TU! on Executive Producing Grip, Overcoming Beat Block, and More

My story's my story, man. And all I can do is take inspiration from whatever I can and apply it to my life. Because I treat my life like a gumbo pot, man. I could take so many different flavors, seasonings, and meats and you know, veggies and whatnot. Whatever you put in gumbo and put it inside, make two. 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. One more time. One more time. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back for a very special episode. It is the one year anniversary of the One More Time podcast. I'm your host, Playback Ben, here with my co-host. Henry with a three, because Henry with an E was already taken then. One year. One year. Wow. Congrats, man. Congrats to you. And Henry, who do we have on the podcast today for episode 52? 52 once a week. That's one year if you haven't done the math. Welcoming in for episode 52 on the One More Time podcast.

Legendary actor, stand-up comedian, game show host. You know him from Def Comedy Jam. It's Cedric the Entertainer. He got wild, bro. Cedric, Cedric. In all seriousness, for episode 52, we have Legendary Two. Two for 52. Ah, yes. Ah, yes. What it do, what it do, what it do, what it do. You know his beats, you might know his raps. But you probably know him. And if you don't get familiar, and that's what we're we're here for, man. That's right. I'm I'm low-key trash, but you know. I come every once in a while, every once in a while, man. That's not true at all. Nice banger. I know from last week, you know, with Rico Brooks. Now we have two on. I mean, downgrade. Did you book this guy for the episode for the for the one year? No, in all seriousness, I I just found out who your dad was. And I don't want to make this episode about your dad. But I it was it was pretty. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's my guy. I love him, man. Shout out pops, man. Shout out. Tell, you know, tell the people kind of what your dad's been into, you know, music wise, and kind of, you know, where you probably get a lot of your love for the game.

What his name is first. Yeah. Yeah. So that's his name is Neil Pogue. Um, I'm Neil Pogue the second. Everybody call me two. That's where the two comes from. Yeah. Uh my father and my mom and dad actually didn't want to call me Junior, so they call me two. Um I love that. Yeah. That's so cool. Awesome. Yeah, man. My uh started around the 80s-ish, late late 80s, I believe. Um, I think Bobby Brown, Tony Braxton. He has his his roster's crazy. So like uh Bleak Money 82, uh Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Tyler. Um he's a mixed engineer, right? Or yes, uh, mixed engineer, man. He's uh been in the game for a long time. Uh a lot of people, funny, like he's well known and respected um in the industry, but he's such a humble guy, man. You'll never know like that he does what he does, man, because he's so cool about everything. But he's one of the dope people I know, like dopest people I know, man. He's he's uh his ear is like one of the best ears I've ever heard.

Um, and he's legendary, man. Um, and my pop, you know, he won a Grammy just recently with um Tyler for best rap album. Let's go. So hell yeah. Congrats for that, man. Congrats. That's um Grammy number five for him, you know. Throw it up on in the pile. Nah, nah, nah. He's almost on hand number two, you know what I mean? Yeah, nah. He's uh he in it was funny, man. He'll never talk about this stuff. So we kind of sometimes gotta sing his praises for him because he'll be like, Yeah, you know, man, I'm just chilling, man. I ain't doing nothing, man. I'm all right, man. You know, I feel like you're a little bit of the same way. Yeah, nah, I it's funny. Um when people like my fire is my mother, and um, and like my calm is like my father, you know. So uh a lot of times like It's like the fire and ice, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I get a lot of that that real chill from my pops, man, because he he one of those guys, man. Like he his presence is much felt in the room, but you know, he probably won't say more than like three or four words unless like you talk to him. You know, but once you do, man, he got a big light, man, behind him.

So he's he's definitely been one of one of the goats, man. And uh, I think a lot of times, again, people don't he don't sing his own praises as much. But like if every time I meet somebody who knows him, like, your father is Neil H. Pogue? Oh my gosh. And I'm like, yeah, that was me. You know what I'm saying? You know, it's a real life imitation of me. Yeah, and like, you know, Outkast, Goodie mob, like he got so many like accolades for like, you know, Grammys and plaques and just overall sound, man. Like, he's he's that guy. So is that like a lot of pressure? I was gonna say big shoes to fill. Nah, it isn't. Uh, because I feel like for what he does and for what I do is two separate like um entities, like we we got our own thing. Like, I'm a producer at heart. But end of the day, I don't, you know, in football, like you got a defensive lineman or you know, uh defensive back, but then you got athlete that does kind of everything. They play all over the place.

Like, that's kind of like my position in in music. Like, he does it everything too. He can he can he can songwrite for people, engineer, but his heart is engineering and producing. But um, no pressure for me, man, because for me, man, my story is my story, man. And uh all I can do is take inspiration from whatever I can and apply it to my life. Cause I treat my life like a a gumbo pot, man. I could take so many different flavors, seasonings, and and meats and you know, veggies and whatnot. Whatever you put in gumbo and put it inside, make two, you know, so um I'm a sucker for a food metaphor. Oh man. It's just dinner time, Henry. So at the end of the day, man, like for me, it's it's no pressure. Um I feel like I a lot of catching up to do, you know, but again, it's not pressure because um I I've lately been not lately for the past couple years, man, really like trying to recognize the idea of time. I just feel like, you know, my time's coming, and if you know, I'm gonna keep continuing to do whatever it is I'm doing until like I can't do it anymore.

Cause that for me is death. I won't know. Yeah, because I'll be gone. Cause for me, man, this is my livelihood is is being a creative is uh the most important thing to me, man. Cause uh without that, man, I feel like purpose starts to become a little like you know, jaded. But um, no pressure though, man. I I just like to create bangers, man, and uh I like to build stories and lives for, build like worlds for people musically, you know. Yeah. And you gotta enjoy the journey, right? It's about like the path. And and I had a big problem with that for a while, man. Like it I'd be like, man, how the fuck and he and what then and that and I was like, man, I'm I'm I'm over here counting other people's blessings in the wrong way. Like I'm looking at their stuff saying, like, why is that? And I'm like, man, I'm too focused on what they're doing and what and not what I'm doing, you know. Cause I'm like, if I can blame myself for me not being where I need to be, then I know I'm not working hard enough. And that's how I felt for me.

You know, if I if I had if I had time to complain, I mean I I had time to work. So um good one. So good. Yeah. So for me, it was like I I just I I kept my nose down, my head down, and I I built uh a world with my family, which is like children, Wreck Shit Club, Joey, um Nails. Shout out Joey in the building, by the way. Shout out to Joey Costello in the building. Ultra, cash, Tate, um, Stray, Wara, Autumn Boys, man, like that's that's the family, man. You know, and uh and I feel like if I can build this world and and have people come into this world, you know, then I feel like they'll get with the program at some point, you know. Cause for me, man, it it's all about it's not about me, man. Cause I feel like if I'm building the world, like I can only do so much, but I'm gonna make sure that I get their name in the raptors before me, because it's about them. And I I thoroughly enjoy like making these projects and seeing how I can like further push myself to make this project better than what it is.

And I generally feel like you know, all it is now is just certain ears hearing it, because I generally feel like a lot of people ain't fucking with what we got going on over here, like honest to God. And and I feel like that's felt in the music, honestly. You know, so I put a lot of passion to that shit, you know. So it's interesting. Like I didn't think about it until you described it. Like being a producer is such a service-oriented, like role. 100%, you know, just like a manager, like I'm I'm here to make my clients successful. Yeah, and you are here to make your artists as successful as they can be. And I think having that mindset and that like selflessness, yeah. Of course, you want to win for yourself too. And you know, you know, you want to get those accolades, you want to, you know, count up the Grammys like pops, but like you putting them before yourself. Cause you gotta love it first, man. Yeah, and like I fell in love with music. Yeah. I literally like I fell in love. Like, I was I was the weird kid buying albums just to like look at the credits, see who produced, who makes what What studio it was it was mixed in, like where was it mastered. You were like a liner You know, what I mean?

I like that, you know. I'm like, all right. Even the mastering, you know, and I think that that was to a fault, man. I always wanted to see like my pop name, like where's he at? And I think that learned, like, I learned how to like, oh, let me see. Okay, I can I can tell this is just blazed before I even like open it up and say it's just blaze. You know, because I can hear start to like understand like sounds and shit, and just like know like what's what, man. So like I I eventually fell in love with music and uh hip hop and RB and everything, all the above, really. But um music was just like my first like love, man. So like I always wanted to do something, and it was like I was a kid beatboxing all the time in my head, always beatboxing. Did you do the pencil at the lunch table? Nah, I'm sorry, like like all that shit, you know. Yeah, yeah, the whole time, man. And my mom be like, all you do is uh all that beatbox and everything, and but she understood that like it was in me. And um, I started learning, like, okay, man, like if I'm doing this, I I it transitions from like that to listening like to all these records and everything, and then I would just automatically always like be just listening for like samples and shit in my head before I even knew what a sample was.

Like, I didn't even know what none of that was. I just was like, I would loop back a Diana Ross record, like that sounded so good. The groove was so crazy, you know. And I was like nine doing this shit, so always a weird kid when it came to music, man. But like, nah. That's that's dope. But yeah, so you already used a football metaphor. Yeah. Have you always been this big? Like, you know, were you the biggest kid in the class always? Like growing up. Nah, I wasn't the biggest kid. I was like probably top three. Top three. Top three. Joey's shaking his head in the It was a lot of big niggas. Top three is still like one of the big Nah, Stevenson had a lot of big niggas, bro. But like everybody acted like, you know, I was a big guy. But nah, um, I I think I got broad shoulders, so it's the broad shoulders aspect. Mm-hmm. You know, but nah, um, I've always been somewhat a big guy, man. I I never, it's never um, I think it's never, it's always been in me, you know. I just and as much weight as I lost, I just can't get rid of the stature. So like it's one of them things, man.

Like, I'm just always gonna be a big guy. Yeah, so so you know, speaking of you as a big kid growing up, like you know, we got Joey in the building. I wanted you to tell the story of how you and Joey became friends, because I thought this was hilarious. Oh, yeah. So he was the op yo. Straight up. He was the op, yo. yeah. Joe was the op show. He was the guy I saw every day, and he he was a fake ass bully, you know, trying to act like he was mean as shit. And you know, I was I was the uh I've always been a kind kid, you know. I was be cool and collected and chill and whatnot. And I felt like Joey had the need to like try to bully me. And I was like, it ain't going down like that, sir. I don't know, take my comments for weakness, but it ain't going like down like that. So every day, like in gym, it would straight up be like minding my business, and then out of nowhere, like it'd be like, yo, shut the fuck up. Fuck you, fat ass. I'm like, bro, I ain't even like not even talking to you. Like, yo, and then it'd be a straight like fuck you.

Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. Like the whole way, like for like 10 minutes straight, and then after that, we just go separate ways. That was shit was every day in gym. Wow. For no reason. For no reason. Like, and it was just like he didn't like me. And I'm like, bro, I don't even know you. You know what I'm saying? But I guess it was uh, you know, young shit, you know, young shit. Sure, yeah. It's one of them things. And then the following year, seventh grade, yo, we, I walked into class, yo, and I sat down, yo. I think I looked to the right, and it was like one of the things. We both looked at the same time. It was like the like cross eyes, like this. Like out of a movie. Straight up. And I was like, fuck, man, this nigga again, bro. So I was like, all right. So it was like a stare down for like three minutes. It felt like 10. It was like and mine just like home room, I think, right? It was like homeroom or something like that. It was like some class. Third, like third, third period. like third, like third class, third, like third. Third period.

Yeah. So like fresh off summer, yeah. Fresh off. Yeah, fresh, like fresh. This motherfucker. Yeah, I'm like, one of the things. No, no, no, no, no. Good day, man. Hey man, you know what I'm saying? Type of shit. Yo, man. all of a sudden, I was like, oh, this nigga here, man. So nah, we had to stare down. He was like, then he was, like, my name's Joey. I said, my name's Neil, man. We just connected right there. And then he was like, all right, cool. So we kind of wasn't cool still, but we was like, it's a we're waving the white flag, you know, really cool. And then uh we really connected because one day, um, shout out to Jay-Z. We're sorry, we we bootlegged the CD back in the day, man. We was young, we we didn't have no money, so we bootlegged, uh, sorry, Jay. What was it uh blueprint? And um He lime wired it, yeah. So no, no, that's back when when you had like the go to the fucking mall, like you had like, you copied a CD. Yeah, Burned a CD. And had like the actual fake ass, oh shit, track listing and everything, yo. So nice we uh we we we pulled he pulled up to the crib and we sat outside with my little Sony boombox and played the album from top to bottom and with some hot Cheetos and Hawaiian punch and we've been best friends ever since. See, it guys, if you're beefing with anyone, just hot Cheetos and Hawaiian punch.

Yeah, we smashed it. Like and Jay Z's the blueprint. Yeah, and that's pretty much a recipe for friendship. That's it. So it was like through the through through the music for real. Like we just like That's awesome. We ain't doing nothing, like Jay-Z was always going crazy, and it was like everybody we had that we had to hear it. So we was like, we played it, man, and we ran it back like for like hours, man. We're just at outside the front, the front door, man, just playing music and eating food, and we just got real close, man. So that's yeah, that's my dog. That's dope. Wow. So how like how big of a role did football play though in your life? I mean Oh man, everything. Yeah. Everything. Um football kept me, it sounded cliche, but on straight and narrow. Cause I was, I was doing some hot head shit, like, uh, like dumb ass stuff. I mean fighting Joey. Yeah, fighting Joey and fighting Joe niggas like Joey, you know what I'm saying? So after you and Joey became teaming up against other Joey's out there, trapping cocaine. Yeah, the whole nine, the whole nine. But nah, um, uh without football, man, um, I think the level of discipline that it that it gave me, um, it wouldn't be there.

And not to say, like, I I've always been uh a cool kid, man. Like I was never really on some stupid shit, but like I would get into shit and like, and it wouldn't be justified, be like, yo, that was just because be just doing dumb shit. And um, like football kind of kept me out of like doing dumb more dumb shit. And it really uh gave me the idea of like camaraderie and uh team effort and all that shit. Like, and more importantly, man, I want to give a shout-out to uh Coach Ball, man. Like, Coach Ball. Coach Ball. Yo, I tell you, like, I really like I love that guy, man. Um just like a huge mentor. More do you know, More do you know, man. Like the goat, the fucking goat, man. Like, real talk. Um, he was special because he was he was stern, man, but fair, man. And he kept it real a hundred percent of the time. He never let up. And I I and I needed that shit. More like on everything I love, I needed it, man. Cause um, around the time when like my father wasn't present due to my mom and dad, they divorced and everything.

Like, I was going to do some real life, you know, teenage shit, mom and dad, you know, mom's working, pop's not around for real at the time, you know. So um, uh like he was in, of course, pop is in my life, you know, that's that's my father, you know. But um, he wasn't like separation, so that's what it is. But like being around like my coaches, like, you know, Coach Sellers, Coach Gartrell, um, Coach Ball, especially, man, like having those mentor or or male like yeah, figures, man. It kind of like kept me uh grounded, you know. Outside of like, you know, my uncle Greg, my Uncle John, uncles, um, but definitely like he was almost like you need football, man. That's every day, like damn near five days, five five days a week. So yeah, sometimes two days if you're in trouble. Facts, facts. And, uh, and outside of, man, this, this is not actually discredited. I'm not I know I'm talking a lot about my father and like you know, uh coach right now, but my mother held it fucking down too. So like shout out moms.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Big shout out. That's that's mom is like my everything, man. So like she to see what she did, man, during those times, man, to hold everything down, like you know, four four kids, like three sisters and Damn. and and me being only boy, man. And I'm just glad that I was able to um not give her any trouble or too much trouble, you know. what I'm saying? Too much trouble. Yeah, and I think football helped a lot with that, you know. So I mean, she's probably shouting out Coach Ball for keeping you on the uh you know, straight up. That's my guy, man. I really you know you end up, I mean, you end up going to college to play football. It was a huge part of your life. I mean, you were, you know, very, you know, well recognized in the Atlanta area, I think, from what I heard. And so at what point though, does music, I know music was a huge part of your life, but I mean you were on like a nice trajectory for football. All right, so here's what at what point did like the shift kind of you know. It was like the little, I guess, if I can remember, because you know, memory is always weird, but um I started making beats when I was 12 years old.

Okay. Wow, yeah. Um and I was always dabbling, like I played park ball, you know, played for Central DeKalb Cardinals, and then now they then they went to CDJs, Jack, Jaguars and shit. Jaguars and shit. So I I play football all my life, but music was always there. And it's to a fault again, because grew up in a musical family, my father was who he is. Yeah, my mother, it was funny. My mom, and again, memories. My mom was in my mind what actually introduced me to rap. But my father was like the alternative side, like Terrence Trent Darby and like fucking um Led Zeppelin and uh like all the rock alternative, like the other shit that like made my palate so much bigger and my first remembrance of like rap was like naughty by nature like Tretch like Treach and all them guys and, um, um, um, um, um, um, De La Soul and, uh, Tribe. Like, that was like my first early, early, like, memory of like rap and then of course Tupac and then but I think the like if I had to say mom and dad credit like and rap together like Wu Tang was like the was like the household that was the glue that was that was a glue yeah that was a glue in my opinion but um yeah man uh from that time like I was always making beats with my uh with my godbrothers uh Adrian and Brian and we would like be in the basement thinking we like hot shit you know put the vinyl on the thing be on the on the MPC 3000, like, do, and, and for the MPC back then, yeah man, he stole it from, shout out Uncle Terry, man, shout out Uncle Terry, okay, Uncle Terry, Uncle Terry, borrow. nah nah uh we were uh just and I think that's my love for sampling too because we was making beats then we just find a vinyl and play the records and be like oh that's cool we just put them on and make a beat and it was probably like big time trash but at the time we was the best shit ever heard because it was our creations you know saying but from like 12 and 13 around them years it was like figuring out like all right you're getting kind of big what you gonna do you know play some sports or something so at that point um I kind of put music on the back burner because it was really just a hobby then because I just was I loved it. Yeah.

But I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it, but always knew that it was kind of in me. So I was like, let me take this football series. So um I basically went through all of high school. Um was looked at from a different couple teams and shit. And um went to college, Jackson State. Shout out Jackson State. Shout out Jackson State. Big time. That's that's love, man. I met a lot of good people in Jackson, Mississippi, man. And people that I will never forget and that I'll forever love. Like I'm talking about one of the realest people that I've I've met, had been from Jackson, Mississippi. So shout out Mississippi, man. Wow. And damn good food too, man. Food be is crazy. Shout out uh country fishermen, yo. That shit is dope. Okay. Yo, crazy. Um what's the what's the go-to dish there? Um everything fried. Everything fried. All the seafood, crazy. Damn, yeah. But um Well yeah, Jackson State HPCU. Yes, sir. Okay, yeah. Yes, sir, yes, sir, yes, sir. Yep.

Um because other than that, there's a shit ton of white people running around, right? Oh, Jackson. Yeah, nah, yo, outside of Jackson, like, yeah, Outside of Jackson, yeah. Yeah, because my buddy was doing like a stint in Jackson for like some grad program or whatever, and he's black, and he was like, bro, you don't want to get pulled over at night on those Mississippi roads, my guy. Yeah, nah, Jackson. Not a fun time. Jackson was uh where where where the campus was, it was very much so black. Like, you know, it's like all HBCUs is dab, it's smacked in the hood. Yeah, okay. So like you walk outside, you you literally with, you know, the people who from there, like really from there, the locals, The locals. yeah. And and it was cool, man. They really ain't fuck with the uh the college kids, man. They they really just let us rock, you know, especially if we was, you know, down there minding our business, you know, they was it was it was pretty pretty pretty cool. Yeah, but um was it kind of like in Atlanta tucked in the middle of a Georgia kind of thing? Like the rest of Georgia. Um almost, except Georgia, like Atlanta is a bigger city yeah like the funniest joke somebody ever said man like to me about Jackson and was uh uh uh Gary Owens right I think Gary Owens um he he came to Jackson and he did a stand-up he was like uh he asked the um the taxi cab driver like wasn't doing Jackson he said you're doing it like just like just that's it like you drive that's incredible and that's like that's pretty much Jackson but it's so much it's so much shit that got it to to get into without really getting into much shit if if it uh yeah like looking back you're like yeah what did we do right we had so much fun not doing anything. Yeah, man, we had so much fun like really just getting into shit man but college was was crazy yeah but in in terms of the journey for music man um yeah because you're playing football assumably you're like practice every day like back to me being weirdo shit yeah like I was I was the I was the guy that when the homies was going out to the club like I would go with them every once in a while but I would they would stay in and like be on my computer like like looking for samples and like studying music and listening to music all fucking day and I would do that in my college dorm man literally like all day and uh that was around the time where I was like okay I had like three or four like binders full of like material like stuff I wanted to work on and like writing raps and doing different things.

I was like when I get this machine or I get my hardware and so I'm gonna do this do that blah blah blah but I was always like always like pre-studying and um my senior year, I was uh training for pro day and shit. And uh around that time, um I had like caught a hernia, man, like like a really bad one something where I was trying to sprint out, I couldn't move. Like, and it was pretty bad, man. And um I would, I would train with uh my man Sam Washington, man. Shout out Sam, man. Shout out to Sam. Yep. Um and uh some time where like I had a real life, like when I was hurt, man, I had a real life like Booby miles moment, man. I was in the I called my father, like, what am I gonna do here? I can't play ball at all. I was like, I was hurt, bruh. But I I prayed to God, man. I was like, man, it's gonna be the music or football. And I think prior to that, he gave me my answer. You know, and I I I came home, I graduated from college, came home, didn't have like a job for like for like almost a year, man, was just in the crib, like figuring it out. And that's when uh I started like studying more music and figuring it out, and then um I got my first like the machine and shit, and I just took off from there.

Yes. But um, yeah, me music's always been there. I was making beats before, like it was cool, like you know what I'm saying. Yeah, but weren't you like keeping that shit a secret? Uh like in college? Not really. Well, I mean, at least from Joey. Yeah, nah, nah. Joey, Joey always knew I was always musically inclined doing something. I don't know. Those, Those notebooks though, full of ideas. Oh, yeah, nah, he knew because I will always like sitting down, I Joe Peep, so this album gonna be like this, right? And I'm gonna do it right here. And then like on track seven, at some point when we get the shit, you know, I was like, when I get this, when I get this, uh, I'm gonna make this beat right here, I'll make it like this, you know, right. Like I was always doing that. And I was always. So you were like really, really thinking through the details. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%, 100%, man. And I, I was, at the time I was like, man, I want to almost build like an Avengers style like team of guys that i i really fuck with. Um who can like who who cares about the craft and like who's good at what they do and who like who I like trust and who I fuck with you know so that's like how like a lot of times like I feel like you're kind of doing that yeah right now I feel like you kind of actually took took that to heart and like have done that yeah yeah man um and it's always been a thing where like I just wanted to put the best people in the room to create the best shit possible you know and however I can do that I'm gonna do that but um in regards to the music man like that was pretty much the thing where like college was like I ain't gonna lie like I when I got when I got to college man I was like I I don't know what I want to do other than play football I'm gonna be real man I I never really wanted to play football I'm gonna be honest I I play football for my mother wow my mother was like you gonna play football I was like all right cool I'll do it she was like I'm not feeding you all this cornbread yeah yeah fact facts facts man like You're giant, yeah, facts, man, make us some money off of this thing, kid, do something right, but I, I, I didn't, I did it because that's what she enjoyed seeing her child do, and I was like, alright, like, I like having fun doing this, so I, I think the reason why it never took off how it's supposed to, cause I really um I don't think I took it as serious even though I was damn good at it like I was I was I was I mean because you were like going to the combine almost type shit yeah yeah I was good at the shit but I just was like damn um I do I really care about it you a little unmotivated that's so interesting though, man, because like people that have a natural talent or whatever, it's not good enough. Yeah.

If you don't actually want to do it yeah it's not sustainable. I mean you you could have only kept going so long before it's like Yeah, and I would tell my coach, man, like I'm like, yo, I think um, and I think it was all me, because mentally, if I'm already feeling like I, if I don't know if I want to do this for real, I will always feel like I wasn't great. I was good at, I was great at being good, you know. And I was always stuck at that one place where like if I was plateauing as a as an athlete, but it was all me. It was nobody but me, because I was like, um, do we even want to do this shit, you know? Because I enjoyed being in a team environment. I enjoyed like having fun out there. I enjoyed like the aspect of competing in sports. But I think I I like I lost my love in between like high school and college. Because for me, it was like I'm going to college literally for my mother at this point, you know, because I'm just following the path that I think I want, I think that that she wants from me, you know. But my path, like if it had been my choice, I probably would have been doing starting the music shit way earlier than expected.

Yeah. So when I got to college, I was like, I don't want to study music because kind of like not to be awesome, you know, I don't not say I don't know anything, but I'm like, I don't want to study music. I kind of know what I'm doing a little bit. But I was like, let me study psychology. So I got a degree in psychology, you know what I'm saying, doing because I was like, that's the only thing that interested me outside of like music. Cause music football and like the mind. Yeah, you know, and I apply that shit every time. Even when I'm in sessions, I apply all that shit to like to people, you know, because uh, you know, I think that shit's important, understanding like different aspects of people. Yeah, but um nah, um, music was always the very first thing I wanted to do. Always, like, it's never been a second in my mind. If I was ever had football first, first, I was forcing it, you know, I was just I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna do this. But I'm in mind, I was like, nah, it's really music, bro. It's really music. So, how does Grip enter the picture? Oh, Grip was the homie. Um, I've known Grip in high school. Uh like it was one of the things like mutual respect thing, where like in passing, like, what up, man?

Like, what up? You know what I'm saying? We didn't hang around the same crowds, but like he was always around. And um, I think my respect for Grip happened one day. We was in Miss Uh I'm not gonna remember, fuck it. Shout out to her. Yeah, shout out to Miss Fucking. I don't remember. Miss X. Yeah. Um, we was in her class, and one day I think uh he was like, you know, like, let me see your iPod. And I was like, all right, bet here you go. And uh, I think, or I maybe I saw his iPod. All I know is that when we saw the iPod, he was recognizing all people that I thought he wouldn't. Because I'm in my mind at that time, I'm young, so I'm like, this country nigga ain't fucking with Daisy or like the funny. And he knew all he was like, he was on it. And I was like, oh shit, respect, you know what I'm saying? And it was when things were like, I uh you like what I like and I like what you like. Like, you got a you know uh a good taste for music. So that was like one of the few like interactions, and after that, man, um went to college, did my thing. Yeah, when I came back home, I was getting back into like doing music heavy again.

I was like, all right, this is what I want to do for for real for real. And one day, um, online, I saw he was he had a video um they shot at Kick Theory over in Duluth. Um, I think he was going by Grip the Martian then still, if I'm not mistaken. Uh maybe wrong, but Martian. Yeah, Grip the Martian. Interesting. Excuse me. But um now I was like, yo, yo, he's uh you fire. And I was like, let's let's uh let's work, let's see what comes from it. So the funniest shit, yo, if you guys don't know, like me and Grip got like four shelved albums that nobody would never hear. Because we never like even finished it, got to that point to even do it because it got to a point where like I think I was way I was way over my head and like my visions for like what I want to do. And I think I wasn't the the man I am now as a producer to pull it off, but I always had like grand ideas. So funny shit. I had um our first project we're gonna do together was um a project full of Joni Mitchell samples.

Like is, and to this day I still got them beats like in the thing. so in like my folder somewhere, and again at the time in my mind, shit was fire, they trash now, but they but nah, I I went back and I I've actually like been working on some of them, like fucking with them. Every song, Joni Mitchell. yeah, it was like a 10-track project with just grip, me producing it with Joni Mitchell. What are you going to call it Joni or something, like what was it called, yo? It was it was something like it wasn't Joni something, it was it was something like that. I I can't remember. But that's funny, that's what actually started um Joni Mitchell's shit. Started like my whole, I went through a whole phase of like producing nothing. Like I would find an artist that I wanted to like work on, like or sample, and I'll make a whole project, like going through the whole catalog, finding shit. So like me and K Nels, uh, shout out my boy Nels. Shout out, shout out Nels. Uh Nels,

uh, we got a project that we haven't started yet, but the beats everything are done. It's like all Diana Ross samples. And it's called Ross, which is records over soul samples. And um, and it's it's it's, you know, the the beats are crazy, man. It's it's it's nuts, but like I always wanted to find that thing. If I can if I can collab with an artist and then like find a certain sound and then make it big with just one sample or one artist, something like, that might be dope. So that's a great concept. Yeah, I got uh I did Diana Ross, then I did Joni Mitchell. I have a folder full of Tina Marie, like a Trina Marie folder beats that I did. Um I uh that's an interesting strategy. Like how many records are you going through of theirs? Uh just their whole catalog. Everything, yeah. Because I'm not for me, man. do you like come out the other side of that, like out of a Joni Mitchell like haze where you're like, Nah, what the fuck did I just do? Like listening to Joni Mitchell for two days straight. Nah, it's cool, it's cool, man.

Cause I I feel like I started dive into their world without even knowing like that I was doing it. So like I I and I think even if I don't use something, I come out even more inspired by like, okay, why does she see sing like that? And why does she do that? You know, I think my favorite records, like after learning Joni Mitchell, was uh Shades of Scarlet Scarlet Conquering. That record to me is like one of the illest records, man. She killed that song. Yeah. Um she had one line, I can't remember what it is, man. But it stuck with me for so long, and I I think one of the hardest records, man. But speaking of Joni Mitchell, um, one of them was supposed to go on porch, but we didn't make it in time for the mixing, so like we we nixed it. But it was a record that we had, and uh we was going to do it, and then um it was crazy, man. It's a really good song, but it didn't come out on the next project. No, I mean it's just never went back to it. Is Grip's Porch all you? No, no, um, no.

Uh it's all me except maintaining. Um maintaining it was by my boy Ultra. Okay. Um, but I think let me get the line. Yeah, I did everything else. Yeah. Yeah. It's all me except maintaining. Yeah, and and so I mean, why do you think you and Grip specifically work so well together? Because we tried. And that's I'm be real. Like, we'd never I'm gonna keep it funky, actually. I gave up. Because I was like, man, I I I don't, I can't figure you out. I don't know what it is you want. I think we're not gonna do it. Cause like we we did a couple records where like we just never found the groove, and I was like, maybe I need to step back. Maybe Grip isn't the move for me. But uh one day he came out of the crib, man, and he played me some records like, man, I need you. I was like, that sounded sincere. You know, I sound like he really I yeah, he meant these like man, I need you but I need, I need to, you know, we need to figure it out. And I was like, all right, cool. So and I think what helped was that that was the first time we actually sat down together because I was sending shit like fly by, like emails and shit like that the whole time.

And he would like play, he'll come out of crib, but I already have it done. But the very first time it clicked is when he actually like we cooked up together. Come by the crib, man. He sat in a room, and um, I think the first record that we did that to me at least that was like, okay, I think I might have something was was uh no applause on porch. That was a record that I think was like, okay, I think I might got it. And then I think when put what put the nail in the coffin was uh cul-de-sac. Because that was the next record that we did, and I was like, oh man, like we might have something special. We got a formula, yeah. So what foot, like what light switch flicked on? You know, like what do you know what you attribute it to? I think learning learning his his cadence and his what he liked sonically. Yeah. Because what we would do, man, honestly, man, before we even did records, we would just sit in the room and listen to like samples and shit. And I think that's important because like for me, because a lot of times, even if we didn't sample at all, like we did a regular beat from scratch, I would like listen to the influence of a record um and try to gain from it and see how I can implement like those sounds sonically to apply towards Grips projects. So I think um sitting down and like learning what he liked and what I liked, and we had a common interest.

I think at some point we just synergy started to you know match up. It was like, all right, fuck it. I think I think we got something. So from that point, from porch and on, it was like, man, we gotta it's like a low-key like musical marriage, man. I think this shit is fire. So like we just kept it going for real. Yeah. No, I mean, this is something that you know, I challenge Henry to do, and and I feel like you do a great job of it too, is like sitting down with the artist and don't even worry about making your fucking music yet. Yeah, facts. It's like Let that come, like spend so much time, like it's like you doing the legwork preparing. It's like you're preparing for the session that you know is gonna come where you're gonna cook up, you're gonna record, whatever. Yeah, but that shit's gonna happen, you know. Artists used to think I was weird for like saying, like, let's come out. Like, I would I would literally almost interview the artist before I work with you. Yeah, almost to like without even like trying to. I just want to know who you are and get to know you and like see what it is, like you know, we can do.

And even if we not even talking music, I just want to understand you so I can know, okay, this is how I can approach this shit, you know. Next time we actually get in and start working. And at first, people would be like, that's a little weird. I'm like, nah, man, I I really do this shit, like for real. Do you uh do you make an effort to hang out with the artists you work with like outside of the studio? Not all the time. Not all the time. And I think I need to get better at that. No, but Jace talked about the same exact idea. So he you know, he gets brought into these songwriter camps. And other than listening to the artist's previous catalog, who the fuck is this person? No, he literally was like, I don't know what kind of weed you smoke, I don't know what you like to eat. No, I don't know if you are this person, that person. And so like sonically, same idea then. Yeah, because I think Sonics go beyond the music. For sure. It's like Sonics is like, yo, you like Mexican food? Sonics is like, you know, little shit like that. Cause at the point, I sort of understand you. Yeah, you know, and it's almost the little shit.

Like, um, what's funny, man, like speaking of little shit, like people be uh for me, like I I only sometimes if I need to be like be re-inspired or get creative, like I'll go buy toys and shit. Like I'll go buy like like what? Like um Bop It. Nah. Nah, um like action figures like like manga figures, like I'll go buy like Berserk or like Sekiro and all types of weird, like dope shit, but or like but go buy like a the those little um what do you call them the uh bear bricks and stuff. Just I like to go do that just to like to for me to like from from my sonics, my own like self to get like re uh re-energized because I think like it's the kid in me that always loved to do music anyways. Like I need to refocus that. Like, like yes, so people be so serious sometimes, yeah. And then you're making trash music. Yeah, I feel like if you can like put yourself back in, and it's the pressure thing. Like, I mean, we talked about this this with Rico Brooks, of like when an artist has to be a hit.

Every song has to be a hit. It's like this fucking pressure where it's like. Nah, I don't want to plop it on rules. And shout out him. Cause like no, no, he was saying, no, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He was saying fuck that. Like, yeah, that will make the worst result. I can take the pressure off, you know. And it might be too, I probably might have to at some point, but I've never went in making a song for the sake of it being a hit. Because I think that's you start to feel like because in my mind, in my mind, I I like I started feeling like, okay, all right, we need to make a hit. But then what type of hit? Okay. But Britney Spears had a hit. Then Pharrell had a hit. Yeah. And the Mobb deep had a hit. Like everybody had a hit, but like, what does that sound like? Yeah, yeah. And I'm like, okay, that's too much pressure for like, okay, yo, what type of hit we are we doing? We doing a uh uh, you know, a trap hit, we doing a pop hit, we doing like what type of hit are what sound he's being like, and it's like, all right, man, all that shit starts to be like we doing too much. Yes, yeah.

Let's just make the music and it's what comes out of it. Let it be. Because at the end of the day, man, I do know for a fact there's a formula to making hits. I haven't found what that formula is yet, but I will say that um we don't choose the hit, especially the market, yeah. The listeners choose, yeah, for sure. Yeah, like I I can say this is gonna be the one. They're like, no, this was not the one. This is no, this is okay. But then I can be like, um, Kate, what's my man's name? Um, bitch, you guessed it. What was his name? OG Maco. Yeah, like I if I'm not mistaken, he hated that record. Yeah. Fucking hated it. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? But that shit went crazy. Always how it is. So we don't, we really don't choose it. They they choose it for us. You know what I'm saying? So that's why I I can't really get into the pressures of saying we gotta make a hit because I'm like, I don't know what that sounds like. I know what it feels like.

And I feel like me, like for me, music is feeling almost over sound because if it if I can feel it, then I'm like, all right, this is this is a start. This is somewhere, it's going somewhere with it. So that's just me mostly when it comes to music. No, it's huge. So, like, what role do you like to play as a producer? You know what I mean? It sounds like you like to be in the session as much as possible. You like kind of you know what I mean? Like, you know, how would you describe your style and like your you know your workflow? I'll never forget I was at uh Patchwork Studios, and this I don't remember her name, but this woman, um she uh I walked up to her, it was like uh it was a native instruments uh panel. Oh and there was like happy people coming up. You still had your machine at the time, right? Yeah, it's native. Yeah, so I was learning stuff. You still use machine? Absolutely. That's that's that's that's that's my go-to. Yes. And um the lady um I went up to her, was like, yo, you make beats. She was like, no, I don't make beats. I'm a producer.

And I was like, whoa. And I couldn't do nothing but respect. I was like, yes, ma'am, you're right. My apologies. And I was like, yo, from that point in, it just something struck because I was also in my younger, like product producing phase. And I was like, yo, like, uh if I'm gonna be doing this shit, I gotta really be in the trenches. And it kind of became to a fault where I became obsessive, like with the idea of creating like art, and what I mean by art is creating like the um world and how cohesive shit sounds. Cause like for me, everybody know who knows me, bro. Like, I'm a track list, like nut. Like, I'm gonna make sure that I I I really study track listing. Like, I feel like a track listing or the cohesiveness of a record can make or break a record. One song, like track eight not being track five for me can make a break a classic if it was a classic, a masterpiece or not. And that's how I view shit. So every song got a matter, and I feel like when I started to learn that by me studying so many um albums back in the day, like um just the stuff that I we that we grew up on, like what made this special, you know what I'm saying?

What made this Steve Wonder album special? What made this uh fucking Nirvana album special? Like, what made all this shit special? And I I think a lot of times outside of the music, it's where the songs are placed. You know, because sequencing to me is the biggest thing. And if they had a job just for like sequencing guy chief sequencing officer, yeah, they had a- I'm not a producer, I'm a sequencer, yeah, exactly. Yo, straight up. Yo, do you make beats? No, I sequence albums. I sequence. And uh, no bullshit, like if they could pay me just to come up to the people and sequence the albums, I would do that. It's kind of like a Rick Rubin, though. People will bring him, you know, completed projects, and he might say, you know, maybe take that one hook out of this song, or you know, maybe move this song later in the project or you know. That's what I enjoy the most because I think that's and I and I had to earn that because um I think it's more of a trust thing. And for me, like now, people know, like, all right, two know what he's talking about. You know, and I think I had I had to earn that trust because that's not something you could just.

You can't just pick that up. Yeah, nah. That's trust me, I'll sequence your album. Like, right, right. Right, right, exactly, man. So right, man. So I I I had to learn um like what made songs and structure and sequencing, what made it great. And I think for me, that's again that's important. So I think when it comes to what I like the most or what I what I do, it's really like building the work, creating the art, being a creative, and then figuring out how this is supposed to, how are we supposed to present this shit to the world? You know what I'm saying? So that's that's really important to me. How important is vision? Um in terms of like from the production side, or like I guess let me ask it this way. You clearly have vision. Yes, sir. Do you only work with artists who have equal or greater vision? Or do you like to be, are you okay with being the visionary? Um, ooh, you know what I mean? That's

50-50, man. Because I work with folks who had no idea what they were doing. Because obviously, if you come to me, that means you you need help. Sure. And I'm okay with that. Like, I'm here to help. But if I feel like I'm doing it more for you than you are for yourself, I'll step back. And and I say that because it's it's twofold, because it's almost like, all right, you you need help, and obviously I'm here to help, right? But if I feel like I'm bringing all the ideas and all the things like you don't know, it's almost as if like, all right, why are you why are you doing this? What are you doing it for? You know what I'm saying? What what is your what is your purpose or your vision of good for like what you want to do out of it like what do you want out of the shit? And if and it depends on. Is that a work ethic thing? Um or is that a it's almost like a spiritual thing too? Well, it's almost, it's almost like me as a manager, I'm hearing the same shit. You talk to any manager, yeah, the artist cannot, you cannot outwork the artist. It doesn't, it literally cannot exist.

And I I also the second that it is, it's fucked. Like I can't want this more than the than the client. You can't want it more than the artist. You can't have more ideas. Very often, man, I've been through that. And I ain't gonna lie, like for me, man, it's actually it's a curse for me, because once I get locked the fuck in, I'm in. And for me, man, I really be like almost Aggie. Not in the sense of like annoying, but I really I'm hitting you up three in the morning saying, like, yo, I think this is this is idea might be hot, like for this this part right here. And I'm like, bro, it's three in the morning. I'm Like, what the fucking sleep. I'm like, oh, just it was on my mind, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, hear me out. We're gonna switch the clap to a snare. Right, right, right. I think Joey's gotten a few of those uh late night calls. Yeah, yeah, Nah, nah, facts, man. Like uh speaking of Joey Two, I'm sleep, it's three in the morning. Speaking of Joey, man, we got a project we uh putting out um sometime uh later in the year, it's called O'Doyle. Yeah, And it was based off the O'Doyle brothers from Billy Madison.

Oh yeah, O'Doyle rules exactly. I thought that was so odd, but yeah, other than that being the name. Yeah. how else if if you're if you're cool talking about, how else is it playing in? Oh yeah, Nah, so it it's a whole cohesive, like it's a concept album. So like in my mind, I was like, how can I make Joey a bully? The villain kind of yeah, you know, because for me, like Joey is such a like nigga sleep on Joe. And I feel like he's one of the dopest MCs I know because he's such a southpaw rapper. You know, he really like he he don't he's not he's not structured, he's not disciplined, but it still hits in a song pocket. So like I was like, I want to create something. I feel like rap right now, like it's getting it's getting back to it being like grimy, I guess. And here's the thing, man. Like for me, I love all aspects of rap. If anybody know me, man, I'm the guy I I love it all.

Like, literally from like Gunna to Lil' B to KRS One to fucking Sean Price to like Fly Anakin, like I love it all, man. I feel like everything has its place. Like, at any moment, I should be able to be loving my conscious rap and then going loving my shit where they say probably saying two words every three minutes. Just ignorant shit. It's all purposeful, you know what I'm saying? Like, because again, bruh, music is feeling. You know, you know what I'm saying? I if I want to feel some shit, I'm gonna go play Playboi Carti if I want to. Yeah, you're not gonna fall asleep to it. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, It's for different parts of life. Right. right, I'm just fucking with it, listen to this here, listen to this in the car, yeah, listen to this at night, listen to listen to this in the morning. That's why I love music, man. Right, right. Yeah. But like for Joey, man, I was like, man, yo, like, I feel like everybody is friendly in rap. Like it's friendly as fuck. And and I wanna like be disruptive a little bit. Like, I'm gonna, I wanted to put Joey, like when we made this album, man, I I studied a lot of, I was like, let me, I'm gonna do Sean Price monkey bars and Busta Rhymes, Extinction level event and meld those two worlds together. like jump together and see what I can do. So like Joey's shit sound like some soulful sci-fi shit.

Like it's it's fire, bruh. You're like, it's hard, bro. And I feel like I wanted to create a world where like it's the rise and fall of uh of a bully. Like you go from the start of like being a bully to realize like, well, like what was it all for? Yeah. I'm older now and I have nothing to show for it. And I feel like you you hear that bully sentiment in his in his voice. So I feel like a lot of times like it was a perfect marriage. And O'Doyle is like such a slept-on like concept because I was like, man, the album doesn't take itself seriously, hence Billy Madison. Yeah. But it's serious tone in the sense of like you're thinking about bullying, like we're not advocating for bullies, but at the end of the day, like this is bully rap. Like, yeah, I'm a I'll punch you in the face if I need to. Like, if that's the case. If it comes down to that, respectfully. You know what I'm saying? Respectfully. You know what I'm saying? That's one of those things. So the O'Doyles never got their own movie. Like, what if what's their perspective? They they crash and burn, man. Yeah.

You know? No, that's hard. But yeah, man, um, for me, creating creating the art aspect of it is what I care most about. And I feel like in my mind, and this is if anybody know me, man, I'm the most humble motherfucker, like, for real. Like, I'm I'm humble. I always practice like being a good human being, bruh. But at the end of the day, like I know that I know I got greatness in me. And uh more importantly, I know like I can I feel like I can make anybody a classic. Because I feel like I've done it so many times in the sense of like building these type of worlds for people where it's like, man, people come out of it feeling like I just watched the Tarantino film, like, you know, man, like you got everything out of it, you know what I'm saying? So and I think I structure my, I structure my um, I structure the worlds like a Tarantino film. Like I want to feel because every time like you you you get laughter, you get sadness, you get violence, you get happiness, you get anguish, you get anger, you get everything out of those type of films, and like I want to do that, but in music, you know what I'm saying?

And that's why I think a lot of times when I'm um making beats or doing shot, either watch for like those type of films or I'll like watch a lot watch a lot of sci-fi. Like Blade Runner would be in the background when I'm making beats and shit, because I want to see like how how crazy like can my mind like connect with Alien and Interstellar and like my and and and Mad Max because that to me is some insane shit. So like I want to make some insane shit too, like to kind of like create these weird ass worlds in my head, you know. Yeah, I heard when you lock into a vision that you can go like Super Saiyan and like make a whole project full of beats in like a day or something. Is it just look at Joni Mitchell? Is that true? Um I can, but I chose, I kind of choose not to anymore. So you're trying to dial that back because you don't think that's the best result. It's the best. It's I think I I burn out. Yeah. You know, and um the last time I did that uh is when I did the um the record that was called what's the shit? Um I'm bugging.

What's my shit called Joe? Uh Black Sabbath record I did the all all the um all the Black Sabbath beats and shit. Black Sabbath, that's an amazing choice. Oh, Tuvangelion. Okay, so yeah. So um Is this a project of your own? Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's, uh it's a rap project. for you? Nah, it's it's all beats. It's it's Oh, it's a beat tape. Yeah, beat tape. Oh, Okay, cool. It's called Tuvangelion. Tuvangelion? Yep. So it's it's all uh Black Sabbath beats. Okay. And it's all um, and I was around the time man, I was going through some like real shit uh internally, mentally. And um I was like real depressed and whatnot. And um Neon Genesis, the anime, like I watched that shit like one episode a night, and I was like at my lowest, but I like it got me through because I think Neon Genesis was about the um, what was it? It was it was about the the uh study of like the instrumentality of of a person, like study about the person like itself and like depression and the mind and how deep you can go, but it was it's it's a really fire ass anime. And I was like, man, I've been sitting on this Black Sabbath like records for so long, I wanted to do it.

So I think I blacked out, man, like made them shits like in like two days, man. Yeah. Cause I was like, I was like, I gotta get I I worked myself out of the funk. You know, worked out of the funk, but like I was in the sense I was like still burning out, but I was like burning out to like get out of like the rise of this shit because I was like, I needed to get out of this funk, man, because I was I was like fucked up, man, like just mentally. But came back like a phoenix. Yeah, almost, yeah, almost, man. But that's uh that's one of uh my favorite like moments like for myself because I've never been able to like uh make beats out of a depression, you know, and I figured out like that was the only way to do it, and that's the last time to speak to you saying that's the last time I I made so many joints. And I think anytime you hear Black Sabbath, man, like there's they have such a rage aspect to them, it's just a fuck you like type of thing. You know what I'm saying? Facts, facts. So I think it was helping to hear them sonics come back, hitting my hitting my my my brain at the same time. Like, like all right, but I need this, I need this, I need this.

So it was somehow uplifting, even though it was a good one. It was, man. And people didn't realize, man, black Sabbath is hella soulful. You got soulful. It's a soulful, it's it's soul. And it's like rock, but it's still soul, man. Like There's emotion man, for sure. Yeah. Very emotional. Shout out Dio, man. Dio, the uh, lead, the lead singer after Ronnie James Dio. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Bro, his vocals is so nuts, man. He's he's dope, man. Shout out him, man. That's hard. So, you know, obviously you mentioned O'Doyle. Anything else you want to shout out as far as like what's you know, what's on the horizon for you know, for you and your, you know, and your gang. Oh, um, ooh. We need a one more time exclusive. One more time. Everything, man. Um, I got O'Doyle with the homie Joe coming out. Um I got my homie uh Tate228, contact sport's coming out very soon. Shout out Tate228, we're gonna get you on the show, my guy. Yes.

crazy. Um, yo, he's gonna have probably, and it's funny, it's weird saying this, because I feel like everybody's albums that work is like hard, but his shit is crazy. Like, it's crazy. And it's called contact support. Contact sport. Oh, contact sport, yeah. Okay, perfect for you. Yo, he he's uh uh if you don't mind me talking about Tate. Tate is a rare form of an artist. He's like them guys where like once you hear his voice, it's like, oh my god, like yo, this this guy is different. Oh, it's so unique. Oh man, like golden voice, man. Yeah, uh, it's funny. I didn't even know Tate went to high school with us, man. I I I didn't I met Tate at a at a session. I was like, He went to Stevenson? Yes. I'm like, oh, I didn't know that, bro. That's crazy. I never saw him, you know what I'm saying? Damn, he was in the cut. that was a big ass school though. I mean, yeah, but but. But now um he was um that's I met him at the port session when he did jail pose. And uh which went crazy.

Yeah, and he came on that voice, and I was like, oh, this is different. And so I was like, Yeah, we gotta connect, man. And so literally, this probably has been like four years in the making. And when I say that, it's just more so like us figuring us figuring out figuring out how we work together, you know. Did you actually set out four years ago and say you want to do a project and now it's four years later and it's coming out? Yeah, deadass. Straight up. And it's crazy, man. I'm so impatient. Fuck that. I can never do that. Nah, man. If I believe in you, I believe in you. I know, but like in regards to me, like giving it time. People say, like, you know, love hard. Like when it comes to music, man, if I fuck with you and I believe in your vision and I believe in what you want to do, and I really like care about you, and then you as an artist on top of that, unless like it's on some shit where like, man, I feel like we like, we we we, we wasting time. I feel like it wasn't a waste of time, more of a like, we just gotta be patient. And it wasn't time.

And I'm I'm glad that we didn't do that version because the version we have now is like 12 times crazier. So we needed the time to figure out what needed to be done for it to be the project that it is. So contact support is is is is nuts. And I feel like I wanted him, I wanted to put him in a space where um where you the first time hearing Scarface's voice or hearing certain albums, like, and by the way, it's funny. I I have a palette. Whenever I before I make an album, it's two albums I listen to all the time before I create a project with anybody just to keep me like grounded or like give me in the center of give me an emotional classic. Yeah. Clipse, Lord Willin' album. Oh God, I don't know. Hell Hath No Fury is. Yeah, yeah. Hell Fury is is that one, but Clipse, Lord Willin', to me, is like how it's structured from top to bottom, is one of the craziest albums. It's crazy.

It's crazy. It's crazy. That one and Scarface the Fix is the two albums I listen to before I make any project. Always. That's awesome. I just run them back. And I just because for me, it's like I want to I want to blend that type of sound, but make it the artist, make it grips or make it tapes or make it, you know, whoever I'm working with. Yeah. But um nah, Contact sports gonna be nuts. People hear it, man. They're gonna be like, oh yeah, he's the one. He's gonna he's gonna be he's gonna go dumb. Yeah, no, I I mean, you know, just on his his grip features and shit. That's how I got even tapped in with him, and like I just fell in love immediately with his with his voice, man. I mean, he's got that just raw, guttered, just grimy shit, man. Nah, facts, man. And um who else I got? Um, my guy Quez, man. Um, guys get hip to him, Quez, man. He's really dope. I think the the real Quez on uh IG. Uh we did a project. Did he is the one with QC? Yeah, is he the one with QC? Or, I've heard, no, I've heard Quez? Yeah, yeah.

Um I know yeah, I know that that's crazy. I knew that already. That's that's crazy. Yeah, um we do our research here at the One More Time Podcast. Okay, uh, but now We have to do it. We have to know. Yeah, uh, but now he's uh he's um I did his whole project um with him and that he didn't put out yet, but it's it's great, man. It's a good thing. So you love executive producing. Oh, yeah, that's that's, that's, that's my heart, man. That's that's my heart. Yes. I mean, you'll you know, you'll take a placement on something, sure. Yeah, but like when you can really Yeah, don't get a fire. Your placements is fire. I need placements night. I love that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you're like, bro. Yo, any hours artists out there. I got a couple shit in the workplaces wise. But like hit the email. If I'm able to um help, like in any capacity, because more importantly, man, if I think you're a good artist, I just want to see you win. And even if I don't have one beat on that project, as long as I can s get you to where you need to be, if you want me to. Like, yeah. I if I if I can help in some form of fashion to make sure it's it's fire, then I'll do that.

Hell yeah. You know, because that's uh again, that's that's what I care about. Because in the day, man, I'm I'm I'm uh I'm I'm always a fan, you know. Yeah, fan first. Yeah, and I think a lot of times people in the industry they they they um they get too uh get too cool, man. Niggas stop becoming fans. Like you was a fan before anything. Yeah. And like people feel like, oh yeah, like, you know, they forget that it's cool, it's okay to like this person and not have to fuck with them on a musical level. Like, you know what I'm saying? A lot of industry shit be like really trash, but like end of the day for me, man. I like to stay grounded, like, okay, if I really fuck with you as the artist, because that's how I met you as a fan, then I want to make sure that I check myself. Like, I'm still a fan in the day, like doesn't change anything, unless like you want some so because it's some real like weirdos, bro. Like that you meet over time. Like, like I'm like, I wish I didn't meet that person. But like end of the day, like I'm a fan first, so I like to just help if I can, you know. For sure.

Henry, we've arrived at a final segment of the One More Time Podcast to Buckle the Fuck Up. This is the one year anniversary rapid fire rampage. This is indeed the rapid fire rampage. Yeah, 52 of them. 52nd rapid fire rampage. This is insane. So many rapid fire rampages. So if you're not familiar, it's a three-part rampage. Okay. I'm just gonna hit you with some short answer questions. Okay. And you just give me a quick little answer. Okay. Gonna do some this or that. So I'll give you two choices. You just pick whichever one stands out to you the most. Okay. And then a word association. I'm gonna shoot you one word and then just shoot me one word right back off the top of your head. Okay. Simple as that. And I'll go back over those. But nonetheless, episode 52. 52 with two 52. rapid fire rampage starting with a short answer. So hopefully I do good at this. We, We couldn't have planned this better. It's 52. We didn't plan this. No. Just working out that way. No.

the stars aligned for sure. Here we go. Starting with a short answer. Alright. Wait, Tom. Is it like one word? No, you're this one. You say, you say Siri, I'm like, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Is that how it works? That's the third part. That's the, that's part three. There's Just some short answer questions, just you know. All right. However, you feel. But it is gonna start kind of philosophical here. What is your purpose on Earth? Uh to create. I feel like that's that's it to just to create. Okay. What is your go-to VST for melodies? Oh. I'm gonna say Electra. Yeah, Electra X. Love it. How do you overcome beat block? Go buy toys. What is your dream piece of gear? Not that you use a lot of gear, because we talked about that off camera. But if you could get anything. Um really to answer this question without answering it, it's more so to overcome the fear of learning the gear.

The fear of the gear. The fear of the gear. Gear fear. Gear fear. Because a lot of times. I actually I have like gear at the house. I have it open yet. I'm like, at the moment I can't do this shit, I'm gonna be pissed. I'm gonna just like close it down and like say fuck it. Cause, um, I'm, I'm a very patient person when it comes to like stuff like that. I'm like, man, I want to know it now because I want to make the hot shit now. And if I can't make the hot shit now, I'm like, fuck this shit. I'm not doing it. So fear the gear. Fear fear the gear. Fear of the gear. Not to be confused with the Milwaukee Bucks, fear of the deer. What is a good number of beats to put in a beat pack? Yo, I've been big time bad at this. I used to flood people so bad to the point where like I'm like, it's nobody getting through like, I don't even want to say this number. Y'all used to put I used to, man, listen. A hundred? Nah, not a hundred, but like 50. 50's a lot, yo. A ton. yo, like you did it.

Yeah, hell yeah, bro. Cause I'm like, because yo, real talk. They're totally not getting through more than like three. yeah, man. But here's the thing. Imagine the pressure of sending beats. I'ma say, like, so I've sent I've sent the beats to a lot of people. I've I've sent beats to and if they've heard it, I have no fucking clue. But I've sent beats to Nas, A$AP Ferg. I've sent beats to um um Rihanna. I've sent beats to um of some, I'm having a brain fart right now, but a lot of so the pressure of like I gotta pick the perfect one. Exactly. Imagine like having If only I would have sent the 51st one, would have loved that. The craziest shit though, Rihanna totally would have hopped on 51. Real talk though, the craziest shit though, real talk, crazy shit is imagine, imagine um when you done, you feel like you completed, and then like you go through the thing, it's like I forgot to send that beat. And then you like follow up with it, did you like no double text Rihanna with the next beat?

So like 52 plus plus one? Yeah, Nah, I'm not doing that. So you just lived in your misery at that point. You just dealt with that. And I'm not even supposed to even say that name. So um if you do have to do this- Should we just call her Riri? No, just say beep, just do the beep name on the screen. Okay. Now he's offering up my editing skills. Right. I don't know how to put a beep over something. Write that down. Come on, too. My dog, my dog. Write that down. But nah, but nah, um, yeah, man. Shishmana. It's pressure having to send beat, yo. Cause it's like in my mind, it's like, but that's fine, but that's fine. That's dope. That's dope. That's hot, That's hot. And it's like, it's too much. It's that's the pressure of knowing how to make condensed 50 records to like maybe 10. I mean, but as an executive producer, you know, you might be good at that. Nah, ass. I'm ass at it, bro. I'm ass. If it was up to them, every album would have 50 records on it. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just as, I'm sending packs because like different games. Yeah, because with packs, man, I'm like, all right, I this one could be better. This one would be better.

But yeah, now I think the correct number to that is between and it's funny. I've been told that like since six to eight at a time. I'm like, what? Like negative. But I probably do like eight to 12. Okay. Yeah, that's I think that's a good number. So he's still on the higher ends, yeah. Yeah, but still reasonable. Yeah. Good answer. Yeah. Okay. Two. You are visited by the money fairy. She gives you a hundred grand to spend on your career right now. How do you spend it? A hundred grand on career. Or you could blow it at the strip club if you really wanted to. Now that goes against the Money Fairy rules. Rules, terms and conditions. It would disappear if he walked into magic city. The rule is spending on the, on, on, on the money. Yeah. On your career. On my career. Yeah, yeah. I would probably build a studio. Okay. For sure. Yeah. Cool. And then I would probably be able to hopefully keep an engineer on, like, on call. Retainer. yeah.

Yeah, but like I wanna I want to do that at some point, man. I want to um I want to build a a big ass studio. I'm gonna call it anime. Um but spelled, but A N N A M A E. So the theme is gonna be like when you walk inside, it's like anime theme kind of, but it's still like grounded in like soulful roots, cozy, like southern kind of vibes. Yeah, so I want to do that. I want to build a studio that's called anime. Oh man. You gotta do it quick now because this episode is about to be live. We're gonna steal that idea. No, real talk. You said I'm beating your ass just. straight up. But no. Okay. That's essentially like copywritten at this point, right? So you make a beat. No, I don't think that's it works. I'm not a lawyer, so moving on. How important are collaborations and sending out and receiving loops? Um, this is actually a good one because I just got into the to the to that into that game. Um, so you've been solo for a long time for the most part.

For a long time. I didn't start collaborating until like maybe like two years ago. A year and a half ago, really, honestly. And I didn't realize that how important it was because more than anything, I used to like frown upon, I'm like, man, it's eight people on a song making one fucking snare and they credited. I'm like, what the fuck? You know, what I'm saying? or my thing was like it took five people to make that trash ass beat. That was my thing always. But I stepped back and realized that it's not about that, it's about relationships. And for me now, like sometimes you realize like your own beat will not get you in the room, but your collaboration with somebody else will get you in the room. Yes. And it's nothing to do with opportunity, having opportunities, but it's an opportunity. Like, if somebody is willingly want to collab, your beat might go somewhere that you didn't know was gonna go. Because they're they have their own contacts, you've integrated networks, right? So I'm I learned that more, and I think um, like one of my favorite guys, like that's when I spoke with him all the day, man, Beat Butcher, man. Shout out Beat Butcher.

Shout out Beat Butcher. That's a dope name. Yeah, yo, he's yo, he's like one of the illest, and he's worked on so much shit. Like, he's his loops and just his overall, like just him as a producer, he's really great, man. And I have no problem showing love to like nobody, man, because like he's, he's he's fire, man. Um, but again, relationships for me, like collaborating with with producers and like building like real life rapport, man, it helps a lot. So at first I had to be like, nah, I want to do it because I was like, I don't trust people enough from a production standpoint to really like nail the vision, but at the end of the day it's always bigger than me. So I have to kind of like find the common ground. Great answer. Good answer. All right, let's get into the serious stuff. Okay, you wake up as a hummingbird. That's trash, yo. What is the hummingbird? What is the first thing? You want to be a red panda, yo. Red panda's kind of fire, yo. you've woken up as a hummingbird already, it's too late for that.

Okay. What is the first thing that you do? I would assume hum. Hum. Great answer. Because that moment I say, like, what the fuck's going to be like in the hum. Like try to say it's going to be hum. Yes, I'm hum. It's amazing. You wake up as God. What is the first thing that you do? Relax, yo. Chill. Nah. Um. Yeah, like God has nothing going on. He's just He needs a day off, too. Straight chilling. Uh I don't know. If I wake up as God, ooh. I'm I'ma probably ask myself, but like, like, what's going on for real? Like, what are we doing down here, yo? What's this whole thing? Yeah, yeah. Like, what's side project you got going on called? What's this side mission? If I'm god, like what am I doing? Like, what's what's what's happening? Like you just breaching to your own. And why did all these things happen? Um, you know, slavery. You know, certain certain aspects of life, you know, just like why? Right. But you know.

Yeah. That's a good answer. You wake up and all the cheese in the world has disappeared. How do you react? I just had a heart attack. Me too. It was hard to type. Hey, yo, uh go find the nearest cow, I guess, you know? Just start making more. Yeah. Get that shit going. Just because it's all disappeared. Yeah, you can still just make more and make more, but find the nearest cow. Amazing answer. Okay. Two, if you were an item at Walmart, what would you be? Um that's kind of that's kind of crazy. I would be probably uh a bag of Doritos. Because some shit's fire, yo, sometimes, yo. Fire. and who don't like Doritos, yo? I don't know anybody else. If I could be if I could be a bag of Doritos, man, that'd be kind of cool. Straight. You make someone happy. Everyone would love you. Yeah. To

is a hot dog a sandwich. Uh you put it between two buns, right? One bun. One bun. Which is split. Which is split, right? That's the same thing. So if I have one bread and I fold it, right? Would something in it, is that a sandwich? Would that be a sandwich. Yeah, it's just a sandwich. Definitely a sandwich. 100%. Wow. 100%, he says. He's he's very confident. 100%. How many egg rolls would fit in a phone booth? Ay yo. We ask the tough questions on the One More Time Podcast. 387? That's actually. I don't know. Right. I think there'd be a little bit more. What? really? Maybe a K? Oh, you're right. We don't have the real answer. No way. Are we talking Pan Express? Or what kind of egg roll? What kind of phone? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What kind of booth? Like what length? Pause. We're going with 387. Big big old things.

The answer is locked in. Last one of the short answer, too. What is your favorite curse word? Uh bitch. Part one of the rampage. You bitch you. I love bitch you. Part one. Part one. He did great. Very good. There were some like, I was like surprised. That's some very good answers. Like thoughtful without any time. Very thorough. Yeah, but it's it's about to get a little more rapid. Detail oriented. Alright. Yes. Alright. Alright. This is the this or that. This is where you you have no time to think. This is just gonna be top of your head. Oh, Shout out Lil' kim. yo. Shout out Lil' Kim. Shout out Lil' Kim one time. Absolutely. Shout out to Lil' Kim, yo. It's always a good time. Shout out, Lil' Kim. The goat. Absolutely. So this or that. Two choices, you pick one. Here we go. So do I say this or that? He does. Oh, okay. No. you'll pick one of the choices. All right, but you'll get it. You're gonna be a natural. He gives you the this or the that, and you give him just one of those. Alright, cool. Yeah. Upfront advances or back end royalties. Give me the back end royalties, sir.

Good man. Reverb or delay. Oh, that's sexy. I like that. That was sexy. I I I cool. Um I'm a producer too. Reverb. Yeah. If I don't add the Ben, can you edit reverb onto his voice when he said that? Yeah, for sure. Totally got that. Reverb. Yeah. More beats of average quality or less beats of higher quality? Less beats of average. I'm sorry. Less beats of Higher. higher quality, yes. Home studio or commercial studio? Commercial, unless you can get the home like commercial. Because it's nothing like hearing them big fucking speakers. It's true. In commercial settings. Absolutely true. Producing at night or producing during the day. I'm a day producer. Starting with drums or starting with melodies. Ooh, that's a good one, sir. Melody, always. For me at least. Yo, real talk. The fact and I found out that Premier does the drums first, and I was like, what the fuck? That blows my mind. And then I tried it, and it's amazing. Yeah.

Actually, to do drums first, because then you you put the groove in the drum pocket, not adding the drums to the melody. So like you can really manipulate it more how he just chops like he does. Just for that reason. Maybe we're doing it wrong. We are. Absolutely. If Primo does it that way, I'd give it a shot. Yeah. Yeah. It's worth trying at least. For sure. Little Mermaid or Mulan? Mulan all day, bro. It's not even close. I love Mulan. A girl that's a girl worth fighting for. That's right. Hawks or Falcons? Let's Go Falcons. I mean, if I have to. This is a bad year for that, but yeah, I feeling. Mexican food or Chinese food. Hey, yo, that's crazy. That's hard, yo. Um, shout out Lawrenceville Highway. It's some hidden gems for like Mexican food, or just Gwinnett, period. Like, shout out Gwinnett for the Mexican food. Yes. With that being said, let's go Chinese food all day, man. I just got to.

I just got to. Because end of the day, man. Can we do uh nope? There's no wiggle room here. You've given your answer. Can we get a little bit of this and a little bit of that? No, it's it's a this or that. This isn't the medium speed rampage. All right. So dancing or singing? Uh singing. Cali or Jersey. Let's go with Jersey, man. Lose your sight or lose your hearing. That was sad. I know. That was a terrible question. I'm sorry. Thankfully it's hypothetical. Sight. Lose sight. lose sight, yeah. It's Still produced. Bar soap or shower gel? Bar soap, man. Shout out to the overrated dog? Unless you got like a loofer. I'm a bar guy. Like a loofer, yeah, or like some like the little squidgy thing. Yeah, something that helps the shower. Yeah, other than that. Yeah, negative. Bar soap. Other than that, I feel like I'm wasting so much shower gel. Yeah. I use like half a bottle to clean my body one time.

Once it lathers up, it's like it's way too much. Alright, it's way too much going on. Yeah. Gummy worms or gummy bears. Worms. worms. No company or bad company? No company. Silly hats or silly socks? Silly hats. A store where every item is free, or a restaurant where every dish is calorie-free. Yo, I mean, fuck calories free. That's the first option. So free shit. Yeah. Called free shit. Live the rest of your life with one enormous thumb or one enormous butt cheek. Yo. Give it a thumbs, son. Give it the thumb. Thumbs, Sitting with one ass cheek like that was giant would be the worst. Pretty much. Yeah, you'd get back pain or something. For sure, sure. This one is to assess your risk tolerance. Okay. A 75% chance of catching a platinum record or a 25% chance of catching a diamond record. Uh I'll take the 75.

Safer bet. Part two of the rampage. Part two. Very good. Giant thumb. We spent that one all day. Giant thumb. That was great. Giant thumb was the uh key takeaway there. Last part of the rampage, the word association. I'm gonna say one word, and you just give me the first word off the top of your head. I bet right back. There we go. Rampage! Snare. Important. Stadium. Overrated. Emotion. Profound. 808. Slap. Color. Useless. Skateboard. Tony. Math. Math. Subtract. Auntie. Vivian. Sad. Happy.

Korea. North North. North side. You made that in Atlanta thing. I kind of like that. Memphis, North North. That was yeah, that was Memphis. North North. Yeah, that's Project Pat and shit. North North. Intro. Long. Make it long. I'm sorry. It was a little more right? Pause. You can like, you know. Pause. Yeah, no normal sign. Normal sign. Good lord. Yo, my bad nails. Hey, yo. Go ahead. Donut. Donut city off Mountain Industrial. Bruh. The one? What? Not the two. What? Yeah, that's kind of close by, huh? Yo, you gotta go sometime. I might get some donuts on the way. Facts, fact. Nah. I'm just hungry. Okay. Every time we film these at dinner. Bank.

I need a lot of the money, man. Need lots of it. Perfect. Couch. The one in the crib in the basement, bro. That shit knock me out every single time, yo. I'll be out, yo. Shout out to the couch. Shout out to that couch. Education. I mean. That was a good answer. I think that yeah. I think you said a lot right there. Lil. Boosie. Interesting. The last two Lil's have been boosie. And Lil' Flip we got yesterday. Yeah, we got F L I P word. It was terrible. We got flip. We got flip. Wow. Shout out Flip, yo. Shout out Lil Flippa. Politics. Bullshit. Guitar. Guitar. Guitar. Okay. Yep.

Yep. We're doing that. Bitcoin. Bitcoin. I don't get it. I just don't get it. You know, I wish I did. I don't get it. I want to get it. Me too. Pot. Yo, the crock pots be going crazy, yo, with the motherfucking curry, curry, curry, curry chicken, yo. So crock. Okay. Shout out to Crock. Yeah, crock. Good. Penalty. 15 yards, yo. Automatic. Automatic. Orange. Keenan and Kel. Ah. Men. Oh. Ah, men. Ah, yes. Whatever. I was fishing for it. Yes, but we'll take it. Part three of the rampage. Part three. Episode 52. One year show. Two, baby. I Couldn't have thought of a better guest for our anniversary, our one year anniversary. 52 with two.

Amazing conversation, man. This guy has a great perspective on things. man. Yes. And I love how you approach your art and really like being thoughtful and intentional about it and trying to create these worlds for your artists. Because I mean it's huge, man. Because you know, we talked about it off camera. Cutting through the noise right now. One way you do that is exactly what I think you're you know on to, right? So really, really appreciate all the gems, man. You're just getting started, but like love all the shit that you've got out so far. Absolutely. Everyone make sure you tap in with two, Yes, sir. and this whole gang. We got Joey Costello, we got Tate, we got Grip, we got War Astray. Everybody, man. I mean, Nels, the whole gang. Um and children. I don't know when the children project's coming out, but Tigg leaked that. Soon, man. It's actually fire, and um, I just gotta start, you know, going to everybody's house and whipping they ass and say, let's get this shit, you know, done. Cause everybody, we all bullshitting low key, man. I'ma call them out. We all bullshitting, man. But we got to do that for us. We gotta finish it, man. It's about the time, yo. People need it.

You might have to just use Henry's, you know, studio. Hey, it's available. Okay, bet. I think we just booked some children's sessions for uh later this week. I think we just did. Let's get it. Awesome, man. Well, really appreciate you coming on and Henry. Until next week, what are we doing? We'll see you guys in year two of the One More Time Podcast. Yep, year two next week. Let's get it. Bye. Hop up in a flash carton. Yeah.