WEBVTT - #47 - Dallas Martin 0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:05.120 We own a motherfucker boot lig KIV. We owned a 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:08.119 motherfucking boot lick keV pocket. We own a motherfucking boot 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:11.080 lick kimp podcast. Yes we are ladies and gentlemen. All right, 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:13.640 welcome to the show. We got a dope episode today. 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:15.400 It's one of my favorites we've done in a while. Man, 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.479 we got to sit down and chop it up with 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.800 Dallas Martin and Dallas Martin for people who do to 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:24.040 understand what Dallas Martin does. He's one of the most 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:27.040 legendary A and rs in the last decade, a real 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:29.920 power player behind the scenes, EVP of A and R 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:34.519 Atlantic Records, president of the entire label over at Asylum. 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.159 Just a fucking real mover and shaker. He's the guy 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:39.560 who signed Nipsey to Atlantic. He's the guy who signed 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:42.879 Roddy Ridge to Atlantic. Big big, big roots with the 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.919 MMG family. Just this guy. Let me tell you. If 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:49.760 you just want good stories about historical hip hop moments, listen. 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:52.040 If you want inspiration, If you're in the music industry 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:55.200 and you want some inspiration on how to get your 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:57.680 shit moving and shaken, man, you gotta stay tuned into 0:00:57.720 --> 0:01:00.480 this podcast. It's about to get real dope. So uh 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:03.280 Dallas Martin checking in shortly on the Bootleg cap podcast. 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:06.520 Make sure you go support our sponsors though. First of all, 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:09.319 shout out to odds Socks. 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Uh, she should go check them out. 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:25.120 And let's get into this episode with Dallas Martin, a 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.880 n R executive legend. Right here inside the Bootleg cap 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:32.760 podcast Yo Boutlet Heap Podcast, we got a special guest 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:36.040 in here, man, the homie Dallas. It is here, Dallas 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:39.839 smart Man. Welcome brother, happy to be here. Yes, First 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:40.919 of all, we got to get the mic close to 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:43.960 your face. I'm not used to, you know, having the 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:47.800 mic so close artists, So yeah, welcome man. You know, 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:51.040 I feel like the last few years you really established 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:53.760 yourself as like one of the most powerful dudes in 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:57.959 hip hop. Yeah man, you know, on the executive side, 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:00.919 the A and R side. For people who don't know 0:03:01.400 --> 0:03:03.320 at this point in time, what is it? What is 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.200 it that Dallas does. And what is it that because 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:07.200 you have so many titles at the moment, got a 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:09.520 new title, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, So so 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:13.960 right now I'm president of Asylum Records, and you know, 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:18.200 it's a label Underwarter Music Group, which also has Atlantic Records, 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:21.640 Warner brother Records, and a lecture. So they gave me 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:25.040 my own, you know, my label inside the situation. But 0:03:25.639 --> 0:03:28.960 with this situation, I still carry my title at Atlantic 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:30.840 as far as I'm EVP of A and R, so 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:34.280 I'm still on the executive team over there. So what 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:37.839 it really is is that the Asylum label is more 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:41.720 of an upstart incubator system for me to sign kind 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.160 of more development acts access that I just truly believe 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:47.400 in that I feel that are talented that I have 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:50.240 to develop. Then once I developed them and get them 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:53.320 some spark, I could upstream them to Atlantic to me 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.240 and give them bigger budgets, you know, just a bigger 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:59.040 company to kind of help, you know, push their vision 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:01.400 for it. So you're like sides of the coin. Yeah, 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.800 so you upstreamed yourself. Yes, that's fuck, It's crazy. So 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:07.400 I could go downstairs sign it and take me come 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:11.960 there up there exactly. So it's very unique, man, but 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.240 you know, just giving me an opportunity to work with 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:16.640 more people that you know, I wasn't able to work 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:18.720 with just being at Atlantic because you know, Atlantic's such 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.640 a big label with so many big artists. You know, 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:23.400 it's hard for you to be a new artist with 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:26.480 nothing going on and get attention at that label. So, 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:30.000 you know, this to just create a bridge for opportunity 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:32.680 for young artists, for people who don't know where are 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:37.200 you from. I'm originally from Flint, Michigan, Okay, And I 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.919 went to college in Atlanta, Georgia, and that's where I 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:42.600 started my music journey. Yeah, give us a like like 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:44.280 kind of a background on how you got into the 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:48.080 music industry. So my whole goal to go to Atlanta 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:50.359 was to get into school at Clark Atlanta because I 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:52.440 wanted to get into music. That was like my dream 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:56.479 from high school. And I knew that Atlanta was, you know, 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.279 a city that was up and coming with a lot 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.920 of entrepreneurs in the music business. So I went down there, 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:05.400 got into school, and you know, just worked them every 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:07.640 year trying to figure out a way to get an internship. 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:09.920 You know, during that time, it wasn't those social media 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:13.320 and easy avenues to break into, you know, even getting 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:15.880 an internship. Like nowadays it's more easy, you know, the 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.640 Internet and just you know, things that come about. But 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:20.560 when I was coming up, we had to go to 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:25.240 like the open mics workshops. In our workshops to you know, 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:27.960 get played by mad people really didn't really want to 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.400 be there, giving you fake information and shit like that. 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:34.839 So I realized after my sophomore year, I needed to 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:36.919 get on my grind and figure out the ways to 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.679 bring people to me. So that's when I started throwing 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:42.440 parties in college and it kind of led me through 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.720 an avenue where I was meeting executives. And then I 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:47.839 in my senior year, I finally got an internship with 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:50.240 your care steward at Depth Jail. Wow, okay, so what 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:53.000 year was this? So I didn't get an internship to 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:54.919 my senior year? I was about to give up. So 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:58.440 you were throwing parties? What youphomore year to my senior year? Like? 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.640 What year? Like two thousands? So I got to school 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.400 two thousand and two. So I got my first internship 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:08.000 in two thousand and six. Wow. It's crazy too, because 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:11.359 you know, I feel like a lot of people start 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:15.800 throwing parties. Yeah, and that's how they get into this shit. Yes, 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.560 Like Scooter Braun, like that's how he got into this shit. Ye. 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:21.320 In Atlanta probably rund the same time. Absolutely, Ye, Scooter 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:23.680 was around. I mean I remember him bringing Justin Bieber 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:25.800 to the Death Jam office for the first time when 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:28.640 he was like thirteen years old. So like, it's just 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:31.320 a lot of dope memories from that era. Man Atlanta 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:34.039 was just on fire. Oh yeah, that was like vintage 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:40.640 Jezy Tip Luda everybody. It was just crazy fast forward. 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:43.080 So you end up interning at Death Jam. And by 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.080 the way, I just had a I just had to 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:48.400 go on Twitter. Were you getting paid the intern Absolutely not? Okay, cool. 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:50.760 I just want to make sure because there's this thing 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:55.360 going around on Twitter about uh unpaid internships, and I'm like, 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:59.039 unpaid internship literally changed my life mind too. And and 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:00.760 I did it for two years for free. I did 0:07:00.760 --> 0:07:03.120 it for fourteen months, fresh out of high school with 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:05.720 a newborn baby. I was trapping at the swap meat 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:08.600 selling bootleg CDs on the weekend and working for free 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:13.600 Monday through Friday. I feel like the entire generation that 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:15.600 we're a part of like that we see coming up now. 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:19.120 They don't even know what this like, it's an entitled 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.880 is this entitlement thing with these with these young men, 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:25.040 with these young kids? Man, man, it's in'stant gratification. Nobody 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:27.240 wants to work for nothing anymore. Everybody wants to be 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:30.400 rich as the person that put them on immediately is crazy. 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:32.360 And the other thing too, is like I've saw people 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:34.800 on Twitter like, man, I intern here for a year 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:36.960 and nothing happened after. It's like, well, because obviously you 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.360 ain't had it, bro if you if you, if you 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.560 were that, if you were that dope and you were 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:43.440 putting in the work you need, like it's it's gonna work. 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:47.720 Like I literally got to the office before my boss, 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:50.280 didn't left after him every day me too, man, Like 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.400 I wanted to make sure he knew that I wanted 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:55.880 this shit yup. Yeah, yeah, That's how I was a 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.000 radio Like even when I started to get paid, I 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:01.400 would be at the radio station doing the morning show 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:04.440 for free from like four in the morning until about 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:07.560 eleven am. Then I'd go do a street hit, which 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:09.440 is when I finally started to get paid. So I'd 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:12.320 be doing that shit all day check this out. Then 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:14.520 I would do my overnight, so I would literally go 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:16.160 home and sleep for like four hours. I'd be at 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:19.280 the radio station, you know, eighteen hours out the day, 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.200 just just grinding. And I just feel like that's important 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:25.600 for people to understand, like this shit ain't like like 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:27.520 we we really work to get where we're at, bro, 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:30.520 And I think, you know, when you put that that 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:33.760 level of hard work ethic into you know the structure 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:37.200 of your daily life, like it shows why you know, 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:39.079 people like us are where we're at today, you know 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:40.560 what I'm saying, because we know what it takes to 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:44.080 get there. That's some real short Yeah. Yeah, So you 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:47.160 started an intern What was your first paid gig in 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:52.200 the music industry? So from my internship, Shakira Stewart gave 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:56.960 me a consultancy with Depth Jam. So from that consultancy, 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.360 I got to work on projects that he was working on. 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:01.520 So my goal was to work on everything he didn't 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:05.079 really have time to work on. So I used to 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:07.400 just just be in the studio every day. And he 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:09.800 had a my R and B group that he was 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:12.440 working with, and I ended up getting their first single. 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:16.679 So from that situation, it was they were called brother 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:19.360 back in the day. I think they had one song 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:21.880 with Fabulous they were brothers. They had to show on BT. 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.000 It was it was, it was, it was quick. If 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:26.720 they would have been out now they've been popping on 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:29.280 YouTube with their family and absolutely, yeah they were like 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:32.320 this first one. Reality TV really kind of got right 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:36.400 in the music ship. So you know, I got opportunity, 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:40.040 and you know, La Reed got to see my value 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:45.000 and from there I got hired full time in two 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:48.720 thousand and nine at Death Jail Wow, January two thousand 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:50.240 and nine, he brought me on full time, So that 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:53.520 was like, oh nine, This is like when Rihanna really 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.440 started to like she was running the label for sure. Yeah. 0:09:56.480 --> 0:09:58.840 That was like when Rihanna first was like a superstar. 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:04.880 Yeah she was and Dream yeah yeah yeah, Rick Ross, Yeah, 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:08.080 it was. It was good times over there. And how 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:10.920 what year was j was Jay running Death Jam That 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:15.240 was okay, yep, yep, because because Shakira took his not 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:18.360 took at spot, but was promoted into that position after 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:21.600 he left and Shakier passed away committed suicide and that's 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:23.960 what happened. That's how I got with La Reeks. La 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:25.920 Re kind of brought me on because he knew what 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:27.960 was going on with me. So because I was in 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:30.000 Atlanta and everybody was in New York and what was 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:32.640 your title in on nine? When just a director of 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:34.640 A and R, just a regular, the lowest level of 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:37.520 A and R, you could get what. I'm twenty four 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:39.480 years old on my fucking death jam as an A 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:41.520 and R. Couldn't believe it. I'm from Flint, Michigan. You're 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:43.520 living in Atlanta. I'm living Atlanta but going to New 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:47.080 York every week. Wow, living to dream. Couldn't believe it. 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.040 First time in New York. I'm going to the Death 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:51.559 Jam building, sitting in the motherfucking A and R me 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:56.040 with DJ Khalik right, Tricky and dream Lenny, Yes, small, 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:59.120 fucking just crazy shit. Shit was mind blowing. I think 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:04.440 that there's a very define what an an R does 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:06.880 because I think that people who are just watching this, 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:09.040 who might not be involved in the music industry, they 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:11.480 hear that term so much they don't really understand what 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:15.800 it is. So A and R has multiple things that 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.160 you have to be good at. So a lot of 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:19.960 people think A and R is just hearing a song 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.960 on the radium, being like that's a good song or 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.800 I saw an artist and he's dope. What people don't 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.520 understand is once you sign that artist, you have to 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:32.679 help them put their project together, make sure that they 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.280 have the right songs to put out. Then you have 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:37.880 to deliver that album. That means get your artists to 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:39.800 give you the project to be like this is it. 0:11:39.920 --> 0:11:42.480 I'm ready to go in the public with it. You 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:48.520 know what I'm saying, Jesus Christ. So the hardest part 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:50.559 of A and R is getting your artists to deliver 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:52.559 their album, you know what I'm saying, because their projects 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:54.800 their baby and a lot of time artists are insecure 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:57.080 with their music at some points in it. And you 0:11:57.080 --> 0:11:58.800 know that's a big thing for you know, it's very 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:01.840 vulnerable situation artists to give music to the world for 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:05.000 the world to critique them of course. So you know, 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:08.280 just different levels of A and R. And you know, 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.400 the record making process is a big part as far 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:15.240 as knowing the right writers, producers and people just to 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:18.320 put in the studio with them. So you'll come to 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:22.080 the table and say, hey, I think this person would 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:24.520 mesh well with this person, So like let's put you 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.320 in with this producer for see what comes out of 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:30.319 it absolutely, and you know, you have to be there 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:32.120 in the studio with them to make sure that you know, 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.000 cause they're not going to come and be like best friends. 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:36.680 You're kind of like, you're kind of the middle man. Yeah, 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:38.600 so you have to make sure that everybody's comfortable with 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.520 the creative process. But you have to know the creative 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:43.920 process from both sides, the artists and the writers and 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:46.439 the producers, to make sure that everybody could come together, 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.320 you know, and make Magic Together, which is the hit record. 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:53.360 What year did you officially come to Atlantic? So I 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:56.600 got fired after my first year at Death Jail because 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:59.719 I couldn't deliver an album from an artist that was 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:03.840 on the It was Joel Santana, my brother. I love him, 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.240 Shout out Joel's you know what I'm saying. He just 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:08.840 was in a position where he didn't like what was 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:10.600 going on at the label. I don't think it really 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:13.760 had nothing to do with me, but he wasn't confident 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.320 in them, you know what I'm saying. And we and 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.319 we still remain in good friends and have a good relationship. 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:23.800 But La Reid, he let me go. But you know, 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:26.320 it was during the time that the music business everybody 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:29.680 felt like was crashing. So the budgets were getting smaller, 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.199 the opportunities were getting smaller, you know what I'm saying, 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:36.080 Because it wasn't a lot of money coming in. This 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:40.240 is when Napster and you know, all the piracy was 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:43.400 really at a high. By the way, did Joel's ever 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:45.360 turn in that album? I was about to say, because 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:49.920 that was like twenty ten. I'm like, I'm like that 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:55.080 he never did, but you know, I don't recall it. Yeah, 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:58.520 But so it didn't work out for me with that situation, 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.320 you know what I'm saying. And you know, I learned 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:05.160 a lot from that situation, and it was no hard feelings, 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.720 you know, So I didn't you know, I took a 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:09.920 month to kind of just regroup in Atlanta. Then I 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:13.200 just got back on my grind and got a phone 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:16.600 call one day from Joey II and he set up 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:19.920 a meeting with me. He told me he was relaunching 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:23.560 the Erman division at Warner brother Records, which eventually turned 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:27.240 into Atlantic and he gave me an interview and an 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:33.080 opportunity from there. So that was the era when MMG 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:35.680 went to Warner Brothers. So yeah, So so I had 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:38.680 a relationship with Rick Ross because Shakira signed Rick Ross 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:42.960 and Cheezy. So the first two albums Rick Ross did, 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:46.480 he recorded in the in the office where I interned at. 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.600 So I built a relationship with strong relationship with him 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:53.400 and Gucci Pucci. So you know, they just saw my 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:55.400 come up and you know I was shake little guys, 0:14:55.440 --> 0:14:57.080 so you know, they always kept their eye on me. 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.760 So when I got to one the brothers the first 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.520 day on the job, I just called Ross like you 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:05.640 got to bring May back over here. It's wide open. 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:08.040 So you were you were very instrumental in bringing that, 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.080 oh absolutely, because me and Ross were super tight. You know, 0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:14.040 I pretty much like you know, Joey helped me put 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:16.440 it together because Joey was the boss. So you know, 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:19.840 it was like, you know, my relationship, but you know, obviously, 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:22.800 you know, you got Joey, Todd, Moskuwitz and Leo Cohen 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:25.680 who are the chairman's and people who are running the company, 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:29.080 and I'm I'm the you know, the lowest level A 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:31.520 and R. So you know, through my relationship, I brought 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.240 the meeting to them. We had the meeting together. You know, 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:36.840 Rick Ross expressed to them, you know how important me 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:38.760 being involved with it would be if he did the 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.280 deal there, and we got the deal done two weeks later. 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:43.280 I remember how big of a deal that was because 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:45.280 I remember, you know, my boy Lee was over at 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:49.600 Warner Brothers and lovely love that guy, good guy. There 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.240 was like no hip hop though it was nothing. It 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:54.280 was like, yeah, it was like it was like dry 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:56.600 as fuck. It was Jill Scott, I think, and then 0:15:56.720 --> 0:16:00.040 and then uh MMG coming over at the time, this 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.040 is the hottest thing moving. Meek is the hottest thing 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:10.400 in the streets. And then even Pill was moving absolutely 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:13.680 and I just remember that moment was so big, bro. 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:16.800 Yeah that's history, yo, soy, so you I didn't even realize. 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:18.200 I didn't even know that you you helped bring that 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:21.080 situation over. Yeah, that's what got me to start it, 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:23.960 as far as just getting some credibility because from there, 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.640 you know, me and while A did Lotus Flower Barb 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:30.400 and put out while AT's project that did super well 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.960 when number one. Then from there I did Meek dream 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:38.400 Chasers too, and Dreams and Nightmares, and I pretty much 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.720 did every MMG project that came out on the Warner 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:45.360 Brothers system until we even transferred over to Atlantic. Yo. 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:48.480 So when when you first heard that the Well, first 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:50.880 of all, were you around when the Dreams of Nightmares 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:53.680 intro was recorded? Yes, we was at the Stai Hotel. 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:55.840 I gotta hear this story because I was like, this 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:58.880 is a song that will forever get played every single 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:01.520 club you go to. Yeah. One of the greatest rap 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:06.880 songs ever created. Yeah. So it was crazy because we 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:08.760 was all on the high from the dream Chases to 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:12.520 mixtape and clash. It was incredible, you know what I'm saying. 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:14.560 It was like we made that project in La at 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.080 the Boom Boom Room, and like that was probably like 0:17:17.160 --> 0:17:19.680 the funnest project I ever worked on in my life 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:21.960 because that was like we all just coming up and 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:25.000 we learned, we knew to La. We're living in La now, 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:27.720 you know, and it's just like the studio we had. 0:17:28.280 --> 0:17:30.359 It was just like great energy, you know what I'm saying. 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:33.240 And this before like Instagram took off, so like a 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.639 lot of the women that were Instagram big models this 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.159 day were like, you know, just around hanging out with us. 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:42.639 It was just great energy. Made that project. Then me 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.560 goes on tour and they like, well we need an album. 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.600 We like, we still got three or four songs coming 0:17:48.640 --> 0:17:52.879 out from this mixtape. So me gets off tour, we 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.320 at ross house and he plays us like the beginning 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.400 with the strings and all the piano. We like, what 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:00.520 the fuck is this? You know this shit is crazy. 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:04.000 So then he was like, yo, but this is what 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:05.600 I'm gonna do right here. This party stopped and I'm 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:08.080 gonna have to beat bully do this parble boom. So 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:09.720 then like two or three days later, we had the 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:13.320 Satai Hotel and he got the beat finished and he 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:15.040 just went in the booth right and he like kind 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:19.480 of surprised us that ship Hold a wait a minute, yo, man. 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.720 It was like ship was crazy, and like we knew 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:24.800 right then and there that that ship was a smash, 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:26.960 but we ain't think that shit was gonna be like 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.000 one of the biggest songs. Yeah, it's crazy because when 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.280 you hear that record, you're like, this is a great intro. 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.000 But to ever think that that's like a record that 0:18:35.040 --> 0:18:37.680 would work in the club, you would never think that, yeah, 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:39.719 because we would have went with that for the first single. 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.720 And also you would never even think to go for that. 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.600 There's no drowd as the first single, No hook, no nothing, 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.240 so it was interesting. But you know, man, listen, man, 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:53.440 everything happens for a reason. So what was the first 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:58.600 single from there? I'm young and getting it right? Yeah? Yeah, 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:04.359 who's on bang kirk Oh? Wow? Because I was and 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:08.920 R his project at Warner Brothers. Wow. Yeah, that's crazy. 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:11.400 And he had like two joints that went number one. 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:13.960 So I'm like drinking cup. Yeah. Kirko was a very 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:16.840 talented kid man, so it was good time. Shout out 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:20.000 kirkoa bangs man. So you you you kind of helped 0:19:20.000 --> 0:19:22.440 spearhead that MMG movement on the A and R side, 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:26.560 And I do remember when everything kind of moved over 0:19:26.600 --> 0:19:29.280 to it at Atlantic. Ye is that when you kind 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:31.719 of went over to Atlantic? Yeah, So what that happened was, 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:34.280 you know, Joey left for Death Jim a year later, 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:36.920 then the year after that we was there for two years. 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:40.320 Todden Moscow it started his own company with lee Or 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:44.280 at three hundred yep. So with Warner Brothers, Atlantic and 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:47.720 everybody being understand under the same umbrella, umbrella, which is 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:51.000 when her music group they just merged all the urban 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:54.199 staff and urban artists to Atlantic. Yeah, and then it 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:58.560 was like Maclamore at Warner. Yeah, it was Warner was 0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:02.280 a wrap, it was a rap sure. So Atlantic then 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.960