Willie Joe Interview: Head of A&R at Generation Now (Uzi, Jack Harlow, Don Cannon)

Lots of picture taking rappers, not enough grinders. You remember saying this? Yeah, I did. And they have like this art of like knowing how to be at all the right events, knowing how to ask for a picture from all the right persons and just put all the right captions. So it looks like momentum. It looks like they're being consistent, but they're actually not. A lot of artists move like they already have a fan base and not move like they're trying to gain a fan base. Yes. I'm so excited to be welcoming in on the One More Time podcast, legendary country singer. You know him from the X Factor. It's Willie Jones. Bro, God damn. Willie Jones, baby. Willie Joe. Wait, who? Willie Joe. It's not Willie Jones. No, it's Willie Joe. The head of AR at Generation Now. We got Willie Joe on the podcast. Let's go, Willie Joe. But that Willie Jones guy sounds kind of dope too. I heard he's actually a fire, like he's like a black country

He's like a black country singer. I heard he's actually kind of fire. Damn, bro. Appreciate you coming on, man. Appreciate y'all. So we've had this, you know, discussion with a lot of people on the podcast recently, but I want to get your take as someone who's, you know, heading up AR at arguably one of the hottest labels on the planet. right now. Not even Arguably, like I think that's just facts. Facts, okay. So is artist development still a thing in your mind? Uh yes. I'm glad you asked that. Because I I feel like that's one of Janelle's strong points. Really? Is that we artists develop? I think some of our success contributes to the artist development. So for those that aren't familiar, like what is artist development look like in practice? Like what's actually done, right? Because it sounds like this buzzword, I feel like that gets thrown out a lot by label folks or artists want to be like, no one develops me, whatever, right? But like what is it? What is it supposed to look like? And you know, uh first, well, on the artist side, it looks like someone that's hungry and eager to learn. First, you gotta be in that stamp, that point.

So once you're there, then on the other side, it's just about the approach of the person that's developing you. If the person that's developing you is a you know, a fan, a student of the game, been into hip hop since a kid, and they understand certain things like how to look in videos, how to interview, like you know what I mean, be engaging, how to perform is one of the top development things. That's a big one is the performance thing. Just rehearsing. I feel like artists don't even rehearse. The average performance for an artist is so bad these days. Yeah. It was crazy because I took my uh my uh my young partner Miles, he 21. I took him to 50 Cent concert the other day. Oh my god, I was so pissed that I didn't even remember that that was happening. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he saw Busta, he saw 50, and like he was blown like, dang, this is how they really perform. Like, and I'm he's really rapping. Yeah, so he it made, gave him a whole new appreciation for performance. Shit, so is Miles an artist? No, no, he just uh aspiring A&R. Okay, cool.

So he was he was soaking up game though, as far as like how he can help artists that he's working with perform better, or like damn, yeah, because I saw a bunch of clips from there and I was just like so pissed. I mean, he did he perform all of Get Rich or Die trying? Uh majority, yeah. All the all the ones we want to hear. Damn, bro. Yeah. yeah, yeah. Ah, I think something you said is so interesting, man, because I think it was Barry over since the 80s. I, you know, sometimes my Instagram account turns into just a Barry repost account. He just reposts all Barry's tweets. Because I I love I love the things that he's bringing to the table, right? As far as he's really thinking through this and and bringing up points that should be discussed. Yeah, he brought up something I think that was about is lack of artist development, or at least everyone claiming that there is a lack of artist development happening. Is it the artist's fault because they don't want to be developed? I think you said something that leads into that as far as you gotta want to learn. Yeah, because it's definitely something that think they already got it figured out. It's something that kind of are very driven off perception, so that perception can really make you feel like, oh, this is all I need to do.

So you can become combative with someone that's trying to show you like the rope. So if somebody telling you, hey, let's take these stairs, but you watching everybody take the elevator, you're like, nah, nah, I'm just elevating what you're talking about. And the other person, like, nah, trust me, I've been here before. But you know, it that's why you gotta be eager to learn. Because if you're learning, you're gonna trust what I'm saying because you knew I I've been there before. So yeah, yeah. Dude, that analogy. Yeah, the elevator analogy. so fire. That's a clip already. We already got a clip Oh my god, we could end it now. You want to end it? We need a couple more. I think we got what we needed. We need a couple more. I know, no, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Uh no, I mean, so so uh, other than like performing, right? You know, artists rehearsing, what are some other things that the average artist should be doing to kind of better their career, right? Like improve. Um, one is um learning how to be self-efficient, like knowing, like, okay, I get this help. If you signed, I can get this help from this label. If you have a manager that got relationships, I can get this help like this. But this is the things I need to do in between, like learning how to just create a momentum, create a rhythm of just being consistent.

Like, like, you know, it seems so easy, but those are things you have to practice and learn how to do. It's almost like life skills too. Yeah, exactly. Like you can apply to a lot of areas. Yeah, I think it's interesting what you're saying, though, as far as uh most artists. I mean, shit, even when I was managing artists, and even here on the podcast, people think that I'm still like actively looking to manage people or something. Because I get hit up like, yo, bro, like will you manage me? Whatever. So I can only imagine that you know, executives that have managed talent and gotten them to a certain point of their career, ARs even that have worked with you know certain artists. I'm assuming that people, they just think that the right manager or the right label or the right this, the right that is gonna just change everything. Yeah, sure. Versus that that self-sufficiency that you're talking about of like, you gotta know how to do some of this shit on your own. Cause what's crazy is the self-efficient part don't never change because sometimes it's scenarios where they get with you at first and you're able to, you know, do so many things for them because they it's new to them, but then once they catch momentum, catch a buzz, then they're looking for like the next level, but they connect that to your relationships or your thing instead of connecting that to you know how much they're connecting with the audience and what fan base they really got. Yeah, to me, it's kind of equivalent to like starting your own business.

Because if you're an artist, whether you know it or not, like your brand, you're you are a business. Absolutely. And as a business owner, you know, it's always better to hire for a job that if you can understand the job first and you're able to execute the job, it's gonna be way easier to hire for that job because you know what needs to get done, you know the process, you can check in, you can guide, you can lead, you can help, you know, uh get everything done way more efficiently if you can kind of figure it out for yourself first. Yeah, right. I think that's crucial, man. Yeah. What are some of those other like most common pitfalls or like most common mistakes you think that like the average artist who has potential potentially as like uh as an artist, right? Like as a creative, what where do you see them missing the mark the most, would you say? Um pay attention, paying attention to other artists and what they're doing and comparing it to themselves. Damn, stop it, Willie. Yes, because that's what this guy's favorite thing to do.

Did you talk to him before this shit? We just did. Did you tell him to say that? Clearly. Okay, I feel like I have to listen now at this point. Now that Willie Joe's saying it, fuck. Okay. Because he loves leaning on this idea of a success model. I know. It's like, oh, this is working for them, this is working for them. What can we learn? And sometimes your journey is not the same. Well, I mean, when Reese Lafleur said it, I didn't have to believe it, but now that Willie Joe's here saying the same shit. Reese knows what he talking about. I know. And Reese does, though. Yeah, no, that's so true, man. Um, the whole Jimmy Iovine, you know, with you know blinders, like that epic shit from uh the Defiant ones or whatever, the HBO show, that's so true, man. And I'm guilty as fuck of it. Run your race, baby. And one thing, like now that I'm noticing is artists, people just period, like they don't like to study. Like, oh, people. What's that about? Yeah. Like, they don't be knowing about certain albums or knowing about certain artists, and that's just not how I came up. Like, so I don't understand it at all.

What is that? Uh just like I guess it's just being, you know, fascinated with what's in front of you and cool with your era, I guess. I don't know. Do you think? Yeah, I guess I don't know. I feel like an old head sometimes on here, so like you know, y'all tell me to fall back if I need to, but like I mean, none of us are like in college, but we're not. By far. I thought Willie was a junior. No, but I wish. But, man, I uh I don't understand that either. Um, because for me, when I fell in love with hip-hop, I wasn't just fascinated by the current roster that was in front of my face, actively putting out projects. I I, for example, was curious because I fell in love with it so much that I wanted to know like where it came from. Exactly. How did this thing that I'm liking now, how did it even like become this? You know what I mean? But I'm wondering if that actually does that matter. I don't know. Does it matter? Personally, me, I feel it does just because I see how it plays in my life.

Like with me being like a AR now and like, you know, and used to be an artist back in the day, and and and was a student of it, a lot of things, a lot of ideas, a lot of things that come to my mind that I get you know credit for or get praise for is comes from just being a childhood fan of music. And remember this one time when this person was on 106 of Park and oh, we should do that. Like, you know what I'm saying? Just so I feel like it always will keep you on your toes and you will kind of like understand how to move no matter what, like because you have an understanding of the game. Shit, I think what you just said is so interesting as far as you you might be able to look back and not to say that you need to like you know replay the past and do whatever it is exactly that they were doing back in the day, but even with you know, not to bring up Reese again, but like him taking uh girl skateboards, it was a brand, and him naming his skateboard brand Diva or or sorry, his streetwear brand Diva. And that was basically like understanding what used to go on and kind of picking and choosing what was working, but then flipping it into something that's new. Exactly.

Because like let's let's not recreate the wheel here either. I feel like artists can pull from the past. It's also like if you know, his if you don't understand history, it's you're doomed to repeat it. Yeah, that that thing. Right. That that's a pretty famous quote. Yeah, I think it rings true in this scenario. No, for sure. So um I do want to talk a little bit, you know, in particular about one of Generation Now's, you know, hottest artists, of course, Jack Harlow. There's a few on the roster. Of course, we still got Uzi over there, right? Yes, yes. Um, crushed it, pink tape, went crazy. But Jackman with Jack Harlow, that's his latest uh studio project, right? I feel like you and I guess just Generation Now in general have been through the development process with him. Because even people that we've had on the podcast that knew Jack back in the day, I mean, he's come a long way. What would you say are some of the like biggest areas that he developed himself over the years? Um, I think he'd do everything that we just were saying that we wish artists would do.

Like he came already being a student and a fan of the game. He came with already having an evolving mind. He came with a group of friends that all were under the same mission and same concept of okay, this is what we pushing and this is what we're doing. And when you're moving like that, you know, and then you get, you know, do you link with somebody like Generation Now? Like it only could be out of here, out of there. At some point, you know what I mean. So I really give his self a lot of credit for developing his self. Like, of course, we there to, you know, help in any way we can, but definitely give him a lot of that credit for developing his self. Yeah, it sounds like he's also open to like receiving help. Yeah, because a lot a lot of artists are, you know, like the fuck the labels, like you know, but they're like, they're literally, you know, big bodies of people whose entire business is figuring this shit out. They probably know more than you, who's just a guy that's been rapping for a little bit, you know. And I feel like dropping the way him dropping Jackman speaks volumes on the kind of person he is and the student of the game he is. Because at that time he could have just came again with more hits, more woo-woo, but he understood that nah, I need my respect, and I'm about to get my respect.

I'm one of the nicest ones doing this. Yeah. And I about to show you. And he definitely flipped our uh perception. We were not necessarily head over heels for come home with kids and but then with Jackman, it was like playing with. Okay. I'm sorry, Jack. Play with him, man. I'm sorry for thinking that you might not be that guy. Because clearly he's a rapper, man. He is. He was driving his ass off. For sure. but so you know, you mentioned uh just being actually I think you, you know, you were saying being open to that that feedback, right? Where do you think, even just from your perspective as someone who's done AR now, and obviously you're on the artist side, but like where is the tension most frequent? Like what where do most disagreements happen, like between artists and their teams, right? Like, are there some common uh debates, right? Uh it it depends. So when you got the hungry driven artists that got a vision, sometimes their tension and debates can be them having a vision and then someone not seeing it right away. And they have to say, nah, trust me, got proof.

I mean, that type of way. Then on the other end, it's the person that don't got no vision at all, and you are put in a position to lay one out for them, and they kind of like go, but then they they want to be combative towards something that they don't even have an alternative for, like, you know what I'm saying? So it's way easier when they have a vision. Yeah, that's to me, those are the best artists. But can no vision even work at all? Yeah, it's we got plenty of no visions out here. Oh shit. That could definitely work. Dare I ask you to name some? Nah. Come on, Willie. No, I mean, it'll be a good clip. I mean, we need that. But you know, that's what make even dope teams, dope CEOs, dope ARs, because they help provide a vision. Sometimes the artists don't got a vision because, you know, they just got a hard, life, hard upbringing, They don't got time to really be thinking about a vision. They think about surviving. So when they get with somebody on with talent, you know what I mean, then they can just, oh, I see what this is. Boom, boom, boom, boom. It's almost like getting with a biographer who can like study you and dictate your life better than you could your own.

Exactly. Yeah, it's so interesting. I guess I was always such a purist and thought that like a superstar has to have had a vision their whole life of what it is that they're gonna be. And you know, I don't know. I just like maybe I'm like an elitist or something in that sense. But I think you're right, man. Like, I think that if you don't have it, you better fucking find someone that that does have it. Yeah. Because no vision at all amongst the team is clearly that's never gonna work. You're going nowhere. Yeah, that can't go anywhere. But it's interesting to, yeah, it can work where like the artists themselves, because I think what you're saying is so true, is like especially, you know, we live in the hip hop rap world. A lot of artists clearly didn't come from fucking sunshine and rainbows, right? I mean, they weren't, you know, fed from a silver spoon. So it's like a lot of them did have to worry about like what they're taking care of their brothers and sisters or growing up without father figures or you know, or without their moms, whatever, having kids young age. I mean, you know, the list goes on of you know, situations that can happen. So damn, that's that's true.

So are there, you know, just speaking of people that have vision, but just in general, like are there commonalities that you see between like all superstars? Would you say uh the discipline, the just uh the able to lock in and just turn on a different level? And the one other thing I I I noticed about them is they have this this way of accepting like evolvement. Like it's it's it's kind of hard to explain and it's easier to see, but like when somebody like gets motion for something, and then they have the idea of no, I need to take it up a notch. But knowing that take up a notch means taking yourself up a notch. Create you know, doing things personally that to improve and certain ways you move and like you're creating a certain image. Like certain people just did it great, like Lil Baby. Like he's a he's a great person that started a certain type of way, and now he's a full-time businessman in corporate rooms, hanging out with Mark Michael Rubin and stuff like that. Like that's someone that wanted to evolve even when he was on the block.

Like, so that's what I mean. Like having that evolving mind. Yo, baby's a fire example of that. That he is. Like he couldn't have been more classic of like, didn't even really want to be a rapper. Exactly. To now sitting with Billionaires. Yeah. Damn. Making those adjustments, man. Yeah, I do think that that that's a really good point. I love that for sure. Um, you know, so you met, you know, you mentioned, I think you tweeted this actually. Lots of picture taken rappers, not enough grinders. You remember saying this? Yeah, I do. There are a lot of picture taken ass rappers, bro. And they have like this art of like knowing how to be at all the right events, knowing how to ask for a picture from all the right persons and just put all the right captions to where they're consistent with the picture, so it looks like momentum. It looks like they're being consistent, but they're actually not. Yeah. Because there's no music attached with that, it's no nothing we're, you know, no, we're gravitating to. But there's no fans.

Yeah, exactly. There's no one that actually gives a flying fuck other than maybe a double tap and moving on with their life. That's crazy you said it because I've noticed a lot of artists move like they already have a fan base and not move like they're trying to gain a fan base. Yes. And that's crazy. Say it again, Willie Joe. Just come on, bro. I just want to play the other side for a second. Oh no. For shits and gigs. Okay, let's hear this. The whole like has to be good. Kind of like the whole like fake it till you make it thing has like some, some artists have come out and said that that's kind of what they did, and it kind of worked for them. Bro, people can sniff it. How relevant are they right now? Exactly. That's a good question. Bro, people can sniff that shit from a mile away. It's all good to fake it till you make it. Just don't forget to make it. Yeah, you still gotta make it. That's that's the quote right there. You can fake it till you make it, but like you gotta still be moving in the background. Those pictures will not pay the bills. Uh uh. Yeah. But they might like create an opportunity for you. I'm not going out, I don't want to be like fake it, fake everything. No, I mean like perception is a big part of the game.

Yeah, it is. I was gonna say That's undeniable. I think that some of that stuff has to be like a piece of the puzzle. Yeah, it can't be the fucking puzzle. Yeah, for sure. You know, for sure. Like, to your point, the music's gotta be there. The like getting fans excited about you dropping music because you're an artist at the end of the day, you're selling music, like that's your product, you know what I mean? Right. Um, so yeah, like the likes and the the cool, you know, taking a picture with this person at this party at this award show, whatever, in this studio session, like can only go so far if no one's actually listening to the fucking music, buying a ticket to your show. Yeah, damn. I know a lot of them too, man. Like when I just saw that tweet, I was like, oh shit. Did you just start thinking of people? I was like, and I'm not gonna name them either. So here we are. Um all right, so you obviously got your start as an artist. Yes. I mean, you were like, you know, on the like precipice of, I mean, you were doing shit, bro. Like, you weren't like some of these ARs that I know, you know, they were rappers before, but like got bars.

They weren't, you know, uh like doing what you were doing. I mean, uh, you're from the Bay though, originally. Yeah, Vallejo, California. Yes. And so I I wanted to, you know, start this whole portion of the interview off with this. We did a Bay Area uh rapper draft. Okay. Okay. Okay. And I don't even want to tell you like who we picked because it was probably embarrassing. But uh like of all time, or what? Yeah. No further information given. But like you, if you have to have a starting five Bay Area rappers, who's on, you know, who's on your team. Uh and you can put yourself if you're like, you know. Yeah, but but you know, I'm I no, I'll pick the five. Okay, let's go. One for one, Mac Mall, for sure. Yeah, Mac Mall, okay. That's my guy. I don't think we picked him. See, we already fucked up. That's my guy. Uh number two, E40. Of course. Okay, he was on our on our list for sure. Number three, Mac Dre. Yes. Yes. Number four, too short. Yeah. Okay.

And that number five, just me personally, and y'all might not know him, but me personally just feel like he was the best lyricist that ever come out of the Bay Area. His name was Rappin' Ron. Rappin' Ron. Rappin' Ron. I think he, I think he was in the comments. Not him specifically, but like people being like, where's Rappin' Ron? Yeah, yeah. Rest in peace. Rest in peace. Okay. He was part of a group called Bad Influence, but the early 90s, but yeah. Damn, bro. Yeah, the Bay had some fire shit. He already sounds like he knew more than we did when we drafted him. Oh, man. I mean, he just rattled those off so fast. That was awesome. I took Mac Dre, though, so I feel pretty good about that. But but but yeah, someone that you shouted out back in like 2019, who I still think is fire is uh Rex Life Raj. What? Bro, he's the best artist out the bay Area. He's So good. He's so fucking good. Yeah. I love him. That song Stimulants, I think, or uh yeah, that's like one of my favorite. Yeah, I love his whole vibe, his message, his the way he stands on what he's about. Don't convert, because whatever is going on, like he's a great example of where I feel the Bay Area is going.

Yeah. Because we got a lot of dope bars right now. LaRussell, Simba. Oh, I forgot Simba was from the Bay Area. Yeah. We got Larry June. Of course. So you know the Bay Area looking good right now. Yeah, the Bay is looking nice. Okay, so uh Complex did the rap capital of the world rankings kind of recently. I don't know if you saw this. So Atlanta was number one. Obviously. I mean just going ahead and saying what it was. Do you think that was well deserved? Oh yeah definitely Atlanta like my second home there's anything I really did big in a music wise is definitely connected to Atlanta. Yeah. Who's a close second Detroit? Let's go. Yo Henry loves Detroit rap right now. They're killing it. He loves Detroit rap. Thank you. Three will be Memphis. Come on, bro, you and Ray and Joe are best friends. Are we best friends? At this point, like, This dude is obsessed with Memphis rap and then he like just showed love to the mitten right now because Detroit is absolutely crushing it. Oh man that's that's awesome.

What's the biggest difference between you know because you spent time uh growing up in the Bay and then you came to Atlanta uh basically like your sister was like get the fuck out here right what what would you say are the biggest differences between the two cultures uh they're very similar but uh difference is Bay Area is a little more aggressive. Really? And especially towards uh women. Not aggressive, not like violent, but like aggressive, aggressive, just more like the upbringing. I was like, whoa, Willie. too short you can see how I have too short rap. Like, that's really our life. Like, you know what I'm saying? How they how it's, you know, how it is out there. So the biggest difference is just the culture with women, I would say. And, you know, everything else is kind of similar. The hustle, the, you know, the black successful people, just all stuff like that. The dances are different. Yeah. Yeah, dances are different. Yo, I'm gonna get you to put your mic up a little bit. Yeah, yeah, there you go. Okay, for sure.

Um, yeah, so you moved to Atlanta after high school. Um, like, what was going through your mind, like growing up in the Bay, your sister came out here for college, she was at Clark, I think I saw, right? You know, what what's going through your mind before you actually decide to make that move? Uh just really just wanted to just, I just wanted to do a big. I knew I wanted a deal. I knew like I was a super fan, rap city 106 and park. I knew every rapper I knew every project that was out. I used To go to warehouse every Friday and I mean every Tuesday, and get the latest project, read all the credits, know who everybody was. So I really was in the state of mind of like, nah, this is gonna happen. I don't know how. At the time, yeah, I'm thinking this is gonna be in the Bay Area, because for some reason, when I was a senior in high school, I was so driven to like making rap happen. I didn't, I thought college was in the way. Like, I didn't look at it the way I wish I looked at it, like to where dang you could apply to a college, get accepted, and move to a whole another state and get them all turned up on what you're doing. Like, I never looked at it like that.

I looked at it like it was in the way, which is a mistake. I think kids, like, if you like college is really a good thing in every way. So education is important. But anyway, um, yeah. Yeah. So so your rap career was already like somewhat happening in it. Just aspiring. Like I always been the type of person that had to like put groups together and like, you know, what I mean, make my little cousins rap, give people rap names. Like I was A and Ring early when I didn't know I was A and R and like even but you know, throwing throwing shows and just all type of stuff we was doing. Like, and it just it was just for the love I had for music. Like it just made me be self-efficient. It just made me be creative. It just made me like just get everybody into whatever it was I was into. So at that time, I was just moving. I had a uh cousin by the name of Don P. He was a little more, he was uh more of an established rap artist than I was, and and pretty much took me in the studio for the first time when I was about 16. Like I was hype manning for him at shows, he was having local regional shows.

So that's when I started really getting the bug and seeing like, oh, I can do this, like boom, boom. So when my sister went to college, her first freshman year, that's when she discovered everything that was going on in Atlanta. But it it was the beginning though. T I, I'm serious, and like, you know, I mean, though, that like that that that beginning beginning. Thug Motivation? Thug motivation, like, no, that wasn't even out yet. Before that. That came when I came. Because When I moved here, Streets is watching was the tape that was out. You know what I mean? It was that, it was, it was the I remember I can never forget it. Like, I came, $10 in my pocket, a one-way ticket, and one mixtape that I just recorded. Like, like, no, and what's crazy is I had a whole nother tape that I recorded with my cousin Don P. But you know, at the time he felt like uh, you know, I don't want you to go to Atlanta Well, if you get signed and don't come back. And I really felt offended by that. So I was like, you know what I mean? All the work we put in, like, I felt like that was like kind of a slice, or it really motivated me. And I recorded the tape in two days, like and just recorded and was on the flight, one way ticket.

Like, boom. Nigga staying in my sister's dorm. Then eventually had got an apartment with her, like got a job at the airport, pushing the wheelchairs, giving everybody my CD. Then I went from there to working at Starbucks. I remember I was at Starbucks making a coffee and fucking Pharrell came in. What? I was like, whoa. What was his coffee order? Facts. We gotta know this. It was definitely a, damn, it was a latte for sure. Okay. I had vanilla, mocha. What do you know Yeah. It Sounds like some shit Pharrell would do. Dressed it up a little bit. Definitely dressed it up. Everybody was tripping out. I remember I gave him a CD. Didn't really get it. You gave him the CD. Yeah, well, I was after I took his order and stuff like that. Before he takes the order, yo, I'll rap, by the way, boo. Can I at least order my fucking latte? So it's Willie Joe. He's like, uh, we don't need your name for the order, we know. Yeah, but they probably spelled it weird, you know. Is that the Starbucks thing. Oh, that they misspelled shit? You're not misspelling that one.

I know, but like, what if you did? Shit. Just to like, you know. To fuck with him? Yeah, just to fuck with him. Yeah, that it was crazy. So eventually, I was like, I heard about a show on the radio. Then I went out to the event, couldn't afford to go in, so I stayed outside until everybody let out. Everybody let out. I was giving everybody the CD. One of the person that gave the CD was my boy Todd. He had called me. He had his partner named Fort Fort Knox and was like, hey, Fort Knox? Shout out Fort Knox, man. Oh my god. Heavy, heavy. The most legendary promoter. Sorry, host. Yeah, that's my boy. Dude. Fort Knox for time became my first ever manager. Fort Knox was your manager. Yes. Oh my god, bro. So basically from there. Holy shit. Yo, if y'all don't know Fort Knox, just YouTube Fort Knox. Because like it's at least gonna give you, like, just make you feel good for like a little while. If you need to like hype yourself up for the day. He was my hype, man. If you're feeling down, just YouTube Fort Knox, Atlanta. Yeah.

Swear to God. Nah. That's amazing, bro. So we just they introduced me to the open mics and showcased. Yeah, he was like the king. of The Apache Cafe. Then he took me to showcase, and then I just start winning them. And then out of nowhere, I used to perform with Rock City, B.O.B., all them. So I remember I won one at Atrium, so the prize was to record at the person that did it studio, which was my boy B. Rich. So I recorded at the studio. Shout out B. Rich. That's uh Bob's manager, right? The engineer was Bob at 15 years old. What? So he engineered me, and we used to always be together by ourselves, just chopping it up bop, bop, bop. I remember one day he was like, Man, you know I rap too, but you know my, you know, they woo-woo-woo. And I'm like, man, you need to push it. Let me hear it. He let me hear it. Because he was in a group called the Clinic with his cousin. Okay. And um, I was like, man, this this thing sounds hard. Like, and then basically he just started rapping, then he started doing songs with me. And then I created a song called Get Em Got Em.

And uh, and then he kind of like took off out here. started getting shows. So BOB was your engineer. Yeah, then he turned to Tilly. That's hilarious, man. I like so one day we got a show, and he had his tape called Cloud Nine was starting to starting to go. I remember Cloud Nine. Yeah, I was like, hey man, you know what? Your name should be B.O.B. And he's like- You said that? Yeah, I named him B.O.B. Damn! Whoa, shit. So a piece of history. So like I helped him with like, you know what I'm saying, learn how to perform, helped him with like my bad, ad libs, hooks, you know what I'm saying? just showing him what I knew because I, you know, I believed him and wished somebody would do that for me. And like, I wouldn't, I don't care, uh, kid you not. Like, you can go to YouTube right now and put Willie Joe and B.O.B. You'll see us performing at Crucial TI Club. Wow. Wow. Uh like three weeks after that, he got signed. Wow. Mm-hmm. He did the hater song, it was cool. Then I got signed. That was anthem, bro. Haters? So I got signed to show enough capital.

Then right after that, they did the Bruno Mars song, and it was rocket shit. Is that airplanes? No, it was Hayley. Nothing on you first. Yeah, yeah, nothing on you. Yeah, out of here. Out of here. Then he came right back with airplanes. Yeah, shit. Out of here. What a time for B.O.B. So that was my first experience, like seeing somebody from zero. From your engineer. Yeah. Believing in it. Yeah, right. Helping them like artist development wise, AR, and R before you knew you were AR. And even though that's what I was doing. Like to this day, like TJ, DJ just said it on uh Instagram when he posted like a back in the day thing, he was like just shouting me out and was like, man, you was there from the beginning, like really helped him develop, and a lot of people don't know that. Wow. I feel like a lot of ARs we talked to all have this background of like they just realized at some point that they were already ARing, and that's kind of how they started. You know what I mean? They were helping artists. Wait, I'm already doing this. Yeah.

No, that's amazing. I just didn't know this was the label for it. That's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. So okay, so you see B.O.B. obviously like rise through the ranks, and you know, you mentioned that you got signed to Jazzy Fizzle, right? Product shizzle. Facts, facts, facts. They saw me in Crucial. I would perform. Okay. That was the day I performed with B.O.B. Yeah. And they saw me, and I had a meeting the next day with him and Noonie, who was the other CEO. And um, they signed me, and right then I was that was around the time when they had Lloyd, Sierra, Cherish, Jody Breeze. B.OB was Grand Hustle at one point. too, right? Yeah, B.O.B. was Grand Hustle. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah, but he was with Jazzy Faye. Right. So, like, I know that deal was very short-lived, if I remember. Like, what didn't that work specifically? That was a crazy time because with all the dope stuff happening, that's when stuff like kind of was going left. So, show Nuff broke up. It was a partners, so they broke up. So Jazze Pha and his partner split. Split.

So when they split, anybody that signed to the label that had major distribution ties just remains on the distribution, and then that label just dissolved type of thing. Oh, okay. So if they had in a deal with Atlantic, if they had a deal with a major or whatever. My deal was with Capitol. So I remained on Capital. But I'm remaining on so the person that signed me to Capitol, the AR, Ronnie Johnson, he died six months after signing me. No. Oh, wow. Died in the sleep. Like, so what that did. So now, so I'm on a label. Yeah, that's cool, but you gotta think about it. The the boutique label that signed me there is now no longer. And the person that was excited about me is dead. So I'm just sitting there. You got no more ties, really. no ties, no motion, nobody cheerleading for me. So I'm pretty much just sitting on Capital for about a year or something, ain't dropping nothing. Wow. And then I just, you know, uh, then I just, you know, something just made me like just really get on it to get out of it. So I pretty much then I got released, and then that's when I made a decision to move back to the Bay Area. Yeah, no, this is huge though.

I I need people to hear this, right? So again, if you sign to a label, like you better make damn sure that enough people are excited about you, bro. Yeah, absolutely. Like being signed to Capital, your first hand experience of it of like, if there's one person only, really, that was like jazz about what it is you had going on, and that person, you know, obviously in this case, sadly passes away. If that person leaves the label, goes somewhere else. If that person wins the fucking lottery and retires, whatever the case is, if they're not there anymore, you're fucked. Like really, I mean, you're starting from like square one at that point. You're getting shelved. Yeah, or I mean, that's exactly pretty much. Yeah, it's almost like a surefire way. Especially in that day, back then. Yeah. Because I didn't have Instagram to still be on or TikTok, or, you know what I'm saying? Rely on them even more. Exactly. Back then. You couldn't build your own wave as much as artists can today, right? Exactly. labels come in at a lot later stage. Uh now, I would say, like when artists have already maybe proven themselves when it comes to numbers, they've already built a following on social media, they've already built a streaming fan base, whatever.

That wasn't the case. They were signing you because you were fucking dope. Yeah, they just thought I was talented. It wasn't off of anything. So what's crazy. If it was now, I would have been more excited because I knew that okay, I already got this momentum I built, I could just keep it going, boom, boom, boom. But being then it just you put so much like attention and effort into the label, just when that was, even though I could have still kept it pushing, doing shows, whatever I wanted to do, but being that you put so much energy in the label to label the label to deal to deal, you felt like it was nothing else you could do. I love the fact that like you work at a label and yet you're still just aware to the fact that like artists can build some things on their own. Like with the label's not here to fucking save your ass. Like the label's here to put fuel on the fire. Yeah, put fuel on the fire. And it's only the artists that get that is the ones we watch just be successful and do their thing. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's so true, man. I just think it's like funny hearing, you know, you only on that side of the he's just like, yeah.

I mean, if I was in this day and age and my label ceased to exist, I'd be like, not, you know, if I had my momentum, I'd be like, whatever. That'd be fine. No, that's interesting, man. Um so with you being an artist that you know evolved into an AR. Um, I think it was, was it Lake? Yes, sir. That like kind of like lit that fire, you know, or like even brought that idea to you. It was his idea, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. what was his like pitch or like what was his suggestion, you know what I mean? Yeah, man, You gotta understand me and Lake relationship to understand that moment. So Lake is somebody that is always so the way I met Lake was I was performing at Apache, and he was there with um his homie at the time, and um they we and he saw me perform and they pretty much got at me about managing me. But at the time I was already managed by Fort Knox and tying them. So then I didn't understand, like to me, four managers sounded like four people eating out my pocket instead of like a percentage that I could put together and we all it can make it make sense, like with the knowledge I know now. It sounded like 80% gone.

Exactly. Sounded like five, you make the same amount of four each or whatever. He makes the same amount as everyone else. Exactly. Sounded crazy to me. at the time. This sounds like a crazy 360 deal or something. It definitely sounded crazy at the time. So it didn't, it didn't, even though I wanted it to happen very bad, it just it didn't pan out. So, but the thing that always stood out to me is like how me and Lake managed the relationship after that. So after that, it it became just kind of like homies where we just support each other and and check on each other and kick it, play the play NBA 2K, and you know what I mean, just chop it up about the game and the industry. And like I watched him go from like, you know, managing mace during the double welcome back time to He was managing Mace. Yeah, he managed Mace during the Welcome Back Time. Oh, shit. He was an intern at Rockefeller during the whole Dame and Jay. hype. Lake just with Wayno. Him and Wayno was interns together. We interviewed Wayno on the pod. So that's shit.

We need Lake on the podcast. bro. We definitely need that legend. We do. Shit, man. So he went from that to managing Dog Pound, then he went from managing Dog Pound to managing Bobby V. Then they had a lot of success with that. Everywhere. Then he went to that, then he got then he got with drama. They started managing drama. Then Cannon got back in the picture. Then they made a decision to create a label, which was Generation Now. Cannon was like, hey, I think I found this kid that can be our first artist. It was Lil Uzi Vert. Yeah. They was like, boom. They went to the Atlantic, got a deal. Uzi was the first artist at GN? He wasn't technically with Scheme from LA. My boy Scheme and LaQuinn was on the label too. Okay. So they all signed around the same time. Okay. Wow. But Uzi's, you know, Scheme went crazy with the pen. Because he he wrote uh Iggy Fancy. He wrote Unforgettable, French Montana. Like his pen went crazy. But as far as artist success goes, Uzi was the one out of the three to, you know, go all the way there.

Oh shit. So he really broke it over. So, you know, when when you get approached by Lake to become an AR, like how do you think that that has helped your AR skills coming from being a rapper? I think that's like one of the big advantages I have is because I understand, especially an artist that's had to do it on his own. So I've been through every emotion you can have as an artist. Like from feeling like it's something need to give to feeling like, oh, okay, I'm catching momentum to feeling like people hating on you, to feeling like people celebrating you. I done been in every emotion that you can have. So when it comes to like the grind and just the beginning of it, like developing and like get trying to get to a point, I can like relate to an artist when they feel in something, like you know what I mean, but also can know how to like get them off the ledge because I'm telling them the things that I wish I was thinking, like, you know what I mean? So that's the biggest advantage because I a lot of the stuff is telling them things that I didn't do because I felt because I was thinking the same way that they're thinking right now.

Yeah, man, it's so huge. Like as ARs, even and then artist managers too, because like the way someone who is it that put the it this way? ARs are the managers of the music side of the artist, whereas like you know, artist managers can maybe be involved in other stuff that doesn't have to do necessarily with the like creations and like the actual music making. Um it's like emotional management, bro. It's, like half or more of y'all's job, bro. It's just managing the emotions that come with someone who's creative and like the ups and the downs that they're gonna go through, man, because this shit is not for the weak. Like being an artist at all. I mean, especially when with in the like the world of social media, bro, where just anyone with a fucking opinion can basically say whatever the fuck they want. at you. And they do, and they do They are very fast to do that. And I mean, you know, what you're saying about having been through some of those stages, I think is is key, right? Because a lot of ARs had like been rappers for a second, but like someone like you that had gotten to, you know, the stages that you got to to then have like everything fall, you know, beneath you, you know what I mean?

Like get get, you know, taken right from you, right? You know, with the people dying and then you know the label dissolving, whatever, like for you, that's huge, man. Nah, definitely, because you know, that at the time going through it, you probably thinking, like, dang, why this happening to me, and boom, boom, boom. But like, I understand like it was because I was built for it. Like, that's the reason why the homie can die, and like I feel like I'm stuck on a label, then get released, and then I move back to the Bay Area and then catch a hit with E40. And now I'm seeing rap checks independently, like, and then it transfers into doing this now, AR. So for someone who, you know, has worked with various artists, but then also you've you've clearly seen how other ARs work. Like, you know, what are the different flavors of artists AR relationships? You know what I mean? Like some I feel like might be like personal friends, and some might be like super locked in, always in the studio with them. Like, you know what I mean?

Are there are there a few different flavors that you see that are like most common? Uh yeah, definitely. I it's definitely the you know, the studio hookup, like we kind of see each other when we're in the studio. Yo, We lock in, boom, boom, I'm there with you from the beginning. We're picking beats and doing this and doing that. But you know, and but you have a if you have a more evolved artist or of artists that knows what they're doing or know what they want, you don't really have to be in the studio locked in like that. So then it becomes just more about like building with them and and just getting them to understand that you see their vision, and if they don't have one, kind of help them create one, like you know, for what it what it is you're about to put out. So it's all kind of different ways. Yeah, I was gonna ask Literally a a question I had on here was what's the difference between ARing for a big artist, quote unquote, versus like a smaller, you know, maybe up and coming artist? Like uh just the it ain't really too much difference. The bigger artist you already see what works, so you just following that the the artist, the other artists you're trying to see what works. Yeah, that makes sense.

So there's a little more, is there a little more experimentation than you think in in the like beginning stages? Yeah, because you're trying to figure it out. Because one of the things I like to do is like I don't put no artists in a box at all. But by me being uh uh like a student and a fan of the game, I can identify like what lane an artist is. So if I see an artist that's kind of got a little wavy and like hipster whoop whoop, I can identify with that. Oh, that's the Wiz and woo woo blog era, like oh blah, blah, blah, blah. So this how that look today, like da, da, da, da, like you know what I'm saying? Like, so you can kind of see like where the artist's headed. If it's a more of a street art, oh, this is more on that jeezy tip, they talking that that dope boy talk. Okay, this is how you make that more, you know, mainstream for everybody to digest, blah blah blah. Yeah, it's interesting, man, because it's like clearly you don't want to box them in, yeah. But for you to help them, you kind of have to. You have to understand the reason you don't box them in is because they're gonna evolve to something different Sure. down the line. But in the beginning, it really ain't boxed in, it's figuring out a lane so that way you know how to move because if you don't, you're just gonna be doing a whole bunch of random things all the time and really get no motion from it, just spending money.

Yes, bro. Yes, going like it is. As someone who isn't, you know, I don't have this track record, but like in the artist that I was working with earlier, you know, in my like music industry, career, whatever. I I would say the same shit, man, where it was just like, Look, I don't want to tell you you can't make like, you know, indie rock influence shit and then like some hard trap rap shit. I don't want to tell you that, right? But I do want to tell you you can't probably like make that work so early on in your career. That's an evolution type of thing. That's a hey, here's where I started, and then like this next phase of my life and my artistry is this, and then the next phase is this. Like, it's just too confusing to do it in the I think it's just too confusing for people. Like we're like, as listeners, we're kind of simple. We need things a little bit simpler oftentimes, right? And I mean, I hate to say that. You kind of have to earn the right to be able to go out and spread your wings. Yeah.

And I just think it's also like more so to his point of like it's an evolution. It shouldn't necessarily be like at the same time, because it's then it just looks like what are you doing? Yeah. And if you are doing it at the same time, then it's it's it's all it's all right for me if I feel like you just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. There's nothing wrong with that. If you have zero fan base, nobody really heard of you, you're just trying to see what's going on. But once something stick, you gotta ride that wave. Gotta ride that. You'll be a fool to keep trying to do something after that. Yeah, yeah. That's big. Yeah. So Generation Now was founded by Canon, drama, and Lakeshow, right? Yes, sir. And so with with three co-founders like that, I mean, all of them are just fucking beasts in their own right, right? Like just individually speaking. Exactly. Well, what are the like roles and responsibilities? Like, how's it how's generation now structured with at least like those three? Um, they like to put it like um Cannon's the music, Drama's the face, and Lake's the business.

Okay, so interesting. That's how it's like a three-headed monster. Even though obviously all three of them can do each of the roles, but you know, the way they do it is like, you know, a well-oiled machine, like three headed monsters. No, that that's that's dope. Because yeah, I I agree. All of them clearly can like float across those lines. But just putting it that way, I'm like, yeah, that that makes sense. Drama's the artist, Cannon's the producer, and then Lake's like the manager almost. I'm like a label, you know? Yeah, for sure. Kind of way. Um, so you know, there's obviously generation now here, there's LVRN, QC since the 80s. Uh, I guess, you know, uh, you know, 4PF, maybe whatever, like some of these like smaller imprints. Is there competition? Like, you know, like are you are you guys like I know you don't like to look left and right, but like is generation now looking at like QC being like, yo, y'all see what we're doing with Uzi? Like, you know, get your fucking weight up, uh P and Coach. I think it's or vice versa. Is it like it's more like love?

Cause like P Lake, they friends, you know, Wayne O's friends with the label. Like, it's just more so like like to see see see our niggas doing their thing. Yeah. Like just to be honest with you, like when they we see them make a move or like something go number one, or they signed the dope new artist. I personally think that's dope. Like, oh, that's hard. Like, you know, motivate me to want to find the next one for us, type of vibe. I think people are get caught up with like if someone else's artist is doing well, they might think that that's taking away from their artists doing well. They forget that the world is so abundant, like Exactly. There's plenty of room for everyone to eat. Exactly. And someone else doing well over here is not affecting your plate size. Like you are you are in control of your plate, and it doesn't you shouldn't do anything but show love to uh to people left and right because they're not hurting you at all. Yeah, so there's a lot of aspiring ARs probably that are, you know, following us and tapped in. So you know, you don't need to give us, I'm not trying to like pocket watch, but I am trying to understand like how how is an AR compensated, right? Like, what are the different ways an AR can make money, right?

Because the manager thing typically is that stereo, you know, stereotypical management commission, right? Whether that's 15 to 20% on average, right? Uh you know, how's an AR compensated? Like if someone's trying to be an aspiring AR, like what kind of things can they look for in well definitely depend on your situation as AR. So if you use an AR for a direct label, like you know, the bigger labels, the Def Jams, the Epics, Universals, Interscopes, like that, then you know, you're on salary, you get a certain pay, you you know, have a benefits, whatever you got going on. Sure. It's kind of the same thing with a boutique label, especially a boutique label with some kind of success, you know what I mean? You're on salary as well. Yeah, get you a certain pay. Um when you're A&R'ing certain projects, like certain projects would be like your assistance would be more like oh, I did here, or you know, you helped out probably somebody producer hooked up with a root, but then in other cases, you probably did it top to bottom type of vibe. So, you know, you get AR points and you know, things like that.

If if something that I and R, like for example, AR Dramas album that came out. So you get some publishing. So not publishing, it's master points. Yeah, exactly. So if it, you know, do its thing, blah, blah, blah, but then you move up the ranks for being a part of something successful. Yeah, is there ever something where, you know, if you AR an artist, is there ever just like fees that you've heard of, like of ARs just like for putting these people together, they're just like getting paid, or is that not really, you know what I mean? Like that's the part or depending on your hustle. Yeah, relationship. So it can happen. If you're hooking somebody up and you already had a foresight early, like this is finna do something, you hollering like, hey, boom, hey, blah, blah, blah, blah. Then you, yeah, you involved because you negotiated that. Like, you know, that to me, that's deeper than an AR. That's just being a hustler and knowing how to put something together and be involved. But you don't really move like that yourself. Um, I don't, I don't move like that in intentionally. Like, I wouldn't put you with somebody with the intentions I'm finna make some money.

Like, I'm gonna put you with him because I think you're dope and you're dope and y'all deserve to know each other. Oh, much love. You think Henry's dope? Well, I I ain't really heard too much, but from what I'm hearing. I can play some beats after this. It definitely sounds like shameless plug. Uh speaking of shameless plugs, you know, Henry might have the best beats. And if he doesn't, some of y'all do have the best beats out there. Go to offkeysupply.com. You can use code OMT for 40% off. I mean, 40% off. That's insane. Yeah. Um, so what are you most excited about? You know, whether it's with your own career, with Generation Now, like, you know, what's getting you excited right now? Um just to continue to evolve. I feel like I'm approaching the evolvement time. You know, I've been AR with Generation Now for what, four or five years now. So we started off as just AR, it grew to the head of AR. So just the next steps of what that is as far as with Generation Now and trying to take that even higher, as far as me personally just evolving and um establishing other businesses that I own. Like, so I own a uh uh a network, like a content with just a content of shows.

It's called Digital Bricks Network. Okay. It's um launching September 5th. Oh shit. So, you know, what I mean? definitely make sure I tap y'all in, and we're gonna have actually have a uh a little launch mixer type of thing. I definitely make sure I have to do it. Yeah, Hell yeah, man. We're there. For sure, for sure. But um, so that's dope. So we got we got we got like a bunch of shows on there. We got a show called 10 Piece Combo, where you know, asking 10 fun questions. We got a show called uh Heat Factory, where we need to get in the booth and spit. We got a show called Sage Stage, which is like from my block from my block for RB and spoken word. Oh, shit. So just trying to, like I said, how I'm just a fan of BET and Woo Woo. So it's just like just having fun, just feeling like if I had my own BET, like what would I do? Like, you know what I'm saying? So it's kind of like doing that, and at the same time, it gives me a chance to empower people and give people chances to you know get their stuff out there. So we got that, and then I um I'm also starting this uh this business called Donald Court Productions. So it's an artist and performance development company. Okay.

So where I'm be able to help develop performances and help develop like artists outside of GN. Okay, yeah. The industry needs that. Yeah, sign up now. I gotta say. Dude, but I mean, did you hear that? he's like coming for us with the interview platform, bro. Yeah, we have like one show, and he's like, Yeah, I got like seven shows. I know I don't have a podcast, though. He's like, I'm gonna ask all these fun questions. I'm like, what are what are we doing here? You know, like what the fuck? I actually need y'all on the show. Oh, well, there you go. We're there, man. Yeah, we're talking about something. Willie Joe for you, I'll be there. I don't know if we should invite Henry, but like I'll definitely represent the One More Time podcast. Whoa, man. Um, well, yo, I appreciate you coming on. We've entered a final segment of the podcast. Oh shit, are we there? This is the rapid fire rampage. Oh shit. It's a three-part rampage. Fun questions. We're gonna start with some short answer questions. Fun. I'll explain the other two. Short answer fun questions. We have to compete with this shit, dude. We're competing with this whole new network. Jesus.

Yeah, it's crazy. 10 piece combos coming for our fucking spot. It's flipping for our heads, man. Yeah, I'm like, dude. Just when I thought we were the only ones here in the Atlanta doing this thing. Let's see how fun these questions can get. This is the short answer segment starting right now with Willie Joe. You can ask Joe Biden one question. What do you ask him? He had some shit to say immediately. You got some shit to say. What's up? What's your son? What's Hunter doing? For Real. Willie Joe, three things that an upcoming artist can do to get the attention of Willie Joe and Generation Now. Um be yourself, be consistent. And be talented. Gotta have that one. That last one is definitely a prerequisite. That should have been number one. Indeed. this is a new segment called Ideal Audio. We're gonna take, we're gonna create the perfect song.

Let's take people that are not in generation now, just to take that out of it. We're gonna get any two producers, Alive or Dead, and any three artists on this song of your choosing, Alive or Dead. One artist on the hook, and the other two artists on the first and second verses, and two producers. Boom. Two producers. One is gonna be high tech. Uh and the second one's gonna be Battle Cat. My hook is gonna be from Rafael Sadiq. Ooh, nice one. One of the verses is gonna be from Hove. And then the other verse. Hmm. J. Cole. Damn. I think he just made a banger.

Shit. Heat. Well, Cole and Raphael Saadiq Okay, or not feels a deep on the hook. Love it. Damn. Willie, what is one of your weirdest beliefs? Something we can essentially make a clickbait clip out of. Weirdest beliefs. If it gets you canceled, it's like it's not our fault. I don't know if I believe in something weird. Any conspiracy theories? Anything just that you have a hunch about? Did you have a hunch about? Yeah, he's probably got a hunch about it a little bit of like some things, Henry. That's what we're here for. The first thing that came to my mind was that the impossible is possible. Oh, that's like he that's that's so media trained. Good, good, media trained. He did talk about like helping artists be able to do interviews and shit. He's gotta be good at them himself. Clearly is. The impossible is possible. Okay. No, like what are your homies roasting? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Moving on, moving on, moving on. You always try to hijack my rampage. No, but like, bro. That was a good one. No one makes fun of him for that. We need something that like your homies give you shit about. Don't listen to Ben. This is this is our rampage. Don't listen to him. No, don't worry about it. We're moving on. Okay, wow. What does the content on your Instagram Explore page look like right now? Ass, ass, ass, ass, ass. At least he was. Someone was honest. So quick and honest about this. Finally. God. And finally, this is the Co-Sign corner, presented by Guayaki Yerba Mate. Shout out, you guys, we love you. Give us two or three artists, maybe not affiliated with Generation Now, also, that you're just really excited about that you want to throw out a co-sign for. Why can it not be associated with Generation? He's clearly doing, you know. I mean, obviously. I'm gonna give you three generations. I'm gonna give you three excited about, then I'm gonna give you Generation Now roster. Perfect. Thank you. Gotta work. Boom. So number one, it's kind of technically rostered but it's not. Okay.

So he's managed by Generation Now, but he's not on Generation Now's label. I know where you're going. Lil' Tyler. Lil' Tyler. I just got dinner with Mateo, who I guess, you know is ARing for him over at Atlantic. Okay. And Tyler's crushing. He's going crazy. Yeah, he's definitely exciting. He just did an interview with our buds at Velvet Residence. Yeah, he's definitely exciting. I definitely see how he moved. Um, it's an artist named Mecca Lux. Okay. He does uh Afrobeat. He's from Baltimore, originally Nigeria and Atlanta a little bit. Okay. Nice. But he's he's definitely super, super talented. Mecca Lux. Mecalux. M-E-C-A-L-U-X-X. Okay, cool. He's definitely um hard as hell. Nice. And uh who else? I'll rock with my boy. I think he's catching some steam right now, too. And then, you know, you never know what's what'll happen in the future.

And quick near future, too. Akeem Ali. Okay. Absolutely. I was actually just saying we should get him on the podcast. We Absolutely should. Yeah, he's a character. Yeah. Yeah. He'd be good. Yeah, we need him. He's building right now. Yes. Man, Generation Now. Let's go. A roster. Of course, y'all know Jack. Of course, y'all know Uzi. Of course, y'all know drama. And all three of them is coming right back with new music, too, by the way. Crazy. They all just dropped, but they're not done. Not done. 2024 is gonna be great. And um, so boom, we got Kai Cash. We just signed him. He's from New York. He's um part of the Sin mob with King Combs and all them. But we were just playing his music before you pulled up. Dope, dope, dope. Definitely a dope, dope, dope artist. Um we got Kluminati. Yep. female rapper, the you know, fan favorite. Yeah. She got some new music that's finna be coming. Like, you know, just give you a little hint. She got a blap with her and Tony Snow. Ooh, we love Tony. That's crazy. Tony. We love Tony. Didn't see that coming. Diddy.

I know. I like the one with Omeretta, too, though. That shit's fire. That's the record. That was the one that did it. So we got that. We got um Sonny Digital. Of course. Sonny Digital. Now, this is finna be a moment. He's finna be dropping real, real, real soon. Because it's just an artist deal with that, right? A lot of people, everybody knows him as a platinum producer, the person behind all the hits, all the dope classic songs. But he's and and he's done had singles out and that he did as an artist, but like this project right here is really like showing y'all like this is one of them dope producer turned rappers. Like, we like, every time every moment that we've had when we enjoy the producer turned rapper has always been a classic moment. Yeah. From Ye to Cole to, you know what I mean? And this is no exception. He's giving you his story. He coming the way that he come, and I'm really excited about it. So just look out for the rollout, look out for you know everything he got coming. New Sonny Digital album about to drop real, real soon. Then we got a RB artist, Carvina. Mm-hmm.

She's uh dope. She was actually on that show. I think it was called The Four. It was with uh DJ Khaled and Diddy was the judges. What? She was she second place on that. Oh shit. But her voice is unmatched. She's she's crazy. Like she sang, sang. Like it ain't even the regular singing. She sang it. So she's about to drop her project as well. Oh man, nice. So that's gonna be dope. And who else? That's it. Yeah, that's it, man. It is. There it is. What a what a roster. What a roster. If I say them, they ain't on it. Right. Part one. Part one. Yeah. Fire part one. Damn. Moving on to part two of the rampage. This is the this or that portion. Really, I'm gonna give you two choices. All you gotta do is pick one. Here we go. Starting with ATL or the Bay? The Bay. Well, don't look so obvious. I mean, don't That was like disrespectful, I said it, ATL. You could have just been like, but like the way you said you could have looked like the torn.

Yeah, yeah. But ATL is my second home. Like Bay to A. I created that phrase. Don't let them tell you no different. Bay to A, baby. Yeah. All right. We'll take it. Auto-tune or ad-libs. Oh, ad libs. Drums or melodies. Melodies. TikTok or YouTube? YouTube. Big or Pac? Pac. Early morning meeting or late night session. Early morning meeting. Clear the sample or drop it anyway. Clear the sample. Musk or Zuckerberg. Musk. And finally, go back to rapping full time or leave the music industry. Depend on that bag, but I ain't gonna lie. I can't see myself going back to rap. Well, I can go back to rapping on some having fun, and I'm rich and I can just play around type shit. I can't go back on no trying to compete, though.

So you're probably out the industry. You can't go back to the hustle, bro. I can't do that. You can't go back to the I'm trying to make it rap. Yeah, yeah. That's old me. Nope. You saw that AR, like salaried money and shit. He's like, man, it's just for the birds. The final part is the word association. I'm gonna say one word, and you just give me the first word right back off the top of your head. Here we go. Starting as always with hip hop. 50. That was someone else said 50. I know. It's because of the timing. I know. He's so good. AR. Artist and repertoire. Beat. By Dre. Soup. Chicken noodle. Volcano. Hot. Podcast. The new TV.

Tell them what the correct answer was. Just I don't know what the correct answer is. Well, I was looking for one more time on that one. But yeah, no, that is that is true, also. It's a valid answer. France. Paris. Diamond. Uh, best friend. Trump. Going to jail. In Fulton County. For the memes on the internet of what Trump would be like in Rice Street. Was it Rice Street or something? Yeah. Rice Street Jail. Wow. That just made my life purple. Uh purple uh the Dipset purple city gang. Bird gang. College. Oh, HBCU stripper don't look at me. Don't look at me for the answer.

Uh Magic City. Okay, it's fine. Oppenheimer. The hell is that. I love that answer. Lil That sounds like a nice young lady. Generation? Now let's go. Oh, shit. Sounds like a nice young lady. This has been Willie Joe. Yes. The head of AR at Generation Now, your favorite fucking label. Yes. Man, making hit after hit after hit. What would y'all say we at top five labels right now? Oh my gosh. Boutiques. Like honestly, not because I'm right here. What would y'all let me hear? Atlanta, the gang. Let me hear the five. Shit. I just want to see where we at. I mean, dude, you have to be. You have to be top five. Gotta be top five. Of course. You have to be. Yeah, that'd be disrespectful to see who it wasn't. Jackman and Pink Tape alone being two of the best hip hop albums of the year.

Oh, and DJ Drama's album. Right. I haven't actually dived into it yet. I'm so biased that I like Since the 80s roster better than y'all's. Just I mean, like the Dreamville roster? Just I roster. I just love J I D and EARTHGANG. J.I.D. and EARTHGANG and I love both of those. acts. Yeah, Fago's on there. Mike Dimes is crushing. Mike Dimes. Yeah. I mean Definitely great one. And they're also like my, you know, I'm I just was hanging out with Zeke yesterday, so I'm a little biased too. Absolutely. But now that we're friends, like it's gonna probably be generation now the next time someone asks me. For sure. but I'll be honest, I I don't know the boutique uh labels in other markets very well. Yeah, T D E. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay, of course they don't have they don't have Keem or Kendrick anymore. They're they're uh PG Lang and Reasons beefing with uh with uh crazy that was crazy. No, I mean you're probably uh I would say I like since the 80s the best. Since the 80s is number one, it's probably number one boutique. His favorite though, like subjectively, like the music, Hard. yeah. Yeah, I mean, just because I don't I don't fuck with CMG that much.

That's that's Gotti, and who else is CMG? Moneybagg Yo. GloRilla. it's just I don't listen to them on my in my spare time. Got you. Yeah. And then, like And then like and also that ESTG interview he did that he walked out of. I I lost a lot of respect for him. That was trash. The uh bootleg Kev. Yeah, and then I mean, who are the New York ones? Who are the New York boutiques? And who are the Chicago boutiques? Like, I mean, just Good music. Just remind me. Good music, okay. But like, who's good music anymore? Yeah, that's a good point. Who is good music? Generation Now is probably number two, bro. Yeah, yeah, realistically, man. He's not satisfied. He wants to one spot. Man, all right. Once. once this Sunny Digital album drops, it might be number one. That would be the one to push it to the top. Because I love Sunny Digital. I just hit Rico about getting them on, but maybe you can you know pull some strings. Yeah, if we start applying pressure from all angles, he'll have to come on. Sorry, Rico. You're not, you know. He just texts me back, okay. Uh shortest text I've ever gotten back from Rico. But no, man, I appreciate you coming on.

You guys are doing absolutely amazing things. Like, love what you're doing for the city, too. I mean, we have such great boutique labels here that it's it's fun to watch, man. As someone who's like just a a passerby watching it happen, man. It's it's really beautiful. So Willie Joe Drip on Instagram. Be on the lookout for what? Digital bricks? Digital bricks network launched in September 5th. It's probably already out by now. It'll be out by the time this is out. So go check out 10 Piece Combo. 10 Piece Combo, Sage Stage, Heat Factory, and Culture Ave, a whole bunch of shows. We just bring in dope content, fun, you know what I mean? So you can type stuff you can binge to, smoke to Watch. cancel that Netflix subscription. Yeah, you heard. me. We got digital bricks. And one more time, man. Of course. And apparently, one more time podcast is gonna be on a digital bricks segment. So That's a must. Be on the lookout for that. So, Henry, until next week, what are you doing? We're getting out of here. Getting the fuck out of here. Peace out.