The music industry is a maze, and we've got a seasoned guide on the show for you today! From coast to coast, this super producer and beat battle champion has worked with some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. Godxilla has over 30 years of music production under his belt. He holds degrees in music tech, entertainment media, and entertainment business. Recording, mixing, and mastering come second nature to this producer. Godxilla is the owner of "The Mountaintop A.V." The Mountaintop is a full-service recording and
video studio is set in the North Shore area of the City of Milwaukee. The studio is a one-stop shop for many of the area's recording artists. Godxilla worked in L.A. for a couple of years and, as a result, still regularly mixes and works on projects from all over the country. His notable credits include KRS-One, Mad Lion, Afroman, Too $hort, Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle, Kurupt, Krooked I, Organized Noise, X-Clan, O.G. Big Mike, Baby Drew and Coo Coo Cal. He offers us a rare glimpse into the world of music production, sharing his journey and the lessons he has learned along this nugget of wisdom as a reminder that consistency is critical, treating music like a job you show up to daily.
The conversation doesn't stop at music creation. We also roam the fields of business in the music industry. Godxilla underscores the importance of understanding the ins and outs of the business side of music, including attending industry seminars. The need for honesty and openness between artists and producers was also mentioned during our chat. We touch on personal music preferences, industry dynamics, and how labels approach signing artists.
We dig into the concepts in the music industry, a crucial strategy for every artist. Our guest points out the importance of planning, using influence strategically, and the role of mentors. We also discuss the works of Wendy Day, a titan in the music industry, who advises that artists should aim for a significant contract within three years. Wrapping up our chat, our guest reflected on how his follow-through has contributed to his success and offered final advice to all aspiring musicians. Tune in for an enlightening journey through the music industry like no other.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up everybody.
This is your host D-Star herewith Godzilla Godzilla.
What's going on, man, how youfeeling.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Man, you know, I feel real good right about now.
I'm in the place to be jacked,that's right, that's my mentor.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
So for the people that don't know you, can you
give him a little bit aboutyourself?
I?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
was born in the river .
Here we go.
No, no, no, I just gave it.
He was raised in Chicago.
Right now I'm a music producer,recording engineer, part time
comedian, father, all of thoseother things.
If you want to know what myname is made in, it's made from
mixing records and making beats.
Beat, battle, champion, walkie,pad masters Say that we just
(00:39):
won a championship, nationalchampionship.
Yeah, I guess I've lived a lifein music over 35 years, but I
have an album cover of meplaying the organette too.
Wow.
So I mean, I don't know nothingelse about music.
And your wife comes from musictoo.
Her family is in the GospelMusic Hall of Fame the Hopson
family singers.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
And she can sing yeah she does all the backups.
What are some of the notablepeople that you've worked with?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
My favorite name that I like to pull up on people is
Kobe Bryant.
Right, right, that's myfavorite.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I've seen that picture.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Pictures.
You can't see here's pictures.
You can't see me and ToddGurley.
I think there might be apicture of me and Jay Ajayi
somewhere running back.
But we spent a little bit oftime working with Todd Gurley.
I was working for BleacherReport, so I had did like three
different interviews with IsaiahThomas and Nipsey.
Hussle was his favorite rapper,so I got to work with Isaiah
and Nipsey in the same I seen.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I seen a picture with you and Nipsey.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Right.
So um, krs One, rico Way fromOrganized Noise and Sleepy Brown
and Bushwick Bill, rest inpeace.
Rest in peace.
Little work with Busy Bone.
Obviously my main road dog,cuckoo Cow, really heavy for the
in my projects thing.
So I was on a projects tour anddoing Hype man duties towards
the end of that run.
A few other great Milwaukeeartists Ice Moan and whatnot and
(01:48):
like Baby Drew was another likeunderground hero, the ghetto
hero, if you will Right, that'sthe.
He has an album literallytitled Ghetto Hero and people
jam with it.
Like I like Baby Drew.
I just did like two Baby Drewalbums and he just filmed a
movie and I'm supposed to bescoring the soundtrack with Baby
Drew.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
I really enjoyed Drew's work, especially what he
did with Cuckoo Cow and Twista.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, the funny part is I don't know much of a
Monday records, honestly.
They're my guys, I love them,but really all I know is what I
worked on and what I need tolearn for a show.
So I only get out of the studiofor a couple of things and
that's why I'm here today.
Anybody who's keeping score.
I get locked in the studiopretty much, unless there's a
music video to shoot, a concertto be done or we got some kind
(02:29):
of industry showcase event, likewhat I'm in Madison for today.
Big ups to the urban communityarts network in the level up
event, because that's what I'mactually in Madison.
I would have came up here forhim anyway, but to put two of
them together on the same day,that that's all right.
My next move I'm going to haveto go up to the suburb and see
my other guy.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Real quick.
Can we just talk about bejustice and what he's got going
on?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Oh yeah, yeah, we can talk about be justice.
I mean, that's like my littlebrother at this point.
Our birthdays are like fourdays apart.
So it's funny because on hisbirthday this year we did the
all white party with this reallywell known Milwaukee band
called cigarette break and theyhave a lot of Milwaukee's ace
young musicians that play in theband and we were able on his
birthday, which was August 21st,to play a show with cigarette
(03:10):
break down at the Harley Museumon the lakefront.
And then my birthday was fourdays later and we got to play
another be justice show on mybirthday at the Pfizer.
Wow, so I'm DJing at the Pfizerwhile the justice is rocking.
It's like you know, I told youI could spend money, so that was
one of the first things Ididn't buy.
One of the first things Ididn't buy was a big blow up
(03:33):
poster of us rocking Right.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I wanted to buy one, so bad to put it on the wall,
but that's coming.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
The picture ain't gone nowhere.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
But I'm trying not to spend no money because I'm
buying a house and I was tellinghim earlier that I'd be killing
myself $40 at a time, because Ireally just don't care about
things that have a price tagless than $50, but I go get 20
of them and then I'm like winsthe next recording session,
right, right.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
That's crazy.
Ok, so let's get right to it,Right?
So a lot of guys that got a lotof talent and they number.
One question how can I get on?
Break it down?
How can I get on?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
The very simple answer is it's a very, very
simple answer to this.
You may not like it, but it'sthe truth.
Do it every day is like thebest answer I can give you is do
it every day.
People are taking me saying doit every day, probably with a
grain of salt, but I'm going totell you that a D boy who want
to cut money going to go to thetrap every day Barbara that want
to cut hair ain't going to doit by not going to the shop,
(04:26):
right?
So are you trying to be aprofessional recording artist,
entertainer, singer, whatever itis?
You try to if you.
The first key is to do it everyday, not every other day, not
when you have time, not when youfeel like it, but do it every
day like you don't have a choice.
If you get up and go to the gym, you have to get up and go to
the gym and write a record.
(04:46):
If you get up and and decideyou're going to do X, y or Z,
it's messed up, but I needeverybody to, and this is
something I've been teaching andI'm going to lay this on you
and you probably going to hearthis throughout the course of
the day a couple of differenttimes.
How many NBA teams are there?
32.
I'm sorry, right.
How many drive rounds do theyhave in the NBA?
One, two, two, so that's 64.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Two, two, two, 64.
So the 64 players you'relooking at getting in the NBA
every year?
Right, 64 players getting inthat you won't even remember
most of the names.
Right, right, show me 64artists that get in music every
year.
And rap music, right, you can't.
So really more people get intothe NBA every year than getting
a rap music, okay, well, how bigis the pool of people that
(05:28):
think they belong in the NBA asopposed to how many people?
The pool of people that thinkthey belong in entertainment and
music?
Right, right, your odds.
Just from the odds perspective,if you decided you wanted to be
in the NBA, maybe you don'tbecome a player, but you become
somebody who works in the frontoffice and executive.
You have way better odds ofworking in the NBA than you do
(05:50):
working in this pop musicsituation.
By the odds, by the odds.
So what does a kid train likewhen it's time for them to go to
the NBA?
I got a nephew, fortunately,that's playing D2 ball.
He just his freshman year inMichigan right now for a private
college.
His regimen for the last fouryears of high school has been
(06:11):
wake up early, work out, go toschool, get out, go to
basketball practice, because hewas playing varsity.
You remember him?
He was playing with us up here,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
He was playing varsity as a freshman in high
school.
Yeah, I busted, I can't play.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I can't play.
He was like 11.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Yeah, you got it.
I still want my credit, you gotit.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He was 11.
You got it.
I still want my credit Rightabout now.
I love you.
I'm filing him.
And he ain't tall either.
So he's a grasshopper.
He get out of school, go tobasketball practice, go home, do
homework, eat dinner and thengo to a private workout after
that.
So school breaks come that gointo showcases down in Palm
(06:59):
Springs.
Before, when he graduated highschool, they flew to like North
Carolina and a couple otherstates because they were having
basketball showcases with scouts.
You can't even get up and go toa music conference in your city
.
So when I'm saying, do it everyday.
That boy wants to be in the NBA.
Do it every day like you wantto be an entertainment.
You future said that he been inthe studio every day for the
(07:23):
last 10 years.
If you're not in the studioevery day, you can't compete,
you can't be as good.
It's impossible.
You're not doing it every day.
So it sounds.
It sounds like it's a cheapanswer or not an easy way out.
But as I say this to you,people always say to me well,
you make money like that becauseyou make beats, because you're
(07:46):
a producer and I rap.
So that's different.
It's like tell me, look me inmy eye and tell me that if I had
decided to rap by for the last35 years, that I wouldn't have
figured out how to make no moneyright now.
Tell me that I, like I, got upand did it every day.
You didn't period, no matterwho you are, you didn't get up
and do it every day.
(08:06):
That discipline, that the keyword is discipline.
That's where that starts,because I mean, a singer doesn't
have to be in a recordingstudio.
A singer wants to sing.
A singer belongs in choir atchurch.
A singer belongs at open micnight doing some karaoke.
A singer belongs doing singingtelegrams.
(08:27):
They're trying to do weddings,funerals.
That's a singer right.
A recording artist records orshould.
But this is the thing we'retalking about.
So you say that this is what youwant to do and you say well,
what is one thing people can do?
Tell me something somebody cando because they want to get on.
(08:49):
How do you get on?
First of all, you have to do itevery day, period, point blank.
Secondly, you have to drop it.
I can't tell you and I'm sure mybig up to my man, chill, come
clean empires in a building.
Yes, sir, it under smells me.
Chill is in the building.
Yo, that mic is high, healthy,wealthy and wise.
To kick it with your man.
He said you got to be at thetable, you, if you're going
background, if you're goingbackground conversing, but big
(09:11):
ups, big ups to my man.
Chill.
But for me, like the next thingafter you, after you decide
like I'm going to be theeveryday person, I'm going to
hit the studio every day, I'mgoing to jam with it.
You got to drop it.
I know that you know.
Give me an example of apercentage of the amount of
music that you see artistsrelease, that they record.
How much music would you saythey release against what they
(09:33):
record?
Chill, he say about 5% of whatyou hear is what people have
made.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
They have to put the machine behind it.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Well, now I'm not going to Right right, right, you
need that box like here.
You need that box right hereBecause, like, if you needed to
turn the side mic on or whatever, you could get jig without ever
having to get up.
So that might be an adjustmentyou make, because it looks fly
to have your controls in frontof you.
It looks real fly to have yourcontrols in front of you and
(10:08):
then, being who you are, I'msure you can find some kind of
specialized stand to make itlook all tron, or whatnot you?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
know what I'm saying.
Hey, you know what.
I'm tired of y'all already.
How long is this interview?
I got to get shot out of here.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
But smoke this.
Here's a saying that I got fromSteve O.
Your music is worth way moreonline than it is in your
computer.
So I mean, people make recordsand they sit on them.
You don't even have a chancefor them to be heard or for to
earn Because you haven't putthem where people can actually
get a hold of them.
And for beat makers who want toget all, that's real easy to do
(10:44):
.
I got two or three ways you cando that real quick.
First way do it every day, ofcourse.
Secondly, find whoever is thehottest person near you that's
actually releasing records Right, and offer them something for
free.
But don't become no servant.
Offer them limited services forfree Because you don't want to
(11:07):
join the team.
You don't want to be the personwho well, they do it for
nothing.
So like no, I'm looking to buildmy portfolio up.
I've worked it, I did.
I like what you're doing.
It's dope.
I see you dropping records.
I want to jump in with you,give you some of this production
real quick.
Record you.
I don't need nothing for it,but I know you grinding, I'm
grinding and you look likesomebody.
I can put this productionbehind and get a little bit more
(11:29):
notoriety from myself, from it,like that discussion out the
gate.
He know what you want, you knowwhat he want.
He got some buzz, some shine,you got some heat and some time
Y'all can put the two of themtogether and come to a mutually
beneficial agreement.
That's one way you can begin tobuild your name.
So when I got what Cuckoo, thatwas really something that I had
gotten into.
There was promises of otherthings that was supposed to come
(11:52):
that just never was able towork out.
No blame and nobody on that,just things wasn't able to work
out the way we thought they wasgoing to work out.
But because of that I wasgetting into seminars and things
like that.
As Cuckoo Cal's producer.
I didn't make projects.
I mean, hank's been my guysince way before that.
He made that beat and we werevery close.
I work with him right now likea mug and some of the stuff that
(12:12):
is big Hank is me.
But then it wasn't.
And for that to be the casewhen I got what Cal, it really
did a lot to elevate the name.
Now here's another little moveyou can do if you're a producer.
Let's say you can't findsomebody that's hot and dropping
records, but you can find a lotof little cousins or whatnot
that can rap.
Ok, well, bring them littlecousins in and cut some records
with them.
Offer your studio up as arecord label to produce not
(12:35):
records for people or albums,just to produce compilations.
What happens is is thoseartists go and show all their
friends the records that theydidn't cut with you, and then
all them people like I'm tryingto do that too.
I'm trying to get they allstart seeing them size, them
dollar size and them stars intheir eyes, and they come around
and trying to get themservicing.
You put the the tax on thembecause because of that and you
(12:57):
have to understand what successis A lot of people don't see it
as a success unless you'resitting in the studio with an
A-list celebrity you know,shining and looking on the
background on the Instagram, orlike because I'm pressing
buttons at the board, or becauseI got skills, or I got my pad,
or I'm good with the ink pen,I'm nice with the hook, son, or
whatever.
Success is a working musicianbeing able to buy a car in the
(13:18):
house and feed in a family offive without having to do
nothing else but make records.
Sometimes it's national,sometimes it's music, sometimes
it's a video game, sometimesit's a movie.
You can begin to move in all ofthem disciplines, but
understand what success is andwhat you're looking to get out
of it and have a realisticexpectation of what it is you're
going to get from it.
You always aim for the moonbecause hopefully you can fall
among the stars if you don'tland there.
(13:40):
But at the same time, beingable to take what you have
available to you right now foryour resources and maximizing
them has everything to do withpeople hearing you, whether you
are an artist or a producer, andif you're not putting yourself
in a position to be heard,you're actually just talking
about it.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
That's great advice for people that's outside maybe
just came home or something likethat but what can one do if
they're still locked up?
Okay, I'm there.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
You know what the hardest thing for me to do okay,
you locked up.
The most important thing foryou to do is stay busy.
You have to keep your mindwriting, you have to keep your
mind creating and if you'rewriting and creating and you
can't, don't have the ability tomanifest it right in that
period of time set on it so thatyou can have the ability to
(14:31):
update it and manifest it whenyou're available to do it.
But you have to still.
You have to still.
If you're in the joint, youstill have to be something that
you do every, every day.
And then the biggest threat toartists coming from
incarceration is recidivism.
You know, I would always, as aproducer, like to see somebody
(14:52):
be out for six months before Iwas getting ready to work with
them, because they get out andthey'd be like man, okay, I'm
gonna hit the studio, I'm finna,and then it's like that's an
emotion, not a career.
That becomes like an emotion.
I got to go record, I got theserecords fab, and then when I
see that they've expressed them,then they go their own way.
And then if they make it back,like what happened to do, where
(15:13):
are you, man?
He got locked back up.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Dude was cold.
Shout out to Shotown Tours too,because he's.
He's an example of somebodythat got out and chased a dream
and is still chasing.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I call Taurus a unique situation because he came
out looking for me.
He actually came out.
He came out looking for me andhe went to Madison Media when I
was teaching there in search ofme, and then I moved to
California right as he was inRoland.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
You know what's crazy .
I thought that he wrote youwhile he was in the joint.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Well, he would have wrote the school while he was in
the joint because, they wouldhave had correspondence, because
that was part of his release.
Has a plan for?
Yeah, he told me.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
That's what he told me.
He was like man.
I wrote him.
He was like I heard him on theradio or something like that,
and he was like man.
That's a guy that I want towork with.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
And then I moved to Los Angeles right away and then
three years later, when I movedback and he was like man, I'm
still trying to work and hecaught up here.
And I just finished his I justfinished like three tours album.
So to, to, to, to piggybackinto another segue about people
getting on.
Most artists don't suffer frombeing hot or not.
(16:22):
Most artists suffer from lackof material released, which is
why I was saying you got to dropit.
I mean, the music business, asyou know, it doesn't exist.
What is what is given rise tois the streaming business, and
you have to look at streaming asa completely different category
than you looked at music,because the algorithm is very
(16:42):
dependent upon your ability tofeed it this is Godzilla's
interview, but grassroots musicseminar showcase tour.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
If you want to find out more information, just go to
wwwgracerootsmusicseminarcom.
It's a industry seminar builtto educate and motivate the
artists and managers, promoters,all of them within the business
that want to really get to knowthe business for real, not the
(17:14):
play or little teasers thatother seminars give you, not
talking bad on them, but youwant to know the real deal.
You got to show up in one ofthese seminars and you will get
the real of what it really isthere.
It is Grassroots seminar man.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, so, so.
Yeah, tobrosky, he's doingwonderful things and you know,
the B Justice has three albumsput up.
He just dropped entrepreneurial.
He just dropped entrepreneurialrap.
I know that October 22nd we havehis next album, which is called
the arcade, which that one isprimarily produced by me.
So that'll be like really, thefirst time you really hear me
just cut loose on a B Justicealbum, because I do way more
(17:54):
engineering.
You know what?
We don't agree on music.
I remember you telling me thatwe don't agree musically.
Yeah, and it's the beautifulthing about the people that I
work with, because, as aproducer, you can come in my
studio seven days a week and say, oh man, let me hear some beats
, and I will play you a beat,and you say I don't like that,
go to the next one.
Fine, as a producer, okay, letme play the next one.
I don't like that, let me hearthe next one, fine, okay.
(18:14):
Well, as an artist, I can't sayto you I don't like that, go to
the next one.
Hmm, like you better than me.
So no, I as.
So we have a real goodunderstanding that everybody in
the mountain top which is mystudio is our equals, and if I
don't like your record, youain't got to like mine either.
Tell me you don't like it?
Well, let me listen to what itis you don't like about it.
(18:35):
So what being B Justice reallydon't agree about is I'm, I'm
just rugged.
I'm rough, rugged and raw.
I'm from the NWA ghetto boysgeneration.
Um, and, being from thatgeneration, I really ain't in
the love music.
I was in the gang banging, I'mserious, I was a kid.
I'm, I'm, I'm being.
I don't listen to love songs.
I'm not, I'm not making this upor or trying to trying to say
(18:58):
nothing different for it.
I just really, really really donot listen to it.
And but not be just this, asrecords are primarily based upon
male, female relationships,love and those other things, and
he does a great job atexplaining it.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
And the good song like it.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, he's in that pocket.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Oh, if you saw me with this dude's show with him.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
you wouldn't think that I didn't, because I'm the
hype man in the right rightright, I'm his tour DJ, right,
so you wouldn't think that Idon't like the songs, but
between him I, you know whichones I like and which ones I
don't like, and it's just.
it's just personal preference.
I want to hear it.
Come on.
I like music that make it soundlike somebody finna climb in
and get into a heavyweight prizefight.
I like music that I can put onin the gym.
It's good.
I like music that I can put onin the gym.
(19:39):
It's going to make me want torun real hard, real heavy.
I like music that is aggressive.
I like music that get me up inthe morning and make me want to
drop the elbow off the top ropeand the whole recording studio
Like boom right.
Come on, let's make some records.
And that's how I'm just roughlike that.
And the funny part is is mymother used to listen to the
(20:02):
most smoothest R&B Luther VanVrol's Teddy Pindagrass.
He used to everything in mymama house she switch and all
that.
You know.
All this love is waiting foryou.
Like all them records, was waswas bumping when I was a little
kid.
As soon as I got old enough, Ididn't want to hear it no more.
(20:22):
Right, right B Justice.
Mama was bumping Ain't nofuture in your front.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
And then so he don't want to hear it.
No more, you don't hear that nomore.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And that's, that's what happened and that's why
that dynamic switch and we'retalking about our birthdays are
both on that Virgo Cusp.
So we're the best of friends.
And one thing from him totourists, to Al, to rock Mac, to
everybody else that jams in thestudio with me we can be honest
with each other about that.
You might not like what aperson is going to say or might
not want to hear it, but youwant to hear it from me or you
(20:54):
want to hear it from the personwith the checkbook, and that's a
whole other thing.
Right there, y'all makingrecords for Y'all.
Y'all ain't making records forthe person with the checkbook.
I can tell people seven days aweek that that's not okay.
And I'm talking about theperson with the checkbook.
Not okay, I'm from a technicalstandpoint.
And they'll argue me down aboutwhy they, why it need to be
(21:14):
like this, and my response hasto be to them like if you was a
D-boy, tell me, tell me, a D-boyjust gonna go buy a bunk
stepped on key or 10 of them,because they finna give you a
contract for a whole album.
Like no, they're buying thatbecause they wanna get their
money back.
A label is signing you becausethey wanna get their money back.
Do you think they don't knowwhat it looks like when they can
(21:36):
get their money back?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Do you think they don't know what it looked like,
when they can't?
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
I'm gonna put it, it's so.
It's such a fallacy.
People think like, okay, well,I'm finna get signed, I'm gonna
get my record to chill.
He gonna give his record toblah, blah, blah.
And I'm finna get signed.
I'm finna be on.
Okay, great In the world whereyou actually do get a deal
because you do have the talent.
You haven't done the groundworkfor people to know who you are.
You haven't put it out herelike that, but you talented and
they jam with you.
How much money is a labelsupposed to put into an unproven
(22:08):
artist?
What would be a good number?
Because we just believe and youcan chime in what's a good
number for a label to put in anunproven artist, cause we gon'
see if you got some sauce.
200,000.
Excuse me, 200,000?
In an unproven one?
And well, unproven, unproven,they ain't got.
No, they hot, they came throughyou, they hot.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
We gotta really see if they hot.
To be honest, I thought it wasa million dollars.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Or is that the break it break it.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Come on chill, Cause you just gave us a figure in
that back room.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, yeah, you just nah, nah, wait, wait.
That's behind the scenes.
Figures though, no, no.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Just the machine, just the machine.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Right right that's why you need that button.
You ain't gotta go press it,you ain't gotta go press it.
But but okay.
So this in a world, in a worldwhere I gave you $10,000 and say
that you, that I have a song,an album and I'm trying to get
my jam, have a figure of 10,000for.
So now you and I agree thatwhen you step to chill and it's
like, okay, I'm finna, go lookfor my record deal, I should
have a completed project, right,correct, okay, cool.
(23:10):
So I'm stepping to you with acompleted project and I need to
really get it heard, and I got,let's say, how much, would you
say, that I can legitimately putin your hands to get me some
ground work.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
I remember this.
You said 50,000.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Regionally if you want a regional reach, a real
regional promotion.
40 to 50, most artists.
Nowadays they come with 10 to20.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Stay right there 40, 50, 10, 20, let's stop at 30.
Reasonable how old are yourecording artists?
There's a certain age where yousupposed to get to.
And half $30,000,.
I'm sorry, but you are supposedto become at some point your
own record deal.
Cause what we're talking aboutis if I, you have an album and I
(24:00):
take my money and I give to him, I'm a record label that just
paid to have you promoted to putit together.
That's a record deal and peopledon't understand that a record
deal is not necessarily the big$50 million situation.
Like and you know you, closerto this Megan had a ND deal.
You know that it's been a verypublic spouting situation where
(24:21):
they fell out, but QC right.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
The people down in Houston 15on.
Right, okay, but the point isthe point is that was an ND
label and when they stepped tothe table, they probably stepped
to the table with 40, 50, causethat was her record deal that
they gave her.
They took that contract thatthey had with her and then
upsold it to a major label andwas able to get themselves a
(24:43):
deal where they could be gettingto push more artists through
the door.
But her deal ain't with them,her deal is with them, and so we
still write back to that figurethat I'm saying that artists
that want to campaign and reallycampaign and maybe get a little
older especially we talkingabout people that need to touch
the ground understand that nomatter what the dollar amount is
(25:03):
that you put in, you want tosee it come back, and not just
you but a major and anyone else.
And if you unproven and so mypoint is, if you unproven we
just talked about what it lookedlike, what the budgets look
like for unproven artists to gettheir squabble up If you
unproven, your ability to putthat together for yourself give
(25:25):
you way more leverage.
Now you have uncles, cousins,brothers, people who- Like
Master P did.
The houses and all this otherstuff.
You can take your records tothem and say come on, let's get
it.
Cuzz, you can do it, but that'sstill something you have to do.
We're going to go right back tothe top every day.
Yeah, it's still going to be soSay that again you still
(25:47):
something you got to do everyday, because now Cuzz-.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I just got me another sound bike.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
You know, because now Cuzz going to come in and he
going to say, man, I put thismoney in you and now this Cuzz,
now Cuzz ain't here to take noloss on your name, right?
And you know, like I know, onthe streets, man, I put this
into you, man, I got to get thisback.
Apache, bro, like that's how Igo to talking on the streets.
When you don't have no love ina relationship, when it's just
street business between eachother, when it's family business
(26:13):
between each other, somebodygoing to take your L or somebody
going to win, but if one isthat label, that label going to
get their money back One way oranother.
So you have to show, beforethey're willing to break the
bread with you, that you're notwalking in the door looking like
a loss, you know, and buildingthat leverage for yourself.
Does that?
And what's the leverage?
(26:34):
I was at a speak where Wendy Daywas talking.
If you don't know who Wendy Dayis, she's, that's my girl.
She's a very, very, veryinfluential woman in music who
has done a lot to pioneer a lotof people's careers and really
bring a lot of people to theforefront.
She said I'm not going toreally work with an artist
that's over 30.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
She ain't no joke.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Because it takes me at least three years to do what
I'm going to do, to get them hot, to get them to the point where
they're going to get that bigslice of life, that big deal.
And your shelf life at 30 yearsold is way shorter than your
shelf life at 20 years old andpeople don't understand that as
you grow older you grow awayfrom your relationships.
(27:16):
So when you were 20 years oldand you said I was going to do a
show, so many people came thatdidn't have no responsibilities,
had money, no kids.
No, they there.
But when you got 30, they outof your way.
They out and grew up, you outand grew apart.
People that moved out of town.
I don't really talk to them nomore.
I see them on Facebook.
Maybe they might come and thennext thing you know you do it
and only half of them peopleshow up.
(27:36):
If one or two people in thejoint can actually hear this
lock on to this and actuallywrap their brains around, here
go a couple moves that I have todiscipline myself to live by.
They call this a culture ofmusic and creation.
The root word of culture iscult.
That mean there's a level wherewe all have to do the exact
same thing, right Cult like wehave to be zombie in that, in
(27:59):
that fact of the matter, is thecreation part of it, and so many
people like, want to be in theculture, but aren't
understanding that that culturerequires you to live on the
microphone.
That culture requires you tofall asleep at those controls
with that drum machine.
That culture requires you toget up and practice them piano
runs before you get ready to goto work or wake up and use a
(28:19):
vocal trainer right after youbrush your teeth and before you
eat your cereal, because I'mgoing to give my vocals a half
an hour every morning to warm upso that I'm really working on
these notes and these pitchesand I can perform when I'm
called on Like this is the everyday that I'm talking about that
people that they're there witha doing inside don't match the
fire that comes out on theoutside.
This is what people that are onthe outside to say.
(28:40):
They want it.
Don't understand who in thehell is going to play you to
play pro, and you ain't evenshowing you can play amateur,
because the real amateurs do iton an Olympic level.
Well, real amateurs do it on anOlympic level, but you want me
to pay you like a pro.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Definitely, and I really appreciate both of y'all,
especially you guys.
Ella, you know you taught me alot over the years and know what
we're speaking about.
Follow through a lot of thetimes that people seek out
mentors and seek out people thatknow more than them.
They don't get a lot of goodresponse that maybe they're
jammed with them for a littlebit, and I'm going to tell you
why.
People with abundance ofknowledge, they only going to
(29:18):
give you so much right and thenthey're going to sit back and
see what you do with it.
If you're not doing what theysay to do, or they're not seeing
that you're trying to followany type of guys that they're
going to give you, they're goingto cut you off.
That's one thing.
That when he was talking aboutfollow through, if I tell you to
do some, I'm going to sit backand I'm going to see if you do
it.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
This house we're sitting in right now is our
discussion.
This is your follow throughright here from our discussions
we had.
So I don't have to look nofarther than to see what your
follow through is, becauseeverything that I gave you from
credit to investment, to homeownership you took it around
with it and did all beautifulthings with it.
So people going to jam with youfor a long time on when
somebody calls and say what's upwith your man's here?
Immaculate response.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
I'm D star Until next time, guys.
What's up everybody.
This is your host D-Star herewith Godzilla Godzilla.
What's going on, man, how youfeeling.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Man, you know, I feel real good right about now.
I'm in the place to be jacked,that's right, that's my mentor.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
So for the people that don't know you, can you
give him a little bit aboutyourself?
I?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
was born in the river .
Here we go.
No, no, no, I just gave it.
He was raised in Chicago.
Right now I'm a music producer,recording engineer, part time
comedian, father, all of thoseother things.
If you want to know what myname is made in, it's made from
mixing records and making beats.
Beat, battle, champion, walkie,pad masters Say that we just
(00:39):
won a championship, nationalchampionship.
Yeah, I guess I've lived a lifein music over 35 years, but I
have an album cover of meplaying the organette too.
Wow.
So I mean, I don't know nothingelse about music.
And your wife comes from musictoo.
Her family is in the GospelMusic Hall of Fame the Hopson
family singers.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
And she can sing yeah she does all the backups.
What are some of the notablepeople that you've worked with?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
My favorite name that I like to pull up on people is
Kobe Bryant.
Right, right, that's myfavorite.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I've seen that picture.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Pictures.
You can't see here's pictures.
You can't see me and ToddGurley.
I think there might be apicture of me and Jay Ajayi
somewhere running back.
But we spent a little bit oftime working with Todd Gurley.
I was working for BleacherReport, so I had did like three
different interviews with IsaiahThomas and Nipsey.
Hussle was his favorite rapper,so I got to work with Isaiah
and Nipsey in the same I seen.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I seen a picture with you and Nipsey.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Right.
So um, krs One, rico Way fromOrganized Noise and Sleepy Brown
and Bushwick Bill, rest inpeace.
Rest in peace.
Little work with Busy Bone.
Obviously my main road dog,cuckoo Cow, really heavy for the
in my projects thing.
So I was on a projects tour anddoing Hype man duties towards
the end of that run.
A few other great Milwaukeeartists Ice Moan and whatnot and
(01:48):
like Baby Drew was another likeunderground hero, the ghetto
hero, if you will Right, that'sthe.
He has an album literallytitled Ghetto Hero and people
jam with it.
Like I like Baby Drew.
I just did like two Baby Drewalbums and he just filmed a
movie and I'm supposed to bescoring the soundtrack with Baby
Drew.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
I really enjoyed Drew's work, especially what he
did with Cuckoo Cow and Twista.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
You know, the funny part is I don't know much of a
Monday records, honestly.
They're my guys, I love them,but really all I know is what I
worked on and what I need tolearn for a show.
So I only get out of the studiofor a couple of things and
that's why I'm here today.
Anybody who's keeping score.
I get locked in the studiopretty much, unless there's a
music video to shoot, a concertto be done or we got some kind
(02:29):
of industry showcase event, likewhat I'm in Madison for today.
Big ups to the urban communityarts network in the level up
event, because that's what I'mactually in Madison.
I would have came up here forhim anyway, but to put two of
them together on the same day,that that's all right.
My next move I'm going to haveto go up to the suburb and see
my other guy.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Real quick.
Can we just talk about bejustice and what he's got going
on?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Oh yeah, yeah, we can talk about be justice.
I mean, that's like my littlebrother at this point.
Our birthdays are like fourdays apart.
So it's funny because on hisbirthday this year we did the
all white party with this reallywell known Milwaukee band
called cigarette break and theyhave a lot of Milwaukee's ace
young musicians that play in theband and we were able on his
birthday, which was August 21st,to play a show with cigarette
(03:10):
break down at the Harley Museumon the lakefront.
And then my birthday was fourdays later and we got to play
another be justice show on mybirthday at the Pfizer.
Wow, so I'm DJing at the Pfizerwhile the justice is rocking.
It's like you know, I told youI could spend money, so that was
one of the first things Ididn't buy.
One of the first things Ididn't buy was a big blow up
(03:33):
poster of us rocking Right.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I wanted to buy one, so bad to put it on the wall,
but that's coming.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
The picture ain't gone nowhere.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
But I'm trying not to spend no money because I'm
buying a house and I was tellinghim earlier that I'd be killing
myself $40 at a time, because Ireally just don't care about
things that have a price tagless than $50, but I go get 20
of them and then I'm like winsthe next recording session,
right, right.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
That's crazy.
Ok, so let's get right to it,Right?
So a lot of guys that got a lotof talent and they number.
One question how can I get on?
Break it down?
How can I get on?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
The very simple answer is it's a very, very
simple answer to this.
You may not like it, but it'sthe truth.
Do it every day is like thebest answer I can give you is do
it every day.
People are taking me saying doit every day, probably with a
grain of salt, but I'm going totell you that a D boy who want
to cut money going to go to thetrap every day Barbara that want
to cut hair ain't going to doit by not going to the shop,
(04:26):
right?
So are you trying to be aprofessional recording artist,
entertainer, singer, whatever itis?
You try to if you.
The first key is to do it everyday, not every other day, not
when you have time, not when youfeel like it, but do it every
day like you don't have a choice.
If you get up and go to the gym, you have to get up and go to
the gym and write a record.
(04:46):
If you get up and and decideyou're going to do X, y or Z,
it's messed up, but I needeverybody to, and this is
something I've been teaching andI'm going to lay this on you
and you probably going to hearthis throughout the course of
the day a couple of differenttimes.
How many NBA teams are there?
32.
I'm sorry, right.
How many drive rounds do theyhave in the NBA?
One, two, two, so that's 64.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Two, two, two, 64.
So the 64 players you'relooking at getting in the NBA
every year?
Right, 64 players getting inthat you won't even remember
most of the names.
Right, right, show me 64artists that get in music every
year.
And rap music, right, you can't.
So really more people get intothe NBA every year than getting
a rap music, okay, well, how bigis the pool of people that
(05:28):
think they belong in the NBA asopposed to how many people?
The pool of people that thinkthey belong in entertainment and
music?
Right, right, your odds.
Just from the odds perspective,if you decided you wanted to be
in the NBA, maybe you don'tbecome a player, but you become
somebody who works in the frontoffice and executive.
You have way better odds ofworking in the NBA than you do
(05:50):
working in this pop musicsituation.
By the odds, by the odds.
So what does a kid train likewhen it's time for them to go to
the NBA?
I got a nephew, fortunately,that's playing D2 ball.
He just his freshman year inMichigan right now for a private
college.
His regimen for the last fouryears of high school has been
(06:11):
wake up early, work out, go toschool, get out, go to
basketball practice, because hewas playing varsity.
You remember him?
He was playing with us up here,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
He was playing varsity as a freshman in high
school.
Yeah, I busted, I can't play.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I can't play.
He was like 11.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Yeah, you got it.
I still want my credit, you gotit.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
He was 11.
You got it.
I still want my credit Rightabout now.
I love you.
I'm filing him.
And he ain't tall either.
So he's a grasshopper.
He get out of school, go tobasketball practice, go home, do
homework, eat dinner and thengo to a private workout after
that.
So school breaks come that gointo showcases down in Palm
(06:59):
Springs.
Before, when he graduated highschool, they flew to like North
Carolina and a couple otherstates because they were having
basketball showcases with scouts.
You can't even get up and go toa music conference in your city
.
So when I'm saying, do it everyday.
That boy wants to be in the NBA.
Do it every day like you wantto be an entertainment.
You future said that he been inthe studio every day for the
(07:23):
last 10 years.
If you're not in the studioevery day, you can't compete,
you can't be as good.
It's impossible.
You're not doing it every day.
So it sounds.
It sounds like it's a cheapanswer or not an easy way out.
But as I say this to you,people always say to me well,
you make money like that becauseyou make beats, because you're
(07:46):
a producer and I rap.
So that's different.
It's like tell me, look me inmy eye and tell me that if I had
decided to rap by for the last35 years, that I wouldn't have
figured out how to make no moneyright now.
Tell me that I, like I, got upand did it every day.
You didn't period, no matterwho you are, you didn't get up
and do it every day.
(08:06):
That discipline, that the keyword is discipline.
That's where that starts,because I mean, a singer doesn't
have to be in a recordingstudio.
A singer wants to sing.
A singer belongs in choir atchurch.
A singer belongs at open micnight doing some karaoke.
A singer belongs doing singingtelegrams.
(08:27):
They're trying to do weddings,funerals.
That's a singer right.
A recording artist records orshould.
But this is the thing we'retalking about.
So you say that this is what youwant to do and you say well,
what is one thing people can do?
Tell me something somebody cando because they want to get on.
(08:49):
How do you get on?
First of all, you have to do itevery day, period, point blank.
Secondly, you have to drop it.
I can't tell you and I'm sure mybig up to my man, chill, come
clean empires in a building.
Yes, sir, it under smells me.
Chill is in the building.
Yo, that mic is high, healthy,wealthy and wise.
To kick it with your man.
He said you got to be at thetable, you, if you're going
background, if you're goingbackground conversing, but big
(09:11):
ups, big ups to my man.
Chill.
But for me, like the next thingafter you, after you decide
like I'm going to be theeveryday person, I'm going to
hit the studio every day, I'mgoing to jam with it.
You got to drop it.
I know that you know.
Give me an example of apercentage of the amount of
music that you see artistsrelease, that they record.
How much music would you saythey release against what they
(09:33):
record?
Chill, he say about 5% of whatyou hear is what people have
made.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
They have to put the machine behind it.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Well, now I'm not going to Right right, right, you
need that box like here.
You need that box right hereBecause, like, if you needed to
turn the side mic on or whatever, you could get jig without ever
having to get up.
So that might be an adjustmentyou make, because it looks fly
to have your controls in frontof you.
It looks real fly to have yourcontrols in front of you and
(10:08):
then, being who you are, I'msure you can find some kind of
specialized stand to make itlook all tron, or whatnot you?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
know what I'm saying.
Hey, you know what.
I'm tired of y'all already.
How long is this interview?
I got to get shot out of here.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
But smoke this.
Here's a saying that I got fromSteve O.
Your music is worth way moreonline than it is in your
computer.
So I mean, people make recordsand they sit on them.
You don't even have a chancefor them to be heard or for to
earn Because you haven't putthem where people can actually
get a hold of them.
And for beat makers who want toget all, that's real easy to do
(10:44):
.
I got two or three ways you cando that real quick.
First way do it every day, ofcourse.
Secondly, find whoever is thehottest person near you that's
actually releasing records Right, and offer them something for
free.
But don't become no servant.
Offer them limited services forfree Because you don't want to
(11:07):
join the team.
You don't want to be the personwho well, they do it for
nothing.
So like no, I'm looking to buildmy portfolio up.
I've worked it, I did.
I like what you're doing.
It's dope.
I see you dropping records.
I want to jump in with you,give you some of this production
real quick.
Record you.
I don't need nothing for it,but I know you grinding, I'm
grinding and you look likesomebody.
I can put this productionbehind and get a little bit more
(11:29):
notoriety from myself, from it,like that discussion out the
gate.
He know what you want, you knowwhat he want.
He got some buzz, some shine,you got some heat and some time
Y'all can put the two of themtogether and come to a mutually
beneficial agreement.
That's one way you can begin tobuild your name.
So when I got what Cuckoo, thatwas really something that I had
gotten into.
There was promises of otherthings that was supposed to come
(11:52):
that just never was able towork out.
No blame and nobody on that,just things wasn't able to work
out the way we thought they wasgoing to work out.
But because of that I wasgetting into seminars and things
like that.
As Cuckoo Cal's producer.
I didn't make projects.
I mean, hank's been my guysince way before that.
He made that beat and we werevery close.
I work with him right now likea mug and some of the stuff that
(12:12):
is big Hank is me.
But then it wasn't.
And for that to be the casewhen I got what Cal, it really
did a lot to elevate the name.
Now here's another little moveyou can do if you're a producer.
Let's say you can't findsomebody that's hot and dropping
records, but you can find a lotof little cousins or whatnot
that can rap.
Ok, well, bring them littlecousins in and cut some records
with them.
Offer your studio up as arecord label to produce not
(12:35):
records for people or albums,just to produce compilations.
What happens is is thoseartists go and show all their
friends the records that theydidn't cut with you, and then
all them people like I'm tryingto do that too.
I'm trying to get they allstart seeing them size, them
dollar size and them stars intheir eyes, and they come around
and trying to get themservicing.
You put the the tax on thembecause because of that and you
(12:57):
have to understand what successis A lot of people don't see it
as a success unless you'resitting in the studio with an
A-list celebrity you know,shining and looking on the
background on the Instagram, orlike because I'm pressing
buttons at the board, or becauseI got skills, or I got my pad,
or I'm good with the ink pen,I'm nice with the hook, son, or
whatever.
Success is a working musicianbeing able to buy a car in the
(13:18):
house and feed in a family offive without having to do
nothing else but make records.
Sometimes it's national,sometimes it's music, sometimes
it's a video game, sometimesit's a movie.
You can begin to move in all ofthem disciplines, but
understand what success is andwhat you're looking to get out
of it and have a realisticexpectation of what it is you're
going to get from it.
You always aim for the moonbecause hopefully you can fall
among the stars if you don'tland there.
(13:40):
But at the same time, beingable to take what you have
available to you right now foryour resources and maximizing
them has everything to do withpeople hearing you, whether you
are an artist or a producer, andif you're not putting yourself
in a position to be heard,you're actually just talking
about it.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
That's great advice for people that's outside maybe
just came home or something likethat but what can one do if
they're still locked up?
Okay, I'm there.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
You know what the hardest thing for me to do okay,
you locked up.
The most important thing foryou to do is stay busy.
You have to keep your mindwriting, you have to keep your
mind creating and if you'rewriting and creating and you
can't, don't have the ability tomanifest it right in that
period of time set on it so thatyou can have the ability to
(14:31):
update it and manifest it whenyou're available to do it.
But you have to still.
You have to still.
If you're in the joint, youstill have to be something that
you do every, every day.
And then the biggest threat toartists coming from
incarceration is recidivism.
You know, I would always, as aproducer, like to see somebody
(14:52):
be out for six months before Iwas getting ready to work with
them, because they get out andthey'd be like man, okay, I'm
gonna hit the studio, I'm finna,and then it's like that's an
emotion, not a career.
That becomes like an emotion.
I got to go record, I got theserecords fab, and then when I
see that they've expressed them,then they go their own way.
And then if they make it back,like what happened to do, where
(15:13):
are you, man?
He got locked back up.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Dude was cold.
Shout out to Shotown Tours too,because he's.
He's an example of somebodythat got out and chased a dream
and is still chasing.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I call Taurus a unique situation because he came
out looking for me.
He actually came out.
He came out looking for me andhe went to Madison Media when I
was teaching there in search ofme, and then I moved to
California right as he was inRoland.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
You know what's crazy .
I thought that he wrote youwhile he was in the joint.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Well, he would have wrote the school while he was in
the joint because, they wouldhave had correspondence, because
that was part of his release.
Has a plan for?
Yeah, he told me.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
That's what he told me.
He was like man.
I wrote him.
He was like I heard him on theradio or something like that,
and he was like man.
That's a guy that I want towork with.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
And then I moved to Los Angeles right away and then
three years later, when I movedback and he was like man, I'm
still trying to work and hecaught up here.
And I just finished his I justfinished like three tours album.
So to, to, to, to piggybackinto another segue about people
getting on.
Most artists don't suffer frombeing hot or not.
(16:22):
Most artists suffer from lackof material released, which is
why I was saying you got to dropit.
I mean, the music business, asyou know, it doesn't exist.
What is what is given rise tois the streaming business, and
you have to look at streaming asa completely different category
than you looked at music,because the algorithm is very
(16:42):
dependent upon your ability tofeed it this is Godzilla's
interview, but grassroots musicseminar showcase tour.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
If you want to find out more information, just go to
wwwgracerootsmusicseminarcom.
It's a industry seminar builtto educate and motivate the
artists and managers, promoters,all of them within the business
that want to really get to knowthe business for real, not the
(17:14):
play or little teasers thatother seminars give you, not
talking bad on them, but youwant to know the real deal.
You got to show up in one ofthese seminars and you will get
the real of what it really isthere.
It is Grassroots seminar man.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, so, so.
Yeah, tobrosky, he's doingwonderful things and you know,
the B Justice has three albumsput up.
He just dropped entrepreneurial.
He just dropped entrepreneurialrap.
I know that October 22nd we havehis next album, which is called
the arcade, which that one isprimarily produced by me.
So that'll be like really, thefirst time you really hear me
just cut loose on a B Justicealbum, because I do way more
(17:54):
engineering.
You know what?
We don't agree on music.
I remember you telling me thatwe don't agree musically.
Yeah, and it's the beautifulthing about the people that I
work with, because, as aproducer, you can come in my
studio seven days a week and say, oh man, let me hear some beats
, and I will play you a beat,and you say I don't like that,
go to the next one.
Fine, as a producer, okay, letme play the next one.
I don't like that, let me hearthe next one, fine, okay.
(18:14):
Well, as an artist, I can't sayto you I don't like that, go to
the next one.
Hmm, like you better than me.
So no, I as.
So we have a real goodunderstanding that everybody in
the mountain top which is mystudio is our equals, and if I
don't like your record, youain't got to like mine either.
Tell me you don't like it?
Well, let me listen to what itis you don't like about it.
(18:35):
So what being B Justice reallydon't agree about is I'm, I'm
just rugged.
I'm rough, rugged and raw.
I'm from the NWA ghetto boysgeneration.
Um, and, being from thatgeneration, I really ain't in
the love music.
I was in the gang banging, I'mserious, I was a kid.
I'm, I'm, I'm being.
I don't listen to love songs.
I'm not, I'm not making this upor or trying to trying to say
(18:58):
nothing different for it.
I just really, really really donot listen to it.
And but not be just this, asrecords are primarily based upon
male, female relationships,love and those other things, and
he does a great job atexplaining it.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
And the good song like it.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, he's in that pocket.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Oh, if you saw me with this dude's show with him.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
you wouldn't think that I didn't, because I'm the
hype man in the right rightright, I'm his tour DJ, right,
so you wouldn't think that Idon't like the songs, but
between him I, you know whichones I like and which ones I
don't like, and it's just.
it's just personal preference.
I want to hear it.
Come on.
I like music that make it soundlike somebody finna climb in
and get into a heavyweight prizefight.
I like music that I can put onin the gym.
It's good.
I like music that I can put onin the gym.
(19:39):
It's going to make me want torun real hard, real heavy.
I like music that is aggressive.
I like music that get me up inthe morning and make me want to
drop the elbow off the top ropeand the whole recording studio
Like boom right.
Come on, let's make some records.
And that's how I'm just roughlike that.
And the funny part is is mymother used to listen to the
(20:02):
most smoothest R&B Luther VanVrol's Teddy Pindagrass.
He used to everything in mymama house she switch and all
that.
You know.
All this love is waiting foryou.
Like all them records, was waswas bumping when I was a little
kid.
As soon as I got old enough, Ididn't want to hear it no more.
(20:22):
Right, right B Justice.
Mama was bumping Ain't nofuture in your front.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
And then so he don't want to hear it.
No more, you don't hear that nomore.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
And that's, that's what happened and that's why
that dynamic switch and we'retalking about our birthdays are
both on that Virgo Cusp.
So we're the best of friends.
And one thing from him totourists, to Al, to rock Mac, to
everybody else that jams in thestudio with me we can be honest
with each other about that.
You might not like what aperson is going to say or might
not want to hear it, but youwant to hear it from me or you
(20:54):
want to hear it from the personwith the checkbook, and that's a
whole other thing.
Right there, y'all makingrecords for Y'all.
Y'all ain't making records forthe person with the checkbook.
I can tell people seven days aweek that that's not okay.
And I'm talking about theperson with the checkbook.
Not okay, I'm from a technicalstandpoint.
And they'll argue me down aboutwhy they, why it need to be
(21:14):
like this, and my response hasto be to them like if you was a
D-boy, tell me, tell me, a D-boyjust gonna go buy a bunk
stepped on key or 10 of them,because they finna give you a
contract for a whole album.
Like no, they're buying thatbecause they wanna get their
money back.
A label is signing you becausethey wanna get their money back.
Do you think they don't knowwhat it looks like when they can
(21:36):
get their money back?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Do you think they don't know what it looked like,
when they can't?
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
I'm gonna put it, it's so.
It's such a fallacy.
People think like, okay, well,I'm finna get signed, I'm gonna
get my record to chill.
He gonna give his record toblah, blah, blah.
And I'm finna get signed.
I'm finna be on.
Okay, great In the world whereyou actually do get a deal
because you do have the talent.
You haven't done the groundworkfor people to know who you are.
You haven't put it out herelike that, but you talented and
they jam with you.
How much money is a labelsupposed to put into an unproven
(22:08):
artist?
What would be a good number?
Because we just believe and youcan chime in what's a good
number for a label to put in anunproven artist, cause we gon'
see if you got some sauce.
200,000.
Excuse me, 200,000?
In an unproven one?
And well, unproven, unproven,they ain't got.
No, they hot, they came throughyou, they hot.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
We gotta really see if they hot.
To be honest, I thought it wasa million dollars.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
We'll see.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Or is that the break it break it.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Come on chill, Cause you just gave us a figure in
that back room.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, yeah, you just nah, nah, wait, wait.
That's behind the scenes.
Figures though, no, no.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Just the machine, just the machine.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Right right that's why you need that button.
You ain't gotta go press it,you ain't gotta go press it.
But but okay.
So this in a world, in a worldwhere I gave you $10,000 and say
that you, that I have a song,an album and I'm trying to get
my jam, have a figure of 10,000for.
So now you and I agree thatwhen you step to chill and it's
like, okay, I'm finna, go lookfor my record deal, I should
have a completed project, right,correct, okay, cool.
(23:10):
So I'm stepping to you with acompleted project and I need to
really get it heard, and I got,let's say, how much, would you
say, that I can legitimately putin your hands to get me some
ground work.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
I remember this.
You said 50,000.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Regionally if you want a regional reach, a real
regional promotion.
40 to 50, most artists.
Nowadays they come with 10 to20.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Stay right there 40, 50, 10, 20, let's stop at 30.
Reasonable how old are yourecording artists?
There's a certain age where yousupposed to get to.
And half $30,000,.
I'm sorry, but you are supposedto become at some point your
own record deal.
Cause what we're talking aboutis if I, you have an album and I
(24:00):
take my money and I give to him, I'm a record label that just
paid to have you promoted to putit together.
That's a record deal and peopledon't understand that a record
deal is not necessarily the big$50 million situation.
Like and you know you, closerto this Megan had a ND deal.
You know that it's been a verypublic spouting situation where
(24:21):
they fell out, but QC right.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
The people down in Houston 15on.
Right, okay, but the point isthe point is that was an ND
label and when they stepped tothe table, they probably stepped
to the table with 40, 50, causethat was her record deal that
they gave her.
They took that contract thatthey had with her and then
upsold it to a major label andwas able to get themselves a
(24:43):
deal where they could be gettingto push more artists through
the door.
But her deal ain't with them,her deal is with them, and so we
still write back to that figurethat I'm saying that artists
that want to campaign and reallycampaign and maybe get a little
older especially we talkingabout people that need to touch
the ground understand that nomatter what the dollar amount is
(25:03):
that you put in, you want tosee it come back, and not just
you but a major and anyone else.
And if you unproven and so mypoint is, if you unproven we
just talked about what it lookedlike, what the budgets look
like for unproven artists to gettheir squabble up If you
unproven, your ability to putthat together for yourself give
(25:25):
you way more leverage.
Now you have uncles, cousins,brothers, people who- Like
Master P did.
The houses and all this otherstuff.
You can take your records tothem and say come on, let's get
it.
Cuzz, you can do it, but that'sstill something you have to do.
We're going to go right back tothe top every day.
Yeah, it's still going to be soSay that again you still
(25:47):
something you got to do everyday, because now Cuzz-.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I just got me another sound bike.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
You know, because now Cuzz going to come in and he
going to say, man, I put thismoney in you and now this Cuzz,
now Cuzz ain't here to take noloss on your name, right?
And you know, like I know, onthe streets, man, I put this
into you, man, I got to get thisback.
Apache, bro, like that's how Igo to talking on the streets.
When you don't have no love ina relationship, when it's just
street business between eachother, when it's family business
(26:13):
between each other, somebodygoing to take your L or somebody
going to win, but if one isthat label, that label going to
get their money back One way oranother.
So you have to show, beforethey're willing to break the
bread with you, that you're notwalking in the door looking like
a loss, you know, and buildingthat leverage for yourself.
Does that?
And what's the leverage?
(26:34):
I was at a speak where Wendy Daywas talking.
If you don't know who Wendy Dayis, she's, that's my girl.
She's a very, very, veryinfluential woman in music who
has done a lot to pioneer a lotof people's careers and really
bring a lot of people to theforefront.
She said I'm not going toreally work with an artist
that's over 30.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
She ain't no joke.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Because it takes me at least three years to do what
I'm going to do, to get them hot, to get them to the point where
they're going to get that bigslice of life, that big deal.
And your shelf life at 30 yearsold is way shorter than your
shelf life at 20 years old andpeople don't understand that as
you grow older you grow awayfrom your relationships.
(27:16):
So when you were 20 years oldand you said I was going to do a
show, so many people came thatdidn't have no responsibilities,
had money, no kids.
No, they there.
But when you got 30, they outof your way.
They out and grew up, you outand grew apart.
People that moved out of town.
I don't really talk to them nomore.
I see them on Facebook.
Maybe they might come and thennext thing you know you do it
and only half of them peopleshow up.
(27:36):
If one or two people in thejoint can actually hear this
lock on to this and actuallywrap their brains around, here
go a couple moves that I have todiscipline myself to live by.
They call this a culture ofmusic and creation.
The root word of culture iscult.
That mean there's a level wherewe all have to do the exact
same thing, right Cult like wehave to be zombie in that, in
(27:59):
that fact of the matter, is thecreation part of it, and so many
people like, want to be in theculture, but aren't
understanding that that culturerequires you to live on the
microphone.
That culture requires you tofall asleep at those controls
with that drum machine.
That culture requires you toget up and practice them piano
runs before you get ready to goto work or wake up and use a
(28:19):
vocal trainer right after youbrush your teeth and before you
eat your cereal, because I'mgoing to give my vocals a half
an hour every morning to warm upso that I'm really working on
these notes and these pitchesand I can perform when I'm
called on Like this is the everyday that I'm talking about that
people that they're there witha doing inside don't match the
fire that comes out on theoutside.
This is what people that are onthe outside to say.
(28:40):
They want it.
Don't understand who in thehell is going to play you to
play pro, and you ain't evenshowing you can play amateur,
because the real amateurs do iton an Olympic level.
Well, real amateurs do it on anOlympic level, but you want me
to pay you like a pro.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Definitely, and I really appreciate both of y'all,
especially you guys.
Ella, you know you taught me alot over the years and know what
we're speaking about.
Follow through a lot of thetimes that people seek out
mentors and seek out people thatknow more than them.
They don't get a lot of goodresponse that maybe they're
jammed with them for a littlebit, and I'm going to tell you
why.
People with abundance ofknowledge, they only going to
(29:18):
give you so much right and thenthey're going to sit back and
see what you do with it.
If you're not doing what theysay to do, or they're not seeing
that you're trying to followany type of guys that they're
going to give you, they're goingto cut you off.
That's one thing.
That when he was talking aboutfollow through, if I tell you to
do some, I'm going to sit backand I'm going to see if you do
it.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
This house we're sitting in right now is our
discussion.
This is your follow throughright here from our discussions
we had.
So I don't have to look nofarther than to see what your
follow through is, becauseeverything that I gave you from
credit to investment, to homeownership you took it around
with it and did all beautifulthings with it.
So people going to jam with youfor a long time on when
somebody calls and say what's upwith your man's here?
Immaculate response.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
I'm D star Until next time, guys.
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