not just in terms of your schedule, but simplifying your life all around with your stuff, the information that comes into your house. So we don't watch the news in front of our kids. And we try our best to space out, you know, the weekends, like give time, give the days time to breathe, if that makes sense. This is something Sean and I have put a fair deal of

thought into, but you both have reached fantastic success. How are you? How are you? preparing your kids to when they're old enough to understand what success you've had to deal with that you know so I think a lot of that comes down to making them feel empowered with their skill sets and offering them the skill sets now so I'm you know this is an ongoing conversation and discussion, which is the euphemism for argument about strict and how purposefully we want to educate our kids on any particular thing. I am of the mind that we are farmers and on a farm, everyone is active. The kids learn how to milk the cow and to feed the corn to the chickens and they learn

how to sew, you know, sow some seeds. Our farm is music. Our kids should learn music. Not that they will become musicians and entertainers in the future, but they should learn piano, they should learn guitar, they should learn voice, songwriting. These things are important because we have access to them. And that is what we can impart on our kids as a profession.

And then we are both of immigrant families that have a second language. Spanish and her family and my family. Our kids should learn this language. These are my philosophies, right? And I feel like it's our job as parents. This is broccoli. You're not gonna let them get away with leaving the broccoli on the table.

I'm not gonna let them get away with leaving the Spanish on the table or the instruments on the table. So that's my perspective, because once they're empowered with these tools, they can go on to have a career in what we do in music and have been fully informed as youngsters, or they could be the first, you know, astrophysicist working from

the space station in Mars. But at least they had what we gave them because they, they couldn't not have it. That's a really convincing argument, just from the standpoint of you, well, just from the standpoint of like, you are both musicians, that's what you know the best. So for you not to equip your child with what your best knowledgeable of, you know, when you do inform them of the of your processes and your knowledge, like you take them down that road. And on that path, they're going to learn a million different derivative things. They could, you know, oh, maybe it's sound engineering, which turns into chemical engineering or whatever. But like, it's all because you were pointed towards this. You were leading them towards what you're an expert at. So, Not to douse whatever argument you have, Maya, but I'm convinced. I'm sold. Sorry. Talking about, really, I don't, it's not, I don't.

Yeah. There's no pressure. Like, I, they're so young. I'm like, because I remember being forced to do piano and hating it and, you know, and I, it didn't, it didn't turn out well. I love. Yeah. I would dance forever for hours and hours.

So I'm just like, find what their passions are. and then nurture that as opposed to, like, you have to sit and play piano for three hours. So I'm just not in the strict mode. We can flesh this whole argument out right now. If you guys just want to go at it, we'll just go alive. Around us all the time. They see us performing. They see us playing with the band.

They see us writing, recording. I mean, they're already getting it. They are, we don't, you know. Hey, so, Alo, congratulations. You recently released your first album in seven years, as I understand it. And it seems like you came about this album discussing things like family and fatherhood and kind of these more personal sides of life. And as Maya alluded to, your I do video was beautiful.

You know, your all of everything lyric video is about your trip to Hawaii. Tell us about this. Yeah, this album is much more personal. It's much more about my kids, my wife, my relationship with my parents and my friends, more so than the past. Songs that talk about connection and togetherness. And I feel like it's a way for me to bridge the gap with my fans and my audience about where I've been for the past seven years. years and trying to find a way to humanize my artistry and connect with my fans in a way that they can hear their own personal stories in the songs.

They can say, oh, yeah, this is what I learned from my dad, or this is how I interact with my kids, or I like this song about relationship, reminds me of my spouse. did it take you seven years to develop it sort of did it was seven years of all kinds of different music and at the end of the at the end of the road i decided i wanted to tell the story about family that i hadn't told before um wow there's a lot of other music that i could release that could be compiled in different thematic ways but this was the theme that i wanted to focus song. In sharing that album

and kind of leading down the path of just more personal information, was there any hesitation between you two in sharing more personal information by you guys in your past, in your family? Am I just bringing up all the arguments and conversations?

Remember, okay, which one is about me? Which one? I got I say vaguely personal. I think there's probably another album where I can get even deeper, but I would have to... Yeah, no, thanks. I'd have to get permission. Well, I can make an album, too, you know.

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. It's kind of an inside joke because on the... Was it the Good Things album? Loving You's Kill. Yeah. On the Good Things album, he released a song called Loving You is Killing Me. and I remember him performing it once at Amoeba and his dad was next to me and he turns around

and goes, is this about you? And I was like, I'm like, you know, you stand on the side and you're like, that one's me, that one's not. Nope, that one's actually really not. You know, for me as a hip-hop artist, like everything I say is true. It's a real me experience the world through my eyes. As a songwriter, you know, he writes stories, he's a storyteller. So they're not all about us or him.

Some of them are just stories and other people's stories. So, yeah, so this time round, I don't ever assume, like, the love song I do. Is that about me? I don't know. You know, like I just, okay, if it is, it is, but I don't assume it. Yeah, and when I wrote that song, I was specifically trying to write a song about my relationship with Maya and something that would be special for us. Right. So then I was like, oh, that's sweet.

So you guys are impressive in so many ways, including your thoughtfulness, as, you know, as we heard Maya with you talking about screen time and the effects it can have on children. You guys seem to be knowledgeable and really diligent in investigating a wide range of topics. And I think it's fair to say that your activism, I think you call yourself artivists. Is that correct? Can you tell us about that and your motivation behind that? Because it's rare, A, to seek out the degree of knowledge that you have and be comfortable in vocalizing it to the extent that you have.

Yeah. Artivism is the connection between activism and artistry, using our voices for positive social transformation fighting for the underdogs speaking truth to power I when I signed a major recording deal I recognized the massive amount of influence I could have with my lyrics my interviews and my celebrities so I wanted to use it for good and I have been in the company of and mentored by leaders like Harry Belafonte who was one of the artists who was very instrumental in the civil rights movement here in the United States like the money

that he made and the his presence on television just being a black man in segregated America was extremely influential but the money that he made would also go to like pay for hotel rooms for Martin Luther King and flights and and and bus rides and for civil rights leaders so this is where I'm I'm recognizing there's value in what I do beyond just the lyrics to be able to help communities that are marginalized people that are most vulnerable. Maya, would you mind talking about you're involved with many organizations, but, you know, peace over violence, community coalition. Just tell us about these organizations you're involved

with. Yes. So I think as a hip-hop artist, you know, hip-hop was born in New York City and just by definition, it's a socially conscious awareness. wear art form. So fundamentally, Alow and I, I think our foundation has always been strong because we've always looked at the world in that way of, you know, we love making music, we love our making art, but it's always been for a purpose. And so when I got to Los Angeles, I worked, I volunteered a little bit with an organization called Peace of Violence, who are a rape crisis and domestic violence center, and they also do a lot of prevention and education work. And Al and I became the spokesperson for their Denham Day campaign, which brings awareness

to sexual violence. It happens every April. And I decided to write a song called Never Said Yes, which is about affirmative consent for a piece of violence, because I'm thinking, how can I, these organizations that we support, that we volunteer with, how can we lend our art in a way that's meaningful? And I thought, you know, writing a song about that kind of sums up the curriculum that they teach in schools, in high schools and middle schools, could be a good tool for them to use and for, you know, for young people to hear. Really just all about moving the conversation forward always right and just finding different ways to spark conversation and to process the information so with peace of a violence that's um that we're the spokespeople and

and i did that song and then community coalition is another org that we love to support yep community coalition does a lot of work in trying to improve the educational system within the inner city here in Los Angeles, South L.A., and they are a community-based organization that's looking out for the people who need the most help. We found them through a friend who was working with them, and we learned a lot. I was vaguely aware about the justice system, but they really helped me to understand this concept of what is known as the school to prison pipeline. And so when they educated me on the school to prison pipeline, I wanted to use that discussion in my music video for a song called Love is the Answer, where we're talking about if a child doesn't learn how to read by age, by the third grade, statistically they are more likely to go to jail and be in the system than any, than anyone else. and that the prison unions know this.

And so the prison unions use their massive influence to legislate for reductions in education in certain areas where they know it's going to be easier for them to get full occupancy. It's a business. And so when you recognize that they're treating it like a business, then you have to organize against that and fight against that kind of power. So I thought I'd create my own campaign of awareness to let people know. The school to prison pipeline is real and we all need to be aware of it and we have to push for measures in schools that are restorative justice rather than punitive

measures where you're suspending students. There's something going on. If you're suspending a student, there's something going on at home. There's something going on in their mental life that needs restoration. They don't need punishment. What they need is a helping hand. And so figuring out ways to promote that kind of new thinking, as opposed to the old way of thinking and the way that's being attacked, we're being attacked by capitalism in a lot of ways. I love that you said that. I work with a lot of kids throughout the year and something that I've always told parents and coaches and mentors is kids don't say something for nothing. It doesn't, they can't just come up with it.

So if they're asking you a question or if they're making trouble or if like there's a purpose behind it and there's a meaning behind it and it's, it's not their, I mean, I don't want to say it's not their fault, but you know, it's not their fault. There's something else going on like you said. So I love that. How does that play all of the incredible work? you guys are doing. How does that play into your your home life with your kids? What do you, do you share all of this with them? How does that educational process start or that exposure?

They get to see, they get to see the love and connection part of what we do. So the communities that we go into and that we serve. Here in Los Angeles, we have that we're a part of. There's, there's an event called Fandango of Bone, which is an interesting. intersecting the African-American community, the Japanese-American community, and the Mexican-American community with traditional folk music and dance from Africa, Mexico, and Japan, and they get to see how we're intersecting and communicating across cultures in that way. We don't, and purposefully, We don't introduce them to the vitriol, the hate, the violence that is occurring amongst adults in this world, because they are not adults in this world.

They are still children, and children largely are beautiful beings of light with open hearts that are just happy to breathe air and play. So that, I think, is the space that they should live in, but we are also preparing them to have open hearts for every type of, person in every type of culture. They've visited Cuba to experience the Rumba conference where they learned about ancient religion and music and dance. They've been to Tunisia where they've learned about

the Islamic experience of Africa in northern Africa. They've been to all parts of Europe and seeing these different experiences and I think the travel really is is really helpful. When we get to Australia, they've been part of Aboriginal ceremonies on the beach and they get to see. I mean, look, our kids are lucky and they're privileged, you know, and I would say that, you know, when we talk about shielding and protecting them from these, you know, political conversations, that's a privilege. Like not all families of color get to have that, you know, some families experience. violence in their home, police doing raids, parents in jail, you know, all kinds of stuff.

So I get that it's not always an easy thing. But I guess for me, it's if you can, then I think, you know, if we can build our children, then I definitely want to do that. So I didn't have, you know, my black children marching in Black Lives Matter. that we marched, we're active, but I just want them to, you know, I don't, there's a lot of questions that my seven-year-old is asking and I don't want to tell her, well, there's a bunch of people that hate the color of your skin. Like that just at seven doesn't feel like that's a conversation that needs to be had, right? It's not saying that they're ignorant or shielded

they're not. They learn in other ways and they learn the beauty and they learn the history of their blackness. And they're immersed in that through community, family. Which is, you know, I think we were able to have this kind of experience and awareness of how to bring them up because we grew up in an era where there wasn't that, and in neighborhoods

where there wasn't that much enlightenment on how kids are receiving and being fed information, my first understanding and education about blackness and school, in school, was coming from a place of subordination, tyranny, you know, colonialism, and slavery. And it could, so much could have been from a place of empowerment, Like here are the civilizations that existed. Here are the ways that they persisted and thrived. And then here is what happened from, you know, a socioeconomic, you know, and political, historic space.

Yeah. All I thought was black people were slaves and that's what that's what they were and then they had to fight for freedom. Not that there was anything. there was anything prior or any right right we yeah we we were just talking about how sorry the first time you learn about something it sets the filter or the lens or the angle from which you learn every other related thing and so i think that's a powerful concept but um listen back to your all of everything album you have songs like harvard which talk about class uh corner which talks

about familial support. I do that we were talking about earlier. It talks about marital devotion. I want to hear from each of you. I've never asked this question. We'll see how it goes over. How has your marriage changed your life? Oh, my, I know for sure it's made me much more empathetic, much more compassionate, understanding. And it's still for me, like a constant every day growing and learning, but just being able to have a reflection and see who I am through her lens is making me a better person and more aware. I don't think I was as self-aware or as empathetic before I got married. Do I have to answer now? You turn. Wow. Thank you. That was nice. Ditto. It's hard. I don't know. His marriage changed my life. I think I really enjoy the partnership, the intimacy, you know, living with your best friend. A lot of the things that he said in terms of self.

reflection and just, you know, being able to always have someone to share ideas with. But most of all, it's, it's becoming parents and raising children together and navigating this journey. Who sings in the shower more between you two? Probably me. You guys are amazing. You guys are doing incredible things. It's really cool.

I think it'll be really cool for people to listen to this and just see how you guys are working together to truly just like change a generation with your babies and just the impact you guys are doing for communities in the world. But the one question we always ask are couples who are on the show is if you could give one piece of advice to anybody who is dating, anybody who is looking to be married, their partners, couples across the world, whether it was a piece of advice that you're given

or something you came up with now, what would you say? It's a big question, sorry. I would almost, I think that we might have the same answer, but it's like you can't fully give yourself to someone else unless you know who you are. There's so much work that you have to do. We ultimately met when we were in our mid-to-late 20s. which I feel like and we had both our own independent kind of existence and income streams and that kind of thing and I think that was a benefit because we both felt like she she certainly was super independent and could handle life on her own I felt super independent I could handle life on my own and we made the decision that we were going to

do this together and then of course there was still a of individual work that we had to do once we met but you've got to know yourself and you got to learn yourself and you know yeah you can't you can't change anybody you can only change yourself so I think it's also important not to lose yourself in the relationship and continue to you know you have your own dreams individually and then you have your family dream and that's that's a good balance I think wow well i'm i'm pumped um to have this conversation with you guys you have so much wisdom and um i'm pumped to finally get an album the first one in seven years from you alo and we're

going to link that down below for you listening uh it's this really awesome blend of i would say folk and soul probably pop am i am i missing anything as far as inspiration there we are not artists So we might be butchering all of this. I'm trying to. Soul. There you go. But again, it's this creative take on a lot of the things you're passionate about. And I think you mentioned that it all points towards this AIM philosophy, the affirmation,

inspiration, and motivation. And so the songs truly have purpose. It was just an honor. Mayo's pleasure to meet you. Allo, pleasure to meet you. Thank you guys so much for getting a mess of time. And we're excited to stay connected. Thank you so much.

Yeah, it was really nice meeting you both. Next time we need to interview you so we can hear yours. Yes. Okay. Oh, man. Yeah, you don't want to hear it. Yeah. Thanks, guys.

Thank you, guys.