R and B Money.

We are.

Take Valoti.

We are the authorities on all things R and B.

Ladies and gentlemen.

This is the R V Money Podcast.

I'm Tank.

This is mister J.

Valentine.

We are the authorities on R and B music and in the building.

Today.

We got a friend, We got a brother, a philanthropist, a leader in the community.

We got problem in the CREATI visit.

Come on, I got problem the builder.

Man.

I feel this is smooth man.

As much of a rapper as you are, h your vibe is.

R and B all totally you are focused.

Yeah, totally.

R and B guy on the prize, Yeah, I.

Think you know what.

Just to be totally honest with you, the blues and the jazz and the R and B fellas have always been the ones that I probably hung the most with enduring my career, just because, yeah, it's just more playerism on this side.

Man.

The rap guys they rap about shit and then it don't be all the way true.

You know.

They do songs like fuck the police, then call the police on you.

They do songs like bitches and shit holds the tricks.

We're sharing everything, and then we happen to do the same one.

Niggas get the crime.

I don't understand it, like a weird place when R and B it's just like, hey man, this is what it is.

I say, what it is now, they don't touch this we're doing.

It's a whole just a way.

I love her, I love her, I love her her, But.

Come on, it's just always been that.

And then you know, it's damn fooling through this ship.

You know, it's always been like, you know what, let me just stay where I'm welcome, right right?

So much trues since we there?

What is it about?

What is it about rap?

When it comes to it being authentic or from a place that guys who are not authentic and from a place seem to be able to get away with.

What are the things that they get away with?

Why are they allowed to in a sense, have we allowed it to just be entertainment for them?

I think?

I mean, bullshit always sells like being extra, being over over over over.

So you'll have some guy that'll probably think that, you know, they may do things like well, you know, I really believe this, But then the labels throwing gasoline on it, the managers and then the women and the homies are throwing No, you got to turn it up like you can shoot.

Okay, I shot one person, but nah make it.

It was like one hundred and twenty seven.

So they take that and they times it order everything before, and then it actually works.

And then the same comes and then you have to be that twenty four to seven and you forget that, Wait a minute, I was just doing this to get popping.

You actually start believing the character that's created by the circle around you.

People get lost in the circus and you forget that we're coming to look at the clowns, not be the clowns, and you just getting lost.

But do you feel like that's just entertainment altogether?

Right?

Like if you meet Marilyn Manson, he gotta beet Marilyn Manson, right or not?

I'm asking it depends.

It depends on what mar Manson is selling, right.

Like me, I've.

Understood that core is what he was on right, right, But if.

You see him and catch him out, he that's what he looks like when he's just doing what he's doing right regularly.

Like I saw him coming out of studio with Gucci man.

Fulready wopped like I was it.

I I'm like Yeah, that's cool.

You know what I'm saying.

It's like, so if you you, I think, I think they, I think, I don't know, think it's for black people when white people was different.

Okay, white people can actually create the character and become it.

Black people are getting the character created, and then it's like they're fighting with if I'm really in or if I'm not, and it's just or not.

It's just weird power struggle that come with being famous and not doing it the way you want to do it, if that makes any sense, not being one hundred percent authentic to what your brand and your mission is at all the time.

Like when I met you, right, it was around the Mollywood time, and I left that studio feeling like this nigga everything rapping about, right, because I was offered all kind of shit.

I turned out a lot of fun as right, great time, but I was just like and and that's the thing where I believe in the entertainment side of it, right, But I personally do appreciate when I meet somebody that's about their craft, right, if they kind of live in that space of like when you meet a player, eat all about the player shit, and he's very player in real life, or if it's a nigga about you know, beating niggas up, popping his pistol and you meet him, you're like, oh, I feel the orror, Like I get it, Like it makes sense.

Like when I met fifty cent, but I hung out with fifty I was like, oh, fifty with all it's no game, he with all of it.

I think he got a little knife.

Phony.

You don't got me like that, you know what I'm saying.

Got me like that?

Huh Okay, I appreciate the nigga.

That's the same way all the time.

Yeah, I feel the same.

A scary selling point.

It is scary or detrimental in a sense.

So like because music is so influential and so powerful in terms of people wanting to be something or sing a thing that is successful and wanting to, even if it's whatever it is, emulate the success.

That's the tough part of it because if you're truly being yourself, you're not doing it to be emulated, and that's where the trouble lies.

Like I feel like he's being himself.

Of course, when I was doing Mollywood stuff, I was just being myself.

I didn't think I was like I'm about to change.

Listen, we're gonna have to do it.

That wasn't the play.

I'm just talking about my day.

So it is like it's a thin line because me, just me personally, I got lost in it because the music was getting hot as fuck, but I wasn't that no more.

I had stopped doing this shit maybe a year or two before anybody even knew.

But it was like this.

Character got big, got big.

I was having people like it was weird things where like the crowd is cracking, but I have some young nigga walk up to my man.

And I just took eight of them trying to get like you.

I'm like, whoa, what do you mean?

That's not what no, no, no, no no no.

That's after I handle my man.

I don't have niggas walk up to me handing me.

Had niggas come up to me like I made three million dollars if that ship drop, niggas shit boom, and I'm like, man, yeah, that's what's up.

But that means it's a gag.

Niggas high out here, you know what I'm saying.

So that's what I'm thinking about the effect, right.

Because it's like, yeah, like Okay, yeah, I'm monetizing and I'm having fun.

I'm really just telling my truth.

So it's a weird, weird line, but it's like, okay, well, what are you really here to do?

This mic is a motherfuckering niggas.

We're using this for good.

The people evil yourself.

It's hard to tell people and that's only a hip hop.

Yeah, it's hardly hip hop.

It's hard to tell guys not to tell their story, right, you know what I'm saying, that's like impossible to tell, you know, to tell and our artist how to paint what colors to you is because that story or is imprinted on his gift, you know what I'm saying, Like, whatever he went through, that's that's that was nourishing to what he's now projecting, you know what I'm saying.

So it's like it's hard to tell a guy like, man, you shouldn't tote the gun and you shouldn't sell to the ship.

When you go when you've told it the gun and to sold the shit.

But it's all got him there, so it's like right, So it's like it's almost like should guys be looking to grow out of it all?

Jay z Or But it's very hard to grow out of it, and it is in my opinion, right.

And jay Z is a different story because jay Z was always a progressive rapper and he also came in the game as.

A grown man.

Jay Z didn't catch didn't catch his wave until he twenty six, twenty seven years old.

He's talking about some of these kids who coming in at seventeen eighteen, fresh out there Mama house, maybe still in a Mama house in the group Palma, whatever it is, and they're.

Rapping about street rap.

So, and what we do know about the street is that the streets don't really grow.

Right.

We can all go back to wherever we're from and find the same shit going on that was going on there when we left, right, Right.

So for jay Z, when I say being a progressive rapper, he was always rapping about business.

And if the business at that time was the dope game, that's still a business.

There's no big Yeah, there's no real business street.

Ship the nigga or I shot up a couple niggas, are you know, fuck this bitch and.

Blah blah blah.

There's no real progression in that because now when this nigga starts rapping about being married.

He actually looks soft when jay Z says what's better than one billionaire two?

Which is still the same thing about being married?

It sounds fly when you got the dog ass nigga.

Right, like yeah, but I love her?

What are you talking about?

You can't love nobody.

Ain't no love, right, So that's a very hard space to live in.

Especially when your finance depends on it.

That's the pole, right, that's the power, you know what I'm saying, And like like that's when it gets tricky, And that's where this lost thing happened, where you know, I know artists that went through it and and and just out figuring out ship, like just figuring it out, like whoa.

And I'm watching a lot of my my peers, like you know what I'm saying.

And I'm watching like call through the growing pains like that got lost in the bag chase.

Do you know what I'm saying.

You start looking at the let's let's just use the word analytics, since it's a good word.

You look at the analytics and you see what people are buying into and sometimes you don't.

You can't manage your way out of it, because.

This is what's this is the cell, this is the you know what I'm saying, I got I got eighty nine percent right here.

You know, when I post these other things, I'm like, you know what I'm saying.

I get two percent over.

You know what I'm saying, the.

Fall off is real.

But when I do this shit, I'm a eighty nine percent.

You can become a slave to that.

You can become a slave to it.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

I think you know what, And this is funny.

I'm every one of the moments.

But that's probably why they always want to remember the time, like you let us handle the books and then you do the talent.

You the talent all of us have went through that time.

That's probably that's the part.

Is probably why because as an artist, you still want to please no matter what niggas say.

It's about you want your joint to come on in the room.

Light up.

You want people, you want your shit to and it's nothing wrong with that.

You shouldn't want to.

Be boo boo like I don't give a fuck with nobody talking about it.

I could ever tell me that.

But that's the ones that win, the ones that understand both sides.

You have to understand being a consumer and a motherfucking seller, you know what I'm saying.

I feel like as a producer, you get that, so you can teeter the line.

It's probably one you do better than the other.

But you understand both sides as a writer and a producer.

Which most people don't know, right, sure, right, right right?

A lot of people didn't know, like your big records you produced.

Yeah, yeah, you.

Know what I'm saying, Like people didn't know that.

Yeah, you know what I mean, people didn't know that problem was a producer on like what you know what I'm saying, Like like these records, you like I actually win the studio and see you making beats, you know what I'm saying.

But aside from being a beat maker a producer, when you really in there, what I mean, turning things up, turning the knobs down.

Okay, listen, this vocal ain't right.

We gotta shift this.

We need to put this on top of here.

We need this type of you know what I mean, plug in on there like that's for production, you know what I'm saying.

So being in that space, like it was crazy.

Man.

When I first met you, I was like, yo, this guy really is a Swiss army knife.

Like this guy really a Swiss army knife.

But I always wondered, right, And I feel like, knowing you all these years now, I've kind of gotten my answer.

I always wondered if it was going to be enough for you?

What do you mean r right?

Oh?

Yeah, I always wanted that from the day I met you.

You know what's crazy?

The crazy thing is like, you know, y'all know I was in the studio a lot, but yeah, I'm twelve fourteen hour a day studio guy man, and it's like wow to stick my head out and say, wait a minute, a bunch of shit.

You know what I'm saying.

And it all works the same way.

If you understand production, you understand writing, you know how to sell records, and you know how to make hits.

If I want to sell it, I know not to send the vocal, to make it real loud, make it fucked up everybably, don't even sound in the I'm not giving to put my all.

Make it so they can know they're doing and that, and then you know the ones like I'm on this one because they gonna hear the difference when I send it back.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

So learning when to do that has what sticking my head out has done, you know what I'm saying.

Like, and I wouldn't have never known I wanted more than music, because the thing is, that's what shocking to me that you said that I never thought about nothing else.

And like, man, I just like doing music, Like I just want to sit in here and do the music.

Maybe I'm just trying to escape other shit, or maybe I know that this can change something.

I just I don't know.

Whatever it was.

It was like if I got downtime, if I'm gonna be sitting somewhere, I'd rather sit, Nigga, where I got all my weapons, unless I'm sitting at.

The house or with the kids.

Man ship, and I can bring them, I can bring them.

I can bring it here, So you mean I can I can play here, make my here, creating shit.

But it's the other ship.

You gotta learn to control all that, because nigga, that's like get dangerous.

It's just a bunch of lights going everywhere.

It's like, then I'm not getting personal ship handled, or I might be two when I go outside the personal I'm so personal that I'm not getting here, just finding that balance.

It's what a nigga have to do, even reached to reach that.

So it's crazy that you saw that.

Nigga.

I was just like just trying to survive, you know what I'm saying, whatever nigga do, Like, we was always just figuring out something.

We you know, we did we just wrong.

We did the wrong, like one wrong thing and we just didn't like the car.

We didn't one wrong wrong which wasn't even that wrong, but we did some we did the wrong thing and just like I didn't like the way it felt like that, you know what I'm saying, Like that type of wrong.

So like let's just hustle here and there.

But yeah, yeah, I get it.

Just start bumping in ship.

But you taking that now, putting it into the studio off of one conversation with the homies.

Yeah, and then like the first two I was, I did myself.

But then the one that paid them, that paid for the first guy to go, he was like, man, I should with you if you want to go out, So he started putting it on it, you know, trying to with your music, fucking with seeing what I'm doing, and we all we homies anyway, be like he actually got a job, you know, doing it like that, so it ain't really shipped to him.

So kept going, bro, just start just learning how to work that ship.

So from that point at twenty, when does it happen where you like, oh shit, I made some money where somebody's offering me some real bread or I get that first radio spent, Like when does it happen?

From twenty Like, how long until you get that breakthrough?

Looking back?

Now, relatively early, okay, relatively early within a three year span.

Ship we had figured out a program to where the like fucking the studio, but let's get the equipment.

You know, I got with ed my boy, we get to doing it.

He had he had a little.

He had an idea it was the right entertainment for what little.

This was the first situation.

He just wanted me to come be a producer for his entertainment thing.

And it was like, well, look I learned as bro on some other the fact that yeah, I'm like, I actually learned how to record.

I'm recording them and I'm just rapping that night because they were like, man, you're weak.

You know what I'm saying that niggas like really was rapping.

So I would do my ship at night, just practicing.

But then I'm like, man, let's get pro to, let's go, let's get n PC, let's go do this.

That time homegirls are gonna get put your ship on left.

It was, you know, the different time that other hustle.

We're doing it.

It's happening.

The girl that's coming through like, no, I got this, we can.

Let's just go get it's happening.

Let's just go.

You love them, you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, you know what I mean, you know what, you know what.

Let's listen, man, let's go get it.

Hold on, get it, get it.

They like they are appreciated.

Ladies, you are appreciated.

That's how I survived for a minute when I first came to l A.

Shout out to you know what I mean, you feel mead too?

Care of Bob, take care of me.

Shout out to them, come on, shout out to them, come on, like a lot of us.

They know.

Women saying it first.

Absolutely they believe nothing is niggas takes some actual winning for nothing that's been without a woman, no.

Way, nothing, nobody, How I go, no, tell you so that that's going on, and I would get that ship and it wouldn't like the Internet, you couldn't google it.

So it's just like I just got to just go through trial and there.

Like the first beat I made on NFC, I literally went through other people's songs and chopped sound and chopped ship, getting them all right, So we're working that motherfucker.

I'm learning.

Once I learned how to do that, it was like, all right, I can record myself.

Nobody was doing that at that time.

It was just like I'm in the closet going crazy.

Niggas was the word was spreading in the hood, like niggas like, what's the nigga over there?

We put together?

Y'are not giving it to DJs or nothing.

Yet, Man were going straight to the streets.

We went ed step.

They devised the scheme where it's like, look, we got some initial funding.

Niggas had all put our money together.

It was like, let's get the mixtape.

Let's go buy this many, we sell this many.

We can all make at least we can at least make twelve twelve thousand a month or something.

We can all piece up and have that while we're doing it.

Yeah, so shit, make the music.

I would probably engineer for niggas while niggas wasn't recording.

We got it.

We got our own studio at this time doing that.

They selling CDs all day.

Shit, we sold like thirteen thousand of the Motherfucker's Hand in Hand and it really got to the radio.

Like yo're you going to where you're going by?

Problem?

Yeah, it's problem okay, Yeah, because at that time I ended up getting better than them because I just was in it so much, not because they wasn't good.

It was just I'm in the gym them ten thousand hours.

Right.

So shit, got a call from Yo Yo of nowhere.

You know what I'm saying, Like, we're playing that song, yeah, great person songs called I'm a problem.

That ship came on.

Nigga was like, whoa, that's we running around.

We think it's cracking and going nuts.

It's going crazy.

I'm like, okay, we did we all it's going on.

It's like, okay, that ain't enough, though, we gotta come on to another joint.

Now.

I'm like the only nigga out here that.

Can really get them spikes because they seeing my team in the streets and I'm everywhere.

It's like physically in the streets.

So yeah.

But then during that time though, from that time when we started with the NPC to that Terrys Martin stumbles in my house through a drummer that we know.

I know, terror is from us me getting that NPC and I know how to really work it.

Yeah.

So my boy Robert, who was a drummer, It's like, man.

I got this nigger man, this nigga he played for Snoop Dogg.

This time, Snoop is the only thing, you know what I'm saying in the world.

He's like he on tour.

He finna come on, he gonna show you how to work it.

I'm like, all right, man, he bring that nigga in, that nigga walk here.

I'll never forget this that nigga walker said.

It's up y'all.

So he's being his Snoop.

You can see his tired, but it's off.

He like, you got an n PC fucking around.

That nigga going there, niggas he always been that.

You know, everything nigga made it be.

Was like, man, you can have that my nigga, and then let nigga get that.

You will beat my nigga.

Left.

I said this motherfucking think no way.

I'm about three chords.

So I did the songs that I got the CD.

Bron like, man, get that back to him.

Yeah, he hear me like you know how hard and kiss him on a CD.

At this time Nigga Nigga was like it got to him, like you hard and I'm like, I just never seen nothing like that.

I don't funk around.

I just wanted to show y'a wasn't playing.

Yeah, two thousand and one, that's how I know.

Tears.

Wow, yep.

We Hain'd been locked at the him every every cent that she was crazy, and then this fifteen hundred comes from him.

So I meet Lorenz.

I mean every they know, we all just we've been knowing through that time.

Everybody was just grinding.

So you saw the same people, and the Tea had started becoming who he was so desponded to the other story.

Where were in the streets working Now I'm starting to Tea like, man, come through, snoop, let me come through.

I can get I can get.

Beats of.

They corrupt grab me.

He seen me in the stud udio.

He's like, what's up with you?

I'm just ain't ever been in Ship like this.

I'm like, man.

Ship because this level of the studio levels the studio, that's the other things.

A lot a lot of niggas.

Be out here telling that girlfriends there in the studio.

Bro ain't quite the studio recording.

We at the studio studio like yeah, it's.

Like the studio, this board is going like this, and ship yeah all that, and then bad Luck had got signed over there right before that Western Union.

Well level was my guy from that seven year thing, like that thing, so we all knew each other, so it was familiar faces.

And Corrupt took a liking to me, so we would just He's like throwing me on ship and I'll just be rapping.

I'm like, I'm just like, damn, I to do this with him.

When I start spreading on the things and ship, I had a chance to do some real work and Nigga had one shot and Nigga sent the right joint end.

Then I got the gig.

For six months, I'm around the whole West coast.

That ship just was like boom boom boom.

Looking back at it.

During the time, it was like, God, damn, I'm dying.

I'm sleeping on cause I'm homeless nigga.

What the fuck?

You know, I'm getting out a good ship.

But that's the thing, that's that's what we love to talk about.

To the process.

Yeah, gotta talk about the process.

How niggas slept on the floor.

Nigga slept on the couch, bro, Like Nigga couldn't leave the studio because you had to.

Go because I'm leaving out months and gaps on the corrupt hang was a six month gap.

And he was grooming me because that's his big homie.

So he ain't just gonna let nobody around, snoop.

I'm seeing now looking back at him, watching what they you know what I'm saying.

They groomed me.

I start just getting gaged.

I don't do that, don't do that, don't do this.

Woo whoa.

It started early.

They started just sharpening my nods and etiquette.

Give me giving me real etiquette.

I'm not sitting around like I'm sitting around the tree.

This is the n w A tree, bro, this is where this where its.

That's crazy.

So I'm in college, yeah, absolutely, And Dog and Dog such a real one and tears had it so lazers like right now, you know, y'all get paid this time.

If you need to eat, come up here.

It's like I call it the last of the big budget record.

Remember now we're gonna.

Take budgets and all of that.

I'm talking about everything budget whatever budget that nigga dogs said, and he had five of the motherfucker's rolling.

I'm like this, Nigga five budgets.

Five studios rolling at once.

Looking back at it, I'm like that Nigga n tables doing it right and make sure Nigga was able to make some money.

G That's what I be on.

That's why niggas don't get it.

For the reason why Snoop is who he.

Is, i'le swig the swig watch watch.

A little bit on there, And.

That's that's the reason why guys like Snoop or who they are, right man, because he gave and he gave so many opportunities he had.

He had me tears quick at onn Core that Nigga had Teddy Riley at fucking the joint off one of the motherfuckers he had.

He had, you know, all his squad at another one and he had like some eclectic version where he had like motherfucking he had like the real big people come through, but he had them all going at once because.

He's working on the showls and ship like that.

Nigga eight months though, Wow, niggas straight nigga.

Nigga, Bro, that's incredible.

Listen.

I see everybody, every contract I have now was through that six months, everybody, everybody.

I was just just the guy in the corner.

Nigga just was remembering, all right, So tell me about function.

You can go to function.

You're gonna straighten function.

That's a big let's go.

Let's go.

Okay, that's ship, you know, you know, trying to function at all times something.

That's why he wanted to talk about this.

That's who he knew, Like, I see what's going on.

On the radio, bitch by.

All right.

You know what, dude, you know what.

The funny thing all that attitude got developed from that story of that one because it was a lot of start happening and I was just like her, man, fuck everything, Yeah, I'm finna say I've been a little too nice.

And so it's like coming out of the music, was like, nah, because this is what this how is going down?

Because I'm not really gonna be playing like that.

I'm not doing no playing with those niggas doing me and my squad.

We go like this, this is our way of thinking.

It may sound wild, it may sound and you might not fuck with it.

You do.

This is how it goes cough into this, into this island.

And it's cool if you don't agree.

We weren't trying to recruit.

A man.

Ain't nobody, listen, We're not.

It's not no.

I just had to get that out, you know what I'm saying, to make sure crazy, to make sure we got some of that.

And that was a That was a forty record.

But it felt very Diamond Lane, right.

It felt like it felt like fobs from the same dimond in Diamond Lane.

And I know Forty, that's my that's my big dog.

I know he did that purposely, right, because Forty is a guy who appreciates, right, He's he appreciates when somebody got a gift and he lets it shine.

Like Forty is never a guy that steps in front of people try to He's like, oh oh oh, he got he got something I need to funk with.

So he's not going to bring you in and try to change who you are.

It's amazing.

He's an he's he's so underrated in the boss talk that yeah, because the the real fate is let's even just take that record at that time, there's.

No like Big Bay l a record at all and all it's him and his prospects.

Well he see me y g Sue made it his single.

That means you put the bag behind of course, none of us signing him.

You know they don't do that.

No, no at all, Bosson gonna do that, and then surrounded us like I'm on the hook.

So I got to stay along for the whole the remix and everything surrounded us and put us in the spot to get a chance to We did one O six in part like three weeks after it came out.

Nigga.

We was what nigga?

We went straight to TV.

It wasn't no games, it was that ship.

Was like now that record is the rocket ship and that was legal stars.

Right, yep, it was in the it was in the swig house up.

Okay, I'm sorry, I know we skipped some steps.

I just had to get there.

But yeah, Jay back because from from from the Snoop days and what you're doing there and which is your version of college or even getting your masters in a sense, right, because for a lot of us who didn't go to college like myself when I came here, this was this was my schooling right as an adult.

I had learned from things as a kid in a business, but as an adult you deal with a different You deal with it direct.

And I always use that same analogy right of it being college would be in my ba, my master's, my doctorate, whatever you want to call the shit right as you go from your schooling, you know, with snoop corrupt all your guys there and move into diamond lane with bird bad luck, all the things that you guys are creating over there, where the fuck are when the fuck did y'all say we gonna take this master p?

How you do that there?

And turn this shit all the way up?

Because I will say this, and I don't know if I told you this back then.

That was actually my favorite masterpiece song of all time.

And Young Blee and Young Bleed cannot forget Young Bleed.

And hm hmm.

When I first heard that record, I was like, oh.

My god, Yeah, why hasn't someone done this sooner?

When you have that moment where.

You're like, oh this nigga ah, I was like, so you gotta.

You gotta explain that process.

You gotta.

I mean, like, I know, it's a masterpiece story.

Come come on, man, I got it.

I got it here out here on that East side, man, the East side of Los Angeles.

Like all the Project niggas when I was in high school was playing Master Pay all they was playing.

They all they were on that wave early.

All of the Watch niggas was on the Project, all the niggas.

So we went to Centennio together, so we were here, I would hear that shit they be playing it.

So so is that so Centennial is a Compton and Watch school.

No, just it's right down the streets from Projects.

So like at that time, nigga, the game ban shit was super ultra high.

So that was the blood school Centenio, and they were actually closer to the lot.

But that's you know, it's a script school.

So it's more so like don't nobody want to go down?

It was just it was different then, like you couldn't wear the blue shoe string and all that.

Like now anybody tripping off their colors and nothing, But then it was just a little different.

So you you wanted to go with your folks, right, So but they put me up on a lot of that ship.

I swear niggas and go on the body of us.

So me and you know, bad luck.

He's from Washington, so he's heavily and fluenced.

First time we ever do the Maley is Halloween.

We're in the car and we're going far As Fuck.

Y'all decided to do a mally on Halloween.

Let me tell you how this way it was.

We know it was.

We uh were going to We're going to Birds Cousins and shake Cotton and James Cotton.

Yeah, shake cotton.

Man, listen Lebron before.

Lebron, come on, man, do check out my boy documentary dramas at right now too.

So we're headed to one of their parties that ship far As the motherfucker.

So homie he coming like, hey man, I got this ship.

May this ship.

It's like, like, what it is?

It's called mally or something, okay, you know.

So he's like, take it.

Put on your tongue, Like what the.

Fuck is we?

You know?

I done?

He peels and ship and all that, but I'm like, what is it?

That's funny time, I telling you cool.

So we take it and these niggas had just got some fast like fast cars and hell cash it or something.

So we're basically flying to like Santa Clarita.

We're me and look were sitting there.

That motherfucker hit us like whoa, and Mally was like, oh, we just started talking about ship.

It's like, man, remember that's how you do that.

Ni'g gonna flip that.

He's like, hell, we getting back through that, niggna flip that.

It's gonna be hard.

Like, so we talk about that.

We're talking about all these things, right, we get back and so the next day, I'm like, Nigga flipped out.

You do this this ship?

He's like, man, just keep talking about it.

One day, Nigga, we never did it.

And one day I was like, I can't remembering that conversation.

Start playing that ship.

I started learning how to play it.

Start playing it.

I made me was ten in the morning.

So you replayed it?

Yeah, I got you played it.

Made the drums on in there and by myself ten in the morning.

Nigga, I must have fucking did the hook.

You know, I don't write.

So I'm sitting there, I'm just coming up with it.

I'm like, oh, this shit had just second verse.

I called up.

I'm like, Nigga, if you don't get up here in thirty minutes, I'm about to do this.

He was like, what I played it.

He was like, Nigga, I'm on the way, don't do that.

I'm like, I'm telling you got thirty minutes because I got it all.

I'm ready to go get this ship out.

That nigga you that nigga walked in.

That nigga came from where we came from.

Light it.

So then I didn't like the lead I had, so I went talked to Ja Nor.

I like, man, you got a better version of this.

So he went and found when it was closer ship, we swapped it out.

It's nigga, this ship hard nobody.

It was just me and him playing it.

Tho.

We wouldn't have none of the homie shit, like none of them.

Yeah, So we had a show like one of the little shows.

You're gonna get some money, Like I'm not really cracking yet, but that function money's cool.

So nobody is like raining and nobody comes to the thing, but we are normally we all.

I'm like, hey, weld have performed this ship because we just like fifty.

Niggas with us yeah, I know.

Yeah, yeah at that time.

You know, it's a different time.

Me and the tank we pull up.

You know, I listen, But.

Have you had this ship?

I never, there's not been never, no, no, whatevere.

So this is a different fifty nigga we had nigga.

We just talk like turn that new ship off and we just start doing it for the homies.

The niggas was like, what's this mind?

Was three people in the crowd.

We're just doing it for those three people, Like, what is this song that we did it?

We just performing for them and sign to get off because we didn't even have to really perform.

We a.

Was like, oh yeah, this hard.

So that's how it happened.

That was the first time.

Yeah, the first time we blasted.

It's one of them conversations on that our draw.

Yeah, I would like to say also talk about it.

I'm in that video.

Yeah yeah, yeah, you know, I don't.

Show up if you look at that video, a lot of love and yeah, it just came out.

What I will say is that.

Y'all brought the city together of l A right and in the in the Bay like we supported y'all heavily because we never felt like and you know this whole La and Bay.

Things sometimes get tricky where guys feel like, you know, the sound is, oh well, they took that or the La niggas took that on the Bay niggas took this or this, y'all niggas on this, and it's like, we don't never truly come together.

I felt like when you came along, y'all brought a lot of us together, right because because you was fucking with love Rinds, Sue Pilo myself, you was fucking with us so heavy.

And then we and we showed the love the same way and with E forty grab you putting it, putting you on that huge record, or really y'all giving him this huge record and being part of it like that it created something different.

Man.

That was honestly man.

That was Bird's vision the whole time.

He like, man, let's just all be cool.

Yeah, And I think it may maybe it rubbed some people the wrong way because you know, it maybe was against what, you know.

Maybe normal polity.

We wasn't going against normal the way we do anything in that business, you know what I'm saying.

And they can't be looked at as it can be looked at as where they think they better than they are.

They're gonna try to rewrite this or they're gonna make it.

Whatever it was.

The whole point was just like, nah, fuck them's us, because when we get together, we win.

Not like the problem with California is this right here.

They think it can only be one king.

That's always been a problem with California.

True, they don't say kings out here, and it stops the growth.

No, like me, when I say I keep cracking, like I become the guy out here, I don't say.

Now, I'm not doing records with niggas.

I'm like, shit, all that shit, let's run it up while we got somebody that give a fuck about because they'll swap us out in a minute.

Like you get hirt, now, you get hi nigga, you need one here, you got one.

It's actually a very Southern way of thinking.

It's and it's why they've done what they've done.

And yeah, my roots is from Louisiana.

I guess I don't know, and I'm around some good god that it may look like it's a different way, but really think about it and just go look at what's in the paint, the black and white, the numbers is when I when I start going with Diamond, start going, we said we yeah, we got a club.

Now y'all pulling up.

How many y'all got with y'all?

Yeah, they're good.

Nine bust on when they get it here, No.

Nigga here because we look cool, right, fuck them, you know what I'm saying.

So that's that's why I think the bay rocks with are so heavy, because that's how y'all move.

To a certain extent, it's better than that.

Yeah, but I think it's better because we don't have back then, we don't have the color, don't have the.

Game bang ship, right, which is is to be respected, right.

But I need to stop we need I need to stop that ship.

Though.

Man, I've been I've been really like trying to say something different to my homies and all of them, from all levels to two executives to street to whatever we're doing.

Man, that ship is for that.

Mhm.

Don't give me them rules.

I didn't I didn't subscribe to that, so that don't come here.

Like I've been really spreading that around the niggas, bru.

I'm in the music business.

I don't deal cracks, so don't whisper around me.

This is not that deep.

We're selling intellectual property.

Bro, I don't understand why.

Everybody's saw discreet and so weird.

Like, bro, no, I don't like everything.

It's nice everybody.

I got kids and ship.

That's deep, Like you know a village of women that I have to like make sure they're okay.

That's deep.

They've tried to make this that not that I don't respect that, but if I want to get into that, let me go over there and get put on.

And those are the rules.

No, nigga, we're not dealing crack here.

It shouldn't be this deep, bro.

This should be real deep all the time.

So I've been kind of trying to like and I'm not trying to it's not tougher then.

This is not any of that.

This is more so like, nah, really on niggas to chill out, because if we do it, if we do it the way that that I'm that I'm talking about, we probably can all make money instead of niggas just watching niggas get popping and hoping they reached down.

Why that's not I don't like shopping by myself.

That that's not that's not that doesn't make sense.

No, I don't come from that.

So now I think people get it now that everybody's went through this year of having to really go against their labels and find out how much them streams is and have to go really you have to get back just back in the in the grinding things and really do for yourself.

The labels making you go shoot your own videos that they're they're making you figure it a way and then if you get it right, it's this and that, and I'm watching people struggle with it.

To me, I don't know no other way.

So that's why I'm like, I don't understand the problem.

No, that's uncomfortable.

This is no.

This is what independent is.

This is what really goes like y'all been able to spool fit.

But it also goes to a level of professionalism too and understanding everything that you do.

No, I don't even think it's.

You're not you're not.

I think that's kind of like because you're not missing on any level of your infrastructure.

And so when the guys that can't survive in this type of space, they are missing on a certain level of their infrastructure that they just don't understand.

I wish you know, I can say, hey, man, like try it this way or this is and that, but just that hasn't That's not been the way it's been out here.

You know what I'm saying.

I just won't.

I just want people to like, look, don't be nervous.

Just don't be nervous.

Don't because man, I know, but I told y'all we've been saying this for long, you know, ought to be money.

Your life changed when you say hello, nigga.

We changed the nigga.

Don't like that.

I don't like ya.

Don't you knowing that?

They said, Hey, it's funny because because because me and Jay we had a lawyer at the time at the time, and so we got out.

Because it's the O G lawyer.

He O G like Aero Smeth representation o G type like he oh big money, big money.

So we like we you know, we tell him, we say, well, look, this is the new deal we want to do, and this is what we want.

And he said, why are they going to give you that?

Shoot me the foot, go to the gun fight all this is the guy.

God damn, he said, why are they going to give you that?

Like with this place, why are they going to give you that.

And I said, and I said.

Man, jam was a little punky little.

I said, because we're going to ask him.

He said, all right, whatever, okay, all right, you're the one going.

He called up two days later he said, I don't know what you said that those people up there, man, but they're going to give you everything.

And uh, we was on our motherfucker.

Yeah.

Listen, man, it feels.

Good more your shoulder.

But the benefit of betting on yourself.

Black man, yourself.

We are, bro, we are blessed.

We are blessed to be able to create somebody here.

Man.

Let's let's not let's let's.

I wouldn't even I don't even know how it feels.

That's just as I hate to not.

Be able to grab a gift, right and and we really don't take the time to appreciate that that time, bro, all right, last to literally wake up and be like.

Oh, yeah, it is like that.

You know, that's your and and that's me.

And there's people going up there's people out here going through some fucked.

Up tom This thing called me in the morning with like thirty things he gett picked out of the sky, like hey man, And then and then and then bro.

So just so just imagine though, like that's that's your reality.

Right.

So to the outside man, they like, man, well I gotta go for you flip this fry.

Yeah, you know, I gotta go listen to that guy is and that so when I when I get through, like yeah, man, the touring's down, and a man niggas is like, man, this real ship happens.

So that's another reason why nigga, we are not selling act.

This ain't that.

Stop.

I don't care what they taught us.

No, it don't have to go nothing like that.

If we started coming here, we say look thirty thirty thirty.

And we're gonna find ten five for lawyer.

We're gonna have five rates.

We could do that right easy, right.

See, it's not that deep.

It's never gonna be that deep till we started making it deep.

So this transition right from producer rapper ah to now.

Coffee you know what I mean?

Hold on, hold on, Yeah, we got it.

I got the bad you know what I mean, ground coffee, breakfast, blend breakfast.

Yeah, I still green Hour.

Green Hour, yes, the originally CBD as well.

Yeah, oh so this don't got nothing in it because I thought I was gonna tweak off there.

No, you're not gonna You're not gonna tweek at all.

That's not what that is.

It's just another way to get from looking for the tweet.

No, I gave you that bag.

I gave you another for the best weed in the town.

But no, no, no, So what put you in a space to say, Man, you know what I do?

Coffee, the music and cush right the music?

The music I was doing.

But I had changed, like the whole way out did my process instead of recording a night, only recorded in the morning.

So in the morning, this is what I noticed I was doing.

I was smoking weed or have a cup of coffee.

I made it where I'm gonna wake up and do this and then from this time this time, I'm gonna do this.

And because I wanted to do all these things, but I knew my I lacked organizations, so I said, fuck it, I'm just gonna really write me out of schedule.

I'm gonna work on my music this time and work on this from this time and record from this time this time.

So during that process, I'm like, man, what am I gonna call this?

Because it was just different for me to style of music I was waking up and just talking about the first thing I was thinking about as as opposed to being at night.

I didn't been loaded all day.

It just was a different thing.

But I felt this different balance, you know what I'm saying.

My life was just changing.

I'm like, shit, let's call the shit coffee because it's gonna be the name of the albums.

It was more so like, let me figure out a way that I can keep a three month income coming off of independent Selle.

It was a math play, honestly, and I was like, I know what, I generate streams, this, this and that.

I know this can go like this boom boom boom.

I can set up a few of these throughout year.

Really that's how it started.

So I started liking the ship and I had I'm like, I'm doing the music and I'm like, okay, cushion orange juice.

I'm like, man, what what what?

I wonder wizard would have fucking started an orange juice company that Nigga bean cracky.

I'm like, well, fuck it, let me add a coffee.

I want to make sure I have some merch, make sure I have some things to go with this that, you know, just build it out, and that's when the brainchild started.

It was like, well, shit, well what kind of coffee could I do?

It went down the rabbit hole, was like, well, shit, I don't want to do weed coffee.

That could be different.

There's some homework on it.

Legal, shit was weird.

CBD coffee was untouched.

Nobody was there, so it was like, well, shit, I could put the spin on coffee.

I'm new, I'm a new face.

Nobody over is even over here in this all the artists are doing different kind of drenks like well, shit, let me just figure out how to do it, and then went through the process of learning starting and shit got the bags in front of us.

But that was during the process.

It was more so just stemming off of trying to build off of the music.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying, because I think that's the that's the biggest thing too with music, right, I tell people at this point the music is free to a certain degree.

Right, we're gonna make our money off streams.

They chopped that shit off what they chop off.

But it's about being able to use the music, which is the cool to actually sell.

Everything else in it.

It's always been just marched right.

Everybody's like, I'm gonna tell the teacher I'm selling Hoode, which is all good because people want to represent that, But what about these other things that we can sell, like this coffee right, like this has a price point?

Yeah right, no matter what.

People that drink coffee, that love coffee, they may not even know who problem the rapper is, but they just like somebody else who did no problem the rapper was drinking it.

It was like, man, you should try this, right.

Yeah.

We wanted, we definitely want the brand to not I wasn't even telling people at first.

It was more so I just wanted to stand alone, like I like the name to kind of speak for it.

But yeah, man, like I really looked back at like I went through this rebrand thing just mentally in my life and I was just changing, and I looked at like, instead of looking at all the wrong shit that we probably did, Like, what did I like about the mighty would Run?

I was like, well, the smart thing a product got created may.

Not be legal, right, the trap got booming, It made millions of dollars for somebody, somebody right right right.

It was something that was already there, but we didn't know what it sounded like coffee.

Is there weed just here?

We don't know what them together sound like.

Well, let's create the sound of it.

Let's create the universe.

I love how we did with.

Monument and you generally are genuinely part of that.

Colt.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I get up in the morning.

I was want to start by meeting all these new people, like just you know, and they noticed that I was smelling like we thought, so you know that cushion, yo cologne, and this is I'm like, man, ship what I'm doing?

You know?

I met so many people just having my I remember I had on some high socks that.

A wean Lea funded.

When all the guys came over to me like sure love those socks.

Man, you'd be surprised.

So I'm like, wait a minute.

It's like a secret society.

It's not so secret anymore.

But I'm like and then I noticed, like I'm seeing the same people every day like here.

I'm like, but they all look hella comfortable.

They look comfortable.

They look like they just hear they want to be here, not like I need to get here to.

Start my day.

You can tell them once nah, they're sitting there, you know.

Capsual conversation.

It's just And then I started seeing the world and I went on tour for the first time I actually really saw Amsterdam.

Was like, whoa, this is real.

That was last year.

Right around this time.

That was your first time.

I want to answer that, that was my first time overseas exhibit.

Yeah shots, yeah remember that, yeah, yeah.

Right before close up.

I got to see it one good time.

Oh man, it was great, bro, it was it was and.

He was and he was in the space right, he's in He's in the space, the CBD cannabis space.

Right, he's in the he's in the boy he's in the cannabis.

You you got a chance to really see it up close from a professional, from a professional like, yeah, we all seen.

At the house, meaning though like even with the show mm hmm professional.

Yeah, he trying to rock you for who you are little niggas, big nigga of my show, I'm a sippy Yeah.

And then just watch it go and just to know that, like, oh, breakfast, the whole shit.

I had, you know, I on my tours, I funded, so it was different.

You know, I had to play staff and we had to make sure my folks.

I'm security too, it's like it's just different.

I actually just got to just come and just experience tour at a high level because he's not going nowhere with no booth.

We're not doing it.

So I got to see it fly right, like, oh yeah, I fussed with this.

I'm like, okay, But I had no idea that the ship I was rapping about was sitting over here.

I had heard that.

I didn't see this.

You can touch the people.

I got to sit out there and turn it on, like cause I had done all the music by there and just sit there and smoke and the water said, oh yeah, I'm not even talking.

I'm not even talking to you.

I don't even know what's going on.

This is crazy to me.

I'm like, how did I I didn't even It's like, oh shit, And I'm like, oh, this is called green Door, Green hour.

Oh this is prob.

I'm already setting up to play when I get back, like I'm gonna make these coffees.

I'm waiting for him straight like that.

So how has that business been for you?

We're out of coffee, man, and it's fucked up right now.

So you're out of it.

Yeah, man, that ship we had had so many issues, banking issues, bro, Like they really try to keep us out of that business man.

Yeah yeah, that's CDD.

Like not marijuana.

I'm not even talking about that.

Just that ship making so much money, bro, they're trying to so your banking gotta be just right in anytime, and that like they try to act treated like it's weeding's not right.

And then you know, I black man, you know what I'm saying.

I got black people calling, and just when I send black people in this company, and before all of the racial stuff got big, like you know, after that, they was trying to fix the ship fast.

But before that, oh well.

We had to took like ye, it took like about eight months to a year to even get a bank to pick us up.

So I was, man, shout out to chase infanty man.

He got the shop.

Parole in the murk part.

It was really like I gotta busting them out of there.

But it made it where this is the exclusive black coffee shop now out here.

So that's the only they sold out.

He was like, man, we need some more to keep coming.

I'm like, ship, all right, bring some more here.

So I was able to like really put him in cash.

After it's just like it's like a mixtape.

It's like it's like Ship done before the principals.

I was right and then and shipp and I'm like, man ship, you know what, I'm gonna shoot videos at your let's running, let's go.

So then we were able to get the banking and.

It was gone.

I wasn't ready no more.

I saved something for the months though, I'm gonna give them out like twenty four free bags and this first shipment.

I appreciate being one of that y.

I appreciate you know.

You gave me a mug and I know you gotta smoke on the mud.

No you don't even I just I just want no, no, I'm gonna try it.

So that means I'm gonna leave you.

A couple couple of buds.

Yeah, definitely, you know what.

And I make sure you know, I make sure Steve said, you up a real nice tack too, you know, start a kid and support my guy.

Put it on the ground.

Brow Listen, Steve, it's kind of like this.

You might bump into some real you some real fly people.

Coming in and out of there.

Because I know I didn't notice many people smoked weed and drunk coffee man in a different level of places.

Yeah, yeah, man, Well we don't want to keep you long.

Brother.

You know your family more than you're welcome.

But we gotta you know.

Valentine has a segment that he likes to got to.

The show man.

You know some one Before you do this, you gotta really be a part of this.

Got a great part of this show man.

It's called I ain't saying no name, no names.

Right, and the story can either be funny or fucked up?

Are both?

Right?

And you tell your story.

You tell your story without saying the names, but you give enough information to where people It's like, okay, that might.

Be such and such from the such and such from the.

Such and.

Or do you feel what you feel?

Man?

Dude this I know you got a lot of I know you got, it's just I need a good one though.

Now I'm just saying it's like I don't no names.

Well, okay, this is what I give you because I can't give you like nobody name, no So there's got to be like a one on one experience.

Then it could be can.

I give the other people's no, I ain't saying no names.

You can give their gender, you know, you know, Becky with the good head, you know what I mean, my nigga with the Lord Jesus part fun.

I'm gonna do fun.

I was gonna go somewhere, you know what, almost dropped.

I'm gonna take your fun.

I'm gonna take you's gon fun.

Damn.

Come on, dude, you got me sitting there flying down this a holiday went down his mother.

Okay, before it was on, but it was like a little bit on, but it was, it was on, but it went on.

Uh one lady, she uh not from out here.

She was out here, you know, moving around, trying to get herself started or whatever.

And you know, somehow we end up, you know, talking or whatever.

And then I ended up going over to our place and then she spoken another language or whatever.

But like, why don't you ever talk like that that we have different conversations, and then I end up, you know, we we can't.

We got intimate, you know what I'm saying.

Yeah, And I didn't know at the time that she was probably with one of the other ones of us and like a little thing that was blowing up out here.

And I.

Think that's why me and somebody else didn't get along.

And I'll just stopped.

There is that telling you?

One is that I do it right?

I'm trying.

You want to.

You get it, I get it.

I think I'm playing to safe.

Definitely planning.

I don't want to know.

I don't want to know you're definitely.

Planning safe, But I know what's what?

It goes back to our initial conversation about some of the things that's different in WRAP than they are in R and B.

That's why I'll be trying to sing with you.

Listen, you write that R and B two definitely write that.

Write People don't know this.

It's a fun fact.

The only feature on the T.

G T definitely the fourth member of T T T for sure.

You just gonna kick me out?

Okay, cool, bro, I'm actually listening.

I wasn't on there right right, you're right like you gotout.

I'm about I'm lazy bone.

What's the one that's when I was in jail?

Yeah?

But he like he's the silhouette on the album Crazy crit is Wishing Flesh Flesh Flash Flesh, Flash Slash, ship Ball and T G T.

He's we're going because we're going.

Uh uh?

Both does the holiday Yes, Steve Lobel, He's the glue hold it together.

He held it together.

I see Steve every night.

What the fun run around trying to find him niggas in ninety seven, he be trying to find him, niggas.

Steve was everywhere.

Lobel is a good guy.

Good guy.

We're working.

We working again.

I've been.

You know, I'm still I don't care.

I still want.

I want to get the group back together.

But you know, maybe maybe.

Flesh wants to put I want to see the five rs man get back all that.

He fights, No nigga, that fight for fun.

I'm not going to nigga fight for fun to sway his his judge.

He is what he thinks.

Okay, he is exactly.

But listen, it's a new way.

You know.

We can just send the vocals in.

Put it together.

You know you don't have to sing.

It could listen because you know what, man, man, listen, you know what man.

I was there, Okay, it was Man's a great and listen, I get it, man.

I know everybody want to swing.

They dick and all that.

Man put that ship up.

Listen, everybody, everybody.

I'm like me, bro, I have to mumble myself.

I'm not talking to you I'm just general.

I have to humble myself in a lot of situations.

I know I did a lot of things wrong to takes some boners for that, but that doesn't even destroyed nothing.

You just grow and.

Learn what as long as everybody is willing to.

Own on their moment of ego you know what I'm saying, and and be willing to, like you said, stop swinging long enough to make something historical happening.

I get it.

It's a big, big business, man, I understand.

Man, Let's just listen.

I don't know it.

Ain't listen bro we singing songs.

Niggas got real kids.

I know, niggas got baby mamas and all of that.

Ship.

We gotta get listening on some man ship.

I agree.

We gotta start, man, I man, we gotta start showing better.

We gotta do better.

That's another reason that music for me works now, because it's like I feel like, let me tell you why, instead of like, man, I think you should do this, let me let me just fuck it.

I'll hang myself.

Yeah, this didn't go right for me.

Won't you try it this way?

I did this this way because damn I slipped.

Do it like this blah blah blah.

But at the end of the day, bro, it's just it's not this deep.

We get pay too to be a man.

Niggas better chill out, man, I know niggas got I see.

This world has shown and this bigger thing is going on for sure.

Well, look y'all, man, this is Jesus.

This has been the Army Money podcast.

Man, we didn't this will turn into a to a real vibe.

You're on a spot spot.

I'm a second hand.

You know what I'm saying.

When that second hand, we ain't get on me.

You know what I'm saying, put it out So I didn't want to smoke it all like that.

Oh it was cool, you know.

I feel pretty good about myself this.

Thank y'all for tuning in.

Man, this is the R by Money podcast.

I'm Tank, this is mister Valentine.

We have the authorities on the R and B and this is our brother, this is our loved one, this is gifted.

This is problem man.

We thank you, man, Thank you man.

Yeah yeah, man, you to Brother.

Money.

R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network.

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