Today on The Breakfast Club, Nick Grant Talks 'Smile,' Bars & Books,' J.I.D,. TDE. Interest In Screenwriting. Listen For More!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FM
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Every day clicks.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Up the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
I'm finished for y'all done morning.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Everybody is DJ Envy just hilarious. Charlamagne the guy.
Speaker 4 (00:12):
We are the Breakfast Club. Law La Roses here as well.
We got a special guest in the building. His new
album Smile is out now. Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Graham, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
House today.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, it's the first time you got a four house.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
About halfway remember and he came back again.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Remember, Oh, yeah, you're right, you're right, But no, Laura
wasn't here in the all thing.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Lauren wasn't here.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
How are you my brother?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I'm doing good man, It couldn't be better.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
First track on the album is called another Classic. What
defines a classic?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Can you? Can you say that you got a classic?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
No, you can't. That's just it was sarcasm in the title,
just because of my you know, my my, my two
e piece. Two albums before that was the Sunday Dinner album,
so you know that was like, you know, my magnum
opus into the game, and you know, people like really
respecting that I can make a body of work. So yeah,
that was just sarcasm, just to play on words.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
My first time. That's fire.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
That's track masters to some of my favorite producers. They
did that joint too.
Speaker 7 (01:15):
So yeah, are you now the title of the album smile?
Speaker 6 (01:18):
Are you telling the world to smile or are you
talking about yourself?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I'm telling myself to smile because last year was very,
very hectic, a lot of a lot of ups and downs.
Last year. I lost three people last year, a sister,
my cousin, young school, I don't know people school, and
I lost the childhood friends. So it was like me
going through that and still having to navigate the business.
(01:42):
Just staying sharp was related.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
It's funny. I mean, I know both you'all from Walter.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Bro Yeah, everybody related.
Speaker 5 (01:49):
It's so small, young and everything.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah, I grew up with school. Wow wow.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Wow?
Speaker 7 (01:56):
What got you through those times? I mean, because now
you're at the point where you can smile?
Speaker 6 (02:01):
Or can you? Or is that I can?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I can for sure?
Speaker 6 (02:04):
So what got you?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
You know through that?
Speaker 6 (02:05):
Because back to back, three losses back to back, Yeah, that's.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well, prayer number one, family, just having you know, close
tight knit family and therapy for sure.
Speaker 7 (02:17):
That's And are you talking about it like your loss
and going through it on the album?
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Absolutely? Yeah, absolutely, My sister being like the main person
who was like she moved me to Atlanta. She came
to get me from my grandma. She moved me to Atlanta,
and yeah, that was like, you know, my mother didn't
raise me, so that was like my mother figures, so
it was like super close, you know. So yeah, you
know that's and that stuff is like very difficult to
talk about, but you know, I just feel like somebody
(02:45):
in the world, older, young is going through the same thing.
You know, it'll be criminal for me to not speak
about it.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
And that the image you have on your page, because
I see a woman that.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
You think you could have did this when you was younger,
Like like when you listen to your younger self rap,
Like what do you hear now that you couldn't hear
in Could you even be that emotionally vulnerable man?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's a great question. No, I couldn't. That came with time.
That came with time and just experiences that you know,
even if I went through the same shit, I just
wouldn't process it the same way, just because I just
you know, when you live life different trial, trial and error,
you kind of figure out how to navigate and deal
with these different emotions and you know, having conversations with
(03:27):
older people and they telling you, you know, how to
navigate those things, and again therapy.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
I always wonder when you are able to express those
things on an album, but then you got to go
do come do things like this? Yeah, you know what
I'm saying, Like one, definitely, I'm sure it's easy.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
It Yeah, yeah, nah, I love it, man, I you know,
I love it. I take it. I take it on
the chin, even if I don't want to do these
things and I'm going through it and I don't want
to talk certain days, I don't want to talk about it,
but you know, it's just part of the game. It's
part of the business. So to take it whatever comes
with it.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
Well, A good thing about that is there's always somebody
dealing with the same thing for sure that it want
it looks up to you and they don't know how
to deal with it. So when they see somebody that
they look up to or somebody that's outspoken, so it's
always a good feeling of I'm not the only one.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Right and I'm sorry, you know, I'm sorry. My mentality
has always been to just lift as you climb. Once
you get in a position, whether it's financially, spiritually, emotionally,
and you kind of see somebody going through something, kind
of help them up, and you know, just create a
domino effect that people just you know, helping helping each other.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Did you want to quit?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Because sometimes, you know, people look at things and be like,
I did this because of my system. I did this
because of my cousin, and now that they're not here,
I don't know if it's going to fulfill me the same.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
I've always been very persistent. I mean, you know, I've
been here a lot of times and you know, been
knowing you guys for years, so you know, it's it's
other things that made me want to quit and not
you know, just give up just the business in general.
But in a weird way, this kind of made me
like keep going for sure. It's just kind of like
I can't stop now. I'm so deep in. It's like, what.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Made you want to quit?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
God? Damn?
Speaker 7 (05:08):
He said the business on the album Experience.
Speaker 6 (05:12):
Labels and stuff.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
But he said not that. He said he said that
pushed them to go first.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Get what he's saying. The business, Yeah, just the just
the business side of it, like you know, falling out
with people, different managers, different different sides of the game,
and it's kind of like, man, you get to a
point where you're like, damn, who can I trust? You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 8 (05:31):
So that man, you got a song on there called
Your Price tax On where it kind of talks about
a lot of the things. It's like you want the
success and you want to be able to kind of
move on from certain things, but then there's a lot
that comes with that, like nothing in life is free,
and nothing is free.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Shout out west Side Gunny Young Chris too, to guys
that I just look up to as musicians and all this.
So yeah, man, it's just that battle, that back and forth,
you know, that back and forth if you want all
of these things, and especially when you come in into
the game, in the game, you want everything.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
And so open and excited.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And you know, I said that in one of my records,
like I I came in the industry a wide eyed
child with no surprise they molested my style because it's
like I had all of these things aspirations I wanted
to do. And you know when you're younger and you
see that and people see you like I wanted want that,
and they can they have access to it? You did it?
Speaker 8 (06:24):
Oh my god, you're not lying.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
People. I mean, I didn't even meet it in that way?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Did you meet it?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
He understood what I was saying for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So yeah, but executives that can take advantage of that way.
And if you don't have a certain amount of stability
in your spirit and you know, integrity, you know, you
can get swayed. Are you still with Nah? I was
never with Grand hust so I was with Jason Jeter
and Shaka got you.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
You know, You've always been labeled a lyricists too. Is
that a compliment or is that a box.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Man? So that's an amazing question. I love the label
lyricists of course, of course, just just from the people
that I grew up listening to Tupac's, Denis and the
jay Z's. But now it's like we're in a certain
(07:26):
era where people like, oh, we don't want to hear
that ship anymore. You know what I'm saying. It's like
people don't want to think people don't you know, So
that comes with it too. So yeah, I just think
it's not the cool thing to do today be.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
A lyricist, you know, I only mean I say.
Speaker 5 (07:41):
I think sometimes you're respected for bars, but sometimes that
keeps people from seeing the full artists, or you might
do a record that it might be some turn up
that you actually.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Like, this is unfamiliar for me, Like I'm not they
don't want to see you in a certain space. But
you know, it's the duality of artists, like we gotta
try and do everything, you know what I'm saying. So
that's what your favorite artists do. And if you don't
allow them to grow and do that, you know, it
kind of stunts hip hop. It kind of stunts your
position in a way where you can't like be progressive
(08:13):
in this thing for real.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So what are you doing that? Now? What are others
doing that?
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Maybe you're not doing because Kendrick is a lyricist, right,
A Drake is a lyricus.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
It's a Coal is a lyricist for sure.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
While all these people have had different commercial success, they're
all lyricists. We just saw Jade at the Roots Picnic
give us soliloquy of bars that everybody's talking about.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Like, man, that's so crazy. We just had me and
one of my friends just had this conversation and he
was like, yo, you know, the Big Three is like
we was selfish in a way because when you look
at all of these different artists, when you look at
the Kendrick Lamar's, the j Cole's, and you know, the Drakes.
With Drake it was Lil Wayne. With Cole it was
Jay Z where Kendrick it was doctor Dre. He was like,
(08:55):
you know, lyrically and lyricism is like a boys club,
So if you have a certain level of talent, you
have to be ushered in by people that we already
love and respect. That kind of makes it easier to
you know, it makes your music more palatable and people
open their ears a little more once somebody else brings
you in that sense.
Speaker 8 (09:13):
I think that that's kind of the conversation you were
talking sure about Jay Cole and Jit, Like how I mean,
he's there, he's on the label, but there are people
who would say they feel like he didn't support him
the way he should have, even though he's already doing well.
Speaker 6 (09:24):
But you kind of do need that. That's cool.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Absolutely, that goes back to fifty eminem eminem Doctor J.
That goes back to that, Like, you know, I'm not
sure it's kind of a little before my time. But
even what I'm thinking now, it's like jay Z too,
like we love jay forever. But when Biggie did like this,
it was kind of different, kind of change everything.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Even before that it was a jazz oo.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
I get what you're saying, Like, yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
You know what I'm saying. I think that helps, that
helps start this more.
Speaker 8 (09:51):
Was there a moment when you I mean, you're still
figuring it out, but you're here though, right, Like, was
there ever a moment where you were like, Okay, I
think I'm getting that arm and then it was like, oh, okay,
this ain't what I thought it would be.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Not publicly, I get it. I get a lot of
it behind the scenes from a lot of different artists.
Speaker 8 (10:06):
Does it make you upset that you don't get it
publicly but it's behind the scenes.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Uh, I'm I don't get upset, but I do like
I want to do that, yeah, video, do a record,
do something, But you know I don't. I don't just
dwell on that. I kind of just keep keep pushing you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Was you was flirting with the TD thing at one point?
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Door right?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah. Punches, my man Punch was one of the few
people that like I stayed close to in the business,
but he was doing this this group thing. He was
doing this group thing, and at the time, it wasn't
just like the best thing for me in that moment.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So he wanted you to be in one of the groups.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
To be he wanted me to be in one of
the group was a room full of mirrors. Man, I
think a little I think a lot of it was ego,
me just being in a certain space in my career
and it was like I felt like I was starting
from from scratch again, you know, And you know it
was it was a little bit of fear and ego
of having to go back to doing that what.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Energy feeld a song like generational Runs No Shortcuts.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Man, I just I just felt like it it's hard
to be good at anything for a long time, or
be critically acclaimed that's something for a long time. So
I felt like, not even numbers wise, but just talent wise,
I've been really good for a long time. So it's
like that that I came up with the term generational
runs just because of.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
That, and then no Shortcuts part.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Then no Shortcuts it was like, you know, just a
statement for my career. You know what I'm saying it's
like I took the long way. It was beneficial in
a lot of different ways. But again, when those things
are waved in your face and different things are waved
than your face, like you know, no shortcuts, I'd rather
(11:55):
go the long way, and then to compromise my integrity,
I want to.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Ask you know, when you do see artists who might
not be as lyrical as you or as nice as you,
but you see they have more success, does that bother.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
You at all? Nah, my race is different. I just
think my journey and my time and what I do
is just different. You know. I never say what nobody
deserves or what they don't deserve. I don't know what
they've been through, so I can't say, you know, this
person doesn't deserve this. But for me, man, I'm just
you know, I know, I waive a certain flag and
I just gotta stay on that.
Speaker 7 (12:29):
Yeah, what keeps you dedicated as to being an independent artist?
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Man? So many different things, family, because these different experiences
that I go through, So that keeps it, you know,
And I just don't want to I don't want to
just jump back into a system without a plan. Yeah,
that too, I think you have to plan before you
get back into a big machine like that.
Speaker 6 (12:57):
Is it more challenging than.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
As as an independent artist? It is? It is, It
is for a lot of times. But I think for
me it is some of the most fun I ever
had creating projects because you don't have certain people coming
into the room, Hey listen to this BPM, you need
to wrap on this, and you need to do all
this different stuff. So it's kind of just me just
doing what I feel. Yeah. Yeah, So that's and on
(13:22):
the major I didn't have that. I didn't have that luxury.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
So how do you stop disappointment from turning into bidiness?
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Because I do feel like you're overlooking for sure, and
that's got to be disappointment sometimes. How do you stop
that from turning into.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Just overlooked by the masses. But it's people that love
and support a lot of my stuff. When people actually listen,
they actually really support it and stamp it and applied
to their life. Like so, I just think it's a
time thing or the right situation, you know. But I
think for me, it's like the turning point could be tomorrow,
(14:01):
you know what I'm saying. So if you quit today
and it's like shit, you don't want to be one
of those I wish niggas, you know what I mean.
So it's like, just keep going, Just keep going, That's
what it's about.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Have you have you ever been taking off any I
remember you saying that before you got took off some records, right,
like some records from like some some artists that that
feature probably could have changed a lot.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah, a few people. Or I was supposed to show
up to a lot of different studio sessions and it
was like, don't show up, just come come tomorrow and
lay your verse. And you know, if it's like that,
I wouldn't. I don't even want to go.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
But don't you feel like sometimes man, that is a
part of my story, So why not tell it?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Right? I do? I do, But I just feel like
that causes more conflict and put more things in my
pathway as to where I'm trying to get to. You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
You believe you think people can really block nobody can
block your blessing.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
What's for you?
Speaker 5 (14:52):
For you?
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Man, that's that's a great thing. But I've seen so
many people, like you know, mess up a lot of
different things for people that could advance people's careers, you
know what I'm saying. So it's like, in a weird way, Yeah,
nobody can block your blessings.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
But there's a lot of sensitive gangsters.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Yeah, great segue. Yeah, it's a lot of them. It's
a lot of them, man, And it's like God is
gonna give it to you in another way. But this
is one of the few things I've seen where people
can kind of, you know, change your trajectory. You know
what I mean?
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Who the entity behind that record?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Sensitive gangsters?
Speaker 6 (15:30):
Man?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Just listening to you know, I got a bunch of
people that I talked to just and you know, got
into a thing with a friend where it was like, no,
I don't want to hear his ship today, like who's
doing what? Who outside doing what in the streets. I
just wasn't knowing that at the time, and he kind
of got mad at me and we felt out about
it and I wrote a song about it.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Wow, what did he say?
Speaker 2 (15:55):
It was a combination of different things, so you know,
the directing about him, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Now, damn, damn, damn.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
I've heard you mentioned therapy a couple of times too, man, Like,
like what version of Nick Grant are you trying to
trying to heal from man.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Things that I could protect, I could project onto my
child that have kind of withstun his growth in society.
So and a lot of that stuff I killed before
he got here. But I'm still like, you know, we
hear me. We're working on ourself every day. So yeah,
just trying to protect him from different things and showing
things that I never got to see or didn't have.
(16:39):
And I think that's important. But it's hard to navigate
and know what you didn't have to kind of give
him the right thing. So it's also having the right
you know, mentors and different people around you to help
you navigate that as well.
Speaker 8 (16:52):
Do you have mentors that are helping you navigate just
that piece of it, like the dad?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Oh for sure, for sure. My uncle's like I talk
to him every day. Y'all talk to my uncle every
day and he always just tells me, you know, look
after them babies. Man, just different just different things or
whatever I see, and you know, but it's it's interesting
for me because it's like I'm seeing his personality and
I'm seeing like things that I went through and we
(17:17):
have the same personality. But I'm like, yo, he probably
would have been able to navigate this the same way.
But it's like, yeah, man, it's just it's just dope
to see. It's dope to see. But I'm doing a
right doing a good job.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
What do you do when the dream comes true but
doesn't feel the way you imagined it would?
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh, man, that's a real question. Doesn't feel the way
I have? I had that feeling a lot of times.
You know, it's like, ah, man, people fighting if they
hold life to this. But it's just the love of
the music, man, for sure. That just keeps me going.
(17:57):
You know what I'm saying. If you attach you in
it for the wrong reasons, if you if you're looking,
you're looking for that you kind of got to just
love being a creative and just staying positive as you
as you make music.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Report But what did you learn from the industry? Because
I see you post industry Rule number four thousand and
eighty right, stop colt quests, right, So what did you
learn from the industry that that that virtue that you said,
I will never do that again.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Man?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
People are selfish. People are selfish. Everybody just they feel
like it's not enough room for everybody. I just think
people are very selfish you know. You know I didn't
come up that way. I come up like you got
something and your brother don't have it? Man, break that
shit in half and give it to up. You know.
I came up like that. So in this business man
and it's like they not even fighting for money. It's always,
(18:42):
for the most most times, it's attention, you know what
I'm saying. So I see that, it's like it's like, yeah,
that makes you want to like stop too.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
So but yeah, do you think the game is more
competitive now or people just more insecure?
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Uh? People just more insecure? Yeah? People you're you're insecure city.
To get you out of here, you know what I'm saying,
because you a jump out there thinking, you know, you
can handle this person because of your insecurity. They speak
louder than what you can actually handle. So you get
out there and it's like, don't go the way you thought. So, yeah, that.
Speaker 8 (19:16):
Has to be difficult as a music artist trying to
build because in summer, like if you do a media
or something, you can kind of control your own space.
You can sit at home down stream and be a
media person. You gotta get outside, you gotta talk to people.
Distribution deals probably coming your way, and you want to
get bigger and grow. The machine is going to be
there at some point. What's the vision? Like, how are
you long term planning to like navigate all of that,
(19:38):
cause that's just gonna get worse.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
For sure. I want to transition into another space. Punch
was Punch actually put this planet to see for me.
He was talking about this we did. I did a
movie for one of the Sunday Dinner albums. It's like
a comedy. He was like, Yo, you should just like
get into filming screenwriting, and showed them something the other
day that I did. It's kind of surprising what it.
(20:01):
He was like, Yo, this is actually dope. I used
to do it. So that's that's the thing, the new
thing that I kind of got bit by that I'm
trying to like work on and perfect and be great at.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
You're probably right, I mean, I mean I think about
somebody like Little Dickie, right, Like Little Dickie had a
fan base. Yeah he was cool as an artist, but man,
that day show was hilarious.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Better than the music, you know what I mean? For sure?
Speaker 5 (20:25):
You know, and and and probably makes people have more anticipation.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
For whatever you're about to drop for percent. I agree
with that. I think I think today you have to
be like a multi hyphen in and you know, do
different things. Man, that's that's important. If not, you'll you'll drown.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
Is there a story you want to tell through that
art like film that you can't tell through the music?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Uh? Yeah, I'll tell you about this this thing I
did so my dad. I don't know. Of course everybody
knows freakingick. But my dad used to do like the shirts,
iconic freaking shirts.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yeah, okay, he used to make.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Those shirts and he would like take me out there
to eld the shirts. So I'm like, yo, I want
to make a movie about like these these teens that
were like, you know, going to Freaknick and everything goes left.
It's like a comedy. It's like everything goes left and
you know. So, yeah, that's that's like something I wanted
to do.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
So your dad has given you a bunch of Freaknick stores.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah too explicit? Too explicit?
Speaker 7 (21:25):
You having a listening experience jud Fifth at the Brooklyn
Public Library.
Speaker 6 (21:29):
Why the library? I think it's dope, But why did
you choose the.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
I saw I saw jay Z do something there, so
I wanted to do it. Just be honest. Yeah, I
saw that and I loved his like this whole thing
he had on display with with the albums and stuff.
So I was like, yo, I want to say something
like that.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
I'll be going so when you have the listening experience, right.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
Just so crazy you in the library.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I just never these books anymore.
Speaker 6 (22:08):
This is great, This is great.
Speaker 7 (22:10):
But although the name of the album is Smile right,
it's a lot of heavy things that you're talking about
in it, you don't you don't think it will be
very emotional, like how you think you do?
Speaker 6 (22:20):
You have like how you're gonna get used, you're gonna
get how you're gonna get through the listening experience show.
This is a heavy ass album and the library, so
you know you.
Speaker 7 (22:29):
Think, I don't think you're gonna cry in the library?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Yo, books making.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
I'm not talking about like that.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
You mean when he's performing records.
Speaker 6 (22:45):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
There's a lot of things on the album that's very heavy.
It's heavy anyway. Yeah, so yeah, you don't think about
it be very emotional night.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
The paperbacks.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
No, I'm not gonna cry.
Speaker 7 (23:05):
I'm not gonna cry just because but it's a real
it's a real big question.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Sure, different, yes, different. It is different when you when
you this would be the biggest crowd that I played
the album in front of, so like to seeing them
and living being in the moment as the music is
being played, and it's like it's a bittersweet in the
way because.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
That could hit somebody else like oh I lost such
and such.
Speaker 7 (23:32):
Trying to still get through. I'm trying to navigate beef
and you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
And all of these people are here for you. So
it's kind of it's like the moment of like right,
like damn, this is a beautiful moment. But we're talking
about this. So now I'm with you, but you're not
cry There's nothing wrong with crime.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
And it is men's mental health. I don't know if
you knew that, but I know that.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
You're still talking.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
This is.
Speaker 6 (24:07):
They don't taken't take.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Me serious show.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
Guys.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Question.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Of course, you've seen what's been going on with with
South Carolina. Has that helped what you were doing because
at one time, I know it was difficult because there
weren't too many artists from South Carolina.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
But you're seeing all You've seen a lot more than.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Yeah, trap Dicky love him man, good guy too, man
like good, good spirited dude. When you see him in
me the mom Yeah, No, I love it. I love it.
It's a few, it's it's not a lot of people,
but it's more than. It's more than it was more than.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
What's what's the biggest lie? You've had to stop believing
about success? Because I think I got one for you,
but I want to hear what you think.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Hm hmm. The biggest lie had to stop believing about success,
that that it can always make things better. Sometimes it
can it can make your life worse. Ways expound on that.
I think it brings out the worst and people when
they see you in a certain light, you know what
I'm saying. And you could have known somebody your whole
(25:12):
life and once you once you start having success, they'll
change on you, you know what I'm saying. So that's
one of the things like once I got to a
certain position, you know, I had to like start cutting
certain people off because it was like, damn, man, I
know you twenty years and you out of nowhere. You
know what I'm saying. And it's so many different emotions
people go through when you when you get there too.
(25:36):
And I think jealousy is the main.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
One about what about talent being enough? Nick talent is
enough hard work guarantee.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yah. That's another good one too. Yeah, that's another good one.
And it goes back to what you were saying, like
people don't be wanting as a lyricist. People don't want
to hear all that, like are you actually talented if
you're a lyricist today? That's another question. They put all
these like bad tags on lyricists and bad bad things
to say about lyricists in these times.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
So I like what you said about the code sign
because to that point, I always felt like I used
to be like, man, I want to hear a Kendrick
Rhapsody album. I think about it like that, what if
Kendrick did connected with Rhapsody where he connected with his
cousin baby like that.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
You know what if somebody like Kendrick said, he.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That's my guy?
Speaker 1 (26:28):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
I think about that all the time, Like Rhapsody is dope.
She's been dope for wow too, So like why hasn't
that happened? Why doesn't something like that happen? I'm asking,
I'm asking, why do y'all think stuff like that doesn't happen.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
I don't even know how cool a if they you know,
if they are cool. I mean, this could be something
that we think of in dream of.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
But when you say stuff like that, what you mean
like like Rhapsody.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Not yourself in general, just in general, Like I think.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
Success is subjective, right because to me, somebody like Rhapsody
is for sure. I mean for a Grammy endorsement, deals
dope dope album.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
You're not saying she's not successful, but she would that
look would like I would.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
Just like to see her everywhere.
Speaker 7 (27:10):
Yeah, I see, you know other mainstream models like I
would like to see her everywhere more places.
Speaker 6 (27:16):
Same true, Like I just love to see to go to.
Speaker 5 (27:21):
Yo.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
If I had shows in the many, I would come
to the libary was like I even wrote a book,
you know, like I even wrote a book, so you know,
library is cool.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
How do you feel people just people on your projects.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Were talking about I told that that you cook him.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Heard yet probably, but boy when he here.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
He's gonna get me too for letting him do that.
I told that that you're gonna get us embarrassed. Yeah yeah,
but nah yeah shout out to side how man super
dope lyricist. That versus crazy though that verses dope. But yeah,
nah he's I told.
Speaker 6 (28:09):
Him what you say was talking about the snowbody's.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Nah the school, Yeah, he ran off with the money.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
One thing you say on that record, And it's funny
because back in the day that probably would have caused problems.
You said, bigger than compet bigger than the competition. They
know who the Willace is. And it made me think
of that when when Kendrick said he was the king
of New York line, Mm, you know was that the
mind frame musing.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
One hundred percent. I'm always in that mind friend, Like
once you don't once you don't get the love. In
a weird way, you kind of like the bad child
that acts out and you like, you know, not that
you're screaming for attention, but it's like this is what
it's about. Kind of kind of helps with you know,
if you do have that energy just being just being competitive.
(28:54):
But yeah, I'm always on that. I'm always on that.
Speaker 8 (28:58):
Yeah, what is somebody like I was going to talking
about being competitive? I mentioned Jid earlier. I saw the
whole it was like the tweet. Then you went on
the podcast. I was having a conversation about you know,
you being a better rapper than j D.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
Is that like competitiveness or like.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
What, yeah, that's cap.
Speaker 6 (29:16):
Cap somebody had tweeted.
Speaker 8 (29:18):
On like there's no better rapper than Blitters or something
like that. Then and then he responded with the caps
And then you went to go do an interview and
it brought it up and you doubled down on it.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
You gotta stand on them when once you said, I mean,
I don't think that's far fettered though, and I like JID,
I think is super dope.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
That reach to say, Nick Gran, I mean that's a
competitive that'd be a competitive.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
You know, a battle.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah, nobody else thought that too. I thought I was
gonna get a lot of heat for it. Uh niggas
calling me a hater or something, But not a lot
of people agreed. So mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
What made you respond to that one? Because you could
have just left that alone? What made you say that.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Anybody playing with me? What made you?
Speaker 6 (30:03):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I just wanted to do it. I just wanted to
do it. I was just on that. I just probably
was upset with people just spewing certain things because that's
just silly to think, like there's so many people out
here that can rap. You got the Ruben Vincent, you
got Marco, you got so many people that's rhyming. Yeah,
(30:26):
for sure. Podcast it is dope. Yeah, so many people
that rap. So to say that is like, it's crazy.
Speaker 7 (30:35):
But you're supposed to think about yourself though, you know
what I mean as an artist.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Definitely were you at library on stage? You got.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yo against the library? I switched my ship.
Speaker 6 (30:58):
Was there when they come? I got shows, I do
comedy or whatever.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
I got shows.
Speaker 6 (31:06):
But I'm saying I would come to the Libery.
Speaker 7 (31:08):
I just wanted to know why we you know why
you I never heard of listening experience, and.
Speaker 6 (31:14):
You know, like you know, being in the library. I
think it's hot, it's studious, it's real, it's.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Dope, studious, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
I'm switching my ship.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
I don't do that.
Speaker 6 (31:24):
Don't do it. No, I like it. Watch you're gonna
start it. Watch other niggas gonna be like, you need
to go to the library.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Hop. Yeah, that's why I got it.
Speaker 6 (31:36):
Well, then that's even better. That's what's up ya, that's
what's up.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Listen. I know you love hip hop, man, but you
still love the music business.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
No I don't. I don't just so much, just so
much in my story where I'm just like, you know,
it's back to the selfish people. You know, it's very
few and far between. You you just meet real people
and this ship bro so like, you know, the thing
that keeps it together is this jinging and yang of
(32:06):
hating the music business but loving the music. So that's
like that's like the the tug of war spiritually that
you battle with. But it's very few and far far between.
You just meet genuine people that just want to help,
you know, and I just I go where I'm I'm wanted. So,
you know, the Punches, the West Side Guns, all of
these different people, I'm kind of I'm kind of like
(32:27):
the cousin to them that they just fuck with. Like
so it's like it's dope. But the business part of it, like, yeah,
I'm not a fan.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Of but it's not the punch, you know, I got,
I got mar respect for punch. You know, y'all got
the same song record. But it's not just the music
that sound the same. Every time I hear artists talk
about the music business, that sound.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Like they singing the same song.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
So for sure, but somebody like a punch is in
a position to change the song.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Right, to change the song? What you mean to change
the song? But he's been doing that though, He's been
doing that. Yeah, he's been doing that for a while.
Like their contributions to the games, you know, kept this ship,
like kept lyricism at a certain level, and just just
great artistry, not even I don't even want to say lyricism,
but just great artistry as far as rappers and even
(33:17):
R and B. You know, he's one of the biggest
R and B stars right there.
Speaker 5 (33:20):
So what could he do to press the button even more?
For Nick Grant? You just think it's a matter of
time for you.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
I just think it's a matter of a matter of time.
And I think I think with me and him, we
kind of just developed some stuff where it's people around
him that's just asking him for stuff all day. We
don't have We don't kind of we don't have that relationship.
I don't you know, I don't even want that kind
of relationship with you. If we genuinely got a bond
with each other, pull up on you, fuck with you,
pull up on me, fuck with me. And that's that's
(33:48):
basically what our relationship has been since we known each other.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
I can understand.
Speaker 8 (33:51):
I also feel like too, when when whatever it is
that you're looking for it comes, you wanted to like
be so like. No, it couldn't have been for nobody
but you that like it catapult to everything you don't
want it to feel like it's here today.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
And because I can ask them for anything here, I
just wanted to be as organic as possible when I do.
When I do get that moment to go to the
next line, and it will be thank you, Nick Grant.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
That's right, Well, let's let's get in the join of that.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
What you want to hear, man, I want to hear
money problems.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Money, money problems. All right?
Speaker 4 (34:21):
The album Smiles is out now. He will be at
the library this Friday.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Public.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Public listening experience. Just won't be there, But y'all.
Speaker 6 (34:33):
Won't be there either. You're talking about me.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I've been to the library.
Speaker 6 (34:37):
No, I've been to libraries too.
Speaker 7 (34:38):
I won't be at the listening experience because I have
shows in Atlanta.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
You know how I go. Nick.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
I'm just saying, ladies and gentlemen, it's Nick Grant is
the Brenda Club.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Thank you guys man.
Speaker 5 (34:48):
Every day waiting clicks up the breakfast club, you don't
finish for y'all.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Dunk
Every day clicks.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Up the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
I'm finished for y'all done morning.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Everybody is DJ Envy just hilarious. Charlamagne the guy.
Speaker 4 (00:12):
We are the Breakfast Club. Law La Roses here as well.
We got a special guest in the building. His new
album Smile is out now. Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Graham, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
House today.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, it's the first time you got a four house.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
About halfway remember and he came back again.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Remember, Oh, yeah, you're right, you're right, But no, Laura
wasn't here in the all thing.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Lauren wasn't here.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
How are you my brother?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I'm doing good man, It couldn't be better.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
First track on the album is called another Classic. What
defines a classic?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Can you? Can you say that you got a classic?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
No, you can't. That's just it was sarcasm in the title,
just because of my you know, my my, my two
e piece. Two albums before that was the Sunday Dinner album,
so you know that was like, you know, my magnum
opus into the game, and you know, people like really
respecting that I can make a body of work. So yeah,
that was just sarcasm, just to play on words.
Speaker 6 (01:06):
My first time. That's fire.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
That's track masters to some of my favorite producers. They
did that joint too.
Speaker 7 (01:15):
So yeah, are you now the title of the album smile?
Speaker 6 (01:18):
Are you telling the world to smile or are you
talking about yourself?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I'm telling myself to smile because last year was very,
very hectic, a lot of a lot of ups and downs.
Last year. I lost three people last year, a sister,
my cousin, young school, I don't know people school, and
I lost the childhood friends. So it was like me
going through that and still having to navigate the business.
(01:42):
Just staying sharp was related.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
It's funny. I mean, I know both you'all from Walter.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Bro Yeah, everybody related.
Speaker 5 (01:49):
It's so small, young and everything.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah, I grew up with school. Wow wow.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Wow?
Speaker 7 (01:56):
What got you through those times? I mean, because now
you're at the point where you can smile?
Speaker 6 (02:01):
Or can you? Or is that I can?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I can for sure?
Speaker 6 (02:04):
So what got you?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
You know through that?
Speaker 6 (02:05):
Because back to back, three losses back to back, Yeah, that's.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Well, prayer number one, family, just having you know, close
tight knit family and therapy for sure.
Speaker 7 (02:17):
That's And are you talking about it like your loss
and going through it on the album?
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Absolutely? Yeah, absolutely, My sister being like the main person
who was like she moved me to Atlanta. She came
to get me from my grandma. She moved me to Atlanta,
and yeah, that was like, you know, my mother didn't
raise me, so that was like my mother figures, so
it was like super close, you know. So yeah, you
know that's and that stuff is like very difficult to
talk about, but you know, I just feel like somebody
(02:45):
in the world, older, young is going through the same thing.
You know, it'll be criminal for me to not speak
about it.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
And that the image you have on your page, because
I see a woman that.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
You think you could have did this when you was younger,
Like like when you listen to your younger self rap,
Like what do you hear now that you couldn't hear
in Could you even be that emotionally vulnerable man?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
That's a great question. No, I couldn't. That came with time.
That came with time and just experiences that you know,
even if I went through the same shit, I just
wouldn't process it the same way, just because I just
you know, when you live life different trial, trial and error,
you kind of figure out how to navigate and deal
with these different emotions and you know, having conversations with
(03:27):
older people and they telling you, you know, how to
navigate those things, and again therapy.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
I always wonder when you are able to express those
things on an album, but then you got to go
do come do things like this? Yeah, you know what
I'm saying, Like one, definitely, I'm sure it's easy.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
It Yeah, yeah, nah, I love it, man, I you know,
I love it. I take it. I take it on
the chin, even if I don't want to do these
things and I'm going through it and I don't want
to talk certain days, I don't want to talk about it,
but you know, it's just part of the game. It's
part of the business. So to take it whatever comes
with it.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
Well, A good thing about that is there's always somebody
dealing with the same thing for sure that it want
it looks up to you and they don't know how
to deal with it. So when they see somebody that
they look up to or somebody that's outspoken, so it's
always a good feeling of I'm not the only one.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Right and I'm sorry, you know, I'm sorry. My mentality
has always been to just lift as you climb. Once
you get in a position, whether it's financially, spiritually, emotionally,
and you kind of see somebody going through something, kind
of help them up, and you know, just create a
domino effect that people just you know, helping helping each other.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Did you want to quit?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Because sometimes, you know, people look at things and be like,
I did this because of my system. I did this
because of my cousin, and now that they're not here,
I don't know if it's going to fulfill me the same.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
I've always been very persistent. I mean, you know, I've
been here a lot of times and you know, been
knowing you guys for years, so you know, it's it's
other things that made me want to quit and not
you know, just give up just the business in general.
But in a weird way, this kind of made me
like keep going for sure. It's just kind of like
I can't stop now. I'm so deep in. It's like, what.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Made you want to quit?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
God? Damn?
Speaker 7 (05:08):
He said the business on the album Experience.
Speaker 6 (05:12):
Labels and stuff.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
But he said not that. He said he said that
pushed them to go first.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Get what he's saying. The business, Yeah, just the just
the business side of it, like you know, falling out
with people, different managers, different different sides of the game,
and it's kind of like, man, you get to a
point where you're like, damn, who can I trust? You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 8 (05:31):
So that man, you got a song on there called
Your Price tax On where it kind of talks about
a lot of the things. It's like you want the
success and you want to be able to kind of
move on from certain things, but then there's a lot
that comes with that, like nothing in life is free,
and nothing is free.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Shout out west Side Gunny Young Chris too, to guys
that I just look up to as musicians and all this.
So yeah, man, it's just that battle, that back and forth,
you know, that back and forth if you want all
of these things, and especially when you come in into
the game, in the game, you want everything.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
And so open and excited.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And you know, I said that in one of my records,
like I I came in the industry a wide eyed
child with no surprise they molested my style because it's
like I had all of these things aspirations I wanted
to do. And you know when you're younger and you
see that and people see you like I wanted want that,
and they can they have access to it? You did it?
Speaker 8 (06:24):
Oh my god, you're not lying.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
People. I mean, I didn't even meet it in that way?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Did you meet it?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
He understood what I was saying for sure, for sure.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So yeah, but executives that can take advantage of that way.
And if you don't have a certain amount of stability
in your spirit and you know, integrity, you know, you
can get swayed. Are you still with Nah? I was
never with Grand hust so I was with Jason Jeter
and Shaka got you.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
You know, You've always been labeled a lyricists too. Is
that a compliment or is that a box.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Man? So that's an amazing question. I love the label
lyricists of course, of course, just just from the people
that I grew up listening to Tupac's, Denis and the
jay Z's. But now it's like we're in a certain
(07:26):
era where people like, oh, we don't want to hear
that ship anymore. You know what I'm saying. It's like
people don't want to think people don't you know, So
that comes with it too. So yeah, I just think
it's not the cool thing to do today be.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
A lyricist, you know, I only mean I say.
Speaker 5 (07:41):
I think sometimes you're respected for bars, but sometimes that
keeps people from seeing the full artists, or you might
do a record that it might be some turn up
that you actually.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Like, this is unfamiliar for me, Like I'm not they
don't want to see you in a certain space. But
you know, it's the duality of artists, like we gotta
try and do everything, you know what I'm saying. So
that's what your favorite artists do. And if you don't
allow them to grow and do that, you know, it
kind of stunts hip hop. It kind of stunts your
position in a way where you can't like be progressive
(08:13):
in this thing for real.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
So what are you doing that? Now? What are others
doing that?
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Maybe you're not doing because Kendrick is a lyricist, right,
A Drake is a lyricus.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
It's a Coal is a lyricist for sure.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
While all these people have had different commercial success, they're
all lyricists. We just saw Jade at the Roots Picnic
give us soliloquy of bars that everybody's talking about.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Like, man, that's so crazy. We just had me and
one of my friends just had this conversation and he
was like, yo, you know, the Big Three is like
we was selfish in a way because when you look
at all of these different artists, when you look at
the Kendrick Lamar's, the j Cole's, and you know, the Drakes.
With Drake it was Lil Wayne. With Cole it was
Jay Z where Kendrick it was doctor Dre. He was like,
(08:55):
you know, lyrically and lyricism is like a boys club,
So if you have a certain level of talent, you
have to be ushered in by people that we already
love and respect. That kind of makes it easier to
you know, it makes your music more palatable and people
open their ears a little more once somebody else brings
you in that sense.
Speaker 8 (09:13):
I think that that's kind of the conversation you were
talking sure about Jay Cole and Jit, Like how I mean,
he's there, he's on the label, but there are people
who would say they feel like he didn't support him
the way he should have, even though he's already doing well.
Speaker 6 (09:24):
But you kind of do need that. That's cool.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Absolutely, that goes back to fifty eminem eminem Doctor J.
That goes back to that, Like, you know, I'm not
sure it's kind of a little before my time. But
even what I'm thinking now, it's like jay Z too,
like we love jay forever. But when Biggie did like this,
it was kind of different, kind of change everything.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Even before that it was a jazz oo.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
I get what you're saying, Like, yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
You know what I'm saying. I think that helps, that
helps start this more.
Speaker 8 (09:51):
Was there a moment when you I mean, you're still
figuring it out, but you're here though, right, Like, was
there ever a moment where you were like, Okay, I
think I'm getting that arm and then it was like, oh, okay,
this ain't what I thought it would be.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Not publicly, I get it. I get a lot of
it behind the scenes from a lot of different artists.
Speaker 8 (10:06):
Does it make you upset that you don't get it
publicly but it's behind the scenes.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Uh, I'm I don't get upset, but I do like
I want to do that, yeah, video, do a record,
do something, But you know I don't. I don't just
dwell on that. I kind of just keep keep pushing you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Was you was flirting with the TD thing at one point?
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Door right?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah. Punches, my man Punch was one of the few
people that like I stayed close to in the business,
but he was doing this this group thing. He was
doing this group thing, and at the time, it wasn't
just like the best thing for me in that moment.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So he wanted you to be in one of the groups.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
To be he wanted me to be in one of
the group was a room full of mirrors. Man, I
think a little I think a lot of it was ego,
me just being in a certain space in my career
and it was like I felt like I was starting
from from scratch again, you know, And you know it
was it was a little bit of fear and ego
of having to go back to doing that what.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Energy feeld a song like generational Runs No Shortcuts.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Man, I just I just felt like it it's hard
to be good at anything for a long time, or
be critically acclaimed that's something for a long time. So
I felt like, not even numbers wise, but just talent wise,
I've been really good for a long time. So it's
like that that I came up with the term generational
runs just because of.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
That, and then no Shortcuts part.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Then no Shortcuts it was like, you know, just a
statement for my career. You know what I'm saying it's
like I took the long way. It was beneficial in
a lot of different ways. But again, when those things
are waved in your face and different things are waved
than your face, like you know, no shortcuts, I'd rather
(11:55):
go the long way, and then to compromise my integrity,
I want to.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Ask you know, when you do see artists who might
not be as lyrical as you or as nice as you,
but you see they have more success, does that bother.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
You at all? Nah, my race is different. I just
think my journey and my time and what I do
is just different. You know. I never say what nobody
deserves or what they don't deserve. I don't know what
they've been through, so I can't say, you know, this
person doesn't deserve this. But for me, man, I'm just
you know, I know, I waive a certain flag and
I just gotta stay on that.
Speaker 7 (12:29):
Yeah, what keeps you dedicated as to being an independent artist?
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Man? So many different things, family, because these different experiences
that I go through, So that keeps it, you know,
And I just don't want to I don't want to
just jump back into a system without a plan. Yeah,
that too, I think you have to plan before you
get back into a big machine like that.
Speaker 6 (12:57):
Is it more challenging than.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
As as an independent artist? It is? It is, It
is for a lot of times. But I think for
me it is some of the most fun I ever
had creating projects because you don't have certain people coming
into the room, Hey listen to this BPM, you need
to wrap on this, and you need to do all
this different stuff. So it's kind of just me just
doing what I feel. Yeah. Yeah, So that's and on
(13:22):
the major I didn't have that. I didn't have that luxury.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
So how do you stop disappointment from turning into bidiness?
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Because I do feel like you're overlooking for sure, and
that's got to be disappointment sometimes. How do you stop
that from turning into.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Just overlooked by the masses. But it's people that love
and support a lot of my stuff. When people actually listen,
they actually really support it and stamp it and applied
to their life. Like so, I just think it's a
time thing or the right situation, you know. But I
think for me, it's like the turning point could be tomorrow,
(14:01):
you know what I'm saying. So if you quit today
and it's like shit, you don't want to be one
of those I wish niggas, you know what I mean.
So it's like, just keep going, Just keep going, That's
what it's about.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Have you have you ever been taking off any I
remember you saying that before you got took off some records, right,
like some records from like some some artists that that
feature probably could have changed a lot.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah, a few people. Or I was supposed to show
up to a lot of different studio sessions and it
was like, don't show up, just come come tomorrow and
lay your verse. And you know, if it's like that,
I wouldn't. I don't even want to go.
Speaker 5 (14:34):
But don't you feel like sometimes man, that is a
part of my story, So why not tell it?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Right? I do? I do, But I just feel like
that causes more conflict and put more things in my
pathway as to where I'm trying to get to. You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
You believe you think people can really block nobody can
block your blessing.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
What's for you?
Speaker 5 (14:52):
For you?
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Man, that's that's a great thing. But I've seen so
many people, like you know, mess up a lot of
different things for people that could advance people's careers, you
know what I'm saying. So it's like, in a weird way, Yeah,
nobody can block your blessings.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
But there's a lot of sensitive gangsters.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Yeah, great segue. Yeah, it's a lot of them. It's
a lot of them, man, And it's like God is
gonna give it to you in another way. But this
is one of the few things I've seen where people
can kind of, you know, change your trajectory. You know
what I mean?
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Who the entity behind that record?
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Sensitive gangsters?
Speaker 6 (15:30):
Man?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Just listening to you know, I got a bunch of
people that I talked to just and you know, got
into a thing with a friend where it was like, no,
I don't want to hear his ship today, like who's
doing what? Who outside doing what in the streets. I
just wasn't knowing that at the time, and he kind
of got mad at me and we felt out about
it and I wrote a song about it.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Wow, what did he say?
Speaker 2 (15:55):
It was a combination of different things, so you know,
the directing about him, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Now, damn, damn, damn.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
I've heard you mentioned therapy a couple of times too, man, Like,
like what version of Nick Grant are you trying to
trying to heal from man.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Things that I could protect, I could project onto my
child that have kind of withstun his growth in society.
So and a lot of that stuff I killed before
he got here. But I'm still like, you know, we
hear me. We're working on ourself every day. So yeah,
just trying to protect him from different things and showing
things that I never got to see or didn't have.
(16:39):
And I think that's important. But it's hard to navigate
and know what you didn't have to kind of give
him the right thing. So it's also having the right
you know, mentors and different people around you to help
you navigate that as well.
Speaker 8 (16:52):
Do you have mentors that are helping you navigate just
that piece of it, like the dad?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Oh for sure, for sure. My uncle's like I talk
to him every day. Y'all talk to my uncle every
day and he always just tells me, you know, look
after them babies. Man, just different just different things or
whatever I see, and you know, but it's it's interesting
for me because it's like I'm seeing his personality and
I'm seeing like things that I went through and we
(17:17):
have the same personality. But I'm like, yo, he probably
would have been able to navigate this the same way.
But it's like, yeah, man, it's just it's just dope
to see. It's dope to see. But I'm doing a
right doing a good job.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
What do you do when the dream comes true but
doesn't feel the way you imagined it would?
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh, man, that's a real question. Doesn't feel the way
I have? I had that feeling a lot of times.
You know, it's like, ah, man, people fighting if they
hold life to this. But it's just the love of
the music, man, for sure. That just keeps me going.
(17:57):
You know what I'm saying. If you attach you in
it for the wrong reasons, if you if you're looking,
you're looking for that you kind of got to just
love being a creative and just staying positive as you
as you make music.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Report But what did you learn from the industry? Because
I see you post industry Rule number four thousand and
eighty right, stop colt quests, right, So what did you
learn from the industry that that that virtue that you said,
I will never do that again.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Man?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
People are selfish. People are selfish. Everybody just they feel
like it's not enough room for everybody. I just think
people are very selfish you know. You know I didn't
come up that way. I come up like you got
something and your brother don't have it? Man, break that
shit in half and give it to up. You know.
I came up like that. So in this business man
and it's like they not even fighting for money. It's always,
(18:42):
for the most most times, it's attention, you know what
I'm saying. So I see that, it's like it's like, yeah,
that makes you want to like stop too.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
So but yeah, do you think the game is more
competitive now or people just more insecure?
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Uh? People just more insecure? Yeah? People you're you're insecure city.
To get you out of here, you know what I'm saying,
because you a jump out there thinking, you know, you
can handle this person because of your insecurity. They speak
louder than what you can actually handle. So you get
out there and it's like, don't go the way you thought. So, yeah, that.
Speaker 8 (19:16):
Has to be difficult as a music artist trying to
build because in summer, like if you do a media
or something, you can kind of control your own space.
You can sit at home down stream and be a
media person. You gotta get outside, you gotta talk to people.
Distribution deals probably coming your way, and you want to
get bigger and grow. The machine is going to be
there at some point. What's the vision? Like, how are
you long term planning to like navigate all of that,
(19:38):
cause that's just gonna get worse.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
For sure. I want to transition into another space. Punch
was Punch actually put this planet to see for me.
He was talking about this we did. I did a
movie for one of the Sunday Dinner albums. It's like
a comedy. He was like, Yo, you should just like
get into filming screenwriting, and showed them something the other
day that I did. It's kind of surprising what it.
(20:01):
He was like, Yo, this is actually dope. I used
to do it. So that's that's the thing, the new
thing that I kind of got bit by that I'm
trying to like work on and perfect and be great at.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
You're probably right, I mean, I mean I think about
somebody like Little Dickie, right, Like Little Dickie had a
fan base. Yeah he was cool as an artist, but man,
that day show was hilarious.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Better than the music, you know what I mean? For sure?
Speaker 5 (20:25):
You know, and and and probably makes people have more anticipation.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
For whatever you're about to drop for percent. I agree
with that. I think I think today you have to
be like a multi hyphen in and you know, do
different things. Man, that's that's important. If not, you'll you'll drown.
Speaker 5 (20:39):
Is there a story you want to tell through that
art like film that you can't tell through the music?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Uh? Yeah, I'll tell you about this this thing I
did so my dad. I don't know. Of course everybody
knows freakingick. But my dad used to do like the shirts,
iconic freaking shirts.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Yeah, okay, he used to make.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Those shirts and he would like take me out there
to eld the shirts. So I'm like, yo, I want
to make a movie about like these these teens that
were like, you know, going to Freaknick and everything goes left.
It's like a comedy. It's like everything goes left and
you know. So, yeah, that's that's like something I wanted
to do.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
So your dad has given you a bunch of Freaknick stores.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah too explicit? Too explicit?
Speaker 7 (21:25):
You having a listening experience jud Fifth at the Brooklyn
Public Library.
Speaker 6 (21:29):
Why the library? I think it's dope, But why did
you choose the.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
I saw I saw jay Z do something there, so
I wanted to do it. Just be honest. Yeah, I
saw that and I loved his like this whole thing
he had on display with with the albums and stuff.
So I was like, yo, I want to say something
like that.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
I'll be going so when you have the listening experience, right.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
Just so crazy you in the library.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I just never these books anymore.
Speaker 6 (22:08):
This is great, This is great.
Speaker 7 (22:10):
But although the name of the album is Smile right,
it's a lot of heavy things that you're talking about
in it, you don't you don't think it will be
very emotional, like how you think you do?
Speaker 6 (22:20):
You have like how you're gonna get used, you're gonna
get how you're gonna get through the listening experience show.
This is a heavy ass album and the library, so
you know you.
Speaker 7 (22:29):
Think, I don't think you're gonna cry in the library?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Yo, books making.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
I'm not talking about like that.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
You mean when he's performing records.
Speaker 6 (22:45):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
There's a lot of things on the album that's very heavy.
It's heavy anyway. Yeah, so yeah, you don't think about
it be very emotional night.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
The paperbacks.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
No, I'm not gonna cry.
Speaker 7 (23:05):
I'm not gonna cry just because but it's a real
it's a real big question.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Sure, different, yes, different. It is different when you when
you this would be the biggest crowd that I played
the album in front of, so like to seeing them
and living being in the moment as the music is
being played, and it's like it's a bittersweet in the
way because.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
That could hit somebody else like oh I lost such
and such.
Speaker 7 (23:32):
Trying to still get through. I'm trying to navigate beef
and you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
And all of these people are here for you. So
it's kind of it's like the moment of like right,
like damn, this is a beautiful moment. But we're talking
about this. So now I'm with you, but you're not
cry There's nothing wrong with crime.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
And it is men's mental health. I don't know if
you knew that, but I know that.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
You're still talking.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
This is.
Speaker 6 (24:07):
They don't taken't take.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Me serious show.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
Guys.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Question.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
Of course, you've seen what's been going on with with
South Carolina. Has that helped what you were doing because
at one time, I know it was difficult because there
weren't too many artists from South Carolina.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
But you're seeing all You've seen a lot more than.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Yeah, trap Dicky love him man, good guy too, man
like good, good spirited dude. When you see him in
me the mom Yeah, No, I love it. I love it.
It's a few, it's it's not a lot of people,
but it's more than. It's more than it was more than.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
What's what's the biggest lie? You've had to stop believing
about success? Because I think I got one for you,
but I want to hear what you think.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Hm hmm. The biggest lie had to stop believing about success,
that that it can always make things better. Sometimes it
can it can make your life worse. Ways expound on that.
I think it brings out the worst and people when
they see you in a certain light, you know what
I'm saying. And you could have known somebody your whole
(25:12):
life and once you once you start having success, they'll
change on you, you know what I'm saying. So that's
one of the things like once I got to a
certain position, you know, I had to like start cutting
certain people off because it was like, damn, man, I
know you twenty years and you out of nowhere. You
know what I'm saying. And it's so many different emotions
people go through when you when you get there too.
(25:36):
And I think jealousy is the main.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
One about what about talent being enough? Nick talent is
enough hard work guarantee.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yah. That's another good one too. Yeah, that's another good one.
And it goes back to what you were saying, like
people don't be wanting as a lyricist. People don't want
to hear all that, like are you actually talented if
you're a lyricist today? That's another question. They put all
these like bad tags on lyricists and bad bad things
to say about lyricists in these times.
Speaker 5 (26:06):
So I like what you said about the code sign
because to that point, I always felt like I used
to be like, man, I want to hear a Kendrick
Rhapsody album. I think about it like that, what if
Kendrick did connected with Rhapsody where he connected with his
cousin baby like that.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
You know what if somebody like Kendrick said, he.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That's my guy?
Speaker 1 (26:28):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
I think about that all the time, Like Rhapsody is dope.
She's been dope for wow too, So like why hasn't
that happened? Why doesn't something like that happen? I'm asking,
I'm asking, why do y'all think stuff like that doesn't happen.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
I don't even know how cool a if they you know,
if they are cool. I mean, this could be something
that we think of in dream of.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
But when you say stuff like that, what you mean
like like Rhapsody.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Not yourself in general, just in general, Like I think.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
Success is subjective, right because to me, somebody like Rhapsody
is for sure. I mean for a Grammy endorsement, deals
dope dope album.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
You're not saying she's not successful, but she would that
look would like I would.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
Just like to see her everywhere.
Speaker 7 (27:10):
Yeah, I see, you know other mainstream models like I
would like to see her everywhere more places.
Speaker 6 (27:16):
Same true, Like I just love to see to go to.
Speaker 5 (27:21):
Yo.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
If I had shows in the many, I would come
to the libary was like I even wrote a book,
you know, like I even wrote a book, so you know,
library is cool.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
How do you feel people just people on your projects.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Were talking about I told that that you cook him.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Heard yet probably, but boy when he here.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
He's gonna get me too for letting him do that.
I told that that you're gonna get us embarrassed. Yeah yeah,
but nah yeah shout out to side how man super
dope lyricist. That versus crazy though that verses dope. But yeah,
nah he's I told.
Speaker 6 (28:09):
Him what you say was talking about the snowbody's.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Nah the school, Yeah, he ran off with the money.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
One thing you say on that record, And it's funny
because back in the day that probably would have caused problems.
You said, bigger than compet bigger than the competition. They
know who the Willace is. And it made me think
of that when when Kendrick said he was the king
of New York line, Mm, you know was that the
mind frame musing.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
One hundred percent. I'm always in that mind friend, Like
once you don't once you don't get the love. In
a weird way, you kind of like the bad child
that acts out and you like, you know, not that
you're screaming for attention, but it's like this is what
it's about. Kind of kind of helps with you know,
if you do have that energy just being just being competitive.
(28:54):
But yeah, I'm always on that. I'm always on that.
Speaker 8 (28:58):
Yeah, what is somebody like I was going to talking
about being competitive? I mentioned Jid earlier. I saw the
whole it was like the tweet. Then you went on
the podcast. I was having a conversation about you know,
you being a better rapper than j D.
Speaker 6 (29:11):
Is that like competitiveness or like.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
What, yeah, that's cap.
Speaker 6 (29:16):
Cap somebody had tweeted.
Speaker 8 (29:18):
On like there's no better rapper than Blitters or something
like that. Then and then he responded with the caps
And then you went to go do an interview and
it brought it up and you doubled down on it.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
You gotta stand on them when once you said, I mean,
I don't think that's far fettered though, and I like JID,
I think is super dope.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
That reach to say, Nick Gran, I mean that's a
competitive that'd be a competitive.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
You know, a battle.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah, nobody else thought that too. I thought I was
gonna get a lot of heat for it. Uh niggas
calling me a hater or something, But not a lot
of people agreed. So mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
What made you respond to that one? Because you could
have just left that alone? What made you say that.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Anybody playing with me? What made you?
Speaker 6 (30:03):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I just wanted to do it. I just wanted to
do it. I was just on that. I just probably
was upset with people just spewing certain things because that's
just silly to think, like there's so many people out
here that can rap. You got the Ruben Vincent, you
got Marco, you got so many people that's rhyming. Yeah,
(30:26):
for sure. Podcast it is dope. Yeah, so many people
that rap. So to say that is like, it's crazy.
Speaker 7 (30:35):
But you're supposed to think about yourself though, you know
what I mean as an artist.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Definitely were you at library on stage? You got.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yo against the library? I switched my ship.
Speaker 6 (30:58):
Was there when they come? I got shows, I do
comedy or whatever.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
I got shows.
Speaker 6 (31:06):
But I'm saying I would come to the Libery.
Speaker 7 (31:08):
I just wanted to know why we you know why
you I never heard of listening experience, and.
Speaker 6 (31:14):
You know, like you know, being in the library. I
think it's hot, it's studious, it's real, it's.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Dope, studious, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
I'm switching my ship.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
I don't do that.
Speaker 6 (31:24):
Don't do it. No, I like it. Watch you're gonna
start it. Watch other niggas gonna be like, you need
to go to the library.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Hop. Yeah, that's why I got it.
Speaker 6 (31:36):
Well, then that's even better. That's what's up ya, that's
what's up.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Listen. I know you love hip hop, man, but you
still love the music business.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
No I don't. I don't just so much, just so
much in my story where I'm just like, you know,
it's back to the selfish people. You know, it's very
few and far between. You you just meet real people
and this ship bro so like, you know, the thing
that keeps it together is this jinging and yang of
(32:06):
hating the music business but loving the music. So that's
like that's like the the tug of war spiritually that
you battle with. But it's very few and far far between.
You just meet genuine people that just want to help,
you know, and I just I go where I'm I'm wanted. So,
you know, the Punches, the West Side Guns, all of
these different people, I'm kind of I'm kind of like
(32:27):
the cousin to them that they just fuck with. Like
so it's like it's dope. But the business part of it, like, yeah,
I'm not a fan.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
Of but it's not the punch, you know, I got,
I got mar respect for punch. You know, y'all got
the same song record. But it's not just the music
that sound the same. Every time I hear artists talk
about the music business, that sound.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Like they singing the same song.
Speaker 5 (32:48):
So for sure, but somebody like a punch is in
a position to change the song.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Right, to change the song? What you mean to change
the song? But he's been doing that though, He's been
doing that. Yeah, he's been doing that for a while.
Like their contributions to the games, you know, kept this ship,
like kept lyricism at a certain level, and just just
great artistry, not even I don't even want to say lyricism,
but just great artistry as far as rappers and even
(33:17):
R and B. You know, he's one of the biggest
R and B stars right there.
Speaker 5 (33:20):
So what could he do to press the button even more?
For Nick Grant? You just think it's a matter of
time for you.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
I just think it's a matter of a matter of time.
And I think I think with me and him, we
kind of just developed some stuff where it's people around
him that's just asking him for stuff all day. We
don't have We don't kind of we don't have that relationship.
I don't you know, I don't even want that kind
of relationship with you. If we genuinely got a bond
with each other, pull up on you, fuck with you,
pull up on me, fuck with me. And that's that's
(33:48):
basically what our relationship has been since we known each other.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
I can understand.
Speaker 8 (33:51):
I also feel like too, when when whatever it is
that you're looking for it comes, you wanted to like
be so like. No, it couldn't have been for nobody
but you that like it catapult to everything you don't
want it to feel like it's here today.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
And because I can ask them for anything here, I
just wanted to be as organic as possible when I do.
When I do get that moment to go to the
next line, and it will be thank you, Nick Grant.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
That's right, Well, let's let's get in the join of that.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
What you want to hear, man, I want to hear
money problems.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Money, money problems. All right?
Speaker 4 (34:21):
The album Smiles is out now. He will be at
the library this Friday.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Public.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Public listening experience. Just won't be there, But y'all.
Speaker 6 (34:33):
Won't be there either. You're talking about me.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I've been to the library.
Speaker 6 (34:37):
No, I've been to libraries too.
Speaker 7 (34:38):
I won't be at the listening experience because I have
shows in Atlanta.
Speaker 6 (34:41):
You know how I go. Nick.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
I'm just saying, ladies and gentlemen, it's Nick Grant is
the Brenda Club.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Good morning.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
Thank you guys man.
Speaker 5 (34:48):
Every day waiting clicks up the breakfast club, you don't
finish for y'all.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Dunk
The Breakfast Club News
Hosts And Creators
Charlamagne Tha God
DJ Envy
Jess Hilarious
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com