The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Miguel Talks 'CAOS,' Parenthood, Ex-Wife, Love, Anger, Heritage, Reaching Clarity, U.S. Crises +More

Episode Date: October 14, 2025

Today on The Breakfast Club, Miguel Talks 'CAOS,' Parenthood, Ex-Wife, Love, Anger, Heritage, Reaching Clarity, U.S. Crises. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're all finished Or y'all done Yes It's the world Most Dangerous Morning Show The Breakfast Club Shalameen to God

Jets hilarious DJ Envy is out today But Lauren Larosa is here And we got a very special guest One of my favorite artist man And I am so glad

He got some new music coming out Miguel is here Ladies and gentlemen What's up What's up bro How you doing? I'm good

I'm good How you guys doing Bless Black and Holly That's right blessed and black and highly favorite is right I'm just happy you putting out music man it's time

and it's funny because we were literally having a conversation on the radio recently like in the last week or two about what's up with Miguel? Yeah, when Leo was here. That's crazy. I think we talked about Miguel too when Leon Thomas was here too. Probably.

Because you got timeless records, man like, you know, even though we've been waiting for new like it's still things that we can go back and listen to and it's forever a classic. Thank you for saying that. Yeah, I mean, I've been feeling the same way though. It's time. It's been time. So I'm excited to be back out.

We have a few records already out and the album's out October 23rd. So, you know, I'm just kind of getting it. We're doing a thing. The name of the album is called Chaos, though. Yes, yes. Talk to us about that. Break that down a little bit.

Man, I feel it's everywhere. You know, just look out and, you know, pull up your phone. I feel like it's probably the best word for the times that we live in. And so, you know, I made an album about how that's been a big part of my growth and

I mean I think it's an inflection point you know I think overall when we go through crazy and trying times it's an opportunity for us to really take that and to make it you know clarifying and so that's what this album really is I think it's my most like relatable album yeah where were you

also my most angry and horny album oh oh I love no angry horny duelie okay even the production of it gives it's like anger but then there's like a eclectic like come over here vibe like yeah it's a lot of it um i think you brought the access where were you like yeah where were you mentally and emotionally and creating the album oh uh everywhere yeah i feel it's it's to be uh it spans eight years you know it's been eight years since i put out my last album warren leisure and you know we've been through you know

pandemic we've been through everything i mean apparently we we we we we we we We made it through the rapture, apparently. I'm like, yeah, we're supposed to see aliens in a couple weeks. I don't know. It's everything, everywhere, all at once at all times. And so the headspace has been pretty much reflective of that. It's like, I feel we're doing the best we can. It's a lot of pressure right now.

And that's what really created the album, I think. By the way, eight years isn't a long time because there's certain artists. You know, you, Jill Scott, Erica Badu, scissor to be a Kendrick I don't need y'all to put out records every year you know what I mean put out records when the spirit moves you valid yeah

that's awesome yeah yeah yeah you know you've always been proud of your Mexican roots but it seems like you're leaning into them more deeply now what inspired that shit man that's uh that's digging and and really get into I really didn't want to do music

anymore I was getting to a place where I was like and the reason why is which I feel like you know in your books and man congratulations bro because the last time i was you know it was before you published your first book so congratulations man thank you it's an incredible feat um that's like up there with like running a marathon you know it's like i'm probably never going to run a marathon or write a book but you know yeah you was crazy you got a story to tell why didn't you want to do music why did you almost walk away from it uh my prior the way i was prioritizing how how it affected my

my sense of myself you know i think i interned in to my career as a musician as an artist with the idea of becoming someone that was on the main stage and on the you know tv screen doing the getting the record and and we've been very blessed yeah very blessed to have an audience who've given us that platform you know i have an amazing audience and i love them deeply and they've really made my music successful and I think that can take priority of you know and and really rinse the real purpose of creating from from one's own motivation and it can kind of like cannibalize the whole experience because then you start to not expect but you're aiming for well if the record didn't do as good as this one then it kind of robs the value and um I need to

take some time to figure out what was going to be my motivation moving forward you know to be fair and i i never stopped making music but i think the act of putting music out um especially with the industry changing i mean you've seen the industry change absolutely we've gone through revolutions of new ways of putting out records i know you guys are seeing it because you're seeing the artists and you're seeing how it all moves it was a very different game when i came in you know and it was you had CDs yes we had see it was real physical me i mean we still CDs are coming back now it's crazy but it was a very different game and um and i think learning relearning refinding my my love and also doing some real hard work on um on on on me yeah figuring out

where i'm at like let me just check in i forgot that i've been on a run for some time i didn't take time so was leaning into your heritage part of that though like it became it became a natural part of it because um really doing trying to understand you know where my my decisions my decision making were becoming habitual and not really like thought you know I wasn't really thinking things through it was like knee-jerk reactions to things and just looking at where I was and where I wanted to be and the discrepancy between that you know I had to you know now everybody which is a great thing is like you know going and doing

therapy and meditation and on on all of my self work and shadow work and whatnot um i think it just naturally pushed me into really getting to know and be appreciative not that i was never i was always super and you know this i've always said i'm black and mexican i'm Mexican and black you know always proud of it but really like having a like sense of it and and and it the things that i've i looked back and thought were kind of a i don't want to say um i look at them so much more as blessings than as challenges i always felt that growing up my heritage it was a challenge i'm like man why am i always having to prove myself like why do i i'm with these people i feel like i got to prove that i'm this black or i'm with these people i got to prove that i'm this mexican and and um and

over these eight years I think taking that time has really given me a sense of pride and I look back and I'm like man I'm so proud that it's giving me a unique perspective and it's given me a unique positioning and also how I am with people and who I am with people is a reflection of the cultures that I've been blessed to take me and you know throw their arms around me and to have that so um naturally I think with that I've explored more of my songwriting it's made his way to my songwriting it certainly made this way into me

and also as you become a parent you know um congratulations thank you very much yeah yeah yeah you become a parent and you really start to look at

the things that were great about your child the things you love about it and things that are worth passing on as well as the things that you definitely do not want to pass on

so so you know leaning it leaning in and in all these different ways and all the cultural just the beautiful cultural things that I've been blessed with it was a very natural thing. Did you feel like at one point,

you talked about making it to the big stages and being a different place now about your heritage. Did you feel like at one point you couldn't lean into your heritage because it wouldn't get you to that main stage? Because even in your music on this album, you're speaking in Spanish and all the things that we didn't hear a lot from you.

Your name is Miguel. Yeah, exactly. But still, there's a lot of people. I don't think there's a lot of people that would know that you're like, I'm Mexican, like this is my heritage. first like to be honest with you i think we look at you as like a mainstream rock star artist and we don't think about your heritage i mean the the the in the past it's always been that i never wanted

to lean on it as a crutch i was very i was very aware that there was pressure like why don't you just do the do the spanish i mean and and also different game at the time too it wasn't like latin music was a premier you know big you know it wasn't a big you know it wasn't a big market here. But it also was, it was one of those things that I never wanted to do that. It didn't feel natural, you know, it didn't feel authentic. And there was a time in my career kind of towards the, towards like the, towards Wildheart that I wanted to make it more, really start exploring it.

I took a trip to, you know, where my family is from, Samora, Michoacan, in Mexico. And that was kind of the beginning of really. getting in and like wanting to wanting to wanting to feel natural and so I think since then it being like you know five six years naturally it's become one more but I'll tell you becoming a parent will do it you'll really just start to look at everything listen congratulations how it's fatherhood how's incredible I it's the most is I I don't sleep but I'm the most I've got the most energy I've ever had I am I also I feel so much more sure about what is what is and what isn't for me you know it'll definitely do

that you'll be like yeah nah absolutely no you know you start cutting things out and uh you realize how precious time is man anything that takes away from this little being i got to raise over here yeah it's got to be worth it it's got to be worth it it better be and don't play with my time you know so um i just i try and maximize as much as i possibly can and um and it's made Just, you know, in terms of creating, it just, I don't know, I feel I'm the most inspired. Even my next 10 years are more clear, you know. I started a company. I think it was, he's, you know, a catalyst for a lot of where I'm at and where I'm going.

So, yeah. I'm glad that you've been doing the work on yourself. Do you feel like leaning into your heritage now is also about healing, like maybe reclaiming parts of your culture or history that weren't always centered for you growing up? Absolutely. It's one of the blessings that I feel come with that. You know, when you start to really look at yourself and you're like, okay, well, who am I? You know, who do I want to be? Who am I really proud to be? And what are the things I'm not really, I can't really take this with me. It's not going to, it may have gotten me here, but it's not going to get me where I want to go, you know? And all of that has been, sort of happening in tandem you know one kind of like informs the other so um yeah yeah you still care about numbers and winning awards and stuff oh no we want to win awards of course don't get me wrong i'm happy to receive an award if it's if it's granted but i don't show up with an expectation or or that being the um and you know what i'm gonna be real with you i used to say that i used to say like

No, I'm not tripping on a war. But I'll be mad. I'll be so mad if I wasn't nominated or if I didn't get it or what have you. And you know what? If it's to happen again and I do or I don't, I'm sure I'll fill away. But I also know that it took a long time to refine the love for just to just to just just to make something and be excited about it, just to find that, I'll never let go of that again.

I will never, I'll never let any of the, and also because even the conversation with this album, it's about me peeling back layers and having a conversation with my audience. That's not about like, let me make a song that everyone's going to sing and then hopefully it becomes a big song and then I get the thing. The whole intention is like,

I'm telling you like it hurts to be human, you know? I'm telling you like, man, sometimes I lose myself. Sometimes I, that's to have a conversation that's not about, I didn't write, I didn't go in, like, I'm going to write the big record. I wrote the, I wrote the album that was like, I want to have a conversation. Yeah. Which means that I'm showing up to have a deeper relationship with my audience. That means that the music and everything that happens with that, it's about the personal, it's about the personal thing. It's like the intimacy.

I feel like you can hear it in the album, though. Like, what's something you've unlearned in order to grow as both a man and an artist? Unlearned to grow as both a man and an artist. You know, we have a lot of people that support us all the time, but you have to be so clear with yourself. You have to have ultimate clarity about what you want. if you're not clear you're susceptible to being pulled and swayed by different in different directions and lots of directions have great things about them and they can be pitched to you and be colored in ways that make you want to go that way without clarity you're susceptible to and and as millions of past you know this it's like uh man i could i could think of a million you know ways where something could be can look at really nice but you have without ultimate clarity of where you want to go and what you really

want to do and how you want to feel oh that's what it is have clarity about how you want to feel i think that because before i was like i know i want to be a you know i want to be an artist that's known for making music that's timeless or that is true it's it's at its core there's a soul there and i was very successful at doing that but i wasn't to have clarity about how i wanted to feel about being a musician being an artist. And so having clarity about how you feel is important. The reason that's so powerful because they'll tell you, right? Like

you know, when you listen to the album, I listen to the album like three times. That's a lot, thanks. And they was like, do you like the album? I said, I love the album. I said, the reason I love the album is because Miguel is a feeling to me. Same way Eric about doing Jill Scott is a feeling to me. I know what Miguel's going to make me feel like. So if I didn't get that feeling, I'd be like damn. And it ain't about a sound or anything. It's just

a feeling. So I'm glad that you are that intentional about putting that feeling into music because we as consumers feel that yeah what was the point because I know and like the new martyrs for you you talk a lot about being able to find yourself or keep yourself while losing yourself at the same time right yeah but it seems like

you've arrived at that point especially by the end of the album when you're talking to your son what was it for you where you were like okay I'm here like was it an event was it a song you made like oh I'm not I wouldn't even be pretentious like that and be like I'm here you know I think that's that's the um that's a big one that

I want to embrace in my life is that there is no here. You know, I'm the, I've not, I've never arrived. The moment I felt that way in the past, that was when I was starting to really unravel. Because then I'm like, I am, I am this, I am this, it makes you, you lock in too many things, too. It's like, it's great things to know about yourself, but to say that you've arrived or that you've, you've, you've met. your final form I think is such a treacherous place it also robs you of the excitement of possibility and it takes away any kind of sense of being a student and remaining moldable remaining you know plas you know it's like neuroplasticity you know it's like remaining able to

be taught and learn and then to take those and to teach I think that's the the beauty of this this experience it's like that what's that it's a question wrote Lauren Hill she's like if it's not growing it's dead that's like I'm trying to stay there I'm trying to stay growing so to answer your question

this I think what what got me to talking about what I've been talking what I've been you know what the album really encompasses or to even just make the album about that energy about the energy of being angry

and and not okay you know but still pushing through to figure it out was just not finally just being like I don't want to accept this anymore I don't want to accept this experience this feeling because this is not how I want to feel

I want to feel great and I want to feel like I'm moving forward and for whatever reason I'm hitting the same I'm hitting donuts in my cycles you know what I'm saying I'm like shit look fun oh excuse me go ahead look fun but I'm not going anywhere you know did you ever feel like you were dying like you know you weren't growing like did you ever there was there's some songs that the initial iterations of the album are not on this album that I think I will put them out but in the context of everything I think it felt really heavy but there was some real it was some dark moments man I I will say I was feeling

like I was losing my mind for a second and I couldn't I couldn't I was like is it something I'm eating I did everything I did cleanses I did you know I like went away worked on music alone went away and didn't do anything and just sat with myself and it just felt like I was this nothing you know just it and I think wherever we are in this time whether it's if it's you know technology whether we've got a lot of pressure everybody's dealing with a lot and everything is moving so fast it's moving so fast and the information

is just too much you can't tell what is true and what is false and trying to make sense of it all while you're trying to survive all while you know you're trying to get your shit off you're trying to do your be your best self and all the things that we want to be

it's a lot man it's a lot It's a lot. So I've locked in more to like, okay, well, how do I want to feel? How do we get there? You know, it felt like on the album when you did the song, the Angels, the Angel song for your son? And that's your son's voice on the song. Yeah. Okay.

When I was listening to that song after listening to the production in the beginning, which was really like heavy and dark, it feels like that's when like the sunshine comes out a bit. Not to be like cliche. But how has been a father changed how you tell your story and music? I think the core of what I'm saying. has to be I'm working on making what I say very clear

and easy to understand because I'm anticipating he's going to be asking more and more questions soon I mean he's already saying no we're talking about this in the elevator

he's one year old and he's like no but right now it's a question it's like no like can I say no or is like is no the right response right now but in a short amount of time he's going to be saying no that's right you know and I'm asking to come with questions and I'm going to have to have answers and I feel like this may just wait into my music um I'm not saying I'm there yet yeah but um wanting to be really clear again just clear about how I feel and clear about where I'm what I'm getting at um and let kids know their boundaries early because I don't

know what happens to us as adults but at some point we just forget how to say no It's valid. That's one of my favorite things is when he's like, uh-uh. Or he doesn't want to go to somebody. You know, people get, what is it when people get? That's your child. You know, somebody asked me to hold him.

I'm like, I don't know you. Right. Brother? Like a fin or like a, who was it? You see them? I know, yeah. That's weird. It was even worse when we were kids

and when adults would be like, no, give him a hug, baby. Oh, yeah, yeah. Give him a kiss. Like, I don't know what it's my mom. Yeah. You know what I mean? So we teach these kids not to have boundaries so early

and then we got to learn to have boundaries again as we get older. Yeah. And on that song, too, I thought this was powerful. You apologize. You say, sorry, I'm not perfect, but there's nothing I wouldn't do. And I'm like, that feeling as, you know, as a new dad, that's like a heck of a feeling I imagine for you to experience. It's real.

It's, it's, I, look, I own a gun. There are things that I never thought that I would be and do at this stage of my life. Yeah. And, you know, I talk about this in the album, too. too. It's like, life has a way of, you know, taking you in unexpected places, taking the unexpected, great ones in places that you're like, okay, well, I didn't expect that. But I mean, there are definitely things where I'm like, I can understand parents being extremely like, you know, I'll be protective, you know, and so there isn't anything that I can't imagine myself.

Look, they're going to pull this shit up if anything happens in the future. Exhibit A Exhibit A. He did say that. No, but I think any parent out there can relate to this. It's like, you would, there is, I look at him like, man, I'll, I'll, I'll go to the ends, you know, and probably without even thinking about it. I think it's also what has given me a lot of what Angel changed. was I had lost a lot of hope and faith. And what?

In everything, in humanity, in possibility, in the, like, purpose of all of whatever this shit is. Yeah. I just was like, big time, big time grief. And I've talked about that, too. That was something I was processing that needed to be dealt with first, but that was top layer. Then you go down, you're like, man, I'm carrying a lot of, you know,

I've got resentment for people in my life that I grew up with. And, man, I feel I've been taking advantage of in these different kinds of ways in business and in these kinds of ways. And I was lucky. Right. Man, I was so lucky. I could have, man, they could have got me in terms of like taking advantage of like just being a young artist and like putting things in front of me. And again, I'm so grateful. They could have really, I could have been in a bad situation in terms of like, finally.

financial and and but I got lucky I've got people who listen and and thankfully the music is really grabbed on to people but um in in hindsight I look at and I go wow I have so much more faith than I did before um and it's really it's very much because of my son so yeah yeah and go ahead and uh slow it down the song you say pray I can make peace with the past because tomorrow comes way too fast. You guys really listen to, thank you so much. Thank you.

Send it over for nothing. Thank you. That's love. Miguelito was coming. That's right. That's right. By the way, by the way, she's married to a Mexican

black man. Yeah. Yeah. So she switched. That's right. That's right. So I love you all. I love it.

I love it. I love it. I'm like, I'm getting cheladas and everything. You know all. That's right. So I wanted you to like unpack that.

Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Pray I could make peace with the past because tomorrow comes way too fast. I mean his hindsight

everything is so much clear and I mean the it's that's exactly what it feels like even when you were saying like people that you grew up with taking advantage of you and things like that like would you go back to me? That sounds so crazy because that'll be a sound bite after this but you know it's like I just thought about it

I was like all the I can definitely see people be like they could have got me and they're like see but but it's you look at things with so much more clarity and maybe how how not again not knowing how I wanted to feel and just going with things and and again awareness being being just like in it and being present and grateful having so much I've always been a grateful person um but again when you do this for

and you start to see like people react to the and And then it's like, oh, this is what happens when that happens and you start to look at it and it's not expectation per se, but it's that you're like wanting it secretly. You know, you're like, it's your core. You're like, no, I really want the success. I really want this to happen. And you put this pressure on it and it becomes a big cycle of things. And by the time you get to the other side, you have spent so much time wanting and expecting and not looking at the greatness in the midst of it. and feeling the greatness and just being, you know, in the midst of it and loving those moments

and in that feeling, you look back and it's already over. You know, you're so focused on, well, what's going to happen and being anxious about it and hoping. Man, just be with the feeling, man. Stay in that mode. Talking a little bit about, you know, the past and you mentioned, like, the grieving and different things. On always time, you say maybe this time love means letting go. you talk about private truths and public woes and you thought there would always be time

to fight for love the you know an honest and like first listen I was like is this about his past relationship and wanting to fight for that yes absolutely that album is absolutely it's about my it's about my I mean I've had a I've been very

it's very public that I was married and we were very locked into you guys relationship as well too yeah it was a bit it was a big part of my my experience as a human being this time around yeah you know that was a massive part i was with naz when i was 19 you know what i'm saying it was a it was a long time and in the midst of that i was being a musician and becoming a musician and finding my audience and all of that and it was a lot of learning it's a lot of learning

who were we who were we all when we were 19 20 20s in your 20 yeah look i'm just hitting my I'm feeling like, okay, I know exactly who I am. And look, I don't. I'm still learning, but I know my values. That's the part. That's what I meant to say earlier. Values don't change. You know what I mean?

Your values, that's your core. But everything else, your style, whatever, how you, your values, your core values, those are the things that I think I don't need to necessarily discover my values. I think where I'm at is that I'm honing them. I'm sure I'm only strong. strengthening them i'm only like doubling down on them but always time that song was written because i was i was uncovering a lot of my values in real time um and one of those things that i've always been is the word loyal is crazy because loyalty i saw my grandparents stay together

my entire life. You know, they were loyal to the family. But loyalty, like where they... I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite-sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America.

There are several ways we can all do better at protecting black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tamika Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people,

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We had 30 agents ready to go with shotguns and rifles and you name it. But what they find is not what they expected. Basically, your stay-at-home moms were picking up these large amounts of heroin. They go, is this your daughter? I said yes. They go, oh, you may not see her for like 25 years. Caught between a federal investigation and the violent gang who recruited them, the women must decide who they're willing to protect and who they dare to betray. Once I saw the gun, I tried to take his hand, and I saw the flash of light.

Listen to the Chinatown Sting on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Think back to the early 2000s. You're flipping through TV channels, and then you hear this. I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. How dare you! Learn something from this! But looking back 20 years later, that iconic show so many of us love, is horrible.

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Listen to the curse of America's Next Top Model on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey guys, it's Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero, and this is More Better. We are jumping right in and ready to hear from you. Your thoughts, your questions, your feelings about socks with sandals. And we're ready to share some possibly questionable advice and hot takes. God, that sucks so hard though. I'm so sorry. Can you out petty them?

Can you match their pettiness for funzies? Yeah. We had so much fun last season, laughing, crying, talking to some new and old friends. Remember when we were in that scene where you guys were just supposed to hug and I was standing. Oh, yeah.

And I was like, can I also hug them? I'm like, this f*** has no friends. And this time around, we are, say it, Melissa. Should I? Say it. Getting a little more better. Oh, finally, it's all the dressing room talk you've loved in season one, all the things. Because aren't we all trying to get a little more better?

Listen to more better on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Happy? Right. You know, I don't know. And that's a crazy one. And that song is about kind of like coming to terms with, you know, I can't even be the right person for you. I can't be it. And, like, discovering that in real time is crazy work.

When you're like, damn, I thought the whole thing was like, I'm supposed to fight it out and we're supposed to do it. And even when it's, and at some point, when you stop and you go, you know what, the best thing I can do is actually let it go. But that's not what the marriage, but I'll see. That's not what my grandparents did. Right. So all of that, psychologically, I'm sure it fucks me. It does. I think that's where our generations now are looking at the construct of marriage through a very different lens and also looking at the historical evolution of what that means and what it was before it was about the ring and about the, you know what I mean, and how that's like, it's sort of, it's taken away.

And again, I'm not saying anything. about marriage or i think it's a beautiful thing i was so happy to be married when i was um whether or not i was able to you know be true to it you know um i think it's a it's such a beautiful idea i think the word and the symbolism sometimes take away the purpose or what is supposed to be really representative of you know it's like man it's supposed to be that there's a relationship that's and you guys are really going to be partners in the whole shit. I don't know what happens, but most people I talk to her, man, it turns into something else. The partnership somehow is like, it's the symbolism takes precedence over the actual core thing of what it's supposed to be.

Yeah. I don't know. The degree for that, you know, breakup, keep you away from the music? Maybe, maybe not in it in and of itself. but I think the me underneath it and needing to understand what was informing my decisions is what kept me from doing the music.

I need to go do some work. That's really at the end of the day I need to go figure my shit out. I needed to go figure it out because it wasn't working. And yeah, life is a trip, man. It's a trip. But always time is one of those ones.

It's a like, it's such a like that's a hard accepting but true very honest song yeah people always forget you are rock stars superstars celebrity Miguel and all that but you're still a real person

you go through real shit you know so I think we're all rock stars superstar like listen this is every day you guys are with everyone is a rock star everybody everyone at their core can be that like you know yeah every that's the thing i was talking about humility before because we get this a lot

that he's like oh be humble or i always get man you're so humble you know as opposed to as opposed to you know oh like rock star yeah but everybody is though everyone is has greatness everyone has purpose everyone that's what i am i'm not humble yeah i just don't think i'm greater than anyone else I just think that I believe that I have something that's important to do and that everyone has something important to do and I treat everyone like, no, you're here and you have something here to do and there's a purpose. Yeah, because I always look at the word humble

as to being less than what you actually really are. Exactly. Yeah, so I like how you just put that. You know? Yeah. I'm trying, hopefully you get what I'm saying. I got you. Man, look, they use humble sometimes like, yo,

Keep you on your place. Yeah, I'm like, no, no, our place is greatness, man. Do you feel like all of the work that you've done in like the place that you're at now with yourself, if you had done it before you and Nas could have worked out your marriage? If I would have done all of this before, who's to say, no, we definitely would have had a much better shot, a much better shot. But, you know, the past is you look back and it's so much clear. everything is what is it hindsight everything it's so much clear um yeah it would have been it would

have been a very different experience but can't change the past no you know um and i'm very happy that we've had adult real like man and i've been able to it's different when you're able to come to somebody and go you know i didn't realize i was doing this and i'm really sorry wow and it doesn't take it away that it happened and that I did that. And I just want to give you some context. And I'm just so deeply sorry, I would never do this. And, you know, to be able to say that doesn't erase it, but it at least lets them know, like, no, there's real love here. And that's where it was at the core. I just wasn't a big enough person. I wasn't an aware enough person to protect you from my automatic ways and things that I'd learn from generation.

generations and generations you know so that's an adult place to be at it's great yeah yeah it's good to hear that y'all are in that space yeah definitely good to hear on um near sight slow it down you say slow it down for me because i might not get to feel this again did you feel like coming out of the situation with you and not that you weren't going to find love like that again that song is more about all of everything got you um i've never and and even she any i'll say this and i says before I don't believe that there's like, it's like just one love. And I don't believe in like there's only one person. It's like how many billions of people now?

I know. So what are you saying? It's when the Mexicans start to come out. What you got to? Women, what do you mean? What are you saying here? What are you saying? I'm just saying that I don't believe in a one, there's only one.

You know, I think that. I'm not saying monogamy or anything. I'm not talking about constructs. I'm just saying that there's only, I don't believe it, there's only one person that you can feel. find love with and actually build a healthy relationship with whatever that means for them I just don't believe in that um I do believe in love and I do believe in being in love uh so so when I when I say that in that song that's more about life in general you know I want to be in this

moment because everything is fleeting and I feel it more and more now I feel all of time you You know, all, I'm so like, I want to get all the moments. I want to like just like, even like coming back to doing these, you know, and it's like, before I was like, yeah, you go do the radio thing, whatever. And then you go on tour. And it's just like, that's the thing you do. Not really absorbing that, you know, this is people's time. You guys all, this is your careers. You guys, you guys earned to be in this room and not just to be in this room, but to stay in this room.

and to be effective and to talk to people and to get people to really listen and pay attention to you and me being in this room is like I'm so grateful I'm like damn I'm with people who have dedicated themselves to what they love man don't ever take that for granted anytime I'm in a room with somebody and they've just they've proven their their dedication

we did the blue note for two nights over the weekend and I'm in the room with Robert Glasper Jamie Fox pops up you know we I mean Jahi sun dances somebody's I've known since I was a teenager these people have been in music and have been effective and incredible

and like I'm looking at pictures on the wall and I'm like I will never take this for granted ever I wish I didn't even know you was at the Bluno that'd have been fire in the Blue Note It was great It was great Yeah it was great Well the fans went real quick

It's a fan mail that just popped up to say it Is Miguel in Love now? I didn't even have a fan mail I love, man, I would say it's going to, I need some healing to be in love. Right now I'm working on being in love with me if I'm being very, very honest. And I have to do that work for my son. Gotcha. But I love myself more and more every day because I'm, I'm proud of the decisions that I've been making.

And I just lean on those. And when I have moments where I'm feeling a little, because I do still, I still, sometimes I'm like, man, this is, is a lot you know it's a lot um yeah i'm i'm i'm i'm i can look at the things that the decision make and how i'm making decisions and and the why and leaning into again my values and my principles make that um make it easier and easier so i'm getting closer and i do hope one day i can be in love again yeah um but right now i'm working on no no you know i'm going to I said, I'm going to respond and say no. We don't have a fan, no, man.

No, wait, before you go, I was going to just ask, because that question, how you answered it, made me think of this, right? You're in this, like, really peaceful space, and you're getting back into all of this because of the album, and you talked about your son. When you posted your happy birthday for your son, the world erupted, and it wasn't positive.

How do you, people were upset that you had a baby, not with Nause that we didn't know about, but it's your choice. How do you deal with that in this new space? like fans and people wanted to just inject their thoughts into that because you're in a different space now well it's not new definitely not new to me uh it's been a long time since i've kind of been so to kind of come out and to and to kind of again kind of have an experience where people you know feel the need to express how they feel about your life you know it's just that

it's it was a good reminder coming in it's like oh yep were you like no remember no you know what I'm ready I'm ready for see I and I did it with so much intention I really am proud I'm proud to be a father I'm proud of my partner

she's incredible she's like I mean he couldn't have a better mother I'm just and life doesn't always happen the way that we imagine things to happen and I also realized that we became a symbol when I was with Nas

we became a symbol to a lot of people of what, you know, relationships could be and could look like and things. But we're just human beings just like everybody else. Exactly. And we were mad young. Like, I was young. Like, I was coming up in my 20s.

You know what I mean? So I did a lot of things the wrong way, you know? And I'm not proud of them. And I'm not making excuses. But come on, man. We've all done things that we're like, you know what? I wouldn't do that again like that. I would actually do it like this, you know?

And I'm good with being upfront about hey i wasn't perfect you know but i'm here now and my life has a lot more of a different experience that i get to show up in a better way for and if people are you know upset about what they see i that's you you can be upset you know but they don't know y'all all the time right i mean it's only it doesn't really yeah it's i it's hard for me to say i just i'm just like look I get that that's what comes with the territory you know there's plenty of other things to focus on

basically what you just described like what you just describe is growing up living your life like you said you were young you know you made mistakes you that's everybody that's like just growing up living life and learning that's just what it is I think for a lot of the fans though even if you

didn't know the timeline the thing was people felt like you guys have been together for so long I have to say this the fucked up part is that people start doing the wrong math the one thing I did not do is is start a relationship while I was married and then had a baby okay thanks for I got divorced and I'm gonna say this straight up everybody out there talking shit like I was still in a marriage and then I had a baby or I was having a what is that a an affair all this time I met I met my son's mom after we were

divorced i met her at an event that we were not even supposed to go to that was well after we were done so anybody out there it's it's always the one or two if i just go yeah you know they was together and and he had been seeing this girl for years and they've been not no i had never even know i we never crossed past until after so that's the one thing i will say i do get upset about that i can't control it but that makes me mad because also the this woman is a good person she's a great human being. And so, and I can't protect, I can't stop people from slandering, you know?

Because if you pop out with it, it might be like, look, she's a homeworker. And you're like, no, that's not what happening. How did you guys talk through that moment, though? Because it was such a happy moment and then it turned into not that. That's the hardest part. That's the, that's a crazy one. And I wish, I, I don't, I don't wish this actually. I think this path of being, you know, public facing with your career or what have you,

it does have its ups and it's got some some things that's you know you're just going to have to deal with it and this is one of them is that personal things become public conversation in ways that they shouldn't are you know but it's just a part of what comes with it it was it's been hard you know it was it was it was it was a challenge because it should have been a very and it still is don't get me wrong i listen you're not about to take the happiness you're not going to rob me of the joy of being like, man, I'm so proud of this. And that's why that's what it was. And for her, I know she's like, she's so happy and like, okay, cool.

Like, we're good. We don't got to like, because also he's getting older. And I think the big worry was when you put a child in the public, the moment the face is out there, then people can take pictures and this and that. So we were being very, very private, first and foremost for his safety. and then second of all also like let us get our get our shit together

like let us you know get our group you know what I mean like let's figure it out let's dial in but then there's also knowing the public is like they want to know

so so on that side I'm you're not going to find out when he's five years old you know what I'm not going to I wasn't going to wait until you're five but um but I was expecting it to be

a lot less slander I think people just attached to your old relationship a lot like a whole lot I understand they need to listen to Always time So what is New Martyrs about then New Martyrs a whole other

So this album is There's a lot of anger in this album But I want to say that because I feel like It's relatable I feel generally we're all angry Yeah absolutely I feel so much anger the just the ethos it just feels like because we don't know today's like okay it's fine tomorrow

i don't know if it's a genocide happening right now there is a genocide happening right now and i have to say it again there is a genocide happening right now and it's public it's not like we're it's like a century ago where we were getting news from the radio this is real time on your phone and there's so much happening right now that you could just scroll past it Like, we can ignore it. Right here in our communities, there's a lot of things that are being robbed of, people are being taken advantage of.

I think that's when we see things like the Mangione case, when you see the Charlie Kirk incident, you look at it and you start to be like, well. Right. You become desensitized. Well, you kind of understand why that's happening. You understand why people are like, when the, the fascinating part about the whole Mangioni thing

was people got behind him. Oh, they were dressing like him. They're doing documentary on him. They got behind him. It's like a social media thing, but pop culture thing, but also like a political, like, they made him not to be like this whole sacred. The line you say in the song,

the love can't be silent when the system isn't equal. Yeah, that's it. And that moniker is homage to, you know, in the 60s when we were organizing and we were really finding a way to carve out what was what is right in this country for black people for all all ethnicities in this people really in this country rather um for civil rights that was a moniker it was like look we can't be silent it's not right so we have to say something and and the song is inspired by just the general anger

and the angst i think we're all feeling when we're looking out and we're watching this shit not work the way that it's supposed to. I mean, our tax dollars are going to wars that we have no say about. And those tax numbers are going up. Absolutely. I'm not, I'm not proud. Look, I'll pay my taxes gladly, fine, whatever.

But, I mean, now you're just, you're going to go apply that to a war that I don't believe in. You know what I'm saying? It's not supposed to work like that. It's not built like that. It was built to actually for us to have something. to say we have representatives that are supposed to go and say you know what taxpayer money they don't want that we have no say we have had no say thus far and so new martin is inspired by these feelings

of like man we're all watching things in front of us that are that it's not working for us and modern examples of like the man geo and i think is like vigilanteism extreme action are going to become more and more common if something doesn't change yeah absolutely And New Marta goes into Triggered. Yeah. Is that intentional? Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. More of the feeling. More the feeling. The feeling. Are you getting any visuals? Yeah.

Okay. It's coming. It's coming. Because, yeah, you've got to put the vision to the words. Yeah. Yeah. I would love to see some Miguel visuals. It's coming.

Yeah, we've been doing, we've been doing, like, shorter visuals leading in, but I have, like, I have more substantial in the next couple, in the next couple weeks. Or I'm actually going to play the video for Newmore. Martyrs. Man, I've been honored to be invited to be a scholar and residence at NYU. Dope. Yeah. Amazing. So I built a program.

The course is actually speaking chaos to power. Yeah. It's about taking what we know about chaotic times in our history and using those as examples in order to affect change in our modern time. of course i'm focusing mostly on the arts and how we can take the the sort of the disenfranchisement the systematic um um um uh yeah taking advantage of art and IP in the past and and using that as as ways now to take hold and control of industries and art um but it's to be applied across the board so yeah yeah yeah and we'll premiere the video for new martyrs

at the at the yeah do you think artists have a responsibility to raise consciousness or just to tell their truth say it one more time i'm sorry you think artists have a responsibility to raise the consciousness of people or just to tell their truth oh i believe every individual has a responsibility to raise their own consciousness i do believe that that art is meant to bring human beings together and the erasing of one's own separation from the next human being

happens with art and that in and of itself I do think it gives us the opportunity to raise consciousness it's like you hear a song in Spanish that you don't know what it means but you fuck with it you love it how you feel it for whatever reason that's art or you go see a painting

and you sit there and you stand you go I don't know what it is about this but I love you know it's like great art is us finding ourselves in the details of the art we lose our own and we become there's a point of reference there's a point of like we relate i think that's what art does and that's the that's the purpose of artists so i wouldn't say raise consciousness in and of itself but i do think it is i take it upon myself now to say that i feel responsible to make art that brings people together and hopefully they forget the divisions that we have through the music.

That's why I do love having great, you know, big songs. I think great big songs that are able, whatever, if they're commercially successful or whatever, think of Adorn or sure thing. I think of these songs. Even how many drinks, you know what I mean? I love how many drinks. I don't know if.

I thought they were going to cancel you for how many drinks at one point. That is a consent record. I want to go on a record. There is a question in a song. How many? How many, hey, I know. How many would it, you know? It was a very bold choice to start the album off with a song with Spanish.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, like you said, it sounds fly, but I'm like, I have no idea what he's saying. He could have been saying your grandmother ugly, and you're just over here singing. But then you bought it right back to killing the pussy, you know what? Valid, valid, how to do it. So I've got a couple more questions. What does enlightenment, enlightenment look like for Miguel right now? oh sureness um i think radical um radical um radical creativity and positivity in the power of what art can do um i think

enlightenment for me is again leaning into my values um in a very radical in the most like and i also think like choosing to be happy and choosing to be positive um is what enlightenment looks like for me now um because otherwise i become apathetic and then apathetic means that i don't care to do anything and i just refuse to accept that there's nothing that can be done so yeah that's what that looks like for me oh um well i was going to talk to you about the martyrs artwork and how you're going to bring that into the class but we kind of rest that but yeah so so the artwork for martyrs and what you're doing at NYU when you're developing your course yeah like selection is it's just you you're just

using all of your art or oh no I wish I'm working with a teacher to no I'm working with professors yeah yeah to kind of put it together very much inspired by my experience as a as a musician in the industry my observations and my critique um of what could be better and how it could be better and really leaning on them for their insights on the past and how that intersection of art and commerce has always come at the expense of often black people brown people like you know what I mean it's like often at our expense and so what is what is it what can we learn from the past to help us shape what industry looks like in a way that's equitable

for the creators so that is sustainable. Were you at all nervous though in choosing to recreate such a bold moment of because this is the artwork right of Matt Madrella and Louisiana. So creating that moment

from that security camera where he's shooting gun right and the reason I mention or ask you were you nervous about that is because I watched how Bad Bunny talked about not doing concerts here because he wants to protect his people from ice Super Bowl happens now politically

he is the conversation and they're coming for him right? Yeah. How do you, or where do you kind of lay in all of that, like how you choose what you're going to be radical against right now? I think it's the same thing when you see, you know, shows get canceled. I mean, Kimmel got canceled for a moment. Yeah.

But that was for a moment. And I bet you, watch what happens at the Super Bowl. Watch how many people, watch the viewership go crazy. It's going to break records. It's going to break records. And then I bet you they never question if they're going to bring a Latino on that stage. They'll never question it. You know why?

Because it's touching their dollars. Yeah. And we saw that with Kimmel. The moment they got backlash and their viewership went down, oh no, it was like bring them back. We don't have to figure this one out. You know what I mean? And so at the core of the chorus, it is about building your audience, which is another reason and it's what my album is what it is. But I didn't make another record that primarily focuses on romance and that dynamic of my life from my perspective and love. And there'll be other records that I make that I'm sure I'll make songs like that. And that's sound feel good and whatnot but right now what it was what this is about is me tapping into my audience and wanting to identify who's really my audience yeah it's a proof it's a case in point you know it's like I'm I'm wanting to double down that it's better to identify who's really there for you to listen and then build upon that so then you have leverage and as we know many times we've heard this story a million times said artist walks into the record label and they want the deal they want the whole thing

that they're selling but they don't have any leverage and you look at that versus birdman walking in what he got you know what I'm saying that's why he's got the bitch shit shit I forgot that happened here but it's the same concept it's the same thing man you're like look when you walk in with leverage it's a whole different game and the more leverage we have that's the other part is like drawing that parallel as well to looking at the numbers that we're We have. We have leverage. The people who are running government, the numbers are so much smaller.

You know, the numbers are, it just doesn't. So looking at all of these parallels and going like, we're at an inflection point where we can use these chaotic times and the uncertainty to our advantage to really lock in and organize on what we believe in, whatever it is, because they are. I'm glad you did new martyrs because the rappers ain't doing it. I've been waiting for a rapper to tap into the moment and just talk about what's going on.

and it just don't feel like they're doing it. I'm glad you did it. Love, love. And I'm not saying I have the answers or anything. It's definitely, it's, New Martyrs isn't like, we should go do this, and it's not like that. It's just saying I'm feeling like we are all at that point where it's like, I got to do something.

And it's only going to get, you know, it's only going to feel more and more like that as we go if we don't. Now, chaos is coming out on October 23rd. That's also your born day. October 23rd. I'm sure that was intentional. Yeah, absolutely. Why do you want to do it on your meter?

I think I wanted to give myself the permission to move forward, you know, on my birthday. This one's been, it's taking a long time to get here, and it's like, it's symbolic of, you know, in new cycles, it's letting go, and it's also beginning new. What better time to do that on your birthday, you know? It's like, it's very much that. so um i wanted to go in like ah okay we can we can move forward and like i said my next 10 i'm looking at my next 10 years um the album is again symbolic of like the conversation that i want to have with my audience being deeper and and more about the human being not just about

my ability you know but about who i am and what i believe in and a lock in with my audience like that. And then to build this company that's about supporting Black and Brown and Latin artists, talent across the board, whether it's film, TV, or music, literature, all of those left the center ones who

deserve development, the way that we need it now, the way art needs it now, that we're not getting, and putting capital behind that as well to support that, because we need that too. Yeah. Your company's S-1C. Yeah. The website is dope, too. It's like a blog. It reminds me in MySpace.

Yeah, thank you. And like you upload the different year. Kind of kind of reminds us of where we came from. Definitely does. Yeah. Yeah. So this is my last question. How do you measure success now?

Is it impact? Is it artistry or is it peace? Impact. Impact for sure. I don't think that any endeavor is peaceful. You know, any endeavor with real objective, real, especially if you're trying to change something, be it for yourself or for others, it's not going to be a peaceful journey. it's just going to come with unforeseen

it's going to come with challenges and it's going to come with a lot of pushback especially if it's going against the status quo and that's not a peaceful experience but again the values part you know that being at the

core of things I think it's really about if I can wake up and go man I actually did something I feel great about you know and this is something that's going to affect someone in a positive way way, man, I could do that for the rest of my life. I got one last question

for you. Not about no relationships, I promise. It's all good. Is it true that I'm happy someone was asking. I was like, who's it going to be? Nice. I was reposting y'all on MySpace, so I had to ask some of the questions. But, short thing, originally was that a demo for Usher? Is that a true

story? Yeah, well, I wrote the song and I didn't write it as a demo, or say, but we submitted it as a demo for Usher. Usher was looking at the time. I'm not sure which album. I feel like it was, it might have been confessions. It might have been, which I can't hear sure thing on confessions.

Confessions is such a perfect album as it is, very different, very different album. But yeah, sure thing was submitted for one of those projects, that one or the one right after it. But yeah. Well, listen, Miguel, we glad you back, brother. Hey, chaos is very, very dope, very dope project. I can't wait for the world to experience it, man. Thank you, bro. What you want us to play right now?

You want us to play new martyrs? to bang that. Why not? Yeah. It's Miguel. It's the Breakfast Club. Hold on. Every day I wake up.

Wake your ass up. The breakfast club. Do you all finish or y'all's done? I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite-sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. Stories like Erica Hunt. A young mother vanished without a trace after a family gathering on 4th of July weekend. 2016. No goodbyes. No clues. Just gone. Listen to hunting for answers every weekday on the Black

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Had 30 agents ready to go with shotguns and rifles and you name it. Five, six white people pushed me in the car. I'm going, what about that hell? Basically, your stay-at-home moms were picking up these large amounts of heroin. All you got to do is receive the package. Don't have to open it, just accept it. She was very upset, crying. Once I saw the gun, I tried to take his hand and I saw the flash of light. Listen to the Chinatown Sting on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.