Speaker 1: Yep, the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1: Charlamagne the God DJ Envy is not here, but we
Speaker 1: got a Nihilis and Moon just hilarious of course, and
Speaker 1: we got the greatest lyricists in the world whose name
Speaker 1: is not Kendrick Lamar Rat.
Speaker 2: New album, Please Don't Cry? How are You.
Speaker 3: Excited?
Speaker 4: Look good? And thank you?
Speaker 1: Okay, we got to get into it first before we
Speaker 1: started talking about your album.
Speaker 2: Kendrick and Drake. Come on, Kendrick, easy call.
Speaker 3: It's so easy. I could do it my eyes closed.
Speaker 1: Kendrick, what what causes an MC to win a rap battle?
Speaker 1: Because you're an m C MC, So what causes an
Speaker 1: MC to win a rap battle?
Speaker 3: You gotta have strategy, right, I tell people it's like
Speaker 3: the art of war. You got to know who you're
Speaker 3: going against. And for this case in particular, the type
Speaker 3: of person that Kendrick is. You know he's strategic. Like
Speaker 3: if he goes quiet, you should know that he's cooking.
Speaker 3: But you gotta have the right beats. You know, your
Speaker 3: bar has got to be up. Your performance is a thing,
Speaker 3: like I think all of those things matter. And the
Speaker 3: thing that I like that he did, he gave you.
Speaker 3: He cooked that boy so many different ways. Like I said,
Speaker 3: he baked them, he stir fried them, that grilled him,
Speaker 3: like he marinated a little bit. Like he gave you stories.
Speaker 3: He gave you a banger, He gave you the classic
Speaker 3: hip hop bar. Joint was however you want it, I
Speaker 3: got it for you. And you know, he anything, Drake said.
Speaker 3: He came back and was like he just didn't have rooms.
Speaker 3: It's like when you're boxing somebody on you can't get
Speaker 3: your arms.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I really love that.
Speaker 6: Char always used a parallel of you and Kendrick when
Speaker 6: it comes to rap in the current state of rap
Speaker 6: right now, just like the Complexion record, I feel like
Speaker 6: that was also like a great introduction to a bigger
Speaker 6: audience for you as well. But I feel like it's
Speaker 6: a little weird because I would love to see that
Speaker 6: from Cold just because y'allvote from the Carolina US, you
Speaker 6: know what, Like what is what's that dynamic?
Speaker 3: Me and Cole? Yeah, like working together like that, y'all
Speaker 3: did a record, Yeah we did sojourn.
Speaker 2: Yeah, covers phenomenal.
Speaker 5: But yes, yes, yes, Rob Washington, Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 3: I think it's your preference because you know, I see
Speaker 3: some people like Cole and I'm just like, I ain't
Speaker 3: mad at either way. You know, we got all what
Speaker 3: you say, like why we don't work together more. Yes,
Speaker 3: I think it's just like the town. Yeah, I don't
Speaker 3: know Kendrick. Kendrick since the beginning. He's always been the
Speaker 3: one to come to the studio early in the days. Like,
Speaker 3: I just had a friendship with him earlier. I had
Speaker 3: his number longer, like we text as, So the friendship
Speaker 3: was just there. Even though he from the West Coast,
Speaker 3: when he would come down to North Carolina, they would
Speaker 3: always bring the tour bus bar you know. So you
Speaker 3: know Cole was in New York. You know, I just
Speaker 3: didn't see him that much.
Speaker 5: So it's a relationship.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just real relationships. It ain't nothing funny. But
Speaker 3: call I think coaches moved back to NC maybe like
Speaker 3: around the pandemic time. Okay, so that's just he really
Speaker 3: wasn't in the proximity for me to have a relationship.
Speaker 2: You have. You and Kendrick ever performed Complexion and Power together.
Speaker 3: One time he did that short tour run remember, but
Speaker 3: to Butterfly. He was doing those smaller venues, intimate spots
Speaker 3: for him and we did it in DC.
Speaker 1: The reason I'm glad we started the conversation like this
Speaker 1: because I'm trying to set the stage for how Dope
Speaker 1: Rhapsody is for those who still don't know.
Speaker 2: Like your peers, the mcs MC's hold you in high regard.
Speaker 2: That's why they do these type of records with you.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and everybody says like you bring the best out
Speaker 3: of them. I'm just you really do you know? It's
Speaker 3: a beautiful, healthy competition.
Speaker 6: I think your features that are on all your projects,
Speaker 6: from Layla's Wisdom down to this latest one, from like
Speaker 6: a Black Thought to an Eric Kobad to working with
Speaker 6: Hip Boy, It's like the quality is just different.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 5: When you tap into an album like this.
Speaker 3: It's you know, I'm creating. It's about the music, Like
Speaker 3: the music is the biggest ego in the room. And
Speaker 3: I think when you approach it from that point of view,
Speaker 3: everybody's gonna bring the best.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: It makes it fun and exciting, you know, even on
Speaker 3: Complexion like you going there like y'all, I gotta I
Speaker 3: gotta meet they level. Even with the Wayne Joint on
Speaker 3: the album, I wrote my versal.
Speaker 5: Yo, I wrote my vers that one.
Speaker 6: I feel like for a hip hop purists, that's the
Speaker 6: best one on there.
Speaker 5: I love that record.
Speaker 3: I did, and I'm not afraid to say that at all,
Speaker 3: like the first time I ever did that. But I
Speaker 3: sent it to him first, and I was just approaching
Speaker 3: it like I was trying to grow and like, I
Speaker 3: don't have to be so lyrical. I want to do
Speaker 3: something that's, you know, easier for people to learn, but
Speaker 3: it's not dumb down, Like it's still me, but it's
Speaker 3: not like just more relaxed. Yeah, when I got his
Speaker 3: verse back, I was like, nah, I gotta I gotta
Speaker 3: match his level of raw, Like I gotta match it.
Speaker 3: So I was like, no, I can't. I can't get
Speaker 3: the people that.
Speaker 4: What do you say when you rewrote it?
Speaker 3: He said, I just sent it back to him. I
Speaker 3: was like, I rewrote it. I said, I took your
Speaker 3: flow and I just put my words to it. I
Speaker 3: just want to let you know what you think. Send
Speaker 3: me fire emojis.
Speaker 1: And the wild thing about this project is called please
Speaker 1: Don't Cry. Yeah, what ironically, throughout the album, all you're
Speaker 1: doing is giving us stuff to.
Speaker 7: Cry about, Like what is that about?
Speaker 3: That's that's the point. It was like the title got
Speaker 3: a realer man. It's about like I was never one
Speaker 3: to show my emotion in public, or you know we
Speaker 3: grow up maybe men, especially what you're crying about. But
Speaker 3: it's really about allowing yourself to be human. Why you
Speaker 3: should cry, all the reasons you should cry. Don't cry
Speaker 3: just because you're sad. Cry because it's something so funny
Speaker 3: you laugh until you cry, or you so in love,
Speaker 3: you know, like are you joyful or you angry? Like
Speaker 3: I I cry when I'm mad because if I don't,
Speaker 3: I'm gonna say someone or do something that I'm gonna regret.
Speaker 3: So I'm gonna just let it come out to tears,
Speaker 3: Like allow yourself to just be human. I don't think
Speaker 3: we do that enough, especially in a day with social media.
Speaker 3: It's perfection, perfection in your face all day, like the
Speaker 3: highlight reel. But where's the raw stuff? So you got
Speaker 3: to remind people like you human.
Speaker 2: You're giving people permission the only feelings.
Speaker 6: Absolutely for the record, Rhapsody isn't Aquarius, So you know.
Speaker 3: To aquarium your birthday February thirteen, Okay, in February Quarious
Speaker 3: January twenty first, querious.
Speaker 6: They have a hard time showing emotion like you guys
Speaker 6: have a face and y'all will keep that poker face
Speaker 6: so strong.
Speaker 5: So that's why I think this is a great See I've.
Speaker 3: I've been healing. Yeah, healing.
Speaker 1: It's not real because whenever she upset and t it off,
Speaker 1: I say something to me and I'm really come back
Speaker 1: to her like you're just gonna say that to me,
Speaker 1: like I don't know what's really going on.
Speaker 3: Oh no, he knows me.
Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, that's yeah, that's the good thing. But I
Speaker 7: really don't show my emotions. He will make you show them. Yes,
Speaker 7: you know what I'm saying, especially if he knows you.
Speaker 7: You know, and that's honestly a cancer.
Speaker 5: Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1: Text the other day she responded back, okay, and so
Speaker 1: I texted back, I said, you think I didn't.
Speaker 2: You think I didn't. I don't know.
Speaker 1: You rolled your eyes and stuff your teeth. I know
Speaker 1: when you read this that's what you did.
Speaker 5: Y'are Aquarius. But ain't nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 3: I know.
Speaker 6: On the first single that you released for the album Asteroids,
Speaker 6: you talked about how you almost wanted to step away
Speaker 6: from this completely.
Speaker 3: It was a thought.
Speaker 5: Yeah that broke my heart. Yeah, why it was.
Speaker 3: I was just at a place like I was just
Speaker 3: seeing the music business and everything that was in front
Speaker 3: of me. I was like, you know, I feel like
Speaker 3: I'm getting tired, Like there's no with me, you know
Speaker 3: what I'm saying, Like I don't know if people care.
Speaker 3: And it's like I could do music by myself, Like
Speaker 3: I don't even have to play this game. I want
Speaker 3: to get into the film world anyway. But I love
Speaker 3: it too much. I got too much purpose in it.
Speaker 3: I have to be the example. I want to be
Speaker 3: the example. Rather I get to be the example. So
Speaker 3: you know, but it was a real thought, like man,
Speaker 3: what does it look like in this space? You know?
Speaker 3: And you know hip hop likes to aid you out.
Speaker 3: I was, you know, as a woman. It was just
Speaker 3: so many things going through my head and it's just like, yo,
Speaker 3: let me just pause and just really sit with it.
Speaker 7: So what helped you get over that part of it?
Speaker 7: Because I can imagine you don't feel that way now?
Speaker 4: You better not.
Speaker 3: You gotta you have to unplug from the matrix, right
Speaker 3: And you look at it and you like, I feel
Speaker 3: this way cause I'm trying to validate myself through all
Speaker 3: these other things that everybody like, Yo, why don't why
Speaker 3: aren't you know, why don't I get this award? Or
Speaker 3: why I'm not in this space or these same spaces
Speaker 3: as other people? And you figure out like or whatever
Speaker 3: space is for me is for me. And that's what
Speaker 3: it was like. I had to validate myself and I
Speaker 3: look for anybody else and any other these false measurements
Speaker 3: to do it. You know, it's like, what are you
Speaker 3: in it for? I was like, damn, I'd just really
Speaker 3: like to connect with people and make music to inspire people.
Speaker 3: So do that. Anything else is a blessing.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So how did you feel last year? I mean it's
Speaker 2: still going on now.
Speaker 1: Last year it was like this thing where it was
Speaker 1: like female rappers are keeping hip hop alive, Female.
Speaker 2: Rappers are holding it down for hip hop.
Speaker 1: But then when I look at the rappers, I'm like,
Speaker 1: I don't think Rahap City fits in that.
Speaker 2: How did you feel.
Speaker 3: It's a unique physician. I think it's beautiful because it's
Speaker 3: so many women. We never seen it like this on
Speaker 3: this stage before, like especially with social media, so it's
Speaker 3: exciting because you know women. I think it was like
Speaker 3: an all female lineup for like a hot summer hot
Speaker 3: ninety seventh. I've never seen that before, So I'm like, wow,
Speaker 3: that's beautiful for the space and women, but it's still
Speaker 3: not enough variety and harmony when you look at it.
Speaker 3: So it's like, but you know, we still got a
Speaker 3: long way to go, because this can't be the only
Speaker 3: thing that we make the reason why you're successful.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Like, so that's where I was at. It was like, Yo,
Speaker 3: I'm not trying to dog nobody, but at the same time,
Speaker 3: like I gotta advocate for myself and others who have
Speaker 3: other stories to tell, Like, you know, I don't see us,
Speaker 3: you know, as one of those ones that people are
Speaker 3: like helping to push this beautiful resurgence of women in
Speaker 3: hip hop in the forefront, you know, in your face.
Speaker 3: So it was like, yeah, it's great for women, but
Speaker 3: on the other end, it's like it's nothing different than
Speaker 3: any other thing American sell sex, sex, sex, sex, sex,
Speaker 3: you know what I'm saying. Like, So that was it.
Speaker 1: Did you feel like your pen wasn't being respected? That
Speaker 1: was one of the reasons you wanted to walk away?
Speaker 3: Nah, not necessarily, my it's respected by the right people.
Speaker 3: It was just like people not listening.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that was it.
Speaker 3: Like I said, I see comments. They'd be like, don't
Speaker 3: look at it, but I like to look. The psychology
Speaker 3: of people is interesting to me. I see, I see all.
Speaker 3: I would see all the conversations, and I'm just like
Speaker 3: what people say about me, what they think, And I'm like, oh,
Speaker 3: you never pressed play. You don't have to like it,
Speaker 3: but I know you never pressed play, and really sad
Speaker 3: with it. So it was just like, man, what a fight.
Speaker 1: What's the what's the comments that bothered you the most?
Speaker 1: Like there's always one that sticks out in my mind
Speaker 1: that motivates you when you wake up in the morning.
Speaker 3: That motivates me, that pisses me off. I don't know
Speaker 3: it was, I just see it. I I would just
Speaker 3: take notice. I was I was in a space of healing. Charlmagne, like,
Speaker 3: you know, I could tell you older things, but now
Speaker 3: it was just a place of like I could look
Speaker 3: at it and observe and I didn't have to be
Speaker 3: emotional about it. I could just be like, Okay, I
Speaker 3: see where you are. You know, you got some growing
Speaker 3: to do as a human. But it would be things like,
Speaker 3: you know, one of the conversations is between mostly the guys, right,
Speaker 3: the guys that I would see mostly is like all
Speaker 3: the women do is shake they ass and dah dah dah.
Speaker 3: You should be rhapsody, Like that's the thing, Like I'm
Speaker 3: the standard and other women like all y'all only bring
Speaker 3: up rhapsody when y'all trying to put down another female.
Speaker 3: So I'm sitting in the middle, like I see both
Speaker 3: sides of what y'all saying, Like, don't make me the
Speaker 3: standard to put down nobody else. I ain't never with that.
Speaker 3: But at the same time, there is something to be
Speaker 3: said about why don't you women tap into Tierra wat
Speaker 3: rhapsody or like Kaylee forty seven, like where you know,
Speaker 3: does it have to be that you need something to
Speaker 3: somebody to tell you that this is who you should
Speaker 3: pay attention to. Yeah, so that's what it was. It
Speaker 3: was like, you know, because you don't have to be me,
Speaker 3: but I know there's a lot more women that don't
Speaker 3: get the opportunity to get the support, you know.
Speaker 7: And then like, if you're trying to appeal to men,
Speaker 7: why not listen to one? Why not like listen to
Speaker 7: what the's men are saying. And to be honest, what
Speaker 7: you I've been put on by your music by men
Speaker 7: like my brothers, my father, and my cousin.
Speaker 4: And then when I.
Speaker 7: Got this, well what before I got the job officially,
Speaker 7: it's before to everybody, I got the job and I
Speaker 7: didn't have it yet.
Speaker 4: I was guess who saying he would bring you up
Speaker 4: a lot.
Speaker 7: It will always bring you up, big supporter, you're Yeah,
Speaker 7: but I always heard about you from men like you
Speaker 7: have a big male.
Speaker 4: Fan base and they like to hear you spit that shit.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's crazy because I would I tell people that,
Speaker 3: Like I would see comments they be like, if y'all
Speaker 3: support Rhapsody, why you're on buy a record? I'd be like,
Speaker 3: I got a big male following. Yeah, you know what
Speaker 3: I'm saying. So that was I don't know, that was
Speaker 3: just part of my fight. And then too, like another
Speaker 3: conversation I would be thinking about was you would see
Speaker 3: like especially when it comes to women and the sex
Speaker 3: appeal would be like it's empowering, and I'd be like, yeah,
Speaker 3: I could see how it is for sure, Like especially
Speaker 3: when Kim came up, and you know, it wasn't a
Speaker 3: thing like she made like it's okay to love our bodies,
Speaker 3: but it's it's so one sided now, and I'm thinking, like,
Speaker 3: is it really like this is a conversation me and
Speaker 3: somebody else were having and they brought it up, and
Speaker 3: I was like, that's a great point. Is it really
Speaker 3: empowering if a man is writing it?
Speaker 2: Mm?
Speaker 3: Because if but there's women that right their own, but
Speaker 3: a lot they're men penning it.
Speaker 2: Let's just be realtriarchy.
Speaker 3: It's still the patriarchy, Like, you know, we try to
Speaker 3: take ownership because we the face of it. Or is
Speaker 3: it really empowering if it's not your story, if it's
Speaker 3: not your words, you know, like, it's just a thought
Speaker 3: that I'm just like, I would love to people to
Speaker 3: explore that thought more because I you know, I have
Speaker 3: conversations with some women and they'd be like, yo, rap,
Speaker 3: I love what you do. Yo, I want to rap
Speaker 3: like this. I want to rap like that, but this
Speaker 3: is what they like. I'm just like, you should do
Speaker 3: what you like. She'd do what you want it. That's
Speaker 3: my only thing. Like, you should be able to show
Speaker 3: up how you want to show up. If it is
Speaker 3: sexy and if it's real to you, then do that.
Speaker 3: But if you're doing it just because you feel like
Speaker 3: this is the only way that I could be successful,
Speaker 3: and this is I see everybody else doing it, so
Speaker 3: this is what we gotta do to make it. That's
Speaker 3: whack to me. You know, I don't feel like you
Speaker 3: could be all the way happy for doing something that's
Speaker 3: not true.
Speaker 1: You think a woman can take off and wrap without
Speaker 1: a male code sign because.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think, you know, we have so many resources
Speaker 3: if you make great music. One thing Ninfe always told me,
Speaker 3: it might take you longer, but people can't deny it.
Speaker 3: So it's kind of like either down for the marathon
Speaker 3: or not. You know, that's everybody like man, woman, It
Speaker 3: don't matter if the music good is somebody gonna find
Speaker 3: it eventually. But I think you can, like, but you
Speaker 3: gotta you gotta make great music and still be on
Speaker 3: your brand and in marketing and you know, all the
Speaker 3: little things. But I do think it's possible.
Speaker 1: Because I always think about how dope it would have
Speaker 1: been if, like the way embraces the sexy red, Kendrick
Speaker 1: wouldn't embrace.
Speaker 2: You in that way. This thing, I think that goes
Speaker 2: a long way.
Speaker 3: Sometimes no it does, and he has you know, Complexion
Speaker 3: was an alley to Ali big alley for me.
Speaker 7: But yeah, and then a lot I mean, to be honest,
Speaker 7: a lot of embracing from like, you know, older generations.
Speaker 7: I noticed a lot of people like the embraced people
Speaker 7: that can't touch them.
Speaker 4: You get what I'm saying, Like.
Speaker 7: They will embrace people that they know cannot touch them. Yeah,
Speaker 7: beat them lyrically, can't even I'm just gonna throw you
Speaker 7: in because you're popularity. You've got the big platform right now.
Speaker 7: You would there what they want to be like, you're
Speaker 7: playing into what you know, pussy money, drugs.
Speaker 4: All already cool.
Speaker 7: So I'm gonna take you under my wing, you know
Speaker 7: what I'm saying, just to keep me in the game.
Speaker 3: Attached. But that's a real thing.
Speaker 4: That's crazy.
Speaker 5: It is a honor though, to be the bar.
Speaker 6: I know, it's so like misweighted because it's like everybody else.
Speaker 6: And then Rhapsody, you feel like a pressure at all
Speaker 6: because you are the bar?
Speaker 3: Nah pressure, No, only because it's real to me the
Speaker 3: things I talk about it. I don't like I'm gonna
Speaker 3: do this because I do it because I want to,
Speaker 3: you know what I'm saying, Like I care the things
Speaker 3: I say I care about, So it's not a pressure
Speaker 3: in that way I will say, like, sometimes I think about, like, yo,
Speaker 3: if I wanted to have fun and just do something
Speaker 3: to show people the side of me, like I like
Speaker 3: the club too, like that's I'm a well rounded human being.
Speaker 3: And then I'd be like, yo, those are the times
Speaker 3: I feel a little pressure. It's like you don't have
Speaker 3: room to do that because nobody else is talking about
Speaker 3: the things that need to be talked about. It's a
Speaker 3: lot of people having fun, so like, okay, we got
Speaker 3: enough for that. Who who's gonna be the voice to
Speaker 3: make sure we talk about those things? So that part
Speaker 3: sometimes I'm just like, yo, I would love to let
Speaker 3: people see what a fun album for me, Like I'm
Speaker 3: just having fun.
Speaker 6: I mean I think with the albums, maybe your intention
Speaker 6: is different, but I feel like you can still do that.
Speaker 5: Maybe give us a tape.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I started one really, Yeah, I explore you know,
Speaker 3: a turn up take. Yeah. I call it my my
Speaker 3: ignorant album. Ignorant and I mean that just by the beast, Like,
Speaker 3: but yeah, I wanted to do something that was that
Speaker 3: that side of me because I haven't shown that side.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so you haven't shown this side either of No,
Speaker 5: please don't cry.
Speaker 3: I started working on three albums at one time. Yeah.
Speaker 3: I called Sherry. I was like, Sherry, that's the co
Speaker 3: president of rock Nation, So I want to put out
Speaker 3: three albums in one year. She was like rap. I
Speaker 3: was like, I need to show people all sides of me.
Speaker 3: She was like, no, absolutely not. We have to give
Speaker 3: proper attention and support with the albums each So I
Speaker 3: was like, Okay, how.
Speaker 1: Did this album should because I've heard you say that
Speaker 1: this album has brought you the most peace you've ever seen.
Speaker 1: How does the album this raw and vulnerabile bring you peace?
Speaker 3: It brings me peace because it's it's the most me
Speaker 3: I've ever been. I'm so fearless now again, like I'm
Speaker 3: I'm neo, like unplugged from the matrix and living my reality.
Speaker 3: So that's like everybody's been asking me how you feel,
Speaker 3: how you feel like the album's about to come out,
Speaker 3: and I tell them myself, I'm at peace because I
Speaker 3: have no expectations. I'm not thinking about I need to
Speaker 3: do this amount of numbers, like yo, what's good? If
Speaker 3: do we need to do this? I'm just like people
Speaker 3: like it or they don't. Yeah, I made an album
Speaker 3: that I was happy with and I shared things that
Speaker 3: I wanted to share that with for me, like so
Speaker 3: many albums, I would shine a light on the world,
Speaker 3: and this one was like I need to shine light
Speaker 3: on me and so to be able to like because
Speaker 3: I'm so private and I protect myself in that way
Speaker 3: and I held so much and I feel lighter because
Speaker 3: you know, I'm I'm so confident and again I'm not
Speaker 3: afraid to just share. I was afraid before because I
Speaker 3: was afraid of judgment, what people would think, like you're
Speaker 3: not perfect, You're not always the good girl. You have
Speaker 3: disappointed yourself and some people. But it's like it's okay,
Speaker 3: we all do at some point.
Speaker 7: I like that that mindset to have. You don't have
Speaker 7: any expectations. Charlemagne said it a lot about like his books, events,
Speaker 7: all of that, like people. I will hear people that
Speaker 7: are you excited about like the we just had the
Speaker 7: second annual Black Effect Podcast Festival when Atlanta, and someone's
Speaker 7: like you, are you excited?
Speaker 4: He was like, I mean, I have no expectations.
Speaker 7: It's either you know it was it was big, Like
Speaker 7: it turned out big last year. It's gonna do that
Speaker 7: this year. I mean, if it doesn't, it's like I
Speaker 7: like to have that. I like that mindset. I'm trying
Speaker 7: to get there. You can get the Girl's Coy show
Speaker 7: like you're ready, I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm always like that.
Speaker 3: People love you for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: And when you like really, I think take that in
Speaker 3: and hone it. It's just like I just gotta go
Speaker 3: up here and be myself.
Speaker 4: And I ended up doing it.
Speaker 7: I just can't ever be that calm before the show.
Speaker 3: Is the nerve? Yeah, I think that's could just you
Speaker 3: care though. Yeah, I still get like that before shows
Speaker 3: normally when I go on to show too easy and
Speaker 3: make me I'm like, yo, you too relaxed? Yeah, well
Speaker 3: mess up, So that just shows you care. I don't
Speaker 3: think that's too bad.
Speaker 6: So what pushed you to the point of wanting to live,
Speaker 6: you know, like this much in your truth and be
Speaker 6: this transparent.
Speaker 3: I wanted to grow, you know, I had gotten out
Speaker 3: a relationship when I started this project and healing from that.
Speaker 3: You you know, therapy, you realize it's never about the
Speaker 3: person's about you you. So once you like start to
Speaker 3: sit and ask yourself these questions trying to figure out
Speaker 3: how to heal from the relationship. The relationship is over with.
Speaker 3: It's just like, oh, what are the mirrors in front
Speaker 3: of me? What are the things about me that make
Speaker 3: me feel you know, incomplete or all the things? Why
Speaker 3: do I act like this when this happens. So it
Speaker 3: was like an onion. I was just peeling back, pelling back,
Speaker 3: peeling back, and I.
Speaker 2: Was just like crying, crying every time.
Speaker 3: Year was crazy. Yeah, a lot of solitude, a lot
Speaker 3: of tears, a lot of praying. And I have a
Speaker 3: beautiful village. So my homegirls would tell me, like, yo,
Speaker 3: you your next phase is you gotta let people see
Speaker 3: you the human party. You gotta be vulnerable. And so
Speaker 3: I love a good challenge. It was hard, uncomfortable, it
Speaker 3: was not fun, but the other side is so beautiful.
Speaker 3: So it's like that you really got to let yourself
Speaker 3: sit in the fire and burn. And some days I
Speaker 3: was like, man, am I gonna feel like this forever?
Speaker 3: But now.
Speaker 1: I was going to ask, like which specific experience led to,
Speaker 1: like the journey of self exploration and self acceptance.
Speaker 2: So it was a breakup. It's like my life album.
Speaker 3: Yes, it's a lot of my life, alle pieces of it.
Speaker 3: Your relationship was dope, though, Like I learned a lot
Speaker 3: in a relationship about even how to begin this journey.
Speaker 3: You know, they was back to back relationship. So I
Speaker 3: got out of a long one, I had a little
Speaker 3: time that got in another one.
Speaker 2: But the second one was just a rebound, really.
Speaker 3: You I mean, yes, that happened, but that that wasn't
Speaker 3: my my experience.
Speaker 4: It was.
Speaker 3: The one the relationship that impacted me the most. I
Speaker 3: wouldn't have become the person I am now without that relationship.
Speaker 3: So they gave me like the starter pack tools you know,
Speaker 3: to figure out. They say people come into your life
Speaker 3: for a reason, season or lifetime, and there was definitely
Speaker 3: reason in this. I think it could be multiple things.
Speaker 3: So yeah, you know, but once it was like now
Speaker 3: you're on your own, you by yourself.
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, I gotta do the work work,
Speaker 1: you know, is are you ready to answer those questions though,
Speaker 1: because this album is going to be having people ask
Speaker 1: a lot of questions.
Speaker 3: About Yeah, some things that I shared, Yeah, yeah, some
Speaker 3: things I'm okay with and some things I'm okay with,
Speaker 3: like I gave you what I gave you, some things
Speaker 3: a a metough, So you know, there's some things I'm
Speaker 3: okay with talking about and as others. It's just like
Speaker 3: you don't need to know the rest.
Speaker 6: You talked about unplugging, and you also talk about it
Speaker 6: on one of them days that you sampled Monica Bier sample.
Speaker 6: I kind of wanted to know what was the inspiration
Speaker 6: behind it. Did somebody like piss you off? And then
Speaker 6: you heard the record and you kind of like went
Speaker 6: to a daze, like talk to me about that?
Speaker 3: Nah? It was like having my conversation with my homegirls.
Speaker 3: She's my homegirl, ran a biddy, she was a poet
Speaker 3: this stuff. On Eve she was texting me, she was
Speaker 3: a list of things people need to know. What makes
Speaker 3: you mad, what makes you sad? Who you in love with?
Speaker 3: Do you like to have sex? Like she was?
Speaker 2: I was like, right, when you have too many friends?
Speaker 2: That you got too many friends? That's doing the works?
Speaker 4: Come on now, why like how you.
Speaker 3: I screenshot? And I was like, okay, So I'm in
Speaker 3: the studio writing on the white board. I'm like, what
Speaker 3: are all the things about me that people I want
Speaker 3: to share? And now was just Aquarius like very you know,
Speaker 3: personable person, but my social battery goes down really fast
Speaker 3: and I don't want to be the don't call me
Speaker 3: I want to talk you like that.
Speaker 4: I'm very much like that.
Speaker 7: I just had a conversation and they're like earlier in
Speaker 7: this episode like no, I don't like.
Speaker 3: It's turned off now. So it was just like, Okay,
Speaker 3: that's a part of me that I want to share.
Speaker 3: And especially too because of the pandemic, especially I spent
Speaker 3: so much time by myself and I was healing and
Speaker 3: my friends would hit me and I wouldn't probably would
Speaker 3: hit them back for eight months and yeah like eight months, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2: I was not quarantine.
Speaker 3: Yeah like nah, you know or if I did it? Yeah, No,
Speaker 3: I was not hitting people back. You had to be
Speaker 3: like in a really really really close circle for me
Speaker 3: to talk to you during that time.
Speaker 4: Gotcha.
Speaker 3: So and it was just like I heard the song,
Speaker 3: so I was like, Yo, that's the perfect flip because
Speaker 3: that's exactly how I feel like, don't take it personal.
Speaker 3: It's not personally, it's a me thing. And that's where
Speaker 3: that came from. Like I knew and I wanted it
Speaker 3: to feel feel good and not sad, because the very
Speaker 3: first version of this album was it was heavy and sad,
Speaker 3: and I was like, I don't want to make something
Speaker 3: that people can feel, but they don't want to go
Speaker 3: back to it because it's too heavy. So it was like,
Speaker 3: let's lighten it up.
Speaker 2: What was it like writing when you was unlearning?
Speaker 1: Like those habits and those beliefs and those behaviors that
Speaker 1: didn't serve you no more?
Speaker 3: Man, the writing was so easy, Like when I tell
Speaker 3: you things were poor, it was pouring out like it's
Speaker 3: probably the best writing I've ever done. And I think
Speaker 3: because I was healing and unplugged and just not have
Speaker 3: no expectations. I didn't write to have to prove anything,
Speaker 3: you know. Before it was like I'm trying to make
Speaker 3: my way in the game of trying to get the
Speaker 3: respect and all those things. And it's like, when you
Speaker 3: don't care no more, you can be profound. And I
Speaker 3: think that's somewhere the best music that you can make,
Speaker 3: you know what I'm saying, Like the simplest word. They
Speaker 3: don't have to have a crazy metaphor, but people connect
Speaker 3: with it. And I was like, because I was listening
Speaker 3: to Lawrence Unplugged a whole lot during this process, and
Speaker 3: I was just like, she don't have like a lot
Speaker 3: of crazy double ntag and all that, but the thing
Speaker 3: she's saying hitting because they just real it's profound lyricism,
Speaker 3: and I was like, dag, that's what I want to
Speaker 3: work on. But yeah, it was It was just easy
Speaker 3: because I knew myself too. When you're healing and you
Speaker 3: know exactly who you are and how you want to
Speaker 3: show up and like you're finding yourself again. I wasn't
Speaker 3: creating through anybody else's perception. Like earlier in my career,
Speaker 3: I had nine, I had grew, I had a beautiful village,
Speaker 3: and because I was so unsure and not confident, and
Speaker 3: you know, we was trying to figure out, like, yo,
Speaker 3: how we gonna get you to this next level? Like
Speaker 3: you know, they would be like, let's do a song
Speaker 3: about this, let's lie about this, and I'd be like, yeah, okay,
Speaker 3: that rap and it's nothing wrong with like the intention.
Speaker 3: It was beautiful and now it's just like it was
Speaker 3: just all me what you feel.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I love I love when rappers rap about things
Speaker 1: I've never heard before on records, right, So that's why
Speaker 1: I loved mister Ryland the big step of so much, Yo,
Speaker 1: I'm please don't cry. It the same way you got
Speaker 1: a song about dementia, which is something that impacts so
Speaker 1: many of us, Like we all have a loved one
Speaker 1: that you know, stuffering from dementia. I had dementia. Like
Speaker 1: what made you want to speak on that?
Speaker 3: Because it was it was such a big part of
Speaker 3: my life during that time. My aunt, who's my mom's sister,
Speaker 3: oldest sister, helped raise me. So just like all my
Speaker 3: aunt's like my second moms. So when she got diagnosed,
Speaker 3: it hit me like, yo, my grandmother had it, but
Speaker 3: you know, to to sit with somebody and see it progress,
Speaker 3: it was just it was like a It's like, it's
Speaker 3: just a big part of my life and it affects
Speaker 3: me so emotionally, and it was just like I want
Speaker 3: to talk about it, and because I do, know so
Speaker 3: many people that go through it, and that's just I
Speaker 3: was just everything I was feeling. I was just putting
Speaker 3: on paper, you know, And I think people need that,
Speaker 3: but that that's just what it was. Like. I think
Speaker 3: about her all the time, you know, every time I
Speaker 3: go home, that's the first place I go sometimes before
Speaker 3: I stop with my mom. And this last time I went,
Speaker 3: I was there for like four hours. We was talking, laughing.
Speaker 3: I think the last hour somebody came in the house
Speaker 3: and they was like, you know who that is? She
Speaker 3: was like I don't know. I was like, damn, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: it's tough. It's tough. And you know, I think about
Speaker 3: my cousins who's as her kids. So it was just like,
Speaker 3: you know, a story that I wanted to share, Like,
Speaker 3: if you want to know me, this is what I
Speaker 3: go with, This is what I go through when I'm
Speaker 3: with my family.
Speaker 2: Your grandma got to matory yea yeah.
Speaker 4: And that's why I say that definitely hurts out.
Speaker 7: My father gave my grandmother U birthday party and he
Speaker 7: DJs and he does karaoke and she loves to sing
Speaker 7: and dance and all of that stuff. Right, and I came,
Speaker 7: me and my little sister went and she ain't even
Speaker 7: know who I was like you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 7: She and I can you can tell? Yeah, because she
Speaker 7: don't greet me like that. You know, she called me
Speaker 7: Jade or or whatever, and she was just like, oh,
Speaker 7: how you how are you?
Speaker 4: How you doing? Just like I'm like, you know, a
Speaker 4: regular person.
Speaker 7: But then my dad, we like our favorite song to
Speaker 7: perform karaoke is Utfo rock sayning rock saying, so you
Speaker 7: put that on she she instantly knew who I was,
Speaker 7: and she came up. She said, where is Robin?
Speaker 4: Robin is my mother.
Speaker 7: I'm like, I've been here for two hours and you
Speaker 7: just now so I'm getting smart with her, but my
Speaker 7: grandmother is a fire crack.
Speaker 4: At the same time, She's like, yeah, where is your mother?
Speaker 4: Ad I don't want to see you. I want to
Speaker 4: see Robin. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 7: So I still treat it the same way, you know,
Speaker 7: because she wouldn't want me to treat her like, oh, Grandma,
Speaker 7: it's gonna be okay, Like we've never been like that.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 7: She still hard on me and all that type of stuff.
Speaker 7: But that to relate to that that it does hurt.
Speaker 4: It's like a.
Speaker 3: Hard, hard disease and go through like the mind goes
Speaker 3: and the memory. Yeah, you know, but same thing. My
Speaker 3: family is the same way. Like I remember the first time,
Speaker 3: like she was really doing things where I could really
Speaker 3: see it, because I could always see it before, but
Speaker 3: I was I remember the day and my other aunt
Speaker 3: came over and we were just talking about it. She
Speaker 3: just said she busts out laughing, you know, like talking
Speaker 3: to pictures or whatever. I like, I was in my feelings.
Speaker 3: She started laughing. She's like, girl, we got laugh to
Speaker 3: keep from crying. And that just changed me. Like so
Speaker 3: it's beautiful to see, like how the family takes care
Speaker 3: of her and we just whatever she on that day,
Speaker 3: we just all a part of it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: That's good and it makes it a little easier, but yeah,
Speaker 3: it's it's tough.
Speaker 2: Is it true? You credits and not late with helping you.
Speaker 3: Finishing it. She's singing, and I'm sany thin can sing,
Speaker 3: like yeah, yeah. And when I worked we worked on
Speaker 3: the movie On a Come Up in twenty twenty one,
Speaker 3: and she brought me on to help with the music
Speaker 3: and coach the actor. But I got to see how
Speaker 3: much of a music fan, especially hip hop, she was,
Speaker 3: because like I'd send her demos and stuff. She tell
Speaker 3: me about the beat and what she liked, and I
Speaker 3: was like, you know what you're talking about. You know,
Speaker 3: we talked about music a lot. But she was a
Speaker 3: big part of the healing process for one, right, you know,
Speaker 3: healing goals and phases. So she had put me onto
Speaker 3: this course it's called how to Bemagnetic dot com or whatever,
Speaker 3: and I did the course, and it was so instrumental,
Speaker 3: like meditation, like she helped me get through over the hump.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: So we was in New York at a premiere and
Speaker 3: she was always asking about the album because you know,
Speaker 3: we talked about pretty much everything. And she was like,
Speaker 3: you're not finished with it yet, just like everybody on
Speaker 3: the edit that like, I'm still not finished. She was like,
Speaker 3: what's taking so long. I was like, I don't know.
Speaker 3: I said, I feel like it's too gray, like I
Speaker 3: see music and color. Sometimes I don't know. I think
Speaker 3: it's too gray. It might be too sad, like I'm
Speaker 3: just overthinking it. I could do that sometimes, And so
Speaker 3: she was like, play me some songs. So I played
Speaker 3: like three or four songs and she was like, it's
Speaker 3: not too sad, It's exactly what people need. Finished the album.
Speaker 3: And because she said that, I was like, okay, and
Speaker 3: I finished the album. Other than I probably would still
Speaker 3: be recording right now.
Speaker 6: I believe I believe that you. I do love having
Speaker 6: Felicia on the project.
Speaker 2: I thought that was the full name.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yes, okay, I know what I.
Speaker 3: Was talking about.
Speaker 2: Sell it out.
Speaker 6: You have Felicia Rashad Narrate and I love on the
Speaker 6: intro the only way out is in?
Speaker 5: And do you even know who you are?
Speaker 6: I'm like, this project really takes you on a ride,
Speaker 6: but you having her narrate, I feel like it was
Speaker 6: so vital, just because as a black woman, you know,
Speaker 6: she's one of the ones that we looked.
Speaker 5: Up to do, to Cosby, even to night Lathan.
Speaker 6: I feel like, yeah, hell Erica, you got the holy
Speaker 6: girl black woman. You know what I'm saying on this album.
Speaker 6: So it's it's just been fire. But how did you
Speaker 6: connect with her?
Speaker 3: It was It was a lot easier than I thought
Speaker 3: because I was like, I think big, I'm gonna always
Speaker 3: go big, and I'm like all they can say is no.
Speaker 3: So I was just prepared. I would tell my manager.
Speaker 3: I was like, if she doesn't, we can't get hurt.
Speaker 3: And this person, this person, this person, back up. But
Speaker 3: my manager got information on her manager and they just
Speaker 3: she sent her a request and at first they were like,
Speaker 3: we want to hear some music. And I was busy
Speaker 3: at the time, but before I could even send it,
Speaker 3: it was two days when they went by. No.
Speaker 5: I didn't no, no, no, you That's not what happened.
Speaker 3: I was to get you know, the song. I'm trying
Speaker 3: to figure out what exactly the sender because the album
Speaker 3: went all the way done. So I was like, you know,
Speaker 3: I was moving around, so it was maybe two days later.
Speaker 3: I was traveling, but I think like they asked for
Speaker 3: the music, and then I think the next day she
Speaker 3: was just like yes, you know, I don't know if
Speaker 3: they google, I don't know what happened. But I was like,
Speaker 3: my mouth was on the floor. I was like what
Speaker 3: And so I wrote out the parts and sent them
Speaker 3: to her and she recorded it and she's so good,
Speaker 3: like I just I wrote out my part in her
Speaker 3: part and she did it on a voice memo in
Speaker 3: her hotel. But she's she's just so good, like you
Speaker 3: hear it. But I chose her for that, you know,
Speaker 3: for the very reason or what she represents to the
Speaker 3: black community. To us. I was watching The Matrix and
Speaker 3: I was so intrigued by the relationship of Neo and
Speaker 3: the Oracle. You know, it was like that was the
Speaker 3: journey I was on and how she got it him.
Speaker 3: So when we were in the studio and I was
Speaker 3: with Black Odyssey in Austin, Texas, they helped executive produce
Speaker 3: the album with us one, They were like, how are
Speaker 3: you gonna put pieces together? And that's what I thought of,
Speaker 3: And she was the only voice that I heard.
Speaker 2: So, so what's her color?
Speaker 1: When if you say the album was black and white
Speaker 1: at one or gray at one point, what was her
Speaker 1: color coloring it?
Speaker 3: She got to be like a brown, brown, orange, yellow, warm,
Speaker 3: very warm the light. That's that's what she represents.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, so what color is the song?
Speaker 5: Like Diary of a Mad that's red.
Speaker 3: I see blood, no hesitation, blood on the floor.
Speaker 1: Depressure of that record that you said. You know, people
Speaker 1: always like, oh, that's the stereotype.
Speaker 2: Angry black woman that you like owning that?
Speaker 3: Like, I got right, Yeah, we'd be mad sometimes when
Speaker 3: I was. I was, you know, one of the questions
Speaker 3: with what makes you mad lyon niggas, Like and I
Speaker 3: just thought about every relationship I've been in and there's
Speaker 3: be some lying niggas, and so I'd be balking before
Speaker 3: like I learned how to communicate or whatever, like you know,
Speaker 3: I'm super chill, but when I go there, I go there.
Speaker 3: And I was thinking about I was like, oh, I
Speaker 3: used to yell all the time. It cuts people out.
Speaker 3: I might throw a chair not at them when they leave,
Speaker 3: you know, Like so I was like, yo, this is
Speaker 3: And when I was creating this out, I created it differently.
Speaker 3: I would get on Pinterests and I would find pictures.
Speaker 3: It would be colors, palette sometimes or words or just photos.
Speaker 3: And with Diving Mad Uh Diary of a Mad Bitch,
Speaker 3: there were two photos. It was one of a dovermen
Speaker 3: growling and I was like, that's how I feel. Niggas
Speaker 3: be messing with me like that. And then it was
Speaker 3: one it had hands and honey was dripping down really
Speaker 3: slow and I was and I showed the honeymoon that
Speaker 3: s one. I was like, what does this sound like?
Speaker 3: And that's when he made the beat and it sounded
Speaker 3: so angry and aggressive. The drums he did them in reverse,
Speaker 3: so it sounds like it's sticky pulling. And I was like, oh,
Speaker 3: this is my mask song. Who I'm mad at? Nick's
Speaker 3: so yeah, I own that, I be mad, I'll be masked.
Speaker 6: I really like how you're using the Pinterest images to
Speaker 6: create the sound.
Speaker 5: I love a good move board too.
Speaker 3: I do that for everything.
Speaker 6: Anytime I got to like execute something, I need to see,
Speaker 6: you know, help and for the vision in order to execute.
Speaker 6: So that's that's dope. And also just outside from just
Speaker 6: the music, I love the interview that you did with Ericabadu,
Speaker 6: very very dope, and it's just it's just real, like
Speaker 6: you and her two people that like we can look
Speaker 6: up to and chime in and get like a direct
Speaker 6: reflection of us back. So seeing you guys have a
Speaker 6: conversation was dope. But what inspired you guys to have
Speaker 6: a three Am combo?
Speaker 3: To have the conversation that was really part of the rollout,
Speaker 3: like we did it in chapters. So got with the
Speaker 3: label to my management team and they were like, how
Speaker 3: are we gonna tell this story to the people? And
Speaker 3: we had a plan of like the singles we wanted
Speaker 3: to release. And I was sitting at home during the
Speaker 3: holidays and I I called Sherry. I was like, I'm
Speaker 3: the single plan we have, don't it doesn't feel good
Speaker 3: to me cause it was like raw. First, it was
Speaker 3: like everybody know I can rap. Like they got to
Speaker 3: see something different, they got to see the human part
Speaker 3: of me. And so I was like three Am has
Speaker 3: to be in there. You know. It was like rap
Speaker 3: is back ars unveiling which was standing tall and then
Speaker 3: Erica three Am was unconditional, you know, learning to love yourself.
Speaker 3: So we we knew, like it can't just be music
Speaker 3: like people like rap. People don't know about you, so
Speaker 3: they have to see you have conversations. And so we
Speaker 3: knew three Am was gonna come out, and we was like,
Speaker 3: we need to have a conversation piece about it. And
Speaker 3: she's so good to talk to. I felt like it
Speaker 3: was something to have for people to go back and
Speaker 3: reference because there's so many conversations now men this, women
Speaker 3: that and relationships and you know, it's just like, yo,
Speaker 3: what happened to just love? Even in music like a
Speaker 3: lot of sex songs? What about love? And that was it?
Speaker 3: Like I just knew, like, well that's the chapter. So
Speaker 3: that's that. That has to be the conversation. But Erica
Speaker 3: is so insightful and wise that I already knew she
Speaker 3: from Drop magim No from out of this World. Yeah
Speaker 3: that the.
Speaker 2: Room as queen mother goddess.
Speaker 4: Right there, I would cras me both.
Speaker 2: That's why you tweet no such thing as female hip hop?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't like that.
Speaker 2: What is that elaborate on that?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's just hip hop. Like somebody they try
Speaker 3: to rebottle me like, there are women who make songs
Speaker 3: specifically for women. That's called an audience, sir, audiences women,
Speaker 3: But what she does is hip hop. Like when you
Speaker 3: when you label something, labels are just there to separate us.
Speaker 3: So if you labeling it female hip hop and you're
Speaker 3: putting it in a category with this is just for females,
Speaker 3: and you're looking at it a certain way, it's like, no,
Speaker 3: they do hip hop, they rap, but their audience may
Speaker 3: be mostly women, you know, And and I just hate
Speaker 3: the separation and labels. It's already hard for us. It's
Speaker 3: just another form of sexism to yeah, you know, like
Speaker 3: I don't make female hip hop. I'll wrap for everybody.
Speaker 3: You get it or you don't. And my you know,
Speaker 3: my fan base shows that got men, women, older people,
Speaker 3: younger people. It's just that's what it is. So it's like,
Speaker 3: we're not about to do that, and I'm gonna advocate
Speaker 3: for it.
Speaker 1: You do address it a little bit on Asteroids because
Speaker 1: you said if I went basically got to be in
Speaker 1: the rape, if I had to dick. I feel that
Speaker 1: way too, So there's a lot of sexism still in
Speaker 1: it because I'm like, there's nothing that these guys are
Speaker 1: doing that Rhapsod is not doing better. You're not gonna
Speaker 1: tell me you don't listen to Rhapsody and just hear
Speaker 1: somebody barring motherfuckers up.
Speaker 3: Don't be trying to hear me because you don't got
Speaker 3: a dick, ain't got you, ain't got to hit.
Speaker 2: Hit of the dick.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna just be real with myself. It was superficial,
Speaker 3: like that stuff matter to them, you know, because it's
Speaker 3: they've been programmed to think that now that people people
Speaker 3: don't know how to think for themselves. So it's like
Speaker 3: if it ain't got mad numbers of chart and it
Speaker 3: don't matter.
Speaker 1: Like I disagree because they don't mention women in the
Speaker 1: greatest debates. Ni not she shouldn't be, but Nicki's not
Speaker 1: in the Golt debate. Lauren's not really in the goat debate.
Speaker 1: They acknowledge them being dope, but not like the dope
Speaker 1: dope rapidly they are.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's why we got to change that. You're out
Speaker 3: of here we in the debate. Baby. I just saw
Speaker 3: Lauren perform on Jimmy Fallon. She spent a verse. I
Speaker 3: was like, my god, when it was yeah, I don't
Speaker 3: know if it's gonna be on anything, but if you
Speaker 3: go on Jimmy Fallon, oh man, you just gotta go
Speaker 3: listen to the verse.
Speaker 2: What problems you to the address questions about your sexuality?
Speaker 2: Understand tall records, because it was.
Speaker 3: It would be conversations throughout the years of my career,
Speaker 3: and so it was like things that I internalized to
Speaker 3: like the way that I dress or whatever. People assume
Speaker 3: things about you or because you have you don't know
Speaker 3: who I've been in relationship. I'm private, so they just
Speaker 3: assume who you are. So it's just like, let me
Speaker 3: just address it head on. Then you know you hear
Speaker 3: it from me.
Speaker 2: You said the judgment saw me.
Speaker 1: They wonder if I'm gonna eat the Kouchie fan all
Speaker 1: because I choose the style and sneakers and some baggy
Speaker 1: pants used to make me aggie. You want to blackout
Speaker 1: like the Aggie fans.
Speaker 2: I heard that line.
Speaker 4: I thought about not yo, of course you did.
Speaker 3: You. Of course you did the same, same, same, That's
Speaker 3: what I'm yo. I'd be like, it's like if you
Speaker 3: dress like this, oh you do not like men because
Speaker 3: you're not catering to men of what we think or
Speaker 3: what we think men want to be catered to, and
Speaker 3: now the conversation I'll be seeing men having it, like yo,
Speaker 3: we miss having some imagination about it.
Speaker 4: Do you hear me?
Speaker 7: That's why I'm like, Yo, Y're gonna show us everything
Speaker 7: somewhere listening to the man if with these new you know,
Speaker 7: newer brands of women are trying to uppeal the men
Speaker 7: all the time, listen to them. They don't always want
Speaker 7: to get online and see titties and are listening and
Speaker 7: misplace belly buttons and all that, Like they.
Speaker 3: Don't want to see that all the time.
Speaker 7: Like I'd rather not even see a stomachies.
Speaker 4: Like you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: I feel like more.
Speaker 6: Difficult to be taken seriously when you were trying, like
Speaker 6: if they're focused on trying to get with me or
Speaker 6: trying to bag me or like you know what I mean.
Speaker 5: So I would rather just be the bro.
Speaker 6: I rather look at me and just want to push
Speaker 6: me forward to what I'm actually trying to achieve.
Speaker 5: And you're trying to.
Speaker 7: Be the sexiest ever, like when you are out of bro,
Speaker 7: but when you are like in your most natural element,
Speaker 7: like you know what I'm saying, You're not caked up,
Speaker 7: You're not like that is naturally pretty to me, Like
Speaker 7: you naturally pretty to me. That's how I dress on stage.
Speaker 7: And I can bake anything in the show, you know,
Speaker 7: but they want me to be a stud real bad.
Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying, shut up.
Speaker 2: Showing three four to cloth. That was showing your stuff off,
Speaker 2: Like that was.
Speaker 3: You fly as hell. I'm gonna affirm that to you.
Speaker 3: And yeah, and it's it's not even just in music.
Speaker 3: Like I hear women in the business they say, like
Speaker 3: I sometimes I cover up just so I can go
Speaker 3: in the meeting. We can have a straight on meeting.
Speaker 3: I ain't about to do that. But yeah, it's just
Speaker 3: like everything is a full displays. Like you know, I
Speaker 3: like to I like to have you guessing, like you know,
Speaker 3: the days we do want to pop out and be.
Speaker 5: Like damn, like yeah, let that reaction.
Speaker 3: So it's you know, it's yeah, and it's not comfortable.
Speaker 3: I like to be comfortable and just be real with them.
Speaker 3: Hills hurt my.
Speaker 6: But you know, also it's like a weird it's a
Speaker 6: weird like social pressure because it's like, all right, in
Speaker 6: the workplace, you got to be respected, but then like
Speaker 6: with your homegirls, you know, you still want to embrace
Speaker 6: your into femininity. But then you know, with a black household,
Speaker 6: it's like, whatever you do, don't be a whole, don't
Speaker 6: look like a whole, don't embarrass me like a whole,
Speaker 6: don't do anything, you know what I mean. So it's
Speaker 6: just like, all right, how do I juggle not embarrassing you,
Speaker 6: but being myself but still embracing like my femininity that
Speaker 6: I'm growing into, you know. So I like how you
Speaker 6: talk about it, because it is a journey, you know,
Speaker 6: to get through. No, but just don't act like black parents,
Speaker 6: because I'm sure you just to like, I'm sure it's
Speaker 6: too short change not yet.
Speaker 2: I haven't had to say that yet.
Speaker 5: No, yeah, it's coming.
Speaker 6: It's in your back pocket, I know.
Speaker 1: To say, that's how people are going to perceive.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think you're gonna I think, no, you you're
Speaker 6: gonna jump out the window and say you're dressed like
Speaker 6: a whole. Say you know what, baby, I don't want
Speaker 6: you to think your whole, but you know, other people, Yes.
Speaker 1: That's it's how I dress. I would say something like that,
Speaker 1: you know, but that's not a part of him.
Speaker 3: No, no, no, no, no, No, I don't think so. No.
Speaker 6: I was just saying, like all the pressures from different
Speaker 6: capacities and then trying to balance it and figure out
Speaker 6: who you are throughout that.
Speaker 4: Because you want to be respected. You want to be respected.
Speaker 7: Even the women who don't, I mean, like who go
Speaker 7: to extra out of show all, they want to be respected.
Speaker 7: They just want to fit in so bad, you know,
Speaker 7: and keep up with what you know they think is
Speaker 7: the standard.
Speaker 4: You know what I'm saying. But they just be wanting
Speaker 4: in respect.
Speaker 6: But you know, it's hard to have both. You know, women,
Speaker 6: it's hard to have attention and respect.
Speaker 5: It's hard to.
Speaker 6: Get attention and respect at the same time.
Speaker 5: It's like you got to pick. Well, that's how I feel.
Speaker 5: What do you think.
Speaker 3: I think it's it's easy. You just have to know
Speaker 3: who you are and show up as that confidently. You
Speaker 3: know people people can see that and they respect it
Speaker 3: and they attracted to it. That's what I think.
Speaker 7: You know, Like, it's not I need to be respected
Speaker 7: straight off the rep you know. And and what was
Speaker 7: that when you said and it's a girl, big attention
Speaker 7: with respect.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I just said that the same.
Speaker 6: There are some people who might show a lot more
Speaker 6: and get a lot more.
Speaker 3: To what kind of attention I guess is the question
Speaker 3: that's true. You know what I'm saying, what type of
Speaker 3: attention are you looking for? And that that changes the answer. Yeah,
Speaker 3: good point.
Speaker 4: Very excited about your packaging. Your promotion is crazy.
Speaker 7: Always got a creative way to appeal to your fans,
Speaker 7: like when she does past the and she we always
Speaker 7: have your music show. We're saying it was like show
Speaker 7: tell us, like little creative ways that you be like.
Speaker 4: Like that one time.
Speaker 7: Yeah, like the shirt, Yeah, the T shirt. Like I'm like, okay,
Speaker 7: that's creative. Shiit she that's dope. That's how you really
Speaker 7: know who youre connected to as well, like your fans
Speaker 7: are really loyal to you.
Speaker 3: It's one of my favorite things about putting out an album,
Speaker 3: Like the music is of course, but then it's like,
Speaker 3: all right, that part is fun, like with how we
Speaker 3: gonna roll this out with this one. I watched the
Speaker 3: movie Air. I don't know if you've seen it. No,
Speaker 3: it's it's about yeah, it's about yesterday.
Speaker 4: I'm sorry.
Speaker 3: I was so inspired by the branding and marketing of it,
Speaker 3: and it was just like it ain't about the shoe
Speaker 3: it's about the person wearing the shoe. I was like,
Speaker 3: I called the team. I was like, I want to
Speaker 3: roll this out like a Nike ad for a shoe,
Speaker 3: but with the album, how we gonna do that? And
Speaker 3: you know, we really want it again, Like I was
Speaker 3: in the place of like free, like I'm not worried
Speaker 3: about Billboard or nothing like that. It's just like, let's
Speaker 3: just focus on the fan base. So you know, we
Speaker 3: just made them up part of it, and we just
Speaker 3: told the story from that way, just being organic and
Speaker 3: the ideas were just flowing. My mind worked like that.
Speaker 3: I can't explain it. But yeah, I'm glad people are
Speaker 3: being filmed too.
Speaker 4: I can see that. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1: I just guys, got a couple more questions. I love
Speaker 1: to stand tall record and I understand Tall records. You
Speaker 1: talk about the challenges of living with anxiety, yeah, and
Speaker 1: the difficulty in finding effective solutions because you even mentioned
Speaker 1: how the doctors struggled to identify what was what was
Speaker 1: even your issue here?
Speaker 3: Well, they identified it, I just didn't accept it. It
Speaker 3: was a journey. Like I have Graves disease and thyroid
Speaker 3: disease and I was diagnosed in two thousand and nine ten.
Speaker 3: But before that, probably from when I graduated high school
Speaker 3: uptil maybe I was late twenties. I would wake up
Speaker 3: out of my sleep running for the door, like because
Speaker 3: I felt like, I like, I can't breathe, I'm about
Speaker 3: to die. Somebody gonna find me because I'm not about
Speaker 3: lay in his bed like. I would just get anxious,
Speaker 3: and it got worse and worse, and it was one
Speaker 3: day I just I had lost like fifteen pounds. I
Speaker 3: got down to one hundred and ten pounds. It wasn't
Speaker 3: exercise and eating whatever I wanted, having more panic attacks,
Speaker 3: and so I was diagnosed. And I used to think
Speaker 3: the anxiety came from there. They'd be like, don't drink caffeine,
Speaker 3: you know, to make it right. And I'm doing all
Speaker 3: these yeah, and I'm doing all these things, and I'm
Speaker 3: you know, I'm still getting anxious. Like now, it's just
Speaker 3: not at night. I could just be driving somewhere and
Speaker 3: it would just hit me. And you know, when you
Speaker 3: have anxiety, if you feel like you're really about to die, yes,
Speaker 3: I would go to yard, called it the ambulance, and
Speaker 3: they'd be like, nothing's wrong with you. Go take a
Speaker 3: tones's gas or it's just anxiety. Do you want anxiety medication?
Speaker 3: I'd be like, no, I'm not taking that. And it
Speaker 3: got to a point where it was just like I
Speaker 3: have to that doesn't work. So I had to figure
Speaker 3: out a way to calm myself down instead of working
Speaker 3: on myself mentally. It would be like I'm gonna drive
Speaker 3: to the ear. I'm gonna just sit in the parking
Speaker 3: lot until I calm down. Because for me, it was like,
Speaker 3: at least if it's really something happening, you're right there.
Speaker 3: So I would do these things. And a friend of
Speaker 3: mine they were like they were with me when I
Speaker 3: had a panic attack on time, and they were like,
Speaker 3: it's nothing's happening to you. You don't understand how strong
Speaker 3: and powerful your mind is. You're creating that, like when
Speaker 3: you think about it, you create physical responses. And you know,
Speaker 3: I sat with him. I'm just you know, they sent
Speaker 3: me youtubes and I watch youtubes about it. Your mind
Speaker 3: is powerful, solid. First I had to accept that, right,
Speaker 3: and I think once you accept it, then you gain
Speaker 3: your power back. So I haven't had a panic attack
Speaker 3: since probably mid twenty twenty. And it was not only
Speaker 3: getting my mind right and elevating my consciousness and awareness.
Speaker 3: I was exercising every day. I changed my diet. I
Speaker 3: stopped eating pork. I don't eat beef for maybe like
Speaker 3: once or twice a year, you know, drinking a lot
Speaker 3: more water. And now I can feel one coming on,
Speaker 3: but it don't even get there because I already tell
Speaker 3: myself what's happening, and it don't even affect. Yeah, so
Speaker 3: I haven't had one since.
Speaker 2: That's why you said in the rap. You can believe
Speaker 2: what you choose.
Speaker 3: Yep ye. You create your own experiences.
Speaker 2: And I just noticed this we eat, we eat each other,
Speaker 2: that's your label.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I.
Speaker 3: Wasn't ready to announce it.
Speaker 2: Each other Jambling rock Nation.
Speaker 3: I'm like, oh yeah, artist.
Speaker 2: Album, right, yeah, but.
Speaker 3: It's okay, it's now. I could still have my moment
Speaker 3: when that time comes. But yes, I started. This is
Speaker 3: my last album on Jamling Records, and that's my family forever.
Speaker 3: But it got to a point where I felt like,
Speaker 3: you know, I've learned so much. I feel like I
Speaker 3: reached the ceiling. And it's like you leave the nest
Speaker 3: many times over in life. You know, you get eighteen,
Speaker 3: leave the home, you leave the nest, and I feel
Speaker 3: like you do it many times over. So you know,
Speaker 3: I told going Knife, I was like, I think it's
Speaker 3: time for me, you know, to try this on my own.
Speaker 3: So I have a business partner, Andre Mego, who's also
Speaker 3: an artist, and our first artist that we signed together
Speaker 3: is Nico brim Nao love it. Yeah, So I'm excited to,
Speaker 3: you know, introduce that more to the world.
Speaker 5: That's why he got his own interlude on the projects.
Speaker 3: While he has project Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well big ceo rap you know what I mean. It's
Speaker 1: a pleasure. Thank you for your time as always.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank y'all for making space for me, thank
Speaker 3: you for always saying my name your like. I appreciate the.
Speaker 2: Love absolutely, Please don't cry.
Speaker 1: It's out right now and it's rhap City y'all. It's
Speaker 1: the Breakfast Club.