WEBVTT - #541 - Wiz Khalifa 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:01.000 Yeh, what ups you boy? 0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:02.880 Whiz Khalif for Man and make sure you check me 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:04.800 out on the Bootleg CAV podcast. 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.440 Hey, before we start the episode, we're gonna remind everybody, Man, 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:09.280 we got one of the biggest radio shows in the 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:13.560 country syndicated in almost one hundred cities all over. Shout 0:00:13.560 --> 0:00:16.640 out to iHeartRadio. All right, some of the latest cities 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:18.600 that we've been able to add. Man, want to give 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:20.599 a shout out to ninety three point nine the Beat 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:24.040 in Honolulu. That's right, Hawaii, we over there going crazy. 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:26.160 I also want to give a shout out Hot ninety 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:28.960 eight three and Tucson. Shout out to Tucson going crazy. 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.760 Also want to give a shout out to Wild ninety 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:34.720 four one in Tampa going crazy. We just got Richmond. 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:38.040 We also just got the good folks in Bakersfield at 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:40.320 Hot one O four to seven. So we're going crazy 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:43.240 on the radio with my partner James Andre Jefferson Junior 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:45.680 for the Bootleg CAV Show. So make sure you tune 0:00:45.720 --> 0:00:49.240 in and you can listen anywhere on that iHeart Radio app. 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:55.680 That's right, Let's get into the interview Brutleg CAV Show. 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.160 Blutlet Cab podcast. We got a special guest in here, 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:00.920 Christian Orgrews two. It's out right now. I just told 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:02.680 Will today it might be your best album. 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:03.279 It is. 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:08.880 I think in terms of official releases, mixtapes aside. I 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:09.880 think it's your best album. 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:10.360 It is. 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:12.280 I think it might be better than Rolling Papers. 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.399 It is. I say it on the album it's the 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:16.120 best one yet. 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:18.600 Yeah. And then like, you know what I loved about 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.720 this project? Well, first of all, I was like very 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:27.520 nervous because when you name something after you know, a 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:32.160 classic like Cushion Orange Juice, the expectations are crazy. And 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:35.440 then sonically I'm like, well, damn, like it's twenty twenty five, 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:37.440 whereas west Head's going to be at But like man, 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:40.000 sonically it was right in that pocket. 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:44.000 Production wise, like very very happy that that's the reception 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:44.880 of it. 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:50.480 It was incredible. And then for you, like when you 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:53.360 started working on this, was it like intentional or did 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:55.560 it start to just feel like, oh, I think we 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.280 could do a Cushion Orange Juice too, or was it 0:01:57.320 --> 0:01:59.080 like we're going to do a cushion Orange Juice too. 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.400 Let's go find those, let's go, you know, let's get 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:03.480 with Cardo let's give it, you know, the crew. 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:06.320 Like, yeah, it was. It was intentional, but it's something 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:11.280 that took a minute because you know, I had to 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:15.640 figure out like what that was like for real, Chris, 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:18.880 Cushion Oorjers is the music, but it's the feeling as well. 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:25.120 And I started the concept of Cushion Oorjews too really 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.440 like around this time last year, like when I started 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:30.520 thinking about doing it and I announced it to my 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.200 fans because I was in the studio and I was working, 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:35.560 and I was going through beats and I was just 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:37.760 trying to figure out like what direction I wanted to 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:41.880 go in, and I really just felt like taking it 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:43.960 back to my roots. I was like, I don't really 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:48.960 feel like trying anything new. I liked the newer styles 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.600 of music, like I love the production and I love 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.680 the energy and things like that, but I just couldn't 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:58.600 see myself like doing that for my next full project. 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:05.600 And yeah, to me, like the most exciting full project 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:09.520 for my fans and for anybody who really fucks with me. 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:12.960 I think Cushion Orange Juice Too would just be a 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:16.079 no brainer because if I try to make some ship up, 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.800 you know, it might hit or it might miss. But 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:22.160 with Cushion Orange Juice too. That's something that the fans 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:23.440 been asking me to do forever. 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:25.639 Yeah, you're exciting, you're exciting the basis. 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:27.920 Yeah, and they've also asked me to do it, and 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:29.880 I said I would. I never would, So I was like, 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.040 I'm never doing that, Like why would I do that? 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:33.400 Like why would I touch a classic? 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:37.640 So it was kind of just me like going back 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:39.800 to my roots and doing exactly what I know my 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:42.200 fans want me to do as opposed to trying to 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:43.280 make up some new ship. 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:50.720 And yeah, it was will and yeah, it was. 0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:56.520 It was a process of finding the sound, finding the pocket, 0:03:56.640 --> 0:04:00.800 getting people ready for to embrace it and digest it, 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:04.320 and then doing the things that I know that they 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.840 were like, like you said, getting with Cardo. Cardo is 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:11.240 so essential to the Cushion Orange Juice sound. It wouldn't 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:13.840 be what it is if I don't have these Cardo 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:14.720 beats on there. 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:17.719 And there's just moments and things. 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:21.359 That I do or my delivery or you know, just 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.160 the way that I rap or my tone of voice. 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.080 That I think your tone is important. Yeah, yeah, I 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:33.440 feel like these freestyles that tone is like, yeah, it's different. Yeah, 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:37.000 like it feels like like fucking BLOGI. 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:38.960 Yeah, for sure, And that's something that I was able 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:42.960 to turn on, you know, just by being in touch 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:47.280 with the fans. Like it's not it's still my performance 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:49.279 voice is what you hear when I'm on stage and 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.760 things like that. But you know, there might be songs 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:55.120 where are like what's happening is a little bit more 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:59.039 laid back. There's there's songs where I can you know, 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:04.320 relax my voice or whatever whatever. But on this particular project, 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:07.000 I know, as soon as you hear it, what's gonna 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:09.640 sound like cushion orange juice. And it's not just me 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:12.880 like making this up. It's based off of my fans 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:14.720 in their reaction the. 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:21.240 Max Water Water, thank you, the Max be interlude, the 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:23.400 way you came in on that motherfucker. 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:25.120 Thank you man, it was crazy, thank you good? 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:29.840 Look what what how new is that? Max Be? Uh? 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:29.960 Like? 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:32.880 Was that something? Because it sounds good. Obviously it doesn't 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:35.480 sound like it's on the phone. It sounds like he 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:39.000 he probably you know, I don't know how he gets 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:41.200 that good, but whatever it was. 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:43.880 Now I appreciate it. 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:46.559 It's all energy drinks in there round water. 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:50.719 I have a big ass jug in the car if 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:53.320 you want to. Yeah, no, I'm glad the vocals sound 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:53.800 good on there. 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.320 I'm glad everybody's. 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:57.719 Damn near sounds like you've had it for like since 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:58.080 before he. 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:04.880 Was Nah, I mean, I definitely it's definitely a recent verse. 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:10.680 It's definitely something that you know, was specialized in, you know, 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:16.680 given to me personally from him. And I'm just glad 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.000 that it came off the right way, you know, because 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:23.240 that was like in my head, that was the Godfather moment, 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:25.800 you know, just to keep the wave alive and to 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:29.440 you know, show Max be his respect, but also like 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:31.200 bring it into now. 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.839 And like the way that I wanted to use it 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:34.160 in the. 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:38.520 Album was to keep the album flowing and not like, 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:44.120 you know, depend on this Max b moment, but have 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.480 it really paint the picture of the whole scenery of 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:50.240 what's going on. And that's why I think it does too. 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:53.919 It blends in as well as like stands out, you 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:55.560 know what I mean, because it was one of my 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.240 favorite songs from the beginning. I've had that song for 0:06:58.320 --> 0:06:58.720 a year. 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.080 Yeah, I just feel like you came in, like it 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:03.000 reminds me of like when Rick Ross came in on 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:03.760 Devil in a New. 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:09.240 Dress, Like, Yeah, yeah, Sledgroing produced that one, so shout 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:09.880 out the Sledgeer. 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:14.600 You also like on this project, you have a very 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:17.800 very vulnerable for for whis Kalif a very vulnerable record. 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:19.520 The record with Rumor, the just to See You Smile 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:23.160 record where you dedicated to your your mother, your mom, 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:27.240 shot to moms and your brother who passed away. Was 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.240 that like when when you get into stud because I've 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:30.640 been in the studio with you, Is that the kind 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:32.600 of record where you could write that and record that 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:35.400 with the because your sessions are usually pretty vibe for 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.640 the most part. Yeah, Or is that some ship where 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:40.120 you got to like kind of clear the room, like 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:42.360 what was what was laying that down like and writing 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:42.840 that record? 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:46.880 I actually wrote that one at my house and but 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:48.040 I was on live. 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:49.160 I was on I Live. 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:52.280 Yeah, so it was something that I wrote in front 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:55.400 of people that I don't know it was like it 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:57.480 might have been like twenty five hundred people in the 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:03.120 live that day. But yeah, that was something that again 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:07.520 I wanted to feel confident presenting that to my fans and. 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:11.240 To the people who loved me. So if you're gonna 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:11.800 hear it later. 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:13.880 I want you to hear it while I'm making it 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:16.680 so I can know what pocket to be in and 0:08:16.720 --> 0:08:19.760 what feels good and what was not. So that was 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.080 something that I was confident, more confident in making than 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:27.920 it was difficult to make. And me and Rumor we 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:31.240 had made. I think we did three songs in our 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.960 session that could have went towards Christian Orange Juice too, 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.360 but that one, to me, was the most meaningful and 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:41.719 the most It was the most It was the one 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.680 that stood out to the people who saw me recorded 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:48.440 the most as well. So wed I we decided on 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:51.040 that one, and when he gave me the hook, he 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:54.160 gave it to me, it was like, Yo, I know 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:55.959 you just had a daughter, so you know you might 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.800 be able to write the song about your daughter. And 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.000 but it just made me think about my mom more 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.400 than anything, cause she just moved out here to la 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:07.600 and I've been seeing her a lot, and she's been 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.360 hanging out with my kids, and it just, you know, 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:13.160 made me really just grateful for our relationship. 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:15.880 And then it also made me think about my brother 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:16.959 who passed. 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:21.280 Because during the month of February is when I was 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:23.640 writing a lot of this stuff and that's the month 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:26.040 that he passed away, and that's usually like a difficult 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:29.840 month for me. But as time got you know, as 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:33.440 more time went by, and especially this year, I was 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:35.720 just in a really good headspace. I was able to record, 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.320 I was able to work. I was able to you know, 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:41.320 play my son's birthday party, playing my mom's birthday party, 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:44.960 get a lot of my album you know, completed, and 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.800 do a lot of work on myself as well. So 0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:50.160 it just felt really good to you know, kind of 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:52.800 just talk about you know, him too in our relationship. 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:57.360 What do you uh, you know, in terms of this 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:01.720 energy you've been on man with these freestyles, just bringing 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:05.200 back the nostalgic like even the style of these like 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:08.880 quick shoot music videos. Yeah, it just just very much 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:12.840 like puts me in that twenty ten eleven twelve space. 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:16.160 You know what inspired you to? I mean just because 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:19.160 I'm man, you've been in your back like in a 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:22.400 very very strong way. What has inspired the energy? 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.560 I knew I was getting into album mode and just 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:32.120 the energy of just keeping going and saying fuck it, 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:37.120 that's really inspirational. I know how that feels to be 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.600 inspired by that, and I know how it feels to 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:44.720 own that too, So I kind of just started applying 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:47.600 that and just said, fuck it, I'm a post, you know. 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:50.120 However many times a day. I'm a post. 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:53.959 However, whatever time I want to during the day, and 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:58.280 I'm gonna you know, kind of control the narrative and 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:00.319 allow my fans. 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:02.520 And people to really. 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:06.320 Enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying it, because when 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:10.240 they see me having fun and being free, then that 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:13.840 allows them to you know, feed off of it and 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:15.719 do what they do. If I hold on to it 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:18.920 or if I wait, or if I try to surprise them, 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.079 then they may or may not get it. But if 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:25.080 I get in my bag and it allows me to 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.600 practice too, Like it gives me a lot of like 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.440 practice for the things that I'm setting myself up for. 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.599 So there was only positive for me getting active and 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:35.960 doing stuff like that. 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:36.240 Yeah. 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:38.200 I feel like two artists these days, like they don't 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:40.760 even think about Like all they think about is like, well, 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:42.440 if I put this out, I can't I can't really 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:45.440 monetize it. Like for example, you don't squabble up or 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:49.400 the Tupac freestyle, like those are like strictly for your fans. Yeah, yeah, 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:51.840 like you're not able to like put that on Spotify 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:54.120 or I feel like a lot of artists have gotten 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:58.600 so far away from the idea of like getting fans excited. 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.880 Right right, because yeah, it's easy to get away from 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:05.400 that because everybody wants that one big moment because they're 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:07.920 waiting for that one thing to go viral or whatever. 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:10.160 And my whole thing was and. 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:14.040 I talked to a problem or Jason Martin about this. 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:16.960 It was January, and he was like, man, what's up 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:20.199 with the album? Man? He was like getting frustrated a 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:20.600 little bit. 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:22.880 He's like, when we put an album out, I'm like, 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:26.520 you gotta wait, yo, Like, it's not gonna be one 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:30.560 thing that pushes this over. I was like, I'm gonna 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:33.720 be on like my fifteenth freestyle and then people will 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:35.880 finally get it, you know what I'm saying. Like, I've 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:39.680 already planned ahead, knowing that it was gonna take fifteen 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:43.480 twenty however many it ended up catching on way earlier 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:47.200 than I thought it would, but knowing that in the 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.920 long run, you have to set it up these small 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:53.280 little things that end up being you know, a big, 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:58.680 big wave that causes motion. But yeah, I'm not depending 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.600 on the one little thing I always just wanted to 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:04.640 keep building it up, and that was the idea behind 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:07.720 Christian Orange Juice too, as well as to extend the 0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:11.320 experience as much as possible, like not just drop one 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.280 focused track and then dropped the track list and then 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:17.120 put the album out, because we would have been done already. Yeah, 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.040 so we wanted to extend it. We've been working this 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:26.839 album since October last year, so October, November, December, January, February, March, 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:29.080 and we dropped in April. So we worked the whole 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:31.839 album for six months before we even put it out, 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:35.400 and we put the album cover out back then as well, 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:38.200 So it's been in your brains and that was the 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:39.199 idea behind it. 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.679 Yo. Did do you know if Kendrick heard the Squabble 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:44.240 up remix? 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:45.560 He probably did at this point. 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.240 Yeah, I feel like because I played that shit on 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:49.560 the radio audire so I feel. 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:52.160 Like, yeah, yeah, I've heard that's type. Man. I appreciate that. 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:55.560 Yeah, yeah, yeah, great, great, great freestyle. My favorite was 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:56.800 the pop one, the pop one, yea. 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:57.800 The prom was hard. 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:02.600 The freestyle's got such a great reception, Like, I'm such 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:05.160 a fan of that and I'm so happy that people 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.040 still receive that and that it was able to you know, 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:09.679 revive a feeling. 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:11.319 For people, because that's what it's all about. 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:13.520 And I feel like it sets it up for so 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:15.720 much more, like that was only the beginning. 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:17.840 Yeah, even like the cloud ship with coal. 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:20.680 Clouds with coal, yeah, all of them. I got a 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:22.920 special place in my heart for all my little babies. 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:26.200 So that like the col like record. Did he like 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:27.800 so he had sent that to you ahead of time? 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.040 Yeah, well he sent it to me to clear the 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:33.800 laugh because if yeah, there's like a whiskalif laugh. 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:38.120 And yeah, he didn't have to. He was just being 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:40.080 cool out of respect. 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.320 Out of respect, he showed love and was like, yo, 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:44.440 can we use the laugh? And then this is when 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:46.520 I was doing all the freestyles. I was on one. 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:48.440 I was like, Nigga, let me put a verse on there, 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:50.320 and he's like, all right, cool, So I put the 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:52.840 verse on there. But the same night, I just dropped 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:56.520 it on my Instagram like and then everybody started going crazy, 0:14:56.600 --> 0:14:59.560 like people start picking it up, and it just created this, 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.040 you know, this whole narrative. So he ended up releasing 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:06.160 it on his website as well. But it was cool, 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:06.640 it was fun. 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.120 No he's doing a real good job of taking like 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:12.320 a non traditional approach to whatever we're in with him, 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:19.000 like this rollout, he's got blog posts and podcasts and YO, 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.560 talk to me because I've been saying this, like the 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:27.200 blog era of hip hop, you know, for all of 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:30.200 its strengths and weaknesses, to me, it was an era 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:35.360 where there were actually gatekeepers, but the gatekeepers had good 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:36.480 taste for the most part. 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:38.479 Who do you think we're the gatekeepers? 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:40.320 I just mean, like, you know, if you think about 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.000 like not right two dope boys, Like if like these 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:45.920 guys really, if they posted your music, they had the 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.240 power to like change your your your your momentum. There 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:51.920 was like a lot of those you know, whether it 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:56.000 was rap radar, whether it was there's so many of 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:56.600 those blogs. 0:15:56.680 --> 0:15:58.960 Yeah, And I think the cool thing about that blog 0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:04.240 era though, like it was blog era because of the blogs, 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:06.680 but it was bigger than the blogs though. It was 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:09.800 about the fans, right and it was everybody. We all 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:13.920 had our own fans, and the blogs were to entertain 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.520 the fans. Like we went to the blogs because that 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:19.200 was the underground at the time. 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:21.280 That was the underground for sure, and. 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:25.320 That was people's jobs who didn't make music. They were like, okay, 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:27.360 let me right, let me go and get a share. 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:29.720 Getting new music. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:36.280 But the blog era the artists like we were on tour, 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:40.080 we were underground. We were just you know, in our fans' faces. 0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:45.920 And I think that's bigger than the blogs to me. Like, 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.880 I love the blogs, but the blogs didn't make us though, 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:52.560 like Twitter, you know what I'm saying, YouTube and stuff 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:55.800 like that. That's what really really made it crack because 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:59.240 without that, we wouldn't have an outlet to our fans 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:01.080 that the picked up later. 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:03.240 It was almost like that was the first time that 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:05.399 artists had a direct to consumer. 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:10.159 Yeah, exactly, exactly, and that was good. Yeah, And that 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:14.240 was good because with the blogs, they were directly running it, 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:16.719 so we didn't have to go to anybody, you know, 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:19.639 any higher ups. We had our direct to our fans, 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:22.080 and then we had our direct to our media as well, 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:24.639 so we didn't need anybody to promote us. We were 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:29.240 promoting ourselves through our network. That was the blog era, 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.200 and it was cool. It was fun. We were self 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.800 sufficient and we all knew each other, We all have 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:39.000 respect for each other, We all you know, we all 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:41.920 assisted each other's come ups, you know what I mean. 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:43.840 I don't think like one. 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:48.120 You know, like even even people like Drake, he started 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:52.560 exactly where where we all started from, doing exactly what 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:55.760 we were doing. And you know, his plan is what 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:59.560 got him to his super duper stardom, you know what 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:03.760 I'm saying. And even Kendrick too, he opened up for 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:06.480 me and Mac on tour crazy, you know what I mean. 0:18:06.560 --> 0:18:09.320 So he was not under us, but we were all 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:13.040 literally on the same you know, path for a long time, 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.040 and the trajectory of it just panned out due to 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:20.280 like us as individuals and shit like that. But I 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:23.400 think there's way more strengths to the blog era than 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:24.480 there are weaknesses. 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:26.280 No, I think it was. I mean, it's my favorite 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:27.720 era of music ever, so. 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:31.040 Other than other than the nineties, like the you know 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:32.240 what I mean, like the Pioneer. 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:34.680 I just think of like the discovery of new shit 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:37.040 and how excited you were to discover like new shit, 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:39.080 and how easy it was back in the day. Yeah 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:41.159 you had to go to the record store and go 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:43.680 to hopefully find an album used, you know what I'm saying. 0:18:43.840 --> 0:18:46.160 I like how safe the blog era was too. We 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.840 wasn't worried about too much. We wasn't really like shooting 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:54.080 at each other. Nobody was killing each other, nobody was 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:58.040 you know, using you know, too hard a drugs. Lean 0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:00.960 started to like come in towards the end of it, 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.880 but it wasn't really about all of that ship like before, 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.320 and it was really safe and we were promoting safe stuff. 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.320 We were promoting stuff that you know, later on in 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:15.800 life you could still apply these values and more. And 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:19.240 you know, like I said, in the nineties, people were 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.680 very diverse, and in the blog era was really diverse 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:27.439 as well. Like you had freaking Freddy Gibbs, and you 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.720 had flat Bush zombies, and you had you know, currency, 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:31.240 and you. 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:34.280 Had motherfucker, you had Mike Posner. Mike Posner. 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:41.520 Yeah, just like random everybody who was popping up in 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:42.879 a blog eraro was cracking, Like you. 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:44.879 Had a big crid in Ritz and they had like 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:48.560 a fuck yellow wolf. Who else was just crazy ye had? 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:52.439 So yeah, there's a you had. Yeah, you know. 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:53.680 Charles Hamilton was hard. 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:56.640 Charles Hamilton, great name in the blog era. 0:19:56.800 --> 0:20:00.760