Ben Reilly on Snippet Going Viral on TikTok, "Freelance" Details, and More

Who cares if y'all don't catch me? this is making me feel good. Nowadays, it's very microwave. People just like, I just want to have some fun, listen to some shit. Cool. There'll be somebody out there that's like, nah, this is really cool. This is really interesting. If I can get that one person to do that, I'm fine. The One More Time Music Podcast. Genuine conversations with genuine people about music. Hosted by Henry with a three and playback Ben. One more time. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back for another episode of the One More Time Podcast. I'm your host, Playback Ben, here with my co-host. Henry with a three, aka The Trap Jack Black. Henry, who do we have in the hot seat today, my friend? It's a good one, right? He liked that one. I love that one. Welcoming in on episode 49 of the One More Time podcast. You know him from The Wire and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's Idris Elba.

Young Idris. I like that one. That was good. Idris Jr. I think that's a compliment. Oh hell yeah, man. he's the world's sexiest man. Not in my book, but He he did win the award. Yeah, he won the award. Yeah, for sure. I'm the world's sexiest man. You have a lot to live up to. In all seriousness, folks, we have one of the hottest up and coming artists on the scene right now. Originally from Brownsville, New York, but we got him down here in the A. We got Ben Riley on the podcast. Ben, we appreciate you coming on, man. I appreciate you guys for having me. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Ben. Yes. It's a strong name coming from coming from one Ben to another. For sure. Um, so you well, you know, paint us a picture of like a young Ben Riley, Like, you know, where you grew up, what the circumstances were for you. Like, kind of, you know, paint us the the early days of of your life. The early days, okay. Boom. Coming outside on a stoop. Stoop kid.

Stoop kid. Never left. My grandfather comes out, he's getting ready and he's in his work clothes, got a all brown on, goes outside, goes uh next door, smokes a cigarette and chops it up. I'm sitting down, chilling. Mr. Softy comes by, Mr. Yeah, Mr. Softy comes by. I'll get me some. And then I sit down, my cousins come by. We sit there and we play like uh Skelly in the street. Skelly is like a game back in New York. They used to play back in the day. And it's like chalk. It's like hopscotch. It looks like hopscotch, but it's not hopscotch. Okay. So like it's like a, it's like a it's like a board, and then like, but it's on the concrete, and then you you get uh like bottle caps, or like you ever had like milk carton caps, yeah, something like this, yeah, fill it up with uh play-doh, just flick it around. Yeah, but that then, but then you see me, and I'm just sitting there and I'm I'm there with my jean shorts, Phat Farm jean shorts. shorts. Um and then I'm imagining a baby in fat farm.

I have no idea how old he is at this point. At this point, I'm uh what I want to say, when was fat Farm cool? I'd still be wearing fat Farm. Still cool. 2022. 2022. So um just last week. Last week, last week I had on jeans shorts, uh, a tall tee. I had a Allen Iverson uh headband, sure, yeah. You know, um, some knockoff Jordans, and um yeah, I'm just sitting there and um we're just lollygagging on the stoop, playing bullshitting, you know. Then my cousins fight, and I'm like, stop, guys. So you were the peacemaker? No, and then I started fighting my cousins. Okay, yeah. Uh, uh you know, shit like that. So for sure. So it was so vivid. I felt like I was there. Yeah, so Brownsville, New York, Brownsville, yeah. And you were saying you were there up until kind of like the high school year, right? Yeah. up until. So tell us about your parents and kind of what they did. Okay.

So my father's in my life uh now. Uh, but my mother raised me. Uh I didn't really get to know my father until like I was like 14. Um, that's when we really like met for real. He was actually the first one to take me to a studio too. Um shout out to him. Yeah, shout out to Pops. Um, but um, yeah, nah, uh my mom's, she's real, real dope. She used to rap, my pops used to rap too. Um, I think my pops was signed at one point. But um, but my mom's uh she she had like all the CDs and uh cassettes and like uh VHS, like all that stuff. And then like I used to watch like Tupac VHS video, like interviews and stuff religiously. And um she used to like just play like a lot of Rakim and like a lot of ODs and shit like that. So I really really got it. Like the first song I heard that made me want to be a rapper was like uh Nightmares by Dana Dane. You know that song? Um I'm pretty sure. Okay, yeah, it's, it's an obscure classic, but it's a classic. Okay, so um, yeah, my mom's is cool.

My mom's is my bad. My mom's is my twin, look just like me. Um she looks like Idris Elba. But like uh it just with a wig. Yeah, so so yeah, uh that's hilarious. Shout out, moms. Shout out my moms, yeah, yeah. Couple of rapping ass parents, rapping ass crazy. Rapping ass parents. Yeah, my mom was nicer though. But shots fired. What did you learn from each of them when it comes to rap? Like, did you learn flow from one and like you know, cadence or like melody from another? You know what I mean? Like, you know, were there certain things that you took from from each of them and your own stuff? Yeah. So like my mom, so like as a kid, I I came across like my mom's rhyme book. Oh shit, I didn't know she rapped. So I used to read this and be like, damn. Like as a kid, I used to be like, whoa. And then I've heard my mom rap before. And one thing I could say, like, like, all right, boom. My father, he has like bars, but he's like very, very punchline heavy. You know, so like he just line after line after line after line.

And it's dope. It's dope. And then my mom, she's really, really flow. Like she'll she'll do like patterns with her flow. So it's you know, okay, all right. So I feel like I get that from my mom, and I get like really, really paying attention to the bars for my pops. It's the perfect like two things. You put those together. Yeah, you got a superstar. You know, so so were they actively rapping when you were growing up, or was that like a past life? That was like a past. life. So my father, like, um, so my father, he uh he was rapping. He, I mean, he's he'll still get in the studio even like to this day and just like spit some shit. Okay. But um, like, and like I said, he took me to my first studio session ever. Yeah. But my mom's like, she hung it up like when I was born. She was like, you know, I killed her dreams. So she's banking on you now. Yeah, oh no, no, yeah. She's living through me like crazy right now.

But um, but yeah, nah, she um she hung it up when she was like, you know, like around like my age. And then uh my pops, he still like kept trying to keep going. I I I swear I feel like my father was signed at one point, but like on like some indie shit. And then um, like I guess it just like fizzled out or whatever. But um, yeah, nah, uh I think I answered the question. Yeah. No, okay. All right, good. No, that's that's great. You know, flipping it on its head, you know, you mentioned some things you got, you know, from them that you learned from them. Were there some things that you like, like that ain't it, ma, and like that ain't it, pops. You know what I mean? Like stuff that you like said, like fuck that, I'm not doing that, My parents are corny as hell. So corny. Hell yeah. My mom, my mom. But is that in is that like, you know, I guess a result of their time. Just the times, right? Yeah, yeah. Like a lot, a lot of times a lot of people were rapping, like back then. And then you, who, ba-dim-ga-dim, he-ba-dim, de-ba-dim. They're not that damn old. Some Humpty Dumpty shit. Like yo, Walking up the stairs, I don't walk another stairs, I'm walking up the sideways style.

But like, cause like, you know, like my pops, my pops and my moms, they was 90 parents, 90s parents. And like they was also like kind of in the streets. So they was rapping gangster shit. And so, like, as you know, even with like stars from back then, a lot of the stars from back then, if they were to make a song now, it would be really, really corny. Yeah, you know what I mean? It'll sound dated. And so a lot of times, and my mom has great ideas, my father has great ideas even to this day. But sometimes you'd be like, it's a little a little late. There's a little That's a little about that one. Yeah, that's a little corny. You know what I mean? So that's just what it is. You know, they're 40 something years old, so it's like you got some corny shit in there. So sure, yeah. As expected. Yeah, you know, yeah. So, you know, so I mean, I guess like, you know, with them kind of in the streets, like what you know, was that kind of like in your face? Like the streets, yeah, like the street side of like what you know what they were doing? Like was that like in your face at all?

Or no, you know, were you kind of like oblivious to it a little bit? Or nah. So I mean, as a kid, I would I would see stuff, but not from my parents. Cause like I said, I didn't I didn't know my father till I was 14. Right. And that that's when I was in Atlanta, because he lives out here too. So um, no, by that time he has his whole family, and I got brothers and a sister, and he got a wife and kids. So like he's living a live a different life than when he was when I was a baby. And then so like my mother living a di uh different life as well. So um I didn't I didn't see like I knew about the stuff that they used to do back in the day, my father and my mom separately or whatever would used to do back in the day. Yeah, but all the street shit I seen was from just surroundings or maybe my cousins or even my friends or stuff like that. But like nah, I never really seen that from my parents. Yeah. I know the stories, I know a lot of stories that that you would hear be like, oh my God. But you heard them after the fact.

You know what I mean? Like I I wasn't a kid experiencing those stories. Yeah now from my parents. Now there was things as a kid that I would see in my old neighborhood that would be like, damn, that's really fucked up to see, period. But especially as a kid, but nah, it wasn't from my peoples. Nah. Yeah. So you kind of alluded to it, but like who were some of the rappers that you know they were putting you on earlier. I guess, you know, more so your mom probably. Uh so my mom's so I so my favorite rapper is like most deaf, right? Oh, man. So like Yasiin. Yasiin. That's a good one. Yeah. So my mom's used to play a lot of, you know, Mos Def. Black Star and shit. Black Star. Outkast, Tribe. Talib Kweli. Yeah. So, yeah, all that shit. So, you know, Brooklyn too. So we we playing that shit. And then Biggie, like I knew I knew Biggie shit by heart early. You know what I mean? And um, my mom was also a super big Nas fan. Like, my my real middle name is Nasir. Oh, really? Mm-hmm. So, like, so in my pops. Is that after him? Yeah, My pops didn't like that though.

He told her, he told her to change the spelling and shit. Um, but um he was a Jay-Z fan. Cause, I was gonna say. No, he is really. Yeah. He is. I was like, that's my father's favorite rapper. It was hard to like both Man. back in the day. So um I'm so glad I didn't grow up in New York to have to choose. Yeah, I was like, I love all of them. Yeah, yeah. My pops was a big Jay-Z fan. Biggie, Jay, Nas, give it to me all. Yeah, exactly. So, but um, yeah, and like I said, like I I my mom used to have like old Tupac interviews and music videos on like a VHS, so I would pop it in and just watch it. You know what I mean? So, like, shit like that. God, those days, man. Um, Kato on the track who produced a lot of Jaron Benton stuff. I met Kato recently too. Okay, yeah, and so and so we were talking about how the fact that you know this guy just has a random Jaron Benton song that he forgot about, but anyways, that's for a whole other day. But um, you know, he was reminiscing about the funk volume days with Jaron, and someone commented, like, I still play my like DVD documentary of funk volume. Yeah, he was like, You a fucking real one, like for that.

Because it's like, and this is even pre-DVD where it's like you know, the the uh Tupac cassettes and like you know, the documentaries that were on tape, the VHSs and shit. Like, that's crazy to to think about though. Like that was how we consumed, you know, those you had to you had to have the physical product, which like I feel like those are probably worth a lot, yeah. You had to rewind the VHSs. you had to rewind them. Yeah, God holding the the rewind button was hell, a thing. Hell, bro. That's crazy. So you mentioned your your pops though was the one that took you to your first session, though. Was that up in New York though? No, that was in Atlanta. That was down here too. So I really had not been in a studio in New York, no, until high school. Until high school. Until you moved down here. So like well, correct. I've never been in front of a mic in the studio until high school. Okay. You're in a studio. I was in the studio before. Because my cousins, my older cousins, they used to rap and stuff. And they would go to the studio and stuff like that. So I would be there.

But like every time I'd be like, hey, I want to rap too. They'll be like, fuck out of here. You like writing some bars in the corner Yeah. I was. I was. Yeah. Or I would go home and like memorize the beat they had, or like try to take one of the CDs that they burnt and like write to it, and then I'll try to rap it to them and they'll be like, fuck out of here. That's not it. Yeah, you know what I mean? So you know, it is what it is. Yeah, but I guess before you moved to Atlanta, I mean, you moved because you were getting into like a shit ton of trouble, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was troublemaker. What were you doing? So I was I was in middle school. Fighting his cousins. So I was fighting, but not my cousins. So I I got into a lot of fights and stuff in middle school. Like people called me crazy because like, but it's like where I'm from, you kind of like you gotta have like thick skin. If not, you're gonna have to fight. And I didn't have thick skin. So it was like I really got into a lot of fights. And um I feel like New York is like that a lot. Very fast-paced.

You've got to be able to take the bullshit. Yeah, and like people used to really just be like really, really like kids and kids are mean. Especially middle school. Yo, kids are mean. The worst. I was getting in a lot of trouble. Um, and then like, you know, um it came a point where like my mom was like, yo, we're gonna go to Atlanta. We got some family out there. I like even we we came to Atlanta for like a year and then moved back to New York anyway. But like when I was really, really getting in trouble and stuff, she was like, the schools are better in Atlanta anyway. Let's just go out there and see what it's like. And I was like, okay. And then she lived out, she lived out there for like six months out here for like six months and then I moved out here. But I was getting in a lot of trouble. Like I used to throw tantrums and shit. Like I it wasn't even like I was like a a bad kid. I was just angry, angsty, I guess. What do you think that was like stemming from? Oh man, it's therapy now. Um it doesn't need to be that deep, but just I'm just trying, you know. No, it's just looking back on it, you're obviously a lot older now at this point.

But like oh yeah, you know, looking back, you know, why do you think you were um acting out like that? So like uh I wouldn't necessarily say I was uh acting out because I wasn't the act antagonizer, you know what I mean? I was reacting, I was very reactive. Um but I think due to me not having like um I don't even know what you would say. Uh but like I don't know. I think I I think it was really just like, you know, you get pushed around once and you're like, okay, whatever. But then after a while, you're just like, nah, I gotta show you you can't do this to me. And that's really what it was for me. Um if we talking like psychological, I mean, bro, when I was a kid, I definitely had like some super duper heavy like abandonment issues and shit like that. And that that would cause me to lash out. But um, but nah, a lot of times I was just like, folks would try to pick on me and I wasn't going for it. You know what I mean? Yeah, like straight up. Yeah, so I feel like I guess the bullying probably now, I'm just like thinking, I you know, I don't know this for a fact, but I'm sure the bullying now has just taken to the internet, right?

Like are are kids still fighting these days? Like, I don't even know. Like, are they fighting much? Twitter fingers. Twitter fingers, for sure. Right. I'm sure there's still some kids out there getting their ass beat though. For sure. But like, I don't know. Like, yeah, I don't know. Yeah. Bullying is different Yeah, man. For sure. But I'm still I'm sure it still hurts. You know what I mean? Yes. Nah, for sure. That's that's interesting. So, you know, you, you know, you moved to Atlanta. Do you immediately like hit your stride, or did you feel kind of out of place? Uh nah. uh, so like yes and no. Cause like when I came out here, I was very, I was for a long time. I was very, very like one of those, yo, I'm from New York. Right. This shit lame. I don't want to go back. I was that corny shit. I was I was one of those. But like, y'all say y'all way too much. Yeah, nah, nah, but y'all did. But I do it now too. You just said it. Y'all did. You know what I mean? But like, but like he's a convert. Yeah, you know what I mean? He's a y'all convert. We got Ben. Straight up transplant. Yes. But like, um, but now like Ben Riley, Southerner.

Southerner. Check. Oh no, but when I go back, they be like, yo, you country. Right. Oh, they all say, Oh, you're so country. I'm like, man. I don't need I don't have an accent, period. Like, I don't think it's way more hinting at New York than it is Atlanta, still though. For sure. I would say too, yeah. For sure. But um, but now when I came out here, uh, I had cousins out here already. So like a lot of I had like because outside of like my family in Brooklyn, a lot of my family do come from the South. So like I would come to the South a lot. Okay anyway. But um uh yeah, I had some cousins out here. I was staying with some cousins, so it made it easier to adjust, and then over time it was just like boom. We we stayed in this on the south side before moving to uh to Marietta or whatever, and then high school was cool, yeah. You know what I mean? High school was cool, that's where I really like found my swag, I guess. And it was like, okay, this is who I am, you know what I mean? And then did that translate immediately to music too?

Like, I mean, because you get in your first session, like with pops, like, did you did you feel I you know, I guess I'm always curious when I because I'm I'm not the creative, obviously, right? Like, I've never had that like first time behind the mic, you know, type shit as an as an artist. Did you feel immediately kind of comfortable, or was it some growing pains at first? Like, you know, how you you know, how was your story? Um, well, when it came to like translating some music, yeah. Um, you know, I I don't know. Cause like I feel like you have to find your swag before you get comfortable. You know what I mean? Like, and like I like I would uh I would like to learn how to rap, I guess I would like try to model my verses after like a a Wayne or a fabulous or like stuff like that. So um, but when I came to getting into the studio, I don't know. Like I just sat there and I watched like my father go in there and like freestyle of verse, and I'd be like, okay, well, now what do I do? And then I was like, okay, well, give me a pad and a pencil, I'm gonna try to. And I was like, okay, cool, this works.

And then it became me recording with my friends, and that's when like I really started to really push my pen. And that's when I really started to find my swag too. Cause you know, we started getting together recording, we made a group together, and then we're like, okay, who gonna have the best verse? If you're not if you don't have a good verse, we kicking you off the song, da da da. And then over time I became as everybody was like, Oh, this just rapping ass motherfucker, da da da. So I think um as I got older and really started to really really pay attention to what I'm putting on paper, that's when I really got into like my music. You know what I mean? So that friendly competition I love the competitive spirit of hip hop specifically. Yes, I'm not I'm not in other genres really, right? So I can't speak for if EDM DJs and producers are like competing, you know, competing like that, or country artists are or whatever. But like from what I know about hip hop, and like I've studied this shit for a while, and I've been such a fan of of hip hop and and you know rap for a while a long time. And like that's something that made me fall in love with it.

Because I'm like a you know, sports guy, right? Like I grew up playing sports, and I just always was a competitive dude. My mom played competitively. Uh, you know, in in college, she even was in the women's pro league before it was called the WNBA type shit. And like, so like you know, we grew up in a very like competitive environment. Like my sister and I were super competitive. Yep, my friends and I same shit, right? That's so cool, though. I think, and like that, like really can help like breed you, you know what I mean? And elevate your skills, you know. Uh the the saying still sharpen still. So, like, you know, like yeah, so When you're around like like-minded individuals, everybody, you know, we might be best friends, but we will we all have a different personality, we all have a different swag. So like we might be happy, we might have similar traits, but we all have a different way of saying what we feel, saying how we feel. So when it came to like putting that to music, you know, you got me, you got like Luke on my side, though, those are members of my group, or then you got like you know, other members, and it's like, okay, you hear how they come on to be you like, okay, all right. That was that was good.

I gotta uh now I'm going after that. I have to make you want to stay and listen more. Yes. Okay, so how do I top that? And then it's like, you know, and then we'll all rotate, okay. Ben went first. Okay, I'm about to top that. I'm about to smoke this, and then did it, and then it became that. So you ever like uh write a verse and then someone writes someone goes on after you, and then you're like, oh hell no, I gotta rewrite my shit. Uh I did that once. Just once. And it was a love song. Wow. It was a love song. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting. So uh it's a song that we have out called Brown Sugar under Abstract Media, right? Yeah. So before you get into that specific song, like what is the group? Abstract media. Right. So for those that don't know, so abstract media, yeah. Maybe the lower maybe the lower can. Abstract media. Um who's in it? So you got you got Masai, um, you got Luke Royal, you got Angelo, and then we have other members like uh Dylan, and then we got Brody, and then we got we got like a we are a whole posse, but then you like like essentially you have like me too, and then you got like kind of like the main three, like so Masai, Luke and me, uh technically like the main three, but we have other people in our group that are just as valuable, you know what I mean, and just as important. Um, and yeah.

And that started in high school? Started in high school, yeah. Damn. So me and Luke still going strong. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's hard. man. Like we, we, we, we we've talked about collectives and groups on here a lot. I mean, even you know, not to like talk about Jaren this whole episode, but like talking about the funk volume shit and that kind of nasty split or you know, less than amicable split, you know, between them and you know, um and Jace with two nine and Jace with two nine. Those guys obviously, once again, all cool today. The funk volume guys are seemingly, you know, cool today, which is which is great, but like it's it's tough, man. So it's it's interesting that you guys have made it like this far. I mean, so do you feel any tension ever? Uh so here's the thing. So like so me and Luke created abstract together, and um Luke was the first friend I made when I moved to that side of town. Um, but that's 10, 12 years ago. Yeah. Right. So we've been friends, we've been through a lot of shit together as friends, all of us.

Yeah. And of course, like you're human. Sometimes you have those moments where you like, uh, and then you know, we've been friends from teens to adults. So when it comes to like adulting, you're not able to really just talk all the time like you used to, and shit like that. And like you might bump heads a lot more, you know, like that happens. But it's just a matter of really communicating and actually being like adults about it and like really like not being petty about shit. Yes. Cause like, you know what I mean? Because we talk all the time. And it's like if we have a grievance, we're gonna voice it. Yo, I don't really like how you did this, da-da-da-da, how you feel. Yo, uh, I I feel like this, I did this because of that. Oh, okay. Well, now I make sense of it. Because we've had tension before, of course we do. We're human, you know what I mean? Like even just creative differences, yeah, creative differences, friendship differences that happens. But like, but you're taking like a mature communication approach, yeah. Cause like and acknowledging that it's necessary. Yeah, because like for especially from my perspective, like they're like family for me. Yeah, you know what I mean.

Like, like, like I couldn't be where I am in life, period without them. Yeah, you know what I mean. Like my family treat them like family. Yeah, you know what I mean? So like it's like if even if it was like, and that's not gonna happen, but like even if there was like a a point of like, okay, we might have to grow apart because you got kids now, you get married now, da da da da, da. we still family. So it's like we gonna work hard to make sure the family is good. You know what I mean? But like, like we brothers. If if I'm not, if I'm not even someone else is gonna make sure I eat. You know what I mean? Shit like that. You know what I mean? And on your off days, um, they'll pick it up. And on their off days, you could pick it up. No, and honestly, Jace talked about that exact thing. I was coming at it very negative, not gonna lie, it was like glass half empty, where I where I was like, yo, two nine ceases to exist. Like it was a failure. And then but in Jace's mind, it worked out. It just it just came to an end. But like everyone elevated, they they were competitive with each other and boosted each other up. And they've gone on to do like amazing things individually. I mean, he's doing his thing, Jace is doing his thing, Curtis is doing his thing, you know, so on and so forth, right?

Like a lot of them have gone on to like, you know, whether it's personally or and or professionally, have like built, you know, solid lives for themselves. You know what I mean? So, like, it was cool to open my eyes to like I'm looking at it very like, well, two nine doesn't put out music anymore, so like fucking, you know, it'd be the same thing if like Abstract. I mean, like, are you guys putting out projects still? Yeah, yeah. No, we got a whole we got a whole group project that's like that's on the way, that's like just sitting there, just we just waiting for the right time. Oh, we need it. Um, yeah, but uh like nah, like bro, that's that's family, period. That's my brother. So it's like like even with everything that's going on with me right now, they're a hundred percent supportive. Yeah, and I'm making sure they're there, you know what I mean? Like, I'm not leaving them out because if it could be backstage at the shows, yeah. Like, like like with with like South by Southwest, I made sure to make sure they they came. Yep, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, regardless, they're yeah, I'm not cut, I'm not coming without them. Yeah, you know what I mean? So that's just that's just how we are. That's dope.

You know what I mean? So for sure. So, you know, I I know obviously it kind of fast forwards, but and so if there's anything you want to touch on before this point, but like how do you end up in the in the hands of our our friend Key Henderson? Shout out Key. Shout out to Key Henderson, the legend. Key, you can't escape it anymore. We need you on the podcast. Seriously, for sure. Gotta happen. Your story has to be told. I'm sure obviously a bunch of people have presented. Not even for us. Like for the people, the people need it. The culture needs it. Culture. Atlanta needs it, but this is about Ben Riley. So how did you know end up? Obviously, you're grinding with your you know, homies, you're finding your sound, you're you know, you know, moving and shaking, whatever. Like, how do you end up connecting with Key? Um, you know, how does that relationship start? So uh so I dropped freelance last year. Shout out freelance.

Shout out to Freelance, amazing project. Go stream that shit. Stream freelance. First songs and all that. So I dropped freelance last summer. June 2021. June 2021. This is 2022. This is gonna be April. We're a few hours away from April. I was away from April. Yeah, so um I dropped freelance in June. Key follows me in July and DMs me like shortly after, and she's just like, yo, you got really dope music, you know. Um, here's some advice. Like, we didn't even talk about no management shit yet. Like, she was like, yo, here's some advice. Oh, okay, cool, appreciate it. What was the advice? It's just like don't just like skate fast. Well, it was just like it was just like, yo, like she was just offering advice on on some brand and shit, like, yo, like, here's how you can make your branding a lot more like concise and streamlined, basically. And um, she led with value, yeah.

That's smart. For sure. So. Dude, that's why she is who she is, She's not coming at this like here's the paperwork. Yeah, nah, nah, nah. She definitely here's how smart I am and the value I can bring. Yeah, and and and that's the thing. She didn't even like, as far as I know, she wasn't really into interested in like fucking with rappers again either. Like, because she was just like, like, I want to try RB. I want to try different yeah she was like taking uh a step a step away from that rap and it's just like I want to work with like other genres like because I want to see what else can come from other genres but uh apparently I guess like when she heard my shit she was like maybe we'll make an exception. We'll make an exception. so uh but like nah but like she I mean this is pretty dope Yeah. Yeah. Cause you know. Fuck that R&B shit right yeah she was just like nah nah, shout out to all the R&B artists. Shout out to all the R&B artists but um but nah like so she hit me up she was like yo you got those stuff here's some advice if you're willing to take it I was like cool and um that was like that was it she was like alright cool and then over time I uh I ended up uh she'll you know like a post comment that like show love she'll just show love genuinely like not asking for anything in return and I really appreciated that huge and then over time I started to hear people say yo like yo she got a she got an eye for you man like you know keep doing what you're doing I'm like okay cool then um I think I did a show uh Lotus Rosary shout out to Anwar and the whole Lotus Rosary crew um did did the Lotus Rosary show in November and everybody was just like yo you better kill that shit because like he's on the way she's trying to make sure she catches you perform so make sure you kill it and I'm like all right well cool no pressure though. like but like you know it's crazy so like sweat immediately falls down his face yeah so but you know it's crazy uh uh I got into a really bad car accident right before that, right? Like, like, like I should have died.

Is this one of the near death experiences that you're talking that you're talking about? Yeah, yeah. So I shouldn't have. died. Apparently he's had more than one folks, but let's just focus on this one for now. So, like, so enough trauma, maybe for the whole episode but so I was I was in a really, really bad car crash. On the way to the show? No, no, no, no. Okay, okay. No, it was it was a month before the show. Okay, but um, but um, I got hit by a drunk driver. They clipped my ass. And um just take an Uber, folks. Yeah, Jesus Christ. But um, what it resulted in me having to walk around with a cane. Wow. And I and up until that day of the show, I still had to walk around with a cane. My doctors, I told my doctors, like, yo, I got a show, da-da-da. They was like, don't do it. I did it anyway. Um, and um like Key's gonna be there, doc. Yeah, yeah. I was like, Doc, I'll just look like Big Daddy Kane. Yeah, and I I I didn't even bring the cane. I said, fuck it. I performed I performed without the cane. I was jumping around and shit. I felt it the next day. I was gonna say it. I felt it the next day because like I fractured hip, uh, bulging disc in my back. I was I was down bad.

But um shit. But you know, pulling up the show, I'm hearing, oh, you know, she she's making sure she catches you. And I think she ended up missing the shit. Oh Jesus. She made it, she made it right after. She made it right after. But what were you doing that was so important before the set? You missed Ben Riley. Yeah, like I think she got wrapped up in like some family stuff, and she was like, yo, like I missed it or whatever. It was a good Netflix show she was watching. Yeah, I think it might have been Ozark or something. But um, but nah, so we, we chopped it up and she was like, you know, like after the show, she was like, Yo, I missed it, but like I heard you had the like one of the best like sets or whatever. Like, she was like, yo, like, let's grab lunch one day. And um, I was like, okay, bet. You know, we still had each other's number. We'll like I said, text here and there, she'll invite me to sessions. And um, sometimes I couldn't make those sessions. And she was like, Nah, no worries, it's all good. Like, our schedule started to conflict, especially around like the December Christmas time. I'm like, yo, like, I I can't make it to this session.

She was like, Oh, it's all good. It'll be another one. She was like, I just want to see you work. I was like, Okay, cool. And then um, and then uh, like I said, we'll have some communication, and then like literally a week before like shit went crazy for me. She was like, yo, like, let's get up next week. And then shit went crazy. And then it was like, nah, we need to get like right now, come on. And I was like, Yeah, we do. And then, but like, I was very, very like inclined to get in with Key because she was interested in giving me genuine love, yeah, before shit started really going well for me. Is the went crazy Is that the TikTok moment? Yes, yes. Yeah, and that's when I was like, okay, cool. Well, I I I appreciate the love you've been showing me, so I want to lock in with you already. You know what I mean? And she was showing love before that. She was showing love before everybody else started because there's a lot of people that started showing love after the TikTok went crazy that that I reached out to for help. Like, hey, I wanna I want like I want to work with you.

I I want like I need help, da da da, emails, whatever. Like just trying to be as proper and professional as possible. Yo, is it petty of me to be like, I would love for him to be like, yo, bro, you see me like doing that. No, no, no. I never do that. I never do that. Oh, so you saw the TikTok. Yeah, you know what I mean? But like I'm so petty, I'd be like, yo, bro. You've been seeing the streams going on. You see I'm locked in with Key, bro. But but that was that was one of the things. It was like it was a lot of people I reached out to that wasn't really like receptive, and it's fine, like of the music or just in general, replying to the city. Just replying, yeah. Like, there was some people that not taking you seriously, stuff like that. And it was some people that was just like, I'll pass. Like for real. Yeah, it was something like I'll pass, but like those are the same people following me now and like in my posts. Yeah. Shit like that. And it's cool. It's fine, whatever. But I respected the fact that Key heard my shit last year when I dropped it. Yes.

Yeah. And was like, you got something. I fuck with you. I want to see what you do. And then I was like, I want to lock in with you. And she was like, me too. Damn. You know what I mean? And here we are. So damn, that's dope. So the the TikTok video. That was just a clip of you spitting your ass off from Maytag, right? Or yeah. And that was your was that your first TikTok post ever? My second. Or did you delete second? My second. Okay. So see, he's he's flexing. No, no, no. So look, so look. I don't even believe it was this first. It was like 200th. Let's hear him out. So been at it for three years. That's crazy. Yeah. My first TikTok post was actually, and it's still up there. Um, it's it's me and uh my friend Billy and um my friend Johnny, and we were at like uh a friend's house and they were arguing about fucking Assassin's Creed, and like Classic. Like, you ever you ever seen the video of like she's the wicked witch of the East, bro? Yeah, so so that video was them, like so.

That video, my first TikTok was a genuine video of them two motherfuckers arguing Just you you pulled up your phone, and I was just like, This is hilarious. I was like, yo, and I was like, this reminds me of the wicked witch of the east, bro thing. So I was like, I'm gonna upload this and see if it like I was like, I was like, oh, this should probably go viral. Posted it, it only got like two likes. Sure, sure, sure, sure. You know what I mean? Like, I was like, okay, whatever. No, I kept it up there because I thought I still think it's funny, and I'm like, whatever. Um, but then um, like when the TikTok thing happened for me, uh a lot of people was like, an artist. If you see this, you should take it. Tell them right in the fucking looking that? noggin right there. Do not be a TikTok artist, be an artist that uses TikTok. Right. So amen. Cause there was there was a lot of people, uh, a lot of people saying, Yo, if you're an artist, do the do the whole TikTok thing, make the dances, da-da-da-da. I'm like, bro, fuck no.

You gotta do that. I can dance. I can I can dance. I can dance. You got moves? Yeah, okay. But I'm not doing that shit for TikTok. That's fine. You know what I'm saying? And everyone has such a misconception about that. Exactly. Yeah. You don't have to dance. You don't have to dance. And I think what my upload probably helped prove that. Yeah. You know what I mean? And um, and that was one thing that I was like, that's like super duper crazy. Like a lot of people was like, oh, like you like a lot of people are like, yo, music videos don't usually go viral on TikTok. Your music video went viral on TikTok. This is really, really strange. It's like never seen this like this before. And I was like, okay, well, cool. And um, but yeah, no, like I I uploaded the clip and that's what it was. That's crazy. The rest is history. So obviously, you know, one thing I want to make sure we like dive deep into is freelance, the project. Um I I've been told that you had like a really intricate vision behind the project. There's a lot of hidden details that the average listener might not, of course, automatically pick up, you know, like so you know, song links or like or you know what I mean?

So kind of talk to us just, you know, high level at first, what the vision behind the project was, just kind of high level, and then maybe give us some of the like you know, nitty-gritty details that like the average Joe might not have picked up on. Maybe starting with where's the name come from? Okay, freelance. So, freelance, you know, freelance basically in in by textbook definition means working for yourself. So essentially, freelance was like freelance is a quarantine project. Like I said, I'm in my group during quarantine. We all kind of had to split up because we couldn't pull up to each other's house like that. Everybody's scared of this virus and shit like that. Yep. Yeah. So that prompted all of us to be like, okay, we're just gonna really work on like solo stuff a lot heavier. I made freelance in like two to three months. Um, and uh, and yeah, so freelance, the whole theme of it is basically being selfish, right? But also redefining freedom for myself. Redefine playing with the word free for myself.

You know what I'm saying? So um a lot of it was like, and this is how the concept came to be too. I don't like to say it's a concept, I like to say it's a theme because like I don't really want to, I don't want people to be like, oh man, this is like something you need to really, really study. I don't want you to like, I mean, if you want to do that, please do. But like I feel like it's just a concept, it's a theme, not a concept. But um the the reoccurring theme theme is freedom. And um, if you notice, like on certain songs, I play with the word free. Maytag, I say tax-free, you know what I mean? Um uh uh uh uh uh, sideshow. I'm like free yourself, you know. Uh I say free a lot, bar while I watch. I'm talking about not being free from you know, the crabs in a buck bucket mentality and stuff like that. So I'm talking about different things with the word free, and um the the whole idea, I'm about to get long-winded real quick too. That's just what we need. We're here for. We're here for so uh yeah, so the intricacies about it is this.

The idea really came from, so like I said, it was during quarantine, and um, you know, this time was very depressing for a lot of people. You're not free to do anything. Not free to do anything. I was gonna say literally like the opposite of freedom at that point. And then that's how I was, I was like, damn, like what the fuck. But ironically, that's probably one of the freest time mom freest times I felt in life. Right. And um, you know, uh, everybody's home. I go, I go for jogs every morning. That's like my meditation sometimes. I just go for jogs. I like to get a breath of fresh air or whatever. So I would do that a lot. And I would come across this cardinal bird. It would always cross my path every single time I would run. Red little red bird just streaking through. And I was just like, damn. And then every now and then I'll catch it, and I'll just be like, damn, that's a beautiful bird. I never really noticed. I started to study, I started to research, like, why the fuck I keep seeing this bird. What does it mean?

Yeah. So as I started to research, I started to learn though, okay. It symbolizes peace, freedom, it symbolizes uh uh uh uh um a lost one who uh who's no longer with you, a loved one that's no longer with you coming to visit you and letting you know that everything's gonna be okay. Right. So that was one of the things that like that was that whole thing. I was just like, damn, that's that's interesting. I keep seeing this bird, like, wow, that's crazy. So I'm like, okay, deep dive time. Let me go down a rabbit hole. So I go down the rabbit hole. I start finding out certain things. I'm like, okay, so the red bird is the male bird, the brown bird is the female bird. So I'm like, okay, I'm gonna make a song called Brown Bird. That's gonna be a love song about a special song, stuff like that. Red bird is gonna be me realizing that I'm the bird. You know what I mean? So then I'm like, okay, deep diving some more. Oh, the longest they lived in like captivity or something like that. Uh it's been a while. I kind of slipped, but um, like the longest they lived in like captivity was like 13 years, but the longest they lived in like freedom was like 28. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna get 13 tracks, and then I'm gonna make it 13 tracks, 28 minutes.

And I challenged myself to do that. And I was like, okay, cool, that worked. And then um, yeah, so like, and then a lot of a lot of different things. So like with the no strings, like I was gonna ask about no strings. No strings was like the it's the intro, outro, interludes. So um, no strings essentially is me saying like I'm not being binded by anything. I'm free. Not in captivity. It's enhancing the free. So um, and that's also why I wear like rope on the cover. You know what I mean? I'm wearing rope on the cover, then you got the bird, and then the birds, the three cardinal birds, but I'm also saying I'm a bird too, right? So that's why at the end it's like dude talking about the cardinal directions. You got north, south, east, west, but I'm in the middle, so south, east, west. So I'm one of the birds too. Um, so yeah, like blue background is like the sky. Uh, if you listen really closely, I put chirps in probably every single song. Ooh. Um, I put uh I put paper tearing in there to make it feel like you're going through my diary. Um what else?

Like I use a lot of heavy distortion to convey emotion. And um who produced the majority of it? Uh several different people. Um, so there wasn't like a there's not a central producer. And how were you doing that effectively? You know, was that tough like in quarantine? Uh nah. So um, so how it was, I would I would uh I got producer homies. So like a couple of my homies would be like, yo, like you ain't doing nothing at the crib. Here, here's some packs. Yeah. I'm like, okay, cool. And a couple of those beats I use for the pack. I mean, a couple of those beats I use for the uh project. And I'm like, okay, cool. I got a couple of these. Scour the internet, you're looking up fucking Anderson Pack type beats and shit like that. You know what I mean? Like, okay, cool, got that. Then I'm like, I like to listen to like beat tapes and like stuff like that on like SoundCloud. Yeah. And I've contacted like certain like, yo, I like your beats, like you got anything for me. Producers upload beat tapes to SoundCloud. SoundCloud, that that works.

If you want to be on the next Ben Riley project, yeah, you better fucking do it. Boom. Yeah, because I still do it. No, I'm just playing. But um, but he does. But yeah, but um, but I would contact different producers, be like, yo, like I love this beat tape you got. You got anything that sounds like this, yeah. Or can I get this from this? How much would you want for it? Da-da-da-da. Yeah, because that's when he was making like STEMI money too. So I was like, yo, I'm phoning shit. I'm like, what's up? That PPP loan going crazy. Not me. Not me. Um it funded the freelance project. So uh shout out to uh the government for that one. shout out to the government. Nah, but um, but uh so that's what it was. So a lot of it was just like different type of outsourcing. And then I I began to build relationships with outside of my homies, but build relationships with the different producers that produced on freelance. Yeah, so like um, yeah. So yeah that's dope. It sounds like he really produced that project. Like you, there's like an executive producer, you know, just the all the thought and all that that you put into it is something a lot of artists don't even do that.

You know, what I mean, it takes you know, an executive producer will be at that high level and and oversee the whole thing as as you know, a body of work. But it seems like you really put in the extra time and effort to make sure that the body of work made sense together. And I almost like to say, you know, some artists like you produced their album. I mean, and people think producer means beatmaker, it's not necessarily the case. You were there making sure it all fit together and it felt like a body of work, right? Well, so yeah, no, that that's that's that was one thing I did, even down to like, so yeah, I sequenced the whole thing. I lined it up, I I I put the trend, I made the transitions so that it seamlessly goes into track after track after track. You know what I mean? And then I also, and then uh uh I also like I said with like the distortion and stuff, like I put that on almost every track too, because I want it to feel cohesive. I want like certain ways I would do my vocals, I want them to feel cohesive. I wanted to, even though it's a lot of people. But I want it to all feel like it's in the same world.

Yes. So that's what it that's what it was for me. But so let me ask you this, right? Because we live in a day and age where, to be honest, most people you could argue don't give a flying fuck about that. Yes, right. It's it's sad, right? But it just is what it is. So where did the motivation to be that intentional with everything come from? Oh, I just selfish, it's just I just care. Like I'm I'm a big comic book guy, so like I I care about like the little details that motherfuckers put. Like if you're reading a story and it's like, oh shit, uh the killer used a pen. But if you re-read the story, you see the pen is on the second page. You know, I mean shit like that. Like, I like I care about it. So it's it's somewhat somewhat selfish of just you wouldn't care if anyone noticed, but it's like for you. Like, hell yeah. When I like uh there's a couple friends I played uh freelance for that like loved it when I played it, but I'm like, yo, you're not you don't get it. You don't, you're not getting I did this with this. Like, like even like certain bars, like you know, like on the intro, I said my wings pre-existed. I learned I never been walking, and then I like on Red Bird, I closed it out with I hope you see me in the sky when you lack motivation.

I'm referring to a bird, you know what I'm saying? Like, so there's a lot of stuff that I'm doing just to like really you know what I mean. Like, can I like tie it all together? Who who cares if y'all don't catch it? This is this is making me feel good, you know what I mean? So it's like like like a lot, yeah. Nowadays people just want to just it's very microwave. People just like I just want to have some fun, listen to some shit. Cool. But then there's there'll be somebody out there that's like, nah, this is really cool. This is really cool, this is really interesting. There's if I can get that one person to do that, I'm fine. Yes, yeah, you know what I mean? So it's huge. It's I was excited when you know when I was chatting with Key and her telling me that there were some of these like intricate details that like us music nerds would like really love to hear. I was excited because now I'm gonna go listen to it on the way home and hear all these things. Yeah, I didn't know this. It's not like it's not blatantly obvious in your face that this is what these things mean. And that's what makes them beautiful, and that's no for the thing. That's the point too. Cause I uh like, yeah, like if you like if I if I don't tell you that you're not gonna catch it, yeah, right. And that's fine, that's okay.

Like, I want that to kind of be the case where like, you know, like if you watch a movie or or read a book, and the director at the end is like, this is what it means. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, okay, now you have a whole nother perspective on it when you watch the movie, read the book, or listen to it again. Yes, so that's what I'm I'm I don't have no problem saying this is what it is, and then you go listen and be like, Okay, I get it now. That's why you're on the one more time podcast. Yeah, we we needed that for sure. Now that's you gotta listen to it, man. One more time. One more time. Probably more than once, to be honest. Maybe five more times. To get all the hidden hidden details. So I think we had a similar experience when it comes to shooting a music video in inclement weather. Tell us, tell us how cold it was uh for the for the townhouse uh oh my God, cause I shot a music video and I think it was 18 or 20. I think it was 20 when we shot the townhouse video. And um I'm talking about the cigarette smoke video. I already forgave it. Dude, uh it was like 20 degrees when we shot the Finsta video.

It was yeah, never mind. Yo, that's not out yet, is it? No, it's not out yet. Yo, Exclusive! exclusive! I'm so happy we just got an exclusive. But um, dude, yeah. Good job, Ben. Yeah, my bad guys. Um sorry, Keith. Keys like, damn it. But uh nah, so I I said you had one job, did not mention the Finsta video. But I'm glad it's Finsta, because we were definitely bumping that one a couple times. Yeah, yeah, that's one of my favorites. That one's hard. Red Bird, Finsta, and brown bird are my favorites. But um so none of the two that like went viral so far. No, no. Actually, those are probably the ones I like the least. That's always how it is. That's always how it is. Yeah, I don't know. Like artists are annoying. Same with producers, don't get me wrong. Like, I love it. Same producers, yeah. Yeah, clearly. Like, yeah, I clearly love them, but like I'm like they don't hold the same special place. Yeah, you know, like I feel like they bops, of course. But like these songs, I'm like, man, I just really love how these feel. You know what I mean?

Yeah, So, so it wasn't the townhouse video that was in 20 degree weather, or did you do a two for one? We did two for one. So we just did a two for one too. Yeah, yeah. We did it back to back. I didn't think it was possible, but we knocked it out. We knew it was terrible, but I can't imagine in the 20 degrees. So so it was like 20 degrees, yeah. 20 something. So like I don't know. Like, like I don't know if you could tell, but like if you pay real close attention to the townhouse video, bro, I'm in a nest, freezing my ass off. I'm in there like this, like rapping. And I'm like, I'm trying to push through. You know what I mean? The whole time. Like, even honestly, I couldn't tell. You couldn't tell. No. Man, like it looked like a sunny summer day, bro. Yo, bro. Shout out to the editor, yeah. Shout out to Jacob, man. Um, is that Jay Rink? Jay Rink. Yep. Yeah. He went, he snapped fire. God. Is he part of your like click or anything? You know, I don't know. No, I mean, like, I mean, like, is he part of Abstract? That's all? That's not so we're we're we're a new relationship. We're a new relationship.

Oh, it's a new thing. But um, I would love for him to be a part of our crew. Yeah, Jacob, you heard it here first. Boom. Jay Rink, you might have just walked into Abstract Media. Yeah, he's yo, he's like, he's so really, really dope. Fire, man. He's So dope to work with, and he's so thorough, and he's so kind and calm, and like he's just a really good person to be around, even like outside of like just the moments where we just sit there and talk. I'm like, man, he's like a really, really cool guy. That's awesome. Um important too. Very pleasant to work with, You know what I mean, um, but uh yeah, nah, townhouse man, it was cold as hell that day. Like, like the scene with like me and um Rontier, that's the that's the lady that was standing next to me. Yeah, like I don't know if you could tell. She's like, She's like, yo, it's cold. I'm like, shit, man. I'm sorry. Oh, yeah. I would feel so bad for like the supporting cast. Yo, because it's one thing for you, it's like it's your video. You're gonna fucking tough it out, you know, grin and bear it, right? But like I would have just said, fuck this. I don't care if you're paying me or what, I'm out.

No, yo, I'm getting in the heat. for sure. Like, but like, you know, it's crazy. I told everybody to wear like summer looking clothes. Oh no, no. Nah. Everybody said, fuck that. They pulled up his big ass coats and shit. I'm like, I don't blame you, bro. It's cold as hell. It's cold as hell. And then I think it, I think it I think it snowed that morning, too. Oh, we we had the same thing, man. We literally had that morning. Like, we had the similar experience because it was like flurrying. Like, we were up in fucking North Georgia too at this like abandoned, you know, car junkyard like vibe or whatever. And like I was like, the video guy was wearing like three gloves while holding the camera, and he was still like fucking shaking. Shout out to Gimbals for not getting the shape for sure. So stabilizer. So for your videos, are you just as intentional? Like, did you have the whole treatment like planned out? And like Yeah, yeah. So like I write all my treatments. So, like, even with like my group, we write our treatments. So every video you ever seen from us, we sat there, we wrote it out, we drew out the scene and was like, okay, this is how we want it to be. You know what I mean?

So, like with Maytag, uh, Maytag, the song is about washing other rappers, you know, washing machine, Maytag, washing machine, shit like that. So that's dope. So, like, with that, I was like, okay, cool. I'm gonna hang up a clothesline, I'm gonna get a laundry basket, uh, I'm gonna we're gonna shoot the second part at a car wash, like just to be like, so I'm just like beating that shit up or like driving that shit home, you know what I mean? So, like, I'm very like, okay, this is what I want to do when you when I'm gonna walk up to the bench, I'm gonna sit down, we're gonna sit here and look at the camera at the same time and stuff like that when the beat drop. So it's like stuff like that. I I wrote down, I was like, okay, this is what it's gonna be. And then I'll send it to Jacob. Boom. What do you think? Yo, this is dope. This isn't dope, this is cool, this works, this doesn't work. Okay, you like this scene. What if what about what about if we did this? Okay, cool, that works too. All right, well, boom. All right, so we're gonna shoot for some zero to 10 seconds. We only gonna shoot this.

From 10 to 5 15 seconds, we're only gonna shoot this. And then we're gonna get like some B-roll for the whole thing here. And then we're gonna like he's very, very thorough. Intentional I love that. Yeah, yeah. Very intentional. Jacob, you're getting a call from me right after the case. I'm tapping into this shit. No, I'm dead serious because just yeah, finding someone like that is so key, man. I mean, in this day, it's in this like visual age that we live in. Like, that's just yeah, it's like borderline more important than I mean, shout out key, but like borderline more important than a manager or a lawyer, like but the artist needs to be on that too. From like you just finding a video person like that is one thing, but it's it's another thing for the artist. The fact that they had the synergy of like, he came to him with, like, here's all my ideas, yeah. And then Jacob had the, you know, forethought to be like, all right, fuck yeah, like I like this, don't like this, or you know, I'm sure he like thought of new concepts, like you said, like having that like back and forth, like that that synergy and that dialogue and the creative, like discourse almost, like you know, the brainstorming that that can happen between because yeah, there's tons of guys that have a camera, and you say, like, yo, I want to shoot this, and they're like, Okay, yes, sir. You know, you know, they're kind of yes men, right?

And then there's some that maybe want to get super artsy fartsy and do their own vision and like you know, whatever, that's cool too. Gotta meet in the middle. But I think that like that's almost like the perfect like harmony, you know what I mean? So that's that's dope. Yeah, so I I love shooting with Jacob. And then um, yeah, Townhouse was a really dope one too. I wrote the treatment for that, and then some of the like some of the stuff, some of the shots in Townhouse ended up being like spontaneous, like the the the the uh actually, I'm not gonna share this. Let's get this exclusive, man. Come on, Look us up with the exclusive. I mean, you already dropped the fence to video. So, so like, what could be more exclusive than that? Uh, but like the townhouse, uh, so like I my main concern with the townhouse visual was do not shoot it in a townhouse. Mm. And you did. Kinda, yeah. Yeah, so like, so like I was like, we're gonna shoot it outside these townhouses, whatever. Because that was, but that was like a last minute scene, like, fuck it, we'll just grab it, whatever. But um, like I really, really wanted to make sure we nest was not as obscure as possible, but like just a little weird.

That's why I did the pie thing, and I did the nest thing because I wanted to really hone in on on the bird thing. Even like with my videos, I wear the same white tee. That's on purpose. Yeah, I mean, like, I want it to match my cover. You know what I'm saying? So I'm surprised you didn't show up in the white tee and the vest. Yeah, no, that's that's my performance gear. Ah. Performance gear. this is your podcast gear. This is my day-to-day. So my day to day is when I do podcasts and shit like that. Like for sure. But um, but uh, yeah, no, I just I wrote down the treatment for that, and then he was like, what about this? This you know, same thing. Yeah, and he was very, very thorough about it. Yeah, man, he really man, he's fire. That's awesome. Well, fence to video on the way. Yes, you heard it here first, yeah, yeah. And everything else on the way. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, kind of speaking to that, like, you know, is there anything you want to shout out as far as like what we can expect next? Like, you know, what are you excited about? Um, well, well, I can talk about it. So um, I got a B-side version of uh freelance coming, um, which is like kind of like a part two. Gosh, Shout out B sides, man.

Yeah, no one's really been doing that kind, you know. Obviously, it doesn't exist as it did in the old days because of it's not the physical product. It's not literally on the other side of it. exactly. But even still in the digital world, like there were people doing it for a while. I feel like that's dope that is it another 13 tracks. No, it's gonna be shorter, it's gonna be shorter. So uh the same amount of intention, especially like with the detail. But um, I'm like I already did the 1328 thing, so I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna do this same exact thing the second time around. So it's just it's just an it's a continuation, like an extension of the world that I'm building for the freelance thing, so a lot more bird references and stuff like that. Yeah, um, and basically uh it's gonna be called the Charlie side. Um, like um, so basically Charlie is essentially the cardinal, the name of the cardinal, but it's like the physical manifestation of the car cardinal. So it's basically me becoming the cardinal personified. So that's what the that's what Charlie is, right? It's almost like a form, like I'm transforming into Charlie.

That's the bird. I'm the bird for show now, type shit. So that's what it's gonna be. Are you like a certified cardinal expert at this point? Do you have your PhD in Cardinal? No, and I'm not a Cardinals fan. What about Falcons and Hawks, though? Those are birds. Nah probably I hate to disappoint you guys. I don't care. Don't say Knicks or Knicks. So Knicks and Nets for sure. You know, one thing I did want to ask, like, obviously, the B sides is is coming up. You took a different approach than a lot of artists these days, as far as I mean, going with a full-length project so early on, at least once again, I'm not sure what you had out before that you might have like, you know, kind of you know, scrapped, whatever, that's fine. But even still, like coming with a really full-length project, obviously only 28 minutes, but still, you know, 13 tracks versus the singles route. Like, what was the thought process there? And then even coming with the B sides next, as opposed to like getting into singles mode from there, like what you know, did you think about doing like the singles thing? Uh yeah, of course.

But like, um So what what was it for you? Uh one could agree. Like, uh, I feel like of course, like the music I make, you can listen to like a song from it and be like, okay, this is cool and still appreciate it. But I feel like in order to really appreciate it, you gotta appreciate it in its full capacity. And I feel like I don't make very long songs, you know. what I mean, I I make my songs aren't boring, like you know what I mean. Like, yeah, I rap a lot, but like it's still fun. You know what I'm saying? So like I'm like, yo, like if I want you to listen to this 20 minutes, you you could take 20 minutes out of your day and just listen to it. Like, yeah, but uh, but like the first song I ever released as a solo artist was a single. It was a single hashtags, and that was like a a very it was like a political statement. It was because of everything that was going on in 2020 with all the shootings and stuff like that, stuff like that. So that was something and I really wanted that to be my first song because I was like, this is very important to me.

You know what I mean? But um, so like I'm not against doing singles. Like I got songs in the vault that could be like, oh, this would be a cool little bopper. You know what I mean, but like I'm like, yo, I want to really just show y'all what I could do. Like, I I like to see, like, I don't consider freelance an album. I don't want to call it like my debut album or whatever. Um, I'm saving that for a title that should not be named. Damn, we're not getting that exclusive. You're not getting that exclusive. Damn it. But he seemed like fuck off, Henry. Like, yeah, you. Jack Black. Jack Black. Jack Black, shut the fuck up. You're not getting it. Yeah. Stop, stop itching, you know what I mean? For the for the um, but now like, you know, I like to view myself as a project artist, like an artist that really, really focuses on the body of work. Who's you wouldn't tell who's doing that right now. Who do you look at? That's what kind of blew my mind I don't care. I know, but like so you know, like you still got it. you wouldn't tell Steven Spielberg to direct a YouTube video. Exactly.

And that's my point. You know what I mean? So like that's if there weren't movies out right now, there's still movies out. But that's the thing. my point is is that I mean there's still albums, but I'm just saying, but you know, we got them. Fuck off, I was too. I don't know, man. It just was a unique approach. Yeah, no, um to see this much success with only two singles, yeah. You had uh but they're post they're post-release. So that's the thing. They're like I'm still gonna have singles, but they're gonna be post-release. Yeah, right. So, you know, going up to the project, of course, I'm gonna build the anticipation and stuff like that. Like, but you didn't drop any singles off freelance before the project. Yep. Drop freelance. That's what like drop freelance and then followed up like the next week with a video with a visual, and then now you got two out, yeah. Stuff like that. Yeah, and you know, the reason why I didn't drop those visuals sooner or shoot those visuals sooner is because my near death experiences. Oh damn, yeah.

Yeah, so like so that did throw a monkey wrench in like the road. obviously. It slowed me down, it slowed me down a lot, but I feel like it slowed me down for good speed right now. So um because I'm hit. Almost like recalibrate type shit. Yeah, I'm hitting the ground running. But like, yeah, not I'm not against singles, but I feel like at least with these pieces of work that I'm doing, I feel like it's better to really put these out, see how people take to it, see what people like the most. Because people don't listen. Like someone's gonna listen. And when people listen, you get to I mean, a million people a month are listening right now, so just on Spotify. Just on Spotify. Exactly. So excuse me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Correction. Nah, yeah. It's okay. But um, but when it comes to that, like I want to make sure you hear everything how it's intended to be heard. Yeah. And it's like, okay, cool. Now you what you think should be the single? What you think? Like, because out of the songs on the B sides, I already know which ones is gonna be like, okay, that's a single, that's a single, that's a single. You know what I mean?

But like, I want you to hear how I want you to hear it first. You know what I mean? So you are dropping it as a full length B-side. Mm-hmm. So same shit. No single versions, and then you'll just maybe follow up with you know whatever visual. Oh, no, maybe. I'm I'm gonna have a whole thing. It's gonna be a whole shebang. I'm excited, man. But um, but yeah, it's just like done. But um, yeah, it's just a matter of just getting the job done, making sure it's presented presented properly and stuff like that. So um, yeah, like, but that is a good question because this day and age, everybody is TikTok and singles, super duper singles. Short form. short, super short, and I get it. I get it. Everything is so rapid pace. you know what I mean? Like, we don't talk about stuff very long besides fucking Will Smith and Chris Rock for some reason. So long, but but um Shout out G I Jane, yeah God. So um I'm canceled. We're demonetized on this video, so quickly.

Um expeditiously demonetized. But um, but like seriously though, it's just like I get it. You know what I mean? Like everybody's trying to just do a hit thing, and I feel like I could do hits too. But I I really want you to listen to my project. That's inspiring, it's refreshing to hear that that can still work is so. Yeah. Thank god. I mean, and and it for some reason it only works for the biggest biggest artists of our time the J. Cole's, the Kendrick's, the Drake's. Like, like any, I mean, but like even then, some people don't really care for a certain artists. Do you feel you have that in you? For sure. Yeah. So I feel like I feel like I care enough. So I feel like if I care enough, someone someone else will. You know what I mean? So and you know, it's eight, seven billion people in the world. Someone else will. You know what I'm saying? So that's just my perspective on it. Uh and yeah, yeah. The I I wanna, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's awesome, man. Hell yeah. Well, well, Ben, we have just entered a final segment of the One More Time Podcast. Oh shit. Buckle the fuck up. Oh shit. It's like rapid fire questions. Ooh. Have you seen the podcast? I've seen clips. Okay. I've seen clips. This is he was tapped in with someone. Suave. He was tapped in with someone's episode, is like how I even then got on his radar. I think it might have been Suave Because like, like I said, we know each other. Yeah. Yeah. So that's probably what it is. This is the Rapid Fire Rampage. So just gonna start with some short answer questions. Go. And then I like I like the attitude already. That's what we need, though, for sure. He gets it. Then there's a this or that portion. I'm gonna give you two choices. And you pick one. Fuck. And then there's gonna be with the third one, is where you can really get in trouble. It's the word association. I'm gonna give you one word and you give me the first word off the top of your head. Fuck. Okay. It's gonna be fun. This is where all the media training comes into play. That's right.

That's right. One more time podcast, episode 49 with Ben Riley, Rapid Fire Rampage. I feel like I'm on Family Feud. This is this is a game show. Been likened to the game show portion of our podcast, Which I think is really dope. Yeah. I like it. At first I was kind of like, that sounds lame when you say it that way. But then I was like, love it. Then multiple people said, like, this is like the most fun I've ever had at the end. So you have to clean it up. Let's see how it goes. Let's get into it. Yep. What is the Ben Riley motto or catchphrase? Save. What advice can you give average artists looking to make better music? Keep going. And if it makes you nervous, it's worth it. And if you have anxiety about it, that's your superpower. Use it to your advantage. What is your favorite hobby outside of music? Uh comic books. If you were a professional wrestler, what would be your signature finishing move?

RKO. Shout out to Is that Randy Orton? Yeah. Shout out Randy Orton. Yeah. If you were arrested, what would your friends and family assume it was for? Beating somebody up. I was like, bro, if he's not throwing bows with this answer, then like he's lying. You can choose anyone alive or dead to executive produce your album. Who is it? Stan Lee. The director? No, Stan Lee. The comic book writer. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Right. I would have him executive. Produce the album. Yep. For sure. Yeah. Behind Marvel and everything. Mm-hmm. For sure. Crazy answer. Interesting answer. I'm an interesting man. You are. You've been given an unlimited budget to build your dream studio. Where is it? And what are some of the features? Okay. Where? I would build my dream studio in the middle of nowhere. Like where though?

In the middle of nowhere. Like a fucking plateau. Oh, not plateau. Fucking, like, plain somewhere, like somewhere. Like talking Kansas type shit? Nah. Maybe Kansas. Maybe Kansas. I would find I will find a field with like a like a ranch. Nah, Kanye did that. I would do Kanye did it first. Shit, man. Kanye did it first. Between him and Soulja Boy. Fuck you, yay. man. I would I would do, like, I would build my my I would build my studio in a comic book store. Ooh, okay. That's a good one. Okay. That's a good one. Couple of the features of it, maybe. Like what's so like what would be like okay. Like, does it have a vending machine with weed? Like, clearly not, because you're not, you know, I'm not a smoker. Yeah, but you know, but I would put that in there for the homies. For the homies. For the homies. I'll I'll probably smoke that. He's a he's a man for the people, man. Like, that's that's

love. Yeah, my homies smoke, but I'll probably hit that bitch too. Like, yeah, what's up? Um I would put a bar, an open bar. Love it. You would not have Evan Williams in the bar, but no, hell no. Not even for me. What if I was coming through? I I would I would get a what is it? 375 for you. Okay, okay. And you have to let me know, yo, you want to wait? I got you. No, I'll drink, I'll drink bullet with you. Bullet. Bullet, Buffalo Trace, all that shit. I like old fashions. Yes. Oh just just nonstop old fashioned. Nonstop old fashioned. Matter of fact, the feature I would have at the bar is they won't serve anything but old fashioned. Hell yeah. Yes. My friends will love it. Yeah, it's good. Sounds awesome. Okay, moving on. This is gonna be a fun one. Shit. You wake up as a cardinal. What is the first thing you do? Chirp.

You wake up as God. What is the first thing you do? Chirp. God dang it. If you were an item at Walmart, what would you be? A Nextel chirp. Do they still have those? We open up a can of chirps. Yeah. Jesus. God dang it. I don't think he can work chirp into this next one. So you'd be surprised. Challenge me. You have to delete three states. What are they? Damn. You just built your studio in Kansas. Everyone survives. Like they can relocate. They just gotta relocate. Yeah, you don't wipe them off like face of the earth. I would delete Vermont. North Dakota. Fair. West Virginia. Those are great. That was the best answer we've had. That was great. That's what though we need more. Some people have said ridiculous answers. Yeah, we've asked that a few times. He left the Dakota with Mount Rushmore, which is the better Dakota. That's the South one? Yeah. Okay. West Virginia drugs. West Virginia's meth head

Capital. Awful. Vermont. They have cheese, I guess. I don't know what they want to do. Ben and Jerry's, I think it's from Vermont. Shit. Damn. So. Damn, I like Ben and Jerry's. Hopefully you don't like half-baked because Cherry Garcia, because you're fucked. Shit. Yep. Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben. Is a hot dog a sandwich? Yes. It's a piece of meat between bread. And that is your sandwich. Okay. Glizzy's. Yo, yeah. When I found out that a glizzy was a hot dog. See, all right, so like It's a Glock down here. That was what I said. I was like. Glizzy's a Glock. yeah, but in New York, it's a hot dog. Yeah. And so you know what's up with the glizzies. Alright, so but look though, because I'm gonna keep it a bean. Okay. Glizzy came from the DMV area. So not New York. Not New York. But at least to my knowledge. It traveled. It migrated. I mean, it's you know the East Coast period. But like Glizzies, I've always only heard folks from DC DC and shit say glizzy. Huh.

And then like people in New York was like glizzy, glizzy, but like my whole life I've never really heard anybody say glizzy besides people from there. Huh. little trivia. for you. I had just never heard it until some guy from New York said it, and I was like, bro, What? but a glizzy's a hot dog. I'm also not like the fucking ambassador of New York, so I could be very wrong. But as far as I know You don't claim the king of New York? No, not yet. Not yet. Yeah, I'm still I'm still working my way up. But I will not Brownsville's finest. Oh no, Brownsville's finest for sure. For sure. Okay. But but but King of New York, not just yet. That's a bold that's a bold claim. I got a kingdom to build first. There you go. Although you do have a billboard. I do have a billboard. That's fucking dope, bro. Penn Station. Wild. Yeah. Yeah, yes, sir. That's dope, man. Billboard Benny in effect. Yes, sir. Billboard Benny. How many? How many pennies would fit inside a broom closet? What the fuck? Yo, that face.

Give me the question one more time. One more time. How many pennies? Gladly. How many pennies would fit inside a broom closet? Five. A hundred thousand. Do you have the answer to that? People always ask that. Hell no. No. What the fuck? Dude, we all need the answer. I'm Googling that when I leave. That sounds about right. I don't know. It sounds light to me. It feels light. it feels light. I would have said pennies are small anyway. Pennies are very small. Yeah. Last one of the short answer. Mr. Riley, what is your favorite curse word? Fuck. Part one of the rampage. Part one. Really good. Good. Good. We like deep dive into a couple. Billboard Benny is doing great. Yes. Absolutely. Very good answers. Very good. If he keeps this page, Hydrate. yes. He could enter the Rapid Fire Rampage Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame. Which we haven't created yet, but we will get right on that.

Can we stop talking about it? Induct and actually create it. Induct me, please. Our first inductee. Yes. You're looking good. You're looking like first ballot so far. Yeah. Most definitely. There are two more parts. This is the this or that. Rampage! New York or Atlanta. New York. Writing or freestyling? Writing. Streaming money or show money? Show money. Hooks or verses. Versus. Home studio or commercial studio? Home studio. Feature from mom or feature from dad? Feature from mom. Instagram or TikTok? Instagram. Oh. TikTok's funny. No. TikTok is very funny. Stuff. Final answer. They're prettier. The women are prettier on Instagram. I don't know. You can find some TikTok thoughts. Yeah. That is facts. TikToks. TikTok. Jesus.

We're definitely canceled. Yeah, it canceled for sure. Well, it was nice. This podcast run that we did was really cool. We almost got to a year. It's a great way to wrap it up with Ben Riley. Oh man. Sorry, guys. We almost made it to a year. So close. Netflix or YouTube? Netflix. Oh, yeah. YouTube. Blueberries or raspberries. Raspberries. Steak or burger. Sorry. listen. Listen. It's Not very rapid so far. I know. You know what? Fuck it. Careful. steak. How do you like it cooked? Medium rare. Good, good man. Good man. Yeah. Ugh. Too much pink for you? Yeah. He likes the flavor cooked out of it. Oh, yeah. Nah, hockey pucks and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Rubber. Dogs or babies? Babies.

I love children. Silly hats or silly socks. Silly socks. Live the rest of your life with one giant foot or a giant nose. My nose is already big enough. Bigger. Bigger. Giant nose. Pet squirrel or pet pig. Pet Peppa. pepper pig. Pet peppa pig. Pet peppa pig. You picked up a specific pig. That's who you want as your pet. All right. I like it. Man. The last one of the this or that. This is to gauge your uh risk tolerance. A 75% chance of your next album going platinum, or a 25% chance of your next album going diamond. I'm taking a 75% chance of my album going platinum. Part two of the rampage. Part two. Because here it is, though. Go ahead.

Let's hear it. Because a diamond album is still a platinum album. Right? Yes. It just went platinum 10 times. Correct. That's correct. So I would take the chances of my album going the 75% chance of my album going platinum. But we're we're talking single plat. Single. One plat. Yeah, you can't loophole this shit and say, oh, it's 10 platinum. No. But here's the thing too, though. Because if I do 25% diamond, there's still a 75% chance that that shit does nothing at all. 100%. Exactly. So you're going platinum. I think that's the smart choice. Yeah. So final part of the rampage. It is the word association. I'm gonna shoot you one word. Shoot me the first word right off the top of your head. Okay, here we go. Rapper. Me. Green grass. Snail. Gary. He is the most famous snail. Plug.

Outlet. Barber. Mark. Is that your barber? Yeah, that's my best friend and my barber. Shout out to Mark. The lineup's looking pretty clean. Thanks. Yes. Mark 5. Mark 5. I like that. Tournament. Cell games. Billboard. Benny. Perfect. Should have seen that coming. Yeah. Stress. Sex. It's a good reliever. Like eliminate it. Yeah. Yeah. Tom Brady. Goat. Sadly. I don't know why I put him in there. What was I expecting? Yeah, don't you? create these. I'm not even a big Tom Brady fan, but there's no denying that. Yeah. He is. He can't argue with it. Popcorn. Butter.

Cash. Money. Goober. Goofy, knowledge, wisdom, dictionary, the source, OnlyFans, Patreon, Lil, Wayne, stage, fright, Kanye, West, Mold. Fuck. Fuck. Gotta work. Free, Lance. What a rampage. What a rampage. He did it, folks. Wow. He got through unscathed. Wow. Amazing. Great rampage. Amazing rampage and amazing episode. Seriously, man. Yeah. Billboard Benny really came to play here. at the One More Time Podcast. Brought his A game. No, honestly, man. I I love how like true to yourself you are. And like it does, you know, like a lot of artists say this, but it really seems like you make music for yourself, knowing that, of course, like there are other people that are gonna resonate with it.

And the attention to detail, man. I mean, I talk about this all the time with you. Yes. Our artists, like, that's what wins, man. I swear that is what's gonna that's what's gonna make your career super long and and and prosperous. I think that it's it's really important that you're doing what you're doing, man. And I think it's beautiful. You're off to an amazing start. Appreciate it. Can't wait to see you, you know, keep crushing it. Looking forward to the B sides and the Finsta video coming soon. Leaked here on the One More Time Podcast. Damn. Shit. shit. Look forward to the Finsta video. Yes. A side, um, all the other videos coming for freelance. Look forward to the B-sides, which is gonna be called the Charlie side. Look forward to more abstract media stuff, Messiah, Luke, everyone. Um, and look forward to a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful uh next couple of years for me and my gang. Hell yeah. We're gonna be tapped in. Inspirational. Really appreciate it, man. Thanks for coming on. Absolutely. Henry, until next week, what are we doing? Getting the hell out of here.

We're getting out of here. Peace. Bye bye. Hop up in a flash curtain. Yeah.