June 12, 2025 • 50 mins
Join host Coline Witt in this inspiring episode of Eating While Broke as she sits down with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Elijah Blake. Together, they cook Haitian plantains while Elijah shares his remarkable journey of moving to the United States, overcoming hardships, and breaking into the music industry.
Elijah opens up about his early days, collaborating with icons like Justin Bieber and Beyoncé, and the challenges he faced navigating record labels. He reflects on the importance of family, his deepest inspirations, and staying true to his roots. This heartfelt conversation is packed with inspiring stories, cultural insights, and unforgettable moments.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
I'm your host, Coley Witt, and today we have singer songwriter.
Grammy winning singer songwriter Elijah Blake is in the building.
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm feeling good. Yeah, you're feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Comfortable in the kitchen to burn it down? Yeah, I'm scared.
I was excited about it. I was excited about the plantains,
but I'm a little nervous. All right, why don't you
go ahead and tell me what you're gonna have us
eating today?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I am making. I'm making Haitian plantains today. Haitian just
because in my preference, in my opinion, that's the best plantain.
It's close between the Dominican plantains and has, but I
think the Haitian plantains are the best.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I want to see the difference because I know being
have jamake it. I don't want you to start asking
me questions about being Jamaican. But they usually just fry
the plantains, so there's a difference.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
You guys, see what the Haitian plantains is. There's a
little more that goes into There's like a juice marinaire
that's made that you dip it and fry dip it
than fried. So the flavor that it has in.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Size, Okay, yeah, go ahead, oil the pot.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So the ingredients ingredients you feel me? So we got Lemons,
we got Donalds, we got grape seed oil because I
just think this is a healthy alternative.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I've been trying to Oh that's why I thought that
was special.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
No, I went I did an alkaline diet. I've been
into like what doctor Sabe has been preaching and stuff
like that. So grape seed oil is actually like a
super good alternative vegetable oil.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
And olive oil is better than olive oil too.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I think it is. Yeah, it's really clean for you.
If you've ever been to a Spanish market, chick, you
feel me? This where all the flavor is. I put
this in my.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Eggs and everything your eggs.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, no, I'm telling you it's for another time. Take
a little bit and put it in your season for
the batter for the eggs, for.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
The batter for the eggs. What do you mean better
for the eggs?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Dominican perto Rican friends?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
No? Is that why you thought I was Puerto Rican?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Or just because I look like a fake Puerto Rican
not a fake from New York.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
They're like your Puerto Rican. Yeah I heard it. Yeah,
but yeah, that's my grandmother used to just put a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Oh they whip it for like you when they're making
scrambled eggs, things in it.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
But this is one of the secret ingredients.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I'm gonna check it out. I'm gonna take it out
solely based on how well you cook these plantains today.
So go for it. Get in the kitchen. What are
we doing with oil in the pot?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Oil the pot. Get this thing going real quick.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
While you're oiling the pot. I'm gonna just go ahead
and get into it.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Is long before being a Grammy winning songwriter and singer,
long before the writing for Justin Bieber, Keisha Cole Usher
writing hits obviously, right long before it all, long before it.
So take me back to what was going on during
this era of your life.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
So I came to you. I wasn't born in you.
People don't know that. So I came to the United
States when I was like five or six years old,
and I didn't really It took me a while. Even
to this day, I don't I'm not excited about burgers
and a lot of American cuisine. I'm just now coming
around to it. But this is all I knew. My mother,
my grandmother, my family all made Listen, it just was
an easy.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
And you're coming from Dominican Republican, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
And it just was an easy grabbing and go. So
for me, I'm trying to pay attention. Am I doing
it right? You don't get to call Jennifer okay, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Jennifer is doing it wrong. That's why she knew.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
To wash it too. Yeah, Jenna's Dominican.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Oh, she's dominic Yeah, so she understands.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
She understands. But yeah, this is one of my favorite things.
And it just reminds me of home. Honestly, I always
eat things that remind me of home. Because then when
I got signed, I moved to Atlanta in ninth grade.
And again, you.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Guys signed in the ninth grade.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Damn from my space. Wow, I was putting up original
music yep from my space, and I was putting up
original music on YouTube as well. So yeah, I would
really say actually YouTube, because I was my Space had
went down, and then Priscilla Renee myself, Dondrea. I don't
know if you remember Dondrea. She was like killing it
on YouTube around that time when money Long before Money
(04:26):
Long was money Long, and we knew her as Priscilla Renee.
She was doing like original songs and covers as well,
and an executive from Atlanta Records reached out to me,
and then I flew out to Atlanta while Trey Songs
was working on the Ready album. This is before I
knew that Clay Songs and he was working on the
Ready album.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I love how you said this what it was before
you knew you could write song?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, I didn't know. I just wanted to.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I didn't know I had that head and saling this
came out.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I just was I just got tired of being broke
one day and I couldn't understand why songwriters have the
most money. Like the songwriters was pulling up in the cars.
The producers had better cars than the artist.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So I'm just like and that the producers had better
cards than that.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, Sean Garrett pulled up and I saw what Johntay
Austin was driving, and I saw what like Brian Michael
Cox had and I was like, okay, And meanwhile, I'm
so hungry, I'm shaking in the studio.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
There was a point in time work. I was just
having a regular conversation. I hadn't eaten in a couple
of days. I didn't want to call my mom and
tell her, like, I'm not eating because as a Caribe woman,
she would be like, why are they not feeding you?
And it's not necessarily that they weren't feeding me. I
just think that.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
She would have been definitely concerned. She probably would have
flown out there.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
She would have said, come back and go to college,
or finish high school and go to college, because she
wasn't really In Caribbean households, you either become a doctor, lawyer, engineer,
or you're a failure. Like they don't want to hear that,
none of that.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Can I cut that right?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think so?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
But go ahead.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
We're gonna see.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I just it's just to squeeze it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, you cut it wrong.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
House was good. The other way.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You got more lemons you could try.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
We just come to squeeze it though.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Okay, don't see how you do it.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I can't wait for your family. I say, I'm gonna
send them the here. I'm gonna send them the video.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
The question is myself is gonna be.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Five Yeah, that's the real question. Okay, is he gonna
make them proud?
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, I'm gonna make them proud.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
So so you're in high school basically, yeah, and you
start to discover Is that when you discover that songwriters
and producers make more money? Or is this right before college?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
You're saying, No, I'm just now figuring just from me surviving,
I'm too proud for I didn't want to ask anybody
for money. I didn't I think the day everybody just
was moving and I was the youngest one in the crew.
So one day I remember speaking and Trey was like,
are you a nee me? And I'm like, I don't
think so why He's like, you're shaking And I didn't
(06:44):
know I was just I had been hungry for so
many days. I didn't know I was, but so many days.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Yeah, I was just oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah, because I was thugging it out, like I was
really just trying to get it. And again, there weren't
any writers that were coming to write for me because
Chef Tone was pulling up. He was writing for Trade.
Johnsy Austin was writing for Trading, and this little kid
in the corner that everybodys trying to get him a trade album,
you know what I mean. And my Karen there's all
there's this kid in the house that my Karen thinks
might be a star. But ain't the check don't reflect,
ain't no money behind me, the butget's not open. So
(07:12):
niggas is trying to get on trade, which I get.
So just for me, I'm like, I'm wasting time. Let
me get to it. So I started writing songs on
my own and people are like walking by and hearing
my songs, and Bobby Trey had a road manager. His
name was Bobby. He was like, I think this nigga's
a storyteller. And I'm getting annoyed because I'm like, I
don't want to be a story I'm a church boy.
(07:32):
Give me the songs, I sing them, put my music out,
you know what I mean. That's that type stuff. So
then I remember I was singing upstairs one of the
songs and Trey was like, look, I'm telling you like
you have a gift of storyteller. And again me being
stubborn and being a little annoyed, I'm like, I just
want to sing songs. And he changed my life. Because
oh lord, you're not supposed to laugh at me.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
So you talk out.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
I turned them all they down.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
You talked out, like those are gunshots, bro, I told you,
don't let the water hit you know what the lemon?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Hell No, I'm a.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Mask, and so tell you know, I like, you've never
been in the kitchen. You're good. I think you're safe.
So go back to your story because you a good storyteller.
Like they said where was a He was talking about
how they discovered you a good storytelling. You in denial.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah, I'm in denial, and i just want people to
give me songs. So I'm writing these songs and again
once one day, write me a song, and I'm like,
right now, it's yeah, right now. And he puts a
beat on sk as another producer that's on songbook as well,
And the first thing I hear is, I think it's
time we take a trip to the band girl. Yo.
(09:02):
Body's talking and I'm loving what she says. Don't you
be your friend to let me little faint? You welcome
you to Super No. So at this point I'm like
going on like Super and me and Trey are such
a playful dynamic at that point, and he's like Dupa,
and we were like Jupiter Love and we're just branding
(09:23):
things with super And then one day I get a
call and Troy Taylor calls me. He's hey, Duper Love
is gonna make the album. What's your being? My information?
What's your again? I'm so broke right now at.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
This point broken, and you're discovering your anemic too, right.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, broke anemic, just suffering. And I'm teaching dance classes
at this like White Dance studio. He's really off kids,
and I'm teaching for thirty dollars an hour because I
got a little one two stort to perform our high
school and stuff like that, barely making it by. So
when Troy Retch helps me register the song, I didn't
understand the concept of a songwriter who goes and keeps
(10:01):
track of every time a song plays on the radio
around the world, collects two cents here, twenty cents here,
or ten years cents here, a dollar here. I didn't
know that there was a BMI it does this for
you or p r oh.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
So when he asked you for the b and my information,
were you like, huh yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
But I called my dad. My dad already had one
set up for me.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Oh yeah, my bad. I love that all right, go on.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
He's super music, literally, like it's from the Philly scene.
Once I registered that, I went from being pissed broke
to bringing in six bands like a month or every quarter.
And I can't remember.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Exactly, My goodness, that's how long from that call to
you receiving the money? Was it like six months? A year?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, so they pay out quarterly, so I think from
that call it felt pretty fast. Me. I would say
about maybe two three months. I was in a penhouse. Oh,
because I've suffered long enough.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
So you called your dad and your dad was like, son,
already taken care of.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah. He gave me the information because my dad was
also helping me release music when I was in high school.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Oh, I love your parents, Pops.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Everything I got he taught me. He really taught me
how to format structure. So he was trying to teach
me about where we're at now, told me where music
was going to go, streaming wise, and my dad predicted
all that because he used to work for Apple Corporate
and stuff like that. And I think, just me being stubborn,
I wanted the record deal. I wanted to feel established
in that way, and his heart was so beautiful that
(11:28):
he let me do that even though he knew better.
I loved my father for that because he was like,
I'm just and.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
This is yeah, but now you're saying that. He also
taught you these other elements of songwriting indirectly though, right,
So by the time you're in the studio, he baked
something into you. Right.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I had that ability because of him. I just didn't
want to use it. Yeah. But when I was doing
it just off of necessity putting original songs on YouTube,
my pops was like, format it this way, structure this way. Yeah,
and he really taught me how to like hone in
my runs. He's a really great piano player, an incredible musicians.
So by the time I got things started taking off
from me. People thought I had superpowers because my dad
(12:06):
was so strict on me. He was like my Matthew
nos or like my Joe Jackson in a way.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah. So I go from being a starving artist and
then that's them that ended up breaking tray and taking
trade to the next level. So when Ready blew up,
everybody's like, there's a fifteen year old that rot and
Drew Love became instantly the fan favorite Yeah album, and
they were playing on the radio in Atlanta. So I
think that's how word got to Usher, and then I
went from that to working with Usher, Mary J. Blige
(12:33):
and Beyonce Keisha Cole all in six.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Months after that, within six months. Yeah, how old are
you at the time? You're like fifteen?
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You said, yeah, so I'm fifteen, So let's just say, yeah,
I'm like sixteen by the time everything starts to really
take off when the project releases and people start hearing,
and all I needed was a shot.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Now with that shot, how does a fifteen or sixteen
year old know how to manage money?
Speaker 2 (12:57):
My business manager, So yeah, the business manager I had
when I when everything took off for me as the
same business manager I have now and we're like family.
So he was really teaching me. He was like, you're
not going to become an etue Hollywood story remember those. Yeah,
he kept saying that he's not going to be that
on my watch, and till this day he's got my back.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Okay, So he helped you manage And then what are
your parents saying? Was your dad like I told you
so soon?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
My dad was very protective of me coming into it,
just because he knew how they steal and the music
industry teaches us and they just put us through things,
and he was really protective. But then once I got
signed to death Jam, that's when he was just like okay,
like I'm not going to be that father. That's like
in the way, like yeah, And to this day I
call him for advice and everything like that. But I
(13:45):
think once I got signed to death Jam, which I
probably should have had him hold on a little bit more.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
But why do you say that, Because I.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Really got screwed over in that deal. I really got
screwed over in that deal. And I'm not blaming death Jam.
I just think that a lot of promises were made
and me being so naive, I believed everything so much
so that I invested a lot of my own money
that I thought I was gonna get back, and I
didn't get it back. And I just assumed, like anybody
else would assume, like your talent alone, if you're talented
(14:15):
enough you sing the songs, probably, if you're just the
best that you can be, your music will come on.
And that's not about that, it's about so many other
things outside and around it that just it becomes exhausting.
And I remember Mark Pitts, who's one of my heroes,
who I worked closely with when I was working on
the Usher project, and who I remember. He told me,
he is like, don't lose that smile. And I'm just like,
(14:35):
I'm always smiling, like I'm a happy.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Person, smile heading on you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
But I literally was like, are you sound crazy? I'm
never gonna stop smiling and throughout life. And he told
me this, He's like, when I signed Chris Brown, these
guess I knew the star he was gonna be. But
he walked in and he had a smile that lit
up the room, and he was like, I don't want
to watch that same smile fade in you. Wow throughout
(15:00):
the years, the way that the music industry can just
beat on you and just take everything, take it in
dem your life. I was like, you're crazy, but I
have to admit, like, throughout the years, even when I
look in the mirror, I've seen that smile fade Wow
more and more because you become that you start off
as this kid that believes in this dream, and this
dream just's you're realizing, oh, this was a nightmare the
(15:20):
whole time.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Why do you say it was a nightmare the whole
time though.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Just because the more you love it, the more it
takes from you. And I think as artists, right, especially
singers R and B artists, when they're saying the genre
is dying, it's not dying, but you're definitely fighting an
uphill battle because you watch rappers get on stage, right
and they get they make significantly more than the let's say,
(15:45):
like a new rapper versus a new singer would make
some significantly more a show than a singer would. And
they can get up there and sing over the track
literally like the same version as you're hearing on Apple
Music on the spot. They'll sing over the whole thing
and barely. Whereas as a singer, as an R and
B artist, you're expected a live band, yeah, background dances, choreography, rehearsal.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
The real singers yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
You're expected to put on a show. Yeah, you're protecting
your instrument, so there's a lot of it you're putting
into it for minimal return.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
The return is your love for the art, your love
for the craft. So it's one of them things.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Man, How old were you when you signed the deaf
Jam deal?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
When I signed the deaf Jam I believe I was nineteen.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Okay, and that's when he started releasing the reins. Yeah,
was there any other would you say, looking back, lessons
that you wish you could have not had learned head on?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
It was all beautiful. I definitely felt like after I
left def Jam, I thought it was going to be
easier getting off that deal just because shit, they were
dropping everybody. So I was like, I didn't sell deeper numbers,
like just drop me. But it wasn't that easy.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
They didn't get any of yourublishing.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
No, I was already signed to Sony okay.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So they didn't So there's no way for them to
get your publishing. Yeah, so it does make it easier
for them to possibly drop you. And that's what you wanted.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I wanted to get dropped, but it wasn't that easy.
There was like lawyers and conversations and how do I leave,
which songs can I take with me? Which it was
this long process. I remember even in the middle, I
just wanted to stay creative as an artist, that's how
we live. And I remember putting something up on a
SoundCloud this is fun just for fun covers or whatever,
and with intense the upload didn't even happen. I got
(17:30):
a DMC strike down this property. I remember it because
the image is painted in my face and said in
my head it said property of Universal Music Group. And
I was like, dang, I did sign that contract, Like
I don't even own me right now?
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Even when you upload you saw that. Yeah, that's scary.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah it was. It was a really And I got
this tattoo it says ilegitimate non carbo rundom, which it
says what illegitimate non carbo rundum, which is Latin for
fuck the system, because the system fucked me. Yeah, can
I curse on here? All right? But that's how I felt.
That was the one time and I've never understood being
Caribbean there like you're not allowed to there's a lot
of traditional things that you're not allowed to feel as
(18:09):
a man. And I remember growing up, I'd never understood
suicide or mental health. I'm just because this is how
I was raised with my uncles this land. I'm like,
you're good, like you got breath in your body, you're healthy,
you're good. But that was the first time I didn't
feel suicidal. But that was the one time I was like,
I understood the empathy that's required for somebody to be
(18:30):
put in that position, yeah, to think, yeah, I think
my faith in God I would. Luckily I've never been
there and I've never gotten that far. But for the
first time in my life, I was like, Oh, this
is the level of helplessness one can feel to just
not want to feel.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yeah, that's a scary reality. Did you end up talking?
Are you only cooking those two little I want to
start you smashine. What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (18:54):
So?
Speaker 1 (18:54):
I'm just like, do you need a real fork? I
feel like I don't know if that's and smashed with it?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
You know, I can use this.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Actually, I'm watching you. I'm trying to learn what you're doing.
I feel like, just so for all the listeners out there,
he's got planting cut in half. I thought he was
gonna do thin slices like the drinking stuff. Go for it, Elijah,
you are very entertaining. I don't know. Jennifer, come up
(19:23):
in here and cook.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I did do it wrong.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Actually, you slice it right?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Yeah, I did do it wrong.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Is the slicing? Is it the slicing?
Speaker 2 (19:32):
I did do it I supposed to do this.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Oh you hear her in the back. There you go.
You're supposed to slice it? Yeah, I guys, I wish
you could watch this. Go to YouTube whatever you got
to watch this. No, I meant slice it the long way.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Is that how you guys do it? This? Yeah? Way? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Okay, yeah, Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I gotta take these ends because these ain't no good.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
The ends aren't good because.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
We're trying to get it shape.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Okay, yeah, now make more because I'm gonna want more
than three bites.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
If it's good.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Did you call your dad when you were at these
moments of like despair?
Speaker 2 (20:13):
No, I just got to the point where I can
call my dad for again.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
As I was going to say, as a Caribbean man.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
There's a lot of traits that I am like just
now learning to undo.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
And you didn't like that one.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
But I think I'm coming up with something right now.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Okay, okay, I'm I'm trust now.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
My creative mind is moving.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
By the way, that was like a measuring cup. The
bowl was supposed to be that. But I don't know
if you needed the bowl.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
No, we don't need it. I'm gonna be Elijah's.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
I'm watching it learning, I'm gonna enjoy every bit of this.
So you so the whole time you can't call him?
Can you call your mom?
Speaker 2 (20:56):
No? I used to really just go through things on
my own, okay, which is very unhealthy, but I was
actually did okay with it?
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Is it because you like song wrote too? Did that help?
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah? That was like my therapy. So that's the only
place I feel safe to really tell people or invite
people in what I'm going through. I've just always been taught.
And my mom was like that, like she just got
shit done, didn't she Never I've never heard her complain.
I've never She's literally like the closest thing I've seen
to Superwoman. Four kids, three jobs, and we never felt
a lot of.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Kids and three jobs. What'd your dad do for work?
So were they together?
Speaker 2 (21:28):
So here's the thing. So when I speak about my dad,
I don't like using step father or so I'm not
speaking about my biological father who taught me how to
sing and do music. Me and my biological father are
on the best term, is.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
That the biological that did the be on my account?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
No, yeah, me and me and my biological havn't father,
haven't really been close since like elementary school for a
multi not because he didn't try. I will always say
he wasn't one of the fathers that like didn't try
to be in my life. I maybe didn't try hard enough,
but he tried. But once I feel like my father,
who God gave to me, I never had to ask
(22:04):
him to be a father. He was always that in
some and to me that was enough. And my biological
father always had this rule that if I ever called it,
the only way I could disappoint it is by calling
another man father. And in my mind, you shouldn't have
left room for that to happen. Damn. You know.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
You want to know something that's facts.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
You feel me damn, And it's just like, how dare
you feel like demand something that you haven't really earned.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
You're both fathers to Haitian No.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
So my my father who has been really the focal
point of my life. He's trinidaddy in so both Caribbeans,
but two different sides. In Haitian culture, I will say
we can be toxic, and there's just in it. We're
so traditional that it can be toxic. And now I'm
not saying in a harmful way, I'm just saying that
(22:54):
I think a lot of my habits from not allowing
myself to feel, not being this open with my emotions.
Not that's a very common thing in Haitian culture. Just
figure it out. Gets But they're warriors. And yeah, whereas
my as David, he's I can communicate with him. He's
more compassionate, understanding, patient with me. And I'm just throughout
(23:16):
life I've strived to just be more like that. I
found that gets more things done. I'm more proud of that.
I've learned better through calm teachings and calm representation.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
With your mom working all these jobs, with her remarrying,
I would assume she remarried.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
No, she didn't. Actually, I feel like God only brought
him together for what he was going to mean to
her kids. I don't think that.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
They really but they're not together anymore.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
But you think they were ever meant to be together?
Oh yeah, if that makes any sense.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
So he was in your guy's lives for how long?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Then he's still in our life. He came in and
he never left our life. We called him father and
we met that check on him. I tell him happy Birthday,
like I talked to him every He's my father.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
I love that, but they split? Yeah, how long ago
did they split?
Speaker 2 (24:08):
They haven't spoken since since right before my do happen?
So since I wouldn't even go as far as to
be like that, they were like ever, like really there
was a moment where I was like, Okay, this could
be something, but literally we got along better with him.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
I guess we're I'm confused. I've met people that had
like great stepfathers and then like when the parents split,
they feel like they have to choose to stay by
their mind.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
I've always felt that way, but not it was just
it was a completely.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Did you guys say something to like, hey, she.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Loves him the same way too, but you just said
that you know what I'm saying. She loves him for us,
She literally like loves our relationship. Yeah, she's not like
that at all, like with him. It's because again it's
not I think growing up you only believe that relationships
ending like animosity. Yeah, but some it's just I'm not
feeling you like that, you know what I mean. But
(25:03):
it's this game, like how could she be mad at him?
Everything I've become because of what this man.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Taught me, her children, and what is it unconditionally.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
That's all she's ever wanted for us. We are her world.
And I literally think that so much load was lifted
off of her because she was doing everything on her
own and she never had to ask. I'm telling you,
like my father, he doesn't. He's not somebody you had
to ask for anything. He's just there. And for me,
that is what I want to mean to people, like
(25:34):
what I want to mean to my kids one day,
Like I don't want them to ever feel like they
have to ask me, because I feel like with my
biological father, there are certain things I would never discuss
with him because he would probably not even understand it,
or as somebody was coming to me like saying, hey,
I understand what you're going through and I don't even
community I haven't even communicated it yet. That's a deeper
kind of love to me.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Is he like doing more of the checking into type all.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
The time, all the time. He watches over he handles
all my Spotify accounts, he handles all my music accounts
and everything like that. He watches my social numbers and
be like, son, you should post more. Yeah, like he
really it's a deeper kind of love, And for me,
that is who I feel God put on this earth
to train me up to be a that is a father.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Yeah, there's a difference between I believe a biological dad
and a father figure.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
And to me, blood couldn't make him more of my father.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
I've never really spoken about it like at length like this.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
So it's beautiful. I've never even seen it at length.
But your mom was still hustling multiple jobs while raising
you said, three four kids, four kids.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Yeah, and I've never felt her be absent. So weird.
And I'm like, I'll hear people talk about they have
three jobs and they came in as a.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Single Oh yeah, no, trust me. I have a neighbor
who grew up with a single parent, a single mom,
and she said that she never saw her mom. So
her goal was like, yeah, I'm a single parent, but
my kids are gonna see me.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
You know what I'm saying, I'm gonna make it. I'm
gonna make it work somehow. But you're saying your mom
didn't miss it be even with all those jobs, because
she's a truth. You said she's Dominican, Dominican true. I
don't say Jamaican's we always got a hundred jobs.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, what I'm saying, it's culture. Yeah, and she never complained,
And I feel so bad for her because I'm just like, dang, like,
I never heard her complain. So maybe that's probably contributed
to why I don't ask for help. Yeah, because I've
watched this woman never ask for help, have all these
jobs and she's never.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
And you never seen her cry or nothing.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Never. If I see my mom cry, my head might
explode because I just can't comprehend. My heart would break.
I've never seen her cry.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah. Do you think that's a good thing? Though? Do
you look at women like differently because she's held this
bar of like strength.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
I have to say yeah, I have to say yeah.
I just think that there's a new there's a new
normal that's not normal for me because of I was
raised very traditional. Again, it took my mom a long
time to assimilate. She's still simulating to American culture. So
now when I see like women be like, oh, is
this nigga gonna pay for my hair? Is gonna pay
for my nails? Done? Is this nigga gonna pay? I'm
(28:12):
not knocking it. I'm just not from I just can't
come because even if a man was to try to
do that for my mother. She wouldn't accept it. Yeah, yeah,
I just don't understand it.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
I was talking more of the like the I feel
like the women not hating on women both. If you
came across a woman that was more like easily frustrated,
complaining a lot, and all of that, do you feel
like it would throw you a little bit? No, because
you'd be like, man, my mom did this and she
didn't even blink.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, but I also understand at the same time, like
I that doesn't bother me as much, just because I
have friends that are.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Those look official. I'm getting those look official.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
I'm very proud.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
I am personally.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Of you right now and that was good too.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Smell gup, but they look at you're almost burning them. Yeah,
but you want to know something, I'm very proud of you.
I know this sounds crazy, but like I was concerned,
especially when that I know.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
You was because I saw you looking like when.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
It popped and you ran. I was like, oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
But this is actually like how I like mine a
little well done.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
When you're writing songs for like Justin Bieber and Beyonce
and all these guys, what's the thought process of like
where you came from to where you are now? Did
you ever have an aha moment?
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yeah with my mom because again, because she made all
these sacrifices, there was a lot of pressure to, like
I said, become a doctor, lawyer or or engineer or
I failed, and there.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Was to be something.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah. There was one time she was like, are you
going to come back and just go to college because
I don't want the church laughing at me, like she's
really big in the church like that. And she was like,
I'm sure she went to church and was like they're
like where's Elijah? Or my nickname was Red, so there's
like where's Red and she's, oh, he's doing music. And
I'm sure there were like snickers. But when I paid
her mortgage.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Off, y'all, I was gonna say, but you're making a
lot of money and you said at that nineteen did
you ever send money back? Hey, surprise.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
First thing I did was pay off her mortgage at.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
The young teenage. At seventeen, I paid off her mortgage
and she still asked, though, if you went to college.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
No, That's when she stopped asking no. So the like
I was saying, right when I went to Atlanta, and
things were starting to happen. It was like, are you
going to come back? Come on, I'm like this music
stuff like that, it's not a real thing. Come back,
go to college and do it the right way. But
when I paid her mortgage and she was like, oh
wait a minute now, like he said yeah, So she
couldn't wait to go to her friends and be like,
(30:34):
my son like paid off my mortgage.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Yeah, he sings yeah. So then when you do songs
for Beyonce and Justin Bieber, how is her response?
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Then she can't believe it. But what really blew her
mind was there was I did my first headlining tour
two years ago. It was just by myself in an
opening acts, and my sisters surprised her and flew her
to Atlanta. So imagine a woman from the Caribbean Islands,
where there's.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Wait, she's currently where she currently.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Lives in Florida, but her whole adult majority of her
adult life was in the Caribbean. So coming where there's
power on one side of the island and power on
the other side of the island, half today and coming
to Atlanta, getting flown to Atlanta, flew out and pulling
up to a venue and seeing your son's name sold
out concert, seeing your son's name in and seeing hundreds
(31:23):
of people singing law to his songs. So when she
got backstage, I still get emotional to telling. So she's like,
I can't believe like you came from me. It just
blew her mind. That was so I don't think it
was real for her. So she saw that. Yeah, I
think Prior is like, all my son's getting money, he's
writing for Usher, And she's gonna see this because now
she follows me on TikTok, which stresses me out.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
But you monitor the content knowing that she she's going
to see it possible.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Not no more. My mama knows I'm crazy. I was
like a problem child growing up.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah, she knows I'm crazy. But and it looks like
and I squish it in enough time, you caush it. Yeah,
that's when it comes what it's supposed to.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
And then you're gonna put the sauces and on.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
I should make some more.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
The only thing that I'm sad about, Elijah is that
your time is so tight.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
What time is it now?
Speaker 1 (32:15):
I'm watching it. We got like probably fifteen more minutes. Now,
we got time, not to capture the whole rest. I
still want to talk about the deluxe album, Elijah, Yeah,
I still want to. I guess since we're so clite,
like tight on time, we can jump to it. But
I just I want to know. How did it make
you feel to hear your mom say that to you?
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Though? That was when it was real for me. I
think that I understood why she said that, because this
is beyond her wildest dream, like your son are like
overcoming the odds and making music for the world, and
you at one point not even knowing if you'd be
able to see the world. Just insane for her, But
(32:57):
that motivated, that put a deeper firing, like now, none
of that shit like that. I thought, mint stuff, don't
need nothing, and I got her arranged over after that.
She didn't want it, she wanted it. She made me
get it for her, and then she said it was
a gas girler. She's like, take it back, are you serious? Yes?
Now she got a Tesla.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
That's cute. You does your siblings? Do you get like
love from your siblings or do you ever get I
don't know if you ever even would ever admit to this,
but I know what it's like. To have siblings, but
is it all love or is there jealousy or is
there no me and my sisters are really oh you're
the only boy.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
No, my little brother. He's like way younger than us.
But so I think I used to worry about him
just because he was so far like down in age
from us that I felt like he was trying to
find him. Since struggling with that and also feeling like
we he found space where he belonged in our crew,
just because how big is the age? Can you like
at least ten years?
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Oh, that's a big age forever he will be your
baby brother exactly. It's like he could be forty and
you'd be like, that's the baby brother.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
But we've connected on a level that I never could
have understood. He's so far, like more mature than I was,
And I'm just I'm so proud of like the man
he's becoming, and our friendship there is really becoming a
friendship and not a brotherhood. But I used to make
a mental note of my head, I gotta work on that.
(34:19):
I gotta work on nurturing my relationship with him and
overcoming that age guy. Ye, And so now we're really
close to me and my sisters like watch the same shows.
Growing up. We literally were like in separal like triplets.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Right.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Yeah, So when I see siblings don't get along, that's
another thing I don't understand because my mother and her
siblings weren't always on the best terms. So she was
very adamant on y'all are all each other half.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
I feel like that's a Caribbean type mentality. But I
do see what you're saying, because my mom and her
siblings are the same way, don't really mess with each other.
She grew into us like the year all you guys
have you better not fighting public. Don't let nobody come
between y'all. You put a lot of soul.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
You gotta do it.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
You feel me.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Excited, And I love that you made sure to make
that come around with your brother too, because I also
understand like that little age separation where you're not close
for a little bit and then boom they turned into
adults and all of a sudden, you have relatabilities.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yeah exactly, but he was my fan first. It took
my sisters a while if they appreciated it. I didn't
know to, but I did used to feel away because
I'm just like Damn. I'm like supporting them and putting them,
helping putting them through college. And there was a point
where I was like, damn with y'all even know, because
the industry was whooping my ass and I'm just like, damn,
but y'all even know, like y'all brother is actually like
(35:35):
in the studio with Beyonce or with Usher and stuff
like that. Because they we were talking, nobody would mention it.
And I guess that was mainly ego.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
You go on whose side though it can't you can't
say it was respectfully. I don't think you could say
it's ego on your side because everybody who has a
siblings will be like, yo, are you gonna acknowledge it?
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Yeah? Yeah, you know what I mean. And it was
like and a lot of times when they would tell
me it was I was going through a lot alone. Yeah,
And I think I was expecting, because of the relationship
we had as kids, them to be but I think
they just were going through their own They were in college,
you know what I mean, and they were trying to
figure it out. But once that they can, no one
(36:14):
in their mind is bigger than It's like me than
Michael Jackson so once we talked about it, I just
think that they were going through their own stuff.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Did they Did you ever get a chance to express
that kind of window to.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Them or they I was feeling it. I never expressed it,
but which I appreciate because now I know how they
view me as authentic because they just celebrate me in
that way and they're super supportive because again I was
going through things with death, cham going through things with
my publishing company, going through things with artists still in
my publishing stealing my money, but then also like showing
(36:45):
up for my family Jesus financially. So sometimes I'm just
in the movie set it off when Jada Pinkett gives
them money to and she said, you know what how
to do with that money? And I'm just kind of
I don't even know that. I'm just getting it from
all sides. This is not just money I can want.
I bought you this Christmas gift for When I sent
this money over, like, I really was like fighting over
here on this side, but now there's just gratitude and
(37:09):
love and it's just authentic. So I just think they
was figuring out, they were coming into their womanhood, and
it was never a lack there. You probably just didn't
have room or space to communicate it.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Do you now have mentors in the industry?
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah, I definitely Like Keisha is like a huge mentor.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
I love her.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
We talked all the time. She just announced her tour,
so you should we love. Yeah, she's somebody who checks
on me, like a guardian angel. That's like my sister.
But Twain right there checks on me. She's like, how's
your heart through relationships? And she's had to come and
get me, like in the middle of a fist fight.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
She's fist fight.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Yeah, I'm from Florida.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
You should ever be in a fist fight from Florida.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
It gets that way. Okay, we pull up, pull.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Up a seat, let's eat. He did it? What is
the song? Do we have to any more saut stepping
or anything?
Speaker 2 (38:01):
It should be? It should be good.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Eat here? What did you do with this work? He
was doing something?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Here we go, I'll let you taste it.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
No, we're gonna do it together. It's gonna be good.
This is just a version.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
Just do it.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
You're gonna tell everybody how you forgot to I.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Did forget Okay, So I ended up making a Jamaican
version on accident. This is not the Haitian version because
I was so into the story I forgot to put
the boo yard in that.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
But that would have been so it would have been
just so you guys know it. But Jennifer said it
would have been a paste because we just made like
you made a soup.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Yeah, it would have been a little thicker and the
flavor would have been in there. But this is not
bad because Jamaica's killing chairs.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Okay, here we go. I don't know this, mom, does
it taste Haitian? No, want to try your version? But
this is good though, it's perfect.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
All. Oh wow, there's a really good I'm proud of me.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
I'm proud of you too. You should have made all
of them so you'd have a snack on the way
to the plane.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Oh that's all good, is perfect?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Absolutely one more. I'm Jamaican.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
There, that's what Jamaican cowing up.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Oh this one could be fried Mar. I'm taking all
the good ones, okay, Elijah, Yeah, let's get to this
deluxe album. Tell us all about it.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
The Deluxe for me is my first time really getting
to be the artist I've always wanted to be. There's
so much experimentation happening with electronic elements, live musicianships, and.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
I just didn't want you to spend the block.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
Yeah, live musicianship that's happening on there, and it's I
get to be the artist. And I got a song
with Kim Barrell, who I've studied. You couldn't tell me,
like in a million years, I had to be in
the same room as Kim Borell. And I'm in a
great space. I'm independent with the team that I've always
dreamed of. I feel like I call them my avengers
and collected them and they've collected me throughout the way.
(40:02):
Like Jen who's on my management team. We've been rocking
sister the rock Nation days. It was my product manager
at rock Nation. Peter shout out to Gin, a fellow Dominica.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
I love that you keep everyone in your camp around forever.
Oh yeah, that's a good sign of integrity to really.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah my opinion, Yeah, I would think so. And then
my my manager, he was the president of Deaf Jam
when I was there. He was the person who's really
him and no idea, Peter thea and yeah, that's the way.
And r I p to my also my co manager
hoodie that just passed.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
Yeah, I heard about that.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
Yeah, he managed myself Tone stiff An and he. I
wish he would have been able to see what the deluxe.
He was one of the people that put everything in
place with the label that I'm at now. I would
say the partner.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
You dedicated a song to him though, Yeah, Well.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Something happens when I hear does something happened when I
hear your name, And that's with me made in Tone
who he was really fighting every day, fight for us
on just he would show it to my Good Day
New York performance and I'm just like, did you just
flying from Australia He's yeah, I'm like leaving to go
to Jersey per Tone right after this and just he
really gave his heart and his soul to this project.
(41:10):
And I think he'd be proud. I think he'd be
very proud.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Yeah, and he could obviously feel all the love.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Yeah. We're Dene Malloy, who's been my reference and to
be and my study. He's who signed me A, B
and I and he's not my A. And R Shy Riddick,
who was an intern that songbook when I had moved
to Atlanta and he was interning there. He's on my
team as well. So yeah, this Deluxe means more than
just music and more than just songs. I think people
are getting the Elijah that I felt a little too
(41:36):
restricted to be allowed to become at the major side
of the major label system.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
So your deal right now, is it like one hundred
percent freedom freedom, one hundred percent yes, And it's not
independent though it is independent.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
It's with my label and Monarch is the partner, so
they provide. Yeah, they're a distribution company, so they just
make sure that we get on Spotify, Apple Music. Actually,
what I really like about them is they provide other
services to like we get a product manager internally and
stuff like that. They just keep everything. They help facilitate
certain services that I would have liked at a major
(42:12):
label situation without selling myself.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Yeah, I like that too. And then earlier back, not
trying to circle back, but you had mentioned like stealing,
like someone stole stole music from you. Can you talk
me through how that happened?
Speaker 2 (42:24):
So what happens is those.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
Plans are good. Trust me. I don't want to eat
it because I have to ask questions and I'm watching
the clock. So you make this.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Plane somehow along the way. It's crazy. When I signed
a deaf jam, the whole question, the only bad thing
that I kept hearing over and over was like, is
he a songwriter or is he an artist? I'm like, what,
Like Prince was a singer songwriter, Lauren's singer songwriter. But
that was a real thing that they were trying to
find out. I'm like, they're one and the same.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
Yeah, but why can't you be both?
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Though?
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Yeah, but now you're great at it.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
But now everybody wants to be a songwriter. And you
have these artists who don't write, and but they want
publishing on a song because they realize, like when touring
is done, when everything is done, and they want to
still live these extravagant lifestyle. Publishing is what you have
in the days where your bones don't work the way today,
certain you can pass down to your kids. It's like equity,
it's like real estate.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
I heard a lot of the major artists not dropping names,
but like people like a Beyonce. I don't want nobody
coming from me for that. But I heard that they
automatically if you write songs for them, they automatically get
a part of the deal is that they have to
get a writer's credit on it.
Speaker 2 (43:29):
I've heard that, mean I've not heard that. I've experienced it,
not from Beyonce in particular, but there has been certain
artists that are my heroes and for me, I don't
mind if it's not. But sometimes it gets a little
to the point where it's just like being greedy if
you didn't write a single word on the song. At
least with Beyonce. But I've experienced what I've told us.
She's she is. There is musicianship going into it, so
(43:52):
she's going to rearrange and change the songs, and she's
going to contribute to it her harmonies and everything. But
there are certain artists that literally do nothing want forty
percent of the song. And you're looking like, no ten
is not a problem. Yeah, that's not a problem at all. Actually,
on No Love a lot, I gave Rianna ten just
because she brought them and she asked, so to me
(44:14):
that there's a respect there, you know what I mean,
They're you're not You're not No Love allowed.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
That was unapologetic, but she asked, but did she contribute?
Speaker 2 (44:23):
I felt, I felt this is for me. I felt
like the way she brought the song to life and
her isms, and there were certain things that were it
wasn't like Verbatim to make demo record. Yeah, I wrote
the song myself in a scured though and she cut it,
but there were ways she brought it to life. So
I feel like and that wasn't greedy, that's not at all.
So one hundred percent of zero is still zero. But
(44:46):
there are artists who do nothing and they're like, yeah,
I need forty percent of that, And for me, I'm
just like, it ain't going And I allowed, I used
to allow it, and it hurt me to the point
where I'm just like I'm ready to just fall on
the sword because I just I make I'm setting a
bad example for the.
Speaker 1 (45:01):
Next president presidents.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Yeah, to allow this to be done to newer songwriters,
like it happened to me because somebody literally told me when
I said, why do you feel like you deserve forty percent?
I got to earn your stripes. I'm like, I'm not
a fucking tiger. I don't want stripes. I want Louis Baton,
I like that Gucci. Yeah, I don't want those stripes.
I need to doing the first every month.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Yeah, But yeah, did that takes a lot of courage
for you to actually stand for up for yourself and
be like.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
For sure, because they'll take the song off the album.
I had a huge artist it ended up coming up.
But the manager there was like, you have ten seconds
because they was about to put the project out there,
like give us posting guest or no. Within response to
this email, we're taking off the album. And I said
it's not fair, and they took it off the album.
It ended up being on the deluxe.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Yeah, so if you guys want to hear you hear
it on the DELX. Yeah, obviously tell us which song
it is.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
Yeah, but I just didn't think it was I didn't
think it was fair. Yeah, I didn't think.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
I'm glad you did it so now we can enjoy
on the deluxe exactly.
Speaker 2 (45:57):
And they saw me at a party, the manager who
was a huge manager. So I'm at a party. It
was like Ush's birthday party in LA and he was like, man,
Adam Levine asked me why I took that song. It
was his favorite that song album, so we're gonna re
release it as a deluxe and literally I was the
only song they added the deluxe. I was really at first,
I was like damn. I like the producers were looking
(46:18):
at me like, damn, Eliji, you might have missed up
for us. I'm like, bro, at what point do we
stand for something? You know what I mean? They're gonna
And I felt like because I allowed it with two
instances prior is why.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
It just felt like everybody was like, oh a lot
of talking about it.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
That's how I felt.
Speaker 1 (46:34):
Yeah, you under honestly, it wasn't just how you felt,
it was reality. Yeah, it became reality.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
Because I'm like, why is everybody just thinking like Elijah's
is gonna give twenty thirty percent. In the beginning part
of my crew, I was so young. I was having
fun with it. I was like, yeah, you can have
you can have this, And I'm like, why are y'all
only coming after me? Even I would see emails and
they're like, Okay, we need to find thirty percent for
this person and everybody nobody's budget, but they're just expecting
me to move. So I'm like, okay, I gotta really
like just double down ten y. Let you all know
(47:01):
it ain't a game no more.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Yeah, but that takes a lot of courage. There's no
way you weren't like semi second guessing yourself, especially after
they pulled it. Yeah, but then the producers were coming
to you.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
All I had to do was one time and Nigga
stopped expecting it. I like you feel me to you?
Speaker 1 (47:16):
Yeah, which collaboration on the album do you like the best?
Not trying to make you choose between your twins and
Streeter or anybody else.
Speaker 2 (47:26):
You know. I hate with people as like this, but
they're so different. The one with Me and Seven, I
just realized, even just like last night, I'm like, dang,
me and seven are both from Florida, you know what
I mean. We both have had a similar experience with
the major label system. We're also experiencing success outside of
it now as independent artists. And I'm like, that's kind
(47:47):
of dope. Like two artists from Florida like ninety Babies
doing the nineties inspired record with Eric Husson who produced it.
I'm like, that's kind of dope. And then also the
one how You're Going to I'm like, that's freaking salt
and pepper like salt, you know what I mean. That's legendary.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
That's awesome. Shout out to her. We had Streeter on
and her story was really beautiful too. She was a
very beautiful story. Yeah, and that was like a Chris Brown.
Shout outs to Chris Brown and her dad first look
the one that actually like initially put her on.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
Yeah, and I had seen seven in passing. We've just
never collaborated, collaborate, So this song is a beautiful represent.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
I love the song. Thank You's beautiful? All right? You
know what? You can? Go ahead. I'm so sad to
see you go.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
I want to do this. Can we have y'all done
a part two? Can we do a part two?
Speaker 1 (48:33):
I would love to do it a part two? Do
you come to La a lot? You live here?
Speaker 2 (48:38):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (48:38):
Okay, you know where the studio's at. We gonna see
a little.
Speaker 2 (48:43):
Real. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
You went from non cooking to all excited about cooking.
It's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
We gonna do part two.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Okay, part two. You heard it here first, but I
want you to sing us out. Okay, I have to
because when I heard you sing earlier, did you enjoy it?
Speaker 2 (48:59):
All?
Speaker 1 (48:59):
Right?
Speaker 2 (49:00):
What song am I so we're talking about? Okay, dang sing? Okay,
I gotta do a gospel song because I'm going ahead.
Speaker 4 (49:12):
I'm feel I've had some good days.
Speaker 2 (49:17):
I've had some.
Speaker 4 (49:18):
He he's the class. I've had some weary days, some
lonely nights.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
But we're a look around and.
Speaker 4 (49:35):
I think things over all of my good days, all
the wait, mind.
Speaker 2 (49:44):
My bad days, and die. I won't complaint.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
That was beautiful. Thank you, my goodness, the boy, Thank
you guys. You heard it here first.
Speaker 2 (49:59):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (50:04):
For more eating while broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows,
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
I'm your host, Coley Witt, and today we have singer songwriter.
Grammy winning singer songwriter Elijah Blake is in the building.
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm feeling good. Yeah, you're feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Comfortable in the kitchen to burn it down? Yeah, I'm scared.
I was excited about it. I was excited about the plantains,
but I'm a little nervous. All right, why don't you
go ahead and tell me what you're gonna have us
eating today?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I am making. I'm making Haitian plantains today. Haitian just
because in my preference, in my opinion, that's the best plantain.
It's close between the Dominican plantains and has, but I
think the Haitian plantains are the best.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I want to see the difference because I know being
have jamake it. I don't want you to start asking
me questions about being Jamaican. But they usually just fry
the plantains, so there's a difference.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
You guys, see what the Haitian plantains is. There's a
little more that goes into There's like a juice marinaire
that's made that you dip it and fry dip it
than fried. So the flavor that it has in.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Size, Okay, yeah, go ahead, oil the pot.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So the ingredients ingredients you feel me? So we got Lemons,
we got Donalds, we got grape seed oil because I
just think this is a healthy alternative.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
I've been trying to Oh that's why I thought that
was special.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
No, I went I did an alkaline diet. I've been
into like what doctor Sabe has been preaching and stuff
like that. So grape seed oil is actually like a
super good alternative vegetable oil.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
And olive oil is better than olive oil too.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I think it is. Yeah, it's really clean for you.
If you've ever been to a Spanish market, chick, you
feel me? This where all the flavor is. I put
this in my.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Eggs and everything your eggs.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah, no, I'm telling you it's for another time. Take
a little bit and put it in your season for
the batter for the eggs, for.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
The batter for the eggs. What do you mean better
for the eggs?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Dominican perto Rican friends?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
No? Is that why you thought I was Puerto Rican?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Or just because I look like a fake Puerto Rican
not a fake from New York.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
They're like your Puerto Rican. Yeah I heard it. Yeah,
but yeah, that's my grandmother used to just put a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Oh they whip it for like you when they're making
scrambled eggs, things in it.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
But this is one of the secret ingredients.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I'm gonna check it out. I'm gonna take it out
solely based on how well you cook these plantains today.
So go for it. Get in the kitchen. What are
we doing with oil in the pot?
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Oil the pot. Get this thing going real quick.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
While you're oiling the pot. I'm gonna just go ahead
and get into it.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Okay, let's do this.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Is long before being a Grammy winning songwriter and singer,
long before the writing for Justin Bieber, Keisha Cole Usher
writing hits obviously, right long before it all, long before it.
So take me back to what was going on during
this era of your life.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
So I came to you. I wasn't born in you.
People don't know that. So I came to the United
States when I was like five or six years old,
and I didn't really It took me a while. Even
to this day, I don't I'm not excited about burgers
and a lot of American cuisine. I'm just now coming
around to it. But this is all I knew. My mother,
my grandmother, my family all made Listen, it just was
an easy.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
And you're coming from Dominican Republican, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
And it just was an easy grabbing and go. So
for me, I'm trying to pay attention. Am I doing
it right? You don't get to call Jennifer okay, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Jennifer is doing it wrong. That's why she knew.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
To wash it too. Yeah, Jenna's Dominican.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Oh, she's dominic Yeah, so she understands.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
She understands. But yeah, this is one of my favorite things.
And it just reminds me of home. Honestly, I always
eat things that remind me of home. Because then when
I got signed, I moved to Atlanta in ninth grade.
And again, you.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Guys signed in the ninth grade.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Damn from my space. Wow, I was putting up original
music yep from my space, and I was putting up
original music on YouTube as well. So yeah, I would
really say actually YouTube, because I was my Space had
went down, and then Priscilla Renee myself, Dondrea. I don't
know if you remember Dondrea. She was like killing it
on YouTube around that time when money Long before Money
(04:26):
Long was money Long, and we knew her as Priscilla Renee.
She was doing like original songs and covers as well,
and an executive from Atlanta Records reached out to me,
and then I flew out to Atlanta while Trey Songs
was working on the Ready album. This is before I
knew that Clay Songs and he was working on the
Ready album.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I love how you said this what it was before
you knew you could write song?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, I didn't know. I just wanted to.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
I didn't know I had that head and saling this
came out.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
I just was I just got tired of being broke
one day and I couldn't understand why songwriters have the
most money. Like the songwriters was pulling up in the cars.
The producers had better cars than the artist.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So I'm just like and that the producers had better
cards than that.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, Sean Garrett pulled up and I saw what Johntay
Austin was driving, and I saw what like Brian Michael
Cox had and I was like, okay, And meanwhile, I'm
so hungry, I'm shaking in the studio.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
There was a point in time work. I was just
having a regular conversation. I hadn't eaten in a couple
of days. I didn't want to call my mom and
tell her, like, I'm not eating because as a Caribe woman,
she would be like, why are they not feeding you?
And it's not necessarily that they weren't feeding me. I
just think that.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
She would have been definitely concerned. She probably would have
flown out there.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
She would have said, come back and go to college,
or finish high school and go to college, because she
wasn't really In Caribbean households, you either become a doctor, lawyer, engineer,
or you're a failure. Like they don't want to hear that,
none of that.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Can I cut that right?
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think so?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
But go ahead.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
We're gonna see.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I just it's just to squeeze it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, you cut it wrong.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
House was good. The other way.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You got more lemons you could try.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
We just come to squeeze it though.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Okay, don't see how you do it.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
I can't wait for your family. I say, I'm gonna
send them the here. I'm gonna send them the video.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
The question is myself is gonna be.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Five Yeah, that's the real question. Okay, is he gonna
make them proud?
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, I'm gonna make them proud.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
So so you're in high school basically, yeah, and you
start to discover Is that when you discover that songwriters
and producers make more money? Or is this right before college?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
You're saying, No, I'm just now figuring just from me surviving,
I'm too proud for I didn't want to ask anybody
for money. I didn't I think the day everybody just
was moving and I was the youngest one in the crew.
So one day I remember speaking and Trey was like,
are you a nee me? And I'm like, I don't
think so why He's like, you're shaking And I didn't
(06:44):
know I was just I had been hungry for so
many days. I didn't know I was, but so many days.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Yeah, I was just oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah, because I was thugging it out, like I was
really just trying to get it. And again, there weren't
any writers that were coming to write for me because
Chef Tone was pulling up. He was writing for Trade.
Johnsy Austin was writing for Trading, and this little kid
in the corner that everybodys trying to get him a trade album,
you know what I mean. And my Karen there's all
there's this kid in the house that my Karen thinks
might be a star. But ain't the check don't reflect,
ain't no money behind me, the butget's not open. So
(07:12):
niggas is trying to get on trade, which I get.
So just for me, I'm like, I'm wasting time. Let
me get to it. So I started writing songs on
my own and people are like walking by and hearing
my songs, and Bobby Trey had a road manager. His
name was Bobby. He was like, I think this nigga's
a storyteller. And I'm getting annoyed because I'm like, I
don't want to be a story I'm a church boy.
(07:32):
Give me the songs, I sing them, put my music out,
you know what I mean. That's that type stuff. So
then I remember I was singing upstairs one of the
songs and Trey was like, look, I'm telling you like
you have a gift of storyteller. And again me being
stubborn and being a little annoyed, I'm like, I just
want to sing songs. And he changed my life. Because
oh lord, you're not supposed to laugh at me.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
So you talk out.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
I turned them all they down.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
You talked out, like those are gunshots, bro, I told you,
don't let the water hit you know what the lemon?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Hell No, I'm a.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Mask, and so tell you know, I like, you've never
been in the kitchen. You're good. I think you're safe.
So go back to your story because you a good storyteller.
Like they said where was a He was talking about
how they discovered you a good storytelling. You in denial.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah, I'm in denial, and i just want people to
give me songs. So I'm writing these songs and again
once one day, write me a song, and I'm like,
right now, it's yeah, right now. And he puts a
beat on sk as another producer that's on songbook as well,
And the first thing I hear is, I think it's
time we take a trip to the band girl. Yo.
(09:02):
Body's talking and I'm loving what she says. Don't you
be your friend to let me little faint? You welcome
you to Super No. So at this point I'm like
going on like Super and me and Trey are such
a playful dynamic at that point, and he's like Dupa,
and we were like Jupiter Love and we're just branding
(09:23):
things with super And then one day I get a
call and Troy Taylor calls me. He's hey, Duper Love
is gonna make the album. What's your being? My information?
What's your again? I'm so broke right now at.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
This point broken, and you're discovering your anemic too, right.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, broke anemic, just suffering. And I'm teaching dance classes
at this like White Dance studio. He's really off kids,
and I'm teaching for thirty dollars an hour because I
got a little one two stort to perform our high
school and stuff like that, barely making it by. So
when Troy Retch helps me register the song, I didn't
understand the concept of a songwriter who goes and keeps
(10:01):
track of every time a song plays on the radio
around the world, collects two cents here, twenty cents here,
or ten years cents here, a dollar here. I didn't
know that there was a BMI it does this for
you or p r oh.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
So when he asked you for the b and my information,
were you like, huh yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
But I called my dad. My dad already had one
set up for me.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Oh yeah, my bad. I love that all right, go on.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
He's super music, literally, like it's from the Philly scene.
Once I registered that, I went from being pissed broke
to bringing in six bands like a month or every quarter.
And I can't remember.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Exactly, My goodness, that's how long from that call to
you receiving the money? Was it like six months? A year?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, so they pay out quarterly, so I think from
that call it felt pretty fast. Me. I would say
about maybe two three months. I was in a penhouse. Oh,
because I've suffered long enough.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
So you called your dad and your dad was like, son,
already taken care of.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Yeah. He gave me the information because my dad was
also helping me release music when I was in high school.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Oh, I love your parents, Pops.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Everything I got he taught me. He really taught me
how to format structure. So he was trying to teach
me about where we're at now, told me where music
was going to go, streaming wise, and my dad predicted
all that because he used to work for Apple Corporate
and stuff like that. And I think, just me being stubborn,
I wanted the record deal. I wanted to feel established
in that way, and his heart was so beautiful that
(11:28):
he let me do that even though he knew better.
I loved my father for that because he was like,
I'm just and.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
This is yeah, but now you're saying that. He also
taught you these other elements of songwriting indirectly though, right,
So by the time you're in the studio, he baked
something into you. Right.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
I had that ability because of him. I just didn't
want to use it. Yeah. But when I was doing
it just off of necessity putting original songs on YouTube,
my pops was like, format it this way, structure this way. Yeah,
and he really taught me how to like hone in
my runs. He's a really great piano player, an incredible musicians.
So by the time I got things started taking off
from me. People thought I had superpowers because my dad
(12:06):
was so strict on me. He was like my Matthew
nos or like my Joe Jackson in a way.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah. So I go from being a starving artist and
then that's them that ended up breaking tray and taking
trade to the next level. So when Ready blew up,
everybody's like, there's a fifteen year old that rot and
Drew Love became instantly the fan favorite Yeah album, and
they were playing on the radio in Atlanta. So I
think that's how word got to Usher, and then I
went from that to working with Usher, Mary J. Blige
(12:33):
and Beyonce Keisha Cole all in six.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Months after that, within six months. Yeah, how old are
you at the time? You're like fifteen?
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You said, yeah, so I'm fifteen, So let's just say, yeah,
I'm like sixteen by the time everything starts to really
take off when the project releases and people start hearing,
and all I needed was a shot.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Now with that shot, how does a fifteen or sixteen
year old know how to manage money?
Speaker 2 (12:57):
My business manager, So yeah, the business manager I had
when I when everything took off for me as the
same business manager I have now and we're like family.
So he was really teaching me. He was like, you're
not going to become an etue Hollywood story remember those. Yeah,
he kept saying that he's not going to be that
on my watch, and till this day he's got my back.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Okay, So he helped you manage And then what are
your parents saying? Was your dad like I told you
so soon?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
My dad was very protective of me coming into it,
just because he knew how they steal and the music
industry teaches us and they just put us through things,
and he was really protective. But then once I got
signed to death Jam, that's when he was just like okay,
like I'm not going to be that father. That's like
in the way, like yeah, And to this day I
call him for advice and everything like that. But I
(13:45):
think once I got signed to death Jam, which I
probably should have had him hold on a little bit more.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
But why do you say that, Because I.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Really got screwed over in that deal. I really got
screwed over in that deal. And I'm not blaming death Jam.
I just think that a lot of promises were made
and me being so naive, I believed everything so much
so that I invested a lot of my own money
that I thought I was gonna get back, and I
didn't get it back. And I just assumed, like anybody
else would assume, like your talent alone, if you're talented
(14:15):
enough you sing the songs, probably, if you're just the
best that you can be, your music will come on.
And that's not about that, it's about so many other
things outside and around it that just it becomes exhausting.
And I remember Mark Pitts, who's one of my heroes,
who I worked closely with when I was working on
the Usher project, and who I remember. He told me,
he is like, don't lose that smile. And I'm just like,
(14:35):
I'm always smiling, like I'm a happy.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Person, smile heading on you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
But I literally was like, are you sound crazy? I'm
never gonna stop smiling and throughout life. And he told
me this, He's like, when I signed Chris Brown, these
guess I knew the star he was gonna be. But
he walked in and he had a smile that lit
up the room, and he was like, I don't want
to watch that same smile fade in you. Wow throughout
(15:00):
the years, the way that the music industry can just
beat on you and just take everything, take it in
dem your life. I was like, you're crazy, but I
have to admit, like, throughout the years, even when I
look in the mirror, I've seen that smile fade Wow
more and more because you become that you start off
as this kid that believes in this dream, and this
dream just's you're realizing, oh, this was a nightmare the
(15:20):
whole time.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Why do you say it was a nightmare the whole
time though.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Just because the more you love it, the more it
takes from you. And I think as artists, right, especially
singers R and B artists, when they're saying the genre
is dying, it's not dying, but you're definitely fighting an
uphill battle because you watch rappers get on stage, right
and they get they make significantly more than the let's say,
(15:45):
like a new rapper versus a new singer would make
some significantly more a show than a singer would. And
they can get up there and sing over the track
literally like the same version as you're hearing on Apple
Music on the spot. They'll sing over the whole thing
and barely. Whereas as a singer, as an R and
B artist, you're expected a live band, yeah, background dances, choreography, rehearsal.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
The real singers yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
You're expected to put on a show. Yeah, you're protecting
your instrument, so there's a lot of it you're putting
into it for minimal return.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
The return is your love for the art, your love
for the craft. So it's one of them things.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Man, How old were you when you signed the deaf
Jam deal?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
When I signed the deaf Jam I believe I was nineteen.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Okay, and that's when he started releasing the reins. Yeah,
was there any other would you say, looking back, lessons
that you wish you could have not had learned head on?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
It was all beautiful. I definitely felt like after I
left def Jam, I thought it was going to be
easier getting off that deal just because shit, they were
dropping everybody. So I was like, I didn't sell deeper numbers,
like just drop me. But it wasn't that easy.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
They didn't get any of yourublishing.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
No, I was already signed to Sony okay.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So they didn't So there's no way for them to
get your publishing. Yeah, so it does make it easier
for them to possibly drop you. And that's what you wanted.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I wanted to get dropped, but it wasn't that easy.
There was like lawyers and conversations and how do I leave,
which songs can I take with me? Which it was
this long process. I remember even in the middle, I
just wanted to stay creative as an artist, that's how
we live. And I remember putting something up on a
SoundCloud this is fun just for fun covers or whatever,
and with intense the upload didn't even happen. I got
(17:30):
a DMC strike down this property. I remember it because
the image is painted in my face and said in
my head it said property of Universal Music Group. And
I was like, dang, I did sign that contract, Like
I don't even own me right now?
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Even when you upload you saw that. Yeah, that's scary.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Yeah it was. It was a really And I got
this tattoo it says ilegitimate non carbo rundom, which it
says what illegitimate non carbo rundum, which is Latin for
fuck the system, because the system fucked me. Yeah, can
I curse on here? All right? But that's how I felt.
That was the one time and I've never understood being
Caribbean there like you're not allowed to there's a lot
of traditional things that you're not allowed to feel as
(18:09):
a man. And I remember growing up, I'd never understood
suicide or mental health. I'm just because this is how
I was raised with my uncles this land. I'm like,
you're good, like you got breath in your body, you're healthy,
you're good. But that was the first time I didn't
feel suicidal. But that was the one time I was like,
I understood the empathy that's required for somebody to be
(18:30):
put in that position, yeah, to think, yeah, I think
my faith in God I would. Luckily I've never been
there and I've never gotten that far. But for the
first time in my life, I was like, Oh, this
is the level of helplessness one can feel to just
not want to feel.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yeah, that's a scary reality. Did you end up talking?
Are you only cooking those two little I want to
start you smashine. What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (18:54):
So?
Speaker 1 (18:54):
I'm just like, do you need a real fork? I
feel like I don't know if that's and smashed with it?
Speaker 2 (19:01):
You know, I can use this.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Actually, I'm watching you. I'm trying to learn what you're doing.
I feel like, just so for all the listeners out there,
he's got planting cut in half. I thought he was
gonna do thin slices like the drinking stuff. Go for it, Elijah,
you are very entertaining. I don't know. Jennifer, come up
(19:23):
in here and cook.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I did do it wrong.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Actually, you slice it right?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Yeah, I did do it wrong.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Is the slicing? Is it the slicing?
Speaker 2 (19:32):
I did do it I supposed to do this.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Oh you hear her in the back. There you go.
You're supposed to slice it? Yeah, I guys, I wish
you could watch this. Go to YouTube whatever you got
to watch this. No, I meant slice it the long way.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Is that how you guys do it? This? Yeah? Way? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Okay, yeah, Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I gotta take these ends because these ain't no good.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
The ends aren't good because.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
We're trying to get it shape.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Okay, yeah, now make more because I'm gonna want more
than three bites.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
If it's good.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Did you call your dad when you were at these
moments of like despair?
Speaker 2 (20:13):
No, I just got to the point where I can
call my dad for again.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
As I was going to say, as a Caribbean man.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
There's a lot of traits that I am like just
now learning to undo.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
And you didn't like that one.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
But I think I'm coming up with something right now.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Okay, okay, I'm I'm trust now.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
My creative mind is moving.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
By the way, that was like a measuring cup. The
bowl was supposed to be that. But I don't know
if you needed the bowl.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
No, we don't need it. I'm gonna be Elijah's.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
I'm watching it learning, I'm gonna enjoy every bit of this.
So you so the whole time you can't call him?
Can you call your mom?
Speaker 2 (20:56):
No? I used to really just go through things on
my own, okay, which is very unhealthy, but I was
actually did okay with it?
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Is it because you like song wrote too? Did that help?
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah? That was like my therapy. So that's the only
place I feel safe to really tell people or invite
people in what I'm going through. I've just always been taught.
And my mom was like that, like she just got
shit done, didn't she Never I've never heard her complain.
I've never She's literally like the closest thing I've seen
to Superwoman. Four kids, three jobs, and we never felt
a lot of.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Kids and three jobs. What'd your dad do for work?
So were they together?
Speaker 2 (21:28):
So here's the thing. So when I speak about my dad,
I don't like using step father or so I'm not
speaking about my biological father who taught me how to
sing and do music. Me and my biological father are
on the best term, is.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
That the biological that did the be on my account?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
No, yeah, me and me and my biological havn't father,
haven't really been close since like elementary school for a
multi not because he didn't try. I will always say
he wasn't one of the fathers that like didn't try
to be in my life. I maybe didn't try hard enough,
but he tried. But once I feel like my father,
who God gave to me, I never had to ask
(22:04):
him to be a father. He was always that in
some and to me that was enough. And my biological
father always had this rule that if I ever called it,
the only way I could disappoint it is by calling
another man father. And in my mind, you shouldn't have
left room for that to happen. Damn. You know.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
You want to know something that's facts.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
You feel me damn, And it's just like, how dare
you feel like demand something that you haven't really earned.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
You're both fathers to Haitian No.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
So my my father who has been really the focal
point of my life. He's trinidaddy in so both Caribbeans,
but two different sides. In Haitian culture, I will say
we can be toxic, and there's just in it. We're
so traditional that it can be toxic. And now I'm
not saying in a harmful way, I'm just saying that
(22:54):
I think a lot of my habits from not allowing
myself to feel, not being this open with my emotions.
Not that's a very common thing in Haitian culture. Just
figure it out. Gets But they're warriors. And yeah, whereas
my as David, he's I can communicate with him. He's
more compassionate, understanding, patient with me. And I'm just throughout
(23:16):
life I've strived to just be more like that. I
found that gets more things done. I'm more proud of that.
I've learned better through calm teachings and calm representation.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
With your mom working all these jobs, with her remarrying,
I would assume she remarried.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
No, she didn't. Actually, I feel like God only brought
him together for what he was going to mean to
her kids. I don't think that.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
They really but they're not together anymore.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
But you think they were ever meant to be together?
Oh yeah, if that makes any sense.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
So he was in your guy's lives for how long?
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Then he's still in our life. He came in and
he never left our life. We called him father and
we met that check on him. I tell him happy Birthday,
like I talked to him every He's my father.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
I love that, but they split? Yeah, how long ago
did they split?
Speaker 2 (24:08):
They haven't spoken since since right before my do happen?
So since I wouldn't even go as far as to
be like that, they were like ever, like really there
was a moment where I was like, Okay, this could
be something, but literally we got along better with him.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
I guess we're I'm confused. I've met people that had
like great stepfathers and then like when the parents split,
they feel like they have to choose to stay by
their mind.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
I've always felt that way, but not it was just
it was a completely.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Did you guys say something to like, hey, she.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Loves him the same way too, but you just said
that you know what I'm saying. She loves him for us,
She literally like loves our relationship. Yeah, she's not like
that at all, like with him. It's because again it's
not I think growing up you only believe that relationships
ending like animosity. Yeah, but some it's just I'm not
feeling you like that, you know what I mean. But
(25:03):
it's this game, like how could she be mad at him?
Everything I've become because of what this man.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Taught me, her children, and what is it unconditionally.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
That's all she's ever wanted for us. We are her world.
And I literally think that so much load was lifted
off of her because she was doing everything on her
own and she never had to ask. I'm telling you,
like my father, he doesn't. He's not somebody you had
to ask for anything. He's just there. And for me,
that is what I want to mean to people, like
(25:34):
what I want to mean to my kids one day,
Like I don't want them to ever feel like they
have to ask me, because I feel like with my
biological father, there are certain things I would never discuss
with him because he would probably not even understand it,
or as somebody was coming to me like saying, hey,
I understand what you're going through and I don't even
community I haven't even communicated it yet. That's a deeper
kind of love to me.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Is he like doing more of the checking into type all.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
The time, all the time. He watches over he handles
all my Spotify accounts, he handles all my music accounts
and everything like that. He watches my social numbers and
be like, son, you should post more. Yeah, like he
really it's a deeper kind of love, And for me,
that is who I feel God put on this earth
to train me up to be a that is a father.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Yeah, there's a difference between I believe a biological dad
and a father figure.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
And to me, blood couldn't make him more of my father.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
I've never really spoken about it like at length like this.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
So it's beautiful. I've never even seen it at length.
But your mom was still hustling multiple jobs while raising
you said, three four kids, four kids.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Yeah, and I've never felt her be absent. So weird.
And I'm like, I'll hear people talk about they have
three jobs and they came in as a.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Single Oh yeah, no, trust me. I have a neighbor
who grew up with a single parent, a single mom,
and she said that she never saw her mom. So
her goal was like, yeah, I'm a single parent, but
my kids are gonna see me.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
You know what I'm saying, I'm gonna make it. I'm
gonna make it work somehow. But you're saying your mom
didn't miss it be even with all those jobs, because
she's a truth. You said she's Dominican, Dominican true. I
don't say Jamaican's we always got a hundred jobs.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, what I'm saying, it's culture. Yeah, and she never complained,
And I feel so bad for her because I'm just like, dang, like,
I never heard her complain. So maybe that's probably contributed
to why I don't ask for help. Yeah, because I've
watched this woman never ask for help, have all these
jobs and she's never.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
And you never seen her cry or nothing.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Never. If I see my mom cry, my head might
explode because I just can't comprehend. My heart would break.
I've never seen her cry.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Yeah. Do you think that's a good thing? Though? Do
you look at women like differently because she's held this
bar of like strength.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
I have to say yeah, I have to say yeah.
I just think that there's a new there's a new
normal that's not normal for me because of I was
raised very traditional. Again, it took my mom a long
time to assimilate. She's still simulating to American culture. So
now when I see like women be like, oh, is
this nigga gonna pay for my hair? Is gonna pay
for my nails? Done? Is this nigga gonna pay? I'm
(28:12):
not knocking it. I'm just not from I just can't
come because even if a man was to try to
do that for my mother. She wouldn't accept it. Yeah, yeah,
I just don't understand it.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
I was talking more of the like the I feel
like the women not hating on women both. If you
came across a woman that was more like easily frustrated,
complaining a lot, and all of that, do you feel
like it would throw you a little bit? No, because
you'd be like, man, my mom did this and she
didn't even blink.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, but I also understand at the same time, like
I that doesn't bother me as much, just because I
have friends that are.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Those look official. I'm getting those look official.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
I'm very proud.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
I am personally.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Of you right now and that was good too.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Smell gup, but they look at you're almost burning them. Yeah,
but you want to know something, I'm very proud of you.
I know this sounds crazy, but like I was concerned,
especially when that I know.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
You was because I saw you looking like when.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
It popped and you ran. I was like, oh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
But this is actually like how I like mine a
little well done.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
When you're writing songs for like Justin Bieber and Beyonce
and all these guys, what's the thought process of like
where you came from to where you are now? Did
you ever have an aha moment?
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yeah with my mom because again, because she made all
these sacrifices, there was a lot of pressure to, like
I said, become a doctor, lawyer or or engineer or
I failed, and there.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Was to be something.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah. There was one time she was like, are you
going to come back and just go to college because
I don't want the church laughing at me, like she's
really big in the church like that. And she was like,
I'm sure she went to church and was like they're
like where's Elijah? Or my nickname was Red, so there's
like where's Red and she's, oh, he's doing music. And
I'm sure there were like snickers. But when I paid
her mortgage.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Off, y'all, I was gonna say, but you're making a
lot of money and you said at that nineteen did
you ever send money back? Hey, surprise.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
First thing I did was pay off her mortgage at.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
The young teenage. At seventeen, I paid off her mortgage
and she still asked, though, if you went to college.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
No, That's when she stopped asking no. So the like
I was saying, right when I went to Atlanta, and
things were starting to happen. It was like, are you
going to come back? Come on, I'm like this music
stuff like that, it's not a real thing. Come back,
go to college and do it the right way. But
when I paid her mortgage and she was like, oh
wait a minute now, like he said yeah, So she
couldn't wait to go to her friends and be like,
(30:34):
my son like paid off my mortgage.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Yeah, he sings yeah. So then when you do songs
for Beyonce and Justin Bieber, how is her response?
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Then she can't believe it. But what really blew her
mind was there was I did my first headlining tour
two years ago. It was just by myself in an
opening acts, and my sisters surprised her and flew her
to Atlanta. So imagine a woman from the Caribbean Islands,
where there's.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Wait, she's currently where she currently.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Lives in Florida, but her whole adult majority of her
adult life was in the Caribbean. So coming where there's
power on one side of the island and power on
the other side of the island, half today and coming
to Atlanta, getting flown to Atlanta, flew out and pulling
up to a venue and seeing your son's name sold
out concert, seeing your son's name in and seeing hundreds
(31:23):
of people singing law to his songs. So when she
got backstage, I still get emotional to telling. So she's like,
I can't believe like you came from me. It just
blew her mind. That was so I don't think it
was real for her. So she saw that. Yeah, I
think Prior is like, all my son's getting money, he's
writing for Usher, And she's gonna see this because now
she follows me on TikTok, which stresses me out.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
But you monitor the content knowing that she she's going
to see it possible.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Not no more. My mama knows I'm crazy. I was
like a problem child growing up.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah, she knows I'm crazy. But and it looks like
and I squish it in enough time, you caush it. Yeah,
that's when it comes what it's supposed to.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
And then you're gonna put the sauces and on.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
I should make some more.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
The only thing that I'm sad about, Elijah is that
your time is so tight.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
What time is it now?
Speaker 1 (32:15):
I'm watching it. We got like probably fifteen more minutes. Now,
we got time, not to capture the whole rest. I
still want to talk about the deluxe album, Elijah, Yeah,
I still want to. I guess since we're so clite,
like tight on time, we can jump to it. But
I just I want to know. How did it make
you feel to hear your mom say that to you?
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Though? That was when it was real for me. I
think that I understood why she said that, because this
is beyond her wildest dream, like your son are like
overcoming the odds and making music for the world, and
you at one point not even knowing if you'd be
able to see the world. Just insane for her, But
(32:57):
that motivated, that put a deeper firing, like now, none
of that shit like that. I thought, mint stuff, don't
need nothing, and I got her arranged over after that.
She didn't want it, she wanted it. She made me
get it for her, and then she said it was
a gas girler. She's like, take it back, are you serious? Yes?
Now she got a Tesla.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
That's cute. You does your siblings? Do you get like
love from your siblings or do you ever get I
don't know if you ever even would ever admit to this,
but I know what it's like. To have siblings, but
is it all love or is there jealousy or is
there no me and my sisters are really oh you're
the only boy.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
No, my little brother. He's like way younger than us.
But so I think I used to worry about him
just because he was so far like down in age
from us that I felt like he was trying to
find him. Since struggling with that and also feeling like
we he found space where he belonged in our crew,
just because how big is the age? Can you like
at least ten years?
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Oh, that's a big age forever he will be your
baby brother exactly. It's like he could be forty and
you'd be like, that's the baby brother.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
But we've connected on a level that I never could
have understood. He's so far, like more mature than I was,
And I'm just I'm so proud of like the man
he's becoming, and our friendship there is really becoming a
friendship and not a brotherhood. But I used to make
a mental note of my head, I gotta work on that.
(34:19):
I gotta work on nurturing my relationship with him and
overcoming that age guy. Ye, And so now we're really
close to me and my sisters like watch the same shows.
Growing up. We literally were like in separal like triplets.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Right.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Yeah, So when I see siblings don't get along, that's
another thing I don't understand because my mother and her
siblings weren't always on the best terms. So she was
very adamant on y'all are all each other half.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
I feel like that's a Caribbean type mentality. But I
do see what you're saying, because my mom and her
siblings are the same way, don't really mess with each other.
She grew into us like the year all you guys
have you better not fighting public. Don't let nobody come
between y'all. You put a lot of soul.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
You gotta do it.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
You feel me.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Excited, And I love that you made sure to make
that come around with your brother too, because I also
understand like that little age separation where you're not close
for a little bit and then boom they turned into
adults and all of a sudden, you have relatabilities.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yeah exactly, but he was my fan first. It took
my sisters a while if they appreciated it. I didn't
know to, but I did used to feel away because
I'm just like Damn. I'm like supporting them and putting them,
helping putting them through college. And there was a point
where I was like, damn with y'all even know, because
the industry was whooping my ass and I'm just like, damn,
but y'all even know, like y'all brother is actually like
(35:35):
in the studio with Beyonce or with Usher and stuff
like that. Because they we were talking, nobody would mention it.
And I guess that was mainly ego.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
You go on whose side though it can't you can't
say it was respectfully. I don't think you could say
it's ego on your side because everybody who has a
siblings will be like, yo, are you gonna acknowledge it?
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Yeah? Yeah, you know what I mean. And it was
like and a lot of times when they would tell
me it was I was going through a lot alone. Yeah,
And I think I was expecting, because of the relationship
we had as kids, them to be but I think
they just were going through their own They were in college,
you know what I mean, and they were trying to
figure it out. But once that they can, no one
(36:14):
in their mind is bigger than It's like me than
Michael Jackson so once we talked about it, I just
think that they were going through their own stuff.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Did they Did you ever get a chance to express
that kind of window to.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Them or they I was feeling it. I never expressed it,
but which I appreciate because now I know how they
view me as authentic because they just celebrate me in
that way and they're super supportive because again I was
going through things with death, cham going through things with
my publishing company, going through things with artists still in
my publishing stealing my money, but then also like showing
(36:45):
up for my family Jesus financially. So sometimes I'm just
in the movie set it off when Jada Pinkett gives
them money to and she said, you know what how
to do with that money? And I'm just kind of
I don't even know that. I'm just getting it from
all sides. This is not just money I can want.
I bought you this Christmas gift for When I sent
this money over, like, I really was like fighting over
here on this side, but now there's just gratitude and
(37:09):
love and it's just authentic. So I just think they
was figuring out, they were coming into their womanhood, and
it was never a lack there. You probably just didn't
have room or space to communicate it.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Do you now have mentors in the industry?
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah, I definitely Like Keisha is like a huge mentor.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
I love her.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
We talked all the time. She just announced her tour,
so you should we love. Yeah, she's somebody who checks
on me, like a guardian angel. That's like my sister.
But Twain right there checks on me. She's like, how's
your heart through relationships? And she's had to come and
get me, like in the middle of a fist fight.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
She's fist fight.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Yeah, I'm from Florida.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
You should ever be in a fist fight from Florida.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
It gets that way. Okay, we pull up, pull.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Up a seat, let's eat. He did it? What is
the song? Do we have to any more saut stepping
or anything?
Speaker 2 (38:01):
It should be? It should be good.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Eat here? What did you do with this work? He
was doing something?
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Here we go, I'll let you taste it.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
No, we're gonna do it together. It's gonna be good.
This is just a version.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
Just do it.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
You're gonna tell everybody how you forgot to I.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Did forget Okay, So I ended up making a Jamaican
version on accident. This is not the Haitian version because
I was so into the story I forgot to put
the boo yard in that.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
But that would have been so it would have been
just so you guys know it. But Jennifer said it
would have been a paste because we just made like
you made a soup.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Yeah, it would have been a little thicker and the
flavor would have been in there. But this is not
bad because Jamaica's killing chairs.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Okay, here we go. I don't know this, mom, does
it taste Haitian? No, want to try your version? But
this is good though, it's perfect.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
All. Oh wow, there's a really good I'm proud of me.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
I'm proud of you too. You should have made all
of them so you'd have a snack on the way
to the plane.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Oh that's all good, is perfect?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Absolutely one more. I'm Jamaican.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
There, that's what Jamaican cowing up.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Oh this one could be fried Mar. I'm taking all
the good ones, okay, Elijah, Yeah, let's get to this
deluxe album. Tell us all about it.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
The Deluxe for me is my first time really getting
to be the artist I've always wanted to be. There's
so much experimentation happening with electronic elements, live musicianships, and.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
I just didn't want you to spend the block.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
Yeah, live musicianship that's happening on there, and it's I
get to be the artist. And I got a song
with Kim Barrell, who I've studied. You couldn't tell me,
like in a million years, I had to be in
the same room as Kim Borell. And I'm in a
great space. I'm independent with the team that I've always
dreamed of. I feel like I call them my avengers
and collected them and they've collected me throughout the way.
(40:02):
Like Jen who's on my management team. We've been rocking
sister the rock Nation days. It was my product manager
at rock Nation. Peter shout out to Gin, a fellow Dominica.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
I love that you keep everyone in your camp around forever.
Oh yeah, that's a good sign of integrity to really.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah my opinion, Yeah, I would think so. And then
my my manager, he was the president of Deaf Jam
when I was there. He was the person who's really
him and no idea, Peter thea and yeah, that's the way.
And r I p to my also my co manager
hoodie that just passed.
Speaker 1 (40:36):
Yeah, I heard about that.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
Yeah, he managed myself Tone stiff An and he. I
wish he would have been able to see what the deluxe.
He was one of the people that put everything in
place with the label that I'm at now. I would
say the partner.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
You dedicated a song to him though, Yeah, Well.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Something happens when I hear does something happened when I
hear your name, And that's with me made in Tone
who he was really fighting every day, fight for us
on just he would show it to my Good Day
New York performance and I'm just like, did you just
flying from Australia He's yeah, I'm like leaving to go
to Jersey per Tone right after this and just he
really gave his heart and his soul to this project.
(41:10):
And I think he'd be proud. I think he'd be
very proud.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Yeah, and he could obviously feel all the love.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
Yeah. We're Dene Malloy, who's been my reference and to
be and my study. He's who signed me A, B
and I and he's not my A. And R Shy Riddick,
who was an intern that songbook when I had moved
to Atlanta and he was interning there. He's on my
team as well. So yeah, this Deluxe means more than
just music and more than just songs. I think people
are getting the Elijah that I felt a little too
(41:36):
restricted to be allowed to become at the major side
of the major label system.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
So your deal right now, is it like one hundred
percent freedom freedom, one hundred percent yes, And it's not
independent though it is independent.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
It's with my label and Monarch is the partner, so
they provide. Yeah, they're a distribution company, so they just
make sure that we get on Spotify, Apple Music. Actually,
what I really like about them is they provide other
services to like we get a product manager internally and
stuff like that. They just keep everything. They help facilitate
certain services that I would have liked at a major
(42:12):
label situation without selling myself.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Yeah, I like that too. And then earlier back, not
trying to circle back, but you had mentioned like stealing,
like someone stole stole music from you. Can you talk
me through how that happened?
Speaker 2 (42:24):
So what happens is those.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
Plans are good. Trust me. I don't want to eat
it because I have to ask questions and I'm watching
the clock. So you make this.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Plane somehow along the way. It's crazy. When I signed
a deaf jam, the whole question, the only bad thing
that I kept hearing over and over was like, is
he a songwriter or is he an artist? I'm like, what,
Like Prince was a singer songwriter, Lauren's singer songwriter. But
that was a real thing that they were trying to
find out. I'm like, they're one and the same.
Speaker 1 (42:50):
Yeah, but why can't you be both?
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Though?
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Yeah, but now you're great at it.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
But now everybody wants to be a songwriter. And you
have these artists who don't write, and but they want
publishing on a song because they realize, like when touring
is done, when everything is done, and they want to
still live these extravagant lifestyle. Publishing is what you have
in the days where your bones don't work the way today,
certain you can pass down to your kids. It's like equity,
it's like real estate.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
I heard a lot of the major artists not dropping names,
but like people like a Beyonce. I don't want nobody
coming from me for that. But I heard that they
automatically if you write songs for them, they automatically get
a part of the deal is that they have to
get a writer's credit on it.
Speaker 2 (43:29):
I've heard that, mean I've not heard that. I've experienced it,
not from Beyonce in particular, but there has been certain
artists that are my heroes and for me, I don't
mind if it's not. But sometimes it gets a little
to the point where it's just like being greedy if
you didn't write a single word on the song. At
least with Beyonce. But I've experienced what I've told us.
She's she is. There is musicianship going into it, so
(43:52):
she's going to rearrange and change the songs, and she's
going to contribute to it her harmonies and everything. But
there are certain artists that literally do nothing want forty
percent of the song. And you're looking like, no ten
is not a problem. Yeah, that's not a problem at all. Actually,
on No Love a lot, I gave Rianna ten just
because she brought them and she asked, so to me
(44:14):
that there's a respect there, you know what I mean,
They're you're not You're not No Love allowed.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
That was unapologetic, but she asked, but did she contribute?
Speaker 2 (44:23):
I felt, I felt this is for me. I felt
like the way she brought the song to life and
her isms, and there were certain things that were it
wasn't like Verbatim to make demo record. Yeah, I wrote
the song myself in a scured though and she cut it,
but there were ways she brought it to life. So
I feel like and that wasn't greedy, that's not at all.
So one hundred percent of zero is still zero. But
(44:46):
there are artists who do nothing and they're like, yeah,
I need forty percent of that, And for me, I'm
just like, it ain't going And I allowed, I used
to allow it, and it hurt me to the point
where I'm just like I'm ready to just fall on
the sword because I just I make I'm setting a
bad example for the.
Speaker 1 (45:01):
Next president presidents.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Yeah, to allow this to be done to newer songwriters,
like it happened to me because somebody literally told me when
I said, why do you feel like you deserve forty percent?
I got to earn your stripes. I'm like, I'm not
a fucking tiger. I don't want stripes. I want Louis Baton,
I like that Gucci. Yeah, I don't want those stripes.
I need to doing the first every month.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Yeah, But yeah, did that takes a lot of courage
for you to actually stand for up for yourself and
be like.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
For sure, because they'll take the song off the album.
I had a huge artist it ended up coming up.
But the manager there was like, you have ten seconds
because they was about to put the project out there,
like give us posting guest or no. Within response to
this email, we're taking off the album. And I said
it's not fair, and they took it off the album.
It ended up being on the deluxe.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Yeah, so if you guys want to hear you hear
it on the DELX. Yeah, obviously tell us which song
it is.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
Yeah, but I just didn't think it was I didn't
think it was fair. Yeah, I didn't think.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
I'm glad you did it so now we can enjoy
on the deluxe exactly.
Speaker 2 (45:57):
And they saw me at a party, the manager who
was a huge manager. So I'm at a party. It
was like Ush's birthday party in LA and he was like, man,
Adam Levine asked me why I took that song. It
was his favorite that song album, so we're gonna re
release it as a deluxe and literally I was the
only song they added the deluxe. I was really at first,
I was like damn. I like the producers were looking
(46:18):
at me like, damn, Eliji, you might have missed up
for us. I'm like, bro, at what point do we
stand for something? You know what I mean? They're gonna
And I felt like because I allowed it with two
instances prior is why.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
It just felt like everybody was like, oh a lot
of talking about it.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
That's how I felt.
Speaker 1 (46:34):
Yeah, you under honestly, it wasn't just how you felt,
it was reality. Yeah, it became reality.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
Because I'm like, why is everybody just thinking like Elijah's
is gonna give twenty thirty percent. In the beginning part
of my crew, I was so young. I was having
fun with it. I was like, yeah, you can have
you can have this, And I'm like, why are y'all
only coming after me? Even I would see emails and
they're like, Okay, we need to find thirty percent for
this person and everybody nobody's budget, but they're just expecting
me to move. So I'm like, okay, I gotta really
like just double down ten y. Let you all know
(47:01):
it ain't a game no more.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Yeah, but that takes a lot of courage. There's no
way you weren't like semi second guessing yourself, especially after
they pulled it. Yeah, but then the producers were coming
to you.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
All I had to do was one time and Nigga
stopped expecting it. I like you feel me to you?
Speaker 1 (47:16):
Yeah, which collaboration on the album do you like the best?
Not trying to make you choose between your twins and
Streeter or anybody else.
Speaker 2 (47:26):
You know. I hate with people as like this, but
they're so different. The one with Me and Seven, I
just realized, even just like last night, I'm like, dang,
me and seven are both from Florida, you know what
I mean. We both have had a similar experience with
the major label system. We're also experiencing success outside of
it now as independent artists. And I'm like, that's kind
(47:47):
of dope. Like two artists from Florida like ninety Babies
doing the nineties inspired record with Eric Husson who produced it.
I'm like, that's kind of dope. And then also the
one how You're Going to I'm like, that's freaking salt
and pepper like salt, you know what I mean. That's legendary.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
That's awesome. Shout out to her. We had Streeter on
and her story was really beautiful too. She was a
very beautiful story. Yeah, and that was like a Chris Brown.
Shout outs to Chris Brown and her dad first look
the one that actually like initially put her on.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
Yeah, and I had seen seven in passing. We've just
never collaborated, collaborate, So this song is a beautiful represent.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
I love the song. Thank You's beautiful? All right? You
know what? You can? Go ahead. I'm so sad to
see you go.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
I want to do this. Can we have y'all done
a part two? Can we do a part two?
Speaker 1 (48:33):
I would love to do it a part two? Do
you come to La a lot? You live here?
Speaker 2 (48:38):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (48:38):
Okay, you know where the studio's at. We gonna see
a little.
Speaker 2 (48:43):
Real. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
You went from non cooking to all excited about cooking.
It's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
We gonna do part two.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Okay, part two. You heard it here first, but I
want you to sing us out. Okay, I have to
because when I heard you sing earlier, did you enjoy it?
Speaker 2 (48:59):
All?
Speaker 1 (48:59):
Right?
Speaker 2 (49:00):
What song am I so we're talking about? Okay, dang sing? Okay,
I gotta do a gospel song because I'm going ahead.
Speaker 4 (49:12):
I'm feel I've had some good days.
Speaker 2 (49:17):
I've had some.
Speaker 4 (49:18):
He he's the class. I've had some weary days, some
lonely nights.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
But we're a look around and.
Speaker 4 (49:35):
I think things over all of my good days, all
the wait, mind.
Speaker 2 (49:44):
My bad days, and die. I won't complaint.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
That was beautiful. Thank you, my goodness, the boy, Thank
you guys. You heard it here first.
Speaker 2 (49:59):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (50:04):
For more eating while broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows,
Host
Coline Witt
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