No Jumper - Rucci on Growing up in Inglewood, Being a Blood, His Father, Gentrification & More

Episode Date: September 10, 2019

Rucci sits down with Adam22 to talk about his upbringing in Compton, LA rappers, Nipsey Hussle and signing with Empire. --- 1:29 Growing up in Inglewood, gentrification, gang banging will live forever. 4:30 Taco’s Son, first hispanic in a black gang, deported by I.C.E. 10:45 Having Supportive parents. Dropped out of Santa Monica High School in 10th grade to rap 14:45 Newest wave of LA rappers 18:24 Signing deal with Empire 21:30 Moving out the hood to the Valley 23:03 Being embraced by the hood early on. Building a buzz in the city. 24:04 Embracing hispanic culture, filming documentary. 26:04 Future endeavorers, developing Mac and Co., signing artist 28:05 Thoughts on Nipsey Hussle, Kodak disrespecting Lauren London --- FOLLOW OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST! https://spoti.fi/2vi9lsD CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! http://www.nojumper.com/ SUBSCRIBE for new interviews (and more) weekly: http://bit.ly/nastymondayz Follow us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nojumper and iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-jumper/id1001659715?mt=2 and follow us on Social Media: http://www.twitter.com/nojumper http://www.instagram.com/nojumper http://www.reddit.com/r/nojumper JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Q3XPfBm follow Adam22 as well: http://www.twitter.com/adam22 http://www.instagram.com/adam22 and follow adam22hoe on Snapchat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No jumper coolest podcast in the world today I'm in here with the homie Rootie how you living Rootie man I'm chilling high as fuck drunk as fuck it's 2 p.m. I still ain't slept from last night what were you doing last night I went to the studio oh yeah yeah I'm up though I ain't slept though why how the fuck do you do that bro I need my sleep I got eight hours last night and I feel great I gotta be real with you drugs drugs drugs be like that huh yeah pop a pill you pop the fizzle and you were just gone yeah I'm still up though right now Well, who were you in the studio with? What was the vibe last night?

I was in the studio with Tommy, Lil Deucy, just doing what we do regularly, just make music. Who I heard on your tape, right? Yeah, Lil Deucey. That's Tommy from Mac & Co. That's one of the best songs on the tape, though. I was really fucking with that one, actually. And I meant to go do a little investigation, try to figure out what was up with him. Yeah, he hard, he hard.

That shit was some natural shit. We did a while back, and we just wanted to throw it on the album. Right. Yeah. Yeah, because I noticed you got a nice little mix of, like, artists who are more on already in terms of, like, maybe who are your peers or like sort of at similar level that you're at and then you got some like brand new artists on the project as well i don't be fucking around with people i don't really know like that i got to know you to make music with you you didn't reach out for the g-easy

feature or some shit nah no that ain't me no offense to him it's just you know a lot of times people they they feel like they need to get super huge artists on their project to make people believe that they're a big artist i don't think i don't think so because my shit going up and i got the homies on there so you feel me everything is in house i don't really fuck around with a lot of rap you're fine right Yeah. Coming straight at Englewood, right? Yeah, I'm from Northside, Englewood.

Let's talk about you. You're talking about the North Lot on the project, huh? Um, shit. La Brea and Citnella, Florence to La Cianica in that box, that's the north side of Englewood. So LeBre is right over here. How far down where we got to drive your hit? Probably like, right now, right now, I'm into traffic, but it's going to be like 30 minutes

to get to the hood. But what, like five, six miles? Something like that. I don't know. I don't know that shit. But it's like, it's like, right when you pass Lebray and like, what's a main street? Jefferson. Okay.

Like when you're going that way, you feel me? Uh-huh. And then, like, Sinella, LeBron Sinella. Isn't that weird to think that we're all just connected by these single streets and that these streets go from, like, high-income areas with fucking multi-million-dollar houses all the way to the trap? Because that's where the gentrification is going down, right? Yeah, the new stadium.

Really? Yeah, they, man, they're doing the most. What, they're just building tons of condos, all this shit? Yeah, the rent going up like a motherfucker, though. They're trying to kick all the homies out. They've been doing that. for a minute and watts all over the place huh you think that it's going to be like could you see a future where that really aren't really like hoods in l.a and it's just not game banking ain't gonna never

die that shit always gonna stay alive they're gonna find a way it's hoods everywhere hmm yeah but i don't know it's like weird shit might happen as people get sort of pushed out of the areas that they grew up around shit i only can speak for me and the homie so for me i'm still being there with the rich white people right yeah so me and the homie still gonna be around See, you're going to grow with Englewood. So Englewood, the rent's going to go up, but your bank account's going to go up, so you might be able to stick around. For sure. That's my goal.

You feel? IPD told me before, like, you know, all the bloods are going to be out of Englewood. And I was like, nah, we're going to be ingo hood with you, fool. We're still chilling. Just get rich. Yeah. Well, that's the question is, like, where they're going to end up pushing all the broke motherfuckers to us. It's going to be, like, one random-ass beach city that just everybody's going to be still dingy as fuck.

I want to see how this shit going to happen. I want to see how it's going to happen. Have you seen Englewood changed a lot since you were a kid, though, in the sense that, like, the gangbanger was more out in the open and everything. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But that's, that's because of social media. You feel me?

When I was younger, like, growing up to a little, like, it wasn't no social media, like, there wasn't on Instagram or Twitter. So everything was, like, happening behind closed doors, you feel me? Everything out in the open now. Niggas, like, broadcast a criminal life, you know? Right. So, yeah, that shit changed. You used to like, if you were in the house, nothing was happening. You had to leave the house to get into some shit.

to actually know what the fuck going on. Nowadays, I ain't like that. You could be on Instagram, posed up being... Yeah, that's why I respect OG. You know? You feel like, they had to go outside and see what the world was, you know? And we sitting in the house figuring out everything, you feel me?

That's shit not cool. I don't like that. But do you feel like you were a child of the Internet or you were really in the streets, like, and you sort of had to figure out the Internet later on to figure out of market your shit? I think I was like... I think I was like what every, like,

every generation, like anything that happened, I caught on a new wave. to everything, you know? But yeah, I was raising the streets, you know? How old are you? Yeah. Okay. So talk to me about what it was like when you were growing up.

What was the house like where you're growing up? And like when you started to dip out of the house and sort of make the allegiances with your people out in the streets instead of just your family. My dad from the hood. That's the album Taco Son. My dad from- They can't see it, but yeah, we do have your album cover pulled up right here and it shows your pops.

Actually, I have that t-shirt that he's wearing, but I got it in gray. I got the gray one. I wore that mad times. It's kind of tight. I'm not going to lie. My dog. It's like a rare large. I usually rock double.

X-L. You always tag a nigga when he wear it too. I got nipples poking out and all that shit because it's a little tight, but I'm into it. Now, um, my, uh, my dad from the hood, you feel me? Okay. So I was born in this shit. Like since it's 1999. You feel me?

When I came home, I came onto the hood. Um, just being raised by the homies and knowing right from wrong. You feel me? So, like, when I got the high school, like, I was like already trying to be a thug. Like, you feel me? Like, not saying that, like, a nigga didn't have no street credit. Because, you feel me? Like, where I'm from.

Like, everybody respect me because of my dad. I'm like the golden child where I'm from. You feel me? Really? So your dad had that much respect as you were growing up? Like, right now, like, I got a billboard in the hood with my dad with the cover on there. Like with my dad on there. And it's like, everybody, like, the IPD, like, old police department.

They're like, damn. Like, what the fuck? Like, like, it's like having John Gotti on a billboard in the hood. Wow. Wow. They think of your dad like that, even though did they ever get him? Or is he like? My dad's out of that shit.

He got deported. He got deported at what age? Yeah. Shit, he got deported like probably three years ago. Oh, wow. Yeah. Ice came and got him. So you actually, I forgot about that.

So you actually have had to deal with the ramifications of Trump's crazy policies and shit, huh? I don't really pay attention to politics like that. Okay. Shit, that shit was in my face when it came to my dad. Like, you feel me? So I really had to tune in and I understand what the fuck was going on. You feel?

But, yeah, he had a bad criminal record. He had just came on. from doing five years in prison. What for? His green, uh, attempt to murder. Oh, wow. His, uh, his green card expired when he was in prison. Okay, so he got out.

He came home and he got a job. He was doing good and shit, but then I just came and got him out of nowhere. They got him while he was at his job. Just, no, he was at home in the morning. He thought it was like a probation, uh, phimmy teck up. So he went up in the door and they just put him in handcuffs? So they sent him to where, El Salvador or Mexico? Yeah, El Salvador.

Oh, wow. So he's back there. And do you know what his life is like now? Yeah. I just went out there. He's still got a good life? No, he, uh, well, he in Mexico now. Oh, he went from there in Mexico.

Yeah. Is he trying to come through? Nah. He's telling. Well, if he wants to pull it to Melrose, we'd be more than welcome to it. Now, we're going to get them back, though. You feel me? Yeah, we're going to get them back.

So you guys are working on the paperwork and all that kind of shit? Yeah, yeah, I need my dad back over here. Wow. You feel? That's crazy. Do you think that he's the kind of dude that would be able to just be in El Salvador and just have a life out there? No, he can't. He had to leave. He was pissed.

He couldn't handle it? He, uh, he like, he wanted to do. of the first Hispanics from a black gang, you feel me? Oh, wow. So when you're out there, like, it's either, you feel me, you feel me, you feel me, you feel me, you feel me, you feel me, you feel me, you feel me? You ain't no in between. My dad got a lot of blood, powerudes, right? You from a black game, you know, and they don't like that shit.

They ain't going for none of that shit, you, you feel me? So he had to go through a lot while he was out there, you feel me? That's why he got to Mexico, and now, you feel me, chilling out. Wow, so are you excited? You could go to Mexico to see him? Yeah, I already went to Mexico and seen him. Oh, all right. So it's not like you're like completely split.

It's just a big pain in ass. Even when he was like, he'd been in prison like most of my life. Like me and my dad always kept good connections. You feel me? I always understood him. And I understand he loves the streets. You feel me? So I never judged him off of that shit.

He always did as much as he could. Why did you want to put him on the album cover? Where I'm from, you feel me? Like I said, he liked the John Gotti over there. So like everybody like was raised by him and like everything that you see going on on the north side of England is because of Taco. Uh-huh. You feel?

So me being Taco's son, I want to really. open up because people paying attention now. Right. You feel me? I was dropping a gang of shit like O'Pereo and all that shit. I was just like getting the vibe with all my fans. But now my fans paying attention to see who I am. Now I'm about I opened up. You feel me? On the album and let them know

about where I come from and why I moved the way I moved. That's what so, though, because like when you are putting out your first major project as a newer artist like yourself, it's kind of like you could go a lot of different ways in terms of what you want to represent and market yourself as it's interesting to see you come out with something like this where, you know, the average person, they don't know who your dad is and stuff,

and they're not necessarily in tune to what the meaning is of all this shit, but it's dope, I think that you went in that direction where it's kind of like, well, you're already gonna have to figure it out. Yeah, because I, like, the homies, like, you know, one take Jay, Z, Tite, Kaelin. Everybody, like, we got a party wave, no what I'm saying, when they think about the West Coast, you feel me?

So I want to give them a real side of this shit, like, like some real, like, like thug life, you feel me, like going from the mud to really going to get that bag, you know what I'm and getting out of my hood, you know what I'm saying? Shit like that. And I wanted to like really put a spotlight on the West Coast like with that shit because Nipsey was the one doing it for us, you know, so I really wanted to bring that

shit back and like let them know it's real West Coast musical, you feel me? Definitely. Yeah. Before we even get into anything else though, I just want to ask like your dad being that he had the street reputation or whatever, how did he go about raising you? Like how did he talk to you about all the shit that you were inevitably getting exposed to? I was, I was exposed to everything, you from me?

Like, he didn't block nothing from, you feel me. He, like, I seen everything as a kid, like, the worst shit you could think of, you feel me? So, like, growing up, I knew, like I said, I knew right from wrong at the age of three, I knew not to snitch, I knew loyalty, you feel me? Like, that's just how he raised me and my little brother. So shit, like, it wasn't like, we were like, we was his sons, we was his little homies, you feel me?

So, yeah, that's just how we were raised by him. But my mom, like, my mom, like, she was the more strict side. Yeah, like, when I went on my mama, I was like, It's like you gotta get, I gotta be on my shit. But I never like was a like a bad ass, bad ass kid, you know what I chose to do what the fuck I wanted to do. That's interesting when you have like a dad who's really with the shit and then a mom was more conservative.

Yeah, she's so chill. You have the dad basically just instructing the kid on how to navigate around the mom. Like here's how to not get caught. But my mom was so cool. Like I dropped out of high school in 10th grade and my mom didn't give a fuck. My mom like not saying that she didn't give a fuck about like me. in life like I told I wanted to rap she's like well

niggiless if you're gonna do this I'll do this like my mom like my best friend so really she's like yeah my parents like they let me do whatever the fuck I want to do they let me run into a brick wall if I needed to you feel me really so they like I learned a lot young

so like going forward I was always ready for every step you can me right yeah me and my girl I have a conversation at the day because there's a member of her family is like a 15 year old boy who I guess got caught drinking and she was acting like oh you know it is what it is Like, you know, it's not that big a deal.

And I was like, hell not. I disagree. Like, if my 15-year-old, if I catch him drinking, I'm going to smack the shit out of him. And I'm going to be fucking yelling at him and shit. And she goes, well, what have you caught? I'm smoking a blunt. I'm like, hmm. That don't seem as bad at all.

But fuck, the drinking for some reason piss me out. Because people get drunk and they get in a car accidents and they fuck bitches and they don't remember and they get pregnant. You get drunk and you keep drinking. Like, you feel like that's like, like weed? When you get addicted to weed, I think it's a different like addiction than when you get addicted to alcohol. Like alcohol is like, like, like, as soon as you wake up, 6 a.m. hitting the liquor store type of shit. I never got to drinking like that, but that's definitely what I would be scared of.

You might be lazy or something, but alcohol make you do crazy shit. Right. So, yeah. I'd be scared of the kids smoking weed too, though, because I'd be scared that he's going to just get addicted to getting high and getting lazy and not doing the shit that he has to actually do to progress his life because I know what it's like for me where sometimes I'm tempted to sit around and smoke weed all day and not do anything productive. Yeah. I'd be scared that they would like get into that mentality. before they get into the productive mentality of actually doing something with yourself every day.

Man, my dumb, man, I was, I wasn't even drinking nor smoking at the age of 15. I don't know, I mean either. Like, I was, I went to Santa Monica High School. Yeah, which I think is very interesting. Yeah, that's weird as fuck. Yeah. But my sister was like the best softball player

in like California at the time and the country's recruiter her from Santa Monica. Okay. So I had had no choice. They sent me to fucking Santa Monica, which was the dopes shit ever because I experienced all the crazy shit. We used to go ride bikes there all the time and shit. And I just know for a fact

that it's a really nice high school and that it's like probably a totally different clientele than what you were doing with. Yeah, but like I wasn't like, say I wasn't going to class with but I wasn't smoking weed. I wasn't like drinking. I was really like trying to figure out what the fuck is in Santa Monica. Like I was going to North of Montana like, like Persian friends and really just trying to figure the shit out. But like I start smoking like when I dropped out and I didn't start drinking till like probably like two two three years ago like I think it's honestly like such a good thing where people like the later you find out about those things the better you're gonna be off yeah yeah yeah but I always seen like

my like my mom always like smoke weed you feel me so I always seen it uh my dad alcoholic snort coke you feel me like straight up you feel me that's a real jeep person you feel me you know like people try to act like snoring coke is like not something that like real g's do but when you really not even that that shit It's like, I don't do that shit. Let's put that out there. But that shit is so common. I retired.

Like, just kidding. That's just so common. Ruchin just sold me a pack. Just kidding. That shit is so common, bro. Like, when I see it now, I just be like, oh, that shit regularly. I don't really like, but my dad had been doing this.

We've seen since I've always seen that shit. But it's crazy, though, because a lot of people from the hood will put every part of their life on blast besides the fact that they're snoring coke. You know? That's the one thing that they keep secret. I don't know. They just. Even like when like when we play like that with the homies like they'd be like hell no fuck that shit

I don't know there's just something about that like like you do know a lot of homies who are like they just were never ever touching in a million years but then you know dudes who are like like high key super down all the time but they never fucking put that shit out there they would never admit to it publicly or anything you know I rather just like pop pills and like drink down yeah I'm 35 I can't do shit at this point yeah it's over get that out of your sister it's over he says over hang it up old man It's over. You feel like you were part of like the new generation of LA because you were mentioning Kalin for real for real.

I feel like it was like Shoreline maybe are like the at the head of like the new generation of sort of LA rap but then there's a lot of people like you, A. Z, Chike, One Take Jay, all that kind of like all coming up around the same time too. Like I've been parted away before everybody. I'm okay. Me and Shy Mack, I don't know if you know what Sean Mack is, who's my partner in rap. He passed. We had Mac Rootie, right?

What year was that that he passed? 2017. Okay. Yeah. From like 2014 to 2017 though, we did like we dropped the collaboration tape, MacRucci, which had Draco, everybody, you know, G. Perico, everybody on it. So we was like really a part of like the first wave, right? So he passed and then people like stop really thinking about how influential we was, you know what

said at the beginning. And I always like to say that because like, nigger, we've been. doing this shit. Right. I've been rapping, you feel me? So now like that I'm popping, like, it ain't even a big thing nuts because we've been doing this shit. Right. So yeah, I want to put that out there. No, no, that's good. Because, you know, it's like, there'll

always be people that come out in, like, the first couple songs they put out or the, like, really if you look at Shoreline, it's like, I don't know how long they were going, but they weren't going for that long before the shit started popping up. You know, some people it just takes a little bit longer. They got refine their shit. Because I'm sure if you go back and listen to your shit from two years ago,

you're like, holy fuck, I'm so much better now than I was then. Yeah. Man, Shoreline Day, I think they like, they like really just blitz the market. Like, they just came out running, you feel me? Um, they went viral. You feel me? Like, it can't never beat that. Yeah.

Nowadays, you feel me? But yeah, uh, them niggas hard. Yeah. I fuck with the niggas. It's a good representatives of what's going on here. They stayed, like, showing out for me. They didn't let me go on tour with them all the type of shit. So I really, like, appreciate, like, what they're doing for the West Coast.

I heard it said that you're the only blood that is around shoreline in them. Yeah. How about that? I don't know how true that is, but. One of the primary ones. I'll be the only blood on tour or all that shit, like even with the whole new wave. Like, you feel me? Like, I'm the only blood, like, the only game bang in the wave right now.

If you really think about it on a new wave. Right. That is weird. Because it was all bloods out of L.A. In terms of rappers and shit for a while until kind of recently has become way more cribs popping off. Yeah, but like right now, like if you think about like even with like one take, like everybody like me is for me and savvy. Who else game bad? Everybody throwing up sets.

I'm like, I don't know what those mean. What was that mean? I think it's just me and savvy right now. Yeah, yeah. That's what's up. I was stupid young, yeah. Oh, yeah. Stupid young.

Yeah. Stupid young out here. That's my nigga. Man, he's the homie. He caught case because of fucking no jumper video, man. I know. I felt terrible when I found that out. I'm like, man, I never would use that clip if I knew that you weren't allowed to be holding a firearm on camera at all.

that was that fucked me up when I realized it. I see you Slip 400 get on your head too. Man, let me tell you. It was like three in the morning and I posted that screenshot and I didn't fucking think about the fact because it just said St. Francis and I didn't think about the fact that that's a fucking hospital. I don't know why.

I feel like if he put the word hospital, I would have remembered to blank it out, but I fucking slip my mind. I feel like a fucking idiot. Everybody made mistakes. Man, imagine Sly 400 got shot up like in the hot. Is that going to happen?

He's just getting shot in the hospital? That would have been real fucked up thing to happen. He was being so cool about it. I'm like, man, I feel like if you put my life in danger, I don't know if I would be that cool about it. I feel like an idiot. Somebody said to me, they're like, y'all, I'm surprised that it took Rucci so long to end up signing a deal, going with Empire and doing what he's doing. Do you feel like you waited too long? You feel like now is a perfect time?

What's your thought process on signing? Perfect time. Patience. Like I said, I've been doing this shit. Like, you feel me? being like part of this West Coast wave shit. So I just literally took my time and like literally like was like, I'm not fin of let nobody like tell me nothing.

Like I wanted to really put out a lot of music. Right. So we came across, you know, a couple deals, but we just sat back, Empire reached out to us on some real nigger shit. Like Fiamu Gazi, they was really fucking with us like on a personal level. So yeah, I just felt like it was the right move at the point. I fuck with it though. Like, I ain't got no complaints right now.

Yeah, I mean, I feel like there's something to be said for building up your wave and, like, having something going for yourself before you sign. Yeah. Because if you sign, like, right as soon as people start to find out what your name is, then you got no, you got nothing to lean on. I was doing, like, we was doing our own shit. Like, everything on our own. We was going on tour on our own.

We was doing, like, throwing shows out here on our own, like music videos. Everything was out of just some awesome, like, like, me and my homies. Like, we brothers, you're filming me. So it was just like us, like us putting that shit into it, you feel me? And we've doing it for like a good like four years. Right. So like it came to a point where we start like reaching bigger platforms, you feel me?

So we like at rolling loud and all this type of shit. Like you feel me? So they really start to pay attention to it. Oh shit. So yeah, we just, we relax until we could do it like we thought was right. And then when we did that, you feel me, it just put us on the bigger platform. And they looking out for doing what they're supposed to break through a bad. You know, they did what they were supposed to do.

Right. Sold out the Roxy. You feel me? Shit like that. So it was just like, we know what we can do. You feel me? Empire just really came and extended the hand and helped it. What did that feel like, sawing up the Roxy in your city?

It was like, like, I couldn't even like, I didn't even like, I didn't want to think about it as much, like going into it. Because I get anxious. I just want to get on stage. I really like performance. So, like, seeing them sing my shit word for word. than everybody really being there for me, like showed me like that I can really do this shit and motivate me, you know what I'm saying?

I'm real humble about everything I do. Right. Everything. Like I never see me on here bragging about nothing on Twitter or nothing like that. I bragging my music, but as far as I real life, I'm real humble. So that's it was a blessing.

But you had to grind for it. You know, I feel like that's why you can be humble. It's like a lot of times when you see some kid who pops out, he's 17 and he just all of a sudden got a deal and he traveled on the world making millions. It's like a lot of times those are the dudes who don't know how to fucking act. Yeah, I took time and I, like, I literally grind for what I'm doing now.

So, like, when I saw the riot shit, I was like, what, nigga? Like, in my head, like, all honestly, like, niggins ain't fucking with me. Like, on some just regular shit, niggas ain't fucking with me. Is that hard to convince people from your area to make that drive up to Hollywood? Because a lot of them probably never even been to Hollywood before, right? Hell no, they're popping out. Because we don't, we, I'm from the hood, but we stayed doing, like, I do bullsie shit. You feel me?

Like, I do, like, real, like, type of tear type shit. We don't do no like, like, it might be ghetto. It might get ghetto. You know what I'm saying? Or where we at. But everything we do is like top tier, you feel me? You move out the hood yet? Yeah.

You did. How's that going? Great. It's good to be away from all the bullshit. You can just lay your head and not have to think about shit. Even when I was in the hood, like, I never let nothing bother me. Okay. You know what I'm saying?

So I wouldn't just be like, oh, yeah, I moved out the hood. I ain't got no worries. You feel me? Like, it's the same old shit. Right. Same old hood, shit. Like, go back. Same shit.

Where did you make the, move to downtown you in the valley i'm in the valley you are deep in the valley really yeah deep that's hot is a motherfucker really oh my god i know right yeah yeah but i got ac in my room one of my guys lives in santa clarita oh my fucking god it's like almost it's like 40 minutes to get up there and it's so much higher it's like you walk out the car you're like i'm in saudi arabia now we don't even be thinking about how deep we are in the valley like even we have to come in like we'll leave like 30 minutes yeah before we got to be somewhere you feel me and not realize that that one-on-fucking one is going to be you feel me but yeah i i'm i moved out there yeah that's good enough

yeah great feeling it's exciting yeah the homie's homie respect you're trying to get the rest of the family out of there too at some point hell yeah i'm about to get everybody out there motherfucker i want to like that's my life go to be able to do for everybody without having to worry about shit yeah that's just me you feel me yeah but that's the dream that's coming soon we're gonna keep going you feel like your area like in terms of local people in niggibwood and shit where they early on embracing you or do you feel you feel you like they kind of got in tune because your shit is more popular now. My hood been on it.

My hood been like behind me 100%. Now, of course, you feel me like with the level of fame you get, you know, you get different type of like- Different levels of acknowledgement, you know, at a certain point, maybe like the old lady on the corner starts to figure out. Yeah, well like, even like my grandma, like she rides bus every morning, she'd be hearing my shit. So she'd be like, oh.

So yeah, like, everybody like, I don't know. I feel like I'm not even noticing how big I'm getting, because I'd just be going place and not fucking thinking that on me sometimes. So it has been hard for you to get used to like being somebody that people are actually noticing and sure you're used to it. I've been like, I always felt like I was somebody, you feel me? So now that, like, it's really like for the world to see, like, I'll just take it. I just be humble about it and just keep going.

Definitely. I feel like you kind of, like you had that song, La Bamba. there's like that whole like sort of like style right now where a lot of like street rappers are sort of involving some sort of like Hispanic themes with their shit you got mbj with the uno song got yg going crazy with his shit is that kind of something like you wanted to sort of try to capture that kind of energy because you know just embrace coming from that world more naturally maybe than they are exactly like just embracing my Hispanic side you know what i'm saying just letting the world know i can do this shit too right basically that's all it was like really and uh

Like that was, you feel me? Like, it went up. And then we went to Mexico to shoot the video with my pop. So it was like, it was a good, like good feeling. Oh, I got to rewatch that video. I didn't think about the fact that you went to Mexico to shoot it. Yeah, I went to Mexico to shoot the video. What was that like?

I got a documentary from the drop for the album. Really? Like telling y'all my whole, get out. So we went to Mexico to shoot the documentary. So we shot the video also, the La Bamba. You feel me? My manager's empire, that was their decision. So the single was a good decision.

Yeah. That shit went up. That is. That's lit. So what else you got going in the life of Ritchie at this point? What else do you do besides when you're just grinding and hustling in terms of the music shit or staying up all night popping pills? What's the supposed to do?

That's it. I live a life of a rapper. Like if you ask my mom, she hate Roots. She's like, oh, this motherfucker. Really? Yeah. I like that feeling now though, because that's just like since like, so I was a kid, I always want to be like bling, bling, fuck how you feel.

Like, you know what I'm saying? So yeah, like I live my life like a rap. Like a rock star. Right. Yeah, do what I want to do. You're still young. You still got time for that. Hell yeah.

I don't really like, I listen to my managers. Yeah. But other than that, I don't really be able to. You got at least like five years before you start thinking like, damn, I got to be an exec. Yeah. But now I want to do, like, the shit that I be on now, I'll be like on some whole other shit. Like we got a whole level of respect between us to where we all treat each other like bosses. You feel?

Right. So like, yeah, that's how I like, that's how it is now. No, that's important for sure. Hell yeah. Have you thought about signing artists or finding people that you want to, like, people from your crew that you believe might have the talent? Yeah. Yeah, I haven't, like, signed anybody, but, like, part of my label,

I have, like, some homies, like, black, boss man, little dudes, white John. I don't know if you heard about White John. He's popping right now. He's going to hear about him now. White John? Yeah, he's white. His name's John?

Yes. That's hard. And he looked like a fat-ass farmer. Oh, wow. Where? Like, you're gonna look him up when I leave? Like, and you just, I promise you, you're gonna want him sitting right here. White John.

Yeah, White John. He viral. That sounds viral, obviously. He knocked out, uh, uh, uh, he knocked out somebody on Melrose. For real? Right? Yeah, that's what he went viral for that. I like the sounds of that.

Yeah, he rap like us. Yeah. He'd been a nigga, like, he grew up with us, like the all type of shit. Listen, there's been a lot of, like, dudes from the hood and shit who at some point in their in their career found a white boy and then made a lot of money off of us. Oh, yeah. White John is our white boy. Otherwise, you're just going to be salty for the rest of your life.

The label, I'm on the back and coast. I'm on the empire, but Macon Co is my home label. Okay. Yeah, them are the artists, but yeah, we got white john over there. Maybe I do know about it. I'm, I'm pretty sure I'm going to, like, oh, shit going to, you know what I'm saying? I want to, like, deal with, like, different shit, though. I don't want to deal with no fucking rappers.

No? Nah. What other shit could you see yourself dipping your toe into in terms of business? My R&B type shit. might go wide and go country like just want to just like I'm talking about like a real white boy though right yeah not no fake country shit hmm yeah that's I mean that's that's a wide open lane but it's touchy you know it's like you're gonna really be dope if you want to pop off as a country rapper I feel yeah but I got like I got like my head with music is wide like I listen all type of shit so yeah

like I want to do different shit in music when you happen to ride what do you listen to at this point right now Kodak Kodak Yeah I'm a big Kodak Are you That's my nigga Is that hard for you when you Disrespected the Nipsey after you passed

Um Shit I didn't really take it no way Cause I ain't You feel me like Nipsey Hustle or they like family But Kodak Like he do what he wants

I don't really like never have an opinion On none of that shit See I as much as I thought That was super disrespectful Inipsey I had a hard time getting pissed off about it Just because I feel like We look at Kodak as a psycho and we're not really expecting him to understand when he says something offensive.

Yeah, I think he's, but I'm like, honestly, I think it's just him. Like, I don't think he like, like, that's just how he is. You know what I'm saying? He liked that about a lot of shit, you know what I'm saying? But like I said, I don't never have an opinion on shit like that. You feel me? Like, I don't never, like, does nobody off his, like, situations like that. Right.

What about Nipsey, though? How did you, how'd you come in home? Um, shit. Nipsey from the other side, you feel me, like, but. I always respected him always I never met him but always respected is his uh what you call that his uh charisma his uh not his charisma overall work ethic nah what he fed to us like i respected what he like always was trying to teach us his wisdom yeah what he's preaching yeah i respected always respected that um i didn't even fucking graduate high school but i feel like he got me through them

high school years like as a young and like just listening to his music That's big. Much letter, Nipsey. I really like, like, fuck with, like, his whole movement, the whole little thing they got going on over there. Yeah, that's what's. It's definitely a kind of situation where it feels like people didn't pay enough attention or focus enough on how good way he was doing until it was gone.

I feel like we knew that home. Yeah. We knew that. But, like, it just went viral and big because, like, these other people, like, from out of state didn't really, like, or these big people in the government didn't really, didn't really understand how big he, like the impact he was to the community, you know? So, yeah, I think we always respected him on a bigger level.

Right. Yeah. Well, me. Definitely. I feel like people, like a role model. People who knew what was going on, I feel like they all respect him everything. It was just not, I don't know, but people just don't tend to, like, gravitate towards shit unless they feel like they have to, you know. I mean, anybody going to love you till you, you're going.

Like, you're not going really see what's really real until you gone. Jayda Kiss said back in the day, you know dead rappers get better promotion. Yeah. So true. I mean, I just wish everybody would have loved them how they love them when he was here. But that's just like, that's life, man. Because like with my, like, even with my homie, like that past Sean Mack, like, like, when that happened, it was like, damn. Like, you know what I'm saying?

But that's how I looked at my big brother, Sean Mack like, Nipsey. So, like, I didn't really take it as hard because I, like, I've been through it before, you know? and I've been through a lot of shit that's why I always keep my opinion to myself because nobody gives a fuck about what you think you feel me everybody gonna think how they want to think so I don't want to just put nothing out there that nobody's gonna like

I feel wise words Rucci I appreciate you coming in man no problem no problem no problem What else do they need to know about this project if they want to go check it out? Taco Sun is the realest West Coast album right now like I say

nobody fucking with me bro on what I'm talking about or what I do Um, you selling out shows and no fuck ever. That's what we do. Mac and Co. Shy Mack forever. Shout to Adam 22. You know what I'm saying?

He keep doing this thing. No jumper. You feel me? Keep putting L.A. on. I'm going to keep putting on for the West Coast. You feel me? Shout to everybody who fuck with me because I fuck with them. If you hate me, I fuck with you too because you know me.

Easy. You keep making the bangers. We'll keep documenting it. All right. Little by little. That's our agreement. Yes, sir. Appreciate you, Gene.

Thank you. Rucci. No Jumper. Anglewood. Coolest podcast in the world. Check us out on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, like, comment, subscribe, nojumber.com if you want to support. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram. I NG Rucci.

I, I'm going to subscribe my YouTube. MacRooC, music. Mac with 2K. Yeah. And subscribe to this YouTube. Just look at my name and you're going to see some gangster shit. That way. That way.

Easy. Peace.