April Kae and Cardi B's 'AM I THE DRAMA'

April Kae returns to the show to join the conversation around Cardi B's AM I THE DRAMA? album.

We discuss the high and low points of Cardi's highly-anticipated, 24-track (!) divorce album, her unending charm and how she constantly finds ways to push boundaries of pop music. 

April explains the debt she owes to Cardi B's "Up," as well as the challenges she’s faced while developing her own music and how a breakup clarified her vision for her music career. She also makes an "official" announcement about what's next for her solo music. 

Tell us about your first listen at @AtFirstListenpodcast on Instagram!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Welcome to at First Listen, the music podcast for people
who don't always get the hype but want to. I'm Andrew,
I'm Dominique, and.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
We're here with a very special guest, April k is Back.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Thank you for having me the first.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Returning guest on the podcast. We did change co hosts
in that period.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah, so it's like I was actually famously in the
room during April's first recording, snapping snapping shots.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Who knew I would I would become the co host
and we'd have April back as a guest.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, and who knew that none of those photos would
be usable?

Speaker 4 (00:49):
They were?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
How bad the lighting is here?

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Yeah, but we're skilled, skilled, so it was they were
good people.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah, we got some we got some exterior photos.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Really.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
As I recall, you just miss Golden Hour that day,
you were upset about it.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
That sounds like me.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah. So April k is a is A is a bassist,
rock bassist, singer, songwriter, multi talented woman, influencer and she
has a base school. She is a multi hyphen it

(01:34):
woman musician who I am really excited to hear her
thoughts on music today.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
And you.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
You you kept with one trend and you broke another.
So the one trend was you and Dominique suggesting really
good albums for the show, so that that that streak
has been broken.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
Oh wow, okay, we're coming out.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
The other one is last time you came to promote
you were hero Estential the Believe to promote a Fender campaign,
So you picked an album with no musical instruments on it,
and here you've picked another album with no musical instruments
on it.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Right, I think that really speaks to my approach to music.
To be honest, I'm really about what's happening now, and
I'm really about pushing the boundaries of music. And so
when it comes to what we're hearing, a lot of
what's pushing the boundaries is rap, and in terms of
me as a instrumentalist, as a writer, someone who comes
more from a rock tradition of live instruments and even

(02:37):
a jazz tradition. For me, it's about pushing the boundaries
in that way. So I take a lot of inspiration
from people like Mia, especially Cardi B. It's actually my
first viral bass video. Basically the first one I posted
was of Cardi B song Up, which happens to be
on her new record, and I jammed on base over that, right,
and so that really speaks to my approach as an artist.

(02:59):
And now that I'm right more, it's cool because I'm
infusing all of these rap cadences and rap approaches into
my rock music, and I'm really excited. I think that's
you know, where music is going, especially with AI and
things like that. It's about trying to use all the
tools we have and really combine them to figure out
what reaches people. And also, you know, expressing ourself authentically,

(03:19):
which again I think Cardi B did great on her
recent record, is expressing who she is and using the
tools at her disposal.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
To do that. So April gave it away. Today we're
going to be talking about Cardi B's am I the Drama.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
It's in the description.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
It'll be in the description, but you know, yeah, no,
it's not like it was a surprise. But Cardi B
Am I the Drama her new album I'm a little
bit confused about. I saw it called her sophomore album.
She has at least like three other albums.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, as I recall A Bodak Yellow came out maybe
two years before she actually put out the full album,
and so she was touring as like a headlining artist
before her album actually came out. I have no idea
what was what she was doing, probably like all those

(04:11):
songs just before they came out. But so it doesn't
surprise me that this is the second album, especially since
April mentioned Up, which is a song that came out
years ago and is on this album, maybe like six
years after it was first. Wop is also on this record,
and that came out I think at least three years ago.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
Oh, Gangsta Bitch Music is a mixtape that understood. Yeah,
we'll put out our warning now to all of our
relatives who are sensitive. We may be using language that

(04:53):
is not appropriate for the workplace or for children.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
And I don't think any of the clips of music
that will play will be a p oria for children.
So this episode gets the little red.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
E next to those are the best parts. Why what? Like,
what's the point of listening to Cardi b if you're
gonna like censor.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
The censored version of is like a comedy.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
It's actually so funny you're messing with that?

Speaker 2 (05:14):
What kids?

Speaker 1 (05:19):
That's a good one, and so it makes it all
worth it.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
So in general, are the two of you. You describe
yourselves as fans cuge of Cardi B.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Huge, we've been No, We've been fans since Gangsta Bitch Music.
I don't know if you remember, Andrew. The album cover
was like so iconic, and we were like, who is this?
Who is this? Because it was before it was before,

(05:51):
like it was before women were presenting in this way
and like getting attention for it.

Speaker 5 (06:00):
You know.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
It was all like she is so proud of who
she is and that's always that's always been her, it
continues to be her. Yeah. Uh, it's it's kind of
actually hard to imagine a rap landscape without this energy.
But I remember being like, she is so cool for

(06:23):
this this the album feet. The album cover for our
listeners features Cardi B with her legs open and a
man who's tattooed, like with his head down in between
her legs, and she's drinking a bottle of liquor of
I think it's a forty ounce and he's like he's
his face isn't in it? And like we yeah, it's

(06:45):
it's like the norm now. But I actually think that
was in large part her, Like there's a difference between
being sexualized and like sexualizing men as well, and I
think that that's where my fandom started.

Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, I would say the same thing. That image of
the record really made an impact on me. But also
I remember watching Love and Hip Hop and just seeing
her looking like me in her you know, fashion nova,
whatever corner store, little outfit and rapping and being on
this reality show and being like, Nah, I'm gonna do
music and I'm gonna have this personality. And I remember
her because she's memorable and it's cool on am I

(07:25):
the Drama to see her really growing as a musician
as an artist, to see her voice getting better, like
her performance is getting better from seeing her on these
little stages, you know, It's like I feel like I
got to got to see that journey firsthand and like
be a part of it.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, April, you commented on the like the social references,
like the zeitgeisty references she makes on this album, Like
starting with the title of the album, am I the
Drama is a classic Rue Paul's drag Race quote, like,
am I the Villain? Am I the Drama? I don't

(08:02):
think I'm the villain. I don't think I'm the drama.
It's a classic reality TV quote in the title, and
so I really do think it's also like really it
so is speaking to her fan base, like we we're
hearing this new album as a part of her bigger
impact as a as an artist.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, there's no doubt that she's an incredible personality. She
has a definite point of view. She was she had
like the distinction of being like the one person that
like Republicans learned about and they were like, this person
is our our new the example we're going to use
as like what's wrong with with people today? Like every

(08:45):
every couple of years they learn about a new person.
They're like, man, it's them.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Yes, a song becomes too popular and they are like,
I knew, I knew black people were bringing down so side.
So should we get into talking about the album.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
Yeah, let's take a break and we'll come back and
we'll get into a few standout tracks from am I
the Drama by Cardi B.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
Welcome back to at First Listen. I'm Dominique.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
Oh whoops, I'm Andrew, and we're.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
Here with April K talking about Cardi B's new album,
am I The Drama.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
So I don't have a I don't have it ready,
but the first track, Dad starts with a bunch of
like cable news to my earlier point, cable news sound bites,
and I would have bet, like any amount of money,
that that's how the album would have started. So for me,
it got off on a very like a bit on
the wrong foot, because like, this was the most predictable

(09:59):
possible way to open the record, and then it has nothing,
and it has the content of the record from there
has nothing to do with any of like her Cardi
b in the news, it's the divorce album.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
Okay, So I totally I agree with you that it's expected.
But that's what I like about it because I feel
like it's her. It's her like piece of Me moment
a Lah Britney spears, it's her like eminem something moment.
I don't know, but like, I feel like this is

(10:34):
a classic truck for an artist who's established and who's
been getting hate for a long time. I asked myself,
I'm like, are these are these real clips? Or are
these fake clips? I feel I have the feeling that
they are real, and that's enough, right.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
They certainly could be real. I wouldn't dispute that they
could be real. Yeah, I and they're all extremely generic.

Speaker 1 (10:56):
They are very generic. But I and I but you
just need some.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
White lady who sounds like she's in a blazer sounding
and Cardi BB Yeah exactly.

Speaker 1 (11:07):
Yeah, I love like an outla song vibe, So I do.
I do think it's not surprising at all. But I'm
almost like just stoked to beat for her to be
at this point in her career because yeah, her last
her last album was like the breakup album, I Hate You,

(11:29):
and now this is the like it was like I
hate you, but I still love you and I'm sad
about it. Now this is like I am done with you,
and I'm done with all y'all and your judgments.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
And I'm going to court the Latino market with a
song with a bunch of trumpets in it.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
Also, she has a lot of issues with the law
and the court room, and so I'm not surprised that
that you know, made an appearance. She didn't even talk
about it, probably because she doesn't want to get sued again.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
That's the next album if anything.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
Yeah, I think it's also very Cardi B and very
bronx girl and very reality TV batty to be like
I'm gonna just address this up front, I'm not gonna
I'm not gonna be sole about it.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
It was the trial or whatever, because I did see
that she was being she took the stand and Core
new was a big deal.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
It was really funny. Okay, I'll just give the quick
overview of it. She was getting sued. It wasn't that
she committed a crime per se. She got sued by
the security guard. Lady. The security guard said that she
attacked her, and Cardi B said that she didn't, and
she was basically like, the security guard attacked me, And

(12:48):
so she was just trying to sewer for a ton
of money and get money, and Cardi B was able
to charm everyone and she walked away with that.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
I heard that the plaintiffs attorney had really pushed to
get Cardi B to testify, and Cardi B's like, well,
I'm incredible in a large group of people. I'm an
international pop star. That is a good idea, so of
course I will do that. And in some of the
clips of the testimony, you hear people laughing yeah while

(13:24):
she's speaking, like she completely charmed the room and she
looks incredible.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
She's adorable. I think she's pregnant. She or she talks
about she's like almost she was pregnant at the time,
so it was like really sympathetic. There's no there was
like that person was very bold to think that they
could could beat Cardi b A in a battle of

(13:52):
charm because she had nothing. And there's tons of memes
now there's tons of like classic memes of her just
being like being like, yeah, this is a wig. So
that was the That was the trial.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
Okay, So what was the first track you want to
talk about? Should we do Bodega Batti since I mentioned it?

Speaker 1 (14:13):
Yeah, let's talk about Bodega Batty.

Speaker 5 (14:16):
How does some batty patty? You want to cheese?

Speaker 1 (14:20):
So this song is very clearly speaking to her, her Bronx,
Dominican roots, her reggaetone influences.

Speaker 2 (14:30):
Yeah, she did a whole tour of of I think
the Bronx and Queens this week. Yes, another connecting with
that community.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
Incredible promo by Cardi b. I mean the whole court
case on top of a bus. It was right after
the court case ended that you started seeing her like
walking in the middle of the street and the Bronx
with no shoes on.

Speaker 2 (14:52):
Like what carrying the Dominican flag.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Yeah, yeah, April, what are your thoughts? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (14:58):
I loved Cardi B's marketing for this record because it
was really bringing in like her current image that's super glamour,
super met gala, and also who she is right like
she's both that girl and also again a girl from
the Bronx who never left. Like she's not Jenny from
the Block, she's Jenny on the Block. And that's clear

(15:19):
from the video she's making because she's referencing what we
see on the streets every day. It doesn't feel performative
at all. You can tell she's there, you could tell
they know her, and this song really speaks to that.
One of the first us I had listening to this record.
I moved to La about a year ago from New York,
and so I missed New York so much, and I
sold my sister. I don't know who that is that

(15:41):
I was jealous because my sister lives in Harlem, and
I was like, you're gonna be hearing this record all summer,
and this song specifically in La. Yes, there's a Latino
community and I can hear them bumping it, but this
song is made to be played on someone's boom box
on their steps in the Bronx, driving on their car.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
Through Harlem and the Bronx. It's is capable of the
music that other people are playing in La. You just
roll up your car windows exactly exactly.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
And that's the song for me. And so I'm gonna
be playing it in my apartment in La like feeling
all that bodega. You know, energy supposed to be listening
to this outside the bodega.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
No, it's perfect for It's perfect for like the the
Saturday night DJ mix, like who party, people whose birthdays
like it is it's I can totally see it for that.
And that's what I really feel like this album is about,
is like honestly, her trying to throw a bunch of

(16:34):
things at the wall and see if something sticks as
like a dance pop like a club bob.

Speaker 2 (16:41):
All right, Next, you wanted to talk about, say featuring Klannie.

Speaker 6 (16:45):
No bodybi fook say thank you because one I'm you know,
I'm fine fun It's gotta bashre off Mama.

Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yeah, I really I was so happy to see Klan
and Cardi do this song together because Killannie is also
really open about owning her sexuality as a bisexual, you know,
light skinned woman like myself, and so it was cool.
Again to Nicky's point about the album name being a
drag race reference, there's so much queerness baked into what

(17:18):
Cardi B Is doing, you know, so many people on
her team, and she's really open about that, like for
her to do a song with Kilanie, you know. And
Kailanie also has folded on on the on the tracks
right now, which is like an explicit lesbian like love song,
sex song. It's it's cool to see in it. And
I also the video just came out like a couple
days ago, and I loved I loved the video. It

(17:39):
was really moving. It was kind of like her going
through the story of her relationship. And there are these
moments where I almost cry where she was alone, pregnant,
you know, morning a fight they had, and it really
spoke to me. A lot of what I'm exploring in
my music now is these same things. Is queerness, sexuality, breakup, loss, rebuilding.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
And.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
And I love that.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
And I also think again, the Kilani feature really speaks
to all the great female artists features on the record,
and it's clear she's really trying to lift people up.
And you know, I identify herself as part of this community.
Like she's not opposed to other artists. On the contrary,
she wants to lift folks up. And so this feature
in specific really highlights that I think this song is
going to pop off. It's a great song. It's a

(18:22):
great message you know about protecting protecting black woman ultimately,
which is important. Yeah, I keep talking about it, but
you know, it's a it's a great song, and I
think it speaks to the way that this record does
push push where music's going culturally. Well also, yeah, you know,
stay and safe. It's not it's not necessarily pushing any

(18:42):
massive boundaries as far as musicality or instrumentation goes. And
yet you know it's pushing in the way that Cardi
b does best.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
I love them connecting on this this topic, this feeling
of like being a battie and feeling like you got
a lot of people coming for you and then you're
like you when you have people that are that are

(19:09):
holding you down, you really cherish them and it sucks
when they don't. And I even think that, like you said, April,
Cardi b Uh, having Killannie on this record is so important,
like with Kilannie as a queer woman, but also like

(19:30):
with the whole Palestine, uh stuff, Like I don't think
Cardi has really spoken out about it as far as
I know, but I you know, other people won't work
with Killannie because of that. You know, she had those
shows canceled, So, you know, thinking about safety in a

(19:52):
bigger way, like being able to feel safe in your
home and not be bombed and even speak out about
it that and be able to continue your life.

Speaker 3 (20:04):
I love that I didn't even think about that element
that gave me shivers, because yeah, I mean, Cardi B
is good about aligning herself with causes and doing so
in a way that enabled her to keep this platform.
And man, before I got into music, before I got
into the industry, I really would criticize artists who weren't
more like Kilane right and who aren't as persistent about it.

(20:26):
But I now understand it's about balancing it, right, It's
about being able to do both. And I love that
through creating a song like safe, they can make a
really strong nod to this and like, this song will
speak to folks you know over there, and it's a
cool it's a cool tie and it's a cool way
to kind of signalfle.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
Us like I'm about it.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
What do you think about what's going on? I did
not know that that was Lizzo on the song This
is a I guess you'd call it an interpolation of
the four non Blonde song with that very iconic chorus.
Did you have any thoughts on that?

Speaker 3 (21:04):
I'd figures about yours.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
He's like you do.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
I would say that I don't like that it's not
actually a sample. They just have Lizo sing it and
say the word fuck in it.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
But now she can pay uh Lizzo and keep more
of the money, right, she can pick yeah, pay both
of them. But also if you if you, if you
re record it, because the people who oh.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
It's like they're gonna get writing and she's gonna get
yeah instead.

Speaker 7 (21:36):
Yes, y yeah, that test be careful.

Speaker 1 (21:49):
I get why she picked a Lizo for for it,
because she has that like expressive voice, but that auto tune.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yeah, I think that's why I brought it up because
it bothered me. And I think the amount of auto tune.

Speaker 1 (22:06):
Yeah, Like with Cardi not being a singer, like it
makes sense to bring on some people who are If
you're gonna bring on a singer, why not bring on
you know, and.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
I don't know if this is true or not. This
might be why it sounds so peculiar. It sounds almost
like they pitched up the vocal to make it higher
than the original take. That could be wrong, and maybe
it's just my interpretation of that effect.

Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, I mean, I'm not I don't. This is not
me talking negatively about anybody at all. I've been doing
a lot of vocal editing recently. I've been doing my
own production. My first instinct was like they My first
thought was like, they did Lizzo dirty by putting it
in this key and they made it really high, and
then they.

Speaker 2 (22:56):
Like autoto the fold and also why why does it
need to be in I key for Cardi B? Who's
not singing right exactly.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
So it felt like it was a kind of one
of these decisions. It feels like she's always balancing right, like,
what is the image? What is the story I'm trying
to play culturally with how do I communicate on that
in the music? And putting Lizo on this record with
the legal trouble she's been having, She's having her own comeback.
You know, Cardi B's really drawing her lines in the
sand as far as who she stands with and what
she stands by. You know, their story is really parallel,

(23:27):
and so she really fits the themes. And Lizzo's doing
this kind of rock era stuff and you know, we
don't even know what kind of record label conversations are
being had in the background because the four non blondes
in Lizzo's voice. And she's also doing that movie where
she's playing a guitar player. So she's really doing this
rock era thing.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, look it up.

Speaker 3 (23:45):
Uh, it's her big project she's working on now. She
she's really doing this rock branding. I think that it
was like more important to have Lizzo do this as
a gesture as a headline than it necessarily was for
them to spend you know, the five days in this
studio together, where we could have had the wop that
we want from them together. And I hope we get it,
you know.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
I hope.

Speaker 3 (24:07):
This song's fun. I don't skip it, you know. But yeah,
I definitely have heard Liza sound much better, So I
understand why it's there. I'm happy it's there. I enjoy
the song, and yet I would have loved for them
to have spent more time in the studio really creating
something that showcases their skills.

Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah, I agree, April, I think that it's kind of
it's just kind of funny to have, uh, like the
songs we're going to talk about next, you know, Wop
and Up, which I think we should talk about Whop first,
like four or five year old songs that are hits
and have been hits, and then like add a song
that's brand new that's like kind of half baked almost

(24:48):
maybe more of a mixtape song.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
That's what it's giving. This gives mixtape that song, And
it's it's interesting because we have songs like safe that
give women bring in their heart. I mean those runs
Clannie did, she was she was working for on the
For a minute, you can tell this was not one
day in the studio.

Speaker 1 (25:02):
At all, and they have a video and everything.

Speaker 8 (25:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Right, again, that was not a one day shoot like
they put in. They bought up their calendar for this.
And yeah, I would love to hear mix it from
Cardi lo KEI like, go in there and let's do
with the carter. Yeah, I would love that from her,
to be honest.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Yeah. All right, let's take a quick break and then
we'll get into the last handful of songs about from
this record that we want to talk about. I'm at
First listening. Welcome back to at first Listen.

Speaker 1 (25:39):
I'm Andrew Domini and that a brawl, all.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
Right, So I want to talk about We're gonna talk
about walk first. Then I want to talk about better
than You because I want to compare it to Wop
up okay, because this is one of those albums where
you can kind of tell what's the is to be
the single and what's an album track. So here is
wop very famous song. Everybody knows.

Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, you're fucking with some wet ass plus and mo
with as famously. Ben Shapiro said, uh as I also
discussed on my show. My only real concern is that
the women involved, who apparently require a bucket and a mop,
get the medical care they require. My doctor wife's differential

(26:30):
diagnosis bacterial vaginosis used affection in trick gnosis Trickenson.

Speaker 2 (26:36):
I'm not a doctor, So are you famous Shapiro's wife, I'm.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
Andrew talk about no, I mean, if anything. First of all,
this song gave us Cardi B and.

Speaker 2 (26:51):
Megan Bing so hah and very famous music video.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
Very famous music video. During the pandemic when we all
when we all needed it and we got to find.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
Out y'all needed a video flagrant violations.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
Yes, yes we did. We were like, I want to
be there, and we get Ben Shapiro multiple times talking
about in text how he does not please his wife
and he has never once done it.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
And he's got to respect Ben Shapiro for that. Take though,
do you at that time to just be like, I
don't know what she's talking.

Speaker 1 (27:32):
I mean, I think I feel that it is out
of ignorance, not that he was necessarily proud of it.
I think that he believes that he he was raising
his wife, but he is not, and he's never heard
of that. And so this, like this song will forever
be linked to that meme.

Speaker 2 (27:52):
And it's also a good example of why people love
Cardi B and and me, as not a fan of
the music, as someone who in joys what she stands
for and what she's about, that line bring a bucket
and a mop is so fucking funny. Yes, and it's delivered.
It's delivered straight and tough when she's when she's rapping

(28:14):
that part. Uh yeah, great, great song.

Speaker 1 (28:18):
That was the main thing I wanted to talk about
was the Ben shapeero. I H yeah, April, what are
your thoughts on one?

Speaker 2 (28:27):
You know that guy on Fox News? This wop was
like a week of the news cycle on Fox News at.

Speaker 1 (28:33):
Least a week, and then it like and then it
inspired more music from both of them.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
It's cool be Shapiro and Cardi p right exactly.

Speaker 3 (28:42):
Yeah, until that point, I was gonna say it's cool
because I was surprised to see that song on the
record because it's an older song and a lot of
people do tend to just release singles and put out
a record. But I think it's smart on a couple levels. One,
it's gonna give the song a new life because people
are streaming it more. With the way this algorithm works,
is just gonna be popping up more. And it's a

(29:02):
great song. So why not get your little bag get
everybody paid. You know, she has a lot of credits
on that record. You know, people need to get their money,
and so I think that's important, and I think it
really speaks to this story. You know, I don't I
like this record because it just feels like her. It
feels like a scrapbook of a woman living the life
that we all got to live as women in this time.

(29:24):
That really speaks to me. I think I'm not Yeah,
you know, I haven't heard this compared to Lemonade, because
I think they're super different records like Beyonce went full
artsy where Harty's going full like radio, like let's see
where we can get hits. But I think they're really
similar and that they tell us who these women are.
And if you don't mess with girly pop reality TV,
you're not gonna like this record, just like if you

(29:45):
don't mess with you know, black women empowerment, artistic self expression,
art references, you're not gonna mess with with Lemonade. And
so I think Up needed to be on this record
because it tells the beginning of story. It tells when
she was getting that.

Speaker 2 (29:58):
With offsett it up in a minute.

Speaker 5 (30:01):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (30:01):
First I want to talk about better than You, which
is a little bit earlier on the record than those
these last two songs, and it's just it's just not
very good and I just want to highlight it for
that reason.

Speaker 5 (30:14):
But somebody that's your friend, so.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
I could listen to her read a phone book. I
could listen to her read I won't evil books about
mean things, and I would be like, give it to me.
I can listen to that woman say anything, and so
I don't mind if she's you know, given lyrics that
felt like she may have written them on the toilet.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
In between, whether she didn't write them at all.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
Yeah, someone else maybe wrote them on.

Speaker 1 (30:43):
There was just the ad libs. It was basically all
odd libs and.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
No actual It sounds like it sounds like a a
preset beat in a daw and placeholder lyrics like that
is the entire They hold her.

Speaker 3 (30:59):
Ad libs better than you like it.

Speaker 1 (31:00):
Really, I was waiting for the when, the when, the
flow if there was like a really you know, if
it was a name and on a song there would
be right then would come in like a flow that
would change lives. And it doesn't really ever come in this.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
There's a Cash Cobaine feature on the end, which seems
to happen after the song is over, and he he
just raps for like forty seconds and.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
It's not it's also not really he's just kind of mumbling.
He's just kind of saying stuff. It's not there's not
a double or the trip any type of on chan
dre there's really it's really interesting. And there's twenty four
songs on this freaking album. Cut five, like just cut five.

Speaker 2 (31:45):
And there's a few on the record where I by
the second verse, I was like, I this this has
gone where it's going and I just need to move on.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (31:53):
I think it's because I also left a man who
wasn't ship. But I'm like, nah, she was like, she
was like they told her cut it and she's.

Speaker 1 (31:59):
Like noth cap cap cap. April skipped at least four
of the songs on this album and said, I don't
want to listen. Can we please skip this one. I
won't name which songs because April wants to be media something.
But April did not feel that this album had no skips.

(32:24):
And I must call cap because and I hear what
you're saying. You're saying it's you get her where she
was coming from with it. But I also I'm like,
as a business woman, there the songs, it's like, why
have a slow ass skip on your album? Get get
someone better, no offense, or get him to do another

(32:47):
verse like wait on it, sit on it. It's cool
because there's so much good music coming out right now.
Like I I just think that there's too many tracks.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
These two long albums may kill this podcast because there's
only so much that I can listen to, especially if
it's something that I'm not excited about, if it doesn't
grab me within the first couple of tracks, like the
Hayley Williams record Did Yeah, which is also too long.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
Yo.

Speaker 3 (33:16):
I don't know it's wild because y'all are funny and
I like y'all, but I think it's like, it's like,
I feel like Loki, I'm representing the middle of America
listener right now, because the way people listen is they
throw it on in the background, and you want more
songs to get more money.

Speaker 1 (33:31):
Uh do you think they throw it on? Is that true?
Or do they listen to a playlist and they hit
Spotify play or they listen to the radio and they
listen and then the hits get played a bunch. I
think it's both.

Speaker 3 (33:42):
Yeah, So I no, it's it's true. I think it's no.

Speaker 1 (33:45):
But you're right.

Speaker 4 (33:45):
No.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
I think you make good points because it's like, I
will listen to this and I was like, I wanted
this record to win a Grammy, But your point's right,
and I got sack because I'm like, you know what,
You're right, Like, this record is such a beautiful example
of Catharsis, and I'm down to skip because I'm happy
if she put it out, Because you're right. Yeah, I
skipped a lot of skip, like half of.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
Them, but skipped it to a manageable way.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yeah, Andrew, Andrew is so sad right now. He listened
to every song he said.

Speaker 2 (34:13):
I have to do my I was like, oh, they're
gonna be here at two thirds. I got to finish
this album.

Speaker 3 (34:21):
Yeah, you know, I.

Speaker 1 (34:21):
Listened to it once.

Speaker 3 (34:22):
I listened all of them a couple of times. Okay,
I'm not I listened to a couple of times. But yeah,
you know, I think that you're right to the point
of like versus a who's really good?

Speaker 1 (34:30):
Oh my god?

Speaker 3 (34:31):
Why am I blanking on here? Olivia Rodrigo, her pruning
is incredible. She has like ten song records and they're
all bangers. That's why she keeps winning Grammys. I think
Cardi b if she had done ten songs, she would
have been a shoe for a Grammy. And yeah, I
think she kind of disqualified herself and I enjoy that.
It's a fuck you despite my own enjoyment of it.
I am enjoying her saying fuck you to me and
making me get up and skip a song I don't like.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
Yes, and a holy new territory for Cardi B. She says,
fuck you, bitches, I'm a battie.

Speaker 2 (35:00):
You'll listen to whatever the fuck.

Speaker 1 (35:02):
I yes, and we love that Fresh take Love.

Speaker 2 (35:07):
If you skip it, you'll make your friend listen to
it because he thinks that's what he's supposed to.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
No, just for one second, Andrew was like, I don't
want to listen to this album. So then we were like, well,
now we have to, and then ten minutes later us
regretting it. But they suck with our decision and it.

Speaker 2 (35:27):
Was like, you know, she's kind of saying fuck you
to us for regretting that. So it's good.

Speaker 3 (35:33):
I agree, I don't.

Speaker 1 (35:34):
I'm here for it.

Speaker 4 (35:36):
Ideologically, all right, let's check out up baseball stuckleck hi
cherie yosh Like I'm listens last night he with that
Nika Nigga act.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
Right, this song is made to be on one of
those late night playlists, and it's like, so the sound
of the speech of New York.

Speaker 2 (35:54):
But also we just listen to the part of better
than you. Like that doesn't sound like anyone involved. Anyone
who's involved in that song was involved in this song.
This is so much more exciting from the first bait
from the first quarter. Note, this song is way better,
you can tell.

Speaker 1 (36:14):
And I hate to say this because this is not
even real, but it is a shame the album that
she came out after leaving Offsea and the songs that
she came out with while she was with him our
bit let's say funkier, more going.

Speaker 2 (36:32):
On, right, And so the guy from Migos was good
at producing music, and.

Speaker 1 (36:37):
I'm not even gonna give him credit. I'm just saying
she was making better music when she was with him.
I don't know why. It might have to do with
like inside drama of like not being able to work
with the same people, or or something losing clout within
the industry because you don't have a man on your
side like to you know, look it out for you

(36:59):
or what ever. Uh, because I think like this album
is better than Migos albums, especially now that take Off
has passed away. And so yeah, I just I think
it it is like going back to our fuck you conversation.

(37:20):
It is like we want to see, we don't want
to just Hey, I'm so glad you're happy and you're
doing your own thing now and you got a new
boyfriend lovely, But you know, ultimately we want, we want to.
I want the redemption also involves making like really good
stuff too, So I it's just funny having these at

(37:42):
the end of the album, because I think it's like, oh,
listen to the whole album, you get a treat at
the end, and they happen to be albums that don't
necessarily actually at all reflect the uh, the theme of
the arrest of the album.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
Or the current state of her life. Yeah, and I
don't want to do this, but I'm going to suggest it.
Maybe we need to, uh next time Offset puts something out,
determine whether his music was better when he was with
Cardi B.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
I think we should do that. And I think I'm
guessing that our hypothesis is correct because he's even making
music or is you just trifling being a I don't
know what we're sex positive of this podcast, April, what

(38:39):
what are your thoughts any more thoughts?

Speaker 6 (38:42):
This song so up?

Speaker 2 (38:43):
This was a big song for you, Yeah, this was
a big song.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (38:47):
I don't even I like what y'all said about up
pushing the boundaries of music and pushing where things are
going musically right, And I think we're realizing that Cardi
B is at her best when she pushes musically and culturally.
In this record, she prioritized culturally period point blank. We
don't know why, but there's a ton of only reasons
why she could have prioritized that.

Speaker 2 (39:07):
I don't know if divorce records in general are that good.

Speaker 3 (39:11):
Mhmm, Okay, that's a little mean, but I'm worrying. I'm kidding.
I'm writing one.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
Tell me about some other ones that's a breakup record
and divorce records.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
Tell me about tell me about I'm.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
Gonna have to explore that. Yeah, me think so much.

Speaker 3 (39:24):
I like this because I feel like I have a
lot of questions, you know. Like one of my questions is, like,
what are other records that have twenty five fucking songs?
Were like yes, eight or fire couldn't want to grant me?

Speaker 2 (39:35):
I feel like because maybe maybe the divorce album is
also generally coming from an older artist, so just like
the Money.

Speaker 3 (39:44):
Oh, I remember Ben Giver's divorce. See, I think I
like divorce. Yeah, I don't know, I think I like
Divorce as I remember Ben givers thevorce out of it.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
It was just and I enjoyed it.

Speaker 3 (39:54):
I remember him talking about like Zoey Dachanell's on all
the billboards and I'm salty, and I was like, you go,
you go, you go, Glenn Coco.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
You know.

Speaker 3 (40:03):
So I think I think I personally have a bias
toward divorce albums. I always am picky about what I
listened to, so I don't really mind skipping songs. And
I'm like, I don't know, I'm excited to see this
record grow on.

Speaker 1 (40:17):
Me too. I'm excited for TikTok to find like the
perfect snippets for me to get.

Speaker 2 (40:24):
Lies for you to enjoy.

Speaker 8 (40:26):
And then I'm like, we talked about too real quick,
the visuals and her acting abilities, like she's been taking
some acting classes or maybe you know, it's the upside
of being in the industry a little longer she's experienced.

Speaker 3 (40:38):
I was really impressed with her acting in all the promos,
because she's been great as a no reality TV star,
but actually acting it's been a little like when she
was in Hustlers that you know, not the best, one
of the less strong cameos in that, but seeing her
act like, I'm stoke for the visuals for this, especially
since Mama Beyonce. It's taking her damn time. I think
Cardi stepping up. I think Cardi might be stepping up

(40:59):
to be the next, you know, visual queen, because she
certainly is taking the crown with fashion. Yes, I'm talking
about Cardibi culturally, but I'm down to be in her
world and I'm so inspired by her as a creative
to create a world people can be in to the
point where, yeah, I don't know, I make people feel
like as stoked about someone.

Speaker 2 (41:18):
Well, can you can you just talk specifically because you
had this viral hit with your cover up, can you
just talk about what gave you the idea to make
that in the first place and kind of what happened
with that. Yeah, I think that's your your specific connection
here here.

Speaker 4 (41:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (41:35):
So I was actually promoting the last record I've made.
It was like a five song EP with my band
Immani Gold from the time that is now on indefinite hiatus.
But I was looking for ways to just get myself
out there as a creative, and bass was always the
way that I connected to music. Authentically, and so I
was seeing people kind of like do flips on pop songs,

(41:57):
trending songs, and so I did a flip on up
and added kind of like a funky, bunky, dark little
rock vibe, you know, base base rift to it. And
I think are really connected with people for a couple
of reasons. One, I have a really strong community in
New York. I think I really connect with people from
diverse racial backgrounds, diverse cultural backgrounds. And so people saw
a lot of what they like and Cardi B and me, and.

Speaker 2 (42:20):
Was that a video that you like labored over? Did
that take you along where you like it's got to
be just so? Or did you just kind of like
try it a couple of times?

Speaker 3 (42:32):
And then I don't know, I don't do it try
a couple of times. It is not in my vocabulary,
especially if I'm posting it to social So, you know,
I don't even know how many months I got to
look at my phone, how many months of like reshoots,
re prepping, you know, trying different things, Like I don't
improvise those souls at all. No one does online. If
I'm burshing anyone's bubble, everyone writes them. If you talk
to people about who do social media videos, musicians who

(42:54):
are soloing. They talk about like, you got to write
it first. It's it's like anything else on social media.
If if you're not hitting those metrics, you're not doing
it right. And I actually picked this song because I
just went to the charts and I was like, what's
the top song that I fuck would So I literally
went on the top fifty Spotify songs and this was
one of the top ones. I'm like, CARTI forget it

(43:14):
and I love Bodak Yellow. As I mentioned earlier, I've
been a fan of her forever, so it just felt correct.
It felt correct, and it was cool seeing how people
really saw the commonalities between I think two very different women.
You know, we have a lot in common, but I
cannot wrap to say my life. I'm from Texas, I'm
not from the Bronx, and you know, got millions of

(43:37):
views and ultimately gave me a career, like I have
heard a thing. Just like just like everyone else, I
have Cardi b to thank for my career, and I
think that might be why are the loud bias and
me comes from like I could not I would not
be in this room if it weren't for her, full stop,
don't I cannot say I would have, especially being able
to work so much with women, being able to find
a way to get women interested in and guitars and

(44:02):
basses when when we're so excluded from that space. And
again I get like, as Nikki said earlier, that's really
especially earlier, what Cardi b Has done for rap. Yeah,
that's what I'm gona say, that's my last I'm not
I would love to do that for bass and guitar
instruments for women is really push it in a different way,
you know, give people new ways to look at it,
create more entry points for different people.

Speaker 1 (44:21):
Yeah. That's a really good point, April. And that's something
that the more that I am an artist in the
entertainment industry, that I have seen as such a huge,
like inside thing thinking about there's so many you you know,
I've worked in film and stuff, and you hear about

(44:41):
movies that nobody cared about, everyone panned the but the
pro process of making the project was like a dream
that everyone everyone who was a part of it had
a great time. They loved the director, they loved everything.
And that can actually give you that long devity in
your career, just bringing people together and making something that

(45:06):
was fun to make. That, I will say that is
something that it doesn't obviously we don't care as the listeners.
We don't care. Great, you had a good time. That's
not That's not what I'm here for. But it does
make me respect her a lot as an artist because
she could have just you know, tried to find the biggest,

(45:28):
like only the biggest best names to you know, she
could have done what's his name, Sam Smith and Ed
Sheeran and Justin Bieber and post Malone and all the
people that you know, t Swifty puts on her albums
like she could have had. She could have done that
and maybe had some better hooks. But who said that?

(45:54):
But but she didn't. She put people on and that's
her vibe. Vibe. That's the vibe of her going to
one twenty Fish Street and selling a record with the incense. Guys,
it's it. It is like we keep saying, I respect
her so much as an artist as a person, and

(46:16):
I'm coming around more and more on like giving these
giving these songs another chance because of really thinking about
the process.

Speaker 2 (46:27):
All right, let's take another break and then we'll talk
about what April has going on with her music and
uh that's coming up on afirst listen.

Speaker 1 (46:51):
Welcome back to at First Listen.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
I'm Dominique, I'm Andrew. I missed it again kind of, I.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
Went in head. I just went and before exactly just
like Cardi B. And we're back with April K we are.
I want to talk about April, your your music, your journey.
You know we've You've mentioned it a few times how
Cardi B has influenced influenced you. I want to hear.

(47:19):
I want to hear more and not necessarily regarding Cardi B.

Speaker 3 (47:23):
Yeah, well listen, I'm not gonna lie like I'm the
one who did the leaving in my relationship and it
was a really hard decision to make. That's a lot
of what I deal with on this record is, you know,
I've gone through a lot in my life, and when
you're in a really bad situation, and it can be
EASi leave. But when you're in a situation we're just
not living your best life, not living your best self,
but you're comfortable, it's really hard to leave, you know.

(47:45):
And seeing Cardi B left leave offset like inspired, and
she gave me the courage you know, she has kids,
she has so much more to lose than I do,
to be honest with you, and she did it and
she put herself first and it's been beautiful seeing her
on the courtroom being that girl. And I really, I
really relate to that. And so I went through my

(48:05):
breakup about a year and a half two years ago,
and through the process of that relationship, I was really
trying to write songs. And I was writing songs I have.
I wrote fifty songs in a year or something like that,
but they just didn't feel like me, and they didn't
feel like the story I wanted to tell. They felt
hollow or it felt convoluted. It was either not it

(48:29):
didn't appear soon enough, or it was too complicated. It
was one of the two. And frankly, I was just
talking to my friend about this the other day. He
was like, you know, he was saying, Oh, it's been
great seeing you out this process. I said, yeah. I
had to go the whole damn divorce to write this.
It was really part of the creative process for me.
So this record Cardi B record really speaks to me,

(48:49):
and so I was stoked to be able to talk
about it on this podcast, and so only in the
past really month. I think in the past month, I've
been getting going. So I have all these songs written
that I've written over the years, but finding my voice
as a producer and as a pop singer and as
a pop artist was so much more difficult. And again,
I think that's why I really respect Cardi B because

(49:10):
she led with that she knew who she was as
a performer, and we're seeing the same narrative through all
of her songs and the stories she wants to tell.
I couldn't even decide if I was sad, happy, mad,
you know. I couldn't even decide where if I wanted
them to listen in the car, if I wanted them
to listen at bedtime, if I wanted them to listen
at the club. You know, And now I know, you know.
For me, what I'm trying to do now is I
want to do music where we can have fun and

(49:30):
dance and mosh and you know, enjoy that kind of
rock aesthetic and let loose them that way, but also
feel our feelings. So it's a lot about like I
have a song that I was working on yesterday called
Crying in the Moshpit, and so it's very much the vibe. Yeah,
and Andrew just laughed. I want to be funny. I
wanted to feel like me. I wanted to give people
the same experience they have one hanging out with me.
That's really what pushed me to finally put out my

(49:52):
own music. Like I've resisted it, not just because of
the relationship, but well, let's be real, similar reasons I
stayed in that relationship, I've stayed playing bass, which is
I like people other people. I like creating things with
other people. The life that me and my ex created together,
the music I create with bands. I'm in the way
that I'm able to go in with an artist and
change there now with my bass playing like.

Speaker 5 (50:14):
Man, I love it.

Speaker 3 (50:15):
I'd never given I don't want to give up any
of it, right, but I have to. I had to
give up that relationship to make space for myself and
hours in the day to make this music and to
push myself in the way that I needed to. And Yeah,
so I'm in this place now where I'm I'm like,
I can come back to playing with other people, and
I'm still I'm doing work toward Fever. At the end
of the year, we're doing some Australia dates. I'm playing

(50:35):
with a band in La artist named Farah, and I'm
really loving that work. But as far as kind of
pushing that side of things as aggressively as I have
for the past couple of years, you know, I realized
that if I really want to connect, I need to
sacrifice a little bit and connect with myself. Create songs
that really express who I am, so I can put

(50:55):
them out there and give them a chance to find
the right people and give myself the chance to find
those people.

Speaker 2 (51:01):
And so you're making an album as opposed an EP
or just like setting out some songs piecemeal, so.

Speaker 3 (51:08):
It's more the last one. So my my, I guess
this is official announcement of what I'm officially doing. But
I'm I have about thirty songs and I'm going to
release thirty songs only on band camp. I'm not gonna
put them on Spotify, and I'm gonna share them on
social media, post them on bang camps when people can
donate or have them for free, and go from there.
You know, I really want to be humble. I've learned

(51:28):
so much as a bass player. I've worked so hard,
you know, hours in the studio hours and the practice
room hours, on stage hours and rehearsals as a bass player.
I want to give that same time and effort to
myself as a solo musician. And I'm not trying to
bust up pop off with the first song. That was
where my head was for a while. It's such an
attractive narrative, you know, I'll have my good luck, babe,

(51:49):
but the reality is for me, that's not how I
like to work. So I'm gonna I'm pushing myself to
release these songs. You know, I've gotten through about six
or so in the past month, so I'm taking making
good pace.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
What do you mean gotten through like final mixes?

Speaker 5 (52:03):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (52:04):
Okay, we're gonna We're gonna, you know, the mixing prophets
sext a couple of weeks. But yeah, I got mixes.

Speaker 2 (52:08):
Uh no, Just what do you mean when you say gotten.

Speaker 3 (52:10):
Yeah, yeah, I got two to three, you know, ready
to ship out.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
And then so these these songs are finished.

Speaker 3 (52:17):
Yeah, yeah, three songs I mean for me, And this
is what I'll say when I send them to be mixing.
To me, they're done right because I'm once, I'm not
twisting knobs anymore. To me, it's over, so that's six.
So there's six in that bucket, you know where. I'm
not twisting the knobs because that it's tough for me.
It's not my personality. I love being on stage and
I love creating music, So sitting at my laptop it
drives me nuts, you know.

Speaker 1 (52:36):
But I gotta do it.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
So I have a text here and there's three MP
threes in it. Uh, I guess we could play one
at the end of this episode. Which one should that be?

Speaker 3 (52:49):
Face playing girlfriend?

Speaker 1 (52:50):
For sure?

Speaker 2 (52:51):
Okay, BPG, you call PG all right, so we'll play that. Uh.
I'm thinking I'll fade out art outro music and then
I'll fade in bass playing girlfriend. Now, you're also going
to perform your solo music for the first time live
this weekend.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
Yes, I am more than thrilled. Our listeners already know that.
I have a monthly show called UCBLKT upright Citizens Regade
Theater two four to two East fourteenth Street, New York,
New York. It's a variety show. We always have tons
of different comics and we have had some music in

(53:32):
the past. But having April on performing her debut solo
music is going to be a really exciting, real treat
for everybody who comes. Get your tickets asap because they're
gonna sell out really soon. And it's I've been able
to watch her prepare this and it's it's really cool

(53:55):
to see it go from like nothing to be recorded
and ready to perform in such a short period of time.
So anyone who is in New York and can make
it to the show is in for a real treat.
Is ten thirty Yeah on Saturday, September twenty seventh, is

(54:17):
coming Saturday.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
Yeah. I'm super excited about the show. I'm actually gonna
open it up to with some jamming. I'm just gonna
like jam on the base a little.

Speaker 1 (54:24):
Bit, so be there early, yeah, which most people never
get to see.

Speaker 3 (54:27):
Yeah now because real talk. As an artist, I actually
I always say I don't like to shred, I don't
like to sing runs because that becomes all you do
and I'm trying to like create a world, so I
hide that stuff, don't. I don't solo that often. I
eve even decrease doing it online because I just don't
want to be known as a technical person because again,
that's not where my heart is. So I'm trying to
do more of what I want, and I love it.

(54:48):
I love noodling around.

Speaker 1 (54:50):
It's so fun.

Speaker 3 (54:52):
It's just not all I want to do. And so
I'm gonna open up the show with that, and I'm
gonna close the song close the show with my song
based playing Girlfriend, which is just honestly about how every
time I play a show, there's someone I get a
crush on and I always dream about us being together forever.
And it's just about that kind of fleeting human feeling
of getting crushes and imagining your night with someone. And

(55:13):
you're imagining your night with someone and imagining your life
with someone, and you know this undercurrent of it's not real, right,
and the sadness there's a little bit of a sadness
underneath that of like I could be your bass playing girlfriend.
I'm not going to be, but it could be the house.

Speaker 1 (55:27):
I could be your bass.

Speaker 3 (55:28):
Playing girlfriend, not I am right, And that's where that
tension is that I'm really exploring with this music.

Speaker 1 (55:34):
And I love that because there's like a lot of
songs about the bass playing girlfriend or the girl at
the rock show or like and that's how you've been
in the band, like the girl in the band, and
like it's cool that your basis, but we need also

(55:56):
a girl, And so like putting yourself as the main
character of potentially someone else's story and then kind of
going back and forth into those different perspectives through the
song is like really cool. And it also is so
fitting that you're bringing that to Ucy Black and your

(56:19):
first solo performance, because it's like you're walking to the
front now, right, and everybody is gonna want you to
be their bass playing girlfriend.

Speaker 3 (56:28):
Yeah, I was really excited for uc Black as the
venue for this. I jumped at the opportunity. That's to
be frank, why I'm in New York. I came here
to do that show as my first show because I
was sick of these songs living on my hard drive.
Like I come from a rock tradition where I would
play the songs for people before I would record them.

(56:48):
And so having an audience of black people who are
interested in comedy and who are interested in multi dimensional
art like a variety show where there's stand up, where
there's sketch, where there's improv, and I'm huge into improv
and always use it in my my creative work is
super exciting. I've also been taking some improv classes.

Speaker 1 (57:07):
This year and that UCBLA.

Speaker 3 (57:09):
Yeah at uc BLA, right you see BLA. Yes, I
took improv classes this year and clowning classes and character
classes because I really want to build up my persona
and my ability to build a world, you know, like
Cardi B and like musicians I admire.

Speaker 2 (57:24):
That's awesome.

Speaker 1 (57:25):
Yeah, And all races and and gender identities and persuasions
are welcome at the show. You're gonna have a great time.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
And there's a bar now, and there's a bar, come
get drunk.

Speaker 1 (57:42):
All right.

Speaker 2 (57:43):
So that was our first listen. Tell us about yours
at at First Listen podcast on Instagram and you see
Black Saturday, September twenty seventh to ten thirty.

Speaker 1 (57:56):
Your tickets now. Thank you so much, April, thank you
for having me.

Speaker 3 (57:59):
This was amazing, so inspired. I feel like my songs
are gonna all be twice as good after talking to
y'all for an hour.

Speaker 1 (58:04):
Alright, so just give us the credits.

Speaker 3 (58:07):
What you said you got to reing my samples.

Speaker 1 (58:10):
Abele's trying to get me to be on the album
Ome on A I will, Okay, I never said I
wouldn't too busy. I'm busy, all right. You guys have
probably already left now, but we love you and goodbye.

Speaker 6 (58:25):
So backstage on the show says, you like the way
I play, got that kind of cool, make me want

(58:47):
to misbehave falling for your jokes and the way you
say my name. Oh base make bet about the flows
around your bad be a honey right, wanna come with
me voluntary around the world.

Speaker 5 (59:06):
Uh, I can on your heart and be a base
plan girlfriend. Get in at the bar, be a.

Speaker 9 (59:18):
Base bank gol fight. I could be the swapest tid
I try, don't out your bed. I could be a
I could be a base pay gold fade based plain
gold right, base playing gold bad based playing golfide.

Speaker 5 (59:38):
I could be a I could be a base train
girl friend.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
Well a high.

Speaker 6 (59:49):
Crowded room baby, get me up all night lit like
I's the lean danger makes me feel a lot.

Speaker 5 (59:56):
It's a cushioned urn, but we both enjoy the ride.

Speaker 9 (01:00:06):
I can like your hard to be a base playing golfriend.
Media to Bobby a base plant golf and I could
see the sweetest kind of trouble that you beg I
could be I could be a base training golfriend.

Speaker 5 (01:00:20):
I could love the hor to be a base playing.

Speaker 9 (01:00:23):
Golfriend vide the Bobby A base playing golfer. I could
see the sweetest kind of trouble that you beg I
could be I could be a base training confen pas
playing golf, bad pas playing golfen base playing golf, and

(01:00:45):
I could be a I could be a base spring
Girlfrien