WEBVTT - Chance The Rapper Interview 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:07.560 I'm real people, real celebrity joined the breakfast What up y'all? 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:10.360 Is DJ m vy Angela Yee Charlomagne the guy we 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:13.160 are the Breakfast Club got a special guest with us 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:20.759 in the building, Champs the rapper Who Chance trump Everybody? 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:23.520 You said breakfast club with Donnie? I'm like, who the 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:28.120 hell on the show's named Donnie? Donnie Trumpet? What's up? Everybody? 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:31.600 Let's start back? Who is Chance? Because I'm familiar with you, 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:34.920 I've never really heard a song, never heard of verse. 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:37.240 So for someone like me who's not up on a 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:40.800 Chance the rapper? Who are you? All right? I'm the rapper. 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:46.560 I'm from Chicago twenty one? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm done rapper. 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:50.599 But I'm I'm an artist of shorts and uh from 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:53.159 Chicago and for the people. And I got two mixtapes 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:57.120 up lasted rappers, one out a couple of years ago. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:58.720 That would be the one that you know, Yeah he 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.840 went before that. Guess ten Day. You might know it, 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:03.560 you might not know it. Explain the concert, but ten 0:01:03.640 --> 0:01:06.520 Day ten Day was recorded while I was on ten 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:08.800 day suspension from high school. What you do well you 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:11.680 get suspended? I have, Yeah, I have marijuana. I don't 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:15.440 know what the rules are for. I had not really 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:18.800 a lot of weed, but like on school property, I guess, 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:21.400 or like a half of zip zip No, like like 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.520 a like a maybe maybe a quarter maybe a quarter 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.200 selling a smoking. I was smoking. But they were trying 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:28.920 to say I hadn't tend to sell, but I didn't. 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:30.360 I had it in one bag. It was for me. 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:34.520 It doesn't matter. I wasn't really trying to say nothing. 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:36.959 I didn't know what was incriminating, what was not. I 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:40.039 was chilling, but they gave me the suspension. Somebody telling 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:41.360 you because Lenna tell you something. When I was in 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:43.440 high school, and I shoul probably shouldn't a long time. 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:46.480 But when I was in high school, we used to 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:49.320 get money when we used to tell on people for 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:56.360 having We like lame dude, like lame dude, not know 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:58.040 like what he what is he doing with weed? I 0:01:58.040 --> 0:01:59.920 would go tell on him. I go to the printool 0:01:59.920 --> 0:02:05.240 like you've always been like because cool and be like, yo, 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.400 look I got weed. I got a gun. So we 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:09.799 tell on him and get money. Well said you got gun? 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:14.520 Chat just for people and everything. I hope not. That'd 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:16.240 be crazy if I found out somebody told on me. 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:18.600 I think it was just the school was into like 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:21.000 what I was on and stuff, so like they kind 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:22.960 of followed me around. The police officer that was issued 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.120 to the school, we'll kind of like randomly checked my 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.120 locker and all types of stuff. And he was actually 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:28.720 one of them family. I was a little bit actually, 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:30.280 like a couple of blocks away from school because I 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:32.760 went to school downtown, so like I was like in 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:34.960 an alley somewhere, and dude just walked up on me 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:37.040 and grabbed me, took me back to the school, made 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:39.200 sure they kicked me out of school, and then then 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:41.400 took me to the station off ten days and you 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:45.040 did a mixtape in the library? Yeah, yeah, equipment library, 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:48.040 they didn't. So there's this thing called You Media and Chicago, 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.680 which is, uh, it's through Chicago public libraries, and they 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.440 basically give the space for young kids to learn how 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:56.639 to use media, whether it be like you know, using 0:02:56.680 --> 0:03:00.959 the Internet and different programs for making you know, work stuff, 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:04.959 or also like instruments and production software and a recording 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.799 studio and music theory classes. Me and Donnie both grew 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:10.960 up in it, and they're like kind of expanding it now. 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:12.919 So I'm working really closely with them. But you didn't 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:16.000 pass the weed to Donnie Man. Donnie, do you carry 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.280 a weed? Now? What is the role? No? Definitely not 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:22.480 I have I have my own personal weed carriers on 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.360 all ten days suspensions. I don't want any of that trouble. 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:28.640 Your mom was going to the library to study and 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:31.720 you was actually making a mixtape. Yeah, I mean I 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:33.200 think my mom was glad that I was at the 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:35.480 library regardless. I didn't have to really expound on what 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:36.640 I was doing that. I was just like, yeah, I'm 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:38.800 going to the library. But it was like yeah, it 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:40.240 was like all that stuff. And then there was also 0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:43.800 an open mic program through that called Lyricists, and like um, 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:46.160 it was led by a guy named Brother Mike rest 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:48.040 in Peace. But he was my mentor growing up, and 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:49.680 he would just have all these kids from the city, 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:51.080 you know what I'm saying, all sides of the city 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:52.880 because it was right downtown, so like all the trains 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:54.960 came there and everybody would come and just you know, 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:58.000 make a statement like the answer sing or you know, rapper, 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.360 do a little bit of comedy for working stuff like 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:02.440 but people will come up and present and that was 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:05.120 my spot that's all like game my fans. Now, I 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:08.120 did just read that you opened up a digital library 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:11.040 in Chicago. Yeah, so I opened up the car. DIDU 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:13.480 wasn't shout out to Cardiguuson. I think it's still February 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:18.200 right now, Black History months. You know. Well, I'll tell 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:20.920 you what made me go back and listen to your music. Um, 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.080 it was Lallapalooza and they were saying that you were 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:26.520 like the highlight of Lallapalooza last year. You know, not 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:29.400 only was it Chicago, but you brought out our Kelly 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:31.640 came out and performed with you. You had everybody, you're 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:33.920 teaching everybody. How did you watched our Kelly tape growing up? 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:39.240 That's wild? Yes, yeah, well I don't know if it 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:41.040 was our Kelly on the tape. He said it wasn't him. 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.640 You learn anything from that tape? From that tape? Oh 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:50.039 my god, you're crazy. And I've been trying to peek 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:51.880 do you mind if I finished? Oh I'm sorry, thank 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:54.320 you very much. Yeah, so that's actually what made me 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:55.960 go back and say, okay, And you were on the 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:59.000 double XIL Freshman cover and that was another thing. But 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:01.480 when Tray I was up here. He said, y'all had 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:03.360 some type of issue, Like he called you a weird 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:05.279 because he walked up through your face and called you 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:09.800 a weird old wrapper. Me and Troy have are cool people's. 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.280 Uh we met at the at the double xhel Shoot. 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:15.320 We didn't we didn't know each other really before that, 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:17.720 but uh was here. I can stay at office. No, 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:21.080 we was cool. It was I don't know, maybe he 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:23.840 felt standoffish and I just didn't detect it. But we're cool, 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:25.560 you know what I'm saying. When I got really sick 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:29.280 early last year when I was getting ready to play Coachella, 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:33.120 and he texted, I had like a high flute, like 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:36.440 a high temperature mixed with flue, mixed with like, uh 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:39.600 like tonsilitis just a bunch of stuff from I remember 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.359 because everybody was excited after a lot of PALLUSA. Everybody 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.080 was like, we got to see a chance to wrap 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:46.320 it perform. Yeah, yeah, I mean I did. I did 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:48.400 the first weekend of Coachella, brought out Justin Bieber. It 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:50.159 was a huge thing. Then I went on a string 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:52.280 of shows like for my birthday, because my birthday was 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:54.279 in between. I got really sick on that little in 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:56.039 between week and then when it was time for the 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:58.280 next weekend, I came down with this you know what 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:01.839 I'm saying, terrible temperature and fluid stuff, so I couldn't play. 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:03.320 But a lot of people hit me up with like 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:04.680 words of like, you know what I'm saying, I hope 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:06.320 you're doing all right. And Troy was one of them, 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:08.240 and like he didn't like you back then at the 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:10.440 Double XL. He probably didn't know. We don't. Yeah, we 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:11.800 didn't know each other. I think the thing is what 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.080 we we both didn't really understand where each other were 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:17.240 coming from at first, but like now we understand, like 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:18.840 we just have our own lays and we both want 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:21.360 each other to be successful. Troy says he's the dealer 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:23.640 and guys like you were the user. Yeah, I mean, 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:29.160 I like, there's there's different ways to look at everything, right, 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:30.840 we do you think it's it's kind of messed up 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:33.680 that is classism and Rapp though for sure I think 0:06:33.680 --> 0:06:35.480 it's messed up that is classism in the world, but 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:37.600 definitely and Rap. I think it's weird that Rap is 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:40.080 like one of the only like you know, really really 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:44.960 uh not just competitive sport musics, but like contact sport music. 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.159 You know what I'm saying, Like it's if there's always 0:06:47.160 --> 0:06:51.320 feels like there has to be one defined objective winner 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:53.360 of music and we always have to find one person 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.599 that's you know, killing everybody else, and it's it's not 0:06:56.640 --> 0:06:59.039 really like that another genres and I think that that's 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:01.240 you know what I'm saying. I don't think it's just weird. 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:03.280 I think it's like, you know what I'm saying, systematically 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.359 like that because it's a predominantly black art and it's 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.560 a successful it, so people don't want it to be like, 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:10.480 you know what I'm saying, a bunch of people taking 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:11.960 over music and it would rather be you know what 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.520 I'm saying, you know, the crabs in the barrel thing. 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.320 I think I think everybody can move successfully and do 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:19.600 what they want to do and make the type of 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.240 music they want to make. And uh, it'll make the 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:24.480 genre as a whole and not just the genre, but 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:28.040 because we said it's superdominantly black genre, like, uh will 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:29.760 make the people move as a whole right now. You 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.320 you also volunteered for Barack Obama when he was campaigning. 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:34.520 How was that? Because they said your dad worked closely 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:37.760 with him, Yeah, No, my pops has worked with Brock 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:41.520 for a long time. Yeah, my pops is like a 0:07:41.640 --> 0:07:43.040 mover in a shaker, you know what I'm saying. Like 0:07:43.040 --> 0:07:45.160 he has worked in government for a really long time. 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:48.720 He works in the Mayor's office now, but yeah, all 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:50.800 throughout high school he worked in the White House. I 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:53.400 used to live in DC. Thank you from like DC? Right, 0:07:56.160 --> 0:08:00.360 but yeah, but uh yeah, he I grew up, you 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:02.320 know what I'm saying. Working, How did your pops feel 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:03.760 with what you go into the rap game? Since you 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.600 was so connected politically, I mean when I was really young, 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:08.200 because I've been doing this since I was really young, 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.800 So I was like, you know, thirteen fourteen, Like I 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:14.560 think originally it wasn't necessarily the main idea, but I 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:17.920 think it as as as it grew. My dad is like, 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:20.160 you know, he was a campaign manager. He put people 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:23.400 in office, but showed people to the people, you know 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:25.960 what I'm saying. Um, And my dad at a certain 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:29.160 point kind of campaign managed me and showed me how 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.600 to like, you know, print flyers and and move on 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.679 foot and work organically with the people to like he 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:37.760 was a political activist kind of you go there, I'm 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:39.800 for the people for your dad to do from Scans 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:45.360 what's the guy's name? From Scander? Would you say that 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:48.400 Palooza in Chicago was probably, like to date, maybe your 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:53.880 biggest most impactful performance. Definitely for me. Yeah, well we 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:56.000 had played Lollapalooza a couple of years on the road. 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:59.360 What do you do? I played the trumpet mostly, but 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.959 I do lots of things, um as Donnie trumpet. Yeah, 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:06.800 y'all a group? Yeah, yeah, we're a band. Okay, Yeah, 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:10.520 we're the Social Experiment. We're a collective. Okay, we are 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:14.400 the Social Experiment. Uh. Donnie is the leader. Um. He 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:16.959 played with kids these Days and with Frank Ocean and 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:20.520 we've worked together in the past and eventually we started 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:22.599 our own band, Social Experiment. So we've been you know 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:24.840 what I'm saying, we're the the name in front of 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.720 you know what I'm saying, like, Uh, all of our 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:29.640 events that we throw, you know, we do like like 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.320 you just said, social and political activism, and we do 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:34.440 that as a social experiment. We just make a lot 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:37.680 of moves. But yeah, Donnie is like, you're the first 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:41.000 one coming album, um, and the first one coming out 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:44.080 with a group project. So the first social Experiment project 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:47.679 as a as a unit is headed by Donnie Trumpet. 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:49.800 I like that name. What's the Social Experiment is? What 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:52.440 is the Social Experiment? Exactly? I like that name. What 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:55.920 is y'all to social experience? Okay, so the Social Experiment 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:58.280 is more than just me and Donnie, but it's it's 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:00.400 a collective of a lot of different artists that, you 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:04.240 know what I'm saying, are interested in making dope free stuff, 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:06.560 you know what I'm saying. And it doesn't even really 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:11.960 just refer to music, but like it's it's a it's 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:15.040 a it's a blend of production and writing. That's how 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:17.640 we started off. Like after I finished my last project 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.559 as her, I started doing a lot of writing and 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:23.480 producing for other artists in this collective called the Social 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:27.640 Experiment and worked with some really dope artists like H. L. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:31.000 Varner and J Cole and Jill Scott and White Left 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:33.800 and a lot of different people. And uh, eventually we 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:35.800 were like yo, Like, while we were touring as the 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:38.440 band as my backup band for for my live shows, 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.360 we started making songs that we were like, we shouldn't 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:43.720 necessarily show this to anybody or try and get somebody 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:45.520 to singer or rap it or you know what I'm saying, 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:47.559 put it out. We should put it out ourselves. So 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:49.920 since then, we've just been on kind of a mission 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.599 to make the dopest stuff that we can possible and 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.200 give it away free. Yeah, that's the that's the move. 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:58.360 That's what what charge for shows merchandise were. Yeah. I mean, 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:00.480 money's gonna be made in different ways. I think, like 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:04.200 there art, like you said, merchandise, touring, uh, sponsorships. There's 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:06.480 a lot of way for artists to make money without 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:09.440 necessarily selling their songs for one dollar, doing like a 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:12.200 small deal with Spotify for you know what I'm saying, 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:14.959 some type of distribution. Um, but you've met with all 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:18.200 kinds of labels you just have opted not to sign. Yeah, 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:21.640 I think. I mean it's a it's it's a it's 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:23.840 a deep conversation. A lot of thoughts come to my 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:27.199 mind when Yeah, I like, I like how deep it gets. 0:11:27.200 --> 0:11:31.559 Thank you Charlotagne for the deep questions. Um, I think, uh, 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:38.440 I think now it's but I think like the whole 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:40.400 thing with music is that it's moving in a direction 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:44.199 where it's going to become a little bit more exclusive. 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:46.160 I love the way that music is very inclusive and 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:49.160 it's used to bring a lot of people to different things, 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:53.120 mainly advertising, you know what I'm saying, building a brands 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:55.240 and stuff. But I think it's not just a black 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:57.880 thing anymore. It's not just a black thing anymore. You 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:00.280 know what I'm saying. It's not just a you know 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:02.600 what I'm saying, the musical thing. It's about music and lyrics. 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:05.480 It's about being able to relate with people. And I 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:08.160 think all of that stuff is dope, but we're kind 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:11.760 of trying to retract it into a you know what 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:22.600 I mean when I say bohemian society, like all bohemian. Yeah, 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:24.880 we also want people to stop hating on people for 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:27.400 having dreadlocks. Also, like that's that's one of the things. 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:30.920 What's independent? Then you mentioned independent? Is it is it successful? 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:32.719 Because a lot of autists that they're independent and they're 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:34.719 getting six seven dollars an album, and we know that's 0:12:34.720 --> 0:12:37.400 not true. It sounds great, it sounds good, but we 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:39.240 don't see the money. So is it a way that 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:41.040 you want to go? Because with a major they will 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.439 push you to a scale that you you can't do independently. 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:48.080 I might not necessarily agree with you. I'm pushing you 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:50.120 to a level that that you might not be able 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:52.560 to get to. There's definitely the distribution. They could put 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:54.600 you in the seat that I'm in right now and 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:55.800 tell you, you know what I'm saying, to go up 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:57.880 to the radio stations. They can put you on a 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:00.400 stage somewhere like I was last night. I could put 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:02.760 you in a lot of different places. But I think 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:06.640 it's about being you know what I'm saying, the manager 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:08.800 of the project, of the project, of the product. You 0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:11.079 know what I'm saying, Like how you get there right exactly? 0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:13.480 So like for me and for Nico and for the 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:15.880 social experiment. Nico's his real name. I know, Donnie is 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:17.880 his name that everybody knows mess but I call him 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:22.720 Nico Donnie choose one, Yeah, But for us, it's about 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:24.520 that groundwork. It's about, like you know what I'm saying, 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:27.240 having that person to person connection. Some people that that 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:29.959 buy my music are investing me as a product and 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.400 as a person know me and they feel like I'm 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:35.319 connected to the community and connect it just in a 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:38.560 way that's closer than like, you know, that third person 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:42.080 relationship when you're when you're buying an album from Deaf Jam. 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.840 But you're supporting this one artist. You know what I'm saying. 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:50.800 The label is you know I'm saying, um pushing the product. 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:54.480 And then there's the consumer, and the consumer is the john. 0:13:55.760 --> 0:14:01.360 So basically the firsthand supply it exactly exactly when Madonna 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:02.600 comes to you and says I need you to get 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:04.679 on the song. There's no clearances that she has to 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:07.320 She can just come to you and you can help on. Yeah. 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:09.160 I mean we still gotta work out. Yeah, we still 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.120 gotta work out our clarances. I still need my side 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:13.559 artist agreement. I still got lawyers. I still like, you 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:16.760 know what I'm saying, label, But there's nobody that's gonna 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.520 take the percentage. There's nobody that's gonna say, Okay, I'm 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:21.240 gonna work out the deal for you and find out 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:23.520 how much you work. Are you guys on your own publishing? Yeah, 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:25.200 we got our publishing house. We got you know what 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.880 I'm saying. We do, We do the stuff that we 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:30.200 want to do it. I'm sorry, am I talking to no? No? No? 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:33.160 I got a very deep question for Donnie. Donnie, deep question, 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:36.160 do you get a lot of playing the trumpet because 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:37.960 people always say, give the drum or something. We never 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.320 hear somebody to give the trumpet. Classically, it is a 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:44.280 very um women friendly instrument. It requires a lot of 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:48.440 mouth work, a lot of blow. There you go. Maybe 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:52.840 that's it. Maybe it's the beautiful sound. Maybe it's the 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:56.520 man behind the trumpet. True, it's all those things. Listen, 0:14:56.600 --> 0:14:58.360 you smashed Madonna or what man? Because she bought you 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:00.560 a school. She's just not gonna buy you know school bro. Yeah, 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:05.400 she definitely asked her verses for school this chance. Yeah, 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:08.320 I'm definitely not doing no verses for no scooters. But no, 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:11.320 we're just we're close friends. She's a very respectable woman. 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:13.840 How did that happen? You're twenty one years old? Mcdonna's 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:16.640 sixty something, right. How do y'all be come close for us? Oh? 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:18.720 That's actually funny. I just realized. Well I met her 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.880 through Frank Ocean, who's a friend of mine. Uh. He 0:15:21.960 --> 0:15:24.320 brought her to a show once. Uh and what l 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:28.640 a Frank mcdonna too. I mean mcdonna was one of 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.120 those people we think about being on this super b 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:33.080 like on another planet, you know what I'm saying, Like 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:35.200 her and Michael, Like you don't just see mcdonna at 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:38.080 his show. Big Daddy came back in the day, Like 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:41.520 Donna knows what's up? You know what I'm saying. She 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:45.280 comes to what she? Yeah, I guess she. She came 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:47.680 through Frank and put her onto the music. And I 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.560 only know that Frank through through Donnie, or originally knew 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.080 him through Donnie, but uh yeah, Frank brought it through 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.080 a show. We met real quick. We didn't talk for 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.560 a while, and then we were at some festival and 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:01.320 I got a call from jay Z and he was like, yo, 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.880 Madonna asked me to get on the tracker. Uh this 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:07.960 iconic record about icons, blah blah blah, And I think 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:11.000 that it'd be better if somebody who was a new 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:13.080 person I think could be a new icon got on 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:18.480 the recorded in your story, Hold, just have your number 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:21.640 to call you. Who are you? Who are you? You 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:24.040 actually didn't call my personal sell you called Pat the manager, 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:26.440 my manager. But uh yeah we know some people at 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:29.560 rock Nation. Uh. Jay Z had us play the Main 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:32.000 America festival last year and his wife got checked out 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:36.240 our set. So the wife Beyonce. Yeah, yeah, I mean 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:39.920 you can't say that. You can say Jacob oh Jacob's 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:45.240 all right, I thought you were trying to be clever 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:48.160 and stuff. I mean that was clever. That was very clever. Yes, 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:54.400 one of your shows too, Yeah, that didn't make the move. 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:57.240 Like when she supported Joey Badass. Yeah, I don't know. 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.880 People are out for Joey and I don't really under 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:02.840 stand it, but like, yeah, like she's she likes music. 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.359 I'm not really really close to her, but like we 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:09.080 may be met a couple of times when I was 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:12.080 a shorty because like I said, my dad used to 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:15.360 work for Obama, but it is your dad, like Jason Bourne, 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:17.879 and like everybody knows this. So that's why, like people, 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:20.200 you're so easy to get, like very much. So yeah, 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:22.640 I mean it's not very very easy. My dad doesn't 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:24.480 work in the music brold than stuff. But like when 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:26.560 I want to do like like like we were talking 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:29.760 about the social activism and political activism and you know, 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.240 I starting our our own open mic in Chicago, and 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:34.320 I was working with the Field Museum to do a 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:37.080 uh you know, a free museum campus day for South 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.840 and West Side neighborhoods and anything that we want to do. 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:42.400 I know, I have the proper channels and it's through 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:45.119 my connections and like the tactics that we learned early 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.080 on for just getting music to the people, and just 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:51.760 like understanding and realizing our own fan base and our 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:55.479 own friends could be the people that support us, you know, 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:59.959 are artistically you know, like his his father's background in politics. 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:03.200 It's definitely contributed to us being out on the street 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:07.280 like passing out mixtapes and and we're for people. So 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:08.680 I'm trying to figure this out. Did all of this 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:10.600 start happening for you with twenty thirteen when you did 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:12.440 Aster Rappers? That when you started getting all these connections, 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:16.719 the jay Z's, the Madonna's justin all of this happened 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:19.520 in that year. Um, yeah, I would say for the 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:22.040 most part, like, uh, twenty twelve, I dropped the Ten 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:23.800 Day Project that was a year out of high school, 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:27.280 and uh it things were things were bubbling for me 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:30.200 in the city, and the city as a whole was popping, 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:31.800 you know what I'm saying. Everybody was coming up around 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:34.520 the same time. And then I think the Aster Rap 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:39.479 Project was just a little bit um better put together 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:41.520 and we had a better game plan for it, and 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:43.720 I put out you know what I'm saying, professionally put 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:45.359 out a tape as a chance to rapp it before. 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:47.600 So once I put that out and we had like 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:49.760 the game plan set for how we're gonna two hour 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:52.040 we're gonna do merge and and you know what I'm saying, 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:54.680 just a full, you know, well thought out game plan. 0:18:55.320 --> 0:18:57.560 Things took off, and I think people just started to 0:18:57.600 --> 0:18:59.399 take notice, Now what's up with vic Mitch because I 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:00.639