No Jumper - Baby Franco on Changing His Name from “Severe”, Finding Himself & More

Episode Date: October 27, 2022

From Severe to Baby Franco, Lush and him talk about his rise, new found buzz, growing up in LA and more. --- 00:00 Intro 0:40 - Changing names while already buzzing, wanting the name Bobby Boucher but landing on Bobby Bucher before Franco  1:41 - Lush first meeting Franco in 2015 over money he owed to battle rapper illmaculate  8:03 - Linking up with Self provoked, Reverie, quitting his job at the Dodgers store to go on tour with Reverie  19:10 - Meeting Dizaster and Diz telling him his style reminds him of Devin the Dude, 50 cents influence, Free Young thug 22:17 - The Bobby Bucher emergence, putting out string of incredible albums, being around the battle rap world and getting respect  30:56 - Changing names from Severe to Bobby Bucher after crazy dream involving the movie “The Waterboy” 34:43 - Reactions to the name change being negative at first, being discouraged but keeping at it  38:36 - The Severe EP being a funeral For the “Severe” name  48:28 - Being around Lush while he was wildin on dr**s, Stopping Lush from stealing protein bars out the store 54:14 - 667 c*lt being a music collective, the inspiration behind changing names to Baby Franco --- NO JUMPER PATREON http://www.patreon.com/nojumper CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5te... FOLLOW US ON SNAPCHAT FOR THE LATEST NEWS & UPDATES https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_... CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! http://www.nojumper.com/ SUBSCRIBE for new interviews (and more) weekly: http://bit.ly/nastymondayz  Follow us on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ENxb4B... iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/n... Follow us on Social Media: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_... http://www.twitter.com/nojumper http://www.instagram.com/nojumper https://www.facebook.com/NOJUMPEROFFI... http://www.reddit.com/r/nojumper JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Q3XPfBm Follow Adam22: https://www.tiktok.com/@adam22 http://www.twitter.com/adam22 http://www.instagram.com/adam22 adam22hoe on Snapchat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, back at it, it's the white two short with Altoids for the Newport. You're playing a partner, Lush Uno. And I brought with me one of the rap game, the music game in general's best kept secrets. Let's go. I'm guessing I just leaked it. You feel me, Cinco Gang in the building, fives. I got my brother, baby Franco chain, formerly known as Bobby Butcher, formerly known as Severe, the MC. Hey.

There's been many incarnations. It's a risky choice to change names, especially when you made the change from severe to Bobby Butcher, you were, like, buzzing at the time. Yeah, it was definitely, you know, back then, with that self-provoked drop, it definitely made a bunch of numbers and shit. And it was crazy.

It was a crazy change. It was scary as fuck, to be honest. What, like, what's the, What's the mentality behind the name changes? Well, Severe was kind of, it was just kind of given to me. I remember just being in school, one of the homies started calling me that shit. And so it just stuck forever and I, some shit happened where I couldn't use it anymore. And I had to change it to Bobby Butcher.

And Bobby Butcher was actually, it was going to be Bobby Boucher, but I didn't know how to spell Boucher. Okay. So it was accidental. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's because it was but it's like butcher. Yeah. Without a T. Yeah. Yeah. Butcher without a tea. Do you remember the first time we met? No. The first time we met. And I think I've asked you this too. Like I can't. Like do you remember where we met? We met in 2015 at a show in like, like, wittier where the girls are prettier or like West Covina or one of those places. Yeah, and you were with our boy Ilmac. Oh, okay, yeah. And I owed Ilmaq money for like a battle that he had done. I was like two racks or like $2,500 in debt. Yeah.

And you thought that you were going to have to press me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is that how we met though? I don't think I met you that day. Well, you were like glaring at me in the corner.

I was going to meet you. Yeah. Yeah. I was going to meet. I was going to meet the butcher, that's for sure. That's crazy. I forgot that completely, yeah. Yeah.

So that was the first. I don't recall. But, so you're from North Hollywood, California. Yeah, North Hollywood, no-ho, you know what it is? 818. A lot of people that aren't from California, they hear Hollywood, and they're like, oh, it's like this lavish, rich area with movie stars. They be thinking it's on the other side.

of the hills too, you know? Like, it's crazy. I'm like, yeah, North Hollywood is not in Hollywood. Right. What's the, so what's the real noho like? Shit, it's getting gentrified now. Like, they put it in a lot of buildings in, but back then it was different, man.

There was a lot of places you couldn't go to if you weren't familiar. A lot of hoods. Yeah, it was a lot different, a lot ghettoer. Yeah, there's, I mean, I mean, there's little projects out there. Yeah. Lots of different gangs.

Yeah. A lot of, like, graffiti was super big. Tag banging was big when you were growing up and all that. I never got into it, but, yeah, it was pretty big. All my friends were pretty much doing that. And you were born and raised out there? Yeah. Born in East L.A., but raised in a home, you know.

And then, but you moved also summer. You moved to Chicago for a while during your early years, too. Yeah, that was for a second. But, you know, most of the, like, Most of it came from North Hollywood, you know, like you grow up inside a place, you know, for so long, and then you get to see the outside world. Yeah. The outside world was North Hollywood. And that's where most of my friends come from.

That's lit. And when did you realize? Because you're like a really unique musical talent. Like the way that you use your voice is literally like an instrument. The way you're like, you don't just, you don't rap on. beats in a typical way. You were like incorporating melodies way before it was, I mean,

obviously, you know, Nate Dogg's been doing it and people like that, but like... Nate Dogg's pretty much the king of it. Like, 50 is another person that would do it. I guess it's called like crooning or some shit. Right. Yeah, like, not full on blowing. Like, which you can, you could sing.

Yeah. But you were... I can figure it out. Right, but you were like gliding on beats for a long time. In particular, like, that wasn't common in the underground scene of LA and you were like kind of stood out very yeah I feel like music wise

I always sounded a little different I always stood out um sometimes not even in a good way you know because like growing up it was like boom back underground hip hop for me so like incorporating the singing stuff like I don't even feel like many people were doing it I'm sure people were doing it but nobody that I was coming across, you know? So, I don't know. It just came from, like, trying shit. And the more I've done it, the better I've gotten at it. But at first it was pretty, it didn't sound great.

I mean, to an outside year, you always had something interesting going on. Yeah. And so you were a part of the, so your original foray into making music, you were still in high school? Yeah. Yeah, it was pretty much like towards the end of high school. And I remember like passing out CDs and shit and trying to sell them for like five bucks or something. Like I remember all that. But I ain't even try to perform or anything until like out of high school.

I performed once during high school. And it was at a Kilda MC from Jurassic 5. He's got this spot on Pico. Or I don't know if it's still there, but it was like a youth center kind of thing. and that was the first time I performed with really a kill and like Charlie tuna and I met and then Charlie tuna ended up coming to my high school and shit and I seen him he remembered me that was tight

so you're still in high school starting to experiment like what what compelled you what made you be like I want to I actually want to throw my hat into the ring as an MC and start doing the music I think that just came from like one of my older homies he was like hella good at that shit So, you know, I looked up to him. I wanted to be like that, too.

Like, I wanted to be able to spit. A lot of it was therapeutic. Like, a lot of it was, like, kind of my form of keeping track of my, what's going on in my life, you know. And so that kind of, you know, poetry ends up becoming music and shit if you go that way. So it's kind of how it happened. And you got a pretty strong response out the gate,

people were. I mean, at first, it was pretty shaky. But once I kind of figured it out, and I figured out recording a little bit more, because I was recording myself and the homies and shit. And once that happened, then I started getting like a better, okay, this guy's tight. I like music. I started getting fans here and there. A lot of it, too, has to do with the underground community I was a part of, you know, with self-provoke, reverie, all the on a high notes. Everybody that I was around kind of, we all kind of had like similar fan at that time. So how did you hook up with, you know, for those that don't know, self-provoked, you know, he's a very successful independent artists out here.

Reverie we just had on, you know, her episode. Yeah, I just saw that too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which was, how did you link up with them? Self-provoked, I linked up because it was like MySpace days. And I found out he lived near me. So I just tapped in. It was like, yo, let's record some shit.

Let's make some shit. You're the only other person I've heard in, in like the area I'm in that's making music. So like, let's do some shit. That's pretty much it. As far as reverie, I think I met her at a show we did together. And then since then we just kept cool. And then y'all formed like essentially a movement together, which. Well, yeah, yeah, self-provoked.

And I did on a high note. which that was crazy you know shout out everybody on that um that was a cool ass time is that like excessor eggser the wino wino linoeski um four um i don't know if i'm forgetting anybody but and a lot of these dudes wound up really doing their thing and like having carving their own lanes in the underground and beyond and like have fully systematic sustainable fan bases and things like that. Yeah, yeah, I know that most of them are still making music. Even if they're not putting it out, I'm sure there's still linking music.

And then a reverie I linked up with because she put me on a tour with her. That's your first tour. My first tour. And I was working at the Dodger store in City Walk at the time. And I was running late. And she called me. She's like, hey, you want to go on thrift? tour we're going to take off in a little bit or it was something like that and I was like damn I got

I'm clocking into work like I can't she's like like the tour was leaving right then yeah like kind of like there's a spot for you I don't really remember if I was leaving right then or it feels leaving like the next day but that's pretty much how I happened I was walking I was walking into work and I still ain't had my shirt I always put my shirt on after you know because you want to be walking around I didn't want to wear dodger shit all the time. Those lawyers. I know, but I was consumed by it.

It was too much. It was too much. But, you know, I fuck with the doctors, but it's just, it's everywhere in that store, you know, it drives you crazy. But I'm walking into the store. I fuck with the giants now. Fuck this shit. Yeah.

I'm walking into the store. She's like, well, just quit. I was like, oh, that is a good idea. And so. Took a lot of convincing. Yeah. I was like, she's like, I got you. Don't even trip.

I was like, okay, tight. So I walked in there like, you're late. I'm like, yeah, I'm quitting. So I'll see you. Give me my paycheck. Yeah, I'll see you guys later and I went on tour. Give me this four X blue Dodgers jersey to go. Facts.

Let me take some gear. They had every hat, every fitted hat in there. FIRE. Crazy. Was there, had you done a lot of traveling prior to that? Or was that like your first time really seeing the country? I feel like it was my second time really seeing shit, you know. Because I have been, I've done shows like here and there, you know,

but it was never a consistent tour or anything like that. So it was pretty cool. It was pretty tight. Like just seeing the different types of people that were all interested in our music from, you know, L.A. North Hollywood. It's crazy. So prior to that growing up, were you like, Like, were you like more involved in school type shit?

Or like did you, were you getting in trouble and things like that? With all that, I was always probably getting in trouble or not even getting in trouble, but just not into the best, you know, most positive shit. Yeah. But I did do like this little, was like an open mic thing that would happen every Friday at lunch at the music teachers. I think his name was Mr. Rodriguez. Okay. Shout to him, Dope Tso.

But, yeah, I think that's, like, where I first started even, like, speaking into a mic for the first time. But, yeah, I feel like in school, it was always kind of like a breeze. But, yeah, you just, you know, you're growing up. You're figuring shit out, so you're bound to get into some trouble, like, you know.

Regular L.A. activities. I think I got suspended one time. I can't even remember for what it was for. I mean, you're talking to somebody that went to four different high schools, got expelled three times. So like, to me, that's- What was you doing? Oh, what wasn't I doing? I was doing the most.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was always off into some shit. I mean, Duno said you was smoking crack. I think I tried crack for the first time. I don't think I was still-you-you- know what? nah smoking uh like look i'm gonna tell you like this if you smoked weed in la with essays in the 90s you smoke there's a really really high probability that you for show smoke dust like 100% like PCP was in my system without me realizing it and there used to be this shit called grammies i don't

know if you know what grimmies are smoking grimmies was like sounds like it's pre 90s it was definitely the 90s and it was smoking blunts with crack in it. There's like Primos, which is pea dogs, which is like weed with coke, which is very common. But then there was like, if you were like with the more with the activities type people, it was, I didn't even know. I wasn't like, yeah, I'm smoking crack, bro. Like we were just like getting high. Yeah.

Like, just to put it out there and we're going to get into it. Like you were around me when I, I, I, I. I hit some very dark periods. I mean, same. It was around me, too. Yeah, and we, like, and we definitely helped each other navigate a dark time in our lives.

I don't know if I would have gotten through it without you. So, you know, I appreciate it. Same, though, you know. Very high regard, as a result. But before all that, you was,

so, yeah, you wind up going on tour with Rev, and you're putting out projects as severe. And is, is that around the time you drop, the stay true video is self-provoked no I think that happened way earlier oh that had already

happened yeah that happened way earlier because that went viral you know you got your first million views like yeah now it's out like a few million or some shit like I said like two or almost three I think yeah but um yeah the person who

shot it had put it on their YouTube because we ain't know shit like I ain't even have like a smartphone I didn't have nothing you can access the internet with at that time. Right. For some reason. And, yeah, so the person who shot it ended up putting it on YouTube and it got to like

$2 million or something and then it got taken down for some reason. So I put it back up on my shit. Okay. So really, that video's got like $5 million type shit. Yeah, for sure. And when that happened. Shout out self-provoked. shots a selfie.

You know, you're like a humble out the mix, not smartphone, having ass, motherfucker, from, you know, humble beginnings in North Hollywood. And all of a sudden, you're starting to experience viral fame. You have a lot of people knowing who you are and shit. Like, what was that trans? What was that kind of like for you?

It was definitely different. I wouldn't say, like, there was, like, drastic changes or anything. But it was different. It was different to like, you know, to where before I would show up to a show and nobody would give a fuck, you know, I'm just another person at the fucking show.

And after like sit and wonder, stay true and some other songs came out and we're doing numbers, like I'll show up to a show and everybody would like, not everybody, but most people in there would be like, oh shit, he's here. You know, so that started happening. Also, like, what I never got used to is, like, when people recognize you.

On the streets. It looked like they don't like you. Yeah. Because they're trying to figure out if it's you, you know? So it's like a mean mug kind of resting face coming across. But that I never got used to. The worst? Because there's like, when people recognize you in public, there's a few different ways they're going to react.

Yeah. One is they're just going to run up on you and be like, oh, shit. It's him. Yeah. Fan out. You feel me? which, you know, sometimes it's annoying, but like, I prefer. Like, I always like it when people show love.

It makes me feel validated for the work I'm putting in. It's kind of what most of us do it for. Yeah, we're not rich out here. Like, this is like, this is the form. This is our currency, essentially. Props. You can't take that shit to the bank, but. Especially in the underground world.

Yeah, like. That's, you know, that's it. But then there's the people that see you. and pretend like they don't because they don't want to like like a fool i saw you i didn't want to fan out though i'm not no bitch fool like like actually you're more of a bitch because like that affects your self-esteem the point where you can't say like hey i enjoy your music this threatens your masculinity or you know what i'm saying like and i feel like you know society it's your fault yeah it's definitely you that guy named society it's his fault um but

then there's the people that like and this shit always trips me out if people recognize you and then don't say anything and then we'll hit you like I'll get like a tweet like I just saw a fucking less one at the Dodgers store yeah every time that happens I would like look up like yeah try to like I'm gonna there's gonna be a beam on them or something like you know it's it's just um it's different man but um you just um you just got to stay who's you are, you feel me, and it's lit, it's cool. You didn't let it really affect you. I mean, I feel like there's no way for it not to affect you, but I don't know. I guess I am who I am today, you know, whatever that is. And at a certain point, your ambitions started to supersede this underground hip-hop mold that you were in.

Yeah, because I never really fit in. And it wasn't until I'm at disaster that I listened to what's bro's name it's gonna kill me I can't remember but it's this other older underground person who would like croon or like sing or whatever

I can't remember his name but this showed me him for the first time when we finally met so I never had listened to him and a lot of people would tell me that I sounded like I was taking influence or which is not a bad thing you know, but I just didn't listen to bro, you know. So influenced by him, you don't know his name. I'll text you later when I remember.

It's just, I just didn't even, you know. He's got a song with Andre 3000 and Snoop. I think it's called Astray's, Doobie Ashton. Yeah, Devin the Dude. Yeah, who's amazing. I knew you remember him. Yeah, yeah. Just got to give you them clues.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So, but, you know, around this time, This is like what, 2013, 14, 15? And like, so there... I want to say like 2018. That, okay. When I started crooning.

Well, that's, I was, you know, you had already, like, been the Bobby Butcher moniker for a few years at that point. Because I started working with you in 2017. 17? Yeah. Okay, okay. So it must have been like a couple years before that. It's probably 2015.

Yeah. And like at that time... You know my history more than me. You're my dog At this time Future young thug All these They're going crazy

Going crazy And like that started to like Yeah I will say It was like A lot of it came from like 50 cents cruding Because it was so easy to sing along

To that shit Yeah But as I got older For sure I got into like More like young thug And his style Really influenced me Like

Just how he was just so open to try shit. Free Jeff, man. Free everybody. Free all the slimes. Yeah. It's crazy, man. And that kind of made me want to go even further and kind of made it okay to go further for me. Even though I came from like the whole Boombap era of underground and shit.

So it always felt like I was a taboo or some type of to like go on and do crazier. In underground hip hop, getting pussy is taboo. Yeah. Like they want fools to be like miserable, broke. Like, oh, he has money. Like he's selling out. Yeah, he sold out. Yeah.

And yeah, man, I just wanted to do different shit. Kind of got tired of the same patterns, the same type of audience, you know. Like I got bored of like what I was doing. That's really what it all comes from. Like, I get bored. and I just want to try and use shit. That's what got me here, you know. And then you wind up switching your name to Bobby Butcher

and putting out a string of incredible albums. Like really, really dope. To this day, I feel like those, you know, we have one. We have one together. Yeah, yeah. And then that album as well. That's a part of like that run.

But was severe the first one or was it levels? I want to say levels with Chase Moore. Shout out Chase Moore. Yeah, so, you know. Shout out the whole Colt. Shout out the 667, Cole. We don't get into that. When did you, so when did, like, around this time, you met Chase Moore and Ilmac?

Yeah, I met Chase. Oh, no, I had met Chase on tour with Reverie. He ended up coming on as one of the DJs. And we just hallow got along. So we started, you know, keeping contact. And he ended up moving out to. closer to where I was. And he hit me one day, too.

I was at my homie, praise the studio at his crib. And I remember, too, I was high. I had the phone here. I was just, like, half asleep in the studio. And Chase is calling me. And I'm like, why the fuck? I'll call him back later.

It's not like he's in my city or anything. Like, nothing I can do. So I go to sleep, wake up. And I call Chase. He's like, yo, I just move. And I'm like, oh, shit. What? I'm a tap in with you. I'm a slide right now. I'm down the street. So that's kind of how we linked up, started working together.

And I met Ilmaq through there, too. Like, he ended up coming through to the studio, and Chase is actually leaving. So he left us the keys to the studio. And we couldn't figure out. Chase's setup is so crazy. We couldn't figure out how to use the fucking computer. Like, I felt like, you know that scene in Zoolander where they're just tapping, they're just smacking the computer trying to get the files.

out of it. That was y'all. That was us, like literally for like hours. We wound up having to break into Chase's studio, but that's a different story. For a different time. But, yeah, and that's how I bet, uh, Elmack and we started making music together too like that just because we were both stuck in the studio trying to figure out how to use it. And then like you, so being around guys like Ilmac and Chase, they're like from the battle scene. Yeah. And that was, you know, I know, obviously you're like, familiar with battle rap but that's far removed from how you came up was it kind of interesting like now i'm fucking with these battle rappers and shit like i didn't i didn't know what it was like i

didn't know what the battle rock community was or what people from there were you know these were kind of like besides chef you know um besides him battling at the basement like and self-provoked like i've I've never really seen battle culture like that. So meeting them and them kind of like opening the floodgates to the battle world was pretty crazy. I met a lot of cool people. A lot of them, you know, tell me they be listening to my shit, which is crazy because these are like intricate,

you know, writers that be writing about some crazy, some crazy bars, you feel? It's like double entendres and all types of shit. Like I'd be doing that shit sometimes, sometimes on accident, you know, like, because it's hard to do. But, yeah, I thought that was pretty cool. That's kind of how I met you. Yeah, absolutely.

But, like, you have this thing that a lot of battle rappers and just a lot of rappers in general wish that they have very naturally. Like, you just, you get on a track, you sound comfortable, you know, your voice cuts through a mix very, very well, like your tone. Like, you know how to just, you know how to like, you know how to bring a beat to life in a very natural way. And I don't know if it's something that you do on purpose or is just like so intrinsic to you as an artist that.

You know, Elmack has a bar. It goes, I think it's something like these songs write themselves. I'm just in the room. And that's kind of how it is. It's like not, I don't know where it comes from, really like, it's just, I hear. the beat or whatever and I can just go. I think it comes from like a lot of the times growing up I was recording myself in my room. I built this comfort with, you know, how I sound or whatever.

And I just try to zone everything out and just when I'm in the studio. It's harder when there's more people in the studio and you're recording in like a studio that doesn't have a booth. So because, you know, everybody's listening to just that acophila. Right. You know, so that's definitely harder. But I just try to, like, tune everything out and let it just do itself. Sometimes I sit there for hours and nothing comes to me and I never even make that song.

Sometimes it's, like, instant. But it's just, you know, you can never tell. And I don't be choosing, like, what I write about. I just let it go. When did you realize that beyond the music, you have a, image that people consider marketable like a look like the way you dress like just something about you that like i know a lot of people have told you that like oh like you have star quality and you're people ask me if my braids are attached to my hat somebody asks you that they're not

no but uh i think i'm still realizing that and i'm still learning like about who i am and like you know what my image even is you know I'm still realizing that but I think it happened at baby Franco chain also it was that late in the game because I mean before that to me I was like I saw it right away I was like this this kid right here definitely could be a star

I mean even if you look back to like artwork or pictures of severe Bobby butcher a lot of the times I was covering my face yeah and it was just like that um almost like insecurity of like I don't know what I'm a you know like I don't know what it is I'm I don't know what's going on I just this what it is you know I just have my face and so even now like I think my avie I just realized that like two nights ago my avie on Instagram will cover my fucking face but I think that just comes from also not knowing you know not knowing that you know shit is marketable I don't

know what the fuck is market but what isn't you know i just leave that shit up to the universe of people and shit so you it's never been like a conscious decision like oh people are gonna like if i do this or stack my chains like this or like no i think that's all it all comes from influence like you know it all comes from like my homies be dressing lit um my homies be having chains and it's just like wanting to be like the older homies or the homies you know who people you look up to, artists I look up to, and gold just and jewelry was always just kind of like a thing that I liked. I felt like, what's the name, Abu from Aladdin?

Just looking at the ruby. Just like. So I knew I always wanted it. As soon as I got my first piece, I mean, we went, we got some pieces. As soon as I got my first. You still live at the damn sloss. For real. We used to have the day number.

Oh, yeah. The time when we was going to show up. Shout to my dog, Frank, man. Yeah. Wherever you had, shout out to Frank. Yeah, man. Frank in China now or some shit. Yeah.

He out there, bawling. Yeah. But it was never like, I'm going to do this to do that. It was always like, I like this shit. It is what it is. You know, I like wearing jewelry. I like wearing all black. I like wearing colors.

I like wearing just all types of shit. You know, I don't, one day, I might have skinny jeans on. The next day I might have baggy pants. The next day I might have parachute pants. You know, like, it's really whatever. So you may, you change your name to the Bobby Butcher moniker. Yeah.

Was that because was that your way of distancing yourself from your previous underground career where you're kind of like, I'm deading this or like, what happened? What was the catalyst to that change? I kind of had to. I had these people that was after me for a long-ass time. And I'm not going to say too much about them, but apparently they had a trademarked. And so I couldn't use Severe as a stage's name. Okay.

So I then changed my name to Sev. And they were still on my tail. They were still after me. So I ended up being in this crazy car accident a few years later. And when I came out of that accident, I just felt like some shit had to change. Like, I almost fucking died. So it's like something has to change.

Like, I got to do the shit that I want to do. And I've been trying to separate from Boomab Underground for a long time. So I was like, I just got to do it. So I changed my name to Bobby Butcher. And, yeah. Why would you choose, like, a character like that? Was it because he just persevered? no matter what or was it because

I actually had a dream. I had a dream while I was hurt that I was at my homie assume beats the studio. Shows of my dog assumed. Shout out of assume. And I was in his studio

before he even made it look nice because it looked nice now. And he was like, what do you want to call the song? And I said, I don't know call it Waterboy. I think maybe like I think what like the movie was on my dream TV right so I'm like call it water boy and he's like okay what about Bobby Boucher and I'm like yeah that's tight and he spelled it out

butcher right in my dream or whatever and then when I woke up or from that dream I ended up hold me up and being like, yo, I want to come to your studio. I want to work at your studio. You're making more like the shit that I want to do. Wave your shit. And so he was like, I was like, I need your help. And I hit up my boy, chef boy, bone. And I was like, I need some help.

I'm trying to change some shit. And you're killing this shit all the time. So like broken freestyle some crazy shit. Yeah. And so we all show up at, you know, a Zoom studio and we started working on some shit. We start going crazy. And he's like, what do you want to name the shit?

And me just, I don't know where the fuck, what the fuck I was thinking. Maybe Waterboy was on the real TV too, but I was like, call it Waterboy. And at that moment, you know, when you kind of get like deja vu and you're like, you've seen this shit before. And at that moment, I was like, okay, shit, I'm not going to say nothing to see what happened. And he's like, what about Bobby Boucher? And I was like, what the fuck?

I was like, yeah, I'm changing my name to Bobby Butcher. So at that moment, I decided to do it. And it was crazy at first. You know, I still get it till this day. Like, why do you change your name? Why does this guy keep changing his date? This is my Google gets full. My Gmail gets full.

And then like, so at that time, you change your name. You start dropping music that's like, I would say more, accessible, more current, you know, like more true to where you wanted to be at the time for show. Yeah. And what was the reaction like from the people? At first it was pretty negative. Really?

I lost a lot of fans. Okay. A lot of people just didn't know what happened because the name just changed. I didn't put out like a fucking bulletin or nothing. Just because, again, I ain't know shit about marketing. I ain't know shit about how the game was working. And like, we was lucky to get a fucking music video on YouTube. Right.

I think YouTube had barely just started letting us do that, like, a few years back. But, yeah, it was just like the fan reaction wasn't, wasn't, they weren't nice. They was hating. Mean little fuckers. But. Did that feel discouraging? It did at first. And I remember, you know, around the hobbies that were around me, I remember just telling them,

damn, this shit's crazy. It feels crazy to just like, I've never really had that response, you know? Like, I've never really had people just hating on me for no reason. So, I just kept that it. I was like, fuck it. It kind of felt like, you know, it started to feel good to go against what people wanted for me, you know. So, but it was fucked up because But at a certain point, like, I was feeling like I should just go back to Boombath and make what they wanted to hear since they, you know, hit me up about it so much, which is lit. You know, I appreciate that they're even hitting me up. But, yeah, and I've had to explain over and over and over to at least my fans, you know,

in my lives. They'd be like, why do you change their name? Every other thing is like, why do you change you? But it's just been a journey. man and I just kept that ass stay true to myself and what I wanted. The last thing I want to be doing is some shit I don't mean, I'm not even, I'm bored by. You feel me? Like, I can't do it.

What would you say to an up and coming artist that wants to switch their style up to expand creatively and artistically, but they feel kind of trapped in their zone because of their fans and the expectations they have of them? I say like whatever you feel like doing, whether it's that or something else, like just do that shit. Like the hardest thing is getting up to even take the trash out. But once you have, it's easy. You know, so it's like just do that shit, man, and don't be scared and people are going to go. More people are going to come.

You got to, it's like life. You got to make room for the good shit, you know, like bad shit going to leave, good shit going to come. The cycle of life. You know, so you can't just like, you can't. be scared to act on some shit that's really, you know, something you want to do. It's like the hardest part about going to the gym is going to the gym. Once you get there, you feel me? And you see other people working on themselves and it just motivates you, you know.

Like, it wasn't that long either. Like, I think I shot a video with Nick Rodriguez in Chase's studio at the time, or still. and that started because Nick was doing crazy shit. And I found Nick through self-provoke, I think. And so that started generating more of like an image of what Bobby Butcher was. And after that it just kind of went. I felt like people were understanding. People were still, you know, you can't.

It's not like I can text everybody that like my music. Like, hey, I don't know if I can't actually. but hey like I changed my name like this is a bulletin you know well you kind of made like your your second album as bobby butcher was the severe EP and that was essentially that was your bulletin to the world like that was kind of was that like rip severe yeah pretty much it was like and honestly it was like my last time taking a jab at those people that was after me so it was like fuck you almost still use the name let me let me give a little bit of game to all you mother the fucking piranha-ass vulture,

shark-ass, motherfucker is out there. Y'all made a big-ass mistake. And I'm glad you did because you were able to flip the script and they weren't really able to get in your pockets like that. What they should have done is waited until you blew up way bigger off of that name

and then come after you because then they would have had more recourse and would have actually got more out of it. There's more at stake. They kind of made that move a little bit too early. So you shouldn't. And shout out to, you know, JDS. He was kind of like helping me maneuver through all that.

From the cipher effect. Yeah, yeah, from the cipher effect. He was helping me maneuver through all that. It was a scary time. I was always hitting him with questions and stuff about that. It doesn't feel good to get legal paperwork, right? This is definitely disconcerting feeling. But unfortunately, like, it's part of the game.

And once people realize that this is just... It's scary. But once I knew it was like, once they... they like presented their paperwork. It was like, okay. It's a rap. I got to, I got to let it go. So I never looked back.

I never like. When did it start to resonate with the fans? Like, like, okay, like they're actually feeling this. Because that was around the time I met you. You were just putting out the severe EP and you were working on your next project, Busy Dying, which to me, yeah.

I mean, to this day is an incredible project. Thank you. I encourage everybody watching this to, you know, go back, do your Googles. Go see the Bobby Butcher catalog. Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of fire. Yeah. And when you were, was that around the time where you felt a little more validated?

Because you're dropping videos that were actually doing numbers. You know, there is the, what's it like, seen it on me? What's that shit called? Well, I have a worst memory that you do. That song was crazy. That video was doing a lot of... What's it called? Sue Me.

Oh, okay. Thank you, Zhu. And that's produced by Guru Doug. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, shouts to Guru Doug. Yeah, I had that, which actually, I was about to go on a trip. And again, JDS was like, yo, that's a good song.

It's a different song. Like, it sounds different. I think it needs a music video. And... I was like, okay, fuck, I got to get a music video. And, you know, I reached out to one of the homies. We shot it real quick, like I think hours before I had to fly, or like at least drive to LAX, which, you know, that's a mission.

So I got that video. I think I even chopped it up myself. I don't really remember how that happened. It was a foggy time in my life. But, yeah, that happened. that started going crazy then you had the motives video as well which was going crazy

yeah and actually I wrote Sumi at a Zoom studio and he was having a it was some type of party I went into the studio to like take a car or something and they slid a couch in front of the door so I couldn't get back into the house

from the garage and so I just went back to the studio and I just started writing SuuMe isn't that funny the way God does things Yeah, it's crazy. Like, yeah, just like... It's not. That's too bad. Like, luckily you didn't have to take a piss or some shit.

I mean, you know, I would have got outside. But not, like, so, like, you started to feel validated to an extent at that time. Like, okay, like, I made this change. I jumped off the porch into the deep end and it's going well. People, it's... Some of my fans came with me on this journey. Yeah. I left some of the suckers behind, and now I'm gaining a bunch of new fans.

A lot of it too has to do with like meeting the rest of the cult, you know, and, you know, you guys do. Fredo, Elmac, Chase, everybody, you feel me? And everybody had, you know, two heads, shout out two head. And everybody just had a quality that I didn't have, you know, like as far as their music, you know. and something about their music was different. And I was just soaking up game, like, especially with like Elmack in the room all the time. Like, he's a crazy writer. He's one of the craziest writers I've ever met.

Yeah, he's nice. So that taught me a lot. And even like one of the things he told, or he talked to me about or to the room about was like using the word just. Yep. And like, that changed a lot. It changed a lot of music for me. Because people use, like, we'll throw just in a rhyme scheme to force a rhyme. Yeah.

But necessarily, like, isn't something you would say. You don't even need it. It's not even necessary. So, like, I think, like, meeting you guys and you guys being, like, already fucking, you know, big people in your worlds, you know, like, in the battle rap world. In the same with Elmack in the battle rap world, Chase, you know. So it was like, damn, these people. People who write crazy shit believe in me. Like, what the fuck?

Like, I'd be stupid not to believe in me, you know? So I just started going even deeper into the rabbit hole of what I wanted to do, you know, which I didn't know what I wanted to do, but what I was like after. Because you're always kind of after something as an artist. Like that shit, at least for me, it never fucking stops. So it was just further down the rabbit hole. And that's where hangover and withdrawals. We have a crazy tape.

Because that sound is like outside, like far out. Well, it's, you know, like, looking at you, it's funny, but like, it's fucked up the way the music game works. Because it's, the cream does not necessarily rise to the top. And there's a lot of the most talented people, you know, yourself, Pistol Mekeyes, Zudaville, like a lot of the dopest artists that I know. You guys got recognition. You guys got fan bases. I'm not trying to, like, undermine that. but the level of talent is not equivalent to the level of popularity.

And people want to hop on the wave after it's already in motion. They don't want to be there during like the times when the rest of the world isn't privy to it yet. You know what I mean? Like they don't care. Like I would see you effortlessly make hit after hit after hit like all these records with incredible hooks, incredible beats, incredible verses that easily could have just taken off. You know what I mean? Yeah, and a lot of it is my fault

because this music shit is like the studio is very little of what it is these days. So I just wasn't keeping up with what would happen after I made the song. I was just so happy to make these fucking songs and it just felt good to make the song. So I never really care. what happened after, you know?

So, so that's partially, I feel like it's my fault. But Akil, you know, there's something that he told me to, or told the group when I was a kid. He said that, and I don't know word for word, I don't remember word for word, but he said some shit like the dopest MCs, he knows will never have a record deal.

And it's just how shit is. Have you heard the conspiracy theory that Akeel, the MC from Jurassic 5 is actually Tupac Really? Yeah That Tupac never died He became I swear to God dude

Like there's like this whole He has this dude Stalking him some chick actually Stalking him throughout the internet Making like bold I mean I see a resemblance But I don't think You know it's

I'm pretty sure You know Pock's not fishing in Cuba right now He's definitely not Performing with Jurassic 5 Yeah, I've seen him in person a couple of times. Akeel and not too part. That's an amazing conspiracy theory.

It's one of my favorites. I support it getting out there more, even though I fuck with some crazy-ass bitch. But I fuck with Akeel as a person, so I don't like the fact that he has to deal with that. But it's so funny, dude. Yeah, it's funny. It's so fucking funny. But, yeah, I mean, shout out to him. Pock's going to change the world has an underground rapper.

So tight. And then, you know, so that's around the time you and I became really close. And we were, you know, we worked on the Fresh Coast, non-perishables, volume three. Yeah. We were all hopping on, you were working on the Chopper Reed project with Chase. We're all hopping on each other's tapes. Like, everything's going crazy. And then we, you know, like I said, you were around me when I,

I was in a really dark place. I was getting a divorce from my ex-wife who can't fucking handle her LSD. Like if you watch the Pistol McPly episode, if you want to hear a little bit about that. Yeah, I was there. I was there for those times. What was it like being around my crazy ass when I'm like, you know, doing a bunch of blows, strung out on Zanz.

I mean, as far as like, not much to say. Yeah, sobriety's really been a huge blessing in my life. I feel like, you know, when you was on that stuff, you wasn't taking that stuff to be a different person. I feel like your personality is really strong, and it was shining through visualized. But, I mean, there's a few things that happened. Like, remember when I tried to steal the,

but I tried to steal. I made you push. Yeah, what was it? It was power bars. I was trying to steal protein bars. Because for those that don't know, when you're on Xanax, it makes you...

You dub as hell. It just makes you not give a fuck at all. You don't care about shit. So if there's like, you know, you could be in the store and you're like... I can't believe you remember that shit. I don't feel like paying. Like, I'm just gonna...

And also, at the time, I didn't have money. He got caught. Yeah, yeah. And I'm with him. He sees, I put the protein bar in my pocket because I'm going to the gym in the morning. Like I'm being healthy. Like,

yeah. And then we're going and I felt bad because like I'm hitting this little baby lick. I felt bad with you. Like you're like an accessory. Yeah. And like you go to pay for your stuff, which I was like, okay, this is great. I'm going to steal. I'm going to shoplift on the heels of you paying for something.

Yeah. Because that makes me look far less suspicious. And I'm like. Because I was paying. I was actually paid. And then the dude was like, hey, you got to put that back. and I was like, I don't have anything. Like, what do you mean?

Like, he's like, he's like, dude, like, I'll press the fucking lock button right now. You'll be trapped in here. I was like, all right, fine. I gave him one and a whole time. He's like trying to like stand closer to me. Like I was save over so shit. And I still had another, like I had another power on me. So it was like, he's like, put the other one back.

I was like, no, there isn't another one. Search me. I swear to God. Like, pat me down, bro. Lord of God. Yeah. And then I got that other power bar. Ha, ha, ha.

Fuck you, Chevron. Yo. And then there was another time we're at a video shoot. And I accidentally stole a bunch of weed from some rapper. Oh, my God. And then you wound up going and like smoking with them the next day and chilling with them and make. No, I didn't. I honestly don't even remember what happened.

Like, I don't know. I think. we're at a video shoot there's a bunch of oh no no i remember that part yeah i don't remember if we ever did anything about it i think he told me like someone told me to roll something up so i rolled something up and then i thought it was our weed like so i just took it x era was crazy yeah you're crazy you were crazy yeah yeah yeah don't blame it on the no i mean i was crazy i was crazy and like but yeah somehow we you're

You remember that time we like drove to 7-Eleven? Okay, this was you. This full fucking held up a-up. I did not. No, he did not hold up a 7-Eleven, but he finessed. I didn't do shit. I just, I went in there. 7-Eleven sold us beer at like three in the morning.

They gave me a bunch of shit. Like, I went in there. They took me to behind the fridges and gave me a bunch of shit. I just felt like a getaway driver is all I. I was confused. Not to incriminate us, but. Yeah, yeah, I was confused. So on the way out, I was like, damn, it must be

free day or something. So I grabbed some, you know, chargers, took them with me. Oh, amazing. But, yeah, I don't know what the fuck till this day. Like, I think about that, like, why they do that. I think what happened was bro that was working there.

Yeah. It was like, I'm going to make some dough under the table. Fuck this establishment. And, like, you were like, come on, bro, sell me some beer. Like, it's not a big deal. I didn't even like, I was just in, I went to the back. I checked the fridge and I just had a lock on it.

So I turned back, I was like, damn, did they lock already? He's like, yeah. Yeah, it's three in the morning. Yeah. And he's like, he's like, okay, well, come over here. And I'm like, kind of tripping because I've never, you know, I'm not trying to follow nobody to no dark room. That's a scary movie.

You feel like so He just gave me a bunch of free shit And told me to leave And on top of that So we're doing like This is just like scratching the surface Of crazy stories That what was going on

There's kicking it with a lot of A lot of fast women Just in a really I was You know I'm not putting that on you You know what I'm saying Feels gone crazy Yeah we're just like you know

Wiling out We made the the hangovers and withdrawals tape and the 667 Cultivate album, which I listened to the other day, by the way, and is incredible to this day. Like, yeah. That one slipped through the cracks, but it was

really, really cool. And I really think we need to come back and hit him with a part two or something. I'm all the way with them activities. I feel like we've all lived enough life to come back for a part two. Oh, yeah. Also, there's like half a chopper read part two. Yeah.

But you heard it here first. You heard it here first. That might come out someday. You know, me and Chase keep talking about it. For those that don't know, what is a, what is 667? What is 667 cult?

667 cult is one of... And you need to drink the electric Kool-Aid to join? One about the devil. Nah, it's just the music collective. Just a couple friends that

were actually hanging out with each other, you know, that saw each other every day. that happened to make music and share similar interests and shit. So that's pretty much what the cult is. And it's lit, yeah, we out here. And then at a certain point, after that, you dropped a little bit more music as Bobby Butcher, and then you made a final,

using the word transition gets taken out of context nowadays. I don't want to give people the final evolution and became your current moniker, Baby Franco Chain. Yeah. So what's the difference between baby Franco Jane and Bobby Butcher? I feel like Bobby Butcher just still didn't fit. It still felt it was still pulling me backwards. You know, my Gmail got full.

And that's really what happened. Like my Gmail got full. And Chase will tell you this shit. My Gmail got full. And I was going to drop my next project. It's called Dead as Bobby Butcher. But by that time, both you and I had like nine, ten chains on. Right.

You know, so I fell asleep with all of mine. Right. And I woke up with all of mine, just tangled the fuck up. So I untangled them. And they were just a bunch of baby Franco chains. So, which shout out to Smokey, because he was like one of the first people I seen with a baby Franco chain. Yeah.

Just stacked. He had like, I think the same amount, too. Yeah, Smokey's crazy. Smokey's still wear him under his shirt. He's involved on some crazy. His jewelry is involved in. But they don't have a bunch of them under his shirts. Yeah.

And shout out DJ Smokey Martinez. It's my brother. Yeah, man, I woke up with all my- heterosexual life mate. Oh, my God. I said heterosexual. You're like, why are you offended by that? It's my boyfriend.

It's my boyfriend. So, yeah, so, you know, shout out to Lash being open about his shit. Yeah, I just had them stacked, so it's just, I was like, yo, I'm going to change my fucking name. Like, I'm going to pick something that I've always wanted to kind of go to, like, somewhere crazier. And I just finally went with it. Like, I was just like, fuck it.

I see all these baby Franco chains. I'm a chain my name to baby Franco chain. What? And is that? Because like you could have easily copped like one bigger chain, but you decided to. I just liked how they look. I liked how they look. I like that I couldn't switch them up, take some off, keep some pendants on, you know, like, I just fuck with it.

Yeah. And how did you describe the musical evolution of your current incarnation? I'm not even going to say final because you might switch it up again. Yeah, well, you know, last couple of songs I dropped, a little different. Shout out to Garrett Gloom. Shouts to No Fun, L.A. Yeah, shout out to No Fun, L.A.

I think the transition that's been happening musically is a lot more, it's a lot more melodic. Like, it's a lot more, and it's always been melodic, but now it's like just more, I guess, refined, do you feel of me? I'm doing shit that I always thought would be weird to do. I'm trying shit that I... Because you're way outside the box of hip-hop at this time. Yeah.

Now, you know, I just dropped Under the Sun music video by our soul that's out there. And then Zool and I are about to... Zudeville and I are about to drop a video for bad parts of me, which is even crazier. But yeah, it's just been a... It's just been a journey, man, and it's going to keep going. I'm influenced by so many things and so many people and so many types of art that I don't ever think that it'll ever just stop somewhere, like creatively. You got like this drum and bass bounce to your shit now, damn games.

Yeah. And like there's, and electronic music's been like prevalent in your life for a long time as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shout out to DJ Trans. I got to just be around him when I was younger. He actually got me my first studio session when I was like, I think like 17 or some shit, at some Chicano, like they made only Chicano music there. And he like walked in and he was just like, yo, what is this?

You know, like start over type of shit. But yeah, like I've always liked electronic music. I like when artists just like try different shit and just go. You know, like it sucks when you have to feel like you're in a box and you got to live in that box. Like I want to just keep evolving. I want to find new ways. Like young thug being one of them. Even when I was like going from Bobby Butcher to Baby Franco, I was influenced a lot by, you know, Pistol McFlux.

I was influenced a lot by, you know, Pistol McFly, who y'all had to interview with. He sucks. Just being around him because this is, he's one of the craziest writers also that. No, he's amazing. Absolutely amazing. And his music is just crazy.

One of the illists. What do you, what is like something that you feel like people don't over, enter and understand about you and your music and your art that you want? want them to know. What do you want to impress upon people? Um, shit.

I think it's like, I think I just want them to know that I'm forever going to evolve. And... Don't get comfortable, motherfuckers. Yeah, I'm not... I'm not this person that they've created through the years. You know, I've evolved and I've changed and I think different. My mind is different. I think better. I dress better. better, you know, like, it's just every time I look back in my music, I can see the evolution.

And I think that's just one thing that's always kind of made me feel the way was like, damn, they just want me to be whatever they like, you know? And it's like music comes more from just a therapy, man. It's just, I'm just letting it flow out. It comes out how it comes out. It sounds however the fuck it sounds. And that's what it is. What's next?

More alternative shit. Go listen to my last couple shit. The last couple ones have been a little different, and it'll give you like a sneak peek to like what's coming. So just a lot of alternative, maybe more punk vibes, more dance vibes. And it's weird, like you'll incorporate the dance shit with the punk, you know what I mean?

Bring it all together. that you'd never expect to hear these different genres thrown together in a way that actually makes sense. And then you still like, at the end of the day, you still kind of glide on beats like an MC even though you're singing like, like, it's a trip. A lot of that, you know, comes from like just Gary and Gloom being like, yo, I really fuck with your shit, but I want to like, mosh to you. Like, I want to go crazy to your shit. Like, it'd be tight if you made some faster music. And so, like, I really fuck with your shit. And so that just for a few months, it just marinated in my head.

And I just finally was like, you know what? Fuck it. I'm gonna try to do some double time shit. So a lot of it is influenced by him, you know, where he's doing. And, you know, everybody around me, really. It's crazy the way like with drugs would always set the tempo of my music. And then once I got clean, it's like other things, like actually moving people. Yeah.

And a lot of it too comes from like shows. Like I go to their shows. go to the No Fun LA shows. If you're in LA and haven't, go check that shit out. And I feel we're lit for being like the first major podcast to even reference No Fun LA because a year from now, everyone's going to be on that wave super tough and like, remember, yeah. Yeah.

Time stamp that shit. Bitch. Facts. And I'd be at their shows and they're fucking lit. Like people are turning up. People aren't afraid to express themselves. And so, you know, versus the shows that I've been used to where people just kind of stand around. It almost feels like they're too cool to, like, be themselves, like, one party or whatever,

like, which is cool, like, do your thing, you know? No, it's actually pretty fucking lame. Let's keep it stack. I just want more energy when I perform. And I'm also aware that my music wasn't, like, high energy music at that point. It was really, like, conscious shit. So, you know, I just want to go crazy. We going crazy. Any final words for the people?

Young Franco. Go run all my shit up. Shout out to the Colt, 667. Shout to Lush One. Y'all know what it is. Yeah, everybody out there, the whole fam. Go crazy. Go watch everything. Two devil emojis and a halo, man, 667, baby.

And if I encourage everyone watching this, run up the homies catalog. Go crazy. You know, one of the illists. And with that being said, We are. We about this beards out of this beards. Oh.