The Breakfast Club - Out Of Context: Lil Baby w- Charlamagne Tha God

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

In This Episode of "Out of Context" Lil Baby sits down for an interview with Charlamagne Tha God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6G. Take one. You ready? Lil baby. How you doing? How you feeling, brother? How you doing, man? Man, congratulations.

You just turned 30 a few weeks ago, man. Yes, sir. Get up, yeah. You feel like the old head now? Sure. 1000%. What you think, what's the difference between turning 30 and growing up in your 20s? It's crazy that it might seem like it, but even when you're 29, it don't feel like the

same as 30. It's just something about when you turn in 30, it's like a steep hill. You feel like you got more responsibility now? Even though I got the same responsibilities I've been had, it's just like, it's just something about them 20s kinda give you a little leeway. All right.

See, like when you turn 30, you ain't no more leeway. What you think made you grow up faster, the streets or the industry? I have to say both, you know what I'm saying? In its own way. You know what I'm saying, in its own way. You know what I'm saying? The industry made me grow up faster, like in the real world, but I had to still grow up faster in the streets, you know what I'm saying?

Being young and kid, doing grown man stuff. So it's like both parts. What's manhood look like to you at this point in your life? Manhood and leadership. That's one thing I loved about your documentary. It was like, yo, you could tell you was a leader from the beginning. Manhood to me now is like,

owning stuff or working towards owning and making sure like you and your family good forever. Trying to make sure your family good forever. Is it true that your father left when you was just two years old? Yeah, something like that. I ain't gonna say left. My mama, I live with? Yeah, something like that. I ain't going to say left. My mama, I live with a single parent.

I know my dad's side of the family well. But it was just your mom and your two sisters. So you were kind of required to be the man of the house early, right? Definitely. It's not an expense, but like you said, you grow up fast, though. So even when you do see stuff that you're not an expense, but like you said, like you grow up fast though. You know what I'm saying?

So even when you do see stuff that you're used to, you gotta like get with it quick. How does that experience impact the way you show up as a father? I'm at number one, I want my kids to live the life I live. No sort of kind of way, you know? And they won't live the kind of life I live. Does being a celebrity make it hard

for you to be a hands-on father? Definitely. I can't be there as much as I wanna be, you know what I'm saying? Can't do like regular stuff. And normally we still try to do like regular shit what normal people do. But like for the most part I'm always gone,

you know what I'm saying? If I do see them for a couple of days, they just not really getting settled and they gotta go again. So it's definitely a... So I advise people to just wait. You say you advise what? I advise people to wait until you got like a career

like mine, you know what I'm saying? Oh, to have kids? Yeah. Word. How long would you wait? Even if 30. You know what I'm saying? Like, get through your 20s, kind of go through that lifestyle

and kind of get away from all that, so you don't even got to do it later on. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? Go on and, like, get it out your system. That's how I feel. How strong is it to have a, I mean, how good is it to have a real strong support system? Like, you know, to have the right mother

of your children and all of that? I mean, everything to me, definitely. Because, you know what I'm saying, take advantage to raise a family. You know what I'm saying? Or a kid. So everybody, him him play matters. You know, it took me, I was talking to P earlier, man,

and I was saying that I feel like the internet wants you to fall off so bad. It just seemed like overnight, they had a little baby fell off campaign. Where do you think that came from? I don't even care, really. I be seeing shit like that, but I was like, where it came from? And I don't even, that. I be seeing shit like that but, I was like where it came from and I don't even,

that's how I get by you know, I don't even get in the shit like that. I feel like they don't want you to grow. I feel like you know after the bigger picture, everybody saw a little baby in a different light and they wanted more of that, but then they wanted you to do the street shit too. Yeah it's like giving a take, you know what I'm saying?

To the point where I kind of understand it. And what I mean by that is like, I ain't, like I really didn't ever take them with me to transition. You know what I'm saying? So like a transition, I don't expect certain people or certain fans to catch up to it. Like, you know, sometimes you gotta dumb it down. How do you take them through the transition though?

Do you do it through interviews? Do you do it through music? That's the part I'm learning right now. You know what I'm saying? That's what I'm trying to master, is just giving that fan experience. You know what I'm saying? Because of course, whatever I'm doing,

as I'm doing it, I know what I'm doing, I know I'm changing. But if I just drop a song or if I just do something, you don't know what I done went through, you don't know the changes, so I can't even expect you to be up to speed on what I'm on. So I had to start looking at it from that aspect. The tricky shit about that though is if,

they want you to be in the street, but then when you crash out, they call you stupid. Yeah, so I ain't gonna get, so I always know I wasn't gonna get up, get caught up in that. I'd rather sit it out, while I got them be involved in that. You know what I'm saying?

I saw you posted that the last couple of years you've been struggling life-wise, maybe even mentally. So where you at now? I'm in a better state, but I still, and then when I say stuff like that like that, I don't even usually say stuff like that But I mean like far as like that type of shit You know I'm saying that's like a big transition in your head for you to go from like where I went to like where I'm

Trying to go and it was like an attorney point in the last two years from being this nigga from the hood and the streets Or whatever to trying to, you know what I'm saying, actually go the right path. You know what I'm saying? That's like a real mind boggling thing. What was it for you? Was it a dollar amount you saw? Was it the company you was keeping?

Like what made you realize like I got a living? A little bit of everything, you know what I'm saying? Even just to, always like, even when I was doing shit, I always lived like I don't got nothing to lose. Like now I got so much to lose, it's not the same. What you been going through though? Like what have you been going through that made you kind of like just fall back a little bit?

Say everything, like people like get in trouble around you, you start seeing people don't really love you for real, or people might be just coming to do the craziest things to get a few dollars out of you. You're starting to like, at first, when you first go through it, it's all new, so it's like a bird to you. Then you kinda start catching on,

then after a while you're like, damn, I see what's really going on. Mm-hmm. Is this why we haven't got a lot of music out of you over the last few years? Definitely, because I rap about like, damn, I see what's really going on. Is this why we haven't gotten a lot of music out of you over the last few years? Definitely, because I rap about like, I ain't really no writer, you know, I freestyle. So it's like all in my head, you know what I'm saying?

So in my head, I ain't in the right mental space. I ain't going to be able to just rap like that. Do you feel like musically you're vulnerable enough? That's one of the critiques I hear a lot. She's not learning what what all that shit mean, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. From the way I've been explained,

maybe not, you know what I'm saying? I can understand why that was more of what I was just saying. Like, if you don't take them on a journey, they kind of be kind of lost a little bit. They don't even really know the aspect of you saying something, doing something. Because when I talk to people, they tell me that they want to hear more pain in Lil Baby's music.

And it sounds like behind the scenes, you going through that, you just not putting it in the music. Yeah, because I had to learn how to, like, translate what I actually going through into the music. You know what I'm saying? When the goddamn music, the reason why a nigga even going through this shit, you feel me? They wanna hear more emotionally scarred, I think.

Shit like that. Yeah. Are those records hard for you to make? Nah, I don't think it's super easy. You just don't wanna expose yourself? In certain ways, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And not that I don't want to,

it's just I'm accustomed to not doing it. You know what I'm saying? So that's like, you know, you're getting your feelings every now and then. They ain't just always in they feelings, you know? You think that's like the protective instinct that you just carry with yourself from being in the street? Like if you show too much of yourself, you might be fooled to people. That's when the wolves come out.

For sure. But you are this now though. So it's about- Yeah, so it's like that's the transition and the mental state I had to go through to get programmed and reprogrammed. I think after Bigger Picture, people expected you to evolve into a more mature artist and just make music that reflected more of the pain you may be feeling. Is that what you were looking to do with 5AM and Insecurities?

Nah, I'm looking to do that with like, the Dominique album, right? Okay. I'm dropping an album first called like Wham. Wham. That's kind of like trying to lead them up into that, versus just like jumping into it. What is Wham? Wham gonna be more street music or?

Yes, in a sense, but I still put like some of the songs that were going on Dominique's album on Wham, because I didn't want them to just wait for long. And I know, like you're saying, I got a core audience for those emotionally scarred type songs and those pain type songs. So Dominique is going to be personal? Yeah, more personal.

Yeah. Does that scare you? Not no more, but that's the part of the two years where I've been going through and shit like that. So I already then kind of went through the scary part. You say on one of the records now, you say can't be vulnerable who I'm gonna talk to when I'm going through it.

You can afford therapy, little baby. All that money you making? I ain't no firm believer in therapy. Okay. You know what I'm saying? Have you tried it, or? Yeah, I mean, I haven't tried it personally, but in a sense I have.

Know what I'm saying? I got people who I talk to, you know? Know what I'm saying? We would play as a therapist, but I feel like everybody like regular people, so it ain't too much a therapist can really do for you and just like have an open ear. But you being like a celebrity and all that, it get weird.

Know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's like, who does the go-to it get weird, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's like who does the go-to guy go to? You get what I'm saying? Yeah. So that's why I always been like, ain't saying I'm against everybody, but I don't even cross my mind, though. Who do you talk to?

Certain people about certain stuff. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, I know I can talk to him about this. I can talk to her about this. Mm-hmm. Like, certain people, certain stuff. Another line, you say, how you managed to get everything

you wanted but still ain't happy. Right. Because it's like more money, more problems, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? So it's like you would think once you get everything out of this, you'll be like happy. Well, boy, here goes something else.

But it's a part of learning how life goes. You know what I'm saying? It ain't going to never stop. Are you happy now? I ain't happy as I want to be, but I'm in a happy state now. You know what I'm saying? What makes Lil Baby happy at this point in his life? That's how I know I ain't happy as I want to be,

because I don't know. Damn. I mean, you're kids. Yeah. Definitely, like, joyful for them. You know what I'm saying? Is all of this what you thought it was going to be? Like, just the success that you was seeing?

I ain't never know what it could be, so I ain't thinking that, you know what I'm saying? Like I ain't never had a imagination for it. Mm-hmm. So you never dreamed of this at all? No. So when you was in the street, and then you started rapping, even just looking around Atlanta and looking

at all the successful artists. I know how big it was, but I ain't know how like what really big it was but I didn't know what really big was. I ain't really, never know nothing about the real music industry. I couldn't think I could be worth what I'm worth now, or reach the levels I... I didn't even know that really existed. I didn't know nothing about platinum and gold and album sales and the end of new things screams.

I ain't never know nothing about that. So even me saying like, I knew I was going to be big or I couldn't even, I wouldn't even know what that was to even think that. Yeah. What do you think it is about Atlanta that makes like dudes from the street become like these international superstars?

Like what is it about Atlanta? I just feel like, you know, hip hop was already like based off in the streets. It all started from the streets. So Atlanta's one of those places the same way where they're everywhere. But I just feel like the swag and the tone of Atlanta got making more successful than a lot of other places.

What don't you like about the game? They shoot them up bang bang everywhere, every bar shit, I don't like that. You feel like you always gotta watch your back? Nah, it just creates a target on everybody. You know what I'm saying? And that ain't what we're supposed to be in it for. Well, I ain't, you know what I'm saying?

I forgot what record it was, but you said you got all of this, it's basically PTSD from all of the shootouts and stuff that you've been. Did you think that once you got in the industry like that would kind of go away, like you kind of escaped that? Yeah, but it's crazy, because it's like that's what I was telling people.

You put yourself on a bigger scale now that you in the industry. I didn't even have problems before I was a rapper. The more you get bigger, you get bigger than everybody, though. Not just the fans, not just the girls, not just the kids, everybody included. Was it a hard transition for you? Are there still?

I'm almost all the ways. I'm like almost all the way. I didn't transition all the way. Like I would never leave Atlanta. You know what I'm saying? I live in another state. So I didn't transition all the way, but it's still that time where I, you know what I'm saying?

It's like they'll fuck with you a little bit. Where'd you get the name Wham? I know I stand for who harder than me, but where'd you get that name from? From like Wham Wham, Wham Bitch on the Baby. One of my guys just started calling me Wham, and everybody started calling me Wham. I saw Thug said, Thug said, what Wham says goes, then you put it up on Billboard. What did that post mean to you? Did you speak to Thug a lot when he got locked up?

Yeah, definitely. His dad said that he got at you once for not going to Thug's court dates. His dad didn't say anything. That's how you felt about that? Yeah, for sure. What's the relationship with you and Thug? Now I know he's on the new album. Good relationship. Same relationship we've been in. Is it hard to make music because he's under so much scrutiny and I know the lawyers probably

looking through all the... It's crazy. He's super talented. You know what I'm saying? So really like he do it with ease. When you said what Wham says goes, what did you say? What did you want to say? Like what?

It went in like literally that. you know what I'm saying? It was like a little inside. Yeah. What's the relationship with you and Gunna right now? I don't got no relationship, you know? The internet says you can't make hits without Gunna. So do you think y'all ever make music again? The internet will say anything.

How many hits I got. Absolutely. So that don't even make sense. How much do you pay attention to the internet? Like, I only see what I gotta see. All right. Know what I'm saying? And I try my best to just keep going from shit like that.

I don't feed into that. I don't read comments and all that. If some shit just be the headline, you gotta see it. You know what I'm saying? But for the most part, I don't even get into shit like that. I know Thug says what Wham says goes, but if Thug says, hey, I'm gonna get in the studio, I'm gonna make some music with Gunna,

baby, I want you to participate, would you? I don't see that happening. Nah, I'm just saying, like, I want you to participate, would you? I don't see that happening. Nah, I'm just saying like I want you to participate. I don't know what nobody else will do. Know what I'm saying? But just as far as me. You dropped the 350 record and you said, ain't never saying nothing about it, nigga. You know you was a rat and everybody thought you was talking about. Yeah, but everybody is just the internet where they gonna create how to talk about rats.

Every song I had since I started rapping. So now you know, it be like, they just created a narrative and go out on their own. You be talking about a nigga. So whoever a rat, you know what I'm saying? What's your relationship with QC? Because I know you just started your own label. Right. I started my own label, but I ain't signed my own label. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm still signing QC.

So you still, you just sold you with QC, the General with a, was it Glasswindles? Yeah. You changed your name from 4PF. Why'd you change the name? I ain't changed the name. It's just a whole new company. Okay. Yeah. So 4PF still exists? Yeah.

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for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip hop. Flash slam, another one gone. Bash bam, another one gone. The crack 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. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat.

Nine months before Rosa, he was Claudette Goldman. 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. What was your reaction when you heard Kendrick mention you

in Not Like Us? He said Lil Baby helped you get your lingo up and reference to Drake. What'd you think when you heard that? I ain't really into like that side of hip hop. So I'm ready, you know. You know. But you and Drake always had a good relationship.

I mean, Drake helped you a lot. Great relationship. Yeah. So you know, you kind of like, it's just with any situation, like, if you and him was arguing, what the hell you gonna say, you know? Right.

Like, don't bring you in it. Yeah, man, I don't wanna be having nothing to do with it. I got, I be having, not saying whatever they got going on ain't real or nothing, but I be, like, I feel like, to me, like, rapping and shit be my work. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I don't want that type of shit at work. You know what I'm saying?

That's why, like, even you saying, like, what's your relationship with Gunna? I ain't hearing, I ain't in it for that type of shit. You know what I'm saying? I ain't know that. Mm-hmm. Well, I brought that up just because of the music for that type of shit. You know what I'm saying? I ain't on that. Mm-hmm. Well, I brought that up just because of the music. Music aspect of it.

Because, you know, people, y'all made hits together. And some people want that again. Right. Right? But you don't think that's going to happen. One thing I loved about your documentary, man, is it just shows how you know, how much you mean to the city of Atlanta.

So when you have a city that loves you that much, do you ever feel like you can just completely, completely let it go? Like the street aspect of it. Because you can't be that person no more. It's just like, there's different aspects of it, because you can't be that person no more. It's just like, there's different aspects of it. You know what I'm saying? I still could be that person who donate millions to the neighborhood.

You hear what I'm saying? But that don't mean I got to be hanging in the neighborhood. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, I'm still feeding the streets one way or the other. You know what I'm saying? It's just I got a different way of going about it now. Do you think it's a culture shock when they see you

out with the Michael Rubens of the world? Yeah, for sure it It's a culture shock, but that's more like we've been vulnerable like you can't even imagine the type of shit We be on you know I'm saying I always just hang with people I ain't one of them cuz you got this at the hang I'm a ho man. You know I'm saying He actually get a nigga gang really had like real conversations You can like talk to somebody on a high level about questions that we don't be knowing. You know what I'm saying? They be knowing that shit. And I think what the streets don't understand

is when you got relationships with people. The streets and the internet ain't the same. So you saying what the internet saying, that ain't the streets. You know what I'm saying? Them two different things. That is very true. That is very true.

But so what the internet don't understand is when you around people like that you get in game Probably getting more money and that you're able to give back to the streets even more turn all the rest of these niggas onto it Hey, look, this how we do it. That's right. I'm saying but I understand that like the internet one know that and I Also don't break it down for them to know that either don't break it down for them to know that either. You know what I'm saying? So I take it with a grand inside. Like I can see why they say that cause I already know I have to dumb it all the way down

for them to even understand. You gotta be a cold motherfucker to peep the shit I be doing. You know what I'm saying? Only just as far as the naked eye. I ain't telling you. You know what I'm saying? I don't understand why they just don't,

they don't respect actions. You know what I mean? Like they don't see it. They don't, you know, you gotta dumb it down. You gotta say it, what it is. And you don't respect actions. You know what I mean? Like you don't see it. You gotta dumb it down. You gotta say it, what it is. And you don't do that directly. They go whatever they seen directly. Do you feel like you gotta tell them

every single thing you do for the hood though? Like, hey. I don't even tell them. I do the most. I do the most. The most most. I don't got a PR team behind it. No nothing, no never.

I really, the most millions a year. How do you handle raising a son and co-parenting with somebody who's also a public trigger? Oh, that's kind of hard, you know what I'm saying? Definitely. Cause it's like you'll always be attached to that person. You know what I'm saying? Even if, even, it's just in today's time,

the other person don't even have to be in the line. Like they gonna automatically be if I had a child with them. You know what I'm saying? So that's like something I'm gonna have to battle no matter what in a sense. How have you been able to keep your personal life private? You know? I just don't go on the internet about it.

You know what I'm saying? Shit, it's like easy to me. Like I don't even need, like, cause I don't look at the internet as like my fans and I look at the internet like the whole world. It's like, son of a shit, I'm just not going to voluntarily tell the whole world for nothing. Or like I can't get validation from like comments and that type of stuff. I don't function like that.

You do realize though the internet just be fucking with you cause you successful. Yeah, I don't get into it. Yeah. I know you can't beat the internet. They'll say, it's Sky Green. And they'll come in and keep coming all day. That's right. So I ain't already too tough getting in the middle of that.

Cause it'll fuck you up mentally. Definitely. Cause they'll say one thing on the internet, but then you go and perform in front of 30,000 people and everybody's singing your music word for word So who you supposed to listen to? That's the that's the only thing you got to know what the we've been what the weave out sometimes They're the comments could be correct. I said sometimes you be saying could be correct. You know, I said so you got to kind of

Go for what you feel Get your team right who can help you in those aspects, you know what I'm saying? What do you feel right now you should be doing in the studio, just musically? Like if you didn't have to listen to nobody, not the streets, not the internet, just what little baby. I'm only listening to nobody now.

Okay. Nobody. And I still listen to what people got to say just to see what they say. You know what I'm saying? But once you listen to it, and you get 10 different opinions from 10 different people, it's like you go where it got you here.

You know what I'm saying? The more successful you got, do you feel like you got a greater sense of responsibility? Definitely. 1000%. Do you feel pressure to just release music because of the high demand that people have for Lil baby They always pray they always want little new little baby music. It's like a good problem here Mm-hmm. I'm feeling no pressure though. But then when you take a couple of years off, that's when they start

Oh, he fell off. He fell off. He fell off. It is what it is I'm saying. Mm-hmm. That's how I really go about it like Total honesty you said that in a the record, in a minute, you said blood, sweat, and tears come with each check. It ain't no way easy. So what's been the hardest part of your career so far? Shit, everything from just starting this career, you know what I'm saying?

I jumped into a career kind of like big, you know what I'm saying? So I had to adapt from behind. It ain't like I grinded for five years, then got a big, you know what I'm saying? So I had to adapt from behind. It ain't like I grinded for five years, then got a hit. You know what I'm saying? I had to grind for five days and got a hit. So now I got to adjust to goddamn this whole new lifestyle should I really know nothing about.

You talking about just like as far as being a multimillionaire? Everything. Yeah, yeah. Goddamn, I already had a lifestyle of having money. So that was the only good thing with just period. People knowing you, people taking pictures of you. You can't go this way in public. You hearing yourself, you seeing yourself everywhere.

You know what I'm saying? It's a super big drastic change. But now it's business. I guess that's what you trying to show people. I'm doing business now. I was doing business the whole time. Okay. You know what I'm saying business now. I was doing business the whole time. OK. You know what I'm saying?

I love for my fans to relate to it, but it's still the business aspect of it. You know what I'm saying? I wonder if they would even understand. They wouldn't. That's why I don't try to press it too hard. I understand that they wouldn't. You know what I'm saying?

Is there certain things you want them to know, though? Like, as far as your business is concerned, like, I really want y'all to know I'm doing this. And if y'all knew know I'm doing this. And if y'all knew what I was doing, y'all would understand what was going on. I always tell the guys and shit, because they always want me to clear this up, or like, hell nah, say this. I feel like when the day right for them to know, they're going to know.

And then I'm still going to look like the best in the world. Like damn, the whole time, you could have easily just told us, you know what I'm saying? But I'd rather just, one day you're gonna see. It's inevitable. Who are your OGs in the game right now? Like, what's some of the most important lessons you're learning from them? Like, like, in the game.

On any level, just any OGs around you, whether it be P, Michael Ruben, I keep OGs. Okay. You know what I'm saying, like I ain't never, that's how my name, I got a little baby name from being a little boy hanging with all the grown men. You know what I'm saying? Like I ain't never, that's how my name, I got a little baby name from being a little boy hanging with all the grown men. Know what I'm saying? So I got five to ten people who call my phone every day from

old niggas who own 100 million dollar rep of real estate. Never been nowhere on the scene. Niggas who rap games, switch beats. You know what I'm saying? Like I always have an open ear. Know what I'm saying? I want to listen. Know what I'm saying? I like having always have an open hear, you know what I'm saying? I want to listen, you know what I'm saying? I like having a big homie or somebody who I can call and get the game from, you know what I'm saying?

Do they understand? Cause I mean, it's, it's, it's, you're still, you're a little baby to artists. So you might have OGs who do things business wise, but do they understand what you're going through as an artist? Like who are the people that you talk to from that perspective, for that perspective? I don't really talk to nobody like that.

Cause I don't really know nobody, but you know, people like Young Thug, you know what I'm saying? I could talk to him about stuff like that, because I ain't really even cool with rappers to even really just talk to a nigga, you know what I'm saying? I mean, you and Thug go back. We saw that in the documentary, how he would pay you to stay out the street,

because he just believed in you. Right. Did he believe in you as a rapper or just a person? I just believed in him as a person. If I was going to rap, then that's just the whole, everything. Because it wasn't even more so like songs. Because it ain't like you heard me rap no hell of a time. I'm the way we rap.

Two, three songs. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So it can't be like, bro, your bars and Macklin, it got to be like what you see in me as a person. How did that time influence not just the way you saw Thug, but the way you saw yourself? Because when people see things in you

that you don't normally see in yourself, like you just start showing up for yourself different. Definitely. If you get a little whiff of her, you eventually start to feed off her. And that one, he's one of the closest people to you? Yeah, definitely. You know, you credited a long conversation with Little Marlo, Rest In Peace, for being

the turning point that made you take rap serious. So how did that impact you? Not take rap serious, rap period. Just rap period. You know what I'm saying? Like I get to go to the studio, he like, man, we need to make a song. You know what I'm saying? Made a song.

Does the fact that he believed in you, does that remain one of the driving forces and what keeps you even going now? And now it's so much giving me driving forces. You know what I'm saying? I've devoted my whole life to this now, because it's like I can't go back to being a regular person, no matter what.

Even if I was a regular, I still wouldn't be a regular person. So that's the drive right there. And I always want to leave a legacy. I don't want to never be a used to be a a, could have been, you know what I'm saying? People don't talk about that enough, man. They don't talk about how like, you know, when you got people that believe in you in a real way, whether it's Thug, whether it's Apollo.

They support us a whole lot. Yeah, yeah, they make a big difference. In everything, you only gotta just be music. And when you got people who believe in you, you a little dry. Who do you believe in right now? Cause you got yourhmm. Who do you believe in right now? Because you got your label. Who do you believe in?

Do you see one of them next superstars coming from Atlanta under you? Yeah, definitely. Ralo ain't from Atlanta. He's from Alabama. I definitely see it in him. I got a new little origin. I ain't new to him. You know what I'm saying? But what I see in him might not be what everybody else see in him, though. you know what I'm saying? But what I see in them might not be what everybody else see in them though. You know what I'm saying?

How do you still let them grow as artists even though you are on a different level? Cause you seeing things that they haven't seen or may not see, they may not have the success you have. So how do you just let them be them and not put too much pressure on them? Yeah, I don't got or may not see. They may not have the success you have. So how do you just let them be them and not put too much pressure on them? I don't got no pressure on them at all, whatever y'all wanna do.

I still just explaining to y'all how I did it. Cause I shot up fast, but I took all the steps too. I just did it fast. So like I had to go through everything they going through already. So I can tell them and try to comfort them a little bit. You feel like you put too much pressure on yourself? Just as far as who you are, not even just a little baby,

as far as just being Dominique. Like probably taking care of people in your hood. Yeah, no, because I'm on some shit. Like, I ain't never scared to say no. You know what I'm saying? I know when I can say, you know what I'm saying? It's like I ain't gonna put myself in their position, where it's like I'm stretched out trying to do for everybody else.

Like, maybe back in the day I might've wouldn't been, but like at this point, my kids, they don't have my hype. You know what I'm saying? Fuck a nigga. What? Sup, 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, Nimini, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nymonee 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.

Flash slam, another one gone. Bash bam, another one gone. The cracker, the bat, and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone, bash bam. Another one gone, the cracker to 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. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, he was Claudette Goldman. 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 iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What was the program you enrolled in at Harvard Business School? A business class called Lunch and New Ventures. What made you want to do that?

Was that Swiss or? Yeah, the Swiss and the Leisure Keys. What did they tell you that made you want to do it? Swiss had already been telling me to do it for about a year. And two or three more people told me, they don't even know I know him. Telling you Swizz been a good guy for you,

let's go with it. After you know a nigga, just see what I be on, like how I'm really living. Then after the third person called me, I'm like, man, this is the third person talking to me. I just went on and got in the class. What'd you learn from it? I already know how to do the basics of a business.

It's just like hustling. You know what I'm saying? It's basically the same thing, but I learned the exact details and exact terminology and exact ways to go about getting a loan or starting to invest in a pool. Like, I know how to do all that, but I learned the technical way of it.

And I saw that you invested in a network. What's it, the Huvaran Network? What is that? That's something like one of my friends and stuff created. I just invested with them. I'm with everybody trying shit, you know what I'm saying? How many investments you got right now? I know you own a lot of property.

I can't even tell you. I try to invest more than I spend. You know what I'm saying? That's what I be on. And that's what I mean, like, if they say, when you talk about having a long music career, do you really need to have a long music career? I do, I do, I do it right. Okay.

Yeah, nah. I know people who live way better than most of the musicians. Mm-hmm. Know what I'm saying? Musicians. Do you want to have a long music career? Now, my goal, your goal always to be Michael Jackson. What?

Go out till you die, you know what I'm saying? But I, for the life expectancy of a rap career and stuff, I always know it ain't that long for me. You know what I'm saying? I don't even think I want it to be that long unless I was like Michael Jackson level. You know what I'm saying? Always like, you just gotta do this shit.

You know what I'm saying? About five years ago, you said your ultimate goal is to make sure your son and any other kids didn't have to grow up the way you grew up. Do you believe you met that goal already? Yeah, no, because we still growing, you know what I'm saying? Still a everyday cycle.

Should I be saying it? Should I be on 20 years from now? Shit. Not like come back in two years and ask me, like, it's going to take 20 years for this shit. And I know you a private person, but when you got people around you, close to you, like the mother of your child, she's a public figure,

a lot of times parts of your life come online because of her, does that ever bother you? Yeah, yeah, but it be a part of like, not taking good with the bad and this shit, you know what I'm saying? Like, if we don't really be now, you could do about it, I don't try to put too much energy into it. And it piss you off when you see the internet,

like the internet be making comments about your children. A thousand percent, you know what I'm saying? I can't go ahead and comment on every comment though, you know what I'm saying? I just have to do what I gotta do behind the scenes, you know what I'm saying? And what does that look like behind the scenes? Telling them like, man, stop posting my family all the time.

And I don't even say shit like that. I just talk to my children. I don't really. Because my children are old enough to come and hear shit. You know what I'm saying? So I talk to them. What do you want for yourself in 2025 when this Wham album drops?

What do you hope it does? Well, I'm trying to drop Wham album then a couple more months, drop a Dominique album. Then I got like two other situations lined up. I got my whole 2025 prepared planned out though So so being away these past couple of years you just you knew what you wanted to do when you came back I'm sure I just knew I knew the point I needed to get to to do what I needed to do. Mm-hmm It's wham is wham gonna be like the street album or is this going to be this good music?

It's like I don't really know if the street album and the streets ain't the same no more. You know what I'm saying? I just like, I don't even want like real music than like street music. You know what I'm saying? Cause the streets, they change. You know what I'm saying?

How does Atlanta feel now? Like when you see things like, you know, what happened with Thug? Atlanta is totally different from what it used to be. Dramatic change. But I am 30 now. It was our generation. It's our whole new generation. Do you even still like being there?

Because it was weird, right? It was a weird period when Thug went away. It felt like they was trying to put targets on everybody. Like they was hoping something bad happened to you. That's like the narrative. That's what the fuck you mental up. Imagine not doing nothing. You know you don't do nothing, but it's just, that's the type of shit you got to see and

the shit you got to live through. That shit will really fuck you up if you ain't strong. And you ever wonder, like, why do y'all want something to happen? I mean, I just understand people, you know what I'm saying? I know it, just, that shit come with the territory. So does that ever make you just wanna fucking get the money and just disappear,

get all the way out the way? Yeah, a thousand percent. Do you think shit like, when they see pictures like Michael Rubin and, you know, he's a friendly dude, he like to hug and shit like that, when they see you hug, when Michael Rubin hugging you, you think that has an impact? Michael Rubin would never hug me.

I was dapping Kuzmin up and Mike happy to see me, he ran over there, we started like wrestling, like touching it. And that picture, Mike, one of my real good friends, we had a party with a goddamn two, 300 people. It's nothing weird to go on with all these people in the mix, you know what I'm saying? But I ain't gonna get on the internet

and go back and forth and all that, like. I told him, man, that's a crazy looking picture, you know what I'm saying? But, shit, it is what it is. So when you see stuff like that, you don't even want to comment. You just, like, let people talk. Yeah, that's it. I ain't trying to explain my point and all that, man.

You look like you lying. I ain't with all that. You know what I'm saying? What's the best investment he put you on? Because I spoke to him one time, and he said this publicly. He gave Meek the largest investment he ever got, a borrow out he got back in his life. Have you been there for a while?

Yeah, we don't really got nobody else who's gonna give us them time investments. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? He ain't no like, people will be like, well, you running out here with the white boys and all that, but where the black men at who gonna help a nigga out?

And you know, color thing with me, it's like, this shit be for us. Know what I'm saying? I don't even know white people. Anything I learn, I'm gonna help. I only get better at my people. Know what I'm saying? No matter where I learned it from,

or where I gotta get it from. Know what I'm saying? And the fact that Mike actually understand it, that's what make us have a bond. Know what I'm saying? He give you the information for free. For free. Just cause he fuck with you. It's just simple shit.

They think niggas already know, we don't even be knowing that shit though. You know what I'm saying? What's your end goal? I don't got an end goal. Never stop. I might got end goals, but the majority of it is never stop. I might got an end goal with this or an end goal with this, but the majority of it is never stop. I might got an end goal with this or an end goal with this, but I'm never gonna stop.

I might just end here and keep going somewhere else. You mean just never stop as far as just building business? Just whatever. Whatever is gonna be farming, I'm gonna be doing it every day. Never stop. Did you imagine your life at 30? Like when you was younger and you was like in the streets gambling like the little baby that the old G is.

Can't even, you know you know one day I'm gonna be 30 but you can't imagine because you don't really know what it is. It's like the shit you gotta go through. But like Farz saying like, I know I'm gonna be 30 one day, like hell yeah. Oh, so you, okay that's good. So you never saw yourself not seeing 30.

Yeah, nah. Okay, cause you know you got some people good. So you never saw yourself not seeing 30? Yeah, nah. Okay. Cause you know, you got some people. My plan always been to be here, shit. Mm-hmm. I ain't trying to do nothing out of the ordinary and not be here. Especially now that you got kids.

Yeah. Yeah, you want to- I had kids for a long time now. Yeah, you want to see your grandkids, everything. I see. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So Dominique album, when's that gonna drop? The summer?

Maybe like three, four months after. Is it done? It's already done. But you know, like you're still in the recording process. I'm saying if I had, if I wanted to drop two of them today I could, but I'm in the midst of it. The way I'm being now, I still gonna like work on little shit and some trick, you know.

Does it feel like you're able to be more vulnerable in your music or on interviews? Or do you feel like you might write a book or was it the documentary? Like what was it, what do you think makes you be able to express yourself the most? Right now it's just me forcing myself to express myself more. I mean, I can't answer anything you say, but I just ain't gonna do it. So like now I just answer it, you know what I'm saying? Like try to make it more fun, but give people a different insight on you and shit.

I just feel like that's your disposition though. Like you always been like that. Like I remember the first time when Pete brought you to Breakfast Club years ago, you just always move like that. So forcing you to do it, I don't know if that's possible. Ain't nobody can't force me to do it. It's just something I'm gradually doing. Mm-hmm.

Know what I'm saying? So when they come to you and say, man, you got to make this kind of song. You got to make that kind of song. Nobody never can't. I'm even nothing like that. Right. It's just you. I ain't nothing like that.

You got to make this kind of song. I don't got that. I ain't never had that. So if you feel it, then you'll go out there and do it. That's it. That's it. It's been a formula for me. I don't got a ten person camp who built a song and this has been like authentic for

me. You know what I'm saying? Well man, baby, keep doing your thing, brother. You know? Appreciate you. Wham, who harder than me? This is like the fourth tape in that series, right? Yeah.

Yeah. So is this the last one? This the last wham? Nah. You know, it's just something that's there. All right. That's it. Absolutely.

I appreciate you. Appreciate you, brother. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thanks.