October 27, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode of We Need To Talk, Nyla Symone sits down with Ruben Vincent and legendary producer 9th Wonder to unpack the creative journey behind their collaborative album, Welcome Home. The conversation explores the deep bond between artist and mentor, revealing how authenticity, faith, and brotherhood shaped both the music and their growth as individuals. Ruben and 9th share insight into their creative process, the storytelling behind the project, and the lessons learned along the way. They also reflect on the evolution of hip-hop, the importance of cultural integrity, and how legacy drives their purpose. This inspiring dialogue offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly means to create timeless music with meaning. Tune in and comment in the socials below.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to we need to talk with production of the
Black Effect Podcast Network. What's going on, guys, and welcome
to another episode we need to talk And today we
got very special guests in the building. We got Ruben
Vincent in ninth wonder here.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:17):
What's happening going on?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Why y'all acting so stiff and stale, like y'all don't
know me?
Speaker 4 (00:22):
What nobody doing that?
Speaker 5 (00:23):
You want to reshine? We're trying to be profound. We
now you wanna start to interview only we can we
can go like we know.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
You no, this is this is good.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Okay, So how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm great, I'm just teasing you, guys.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm really excited and I'm really proud of the project
that you guys put together with Welcome Home. And I
know this is the first project, Ruben, that you produced
with ninth And honestly, I have a lot of questions
for ninth and I have a lot of questions for
you guys individually, but I'm gonna start with ninth.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Ninth.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
When you found Ruben at.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Thirteen, what was it about him that drew you to him?
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Well, the first thing was the guy that tweeted you
know send me the tweet said I don't have a
dog in this fight. And usually when people say that
they got somebody that wrapped, it's usually a cousin or
a brother or a sister or somebody trying to help out.
But this guy said, I don't even know this kid.
You should listen to him. And so when I clicked
(01:20):
on his name, it was east side of Down. I
don't even know what that's about, and s was a
dollar signe. I was like, okay, but when I clicked
on it it was I was just amazed. He was
so young and just you know, he was cut from
the cloth. And so he came to the studio. I
was in Germany at the time when I sent him
(01:42):
an inbox and he answered back and the first thing
I said was where's your parents?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Straight like that right, So where's your parents?
Speaker 5 (01:50):
So his mom got on and we talked and I said,
can you bring him up to my studio on two weeks?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
She said cool.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So when I got back, they came up to the
studio and there's a picture that exists with him sitting
down in front of me for the first time and
he I said, man, what you want to eat? He said, man,
I want some pop tarts and some strawberry nests.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
The quick I was like, I used to love.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
I'm like, okay, okay, cool. So we got that done,
and his mom she gonna care more tell the story.
I know exactly what you're talking about. His mom's like,
can I talk to you in the back for a minute.
I said, all right, cool. So we went to the
back studio and she asked me, she said, is my
son really good? I said, I'm not gonna make any
(02:37):
promises to you, ma'am. And I'm saying, man, but me
and are the same age. I said, I'm not gonna
make any promises you, ma'am. But at the same time,
he'll make some money off this game. I don't know
how much it's gonna be, but he'll make some money.
He's that good. And she you know, she's from Liberia,
she said, iving and she has an accent. And she said,
as long as he doesn't talk about on the song
(02:59):
suck Mike pen there, say anything like that, we'll find.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was like, this ain't that type of rap camp.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
So we got started and he recorded the first song.
He recorded a song called Extraterrestrial, and that weekend he
did what with thirteen songs yet nine song.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Beat on a machine that I ain't never even touched him.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
He never touched the machine.
Speaker 5 (03:26):
He made a song beating a song called Saturday Fy,
and it kind of went from there and he skipped
like every since then, he skipped like spring break. He
was at the studio summers. He's at the studio spring
break like this one all the way through fourteen fifteen.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
But I still hadn't signed him yet.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
So I didn't sign him until his voice change and
he got in high school and got in the floor
in high school because I didn't want to take the
whole approach of we're gonna take the the child the
star thing.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I want him to.
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Have a childhood, teenage years, all of that. So we
signed him at sixteen. Still he was still trying to
figure it out. I think one summer he came down,
did you did you work at the grocery store? What
did you work? He worked at the Chick fil A
for a summer. He said, Man, I'm just come down
there and just work at Chick fil A. And I'm
gonna just you worked at chick lay. He ain't never
(04:21):
bring nobody no fleetfood.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
I'm sing my.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Bet, they don't only gave me one free meal, that's right.
So then he came. He came up every summer and
just skipped hanging out the summer with his friends. He
would rather be in the studio. And the first couple
of times his mom came with him when he was thirteen,
but after which he started to come by himself, come
up by himself, and he recorded all these songs. The
(04:45):
Ruben Vincent thirteen year old a six year old vault
is immense. But not one song did he cuss in
a song. He did not curse in a song, and
he did not say the word nigga. And I was
like wow. As soon as he turned eight. The day
he turned eighteen, boy, it was it was like it
was up. It was up with the cursed words and
(05:06):
vira whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
You know.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
I wasn't tripping, but I just thought that was dope
for him to do that. And then we signed the deal.
Jamla signed the deal at when he turned twenty one,
and then it's been on ever since. So that's kind
of our eight year journey. He went to college for
a year. I said, look here, look here, man, you
(05:28):
going to school, whether you stay in school, or not.
You gotta go to school at least experience it. He
went for a year and he said, Man, I talked
to my mom, I'm talking to you.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
I'm dropping out.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
I said, okay, you talking to a college dropout, So okay,
And so it has been.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
On ever since.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Let's talk about just how you run Jammler, because I mean, obviously,
outside of like soul for production, you guys move like
a unit and a family. And I do really admire
how you give your artist a free them to create
and be themselves. You know, some labels aren't that.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Nice, you know, for like self expression.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
But what is your why behind that?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
For me, I never expected to be you know, people
will watch me now and say, oh, you're not wona
blah blah blah. I never expected to be in this
game anyway, Like that was not my on my life path.
And my family doesn't have any history of knowing how
the music business runs right. And then most people that
get into the music business, they end up doing things
(06:35):
to people that was done to them. It's like a
repeating process. It's like a rite of passage, whether right
or wrong. For me, that never happened for me, so
I had no litmus test or anything how this things
was supposed to go. So for me and my artists,
like for even when we say I signed Ruben, Ruben
(06:57):
did not get on paper with me until he turned
twenty one. I've never had an artist that I signed
to a piece of paper. Because my thing is, if
you want to leave, then I'm not listen. Man, that's
not my thing. That's never been my thing, because you
know how this business can be. It's about control, it's
about this and that, and I'm like, man, that's.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
What it is. That's what it is. You want to
leave only, that's fine. But for me, I couldn't sleep
at night pretty much.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
And maybe that's I know, we all know the industry
doesn't work like that. I have counterparts that they run
their business is totally different. But for me, I just
never ran it like that. And for better or for worse,
it's worked for me so and it's especially work for him,
(07:46):
and I didn't want him. My My goal is too,
when this thing is going and blah blah blah, the
third world goes on its own, that's the goal. Like,
because I ain't trying to do this forever, you know,
what I'm not trying to, you know, bring in, bringing
in new artists, you ring new artists, and and I'm
being We talked about this before, I said two three
(08:06):
more years.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I was done. It was over for me.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
And here he comes and he's like, man, were just
gonna do this whole project, and now it's turned into this,
and I'm like, uh so, you know, I've always tried
to run it like that. Sometimes families break up, sometimes
people wander off and come back home, That's how it is.
But I just always wanted to be abe. We wanted
(08:32):
to sleep at night. I want to sleep at night
knowing I did the best I could, knowing I gave
as much as I possibly could because it ain't about me.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I got mine.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
I tell my artists all the time, and I got mine, bro,
I got Mine's few times I.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Have mine, and it's up to you.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
And and that's how I made her to stay blessed
in this keep great relationships through the game. It ain't
a whole lot of people walking around through the game
like my name come up and room and say I
can't stand it, Like nah, that's never made my thing.
And that's that's what that's what works for me.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
So, yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
You have a great standing name and speaking of people
wondering off and coming back home, Rubin, I've interviewed you
per every project that you dropped, probably except for Boy
Meets World, but I will say this project is by
far my favorite, for many reasons, one being oh my god,
I did not mean like that.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
We're gonna talk about that man.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
For many reasons, but in particular, it's just the perfect
marriage between you and Nine's production.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
But talk to me, why welcome Home?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
It's a lot of I think the title has multiple meanings.
Speaker 6 (09:40):
Obviously, you know it's our return, you know, me and Knife,
you know, getting the full circle moment to do this
project together. But then also too, it's like a return
back to self, into the core of who you are.
I feel like, you know, one thing I'm grateful for,
like he said, is everything he just said about me,
not you know, signing paperwork till we ink the with
the joint deal with Rock and you know him just
(10:03):
always you know, being in my corner. But one thing
he did also to which I'm grateful for now in hindsight,
which once I signed, he allowed me to go learn,
He allowed me to go travel see the world, see
how the industry works, and then come back to him like.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yo, there's some stuff here that I ain't really.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Like it, you know what I mean? Like you know this,
this is what I really don't like. And you know,
I'm gonna be real. And there's a lot of times
where I would go out there and people will say
stuff to me like, Yo, the music you make ain't
gonna work, and you know you need to do these
type of records and do this type of records and
do this blah blah blah, or try to put me,
you know, in the studio with certain producers that ain't
(10:44):
making the beats that necessarily came to the Ruben Vincent.
Like you can't come to a studio session making a
little dirt type beat for Ruben Vincent, you know what
I mean. And that's no shade a little dirt. But
it's just I'm a different artist, you know what I mean.
And I feel like, you know, dealing with all of
that and seeing what the industry was and you know,
balancing out who I was. I think in this album,
I was comfortable in my identity.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
It was fun. It wasn't a lot of old.
Speaker 6 (11:09):
Eight like overthinking of like, oh, what should this be
and how should I should I make this type of record?
It was like, no, we're just making records. The only
time we were thinking, and which wasn't even a crazy overthought,
was more so when we were picking records and we
had like sixty songs to choose from, you know what
I mean. But it's because I kept recording, you know
what I mean. But you know, I think it's that.
(11:30):
And then also to just you know, it's a love
letter to home, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Like when you.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
Listen to the album, it starts off with me talking
about got to get it and hustle culture and ABCD
and all of that stuff, but then coming to a
point of like returning to self love and you know,
loving who I am and being comfortable with my own skin.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
So yeah, I definitely want to do a deep dive
into the project. But before I do that, I do
want you guys to kind of just talk about how
important brotherhood is because I feel like a pair like
you two is rare and kind of the first one
that I've seen, like OG and you know, a young.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Mwaiim young man. Yeah, not a y n a young man,
I am, yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Am, but OG and a YM collaborating together. Just talk
to me about the bond that you guys have.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
We're both capricorns.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Oh my god.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Yes, that explained it.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
You know, cats running packs, Capricorns running packs.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
We shared jwings. You know, depends on what you believe.
Jesus capricorn.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
So here we go.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
What, yes, you know what you believe? You know some
people say scepting.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
But anyways, all I'm saying is listen like me and him,
Mary J. Blige, J Slick, Rick Martin, Luther King, leve
what we're talking about. I mean, well, all day, be
all day with this, Okay, Nah, man, It's just you know,
he regardless of what, he's a North Carolina boy, and
(13:00):
that's the most important. He's a North Carolina boy. We
grew up kind of the same way. I'm from Winston Salem.
He's from Charlotte. He's kind of like the you know,
the boy next door type. Like you know, we ain't
from the street, were from the sidewalk, were adjacent to
the street.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
We know people in the street.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
But you know, somebody in the street was telling us
to go home, and I and I and I knew
that when I talked to his mom about him, you
know what I mean. His mom's a guard fearing person,
so us my mom. Like they've never met, but I
promise you they ever meet, and they and the Bible
comes out brus up, it's up. It's just you know,
(13:42):
And I think all of that comes into it. And
he found out he found hip hop in the most
unconventional way and so did I, and I think that's
those are the things they kind of joined us together
and just the way we think everything, like it's just it's.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Just right on time.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
And it kind of shows people that, you know, maybe
see this that the relationship that people my age can
have with some like as you said, as they say
the Waiians, you know what I mean, Like that's not
always the case. And I've been teaching for the last
nineteen years, so I kind of know how to communicate
with the generation two generations behind me now.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Most cast my age can't.
Speaker 5 (14:24):
So I think that helps too to understand how what
he's seeing. But he's different though, he's seen what your
average twenty four year old has seen, but he's beyond
this year, so I can have different conversations with him.
And please don't let me leave out the tulage of
young Guru either to have me on the east coast
(14:47):
of him leaving me and going with Guru and staying
with Guru on the west coast. That's kind of a
thing that if you talk to most young men, they
don't have that. They don't have that kind of not
necessarily old dudes trying to tell him what to do,
but kind of like guidance, you know what I mean,
And we you know, have that. But again, thanks to
(15:09):
his father, his father, he has no problem listening to
older men. Most young cats don't like listening to older
men because they ain't never had no older man around
him telling anything, and they've been the man in their
household since they've been eleven so and I get that too.
But that's how we're able to get along. We're able
to listen to the same kind of type of music,
(15:32):
the vibes of the music. And it's when he came
back to North Carolina and he came to the studio
and he said, yo, man, I went to see the
Parral movie. I said, oh, yeah, what's your name? He said, man,
I ain't know they I ain't know. Forarrel was in
the tribe and that was it. And I'm a child
(15:54):
of a tribe called Quest and that just kind of
from that moment until we did in my life was
a deep dive of what that feeling is of all aspects, videos, movies, everything,
and that's what it turned into. And so you know,
he right there right along with me. He's me when
I was twenty four.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
Pretty much, I ain't got nothing else to say, he said, Yeah,
I said, said exactly what I would have said. You know,
I'm a student of and even like just to piggy
off what he's saying, like going and seeing the Pharial movie,
I saw a lot of myself and certain Thingsharrel was saying,
like him saying, like yo, my parents was big in
(16:36):
the church, and you know they made sure I always prayed.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
And then he was.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
Talking about like yo, I listened and used to listen
to Tribe Heavy and like I'm like yo. Like when
I was thirteen, one of the first two albums that
Knife made me study when I was on the team
was basically Midnight Marauders and and it was a I
(16:59):
think it was a day Stakes is High.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
He told me to listen, Stakes is High and.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
Midnight Marauders, and I remember even before then, I was
already like on that type of way, but I remember
after studying those you know, I don't know if you've
ever seen an interview Lauren Hill was like yo, when
she was a kid, she used to lay on her
floor and like go to sleep to certain albums. Those
were the albums I used to fall asleep too. And
then add late Registration to that. And Kanye is a
(17:23):
child of native tongues, you know what I mean, And
you know, just seeing the lineage and you can even
name a coole and you know even now with Tyler
and stuff like that, like these are children of native tongues,
and I'm exactly in that.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Realm, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
And I know Earl just did an interview where he
talked about Dayla and you know, being a chill guy,
you know what I mean. But that's exactly what you know,
I represent. And I think I feel like that's you know,
like he said, he comes from that, you know what
I mean. And just seeing how like minded we both are,
you know, in that realm, it's it just made the
synergy much better.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
I think a lot of people when they hear like, oh,
Nfe Wonder and Ruben Vincent are doing an album. They're
expect thing like a boom Back Conscious project. Yeah, does
that offend you guys?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Man?
Speaker 6 (18:07):
I just think people no offense to nobody, but people slow,
you know what I mean? Like, I just think people
be slow, you know, cause it's like and that's that's
the thing why I'm even today where I said what
I said on my account on my story, where I
was like to anybody who doubted me, you know, I
don't even really talk like that, you know, like except
(18:28):
out in private probably, but you know, I don't really
talk like that outwardly. But I had to say that
because I felt like there's been years, years of constantly
I hear people saying, man, the music that you make
ain't gonna work. You know, you need to switch up
your sound. You need to do it, or put me
in a box of boom Back or put me in
a box of quote unquote conscious, where that's not necessarily me.
(18:49):
I'm just giving you the black experience. And another thing
that I in the Knife knows this because like he said,
we have a vault, not even just from me being
thirteen to sixteen, but just from thirteen to twenty four.
You know what I mean of like me writing real
songs and really coming up with hooks and being melodic,
and you know, also adding verses in there, and I
(19:12):
think you know in those Obviously, when I first got
in the game, I still wanted to prove that I
could rap, because I wanted to solidify myself as that.
But I feel like this go round, I was like yo,
this me and him was both in agreeance of Like, Yo,
it's not about to be a whole bunch of rippity
raps on here, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
It's gonna be depth to the music.
Speaker 6 (19:29):
It's still gonna be lyricism and word playing metaphors, but
we're gonna be making real songs.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
And I didn't want us.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
To do an album where it's just a whole bunch
of beats and then I'm just rapping for thirty two
to sixty four bars, like you know, that's not gonna
get us nowhere.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
You know what I'm saying, I come again.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
Just as much as I'm a student of native tongues,
I am a student of real songwriter. And I listened
to the Stevie Wonders, the DeAngelo's, the Michael Jackson's you
know what I'm saying all of these people, and you
know he knows this like no nobody else. Like early
when I first started coming to studio, I started writing
hooks and being melodic, and you know, I felt like
I didn't get to really show that starting off. So
(20:08):
I feel like this project, I wanted to show the
full fledge or the artist that I am.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
I feel like that sway through Sale you did toministrate
rapping don't got.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
To prove for nobody.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
I was it, like, yeah, I was about to say.
After I did that, I was like, Okay, I'm done.
I don't have to prove y'all. I rap no more.
Because that was a goal for me to do the
Five Fingers of Death, and that was after Generated Mission drop.
So once we did that, and ironically, like you said,
the timeline matches up, I had did that and then
I went back home and then Welcome Home came out.
But I mean we worked on Welcome Home, but I
(20:39):
after I did the sway, I.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Said, I don't got a prove to y'all no more.
I can rap. I just showed y'all for ten minutes.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
You know, yeah, yeah, yeah, probably that's Diabolical my favorite.
But let's talk about just the process of creating Welcome Home.
I want to say I love the SOFO samples, some
of my favorite ones. I mean, wait, there's actually a lot,
but let's start with day by Day because I know
(21:04):
there was a version of the tape that you guys
did at first, yes, and then you guys cooked up
this final project in between the first version to the
second version. Ruben, I know you moved to Raleigh, slept
in the studio, did a whole three sixty in.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Your life acts. Let's talk about that because I saw
the Instagram posts that.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
You put up. Yeah saw, Okay, whatever, Okay, go ahead,
answer the question.
Speaker 6 (21:33):
Okay, well, yes, I did move to Raleigh, we're sleeping
in the studio, and we did have an album at first,
which was great, you know what I mean. And day
by Day is one of the original songs to test.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
The time, so glad it made it.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
There's a few that I feel like really should be
on there, but I'm not gonna do it.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I mean, you got a lot of great songs. It
just was just back and forth.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
I can't even you know, but I think during the
period of me staying there, I had a lot of
chant just happened, you know what I mean, in my life,
you know, just I was really it was really coming
of age, really, you know what I mean. I was
stepping out of my mom's crib. And then you know,
I was also like, yo, I'm moving. You know what
I'm saying, It's time for me to move and kind
(22:13):
of get my own spot and you know, really step
into my own independency. So I feel like you saw
that transition in this album, you know what I'm saying,
especially you're hearing the first one from a second one,
and then you know, new things was happening in my life,
new experiences and stuff like that that I was getting
that you know, it was fulfilling me in a different
way than it did when it started the album, and
(22:34):
I was just very very I was seeing a lot
of change happen for me and just coming into manhood,
you know what I mean. And I I just felt like,
you know, I had to showed that out.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Yeah a bro, no, I'm done. I'm okay.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Great.
Speaker 5 (22:55):
So we started the album. Day by Day was one
of the first when he came in said, you know,
the whole the thing about Tribe, I was like, okay,
I know which where we're going. And so day by
Day was a song that i'd heard, the original sample
I heard, I've been playing, playing playing, I said, man,
nobody rapped over this or whatever or even wrapped anythings
(23:16):
this fast or feel like this.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Let's do this.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
So we did that, and so by the end of
December going into January, we thought we were done right,
and then Reuben gave me a few more samples. He said,
I want you to do you know, which ended up
being Sundowntown, which we didn't use. But then we did
that and a couple of more, and so the song
(23:40):
starts to fall off. But and this is this true story.
I'm not trying to be funny. This is true story.
So I certain somebody came down for Dreamville, and I
remember us leaving the ri Now this true story, man.
I remember even a restaurant downtown Raleigh, and it was
(24:05):
me certain somebody Rubin, my label president and vice president.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
We was all eating and Ruben is certain somebody said
were just gonna walk the dream and it's like, okay,
y'all was gonna walk.
Speaker 5 (24:17):
Okay, cool, so we we we me cash un till
just stood on the sidewalk and watched these two people
just walk up the sidewalk like swinging hand. I'm like
everybody was like, oh like it was crazy, like a
like a movie. And I said, all right, man. And
(24:38):
for the thing about me is you kind of got
to meet the artists where they are. And so every
day all come in the studio, man, FaceTime on the phone,
FaceTime on the phone, FaceTime on the phone, FaceTime on
the phone. So I'm like, this is the energy in
the studio. If I was in the studio with somebody
else and you know whatever, the energy may be different.
(25:01):
But with Reuben, it was he coming to what's up
cause smiling, I'm like, yeah, okay, then all right, then
that's where we're at. So I'm like, FaceTime on the phone,
FaceTime on the phone. So I'm I'm now I'm making
beats according to his energy. And the first beat I
made that made the album take the Turn of All Turns,
(25:22):
was the beat for Anything. And I made that beat
and the way he I ain't even gonna mill klama,
spoil you. I said, he doesn't be on the phone
at night. Let's do what I'd been on the phone.
He been on the phone cupcakeing all night long and
I'm like man, and I get it, and I'm like man.
(25:43):
So then after that came a joint called BFF we
didn't use. Then Drea and Sydney came after that. Then
the Maxwell flipped we used that we couldn't clear.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Came after that. They just start coming back to back.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
Next thing, you know, we got ten love songs or
ten songs about embracing black women.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
That's what we got.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
And I noticed from what he was talking about in
the songs it was conversations y'all was having. That's the
best music, man, when you catch people where they are
and they talk about their life. And so it became
a thing of, oh, well, this can't be a whole
love album, you know what I mean, This can be
like some parts. But I mean that's what trib was
(26:25):
that Try bad, Benita Applebam, tryad, hot sex tripad. So
let's relaxation, Try bad these songs, you know what I mean.
Most de had fat Boody, most have had you know,
a bunch of songs like that. Why can't he do
the same thing? And plus that's needed, that's really needed, right,
that's needed for his generation. That's needed and so we
(26:46):
just kind of just leaned into that and wasn't afraid
of it, and so we put out Guy to Get
it first. It's kind of like, Okay, this is our
street singles. I took the idea of the street single,
and I also took the idea of when Lauren did Miseducation.
She put out lost Ones was the first single. The
second single was duop right, and it was like lost
(27:09):
one here just for the street, So I gotta get
it was for the street.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
But then Dread and.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Sydney was like that, and I and everybody ended up
loving it. And like he said, so many people said
to him, ah.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Man, it ain't gonna work. Man, don't nobody want to
hear that.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
Y'all don't know, Like you don't know, like you're discounting
an entire generation of kids or a tired of generation
of young adults that was as hurt about D'Angelo passing
away as we were. So what do you do when
they want to hear that feeling? Because di' angelo even
rol FAILSA dick said, we are influenced by hip hop,
(27:49):
so they influenced by all of us. Are dissentiance of
a trial call quz. So it's like, why steal away
from that and be afraid of that and not be
you know, not be ashamed to be that the wrong
being that we need that, we need that, we need
Ruben as much as we need and being a young boy,
as much as we need Dirk, as much as we
need Gunner, as much as we need everybody that feels
(28:11):
like they ain't on the same side. And the day
I figured that out is when I was in Atlanta
and I was coming out of a hotel and Gucci
Man was walking there. This was years ago, and I said,
what's up, man, what's going on? Man said, what's going
on with you?
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Man?
Speaker 5 (28:28):
I said nothing, Man, he said we should not. I
say ninth one. He was like, oh, what's up baby?
And I looked at him. I was like, you know me,
you know what I mean that Just let me know
the real, recognize real, and no matter what, be yourself
because it's the real ones the street niggas can see
when you knocked yourself and vice versa. So that was
(28:51):
our process for the album. We stuck with it.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
It is.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
It is a complete body of work, and it's something
that's needed and the time of it cannot be more
needed right now than what it is.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
So I will say my favorite part of watching the
album come together was definitely the beat machine.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
The let's go here in the sample.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Like which was an accident?
Speaker 2 (29:18):
That was an accident, an accident.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Yeah, I made the beat for anything, and then he
did the song, and so I just pointed my phone
at the beat machine and said don and then I
just hit record walking down the hall and Ruba just
happened to be sitting in that chair and I put
the camera.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
He said, let's go.
Speaker 5 (29:41):
And so when we did that night, when we put
it up, it went up. That was the same night
we decided to put out.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
To hit Me when you get here.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Yeah, and oh that dropped the same day.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
No, we we were just when it went up, we
was like, yo, we gotta put a mixtape, the mixtape
out here.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
And so might have been the next day, I don't know. Yeah,
but we did that.
Speaker 5 (30:04):
We listened to anything twenty times, yeah, twenty time, like
I don't know what this is, but this is it.
And we kind of went from there and everyone we
did after that. It became a thing because you try
to kind of find stuff, try to find stuff that
kind of like can go viral without trying to be
over Tom and be cheesy. So the next one I did,
let's go eighty thousand views, Let's go seventy thousand views.
(30:28):
Then then when Aben, when ab came to the studio Dreamsville,
he walked in the room, he was like, this the
let's go room.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
This is whay y'all doing it.
Speaker 5 (30:37):
He looked around like, oh, so this is why y'all
doing that, And that was amazing that he did that,
and that just lets me know that something that we
did on accident was working.
Speaker 6 (30:47):
Jed when I saw Jed, he said something to me
about it, about Anything. He was like, yo, I literally
just seen your clip of y'all doing anything joint on Twitter,
and I was like, yeah, you know what I mean.
So it just it started to circuling, you know what
I mean. People are starting to that's I feel like
anything and that's putting out the human when you get
hear a lot of odds started to you.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
No follow Anything is definitely my favorite record on the project.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Anything's really good and so.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
I pray, but I feel like, but my favorite has
changed throughout you know, listening in the process. But oh
I wanted to say, I was actually surprised that you
sampled Don Tolliver and touchdown Teaser, like you're really tapped in.
And I love the fact that you still care. That's
(31:34):
why when you be like, man, I don't know how
much longer I got, it's like.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
You can't help but care.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
I don't even know why you act like you.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Don't nah, And it's funny.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
I end up talking to Teaso touchdown to end up
talking to him. We had a great conversation. Our link
was bun Bee. Who is bun That's what I mean.
Bun is one of them OG's we need Need Need Need.
He knows everybody, He's good with everybody. And he linked
me with Tzo touchdown and also Cardo was also you
(32:08):
know a part of that record that I use, And
me and him did a a KD sneaker together. He
had one and I had one for Nike. So yeah,
it was just listen, it's the feeling, man. And when
I made the beat, Ruben watched me make the beat
and he at the end he was like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Give me that, and so I get and this is
it and it's and it's so funny.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
And he noticed when I say this we once he
got the ritual of him watched me make the beat,
taking it in there to the to the main recording studio,
coming back in there to get me and say I
got some That's we did every song, like every song.
It was a ritual every song.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
So, Rubert, how long does it take you or how
long did it take you to write a record?
Speaker 4 (32:59):
I mean anything I wrote like fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes tops.
You don't take long at all, you.
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Know, especially see it like again, I don't even like
producer sending me beats no more because it's just like
you probably made this beat with somebody else in mind
or somebody else, and you just sending it just to see,
Like I have to sit with you in the studio now,
Like it's just it's became mandatory, you know what I'm saying,
Even before we started this album, because I've been around
(33:25):
him so long and seeing them make beats, it became
that way. But I think with this one why it
didn't take long for me to write it is because
the synergy was just daring. Everything was just like easily,
you know what I'm saying, like starting to formulate in
my mind, especially like songs like Drey and Cinney like
distant Lover. It's like, okay, distant lover, Okay, I can
(33:46):
relate to that, baby, how we're so close but so far,
you know what I mean. It just started to like
easily just and then also too, I feel like when
you start, like he said, when you start to getting
a ritual and consistency, you know what I mean, it
starts to that happened quicker, quicker.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Things happened quicker because now you're in a rhythm, you're
in a flow.
Speaker 6 (34:04):
And like again, we had already been working on the music,
so by the time we got to anything, it just
was like so then after that, just every beat, every beat,
it was just that, it was just that. And I
feel like, you know, it's become that easy to me
because I'm not trying to be something I'm not, you
know what I'm saying. I think a lot of times
artists wrecked their brain because they're trying too hard to
(34:27):
write things that don't necessarily resonate to them or things
that had they not experienced, or they're trying to prove
something or be a certain way, and you don't have
to do that, you know what I mean? And I
think with this project. I think me just talking about
my life and my real human experiences has tooken me
further than me sitting there trying to come up with
(34:48):
a story or a fabricate who I am.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
You know, there's only two beats on it. I'm looking
at the track listening. There's only two beats on this
album that I did that I cooked with Ruben not
being there. Only two. The first one is I ain't
gonna say what you want it is. But one of
them is a rhythm roulette beat that he was on
the way on the way to the studio, yeah, because
I called him and he peeped his head in the
door and he was like, well, what's that. Don't give
(35:13):
me that, you know. And then the second one is
a beat from a very very long time ago. But
everything else I cooked for the album, like right, yeah,
right in front of me and right in front of him.
And the third one is it's something that I the
big debate of what should be the beginning of the album.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Yeah, I think y'all, y'all did good.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
We did we did good. We did good. I'm I'm
happy with the I'm happy with the point of decision.
We took a long way to get there.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
But yes, yeah, I don't even know why there is
a debate to begin with.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
But you played the part. You played the part. I'll
put you on blast.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Thank you. I mean, y'all can doing it. But it's fine.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
No, but I will say I thoroughly actually like hearing you.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
On the mic ninth onless it about the children?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
You become a pastor? Why we don't get more of that?
That was really really nice.
Speaker 5 (36:10):
You know, I'm only on the microphone for the you know,
recording on this album, well more than twice, but the
obvious one is when I'm on the microphone acting like
pastor ninth.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Whatever that is, whatever that is. You got to get
him a skuss.
Speaker 5 (36:30):
And I I've always wanted to. I've been doing an
app sold for now fifteen years, and I've always wanted
to introduce him like that on the record. I'm surprised
that nobody's ever done it and that way, and I
had to do it. It just kind of came to me
and and I did it. So yeah, you know, I
(36:50):
got divorced for it, you know, but I don't it's
his job, man, be on the microphone, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
The children it's like a.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Good little does something that it did a lot. Now
I'm curious what were the songs or the moments where
you're like, okay, this is this is the one.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
We had too many about saying.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
Like we definitely there's a few that we did, like
anything is one, Dre sitting the other one?
Speaker 4 (37:20):
Sure?
Speaker 6 (37:21):
No, Insecure, Oh, Insecure was one of Yeah, it was was.
That was the first song. Honestly, that's how we got
the title the album. So I did. That's the only
song I did not do at the studio because he
because I remember he had made the beat for me,
but then I had went home. This was before I moved,
so I was living with it, living with it. I
(37:41):
recorded at the house and I remember I texted it
to him in Cash in the group chat and his
text back was welcome home, Ruben Vincent, And I said,
that's the album.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Title, you know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (37:50):
So that's that was like the kicker of this album.
So you know anything Dre and Sydney east of D's Sweet.
Speaker 5 (37:59):
Good Hey ran that one in the grind the rapael Joint, Yeah,
the righth yla d joint just for me, just for me.
We ran from we rolled we had to go speak
one same state. We ran that joint to one same
state back. So I pray as of late that that's
a story in itself.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
Crazy.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
That was a slow burn. Got to get it was
a slow burn. Gotta get it was a slow burn.
I made the beat. He wrapped on it. He was like, Okay,
I said, h my bouncement copy. I rolled home to it,
gotta stepped away from it. We came back to it
like maybe a couple of weeks later, and it's like,
you know, what, what did we do? And in Shotston, Rochester,
(38:41):
Shosta Rubens manager Eric too because he thank God for
him because he was kind of like on the other
side of Rubens saying, nah, y'all tripping, y'all need to
put on. And Queen City was that, you know what,
i'ma Queen City was the one of those records that
we took off and I was playing, you know, and
(39:02):
he had hit me, say, man, say what what Queen City?
Speaker 3 (39:05):
I see? I told you, I mean, I told you
we should keep it.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
And so it's been it's been a process. The Jazmine
Sullivan joint. We couldn't clear Hey listen.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Every hey, that was it joint, So what are we
doing with those?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Because I I'm putting in a complaint about that one.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
I feel like benf with Sweat a.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Love, Like this was the money, it was great features
and like, what are what's happening?
Speaker 5 (39:30):
It's always good to you know, I have a lot
of leftovers and extras and.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
No, nah, because I already know y'all, y'all gonna move
on to make ten more tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
It's crazy. We already got our next album. This is
what I'm.
Speaker 5 (39:42):
Talking But no, it's it's I think, you know, like
TV shows or Netflix shows, it's talking about black love.
A lot of those are fit, you know what I mean? Like,
I don't know, man.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Then it was your idea, you said without a Valentine's
they take Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Think yes, So I got you guys both before the
project actually drops. But ninth, you've been through this process before.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
Yes, how do you feel about Welcome Home?
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Like?
Speaker 2 (40:13):
What is your predictions for it?
Speaker 4 (40:16):
You know?
Speaker 5 (40:17):
It's kind of like what me and Cash were talking about.
We were in the studio and we were listening to
We're working on in My Life, which in my Life
came about because we did the echo and I played
you know for your Love improval in the freestyle, and
I'm sitting there but like, ooh, let me get home,
and so we're playing we're working on in my life
(40:40):
and Cash was sitting back President Cash for those who
don't know, he was sitting back in the chair. But
then he sat up and like clasped his hands together.
I said, what's wrong with doll? He was like, I
felt this way since I had the same feeling. It
(41:02):
was doing Letter's wisdom, That's what he said. And I said,
you know that feeling, and it's like that was That's
how I feel about it. I feel it's that strong,
you know what I mean. And I'm just glad that
it happened the way it happened. It probably wouldn't have
happened any other way. He had to do the first
(41:23):
two to get to this, to see the world, to
see people, to see whatever, to get to find somebody,
whoever it's somebody is.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (41:40):
I haven't done a press run for an album in
a while. Usually I kind of stay away from it.
But you know, and if I do, if I'm executive
reducing the project, I stay away from it. This is
a Ruben Vincent Knife Wonder album and just what it means.
Like I said, the timing of it, the idea that
he's twenty four and I'm.
Speaker 4 (42:01):
Of age, and.
Speaker 5 (42:05):
Just all of that. The feeling of it is just
everything happens for a reason. The fact that we put
our dreas Sydney on the tenth and brown Sugar was
the is the eleventh, like it's saying that we didn't
plan itz because it was supposed to come out the
week before and it got pushed and then somebody said, hey, yo,
you know brown Sugar came out today.
Speaker 4 (42:22):
We're like what.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
So it's just it's perfect.
Speaker 5 (42:25):
I don't know if it would have happened for me
this way, if I'd have worked with any other rapper
to bring back this feeling.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
He had to be the one.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
And even even the fact that we did dress Sydney
and Rahim Devon is on it, and then his mom
sent him a picture of Rayim that she took with
Rahim Devon in twenty twelve when Ruben was twelve and
Ruben showed up at my door he was thirteen and
a year later, and now he got.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
A song right there. It's too much.
Speaker 5 (42:59):
It's just the timing of it could be more eerie,
more perfect, and the season for this album is great too.
Speaker 6 (43:07):
So and even to add I think somebody called me
Money called me today. You know he was like, Yo,
He's like, I hate to say it this way. He
was like, but he was like just seeing everybody talk
about DiAngelo and what he meant to, you know, to
the game, and how like he came back. He came
in ninety five and dropped brown Sugar and everybody was like, yo,
(43:29):
he was so different from what everybody else was doing.
And then he's like, I'm listening and seeing the tweets
and listening to D'Angelo and you know this, which was
a big compliment for me to hear him say to me.
He's like, Yo, this is where you're at right now.
He was like, I'm gonna be real with you, and
you know that was you know what I mean. And
I just feel like, you know, the timing of it,
(43:51):
the fact that you know, God risk his soul like
we were we geeked off of D'Angelo in studio many times,
even me and you shared moments playing d Angelo and
then for him to you know, pass and then you know,
we're putting this album out around the time where everybody's
talking about the feeling he left, and not just him,
but even Rafael Sadek, who's on the album. You know,
(44:11):
I think it's it's like you said, it's divine. You
can't make it up and you can't. You can't, No,
you can't.
Speaker 2 (44:19):
Okay, We're gonna play this game and then wrap. The
older I get, the less I.
Speaker 4 (44:27):
Care about what people think.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Well, you beat me to see Capricorn.
Speaker 4 (44:31):
Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 6 (44:32):
You know, when I was younger, you know what I'm saying,
Like people say stuff, It used to get to me.
But I don't care what nobody think no more. You
know what I'm saying, it's you do whatever you want,
but don't don't come here trying to you know, rain
on my parade.
Speaker 4 (44:44):
I'm doing me, you know.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
All right, ten years from now, I want my legacy.
Speaker 4 (44:48):
To be.
Speaker 5 (44:52):
Remember, you know, somebody that I never thought I would
be in the chronicles of time when it comes to
black men, and it's sometimes it's still hard for me
to accept, but I am and because I've never seen
that coming for me. But I was just talking to
somebody last night about, you know, be common, and Pete
(45:17):
Rock was walking in a restaurant and I'm walking behind
Common and Pete because they're my big brothers, right, And
the dude saw Common like Common, and then he saw
Pete Rock and say, oh, it's Pete. So I'm trying
to scurry about him to go sit down, and they said,
oh it's nice. And I'm like, just to just to
(45:38):
be mentioned in the same breath and get a fan
reaction for all three of us like that. If I
know I would have seen them twenty five years ago,
I would have did the same thing.
Speaker 3 (45:49):
It's everything, So just to remember, just remember.
Speaker 4 (45:53):
I think maz is.
Speaker 6 (45:55):
I want people to think of my legacy as somebody
who stayed authentic, and who's somebody who stayed you know,
who just lived off and based their life off integrity.
You know, you can easily get jaded in this game,
and you know, people change, and people you know, sit
and you know, will allow things to override them. But
I've always wanted to stay true to me, you know,
(46:16):
and be myself, you know what I mean, and let
and allow that to take me far, you know what
I mean. And I feel like, you know, ten years
from now, I pray that that's still the legacy people
say when they talk about Rubens.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
One movie that I could watch with the sound off.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
Is I know word for word House Party.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
I thought you was going to say juice.
Speaker 6 (46:37):
I was saying juice, Yeah, juice all day. I know
the word that juice like the back.
Speaker 4 (46:42):
Of my hand.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
My last question, I swear this is the last one, is.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Being somebody at the forefront of innovation with them music
at that time.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
To you know, seeing where we're at.
Speaker 1 (46:53):
Today with social media and with a lot of bedroom artists,
what are your thoughts on it of like the future?
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Is it beautiful?
Speaker 4 (47:02):
Here?
Speaker 2 (47:03):
Is it great?
Speaker 5 (47:05):
I think it's this room for exploration all around. You know,
the cream will always rise to the top, regardless of what.
I don't care if you have a million artists, it's
always gonna the best is always gonna supersede everything else,
regardless of what. I was a creative kid. I'm I'm
happy that kids have more chances to create now that
(47:27):
they could in the eighties and nineties, without the stipulation
that I gotta have this, I gotta have that, I
have to have this, I have to record here, and
blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
I'm all for that. We need it.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
They already they already taking arts programming out of schools,
you know what I mean. So that's you know, a
lot of kids is getting labeled these certain things like
ADHD and all of this stuff, and that not a board,
that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
They're board. They don't have.
Speaker 5 (47:53):
They have a highly creative mind and they need something
to stimulate that mind. And sometimes you sometimes a lot
of times music is here, or any type of art
is it. So I'm all for that, man, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
I'm not.
Speaker 5 (48:08):
Most casts my age are threatened by younger cats who
make a certain type of music, how they're made, where
they're getting it from. And my thing is the generation
before us did the same thing. And if as long
as you're stationary and respected in the place that you're in,
you ain't got to worry about your spot being taken.
And a lot of casts my age feel like the
(48:29):
spot is being taken by a younger generation. I'm like,
we're you too old to being the VIP anyway, Like
get out, like go home, you know what I mean.
And so that's for everybody who wants to create and
wants to make something, even if five people here do it,
just do it.
Speaker 3 (48:47):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (48:48):
This is all this to It's a form of expression.
Now we can get into the fact that it's good
or bad. That's subject to you know what I mean.
But at least it's something you're happy about and it's
something you want to do an play it for your friends.
Just do it and you never know you might make
something that can go further than that. Billy Eilish and
hert what I think it's her brother. They did the
(49:09):
album in the house just them two. It can it
can happen. So I'm all for that, man. I'm all
for technology changing. And as long as you stay dope,
it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
I love it well. Thank you guys. Welcome home out now?
Speaker 4 (49:27):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (49:27):
And is there any last word you want to leave
the people about your project?
Speaker 4 (49:32):
Hey man, welcome home is out, thoroughroll in the building,
jamiler records in the building and make some noise forinale.
You know what I'm saying. For incredible interview and just
also being a big role in the project.
Speaker 5 (49:43):
I would like to get a Porsche or Purple one
attack matching tattoos. See it is a matching tax I
don't just date for I.
Speaker 2 (49:50):
Love even stay certified.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
We Need to Talk is a production of the Black
Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect
Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. Mixture You guys follow
We Need to Talk at WNTTLK, on Instagram and TikTok
Welcome to we need to talk with production of the
Black Effect Podcast Network. What's going on, guys, and welcome
to another episode we need to talk And today we
got very special guests in the building. We got Ruben
Vincent in ninth wonder here.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:17):
What's happening going on?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Why y'all acting so stiff and stale, like y'all don't
know me?
Speaker 4 (00:22):
What nobody doing that?
Speaker 5 (00:23):
You want to reshine? We're trying to be profound. We
now you wanna start to interview only we can we
can go like we know.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
You no, this is this is good.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Okay, So how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm great, I'm just teasing you, guys.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm really excited and I'm really proud of the project
that you guys put together with Welcome Home. And I
know this is the first project, Ruben, that you produced
with ninth And honestly, I have a lot of questions
for ninth and I have a lot of questions for
you guys individually, but I'm gonna start with ninth.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Ninth.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
When you found Ruben at.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Thirteen, what was it about him that drew you to him?
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Well, the first thing was the guy that tweeted you
know send me the tweet said I don't have a
dog in this fight. And usually when people say that
they got somebody that wrapped, it's usually a cousin or
a brother or a sister or somebody trying to help out.
But this guy said, I don't even know this kid.
You should listen to him. And so when I clicked
(01:20):
on his name, it was east side of Down. I
don't even know what that's about, and s was a
dollar signe. I was like, okay, but when I clicked
on it it was I was just amazed. He was
so young and just you know, he was cut from
the cloth. And so he came to the studio. I
was in Germany at the time when I sent him
(01:42):
an inbox and he answered back and the first thing
I said was where's your parents?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Straight like that right, So where's your parents?
Speaker 5 (01:50):
So his mom got on and we talked and I said,
can you bring him up to my studio on two weeks?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
She said cool.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So when I got back, they came up to the
studio and there's a picture that exists with him sitting
down in front of me for the first time and
he I said, man, what you want to eat? He said, man,
I want some pop tarts and some strawberry nests.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
The quick I was like, I used to love.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
I'm like, okay, okay, cool. So we got that done,
and his mom she gonna care more tell the story.
I know exactly what you're talking about. His mom's like,
can I talk to you in the back for a minute.
I said, all right, cool. So we went to the
back studio and she asked me, she said, is my
son really good? I said, I'm not gonna make any
(02:37):
promises to you, ma'am. And I'm saying, man, but me
and are the same age. I said, I'm not gonna
make any promises you, ma'am. But at the same time,
he'll make some money off this game. I don't know
how much it's gonna be, but he'll make some money.
He's that good. And she you know, she's from Liberia,
she said, iving and she has an accent. And she said,
as long as he doesn't talk about on the song
(02:59):
suck Mike pen there, say anything like that, we'll find.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was like, this ain't that type of rap camp.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
So we got started and he recorded the first song.
He recorded a song called Extraterrestrial, and that weekend he
did what with thirteen songs yet nine song.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Beat on a machine that I ain't never even touched him.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
He never touched the machine.
Speaker 5 (03:26):
He made a song beating a song called Saturday Fy,
and it kind of went from there and he skipped
like every since then, he skipped like spring break. He
was at the studio summers. He's at the studio spring
break like this one all the way through fourteen fifteen.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
But I still hadn't signed him yet.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
So I didn't sign him until his voice change and
he got in high school and got in the floor
in high school because I didn't want to take the
whole approach of we're gonna take the the child the
star thing.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I want him to.
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Have a childhood, teenage years, all of that. So we
signed him at sixteen. Still he was still trying to
figure it out. I think one summer he came down,
did you did you work at the grocery store? What
did you work? He worked at the Chick fil A
for a summer. He said, Man, I'm just come down
there and just work at Chick fil A. And I'm
gonna just you worked at chick lay. He ain't never
(04:21):
bring nobody no fleetfood.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
I'm sing my.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Bet, they don't only gave me one free meal, that's right.
So then he came. He came up every summer and
just skipped hanging out the summer with his friends. He
would rather be in the studio. And the first couple
of times his mom came with him when he was thirteen,
but after which he started to come by himself, come
up by himself, and he recorded all these songs. The
(04:45):
Ruben Vincent thirteen year old a six year old vault
is immense. But not one song did he cuss in
a song. He did not curse in a song, and
he did not say the word nigga. And I was
like wow. As soon as he turned eight. The day
he turned eighteen, boy, it was it was like it
was up. It was up with the cursed words and
(05:06):
vira whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
You know.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
I wasn't tripping, but I just thought that was dope
for him to do that. And then we signed the deal.
Jamla signed the deal at when he turned twenty one,
and then it's been on ever since. So that's kind
of our eight year journey. He went to college for
a year. I said, look here, look here, man, you
(05:28):
going to school, whether you stay in school, or not.
You gotta go to school at least experience it. He
went for a year and he said, Man, I talked
to my mom, I'm talking to you.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
I'm dropping out.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
I said, okay, you talking to a college dropout, So okay,
And so it has been.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
On ever since.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Let's talk about just how you run Jammler, because I mean, obviously,
outside of like soul for production, you guys move like
a unit and a family. And I do really admire
how you give your artist a free them to create
and be themselves. You know, some labels aren't that.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Nice, you know, for like self expression.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
But what is your why behind that?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
For me, I never expected to be you know, people
will watch me now and say, oh, you're not wona
blah blah blah. I never expected to be in this
game anyway, Like that was not my on my life path.
And my family doesn't have any history of knowing how
the music business runs right. And then most people that
get into the music business, they end up doing things
(06:35):
to people that was done to them. It's like a
repeating process. It's like a rite of passage, whether right
or wrong. For me, that never happened for me, so
I had no litmus test or anything how this things
was supposed to go. So for me and my artists,
like for even when we say I signed Ruben, Ruben
(06:57):
did not get on paper with me until he turned
twenty one. I've never had an artist that I signed
to a piece of paper. Because my thing is, if
you want to leave, then I'm not listen. Man, that's
not my thing. That's never been my thing, because you
know how this business can be. It's about control, it's
about this and that, and I'm like, man, that's.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
What it is. That's what it is. You want to
leave only, that's fine. But for me, I couldn't sleep
at night pretty much.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
And maybe that's I know, we all know the industry
doesn't work like that. I have counterparts that they run
their business is totally different. But for me, I just
never ran it like that. And for better or for worse,
it's worked for me so and it's especially work for him,
(07:46):
and I didn't want him. My My goal is too,
when this thing is going and blah blah blah, the
third world goes on its own, that's the goal. Like,
because I ain't trying to do this forever, you know,
what I'm not trying to, you know, bring in, bringing
in new artists, you ring new artists, and and I'm
being We talked about this before, I said two three
(08:06):
more years.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I was done. It was over for me.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
And here he comes and he's like, man, were just
gonna do this whole project, and now it's turned into this,
and I'm like, uh so, you know, I've always tried
to run it like that. Sometimes families break up, sometimes
people wander off and come back home, That's how it is.
But I just always wanted to be abe. We wanted
(08:32):
to sleep at night. I want to sleep at night
knowing I did the best I could, knowing I gave
as much as I possibly could because it ain't about me.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I got mine.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
I tell my artists all the time, and I got mine, bro,
I got Mine's few times I.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Have mine, and it's up to you.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
And and that's how I made her to stay blessed
in this keep great relationships through the game. It ain't
a whole lot of people walking around through the game
like my name come up and room and say I
can't stand it, Like nah, that's never made my thing.
And that's that's what that's what works for me.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
So, yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
You have a great standing name and speaking of people
wondering off and coming back home, Rubin, I've interviewed you
per every project that you dropped, probably except for Boy
Meets World, but I will say this project is by
far my favorite, for many reasons, one being oh my god,
I did not mean like that.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
We're gonna talk about that man.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
For many reasons, but in particular, it's just the perfect
marriage between you and Nine's production.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
But talk to me, why welcome Home?
Speaker 4 (09:36):
It's a lot of I think the title has multiple meanings.
Speaker 6 (09:40):
Obviously, you know it's our return, you know, me and Knife,
you know, getting the full circle moment to do this
project together. But then also too, it's like a return
back to self, into the core of who you are.
I feel like, you know, one thing I'm grateful for,
like he said, is everything he just said about me,
not you know, signing paperwork till we ink the with
the joint deal with Rock and you know him just
(10:03):
always you know, being in my corner. But one thing
he did also to which I'm grateful for now in hindsight,
which once I signed, he allowed me to go learn,
He allowed me to go travel see the world, see
how the industry works, and then come back to him like.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yo, there's some stuff here that I ain't really.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Like it, you know what I mean? Like you know this,
this is what I really don't like. And you know,
I'm gonna be real. And there's a lot of times
where I would go out there and people will say
stuff to me like, Yo, the music you make ain't
gonna work, and you know you need to do these
type of records and do this type of records and
do this blah blah blah, or try to put me,
you know, in the studio with certain producers that ain't
(10:44):
making the beats that necessarily came to the Ruben Vincent.
Like you can't come to a studio session making a
little dirt type beat for Ruben Vincent, you know what
I mean. And that's no shade a little dirt. But
it's just I'm a different artist, you know what I mean.
And I feel like, you know, dealing with all of
that and seeing what the industry was and you know,
balancing out who I was. I think in this album,
I was comfortable in my identity.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
It was fun. It wasn't a lot of old.
Speaker 6 (11:09):
Eight like overthinking of like, oh, what should this be
and how should I should I make this type of record?
It was like, no, we're just making records. The only
time we were thinking, and which wasn't even a crazy overthought,
was more so when we were picking records and we
had like sixty songs to choose from, you know what
I mean. But it's because I kept recording, you know
what I mean. But you know, I think it's that.
(11:30):
And then also to just you know, it's a love
letter to home, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Like when you.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
Listen to the album, it starts off with me talking
about got to get it and hustle culture and ABCD
and all of that stuff, but then coming to a
point of like returning to self love and you know,
loving who I am and being comfortable with my own skin.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
So yeah, I definitely want to do a deep dive
into the project. But before I do that, I do
want you guys to kind of just talk about how
important brotherhood is because I feel like a pair like
you two is rare and kind of the first one
that I've seen, like OG and you know, a young.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Mwaiim young man. Yeah, not a y n a young man,
I am, yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Am, but OG and a YM collaborating together. Just talk
to me about the bond that you guys have.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
We're both capricorns.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Oh my god.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Yes, that explained it.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
You know, cats running packs, Capricorns running packs.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
We shared jwings. You know, depends on what you believe.
Jesus capricorn.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
So here we go.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
What, yes, you know what you believe? You know some
people say scepting.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
But anyways, all I'm saying is listen like me and him,
Mary J. Blige, J Slick, Rick Martin, Luther King, leve
what we're talking about. I mean, well, all day, be
all day with this, Okay, Nah, man, It's just you know,
he regardless of what, he's a North Carolina boy, and
(13:00):
that's the most important. He's a North Carolina boy. We
grew up kind of the same way. I'm from Winston Salem.
He's from Charlotte. He's kind of like the you know,
the boy next door type. Like you know, we ain't
from the street, were from the sidewalk, were adjacent to
the street.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
We know people in the street.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
But you know, somebody in the street was telling us
to go home, and I and I and I knew
that when I talked to his mom about him, you
know what I mean. His mom's a guard fearing person,
so us my mom. Like they've never met, but I
promise you they ever meet, and they and the Bible
comes out brus up, it's up. It's just you know,
(13:42):
And I think all of that comes into it. And
he found out he found hip hop in the most
unconventional way and so did I, and I think that's
those are the things they kind of joined us together
and just the way we think everything, like it's just it's.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Just right on time.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
And it kind of shows people that, you know, maybe
see this that the relationship that people my age can
have with some like as you said, as they say
the Waiians, you know what I mean, Like that's not
always the case. And I've been teaching for the last
nineteen years, so I kind of know how to communicate
with the generation two generations behind me now.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Most cast my age can't.
Speaker 5 (14:24):
So I think that helps too to understand how what
he's seeing. But he's different though, he's seen what your
average twenty four year old has seen, but he's beyond
this year, so I can have different conversations with him.
And please don't let me leave out the tulage of
young Guru either to have me on the east coast
(14:47):
of him leaving me and going with Guru and staying
with Guru on the west coast. That's kind of a
thing that if you talk to most young men, they
don't have that. They don't have that kind of not
necessarily old dudes trying to tell him what to do,
but kind of like guidance, you know what I mean,
And we you know, have that. But again, thanks to
(15:09):
his father, his father, he has no problem listening to
older men. Most young cats don't like listening to older
men because they ain't never had no older man around
him telling anything, and they've been the man in their
household since they've been eleven so and I get that too.
But that's how we're able to get along. We're able
to listen to the same kind of type of music,
(15:32):
the vibes of the music. And it's when he came
back to North Carolina and he came to the studio
and he said, yo, man, I went to see the
Parral movie. I said, oh, yeah, what's your name? He said, man,
I ain't know they I ain't know. Forarrel was in
the tribe and that was it. And I'm a child
(15:54):
of a tribe called Quest and that just kind of
from that moment until we did in my life was
a deep dive of what that feeling is of all aspects, videos, movies, everything,
and that's what it turned into. And so you know,
he right there right along with me. He's me when
I was twenty four.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
Pretty much, I ain't got nothing else to say, he said, Yeah,
I said, said exactly what I would have said. You know,
I'm a student of and even like just to piggy
off what he's saying, like going and seeing the Pharial movie,
I saw a lot of myself and certain Thingsharrel was saying,
like him saying, like yo, my parents was big in
(16:36):
the church, and you know they made sure I always prayed.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
And then he was.
Speaker 6 (16:39):
Talking about like yo, I listened and used to listen
to Tribe Heavy and like I'm like yo. Like when
I was thirteen, one of the first two albums that
Knife made me study when I was on the team
was basically Midnight Marauders and and it was a I
(16:59):
think it was a day Stakes is High.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
He told me to listen, Stakes is High and.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
Midnight Marauders, and I remember even before then, I was
already like on that type of way, but I remember
after studying those you know, I don't know if you've
ever seen an interview Lauren Hill was like yo, when
she was a kid, she used to lay on her
floor and like go to sleep to certain albums. Those
were the albums I used to fall asleep too. And
then add late Registration to that. And Kanye is a
(17:23):
child of native tongues, you know what I mean, And
you know, just seeing the lineage and you can even
name a coole and you know even now with Tyler
and stuff like that, like these are children of native tongues,
and I'm exactly in that.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Realm, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
And I know Earl just did an interview where he
talked about Dayla and you know, being a chill guy,
you know what I mean. But that's exactly what you know,
I represent. And I think I feel like that's you know,
like he said, he comes from that, you know what
I mean. And just seeing how like minded we both are,
you know, in that realm, it's it just made the
synergy much better.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
I think a lot of people when they hear like, oh,
Nfe Wonder and Ruben Vincent are doing an album. They're
expect thing like a boom Back Conscious project. Yeah, does
that offend you guys?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Man?
Speaker 6 (18:07):
I just think people no offense to nobody, but people slow,
you know what I mean? Like, I just think people
be slow, you know, cause it's like and that's that's
the thing why I'm even today where I said what
I said on my account on my story, where I
was like to anybody who doubted me, you know, I
don't even really talk like that, you know, like except
(18:28):
out in private probably, but you know, I don't really
talk like that outwardly. But I had to say that
because I felt like there's been years, years of constantly
I hear people saying, man, the music that you make
ain't gonna work. You know, you need to switch up
your sound. You need to do it, or put me
in a box of boom Back or put me in
a box of quote unquote conscious, where that's not necessarily me.
(18:49):
I'm just giving you the black experience. And another thing
that I in the Knife knows this because like he said,
we have a vault, not even just from me being
thirteen to sixteen, but just from thirteen to twenty four.
You know what I mean of like me writing real
songs and really coming up with hooks and being melodic,
and you know, also adding verses in there, and I
(19:12):
think you know in those Obviously, when I first got
in the game, I still wanted to prove that I
could rap, because I wanted to solidify myself as that.
But I feel like this go round, I was like yo,
this me and him was both in agreeance of Like, Yo,
it's not about to be a whole bunch of rippity
raps on here, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (19:27):
It's gonna be depth to the music.
Speaker 6 (19:29):
It's still gonna be lyricism and word playing metaphors, but
we're gonna be making real songs.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
And I didn't want us.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
To do an album where it's just a whole bunch
of beats and then I'm just rapping for thirty two
to sixty four bars, like you know, that's not gonna
get us nowhere.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
You know what I'm saying, I come again.
Speaker 6 (19:48):
Just as much as I'm a student of native tongues,
I am a student of real songwriter. And I listened
to the Stevie Wonders, the DeAngelo's, the Michael Jackson's you
know what I'm saying all of these people, and you
know he knows this like no nobody else. Like early
when I first started coming to studio, I started writing
hooks and being melodic, and you know, I felt like
I didn't get to really show that starting off. So
(20:08):
I feel like this project, I wanted to show the
full fledge or the artist that I am.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
I feel like that sway through Sale you did toministrate
rapping don't got.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
To prove for nobody.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
I was it, like, yeah, I was about to say.
After I did that, I was like, Okay, I'm done.
I don't have to prove y'all. I rap no more.
Because that was a goal for me to do the
Five Fingers of Death, and that was after Generated Mission drop.
So once we did that, and ironically, like you said,
the timeline matches up, I had did that and then
I went back home and then Welcome Home came out.
But I mean we worked on Welcome Home, but I
(20:39):
after I did the sway, I.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Said, I don't got a prove to y'all no more.
I can rap. I just showed y'all for ten minutes.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
You know, yeah, yeah, yeah, probably that's Diabolical my favorite.
But let's talk about just the process of creating Welcome Home.
I want to say I love the SOFO samples, some
of my favorite ones. I mean, wait, there's actually a lot,
but let's start with day by Day because I know
(21:04):
there was a version of the tape that you guys
did at first, yes, and then you guys cooked up
this final project in between the first version to the
second version. Ruben, I know you moved to Raleigh, slept
in the studio, did a whole three sixty in.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Your life acts. Let's talk about that because I saw
the Instagram posts that.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
You put up. Yeah saw, Okay, whatever, Okay, go ahead,
answer the question.
Speaker 6 (21:33):
Okay, well, yes, I did move to Raleigh, we're sleeping
in the studio, and we did have an album at first,
which was great, you know what I mean. And day
by Day is one of the original songs to test.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
The time, so glad it made it.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
There's a few that I feel like really should be
on there, but I'm not gonna do it.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I mean, you got a lot of great songs. It
just was just back and forth.
Speaker 6 (21:52):
I can't even you know, but I think during the
period of me staying there, I had a lot of
chant just happened, you know what I mean, in my life,
you know, just I was really it was really coming
of age, really, you know what I mean. I was
stepping out of my mom's crib. And then you know,
I was also like, yo, I'm moving. You know what
I'm saying, It's time for me to move and kind
(22:13):
of get my own spot and you know, really step
into my own independency. So I feel like you saw
that transition in this album, you know what I'm saying,
especially you're hearing the first one from a second one,
and then you know, new things was happening in my life,
new experiences and stuff like that that I was getting
that you know, it was fulfilling me in a different
way than it did when it started the album, and
(22:34):
I was just very very I was seeing a lot
of change happen for me and just coming into manhood,
you know what I mean. And I I just felt like,
you know, I had to showed that out.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Yeah a bro, no, I'm done. I'm okay.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Great.
Speaker 5 (22:55):
So we started the album. Day by Day was one
of the first when he came in said, you know,
the whole the thing about Tribe, I was like, okay,
I know which where we're going. And so day by
Day was a song that i'd heard, the original sample
I heard, I've been playing, playing playing, I said, man,
nobody rapped over this or whatever or even wrapped anythings
(23:16):
this fast or feel like this.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Let's do this.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
So we did that, and so by the end of
December going into January, we thought we were done right,
and then Reuben gave me a few more samples. He said,
I want you to do you know, which ended up
being Sundowntown, which we didn't use. But then we did
that and a couple of more, and so the song
(23:40):
starts to fall off. But and this is this true story.
I'm not trying to be funny. This is true story.
So I certain somebody came down for Dreamville, and I
remember us leaving the ri Now this true story, man.
I remember even a restaurant downtown Raleigh, and it was
(24:05):
me certain somebody Rubin, my label president and vice president.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
We was all eating and Ruben is certain somebody said
were just gonna walk the dream and it's like, okay,
y'all was gonna walk.
Speaker 5 (24:17):
Okay, cool, so we we we me cash un till
just stood on the sidewalk and watched these two people
just walk up the sidewalk like swinging hand. I'm like
everybody was like, oh like it was crazy, like a
like a movie. And I said, all right, man. And
(24:38):
for the thing about me is you kind of got
to meet the artists where they are. And so every
day all come in the studio, man, FaceTime on the phone,
FaceTime on the phone, FaceTime on the phone, FaceTime on
the phone. So I'm like, this is the energy in
the studio. If I was in the studio with somebody
else and you know whatever, the energy may be different.
(25:01):
But with Reuben, it was he coming to what's up
cause smiling, I'm like, yeah, okay, then all right, then
that's where we're at. So I'm like, FaceTime on the phone,
FaceTime on the phone. So I'm I'm now I'm making
beats according to his energy. And the first beat I
made that made the album take the Turn of All Turns,
(25:22):
was the beat for Anything. And I made that beat
and the way he I ain't even gonna mill klama,
spoil you. I said, he doesn't be on the phone
at night. Let's do what I'd been on the phone.
He been on the phone cupcakeing all night long and
I'm like man, and I get it, and I'm like man.
(25:43):
So then after that came a joint called BFF we
didn't use. Then Drea and Sydney came after that. Then
the Maxwell flipped we used that we couldn't clear.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Came after that. They just start coming back to back.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
Next thing, you know, we got ten love songs or
ten songs about embracing black women.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
That's what we got.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
And I noticed from what he was talking about in
the songs it was conversations y'all was having. That's the
best music, man, when you catch people where they are
and they talk about their life. And so it became
a thing of, oh, well, this can't be a whole
love album, you know what I mean, This can be
like some parts. But I mean that's what trib was
(26:25):
that Try bad, Benita Applebam, tryad, hot sex tripad. So
let's relaxation, Try bad these songs, you know what I mean.
Most de had fat Boody, most have had you know,
a bunch of songs like that. Why can't he do
the same thing? And plus that's needed, that's really needed, right,
that's needed for his generation. That's needed and so we
(26:46):
just kind of just leaned into that and wasn't afraid
of it, and so we put out Guy to Get
it first. It's kind of like, Okay, this is our
street singles. I took the idea of the street single,
and I also took the idea of when Lauren did Miseducation.
She put out lost Ones was the first single. The
second single was duop right, and it was like lost
(27:09):
one here just for the street, So I gotta get
it was for the street.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
But then Dread and.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Sydney was like that, and I and everybody ended up
loving it. And like he said, so many people said
to him, ah.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Man, it ain't gonna work. Man, don't nobody want to
hear that.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
Y'all don't know, Like you don't know, like you're discounting
an entire generation of kids or a tired of generation
of young adults that was as hurt about D'Angelo passing
away as we were. So what do you do when
they want to hear that feeling? Because di' angelo even
rol FAILSA dick said, we are influenced by hip hop,
(27:49):
so they influenced by all of us. Are dissentiance of
a trial call quz. So it's like, why steal away
from that and be afraid of that and not be
you know, not be ashamed to be that the wrong
being that we need that, we need that, we need
Ruben as much as we need and being a young boy,
as much as we need Dirk, as much as we
need Gunner, as much as we need everybody that feels
(28:11):
like they ain't on the same side. And the day
I figured that out is when I was in Atlanta
and I was coming out of a hotel and Gucci
Man was walking there. This was years ago, and I said,
what's up, man, what's going on? Man said, what's going
on with you?
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Man?
Speaker 5 (28:28):
I said nothing, Man, he said we should not. I
say ninth one. He was like, oh, what's up baby?
And I looked at him. I was like, you know me,
you know what I mean that Just let me know
the real, recognize real, and no matter what, be yourself
because it's the real ones the street niggas can see
when you knocked yourself and vice versa. So that was
(28:51):
our process for the album. We stuck with it.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
It is.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
It is a complete body of work, and it's something
that's needed and the time of it cannot be more
needed right now than what it is.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
So I will say my favorite part of watching the
album come together was definitely the beat machine.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
The let's go here in the sample.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Like which was an accident?
Speaker 2 (29:18):
That was an accident, an accident.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Yeah, I made the beat for anything, and then he
did the song, and so I just pointed my phone
at the beat machine and said don and then I
just hit record walking down the hall and Ruba just
happened to be sitting in that chair and I put
the camera.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
He said, let's go.
Speaker 5 (29:41):
And so when we did that night, when we put
it up, it went up. That was the same night
we decided to put out.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
To hit Me when you get here.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Yeah, and oh that dropped the same day.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
No, we we were just when it went up, we
was like, yo, we gotta put a mixtape, the mixtape
out here.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
And so might have been the next day, I don't know. Yeah,
but we did that.
Speaker 5 (30:04):
We listened to anything twenty times, yeah, twenty time, like
I don't know what this is, but this is it.
And we kind of went from there and everyone we
did after that. It became a thing because you try
to kind of find stuff, try to find stuff that
kind of like can go viral without trying to be
over Tom and be cheesy. So the next one I did,
let's go eighty thousand views, Let's go seventy thousand views.
(30:28):
Then then when Aben, when ab came to the studio Dreamsville,
he walked in the room, he was like, this the
let's go room.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
This is whay y'all doing it.
Speaker 5 (30:37):
He looked around like, oh, so this is why y'all
doing that, And that was amazing that he did that,
and that just lets me know that something that we
did on accident was working.
Speaker 6 (30:47):
Jed when I saw Jed, he said something to me
about it, about Anything. He was like, yo, I literally
just seen your clip of y'all doing anything joint on Twitter,
and I was like, yeah, you know what I mean.
So it just it started to circuling, you know what
I mean. People are starting to that's I feel like
anything and that's putting out the human when you get
hear a lot of odds started to you.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
No follow Anything is definitely my favorite record on the project.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Anything's really good and so.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
I pray, but I feel like, but my favorite has
changed throughout you know, listening in the process. But oh
I wanted to say, I was actually surprised that you
sampled Don Tolliver and touchdown Teaser, like you're really tapped in.
And I love the fact that you still care. That's
(31:34):
why when you be like, man, I don't know how
much longer I got, it's like.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
You can't help but care.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
I don't even know why you act like you.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Don't nah, And it's funny.
Speaker 5 (31:45):
I end up talking to Teaso touchdown to end up
talking to him. We had a great conversation. Our link
was bun Bee. Who is bun That's what I mean.
Bun is one of them OG's we need Need Need Need.
He knows everybody, He's good with everybody. And he linked
me with Tzo touchdown and also Cardo was also you
(32:08):
know a part of that record that I use, And
me and him did a a KD sneaker together. He
had one and I had one for Nike. So yeah,
it was just listen, it's the feeling, man. And when
I made the beat, Ruben watched me make the beat
and he at the end he was like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Give me that, and so I get and this is
it and it's and it's so funny.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
And he noticed when I say this we once he
got the ritual of him watched me make the beat,
taking it in there to the to the main recording studio,
coming back in there to get me and say I
got some That's we did every song, like every song.
It was a ritual every song.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
So, Rubert, how long does it take you or how
long did it take you to write a record?
Speaker 4 (32:59):
I mean anything I wrote like fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes tops.
You don't take long at all, you.
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Know, especially see it like again, I don't even like
producer sending me beats no more because it's just like
you probably made this beat with somebody else in mind
or somebody else, and you just sending it just to see,
Like I have to sit with you in the studio now,
Like it's just it's became mandatory, you know what I'm saying,
Even before we started this album, because I've been around
(33:25):
him so long and seeing them make beats, it became
that way. But I think with this one why it
didn't take long for me to write it is because
the synergy was just daring. Everything was just like easily,
you know what I'm saying, like starting to formulate in
my mind, especially like songs like Drey and Cinney like
distant Lover. It's like, okay, distant lover, Okay, I can
(33:46):
relate to that, baby, how we're so close but so far,
you know what I mean. It just started to like
easily just and then also too, I feel like when
you start, like he said, when you start to getting
a ritual and consistency, you know what I mean, it
starts to that happened quicker, quicker.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Things happened quicker because now you're in a rhythm, you're
in a flow.
Speaker 6 (34:04):
And like again, we had already been working on the music,
so by the time we got to anything, it just
was like so then after that, just every beat, every beat,
it was just that, it was just that. And I
feel like, you know, it's become that easy to me
because I'm not trying to be something I'm not, you
know what I'm saying. I think a lot of times
artists wrecked their brain because they're trying too hard to
(34:27):
write things that don't necessarily resonate to them or things
that had they not experienced, or they're trying to prove
something or be a certain way, and you don't have
to do that, you know what I mean? And I
think with this project. I think me just talking about
my life and my real human experiences has tooken me
further than me sitting there trying to come up with
(34:48):
a story or a fabricate who I am.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
You know, there's only two beats on it. I'm looking
at the track listening. There's only two beats on this
album that I did that I cooked with Ruben not
being there. Only two. The first one is I ain't
gonna say what you want it is. But one of
them is a rhythm roulette beat that he was on
the way on the way to the studio, yeah, because
I called him and he peeped his head in the
door and he was like, well, what's that. Don't give
(35:13):
me that, you know. And then the second one is
a beat from a very very long time ago. But
everything else I cooked for the album, like right, yeah,
right in front of me and right in front of him.
And the third one is it's something that I the
big debate of what should be the beginning of the album.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Yeah, I think y'all, y'all did good.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
We did we did good. We did good. I'm I'm
happy with the I'm happy with the point of decision.
We took a long way to get there.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
But yes, yeah, I don't even know why there is
a debate to begin with.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
But you played the part. You played the part. I'll
put you on blast.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Thank you. I mean, y'all can doing it. But it's fine.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
No, but I will say I thoroughly actually like hearing you.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
On the mic ninth onless it about the children?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
You become a pastor? Why we don't get more of that?
That was really really nice.
Speaker 5 (36:10):
You know, I'm only on the microphone for the you know,
recording on this album, well more than twice, but the
obvious one is when I'm on the microphone acting like
pastor ninth.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Whatever that is, whatever that is. You got to get
him a skuss.
Speaker 5 (36:30):
And I I've always wanted to. I've been doing an
app sold for now fifteen years, and I've always wanted
to introduce him like that on the record. I'm surprised
that nobody's ever done it and that way, and I
had to do it. It just kind of came to me
and and I did it. So yeah, you know, I
(36:50):
got divorced for it, you know, but I don't it's
his job, man, be on the microphone, you know.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
The children it's like a.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Good little does something that it did a lot. Now
I'm curious what were the songs or the moments where
you're like, okay, this is this is the one.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
We had too many about saying.
Speaker 5 (37:12):
Like we definitely there's a few that we did, like
anything is one, Dre sitting the other one?
Speaker 4 (37:20):
Sure?
Speaker 6 (37:21):
No, Insecure, Oh, Insecure was one of Yeah, it was was.
That was the first song. Honestly, that's how we got
the title the album. So I did. That's the only
song I did not do at the studio because he
because I remember he had made the beat for me,
but then I had went home. This was before I moved,
so I was living with it, living with it. I
(37:41):
recorded at the house and I remember I texted it
to him in Cash in the group chat and his
text back was welcome home, Ruben Vincent, And I said,
that's the album.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Title, you know what I mean?
Speaker 6 (37:50):
So that's that was like the kicker of this album.
So you know anything Dre and Sydney east of D's Sweet.
Speaker 5 (37:59):
Good Hey ran that one in the grind the rapael Joint, Yeah,
the righth yla d joint just for me, just for me.
We ran from we rolled we had to go speak
one same state. We ran that joint to one same
state back. So I pray as of late that that's
a story in itself.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
Crazy.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
That was a slow burn. Got to get it was
a slow burn. Gotta get it was a slow burn.
I made the beat. He wrapped on it. He was like, Okay,
I said, h my bouncement copy. I rolled home to it,
gotta stepped away from it. We came back to it
like maybe a couple of weeks later, and it's like,
you know, what, what did we do? And in Shotston, Rochester,
(38:41):
Shosta Rubens manager Eric too because he thank God for
him because he was kind of like on the other
side of Rubens saying, nah, y'all tripping, y'all need to
put on. And Queen City was that, you know what,
i'ma Queen City was the one of those records that
we took off and I was playing, you know, and
(39:02):
he had hit me, say, man, say what what Queen City?
Speaker 3 (39:05):
I see? I told you, I mean, I told you
we should keep it.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
And so it's been it's been a process. The Jazmine
Sullivan joint. We couldn't clear Hey listen.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Every hey, that was it joint, So what are we
doing with those?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Because I I'm putting in a complaint about that one.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
I feel like benf with Sweat a.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Love, Like this was the money, it was great features
and like, what are what's happening?
Speaker 5 (39:30):
It's always good to you know, I have a lot
of leftovers and extras and.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
No, nah, because I already know y'all, y'all gonna move
on to make ten more tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
It's crazy. We already got our next album. This is
what I'm.
Speaker 5 (39:42):
Talking But no, it's it's I think, you know, like
TV shows or Netflix shows, it's talking about black love.
A lot of those are fit, you know what I mean? Like,
I don't know, man.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Then it was your idea, you said without a Valentine's
they take Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Think yes, So I got you guys both before the
project actually drops. But ninth, you've been through this process before.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
Yes, how do you feel about Welcome Home?
Speaker 4 (40:13):
Like?
Speaker 2 (40:13):
What is your predictions for it?
Speaker 4 (40:16):
You know?
Speaker 5 (40:17):
It's kind of like what me and Cash were talking about.
We were in the studio and we were listening to
We're working on in My Life, which in my Life
came about because we did the echo and I played
you know for your Love improval in the freestyle, and
I'm sitting there but like, ooh, let me get home,
and so we're playing we're working on in my life
(40:40):
and Cash was sitting back President Cash for those who
don't know, he was sitting back in the chair. But
then he sat up and like clasped his hands together.
I said, what's wrong with doll? He was like, I
felt this way since I had the same feeling. It
(41:02):
was doing Letter's wisdom, That's what he said. And I said,
you know that feeling, and it's like that was That's
how I feel about it. I feel it's that strong,
you know what I mean. And I'm just glad that
it happened the way it happened. It probably wouldn't have
happened any other way. He had to do the first
(41:23):
two to get to this, to see the world, to
see people, to see whatever, to get to find somebody,
whoever it's somebody is.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (41:40):
I haven't done a press run for an album in
a while. Usually I kind of stay away from it.
But you know, and if I do, if I'm executive
reducing the project, I stay away from it. This is
a Ruben Vincent Knife Wonder album and just what it means.
Like I said, the timing of it, the idea that
he's twenty four and I'm.
Speaker 4 (42:01):
Of age, and.
Speaker 5 (42:05):
Just all of that. The feeling of it is just
everything happens for a reason. The fact that we put
our dreas Sydney on the tenth and brown Sugar was
the is the eleventh, like it's saying that we didn't
plan itz because it was supposed to come out the
week before and it got pushed and then somebody said, hey, yo,
you know brown Sugar came out today.
Speaker 4 (42:22):
We're like what.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
So it's just it's perfect.
Speaker 5 (42:25):
I don't know if it would have happened for me
this way, if I'd have worked with any other rapper
to bring back this feeling.
Speaker 3 (42:34):
He had to be the one.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
And even even the fact that we did dress Sydney
and Rahim Devon is on it, and then his mom
sent him a picture of Rayim that she took with
Rahim Devon in twenty twelve when Ruben was twelve and
Ruben showed up at my door he was thirteen and
a year later, and now he got.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
A song right there. It's too much.
Speaker 5 (42:59):
It's just the timing of it could be more eerie,
more perfect, and the season for this album is great too.
Speaker 6 (43:07):
So and even to add I think somebody called me
Money called me today. You know he was like, Yo,
He's like, I hate to say it this way. He
was like, but he was like just seeing everybody talk
about DiAngelo and what he meant to, you know, to
the game, and how like he came back. He came
in ninety five and dropped brown Sugar and everybody was like, yo,
(43:29):
he was so different from what everybody else was doing.
And then he's like, I'm listening and seeing the tweets
and listening to D'Angelo and you know this, which was
a big compliment for me to hear him say to me.
He's like, Yo, this is where you're at right now.
He was like, I'm gonna be real with you, and
you know that was you know what I mean. And
I just feel like, you know, the timing of it,
(43:51):
the fact that you know, God risk his soul like
we were we geeked off of D'Angelo in studio many times,
even me and you shared moments playing d Angelo and
then for him to you know, pass and then you know,
we're putting this album out around the time where everybody's
talking about the feeling he left, and not just him,
but even Rafael Sadek, who's on the album. You know,
(44:11):
I think it's it's like you said, it's divine. You
can't make it up and you can't. You can't, No,
you can't.
Speaker 2 (44:19):
Okay, We're gonna play this game and then wrap. The
older I get, the less I.
Speaker 4 (44:27):
Care about what people think.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Well, you beat me to see Capricorn.
Speaker 4 (44:31):
Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 6 (44:32):
You know, when I was younger, you know what I'm saying,
Like people say stuff, It used to get to me.
But I don't care what nobody think no more. You
know what I'm saying, it's you do whatever you want,
but don't don't come here trying to you know, rain
on my parade.
Speaker 4 (44:44):
I'm doing me, you know.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
All right, ten years from now, I want my legacy.
Speaker 4 (44:48):
To be.
Speaker 5 (44:52):
Remember, you know, somebody that I never thought I would
be in the chronicles of time when it comes to
black men, and it's sometimes it's still hard for me
to accept, but I am and because I've never seen
that coming for me. But I was just talking to
somebody last night about, you know, be common, and Pete
(45:17):
Rock was walking in a restaurant and I'm walking behind
Common and Pete because they're my big brothers, right, And
the dude saw Common like Common, and then he saw
Pete Rock and say, oh, it's Pete. So I'm trying
to scurry about him to go sit down, and they said,
oh it's nice. And I'm like, just to just to
(45:38):
be mentioned in the same breath and get a fan
reaction for all three of us like that. If I
know I would have seen them twenty five years ago,
I would have did the same thing.
Speaker 3 (45:49):
It's everything, So just to remember, just remember.
Speaker 4 (45:53):
I think maz is.
Speaker 6 (45:55):
I want people to think of my legacy as somebody
who stayed authentic, and who's somebody who stayed you know,
who just lived off and based their life off integrity.
You know, you can easily get jaded in this game,
and you know, people change, and people you know, sit
and you know, will allow things to override them. But
I've always wanted to stay true to me, you know,
(46:16):
and be myself, you know what I mean, and let
and allow that to take me far, you know what
I mean. And I feel like, you know, ten years
from now, I pray that that's still the legacy people
say when they talk about Rubens.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
One movie that I could watch with the sound off.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
Is I know word for word House Party.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
I thought you was going to say juice.
Speaker 6 (46:37):
I was saying juice, Yeah, juice all day. I know
the word that juice like the back.
Speaker 4 (46:42):
Of my hand.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
My last question, I swear this is the last one, is.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
Being somebody at the forefront of innovation with them music
at that time.
Speaker 2 (46:51):
To you know, seeing where we're at.
Speaker 1 (46:53):
Today with social media and with a lot of bedroom artists,
what are your thoughts on it of like the future?
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Is it beautiful?
Speaker 4 (47:02):
Here?
Speaker 2 (47:03):
Is it great?
Speaker 5 (47:05):
I think it's this room for exploration all around. You know,
the cream will always rise to the top, regardless of what.
I don't care if you have a million artists, it's
always gonna the best is always gonna supersede everything else,
regardless of what. I was a creative kid. I'm I'm
happy that kids have more chances to create now that
(47:27):
they could in the eighties and nineties, without the stipulation
that I gotta have this, I gotta have that, I
have to have this, I have to record here, and
blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (47:36):
I'm all for that. We need it.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
They already they already taking arts programming out of schools,
you know what I mean. So that's you know, a
lot of kids is getting labeled these certain things like
ADHD and all of this stuff, and that not a board,
that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
They're board. They don't have.
Speaker 5 (47:53):
They have a highly creative mind and they need something
to stimulate that mind. And sometimes you sometimes a lot
of times music is here, or any type of art
is it. So I'm all for that, man, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
I'm not.
Speaker 5 (48:08):
Most casts my age are threatened by younger cats who
make a certain type of music, how they're made, where
they're getting it from. And my thing is the generation
before us did the same thing. And if as long
as you're stationary and respected in the place that you're in,
you ain't got to worry about your spot being taken.
And a lot of casts my age feel like the
(48:29):
spot is being taken by a younger generation. I'm like,
we're you too old to being the VIP anyway, Like
get out, like go home, you know what I mean.
And so that's for everybody who wants to create and
wants to make something, even if five people here do it,
just do it.
Speaker 3 (48:47):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (48:48):
This is all this to It's a form of expression.
Now we can get into the fact that it's good
or bad. That's subject to you know what I mean.
But at least it's something you're happy about and it's
something you want to do an play it for your friends.
Just do it and you never know you might make
something that can go further than that. Billy Eilish and
hert what I think it's her brother. They did the
(49:09):
album in the house just them two. It can it
can happen. So I'm all for that, man. I'm all
for technology changing. And as long as you stay dope,
it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
I love it well. Thank you guys. Welcome home out now?
Speaker 4 (49:27):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (49:27):
And is there any last word you want to leave
the people about your project?
Speaker 4 (49:32):
Hey man, welcome home is out, thoroughroll in the building,
jamiler records in the building and make some noise forinale.
You know what I'm saying. For incredible interview and just
also being a big role in the project.
Speaker 5 (49:43):
I would like to get a Porsche or Purple one
attack matching tattoos. See it is a matching tax I
don't just date for I.
Speaker 2 (49:50):
Love even stay certified.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
We Need to Talk is a production of the Black
Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect
Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. Mixture You guys follow
We Need to Talk at WNTTLK, on Instagram and TikTok
Host
Nyla Symone
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