Smoko Ono on Becoming a Hit Producer

Ally is joined by music producer Smoko Ono to discuss growing up in Chicago, developing musical talent, and working with artists such as Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa from the ground up.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Today's podcast is sponsored by Sea Geek. If you didn't know,
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Whether you're trying to go to a Nets game, Liberty Game, concert,
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need Sea Geek. Welcome to Courtside Conversation. I'm your girl,

(00:31):
Ali Love. After years on the Heartwood as the in
arena host for the Brooklyn Nets, It's time for me
to take a courtside. We're here with artists, athletes, and
all of our favorite people to break down the game
called life. We're getting real about the grow up and
the glow up. So let's take a seat. Oh my gosh,

(00:58):
what's up? Everybody? Welcome to Courtside Converse Station. It's your girl,
Ali Love, and I'm back with another cool guest, smokeo
on No, producer and Grammy nominated songwriter who has produced
songs for the likes of Chance the Rapper, dram Vick, Mensa,
and of course so many more Chicago's in the house.
Smokea on A, what's up? What's going on? Thank you
for having me. I'm excited. Are we gonna talk sports?

(01:21):
We are? We're gonna talk a little bit of basketball
in the third quarter, so we break it down into
four quarters, just like a basketball game. We're taking a
seaquart side, so let's jump right in into the first quarter.
Let's talk about home. I'm from the three oh five
and I love where I'm from. There's a word on
the street that folkes from Chicago rep Chicago harder than anyone.

(01:43):
Is this true? I think it's true, because I think
it's even to the point where if someone says they're
from Chicago and you're from Chicago, the next question you
ask him where. And if someone says like Naperville or something,
we're like, you're not from Chicago. So we definitely take
pride and letting people know that everything comes from Chicago.

(02:05):
If it's the best music, the slang, talk to me
about music. How did you know this was an avenue
for you? I often start most of the conversations like this,
And I had this conversation this morning with a friend
of mine. Is that growing up as a little black
girl in Miami, a little by racial girl, I didn't
know what was available to me. I didn't know I
could become a host of a podcast or create my

(02:27):
own podcast, and pitch it to the NBA, Like I
didn't even know that was possible. Um, how did you
find music? Well, I first discovered music when I was
like eight. My school at the time they created this
orchestra and it's like an orchestra program and like the
hood of Chicago, like where like all the Puerto Ricans

(02:49):
go to school because I'm Puto Rican, so it's like Chicago,
it is very segregated. So it's like all like you know,
the Hispanics will go to school together, their blacks usually
go together. It's supers messed up. But They've put this
program in my school and I was like, I'm gonna
try to play the violin. I didn't even know what
the violin was it like you know, like what it
sounds like. But um, I like fell in love with it.

(03:12):
Played it for like four years, but I couldn't really
understand like classical music, like it just didn't make sense
to me. So I kind of stopped because it was
like I had to play the violin on like Saturdays.
I had to like miss football or like not hang
out with friends to like play the violin. I was like,
this is not cool. So then after that I got

(03:33):
reintroduced to music. When I was like seventeen eighteen, a
friend of mine asked me if I wanted to make
beats and I was like, I never heard of this
process of what's making beats, you know, and then he
showed me and then I just fell in love with it.
And then yeah, So between kind of like that ten

(03:53):
year right, that decade between the violin seven eight years
old to seven to eighteen introduction to making beats, what
was your passion at that time? I mean all of
us went to school, and you know, for the moms
and dads and guardians and parents out there, yes we
love school, wink wink, But what did we really what
did you really love to do? I love to play sports. Um.
I played basketball my freshman sophomore year and then kind

(04:18):
of stopped just because it's like the school I played
for it was like really good, but it was very uh,
it was like very like political. Like when I was
two thousand and eight, I never heard of like an
AU team, you know, like now, like on Instagram you
see all these kids playing basketball and it's like they're
like superstars when they're like thirteen. But I was like, oh,
this is too much for me. But I just love sports.

(04:40):
I played basketball, baseball, whatever I could play, trying out
for soccer, but yeah that or like I used to
skateboard a little. Um, and then you know, just like party,
I just do stuff fifteen six year olds would do.
I don't know. And then yeah, and then like when
I was a senior, then that's like when like chance
A to come out and like Vic and all these

(05:03):
other people, and I was like, oh, this is cool,
Like let me just try to make beats for them
and see where that goes. Wait before we talk about
the beats and get into the second quarter, I have
to ask you. Um, I know you said, you know
the teams in basketball and things like that. We're a
little political, but the real question that everybody's thinking is
were you any good? Yes? But was I as good

(05:24):
as these kids they recruited since fifth grade? No, I
was not as good as these Because that's what I'm
saying is like I went in I was supposed to
play football at like a Catholic school, But Catholic schools
here like very expensive and far from Chicago. So it
would take me like two hours just to go to
practice and then have to come back home. So it's

(05:45):
too much. So I walked out on this basketball team.
But when I came on, like there was kids that
they've been recruiting since like fifth sixth grade that I
was just like, I didn't even know that that was
the thing, you know, like in two thousand and seven,
Like I didn't know that his coaches going to sixth
grade basketball games and watching kids play. So when I
went there, I was probably like, like, if the roster

(06:07):
is fourteen, I was probably like number twelve. Well at
least you were a fourteen. Yeah, but you know so,
But it was fun. I mean, I feel like everyone
thinks they're good at basketball until you, like you meet
someone who's actually really good at basketball. I think it's
two different things. I think you can be good at
basketball in two different ways. Yes, there's good at basketball,

(06:28):
like make the NBA. You got four hundred ish folks
that make it into the NBA. It's a very small
number for the versus the folks that grow up loving basketball.
And then I think there is another area of like
being good at basketball where you wear that titles. If
you can do a pickup game in the hood, like
if you can go to anybody's score pickup game and
you break your ankles, you're good at basketball? Like, there

(06:49):
are two types of good in my opinion, So I'm
gonna push this question. Are you good if we put
you on a court right now? I mean, like, are
you good with the rock? Oh? I'm definitely will hold
my own. I think I'm good. I definitely get a
lot of respect from being good at basketball, if it's
through my peers or random people and they're like, oh,

(07:09):
he could hoop? What? I didn't know, because you know,
I don't know. It's just I feel like when I transferred.
So I transferred when I was in fifth grade, I
transferred to sixth grade to my rival school. And you
have to understand, like a rival school in Chicago, Like
kids were just getting fights, jumped, Like it was the
scariest thing I've ever experienced. But my rival school was

(07:31):
better for like just all the academics. You know, they're
just a better program. And my brothers graduated. So my
mom was like, Okay, I'm gonna take you to this school.
It's better, blah blah blah. But the only way I
was able to prove myself was through basketball, and like
you know, like sports people like, oh he could play
basketball like you're trying to be friends. So it was like,

(07:52):
definitely help me in life to be good. How many brothers?
I have two older brothers, one thirty two, one story three.
What were the schools for folks that are that are
from Shytown? What what schools are these? I went to
Sabin and then I transferred to Diego So it's in
Humble Park. My Humble Park is like the Puerto Rican neighborhood.

(08:15):
Now it's super gentified. But yeah, today's podcast is sponsored
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(08:36):
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the web in one place to make buying simple. Well,
you kind of brought up and which is a It's
always a talking point, especially in Chicago and many of
the cities that many of us have been raised in,
including New York, including Miami. So let's roll into the

(08:58):
second quarter to parts in the second quarter, we talk
about adversities, and we talked about assists. Uh, let's talk
about this adversity and that you talked. You kind of
brought it up, and I wasn't going to take the
conversation there, folks, I promise, but of course it's the
allue I gotta dunk it, and that we got to
talk about these issues. You talk about the areas being segregated,
you also talk about access to information. We know access
to information is expensive, and growing up as a person

(09:20):
of color in certain areas, having access to free sports
allow us to see ourselves in those sports, especially if
there are avenues and representation on television, I e. And
the n B A insert lead name here, and we
see ourselves there. However, what ends up happening is sometimes
if there's no access to that information and we're living
in segregated areas and we don't have time and or

(09:42):
resources because our you know, we're helping our families, then
we don't know what we're capable of, and we don't
have that fair opportunity. You brought that up a lot
in Chicago. How do you think transferring from going to
diego when your older brothers have gone Obviously I assume
in front of your mom's mind is like, we want
to make sure you're protecting you ain't got no protection
no moment. You know, you're a little young in But

(10:04):
going to the quote unquote better school, how did that
alter your approach or how did that alter your your
ability to conceptualize race and the access that or I
guess inaccessibility that comes along with being a certain type
of race, a minority innocence. Yeah, it was transferring to

(10:26):
this school. So it's like even though that this school
was better, so they had like an honors class and
then like a regulars class, that school still was like
if anything was more hood, I would say. But so
for me going to school, I was super big into
like skateboarding, you know, like all that stuff, and me
going into that school, they called me the white boy,

(10:49):
but I was Puerto Rican. But it was just because
I was a skate and you know, skateboard, I do
these things, and to them, they they weren't really exposed
to outside culture of like white people or whatever it
is Asian, so they assumed that I was white because
I skateboard, you know. So that was actually a funny
thing to go to school and it's like, Wow, these
kids don't really like know about skateboarding, Like they don't

(11:11):
know like how I'm dressed as different, you know, compared
to how they dressed. Like at that time, people had
like rubber bands on their pants and if you remember
that era, and like basketball jerseys to your knees. But
I think the good thing though about Chicago public schools
is that when you do go to a high school,

(11:33):
they bring you. I feel like that's where you meet
people from all different walks. Like so the school I
went to Von Steuben was very, very diverse, like that's
what they took pride in. So like, I feel like
until I got to high school was like probably like
the first time I like made a friend that was

(11:53):
white or Asian or black, you know, because coming from
my school when Grammar school, it was only Puerto Rican
or Mexican or there might be like one or two
like white kids or something. But really it's like naughety five,
at least for me. There's some schools in Chicago that
exists like that might be more diverse, but I think

(12:13):
going into high school was the first time that I
like met someone that lived by the lake or their
parents is does this, or they're they're rich, or they
play they play golf or they play tennis. I'm like,
what you you play these things? So I think until
I got into like high school is when I started
to see like more of like what the world's really

(12:34):
like and like, so it took me a while, I
would say, you know, like fourteen years. I mean I
knew like about skateboard and stuff like that, but still
like other stuff that comes with just like the actual
world and people that you deal with of all races,
you know, So it took a while. I mean it
sucks thats Chicago is like that um we have like

(12:59):
Humble Park is just Puarricas. Then he go like little
Village was like Mexicans and it's like Ukrainian village like
you know, China, but it's so like separated, you know,
And the only time it it tends to open up
is when like the white people moved in. And I've
seen it personally where it was like my neighborhood was

(13:20):
bad and then like ten years later, now like the
mayor lives there and it's like you know, property goes up. Yeah,
it's like the gangs are gone and it's like yeah,
it is safer, but you do lose the culture and
like you know, the feel of what the neighborhood really is.
So yeah, I don't know if I answered your question,

(13:43):
but no, yeah, I think it's always again it's like
it's your story because you kind of backtrack, was like,
I don't know if this is right, it's our story.
I think for similarly to me, for high school, I
went to an art high school in Miami, New Oral
School of the Arts, and that was my four years
of exposure. I had not had not been exposed to
like a variety of different cultures, just because naturally, when

(14:05):
you move somewhere, your family moved somewhere for protection and safety.
Usually moved to a community that feels like home wherever
you're from, right, especially if you are a minority or
person color. You you move into a community where they
know the language, you can understand, you can get around,
you can get seasonings or foods that you're accustomed to.
So it is a natural kind of habitation where you

(14:25):
congregate in an area. Like minded people make you feel
comfortable because of cultural like the same cultural people make
you feel comfortable. And then what is beautiful about it?
And I find it's great for Chicago and many big cities.
Is that while this is still the main case and
we want to we know, diversity, diverse streams of thought
really self probable for people. Is that when kids go
to school, the introduction and the exposure that we have

(14:46):
for each other, it's quite beautiful. And so similarly, like
I said, in high school, that was my my introduction
to different cultures and it helps shape my frame of mind. Also,
in the second quarter we talk about is sis you
talk about your buddy who you're dude who introduced two beats? Um,
tell me about that experience of what was it about beats? Like,
being introduced to something doesn't mean you're good at it

(15:07):
doesn't mean you're gonna love it, even if you like
the person that introduced you to it. UM, tell us
a little bit about that. Um, let's see. So, yeah,
I feel like when he introduced me to beats, it
was he was older, so he was like maybe at
that time he was probably like and I was like eighteen,
so he was, you know, like a guy who I

(15:28):
looked up to. But he was like, you could only
come on the weekends because I'm busy, but you could
come on Friday and Saturday come to the studio, So
like every week I would just be so excited to
just go there and just make because that was the
only way, like I could make beats. I didn't have
the access at my house. I didn't have any programs.

(15:49):
So every week, like I would just go and keep going.
I was like, Wow, this is so much fun, like
just the process of creating something from thin air or
just an idea that you have hapen. The beats were terrible,
like the beats. The beats were garbage, but it was
so funny because I would be so proud and I
would go to school like the next Tuesday or week,

(16:13):
and then I would go and I would play these
beats for my friends and you know, just like in
like we would try to freestyle over them or just
like it's like, oh it's cool he miss beat or
like or like I used to share like on Facebook.
I would be like, hey, there's a new beat of mine.
Check it out, like tell my friends, like, you know,
it's just so proud. But they probably were not as
good as as the beats now, but just having that

(16:37):
excitement and passion for something um I never had, like
where I was like excited, and I was proud of
myself even if it was the worst beat like, or
if it was good, like, I just thought it was
the coolest thing. And then the guy who I learned from,
he wasn't like a professional like musician or I think
he just did it as a hobby, but he was

(17:00):
the first one to believe in me and be like
and he was like, yo, like I really see like
your work ethic, and like I think you're gonna You're
gonna do this, you know, And this is like before
any placements nothing like he really saw it in me,
and I think that that helped with me also just
starting to believe in myself, like, oh, this guy who
I look up to is like telling me, like, yo,

(17:22):
you have this work ethic. That's great, just stick with it,
you know. So that that same year, I asked my parents,
and I was fortunate enough that they were able to
buy me like like a little keyboard and like program
and stuff just to get started, and you know, and
like at that time, my parents weren't like no one

(17:43):
in my family had found a career doing something creatively.
You know. It was like just where I come from,
it was like their parents were like once you turn sixteen,
you have to work, like yeah, you don't get a job,
make some money exactly. And there was like and my dad,
there's eight of them. So for them, they're like, Okay,
we need people to provide help, pay rent and stuff.

(18:05):
So to them, work was way more important than school.
And then the generation with my parents, they're kind of like,
well school is actually more important, you know. So for
my parents that they're like, yes, this is a hobby,
but you still got to go to school. I didn't
go to school and they were taught me a lesson.
But yeah, so I feel like from starting making beats

(18:30):
with my friend John John is the guy who taught me.
That's who I was waiting on. That was my next question.
I was like, let's give our Assists Award to John John.
John John's shout outs to you because of yours sis
here right now. He's an amazing person. Like he first
he started off as like a counselor and like and
I'm talking about the roughest schools and he just takes
kids who like might not have brothers or fathers or

(18:53):
whatever it is, and like he's like they're positive romoel
Like you know, he'll take them to games, or he'll
just show people another side to things because he comes
from one of the roughest neighborhoods, you know, like he
was used to be in a gang, all these things,
and I think from his experience heat without me knowing,
like he was trying to put me in like the
right path. You know, that makes sense. Did he ever

(19:16):
get you to school on Monday? Because you said, you know,
I'd make beats on the weekend and then I'd chow
him on Tuesday. And I was like, wait a minute,
do not go to school on Monday. I just I
just stayed kidding, just kidding. All right, let's take a beat.
We're gonna jump into halftime. This is a little bit
um of a fire rapp it that we do a
couple of questions real quick and then we're gonna get

(19:36):
back into the conversation. So welcome to your quick halftime.
Here we go. What's your biggest pet peeve? Biggest pet
peeve A liar? A liar? Non negotiable for you? This
is a non negotiable. What do you mean by this
non negotiable? Like a non negotiable for me is kind
of like tardiness. So my pet peeve is like when
someone clips their nails in public. And then a non
negotiable is like, don't be late on my time, on

(19:58):
my time, not today. Yes, I would say, also, don't
waste my time. Don't waste my time. Favorite thing do
you cook? No? No, favorite thing to eat? Then, because
I was gonna ask you favorite thing, favorite thing to eat,
he would eat those sandwich Eat those sandwiches. You know
what that is. I do not tell me what it is.

(20:19):
What you're I know, I said. I said it like
I knew it, like I was like anybody, and you
live in New York. Oh man, it's a it's a
Puerto Rican sandwich that it's a instead of bread, it's
too fried plantains and then they'll put like meat lettice
and so it's really good. So it's like a Cuban sandwich,

(20:39):
but just with plant things. Yeah, you should go to, uh,
what's that neighborhood Wick? I was like, don't mess this up.
Whatever you do in New York, this place in bush Wick,
that's really fine. All right, I'm going to check that
out bush Wick. I'm a list. I'm a list, alright.

(21:01):
Third quarter we are in the second half. My friends
still sitting quartside, enjoying this conversation with let's talk about
the beats, Let's get back to the music. When was
the moment like when was your break when you're just like,
oh MG, you call like your mom and your dad.
You're like, I'm about to make some gap off, like
I'm gonna make money, Like this is a viable career.
It's not a passion that I love and think about.

(21:22):
It's not a hobby. It's not something that could be.
It's something that is well. Hands down, I would say
my first big placement was when Vic and Kanye the
song You Mad Me. Producing that song definitely changed my life.
That was, I think. But having that song come out

(21:45):
and then at that time, you know Vic starting and
blow up and Kanye's you know, I'm from Chicago, obviously
he's from Chicago, so that whole connection there was just insane. Um.
It got me, like my first publishing deal, got me
into more sessions or people wanting to work with me.
So yeah, that was the first song. Were you nervous

(22:06):
in a session like that? Because you respect these artists
and like many many artists that you work with, I'm
sure you're walking with a level of respect and admiration
for their work. But coming out fresh where you're, like
I said, you know, seventeen eighteen, learning to make beats,
trying to establish yourself, how do you handle like are
you nervous and if so, how do you handle those nerves? Well,
I didn't meet Kanye in that session, so I made

(22:30):
the song with Vic and then Kanye. He started to
work with Kanye, and then I think they were in
like London, and then he played on the song and
then he I was like, yeah, I want to hop
on this blah blah blah. But that year VIC did
Coachella and I did get to meet Kanye, Like we
went to his house in Palm Springs or the house

(22:50):
that he was like renting or whatever, and like that
was pretty surreal because it was just like me, Vic
Kanye talking and I feel like I was nervous, you know,
like being around someone like that was the first time
I was ever around someone like that big. And when
stuff like that happens, I just sit and listen. You know,
someone wants me to talk, I'll talk. But yeah, I

(23:12):
was in the session with him. I've been to sessions
where I've seen it make music and stuff, but never
was like me and him like making beats and stuff together. Yeah, Um,
you work with Chance rappor you also have pull up champions,
Sam Henshaw, who I do this class that's called Sunday
would love a peloton and Sam Hishaw and I had
an interview and I used his song as my opening

(23:34):
song for this glass that I've had for three years.
Like he's in He's so dope. So you worked with
these and like again, like I keep saying the word
incredible artists and you're making beats you yourself in your
own right, incredible artists. What is your work style? Like
the folks that are listening, if they if they look
you up, they find you, know, they find out about you,
but this is their moment to really find out about you.
What's your work style? What is it like being in

(23:56):
a studio with you? So I would say, like my
work style first is I focus on myself. So I
see that you're big into fitness and you do the
peloton and stuff. So I would go to the gym first,
work out, do all this stuff for a couple of hours,
and then I come approach the music side. Um, so

(24:19):
if people have sessions with me, I would love for
them to come to the gym with me, but that
never happens. But um, I come to the studio and
I kind of just like said it, like I don't
like to do late sessions, so I'll usually start like one,
two and then go to like eight, maybe seven, um
or a little earlier. But I feel like it's a

(24:40):
very open creative process, you know, Like I think when
you're in the studio, it's important to have no ego,
you know, like because I think with creative people, like
a lot of people would just want like they have
an idea, right and they want to they want to
put it out whatever. And I think what's a good
being a good producer is someone who is open to

(25:03):
all ideas, you know, Like there's some producers who might
be like, no, this, this is what you're singing on,
this is the wave, like this is what you gotta
you know, And I feel like I've seen that personally,
and I feel like hearing people out and just talking
to them, I feel like that's a very important thing
to have a conversation before even creating music, you know,

(25:25):
like how's your day going, where's your head at? I mean,
because all those things create topics and create the song
from having those conversations or experiences. And I feel like
some studio sessions would be like we're just hanging out
talking for three hours before we even touch a note
or even play something. And I feel like that's where

(25:45):
all all the best music comes from, is from experiences
and conversations instead of like, say, we just met and
then we're like, let's do a session, and the first
thing we do is like, all right, let's start playing
the pianos. Like you know, you're never gonna have anything
like organic, And I feel like, so coming to the studio,
just hanging out, catching a vibe, talking, I feel like

(26:07):
those are like a must for me, like in a
studio session, because you know, you might not even rock
with the person that you've got the session with you. You
You might be like, oh this guy his views are wild,
or you just be like or he's talking crazier, she's
whatever it is. So I feel like having a connection
is the most important thing for music. I feel like
that's why, like I love to make music with my friends,

(26:30):
because it's like we just we just have fun. You know,
there's no stress, there's no Sometimes I've been studio sessions
where sometimes you feel pressured because you have to get
something done, or you know this person is this big
or whatever it is, and I feel like something like
they nothing usually comes from those sessions, you know, So

(26:50):
I would say, create the vibe talk, you know, catch
a vibe and just see what happens that. No pressure,
no pressure, no pressure, just just giving good energy. All right,
let's roll into the fourth quarter. We're here because of basketball.
I did not grow up playing basketball, although I am
a tall human being. I did grow up for the

(27:10):
love of basketball, being from Miami, the Miami Heat, then
moving to New York, becoming a Nick City dancer, and
then becoming the host for my tenth season. Marrow is
like my tenth season. Yes, Ka all day for the Nets, Like, yes,
I love the NBA, love sports, but I love Brooklyn Basketball.

(27:31):
For you, when you talk about growing up your love
of basketball, what you got this season? Who are you
looking at this season? You better say the Nets because
they go. I told you they're gonna come for you. Yes,
the Nets set, They're gonna, they're gonna be, They're gonna
everyone's healthy. Ben Simmonds is back, right. I mean, you
guys looking good. But I think I was literally just

(27:53):
talking about this. Yes, my friend, I think the Clippers
are gonna be really good if everyone says how thing.
I mean, but I think the surprise team for me
is the Caps. I think the Caps will be really good.
M Um, the Bulls obviously, but Alonzo balls hurt so
I feel like he's like he's like the glue for us.

(28:14):
So it's kind of when Alonzo balls the glue for us.
I mean, yeah, I mean he you know, he plays defense,
he passes, he's very unselfish. I feel like you need
someone like that. But yeah, I'm looking at the Calves,
Nets Clippers. Hopefully the Lakers do some not the Warriors.
I like the Wards, but like it's not exciting. I

(28:36):
guess there was dramas were there was drama, But is
it because you kind of know the outcome because there's
such a steady tea. Yeah, I feel like i've It's
like they've dominated for so long, and I always consider
them in the conversation, you know, like they got it.
It's like you don't need to say it obvious obvious
reasons exactly. But but they do have some jamas to

(28:59):
the hope. Well, I guess we'll see if the chemistry,
you will will still work well. I think this season
is our season for the Nets. I'm really excited to
your point. Sometimes you want to see a little shake
up in basketball, and like that's exactly what's going on.
And so I'm looking forward to to such an exciting season,
especially going you know, going on going on my tenth

(29:21):
season here, being like I start every season like we
got this, We're gonna do this, and you know, I'm
starting this season with that same kind of experience, you know,
we got this, We're gonna do this. Before I let
you go, as we wind down this game and last
two minutes in the fourth quarter, what is up for you?
What's next? What's on the way? What can people keep

(29:43):
their eyes and years out for. I'm working on my
own projects. There are songs I'm putting out. So if
you go on my Spotify, I have some songs that
I've already put out, but it's like featuring. I'm not
singing and rappings. I was like, give us. It's just
like it's like a producer DJ project more of like
dancier house Discos is where I'm at with it. Working

(30:07):
on a bunch of my friends music chances, working on
an album. So working on how to work with Chance.
I know I didn't ask, but I'm a huge Chance
Thouber fan um in terms of just like what he's
done with his career, like coming onto onto the scene,
how consistent he says to his values obviously go music.
What is it like working with him? Uh, It's a blessing.

(30:27):
I mean seeing someone from passing out mixtapes literally going
to schools and past to selling out arenas or being
a the Grammys or whatever it is, hanging out the President,
whatever it is, like, I feel like it's always inspiring,
you know, like sometimes my god, this is crazy. This
man is always doing something cool. And I think having

(30:49):
him as a friend helps, you know, I feel like
the people who you surround yourself with, right, So just
his views on things. He's very for the community, his people,
like all those things that I feel like that always
brings a positive light on your life, you know, like
when you just go about your day and being around that.
So I'm always blessed to be like, this is one

(31:10):
of my best friends and to make music with him
and see him grow and we go together whatever it is.
So it's dope. You know, he's very talented, nice guy,
funny guy. But his new stuff is dope. I'm excited.
We're excited for his project. We're excited for your project.
Looking out for it on Spotify. Hopefully you play it
in your in your peloton class and my peloton class.

(31:32):
Maybe maybe there's a thing here. Maybe you know, I'll
do a DJ saide while you guys riding bikes. Okay,
I'm gonna offline about that. We'll stay tuned, folks. We
also are working on a project. Now, it's well, go
on on, Ali Love. We'll let you know. We'll let
you know it's been heard. It here first, you already
here first. No, but um socle, thank you so much
for your time. I truly enjoy the conversation. One of

(31:54):
your priorities is to make sure the vibe is right,
so thank you for coming with great energy. You set
the I have you set the tone. We sat courtside.
Everybody smoke on, no courtside conversation, Ali Love. We'll see
you next time.