The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Joyner Lucas Talks New Album, DMX' Influence, Relationship With Eminem, Will Smith +More

Episode Date: March 25, 2024

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Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A- Stan on the I heart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey y'all. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called

historical records, executive produced by quest, love the story pirates and John Glickman Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin,

a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, guys. I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show,

where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, my undeadly darlings. It's Teresa, your resident ghost host.

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Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show, Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people.

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The breakfast club. Morning, everybody is DJ envy. Just hilarious. Show. I mean, the guy It's in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Sholomita Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. This album is out right now. Not now.

I'm busy. Ladies and gentlemen, join the Lucas. Join us. Welcome, brother. What's up? What's up, G? How you doing? How you feeling?

I'm good, man. You good? Yeah, I'm good. How y'all feeling? Good? Good. You got some good hair products going on in your life. Yes, you do.

The beard, the hair, the curls. The curls. This is so good. That's'm good. How y'all feeling? Good? Good. You got some good hair products going on in your life. Yes, you do. I'm like, it's the condition. The curls. The curls. This is so good. That's so good. Not Now I'm Busy, man. Tell me about that album title. So, yeah, it's just Not Now I'm Busy is really the space that I've been in my life for the

last couple years. Just really not having time you know for a lot of things that even important you know what i mean so just trying to balance everything um and there's also a double message if you listen to the album as well about you know me um you know killing my old self to become the new the new you know version of myself that i am today now let's talk that title, though. A lot of people say staying busy is a response to unresolved trauma. Yeah.

So are you really busy or are you trying to avoid something? I think that sounds pretty accurate, to be honest with you. I think it's a little bit of both as far as, like, really being busy for sure. And then, you know, a response to unresolved trauma for sure yeah now your albums your videos and the stuff that you put out you think about it before you put it out right you're just not doing a record it's like it's almost like the music you're putting out is intentional to to help where does that come from because you know watching your videos it's like it's they're movies they're self movies but they always have a message like it's meaningful i think honestly i think it's beyond me i think that

you know when i create these records i think that um even when i'm writing it i feel like i'm channeling like something greater than me like a higher power or something that's like helping me write these records for me to be able to tap into you know to talk about some of these things that i talk about you know like with the record i just released best for me you know with jelly roll right shout out to my my brother jelly roll i've never been addicted to you know drugs but somehow i was able to write from a perspective of that as if i i was you know what I'm saying and same thing with you know I'm not racist you know same thing with I'm sorry or any of the other

records that touch on suicide or you know touch on other things that I'm channeling something greater than me that's helping me create these records I don't know where how what but I know that I'm getting some type of help from the higher power that's helping me create these records and to channel those actual emotions, you know, on the concepts of some of those records. And you're also helping other people, too, like because if you're able to speak to something that you've never even experienced, you feel like you're like you're kind of being used as a, you know, messenger for things like you actually are healing people as well. And this has been like a four year gap since ADHD, you know, you dropped that 2020. Is that why it was such a gap?

Because you were, cause this is not now I'm busy, but what, what did the gap come from you going through certain things? Yeah. I think, um, in between that,

you know, really finding myself because this is the first time that I've ever been able to kind of relax and not be put in survival mode. You know what I'm saying? So it's like,

this is the first time I've ever not, you know, the first time I haven't been in survival mode. Financially, you mean? Financial,

you know, survival mode where I'm actually, you know, able to try to find myself, you know, because up until then, I didn't really know who I was as a person because it's like, I was always sidetracked by survival mode, you know what I'm saying? And it's like, um, once I had the financial

stresses tooken off me and I was able to take a step back and get to kind of, you know, know myself, you know, I started really going through stuff, you know what I'm saying? And I started to learn more about me and, you know, just as a person, you know what I'm saying? And a lot of those things kind of shaped me into who I am today. Pause. I was going to ask you. Why was that a pause? I didn't catch the pause in that one.

And I got gay ears. Go back in. Go back in. Oh, my gosh. You got gay ears. I didn't catch that one. It shaped him, yo. There you go. I was back oh my god it shaped them yo there you go i was just shaking the pause but you go back his pauses go deeper yeah i was gonna ask you know listening to your project and

and over the years and watching your videos right and lyrically you get busy dead nice right whether you it's a song that's helping people or you just on some street shit i started thinking the other day i'm like well why when we have those conversations right and we we talk about the jay coals and we talk about the kendricks and we talk about the dregs why don't they ever talk about joyner lucas in those same conversations because you get busy and lyrically you're a problem and I think everybody would say that but when we have those

discussions and conversations they don't necessarily mention so the interesting thing about that is there's two parts to that question number one I think that any of those artists that you named got like 10 years on me Drake was in the game 10 years

before i came in the game kendrick was got in the game to like at least seven eight years before i got in the game jay cole has been in the game about seven eight years but he came in when kendrick came in post and um that's number one number two i am in those conversations when you're talking to people like you know marshall he's talking to eminem you're talking to people like you know Marshall he's talking to Eminem you know he always mentions me you know he puts me right next to them he always talks about you know I'm saying even into the records you know I'm saying he'll be like you know his favorite artist is you know sometimes he'll even throw my name first you know I'm saying Joyner, Cole, Kendrick you know I'm saying that he he, you know, he definitely acknowledges that.

And, you know, he's, in my mind, you know, he's considered, you know, one of the greatest, if not the greatest. So if I'm getting, if that guy is saying those things, then, you know, then I guess that means, that stands for something, right? It means something. So I don't really, apart from that, I don't really care if I'm mentioned with, you know, those guys.

I don't think I have enough time in yet. They have more time than I do, you know what I'm saying? So I haven't even had the time that they have to. Gotcha.

That's all. You talked about, you know, killing yourself on the album. What is the significance of you killing the old version of yourself at the end of the album?

Well, the significance of it is, you know killing the old version of yourself at the end of the album well the significance of it is you know the old i like to say that um a lot of people um a lot of people that have a revelation you know and they tend to grow pause. You know, I would say that. They're enlightened, you know, by their experiences of life and that causes them to become a different person, person in a positive way. Right. And I would say that through my experiences and the traumas and things that I've been through actually created the reverse effect and made it so that i'm growing in in more of a negative way right not even by choice it's like because of the traumas and things that i've been through i'm no longer you know susceptible to being a nice guy you know i'm no longer bubbly i'm no longer you know uh as um positive as i used to be you know what i'm saying so it's like you know as positive as I used to be you know I'm saying so it's like you

know due to my traumas I've grown into you know a different version of myself that I feel like maybe a trauma response what she and what Charlamagne said you feel me so um I had to kill off you know in order for me to to grow in my own way. Because I had to kill off that version of myself because that version of myself got used. You know, that version of myself people took advantage of. You feel me? So it's like, you know, the new person that I am today is no longer susceptible to those things. You know what I mean?

Did you have to write that figuratively so you didn't do that literally? Like, did you have to write about killing yourself off so you didn't actually do it? Oh, no, I ain't never, you feel me? I ain't never really ever been suicidal. You know what I mean? I never been suicidal, but I just knew when i started when i had took the time between albums and you know i'm just going through real life shit as you heard in records like broski you know records like cut you off you know what nba you know um as i'm going

through real life shit and i'm really starting to learn who i am you know what i mean and um you know i i knew that um i had to i had to get rid of the old me why didn't we get the experimental album so we didn't get the experimental album because it wasn't something that i felt like i wanted to stand behind pause right it was like that was a pause yeah your pauses have been a little off that one was made nice pauses make you think like damn what do you say but you know that was yeah excuse me i think um the experimental album for me i felt like was a little bit too left field even for me right it was like i found myself like you know going back into like um i started going back into creating records that i felt like didn't really represent to where i wanted to be and who I am now.

You know, I dropped the record Blackout with Future. You know what I'm saying? And that record, you know, I'm talking about some shit that I used to talk about before I got on, which is like, you know, if I didn't make it, then I would be, you know, selling the, you know, kilos and shit, you know? But these are things that I was rapping about before I even got on. You know what I'm saying? Like, if I didn't break into the music industry then i was gonna move from selling eight balls to kilos you know what i'm saying like and i'm in a place now where it's like

why the fuck are you even talking about this you already where you need to be you feel me so it's like why are you going back to that shit it's like you know and it's like i think i did it on some like culture shit you feel me and it's like i'm not about to jump on a record with future and flex get on my lyrical shit and you know i mean that's just kind of whack to do so it's like let me just dumb my shit down and it's like you know and i decided to do that but i also knew that before i released the record or when i was doing the video and i'm sitting there and i got all this bread and I'm yada yada yada you know I'm just like damn nigga I feel like this don't feel like the type of shit I want to be on right now but I'm like fucking I'm gonna do it you know I'm saying for the culture

and I did it and when I put it out it was the response that I got from it was exactly how I was feeling you know I'm saying but at the same like people telling you like why are you on yeah but at the same time right but a lot of people don't know me though you feel me like they look at the storytelling shit and they just assume like oh this thing you know he not about that or he didn't like niggas don't know like where i where i come from you know i'm saying oh no jordan before jordan got on you know i mean so a lot of niggas don't know that type of shit but these are records that i've done records like that before you know what i'm saying and it's like i'm in a different place in my life now so it's like you know when i had dropped it and i got that response you know i'm saying i'm just like

damn like i already know like almost the whole album was shit like that i got all these features from all these artists and shit that you know i felt like was like culture shit of like what's in now but it really wasn't really you know i'm saying that you was exactly the nigga that i you know i mean so it just didn't make sense so it was like fuck that i'm scrapping this shit got it you know i mean so i made an executive decision to scrap that shit you talked about broski earlier and uh cut you off and i always wonder like when you've had people do you dirty in those type of situations has it made it challenging to form like deep connections with people being that everybody might have their own yeah hidden agendas yeah 100 it started making me like realize like why niggas like marshall move a certain way

you feel me because like with that niggas like getting on a certain way. You feel me? Because with that nigga, getting on the phone with him is like, you could probably hop on the phone with Barack quicker than you could hop on the phone with Marshall. That nigga's calling you from a line where his manager's assistant is calling you from a 1-800 number, and then it's just

like elevator music, and it's like please hold, Marshall's coming to the phone. You can't have his number. Nobody has his number. He's not phone. You can't have his number. Not that accessible. Nobody has his number. He's not accessible. You can't talk to him. It's like hopping on the phone with the president, right?

And it's like, I always wondered, like, why this nigga move like that? I had a conversation with him on the shoot of Lucky You. And I was in his trailer. And I'm like, yeah, man. Like, anytime you want to talk or anytime you want to build and, like, you you know just you can hit me you know what i'm saying like we could talk and we could build on his music you know what i'm saying he was like yeah yeah yeah and it's just like i could tell he was really like real standoffish you know what i'm saying and i'll ask royce like yo why is he like that?

He's like, man, that nigga's just been through a lot of shit. You know, really, like, you know, he's very closed off from people, right? And I'm just like, damn. And I never understood it, right? And it's just like when I started, you know, experiencing this shit that Alex, I was experiencing, I got it instantly. I'm like, this is why this motherfucker don't want to be, he don't want new friends. Like, he don't want, you feel me? And it's like, I get it instantly I'm like this is why this motherfucker don't wanna he don't want new friends like he don't want

you feel me and it's like I get it 100% he was the biggest star in the world at one point so imagine

he still is that nigga he gotta drop a fucking album he still he can't just be outside he's not the nigga

that could just be outside like that he can't just walk the streets of fucking New York you know what I'm saying it's a whole thing he's a big nigga that could just be outside like that you can't just walk the streets of fucking new york like you got you know i'm saying like it's a whole thing he's a b is a big deal like to this day you know i mean and it's like he moves like that for a reason you know i'm saying

he's not you could probably jay-z be texting niggas and shit you know i'm saying like some niggas don't know how to handle trauma and all that shit you know i'm saying um but i'm starting to get into the space now where it's like i'm starting to understand why these industry niggas move when i came into the game like yo these niggas are weird first thing i'll say like why the fuck these niggas are so weird but now i see why niggas is weird you gotta have boundaries yeah 100 i was gonna ask with you with your videos right yeah art a lot of art how long does it take to prepare those videos right because i'm watching your videos and even the one with jelly roll or roll timmy and the fact that it's high

budget i mean one after you got a tank in one video but not only that you got the the actors in the video knowing the lyrics before the song comes out so that takes time and it takes preparation it's it's almost It's almost like a real movie. So what is the preparation for a Joyner Lucas video? So I'm creating the visuals before

I'm creating the song. So I already had the videos and the visuals in my head right before I That was a pause? I don't think so. I had the videos and the visuals in my head right before I, that was a pause. I don't think so.

That was like videos in your head. I'm like, no, it was a heavy breath. I was actually burping, but I didn't want to. So I'm creating the visuals like mentally. The script is already written. Now I just got to write the song.

I already see it. I see the house. I see the guy. I know what this is about. And I'm like, I just got to create the record. I got to find the beat. Now I found the beat. And then I'm writing it.

I'm meticulously trying to find the character in my head of who's going to play this role. And once I lock in on that character, from the moment the song is done, I'm now contacting a rapper. And the reason why I'm choosing a rapper is because I know a rapper is going to memorize it really quick. I know that it's not going to look weird when they're lip syncing it, right? So I'm choosing rappers specifically. Or if you have any type of, you can be a singer, an R&B singer. But if you know how to memorize some shit, you know, it makes sense. But I'm not going to choose somebody that doesn't do music.

You know what I mean? So I send it out. And I tell that person they have a certain amount of time to learn it. You know, nine times out of ten, they're excited to do it so they're learning it quick um bro team he was excited to do it was interesting about broski is i never seen to this day i never seen one episode of power really wow to this day damn never seen it and i stayed away from watching it on purpose because i don't want to be influenced yeah by a lot of these shows and then you start bleeding through the my videos and now niggas is like oh this this shit look like that you feel me because i'm a creative i try not to watch certain things because i don't want to be

influenced by it right and um i actually seen rotimi in this movie called for the love of money it was an independent film with him and Kerry Hilton. It's the first time I ever seen Rotini act. And I was like, yo, I was like, I like his character. I love his character.

You know what I'm saying? And at the same time I was writing bros key and it was just like, I started to have his, his, um, faith in my mind. Pause. Pause.

These are very, his his um face in my mind pause pause that he's a night pauses he's a very light I can't say that alright y'all just mad cause y'all can't get him that's what I'm saying

niggas can't get me you try to pause niggas all day oh god so motherfucking um I knew that I wanted him to play the role

and I sent him the record and you know he memorized it we shot a video in like two weeks I edited, directed everything myself and then I was holding on to that for a little bit why?

because it was a part of the album and I was still creating the album in real time and I wanted to drop it while I was dropping some of the album, and I was still creating the album in real time. And I wanted to drop it while I was dropping some of the other records. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed? A little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this.

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Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast post run high is all about it's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories their journeys and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together you know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout well that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's

lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it.

Make sure you check it out. Hey y'all, Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused

to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We're going to discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people,

but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies. Think of it as a black show for non-black people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. Exactly. Whether you're Black, Asian, White, Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, you name it. If you stand with us, then we stand with you. Let's discuss the stories and conduct the interviews that will help us create a more empathetic, accountable, and equitable America. You are all our brothers and sisters, and we're inviting you to join us for Civic Cipher each and every Saturday with myself, Ramses Jha,

Q Ward, and some of the greatest minds in America. Listen to Civic Cipher every Saturday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who, on October 16, 2017, was murdered. There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate. My name is Manuel Delia. I am one of the hosts of Crooks Everywhere, a podcast that unhurts the plot to murder a one-woman Wikileaks. Daphne exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state. And she paid the ultimate price. Listen to Crooks everywhere on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts that one here so hard because i think everybody has been through that like a friend that you've helped and yeah you felt like the friend looked at you differently so it's it hit because it was like damn you might be the only person in history who can put out a song in a video that overshadows a whole project. Yes. I appreciate that. It's just the strangest thing. I appreciate that. Like, Broski will come out and it's like, that's what people want from Joyner. Best for Me will come out and they're like,

oh, that's what I want. But you know you got a whole album coming out. You know what I'm saying? Do you ever think to yourself, I might have to do a whole album of visuals? Yeah. Yeah. I was going to turn Broski into like a series you know with rotimi and like really create a story out of it and like go crazy with it um so i was entertaining that for a little bit but yeah i've thought about it

about doing the whole album series thing or whatever um but i just i just haven't done it yet yeah well when you do i mean i act sometimes you know i got you and i just i really just been wanting it like was that an industry i got you are like trying to sound like trying to sound like i got you people you hit elevator music management and call out. I think that these music, I think these music videos are very inspired by movies. Not from specific movies. I mean, just the feel of it, Paul's, right?

It's like, it's very cinematic. And it's like, I'm creating my own movie within a visual within the music and i think that's subconsciously me trying to um i really i really uh wanted to get into movies being into being doing movies you know what i mean acting in movies so that was really subconscious subconsciously me trying to bring that into fruition so these actors can see this or, you know, these directors can see these movies or these videos and be like, yo, I got to get him in a movie. I got to make a movie with him and yada, yada, yada. Right. And that was what I was trying to do.

And it worked right. Because then I was able to get Mark Wahlberg in the joint and I was able to get these other actors and Rotimi and yada, yada, yada. And then I ended up actually getting in movies with them right but they called me to be Mark Wahlberg put me in a movie my first movie ever shout out to my brother Mark Wahlberg and then Will

Smith had me in Bad Boys 4 you know what I'm saying which is fire that's about to drop that's an exclusive I didn't know you're in the bad boys for yeah I um I think I revealed it I posted it or whatever you just wasn't paying attention you got a big role

nobody in that movie has a big role except Martin and Will because of the direction they went in with the movie everybody that comes in the movie is a section and then they're out and then it's just like on to the next person that comes in the movie is it's a section and then they're out and then it's just like on to the next person that comes in the movie i don't know if i want to see you act as much as i want to see you create yeah all right you know what i mean i think that yeah

so i'm sure you got something in the works like your own personal i think that um when you say create talking about music or what movie oh or tv show or tv show like how Like Like 50 Does Power Or Childish Gambino Did Atlanta Or Dave does Lil Dicky Lil Dicky does Dave

Vince Staples Yeah I just seen Vince Staples shit Fire too I like I like that What they got going on

But even that Right Even the opportunity Like that To do things like that I feel like I'm Setting myself up for that When I Kind of create my own visuals you know what i mean what was your thoughts on uh

bobby smurda you know speaking of people giving you props he said that you were the master p of this generation and he questioned why more people don't talk about you making a quarter million dollars a month independently what do you think about that i thought that was um i thought that was fire like you know first of all calling me a masterpiece of the generation is it's fire because masterpiece was that's p you know what i'm saying like that's like that dude is like the he's like the the first one of the first cats to really do this for real like you know what i mean independently and like really do it so like him calling me that was just like wow you know i didn't know he never he never

displayed that to me before so with him going on you know saying that was like wow i didn't know he felt that way you know but um i think that that's dope that he has aspires to you know become independent and you know make his money and, you know, make his money. And, you know, the music industry has changed a lot. So, you know, I think that I thought it was dope. DMX is on the album. Yeah. Now, how did you get that verse?

X. X. Break that down. You and X in the studio? How was that session? I didn't go for it, too. Simba's on there, too. I spent some time with X went to we played pool

a few times I got to pick his brain he gave me a lot of advice I had real nigga conversations with X just about like his life

his upbringing you know I was able to ask him a lot of personal questions just so I could understand him because I kind of had a feeling

at some point that he was gonna go before his time you know yeah a million percent so i made it a point to ask him as many questions as i as i wanted to ask him and um yeah he's a homie bro he'll hit me up at like that dude hit me up at like text me at like one in the morning like yo let's go out type shit you know what i'm saying i'm like all right let's roll and we go hit the you know the billiard or something we just go play pool like but um he was a very interesting guy and he was a real one i don't think he was from him i don't think x was from him what do you mean for me from where i think he's from another dimension you've never met somebody like dmx Never. Nothing about him was like a human.

He's different, bro. Like nothing. He's different. And I think one thing I loved about X was that, you know, he had a very tough exterior, right? He was very, you never questioned his sexuality. He was a very tough exterior. But on the inside, like he would pray for you. You know what I'm saying? Like he was a very tough exterior but on the inside like he would pray for you you know

what i'm saying like he was very he was a very emotional guy too he's been through a lot of shit you know what i mean and um i when i had a conversation with him you know one day you know he had he was pretty much i was explaining to him how how uh me being assigned to a label at this time i was just like felt defeated because I wasn't getting what I needed to out of the situation. And we had a real conversation in which he gave me some advice. And right after we had that conversation, I wrote, I'm not racist. Wow.

Changed my entire life. Right after we had that one conversation and he said, start from the drawing board. Come up with something groundbreaking force the hand or the label make them believe wow y'all been at a really yeah well some yeah when did he do the verse years ago yeah so you have more than one X verse I'm assuming I got another again I got another extra verse too. Yeah. You know,

you talked about collabing with Future and you got Youngboy on this album, but then you said you feel like sometimes you got to dumb your lyrics down when you get on records with Future.

So like when you collab with somebody like a Youngboy, like, like why? Like why have you got to turn your volume down? It's not that. It's just,

I think sometimes I think that I'm such a fan of a lot of different types of music i love like there's there's future records that i love you know what i mean he got some he got some bops right young boy like he got some bops maybe not all of them we don't we don't love all the future's music we don't love all the jointed music we don't love all of anybody's fucking music right but the point is is i'm a fan of you know a lot of people wouldn't be surprised to know that i listen to a lot of different types

of shit and it's like if i jump on a record with certain people you know i'm not trying to go off like that i want to go into their world sometimes and i want to like have fun with it and, you know what I mean? Like, play with it a little bit. Pause. Pause. That was a pause. I'm on it, boy. I'm on it. That one was a pause. I'm on it. Pause. Someone, when rappers get, like, big, like, you know.

Pause. Well, I'm a woman, so, yeah, you pause for me. All right, fine. But when, you know, when they make it to a certain level of success, a lot of them have to move out of their city. Man. How involved are you with your city? Or are you still there? When you say how involved am I, what you mean by that?

Yeah, like do you still live there? Nah. Okay. How often do you go back? I got like a family there. You know what I'm saying? So I be around sometime but i'm very like cautious you know i'm saying like i don't just be outside like that you know what i mean um

but yeah okay was it because of like other situations you've seen happen like you know in rap or just because it's something that personally happened to you nah ain't nothing really personally happened to me ain't nothing ain't nothing never happened to me you know i'm saying but you just gotta be ready you feel me so if i am outside i'm not outside without a strap you know i'm saying if i'm outside i'm not outside like ready for whatever because you just never know you know what i mean when you're in a position that i'm in pause positions you know what I mean when you in a position that I'm in pause that was crazy that was a crazy one now I was with your family you know yes two kids

and of course you have your sister here today how are you with your family and breaking down the business and teaching them I don't I keep that separate family time that's family time I don't want to I don't even like mixing business with family and you know explaining business it's like you know when you say that who asked that you yeah you write the business when you explain when you said that who asked that you yeah which one you right the business when you explain when you said like breaking down the business what you mean by that um a little bit of everything so especially with your kids letting them know where it comes from how hard it is because the route that you're taking is a route that most people could never figure out yeah doing independent

you're doing it on your own you're're investing in yourself. My son is about eight years old. So his karate, you know, video games. Like he's not in a place where he can even understand or comprehend that, right? And it's like, you know, I try to let him be a kid, you know what I mean, and keep him away from – I don't want him to grow pause before his time, you know. So they're almost two-year-old, you know what I'm saying. But when I'm with my family, it's family time. It's like I know how to separate the two, you know. So if I'm working, I'm working.

And when I'm with my family, I'm with my family. I'm not working and having my family and doing it. I got my little sister here, you know what I mean, because that's like my homie, you know what i mean because like that's like my homie you know i'm saying i want her to come you know to experience all this because she works she's a you know she's a rn you know i'm saying so she work hard in her field she don't really get the time to like really be around any of this shit so it's like i'm proud of her so it's like when she got yo you want to come out to the breakfast club you want to come out here and do this do

that she's like hell yeah i could take a little time real quick and come do this you know i'm saying so um apart from that my mama she'll roll with me you know i mean she loves going to concerts she loves doing shit like this she loves you know where you going new york i'm going to new york i'm going here i'm going there and i want to take her so she can really experience this shit too she went she was on a bad boys movie set i want her to really you know what i'm saying like experience this shit with me you know what i mean but when it comes to creating and it comes to like that i try to keep that shit like separate when i'm with because i don't want to be like recording and making music and then i'm with my kids and i gotta like i don't want

to feel like they're not getting the time that they need from me so it's like I just separate time you know what I'm saying what if I'm a cousin who wants to work in the frozen yogurt spot can I ask you about that yeah I got my niece that should work there you know what I mean and is that in your city or is that where you live now no that's like

on the outskirts oh okay yeah yeah yeah is that something you want to franchise um I feel like I could yeah yeah it's frozen yogurt on the outskirts. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Damn. Is that something you want to franchise? Um, I feel like I could. Yeah. Yeah, it's Frozen Yoga. We need that. I feel like I could, yeah.

What made you want to do Frozen Yoga? Because I was always, um, in the morning I stopped eating breakfast. I started drinking, like, protein shakes and, like, shit like that. So I was always spending my time at, like, this one spot. And I was like, you know what? I'm about to just do my own

shit my first brick and mortar you know i'm saying like my first business outside of the tully you know the music shit outside of that so i want to ask you about a line from that jelly roll said and uh best for me he said how can you love someone and learn to let them go you think that's achievable from your experience that's my middle name that's my middle name that's one of the biggest that's one of the that's one of the things about myself that i recognize as you know a part of myself that i hate but i love at the same time that i'm able to do shut that switch off you know are you ever unable to do that um and that's why you what it's like no i just think that i became desensitized to pain you know desensitized to

hurt you know so it's like in order to not really feel it pause you know i i um I learn how to create my my own light switch to where I could just shut the light off and nobody safe from that light switch you know what I mean and it's just a it's a pretty fucked up thing to have you know what I'm saying because it's

it's it's real difficult sometimes to, you know, build real relationships when you can do that. You know what I'm saying? When you could just shut off a switch and then just be like, you know,

and nobody's safe from that. I've had to do it to family, friends, girls, you know? And it's like, if you, if you experienced it at the level that i've

experienced it with some of the closest people to you nobody's safe nobody's safe i think some people think unconditional love requires the acceptance of harmful behavior and i agree with you i don't agree with that though i feel like like a lot of people think that just because you love them means that you got to keep them around. You got to deal with bullshit that you don't want to deal with. I feel like my mental health and my peace of mind is the most important thing to me above anything else. Right. Like my sanity is the most important thing to me so if you keep if you bring in if we clashing

there's an incompatibility there right and it's like that has to be addressed or else we're just going to be incompatible right and it's like a lot of people think incompatibility just isn't within relationships but it's really within friendships it's within workspaces it's within a lot of different things right it's like how compatible are

you to me and you know and it's like once i realize and once i see that we're not compatible that's when i gotta go ahead and flip that light switch off and then you take that like i never cared about you at all but that's not the truth the truth is i still love you we're just not compatible you gotta go your way and i gotta go my way you know what I'm saying and um it's a tough thing for me to even do because it's like damn I gotta do that again you know what I'm saying so it's hard to have like

it's hard to have real genuine relationships when that happens you know what I'm saying but in the end you're still protecting you 100% 100% I got a couple more questions uh there was a there was a go for me of a woman who was killed and you donated 10 grand but then she ended up being in your music video did you know that that she was in your video before you donated yeah i knew her okay i knew her personally oh okay okay yeah i knew her personally and um

it was just a sad situation you know very sad know, very sad, very sad situation for the city. You know, it's another reminder that, you know, you be here one day and tomorrow you be gone. Mm-hmm. You know, and it's like, what happened to that young woman

and her daughter was horrific, you know, and it's like, I felt guilty because she was in the video. Mm-hmm. And she in the video, she was rapping in the car dead. She died in the car. Damn. in the video, she was rapping in the car dead. She died in the car.

Damn. You know, so it's like, it was just haunting. You know, you go back and watch it. I'm still thinking about taking the video down just because I just, just, you know what I mean? Like, it's just, it's just so. Yeah. That's just one of them spooky coincidences. Freak accident.

You know what I mean? Like, you can't hold yourself accountable nah i'm not holding myself accountable it's really just like it's just i don't know it's a freaky thing though but still to see it in one of your videos and it actually yeah yeah it's just it's a it's one of those things disgusting man and it's like you know her daughter had passed away too both of them in the car. Somebody had ran up and sprayed the car up with her daughter, and her daughter was supposed to be on the first verse in that song, but I chose another little girl instead, you know what I'm saying?

But I did know her daughter as well. And her, the mom and the daughter was really good people, you know what I'm saying? So that really was tragic, and she was in the military, you know. So, yeah, she served the country, you know what I'm saying? So rest in peace to her. Absolutely. Rest in peace to Shorty.

Last question. Are you working on a joint album with Will Smith? Because that was a rumor too. I want to say I want to call it a joint album. You're helping him do his album though. Yeah. Yeah, I'm working on some music together. I got Will in his bag.

So I can't wait for the music to actually drop. What's the first offer? offer of the Bad Boys 4 soundtrack we actually about to go create something for the Bad Boys 4 contract when I go to his crib in a couple days nice Joyner you working my brother

you are working new album is out right now not now I'm busy yes sir and we appreciate you for joining us brother i'm going on this tour you know what i'm saying i'm going on a tour from and made from may to june uh drew what's the dates may 11th to june 15th not now i'm busy tour featuring my man uh millie you know he's from the city too Shout out to my bro Millie Shout out to Millie And um

Dax Dax out there doing his thing I put him on a joint too So Dax is cool So he's going on there Um Shit anything else You wanted to say

Album out Friday Album out Friday Um Anything else you wanted to say That's it I appreciate y'all having me out here thank you so much joya lucas

it's the breakfast club good morning wake that ass up the breakfast club had enough of this country ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this.

It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan.

That's Escape from Z-A-Q-a-stan. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Smash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone.

The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records.

Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, my undeadly darlings. It's Teresa, your resident ghost host. And do I have a treat for you. Haunting is crawling out from the shadows, and it's going to be devilishly good.

We've got chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the lights stayed on. So join me, won't you? Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and

empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.