INTERVIEW: Joey Bada$$ Talks New Project, Coming For The West Coast, The 'Big 3', Fatherhood, Therapy + More

Today on The Breakfast Club, Joey Bada$$ Talks New Project, Coming For The West Coast, The 'Big 3', Fatherhood, Therapy. Listen For More!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FM

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Every day waiting pick your ass up the breakfast Club.
I'm finished for y'all.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Dune.

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Yeah, it's the world's more dangerous morning show. Charlamagne the
God just hilarious. Envy is out today. But now that
Simone is here, and we got a brother who's got
a project coming out on August twenty ninth, call Lonely
at the top. The good brother Joey Badass is here. Man.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
What to through?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Man? Good morning and blessed black and Holly fair? But
how you feel good?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Man? Good?

Speaker 3 (00:25):
First of all, how is fatherhood?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Fatherhood is amazing?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Amazing? Congratulations father too?

Speaker 4 (00:31):
Now, thank you, thank you, appreciate that, loving it and
basking in it.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
You know what I mean. At the stage, ain't getting
much sleep, yeah right now, but you know it's going great.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Is a couple of months now something right?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, something like that.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
How they changed you as a man?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
I mean I won't say it changed me as a man.

Speaker 4 (00:51):
I say it's refined, you know what I mean, just uh,
you know, maturity. It's like I ain't got the bear
with you know what I'm saying, for like the bullshit
no more. It's like when I had my first child,
the biggest revelation I had.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Was like, oh shit, I only got one kid, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (01:09):
It's like I've been taking cares so many people and
like putting so much energy into that and you realize
that you have like one child, like one person that
you're actually solely responsible for, and you know, having my
son now is like, you know, it's no difference, It's
just it kind of gives you that extra boost of.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Like, yo, listen, let's get to it. Let's get it done.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Like when we leave in the house, we on the mission,
and the mission is to complete it and you know,
get back home.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Real, you got the best of both for us now
because you got your.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Girl and your boy now absolutely absolutely.

Speaker 5 (01:41):
Said you've matured. Is there like a major difference from
your first time having a child when you were younger
versus now?

Speaker 4 (01:47):
Yeah, I mean I say the biggest difference was, you know,
I don't I'm at a different readiness and preparedness level now,
you know what I'm saying. So it's like, you know,
with this one, and then also kind of having the
experience and the dad now right, it's like like playing
words data, you know what I'm saying, Like and having
that to apply. So everything that I've learned from my

(02:09):
first experience being able to take that and it kind
of catapulted me into this one like where it's just
like ah, yeah, yeah, like you know what I mean,
everything is uh pretty much is like going navigating the
street and knowing where the bumps is at, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Like it's it's kind of like that.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know, I was listening to Dark Or they sent
me Lonely at the Top last night. They just sent
me snippets, but I listen to the whole Doark orders one.

Speaker 4 (02:34):
Yeah, that was purposely done because I know you guys
have a system and y'all like to listen to the
music before. But I also like to reserve some of
it because I want you guys to you know, actually
be in tune, you know, whant to drop.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
So but you say on Dark Or, you say independent mindset,
you ain't fucking with the majes. So when I think
about everything that's going on with your label right now
and them delaying the album, does it make you wish
you was Indy?

Speaker 4 (03:00):
Well, what I'll say is, you know, we had our complications,
and you know, I think what had what had disappointed
me or angered me. The most is that I'm very
passionate about my relationship with my fans, and you know,
when I say things, I want them to know that

(03:21):
my word is bond. So I hate that I was
put in a position where I communicated a date and
then I had to change that, you know what I'm saying,
because I worked so hard on that relationship with my
fans because you know, historically it hasn't I haven't always
been the best at that, and that's you know, me
taking accountability and me wanting to improve and be better,

(03:41):
you know what I'm saying. But you know, so yeah,
we had our little whatever, but we're on common ground now,
you know what I'm saying. And you know, I feel
fully supported in everything. In August twenty nine.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
Do you really feel fully supported?

Speaker 4 (03:57):
You know, we got to drive into this thing, you see,
I'm trying to just be political, right, just get past.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Get to it.

Speaker 4 (04:06):
Like damn, I thought the Juice would take the ABO.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
What's the point of a label? Even the land album.
But it's not like they're gonna work the records at
radio the way that they It's not like they're gonna
put the building behind you. With the promo and marketing
the way that they should. So what's the point of
the land album?

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Charlie Man, you got some some intense feelings today.

Speaker 6 (04:30):
Some juicy like that they give you a reason that
they say, Hey, So the reason was that they felt
as if, like you know, they wanted to.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
Put more into it, and you know, like I had
my my uh uh my complications with that, if you will.
But at the end of the day, you know, I'm like, Okay,
you know, that's not a bad thing. I just think
that the way that it happened, you know what I'm saying,
Like telling me the week before my fans think that
the project is coming is just like not productive, you

(05:09):
know what I'm saying. It's kind of productive to the
whole situation. So, like, you know, I could say that
their intentions were good, but the execution of it wasn't
the best, you know what I'm saying. But like I said,
like you know all as well now and you know,
everybody's on comic ground and we got a date, so
it was twenty ninth. At the end of the day,
I just want to put this music out and that's

(05:30):
what I'm looking for.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
Because I was having a debate about you in a
group chat, you know, the hip hop group Chest. Oh yeah,
And so I was saying, like, like Joey, like I
looked at the project.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
I've been in the group chats a lot this.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Year, but great reason.

Speaker 4 (05:45):
It's like like the fifth person I heard saying, y'all
talked about you in the group.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Chat and everybody had one, uh one common thing in
regard to Joy bad Ass the music. They always say,
he just need a record. M Is that something you change.

Speaker 4 (06:01):
I won't say that I chase that, but I won't
say that it's something that I'm not cognizant, you know
what I mean. I definitely have an awareness of that.
And yeah, only at the top August tenty. Never see
what happens, you.

Speaker 5 (06:13):
Know what I'm saying, Because is that implying that it's
on this tape.

Speaker 4 (06:17):
We'll see, you know what I mean, We'll see, Like No,
I I think that there's a record on there, you know,
maybe two records on there. I think that's a great record,
you know what I mean. I think that's definitely poised
for that type of position. But there's another one I'm
specifically thinking about.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
But the super I got, like the it.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
I'm trying to reserve, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
I want people to because you know it and it's
funny and I'm glad we having this conversation because i
feel like in twenty twenty five, like I'm at a point,
I'm at a point where my artistry where it's like
I really don't want to give samples out. I really
don't want to drop no songs ahead of it. I
really want you to experience the body of work like
I intended it to, and I wanted it to be

(07:08):
fully new when when people hear it, you know what
I'm saying, Like I don't want to. I don't I
don't want to give away too much. I have too
much expectations, like I really enjoy creating bodies of work
and sharing that, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
So, but yeah, you know you still got to promote
your project.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
Is like how do you promote the project without like
putting singles out and you know, ship like that.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
But this is one cliff hanging in.

Speaker 7 (07:30):
This nigga man like he want a cliff with his
music and an acting because yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
I'm a cliff hanging in.

Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah you are.

Speaker 7 (07:38):
You will leave somebody on a cliff and not know
what's going on, because even in the films, even with
the shows like we you know, if unique that or not.

Speaker 4 (07:45):
You gotta create some suspense, you know what I mean,
some suspense and anticipation.

Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah, you know what I mean, Like you feel something.

Speaker 5 (07:52):
Hell anticipation this year, especially starting off the year. What
was it the first week of January?

Speaker 1 (07:58):
First day, first day, first.

Speaker 5 (07:59):
Day, you're first attacking the or you know, claiming your
title in New York. But then also you know, coming
from the West Coast, what what struck that?

Speaker 4 (08:10):
So first of all, it's like, you know, my intention
was never to come for the West Coast, you know
what I'm saying. I think that like with Ruler's back,
my energy was more connected to like it was really
in the spirit of like, yo, y'all having y'all moment,
but New York got something to say too type of thing,
you know what I'm saying. And it's like, yeah, you know,
people had their complications.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
With that, like, oh y'all had y'all moment. We ain't
say nothing.

Speaker 4 (08:32):
This aid a third But I'm like, yeah, it was
twenty twenty five, and it's playful.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
It was.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
It was a playful nature for.

Speaker 4 (08:37):
Me, you know what I'm saying, Like this rap shit
is a sport, and I have so many allies on
the West. Like from my perspective, if you really seen it,
it's like I didn't mean no disrespect. That wasn't my
intention or whatever. But I'm like, yo, we rapping, you
know what I'm saying. So when people felt like I
was attacking, I had to respect it because I think
that my perspective would have kind of been the same

(08:58):
if the shoe was on the other foot, like yo,
you know what I'm saying. So, and I think that
a lot of people took the opportunity and.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
A lot of good things came from that.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
Sure, yeah like rap I mean that's honestly, that's how
the compensation started in the group chat because I said,
I said, Joey Bad that's the nicest like new dudes
from New York, right, you know, even though you've been
out for a while. But it's like he's he's that
guy right now, Like that's what I was asking the
group chat, and so everybody sent the emoji's back like
let me think about that. But if not you who That's.

Speaker 7 (09:29):
How I feel that somebody was to respond back from
like the West coast, right, if one of the raps
was to like, all right, go back at you where
you prepared for it to be.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
People people did respond. Yeah, a bunch of people respond.
It was like fifty niggas.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
We definitely got to get into that.

Speaker 5 (09:46):
But I want to get into this line on rulers
back where you were like women lie, but Joey don't lie.
Might delete later. I know damn sure that Joey won't.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
That's sorry, not sorry, oh sorry, Yeah.

Speaker 5 (09:58):
But with that line, I you know, the play on
words with my delete later and you know that being
close project.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
How do you feel about the Big Three now?

Speaker 2 (10:07):
I mean, what do you mean?

Speaker 5 (10:08):
Do you still feel like there is a Big three?
Did the Big Three change? Do you feel like it's
like not a thing anymore?

Speaker 2 (10:13):
Nah? I want to say that it changed.

Speaker 4 (10:15):
I mean I say that, you know, over the last
ten years when we talk about rap, like, yeah, I
think that those figures are the prominent figures.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
You know what I'm saying in the space.

Speaker 4 (10:27):
I think, you know, a lot of interesting things has
happened in the last year.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
But yeah, to say the least.

Speaker 4 (10:33):
You know what I'm saying, But yeah, I mean I
don't feel no particular way about it, you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, it's I love it. I love it all.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
As a New York artists, you feel the way and
the reason because when you're talking about Big Three and
no MC from New York is mentioned.

Speaker 4 (10:48):
Oh, I mean, bro listen. I think I think the
Big Three, though, was more of like a how do
I say it?

Speaker 2 (10:54):
Like? I think it's more of a like it's like
a class.

Speaker 4 (11:00):
I feel like that, like like when we talk about
the Big Three, we're talking about that class, and I
think that there's a new era that's, like, you know,
kind of right behind that, where we might be talking
about a different three individuals in like the next five years.

Speaker 5 (11:13):
But you don't consider yourself in that class.

Speaker 4 (11:16):
I mean, see the thing is I kind of do,
but I'm so much younger than anybody else. Anybody else
in that class got me about like eight to ten years.

Speaker 5 (11:24):
That was gonna be my question for you, because I
feel like the game that you play versus the game
that they play is different. Like I think you brought
to my attention that Big Daddy, Kane and jay Z
are the same age.

Speaker 3 (11:36):
And then it's like, well, y'all.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
Yeah, close to it at the same age.

Speaker 5 (11:40):
But there are different classes. So I feel like it's
the same thing for you where it's like you're in
the same classes then, but you your game is just
a little different.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
Oh wow, wow shit the more you know.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, yeah, but you know, I feel I feel similar
to that, and I think that me being younger has
kind of allowed for different things for me, you know
what I'm saying, Like, I think everybody's path is different,
and there's not much that I would really change about
my path. I'm just getting better, you know what I'm
saying as I go on, And yeah, you know, I
think that me being younger than those pairs gives me

(12:17):
more years, you know what I'm saying. It gives me
like still like a longer runway to you know, do
what I want to do.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
So so, in terms of your music career, what do
you think has kept you from getting to that next
level just music? Well, what you mean just like to
be in that to be mentioned with that with those
guys I or maybe have the commercial success to day.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
Well, I think it's me. I think it's the music
that I put out, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
I don't put out a lot of commercially poised music,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (12:44):
I think it's that or do you think it's that
you went the independent route.

Speaker 2 (12:48):
I think it's a combination of both, you know what
I'm saying. Like I didn't.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
I don't think that I've put out much commercial sound
and music, you know what I mean. And it's like
the ones that I did, Like you know, I put
out Devastated back in twenty sixteen, and that had a
big moment, and that's like probably one of my least
favorite songs in my catalog.

Speaker 2 (13:07):
So it's like I.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Remember how that made me feel, and it's like, even
though it had the success, I'm like, is this feeling
worth it?

Speaker 2 (13:13):
Like do I want to like really be attached to
a song that I don't love? You know what I mean?

Speaker 4 (13:19):
So like it kind of became more about artistic integrity
for me. It's like I just kind of value that
a little bit more. But what I will say is
I am trying to find the sweet spot.

Speaker 2 (13:28):
You know what I mean. I am looking for that
sweet spot. It's like, how can I stay.

Speaker 4 (13:31):
True to me but still like you know, amplify it,
amplify the sound so.

Speaker 1 (13:36):
And nobody ever talks about that making a record that
works but it don't feel right to you, but you
got to go out there and live with it.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah for sure, for sure, you
know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (13:45):
So that's what that taught me, and is like after that,
it was like I was very skeptical about making those type.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
Of sounds again.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
Like you know, even though for me, like I really
do enjoy being experimental and versatile and I enjoy when
I play a song for somebody and they're like, yo,
that's you.

Speaker 2 (14:02):
I enjoy that feeling.

Speaker 4 (14:04):
But sometimes it also kind of like takes away from
like division a little bit, right, because like I don't
have a single other song like Devastated in my catalog,
and it's like when I'm when I'm going certain places,
that's the representative thing of me. But it's like when
you dive into my discography, it's like it just sounds
nothing like that, and you know what I mean. So

(14:25):
I think just kind of being away with that and
then also just focusing on my bodies of work as well,
you know, And.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
I think it's about what you want from a artist.
Like when I listen to the project like underwater three
three feet three feet away, speeding through the rain, Like
that's what I'm on. I'm like, oh, okay, that's what
I'm rewinding. Those are the records I enjoy here.

Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, yeah, those my favorites right there too.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, like the record underwater. I totally understand what you meant,
you know when you say you feel like you're underwater.
But what do you do in those moments when you
feel like you're underwater, when that fame and depressure and
expectations feel like you're drowning?

Speaker 4 (14:57):
Well, turn to God, you know what I'm s and
talk to God, connect with God, connect with sauce, and
do a lot of self reflection, you know what I mean.
I'm somebody who, like, I'm not obsessed with being right,
because I believe that when I'm wrong, I learned, you know,
and you know, when I'm right, interestactly, I'm right in

(15:19):
the moment.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
But so like in those moments, I do a lot.

Speaker 4 (15:22):
Of self reflection, self correction, and you know, I like
to I like to take accountability because I feel like
that makes me better, It makes me stronger, and it
gives me, you know, the wisdom that I need for
the next day.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
How do you protect your piece in the industry that thrives.

Speaker 4 (15:36):
Okay, stay out the way, man, you know, stay out
the way. I think this year has been the most
in the way I've ever been. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah for a good reason, right, Like a lot of
good music came out of it. But you know, just
from a general standpoint, like I think it's staying out
the way, and I think lifestyle affects a lot of that, right,

(15:57):
Like you know, like where I'm at now, my life
at thirty years old, Like you know, I'm still fairly young,
but my life reflects that of like a very mature man,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
So it's like you ain't gonna really find me in
the club.

Speaker 4 (16:09):
You ain't gonna find me, and like you know, these uh,
these dark energy spaces, you know what I'm saying, where
like like, yo, I got my social battery so low. Now, Yo,
when I saw you out the other night when we
was at the metro booming joint, like after that, like
I just had to stay in the house with five as.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
A year recovering, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (16:30):
And it was too much because you know what I mean,
it's like I get mad dafts out, you know, mad
people like yo boy, It's like the first time a
lot of people were seeing me, you know what I mean.
And it's just it does a lot to me, and
it's like I kind of got to recover from that. Yeah,
I probably gonna have to recover from this interview.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
Because I bought the niggas juice.

Speaker 2 (16:51):
Impressed me about.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
How much is being a successful actor change the trajectory
of your career. You just enjoy bad as the rapper
when you go out you I mean, I.

Speaker 4 (17:00):
Would say that you know it made music because I
feel like at a point music was becoming to me
like feeling like a job.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
And I think that.

Speaker 4 (17:12):
The success in acting has like supported music being art
against me and just like it being like, just do
what you want to do because you're good, you know
what I'm saying, Like, like you're good, there's other things
that you can do, like you know you are, You're limitless,
So do what you want to do and just make
sure that every expression is as true as to heart,

(17:36):
you know what I mean, it's just the spirit as
you wish it to be.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
What do you like better acting on music?

Speaker 2 (17:42):
I like both you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (17:44):
It's like people ask me that question a lot, and
I'm like, man, like, why do I got to choose?

Speaker 2 (17:48):
You know what I'm saying, Like, I.

Speaker 4 (17:49):
Think that there we're talking about the field of arts.
So to me, it's the same thing almost, you know
what I mean. It's like it's still me. I'm just
showing up in another space, another medium, but as an
artist still you know what I mean, expressing myself performing.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
This, that the third. So it's like, yeah, I like both, Like.

Speaker 4 (18:07):
You know what I mean, I don't plan on choosing
that one over the other. Like I think that, yeah,
I'm highly capable and I will continue to be capable
of just doing both, you know what I'm saying, Like, yeah,
I got some some movies that that I'm working on,
some shows that I'm working on.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
I can't you know, spill no beans yet, but man,
I gotta be aware of that. Man, the cliff, just
on the cliff, on the cliff, all the time. It's
slowly at the top of the cliff. Yes.

Speaker 1 (18:46):
Has acting changed the way you write music?

Speaker 2 (18:50):
Hmmm?

Speaker 4 (18:53):
No, But I have been having a repeated thought like
I want to approach my music more from a space
like that more from like a theatrical space, like how
can I you know, not with this album, but like
how moving forward? How can I involve what I've learned
on the TV and film side and bring it into
my music more. I have been like, you know, examining

(19:14):
that whole feel of thought and being like, yo, like,
I definitely want to try my hand at like world
building and playing a character on a body of work,
if you will, and.

Speaker 2 (19:24):
Like playing into that and music videos and all of
that type of shit, because I'm like, I could do that.

Speaker 1 (19:29):
You've seen that though, I mean Biggie did it with
like Ready to Die or Rayquan did it.

Speaker 4 (19:32):
Right, right, right, but you know, doing it in twenty
twenty five at a whole new level, you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
Even Kendrick did it with Good Kid, Mad City. You know,
like those guys do it.

Speaker 7 (19:43):
How connected are you to your roles? Like is playing
Unique and raising Kanan? How how many like are there
a lot of similarities between Joey Badass and Unique.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
I say, when it comes to any character that I play,
the first you know I do is find a similarity,
but I also find the differences too, Right, I think
that I get very I do get very connected to
my characters because I think that my style of acting
is kind of like method a little bit like what
they call method acting, and it's like I have to

(20:18):
I have to believe it and I have to like
like I tell people all the time, like I don't
I'm not interested in acting. I'm interested in like living,
like you know what I'm saying, Like I become the
role and like I live it out like on film
if you will you know what I'm saying, because to me,
that's the only way that it's real, like there is
when you see me. There is aspects of what's going

(20:40):
on that I'm like in that moment, like I believe
you know what I'm saying, Like it's real to me,
like this is what's going on is And then it's
like I think that one of my strengths is an
actor too on My biggest strength, I would say, is
my instincts. Because you know, it's one thing to look
at lines, and lines is easy for me because I
come from rappid so it's nothing for me to memorize lines.

(21:01):
But for me, what like really brings it to life
to me is when I get in that environment and
I'm like, okay, cool, like I'm kind of talking with
the environment if you will you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (21:14):
And it's just like, shit, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (21:16):
I might approach you know, my my my senior partner
a certain type of way, but like that was a
scripted or I might say something to bridge the lines
together because that just feels real for me, Like this
is what I would do in the situation type of thing.

Speaker 7 (21:33):
And do you have you ever gotten stuck in a
role right, like oh shit, oh no, okay when you.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
Go home back and you need get a police called
on you?

Speaker 5 (21:45):
When Unique got killed off? Did you know you were
killed off? Or like did you know you were coming back?

Speaker 2 (21:52):
Did I know I was coming back?

Speaker 4 (21:56):
Yes, So I didn't know I was coming back. I
didn't I was coming back, So like you know, the
story goes that. So the reason why that even happened
was because that year I had put out in an album
when we was filming that season, and I had to
tour it and the tour was conflicting with the shooting schedule,
and I was just like yo, at that point, it

(22:18):
was like season three, and I was just at a
point where it's like yo, I feel like, I mean,
how long is the show going to go on? I
don't know, but I feel like I've done what I
had to do. So I'm like, I'm cool with y'all
eighty six to me if that's what y'all gotta do,
you know what I mean. So that's why it happened.
It was written into the script unique dies. And then
the day that I wanted to get my head casting right,

(22:41):
which is like the process of like, you know, if
you're about to have a brutal death in the TV,
you got to get your head casted because like they
need something to bang in, you know what I mean,
Like so like they make a fake prosthetic version. When
I walked into that office, I was like, oh, no,
something is wrong. I made a mistake, you know what
I mean. And I called up Sasha Penn, who was

(23:04):
the creator and the show runner raising Kanaan.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
I'm like, yo, is there any way.

Speaker 4 (23:10):
Because you know what it was, I had that moment
and I'm like, yo, I felt like I was like
at a crossroad. So first I called my mom because
my mom is somebody who is just going to give
it to me raw, you know what I'm saying, so
I'm like, yo, like what should I do? Because at
the time, there was something on the horizon that wasn't
set in stone yet. So I was cool walking away

(23:31):
from the show because I'm like, I'm about to walk
up to this other opportunity when I get back from
to him. And then my mom had dropped some wisdom
on me, like, yo, one in the hand is better
than two in the bush, and I was like, let
me call you back, and I called up Sasha and
I'm like, yo, is there any way we could reverse
because he never wanted to let me go.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
He never wanted to kill my character. He never wanted
to kill him.

Speaker 4 (23:58):
And then he was just like yo, Joey, like tell
me you serious because if you are, like, I'm gonna
make some calls and it's like you cannot play with me.
And I'm like, nah, I'm dead serious. He made it
happen for me, and I left the head casting was.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
I was I was mad at him.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah really unique And he's not.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
Only want to kill you if you wanted to die,
yeah yeah, yeah really.

Speaker 5 (24:25):
Really, but you're dying to tell us like, all right, guys,
I'm coming back. Because everybody was tweeting you you know
mentioned yo.

Speaker 4 (24:33):
So it's it's kind of fucked up because I had
to even lie to my castmates. Yeah, like I couldn't
even tell my castmates why though, because that's what they
told me. It was like, yo, like like you can't,
you can't tell nobody because it was a cliffhanger, right,
So it was everybody was still shooting, like I died

(24:54):
episode five, and it's like they had to keep going.
So it was like they're like, no, we got to
keep the like we got to keep the characters safe,
like everybody got to believe that shit, right, And I
was like, oh, I mean all.

Speaker 5 (25:05):
Right, that makes sense. Fifty be doing some random what
random near death moments and then they come back.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
What did fifty say during that time? But he's that
type of involvement?

Speaker 2 (25:18):
What did he say at that time?

Speaker 4 (25:21):
I didn't speak to fifty till after when I had
came back, and yeah, he had. He pulled up on
me one day and like it was just me and him,
like we just traveling up for like forty five minutes.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
Fifty is like, I like, he said a lot. He
said he said a lot that day.

Speaker 4 (25:39):
You know what, I'm saying he dropped a lot of
game and wisdom, and I could tell that, like he
got respect for me, and obviously it's mutual, you know
what I'm saying. So yeah, no, he was just basically like, yo,
you got it, Like like yeah, shit, you the one
like you could do whatever the fuck you want to
do in this joint. Like and he was like, Yo,
you know, I I want to let you know, I

(26:00):
got like thirty eight plus other shows, so it's whatever
you want to do, you know what I'm saying, And like,
you know, just kind of giving me that talk, and
I'm like, word, you know, I.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
Want to go back to the music for a minute, right,
like you've always kept that classic New York City sound.
Do you ever feel any pressure to evolve with the
time pressure?

Speaker 4 (26:19):
I feel like I did in the past, but I
feel like now I'm at a point. It's like, man,
I feel like when you get to, like, you know,
your thirties, and then I think I've had an accelerated growth,
so youven know I'm thirty, I feel like I live
like I'm thirty seven.

Speaker 2 (26:33):
That's how I got my lifestyle is.

Speaker 4 (26:34):
For real, And I just feel like I'm at the
point where it's like, man, like I know exactly who
I am, you know what I'm saying. So I don't
feel the pressure to like do anything that anybody else
is doing, Like I just want to do me Like
I'm very content and fulfilled by doing what I want
to do and what feels natural and true and authentic

(26:55):
for me. Yeah, Cause it's like if it don't feel authentic,
it's like I feel off, you know what I mean,
I feel out of balance.

Speaker 1 (27:02):
So what that said. Coming from a borough like Brooklyn,
which is so rich and hip hop, how did it
feel watching so many Brooklyn artists embrace like drill music, That's.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
An interesting question. I mean it felt like because I
feel like.

Speaker 4 (27:16):
Drill didn't come from New York, you know what I'm saying.
It came from Like I mean, where did it come from?

Speaker 1 (27:22):
In UK?

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Yeah, London and Chicago.

Speaker 4 (27:24):
So I mean I thought it was interesting though, Like
I wasn't mad at nobody or whatever, you know what
I'm saying, Like it kind of eventually, you know, New
York made his own version of it type of thing,
you know.

Speaker 2 (27:35):
But yeah, I mean listen, like that's what they do.
I do what I do, like I've always been proud.

Speaker 4 (27:42):
Of like just doing my own thing, you know what
I'm saying, being able to stand over here and like
my own lean and shit like that. Like I just
always been content with that, you know what I mean.
But shout out to a la homie. You know what
I'm saying, because I know all of these guys and everything,
you know, mutuals.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
You got a residency, Yu, this is correct?

Speaker 2 (28:02):
Well I had one. I have is over now.

Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yeah, how did that come out? How did that come about?

Speaker 2 (28:07):
So I started a.

Speaker 4 (28:07):
Mentorship program called Impact Mentorship, which provides professional mentorship for
men of color in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
And you know, one thing kind of led to.

Speaker 4 (28:17):
Another and in YU noticed the work that I was
doing and they reached out for me to do an
artist in residency And I was actually the youngest artist
to ever do a residency there and it was beautiful.

Speaker 2 (28:29):
Man.

Speaker 4 (28:30):
Like, I'm all for connecting with, you know, the younger
generations and sharing my wisdom because I feel like, you know,
I ain't come this far to just like not share
what I've learned with people. Like I'm very big on
like going back to the navigation analogy, Like I'm very

(28:50):
big on Like, Yo, I've been down this road. It's
a pothole right there. Make sure you go left or Yo,
that room right there is on fire, you know what
I'm saying. I mean you could go see for yourself,
but just no, as soon as you touch that door handle,
your hand is gonna burn.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
You know what i mean.

Speaker 4 (29:04):
You know sometimes people still want to you know, but
I'm very big on sharing that information because that wasn't
done for me all the time and my come up,
you know what I'm saying. So I want to make
sure that I could use myself as not only an example,
but as a tool for like, you know, people on
the come up.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
You know what I mean, Because yeah, but you.

Speaker 1 (29:24):
Get though when you listen to your music or even
just a regular conversation. When you said earlier you said charlamage,
you were really expressing some type of feelings this day,
you know what I'm saying. But when you look at
like the underwater, like I said, the three feet away
to speeding through the ring, you clearly are addressing your
mental and emotional well being. So do you share the
work you've done with people? Oh?

Speaker 4 (29:44):
Yeah, yeah, like this project right here, like it all
went platinum already amongst my friends and family. Okay, you
know what I'm saying, Like shout out to Untitled is
an app that they allow you to kind of like
you know, ship music, and it's like, yo, I just
got five thousand streams already, not literally, like it got
five thousand plays just for me sharing it with my
friends and my family, and it's like seeing everybody gravitate

(30:06):
to this, gravitate to that, Like you know, I kind
of like my village is very involved, and you know
the music that I'm making and producing.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
And I heard you talk about meditation before. Oh yeah, therapy,
Oh yeah, all of that.

Speaker 4 (30:20):
Okay, all of that, all of the fucking the self
improvement shit, Like I'm all about it, you know what
I mean?

Speaker 1 (30:25):
Yeah, what's more therapeutic? Actual therapy are going in the
booth and getting it off. I know you always hear
the artist be like your therapy is Yeah, music is
my therapy. You know.

Speaker 4 (30:32):
It's interesting you asked that because you know, I think
both are therapeutic. I think you know, when you when
you're in the booth, though, it's like it's just letting
off steam almost.

Speaker 2 (30:42):
Like you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (30:43):
You get to express, but like do you really get
to understand?

Speaker 2 (30:47):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 4 (30:48):
And I feel like that's what's sitting down with the
therapist really brings to you.

Speaker 2 (30:52):
It's like it helps you get to that place.

Speaker 4 (30:55):
Of like knowing why things are happening to you and
not just like what are what is happening to you?

Speaker 2 (31:02):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (31:02):
I feel like the music gives me the outlet to
talk about what is happening, but therapy gives me the
outlet to understand why things are happening, you know what
I'm saying. And yeah, it's like I actually am looking
for a therapist at the moment.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Yeah, yeah, why do you why do you think you
need it? One?

Speaker 4 (31:19):
Well, I loved my past one, but it's like it's
just been a little minute since, you know, we connected.
So it's just like I'm looking for somebody, you know, yeah,
because it's like, yeah, you know, we gotta we're gonna
have to do the whole thing anyway, like you know, redownload.

Speaker 2 (31:36):
And shit like that. But yeah, but yeah, he was
he was great and he he helped me a lot.

Speaker 1 (31:42):
I love when black men learned early what I learned
late because I didn't start going to therapies since I
was thirty six or thirty six, thirty seven, So what
was the moment you realized you needed you only thirty?

Speaker 4 (31:53):
So I actually had did one of those therapist sessions
with Noisy You remember those joints they used to put
out with the rappers.

Speaker 2 (32:01):
Therapist series did one. I did one. And it's funny
because that's the first time I ever did therapy. It
was live for the world to see, you know what
I mean.

Speaker 4 (32:12):
And I felt like indifferent about that at the time,
but I was very glad that I did it.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
And I was very like, you know.

Speaker 4 (32:19):
Typical, like he gonna say he gonna help me with
and I ended up like crying a type of ship.
And then after that I actually connected with him, and
that's who became my therapist like the next five years,
you know what I mean. We conducted private sessions after that,
and you know, and yeah, shout to doctor Siri, like

(32:39):
he's he's he has helped me becoming a better person.

Speaker 2 (32:44):
Yeah, I love that.

Speaker 7 (32:45):
I love how you can be transparent about that. Not
many men can be transparent about that. Prior to your
relationship with Therea, you kept your personal life very private,
like they knew very little about you. And I know
that is intentional, but how hard has it been adjusting
to people knowing because we still don't know a lot,
but just even knowing that part of it, How have

(33:06):
you been adjusting to that?

Speaker 4 (33:08):
I would say that it's a learning experience because it's
pretty new for me, you know. But what's not new
for me is being a public figure. So I'm somewhat
used to and normalized the idea that I'm freaking you
know what I'm saying, Like my life is up for
anybody to talk about, like at least whatever I show.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
Yeah, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (33:32):
So I just try to be as cognizant as that
as possible, and you know, show what I want them
to see, and you know, not show other things like
you know, I don't. I've never been a person to like,
you know, really show my kids like that on social
media because you know, like you know, with my daughter

(33:53):
for example, like her mom and I is obviously not together.
So like there are moments where my daughter is not
going to be with me, and the last thing that
I want is for people coming up to her because
you know.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
What I'm saying, they know me or something like.

Speaker 4 (34:06):
That, Like yeah, so it's like I do that out
of protection and yeah, I'm very very critical about, you know,
protecting the people in my life.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
You know what I'm saying. It's like I'm not just
because these people are not on the stage I am.
You know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (34:21):
So I'm I'm built for this, you know what I'm saying.
The public opinion and stuff like that. People say negative
things to me. I say negative things all the time.
I don't respond, I don't engage. But these people are
not you know what I'm saying. It's like that that'll
really affect their world and affect their energy, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
So I do my best to protect my loved ones.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
You think people realize how proping you are in Hollywood?
How pop and I am, Like you were part of
a project that want to osk you bro crazy?

Speaker 2 (34:48):
Yeah, I mean shit, listen, man, I don't. I don't.
I don't think I really give a fuck about that
type of shit. Sharlow man, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (34:55):
Like I if you came to my house, you will
understand why I don't give a fuck.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
Like I live a beautiful life, you.

Speaker 4 (35:00):
Know, what I'm saying, like I pray every day every
morning if the world got to catch up with some
type of like understanding of who I am in Charlotte,
you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (35:10):
Look, why you didn't wear blue at the baby shower?

Speaker 2 (35:13):
You from Baltimore?

Speaker 7 (35:15):
Yeah, okay, yeah from bottim Oio.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
Yeah, so why you didn't wear blue?

Speaker 2 (35:25):
You just my lady?

Speaker 3 (35:27):
I got you, all right?

Speaker 2 (35:28):
You know the balance?

Speaker 1 (35:29):
You look nice. Y'all looked great.

Speaker 7 (35:31):
I was just You're the first person I saw were
black all black black panther at the the uh, but.

Speaker 1 (35:44):
You look nice.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
It was a beautiful event from what we saw.

Speaker 7 (35:46):
We see much from the baby shower, but from what
we saw, y'all did look nice.

Speaker 5 (35:50):
Thank you, Being that you are somebody who's so evolved
and like deep into work with therapy and stuff like that.
How did you feel about j Coole's apology during the
whole battle this question?

Speaker 4 (36:06):
I understood it, you know what I'm saying, Like, like
I definitely understood.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
It's like because you know what it's like, I don't.
I don't.

Speaker 4 (36:16):
I don't want to, Like I'm really not looking for
a moment of like a clickbait thing.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (36:21):
I'm really trying to be intentional about what I say,
but you know, I understood it. I just feel like,
you know, if I just like you should have never
engaged in the first place. You know, that's it. That's
all I'm gonna say, like you just never engage if
it was gonna be about that, So you know, in
referencing back to the line that you had brought up,
and that's why I said, it's like, you know, I

(36:42):
won't I won't do that, like I won't, I won't delete.
Like if I'm gonna say something, I ain't gonna take
it back. I'm gonna take everything that comes with that,
you know what I'm saying, even if it's a conversation
to be had, Like Yo, I didn't mean it like that,
Like it's my intention, but I'm still going to stand
on what I said, you know what I mean. But
whatever I mean, I think it was it was commendable
that if he felt that he did something out of
the pocket and he was like, Yo, that's not me, y'all,

(37:05):
Like forgive me.

Speaker 2 (37:06):
I respect that.

Speaker 4 (37:07):
You know what I'm saying like that it takes a
real man to do that. But I just feel like
he should have never engaged.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
Was that your approach when you was going back and
forth with all the West Coast rappords, Like when you
was writing your bars, he was like, let me be
intentional about every word, because the things I say I'm gonna.

Speaker 4 (37:20):
Stand well, not initially honestly, you know what I'm saying,
Because when I wrote Rulers Back, I honestly didn't think
that it was gonna get all of that. Like I thought, like,
you know, I thought that people Sometimes I look at
it as like I have so many peers in this thing,
and everybody who's gonna hear it is going to have
the same perspective as my peers. And it's like it

(37:41):
was one of those moments where I had to realize that, like, Yo,
this landed on the doorstep of a lot of people
who don't know you, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
Who don't know your character, don't know your personality.

Speaker 4 (37:50):
So I had to deal with that. But even still
I stood on what I said.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (37:55):
I'm like, Yo, I ain't about to you know, just
jump on Twitter like yo, Like like nah, I said
what I said, and I know what my intention was
about it. But if you feel some type of way,
you feel some type of way, you know what I'm saying,
I can't do nothing.

Speaker 5 (38:07):
About because perception can be louder than like your intentions.

Speaker 2 (38:11):
Absolutely, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (38:12):
And again, being a public figure, this is one of
the things that you come to realize and why you
gotta be super intentional, you know what I mean. You
got to think about it all. And I think that's
the only misstep that I made was not really taking
the time and sitting with myself and really thinking the
type of effect that that was gonna have, like because
like I said, for me, it was playful, like I
was in the studio the night before and then we

(38:34):
recorded the videos soon as we came out the studio
and we put it up the next day. It was
no thought, you know what I'm saying. It was just like, yo,
be in it. I feel good, Let's do some off
the wall shit. Let's just put it out.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
It's music, is.

Speaker 4 (38:50):
What's the word. It was like in the moment, you
know what I'm saying, And yeah.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
I'll tell you one that you know what That moment
made me realize it's not a lot of new spits
from New York because the spin is from New York?
Who actually can spit that a new Some of them
jumped out there and you know, got busy with you
a couple like who was the one? It was one
in particular, it.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
Was it was just one. Yeah, he was.

Speaker 1 (39:13):
The only one. Meanwhile, when you got brought up, but
then it was like six dudes from the West coast.
Reason it was like.

Speaker 4 (39:22):
It was you know what, Like in addition to all
of the names that like are like, you know, more known,
there was also like ten more like twenty more people
who we don't know, like every day, like I would
go online and just like Joey bad as this, I'm
like another one.

Speaker 7 (39:40):
But I'm like, man, I like that, I'm in the conversation.
I'm niggas is paying attention like so, I mean not
for nothing that I like that.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
But do you feel like the New York rappers were
too complacent? Though? Don't you feel like more should have
rolled with you? Maybe they just didn't have the lyrical
ability to be.

Speaker 4 (39:56):
I don't yeah, I don't think that, Like I don't
feel a way about nobody they're jumping in because it's like, yo,
I'm a handle my business, you know what I'm saying.
It's like if I'm on the street and I get
into a fight or somebody is jumping me and I
don't see nothing of my friends around, I'm not just
gonna think that a random person on this like, you
know what I'm saying, Like, especially if perceived as I

(40:17):
provoke the fight, I'm gonna handle my stuff, you know
what I'm saying. I don't feel no way that nobody
ain't like jumping like, I'm gonna handle my stuff.

Speaker 5 (40:24):
I saw Benny tweet out like I think is handling him.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
I saw that.

Speaker 1 (40:27):
Well, yeah, you could have rote a verse Benny.

Speaker 4 (40:33):
A ball or something, but you know what, to what
I would say to that point, I'm glad nobody else
jumped in because even though I was going back and forth,
I have enough ties and allies over there where that
shit was never gonna go left field. It was never
gonna go out of pocket. And I feel like if
anybody else would have jumped in, it could have got
convoluted like that. Now we're talking about street shit and

(40:56):
all of that, you know what I'm saying. So I
was able to control it in the time of way
where it's like, that's not what's what this is about,
you know what I mean? And I feel like any
other type of interference it could have took it, blew
it out of proportion.

Speaker 1 (41:12):
Told niggas to rap. That wasn't just for the West Coast,
you know what I wanted to hear, everybody getting busy.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
Or well, you know ship. You know, it's lonely at
the top. Its interesting times. Who knows what unfold?

Speaker 5 (41:26):
Is it done though, Like do you think it's actually done?
Because I felt like absolutely, yeah, are you sure? Because
it started in January, then we had like a gap,
then it picked back up. So I feel like, now
you're about to drop this album.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
Listen, shout to the homie Daylight, Shout to the homie
ray Von, Like, you know, not the homie, but somebody
who I have since spoken to.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
We had a conversation. We spoke about it, like yeah,
of course, it's like, yo, you did your stuff, like
mutual respect.

Speaker 4 (41:53):
That type of thing. So it's like, yeah, like it's done.
It was never no real issue in the first place.
I said something. Some people felt the way they said
they stuff back to me, but nobody wanted to hurt me,
you know, what I'm saying. It was never about no
bodily harm or nothing like that. So this is something
that we could, like I bet booms. You know, we
had our little friendly fade and like we're gonna we're
gonna keep.

Speaker 1 (42:12):
It pushing, you know, t Easter the real thing.

Speaker 4 (42:17):
I think it can be. Yeah, so you know, me
and Top has some conversations for Shure. Yeah yeah, yeah,
I think I think it can be a real thing,
you know, if we wanted.

Speaker 5 (42:26):
To be interesting. Yeah, now you performing Jimmy Fallon right.

Speaker 2 (42:31):
Jimmy kim Jimmy Kimmel.

Speaker 5 (42:33):
You performed the disc on Jimmy Kimmel.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Like this is I love when people get their white
people confused.

Speaker 3 (42:42):
I really don't problem.

Speaker 5 (42:44):
I was just entertained to you do that, like on
a show like that.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
Yeah, I think it, Yeah, I was, you know, I like,
I like pushing the envelope and like, you know, doing
things outside of my comfort zone like that was one
of those moments me.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
Also like the coral.

Speaker 2 (43:01):
Oh okay, yeah.

Speaker 4 (43:02):
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah,
I love I love I love that aspect as well,
you know what I'm saying, And like when it comes
to like award shows, and.

Speaker 2 (43:12):
Like I'm a performer. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (43:13):
I want to put on the show every time, you
know what I mean. I'm never just gonna have like
a certain type of moment and not do something like
somewhat theatrical with it.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (43:25):
It adds a lot of value because I feel like
a lot of rappers are very on the mic.

Speaker 4 (43:28):
Yeah yeah, you know, you know, too cool and shit
like that, and I could be one of those rappers.
But that was definitely one of those moments where I'm like, y'all,
want to change myself to do something different, And we
did that all in like a day, you.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
Know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (43:40):
So I do want to ask one last thing about
the back and forth with the raps. Why Kendrick? Why
did you want Kendrick in particular?

Speaker 2 (43:48):
I didn't want Kendrick in particular.

Speaker 4 (43:50):
I think that the narrative became that because when I
said too much West Coast Dick click, and everybody is like.

Speaker 2 (43:55):
Oh, he hated on Kendrick. He talked about like Nigga,
I'm not hating on Kendrick.

Speaker 4 (44:00):
Like those I love those guys, you know what I'm
saying I've had I've had a long standing relationship with
these guys from the beginning of time. By the way,
me and Ass so announcing today were about to go
on tour yea, yeah me, Ass and the rhaps City
is going on tour, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
So it's like the dark Over tour yup coming this fall.
So it's like, you know, to a.

Speaker 4 (44:19):
Lot of my confusion, I feel like people were trying
to build that narrative that like, Yo, Joey's hating on Kendrick,
he's like hating on his success and he wants a battle.
I think for me, it's just more about I'm always
going to be a competitive rapper.

Speaker 2 (44:33):
All of these.

Speaker 4 (44:33):
Guys know that because they're the same way too, you
know what I'm saying. But it's like it's in the
spirit of like love and just like competitive.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
Energies, like I don't I don't, I don't hate.

Speaker 4 (44:44):
It's not in my blood, you know what I'm saying, Like,
I don't hate on no man shit, you know what
I mean. So I think people became made that the narrative,
and all of the people who responded to me.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
Adopted that narrative.

Speaker 4 (44:55):
Like, oh, you hated on did Like like when Ray
Vaughan first responded like a.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
Lot of his shit was like, oh to pop out
did this for niggas.

Speaker 4 (45:01):
I'm like, great, you know what I'm saying, Like, I'm
not mad at you know what your nigga was fucking
crip walking and not like.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
Us all summer.

Speaker 1 (45:10):
You know what I'm saying, to do that.

Speaker 2 (45:13):
Yeah, I'm allowed to do what you mean.

Speaker 1 (45:14):
If I'm allowed to do it, it's crazy. Why not
you're crypt I don't know.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
I crip walk, bro.

Speaker 6 (45:23):
Like you.

Speaker 2 (45:24):
You don't got to be crypto crip I don't know.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
You ain't got to be crypto crip walk.

Speaker 4 (45:29):
You know what I'm saying, Fucking crip walk nigga, Like
the fuck I'm dumba hit my ship and do my dance, nigga.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
Ain't nobody gonna do nothing about it? You know what
I'm saying. The fun but yeah, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (45:38):
So I was crip walking like a summer, Like I said,
you know what I mean, You're not getting no more juice.

Speaker 1 (45:47):
Done. I want to ask you said you was that
metro booming? Metro booming? I love metro Booman project, by
the way, you know what I mean, because I like
how he pays homage to that era. Have you ever
thought of about doing something like that with like a
Pete Rock our premier, because your flow is so nineteen
ninety now. I would love to hear you with that

(46:08):
level of production. Have you ever thought about that? I
got select on the new Joint.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
But yeah, yeah, yeah, I've thought about that.

Speaker 4 (46:15):
Shout to meshow too, because I loved how nostalgically atl
that project sounded like.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
I really did appreciate that.

Speaker 4 (46:23):
But yeah, yeah, yeah, I have those thoughts, and I
think that I have those pockets even on this project too,
you know what I'm saying. But making something fully in
that vein, I could see that, I could see that
maybe we should have a conversation about that. You let
me know who you think should I could pull that off.

Speaker 1 (46:38):
It's easy have it Pete Rock ninth Wonder Premiere.

Speaker 2 (46:43):
But it's like you saying man names, like I need you.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
You want to do it? One in general, right?

Speaker 2 (46:47):
Okay?

Speaker 5 (46:48):
One in general would be good, especially right now in
the climate. Like Alchemist has done that a lot.

Speaker 4 (46:53):
I would love to do a project with Alchemists, Me
and Static we already got like a project of material
like just in the vault, you know what I mean.
So that's that's easy, that's a no brainer. But I
would also really love to do a project with Alchemists.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
Who would you lock in with, like a classic New
York producer if you had to pick.

Speaker 4 (47:09):
Up, Oh shit me and have it. We've been talking
about working too. Pete Rock is my man, you know
what I'm saying since the beginning. Me and Pete Rock
first worked together in like twenty twelve. We still got
some shit on the hard drive from then.

Speaker 3 (47:23):
It sounds like we have a tape already.

Speaker 4 (47:25):
Then.

Speaker 3 (47:25):
I'm just saying, oh.

Speaker 4 (47:26):
Yeah, you know, we could definitely make it happen. We
could definitely make it happen. That's something that I could do.
I think the only reason I haven't done it because
I felt like it was so low, low hanging fruit.
That's probably why now it's like I can't get songs
like Underwater if.

Speaker 2 (47:41):
I do that type shit.

Speaker 5 (47:42):
I feel like, just because it's easy don't mean you
should do it. It's just easy to you, but it
ain't easy for other people to do. That's why you
should do it.

Speaker 4 (47:49):
No, you're right, You're right, and it's like, yeah, I'm
leaving that, like you know, I'm leaving here.

Speaker 2 (47:53):
With some.

Speaker 1 (47:55):
Do you feel like substances undervalued in today's music industry?

Speaker 2 (47:58):
I do.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
I do think think that substance is undervalued. And yeah,
you know, I think that we live in a very
godless world, godless society is very vain. So it's like
I think the music is a reflection of that, and
I think, you know, I think Nina Simone said something
like that, like the music is always going to kind
of be a reflection or speak to the.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
Times, and that just happened to be the times that
we year.

Speaker 4 (48:24):
So I think we do need to appreciate and lift
up the artists who are you know, going out their
way to make intentional and substantial music and messages because
it's important.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
It's just like it just happens to be that.

Speaker 4 (48:39):
Like, you know, people like sweets, and what I mean
by that is like, you know, metaphorically speaking like candy,
and like you know, people like to get the buzz
quick and shit like that, and sometimes you know, the
more medicated stuff, if you will, it's not as you know,
bright and colorful.

Speaker 1 (48:59):
Yeah, m I feel like when you sacrifice the substance,
you sacrifice in your mental and emotional well being. So
what would you say to younger artists who feel like
they need to sacrifice their substance their mental health just
to have success.

Speaker 2 (49:15):
What would I say to young artists who has to
come again.

Speaker 1 (49:18):
Sacrifice this, sacrifice the substance for success, or sacrifice their
mental health.

Speaker 4 (49:24):
Well, I feel like for the young artists who are
not being substantial, I don't think they're necessarily sacrificing anything.

Speaker 2 (49:29):
I think that's just who they are, you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (49:33):
And I think that they are a reflection of what
their life cycle or their lifestyle looks like.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (49:40):
So to the young people out there in general, you
know what I'm saying, I would say to like, you know,
really take your life seriously and like, you know, look
at the people who's around you, and really think about
what kind of information are you gaining, you know what
I mean, Because if you just hardest version in the room,

(50:01):
like you know, you're obviously in the wrong room.

Speaker 2 (50:03):
They say that all the time. But also I believe
in learning. I believe in.

Speaker 4 (50:10):
You see, we live in a society too, where the
information is there, but nobody has a thirst or hunger
passion for knowledge, you know what I'm saying, Like, Yo,
right now I'm in the point of my life where
I'm telling everybody around me because now I've become so
into it, Like I'm telling everybody around me, like y'all

(50:30):
got to get into these stocks, bro get into the stocks,
get into these crypto you know what I'm saying, Because
like I'm looking at it from perspective like I'm.

Speaker 2 (50:37):
Already rich and successful, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (50:40):
So for me, it's easy to like throw fifty K
into the market and flip that and see what to
do for me.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
But it's the eighty like a COVID game on the tape.

Speaker 2 (50:50):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (50:51):
So it's easy for me to do that and see
the return, but it's really a matter of the percentages
right where it's like, Okay, you know you could throw
I'm throwing an eighty K, but you could throw an
eight hundred and get a sixty percent return and like,
you know, put that up and reinvest that rentive repeat.
Because I'm like, yo, if I wasn't doing what I
was doing, I think I'd be a day trader right now.

Speaker 2 (51:13):
And it's just like it's so and this is what
I mean.

Speaker 4 (51:16):
Like there was a there was an interview clip with
me and Gilly with Me and Gilly that had went viral,
and it's just like I said in there, like it's
so much money out here for all of us, and
I really do believe that. But what's keeping people from
that money is being too lazy to obtain the knowledge.
And it's like, yo, why are we Like they didn't

(51:36):
teach us this in school, but the knowledge is still
out there. Like I've taught myself this shit over the
last six months by just being on YouTube videos. Yo,
how the options trade? How to you know what I'm saying,
boom boom, like doing my research on these companies boom
booming now because I've had a portfolio, like you know,
with Morgan Stanley for like ten plus years and it's
just like I've always just put money in there, and

(51:58):
they gave me my toe for saying stan the return
on the year league.

Speaker 2 (52:01):
But now I'm doing my own.

Speaker 4 (52:03):
Plays and now my shit's going crazy because I'm paying attention.
So what I'm seeing now was like damn, like this
was this was just a matter of me not knowing,
you know what I'm saying, Like that's the only thing
that was keeping me from this bag right here, was
just that I didn't know. So I'm like screaming off
the mountaintop right now at this point in my life
to all my people, like, YO, get into these stocks,

(52:25):
you know what I'm saying, before they find a way
to fucking lock us out because it's.

Speaker 2 (52:28):
So much money in it and it's so accessible nowadays, Like, Yo,
get robbin Hood. You don't got robin Hoodie fronk, get
robbin Hood. You know what I'm saying. Go down to
Deep Dive.

Speaker 4 (52:37):
Go on bar Chart, go on Bloomberg, nw CNBC. See
what's going on.

Speaker 2 (52:41):
Tapping Wall Street, Will.

Speaker 4 (52:43):
Street, trapping on your leisure Chris Sane Stock brother.

Speaker 2 (52:49):
Uh, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (52:50):
These are pages that I follow. You know what I'm saying, people,
brothers who have educated me. Shout out to Shout out
to Troit, Shout the nineteen Keys.

Speaker 2 (52:56):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (52:57):
But like it's just serious, Like my young people out there,
like this shit is serious, and it's like the sooner
you get in, the more, like thankful, you're gonna be
you know what I'm saying, Like, Yo, I remember when
bitcoin was at eight thousand, and I was like, that's
a lot for a stock, But I should have bought
five of those right now? Was that one hundred and
fifteen thousand today? And it's going to two hundred and

(53:19):
after you go to two hundred, it's going to a million.
So even right now, you should get here, you know
what I'm saying, Like, you should get in.

Speaker 2 (53:25):
Yeah, you got CEOs right now?

Speaker 4 (53:28):
Who's saying that they put in ten thousand every day
if they could, if they could sell their company, they
sell all they shears and put it in bitcoin. I
can't tell y'all who said that, but it's a real
notable billionaire, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (53:40):
So it's like, yo, we gotta get into it. Man.

Speaker 4 (53:42):
Like when they want to hide shit from us, it's
like they just kind of make it intricate to obtain.

Speaker 2 (53:46):
You know what I'm saying. We gotta get it, we
gotta find it.

Speaker 1 (53:49):
It's out there giving you this game. Because he don't
want to be lonely no more. Yeah, I don't. I don't.

Speaker 2 (53:54):
I don't want to be lonely. I don't.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (53:58):
And by the way, you know, I want to talk
about that a little bit too, So Lonely at the
Top is also homage to one of my favorite Gang
Star songs, which is Moment of Truth, and like you know,
I kind of do a vocal interpolation of it on
my self titled track Lonely at the Top on the album,
and it's just like those that's always been one of

(54:20):
the songs to me that has resonated deep in my
hip hop heart, like recipes the Guru and you know,
just what that means to me is like when you
get to the pinnacle of your success in your life,
you will find that it is lonely. You will find
that a lot of the people that you try to
bring with you on that journey are like no longer

(54:40):
kind of standing around you. Like sometimes like I feel like,
you know, connecting it to survivor's guilt, or connecting it
to like, you know, the deep self reflection that you have,
or even the isolation that might be necessary for you
to get to a certain type of point because certain.

Speaker 2 (54:54):
People or energy will hold you back.

Speaker 4 (54:57):
You know what I'm saying from you being at the
top your game, you being your best self, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (55:03):
So that's what the title means.

Speaker 4 (55:04):
It means for me because I want to I just
wanted to address that because I have seen people be like.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
At the top of what, Like, what are you at
the top of? You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (55:15):
Successful, It's crazy. It's like, bro, like you should see
my house, you know what. You wouldn't know what I'm
on top of, you know what I mean, Like you
can't live in my neighborhood, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
So, but yeah, just.

Speaker 1 (55:29):
Why dark Oregon? So everything I'm hearing you speak speaks
to light, it speaks to bright Oh yeah, leaning into
the shadow.

Speaker 2 (55:35):
It's a balance, you know, it's a balance.

Speaker 4 (55:38):
And I'm actually glad you brought that up because this project,
I feel like, is a balanced project.

Speaker 2 (55:42):
Like it all exists all at once.

Speaker 4 (55:45):
It's like, yeah, I'm gonna talk with light, but then
you're gonna see the Joey and the sneaker store throwing
them up acutz because it's like, you know, sometimes it's cold,
you gotta defend yourself, well, you gotta, you gotta stand
up for yourself if you will, and sometimes that's gonna
take you to a dark player. It's all necessary, It's
all part of the journey.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (56:03):
You can't just be like, how would you even know
what light is if you ain't know what dark was?

Speaker 2 (56:07):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (56:08):
So yeah, Joey Badass Lonely at the top drops August
twenty ninth. Goodness see my brother man, Keep growing, man,
keep evolving, King.

Speaker 2 (56:17):
Absol, thank you for having me today.

Speaker 1 (56:19):
It's the breakfast club. Hold up every day. I waiting
pack your ass up the Breakfast Club. Y'all finish or
y'all done.