WEBVTT - QLS Classic: DJ Drama Part 2 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:09.399 Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio, Good People. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:09.880 What's Up? 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:13.520 Of course, in part one we talked to our good 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:18.680 friend DJ Drama live from t I Studio actually formerly 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:25.479 Dart Studio dart As in Dallas, Austin Record Productions. I 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:27.640 don't know what RP stands for. That's what I assume 0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:31.240 it was for you roots fans out there. Uh, this 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.080 is the same studio that we recorded the song Panic 0:00:34.720 --> 0:00:37.320 for our ill Adelf Half Life record. 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.680 But yeah, you know, in part one we talked about. 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.920 His early days in Philly, have come to college and 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:47.720 you know, really like trying to find himself as a DJ. 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:52.560 And now this is part two of DJ Drama. All right, QLs, 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:57.400 thank you. As a mixtape, DJ, you're locking it down. 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:02.600 But as far as now when you're in clubs, if 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:08.479 I'm hiring you to DJ a party in two thousand 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:12.360 and six, two thousand and seven, how long, like how 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:15.440 long is your set? And are you doing just exclusive 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:20.640 stuff that is exclusive to you or are you still 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:22.959 just like doing regularly DJ stuff? 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:27.160 And so really what wound up happening was around that time, 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:32.039 I actually wasn't doing a lot of gigs because I 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:38.080 then became DJ Drama, and I went literally from getting 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:41.640 paid three hundred dollars from doing parties in Atlanta to 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.880 them not being able to afford me. And then I 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:47.880 was also tips DJ, so I was on the road, 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:51.400 so I didn't really I wasn't doing a lot of 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:52.400 my own gigs. 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.240 I would I would here and there, I would I 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:56.240 would get hired. 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:58.440 But I would probably do like a two hour set 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:01.320 and I would you know, but this is still a 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.240 time when like so I guess Serrato was already out, 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:08.000 so I would do like big gigs like I remember 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:11.720 when Vibe had like the Vibe something down. 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:13.280 Here and outcasts perform, like. 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:16.280 They will book me for that, or like BT would 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:18.880 book me, and you know, I was just I was 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:21.680 playing like I would mix it up. I mean, I 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.160 would do what was hot, but I would also, you know, 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:26.399 kind of play some gangster grol ship. 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:29.240 So are you a business in terms of like now 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:32.360 you have a manager and an agent and. 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:34.680 A staff. 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:39.799 Yeah. The office space, like definitely, we had a Walker Street. 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:42.240 Was our was our was our office. 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:47.280 Denise Denise Denise worked for us. We had I had 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:52.640 Jason Brown was was handling all the distribution Orlando McGee 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:56.880 was my first manager, and yeah, because then I got, 0:02:57.000 --> 0:02:59.519 you know, the opportunity to get an album there. I 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:02.400 mean I literally he met with every label at one 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:05.400 point as far as like their interest in signing me 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:08.280 as a DJ to do a Gangster Girls album, you know, 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:11.280 and based upon my loyalty, and I hadn't known the building, 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:14.120 I signed to Ground Hustle Atlantic, but but yeah, I 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:19.080 definitely had staff and a manager and you know, the 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:23.760 whole nine. So with dedication, Like how did that come to? 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:25.760 I was on the I was on the bus with Tip. 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:28.160 We were on the Urban Legend tour. He was on 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:31.520 the phone with Wayne. I heard him talking to Wayne 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:33.440 and I was like, Yo, let me holler at him. 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:36.760 So I remember being on my bunk and I just 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:38.160 got on the phone with him and I was like, 0:03:38.200 --> 0:03:38.640 what's up. 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:40.280 I was like, you know, And at that. 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:44.760 Time, Wayne was was doing his squad up. Yeah, so 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:48.000 I was using a lot of those songs on Gangster Grills, 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.240 so I knew he was kind of in his mixtape bag. 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:52.360 And I was like, yo, you know, we got to 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:54.520 get one, and he was like yeah, you know. I 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:57.720 mean he was already familiar with me and I remember 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:00.480 coming off tour for a time and I went to 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:04.320 Stankonia and met with Wayne and Tez and we just 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.160 kind of like went over. I brought on a bunch 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:09.320 of instrumentals, just options and things to wrap on and 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:12.600 things of that nature, and I literally just came up 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:15.920 with the name Dedication, just like let's call it Dedication, 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:17.120 and he was like, all right, cool. 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:19.680 And Rob Petroso, who used. 0:04:19.520 --> 0:04:21.920 To do all my artwork, came up with the cover, 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:26.640 which was you know, legendary. And you know, because by 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:31.200 that point, Gangster Grills was a brand, Like you know, 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:35.320 when I was moving them throughout the southeast or up 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.040 north or what have you, people were already like okay, 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.240 if it's a Gangster Grills, like we need it, we 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:42.760 want it. And the Wayne tape, you know, I remember 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:45.360 when he sent me to music and listening and I 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.120 was like, Yo, this shit is different. This is not 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:52.240 the wobbledy wobbley dropping like his hot kid, like he's 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:55.600 on some shit, like some real bars on here. And 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:58.320 you know, when I did the tape and I kind 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:02.080 of I had known like, yeah, this this is this 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:04.240 is a moment, you know what I'm saying, And then 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.080 it really turned into a moment, and so it was 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.200 like it was like back to back from me because 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:11.880 I had just did Trap or Die and then Dedication 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:15.440 happened and it was like Wayne was on fire from 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.599 you know, Carter to Dedication to you know, coming into 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:23.159 his own and so here I am again, this kid 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:26.560 from Philly went to school in Atlanta, who's now the 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:29.520 king of the mixtapes with Tip, Gez and Wayne or 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:31.839 like who were the hottest guys not only in the 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:34.960 South but now in hip hop. And it was like 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:38.360 I'm in the mix, like I'm the platform for you know, 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:40.400 what's what's getting these niggas hot? 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:41.640 In your mind? 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.080 And this is before you know the fans and Rico stuff, 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.760 but like in your mind, what. 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:53.840 Was the end game? Are you? Like a great question? 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.120 Let me start, like when do you do? 0:05:57.200 --> 0:05:59.359 You're like, hey, I need to be puffy or I 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:03.000 need to start my label or I need like because 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:05.520 in your mind, you're like, whoa, I'm was just in college, 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.560 you know, in fact seven years ago now, like I 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:10.640 determined what the future. 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:13.280 You know what it really was when when I first 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:17.800 got hot or got popular or became that guy. The 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:21.479 only thing that I told myself is yo, okay, you 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:26.720 got here like from ninety two to zero five, like 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.320 there was a lot of legwork to get here. You 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:34.040 gotta stay here, dram like. I didn't know how or 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:36.480 what it was going to be, but I just told 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:40.800 myself like, yo, like you gotta stay relevant, like somehow, 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:44.360 some way, and it happened in a lot of forms. 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:49.440 I mean, my brother over here, like when at the 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:53.880 time when Gangster Grills was known for trap music and 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:58.240 southern hip hop to an extent, you know, at the 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:02.000 same time, like they they were performing it was at 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:06.240 Apache Cafe or yin Yank Cafe. It was Apache and 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.240 they Little Brother had a show and the bus was 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:13.040 outside of the venue and I came on a bus 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:16.480 and we sat down and I told them like, yo, 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:17.520 I'm a huge fan. 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:19.119 I have been for some time. 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.800 And then you know, they told me the same in return, 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:24.800 and they were like, what do you think about doing 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:28.320 a Gangster Grills? And I was like, what what are 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:32.840 we waiting on? But around the same time, I was 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:37.160 getting pushback from various people like wait, you're gonna do 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:41.560 a tape with who Little Brother and Pharrell like that's 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:45.240 not Gangster Grills, Like how does that make sense? And 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:48.520 you know, I've always looked at myself like John Singleton 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:52.560 and Martin Scorsese like I make I can make boys 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:54.440 in the hood, but then I can go and make 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:56.880 poetic justice, and I can make higher learning, and I 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.800 can make baby boys. So that was how I approached it, 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:04.240 so that the fact that people were like pushing against 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:08.160 this is not a platform for Little Brother was like 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:13.360 so like. 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:13.600 Not only like what are y'all saying? 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:15.600 My ship's and I say on the table, yeah, you 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:18.120 thought it wasn't gonna sound good on this yeah, Like, 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:19.120 And that. 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.840 Was our mentality going into it too, because hence the 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:23.400 name Separate but equal. 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:27.080 It's so iconic in so many ways, like how. 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:30.120 Are you talking Wayne into because you know, to be 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:32.880 it was kind of perplexing. 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:36.199 That he chose that beat. Really he chose that. You 0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:37.839 didn't even know I was going to ask you first. 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.120 He chose that beat, all right, Wayne chose And that 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:42.520 just shows Wayne rhym Over loving it. 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:49.480 Well no, no, no, I'm sorry. Well yeah, like he. 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.240 Round of a Star and I'm like, god, damn, like 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:54.079 he's killing our ship more than our ship. 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.760 I was so anti Wayne back then. None of it. 0:08:56.760 --> 0:08:59.240 It's crazy you missed dedication I was. 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:01.600 I was on the y'a was very anti all these things, 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:04.000 and that's what I was known for. So but I 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:04.959 heard that Little Brother. 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.679 But you listen to a little brother was front on. 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:12.920 So you wasn't a gangst girl? 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:15.200 Oh yeah, she's one of the ones like when are 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:16.599 you gonna do another automatic? 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:24.680 So what like because that's exactly exactly like but I'm saying, like, 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:26.600 like the for my mind, I was like, did you? 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:30.440 I was like, man, maybe helped Wayne to gunpoint, like 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:34.480 you been around over this Philly track like he was 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:37.760 just big giant Yan is. 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.240 A head hip hop? Yeah you know. 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:42.120 And and then and then for me it was my 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:46.960 like again also coming from making automatic relaxations or coming 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:51.160 from wanting to do this because if y'all like when 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:54.840 Little Brother approached me and when Farrell approached me, it 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:58.560 was so exciting for me because it was one, it 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:01.360 was an opportunity to brand shout, and then two it 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.240 was an opportunity to like feel like I was giving 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:07.200 back to my roots, no pun intended, but like like 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.920 what like I can make a little brother gangster girls 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:12.680 or for real gangster girls like oh man, once I 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.679 open this door, that just opens the floodgates for you know, 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:19.079 for it to go in so many directions and. 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.440 For us doing that when we did Separate equal like 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:24.959 because my whole thing was, like I hated mixed. Well, 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:26.640 I love listening to mixtapes, but I didn't want to 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:28.200 make a mixtape. You know what I'm saying. Like my 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:30.240 thing was, if I'm going to take time to write 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:32.760 these original rhymes, I'm not putting them ships over somebody 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:34.719 else tracks, you know what I'm saying, Like I can 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:36.840 take them new rhymes, I can put over a new beat. 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:38.400 You know what I'm saying, that's a new jan I 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:41.000 loved it. I love that our tape was like that. Yeah, 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:42.839 we only rhymed of like maybe one in shrement. The 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.000 rest of that shit was all original joints. 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:47.800 Can we discuss the no drama version though, Like you know, 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:51.320 I've had a yeah you saw yeah, well yeah, but yeah, 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:56.200 so we we did. We did. 0:10:57.000 --> 0:10:59.600 We did the tape and that was in like we 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:02.320 did some it was like six it was six. Yeah, 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:06.200 so maybe like what like two years later, like we 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:11.120 did uh, we called drama free version because at the 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:15.079 time when we were out it was a drama free 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:16.960 version because we had the mixtape. 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:18.360 But like all your drops on this stuff. 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.240 But then if if if I'm not if I remember 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:23.600 this correctly, I think who we were putting it out, 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.000 we were putting the project out with they just didn't 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:28.120 want Yeah, I mean it was straight up you know 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:31.000 what I mean, because retail wouldn't they wouldn't put it 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.160 in like you couldn't get in certain stories, like it 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:35.440 was a mixtape exact. So we were just like, all right, 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:37.840 well here's the records. They was original records and they 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:39.800 was our fucking records, So you know what I mean. 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:40.839 I mean, I get it. 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:42.680 I mean the fact that it was called drama free 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:44.520 was definitely kind of made me sad. 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:48.560 But oh but it wasn't no, like that wasn't a 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.040 shot and it was just like it was just like free. 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:57.839 It's kind of catchy. It's catchy as a motherfucker's shape. 0:11:59.559 --> 0:11:59.960 I got it. 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:01.800 I mean, they're not the you know, they're not the 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:04.520 first person to do a version of the Tabe without me. 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.719 I mean, Crenshaw exists on on streaming platforms without me 0:12:07.800 --> 0:12:10.720 on that one hurts too, like, you know, like that 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:13.360 was I was part of it. That was part of Crenshaw, 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:17.040 aren't you the spice and the bells and the whistles. Yeah, 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:21.080 like like that that was the thing about that was one. 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:23.680 I mean hence why because when I did the table 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:26.560 with Geezy, like, the music didn't exist without me on it, 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:29.760 so all the DJs had to play the versions with 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:31.720 me on it, and he didn't give it out without 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:33.760 me on it. So you would go to the club 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:37.680 and hear gangster grills all over because the music didn't 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:38.679 exist without me on it. 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:40.520 Sounds like a do over. It sounds like, I. 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.160 Don't know, it's like almost hearing a Dela jouring without 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:46.280 the siren and the Dila dila beats beats. Yeah, like 0:12:46.360 --> 0:12:48.280 he thought he was sucking shit up, like nobody will 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:50.400 rhyme over this shit to that made it better? 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:53.400 I mean yeah, I mean you know, I like, to me, 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:56.440 it would hurt like I've never listened to the separate 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:59.440 but equal drama free version, Like I don't even it. 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:02.600 Would hurt my sold to me this, I think the 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:05.520 separate legal drummer fee version. So and it's crazy. I 0:13:05.559 --> 0:13:07.320 thought it just me and you have never talked about 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.719 none of this shit. So man, when we did that, 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:12.200 we did that record, and I always just want to 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.200 thank you, man, because I sent you those records. Like 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:18.320 when I manager at the time, Dough, me and Poot 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:21.800 finished everything and I just put the records in a sequence. 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.360 I put all the songs in the sequence, skits like everything, 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:27.040 and I was like, I think this worked. But whatever, 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.760 I'm sure Drama do his thing. He'll change it up whatever. 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.360 I trust him. And so when they sent it back, 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:35.880 we were on tour and Doe was like, yo, Drama 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:37.680 just sent the joint and I was like, all right, cool, 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:39.480 and I opened it up because this is you know, 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:41.880 MP three's, so you will open it and see the 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.360 track listing first before you loaded the shit up, and 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:46.200 you kept the track listening the exact same way I 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:46.600 did it. 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:48.560 And I was like, holy shit, you know what I mean, 0:13:48.600 --> 0:13:49.360 Like that was just a. 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:51.640 Big when I listened to it. When I listened to 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:53.400 it and I heard it and then I heard it 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.920 in the way that the skits were and everything, like 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:59.240 I'm not like, you know, I know, part of my 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:01.440 job is, you know, there's people that want me to 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:04.800 put it in an order or or however to do 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:07.680 my thing. But I'm not going to mess with something 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.520 that's already dope, you know what I'm saying. So for me, 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:16.600 it was already like okay, here's my bells and my whistles. 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.320 But if this ship flows the way it flows, like 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:21.360 watch watch change perfection. 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:25.080 So that's always appreciated that man, bro. 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.400 Like I mean, you like the Little Brother and the 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.080 Pharaal tape like came out at a time, and it 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:32.680 came out literally like back to back, and those tapes 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:36.240 are so important to me because again, like you know, 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:38.600 from where I come from, from the cloth that I 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:40.880 come from, and for what I was being known for 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.080 at the time, and not that I was fighting against it, 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.200 but it was like, yo, like I want to show 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.240 the world like I am hip hop like to it's full, 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:51.600 like I am from the cloth, you know what I mean. 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:59.640 And to be able to do those two projects were liked. 0:14:57.000 --> 0:14:59.400 A point because you had we both had a point 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.440 to be for you, you know, you said it was 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:03.720 proven like we were from that cloth for us at 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:05.600 that time, you know, we were coming off the Minstrel 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:07.920 Show and it was just like ah, them niggas, they 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:09.880 just some backpack hate niggas. It was like, no, we 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:12.240 fucking wrapped, you know what I mean. And it was 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:16.240 just like, look, it don't matter if it's trapshit whatever, like. 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:17.360 And just beat the South. 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:20.000 I mean, so it was like even that in that 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:23.520 sense of what people were looking at was Southern hip hop. 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.120 And then you know us doing that tape and separate 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.240 but equal like as a title and y'all being from 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:30.920 the South, like it all it all just made it 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:32.080 was It was great. 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:32.960 It was a great moment. 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:34.960 Now it really was, man, And that was just I'm 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:36.880 so thankful that you know our pass like crossing the 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:38.840 way he did that shit was amazing, amazing. 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:42.560 I know that you rehashed the story over and over 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:44.400 and over and over and over again, so I'm trying 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:49.320 not to beat an already dead horse that you moved past. 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:54.280 I mean, the question is basically, like in two thousand 0:15:54.320 --> 0:16:00.160 and seven, I'm trying to figure out how an industry 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:07.240 that utilizes you to break open their artists like and again, 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:12.960 I'm a stornch East Coast head. You know, Tarik himself 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:17.160 listen to nothing but your mixtapes. So this is how 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:19.520 I'm learning about Wayne, Like, this is how I'm getting 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:23.160 my education on what I need to learn about the 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:27.360 rest of America except my niece. And I'm trying to like, 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:29.760 and I understand that there was a period between two 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:33.520 thousand and three in two thousand and eight, especially like 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:36.800 with record labels not knowing like if they're going to 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.880 survive now that streaming culture, like you know, we already had. 0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:41.760 The sign napster. 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:45.840 Yeah, yeah, like around two thousand and three whatever like 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:49.600 that just starts. But I'm trying to figure out how like, 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:56.800 like you were definitely utilized and used to break open people, 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:00.480 Like so just in general and not like from a 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:02.800 one to ten, how shocked were you when you came 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:03.760 home and like, wait. 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:06.399 What the fuck is this? Like did you did you 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:08.000 have an inkling of a clue? 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:11.480 Like none, or even even when the ship was selling 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:12.440 like hotcakes? 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.840 Twelve, even when she was selling like hotcakes? 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:18.639 Was there any person that was sort of like, have 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.920 you ever received pushback from anyone that like you rhymed 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:23.000 an instrumental over. 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:26.159 And like Jame's like, hey, why'd you use fronting or 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:27.000 why never? 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:29.960 It wasn't on the artists like that was a badge 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.159 of honor to have someone like wrap over, you know, 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:32.880 it wasn't. 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:35.960 That so I mean, we there's a there's a there's 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:37.320 a lot to unpack here. 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:39.280 And again, I know I've told the story. 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:43.120 One part about it is, first off, it shows the 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:46.880 disconnect within the labels. Right, So as much as the 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:52.160 marketing departments loved me, or the mix show departments, or 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:56.080 you know, the promotion department, how much I meant to them, 0:17:56.280 --> 0:18:00.480 the legal department of a label didn't un stand. 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:01.399 They have a clue. 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:04.600 They don't get it, Like what wait, what like that 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:08.359 that's not cleared? Like we're not you know, we hold on. 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:11.919 So they're you know, I was friends with the promotions 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:15.040 in the marketing side, but yeah, the legal department didn't. 0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:17.840 It didn't make sense to them, why are we giving 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:21.280 this free music out? And then this is also a 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:26.119 time where outside of my mixtapes, there were hundreds of 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:31.560 other mixtapes that weren't sanctioned that people were, you know however, 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:35.840 getting MP three's hacking for whatever way they were getting them. 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:40.080 Music was coming out that people didn't give permission for. 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:44.720 And then on top of that, around this time, these 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:49.560 mixtapes Minds and others started to show up in best 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:53.439 buys and then targets and in walmarts with barcodes on 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:57.160 it and so in that, you know, and that made 0:18:57.200 --> 0:18:59.560 it confusing. And I just spoke about this on math 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:02.840 Hafa because they brought up, you know, after I got raided. 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:05.639 One of the people they asked about what do you 0:19:05.680 --> 0:19:08.160 think about what happened to drama was Wayne? And Wayne said, 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:13.880 drama needs to Drama needs to play the games fair 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:18.320 or smarter like Clue or Kalid or something of that. 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:21.200 But is it the same? I mean, the reason why 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:24.840 I never took offence to it is because you know, 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:28.840 when these when these because there's all there was a 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:32.280 street code that went along with mixtapes for promotional use 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:35.560 only right, everybody knew that we were making money, and 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:39.840 you know, that's how I was supporting myself. But when 0:19:39.880 --> 0:19:42.680 they started, when the mixtape started to show up in 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:45.840 the stores with bar codes, as an artist, I could 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:49.280 understand how one could fill the type of way promotional 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:51.440 because they're like, wait, hold on, why is this? Why 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:54.040 is my ship in Target with a bar code? And 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:55.320 I'm not seeing a dollar from it? 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:57.080 So they're okay, not seeing a dollar if you just 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.280 selling it the way you're selling it, Like from to. 0:19:59.200 --> 0:20:02.760 An extent, I mean again, now, looking looking back on it, 0:20:02.880 --> 0:20:06.480 if at the wise age of forty four that I 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:09.679 am now in my twenties, the type of money that 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:11.640 I was making, and I would you know, I would 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:15.159 have easily thrown someone at twenty five or fifty if 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:18.040 I'm making X amount of dollars, like just as a 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:19.800 quick thank you, It would have It would have been 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:20.640