1 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: Personally the Oldsman. 2 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 2: The incredible stories are continuing. I can't wait for you 3 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 2: guys to listen to this interview. You may have heard 4 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 2: of this guy in a whole bunch of different ways. 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 2: Maybe you listen to one of his rap albums, or 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 2: maybe his country albums, or you followed along with him 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 2: on social media, or maybe from his famous grandfather. His 8 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: name is Struggle Jennings. He has a story full of resilience, 9 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 2: and he's been open and vulnerable about so many things 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 2: that have happened in his life. It's one of my 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 2: favorite interviews to date. So, without further ado, let's get 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 2: into it. I'm morgana here, I'm joined by Struggle Jennings, 13 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 2: and I'm really excited because Struggling I met Gosh three 14 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 2: or so years ago. We played in the Folds Honor 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 2: Celebrities softball game. So Struggle, thanks for joining me. This 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: is awesome. 17 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: Now, thanks for having me. I got to carry that 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: trophy home that day you did. I was supposed to 19 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: give it to Jelly and he never picked it up, 20 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: so it is on my mantle. 21 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: I love that You're like, by way, it's just mine now. 22 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 2: My first introduction to you was you pulled out a 23 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 2: whole bunch of snacks out of a backpack, and I 24 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 2: was like, I like this guy. Yeah, the dude I do. 25 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: It was gonna be hot and I was gonna have 26 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: a lot of friends and just bring. 27 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 2: Snacks for you knew how to make friends, like you 28 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 2: knew the momentum there. 29 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: I grew up in a household where my mom we 30 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: moved like every nine months or something six to nine 31 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 1: months or every year. My mom was sixteen when she 32 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: had me, so she was one of those kind of 33 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: I need a fresh start, and we'd moved to the 34 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: other side of town, or we'd move here, move there, 35 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 1: and so, yeah, I learned how to make friends when 36 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: you're the new guy, bring. 37 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 2: Snacks and talk to me about your life and your childhood. 38 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 2: Which also one of my questions, is Struggle your real 39 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 2: name or is. 40 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: This just a snatch say stage name? 41 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: Okay, why what is struggle? 42 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: Like? 43 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 2: Where did that come from? 44 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: So I was actually with a friend of mine and 45 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: I started rapping. I just came home from a jail 46 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: sentence and I was a single dad with my two 47 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: kids and really trying to get my rap career off 48 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: the ground. And of course I had a name in 49 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: the streets, but I was like, I don't know if 50 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: this name is really digestive. I don't know if a 51 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: parent's gonna let her kid buy a CD from Little 52 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: Killer When I was a teenager, Do you get that name? 53 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 2: Or does somebody give you that name? 54 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: Somebody gives it to you? And the same way with 55 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: Struggle is a friend of mine. We were working, We're 56 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: about to go to our first studio session, and we 57 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: had been like practicing and writing songs and me and 58 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: him were doing like an EP together and a guy 59 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: named white Boy and he was like, man, he was like, 60 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: what are you gonna go by? I was like, man, 61 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: I don't know. I just I guess it'll come to me. 62 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: And he was like, man, you ought to go I 63 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: struggle And I was like struggle and he was like, yeah, bro, 64 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 1: Like I see nobody go through the stuff you go 65 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: through on a daily basis. He was like, you need 66 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,239 Speaker 1: to go by a struggle and I was I was like, 67 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,239 Speaker 1: all right, cool. So I started going back. At first 68 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 1: it was like young struggle, yeah, and as I got 69 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: older it became struggle and then my grandfather being whaling. 70 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: When I caught my case, they automatically started calling me 71 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: Struggle Jennings. They're like the grandson of Whaling Jennings, rappers 72 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: Struggle Jennings. And I was fighting it at first. I 73 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 1: was like, man, I was telling my guy that was 74 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: handling my socials and that was before Instagram or anything 75 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: like that. My Twitter is still a young strug had 76 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: young strugs. He was like, nah, man. He was like, dude, 77 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: if you google struggle, it's gonna pop up like kids 78 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: in Africa and all kinds of struggles that are like 79 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: going on. He was like, Struggle Jennings, it'll be Google. 80 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: I was like, man, I don't know. And I so 81 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: I called my uncle Shooter and he was like, nah, 82 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: Whalen would love that. He was like, take that name 83 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: and make it your own. And so I rode with it. 84 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: When by the time I came home there was really 85 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: no reversing it. 86 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 2: It had already been done. Like you already became Struggle Jennings. 87 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 2: And you just mentioned your mom and talked to me 88 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 2: about childhood. She talked about your friends and you went 89 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 2: through a lot of struggle. What were some of those 90 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 2: moments in your life that led to where you are now? 91 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,719 Speaker 1: Yes, so I mean starting early. My mom was sixteen 92 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: when she had me, and she's the daughter of Jesse 93 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: Culture and Dwayne Eddy, who's legendary guitar player rock and roll, 94 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: and Jesse and Whalen had ran off together when my 95 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: mom was like four and moved from California to Nashville, 96 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:44,719 Speaker 1: and Whalen adopted her and so forth, and then she 97 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: had me. At sixteen, she met my dad. My dad 98 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: was an old West Nashville came from poverty, just roughneck, 99 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 1: good old boy, and they met at the West Nashville 100 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: skating rink and one starry night in the back of 101 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: his el commedie, I was made. 102 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 2: You love to tell that story, don't you. 103 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I love it. Altum about as West Nashville 104 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: as they get. So they lasted until I was about four. 105 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: My grandpa bought them a house in Franklin in a 106 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: neighborhood called Maplewood. There was on like four or five 107 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,159 Speaker 1: houses when he bought the house, and it was like 108 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: this single story, cute little house in Franklin, and then 109 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: the neighborhood built up. By the time I was six, 110 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: there was probably two hundred and fifty houses in the neighborhood, 111 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: but it was a pretty enclosed neighborhood, like one way in, 112 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: one way out. So as a child, I had a 113 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: pretty normal upbringing, like pretty clean cut. My mom was sixteen, 114 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: she was she was We were raising each other. The 115 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: firefighters were at our house every day because she was 116 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 1: burning something, trying to learn how to cook, and I 117 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: heard my dad. They split up when I was four, 118 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:56,840 Speaker 1: so she was doing it on her own, but she 119 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: was still singing backup for Whaling, so she was gone 120 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: a lot on tour, and then in the summertimes, I'd 121 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: get to go on the bus or and I was 122 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 1: at Whaling's house a lot because me and Shooter are 123 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: just a year apart. 124 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 2: Which Shooter is your uncle though. 125 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's Whaling and Jesse's only kid together. And so 126 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: then when I was went through some stuff, like when 127 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: I was like eight, my mom got in a real 128 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: abusive relationship. She got married to another guy. I watched 129 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: him beat the shit out of her, and of course 130 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: my dad came over there and ran him off. But 131 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: then when I was ten, my dad was murdered. 132 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 2: I remember when we were talking before this, you had 133 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 2: mentioned that, and were you living with your dad at 134 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 2: the time. 135 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: I was living with my mom, okay, And so when 136 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: that happened, I was outside playing football and my mom 137 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: called me and was like, Hey, your dad's on the 138 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: phone and wants to talk to you. And I was like, 139 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: I tell him. I called him back later. And then 140 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: when I came in that night, she was crying in 141 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: the back room all of a sudden, whaling and all 142 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: my family pulled up and at me down and said, 143 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: your dad's no longer with us. They told me it 144 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: was suicide. So throughout my childhood I was like living 145 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: with that regret. What if I would have answered the phone, 146 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: would he still be here? And it wasn't until I 147 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: was eighteen that I found out he was murdered. 148 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 2: Were they telling you that to protect you? I assume. 149 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: So my dad's side of the family knew what really happened, 150 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: but they were protecting the family, and so my mom 151 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: genuinely didn't. She thought that he had committed suicide. And 152 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: it wasn't ntil I was eighteen that I was like suicidal. 153 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: And I'd been living with my uncle because I started 154 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 1: getting in a lot of trouble. Twelve, I joined the gang, 155 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: started selling drugs. My mom had her and whaling it 156 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: kind of fell out because she was like starting to 157 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: date again, and he was like, hey, son just lost 158 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: his dad. You just got out of a terrible marriage. 159 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: Think you should chill a little bit. And she's twenty 160 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: something year old, young lady looking for love on her 161 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: own and alone, and. 162 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 2: She's gone through a lot of stuff at this point. 163 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, And so she was kind of had 164 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: that mentality, you know what, I don't want your money, 165 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: I don't need your help. I'm gonna do it on 166 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: my own, and I'm gonna show you that I can 167 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: do it on my own. So it was like a 168 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: culture shock because the same time I lost my dad, 169 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: we moved to the other side of town, and she 170 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: got two jobs and was going to cosmetology school and 171 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: working her ass off, trying to raise me and not 172 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: cut the cord from the family, which I still was 173 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: at his house a lot because I was over there 174 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,080 Speaker 1: hanging out with Shooter and all the holidays and stuff. 175 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: But financially, she wouldn't take anything from him, and she 176 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: was trying to prove. So we went through from what 177 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: seemed like a pretty normal childhood. I bid West Nashville 178 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: on the weekends a lot to see my dad or 179 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: my uncle and my cousins and stuff. So I always 180 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: straddle those tracks where when I was in West Nashville, 181 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: you know, I learned a lot of those irrational beliefs 182 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: and just the things that kind of sparked that mentality, 183 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:05,240 Speaker 1: that outlaw mentality. But then I'd go to Whalen's house 184 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,839 Speaker 1: and see the jag and the Cadillac and the maid 185 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: and the nanny and the guards. 186 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 2: And these very two polarized lives. 187 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, and knowing Whalen came from nothing gave me that 188 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,560 Speaker 1: sense of anything's possible. But then when I'd leave his 189 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: house and go back to my neighborhood, the only people 190 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,559 Speaker 1: that had the Cadillacs and the Jaguars with the drug dealers. 191 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: So I was gravitated towards that because I saw a 192 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: quality of life that I knew is obtainable. I was 193 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: just in. I allowed my circumstance to keep me. This 194 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: is all I have, this is all I can do, 195 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:39,959 Speaker 1: this is all I can get. That kind of led 196 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 1: me into being a drug dealer in most of my life, and. 197 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 2: In a life of crime that's really tough too. Do 198 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 2: you look back at that time in your life, do 199 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,199 Speaker 2: you are you not necessarily happy that it happened, but 200 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 2: do you feel like it made you who you are 201 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:53,840 Speaker 2: today to be the. 202 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: Person that you are on one thousand percent, like, I 203 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: have no regrets in life. I mean, there's some things 204 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,959 Speaker 1: I wish I may not have said, a couple of 205 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: things I wish I hadn't done in my life. But 206 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 1: as far as looking back or having any kind of 207 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: like victim mentality, it's not like I went through everything 208 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 1: that I went through. It brought me exactly where I'm at, 209 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: made me who I am, and gave me the testimony 210 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: to be able to reach other people. It gave me 211 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 1: the insight and through the different phases, I just it 212 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:26,559 Speaker 1: kept leveling me up to the place that I'm at 213 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 1: now as a man. 214 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 2: Oh And I want to ask you, because I grew 215 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 2: up in rural Kansas. There's not a lot happening over there. 216 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 2: We got a lot of farmers and country lands. 217 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: About it, and most people get in trouble. Was boring 218 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:40,959 Speaker 1: is when you find shit to do. 219 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 2: I did drink very early, that's very true, but there 220 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 2: wasn't a lot of activity. I wasn't around the whole bunch. 221 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 2: So when you get into drug dealing and stuff. I 222 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 2: have to imagine as a kid that was terrifying, and 223 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 2: you were doing and experiencing things that as a kid 224 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 2: you never should have had to. 225 00:10:56,800 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 1: For sure, I think that we were so caught up 226 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: in the lyrics of Tupac and No Limit and master 227 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: p and we just accepted that as life, and that's 228 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,640 Speaker 1: what it was, and that's what we gravitated towards. And 229 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: I don't ever really remember any time in my life 230 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: really being like poor me or I think because a 231 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: lot of times, because I had seen the two sides 232 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: so much, and I knew that Whaling grew up with nothing. 233 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: They were dirt poor in Texas, dirt floors, and he 234 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: made it out of there on a dream. And my 235 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,439 Speaker 1: dream was just shifted a lot of times. Even though 236 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 1: I always had music in my heart and I wanted 237 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: to do music, there was a time where I wanted 238 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,960 Speaker 1: to be Tony Montana. There was a time where I 239 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: wanted to be Tony Soprano. I want to be John Gotti. 240 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:48,320 Speaker 2: You went through different periods. 241 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: I did. I did, yeah, for sure. No, there's you 242 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:54,959 Speaker 1: can go back and look at pictures. There's times where 243 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: I had braids to my ass, and right where my 244 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: pants were and gold chain, and there's times where I 245 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: was in a three P suit thinking I was about 246 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:05,559 Speaker 1: to start a mafia family. 247 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 2: Do you feel like that was because you were going 248 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 2: back and forth, Like you would go and hang out 249 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,320 Speaker 2: with your grandfather in this kind of fame filled and 250 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 2: very successful life, and you're seeing these things and you 251 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 2: want to be this one person, And then you'd go 252 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 2: back and you'd be with your mom and you'd see 253 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 2: this other side and you're like, well, I kind of 254 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 2: want both. 255 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. I still struggle with that, right, even there's times 256 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: where my career starts lifting to a certain place and 257 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: things get crazy and I'm like, and I really just 258 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: want to be home with the kids. Do I really 259 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: want to be a huge country star rapper entertainer or 260 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: do I want to be a PTA dad and coach 261 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: my son's football. There's still always that internal battle. The 262 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: music just won't let me go anywhere else. I'm so 263 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 1: embedded with just a love for your music is my 264 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: life to a point, my children in my life, and 265 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:01,319 Speaker 1: my family of course, But I just had that a 266 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: gravitational pool that I've never been able to run from it, 267 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: even when I've tried. It's kind of like God, many 268 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: times I tried to run completely in the opposite direction 269 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: and something would happen that would be life altering, and 270 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: a bullet would miss me by inches or whatever the 271 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,040 Speaker 1: case was, that it could have been really a lot 272 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: worse than it was, and always reeled me back in 273 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:29,839 Speaker 1: to like, oh, I know this is what is true, 274 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: and this is true to me. 275 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 2: Are you telling me that you've been shopped before? Oh? 276 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've been shot twice. I actually got shot. You 277 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: know where Big Bad Breakfast is? Yeah? Okay, so that 278 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: used to be Wendell Smith's. It was a corner store. 279 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 2: Okay, window Smith is still there. 280 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: The restaurant in the liquor store. Okay, So Big Bad 281 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: Breakfast was the convenience store. So old man Wendell had 282 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: the convenience store, the liquor store, and the restaurant. The 283 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,080 Speaker 1: whole family worked in the restaurant. My aunt was a 284 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,839 Speaker 1: waitress there. I think my dad bus tables there when 285 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: he was young. My grandma worked there. But then a 286 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:06,319 Speaker 1: guy named Jakie Cook married Wendell Smith's daughter, Beverly Smith, 287 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: and so my whole life, Jakie Cook was running that 288 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: he was like an old school gambler, like southern mafia 289 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: type guy. His son Benji still runs and then the 290 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: grandson also runs a restaurant. But Jakie was just like 291 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: cool old a multi multi millionaire that you wouldn't even 292 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: you wouldn't even know it. Yeah, he's just cool, chill 293 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: old guy. A lot of them got their start with 294 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: like poker machines in the back. 295 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 2: Of Yeah, wait until you got shot. 296 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: Where Yeah, I got no shoot out there? When I 297 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: was young? How old were you hit in the shind 298 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: that actually ricocheted underneath the car, I believe, and it 299 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: hit me in the shin? 300 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 2: What does it feel like to get shot? 301 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: You don't realize you get shot at first, like you 302 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 1: don't feel it. You feel the sure of the tug, 303 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: but when you're in the moment with adrenaline, you don't 304 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: feel it like that. 305 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 2: And this was that when you were wrapped up in 306 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 2: things back then. 307 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, one hundred percent. From the time I was twelve, 308 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: I always went through phases because I always knew better. 309 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: I had been planting those seeds by my mom and 310 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 1: my grandma heavy in church, and I had always been planted, 311 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: had seeds planted of right and wrong, but I just 312 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: tugged away from it so much, and so I went 313 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: through phases like twelve to fifteen, I was just wild, 314 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: went to move in with my uncle, was doing good 315 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: for a little while. It was like, yeah, I'm changing 316 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: my life, got caught back up, went to jail when 317 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: I was twenty one on a weed case. Then fifteen months, 318 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: got out, walked straight from five years raising my kids, 319 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: and then I always diverted back to it when things 320 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: got tough. It was like a comfort zone for me, 321 00:15:58,120 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: like I knew I was good at being bad. 322 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you knew there was money, and you knew 323 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 2: there was a way to help you survive. 324 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, temporary money. Yeah, even at the height of 325 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: my career in that world, even if I was making 326 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. When you're living 327 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: that life, you don't really get to enjoy it or 328 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: spend it. It gets spent for you, like you're making 329 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 1: your friend's bonds, or you're paying for this funeral, or 330 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: you're somebody robs somebody and you gotta jurors and you 331 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: gotta so it's like there's all way, or you get 332 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,400 Speaker 1: busted and they take everything you shore. 333 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 2: It was like money that kind of felt like not yours. 334 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: You just don't actually do anything losing. And that's why 335 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: I try to tell a lot of these young guys 336 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: now when I go into these prisons and talk and stuff, 337 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: is like it all looks good. But my uncle told 338 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: me when I was young, and they were caught up 339 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: in a lot of the same things too, But they 340 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: told me when I was young, They're like, man, there's 341 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: really only you never really retire from this. You either 342 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: end up dead or in prison. 343 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 2: And so was twenty one your last one? 344 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: No, And I just got home nine years ago. I 345 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:09,439 Speaker 1: did five years from thirty one to thirty six. I 346 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: did five years federal prison and state prison. Came home 347 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen, was in a federal halfway house for 348 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: six months. Got out, me and Jelly started touring. Jelly 349 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: was just starting to get on his feet. He had 350 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:24,679 Speaker 1: been putting in a lot of work, but he was 351 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: starting to catch a little bit of steam. And that 352 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: was still five years before. And we did a few albums, 353 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 1: did four albums called Whaling. 354 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 2: And Willie and just obviously inspired from your grandfather. 355 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 1: And their friendship and the two dualities of the two guys. 356 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 2: And did you feel like you and Jelly were whaling? 357 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,920 Speaker 1: And Willie we still are. We still are to this day, 358 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:52,200 Speaker 1: one hundred percent more stories I hear even now, I'm like, God, 359 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: this is crazy. 360 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, like the outlaw side and just the things you 361 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:58,119 Speaker 2: guys have experienced were more personalities. 362 00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: Both both all the above. 363 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 2: Really it's lat so who's whaling and Who's I'm whaling? 364 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: I'm hard headed. I still wear a hat that says 365 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: CMA country my ass. And what makes Jelly Willy the lightheartedness. 366 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: He smokes a lot of weed. 367 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 2: I'm following. 368 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a lot of there's a lot of things. 369 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,440 Speaker 1: And he's been incredibly successful and he moves really good 370 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: in that world, and he's he's just he's done so 371 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: much I'm proud of. 372 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 2: And you get out nine years ago, and what has 373 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 2: been this stint that's kept you on this path to hopefully. 374 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: Never go back to Let's talk about it, Morgan. 375 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, tell me when. 376 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 1: I went to prison, the mother and my kids fell 377 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:44,360 Speaker 1: really hard. My wife at the time, she got addicted 378 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: to drugs, ran off with one of my best friends 379 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: at the time. He ended up getting locked up. She 380 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:54,080 Speaker 1: got in a relationship after a relationship with people that 381 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: were using drugs and doing drugs, and she just went 382 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: down a really dark path, ended up losing custody of 383 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:03,040 Speaker 1: my kids. It's before she lost custody, it got super dark. 384 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: There was a time my daughter innocence. She was three 385 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: when I went to four when I went to prison. 386 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 1: By the time she was like five six, I'm calling 387 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: from prison her brothers and sisters having eight all day. 388 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,920 Speaker 1: It's five o'clock in the afternoon. Her mom's passed out 389 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: on drugs. I had to teach her how to make 390 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,360 Speaker 1: macaroni and cheese from a jail phone so she could 391 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: feed her siblings. And it was just thing after thing 392 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,720 Speaker 1: like that where it just struck that chord that I 393 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,040 Speaker 1: was like, this cannot be how the story is told. 394 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: This can't be what I leave my kids. This can't 395 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:44,400 Speaker 1: I can't. I know where they're headed with the environment 396 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:48,719 Speaker 1: they're in and what they're going through right now, and 397 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 1: it's not a pretty future. My daughter was molested in 398 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: a drug house. They ended up in foster care. Their 399 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: mother passed away from the drug overdose. That little girl 400 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: just graduated with the three point nine GPA honors. Oh yeah, 401 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: I love telling that when I say it on stage, like, 402 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,480 Speaker 1: that's probably the loudest the crowd gets for me all night. 403 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:13,199 Speaker 2: But that's okay, I'll take that. 404 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, But and all my kids are just thriving 405 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: and doing so good. But I really, when I was 406 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: in there, I had to really take full accountability for 407 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: all of it. I was like, I'm the one that 408 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: left them out there with a father. I left my 409 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 1: wife out there without a husband. I left my mom 410 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 1: without a son. I left my friends without their friend. 411 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 1: Because I was the provider for a lot of people 412 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 1: and always took care of everybody. 413 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 2: And was that your wake up call? Just hearing that 414 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 2: phone call? 415 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:44,439 Speaker 1: Yeah? And I never really had a chance to go 416 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 1: back to sleep because it was every day I was 417 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: getting a call like that. And then meanwhile, Jelly's out 418 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:54,360 Speaker 1: in a van, sleeping in a van tour and every 419 00:20:54,359 --> 00:20:57,120 Speaker 1: time I call him having that little bit of hope 420 00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:00,160 Speaker 1: of him going, man, this shits really happening. We're out here. 421 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 1: I'm in Tupelow tonight, I'm in Kansas City tonight, or 422 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: I'm here. So like hearing that and knowing, okay, this 423 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 1: is possible. I can't control what's going on out there. 424 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: The only thing I can control is what I do 425 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 1: with this situation and who I become and who I 426 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: come out. And so I just started stripping away all 427 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,200 Speaker 1: those layers and figuring out, what are the thinking patterns 428 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,119 Speaker 1: that keep bringing me back in here? Why do I 429 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: keep going back to the same thing, Why do I 430 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:31,120 Speaker 1: keep making the same mistakes and decisions? And I had 431 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: to process a lot and figure it out, and so 432 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,160 Speaker 1: I came out a completely different person. I had lost 433 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:39,199 Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty pounds. I had rid myself of 434 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 1: a lot of irrational thinking and beliefs and things that 435 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: I was instilled through music and environment. 436 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 2: And was that hard to rewrite, especially as you're sitting 437 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 2: in a prison where you're surrounded by people who have 438 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 2: similar minds? 439 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:54,920 Speaker 1: In a way? 440 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,239 Speaker 2: Was that hard to rewrite that entire story for you 441 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 2: to come out a completely different person? 442 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: One thousand percent? But the thing about it is ninety 443 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:08,680 Speaker 1: nine percent of people have it in them and they 444 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: want to change and they know better. It's just change 445 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:17,480 Speaker 1: is scary. And I was beyond the fact the point 446 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: of fear. My fear had diverted from change to the 447 00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: end result of what was going to happen. To my children. 448 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: I just saw something the other day. It was like, 449 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: change happens when the reality of the outcome becomes scarier 450 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 1: than the fear of change. Something like that. 451 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 2: Essentially, what was happening to you in these moments? How 452 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 2: long like when you were getting those phone calls? How 453 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 2: much longer did you have to serve before you were 454 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 2: able to get out? 455 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 1: Oh, it started as soon as I got in there. 456 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,920 Speaker 1: It started happening. As soon as I was away, call 457 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 1: home and the first cause of this happened. I'm so so. 458 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:06,280 Speaker 1: And then it's like you can just see the it 459 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 1: getting worse and worse. And as soon as I hit prison, 460 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: I walked in and I saw the different types of people, right, 461 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 1: And you have the group that's still gambling, smoking, doing drugs, 462 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 1: eating honey buns, sitting there watching TV all day. And 463 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: then you got the guys that are getting up, going 464 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: to classes all day, going to the yard to train, 465 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 1: stay in shape, and they stay in packs. And I 466 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: was like, that's what I want. 467 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 2: And you went to the pack that was going to 468 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:34,440 Speaker 2: the classes. 469 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, I took the cloud would take the classes so 470 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 1: many times that I would be the teacher. 471 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 2: And what are the classes like what are these classes? 472 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:48,640 Speaker 1: You're like parenting and your finances, critical thinking. I did 473 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,239 Speaker 1: all the drug programs, anti violence programs, just trying to 474 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,199 Speaker 1: learn how to reel your anger in and catch it 475 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: before it gets anywhere. And I just rational self analysis 476 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 1: type stuff. 477 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 2: But that was all a choice. You weren't required to 478 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 2: go to MEUD at all. 479 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 1: The drug program you get time off if you take it, 480 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:11,800 Speaker 1: so of course there's an incentive to that. But I 481 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: knew I needed it, and I did it in the state, 482 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 1: made parole in the state, but then I had to 483 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: go serve my FED time. So then when I went 484 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: to the FEDS and I went to do the program again, 485 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: because it would take a year off your sentence and 486 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: you'd get six months guaranteed halfway house. So you're literally 487 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:32,800 Speaker 1: getting out eighteen months earlier if you do the drug program. 488 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: And I had five years fifty seven months in the 489 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:36,920 Speaker 1: Feds and a thirteen year sentence in the state. 490 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 2: Wow. 491 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,640 Speaker 1: But then the second time I went through that drug program, 492 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: already knew all of it because I had taken the 493 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,159 Speaker 1: same program in the state, so I wasn't having to 494 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: learn anything. I was getting to digest it. So the 495 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 1: second time I went through the drug program. It like 496 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 1: light bulb struck and I was like, Okay, I got this. 497 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 2: Yeah that first time, it was okay, this is all 498 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 2: information for the first time, I have. 499 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:02,640 Speaker 1: It, learn it, write it down, take a test once 500 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: I've already learned it, and I know I even pass 501 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 1: the test. I'm really learning it. It's really soaking in 502 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: at that point, I'm really understanding it. 503 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 2: So struggle now. Obviously this is nine years ago, but 504 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 2: you now, do you look at your life and you 505 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,639 Speaker 2: see your kids thriving, and you see you doing music 506 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:23,479 Speaker 2: and doing the things that you would talk to Jelley 507 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,199 Speaker 2: when you were in jail and he was doing Do 508 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 2: you look at your life now and you're like, dang, I. 509 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,960 Speaker 1: Did this, Yeah, But I still look at it like, man, 510 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: I need to do better. Every day I fall short 511 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: of something. I could jump to conclusions and be like, ah, 512 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:41,160 Speaker 1: I should have sat on that a little longer, or 513 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 1: I could shift the blame and be like, man, I 514 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: can't do that. I really got to take accountability for that. 515 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: In relationships and business, I still make a lot of mistakes, 516 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 1: but I'm having to like really sit back and just 517 00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:00,040 Speaker 1: learn how to remind myself of who I will that 518 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: when I came home, because it's it's so easy to 519 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: come out of prison and be like, oh I got this, 520 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: watch this and be this great person, and then life 521 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 1: really starts happening. Life starts lifing, and you'll fall back 522 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: into old ways or you'll start to slip. And it's 523 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: just about readjusting yourself every day. And really prayer helps 524 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:25,000 Speaker 1: me a lot, especially with anger, because I'll just assess 525 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 1: the day somebody might have said something hurt my feelings, 526 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 1: I might have done something to hurt somebody else's feelings, 527 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: and I just got to be like, look, I can't 528 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,439 Speaker 1: let the sun set on my anger, pray about it, 529 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: give it to God, and wake up and start fresh 530 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: the next day. And that's really with that, and things 531 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: like staying in a good routine with the GEM, a 532 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 1: lot of community work, a lot of going into jails 533 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:53,320 Speaker 1: and rehabs and speaking. And we're opening rehabs across the 534 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:57,760 Speaker 1: country right now called Sound Sobriety where we're implementing songwriting 535 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: and it's me and Brandy Gilbert and a business partner 536 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: named Michael Fry and his wife and they were implementing 537 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,880 Speaker 1: songwriting into their therapy teaching them how to put their 538 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: feelings and their emotions and their testimonies in a song 539 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:12,400 Speaker 1: for him. 540 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 2: Can I ask you this too, because I imagine growing 541 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 2: up in the ways that you did, you were not 542 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:22,919 Speaker 2: taught to share your feelings and emotions. You were probably 543 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:24,440 Speaker 2: taught that's not what you do. 544 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,440 Speaker 1: And yeah, so the men in my life, of course, 545 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 1: were like that, you don't cry, You don't tell anybody 546 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,640 Speaker 1: how you feel or hold it in. You be a man, 547 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: you suck it up. But I was raised by a 548 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:35,040 Speaker 1: single mama. 549 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,959 Speaker 2: They cried every day where she really went against that. 550 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm a mama's boy, like the wrong commercial. Come on, 551 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:43,879 Speaker 1: I'm boughting like a baby. And then even as a father, 552 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: had now see why the men told me that, because 553 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:50,399 Speaker 1: there's a lot of time as a man, especially as 554 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: a father or a husband or a friend, you have 555 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,360 Speaker 1: to you want to shield them from knowing how bad 556 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,959 Speaker 1: it is sometimes, so you got to hold it in 557 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,199 Speaker 1: and deal with it sometimes because if everybody's looking at 558 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 1: you as the breadwinner, the protector, the provider, the security, 559 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: you can't let him know that everything's in shambles and 560 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,120 Speaker 1: you're trying to figure it out. 561 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 2: Do you feel like that healing has started to reverse 562 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 2: for you now, Like you got out and you were 563 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 2: doing all this stuff to bounce back your life. Are 564 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 2: you now at the point where you're able to look 565 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 2: back on all it and start to kill your inner 566 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:27,480 Speaker 2: self of stuff that was happening. 567 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. And when the mother and my kids died, 568 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: I wasn't able to grieve for a year, right because 569 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: my kids were grieving really heavy, and then I lost 570 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: the right behind it. We lost the father to my 571 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: two step kids. He died of the same way. So 572 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: between those two and then other friends and stuff, sometimes 573 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: I've had to put my grieving on the back burner, 574 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,479 Speaker 1: and I've learned that's not always healthy, Like you have 575 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 1: to separate yourself and you got to go find your 576 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: own time to grieve, whether it's an hour car ride, 577 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: punching the steering wheel and screaming to God, whatever it is, 578 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: praying and crying and whatever that may be. Because I'm 579 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: dealing with it right now. I'm wearing these two necklaces 580 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: today because one of my best friends, Nemo's actually fighting 581 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 1: for his life right now, and I had just had 582 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,719 Speaker 1: these made for us and was going to give them 583 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,280 Speaker 1: to him. He was supposed to come down this week 584 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 1: and stay at my house and I didn't get a 585 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: chance to give him to him. But he's fighting right now. 586 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 1: And I had one of my best friends and workout 587 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 1: partners passed this morning. I've had to take I was 588 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: just on vacation when I heard when I got the 589 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:39,520 Speaker 1: news about Nemo, and he wasn't an artist or singer, 590 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: but he was an incredible singer and a songwriter. But 591 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: he's just a biker. But we had got him to 592 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 1: record a song that he had wrote, and so I 593 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:50,800 Speaker 1: literally had to like, we're on family vacation. I had 594 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: to break away and go, hey, y'all, I just need 595 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 1: a little while. And literally went there and turned that 596 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: song and repeat and cried like an animal for two 597 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: hours in the shower and then came out. I was like, 598 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: all right, let's go. You gotta find that time to grieve. 599 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: And I'm learning that life is You're always a student 600 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: and I'm always learning things. 601 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 2: What do you feel like are some of your hardest lessons? 602 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 2: Because I was going to ask you about grief, because 603 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,720 Speaker 2: I do feel like, unfortunately, you are no stranger to grief, 604 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 2: which sharing that of you getting in the shower and crying, 605 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,080 Speaker 2: I think is a good lesson for a lot of people, 606 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 2: because grieving tends to be one of those processes we 607 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 2: just push back and do what needs to be done 608 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 2: to get through something. 609 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 1: You try to be too tough, you'll find out how 610 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 1: weak you really are. Try to hold that in and 611 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,400 Speaker 1: then it's gonna spill over and you're either gonna lash 612 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 1: out or you're gonna break, or you gotta allow yourself 613 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 1: to feel. You gotta allow yourself to release. You gotta 614 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,000 Speaker 1: allow yourself to feel those emotions. The older I get, 615 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: the more I realize real men cry and they gotta. 616 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 1: We have emotions, we have feelings. We gotta let it out. Yes, 617 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: we gotta do it in our own time a lot 618 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: of times, because when you do have the women and 619 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,880 Speaker 1: children of your house, friends and everybody looking at you 620 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 1: for that strength, you got to be strong for them. 621 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 1: But also when I was going through that, all my 622 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:10,680 Speaker 1: daughters came up to me and I want to put 623 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: my arm around me, and I came back. They knew 624 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 1: that I was dealing with it, but I still just 625 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 1: put the smile on and we finished family vacation. 626 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 2: How are you, I can only imagine how great of 627 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,400 Speaker 2: a girl dad you are. I need to know like 628 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 2: girl dad struggles. Yeah, I'm hearing a like tough struggle, right, 629 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 2: I need girl dad struggle. 630 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,479 Speaker 1: I've got four daughters and yeah there. I love my sons. 631 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: Don't take you wrong, They're my little mini met. I'm 632 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 1: a little tougher on my boys because I want them 633 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: to be good men. I want them to love and 634 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 1: cherish the women in their life. That was one of 635 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,880 Speaker 1: the last things my dad told me. Get your job 636 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:49,880 Speaker 1: on this earth as a man to protect and provide 637 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: for the women in your life. Never put your hands 638 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: on a girl. So I'm super tough my boys about 639 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: their manners chivalry. 640 00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,920 Speaker 2: So read in the next generation of men. 641 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I tell people all the time. I don't want 642 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 1: to hear none of y'all complaining about the way this 643 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: country is. If you're not raising your kids to fix it, 644 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,160 Speaker 1: if you're not raising your kids to be the next 645 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 1: generation and to do better than we did, then you're 646 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,959 Speaker 1: missing your dropping the ball. But yeah, my girls. I 647 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: have the best relationship with my daughters. We text and 648 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: talk every day. We have twenty five year old named 649 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:25,720 Speaker 1: Brianna Harness. She's my first born she's a blue singer. 650 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,960 Speaker 1: She's got an incredible voice. She's just dropped i think 651 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: her fifth album, Wow. 652 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 2: And she's twenty five. 653 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, but sure more than I have. 654 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 2: I'm thirty hot Dawn Okay. 655 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,920 Speaker 1: She works ten hours a day on a farm I 656 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: think four days a week, and then cleans houses the 657 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 1: other days. She's like really independent as far as she 658 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: only calls me when it's an emergency for money, which 659 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: she knows I'd get her anything she needs and always 660 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: be there. But she's really crushing it. And then my 661 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: daughter Innocence, she's dating a professional boxer named Austin Delay, 662 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: who I've known forever. He's a good friend and I'm 663 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 1: great friends with his dad. And then I've got a daughter, Courtesy, 664 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: who's seventeen, and she's a straight A student. She'd i 665 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: think her lowest grade was in ninety eight. She'd like 666 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: one O four's and stuff is insane. But she gets 667 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: up every morning and goes to the gym five am, 668 00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: does Bible study, goes to school, gets off school, goes 669 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: to work, and sometimes he goes back to the gym. 670 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: She's got a great relationship with her boyfriend. He's like 671 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 1: number one state in soccer and just you hear her 672 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: talk and she's got it figured out more than I do. 673 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:33,760 Speaker 2: Okay, And he didn't know like having your having them 674 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 2: meet the boyfriend situation for the first time, because when 675 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 2: I first met you, I was like, oh, dang, like 676 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:40,600 Speaker 2: he's gonna he's be mean, tough, whatever, and then you're 677 00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 2: just like this teddy bearry who was pulling snacks out 678 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,840 Speaker 2: of his back back pull her opposite. But when they 679 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 2: first meet you, was it like oh crap. 680 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, And I've already got a reputation from the 681 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: previous life before and then being a rapper and then 682 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: my country singer, and I've got a checkered past and 683 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: live in a really nice neighborhood. So I'm already like 684 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 1: that dad, And I'm the type that snow he's not 685 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: picking you up, he's gonna knock on the door. 686 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, but you're making sure your girls are treated with 687 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:08,839 Speaker 2: princess treatment as he should be. 688 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:10,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, And they know whatever you do to her, I'll 689 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: do to you. But I've had a couple that I 690 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:18,160 Speaker 1: kind of had to tighten down on, But for the 691 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: most part, I raised my daughters to not settle, and 692 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:30,279 Speaker 1: by giving them an example of I'm not perfect. I 693 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:32,719 Speaker 1: definitely want my daughters to find somebody way better than 694 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:35,359 Speaker 1: I am. But they see the way that I am 695 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: in my relationship, and they see how I am as 696 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: a man, and so they could they have a there's 697 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 1: a bar that they can't go under. 698 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,360 Speaker 2: So that you're telling me that they don't have the 699 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:50,520 Speaker 2: bar in hell that some of us had. Yeah, I'm 700 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:51,440 Speaker 2: proud of that for them. 701 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 1: And then I got a daughter, my stepdaughter Patients. She's 702 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,400 Speaker 1: like our wild one. She's incredible. 703 00:34:59,000 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 2: She the youngest of all. 704 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,799 Speaker 1: She's young. She's not the youngest kid because we have 705 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,480 Speaker 1: two boys that are younger than her, but she's the 706 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,520 Speaker 1: youngest of the daughters. And she's just herself, Like she 707 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:12,879 Speaker 1: chops her own hair. She wants to be a hairdresser, 708 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 1: so she's constantly her You never know when she walks 709 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 1: out of that room. You never know what color her 710 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: hair is going to be the next day. But it's 711 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,880 Speaker 1: always fashionable and she looks good. She pulls it off. 712 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: She gets a little bit more trouble at school, but 713 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: it's because she doesn't take any shit, like she's just 714 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 1: she's she's like real. I don't want to say stubborn. 715 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,800 Speaker 1: There's something else. All my kids have been through so much. 716 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 1: Like she just lost her father, her biological father, to 717 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:42,040 Speaker 1: an overdose, and my kids lost their mother. And then 718 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:46,840 Speaker 1: my two oldest kids, my son Little Will and my 719 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: daughter Brianna, their moms. She went through it. She was 720 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:53,440 Speaker 1: a dancer and was on drugs and went to federal prison. 721 00:35:53,880 --> 00:36:00,319 Speaker 1: And but now she's three years clean and sober, doing good, 722 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: getting her life back in order. My kids still went 723 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,239 Speaker 1: through a lot with what I put them through, what 724 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:07,680 Speaker 1: their mothers put them through, and so there's a sense 725 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:11,960 Speaker 1: of resilience and just strength. If you met courtesy first 726 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,000 Speaker 1: she pulls up in her little lexus. In the first 727 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: couple of minutes, you're like, oh, this girl comes from money. 728 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,040 Speaker 1: And then you start having a conversation. You're like, oh, no, 729 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:22,799 Speaker 1: she'd been through some shit. She just wears it really 730 00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 1: well and she's learned from it. I had two beautiful 731 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:29,760 Speaker 1: young boys fourteen and thirteen, and ones in the boxing, 732 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 1: ones in the football, and they're both doing good in school. 733 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,240 Speaker 2: And so you're telling me, outside of all the toury 734 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,000 Speaker 2: and all the stuff that you're doing, they're full on 735 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 2: down over here. Yeah, definitely, And you really could be 736 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:43,799 Speaker 2: PGA down if you wanted to. 737 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:45,840 Speaker 1: Oh man, I would love to. I would love to 738 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:47,560 Speaker 1: go in there and tell them how to get it right. 739 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 2: Do all these things. That is what I suggest. Bring 740 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,800 Speaker 2: the fruit snacks. I can totally see you bring fruit snacks. 741 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:55,240 Speaker 1: I love free snacks. 742 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,520 Speaker 2: You do with You also brought the bubblegum. 743 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:00,799 Speaker 1: You can't go on a base ball field that big 744 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:01,319 Speaker 1: lead too. 745 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,880 Speaker 2: I like that trump. I feel like this needs to 746 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:05,399 Speaker 2: be a thing. 747 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:06,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. 748 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,839 Speaker 2: You have so much of that musical touches in your life. 749 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:12,960 Speaker 2: You mentioned it and your daughter's pursuing it. What was 750 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:15,279 Speaker 2: that like for you? You take away all the other things 751 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:17,440 Speaker 2: that you were experiencing in life. But you were the 752 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:22,080 Speaker 2: grandson of Wielan Jennings's Jesse Coulter. You your uncle is 753 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:26,120 Speaker 2: Shooter Jenny's You mentioned in just multiple different assets. How 754 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,800 Speaker 2: you just have all these different connections to different things? 755 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 1: No pressure? 756 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:30,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, what's that like? 757 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:32,640 Speaker 1: Well, that's why I became a rapper because I wasn't 758 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,360 Speaker 1: gonna try. My mom is an incredible writer and singer, 759 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:38,320 Speaker 1: and I grew up in a house with a piano 760 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:42,080 Speaker 1: and whatever I was going through when I was little, 761 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:45,799 Speaker 1: my earliest memories was her waking me up. Oh, come on, 762 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:47,279 Speaker 1: we got to get ready for school. Come in the 763 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:48,919 Speaker 1: living room, and I'd come in the living room, she'd 764 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:51,839 Speaker 1: be this is the day, this is the day that 765 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:54,040 Speaker 1: the Lord has made that the Lord I should be 766 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:56,760 Speaker 1: playing hymnals and getting me up, and I'd be dancing 767 00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 1: and so like music was always but I had such 768 00:38:02,600 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 1: I had boots that I could never feel like. I 769 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,799 Speaker 1: could never be Whaling Jennings, but I can do the 770 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:10,760 Speaker 1: shit out of struggle Jennings. And there was something Whaling 771 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,719 Speaker 1: taught me early. He's don't try to stand in my light. 772 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:18,520 Speaker 1: Don't stand in my shadow. Step outside and find your 773 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:22,480 Speaker 1: own light and be yourself. So always be yourself, regardless 774 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,960 Speaker 1: what you're going through. Stay true to what you're going through, 775 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:29,400 Speaker 1: to yourself and your music, because there's millions of people 776 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:31,160 Speaker 1: going through the same thing that you are and that 777 00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:34,200 Speaker 1: feel the same way. And you may not be everybody's 778 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:36,200 Speaker 1: cup of tea, but you'll be somebody's cup of coffee. 779 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:40,680 Speaker 2: There's some great advice to get from Whaling. But also 780 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:44,359 Speaker 2: as a listener and a fan of country music, we 781 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:46,840 Speaker 2: know Whalen for outlaw country. We know the music that 782 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 2: he's sang about. We know what he sung about. Was 783 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:52,440 Speaker 2: he like that tough exterior on you as a grandson, 784 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,080 Speaker 2: or was it just a different person. 785 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 1: Whalen was Whaling and he definitely had He was always Whaling. 786 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: He was always tough, but he was so loving and 787 00:39:02,680 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 1: he was such such an increase. He was more like 788 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:09,240 Speaker 1: a dad to me because when my dad got killed, 789 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:11,600 Speaker 1: I went and stayed with Whaling for a while. I 790 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:13,719 Speaker 1: didn't go back to school that year. I took the 791 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 1: last half of school off and Whaling told the school 792 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,279 Speaker 1: he'll be back next year. It was like, he'll be 793 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 1: back and he'll be in the next grade. Got it. 794 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:24,319 Speaker 2: You had somebody that was really having your back, not 795 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:26,120 Speaker 2: just like a normal having your back, Oh. 796 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,360 Speaker 1: No, because he was he was really that guy. Like 797 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,239 Speaker 1: he was firm, he was tough, but he was so 798 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:34,640 Speaker 1: loving and he made me feel like I was the 799 00:39:34,719 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 1: coolest thing on the planet. I was only grandson that 800 00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:41,319 Speaker 1: lived in Nashville for a long time. Way moved to 801 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:46,280 Speaker 1: Nashville and his brother moved to Nashville in their teens, 802 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: so I like grew up in the house. Shooter was 803 00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:51,600 Speaker 1: like a little bit more sheltered because he was in 804 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: the house all the time. Yeah, so I was like 805 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:56,920 Speaker 1: the one that was coming from the outside end, like 806 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,920 Speaker 1: first cigarette, showing him his first porn magazine. I was 807 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:03,040 Speaker 1: the bad influence because I was out there in the 808 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:06,480 Speaker 1: real world. But Shooter, he left home at eighteen to 809 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:08,920 Speaker 1: go have a rock band in LA and never left LA, 810 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,560 Speaker 1: and he had his own dark path and overcame all 811 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:16,080 Speaker 1: of it. Now he's crushing it Grammy after granted Grammy 812 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 1: between Brandy Carlisle and Tanya Tucker and he just he's 813 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:23,880 Speaker 1: producing all the Charlie Crockett stuff now and Jacob and 814 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,120 Speaker 1: just went did a record with him, and I got 815 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 1: a record with him coming out next year. So he's 816 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:33,320 Speaker 1: just he's crushing it. I'm Shooter's probably the best human 817 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:36,240 Speaker 1: being on the face of the planet, in mys besides 818 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 1: my beautiful little daughters. 819 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,040 Speaker 2: And when you were a kid too, I was imagining 820 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:43,400 Speaker 2: that you don't really know any different. This is just 821 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 2: your family, this is your life. Yeah, So at what 822 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:48,480 Speaker 2: point did you realize. 823 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: Get it in school? Like when you're in school, they'd 824 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:52,719 Speaker 1: be like, oh, they would try to use it against you. 825 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 2: Is that why you turned away from it originally? I 826 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:56,879 Speaker 2: know you said that you didn't want to use the name. 827 00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:58,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, because I always wanted to make my own. I 828 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,840 Speaker 1: was friends with Yellow for probably a year and a 829 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:04,520 Speaker 1: half before I've told him my grandpa was whaling. And 830 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,360 Speaker 1: the night that I did, he was like what, dude, what? 831 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 1: And we're like drinking downtown Nashville, riding listening and we're 832 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 1: listening to a whaling song and I was like, here 833 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,719 Speaker 1: was my grandfather. He's like what, turn it RD? And 834 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:20,960 Speaker 1: he's like what And then he looked down. I've got 835 00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:23,600 Speaker 1: this big watch on this big expensive watch because I'm 836 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:25,760 Speaker 1: a drug dealer. And he's like, you're wearing a watch 837 00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:27,799 Speaker 1: like it, and I said, you're right through it out 838 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:33,560 Speaker 1: the window on Broadway. He still tells that story, but yeah. 839 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 1: And then I just I'd always gravitated towards rap because 840 00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:39,000 Speaker 1: that's the era that I grew up in, that's the 841 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:41,239 Speaker 1: environment that I grew up in, That's what spoke to me. 842 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,680 Speaker 1: But I loved country, and country was always the backdrop 843 00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 1: Whaling and George Straight. I know just about every word 844 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:52,640 Speaker 1: every George Straight song, and then being on tour, hearing 845 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:56,759 Speaker 1: the instruments and the steel guitar like crying, and I 846 00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:58,680 Speaker 1: always loved it. That's why I was really like the 847 00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:00,839 Speaker 1: first one that ever put still guitar on a rap 848 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:03,000 Speaker 1: record in early two thousands. I was the first one 849 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,840 Speaker 1: that started blending the two genres. Besides, of course, Bubba 850 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:11,080 Speaker 1: Sparks had a lot of country flavor in there. Timberland 851 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:14,520 Speaker 1: was in the beats and stuff and Bubba's accent and 852 00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:20,040 Speaker 1: the Tim McGraw and but I was already mixing rap 853 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:25,000 Speaker 1: records in my bedroom with country at that point when 854 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:28,160 Speaker 1: that came out, and then a lot of people were like, Oh, 855 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:30,040 Speaker 1: you can't mix country and rap. You're going to ruin 856 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:31,959 Speaker 1: your career. And then I went to prison and came 857 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 1: home after I dropped out Lost Shit, went to prison, 858 00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:37,440 Speaker 1: came home, and it was like a whole new genre. 859 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:40,480 Speaker 2: Was that weird too? You drop an album, You're like, oh, 860 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,239 Speaker 2: I get to promota and to sing about it. You 861 00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:43,759 Speaker 2: go to jail? 862 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:46,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, I dropped the song and then went to jail. 863 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 1: Actually the day I dropped the video, I went to 864 00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:51,760 Speaker 1: jail the same day and then I was gone five years, 865 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:54,560 Speaker 1: About a year and a half into my sentence, we 866 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:55,880 Speaker 1: dropped the whole album. 867 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:58,560 Speaker 2: So were you meeting phone calls from jail? And dropping 868 00:42:58,560 --> 00:42:59,000 Speaker 2: an album. 869 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:00,839 Speaker 1: Yeah. So I had a one of my best friends 870 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 1: in the world and he still works with me, does 871 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,520 Speaker 1: all my content, shoots most of my videos, and he's 872 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:10,080 Speaker 1: like my right hand man. Sebastian. He actually had signed 873 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:13,239 Speaker 1: me to the label deal and then his father had 874 00:43:13,239 --> 00:43:16,640 Speaker 1: passed away and I quit hustling and all this, and 875 00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,680 Speaker 1: then he disappeared because he was having to deal with 876 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:21,759 Speaker 1: his grief and get his family right and make sure 877 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:24,760 Speaker 1: his mom didn't lose your house, and so he stepped away. 878 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:28,560 Speaker 1: And then when he called me back, he's like, man, 879 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:31,120 Speaker 1: what are you doing. I'm like, it's gotten dighted looking 880 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 1: at a bunch of time, and he was like, dude, 881 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,440 Speaker 1: I'm coming down there. And we recorded I Am Struggle, 882 00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:39,799 Speaker 1: which was all wailing samples, and then me wrap into it, 883 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,239 Speaker 1: and that was the album that outlaut Shit was on. 884 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:44,480 Speaker 1: But we recorded it right before. It was like a 885 00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:46,560 Speaker 1: rat race to get an album done before I went 886 00:43:46,600 --> 00:43:48,759 Speaker 1: to prison, because I didn't really know how much time 887 00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:49,520 Speaker 1: I was looking at. 888 00:43:49,719 --> 00:43:52,280 Speaker 2: Holy crap, I didn't know that about that record. 889 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:54,759 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it actually released while I was sitting in 890 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:55,200 Speaker 1: a prison. 891 00:43:56,080 --> 00:43:59,360 Speaker 2: When you had fans over this course of your career, 892 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:01,799 Speaker 2: So was that so weird because you're like there and 893 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 2: you're not really getting to do or have any interaction 894 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:06,400 Speaker 2: with what's happening with your music. 895 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:08,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, but like the guards would come in and be like, man, 896 00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:10,640 Speaker 1: we're listening to your song out in the parking lot, 897 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:12,880 Speaker 1: and then people would come in and be like om. 898 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: And then especially being gone five years, so about a 899 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:17,719 Speaker 1: time I'm in there three or four years, the song 900 00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:20,680 Speaker 1: has gotten big, so new people coming in they're like, 901 00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:22,880 Speaker 1: oh shit, so it's cool. I was getting a feeling 902 00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:25,600 Speaker 1: and I was getting a lot of fan mail in there, 903 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:27,839 Speaker 1: which gave me a lot of inspiration and hope, and 904 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:29,759 Speaker 1: I perfected handwriting. 905 00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:33,239 Speaker 2: Were you a songwriting in ever when you were there? 906 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:35,840 Speaker 1: So when I went in there, I started scribbling a 907 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:37,600 Speaker 1: bunch of lyrics and stuff, and then I was like, 908 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:40,279 Speaker 1: you know what, I started to notice that everything I 909 00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:45,560 Speaker 1: was writing was from a perspective being in there, and 910 00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:49,960 Speaker 1: I was like, as I was changing, the narrative was changing. 911 00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:51,480 Speaker 1: So I was like, you know what, I'm not even 912 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:53,440 Speaker 1: going to try to do this. I'm gonna sit in 913 00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:56,640 Speaker 1: here the next three years because I was like writing 914 00:44:56,680 --> 00:44:59,840 Speaker 1: the first two I was like, I'm just gonna absorb 915 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:02,080 Speaker 1: and then when I get out, I'm a tell the story. 916 00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:04,719 Speaker 1: So as soon as I got out, Yellowolf put me 917 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:07,960 Speaker 1: in the studio and I wasn't supposed to be recording 918 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:10,080 Speaker 1: because I was in a federal halfway house. So I 919 00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:12,480 Speaker 1: had to have a real job. So yellow Wolf put 920 00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:16,920 Speaker 1: me on payroll as the merchandise marketing director, and I 921 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,400 Speaker 1: had a little fake desk set up with a laptop 922 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,280 Speaker 1: that didn't even work in the corner of the studio 923 00:45:22,760 --> 00:45:25,960 Speaker 1: in case the parole would come and have to check 924 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:27,880 Speaker 1: out my little area. And I was in there writing 925 00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:28,800 Speaker 1: songs and recording. 926 00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:32,000 Speaker 2: Well, work around, but you weren't working. It's just not 927 00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:34,759 Speaker 2: probably an official version of what work looks like. 928 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:37,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, so they were gonna violate me and send me 929 00:45:37,239 --> 00:45:41,440 Speaker 1: back because I was putting up these documentary episodes and 930 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:48,080 Speaker 1: they were like, this isn't a real job. So they 931 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:49,799 Speaker 1: were about to send me back. They came and told me. 932 00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:51,880 Speaker 1: They said, hey, you're going back to prison. This lady 933 00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:53,759 Speaker 1: came in. She was on fire. She was like, I'm 934 00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:56,000 Speaker 1: sending you back to prison. And I think, oh, this 935 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:58,720 Speaker 1: is bs that you need to get a real job. 936 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:04,400 Speaker 1: This isn't a real job. And then they tell me 937 00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:07,040 Speaker 1: I'm going. So I packed all my stuff doctor March 938 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:10,440 Speaker 1: say goodbye to my kids after being gone all this time, 939 00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:13,080 Speaker 1: and they were in a foster and foster care at 940 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:16,040 Speaker 1: the time. I had to say goodbye to them again. 941 00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:18,520 Speaker 1: Woke up the next morning and they were like, hey, 942 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:20,920 Speaker 1: we need you to come downstairs. I thought Marshalls were 943 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:23,880 Speaker 1: there to pick me up and go in there, and 944 00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:27,319 Speaker 1: that lady was like, I don't somebody called, and I 945 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:29,480 Speaker 1: guess you got somebody on your side. But we're putting 946 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,080 Speaker 1: an ankle monitor on you, Da da, and you're gonna 947 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:34,680 Speaker 1: do this, and you're gonna do that. And I was like, 948 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:38,480 Speaker 1: oh shit, I'm not going back. And then she leaves 949 00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:40,960 Speaker 1: and the director of the Halfway House caused me in 950 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:42,759 Speaker 1: there and he puts me on speakerphone and it's the 951 00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:46,399 Speaker 1: lady that's over all the programs and she's like, dude, 952 00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:49,240 Speaker 1: I love your documentary. She's like, I'm gonna start using 953 00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:51,879 Speaker 1: it because greatness is in the gray area and we've 954 00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:54,560 Speaker 1: been black and white for so long. She was like, 955 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:58,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna lot you eight hours a week of studio time, 956 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:00,719 Speaker 1: but you got to keep your job and you got 957 00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:02,640 Speaker 1: to bring your pay stubs in and pay your fees. 958 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:05,399 Speaker 1: We got an ankle monitor on. She was like, that's 959 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:07,239 Speaker 1: the only way that I could really justify and not 960 00:47:07,360 --> 00:47:11,040 Speaker 1: sending you back, and she really she helped out a lot. 961 00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:14,120 Speaker 1: And wow, so I ended up not going back. I 962 00:47:14,280 --> 00:47:16,840 Speaker 1: just took that one that one person to just believe 963 00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:19,160 Speaker 1: and go, Okay, this guy really has the opportunity to 964 00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:19,840 Speaker 1: make a change. 965 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:23,600 Speaker 2: And yeah, wow, that's a really cool story. I'm glad 966 00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:25,480 Speaker 2: that was not where I anticipated it going, but that 967 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:28,200 Speaker 2: was really cool and also awesome just that there was 968 00:47:28,239 --> 00:47:29,920 Speaker 2: that one person out there who said, I'm going to 969 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:31,960 Speaker 2: do things a little differently. Yeah, because it always takes 970 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,320 Speaker 2: one person to make a change. Sometimes you do everything 971 00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:38,160 Speaker 2: monotonous and stay in the black and white. As she said, 972 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,440 Speaker 2: because that's what you mentioned way before any of this, 973 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:44,160 Speaker 2: was that change is hard. Yeah, making that changes hard, 974 00:47:44,160 --> 00:47:46,880 Speaker 2: and she just chose. And it's really cool that made 975 00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:50,200 Speaker 2: a point in your story. So all of your music, 976 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:51,920 Speaker 2: I know we've talked about all the personal stuff, and 977 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:53,800 Speaker 2: I think I could sit here and talk to you 978 00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:55,600 Speaker 2: all day about all of the things in your life. 979 00:47:56,239 --> 00:47:59,759 Speaker 2: But two things your music. How many albums do you have? 980 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:08,359 Speaker 1: I probably got like I'd say thirteen or fourteen out there, 981 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:14,520 Speaker 1: but I've got I had eighty five now unreleased songs. 982 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:15,480 Speaker 2: Crazy. 983 00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:19,279 Speaker 1: I'm about to release first single drops Friday for me 984 00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:23,400 Speaker 1: and Brian Martin did a EP called nineteen seventy six. 985 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:25,839 Speaker 1: He had just got kicked off the Morgan Walling tour 986 00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:28,560 Speaker 1: and he came over. We were meeting for the first time, 987 00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:31,200 Speaker 1: going to write a song, and ended up with a 988 00:48:31,239 --> 00:48:33,799 Speaker 1: bottle of whiskey and telling me everything that was going 989 00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:36,080 Speaker 1: on in his life, and I said, man, let's do 990 00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:39,359 Speaker 1: album together. He was like getting blacklisted and stuff at 991 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:43,040 Speaker 1: the time, and I'm like, I like you. And so 992 00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:46,560 Speaker 1: we sat in there five days, wrote five songs, brought 993 00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:49,960 Speaker 1: all the band in one room, let him rock. We 994 00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:53,880 Speaker 1: laid the vocals all super old school, got just a 995 00:48:53,920 --> 00:48:57,720 Speaker 1: real authentic feel. It's called nineteen seventy six. The album 996 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:00,719 Speaker 1: is and it comes out October third. 997 00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:02,560 Speaker 2: Wow. And that's the latest. 998 00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:03,760 Speaker 1: September twenty sixth. 999 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,239 Speaker 2: Okay, that's the latest album of all of these. 1000 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:09,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that one's coming out. And then right behind 1001 00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:13,560 Speaker 1: it in November, I have my album Last Name, produced 1002 00:49:13,560 --> 00:49:17,839 Speaker 1: by Ned Cameron, who's incredible. He produced Only God Knows 1003 00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:21,560 Speaker 1: Me and Jelly and a couple songs off my last album. 1004 00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:25,480 Speaker 1: I've got a full album that's coming in November from 1005 00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:29,360 Speaker 1: produced by him. Then I've got two more rap albums 1006 00:49:29,719 --> 00:49:34,240 Speaker 1: that are finishing up now, and got the album produced 1007 00:49:34,239 --> 00:49:36,560 Speaker 1: by Shooter. It's done. I got to go relay a 1008 00:49:36,560 --> 00:49:39,040 Speaker 1: few vocals because I got with a vocal coach. I 1009 00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:41,320 Speaker 1: was like, I'm going to take this serious. Being a 1010 00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:43,560 Speaker 1: rapper so long and my heart being in country music 1011 00:49:43,600 --> 00:49:46,680 Speaker 1: and wanting to go to switch completely over the country 1012 00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:50,640 Speaker 1: was originally my idea. I just jumped in with a 1013 00:49:50,719 --> 00:49:53,759 Speaker 1: vocal coach to just really learn and to perfect it 1014 00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:56,359 Speaker 1: and find my voice and be able to use it. 1015 00:49:57,200 --> 00:49:59,480 Speaker 2: How do you have time to sleep and be a 1016 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:02,440 Speaker 2: dad when you have four actual albums that are happening 1017 00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:04,040 Speaker 2: all on even more. 1018 00:50:03,920 --> 00:50:06,800 Speaker 1: Than that, because I got another one that we're recording 1019 00:50:06,800 --> 00:50:08,960 Speaker 1: in August. It's all old school. I wrote a bunch 1020 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:11,560 Speaker 1: of songs with like Bob Depirot and a bunch of 1021 00:50:11,600 --> 00:50:14,279 Speaker 1: old school writers that just it came out and it 1022 00:50:14,360 --> 00:50:18,239 Speaker 1: was so different than the other stuff that I had 1023 00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:19,640 Speaker 1: that I was like, oh, we got to put this 1024 00:50:19,719 --> 00:50:22,200 Speaker 1: on a project. So me and a good friend of mine, 1025 00:50:22,320 --> 00:50:25,080 Speaker 1: Zach Gardner, who's he co produces a lot of things 1026 00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:28,600 Speaker 1: with me and he's incredible. So we're doing that in August, 1027 00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:30,960 Speaker 1: and I wasn't. I was kind of chasing for a 1028 00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:34,640 Speaker 1: little while the country radio thing. I was like, man, 1029 00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:37,160 Speaker 1: we were all growing up as a kid listening to 1030 00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:39,200 Speaker 1: the radio. You want to hear your stuff on the radio, 1031 00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:43,799 Speaker 1: but there's a lot of steps involved to that. And 1032 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:46,960 Speaker 1: I was really getting the whole you got to completely 1033 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:50,800 Speaker 1: commit to country and can't put out any more rap. 1034 00:50:51,280 --> 00:50:53,239 Speaker 1: And then Brandley Gilbert was like, bu but you can't 1035 00:50:53,239 --> 00:50:54,840 Speaker 1: forget to dance with the girl that brought you to 1036 00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:58,480 Speaker 1: the party and I can't not rap. 1037 00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:00,200 Speaker 2: That's sorry for you are. 1038 00:51:00,520 --> 00:51:01,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's part of who I am. So I was 1039 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:03,640 Speaker 1: just like, you know what, as much as I would 1040 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:05,719 Speaker 1: love country radio, maybe one day I'll get to hear 1041 00:51:05,719 --> 00:51:08,440 Speaker 1: my songs on the radio, but I'm not gonna chase that. 1042 00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:12,719 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna I'm gonna just keep doing exactly what 1043 00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:15,400 Speaker 1: I'm doing. I'm gonna stay independent and I'm gonna keep 1044 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:19,120 Speaker 1: pumping these albums out. The hard part about being independent 1045 00:51:19,239 --> 00:51:20,760 Speaker 1: is a lot of times you don't get the push 1046 00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:23,120 Speaker 1: and you don't get the promotion and the marketing that 1047 00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:24,840 Speaker 1: you would get if you were on a major label. 1048 00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:28,360 Speaker 1: But so songs. It could be number one on country 1049 00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:31,720 Speaker 1: and they get looked over, but they become other people's 1050 00:51:31,719 --> 00:51:35,440 Speaker 1: favorite songs. Like fifty times a day I get comments 1051 00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:37,560 Speaker 1: like why is this not number one in the country. 1052 00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:41,719 Speaker 1: But I just I like to still be able to 1053 00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:43,920 Speaker 1: go in the Kroger and shop. My community loves me. 1054 00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:46,160 Speaker 1: I love to be able to pull up at the kids' 1055 00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:47,080 Speaker 1: football games. 1056 00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:50,600 Speaker 2: And there's a lot of beauty and independent that you 1057 00:51:50,640 --> 00:51:52,080 Speaker 2: get to put out what you want to put out 1058 00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:54,200 Speaker 2: and do the projects you want to do. You have 1059 00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:57,160 Speaker 2: so much more drive to do it too, so I 1060 00:51:57,200 --> 00:51:59,279 Speaker 2: think it looks differently every we talk about this a 1061 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:03,600 Speaker 2: lot that fame is so shifted and you can have 1062 00:52:03,640 --> 00:52:06,040 Speaker 2: a successful career any which way as long as you 1063 00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:06,680 Speaker 2: go for it. 1064 00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:09,879 Speaker 1: Really, I want to do it till I'm ninety. I'm 1065 00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:11,759 Speaker 1: going to be I don't care if it's just I 1066 00:52:11,800 --> 00:52:15,240 Speaker 1: don't I was blessed to get to go do amphitheaters 1067 00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:18,080 Speaker 1: with Jelly Row and watch that. Now he's in stadiums 1068 00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:21,239 Speaker 1: with post and watching all that. I'm so proud of him. 1069 00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:24,880 Speaker 1: But there's moments where I'm like, man, I see the 1070 00:52:24,920 --> 00:52:27,120 Speaker 1: way he has to live. I see the way that 1071 00:52:27,239 --> 00:52:30,560 Speaker 1: how busy he is and how much he doesn't. There's 1072 00:52:30,640 --> 00:52:33,560 Speaker 1: moments where I'm like, man, I would be blessed to 1073 00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:37,440 Speaker 1: be in that position. But I also kind of like being. 1074 00:52:37,520 --> 00:52:41,000 Speaker 2: Independent, absolutely, And I do love to end these things 1075 00:52:41,120 --> 00:52:43,600 Speaker 2: on a piece of advice. And I want everybody to 1076 00:52:43,640 --> 00:52:45,680 Speaker 2: go check out all of Struggles music. I think you 1077 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:47,399 Speaker 2: could listen to it for a whole entire year before 1078 00:52:47,400 --> 00:52:48,479 Speaker 2: you made it through everything. 1079 00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:50,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna drop a whole new catalogy. 1080 00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:52,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, so get through all of that. But I like 1081 00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:56,520 Speaker 2: to end the podcast on whether it's piece of advice 1082 00:52:56,600 --> 00:53:00,800 Speaker 2: or motivation or inspiration, something that maybe we haven't touched on. However, 1083 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:03,960 Speaker 2: the floor goes to you. But that's what I like 1084 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:04,440 Speaker 2: to end on. 1085 00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:08,360 Speaker 1: I've been blessed recently. I just got made the director 1086 00:53:08,400 --> 00:53:11,720 Speaker 1: of Send Musicians to Prison. Nathan Lee has been running 1087 00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:14,280 Speaker 1: it for sixteen years, and they took me into Rikers 1088 00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:18,319 Speaker 1: Island and it was so special. I was like, and 1089 00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:20,439 Speaker 1: I want to do this more and be a part 1090 00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:24,040 Speaker 1: of it. And Nathan Lee had just been to where 1091 00:53:24,040 --> 00:53:26,000 Speaker 1: he was stepping down from it and just staying on 1092 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:28,000 Speaker 1: the board and they were like, we're looking for a 1093 00:53:28,040 --> 00:53:30,840 Speaker 1: new director, and so they all voted and I became 1094 00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:32,480 Speaker 1: the new director. And so I'm getting to go back 1095 00:53:32,520 --> 00:53:35,200 Speaker 1: into prisons. And one of the things that I find 1096 00:53:35,239 --> 00:53:37,080 Speaker 1: the most, that I really is just on my heart 1097 00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:40,200 Speaker 1: to tell people is don't let your past to find you. 1098 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:44,399 Speaker 1: There were so many times in life where people would 1099 00:53:44,440 --> 00:53:46,719 Speaker 1: ask me like, are you ready, And I was like, yeah, 1100 00:53:46,760 --> 00:53:49,640 Speaker 1: I was born ready, but I wasn't born ready. I 1101 00:53:49,640 --> 00:53:51,200 Speaker 1: had to go through all the shit that I went 1102 00:53:51,200 --> 00:53:54,080 Speaker 1: through to get ready. And I like to use the 1103 00:53:54,120 --> 00:53:56,800 Speaker 1: analogy when they purified gold, they put it in a fire, 1104 00:53:57,320 --> 00:54:00,120 Speaker 1: they pull it out, wipe off all the imperfections, and 1105 00:54:00,120 --> 00:54:02,520 Speaker 1: they put it back in the fire. Don't be afraid 1106 00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:05,800 Speaker 1: of those flames. Anything you're going through, anything you've been through, 1107 00:54:06,360 --> 00:54:08,520 Speaker 1: it's all leading you up to where you're supposed to be. 1108 00:54:08,960 --> 00:54:12,239 Speaker 1: You just have to keep that mindset. You have to 1109 00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:15,239 Speaker 1: keep moving forward, make the best decisions you can, and 1110 00:54:15,280 --> 00:54:18,480 Speaker 1: you will get where beyond where you can dream you 1111 00:54:18,520 --> 00:54:23,680 Speaker 1: would be. In any aspect, whether it's success, business, relationships, love, 1112 00:54:24,600 --> 00:54:27,440 Speaker 1: just keep moving and just lead with your heart and 1113 00:54:27,480 --> 00:54:28,120 Speaker 1: don't give up. 1114 00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:32,160 Speaker 2: Oh that's a really good feasing. Congratulations on becoming the director. 1115 00:54:32,160 --> 00:54:34,360 Speaker 2: I think that's really cool. Yeah, obviously that's going to 1116 00:54:34,360 --> 00:54:35,680 Speaker 2: be a great way for you to get back in 1117 00:54:35,719 --> 00:54:39,319 Speaker 2: the community. It's cool that you're changing what would have 1118 00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:42,000 Speaker 2: been really beneficial and helpful for you. You're making sure 1119 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,360 Speaker 2: that's happening for other people, and I think that's really awesome. 1120 00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:48,560 Speaker 1: Well, I think it's better to focus on building something 1121 00:54:48,600 --> 00:54:49,520 Speaker 1: bigger than yourself. 1122 00:54:49,800 --> 00:54:51,839 Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's a whole part. It's part of the reason 1123 00:54:51,840 --> 00:54:54,560 Speaker 2: why we're here right so struggle. Thanks for being here, 1124 00:54:54,560 --> 00:54:56,400 Speaker 2: Thanks for being so open sharing your story. 1125 00:54:56,719 --> 00:54:57,120 Speaker 1: Thank you. 1126 00:54:58,120 --> 00:55:00,160 Speaker 2: I told you guys, this is a great one. I'm 1127 00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:02,239 Speaker 2: happy it's finally in your hands. And if you liked it, 1128 00:55:02,320 --> 00:55:05,080 Speaker 2: please subscribe to the podcast and follow at take This 1129 00:55:05,160 --> 00:55:08,200 Speaker 2: personally on Instagram for so much more content. Thanks for 1130 00:55:08,239 --> 00:55:10,280 Speaker 2: being here with me this week. As always, I'm happy 1131 00:55:10,280 --> 00:55:12,000 Speaker 2: that you're here and I can't wait for you to 1132 00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:13,040 Speaker 2: be here next week.