Wiley from Atlanta Interview: Yeat Conspiracy Theory | F*ck the Grammys -

When have you ever heard of someone being like, I've never listened to music before? And here's my song. And it's good. All art is like a copy of something. You have to have those influences. It's just about figuring out how to blend what you like into something that is original. Spin the rock spin it. 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. H3 aka The Trap Jack Black. I thought you were gonna go with the White Ice Cube today. That'll be next episode. Nonetheless, who do we have in the hot seat today, H3? Welcoming in on episode 80. 80. Big 80 vibes. Oh, shit. Episode 80 of the One More Time podcast, it's another special one because you thought he was dead, but he's fucking back, ladies and gentlemen from the Jackass crew. It's Ryan fucking done. Hey, look, I I'm so honored to be here on Drink Champs.

You know what I'm saying? Yeah, that's a compliment. That's a compliment. Yeah, we'll take that, actually. Yeah, we're coming for Drink Champ Spot. That's right. In all seriousness, we have the Soul Hop God. Yes, sir. We got Wiley from Atlanta in the building. Wiley. Yes, sir. yo. Appreciate you coming on, man. Thank you for having me. Honestly, like, I say this sometimes, and like, shout out to everyone. I don't always mean it, but like, huge fan, bro. Thank you. Like, I really have been looking forward to having you on. Actually, as I left the house, my wife was like, Yeah, like, you know, who are you interviewing today? And I was like, you know, Wiley from Atlanta. She's like, oh, you love him. And I was like, I know. I was like, I know, bro. For real. So isn't it so like girlfriends and wives to be like, that's your favorite, isn't it? Exactly. I know she made me blush. I was like, I know, I'm a little nervous about this one, wife. Uh we do talk about you from time to time. You come up in conversation. Yeah, we're fans. It's amazing. So I first became familiar uh from your show with Grip at Al5 here in Atlanta, and I I was really just blown away, man, at your ability to be at a lyrical miracle hip-hop show, right? And just like just without a flaw fit into the lineup, despite not being that.

For sure. Right? Like, well, how do you think that you've been able to pull that off? Like to be in front of that crowd who's expecting bars and bars and just like rappity rap motherfuckers. And like you, you've got some bars, you know, you clearly influenced by hip hop, but that's not who you are, right? So how do you think you've like navigated those waters? Yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, that show in particular, like, I was really worried that I was gonna be like singing love songs to a bunch of people who are like, you know, like fuck this, where the bars at. Yeah, but but honestly, man, like, you know, when you when you're going to a show, especially if you go to a show with like multiple artists on the bill, I think like seeing different styles is always cool. And seeing people do, you know, I think as long as someone is like committed to what they're doing and like being authentic, um, the crowd can feel that because you know, if you're up there like trying super hard or like trying to be, I don't know. I went, I remember going to like a Drake and Future show at Phillips Arena, and Drake was like, he did this little thing where he was like, I need an Atlanta girl to take me home tonight, you know.

And I was kind of in the crowd, like, oh, but uh, he can do that. You know what I'm saying? Because he's Drake. But if I get on stage and I'm like, you know, who wants to be my baby? Like, they're gonna be like, fuck you. So I think my approach to that show was like just do my set, like to the best of my ability. And like, you know, I'm lucky to have a band that wants to play with me and like wants to play my music, and I've been playing with a live band for a while. So when you when you perform with a live band, there's like so much um kind of more going on, like while you're on stage that you have to be aware of, but also it's great because you you know, and I've done both shows, like just a DJ, just my laptop with an aux cord, like all that type of shit. And having a band is like, I know that if I mess up, uh, bands still rock and cover me. Yeah. and like I have such a good relationship with I've had the same drummer since I was like probably like 19 years old. Shout him out real quick. Johnny Williams. Yeah, shout out to Johnny, Jay

Will. Jonathan Williams, he's he's the man, uh he's incredible, he brings so much energy on stage in many ways. He leads the band, you know. I think he really cues everyone and like keeps everything going. Um, and I tell my band all the time, like, yo, if I fuck up, like if I forget a lyric, I'm just gonna pretend like I'm overcome with emotion. And I'll just like take it from there. It's genius. So yeah, I mean, when I was coming up playing with the band, like people will come up to me after the show. I mean, I used to perform somewhat differently, but they would be like, Man, it's crazy how you act drunk on stage. And I was like, it's not an act. But um, I think like over time you get more comfortable with that, like the intimacy of that performance. And like when you've got a bunch of bandmates, you you have to be aware of like what everyone's doing. There's cues, and uh, this is a really long-winded non-answer to your question, but um it's okay. I'm loving it's good stuff.

With that show and like with touring with grip and all of that, like my approach the whole time was like I'm gonna build a set that's like authentic to me and and showcases like kind of all the sides of what I can do. But I think it really boils down to like if someone's up on stage giving their emotion and and like really trying to connect with the crowd and feeling their music, you know, like there's a huge difference between someone being like very authentic in the way that they're performing and someone, you know, I've seen shows where the dude just like kept saying, like, I'm signed to B O B and we're in the crowd, like who gives a fuck? Like, you know, like there's there's levels to performing and like especially with you know rap shows. I mean, I came up like doing rap shows, and it'd be like 20 people on one lineup, and you have to stand out on some level because everybody's like bringing their all, but also you know, you might have 18 artists that sound the same on that show, and then two that people are like, What was that? And my experience when I was coming up was like if I could when I would go up on stage at a rap show, most people would go get a drink, and I couldn't blame them at all, you know what I'm saying?

Because like if I saw me go up there, I would be like, it's time for a cocktail. Um but I would Where's the bar? Right. I felt like my strength was that I could get those people to be like, oh shit, I need to see this. And they would kind of like stop them in their tracks almost, or like while they're at the bar, have them be like, for sure. And like I I started to experience that. Like I would really see people kind of like, damn, this is different. Like, I understand this, and that's gotta feel great. Like seeing heads turn as they're like heading out towards the bar and then like, you know, the person who's like, just put it on my tab, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, like no, it's super cool. And like, it's just like performing, man. It's it's a very intimate sort of thing because even though you feel kind of alone up there because of like the lights and you can't see the crowd all the time and like whatever, you can feel the energy that they're giving off. And so to me, it's really just all about like matching that, you know, knowing like when to take a moment, knowing when to keep going, like all these little things.

And I read the room. Yeah, I still feel like I'm learning that every day. I mean, tour was a crazy experience, and just like, okay, how do we make a set that works anywhere? You know, how do we like how many times did you rework it? Like, you know, you thought, like, okay, this is the set, and then you're like, ah nah, fuck that. Like, or do you rework it after every show, you know, like, oh, well, this went well, that didn't work well. Yeah, I mean, you know, we we've done several different kind of variations of sets over the years. I think like we will adapt a set to an audience on some level. So if I know I'm gonna perform for like a bunch of like middle-aged women, for example, I'm gonna lean hard into like bluesy alternative. Um, but I don't know, like it's it's also just like it really just comes back to authenticity, you know. As long as the audience believes you, then you've done something there. You know, if the audience doesn't believe you, like they they they're just gonna forget about it.

Yeah, because it's almost like that, because I think if you do that well and correctly, they might not then go become the biggest Wiley from Atlanta fan. Right, but they're at least gonna almost shut the fuck up and like appreciate like what you're doing up there. For sure you know what I mean like respect the craft almost right especially if they're like an actual music fan I respect like a dope country artist or a dope you know folk artist even though that's not in my constant rotation. As long as someone is committed, bro like yeah that's what it was like I fuck it the worst thing is seeing someone perform and like you just don't feel like they really want to be there or like they don't they don't like the crowd like whatever it is I always I feel like standup comedy is probably one of the hardest forms of performance because you're literally trying to like elicit a specific response too it is a laugh exactly you're like literally that's the metric right for stand up comedians I'm not going for laughs I'm going for gasps um no but I think like with any kind of performing like the audience can tell if you're bullshitting bro like and and they can tell really quickly too it's not like three songs in they're like this guy might not be legit about what he's doing. So you know I mean I've seen all kinds of different shows I think like I used to watch um chance the rapper had this Lollapalooza performance from like damn I don't remember when it was but he I don't even know if he was headlining but he had this Lollapalooza set and this was when like social experiment shit was coming out and like acid rap was the biggest thing and acid rap so good.

Man it's so fucking good um I listen to that album like every day for a while uh in high school but yeah like I watched that performance all the time because it was just the way that he he had the band, you know what I mean, and he he had so many like musical elements in that show, but his energy was the focus the whole time. And also seeing someone who's rapping, like, bro, I you know, I don't I feel like rap gets a little bit disrespected because so often it's like performing with a DJ or whatever it is, and you know, I mean, like the whole Glastonbury shit from years ago where it's like Jay-Z should never host you know, headline Glastonbury, that's an event, you know, whatever. Like a pretty good accent. Thank you. Um, no, like with that shit, like, bro, performing alone on a stage with just a DJ is fucking hard. Yeah, I'd say it's like stand-up comedy. Yeah, stand-up comedy and then rapping one guy, one mic on a stage. Right. Do your thing.

It's very difficult to like. I saw Kendrick in at Music Midtown, and he did that. Like, he didn't have a band, it was just a DJ, but he held the crowd like in his hand the whole time. You know, he would ramp up like the drop on Mad City, and then he would run it back. So he would, he would like start it and stop it, and start it and stop it. He did something at the beginning of his set where like he came out and just stood still. Yeah, but see, for me, crowd control. But for me, you can tell that that was rehearsed, curated, right, practiced so many times, bro. I go to these shows with you know independent artists, there's 10 people on the bill, and nine out of ten, y'all motherfuckers didn't even practice one time, not even once. 100%. And like that's pathetic. Yeah, and that makes me just that makes me as a audience member feel disrespected of like, bro, you're getting up here, heard you didn't even give this a fucking thought. Like, like yeah, I I think people just I think like performing is so difficult because like on some level it's an ego death, you know, because you have to sort of recognize that like even if you think you're the shit, like you gotta convince people of that, and then so it's like this weird balance.

Like, I think a lot of people get up there and they're just like fuck it, I know I'm cool, so like fuck y'all, you know? So much of that, bro. Like you can really tell when someone has that kind of energy, because it just I mean, they exude it. Yeah, it just oozes out off the stage, man. It's it's fucking crazy. Yeah, yeah. So one thing, you know, I posted a TikTok recently, playback Ben's on the TikTok. Oh shit. Follow me at playback Ben, you know what I'm saying? Shout out TikTok. Yep, yep. So Shout out China. like they need that, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Download TikTok, bro. It's coming up. Yeah, it's the new, it's the new thing. It's the one. Um, but basically, I posted that like, you know, artists sometimes showcase their versatility too early. That was my like hot take. Meaning, and I guess what I was trying to prove is that like just because you can make an R and B joint, you can make a you know, heavy metal influence, like rage rap song, and then you can make a rappity rap lyrical miracle song. I don't think that audiences in your early stages can digest all of that versatility from the get-go.

That was my point. And I I have this debate with you all the time. I do see both points, right? People do pop off for versatility, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily the right move. So for someone like you, like what are your thoughts on just that take in general? Have you tried to ever respond. Stay in a box early. That's interesting. I um I'm kind of of like two minds about it. I I would agree with you that I think if you build up some buzz off of like a sound and then you radically change that sound, you're basically saying fuck you to your audience. Cause even if it's like really true to you, you're kind of like pulling the rug out from under them for like what they thought they loved. They signed up for yeah, yeah. That's what I'm saying. But I think there's a balance. Let's hear the counter. Yeah, the the other side of that would be like I remember reading this art or interview like with Kendrick, where he said, like if I get this wrong, you know what I'm saying? Like, whatever the fuck.

Uh you can comment on YouTube and be like, actually, trash this guy in the comments. Yeah, flame while he's a fucking idiot. Um, but I mean, like, I remember Kendrick in an interview saying that like um someone told him that if you experiment like with your second album, you know, like if your next effort is something that no one expects, then they can never box you in, right? So I think that that really works for someone like Kendrick, where good kid Mad City was so specific, and then like to pimp a butterfly was so out of left field, but it made sense. Like if you were a fan of Kendrick, you were like, I see how he went in this direction, you know. And I think Childish Gambino is another example where it's like you listen to camp, you listen to royalty, you you know, those are very different projects, and then you listen to because the internet, and that's its own thing, and then awaken my love is like completely completely different. But the difference there is that he had the platform that's what I'm saying, bro. He that wasn't even he was established, right?

He was already established blue, you know what I mean? I'm of the mind that like section 80 was already him established at that point, you know. You could say that, but I definitely think like most people, like the average music listeners introduction to Kendrick was GKMC, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. because that's the shit that was like on the radio, yeah. Yeah, for sure, no, for sure. I'm of the mind that, in my opinion, I just think people become fans of artists. I don't think they're becoming fans of the music like they used to. It used to be, you know, these bands are like unreachable. They're not posting content. Right. Maybe you see them in it on MTV, but it's like, you know, used to be a f you had to be a fan of the music first. Which added an element of mystery. Which was cool. That was really cool. And I do think that was cool, but it's not where we are anymore. I think people are falling in love with the artist. They got a lot People love Doja Cat because she posts random ass, you know, videos of her just doing random shit. She shaves her. eyebrows. And her personality is quirky and cool and whatever. And people like that first. So I think when someone is a fan of the person, fan of the artist, then they're more open to accepting different, You know, experimentation.

So and I would say to that, like, you know, someone like Frank Ocean, and that's obviously like the weird example, right? But like nobody knows what the fuck he's like. Like Frank Ocean, like, who knows what he's like when you're just hanging out, like watching TV and shit. But in his music, he has such a voice and like such a narrative. I would even argue that Channel Orange and Blonde are like violently different albums, you know, just like sonically and like with the production and the way that they were built out, but it's Frank that anchors those two projects, and that's why like they're so important to everyone that loves his music and all that stuff. So I think like, you know, the reason I brought up Childish Gambino is because like because the internet and awaken my love couldn't be more different, and again, he was already established, but like if you loved because the internet, I don't see why you wouldn't really enjoy parts of Awaken My Love, even if like every song wasn't a hit for you. Now, the flip side of that is if you're just starting out and people are like, yo, this is really cool, and then you come back with some shit that like there's a difference between like catching people off guard in a cool way and being like, Whoa, I didn't expect this artist to do this, like this is dope, and then experimenting a little bit too far.

Like, what the fuck is this? Yeah, where your fans are gonna be like, All right, you know what I'm saying? Like, I think, and so it's a balance because as an artist, you don't want to make the same thing a hundred times. Think about Kid Cudi, right? He didn't have to do the punk rock out. I was just gonna say that, bro. Speeding bullet. Yeah, so Speedin' Bullet to Heaven. When I was in college, my roommate was a huge Kid Cudi fan, like die hard, you know. Um I feel like everyone had to have gone through a Cudi phase, right? College, that was just had to, no, for sure. And you know, he was one of these, like, very like Kid Cudi could do no wrong, yeah, you know, until speeding bullets. Well, and for me, I was like, my reaction to that album was like this album fucking sucks. It's like he's ripping off Kurt Cobain and like all this shit. And my roommate was like, I literally just don't care that you think that it's awesome to me. It's a fan of the artist, and it was kind of my first experience of that of being like, Well, I'm gonna critique it because I feel like that. And he was like, No, bro, I don't care. Like, I love it. And I will say, Speedin' Bullet to Heaven is not by no means like my favorite album or anything like that, but I go back and listen to songs off that project now. That at the time I was like, What is this?

Now I'm like, this is fucking crazy, and I think it's just perspective, and like knowing that Kid Cudi has been told a thousand times, like, do day and night, do man on the moon, you know what I'm saying? He's trying to do anything else. Of course, he wants to make his own shit and like make shit that feels personal to him. So I think you know, you're never gonna see Adele suddenly come out with like some crazy experimental the hardest K-pop album of the year. Yeah, like you're not gonna see Adele do like a house album. Like, like you know, Beyonce has more versatility because she's shown that versatility in her career, right? I mean, she's Beyoncé, but like someone like Adele, everyone loves Adele for Adele and like what Adele does. So if Adele was suddenly like, here's a rock album, it might be really cool, but she would definitely alienate fans. Yeah, I would listen though, I would check it out. Yeah, yeah. I mean, she she definitely could convert some people. I mean, I've been saying for years, like I wanna, I say this just kind of as a joke, but I would love to write an album for Justin Bieber because I think Justin Bieber is massively talented, but he's so fucking famous and like successful and has so many hits that no one's in the room being like that ain't it, Justin. You know what I'm saying?

Like he didn't have anybody in his corner who was like, maybe don't put clips of MLK talking on your fucking album. You know what I'm saying? Like you need like sometimes you need a fresh like perspective or like a new approach. And I've always thought it'd be really cool if like a big pop star like that made an out of left field. Like if Justin Bieber did a fucking like alt-R&B album with a live band, that shit would go so hard. Yeah, like he's so talented. Yeah, but I don't know if you'll see it. Justin Timberlake kind of did it with 2020 Vision, right? That was such a good project, yeah. And he sort of showed that versatility, like Pusher love girl. I can listen to that song like a thousand times in a row. I mean, I also listened to it on acid, and that was very like that's this is the best song, yeah. Um that's good for cementing music into your memory banks for sure. That's why Man on the On the Moon is so big for me for sure. Yeah, so for me, I feel like the issue becomes that I think that a lot of artists that are starting out, the reason that they do it is because they don't actually understand who they are. I don't think they have a good self-awareness of what it is that they're doing.

Right. And for me, I just look at everything from a you know business and like strategy perspective. So I'm not telling you to not like in your own spare time and like in your own environment. Create, like make all the shit you can make to try and find what it is that your sound like feels like and looks like and sounds like, right? But for me, I just think that they're you know, they're hurting themselves. My my point on the you know, TikTok was that like you're hurting yourself by doing that in the public, right? Versus just maybe taking a step back and you know, trying to figure out what's actually getting you excited. Like, what are you most excited to make? And in your case, I think what you've done really well is that you, and I don't know if this was actually behind closed doors, or I think you might have done this as you were like evolving as an artist, you know, outwardly speaking, but you've been able to tie those influences together into a sound versus like Bop from like, you know, a pure blues song to a pure hip-hop song to a pure alt song to a pure pop song. You've taken elements of all those to build your unique sound so that you are able to showcase versatility, but you're not, but you still have like a wily sound right? It's still wily, yeah.

That's like true to you. And that's what I think has been you know successful about like your music. And so that's what I think is is the difference, right? There's a difference between in my mind drawing influences from a lot of different sounds and just bouncing from one thing to the next just because A, you're probably just confused, or or you know, and like some I think some artists like, you know, sometimes an artist gets more famous than they are like, I don't want to say talented, but I think they get talented. I think they get more famous than they like than they anticipated, you know, in a way, and like the first thing that you're gonna make is always going to just be like you're influenced by X, Y, and Z and you're doing that. And people think that's your your first hit people assume that's your sound. Yeah even if it's a song that you kind of maybe made on an off day. Especially if you get fucked over by like you know you put out a song and you it's your first song and that shit goes viral or whatever and now it's like we want you to do this and you're like ooh like I didn't know that that song was going to be so I don't know I think you really have to figure out how to emulate artists that you look up to and sounds that you like and like take ideas and and things like that because all art is like a copy of something right like on some level it's incredibly rare for someone to be like you know when have you ever heard of someone being like I've never listened to music before and here's my song and it's good like no fucking way bro like you you have to have those influences so it's just about figuring out how to blend what you like into something that that is original. I think it's hard to to ask a creative to you know have a sound and have an identity because like just you know even just as a producer it's like if someone told me like I make this type of beat so that would give me anxiety like well what if I want to make this type of shit or what if I want to pivot Like, I don't know what it is. but it's like you know but you gotta pick something and you need to be in this lane it's kind of like a little nerve wracking as a creative too to feel like but I do think that producers not to cut you off but I think that producers do have a little bit more flexibility than artists.

I might agree with that. Because you ask the average fucking consumer who produced that song, they don't care. Crickets, bro. They don't know. They have no fucking clue. Yeah. And like, shout out to you guys. You're a lot of times the masterminds behind these records, but at the same time, you don't get the fucking outward shine that the artists are the face of the sound. Yes. You know, obviously there's a select few producers or like a select group of producers that have been able to get a name for themselves where the average Joe does recognize. Oh, that's a Timbaland beat. Oh, that's a you know Pharrell, you know, Neptune shit, whatever. But that's rare. I think you could look at it like the producer is the director, the artist is the actor, right? So the artist is the star, the producer is direct. So if you're like a really on producer, it's the same with directing, right? There's only like a handful of them right now. I would say probably like Jordan Peele, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese. Those are like four directors that their movies are literally promoted by like the new movie from Jordan Peele. Based on their name. Exactly.

That's the promo. It's like you you like his shit, right? You're gonna love this. This is the next one. Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig, other examples of that. So with production, it's the same thing. If Metro Boomin executive produced a project, you're like, this shit is gonna be hard because you know Metro Boomin, right? So I think like with an artist, the big difference to me with like an artist and a producer is an artist like has to represent themselves all the time and like a specific style. It's like you were saying, you know, if Joey Badass makes a fucking pop record, everybody's like, fuck you. And I'm like, bro, he's just trying new shit, you know. Like, and also that might be his biggest song. Like, that might get him sync deals, like all this stuff. But I feel like he could do pop too for some reason. Yeah, I mean, like, as a fan, though, you everyone always wants an artist. You want that 1999 shit. Yeah, you well, you want like you want the music to make you feel the same way that it did, right? Right, which is unrealistic. A lot of it is nostalgically. It's not fair. We're chasing that high that we got, bro.

It's the nostalgia shit. That's why movies are rebooted, and and that's why House of Dragons is the biggest fucking show on TV right now. Same shit. And it's just not hitting the same, bro. It's great. Don't get me wrong. I'm actually fucking with House of Dragons. I'm like a couple episodes behind. Not a Game of Thrones fan. Oh wow. Never watched the show. They're just, they're nostalgia plays. nostalgia plays. I saw Brothers Fucking Sisters, and I was like, He was like, this is turning me on a little too much. I was like, they do promote incest to some to a pretty high degree, I would say. Yeah. But they're like, but, you know, you know, back then when there were dragons. When there were dragons. Yeah. But so obviously we know now what it is that the Wiley, you know, sound tends to be. But like, let's go back to the like you first making music, bro. I think like in middle school was like we started having a low-key discussion about some old stage names too. I want to hear those. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We never got there. Um, okay. The first stage name I was gonna go by was actually Boy Wonder. Wow.

Before you knew of a legendary story, there's the super producer. Googled it and I was like, oh fuck. Right. So that was like probably a day of thinking I was gonna be that. I don't know why I thought that was gonna be cool. And you were gonna go with the ER wonder, not Wonder. I wasn't gonna put the one in it one day. It was gonna be OY and then the regular Wonder. Right. So then my next name was Metro Boomin. No, so after that, um That's amazing, bro. After that, I was like, uh, oh, I'm gonna be. I decided I was gonna be like McFly. Now keep in mind, I was like 12, right? Little Marty reference. Yeah, uh, and I hadn't even seen the movie back then, so I was just doubling. What a poser, bro. I know super bad. Back to the future poser. Yeah, god, I've seen it now. It's great film, and hopefully it catches on. Um, you got Ducko McFly. That's true. That's my fucking guy.

You know Ducko? We love Ducko. We love Ducko. I love him, he's amazing. I actually texted him recently. I need to have you got a rug. I need to call him. No, I would love one though. I he's doing great shit. I mean, he's just like someone that he's always got something he's working on, you know. He's thinking of new ways to like be creative and hustle, and he's also just so nice. Like he invited me to pull up on him. And you know, I haven't had really that many like opportunities like that. You know, grip was one where he was like, come to the studio, I want you on my album. Like, that that's super cool to me, because like I've been in the scene for X number of years, but you know, for someone like Ducko, who like everyone knows who he is, like he's so he's been around for so long. Um, not that he's old, bro. If you watch the shit, yeah, motherfucker's been around for like 40 years. He's like a fucking dinosaur. He knows like he's a fucking legend, and like he, you know, we love you, Ducko. I mean, two nine, bro. Like, that's well, yeah. Now he's stuck like partly managing Jace, I'm pretty sure. So Lord knows what that's like. I don't know. Yeah, that's like God bless him. Songwriter's bags is what that's like.

Yeah, for sure. No, 100%. And like all those guys, man, like you know, they they they understand like the Atlanta has had so many like waves and and things like that. Um, I mean, when I was coming up, it was like right on the heels of two nine, kind of leading into what I call the I guess you could call it like the awful records wave, but it was really like the post-Awful Records wave, which you would call like the danger incorporated moment. That's what I would call it. So, like after, you know, when Awful Records was like popping off, and then all these kids like Danger Incorporated, who are dope and were like making really cool experimental shit. There were like so many people that were just like around them, like, yeah, I'm friends with them, but like their music was fucking awful. And like that was a wave of just like I'm friends with danger. And it was just sort of like, bro, like they're the shit, but you know, like try new things, you know, or whatever. I don't know.

I just think you know, Atlanta has is so diverse sonically. There's so much different shit going on in Atlanta. You've got like the indie scene of like all these bands who normally they like migrate from Athens or like some shit like that. But I don't know. I mean, there's distinct, like, I mean, think about like EARTHGANG and Jid, right? There's two nine videos that Jid is in. Oh, yeah. Like way back, you know, all that type of shit. Like, they were around, you know, Makonnen, like that whole, and and really, like, key is tied into all of it. It's really just the key. Yo, he's low key, godfather. We may or may not have a key interview in the works. That would be hard. bro. Stop playing with my heartstrings right? I mean, we have it like that's been for like a year. It has not, it's been like three weeks, yeah. Since Fonny said he would do it. Let's go. Yeah, yeah. He's the man, he wrote fucking bands will make her dance. Yeah, man. Amazing. Shout out to that. But yo, so like what was you first stepping into the music game, right? Like before you even thought that it was a serious thing, right? Like, what kind of music were you making?

Uh the first thing that I ever made was I freestyled over the headlines beat, like the Drake song. Oh, yeah. Um, which is that's like am I wrong? Like, like Drake stands, you know, don't come for me, but that's like I've been too on up on confidence. Oh, over those on like compliments, and I did get a little fucking stop hearing that consequence. That one that was like the first beat that I was like, all right. And I would write lyrics and stuff, but I just you know, I would write shit, I would voice memo, all this stuff. And I was in like seventh grade, and there were all these kids in my class who had this like rap group, and um they would like do little ciphers like in the bathroom and shit, and I just like wanted to be a part of it. Uh but they didn't like let me into the group, and like honestly, I can't blame them. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, we may or may not have just dropped the dope uh cipher ourselves. One more time, cipher. I might put the link up here anyways. Sorry, to interrupt. You should Check it out. Shout out to the letter M. He bodied that shit.

He did, they all bodied it, bro. Yeah, but no, M. Oh no, I'm kidding. but yeah, no, that's my guy. M spazzed for like three minutes of the six-minute video. Freestyling at the end. He's fucking amazing. Yeah, so but yeah, I mean, um so this group's like rapping, yeah, and like they were like a group, and then I don't know, like there was a talent show, and they performed at the talent show, and I was kind of like, ooh, actually, this is kind of lame. I don't know why I wanted to be like it just wasn't, it just wasn't really hitting like they thought it was hitting, but it was just an ex like a moment for me, like an experience of like I wanted to be a part of it, and then I was like, no, fuck it, like I'm gonna do my own thing, whatever. And I'm not gonna lie to you, like the first shit that I put out like on SoundCloud was fucking horrible. I hope no one like remembered. We'll put the link down below. No, you can't find it. I hope no one remembers it. I hope you know, I'm sure kids that I went to high school with like remember it. I mean, it it's not that it was like awful, but I don't know. I just don't think I had a big enough like musical palette to really, and you have to understand too.

Like at the time, I had just figured out that like you could just put music on SoundCloud. It was like I think someone in my business. Sample anything, any beat. Yeah, like someone in my business class was like, bro, you know about SoundCloud? And I was like, What? And they showed me like you can just upload, like, and it's out there, you know. And I SoundCloud is how I like found out about Chance the Rapper. And Bro, SoundCloud was so I mean, still is they're doing crazy cool things now, but like they were like the shit. Like when artists like him. There's a whole era, it's the SoundCloud era. I know, but that's not even like showcasing how cool just the idea of the platform was. It's pretty cool that you had an era in music. But I'm saying, bro, it's pre, like, DistroKid and shit where you this is like back when you still had to like that was figure out a way to actually make CDs. and shit. No one knew how to like get on Spotify. No, you couldn't. I don't even think you could. Yeah, it wasn't like oh just put on Spotify, bro. Like, no, now it's very easy. like you know someone from Sony. How you gonna do that?

Yeah, exactly. So yeah, I mean, SoundCloud was super cool. I found like so much music on SoundCloud. Um is that what you say would like give you the ability to expand your palette? Yeah, just like the access to music. I was like a huge hip hop head from like I I probably really dove in and like sixth grade, something like that. But you know, I I mean when I was in like middle school, high school, it was like all the sort of like biggest names, but it was like constantly listening to Lil Wayne, constantly listening to Kanye, Kanye, you know. Uh I mean Drake. It was funny because like in middle school, like dudes would always be like, bro, fuck Drake. And then all the girls were like, I love Drake. And then guys were like, wait, the girls like Drake, let me like Drake. And then you're like, Actually, Drake's pretty hard. Shout out to Drizzy, man. He cracked the code. Yeah, bro. So, like, I I, you know, I just and then like the wave when I was like starting to get into high school was like Joey Badass, Kendrick, Chance is a little after that, but it was like Joey, Kendrick, like yeah, no one knew about Joey down here, I feel like, bro. I mean, I was pretty, I feel like I was pretty early on him.

Yeah, I had a friend So you're also younger than me, so I was already in college when I found out, you know, found out about Joey Badass, and I was like, yo, who is this motherfucker? No, I had a friend who like was very like he was obsessed with pro era in general, and so he like he was like managing this kid who was a rapper who would like freestyle for Joey after a show and all this stuff. So I like knew who he was, like kind of early on. There was this EP called rejects that was like I think I had it on like my mixtapes or some shit like that, but it was like all these like static selective beats and bro. Static selective was like the first person that's actually in the music industry that I met, and like I still get to DM him and like ask him for advice on shit. That's amazing. I've never spoken to him, but he did come to Grip show in New York, and I was just like starstruck a little bit. Like how yeah, because he's got the Shade 45 Shady connection, I think. Yeah, man, yeah. Which is interesting too. I was really worried that Eminem was gonna come to our show in Michigan. Like you were worried, yeah, bro. I was worried as fuck.

Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to talk to Eminem? Like, uh I have no idea what I would say to Marshall. It's one of those celebrities that you're like, what? Like, He's so fucking well known. Like it'd be hard not to meet him and be like the source. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's just it's like weird, or you know, like his real name is Clarence. Like, everybody fucking knows who he is, but even just seeing him in person would be like really disorienting. I feel like I would say some outlandish shit to Eminem if I actually ever saw him so he'd remember me, I'm sure he's heard it all, bro. He's not like Post Malone, though. I feel like he would stick you, or like his bodyguard would fuck you up. I I feel like you can't just say anything to Eminem, you know. Like Post Malone's too sweet. You saw that video, and I don't mean that in a bad way. He's just a nice guy. Like you saw the video. of that kid. He is kind of sweet, though. You know what I'm saying? Well, you know, what that kid saying, pause. That kid saying to Post Malone, like, fuck you, you suck. And he's like, that's rude. You know, I'm like you're not gonna get that reaction from fucking. I mean, the fact that he says yes, sir and no, sir to people that are like interviewing him on like he was on Joe Rogan and on like a bunch of podcasts, and he's like, yes sir, no sir. I'm like, it's like too far, bro.

Like, drop the fucking sir post. Like, I don't know. Yes, yeah, post. He's got fucking manners. He's got manners. Yeah, it's just kind of weird. No, and I see what you're saying. I mean, like, I think it's just a little too much. I think he's doing just fine. Hey, look at it this way, right? You put out one song, you put out like two other demos, and then you're touring with Justin Bieber. I mean, yeah, it's like I can't even wrap my fucking head around going from being like decent, like Post Malone played fucking Roarfest. Uh, cause like Key was really early on Post Malone. Yeah, he was super early. So, like he was at the front of the line, like saying hi to everyone, being like nice to meet you, and then like all he really had out was like White Iverson and maybe like too young or something like that. So he did his like set, and it was pretty much just like two songs, and he just did White Iverson like four times. But like it's what the crowd wanted, yeah. I mean, it's just that kind of thing, like seeing artists grow and like how they figure that out. I don't know if anybody knew.

I guess a lot of people knew, but post Malone, like his ascent was so fast, you know. It's like you almost it's hard, you kind of feel bad for him, even though he's really successful, because it's like you just got so famous, like that must be really disorienting, you know, to to go from kind of being like, and that's the thing. Like, like when you're making music, it's like this is super fun, you know. Like, it's really, and part of what's exciting is like the grind. I hate using that term, but like, you know, actually having to work for that what you perceive to be like your success and whatever. Like, if you get it just like overnight, that must be so stressful. Uh, you know, like pray for Ice spice, bro. I think she can handle it, you know. Have you heard the SpongeBob uh track? Bikini bottom. Is that the one where she's like, Why would I go off the party not lit? Or whatever? Yeah, no, I heard someone say it might have actually been posted in an interview. Talk about how, like, when you work in the entertainment industry, it's basically like you're living dog years. So he's like 25, but he really feels like he's like 80 because he's, he like looks it.

No, I'm kidding. No, no, no, but like, just you know, he does have like this old soul, and like to your point, when you just like catapult into another stratosphere, like of fame, right? That's gotta do like numbers on your like, you know, just mental and he seems to have handled it better than most, though. A lot of people do that and they can't handle it and they fucking fizzle out, dude, and they're gone. Yeah, but it's just it's just a crazy lifestyle. Because think about like the life he has to lead. Like, I know he does have a somewhat quiet, like keep to himself shit in Utah, like whatever. He's got this like ranch in Utah and shit. He's trying to be low-key, but like bro. is he a closet Mormon? But no, Is he like eight wives? But I'm just saying, you're doing stadiums, you know, however many nights of the year. You're doing backstage beer pong with fucking NBA players and other rappers and famous comedians and actors and whatever. Like, I mean, bro, like that's gotta take a toll on you to be honest though, on some level, I feel like being a celebrity is probably like low-key easy as fuck. Like sometimes when I like you don't have any sympathy then for it, right?

No, I just mean like you know, people going on Fallon and shit like that. Like, that's all staged, bro. It's not like you have to sit there and come up with something interesting to say. You literally pitch. They have your lines, they do your makeup, different things, and they pick, they're like, That story sounds funny. Let's do that. You know, like it's all I don't know. Like, I think being a musician is difficult because you have to like sing, you know, or whatever it is, like you gotta perform. So I mean, one of the like most talented celebrities off the top of my head is like Jamie Fox, right? He can do fucking anything. His Trump impression, It's hilarious. so funny. He's so funny, so good at singing. So musically talented, like such a good actor. It's just like he hit he checks every box. He does. What a baller. So underrated. I love you, Jamie. Well, he just oozes charisma, man. Yeah. And like on some. level. You just can buy anything he's selling, you know. Well, it's like uh shout out to Popstar Benny. He tweeted, like, Popstar, we've had him on the podcast. He's the shit. Yeah. Shout out to him. And he tweeted like a couple years ago, he was like, Y'all underestimate the power of like just being cool. And that's all this is.

He was mostly talking about like nav because people always talk shit about nav. And Benny was like, bro, like maybe he's just really cool to hang out with. Do you ever think about that? I think he is. So from what I've like heard from other people. What it boils down to, like the days of like celebrities being weird psycho like assholes is kind of over because you're so public now. You can't be like a day. It's access. It's access. Yeah, everybody knows, like yeah, like you can't fully curate this thing. Like you're gonna get got, you know, because to your point, even with like the example you gave earlier about fans and like audience members can sniff out authenticity, and like you know, with you performing, and that's why you think that you've been able to fit into these different crowds. Same shit goes for like fans on the internet and in real life, being able to sniff out, like, is this person actually who they are? Like, you can only hide that shit. I feel like to so much. I don't know. Maybe there are some like maybe Frank Ocean is like an asshole. We would never know.

You literally never know. Don't talk about Frank like that, Henry. But that's what I'm saying, though. Like, you He made Blonde and Channel Orange. It's true. I I think a lot of people, like, I don't know. I think everything is so fucking like you just everything's like right there in your hand, right? So I think it's really popular nowadays to get really excited about something right when it happens. And then it's like cool to over time be like, that's lame now. You know, we're into this now. Right. And it's like such quick turnover, yes, that it's almost hard for me to even imagine how current artists who aren't like pop stars who have the whatever, like label curated fan bases that like reply to every Taylor Swift tweet tweet. tweet, tweet, reply to every, like, Taylor Swift tweet and are, like, Olivia Rodrigo Slate, you know, Whatever. Like that might be better. Why be better?

Why be better? Yeah. So like that sort of thing is like pretty rare. Like, yeah. Having your fans committed like that. I think so many people are just like, oh, this is dope. And then like it's cool after their first album to be like, this isn't as dope. Like that just always happens. So what do you think it takes to have it like that though? I mean, I think you need, I think it goes back to something you said early, which is self-awareness. I think you have to be really self-aware and like understand what you want to do with your career from an early point. Like, you need to have goals. And I don't just mean like, you know, everybody's like, I want to have a Grammy by the time I'm 25. Like, shut the fuck up. You know, like have actual goals, like things that are concrete that you can be like, I want to do this. I want to sell this many tickets. I want to put out this kind of album or like whatever. I don't know. Um, I mean, having a goal to get a Grammy is tight. I just I think that is it though.

I don't know, fuck the Grammys. Yeah, fuck the Grammys. Um I don't think you see how quick he flipped on his Grammy goal. I thought I could flip him. No, I mean I'm not, I don't think I'm like hard bodied enough to like win a Grammy and be like, fuck the Grammy. Like, I think I would be like, I do want to say like thank you to my mom, you know. Like it literally took Drake to be like, look, y'all don't need this fucking shit right here. Look, y'all don't need this. Yeah, I mean, it's you know, it's still like you get to go to an award show, you're getting recognized on a huge stage, and all that shit is cool. But yeah, the Grammys are just so like I mean, objectively, I think I don't think they've ever really recovered from like the fucking Macklemore incident. He beat Kendrick. I think that was such a worst. That was just biggest snub of all things. I think it was such a blatant, like misinterpretation of a genre. And so I think like when you get into that, it's like, why even have a hip hop hip hop category if you're gonna give a pop album the best rap album? A bad pop album.

No, no, no, no, no. You know, I just shout out to Macklemore, still doing his thing, you know what I'm saying? Ben, my guy, uh, you know, stay stay focused, stay down. Um but no, like Good Kid Mad City is like one of the most important like rap albums of the last fucking like 20 years, and who the fuck is like, you know, what's a great rap album, the heist. No one fucking says that. So I I think you know, it's like no one really talks about Adele's last album, and everyone still talks about Lemonade. Like Beyoncé is so iconic, but that's the separation, right? It's like the Grammys are it's like political, it's also about like I don't know, the Grammys perception of like stardom and things like that. Like, but sometimes it works out. Like Chance the Rapper winning three Grammys, you know, with coloring book and like getting best new artists. Like, I think that was cool. You know, like sometimes there are moments at the Grammys where you're like, that's awesome. Uh good for them, you know, that's great.

But it's their job to get it right every year. That's your one job. I mean, fuck it up. look at the Oscars. Like, I don't know if the Oscars know what the fuck is going on. How long did it take Leo to win one? And not even for a good performance, bro. Oh, okay. Let me not say Revenant. It's a good I didn't actually see it. I've seen the Revenant. I saw it in theaters. You only need to see it once. It's like it's a slog. That movie is so fucking boring. Shout out to Denise, uh no, Alfonso. Who the fuck? Alejandro Iñárritu directed that shit. He did Birdman, it's one of my favorite movies of all time. But the Revenant, super boring, great movie, but like hard to watch. And DiCaprio has like no dialogue in it. It's like you've seen Leo DiCaprio be amazing. He fucking deserved uh an Oscar for What's Eating Gilbert Great. Yeah, way back then. That shit was like mind-blowing, bro. Oh, he's just so good. I mean, shutter Island. Yeah, uh, catch me if you can. It's like he's great in that I watched that on a plane, which is the perfect place to watch. Catch Me If You Can, by the way.

They were like, let's make a movie uh for the plane. Um exactly. Yeah, Steven Spielberg was like, When I'm on an airplane, uh what do I want to watch? Yeah, so but that's what I'm saying. Like, you know, it's just a weird thing. And I mean, even bringing up someone like Leo, I just don't celebrity is so different now, bro. There's like micro celebrities, and they're you know, like you can be Rihanna, and then you can be this like influencer with a shitload of followers. That's like, what do you do? Like, you just film yourself, like what you do all day. Like, oh, first I eat this for breakfast, and like, and you can be famous for that, and you can have brand deals and like whatever. And you can put out a song and get a million streams. You can fucking tour up that shit. Yes. You can do like so. If doing that meant that you reached superstardom, would you do it? No, fuck no. So that's just not in the cards. Yeah, no, I mean, I don't I don't want to be um as famous as Justin Bieber. I I'm like, okay, let me walk that back. I'm just saying, like walking that backstanding.

I have never my goal has never been to be the most famous artist in the world. I think that especially now when like anyone can be famous for anything, and so many everyone's on the fucking internet, and like, you know, it's like Bo Burnham was talking about it's like kind of going viral. It's funny that people now are like this Bo Burnham guy's fucking woke. It's like Bro, he's so old, He's like he's been around for so long. I was watching his first YouTube videos in his mom's and his ad in the bonus room playing the keyboard. It had to be 15 years ago. All that type of shit. That's crazy. He knew math is amazing. It's new math. Yeah, so all my family thinks I'm gay. Right. So like Bo Burnham, like people on the internet now being like, This guy's got some good points, right? So he pointed out Bo guys got some good points. He should do stand up comedy. Uh no shit. He pointed out like that he when he sees a kid like on their phone in the mall, he's not thinking like, oh, that's so fucked up that that kid's on their phone.

He's recognizing that like their actual social standing is based off of that. It's not like, oh, that dude's cool. I hung out with him in the mall. It's like, bro, his Instagram is fucking lame. Like it's and it's crazy because when I was in 10th grade, Instagram started popping off, and I got really sucked into it. I was, you know, I was the dude that was like hashtag, like whatever, you know, like got a hashtag. But that's what's so crazy about social media is there's just the potential for virality. And you sort of equate this, like, oh, a bunch of people liked my post with like a bunch of people like me. And that's just not the same thing. But if you want to make a career off of music, it does require that you have fans that stream your music. And having fans that stream your music does require getting people into your community into your ecosystem, and getting people into your ecosystem does require like them seeing you and you posting content. So it's a it's a tricky balance. I don't even know if it's possible to like be this mysterious, like, oh, I just put out music and I just hope for the best. Like good fucking luck. the most recent, because you had like the marshmallows and the gorillas.

The most recent example I can think of is corpse. Remember Corpse? And even I think he did a reveal finally. No, he does the like fucked up when I toss up. How about like a yeet? Like, what the fuck's yeet? like? How the fuck has Yeet done what he's done? Didn't they? You still know who he is. They did like a how he got famous thing with Yeet or something. I don't know. That was like in an interview, and he was like, Yeah, I didn't know what kind of music I wanted to make. And then I went to Atlanta and these producers were like, make this. And I was like, Dope. You know, like how it happened. I mean, on some level, bro, like the lamest fucking. And then he just had like a cover story with complex. I don't know Yeet. I'm just saying, I actually have a theory. He probably like sold drugs to some famous people or some shit. Cause like, how do you get a photo with Drake when no one knows who you are? But you never know. I just feel like that's a great conspiracy theory, but I think that someone like that, it's just like, sure, the internet's gonna love it. Like, go for it, bro. I don't even hate, like, I think his music is dope. I don't give a fuck. Like, I that's what I'm saying. I try not to hate on anything from a perspective of like, oh, this is lame, or like, because like if someone's successful what they're doing, they're obviously doing something right.

No, I just more mean like he didn't seem to be the guy that was like, you know, TikToking all the time on his own like page. Cause he didn't have to. Yeah, no, that's a good point. I mean, some people have I've often thought that like the most um viral shit, it rides that line between is this garbage or is this amazing? I think like a lot of the stuff that Poland. Yeah, well, and like I think that song's fucking great. It's amazing, it's genuinely so good. But I think if someone said it was trash, I'd be like, okay, I get what you're saying. But it's amazing. That's part of like when Uzi, Cardi, and Yachty were like coming up in that like SoundCloud sort of wave. I'm sure they fucking hate being called like the SoundCloud wave or mumble rap or whatever. They are though. when they were coming up, you know, I think part of it was like, you know, when Yachty puts out one night, those of us that loved it, and I fucking love that song. Yes, we're like, this is so like I don't know what it is about this, but it's like so innocent, it's so raw, it's so like genuine, it just fucking hits like it's a little rough around the edges. I like that.

Minnesota, same thing. It's like he's not trying too hard. So you got these artists who like maybe they were trying really hard, but their music had this sort of feeling of like this is just who I am. And I think we start to connect to that more nowadays. You're more likely to gain fans from doing something out of left field if it's really true to who you are, than trying to like fit into whatever sound is hot or like whatever shit like that. I mean, and there's also the element of like if your shit is really like bizarre and it's hard for people to wrap their head around it, the people that like it will fucking ride for you. Like most people won't like it. This is my favorite thing. But the ones they do are all like and honestly, there are a few things better for your career in some ways than like putting out a song that a bunch of people are like, This fucking sucks. Because like the people that like it will really love it. Obviously, that's kind of a generalized, like there's still just bad music that no one likes it. If you put out two great projects, and then you put out a project that's so fucking bad that your core fan base like can't even stomach it, you know what I mean?

Like, that's one thing. But if you put out a song that's just that, like it's like what I said earlier, like you you kind of make people decide like, do I love this or do I hate this? And when you're kind of riding that line, it's to say, I keep making like film comparisons, but it's like if you're watching a movie, some of the best movies kind of toe that line too, where you're like, is this movie really awesome? Or does it suck? Yeah, for sure. Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. I mean, you brought up Jack Black earlier, right? Like, I think Jack Black is fucking amazing. Incredible. I will Watch like anything that he's in. I think he's so good. School of Rock is period a great movie. It's the best movie. So good. Year one is really good. And you know, bring him all away. Tenacious D movie. He's great, man. Like Jack Black is the shit. Um, and you will meet. Don't add him about it, Jack Black. Don't fuck with me, dude. And Jack Black, if you want to invite me to your house in LA, you know, Jack Black does it. We'd love to have you on the podcast as well.

Yeah, we haven't said that in a while. Yeah. Yeah. You know, like invited someone to the podcast. Tenacious D. Jack. Blizzy. yeah. So you're a big movie guy then. Yeah, I love movies. I think that um how much does that play into like your artistry? Or like, you know? I think it's super important. I think I think of every song, album, whatever, visually first. Like, I try to put a script to it in my head. Like, not not literally like, you know, this character says this, like that type of shit, but I just mean like it's an environment. You're building a place. When I'm writing a song, I'm imagining a scene. Like, I'm imagining how like the visual of that song to me. Like, I'll use an example, like Shells on the Rug off my first project. So that song literally came from me imagining like, what if I woke up like underneath like a bridge, like under an underpass, and I was really hungover, right? And I had gotten in a fight the night before, I got blackout drunk. Where's my head at in that moment?

And so that whole song, if you listen to it, you know, it's like mouthfeel fuzzy, like sun, cut through, whatever type shit. All that like imagery. I'm I really try to visualize that with what I'm doing because when I'm writing, if I can't like see what I'm writing, and especially when it comes to albums, I'm not gonna commit to an album concept until it's like I can fully visualize like what that is to me. You know, something like Kingfisher was I was literally like, I just had this moment of like, this is what this album is before you even cut anything. Yeah, I had no demos for it or anything. I just knew that it was, you know, the pink suit. I knew it was like about this motel. I had this whole concept of the colour. Well, yeah, talk about the metaphor of the hotel for those that aren't familiar with the concept behind the album. So my project Kingfisher, the concept comes from the idea of like this kind of this thing that you'll find sometimes like in Florida, uh, for example, which is like, and you see it in Georgia too. It's kind of a southern thing.

I don't maybe they have it everywhere, and I'm just from the South, so I'm like, it's a southern thing. But um, it's like this motel that's like it's really seedy and like run down, but it has this kind of like classical beauty to it, you know. It's like an old school, like they might have like a chandelier in the lobby or something, but it's like a shithole motel. Um, and I just really love that idea of like really kind of something that's uh I guess like really kind of like flashy and like stylish, but it's really run down at the same time. So I had this idea of the Kingfisher Motel, which in my head it was like this old, you know, like building that had just it just looked like it had always been there, you know. Like you'll see a building like covered in ivy, and it looks like it just sort of like came into being. And I just had this. idea. like it grew from the earth. Yeah, it was sort of like what if there's like this motel? And you know, when you're at a motel, like everyone there kind of has their own little shit going on, and like there's a reason you're staying at a motel, right?

Like there's some kind of side quest going on. Yeah, so I had this idea of kind of using the motel as a metaphor for like purgatory. And then I was like, okay, so you have this place that's like in and out of time. It's it's sort of like a lotus flower concept, right? It's like, you know, the people that are staying there think that they're gonna leave next week, but they've always been there. And once I had that image, I thought of like this pink suit character that's like this kind of shady guy. Like, I don't know. It's weird to talk about out loud because it makes me feel kind of crazy, but I did write like probably like a hundred and twenty pages of like a novel about the motel. I wrote a screenplay about the motel. how did you even start? Like what when did the idea come into your head? Um I was in Puerto Rico with my partner Katrina, and shout out Katrina. Shout out Katrina, big girl baby artist, she's fucking amazing. She is dope. I we were on this beach.

She's gonna hate me for not remembering the name of it. But I think we were in Guanica, Puerto Rico. So if anyone's from Puerto Rico, that's where we were at. Um, and there's this little beach that we go to there, and they have this kind of like structure over on the beach that's like I think it's made out of like brick or might be stone, but it's kind of it looks like almost like a castle turret, but it's just sort of like built into the beach, and it's just there, and there's like ivy that grows on it, or maybe not ivy, but like some sort of you know, greenery or whatever. Um, and they have these trees in Puerto Rico Flamboyant trees, which are these bright red flowers, and they're like kind of everywhere. Um, and also this beach is like right next to this desert. That's one thing about Puerto Rico that's really cool is they have like every sort of um I can't think of the word, but yeah, the ecosystem ecosystem, exactly. There's like beach, jungle, forest, river, desert, all in the same place. Oh damn, I I didn't know that. Yeah, so like you're on the beach and then you can go hike through like cacti and all this shit.

Oh shit. Um, and I was kind of looking at that contrast, and I just started writing, like just on my phone. I just started writing uh as a novel, like, you know, something along the lines of like the motel like looked as though it had sprung out of the ground, Ivy throttled its wall. Like I just started writing all this shit about the motel. And I was writing about this like pink suit character at the motel. And like the I was thinking of like people that were staying at the motel. Now, obviously, I only have so much budget, so I can't like literally be like, I wanna make, I want to execute this to the up team, you know, I want to You're not Marvel. create the motel, right? Like, you know, this is all in the quantum verse. So um, yeah. So, but I don't know, for me, that's really important with like an album. I think Blue Don't Make Me Cry was different because that album was inspired by a traumatic event. So it's like the whole album was kind of a catharsis. Whereas with Kingfisher, it was very stylized.

And I think with a lot of what I do, even though I'm coming from a very personal place and all my lyrics are about like life experiences and relationships, and um I I really try to create some sort of world that at least I have the reference for in my head while I'm like writing songs and like you know, if you have a vision in your head of like this is all taking place at this fictional whatever as you're writing, and it's inspired by different, you know, I'll put together like mood boards. I had all these different like mood boards for Kingfisher and like uh scenes from movies. I would take a big inspirations for Kingfisher was like um No Country for Old Men. That was a really big one. Uh Romeo and Juliet, the Baz Luhrmann movie. Um it's gotta be super easy to write at that point. Yeah. Once you've set it up. Yeah, it just it starts to feel like you know, and then like you get thematic sort of imagery in the lyric and the lyrics and shit like that, right? Like it's gotta make it fun as hell, too.

Oh, it's awesome. I mean, like the it's just sound like dude. I'm like, holy shit, I wanna go like write a fucking album now. Like, you know, like with this approach, like that sounds so fucking dope. I think it it gives well, it's in and the flip side of it is it's difficult because when you're trying to think of that idea, if something's not cool enough in your head that you that you're excited enough about it to write a whole fucking album in that world, it's just not gonna work. It's dead. That kind of just has to happen, right? It's hard to force that. Exactly. And that's you know, were you searching for inspiration for a next project? Like, you say, I'm going to Puerto Rico, I'm gonna find something around. I mean, I definitely it was like the first, no, I don't know if it was, I think it was probably the first time I had gone to Puerto Rico actually with her. Um, and like Puerto Rico is beautiful and it has it very much has its own culture and its own style. And um I I'm just like blessed that, or or I guess lucky that my partner, you know, her mom lives there. I get to sort of experience that like firsthand and and go to parts of the island that otherwise I wouldn't be able to go to.

Like most of the people. are just going to stay on a tour you know, yeah, I mean it's amazing. Versus the tourist side of it. But I think that, you know, and and Katrina takes a lot of inspiration from Puerto Rico too. So I was kind of going into the trip, like maybe I'll be inspired. But I think um it was a combination of that and just like already kind of having the so that's the thing is like you'll have an idea in your head of like this could be really cool, and that idea will sort of stay in your head, and like days will go by and weeks will go by, and you'll keep coming back to like this is fucking dope. Like, I don't know what this is, but it's cool. And then you have this fucking like epiphany. I don't know if this happens for other artists, but for me, it's like I'll literally have this moment of like this is the album. These are like, you know, this is what I want to do, this is what it's gonna look like. With Blue Don't Make Me Cry. I remember I was at a fucking Marta station, and I was looking, I was like listening to music. I was thinking I was listening to uh Freudian by Daniel Caesar, and I was looking up at the sky and feeling very emotional, and I was waiting to cross the street from the Marta station to go to my fucking house. And um I just thought to myself, like, looking up at the sky, like blue Don't make me cry.

And then I was like, oh shit. You know, like you just sort of have that moment of like that's it. Like you get it, and it made sense to me on so many levels. It was like, and I hate the idea of having to like fully explain that kind of thing, because I think on some level that you know, the concept of your album should always just be yours, you know. You should never have to like um it's funny to like say this in an interview, but like you should never have to like go into an interview and be like, this is what it was about, right? But I mean, I'm happy to do that. It's open for interpretation, yeah. And the fact that you know what it means is the coolest part because people will get it, like they'll 100% get it, you know. And and that's the amazing thing about music is you might think damn, like with Kingfisher, I'm like, this is such a niche, like kind of weird thing that I'm trying to do. It's like, you know, this fucking motel, who's gonna care about this and like all this stuff. And then when it comes out, it's like, you know, if I perform in the pink suit, people cheer, or like like they understand what I'm trying to do. They know that like when I put on the pink suit, it's like a different character.

And like when I performed for Blue Don't Make Me Cry, I would wear this blue jumpsuit, and it like allowed me to sort of leave my body and and kind of embody this different. It all sounds really pretentious when you're like laying it out, you know. But I think like when you're in the moment, it's very cathartic and also exciting to be able to like sort of put on a costume, so to speak, and then be like, here's this character or this idea or like whatever it is. So I've always been really into that. And if you look at my projects, with the exception of maybe like my first sort of mixtape on SoundCloud, I think it all has a very specific, not just like sonic sort of direction, but like the visual direction is super important to me because I'm not gonna like nine times out of ten, I probably won't listen to an album with like a shitty cover, or like if I'm not excited by the idea of the album, like why would I dive into it? You know, and and it changes like you have artists that you love that you're just like I'm gonna fucking listen to this shit, I don't care, you know.

But well, and it's possibly the artist in you, yeah. that's true too. I have become a very different music consumer than I was it's tough to maybe put yourself in just the average person that just wants to like hear the song. Are they always but to your point? Even if no one gets it, would you still be you'd still be satisfied with it? Yeah, Maybe, right? Or for sure. No, I mean, I think like you obviously you want some people to sort of get it just from the perspective of like if no one gets it, I like I don't want to say you failed because sometimes it's like still important to have your own personal, like whatever catharsis or whatever the fuck. But I do think that there is a certain level of like having that recognition of like the audience understands this fucking music. Like they know where I'm coming from. No, true, true. I think that's really important. I think because if no one gets it, then it's just not relatable enough, probably. Right. Well, and think about okay, Blonde as an example, right? That album is so fucking specific to his life.

He's literally using imagery, you know, from his own life. And you know, lyrics like uh if you got a roomie, he'll hear what we do, but it's only awkward if you fucking him too, right? That feels like very about his life, but anyone can attribute their own meaning onto that. You know, him talking about like stacking up milk crates and like jumping into the fucking river or whatever as a kid. You might have never jumped into a river in your life, but you're like, I know what it's like to be a fucking kid. Like it just there's something about the way he writes that just cuts you. Like it he gets it, you know. I remember uh when I was in college, like driving to go try to like get back together with my girlfriend at the time. Sorry, Katrina. And it didn't work out, clearly. Didn't work out. Um, she's cool, but- Shout out to her, but you know, yeah. Uh well soft shout out to her. We're not we're not really I'm not gonna hit the button. She's not gonna watch this, it doesn't matter. Hey, she might be a huge one more time podcast fan. That's true.

I just can't sleep on the podcast. Just because she's not a Wiley fan, bro. We got our own fans. Yeah, she might be a fan of Wiley and not Will. I don't know. I have to ask her. fair enough. No, I'm kidding. Um, but I remember like, you know, obviously I was in college, I was young, and like whatever, and you feel everything a lot more when you're young, like everything's really like, you know, this is like when you're in high school, it's like this is the worst thing that will ever happen to me. I love you so much. No, you fucking don't. Both of My siblings being like, Oh yeah, I fucking love my girlfriend or my boyfriend, whatever it is, and you're like, Do you know? Just wait until you're 19 and then see how you feel. Wait till you're fucking 30. Yeah, I mean, you grow up and like shit changes. But I remember I was very like um, you know, emotionally frazzled at the time, and I'm like driving to go see her, and I was listening to Godspeed by Frank Ocean. The first fucking line of that song, he just goes, I will always love you. How I do.

It's so fucking crazy. It's like you can feel so much emotion in that one line that you can attribute to any situation in your life. It could be about your parents, it could be about your siblings, it could be about your girlfriend or partner, like whatever it is. But just it's it's not just that I will always love you, which is one of the oldest phrases, you know, like that that idea is very common, but it's how I do, it's that, you know, and even following it with like the table is prepared for you. It's like it's so familiar. So I think with my music, I've always tried to write about my own personal experiences, but in a way that feels like anyone could connect to, you know, I don't want to be hyper specific. I want to be specific about how I feel, but I don't want to say like, you know, like fuck you, like Dana or whatever. You know what I mean? Like, you So that was her name. No, I would never use the real name.

Um, I'm not even talking about her. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. But I'm just saying, yeah, you know, you you have to have that kind of balance between like being specific and being broad. And maybe Yeah, we talked about this recently. We had a songwriter on who I was like, you know, so you try to keep it kind of you know, somewhat general so you can relate to people. And she was she said, Fuck that. Yeah, I'm getting mad specific, yeah, just to be able to be different and stand out. Because to your point, she's not using a street name. I mean, maybe she is, but like she's not using such specific, specific like things that people can't relate to, but she is giving this pretty detailed, like you know, experience so that people can be like, oh shit, maybe I've never jumped into the river, but like I can fucking feel that shit. You know, you have an experience from your childhood or in your life that like feels like that. You you hear about it all the time. Then you relate to it, even though it's not the jumping in the river, it's like whatever you did that's the equivalent for you, you know. what I mean? It could still connect. She's not saying we met in Miss Johnson's class, Tucker High, First period, right? I had a Miss Johnson at Druid Hills, She's probably not the same lady, but was it an

English teacher? No, she taught world history, which was not my best subject. That's that's funny, man. The world. No. Fuck history, yeah. So it's been one year since Kingfisher dropped. Yes, can we get it one more time exclusive? Bro, what is on the way right now, bro? You have been holding out on us for too long, man. I can only listen to Kingfisher so many times. I know it's uh it's pretty bizarre. I part of that. Um, I'm signed to a label, small, very small label. I love them. Like they're I'm very lucky. I think um I really like fuck with them, they're really cool. And it's not a situation where they're like, you can't put music out. It's like they, you know, they want me to do what I do and like let me have creative vision, all the shit. Um, but I've always felt like in my career I was able to use SoundCloud as kind of like a branching off point or like a bridge to whatever I was doing next. And SoundCloud is weird now, it's not the same. So it's and then like the instinct is to be like, well, just try out new music on TikTok.

And I'm like, I'd rather set myself on fire. This guy hates TikTok. No, you better jump on the fucking top, bro. Man, I it's not that I hate TikTok, I actually appreciate what it is. Because you can just make dope videos of you making music, bro. You don't have to be able to do it. Also, it's fuck the platforms, dude. It's the eyeballs. It's the attention. It's the potential fans. No, you're absolutely right. And it's so like annoying to be like, fuck TikTok. Because like it's obvious how beneficial it is. You know what I mean? It's undeniable. Clear as death. It's just for me, it's like hard to take myself seriously. You don't have to. You're thinking about it wrong, bro. You don't have to. I think you're probably right. I'm gonna I'm gonna help you get on the talk, bro. Fucking take a fucking guitar or whatever it is that you do, just sit there and sing and just let your fucking bluesy voice have the fans come to you, bro. The algorithm will find them. You don't have to do trendy dances. You don't have to do any of that shit, bro. No, not at all. No, it could be it could be funny, but don't. Well, it's like my little brother said to me, he was like, you know, your best stuff on TikTok is like the stuff where you're just like fucking around, but then all the stuff where you're like, this is my song sucks.

Well, because people don't say it like people don't want to be sold. You're selling people, it's true. It's true. you're telling people to listen to my songs. TikTok is kind of like a dating app in the sense that like if you're on a dating app, because I used Tinder in college and I was really unsuccessful. Like, I thought you were really good. No, no, I was getting mad pushed, bro. I was crushing push. I don't know if I ever got a match. I was matching right and left. and I'm looking at the app, like, what the fuck? Like, I look good. What's wrong with this app? Like, what am I doing wrong? This thing broken, yeah. And my friends in college, I had a lot of like platonic friends who are girls, and they were like, dude, like you're using like stills from music videos, bro. You look fucking weird. Like, that's why no one's matching with you. Cause they're like, bitch, why are you carrying a flaming like torch on a beach? Like, what are you doing? And in my head, I was like, I look really good. You know, like this is a high quality photo, but it took a lot of time to get this. It's like, you know, and that's I guess that's part of it. Is to me, on some level, being a performer is like an art.

And it's like you want people to see like the performance. You don't, I'm a little bit uncomfortable with the whole, like, this is just me and who I am. But look how naturally you've done this hour-long interview. That's what I'm saying, bro. I think you're like be thinking, I think you're in your head on this shit, bro. Maybe so. I guess I just I put a lot of stock into like, I don't know. You're artsy fartsy, bro. I get it. Yeah, just talking to you for an hour. You're really pretentious and uh TikTok is beneath me. No. Um that could go viral, potentially. Yeah. People would be like, fuck him. My people told me I gotta do that. Yeah, for me, bro. I I really think that just like you like, you know, curating a cool setting like you do with your other visuals, maybe, man, and just fucking singing your shit, bro. I mean, you've got that that raspy, like bluesy voice, and you got the like lyrics that are relatable because the you know, the shit that I talk to the artists that I, you know, kind of help with you know, socials on is like, bro, you just have to like this is why the importance of like writing lyrics that are relatable, bro. Because if you think about it, yes, there's some of these like TikTok-y, like, you know, sonics, like, right, where there's like the upbeat, like fast, you know, dancy shit or whatever, but the shit that's not that that hits on the platform is because the lyrics that are fucking captioned on the screen as the video is going along, fucking mean something to people, bro.

And like, I think that's where you would win, man. And like, uh, I just think you gotta give it time too for the algorithm to like find the right, you know, people to start serving your shit to. That's true. And just like being like genuine and not thinking of it like too hard. Well, I've got to do that. I've had a weird experience, I will say, with TikTok, where like whenever like pink Skies, which is like my biggest song, stream it, it pays my bills. Um it's got to. Yeah, when when that when people use that sound, people comment on it and they're like, no, bro, we don't want people to find out about him. And I'm like, fuck. Like, you know, like it's that's so that's cool. It's dope. No, it's super cool, but it's also like, no, no, no. Like, you please tell your friends, you know. It's like I'm a huge fan of arrested development, and I remember when that show was about to get canceled, they would literally be like, tell your friends about this show, like in the end of the show, like in the show. Um, but that's an example, bro, of the song that like it's because it's super relatable, man, and it's an amazing, like, you know, sonic uh you know, sound or whatever, right? But like the lyrics as well, like can you know relate, right?

And I think that that's why people find it, you know, so so appealing. Well, and I will say I I never really answered your question about what's coming next, but I will say in the interest of hype and like my own excitement about this. Um, I have been working on a lot of stuff, a lot of music. I've got um a screenplay that I'm working on that I'm really excited about, and I've kind of done that before, like I mentioned like a couple times, but this one I'm like, this is dope. Like, I keep sort of like reading through it and being like, This is pretty fucking good. Um, like is the plan to like shop that around? Uh I'm not sure. I don't really know what goes into that. I mean, I ideally I would be able to like make a rough sort of version of it. Yeah, you can't really make like the whole film, but you can make like a pitch deck version of the film. Oh, really? Yeah, and I know nothing about the film. Okay, like it's always sunny in Philadelphia, right? Like, you can look up the original like pilot for that show. It's just them with handheld cameras, like the whole thing.

So is it a TV show you've written? No, it's a it's a film. So that yeah, I just didn't know how that works. I don't know with film, you know. I don't know, I don't have like super connections. I right now I'm visualizing it like I would make it, which is probably not gonna be what happens, but you never know. But that is sort of what I'm doing in my downtime. And when I'm working on music, I have an EP that I'm really hopeful is gonna come out next February. Do we have a name for it? One more time. I do have a name for it, but let's get it, bro. Yeah, man. We need it. The people need it. Start the hype. It's not official, you can change it. Build the hype curve. Yeah, let's start it on the podcast. Okay, I will say on this podcast that I'm pretty sure that my next EP is going to be called Drunk and Love Songs. Drunk and Love Songs. So like drunk and love song, it kind of works, yeah, both ways. Let's see what you're doing. We're speaking the same. He's picking up what you're putting down. Cheers.

Minus two. The cheers of the end. Um, drunk and love songs EP, hopefully coming first quarter. It's 2023. Uh high concept project. It's very stylized. I would say like it's Can you make something that's not high concept at this point, do you think? Probably not, right? I don't know. I have a lot of demos that are very vague that I'm like, these are pretty cool too. It's just like I I think I get way more excited about something if I have like a visual direction in my head and like sonic direction, you know, and like something like this. It was uh I went to LA after I got off tour. That makes me sound so cool. I got off tour Went to LA after I got a food. Bro, bro. I went to LA, I was at Diddy's house. No, um, I was The Beads hit me up. I linked up with my friend uh Nevin. He's a producer. Um we my I think my like my label circled me in with him when I was on tour and we made one song that was like probably the craziest song I've ever made. Uh that song is called Lefty's Mouth, and it's not gonna be on this EP, but it's fucking crazy and it will come out.

Yeah, I'll I'll someday I'll explain it. I'll explain it when we wrap. Um, Okay. Um but that song is nuts, and we made that song like our first time hanging out. And so I went back to LA. I I hung out with him. We hung out for like a week. We like did shrooms together, like just spent pretty much all our time together because there was a COVID scare in LA at the time. So it was like and they took it pretty serious over there. Yeah, you know, fucking LA. I'll tell you this about LA. I had a meeting just as an aside. Oh, I love you, LA, but I had this meeting with this dude from a big company, and he's like, I was really hungover at this meeting. It's not the coolest shit I ever did, but I was like, I'd been out drinking, and so we're at this like breakfast spot, you know, eating like vegan whatever. And um kale salad to find good breakfast in LA. And if you want to prove me wrong, please comment good breakfast in LA so I can eat it because it's so difficult. Yeah, like you know, the next time he's done with touring in LA, like he'll make a tour when I'm not hanging out with Bieber and Jaden Smith. So So like I was in LA, I was eating with this dude, we were meeting with him, and he was telling me, like, yeah, bro, like I just went to this music festival, I was fucking doing Molly every day.

I was fucking candy flipping, it was late as fuck, blah blah blah blah. And I'm like, you know, sort of fading in and out because I'm like, this guy's like a lot, and I'm trying to eat whatever. And uh I was really hung over. and so finally I sort of like rubbed my face and I was like, man, I could really use like a cigarette right now. I think I'm gonna like step out and smoke a cigarette. And he goes, Whoa, I would never put that poison in my body. Oh, and to me, that like summarizes LA LA. Yeah, for sure. So that's amazing. For sure. But yeah, I linked up with this guy, Nevin. We made like 13 songs. Um, we've narrowed that down significantly. Obviously, like the EP might be like five, six songs, something like that. But um, I'm working on an album concept too. I'm just starting to kind of figure that out, but I'm excited about it. And so we'll see. Like, it's really just, I think the only reason I haven't put music out is because I've been a little gun shy with like I've got songs that I would want to put out, but I want to make sure I always think of my career in the context of like a career and like when things come out and what comes out and what influences what. And on some level, I agree with the philosophy of like just put it out there, you know.

Like, don't worry so much about like how it comes out, how it's but I also really do like to self-curate in that way and be like, if I put this song out, is this gonna make sense coming after it, you know? And like if I put this song out, would this be too weird? Or like, is this are people and I'm not I don't care about like, oh, would the fans like this or whatever? I mean, obviously, I care about whether they like the music, but I'm not making it with that intention. It's just like I think as a fan of music and trying to picture myself being a fan of yourself, of myself. I'm like so pretentious this guy. Right. If I were a fan of myself, of course I am, uh, which I'm my biggest fan. Um, no, it's just like I think you do have to take that into account a little bit of like if you your favorite artists, right? They put out that and you remember it, you know, like when this dropped and when this dropped, and you remember that Lucy, he dropped on SoundCloud. That was crazy.

Mac Miller is a great example of that, right? He had so many different projects, so much like diverse shit that he was doing. And it's fun to kind of track the progress and the story of the road. It's like the lore exactly. So it went how it unfolded. I think that that, you know, I there's a few times I probably should have put a song out this year, but I'm very lucky. Like people seem to love Kingfisher, which is amazing, and it continues to grow and like gain new fans. And so that's giving me the opportunity on some level to be able to focus on like what I want to do next. And the only fucked up thing is that like when Kingfisher came out, I was like, I'm not sitting on music anymore, bro. Y'all are gonna get hella music for me next year, and then I haven't dropped anything. So literally in an interview I watched, this dude capped like a motherfucker saying we were gonna get flooded 2022. This is September 2021 or whatever, like you know, over a year later. So fucked up. But no, it's really bad. No, but we're looking forward to drunken love songs, and I think that that coming out in February might have to do a little bit with Valentine's Day. I don't know.

Let's see. He's Valentine's Day. I've never I've never heard of it. Anyways, Wiley, amazing interview so far. Man, we have entered a final segment of the podcast. Henry, take us away. This is the Rapid Fire Rampage. Buckle up, Wiley. It's a three-part rampage, okay? I'm gonna start with some short answer questions, and then I'll catch you up from there. Sorry, are you buckled up, ready to go? Okay, all right. You want to do another deep breath, maybe? Okay, all right, okay. Take a sip of your beer. Yep, there you go. Here we go. You too, Henry. I'll take a sip of my Gatorade. Wiley. Who is your dream feature? Brittany Howard. What are three ways to use a book besides reading it? Um, coaster for your drink, um, beating the shit out of someone, um, and then a follow-up to that, punching someone through the book like Jason Bourne does. Wow.

Two out of three were violent. We'll take it. Yeah. Well, you know, reading makes me fucking torqued. Same, same. Yeah. Wiley you find a penguin in your freezer. You cannot give it away or sell it. What do you do with your penguin? Uh teach it how to be a mix engineer. Yeah. I mean, a big expense for artists, you know what I'm saying? My guy, we good. Yeah, a little reverb to that. Little mud around 400 hertz. I'm not asking you to fly, bro. Just mix the song. Wiley. Invent an app. Okay, uh, the app is essentially you get to upload your music to it, but it's like Tinder. And so you listen to the first 30 seconds of a song on the app and you swipe right or left, depending on whether or not you like it. And the songs that get the most likes get more circulation, and that way you can build your own foundation. But the songs can only exist on the app for 30 days, so you can't just like live on there.

Bro, does this exist? No, I came up with that like four years ago, and I someone's gonna steal it, so I don't know. I'm stealing it. Let's cut this out of the interview and work on developing. No, dude. I'm doing that. That's gonna be ultimately another deal, and I need equity for that company. I think 33, 33, 33 splits is sounds good. 55, 55, 55. Yeah. Wiley. Um a chicken walks in the door wearing a top hat. Why is he here? And what does he say? He says, this isn't where I parked my car. And uh I don't know why he's here. That's the mystery. Where was he going? Uh he was trying to cross the road. Uh oh. Wow. Everyone fucking. Brought us full circle. Amazing. Tell us about the last time you were incredibly afraid. Oh man. Um shout out Katrina.

Uh yeah. The last time that I was really afraid was uh probably a few years ago I had a show in New York. This is like a very basic answer, but it was like my first time ever performing in New York, and I can't remember ever being more fucking terrified before a show. Like I was about to throw up, I was like running to the bathroom every five minutes to like splash water on my face. Um it was a great show, but I remember just being like so nervous. That was on the static. Uh no, no, no, no. This is way before that. I have so many New York shows. Yeah, I mean, you know, New York, it's a city. Um, uh, yeah, that's that comes to mind. Okay. Wiley, if you could party with any fictional character, who would it be? Oh my god, put me on the spot. Any fictional character.

Fuck, man. Damn, I'm not coming up with anything. You're in the refrain now. This is a good idea. I think it'd be pretty fun to to to go to uh uh party in like uh you know, one of the Hogwarts common rooms. Like one of their little rap parties. Lit we've won the Quidditch Cup, like you're just in there like, yeah, you know your girl's a whole 10 points to Gryffindor. Right, exactly. Bars hard. Damn, Henry. Yeah, I got some. This one, uh this next one's a fan favorite. You must get rid of three states. Which states do you delete? That's fucked up because they're gonna like hate me no matter what time. I'll start off with Vermont because like who's even there? Um I'll go with Maine, number two, same thing. Like, who's ever even been to Maine? The lobsters. Um, and then third, ooh.

I'm really sorry, y'all, but like say it, Florida. Florida. We've had a few Floridas. Look, I love I there's parts of Florida that I love, but like the parts that I hate, I fucking hate. You know what I mean? And also the people. And also everyone. It's just Floridians in general. Florida man is never in the in the news for something good. Dude, if you've ever been to like Jacksonville, Florida for something other than a football game, like you kind of know what I'm talking about. Or even like Sarasota, Florida. That's another place that I hate. Uh but like shout out to anyone that's from there. Like, yeah, we love you guys. Still stream Kingfisher, but right in this hypothetical situation, you're fucking. I'm sorry that you're from Florida. Yeah. And uh good luck. Wiley, how many alligators would fit in a studio apartment? Ooh, um, I'm gonna go with 21. 21 alligators. Yes. But seems like they wouldn't be happy.

If you stack them up, I feel like you can get you can get a hundred. Yeah. I 21's like, but I'm just imagining them all on the floor. Okay. Like, not like on the walls and we're stacking gators around here. We stack them gators. How's she gonna dish Florida, then talk shit about gators. It's fucked up. That was that was kind of interesting that we went straight from Florida into how many gators can you stack in a studio apartment? I know what I'm doing with this this segment. There you go. Last one of the short answer. What is your favorite curse word? Um fuck. Part one. Part one, great. Pretty solid. Yep. Pretty solid. Uh a couple of them I had to think, but overall I give them like, you know, like an eight out of 10. Was pretty solid. The Harry Potter one was actually like worth the wait. Sometimes it's not worth the wait. Like we get through the whole, you know, the whole Jeopardy song. But imagine he comes back to Harry Potter common room party off the rip. He would have made the you know rapid fire rampage hall of fame. Yep. That we haven't started yet. but I missed that. Okay. All right.

Well you can still redeem yourself. It's part two. There are two more parts. There are two more parts to this rampage. This next one is the this or that. Hip hop or rock? Hip hop. What the fuck? Stacks or ad libs. Uh ad libs. A M. Ooh, nope, stacks. Sorry. Stacks. AM or PM? Um AM. Rich and famous or rich and unknown. Rich and unknown? Nike or Adidas? Adidas. Controversial. I wear more Nike, but like sweatshops. Those are a thing. If I was playing 2K, I would go with Adidas. You know what I'm saying? Okay, okay, yeah, fair. Ketchup or ranch? Ketchup. Drums or melodies? Melodies. Drums or flats. Oh, flats.

Yeah. Zombies or vampires. Zombies. Save ten strangers' lives or saved your loved ones' life. Saved my loved ones' life. Fuck those ten strangers. I hope they die painfully. I like how you leaned into it. I'm already the asshole in this question. I don't know you, so sorry. Be aware of your insanity or be unaware of your insanity. Um be I guess be unaware because if you're aware, are you even insane? I can't answer that question. It's way too philosophical. That's great. You just started me with the trolley shit question on the last one. Mildly allergic to dust or aggressively allergic to pollen? Aggressively allergic to oh. I didn't even let you finish. Yeah, to pollen. Shit. What'd you think he was gonna say? I'm both. Like you. You were taking the aggressive one no matter what it was. Yeah, what did you think he was gonna say?

I thought he was gonna say dust for both, and I'm very allergic to dust, but I'm also allergic to pollen, so I'll say mildly allergic to dust would be better. There it is. Give up smartphones or give up salt. Give up shhh. You got me on that. Yeah, you didn't see salt coming. You mean the Angelina Jolie movie? Because uh that's an easy guess, but this guy's a movie buff. No, I would definitely uh give up smartphones. Uh yeah. Yeah, you can't give up flavor. Yeah. What the fuck is this? Last one of the this or that. Get a face tat of Taylor Swift or have a permanent limp. Permanent limp. Part two. I said Part two is good. Sorry, Tay. We love you, Swizzle. Swifties. I would say that was a slight improvement. I'd give him like 8.5 on that section. That was great. It was pretty good. You have point five bump. You can you can really really tie it all together with this last part. It's the word association. I'm gonna say one word, and you just say the first word, maybe two words off the top of your head, right back at me. Okay.

It's like a therapy exercise almost. So here we go. Rampage! Starting, of course, with hip hop, Kendrick, Fender, guitar, wealth, money. Sad. Sex. I don't know why that came into my head. I'm really happy during sex. You're a sad sex kind of guy? No, no, no. He likes to cry while having intercourse. Well, it makes it better. It's a mutual experience of bonding and deep emotion. Lord. Moving on. Stripper. Pole. Buffalo. Wing. Op. Text. I mean, this is literally just the first word that I've thought of, and I don't know why. That's what we're looking for. That's fine. Hot pocket. Pepperoni. Hot tub. Water. L. G.

Lil. Boosie. Quasar. I don't even know what a quasar is. Yeah, so I'm okay with that. Bitcoin. Fucking bullshit. TikTok. Money. Podcast. Good. The correct answer was. One more time. We can bring it back with the final one. Pink sky. Let's go. This has been Wiley from Atlanta on the One More Time podcast. As always, we appreciate you guys. Please like, comment, and subscribe. It means the most to us. Thank you, my friend. Appreciate you. H3 until next week. What are we doing? Getting out of here. Getting out of here. Peace. Bye-bye. Peace, y'all. Bye-bye.