WEBVTT - Ep.308 Music for the Movement with Rapsody 0:00:05.960 --> 0:00:08.440 Hey, y'all, I'm to make a d. Mallory and I'm 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:11.920 so in the general and welcome to street Politicians, the 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:15.240 place where the streets and politics meet, and we're talking 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:18.720 about critical issues that matter in our communities from the 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:24.080 streets all the way to the sweets. So my today 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:28.040 because you know, I think all the time. You know, 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:30.760 I just I've been watching on social media, even some 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:35.880 of my great friends that have banging bodies, they take 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:39.640 certain types of pictures, certain types of profiles. And I 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:42.960 guess my question is, in order to blow up, I 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.360 have two questions today. I got two thoughts. In order 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:50.479 to blow up and and become successful and get the 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:54.800 type of attention and build your platform, do you have 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:58.000 to take a picture with your butt turned towards the 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:01.600 camera showing your back side? Like you know, I never 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:05.520 really take pictures like that, but perhaps I'm not doing 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.039 it right. And then I guess the second part of 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:10.800 that question is because I'm not hating on those who do, 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:12.840 because like I said, these are people who these are 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.960 people who they got it to turn around and show you. 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:20.800 So it's all good, but is that what sells and 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:22.960 what gets you a man like? Is that what men 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:28.440 want to see the as shot um. To be quite frankly, yes, 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:31.800 men want to see it right. And it depends on 0:01:31.880 --> 0:01:35.120 what it is that you're trying to accomplish. This is 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:38.119 just from a man's point of view. You know, if 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:43.640 you're trying to sell your sexuality, then people who want 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:48.000 to buy sexuality are gonna buy it, you know. And 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:52.120 if you're trying to find a man who's into that, 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:56.000 you know, then that's the type of man you're gonna attract. Now, 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:59.040 is this person going to be somebody that you can 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.240 have a long standard relationship who knows you know, you 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.600 don't know you. You have to understand who you are 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.240 as an individual, you know. And and that's why if 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.520 you if you feel your sexual and you want somebody 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:12.560 who likes you because you've got a fat backside, or 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.760 because you're just this sexy person who doesn't care about 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:17.720 the intellect you have, who doesn't want to get to 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:20.639 know you, who you know, who doesn't really care about anything, 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.480 and they just attracted to this physical being that you present, 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:26.120 then cool, that's what it is. Because there's some people 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:28.120 that that's all they want. They trying to have a 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:30.000 good time. They want somebody that looks at them for 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:32.280 a good time. Men look at you as a good 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:36.320 time when you when you were physically shown yourself, they 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:38.880 look at you. The first thing they view you as 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:44.079 is a sexual image somebody that they see sexually, you know, 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:47.880 So that can mature into something else. A lot of 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:51.079 times it really doesn't, because that's what you portrayed. So 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.280 that's how they see you, and that's the level of 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:56.080 engagement you're gonna get. Because I see even some of 0:02:56.120 --> 0:03:01.520 my friends who have businesses, right and they sell products 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:04.960 or their styling, or they're designing, or they're you know whatever. 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.160 Sometimes when I look at their social media, I'm not 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:11.280 sure exactly what we're selling. I don't know if we're 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:15.280 selling the outfit, if we're selling you, if we're selling tail, 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:20.640 if we're selling you know, expression. I'm not always sure, 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:24.680 and so I'm just like, maybe I'm looking at it 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:27.560 wrong and maybe I'm being a too sensitive or whatever, 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:31.080 and instead I should actually be doing it myself. I'm 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:36.320 saying once again, once again, you have to figure out 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.920 what you're trying to sell. Sex is one of the 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:40.480 biggest thing in the world. Like that's why I w 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:42.920 when people say what like you said the number one 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:47.080 seller or time. So the bottom line is, if you're 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.040 using a marketing strategy. I tell people all the time, 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.400 it's a marketing strategy. You know what I'm saying, because 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:58.760 sex is a marketing strategy. Like people who are pleasing 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:02.040 to the eye, who advertise certain things, who make people 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:05.960 engage and pay attention, are able to sell something, you know, 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:08.440 So it's it's definitely a market of strategy. The way 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:10.680 that you look, the way that you present yourself is 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:12.520 a market of strategy. But you have to figure out 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:16.000 who is your target market. That's what you have to understand. 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:18.120 I think a lot of times people don't even understand 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.360 their own target market. So if you if you're doing 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:25.960 something more conservative spaces, but yet you're trying to target 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:29.320 a market that's not conservative and you're trying to sell sex, 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:31.560 then it gives a mixed message, you know. That's why 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:34.000 everybody don't do the same thing. That's why when you 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:37.040 watch Whop and you see Megan and Cardi doing that, 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:41.039 it's not gonna work for everybody, you know, because it doesn't. 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:44.200 You can't sell Everybody can't sell the same thing. So 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:47.760 I don't think it's anything wrong with women being sexy. 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:53.080 You know, it's enjoying the sexualities individuals that I'm talking about. 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:57.400 They are like I mean, and I'm using this word 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:01.800 um stallions right, like you know, but clearly I'm not 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:05.640 talking about Meg, although Meg is a bad and that's 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:07.960 and that's the thing for me, right when you watch 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:13.000 Meg right and you see the level of either love 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:15.440 or hate that she gets right now, and it's it's 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:21.880 either or right because what she represents either people love 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:25.680 it so much or they're angry because they feel that 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:28.440 it is a message that does a courside with them 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.440 is negative. It's telling young girls this. It's not it's 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.479 who she is. It's who she's representing who she is 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:38.520 to the fullest of her you know, ability is and 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:44.360 that's what she's She's selling so many things ated she 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:50.960 is passionate about issues. You know, I've had numerous conversations 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.360 either with Meg directly or her team about things that 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.960 she cares about, ways that she applies her resources and 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:02.039 education to try to help causes. You know, she's in school, 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:06.520 and it's almost like people really hate that. It's like 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:09.840 not everybody, of course, but there is an element of 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:14.280 folk in society that are angry that she's like all 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.000 of these different diverse things and and we no hate 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:19.919 because we see it. It just happened to me recently. 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.880 I said something in the TMZ interview, and you know, 0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:25.839 and I know what I'm talking about. I know it's 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:29.400 in proper context for the issue that I'm dealing with 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:32.839 in that moment, and people just you know, they're making 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:36.280 their whole career off of trying to post about it 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:38.400 and talk about it and get their clicks and shares. 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:42.360 And in the past, I would go out and go 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:45.800 arguing with them and going online and you know, be 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:49.440 sitting there all day long, typing back and forth like 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:53.400 the frog when you see the frog going in. That's 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.479 what I generally would do. But I have grown past that. 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:58.800 My thing is, if you're trying to get your clicks 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.279 and shares off of me, you go ahead and do that. 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:05.320 Because most people who heard my statement, and you know, 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:07.080 you can go find it yourself. And we don't have 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:10.239 to get into that today. Um, but you know, most 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.720 people who heard it, they know exactly what I was 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:16.120 talking about, you know, And and you know, anyway, that's 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:19.040 a topic for a different day. And so you know, 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:21.640 with with even with Cardi, and you know how much 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:24.360 I love Cardi again, another person that I talked to 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.640 and and have have really come to learn love and 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:32.680 understand who she is as a person outside of music. 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:36.760 And you you see the hate that she receives as well, 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:40.440 and it's deep, deep, It's a deep hate because people 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:44.320 are afraid of your own confidence. They're afraid to see 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:46.440 confidence in somebody else that they don't have. For this 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.640 stiff when you can say and do something and be 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:52.320 unapologetic and be like, this is who I am and 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:54.600 I don't care if everybody else is doing it or not. 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:58.120 I'm so comfortable and like Cardi shows up as her 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.760 full self every time, no matter no matter what. She's 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:03.360 gonna being rollers in the house. She's gonna have no 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:06.000 makeup on, she's gonna have a baby, she's gonna talk 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:09.600 broken English. She's gonna talk about political issues. She's gonna 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:12.000 tell you how she feels, she might curse about it. 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:16.640 She's gonna talk about her why she gonna do whatever 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.680 she wants to do. She's a great entertainer and a 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:24.560 great story of personality. Her person she has a personality. 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.679 That's why she got there. Because she's from my hood. 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.280 You understand I'm saying, write down the block from my mother. 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:33.439 You know what I'm saying exactly. So when I used 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.040 to see her on Instagram, she had a million followers 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:40.840 before she did anything. She was just because people paid attention. 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.400 She was somebody who captivated you, who you gravitate, whether 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:46.240 she was having a fight on the street, whether she 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:49.120 was talking about yo, y'all, y'all, y'all, b I TC, 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:51.400 y'all know, it's what it is, is popping and she 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.160 coming from the strip, whatever it is. People paid attention, 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:57.680 and you know, and she has a personality because it's authentic. 0:08:58.040 --> 0:08:59.640 You know. That's what That's what that and that's what 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:02.040 we always been attracted to. I don't care. You don't 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:04.280 got to be politically correct. You don't have to be 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:07.640 the best person, the smartest person, nothing, long as you 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.400 are authentic, you know what I'm saying. I will always 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.760 respect you if Cardy is authentic to the fullest man. 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.960 And that's why we receive hate because at the end 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:19.320 of the day, we don't care what you think about us. 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:23.000 I don't care what you think about I've never cared. 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:25.800 I don't think I care what you think. I just did. 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:28.440 I hate to be lied on. I hate for you 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:30.599 to state something like see, I'll still argue on my 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:32.240 page because you're not gonna go on my page and 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:36.040 state something that's wrong. That's not too much. It's too 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.000 much for you to lie on me. You can't lie 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:42.360 on me and try to discredit the sts be talking about. Yeah, 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:45.040 because I'm still listening. I'm too, I'm still parallel. You 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.680 understand saying even though I'm removed from the street life, 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:50.560 I'm not removed from the streets. And that's where most 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:54.679 of the people that I'm trying to save. They're not 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:58.040 from the street. They're not You don't even see them. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:02.800 They don't even gotta profile pick. So I'll talk about 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:06.400 the ones who actually lead the attacks. But anyway, I 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:10.079 hope they get them some extra followers. My name brings 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:12.480 them a little more. I know, people who I've pretty 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:16.439 much barked their whole career, they got whole YouTube pages 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:20.880 built off talking about me. So I'm gonna, well, hey, 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:23.520 that's I guess that's a good thing. It's an excellent thing. 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:27.720 The streets is talking. The streets are always talking. Streets 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:32.600 talking too damn much that people going to jail. But 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:36.400 you know, we we gotta have some debate about that 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:40.280 because this whole I keep saying, I get the concept 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:44.040 of the nostic sitching piece. I totally get it, but 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:47.400 I'm not sure these kids get it from the right perspective. 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:50.599 And I think it's kind of dangerous. But we can't 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:55.000 today is not to but we need to have a deep, deep, deep, deep, 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:59.920 deep conversation. It's really just common sense. But what's this 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:03.040 Streets talking about? The streets are talking about the Grammars. 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:09.640 Streets was definitely talking about them talking about the same 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:14.480 we know already. But even though you know something right, 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:17.920 every time that you faced with it and you actually 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:22.280 see it, it just I think for individuals it gets hard, 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:24.880 especially as an artist. Right as an artist, when you 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.600 know you put your heart into something, you know the 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:30.679 people have embraced it, you know, it's been celebrated by 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:33.640 the people that you actually make music for, and then 0:11:33.720 --> 0:11:37.160 you have an institution that doesn't respect that, you know, 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.319 because they don't respect our culture, don't respect us in general, 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:42.760 you know, and to constantly see that it doesn't it 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:46.520 doesn't feel any better. Every time you know, you you say, whatever, 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:48.079 I don't care about the girls, But you know, it's 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:50.680 a prestigious it's a very important you know, it's a 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:55.240 it's important awards, especially for artists when you create worldwide 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.840 and universal music. So when you don't get recognized, you know, 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.240 and you don't win awards, especially from our culture, it 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:03.920 feels a way, you know, So even if you don't 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:06.200 expect it, you're like them. I know, I deserve it 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:10.320 and we can't. And the thing is it doesn't lose 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:14.440 any credibility even though we say we notice in that 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.520 we have not done the proper way, we have not 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:21.600 done the proper you know, going taking the proper steps 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.520 to make that Grammy lose the credibility and put something 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.360 in place of it that represents us properly. Well, I 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:31.320 know they've they've made some internal changes, um and you know, 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:34.640 I know my sister Felicia, our sister Felicia Butterfield Jones 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:37.480 is they're doing diversity work, So I know there's change 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:40.440 is happening, but you're talking about an old institution and 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.880 it's gonna take some time for them to actually align 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:46.960 with First of all, there's probably people fighting against it, 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.520 so you know, you can't just hire one or two 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:51.840 people and think that the whole culture is gonna shift, 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:54.360 so you don't. We'll see what happens. But you know, 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.680 I agree with you because I feel snubbed because I'm 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:00.600 in a few songs that I know I should have 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:05.720 won Grammy. But all those songs should have been they 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:10.520 just came out to me. The songs Daddy came. That's 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:12.720 been months ago. You're telling me that the song that 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:17.480 came out seven six months ago David Bann and them 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:21.439 had and what David being the song burning Ship. We 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:27.320 go this, okay, but I like that song, and so 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:30.800 that's been months it was it was before there was 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:33.320 like when to time. I don't know anyway, with a 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:37.280 lot of those songs that you are in, I should 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:41.160 have received the Grammy. I'm I better get one next year. 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:44.960 For Traded Truth, we got a song with him. I'm 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:48.360 on tas album, I'm on who Else album out on 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:51.760 Jeezy or you know, we gotta win a Grammy. You 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:53.680 know what I mean. Listen to you, just like a 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:57.400 real artist, most an artist. This don't work out, you 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.480 go give it meg Listen in Vogue had me and 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:04.880 it wasn't a song. It was a performance that they 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:07.360 did for one of the award shows. I can't remember 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:11.960 exactly which one, but I was in an in Vogue performance. 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:16.920 That's amazing. So it's a lot of kin I understand. 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:24.120 We are upset because she don't know where is that. 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.480 It's don't know nothing, but I know I should have 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:32.000 been in it. Just keep on keep going. Yeah, you're 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:34.120 a new artist. You could have been new artists. As 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:41.000 our young brother Travis would say, keep going, Travis. Before 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.120 we go to the next segment and have our special 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.480 guests joint, we're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors. 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:53.200 Speaking of lyricists, we have one of my all time favorites. 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.760 I would put her in a gold category. And it 0:14:56.760 --> 0:14:58.800 ain't just as a girl, you know, like, oh she's 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:01.760 wanting girl. No, she is a dope. Just artists and 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:10.080 rapper and female artists. And she's actually my sister friends, 0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:17.720 your sister friend, first star. You know how you make 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:26.040 up words. We have our sistar rap City, my home girl. Yes, yes, 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:39.880 look at what's going on with love one A little bit, 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:43.320 clean up a little bit sometime. Listen, we miss you. 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:45.960 We haven't seen you in a in a few weeks 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:49.640 um since you were out with us. Organizing and getting 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:53.160 people out to vote. And I have to say congratulations 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.320 to you because I know that one of the reasons 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:58.640 why you were out there on the ground helping to 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.240 get people to the polls because you believe that we 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:06.360 need a new administration and we while we have one. Yes, 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.800 finally it was nerve racking, but we didn't. I wasn't 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:12.160 in the politics before at all. Like I didn't vote, 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:15.800 I ain't nothing, But I've learned so much the last 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:21.560 three elections for elections, um about the process, and you know, 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:25.200 I understand even more how important every one person counts, 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:27.560 Like we saw it in the numbers, like you know, 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.640 it could be five thousand people that can make the difference, 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:34.720 you know, it going one way or the other. So, yeah, 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:36.760 it was a good moment. I'm happy that y'all brought 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.440 me along. Yeah. No, you've been with us. You've been 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.520 with us. It's incredible to have you as a friend 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:45.840 and a sister. And what we've been debating are talking about, 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:48.840 I won't say debating, uh, is this idea of the 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:52.160 difference between a lyricist and a rapper. And my son, 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:55.040 as you know, believes you're one of the best lyricists 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:59.040 in the world shout out to my son, who was awesome, 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:04.760 but absolutely, I mean, you know, when you when you 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:08.040 believe and you understand the craft, you bet you have 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:11.560 to acknowledge other people who take the craft as serious 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:14.760 as you and actually push you. Like I listened to 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:16.399 Wrap and be like, Okay, I gotta wrap now. Do 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.719 you know how dope you are? Like do you be like, Yo, 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.240 I'm really dope. Some days I'm gonna tell you. I'm 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:22.680 gonna tell you what it is for me, Like I 0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:25.359 gotta I gotta kind of trick myself out right. I 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:27.280 hear some stuff and I'll be like, as of lately, 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:29.320 I'll be like, hey, I'm really nice at what I do, 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:31.359 you know. And then there's some days I'm like, I 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:33.320 don't even want to think that way because I like 0:17:33.560 --> 0:17:36.080 feeling like I'm an underdog, so I always stay hungry, 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:37.879 you know. I mean, I don't want to be comfortable, 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:41.080 you know, And I don't know if that's right or 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.159 wrong or whatever, but that's my process. So um, I 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.280 don't you know, I don't even I don't even think 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:49.600 I'm better now though my confidence is because before my 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:52.639 confidence wasn't always there. I felt like I had to 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:56.880 be be validated, you know, and when people didn't validate 0:17:56.960 --> 0:17:59.040 your you didn't feel like you any spaces that you 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.560 were supposed to be. You kind of look inward when 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:03.520 I ain't always the case, you know what I'm saying. 0:18:03.680 --> 0:18:07.120 So I understand where to five value in myself. Man, 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:10.240 you have to be your biggest champion. I feel like 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:13.439 there are rooms that you know we're not in, right 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:16.000 because I have that same issue in terms of a 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:19.879 lack of confidence at times, feeling like I don't necessarily 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:23.440 have the education or the background that some of the 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:28.600 greats in terms of leaders activists you know have and 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:31.480 um and don't know how to say all the big 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.440 words and all of that, right. So I struggle with that. 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:36.760 But I feel like if I'm not in a room 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:39.360 at this point, it's something wrong with the room. It's 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:41.879 not me, you know, because even though I may not 0:18:42.119 --> 0:18:45.919 be at their level, I still bring something to the table. 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:48.240 And if you feel like this is not a place 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.280 that I should be, then hey, that's now I'm starting 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:54.320 to be like, oh, that's y'all. You you're missing out 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:59.040 by not having Rhapsody as part of whatever You're missing 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:02.040 out by not giving that Grammy, it's say something about you. 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.919 But you've been nominated three times or two times. Uh, 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:08.240 I just got my fourth this year by way of 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:12.240 artist by the name of Jacob colly um. But three 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:17.160 three for me to with Laylas wasn't a woman Kendred. Wow, 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:21.240 that's amazing, just you know, just to just to not 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:23.959 have the celebrity that everybody else has because a lot 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:26.680 of these war shows, you know, celebrity is a big 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:29.600 part of it. So you know, to to at least 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:33.359 be acknowledged four times, I'll take that. But you know, 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:36.520 I've come to also understand, like you know, even if 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.960 you don't, that doesn't change anything for you. You know 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.960 what I'm saying again, you don't need anybody to validate you. 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:46.280 But it feels good to be acknowledged. It's dope. It's 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:49.600 dope to be acknowledged. And you just have such a 0:19:49.760 --> 0:19:52.840 humble spirit. You know, when you just hanging out with 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.399 you and just being with you, you just so humble. 0:19:55.520 --> 0:20:00.080 But when you get on that Mic she just and 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:04.560 then Mike, you see this level of like aggression and 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:08.200 confidence and fire that you just is a star quality. 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:12.760 You know that that is so unique you understand. I 0:20:12.800 --> 0:20:15.520 think you're on this pace for greatness. It's not just 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.000 given to you. A lot of artists have this. They 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:20.640 just pop on the scene and have just this major 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:23.239 co san or they get this one song and then 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:27.040 they move into it real fast. I think the gradual 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:31.000 growth of you as an artist and people paying attention 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:34.639 is what is just making you into this grid, is 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.080 putting you in that gold category. Look, and I think 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:43.280 about Oprah, Right, I'm in the video just I Jamica Mallory. 0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:46.440 I'm in the video just so people don't but the 0:20:46.640 --> 0:20:51.920 song is about money, right, like black women using our 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:55.639 economic power. First of all, who came up with that concept? 0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:59.440 And what's the artist's name who's also in the in 0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:05.520 the song? Kaylee Ford? He said, amazing, like one of 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:08.960 my favorites. Um, as far as the concept for the 0:21:09.080 --> 0:21:11.760 song itself, that was that was you know, that was 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:14.040 me at That was on the Eve album And again 0:21:14.080 --> 0:21:16.359 I named every record for those who haven't heard it 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:18.920 after a black woman. And I wanted to touch on, 0:21:19.119 --> 0:21:21.639 you know, our economic power and how black women are 0:21:21.680 --> 0:21:24.920 the most educated. You know, we own the most businesses too, 0:21:25.040 --> 0:21:27.440 and um, you know, just just talk about that side, 0:21:27.560 --> 0:21:30.320 like we could talk about money in so many different ways. 0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:32.320 I wanted to about it in a different way, in 0:21:32.400 --> 0:21:34.760 a boss way as far as like the video, and 0:21:34.840 --> 0:21:40.360 we had to have you, um and uh, who else 0:21:40.400 --> 0:21:43.520 do we have? Oh my home girl Erica. Um. You 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:46.200 know I got with Mesa Hilton, you know, the legendary 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:50.600 creative Um. You know, we just bounced ideas on you know, 0:21:50.720 --> 0:21:52.879 how we wanted to look um. But you know, we 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:57.199 definitely wanted to highlight nothing but black women businesses, ownerships. 0:21:57.440 --> 0:21:59.240 Wanted to have y'all at the table with the bag 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:02.080 of money and talk about like where where is our 0:22:02.200 --> 0:22:05.240 money and our power? Most beneficial? You know. They see 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:11.240 your college courses based upon ye music from E which 0:22:11.320 --> 0:22:15.679 is amazing the highest bar I think I could ever 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:20.080 be given. You get the awards and everything, but when 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:25.520 you reach you know, institutions of education, you live forever 0:22:25.960 --> 0:22:28.359 like they are. They are teaching you and preparing you 0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:30.600 in the same way they teach you math and science 0:22:30.640 --> 0:22:33.040 and history, how to critically think things that stick with 0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:36.560 you forever. Like to be in those spaces like I 0:22:36.680 --> 0:22:39.440 think that's the highest bar that anybody can give you. 0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:43.560 An acknowledgement gratitude like that's bigger than any grammar and 0:22:43.600 --> 0:22:46.440 any award for me, it sure is. Has there been 0:22:46.520 --> 0:22:49.840 times throughout your career where you was like, you know, 0:22:50.119 --> 0:22:52.560 let me just make a song like this so people 0:22:52.600 --> 0:22:58.000 can pay attention, not to pay attention, because it's more 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:00.680