The School of Greatness - How To Pursue Your Dreams Even In The Face Of Adversity w/Bobby Hall a.k.a. Logic EP 1163

Episode Date: September 15, 2021

Today’s guest is Bobby Hall, also known as Logic. He’s a Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling recording artist, author, actor, streamer, and film producer. In addition to his three number-one albums, ten platinum singles, and billions of streams, Hall’s debut book, Supermarket, made him the first hip-hop artist to have a #1 New York Times bestselling novel. He’s written a new memoir called This Bright Future where he gets vulnerable and opens up about everything he’s been through. This was a special episode that I think you guys will really get a lot of value from.In this episode we discuss the biggest lessons he learned from his traumatic and abusive childhood, what it takes to pursue your dreams and make them a reality, why he doesn’t go on social media anymore and how that’s affected his mental health, the biggest lies around success and how we overcame his darkest place at the peak of his career, and so much more!Sign up for the Greatness Challenge: http://lewishowes.com/challengeFor more go to: www.lewishowes.com/1163Check out his music: LogicThe Wim Hof Experience: Mindset Training, Power Breathing, and Brotherhood: https://link.chtbl.com/910-podA Scientific Guide to Living Longer, Feeling Happier & Eating Healthier with Dr. Rhonda Patrick: https://link.chtbl.com/967-podThe Science of Sleep for Ultimate Success with Shawn Stevenson: https://link.chtbl.com/896-pod  

This is episode number 1163 with platinum-selling recording artist, number one New York Times bestselling author, Bobby Hall, aka Logic. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur, and each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Welcome back, everyone. Today's guest is Bobby Hall, also known as Logic, and we had an incredible interview for you today. He's a Grammy-nominated platinum-selling recording artist, author,

actor, streamer, and film producer. In addition to his three number one albums, 10 platinum singles, and billions of streams, Bobby's debut book, Supermarket, made him the first hip-hop artist to have a number one New York Times best-selling novel. He's written a new memoir called This Bright Future, where he gets vulnerable and opens up about everything he's been through. And it was such a special episode. I think you're going to get a ton of value from it because we discussed the biggest lessons he's learned from his traumatic and abusive childhood. Also, what it takes to pursue your dreams and make them a reality under extreme adversity, why he doesn't go on social media anymore, and how that's impacted his mental health. The biggest lies around success and how he overcame his darkest place at the peak of his career and so much more. Truly, this was an inspiring conversation for me. So many eye-opening moments. So I hope you enjoy this and make sure to spread this message with someone that you think would be inspired by his message and inspiration as well.

And before we dive in, I want to give a shout out to the fan of the week who is Daniel Sleek, who said, As a young entrepreneur who's starting his first business, this is a great tool to guide my journey. Thank you for sharing for free. You are a godsend. That was a review over on Apple Podcast. Make sure to subscribe over on Apple Podcast or Spotify and leave us a review for a chance to be shouted out on this show as a fan of the week as well. Okay, in just a moment, the one and only Bobby Hall, aka Logic. Welcome back, everyone, to the School of Greatness. I'm very excited. We've got Grammy-nominated platinum-selling recording artist,

author, actor, film producer, and father, Bobby Hall, also known as Logic. Good to see you, man. Good to see you, too. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, very excited about this. We've had many technical difficulties with donuts and drinking water and my computer frozen.

So we're finally making this happen, man. I'm excited about this because you've inspired millions of lives around the world with your message, with your music. And you've got a new book out called The Bright Future, which is a memoir about your life, which is very inspiring because you grew up in a very poor household and with a lot of abuse, with a lot of abuse and trauma. I don't understand how you came out a normal person with so much trauma and abuse. How did you come out with a kind heart, with a good soul, and with a moral compass? That's what I'm curious about.

Yeah, I think I always just say it was like God in common sense. And I'm not even like super religious or anything, but I definitely, I always tell people I respect religion and faith so much. I just don't believe in like the classic sky dad, white dude with a beard on a cloud. But he or she or whatever, I feel like something had to make this. feel like something had to make this so that that being mixed with i don't know just something you you know innately just kind of what i what was born with um shaped me you know i'd see my dad smoking crack and my brothers you know putting guns in my hand and my mom getting beat by men and drinking and sleeping in and i was like oh these the, this don't do this. Right. A lot of other people, excuse me. And my, you know, a lot of my siblings fell into that kind of same trap of perpetuating that lifestyle. And I just, I don't know, dude, I just knew it wasn't right.

What made you, what made you feel like you want to channel that into something for good of creation, as opposed to just kind of repeat the pattern? Was there a polling inside of you and knowing, was there a calling? Was it a friend, a mentor that kind of repeat the pattern? Was there a pulling inside of you, a knowing? Was there a calling? Was it a friend, a mentor that kind of guided you along that path? Not really. It was more so just very selfish, if I'm being completely honest. I just want to be rich and famous.

No, not even. It was more so I didn't have anybody there to tell me that they loved me or that, hey, a good job or, you know, wow, you're really improving or this or that. So that message of peace, love and positivity in my music is because I wasn't actually surrounded by any of it. So I kind of created this almost synthetic world within my genre of music that allowed me to spread that message. But first and foremost to myself, you know, on these records, when I was a young kid, when I was in my early 20s, I'm like, hey, man, I'm on the song. You can do it. You listening right now, blah, blah, blah.

You can do it. Follow your dreams. Be a good person. Spread a good message. But really, I was like, it was just me. I was just talking to myself. So you were coaching yourself? I mean, not very well, probably.

It would have been great if somebody else was there but yeah i mean i just i don't know and then i with the craziest part is then once like the music actually started to kind of like take off and i had like even just a couple hundred fans i was like oh i saw immediately that they resonated with what i was saying because they felt like i was saying it to them so then i I was like, oh, well, let me actually say it to them. Let me let them know that they care enough. And I'm kind of in this position of power. I want to use it in a positive way. And that's when the message just got bigger and stronger.

And yeah. What was the age growing up that you feel like was the darkest for you? It was like the loneliest, darkest, toughest year. It's funny, dude, because I got a couple of them. Seriously, it's like, I mean, I just remember when my mom was locked up in a mental institution and my sisters kind of took over the house and they're like 14. And, you know, they're like 14 and you know they're doing what 14 year old kids in the hood tend to do and yeah so I didn't have anybody

really and they kind of looked out for me which was cool but then at the same time one of my darkest and most times of feeling alone was when I was 28 years old and I had the whole world in the palm of my hands and uh nobody else understood what i was going through and a majority of people whether they were rappers other entertainers that i would go to would kind of be like oh yeah man yeah yeah no it's cool you'll be all right because they're also don't want to deal with what they were going through at the same time it's kind of gnarly what were you dealing with i did i did what were you dealing with uh how old were you then when at the younger age when your sisters were 14 like nine nine so nine and 28 what was that's just one of the times yeah it's probably every year but i mean

yeah literally when you were nine what was the thing you were going through the most what was the biggest challenge well i mean i knew that i wasn't uh it's funny i knew that i wasn't like everybody else in my household um and yet because of coming up in my household i also knew that i wasn't like all the other kids in the neighborhood or at school right um which was kind of like a difficult thing and don't get me wrong like i fit in i had a group of friends and people that i would hang hang out with but it was like i also didn't fit in you know it was just really it was it was it was a difficult thing I think also another thing that was extremely hard to deal with was the fact that and mind you I just want everybody listening and watching and to know like I don't say any of

what I'm gonna say here about my family and my childhood with any malice or, you know, it's just I've forgiven these people for what they've done. But at the end of the day, the truth hurts. Yeah. The truth hurt me as a kid, and it is what it is. And though I may be brutally honest, if these people, and this is what I've dealt with while writing this book because it's been very cathartic, is if they feel any type of way, they should have felt something 30 years ago before they treated a child like shit. So that's, I just want to say that. So I think it was extremely difficult. Like my mom is religious, but like, not really. My mom's the type of woman to go, you know, don't take the Lord's name in vain, God, mother, son of a bitch. That's, that's my mom. And whenever you ask questions or, you know, don't take the Lord's name in vain, God, mother, son of a bitch. That's my mom.

And whenever you ask questions or, you know, and kids ask questions, you should ask questions. But a lot of faith, which I respect and I understand it is faith, and that's why they call it faith, because you just have to have faith. But when you're a kid, you're like, yeah, but why? And you're kind of told, you're told, no, we don't question. Yeah. Yeah, but why don't we question? No, because, you know, and then so, yeah, I think that was very difficult, having these questions or these ideas and always just being met with because I said so was extremely difficult. That's not a good enough response for me either, because I said so.

Yeah. so yeah i i i i i think um especially with my generation because i'm 31 now it's just like parents and they still do this tend to treat their kids like they're stupid you know what i mean but it's like they're the ones who should be educating them so if they're asking a question instead of because i said so why not be completely honest like my wife she's the best mom and little bobby will take his toy and like throw it because he's like a year and a half and he'll just throw it. And she goes, no, honey, we want to be gentle. And he looks at her and he's like,

because we don't want to hurt our toys. And obviously we can't hurt our toys, but we're teaching this boy to one, hold value in something, especially something I didn't have. He's a little spoiled motherfucker compared to me. And, but yeah, you know, so I saw a lot of things in those dark times, and it really shaped me and has continued to help me as a father and a husband. What do you think you would say if your nine-year-old self was sitting right in front of you right now,

what advice would you say to him to prepare him for what's to come? Honestly, I wouldn't tell him shit. I've actually gotten – people have asked me that question in different ways. Like what would you tell the younger version of yourself who's rapping or this or that? I think the rapper, I'd be like, you're never going to make it just to get him even more fired so he doesn't put his feet up. Yeah. And just think like everything's cool. I mean it's like i don't really know what

i would tell him i know what he needs what he needs to hear what's he need and i don't think that's necessarily the same thing but he needs to hear i love you you're a good person you can do anything you want in the world you're really smart you know you're you're a good kid i never heard that i wish i did that would have been nice really never heard that ever kid. I never heard that. I wish I did. That would have been nice. Really? Never heard that ever? Yeah. No, I never heard that ever. What do you think would have happened had you have heard that consistently?

Well, if I had heard that, I don't think I would have been in the house that I was in either. You know what I mean? It's like I would have had a completely different life, which I talk about in this book. And I say how there was times when I really wished I could be a dog in a rich family. And like people would pet me and tell me they love me and play with me. And then I'd get maybe like 12 years out of it. And it would just be way better than what I was experiencing. So I remember having thoughts like that for sure. What would you say are the three biggest lessons you learned from childhood?

How not to treat a child. That your household and your upbringing actually doesn't define you. It doesn't. It has a great impact on who you will become. But there are these anomalies and just these people who, I mean, myself, right? these like anomalies and just these people who i mean myself right it's like i came from you know violence and being surrounded by drugs and alcohol and all these different things yet i didn't choose that path and then you could have you know kids who came up in great stable families and they they're like tony montana you know like my best friend josh growing up he was walking around with

shotguns in his trench coat but he lived in a three-story household with two parents who loved him so it was really weird right and then the third lesson or thing that I learned from my childhood well that's a good one I think as a dad even, even though I kind of just said that, but is, um, that's really where you're shaped. Obviously it's like, duh, but it's just, I think about how much I did alone. And I wish that if I had a parent there to support my love of anime and sci-fi and all this stuff, like it would have just been so cool. I remember being 14 years old, and my mom was like, you cannot watch Kill Bill. You cannot watch Kill Bill.

You cannot watch. And then so I watched it anyway, alone. And it's like I'm 14, man. It's not like, you know what I mean? Come on. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. And it changed my life forever.

I mean, that movie literally inspired me on so many insane levels, like discovering RZA from Wu-Tang Clan and then discovering Wu-Tang Clan, which is why I started rapping in the first place. Wow. It's like, dude, a couple of years ago, yeah, I did a song called Wu-Tang Forever and I have every living member of the Wu-Tang Clan on one song. It was like this crazy, amazing, you know, milestone for me. And yeah, I mean, and it's so much more, and anime and filmmaking and storytelling and, excuse me, all these different things that inspired me. And it's like, if I had had somebody there just to, you know,

like I remember I used to draw Dragon Ball Z characters as a kid. It's like this anime, this fighting show. And my mom was like, why is everything so violent? Why does it have to be so violent? Meanwhile, then she throws an iron cup and splits the side of her husband's head open. And you can see his skull. And then she gets hauled off by the police. Oh, my gosh.

It's a great. And then I was with him for, I don't know, maybe like a month. And he didn't go to work. And all he did was drink all day. And his name was Tony Bransford. And he was kind of a nice guy, actually. But he had some demons. And I'll never forget, I had these toy guns.

And they were like my favorite possession. And I was like, oh, man. And I ran up behind him. Meanwhile, my mom's like in jail or something. And I'm like, hey, Tony, look. Bang, bang, bang. And I'm like seven, six. Oh, man. And bang, bang. And I'm like, seven, six. Oh, man.

And he takes them and he goes, don't you ever. It's like 10 in the morning. And he's face, point a gun at another person, even if it's not real. And he takes it and he throws it on the linoleum tile floor in our kitchen. And he slams it. He's not wearing any shoes or anything. And like five inch piece of now triangular plastic shoots deep under the heel of his foot and back into his heel and he just goes mother and he goes back and

he and he grabs it and he takes it out and uh it spews all over the place like a fight scene and then there was just this giant puddle of blood on the linoleum floor for a very very long time and you could like easily write in cursive with a penny in it like like that's kind of the vibe that it was and that's yeah i mean that's a light day dude like it was just it's a tuesday it's a tuesday morning just showing up yeah tony tony was a good man though he just like i said he just had a lot of demons he was mixed like me he had a black father and a and a french white european mother um and one of the nicest things that tony ever did for me i'll never forget it i got caught smoking when i was five years old i didn't want to do it five and back then it was yeah five oh

bro come on uh yeah and so i'm sorry lewis i keep calling you bro it's all good it's all good bro bro bro uh and so uh yeah yeah back then it was it was really easy right because everybody smoked so it was like hey you know ian's mom needs a cigarette and then you go to ian's mom and you go oh my mom needs a lighter she can't find a lighter and she's just around the corner and she asked me like what you need a lighter you're a sm find a lighter. And she's just around the corner. And she asked me like, what? You need a lighter? You're a smoker. Yeah. And then we got caught. And then I'll never forget.

She sat me down. It was the closest thing to a Corey Matthews, boy meets world moment that I ever had. And she was just like, listen, Tony's going to. Wow. I was like,

I was like, okay. So Tony takes me into the back. And I mean, this guy's got cinder blocks for hands. Oh my gosh. He's like completely bald on top, but really long hair. He's like a cowboy, honestly.

And he wears cowboy boots. And I mean, this dude was a welder. And I mean, crazy, right? So he sits me down and I am so scared. Oh my, you're five, you're terrified. Yeah, I'm looking at this giant man, right? And I'm like, oh, my God. And he goes, now you listen here.

Oh, Bobby. And I say, oh, shit, here it comes. And he goes, this is actually the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me or to me, one of them. He goes, when I was a little boy, my dad used to beat me till I was bloody, and he beat my sisters and my brothers too and i promised myself that i would never put my hands on a child so i'm not gonna do that and i was like really he goes yeah but we're gonna make your mom think i'm whooping your ass in here and i'm really taking care of business so he started like uh he starts smacking his hands

and i'm smacking my hand oh Oh, Tony, no, stop it. Oh, oh, my God. And I'm like, you know, we're going, hey, I should have gotten an Oscar. So this guy, so it's all done, right? And he's like, all right, boy, never forget this lesson. And I'm like, okay, cool. It sounds like a character out of Red Dead Redemption. And so he walks out of the room, and I'm just still going.

Oh, Tony. And he comes back in, and he goes, hey, boy, I can't be in the living room whooping your same time shut up and i was like all right so that's i don't know how the hell we got there but that's good that's i'm glad he uh did it beat you yeah yeah but it's like my mom tells me this oh i know another thing that had sparked this was the because i said so and it was uh like my mom whoops ass and she gives me this talking to while like her and her second or third husband, I forget what he is, are both smoking cigarettes at the same time. Like it's gnarly. While they're saying don't do this. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah. What was the – man, you're at the top of the world at 28. What was the – man, you're at the top of the world at 28. But you were just saying a few years ago you were also in a dark place as well and people weren't really able to connect with you or artists at your level weren't able to really emotionally and vulnerably be able to resonate with you or really listen to you. What was the thing that was going on that was the hardest for you then? I mean it was a lot, dude. And I think the reason why it was so difficult too is because I then started to make music about it, right? Because I always made music

about every single thing that I went through. I made music about having no money, being extremely poor and feeling unloved. And then I would make music about how to juggle millions of dollars and a giant staff and being on tour constantly, da-da-da. And then so it kind of shifted to like oh like you're complaining about being rich and blah blah blah so then fans kind of felt a certain

way and it's just like no i'm not everybody's got money problems and then it's funny because i had released this album um in 2019 and it like it's it's funny it's actually my most popular album and technically most successful album and yet like critically it was my most hated on album it was called confessions of a dangerous mind and then the and everyone's like he fell off he's never coming back which is just so funny to me especially in hip-hop but in music where it's like i just like had the biggest song in the world the biggest album in the world the platinum da da da all this other and then i could the next year it's just like he's totally off and then the year after that i was like okay and i say this to say like i i i was like okay you know

what i'm gonna write about these things but in a much more relatable way i was just being very blunt and like hey this is what i'm going through but obviously people don't want to hear about people's champagne problems right so i was like cool. So then I won't say millions. I'll just say money. I won't say, oh, it's hard being away from the mansion. I'll be like, it's hard being away from my pregnant wife in our home. I'll use certain words. On records, I have like dad bod and this and that, blah, blah, blah.

Long story short, I mean, in the first week, I sold a quarter million units, albums. And it's like, oh, he he's back and then i retired and i took some time off and then i decided to come back and trust me i'm getting to your 2018 question i decided to come back uh this year and um it was very short it was more like a slight intermission it wasn't really but i woke up one day and wanted to release music and so i did and then it's like oh he fell off and it's just like this thing so I did. And then it's like, Oh, he fell off. And it's just like this thing. That's so funny where it's just like,

what do you, what, what, like, what do you even mean? And so in 2018, yeah, man,

it was really difficult. Um, I made, I got made $30 million. It changed my life in one year. Uh, yeah, literally.

Well, the thing about me though, too, is like, it's, it's a slow burn. So everybody might know me as like, Oh, it's a suicide Guy. Yeah, it's 1-800-SONG. Wow. You know, but as proud as I am of the song, I had been grinding for 10 years. And I had built a fan base over that time, a very, very big fan base, where I could, you know, do five, 6,000 people a night, which is really, really special. And then obviously I made this song,

which I thought would never be a hit record, and then I'm selling out Madison Square Garden, which is really incredible. It's a big milestone for me. Because just eight years before then, I was in a guest room at my godmother's house doing my first signatures ever as Logic. And I actually have it framed over here.

And it says me practicing my autograph, 12-1-2010. And it's a whole bunch of Logic signatures. And at the bottom is a platinum ticket to a sold-out Madison Square Garden, which is kind of crazy. That's amazing. Dude, you know what's really amazing is I've accomplished a lot and i've done a lot and i never thought about it i never appreciated it i was always moving on to the next thing and i think that's what that was too i was exhausted i was tired and it was just like

you know people people saying like oh you ain't never gonna have fans and you have fans and say oh well you'll never be able to perform and then you perform for like maybe 50 people well you'll never have a hundred people there never have a thousand and a thousand turns into four and four to eight and eight to 22,000 people sold out in an arena or outside amphitheater or this or that oh you'll never you'll never yeah man you ain't never gonna finish a mixtape then you finish a mixtape oh you ain't never gonna put out an album you put out yeah well you ain't never going to go gold and you go gold. Oh, you'll never go platinum. You go platinum. Now I'm 10 times platinum. And it's like, when is it enough? And that's how I felt in 2018. What is enough? I'm not good enough, not black enough, not rich

enough, not poor enough, not this enough, not that enough. And I'm constantly being berated, especially on social media. I haven't been on social media in two years. And I'm constantly being berated, especially on social media. I haven't been on social media in two years. Wow. And I'm the happiest that I've ever been. But it's also had a negative effect on my quote unquote brand, which I could give a f*** about. Because at the end of the day, I would rather be happy and doing the things that I love and spending a majority of my time with my wife and son while also being creative on the side. So that was a lot to take in in 2018.

I mean, to the point where, sorry, I know I'm going on, but I had a show in Pittsburgh. I was emaciated. I was throwing up backstage. I was completely unhealthy. I want to kill myself. I didn't. I just was. It was the most difficult thing in the world.

You know, everybody online saying you're a piece of shit or you're this or that or blah, blah, blah. You suck. Or I hope your baby dies. And or that or blah, blah, blah. You suck or I hope your baby dies. And wife's ugly. And blah, blah. And she was just some girl who worked at a smoothie shop I met. Like, this is the craziest. And I was going through a divorce at the time.

And this, it was, mind you, I'm married now. And I'm talking about the woman that I was with at the time. And so it was just the most difficult thing. And then I got to go out on stage. And I remember feeling like I was with at the time. And so it was just the most difficult thing and then I got to go out on stage. And I remember feeling like I was passing out and it was really crazy. And everything started to fade and I'm in front of all these people

and I kind of stopped the show. And I remember being in the car. I jumped in the truck to just leave in the middle of the show. And I was like, I can't do this. But what I meant was I can't leave. was like i can't leave these fans like i spent my whole life to get here and now i'm just gonna leave like i can't do that but literally i was so i was riddled with anxiety extremely unhealthy both mentally and physically and i got back out on stage and i told the crowd

and it's in in the book i forget exactly what I said, but I basically said, I feel like I feel like I'm going to die. I'm so scared right now. Like, I don't know what to do, but I'm going to be honest with you. And I started fighting back these tears. Right. And I was like, I just am so tired. I was like, I'm constantly I'm constantly on tour. I'm on tour 10, 11 months out of the year.

Show after show after show, go after go, people in your ear, people in your pocket, people like, you may never be here again. You got to keep going. And I'm telling the crowd this, and I'm like, I just want you to know that you're worth it. And that's why I'm on stage right now, because I'm here to spread that positive message

of peace, love, and positivity, and let you know that even in your darkest of times, you can persevere. So that's what I'm going to do for you here tonight. I'm going to do my best to persevere and not just walk off this stage. And then I broke down and I cried and then the internet made fun of me. And that was a very difficult year. And that wasn't even all of it. That was just like such a slight moment. Wow, man. So you were in the back of a trunk, ready to bounce. And then you said, let me get back out there. Not the trunk. I was in the truck.

The truck. I thought you said you were in the trunk of the truck oh no no no hiding like hiding in the truck but you're in the truck and you were about to bounce but then you went back out yeah i mean i've done that every every show i've ever done i've done shows i shouldn't have done i've done shows with 103 degree fevers i've done shows where i'm intermittently puking my brains out on the side. I've done shows hawking up blood from my throat, smoking cigarettes and shit. I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I did it just because I'm here financially, and now I can do whatever I want or not, and I don't plan on going on tour anytime soon.

That's nice. What would you say was the root of you feeling kind of that anxiety, that overwhelm, that stress? Was it that you felt like you were never able to live up to what people thought you couldn't do, or was it just your own internal dialogue? Was there something else going on? It was definitely a bit of both, you know, because when you have millions of people on the Internet, you know,

saying that you ain't shit, meanwhile, people are also loving you like the the good always outweighs the bad alan what said anything you can be interested in you'll find others who are and that's what i found in in hip-hop i found other nerds you know like so when i first started rapping i'm talking about sci-fi and star wars and all this that nobody really on a mainstream levels was really rapping about your emotions and you're this and you're that and then meanwhile people can't really put me in a box because i look white but my dad's black so i'm biracial but then that becomes this whole like mean thing where people are like why are you always got to prove that you black like why you got it and it's like what are

you talking about i just sat down to do an interview and he asked me what it was like to be a white boy in hip-hop and i just told you that every single person in my family is black with the exception of my mother and now i'm suddenly like defending myself meanwhile kendrick lamar black thought killer mike so many incredibly amazing rappers talk about being black and all their songs black i'm black and i'm black black is beautiful black is this and i come on three records for the first time in my career my third album in going hey guys i'm two things at the same time and everyone's like shut the fuck up like it's it's kind of a it's a gnarly thing so dealing with that dealing with identity and see that the funny thing is is i never had an identity issue i i didn't i never didn't know what my identity was i did

it was other people who couldn't accept it they didn't like the fact that i understand anim of the culture and yet you know this is the shade. We call it ultra light skin. No, I'm just kidding. But I feel like that was extremely difficult. And, you know, just not being accepted. I was never accepted. But I say in this book, you can't stand out and fit in at the same time. And so even though it was a difficult road, I am very happy that I went through it all.

But I was trying to make other people happy. I felt like my music was never good enough or never this enough or that enough. And once again, we come back to enough. And I just had to wake up one day and realize that it is. Like for some idiot on the internet to be like, oh, you fell off. And it's just like, what does that even mean? No, I didn't. What are you talking about?

But to know that, to know, that even mean no i didn't what are you talking about like but to know that to know like no i didn't this you're everything you're saying is irrelevant and especially like in in music and in rap it's like the critique is not critique right and i say this in my in my uh in my in my book my memoir i say like, for example, my first novel that I wrote, right? So I was the first hip hop artist to ever release a novel, which is crazy. It's a fun fiction. It's really gnarly. And I actually, it's called Supermarket. And I used it as a form to be able to cope with my anxiety and the things that I was going through. So this main character is very much so like myself. Now it resonated with a lot of people. And then there was a lot of people who was like, oh, this is garbage.

It's like it was written by a 10th grader. But honestly, I was like, okay, whatever. That's like, that's not that bad. You know what I mean? And then, well, it wasn't number one New York Times bestseller. So I must've been doing something right. But when I say all this to say that,

like if somebody was to critique it, right? You know, you have a publication and that publication could say something like, oh, I'm not really sure how I feel about the development of these characters. I'm not sure about the hero's journey and the blah, blah, blah. And that's fine.

Now in hip hop, it's completely different. You know, like nobody at New York Times ever was like, yo, this book suck ass. Like, and that's what know had dealt with and technically still still do deal with when it comes to music only i have put it out of sight out of mind especially not being on the internet to take such critique and it's not that i can't take it a lot of people would say that oh he can't take critique he can't take this well that's not true i wholeheartedly can um but these this concept of like you gotta have tough skin like no i don't i'm an emotional human being i'm a man who's in touch with uh you know the

essence of his feelings and these are the things that i rap about and if you tell me that you think my kids should die and my wife so that's going to make me feel a certain type of way. So I'd rather just not even read that or be on the internet. And because of that, then there's a result of the internet, which is pay to play. So it's like, I have 6 million plus, I don't know, followers on Instagram, whatever that means, which I used to equate to worth and self-worth. And I used to on a little story, it's like a 15 second snippet. You can just record something. I used to get over a million hits on every single story a day. It's crazy. And then as I started to pull away from it, I mean, it's just, it's like, I don't know, a couple hundred thousand now, which is still amazing. But the difference is, is I found out that the less I engage, the less I'm rewarded. So I either literally have to

pay to have my marketed and promoted so that everybody could see it, or I have to be on Instagram and Twitter 24 seven, which is what I used to do. But it was only perpetuating the depression and the, you know, those feelings that I was feeling so i decided nope it's not worth it i have a core fan base who all follow me on spotify and can't leave a bunch of up comments if they're just there to troll and hate so i'm just going to release music and spend time with my family sorry for these tangents bro i love these tangents man these are amazing i mean so much to unpack there for me growing up uh in ohio uh you know in the i was born in 83 so really like the late 80s, early 90s. We weren't allowed to express emotions.

I'm not sure if you were allowed to express emotions as a kid. It doesn't sound like it. The only emotion that I was allowed to express was no emotion or anger. I wrote a book called The Mask of Masculinity because it was breaking down the different masks that men put on to feel accepted, to fit into society with their friend group, with their family, with school, whatever it may be, their work group, things like that. Because for so many of us, it wasn't cool. I was a very emotional, sensitive, affectionate young boy, and I wanted to put my arm around my buddies, and they would push me off and say, don't be a little girl, whatever it is, some negative term.

So then I was like, okay, I have to put on this mask to fit in so people like me and feel like I have worth. And so I can relate to that in a big way because, and I think so many young kids feel that way about the followers and engagement, the likes, and they tie it to their self-worth. And if they don't get that engagement, it emotionally messes with them. So what advice would you give to people on the internet right now who are constantly on Instagram or Twitter or wherever it is, TikTok, and it affects them? The advice I would give them, they're not going to listen to. Don't be on it. Completely get off of it. Erase it. Delete the account as a to. Don't be on it. Completely get off of it.

Erase it. Delete the account as a whole. Don't just, I'm going to delete the app. That's the biggest thing I hear. You come back out three days later. Oh, yeah, I'm going to take a break. Yeah, bro, come on. Forget about it.

Sometimes I do certain posts if I want it to be very personal, but I don't have it on my phone. My assistant does. So I'll be like, hey, let me, I don't know, tweet little Nas X or something. And so I'll like, I'll, I'll, I'll do that from myself. Um, and then sometimes I'll like see something and I'll be like, Oh, Oh wow. Oh my God. And then I'm like, Holy, what am I doing? I'm scrolling. What is this? And then I literally, I'm like, get this away from me. I say it every time, which is really funny. But, um, you know what it is, man?

One, it's also a different era. So when social media started to become a thing, I was 17. This was 2007. I remember this because I remember watching the Dark Knight was coming out and everybody was going to hate on What's-His-Face for being Joker, Heath Ledger. And I thought he was going to do great. And he did. And that was awesome.

And so I just remember Ashton Kutcher had like the most amount of followers yes on twitter yeah it was like yeah it was a big deal it was such a thing was it the first one a million or something or yeah yeah and so this was for me it kind of happened later right like i was i didn't really catch myself like online like all the time until like 20 21 so i was a little older um but what i'm saying is these these kids are literally born with a phone in their hands so it's difficult yeah because so much of their socializing actually isn't really even in person and when they are in person they're still on their phones so there there's no connection, right? So because of this- My nephew and nieces, my nephew and nieces,

we were on a vacation and they were literally on their phone the whole time. And I've been with one of them before where they're with their friends and they're all friends. They're chatting with each other on the phone next to each other.

They go, what are we doing here? You're chatting with each other through the phone, but you're next to each other. what are we doing here you're chatting with each other through the phone but you're next to it just makes no sense to me it's freaking weird now the issue is that we know the issue is is that we can't relate right because that wasn't our childhood right so in many ways even though it's definitely not healthy there's things that we can relate to about kids, right? Like, I don't know, you're in seventh or eighth grade and you're in your first kind of real relationship

and you've been dating for like three weeks and it's amazing. And then this guy or girl breaks your heart and then you go home and you act a certain way and your parents find out and the parents are like, oh, don't worry. Like, you're gonna be over this. And you're like, you don't understand. And it's like, no, I do understand. over this you don't understand and it's like no i do

understand like this ain't like yeah yeah but it's okay like da da da so but we can't do the same thing when it comes to social media because we don't know what that's like we haven't been there we haven't been bullied online and in person we haven't had a crush on somebody face to face and then accidentally liked you know their picture and it's like this face and then accidentally liked, you know, their picture. And it's like this thing. And then I don't, you know what I mean? Like there's a whole world of online bullying and just things that I could, I can't understand or put myself in if I was, I was a kid. So I don't really know what I could say to a child that's constantly on social media. I will say it is, I do believe it is very similar to the this guy or girl broke your heart like you're gonna be all right like if you get off of this thing like

you'll be okay but our society's headed to the metaverse dude augmented reality next 10 15 years i i phones are going to be obsolete everybody's going to be wearing glasses we're going to be having this conversation without any gear, any camera. It's going to, it's, it's crazy, which I think is good and bad. I think it's going to connect people in a very positive way. And there's also going to be repercussions for trolls. You're not just going to be able to say the most gnarly shit out of your mouth because you'll be one banned from that person's metaverse or possibly reported and then deleted, you

know, from the metaverse as a whole. It's funny. I almost sound like, like a conspiracy you know from the metaverse as a whole it's funny i almost sound like like a conspiracy theorist the metaverse it's a real thing bro look it up you know for for people listening especially the younger generation that's saying you know bobby this is great and all um advice to get off but you you know you made 30 million dollars in a year you've got your life now. You've got set up. You made your art and expression to the world because of the internet potentially.

You're able to get it out there in a big way. 100%. So for people that are trying to express themselves through their art, their business, their sports, whatever their talent is, their gift, and use the internet, how could they do without wrecking their mental health without wanting to commit suicide without you know feeling unworthy every moment of every day and also use it as a powerful tool to advance their dreams what a great question um i think

in my previous statement that was just to the average person particularly you know young kids teenagers but honestly like even adults like straight up if you want to be happier if you want to be happier yeah just get off the internet like you know like do other like you're at least these apps these social media apps um which you're wasting your time and when it comes to entertainment and dreams, which I totally get, uh, yeah, you have to destroy yourself physically and mentally. If you really,

truly like want to do, you have to be a psychopath, man. Like all I did was music, music, music, music all the time. I didn't go to parties.

I didn't drink. I didn't this, not to say that you need to drink, but it's just, I didn't have, I didn't, I didn't get drunk till I was 26, which is great. I mean, that's really cool. It was just, maybe I was 25, but it's like, that was my path, but it's just like, and I'm glad I did it. But

what I'm saying is there's just certain things that I missed out on opportunities, experiences, this, that you have to be willing to do that. And you have to be on, on social media all the time. Now that's a real thing. If you want to blow up and you want to make it and you want to utilize this device to your advantage, you have to basically sacrifice your 20s. Here's a big thing, okay? If you are doing something where you truly do need education, of course, go get your diploma, do your thing. But if you're starting up a business, college, straight up, I'm going to tell you that you don't need it. This formal education is such bullshit because you could be taking time and educating yourself, going out, getting in the field, whether you're interning, you're this, you're that, and making it happen. Because it's like, okay, here's another thing. Okay, cool.

You get your diploma and then you go to some place that you want to, you know, work at, but then they tell you, oh, you need three years experience. Well, how the am I going to get three years experience if I'm at a college and I just got a degree to do this thing. So it's like, you have to make it your everything. And most people can't actually do that. Um, wouldn't take take it back though my my 20s were the most my 20s were harder than my childhood like wow easily and it was more so mentally and and and just what i had to deal with physically and going on tour and just i mean relationship forget about it it was so dude grinding like literally it was the hardest thing in the world uh but now here i am and it's like dude i'm 31

and you said yourself like yeah i can do whatever i want like and that it's kind of weird to say it's a really weird thing but like bro i earned it and that's not me trying to sound arrogant like i earned it dude like sure i remember being alone in very dark places in hotel rooms like and i got through it somehow and i'm so glad i did like i i earned it um so that's what anyone listening now has to do they have to earn it and they have to be prepared i would say get therapy get a therapist and um try to find balance as best as you can. But when it comes to dreams, there really is no balance. It's kind of just 100% this thing constantly until you reach a peak.

Because there is a... My biggest thing was like, okay, how many number ones can you have? How many this? How many that? I was in this hamster wheel. And for so long, I had these goals and had these goals and had these goals. And then I just did, I had no more goals. I mean, you reached them all. Yeah, exactly. So like the only real thing that I haven't done yet is won a Grammy, but like who gives a, and I realized that that's just a glorified pat on the back.

So that's not even really a goal to have a bunch of people in a committee who don't even really understand me or my music. Tell me, you know, why it's worth something or not or this or that. And that's not me saying that as like, well, you don't have a Grammy. Like, you sound salty. Like, no, this is me realizing. Like, that doesn't matter. I'm not going to kill myself for years and years to try to get a Grammy. So with all that, yeah, I mean, balance, focus, and just-

Would there have been a ritual that you would have added in the last decade, knowing what you went through, knowing the loneliness, the darkness? Would there have been like, you know what, every week, I'm going to talk to a therapist for my 20s, or every week, I'm going to get seven hours of sleep a night. Would there have been anything you would have tried to shift that could have been like, you know what?

I'm going to get off the internet for one day a week and just sit in nature. What could you have done in an ideal world? Yeah, you just said it. You said it all. All of that would have been amazing. But there's just no way you could have told this guy have been amazing but there's just no way you could have told this guy that yeah like there's just no way i'm gonna get off the internet if i'm off the internet for one day that's followers i'm in my head like followers that i'm not getting or fans

that aren't gonna come to a city or this or that and in many ways it's true so that's why it's like you have to be willing like me i wanted I wanted ultimate success. I wanted the biggest success you could have and I got it. I did it. And the reason I did that is because I sacrificed everything to get it. Now, I don't think that's healthy, but once again, in retrospect, personally, I am glad I did it. But I also somehow, common sense in God, just like when I was a kid, made it out the other side of all of this and realized my self-worth and that I don't need to do this and all these other things. I did. I did need to do that, not for self-worth, but to build a brand and a fan

base around the world where I could tour for the rest of my life if I want and be financially okay. I had to do that. And now I'm just at a place where I'm like, okay, I could continue to do that. I could keep having $30 million years, or I could have a couple million dollar years. And what is that? It doesn't really change my quality of life. And you know what is even more important is I can do the thing my parents did and I can spend time with my child and I can be a good dad. And that's what's more important to I can do the thing my parents did. I can spend time with my child and I can be a good dad. And that's what's more important to me now. Yeah. You grew up in a poor household and my audience is really curious about optimizing their life in

many different ways, their health, their mindset, their spirituality, their relationships, and financially. And you grew up in this poor household. What was your mindset around money growing up? And how did you shift your mindset at some point to really start building wealth, manifesting and attracting money, and also not blow it? You know, not just like spend it all and be like broke, you know, two years later.

Wow, okay. So I don't even remember ever seeing money in the household i remember when food stamps weren't on a card on an ebt card and they were actual food stamps that looked like monopoly money um i knew nothing of money i knew no concept of saving it what that meant i mean we had just enough to get by like literally that day by day yeah yeah for real and it's like the first of the month like that bone thug song wake up wake up wake up it's the first of the month it's like yeah food stands we eating chicken tonight and then by the end of the month it's powdered milk and shins and like gross gizzards and and so yeah for real so um i never understood that.

I never got that. I never knew any of what that meant. I think that the understanding fundamentally like how to use and utilize money and save money didn't come until I was 17 and I got two jobs. So I left home at 17. I got two jobs. I worked at a flower shop and I worked at Jiffy Lube.

And I'm making like 750 and a half dude like so it's like you're not even this is maryland yeah yeah so it's like a suburb of dc and there's no nothing you can't save anything yeah yeah exactly you can't really save anything so i'm enjoying like uh kenny's chinese chicken and like that like like i'm enjoying it you know starving marvin subs and maybe an occasional video game or something like that. But for the most part, that was it. It wasn't until I really saw. So I signed my deal with Def Jam in 2012.

And I went from having like twelve dollars in my bank account to one hundred seventy five thousand dollars overnight. Wow. The first thing I did was I went to taco bell because that was like ruth chris of those luxury and i was like yeah so i'm like here we go and um i i bought my homies you know some some stuff i got my producer some shit i got my uh my videographer a new camera i hooked up my mom's uh my my homies mom's car that we used to drive all around

because it was broken down. But besides that, I saved every dime that I had and I put it into myself and in my craft. And then I moved to LA and I was paying rent and we were staying kind of in the hills, but it was like, yeah, it was an all right house. And I did all that. And then I went on tour and I literally, it was just investing my

money in myself. So I would pay for the merchandise. We'd haul it around in trash bags. We'd go to do these shows. I'm selling these tickets. Things are going good. I'm making my money back, making a bit of a profit. And then I remember for the big tour we needed a tour bus and this was for my debut album under pressure in 2014 and by the time i fronted all the money i only had 1200 in my bank account so it's like i'm just like you know i made it my album's out, my... But there's always something else that you don't really realize. And that was crazy, but I made my money and then I did good. And I remember getting my first million dollar check from a merchandise company, which is crazy.

Wow. Because we were selling such merch and such good merch and things were going well, well, well. And then even when I had that $30 million dollar year like people were like invest your money make your money make money for you and it's not until now you know recently that i've actually started you know investing certain things like crypto and whatever and but i'm still like that poor kid that's like no mine right like if it's if it's in this account if it's in this account it's not going anywhere so like like, no, like no.

But, you know, I'm at a place now where I want my money to make me money. So I think it's trial and error. And once again, God and common sense, something. Don't get me wrong, man. I've had some fun, man. I went to Vegas and blew 120 grand. Oh. Like I knew I was going to lose it.

And people were like, you're crazy. You're crazy. You're just going to, i and people were like you're crazy you're crazy you're just gonna you're gonna you know you're gonna put 40 grand on red and i'm like yep and then i made 80 and then i lost it and then i'm back and forth because for me as insane as it was it's like this made up for every christmas i didn't have every birthday gift i didn't get like i'm having a blast i am paying 120 000 right now to have the best time in the world and i don't do this all it's not like i do this all the time it was like i only ever did it the one time you know i bought a bronco for a quarter million dollars i bought a bunch of nerds you know guitars things like that yeah yeah for

sure but at the end of the day it's like yeah dude like i i did i saved my money and and that's because i never got into it like, I wasn't like rap is going to be this thing. I was like, no, I'm going to utilize it and realize that this is a business and spend my money where it should be. For young artists, entrepreneur, athletes, anyone who's building their thing, whatever their thing is, what would you say

are the three greatest investments they should be making once they start making a little bit of money? More than day by day, but it's like, okay, I've got an extra thousand or $5,000 a month. That's a lot of money for younger people, but I've got some extra cash. What should I invest in? Three things that they should be investing in, whether it's backing themselves, whether it's in their merch or their products, or they're hiring a coach, whatever it is, a trainer, a therapist. What would you say are those three things they should be investing in at an earlier age? I feel like if they're making pretty decent money, they're already investing in themselves. They're being smart enough to know

that whatever their brand is or their sport or their career, they are spending that money to make sure that they can do it well, whether they're in the gym and they're getting pre-workout powder. So they are already spending their money where it needs to be. It's funny because like I said, I'm the guy that was like mine. So I was just saving my money. So number one, I would say like save your money, like for sure,

but put it in a savings account that's going to at least, you know, make a little bit bill. Yeah. Compound interest and all this other stuff. So that's number one.

Number two, have fun. I didn't have fun. I didn't have fun at all. And I, and I wish I did. I wish I had a little more fun. Um, nothing crazy, but like, that's one regret I do have is that I was so focused that I didn't really even just have like, like, dude, I would go on trips with it'd be like,

oh yeah, we're going to go to big bear, man. And I'd be like, all right, I guess I'll go. Cause it's like my best friend's birthday. i'm like okay but like as soon as i get there as soon as i get there i got the laptop and the microphone set up and like i'm like still recording and working like i wish i guess what i'm saying is for a day or a weekend or whatever that i would have at least just enjoyed those precious moments with like family. Cause they are my family. I don't really have family. So that was family. And it's like, oh man, but low key, it's like my best friends, my producers. So it's his birthday. And he's like, yeah, and he's making beats with me. He's just, he's just doing it drunker than

usual. So it's like, because so, so that's another thing. And then third, I don't know. I'm not sure. No worries. What do you think are the biggest lies around success that you wish people understood more? Because you've accomplished pretty much every goal there is for yourself. Made the money, all the, you know, platinum, blah, 10 times, all this stuff. What's the biggest lies around success you wish people understood more? Well, one, it's all fleeting. So one uh one the biggest cliche money doesn't make you happiness success can't

make you happy like it's just so true but at the same time it's a bit of a double-edged sword because we all want to feel worthy we all want to feel accomplished. And you have to, you know, like I want to be the best dad in the world. But as good of a father as I want to be, I still have my own dreams. And if I don't chase those dreams and follow those dreams even very responsibly to make sure that I'm making time, like I'm not going to be happy. And if I'm not happy, I'm not going to be a good dad. So I would tell people, I mean, the biggest thing is like, just do it because you love it. Like if you're doing, if your goal or motivation is like money and success, you're not going

to be happy. You'll be successful, but you won't necessarily be happy. So with music, my goal, for sure, I was like, I do want to make a bunch of money. I do want to be really famous. I do want this. But none of that mattered when I was writing my raps. None of that mattered when I was making beats. When I was actually in the studio with my friends, all that mattered is that we were creating something genuine from our heart. We were having fun. We were making the music we liked and loved. So whether it's a sport you love to play, don't just be like, oh, I'm going to be the best

running back. Or I don't know about sports. I'm going to be honest. I'm watching anime. But whatever that is, it's like, cool, but do you love the game? Is it just something that your dad drilled you to do and you're like one of the Baller Brothers or whatever? Do you love it? I'm not hating. Maybe they love it.

I don't know, but it's like Joe Jackson. It's like, do you really actually love this thing? So make sure whatever it is, you enjoy it. And honestly, you could enjoy making money. Like that's a real thing. You could be like, I'm gonna start an investment company and I'm going to this and like, it gets me excited and I'm going to make people their money and make money from their money. And that like, for sure, like you can do that, but just know at the end of the day, okay, you got that money. Now what? When somebody is like, Hey, what do you like to do? And you're like, uh, make money. Like, come on, get the out of here. Like, you're going to sit down at a date. Cool. Yeah. You got, you got the bread. You can take her to the, you know, him or her to the nice,

uh, restaurant. And then, but then what fool, like, do you like golf? Like what do you, do you, you know, you want to go drive go-karts like life is so much more than just this thing so i would say yeah make sure you love actually love what you're doing or it's just you're going to be miserable dude right and what would you say who would you say was the most influential person in your life growing up then then as in while I was rapping or when I was a kid? I mean, when you were a kid, pre-18. Was it a teacher? Probably. Was it a sibling?

Was it a family friend? Was it a... I think it was that mother... Josh that I told you about who used to walk around with guns under his trench coat. Because he actually told me the first... He was the first person to ever told me what a kid should hear. I used to skateboard, right? and i love skateboarding man and i mean really i'd be doing nollie flips and switch tray flips and this and i was skating constantly all the time it was it was a it was a way to escape but also it was my first real insight into kind of a 10 000 hour and i definitely didn't do 10,000 hours of it,

but that if you put your heart and soul and effort into something little by little, you'll get better at it. Right. And so I remember doing that, but there's this term in skateboarding called commitment, you know, being willing to commit to throw your body over a slab of concrete, you know, define gravity or jumping down a 15 stair handrail and grinding. Like, no, I wasn't, I was not willing to commit, you know, my spinal fluid. Yeah, exactly. So I was like, no. Um, but he told me that one day he was like, bro, you're so much better at rapping than you'll ever be at skateboarding and you don't even have to try. And I was like, wow. And he was like, he was like, yeah, man, seriously.

He said, I really think you should do this thing. You're really good at this thing. And nobody ever told me that before. Um, you know, he also, I was like 15, 15, 16. Uh, but then a couple of years later he like gutted this dude and split his intestines all over the sidewalk and went to prison for a while, but now he's out and he struggles with with mental mental illness and drugs and i'll never forget man he was living he was uh at his parents house and he was like 18 and um he was like i'm gonna take a year off college which is what everybody says every kid says before they life up and then he went to he went to amsterdam and he did he started doing absinthe and got really into green and came back and was like i'm the joker and i wasn't it was crazy so yeah but having him tell you something you're really good at and acknowledge you for a natural gift. No one else had done that. No, never.

Where do you think you'd be without him saying that? I don't know. I still love to rap, right? It's just it wasn't my focus, and maybe it would have become my focus later. I don't know. It's just such a, like, I love questions like that, but they're just so difficult to answer at the same time because it's like, oh, what if you didn't do music? Well, if I didn't do

music, like my gut goes, I'd be a writer or an actor or this, but it's like an actor from Gaithersburg, Maryland. What are the odds? Like, you know, truth be told, I'd probably be working with my best friend Lenny at a land surveying company, living in an apartment, you know, settling rather than like actually trying to pursue or follow a dream. Yeah. And how old is your child now? 19 months, a year and a half. What's been the – so, yeah, I mean all through quarantine, I guess. What's been the biggest lesson for you becoming a father that your child has taught you?

a father that uh your child's taught you it's um that you're not you're really not in control man like it's scary like being in the car with your kid and there's some jerk off like you know to cutting you off at 80 miles an hour like the world is a really scary place my son went to bend down to grab a ball the other day and hit his, hit his, uh, his chin. He was fine, but it's just like, my son is going to feel pain. Uh, my son is going to have his heart ripped out of his chest by someone that he loves. Uh, my son's going to do up things. We've all done that, you know, make mistakes as a kid. Maybe be mean to somebody and hopefully learn from it. But all the pain and kind of anguish that we experience as human beings, flesh and blood in this world, actually makes us human beings. It is these experiences that we go through. And so I know that as difficult as it's going to be if he ever breaks his arm or goes skateboarding and actually commits his spinal fluid to a 13 stair, uh, like

I'm not in control of that. And all I can do is be there for him. I'm not in control of what happens to me or my wife. And I have these thoughts a lot, you know, it's like, I think like, Oh shit, what if I die? What if my wife dies? What if we all die? What if this? What if that? I think about it a lot. And it's not like I go down some spiral, you know, it's just honest, natural thoughts. So I think I've learned by having this beautiful little boy in my life that this world is about acceptance. That's what I've learned from him um understanding that

you are just not in control as much as you think you're in control you're just not um i think you are in control of some things you know um how you react to someone how i react to my son you know i don't yell at him like but yeah he's taught me that like life is so precious and but and it's also like kids are kids so yeah bust your chin open kids you'll be all right yeah it's a weird thing let's uh hypothetical scenario maybe you won't like this question um but let's just say you could only share three things with him consistently for the next 18 years. You could only say three different sayings. I already know.

What would you say to him? You couldn't say anything else. Anything else that you could share. You couldn't say anything else to your son except for these three things over and over. Like one could be, I love you. And that'd be one thing. Like if you could only share three things with your son for the next 18 years and you couldn't say another word what oh yeah i thought you meant

what could i share with him which could be oh yeah yeah another one that'd be interesting too that's the second question okay then i'll get right into that i love you for sure 100 because i always want to know that i love you um his name so i could always say his name and he knows that i'm there and um probably um i'm here just i'm here Just so he knows I'm here. He knows I love him. And I can always address him. Bobby, I love you. I'm here.

I think that's kind of a cool thing that I would say. Now, the other three things that I'd want to share with him, which is one thing that we already have. This, it is obsessed with Metallica, dude. Like, you don't understand, bro. He goes, Like, that's how he says it. And he loves that.

He loves this other artist, one of my favorite artists named Toro Imoa, who's a homie of mine. Like, he likes Mac DeMarco, but it's always Metallica. Like, I'll be trying to show him, like, hip hop. I'm like, hey, don't forget about the rap, kid. And he's like, and he'll listen to it. He likes when daddy makes rap music. Like, yesterday I was, like, making beats and shit. And he was like, he does this thing.

He's so cute. Anyway, i'm in love um but music music is a big one movies and conversation those are the three things i i hope to share and i've already begun to share with my boy because i love film i love having conversations and I love music and both movies and music spark big conversation. Yeah, that's cool. Communication, I guess. What would you say is also the biggest fear you've had to overcome in the last couple of years

with having your son, with the pandemic, with the letting go of the internet, with just the entire... You've transitioned a lot. I mean, lots of letting go and rebirth and transition and self-awareness. What's the biggest fear you've had to overcome? A couple weeks ago, I had a pretty gnarly cry in bed with my wife. And it just kind of happened out of nowhere.

And the reason why is because I've been letting go and I finally fully let it go. That like the $30 million year, I don't want it like that, like to, to value over fear. Right. So what do I value more at that time? I valued the money. Um, not the fear of, Oh, I might be running myself to death. Like, you know, like I value that money. And now I'm at a place where I value my son. I value my wife. I value, I value the things that I never really gave a shit about before. Obviously I've always cared about my wife and my son, but what I mean is like, as they came into my life, I realized, oh my God, these are the things that matter more. So it was a very weird and emotional feeling to know, like people on the internet might be like, oh, you fell off. Because I'm not on the internet all the time. And because I'm not in everybody's face, like, look at me, look at me tap dancing for, you know, NASA, this music engine and entertainment.

Like, no, it was very scary. And it still can be, you know, I've spent my entire career to be known, respected, loved for my music, for my this, for my that. And then I'm purposefully taking a step back. But it's because I did it. I did it to death. I've done it over and over and

over album after album, number one, after number one, platinum after platinum, money after money after this. Well, okay, cool. You got it. Like, so what? And that's why I love film. So like I'm taking $2 million and making a film right now that I wrote that I'm going to star in. And it's not some like Sharknado three, like we're shooting it on 16 millimeter film. Like it is going to be dope. 803 like we're shooting it on 16 millimeter film like it is going to be dope i'm excited um and whether it's successful or not i'm making it for the same reason that i made music originally which went on to be successful because i love it because it's me and my homies making making beats and doing raps and it's like i wrote this script and it's fun and my buddy andy hines is going to be the director who's did the 1-800 music video and so many music videos for me he's like spike jones

like this dude is going to go from making skateboard videos to big films. And, um, and I'm really excited and it's scary. It's scary to know, but I'm also 31. That was another realization that I had. Like,

you know, hip hop has always been a young man's game. It doesn't mean that the quote unquote legends aren't, aren't invited or involved or this or that, but it's just like, dude, I'm not trying to like yeah 18 year old tiktoker yeah like literally like tiktok bro i i've never been on tiktok i

don't have a tiktok i think my manager made me a tiktok and like might post on it like i could give a about all that yeah um i think it's cool i it's super dope, but you're just not about to catch me out here like, whip it. Got me on my trip. Like, no, dog. Like, I'm buying Bitcoin, fam. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm not.

You're that investment game now. Yeah. So, yeah, there it is. Bobby, what's the thing you're most proud of that most people maybe don't know about? Maybe something that you don't talk about or maybe something smaller that's not in the press or you know maybe it's just something between you and your family that you're proud of or what is that thing i'm proud and a little pissed off that i'm a very empathetic person that's i'm proud of that because my friends and my family and my loved ones like

it really matters to me if there's an issue or if we have a disagreement or this or that or they're going through something. It kind of consumes me. It's not good. Even just a friend going through a difficult time, like, dude, it sucks, and I'll think about it and think about it and think about it.

But I think it also makes me a good person and it makes me care. But, yeah, I'm really proud that I'm empathetic and I care for others and feel others. That's great, man. I got a few final questions for you if it's cool for you. And before I get to the questions, I want people to be aware and get this book. It's a memoir by Bobby Hall.

This Bright Future. A lot of great stories. And if you've been inspired by this message here, then you'll be inspired by the book and more stories and lessons and things that Bobby's overcome in his life. I think you guys are really going to like this. So make sure you get a copy for yourself. Get a copy for a friend. Share it out there on the internet,

even though Bobby may not see it on the internet because he's never there anymore. But make sure to tag him and let him know that you're reading it, that you're checking it out. I did the audio book, too. I just want people to know that. So I do all the voices and all of this. It's a really fun one.

That's cool. Get the audio book as well. You've talked about your wife a number of times in this interview. How long have you guys been married? we have been married for two years okay um what is the thing you love the most about your wife she's my best friend sounds cliche but it's so true she's dope she like we have conversations. And we actually talk like, it's so funny. Like, I don't, man, I'm kind of at a loss for words. First of all, she's smoking his shit, right?

So when I saw her, I was like, oh my God, this girl's gorgeous. Like, I'm in love with this chick. And there's a part of me that, you know, I was just like, well, it doesn't matter. She could be hot. Like, is she a good person? And everything that I hope she would be, she is. I love that she's the definition of what human beings are best at, and I believe that's adaptation.

And she has adapted to life with me. I've adapted to life with her, with our child. And I love how much I can talk to my wife, and we're so open about everything, like everything, man. Like we talk about whatever, whatever we're into, what we're not. We truly can't agree to disagree,

and we're both very passionate, but there's no yelling. I love that. We don't yell. We don't scream. We don't this. We don't that. We have conversation.

It could get heated. Voices may slightly raise, but there's no you you oh and there's no bobby's little bobby's you know childhood there and and and i i that's what i love the most is just our communication how did you know that she would be your wife? Like, what was it when you were with her dating? When did you know like, oh, this is the girl? I don't know, man. She just was so cool. And it's like, I was going through a divorce and had been separated. And in my previous marriage, I kind of went through like, I just checked the boxes cause I came from dysfunction. So in my previous marriage, I was like pretty educated, normal this, that, but all those things don't necessarily equate to a healthy marriage, you know? And long story short, that just

didn't work because, uh, we were two changing people that weren't changing together. It's that simple. Right. And with this, um, I just, all the things I I kind of wanted to do and was into, and she was just, she was, like, our first date was skydiving, dude. Wow. Yeah, so that was fun. She's adventurous, exciting. That's what it was. And then I just noticed she was so different. I mean, mind you, bro, she was like 19, which is really weird.

So it's kind of like low-key red flag. Like, all my homies are like, what are you doing? robbing the cradle she robbed the grave what's going on um but but no i don't it's weird a maturity beyond her years it's i don't know it's she was just got it she got it like that's another thing like sometimes you'd like date girls or somehow logic would slip out or something like that and you're like sometimes you'd like date girls or somehow logic would slip out or something like that and you're like oh no like i can't with you like this is you know her she was never that i was always just bobby i was myself and then the cool thing is like i noticed very quickly one she's extremely good with money and she's not materialistic so i would like take her

places and be like yo what's up let's go to louis vuitton girl like i just made 30 million dollars lately let's have a little bit of fun and we'd go and then she like wouldn't get anything like bring her back again she wouldn't she wouldn't and i'd have to like force her to get something um that was a big thing that let me know like it's not about money it's not about but i mean hey man there's a reason women date doctors and lawyers and like you want a successful man who has money because at the end of the day, if you take it back to this primal instinct, you want a man who can forage and hunt and build a house. You want that. So it's like obviously she was attracted to my success, attracted to just me as a creative person. So I get that.

That's normal. But it was never just that. person. So I get that. That's normal. But it was never just that, just like it was never like just her body or the fact that she's so physically beautiful. It's like, yeah, you could be a bimbo though. I'm not going to like you. So it was kind of that. So yeah. What do you think is the thing, you strip away all your creative success and accomplishments and money and good looks, what do you think is the thing that she loves the most about you? Probably that I'm really sweet and thoughtful and funny. Yeah.

I think that's it because I am. I like to do things. I just surprised her the other day and rented out a whole ice skating rink like Happy Gilmore. Nice. It's important, man. Anybody listening to this uh no matter who you are like do something for your significant other and do it often and do it

by surprise like you know not so often that they expect it right like you gotta you know you still you don't want it to be all the time thing but whether it's a single rose a dozen roses 10 million roses whether it's just a note that they find that you put in their purse or their wallet or their this, like just these little tiny things that let them know that you care. Sometimes I'll go, the easiest, get yourself a marker and a packet of post-it notes and write cute little things that you love about them or whatever and post it all over the house. Like that's awesome. Like just these, it. That's awesome. It's not about money. It's not about Mastro's or Nobu

or going to the best restaurant. It's really not. It's just about caring. I love this, man. I could talk to you for a long time, but I want to ask you a couple final questions I ask everyone at the end of episodes. This is called the three truths.

And I feel like I've asked you many threes of a lot of things today. But another hypothetical scenario. Imagine it's your last day on earth many, many years away. You get to live as old as you want to live. But eventually you got to turn the lights off. And wherever you go next is where you go. And you continue to accomplish all of your dreams and goals or live the lifestyle you want to live and you have the happy life, everything you want to do. It happens.

But for whatever reason, you've got to take your creative work with you to the next place or it can't be here in this world. And so this interview, all your music, all your books and writing and everything, all your content is somewhere else. No one has access to it anymore. and everything, all your content is somewhere else. No one has access to it anymore. But you get to a piece of paper and a pen, if there's paper and pen at that time, and you get to write down three things you know to be true,

three lessons that you've learned in your life that you would leave with the world for them to live by, kind of three principles. What would you say would be those three truths for you? Always make time for friends and family. those three truths for you um always make time for friends and family um you know always put out good or positive energy into the world because i do believe you will get that back and have fun life's short for real seriously so i want to acknowledge you bobby for uh the realness you bring man it's uh this is the first time i've connected with you uh over zoom hopefully we'll meet in person someday but i've seen obviously content with our our guy gary v and other stuff

you put out there and your music it's it's always inspiring to see your realness but uh experience it digitally in this sense i love uh how authentic you are, man. I love your journey, your growth, your humility, and the fact that you were, you know, for a lot of people at the top of the top. And you said, you know what, what's most important is wife, you know, kid, my mental health, you know, stability, emotional regulation, all that stuff. And you said, I'm going to take a, you know, take a pause or take a break or whatever it is for as long as you need to, to focus on that. And I really acknowledge that example because so many people are constantly striving for

more, more, more, more, more fame, more success, more money. And you said, no, I want less so I can have a greater life. And I think that's something to be acknowledged. And I really, really value that in you as a human being to set that standard and example for this period of time. And I appreciate your realness, man. This is a, before I ask the final, you're welcome. Before I ask the final question, I want to remind people one more time, get this book, bright future uh make sure to show it's got some gnarly stories some great lessons you'll be inspired you'll be freaked out all the stuff so check it out give it

to a few friends give it to your kids to read this as well and please it's crazy man i got kidnapped i got held hostage i ran around with guns i shot guns i could crack my brother sold my dad crack it is the craziest like it that is i'm so excited for people to check this thing out man it's a wild ride yeah yeah make sure you guys get a few copies of this uh this is the final question for this interview and it is what is your definition of greatness oh wow it's funny because like everything else you asked i felt like i i was like oh yeah i got this definition of greatness i mean that's like so like for a human being for craft for whatever whatever your definite this is the question i ask everyone at the end you know from from

billionaires to world-class athletes to scientists and doctors. It's just, what is your definition of greatness? Wow. I think my definition of greatness is for a person to know what success and happiness means to them. And if they can achieve that, they've achieved greatness.

And that doesn't have to be being a billionaire, being a sports, you know, somebody who plays sports, being a musician, being famous, being this. It could be somebody who goes to a job and they go to that job and maybe they don't even love that job, but they go to it so that it can support the things that they actually do love in life

and that they're focused on. I think my definition of greatness is that happiness and finding success in yourself and in your life. My man, Bobby. Thank you so much for being here, man. Appreciate it. Thanks, my G. Chicka, chicka.

I appreciate you. This has been so fun, and you're really fantastic at your job job which is super cool so thank you for having me i hope to uh meet you in person i hope to be back and um i hope i hope the you know the listeners have have enjoyed this and i just would like to thank them for uh well those who have stuck around uh for listening to my story and i hope you enjoy the book and if not all good i appreciate you i appreciate um i appreciate just this moment it's it's really special so thank you very much it's been beautiful man i appreciate you opening up and for those that maybe will catch you once a month on the internet where where can where should they go to connect with you the most if they get a second of

your time no just just listen to my music. Social media. So go to Spotify. Go to Spotify. Yeah, go to Spotify. Listen to music there. Get the book. Get the audio book. Oh, you know what?

Actually, sometimes I release fun videos on my YouTube channel. It's called Bobby's World. So I guess there. That's cool. We'll link it all up in the show notes and put it out there for people if they want to check that out too. But Spotify and check it out. Check out the book.

So appreciate it, man. Swag. This is awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and it inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description

for a full rundown of today's show with all the important links. And also make sure to share this with a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts and subscribe over on Apple Podcasts as well. I really love hearing feedback from you guys. So share a review over on Apple and let me know what part of this episode resonated with you the most. And if no one's told you lately, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great.