Drink Champs - Episode 323 w/ Consequence
Episode Date: July 22, 2022N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode we chop it up with the one and only, Consequence! Get your 🍿 ready and enjoy the ride. Consequence shares stories of his journey,... working with Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest and more. Cons talks VERZUZ, Joe Budden, ghostwriting vs. songwriting and much much more! Lots of great stories that you don’t want to miss!! Make some noise for Consequence!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆 Listen and subscribe at http://www.drinkchamps.com Follow Drink Champs: http://www.instagram.com/drinkchamps http://www.twitter.com/drinkchamps http://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps DJ EFN http://www.crazyhood.com http://www.instagram.com/whoscrazy http://www.twitter.com/djefn http://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductions N.O.R.E. http://www.instagram.com/therealnoreaga http://www.twitter.com/noreagaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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It's Drink Champs motherfucking podcast.
Where every day is New Year's Eve.
It's time for Drink Champs.
Drink up, motherfuckers.
What up, Gooby?
Hope it is what it should be.
This your boy, N-O-R-E.
What up, it's DJ E-F-N.
And this is Drink Champs motherfucking Yappy.
I will make some noise!
And when you talk about legend, legend,
talk about a man who's not only made hits,
but been behind constant hits for years.
See, he came in the game.
I believe we first heard him,
first time we heard him officially is 96 with Tribe.
But I heard he started out in 93.
We're going to ask that later.
Oh, you know he was running before that.
But he has been, you know, I had to do my due diligence.
And I had to go, you know, look at other interviews he's been doing and other things.
And boy, it's a roller coaster.
And most of us love roller coasters.
It's been, you know, great times,
but when the man feels something, he expresses it.
He's not the type to hold back.
He's going to talk what he feels,
he's going to feel what he says, and all that.
But in case you don't know who I'm talking about, we we talk about one of the illest ghost riders in the game one of
illest hit makers in the game songwriters songwriters excuse me
excuse me because he gets his credit his name on the back of it y'all mean y'all
mean so in case you Casey oh no and he did
do reality shows a little bit a little bit no bit but Casey don't know what
talking talk about the mother one the only phone for my home barrel Queens
now on Google let's get straight, on Google it says... Pay no attention to Google.
All right.
Put that out there.
Pay no attention to Google. All right.
That's some rando who could be a reporter or whatever,
just hasn't done any fact checks.
So officially in 96?
No, 93.
Oh, 93, that's what I'm saying.
That's what Google did say.
It started in 93, rhyming.
I guess your first official record was 96. No, it started before that. Before that? It rhymed first record. It started in 93, rhyming. I guess your first official record was 96.
No, it started before that.
Before that?
I was rhyming since 89.
Wow.
Wow, that's real.
Yeah, you know, it's funny.
I felt like Kevin Hart when he was interviewing the dude, he said, damn, I almost said that.
I almost said that.
Yeah, Q-Tip Mom was pretty much my first cosign.
Wow.
So my grandma, what happened was my grandma was died at 89,
and a friend of mine who I eventually ended up rapping with,
his brother got killed the same year, a little before that.
Maybe like winter of 88, he got popped in a dead end.
So what happened was my man, my man Ike, his brother Lamar used to rap.
So Ike, to cope with the grief, took his rap book and started singing his raps.
And then my grandma, she died of leukemia uh 89 so i started writing because i saw how it helped
ike you know uh processing and didn't cope with the cope with the grief so that's how i actually
started rapping and um q-tip mom um actually saw what I was doing
and definitely
she was like a cheerleader to Tip
as far as eventually me
being given the opportunity
in 93 to do the
chase part too.
Shout out to Mama Davis.
You on Q-Tip mothers and sisters?
Nah, we second
cousins.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's a... I moved to New York from California in 88.
Wow.
So I had connected with a bunch of family back on the East Coast.
My mom and pop had...
My pops was in the Navy, so we was living in San Diego.
We were stationed out there. My mom and the had, my pops was in the Navy, so we was living in San Diego, he was stationed
out there, you know what I mean, my mom and the pops eventually divorced, and then we
came back to the East.
But y'all was from New York originally, and then moved?
Yeah, I'm from New York, and my sister was born in San Diego.
Okay, okay.
Yeah, yeah, so that's how, that's how.
I ain't never knew that, I ain't never knew that.
Yeah, so I actually got a 619 number, I'm about to turn off, but I got a 619 number.
Right, right.
Just in homage to that time period.
Right.
So let's go over because, like I said, there's a couple of interviews with you out there.
Now, we're doing drink chance.
First of all, when we spoke, right, we said this was going to be Queens all day.
You're not doing nothing I already did.
You're not doing none of that.
Let's get to the point.
Let's get to one point.
I seen the Kanye documentary.
Okay.
I hit you.
I thought you hit me, but I hit you.
Right.
I hit you, and I was like, yo, bro, this is dope, man.
Right.
And I couldn't tell, but I kind of thought That you didn't like it From the first episode
I don't remember
If we spoke since then
Right
Um
Well my take on it
You know
There's a business side to it
Right
And there's
Obviously there's a personal
And there's a
Just a perspective
Right
From living it
You know what I'm saying
The business side
Um
I ain't fucking with
Certain niggas cause of that
Right
But
When you say business
The way it was put together The documentary Oh I'm not gonna be on Netflix And I don't fucking with certain niggas Because of that Right But When you say busy The way it was put together
The documentary
I'm not going to be on Netflix
And I don't get no check
Got it
Right
That's against my principles
Right
You know what I'm saying
Like when he gave the intro
You know
Rollercoaster this
That and the third
But once again
I've always been able to retain
Ownership of what I do
How I do it
Right
My likeness,
so forth and so on.
So when someone takes that,
it takes it upon themselves
not to...
I just signed a waiver,
didn't I?
Right.
I didn't sign a waiver
to be on Netflix.
Right.
I signed a waiver
to be on Revolve.
So I got to sign a waiver
to be on Netflix.
That's business.
I don't got nothing to do.
But who do we point the finger for that? Is it Ye? Because... way but it'd be on Netflix right that's that's business I don't got nothing to do but but but
who do we point the finger for that is it is it yay because no it's not yay so let's just be clear
right yay actually does great business right you know I'm saying you know I tip my hat to him
you know even from the outside looking in if you if anybody knew the extent of our relationship
we've done great business
over the years
yeah it's been
it's a roller coaster ride
you're dealing with
some
a person
who
who
bust through certain frontiers
for
not only yourself
but for
for the culture
you know
so that's gonna come with
that's gonna come with
growing pains.
I was with Ye
from when you seen
in the documentary,
like literally
when we,
he was trying to figure out
All Falls Down.
Right.
That's him trying to figure it out.
That's the first day
that,
that was maybe like
the fourth time
I was with Kanye
and that was the first time
I met any of those people.
So the thing was like
when you hit me,
I was just like
taking it all in. And you had, had you knew? Cause this guy, Kanye and that was the first time I met any of those people. So the thing was like when you hit me, I was just like taking
it all in.
Had you knew?
I believe
we're skipping things
because
one thing about the documentary
is like at the end of the day, I had
already been on David Letterman.
I had already been on Moesha.
I had already been on Rosie O'Donnell.
I had already been on all thatha. I had already been on Rosie O'Donnell. I had already been on all that.
I just hit a bad turn with Tribe.
But I was already, for all intents and purposes, famous.
You know what I mean?
So one thing in particular for me was just like, at the end of the day, you know, like I love all the fam that came as far as like me and Kanye Lincoln.
But, you know, a lot of times, sometimes people think I am actually from Chicago and I actually started with Kanye.
Which I could understand because the thing about hip hop is like we all document hip hop once we pick up on it, right?
So hip-hop starts for...
Whenever the beginning is for you.
Whenever the beginning is for you.
Like, I've had conversations...
Sometimes we have a success start.
Like, people know we kind of rhymed before L.A., L.A.
People start my career from L.A. and Glade
because that's the first time people saw me.
That's the beacon point for them, right?
Okay, okay.
But, you know, I've had certain rappers in this era that are from this era tell me they didn't know who G-Rap was at all.
Right, yeah.
Which, for me, it's...
It's blasphemy.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
Because, you know, we know G-Rap as one of the pioneers of of bars
you know what I'm saying of
storytelling and bars that like
he was like saying shit that was just ahead of his time
you know what I mean so
once again to spin back to that
situation with the documentary
um so
for me seeing it
for me it was uh
you know like
it wasn't fully
explained how
me and Ye met the deal we
arranged and it's Kanye's documentary
so it's fine I have no issue with the
edit it's really
Kuti and Chike
Kuti and Chike
but it's
Kuti's
it's their documentary Kuti and Chique It's Kuti's Day Story
It's their documentary
They didn't build it like that
So the issue
Then becomes it's Kanye documentary
Then
For the average person that's the way they look at it
Right and that's the thing
Once someone takes it in
On a platform like Netflix
They're gonna make the assumption that
this is the truth.
This is the
occurrence of events and how
it went. So yeah,
I mean, and I've said it.
I said it to Kool-Aid and Chika in their face.
I went to the SOB joint crash day
or whatever and I was like, yo,
at the end of the day, I've been on TV
like you said. So I understand the process of when a network takes the creative and they apply editing to it
they do it with love and hip-hop you you will film I don't know you might film the whole week
right and you might get four minutes of that in the episode now this is the problem back to love and hip-hop for a second no matter what
love and hip-hop does when you sign that contract if you appear in the episode you get paid right
i appeared in three episodes in that of a genius and didn't get a dollar so how am I supposed to feel about that? Hey, yo, Haz, hold up a second.
I got something to say.
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Can I be a devil's advocate for a second?
You can do whoever you want to be.
Yeah, yeah.
Because it's serious, but I want to lighten up the mood.
But stay on the subject.
Is it always all about money?
Yes, absolutely.
You see what I got on my head?
It's absolutely about,
I ain't come to Miami to play with nobody.
It's absolutely about that pay book.
With me, I don't got nothing to do.
See, this is the thing, right?
I didn't come into rap
to be friends with nobody.
I came to get this money.
I'm from Queens.
It's Queens get the money.
It's not Queens play no games.
So where's my money?
Right, right, right, right.
So let me be devil's advocate for a little while.
You can put the horns on too.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Because in all fairness, this is when you, like, not y'all, but y'all first met each other.
So there was no contracts.
Right, so even in context, let's break it down, right?
So this is when we first met.
There wasn't Netflix.
So even if I were to sign something in, it wouldn't hold weight now.
At the end of the day, there was no streaming platforms.
This is going to stream for fortuity.
Bro, listen. the day there was no streaming platforms this is gonna stream for fortuity right bro i listen
listen i get a nigga out of jail right with the law library i know fam
feel me i've been doing contracts since tribe your bro you just check me i need my paper right
right but and again and that's for principal I don't need it because I need it
I need it over principle
You know what I'm saying, it's just
How you going to do, if you're going to do business with your friends
Do business with your friends, you're not going to do
Somebody else like that
And then tell them, you know, you'll make friends
Over business, but I've seen a lot of people
Make friends over business and then
Break up friendships over lack of business
Okay, but I I'll throw you a curveball because Listen make friends over business, and then break up friendships over lack of business.
Okay, but I'll throw you a curve ball because,
like, you was the only one, like, when I heard that,
and then I'm happy.
I'm always the only one, by the way.
Okay.
I'm always the only one.
I've been the only one, I'm the only one
to ever join Tribe.
Right, wow, wow.
But, um.
I'm the only one,
Ye would even consider the left right anything. I am the only one, I'm the only one Ye would even consider The left right
Anything
Right
I am the only one
I'm the one
Right
Right
So we can take it
God damn
Thank you
It was interesting
Because um
The same thing
I believe
When I spoke to you
It was only the first episode
Was out right
Right
It was not
I didn't even know there was other episodes.
I thought that was just the whole documentary.
Right.
That's why I was saluting you, and I didn't see your point at first.
Actually, me too, because you were the first person to hit me about it.
So I didn't know what the whole layout was.
And like I said, it's due to the fact that I've done the kind of business that I've done that I have a point of reference of how to be treated.
I don't, I'm not, it's not my documentary.
It's not consequences documentaries.
It's Kanye's or it's Kanye and Cootie's.
However, the creative part of it goes, I have no issue with that at all.
I have an issue with, from being able to operate as a, from an admin side side that there's no clearances.
There is no check cut.
There's no nothing.
And there's no getting around that.
Well, put the hat on the other side.
Why?
This is Louie.
Why?
I said put it on the other side.
Put it on the other side.
What if you had footage,
and I'm sure you probably got some footage laying around.
You know how many samples I paid for?
Right. Over my career? Right. There's no other side. You know how many times I sampled something and I'm sure you probably got some footage. You know, I'm disabled I pay for
Over my career, but there's no other side. No me tell us sample son. I had to pay for it All right. I had to pay James Brown
um
5% and $10,000 for hey
Lane Collins he didn't even say it. There's a state one in 10,000. That's the game
That is the game. That is the game.
That's the game we playing.
We not, this is the music business.
This is not, you know, we obviously.
And why people own shit.
Once again, let me put something out to you.
On the real, had I got a request or been asked by people I have relationships with,
I wouldn't have this position.
I didn't go to the screen and I didn't get an invite this so there's nothing for me we talk about the tribe documentary
okay you know I'm saying so if we it's not about to your point you saying it's not is everything about the money because
the other side of that is the relationship right right but how is there a relationship without
communication right if you don't communicate right you can't take the relationship for granted and
you can't create a relationship that's not there my relationship is with Kanye West. That's who you saw me with numerous times.
So my relationship is with him.
If Kanye comes to me and says,
can I get a concession, it's a no-brainer.
If somebody just takes something and runs with it,
they're actually a thief.
It's called professional courtesy.
Right, because you actually were doing the work for hire
for Kanye at that time.
And it's no respect to the brand value of where it stands right now.
Like, I just want a Grammy with Kanye for Hurricane.
I'm supposed to have somebody take something from me?
Right.
That don't make no sense.
No way, no how.
Right, because let me just, like, for one second.
The same day I spoke to Todd, Lim Qualley, because he was in the same episode, right?
Right. So after I spoke to you, Ially and because he was in the same episode, right? Right.
So after I spoke to you,
I expected him to kind of have the same attitude.
And you know, Kanye had just kind of like this.
Right, right, right.
We didn't talk about that.
So when I said to him...
We didn't talk about that.
So when I said to him,
did you know?
I'm going to be honest with you,
he didn't know neither.
But he didn't say what you said.
Nah, but you got to understand something.
But see, when Kanye come up here like Darkman and start emptying the clip, right?
Right.
He busting that certain niggas because of how they move.
Right.
You know what I mean?
So, yeah, that might not be a concern of his.
That's a concern of mine.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
That's a concern of mine because me and Kanye have done
so much business together that
it's a no-brainer. Kanye ain't never
tweet like, Kanye's bugging for what he said
on such and such about the documentary.
Nah, he not because he know it's
a bug. Right. It's a whole
Milwaukee.
It's a whole Milwaukee.
Keep going.
Okay, man. This is good. This is good. It's a whole little walkie-talkie. Keep going. Let me grab another one.
Okay, man.
This is good.
This is good.
This is good.
This is good.
So have you spoken to Ye since the Genius?
Have you spoken to people around him?
I'm sure.
I mean, we have.
Me and Kanye, you know, we're number one.
Certain things I could divulge in the public, certain things i can't just because of our business arrangements but um you know um i mean he actually kind of alluded to it when he um put up an ig post and he shouted out point pat he said point pat wasn't in the
documentary he was an intricate part of Kanye's sustainability
all the way around the board, you know, creatively.
You know what I'm saying?
He was like, you know, if I had five,
I think he said something to the extent of I had five,
if my fingers were friends,
playing pad is one of my fingers,
I only got four fingers left.
You know what I'm saying?
So, you know, and he also said that, you know,
he felt a way about people clouding up off of him.
And I could understand that because even when I went to the SOBs,
when I went to the SOBs.
You said clouding up off of him?
Cloud up.
Cloud with cloud.
Clouding up, right.
So even when I went to the SOBs, the sneaky screening, you know, when I walked in there,
everybody looked like they were in trouble.
You know what I mean?
It was like, it wasn't like, you know, it wasn't like, oh, you know,
it was like, oh, shit, he caught us.
The sneaky screening for part two?
For episode two.
Okay, episode two.
The L.A. screening was episode one.
Okay, got it.
You know what I'm saying?
You know, and I performed it, the good, the bad, the ugly.
You know, like, the thing is.
That's what's confusing right there.
You performed.
See what I'm saying?
They asked me to, though.
Caduce was hosting it.
See, I got to stand up a little bit.
I got to stand up a little bit.
No, no.
Venice is Venice.
It's all Venice, Norris.
None of this is personal.
Right, right, right.
None of this is personal.
So at the end of the day, if Caduce, if I go on stage right they all gave it wasn't like yo
What you doing here? It was like oh you here, but I'm like I'm like yo
But y'all doing the way y'all doing the host is not on Front Street, right?
You know I mean because at the end of the day like even take take like the situation with
shaka i don't know she knew she was gonna end up looking like she ain't believing yay okay okay
i'm saying i'm shocker right okay yeah right so even when wayno was out here saying like yo well
because that's that's the thing like it was like a whole wave that ain't had nothing to do with
nobody who was actually there in that capacity.
And none of them was at Donda.
None of them was in Atlanta, right?
So if you meet, it kind of looked like shake it like a soul shaker.
You might be upset.
You know what I'm saying?
You might feel like this is your way to bust a lane, but it's almost at the expense of anybody who really get down who
really work who really been in the trenches with you you know i'm saying so so because at the end
of the day regardless the end result of uh kanye's record deal with rockefeller was the release of
the college dropout right that's the world so so the thing is once again like i said you're gonna go
through growing pains in any relationship um a lot of people people fall in love with the final
product not the conveyor belt right so if they fell in love with the college dropout then by
default then they that yo, I was doing this.
You know what I'm saying?
They gave me an opportunity.
You know what's so funny?
Because at one point, when I was signed, I was still signed to Q-Tip through the UMA.
Like, I was supposed to sign to Rockefeller.
That's why I was so ironic.
Well, not say supposed to, butay was very interested in picking me up and it's funny that jay's kind of always been me and jay i met jay-z 1995 at the gavin and we always
always um kind of intermingled we never had like a one-to-one direct relationship but we always
kind of intermingled so it's just so funny it was like he spoke to q-one direct relationship, but we always kind of intermingled.
So it's just so funny.
It was like he spoke to Q-Tip about me.
And, you know, at the time, me and Q-Tip was going through a lot of personal things.
So we didn't go that route, but I ended up kind of going that direction anyway.
So it's just very ironic. And I'm saying this because I'm actually saluting Jay because, you know, we've had our share of troubles.
But he's always seen the value in what I brought to the table.
You thought he took a shot at you on anybody, one of them, Yeezy, I might.
Yeah, I mean, you you thought you thought Jay was
yeah at the time
because it was
it was up
you still think that though
at the time
it was up
at the time
it was up
nah
because look
look here's the thing
right
when
when it was
when we were going
through what we were
going through
was a transition period
and me and Kanye
had to have
this conversation
in private you know some of it is kind of you know has obviously been in the public what we were going through was a transition period and me and kanye have had to have this conversation
in private you know some of it is kind of you know has obviously been in the public at the time you know the the hard thing about kanye as my brother right is that it's hard it's it's hard when people
will do anything to be next to him right so? So I've seen artists, like, literally, I mean, you know,
people just would do anything to be next to Kanye West.
This is just a real thing, you know?
And them Yeezys, too.
They want the Yeezys, too.
So you, so look, here's the thing, right?
It wasn't no Yeezys for me.
No, back then.
It was the sketch pad of him drawing sneakers.
You understand?
Deep.
So before it was something to be on a friends and family list for,
it was just an idea, a dream.
Before it was getting out our dreams, it was I have dreams I want to get out.
Right?
Right.
And he and I essentially became like
sparring partners on a mic, you know?
And it actually worked, you know?
He had a, he was, he always,
Kanye's never been a person that was struggling for money.
You know, his mom's was well-to-do
as far as having a fluence and having a great career in Chicago.
So I never met Kanye.
I never seen Kanye struggle.
I never seen none of that.
He came out with a pink polo.
I mean, before, the pink polo was part of the product.
I mean, when I met him, you know, he had events.
He wanted a bigger events.
He had dreams that he wanted to see,
see coming to fruition.
And he just, it was,
it was more about having the tools.
So, so when I said earlier about him,
me being the one that he would, he would actually rap with,
take rap from, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, it's real, it's at, you know, at one point,
we developed a comfort level to where it was like, yo, yo, help me with this, bro, help me with that
joint, you know what I'm saying, remember, I did, I had wrote a record that we wanted to submit for Lil' Kim,
and she wound up using the chorus that's called Came Back For You.
So on the LaBella Mafia album, I actually came up with the idea for the chorus.
And I had rhymes that I wanted Kim to take,
but Kim was very specific about not taking,
wanting to have a ghostwriter at that time or whatever.
And you know, but that shit was fire,
and you know, Kanye definitely was like,
yo, I had to do the Brandy joint.
You know what I mean?
What that mean?
Huh?
What that mean?
And man, he had to do the Brandy joint.
Oh, he gave the record to Brandy.
That man, he had to do, no, no.
You know, the fans watching this know.
Oh, okay.
You know what I mean?
Okay.
You know, I got the shades on.
I'll hit you with the wink wink.
But, you know what I mean?
Okay.
So, that began with, that's what began a level of trust, you know what I'm saying, between he and I, you know what I'm saying?
And we made a lot of money.
My point was I have had to see a lot of people try to do a lot of things just to get in that position.
And it wasn't something that I ever did.
I never did that.
I never was that I never I never
was like I never was on that because I didn't really have to be because it was
when we developed our relationship how did you guys connect originally to start with how does
that even start we we met right after he did the blueprint um we were introduced uh through to each other by 88 Keys.
I met 88 Keys back in the Tribe days.
He was just, you know, he had a relationship with Q-Tip.
They would, 88, I believe, worked at a record store,
I want to say, and Q-Tip would go there to get vinyl
at the time when that was a thing with sampling or whatever.
But 88 did beats.
He was trying to get them off.
So he called Q-Tip's crib one day, introduced himself, like, yo, I got beats.
You know, one thing led to another.
I still lived in Queens, so I took a trip out to go check him.
And he had joints.
And we just became friends over time.
This was the producer at the time.
He's just a producer.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
So, and this is during the recording of
Beach Rhymes in Life, going into like,
what would be my solo record that didn't,
the first product that I've made that never had came out.
It was, that was supposed to come out through
Q-Tips label, the museum music.
Real quick fun fact, Beach Rhyme in Life artwork,
same artist, Scam.
Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, shout out to Scam, I actually spoke to him, because I wound up,
I think there was a Beach Rhyme and Life, there was a Beach Rhyme and Life anniversary,
and somebody added Scam, and I was like, I hadn't seen him in years, and then I saw the
drink shams logo, I was like, yo, way to work, and then I saw the drink shams I was like yo and then I remembered
he's from Miami
and that's where
yeah
how'd you know
he did it
it's on his page
oh
okay
it's on his page
I was like
you that L nigga
you just looked
at his photos
this nigga did it
this is that nigga
right there
you know what I mean
so
back to
so 88 Keys
so fast forward it's right after 9-11, and I had a deal at Rawkis that fell through.
So you're talking about the roller coaster.
So I'm popped.
Popped klizzy.
You know what I'm saying?
And come 2002, January, 88 called me, you know, and he was like, yo, I got a friend of mine that I just did a joint for.
And he would like, we were talking about who could be a feature on it.
And I brought your name up.
And his name is Kanye.
He's Kanye West.
You might have heard of him.
He did a lot of the blueprint for jay-z and and another friend of mine named um hans elder who's uh d dots d dot from uh derrick angeletti's cousin um
had brought him up in a conversation and said at the time that me and him me and kanye were very
similar um as far as like his resonation of music like you get like you guys remind me a lot of each
other i think it would be cool if y'all hooked up but it was a conversation yeah yeah it was like a premonition
like almost native tongue sound huh almost like saying the native tongue sound like what we all
kind of seem like y'all belong in native tongue um or more specific to them each other like
well I am from the native tongue you know what what I'm saying? I got my back. I'm just saying. But I am from the native tongue.
You know what I'm saying?
I mean, and I wasn't specifically to the happiness of every member of the native tongue,
but nonetheless, it is what it is.
As queens get the money, I came to get it.
You mean like y'all are like kindred spirits in terms of music, right?
Right, right, right. Right. Because because at the time. So like the sensibility of sampling the the Lauren unplugged joint is a native tongue sensibility for all falls down.
You know, like the drum pattern to all Kanye him also is the fact that he's able to jump in and out of lanes when it comes to production, especially.
You know what I mean?
So one minute he'll have that sensibility, but then could still make stand up for Luda.
You know what I mean?
Or H to the Izzo, obviously.
You know what I'm saying?
Which H to the Izzo does have those same sensibilities,
but he was able to beef the production up to where it could go at radio as well.
But the Native Tung sensibility is at core a cultural thing.
So it's like the culture of what the sound is and the musicality.
So that's how we met though.
We met through 88 Keys.
I did the feature.
He offered to pay me 3,000
or he would be willing to cut,
he would be willing to play me beats.
Yeah, let me get first pick.
So I never bothered him about the 3,000.
And like I said before,
I literally ate off of that 3,000 for the rest of my life.
Let's make some noise for that guy.
So, like I said, I watched these three interviews and it was crazy.
Because it was like one where you was like real, real like upset at all of them.
From Joe Buttons to even Hov.
Because you told Hov to take a shot at you.
Oh, you're talking about like that.
All right, I know what you're talking about.
And then it was just...
I never was upset with Pump It Up.
Like, I don't know.
I never was upset with Pump It Up.
I just felt like Pump It Up came out of his face.
So moving forward,
I don't want to do nothing else about Pump It Up.
Right, right, right.
You know what I'm saying?
I got a new single out, Bloodstained.
Bloodstained.
Retired.
I can't argue about Pump It Up.
Oh, man.
Jesus.
Jesus.
I mean, I'm just saying.
I can't, man.
Bro, come on, bro.
I can't argue about Pump It Up.
I just want to grab you for the argument about Pump It Up.
God damn it.
You told me I was a legend.
I'm going to argue about Pump It Up?
I ain't stressed out.
Party.
Hurricane.
Stay live.
I'm going to argue about pumping up.
Would you do versus against?
What I do versus against pumping up?
I called your wife, man.
What I do versus against pumping up?
So what are you going to? Nah. I pulled your butt, man. When I do versions of you, it's pump it up. Oh, shit.
So what are you going to...
I'm not...
Like I said,
no, I'm not going to argue about
P.I.U., right?
It is what it is.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, that's it.
But no versus.
We see you on Mario on them.
Right.
We see Ray J and... You want me to do pump it up But no versus this we see on Mario Oh, shit. So, move it on. Let's move on. Let's move on. Move it on.
All right, boom.
Yo, I rap back to back with Busta Rhymes on Tribe album.
I'm supposed to.
Come on.
Like, we got to put some respect.
Like, I'm channeling Birdman.
All right.
I'm channeling Birdman.
We got to.
We got to.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, you know, that whole situation was love of hip hop.
Love of hip hop.
Right.
But let's let's be real.
Like outside of love and hip hop.
Like, yo, if you run through mine.
But you know the rhyme though, cause you can't say.
I didn't say.
I never said.
I told him to his face he could rap.
I never said Joe Brown can't rap.
I'm just saying when you go on that, there's a difference between rapping and hits.
He got a lot of mixtapes though.
So do I.
I got to take him to the cleaners.
I like this.
I'm going to talk.
So do I.
I got to take him to the cleaners.
I was one of the best at mixtapes of all time.
Like I put Kendrick Lamar on a mixtape before anybody did.
Talk that talk off.
I got Mac Miller on mixtape. I got a bunch of mixtapes. I got a bunch of hits too and I got three BMR awards
chunky
We respect that
John Legend is rapping on my first album
But don't front on Mood Music.
Come on, you front on Mood Music. Stop playing with me.
You spit that one out. You ain't say that with your chest.
You an old Queens nigga. I told you what it was going to be.
You ain't say that with to be. You were saying that with that check.
You were like,
I don't want my nigga.
See, people saying, saying.
I'm just trying to like,
you know,
halfway defend people
when they ain't here.
You know what I'm saying?
No, it ain't about defending.
I just said,
yo, it ain't about defending.
I know Web and Nitty,
personally.
Those is my mans.
We will,
you know what I'm saying?
I was the first nigga in the hood to be able to take niggas to the tunnel. You know what I'm saying? I was the first nigga in the hood
to be able to take niggas to the tunnel.
You know what I'm saying? I took niggas...
Listen, Chris Lighty's daughter is here.
That's my family.
I lived with Chris Lighty at one point.
Me and my moms was getting along
because she didn't understand the whole rap dynamic
at the time, staying out late.
I'm 18 in Tribe.
I'm 18 in a Tribe court quest.
They got nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I am not arguing over nobody's mixtape.
Respectable.
If we going to give you my flowers, I like...
Respectfully.
Listen, I like potpourri with a dash of daisy.
Give me mine.
Let's give him his flowers.
Yeah, let's give him his flowers right now.
All right, let's give him his flowers.
That was a perfect segment.
That's right, guys.
We don't know if you know our show is about giving people their motherfucking flowers.
And one thing for sure, two things for certain, you're a motherfucking legend.
And you deserve your fucking flowers. flowers and one thing for sure thing for certain motherfucking legend love you
deserve your dog said it's like winning a Grammy before me appear not one
percent is big like you know Sam listen man I waited a year to do drink champs
you know that definitely we're trying to put it together for a minute,
and you know,
the culture at the end of the day is all we got.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Like, at the end of the day,
I can win whatever validated accolade
that comes from the music business,
but you're only as good as your last game out here.
Right.
You know what I mean?
And we know that we've watched the game wash niggas up.
You know what I'm saying?
Because they didn't stay connected to the culture.
You know what I mean?
So, yeah, absolutely.
I'm taking this home, showing this to my son,
and I'm going to put this up on the joint.
You feel me?
Make some noise for that.
So, at one point, like you said, you went at good music.
It was, I think it was... No, I didn't never go at good music. said, you went at good music. It was, I think it was...
Now, I ain't never go at good music.
No, you went at good music.
I didn't go at good music.
Anybody took it away.
I am the...
I think Charlamagne said something.
He said, this nigga's a pussy.
It was that word.
Listen, at the end of the day...
I wouldn't break stairs going at them, sir.
At the end of the day, right, you got to understand something.
I gave everybody a job. Right, something. I gave everybody a job.
Right, right.
I gave everybody a job.
I gave everybody a job through my sacrifice.
Kanye paid them.
Right.
But I got the wealth on my back, nigga.
Right, right.
You feel me?
So every Father's Day, I deserve a card.
Right.
Every one.
Because in my notes, I got, you saved Big Sean from getting dropped?
Is that true?
Yo, 100%.
How does this happen?
They have a meeting and they like, you better drop the Detroit Dough.
I say Big Sean Dignity.
I ain't never tell no story about Big Sean that I know personally.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm not, him and Ye, they did they one-two thing up here.
I ain't here to do that with Sean.
You know what I'm saying?
But Sean was my little man when he got signed.
You know what I'm saying?
If you go to YouTube, you'll see Sean get introduced as a member of Good Music at my show,
at the Knitted Factory.
Me, Kanye came out as a surprise guest.
Q-Tip came out as a surprise guest.
I had Sean and Kid Cudi.
And that's what they wanted.
Like I said, once again, to go back to the original point, how we got it,
certain people do whatever to get next to Ye.
Ye, Sean, having to be at the
radio station you know i'm saying but sean ain't eat boston market with yay i did right it wasn't
no craft services when i was around it wasn't no yeezys it wasn't no none of that the half a chicken
or the whole chicken come on i'm starving a half a chicken I ain't done shit. I ain't done shit. I ain't done shit. Listen, only request I can make is, yo, please just make it, you know what I mean?
I want the breast, man.
That's it.
Other than that, man, it was that and the twirly macaroni and cheese.
Right.
Right.
$20.
Right.
$20 challah.
You know what I'm saying?
I watch niggas in Atlanta line up with plates, motherfucker, and order mimosas.
And I'm getting up first and going to bed last.
Still, 20 years later.
Yeah.
Putting in that work.
We got the chip, though.
Right.
I always put in the work for the chip.
Grammy family.
Yeah.
God damn it.
100%.
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Worked with Beyonce.
Facts.
God damn it.
Right.
Worked with Beyonce and worked with Faith.
So probably one of the only MCs to ever work with Biggie and Jay-Z's wives.
Holler at me.
I didn't look at it like that, sir.
That is it.
That is it.
I didn't look at it like that. And. That is it. That is it. I didn't look at it like that. And they both were single.
They wasn't album cuts.
Right.
Stressed out, his single.
Stressed out.
Party.
Number one at Urban.
Right.
I mean, I'm the one, nigga.
Right.
Right.
So how do you, and I believe you call him Kamal.
Right.
I'm going to be honest with you.
I'm never going to call him Kamal. His name
is Q-Tip to me for the rest of my life.
I'm never calling LL Tom.
Like, yeah, yeah, like people be calling him
Tom. Like, who the fuck you talking about?
That nigga's LL to me for the rest of my life.
But I'm not family, you know what I mean?
I'm family that's outside family looking in.
But you said, I think even you was
mad at Kamal, excuse me, you was mad
at Q-Tip one day and we was talking and you was like, Kamal, I think you was mad at Kamal. Excuse me. You was mad at Q-Tip one day.
And we was talking.
And you was like, Kamal.
I've been mad at Q-Tip more than one day in my life.
But I didn't know what you said about this.
I mean, you know.
How did y'all as cousins fall out?
Because once again, because there's a thin line.
You know. there's a thin line, you know, and there's definitely, I think the number one, the number one
emotion for artists that makes them kind of go,
is disappointment, you know, so there's been,
yeah, 100% there's been times that I've been disappointed,
but there's times that Q-Tip has brought the kind of opportunities
to my life that I can't measure even with joy.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
Right.
So when y'all that close, at one time, at one point in my life, my name was Ray Tip.
That's how close me and Q-Tip are.
Right.
You know?
So we, yeah,
we going through a lot, you know.
You know, and to Tip credit, right?
You know, Tip, it's funny,
that's why I mentioned his moms first and foremost because he said to me,
my moms always knew you was the one.
You know what I'm saying?
You know, and now she's getting older
and, you know, we can't take none of that time for granted. So he was like, yo, you know i'm saying you know and now she's she's she's getting older and um you know
we can't take none of that time for granted so he was like yo i you know definitely come see ma
you know i'm saying it's important and it is important because she she she did call that and
so him saying that was that you you the one that she basically was telling you the one he he's the one you should take a chance on you know so to
Q-tips credit right um without me going in the tribe I never meet Kanye and if I never meet
Kanye we don't know what happens right because Kanye you know I feel like Kanye was always gonna
Kanye was always gonna be successful he's a successful person. So he understands what it takes to be successful.
But I do, I mean, he's even acknowledged that,
especially in the beginning,
he and I being around together,
I was very influential on the swag.
You know what I mean?
And so, you know, how I look at it,
you know, because I have no, I don't have any venom unless somebody comes at me.
And, you know, that comes about because of Q-tip.
You know what I'm saying?
Because, you know, if Q-tip doesn't say, you know what, I'm going to roll the dice on this kid.
I'm going, regardless of relationship, you still got to be able to hold it.
And I think Q-Tip knew I could hold it.
And that's what his mom was saying.
Like, she knew I could hold it.
She was like, I'm telling you,
you give it to him, he's going to be able to hold it.
I held it for,
Beach Rondo Light came out in 96.
It's 26 years I've held it.
And it's been a mechanical bull.
So it's like, you know,
you holding it though.
You know what I mean?
So many of my peers that started before me or even after me, you know, they don't have a firm foothold in music.
You know what it seems like from the outside looking in?
Sorry to cut you off.
It seems like when you're someone's friend, you're someone's friend's friend.
Me?
Yes.
You're someone's friend to the end.
100%. but if anything
happens you also become the enemy nigga i'm trying to go here just calling him
i'm not see the thing is i'm just not a yes sir man i'm not a yes sir form a lie
i ain't gonna say i ain't a yes man. I'll tell a nigga, yeah, that's it. Keep up the good work.
You know what I'm saying?
But I ain't a yes sir.
Bow, nigga.
Hit your head.
Nah, there's only one
I bow to.
And that's the most high.
So it don't matter
when it gets to a point
where the most high
ain't involved no more,
then it's up.
That's how I feel.
You know what I'm saying?
So when we doing ego,
that's not the most high no more.
I dealing blessings.
I felt like when Kanye got on,
you know, I'm Muslim,
but I felt like him making Jesus walks
was a positive thing
and it was a blessing.
You know what I'm saying?
Because at the end of the day...
Muslims believe in Jesus too.
Huh?
Right. Muslims believe in Jesus too and and just the fact of trying to engage a mass audience into us until
into us into consciousness of the soul right you know because at the end of the day you just don't
know who you touch when you do music. So when you have a good intention,
I feel like God will open doors for you.
You know what I mean?
And I,
I still believe that to this day,
you know what I'm saying?
Um,
and so,
yeah,
yeah.
So when it,
when,
when it turned,
when it get ungodly,
like,
and it's like snaky vibes,
I don't,
I don't,
but how does one fall out with they cousin though
anybody
can fall victim to snaky vibes
the industry did it
is it like the industry
I mean
it wasn't over Thanksgiving
we didn't have a problem
over mashed potatoes
you know what I'm saying
we had you know,
you know, there's a,
you know, at the end of the day,
what, you know, my thing is,
like, in this platform,
both Nori and I have worked with a tri-core quest, right?
Right, yes, sir.
So, it would behoove either one of us
to have a conversation about Q-Tip in a negative connotation.
I just feel like we've had to go through things that we've gone through.
We've gone through those things.
You know, Q-Tip is an elder statesman in hip-hop.
And, you know, he deserves his privacy and he deserves his regard.
Absolutely.
Like, one of my favorite styles of movie is documentaries.
And one of the things
that stood out to me
was I always, like,
heard of this room
was, like,
you hear about Ray Kwan
and Ghostface beefing
or you might hear
about Prodigy
and, you know,
Havoc beefing.
Like, this is always
the room of hearing
about, like, Q-Tip
and Fife's relationship
and, like, how,
like, it was kind of,
like, you kind of shaky.
But that documentary, I think Michael Rappaport
and
that documentary was my first time
because when me and Pone used to beef,
I used to think that was just me and Pone.
Every other group gets along.
And when I seen this,
it was two things. One, I was like,
wow, I thought Tropical Quest was perfect people.
And this was the first time I seen them be human. And two, it related to my own struggle. like it was two things one i was like wow i thought tropical quest was perfect people and like i and
this was like the first time i seen them be human and two it related to my own struggle i was like
damn i i wasn't the only person right yeah so so so but you as an insider you been knew that
their relationship was a little shaky absolutely damn for how long you think that was going on for
a long since i joined tribe what year you say they was going through they went
through problems after midnight marauders and that's like they uh and so man one thing i'm
definitely gonna say is like you know and i'm this isn't to blame i you know what I'm not gonna say that like that at the end of the day right as as two men who were like brothers never let never let anything or
anyone compromise that or blind that fit a blot your sight to the bigger picture
you know saying like a, it was so unnecessary
what caused the rift, but it was understandable,
you know what I'm saying?
Like, I found out about the issue
in Atlanta at Fife's house.
So I had been going to the studio for,
let's say we started recording Beats Round the Life February of 95, right?
So by July, August of 95 is when I overheard a conversation with Fife and Trugoy's cousin, Fudge,
who he, you know, God God bless the day he passed away they were having a conversation
and basically Fudge was like yeah I don't fuck with Q-Tip fuck that nigga and I initially I was
like fuck you talking about you know saying like who the fuck you talking about like who you think
you is who like so as so initially like and you know I'm i'm outnumbered i'm in a crib i'm in
a fight crib a fight i don't you know i i i fuck a fight but how the funny thing is like i said it
at the film like i i ended up coming down there um just on a whim he invited me to come to atlanta
for the budweiser Superfest that year.
So we was all, you know,
we was having a good time,
but we really was just kind of getting to know each other like that, like that.
You know what I'm saying?
So when Homie said it, I was like,
you know, I automatically...
And Homie is Fife, man.
Fife, yeah.
Plus two...
Oh, shit, that went over my head.
Yeah, yeah, it was true.
He's a true boy cousin.
Okay, okay.
So he said the shit,
and it was already kind of like a funny vibe a little bit in the native tongues at that time because
tribe shot to mainstream critical acclaim and success they was able to be successful
they lot you know shot out the gate mainstream
and they kind of was maintaining that
through the next two outstakes
as high as the Balloon Monster State.
De La was dead and 3-3 High and Rhyzer was successful.
You know, as we're moving on.
So they kind of shot out
and they started plateauing, right?
Tribe kind of started.
They started with El Segundo. Then got to Bonita. Bonita's a smash. Then they get to Can I Kick It? That's on your plateauing right try Kind of start they started else a gun though
Then got to beneath up beneath a smash then they get the can I kick it can I kick it a smash?
Then they get the low a gun though was the first thing
one of the first
Okay, I think they might had is the pace come out or something, but you know I
They were all buddy. Okay, so they were on Buddy, right? So they were like, so Jungle, Jungle was the first.
Jungle Brothers.
Jungle Brothers was the first out.
Jungle was the first ones.
Nigga never smoked weed.
His memory is sharp.
Oh, nigga, we're going to run through a cycle.
My shit is on.
My shit is on.
I'm remembering as he's saying it.
That's why I said, wait a minute.
Okay.
So remember, Africa is in Living Large, the movie, right?
They got Girl, Our House, you got anything.
Jungle Brothers is worldwide, you know what I'm saying, with the cult following.
Jungle Brothers is like 88 Griselda, right?
But they got radio records, though, too, because they got Girl, Our House, too.
Oh, that sounds like a shot to me.
That's what Blake said.
No, I'm not.
Nah, because he was doing the house stuff,
which is... Nah, what I'm saying is
like, when I say they Griselda
because they got the show aspect.
I'm talking about nigga Strength.
Not anything Karma.
Griselda Strength is the packed house.
Right? They got all kinds of niggas coming to
they shit. Right? So Jungle Brothers
the same shit. You know what I saying so then but would they ever they able to parlay it in the movies and and you know red alert is they?
Uncle is my red alert is my uncle. You know I'm saying so they they they on the radio
They start at the radio, but with them kind of joints right right so
Travis is the third and and also remember, like, you had dress up here.
Dress popping with choice is yours.
Right?
Money and law got ladies first.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's a black medallion wave.
So then the thing is, but it hits a ceiling.
Right?
And then tribe transitions
they take off
the dashigis
they get on some
Lyndon shit
you know what I'm saying
check the rhyme
check the rhyme yo
back in the days
on the boulevard
Lyndon
right
saying that shit
on the radio
right
then
scenario
it's check the rhyme
it's
we got the jazz it's direction effect beef it's check the rhyme, it's we got the jazz,
it's direction effect beef, it's scenario, then.
Forgot about direction effect beef.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%, you know what I'm saying?
So I'm just saying it because I'm just trying
to lay it out in chronological order.
So when you get to that conversation,
there's all that baggage looming
that's all that energy
is looming
cause now
I come into this
and I don't know
none of this shit
I'm a shorty
you know what I'm saying
I know about the beef
obviously
cause that's my family
we
the block went up
the block
was with tip on that one
you know what I'm saying
with the beef
with Dots effects
no no
regression effects
yeah the blockers in on that
She got crazy
Yeah, the patches shit, you know saying like this it was a real wait what they got to find it
Yeah, they got a fight principal from organized infusion was getting jumped and rail City Music Hall. Tip jumped in. They already had the product
of Strictly Hardcore Rap,
now the new Jack Swing.
They had a conversation with Fife.
You know what I'm saying?
Forget this.
So that's the root of the problem.
All right.
God bless the dead.
Fife said what he said.
Tip ate the brunt of it.
That's going to be a problem.
What did Fife say?
I mean, Fife ain't shooting nobody over it.
Right.
No, we know that.
You know what I'm saying?
On the whole record, what did he say?
He said that on We Got The Jazz.
Strictly hardcore rap, not a new Jack Swing.
So Teddy Riley and them niggas took offense to that shit.
Oh, okay.
I thought Q-Tip said that when you just said it.
Nah, Fife said it.
Fife said it.
You know what I'm saying?
And then that's how Q-Tip had the... Nah. nod so once again like I said if I if I story is he
seen Rex and the Fagin v8 they had a conversation about it they put it on ice
then it was a show fast for a couple months days there's a show at Radio City
Music Hall Travis bad they seen Rex and effect again whatever whatever now what
happened was Rex and effect used to run Posse Deep.
You know what I'm saying?
The Posse Deep niggas was in the lobby, and they got into it with Prince Poe from Organized Confusion.
Tip, for some reason, whatever, warned it.
And seeing them jumping Prince Poe and got into it, and the Posse Deep niggas was like,
well, you know what?
You know what I mean?
Organized Confusion was from 40 Projects, right?
Right.
100%. So it was like he seen the Queens nigga jump, and Tip went out on him. You know what you not me okay let's keep you some 40 projects right right 100% so it was like he seen a queen nigga jump ain't no I'm saying so yeah so that's what that's what happened so what happened was the reason I had a
black eyes cuz it is the what one of the niggas had a ring on caught him in the
eye then sizzled out the retina he did the video you had to do the video and
put a pattern yeah I forgot about all this shit. Word.
You know what I'm saying?
So, I'm just saying all that to say this is no slander.
This is just so there's clarity.
Right.
When...
A lot had happened.
A lot had happened.
So, and a lot continues to happen.
So, by the time I'm having this conversation,
they feel justified to say that
even though they... When I say they, it's fudge and fire. They feel justified and they feel justified to say that, even though they, when I say they,
it's fudge and fight. They feel
justified, and they start explaining to me,
why I just fucked him? You know what I'm saying?
Nigga did this, nigga trying to take my girl,
but I whoop, I whoop, right?
Took his girl? You trying to slide that in there?
Dave, before the DM,
it was the tour bus.
Talk about the tour bus,
cause. What I'm saying, before the DM, niggas was sliding in the tour bus Talk about the tour bus cost. I'm saying before the DM niggas were sliding on the tour bus
Not me close to you know me
You know you may got a 30 piece of these slits shorty back back in a
Bonnet bonded with the current and all this is like on a documentary. Oh
Yeah, I'm back there right nigga salon tour bus
Continues to not me so I
Guess the front man a trap
He was skiing right on the boat slide no. Right. I should have caught that. Right. He was sliding.
You know what I mean?
So, you know, homie feel like, you know, it's things like a nigga got a line like, bust off on your calvary, now you see Steven's front, your bitch is going crazy, right?
So, nobody in that position feel like a nigga is going to be able to slide they bitch.
So, when they bitch slide, it's like it's like bitch lit I mean a bitch lit what she at now she somebody auntie nigga niggas beefing over this bitch
nigga whole legacy is over a bitch in track pants that was in naughty by nature
video nigga like you've got to be kidding me man knock it off tell you some Linda shit
They are you buying Linda was like knock that shit off facts
Not man cuz it been with a bitch at
Ain't nowhere around I even see a fight funeral God bless the dead facts
So that was worth Me here and then they can say any of that? Nah. Somebody, see, the thing about, one thing about me and Kanye, I'm going to keep it a
thing.
No matter what we ever went through, somebody lowered their wing.
And whether it was Ye, whether it was me.
And y'all ain't fucking each other's bitches neither.
Nah, I told Ye to go get Kim Kardashian, bro.
I heard you just dropped him off at the hotel and all that.
I heard about this.
Man, you know.
It's my nigga.
And it ain't never gonna be nothing.
See, like you said, you said, you the most loyal nigga or you would. Yeah, so there ain't gonna never
be nothing. Like, that's my nigga.
I want my niggas happy.
I want my niggas to thrive.
You know what I'm saying? Ain't no, ain't no,
you know what I'm saying? On my end,
I ain't never had to do that.
Before rap, before rap, before rap.
In high school, all that shit.
Before rap, I was doing me, man.
Let's be clear, because what you're saying now is very heavy metal.
Because you're basically saying that the reason why Tribe broke up,
the reason why Tip and Phife's problem was initially over a yalla yalla.
And we've never heard this.
In addition to that altercation.
100%.
After the fight.
100%.
And that's why I didn't really fuck with the Michael Rappaport shit.
Because I said that, definitely.
And I'll say it again.
I made Michael Rappaport
pay me more
than what he was supposed
to pay anybody
because I told him
I ain't fucked with that.
Because at the end of the day,
nobody should have ever saw
that there was a problem.
You know what I'm saying?
If niggas got past it,
but they never got past it.
And the truth,
if you never got past it,
I told Fife,
I never got to finish
the Atlanta story.
So Fife was telling me all this shit, like, yo, he boom boom Boom boom, right? I'm 18. It's not my best interest to tell fight any advice
Right cuz my I don't have a record deal. My record deal is q-tip. No Sam
So at the end of Danny, I didn't get to an advanced and I ain't getting I told fight
I said yo, if you can't fuck with that man, leave that man alone.
My grandfather told me, never put crime in another nigga's hand.
If you don't fuck with a nigga, don't fuck with him.
Because if you don't fuck with him and he fuck you over, you put crime in that man's hand.
You know what I mean?
Rest in peace to Slim Turner.
You know what I mean? Like, that's what it is. You can't do that. You know what I'm here. You know what I mean? Recipe's a slim turner. You know what I mean?
Like, that's what it is.
You can't do that.
You know what I'm saying?
Fyfe at the time,
he had the last move shit out.
He had, um... He had the...
The bonos.
We don't got nothing to prove.
So it wasn't like he could've...
Yo, go solo.
What?
You know what I'm saying?
Go solo.
If you ain't gonna fuck with him,
if it's that serious for you, why... And I'm not go solo if you ain't no fun. Well, then if you if you if it's that serious for you
Why I'm not saying to leave his group does cuz I doubt that that wasn't
What I was trying to say what I was trying to say as a man, right?
I can't you acting like you can you can be with somebody who you can't really be with like
Sometimes with different niggas you need to give the nigga space.
But if y'all trying to hold the group shit,
you got two choices.
Put it to the side.
Put it to the side.
Or this is going to explode in your face.
You know what I'm saying?
And I think the latter wound up happening.
Even in Beach Rounds of Life,
you know, like, you know,
it was bittersweet for me
because I didn't have the... I didn't, I didn't,
I was looked at like, I fucked the chemistry up.
I didn't fuck no chemistry up.
Well, like when they added you to a official member of the group.
Yeah, because I was on so many records that it was perceived like, you got to think, like
it was perceived, and I understand the perception, right?
Because when you got something that you love right and let's say you a kid right
and you order a happy meal right and instead of a hamburger it's a pastrami sandwich with fries in
there right yo i ain't asked for this right i don't give a fuck what toys in there none of that
like that's not what i ordered so by by by by midnight marauders tribe was a happy
meal to the public it was like the burger the fries the toy to drink right they knew what they
were getting right they knew what they were getting and so when they got beached rounds of life it was
like a roast beef and cheese with potato chips at mcdonald's doesn't make sense. And a shake. I'm out of shit on myself.
Still good though.
Later.
Right, but it took a second.
Once you finally taste it,
but you got to go through the initial shock.
Opening the box. This ain't what I
ordered. You're going to be disgruntled at
first. Right, you're going to be disgruntled at first.
And that was the backlash of Beach Rounds of Life.
And that was unfair to me because I didn't know none of this shit walking in.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
I wouldn't even, had I known, that's why when we did the last Tribe album, I didn't do nine songs.
I was like, and I didn't mean to do the six that I was on, but it was more like I was just, you know, my shot was high.
So I couldn't stop it, you know what I'm saying?
But everybody in the group was cool with you doing
that many songs. Come on, man, that's loaded,
man.
Can I get a cigarette before you shoot me?
Can I say my last,
you know they, come on, man, you know
the stories. You're
the historian.
We gotta let everybody hear it.
Her Busta Rhymes
was officially added
to our tribe
called Remember
it's his last album
the last
yeah man
come on man
come on man
y'all both pulling out on me
no no no
I'm telling you
come on man
y'all both pulling out on me
man
look look
hey hey
hey
you're not just talking to us
you're talking to everybody else
I listen
I listen
I already know.
They don't know.
Nah, but they know y'all got the guns.
Nah, but look, at the end of the day, right,
you answer your question first,
and I'll go back to yours a little longer to explain.
All right.
For Busta's concern concern so last album yes it
yes buster was a member of tribe um and obviously so was i um and the, the, the zeal behind everything was to celebrate Fife and his life.
You know what I'm saying?
Right.
That was the bigger picture.
You know, obviously, I think people need to understand, um, there's going to be behind the scenes things that make sense, don't make sense, that have to get ironed out, so forth and so on.
But as a final product, yes, Busta was a member of the tribe for the last album.
He definitely was due that.
You know what I'm saying?
He's always been a standout performer when it came to tribe records.
He's always been around.
He's been around us as long as I'm, you know, as long as I'm known.
As long as we've been rapping, Busta been around.
Busta had the pathfinder coming to London.
Busta, me and Busta, he would smoke.
Once upon a time when I did smoke,
I would smoke a bus, you know what I'm saying?
That's my man and shit, you know what I'm saying?
So special thanks to Busta Rhymes and you.
And rest in peace, Pipe Dog.
For being inducted in the tribe
called Quest Hall of Fame.
How about that?
Right.
You know what I mean?
How about that?
For us in Queens,
that group meant so much to us,
the tribe.
And I don't think I've ever
publicly, other than
when you was going through yours
with your family,
I don't think I've ever heard
somebody publicly dis-tribe. But I didn't dis-tribe. I don't think I've ever heard somebody publicly dis Tribe.
But I didn't dis Tribe.
I never dis Tribe.
I act as a group.
I've never dis Tribe
because I've come from Tribe.
Okay, you're right.
You know what I'm saying?
I had a discrepancy with Q-Tip
at a certain point.
I mean, I've never...
Jerobe wasn't in the group
when I was there.
I was about to ask my next question.
Go ahead.
That's my next... That's crazy. Don't go over what I asked first there. I was about to ask my next question. Go ahead. That's crazy.
Don't go over what I asked first.
You got to go back to what I asked.
I swear to God, you're still in my interview now.
Can I have a water?
Take my last water.
You sure you don't want no champagne?
Maybe later.
You know what I mean?
I can't do it right now.
We got to celebrate you.
I can't do it right now.
We got champagne, Japanese Deleon.
We on fire, baby.
You know what I'm saying? We on fire.
We got the good shit for you. Take a shot. You know what I'm saying?
Because I did hear,
here's your question, and remind me
what we're talking about right now to get back to it.
But I did hear that's how
you, I believe, Ye or
you and Tip worked it out one time.
You went to the studio and drank some
Hennessy.
Nah.
I heard that. When you went to
listen to Pablo. I work out my problems
via wire transfer. Okay.
My bad, sir. I respect that.
Different kind of shot.
What were we talking about before that?
Yeah, let's go a little bit further.
The fans' question was,
was the other two,
was the other,
was the members of the group
okay with me being in the group?
Right.
And to
honestly answer your question,
no.
They weren't.
Ali Shahid didn't like it.
So,
no,
it wasn't that Ali didn't like it.
He didn't like,
it wasn't that he didn't like it
and it wasn't that
Ali didn't get with it.
I mean mean me and
Ali have a I've had a long relationship just together just as just outside of tribe um so
um I would never sit here and say I'm not here to bad mouth Ali you know once again you know
you know that's a that's our older that's my older brother you know what I'm saying? So he's always, you know, I mean, look,
it's not an easy thing to protect your own vested interests
and then look out for somebody, right?
Like, let's just be honest, right?
Like, that's almost counterproductive to business, you know, because business is not a handout thing.
Business is business. Right. Right.
So it's it takes a lot. And I've always tried to take that road as far as anything is concerned,
because to go from a fourth to a third, back to a fourth and then a fourth and a half because your man mad
about the the new fourth that ain't that's gonna be a conversation at bare minimum you know i'm
saying because i when i came into tribe it was queens get the money you know i mean so when
opportunities came my way it was Queens get the money.
It wasn't Queens play around.
It was Queens get the money.
You know what I'm saying?
I got stressed out because it was Queens get the money.
You know what I mean?
And so Queens get the money can be threatening also.
It can be a little threatening because it feels like a nigga taking over your block.
Right.
And you're absolutely right.
A nigga's taking over your block.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
Right.
And,
and,
and to let somebody stop them,
it's not going to stop.
Right.
You know what I mean?
And,
you know,
for them,
they platinum at this point.
It's a platinum block. Right. It's not, it's not a hole in the wall. It's not, you know what this point. It's a platinum block.
It's not,
it's not a hole in the wall.
It's not,
you know what I mean?
It's not somebody,
mom's dirty,
dirty attic or whatever.
Niggas is in there bagging up.
Niggas,
these niggas is all over the world,
not the place,
the world.
You know what I mean?
And to have somebody from Linda Boulevard come and do what I did was,
on my behalf,
it was amazing
and for them it was
understandable
and understandable tribulation
so yeah
nah
but no I think eventually
got used to the idea and I think
eventually I earned their respect
because they saw that it was Queens
get the money
but initially I probably wouldn't have liked me joining the tribe Eventually, I earned their respect because they saw that it was Queens get the money. You know what I'm saying?
But initially, I probably wouldn't have liked me joining the tribe either.
Just to be honest, it's all human emotion.
What I was really trying to get to is who had the final word for you to be in the group?
Who put me in the group?
Q-Tip.
Absolutely.
Diana Ross.
I was right behind Diana like this.
Sing that shit.
Hold on, we need to go back real quick.
Let's take a bathroom break.
You got to go to the bathroom.
You got to go.
All right, cool.
Might as well all of us do it.
Might as well all of us.
So during the pandemic, I seen a video that you put up.
It's called Lost a Million.
What's that about?
I mean, it was therapy for me being sick.
During the pandemic, I got diagnosed with SLE lupus and type 1 diabetes. And it kind of rocked me, just to be honest.
I dropped down to like 107 pounds and doctors basically told me if I didn't take certain measurements, it's going to be Royale Gilmore.
It's going to be Gilmore's funeral home.
So I did what I had to do.
So, I mean, in the video, it was just me.
It was a record that I used just to start working myself back to life, honestly.
You know, that part of the roller coaster wasn't fun wow you know i mean um
but you know it's been two years since then and i'm i'm back and you so so while everyone's
catching covid you right i thought i had covid well initially i had been going through so big
so i had shot a video with Conway, actually.
This joint called Complex Con.
And my son had jumped on my back.
And before that, I had been traveling around with Kanye a lot on airplanes.
Like, I mean, we was taking jets everywhere.
Kanye or Conway?
I was traveling with Kanye.
So he was doing the Sunday Service slash the J.I.K. album, the promo for it.
So I was going everywhere with it, you know what I mean?
So I was just taking a lot, an abnormal amount of flights for 2019.
That could do a number on you. Yeah, so my son jumped on my back at the video shoot, and it was like a crick in my neck.
And I went to a primary care physician
um and he gave me meloxic meloxicon it's called and that made matters worse um because it was
misdiagnosed um so by the time we get to march when the pandemic kind of, I went to, I took another flight.
I went to, went to Conye at a fashion show in Paris.
I went with him and his wife at the time.
Paris week?
Huh?
Fashion week.
Fashion week.
Yeah, yeah.
So I went with him, Kim, Courtney and the kids.
We flew out there.
We had a good time.
But when I got back, I felt really weak.
So I actually went to early care.
Went to try to get a COVID test because we was over in France and it just had hit.
So it was hitting in Europe first.
You know what I'm saying?
So I was like, damn, I hope I ain't got this.
So they didn't even know how to do the swab and none of that when I got to L.A.
It was all new.
So I was like, yo, let me just slide back to New York on the first thing, smoking.
And then the quarantine happened.
So I'm thinking, all right, well, this shit is, you know, I'm thinking it might be a month or something for shit to be closed.
Shit go on and on and on and on.
One thing led to another.
I got very, you know, my weight started dropping significantly. And, you know, it just got to the point where I ended up, you know,
me and Kanye was having a conversation about it.
I was like, yo, I'm fucked up, dog.
I was like, yo, I need some help.
You know what I'm saying?
I was in the crib, basically.
So Kim had found me a doctor in New York.
So after getting a spinal tap and everything they discovered
I had SLE lupus um which I was like I I didn't understand it was like nobody in my family got it
uh the stereotype is that it's a it's a it's an African-American female
genetic disease. Dr. Daddy got the same thing? And um T-Boz right? Does T-Boz? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I didn't, you know, so, and what happened then was that because I dropped so much weight
and I was like, they initially thought I had some shit called stiff man syndrome.
So, cause I literally was like walking, like I was like 90.
Shit was crazy.
You know what I'm saying?
That must have been scary as shit.
Yeah.
Yeah. Nah. And I don't scare easy, but that shit was...
It got to the point where I was just like,
all right, I'm just...
I'm just thinking this is going to happen.
You know what I'm saying?
Like writing well out and all that shit.
You know what I'm saying?
But what wound up happening,
I had to take steroids to get my system to, to, to jump back up.
So I wound up taking steroids, but then taking steroids, I was taking prednisone.
And then doing that, the milligram dosage is the equivalent to like glucose.
So it's.
Oh my God.
Don't tell me that created the diabetes.
Yeah. that created the diabetes yeah so basically i had i had to then i had then i got to an
endocrinologist and they was like yo if you don't take insulin you're gonna die your pancreas is
done you know i'm saying and um you know i mean i told money i was like yo i got a son yo just
to shoot me fuck it you know i'm saying because i was really apprehensive about taking insulin
because everybody i seen take insulin was like fucked up.
They wasn't like,
they wasn't thriving no more.
It was just like,
it was like,
you know,
it was like,
it looked,
for my,
I was wrong
because it actually,
it actually helped me
tremendously.
Right.
But for my lack
of education about it,
I just kind of panicked.
I was like, nah, I don't want to do that.
And they was like, yo, if you don't do it, you're going to die.
Your pancreas is done.
Like, the only thing you can do is jumpstart it with insulin.
You know what I'm saying?
So I was like, yo, I thought of all I did was think about my son.
I was like, yo, just do whatever you got to do then.
You know what I'm saying?
Just give it to me now.
Why are we waiting for it?
The shit is already fucked up.
You know what I'm saying?
So I did that.
And then, you know, I just
started changing
everything.
Because I was still eating the same way
with the medicine. And
that was only
leading to the grave.
Honestly. Like, you know, I was still eating
thinking, like, I could have whatever
the fuck. And, you know, it was just a like i could have whatever the fuck and you know
or you know what it was just a lot of shit and so with that i began meeting with more doctors
and nurses and you know shout out to northwell group and my um my uh my new basically primary
physician who's my lupus specialist um dr nino she uh, she definitely was a conduit for me to save my, for my life to be saved.
I got to make some marks for that, man.
I didn't know none of that actually in that question, lost a million, you know what I mean?
Yeah, yeah, so lost a million was basically my way of just telling the story, you know,
like telling of everything that happened.
Because I feel like my life,
I was literally watching myself
lose millions.
Right.
Because that's the value
that I have for myself.
So it wasn't even,
it's a metaphor,
it's a metaphor, so to speak.
Just to say,
like, I'm literally
watching my life
and I gotta,
either I save me
or I'm gonna lose everything
alright
yeah
on one hand
I wanna pop a champagne
with you
but on the other hand
it's just like
I'm not sure
we got some more shit
to talk about though
yeah
we might get to the shit
we know
and you also got to
work with K Slade too
before he passed away
yeah
rest in peace K Slade
yeah rest in peace K Slade
I did the role
in 100 Deep
100 Deep
yep
yeah man
K Slade is definitely um gonna be
missed man it's so crazy he died from covid it's just the thing about the pandemic where i don't
think people will ever fully understand is the amount of death that we've had to deal with
in real time because of social media you know i like i watched so like even when i was going
through what i was going through,
I was like,
I was immobilized.
I was on the couch
and I'm just looking at face,
looking at all my social media platform.
I remember I was,
man,
I was on drugs
and I saw Breon dancing
to,
uh,
Guy.
Teddy,
Teddy Riley.
Teddy Riley.
And I thought I was in the Twilight Zone.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was like,
wait,
what the fuck is Breon doing?
He was definitely the hype man. He was definitely, I was like, yo. Not even the hype man, the hype dancer. Right? He was the hype dancer. Like, yo, I couldn't process
because you know like it was hard to process that number one the indie
was shut down from what we know it's a new industry now like basically we we now work on
the phone the offices in new york as far as record companies still not universal still not open right
you know i'm saying so we've had to figure out how to adapt to the pandemic you know so in that
adaptation it's like yo you're seeing you know even So in that adaptation, it's like, yo, you're seeing, you know,
even the emergence of Versus was an adaptation.
I was like, is this shit?
No disrespect to the idea, but it was like, almost like,
it was like, I guess it's what we do in the cope.
You know what I'm saying?
D-Nice doing what he was doing.
Right.
D-Nice shit.
You know, like, that shit was like, yo, I remember, man,
first D-Nice joined. He was like, yo, I remember, man, first D-Nice joined.
He was like, yo, Koss, what up?
I said, like, a month later, I think Oprah was on there.
D-Nice was a shout-out.
Nobody out.
Yeah, yeah.
It was like.
Holy shit.
I think Michelle Obama even came in there.
Yeah, Michelle Obama.
Everybody, everybody.
I was like, yo, D-Nice shit.
Everybody was on there.
D-Nice shit at the tunnel, son. What the fuck? You know what I mean, like I said, I'm going through all this, you know, drugs.
It was like, I'll say it.
D-Nice is this out there, my nigga.
You know what I mean?
Derek, my nigga from, from damn near since you called me D-Nice.
I like how you, I like how you called him Derek.
That's my nigga.
Yeah, yeah.
That's my nigga.
That's my nigga.
I've been outside, my nigga.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I've been outside.
I just look at all rappers, DJs who've been through what we've been through, and I never
call them their first name.
I always want to call them their superhero name.
I mean, he'd like to be called Derek.
Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He's D-Nice to me, motherfucker.
He's D-Nice to me, though.
That's D-Nice.
But you know what I mean?
Did you do that record?
Yeah, I did that record.
At your studio.
That's right, right? We did it together., I did direct it. At your studio, that's right.
We did it together.
We all did it together.
Yes, yes, yes.
Holy moly guacamole.
So what's next for you, Kaws?
Did we touch on the reality TV?
No, let's not.
Let's not?
Let's not.
Oh my God.
Why not?
It's a bag.
I seen an interview where you were saying, it's a bag.
You don't want that bag no more?
I just passed on doing it.
They asked me to do it.
I didn't do it.
Oh yeah?
Yeah, I did drink chance.
That's what goddamn makes a noise. That's what I'm talking about. I'm not saying that. You don't want that bag no more? I just passed on doing it.
They asked me to do it.
I didn't do it.
Yeah, I did drink chance.
That's what God damn makes a noise.
But what was it like, you know,
coming from where you come from
and then going into reality TV?
Say it for a person that maybe you want to tell them not to do it.
I don't know.
You know,
I mean,
I feel like
it's,
you know,
listen,
Tiffany's here,
like I said,
I know Mona
since she worked
at Violator.
Absolutely.
She first started,
you know what I mean?
Right.
So,
you know,
you know,
to see what she's been able to do with the lane, the Johnyard,
you know, that's somebody that, like, literally the first trip I took with Tribe
was to Miami for How Can I Be Down, and Mona was working with us.
She was our point person.
How Can I Be Down.
That's a lot of people.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
So, like, for me, you know, my hat is off to Mona.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, I spoke to Mona.
I actually, you know, all full transparency, you know, the thought had crossed my mind to maybe do another season.
Because of all the shit I got going on, I'm just in a different space.
But I just think that for me at this point, like, I've done so much that it wouldn't make sense to go back but you know just in full
thought because i'm literally about to go they they doing like uh an episode that's like a you
know some like what they doing now type shit they asked me to do it i was just like yeah right now
they ain't in the fight and they didn't throw a change since he did it to now when you're doing
this change right completely yeah this is yeah you can't throw drinks can't fight yeah so it's not no fun for me it's not no fun for me i have the first reunion
fight right right right right that's why you that's why
okay all right now now i get now i get what's going on okay okay okay you know so you know
that was that was then and it's cool.
Now, how about you?
You still with your lady, Jennifer?
No, no, no.
Oh, really?
No, I didn't know that.
My new lady.
My new lady.
You know my new lady.
Oh, damn.
Are we blowing it up?
You grew up with my new lady.
Who?
You grew up with my new lady.
Really?
He called you Poppy.
Okay.
And I'll be mad about that shit, too.
Can you sound right?
That's my knee in my hood, man. No, no,, nah, I know she's showing me baby pictures and shit. Yeah, yeah, hi, come on, let's make some noise for me.
That was, that was good.
She's like, could you tell me why I'm here?
I said, I'm gonna be honest with you, man.
You said poppy on your time, man.
Nah, but you know her, her brother, your fit, y'all grew up together.
Her name is Melody.
Oh, okay.
Okay, how you had no Melody and shit?
I grew up on the same floor.
Yeah.
Not even just the same floor.
Yeah.
I grew up on the same floor.
I grew up on the same floor.
I grew up on the same floor.
I grew up on the same floor.
I grew up on the same floor.
I grew up on the same floor.
I grew up on the same floor. I grew up on the same floor. I grew up on the same floor. I grew up on the same floor. girl. The guy named is melody. Okay, okay
Same floor Nah, that's mom. She take care of me. Okay, all right. But thanks so much for you. I see you a little bit.
You smiling for real now.
Okay, because I know what I deserve now.
Right, right, right. You know what I'm saying?
Right.
I know what I deserve.
I know what the work warrants.
But you ain't go through a nasty breakup
or something like that.
What would be wrong?
Listen, at the end of the day,
I have my son.
My son is my gift in this life.
And regardless
of whatever I go through,
that's the final product
is Kaden.
Right.
And me and Kaden
actually got a video
coming out
called Who Shot Jamal?
It's on my album.
It's incredible.
Who Shot Jamal?
Who Shot Jamal.
Oh, Who Shot Jamal.
Okay.
I see the trail.
I see the trail.
Yeah, so it's
basically
our dialogue our dialogue between father and son about dealing with murder in the black community.
Wow.
I think a lot of times, you know, too many times there's bodies, you know, there's bodies in the street that nobody know what happened to them,
and the police don't really care.
And then, you know, unfortunately,
families do the police work.
If there's any police work to be done
as far as, like, getting just that closure, you know,
so we having that conversation in this record,
and it's important, and I'm looking forward to it.
And Kaden and I are also doing a group album called 192 that Havoc is executive producing wow yeah so he 10 lit just just got sturdy on the summer
jam screen and all that so that's out of you know I'm like I'm not gonna criticize others and not
keep a play of myself so I don't do the the thing with the girls and the dirt and all that on your platforms.
I don't do none of that.
You know, I just, you know, I keep it where I keep it.
Right, right.
So what do you feel like about, like, parents
who, like, it seems like they're putting their children
on front street.
Is that something that your son wants to do?
Is it something, like, he came to you and said, Pop, or is this something that that your son wants to do is it something
like he came to you and said pop or this is something that you wanted to do like it's practice
and then it started he put himself on a summer jam screen okay i ain't telling him to get sturdy
you know i mean i got the vip passes so you do it you know i mean but um i mean i think the whole thing is our generation now,
we're in the position
to offer nepotism, right?
I don't need to get a check off of Caden.
I'm straight.
You know what I'm saying?
I have a resume
and a contact list
that provides.
You know what I'm saying?
So I'm able to provide for my son.
He don't take me shopping.
I do.
I remember,
as my partner,
if I just remember
one time,
I think it was
at the Sauce magazine
and I remember like
hearing Benzino
over here,
over talking about,
yo,
they thinking I'm making
money off of my son.
They think I'm trying
to expose my son.
And I remember
just hearing that.
Right.
And I'm just,
I'm wondering,
is that something like,
I mean, that's people. No, I'm wondering is that something I mean I mean
that's because that's how you know some people that's always the perception right but what you
say about nepotism that's true generational wealth right see the the the thing is there are people
who actually see something in their kid and be like yeah this the ticket and Venus and Sir
Williams Venus and Serena Williams right look, right. Look at King Richard.
Like, that movie is so ill just due to the fact that what, you know, it takes humility also to see in your child what you can't literally do anymore.
Right?
So if you came, you was Richard,
you know what I mean?
The whole thing is like
you had two choices.
You could be,
you could withhold the knowledge
and hope they figure it out
for theyself.
Right.
Or you could come up
with a plan
that's going to actually
be able to be executable
through your,
through your,
through your seeds.
You know what I'm saying?
And him and his wife, it wasn't just him
and his wife. They're getting shit from
the neighbor. Guess what?
In three, four years,
that wasn't the same neighbor no more.
Their neighborhood changed.
Not to say right. Their neighborhood changed
because of Richard's ambition.
A lot
of times, fathers don't get
the acknowledgement of having to
be the quarterback of your family, like having to really be able to see the end zone, I know,
and take the heckling of motherfuckers worried about what you're doing in the process of
getting from first down to first down, you know what I'm saying, the play is in the end
zone, that's where the six points is at. And whatever else you're going to get.
You know what I mean?
So you got to get there.
I like that.
Take a look back at that.
I like that.
I like that a lot.
Go back real quick to when you started to rhyme, right?
Right.
And Tribe is starting to bubble.
Right.
Because it was huge even from the onset.
Right.
How was the atmosphere for you
like just seeing that and seeing that's actually family right there right i mean well
the number one thing it did was give hope because i mean at that time when trial comes out
we in queens right so the streets is a mess you know when Tron came out
the Central Park 5
got arrested
right
when
not too long
before that
Edward Burns
that got murdered in Queens
you seen the
free team documentary
I just saw it
that shit's crazy
right
I got it
you sound like it to the crib
you know what I'm saying
you know so
the streets that we lived on man you, niggas are selling crack at 12, bro.
Like, I know, I got men that grew up, I watched a nigga smoke cigarettes in diapers.
Like, shit was out of control.
You know, in retrospect.
You know what I'm saying?
But at that time, it's what was going on.
It wasn't nobody questioning none of that shit like that. Nobody was, I mean, you know, Al Sharpton questioned it. You know what but at that time it's what was going on It wasn't no nobody questioned under that shit like that. Nobody was yummy, you know, Al Sharpton questioned it, you know Sam
When he was rocking the joint
You know I mean so but we did like
Also like that like tribe gave niggas hope.
LL gave niggas hope.
Seeing DMC in the hood and the Lincoln gave niggas hope.
You know what I'm saying?
Well, too.
Nigga, you know, me, you know, I was able to battle run when I was 14.
You know what I'm saying?
Oh, shit.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Come on, Koss.
You're going too far.
I ain't going nowhere. You went too far. How you think I got dropped?
You battle one DMC I battle one guy 320 e go join he was a reverend
He had a surgery to toss you
Windbreaker tracks or to see me toini Tachini right I like how you
Try to make it sound
More fresh
I mean you know
Let's take a shot
I'll stand up
Yo
He added me
Give me fly too low
Give me fly too low
Yeah
No but that's
Some legendary shit
You serious
So you battle run
Where at
Buster told
Tip
I battle run
I got in tribe
Buster told Q-Tip
Buster was there
And said if you battle
No Buster was there
He told
Not if
I did
Okay
At 14
15
I mean same difference
Yeah
On one on two
That's the name of my label
One on two records
Cause that's how
That's why I got the money
Queens get the money
You ain't leaving the block
Without getting this work.
Did Run have the hat on?
Nah.
This is before that.
This ain't no derby run.
This run.
Nigga, this is...
Nah.
That's TV, man.
Y'all watch the TV, man.
This is Run in the street, nigga.
How this nigga in Queens?
He had a haircut?
Not a bully!
That's when they did Down With The King.
Okay, alright.
Alright.
The Down With The King run.
It's 92, 91.
And we got that.
Let's get it.
All in front of cleaners on 102.
Okay.
Me, here's Spank G.
We don't roll the audience, too.
Right, me, here's Spank G. Busta Rhymes, Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumpelstiltskin, I haven't heard that name in a while.
Right.
All right, did he have on Adidas?
I don't remember, I ate food.
Okay, all right.
You say you beat one.
I ate food.
I'm saying, cause he got two balls.
No, I'm not here to disrespect nobody.
So he, I'm not saying, it wasn't like.
If you, you could use a pop bottle of champagne.
If this is real, listen man.
If this is real. He's saying if this is real, listen, man. If this is real.
If this is real.
Come on, listen.
You want to pop a gold bottle?
Bro, I'm going to pop a gold bottle.
Yeah, probably.
Because I ain't never heard a nigga say they battle.
I heard Myaskill say that he wanted an autograph from Run,
but no one ever came on here and said it.
And Run responded to that.
And Run responded to that. No one and what he can't you to go
I'll be playing great at one point I was told the word with diggy Simmons on his
debut album my nigga I see you know like I'm Demi Siggy. Niggas know. I never disrespect her, bro. I'm like, yo, I hear you.
No, I'm saying, I ate.
I can't, listen, here's the thing, right?
In fairness to Run, right?
The nigga did me a favor by even saying, all right, shorty, what you got?
All right, nigga.
That's what I got.
That's what I got for Quinny's, nigga. That's what I got for Queens, nigga.
That's what I got for Linda Boulevard, nigga.
Next stop, tribe.
Next stop is the Chase Park 2.
Fast.
Pop one of that.
Yeah.
Goddamn it.
Woo!
Yeah!
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The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network,
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AT&T, connecting changes everything.
I wasn't drinking, I wasn't drinking, but you
making me want to drink. Let's keep going.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm going to get your cut.
I'm going to get your cut.
Hold on, Dan. Yo, Mr. Lee,
can you tell Biggs I'm recording?
Because he's calling me right now.
Because we're celebrating
you, my brother. We celebrate you.
Salud.
This is champagne.
Champagne.
Salud.
Salud.
You got to take a sip or I don't count.
You got to take a sip.
I'll give the story on my chugger after.
But look, nah, but worth more.
Okay.
Yeah.
I can't lie to you, bro.
Wait, wait.
So you battle run
What happens in that moment
Right after that
Once again
Like even in the midst of this
Like what was supposed
To take place
Was actually
Fife and Mr. Cheeks
Were supposed to battle
That night
And Mr. Cheeks
Yeah
He was Coach Cheeks
He was Coach Cheeks
So that's
That was supposed to
What was supposed to happen.
Right.
Because cold cheeks was...
This is Super Queen shit going on right now.
Yeah, but he was the nigga on the tapes.
You know what I'm saying?
And he wanted in on the game.
So to get in on the game, he was like, yo, me and Phife.
Because Phife, this is right after low end.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
So Phife was like... So that battle was either going to be Fife was going to eat his food
or he was going to eat his food and they was going to have to then say,
Coach Cheeks need to be on.
But he eventually got on.
You know what I'm saying?
And the L shit about that night, like I said, he got, he, but they didn't battle.
So for some reason, Cheeks didn't come, but Spank G came.
Spank G and Coach Cheeks was partners.
They used to have this shit called Organize.
I like to organize the two burgers and fries with my lost boy crew
because that's the way that we do.
My man stretches now in effect.
Well, mama said, so I did catch wreck.
The real deal, like Holyfield making emergency phone calls my nightmares worse than Freddie don't scheme on my
dream just get your machete right that nigga was nice back in the day that
nigga was nice it was him he was nice and Redman they both did tapes at uh
Montebello um that's how Redman got on Redman got Redman got popular he was
already kind of fucking with he was fucking E, but the shit with him and Biz, the Montebello tape is what made Redman.
Yeah, we heard that.
You know what I'm saying?
Biz wouldn't put him on. But Biz wouldn't put him on.
No, no, no.
Didn't Red say he was spinning for?
Redman was DJing at F.R.I.T.E.
Right. So, but he got on the mic. He said, Redman slacks no halves.
I got a knapsack of raps to give you more power to snap.
I get the power from Grayskull Castle.
And I got the power to smash you and thrash you.
That nigga was, that nigga back in the days.
Nah, Red was, it was crazy.
Right, he let a clip off on that shit.
So, my point is to say either one of those rhymes was that,
so kind of the stage was set for
the shit but cheeks i don't think for some reason got there but then run came and pulled up out of
nowhere you know i'm saying and when run came we all was out there and then we started and then
run went then i went then run went again i went again and then that's how it kind of turned to
smack dvd not smack dvd like queens get the money shout out to run for doing that though I went again. I went again. And then that's how it kind of turned to... Smack DVD?
Not Smack DVD.
Like, Queens get the money.
Shout out to Ro for doing that, though.
Yeah, that's why I never try to come at it like,
yo, oh, run.
I told Run, it wasn't that.
I, Run gave me the crown.
He's already a super legend at that time.
Right, Run passed the torch to me.
Wow.
But it was in a battle,
it was in a battle mode. Wow. You know what I'm saying? He didn't give it to me like, yeah, he didn't give it to me like, yeah, I'm gonna put you on down with the king with me, you and Pete Rock. No, I was like, nigga, if you don't, if you don't tear me up, you got told by Ron and you might as well quit. You know what I'm saying? Because there ain't no really no coming back from that shit neither though. Nah, who else you battles I?
Ain't battle with me you is 50 this a the hip hop And Punchline. That's a good one. Shout out to Punchline. Punchline got busy with it. That was part of this. Wasn't it?
He was a part of a group called Punchlines and Word.
Punch and Words.
Yeah, yeah.
You know what's crazy?
Living that moment, I did not know how special that moment was.
Right.
Did you know that?
I never would have realized that that shit would have made it to the 21st century.
Like, look at all the fuck we are.
Right.
And we sitting there.
And we sitting there. We sitting there.
We in my session.
That's my session. That's my beat.
Right, right.
And I don't even know
how many...
I came for a kid.
Capri was doing his album.
Yes, yes, yes.
That's right.
If people that don't know,
you can go right now
on YouTube
or somewhere.
It's a famous freestyle.
This is before, like,
the pun freestyles
and all this.
This was during
the NRE album.
It was me,
Consequence,
50.
And Punchline.
And Punchline.
We all went twice.
And everyone,
I'm talking about,
let me tell you something.
Because it was like,
it wasn't like we were battling,
like I was just about to say.
But we were battling.
But not battling each other. We were battling, like I was just about to say. But we were battling, but not battling each other.
We had the track masters in the room who was the number one producers at the time, track masters in the room.
Would they be playing in the background?
But I have never been able to rekindle that type of moment.
That shit was there.
That was an era.
That was an era.
Yeah, and it was so spontaneous.
Wait, you can't just Blame it on the error
I gotta say
I don't think that
That type of error
Is gonna
That comes back
Okay I agree with you
There's definitely
A moment in time
Because at the time
Because of the position
That all four artists
Was in
You know
Nori
Nori
And
I feel like that moment
Created the XXL freestyle
That That That's arguably A point to be taken Nori, Nori, and, and... I feel like that moment when you read the XXL freestyle.
That, that, that's arguably a point to be taken.
Like, that's before...
If you're going to say that,
that's before the freestyle,
the BT...
Right, I was going to say,
really, that's the BT cypher.
Oh, okay.
That's what that really is,
the BT cypher.
Because that's the way it is.
Because of the fact that it made...
Real quick, okay.
Yeah, it made it to the future from that.
It was on a VHS tape.
So it got uploaded, which once again, you know what I'm saying,
double back to what we first started from the beginning of the conversation.
There wasn't even YouTube when we did that.
You know what I'm saying?
We was viral for what it was back then.
But it still was viral.
It went viral once viral was viral.
That version of viral back then But it still viral It went viral Once viral was a viral Yeah yeah
That version of viral
Back then
It was definitely
No but it went viral
Once viral was viral
It was like
Oh nigga send this out too
It was holding out
It was holding out
Get serious
Every time somebody posted
That had the platform
It goes viral
Yes you're right
Cause like
It's a new thing
Every time
And like I'm saying
I think it was the position of
You was the nigga at the time.
50 was just got signed to Trackmasters.
How to Rob didn't even come out yet.
I was coming out of Tribe in between deals and Punch was trying to get a deal.
So he was hungry.
So it was like the chemistry just all made sense.
Like if 50 would have been been if 50 would have had out
the g on the mixtapes it wouldn't have been that same situation if you would have already had out
super thug it wouldn't have been that situation right you know i'm saying it was just like why
were you guys in the same room was it violated the common denominator no no track masters is
common denominator because they they were working with nori okay and i was there for kicker pre-session
he was also working with the track masters.
It was all a Sony situation.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And Kid Capri also did the beat that he did for me that night.
He gave it to me that night.
Shout out to Kid Capri, man.
Yeah, shout out to Kid Capri.
It was really funny.
That's a legendary, legendary moment.
And I look for that.
I look for that in other people's genres of music.
And I don't think that chemistry, I don't think that hungerness.
It was a special time in hip-hop, man.
Yeah, the 90s.
What was your favorite period in hip-hop?
What's your favorite era, excuse me?
Man, I got moments more so than just time period.
As a fan though.
Look at it as a fan.
Yeah.
One of my favorite moments that probably should be my favorite moment is the Bad Boy era.
No.
Just because.
No, but just because.
You got to understand, I was in tribe, but I was looking at that shit like.
Right.
Oh, you were smoking with it.
You were looking at it.
Man, that was a good it. You was on the line. Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,
da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,
da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,
da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da,
da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, one thing one thing you know one thing is for sure like puff knew how to make a
record that made women react not just hits that it made women react you know a
lot of a lot of what's going on now is people not really understand
and also like
if your shit is overtly masculine
you know what I'm saying
that doesn't include women
you know if
we got one guy
who defines that
who
Nas Escobar
but Nas got
show day
say what's your price
just to back it up
but at first
Nas that first album Nas has first album, Nas has some bitches.
No, Nas has some bitches because he had the buzz.
Right.
But, you know what I'm saying?
But there's still, there's, because he got.
I think it's different.
I think what you, what you guys are saying is different things.
But, but, right.
But then, look, let's keep it real.
Even with Nas, right?
He has Illmatic, right?
He got the bitches. But then said, if right he got the bitches but then said if I
really want the bitches go get Lauren
if you really want the bitches put Puffo hit me now
he wanted the Monolo bitches right so that's why he upgraded and stepped it up
yeah but you gotta understand like you know one of the best chick record makers of all
time his first hit record is benita apple bomb beneath that bomb i still don't know what that is
what do you mean what is beneath that ball that way um it's a person but i can't say her name
it's actual you didn't know it was a person that he was talking about? No. I thought it was
a stroke move.
Whoa.
That's actually...
That's his business
I'll leave him out of that.
He's coming to drink
Shazam.
Who it is.
Oh my God.
Yeah.
I mean,
they can know who that is.
So look,
we spoke about it
a little bit earlier.
Right now,
Punk Flesh is saying,
hey man,
Griselda,
I love you guys' movement,
love what you guys are doing,
but he doesn't feel
that they're making music
that fits the radio,
right?
Or at least fits his platform.
Right.
He's saying,
why you guys care?
And they're saying initially,
yo, you should care
because we the shit.
We're selling out,
like how we spoke on earlier.
Right.
We're selling out arenas,
we're making money,
we got the jewelry, we got the Like how we spoke Earlier We're selling out arenas We're making money We got the jewelry
We got the cars
We got the crowd
Why wouldn't you
Support us
Where do you
On this
On this
Side of the story
Where do you
On the spectrum of this
Yeah
My side of the story
On a seesaw
Where you go
Where you fit
As a songwriter
You always have to
Have a chorus
To get on the radio.
What, what,
what, what. Big me up.
I like that. What, what, what.
What, what, what.
Tammy Lucas. What, what, what.
What, what, what.
What's another one?
I mean,
you have to have a chorus to get on the radio.
That's bigger than even what Flex is alluding to.
The thing is, and I'm saying this as a songwriter,
there has to be a...
Radio is based on audience, and audience has to sing along.
Without singing along, there is no that radio doesn't fulfill its purpose
right from a bit and you notice as a dj so there's there there's the beat the chorus and then the
raps right far as records that are hit records blowing up eric b for President Was not just I came in the door I said it before
It was
I came in the door
I said it before
I never let the mic
Manitize me no more
But it's buying me
Buying me
It's getting me to mom
I can't hold it back
I'm looking for the rhyme
Taking off my coat Clearing my throat The rhyme will be kicking Until I hit my last note I know the words to that shit to this day.
You know what I'm saying?
So the thing is, it's about resignation and inclusion
right
I'm saying this
as a songwriter
I'm not specifically
saying this
about that
even that argument
I'm saying
the components
of a record
that works at radio
and rap
and rap
is based on
is based on engagement
cause some will argue
right now
Cardi B got a hit record,
and it's only the chorus that plays once,
or maybe twice.
Cardi B with Lil Durk and Kanye right now.
Well, remember what Flex said, though.
He said that what dictates what goes on the radio
is Spotify and YouTube.
He just amplifies that.
Right.
He says that.
I think he said that in one of his...
Right, okay.
But in a traditional sense, as far as...
Whether you're on the radio or not, right? He says that, I think he said that in one of his... Right. Okay. But in a traditional sense, as far as... Even if...
Whether you're on the radio or not, right?
A record...
Like...
Bad from TV.
No hook.
Considered a hit record.
Yeah, but y'all raps are like choruses.
Are my calls?
Are my calls?
I ain't gonna argue with you.
Regardless of...
Regardless of...
I ain't gonna argue with you.
No, no.
Regardless of... I ain't arguing with you about bad from TV. gonna argue with you. I ain't gonna argue with you.
I ain't gonna argue with you.
Wait, what's nature shit?
Regardless of rain and snow,
sleet or hell, I kick street sales,
chugging niggas like I'm Sprewell.
Go to the state, holdin' your face, and the call on my hand.
Like it's part of the plan, I had to chug it like I did.
Walkin' high, I see it.
Thuggin' my dog, thug down orthopedic
cause I'm soon to be up.
Yo, I know the fuckin fucking raps, bro.
But remember,
that was an era before hip-hop
was mainstream on radio.
We had small mix show segments
in that era.
Especially in our markets,
not in New York.
There's a component to resignation
that just happens, right?
There's a component to resignation that just happens. There's a's a there's a there's a component to resignation
that just happens there's a tone of voice there's a beat there's a there's just things that make
people in in three listens start with it you know what i'm saying it helps the program
basically right right right right so so so in your opinion you haven't heard a record like that from Griselda? Um, what I think, my personal opinion, like, at the end of the day, right, if that wasn't even the case, there's nothing wrong with that.
Griselda's been on, like, a three-year run, right?
Like, in the spotlight, right?
And they've managed to, like and transform into like the biggest shit.
Independent or not independent. Right.
They were playing them in South Africa when I went to South Africa. Right.
So the thing is, like, but is there ceiling for more?
Well, yes, absolutely. They made them make those three stars.
They three they three-hop household names. So, do I feel like, in
fairness and in love
as them and my brothers, can they deliver
the biggest records of their
career now? Yeah, you got every resource, you
up. You know what I'm saying?
You might have to go see
Timbaland for that. You might
have to go see a Pharrell for that.
You might have to see
a Swiss. And say that though, but say,
listen, because a lot of people think...
I think it's just counterproductive
to kind of get to the gatekeeper shit, right?
Hold on, I'm just going to say this. I think when
people think that when you say radio record or you
say
a club record,
people automatically think commercial.
You can make a record that is radio friendly
or club friendly without it being commercial. Do you agree?
You did it.
You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I mean-
I mean-
I mean-
It's really corny to always go into the studio with that idea. This is my club record. This
is my radio record. No, no, no, but it should flow. As long as it's flow, it should all
be organic.
As long as it's organic, right, right, right.
But there's nothing wrong with being mindful of where you want to land. Yeah.
You know what I'm saying?
Right.
Like, there's nothing wrong with that.
You know, I told JV her,
to give it to me, Joy,
it was like,
oh, yeah, I'm putting 22-2 type of rap on this.
Right.
Now, I think it was like,
I'm out with this, this is smash.
Right, because as a songwriter, too,
when I hear something,
I can either go either way with it.
It'll speak to you.
I can say, yo, you know what?
I'm going to go mess with,
I'm going to go mess with the club. I'm going to go fuck with the club on this. Or I say, yo, you know what? I'm going to go mess with the club.
I'm going to go fuck with the club on this.
Or I can be like, you know what?
I'm going to go fuck with the hood on this.
But you didn't go intentionally in that spot before you had a beat, before you had anything.
Go, today's my radio record day.
Today's my record day.
So me working with a Kanye, right, because he a producer first, I might have a, yo, I'm going to go this way with it.
And he's like, yo, that ain't big enough.
So then you got to rip that piece of paper up and start from the beginning. I might have a, yo, I'm going to go this way with it. And he's like, yo, that ain't big enough.
So then you got to rip that piece of paper up and start from the beginning.
Because it's like when you got intellectual property, you can have a one-level ranch or you can have a high rise.
Right?
It's all in which you project onto the music.
You know what I'm saying?
So the thing is, to get to a higher plateau, you need a higher level of thinking.
So sometimes you got to be your own worst critic and be like, maybe I hit this nerve already as far as my base is concerned.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, you brought up like Lost A Million.
I didn't shoot the same level of video I did for Bloodstained for that.
I knew that Bloodstained had a shot.
You know what I'm saying?
Lost a million for me was my personal, my creative.
So I'm not going to service that to radio.
I'm not going to say Flex is not fucking with me because he didn't support Dead.
The hottest record on the street too.
Yeah, now that's what Flex is supporting.
You know what I'm saying?
Because that's a joint.
Has he been? Because it's going to be the clip right now. We're doing this in our medium. Yeah, yeah, nah. It's today's news. Now that's what flexes support. You know I'm saying because that that's a joint has even um
97 just had me come do the new music me and well, I played it for all the DJ played the record
I played the record for all the DJs. So it will be added. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm drinking out of something.
Take a sip.
I got, you know, I'm looking like I'm...
At least the keys drink on here, sir.
Come on, man.
And smoke, brother.
Come on, take a sip.
We're in a different space.
Yeah, I'm fucking with you, my guy.
But at the end of the day, yeah, like with the Bloodstained joint,
Bloodstained going to be my biggest record.
Produced by Kanye, correct?
Produced by Kanye West, yeah.
This shit's dope, man.
You know what I mean?
And I'm, you know, so from there, now, you know, I got the remix coming.
Remix crazy, crazy, crazy.
I'm waiting on like two more features that I'm gonna start announcing shit, but I got
the remix of the summer for this shit.
Hands down.
You know what I mean?
So-
Rob Markman Is this independent?
I don't know.
I don't know what that means.
You got me on that one.
That's like an emoji.
I don't understand.
It's like, can you put out a record or an album with a song that you can sing?
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means.
I don't know what that means. I don't know what that means. I don't know just give up. I don't know what the fuck that means. It's like, can you put out a record or an album and call it like a full circle moment?
Is that how it could ever be distributed as a full circle moment?
We're just trying to say the Grammy family is going to be on this.
Trying to say they got all the good music and all the tribe on this.
I'm feeling like.
Let me ask you a question though, right?
Okay.
You was in a car with Ye, right was in it you was in a car with yay right yes using a car seen you like the whole
winter you just like pulling up yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
he's been no money
I never seen him pull out a card. Nah, I ain't got to pull out no card. He got the, he ain't got to pull out no card. He don't use cash.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know what I mean?
He don't use cash.
He don't even, you know what I mean?
I wasn't, when the bill came up,
I wasn't sitting around having that awkward moment.
You know, where y'all both look at the bill.
You know what I'm saying?
I just grabbed it.
Nah, you walked out, right?
Nah, I just grabbed it.
No, no, no, no, no.
Oh, you paid?
You know, I paid the whole time.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Well, I mean, me and you in a different space.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
We in a different space.
Yeah, yeah, I was in a different space. You know what I mean? But it's, it's, it's great. But, yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, me and you in a different space. We in a different space. Yeah, yeah.
You know what I mean?
But it's great.
But yeah, yeah, me and, you know, we just got a lot of money.
Right.
God damn it, man.
You shining right there.
Let me see. Let me see what kind of watch is that.
I know it's the presidential.
Let me see what face is that.
That's the cut.
Wayne James.
Ooh, it was Wayne James.
Come on.
God damn it.
He, you hear shining.
He hear shining.
You ain't got the bright watch Why don't you got the break?
Why?
You know what I'm saying?
It's a grown man timepiece.
You know what I'm saying?
You know,
yeah,
my brother love me.
You know what?
It ain't independent.
It's on one out of two records
and it's distributed
by my brother love me.
We talking about Ye?
My brother love me.
Okay, because we can be talking about Q-Tip, too.
My cousin love me.
Oh, that's Primo.
Primo love you a little bit.
Your brother love you a lot.
And brother love me like we brothers.
Jesus.
I love that, though.
Because, you know, I ain't going to lie to you.
When I looked,
because, you know, like I said,
I went through your music continuously.
I knew that.
But when I looked at the interviews,
like when, like I said,
I said, what's ill about you?
Like, when you're mad,
I believe you when you're mad.
But when you happy to,
I also believe you equally.
Nah, I'm no Capcom. I'm no Capcom. I also believe you equally. Nah, I'm no Capcom.
I'm no Capcom.
I also believe you equally.
Nah, nah, boy, nah.
That's why I don't really do gray areas.
Right, yeah.
You know what I'm saying?
I don't halfway fuck with niggas.
Right.
I don't do sucker shit.
I ain't on that.
You know what I'm saying?
If I don't fuck with a nigga, nigga, no, I don't fuck with him.
If I fuck with a nigga, nigga, no, I jump out a moving van on punk for you.
You know what I'm saying? Like, that's Punk for you. You know what I'm saying?
Like, that's who I am.
You know what I'm saying?
And I embrace that part of who I am.
Did you say on Punk?
Yeah.
I jumped out the van.
I had 10-4 in the sleeper from Kanye.
On a TV show Punk?
On a TV show Punk.
Oh, shit.
Oh, was it during Jesus Walks?
Yeah.
That's me flying out the van.
Oh, yeah, when they trying to take the footage.
Right, when they trying to take the footage. Oh, I forgot that one. Yeah, yeah. Holy moly guacamole? Yeah. That's me flying out the van. Oh, yeah, when they trying to take the footage.
Right, when they trying to take the footage.
Oh, for God's sake.
Yeah, yeah.
Holy moly guacamole.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, for God's sake.
Come on.
They trying to get you easy.
That shit was wild.
Yeah, yeah.
It's always wild with us.
Nigga, I'm telling my brother
love me like,
he love me like I'm his brother.
There's all this fucking noise
back here, dog.
No, no, no.
That's champagne right there,
so I used you to do that.
So, so damn, you did see the Supreme Team documentary.
I did see the Supreme Team documentary,
but I definitely...
It was well-made.
Definitely got to check that shit out.
I'm on the roll with that.
With that, you know, because he...
He's like a film-made documentary.
Yeah, yeah, he did...
Ralph McDaniels.
Ralph McDaniels.
That shit was crazy.
I want to... You know, me and him, Yeah, yeah, he did the Ronald McDonald show. That shit was crazy.
I want to,
you know, me and him,
we have like a great text message relationship.
But I text him
and then when he texts me back,
I was filming,
so I couldn't text.
But this is one of the first times
I'm going to go on
and say, yo, listen, bro,
great fucking work.
Because we're on
the whole other side
of Queens.
I think't even
consider us Westside Queens I never heard that was yeah I'm not
right that's about left right Queens bridge that they all consider that
Westside Queens so for what I'm saying is that if we know what was going on in
Jamaica we know for him to know what he knew like the blocks in the areas right
is why news cuz uncle wise is from 107 and got Brewer
and 40 Projects
and my other cousin
is from Basie.
That's the only reason
why I knew,
but I was so much of a kid.
Right, right.
Like, when you hear me
say in Pain and Fall,
you know,
the nigga popping
the really,
he was fucking
with the britches.
That's because
I remember when Griselda,
the real Griselda,
the actual lady
who moved to Queens,
that's when Queens
really got blew up because
you know,
Cat and Pappy and
Cream and them niggas was rearing up in Jackson Heights.
So, we didn't have to go uptown.
So, I remember
my one time I ever
seen Alpo, he came
to 40 projects, I believe. He was
popping the willies. And that's so, a lot of people
think I'm saying that on Pay to Fall. Talking about, what I'm talking about, I believe. He was popping the willies. And that's so, a lot of people think I'm saying that on Pay to Fall,
talking about,
what I'm talking about,
I'm describing
what I'm supposed to describe
in a movie,
but I'm describing
what I'm saying
in real life.
You know what I'm saying?
I wanted to ask you,
when it shows a tree of people
in the crew,
did they use my name?
No.
Baby Wise isn't going to do
Uncle Wise?
No, that's his man.
Nah, Baby Wise, yeah.
Baby Wise is alive, nigga. Baby Wise is still alive. Baby Wise is bringing out more. course. No, that's his man
You know, you know, it's a bunch of BJ will be where there's a bunch of
Lobass niggas from Prince from NASA the new lob nigga. I you know the niggas is turning shit up. Now, you got to watch it. I didn't realize. I definitely, no, no, no, no. I didn't realize. I never met Prince.
I met Prem.
You never met Prince?
The thing is, like, when I was a shorty, because my aunt.
That's your son.
My aunt is Landis.
Her.
Her aunt is Landis.
You know, niggas, like, she got a baby by shorty black brother.
And she used to, you know, fat cat and all them niggas, you know what I mean?
Them niggas know my family.
I know them niggas like from when I was a kid.
Them niggas was the illest niggas that you, like the energy with them niggas, you know, was just always, you know, they was taking care of business.
They was getting a lot of money.
They was getting a lot of money.
And they was getting a lot of money. They was getting a lot of money. And they was getting a lot of money on the streets. So, you know, with that comes, you know, niggas say the rap life is the most dangerous life.
At that time, that was rap life.
That was rap life.
The block life was the illest shit.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, niggas, you know, like, you know, niggas, some niggas are still in jail.
When you see the documentary, you're going to see there's a part where LL is
actually in the club that shit is crazy that footage that's it probably yeah
that's probably
you see brain you see Prem, you see Prince,
you see them all on stage.
Busy B's on stage.
He was like, yo,
he had no props
that he couldn't even go on stage.
That shit is hell.
Yeah, because it's always that,
you know,
that famous pit.
I think it's in Fan Mysteries.
I think it's in either Mysteries
or Q Club.
One of them,
when they all on stage
and they all dressed up
and all that shit,
that shit is hell.
Yeah, I think that's it.
Yep.
Yeah, that shit. Them niggas didn't even know he was shit. Yeah, I think that was it. Yeah, that shit.
Them niggas didn't even know he was there.
No, Al knew he was there.
He didn't know there was film.
No, he said he didn't know that specifically it was that because he sent that footage on stage.
Yeah, because it was someone's birthday party, right?
He didn't know that he was necessarily at that party.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, nah, that shit was a time back then.
It's still coming from my brain.
You're going to see that shit.
You're going to be like, oh, shit.
I watched the whole shit all together
all three series
I forgot what I was
telling people I was doing
I was like yo you man
I'm doing some
important shit right now
and each episode
was like a complete
documentary
it was dope
complete different
I liked it the fact
cause at first
I was like
damn he'll do a whole shit
and not involve Irv
and then at the very last
in Irv
then he had Ashanti.
I was like,
oh shit,
like,
I believe Doug Baker's involved.
Big up to Doug Baker.
You know our guy.
And Peter from Massapelle
did a great job, bro.
Great job.
Even down to the backstory
of how the area got built up
by the contractor.
Yeah, that's Melody Granthorpe.
Yeah.
L.B. Griffin.
Yeah,
the people that the off the the streets with the trucks is though yes it definitely queens got a lot of history we got
a lot of history we got a lot of history man queens get the money man yo so so what were you
doing in passions downtown i heard that question
i was actually in a mentorship program at Passions.
At the strip club?
There's a mentorship program at the strip club?
Yeah, Passions was a strip club.
I'm sorry.
Passions is a mentorship?
I was offering mentorship.
Oh, I get it.
Oh, I get it now, my bad.
That shit went over my head.
Right.
He was ordering mentorship for single moms.
No.
I was offering mentorships, and we were, it was basically like,
there was like an hour class that just consisted of baby oil.
It was an hour class that, you know, we would show, you know,
the like basic arithmetic
of how much to actually
do a transaction for.
Like remedial shit.
Are you saying you was a pimp
for a little while?
I'm saying I opened
a mentorship program
that my son doesn't know about.
Did Bishop Dawn
ever did this type of mentorship?
EPC did this type of mentorship.
Okay.
I don't know that went over my head.
What's EPC?
If you know, you know.
We need a decoder for a lot of these stuff.
So basically, do we know other people who entered in this mentorship?
Nah, I mean, you know, I actually had a situation
you know, that happened on school grounds out there.
You know, sometimes, you know,
people want to change their homeroom teacher.
It's okay, though, you know.
Man, this has got weird, man.
You asked, I did ask. Okay, though, you know, man, this is got weird Like I said, I owe the measures of broken I believe it at that okay for single moms who mama
Because there's a meme right now
Yeah, how I cause if you need to know
You know what the funny thing is like man you like that's like see you like 10 for right now
That's like a whole to how you tear for this one Yo, ask that nigga about I don't know. I don't know, you know. I can tell. I'm almost like, nigga. You know what I mean?
Yo, nigga.
Ask that nigga about passes.
Right.
Okay.
Okay, we on point.
That's all.
That's all.
We moving on.
We moving on.
Thank you.
That was a good one.
I wasn't ready.
I wasn't.
I'm ready for anything.
But I definitely like, world.
Talk about passes.
So, you like Wyoming?
You've been to Wyoming?
Yeah, Wyoming's pleasant.
I like it, doesn't it?
Was you around, was you there when he had the hat on?
Oh, the MAGA hat?
There's only one hat.
Yeah, nah, well, whoa.
There's only one hat, yo.
Nah, I came after the TMZ.
Okay.
I was actually running the Tribe's merchandise initiative that they had with Sony.
So I was coming off of just doing a collaboration with Billionaire's Boy Club.
We did a Tribe Varsity jacket for the space program record. We did it with-Varsity Jacket for the Space Program record.
We did it with Pharrell.
He owns BBC.
We did that.
We did it for Lock and Drop.
We did a drop with Vans.
And then I dropped the phone when I seen the TMZ shit.
I was like...
Oh, when he said that slavery's a choice?
Yeah, the whole shit.
It was just like, you know, the Twitter shit was going off crazy
and I was like,
what the fuck?
Okay.
And I just happened to call,
I just,
I actually
pocket dialed Jay
by accident
and he picked up.
I was like,
oh,
oh shit,
what up, son?
What?
And, you know,
we had a conversation
and he actually was like,
yo,
why don't you just come, I hadn't seen him in a while
But you know we was having tabbing in his look his I'll hit something to go viral
What many people don't know is that Kanye at one point was supposed to join tribe for the last album.
While Phife still was alive?
No.
Phife will pass away?
Cuz Phife passed away. Okay,
he was gonna join Tribe.
And,
that's why he's actually
on the Killing Season record.
So,
we had really started
connecting,
but I was over here,
he was doing what he was doing.
You know what I mean?
So when the TMZ happened, I mean, you know, honestly, I just, you know, I'm just amazed.
You know, when it did happen that I actually called, I was like, yo, you good, nigga?
What's up, nigga?
You know what I'm saying?
And we just started laughing and doing, you know, having our conversation.
And then he was like, yo, yo, why don't you just come, come yo why don't you just come out to Wyoming?
Had you been to Wyoming before?
I had never been to Wyoming.
I was like.
Did your negro senses start going off?
Nigga, three o'clock in the morning,
there was a moose outside of my cabin going,
ahhhhhh!
What the fuck was that? Go on. I mean, I mean, something like, now I'm at the window, I'm like, now I'm at the window with my two fingers. What the fuck am I doing with this shit?
This shit's like, oh, what an attitude.
They ain't got the whole little shit, nigga.
Like, ball wiggles and all that, them ball wiggles and moves.
That nigga look.
And you dolo on the camera.
Nah, but the nigga, nah, nah, I'm dolo on the camera.
This nigga's around.
Like, that shit was crazy, yo, nigga. I'm gonna worry about it. I stand up one time
So like the first day and go to the gym right and I'm sitting on my sit on point Jim
You know Sam a fox is walking down the street like a fox a fucking fox. I don't think I've ever seen a pot He was making a sissy nigga like that. He was like, yo, yo, what's up, sir?
Like, yo, what the fuck is this shit?
But we had like this shit called the first time we asked him.
You recorded in Beersville before?
Yes.
Okay, but go back to your story.
Go back.
Go to Beersville. It's funny.
I just did a joint from Mike Geronimo.
In Beersville?
No, in Hearsville.
But not me.
I'm just joking.
No, at his crib.
I put him on. But yeah, the first time I went. No, at his crib, I put him on him.
But yeah,
the first time I went to Bearsville
was with Mike Geronimo.
Okay.
Let's get back to that story.
Finish that story.
So,
but this shit is at the
Armitage,
which is the most...
This is Wyoming.
Wyoming.
Uh-huh.
But like,
niggas like,
who the fuck was staying there?
Nigga that own oil.
Nigga, yeah oil Nigga yeah
Yeah
Those type of jokes
Yeah but nah nah nah
I wanna say it's like
Harrison Ford was out there
Like niggas spending
Indiana Jones money at that shit
Right
So it's like
Real selective
We thuggin' this shit out
I mean like
Cause
The thing about me and Ye
Is like
We don't really got
the whole, once we reconnect, it's back to what it is.
Right.
You know what I'm saying? So it's like, niggas, it's just fucking like, you know, we can run
it through the records. You know what I'm saying? So it was a great, it was actually
a great experience, but it just started out, it started out kind of crazy.
But Nas was there.
Right, yeah.
Nas was there.
When I got there, yeah, Nas was there because his...
Because they were doing their album.
Yeah.
Right, right, right, right, right.
So we did Ye Joint, Kissy Ghost, then we went to L.A. for Tiana shit.
Well, we finished Nas shit.
Yeah, we went to L.A. for Tiana shit.
And then Nars shit was our last.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, so that shit was L, though.
That shit was L.
That shit was L.
So earlier we touched on,
I called you a ghostwriter.
You made it clear.
There's a difference.
Songwriter.
Songwriter.
So can you tell people the difference between ghostwriter and songwriter for those that don't know?
I'm here in the flesh.
And my name is on.
The ghost you don't know about.
The ghost is, and I said it before, I feel like it's, you know, the term ghostwriting actually privatizes, especially hip-hop, because there's no ghost pop writer right the writers usually
credit it all right no it's like Diane Martell not a ghostwriter she's a songwriter right she
go on bring more heart for Toni Braxton right not the director's I am I mean Diane what's her name
yeah fucking me Diane it is a Diane you know know one of these ladies. Why is the lady named Diane? I forgot names. I tell us I am what tells the video director so
some
It the point that I'm trying to make is that at the end of the day these people are credit
Giving their proper credit first Diane Warren. Thank you. Hip-hop is like a bad word
No, hip-hop it's a bad dough right right, you-hop, it's a bad dough. Right, right.
You know what I'm saying?
It's more of a thing where it's...
Like to say you have a ghost world, I'm saying.
And pop and other genres, they don't mind putting it out there.
Right, no, no, no.
Because for them, it's all about the final product is the only thing that matters.
Right, right.
Where hip-hop, because hip-hop is also a culture.
And it feels like it's self-made,
so don't want to give credit to say that somebody else helped make you.
Well, part of the rules of the culture was always being your own person.
Right.
You know what I'm saying?
Having that individuality.
So when you were presenting yourself as an emcee.
You're presenting yourself.
You're presenting yourself, right?
But when you're presenting yourself as a presenting yourself right but when you're presenting yourself
as a rapper you don't have to be an emcee to make a hit record right you know i'm saying and so the
the the while i say it's a battle because the back a lot of in in retrospect a lot of people
should have songwriters a lot of rappers are in position to be bigger but they don't, they, they're, they're clinging to the culture. You know what I'm saying? Like you as a, as a business person, as a businessman or woman in, in the music business, every resource is that you're available, is that you're available as long as the budget allows for such right so why would you be why would you be at a at a six seven figure level
as far as that as a performer but then minimize yourself to like the elbow grease of writing it
all yourself and you're and you're not and it's not clicking or or or trying to
produce it or yourself when when you may because you've been on tour maybe you're
a little bit out of touch of what radio's doing what spot with the
playlist of doing what's happening on YouTube you know the number one thing
once you're a brand is brand retention right so there is no boundary in that
right it's a brownie is a boundary that you create for yourself in hip hop.
You know what I'm saying?
Because it doesn't mean that you're still not like...
Because Kanye has stated that he has songwriting,
it doesn't mean that Kanye is not...
That's collaborators.
But it doesn't even mean he's not...
Collaborators, you can call that collaborators,
and nobody would say anything.
So it's annoying.
I'm going to throw something at you.
Who are you talking to?
Mr. Leak?
So saying all that to say that at the end of the day, yeah, like he, the number one thing should be final product when you get to a certain level as far as being a name brand like i you know like when i feel like i can't do do the task then you know if the budget
allows for that then yeah i don't have no problem bringing in nobody to be like yo whether you i
keep the whole thing you spark the idea whatever the case is it's all about getting to to the next
level so that you could be on the radio that you can perform on xyz show why do people always um label dr dre as a great
and everyone knows that even like easy easy he said ice cube write the rhymes that i say
dr dre is a great everyone knows depending on the album and people writes rhyme but they they
label him a great but yeah and still when people find out, like people like Drake or Kanye West
has a little help,
the purists,
the purists,
the pure hip-hoppers.
The producers are not.
I think,
I think.
MCs,
those are kind of
two different.
Yeah,
but the purists
don't accept that.
The purists is like,
yo.
But yeah,
it's true.
But they accept it.
They accept it for Dr. Dre.
They accept it for Dr. Dre.
I think,
I think.
But Dre has collaborators as well.
He has people helping
to play stuff. Right. And I think for Dr. Dre. I think, but Dre has collaborators as well. He has people helping to play stuff.
Right.
And I think that Dre
was a pioneer
for a coast
and a sound
and I think that's me
for a lot of people
that supersedes
the nitpicking
of whether he wrote
something or not.
I think,
and I think Dre
always was presented
in a communal sense
when he put out NWA,
it was him and others. When he put out The Chronicwa it was him and others when he put out the chronic it was him and others there's never really been dr dre solo right to be all honest
every dre record is a communal situation so him rapping well production wise it was always
thought that it was just him but it's all always been there's never been he's always been a front
man but it's never been uh all dr drake project no no no right so the thing is like so he's never
presented himself as a as a like a drake like a drake right drake came and presented as presented
this is jovio or young money present drake as an individual right so we
we make the assumption that this is the individual who's doing it all and no it's never was explained
that oh he could be collaborating so you're saying like the branding yeah the brand all the the
nothing that drake did was wrong it just the information was a leak right it was presented
as a leak so it was presented as a leak so it was presented
as something that the public didn't know right so then then then that made you scratch your head
and be like so is the guy that i thought are you the guy that i thought right because that's the
number one thing in hip-hop we won't it's authenticity are you the guy we thought you
was you know i'm saying everybody who's ran into that kind of war has been based on their authenticity. Oh, now we don't believe you.
You need more people.
You know what I'm saying?
So let me ask you.
I'm going to take a pee-pee so you can ask me.
Just laugh.
All right, yeah.
All right, cool.
Game said that on here we had one.
He said that Kanye did more for him in the last two weeks than Dr. Dre has done his whole career.
What do you feel about that statement?
And where was you?
Did you hear that statement?
Yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah.
I mean, it was on the internet.
Yeah, 100%.
Yeah.
I mean, I think Game has admitted that he was in his feelings about the Super Bowl, right?
So, I mean, you know, Game, when he in his feelings, he be letting it off.
So I don't even know if he even, I don you know, exclusion, rejection,
false narratives of relationships drive people to say and do things.
Similar to like you with Q-tip, right?
Yeah, you could say that.
You know what I'm saying?
I mean, yeah, that's fair to say.
Like, disappointment and things of that nature drive people to, like,
I don't even know that was game true feeling.
I just think game felt defensive.
Like he felt excluded.
He,
you know what I'm saying?
That was a big moment.
And,
you know,
he definitely was,
as we could see,
he was gearing up to put out a project.
So in his mind,
maybe he felt like,
cause Kanye,
uh,
actually had done certain things in that two-week period around the Super Bowl
and he was excluded from that.
It led to him saying that.
Oh, okay.
It isn't a speculation.
I don't know.
You know what I'm saying?
I definitely don't know.
But, you know, that could be a lane for that.
Right.
You know what I mean?
So, you know i mean so you know
well man we asked you what's next or no we didn't ask you what's next you asked me what's next so
like i said i got the album coming out okay because that's what i'm saying we got we got
the first single is that attached to a project what project and what's the name of the project
the name of the project is called nice Doing Business With You. Nice Doing Business With You. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And was that a statement?
Definitely.
Yeah.
I mean, it's a vibe.
I mean, because I think, you know, I'm at the point.
And first and foremost, it's just a statement to myself.
Like, you know what I'm saying?
Like, the things that I've been through, some of that's to owe me.
I ain't moving like that no more. You know what I'm saying? Like, the things that I've been through, some of that's the old me. I ain't moving like that no more.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, so it was just nice doing business with that guy from the tribe.
It was nice doing that business with the guy from Good Music.
You know, the best way to part on business terms is to tell somebody nice doing business with you.
Right?
So you're saying you're old.
Can't get ahead of yourself.
Yeah, so I'm just saying I'm on some new shit.
Super CEO.
Facts.
Making every decision.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Right.
192 Records flew me down here.
Right.
That's your shit.
Absolutely.
So you better run it for the 192, right?
And whoever else wanted it.
You know what I mean?
Okay, I said it earlier.
And I was playing, but I'm not really playing.
Would you really do versus against somebody?
And if so, who do you think is a worthy opponent of you?
I don't know.
Kid Cudi?
Nah, we don't do the same thing.
Yeah, that's what versus sometimes is about.
I mean, if it was a celebration scenario, is i don't i don't uh you know not everything ain't it's like something
that's gonna get nasty yeah you've seen it you've seen it bone through the three sixes oh yeah yeah
right that's someone else's nasty i'm dreaming um um oh you saw about like the pandemic? Sean Elliott. Sean Garrett.
Sean Garrett, excuse me.
And they went into the same room, but I felt like they was in the same room.
It'd be some cocaine, some punches flowing.
Right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right.
Nah, I don't know.
It's something to think about.
You know what I mean?
I seen, I wouldn't want to say no name because I seen what happened with,
and I like both of these niggas.
I seen what happened with Bleak and Jewels.
I mean, I don't know i i gotta i gotta see i'm just so in i'm in album cycle so charles hamilton charles hamilton that's that's a random pick
i'm just bringing niggas out to woodward that's a boy yeah he's a nice guy though i don't you know
i don't really got the... Planet Asia? Planet Asia.
I mean...
I don't know if that would make sense for viewers.
Okay.
Come on.
Let's keep thinking, y'all.
You did.
You did.
You got to relax.
No, I wouldn't.
You got to look at yourself, too.
Dad, too.
And, you know, nobody... I mean if it was in a
If it was like
Red and Meth
Then yeah
Me and Q-Tip
But I wouldn't go
You and Q-Tip
Against Red and Meth
Tag teams
Tyler
Or
You know what I would
You know what I would do
I would do
I would do
Me and Tip
Versus Blackstar
And put money up Damn I would do I would do I would do me and tip versus black star
And put money up
Breaking news You you you you tip was down to do it mad me and tip versus black star you and tip first black star
Not try first black star me and Q tip versus most
different quality you and I mean that's friendly respect respectfully respectful like yeah it's
still respectful but I would do that I would do that I would definitely do that and I and I'm
and yeah I would do that I would do that I would do that I'm not you know a Q tip thing is not
really uh diverse this thing but I'm just saying it just on the idea as far as like cuz you put me with him
I was like, you know, you won't put me him versus them to yeah
Well, I don't need a tongue one would be dope where it's a celebration but showing showcasing everybody's records
I mean, I wish you can happen. I don't think it would though, but it would be dope. Yeah
Nobody or neither talking is who take no., but nobody, or native tongue is Wu-Tang.
No, no.
The whole,
the whole native tongue comes out.
You got De La,
JB.
No, no.
And they also case the records.
At one point,
they was throwing around
Tribe versus Outkast.
That would be crazy.
Yeah.
That would be dope, actually.
You know,
I never got my Tribe called
Crest Black.
But let's get back to you
Yes, that's a kid
Actually, I didn't even get one for the last one
I'm do it. I mean obviously you know I'm saying I mean, you know, I'll be picking up
My thing is wire transfers.
That's what I'll be picking up. He's like, fuck the plug.
Just send me the wire.
I respect you keep going to the wire transfers.
Nah, my shit is about the wire transfers.
So, one-on-one versus you're not really interested in?
I'm not saying I'm not interested.
I'm just, I mean, because the first two artists that you named were, I don't know what they currently have out.
So I don't know.
It turned into a status thing.
You're this and you're this and you're this.
And I'm humble enough to say I got my first single out in a minute.
I've been doing a bunch of.
See, my versus isn't fair because I'm right for other people and myself nobody's
beating bloodstain let's be clear nobody nobody has nothing out that's gonna beat that shit right
now right obi trace but he don't have nothing out right this minute common would be a good one i
mean that that would that would be a heady i mean i you know common got a lot of records though i
ain't gonna lie i'm like i'm not i'm not over here and he, you know, Carmen got a lot of records, though. I ain't gonna lie. I'm not over here.
And he used to love her.
He got a lot of records.
I beat Carmen in the NBA live
when I first joined Strive,
when he had the line-up.
I whooped Carmen ass relentlessly.
But not in the Bayou
even before everyone is a winner.
That's you, sir.
That's you, sir.
That's you, sir.
That's you, sir.
That's you, shit. But nah,
Common is,
you know,
Common a legend.
You can't take none away
from Common.
You know what I'm saying?
Like, you know,
I'm never,
I celebrate others too.
It ain't just about me.
That's all.
That's all it is.
It don't take none away from you.
Right.
And that's what I said
with the other people.
I could have been like,
man, that nigga,
nah.
Because look,
I want to be honest with you.
And that nigga
ain't a homeboy. niggas getting no paper
Right now man. Let's just be real like you could call up all the names you want niggas is
Niggas apprehended by poverty
All behind they back in a fucking bar back on chicken wing like nigga hurt now i mean so you know i mean i'm not a sore winner though i'm not here to put nobody's face
in a bowl of shit i'm not on that i i i uplift before i do any of that you know i'm saying but
you know i mean but i but i'm i am a rapper I'm an MC first And part of being an MC
Is
Is
Is this shit
The Rob Van Dam shit
You know what I'm saying
So like
When you say certain niggas
I wouldn't even
Climb through the ring ropes
For certain niggas
How
You're not gonna be
You're not gonna get past
Paranoid
Over 808 Heartbreak
Who you think wrote that
Read the credits You're not getting past paranoid
not you might not get past grammy family
i call my shit out because see when you participate in the rain it's part of your
it's part of your composite so how you gonna get past on core nigga? That's a catalog
Jay Kanye called me out that a barbecue. We we wrote the hook the encore on the phone
2003
Jay-z wrote the wrong and I take another way from Jay-z. I'm telling how the hook came out. He must toss my shit I said this to me and we spoke about this before though. We said that's So technically I could throw
So then once again if a nigga won't play more fucking
whatever the fuck song, you got to handle that.
You got to handle that.
You got to handle a bunch of shit, nigga.
You got to handle Spaceship.
What you going to do about the Spaceship?
Not too much.
And who we talking about again?
Whoever the fuck.
Dot com.
Dot com, dot org,
go to godaddy.com,
order all three of them shits.
Dot eat.
I think that's the way to end it.
Is that the way?
Is that the way?
Yo, Kost,
I just want to tell you, man,
it's not a lot of people who survived
through every era that you survived through.
That's what's crazy.
And almost every era in the last couple of,
you know, you've been there.
You've been relevant.
You've been involved with some of the biggest projects
that's been out.
I want to tell you, you know, that's not going unnoticed.
That's going with a big salute to it.
Because in order to stay alive and survive in this game,
I know how hard it is.
Trust me, I know how hard it is.
100%.
And I take my hat off to y'all, to you.
You know, once again, the first time we actually met was the Shades of Hip Hop Cypher Big up Shades of Hip Hop, let's do it.
You know I did Drink Chance before when I did it with Tribe, you know we've all stayed in touch since then
and I've watched you guys become the culture when it comes to interviews and YouTube and just having
artists, giving the platform that y'all started and seeing how those seeds of good intent
have flourished for you guys, man.
You know what I'm saying?
Thank you, man.
Basically, you're saying you've seen a lot of niggas bite off shit.
Basically, you're saying the nice way.
Not even that.
I've seen y'all become number one.
Yes, that's right.
So that's the whole thing.
And it's not whether the analytics is one, is two, three on Apple Music, whatever it is.
The conversation is number one.
The conversation has the impact.
And that's the whole thing.
It's just like it's a hit record. Drink Chance is a hit. Right. The conversation has the impact and that's the whole thing is just like it's a hit record.
Drink Champs is a hit.
Right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So,
we interviewed Dave Chappelle
and Dave said,
we was like,
yo,
we,
uh,
you want to get this off,
go ahead.
I said,
what in the world?
You know what I'm saying?
Like,
Dave Chappelle was like,
yo,
I said,
Dave Chappelle,
I said,
we,
we,
um,
I forget what I said
about Carpenter,
I think I was talking about,
um,
the documentary and Dave Chappelle said, Consecrate. I think I was talking about the documentary.
And Dave Chappelle said, Consecrate's a great guy.
And he has great teeth.
Yeah, I mean, he was talking about the old model.
I pulled up with the 22s for you.
Oh!
Oh, my God!
Queens get the money.
Queens get the goddamn money!
Right, right.
So rest in peace to the old veneers. Yeah, okay. You know, we out here. Shit looking right. So yeah, it's a recipe to the over near
Looking right around here ice little everything. I ain't out here DJing for chicken fingers like a nigga man is though
What's causing all this Ric Flair say I
Ain't out here DJing for chicken fingers. They don't call me DJ Honey Mustard, nigga.
I fuck with them. They my man.
So, like I told you when we did the text,
it's like, you know, like that's
the nigga getting his shit
off, and that's cool.
That's my man. He shouted me out
on the Grammys, you know what I'm saying?
You know, but, you know, like,
them shout-outs, you gotta watch them shout- shoutouts cuz then I might shout niggas out like it ain't nothing
y'all is down
You think bitches don't like Louis Vuitton I'm still buying Louis Vuitton nigga and he stopped in 2016
Cook because Virgil gone
We recipe the bird over to send it to me Cause Virgil gone Recipes of Virgil
Virgil was sending it to me
Like I said
There's not a lot of people
Who survive with
With the
This line of questioning
No no no
No no no
You was ready for the question
No you
But I mean
In general
Because
Because you know
It's a lot of shit that goes on
It's a lot of shit that
You know
You stay strong for And you here You still to the test of time And goes on. It's a lot of shit that, you know, you stay strong for
and you're here.
You're still to the test of time
and you're here.
So we want to give you
your flowers,
which we did.
We want to,
you know what I mean,
salute you
and we're going home.
You got anything else to say?
Anything else more to say?
While we're on Revolt,
make sure you follow me
on Instagram,
at ConCV.
Repost any clip from this interview,
because I'm sure when I reflect back on it,
I'm going to be like,
at least let me see it hit a million.
That's all I'm asking.
And then one thing you can say, you wasn't drunk.
That's the right thing to say.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
I ain't touching nothing.
Nigga got it, nigga got it.
It is what it is.
So let's make some noise for
Kod
we take some
pictures and
promo
and that's it
yeah
thanks for joining
us for another
episode of
Drink Champs
hosted by yours
truly DJ
EFN
and NORE
please make sure
to follow us
on all our
socials
it's at
drink champs
across all
platforms
at the real Noriega on IG at Noriega on twitter mine is at who's crazy on ig at dj efn on twitter
and most importantly stay up to date with the latest releases news and merch by going to For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
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And it's going to take us to heal us.
It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J,
the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her
journey. I never let that little girl inside of me die. To hear this and more things on the journey
of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything.
Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful?
The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network.
So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Sometimes the answer is yes.
But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad.
Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glott.
And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.
Sure.
Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war.
This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports.
This kind of starts that a little bit, man.
We met them at their homes.
We met them at the recording studios.
Stories matter and it brings a face to it.
It makes it real.
It really does.
It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
This is an iHeart podcast.