Rap Radar: Toosii

When it comes to music, Toosii likes to play favorites. So much in fact that his aptly titled track, “Favorite Song” is topping the Billboard charts. But Toosii isn’t satisfied just yet. The New York native wants the crown, Grammys, and most of all respect. Here, Toosii discusses his recent success, new album, family, J.Cole and much more! #Toosii #JCole #Drake #Future #FavoriteSong See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Year, Wrapper It Up Podcast. Elliott Wilson, this is beat
Out beat Out. What's up?

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Baby?

Speaker 3 (00:05):
I feel like we're to talk if every barber shopping
beauty so long right now?

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Man?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Can the brothers have a couple opinions out here?

Speaker 4 (00:11):
Man?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I feel like we're the only opinions that matter and.

Speaker 3 (00:14):
This culture, man, things like it. But it's all good though,
it's all love.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Man.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Why do we why do we feel the need to
share our opinions to the world and just shake things up?

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Beat Out?

Speaker 4 (00:22):
Why do you think we do it just for fun,
just to get the rap holder it is?

Speaker 3 (00:26):
I think it's tradition. Is also we gotta have conversation.
I think hip hop is also built on conversation, discourse, dialogue.
And you know that's the reason why we are in
this thing. We've been doing it for a long time,
doing it full long.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Time, and I always look forward to me.

Speaker 4 (00:38):
I'm your friend, of your partner, but I still don't
never know what you're coming up with when you drop
these lists, man.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
So I'm excited when you drop out to the world.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
I see it like everybody else when it's a real time.
You know what's funny though, Elliott, you know we're six
months into twenty twenty three. Actually, I wasn't gonna do
one this year. I thought about it and all kind
of like teasing. No, No, really no, because it's like
I just felt like the game was just it's just
kind of like in a weird place like Jack call.
I was like, maybe I'm just gonna wait until the
end of the year. But then a friend of mine
put the batter in my back. I was like, Okay,

(01:05):
let me put out a midyear list just to kind
of get a given assessment of the game. Man, That's
what I did.

Speaker 4 (01:11):
We have an amazing episode with Tuci. But before we
get to that, man, we gotta go do this beat
our List real fast. Top ten Best Rappers twenty twenty three.
Number ten you got Cardi b Cardy, number nine, Jack
Hollow yep, number eight, Killer Mike, Killer Mike Michael.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Number seven, Benny the Butcher, The Butcher Coming, number six.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Larry June yep.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
And now we get to the top five.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
It's where a big boy said big the top five
top forty one. Savage is at number five, yep. Currency
is at number four. The man who kicked off the
Raperate Our Podcast season too Todd the Creators at number three.
This is a shocking pick for me. Beat that number
two is Lotto Female FC Man. I meanc you never
showed up to the female they said. I was a

(01:54):
misogynist for like five years, five summers and the number
one best rapper twenty twenty three so far based on
skilled performance and relevance. But the first six months of
twenty twenty three, according to the expert Brian.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Be Dot Miller, is Jamaine Cole J Cole number one.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
I mean, unless you're living on Mars, I think that's
pretty accurate. Okay, Okay, here's here's my quick question. I
thought we had a private conversation. I don't know if
we went the world to know, but did I didn't
think he was a big fan of that.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
All my life.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
I don't like that record. I hate it.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
I think it's I hate that song. Okay, so how
could you hate that song? And J Cole is number one?
Because be J Cole's the ole ancre of that song.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
And that's the reason why. Because Jake without J Cole,
I think I think he elevated it to the prominist
that it's at. Without J Cole, I feel like the
song just kind of dies. But Cole is such a
talented rapper that he brought you know, he rose the
song to the occasion. So so you're saying that you
don't have to like the song, but you appreciate Cole's performance.
That's what That's what say absolutely and disco have anything

(02:56):
else because the don't thing I see people saying a
lit be the how do you judge someone? It was
just a feature itself far to share. But that's the thing.
That's the funny thing about what I do these listens,
Like since January first, I jot notes. I make a
make notes of everything happens in hip hop. So yeah,
he has to procrastination. Remember the YouTube uh song freestyle
that he put out? He has to someone walker joint,

(03:18):
he had the joint with the K pop artist.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
No no, but the idea that you judge equally, like
how do you how do you stay with artists who
has a whole project out compared to somebody that's on
a feature run.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Like you don't draw any distinction of it.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
But I also think I think it's disingenuous to say,
like Killer Mike is the best out, but the best
rapper of the first six months when he just put
out an album a month ago.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
So I'm thinking about.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
J Cole and his appearances or his relevancy rather over
the course of the last one hundred and eighty days,
he's been super put you but you put equal stock
to guests versus as much as somebody having a project
out for I mean, I think the project does hold
some weight, but I just think it's again thisingenuous. If
Killer Mike puts out an album in June and we're

(04:02):
in July and I'm thinking about the last you know,
four or five months, like he was kind of quiet,
So I'm thinking about, you know, how much how much
game you're running throughout the whole for the first six months,
for the last hundred and eighty days, okay, and then
a Lotto at number two that was shocking.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Why is a lot of at number two?

Speaker 4 (04:20):
But they say you don't even like the feeble Fcson,
you got a lot of a number two?

Speaker 3 (04:23):
I mean, do you do you own he? Do you
own a radio?

Speaker 2 (04:26):
I be? I be.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
I think she's having a hell of a run the
guest features. I think she's she killed the the Lolo
Brook feature. She's the rip the plastic like she's having
a moment right now and like everything she's on, she's
kind of turning the gold. And it's not necessarily if
she's she's hot as well, but it's just not confined
to her hotness, like she's spitting out it.

Speaker 4 (04:49):
Nah that I think she's I don't know if I
put it as high as number two, but I think definitely,
you know, put it on the floor.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
It's big, Like.

Speaker 4 (04:54):
You said, and Cardi out here, you have two female
f seas in the top ten. That's different for you
to beat up. Look at big out here.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
And the thing with Cardy is that Cardi only has
She's only had two recordings this year, right and recent one.
The most recent one just dropped a couple of days ago.
But the one that when everyone is talking about is
ripping out the plastic. She killed that verse. I think
she also elevated that song and it's been it's dominant.
Open up any app it's being played, you turn on
the radios, being played like it's ubiquitous. So you have

(05:22):
to recognize that.

Speaker 4 (05:24):
So one thing jumped out to me. So we see
Benny the Butcher, Well, see he's pretty quiet right now
compared to Conway so why does that Griselda as the
spot go to Benny over the machine.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
That seemed a little surprising to me that I think
it's quiet if you don't listen to rap music. I mean,
I think he started off the year pretty strong with
a French Montana, the Rizzard joint that was back in January,
and since then he's like, kind of he's been doing
a lot of collaborations with others. He did the joint
with Swiss Beats. He's on the Currency album like he's

(05:54):
making his bones kind of quietly, you know, not more
so likes conwic because he has a whole album, but
he's doing his numbers as well, So I think that
has to be recognize. But hey, it's only the first
six months. Anything could change, Okay, a.

Speaker 4 (06:07):
Lot of things are changing before we get into two
seeing one last question I have. So it seems like
there's three mcs, three artists that are not even on
this list, and I want to get the tape of
why they're not there. I don't see any Drake who's
out here, Aubre a Reader's he's tearing shows down. He's
got search and rescue, whether we like it or not.
That's out there. You don't see no gut. I don't
see no Gunner, no gun out. Yeah, I don't see
Gunna with what best out of it? Oh, he's got

(06:29):
the best out of the year. Come on, little little
UZI burtvert first.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Number one album? So what what's going on with the
culture these guys were in the I mean.

Speaker 3 (06:38):
Yeah, but if this was the hottest MC's list, then
maybe you know. But I don't think the Oozy album.
I couldn't really connect with it. It sounded like some
alternative rap situation, like the paramest rap music. That's it's
not rap. It's not great rap music. I also don't
think the Gunner album is what you're claiming it to
be the best album of the year. Absolutely not absolutely.

(07:03):
What about I've always I've said publicly I'm not a
big young thug fan. I've never been. And what was
the last artist you mentioned?

Speaker 2 (07:12):
The Drake Drake Drake, that guy Drake.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Drake, I think president figure personally, I never I didn't
like the Search and Rescue song. I just I don't
like the record, and then also the features that he
did across the Pond. I just really wasn't feeling the
Jay huss us. You know, even if the features on
the Thug Thug album just didn't really resonate with me

(07:38):
like that.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
You think you want record, You don't think it's gonna
be big, Oh you want record?

Speaker 3 (07:42):
I mean, Drake is Drake, so you know, whatever he's
on is always gonna rise at the top. He's like
the biggest artist in the game's biggest name in the building.
So but outside of that, I just don't think those
are the ones that are hitting for me. But anything
could change, like I said, six months later, will.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
Hopefully be that then mess it up and was still
in the guest list for some of these shows. Man,
So to go see the well Speaker.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
I want to see twenty one of him on the road. Man,
you got the best it up for us? Beat Out
Man twenty ones on the Best twenty ones, then.

Speaker 4 (08:09):
Twenty one, twenty one, twenty one man, But you know,
congratulations beat out for whats to get stirreded up? Man,
you're dropping list and I already left town. That's how
you do it, your gangster, you know, say, just drop
dropped it on this. Yeah, that's how we do Let's
get it. Let's get it tonight. What we do do
is like today's episode. Man, Tucy Man like this kid.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Man.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
You know a lot of times we get the young
artists they can't talk, but this kid was special, right.

Speaker 3 (08:29):
B Yeah, I like Tucci Man. He's doing he's making
his bones in the game as well. And he's a
young artist. And that favorite song you can't deny it's
making its impacting.

Speaker 4 (08:37):
Ooh still top ten one of the biggest Army I'll
think he's getting the full credit that he's got.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Really like to be the.

Speaker 1 (08:42):
Biggest Army record of the year, you know, consistently in
that top ten hot one hundred.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
But I think that's what he wants to He wants
to credit, you know, he wants the Grammys, he wants
all the accoleadues that come with being hot, you know,
and being the best.

Speaker 4 (08:52):
So you know, I'm rooing for him, Oh, no doubt.
We had a great convo with him in twenty ones
on an album too. You got to you got a
single coming out with twenty one also twin with Savage,
so I think that could that could chart pretty oigh. Also, man,
So you know, again more importantly, man, we try to
do a balance to like the establish artists, but obviously
we want to talk to the new generation.

Speaker 1 (09:09):
A lot of times they're not ready to talk.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
But this guy had a compelling story, and you know,
I'm glad to be able to.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
Get him on the podcast. Let's do it.

Speaker 3 (09:16):
Let's get intowards Tucy Man, Tucy Man, all your rap
rate off podcasts. Yeah, it's the Rap Raid af Podcast.
My name is beat I Elie Wilson. How you feeling, bro,
I'm feeling good man.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
Not as good as this guy right here. How does
in the game?

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Man?

Speaker 5 (09:30):
Yes, one of the realists in the game. I appreciate
that man who sees in the house.

Speaker 2 (09:35):
Man, what's going on? Man? What's going on?

Speaker 1 (09:37):
You got that record right now?

Speaker 2 (09:38):
Man?

Speaker 4 (09:39):
You know we're gonna talk about that album. It's not
about the song, but it's got me. I know, I
know you kind of taste it a little bit with
some of the some Walker Joint a couple of years back,
Like what it's like to make that record that like
it packs the globe. But this is my favorite song, man,
This is this is a this is an entire movement.
I need to know y'all take me from the beginning. Man,
how does how does a song like that come together?
And how does it continue to grow?

Speaker 5 (10:00):
Man, Honestly, it was just an organic record, you know,
me me being myself and allowing myself to be vulnerable
and be in tune with what I got going on
and the people who love me. So, you know, I
was just in the studio making another song and it
just so happened that, Yeah, I mean, this is doing
that call. But I believed in it from the jump,

(10:22):
so that I recorded it, I knew like it was
out of here. It was just about making it go
out of here. And I feel like that's the that's
the that's the step that a lot of artists miss,
a lot of artists miss actually putting in the leg
work with the with the with the with the song.
So I put in the leg work and we slowly
just continue to grow, grow, grow, grow grow.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
So what did you first hear in it?

Speaker 4 (10:42):
Like when you put it back to playbacks, Like, what
do you think it was that you heard in the
song that like you felt like, oh, it's going to
really resonate, like this is.

Speaker 5 (10:49):
I'm like, yo, when I perform this, I see this
in the stadium, like I see this being in the studio.
So I think that was the biggest thing for me,
just knowing that the song was gonna be one of
those ones that everybody could sing too, and it took off.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
So why do you think it's connecting so well with
the audience.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
It's a clean record, no curse words. You getting munch
on that album, though, I feel me so it got
to be a balance.

Speaker 5 (11:16):
But it's a clean record. Outside of it being a
clean record, it is just like a romantic record. And
I feel like, you know, that's something that's always gonna
live forever. Love never gonna die. That's one thing that's
never gonna die. So I feel like that's that's why
it's something that really caught. It stuck with people.

Speaker 4 (11:33):
And when I get the album and I can have
three different experiences with the record. I can have their original,
I can have you a Khalid and then you bought
the toxic King to the party.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
Man, it's a future.

Speaker 4 (11:43):
Edg's about like those steps. So, like you said, like
kind of building off something you know is there.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
I'm gonna be honest, bro, I ain't even want to.
I ain't even want to put all those verses on
the project. I felt like I felt like one was enough.
The label, you know, they pushed for it, and that's
what we That's what they wanted, so I gave him
what they want. But I mean, at the end of
the day, like you know, we're just trying to We're
just trying to spread it out, you know, trying to

(12:09):
trying to give him a little bit of pop, a
little bit of hip hop, you know what I mean,
And we might we might come country, I know, who know,
you man, I'm trying to do everything.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
We're trying to do everything, so we just try to
mix it up a little bit. That's it.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
What do you think Future brought to the song toxic
Toxic Toxicity?

Speaker 5 (12:27):
Yeah? I mean I feel like I feel like, you know,
Future known for being toxic and the record too clean.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
We all make it a little dirty, you know what
I mean.

Speaker 5 (12:37):
Let's make it a little dirty. And who better, you know,
than the Toxic King, you know what I mean? So
he did his thing on the record. The Future always
been very supportive with me, and I appreciate him for that.

Speaker 4 (12:51):
When you listen to your music, obviously hears so much
like raw emotion, like it's just sound develops, like when
you pinan stuff like that, Do you feel like, off,
I go here with this the audio is gonna say
I'm a little toxic on this joint, Like, are you
cognizant of that?

Speaker 1 (13:05):
Together?

Speaker 2 (13:06):
Nah?

Speaker 5 (13:06):
I feel like I feel like music the only the only,
the only industry where it's like kind of no rules
and I just have fun. Whenever I'm recording now, I
try not to be like, hey, yeah, if I do this,
then they they're gonna think this about it, or hey
if I do this, Like, I just make the music
and whatever happened happening. It's all about believing in it though. Yeah, no,

(13:29):
I believe in it. That's the first step. So yeah,
I'll be believing in stuff and whatever I believe in,
you know, I'm manifested in the happening.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
As we sit right now, the song is creeping on
the come up right, it's like number five under charts.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
What's it like to have a top five song in
the country.

Speaker 5 (13:46):
Man, it's a blessing. It's a blessing, but it's a
it's a it's a milestone. You know, we all blessed,
but you know, it's an achievement, and it's as I'm
happy to be here, I'm still kind of like soaking
it all in, don't Honestly, I can't even tell you
what's going on right.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
Now, Like it felt like a dream.

Speaker 5 (14:05):
But you know it's everything that I prayed for it
and then I hope for so you know, I'm thankful
to even beer.

Speaker 4 (14:12):
You said, you're still living in North Carolina, So right
in North Carolina, and like and then the buzzs are
really from Syracuse.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
Why don't we think Syracuse? All we think about Syracuse University?

Speaker 4 (14:20):
You know shaw a Camelo he just retired, comes up,
Like talk about that journey of like you're kind of
your upbringing growing up in Syracuse and then making that
transition to.

Speaker 5 (14:30):
Yeah, so I mean I come from a place where
it's nothing, you know what I mean, where you could
drive around the whole city in fifteen minutes, moving down
south to you know where it's everything a little bit
more spread out, and outside of a little everything being
more spread out, it's like it's a lot slower. I
grew up living a fast placed lifestyle and I had

(14:51):
to learn to adjust and adapt quickly. But everything was
for the better. It was the best thing my mom
ever could have did for me, and I thank her
for that. I feel like I feel like the biggest
thing was just being able to balance to both ballast
the two, and I feel like that's what makes me
who I am kind of today as far as my music,

(15:13):
Like I'm in the melodic rap world. Yeah, uh, I
make melodic rap music, so being that I make alotic
rap music, it's like, you know, it's like a balance.
You know, it's no genre for us for a real
r you know, like some of us like we can't
make a rap caviar because it's not hip hop enough,

(15:33):
and if we can't make R and B charts because
it's not R and B enough, And I always been
that artists like it's hard for.

Speaker 2 (15:39):
Me to get on charts.

Speaker 5 (15:42):
So to see like us getting in love that we
did from all of these like you know, shout out
to Charles, shout out to like everybody, cause I mean, yo,
in the beginning, it was hard for us.

Speaker 4 (15:52):
So yeah, sure, like artists like Ti Dallas Sign obviously Drake,
like you guys de find the genre.

Speaker 1 (15:58):
Lines like is it hip hop is an arm to be?

Speaker 3 (16:00):
I was gonna say your name the album after yourself
and the dure Yeah, and you once tweeted that to
C and New dr are not the same people stop
mixing the two. So now that you're here, can you
explain the difference?

Speaker 2 (16:11):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (16:11):
People gotta know, man like uh t C is an
entertainer and not your is a businessman slash family man.
That's the difference between the two. We we we we're
not the same person. Uh your your conduct business and
T s. He's an entertainer. He he has fun, he
lives as a lifestyle. He's a young guy who But at

(16:33):
the end of the day when I go home, I'm
not sure.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
You know what I mean to my family, I'm not sure.
To my friends, I'm not sure.

Speaker 4 (16:40):
So you know, has that been important to maintain that
balance as more famous come in your direction?

Speaker 2 (16:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (16:46):
Yeah, it continued to keep it keep me humbling, you
know what I mean, the humility and and and all
of that. It keep it keeps that side of me.
And I'm big on that because at the end of
the I don't feel like I'm better than nobody. We
regular people. We all here to do a job. I
feel like God gave me music for a reason. It
was my corporate mechanism, and that's a lot of people

(17:08):
will relate. So at the end of the day, it
don't make me. No different. I'm just good at what
I do.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
I rather, you're every day you're learning how to be famous.
What are some things you're discovering?

Speaker 2 (17:20):
Not going so many places like.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
Well, not not even only that.

Speaker 5 (17:30):
Uh, certain things I say, certain things I do. Man, Yeah,
so it's a few things. I'm still young. I got
a bad mouth. I got a bad mouth, I got
a bad I got a kind of had a bad attitude.

Speaker 1 (17:47):
Man.

Speaker 5 (17:47):
You know, I feel like that, But that comes from
being raised.

Speaker 2 (17:52):
Around a bunch of women. Man. They having to argue
with a bunch of women all day.

Speaker 5 (17:56):
Man, my sisters and oh god, yeah, yeah, I feel
like that's where that part comes from. But yeah, I'm
working on it though.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
All right.

Speaker 3 (18:07):
A woman that's really important to your in your life.

Speaker 1 (18:09):
Is your mom.

Speaker 2 (18:10):
Oh yeah, that's my baby. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
She kicks off the album Yes World number one, number one,
I meaningful? Was it to hear see those things on
the opening track?

Speaker 2 (18:18):
Oh it touched my heart? Man? My mom?

Speaker 5 (18:20):
My mom real, she she she's real in tune with
everything I got going on, you know, like she know
I'm doing this right now. She know, she know I
did all the interviews that I did today, Like.

Speaker 2 (18:36):
She she too.

Speaker 5 (18:37):
Yeah, she wanted to be a part of everything that
I do, So I feel like like it's very important.
It was very important to hear those those things that
she said, because that's another thing that keep me humble
kind of you know.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
Yeah, you remember those stories that she was talking about, Oh.

Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, most death. Yeah, I got a burn mark on
my leg right here from one of those stories she
was talking about, feeling so real life stuff.

Speaker 5 (19:00):
She ain't telling her a lie. But I always been,
always been a kid who made drastic decisions. So I
feel like that's the reason why you know, we're in
the position that we're in today because I was a
risk taker.

Speaker 4 (19:14):
So yeah, you're also touching an album about going through
like tough to multuous times and being homeless and things
like that. Nature like and then you kind of ended
up earlier like almost going enough Carolina was the best thing.

Speaker 1 (19:25):
For you because you don't know what path it would
have ended up for you. Yeah, stayed.

Speaker 5 (19:29):
Yeah, most definitely. I come from a dangerous place. You
know a lot of people who who from who not
from upstate don't.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
Know what upstate really like. Yeah, and.

Speaker 5 (19:39):
Believe it or not, you Yeah, Syracuse college cool, but
around the corner from the college you got to Pioneer Homes.
It's the pH you know, like we're talking about, uh
where we got We're talking about like my brother was
a part of a like thirty five and Dyke Dyt
man Rico, Like know we we ain't we ain't talking

(20:03):
about something sweet. So I think that was like the
best thing my mom could have did for me. If
I would have stayed there, I probably wouldn't even be
here to tell this story. I got a lot of
friends who passed away, and I got a lot of
friends who locked up.

Speaker 2 (20:17):
I got about six seven friends who dad, my granddad
dead stabbed, got stabbed to death by a few friends.

Speaker 5 (20:26):
Like yeah, I come from a rough life. So at
the end of the day, it's like I'm thankful to
be here.

Speaker 4 (20:31):
Man and you guys had something of the other interviews
that So your granddad had got stabbed by a couple
of friends of yours.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
Yeah, yeah, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.

Speaker 5 (20:38):
A couple couple of people that I knew got uh
stabs like sixteen times.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
What was the story behind that? Like, what wasn't the
kid to that.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
Point he used to do drugs? You know, what I mean.

Speaker 5 (20:51):
Grand granddad struck out on drugs, like not like not hard,
but you know, smug aerle we do this and that
whatever whatever? Uh going to cop one day and they
tried to rob him, try.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
To rob him and stab him a few times.

Speaker 5 (21:07):
And you know, because he wouldn't give it up, man,
he ran back home fill out, the door collapsed and
he passed away. So yeah, I mean, we come from
a rough background, but it's life though. We get what
I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (21:21):
Life ain't sweet, Life ain't peaches and cream.

Speaker 5 (21:25):
It's all about what you make of it. So I'm here,
today's putting on and I'm gonna keep living life. You
know this, this is what we do. We gotta we
gotta keep pushing.

Speaker 3 (21:35):
You give a lot of your life on the record.

Speaker 1 (21:36):
This is love man. Like. Was that a hard record
to make?

Speaker 5 (21:40):
Yeah, that was probably one of my one of my
harder records to make. A lot of people don't know
what I really come from, you know what I'm saying,
And on that and on that track, I kind of
like we're just trying to explain to people that.

Speaker 2 (21:54):
I come from.

Speaker 5 (21:54):
I come from a rough background. Granddaddy strug out on drugs, right,
got aids the reason why I moved down to North Carolina,
and then as far as like my big mom, like
I love her to death, and we come from two
different backgrounds. She come from a life where it's good,
it's great. You know, I ain't saying she's civil spoon fed,

(22:16):
but she had a good whereas I'm from the I'm
from the bottom of the bottom. I'm from the jacks.
You know, I had to figure it out my whole life.
When you met me, I was homeless, I mean ninth
grade and you ain't no. But at the end of
the day, I'm here today, and the reason why I
am the way that I am is because these are
the things that I went through. So that was kind
of like a song dedicated to her to let her know, like,

(22:39):
I live a hard life, but at the end of
the day, I'm not making no excuses. I just want
you to know that I apologize for the things that
I have put you through, but you know that's what
I come from.

Speaker 3 (22:50):
Right You also kind of like shout out your father
a lot throughout the record too, talking about like how
it's half for him hard for you to love him
when he was loving someone else's child.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
Yeah, so my dad.

Speaker 5 (23:01):
It's crazy because when I first moved down South Man,
I moved from New York to well, I moved with
my dad. I was living in Ithaca. I was living
in Ithaca with my dad for a little bit, from Syracuse.
Then from Ithaca we moved to South Carolina, and I

(23:22):
was living in Goose Creek, South Carolina for a little bit,
and my dad was like with another girl. Him and
my mom had separated. The lady had two twins, and
I was just watching them raise them every day. But
he really had no he didn't have no connection with

(23:43):
the rest of my siblings no more. And it was like, damn,
like I'm watching you, I'm watching you love these people kids,
and it's like you don't even really got no relationship
with us. You know, I'm here every day, but like shit,
we thugging for real. We ain't got nothing. I'm missing school,
you teaching me how to cook fish and ship like that,

(24:04):
because because because we ain't really got nothing else to
make outside of us not having nothing else to make,
it's like, you know, I.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
Mean, I'm you you you.

Speaker 5 (24:13):
He having to do tests, I'm I'm like, I'm it's
just crazy shit he having to do. Like you know,
I remember my dad used to let me. I say
it now because it's it's all over, But I remember
my dad used to let me stay home from school
because he'll get drug tested, and and I used to
piss in the I used to have to piss in
a container for him, you know what I mean. And

(24:36):
it's like, that's the life I come from. But that's
that's what I was living. We ain't had nothing, no,
so I he those days he have to get drug tested.
I stay home pissed for him. He go to work,
and like I was at home one day by myself.
One day, my mom came and got me, like we
ain't doing this.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
We moved to North Carolina, and I like, I'm.

Speaker 3 (25:01):
Man because I'm a wallow and the loud he talked
about like at twelve years old, he wanted to be
just like him.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, that was that was my idol. Man.

Speaker 5 (25:10):
He the reason why I am the way that I am.
He he always was there for me whenever I needed
him or I went through a lot of things in life.
He went through a lot of things in his life
that he overcame, and like, cause's just certain things that
like nobody else could teach me about except for him.
So I think, like that's why today, Like I'm so

(25:31):
I'm the way I am with my son. Man, I
love my son, that's my heart and I die for
him feel me without even think about it. But I
feel like my dad the same way with me.

Speaker 3 (25:45):
So I mention your son. He's on the cover of
the album with your mom.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Right, yeah, more stuff, next stuff.

Speaker 3 (25:52):
What does that imagery mean for you?

Speaker 5 (25:54):
I wanted it to be something that was real personal,
real personal, and I remember you growing up. My mom
used to be a hairdresser. She used to do everybody
here outside of the crib. And it was a point
in my life where like, uh, I first started making
music and I had locked my heir up. So my

(26:17):
mom used to do my hair every night before school.
She'll put it in braids, or she'd like she'll she'll
twist it up, or whatever the case may be. I
was in the phase of locking my hair up. That
was when I first started making music. So I feel
like that was like where that imagery came from. Like,
I'm like, you know, this is when I first started
making music. This was this is person this is a

(26:37):
personal moment for me and then my son is you know,
that's just it's where I'm at today.

Speaker 2 (26:43):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (26:43):
So I got my past behind me and my future
in front of me, and that's that's that's what the
uh that's what the cover about.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
Man, what significance of a song? Like villains and heroes?

Speaker 5 (26:54):
You know they say and villains and heroes is like, uh,
I want people to know, like sometimes it ain't it
ain't and it's not a bad thing being a villain
in certain people's story with you the hero and everybody
else story. You know what I'm saying, I might be
the villain in your story, but in your story, I
might be a hero. And what people don't understand is

(27:17):
everybody loved the hero because the hero will sacrifice one
person to save the world, but they hate the villain
because the villain I sacrifice the world to save one person.
And what's really what's really better? You know what I'm saying,
I love you more than I love you more than life.
I love you more than everything else. You're the only
thing that matter, and I'm willing to risk everything for you.

(27:40):
So am I really the villain? Or or or am
I a hero?

Speaker 2 (27:45):
So I don't mind being a villain to everybody else
from a hero to you.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
What zone with you in that day in the studio?

Speaker 2 (27:51):
Man, Man, I feel like I mean, so that's like that's.

Speaker 1 (27:57):
Sitting in your chest for a man, Like, do you
feel like that's something?

Speaker 2 (27:59):
Man?

Speaker 5 (27:59):
Throughout this album, man, You're gonna get a lot of
person on stuff. As I was on tour with Rode.

Speaker 1 (28:03):
Wave, I wasn't out there himself.

Speaker 5 (28:07):
Yeah, As I was on tour with Ride Wave, I
was going through a lot of stuff emotionally mentally. I
was just on the tour bus, you know. I was
on the tour bus and when I wrote that record,
and it was just like, you know, it's like on
the tour bus on the way that Phoenix currently to
Am looked like everybody's sleeping. I mean, I'm up thinking,

(28:30):
like I know, she probably think I'm up cheating. Like
it's like, I know, she probably think I'm up doing
some func shit. But at the end of the.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
Day, it's like I'm out here every day trying to
figure out how to get it, how to how to
how to stick to what I gave up everything for,
you know, because before it was me and her, it
was me and the music.

Speaker 5 (28:51):
And every day this this, this, this is what I
devote my life to. This is what I get in
my life to and it's just like, you know, I
was overwhelmed and I couldn't do I couldn't do nothing
but write music, and I came up with villains and arrows.

Speaker 1 (29:06):
What is that dedication to the music come from?

Speaker 4 (29:08):
Was that is that part of your family's things, because
it's in like it's kind of you know, is that
connected to the family?

Speaker 5 (29:12):
Also, Man, my dad used to make music, you know,
so he the reason why I started making music. Outside
of my dad making music, my brother used to make music.
That the reason why I do everything that I do.
That the reason why I started playing sports. That the
reason why I started making music. That the reason why
I am the way I am. And yeah, like that's
where the connection come from. But other than that, the

(29:33):
vulnerability of my music, I feel like that just come
from everything that I've been through. Yeah, I just donet
been through a lot, man, Man, I'm still try how
to deal with it all.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
Was it even from jumping you able to tap into
that emotion or did it develop over time that you.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
Can hear from the jump?

Speaker 5 (29:51):
It was it used to be so deep to the
point where, like I used to I used to lock
myself in the closet and write music because I wanted
to like rap, and I wanted to like you know
and I but I didn't want nobody hear me.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
Mm.

Speaker 2 (30:05):
So I used to lock myself in the closet, play
beats and and just rap.

Speaker 5 (30:11):
Rap all day. Man, write music all day. And I
be in the closet for hours and hours.

Speaker 1 (30:17):
So but why the closet just cause you isolated and.

Speaker 5 (30:20):
It was dark dark? Yeah, it was dark. It made
it made it let like it kind of like made
me feel like I was alone. M Yeah, I used
to have this being inside my closet and it used
to have like pillows in it, and I sit inside
to ben with pillows and I just write music for hours.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
Brom.

Speaker 3 (30:36):
But even with all your success last year, you said
you were on the verge of giving up when you
made the song last Song off Boys Don't Cry, Like,
why was that in mind set?

Speaker 4 (30:45):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (30:46):
La? Man? Last year?

Speaker 5 (30:47):
Last year was probably like the worst year of my life.
Oh so I was going through a lot, man mentally,
just for everything I was going through, like with family issues,
just with decisions I was making things I was doing.
I was going through a lot. I was stressed out.
And it wasn't even about me like just giving up.

(31:08):
It was about just uh well yeah, yeah, I was
on I I'll say I was on a verge. Just
feel like I wanted to give up.

Speaker 1 (31:15):
Mm.

Speaker 5 (31:17):
But it wasn't w what was meant for me? Ell
it wa, I wasn't. I wasn't meant to give up.
I I already gave up everything firs MM. So if
I give up here, if I give up on this,
I don't have nothing else. And I had to sit
and think and tell myself, like I got a lot
of people that's depending on me. You know, I look
around at my circle, and in my circle, everybody that

(31:41):
I'm around is the difference maker for their family. So
my my manager, he don't got nobody who made a
difference as family. Who's who who who has the opportunity
to create generational wealth or m be the chases or
the wells, far goals or the h you know, he
don't have nobody. He he he's the person that's gonna

(32:03):
do that. My security, he don't got nobody. He the
one that's gonna do that. My assistant, my my digital
gud my, got people that's depending on me.

Speaker 2 (32:15):
But it all start with me.

Speaker 5 (32:17):
And if I give up on everything, it's like I'm
allowing everybody to just fail. You know, I'm feeling everybody.
So all I sat for a week. My manager flew
out of town and he was just like, I'm gonna
give you a week to get it together. You know
what I mean. When I come back, like all of

(32:39):
that's over. We gotta figure it out. Cause he knew
what I was going through. I was going through a lot.
He was like, when I get back, you gotta let
it all go.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
So with.

Speaker 5 (32:50):
Like, alright, bet, I'm like, i'm'a get closer with God.
After I get closer with God, I'm gonna go get
this journal and I'm gonna write everything in it. I'm right,
just what I want to do, what I want to accomplish.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
So boom, I.

Speaker 5 (33:05):
Ain't got the journal. This's the same day I ain't
got the journal. I had already been been getting closer
with God though, but I ain't got the journal.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
And I call him. I'm like, you at home, mind you.
He lived right across the street from Carolina. Accidentally Crazy
Accidentally we've been together since I was sixteen.

Speaker 5 (33:29):
Man, he accidentally moved across the street. He sent me
his address one day, like like, yeah, where you at me? Like,
I'm at I'm at this. It was, uh, I think
we I think He like, I think we closed. He
sent me the address. I look out my window. I'm like, bro,
your house is across the street. Yeah, but he never

(33:50):
see he never knew that because it's it's really it's
really my girl crib but like, yeah, it's really it's
really hurts spoty.

Speaker 2 (33:57):
He never been there.

Speaker 5 (33:59):
So like like, I'm like, yo, so yeah, be it
that having So I'm like he's like all right, he
like I'm gonna cus. I'm like, I'm about to come
over there, come over here. I slapped the journal. I'm
tell you.

Speaker 2 (34:13):
I'm like, yo, what we I need to know what
we need to do to do this? All right?

Speaker 5 (34:16):
So what we need to do in order to go
platinum in three months? How much money is that gunn generate?
What do we oh, what do we need to be
investing in? What do we need to be spending on?
What do I need to do? Okay, now I'm gonna
go back. I'm gonna call my digital god.

Speaker 2 (34:29):
Dante.

Speaker 5 (34:30):
I'm called Dante me and Dante. Dontell on the phone, Dante,
how many tiktoks I need to be making? How many
posts I need to be making a week? How many
posts I need to be making to day? What times
I need to post that? He like we get we
get the whole break down and like now you got
favorite song, and it's like yeah, like it's gotta be
a real plan with everything. See everybody think it's oh yeah,
there the record just caught and it's I mean, yeah,

(34:52):
that's cool.

Speaker 4 (34:52):
But I put that right, I put that work in.
I got strategic post. You have to almost be approach
your whole listener.

Speaker 5 (34:59):
Like you say, like we bought that yellow. Man bought
that yellow ain't become bought that yellow like by by
just I mean we put it out there in the
record group, like nah, like you had to put it
in that leg work my favorite song. They become favorite
song by us just putting it on.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
We had that.

Speaker 5 (35:19):
We literally all right, we and then I wrote down
everything like all right, I want to get down Jimmy Fallon.
After I get down Jimmy Fallon, I want to do that.
I did all of those things I'm like, yeah, like
I want to make I'm like, I want to make
rap caviar because I never made rap caviar, Like I
want to make rab caviar. For this, I need to
do this. I need to do this. This is what
playlist I need to have after we do this, I

(35:39):
need to go and get the feature. This this, this
is what I wanted to remix. And it was just
like we wrote it all out and we planned it,
and so.

Speaker 4 (35:46):
It's something like you came overcame a kind of real
career turning point of like this could go this way
if it doesn't. So part of maybe one of the
quit was you you didn't feel like you would getting
the results that you wanted.

Speaker 5 (35:56):
Fully ah, Honestly, man, it was never really about the results.
I ain't really I don't care who liked my music
at the end of the day, cause when I started
making music, I ain't want to do it for nobody.
I did it for me because I was going through stuff.
It was more so about personal issues that I was

(36:16):
having that was intervening with what.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
I had going on.

Speaker 5 (36:21):
I felt like it was slowing me down and my
love for music was dying. But the reason why my
love was dying was because I was.

Speaker 2 (36:31):
It wasn't. It was never dying.

Speaker 5 (36:33):
It was just I was emotionally cloudy, like I ain't,
I ain't my my everything was blocked up, you get
what I'm saying. So I had to get closer with
God and understand that this is this is my calling.
And I begged for a sign, and like one day
it just hit me. I was like, this the record,

(36:54):
Like feel me. I already knew it was the record,
but I'm like, this is the record, like and then
it's it's this this This guy that Carter, the COO
of my label, he called me. He like cause we
were supposed to do a DJ Drama mixtape before the
before the song became We was never s this song
was never supposed to come out.

Speaker 2 (37:14):
Mm.

Speaker 5 (37:14):
We were supposed to do a DJ drama mixtape like
thirteen songs under DJ Dramma Mixtape twenty one Savage up there,
like the pull Up record was supposed to be up there.
We had a bunch of other features, Like, we had
a bunch of features with like a few few artists.
I'm like, nah, this is not what we need to do.
Take this off. This not what we we We ain't
doing this. I'm like this the record. So then you know,

(37:35):
Carter called me. He like, bro, you sure you wanna
do this? So I'm like, nah, I don't know what's
going on, but this, this, this, this is what we
need to be doing. He like, mm, I don't know. Bro,
Like it sounded like like that sounded like a great plan.
I I'm like, nah, Carter, this is what I need
to do. I'm like, God, God like put this in me. Bro,
It's nobody who could talk me off of this? He like, well,

(37:57):
how you know, God, they send me to t I'm like, God, God, God,
ain't seeing you to tell me this?

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Bro?

Speaker 5 (38:04):
This this, this was supposed to happen.

Speaker 2 (38:08):
And you know.

Speaker 4 (38:09):
With dramas resurgence, like, well, that's that's a safer play,
go down direction, you know what.

Speaker 5 (38:13):
I'm definitely And then over time I just realized being
a better person. Being a better person is what would
helped me get where I needed to be. There was
certain things I was doing that wasn't right and I
couldn't become successful because I was.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Doing the wrong thing. So personal karma, yeah, I was
having personal karma. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (38:32):
Most death Man things that's in the Bible that I
had to clean up on. But you know, God, God
is forgiven, because God is forgiven when you you have
no understanding. When you have an understanding and you know
what's going on, and you know you're supposed to be
doing something, and that's a little bit different. So once
I got light of certain things that I was supposed
to be doing and I started doing it, things started

(38:54):
going my way.

Speaker 3 (38:55):
There's a part at the end of Will Be King
whereas like you're having a conversation with somebody and then
that person says, what you're going through ain't bigger than
what you're about to receive. Yeah, was that during that
same time that he was going through it?

Speaker 2 (39:06):
Most death? Most death? Most death?

Speaker 5 (39:08):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Yeah, I remember that conversation. I was
in the studio and it was just all about like
where he was edited, you know what you're going through
right now. I was actually telling somebody that. That's the
crazy part of It's like, yeah, I was telling I
was telling the God I was I was in the
studio with because he was going through something as west. Yeah,

(39:28):
he was going through something as well, and I was
just telling him, like, you know what you're going through,
ain't what you're going through ain't bigger than what you
what you're gonna receive, bro, it's it's it's something bigger
than life coming for you.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Don't worry.

Speaker 3 (39:43):
See you want to choke somebody that day?

Speaker 2 (39:45):
Yeah, word word man, I was going through it, boy.

Speaker 3 (39:49):
Right, So he continued to still do the journal or
is it yeah?

Speaker 1 (39:53):
Ok?

Speaker 5 (39:53):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got my man. I keep my
journal with me. Man, m m, yeah, I keep my
journal with me.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
Had you ever in the asked, was that a whole
new thing that you?

Speaker 2 (40:01):
Nah? Man? My son? Mom got me on it, my son.

Speaker 5 (40:05):
She she writed her journal a lot, and you know
she actually who got me closer to God as well?
Like she she started indulging in the Bible, reading the
Bible a lot of a lot more often like that
inspired me so and she started writing in the journal.

Speaker 2 (40:23):
I started writing in the journal.

Speaker 4 (40:24):
Inspired me speaking inspiration and you literally closed out. But
God loves me to talk about the place you was
that to make that song?

Speaker 5 (40:31):
Yeah, So on the hook it is uh, it's actually
it's actually this this group from Africa and and what
they're saying on the hook is, uh, God loved me
more today than he does yesterday than he did yesterday.
So each on the on the end of each verse,
you'll hear me. So you'll hear me say one thing
that I know God let me more than he did yesterday.

(40:55):
And I think the biggest thing is just like overcoming.
It's only one way to close it out, man, Like
close it out with the way that we came in here.
Like I said, I'm big on God, bro, So I
try to like, I just try to put that in
wherever I can. I feel like that's what I'm supposed
to use the platform for. That's what they say.

Speaker 2 (41:15):
So, yeah, you.

Speaker 3 (41:16):
Also get a lot of game too on the project. Man,
going back to the opening track, rule number one, and
you have these rules. You know about these rules Elliott
jeh three number one, So you never give a girl
your heart.

Speaker 1 (41:30):
Elliott's married everybody.

Speaker 2 (41:34):
I don't lie, man, I gots somebody got my heart.

Speaker 3 (41:36):
Though, Okay, okay, at you, So you not living your
ramps too.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
See, I'm living it though. That's why I'm telling you.

Speaker 5 (41:45):
That's what I'm telling you, because when they know, man
together or not, when somebody got your heart, yeah, you
know what I mean. It's a cautionary it's a caution Okay, cautionary.
So rule number two's play your part. When it's your time,
you'll make it. That's identifiable.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
Yeah death.

Speaker 3 (42:02):
Rule number three, put God first.

Speaker 2 (42:05):
Lead the house, grab your rob first. It was death
was death.

Speaker 5 (42:10):
Yeah, yeah, we come from that world. Yeah, it's it's
rough out here. Put God first, and when you lead
the house, grab your ride first. That's unless you fine,
we're trying to ride hurst.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
That's a fact.

Speaker 5 (42:20):
Yeah, real talk now, you gotta you got you know,
we come from a rough world. I ain't saying go
out here and slang it, but keep it.

Speaker 2 (42:27):
On, you know.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
So what's what's rule number four?

Speaker 2 (42:30):
I don't know, man, I ain't got that far.

Speaker 5 (42:33):
We're gonna save that for rule number of Rule number
four's album. Yeah, rule number four, we're gonna we're gonna
put that on the next album.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
You got another line.

Speaker 4 (42:43):
Lady was talking about Cat's breaking into your home because
he's putting their.

Speaker 1 (42:46):
Names and songs.

Speaker 2 (42:47):
Man. Yeah, yeah, the truth can almost get you HRD sometimes.

Speaker 5 (42:51):
Yeah, yeah, most death. Yeah, I went through, I went through.
I went through. Uh, I went through a little bit.
But yeah, my my house, it's crazy. I never told
him about my house got broken. Into but that was
like because another reason. But I had went through some stuff,
you know, for for some stuff out of there. Hear
its life though we lived that we lived. We we

(43:13):
live in that world. You know, we live in that world.
It's a dog eat dog world. So I mean, at
the end of the day, we living though we up,
you know what I mean, we don't. We don't thrive
off negativity. Uh So when my house got broken into,
I ain't need I ain't even put it out there,
tell nobody or.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
Be like, yeah, y'all niggas broke into my crib and
they stole a bunch of stuff. But I mean, at
the end of the day, it wasn't nothing. Really. I
don't keep valuable stuff at my house though I don't know.

Speaker 5 (43:49):
Why, Like people think they gonna break into a house
that like still like, oh, we're gonna find it safe
and it's safe, have a million dollars in there, and
we're gonna be a million dollars richer.

Speaker 2 (44:01):
I don't keep money, know how people stick people up anymore?

Speaker 1 (44:03):
I'm give my vemo.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
Nobody word want my vemo? You finna ribbed me so
I could cash up. I know who I'm cash upping me.
It don't make no sense. Like I don't lie, bro,
I mean, I don't keep cash on me. I don't
keep cashing my home.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
Ain't taking you to the bank, not taking you.

Speaker 5 (44:25):
I'm not taking you to the bank. This jewelry, I
mean we insure the game game No plane listen, plane, James, listen.
This this is where the money at.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
Speak to you.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
So I don't know about watches, man, tell me what
you guys have?

Speaker 2 (44:42):
Why is that so so right here?

Speaker 5 (44:45):
I got a Rolex forty I believe forty one million,
forty one milimeters.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
Date just stop for they just they just date. Just mine.
Mine got a Mine is blue with the fluid, yeah,
with the fluid flu the bezel fake. No, No, I
was looking I got his own.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
Why I was?

Speaker 3 (45:09):
I was.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
I was looking at that one.

Speaker 1 (45:11):
Check him out right, you know.

Speaker 2 (45:12):
I was looking at that one like that. It's because
it go with everything got yeah. Yeah. But but it just.

Speaker 5 (45:17):
So happened that I had something with a little blue
in it, and I was able to you know, but
I wanted I wanted something. All of my jewelry really
rolls go. So I wanted something that was like standing still,
like white gold really standles still.

Speaker 3 (45:30):
I need to be like you two hit the road
so I can get some more watches.

Speaker 5 (45:34):
Yeah, listen, bro hey, it ain't about you hit. You
doing fairly well. I'll be seeing y'all. Man, y'all do.

Speaker 2 (45:42):
Listen, y'all. Y'all don't know. I watched, I watched About five,
and I watched the Drake one. I watched, I watched
The Young Boy One Out. I watched a bunch of
interviewshore I came here. Yeah, but like I said, I'm
watching you on the road. You just wrapped up the
European tour, right yes, yeah, man, yeah s show like, Man, well,
I gotta go see you one.

Speaker 1 (46:01):
What's the show like?

Speaker 2 (46:04):
Get a little crazy, man?

Speaker 5 (46:07):
You never know what. You might get a few bros
on stage. You might get a you might get me
climbing on stuff.

Speaker 1 (46:15):
Okay, you might get You do have it all planned out.
You kind of row with the energy.

Speaker 2 (46:19):
I roll with the energy. Man.

Speaker 5 (46:20):
I might be in a crowd. I might be Yeah,
I might be in a crowd. I ain't no telling, man,
I might be standing on my security shoulders.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
So the better the crowd gives you get, the better performance.

Speaker 2 (46:32):
What if the crowd go crazy.

Speaker 5 (46:33):
I'm you're gonna have the greatest performance of your life,
I promise you.

Speaker 3 (46:38):
What was it like overseas?

Speaker 2 (46:39):
Oh, the love was crazy. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (46:42):
It's like they'd be waiting to see you or something. Yeah, man,
and it's like you gotta they take it in because
they never know when they go see you again. It's
easy for like, you know, artists from the area, just
like from here. It's easy for artists from our area
to come here and do do shows and we see
them and we love it. But when an artist who
not from here come around, it's like, you know, it's

(47:04):
times ten.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (47:05):
You definitely had the crowd in your paws man at
Dreamville fast Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
Uh this that you was there for that?

Speaker 2 (47:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
Yeah, you came through this year.

Speaker 3 (47:14):
You made it a key block because you couldn't make it.

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Yeah, shout out block.

Speaker 1 (47:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (47:18):
What was it like to get that call? How did
that happen?

Speaker 1 (47:20):
Man? Well, that was the last minute pull.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
Up, last minute pull up. Listen. We always wanted to
be on Dreamville bro.

Speaker 1 (47:27):
In North Carolina.

Speaker 5 (47:28):
Boy, Yeah, you know, we always we always wanted to
be on Dreamville, and it was all about just whenever
the moment was right, when they called we'll be there
if not. It was waiting on it, you know, and
we we got the call. We had just got back
from Arizona and it was perfect time and they're like, hey,
the block couldn't make it, Tuesy can tuessy pull up

(47:49):
my manager like yeah, like we we gotta do it.
It could have It could have been for zero dollars.
We still would have been there.

Speaker 1 (47:56):
You know, did J Cole you personally?

Speaker 2 (47:59):
No? I wish Bro hell Noah, fuck, oh my girl. Bro.
If Cole called me Bro man, y'all might not. I'm
I'm straight man. Listen.

Speaker 5 (48:09):
That's that's somebody that I, you know, really genuinely look
up to. If you see this interview, feel me. I
remember Bro, when I was sixteen years old and I
met you at the Boys Club. I had a CD
in my hand and I had a note. He probably
don't even remember this. Do that for all of us, Listen.

(48:30):
That's the that's the only person I've ever done that for.
Wow moment with what Bro seen him another time and
in Carrie, North Carolina, Like I seen him in carry
North Carolina at the target, like he a real regular dude.
But at this time, like I had had a head record,
but I didn't even get to speak to him. I

(48:51):
just seen him. He went about his day. I want
to It's just like one of those women.

Speaker 1 (48:55):
I'm like, man, like tap you with Eve. It's like
a full circle moment.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
Donnie, please, Bro, I don't lie. I don't even It's
not even about me working with j cole Bro. I
want to.

Speaker 5 (49:08):
I want to have a conversation and just tell him, like, Yo, Bro,
you I mean you played a big part of my
life outside of you playing a big part of my life,
like it feels good to be like you know, I
mean I did everything I told you I was gonna do.

Speaker 2 (49:22):
Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
Do you remember what Do you remember what the note said? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (49:28):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (49:28):
In the note, I was just telling them like, yo,
cold's up. My name Tucy. I'm a sixteen year old
artist originally from Syracuse, New York. Here in Raleigh, North Carolina,
and now I gave him like a little bit of
what I was going through. I'm like, yo, like, I'm
out here making music, putting on for my family. I

(49:50):
come from a five five My mom got five kids.
I'm the youngest of five, and I just want to
tell you like you inspired me. I told him, like,
I got the CD here, I would love it if
you listen to it. If not, I understand. But at
the end of the day, I appreciate you worth taking
the time to even read this letter. And yeah, like

(50:13):
on the CD, I had a like it was remixes
though it was a remix tape and uh and on
the tape it had like, uh, I had a song
up there called let Cold Down.

Speaker 2 (50:26):
Wow. Yes, uh yeah, how you how you're different now?

Speaker 1 (50:31):
Yes, sir, Yeah, I just did the record back and
then a moment yeahah.

Speaker 5 (50:35):
Bro, so it's like, yeah, I had a few records
up there. Bro, I have to go back through it,
but it was it was definitely one of the moments man.

Speaker 4 (50:43):
But I saw you want to do interview with the
great fellow go Andre Martinez.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
Yes, speaking on us, expect you have for another light.

Speaker 4 (50:49):
Ski came and mentioned earlier Drake though, right, so did
that standard up like you speaks to that about how
like the same thing with you.

Speaker 1 (50:55):
It's like, is this guy hip hop?

Speaker 2 (50:56):
Is?

Speaker 1 (50:56):
It's got R and B, but it's just great music,
right and be so assistent.

Speaker 5 (51:00):
Man, I feel like Drake is Drake is one of
those people who uh, have have just mastered the effect
of being able to tackle all aspects, whether it's R
and B, whether it's you know, whether it's R and B,
whether it's hip hop, whether it's pop, Like he do
it all, he do everything, eats afro, beats everything. You
get what I'm saying, and I want people to know,

(51:22):
like always. I remember, like a few years back, I
I I used to tell people like like, I'm kind
of like the drake of of my generation.

Speaker 2 (51:29):
Mm uh, and people used to laugh at me. And
I ain't really think nothing of it.

Speaker 5 (51:34):
I ain't really care for it, but it was just
like a way of me explaining, like everybody got a lane, yeah,
but except for me. Like I look at myself as
like I'm I'm this artist that's in the six lane
highway and I'm able to step in whatever lane I
want to, Yanna, I'm on a six lane highway and
I could get in whatever lane I want to at
any time. M Like I could rap with the best

(51:55):
of 'em, and I can make melodic songs. So I
f like we artists that's in my generation. It's not
many that could do that. And when I say like
rap with the best of them, I really mean like rap,
Like I grew up listening to uh like listening to
to to the Meek Mel on the Corner freestyles and

(52:18):
and read Dollars and ride a mez And I grew
up on all of that battle videos.

Speaker 2 (52:26):
Yeah, I mean, I grew up on all of that.
So it's like.

Speaker 5 (52:31):
Before I was out here doing them a lot of stuff.
That's what I was doing. I rapped with the best
of them, and and and I could see a little bit.
I ain't no, I ain't no, uh, I ain't no
no no John Legend, but.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
I do a little bit, you know.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
So, Yeah, when did the shift happen for you? From
like doing that traditional listen?

Speaker 2 (52:52):
I went on tour with some Walker and I'm like, yo,
like somemer Walker concerts. If you've ever been to a
Summer Walker concert, It's a million beautiful girls in the crowd,
and I'm like, I love this, feel me. I need
this every day of my life.

Speaker 5 (53:13):
Something has to change. If I keep rapping about these
guns and oh got you feel me? I'm like, if
I keep rapping about this stuff, first off, I gotta
live up to this stuff. I ain't trying to do
this forever, you know, what I'm saying, I live up
to this stuff. The life expect to see for this
is I don't know. It ain't looking too good. A
lot of these niggas done and nah, look.

Speaker 1 (53:35):
This is like, what twenty seventeen, It's.

Speaker 5 (53:37):
Like twenty seventeen, No, not even that far that far back?
How winner was the twenty nineteen, twenty nineteen, No, twenty eighteen,
twenty eighteen, yeah, twenty year yeah, so twenty eighteen, yeah,
this was twenty eighteen. I'm like, nah, like this ain't
feel me right before the pandemic boom. I want to
switch this shit up. I'm like, all right, So I

(53:57):
started like and then I always been like you know
what I mean, even though I come from the projects,
I always been like that loving boy type of dude.

Speaker 2 (54:04):
Like I always been like that hopeless romantic.

Speaker 5 (54:06):
And I mean the kid that the kid that flirt
with the older women. And I mean my mom used
to call me. She used to say I was manish,
you know what I mean. So I mean, I like,
after going on tour with some Walker, I'm like, yo,
it's a million beautiful girls in the concert at the
concerts every day, sold out shows. They buying the merch
the march selling out, like this is what I want. Like,

(54:28):
if I'm gonna be doing this, I don't. I don't
like the dude's gonna go wherever the women go. I need,
I need a female fan base and I want it
to be just a bunch of females, beautiful young ladies
who loved me. And that's what I'm gonna go for.
And ever since then, you know, pretty girls love Toussie.
You know that's that's what we pushing.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
P G L T.

Speaker 1 (54:52):
Walker crowd told him switch to Stylar.

Speaker 5 (54:55):
And then the love I was getting it was it
was crazy because like the first concert was actually in La.
It was terrible because I had just came off tour
with the baby. I'm like, I don't know how to
perform for it like a bunch of women. I'm throwing
water in the crowd. I'm I'm messing up makeup.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
Lash.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
I'm like, oh no, so I next, sure, I had
to tighten it up. Now I'm out there, you know,
no shirt down with the roses.

Speaker 5 (55:21):
Shit got a little different, she got a little different,
but it was for it was for a better cause.
Though now we you know, now we we're doing what
we're doing. We got a core fanbase and I appreciate them.
I love them to death.

Speaker 1 (55:33):
Right, you could always still bom them up if they
get out a lot.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (55:37):
Yeah, they know it though. The ones who was around
since the jump, they know, Like I started off rapping,
I wasn't I wasn't making love songs.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (55:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:46):
Speaking of the ladies, there was a moment on the
album that really stood out to me, just talking about
how when you were young and you were raped and
it's like an older woman took advantage of you.

Speaker 1 (55:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (55:56):
Yeah, yeah, when I was when I was a little
bit younger.

Speaker 3 (55:58):
And at what point did you realize it's like that
was sexual assault.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
Not to not honestly the scared, because I ain't. I
didn't notice until I got about eighteen. Until I got
eighteen and and it really got either what like what
was going on? I kind of thought it was okay, right,
and I mean it's sad, but you know with men,
they don't look at it like that. You know, with men,

(56:24):
they look at it like, nigbe what you are? You
did something with the older woman and you told somebody,
which I ain't never tell nobody.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (56:34):
I just kind of like took it out'm chatting and
moved on. So yeah, I don't know. I feel like
that played it. That played a big part in who
I am today too, why I love miss so much
and why, Like I mean, at a young age, that's
that's what I was introduced to it.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
So yeah, was it like a family friend or so?

Speaker 2 (56:54):
And I won't even I won't even a family friend,
damn all right?

Speaker 4 (57:01):
Was that vulnerability thing of like tell that for a while?
Was it something you had to get off your chest
or something he wasn't ready to tell.

Speaker 5 (57:07):
Yeah, yeah, I think it was something I had to
get out on my chest. And I feel like what
better time to do it than put it on my
debut album?

Speaker 2 (57:15):
Right?

Speaker 1 (57:15):
How proud of you of this album?

Speaker 2 (57:16):
Man? Man?

Speaker 4 (57:18):
Because you know they're gonna say, now, this guy's a
big hit person, like sitting with his full body of work, like,
explain what you tap in with this album that makes
you feel so proud of Not with the success of
the song, they're still gonna see how timeed you truly.

Speaker 5 (57:31):
Are I'm very proud no matter the outcome, Like, no
matter no matter if they would have loved it or
if they would have hated it, I'm proud of it
because at the end of the day, I told I
told my story, and that's what I got into the
game to do, to tell my story. So you know,
one great project don't make you nobody and one bad

(57:53):
project don't make you nobody. You know, it's all about
it if you could do it twice.

Speaker 1 (57:56):
That's true.

Speaker 3 (57:57):
I saw you posted on Twitter. You said, artist, drop
one song and get stuck for it for the year,
then go missing. How are you planning on avoiding that?

Speaker 5 (58:06):
I'm about to drop and then y'all gonna get a tour,
and then after this tour you're gonna get another drop,
and then after that tour, you're gonna get another I don't.
I'm not gonna be that artist that make one song
and then you know, uh, one song and then I'm
a chill for I'm a chill for a.

Speaker 2 (58:25):
Year or two years.

Speaker 5 (58:26):
And it's like, Yo, we live in a generation where
artists coming out every day. Yeah, I mean it's artists
coming out every day. If you think they finn wait
on you to drop music for a year, you lost
them ale, you know, so I ain't.

Speaker 2 (58:39):
I ain't that. I ain't on that point. I'm at
a point where like, I'm gonna continue to put out
great music and whatever the people choose, that's what we're
gonna put our foot out.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
Right, You're willing to do more than the next artist.

Speaker 5 (58:50):
Oh yeahs death, most death. I feel like that's what
you know, that's what That's what the two times stand for.
You know, I got everybody in my everybody in my
campaign two times tattered on them with you know, two
times changed, and then two times just standing for you know,
they say, they say, when you sleeping, it's already somebody
who working two times as hard as you. That's what

(59:10):
we that's what we stand for, working two times as
hard as the next person.

Speaker 2 (59:14):
Right.

Speaker 3 (59:15):
I guess it's like that fear of kin going back
to where you came from.

Speaker 5 (59:18):
Yeah, we ain't going back right now. We can't go back.
And I don't even foresee myself. I don't even know
what it's like to go back.

Speaker 3 (59:25):
You still have some things on your bucket list, right,
you still want to win that Grammy?

Speaker 5 (59:29):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, we're gonna win a Grammy. I
don't listen, man, what I don't I don't know, man.
I feel like we put out one of the one
of the best songs this year if not the best,
and I don't know, like I'm I'm, I'm firing my net.

Speaker 2 (59:45):
I believe it. So I want that Grammy and I'm
manifested and.

Speaker 1 (59:50):
Then number one album.

Speaker 5 (59:52):
Oh yeah, the number one album. That's gonna be hard
to do, but we're gonna, We're gonna push though.

Speaker 2 (59:57):
I don't know. Ye, I'm a realist. I don't want
the number one album.

Speaker 5 (01:00:03):
But it steps to everything, you know, I mean, you know,
without it being steps, it's like a pyramid with nothing
at the bottom. You know, it's just it's gonna collapse.
And I ain't no overnight success. So with being a realist,
people say, oh, you gotta believe in yourself. Y'all believe
in myself. But I'm a realist. I'm not gonna lie
to myself to tell myself. I'm not gonna be delusion

(01:00:25):
on tell myself. Now, I'm gonna get a number one album. Yeah,
if we catch three records at one time on for
this one album, like nah, the chances of it happening small.
You got Dirk out work and Wild still doing like
a hundred and something a week, like Taylor Swift just
dropped a Deluxe to her project, like it's too much

(01:00:47):
going on, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (01:00:50):
I'll be a realist.

Speaker 5 (01:00:51):
So at the end of the day, we don't push
this project and We're gonna continue to slowly grow until
I am able to compete with the best of them.
And when I am able to compete with the best
of them, See, the music is there, the fan base
is not there yet. When the fan base is there.

Speaker 1 (01:01:07):
But they're growing every day.

Speaker 2 (01:01:08):
They growing every day.

Speaker 5 (01:01:09):
I went from a meal I used to have, like
like maybe ten weeks ago, I had a million million
of Spotify listeners. Huh million seven Spotify listeners. I'm at
about eight point something now yeah, how long?

Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
How much time?

Speaker 2 (01:01:25):
Like ten weeks?

Speaker 1 (01:01:26):
Ten weeks?

Speaker 2 (01:01:27):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, like ten weeks.

Speaker 5 (01:01:29):
So like slowly growing and I ain't in no rush
to getting them.

Speaker 2 (01:01:34):
I'm not in no rush to get nowhere. Man, you
know what I mean. I'm slow, slow and steady. Right.

Speaker 3 (01:01:42):
Tell Terence to take that to the bank, right.

Speaker 2 (01:01:44):
Yeah, Tell Terrence to take that to the bank.

Speaker 3 (01:01:45):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
Who is this Terrence guy? Talk about them on Terrence?

Speaker 5 (01:01:49):
Terrence is uh a guy my mom used to mess
with uh and not I mean I don't know. You know,
when you're younger, you don't really know what's going on.
I think my mom used to mess but uh, it
was a guy we was living with for a while,
and and yeah, like he wanted to be with my
mom and she, I guess she really ain't want to

(01:02:12):
be with him. Well, he was homeless. He let us
live with them, and it ain't work out. He put
us out and we was living was living in our
van for a little bit, living in a motel, trying
to figure it out. So yeah, man, tell Terrence, take
that to the bank, Terrence, take a hike. What a gentleman? Yeah, asshole?

(01:02:39):
Yeah man, well for real, but it was life changing though.
It played a big part of me getting where I'm
at today.

Speaker 1 (01:02:47):
The consistency is key, man continued successful.

Speaker 3 (01:02:51):
You keep taking the time, and he's stacking off that money. Man, Listen,
I don't want you to lose a million dollars in
the casino no more.

Speaker 2 (01:02:57):
Oh my god, I was finished. I don't want I
thought you was finna. I want you to lose a
million dollars already did I already did that? Man?

Speaker 3 (01:03:05):
How did you losing one point two to be exactly
the casina.

Speaker 1 (01:03:08):
What was you playing back?

Speaker 2 (01:03:10):
Why he did so much research? Bro, it's the right
friend up podcast? Man, I beat out man, Bro, listen
back cry Bro it was yeah, I'm telling you, Bro. Listen,
you got eyes of the casino. We must have spoke

(01:03:33):
to my host. Bro. Man, I'm telling you it was rough. Bro.
That was a rough day. Damn rough day. But you know,
I man Mizili, you see, you know who We came
back though, We came back, so we and we here
today and you know one point two ain't nothing.

Speaker 1 (01:03:49):
One point two Yeah, plain ball dollar. She's getting the
next rollie. That's the little Valie back.

Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
Word.

Speaker 1 (01:04:01):
Yes, sir, you keep living, Tucie.

Speaker 2 (01:04:03):
I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (01:04:04):
Listen, sir, Man. Rap rate our podcasts. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:04:07):
Rap Radar is an Interval Presents original production from hyper House,
produced by Laura Wasser, Hosts and producers Elliott Wilson and
Brian b.

Speaker 1 (01:04:14):
Dot Miller.

Speaker 3 (01:04:14):
From Interval Presents executive producers Alan Coy and Jake Kleinberg,
Executive producer Paul Rosenberg. Editing is sound design by Dylan
Alexander Freeman, recording engineer Jeremy Ogletree. Special thanks to Charlotte Jenkins.
Tammy Kim and Jasmine Sanchez, Operations Lead Sarah Yu, business
development Lead Cheffie Allen swag and Marketing lead Samara Still.

(01:04:37):
Make sure to follow rap raator or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
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