The Last American Vagabond - Derrick Broze Interview - Revolution Through Music

Episode Date: July 12, 2025

Joining me today is Derrick Broze, here to discuss his musical career as "33", how this has overlapped and intertwined with his passionate activism and journalism, and his experiences throughout his journey of combining the two. We discuss how it all started and what drove him to create the type of conscious music that he does today, and the events in his life that propelled him into the work he now does. We also discuss the current partisan madness, and the many important changes taking place that go unacknowledged for those lost within it.Source Links:derrick 7-10-25New folder(25) Derrick Broze (@DBrozeLiveFree) / X- The Conscious Resistance NetworkDerrick Broze, Author at The Last American VagabondNew Tab(25) Uh oh on X: "So allegedly the rainmaker CEO is going to be on today's Alex Jones show @TLAVagabond @AMwakeup ... and Owen already said he doesn't think the weather modification company had anything to do with recent floods 🤔" / XNew Tab(25) Derrick Broze on X: "@TLAVagabond glad you're covering this. I covered it last week on my show as well" / XNew Tab(25) The Last American Vagabond on X: "This is what we have been warning about. Right in front of your eyes, with a barely passable narrative." / XNew TabModerna gets full US approval for COVID shot in at-risk children 6 months and older | Reuters(19) The Last American Vagabond on X: "Is there anyone in MAHA still defending this? If so, make a note of who they are, because they are either revealing a shocking level of naivety or dishonesty. https://t.co/Z9YuNj3bFO "Moderna gets full US approval for COVID shot in at-risk children 6 months and older" https://t.co/Jfjg7fDnk4" / XNew Tab(19) Alex Jones on X: "I totally agree with this statement. If God spared President Trump's life it wasn't so that America could make money and fix the budget, it was to burn down a system that relies on people like Jeffery Epstein. Betrayal of that mission could bring the wrath of God onto America https://t.co/jc8HDi7rou" / XNew TabSpotify’s CEO invested $1bn into a military start-up he now chairs — and musicians are fuming | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for latest headlinesHelsing | Artificial intelligence to protect our democraciesElon Musk Consulted Curtis Yarvin, Right-Wing Thinker, on Third Party - The New York TimesMeet the Man Whose Philosophy Has Influenced Peter Thiel and the TechnocratsMeet The Peter Thiel Acolytes in Donald Trump's 2nd AdministrationGrant Ellman Interview - Revolution Through Music - The Last American Vagabond33 Is HereFaithless Town Interview – Revolution Through MusicBitcoin Donations Are Appreciated:www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/bitcoin-donation(3FSozj9gQ1UniHvEiRmkPnXzHSVMc68U9f)The Last American Vagabond Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Last American Vagabond Substack at tlavagabond.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to The Last American Vagabond. Joining me today is 33 here to discuss his history with music, what got him involved in music, and what through that process ended up overlapping with independent media or vice versa. We've been doing a lot of a series called Revolution Through Music and discussing different people's paths through music that intersects with independent media or just really on a broader sense, using music as a vehicle vessel to discuss, to relay,

contentious truth or rather more so try to break through with the lies and so discussing this today is 33 welcome to the show how are you today hey brother thanks for having me on always a pleasure my friend so let's let's start let's start with uh you know your history within that the name and the overlap yeah we should probably jump right into that before comments about freemasonry start happening i'll just jump into it yeah so what i wanted to say is you know most people obviously know me as Derek Bros, and that's who I am as a human being as an individual. But my artist's name is 33, and I'll talk about why I chose that in just a moment. But I've had this ongoing, not battle, but sort of like trying to figure out how to navigate this world, right? Because I've spent

15 years as an independent journalist and activist, building up my following on platforms and followers and all that sort of stuff with the interest of trying to empower humanity, spread awareness, spread truth, all that sort of stuff. And the music really is an extension of that. But at the same time when I started doing what I call 33, which was around 2020, I really kind of wanted there to be a separation. It's like I didn't want to use my own platforms I've already built to boost 33, so to speak. It's like I wanted it to kind of succeed on its own. And so for the first couple years, I really didn't even, like I told people, hey, I'm making music, but I didn't share 33 music on the conscious resistance channels. Or I didn't share 33 through my usual Twitter accounts or Facebook,

etc. I just kind of like, all right, it's going to exist out there. I created it. an Odyssey channel, a telegram channel for it, and then eventually, you know, all the typical streaming platforms, all that stuff, band camp, et cetera. So independent media came first. Yeah, independent media definitely came. Well, in some ways, as far as 33, but I've actually always been playing music. And that's kind of the other thing is like, I, 33 is conscious hip-hop for those who haven't heard it yet.

You'll hear a song later on. And I've always been into hip-hop in different ways. Like, not necessarily, of course, the mainstream stuff. There's a lot of garbage out there. but I grew up listening to Eminem, Dr. Dre, all that sort of stuff, like a lot of us who at least heard it in the background in the early 2000s. But it wasn't really my main thing. I mean, I've always been a musician, but I've always been a vocalist and punk and metal bands. That's kind of what I grew up doing.

So since, like, sixth grade, I was writing songs and performing with people. And that was just like a little local band thing. But actually, it's interesting we're having this conversation today because just this morning I've been reflecting. I'm working on my memoir about my experience getting arrested and going to prison. 20 years ago. It's been 20 years this year, 2005, and really just reflecting on how many things happened that point. So when I graduated high school in 2003, I was in a band and we were performing in Houston. We were playing, you know, local house shows, but we were also going to clubs and playing, doing the local band thing. And we were starting to gain some traction. And for those

who were paying attention or around at that point, you might remember Myspace. And MySpace was a big place for music, of course. MySpace music was like one of the first kind of online places where you could upload your songs and get heard by people. So the band I was in at the time was called Through Broken Glass. And we were like, you know, hardcoreish metal. And I was the vocalist. And we were recording an album. We were putting out songs.

We were starting to have some good success. And we actually had a label, an independent label from Arizona, reach out to us and sign us through MySpace. We were in the process of getting like a distribution deal and merch deal and all this kind of stuff. But unfortunately, this is also at the same time where I and my bass player were slipping into drug addiction. He got really into cocaine and I started getting into crystal meth. He was smart enough to kind of like, I need to get away from this. So one day, the band just got a call from

him and he said, I moved to Arizona. I left. Like, I needed to get away from everything. And of course, we were like, oh my God, we just lost a friend as well as a bass player and we're in the process of signing. And we figured, okay, we'll find a new bass player. We'll figure things out. But the label ended up hearing about this. I think he communicated this with them. And then they decided to drop us. They said, like, you know, you guys obviously got too much going on. This isn't worth the risk. So as a young 19, 20-year-old dude who dreams of playing music, I never wanted to go to college. I never had interest in a trade.

I mean, I've always loved to cook and things like that. But to me, it was just music. I got to succeed at music somehow. And then I got into drugs. The band kind of fell apart. Obviously, I got arrested. That sort of stuff happened. And then I spent a few years processing and dealing with that.

And in that time, in and out of jail, I was still out-jumping bands. I'd perform in bands. And I was in a band all the way. up until 2019, actually, a really talented group of guys that I was working with. But ultimately, they decided to kick me out, not in any sort of mean way. It was just like, dude, you're too busy. They could see I was running for mayor at the time. I'm doing my activism. I'm doing journalism. And music was important, but I was just showing up for practice. They were like actually friends and spending time. And I would just show up for a couple of hours, then disappear and do my thing

and come back. So they eventually kind of let me know, dude, you're too busy. So I've always been involved in music in the background. It's just that active. took over. And I've also always been a promoter. I've always been involved in booking shows. Real quick question. The group right there in the middle, were they interested in the independent media side of this? Were you doing that with that group at all? Or is that the pass? No, they weren't. They weren't really like that's the thing is that last band I was in in 2019. It wasn't an overtly political band. In fact, I would say they probably were very apolitical, not like left or right or anything. It just wasn't part of their reality. And when I played

metal and punk and stuff, I never, this just, for me, it's kind of, like a different voice, like literally and metaphorically. So my songs were very abstract and it dealt more with like, I think, emotions. And even if I felt like I was throwing messages in there, it would never say like, bring down the Federal Reserve. It was like more poetic and kind of esoteric, if you will. But yeah, so music has always been a part of my life. Whenever I got into, when I got out of prison in 2008 and then I started to get into activism, I was actually looking at this. The first show I ever booked in Houston was October 2009 and it was called The Victims of Violence. And it was a benefit for a domestic violence shelter for women.

And I just worked with a bunch of really popular punk and metal bands. That's what I first started doing. It was called Visionary and that was visionary productions. So that was like the first thing I was doing while I was also trying to get into bands. And then eventually I started activism. And for a good few years, active in music merged. I wasn't performing anymore at the time, but I continued to do benefit shows, anti-drug war shows, anti-war shows, and visionary noise productions, which I'm no longer

involved in, it still exists in Houston. My buddy now runs it and continues to book shows under the name. So music's always been really important part of my life. Even when I wasn't performing, I was putting on music festivals in Houston. I was putting on shows. And then eventually I was like, I need to get back to music. So I got back into bands and that's been a big part of my life. But then once that last band kind of said, dude, you're too busy in 2019, I was also kind of segueing toward hip hop anyways because, and this is where I'll explain why I call myself 33. When I was 33, in 2018, my birth father died of a drug overdose. He'd been in and out of prison my entire life. And so I didn't know him that well, but he came in and out. And he ended up, you know,

he just, he couldn't get past his trauma and his addictions. And he died in a hotel in 2018, at June 2018, so just about seven years ago. And even though I didn't know him that well, obviously that impacts you, it hurts you, it affects you. And I remember while I was dealing with that trauma, summer 2018, I was just at my house and I had my PA system, my speakers, and I was just playing some music. I like to listen to a lot of like jazz hop and lo-fi kind of beats in the background when I'm writing.

And we just had some music playing, and then all of this stuff started to come out. Like I just started kind of flowing. And none of it was anything particularly good. It was just like words coming out, you know, but it was very useful. And I just hit record. And I just did my thing for like four or five hours.

And then later on, I listened to the recording. I'm like, okay, I think there's some pieces in there that if I choose to really cultivate it, maybe this could be something. And then, of course, when the band kicked me out, it's like, maybe this is my path. Because as a hip hop artist, you're a lot more solitary. You know, you do work with producers and beat makers and other people. But for the most part, I don't need four or five other guys to make a song, right? Like I can kind of do it on my own schedule and my own time.

So I chose the name 33 because my dad died when I was 33. and this was like hip hop was kind of like a way out. It felt like a healing way for me because despite what most people think about when they think about rap and hip hop like in the mainstream, just, you know, talking down to women, money, bragging, just that sort of thing, which is definitely in the culture. Hip hop also originally was like a storytelling medium and is about telling stories of struggle often, really. I mean, you go back to the origins of it.

It's spoken word. It's poems. It's flow poetry, right? That's what I really connected to. Also, you know, there are people. who believe that Christ ascended was resurrected at the age of 33, that Buddha became enlightened at age of 33. We actually have 33 vertebrae, and most of us, the 33rd one is kind of like fused to your tailbone, but there's actually 33 there. And for me, it just, as soon as I turned

33 and I had these experiences, I started seeing the number everywhere. I'm not really into numerology or things like that. I don't claim to fully get it. I just know this number started showing up everywhere, and that the way I've interpreted it is like, it's like about healing. It's about growth, it's about struggle and kind of like all those emotions and things and transformation is really kind of how I saw it. And then of course, I get the Freemasons and other secret societies absolutely do use numbers and symbols in their own meaning. I mean, we've all seen headlines where 33 sure seems to pop up a lot, right? And, uh, um, but the thing that I believe about that and I think that, oh, go ahead. There was a little bit delay. I just had

a thought on that. I want to cut cut off if you want to finish your thought. Oh, I was just going to say, I mean, for me, the reality of spiritual technology, which is what I consider numbers and symbols, is that it's all about the intention, right? So, sure, the Masons do have a 32nd degree and a 33rd degree, but that doesn't mean everybody who uses the number 33 or who is attracted to it or every time you see it, that it's, you know, something evil or satanic or whatever. It's all about perspective. I mean, some people say that these numbers are master numbers or angel numbers or, you know,

it's interpretation. So they might have their own meaning. And even like with my shirts, like I'm wearing my no master. there's no slave shirt. And we take the pyramid and turn it upside down. Like that has a different meaning, right? You invert it. But if we spend our lives like afraid of numbers and afraid of shapes,

you're letting them win already. It's like you're giving them power over your life because you claim that, well, the Mason's having a monopoly on this number. So I can't ever look at it or talk about it or think about it. For me, it has a completely different meaning. And I think that's what matters is it's the intention of the user when it comes to symbols and numbers. Well, on one, what I think you're hinting at there is trying to take it,

turn it into something positive instead of letting it be, you know, just by using it in that direction. But the thought that I had is interesting is, you know, a good example is like the, um, whatever it is actually called. I'm forgetting now, you know, the Nazi symbol, but in this use other way around or actually in use the same way. Well, yeah, yes, but there's another term for it, right, when it's, when it's, uh, inverted. Yeah. I think so. But in my point is simply that, you know, the reason that was chosen by the Nazi party is because historically it was a powerful symbol, right? There was meaning and power. And so, yes,

they did slant that in a very terrible direction for seemingly the rest of history where people then see it as a negative thing. But the point is before that, there was a positive and, you know, the point being with the term, you're highlighting, just because it has been highlighted. I guess the larger point I'm making is evil and however you want to perceive it, power structures choose these things because they perceive them to be powerful, not necessarily inherently bad. You know, that's the idea. So by taking the number, as you're pointing out, there is, as you see it, meaning and depth behind it, not because of their overlap, but my point. point is maybe that's why they chose to try to co-opt it for something bad because there is

value and meaning and something behind it. So it's interesting to think about. It's sort of like the universal kind of mathematical, what do they call it, you know, like the shape of your ear and the shape of the shell. You know, these things can be tapped into by bad things. It doesn't make that inherently bad, you know, interesting thought. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, well, the universe, and again, I don't claim to fully get this math, it's never been my strong point. But we know that math is a universal language. And, you know, people like Tesla and others have talked about this, that math is everywhere. You were just talking about fractals. You've got the fractals from the galaxy down to the seashell. There's clearly meaning and numbers. And some would say,

well, that's where, you know, goes into Jamatria and Kabbalah and this sort of stuff. And that the predator class, the people who participate in those things, they understand this technology. And so they're using it all day and every day to, they launch wars on certain specific dates or, you know, the summer solstice or the things like that. I definitely think that, you know, there's meaning there. And I'm not ever trying to discount that until people. people, hey, you're crazy for looking at these things. But look at my lyrics. Look at what my songs are about.

I'm not trying to bring people into either drugs or, you know, a life of immorality or apathy or yolo. Like the music is the message. The music is empowerment. And if you already know me, my other half, Derek Rose, for the journalism side, then this is just an extension of that. I mean, everything I do in my life, I don't think I'm capable of doing anything, whether it's writing books, documentaries, podcasts. articles or music that isn't an extension of the same message, which is trying to empower people, trying to empower myself. And music, as well as things like comedy, we all know, has such a deeper impact. Obviously, journalism does have a role to play as well, but some people might not listen

to a podcast from you or a documentary from me, but they'll listen to a song, you know, and they'll maybe be impacted in a different way. We all have very personal memories of certain songs and how they impacted us and think, you know, it takes us back to a certain time in our life or a certain emotional state. We all get the power of music and frequency and things like that. So I decided basically just to like, all right, I'm going to take this, this wherever it goes. And really with no specific intentions, it's just like I'm being called to start making music again and particularly hip hop. So I spent a couple years, 2019, 2020, just developing it privately, not sharing any of it. And then 2021, I released like a little EP, which is still out there publicly.

probably take it down at some point because I think I've improved quite a bit in last four years. And I'm like, all right, maybe it's time to hide that one from everybody. But that was really also the first like bringing out 33. And that EP is called Letters to Myself. And it literally just felt like I was just writing messages to myself. And then in 2023, I released a full album that's called Transmutation. And as the name implies, transmutation, transformation, that actually was such a healing experience for me. People who've listened to it seemed to enjoy it.

but even if nobody listened to it, it was something that I felt like I had to do. Just like I'm writing these memoirs of where my life was 20 years ago, the music was kind of that. So the album starts in a very dark place. It's not the Derek Bros that people are used to. It's me talking about being lost in drugs and addicted and depressed and self-harm and suicide attempts. And these are all things that I realistically went through.

And so the songs in the beginning of transmutation, like I'd say the first five or six of them, seven of them, are about that, like me struggling. through that, but always with a little bit of hope still in there. It's not just like, hey, this is like celebrate it because this is the life. It's like songs about me. Like I have this one song called Party of One, which is about the experiences I had where I was living in an apartment, I was getting addicted to Crystal Meth and I was partying, doing all kinds of drugs with all kinds of people every day. And I just kind of receded further inwards. And I let these dudes kind of take over my apartment, these drug dealers. And I just sort of stayed in my room all day. And my

house became the party place. It became where everybody came to get drunk or buy drugs or use drugs and it was just 24-7. It was just, you know, a crazy time. And there was some, maybe some fun chaos in there. But for the most part, I was very lost. And I didn't have the capability, the strength, the maturity, the self-confidence to say, get the fuck out and get out my house. Like, you know, I just sort of let them take over and do whatever they wanted until eventually I got evicted and I ended up living on the streets, you know, and that kind of, I continued further down that rabbit hole. So that song's about that. It's about like, okay, I'm partying. I think I'm having fun. But then at the same time, like, this

isn't where I'm supposed to be. Something's telling me there's a better path out there for me. And I think I always knew that even when I was kind of lost in it. So transmutation is very a personal album for me that talks about that. And then about halfway through the album is locked up, start having those experiences. And then of course, towards the end of the album, it's more like the last song is called Awakening. So you can, you know, imagine what that's about. And all my music is available on all the usual places. My website is just the number 33.33 is here.com. And on all the platforms, if people search 33 is here, that's kind of the hashtag I use. But if you search like on Spotify, for example, or wherever else, 33 is here, you'll find my music.

And so I released transmutation in 2023. I put out another little five, six song EP last year called Still Writing. And I'm currently working on a new release that hopefully will be out by the end of this year called Co-creation, which actually, dude, I think would be really cool if we could find some way to collaborate and, like, mix our styles in some way. because this is going to have like, yeah, like, so co-creation, the whole goal is like, I realize I'm surrounded by so many talented musicians. A lot of them are conscious hip-hop artists, but then also reggae artists and everybody just doing their thing in their own way, yourself included.

And so the idea with co-creation, I've got two songs with Presidents who I know you've talked to. We did Taxation as Thept. We're going to play another one later. I've got a song coming out soon with my good friend and longtime inspiration, Elias Clay, who's been making like conscious truth music since 2008. 2009. It was her music with some of the first conscious truth music I found when I started to get into activism. And now she's become a really good friend. So we're going to have some

songs. I've got some new songs coming out with DubeFX, who's, I just got home from going on tour with. And the ideas like that, it's just going to be all features like collaborative songs. So maybe six or seven or eight songs. But some of the, you know, I'm on somebody else's verse or vice versa. And yeah, maybe we could do something cool with that because, oh, I just want to show people like highlight all my cool friends but also like see how we can synchronize and do some cool things together. Yeah, I would love that. I mean, we've talked about that in the past more than once. And I definitely think it is a, I think it would be a very interesting and, you know, impactful overlap. Like, because we do have different, like I've done in the past, I worked with some people

musically where it was sort of like a freestyle, you know, with like an acoustic middle ground. Like it's a weird overlap. When you do it right, it can be really, really interesting. And so I would love to do that. No, for sure. Yeah, actually, I was just going to say real quick, Presidents and I did an acoustic version of Taxation and stuff actually a couple of weeks ago when we were on tour and that was really cool. It was just him, you know, playing the song, but obviously without the backing track and everything. And it came out really cool. So I think we could do something fun. Yeah, let's count on it. Look forward to that. Well, I wanted to ask you about, so first, just to comment on it, you know, it's interesting is you already hit on one of the main things that I really get out in this

conversation with people, whether comedy or music, that, you know, it helps relay information breakthrough to people and lets their guard down, like in a positive way, you know, not trying to influence you to think the way we think, but trying to relay, you know, information and people to consider it, you know, and the point is that most people have guards when it comes to politics and because they're so, you know, propagandized, but with music and comedy, it has a way of kind of breaking through. And so I just think that's really powerful than to see that like I guess I want to ask after this but the the when you notice that you know but I also wanted to think that you know when it comes to the transformation part of it and this was like my

comment is it's interesting to see how powerful that is to you know you went through this process and so this music in it kind of like the same realm of the of the point I'm making is that it helps reach people or rather helps them understand how they can you know not just break going through something like that but grow and become better and stronger and And that, you know, some people need that push, that support, you know, with the music or just you talking on your platform to say, you know, it's, you can succeed. You are better than that. You know, like you say with your shows, you know, you are beautiful, you are strong, you are free. Is that what it is? Or powerful, you are free. You know, I think that's important.

Yeah. Just that idea to repeat that. And I, I'm not weak. I'm not alone, you know, and that it's powerful to see that. I just want to point that out that this kind of thing is why it's so impactful for people, because they've seen you progress through this and seeing you succeed beyond it, you know? Let's go back to the question. Yeah. Do you think, or like rather, what point did you notice that and were, or rather was that something that was with you from the beginning that you were using this to try to help truth come across, you know?

So what point did that happen? Yeah, well, so it definitely was mainly from the beginning. So doing still writing, are doing letters to myself and doing transmutation, that's the only thing I knew I wanted to do when I started 33. There was no, like, like I said, I didn't have any trajectory of like, all right, you know, I missed it when I was younger. I'm going to try to get famous with music now. It was just like something needs to come out of me and I need to share it.

And especially I felt like because, you know, like I said, it was born out of my dad's, his overdose and I had my own struggles with drugs. It felt like I need to put out transmutation. I need to get all this stuff for my healing journey. And then who knows what's going to happen after that. And so once I put that out, I kind of felt like, all right, I'm done. And then a few months passed, I'm like, I think there's more music. I think I have more stuff to say.

But it really hasn't been until recently, man, going on tour where I've got to see it firsthand. Of course, when I was writing these songs, the intention is like, I hope that somebody who is struggling can hear these songs and can relate to them and can also realize, oh my God, this dude got out on the other side. Like, he made it through. You know, he didn't just get lost in drugs because as much as I love conscious music and liberty-minded music, there's a lot of it that just doesn't vibe with me. Sometimes it's too much on the nose, so to speak, like people are, I think just the message is too in your face. And it's like, okay, that's going to appeal to our crowd, but not the average person who just wants to consume. music, right? So like I said, I didn't want it to be like, here's a therapy album, so to speak, although it can play that role, but just good songs, good lyrics, but also, hey, this

person is telling a real story. And I think sometimes those, like, especially with bigger artists, you think about bigger artists, like Eminem is just one example who, not that I agree with many of his opinions, but who has shared about his struggles of, you know, in his childhood with his mom and all this sort of stuff. And as a huge artist, and, you know, a lot of people clearly relate to those struggles in their own way. And so I've always had that intention with like, if the music can help one person, then I feel like I did something amazing, right? And the cool thing is over the years, so I put out those albums, and then I started performing.

I've done some shows in Houston, but mainly what I did, like during COVID, when I came to visit you and we traveled around and did these tours, I'm giving presentations like I usually do since 2013 giving public talks, but then I would kind of throw in a song at the end or perform my music a little bit. As the years have gone on now, it's starting to become one really cool thing where if I give a talk, I'm going to do music. And then when I'm performing my music, I'm also talking between them and kind of, you know, not turning into a full speech, but I'm trying to plant seeds and throw ideas and explaining to people, hey, this is what I mean in this song. This is what I'm singing about. This is what I'm rapping about. This is what I've gone through. And I think that's

important. And so I have had people tell me, come up to me and say, thank you for sharing your story. That's always been happening as I share it like just speaking. But then with the music, people will say, I'm not really into hip hop. It's not my thing, but I have young nieces and nephews or I have young kids, and I think they might be into this. And what I often tell those people, you know, especially, let's say, generations older than us, like 50s and above, they might have missed the hip hop window. It came out in the late 80s, 90s and stuff like that. But some of us, like we grew up, even if it wasn't our favorite, it was in the background. It was around. But a lot of people don't realize hip hop is actually the biggest music genre in the world. It is the most consumed, most listened to,

most streamed hip-hop concerts are huge people you know and again this is typically not the kind of hip-hop that I'm doing this is more mainstream but still the point is a lot of young people are drawn to hip-hop I mean right now my young nephew's upstairs and he's always listening to the latest trash and I come up to him and I'm like bro these lyrics are horrible man like this is just not the kind of message you want to consume like this guy is talking about just doing drugs and dying and you know he's listening to it because he likes the beats he's not necessarily listening to the lyrics, but it's still getting in there. It's still definitely going into his subliminal consciousness, you know. That's the whole point right there, right? That's the whole point. And what you're,

what you're trying to do from a positive angle, right? That's to make that clear for people. Like, that's the problem is that people, music or comedy in that way, whether he, you know, he's just enjoying the beat, but he's absorbing this message and not really noticing that. So you're coming at it from a positive angle in doing a similar thing, but doing it with positive and, you know, and reassuring and self-fulful, or rather, you know, giving them confidence. So I just think that's important to think about right there. That's definitely a big part of the goal is trying to plant seeds. In fact, one of my songs from my release still writing, which is one of the songs that I'm

most proud of, people can find that on my website is called Guard Your Heart. And I specifically wrote it with some friends in mine, but also with my nieces and nephews and my younger self-yourself. It was like, whenever I play the song, I tell people, hey, this is my self-love anthem. It's just like a message that I wish I had when I was younger, when I was going through those struggles. guard your heart, protect your mind. That's the sort of thing that I wish was the message I was getting

instead of crazy stuff from Eminem or whatever. So I'm doing it very much with that in mind, my young nephews and my nieces, and how can I make music that I want to share with them, that I want them to be able to listen to the message and feel empowered by it. And as far as people really connecting to it, I've had that experience now in person.

Because besides doing Derek Bro's talks, then, oh, by the way, I'm going to play some music, I recently got to go on tour, just specifically as 33, and it was only five dates across the U.S., but it was still just an amazing experience with my friend Grant presence, who you've had on the show, and then who has now become a friend, Dubfx, who's a huge inspiration of mine that I've been listening to since, like, 2010. A lot of his music, which also has a very uplifting message with music that I was listening to in my early activism days. And last year, in late 2024, we got to have him come speak and perform at the People's Reset in the UK. And then we brought him to Mexico in 2025.

And he just really fell in love with our community. He just was like, wow, you guys are the people that I'm making this music for, you know, because he gets invited to music festivals all over the world. And I've asked him, I was like, do you think most of your audience gets it? He thinks some of them get it. Some of them are just there to dance and have a good time and party because he makes entertaining, fun, danceable music. But, you know, when he connects to people who actually get the message and, you know, what we've built with the people's research is solutions focused, we're taking steps.

You know, he just felt like, wow, this is the community I've been looking for. And now he's like, I want to be at every one of these as long as you guys will have me. So he will be performing again in January in Mexico with his wife. And they're just incredibly, and even them together, like a couple who both make music, who are empowered, who have a positive message and are making that music for their daughters and for anybody else who will listen. So after we got connected with him, through the People's Reset, we've just been in Vibe and connecting together. And like I said, he, he, engineered and mixed and mastered my latest song that I just released last week, and I'm going to be on his new album coming up. And I kind of got my way onto his tour. He took presence with him for his

first U.S. tour in over a decade. He did Salt Lake City, Denver, this festival called Rise and Vibes in New Mexico and then we also went to Portland and Seattle. And I was just super blessed and honored to be able to be the opening act. And it was really cool, man. This is honestly one of the best experiences I've had in a long time. It felt like, wow, this is, again, going back to like, I've always wanted to be a musician. I've always wanted to be on tour, but kind of drugs got in the way and I sort of, my life took a different turn, got into activism. But now at 40 years old to go do a little tour with one of my inspirations and one of my good friends. And there were people coming to those shows who knew who Derek Bros was but didn't know that I made music and vice versa. People who knew who 33 or heard

of the music because of Dubfx but didn't know anything about my journalism. And then people who had no idea who I am. So it was really cool to kind of come in just like, hey, I'm just 33. I'm the opening act. But then at the same time, we had our merch tables. We all have our shirts out. And I had my books that I usually sell at my presentation. And I had the same conscious resistance shirts that I have when I do Derek Bros. Events. And it was really cool that the people who are coming to those shows, they were like, oh, how to opt out the technocratic state? Wow, I need to learn more about that. Because DuffX has kind of already cultivated an audience of people who are like-minded.

And the people who really do get his message of empowerment and speaking out against government and corruption and stuff. So it was honestly one of the best experiences I think I've had in a long time to go there, be 33, and then connect with people who are like, oh, man, I've been following you. I think I showed you there was people there who followed T-Lav. There was a guy who showed up with the question everything shirt. There was definitely some T-Lavs. some Whitney Webb and Derek Bros fans that were showing up that also were fans of dub effects and were just like, oh man, I didn't even know you make music.

I didn't even know you guys are collaborating. Holy crap. So that was a cool experience, man, just to kind of have these merging of these worlds. And it was actually Grant Presence who was telling me, he's like kind of giving me advice. Like I said earlier, I've tried to keep this separation. And he's like, dude, just stop trying to separate it. You're just one person. Like you're 33, you're Derek Bros.

You make music. You make documentaries. You make books, articles, whatever. It's just you. And so, yeah, I think that I'm becoming more and more comfortable with that where, like I said earlier, I felt like I needed to keep it separate. Like, I don't want to get a leg up on the stuff I've built as Derek Bros. I want 33 to succeed on its own. And I think it's doing that in, and, you know, slow but steady ways.

Getting to go on tour was a huge blessing. And even if I never go on tour again, that was just an awesome experience. But I do see now that it's just one thing, like, whether I'm giving a talk, whether I'm performing music, it's all the same goal and the same effort. And I would, you know, add that, you know, which I'm sure you probably reflected on yourself, that had you gone to a different path, right, had you have not been, gone through the struggles, dealt with police and different stuff back then and gone through that same path without making coming this roundabout way, you'd be a different person, right? This would be different music, right?

At least some way. Absolutely. Now you've gone through this journey to where you can come back around and do it, you know, like this was the way it was meant to go. This is the way I would look at it, you know, and now you have that. 100%. knowledge the insight and you're helping people find that same path you know it's it's profound and i at least i tend to think of it that way that there's you know it's no i do i just was posting

about that on social media this morning like i said i just kind of reflecting on it because i'm writing a lot of things that happened 20 years ago and and i don't think i just know that everything happened for a reason and i imagine that if 20 year old derrick bros who was addicted to drugs if we had got signed and if we had become successful even in a small way and gone on tour my drug problems probably would have continued and probably would have gotten worse because a lot of times, especially when you're young and 20, and especially if money gets involved, like I definitely empathize and sympathize with the young artists who blow up on the internet. And then the next thing, you know, they've got tourists and tour managers and they've got handlers and all this stuff. Like, I'm sure it's a fun

experience, but the potential for you to get sucked into the drug world and to just, you know, not healthy habits is so much more likely. Now as a 40-year-old dude who's been through some stuff, I can go on tour and I'm not interested in getting drunk after the shows. I'm not interested in just like, you know, drop an acid and trying to go perform or something. Like we're just, we're in the back. We're doing burpees. We're, you know, we're kind of working out, getting ready for the show. And it's just a totally different vibe.

So whether my music takes me to where I wanted, like as 33 takes me to what I wanted to do as a young kid, which was to tour and play music professionally, I'm grateful for where I'm at now because as Derek bros and as 33, I can go on tour and I can. can give a talk and I can, you know, play music. And the really exciting thing is that myself and DubFX and Grant presence are talking about something that I don't think has ever been done for 2026. We're going to find a way to combine all of this into one event. Like, you know, we want to do, we want to bring DubFX back to the U.S.

because he only did five cities and a lot more people would love to hear him. But we want to like, how do we combine the meditations and the talks and the music into one thing, right? How do we bring, hey, the people who are going to come here? Derek Brose speak or with the people who want to come here 33 or DubFX play. And so we're working on some ideas like maybe it's we show up to a city and you can pay for the show. And if you want to come early, there's going to be a presentation and some discussion on solutions. And then if you don't want to participate in that, you just show up at, you know, the evening

and come to the music. But we're definitely working on some really cool ideas. And that's why I appreciate sort of being mentored by DubFX. Because that's kind of what it feels like to me is because he is an artist who genuinely lives his message, like the person that you hear on the record, the person that you see on the internet is, it's not a facade. In fact, he's, he's right now doing a tour across Europe that's called the Open Secret Society tour. And his basic message is like, we are all part of this movement of trying to awaken humanity and that's our secret society. But it's an open secret

society and you're involved, you're invited. If you want to participate, get involved. And so he definitely makes it clear to people. And he's told us, he's like, I've been around those people that I can tell they're into some dark stuff like in the music industry and he has a family he's trying to take care of and he's trying to be about this message and so it's been just a huge blessing to be kind of mentored and and you know get to go on a short little tour with somebody like that who's been making music internationally and traveling doing what he loves and providing for his family for 20 years now yeah yeah that's fantastic i mean it's really just a you know it shows you what healthy living choosing the right thing doing the right thing for the right reason

can lead to, you know? It's sad because I do, at least more so over the last decade of doing this work. I've grudgingly come to accept the reality that not that it has to be or should be this way, but that sadly we do live in a world where nice guys finish last, right, to make it simple, where bad people do profit and succeed and benefit from doing the wrong thing. But the point is that I don't think that's the natural state of the world. And I think that, you know, they're showing people that this is a way to succeed, I think is a very positive thing. And I really I think the music, just personal note or anybody else listening, really does have a profound effect on people who, you know,

are going through similar things, you know? And so seeing that happens with the effects and the larger aspect of it, you know, it is, it's exciting, you know. I once had a thought, I think it was probably teenager at the time. There's somebody I used to live, a good friend of mine growing up. He was once on Juxtapose magazine from Sacramento. He's a, you know, he tags and spray paints and so on, whatever they call it these days.

But he was pretty, pretty good at it, you know. and we once tried to do a thing where we talked about, where, you know, trying to combine all the different styles, like where one person would play a song, at the same time, he would be doing, spray painting in the background while somebody else would be,

you know, getting like three different forms of art in like one presentation. Very cool. It's like trying to bring it all together, because, you know, we've talked about this before, whether it's, you know, you work in kitchens where a lot of people

that I work with in the back in the kitchen in the past, also were artists or painters or singers. There was a really weird kind of, you know, it all kind of overlap with each other. And I think that there's same thing here, is that whether it's the message or the intention, it's that, you know, it's all very artistic what a lot of this stuff is. And so I think I'm looking forward to that converging in some way with the tour and so on.

So they really need to find out. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, man. I think that there's so much potential in the conscious music space. And again, even if people listen as like hip-hop's not your flavor, just find the artists that do appeal and track to you. And the other thing I just want to mention is, like, support those artists directly. I'm becoming more and more a fan again of things like Bandcamp.

I want to talk about Spotify in a few minutes, but things like BandCamp, it's not an endorsement of them. I'm not saying everything they've ever done is the best thing ever. But there's platforms like that where you can still, for one, download music and not rely on streaming. I know that DevFX is on there. I put all my music on BandCamp. So people can go listen if they want to just listen and they can pay the artist directly.

And I guarantee you, I know directly from firsthand experience. you get paid the artist gets way more money if you buy their stuff through band camp and actually not only that you get to own it you can download it to your laptop or your phone or if you still got a mp3 player of some type and actually own it instead of buying into the you will owe nothing and be happy mentality because people don't realize the subscription service the streaming service is part of that you're relying on Netflix or amazon or hulu or apple music or Spotify to always have your favorite albums but we've seen that they will randomly take music off whether that's for or if they're just like, there's not enough listeners to justify the server space.

So we're going to take these movies off or we're going to take this music off. So things like Band Camp are just going on going to shows in person and buying stuff directly from the artist, whether that's merch or CDs or, you know, MP through USB drives with their music or whatever it may be, support the artist directly where you can. And so I'm glad that there's still at least some platforms that allow for that. And I'm definitely trying to make that more of my message, both journalism and music to like embrace those platforms and support people where you can. I did want to mention just sort of the besides the co-creation album that I'm,

or EP that I'm working on, I did release a new song last week, and I would love for everybody to go check it out. I think it actually ended up being kind of timely. I wrote it back in May and then spent a couple months working on it behind the scenes. And then, as I said, DubFX was able to come on board and be the Mix Master engineer for it and help with the final product. It's called Manifesting a Future. And it's, again, it's at my website.

33 is here.com. It's on my band camp. It's on all the usual places. And I've been posting about it recently. I released it on July 4th. There wasn't really any, you know, it wasn't like intended to be that way. But then in the end, I thought, you know what? Maybe that actually does line up because the hook, the chorus for the song is they think

they can divide us, but we won't let them win. We are stronger together, more united than we've ever been. They're trying to divide us, but they can't stop the free people because we're manifesting a future where all life is equal. That's like the hook. That's the chorus, right? And some of it talks about, there's another line I have where I say, you know, how can I walk past the garbage in the rivers and streams? How can I walk past the houseless human with broken dreams? Why do we scroll past the images of war and uncomfortable scenes? I wonder what it'll take for us to evolve as human beings. Like it's the same message that I'm sharing through my journalism, through

activism. It's just like I said, sometimes more subtle and in different ways. But I think this, this song, as well as the song we're going to end with today, Unwritten, which features Presidents, is the best representation of where my music is headed. I love what I did with transmutation, and it's a diversity of sounds. And like I said, it's telling my spiritual journey. But I think that these two recent songs Unwritten and Manifesting a Future really capture what I'm trying to make 33B because it's also been really experimental to me. I have some influences in an artist I could name, but I don't really sound like them,

and I'm not trying to sound like them. So even in the choice of beats and stuff that I choose, I've been trying to be lately, particularly for this next release, be very diverse and specifically pick beats that I'm not initially attracted to. Because I have things, you know, we all have certain things that come to our ear. And if you do so, that's fine. You develop a sound. But I'm also like, since I'm still fairly early in my efforts as an artist,

as a hip-hop artist, and there's a lot of, there's a lot that goes on in there. I don't think people, you know, just like with anything, for one, memorizing lyrics, but then with hip hop, it's even more. Yes, there's a rhyming thing, but there's internal rhymes. There's the speed of your rhyme. There's, you know, there's a lot of different technique. And I'm not an expert in many of these. I can tell a story.

I can rhyme, but I want to continue to get better. I want to challenge myself. So I'm picking beats and things that are like, okay, that's totally different from anything I would normally do. Let me try it. Let me see what I can do on that. Interesting. Challenge yourself.

And I love that. Yeah, I love the challenge of it. So I don't know what the next release. are going to sound like, but I just want to encourage people. If you do want to hear my latest music, it's called Manifesting a Future. You can find it at 33ishere.com. That links you to all the usual places where music can be found. And like I said, just search 33 is here wherever you get your music.

Well, we'll definitely include all this for the show notes to make sure people can check it out, download it for themselves. It'll all be included. Before we move on to the Spotify point, I want just quick thought. Bandcamp versus SoundCloud or other versions. because I mean, I'm, I've only ever really used a SoundCloud just because I feel like that's the one that it was, it seemed it was free. People could still download it. But do you have any thoughts preference on where people should be going or where somebody like me should be putting music?

Like, what are your thoughts on, you know, those two, but then any others that might jump to your mind? Yeah. So I did a probably still do have a 33 SoundCloud. I haven't used it in a while because there was a moment where a couple of years ago where SoundCloud rap was becoming a thing. And basically a bunch of young artists were getting discovered through SoundCloud. SoundCloud. I do think things like SoundCloud and BandCamp are better than most of the streaming services because of what you were just saying there. And what I explained about BandCamp too is that you can buy directly from the artist. You can listen. It's up to the artist how they said it. But for the most part, you can listen for free and just jam an album and check out the artist. And then some of them have it set where like, let's say you want to buy an album and it's $10 or whatever. Some artists put like name your own price. So if you don't have 10 bucks, you can give them five bucks. If you want to give them 50 bucks, you want to give them 50 bucks, you you're you. You want to give them 50 bucks. You're you. You're You can give them 50 bucks.

I think that's a really cool feature. And so I do appreciate those kind of original streaming platforms. And they're not even streaming. They're sort of evolving now, but they didn't start out as streaming platforms. They were just a place for artists to upload their music and for listeners to find new music. So I do think those are really cool. Also, I want to connect you with my buddy. His name's John Hale, and he's from Houston, where I'm at right now.

His platform is called Solstream. Dot Music. So that's S-O-L-S-L-stream. music. And I didn't interview with him a couple months ago. I need to catch up with him, but especially in light of what we're about to talk about with Spotify, this is another example of just like we try to support independent streaming video platforms like BitShute or Odyssey and things like that. He and others, he's not the only one that's trying to do it, you know, trying to take on Spotify, so to speak. He's not trying to replace them because I think

that's a difficult task. But he is trying to say, here's an alternative place to put your music where people can sign up just like they do with Spotify and app or whatever else and they can stream, but because he's not only a musician, he also runs a venue and he runs a label, he knows how much artists are getting screwed over by Spotify. People think that people are making, you're not making, most artists like myself and even DubFX are making pennies on Spotify. If you're not Taylor Swift, you're really not making much money through there. So that's why, if you buy directly through the artist at a show or on band camp, they're going to get more of that money. They're getting pennies on Spotify at best. So the way John set up Soulstream is that

he takes a small, small, tiny percentage cut from the sales and from the streaming in order to just pay for his basic cost to run the servers and everything. But the artists get the majority of the sales and the payouts. And you can get paid, I think, through like a bank account or something like that. But he also has a token. Like they created the sole. I think it's just called the sole token or something like that. So it does have a sort of crypto blockchain element to it. But even if people don't understand anything about that and don't want anything to do with that,

You can just sign up and listen to artists. Now, it has the same struggles that all of the alternative things have, like BitShute and Odyssey, et cetera, is you need artists to be there. So right now it's mainly smaller artists. A lot of them are based in Houston. But myself, I'm trying to get, I'm on there. I'm trying to get Dub FX on there, especially because DubFX is talking about wanting to leave Spotify based on some of the concerns that we're going to get into.

So I do want to encourage people like, if you want to support places that are different than Spotify, or Apple or whoever else, then do support these platforms when they exist. Like SoulStream.com, it needs artists there. It needs listeners. And so, yes, they're not going to have all of your favorite artists right now because they're not on there. And he can't just steal their music and put it on his platform unless they choose to be there.

But just like with the alternative video platforms, we should support these alternative music platforms too if we want there to be alternatives. Otherwise, what's going to happen is sooner or later, John and his team are going to be like, we're spending more money than we're making. It's not worth it. Sorry, guys, we got to close up shop. And then we're back to just using the big corporations again. So soulstream.com music is one that I'm really trying to push lately. Yeah, you brought that up before. I think that's, you know, the obvious, I mean, it's obvious that, you know, it's the same premise, the same idea that

these are people trying to break the mold, trying to work around the control structure, in whether music or media, you know, any kind of media. So we should most definitely be supporting those that are giving you away around that control structure. I talked about the similar point with Gene from Faithless Town. And I think it was that interview where he talked about a person he knew who in exactly the same point with the new path. I think about it even in Spotify, but something in that realm where he said that they went viral, had well over like millions of views or actually downloads.

And nonetheless, I think he said they ended up making like a thousand bucks all the way around. I mean, think about how insane that is to be, you know, that like literally going viral to where you can, I mean, that's success in any other contexts, but because of the way these things have overtaken the industry and now their choke points, that's how you benefit for, they benefit from your success, you know? It's just exactly. Just add to that point. He had a personal. Oh, good, good. I was just saying a lot of us thought this is another way, one of the ways that a lot of us thought the internet was going to free things. Like, you know, for example, with, okay, the internet frees us from mainstream media.

We don't need corporate media anymore. or we can all, you know, YouTube, you can be your own channel, your own show or whatever. In the same way, many of us thought streaming, downloading platforms like, you know, MySpace and then SoundCloud and Bandcamp, we're going to be the way we're like, labels are no longer important because prior to the internet, like the only hope you had as a local band is being heard by somebody who was a record label exec or a producer, had some kind of contact, you know, he's sending in your demo tape and hoping that they listen to it and this sort of thing. But the idea was like, okay, I've got the internet now.

I can just post my music and I can get followers and listeners and then build up a base and go on tour. Because bands, especially bands, but most artists in general typically make their money with shows. You know, you get paid for the performance. You might sell some merch, things like that, and it allows you to sustain yourself. But unfortunately, the internet did not deliver on that promise, and these big corporations have monopolized everything again. So most people, where do they get their music from? It's not necessarily from the big labels. They're not buying it at CD stores anymore.

It's through Spotify. It's through Apple, Amazon. you know, these kind of bigger mainstream platforms. So we haven't really kind of broken free from the corporate control structure of music yet. Right. Well, I mean, it's interesting as you could argue that there was a moment in there where it was at least a little bit more free. But what we're highlighting is, and I would argue the engineered like entirely planned transition like we're seeing today into, you know, the, you can call it technocracy, digital control, you know, whatever technology being used to make the new choke point, you know. or you could even argue that it was a coup, a music industry coup of the technocratic industry,

you know, where they use these, you know, Silicon Valley tech ideas to, you know, that sees control of the flow of information, or rather flow of music. But in this case, I'm sure they still made deals with these bigger industries. You know, so all they did was shift us into a new control point. But, you know, right? So a point to be made, though, is something you've talked about. Like right there in that transitional moment, which, by the way, we're currently in one of those, had we have stood up and demanded or took action to stop them from creating the new choke point,

maybe things that have been different, worth considering for what's literally building around us right now, you know? Absolutely. Yeah, and that's, I think, why it's so important to maybe take some stances against these companies. And this is the other thing I wanted to mention is, like, I've come across this. I was talking with DevFX about this, this. You know, there's been a lot of reasons to be concerned or to boycott Spotify, even prior to what we're about to share. the censorship during COVID. That's the other thing is they were taking down music. They were

taking down podcasts, you know, putting up little COVID-19 warnings. We all understand, like, how these big tech platforms can censor. And so there's plenty of reasons to be skeptical of them already. But now, you know, we're learning, well, the CEO, I think his name's Daniel Eck. He's a Swedish guy. The CEO of Spotify. He's been to Buildberg just a couple of weeks ago. He's been to the World Economic Forum. And now this new announcement that he's investing a billion dollars into this AI military industrial complex company. I think it's called health something, health sinky or something along those lines. But the point is it's an AI platform that's probably going to be used to kill Palestinians or Helsing, that's what it is, or some other innocent people around the world.

And he's investing all his money into this type of company. And yeah, they're going to be an autonomous drone company working with AI. And so that, as that other article is showing, is there are some artists who are saying, hey, you know what, this is enough. I'm going to pull my music off. And so then that's obviously no major artist like a Taylor Swift or something like that. Those artists really can't be bothered to give a shit. But smaller mid-level artists are saying, hey, this isn't worth my money.

This is worth my time. I don't want to be involved in this. And they quote from a few of them there, some Australian artists and saying, like, I'm taking my music off. So I started thinking about it because, as you know, we've talked about this in other areas. I do try to opt out of Google. I'm on YouTube. I make a compromise for that. But I don't use Gmail.

I don't use Google Docs and drive and all this stuff. I try to limit my use of these big tech companies. I don't pay them any money. I don't take any money from them. I don't, you know, none of my YouTube's or Twitters or anything that's monetized. I didn't pay for a blue check from Elon. They just gave it to us for whatever reason.

You know, so I, that's like part of my line in the sand. But like most of us, my podcast through to go out, do go out on Spotify. And I get, you know, a few hundred listens here and there.

Nothing that I would say would be the end of the world if I do decide to take it down. And then, yes, as an artist, I'm on Spotify. I have resisted that. I was like, no, I want to go, I want to be the first artist to go viral

with a song on Odyssey or something like that. I think that's what it would really need to take. It's like there's a viral song and people realize the only place you can find it is on SoulStream or is on Odyssey or something like that, you know. Really quickly. That's a really interesting and important thing to think about. I don't think it's even mathematically possible

that that wouldn't have happened by now. I think that very clearly shows a new world that we're in, whether the choke point we talked about with the music industry shift, you know, I don't believe that things go organically viral anymore, not really. I think it's something, I'm sure there's ways it could be done possibly, but I think that there's so many choke points now, obviously, that there's so many people that post on Odyssey, BitShute and everything else that how is it not happened yet? You know, I just think that shows a very clear control over not just these platforms, but just information, music. Absolutely. And that's the struggle I've had. I'm like,

So when I first started 33, I was like, okay, I'm only going to have an Odyssey channel. I'm only going to have a telegram channel for 33. That's the only place people can find my music. Oh, then I did SoundCloud. And then I started feeling like, okay, I think I'm limiting myself. Let me go ahead. I'll start a Spotify. And I use Distro Kid, one of the mini, again, these are like, they replaced the record labels.

Now you've got distribution platforms. Now you got Spotify. You got to pay for all these things just to get your music out there to people. So we have new barriers to entry. But so I do Distro Kid and that sends it out to every. from TikTok to all the platforms you never heard of that people apparently use. And so the music's out there. But yeah, seeing things like this report, I'm like, okay, I'm still a younger artist.

I'm still starting in this. My following's not huge where I feel like, oh, I'm giving up a paycheck to boycott Spotify. And like I said, most artists aren't really making much money on Spotify anyways. And I did talk to DefX and I want to connect you to so you can interview him as part of your series here. I think you guys would do a great interview. he's definitely talking about taking his music off by the end of the year and he's got his new album coming out and he's like i'm not going to release it on spotify i'm going to figure out how we're going to go about it maybe it's just going to be band camp maybe i'm going to put a message on my spotify account that says hey guys no more music's coming here find me these places or whatever but he's trying to navigate that and that's as an artist that has hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners who does stand to lose something if he if he chooses to pick out that but i find that again another example of why he particularly is a principled person person, but the kind of things that I think we need to make an effort to do. Is it going to stop

the war machine? No, but I'd like to sleep a little better, knowing that I'm not sending people to a platform where the CEO's investing billions of dollars into the war machines that, on the other hand, I'm trying to fight. You know, I mean, because it's like I'm working, Derek Broz is over here trying to expose people to the AI technology, but then 33's got his music on the platform where they're investing in that. And it's not easy to try to be a principal person. of course, if we start to look at the list of companies we support, like you realize, wow, these companies are all invested in crazy things. But it does matter to some degree.

And I do think we have to have some lines in the sand, whether that says artists or listeners. I mean, I'm sure that people listening to this, maybe some of them are going to hear this conversation on Spotify. Maybe some of them are going to go listen to a podcast on Spotify. It's up to you to just. Not to you. Okay, cool. We'll see.

So they took you off before you could take yourself off. But, you know, that general idea. or Apple or anything else. It's up to you guys as listeners too to decide. In fact, I was glad to see when I posted that article this morning, I was posting. Oh, by the way, the CEO went to Bilderberg a couple weeks ago. Somebody said, I canceled my subscription right now. I don't need to give these people anymore money.

So there are some people who will take a stance, but that's also why we need to promote and support things like Soul Stream and other alternatives because people still want to listen to music. And eventually, if it's too difficult, they're just going to, well, just do what's easy and go back to Spotify or whatever. So I think it's important for us as artists and as consumers of podcasts to figure out what is our line in the sand and what are we willing to put up. So I'm definitely having this ongoing dialogue and I'm probably not going to release that

co-creation EP I'm talking about on Spotify and I'm probably going to go ahead and untangle the conscious resistance from Spotify and see where that goes. And of course, it's like I don't want to shoot myself in the foot. That was the whole, that's the whole reason I'm still on YouTube. They magically turned me back on last year. But originally, I was like, all right, I'll make a compromise. I'd rather not support this company, but I know that's, as you know, that's where we're getting still the mainstreamings and the normies.

And even in our regular following, a lot of people won't go to BitShoot. They won't go to Odyssey. They won't go to the alternatives. I've been trying for 10 years since 2015 to get people to abandon Facebook and elsewhere. And I've kind of given up. I'll be real. I've kind of given up. Instead, I'm just like, hey, I'm over there if you want to go there.

but I still post on Facebook. I still post on YouTube and Twitter. And I do get a lot of interaction there. I wish those people would go elsewhere, but it is what it is at the moment. So I think I will take a stand, though, with Spotify. Well, you know, there's, I mean, look, like you said, it's as if, you know, like we really were going to be absolutist

about every principle, we wouldn't be using our cars to drive around. We wouldn't be, you know, there are lines and there are difficulties with this. And it's, it's for each of us to choose where we think we can make the most impact, you know, for our phone. for example. I mean, there's plenty of things that I know are somewhat connected to things that I'm trying to fight, but are necessary evil. You know, and again, it's, it's, you know, it's like we talked about with Grock, for example. It's not, at these points, it's not really about trying to judge other people about how they feel it fits in. You know, it's about trying to make your own decisions

about how you can make the best, you know, change. I mean, obviously, we're showing every day the actions we're trying to take to try to change these things and better. And clearly, principled stances that have hurt us more often than not, you know, but it's, It's difficult, right? Because maybe being on Spotify will reach the person that needs to hear it. Well, they'll change the world, you know, not to make it completely hyperbolic. But, you know, it's why we still post on YouTube, for example. You know, I do the pirate account dynamic, but it's the same point. You know, it's because they, you know, deleted us.

But it's about trying to reach those people that need to hear it most, which arguably is the places that are like that, you know. So it's a balance out there. But really it's, you know, I think what you're doing and what, you know, with the music, with the media, It is 100% having an effect on people, and that's why these things are trying to put up these guardrails and box people out of it because it is having an effect. You know, and so it's just such a profound battle right now that we're going through, whether it's about the building technocracy or about just trying to empower people to not feel weak and help learn helplessness with everything going on in their lives. But, you know, at the end of the day, I think the, not to make it like a not positive end, but, you know, it's like the yin and yang of this. I don't think we're, it's, you know, I've talked in the past about redefining success. Like you said, if you reach one person and impact someone's life, that's success to me.

You know, and it's like, I don't think we're going to end up at this point where suddenly the music industry backs away and we now have control. You know, I don't think that way it works anymore. I think it's about trying to just recognize that by doing what you can through your life to have positive change and impact people. That's, that's the win in and of itself, you know, and, hey, hope for the positive outcome, the big change. And that's what we do every day, you know.

So I think it's a good place to kind of leave it. go ahead and respond, but a good place to kind of wrap up today. Yeah, I agree. And no, I just was going to add to that. I was just talking to somebody about this because, like I said, I posted this Spotify article this morning on my social media and somebody responded. And this guy, I'm sure, is a good person otherwise, but he's just like, I don't know, man, boycotting it.

What's the point? You know, it doesn't matter. Just nothing's going to stop. Just kind of a nihilistic view. And I was like, look, that's why we're losing, man. That's why we're losing because people don't even think it's worth taking the time to making even a small effort to try. That doesn't mean we're going to bring down Spotify, but at least for me, as a musician, as a journalist, as a human, I'm trying to model

ethical principled behavior for my nieces and for my nephews and for anybody else who I might influence who will listen. And so if we're not willing to even just say, hey, I'm going to cut this subscription or I'm going to stop supporting this company or I'm going to support, like, again, we know there was a lot of artists who push the COVID-Vax. Like where you spend your money, where you spend your time, who you support does matter. And, I think if we spent more time, money, energy, supporting conscious artists, independent artists, and independent journalists, then the world would be different. Maybe we'll never fully replace the CNNs and the Spotify's of the world, but at least those

of us who are out there trying to scrape by and make a living, putting out truth content and putting out conscious music of various types, we might actually be able to survive and make a living and do that. And that could in its own way change the world because music can change the world, because content and truth can change the world. It's just that we're struggling to get to a place of balance. So I know everybody's struggling out there, but if you can, you know, spend your time, money, energy, attention, et cetera, on the artists and the musicians and the podcasters and the journalists who are actually trying to give you a message of truth and empowerment. And yeah, I'm super grateful, brother, for you giving me a chance to share about my music.

I've only got to do a couple interviews as 33 and sharing it. So it's fun to kind of just talk about this side of things. hopefully for those who had no idea about this side of me, you can understand now that music is extremely important to what I'm doing. And to those who don't like it, because I see you haters out there too. I'm sorry, but 33 is not going away. Well, yeah, and thanks for joining as well for this discussion. I think it's really important as we've, I think, made clear today. And I think, you know, and I think, you know, it's like we said, that the actions we're discussing, like I said, I don't think that this is something that's

going to be some watershed moment. I hope for that. But nonetheless, it's the small incremental changes that really do affect other people's lives. And as Lark and Rose discusses through, you know, this point that it's not necessarily about, you know, even them change. It's about if we act differently and just they, they, it's treat them like they don't exist, go all about our lives and live our lives over here. We don't need that. And eventually the point is if we do that, they just become irrelevant, you know,

whether they decide, you know, I think it's about that giving them power through that and acknowledging them, you know, but it's both. You know, I do think it's visceral action. Don't give them your money. Don't give them your time. At the same time, go live your life in a different way without being consumed by what they want you to think and so on. But yeah, I do think it's powerful. And I'm looking forward to potentially connecting with FX and talking about this more and collaborating with you.

Yeah, let's do that. Yeah. Yeah. Let me just set up this song before we say goodbye. So this song is called Unwritten. It's off my, actually it's just a single that I put out last year. And it does feature presence grant. And as the title implies, it's basically about the idea that the,

future's unwritten and we are still deciding where things go and it was actually this is a music video that was filmed at the people's reset in January of this year and if anybody wants to come for next year we're going to be announcing soon so check us out over there but it's a really fun video the message is like we still get to decide the future's unwritten and we just got to we got to write the future we want so thanks again brother yeah thank you thanks for being here and we'll leave you with his his music video make sure you can check out the links for all of his independent media work as well, the music work. Plenty more to come in this conversation.

I'm looking forward, interviewing more about the simple idea of just revolution through music. And it's not just, I mean, it's never talking about violence, but it's not just about physical action. It's about, you know, acting like we talk about, voting with your dollar, acting, you know, mental revolution of the mind. There's a lot of different ways to look at it. But thanks for being here again.

And as always, question everything. Come to your own conclusions. Stay vigilant. Crash to the depths of hell Made so many mistakes But my soul ain't for sale Forgive myself Forget those who cross me

Not like I'm keeping score But I keep coming up empty There's a big world out here Waiting to be discovered There's so many hidden truths Waiting to be uncovered There's no going back The future's unwritten

We can keep trying But there's no use preventing Crater has a plan And I'm ready to embrace My destiny and this journey Through time and space There's no going back The future's unwritten

You can keep trying but there's no use preventing. Greater has a plan, and it's time to embrace. Your destiny and a journey through time and space. You never feel like you've got a bigger mission to fulfill? There's too much to do. Can't get caught sitting still. I know I'm meant to be more than a cog in the machine.

Not sure where I'm headed, but I'm more than I seem. They say the grass ain't always greener, but I got to find out get to the other side so I can erase my doubt. I'm tuned into my purpose. No more feeling worth this. No more wasting time asking if I deserve this. This is my moment to show my. potential. This is my one shot, so I'm done being sinful. I feel nothing but gratitude,

just anticipating. I know I can take on anything I'm facing. There's no going back. The future's unwritten. We can keep trying, but there's no use preventing. Crater has a plan, and I'm ready to embrace my destiny in this journey through time and space. There's no going back. The future's unwritten. You can keep trying, but there's no use preventing. Crater has a plan, and it's time to embrace your destiny and this journey through time and space. You ever feel like you capable of more? Saw a vision that you make the same decisions before. Feeling like a couple version of yourself a reward.

The one that's complete in the one that's away from the soul. Yeah, highest priority not just least I know I got. We can keep trying, but this beta has a plan, and I'm ready to embrace my destiny in this journey through time and space. There's no going back, the future's unwritten. You can keep trying, but there's no use destiny in this journey through time and space. I stand for the seven generations, original first night. nations, call on dear ancestors and ask for patience.

Can't stop climbing in the face of these obstacles, the truth within each of us like the Gnostic Gospels. And yes, it's true, their time is running low, but we determine our future with the seeds we sow. So let's keep building the world of our dreams as we watch Babylon come a part of the scenes. Watch Babylon come a part of the themes. Watch Babylon come a part of the...