The Breakfast Club - Exclusive BMF Interview

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

In this episode, Loren LaRosa interviews Da Vinci and Big Tank from BMF, discussing their roles in the production of BMF, the importance of music supervision, and the creative process behind the show's soundtrack. They delve into the challenges of accurately representing the time period through music, the collaboration with artists, and the impact of set design and costuming on the storytelling. The conversation also touches on licensing music for television and the future of their projects.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart podcast. I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everybody. You hear that exclusive? You know if you don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in. Hey guys, it's Lauren LaRosa and this is the latest with Lauren LaRosa. Now today's episode is going to be a bit different, but I do think, I know, my low riders, you guys are going to enjoy it because y'all have been asking me,

when are we bringing celebrity interviews to the podcast, Lauren? Well, here we are. So I sat down in an exclusive conversation with Da Vinci from BMF and Big Tank, who is a music supervisor for BMF on Stars and a ton of other 50 Cent shows. A music supervisor is a person who makes sure

that the music is placed right. So when y'all watching the series, it feels like the time that we in. It feels good. The music is good and all those things. And y'all know DaVinci plays Southwest Terry, Southwest T, who is Meach's brother in the series. Now, the new series or the new season of BMF comes on Stars on June 6th. So I sat down

and we talked a bit about what it was like making this season and all of the twists and the turns and the music. Enjoy. Here's my conversation. From the Breakfast Club, give it up for Lauren Baroba. Hello everybody. How are y'all? Y'all enjoying the conversation so far? Well we have a treat for you guys, but before we get into the conversation, as he mentioned, I'm Lona Rosa here, all the way from New York on the Breakfast Club.

We have some special people in the building to talk about, you know, BMS and how the music industry and what BMS means to the music industry continues to impact the culture. So joining me today, we have Derek Big Tank Thornton, who is a music supervisor for the show. Give it up for him. And DaVinci plays Carrie Flannery. Y'all can see it either side.

Where is DaVinci? Oh. Ah, excuse me DaVinci, you gotta go back. They did not yell at that one. And I walked in, I was like, oh, there goes T. And I was like, oh no, he's not T right now, technically. But people connect to your character and they connect to the music.

So we are gonna get in to the conversation. Tank, for those who don't know, can you explain please, what is the role of a music supervisor? Like, what does that mean? What does it entail in a television series? What's your day-to-day job? And how did you decide, well, answer that first and then I'll ask you to second Mark.

So basically from hiring the composer, finding the composers, all the songs, every song in the background, a lot of times theme songs, you know, if I'm not creating then I'm having they create it. So just every piece of music in a show I'm gonna pick. Okay, so once you get that together, you find a composer, you're picking the theme songs, how do you decide which tracks go in which like place? Because especially with BMF it's such a such a time period piece, meaning like

when you watch it, it's not present death. Music has to feel like that, the cue of the music, the timing it comes in. How do you figure that out? So first you need to study that year. The slangs got to be right. If we're talking about Suzuki Samurai, we're talking about somebody fresh to death or whatever it is, it's got to be time period appropriate. And then I really believe that when I'm watching the scene, the scene kind of tells me which way to go. Like if you pay attention to what the scene is doing,

it will kind of lend you towards these songs should be a major, these songs should be a minor. What's this person listening to? This is their attitude every single day, so they're probably listening to this kind of music. So it's just really studying who that person is and making sure that the music fits their character. So, you know, I love doing it. I love this.

Basically A&R and a TV show. When y'all are on set, is all of the music playing like how we, when we watch it or is it just like silent and you're just trying to figure out a lot? No, it's not for that. Oh. Because you Because you gotta understand there's a big mic going right? Yeah, okay. So if this dialogue isn't going and there's music playing then the mic's gonna pick everything up. Sure. So when they hear I send in what's called a thump track so you'll hear like

and people will be dancing to that and then they can talk over it and then I get it and we put the music in that's why he's looking at it now for the first time. So you just used to be like mm mm mm. Nah yeah yeah yeah yeah sometimes they'll just do playback like he said they'll play the real song before the scene start just so everyone could be in that zone and then they'll be like quiet the music but keep dancing so it's just silent as hell. Everyone was just like. And they were talking, and they were acting like we're talking over the music. We're talking a lot like, yo, I can't hear you, but it's dead silent. All right, so this question is for both of you guys. What was it like working with Jordan Alexander?

She plays Purdy in the series. So for those of you guys who were just watching that music video, she's the artist in that video. What was it like working with her? Hearing that that wasn't those were original songs that were created for her to just feel like the time that she was in Yeah, no Jordan is actually dope. She's so dope. She's from Canada. Oh So you got an interesting way of seeing life? But it's still like the state's kind of like basically like us

But they just say things different. And I was like over to the house and everyone and we just started talking. I started picking her brain. I was like, yo, this is fire. Like it was, she was a real artist, you know, and an actress. Was she casted that you guys were specifically looking for an actress who's also an artist or did it just so happen that she's great for the part and she could actually,

she's a real artist who sounds good? You know what, it helps. Because I feel like, you know, just as a viewer of shows, you could tell when somebody actually has real music ability and what we're faking it. So I always think, in my opinion, I always like to cast someone who has musical ability if they're playing the part of a music artist.

You know what I'm saying? So it was definitely helpful in the studio. You're able to just tell her, let's cut that over. Let's do this. Let's do that. And to speak to her as somebody who makes music, she understood all the laboring. She understood what she was doing.

She understood what she sounded too up to date and how to sound more TLC-ish, you know what I mean? So that's what we're going for. I had a question for y'all but I can't ask it. I'm going to ask y'all backstage when you just said TLC-ish. Okay. But I can't because I don't want to give away anything. So you guys actually producing the music for her, the song that we just heard.

Yeah. So that's her song originally just for the show. Right. And so who does she write it and you produce it? the song that we just heard. So that's her song originally just for the show. And so who does she write it and you produce it? So we have people come in, write the song, like the people who wrote like TLC's records. You know what I mean? And made those beats and we'll have them come in

and create something specifically for her. And then we'll go in and we'll record the record, make sure it gets mixed and make sure it fills up that time. So same drum machine, same keyboards, same everything. So it sounds like that. So that's what we're doing. Well, so music is one part of this season of BMS, but as every season in all of the 50 Cent World of Stars,

with BMS for sure, you have set design, you have your costumes, your hair, your makeup. And in this season in particular, you guys are in two different worlds a lot. So the costuming and the look and you know everything looks really, really different. DaVinci, talk to me a bit about first of all, going into those two different worlds and shooting that and just how everything changes like your hair, your everything. By security too, you'll be watching me put the wig on week, dying, laughing. I'm literally talking to him, fixing it, and trying to cover

the lace. And I'm like, now I know what girls go through. Did you have to put the little thing around your edges? The hold it down, the lace? Edges? Nah. The glue? The glue?

Yeah, you did both? Oh, wait, I very much know what girls go through. They had to on so many ladies I know what it's like to sweat and shit living in I know why y'all got the little fins she's like, boy it was I know why y'all like to itch, I know why y'all

I know I know the whole filming bro I gained a lot of respect for women and what y'all go through because I was annoyed as hell by these waves. But I was like, oh my god. Then at my braids, just like a week old under it, I'm like, bro, I'm going to take these out.

Between takes, me and me, we got rat tail combed. And we like, like, it's, no, we was going through it. And on the music side of it, this season, what else new or different or just anything you want to talk about that you incorporated this season soundtrack wise to reflect how action packed it was, you know, the friction between the brothers, the you know, characters out for revenge. There were certain times when I realized certain songs and I was like, oh, I see they did that.

I'm trying to talk to you without talking to you. You know what I mean? But this season, man, I think the biggest difference is this year we're starting to hit some coast. West Coast here, Mott, we're gonna hear some early, you know, some early bouncy music from the South. So there's just things, now that they're moving around, the music's gotta move around too. So we're hitting all those things.

Ain't nobody, you know, on the music we ain't doing no backflips or nothing. So we're excited. So, yeah, for sure I was on my own stunts, you know what I'm saying? What's the licensing like, though? Like, do you have, like, a certain amount of time you can use songs for or not?

I don't have that word. You know what? And, you know, this is, that's a really good question. So that's a licensing question. So usually what happens is, if I'm watching the scene, I'll figure out how long the song should be in there for. And then we go out to get the songs

if you're an independent artist or whatever, and you're gonna send in music, understand that's how it works. You know, basically I'm gonna give you a feed and that's gonna clear the song. Cause I may wanna change the length of the use as I watch it, or if the editors cut it a little bit differently.

So I'm going to give you a feed. You still own it. I'm just licensing to use it on the show. But it could be anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. We usually get in and get out pretty quick, because nobody really is sitting on the scene, unless it's a montage. But that's a whole other story. Well, I appreciate the conversation,all. I'm out of questions. They ain't giving me no more.

If I keep going somebody need to let me know because I got them but I just don't know if I can keep going or not. Oh you got a question. Hi my name is Ashley. My name on Instagram is Xxacly. I'm a content creator. Terry, after seeing small clips, I just wanted to say, shape up on a lace front is crazy. That's number one. Real real spicy, but I wanted to know two questions. One for you and one for me. So the question is for the fashion. Did you have any input because it's getting up there

this season? That's number one. And number two is the second question for you. What's making real music during the scene? What's the budget like behind it? Those are great questions. Are you working like a label when you're going out to these artists that you're bringing these different arts in and stuff like that? I mean, I will license big label records. You know what I'm saying? We definitely do that a couple of times on an episode. But I'd be like, mom, I got a song on BMF.

You know what I'm saying? Because if you get back to them, I feel like it's gonna continue to get back to us. So like I have a whole podcast coming out soon called The Man Behind the Music, they're launching about a month. And we literally are gonna be taking submissions from all y'all and breaking down the songs

and showing up next to scenes. And yeah, that's what we know. So I see we're about to wrap up. Yeah. I was like, yo, move into her amika and I don't for a little bit. Do you have a question? Yeah, yeah, I got a question for Tane.

Wait, so Jordan who played the character, she get bread for that song? Yep. So like, can people download that song? It's gonna be released. So Stars usually will put out... I do all the 50 Cent shows, so Raisin Cane and Ghost, BMF Force. If there's a song on the show that we have an artist perform, Stars will put that song out there into the marketplace.

Make music too, bruh. I have a question. Someone tag me in. Tag me. Yeah, you. Okay. How long did y'all shoot the last season for? Six, seven months, five months?

And y'all had never talked about this? No, I didn't know like the independent arts. And wait, so you could sign Jordan too? I'm feeling good. That's not a conflict of interest? No. No. Nah, I tell you.

Boy, I came from the music world. I just didn't like the labels and stuff like that. Nah, it's opportunities out there. We got to talk. Did you know he made music? What? Y'all ain't up here researching. Y'all better go sign that kit.

You know what I'm saying? We just figured something out. So y'all sign that deal. Can I please announce it on the Berklee Sponsor? We just figured something out. So y'all sign that deal. Can I please announce it exclusively on the Burkitts Fund? Done there. All right. Thank you.

Thank you so much for being here. All right, y'all. Well, that was the conversation that I sat down with BMF DaVinci and Big Tank to have during the roots picnic. And y'all, I know there's been a lot out there about the roots picnic and you know what I mean but nature happened they handled it the best that they could but this conversation came out of that picnic so I am forever grateful for stars inviting me out to have this conversation and for the roots picnic for even happening because we wouldn't have had it let me

know if you guys have enjoyed the conversation if you'll be tuned in and what was your favorite part of the conversation make sure you tweet me Instagram repost this, all the things. I'm Lauren LaRosa. I tell you guys every episode, you guys could be anywhere, because at the end of the day, there's always a lot to talk about, and you could talk about it

with anybody. I thank you guys for choosing me each and every time. I'll see you in my next episode.