November 16, 2025 • 21 mins
In this captivating video, join the rising artist Symba as he opens up about the life-altering journey he took to Africa. Delve into the rich experiences and cultural revelations that deeply impacted him and led him to reassess his values and lifestyle choices. One significant transformation Symba shares is his decision to stop wearing jewelry, reflecting a shift in his priorities. Through vivid stories and heartfelt reflections, Symba paints a picture of the vibrant cultures, traditions, and landscapes that touched his soul. Whether you are a fan of Symba or someone who loves travel stories, this video is a treasure trove of insights into personal growth and the power of embracing new cultures. #SymbasJourney #LifeTr ansformation #CulturalAwakening
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So I was sitting in Atlanta when I was on tour,
and I was talking to this guy and I was like,
you know, saying all these different things about where I
want to go, and he was like, I said something
like I'm an African American man. We was talking about something.
He was like, oh, you ever been to Africa? And
I was like nah. He was like, so you're an
(00:21):
African American man and you've never been to Africa.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And I was like damn.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
And it hurt even more that a white dude said
it was like damn. So I said, I need to
go to Africa. So I started looking into, like, you know,
what I could do to go and all these different things.
So I got a homie named Io who's from Nigeria.
I met through my guy Frank shut out Frank, and
Io was telling me he was actually getting ready to
(00:50):
go back over there and do some things for the kids,
and you know, telling me how like everybody comes over
there and they usually bring like clothes or money, but
they never really bring things to help these kids or whatever.
So I was like, man, let's go, like I'm down
to go. So we all go over there, and immediately
(01:11):
when we get over there, we realized like, well right
before we kind of knew, like it was a they're
not as advanced in technology as we are over here
right as far, like they got computers and different things
like that, but they don't have it in abundance like
we do. So we was already talking about bringing laptops
(01:31):
over there for the kids. But I got a homegirl
who works in AI. She has a dope program, and
we was like we could put onto the laptops where
it could help the kids learn to navigate through the
computer faster. So we go over there, Bro, and immediately, Doug,
when I get over there, it was like a culture shock.
(01:53):
It was like a real culture shock because the first
thing is so hot.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
At the airport. Bro, the airport like a bus term
of mo disrespect. But I'll let you finish. But we
got a story, all right, Bro.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
It was so hot to where immediately like it make
you take the labels off. You feel like you you're
not worried about getting fly every day. Nah, you ain't
worried about your outfit. You ain't worried about that. So
that process puts you in humanity, you know what I'm saying.
So now you moving like how you don't have to
(02:29):
move over here. A lot of it over here is
about elitists and status and all these different things with
kind of shoes you got on over there is like
you know what.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
You really contributing to her people?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
You know what I mean? Like, how are you helping
us as a people? So I get over there, man,
and I'm moving through. So we were staying on the island,
and then we were going to the mainland every day.
So he going into the main land and I'm seeing
just like cows and like people just like selling everything
they could find and like doing all these different things.
(03:01):
So I met this kid kids in front of the
story's rapping or whatever. I'm like, Dad, this kid kind
of dope. I ended up posting the kid or whatever. Yeah,
posted them and went up. Everybody in Nigeria start start
tagging them everything, right, so I immediately start getting hit, Yo,
(03:21):
we want you to come to this radio station.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
He wants you to come to this thing, like, Yo,
we want you to come to Africa today. It's like
to see and in Africa over there. So now I'm
on a press run, you know what I mean. I'm
on an organic press run, just like literally went there
to see the city. I'm on a press run and
I'm bringing Lucky with me, bringing them with me, talking
about everything. So on the first day we go do
(03:46):
some interviews and I'm like, man, I'm hungry. So we
go over to this restaurant across the street. We get
some food and I'm like, what you want to eat?
And he like like, I don't know, you know what
I mean? Like, I'm like what you mean? So my homi,
He like, look, you ever ate at a restaurant? He
(04:08):
like no, how was he fourteen? He was like, you
ever had a hamburger? And he was like no, it
was like pretty much like east Rice and like these
things called bones every day, which is like these like
small chicken uh, like they like chicken gizzards kind of.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
So we get him a hamburger.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Bro, and I watched me at the hamburger and it
immediately made me just be like, Bro, we got life
fucked up. We got life fucked up over here. Bro,
we be so consumed with the bullshit to where it's
like we don't even really see the life in front
of us. So from that day, from when I seen that,
(04:51):
I just started living in it.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Bro. You know, what I mean, Like I just start
going where the people was at.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
If people was hitting me, like yo, you got this going,
I'm like, I'm pulling up the veto had a concert.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I pulled up. He brought me out on stage. You know.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So one thing I noticed was just like the love
I'm doing all this movement. I ain't looked over my
shoulder one time. I ain't feel like nobody was about
to rob me one time. I ain't feel like nobody
was finna take my jury or do something to my son.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Not one time.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Now they gonna ask you for some money. They're gonna
ask you for some money, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
I saw when you pulled up with the van.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, they gonna ask you for a little money.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
But it wasn't like I felt threatened if I didn't
give him any you know what I mean. It was
just like God, like this is this is how it
should feel with us amongst our people. It shouldn't feel
like I gotta have a gun to go to this
spot because bro might take my chain, or I gotta
park my car over here, because you know, like it
(05:54):
didn't feel like that now one time, it just felt
like love. So it just really put me in space, bro,
of like living and just letting life happen instead of
trying to make it happen.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
How long have you there?
Speaker 2 (06:05):
For two weeks?
Speaker 1 (06:08):
For two weeks, I was supposed to go to Ghana
the second week, and then I just fell in love
with the people in Nigeria. I was like, Bro, I'm
staying here. Fuck it, I'm f'm here with the people.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
You said something. So is that what you found because.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
You said this quote, You said that we buy things
here to showcase a part of ourselves that we never
took time to find. And so I'm wondering, is that
what you found that in a piece of saying like
this is what life should be?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Bro?
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Like, I ain't really if you peak like the last Like,
since I got back, I ain't really been wearing jewelry.
I wear my watch, you know what I'm saying, But
it's like I don't really wear it because over there
it made me realize like, like, bro, this shit.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Don't make me a better rapper.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
It don't make me a better person, you know what
I'm saying, Like it's just something to show people to
get them to pay attention to me. I could find
another way to do that. I'm creative enough to find
another way to do that. So it's like I ain't
about to just feel like I got to just put
on jury every day to go do an interview or
make people rock with my music. You either gonna rock
(07:15):
with it or you not. And I'm at peace with that.
I'm not trying to impress you no more.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Liberating a feeling.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, it is what it is. Like, let life happen
however it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
And that was because of Nigeria.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh cousin Nigeria. Bro.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
The whole time, Like the first two days was rough.
Why because you can't really shower the way we shower
over here, because we can't drink they water so as
nice as a house that we was in, the shower
thing was still like a sprinkler. So it's like I'm
watching my body, but I can't really wash my face.
(07:53):
I'm washing my face with a bottle of water, brushing
my teeth with a bottle of water, you know. So
it was just like fat, Yeah, it was. It was
a culture shot. But it's like once you get used
to it, you get used to the heat. You ain't
really tripping off, like clothes and what you gotta wear
and like all these different things. It's just like like
(08:14):
it's people in the club actually party, yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Not the party's dance. You didn't move around with any security.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
You know. I had security.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I had topics Like here, I'm like security of the world.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
Yeah, okay, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
We had cops yeah yeah, yeah, like.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
I ain't want of them rappers to be coming on
my jewellyn.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Every day.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
No security, that ain't even I was running around.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I got my son out there. I gotta get back home. Yeah,
I gotta get back home, bro, that's a fact. Get home.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
That's how we was moving, man, everywhere.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
They slept at the house yeah yeah, yeah, outside waiting
for us.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
They was at the crib like serio. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
I was like I thought that part got left out there.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
I was like, wait, do you have no Nah?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
I definitely did, but nah going over there like it
showed me and then like I shot the music video
that we just dropped top g over there and even
how that.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Happened, Like I was in the projects, bro, Like one.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Of the worst hoods over there is called Legos Island.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
How that happened.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Dog, I'm in the I'm in the crib. Now, keep
in mind, I bring a studio over there, so my
crazy ass studio, Like I brought like a laptop with
like a mic and like a studio setup. So my
ass over there finding random people on the street that's singing, like, Bro,
(09:47):
come to the crib, like, get on the sprinter, like,
come to the crib like I'm.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
To the point. My homie eye I was like, shit,
you can't be you got chill.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yeah, like everybody coming over there like so I'm like, oh,
I'm a chill So I'm bringing people to the crib, bro,
and they just recording like they recording, they recording, and
I'm like, damn, these dudes is talented his hell, Like
you know, they talented his hell. So the engineer who
I had engineering, I kept telling him like, no, we
(10:20):
had got back the day we had got back from
taking the laptops to the school. We've got a hundred
laptops to the school. We went and did that. I
got back in my homie self, who was the engineer
that was engineering all the kids that was over there.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
He was like, Bro, is this something you wanted to do?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Like before you get up out of here, because I
was leaving in two days.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
And I was like, man, I.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Did want to shoot a video, but I couldn't really
get it how I wanted to get it.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
He was like, what you wanted to look like.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
I was like, bro, I want to show Nigeria, Like
I don't want to show the island, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Like, like we could.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Show that too, Like let's show both sides. Let's show
the difference between the island and the mainland. So if
you watch the video, it's a conversation with me and myself,
like that's kind of like the island and the mainland.
So I'm starting off in the mansion right where I'm
in the crib. That's the island where the cribs is
nice and it's gold trimming on the towel and the
(11:18):
marble and everythingand uh nah, it's Lego's island. So these
were the big cribs and everything. But then when you
going to the mainland, there's more poverty. So we're showing
both sides of it. So I'm like, I'm telling him
that I want to show that. He like, I got
the perfect people for you. So he called his production
(11:40):
crew called Whack people and they come through and literally, Bro,
like two hours, like just pull up to the crib.
They're like, yeah, Bro, what you want to do. I'm like, man,
I want your video, but like I wanted to look clean.
I don't want it to look like we just had
a regular dsl or camera and we just shot whatever.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
And he was like, nah, I got you.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
You was like, uh, it was like give me, give
me a couple hours, right, So he called back in
like six hours. He was like, when you want to shoot.
I'm like, shit, we can shoot now. You're like, I'm
on the way. So they pull up, Bro, they got
all the equipment. We go to this spot with my
(12:24):
man Vector. That's his neighborhood that we was at, so
that whole community over there. Vector take care of a
lot of that community. He's a big staple over there.
He's like, what Kendrick Lamar is does? He's that to
them over there. So go meet Vector, tell him what
I want to do. He's like, come on, bro, take
you through. We go through the neighborhood. We just filmed
(12:47):
the video, bro, like all night and we just chilling
like we're eating, like I'm taking their herbal shots.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
And everything.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
They gel off every day. But I was just over there, bro,
just rocking with the people. I had my son with
me outside.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
It was like twelve midnight. We just out there the neighborhood,
kicking in with the kids, and it was just love.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
It was love.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
So it's definitely something that's a part of my life
at this point. Because we actually ended up signing Lucky.
Oh yeah, So we got him a spot over there.
He has a studio over there now because he was
living in a straw house with seven siblings. His parents don't,
you know, less fortunate. So we actually you know, got
(13:35):
him in a better situation and he's making music. But
the thing that impressed us about Lucky the most was
more than the music and everything. It said the main
thing he wanted and life was to learn because he
never really had the chance to go to school. So
we're helping him, you know, get in school and learning.
So more than just putting his music out and like
(13:57):
trying to turn him to a rap store, it's like
allow him the ability to grow up and have a
dream for like a lot of kids over there don't
really get the time to dream, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
So that's something that we want to provide for him.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
So that's contexts man.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
We talk about education reform here, but we missed the
part where it's like there's people who only have access
to education.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
So that's big.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
I mean, when you were there in one of the
things we saw was the amount of youth. There's so
much youth, and so we always look at Africa as
a place, especially Nigeria, as a place of like tremendous resource,
right because imagine if you give or you help import education,
import mindset, import infrastructure and business, what does the country
(14:41):
look like, what does the continent look like? Is that
something that you plan to do going forward? Continuency going
to Africa, going to different countries and the content.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
So me and Victor actually is working on a project
together and we actually are shooting a documentary that we
started over there and it's called Bridge to Get and
it speaks on and the documentary will be the first
documentary produced by my media company that I was telling
you guys about. But it goes into the difference between
(15:13):
and so does the project we're making with the music
to it. It goes into the difference between the African
and the African American, and statistically a whole bunch of
different things that we cover and why we are the
way we are, and really kind of highlighting that to
motivate people over here to stop looking at Africa as
(15:37):
a place where just kids with flies in they face
that like what America shows us over here, Like America
like a lot of Americans think that a lot of
Africans don't rock with us over there, And I ask
that question over there, and that's not necessarily true. The
media paints that perception, so we look at them that
(15:58):
way and there's this combative spirit.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
But really, bro, our people love us.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
They love us over there, so we took time to
actually go over there and like, Okay, let's build a school,
Let's build a gymnasium, let's build studios, let's build Like
I've seen three gas stations the whole time I was there, Bro, Like,
let's go build some gas stations over there, you know
what I mean?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Like, what's the process.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Even if we can't figure out how to do it,
Let's figure the process out so the next generation can.
But I feel like that's something we need to look
forward to because on some real shit, like.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
America ain't doing too good right now.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Jimp, you know what I mean, And eventually we're gonna
have to go over there and to see what's going
on with our people. So it's important that we start somewhere.
We gotta start somewhere. But that's definitely something I'm interested in.
It's you know, getting some things going over there and
bringing more people back over there so we could unify
(16:57):
over there.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
You know. It's interesting.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
We've been tapping in a lot with the continent and
we were in DC a while ago and we were
talking to some people from East Africa and one of
the women specifically, she was talking about the movie Black Panther, right,
very insightful from the Bay Area. So like the Black
Panther movie, especially that first one, it's a lot of
hitting messages in that. Like I mean, obviously the Black
(17:21):
Panthers Black Panther Party starting in Oakland, but as far
as like.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
How she described it to me was ill.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
She was like, you know, it's like a parent that
has a child right where the child might have been
abducted and the parent didn't really fight for the child.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
So it's two parts to this.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Now, the child starts to act out right, becomes more
sexually active, joints, gangs, it's all out of like frustration
because they have an attachment to their biological parents but
they don't necessarily know them. But they've never really gotten
over that feeling of just being kicked out and left
(18:00):
alone and not like you never came back from me.
And then the parents have some sort of a grief
and they kind of feel some sort of blame for
not going after the child. So it's trauma on both sides, right,
And it's like the only way to really hell that
trauma is to be reconnected.
Speaker 5 (18:18):
And it was like kill Monger in the.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Movie, like he's a very rebellious person, and it's like
his story to me is like the story of African Americans, right,
and it's like I feel like we've both been played
against each other where it's like we look at it,
not everybody, but there's been a campaign in the media
to be like all these Africans don't care about you,
(18:42):
da da da da, Like they sold you to slavery,
Da da da. And then the Africans it's like, well
they're slaves, like they they're nonsense.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
They they are always troublemakers in America. They always get
in trouble.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
They're killing each other they doing all of that right,
but it's like there's reasons for both sides why there's dysfunction,
and now I think it's dope, and especially what the
music is. Now we're starting to bridge that gap and
we're realizing that there's more similarities then yep, and we
have expertise that could be beneficial because we went through
a system in America that nobody has ever go and
(19:14):
we survived it, and they have the resources. So it's
like if we can, if we can our execties with
their traditions and their resources, now that's an unstoppable combination.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It's very unstoppable. It would make us like the most
dominant place on earth, you know what I mean. Like
I'm fully for it, bro Like I'm all for that's
a great that's a great analogy.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
You just broke down to.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
I gotta rewatch the movie now from that personect because
that's dope.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
You know, it's crazy. Somebody told me over there. It
was like.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
It was like one of the main reasons like we
look at you guys with an eye up is because
you guys put your data in retirement homes.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
And I said, what you mean?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
It was like, you guys put your grandparents and your
mother's in retirement homes. When those are the people who
have the information to feed the children, how are the
kids supposed to learn when you in the midst of
living life and learning yourself, those are the people that
lived it, They're supposed to pass that down. That's something
we don't do that over here. And I never looked
(20:23):
at it like that.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
That was one of the conversations we had with Akon
as well, and he was like, the wisdom of the eldest,
even at a level of successful quote unquote success that
he's had, he's still before he makes a decision, checks
in with his eldest because they have wisdom, even if
it's not in the business sense, they have wisdom of
life anything. That's one of the things that's missing that
when we talk about generational gaps, it's like, how do
(20:46):
we keep our elders as a part of the lineage
of information to a younger generation. Right, we talk about
the population being so young in Africa, but do they
know those traditions of tapping in with the eldest because
certain level of knowledge that they can pass down, right,
and you add that knowledge to the creativity, the innovation
(21:08):
and the energy that the youth have and that becomes
an unsolvable force.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
But we got to realize it though. But I think
that was done intentionally.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
My graduates from my school being forced back drop
Speaker 5 (21:22):
Bag drop, my drop, back drop drop,
So I was sitting in Atlanta when I was on tour,
and I was talking to this guy and I was like,
you know, saying all these different things about where I
want to go, and he was like, I said something
like I'm an African American man. We was talking about something.
He was like, oh, you ever been to Africa? And
I was like nah. He was like, so you're an
(00:21):
African American man and you've never been to Africa.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
And I was like damn.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
And it hurt even more that a white dude said
it was like damn. So I said, I need to
go to Africa. So I started looking into, like, you know,
what I could do to go and all these different things.
So I got a homie named Io who's from Nigeria.
I met through my guy Frank shut out Frank, and
Io was telling me he was actually getting ready to
(00:50):
go back over there and do some things for the kids,
and you know, telling me how like everybody comes over
there and they usually bring like clothes or money, but
they never really bring things to help these kids or whatever.
So I was like, man, let's go, like I'm down
to go. So we all go over there, and immediately
(01:11):
when we get over there, we realized like, well right
before we kind of knew, like it was a they're
not as advanced in technology as we are over here
right as far, like they got computers and different things
like that, but they don't have it in abundance like
we do. So we was already talking about bringing laptops
(01:31):
over there for the kids. But I got a homegirl
who works in AI. She has a dope program, and
we was like we could put onto the laptops where
it could help the kids learn to navigate through the
computer faster. So we go over there, Bro, and immediately, Doug,
when I get over there, it was like a culture shock.
(01:53):
It was like a real culture shock because the first
thing is so hot.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
At the airport. Bro, the airport like a bus term
of mo disrespect. But I'll let you finish. But we
got a story, all right, Bro.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
It was so hot to where immediately like it make
you take the labels off. You feel like you you're
not worried about getting fly every day. Nah, you ain't
worried about your outfit. You ain't worried about that. So
that process puts you in humanity, you know what I'm saying.
So now you moving like how you don't have to
(02:29):
move over here. A lot of it over here is
about elitists and status and all these different things with
kind of shoes you got on over there is like
you know what.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
You really contributing to her people?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
You know what I mean? Like, how are you helping
us as a people? So I get over there, man,
and I'm moving through. So we were staying on the island,
and then we were going to the mainland every day.
So he going into the main land and I'm seeing
just like cows and like people just like selling everything
they could find and like doing all these different things.
(03:01):
So I met this kid kids in front of the
story's rapping or whatever. I'm like, Dad, this kid kind
of dope. I ended up posting the kid or whatever. Yeah,
posted them and went up. Everybody in Nigeria start start
tagging them everything, right, so I immediately start getting hit, Yo,
(03:21):
we want you to come to this radio station.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Yo.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
He wants you to come to this thing, like, Yo,
we want you to come to Africa today. It's like
to see and in Africa over there. So now I'm
on a press run, you know what I mean. I'm
on an organic press run, just like literally went there
to see the city. I'm on a press run and
I'm bringing Lucky with me, bringing them with me, talking
about everything. So on the first day we go do
(03:46):
some interviews and I'm like, man, I'm hungry. So we
go over to this restaurant across the street. We get
some food and I'm like, what you want to eat?
And he like like, I don't know, you know what
I mean? Like, I'm like what you mean? So my homi,
He like, look, you ever ate at a restaurant? He
(04:08):
like no, how was he fourteen? He was like, you
ever had a hamburger? And he was like no, it
was like pretty much like east Rice and like these
things called bones every day, which is like these like
small chicken uh, like they like chicken gizzards kind of.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
So we get him a hamburger.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Bro, and I watched me at the hamburger and it
immediately made me just be like, Bro, we got life
fucked up. We got life fucked up over here. Bro,
we be so consumed with the bullshit to where it's
like we don't even really see the life in front
of us. So from that day, from when I seen that,
(04:51):
I just started living in it.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Bro. You know, what I mean, Like I just start
going where the people was at.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
If people was hitting me, like yo, you got this going,
I'm like, I'm pulling up the veto had a concert.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I pulled up. He brought me out on stage. You know.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So one thing I noticed was just like the love
I'm doing all this movement. I ain't looked over my
shoulder one time. I ain't feel like nobody was about
to rob me one time. I ain't feel like nobody
was finna take my jury or do something to my son.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Not one time.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Now they gonna ask you for some money. They're gonna
ask you for some money, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
I saw when you pulled up with the van.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, they gonna ask you for a little money.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
But it wasn't like I felt threatened if I didn't
give him any you know what I mean. It was
just like God, like this is this is how it
should feel with us amongst our people. It shouldn't feel
like I gotta have a gun to go to this
spot because bro might take my chain, or I gotta
park my car over here, because you know, like it
(05:54):
didn't feel like that now one time, it just felt
like love. So it just really put me in space, bro,
of like living and just letting life happen instead of
trying to make it happen.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
How long have you there?
Speaker 2 (06:05):
For two weeks?
Speaker 1 (06:08):
For two weeks, I was supposed to go to Ghana
the second week, and then I just fell in love
with the people in Nigeria. I was like, Bro, I'm
staying here. Fuck it, I'm f'm here with the people.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
You said something. So is that what you found because.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
You said this quote, You said that we buy things
here to showcase a part of ourselves that we never
took time to find. And so I'm wondering, is that
what you found that in a piece of saying like
this is what life should be?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Bro?
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Like, I ain't really if you peak like the last Like,
since I got back, I ain't really been wearing jewelry.
I wear my watch, you know what I'm saying, But
it's like I don't really wear it because over there
it made me realize like, like, bro, this shit.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Don't make me a better rapper.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
It don't make me a better person, you know what
I'm saying, Like it's just something to show people to
get them to pay attention to me. I could find
another way to do that. I'm creative enough to find
another way to do that. So it's like I ain't
about to just feel like I got to just put
on jury every day to go do an interview or
make people rock with my music. You either gonna rock
(07:15):
with it or you not. And I'm at peace with that.
I'm not trying to impress you no more.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Liberating a feeling.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, it is what it is. Like, let life happen
however it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
And that was because of Nigeria.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh cousin Nigeria. Bro.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
The whole time, Like the first two days was rough.
Why because you can't really shower the way we shower
over here, because we can't drink they water so as
nice as a house that we was in, the shower
thing was still like a sprinkler. So it's like I'm
watching my body, but I can't really wash my face.
(07:53):
I'm washing my face with a bottle of water, brushing
my teeth with a bottle of water, you know. So
it was just like fat, Yeah, it was. It was
a culture shot. But it's like once you get used
to it, you get used to the heat. You ain't
really tripping off, like clothes and what you gotta wear
and like all these different things. It's just like like
(08:14):
it's people in the club actually party, yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Not the party's dance. You didn't move around with any security.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
You know. I had security.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I had topics Like here, I'm like security of the world.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
Yeah, okay, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
We had cops yeah yeah, yeah, like.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
I ain't want of them rappers to be coming on
my jewellyn.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Every day.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
No security, that ain't even I was running around.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I got my son out there. I gotta get back home. Yeah,
I gotta get back home, bro, that's a fact. Get home.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
That's how we was moving, man, everywhere.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
They slept at the house yeah yeah, yeah, outside waiting
for us.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
They was at the crib like serio. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
I was like I thought that part got left out there.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
I was like, wait, do you have no Nah?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
I definitely did, but nah going over there like it
showed me and then like I shot the music video
that we just dropped top g over there and even
how that.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Happened, Like I was in the projects, bro, Like one.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Of the worst hoods over there is called Legos Island.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
How that happened.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Dog, I'm in the I'm in the crib. Now, keep
in mind, I bring a studio over there, so my
crazy ass studio, Like I brought like a laptop with
like a mic and like a studio setup. So my
ass over there finding random people on the street that's singing, like, Bro,
(09:47):
come to the crib, like, get on the sprinter, like,
come to the crib like I'm.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
To the point. My homie eye I was like, shit,
you can't be you got chill.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yeah, like everybody coming over there like so I'm like, oh,
I'm a chill So I'm bringing people to the crib, bro,
and they just recording like they recording, they recording, and
I'm like, damn, these dudes is talented his hell, Like
you know, they talented his hell. So the engineer who
I had engineering, I kept telling him like, no, we
(10:20):
had got back the day we had got back from
taking the laptops to the school. We've got a hundred
laptops to the school. We went and did that. I
got back in my homie self, who was the engineer
that was engineering all the kids that was over there.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
He was like, Bro, is this something you wanted to do?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Like before you get up out of here, because I
was leaving in two days.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
And I was like, man, I.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Did want to shoot a video, but I couldn't really
get it how I wanted to get it.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
He was like, what you wanted to look like.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
I was like, bro, I want to show Nigeria, Like
I don't want to show the island, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Like, like we could.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Show that too, Like let's show both sides. Let's show
the difference between the island and the mainland. So if
you watch the video, it's a conversation with me and myself,
like that's kind of like the island and the mainland.
So I'm starting off in the mansion right where I'm
in the crib. That's the island where the cribs is
nice and it's gold trimming on the towel and the
(11:18):
marble and everythingand uh nah, it's Lego's island. So these
were the big cribs and everything. But then when you
going to the mainland, there's more poverty. So we're showing
both sides of it. So I'm like, I'm telling him
that I want to show that. He like, I got
the perfect people for you. So he called his production
(11:40):
crew called Whack people and they come through and literally, Bro,
like two hours, like just pull up to the crib.
They're like, yeah, Bro, what you want to do. I'm like, man,
I want your video, but like I wanted to look clean.
I don't want it to look like we just had
a regular dsl or camera and we just shot whatever.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
And he was like, nah, I got you.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
You was like, uh, it was like give me, give
me a couple hours, right, So he called back in
like six hours. He was like, when you want to shoot.
I'm like, shit, we can shoot now. You're like, I'm
on the way. So they pull up, Bro, they got
all the equipment. We go to this spot with my
(12:24):
man Vector. That's his neighborhood that we was at, so
that whole community over there. Vector take care of a
lot of that community. He's a big staple over there.
He's like, what Kendrick Lamar is does? He's that to
them over there. So go meet Vector, tell him what
I want to do. He's like, come on, bro, take
you through. We go through the neighborhood. We just filmed
(12:47):
the video, bro, like all night and we just chilling
like we're eating, like I'm taking their herbal shots.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
And everything.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
They gel off every day. But I was just over there, bro,
just rocking with the people. I had my son with
me outside.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
Bro.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
It was like twelve midnight. We just out there the neighborhood,
kicking in with the kids, and it was just love.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
It was love.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
So it's definitely something that's a part of my life
at this point. Because we actually ended up signing Lucky.
Oh yeah, So we got him a spot over there.
He has a studio over there now because he was
living in a straw house with seven siblings. His parents don't,
you know, less fortunate. So we actually you know, got
(13:35):
him in a better situation and he's making music. But
the thing that impressed us about Lucky the most was
more than the music and everything. It said the main
thing he wanted and life was to learn because he
never really had the chance to go to school. So
we're helping him, you know, get in school and learning.
So more than just putting his music out and like
(13:57):
trying to turn him to a rap store, it's like
allow him the ability to grow up and have a
dream for like a lot of kids over there don't
really get the time to dream, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
So that's something that we want to provide for him.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
So that's contexts man.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
We talk about education reform here, but we missed the
part where it's like there's people who only have access
to education.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
So that's big.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
I mean, when you were there in one of the
things we saw was the amount of youth. There's so
much youth, and so we always look at Africa as
a place, especially Nigeria, as a place of like tremendous resource,
right because imagine if you give or you help import education,
import mindset, import infrastructure and business, what does the country
(14:41):
look like, what does the continent look like? Is that
something that you plan to do going forward? Continuency going
to Africa, going to different countries and the content.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
So me and Victor actually is working on a project
together and we actually are shooting a documentary that we
started over there and it's called Bridge to Get and
it speaks on and the documentary will be the first
documentary produced by my media company that I was telling
you guys about. But it goes into the difference between
(15:13):
and so does the project we're making with the music
to it. It goes into the difference between the African
and the African American, and statistically a whole bunch of
different things that we cover and why we are the
way we are, and really kind of highlighting that to
motivate people over here to stop looking at Africa as
(15:37):
a place where just kids with flies in they face
that like what America shows us over here, Like America
like a lot of Americans think that a lot of
Africans don't rock with us over there, And I ask
that question over there, and that's not necessarily true. The
media paints that perception, so we look at them that
(15:58):
way and there's this combative spirit.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
But really, bro, our people love us.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
They love us over there, so we took time to
actually go over there and like, Okay, let's build a school,
Let's build a gymnasium, let's build studios, let's build Like
I've seen three gas stations the whole time I was there, Bro, Like,
let's go build some gas stations over there, you know
what I mean?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Like, what's the process.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Even if we can't figure out how to do it,
Let's figure the process out so the next generation can.
But I feel like that's something we need to look
forward to because on some real shit, like.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
America ain't doing too good right now.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Jimp, you know what I mean, And eventually we're gonna
have to go over there and to see what's going
on with our people. So it's important that we start somewhere.
We gotta start somewhere. But that's definitely something I'm interested in.
It's you know, getting some things going over there and
bringing more people back over there so we could unify
(16:57):
over there.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
You know. It's interesting.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
We've been tapping in a lot with the continent and
we were in DC a while ago and we were
talking to some people from East Africa and one of
the women specifically, she was talking about the movie Black Panther, right,
very insightful from the Bay Area. So like the Black
Panther movie, especially that first one, it's a lot of
hitting messages in that. Like I mean, obviously the Black
(17:21):
Panthers Black Panther Party starting in Oakland, but as far
as like.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
How she described it to me was ill.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
She was like, you know, it's like a parent that
has a child right where the child might have been
abducted and the parent didn't really fight for the child.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
So it's two parts to this.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Now, the child starts to act out right, becomes more
sexually active, joints, gangs, it's all out of like frustration
because they have an attachment to their biological parents but
they don't necessarily know them. But they've never really gotten
over that feeling of just being kicked out and left
(18:00):
alone and not like you never came back from me.
And then the parents have some sort of a grief
and they kind of feel some sort of blame for
not going after the child. So it's trauma on both sides, right,
And it's like the only way to really hell that
trauma is to be reconnected.
Speaker 5 (18:18):
And it was like kill Monger in the.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Movie, like he's a very rebellious person, and it's like
his story to me is like the story of African Americans, right,
and it's like I feel like we've both been played
against each other where it's like we look at it,
not everybody, but there's been a campaign in the media
to be like all these Africans don't care about you,
(18:42):
da da da da, Like they sold you to slavery,
Da da da. And then the Africans it's like, well
they're slaves, like they they're nonsense.
Speaker 5 (18:50):
They they are always troublemakers in America. They always get
in trouble.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
They're killing each other they doing all of that right,
but it's like there's reasons for both sides why there's dysfunction,
and now I think it's dope, and especially what the
music is. Now we're starting to bridge that gap and
we're realizing that there's more similarities then yep, and we
have expertise that could be beneficial because we went through
a system in America that nobody has ever go and
(19:14):
we survived it, and they have the resources. So it's
like if we can, if we can our execties with
their traditions and their resources, now that's an unstoppable combination.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It's very unstoppable. It would make us like the most
dominant place on earth, you know what I mean. Like
I'm fully for it, bro Like I'm all for that's
a great that's a great analogy.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
You just broke down to.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
I gotta rewatch the movie now from that personect because
that's dope.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
You know, it's crazy. Somebody told me over there. It
was like.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
It was like one of the main reasons like we
look at you guys with an eye up is because
you guys put your data in retirement homes.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
And I said, what you mean?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
It was like, you guys put your grandparents and your
mother's in retirement homes. When those are the people who
have the information to feed the children, how are the
kids supposed to learn when you in the midst of
living life and learning yourself, those are the people that
lived it, They're supposed to pass that down. That's something
we don't do that over here. And I never looked
(20:23):
at it like that.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
That was one of the conversations we had with Akon
as well, and he was like, the wisdom of the eldest,
even at a level of successful quote unquote success that
he's had, he's still before he makes a decision, checks
in with his eldest because they have wisdom, even if
it's not in the business sense, they have wisdom of
life anything. That's one of the things that's missing that
when we talk about generational gaps, it's like, how do
(20:46):
we keep our elders as a part of the lineage
of information to a younger generation. Right, we talk about
the population being so young in Africa, but do they
know those traditions of tapping in with the eldest because
certain level of knowledge that they can pass down, right,
and you add that knowledge to the creativity, the innovation
(21:08):
and the energy that the youth have and that becomes
an unsolvable force.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
But we got to realize it though. But I think
that was done intentionally.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
My graduates from my school being forced back drop
Speaker 5 (21:22):
Bag drop, my drop, back drop drop,
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