March 17, 2023 • 36 mins
6LACK Talks New Album, Relationship, Taking $5000 Deal and More!
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
All what's up? Its way up with Angela Yee, I'm here,
Jasmine Brand is here from the Jasmine Brand, and Black
is here. How this is my first time interviewing you? Yeah, yeah,
Jasmine and I were She was like, have you ever
interviewing before? She's like no, And then also she told
me you really don't do a lot of interviews like that.
But I'm happy that had happened this way. It's just
more intimate. Yeah, I'm glad too because I actually am
(00:25):
really a huge fan of yours, Like that's Jesse with
Jesse Ray is Imported. That still is always on my
playlist like all the time. And Jesse made good, great
music and even on her album. Yeah see, you were
like the only guest appearance. And we're working on a
collap project right now. See I knew that had to happen.
We're working on it right now. That's amazing. You know
(00:46):
what that's like about you too? You do a lot
of collapse with women in particular. Is there like a
reason for that or I mean I just feel like
they are killing things a little bit more than than
the guys are right now. So it's just more fun
for me to step into that space and to ocupath
feminine space and to have something like masculine and bring
to it and bring like a little bit of balance.
So I just like it because it feels good, and
(01:06):
it's always just like stepping into somebody's oasis, and I
get to like add a little touch to it. Yeah,
like a Genne Echo cash Page. We love her too, absolutely,
just everybody. And I also feel like you run the
gamut of it's well known artists, but then it's also
up and coming artists who you work with. How do
you decide, like this is a person I want to
work with. Most of the time, I like to base
it off a friendship. So if I meet somebody in
(01:27):
it in the vibe is right, then we end up
making music together. But some of the times it's just
a matter of like how it feels when I listened
to it. If it doesn't really matter if you got
a million or ten thousand like fans, as long as
the music hits and as long as I feel like
I can find my place in it, I like to
jump on pretty much whatever speaks to me. So you've
had a long journey so far in this business, and
(01:50):
so that's why I think I respect the fact that
with up and coming artist because at one point that
was you, right when you were an independent artist. Can
you talk about that journey a little bit, because I
know that was a tough time. Yeah. I mean I
definitely went through most of like what people consider like
the starving artists phase. Like I think from two thousands,
I knew what I was going to do since high school.
(02:10):
So I graduated high school, I went to college for
a year, I dropped out of college, and from two
thousand and eleven until two thousand and sixteen, that was
when I was just working on my music and working
on my art and working on how I wanted to
present myself to the world. And in that process is
not having money. It's not having a job, and not
because I couldn't like technically get a job if I
wanted one, But it was more so I know that
(02:32):
this is my job, and I know that it can
pay for whatever I needed to pay for it. I
just have to put into work necessary and through that
sign like bad record deals, everybody does. It yells me
like three of my friends were in a room, the
contract gets pushed across the table, no lawyer present. They like,
if you want to be down. Go ahead, sign that,
and we look at each other like we split like
(02:54):
five thousand dollars between like four of us. That's a
really bad deal. But yeah, it was supposed to be ten,
but we just never saw the other five. Oh my god,
we got the first five and then the other five disappeared.
We you know, got out of that situation. But in
order to get out of that situation, I had to
lay low for a super long time and basically act
(03:16):
like I just didn't make music anymore. That's depressing to
make it look like that's what you wanted to do,
so imagine not being able to do the thing that
you feel like this is what my life is. Yeah,
but it was more so like I knew that there
was some kind of strategy in like I want to
release music and I want to like be out there,
but also I have a responsibility to make sure that
(03:37):
I am working on my craft and it's getting better.
So it was like the eagerness was there, but the
patience was also there, and through that, like I learned
as much as I needed to learn up until the
point where I finally got a lawyer and I was like,
all right, it's been two three years. They ain't did
nothing with me. I ain't been back to Miami. Let's
hit them, you know, with a proper email and let's
figure it out. How did you stay motivated during that downtime?
(03:58):
Because I can't imagine not being able to do anything,
Like how did you keep yourself going? Friends, family? A
lot of the events I was doing in Atlanta, like
performing songs that people don't know can be hit or miss,
And that's what I was doing, like nine out of
ten times I would go to an event, go to
a mixer, go to an open mic, and figure out
ways to like win over a crowd in those moments
(04:19):
when people were like either like champion that moment, or
hit me on Twitter or hit me on Facebook and
be like, I don't know what you're working on, but
we hear with you for whenever it drops, and that
like just carry me into dropping my first song, which
was Problems. We had like a community of people who
are basically ready to go, just like be like a
street team almost. What were you going through when you
(04:39):
put out the song Problems? Yes, that song, and I
know you were a lot younger when you did that too,
in a different space. Problems was probably like my first
I would consider like crazy relationship because I do a
pretty good job of picking them. And this was this
was a moment when everybody around me had more context
to who the person was, and they were like, don't
(05:00):
do it, you don't want to, And I was like,
I can. I can do whatever I want. That makes
you more Yeah, it's like, yeah, I can. Whatever the
actual situation is, I can change it. I can make
it to whatever I want it to be. And obviously
I didn't but to find crazy because guys would be like, yeah,
you know, for me, crazy is if I'm sleep in
the middle of the night and I feel the covers
get snatched off of me and you in full argument
(05:24):
mode and I'm just laying there like this doesn't happen
to me, Like I don't deal with people who don't
have conversations like in a normal fashion. And I don't
even know how you got in the house. Yeah no,
it's literally like what time is it, how did you
get here? Why are you snatching the covers off of me?
What are you talking about? How did she get in? Um?
(05:44):
She was finding her way in a couple of times,
That's what I mean. Like there was one time when
I had to like leave that exact crib because I
knew she was on the way based off of somebody
like being like, y'all, I just saw her at this event.
She random, she pulling up, But the important question is
what did you do? Yeah, that's her to set her
off like that. I was starting to just break off
(06:05):
the relationship, and not in like a crazy way. It
was just me starting to see her patterns like if
you lose about three or four jobs in a row,
and if you like the motivation just wasn't there, and
I'm starting to see what everybody else was talking about
and that just doesn't inspire me. So it just got
to the part where I was like, I can't really
do this no more, and I don't want to do
this anymore. We can be cool, but we can't be
in a relationship. And yeah, she didn't really take that too.
(06:29):
I can't imagine snatching the cupboards of somebody. I can't
imagine breaking into Yeah, it was moments people would be
texting me like, bro, she's at the back door. I
can hear it like, oh, like, were you wearing pajamas
at least? Or yeah, now wearing a little nighteth I was.
And the other thing is just like that wasn't even
my crib, so it's even more of a violation. It's
like this is my manager's house, Oh my god, and
(06:53):
you didn't got in some kind of ways. But that
resulted in a great, a classic song song. Yeah, I
wouldn't take any of it back. I remember the night
when I was like starting to make that song and
they were going out and they were like, Yo, you're
trying to go to the club, and I'm like, if
y'all hear the first few bars of this song, then
you know I'm not going anywhere. Just does that person
know that they inspired? Absolutely? Okay for sure? And so
(07:16):
what about the song Free? Then Free was more so
like me graduating from a different relationship and not in
like such a toxic way, but just me arriving at
a point where the person I was with wasn't the
person I wanted to be with anymore. It was just
like another chapter of it. But I was just like
starting to shed just like old ways of like choosing
(07:39):
the wrong person and for the wrong reasons, like having
too much free time and being with somebody just because
they might feel this need or feel this void and
free was just me saying, all right, I'm kind of
done with this cycle because it's been like three times
in a row. Now you're from Baltimore, but you really
were raising Atlanta. When did you move to Atlanta? I
was four years old, Okay, so that's really what you remember? Yeah, yeah,
(08:00):
I mean I used to go back and forth to
Baltimore every summer, but Atlanta definitely raised me. So and
you said you always knew this is what you wanted
to do. But when you went to college, what were
you going to college for? What was your intended major?
Computer science was my major? How only did it because
I was good with computers? But class was boring, it's
no talking, it's no like, it's just for like an hour.
(08:21):
Computer science my minor with psychology. I wanted to do
like graphic design and computer animation at one point, but
I was just really there filling up time, and I
would go to the music room more than I would
go to class. And then I started to fall apart,
and then I just left and never came back. Do
you remember the people that helped you early on, like
during the time when you said you were doing performances
and shows, when you couldn't really put out music like that.
(08:42):
Who were some people that were really because you do
have great relationships with people, and so I don't know
if they started then or once you were able to
then sign a deal. No, Honestly, like my management, they
came in a little bit earlier, like before we ever
had paperwork. I knew about them, and by the time
we sat down, I was getting out of my old
deal and I was super clear with them. I was
just like, I don't really want to sign anything right now,
(09:04):
but if y'all are willing to work with me and
we can build like something on a relationship standpoint, then
we can do whatever y'all want to do when it's time.
And I got to live with my manager for over
a year, yeah, for sure. And during that time they
were working with Rory, so I got to like see
pieces of the industry from the outside and you know,
pop up at certain shows and see what it looked
like and just feel things out. And yeah, they were
(09:26):
like my biggest support system when it was really time
to get down to work. But other than that, I
would name people, but some of them people got cut off. Okay,
all right, well it happens. Now you also are a
big advocate for mental health. I saw you had partnered
up with Better Health and Better Help, Better Help, all right,
so can you talk to us about And you did
(09:46):
start doing therapy, So what made you come to that
realization and want to also spread that message the people important,
well not even the people, the person that's like the
most important in my life, being like, you look like
you got everything together to the people around you, but
to me, you look like a mess, and continuously like
checking me in moments where I felt my ego get
(10:07):
out of hand and I felt my reaction start to
become like it just wasn't like me. It's like I'm
responding to things in ways that I don't normally respond
to things. I'm getting angry or quicker. And once I
started to notice like my personality was taking the back road,
I'm like something in right, and I really got to
talk to somebody because otherwise we'll be back at square one,
I'll be making free black two. And did you pick
(10:30):
the right therapist the first time? Or did you have
to go? She was already there waiting for me. I
don't know what took me. Like I knew about her
months before. I actually like picked up the phone and
called her, and like I said, I waited until the
very last argument when things were like about to fall apart,
and I just called her one day, like I guess
we're supposed to be talking. And it was funny because
(10:50):
she had a session with one of my friends during
that same exact time, and the bet was she's not
gonna pick up because she got to do me in
an hour. And I was like, if I call her
right now, she's gonna talk. Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah,
And I caught her and we talked for at least
like an hour. But yeah, she she feels like every
space that I needed for a therapist. Sometimes it feels
(11:11):
like a sister. Sometimes it feels like an auntie, your
mom um. Sometimes it feels just like a friend. Sometimes
she cuts me out. Sometimes she's like talking soft, letting
me know, let it out. If you got to cry, cry,
if you want to laugh, laugh, if you said this,
that ain't it. If you said this, then good job
stand on that. So I just needed like an outside
perspective and somebody who wasn't bias or next to me
(11:32):
in my life because I had got to the point
where not too many people around me were willing to
check me. Ah, that's hard. Yeah, and sometimes you don't
let people around you check you. I mean it's a
two way streets. It was interesting for me because, like,
I feel like I'm super easy to the point where
I'm down to have any conversation with anybody. I've always
felt approachable, always like been cool, calm. But I've also
(11:55):
always been like the leader to most of my friends.
So when you like take that role, everybody else more
so just wants to follow and and not necessarily like overstepped.
So it took me a minute to realize that, like
y'all aren't saying as much as y'all can say, and
I need people to have my back, like all the time.
How often do you do you talk to your therapist? Um,
(12:16):
we haven't had any sessions, truthfully, and a while I
see her still. Ok, we just did dinner like a
month ago. But I've been good. I've been good friends. Yeah, yeah,
I've been good. She comes to my shows, we go
out for lunch. I'm going to her wedding in September.
But yeah, it's like I see her when I need
to see her. I talk to her when I need
(12:37):
to talk to her. I'm pretty sure I'll get back
on sessions soon because just because I'm good doesn't mean
I don't have to. It's still yeah, it's still work
always to be done. But during that time, it was
just it was it was mandatory. And when it comes
to music too, sometimes people think that when life is
not great, as when artists make better music, right because
you look at your past catalog and people are you know,
(12:59):
and now it feels like you're in a better place,
in a better place. But I actually like the music
now that you're in a better place. But sometimes fans
like when people are going through heartbreak, they're going through tragedy.
What do you think for you with the writing process,
what's easier? I think that it is a million times
easier to talk about heartbreak and to talk about who
did you wrong and how you're gonna get them back?
(13:20):
Like I think, honestly like that part of creation is
it's his own thing and it's amazing, you know, when
you can utilize it for something that ends up changing
your life. But for people to like almost fetish over it,
it's like it's it's just not healthy, right, It's not
because they act like you're not a human beings. Yeah,
it's like and and when people say like, oh I
want that old Black orl we want that free Black,
I'm like, why would you want me to go back
(13:41):
to that place? But yeah, I don't. I don't want
to go through that again. Like if I make Free
Black too, that'll honestly be the worst time. Yeah, it's
like we're not trying to go backwards. Like the music
has always been about growth, so um, I've always tried
to continue to push that narrative for the people who
listen to me. It's like I want to grow in
front of y'all. I want to put like positive things
in front of y'all. And that's it. Yeah, because now
(14:02):
you have a sense I have a lover, So talk
to us about that because it feels like now you're
in a healthy relationship. And sometimes people don't know what
a healthy relationship is. We get really used to being
in relationships that are taxic. We think that arguing means
that that person loves me, you know, So talk to
me about this process and is this a real thing
for you right now? Do you have a lover now?
(14:24):
Do you feel like this is the person that is
making me a better person? Absolutely? It's been that way
for a very long time. Like I knew her since
twenty thirteen, and were the relationship was based off with
being friends first. So through every relationship that I went through,
for the most part during like that Free Black era
Easlenna love letter, like she was always my friend through
(14:45):
it all. Wow, so she's seen it all. Yeah, she's
seen it and other girls are like, I knew you
was messing with me up too, But did you look
at her in that way ever before? Absolutely? I mean
I knew what it was the first time I ever
saw her, but I knew that like priority for me,
like I said, was having a good friend and not
being like I like you so much that we just
(15:05):
got to be together. It was just like I'm growing,
I'm mature, and people are attractive, but whatever, like, let's
actually work on being cool and if you need something,
I got you. If I got something, you got me.
Combo whatever it is and leave it at that. And
we went at the very least like a couple of
years without acting on anything, without even like overstepping anything.
We both had our own situations and kind of branched
(15:25):
off from each other, and then when everything started to settle,
and just came back back together. I figured that because
it's one part where you talking about being on her
mom's couch and stuff like that and trying to keep
it down. Was that. I was like, it's got to
be a long time thing because I know you've grown.
That's funny. That's funny because I just got to text
about that line like an hour ago. Somebody's like a stepmom,
(15:47):
like on the other side of the family. It was
with her and she was like, was that song about
you talking about on your mama's couch. I'm just like,
oh my lord, she's listening'stening because they know what's really
going on. I was like, now she listening with her glasses.
She must have been reading a little. But I think
that's dope, though, because what makes us connect to an
artist more is when it's real life things. Yeah. Absolutely,
(16:08):
so when you're talking about your real situations and do
you consider yourself to be a private person because people
always like black it's very private. It seemed like, yeah,
I like it that way. I like to like keep
some of my stuff in tact because it's just it's wild,
Like the Internet is wild, like people's opinions are flying
every second of the day. I'm not trying to be
in the mix up at all. I've had a couple
(16:29):
of moments where it's gotten a little bit too hot,
and I've been like, see, that's why I don't go
out too much. That's why I don't like converse with
too many people. But I like to keep it safe.
I have a daughter. I like to keep her safe,
and I'm gonna keep it that way and try and
like have that respect, like intact as long as I can.
I was reading the comments on one of your videos
with your recent video, and it was they were to
talk about how problematic you are and how you just
(16:51):
need minding your business and making your hear. I'm glad
they know. I was just trying to think, like, I
don't feel like we ever really did any stories about Jasmine.
Sometimes people feel like they need a scandal, though, right,
because there's people who and you do mention like a
Chris Shawn and blue face, but you know there's people
who feel like things like that is what keeps them
in the mix. No, there's been times where we've been
(17:12):
on the road where it's almost gotten to that point
and I've been like, yeah, we gotta tighten it up
right right. I remember one time we were in Denver
and there was somebody who was like infamous rapper seeker.
She's coming to the show. I know she's coming. She's
in my DMS unapproved, but I can see her and
she's like, what's going on? What time? Da da da?
I'm gonna be there, And I'm like, everybody makes sure
(17:33):
she doesn't get in the show. Form a wall. Yeah.
I'm literally like we we all agreeing, like we were
gonna we're gonna turn the other way. We're not gonna
pay no attention. And literally I'm in sound check and
she is walking through the building and I'm like, wow,
forming a wall, And that's what I was like. I'm like, cool,
slipped up, Like who who didn't follow the rules? Somebody
didn't follow the rules. Somebody was more thirsty than they
(17:53):
were like with the homies, And I'm like, all right.
He ended up getting kicked off toward too, because that
got out of here. Yeah, you can't have you gotta
have the right people around you. That. Yeah. She later
on like a year later one on somebody else who's
like a platform and told him a lot about like
doing something with me because she did something with that guy,
and I'm like, so you weren't thinking, like I knew
that would even and talk back to my name, and
(18:15):
she tried it, but we walked that out. Quit walked
that out. And I also, so you said that talk
back is one of your favorite songs on the new album,
and that's kind of what you listen to to give
you that confidence that you need. So, I because I
never felt like people talk crazy about you. I feel
like a lot of people are black fans because you
(18:35):
also are able to I think, maneuver through a lot
of different genres too, but it also feels very authentic.
You know, how is it for you experimenting in different
sounds of music? Do you feel like comfortable doing that?
Do you feel like your fans are like, now, we
want you to stay in this space. I'm gonna do
whatever I want all the time, always, always, I like
to make music that is parallel with how I feel.
(18:57):
So if it feels acoustic one day, if it feels
rap one day, if it feels r and B, if
it feels like a ballot, I'm just gonna go wherever
the music takes me. Because you know, you started off
as a battle rapper, which I think is crazy because
I don't know if people really know that. For it
was always black. Yeah, my name has been black since
middle school. It's been the same, spelled the same, always
been that, and you can when people call you six lack.
(19:18):
I don't hate it. It comes with the territory and
it makes for good merch and good conversation. It translates
if we put it in the song. I'll put it
in the song. It's there. I'm not mad at it
at all. So have you had some famous battles. I've
had famous battles within my school system and my county.
(19:39):
There's there's a video clip of me and Thug rapping
UM outside of like one of the video shoots UM,
But that wasn't more so like a battle. Those are
like time periods in Atlanta where if anybody was having
a video shoot, like rich Kids, Young, the Travis Porter,
Me and the people that I was with would just
pull up and all be wearing like our merch where
the same thing and really just try and like make
(20:01):
our presence known because we was coming up and that
was the best way to do it is just pull
up and start rapping. What made you switch it up.
Battle rappers struggle with making great songs. I don't care. Yeah,
I don't care how they try to defend nah. Battle
rappers struggle with making good songs. And honestly, in my opinion,
I think that battle rapper is painting a picture with
(20:22):
a lot of words, and songwriting is painting that same,
like exact type of picture, but compressed with as little
words as you need. So like getting things cut down
to like what you actually need is I guess it's
just a little bit more difficult than most people think.
It helps you with your writing process, I bet too. Yeah, absolutely,
my vocabulary and every like all the metaphor is everything
that I need I got from battle rap and now
(20:43):
I can just compress it into song writing for now.
We saw that Joe Button was talking about you. He
said he was a big fan of your first album.
He said the second album was cool, and then but
then he was also saying that he thought it wasn't
a great idea for you to just come out right
now without a proper setup. He said, career so side
but something like that. How do he know what was
the proper set up for me? Black announced that his
(21:05):
album is dropping next month. I love Black, and I'm
totally open to being wrong with this take, but I
think this is career suicide for him. I'm aware that
I may be triggered because of things that have happened
in my career, But when the New Regime got the
Deaf Jam and they just said we're putting Joe album
out next week or next month, and there was no
(21:26):
preparation for it. Now where I'm black and I get
nervous is they're coming off Summer Walker, who has skyrocketed.
They're coming off division, and I don't want to talk
about him like his first two albums are platinum projects,
so he could be the guy that could just coast
to a platinum project. If this project come out and
do bad with bad music and a bad single, it
(21:49):
will be very tough for him to recover, and it'll
be even tougher for the label to continue to pay
attention to him. With Summer Walker doing what she's doing night,
how would he ever know that's that's for me to
do term. And so if I'm at a point in
my life where I felt like this is how I
want to present myself, if I've been doing like everything
and I feel it's necessary to do it. And if
the people who I actually like got with me are
(22:10):
with me, then it's it's looking great, it's feeling great. Yeah,
because it's not like you haven't been putting out music.
You've also done a lot of guest appearances. That and
then also the EP. You know absolutely, and you also
put out a line of hot sauce. You know, I
love some hot sauce. Yeah, I think so random, but
I mean, but I'm from Atlanta and I love hot sauce.
Birl y'all love hot wings. This was I was on
(22:33):
what's the craziest What's the craziest thing you put on?
You put hot sauce one growing up? I mean I
really did put it on everything. So I would put
it on my vegetables because I didn't like vegetables. That's
so if my mom was making broccoli, I'll be like,
I don't really want broccoli. Whatever was gonna help me
eat it? Okay, what about now? Now I've chilled out
(22:53):
because my voice can't. Oh yeah, take that much and
make sure you wash your hands a really good after
you have hot sauce, because you know, I want to
get into that woman, and because I know somebody that
happened to Wait, where are you going with that? Somewhere
you don't want to, but I know somebody who got
burned because a guy had hot suce under his nails,
And god, wait, I mean it's just that I'm just
(23:15):
wordy at the table still now I think he sometimes
there's a little hot size. He must have been even
some it was still a little bit under his nail.
Out of your your new project, what was the hardest
song for you to write? It's a little bit weird
because it's it sounds like such an easy song, but
(23:36):
Spirited Away on the project was a little bit difficult
to finish, and only because I love the production of
it so much that I didn't know how I wanted
to approach it. So I had the beat and I
had maybe the first verse, and I sat with it
for months. I even sent to a couple of other
people to help me out, and nothing was really clicking.
And then in the last maybe like month of finishing
(23:56):
up the project, that song finally came through and ended
up it was close to the original way that I
had it. That's a beautiful song. It's it's short though, right, yeah,
super short, and yeah, it's really like that song I
made when I had a little bit of mushrooms one
night when I was in the studio. Yeah, people used
to be so like, shame you about mushrooms. I've been
(24:18):
doing mushrooms, right, go ahead, you tell your story now
what I'm saying, I've done it, like since I was
That was one thing because I don't even really smoke
weed that much or anything, but I do like shrooms,
and I do feel like I like the fact that
I don't feel anything afterwards, like when it goes through
my system, I'm just fine afterward. Ye, not for sure.
And that was a night where it was I was
watching the movie Spirited Away. I had a little bit
(24:40):
to just like highten the little creative process, and like
I said, I got out that first portion of the song,
and then I reached a stopping point where I was like,
I don't know where I want to go next, and
then my thoughts trailed off into something else, and then
it just sat for a few months, And sometimes that's
the best way. Yeah, And then you also redid um
Umi says, I thought that was a beautiful rendition of
(25:01):
that song because that is a really classic song. It
made me want to go back. It made me go
back and listen to most steps original version of that.
So what did he say when he hears I got
As long as I got the nod from him, I'm good. Yea, yeah,
as long as I got the nod from him, I'm good.
I'm happy. He liked it. I loved it. It It was
fun to make forward slash who Ep the new album
(25:21):
helped me produce that one, and yeah, it's a favorite.
And during the pandemic, I know that. Um, you know
you were dealing with a lot mentally too during that time,
just seeing everything that was going on. So is that
when you decided, like I have to do things that
are that make a change. I saw you said you
felt like things. Maybe we're a little bit shallow. Yeah,
I mean I think more than anything, like everybody went
(25:43):
through something during the pandemic, My version of it was
really holding myself accountable and realizing that, yeah, I have
this mission and I have like this idea of what
I want to do for other people as far as
like my music goes. But in order to do that,
I have to do the work myself on myself, and
I wasn't doing that work as much as I was
claiming to do that work or like making songs about
(26:05):
doing that work. It's like talking about it but not
really like living it as much as you can. So
I had to, like I said, start therapy, get back
into my routines, and really just like treat myself with
respect in order to get to the point where I
can be as creative as I want to be. How
do you treat yourself with respect? What does that mean?
Set a routine for yourself, stick to it as much
as you can. When you inconsistent, don't be too hard
(26:27):
on yourself, just pick it back up. Have the hard
conversations that you've been avoiding. Stop lying about small things.
Yeah yeah, And honestly, for me, it's like I would
make things get they would feel so intense, but only
because the build up was just like irresponsible. It's like,
if I'm thinking about something that I don't want to
(26:48):
talk about, it might live with me for a couple
of days and then on Wednesday, I'm like, well, I
got to do this today. So if saying on Friday,
and then on Friday, I'm like, well, I'm not feeling
good today, so I say it on Monday and then
it ends up popping up on Tuesday and another way,
and now it's not a conversation anymore. It's an argument.
I'm like, I can't keep allowing like things to just
like fester and grow when I'm really just hyping it
(27:09):
up more than it has to be honest, Right, it's
a lot quicker sometimes when you just face things head on.
Also saying no, that things too. Sometimes it's very therapeutic, absolutely,
because I'd be trying to do everything. Yeah, don't enough,
and sometimes I got to be like, all right, I
gotta be honest. I can't. Do you have a father
saying no? It don't feel like it. It does not no,
not like I don't, I don't. I don't. What about
(27:31):
to your daughter, No, I mean I don't. She don't
get everything she want, but she sicks right now, Yeah,
I don't. I don't have an issue saying no to
her because she I'm I guess something. She understands the
type of parent I am. So it's not like you're
not about to get over on me. But I'm also
not about to like hurt your feelings in the process
of telling you know, like, we have good conversations and
I'll let her know if you don't like this. You
(27:53):
can feel it out. If you want to cry, you
can cry. If you want to go upstairs, take a break.
Go take a break. When you're ready to get back
to like normals, then come on down. That's very mature.
My parents definitely never talk to me like that. It
helps you process motions and stuff too, And it's no point.
I mean, it's a kid they're learning. I was out
at lunch one time and I was talking to my
(28:13):
mom and in the midst of talking to my mom,
I see her in my peripherals and I see her
like knock over a glass of water, And as she
knocks it over, I just like pick it up, and
I just keep talking to my mom while I'm cleaning
it up. And my sister's like, you didn't even like
say nothing to her. I'm like, what am I supposed
to say? Yeah, like you act like she just did.
Like moments like those like just reassure me that I
(28:35):
am doing the right thing, and that that would have
been so much more dramatic for me as a kid.
I would have went home feeling like I'm about to
move out because this lady and said the wrong thing.
Does she know you're famous? My daughter. Yeah, yeah, she do.
She hears like stuff on the radio, or she hears anytime,
like my voice is coming through the speakers and she's like,
that's Papa song or stay you know it's daddy. So
(28:57):
she she knows. She's been to a couple of festivals,
a couple of but I think now is probably the
most to where she is. So when I go on
this next tour, it'll probably be like the most special
as far as like her coming out. Tell us about
the tour, Oh yeah, this fall, I believe October Q
three regardless, And for me, it's a special tour because
(29:19):
one I am going to be playing a little bit
of guitarist time, okay, so that'll be a new element
added to the show. He I've never done instruments on stage,
but I'll be doing that. And I think this album
in general is more catered to like a live show.
I think it is a live experience. And in addition
to this album and what it is going to do
for us on the road, it'll be a combination of
free black of el and a love letter and then
(29:41):
get into the newest story. Yes, since I do you
I was going to say, do you feel the excitement
from people because once you said it was coming out,
I saw it was, and then you put out two
songs you know, right away, and people are very receptive,
loving it. The visuals too, by the way, that seems
like that's something that's really important. How involved are you
with the directions of the videos. You seem like a
hands on person. This is the most involved that I've
(30:03):
ever been. Like, I've always had to say so, I
always had ideas to share it, We've always figured out
everything together. But this time around, I got with this guy,
Adrian Martinez, and we really just sat down and outlined
the whole entire project before it was finished. We were like,
these are the colors that we want to go with,
These are the types of pictures that we want to
take in the photo shoot. This is what we want
to do for the music video. This is how we
want to gut out the tour. We outlined everything, put
(30:25):
it on a move board. Had however, many meetings that
we had, and now we're at the part where we
can actually see it and it's like we did that.
I was gonna ask what's the best part of touring?
The best part of touring is seeing how the music
impacts people. Every show that I have feels like some
kind of like exchange, some kind of like almost like ceremony.
(30:47):
It's not like it's not really just for fun. Like
people come out to really like get it off. And
if it's an old relationship that had them in a
bad place, they're expressing. If it's a new relationship that
makes them feel good, they're expressing. So it's always good
to just like see how it impacts people, and to
see what parts of songs like people resonate with the most,
and to see, you know, some people cry, some people laugh,
(31:09):
some people hug. It's hardly ever any fights, maybe like
two fights, and all the history of my shows, we'll
be asking on stage. I like, how are y'all fighting? Right? Yeah?
One time they fought during the ballot? Oh my god, sire,
I was confused. We were overseas and that's why that's
why I had nothing to do. Yeah, they were already
(31:30):
marching too. I'm just like y'all jumping around and there's
no drums in it. Just so how you feeling now?
You been going to therapy. You got a relationship that's
making you a better person that you feel like is
a healthy relationship, right, and you cross that line from
friendship to now relationship. That's a big responsibility on youtubebs
(31:52):
because going back up, yeah, no, we're good though, Like
it's it's it's always been like a good thing. I've
always known exactly like who I wanted to be with
and to get this everyday practice with this person specifically,
it's just been beneficial like this whole entire time, Like
there haven't been, like I said that many people to
check me and to help me out in that type
(32:13):
of way. So to have somebody who was already good
on their own and will always be good on their
own inspired me to want to be better on my own.
It's like, okay, of course we make a good couple
because look at you, look at me and together, look
at us, y'are already complete. Yeah, look at us. It
was marriage something that you ever think about or is
that not for you? Yeah, we're not. Like however we
do it. Whenever we do it, there's no like crazy
(32:34):
weight on it, like we got to do it by
this time and in this way. I was thinking about
it the other day. I was I was thinking that
I would like for my next child to be able
to be at a wedding. Okay, so that's like one idea.
I would love to have a kid there and able
to feel and see what's going on. So what age
is that, maybe like three come down that would be
the flower girl. Yeah, something like that could participate. That
(32:57):
would be fun. So that was one conversation out of
heart recently. We don't have like any specific way that
we have to do it. We'll try to do it
as customizing as us as we can. We Well, we
love to hear it, and I'm so glad that you
came up here and way up with Angela. Yee. Really
my first time talking to black but I'm some real
I'm a huge fan of yours and so I'm really
happy for this new album. We got it like yesterday,
(33:19):
so we've been sitting with it. And oh and I
did want to say I love the campaign that you
did with the water Boys in Atlanta. Whose idea was
that where you had them given out on Valentine's a flowers?
The Gang LBR they are marketing masters. I'm so nice.
Seawan Tuonday, Justice Carlin, like Junior, they have always been
like the driving force behind a lot of the creative
(33:41):
things that we've done. Together. We get in rooms and
we figure out like what's the coolest ideal and whose
idea is the weakest, and why is that week? Wow? Yeah,
we debate about it, but that's the way that you
like come up with that. It's okay, but idea it's
not good at might exactly an another plan. But that's
nice because I feel like those kids get a really
bad rap. Two. Absolutely they do. And I mean it's
(34:02):
been times where I've had to tell them, like, bro
back up, I got a kid in the car, don't
be walking up. But it was cool for them to
do something where it wasn't about them like getting paid,
even though you know they taken care of but they
were giving out things to people that day and it
made people feel good. And it was also a good
activation for fans to know, like, okay, music is coming back.
Are you gonna do something with them again? Yeah? Absolutely, okay,
(34:23):
absolutely great, Right, well, we love that. This is amazing.
Thank you so much for coming through. We're definitely coming
to the ty said it starts in October. Yeah, all right,
I'm in there. I got you. We're gonna start a fight.
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah. How can we find you
on social media show. If you want to find me, uh,
(34:45):
you can catch me at six L A c K.
That's everywhere on Twitter, Instagram, website, all at um. You know,
as much as I give you, don't step any further
than that. Don't ask about things that that ain't on
the table. And if you like, we gotta live. Yeah, yeah,
that's that's about it. He washes his fingers with that.
Oh yeah, yeah yeah. Stream that, stream that by that,
(35:07):
buy music by music streaming. It's fun and it's great,
but but buy some of that music too, all right? Good?
Anything else? Anything else? All right? Clack six lack, Thank
you so much for coming to really appreciate, you know,
for real, and congratulations on this new album. Like you said,
oh and man, the way that you start off the album.
The people are thirsty. But it felt like, did you
(35:27):
feel a little bit nervous to put this out or
to put out another project because it's been for a
full feature projects. It was less like I didn't feel
like nerves. It was more just like, like I said,
just a responsibility to myself to really speak to where
I'm at in my journey and for the album to
be as honest and as current as it is for me,
(35:48):
and getting to that point was a little bit difficult
as far as like the creation process went, but as
far as like the people who are waiting, Um, I
do feel like I've built a core who is understanding
and patient enough to just be ready whenever I'm ready.
All right, We're ready, all right, Black, Thank you so much,
thank you. Wherea
All what's up? Its way up with Angela Yee, I'm here,
Jasmine Brand is here from the Jasmine Brand, and Black
is here. How this is my first time interviewing you? Yeah, yeah,
Jasmine and I were She was like, have you ever
interviewing before? She's like no, And then also she told
me you really don't do a lot of interviews like that.
But I'm happy that had happened this way. It's just
more intimate. Yeah, I'm glad too because I actually am
(00:25):
really a huge fan of yours, Like that's Jesse with
Jesse Ray is Imported. That still is always on my
playlist like all the time. And Jesse made good, great
music and even on her album. Yeah see, you were
like the only guest appearance. And we're working on a
collap project right now. See I knew that had to happen.
We're working on it right now. That's amazing. You know
(00:46):
what that's like about you too? You do a lot
of collapse with women in particular. Is there like a
reason for that or I mean I just feel like
they are killing things a little bit more than than
the guys are right now. So it's just more fun
for me to step into that space and to ocupath
feminine space and to have something like masculine and bring
to it and bring like a little bit of balance.
So I just like it because it feels good, and
(01:06):
it's always just like stepping into somebody's oasis, and I
get to like add a little touch to it. Yeah,
like a Genne Echo cash Page. We love her too, absolutely,
just everybody. And I also feel like you run the
gamut of it's well known artists, but then it's also
up and coming artists who you work with. How do
you decide, like this is a person I want to
work with. Most of the time, I like to base
it off a friendship. So if I meet somebody in
(01:27):
it in the vibe is right, then we end up
making music together. But some of the times it's just
a matter of like how it feels when I listened
to it. If it doesn't really matter if you got
a million or ten thousand like fans, as long as
the music hits and as long as I feel like
I can find my place in it, I like to
jump on pretty much whatever speaks to me. So you've
had a long journey so far in this business, and
(01:50):
so that's why I think I respect the fact that
with up and coming artist because at one point that
was you, right when you were an independent artist. Can
you talk about that journey a little bit, because I
know that was a tough time. Yeah. I mean I
definitely went through most of like what people consider like
the starving artists phase. Like I think from two thousands,
I knew what I was going to do since high school.
(02:10):
So I graduated high school, I went to college for
a year, I dropped out of college, and from two
thousand and eleven until two thousand and sixteen, that was
when I was just working on my music and working
on my art and working on how I wanted to
present myself to the world. And in that process is
not having money. It's not having a job, and not
because I couldn't like technically get a job if I
wanted one, But it was more so I know that
(02:32):
this is my job, and I know that it can
pay for whatever I needed to pay for it. I
just have to put into work necessary and through that
sign like bad record deals, everybody does. It yells me
like three of my friends were in a room, the
contract gets pushed across the table, no lawyer present. They like,
if you want to be down. Go ahead, sign that,
and we look at each other like we split like
(02:54):
five thousand dollars between like four of us. That's a
really bad deal. But yeah, it was supposed to be ten,
but we just never saw the other five. Oh my god,
we got the first five and then the other five disappeared.
We you know, got out of that situation. But in
order to get out of that situation, I had to
lay low for a super long time and basically act
(03:16):
like I just didn't make music anymore. That's depressing to
make it look like that's what you wanted to do,
so imagine not being able to do the thing that
you feel like this is what my life is. Yeah,
but it was more so like I knew that there
was some kind of strategy in like I want to
release music and I want to like be out there,
but also I have a responsibility to make sure that
(03:37):
I am working on my craft and it's getting better.
So it was like the eagerness was there, but the
patience was also there, and through that, like I learned
as much as I needed to learn up until the
point where I finally got a lawyer and I was like,
all right, it's been two three years. They ain't did
nothing with me. I ain't been back to Miami. Let's
hit them, you know, with a proper email and let's
figure it out. How did you stay motivated during that downtime?
(03:58):
Because I can't imagine not being able to do anything,
Like how did you keep yourself going? Friends, family? A
lot of the events I was doing in Atlanta, like
performing songs that people don't know can be hit or miss,
And that's what I was doing, like nine out of
ten times I would go to an event, go to
a mixer, go to an open mic, and figure out
ways to like win over a crowd in those moments
(04:19):
when people were like either like champion that moment, or
hit me on Twitter or hit me on Facebook and
be like, I don't know what you're working on, but
we hear with you for whenever it drops, and that
like just carry me into dropping my first song, which
was Problems. We had like a community of people who
are basically ready to go, just like be like a
street team almost. What were you going through when you
(04:39):
put out the song Problems? Yes, that song, and I
know you were a lot younger when you did that too,
in a different space. Problems was probably like my first
I would consider like crazy relationship because I do a
pretty good job of picking them. And this was this
was a moment when everybody around me had more context
to who the person was, and they were like, don't
(05:00):
do it, you don't want to, And I was like,
I can. I can do whatever I want. That makes
you more Yeah, it's like, yeah, I can. Whatever the
actual situation is, I can change it. I can make
it to whatever I want it to be. And obviously
I didn't but to find crazy because guys would be like, yeah,
you know, for me, crazy is if I'm sleep in
the middle of the night and I feel the covers
get snatched off of me and you in full argument
(05:24):
mode and I'm just laying there like this doesn't happen
to me, Like I don't deal with people who don't
have conversations like in a normal fashion. And I don't
even know how you got in the house. Yeah no,
it's literally like what time is it, how did you
get here? Why are you snatching the covers off of me?
What are you talking about? How did she get in? Um?
(05:44):
She was finding her way in a couple of times,
That's what I mean. Like there was one time when
I had to like leave that exact crib because I
knew she was on the way based off of somebody
like being like, y'all, I just saw her at this event.
She random, she pulling up, But the important question is
what did you do? Yeah, that's her to set her
off like that. I was starting to just break off
(06:05):
the relationship, and not in like a crazy way. It
was just me starting to see her patterns like if
you lose about three or four jobs in a row,
and if you like the motivation just wasn't there, and
I'm starting to see what everybody else was talking about
and that just doesn't inspire me. So it just got
to the part where I was like, I can't really
do this no more, and I don't want to do
this anymore. We can be cool, but we can't be
in a relationship. And yeah, she didn't really take that too.
(06:29):
I can't imagine snatching the cupboards of somebody. I can't
imagine breaking into Yeah, it was moments people would be
texting me like, bro, she's at the back door. I
can hear it like, oh, like, were you wearing pajamas
at least? Or yeah, now wearing a little nighteth I was.
And the other thing is just like that wasn't even
my crib, so it's even more of a violation. It's
like this is my manager's house, Oh my god, and
(06:53):
you didn't got in some kind of ways. But that
resulted in a great, a classic song song. Yeah, I
wouldn't take any of it back. I remember the night
when I was like starting to make that song and
they were going out and they were like, Yo, you're
trying to go to the club, and I'm like, if
y'all hear the first few bars of this song, then
you know I'm not going anywhere. Just does that person
know that they inspired? Absolutely? Okay for sure? And so
(07:16):
what about the song Free? Then Free was more so
like me graduating from a different relationship and not in
like such a toxic way, but just me arriving at
a point where the person I was with wasn't the
person I wanted to be with anymore. It was just
like another chapter of it. But I was just like
starting to shed just like old ways of like choosing
(07:39):
the wrong person and for the wrong reasons, like having
too much free time and being with somebody just because
they might feel this need or feel this void and
free was just me saying, all right, I'm kind of
done with this cycle because it's been like three times
in a row. Now you're from Baltimore, but you really
were raising Atlanta. When did you move to Atlanta? I
was four years old, Okay, so that's really what you remember? Yeah, yeah,
(08:00):
I mean I used to go back and forth to
Baltimore every summer, but Atlanta definitely raised me. So and
you said you always knew this is what you wanted
to do. But when you went to college, what were
you going to college for? What was your intended major?
Computer science was my major? How only did it because
I was good with computers? But class was boring, it's
no talking, it's no like, it's just for like an hour.
(08:21):
Computer science my minor with psychology. I wanted to do
like graphic design and computer animation at one point, but
I was just really there filling up time, and I
would go to the music room more than I would
go to class. And then I started to fall apart,
and then I just left and never came back. Do
you remember the people that helped you early on, like
during the time when you said you were doing performances
and shows, when you couldn't really put out music like that.
(08:42):
Who were some people that were really because you do
have great relationships with people, and so I don't know
if they started then or once you were able to
then sign a deal. No, Honestly, like my management, they
came in a little bit earlier, like before we ever
had paperwork. I knew about them, and by the time
we sat down, I was getting out of my old
deal and I was super clear with them. I was
just like, I don't really want to sign anything right now,
(09:04):
but if y'all are willing to work with me and
we can build like something on a relationship standpoint, then
we can do whatever y'all want to do when it's time.
And I got to live with my manager for over
a year, yeah, for sure. And during that time they
were working with Rory, so I got to like see
pieces of the industry from the outside and you know,
pop up at certain shows and see what it looked
like and just feel things out. And yeah, they were
(09:26):
like my biggest support system when it was really time
to get down to work. But other than that, I
would name people, but some of them people got cut off. Okay,
all right, well it happens. Now you also are a
big advocate for mental health. I saw you had partnered
up with Better Health and Better Help, Better Help, all right,
so can you talk to us about And you did
(09:46):
start doing therapy, So what made you come to that
realization and want to also spread that message the people important,
well not even the people, the person that's like the
most important in my life, being like, you look like
you got everything together to the people around you, but
to me, you look like a mess, and continuously like
checking me in moments where I felt my ego get
(10:07):
out of hand and I felt my reaction start to
become like it just wasn't like me. It's like I'm
responding to things in ways that I don't normally respond
to things. I'm getting angry or quicker. And once I
started to notice like my personality was taking the back road,
I'm like something in right, and I really got to
talk to somebody because otherwise we'll be back at square one,
I'll be making free black two. And did you pick
(10:30):
the right therapist the first time? Or did you have
to go? She was already there waiting for me. I
don't know what took me. Like I knew about her
months before. I actually like picked up the phone and
called her, and like I said, I waited until the
very last argument when things were like about to fall apart,
and I just called her one day, like I guess
we're supposed to be talking. And it was funny because
(10:50):
she had a session with one of my friends during
that same exact time, and the bet was she's not
gonna pick up because she got to do me in
an hour. And I was like, if I call her
right now, she's gonna talk. Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah,
And I caught her and we talked for at least
like an hour. But yeah, she she feels like every
space that I needed for a therapist. Sometimes it feels
(11:11):
like a sister. Sometimes it feels like an auntie, your
mom um. Sometimes it feels just like a friend. Sometimes
she cuts me out. Sometimes she's like talking soft, letting
me know, let it out. If you got to cry, cry,
if you want to laugh, laugh, if you said this,
that ain't it. If you said this, then good job
stand on that. So I just needed like an outside
perspective and somebody who wasn't bias or next to me
(11:32):
in my life because I had got to the point
where not too many people around me were willing to
check me. Ah, that's hard. Yeah, and sometimes you don't
let people around you check you. I mean it's a
two way streets. It was interesting for me because, like,
I feel like I'm super easy to the point where
I'm down to have any conversation with anybody. I've always
felt approachable, always like been cool, calm. But I've also
(11:55):
always been like the leader to most of my friends.
So when you like take that role, everybody else more
so just wants to follow and and not necessarily like overstepped.
So it took me a minute to realize that, like
y'all aren't saying as much as y'all can say, and
I need people to have my back, like all the time.
How often do you do you talk to your therapist? Um,
(12:16):
we haven't had any sessions, truthfully, and a while I
see her still. Ok, we just did dinner like a
month ago. But I've been good. I've been good friends. Yeah, yeah,
I've been good. She comes to my shows, we go
out for lunch. I'm going to her wedding in September.
But yeah, it's like I see her when I need
to see her. I talk to her when I need
(12:37):
to talk to her. I'm pretty sure I'll get back
on sessions soon because just because I'm good doesn't mean
I don't have to. It's still yeah, it's still work
always to be done. But during that time, it was
just it was it was mandatory. And when it comes
to music too, sometimes people think that when life is
not great, as when artists make better music, right because
you look at your past catalog and people are you know,
(12:59):
and now it feels like you're in a better place,
in a better place. But I actually like the music
now that you're in a better place. But sometimes fans
like when people are going through heartbreak, they're going through tragedy.
What do you think for you with the writing process,
what's easier? I think that it is a million times
easier to talk about heartbreak and to talk about who
did you wrong and how you're gonna get them back?
(13:20):
Like I think, honestly like that part of creation is
it's his own thing and it's amazing, you know, when
you can utilize it for something that ends up changing
your life. But for people to like almost fetish over it,
it's like it's it's just not healthy, right, It's not
because they act like you're not a human beings. Yeah,
it's like and and when people say like, oh I
want that old Black orl we want that free Black,
I'm like, why would you want me to go back
(13:41):
to that place? But yeah, I don't. I don't want
to go through that again. Like if I make Free
Black too, that'll honestly be the worst time. Yeah, it's
like we're not trying to go backwards. Like the music
has always been about growth, so um, I've always tried
to continue to push that narrative for the people who
listen to me. It's like I want to grow in
front of y'all. I want to put like positive things
in front of y'all. And that's it. Yeah, because now
(14:02):
you have a sense I have a lover, So talk
to us about that because it feels like now you're
in a healthy relationship. And sometimes people don't know what
a healthy relationship is. We get really used to being
in relationships that are taxic. We think that arguing means
that that person loves me, you know, So talk to
me about this process and is this a real thing
for you right now? Do you have a lover now?
(14:24):
Do you feel like this is the person that is
making me a better person? Absolutely? It's been that way
for a very long time. Like I knew her since
twenty thirteen, and were the relationship was based off with
being friends first. So through every relationship that I went through,
for the most part during like that Free Black era
Easlenna love letter, like she was always my friend through
(14:45):
it all. Wow, so she's seen it all. Yeah, she's
seen it and other girls are like, I knew you
was messing with me up too, But did you look
at her in that way ever before? Absolutely? I mean
I knew what it was the first time I ever
saw her, but I knew that like priority for me,
like I said, was having a good friend and not
being like I like you so much that we just
(15:05):
got to be together. It was just like I'm growing,
I'm mature, and people are attractive, but whatever, like, let's
actually work on being cool and if you need something,
I got you. If I got something, you got me.
Combo whatever it is and leave it at that. And
we went at the very least like a couple of
years without acting on anything, without even like overstepping anything.
We both had our own situations and kind of branched
(15:25):
off from each other, and then when everything started to settle,
and just came back back together. I figured that because
it's one part where you talking about being on her
mom's couch and stuff like that and trying to keep
it down. Was that. I was like, it's got to
be a long time thing because I know you've grown.
That's funny. That's funny because I just got to text
about that line like an hour ago. Somebody's like a stepmom,
(15:47):
like on the other side of the family. It was
with her and she was like, was that song about
you talking about on your mama's couch. I'm just like,
oh my lord, she's listening'stening because they know what's really
going on. I was like, now she listening with her glasses.
She must have been reading a little. But I think
that's dope, though, because what makes us connect to an
artist more is when it's real life things. Yeah. Absolutely,
(16:08):
so when you're talking about your real situations and do
you consider yourself to be a private person because people
always like black it's very private. It seemed like, yeah,
I like it that way. I like to like keep
some of my stuff in tact because it's just it's wild,
Like the Internet is wild, like people's opinions are flying
every second of the day. I'm not trying to be
in the mix up at all. I've had a couple
(16:29):
of moments where it's gotten a little bit too hot,
and I've been like, see, that's why I don't go
out too much. That's why I don't like converse with
too many people. But I like to keep it safe.
I have a daughter. I like to keep her safe,
and I'm gonna keep it that way and try and
like have that respect, like intact as long as I can.
I was reading the comments on one of your videos
with your recent video, and it was they were to
talk about how problematic you are and how you just
(16:51):
need minding your business and making your hear. I'm glad
they know. I was just trying to think, like, I
don't feel like we ever really did any stories about Jasmine.
Sometimes people feel like they need a scandal, though, right,
because there's people who and you do mention like a
Chris Shawn and blue face, but you know there's people
who feel like things like that is what keeps them
in the mix. No, there's been times where we've been
(17:12):
on the road where it's almost gotten to that point
and I've been like, yeah, we gotta tighten it up
right right. I remember one time we were in Denver
and there was somebody who was like infamous rapper seeker.
She's coming to the show. I know she's coming. She's
in my DMS unapproved, but I can see her and
she's like, what's going on? What time? Da da da?
I'm gonna be there, And I'm like, everybody makes sure
(17:33):
she doesn't get in the show. Form a wall. Yeah.
I'm literally like we we all agreeing, like we were
gonna we're gonna turn the other way. We're not gonna
pay no attention. And literally I'm in sound check and
she is walking through the building and I'm like, wow,
forming a wall, And that's what I was like. I'm like, cool,
slipped up, Like who who didn't follow the rules? Somebody
didn't follow the rules. Somebody was more thirsty than they
(17:53):
were like with the homies, And I'm like, all right.
He ended up getting kicked off toward too, because that
got out of here. Yeah, you can't have you gotta
have the right people around you. That. Yeah. She later
on like a year later one on somebody else who's
like a platform and told him a lot about like
doing something with me because she did something with that guy,
and I'm like, so you weren't thinking, like I knew
that would even and talk back to my name, and
(18:15):
she tried it, but we walked that out. Quit walked
that out. And I also, so you said that talk
back is one of your favorite songs on the new album,
and that's kind of what you listen to to give
you that confidence that you need. So, I because I
never felt like people talk crazy about you. I feel
like a lot of people are black fans because you
(18:35):
also are able to I think, maneuver through a lot
of different genres too, but it also feels very authentic.
You know, how is it for you experimenting in different
sounds of music? Do you feel like comfortable doing that?
Do you feel like your fans are like, now, we
want you to stay in this space. I'm gonna do
whatever I want all the time, always, always, I like
to make music that is parallel with how I feel.
(18:57):
So if it feels acoustic one day, if it feels
rap one day, if it feels r and B, if
it feels like a ballot, I'm just gonna go wherever
the music takes me. Because you know, you started off
as a battle rapper, which I think is crazy because
I don't know if people really know that. For it
was always black. Yeah, my name has been black since
middle school. It's been the same, spelled the same, always
been that, and you can when people call you six lack.
(19:18):
I don't hate it. It comes with the territory and
it makes for good merch and good conversation. It translates
if we put it in the song. I'll put it
in the song. It's there. I'm not mad at it
at all. So have you had some famous battles. I've
had famous battles within my school system and my county.
(19:39):
There's there's a video clip of me and Thug rapping
UM outside of like one of the video shoots UM,
But that wasn't more so like a battle. Those are
like time periods in Atlanta where if anybody was having
a video shoot, like rich Kids, Young, the Travis Porter,
Me and the people that I was with would just
pull up and all be wearing like our merch where
the same thing and really just try and like make
(20:01):
our presence known because we was coming up and that
was the best way to do it is just pull
up and start rapping. What made you switch it up.
Battle rappers struggle with making great songs. I don't care. Yeah,
I don't care how they try to defend nah. Battle
rappers struggle with making good songs. And honestly, in my opinion,
I think that battle rapper is painting a picture with
(20:22):
a lot of words, and songwriting is painting that same,
like exact type of picture, but compressed with as little
words as you need. So like getting things cut down
to like what you actually need is I guess it's
just a little bit more difficult than most people think.
It helps you with your writing process, I bet too. Yeah, absolutely,
my vocabulary and every like all the metaphor is everything
that I need I got from battle rap and now
(20:43):
I can just compress it into song writing for now.
We saw that Joe Button was talking about you. He
said he was a big fan of your first album.
He said the second album was cool, and then but
then he was also saying that he thought it wasn't
a great idea for you to just come out right
now without a proper setup. He said, career so side
but something like that. How do he know what was
the proper set up for me? Black announced that his
(21:05):
album is dropping next month. I love Black, and I'm
totally open to being wrong with this take, but I
think this is career suicide for him. I'm aware that
I may be triggered because of things that have happened
in my career, But when the New Regime got the
Deaf Jam and they just said we're putting Joe album
out next week or next month, and there was no
(21:26):
preparation for it. Now where I'm black and I get
nervous is they're coming off Summer Walker, who has skyrocketed.
They're coming off division, and I don't want to talk
about him like his first two albums are platinum projects,
so he could be the guy that could just coast
to a platinum project. If this project come out and
do bad with bad music and a bad single, it
(21:49):
will be very tough for him to recover, and it'll
be even tougher for the label to continue to pay
attention to him. With Summer Walker doing what she's doing night,
how would he ever know that's that's for me to
do term. And so if I'm at a point in
my life where I felt like this is how I
want to present myself, if I've been doing like everything
and I feel it's necessary to do it. And if
the people who I actually like got with me are
(22:10):
with me, then it's it's looking great, it's feeling great. Yeah,
because it's not like you haven't been putting out music.
You've also done a lot of guest appearances. That and
then also the EP. You know absolutely, and you also
put out a line of hot sauce. You know, I
love some hot sauce. Yeah, I think so random, but
I mean, but I'm from Atlanta and I love hot sauce.
Birl y'all love hot wings. This was I was on
(22:33):
what's the craziest What's the craziest thing you put on?
You put hot sauce one growing up? I mean I
really did put it on everything. So I would put
it on my vegetables because I didn't like vegetables. That's
so if my mom was making broccoli, I'll be like,
I don't really want broccoli. Whatever was gonna help me
eat it? Okay, what about now? Now I've chilled out
(22:53):
because my voice can't. Oh yeah, take that much and
make sure you wash your hands a really good after
you have hot sauce, because you know, I want to
get into that woman, and because I know somebody that
happened to Wait, where are you going with that? Somewhere
you don't want to, but I know somebody who got
burned because a guy had hot suce under his nails,
And god, wait, I mean it's just that I'm just
(23:15):
wordy at the table still now I think he sometimes
there's a little hot size. He must have been even
some it was still a little bit under his nail.
Out of your your new project, what was the hardest
song for you to write? It's a little bit weird
because it's it sounds like such an easy song, but
(23:36):
Spirited Away on the project was a little bit difficult
to finish, and only because I love the production of
it so much that I didn't know how I wanted
to approach it. So I had the beat and I
had maybe the first verse, and I sat with it
for months. I even sent to a couple of other
people to help me out, and nothing was really clicking.
And then in the last maybe like month of finishing
(23:56):
up the project, that song finally came through and ended
up it was close to the original way that I
had it. That's a beautiful song. It's it's short though, right, yeah,
super short, and yeah, it's really like that song I
made when I had a little bit of mushrooms one
night when I was in the studio. Yeah, people used
to be so like, shame you about mushrooms. I've been
(24:18):
doing mushrooms, right, go ahead, you tell your story now
what I'm saying, I've done it, like since I was
That was one thing because I don't even really smoke
weed that much or anything, but I do like shrooms,
and I do feel like I like the fact that
I don't feel anything afterwards, like when it goes through
my system, I'm just fine afterward. Ye, not for sure.
And that was a night where it was I was
watching the movie Spirited Away. I had a little bit
(24:40):
to just like highten the little creative process, and like
I said, I got out that first portion of the song,
and then I reached a stopping point where I was like,
I don't know where I want to go next, and
then my thoughts trailed off into something else, and then
it just sat for a few months, And sometimes that's
the best way. Yeah, And then you also redid um
Umi says, I thought that was a beautiful rendition of
(25:01):
that song because that is a really classic song. It
made me want to go back. It made me go
back and listen to most steps original version of that.
So what did he say when he hears I got
As long as I got the nod from him, I'm good. Yea, yeah,
as long as I got the nod from him, I'm good.
I'm happy. He liked it. I loved it. It It was
fun to make forward slash who Ep the new album
(25:21):
helped me produce that one, and yeah, it's a favorite.
And during the pandemic, I know that. Um, you know
you were dealing with a lot mentally too during that time,
just seeing everything that was going on. So is that
when you decided, like I have to do things that
are that make a change. I saw you said you
felt like things. Maybe we're a little bit shallow. Yeah,
I mean I think more than anything, like everybody went
(25:43):
through something during the pandemic, My version of it was
really holding myself accountable and realizing that, yeah, I have
this mission and I have like this idea of what
I want to do for other people as far as
like my music goes. But in order to do that,
I have to do the work myself on myself, and
I wasn't doing that work as much as I was
claiming to do that work or like making songs about
(26:05):
doing that work. It's like talking about it but not
really like living it as much as you can. So
I had to, like I said, start therapy, get back
into my routines, and really just like treat myself with
respect in order to get to the point where I
can be as creative as I want to be. How
do you treat yourself with respect? What does that mean?
Set a routine for yourself, stick to it as much
as you can. When you inconsistent, don't be too hard
(26:27):
on yourself, just pick it back up. Have the hard
conversations that you've been avoiding. Stop lying about small things.
Yeah yeah, And honestly, for me, it's like I would
make things get they would feel so intense, but only
because the build up was just like irresponsible. It's like,
if I'm thinking about something that I don't want to
(26:48):
talk about, it might live with me for a couple
of days and then on Wednesday, I'm like, well, I
got to do this today. So if saying on Friday,
and then on Friday, I'm like, well, I'm not feeling
good today, so I say it on Monday and then
it ends up popping up on Tuesday and another way,
and now it's not a conversation anymore. It's an argument.
I'm like, I can't keep allowing like things to just
like fester and grow when I'm really just hyping it
(27:09):
up more than it has to be honest, Right, it's
a lot quicker sometimes when you just face things head on.
Also saying no, that things too. Sometimes it's very therapeutic, absolutely,
because I'd be trying to do everything. Yeah, don't enough,
and sometimes I got to be like, all right, I
gotta be honest. I can't. Do you have a father
saying no? It don't feel like it. It does not no,
not like I don't, I don't. I don't. What about
(27:31):
to your daughter, No, I mean I don't. She don't
get everything she want, but she sicks right now, Yeah,
I don't. I don't have an issue saying no to
her because she I'm I guess something. She understands the
type of parent I am. So it's not like you're
not about to get over on me. But I'm also
not about to like hurt your feelings in the process
of telling you know, like, we have good conversations and
I'll let her know if you don't like this. You
(27:53):
can feel it out. If you want to cry, you
can cry. If you want to go upstairs, take a break.
Go take a break. When you're ready to get back
to like normals, then come on down. That's very mature.
My parents definitely never talk to me like that. It
helps you process motions and stuff too, And it's no point.
I mean, it's a kid they're learning. I was out
at lunch one time and I was talking to my
(28:13):
mom and in the midst of talking to my mom,
I see her in my peripherals and I see her
like knock over a glass of water, And as she
knocks it over, I just like pick it up, and
I just keep talking to my mom while I'm cleaning
it up. And my sister's like, you didn't even like
say nothing to her. I'm like, what am I supposed
to say? Yeah, like you act like she just did.
Like moments like those like just reassure me that I
(28:35):
am doing the right thing, and that that would have
been so much more dramatic for me as a kid.
I would have went home feeling like I'm about to
move out because this lady and said the wrong thing.
Does she know you're famous? My daughter. Yeah, yeah, she do.
She hears like stuff on the radio, or she hears anytime,
like my voice is coming through the speakers and she's like,
that's Papa song or stay you know it's daddy. So
(28:57):
she she knows. She's been to a couple of festivals,
a couple of but I think now is probably the
most to where she is. So when I go on
this next tour, it'll probably be like the most special
as far as like her coming out. Tell us about
the tour, Oh yeah, this fall, I believe October Q
three regardless, And for me, it's a special tour because
(29:19):
one I am going to be playing a little bit
of guitarist time, okay, so that'll be a new element
added to the show. He I've never done instruments on stage,
but I'll be doing that. And I think this album
in general is more catered to like a live show.
I think it is a live experience. And in addition
to this album and what it is going to do
for us on the road, it'll be a combination of
free black of el and a love letter and then
(29:41):
get into the newest story. Yes, since I do you
I was going to say, do you feel the excitement
from people because once you said it was coming out,
I saw it was, and then you put out two
songs you know, right away, and people are very receptive,
loving it. The visuals too, by the way, that seems
like that's something that's really important. How involved are you
with the directions of the videos. You seem like a
hands on person. This is the most involved that I've
(30:03):
ever been. Like, I've always had to say so, I
always had ideas to share it, We've always figured out
everything together. But this time around, I got with this guy,
Adrian Martinez, and we really just sat down and outlined
the whole entire project before it was finished. We were like,
these are the colors that we want to go with,
These are the types of pictures that we want to
take in the photo shoot. This is what we want
to do for the music video. This is how we
want to gut out the tour. We outlined everything, put
(30:25):
it on a move board. Had however, many meetings that
we had, and now we're at the part where we
can actually see it and it's like we did that.
I was gonna ask what's the best part of touring?
The best part of touring is seeing how the music
impacts people. Every show that I have feels like some
kind of like exchange, some kind of like almost like ceremony.
(30:47):
It's not like it's not really just for fun. Like
people come out to really like get it off. And
if it's an old relationship that had them in a
bad place, they're expressing. If it's a new relationship that
makes them feel good, they're expressing. So it's always good
to just like see how it impacts people, and to
see what parts of songs like people resonate with the most,
and to see, you know, some people cry, some people laugh,
(31:09):
some people hug. It's hardly ever any fights, maybe like
two fights, and all the history of my shows, we'll
be asking on stage. I like, how are y'all fighting? Right? Yeah?
One time they fought during the ballot? Oh my god, sire,
I was confused. We were overseas and that's why that's
why I had nothing to do. Yeah, they were already
(31:30):
marching too. I'm just like y'all jumping around and there's
no drums in it. Just so how you feeling now?
You been going to therapy. You got a relationship that's
making you a better person that you feel like is
a healthy relationship, right, and you cross that line from
friendship to now relationship. That's a big responsibility on youtubebs
(31:52):
because going back up, yeah, no, we're good though, Like
it's it's it's always been like a good thing. I've
always known exactly like who I wanted to be with
and to get this everyday practice with this person specifically,
it's just been beneficial like this whole entire time, Like
there haven't been, like I said that many people to
check me and to help me out in that type
(32:13):
of way. So to have somebody who was already good
on their own and will always be good on their
own inspired me to want to be better on my own.
It's like, okay, of course we make a good couple
because look at you, look at me and together, look
at us, y'are already complete. Yeah, look at us. It
was marriage something that you ever think about or is
that not for you? Yeah, we're not. Like however we
do it. Whenever we do it, there's no like crazy
(32:34):
weight on it, like we got to do it by
this time and in this way. I was thinking about
it the other day. I was I was thinking that
I would like for my next child to be able
to be at a wedding. Okay, so that's like one idea.
I would love to have a kid there and able
to feel and see what's going on. So what age
is that, maybe like three come down that would be
the flower girl. Yeah, something like that could participate. That
(32:57):
would be fun. So that was one conversation out of
heart recently. We don't have like any specific way that
we have to do it. We'll try to do it
as customizing as us as we can. We Well, we
love to hear it, and I'm so glad that you
came up here and way up with Angela. Yee. Really
my first time talking to black but I'm some real
I'm a huge fan of yours and so I'm really
happy for this new album. We got it like yesterday,
(33:19):
so we've been sitting with it. And oh and I
did want to say I love the campaign that you
did with the water Boys in Atlanta. Whose idea was
that where you had them given out on Valentine's a flowers?
The Gang LBR they are marketing masters. I'm so nice.
Seawan Tuonday, Justice Carlin, like Junior, they have always been
like the driving force behind a lot of the creative
(33:41):
things that we've done. Together. We get in rooms and
we figure out like what's the coolest ideal and whose
idea is the weakest, and why is that week? Wow? Yeah,
we debate about it, but that's the way that you
like come up with that. It's okay, but idea it's
not good at might exactly an another plan. But that's
nice because I feel like those kids get a really
bad rap. Two. Absolutely they do. And I mean it's
(34:02):
been times where I've had to tell them, like, bro
back up, I got a kid in the car, don't
be walking up. But it was cool for them to
do something where it wasn't about them like getting paid,
even though you know they taken care of but they
were giving out things to people that day and it
made people feel good. And it was also a good
activation for fans to know, like, okay, music is coming back.
Are you gonna do something with them again? Yeah? Absolutely, okay,
(34:23):
absolutely great, Right, well, we love that. This is amazing.
Thank you so much for coming through. We're definitely coming
to the ty said it starts in October. Yeah, all right,
I'm in there. I got you. We're gonna start a fight.
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah. How can we find you
on social media show. If you want to find me, uh,
(34:45):
you can catch me at six L A c K.
That's everywhere on Twitter, Instagram, website, all at um. You know,
as much as I give you, don't step any further
than that. Don't ask about things that that ain't on
the table. And if you like, we gotta live. Yeah, yeah,
that's that's about it. He washes his fingers with that.
Oh yeah, yeah yeah. Stream that, stream that by that,
(35:07):
buy music by music streaming. It's fun and it's great,
but but buy some of that music too, all right? Good?
Anything else? Anything else? All right? Clack six lack, Thank
you so much for coming to really appreciate, you know,
for real, and congratulations on this new album. Like you said,
oh and man, the way that you start off the album.
The people are thirsty. But it felt like, did you
(35:27):
feel a little bit nervous to put this out or
to put out another project because it's been for a
full feature projects. It was less like I didn't feel
like nerves. It was more just like, like I said,
just a responsibility to myself to really speak to where
I'm at in my journey and for the album to
be as honest and as current as it is for me,
(35:48):
and getting to that point was a little bit difficult
as far as like the creation process went, but as
far as like the people who are waiting, Um, I
do feel like I've built a core who is understanding
and patient enough to just be ready whenever I'm ready.
All right, We're ready, all right, Black, Thank you so much,
thank you. Wherea
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Angela Yee
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Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.