Today on The Breakfast Club, Miguel Talks 'CAOS,' Parenthood, Ex-Wife, Love, Anger, Heritage, Reaching Clarity, U.S. Crises. Listen For More!
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Every day. Click up the Breakfast Club finish for y'all. Dump.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, it's the world's most dangerous morning to show to
Breakfast Club Charlamagne and God just hilarious.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
DJ Nvy Nvy is out the day, but Lauren le.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Rossa is here and we got a very special guest,
one of my favorite artists man, and I am so
glad he got some new music coming out.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Miguel is here, ladies.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
What's up? What's up?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Brother?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I'm good, I'm good. How you guys doing Blessed Black
and Holly Face? That's right, Blessed and Black and highly favored,
is right.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I'm just happy you putting out music man. And it's funny.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We were literally having a conversation on the radio recently,
like in the last.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Week or two about what's up with Miguel.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, Miguel, that's crazy.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
I think we talked about Michel too. Thomas was here
probably yea, because.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
You got timeless records man, Like you know, even though
we've been waiting for you, like, it's still things that
we can go back and listen to and it's forever
a classic.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So thank you for saying that. Yeah, I mean, I've
been feeling the same way though. It's time. It's been time,
so I'm excited to be back out. We got we
have a few records alread out and the album's out
October twenty third, so you know, I'm just kind of
getting it. We're doing the thing.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
The name of the album is called Chaos. Yes, yes,
it's about that. Break that down a little bit, man.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I feel it's everywhere, you know, just look out and
you know, pull up your phone. I feel like it's
probably the best word for the times that we live in.
And so you know, I made an album about how
that's been a big part of my growth, and I mean,
I think it's an inflection point, you know. I think overall,
(01:32):
when we go through crazy and trying times, it's an
opportunity for us to really take that in, to make it,
you know, clarifying. And so that's what this album really is.
I think it's my most like relatable.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
Album obviously Where Were You?
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Also my most angry and horny album.
Speaker 6 (01:47):
Oh I love how Angry Horny.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Even the production of it gives it's like anger, but
then there's like a colectic like come over here vibe,
Like yeah, it's a lot of it. I think you're
about the is where were you, like.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
Yeah, where were you mentally and emotionally and creating the album?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Oh? Everywhere? I feel it. It's to be Uh, it
spans eight years. You know, it's been eight years since
I put out my last album, Warren Leisure, And you know,
we've been through you know, pandemic. We've been through everything.
I mean apparently we we we we made it through
(02:25):
the rapture. Apparently. I'm like, yeah, we're supposed to see
aliens in a couple of weeks. I don't know. It's
it's it's everything everywhere, all at once, at all times.
And so the head space has been pretty pretty much
reflective of that. It's like we're I feel we're doing
the best we can. It's a lot of pressure right now,
and that's what really created the album.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I think, by the way, eight years isn't a long
time because there's certain artists, you know, you Jill Scott, Ericabadundrick.
I don't need you all to put out records every year. Yeah,
I mean put out records when the spirit moves.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Valid yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
And you know, you've always been proud of your Mexican roots,
but it seems like you're leaning into the more deeply.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Now, what inspired that shift? Man?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
That's ah, that's digging and and really get into I
really didn't want to do music anymore. I was getting
to a place where I was like, and the reason
why is which I feel like, you know in your
books and man, congratulations bro, because the last time I
was you know, it was before you publish your first book.
So congratulations.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Man.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Maybe it's an incredible feat that's like up there with
like running a marathon. You know, it's like, I'm probably
never going to run a marathon or write a book,
but you know, yeah, yeah, why didn't.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
You want to do music?
Speaker 6 (03:44):
Why did you almost walk away from it?
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Uh? My priority, the way I was prioritizing, how it
affected my my sense of myself. You know, I think
I entered into my career as a musician, as an
artist with the idea of becoming someone that was on
the main stage and on the you know, TV screen,
(04:07):
doing the getting the record. And we've been very blessed,
very blessed to have an audience who've given us that platform.
You know, I have an amazing audience and I love
them deeply and they've really made my music successful. And
I think that can take priority of, you know, and
(04:28):
really rents the real purpose of creating from one's own motivation,
and it can kind of like cannibalize the whole experience
because then you start to not expect but you're aiming for. Well,
if the record didn't do as good as this one,
and then it kind of robs the value. And I
(04:50):
need to take some time to figure out what was
going to be my motivation moving forward, you know, to
be fair, and I never stopped making music, but I
think the act of putting music out, especially with the
industry changing. I mean, you've seen the industry change. We've
gone through revolutions of new ways of putting out records.
(05:12):
I know you guys are seeing it because you're seeing
the artists and you're seeing how it all moves. It
was a very different game when I came in, you know,
and it was you had CDs. Yes, we had seen
it was real physical. I mean, wet CDs are coming
back now, it's crazy. But it was a very different game.
And and I think learning, relearning, refinding my my love,
(05:38):
and also doing some real hard work on me figuring
out where I'm at, Like, let me just check in
I forgot that I've been on a run for some time.
I didn't take time.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
So was leaning into your heritage part of that, though.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
It became it became a natural part of it because
really doing trying to understand, you know, where my decisions,
my decision making were becoming habitual and not really like thought.
You know, I wasn't really thinking things through. It was
like knee jerk reactions to things and just looking at
where I was and where I wanted to be and
the discrepancy between that, you know, I had to you
(06:15):
know now everybody, which is a great thing. It's like,
you know, going and doing therapy and meditation and on
all of my self work and shadow work and whatnot.
I think it just naturally pushed me into really getting
to know and be appreciative. Not that I was never
I was always super And you know this, I've always said,
(06:36):
I'm black and Mexican. I'm Mexican black, you know, always
proud of it, but really like having a like sense
of it. And the things that I looked back and
thought were kind of I don't want to say, I
(06:56):
look at them so much more as blessings then as challenges.
I always felt that growing up my heritage, it was
a challenge. I'm like, man, why am I always having
to proved myself? Like why do I I'm with these people?
I feel like I got to prove it I'm this Black,
or I'm with these people. I got to prove it
I'm this Mexican. And over these eight years, I think
(07:20):
taking that time has really given me a sense of pride.
And I look back and I'm like, man, I'm so
proud that it's given me a unique perspective and it's
given me a unique positioning. And also how I am
with people and who I am with people is a
reflection of the cultures that I've been blessed to take
me and you know, throw their arms around me, and
(07:40):
they have that so naturally. I think with that, I've
explored more of my songwriting. It's made its way into
my songwriting. It certainly made its way into me. And also,
as you become a.
Speaker 6 (07:52):
Parent, you know, congratulate thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Yeah, yeah, you become a parent and you really start
to look get the things that were great about your child,
the things you love about it, and things that are
worth passing on, as well as the things that you
definitely do not want to pass on. So so you know,
leaning leaning in and in all these different ways and
all the cultural just the beautiful cultural things that I've
(08:17):
been blessed with, was a very natural thing.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Did you feel like at one point you talk about
making it to the big stages and being a different
place now about your heritage. Did you feel like at
one point you couldn't lean into your heritage because it
wouldn't get you to that mainstage. Because even in your
music on this album, you're speaking in Spanish and all
the things that we didn't hear a lot from you.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Your name is Miguel, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
But that's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I don't think.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
I don't think there's a lot of people that would
know that You're like, I'm Mexican, Like this is my
heritage first. Like, to be honest with you, I think
we look at you as like a mainstream rock star
artist and we don't think about your heritage just love.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I mean, the in the past, it's always been that
I never wanted to lean on it as a crutch.
I was very I was very aware that there was
pressure like why don't you just do the do the
Spanish man and and also different game at the time too.
It wasn't like Latin music was a premiere you know,
(09:16):
big you know, it wasn't a big market here, but
it also was. It was one of those things that
I never wanted to do that it didn't feel natural,
you know, it didn't feel authentic. And there was a
time in my career kind of towards the towards, like
the towards wild Heart, that I wanted to make it more,
(09:37):
really start exploring it. I took a trip to you know,
my where my family's from, Salmone Mechacan in Mexico, and
that was kind of the beginning of really getting in
and like wanting to wanting to wanting it to feel natural.
And so I think since then it being like, you know,
five six years naturally, it's become more and more. But
(10:00):
I'll tell you, becoming a parent will do it. You'll
really just start to look at everything.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
Listen, congratulations, how it's fatherhood is incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
It's the most is I've I don't sleep, but I'm
the most I got the most energy I've ever had.
I am. I also feel so much more sure about
what is, what is and what isn't for me, you know,
it'll definitely do that. You'll be like, nah, absolutely no.
(10:28):
You know, you start cutting things out and you realize how.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Precious time is.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Man anything that takes away from it, This little being
I gotta raise over here.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
You gotta be worth it.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It's gotta be worth it. It better be. And don't
play with my time, you know. So I just I
try and maximize as much as I possibly can. And
and it's made us, you know, in terms of creating.
It just I don't know, I feel I'm the most inspired.
Even my next ten years are more clear. You know,
(10:56):
I started a company I think it was. He's, you know,
a catalyst for a lot of where I'm at and
where I'm going.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So, yeah, I'm glad that you've been doing the work
on yourself. Do you do you feel like leaning into
your heritage now is also about healing, like maybe reclaiming
parts of your culture or history that weren't always centered
for you growing up.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Absolutely, it's it's one of the blessings that I feel
come with that. You know, when you start to really
look at yourself and you're like, okay, well who am I?
You know, who do I want to be? Who am
I really proud to be and what are the things
that I'm not Really, I can't really take this with me.
It's not gonna It may have gotten me here, but
(11:39):
it's not going to get me where I want to go,
you know. And and all of that has been sort
of happening in tandem, you know, one kind of like
informs the other.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
So yeah, yeah, you still care about numbers and winning
awards and stuff.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Oh no, we want to win awards, of course. Don't
get me wrong. I'm happy to receive an award if
it's if it's granted, But I don't show up with
an expectation or or that being the And you know what,
I'm I'm gonna be real with you. I used to
say that. I used to say, like, nah, I'm not
tripping on no, but I'll be I'll be mad. I'll
(12:19):
be I'll be so mad I wasn't nominated or if
I didn't get it or what have you. But and
you know what, if it's to happen again and I
do or I don't, I'm sure i'll feel away. But
I also know that it took a long time to
refine the like the love or just create just to
(12:44):
just to make something and be excited about it, just
to find that I'll never let go of that again.
I will never I'll never let any of the And
also because even the conversation with this album, it's it's
about me peeling back layers and having a conversarial with
my audience. That's not about like, let me make a
(13:04):
song that everyone's going to sing and then hopefully it
becomes a big song and then I get the thing.
The whole intention is like I'm telling you like it
hurts to be human, you know, I'm telling you, like, man,
sometimes I lose myself sometimes. I that's to have a conversation.
That's not about I didn't write. I didn't go in
like I'm going to write the big record. I wrote this.
I wrote the album that was like I want to
(13:26):
have a conversation, which means that I'm I'm showing up
to have a deeper relationship with my audience. That means
that the music and everything that that happens with that
it's about the personal. It's about the personal thing. It's
like the intimacy.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I feel like you can hear it in the album though,
like like what's something you've unlearned in order to grow
as both a man and artist.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Unlearned to grow as both a man and an artist.
You know, we have a lot of people that support
us all the time, but you have to be so
clear with yourself. You have to have ultimate clarity about
what you want. If you're not clear, you're susceptible to
(14:15):
being pulled and swayed by different in different directions, and
lots of directions have great things about them, and they
can be pitched to you and be colored in ways
that make you want to go that way. Without clarity,
you're susceptible to and as millions of past you know,
it's just like a man. I could think of a million,
(14:37):
you know, ways where something could be can look really nice,
but you have without ultimate clarity of where you want
to go and what you really want to do and
how you want to feel. Oh that's what it is.
Have clarity about how you want to feel. I think
that because before I was like, I know I want
to be you know, I want to be an artist
(14:58):
that's known for making music that's timeless, or if that
is true, it's at his core, there's a soul there
and I was very successful at doing that, but I
wasn't to have clarity about how I wanted to feel
about being a musician, being an artist, and so having
clarity about how you feel is important.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
The reason that's so powerful is they'll tell you right like, like,
you know you listening to the album. I listened to
that like three times, and it.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Was like, do you like the album?
Speaker 2 (15:23):
I said, I loved the album, And I said, the
reason I love the album is because Miguel is a
feeling to me, same way everybody doing Jill's Got is
a feeling to me. I know what Miguel's gonna make
me feeling. So if I didn't get that feeling, I'd
be like, damn, it ain't about a sound or anything.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
It's just a feeling.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
So I'm glad that you are that intentional about putting
that feeling into your music, because we as consumers feel that.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah, it was the point because I know and like
the New Martyrs for you, you talk a lot about
being able to find yourself or keep yourself while losing
yourself at the same time, right, Yeah, but it seems
like you've arrived at that point, especially by the end
of the album when you're talking to your son. What
was it for you where you were like, Okay, I'm here, Like,
was it an event? Was it a song around?
Speaker 1 (16:02):
I wouldn't even be pretentious like that and be like
I'm here, you know. I think that's the that's the
that's a big one that I want to embrace in
my life, is that there is no here. You know,
I've not I've never arrived. The moment I felt that
way in the past, that was when I was starting
(16:24):
to really unravel, because then I'm like, I am I
am this, I am this. It makes you you lock
in too many things too. It's like, it's great things
to know about yourself, but to say that you've arrived
or that you've you've met your final form, I think
it's such a treacherous place. It also robs you of
(16:45):
the excitement of the possibility, and it takes away any
kind of sense of being a student and remaining mouldible,
remaining plast you know, plast is it like neuroplasticity, you know,
it's like remaining able to be and learn and then
to take those into teach. I think that's the beauty
of this, this experience. It's like that what's that It's
(17:09):
a quote Lauren Hill. She's like if it's not growing,
it's dead. That's like I'm trying to stay there. I'm
trying to stay growing. So to answer your question, this,
I think what got me to talking about what i've
what I've been talking, what I've been you know, what
(17:29):
the album really encompasses, or to even just make the
album about that energy, about the energy of being angry
and and not not okay, you know, but still pushing
through to figure it out. Was just not finally just
being like, I don't want to accept this anymore. I
(17:50):
don't want to accept this experience, this feeling, because this
is not how I want to feel. I want to
feel great and I want to feel like I'm moving forward.
And for whatever reason, I'm hitting the same I'm hitting
donuts in my cycles, you know what I'm saying. I'm like, shit,
looked fun. Excuse me, it looked fun, But I'm not
going anywhere.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
You know, did you ever feel like you were dying,
like you know, you weren't growing? Like did you have
a uh there was.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
There's some songs that the initial iterations of the album
are not on this album that I think I will
put them out, But in the context of everything, I
think it felt really heavy, but there was some real
There was some dark moments.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Man.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I will say I was feeling like I was losing
my mind for a second and I couldn't. I couldn't.
I was like, is it something I'm eating? I did everything,
I did, cleanses, I did, you know, I like, went away,
worked on music alone, went away and didn't do anything
and just sat with myself and it just felt like
(18:53):
I was just nothing, you know, just it. And I
think wherever we are in this time, whether it's if
it's you know, technology, whether we've got a lot of pressure.
Everybody's dealing with a lot, and everything is moving so fast,
it's moving so fast, and the information is just too much.
(19:15):
You can't tell what is true and what is false,
and trying to make sense of it all while you're
trying to survive all wow, you know, you're trying to
get your shit off, You're trying to do your be
your best self, you know, and all the things that
we want to be. It's a lot, man, It's a lot.
It's a lot. So I've locked in more into like, Okay,
well how do I want to feel? How do we
(19:35):
get there?
Speaker 4 (19:36):
You know, it felt like on the album, when you
did the song Angels, the Angel song, yeah for your
sound of song, and that's your son's voice on the Yeah. Okay.
When I was listening to that song after listening to
the production beginning, which was really like heavy and dark,
it feels like that's when like the sunshine comes out
a bit. Not to be like cliche, but how has
been a father changed how you tell your story and music?
Speaker 1 (20:00):
I think the core of the of what I'm saying
has to be I'm working on making what I say
very clear and easy to understand because I'm anticipating he's
going to be asking more and more. He's asking questions soon.
(20:23):
I mean he's already saying no. We're talking about this
in the elevator. He's one year old, and he's like no,
But right now it's a question. It's like no, like
can I say no? Or it's like it's no the
right response right now. But in a short amount of time,
he's going to be saying no, you know, and I'm
asking to come with questions and I'm going to have
to have answers, and I feel like it's made his
(20:45):
way into my music. I'm not saying I'm there yet. Yeah,
but wanting to be really clear again, just clear about
how I feel and clear about where I'm what I'm
getting at, and.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Let kids know their boundaries early because I don't know
what happens to us as adults, but at some point
when we just forget how to say no.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
It's valid. That's one of my favorite things. When he's
like he doesn't want to go to somebody. You know,
people get, people get you know, somebody asked me to
hold myself.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I'm like your.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Baby, I don't know you.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
It's weird were kids with adults would be like, no,
give him a hug, baby, give the kids.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
So we teach these kids not to have boundaries so early,
and then we got to learn to have boundaries again
as we get older.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yeah, and on the song to You, I thought this
was powerful. You apologie, you say sorry, I'm not perfect,
but there's nothing I wouldn't do. And I'm like that feeling,
as you know, as a new dad, that's like a
heck of a feeling I imagine for you to experience.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
It's real.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
It's it's a look, I own a gun. There are
things that I never thought that I would be and
do at this stage of my life. And you know,
I talk about this in the album too. It's like
life has a way of, you know, taking you in
(22:07):
un expected places, taking unexpected great ones, and places that
you're like, Okay, well I didn't expect that, but I
mean there are definitely things where I'm like, I can
understand parents being extremely like you know, I be protective,
you know, and so there isn't anything that I can't
imagine myself. Look, they're gonna pull this shit up if
(22:28):
anything happens in.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
The future Exhibit.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Exhibit A. He did say that, no, but I think
any parent out there can relate to this. It's like
you would there is I look at him like, man,
I'll go to the end, you know, and and and
probably without even thinking about it. I think it's also
what has given me a lot of what Angel changed
(22:59):
was I had lost a lot of hope and faith
and what in everything in humanity and possibility in the
purpose of all of whatever this shit is. I just like,
big time, big time grief, and I've talked about that too.
(23:21):
That was something I was processing that needed to be
dealt with first, but that was top layer. Then you
go down you're like, man, I'm caring a lot of
you know, I've got resentment for people in my life
that I grew up with. And man, I felt I've
been taken advantage of in these just different kinds of
ways in business, in these kinds of ways. And I
was lucky. Man, I was so lucky.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I could have.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Man, they could have got me in terms of like
taking advantage of like just being a young artist and
like putting things in front of me. And again, I'm
so grateful they could have. Really, I could have been
in a bad situation in terms of like financial and
but I got lucky. I've got people who listen and
and thankfully the music is really grabbed on to people.
(24:07):
But in in hindsighted looking and I go, wow, I
have so much more faith than I did before. And
it's really it's very much because of my son.
Speaker 6 (24:20):
So yeah, go ahead and slow it down.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
The song you say, pray I can make peace with
the past because tomorrow comes way too fast.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
You guys, really listen to thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
That's right, by the way, she's married to a Mexican.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
And everything.
Speaker 6 (24:50):
You know, so I wanted you to like unpack that,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, pray I could make peace with the past because
tomorrow comes way too fast. It's I mean, it's hindsight,
everything is so much clear, and I mean the it's
it's that's exactly what it feels like.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Even when you were saying like people that you grew
up with taking advantage of you and things like that,
like I don't want to.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
That sounds so crazy because that don't be a SoundBite
after this, but you know, it's like I just thought
about it as like, ah, I can definitely see people
be like they could have got me and be like see.
But but it's you look at things with so much
more clarity and maybe how how not again not knowing
(25:36):
how I wanted to feel and just going with things
and and again awareness being being just like in it
and being present and grateful having so much. I've always
been a grateful person. But again, when you do this
for and you start to see like people react to it,
(25:57):
and then it's like, oh, this is what happens when
that happens and you start to look at it, and
it's not expectation per se, but it's that you're like
wanting it secretly. You know, you're like it's your core.
You're like, nah, I really want the success, I really
want this to happen, and you put this pressure on
it and it becomes a big cycle of things and
by the time you get to the other side, you
(26:20):
spend so much time wanting and expecting and not looking
at the greatness in the midst of it and feeling
the greatness and just being you know, in the midst
of it and loving those moments, and in that feeling
you look back and it's already over. You know, you're
so focused on well, what's going to happen and being
(26:41):
anxious about it and hoping. Man, yeah, just be with
the feeling. Many stay in that mode.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Talking a little bit about you know, the past, and
you mentioned like the grieving and different things on always
time you say maybe this time love means letting go.
You talk about private truths and public roles and you
thought there will always be time to fight for love.
The you know an honest and like first listen, I
was like, is this about his past relationship and wanting
to fight for that?
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yes, absolutely, the album is it's about my It's about
my I mean I've had I've been very it's very
public that I was married and we were.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
Very together at the relationship as well too.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Yeah, it was a bit. It was a big part
of my experience as a human being this time around.
You know, that was a massive part I was with
when I was nineteen. You know what I'm saying. It
was it was a long time and in the midst
of that, I was being a musician and becoming a
(27:42):
musician and finding my audience and all of that. And
there's a lot of learning. There's a lot of learning.
Who were we all when we were in nineteen year twelve. Look,
I'm just hitting my I'm feeling like, Okay, I know
exactly who I am, and look I don't. I'm still learning.
But I know my values. That's the part. That's what
(28:04):
I meant to say earlier. Values don't change, you know
what I mean? Your values, that's your core. But everything
else in your style and whatever how you your values,
your core values. Those are the things that I think
I don't need to necessarily discover my values. I think
where I'm at is that I'm honing them. I'm sure
I'm only strengthening them. I'm only like doubling down on them.
(28:29):
But always time that song was written because I was
uncovering a lot of my values in real time. And
one of those things that I've always been is the
word loyal is crazy because loyalty I saw my grandparents
(28:53):
stay together are my entire life. You know, they were
loyal to the family, But loyalty like were they happy?
Speaker 7 (29:04):
You know?
Speaker 6 (29:05):
I don't know?
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Uh, And that's a that's that's a crazy one. And
that song is about kind of like coming to terms
with you know, I can't even be the right person
for you. I can't. I can't be it. I And like,
discovering that in real time is crazy work when you're like, damn,
I thought the whole thing was like I'm supposed to
(29:27):
fight it out and we're supposed to do it. And
even when it's and at some point you when you
stop and you go, you know what the best thing
I can do is actually let it go.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
That's not what the marriage. But I see that's not
what That's not what.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
My grandparents did, right, So all of that psychologically, I'm
sure with you.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
It does it It's I think that's that's where generate
our generations now are looking at the construct of marriage
with a very through a very different lens and also
looking at the history, the historical e a of what
that means, what that means and what it was before
it was about the ring and about the you know
(30:07):
what I mean, and how that's like it's sort of
it's taken away. And again I'm not saying anything about
married or I think it's a beautiful thing. I was
so happy to be married when I was, whether or
not I was able to, you know, be true to it.
You know, I think it's such a beautiful idea. I
(30:32):
think the word and the symbolism sometimes take away the
purpose or what it's supposed to be really representative of.
You know, It's like, man, it's supposed to be that
there's a relationship that's unshakable and you guys are really
going to be partners in the whole shit. I don't
know what happens, but most people I talked to her
(30:53):
marriage that's it turns into something else. The partnership somehow
is like it's the symbolism takes precedence over that actual
core thing of what it's supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I don't know the degree the degree for that, you know,
break up, keep you away from the.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Music, maybe maybe not not in it's in and of itself,
but I think the me underneath it and needing to
understand what what was informing my decisions is what kept
me from from doing the music. I need to go
do some work. That's really at the end of at
(31:28):
the end of the day, I need to go figure
my shit out. I needed to go figure it out because, uh,
because it wasn't working. And and yeah, it's a it's
a life is a trip, man, it's a trip. But
always time is one of those ones. It's a like
it's such a like that's a hard accepting but true,
(31:49):
very honest song.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Yeah, and people always forget yo, you are rock stars, superstar, celebrity,
migul and all that, but you're still a real person,
the real ship, you know.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
So I think we're all rockstars superstar Like listen, this
is every day you guys are with Everyone is a
rock star. Everybody, everyone at their core can be that, like,
you know everyone. That's the thing I was talking about
humility before, because we get this a lot that is like, oh,
(32:21):
be humble or I always get man, you're so humble,
you know, as opposed to you know, oh, like rock star.
But everybody is though everyone is has greatness, everyone has purpose. Everyone.
That's what I am. I'm not humble. I just don't
think I'm greater than anyone else. I just think that
(32:42):
I believe that I have something that's important to do
and that everyone has something important to do. And I
treat everyone like, no, you're here and you have something
here to do and there's a purpose.
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Yeah, because I always look at the word humble as
to being le than what you actually really are.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Exactly.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Yeah, So I like how you just put that.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
You know, I'm trying hopefully you get what I'm saying,
and like, man, look they use humble sometimes, like yo, yeah,
I'm like, no, No, our place is greatness.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Man, do you feel like all of the work that
you've done and like the place that you're at now
with yourself? If you had done it before you and
now it could have worked out your marriage.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
If I would have done all of this before, who's
to say, no, we definitely would have had a much
better shot, a much better shot. But you know, the
you know, the past is you look back and it's
so much clear everything is what is it? Hindsight? Everything
it's so much clearer. Yeah, it would have been it
(33:48):
would have been a very different experience, but can't change
the past.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
And I'm very happy that we've had adult real like
man and I've been able to It's different when you're
able to come to somebody and go, you know, I
didn't realize I was doing this, and I'm really sorry.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
And it doesn't take it away that it happened and
that I did that, and I just want to give
you some context and I'm just so deeply sorry. I
would never do this, and you know, to be able
to say that doesn't erase it, but at least lets
them know, like, no, there's real love here, and that's
that's where it was at the core. I just wasn't
a big enough person. I wasn't an aware enough person
(34:30):
to protect you from my automatic ways and things that
I learned from generations and generations.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
It's an ad place to be.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
It it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Yeah, Yeah, it's good to hear that y'all are in
that space. Yeah, definitely good to hear on near sights.
Slow it down, you say, slow it down for me
because I might not get to feel this again. Did
you feel like coming out of the situation with you
and now that you weren't going to find love like that.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Again, that song is more about all of everything I've
never and even any I'll say this, and I says before,
I don't believe that there's like it's like just one love,
and I don't believe in like there's only one person.
It's like how many billions of people? Now billion?
Speaker 3 (35:16):
What are you saying the Mexicans thought to come women.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
I'm just saying that I don't believe in in a
one there's only one, you know, I'm not saying I'm
not saying monogamy or anything. I'm not talking about constructs.
I'm just saying that there's only I don't believe that
there's only one person that you can find love with
and actually build a healthy relationship with, whatever that means
for them. I just don't believe in that. I do
(35:46):
believe in love, and I do believe in being in love.
So so when I when I say that in that song,
that's more about life in general. You know, I want
to be in this moment because everything is fleeting and
I feel it more and more now I feel all
of time, you know all, I'm so like I want
(36:09):
to I want to get all the moments I want
to like just like even like coming back to doing
these you know, and it's like before I was like, yeah,
you go do the raates whatever, and then you go
on tour and it's just like that's the thing you do,
not really absorbing that. You know, this is people's time,
you guys all, this is your careers. You guys, you
(36:30):
guys earned to be in this room, and not just
to be in this room, but to stay in this
room and to be effective and to talk to people
and to get people to really listen and pay attention
to you and me being in this room is like,
I'm so grateful. I'm like, damn, I'm with people who
have dedicated themselves to what they love. Man, don't ever
take that for granted. Anytime I'm in a room with
(36:52):
somebody and they've just they've proven their their their dedication.
We did the Blue Note for two nights over the
world we can, and I'm in the room with Robert
Glasper Jamie Fox pops up, you know we I'm in
the I mean Joshy's son dance to somebody's I've known
since I was a teenager. These people have been in
music and have been effective and incredible and like I'm
(37:14):
looking at pictures on the wall and I'm like, I
will never take this for granted.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Ever, I don't even know he was at the blue
that had been.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
It was great. It was great, Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 6 (37:27):
The real quick. It's a fan mail that just pipped up,
said Miguel.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Uh in love, I love. I'm man. I would say
it's gonna I need some healing to be in love
right now. I'm working on being in love with me
if I'm being very very honest, and I have to
do that work for my son. But I love myself
more and more every day because I'm I'm proud of
the decisions that I've been making and I just lean
(37:55):
on those and when I have moments where I'm feeling
a little because I do still, I still sometimes I'm like, man,
this is this is a lie?
Speaker 3 (38:04):
You know, it's a lot.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yeah, I'm I can look at the things that the
decisions make and how I'm making decisions and and the
why and leaning into again my values and my principles
make that make it easier and easier. So I'm getting closer,
and I do hope one day I can be in
love again. But right now I'm working on.
Speaker 5 (38:31):
I said, I'm going response no before you go, I
was gonna just ask because that question how you answered
it made me think of this, right, you're in this
really peaceful space and you're getting back into all of
this because of the album, and you talked about your son.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
When you posted your happy Birthday for your son, the
world erupted and it wasn't positive. How do you People
were upset that you had a baby not with no
is that we didn't know about, but it's your choice.
How do you deal with that in this new space?
Fans and people wanted to just inject their thoughts into
that because you're in a different space now.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Well it's not new, definitely not new to me. It's
been a long time since I've kind of been so
to kind of come out and to kind of again
kind of have an experience where people, you know, feel
the need to express how they feel about your life.
You know, it's just that it's it was a good
reminder coming in. It's like, oh, yep, were no, you
(39:29):
know what, I'm ready, I'm ready for see I And
I did it with so much intention. I really am proud.
I'm proud to be a father. I'm proud of my partner.
She's incredible. She's like I mean, he couldn't have a
better mother. I'm just and life doesn't always happen the
(39:50):
way that we imagine things to happen. And I also
realized that we became a symbol when I was with Nas.
We became a symbol to a lot of people of what,
you know, relationships could be and could look like and things.
But we're just human beings just like everybody else.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
And we were mad.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Young, like I was young, like I was coming up
in my twenties, coming you know what I mean. So
I did a lot of things the wrong way, you know,
and I'm not proud of them, and I'm not making excuses,
but come on, man, we've all done things that we're like,
you know what, I wouldn't do that again like that.
I would actually do it like this, you know. And
I'm good with being upfront about Hey, I wasn't perfect,
(40:30):
you know, but I'm here now and my life has
a lot more of a different experience that I get
to show up in a better way for And if
people are, you know, upset about what they see, that's it.
You can be upset.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
You know. I mean, they don't know all the time.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
I mean, it's only it doesn't really. Yeah, it's hard
for me to say. I just I'm just like, look,
I get that, that's what comes with the territory. You know,
there's plenty of other things to focus on.
Speaker 5 (41:04):
Just described Like what you just describe is growing up
living your life.
Speaker 6 (41:08):
Like you said you were young. You know, you made mistakes.
Speaker 5 (41:11):
That's everybody. That's like just growing up, living life and learning.
Speaker 6 (41:16):
That's just what it is.
Speaker 4 (41:16):
I think for a lot of the fans, though, even
if you didn't know the timeline, the thing was people
felt like, you know what.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
That's what bothered me the most, though, I have to
say this, the fucked up part is that people start
doing the wrong math. The one thing I did not
do is is start a relationship while I was married
and then had a baby. I got divorced, And I'm
gonna say this straight up. Everybody out there talking shit
like I was still in a marriage and then I
(41:44):
had a baby or I was having a h what
is that an affair? All this time I met I
met my son's mom after we were divorced. I met
her at an event that we were not even supposed
to go to. That was well after we were done.
So anybody out there, it's always the one or two
they just go, yeah, you know, they was together, and
(42:05):
he had been seeing this girl for years and they've
been not know I had never even know I we
never crossed paths until after. So that's the one thing
I will say. I do get upset about that. I
can't control it. But that makes me mad because also
this woman is a good person, she's a great human being,
(42:26):
and so and I can't protect I can't stop people
from slandering, you know, because.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
If you pop out with it, it might be like, look,
she's a homework and you're like, how did you guys?
Speaker 4 (42:36):
Talk through that moment though, because it was such a
happy moment and then it turned into not that.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
That's the hardest part. That's the that's the that's the
crazy one. And I wish I I I don't. I
don't wish this. Actually, I think this this path of being,
you know, public facing with your career or what have you,
it's just how it does have its ups and it's
got some some things that's you know, you're just gonna
have to deal with it. And one of them is
that personal things become public conversation in ways that they
(43:04):
shouldn't or you know, but it's just a part of
what comes with it. Was it's been hard, you know,
it was it was. It was. It was a challenge
because it should have been a very and it still is.
Don't get me wrong. I listen, you're not about to
take the happiness. You're not gonna rob me of the
joy of being like, man, I'm so proud of this,
and that's that's why, that's what it was. And and
(43:26):
for her, I know, she's she's like she's so happy
and like okay, cool, Like we're good. We don't gotta
lie because also he's getting older. And I think the
big worry was when you put a child in the public,
the moment that the faces out there, then people can
take pictures and this and that. So we were being
(43:47):
very very private first and foremost for his safety, and
then second of all, also like let us get our
get our shit together, like let's let us you know,
get our group, you know what I mean, Like let's
figure it out, let's dial in. But then there's also
knowing the public is like they want to know, so
so on that side, I'm you're not gonna find out
(44:09):
when he's five years old, you know. I mean, I'm
not gonna I wasn't gonna wait till you're five. But
but I was expecting it to be a lot less.
Speaker 4 (44:21):
Slander attached to your old relationship, a lot, a whole lot.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
I understand they need to listen to Always Time.
Speaker 3 (44:30):
So what is New Martyrs about?
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Then New Martin is a whole other. So this, this
album is is there's a lot of anger in this album.
But I want to say that because I feel like
it's relatable. I feel generally we're all angry. Absolutely, I
feel so much anger in the just the ethos. It
just feels like because we don't know, today's like okay,
(44:53):
it's fine tomorrow, I don't know if there's a genocide
happening right now. There is a genocide happening right now.
And I have to say it again, there is a
genocide happening right now, and it's public. It's not like
we're it's like a century ago where we were getting
news from the radio. This is real time on your phone,
and there's so much happening right now that you can
(45:16):
just scroll past it, like we can ignore it, right
here in our communities. It's a lot of things that
are being robbed. We're being robbed of, people are being
taken advantage of. I think that's when we see things
like the Mangioni case, when you see the Charlie Kirk incident,
you look at it and you start to be like, well.
Speaker 6 (45:36):
Right, you'd be you've become desensitized.
Speaker 7 (45:38):
Or you understand, you kind of understand why, you understand
why people are like when when the fascinating part about
the whole Mangoni thing was people got behind him, they.
Speaker 5 (45:50):
Were dressing like him, everything documentary on him. They gotta
be hero.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
It's like a social media thing, but pop culture thing,
but also like a political like this.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
I think the line you say in the song the
love can't be silent when this system is in.
Speaker 1 (46:05):
Equal Yeah, that's it. That's and that Moniker is homage
to you know, in the sixties, when we were organizing
and we were really finding a way to carve out
what was what is right in this country for black people,
for all all ethnicities and this people really in this
country rather for civil rights. That was a moniker. It
(46:29):
was like, look, we can't be silent, it's not right.
So we have to say something, And the song is
inspired by just the general anger and the angst I
think we're all feeling. We're looking at them, we're watching
this shit not work the way that it's supposed to.
I mean, our tax dollars are going to wars that
(46:49):
we have no say about, and those tax numbers are
going up. I'm not I'm not proud of. Look, I'll
pay my taxes gladly, fine, whatever, But I mean, now
you're just you're not You're gonna go apply that to
a war that I don't believe in. You know what
I'm saying, It's not supposed to work like that. That's
that's it's not built like that. It wasn't built. It
(47:11):
was built actually for us to have some say. We
have representatives that are supposed to go and say, you
know what, tax payer money they don't want that we
have no say, We have had no say thus far.
So New Martin is inspired by these feelings of like, man,
we're all watching things in front of us that are
that it's not working for us, and modern examples of
(47:32):
like the man you and I think is like vigilanteism
extreme action are going to become more and more common Yeah, absolutely,
and triggered yeah, intentional yeah yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah, more
of the feeling.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
Getting any visuals yeah, okay, yeah, you got to put
the vision to the words. Yeah, yeah, I would love
to see some of guel vision is coming.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Yeah, we've been doing We've been doing like shorter visuals
leading in, but I have like I have more substantial
in the in the next couple In the next couple
of weeks, I'm actually gonna play the video for New Martyrs.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
Man.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
I've been honored to be invited to be uh scholar
and residents at n YU.
Speaker 5 (48:19):
Yeah, amazing.
Speaker 1 (48:20):
So so I built a program. The Courses is actually
speaking chaos to power. It's about taking what we know
about chaotic times in our history and using those as
examples in order to affect change in our modern time.
Of course, I'm focusing mostly on the arts and how
(48:44):
we can take the sort of the disenfranchisement, the systematic
Uh yeah, taking advantage of art and I P in
the past and using that as as ways now to
take hold and control of industries and art. But it's
(49:05):
to be applied across the board. So yeah, yeah, yeah,
And we'll premiere the video for the martyrs at the end.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
Do you think artists have a responsibility to raise consciousness
or just to tell the truth?
Speaker 1 (49:16):
Say it one more time.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
So you think artists have a responsibility to raise the
consciousness of people?
Speaker 3 (49:21):
Are just to tell the truth?
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Oh? I believe every individual has a responsibility to raise
their own consciousness. I do believe that that art is
meant to bring human beings together and the erasing of
(49:43):
one's own separation from the next human being happens with art,
and that in and of itself, I do think it
gives us the opportunity to raise consciousness. It's like you
hear a song in Spanish that you don't know what
it means, but you fuck with it, you love it
how you feel it for whatever reason. That's art. Or
you go see a painting and you sit there and
(50:03):
you stand and you go, I don't know what it
is about this, but I love this, you know. It's
like great art is us finding ourselves in the details
of the art. We lose, we lose our own and
we become there's a point of reference, there's a point
of like we relate. I think that's what art does,
and that's the that's the purpose of artist is. So
(50:23):
I wouldn't say raise consciousness in and of itself, but
I do think it is. I take it upon myself
now to say that I feel responsible to make art
that brings people together and hopefully they forget the divisions
that we have through the music. That's why I do
love having great, you know, big songs. I think great,
big songs that are able to whatever, if they're commercially
(50:45):
successful or whatever. Think of a dorn or sure thing.
I think of these songs. Even how many drinks? You
know what I mean? I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (50:54):
I'm gonna cancel you for how many drinks? At one point?
Speaker 1 (50:56):
That is a consent record. Let's I want to go
on to the that is a consent record. There is
a question.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
How many?
Speaker 1 (51:06):
How many? Hey, I know, how many would it? You know?
Speaker 2 (51:10):
I wanted to say it was a very bold choice
to start the album off with a song with Spanish.
Speaker 3 (51:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:17):
Yeah, I was like, like, you said it soundfly, But
I'm like, I have no idea what he's what he's saying.
Speaker 6 (51:22):
He could have been saying your grandmother ugly and you
just over here saying.
Speaker 3 (51:25):
But then you want it right back to killing the.
Speaker 1 (51:30):
Valid valid have to do it.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
I's got a couple of more questions. What an enlightenment,
Enlightenment look like from a guel right now?
Speaker 1 (51:37):
Oh, sureness. I think radical, radical creativity and positivity and
the power of what art can do. I think enlightenment
for me is again leaning into my values in a
(51:58):
very radical and the most like And I also think
like choosing to be happy and choosing to be positive
is what enlightenment looks like for me now, because otherwise
I've become apathetic, and then apathetic means and I don't
care to do anything, and I just refuse to accept
(52:22):
that there's nothing that could be done. So, yeah, that's
what that looks like for me.
Speaker 4 (52:27):
Oh well, I was going to talk to you about
the martyrs artwork and how you're gonna bring that into
the class, but we kind of already that's that. But
so the artwork for martyrs and what you're doing it
and why you when you're developing your course selection, it's
just you. You're just using all of your art or
with a teacher to.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
Know I'm working with professors, Yeah, yeah, to kind of
put it together. Very much inspired by my experience as
a as a musician in the industry, my observations and
my critique of what could be better and how it
could be better, and really leaning on them for their
(53:06):
insights on the past and how that intersection of art
and commerce has always come at the expense of often
black people, brown people like you know what I mean,
It's like often at our expense. And so what is it?
What is it? What can we learn from the past
to help us shape what industry looks like in a
(53:27):
way that's equitable for the creators, so that is sustainable.
Speaker 4 (53:31):
Were you at all nervous though in choosing such to
recreate such a bold moment of because this is the artwork,
right of ica, So creating that moment from that security
camera where he's shooting gun, right, And the reason I
mentioned or ask you, we're you're nervous about that is
because I watch how bad Bunny talked about not doing
concerts here because he wants to protect his people from ice.
(53:52):
Super Bowl happens. Now politically he is the conversation and
they're coming for him, right. How do you where do
you kind of lay in all of that, Like how
you choose what you're gonna be radical against? Right now?
Speaker 1 (54:04):
I think it's the same thing when you see, you know,
shows get canceled. I mean, Kimmel got canceled for a moment. Yeah,
but that was for a moment. And I bet you
watch what happens at the super Bowl. Watch how many
people watch the viewership go crazy break it's gonna break records.
And then I bet you they never question if they're
gonna bring a Latino on that stage. They'll never question it,
you know why, because it's touching their dollars. And we
(54:27):
saw that with Kimmel. The moment they got backlash and
their viewership went down. Oh no, it was like, bring
them back. We don't have to figure this one out,
you know what I mean. And so at the core
of the chorus, it is about building your audience, which
is another reason, and it's what my album is what
it is. But I didn't make another record that primarily
focuses on romance and that dynamic of my life from
(54:50):
my perspective and love. And there'll be other records that
I make that. I'm sure I'll make songs like that
and that sound feel good and whatnot. But right now,
what it was, what this is about, is me tapping
into my audience and wanting to identify who's really my audience.
It's a proof, it's a case in point. You know,
it's like I'm I'm wanting to double down that it's
(55:13):
better to identify who's really there for you to listen
and then build upon that so then you have leverage.
And as we know many times, we've heard this story
a million times said artists walks into the record label
and they wanted they want the deal, they want the
whole thing that they're selling, but they don't have any leverage.
And you look at that versus birdman walking in when
(55:34):
he got you know what I'm saying, that's why he's
got the biggest shit. Shit I forgot that happened here.
It's the same thing.
Speaker 3 (55:45):
Man.
Speaker 1 (55:45):
You're like, look when you walk in with leverage, it's
a whole different game. And the more leverage we have,
that's the That's the other part is like drawing that
parallel as well to looking at the numbers that we have,
we have leverage. The people who are running government are
the numbers are so much small, you know, the numbers
are it just doesn't so so looking at all of
these parallels and going like we're at an inflection point
(56:07):
where we can use these chaotic times and the uncertainty
to our advantage to really lock in and organize on
what we believe in, whatever it is, because they are.
Speaker 2 (56:18):
I'm glad you did New Martyrs because the rappers ain't
doing it. I've been waiting for a rappers tap into
the moment and just talk about what's going on, and
it just don't feel like they doing it.
Speaker 3 (56:25):
Yeah, I'm glad you did it.
Speaker 1 (56:27):
Love Love, and I'm not I'm not saying I have
the answers or anything. It's definitely it's New Martyrs. Isn't
like we should go do this and it's not like that.
It's just saying, I'm I'm feeling like we are all
at that point where it's like I gotta do I
gotta do something like and and it's only going to
get you know, it's only going to feel more and
more like that as we go.
Speaker 2 (56:47):
If we don't now, Chaos is coming out on October
twenty third, that's also your born day, October twenty Yeah, yeah, absolutely,
Why do you want to do it on your beata?
Speaker 1 (56:58):
I think I wanted to give myself the permission to
move forward, you know, on my birthday. This one's been
it's taking a long time to get here, and it's
like it's symbolic of you know, a new cycles. It's
it's letting go and it's also beginning new What better
time to do that on your birthday?
Speaker 7 (57:17):
You know.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
It's like it's very much, it's very much that. So
I wanted to go in like, ah, okay, we can,
we can move forward and like I said, my next
ten I'm looking at my next ten years. The album
is again symbolic of like the conversation that I want
to have with my audience being deeper and more about
(57:39):
the human being, not just about my ability, you know,
but about who I am and what I believe in
and lock in with my audience like that, and then
to build this this company that's about supporting black and
brown and Latin artists talent across the board, whether it's film,
TV or music, literature, all of those, all of those
left the center ones who deserve development the way that
(58:04):
we need it now, the way art needs it now
that we're not getting and putting capital behind that as
well to support that because we need that too.
Speaker 3 (58:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (58:14):
The website is dope to it's like a blog, yeah
that you upload the different.
Speaker 1 (58:19):
Year kind of kind of reminds us of where we
came from.
Speaker 4 (58:22):
Definitely does.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (58:23):
Yeah, So this is my last question. How do you
measure the success now? Is it impact?
Speaker 1 (58:27):
Is it artistry or is it peace impact? Impact? For sure,
I don't think that any endeavor is peaceful, you know,
any endeavor with real objective, real especially if you're trying
to change something, be it for yourself or for others,
It's not going to be a peaceful journey. It's just
(58:47):
going to come with unforeseen it's gonna come with challenges,
and it's going to come with a lot of pushback,
especially if it's going against the status quo, and that's
not a peaceful experience. But again the values part, you
know that being at the core of things. I think
it's really about if I can wake up and go, man,
(59:09):
I actually did something I feel great about, you know,
and this is something that's going to affect someone in
a positive way, and I could do that for the
rest of my life.
Speaker 4 (59:20):
One last question for you, not about no relationships to promise.
Speaker 1 (59:24):
Is it true that I'm happy? Someone was asking I
was like, who's it gonna be?
Speaker 4 (59:30):
I was reposting all on my space, so I had
to ask some questions. But originally was that a demo
for Usher? Is that a true story?
Speaker 1 (59:37):
Yeah? Well, I wrote the song and I didn't write
it as a demo, say, but we submitted it as
a demo for Usher. Usher was looking at the time.
I'm not sure which album I feel like it was.
It might have been Confessions, it might have been which
I can't hear sure thing on Confessions. Confession is such
a perfect album as it is very different, very different
(59:59):
albu But yeah, sure thing was submitted for one of
those projects, that one another one right after it.
Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
Yeah, well listen, Miguel, were glad you back? Brother is
very very dope, very very dope project. I can't wait
for the world to experience it.
Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
Make you what you want us play right now? I
want to play New Martyrs.
Speaker 1 (01:00:15):
Play New Martyrs. We gotta bang that?
Speaker 3 (01:00:17):
Why not? Yeah, it's Miguel. It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (01:00:21):
Every day ago click yours up the Breakfast Club. You'll
finish the y'all done.
Every day. Click up the Breakfast Club finish for y'all. Dump.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, it's the world's most dangerous morning to show to
Breakfast Club Charlamagne and God just hilarious.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
DJ Nvy Nvy is out the day, but Lauren le.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Rossa is here and we got a very special guest,
one of my favorite artists man, and I am so
glad he got some new music coming out.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Miguel is here, ladies.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
What's up? What's up?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Brother?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I'm good, I'm good. How you guys doing Blessed Black
and Holly Face? That's right, Blessed and Black and highly favored,
is right.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I'm just happy you putting out music man. And it's funny.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We were literally having a conversation on the radio recently,
like in the last.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Week or two about what's up with Miguel.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, Miguel, that's crazy.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
I think we talked about Michel too. Thomas was here
probably yea, because.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
You got timeless records man, Like you know, even though
we've been waiting for you, like, it's still things that
we can go back and listen to and it's forever
a classic.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So thank you for saying that. Yeah, I mean, I've
been feeling the same way though. It's time. It's been time,
so I'm excited to be back out. We got we
have a few records alread out and the album's out
October twenty third, so you know, I'm just kind of
getting it. We're doing the thing.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
The name of the album is called Chaos. Yes, yes,
it's about that. Break that down a little bit, man.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I feel it's everywhere, you know, just look out and
you know, pull up your phone. I feel like it's
probably the best word for the times that we live in.
And so you know, I made an album about how
that's been a big part of my growth, and I mean,
I think it's an inflection point, you know. I think overall,
(01:32):
when we go through crazy and trying times, it's an
opportunity for us to really take that in, to make it,
you know, clarifying. And so that's what this album really is.
I think it's my most like relatable.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
Album obviously Where Were You?
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Also my most angry and horny album.
Speaker 6 (01:47):
Oh I love how Angry Horny.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Even the production of it gives it's like anger, but
then there's like a colectic like come over here vibe,
Like yeah, it's a lot of it. I think you're
about the is where were you, like.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
Yeah, where were you mentally and emotionally and creating the album?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Oh? Everywhere? I feel it. It's to be Uh, it
spans eight years. You know, it's been eight years since
I put out my last album, Warren Leisure, And you know,
we've been through you know, pandemic. We've been through everything.
I mean apparently we we we we made it through
(02:25):
the rapture. Apparently. I'm like, yeah, we're supposed to see
aliens in a couple of weeks. I don't know. It's
it's it's everything everywhere, all at once, at all times.
And so the head space has been pretty pretty much
reflective of that. It's like we're I feel we're doing
the best we can. It's a lot of pressure right now,
and that's what really created the album.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I think, by the way, eight years isn't a long
time because there's certain artists, you know, you Jill Scott, Ericabadundrick.
I don't need you all to put out records every year. Yeah,
I mean put out records when the spirit moves.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Valid yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
And you know, you've always been proud of your Mexican roots,
but it seems like you're leaning into the more deeply.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Now, what inspired that shift? Man?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
That's ah, that's digging and and really get into I
really didn't want to do music anymore. I was getting
to a place where I was like, and the reason
why is which I feel like, you know in your
books and man, congratulations bro, because the last time I
was you know, it was before you publish your first book.
So congratulations.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Man.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Maybe it's an incredible feat that's like up there with
like running a marathon. You know, it's like, I'm probably
never going to run a marathon or write a book,
but you know, yeah, yeah, why didn't.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
You want to do music?
Speaker 6 (03:44):
Why did you almost walk away from it?
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Uh? My priority, the way I was prioritizing, how it
affected my my sense of myself. You know, I think
I entered into my career as a musician, as an
artist with the idea of becoming someone that was on
the main stage and on the you know, TV screen,
(04:07):
doing the getting the record. And we've been very blessed,
very blessed to have an audience who've given us that platform.
You know, I have an amazing audience and I love
them deeply and they've really made my music successful. And
I think that can take priority of, you know, and
(04:28):
really rents the real purpose of creating from one's own motivation,
and it can kind of like cannibalize the whole experience
because then you start to not expect but you're aiming for. Well,
if the record didn't do as good as this one,
and then it kind of robs the value. And I
(04:50):
need to take some time to figure out what was
going to be my motivation moving forward, you know, to
be fair, and I never stopped making music, but I
think the act of putting music out, especially with the
industry changing. I mean, you've seen the industry change. We've
gone through revolutions of new ways of putting out records.
(05:12):
I know you guys are seeing it because you're seeing
the artists and you're seeing how it all moves. It
was a very different game when I came in, you know,
and it was you had CDs. Yes, we had seen
it was real physical. I mean, wet CDs are coming
back now, it's crazy. But it was a very different game.
And and I think learning, relearning, refinding my my love,
(05:38):
and also doing some real hard work on me figuring
out where I'm at, Like, let me just check in
I forgot that I've been on a run for some time.
I didn't take time.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
So was leaning into your heritage part of that, though.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
It became it became a natural part of it because
really doing trying to understand, you know, where my decisions,
my decision making were becoming habitual and not really like thought.
You know, I wasn't really thinking things through. It was
like knee jerk reactions to things and just looking at
where I was and where I wanted to be and
the discrepancy between that, you know, I had to you
(06:15):
know now everybody, which is a great thing. It's like,
you know, going and doing therapy and meditation and on
all of my self work and shadow work and whatnot.
I think it just naturally pushed me into really getting
to know and be appreciative. Not that I was never
I was always super And you know this, I've always said,
(06:36):
I'm black and Mexican. I'm Mexican black, you know, always
proud of it, but really like having a like sense
of it. And the things that I looked back and
thought were kind of I don't want to say, I
(06:56):
look at them so much more as blessings then as challenges.
I always felt that growing up my heritage, it was
a challenge. I'm like, man, why am I always having
to proved myself? Like why do I I'm with these people?
I feel like I got to prove it I'm this Black,
or I'm with these people. I got to prove it
I'm this Mexican. And over these eight years, I think
(07:20):
taking that time has really given me a sense of pride.
And I look back and I'm like, man, I'm so
proud that it's given me a unique perspective and it's
given me a unique positioning. And also how I am
with people and who I am with people is a
reflection of the cultures that I've been blessed to take
me and you know, throw their arms around me, and
(07:40):
they have that so naturally. I think with that, I've
explored more of my songwriting. It's made its way into
my songwriting. It certainly made its way into me. And also,
as you become a.
Speaker 6 (07:52):
Parent, you know, congratulate thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Yeah, yeah, you become a parent and you really start
to look get the things that were great about your child,
the things you love about it, and things that are
worth passing on, as well as the things that you
definitely do not want to pass on. So so you know,
leaning leaning in and in all these different ways and
all the cultural just the beautiful cultural things that I've
(08:17):
been blessed with, was a very natural thing.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Did you feel like at one point you talk about
making it to the big stages and being a different
place now about your heritage. Did you feel like at
one point you couldn't lean into your heritage because it
wouldn't get you to that mainstage. Because even in your
music on this album, you're speaking in Spanish and all
the things that we didn't hear a lot from you.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Your name is Miguel, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
But that's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I don't think.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
I don't think there's a lot of people that would
know that You're like, I'm Mexican, Like this is my
heritage first. Like, to be honest with you, I think
we look at you as like a mainstream rock star
artist and we don't think about your heritage just love.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I mean, the in the past, it's always been that
I never wanted to lean on it as a crutch.
I was very I was very aware that there was
pressure like why don't you just do the do the
Spanish man and and also different game at the time too.
It wasn't like Latin music was a premiere you know,
(09:16):
big you know, it wasn't a big market here, but
it also was. It was one of those things that
I never wanted to do that it didn't feel natural,
you know, it didn't feel authentic. And there was a
time in my career kind of towards the towards, like
the towards wild Heart, that I wanted to make it more,
(09:37):
really start exploring it. I took a trip to you know,
my where my family's from, Salmone Mechacan in Mexico, and
that was kind of the beginning of really getting in
and like wanting to wanting to wanting it to feel natural.
And so I think since then it being like, you know,
five six years naturally, it's become more and more. But
(10:00):
I'll tell you, becoming a parent will do it. You'll
really just start to look at everything.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
Listen, congratulations, how it's fatherhood is incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
It's the most is I've I don't sleep, but I'm
the most I got the most energy I've ever had.
I am. I also feel so much more sure about
what is, what is and what isn't for me, you know,
it'll definitely do that. You'll be like, nah, absolutely no.
(10:28):
You know, you start cutting things out and you realize how.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Precious time is.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Man anything that takes away from it, This little being
I gotta raise over here.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
You gotta be worth it.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It's gotta be worth it. It better be. And don't
play with my time, you know. So I just I
try and maximize as much as I possibly can. And
and it's made us, you know, in terms of creating.
It just I don't know, I feel I'm the most inspired.
Even my next ten years are more clear. You know,
(10:56):
I started a company I think it was. He's, you know,
a catalyst for a lot of where I'm at and
where I'm going.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So, yeah, I'm glad that you've been doing the work
on yourself. Do you do you feel like leaning into
your heritage now is also about healing, like maybe reclaiming
parts of your culture or history that weren't always centered
for you growing up.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Absolutely, it's it's one of the blessings that I feel
come with that. You know, when you start to really
look at yourself and you're like, okay, well who am I?
You know, who do I want to be? Who am
I really proud to be and what are the things
that I'm not Really, I can't really take this with me.
It's not gonna It may have gotten me here, but
(11:39):
it's not going to get me where I want to go,
you know. And and all of that has been sort
of happening in tandem, you know, one kind of like
informs the other.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
So yeah, yeah, you still care about numbers and winning
awards and stuff.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Oh no, we want to win awards, of course. Don't
get me wrong. I'm happy to receive an award if
it's if it's granted, But I don't show up with
an expectation or or that being the And you know what,
I'm I'm gonna be real with you. I used to
say that. I used to say, like, nah, I'm not
tripping on no, but I'll be I'll be mad. I'll
(12:19):
be I'll be so mad I wasn't nominated or if
I didn't get it or what have you. But and
you know what, if it's to happen again and I
do or I don't, I'm sure i'll feel away. But
I also know that it took a long time to
refine the like the love or just create just to
(12:44):
just to make something and be excited about it, just
to find that I'll never let go of that again.
I will never I'll never let any of the And
also because even the conversation with this album, it's it's
about me peeling back layers and having a conversarial with
my audience. That's not about like, let me make a
(13:04):
song that everyone's going to sing and then hopefully it
becomes a big song and then I get the thing.
The whole intention is like I'm telling you like it
hurts to be human, you know, I'm telling you, like, man,
sometimes I lose myself sometimes. I that's to have a conversation.
That's not about I didn't write. I didn't go in
like I'm going to write the big record. I wrote this.
I wrote the album that was like I want to
(13:26):
have a conversation, which means that I'm I'm showing up
to have a deeper relationship with my audience. That means
that the music and everything that that happens with that
it's about the personal. It's about the personal thing. It's
like the intimacy.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I feel like you can hear it in the album though,
like like what's something you've unlearned in order to grow
as both a man and artist.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Unlearned to grow as both a man and an artist.
You know, we have a lot of people that support
us all the time, but you have to be so
clear with yourself. You have to have ultimate clarity about
what you want. If you're not clear, you're susceptible to
(14:15):
being pulled and swayed by different in different directions, and
lots of directions have great things about them, and they
can be pitched to you and be colored in ways
that make you want to go that way. Without clarity,
you're susceptible to and as millions of past you know,
it's just like a man. I could think of a million,
(14:37):
you know, ways where something could be can look really nice,
but you have without ultimate clarity of where you want
to go and what you really want to do and
how you want to feel. Oh that's what it is.
Have clarity about how you want to feel. I think
that because before I was like, I know I want
to be you know, I want to be an artist
(14:58):
that's known for making music that's timeless, or if that
is true, it's at his core, there's a soul there
and I was very successful at doing that, but I
wasn't to have clarity about how I wanted to feel
about being a musician, being an artist, and so having
clarity about how you feel is important.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
The reason that's so powerful is they'll tell you right like, like,
you know you listening to the album. I listened to
that like three times, and it.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Was like, do you like the album?
Speaker 2 (15:23):
I said, I loved the album, And I said, the
reason I love the album is because Miguel is a
feeling to me, same way everybody doing Jill's Got is
a feeling to me. I know what Miguel's gonna make
me feeling. So if I didn't get that feeling, I'd
be like, damn, it ain't about a sound or anything.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
It's just a feeling.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
So I'm glad that you are that intentional about putting
that feeling into your music, because we as consumers feel that.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah, it was the point because I know and like
the New Martyrs for you, you talk a lot about
being able to find yourself or keep yourself while losing
yourself at the same time, right, Yeah, but it seems
like you've arrived at that point, especially by the end
of the album when you're talking to your son. What
was it for you where you were like, Okay, I'm here, Like,
was it an event? Was it a song around?
Speaker 1 (16:02):
I wouldn't even be pretentious like that and be like
I'm here, you know. I think that's the that's the
that's a big one that I want to embrace in
my life, is that there is no here. You know,
I've not I've never arrived. The moment I felt that
way in the past, that was when I was starting
(16:24):
to really unravel, because then I'm like, I am I
am this, I am this. It makes you you lock
in too many things too. It's like, it's great things
to know about yourself, but to say that you've arrived
or that you've you've met your final form, I think
it's such a treacherous place. It also robs you of
(16:45):
the excitement of the possibility, and it takes away any
kind of sense of being a student and remaining mouldible,
remaining plast you know, plast is it like neuroplasticity, you know,
it's like remaining able to be and learn and then
to take those into teach. I think that's the beauty
of this, this experience. It's like that what's that It's
(17:09):
a quote Lauren Hill. She's like if it's not growing,
it's dead. That's like I'm trying to stay there. I'm
trying to stay growing. So to answer your question, this,
I think what got me to talking about what i've
what I've been talking, what I've been you know, what
(17:29):
the album really encompasses, or to even just make the
album about that energy, about the energy of being angry
and and not not okay, you know, but still pushing
through to figure it out. Was just not finally just
being like, I don't want to accept this anymore. I
(17:50):
don't want to accept this experience, this feeling, because this
is not how I want to feel. I want to
feel great and I want to feel like I'm moving forward.
And for whatever reason, I'm hitting the same I'm hitting
donuts in my cycles, you know what I'm saying. I'm like, shit,
looked fun. Excuse me, it looked fun, But I'm not
going anywhere.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
You know, did you ever feel like you were dying,
like you know, you weren't growing? Like did you have
a uh there was.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
There's some songs that the initial iterations of the album
are not on this album that I think I will
put them out, But in the context of everything, I
think it felt really heavy, but there was some real
There was some dark moments.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Man.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I will say I was feeling like I was losing
my mind for a second and I couldn't. I couldn't.
I was like, is it something I'm eating? I did everything,
I did, cleanses, I did, you know, I like, went away,
worked on music alone, went away and didn't do anything
and just sat with myself and it just felt like
(18:53):
I was just nothing, you know, just it. And I
think wherever we are in this time, whether it's if
it's you know, technology, whether we've got a lot of pressure.
Everybody's dealing with a lot, and everything is moving so fast,
it's moving so fast, and the information is just too much.
(19:15):
You can't tell what is true and what is false,
and trying to make sense of it all while you're
trying to survive all wow, you know, you're trying to
get your shit off, You're trying to do your be
your best self, you know, and all the things that
we want to be. It's a lot, man, It's a lot.
It's a lot. So I've locked in more into like, Okay,
well how do I want to feel? How do we
(19:35):
get there?
Speaker 4 (19:36):
You know, it felt like on the album, when you
did the song Angels, the Angel song, yeah for your
sound of song, and that's your son's voice on the Yeah. Okay.
When I was listening to that song after listening to
the production beginning, which was really like heavy and dark,
it feels like that's when like the sunshine comes out
a bit. Not to be like cliche, but how has
been a father changed how you tell your story and music?
Speaker 1 (20:00):
I think the core of the of what I'm saying
has to be I'm working on making what I say
very clear and easy to understand because I'm anticipating he's
going to be asking more and more. He's asking questions soon.
(20:23):
I mean he's already saying no. We're talking about this
in the elevator. He's one year old, and he's like no,
But right now it's a question. It's like no, like
can I say no? Or it's like it's no the
right response right now. But in a short amount of time,
he's going to be saying no, you know, and I'm
asking to come with questions and I'm going to have
to have answers, and I feel like it's made his
(20:45):
way into my music. I'm not saying I'm there yet. Yeah,
but wanting to be really clear again, just clear about
how I feel and clear about where I'm what I'm
getting at, and.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Let kids know their boundaries early because I don't know
what happens to us as adults, but at some point
when we just forget how to say no.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
It's valid. That's one of my favorite things. When he's
like he doesn't want to go to somebody. You know,
people get, people get you know, somebody asked me to
hold myself.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I'm like your.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Baby, I don't know you.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
It's weird were kids with adults would be like, no,
give him a hug, baby, give the kids.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
So we teach these kids not to have boundaries so early,
and then we got to learn to have boundaries again
as we get older.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Yeah, and on the song to You, I thought this
was powerful. You apologie, you say sorry, I'm not perfect,
but there's nothing I wouldn't do. And I'm like that feeling,
as you know, as a new dad, that's like a
heck of a feeling I imagine for you to experience.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
It's real.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
It's it's a look, I own a gun. There are
things that I never thought that I would be and
do at this stage of my life. And you know,
I talk about this in the album too. It's like
life has a way of, you know, taking you in
(22:07):
un expected places, taking unexpected great ones, and places that
you're like, Okay, well I didn't expect that, but I
mean there are definitely things where I'm like, I can
understand parents being extremely like you know, I be protective,
you know, and so there isn't anything that I can't
imagine myself. Look, they're gonna pull this shit up if
(22:28):
anything happens in.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
The future Exhibit.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Exhibit A. He did say that, no, but I think
any parent out there can relate to this. It's like
you would there is I look at him like, man,
I'll go to the end, you know, and and and
probably without even thinking about it. I think it's also
what has given me a lot of what Angel changed
(22:59):
was I had lost a lot of hope and faith
and what in everything in humanity and possibility in the
purpose of all of whatever this shit is. I just like,
big time, big time grief, and I've talked about that too.
(23:21):
That was something I was processing that needed to be
dealt with first, but that was top layer. Then you
go down you're like, man, I'm caring a lot of
you know, I've got resentment for people in my life
that I grew up with. And man, I felt I've
been taken advantage of in these just different kinds of
ways in business, in these kinds of ways. And I
was lucky. Man, I was so lucky.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I could have.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Man, they could have got me in terms of like
taking advantage of like just being a young artist and
like putting things in front of me. And again, I'm
so grateful they could have. Really, I could have been
in a bad situation in terms of like financial and
but I got lucky. I've got people who listen and
and thankfully the music is really grabbed on to people.
(24:07):
But in in hindsighted looking and I go, wow, I
have so much more faith than I did before. And
it's really it's very much because of my son.
Speaker 6 (24:20):
So yeah, go ahead and slow it down.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
The song you say, pray I can make peace with
the past because tomorrow comes way too fast.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
You guys, really listen to thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
That's right, by the way, she's married to a Mexican.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
And everything.
Speaker 6 (24:50):
You know, so I wanted you to like unpack that,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, pray I could make peace with the past because
tomorrow comes way too fast. It's I mean, it's hindsight,
everything is so much clear, and I mean the it's
it's that's exactly what it feels like.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Even when you were saying like people that you grew
up with taking advantage of you and things like that,
like I don't want to.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
That sounds so crazy because that don't be a SoundBite
after this, but you know, it's like I just thought
about it as like, ah, I can definitely see people
be like they could have got me and be like see.
But but it's you look at things with so much
more clarity and maybe how how not again not knowing
(25:36):
how I wanted to feel and just going with things
and and again awareness being being just like in it
and being present and grateful having so much. I've always
been a grateful person. But again, when you do this
for and you start to see like people react to it,
(25:57):
and then it's like, oh, this is what happens when
that happens and you start to look at it, and
it's not expectation per se, but it's that you're like
wanting it secretly. You know, you're like it's your core.
You're like, nah, I really want the success, I really
want this to happen, and you put this pressure on
it and it becomes a big cycle of things and
by the time you get to the other side, you
(26:20):
spend so much time wanting and expecting and not looking
at the greatness in the midst of it and feeling
the greatness and just being you know, in the midst
of it and loving those moments, and in that feeling
you look back and it's already over. You know, you're
so focused on well, what's going to happen and being
(26:41):
anxious about it and hoping. Man, yeah, just be with
the feeling. Many stay in that mode.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Talking a little bit about you know, the past, and
you mentioned like the grieving and different things on always
time you say maybe this time love means letting go.
You talk about private truths and public roles and you
thought there will always be time to fight for love.
The you know an honest and like first listen, I
was like, is this about his past relationship and wanting
to fight for that?
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yes, absolutely, the album is it's about my It's about
my I mean I've had I've been very it's very
public that I was married and we were.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
Very together at the relationship as well too.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Yeah, it was a bit. It was a big part
of my experience as a human being this time around.
You know, that was a massive part I was with
when I was nineteen. You know what I'm saying. It
was it was a long time and in the midst
of that, I was being a musician and becoming a
(27:42):
musician and finding my audience and all of that. And
there's a lot of learning. There's a lot of learning.
Who were we all when we were in nineteen year twelve. Look,
I'm just hitting my I'm feeling like, Okay, I know
exactly who I am, and look I don't. I'm still learning.
But I know my values. That's the part. That's what
(28:04):
I meant to say earlier. Values don't change, you know
what I mean? Your values, that's your core. But everything
else in your style and whatever how you your values,
your core values. Those are the things that I think
I don't need to necessarily discover my values. I think
where I'm at is that I'm honing them. I'm sure
I'm only strengthening them. I'm only like doubling down on them.
(28:29):
But always time that song was written because I was
uncovering a lot of my values in real time. And
one of those things that I've always been is the
word loyal is crazy because loyalty I saw my grandparents
(28:53):
stay together are my entire life. You know, they were
loyal to the family, But loyalty like were they happy?
Speaker 7 (29:04):
You know?
Speaker 6 (29:05):
I don't know?
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Uh, And that's a that's that's a crazy one. And
that song is about kind of like coming to terms
with you know, I can't even be the right person
for you. I can't. I can't be it. I And like,
discovering that in real time is crazy work when you're like, damn,
I thought the whole thing was like I'm supposed to
(29:27):
fight it out and we're supposed to do it. And
even when it's and at some point you when you
stop and you go, you know what the best thing
I can do is actually let it go.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
That's not what the marriage. But I see that's not
what That's not what.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
My grandparents did, right, So all of that psychologically, I'm
sure with you.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
It does it It's I think that's that's where generate
our generations now are looking at the construct of marriage
with a very through a very different lens and also
looking at the history, the historical e a of what
that means, what that means and what it was before
it was about the ring and about the you know
(30:07):
what I mean, and how that's like it's sort of
it's taken away. And again I'm not saying anything about
married or I think it's a beautiful thing. I was
so happy to be married when I was, whether or
not I was able to, you know, be true to it.
You know, I think it's such a beautiful idea. I
(30:32):
think the word and the symbolism sometimes take away the
purpose or what it's supposed to be really representative of.
You know, It's like, man, it's supposed to be that
there's a relationship that's unshakable and you guys are really
going to be partners in the whole shit. I don't
know what happens, but most people I talked to her
(30:53):
marriage that's it turns into something else. The partnership somehow
is like it's the symbolism takes precedence over that actual
core thing of what it's supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I don't know the degree the degree for that, you know,
break up, keep you away from the.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Music, maybe maybe not not in it's in and of itself,
but I think the me underneath it and needing to
understand what what was informing my decisions is what kept
me from from doing the music. I need to go
do some work. That's really at the end of at
(31:28):
the end of the day, I need to go figure
my shit out. I needed to go figure it out because, uh,
because it wasn't working. And and yeah, it's a it's
a life is a trip, man, it's a trip. But
always time is one of those ones. It's a like
it's such a like that's a hard accepting but true,
(31:49):
very honest song.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Yeah, and people always forget yo, you are rock stars, superstar, celebrity,
migul and all that, but you're still a real person,
the real ship, you know.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
So I think we're all rockstars superstar Like listen, this
is every day you guys are with Everyone is a
rock star. Everybody, everyone at their core can be that, like,
you know everyone. That's the thing I was talking about
humility before, because we get this a lot that is like, oh,
(32:21):
be humble or I always get man, you're so humble,
you know, as opposed to you know, oh, like rock star.
But everybody is though everyone is has greatness, everyone has purpose. Everyone.
That's what I am. I'm not humble. I just don't
think I'm greater than anyone else. I just think that
(32:42):
I believe that I have something that's important to do
and that everyone has something important to do. And I
treat everyone like, no, you're here and you have something
here to do and there's a purpose.
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Yeah, because I always look at the word humble as
to being le than what you actually really are.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Exactly.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Yeah, So I like how you just put that.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
You know, I'm trying hopefully you get what I'm saying,
and like, man, look they use humble sometimes, like yo, yeah,
I'm like, no, No, our place is greatness.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
Man, do you feel like all of the work that
you've done and like the place that you're at now
with yourself? If you had done it before you and
now it could have worked out your marriage.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
If I would have done all of this before, who's
to say, no, we definitely would have had a much
better shot, a much better shot. But you know, the
you know, the past is you look back and it's
so much clear everything is what is it? Hindsight? Everything
it's so much clearer. Yeah, it would have been it
(33:48):
would have been a very different experience, but can't change
the past.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
And I'm very happy that we've had adult real like
man and I've been able to It's different when you're
able to come to somebody and go, you know, I
didn't realize I was doing this, and I'm really sorry.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
And it doesn't take it away that it happened and
that I did that, and I just want to give
you some context and I'm just so deeply sorry. I
would never do this, and you know, to be able
to say that doesn't erase it, but at least lets
them know, like, no, there's real love here, and that's
that's where it was at the core. I just wasn't
a big enough person. I wasn't an aware enough person
(34:30):
to protect you from my automatic ways and things that
I learned from generations and generations.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
It's an ad place to be.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
It it's crazy.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Yeah, Yeah, it's good to hear that y'all are in
that space. Yeah, definitely good to hear on near sights.
Slow it down, you say, slow it down for me
because I might not get to feel this again. Did
you feel like coming out of the situation with you
and now that you weren't going to find love like that.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
Again, that song is more about all of everything I've
never and even any I'll say this, and I says before,
I don't believe that there's like it's like just one love,
and I don't believe in like there's only one person.
It's like how many billions of people? Now billion?
Speaker 3 (35:16):
What are you saying the Mexicans thought to come women.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
I'm just saying that I don't believe in in a
one there's only one, you know, I'm not saying I'm
not saying monogamy or anything. I'm not talking about constructs.
I'm just saying that there's only I don't believe that
there's only one person that you can find love with
and actually build a healthy relationship with, whatever that means
for them. I just don't believe in that. I do
(35:46):
believe in love, and I do believe in being in love.
So so when I when I say that in that song,
that's more about life in general. You know, I want
to be in this moment because everything is fleeting and
I feel it more and more now I feel all
of time, you know all, I'm so like I want
(36:09):
to I want to get all the moments I want
to like just like even like coming back to doing
these you know, and it's like before I was like, yeah,
you go do the raates whatever, and then you go
on tour and it's just like that's the thing you do,
not really absorbing that. You know, this is people's time,
you guys all, this is your careers. You guys, you
(36:30):
guys earned to be in this room, and not just
to be in this room, but to stay in this
room and to be effective and to talk to people
and to get people to really listen and pay attention
to you and me being in this room is like,
I'm so grateful. I'm like, damn, I'm with people who
have dedicated themselves to what they love. Man, don't ever
take that for granted. Anytime I'm in a room with
(36:52):
somebody and they've just they've proven their their their dedication.
We did the Blue Note for two nights over the
world we can, and I'm in the room with Robert
Glasper Jamie Fox pops up, you know we I'm in
the I mean Joshy's son dance to somebody's I've known
since I was a teenager. These people have been in
music and have been effective and incredible and like I'm
(37:14):
looking at pictures on the wall and I'm like, I
will never take this for granted.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Ever, I don't even know he was at the blue
that had been.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
It was great. It was great, Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 6 (37:27):
The real quick. It's a fan mail that just pipped up,
said Miguel.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Uh in love, I love. I'm man. I would say
it's gonna I need some healing to be in love
right now. I'm working on being in love with me
if I'm being very very honest, and I have to
do that work for my son. But I love myself
more and more every day because I'm I'm proud of
the decisions that I've been making and I just lean
(37:55):
on those and when I have moments where I'm feeling
a little because I do still, I still sometimes I'm like, man,
this is this is a lie?
Speaker 3 (38:04):
You know, it's a lot.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yeah, I'm I can look at the things that the
decisions make and how I'm making decisions and and the
why and leaning into again my values and my principles
make that make it easier and easier. So I'm getting closer,
and I do hope one day I can be in
love again. But right now I'm working on.
Speaker 5 (38:31):
I said, I'm going response no before you go, I
was gonna just ask because that question how you answered
it made me think of this, right, you're in this
really peaceful space and you're getting back into all of
this because of the album, and you talked about your son.
Speaker 4 (38:47):
When you posted your happy Birthday for your son, the
world erupted and it wasn't positive. How do you People
were upset that you had a baby not with no
is that we didn't know about, but it's your choice.
How do you deal with that in this new space?
Fans and people wanted to just inject their thoughts into
that because you're in a different space now.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
Well it's not new, definitely not new to me. It's
been a long time since I've kind of been so
to kind of come out and to kind of again
kind of have an experience where people, you know, feel
the need to express how they feel about your life.
You know, it's just that it's it was a good
reminder coming in. It's like, oh, yep, were no, you
(39:29):
know what, I'm ready, I'm ready for see I And
I did it with so much intention. I really am proud.
I'm proud to be a father. I'm proud of my partner.
She's incredible. She's like I mean, he couldn't have a
better mother. I'm just and life doesn't always happen the
(39:50):
way that we imagine things to happen. And I also
realized that we became a symbol when I was with Nas.
We became a symbol to a lot of people of what,
you know, relationships could be and could look like and things.
But we're just human beings just like everybody else.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
And we were mad.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Young, like I was young, like I was coming up
in my twenties, coming you know what I mean. So
I did a lot of things the wrong way, you know,
and I'm not proud of them, and I'm not making excuses,
but come on, man, we've all done things that we're like,
you know what, I wouldn't do that again like that.
I would actually do it like this, you know. And
I'm good with being upfront about Hey, I wasn't perfect,
(40:30):
you know, but I'm here now and my life has
a lot more of a different experience that I get
to show up in a better way for And if
people are, you know, upset about what they see, that's it.
You can be upset.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
You know. I mean, they don't know all the time.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
I mean, it's only it doesn't really. Yeah, it's hard
for me to say. I just I'm just like, look,
I get that, that's what comes with the territory. You know,
there's plenty of other things to focus on.
Speaker 5 (41:04):
Just described Like what you just describe is growing up
living your life.
Speaker 6 (41:08):
Like you said you were young. You know, you made mistakes.
Speaker 5 (41:11):
That's everybody. That's like just growing up, living life and learning.
Speaker 6 (41:16):
That's just what it is.
Speaker 4 (41:16):
I think for a lot of the fans, though, even
if you didn't know the timeline, the thing was people
felt like, you know what.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
That's what bothered me the most, though, I have to
say this, the fucked up part is that people start
doing the wrong math. The one thing I did not
do is is start a relationship while I was married
and then had a baby. I got divorced, And I'm
gonna say this straight up. Everybody out there talking shit
like I was still in a marriage and then I
(41:44):
had a baby or I was having a h what
is that an affair? All this time I met I
met my son's mom after we were divorced. I met
her at an event that we were not even supposed
to go to. That was well after we were done.
So anybody out there, it's always the one or two
they just go, yeah, you know, they was together, and
(42:05):
he had been seeing this girl for years and they've
been not know I had never even know I we
never crossed paths until after. So that's the one thing
I will say. I do get upset about that. I
can't control it. But that makes me mad because also
this woman is a good person, she's a great human being,
(42:26):
and so and I can't protect I can't stop people
from slandering, you know, because.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
If you pop out with it, it might be like, look,
she's a homework and you're like, how did you guys?
Speaker 4 (42:36):
Talk through that moment though, because it was such a
happy moment and then it turned into not that.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
That's the hardest part. That's the that's the that's the
crazy one. And I wish I I I don't. I
don't wish this. Actually, I think this this path of being,
you know, public facing with your career or what have you,
it's just how it does have its ups and it's
got some some things that's you know, you're just gonna
have to deal with it. And one of them is
that personal things become public conversation in ways that they
(43:04):
shouldn't or you know, but it's just a part of
what comes with it. Was it's been hard, you know,
it was it was. It was. It was a challenge
because it should have been a very and it still is.
Don't get me wrong. I listen, you're not about to
take the happiness. You're not gonna rob me of the
joy of being like, man, I'm so proud of this,
and that's that's why, that's what it was. And and
(43:26):
for her, I know, she's she's like she's so happy
and like okay, cool, Like we're good. We don't gotta
lie because also he's getting older. And I think the
big worry was when you put a child in the public,
the moment that the faces out there, then people can
take pictures and this and that. So we were being
(43:47):
very very private first and foremost for his safety, and
then second of all, also like let us get our
get our shit together, like let's let us you know,
get our group, you know what I mean, Like let's
figure it out, let's dial in. But then there's also
knowing the public is like they want to know, so
so on that side, I'm you're not gonna find out
(44:09):
when he's five years old, you know. I mean, I'm
not gonna I wasn't gonna wait till you're five. But
but I was expecting it to be a lot less.
Speaker 4 (44:21):
Slander attached to your old relationship, a lot, a whole lot.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
I understand they need to listen to Always Time.
Speaker 3 (44:30):
So what is New Martyrs about?
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Then New Martin is a whole other. So this, this
album is is there's a lot of anger in this album.
But I want to say that because I feel like
it's relatable. I feel generally we're all angry. Absolutely, I
feel so much anger in the just the ethos. It
just feels like because we don't know, today's like okay,
(44:53):
it's fine tomorrow, I don't know if there's a genocide
happening right now. There is a genocide happening right now.
And I have to say it again, there is a
genocide happening right now, and it's public. It's not like
we're it's like a century ago where we were getting
news from the radio. This is real time on your phone,
and there's so much happening right now that you can
(45:16):
just scroll past it, like we can ignore it, right
here in our communities. It's a lot of things that
are being robbed. We're being robbed of, people are being
taken advantage of. I think that's when we see things
like the Mangioni case, when you see the Charlie Kirk incident,
you look at it and you start to be like, well.
Speaker 6 (45:36):
Right, you'd be you've become desensitized.
Speaker 7 (45:38):
Or you understand, you kind of understand why, you understand
why people are like when when the fascinating part about
the whole Mangoni thing was people got behind him, they.
Speaker 5 (45:50):
Were dressing like him, everything documentary on him. They gotta
be hero.
Speaker 4 (45:54):
It's like a social media thing, but pop culture thing,
but also like a political like this.
Speaker 2 (46:01):
I think the line you say in the song the
love can't be silent when this system is in.
Speaker 1 (46:05):
Equal Yeah, that's it. That's and that Moniker is homage
to you know, in the sixties, when we were organizing
and we were really finding a way to carve out
what was what is right in this country for black people,
for all all ethnicities and this people really in this
country rather for civil rights. That was a moniker. It
(46:29):
was like, look, we can't be silent, it's not right.
So we have to say something, And the song is
inspired by just the general anger and the angst I
think we're all feeling. We're looking at them, we're watching
this shit not work the way that it's supposed to.
I mean, our tax dollars are going to wars that
(46:49):
we have no say about, and those tax numbers are
going up. I'm not I'm not proud of. Look, I'll
pay my taxes gladly, fine, whatever, But I mean, now
you're just you're not You're gonna go apply that to
a war that I don't believe in. You know what
I'm saying, It's not supposed to work like that. That's
that's it's not built like that. It wasn't built. It
(47:11):
was built actually for us to have some say. We
have representatives that are supposed to go and say, you
know what, tax payer money they don't want that we
have no say, We have had no say thus far.
So New Martin is inspired by these feelings of like, man,
we're all watching things in front of us that are
that it's not working for us, and modern examples of
(47:32):
like the man you and I think is like vigilanteism
extreme action are going to become more and more common Yeah, absolutely,
and triggered yeah, intentional yeah yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah, more
of the feeling.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
Getting any visuals yeah, okay, yeah, you got to put
the vision to the words. Yeah, yeah, I would love
to see some of guel vision is coming.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Yeah, we've been doing We've been doing like shorter visuals
leading in, but I have like I have more substantial
in the in the next couple In the next couple
of weeks, I'm actually gonna play the video for New Martyrs.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
Man.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
I've been honored to be invited to be uh scholar
and residents at n YU.
Speaker 5 (48:19):
Yeah, amazing.
Speaker 1 (48:20):
So so I built a program. The Courses is actually
speaking chaos to power. It's about taking what we know
about chaotic times in our history and using those as
examples in order to affect change in our modern time.
Of course, I'm focusing mostly on the arts and how
(48:44):
we can take the sort of the disenfranchisement, the systematic
Uh yeah, taking advantage of art and I P in
the past and using that as as ways now to
take hold and control of industries and art. But it's
(49:05):
to be applied across the board. So yeah, yeah, yeah,
And we'll premiere the video for the martyrs at the end.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
Do you think artists have a responsibility to raise consciousness
or just to tell the truth?
Speaker 1 (49:16):
Say it one more time.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
So you think artists have a responsibility to raise the
consciousness of people?
Speaker 3 (49:21):
Are just to tell the truth?
Speaker 1 (49:23):
Oh? I believe every individual has a responsibility to raise
their own consciousness. I do believe that that art is
meant to bring human beings together and the erasing of
(49:43):
one's own separation from the next human being happens with art,
and that in and of itself, I do think it
gives us the opportunity to raise consciousness. It's like you
hear a song in Spanish that you don't know what
it means, but you fuck with it, you love it
how you feel it for whatever reason. That's art. Or
you go see a painting and you sit there and
(50:03):
you stand and you go, I don't know what it
is about this, but I love this, you know. It's
like great art is us finding ourselves in the details
of the art. We lose, we lose our own and
we become there's a point of reference, there's a point
of like we relate. I think that's what art does,
and that's the that's the purpose of artist is. So
(50:23):
I wouldn't say raise consciousness in and of itself, but
I do think it is. I take it upon myself
now to say that I feel responsible to make art
that brings people together and hopefully they forget the divisions
that we have through the music. That's why I do
love having great, you know, big songs. I think great,
big songs that are able to whatever, if they're commercially
(50:45):
successful or whatever. Think of a dorn or sure thing.
I think of these songs. Even how many drinks? You
know what I mean? I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (50:54):
I'm gonna cancel you for how many drinks? At one point?
Speaker 1 (50:56):
That is a consent record. Let's I want to go
on to the that is a consent record. There is
a question.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
How many?
Speaker 1 (51:06):
How many? Hey, I know, how many would it? You know?
Speaker 2 (51:10):
I wanted to say it was a very bold choice
to start the album off with a song with Spanish.
Speaker 3 (51:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (51:17):
Yeah, I was like, like, you said it soundfly, But
I'm like, I have no idea what he's what he's saying.
Speaker 6 (51:22):
He could have been saying your grandmother ugly and you
just over here saying.
Speaker 3 (51:25):
But then you want it right back to killing the.
Speaker 1 (51:30):
Valid valid have to do it.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
I's got a couple of more questions. What an enlightenment,
Enlightenment look like from a guel right now?
Speaker 1 (51:37):
Oh, sureness. I think radical, radical creativity and positivity and
the power of what art can do. I think enlightenment
for me is again leaning into my values in a
(51:58):
very radical and the most like And I also think
like choosing to be happy and choosing to be positive
is what enlightenment looks like for me now, because otherwise
I've become apathetic, and then apathetic means and I don't
care to do anything, and I just refuse to accept
(52:22):
that there's nothing that could be done. So, yeah, that's
what that looks like for me.
Speaker 4 (52:27):
Oh well, I was going to talk to you about
the martyrs artwork and how you're gonna bring that into
the class, but we kind of already that's that. But
so the artwork for martyrs and what you're doing it
and why you when you're developing your course selection, it's
just you. You're just using all of your art or
with a teacher to.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
Know I'm working with professors, Yeah, yeah, to kind of
put it together. Very much inspired by my experience as
a as a musician in the industry, my observations and
my critique of what could be better and how it
could be better, and really leaning on them for their
(53:06):
insights on the past and how that intersection of art
and commerce has always come at the expense of often
black people, brown people like you know what I mean,
It's like often at our expense. And so what is it?
What is it? What can we learn from the past
to help us shape what industry looks like in a
(53:27):
way that's equitable for the creators, so that is sustainable.
Speaker 4 (53:31):
Were you at all nervous though in choosing such to
recreate such a bold moment of because this is the artwork,
right of ica, So creating that moment from that security
camera where he's shooting gun, right, And the reason I
mentioned or ask you, we're you're nervous about that is
because I watch how bad Bunny talked about not doing
concerts here because he wants to protect his people from ice.
(53:52):
Super Bowl happens. Now politically he is the conversation and
they're coming for him, right. How do you where do
you kind of lay in all of that, Like how
you choose what you're gonna be radical against? Right now?
Speaker 1 (54:04):
I think it's the same thing when you see, you know,
shows get canceled. I mean, Kimmel got canceled for a moment. Yeah,
but that was for a moment. And I bet you
watch what happens at the super Bowl. Watch how many
people watch the viewership go crazy break it's gonna break records.
And then I bet you they never question if they're
gonna bring a Latino on that stage. They'll never question it,
you know why, because it's touching their dollars. And we
(54:27):
saw that with Kimmel. The moment they got backlash and
their viewership went down. Oh no, it was like, bring
them back. We don't have to figure this one out,
you know what I mean. And so at the core
of the chorus, it is about building your audience, which
is another reason, and it's what my album is what
it is. But I didn't make another record that primarily
focuses on romance and that dynamic of my life from
(54:50):
my perspective and love. And there'll be other records that
I make that. I'm sure I'll make songs like that
and that sound feel good and whatnot. But right now,
what it was, what this is about, is me tapping
into my audience and wanting to identify who's really my audience.
It's a proof, it's a case in point. You know,
it's like I'm I'm wanting to double down that it's
(55:13):
better to identify who's really there for you to listen
and then build upon that so then you have leverage.
And as we know many times, we've heard this story
a million times said artists walks into the record label
and they wanted they want the deal, they want the
whole thing that they're selling, but they don't have any leverage.
And you look at that versus birdman walking in when
(55:34):
he got you know what I'm saying, that's why he's
got the biggest shit. Shit I forgot that happened here.
It's the same thing.
Speaker 3 (55:45):
Man.
Speaker 1 (55:45):
You're like, look when you walk in with leverage, it's
a whole different game. And the more leverage we have,
that's the That's the other part is like drawing that
parallel as well to looking at the numbers that we have,
we have leverage. The people who are running government are
the numbers are so much small, you know, the numbers
are it just doesn't so so looking at all of
these parallels and going like we're at an inflection point
(56:07):
where we can use these chaotic times and the uncertainty
to our advantage to really lock in and organize on
what we believe in, whatever it is, because they are.
Speaker 2 (56:18):
I'm glad you did New Martyrs because the rappers ain't
doing it. I've been waiting for a rappers tap into
the moment and just talk about what's going on, and
it just don't feel like they doing it.
Speaker 3 (56:25):
Yeah, I'm glad you did it.
Speaker 1 (56:27):
Love Love, and I'm not I'm not saying I have
the answers or anything. It's definitely it's New Martyrs. Isn't
like we should go do this and it's not like that.
It's just saying, I'm I'm feeling like we are all
at that point where it's like I gotta do I
gotta do something like and and it's only going to
get you know, it's only going to feel more and
more like that as we go.
Speaker 2 (56:47):
If we don't now, Chaos is coming out on October
twenty third, that's also your born day, October twenty Yeah, yeah, absolutely,
Why do you want to do it on your beata?
Speaker 1 (56:58):
I think I wanted to give myself the permission to
move forward, you know, on my birthday. This one's been
it's taking a long time to get here, and it's
like it's symbolic of you know, a new cycles. It's
it's letting go and it's also beginning new What better
time to do that on your birthday?
Speaker 7 (57:17):
You know.
Speaker 1 (57:18):
It's like it's very much, it's very much that. So
I wanted to go in like, ah, okay, we can,
we can move forward and like I said, my next
ten I'm looking at my next ten years. The album
is again symbolic of like the conversation that I want
to have with my audience being deeper and more about
(57:39):
the human being, not just about my ability, you know,
but about who I am and what I believe in
and lock in with my audience like that, and then
to build this this company that's about supporting black and
brown and Latin artists talent across the board, whether it's film,
TV or music, literature, all of those, all of those
left the center ones who deserve development the way that
(58:04):
we need it now, the way art needs it now
that we're not getting and putting capital behind that as
well to support that because we need that too.
Speaker 3 (58:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (58:14):
The website is dope to it's like a blog, yeah
that you upload the different.
Speaker 1 (58:19):
Year kind of kind of reminds us of where we
came from.
Speaker 4 (58:22):
Definitely does.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (58:23):
Yeah, So this is my last question. How do you
measure the success now? Is it impact?
Speaker 1 (58:27):
Is it artistry or is it peace impact? Impact? For sure,
I don't think that any endeavor is peaceful, you know,
any endeavor with real objective, real especially if you're trying
to change something, be it for yourself or for others,
It's not going to be a peaceful journey. It's just
(58:47):
going to come with unforeseen it's gonna come with challenges,
and it's going to come with a lot of pushback,
especially if it's going against the status quo, and that's
not a peaceful experience. But again the values part, you
know that being at the core of things. I think
it's really about if I can wake up and go, man,
(59:09):
I actually did something I feel great about, you know,
and this is something that's going to affect someone in
a positive way, and I could do that for the
rest of my life.
Speaker 4 (59:20):
One last question for you, not about no relationships to promise.
Speaker 1 (59:24):
Is it true that I'm happy? Someone was asking I
was like, who's it gonna be?
Speaker 4 (59:30):
I was reposting all on my space, so I had
to ask some questions. But originally was that a demo
for Usher? Is that a true story?
Speaker 1 (59:37):
Yeah? Well, I wrote the song and I didn't write
it as a demo, say, but we submitted it as
a demo for Usher. Usher was looking at the time.
I'm not sure which album I feel like it was.
It might have been Confessions, it might have been which
I can't hear sure thing on Confessions. Confession is such
a perfect album as it is very different, very different
(59:59):
albu But yeah, sure thing was submitted for one of
those projects, that one another one right after it.
Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
Yeah, well listen, Miguel, were glad you back? Brother is
very very dope, very very dope project. I can't wait
for the world to experience it.
Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
Make you what you want us play right now? I
want to play New Martyrs.
Speaker 1 (01:00:15):
Play New Martyrs. We gotta bang that?
Speaker 3 (01:00:17):
Why not? Yeah, it's Miguel. It's the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (01:00:21):
Every day ago click yours up the Breakfast Club. You'll
finish the y'all done.
The Breakfast Club News
Hosts And Creators
Charlamagne Tha God
DJ Envy
Jess Hilarious
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