November 16, 2025 • 23 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
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Speaker 2 (00:43):
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. He 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
(01:04):
African American man and you've never been to Africa And
I was like damn. And it hurt even more that
a white dude said.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
It was like damn.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
So I was like, 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 go
back over there and do some things for the kids,
(01:36):
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 like help these kids
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
So I was like, man, let's go, Like I'm down
to go.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
So we all go over there, and immediately when we
get over there, we realized like, well right before we
kind of knew like it was a uh, 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.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
So we was.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Already talking about bringing laptops 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,
(02:34):
it was like a culture shock. It was like a
real culture shock because the first thing is so hot.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
At the airport.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Bro, the airport like a bus term and no disrespect,
but I'll let you finish.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
But we got a story, all right, Bro.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It was so hot to where immediately like it make
you take the labels off. You feel like you're not
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
(03:11):
have to move over here? A lot of it over
here is about elitists and status and all these different things.
What kind of shoes you got on over there is like,
you know what you really contributing to our people? 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.
(03:33):
So he going into the mainland and I'm seeing just
like cows and like people just like selling everything they
could find and like doing all these different things. So
I met this kid kids in front of the stories
rapping or whatever. I'm like, daan, this kid kind of dope.
I ended up posting the kid or whatever. Yeah, posted
(03:54):
them went up. Everybody in Nigeria start start tagging them everything, right,
so I immediately start getting hit Yo, we want you to
come to this radio station.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yo.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
He wants you to come to this thing. Like Yo,
he wants 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
(04:29):
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?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
So my homi? He like lucky.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
You ever ate at a restaurant? He like no, how
was he fourteen? He was like, you ever had a hamburger?
And he was like no, 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
(05:09):
gizzards kind of. So we get him a hamburger, 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.
(05:31):
So from that day, from when I seen that, I
just started living in it, bro, you know what I mean, Like,
I just start going where the people was at if
people was hitting me, Like yo, you got this going on?
I'm like, I'm pulling up the veto had a concert.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
I pulled up. He brought me out on stage. You know.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
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 felt 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 3 (06:06):
Not one time.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Now they gonna ask you for some money. They're gonna
ask you for some money, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I saw when you pulled up with the van.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah, they gonna ask you for a little money.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
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
(06:37):
didn't feel like that now. One time, it just felt
like love. So it just really put me in a space, Bro,
of like living and just letting life happen instead of
trying to make it happen.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
How long was you there for?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Two weeks? Was there for two weeks?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
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 familiar with the people.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
You said something, So is that what you found because
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 3 (07:18):
Bro?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
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 don't
make me a better rapper.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It don't make me a better person.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
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 jewelry every day to go do an
interview or make people rock with my music. You're either
gonna rock with it or you're not. I'm at peace
(08:01):
with that. I'm not trying to impress you.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
No more liberating a feeling.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, it is what it is, like, Let life happen however,
it's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
It's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
And that was because of Nigeria.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Oh, because of Nigeria. Bro.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
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 their 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
washing my body, but I can't really wash my face.
(08:36):
I'm washing my face with a bottle of water, brushing
my teeth with a bottle of water, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So it was just like it was. It was a
culture shot.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
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 it's people in
the club.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Actually party, yeah, not a party, dance.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
You didn't move around with any security.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You know. I had security.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I had tops, like yeah, I'm like like security of
the world.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, okay, you know what, we had cops yeah yeah, yeah, Like.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I ain't want them rappers to becoming on my jewell
every day. No security ain't. I was running around. I
got my son out there. I gotta get back home. Yeah,
I got to get back home.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Bro, that's a fact.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Get home.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
That's how we was moving, man, everywhere.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
They slept at the house yeah yeah, yeah, outside waiting
for us.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
They was at the crib like it was serious. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
I was like, I thought that part got left out there.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
I was like, wait, did you have.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Noah, I definitely did, but safety first, no 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.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
That happened, Like I was in the projects, like one.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Of the worst hoods over there is called Legos Island.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
How that happen?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Dog, I'm in the I'm in the crib.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Now, keep in mind, I bring a studio over there,
so my crazy ass, 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, come to the crib, like get
on the sprinter, like, come to the crib, like I'm
(10:35):
to the point my homie, I was like, shit, you
can't be you got chill, Like yeah, like everybody coming
over there. So I'm like, 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
(10:57):
his hell. So the engineer who engineering, I kept telling
him like, no, we 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
(11:17):
that was over there. He was like, Bro, is this
something you wanted to do, like before you get up
out of here? Because I was leaving in two days.
And I was like, man, I did want to shoot
a video, but I couldn't really get it how I
wanted to get it.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
He was like, what you wanted to look like?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I was like, Bro, I want to show Nigeria, Like
I don't want to show the island, you know what
I mean? Like we could 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 in the mainland. So I'm starting off
(11:54):
in the mansion right where I'm in the crib. That's
the island where the cribs is nice and it's gold
shrimming on the tie and the marble and everything is
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.
(12:15):
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 crew called Whack People, and
they come through and literally broke 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
(12:35):
to shoot a 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 3 (12:44):
And he was like, nah, I got you.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
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 away. So they pull up, Bro, they got all
the equipment. We go to this spot with my man Vector.
(13:08):
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 the video, bro, like
(13:31):
all night and we just chilling like we're eating, Like
I'm taking their herbal shots and everything. 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 3 (13:48):
Bro.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It was like twelve midnight. We just out there the neighborhood,
kicking in with the kids and it was just love.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
It was love.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
So it's definitely something that's a part of my life
at this point. Because we actually ended up signing Lucky Wow. 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 him in
(14:19):
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. He 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 trying to turn
(14:41):
him to a rap store, it's like allowing 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, So that's something that we
want to provide for him.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
So that's context.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Man.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
We talk about education reform, yeah here, but we missed
the part where it's like there's people who only have
access to education. So that that's big. I mean when
you were there and 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
(15:16):
if you give or you help import education, import mindset,
import infrastructure and business. What does the country look like,
what does the continent look like? Is that something that
you plan to do going forward? Continuoucy going to Africa,
going to different countries and the content.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
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 Gap and
it speaks on and the documentary would be the first
documentary produced by my media company that I was telling
you guys about. But it goes into the difference between
(15:56):
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
(16:20):
a place with 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 asked
that question over there, and that's not necessarily true. The
media paints that perception. So we look at them that way,
(16:41):
and there's this combative spirit.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
But really, bro, our people love us.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
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, Like.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
What's the process.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
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 America ain't
doing too good right now, jimp, you know what I mean.
And eventually we're gonna have to go over there and
see what's going on with our people. So it's important
(17:28):
that we start somewhere. We got to start somewhere. But
that's definitely something I'm interested in, is, you know, getting
some things going over there and bringing more people back
over there so we could unify over there.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
You know.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
It's interesting.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
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
(18:04):
Panthers Black Panther Party starting in Oakland, but as far
as like.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
How she described it to me was ill.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
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 4 (18:21):
So it's two parts to this.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
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
(18:43):
alone and not like you never came back for 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 heal that
troblem is to be reconnected. And it was like kill
Monger in the movie, like he's a very rebellious person,
(19:06):
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.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Da da da da, Like they sold you to slavery,
Da da da.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
And then the Africans is like, well they're slaves, like
they they're nonsense. They they're always troublemakers in America. They
always get in trouble, 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 with the music is now we're starting to
bridge that gap and we're realizing that there's more similarities
(19:49):
than we have expertise that could be beneficial because we
went through a system in America that nobody has ever
gone and we survived it, and they have the resources.
So it's like if we can, if we can piece
with their traditions and their resources.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Now, that's unstoppable.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
It's very unstoppable. It would make us like the most
dominant place on earth, you know what I mean. Like,
I'm I'm fully for it, bro Like I'm all for it.
That's a great that's a great analogy you just broke
down to. I gotta rewatch the movie now from that
perspect because that's dope. You know what's crazy. Somebody told
(20:28):
me over there.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
It was like.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
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. And I said,
what you mean there was like, you guys put your
grandparents and your mother's and retirement homes, when those are
the people who have the information to feed the children.
(20:54):
How the kids supposed to learn when you in the
midst of living life and learning yourself, those are the
people that live, they're supposed to pass that down. That's
something we don't do that over here. And I never
looked at it like that.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
That was one of the conversations we had with Acon
as well, and he was like the wisdom of the eldest,
even at a level of SUCCESSUF 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.
Any thinks that's one of the things that's missing that
when we talk about generational gaps, it's like, how do
(21:29):
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, right,
because there's a certain level of knowledge that they can
pass down, right, and you add that knowledge to the creativity, innovation,
(21:51):
and the energy that the youth have, and that becomes
an unsolvable force.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
But we got to realize it though.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
I think that was done intentionally.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
My graduates from my school being false back drop drop
a mic.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Drop back drop.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Earners.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
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Speaker 2 (00:43):
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. He 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
(01:04):
African American man and you've never been to Africa And
I was like damn. And it hurt even more that
a white dude said.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
It was like damn.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
So I was like, 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 go
back over there and do some things for the kids,
(01:36):
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 like help these kids
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
So I was like, man, let's go, Like I'm down
to go.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
So we all go over there, and immediately when we
get over there, we realized like, well right before we
kind of knew like it was a uh, 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.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
So we was.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Already talking about bringing laptops 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,
(02:34):
it was like a culture shock. It was like a
real culture shock because the first thing is so hot.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
At the airport.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
Bro, the airport like a bus term and no disrespect,
but I'll let you finish.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
But we got a story, all right, Bro.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
It was so hot to where immediately like it make
you take the labels off. You feel like you're not
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
(03:11):
have to move over here? A lot of it over
here is about elitists and status and all these different things.
What kind of shoes you got on over there is like,
you know what you really contributing to our people? 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.
(03:33):
So he going into the mainland and I'm seeing just
like cows and like people just like selling everything they
could find and like doing all these different things. So
I met this kid kids in front of the stories
rapping or whatever. I'm like, daan, this kid kind of dope.
I ended up posting the kid or whatever. Yeah, posted
(03:54):
them went up. Everybody in Nigeria start start tagging them everything, right,
so I immediately start getting hit Yo, we want you to
come to this radio station.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yo.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
He wants you to come to this thing. Like Yo,
he wants 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
(04:29):
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?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
So my homi? He like lucky.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
You ever ate at a restaurant? He like no, how
was he fourteen? He was like, you ever had a hamburger?
And he was like no, 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
(05:09):
gizzards kind of. So we get him a hamburger, 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.
(05:31):
So from that day, from when I seen that, I
just started living in it, bro, you know what I mean, Like,
I just start going where the people was at if
people was hitting me, Like yo, you got this going on?
I'm like, I'm pulling up the veto had a concert.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
I pulled up. He brought me out on stage. You know.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
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 felt 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 3 (06:06):
Not one time.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Now they gonna ask you for some money. They're gonna
ask you for some money, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I saw when you pulled up with the van.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah, they gonna ask you for a little money.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
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
(06:37):
didn't feel like that now. One time, it just felt
like love. So it just really put me in a space, Bro,
of like living and just letting life happen instead of
trying to make it happen.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
How long was you there for?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Two weeks? Was there for two weeks?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
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 familiar with the people.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
You said something, So is that what you found because
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 3 (07:18):
Bro?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
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 don't
make me a better rapper.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It don't make me a better person.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
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 jewelry every day to go do an
interview or make people rock with my music. You're either
gonna rock with it or you're not. I'm at peace
(08:01):
with that. I'm not trying to impress you.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
No more liberating a feeling.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, it is what it is, like, Let life happen however,
it's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
It's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
And that was because of Nigeria.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Oh, because of Nigeria. Bro.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
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 their 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
washing my body, but I can't really wash my face.
(08:36):
I'm washing my face with a bottle of water, brushing
my teeth with a bottle of water, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So it was just like it was. It was a
culture shot.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
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 it's people in
the club.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Actually party, yeah, not a party, dance.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
You didn't move around with any security.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You know. I had security.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I had tops, like yeah, I'm like like security of
the world.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, okay, you know what, we had cops yeah yeah, yeah, Like.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
I ain't want them rappers to becoming on my jewell
every day. No security ain't. I was running around. I
got my son out there. I gotta get back home. Yeah,
I got to get back home.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Bro, that's a fact.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Get home.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
That's how we was moving, man, everywhere.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
They slept at the house yeah yeah, yeah, outside waiting
for us.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
They was at the crib like it was serious. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
I was like, I thought that part got left out there.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
I was like, wait, did you have.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Noah, I definitely did, but safety first, no 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.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
That happened, Like I was in the projects, like one.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Of the worst hoods over there is called Legos Island.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
How that happen?
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Dog, I'm in the I'm in the crib.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Now, keep in mind, I bring a studio over there,
so my crazy ass, 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, come to the crib, like get
on the sprinter, like, come to the crib, like I'm
(10:35):
to the point my homie, I was like, shit, you
can't be you got chill, Like yeah, like everybody coming
over there. So I'm like, 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
(10:57):
his hell. So the engineer who engineering, I kept telling
him like, no, we 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
(11:17):
that was over there. He was like, Bro, is this
something you wanted to do, like before you get up
out of here? Because I was leaving in two days.
And I was like, man, I did want to shoot
a video, but I couldn't really get it how I
wanted to get it.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
He was like, what you wanted to look like?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I was like, Bro, I want to show Nigeria, Like
I don't want to show the island, you know what
I mean? Like we could 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 in the mainland. So I'm starting off
(11:54):
in the mansion right where I'm in the crib. That's
the island where the cribs is nice and it's gold
shrimming on the tie and the marble and everything is
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.
(12:15):
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 crew called Whack People, and
they come through and literally broke 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
(12:35):
to shoot a 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 3 (12:44):
And he was like, nah, I got you.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
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 away. So they pull up, Bro, they got all
the equipment. We go to this spot with my man Vector.
(13:08):
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 the video, bro, like
(13:31):
all night and we just chilling like we're eating, Like
I'm taking their herbal shots and everything. 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 3 (13:48):
Bro.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It was like twelve midnight. We just out there the neighborhood,
kicking in with the kids and it was just love.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
It was love.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
So it's definitely something that's a part of my life
at this point. Because we actually ended up signing Lucky Wow. 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 him in
(14:19):
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. He 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 trying to turn
(14:41):
him to a rap store, it's like allowing 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, So that's something that we
want to provide for him.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
So that's context.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Man.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
We talk about education reform, yeah here, but we missed
the part where it's like there's people who only have
access to education. So that that's big. I mean when
you were there and 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
(15:16):
if you give or you help import education, import mindset,
import infrastructure and business. What does the country look like,
what does the continent look like? Is that something that
you plan to do going forward? Continuoucy going to Africa,
going to different countries and the content.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
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 Gap and
it speaks on and the documentary would be the first
documentary produced by my media company that I was telling
you guys about. But it goes into the difference between
(15:56):
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
(16:20):
a place with 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 asked
that question over there, and that's not necessarily true. The
media paints that perception. So we look at them that way,
(16:41):
and there's this combative spirit.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
But really, bro, our people love us.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
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, Like.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
What's the process.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
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 America ain't
doing too good right now, jimp, you know what I mean.
And eventually we're gonna have to go over there and
see what's going on with our people. So it's important
(17:28):
that we start somewhere. We got to start somewhere. But
that's definitely something I'm interested in, is, you know, getting
some things going over there and bringing more people back
over there so we could unify over there.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
You know.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
It's interesting.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
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
(18:04):
Panthers Black Panther Party starting in Oakland, but as far
as like.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
How she described it to me was ill.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
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 4 (18:21):
So it's two parts to this.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
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
(18:43):
alone and not like you never came back for 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 heal that
troblem is to be reconnected. And it was like kill
Monger in the movie, like he's a very rebellious person,
(19:06):
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.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Da da da da, Like they sold you to slavery,
Da da da.
Speaker 5 (19:28):
And then the Africans is like, well they're slaves, like
they they're nonsense. They they're always troublemakers in America. They
always get in trouble, 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 with the music is now we're starting to
bridge that gap and we're realizing that there's more similarities
(19:49):
than we have expertise that could be beneficial because we
went through a system in America that nobody has ever
gone and we survived it, and they have the resources.
So it's like if we can, if we can piece
with their traditions and their resources.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Now, that's unstoppable.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
It's very unstoppable. It would make us like the most
dominant place on earth, you know what I mean. Like,
I'm I'm fully for it, bro Like I'm all for it.
That's a great that's a great analogy you just broke
down to. I gotta rewatch the movie now from that
perspect because that's dope. You know what's crazy. Somebody told
(20:28):
me over there.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
It was like.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
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. And I said,
what you mean there was like, you guys put your
grandparents and your mother's and retirement homes, when those are
the people who have the information to feed the children.
(20:54):
How the kids supposed to learn when you in the
midst of living life and learning yourself, those are the
people that live, they're supposed to pass that down. That's
something we don't do that over here. And I never
looked at it like that.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
That was one of the conversations we had with Acon
as well, and he was like the wisdom of the eldest,
even at a level of SUCCESSUF 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.
Any thinks that's one of the things that's missing that
when we talk about generational gaps, it's like, how do
(21:29):
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, right,
because there's a certain level of knowledge that they can
pass down, right, and you add that knowledge to the creativity, innovation,
(21:51):
and the energy that the youth have, and that becomes
an unsolvable force.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
But we got to realize it though.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
I think that was done intentionally.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
My graduates from my school being false back drop drop
a mic.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Drop back drop.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Earners.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
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