January 16, 2024 • 18 mins
Dame Dash is a music executive, musician and entrepreneur known for his previous business venture with Jay Z called "Rock A Fella", discovering The Black Keys and he is collaborating with Philly Rapper Freeway on a new musical collaboration.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I don't have a beat for jay Z. My issue
with him right now is that they know me with
a lawsuit that was untrue. I could forgive a lot
of things I don't forget. I think that we've evolved
in different directions. He's become more of a businessman and
I've become more of a creative. I think fundamentally our
priorities are different.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast, the podcast where
your host Buzz Night talks to musicians and industry insiders
about their latest projects and their love of music. On
this episode, Buzz talks with entrepreneur, musician, and record executive
Damon Dash along with Philly rapper Freeway about their new project.
Damon has a storied career. He discovered Kevin Hart and
(00:42):
the Black Keys, he co founded Rockefeller Records with jay Z,
and he's the CEO of America V Network and his
project with Freeway is called three sixty five. Listen and
you'll hear some provocative conversation about jay Z and the
Black Keys, along with insight into their new work. All
next on Taking a Walk with Buzz Night.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Damon and Freeway. Welcome to Take out a Walk. How
you guys do it.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Well, we're doing it.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I'm hip right now, Hip. I just found out that
we just hit twenty thousand downloads on my new television network,
American News. So you got to partner Mike excitement.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Oh my god, congratulations, you just found out.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, I just you know, every day there's a you know,
we get to report, and this week we were expecting
to hit twenty thousand, which is a few milestone in
the television network business, especially since we're not on Loku
or Samsung yet. We've just been in business about a month,
so it's a big deal. It's like having a hit record,
but having a hit television network is a whole different
(01:41):
kind of evaluation. So let me just put it to
you like this, for every download for evaluation, that's about
one hundred dollars a person. So you do the math.
This is why I'm celebrating.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
All right, Well, tell us more about that project. First,
you got to you gotta give us more info and
how folks could find it and get more downloads.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well, it's a television network of American New. But the project
that'll be talking about, the vertical, that's the content that's
going to be on America. New is this project Freeway
and the Black Guns. Freeway. I've known for twenty three years.
We just calculated it. He's part of state property original
Rockefeller and he's been going into schools with the Freedom
(02:23):
Thinker's Academy. I've been seeing him do that and we
reconnected through the OSG, which is a thousand, I mean
hundreds of punciples from economically challenged areas. And we were
at an OSG summit in Colombia and Freeway started to
perform and I jumped on the stage and it was
the first time I've been on stage with a Rockefeller
in a while. And I had the rock band. He's
still active, he's doing good stuff, and I have a
(02:44):
television network, so I was like, we have a studio
in Florida. So I was like, Yo, pull up to
Florida five days and we arranged it because he's always
on the road, and we made ten records live Vesta
MISSI got the best guitar payer on the planet, cash
and we made the music video which I directed, which
hop we saw. We take every second, so it's the
(03:05):
documentary a curriculum. We did all the photo shoots for
all the assets, the Vibe came the shot to cover
and we did all the interviews, the podcast. We did
everything in five days, and we're going to go on
the road. First, we're going to do a quick rock
and roll for a nice intimate joint starting in La
Vegas and Florida nineteen to twenty first and the twenty ninth,
(03:29):
and then we're gonna do a biggotur and we're gonna
go into schools. We're gonna teach the curriculum, we're gonna perform,
and it's just a new way of teaching people and
just showcasing that everything you do gotta be new and
it can be better. And we could also use music
as a form to teach and showcasing, and hip hop
is great and all verticals, so we could jump around
and teaching hip hop and teaching rock and roll and
(03:49):
then we bring something together and making new music called
rock and soul, and that's what we did. That kind
of wrap, that kind of rhyme. Wow, Michelle coaus.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Well, let me ask you, Dame and Free, first of all,
who motivated you at younger years to be so caring
about your community and try and do this good work.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And it's just you know, of course for me. For me,
you know, my earlier years I took from the community,
you know, so every chance that I get, I want
to give back to my community. And I've been through
so much, you know, I lost my son in twenty twenty,
lost my daughter in twenty one, lost my dad in
twenty two. So you know, I'm all about giving back
(04:34):
and showing love and you know, trying to better our community.
And the reason why when my company, Freedom Thinkers Academy,
we got stent workforce development programs in the city of
Philadelphia and Delaware because it's a lot of violence and
negativity going on in the streets, and I feel like
we provide these kids with the opportunity to take this course,
get a certification, and we assist them and getting jobs
(04:55):
that'd be a better outcome for them than being in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah. I think what happens is born into a survival mode.
We were born in that ninety nine percent, and in
that moment, you're around people and you do and because
of that, you do things what they're doing, you know,
whatever they have to do to survive. Sometimes you compromise
your morals and your principles, but you know, in your heart.
You just want to help. You just want You don't
want to hurt that you don't know how. So as
(05:20):
we've evolved and gotten older, we've gotten to a situation
where we've learned how to help. So we've always wanted
to help, we just never had the outlet. Like I
never thought I could go into a school. I never
thought I could get a doctor. I never thought, you know,
I'd be able to teach a class full of principles.
But these opportunities present themselves, and our heart is good,
it's pure, and because you go through things, the trauma
(05:43):
that you go through, and you survive that. If you
really love yourself, you don't want no one you love
to be going through any of these any of the
pain that you felt. So we want to make sure
that our culture and that's who we love, doesn't go
through the pain that we felt to learn. So, you know,
it's an evolution, it's just grow. What does hip hop
look like in your forties and fifties. It looks like
(06:03):
Me and Freeway. It looks like superheroes, guys that do
what they love, and what they love is helping people.
What we love doing is loving and we love the
art and the craft of every vertical that we do.
So if he's going to be a master at that,
trust me. Our project in rock and roll has to
be masterful because everybody that's playing an instrument is master
(06:26):
a black belt at what they do. The drummer, the
guitar player, task, everyone is a freeway in their own
right at what they do. So that's what this is,
just showcasing what love to do and how cool love
could look, how tough love could look, you know, and
how to educate people to a different voice. But it
all started from our trauma, not wanting the people we
(06:48):
love to go through the pain that we felt. But
we had to go through that pain to know that
we don't want the people that we love to go
through it.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Well, Dame, first, I want to ask you this, and
then free I'll ask you this. Tell me about the
creative process that you guys go through, uh when you're
creating and what walk us through you know, sort of
the typical nature of that first you game, Well, it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Depends on what vertical, but this particular one, the rock
and roll, This process is we make a very comfortable environment,
we go, you know, me on the lake, and we
get we threw a chef in from Hawaii, put the
instruments in the studio, set up all the cameras, and
you'll be able to see what I'm telling you. You
could actually see the making of the first single on
(07:34):
America right now. But we just start playing. That's all
we do, and you know, and we do it the
old school way. We make up all of the instruments.
I get a mic, Freeway get some mic, and we
just start playing, literally the record three sixty five. When
when Freeway says fifteen seconds, Because as soon as the
record started to play, Freeway started going three sixty five.
(07:55):
He said it, and then I took into hook and
literally in thirty seconds we had a song, and in
three minutes we had structure everything. It was just a
freestyle live album. And that's why we document it because
it's like magic. And we did like five records that night.
And again that's what you said. We did five records
that night. Then we did some more the next day,
(08:18):
and then three Way just laid vocals, just laid all
his vocals in like two days, and then we just
tightened up the record and between that we would do
our podcast and between that shot the video and between
that do the interview, so I have the like the
confessionals and all that, and then between that take the pictures,
go get some sleep. We would work about four or
(08:38):
five hours straight, six hours until we couldn't do it
no more sleep, eat and wake up and do it
again five straight days and they him back on the rope.
That was the process.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
How about you free talk about the process from your perspective.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I mean it was a mezing. It was the same thing,
you know, the way our recording, the way I work,
I get a beat and then our vibe to it,
and then I create. You know, I don't use any
center paper. So when we got into the space, and
you know, as soon as they started playing instruments, we
started eating. Just like Dame told you, I came up
three sixties twenty four seven. It's the first thing that
(09:13):
came to my head. And then we started rolling from there.
And that's the way everything wents. Soon as they put
on the next soon as they started playing the next beat,
we started creating.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Or and if I helped, all word in the air.
So we say three sixty five, I'm like, oh that
sounds hard, Paul, So we sixty five call it just
it just messages. It's like magic, and that's why you
have to capture it, like you got to see it
to believe it. So what I'm saying, go to America
and download it right now and go to the blue
(09:47):
rock section and you'll see the Making Them three sixty
five and every single thing I'm saying. You'll be able
to see it, and we'll be able to teach it.
That's why we keep those cameras on.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
I want to ask you, Dame h what do you
think is the state of the music business right now?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I mean the state of the world is is you know,
I've been on this planet for like fifty one years.
I've been active in music for twenty at least, uh,
you know, making it. I just think with AI, with
the different ways to distribute with Web three, there's going
to be a lot of other there's gonna be different
(10:27):
verticals in different ways to make money that were not
anticipated before. And for people that don't know how to evolve,
they're going to lose. If you're mad at the evolution
of the music business, then you're just going to be
stuck in the box. You have to evolve with the times.
So for me, there's a ying and the yang. There's
some things that are problematic with it. You know, kids
(10:49):
hurting each other and glorifying that, and you know a
new form of music or not new, but like there's
I'm not mad at drill because the kids have to communicate.
I'm mad with people that make money off thrill, that
look for kids that are talking about killing each other
to make money over beat. That's problematic to me. But
the fact that you know, a guy that like myself
(11:11):
can have a television network and showcase people in their truth, forone,
is a big deal. And that we could get paid
through CPMs, and that we can get paid off of
our data, and that if we are if we understand
the new world, we can monetize the new world and
not get robbed. Because right now the music business is
getting robbed. So the state of music business to me
is le or coing going to these kids, taking their content,
(11:35):
making them sign their contracts, which is that policies agreement
on YouTube with no lawyer watching and then getting forty
dollars or thirty dollars from a CPM and only giving
the kid two dollars and not giving them any accounting
and not letting them benefit from their data. That part
of the music business is a problem for me, and
the fact that the BPMS with with respot all of that,
(11:55):
the way you get paid is not fair. But there's
so many ways to make money, but we just have
to know how or we will get robbed. The middle
man will rob us like they did before. So I
see the opportunity for creative to get robbed in a
big way, but I see an opportunity for creative not
to get robbed and to make a lot of money
if they understand how not to get robbed and what
(12:16):
they truly deserve, you know what I'm saying. So not
getting the full benefit of your CPM and your daddy
to me is not like not owning your publishing. It's
just two different ways since you're getting robbed but in
different businesses, but the same person is doing. But that's
what I feel.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
About that free What do you think of the state
of the music business?
Speaker 4 (12:35):
And uh as far as create create creatively, But like
you know, it's not how it was when I came up,
But I still respect it because everybody is doing their
version of what hip hop is. You might have a
kid from down South that's doing their version of hip
hop you might have from like you know, the West Coast,
(12:56):
deep in Compton doing their version of hip hop. You know,
some of it the time, some of it is not.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Dane, tell me about your experience working with those guys,
the Black Keys. That was such a great project.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I mean it definitely was. I loved it. You know,
it gave me a different perspective on how to approach music,
you know, kicking it with them now. I would go
on to the again. I would run into uh Freeway
at the festival because he had done a rock project
with good Talk, So you know, I liked that lifestyle.
(13:32):
I like the uh, the the attention to detail as
it relates to the instruments. Uh. You know, Dan Araback
was cool that you know, they're cool. I was a
little I feel away because I did Blacklock Part two
and once they kind of blew up, you know that
we never we never performed like the Black Block Project.
(13:52):
I felt like they kind of left because a lot
of those hip hop like m op and the only
person that knew who who Black the Black Keys were
or was most deaf. Everyone else is doing it like
Ray Kwan and Visitor. They were doing it on the love,
and I felt like, you know, we got on David
Letterman and we got on Salin and I really thought
it bought the Black Keys to a pop level. But
(14:15):
I just felt like they didn't give back. So I
got Todd lib Sean Price with Khalif for one part two.
I got the whole tape. But you know the album, Yeah,
we got that album. Like you asking me where it
is right now? You gotta know what the album is.
That's why I cay in the back, like where's that album?
Oh yeah? Then we oh shit, I forgot. Oh sorry,
(14:36):
we have a whole album where Visitor that we didn't
put out with the Black Keys. I forgot all about
that album. Damn rock and reg So, yeah, it was
great working with them, but a little disappointed. Was good,
A sweet you know, dan Aback is still cool. I
don't like Pact that much, but you know, it's all
good now. Practice is good on my noose, you know
what I mean, because he's the one that was like
saying that. Like what I was trying to do was
(14:56):
take it. It's a whole another story. But I had
a good time. You know. Overall, I just wish that
more people could assort they would have been more supportive
after they grew up.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Also, Hey, Dame, is there is there any hope your
relationship with jay Z wouldever advance?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I don't. I don't have a beef for jay Z.
My issue with him right now is that they, you know,
lent me with a lawsuit that was untrue. I could
forgive a lot of things I don't forget. I think
that we've evolved in different directions. He's become more of
a businessman and I've become more of a creative. I
think fundamentally our priority is a different you know, which
(15:37):
is surprising, but it is what it is. So on
a business level, we could reconnect. On a trust level,
I don't know that that trust will ever be there again,
but you know, I'm a human being, he's a human being.
And yeah, I think if he sent over one hundred
million it wou'd be cool again if he had it,
if he got a gift, because I think that's how
much he might have cost me. But if he makes
(15:59):
that we didn't make things right, we could kick it.
But it doesn't mean I'm gonna hang out with all
his friends.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Well, I want to close with a question on advice
to people who are listening to us, who might be.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Every way. If you want to see it, make it happen.
So I talked to Jay at any moment, but he
ducts that conversation. So anytime you want, I'll get in
front of him in biggs and be very calm, But
that conversation won't be added because there'll be accountability with it.
But I'm down for that conversation anytime you can set
it up free, I'm down. I always want to showcase
the world. You know, make it happen. We can always
(16:36):
you know what, send them over a record and tell
them to jump on what we do the Rock of Gogos.
Let's see what you do.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
I'd love I'd love to see. I'd love to see
it happen.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Culturally, I have no beef for anybody. I might not
agree with people's business tactics, but forgiveness is always key
with They're not convert within our community. The division is
what they count on. So what they did with us
divide us, and that's what It's an algorithm. So I
would love to break that algorithm, you know, just to
showcase an example. That year, I think it's cadding for
(17:10):
two men not to be able to work out a difference.
But when someone keeps doing something they show you and
do all this stuff, they're not gonna want to stay
not you notice I speak on at any time. The
question is why he don't. But I'll get with him
anytime free if you make it happen. We all brothers, bro,
and I always say that I can't hurt my brother.
I don't want to see my brothers hurt. I don't
know if they feel the same about me, but that's
how I always feel. Right a world for you, and
(17:30):
it been one Rocketphlle. You put me on the phone
when I didn't talk to you right, and it's always
love between us. It ain't no problem. It was a
business then, but I chose the love before the money.
That's what I took. My choice was loved before money.
This choice might have been money, Dame and free.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
I'm so honored to get to talk to you. I
want to congratulate you on all your success, your projects,
your great work, your spirit and your collaborative process. Bless you,
guys man.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Thank thanks tull you download a boverga, listen to the
music and spread the word post appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I don't have a beat for jay Z. My issue
with him right now is that they know me with
a lawsuit that was untrue. I could forgive a lot
of things I don't forget. I think that we've evolved
in different directions. He's become more of a businessman and
I've become more of a creative. I think fundamentally our
priorities are different.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast, the podcast where
your host Buzz Night talks to musicians and industry insiders
about their latest projects and their love of music. On
this episode, Buzz talks with entrepreneur, musician, and record executive
Damon Dash along with Philly rapper Freeway about their new project.
Damon has a storied career. He discovered Kevin Hart and
(00:42):
the Black Keys, he co founded Rockefeller Records with jay Z,
and he's the CEO of America V Network and his
project with Freeway is called three sixty five. Listen and
you'll hear some provocative conversation about jay Z and the
Black Keys, along with insight into their new work. All
next on Taking a Walk with Buzz Night.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Damon and Freeway. Welcome to Take out a Walk. How
you guys do it.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Well, we're doing it.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I'm hip right now, Hip. I just found out that
we just hit twenty thousand downloads on my new television network,
American News. So you got to partner Mike excitement.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Oh my god, congratulations, you just found out.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, I just you know, every day there's a you know,
we get to report, and this week we were expecting
to hit twenty thousand, which is a few milestone in
the television network business, especially since we're not on Loku
or Samsung yet. We've just been in business about a month,
so it's a big deal. It's like having a hit record,
but having a hit television network is a whole different
(01:41):
kind of evaluation. So let me just put it to
you like this, for every download for evaluation, that's about
one hundred dollars a person. So you do the math.
This is why I'm celebrating.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
All right, Well, tell us more about that project. First,
you got to you gotta give us more info and
how folks could find it and get more downloads.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well, it's a television network of American New. But the project
that'll be talking about, the vertical, that's the content that's
going to be on America. New is this project Freeway
and the Black Guns. Freeway. I've known for twenty three years.
We just calculated it. He's part of state property original
Rockefeller and he's been going into schools with the Freedom
(02:23):
Thinker's Academy. I've been seeing him do that and we
reconnected through the OSG, which is a thousand, I mean
hundreds of punciples from economically challenged areas. And we were
at an OSG summit in Colombia and Freeway started to
perform and I jumped on the stage and it was
the first time I've been on stage with a Rockefeller
in a while. And I had the rock band. He's
still active, he's doing good stuff, and I have a
(02:44):
television network, so I was like, we have a studio
in Florida. So I was like, Yo, pull up to
Florida five days and we arranged it because he's always
on the road, and we made ten records live Vesta
MISSI got the best guitar payer on the planet, cash
and we made the music video which I directed, which
hop we saw. We take every second, so it's the
(03:05):
documentary a curriculum. We did all the photo shoots for
all the assets, the Vibe came the shot to cover
and we did all the interviews, the podcast. We did
everything in five days, and we're going to go on
the road. First, we're going to do a quick rock
and roll for a nice intimate joint starting in La
Vegas and Florida nineteen to twenty first and the twenty ninth,
(03:29):
and then we're gonna do a biggotur and we're gonna
go into schools. We're gonna teach the curriculum, we're gonna perform,
and it's just a new way of teaching people and
just showcasing that everything you do gotta be new and
it can be better. And we could also use music
as a form to teach and showcasing, and hip hop
is great and all verticals, so we could jump around
and teaching hip hop and teaching rock and roll and
(03:49):
then we bring something together and making new music called
rock and soul, and that's what we did. That kind
of wrap, that kind of rhyme. Wow, Michelle coaus.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Well, let me ask you, Dame and Free, first of all,
who motivated you at younger years to be so caring
about your community and try and do this good work.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And it's just you know, of course for me. For me,
you know, my earlier years I took from the community,
you know, so every chance that I get, I want
to give back to my community. And I've been through
so much, you know, I lost my son in twenty twenty,
lost my daughter in twenty one, lost my dad in
twenty two. So you know, I'm all about giving back
(04:34):
and showing love and you know, trying to better our community.
And the reason why when my company, Freedom Thinkers Academy,
we got stent workforce development programs in the city of
Philadelphia and Delaware because it's a lot of violence and
negativity going on in the streets, and I feel like
we provide these kids with the opportunity to take this course,
get a certification, and we assist them and getting jobs
(04:55):
that'd be a better outcome for them than being in
the streets.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah. I think what happens is born into a survival mode.
We were born in that ninety nine percent, and in
that moment, you're around people and you do and because
of that, you do things what they're doing, you know,
whatever they have to do to survive. Sometimes you compromise
your morals and your principles, but you know, in your heart.
You just want to help. You just want You don't
want to hurt that you don't know how. So as
(05:20):
we've evolved and gotten older, we've gotten to a situation
where we've learned how to help. So we've always wanted
to help, we just never had the outlet. Like I
never thought I could go into a school. I never
thought I could get a doctor. I never thought, you know,
I'd be able to teach a class full of principles.
But these opportunities present themselves, and our heart is good,
it's pure, and because you go through things, the trauma
(05:43):
that you go through, and you survive that. If you
really love yourself, you don't want no one you love
to be going through any of these any of the
pain that you felt. So we want to make sure
that our culture and that's who we love, doesn't go
through the pain that we felt to learn. So, you know,
it's an evolution, it's just grow. What does hip hop
look like in your forties and fifties. It looks like
(06:03):
Me and Freeway. It looks like superheroes, guys that do
what they love, and what they love is helping people.
What we love doing is loving and we love the
art and the craft of every vertical that we do.
So if he's going to be a master at that,
trust me. Our project in rock and roll has to
be masterful because everybody that's playing an instrument is master
(06:26):
a black belt at what they do. The drummer, the
guitar player, task, everyone is a freeway in their own
right at what they do. So that's what this is,
just showcasing what love to do and how cool love
could look, how tough love could look, you know, and
how to educate people to a different voice. But it
all started from our trauma, not wanting the people we
(06:48):
love to go through the pain that we felt. But
we had to go through that pain to know that
we don't want the people that we love to go
through it.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Well, Dame, first, I want to ask you this, and
then free I'll ask you this. Tell me about the
creative process that you guys go through, uh when you're
creating and what walk us through you know, sort of
the typical nature of that first you game, Well, it.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Depends on what vertical, but this particular one, the rock
and roll, This process is we make a very comfortable environment,
we go, you know, me on the lake, and we
get we threw a chef in from Hawaii, put the
instruments in the studio, set up all the cameras, and
you'll be able to see what I'm telling you. You
could actually see the making of the first single on
(07:34):
America right now. But we just start playing. That's all
we do, and you know, and we do it the
old school way. We make up all of the instruments.
I get a mic, Freeway get some mic, and we
just start playing, literally the record three sixty five. When
when Freeway says fifteen seconds, Because as soon as the
record started to play, Freeway started going three sixty five.
(07:55):
He said it, and then I took into hook and
literally in thirty seconds we had a song, and in
three minutes we had structure everything. It was just a
freestyle live album. And that's why we document it because
it's like magic. And we did like five records that night.
And again that's what you said. We did five records
that night. Then we did some more the next day,
(08:18):
and then three Way just laid vocals, just laid all
his vocals in like two days, and then we just
tightened up the record and between that we would do
our podcast and between that shot the video and between
that do the interview, so I have the like the
confessionals and all that, and then between that take the pictures,
go get some sleep. We would work about four or
(08:38):
five hours straight, six hours until we couldn't do it
no more sleep, eat and wake up and do it
again five straight days and they him back on the rope.
That was the process.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
How about you free talk about the process from your perspective.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I mean it was a mezing. It was the same thing,
you know, the way our recording, the way I work,
I get a beat and then our vibe to it,
and then I create. You know, I don't use any
center paper. So when we got into the space, and
you know, as soon as they started playing instruments, we
started eating. Just like Dame told you, I came up
three sixties twenty four seven. It's the first thing that
(09:13):
came to my head. And then we started rolling from there.
And that's the way everything wents. Soon as they put
on the next soon as they started playing the next beat,
we started creating.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Or and if I helped, all word in the air.
So we say three sixty five, I'm like, oh that
sounds hard, Paul, So we sixty five call it just
it just messages. It's like magic, and that's why you
have to capture it, like you got to see it
to believe it. So what I'm saying, go to America
and download it right now and go to the blue
(09:47):
rock section and you'll see the Making Them three sixty
five and every single thing I'm saying. You'll be able
to see it, and we'll be able to teach it.
That's why we keep those cameras on.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
I want to ask you, Dame h what do you
think is the state of the music business right now?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I mean the state of the world is is you know,
I've been on this planet for like fifty one years.
I've been active in music for twenty at least, uh,
you know, making it. I just think with AI, with
the different ways to distribute with Web three, there's going
to be a lot of other there's gonna be different
(10:27):
verticals in different ways to make money that were not
anticipated before. And for people that don't know how to evolve,
they're going to lose. If you're mad at the evolution
of the music business, then you're just going to be
stuck in the box. You have to evolve with the times.
So for me, there's a ying and the yang. There's
some things that are problematic with it. You know, kids
(10:49):
hurting each other and glorifying that, and you know a
new form of music or not new, but like there's
I'm not mad at drill because the kids have to communicate.
I'm mad with people that make money off thrill, that
look for kids that are talking about killing each other
to make money over beat. That's problematic to me. But
the fact that you know, a guy that like myself
(11:11):
can have a television network and showcase people in their truth, forone,
is a big deal. And that we could get paid
through CPMs, and that we can get paid off of
our data, and that if we are if we understand
the new world, we can monetize the new world and
not get robbed. Because right now the music business is
getting robbed. So the state of music business to me
is le or coing going to these kids, taking their content,
(11:35):
making them sign their contracts, which is that policies agreement
on YouTube with no lawyer watching and then getting forty
dollars or thirty dollars from a CPM and only giving
the kid two dollars and not giving them any accounting
and not letting them benefit from their data. That part
of the music business is a problem for me, and
the fact that the BPMS with with respot all of that,
(11:55):
the way you get paid is not fair. But there's
so many ways to make money, but we just have
to know how or we will get robbed. The middle
man will rob us like they did before. So I
see the opportunity for creative to get robbed in a
big way, but I see an opportunity for creative not
to get robbed and to make a lot of money
if they understand how not to get robbed and what
(12:16):
they truly deserve, you know what I'm saying. So not
getting the full benefit of your CPM and your daddy
to me is not like not owning your publishing. It's
just two different ways since you're getting robbed but in
different businesses, but the same person is doing. But that's
what I feel.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
About that free What do you think of the state
of the music business?
Speaker 4 (12:35):
And uh as far as create create creatively, But like
you know, it's not how it was when I came up,
But I still respect it because everybody is doing their
version of what hip hop is. You might have a
kid from down South that's doing their version of hip
hop you might have from like you know, the West Coast,
(12:56):
deep in Compton doing their version of hip hop. You know,
some of it the time, some of it is not.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Dane, tell me about your experience working with those guys,
the Black Keys. That was such a great project.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I mean it definitely was. I loved it. You know,
it gave me a different perspective on how to approach music,
you know, kicking it with them now. I would go
on to the again. I would run into uh Freeway
at the festival because he had done a rock project
with good Talk, So you know, I liked that lifestyle.
(13:32):
I like the uh, the the attention to detail as
it relates to the instruments. Uh. You know, Dan Araback
was cool that you know, they're cool. I was a
little I feel away because I did Blacklock Part two
and once they kind of blew up, you know that
we never we never performed like the Black Block Project.
(13:52):
I felt like they kind of left because a lot
of those hip hop like m op and the only
person that knew who who Black the Black Keys were
or was most deaf. Everyone else is doing it like
Ray Kwan and Visitor. They were doing it on the love,
and I felt like, you know, we got on David
Letterman and we got on Salin and I really thought
it bought the Black Keys to a pop level. But
(14:15):
I just felt like they didn't give back. So I
got Todd lib Sean Price with Khalif for one part two.
I got the whole tape. But you know the album, Yeah,
we got that album. Like you asking me where it
is right now? You gotta know what the album is.
That's why I cay in the back, like where's that album?
Oh yeah? Then we oh shit, I forgot. Oh sorry,
(14:36):
we have a whole album where Visitor that we didn't
put out with the Black Keys. I forgot all about
that album. Damn rock and reg So, yeah, it was
great working with them, but a little disappointed. Was good,
A sweet you know, dan Aback is still cool. I
don't like Pact that much, but you know, it's all
good now. Practice is good on my noose, you know
what I mean, because he's the one that was like
saying that. Like what I was trying to do was
(14:56):
take it. It's a whole another story. But I had
a good time. You know. Overall, I just wish that
more people could assort they would have been more supportive
after they grew up.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Also, Hey, Dame, is there is there any hope your
relationship with jay Z wouldever advance?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I don't. I don't have a beef for jay Z.
My issue with him right now is that they, you know,
lent me with a lawsuit that was untrue. I could
forgive a lot of things I don't forget. I think
that we've evolved in different directions. He's become more of
a businessman and I've become more of a creative. I
think fundamentally our priority is a different you know, which
(15:37):
is surprising, but it is what it is. So on
a business level, we could reconnect. On a trust level,
I don't know that that trust will ever be there again,
but you know, I'm a human being, he's a human being.
And yeah, I think if he sent over one hundred
million it wou'd be cool again if he had it,
if he got a gift, because I think that's how
much he might have cost me. But if he makes
(15:59):
that we didn't make things right, we could kick it.
But it doesn't mean I'm gonna hang out with all
his friends.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Well, I want to close with a question on advice
to people who are listening to us, who might be.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Every way. If you want to see it, make it happen.
So I talked to Jay at any moment, but he
ducts that conversation. So anytime you want, I'll get in
front of him in biggs and be very calm, But
that conversation won't be added because there'll be accountability with it.
But I'm down for that conversation anytime you can set
it up free, I'm down. I always want to showcase
the world. You know, make it happen. We can always
(16:36):
you know what, send them over a record and tell
them to jump on what we do the Rock of Gogos.
Let's see what you do.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
I'd love I'd love to see. I'd love to see
it happen.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Culturally, I have no beef for anybody. I might not
agree with people's business tactics, but forgiveness is always key
with They're not convert within our community. The division is
what they count on. So what they did with us
divide us, and that's what It's an algorithm. So I
would love to break that algorithm, you know, just to
showcase an example. That year, I think it's cadding for
(17:10):
two men not to be able to work out a difference.
But when someone keeps doing something they show you and
do all this stuff, they're not gonna want to stay
not you notice I speak on at any time. The
question is why he don't. But I'll get with him
anytime free if you make it happen. We all brothers, bro,
and I always say that I can't hurt my brother.
I don't want to see my brothers hurt. I don't
know if they feel the same about me, but that's
how I always feel. Right a world for you, and
(17:30):
it been one Rocketphlle. You put me on the phone
when I didn't talk to you right, and it's always
love between us. It ain't no problem. It was a
business then, but I chose the love before the money.
That's what I took. My choice was loved before money.
This choice might have been money, Dame and free.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
I'm so honored to get to talk to you. I
want to congratulate you on all your success, your projects,
your great work, your spirit and your collaborative process. Bless you,
guys man.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Thank thanks tull you download a boverga, listen to the
music and spread the word post appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts.
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