The Flycast - Is It Too Late To Chase Your Dreams | The Flycast Ep. 176

Episode Date: January 25, 2026

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2000, end of 2014 to like, maybe mid-2017 or something. I don't know. That was also another. Dope-ass. Dope-ass years. What would yours be to where like, not those years because my dad died. But I would say probably like 0-6 to 0-9.

I think my dad died too, actually, in 2011. I still had a good year, though. Oh. Wow. Blackass. episode 175. That brings us to it. That was a great segue for our next,

for our first topic about singing. Yeah. Riley, can you look up Impossible Dream Jennifer Hudson on YouTube? I saw this. Is this a song? Yeah, I saw this,

I saw this yesterday on like, I don't watch the fucking love singing. I do. There's some crazy shit. You really like singing. Yeah, the one on the, The one on the voice. So,

I think like, yeah. They're all saying Jennifer Singh. Why are they saying, wait, she's one of the judges? Yeah, she's one of the judges.

Will I. M's like, Will I. Am's like, are you singing? And then she looks at the band. Dude. What,

they just got downtime? Yeah. And so she looks at the band. Several song-filled hours. later. Oh my God, dog. Dog. Almost makes me emotional.

I was in bed last night and I was like, what the fuck? You were listening to that in bed? Yeah, well, it came up on a reel. I've been trying not to scroll, but I was scrolling last night. And that came up and I was like, damn. Dude, it gives me that type of shit, like gives me the chills. I used to

always watch those type of shows. What's the one? It's like, which one? It's like, Which one was that? Voice? The voice. Then there's like... American Idol.

Then there's... America's got talent. I think America's got talent. I think America's got talent's the one. But like the golden button and shit? I think so. And, uh, dude, just some of the people on there. It's just like, fuck, I wish I could sing.

What is it with the golden button? I think is if you do on America's got talent, if you, if you, if you're... They don't have to judge. Yeah, if your audition is good enough, somebody can hit the golden button. button and you're automatically in like the finals. Is it finals or just the next? I don't know. I think it's like you're deep.

It's just like fuck that. We're not having a discussion. I'm setting. Yeah, yeah, exactly. We're not voting on it. My name's Simon Calvill and I'm hitting it. And then people be like singing through the golden button confetti's coming down, the golden buzzer.

Yeah. Each judge presses their golden buzzer once during the season. Only once during the season? When it debuted. sending oh okay so it only went to the to the next round yeah you're right you're right you're upgraded sending straight act to the light yeah so they they skip the second round of auditions yeah so it goes straight to the live show which is cool if you could Riley is there a way for you to turn up my headphones yeah I'm a little quiet too like I'm

a little s s s s s s s yes yeah yeah yeah I think we're good now or I am if you could pick anyone to sing like who would it be and I think you're gonna hate my answer like if you like if you could sing because there's different types of singers there's anyone I

and it's hard to Stevie Ray Vaughn that motherfucker's voice can you look up life on life by the drop my answer is yeah is gonna piss everyone off

I almost want to sing like Justin Bieber if you look up Justin Bieber too much acoustic or like something like that it's not a bad answer it's so good

I think I don't want to sing like I mean you kind of hit that I don't want to that was a that was an A no I don't want to Riley got up each of I was like a Riley did this I don't want to, I don't care about singing like that, but there's like a certain.

Can you look up Life by the Drop by Stevie Raven? I don't know if it's like soul. See, I would not want to sing like this. Play too much Justin Bieber, but like, can you play the YouTube version to where he's like performing? Is that when he's like, maybe I know much. Maybe I don't know enough. Maybe I stop doing it. And I just know I'm going to get roasted for that answer.

No, I don't think you will. If you get roasted for that answer, something's wrong because dude I think Justin Bieber's song Lonely Oh my God that motherfucker can belt I know and you like feel it Dude did you know Finnis wrote that song

I think that's mad interesting I can't imagine writing a song This is lonely it's about how lonely It's about how lonely your life is It's about how you've been on display Since you were 10 years old And then some weird shit happened Diddy that everyone knows happened, but no one knows what happened. And so now you're singing to the world about how lonely you are here.

Do you want it? That's crazy to me. Yeah, like, I think, I think Justin hears that and like, it's emotional, like, not emotional, like, mad, but like, but like, holy shit. Like when he reads the lyrics and they're like, this is how, like, you know, they're probably saying, like, this is how you sing it. Like, obviously, he'll put his own little twas. twist on it. I think it's also crazy. I wonder if he gets emotional. I wonder if Beni Blanco is like a

godlike songwriter or if he is kind of just like the guy you want in the room. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because that almost like, have you seen that clip? Rick Rubin. Have you seen that clip of like of Ed Sheeran writing, uh, my mama don't like you and she likes everyone that Justin Bieber song. Yeah. It was an Ed Shearin song. And there's a clip of Benny, he's coming up with the chords and he's like coming up with the stuff. And then Benny Blanco will like say a couple of things. He was like, what if you did this? And then obviously one of the best pop songs ever written came out of it.

And Ed Shearin, he said like, yeah, I didn't, I didn't think it fit my album. So I gave it to Justin Bieber. It's crazy. And everyone thinks that that song's written about Selena Gomez, but he didn't even write it. Right. It's like, I mean, I think that happens. That's like the, whenever people say like Drake doesn't. write his own lyrics.

I think the art of like songwriting. The art of songwriting is like unbelievable. Like I want to be the guy where Justin Bieber's like, yo, can you come to the studio? Like I need help with this song. And like they like that's my dream to be. It's like you'll get there. That they trust. Like.

Yeah. It's almost like you in Optic where like Rogers like not sure about this. say like a merch drop. He's like, yo, Hitch, look at this. Are you saying that because that just happened? Yeah. But basically like that. When is this coming back?

Maniac booming, man. When's the return? I don't know. I couldn't tell. Teach me how to make a beat. I could do that. Let's, uh, I would have to, the thing is you got to like, you got to download FL studios.

You got to find packs. You got to, I think at this time I was buying the VST's fucking Nexus. But I think I was like buying the VSTs, which costs like hundreds of dollars. Like I probably spent like a couple grand buying like VL studios, the VSTs, different drum packs. I had splice. So I was just like paying for different shit. I mean, maybe not a couple grand, maybe like $1,500. I can't believe you stopped right when you were learning how to sample. I guess I feel like that's the most fun part. I think I probably stopped taking Addy. because I would always take

I would always kind of take breaks for Maddie once it was getting too bad or ran out I'd take a little break and I don't know man I just I'm so bad at like if I was to if I was to take an Addy right now I don't know if I've like talked about it on the firecast but like you would get shredded

no I would get very skinny fat but if I was to take if I was to take an Addy right now and you would sit me in front of a computer that had NFL studio downloaded, had like Nexus, Omnisphere, and had like a bunch of drum packs. I could probably sit there for like 8, 12, 16, 24 hours straight

and like just indulge myself in it. Relearn it real quick, learn how to do everything. Yeah. But like if you sat me in the other room and say like, here's FL studio, I'd probably fuck with it for like an hour, but then I'm just like, oh my God. I don't remember how to do this shit. There's so much to learn, bro.

Just like not remembering how to do stuff and then having to look it up and fuck, how do I do this again? How do I make the, how do I put these together? I've been really getting into like guitar again. And I'm, I always get to the point where like I catch up to where I was. And then I'm like, fuck. There's such a hump between like learning everything.

And then like that next level where it's like, I'll watch like fucking John Mayer play. And I'm like, dude, I'll never be able to do that. and then I want to give up. Do you think it's like just a, like how I can go back to Halo and kind of not get where I was when I was a pro, but I can get to where I'm like, okay, I'm playing pretty good again.

Yeah, but then there's, it's like I'm never, I'm not, I'm never going to play as good as Frosty. Well, I mean, I'm never going to play as good as Renegger.

I would more say it's more like Fortnite because going pro is different. I would say it's more like, Fortnite where you get to where you get you could probably play for a week and get as good as you once were with building and shit yeah but then you watch everyone else building and you're like I'm not gonna yeah I'm not gonna be able to fucking edit and all that shit I'm not saying like no I just gotta put the work right exactly years like no it's impossible right right do you think that's the same thing with like genetics on is it like a genetic thing with a genetic thing with like guitars?

No, no. I, I, I'm just dedicating your life to it. I kind of like regret. I think with music, like there's,

there's people that are really good at, at playing music that didn't start till they were in their 30s or 40s. Like, oh shit. There's, there's, there's like 70 year old guys out there on the internet, like playing guitar and they're playing like nice,

like really good. So I do have hope. I think music, I think music is a little different because I don't, I think you can lose your, you can lose your, hand, eye coordination, you can lose your physical strength, but like, you'll, that ear for music, I think you can keep it. Like, the lead singer of, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin still touring.

The lead singer of Led Zeppelin is still, like, 78. And he is fucking, like, his new band is like, amazing. They're playing in, they're playing in Dallas next month, and I, Loki want to go. I wonder if he, like, loves doing it. Freddie Mercury was almost 28. Almost 20. when Queen released their debut album. Queen. Yeah, I mean, I guess, I don't know. That doesn't sound too crazy. Because it's not like, that's when he released their debut album.

It's not like, if it said Freddie Mercury started making music when he was 28, like just bought his first piano. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Because I feel like that's, because I was talking to someone else about this that I almost want to, I mean, first off, I'm fucking so tired of spending money. on just everything, everything, something new. Yeah.

But I kind of want to do piano lessons. But I don't know if I should. And I've been doing some research about it. And like some people will come to your place or you can go to their place. Yeah. Or you can do, I think like guitar center does some lessons. Yeah. Yeah.

And because I feel like obviously you can, you don't need that. You can go to YouTube and learn everything. Everything. But YouTube is, I feel like I'm the type of learner. to where I need someone who knows their shit. I go, say I go in there for a class, but when we practice, and then he says, all right,

I say it's a Tuesday. And he was like, all right, come back Thursday, but by Thursday, have this fucking down. Right. Like a, I don't know about a new song, but like learn this. Like a scale or something.

Yeah, like progress, get better with this by Thursday. Like I need that type of stuff. I feel like I can't just like go through YouTube videos and like, and I'm sure there's actual real educational courses that do go step by step. Yeah, yeah. But I need like, I need someone telling me exactly what to do by this time. And like, I feel like I'll get better like that. But doing piano lessons is something that's been, it's always been my mom. I played it and I took piano in college.

And I actually kind of enjoyed it. I remember for our final, we had to play a song. in front of the class. I was so nervous. But I, like, played it perfectly. I don't even... No, it wasn't something like... Ding, ding, ding.

I almost want to say, like... I almost want to say... I don't want to say old McDonald. I've heard Masterclasses. But it was... Something like that? No, it was something, I think, decent. But, like, I was so nervous,

but I actually, like, clutched up and kind of played it perfect. But it was fun. And it was, I just, I just fucking enjoyed doing it. And I've always had an infatuation for pianos, hearing pianos, like just people playing them live. You know, like a rando would get on a piano in a hotel lobby or something or just anywhere. Or at like a restaurant or I always had an infatuation.

I feel like piano. I feel like piano, like obviously you can be really good at piano and you can like be good at classical piano and shit and like instrumental stuff. but I feel like in order to really unlock the piano you gotta be able to sing I think you gotta be able to like play unless you're making beats and shit unless you're like using it as a keyboard yeah but like people that like

have someone that can sing or they can just sing or you have somebody that can sing that's why I want to get I feel like when you're when you're playing guitar unless you're playing like country chords and you can just like you know use it as a backing track to amplify your voice

I like I like watching people like really like fucking get down with the guitar and and I'm kind of like regretting the last decade of my life, like putting it away. Yeah, I mean,

I, I think I would be fucking disgusting at guitar if I like kept with it. Bro, some of the people like, like K. Beasy, who, do you know K. Bezzy? Dude,

that was, he's like a producer. Okay. He's done songs. I want to say he did some songs with Juice World. This shit's crazy. But he's like an optic fan. Okay.

And same with Nick Mira. Nick Mera like made a lot of songs with, do you know Nick Mera? He made like a lot of songs with Juice World and shit. He's an optic fan? I don't know about optic fan, but like he knows about, like, I went in his stream and I think he like knew who I was. Like he followed me on Twitter.

Oh, that's fire. And, um, yeah. So I don't know if he's like a fan, but like those type of people back in the scuff house, they, those type of people were like, not just getting started, but they were still like, you could reach them. Like if I DM them, they're DM and me back. Right. Now I don't know so much.

Maybe K. Beasy. Who's the guy that Pam's good friends? I think KBZ. I don't think so. Pam's friends with like another dude too. He's whoever, whoever produced Hell yeah, fucking right.

That's who. Oh. That's who Pam's friends with. I can't remember his name. What is his fucking name? Yeah, no, Pam. Pam knows some people too.

Yeah. But yeah, I feel like sometimes if I just would if I just would have really kept with it and just not been, in it's it's so annoying because I look back at it T minus yes that is it how the fuck do you find that out he looked up hell yeah fucking right yeah that makes sense um but if I just would a addie it all so bad it just makes it such a if I didn't take addie I was just

not interested in it at all yeah but like I feel like if I would have just been sort of in the mindset that I am now, I could have just, what I've even got into it as much as I was, but say I did, if I just would have kind of took it serious, like when I'm, when I'm not streaming or even start doing shit like that on stream and just making beats and hanging out with people, meeting people from LA. And when we go there, hang out with them, visit their studio, like, just kind of, you know, stay in that loop. I do kind of wonder, like, could I have gotten, like, pretty good? Could I have made some? something out of it.

Not saying I'd be like, you know, a number one producer for, I'd be like a shitty Plac Boy. Well, I don't even think Plac Boy Max makes beats. I think he just like. Really? I thought that was a whole thing. He does, but the beats I've heard, I feel like they're not, he's not like a beat maker. He kind of just like engineers by, I think he gives ideas and lets people rap and like,

lets them punch in and shit. And he's like pretty fast at doing that. He is very fast. But I think it's almost more like a... I could be wrong. Maybe Plack Boy Max does have more credit to his name than I know of. But I just see stuff on stream where it's like he's just kind of like plugging them in and doing that. I don't really think he makes like hard-ass beats like that.

But I mean, that would sort of be my goal would be just, you know, making hard-ass beats and collabing on shit. And I do kind of wonder where that would have went. Did you ever watch the cave when... But it's like I could start now. When Kenny Beetz was making the cave. Yeah, I've watched some of those episodes. Those were so fun. That's what I'm saying.

That shit was so fun. I can't believe he stopped doing that. Like, that shit was amazing. Yeah. Like, he could have kept doing that. Because at one point, like, uh, he's the Vince Staples episode,

which is like probably the most popular one. He goes, uh, he like makes fun of Vince Staples at one point. And he was like, oh, if you keep fucking with me, you're going to fuck up your Billy Eilis check.

And I was like, bro, if he kept doing the cave, like, that could have been some shit like, like, what, uh, hot ones turned into where it's like, like, artists go to the cave to promote their new album. And I don't think he ever wanted, I think he wanted to like, he, he, like, he liked the, like, not underground, but like, he liked it being, he liked it feeling like, he didn't want Adele in fucking. Yeah, I mean, I should have. I actually I actually But like he was getting like The homies in Yeah

That he fucked with Yeah yeah He put me on to a lot of music With that one series Like that one guy he does music with I can't even remember his name at that point But I was listening to this whole EP That him and Kenny Beets made

Because I was because I just heard of him from From that series It's like dude I think producers and shit are so So I think Like when you think of producers Obviously my first thought is hip hop but imagine being the producer in the studio for like

the diary of Jane like you gotta be sitting there and you're like we just made the best song ever like you're mixing all the music together or even the producers like in the 70s in the 80s like imagine being in there for Bohemian Rhapsody like the producers probably like what the fuck did we just we just made some bullshit not knowing that it's going to be the best it's going to be the best song ever yeah like imagine I think there's story of like queen going to the labels and they're like this is our song this is what we want to be our single and it's like mama me mama me let me go and the suits are the suits are like what the fuck did you just play us get back make fat bottom girls

or we will walk we will rock you we're the champions yeah that's what we're putting out yeah but like i i think about that shit all the time like i i can't imagine being a rock producer i feel like that would be so fun. I mean, just imagine people have, like, recreated Michael Jackson tracks and show how many, like, layers of his vocals that he'll put in songs. And what was

Michael Jackson's producer's name? I can't remember. Super. Actually, I don't think I ever knew. I think you'll know the name when you hear it. What is Riley? Oh, Quincy Jones. Yeah, okay. I do know that. But, like, there's, you know, obviously videos out there of, like, them in the studio. And

It's just like, oh, it's so insane, man. I wish I could have seen a Michael Jackson show live. That fucking, bro, we, I don't know if we give enough credit to how insane that just entire Jackson 5 to Michael Jackson, to working with Quincy Jones, to making these albums, to doing the music videos, to having the most sold singles and albums of all time. I think thrillers, like, by far the most sold album of all time, and it's not even close. I could be wrong. You might be right.

No, you might be right. Unless it's, is it Abbey Road? I don't know. But like that mother, like that, I don't think that can ever be replicated again. Like a mic, just ever from how insane he's holding. I agree with you. Jackson 5 to Michael Jackson, his album sales, his concerts with girls passing out. The color, the changing of his skin, holding baby over balcony.

I think he is. Like, it's just weak. like it's so fucking ins and none of it was like this like because low key I'd be thinking some celebrities know like about the shock value and like this is gonna get right this is gonna get attention on my name and clicks and then I have an album dropping in two months I get you Michael Jackson I don't think any of that was going lady Gaga with the meat suit and shit yeah like but Michael Jackson he

had his life was just a fucking movie motherfucker like couldn't fall asleep without injecting whatever it was to go to sleep, like, change the color of a surgery, like, just absolutely insane. I think, I think we talked about it during the race to mass prestige, but I think he is going to go down in human history as the most famous person ever. Because it was before the internet, but it was during massive media like television. so like you don't have access to these people every day where you get desensitized by them but are we

thinking like the world wide i mean besides jesus i'm saying like i mean like i'm thinking like do kids in iraqq know about michael jackson do kids more so more so than any some random i would say town in china i would say michael jackson is more famous than than messy than rinaldo more famous than I mean the Pope is kind of weird because the Pope is just the Pope and there's different

popes. No one knows the Pope. Okay. You show me the Pope, I don't know Pope. If he's not wearing his Pope. I still want to,

I would still think, I would still say like AI Pope. What is the most sold album ever, Riley? It's a thriller. It is thriller? 70 million.

70 million. And this is actual like, I think physical. copies. Oh yeah. Like 12 bucks each or something. Yeah. Insane.

Insane. There's probably and this is, what year was Thriller? 82. So CDs aren't out yet. So they're cassettes and they're still vinals. Yeah. And

it sold 70 million. I don't there's like certain. Holy. What else, man? There's plenty of stuff where I'm just like, we don't like think, we don't like talk about this enough.

And like, like, there, there should be a documentary that has like, that you can rewatch. What do you think are the most, it's so good? What do you think are the most famous musicians that are still underrated?

Even though they're famous. Even though they're like super famous. Drake. I'm not even joking when I say that. I don't think people, like people aren't. realizing from not only in like 2006, 2007 when he made like, or I think it's maybe 2005, 2006, he made like comeback season and had like some mixtapes, which were pretty good.

And then so far gone. Then it's just album, the album, the album, the album, the album, the album, the album, the album. Not only his albums, but his features, the features, the features to his singles. It's the number, number one, number one, number one, number one, number one, number one, number one, number one, in a, in a genre that was always sort of, it's definitely not the most popular genre. Biggie, Tupac, DMX, 50 cent, M&M. Like, it was every year, little Wayne, fucking, I don't know, Nelly.

Like, it was always kind of someone, someone might have it for like two years. Right. And then here comes 50 cent. Yeah. 50 cent might have it for two years. Here comes low Wayne. Lowell might, Wayne might have it for four or five.

Four or five. And then people, then people are like, Low Wayne's the goat. That's true. Then Drake takes it and just has it for the next 16 years. Like, it's not fucking.

You're making good points. You're making good points. It's not like talked about enough. And it's just, and it's because he's, I think there are people that did. He's light skin. He's not hard.

And he's kind of corny. Lives in Canada. And he talks. talks a little suss. Yeah. So it's like, it's just not cool to like acknowledge that as the goat. Right. But it's like when you just look at what he's done, it is fucking absurd.

Yeah. I think there is a level where like you're so famous that you're still underrated because people like kind of downplay. I'm like, oh, he's just famous because of this. What's like, that's not true. Like Drake was writing some of Alicia Keys' songs. Drake wrote a lot of Kanye's songs. and it's like that's the kind of stuff

that's the little nitpicky stuff that you don't really think about it. People will be like well this person wrote this for Drake or like they did a like yo here's the beat here's how like the verse should go here's an idea for a verse. It'll be a song no one gives a fuck about yeah but they'll find that

and it's just like that's how I do think the weekend went crazy on Take Care depending on what the weekend wrote because there's a lot of like singing parts of take care that's like godlike and if the weekend was good if the weekend played as big a part as people say did that's music I agree

I don't know is there an artist that just does every single thing by themselves I'm sure there is I'm sure they're like I'm sure Janeikis does don't care though Payman Paula why are we looking at Tame and Paula?

Oh wait Taman Paula is one guy oh I thought it was a band he does all the instruments and like writes all the lyrics and but i bet tame and paula sits in the studio writes for other people i bet you this guy has written for other people well yeah but i also bet he's in the studio with other people and they're giving ideas so saying this for the chorus no instead of that say this yo i have an idea for the verse first first verse it should say this and then the bridge and then you write something for the second verse or like that like that's just how fucking music yeah he's he's

produced for Lady Gaga Rihanna Kanye Dula Lipa the weekend guerrillas Travis Scott Don Tolliver yeah I mean I think music is a collaborative thing except in hip hop verses Hip hop versus

That's when people say It shouldn't be collaborative anymore Which is fine And I don't think I But like bro And I've been You know we all say

Kendrick won the beef Sure but I ain't gonna lie I've been putting together a gym playlist and I dabbled into push-ups and Family Matters and I'm like pro I'll say it to the end of time

insane family matters is the best song from the beef and I don't think it's even No one's putting on not like no one's putting on any of those Kendrick disses over like there are parts Family Matt three different sections There are parts of euphoria

There are parts of euphoria that are really good. But does it like... But there are not... Dude, I think... I think euphoria is so overrated. Like, I think people wanted... Is that the point when he's talking?

When it starts with him going backwards... Reh-ch-ch-vish-mish-mosh-flip... Euphoria. Is that the one of him, like, talking, though? Like... Superpowers getting neutralized. I... It's coming out fighting.

It's like, I don't... There's... Like, I look back and I'm like... But, like, okay, now that we take all the like pedo shit away. Right. Let's let's actually just listen to the songs. Right. Which one like

are you replaying? Which one gets you going? Which one? Who's actually like saying some shit fucking Family Matters is the best one. I think the one that he the one that Kendrick released off the one that Kendrick released on Instagram where he's like talking shit about act

like, uh, uh, I just don't think I I think it's good, but I don't think it... Yeah, I don't... People think I hate Kendrick. Yeah, I definitely don't hate Kendrick. I listen to a lot. I think it's Drake Kendrick and Jay Cole.

I still think is... I think people tried to... Anyway, not to talk about the fucking beef again for the 500th time. But like, we've basically realized Drake won, right? No, I was... I don't know why they even got into this. But I tweeted... I tweeted Pomage just like, Learie.

from Family Matters and I was just like oh my fucking God it's not even just like the lyrics himself like it has to be how they say it the beat that it said the cadence that it's that it said the flow in which it said like it the second verse the second verse of family matters when he went out of everybody is fucking un like what do you say about Rick Ross like how do we get back on track from this I think I think the most overrated track from the from that whole time was the fucking Meet the Grams thing. Most overrated?

Because Meet the Grams is Kendrick talking to We gotta get off. We'll get off. We'll get off. Fuck it. Anyways.

People that are famous, too famous. Well now, and now they are underrated because they are so famous. Oh, there was a question behind all.

this? What was it? Anyone that's too? Too famous that now they are underrated because they're so famous. I think... They're good as fuck, then they got famous as fuck, and now they're... Now they're underrated. I think Bruno Mars is underrated. Okay. I think Bruno Mars' voice is... And his... The way that he puts songs together, now who knows?

I think if there was ever... I think people like to call The Weekend Our Generations Michael Jackson. I don't agree with that. I think the weekend I never got into the weekend I don't I don't hate him I don't there's no reason for me to yeah even now people say like

the Drake and they have beef now I don't I could care less about that don't even know anything about it even when weekend was with Drake I still I was never I've never been a weekend fan for whatever reason it just doesn't

and I like singing I like sort of the you're doing I feel like his music's good for like being drunk doing cocaine and you're in your hotel late at night looking over the city of Vegas. Yeah.

And like it's, it's 1 a.m. But you're still about to like get dressed and go out. Do you judge? When you're fucked up and you're sad and you're missing hurt. Like when guys say, I love that kind of music, but I,

for some reason, weekend just doesn't hit for me. When guys say their favorite artist is the weekend, do you look at them different? I do. I do. Like when James, when James is like,

yeah, I can't wait to go to the weekend. show. I'm like, by yourself? What are you doing? I mean, I can see, I can see why people do like I, I, he is a good, he is a good artist. He has good songs. Yeah, but I don't think, I don't cringe when his music comes on, but as much hype is behind him in which I understand, like when people, when we talk about Drake and people are like,

I don't hate Drake. Why? People are like, I don't hate Drake, but like, I just can't get into. And I'm like, okay. I mean, sure. I can understand that But that's how I feel about weekend Is that

I think the weekend is very much like I think he's talented I think he's good I think his music sounds good His last album that came out I listened to the whole thing In like a gym session I was like there's there was two songs

That like got me I was like fuck yeah There's some bangers on that album But besides that I don't know I'm just not a weekend I also think Lady Gaga is fucking incredible

Like incredible Bro if you actually go I even think her like if you listen to her lyrics like it's kind of hidden making albums what has she been making albums?

I don't think so I don't remember the last time also doja cat I feel like doja cat's kind of underrated she be spitting doja cat if you go listen to doja cat albums

she makes some hard ass she makes some hard songs she also makes some like songs songs you can strike fuck too that's what I've heard I think we've got to expand your horizons onto what because I remember one time in the scuff house

I came downstairs you were taking a shower in my shower which you always jacked I probably jacked like once or twice in there but that's not what I meant I meant like you stole my shower because you had your own shower and you didn't use it I didn't mean jack off jacked it once or twice

I'd Jesus but I would use the toilet bowl reverse toilet style. You would like cowboy or reverse cowgirl The first cowgirl The toilet?

Well it would be I think I'm just cowgirl The straddle it I'm cowgirling your toilet Okay Anyway I came downstairs And you had like your JBL

And you were like in there showering And I could hear you listening to Jimmy Hendrix Addie peeking Yeah had to have been And I was like Are you listening to fucking Hendricks right now and I was like damn like Nick's really

Nick's really like expanding his horizons I mean that was it you never I think I got out that shower and then you were like man I was like this motherfucker's trash deleted him off my Spotify search they're fucking idiot I did when you were you've had some

like Boston I think I listened to when we were doing our little album thing yeah I don't know what it is what is it that makes people just you're pretty go to certain things you're pretty much strictly hip hop and electronic seems like yeah i listened to a lot of house music and i listen to is he trying to i think he's clipping he's clipping shit he's sick and like sat on it reverse and just he he found you talking about this before if i did that how do you not know if you

did that was this recently oh my god we've done too many of these yeah we're just we're just We say the same shit. We say the same shit. I was six episodes ago. Oh, my God. Oh, shit. But what was it? What were we talking about?

Oh, how certain people just like certain stuff. I've been listening to a lot of like, see, would you listen to like Benny the Butcher and like Zelda? Yeah, yeah. And I've been putting together a gym, a gym. It's called like Jim Flow State, 26. Okay. And it's just songs that like, I put that on.

I'm like, like, like, it just, it gets, it gets me in that state. Yeah. Yeah, that was me in your bathroom.

Okay. But you never, there's not like a, you were never like a Lincoln Park guy or like, I mean, there's a, trying to think of like,

probably more so limp biscuit. Limp biscuit, okay. But I couldn't like tell you an album, but what, hot dog flavored water. Was that one? I have no idea.

I was, never a limp biscuit guy maybe a little limp biscuit i think when we did because we were talking about it last episode when uh we did like your your life's playlist like that we that was like five years ago at this point but i think you put it was 10 songs nine of them were rap songs and then the 10th one was fucking kid rock and i was like kid rock the ball to bang na bang niggie dee dee he's a i mean i even have here's some songs i was playing on the drive here where i was like i'm on a fucking roll. Five minutes later.

See, like, I'd be listening to, but I couldn't even tell you now, like, who's that artist? Right. I don't know. I think that's why I... But I like, but I know the songs. I'd be listening to shit. I just don't be putting together like, I just don't be knowing names of the titles, titles of the songs, the artist.

Did I tell you I bought an iPod? I think you did tell me. I bought an iPod. It's got 500 and fucking 50 gigs of hard drive and an upgraded, or space and it's got an upgraded battery. And what are you going to do with that? I just want to, I want to put albums on it. I love, I've been on my album shit lately.

Like, ever since I made that video. You like the project of an album. This is live work. I think, I think when we were in high school, middle school, high school, albums were such a big deal. Like the new Red Hot Chili Peppers albums come out. You're like, holy shit. I got.

I listened to the whole thing. And I think that stopped. Like, even like, like, 2011, I think 2011 is very, very underrated for music. I think Take Care came out then, Big Sean's album, Waleigh's album. Probably some Wiz Galifa. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Like the mixtape era and the album era. Like you would put out mixtapes to get your name out and then you put your album out for like on the hip-hop side of things. And like people listen to full albums. We all had CD players in our car and we'd put the whole CD in. You would actually learn the full album. Yeah. And nowadays you just

listen to the single and then you click whatever is next on Spotify. and now you're listening to a whole other artist, whole another genre. It's like, I kind of miss, like, when I'm going around and asking people their favorite albums, like, I'm making another version of that, like, in the optic studios, like, with all the people that work here. And, like, I asked Savannah, and she was like, I don't know albums. She was like, I haven't, like, I'm, she's like, I'm a Gen Z. Like, when was she born? And she was like, I don't really listen to, like, albums.

I've just always, I've grown up on Spotify. See, I'm the same. I'm the same way after 2014. That's what I'm saying, like, after 2014. And I miss it. So that's why I've been kind of like, I feel like there's got to be some like diamonds in the rough out there of like, because when was the last time you listen to a full like album multiple times?

Not like Drake releases an album. I miss just having that one album in your car to where you get in your car that album's in. I think you listen to that. I think views. Actually, no, the sleep token albums are different. I don't even know if I had a Drake album. I feel like I had to. I mean in the, in the.

Jeep, we had all of them. Yes. But in my car, I remember just having like the infamous by Mobb Deep, this one below album that like people don't even know that artist. I kind of think what other albums I had. It wasn't much because I was just playing the same fucking albums every single day. I had like. Maybe like a Carter 3 or something.

Yeah, yeah, Carter. I remember Carter 4 came out when that 2011. 11 year as well. And that shit was fire. It was so good. It was so fun to listen to. Jay Cole's debut album, I believe was that year as well. I think that was the most piece I've ever been in my life.

From like 2009. Actually, that's not completely true. 2012 is pretty bad. 2009. 2009 was a good year for you? I would say 2008 to 2008, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

is like a section. I think I had like the least stress. Had such good times with my friends. Was driving, enjoying weed, the music, like just eating what I want, taking my TV over to my friend's house

and we're just like landing Halo. I'm playing them in like one B one octagons. Like I think that time, and they were like, like older than me and cooler than me. They were like popular in high school and shit. Yeah. They would have like girls around sometimes.

Right. That's my life. It just felt like I was ascending there and everything just felt cool. Like I felt cool because I was like I was with the cool kids and then they're like, this motherfucker just won a world championship and Hala like he's the fucking man watching play. And people would just be standing behind me watching me play Octagon. And they're like, oh my fucking God.

And it was just like, like you just see, see my. face change while talking about this. Yeah, we're talking about 2009, again. But just that, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2010, 2011 with just the music, the vibe, I think. Because nowadays, every fucking day is stress. What is my, where he's stressed about? But these days, every day just seems a little stressful.

You're thinking about your past. You're thinking about your future. What are you going to do today? I don't, I don't feel like it. Why do I feel like this today? My stomach hurts today. I got a shit. I fucking shouldn't eat that last night.

Fucking fuck. What are we got? It was streaming. What is the ideas for streaming? Well, if I'm not doing it, I got to clutch up with this. And my views are low and this. Every day. I know that pissed you all.

Every day. Every day there's just, I should have kept yown. I know that pissed you. But I'm running out of options. But like every day now, it's like, that's just where your head's at. I guess when you get older, like your head's just fucking. Yeah. Gotta figure it out.

Can't fucking... Anyways. So that's why I just... I think that era, and I'm going to ask you... 2008, 2009, 2009, 2000. I think that was the least stressful and, like, most doped up era, I think I was a part of.

Second place would be early end of 2014, going into 2015, joining Optic, moving into the house, and then moving into the scuff house. Because I was in a, I don't even think, I think I was only taking Addy for online tournaments and at tournaments at tournaments at that point. Yeah. When we moved into the scuff house, that changed quickly. But, like, that was another era where I was the music.

Yeah. Listen into, like, future and shit. Me and Flamesore going to the gym. Me and Bose listening to music, getting food with Crim Six, uh, us doing whatever we fucking did. You losing to me in a rap battle. like just that 2000 end of 2014 to like maybe mid 2017 or something I don't know that was also another dope ass dope ass years what what would yours be to where like not those years because my dad died but um I would say probably like 06 to own I think my dad died too actually in 2011

I still had a good year though Actually That's when I had my first panic attack After my dad died Two months later I had my first real panic attack That is that I think has affected me to this day Was that like with clutch and all them? Yeah

Yeah Remember clutch was telling me that I think we've probably talked about this before But he was a cop at the time right? Or no not yet And he was like I haven't I have to call the police Because you were like

I was telling them I might have to call an ambulance. I think my heart's going to explode. Yeah. But I was like freaking like mouth dry. I felt so like God, everyone's looking at me like I'm a freak loser. Yeah. Like I'm sweating.

Fuck it. That sounds like. I remember I went to Elamite and I was like, yo, feel my chest. And he was like, oh my God. You were probably like 180? And then this dude 610 is walking around with a taser gun. This is, this is. Why?

I don't know. Where were you? can't be like I don't that's I was so if he hit you with it you thought you were gonna die like imagine a deer running from like a fucking bear and like there's not many thoughts and it's just everything bad is happening and it's just so scary then I see him with this thing and I'm just like I just go lay on the couch and I'm like I might die here it was bad yeah that sounds terrible like a decent I think a decent year maybe it's just before I would say my years were 06 to 09 06 to 09 was really fun and then also the 2016 year 2015-2015-2016

0-6-0-9 was very much like I'm developing as a person I'm playing guitar all the time and you know we're going to football games on the weekends and everything's hunky-dory and my parents did a very good job of like protecting the world me from the world they weren't hiding their kid from the world they were hiding the world they weren't hide in the world from they weren't hiding the kid from the world They were hiding the world from the kid. That's you. Yeah, that was what a...

They did a very good job. Like, I didn't... It's funny because you don't learn like how, well, I didn't learn how, like, crazy. Like, I thought my family... Because I had lived a very white picket fence life. Like, my parents did a really good job of, like, like I said, like, sheltering me. But, and I thought, like, everyone was like that. I thought the world was like that.

You didn't grow up in a neighborhood in a neighborhood where little bro ended up becoming a murderer whenever we go into our neighborhood, we're throwing up Rosewood. Like you didn't grow up like that? No. No, no, no. Like when I heard that, when I heard that other families

were like getting a divorce, I was like mortified. I was like, are you serious? Those, their parents don't love each other. And then like, and then, you know, life happens. And, and, you know, I go to college and then I start talking to my mom and she's like, yeah, here are all the things that happens in our family.

And I'm like, what? And it's just like, all right, we have like a, you know, every family has like their, everybody really has like crazy stories. And I was like kind of hidden from that. Yeah. Not everyone gets to grow up with like the perfect Riley life. Everything this goes your way. Everything is perfect all the time.

You just decide you're going to be an Alabama fan, the team that wins every year. Yeah. And she's like, how convenient. Yeah. Didn't live there. But we'll support. But, but that's what I'm saying. That was very much that 06 to 09.

Like just very sheltered, very, everything was very fluffy. And then like life kind of happens and everything sucks. But then you get back to, I get back into it in like 2015, 2016. When did life, so 2015, 2016, when did life start sucking again? When did you like, and when I mean sucking, I don't mean like, because people will be like, bro, shut the fuck up. Like you live this kind of life, whatever. But like, I guess when shit. starts getting in your head.

It's like, fuck, what, what am I going to do? What's the future look like? Yeah. What are the mistakes I've made in the past? Fuck, I don't, I don't feel good today. I don't, am I depressed? Am I, my anxious? Why do my bones hurt?

Do I have something wrong with my health? Like my fucking foot hurts. I'm trying to exercise again. I just tweaked my back in the gym. Like it's just, in every single day, you're just like, fuck, how am I going to, what are we going to do? 2018. That was 2018.

Because other years, sometimes you just be. you'll be cruising when like I I was kind of like for the for the for the call of duty space and everybody like in that whole like the optic space like I was seen as like a bitch in 2018 because I was very openly critical of everything that was happening you were like dude hitch is just fucking bitching all the time but that's because everything was terrible everything was terrible and I saw it all first and I spent my entire adult life trying to get there got there in 2015 scuff house vision all that shit all happening spent my whole life trying to get there and i watched it

all get ripped off the wall like everything and i never got to make i never got to make a lot of money doing it regardless that's how our industry is we got there are people even in the call like the call of duty league some people are making the minimum and then some people are making the maximum and it's like that's how our industry is and i never got that and i never got that and And but so I was running off of like, this is my passion. This is what I'm doing. And I'm still making good money. Like I'm making enough to live.

But I never, I never felt like I got to that next level. And before I was able to get to that next level, it all, it all fell apart. And so it just hit me fucking hard. And I, I felt like I lived with all, I lived with everybody in the house. I thought we were really good friends. And now I'm like not talking to anybody. And it's me and Aaron going and working at fucking nine to five at this new place like bit like, bitch like bitching at to each other every day i'm in a relationship that i am not happy in at all like

it was horrible it was a bad year but i do remember being you being stressed during during those i think maybe once i don't know i don't know if we like met up and went to my apartment or something but i do remember maybe we were coming back from content but we were just like taking it slow and talking i knew you were in a relationship and you were kind of saying like yeah yeah we're gonna have that talk and bro it's it's fucking stressful going through that it's stressful as fuck just uh

yeah so uh has it has it gotten better since yeah we're good now everything's great now are you are you in a spot now where you feel I guess my moments that I said were almost like blissful moments to where it's

just like it was kind of just like fuck yeah kind of years I don't think I'm back I'm definitely not back to that. I think I am. Really? I think the last two months of my life have been... I think you kind of are getting there. I think this, not last two months, but this December and the beginning of 2026 has been some of the best times. Like it's been, it's been the healthiest I think I've, I've been in my adult life for sure. Like, everything's going great in my personal life. I'm finding new opportunity and new motivation in my professional life. I'm building a business. I'm building around

the bar and, you know, the flycast is fucking pop in and shit. Like, million views every video. I'm like, yeah, things are going great. This is the best the flycast has ever been. Yeah, things are going great. I think. Yeah. So we got to thank you guys for that, man. The real supporters. You know, there are truly, there are truly people out there that watch every single episode. It'll be their number one podcast that they watch. Well, yeah. So we just got to say we fucks with y'all and don't worry we're going to get a t-shirt out for y'all very soon the t-shirt or something don't know what it'll actually be i think we've talked about this for a few years but one day it'll come in fruition this is not going to be no crazy job this is what i got in my

instagram dms because we were talking about it listen hitch i love around the bar and i love the flycast bro i love that shit favorite optic podcast on god Something about you and NIAC, cracking jokes about whatever, hits me some type of way when I go to my corporate job. Just keep that shit up, man. I love that shit. Is that just a random guy? He was probably drunk and was like, I got to send something. If you accept those, can't he always DM you now?

I didn't accept it. I just listened to it. He just sent me a little. I feel like I can't look at their shit unless I accept it. like I go to requests yeah see you can't if it's a picture

if it's a picture you can't look at the picture and I don't ever accept those I don't know I don't know what people what pictures people are saying people be sending you pictures I think I think that's where it's like it's like blurry or something

and it's like you can accept it. The amount of DMs I get and zero percent being females it's funny that's where your mind goes it's just like Like sometimes I open my request and just like scroll past. Just looking for a female, man. Hey, if any bitch is watching a flycast right now, go DM Nick on Instagram.

No, I'm locked in. It's not even going to matter. Oh, okay. Well, actually, I might see it and be like, yes. Yeah. But I'm not going to acknowledge it. Yeah, just to help his mental. It's funny because.

And if you're a man still go in there and be like, yo. Yeah. And like he'll like it. Yeah, yeah. It's funny, there's this, there's a girl I was talking to a little bit. And I kind of just got tired of the, I'm like, who the, like, who, oh, she might eventually hear this, but kind of just got, like, I'm not going to do the fucking chase. There's, it's like, I feel like in 2026, 2025, it's this whole, there's this whole psychology

of, like, chasing a girl, but don't chase her too much and try to pull back a little bit, see if she chases you. and then you go out to dinner and have the best time ever and then up but want to do something next me i can't i can't what about for saturday oh no i can't what about so okay oh maybe lunch on monday okay i'll let you know and then just none and then it's just this fucking psychological warfare and i kind of did that with like maybe like two girls towards the end of last year and then i was like all right i'm done with this shit i'm ghosting both of them and i'm locked in and that's where we are today.

Love that. I don't want to talk to no females. Yeah, no females. I'm in my fucking zone. No females. No gay guys. Every time they, every time a female or a gay guy comes into my life, I start getting distracted. Right.

And I start doing, okay, maybe we can go to dinner. And like, sure, I'll have a couple drinks, but tomorrow I'll be locked back in. Tomorrow I wake up. I don't feel as good. Right. You know, I skipped my cardio last night that I was supposed to do. And I don't, maybe I'm a little hungover or so, and I don't want to pick up the vlog camera now. Where I'm at right now, I feel my headspace feels a little clearer.

And I'm just, I'm ready. What I have going on right now, I'm ready to just keep you going. Absolutely. Absolutely. We love that shit. We love that shit. The Flycast is here to motivate. It's just doing his thing. I'm doing my thing. I need all the viewers start doing your thing. Keep it up. Man, it's 2026. You made those promises to yourself. Don't fucking go back on them now. You sent me all those DMs and messages saying how maybe I, inspired you. It's inspiring seeing the vlog's back. Maniac appreciate you. I'm gonna get on my shit too. You were motivated and tucked in bed when you sent that. You woke up the next day. Maybe you don't feel so good. Maybe you feel a little tired. But I want you to remember how you felt

and what you sent. And that promise that you need to keep to yourself here in 2026. And that's gonna do it for us. I want to fly cats. Yo, why ass maniacs got a fucking nice ass and you want to slap. And you want to slap it go kidnap him smack him hitting in the motherfucking abdomen everyone knows that I'm motherfucking rapping when the beat drops maniac freestyles in we go wee wow oh yeah dog yeah he smiled because he's so happy in 2026 that's gonna do it for this episode of the flakass thank you all so much for watching we'll see you guys in the next one Riley play the Outo music.