December 3, 2025 • 16 mins
Karlous and Navv sit down with AJ McQueen at the BET Awards!
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, man, welcome back to the eighty five Self Show.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey, my name is Carlos Miller, twenty twenty five b
e Z Awards.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
We're live here at the Media House. My man, now Green,
I'm here, come.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Man, and I massed the tone. At least you have
the word right here now.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Nah man, We got very special guests in here with
us today. Man, Hey, pick you one of these cameras
to tell them who We got.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
A j McQueen. So glad to be here telling them, Lord,
that's me, that's me.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Don't come over here being over this really were renaming this.
You know what we're gonna call this pop your ship call?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Oh, I don't do that too awesome.
Speaker 5 (00:41):
So let me tell you a j McQueen, a J
the great you hear I am, I'm him been here
for a long time and it's my first BT, and
I feel like everything happened the way it's supposed to.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
You know what I'm saying, your first time at the
be first time, first time?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
What you expecting? What you want to see?
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Bro?
Speaker 5 (00:56):
Honestly, Bro, just organic conversation like the you know what
I mean? Like I uh, I've been I've been making
this music. Bro in my crib, bro, when ain't nobody looking,
you know what I'm saying. So I was saying somebody earlier.
Ain't that I it ain't. I don't like stuff like this.
It's just that, you know, I'm so confident in my
faith in God, bro, I don't feel like I need validation,
(01:17):
you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (01:17):
And not that, not that, not that it's about it,
you know what I'm saying. But I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (01:20):
You know, you know how it is as an artist,
like you feel like if you not need spaces, then
something ain't happening. But I feel like everything happened the
way it's supposed to.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
I'm still I have what I have, but I've also
meeting you meet and you you know what I'm saying,
meeting other people it feel good though.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
All right, look at it like this right? Say, for instance,
somebody watching this right, yeah, no idea? Who you are?
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Where would you tell him to start? If you had
to give him some music to say to introduce yourself?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
What song would you want them to hear?
Speaker 5 (01:47):
I'm be honest, I'll tell you started my interviews because
you know, listen to how I have my mind work
first you know what I'm saying, and then go to
the music. Yeah, no, learn my story.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
You know what I mean. If that, if that resonates
toll you did put press play?
Speaker 5 (02:00):
You know what I'm saying, Like, I want you to
know I came from the streets and you know, got
shot and was abused as a child, and I made
it through all that and sent away homeless. I want
to I don't want to get on just arrive like
all he heard, Bro, I want you to notice a journey,
you know what I'm saying, Cause the trophy don't mean
no out of the journey. But then after that, then
I'm gonna tell you to go to my album God Body,
or you know what I'm saying, go to Sorry Mom's Distracted,
(02:22):
where the whole album is about me navigating mental health
and as a black man while while remaining a masking
black man but also being in tune with his emotion
how he feels. Then I'm gonna tell you to go
play that. But I'll say go go see how my
mom work. First, you know what I'm saying. I faced
value in that man, Like I'm a mind, bro, but
all you a wrap, I'm a mind, you know what
I'm saying. You're a rap I'm a writer, bro, and
(02:43):
I feel like it's more depth to that. And honestly,
if somebody watching it, I want you to be inspired
because when you're by yourself, that's who you really is.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
So I just I want you to see how I
operate when I'm by myself.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
All right, So let me ask you this.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Say you want people to be inspired, Like, what are
some of the things that inspire?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Growth, bro, Like, uh, I got fifty plants in my career. Bro, Like,
I love plants, you hear me? And uh, it taught
me a lot about life.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
You know.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Coming from the.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
Streets, bro, I the cribs I used to grow up in.
I used to be locked in the house.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
You know.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
We used to have to have a key to get
out the house type ship. So yeah, I know, bro,
it was crazy. So now that I got on my
own as a man, I'm able to create my own life.
I used to play the SIMS when I was when
I was a.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Kid, Bro, There's a lot of people don't know about that.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
I love the SEM because I used to be able
to create. I used to be able to escape through
a game. You know what I'm saying, and uh, alternate
reality at in reality, Bro. So Now as a man,
I'm able to choose man, plants inspired me.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Bro, I got four sisters. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
That is, you got fifty plants.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
I got fifty plans.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
What's some of your favorite man I got? I got
a whole nation.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I got you with this show Birds of Paradise.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
You know what I'm saying. One my favorite man, that's
that's a roster Frightian plant. You know I'm a roster.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
So what's the.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Most expensive plant?
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Ah, what's the most expensive? I wouldn't. I don't know,
because it's all.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I might not buy it, but I might just pop
that ship on the man.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
It's all about it's all about.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
The best thing about plants, as long as you know
any name for.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
You ain't got no philodendriums.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Of paradigm, Bro, I got an eucalypsis in the bathroom.
I got you. I got you.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I got you in a shower. Now that's a bar
now because you can tell her on their mind. But anyway,
you know what I'm saying, Like plants, you know what
I mean? Uh, things that grow, Bro, Like I was
telling somebody earlier shout out to that bro were on
West Coast. And you know, I think that we've had
too many great things uh make an early exit in
his life. And I and I think that you know,
(04:44):
if gods, if God say the same, my journey is
gonna be one that you see the fullness of it.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
I want to get old. I want to get one
hundred years old. Bro, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Yeah, but you know God, Simon, that's true. So that's
why I tell you I talked to God. I'm basically
I'm asking if it's your will. I just want to
show you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
On the human side, right, time only matter to us, right,
but you never know, You never know.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
God, he already got your time.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Like what you're supposed to do in this life, it
might not take you one hundred years, This is true.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
And your work like last one hundred years.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
I did Bluelet Kill yesterday, right, we were talking about
we were talking about naip and Parking all them. Right,
It's amazing how your work propels after the real ones
leave early.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Right.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
But I'm talking about the generation right now, the crash,
our generation Hawaiians, all those that feel like I need to.
I'm saying, when the last time you've seen an eighty
year old, ninety year old form of reform gang member,
somebody who did that. You know all that, they get old,
You see their kids, city wife, you see all that,
and able to show you this a different trajectory. So
when I'm talking to God about it, I ain't saying
(05:49):
it in normal vanity. I'm saying, God, look, use me
if you need somebody to use take my story. I'm
gonna be honest about it. I ain't gonna get up
here and a lot of y'all and all that and
now it's really me though, and let me show them
that you can get old.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
You know what I'm saying, You can get old. You
can get eighty, Bro, you can you can. That's what
I'm I'm just I'm just saying. It's great her I'm
embraced mind bro, Yeah, Carl, Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
So I'm I'm embracing And that's why my music sounds
like maturity.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It sounds like a.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
Man navigating the world. Don't don't get me wrong, I'm
I'm I'm definitely one of the ones for sure. You
know what I'm saying I can out wrap anything in anybody,
but it has to have a purpose to it. I
don't want to just be up her, you know what
I'm saying, saying ship, I mean saying stuff that don't
really matter. You know what I'm saying to nobody, and
they won't be her.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
You want to fall in line with the brand, like
this is me when you talk to me, when you
listen to me.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Because it's because it's thousands of them. It's thousands. I
won't say thousands of me, but it's people that feel
the same way. But they in they crib when ain't
nobody looking. I'm saying, let your camera phone, let your
phone be a fly on the wall, and let it
show who you really are. That's marketable, bro. I be
in the cribs making smoothies on Instagram live and juicing.
I'm a black I got churd droughts on my fact,
(06:58):
I got bullet holes in me and I I'm just
showing you, like, nah, you can really do that. So
that's why that's why I'm hurt and really furthering the story.
It's a part of the story, bro. So I appreciate
even y'all giving me the platform.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
No, but I was gonna ask you this though.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
It's like a lot of the things that you say
that you shied away from are It's ninety five percent
of people in the rap game with glorified. Yeah, what
gave you the motivation or what gave you the insight
to say, Hey, maybe this ain't the shit to talk
about because I'm really living this shit?
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (07:28):
You know the mirror, I don't. I gotta look it up.
I need to see when it was inventive. But the mirror,
like the physical mirrors was It's a man made inventure, right,
But for the sake of the earth. The earth been
there longer than the mirror was created. So one day
I was sitting there, right, and I'm like, man, how
was people seeing theyself? If it wasn't No, you couldn't.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
It wasn't no mirror.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
The only way they were seeing themself is through the
odds of somebody else, or through a body of water
or something.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
But for the most part, somebody else. Right.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
So I've taken an a while. This world is so
advancing technology. Whatever I choose to go internal, you know
what I'm saying, And then outside is just reflection on
what's happened on this side. So people see these nineteen
year of locks. But that's that's how my soul is
telling you know what I'm saying. So I'm just choosing
to go with them, and I believe that's again, that's
(08:16):
that's what God's having me do.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I ain't gonna ever get up here and present ultimate
poise like I don't have the same challenges. And I
heard all that, but I want to show people, you
know what I'm saying, like healing it.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
The most gangster thing I ever did was hell, Bro,
the most gangst thing I ever did was apologize you're
me and forgive my mama, bro, like and you know,
and love a black woman.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
So it's taking that and marketing that and if that, Bro,
if I gotta do all the other stuff to go mainstream, bro,
I'm gonna make my own stream.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
That's why if y'all ever, I would love for y'all
to come to on my show. Bro, you gonna see
a line around the corner. I sold out Atlanta on
Monday night, four hundred tickets, and so people like, damn,
I never heard her due, Bro, I ain't never seen
them on the radio or whatever. It's some movement of
job people. Bro, it's something happening out her, and it's
happened in real life that I got five hundred and
something a thousand following Instagram And not that I care
about the numbers, but numbers mean awareness. So it's something happening,
(09:04):
and it's like, damn, well, I ain't never seen them. Well,
when you're validated by God, you don't need to see
it for what to be real. So I just want
to show everybody else, right, That's all I'm saying, bro,
So and I feel like that's what I need. You
know what I'm saying, like, and you know, and I
want to show it's somebody else in their room right now?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Bro? Who debating?
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Like okay, cool, I don't want to crash out. I
don't want to show my body. I don't want to
talk about this, but I need to do that or whatever.
I'm here to tell.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
You know, you don't.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Talking about the mirror. So I know you heard of
the mirror theory, Like what if we was never supposed
to see ourself?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, I don't think we was, Bro, I don't think
it was.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
I feel like, you know, everybody has a it's called
the ras the particular activating system.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Everybody has their own system inside of them. Social media
was created.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Off of us, right.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
It literally studied people to figure out when the's time
to post. What's ourgorithm? Now we now it's instead of
now that we're using it. You know, now we need it,
but needed us at one point. But I don't think
we're supposed to. I think that internal reflection was the
only mirror we reflected of each other, bro, And.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
That social media ship is like now that that ship
has learned our behavior and then know about how you
feeling on which day, Yeah, when you're gonna ship, or
when your birthday is, or what type of women you like.
So now that's why you hear people an Now it's like, man,
I'm getting off social media, healthy, get off this.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, you exactly what the so when you click back
on there, they know exactly.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
What to show you a vacation or something something some that.
But that's why I broke. I started solo traveling this year.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
You hearing me. I went to the d R for
seven days in January by myself. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
Uh, I just came from Jamaica a couple of weeks
ago by myself. I encouraged solo traveling Bro. I encourage meditation, Bro, Man,
get on that yoga mat Bro, eat healthy.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
You know.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
And it's sad that when you start talking like this,
it gets put in the conscious box or bro conscious Bro,
I'm showing.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
You the other side of right, I'm showing you the
other side of men of men. We all deal with it.
I post a video today, Bro, encouraging black men to
watch their face.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Something something that's crazy as I ain't watching my face
intentionally intentionally to out like thirty something Bro, Like I
ain't never paid attention to that because I feel like
it was filming or I feel like I don't need
to do that. So I feel like that's why through
my music, you're gonna heard me saying, hey Bro, go therapy,
hey Bro, and go go apologize.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Hey Bro, sit with yourself solitude.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
And sometimes people don't even realize. I'm glad you're bringing
it up. Sometime we have so much like built in.
Sometimes you just want to just talk. Ain't about like
you going to get sick to me? Like somebody just listen.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Yeah, that's good for the soul. Bro.
Speaker 5 (11:38):
Even the good books say confess your falks to one another.
And that's a powerful thing, confessional false to one another.
I'm called call I'm sorry, Bro. I done crashed out, Bro,
And it's power in it.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
But everybody, you know, uh, vanity is popular, suppression is popular.
But that's why I know it's my time because the
world everything repeats, so bro, and people tired of down
every song? Bro, they are people tried to. I mean,
I love the duality of it, but let's get real, bro.
You know they wanna raise your kids to that. Bro,
So who were gonna listen to? Who We're gonna put on?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Bro?
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Put on some aj McQueen.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Bro, you know what I'm saying, And rob out you
know what I'm saying, and I ain't saying do it
because I'm I got faith, you know what i mean?
Because this because you know this, because you know God
on me your music hard, Bro, I'm saying, when you
really listen to it, like.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Nah nah yeah Bro? If you yeah, yo, if you don't,
you don't. But I wrote my first book when I
was twenty three. Bro.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
I got award the White House of Servant Achievement Ward
from Barack Obama when I was twenty four, so I
didn't even start music.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
It wasn't music first. I was a youth activist. BRO.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
I was on BT one on sixty Park when I
was nineteen. They made a Team Bolence special about my
life about gang banging and surviving. And this is time
where social injustice was high, the police rutality was high,
and I was rapping. I rapped, but they never nobody
ever want to hear me rap at first, They like, nah,
talk to the people. So what I started doing at
these shows, I would start doing a cappellas in between
(12:53):
like talking. So then they start calling me a poet.
So I'm like, okay, cool, I'm gonna write a book,
you know what I'm saying. Then I wrote a book,
started non profit.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
I just started doing music for real, for real three
years ago, and it's brought me to places where I'm
traveling the country. I put my team on and it's
all independent.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
So that's why you quit to tell people watch my
interviews first.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
Because because I want I want you to be like,
damn all kind of fine to go check out you
know what I'm saying this album.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
But man Liten is the way I think I study minds.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Bro, I got a I got a sticky note eleven
eleven eleven about eleven sticky note in my in my yard,
in my crib, and uh, it got minds on it.
It got it, got a Napoleon the Great Kobe Tyson Like,
I'll just be writing down different minds I come across. Bro,
Ain't broke great Bro brow a great mind.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I want to be a great mind because you can
study your mind for millions of years.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
I want you to put this in a museum, Bro,
and then in and from the street so I can
relate to any and everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
That's what's something that's Lord j we damn show.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
I appreciate you stopping, glad to be here, Bro chopping
game man, Yeah for sure. AJ McQueen on all platforms. Yeah,
that's my real name.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
People asking me that stage man, that's really me, bro
uh AJ McQuinn all platform he had a great You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
If you want the music.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
All all platforms, if you want the mixtape, you gotta
go to even because they'm all directed to consume more.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
Proud to pay I just saw a mixhafe for nineteen
hundred dollars. You know what I'm saying a week ago. Bro,
So you want to mix, say you can't stream, you
gotta go buy it?
Speaker 4 (14:14):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 5 (14:15):
You get nineteen hundred, bro, you start bro my mixed.
I just dropped the mixtape Cob. I just made ten
k off of it, you know what I'm saying. So
if you're looking for the independent game and following man
like teen Hunter.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
I feel like you spoke to just go wrap to them,
like to the house with you to listen to this
ship is a j can't this ship to you?
Speaker 4 (14:36):
You know what I mean? So not following me, it
is I following God for real. Man, I'm saying, we
appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
We ain't gonna see see what going on? Oh oh
come on man, yeah listen.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So for the twenty twenty five bats, me and came
up with our own say and it's called what the.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Fuck you got on?
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:56):
So you just let us know what you got on
and how you rocking your ship?
Speaker 4 (14:59):
You cold? So We're gonna start with the with the rings.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Huh. This is Saint Kulpher Bird. This means to go
and retrieve. You know what I'm saying. So you go
go get the knowledge, bring it back to your people.
You know what I mean. We got a black pearl,
we got tiger's blood, and we got ferrol. You know
what I'm saying. That's my energy.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
So people like, man, you are rings and all that
is because it's black ferrol energy. You know what I'm saying, Like, Uh, Man,
I'm a gangstander, gardener, bro, I'm a I'm a I'm
a I'm a gangster and I'm a guy.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Like I show.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
You know, not that need to be the name of
mixed taper.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
You're gonna fish on my bit of event. Sorry, So
me caller, got something dropping soon, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (15:33):
And then uh uh, you know what I'm saying. This
is really my herd bro. Like I'm a minimalist bro,
so I don't really put too much focus on what
I'll be wearing, you know what I'm saying, Cause I
feel like this right herd, the rings, bandana always. Man,
it's not the pop, but it's also you know, not
to just me connecting to the streets and where I
used to be and still keeping that a lot of
people they passed in the back and now I use
(15:53):
that the reason you went through because God want you
use it, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
What I'm saying. Then I got on some card uh
overall man, the tatted up.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
I got like six seventy tats and it's all hieroglyphics,
and I got Nefer Tid. I got Lauren Heel on
the chest. You know what I'm saying. Like, I just
work skinning, bro, you know what I mean. I work
skinning and energy.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
You know what I mean. So I ain't really wearying nothing,
but I'm wearing out my spirit for you know, I.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Think you you you really hit the concept of what
we were saying, ain't about what you're wearing. It's about
what the fuck you got you. You ain't about fashion.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
You ain't a body. You ain't a body with a soul.
Your soul with a body, man. So we're your soul, man,
your raw soul. Like authenticity. If you funny, be funny,
if you if you loud, be loud, if you just
be that, because that's who God wanted.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
You know, when you know what I'm saying, You all
whoever you are, when you all on, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 1 (16:39):
So yeah, twenty twenty five b Awards.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Any fash I got, he got that eucalyft I got
Hey, man, welcome back to the eighty five Self Show.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hey, my name is Carlos Miller, twenty twenty five b
e Z Awards.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
We're live here at the Media House. My man, now Green,
I'm here, come.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Man, and I massed the tone. At least you have
the word right here now.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Nah man, We got very special guests in here with
us today. Man, Hey, pick you one of these cameras
to tell them who We got.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
A j McQueen. So glad to be here telling them, Lord,
that's me, that's me.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Don't come over here being over this really were renaming this.
You know what we're gonna call this pop your ship call?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Oh, I don't do that too awesome.
Speaker 5 (00:41):
So let me tell you a j McQueen, a J
the great you hear I am, I'm him been here
for a long time and it's my first BT, and
I feel like everything happened the way it's supposed to.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
You know what I'm saying, your first time at the
be first time, first time?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
What you expecting? What you want to see?
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Bro?
Speaker 5 (00:56):
Honestly, Bro, just organic conversation like the you know what
I mean? Like I uh, I've been I've been making
this music. Bro in my crib, bro, when ain't nobody looking,
you know what I'm saying. So I was saying somebody earlier.
Ain't that I it ain't. I don't like stuff like this.
It's just that, you know, I'm so confident in my
faith in God, bro, I don't feel like I need validation,
(01:17):
you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (01:17):
And not that, not that, not that it's about it,
you know what I'm saying. But I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (01:20):
You know, you know how it is as an artist,
like you feel like if you not need spaces, then
something ain't happening. But I feel like everything happened the
way it's supposed to.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (01:28):
I'm still I have what I have, but I've also
meeting you meet and you you know what I'm saying,
meeting other people it feel good though.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
All right, look at it like this right? Say, for instance,
somebody watching this right, yeah, no idea? Who you are?
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Where would you tell him to start? If you had
to give him some music to say to introduce yourself?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
What song would you want them to hear?
Speaker 5 (01:47):
I'm be honest, I'll tell you started my interviews because
you know, listen to how I have my mind work
first you know what I'm saying, and then go to
the music. Yeah, no, learn my story.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
You know what I mean. If that, if that resonates
toll you did put press play?
Speaker 5 (02:00):
You know what I'm saying, Like, I want you to
know I came from the streets and you know, got
shot and was abused as a child, and I made
it through all that and sent away homeless. I want
to I don't want to get on just arrive like
all he heard, Bro, I want you to notice a journey,
you know what I'm saying, Cause the trophy don't mean
no out of the journey. But then after that, then
I'm gonna tell you to go to my album God Body,
or you know what I'm saying, go to Sorry Mom's Distracted,
(02:22):
where the whole album is about me navigating mental health
and as a black man while while remaining a masking
black man but also being in tune with his emotion
how he feels. Then I'm gonna tell you to go
play that. But I'll say go go see how my
mom work. First, you know what I'm saying. I faced
value in that man, Like I'm a mind, bro, but
all you a wrap, I'm a mind, you know what
I'm saying. You're a rap I'm a writer, bro, and
(02:43):
I feel like it's more depth to that. And honestly,
if somebody watching it, I want you to be inspired
because when you're by yourself, that's who you really is.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
So I just I want you to see how I
operate when I'm by myself.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
All right, So let me ask you this.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Say you want people to be inspired, Like, what are
some of the things that inspire?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Growth, bro, Like, uh, I got fifty plants in my career. Bro, Like,
I love plants, you hear me? And uh, it taught
me a lot about life.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
You know.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Coming from the.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
Streets, bro, I the cribs I used to grow up in.
I used to be locked in the house.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
You know.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
We used to have to have a key to get
out the house type ship. So yeah, I know, bro,
it was crazy. So now that I got on my
own as a man, I'm able to create my own life.
I used to play the SIMS when I was when
I was a.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Kid, Bro, There's a lot of people don't know about that.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
I love the SEM because I used to be able
to create. I used to be able to escape through
a game. You know what I'm saying, and uh, alternate
reality at in reality, Bro. So Now as a man,
I'm able to choose man, plants inspired me.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Bro, I got four sisters. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
That is, you got fifty plants.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
I got fifty plans.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
What's some of your favorite man I got? I got
a whole nation.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I got you with this show Birds of Paradise.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
You know what I'm saying. One my favorite man, that's
that's a roster Frightian plant. You know I'm a roster.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
So what's the.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Most expensive plant?
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Ah, what's the most expensive? I wouldn't. I don't know,
because it's all.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I might not buy it, but I might just pop
that ship on the man.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
It's all about it's all about.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
The best thing about plants, as long as you know
any name for.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
You ain't got no philodendriums.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Of paradigm, Bro, I got an eucalypsis in the bathroom.
I got you. I got you.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I got you in a shower. Now that's a bar
now because you can tell her on their mind. But anyway,
you know what I'm saying, Like plants, you know what
I mean? Uh, things that grow, Bro, Like I was
telling somebody earlier shout out to that bro were on
West Coast. And you know, I think that we've had
too many great things uh make an early exit in
his life. And I and I think that you know,
(04:44):
if gods, if God say the same, my journey is
gonna be one that you see the fullness of it.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
I want to get old. I want to get one
hundred years old. Bro, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (04:52):
Yeah, but you know God, Simon, that's true. So that's
why I tell you I talked to God. I'm basically
I'm asking if it's your will. I just want to
show you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
On the human side, right, time only matter to us, right,
but you never know, You never know.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
God, he already got your time.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Like what you're supposed to do in this life, it
might not take you one hundred years, This is true.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
And your work like last one hundred years.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
I did Bluelet Kill yesterday, right, we were talking about
we were talking about naip and Parking all them. Right,
It's amazing how your work propels after the real ones
leave early.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Right.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
But I'm talking about the generation right now, the crash,
our generation Hawaiians, all those that feel like I need to.
I'm saying, when the last time you've seen an eighty
year old, ninety year old form of reform gang member,
somebody who did that. You know all that, they get old,
You see their kids, city wife, you see all that,
and able to show you this a different trajectory. So
when I'm talking to God about it, I ain't saying
(05:49):
it in normal vanity. I'm saying, God, look, use me
if you need somebody to use take my story. I'm
gonna be honest about it. I ain't gonna get up
here and a lot of y'all and all that and
now it's really me though, and let me show them
that you can get old.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
You know what I'm saying, You can get old. You
can get eighty, Bro, you can you can. That's what
I'm I'm just I'm just saying. It's great her I'm
embraced mind bro, Yeah, Carl, Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
So I'm I'm embracing And that's why my music sounds
like maturity.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It sounds like a.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
Man navigating the world. Don't don't get me wrong, I'm
I'm I'm definitely one of the ones for sure. You
know what I'm saying I can out wrap anything in anybody,
but it has to have a purpose to it. I
don't want to just be up her, you know what
I'm saying, saying ship, I mean saying stuff that don't
really matter. You know what I'm saying to nobody, and
they won't be her.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
You want to fall in line with the brand, like
this is me when you talk to me, when you
listen to me.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Because it's because it's thousands of them. It's thousands. I
won't say thousands of me, but it's people that feel
the same way. But they in they crib when ain't
nobody looking. I'm saying, let your camera phone, let your
phone be a fly on the wall, and let it
show who you really are. That's marketable, bro. I be
in the cribs making smoothies on Instagram live and juicing.
I'm a black I got churd droughts on my fact,
(06:58):
I got bullet holes in me and I I'm just
showing you, like, nah, you can really do that. So
that's why that's why I'm hurt and really furthering the story.
It's a part of the story, bro. So I appreciate
even y'all giving me the platform.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
No, but I was gonna ask you this though.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
It's like a lot of the things that you say
that you shied away from are It's ninety five percent
of people in the rap game with glorified. Yeah, what
gave you the motivation or what gave you the insight
to say, Hey, maybe this ain't the shit to talk
about because I'm really living this shit?
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (07:28):
You know the mirror, I don't. I gotta look it up.
I need to see when it was inventive. But the mirror,
like the physical mirrors was It's a man made inventure, right,
But for the sake of the earth. The earth been
there longer than the mirror was created. So one day
I was sitting there, right, and I'm like, man, how
was people seeing theyself? If it wasn't No, you couldn't.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
It wasn't no mirror.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
The only way they were seeing themself is through the
odds of somebody else, or through a body of water
or something.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
But for the most part, somebody else. Right.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
So I've taken an a while. This world is so
advancing technology. Whatever I choose to go internal, you know
what I'm saying, And then outside is just reflection on
what's happened on this side. So people see these nineteen
year of locks. But that's that's how my soul is
telling you know what I'm saying. So I'm just choosing
to go with them, and I believe that's again, that's
(08:16):
that's what God's having me do.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
I ain't gonna ever get up here and present ultimate
poise like I don't have the same challenges. And I
heard all that, but I want to show people, you
know what I'm saying, like healing it.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
The most gangster thing I ever did was hell, Bro,
the most gangst thing I ever did was apologize you're
me and forgive my mama, bro, like and you know,
and love a black woman.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
So it's taking that and marketing that and if that, Bro,
if I gotta do all the other stuff to go mainstream, bro,
I'm gonna make my own stream.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
That's why if y'all ever, I would love for y'all
to come to on my show. Bro, you gonna see
a line around the corner. I sold out Atlanta on
Monday night, four hundred tickets, and so people like, damn,
I never heard her due, Bro, I ain't never seen
them on the radio or whatever. It's some movement of
job people. Bro, it's something happening out her, and it's
happened in real life that I got five hundred and
something a thousand following Instagram And not that I care
about the numbers, but numbers mean awareness. So it's something happening,
(09:04):
and it's like, damn, well, I ain't never seen them. Well,
when you're validated by God, you don't need to see
it for what to be real. So I just want
to show everybody else, right, That's all I'm saying, bro,
So and I feel like that's what I need. You
know what I'm saying, like, and you know, and I
want to show it's somebody else in their room right now?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Bro? Who debating?
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Like okay, cool, I don't want to crash out. I
don't want to show my body. I don't want to
talk about this, but I need to do that or whatever.
I'm here to tell.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
You know, you don't.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Talking about the mirror. So I know you heard of
the mirror theory, Like what if we was never supposed
to see ourself?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, I don't think we was, Bro, I don't think
it was.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
I feel like, you know, everybody has a it's called
the ras the particular activating system.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
Everybody has their own system inside of them. Social media
was created.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Off of us, right.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
It literally studied people to figure out when the's time
to post. What's ourgorithm? Now we now it's instead of
now that we're using it. You know, now we need it,
but needed us at one point. But I don't think
we're supposed to. I think that internal reflection was the
only mirror we reflected of each other, bro, And.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
That social media ship is like now that that ship
has learned our behavior and then know about how you
feeling on which day, Yeah, when you're gonna ship, or
when your birthday is, or what type of women you like.
So now that's why you hear people an Now it's like, man,
I'm getting off social media, healthy, get off this.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, you exactly what the so when you click back
on there, they know exactly.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
What to show you a vacation or something something some that.
But that's why I broke. I started solo traveling this year.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
You hearing me. I went to the d R for
seven days in January by myself. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
Uh, I just came from Jamaica a couple of weeks
ago by myself. I encouraged solo traveling Bro. I encourage meditation, Bro, Man,
get on that yoga mat Bro, eat healthy.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
You know.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
And it's sad that when you start talking like this,
it gets put in the conscious box or bro conscious Bro,
I'm showing.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
You the other side of right, I'm showing you the
other side of men of men. We all deal with it.
I post a video today, Bro, encouraging black men to
watch their face.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
Something something that's crazy as I ain't watching my face
intentionally intentionally to out like thirty something Bro, Like I
ain't never paid attention to that because I feel like
it was filming or I feel like I don't need
to do that. So I feel like that's why through
my music, you're gonna heard me saying, hey Bro, go therapy,
hey Bro, and go go apologize.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Hey Bro, sit with yourself solitude.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
And sometimes people don't even realize. I'm glad you're bringing
it up. Sometime we have so much like built in.
Sometimes you just want to just talk. Ain't about like
you going to get sick to me? Like somebody just listen.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Yeah, that's good for the soul. Bro.
Speaker 5 (11:38):
Even the good books say confess your falks to one another.
And that's a powerful thing, confessional false to one another.
I'm called call I'm sorry, Bro. I done crashed out, Bro,
And it's power in it.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
But everybody, you know, uh, vanity is popular, suppression is popular.
But that's why I know it's my time because the
world everything repeats, so bro, and people tired of down
every song? Bro, they are people tried to. I mean,
I love the duality of it, but let's get real, bro.
You know they wanna raise your kids to that. Bro,
So who were gonna listen to? Who We're gonna put on?
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Bro?
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Put on some aj McQueen.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Bro, you know what I'm saying, And rob out you
know what I'm saying, and I ain't saying do it
because I'm I got faith, you know what i mean?
Because this because you know this, because you know God
on me your music hard, Bro, I'm saying, when you
really listen to it, like.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Nah nah yeah Bro? If you yeah, yo, if you don't,
you don't. But I wrote my first book when I
was twenty three. Bro.
Speaker 5 (12:25):
I got award the White House of Servant Achievement Ward
from Barack Obama when I was twenty four, so I
didn't even start music.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
It wasn't music first. I was a youth activist. BRO.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
I was on BT one on sixty Park when I
was nineteen. They made a Team Bolence special about my
life about gang banging and surviving. And this is time
where social injustice was high, the police rutality was high,
and I was rapping. I rapped, but they never nobody
ever want to hear me rap at first, They like, nah,
talk to the people. So what I started doing at
these shows, I would start doing a cappellas in between
(12:53):
like talking. So then they start calling me a poet.
So I'm like, okay, cool, I'm gonna write a book,
you know what I'm saying. Then I wrote a book,
started non profit.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
I just started doing music for real, for real three
years ago, and it's brought me to places where I'm
traveling the country. I put my team on and it's
all independent.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
So that's why you quit to tell people watch my
interviews first.
Speaker 5 (13:11):
Because because I want I want you to be like,
damn all kind of fine to go check out you
know what I'm saying this album.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
But man Liten is the way I think I study minds.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Bro, I got a I got a sticky note eleven
eleven eleven about eleven sticky note in my in my yard,
in my crib, and uh, it got minds on it.
It got it, got a Napoleon the Great Kobe Tyson Like,
I'll just be writing down different minds I come across. Bro,
Ain't broke great Bro brow a great mind.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I want to be a great mind because you can
study your mind for millions of years.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Bro.
Speaker 5 (13:38):
I want you to put this in a museum, Bro,
and then in and from the street so I can
relate to any and everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
That's what's something that's Lord j we damn show.
Speaker 5 (13:47):
I appreciate you stopping, glad to be here, Bro chopping
game man, Yeah for sure. AJ McQueen on all platforms. Yeah,
that's my real name.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
People asking me that stage man, that's really me, bro
uh AJ McQuinn all platform he had a great You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
If you want the music.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
All all platforms, if you want the mixtape, you gotta
go to even because they'm all directed to consume more.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
Proud to pay I just saw a mixhafe for nineteen
hundred dollars. You know what I'm saying a week ago. Bro,
So you want to mix, say you can't stream, you
gotta go buy it?
Speaker 4 (14:14):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 5 (14:15):
You get nineteen hundred, bro, you start bro my mixed.
I just dropped the mixtape Cob. I just made ten
k off of it, you know what I'm saying. So
if you're looking for the independent game and following man
like teen Hunter.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
I feel like you spoke to just go wrap to them,
like to the house with you to listen to this
ship is a j can't this ship to you?
Speaker 4 (14:36):
You know what I mean? So not following me, it
is I following God for real. Man, I'm saying, we
appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
We ain't gonna see see what going on? Oh oh
come on man, yeah listen.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So for the twenty twenty five bats, me and came
up with our own say and it's called what the.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Fuck you got on?
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:56):
So you just let us know what you got on
and how you rocking your ship?
Speaker 4 (14:59):
You cold? So We're gonna start with the with the rings.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
Huh. This is Saint Kulpher Bird. This means to go
and retrieve. You know what I'm saying. So you go
go get the knowledge, bring it back to your people.
You know what I mean. We got a black pearl,
we got tiger's blood, and we got ferrol. You know
what I'm saying. That's my energy.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
So people like, man, you are rings and all that
is because it's black ferrol energy. You know what I'm saying, Like, Uh, Man,
I'm a gangstander, gardener, bro, I'm a I'm a I'm
a I'm a gangster and I'm a guy.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Like I show.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
You know, not that need to be the name of
mixed taper.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
You're gonna fish on my bit of event. Sorry, So
me caller, got something dropping soon, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (15:33):
And then uh uh, you know what I'm saying. This
is really my herd bro. Like I'm a minimalist bro,
so I don't really put too much focus on what
I'll be wearing, you know what I'm saying, Cause I
feel like this right herd, the rings, bandana always. Man,
it's not the pop, but it's also you know, not
to just me connecting to the streets and where I
used to be and still keeping that a lot of
people they passed in the back and now I use
(15:53):
that the reason you went through because God want you
use it, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
What I'm saying. Then I got on some card uh
overall man, the tatted up.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
I got like six seventy tats and it's all hieroglyphics,
and I got Nefer Tid. I got Lauren Heel on
the chest. You know what I'm saying. Like, I just
work skinning, bro, you know what I mean. I work
skinning and energy.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
You know what I mean. So I ain't really wearying nothing,
but I'm wearing out my spirit for you know, I.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Think you you you really hit the concept of what
we were saying, ain't about what you're wearing. It's about
what the fuck you got you. You ain't about fashion.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
You ain't a body. You ain't a body with a soul.
Your soul with a body, man. So we're your soul, man,
your raw soul. Like authenticity. If you funny, be funny,
if you if you loud, be loud, if you just
be that, because that's who God wanted.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
You know, when you know what I'm saying, You all
whoever you are, when you all on, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 1 (16:39):
So yeah, twenty twenty five b Awards.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Any fash I got, he got that eucalyft I got
Hosts And Creators
DC Young Fly
Karlous Miller
Chico Bean
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