WEBVTT - Goapele 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:05.000 R and B Money. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:06.120 We are. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:10.960 Take about that. 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:16.040 We are the authorities on all this R and B. 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:22.160 Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tank. Yeah, I feel 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:26.520 like that. This is the Army Money podcast. 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:29.320 On all things R and B. You know, soothing, soothing. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.239 You know, as of recently, you know, a lot of 0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:37.120 a lot of artists, a lot of creatives have adopted 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:41.000 a vibe you know now they now, they now they. 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:43.120 Have a vibe. Yeah. Some of us are just the vibes, 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:44.720 you know. Some of us are. Some of us have. 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:50.920 Been the the vibe for quite some time. Very angelic 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:56.640 on so many novels, all level visually, artistically, the gifts 0:00:56.680 --> 0:01:00.680 I mean, I mean they they span countries and she 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:01.680 is not from this place. 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:04.120 The world cred the world, craigh. 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:07.600 Normally I'm loud during this part of you know, j 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.959 just reminded me that this is this is a five episode, 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:14.479 so we're gonna stay right in here. Makes noise for. 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:24.920 Gap whisper intro. 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:27.120 Yeah we got it. Set the moon. 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:32.319 Candles, but still the energy. 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:34.320 Yeah, yeah, because they know what it is when they 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:37.680 see you do this camera, that's your camera. Give me quappoly, 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:40.480 what does where does Quoppoly come from. 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:47.000 Well, it's my grandmother's maiden name, wow, and it's really. 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.000 Pronounced say it again. 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:54.720 You did excellent, But I would say since I was 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:59.440 really little, it's been mispronounced in like a thousand different ways. 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:03.400 It's a sound African names, So gap is how I've 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:15.360 been saying it since, you know, association. 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:17.079 Because what she was saying is that the money come 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:19.359 along with the essence. You know what I'm saying, y'all 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:20.000 don't really. 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:27.399 Know, y'all don't I'm yes, yes, and it means go forward, and. 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:29.280 I don't know. 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:32.080 It took me a minute to grow into it. And 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:35.760 I feel like that's kind of how my music has been. 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:41.040 It's never really fit in exact like genres, just like 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:47.400 growing into what I am and you know, hoping that 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:48.040 people get it. 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:48.160 Well. 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.880 People have had to play ketch up on what you 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:56.520 were doing because for me, my first time hearing you 0:02:56.600 --> 0:03:00.840 the only person that I could even talk about in 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.600 that space or you know, put you kind of next 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:04.720 to with shade. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.240 Yeah, well I love hearing that, you know, and. 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:12.240 You know what that those two energy like that's it 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:16.280 was it. Now everybody's you know, now everybody's picking picking 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:18.600 the fruit of the vibe Tree, which is great. You 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.080 know what I'm saying, Like we we we want that, 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:23.799 we wanted to grow and become this thing, you know 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:24.400 what I'm saying. 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:26.600 But you know, I just I remember you. 0:03:26.639 --> 0:03:28.320 Being yeah, yeah. 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:31.880 I feel like when I started, I was like I 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:34.800 was really nervous about the industry because I was like, 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:38.200 it's not straight up R and B. It's not st 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.480 I don't even know if soul, like neo soul was 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:46.480 like just about to be a category when I was recording. 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:48.760 By the time I put out music, neo soul was 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:49.760 a genre. 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:55.160 But it's like I loved jazz and blues and everything in. 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:57.000 Between, and I was like, I'm just gonna write these 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.880 songs and I'm gonna start performing and. 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:01.400 We'll figure it out. 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:05.400 You love the music, yeah, And I loved hip hop, 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:06.200 but I wasn't a rapper. 0:04:06.240 --> 0:04:10.200 And it's a certain thing of obviously being from the home, 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:13.720 from being from the Bay Area and just that melting 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:16.919 pot of music for sure, of so many things like 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:20.240 you said that, there's there's jazz, there's hip hop, there's church, 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:23.000 there's you know what I mean, there's Tony Tony Tony, 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:23.800 you know. 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:27.440 What I mean they created. 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:33.200 It's just when you start going and and all of 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:36.800 those artists that you just named and groups are all different. 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:40.320 Yeah, nothing the same. 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.920 So imagine you know, you grow up in that and 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:49.040 like you said, South South African parent, you know what 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:52.360 I mean, Like you have a whole nother mindset of 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:54.200 you know, where your music can go and what it 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:58.679 can be and just and I think as much as 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.800 you know they always regional wiss you know that with 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.160 the you know, the whole area thing, we still we 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:06.680 don't have a we don't have a seiling for ourselves though, 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:08.839 Like we just try music. 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:13.799 Yeah, and it's such like an indie vibe, and like because. 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:17.000 We're gonna put it out, it's gonna come out either 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:17.560 in the trunk. 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:21.720 And that's how it started, you know what I mean, 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:26.920 Like pressing up a thousand CDs and selling them as 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:31.160 shows and out of the trunk and consignment at stores 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:33.800 until it was like we don't just want to we 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:35.840 want a box. And it was like they're going to 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:39.120 buy a box of CDs. Oh more stores want them. 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:41.160 We need real distribution, you know. 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:45.000 So you guys were going, you and your team skyblaze, right, 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:47.039 you guys were going from store to store. 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:49.480 Yea, literally it was like a meeba. 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:55.680 Yeah, I remember Balanced was Balance working at Rescue. 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:56.520 Yes he was. 0:05:57.480 --> 0:05:57.680 He was. 0:05:58.080 --> 0:05:59.920 So he was an artist, super talented guy. 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.839 Yeah, and he's now but now he's like a scriptwriter 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:06.520 I want to say. I want to say he is 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:08.800 one of the writers on like blind Spotting or something. Yeah, 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:11.719 he's doing his ship. But he used to actually be 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:17.679 like the purchaser at resputen. But he was an artist 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.159 and he was like fully tapped into everything that. 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:20.720 Was going on. 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:21.560 To you life show. 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:25.119 You got to hit Balance some you know, some hundred 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:27.480 CDs over there and they would moving around their stores. 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:30.280 So that was that was the cool thing about being 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:32.760 from the Bay too, is that you could really there 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:36.200 were there were places for you to be independent, for sure, 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.359 but I didn't know y'all were for me. I always 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.559 thought y'all had some form of distribution, So initially y'all didn't. 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:45.320 It took it took a minute, and I think, you know, 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:50.800 we presented in that way from the beginning and just 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:53.720 wanted to have quality, like no one needed to know 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:57.159 how small it was starting, you know what I mean. 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:01.800 But the idea was like if we build it, and 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:05.080 I can build a fan base that they'll be like 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:09.440 a demand. So if I do a major deal, I 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.600 won't be shelved or I won't have to prove myself. 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:14.760 It won't be about the marketing. It'll be like people 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:18.920 are already requesting something, you know what I mean, So 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:22.720 it could be more empowering, you know. And there's people 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:26.920 like from Digital Underground we knew Shock G and DJ 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:30.680 Fuse and you know what I mean that had been 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:37.920 just doing things in their own way and kind of 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:41.640 mentoring from AFAR and just watching like how Too Short 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:47.120 did it, How Lettucy did it, How Martin Luther did it, hieroglyphics, 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:50.120 how they did it? And they we got distribution through 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:56.480 them initially, Yeah, yeah, through Red Yeah, because I was 0:07:56.520 --> 0:08:00.880 just doing these collaborations and it just naturally happened. 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:02.840 I remember meeting with. 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:09.520 A guy and and. 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:12.920 You. He had your CD on his desk. 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:15.520 At this point, I had never heard of you yet, 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:18.680 And I was kind of back and forth between LA 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.400 and San Francisco and this before I started the whole 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:24.120 City Boys music thing with Bailey, uh, and we were 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.120 just kind of you know, I was taking meetings, yeah, 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:30.920 you know, I had met with with the Italian gentleman 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:34.160 who who was doing some stuff in the Bay Area, 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:37.440 and he was like, yeah, you know this this new 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:46.760 girl Scoppoly and I'm like he was talking about kind 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:48.720 of you know, the numbers that you were doing, you 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:50.840 know how you were just he was like, you gotta 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:52.959 go see your live and you gotta see her perform. 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:56.240 And I don't remember the first place I saw you before, 0:08:56.280 --> 0:09:00.640 but I was just like, oh, this is different, Like 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:03.960 this is different. And with me being a barrier kidd 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.080 of me growing up there, it was still different to me. 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.120 I was like, oh, this this, this feels like so 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:15.920 it's like Berkeley, Berkeley. It felt like Berkeley, so Berkeley 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:20.360 for us about free it's it's it's the free love. 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.959 It's the you know what I mean, everybody everybody's flower children, 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:25.200 the flower Children. 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:26.960 Yeah, that's what it felt like. 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.040 And if it made you smile, like when I heard 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:31.600 your music, that's how it made me feel. 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:34.360 And you know you're from this same era too. 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:38.800 We come from mob music, very street, you know what 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:40.840 I mean, the old forty days. 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:44.360 Yeah, the the you know what I'm saying. 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:49.079 You know what I'm saying, Like not just forty forty 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.000 in the clique of those people don't know about click 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.959 is mob music, you know what I mean. So growing 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:59.520 up in that RBL posse and rapping Fote and Saint 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:01.040 Quinn and you know what I'm saying, and JT de 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.960 Big Figure all these things, and then when I heard 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:05.440 your music, I was like, Yo, this shit makes me 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:11.000 smile mm, Like this feels really good. And that's and 0:10:11.040 --> 0:10:15.480 that's what I've always attached personally to you and your music. 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:24.120 Whenever I see you, I'm always like. 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:26.199 Everything great, cause it's like for me, music that I 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.840 relate to, like, I want the basslines and the drums 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.719 to feel like you could hear it, you know what 0:10:32.800 --> 0:10:34.160 I mean down the street. 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:35.240 Yeah, you want it to. 0:10:35.960 --> 0:10:38.800 But what I want to say and the energy I 0:10:38.840 --> 0:10:41.840 want to put out is I want a positive impact 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:45.560 on the world. So it's like there's you know, certain 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:49.520 stuff I'm not going to say in my music, but 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:51.960 I want the feeling to be a combination. 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:53.640 Yeah, you know what I mean. 0:10:53.960 --> 0:11:00.320 And I feel like all those influences are in me. 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:03.360 But I'm happy that it that it felt happy inside. 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:05.439 And I grew up I was born in Oakland, but 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:07.200 I grew up in Berkeley and Oakland. 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:10.400 So O, wow, that's what it felt like to. 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:17.040 Slice of blindise Pizza girl out there. 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:23.240 Better know where you're from here? So when did okay? 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:26.760 When did you know that you were? Was? 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.400 Was Wapa always going to be your stage name? And 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:32.839 and when did you know that okay? 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:34.680 Was she like little Rashita at first? 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:34.920 Right? 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:35.120 Right? 0:11:35.360 --> 0:11:36.480 What was going on? 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:38.160 What was the younger. 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:39.880 Was? 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:42.440 What was it was? 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:43.880 I think when I was. 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:48.720 I always like from a really young age, I'm gonna 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.600 say like from eight years old, I felt like I 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:52.720 wanted to be on the stage. 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:54.240 And I would see like my. 0:11:55.200 --> 0:11:59.000 Parents' friends, like some of them were South African artists. 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.040 I would watch my parents would bring us to live shows, 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.360 you know what I mean. It was all ages, but 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:06.840 we might be the only me and my siblings be 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:08.800 the only kids in there, you know what I mean, 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:10.520 Like I don't know if we're supposed to be here, 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:15.040 but I was just picking up on the vibe. So 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:19.120 I always felt like that's something I want to do. 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.960 But I think I thought I was going to have 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:26.800 an easier name, and I was like, I don't know, 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:28.880 I was going to maybe be like Indigo or you 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.280 know what I mean, something something easy to say, but 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:37.280 that would be vibe. And then I just started performing, 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.360 and you know, I was doing like singing at Riley's 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:47.520 and protests and community events and parties, and it was 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:51.600 just like there's me, there's my name, and it just I. 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:52.440 Just kept moving. 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:55.760 Yeah, when did you feel like you like really had something, 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.000 because probably coming up, you know, with the family going 0:12:58.000 --> 0:12:59.520 to the shows and all those things, it was probably 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:03.040 something that was normal. Yeah, yeah, yeah, were just singing 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:03.840 having a good time. 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:05.800 It is Yeah, my brother was a DJ. 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:11.800 I would just like sing over a you know, hot instrumental. 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:13.960 When did you realize it was something? Or when did 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:16.319 somebody tell you, no, no, this is you need to 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:17.120 take this serious. 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:17.680 This is real. 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:23.719 I think inside of me, I felt it from when 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:25.920 I was really young, but I didn't know if I 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:29.360 would have any success, but I knew I had that 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:34.240 vision for myself, and I think I was just doing it. 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:34.720 Like it was. 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:36.720 You know, I would go to like a lot of 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.160 conferences and stuff like that and I would just sing 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:44.079 instead of talk because it was my comfort zone. And 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:49.240 I liked the emotional connection and I liked seeing that 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:52.280 it could affect people. And that they would feel something. 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:57.680 But I don't know if I believed I would have success, 0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:01.839 like in doing my own music. But in high school, 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:04.760 I was like, I'm going to take this seriously and 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.440 like I went to Berkeley College of Music. It was 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:08.480 like the only. 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:10.199 School I applied to and. 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:14.960 For a hot for a hot minute, you know, I 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:18.920 didn't finish. I didn't finish, but I met some of 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:22.840 the earliest collaborations. Like I went to school with Jeff Basker, 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:29.080 who's like an amazing producer and songwriter. We did the 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:33.160 first songs on my first album for school projects. I 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:34.600 was like, you know what I mean. We only had 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.320 to write like sixteen bars. But I was like, I 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:39.560 want to write a song. I'm here to write a song. 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:42.720 So I'm about to like find these talented people at 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:44.240 the school and be like, will you sit down with me? 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.240 Because I couldn't play anything. But I was like, I 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:48.440 can humb a little idea. And I had a little idea, 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:50.280 and I was like, let's I don't want to do 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.280 this just with the teachers. Yeah, And it's like and 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:59.240 I ended up using that later. I think Shaka Ramsey 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:02.920 I worked with their Adam dt a bunch of really 0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:06.360 dope musicians. 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:09.760 I forgot the beginning of the question because I. 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.720 Started going off on though just about you, you know, 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:16.680 really seeing if this was a real thing for you. Yeah, 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.360 you know when you start feeling that for yourself. 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:25.280 Yeah, I mean I think that doubt kind of creeps 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:30.880 in in and out. But I was gonna. 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:32.800 Make the steps, I feel. 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:35.920 Like, from early on, and when I was starting to 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:38.000 write music, like I was saying, I didn't know if 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:39.680 there was a place for me, but. 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:46.240 I was just gonna do it anyways, you know. 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:50.160 And I just feel like I've always tried to have 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:52.920 my own measures of success because our ELSA is just 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:54.040 like so intimidating. 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.960 It's like almost anything can feel like not enough. 0:15:57.880 --> 0:15:59.240 Have you ever done anything. 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.560 Else besides independent? 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:06.000 You mean I'm talking about like like I've worked with kids. 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.840 I used to work with kids a lot when I 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:13.920 was younger. I considered being like a childcare provider, teacher. 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:15.400 You could. 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.960 Account trying to come up to the school all the time. 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:28.680 I'm just checking on my kids, make sure it's the 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:33.320 right thing. How you doing today? I thought, uh also 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.120 brought these flowers. I don't you know, I don't want. 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:40.280 To come up with as something organic organ as a. 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.440 Gesture for just you know, teaching my kid the right way, 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:45.960 you know, just really pouring into him, uh the way 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:47.040 we pour into each other. 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:47.600 I don't know. 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:53.800 Anyway, No, I love that, and I was like, it's 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.000 just that's tiring work, Like teachers need to get paid 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.200 more money out. Absolutely, I am not going to be 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.920 able to multi task working with kids and doing music. 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:08.600 I was doing retail for a little bit. I was 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:13.240 like working in restaurants, and honestly, I love all those things, 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:18.359 but I think I would be sad if I wasn't 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:25.320 also doing music. Yeah, yeah, and so all those little jobs. 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:27.320 You know, when I was younger, it was just like 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:32.680 when I can afford to quit, I will, and I'm 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:39.480 just like thankful that I've had now like a long 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:41.000 career in music. 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:42.480 It's kind of crazy, like. 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:51.320 When was that. It was that moment, you. 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:52.200 Know what happened. 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:57.160 I was like, I was working retail and I think 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:02.040 I was like nanny and it was I was getting 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:06.239 I was starting to do like background stuff. I was 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.359 performing with Spearhead, and it was just like the scheduling 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:13.520 was getting in the way. And then like for shows, 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:15.679 the scheduling was just getting in the way. So I 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:19.040 was like, I can't prioritize this over this, So it 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.800 just was kind of natural. 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.600 Yeah, you just took you took the steps to where 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:27.960 like I mean, Jake, me and Jay talk about it 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:30.119 all the time, like you have to make sure you 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:31.320 can take care of yourself. 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:33.800 Yeah, until it can take care of you. 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:37.600 No, that's real, that's real, and I think sometimes people 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:44.080 don't understand that concept. Yeah, it's like you can like 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:47.919 a starving artists, Like you don't really have to be 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:48.880 starving though. 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.520 Like you can make sure for yourself, you. 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:54.200 Know what I'm saying, do your art until it takes 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:58.919 over and then quit whatever else you were doing, you 0:18:58.960 --> 0:18:59.480 know what I mean. 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.920 Wow, Yeah, we've kind of we've kind of become advocates 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:09.200 for that of, you know, taking care of yourself because 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.359 you put yourself in a position where someone's taking care 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:16.520 of you. Now it's more advantageous for them and everything 0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:18.359 is on their side. 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:21.160 It not even might not be for free free. 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:24.399 Yeah, but it seems like it is, I think to 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:24.920 some people. 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:26.720 And thank god because they're promoting it that way. 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.000 Yeah, and thank god I was able to work like that. 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:33.840 My family was like, let's do this, you know what 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:34.160 I mean? 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:37.400 Because guy, thank you. 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:43.000 Shout out to Nmani and THEO. But I think it 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:47.520 can be confusing when people are coming up because it 0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:53.119 takes putting in a lot of work until you start 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:56.520 making cool money. Some people blow up overnight, but sometimes 0:19:56.560 --> 0:19:58.720 overnight is ten years, you. 0:19:58.600 --> 0:19:59.720 Know for sure? 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:04.199 Yeah, for sure. Multiple deals are multiple. I thought I 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:06.040 had a deal, or I don't want to. 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:08.560 Take a deal. Can you kind of give us because 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:09.640 your your career. 0:20:09.359 --> 0:20:12.560 Has been based around your independence as well, Like you've 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:17.240 done very well in an independent space. Like people look 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:19.000 at you. They don't just look at you as an 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:21.080 independent artist, so they just look at you as a 0:20:21.080 --> 0:20:22.040 as a major artist. 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:24.080 It's neverthless like oh. 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:26.200 Yeah no, well she's doing no. So you guys were 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:29.600 able to build this thing up, like can you give 0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:32.639 us some of the you know, like the background in 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:37.600 that and just spending your own money, yeah, you know, 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:39.840 booking your own studios. 0:20:39.400 --> 0:20:42.960 Yeah, you know, building our own studio, building it, you 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:45.879 know what I mean, Like with an advance, it's like 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:49.520 we could have just gone to like the dopest, most 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:52.800 expensive studios and been like, yeah, book it out for 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:55.480 this month, Yeah, book it out for next month. But 0:20:55.760 --> 0:20:58.200 for me, I was always like to change, change to change, 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:01.240 to change, Like that's more for me, you know what 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:02.480 I mean? More recooping. 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:03.800 What does this mean? Recooping? 0:21:04.359 --> 0:21:07.720 And so we were like, let's take some of that money, 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:10.359 build our own studio out and then I can go 0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:12.760 as much as I want. I'm not on the clock, 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:18.399 Like I don't. I don't need that pressure. And I 0:21:18.440 --> 0:21:22.240 love the idea of ownership. I like feeling empowered. 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:24.240 I don't you know. 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:27.560 I I like feeling like my own boss. So it's 0:21:27.640 --> 0:21:30.720 kind of like, however that can work. 0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:33.479 Hair makeup. 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:37.080 Look, I'm still doing my I'm not doing my own hair. 0:21:37.600 --> 0:21:40.280 I'm still doing my own makeup except for like look 0:21:40.359 --> 0:21:41.760 for you know, photo. 0:21:41.400 --> 0:21:43.480 Shoots and certain things. Thank god, you know, I know 0:21:43.520 --> 0:21:45.840 all these great people that can work with me. But 0:21:46.640 --> 0:21:50.240 I think because of how I started, I was always 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:54.880 aware of like there's a price to all of these things, 0:21:55.080 --> 0:21:59.520