EP: 607 - Muni Long Interview (uncensored)

On This Episdoe of The Cruz Show Podcast we interview artist and song writer Muni Long. She talks about her new song, AI, Usher & Taylor Swift And So Much more.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, what's good is your boy? Yeah? D what what? I
was good? Everybody? This isNeil? What's good? This glove?
Really? And you're checking out theCruise Show podcast? Make sure to subscribe
rate and sure let's go and getto know you. We should take cards
time mine pouts. I could dudethis for hous sit and talk to you

(00:26):
for us? Why is it sohard to keep it in? And you
just tell me what you feel?What head on? Do another head of
gone? Do when you want tonotice? Another hit of m boll me
bruises. You wasn't focused, sosmell for fun photos mute. I don't

(00:54):
know who that artist is, butwhoever that is, that's amazing. That's
good work. Who did that?You know what? It's crazy? Do
you know that person? I'm minormoney long is on the Cruise Show.
Let's get it real ninety two tothree LA's new Over hip Hop. Shout
out the DJ fuse for that intron. Yeah that was amazing, love that.
It's a vibe. Yeah yeah,how do you feel this this weather

(01:14):
that we're having you like, Idon't know. I saw I fall asleep
to like rain sounds and stuff,so I was like in heaven, this
world. Okay, you don't wantto wake up? No, I didn't.
I was like fifty minutes. Soif we crack a window, you're
liable to take a nap. MaybeI got a blanket, I just need
all Yeah, money long is here? Made for me? Is incredible?

(01:37):
Congratulations? Thank you? Yeah?That process writing made for me? Was
that a fun process? Is ittough for you? I know you could
write a song in seconds if youreally wanted to. Yeah, it took
me like thirty minutes to write thisstuff. Yes, I just go line
for line, that's it. Yeah. Yeah. Does it start with a
hum, a melody, an idea, a fat a feeling? Not gonna

(01:59):
just turn my brain off and justlike whatever words come out, And then
I'm just like, okay, whatrhymes is that? It kind of is
like a freestyle a little bit.Yeah, you know, I'm very much.
I do like there's a rule inmusical theater where it has to be
perfect rhymes, So I'm always justkind of like, okay, what rhymes
with perfume? Immune room, youknow, and then I'll just feel in

(02:20):
the words. Okay, you knowwhat I mean? Yeah, has your
creative process changed yet? All throughoutthe years or is it the same.
Yes, I just have a lotmore in faith that whatever's gonna come out
of my mouth is going to besomething good. Because sometimes, like when
i'm writing, i'll say something,I'll be like, oh, did you
hear that? That was crazy?Like that was the bar I thought it

(02:42):
was. I'm like whoa. AndI'll listen to a back of like that
was like a triple on, youknow, And I know I'm not that
smart, like I'm pretty smart,but like no, but like sometimes it's
like I didn't mean for it tobe that clever. I was just you
know, but I yes, sothat's what I was gonna say. I

(03:04):
feel that I'm just a conduit.I'm like, I'm I'm channeling. It's
not me. I'm not like AlbertEinstein or anything like that. It's just
I have a large vocabulary because Iread a lot, so when I'm thinking
of words to rhyme, I havea lot of words to choose from.
But I do use apps. Sometimes. There's a really cool app called writer
that I use. There's writer andthen master writer to write a song.

(03:30):
No, and I've tried, andit's terrible, it's terrible. Why because
it's not in your voice. Itsounds like a computer trying to write a
song. I'm not worried, likeAI is not taking my place anytime.
That's right, because AI comment foreverybody. Yeah, it's gonna take a
while before they you know. Yeah, how do you feel about that though?

(03:53):
Right? Because as an artist,as a songwriter, as an artist,
as a human being, as acreative AI can can take over or
AI can become something that mirrors youand it's not you. Well, somebody
who really believes that there is adivine element and like when things are really
magical and they just like touch,you know, babies to grandmothers, every

(04:16):
ethnicity, people who don't speak Englishare vibing with your music right now.
The main for me record is likegoing crazy in Africa, going crazy in
Europe everywhere. Yeah, So it'sjust like there is a divine element there
that I really don't see AI.It's like a frequency level thing, right
that you cannot get that from likecomputers. So you might be able to

(04:41):
do the rhyme scheme and everything,but at a certain point, it's only
going to be to a certain level. It's never going to get to that
like almost say never, but Ithink it may take like some serious tech
to get to the place where it'slike got the divine God element said this
before that I think it can beuseful in regards like, say you're a

(05:02):
producer and you're trying to make referencetracks to pitch to sound like if you
can get like a whatever drake andI voice to cut the reference and you
really just pitch it and like,oh, this is how you sound on
the track, complete as you recorded. But then those leak and then the
artist is unhappy. Right, wellthey can, but I'm saying it could
be useful in that regard, Like, no, it can't replace the artists,
but I mean, if you understandwhat AI is doing, it's gathering

(05:24):
information from things that already exist,so it's not necessarily going to give you
anything new or it's already done,so you know there's a limit on it.
So we're here to say fuck AI. I didn't say that, so
you know that you know AI,when you see this years to come,
it was not me AI. Wewon't know me. Yeah, no,

(05:46):
no, no no. Are youwatching the super Bowl for Taylor Swift or
Usher Usher USh? Yeah? Yeah, we love Tay, but no we
were not watching her? Is thather nickname in the music industry? With
that's what I say. I mean, we're not friends, girl, but
if you want to be my friendsand what's good, what's good songs together?

(06:08):
You know, I really would writewith her. She's amazing, a
brilliant, brilliant songwriter. Some ofmy favorite stuff of hers is like the
early like what's that song with?My song is a slam in front door?
Like I mean, she's just likea really brilliant storyteller. Yeah.
Yeah, speaking of friends, like, you know, people tend to say,

(06:30):
like, yeah, there's no friendsin the industry, YadA, YadA,
yaday. Do you have you madefriends in the industry that you like,
I can call and it's it's it'sit's gravy, it's love. I
mean, I have associates. Iwas gonna say yeah, because I think
the thing is like, if Ican't call you when I'm not hot and
when i'm not you know, whenI'm down, are we really you know

(06:54):
I know each other? Yeah,if it's two in the morning, I'm
stranded, I need to ride,Can I call you you or can I
only call you? You know?When I got records? You know,
what I mean. So there's notvery many people who will do for you
without needing you to do for themfirst, and so for that reason,
I'm gonna say no. But youknow, I mean, I love everybody

(07:19):
like, but there's not a lotof people who I would say, like,
this is my friend, you cancome to my house and you know,
just chill. As a songwriter,how important is it for you to
make you know, because do youobviously work with a lot of artists too,
How important is it for you toconvey a message that is you rather
than making something for the audience.It's a good question. I just refuse

(07:43):
to sing things that I don't feellike I can sell. And what I
mean by that is like it's gotto resonate with me. I can't sing
things that like conflict with my moralsand values and things that I wouldn't say
in conversation, or things that Iknow you you know, I'm a firm

(08:05):
believer. You have to be carefulwhat you're singing about because it could come
true and with the right situations andthe right frequency, and you look up
and you're like, oh my god, my life is you know, falling
apart. So I just try tomake sure that if I'm singing something,
it's authentic to me and either likemaybe I'm living vicariously through a friend,

(08:26):
or I have to have experienced itlike truly before before I will like put
it in your voice, you knowit, So you're not selling something you
don't necessarily back up. Yeah,because you can tell. I think,
like just even with your movements,your mannerisms, the way you might you
know, shake your head or youknow, flip your hair, that stuff

(08:50):
is kind of like baked in.When it's authentic, you don't have to
think about it. Or the audiencecan tell when you're like, oh yeah,
let me put my fist up righthere, like you know what I
mean, and I never want toradio. The audience can sense when it's
phony, when it's not real.You know, YO made for me is
everywhere. Congratulations, Thank you,Congratulations flower flowers, flowers, We understand

(09:16):
you got to go. It's raining. Do you have a coat? Do
you want to borrow mine? Igot this little shap Thank you, though,
really quick. Why do you thinkwriters and ghost writers are kept in
the dark? How come certain artistsdon't claim writers, you know, when
they're so important and valuable well beingon both sides. I'll say, as
an artist, there's so much goingon that sometimes it's not intentional. It's

(09:37):
like, you know, there's there'sthe stylist, there's the manager, there's
an assistant, there's the you know, the makeup artist. There's this designer,
that designer, there's this radio person. There's so many people that sometimes
you you may just kind of likeforget to acknowledge, which is not an

(09:58):
excuse, but it's just I understand how it can happen. But I
will say that, like one timesomebody I was like, man, I
just I know I'm an artist,like I could do this. And I
can't remember who it was, butI remember being at a dinner and the
guy was like, who's stopping you? Who says you can't do it?

(10:20):
Why do you feel that you needsomeone to give you permission? Who do
you think is going to be thatperson to give you a chance, And
me being like so like dumb,I was like, I don't know,
man, I don't know who's stoppingme. And he never said it,
but years later I realized he meantme. Like it's a mindset and a

(10:41):
mental thing where you have to realize, like you can do anything you want
to do. There's these parameters andlike imaginary boundaries that exist where people try
to keep you within a certain youknow box, but you don't have to
follow that, and it just takesa lot of courage and fail that.
It's really scary. Sometimes you know, you don't want to walk away from

(11:03):
your bread and butter. You're afraidyou don't know what else is coming around
the corner. So I don't faultany songwriter or producer for kind of like
being afraid to take that step,because if you fall, it's just you,
you know, all right, wegott to wrap it up. I
have ten more questions? Is thatokay? Made for me? Thank you

(11:24):
very much, have a great day. Thank you very much. Thank you
stop by any time. I willbe careful what you wish were Hey,
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