The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: 6lack Talks 'Love Is The New Gangsta,' Fatherhood & Love, Getting Into Music + More

Episode Date: May 25, 2026

Today on The Breakfast Club, 6lack Talks 'Love Is The New Gangsta,' Fatherhood & Love, Getting Into Music. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice.

Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown if you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise.

drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hold on. Every day I wake up. You're all finished or y'all's done? Morning, everybody. It's DJ NV.

Just hilarious. Salamey Nagy. We are the Breakfast Club. Long LaRose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. We got the brother Black. How are you feeling?

I'm feeling good. Welcome. This is the first time. Yeah, first time ever. Wow, welcome, welcome. I've always been interested about your name. Okay. Like, why is it spelled with a six and not a beat?

A reoccurring number in my life, favorite number, life path number, born in June, I grew up in Zone 6. So it was like, favorite number, my uniform growing up when I was going outside was all black. So I just kind of put it together, had the same name since middle school. You was June, which was cancer? Yeah. Ooh, me too. Oh, dope. What's the born day?

Let me guess, let me guess. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. June. 24 16 wow you lying

he googled it where's the google what's the google for real what made you guess that by the five of the music I'm a cancer I get it I can tell whether somebody's a July cancer a June cancer

around my day which is June 29th so I was like okay that is so crazy I believe you I don't you always say you're clairvoyant Avon, something was that? That's right. That's right.

Is it more emotions in the later June cancers or? Very much July. I don't really know what the difference between June and July. I can just tell. Yeah, I will say I think June cancers are a little more emotionally intelligent. Personally. That's what I think. Okay.

Well, let's start from the beginning if you don't mind. I just want to know how you got into music. You're originally from Maryland, Baltimore. Baltimore. You got right out of there. That's right. Got right out of there. And then so what got you into music?

My dad is a rapper, was a rapper. was a rapper. So my first introduction to music was him just being in the studio. What was his rap name? Rick Flo. Ricardo Flo, F. L.O. From Baltimore? Yep, from Baltimore. You know him from Baltimore? No, and I don't like how you say you got right out of there, too. Like, he was there for a little bit, you know what I mean? You know, D.C. area. It wasn't in my time. But he, he wasn't like on the regular Baltimore rap scene. He kind of grew into Christian rap. So he, I watched him just develop in that way. But my inspiration from it, I felt like was a little. little more self-sufficient. Like, at the point where, you know,

they separated my mom and my dad. I spent a lot of time in my room, a lot of time on a computer. And it just kind of grew from poetry in elementary school to battle rap and middle school to song writing in high school. And then, yeah, it just kept on. Was the separation what made you,

you say you stayed in your room by yourself a lot? Was that separation put a lot on? No, I didn't care that much. Damn. I didn't care my mom and dad were together. No, no, you see two people just like, y'all love each other, but y'all don't like necessarily go together.

like that and I would rather just be a healthy situation than something where two people are stressed out so by the time they told us and like broke the news we were like of course y'all are getting divorced like oh you knew already you're like yeah mom don't really mess with dad dad don't really mess with yeah but now they're cool like they love each other they could be in the same room and I think it was just necessary sometimes you don't have to be with the person that you know have kids with well that's your first example of uh I guess love and then heartbreak and yeah everything that comes with it yeah yeah I think sometimes too parents don't really realize how observant kids are, and I was definitely taking in everything and learning a lot of what to do

and a lot of what not to do. Is that why your music feels like therapy sessions? A lot of times yeah, absolutely. I don't think I could have it any other way. Do you make records to heal yourself or to help other people here? I think a little bit of both. Like a lot of times in my songs, I do feel like I'm talking to myself and I'm like working through issues that are current in my life or from the past two. And then also I just feel like my purpose in life is about more than just myself so like the music I make definitely services people who can relate resonate go through the same things do you like to being the artist part of it because you're grammy nominated billions of streams but with all that you're still low-key yeah do you like being an artist

where out there because it's like finding pictures of black is difficult yeah yeah good no honestly it's always going to be like 50-50 with me like I it's the coolest job I could ever have I would never have it any other way. I understand what comes with it. I grew from no internet to social media to seeing what it is now. So I've been able to have every version of it to understand it. But yeah, I like my privacy. I like being out of the way. I don't like being in no drama. My business is not everybody's business. Unless I put it on wax, then it is what it is. But other than that, yeah, it's a half and half. I'm lucky to have like good folks around me, whether it be management label that it's just always felt like family. And I just wanted to always be

like that. I've heard people describe, and I want the ladies in the room to chime in on this. I've heard people describe your music as toxic honest. Mm-hmm. You agree with them? Yes, but I think you save yourself from us leaning too much on the toxic because you always come back around and be accountable of like, this is what I was doing. And that's very prevalent on this project as well too.

It was a maturity thing. Like the first album I would say was more on the side of like still figuring out accountability. It was just like, you lazy and I don't like this and we don't go together and you did this to me. And as the projects have like kind of progressed, it's like I'm seeing more and more of like what I did and what I didn't do. It's like, okay, you had a lot to work on. You were in denial about a lot. You were deflecting a lot. And you just didn't have it figured out like the way you might have thought you had it figured out in the moment.

On bird flu, you talk about like the evolution from a boy to a man, right? And I saw you on effective immediately with Gina Vue's and DJ Head talking about how you are in your relationship now. versus how you were in your old relationship. What was the like, come to Jesus moment for you to be like, ah, it's me. I'm messing up here. Learning the same lesson over and over and over and over. It could be something as simple as like communication issues. Like me, when I was going through my career and my life changing and having a kid and

like just dealing with everything that I have to deal with being a provider, like, I just got in my head about it. And I would have moments where it would be a conversation that I need to talk about. And I would just be like, you know, today is not a good day. Let me wait till tomorrow. And then tomorrow comes and you like, I don't want to run breakfast. Let me just wait to dinner.

And then dinner come and you're just like, and you put it off until it like continues to grow into a bigger issue. And then when somebody else has to bring it up, it's just like, oh, I lost now. Like I can't, I can't win the argument. I can't. The battle's lost. So I think having to learn that lesson, like,

I kid you not, maybe a hundred plus times. And dealing with somebody who's sharp and aware and patient, but still just like going to call me out anytime they need to call me out. Those were my moments of just like, if you don't get it together, bro, you're going to lose everything you worked for. And for me, that was just family.

As your therapist ever told you how not to even bring it up at all? What you mean? Just in general. Like, when you wanted, it's how you said you was waiting to breakfast and dinner. It's like, what about not bringing it up at all? That's my, that was my forte, unfortunately, for a while. Oh, you had, okay, I get it. You had to see something because you weren't saying.

Yeah, yeah. See, I had to shut the fuck up. Oh, yeah. No, no, that wasn't me. That's what I had to learn. Yeah. I didn't have no issue with that at all. It was way opposite for me.

Like, again, I can just be, I can really be in my head about a situation and think that I'm figuring it out or think that I'm working towards it. And then, yes, next thing, you know, six months later. And she's just like, well, what happened on this day when you wasn't feeling this way and you didn't say this to me? And, like, now I know it's something. Was it deflecting or was the fact that you just did not want the beef, the wall?

It's a little bit of everything. Like, I was definitely deflecting a lot. Like, especially when you are kind of, like the head in most of your situations like the leader or the boss or whatever like it's it's natural to feel like i have everything under control and when somebody can like see you and say you know i see you slipping right or that person ain't good for you or this situation or this situation ain't right uh it was almost like a reflex for me to just be like what do you what you're talking about like i know this person since middle school like they would never have my you know worse interest

at heart or like you trust me versus listening to somebody who in a moment might have knew more than i knew why the name love is the new gangster? I love it and I agree. But like I want to hear your reason. It's not a new concept. It's not a new under the sun. I feel like we've heard it a lot growing up. And I think it's just nice to reiterate that love can be at the core of everything that we do.

We grow up learning at certain things of gangster. But as you mature, you know, taking care of your family, being there for your folks, having hard conversations, being embedded in your community. These are the things that you grow to understand are actually. cool and actually ganges it. Yeah, it feels like you're saying emotional intelligence is harder than pretending not to care. Was that the point? Yeah, that's sure.

Yeah. I already have a couple favorite bops or whatever. I like all that matters with Leon and Easy Chai. How did that come about? I thought that was very dope. I've been in LA for a minute and I was moving around, like working on this album thinking, like, I don't have a song that feels like I live out here yet.

So I just wanted to like capture that feeling of just being out on the West Coast. We started in the studio with my home me smiley and yeah we just built like a baseline that felt really good and i did the first verse and the chorus and then i stopped and normally like when i'm writing music if i stop after the first verse and the chorus that just means like it's time for somebody else yeah to come into the picture so i listened to it for a few weeks i thought of somebody from l.a and chike popped up because of the pop out and just like the few moments that he've had where um i just i like his his tone i like the

clarity and how he raps i like how regional it feels and it sounds and then And at the end, yeah, Leon, I just needed that extra sauce on the top. And that's what it was, the extra sauce. And then on the song, trauma, that also stuck out to me as well. I love the message in it because you're saying, I can't let this trauma get to my daughter. But I also have trauma from my mom. I got trauma from my dad. You know what I mean?

Like, are you, was that song difficult to write? Because it is a beautiful message that you don't want the trauma to get to your daughter. But at the same time, it seems like you're still dealing with. Yeah. Because you also say you've been holding it. Yeah, yeah. I don't think it was difficult to write, but it was, it just, it did take a moment for me to, like, wrap my head around it.

Like, I wrote that song, like, right after my grandmother and my mom's mom passed. And I was, like, the first time that I went back to the studio and just had to, like, unpack, like, to see my mom go through that and to know, like, this ain't really something that you get over. And to also, like, my own relationship with my grandmother, it was just kind of strange because I was, in Atlanta, she was in Baltimore, she had substance abuse and just like things that she was dealing with and struggling with. So trauma was just me kind of looking at everything in my life and thinking, like, I got to be super responsible for my stuff. Because if it leaks over into my kids, like, that's just unacceptable. So it's just like work on it so that the babies don't have to deal

with it. You took a lot of time in between your last like official album and this release. Was that what you were doing like dealing with the trauma? I know you also had your second daughter. Or like, what was personally happening for a black during that time? Everything that could have happened happened during this gap, for sure. So I felt like my relationship was on the rocks at one point because I just couldn't get it together

as far as just my communication. The fires in L.A. happened, so my partner, her family, lost their home. My grandmother passed. I had a baby on the way, and I needed to get it out of the day. So it was just like, it was like everything was happening at once, and I was really trying to figure out

like how do I process this? How do I like finally learn how to talk through it? And how will I make an album, you know, considering like how stressful it might feel right now. And that was honestly me going back to Atlanta, connecting with Childish Major, who I've known since like 2014. And treating my studio sessions more like men group therapy sessions. Like come in talk for at least an hour, an hour and a half about what's going on, how you feel, what you like, what you don't like, what you did wrong, what you can relate on and that helped me

figure out like what type of album I wanted to make what do you think men still lie to themselves about emotionally what do men lie to themselves about emotionally I think just the the premise of just like I'm good like everything is good or everything is going to be all right

I think sometimes it's nice to just like admit when it's not good and admit when things are a little bit like more than you can handle and at least say it to the folks that are around you because I do feel like sometimes we have just like base level relationships with our guy friends and we can joke and be in the group chat

and we can talk about anything. But when it comes to like digging deep, you know, it's more just like, you know, I'll highlight you out later or I'm gonna be straight or don't worry about me. So I think, you know, we also lie about the relationships that we have with our guys. And there's just a lot more room for growth in that area

in this process of making this album. I felt like I had to kind of reset and cut a lot of folks off and just be like, look, you know, you can live whatever life you want to live, but I need folks that truly have my best interests at heart and won't put me in no compromising situations and don't have me like looking over my shoulder. So, you know, if we aren't maturing at the same rate, then, you know, I love you, but I got to go. It feels like you have, it's easier for you to talk through your music than to actually have

those conversations in person. Yeah, all the way. Are you getting through that now? Because, I mean, that'll ruin a relationship, right? You can't have those conversations. Oh, yeah. And for myself, that was different. because it's like to face the bullshit that you did it's difficult now that that was

also my bread and butter I'm like I could put it in a song all day I could write it bridget chorus it verse it whatever and I also would kind of develop this mindset of thinking because I expressed it that somehow you know like because I put it on wax like you know what I was going through or you know what I was thinking or you know what happened and she's just like I'm not checking for your music to be listening right or hidden clue like just tell me what's up like that could be about me that could be about anybody and I just had to like kind of break out of that where I'm just bearing everything on track and then we kind of sit and then we just watching TV. It's just like

come on, how did you break out of it? Um, my, she just don't play, bro. I love that. I love it. You know, she don't play like I and it's, it sucks to say. I don't know how long it would have taken, you know, without her being present. Um, but it really took somebody just checking me as many times as they, you know, we're willing to check me. And it's just, it's, it humbles you for somebody to let you know, like, you're not cute to me right now. Like, I'm not, I don't want to kick it with you. I don't want to go nowhere with you. I don't want to do nothing with you until we figure out what this feeling is. That's the key. That's the keeper like that.

Does making emotional music ever reopen wounds you were trying to close? Not for me. No, not necessarily anymore. I think like once I start to, to just put it out, I'm okay with it. Like I'm cool with like performing songs like problems and X calling like some of my first songs and I think somebody had asked me to just like how does it feel performing those and do you not want to perform them sometimes? And I'm just like no it happened. I needed to go through it.

I had to learn everything I needed to learn and like I'm straight. Like it's it's cool to get it out. Like the music portion of it in the songwriting portion of it for me is just that's my form of expression so I like it. I know she's also an artist too but does it open anything for her? because like there are some lines on the song where i was like oh that i don't know if that maybe caused the conversation like you talk about talking to a stranger yeah at one point because at that time you just needed somebody to talk to and that was your mistake for even doing that and i'm like as a

as a girlfriend i would feel like well why we got to bring that back up yeah i mean but that's that's the thing too i think like when two people do the same thing it's been a nice balance for me to figure out and i in the beginning was a little bit just um just not accountable for for what she might feel or not um what's the word um i just i just wasn't aware and since like this album and the last album like the one i did before this too it's been nice to just have combos like before i even went on press runs and did anything i was just like what's off limits you know what's okay to talk about you know is how honest you know can i be what business of ours is everybody else's business and just kind of walking her through like how i am going to answer something and you know we

had a combo about it. She just said, look, as long as you don't feel embarrassed and you Canadian women are looking for more, more out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world are out of them. And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the honest talk podcast. I'm Jennifer Stewart. And I'm Catherine Clark. And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women. Entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers, all at different stages of their journey. So if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us. to the Honest Talk podcast and IHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, Nick? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you do. get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down.

Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They hold him Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

aren't embarrassing me and, you know, speak your truth. Your psychedelics help with y'all? Honestly, it's not like a go-to, but it has. Like, just in my own world, in my own thing. Like, I've had a couple of moments where I've gone and done some medicine and, like, taking care of myself in that way. Only, like, two or three times.

But, yeah. Ayahuasca, mushrooms? Or was it? Ayahuasca I've done before mushrooms. I don't really care for too much. LSD I've done before. I think LSD and Iowaska are like similar, but ayahuasca is more like... Natural.

Yeah, this is like the real deal. I love Iya. Yeah, I've only done it once. Yeah, Iya is beautiful. It's crazy. It's everything wrapped in one. And I think LSD is just like it can be for fun. I don't want to do LSD.

I've done I have three times, but it was all in one session. So it was like three consecutive days. Yeah, I think LSD is like getting straight to the fun part of it. I is like going to take you back. No, whatever you're going to do, I is going to put that trauma on the table and make you face it. It was like the matrix when like the file cabinet just like fly past you and it's like, yeah, we're about to get into everything.

The reason I ask is because of the song Mushroom Chocolate. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. On your song, going back to what Envy said, it seems like you do, it's easier for you to express yourself through your music and just having a conversation on running late,

you said, I know I'm overdue for a cry. Like, is that, like, how often do you cry and what would you be crying about? I'm happy I cried last night. It was nice. Oh. Yeah, I did a show out here. And I got a song on the, basically the deluxe version of the project with trouble from Atlanta who passed away.

And, yeah, I just had a moment to myself last night. It sucks to lose somebody over something like, just ridiculous. And, yeah, I need to cry a lot more. That's kind of popped up in conversations and arguments, too. Sometimes she just be like, I don't know what you feel like you need to give me a little bit more. So it takes a lot, but also I think that's just from years and years of just being guarded and having to figure out how to break that down and just kind of let go a little bit. Is music, well, doing music therapy for you? Because I feel like it's definitely your therapy.

All day, every day, yep. All day. Do you think people in the industry treat vulnerability like a weakness? I think, yeah, I mean, I think just in society. Yeah, in society in general, like, and men's, like, it's, it's, it's, Just vulnerability is not promoted. It's not taught to us. It's not like, I didn't have a mentor that was just like, you know,

it's cool to bear everything. It's cool to cry if you need to cry. It's cool to not have it figured out. And now I'm at this point in my life where I'm 33, but like I still have found value in like seeking mentors at this age to where I'm just like, I want to be around folks who know more than I know so I can like soak up something. When do you get to that point?

How young you are, man, 33? Hey, man. I thought 33 was old until I turned 47. Yeah, no. By 33, my mom had all three of us and had a, like, her job was her job and that was it. So yeah. But you, I was going to ask, you know, what, she mentioned the cry. When did you get to the point where you felt like it was okay to be that vulnerable, right?

Where you could talk about crying and you don't care that if people make funny, you don't care about what they say. If I cry up here, he gonna be like, this bitch ass, a black-a-cote-le-le-legrowing. Am I lying? Lauren, am I lying? I would not do that. It depends on what you crying about. Exactly.

Like, he's not going just be like, now if I cry, he's not. I'm not gonna care because he said I cry a lot. I'm gonna call him no bitchy-ass. I'm like, what the fuck is this thing? But you're laughing. See, it's the same thing. You know what? It's the same thing.

It's the same thing. It's the same thing. So where did you get that vulnerable? Because the bag going to run off his bed and shit. You know what I mean? That's why it would be funny. There's no doubt, right. It's not.

Honestly, I felt like it was with my daughter's. Like, once I had my first. born and with this new baby like the the time in between those uh just i don't know it just opened me up more it made me a lot softer um and it made me a lot more honest and also just like for the beginning of my career like missing out on a bunch with my firstborn like even though as a present father providing doing as much as i can it was some moments that i just won't ever get back and it was some moments when i was on stage or on the road to where i'm just kind of coasting you know thinking that it's cool or that it'll be cool because it's all fun in games when we see each other.

But truthfully, like, I'm reintroducing myself to my kid every single time I come back home. And that started to, like, chip away at me until I just finally found a way to talk about it and admit that it was something that kind of broke my heart. It was just like, you know, I know she's happy. I know we have a great relationship. She's a great kid. Like, nothing is wrong right now, but I went through something that I didn't know how to communicate.

And once I was able to say, like, that messed me up. Like, that's when I think it started to just. like fix everything else you know that's one of the hardest things it takes for men to do it's just to simply say that hurt my feelings yeah that hurt my feelings bro that really hurt my feelings bro like again like just seeing a kid and like watching them like figure you out and obviously they know who you are but get familiar with you every time i was just like on the outside i was cool but on the inside i'm just like bro i could literally break down right now because here i am two months later you know trying to figure it out or like you know be a dad

and take her somewhere fun and be the fun parent and it's like I'm I'm trying my best to fill these these spaces but yeah it just it hurt it hurt why do you think vulnerability scares men more than even violent um because vulnerability has been dubbed as something that is like synonymous to weakness and violence is synonymous to being strong and a lot of people a front that they are violent or front that they, you know, are tough or hard to avoid just being vulnerable. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's

what it is. What's the significance on the song, Story is Mine? Story is Mine is me just saying everything that I've gone through no matter how crazy it is or how specific to me it might feel. These are stories that we all share. These are things that we all go through. You're not the only person that's

had to go through trauma, the person that's had to lose a grandparent, a parent, a relationship that you cared about. about a friend, like we all share the same stories. And that was just me kind of summarizing the project and saying through all these emotions and through all the stuff that I've gone through, like at the end of the day, my story is pretty much everybody else's story. Going back to the conversation about your first daughter, what conversations did you have

with her mom once you got to this point of realizing like, okay, there's moments I missed and how I felt and kind of like, I guess figuring out how she felt through those moments to make it where now y'all as co-parents, you know, are able to like everything cohesive and, you know, kind of get past that emotional stage. That came in waves and it came in, like, fractions. It wasn't like an upfront conversation. It was just something over time.

Like, in the beginning, I had to find the balance of, like, this isn't the person who I'm going to be with for the rest of my life. And my life is changing at the same exact time. So the timing looks a little weird. It's like you get to go and, like, travel the world and do this and, like, be in a relationship. And I got to be here and, like, take, care of the baby and uh i think initially like it would come out in in normal ways just like you know

she misses you you know you need to figure out some time to see her and yeah it was it was just never we never had a sit down in the beginning because again i was trying to figure out like how do i draw a boundary with somebody who i've had just issues with just you know from i am from her and like standing on what we say and not like going back and forth or swaying or just lying to each other and yeah and how do i like continue to show up as a father so i had to find that balance and it took literally up until like it took like six years to truly get it down to where you have a combo and you just like look everything that's happened before like if it's not about her it's dead if you slip in or you say anything weird i'm gonna tell your folks if i do anything weird

you can tell my folks like now we just need to like make sure none of it gets to her at all has becoming a father changed your relationship with love and emotional availability yeah for sure yeah i think more than anything it's just being an honest person like if you live a dishonest life, then you will have to explain things to your kids that kids just shouldn't have to process. So it definitely made me know that I needed to be more honest, and especially with my first, but the 10-month-old that I have now is just like, it's another stamp to where it's just like you've had ample amount of time to just to not have to lie about like silly things.

And if that's at the expense of like losing, you know, your relationship, then at least you're telling the truth. At least you're not, you know, like leading somebody on or gaslighting nobody. like just just be honest and whatever the consequences are like just be okay with it now you say speaking of waves you just say waves that is one feature i think you killed with you and normani there is no feature that you don't kill but yo that is my shit thank you so much say that my bad me go ahead i was going to ask you said um feel like i was in over my head for a minute what were you talking about you you feel like you wasn't deserving that you weren't at the

same point what were you feeling that yeah i had a lot of insecurities about like i said my just my role as a father and my role as a provider and my role as a co-parent. I felt like the industry and, you know, just like trying to be the artist I want to be, but also like remembering that this is a game in a sense and I have to like make sure that I'm up to date and I'm like doing what I need to do to sustain. And yeah, just every like intricate personal thing that was happening in my bubble for a minute, I just felt like I was just drowning in everything and making it seem like, you know, I was just acing it. And it can look that way too, you know, when you're on stage and the shows are sold out and the money's rolling in.

But you still are, you know, missing something or not happy or frustrated or depressed. So, yeah, I just felt like I was submerged in my life and my career. And now I'm at the part where I'm just like, all right, well, you started it. So now you need to like truly finish it in a way that you can enjoy. So how was you, you know, as a boyfriend, because it says, you know, you feel like he was in over my head. Usually when a man feels that way, they're more controlling. They're more using money as the power, using the child as a power. Were you like that as a, as a?

No, I feel like mine was more of the opposite. I'm so easy going and I can like adjust to anything. And I, in those moments back then, would avoid conflict. they're almost at any cost. So I was more so just like playing just the back and letting things happen and letting folks get over every now and then or like watching somebody make a mistake versus just checking it when it happened. And again, when you got somebody that is just sharper than you are, they like, why do you

need to figure it out? Like I just told you, she's no good. And yeah, you know, I was like just letting things happen around. The name of that song is Wifie Baby Mama. Yeah. What the hell is the wifey baby mama? Yeah. I mean, I feel like baby mama just has a negative connotation around it sometimes.

And I have two kids now, two different baby moms. But I know who I'm with right now is the person that I want to be with for the rest of my life. But also, I don't feel like I'm like rushing by any like societal standards of like, well, you're together and you had a kid. So you need to get married right now or da da da da. It's just more like I want to make sure when I propose to you that is such an undeniable yes, that we have talked through everything, work through everything, you know, and nothing unnecessary has to come up later on.

Like, let's handle the work first, and let's make it so that, you know, when we have our wedding, our baby can be there, and it can be a beautiful moment. She can be the flower girl, and it doesn't have to feel like we, you know, didn't do anything the right way. You know the work never stops.

I know, yeah, for sure. But I want to get the dirty work. Like all of the hard work just at least started right now. So, again, when I say, will you marry me, I want it to be like, yes, of course. Not like, you know, we still got to come. to have about no i know you're afraid that she might still say i know you said she don't play but yeah i mean i i just i know i know i know how i've been and i know how long it's been so you know almost

a decade of working through communication issues is not something that somebody will just wake up one day and be like yeah i'm good with you wasting my time for 10 years like no it's it's going take a minute for it to like finally be exactly where we both want it to be and i just want her to be as happy as possible i want myself to be as happy as possible and yeah i'm not like rushing to do anything like um the marriage is coming but your awareness is beautiful though like how you sound good to y'all take accountability yeah i know it sound good to y'all she knows she knows she know the truth you at home you're at home no no that that was like that was my weird thing in the industry too like i'm a young man coming into the industry and accessibility is like on 1,000 right now so you

travel the world and you see everything and you hear everything and it's right there knocking at your door and to have to decide, you know, what to do every single night or every single week. It was just like, oh, this is, it's a wild west out here. Like, I've gone to places where I'm like, this is hell on earth. Like, as far as, like, being a black man, being a successful black man, being an artist, I'm just like, it's certain places I are, you know, like, when we go, make sure my green room is clear, make sure ain't nobody backstage who don't need to be backstage. And also just, like, keeping up with folks in general is just, it's just stressful.

Like, having to manage any other relationships or hide. something or like keep something tucked away like that's that's too much like my health matters like i ain't mental health physical health i really ain't got time you know i respect this because you know a lot of people would say it's the infidelity right so it'll they'll blame it on the external yeah but you were saying no this is me yeah yeah i'm the reason yeah just hasn't worked for sure for sure yeah and i think like to me you know being unfaithful is it's not just a physical thing too i think like the conversations that you have um the the the things that you think that you think that that you don't necessarily like communicate about

or just telling any any version of a lie that like saves you face or like keeps you in good grace I think is unfaithful even if it's not the literal action. So I feel like I had to admit that in my relationship too. It's just like I just haven't been as honest as I can be. And to me this feels the same as anything else. What you saying that? So was Bounty your perspective of someone lying to you

and you feeling that hurt or was it your girlfriend's perspective? Bounty is both. So Bounty is me killing off that version. of myself that it was a liar that was kind of like trying to make things land like the perfect way and also from the perspective of a partner who's just like you you lie to me but you go to sleep with me so you know at this point i i want to kill that part of you off too so yeah bounty is is both perspectives it's me and it's her talking to me killing the ego yeah killing the ego yeah killing the ego killing the lies killing the unfaithfulness killing the dressing things up killing

everything yeah like if it doesn't serve like our relationship and make us have more fun then let's get rid of it now you said it was like hell on earth you know backstage and seeing some of these what was the craziest thing a fan did i couldn't tell you a specific moment because i it gets blurry in those moments for me for sure i mad at you to say that but guys australia australia is like the most dangerous place for a young black successful man why's that um because their culture over there is just very like straightforward like they don't they don't It's not like they trying to get to know you and like, what are y'all doing tonight and da-da-da. You'll hear somebody just be like, I'm trying to.

And you should be like, I want to fuck die. Yeah. Yeah, it's like they don't beat around the bush out there. So I've just been able to see like the interactions out there. And that's one place where we go where I'm just like, there's a bubble surrounding me in the club for sure. It's like, don't let anybody through here because what I've had to like, the way I've had to like respond to certain things in certain moments, folks are just, or women have just been like, are you good? Like, are you gay? Like, why not?

I'm just like I'm good Oh you gay? Yeah. Yeah, it's like that over there. Well, so, all right, so then when you were talking about the open ear that made a stranger feel like

closer to you but she was nobody to you and what you did only made sense to you what happened in that scenario then? Because I, after bounty and then hearing that line or bird flu, I'm like, you definitely must have got caught to you but you're saying no. In those moments when you are like

having breaks in your relationship and, you know, trying to figure it out in your separate spaces, I just feel like I, like, would allow people to, like, think that they were cool with me or think that, you know, we were friends or think that the conversation was good when truly I was just struggling, just, like, having conversations with the person who I really wanted to have a conversation with. So, you know, it's just easier to talk to a friend or easier to talk to somebody that's, you know, randomly, you know, in the room at a venue who's, like, just trying to strike up a conversation

and feeling like you're relating to each other when truthfully in my head, I'm just like, I don't want to talk to you, bro. Like, I really don't, but like I need to mature a little bit more so that I can just like continue to keep that like far away from me. And then the song, Bear, right? Did you, did you sample, is that a flip on, Yabah's in my mind?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sample for sure. Genius. Thank you. Yeah. You'd appreciate y'all. Thank you. I appreciate that.

Yeah. So are y'all, thank you. Well, when the music drops. I know. It takes a couple years, though, for me to, to know what I want to talk about. Like, I don't think this time around, like, it's going to take me, like, two or three years to get another album done.

Like, I really am in that space to where the music is kind of rolling and falling out, and I just want to continue to record. But normally, like, you got to live and experience life and, like, process. And, you know, if it's therapy or if it's traveling or if it's talking or if it's sitting by yourself, like, I just need time to know how I feel to make something. How will your fan base, um, how will your fan base feel about a happy black? I know that most people who listen to my music understand and appreciate, like, just linear growth. But there are some folks who get introduced to you in the very beginning.

Like, a song is viral-like problems is going to make you think, oh, this is my toxic king. Like, I go to him for this. But I just feel like if you want me to stay in a place that was depressing for me, then he's just not really my type of person. If you want that, too, it exists right there on all the SPs. you can go listen, put it on repeat as many times as you want. But I would never, if I ever went back there, it will be bad for everybody. Like, I don't want to have another, like, free black era. So I think most people get it.

And the ones that don't, they just need to learn that you can always go listen to the album is right there. Do you ever feel pressure to perform sadness because that's what connected people to you in the first one? Nope. My, I feel like with my second album, and especially with my third album, since I have a little lover like I was prepared for whatever came with it like I led my third album with a song that was like it felt alternative and it felt pop and it felt uplifting and you know maybe when it drops and the initial fan like has to digest it they're like okay what's going on here but when you make it to the concert and you see how it translates on stage it's just like oh I get it like I get to

leave the concert feeling like happy versus you know we just took you through a monochromatic journey and like at the end it's like you got what you need it but you still kind of leave like a little dimmed out so uh i like taking a risk um and i would rather do something that i am confident in and then i feel like represents where i'm in where i'm at in my life versus doing something else that i got to look back on and regret all right well let's get into a record off the album what you want to hear i want to do sunday again sunday again yeah featuring two chains Yeah, it's a nice palette cleanser. As I was going through everything in the last three, four years,

I needed something that just kind of slowed my weeks down. And my Sundays were the thing that slowed my weeks down. So I wanted a song that felt like Sunday. Okay. Well, the album comes out this Friday. Make sure y'all pick it up. Love is the new gangster. Black, we appreciate you for joining us, brother.

Yes, sir. Appreciate it. All right, it's Black. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Thank y'all. Every day I wake up. The Breakfast Club.

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We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

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