WEBVTT - Sam Hook 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:06.120 R and B Money. We are. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:13.880 Thank take about the child. We are the authorities on 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:17.280 ladies and gentlemen. 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:20.160 My name is Tank Valentine and this is the R 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.720 and B Money Podcast, the authority. 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:31.880 On all things R and B. No, no, look, you 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:33.000 have started. 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:35.680 We got song right. 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:39.800 That it's the highest level. I'm not gonna do along 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:41.680 that you today. I want to get bright to the ship. 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.080 Give it up for Sam Hook n the building. 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:47.120 You got a songwriter name, a songwriter name? 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:50.200 Did you name yourself? Sam Hook? 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:51.560 And we're starting off. 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:52.480 I'm starting there. 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.279 Yeah, let's get to it. So I was doing I 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:59.600 was in a singing group. We was like fifteen, sixteen 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:02.400 years old. He was in New York in South was 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:07.039 on park doing rap rap hooks for these like gangster niggas. 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.279 A nigganame facing a nigga named grim Face and Grim 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:12.679 so Grim was scarier to me. 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:13.800 It sounds like young. 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:17.080 I went in the booth because I'm sure that's Grim 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:20.600 Grim Reap. Yeah, I'm sure, sure. Yeah. I went in 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:24.400 the booth, came out and some was like, y'all Sam 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:27.319 cooked this nigga, Sam Hook. I looked at him. I 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:29.040 was like, I'm keeping that name and I'm blocking him 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:33.399 on everything, like thank God, like he gave himself, like 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:35.600 he's a he turned his life around. Today he's the 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.120 big homie still. But I always thought I would have 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:40.440 owed him some type of paper. 0:01:40.400 --> 0:01:44.200 So him on some like on some comedy on some 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:47.280 comedy type. Ship was like, man, I knows he ain't 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:48.880 no Sam Cook, niggas Sam Hook. 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:51.560 Yeah, facts, he was like I heard it. 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:55.760 I was like, this is every name he gave you, 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:57.120 a cold name. Shout out to Grim. 0:01:57.160 --> 0:01:58.800 Do you ever give out that? 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:03.040 Just just for check some not my credits read Samuel 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:11.000 sam Hook, Jehane. 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:11.280 Because it got expensive again. 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:17.840 I read that more than anything. 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.720 I was about to say, I leave with that. Hey ladies, Hey, 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:34.120 it's always that, Hey ladies, Samuel Jean, bitch, Samuel John. 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:39.880 Can I help you with anything that we got? 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:41.760 Like the fourth member of the fojis. 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:47.880 Here, Sam, Let's go back to New York man, let's 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:48.960 go back there. 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:49.320 We're going. 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:53.200 Let's go back to the beginning, before before the gangsters 0:02:53.680 --> 0:03:00.400 held you hostage, before Grim held you hostage for hooks. 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:00.880 How did you. 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:05.280 Even get to a point where that was something that 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:08.840 you knew you could do or where you started My 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:09.359 older brother. 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:12.520 He wanted to sing, and to me still to this day, 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:13.239 it's my idol. 0:03:13.680 --> 0:03:14.440 Yeah, so. 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:18.360 Legit. I see him in the mirror singing, practicing, how 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.080 he looks singing in church, and I wanted I wanted 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:23.320 he singing in high school. He's doing everything and he's 0:03:23.320 --> 0:03:25.760 getting the girls for it. And to me, his snigger 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:27.880 was Michael Jordan. It's like he couldn't do no wrong. 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:30.000 So I wanted to be like him. I would go 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.280 to school and like sing to girls or you know, 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.040 stuff like that. And it started unfolding to where it 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:38.280 was like, I want to do this for myself. 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:39.800 But when did you know you had a voice? Did he? 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:40.880 Did he tell you. 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:44.360 I practiced on girls. I could sing to a girl, 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:45.440 and that was. 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:47.920 That if she if she gave you a certain reaction, 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.560 that mirror the reaction that your brother was getting, then 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:52.800 you knew you had a little bit. 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:56.160 It was quiet. Yeah, So it started young, started writing 0:03:56.160 --> 0:04:00.160 poetry and if I needed a song and sing right 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:03.160 one and then you'd write one. Yeah, I didn't even 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:04.680 look at it like a songwright. Now I needed a 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:05.200 song to sing? 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:07.880 And what what grade is this that you're just writing? 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:08.960 Fifth grade? 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:10.840 So you needed a. 0:04:10.840 --> 0:04:13.240 Song that I was with a crew, So we all 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:19.760 practiced together in fifth grade, Yeah, fifth, sixth seventh, y'all 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.880 was moving with an intention way too early. Yeah, no, 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:24.359 it's not way too early. 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:25.920 But you got to grade. 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:29.440 You have to find your advantages. Fifth grade, you have 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:30.279 to find your advantage. 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:34.560 I was fast, that was my advent. That was sure, girl, 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.360 how fast you want to race? 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:41.960 I don't know how that works for you. I think 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:43.800 you had to get in your talent show first to 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.800 really get to it. In fact, it's hard not to 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:50.120 ask y'all when y'all started. But this is my interview, right. 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:56.200 Yeah, this is well, I've always been doing this in 0:04:56.240 --> 0:04:58.920 some form of fashion. I was in church achoired as 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:00.640 a baby, so that's that's what mine started. 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.000 So yeah, we are you know for me church as well? 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:06.400 Yeah yeah, But I think my question is, like in 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:09.599 fifth grade, right when you're saying, hey, we have a crew, 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.240 let's write these songs and all of these things, what 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:14.200 are the things or who are the people that you're 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:16.960 looking at to make you even desire to do that, 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:19.760 The things that are inspiring you to go in that direction. 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:23.080 It's whatever my brother liked, I liked if he loved 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:25.440 Brian McKnight, I love Roan McKnight. If he loved boy Man, 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:29.599 I love boys Man. That was a great artist too. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.560 I don't think I ever found the passion for music 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.040 because it wasn't right, and that was my passion. It 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:38.880 was wanting to be like my brother. So I don't 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:42.919 think I ever found the passion for it until like later. 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:45.919 It was my way in. It was my language that 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.080 I could speak other than doing dumb shit that that 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:49.960 people respected. 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:56.039 What about high school do you do? You do you 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:57.360 find something. 0:05:57.000 --> 0:06:02.440 That that that gives you a little bit more confidence 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:06.200 in terms of standing outside of your brother and believing 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:08.640 it's more you than high school. 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:12.120 I was a knucklehead, so it wasn't music. We would 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.400 practice it. So I was born in Brooklyn, raised in 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:17.960 Long Island. So my team we had it was four 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:21.520 of us. Team was called Gemini three Geminis, but we 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:23.520 lied into it. All four of us was and those 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.159 are my brothers still to this day. After school we 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:29.000 would go practice, go right. But then it was like 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:31.560 a whole other side of me just doing dumb shit. 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:36.599 So high school was mostly doing the dumb shit, practicing 0:06:36.600 --> 0:06:38.280 in my group and then going out to Brooklyn and 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:39.800 doing like talent shows and shit like that. 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.120 Did you win any those sound shows? 0:06:42.240 --> 0:06:44.960 Yeah, yep, we was like one twelve. 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:47.440 Is that money involved? 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:51.080 Short shit? Like yeah, three five hundred dollars type thing? 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:54.600 And what are your what are your parents thinking at 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:55.000 this time? 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:57.880 Are they are they seeing you and being like, oh, 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.080 this is special or are they just like, Okay, this 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.839 is just kind of his brother did it, He's gonna 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:06.320 do it. And I'm just asking because did your brother 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:07.680 ever do anything professionally? 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:12.320 He definitely started to okay okay, and then had a 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:15.280 baby and you know, turned into a farther money into business. 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:19.480 But my parents support wise, they didn't think it was 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:21.480 real until I moved out. So I moved out sixteen 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:24.920 years old and it was like I remember, oh, so 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:28.040 shout out to my nigga los So, a person I 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:30.720 grew up in church with in Brooklyn changed my life. 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.000 So he was one of the first people to believe 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:37.120 in me with his own pocket. That's your first investor, 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:42.480 first investor, first like promoter, first manager. That's my brother. 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:42.800 Yeah. 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:46.960 I owe him like crazy. So he lived in Jersey, 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:49.360 but we'd always travel to Brooklyn. We in Brooklyn all 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:54.800 the time for church, and so he started bringing me 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.080 out to Jersey. That's where I would meet like people 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.400 related to why cleft and I'm fifteen years old, sixteen 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.360 years old meeting everybody he knows in Jersey. He had 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:07.200 attended high school with jay Z's nephew colleague, who ended 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:11.080 up passing away, and colleague was starting a group called 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:15.040 G and B Getting Money Boys. Right, College's best Friends 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:18.920 was back in Brooklyn and the star Korean study Los 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.960 introduced me to Korean Star in study. So now I'm 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:23.800 in New York and I got a team in New 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:25.760 York and I don't got to travel out to Jersey 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:28.680 so much. I'm part of GMB sixteen years old. The 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:31.560 group was over by the end, and they have me 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:34.720 going to tom Square singing for girls, you know, sing 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:37.600 on the train like they would put me through practice 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:41.720 to be a singing artist development. And so I'd always 0:08:41.720 --> 0:08:44.360 be in Brooklyn mccooran study, always being Brooklyn mccorean study 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.959 and college. Before he passed away, he got his girlfriend, 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:52.880 I'm not gonna say a name. He's got his girlfriend pregnant, right, 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:56.040 so while she was pregnant, Korean study who was like 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:59.480 god going to be the godfather. They'd always be with her, 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:01.440 taking care of her. So I show up and we 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:05.320 all became crew and it was like GMB. One day 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:09.480 we at Danielle's crab and a lady walks in and 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:11.480 I think I was sitting too close to Danieller. So 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.480 Danielle was full blown pregnant, so she ain't know what 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.080 Tommy was. She never seen me before, so she's like, yo, 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:20.320 who's this. I'm like, I'm saying, who are you right? 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.559 And she was like, I'm Annie on Annie to you, 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:26.079 So I didn't know what was going on. Who that was. 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:28.280 She had bags in the hand, she walked to the 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:30.079 back of the house. Cory Study is like, yo, bro, 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:35.520 that's that's that's whole sister. So that day we all 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:38.000 end up eating hot dogs I'm way too young, drinking 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:41.360 Heinnekens with chilling making jokes. I'll sing for Annie, and 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:45.200 we all like chilling right, Corey and Studied made me 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:48.440 sing for anybody that walked in. It could be somebody, grandmother, 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.040 they could be you know whoever. If they knew that person, 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:53.320 then I had the talent. They showed it. So at 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:55.640 the end of the night, Annie was like, yo, Dan yell, 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:58.320 I love him, invite him to the baby shop, and 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:02.679 so that baby shower. A few months later, I went 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:04.760 to the baby shower my parents. I got my parents 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:07.440 and get me like a family bible, you know, in 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:10.400 scripted with her name on it as a gift. I 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:12.520 went to the baby shower, and that's when I meet 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:17.920 everybody that initially keeps like like changing my life. So 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:21.280 it's all the It's Jay's nephews, mel Ro, It's uh 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:26.880 Tata's son, Spanky nephews, Ravel, like the whole squad like 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:30.720 and then they had my niggas JD. I wrote to me, Uh, 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:34.200 everybody was in the basement and so uh Korean study 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:36.960 like they always do. They was like Yo Sam sing 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:40.600 and I had three songs on no beats, right. I 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:42.679 had a song about weed, a song about shoes, and 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:46.120 a song for girls. Right this shit you like, Yeah, 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.400 the song about shoes. The main lyrics like I like them, 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:52.120 like I like my shoes clean, but never tats. And 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:53.280 so when I was seeing that ship, they. 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:55.839 Went crazy, Yeah I. 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:57.760 Like them like I like my shoes clean, but never 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:01.920 tied to loose. Right, So it was it was and 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:04.280 then the weeds so and they went crazy over I 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:08.160 started selling we like twelve years old, so everything that 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:12.920 I was singing about was really yeah. So they all 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:14.679 took a liking to me. We all chilling, we all 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:16.360 laugh and we in the basement. All the grown ups 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:18.439 is upstairs. It's like, yo, you want to be down 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:20.920 with NBH. I look at Core and study like we 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:24.240 GMB the niggas like Nigga say yes, And so I 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:27.000 said yes. And that was the last time I went 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:30.880 home to live with my parents. So it was eleventh 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:34.480 grade and I stayed in Jersey. I was already always 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:38.080 going out to Jersey the lowest crib and sleeping over 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:40.400 his mom, calling my mom like Yo, what's Sami doing 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.640 over here? Or just so you know Sammy's okay, you say, 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:45.280 if he's over here. But that time was that's the 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:50.760 last of it. And so I was sneak into mel 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.040 and Ral. They would sneak me into their crib and 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:56.040 have me inside the crib because I had nowhere to go, 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:58.680 Nigga out here homeless with like anouncer and a half 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:01.760 selling dubs. You see I'm saying, so I would just 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:04.839 make sense every time anybody see me, I'm helping I'm working, 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:07.480 I'm helping. I'm working. Los is helping me out. And 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:09.360 if I need to close, Los got me. If I 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:11.840 need the money, Lows got me. Loos would go to 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:16.320 work to support my dream. Yeah, that's my brother. And 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:20.240 so it took like two three months for on Mickey 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:25.920 now Uh Meli's mother uh to come downstairs. And I 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:28.360 wasn't making no sense. Now I'm lagging mad comfortable. 0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:30.120 Now you up. 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:34.280 She looked look at in my face. She's like, Sam, 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.199 where do you live? I looked at her in her 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:41.960 crib and said here, So everybody starts dying laughing, and 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:43.640 she was like, nigga, how old are you? And I 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.080 told her my age. I'm like, I'm might be seventeen block. 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:48.400 It was like, you understand what we can get in 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:51.199 trouble black And then they found me, you're not going 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:53.880 to school at this point either. Now I'm waking going. 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.319 I'm waking up four and five am, taking the New 0:12:56.400 --> 0:13:00.760 Jersey Transit to the Path Train to the UH or 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.839 the Path Train to UH Penn station in Manhattan, or 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.880 Jay Train all the way to Jamaica Q four or 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:09.760 the Dollar in to my neighborhood and going to school 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:12.800 and night school because I was left back in everything. 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:16.720 You're a hustle right now at sixteen. 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:21.400 Yeah, it's crazy. They found me a room to rent 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:25.160 at that age, and my man Boge, it was our barber, 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.000 his mother rented me a room for five point fifty 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.800 So sixteen years old, twenty years ago. This is when 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:36.640 my bills started. And uh saying he at the street 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:40.240 money that and lower. I'll never take him out the store. Yeah, 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:42.800 because I fucked my reup up, I'm good for that. 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:47.960 At that end, we've all yeah, I just had really 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:56.600 really forgiving big home. But man, this man makes sure 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.400 I can Yeah, I mean I could get back. Oh yeah, 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:00.680 looking it off. 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:02.320 That was it. 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:05.079 It was selling bud and relying on lootse and then 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:07.959 relying on the squad. Everybody took me in like yo, 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.520 they needed to because I'm the only one there without 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.880 so their mom say you had to go after that 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:18.360 day immediately, But that same day they that same day 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:20.840 somebody was like, I think Bow's mom is renting the 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:23.520 room and that was it, and I moved in over there. 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:26.560 How far was she from where you were already standing blocks? 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:28.600 Oh okay, got it, gotta got it. 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:31.920 Blocks for kids right, whole neighborhoods for us today, Like 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.280 I would never walk that today, but I was trooping. 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:35.760 I ain't learn how to drop since until I was 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:37.920 twenty four out here, but they made sure that you 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:40.920 stay close because yeah, I was true, I was true. 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.080 He's in the sky to make sure he's me and 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.560 rote to me. And there was a female artist who 0:14:47.000 --> 0:14:49.320 after I got evicted from Boscript for not paying the rent, 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.000 her and the family, Alexis Kiki Ak. She and her 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.600 mom took me into their crib for like eight months. 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.000 My man Monty had my clothes on his porch the 0:14:58.000 --> 0:15:01.040 whole eight months. Like I was getting taken care of 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:05.440 by my crew. That's incredible. And we would be in 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:10.720 the studio, we rinding, Oh everybody's kids though, yeah, everybody 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:15.280 is two thousand and six, eighteen years old. So I 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:19.000 turned seventeen there, turned eighteen there, and then mid eighteen 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:21.920 or before that. So like my first meeting in life 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:24.280 is the whole crew is like, yo, we're going up 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.080 to the whole script. We're gonna perform. 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:26.360 Fans. 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:28.520 They gave us like a day's notice. We all pulled 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.760 up before that. Hol's nephews would my space was lit 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.160 for us because whole nephews would get the rocker feller change. 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:36.720 We all be able to my Space picture it up 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:39.880 or do a performance with rock chains all. You couldn't 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.240 tell me I didn't have a contract nigga, especially in 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:45.480 my neighborhood niggas I was out. I was that nigga 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:48.680 and so. But the truth that was really happening is 0:15:48.720 --> 0:15:51.200 we barred in these changs and were stunted. Yeah, but 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.880 first meeting was at whole script. So me wrote Timmy 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.000 Jay Dot, I don't want to leave nobody out, the 0:15:57.000 --> 0:15:59.720 whole crew. We all we all went up there, We 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.480 all formed our songs. I only had one song recorded 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:04.240 that we played for him that day. And then I said, 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:05.720 they want me to sing a cappella. I sang now 0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:08.600 a coppella and whole tap my ma and Manti like 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:14.200 he got it. And so that day was like inspirational, 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:16.120 but it was like Yo, at the end of the meeting, 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:18.760 it's not like we got signed. Hope said, y'all don't 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:22.440 do nobody no favors. He was like, so, don't think 0:16:22.440 --> 0:16:24.160 you about to get a favorite. Let you name reach mine. 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:29.160 I throw your boone exact verbata and so I remember 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:31.640 being in there like one, I'm looking around like this 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.880 is what could happen if you really really grind. And 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.200 then two, I'm like, yo, where did this nigga? There 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:39.840 was a secret door that somebody who worked for him 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:42.720 came out of with pizza. It's like, we in this 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:44.800 room right now, and you didn't see a door some 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:48.280 way somebody came outside with pizza. And so I remember 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:50.880 just looking at it like, you know, being inspired, but 0:16:50.920 --> 0:16:53.520 also saying being hungry, like yo, he said, let our 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:57.160 name reach his, you're gonna throw some bomb. And so 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:00.560 grind time for us. It was like, yo, it's time 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:04.280 for us to turn up. One, I'm outside like I'm 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:07.320 living in somebody's basement. It's not easy for me and 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:11.040 my parents. I love my parents to death because they 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:14.320 don't play that one spoil uh you know, one spoiled? 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:17.480 What do they say? One rotten apple and a bunch. 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:20.879 So at the time I would be against them. I 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:22.880 was like my dad's arch nemesis and everything you don't 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:24.879 want for a son if you're a pastor, you know, 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.960 or especially if you're past pastor. Today is my best friend. 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:31.800 But back then I was just arch nemesis, like I 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:35.600 was not the one, and so I wasn't going back there. 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.920 So it was like, yo, it's either up or or 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:43.679 like I I got nothing else to do college. I 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:47.560 never even thought about that shit. So we kept on grinding, 0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:50.879 kept on grinding. The group started to like grow up 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:53.400 and grow out of being a group. So I moved 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:56.760 to Lower East Side, Manhattan, sixth Street and Avenue D. 0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:00.439 We was renting a we were subletting, the cribbing the 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:04.359 projects right and my man, my brother's older my brother's 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:06.520 man's had me paying the whole rent, but he was 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:08.959 telling me that I was paying half. I'm not eighteen 0:18:09.040 --> 0:18:12.320 years old. So when I found out, I was heeded. 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:16.840 So I take a Greathound out to Georgia and that's 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:20.400 my first time, second time going to Georgia to visit 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:23.520 my older brother. He was out in Augusta, Georgia. And 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:26.400 while I'm out there visiting my man, fifth a trive 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:29.440 who from high school moved to Atlanta. He was two 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:32.640 hours away in Atlanta from Augusta. He calls me, He's like, yo, 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.920 you gotta see Atlanta. And I've never been in atl before. 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:36.840 What year is this? 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:42.919 Two thousand and seven? Yeah, yeah, right, So into two 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.560 thousand and seven or something like that, he drives two 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:47.720 hours to pick me up. Me and this nigga is 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:52.399 like third grade sandbox and he had already found ways 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.040 to like he was today, he's killing it. He got 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.680 a company called Millie Murchers. All over Atlanta. He's doing 0:18:57.720 --> 0:19:01.000 his thing. He was already en route to be in 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:04.240 one of the the illest hustlers like back then, you 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:07.120 know a g he had he was he'll hand out 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:09.359 all AG's fly. He had all accounts for all the 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.720 club's a g O H Jacob Yorick he was. So 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:15.199 he had a way already out there. So he's like, 0:19:15.200 --> 0:19:17.119 I'm gonna show you. I'm gonna show you the A. 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.000 I'm competitive and ship. So when we two hours away 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:22.920 from Atlanta, I'm like, I think I want to show 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:24.679 him something too, Like I don't want him just to 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:28.240 stun on me. So I called at the time, you know, 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:32.480 Vaughn Vaughan Smith. I called Vaughan and he was my manager, 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:35.720 and I'm like, Yo, you know anybody in uh in 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.919 the A. He's like yo, gino, he's he's he's running. 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:42.080 He's uh the engineer for Neil go up there. I 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:45.320 had already been around Neil because you know, being around everybody. 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.480 I was around up Top and around those days is 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:52.399 when Neo got signed. So I called Gino. Gino already 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:54.280 knew him from from Brooklyn. He had a studio on 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:57.720 J Street. So I called Geno. I'm like, Yo, what 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:00.040 you doing? I'm about it being the A. So he 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:02.920 he tells me come up to Neo's studio. Everything travels 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:05.520 about to show me. It was like, nah, nigga, I 0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:08.199 just beat you. I'm going to Neo shit right right. 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:11.080 So we go to Neo shit and and Gino's like, 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:17.240 Gino's like, Sam, you need to stay here. Second he 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:20.720 said it, I said, I am staying. I was already 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:25.000 getting double charged for the projacks up top. I don't 0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:27.359 speak Spanish, and everybody in that neighborhood it's like I'm 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:29.600 trying to order eggs. Don't even know how to say nothing. 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:32.280