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An urban take on Milwaukee's hometown artists, focusing on the city's music and pop culture.
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All 414 All Podcast Episode 32 W/ David Lopez
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Episode 32 David Lopez the founder of Passion Park Fest drops by with a live performance of his single "Role Models". We talk about his process and progress with the music, acting and promoting his growing monthly residency and annual music festival!! We then speak on reviewing your friends art the same as major label artists and the state of walking through certain neighborhoods!!
I'm getting up with it. I'm headed up. It's not fucking left.
SPEAKER_02Middle left. We love it. Like we'll get that game up and they replay my channel like it's like stuff like that. Left almost the legendary like left five of the secondary on the first place.
SPEAKER_15Oh my god.
SPEAKER_16I think uh it's not the only breath is a hell of a lot of it. I've got this makes away the space, hey, what's me not in the middle of the middle?
SPEAKER_02I've got this makes away speed, we can't look like me when they see my face.
SPEAKER_04You know what it is. Let's go. I fuck with that forrest gun vlog. I've been on a crazy run. Hey, uh I've been on the crazy run.
SPEAKER_05Let's go, David Lopez. We out of here. What's up, guys? Thank you for having me. Big dog in the building. I like how you had the uh the hook was part of the performance because I don't even do shit like that. I usually just let the hook. Right. But like Yoshit was live on the hook, and then you had the dubs on there. That shit was cold.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah, I you know, man, that's something that I I take time with is figuring out how I want to perform each each individual record. Because I don't do that with every record, but it's personal records.
SPEAKER_05Now we'll get into that because that was that's one of my things I'm gonna talk about. Yeah, for sure, for sure. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, all right, Mike Check. You now tapped into the R414R podcast, where Hometown Artistry isn't just a statement, it's a standard. Before we dive into today's episode, take a brief moment to hit that subscribe button and notification bell so you can stay updated on future episodes as we continue to bring you the truest talent our hometown has to offer. I am your host, the 414 Tycoon, more commonly known as Illy. And joining me as co-host is my lyrical brethren, the verbal executionist, Street Team Hectic. These episodes are brought to you out of the Third War Studios, and behind the lens, we got SG Films. Joining us for episode 32, we got a fellow rapper, actor, founder of Passion Park Entertainment, the host of Passion Park Fest, David Lopez. Thank you guys for having me.
SPEAKER_16What a wonderful introduction. That was fantastic. I appreciate that, man. I know that was great.
SPEAKER_04I'll be researching love later, bro. I know your address, your social security number.
SPEAKER_05Oh no. It's tax number. You know your direct deposit date. No, but yeah, uh, so that's what I was saying. That that was a question I already had lined up. Not even a question, but something to talk about was uh the first time I ever seen you, heard of you, anything, you was you were performing. Yeah, and I didn't know it was your event, nothing. I just I was there, I forgot why I even went. And it was at uh Bremen Cafe. And uh you've grown substantially from that so far. Because you know, Bremen Cafe is a real you know, it's it's a small space to say the least. Is that like almost like a dive bar? Yeah, it's like a dive bar, yeah. It's almost like it's like a cactus bar, even smaller.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean I still got a lot of love for Bremen. We run that, yeah, exactly that though, because they have a back room that like honestly, with like 15 people, it feels pretty good.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, okay. So you get 25, 30 people. Oh, it feels jump fucking. Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. So it's a yeah, but it's a good spot. They and they've always had their doors open. So shout out to Bremen Cafe for uh fucking with the hometown artists. But uh I seen you performing, so I never even listened to your music before that, or even I didn't know who you were. And then I just seen you perform and then I seen you get to host it, and I was like, oh shit, he's hosting this shit. And then that's when I found out about about Passion Park. So break that down a little bit, fam. What's Passion Park?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. Passion Park Entertainment is I mean, it started as just like my um, like when I was gonna release my first album in 2015, I knew like I had I did some research, I wanted to do it the right way. I had dropped like four mixtapes before, but now I was like, all right, let's do it the right way. We're gonna it's it's now at 2015, if you remember, like that was when it was kind of becoming more reasonable to actually drop your own stuff on iTunes and Spotify at the time. Like it was starting to become like a thing. So I was like, all right, let's plan it out. So I was like, I realized that a lot of people use like a vanity publisher. Um, because I didn't have like a real publisher, but like I knew I wanted to start, I wanted to have the name at the bottom when you drop your album. You know, it says where the copyright is or whatever on the bottom. I've I always remember that I just wanted it to look clean and right. And so I I thought about like I wanted to think of a company. And I was like, all right, let's just make a real company, something that I could use long term. And I always knew because I'm an actor too, like that, whatever it could be what it could become whatever it is, but I wanted to think of something that I thought could last. So then I thought of the name Passion Park Entertainment, and uh we so it was really just like my publisher for a long time, and then I started running events just by running the grind, you know, doing other showcases and then learning that all you gotta do is talk to the manager, and then you could just do it. So we started running our events under Passion Park, and then so the Passion Park Experience, which is our monthly show now, started in Chicago in 2017 um at North Bar, and it was a half comedy, half music show. And it started off really successful because the comedy side of it, we had like really big comedians. We've had like comedians that have gone on to do like SNL, they're like done like big stuff. Uh so we had like this kind of like already kind of buzz right away, which was nice. Um, but it's just evolved crazily since moving up here in 2019. And now uh now yeah, we're we're just making our home in River West, really.
SPEAKER_05Okay, so you're a transplant like me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Born and raised in Chicago, yeah.
SPEAKER_05So this is this is my thing, okay. No, no, no, go ahead. I can't. This is my thing. Y'all y'all should be grateful, bro, that people move here and embrace the scene enough to even throw shows for other people, you know what I'm saying? Like, because I'll tell you one thing, I've only ever ever done two shows for myself. Yeah, yeah. I don't, you know, if and if it wasn't for other people throwing shows, I would have never had the opportunity to become, you know, as you know, name. Like my my name wouldn't be as worthy as it is if I didn't have the opportunities to go out here to perform to do my shit. So shout out to people like you. And because you didn't have to, you could have been like, shit, fuck y'all, I'm from Chicago. You know what I'm saying? Right. You could have been like, fuck Milwaukee, I'm from Chicago. I'm gonna go back down there and do my shit and just drive over down, drive down there to do it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, it's interesting because I get that. Honestly, I get that. No, I mean Jesus has said things like that to me before, like, you know, like you know, that look at this dude from Chicago, who's like throwing events from Milwaukee, and like I'm grateful for that, but I also don't want to toot my own horn because I want people to know that like honestly, every pretty much move I've made has been, I felt out of necessity as an artist to grow. Like as like truthfully, like I yeah, I have my own monthly residency. I always knew, like, I wanted my own monthly residency. It helps to be able to like, like it's technically a showcase. I never thought of myself as a showcase curator. I don't still don't call it a showcase, I don't think of it that way. Yeah, because I'm like, look, as an artist, like for me, I can get in front of new artists every month, I meet new people, I network, I get to perform, and I know for sure I get that performance every month. So I kind of did it out of necessity, you know, like for sure. Yeah, like I mean, I mean, I'm sure you guys know LaRussell, right? Yeah, yeah. So huge influence of mine, especially over the past couple years as we've been growing this. But like, that's kind of the same philosophy let's let's just build our own infrastructure that like people will just want to come to because of the vibe and energy that we bring. So, like for our monthly residency album, always like it's me, Jesus, Keeve, like our group, and then we're gonna have other artists come on. Okay, um, and I feel like long term that's gonna build you up as a solo artist too, better.
SPEAKER_04Right, you know, that's the same concept I had for the podcast. I was like, nobody fucking invites me on their fucking podcast. I'm gonna start podcasting be better than all your podcasts.
SPEAKER_02100%, 100%. I mean, I didn't want to do the pay-to-play. I mean, like, I did it when I was young, I did what I had to do, but like I don't want to do those anymore. I figured like I made the show that I wanted to be.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, exactly. That's facts. That's I like that. I like that. That's what's up. So um, your monthly residency, um, that's at the Uptowner. Yeah, okay. Let's go. Uh, how's that been going?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Shout out to Uptowner. We moved there last year. We was we were at Bremen for the first couple years when we came up here. Um, it's been going well. We just moved this year to the first Saturday of every month in the afternoon. So I'm doing an afternoon show. This is me getting older right now. I'm like, all right, I can get home by curfew, you know? Uh no, I'm kidding. But uh uh no, but it is pretty nice. We're doing an afternoon show every month. Um, so far, the first three have been awesome. Uh what time is that? 12 to 5, pretty much. I mean, the music is pretty much like two to five, but we started kicking off with a DJ, kind of just chill for a while. Uh, we do an artist Q ⁇ A to start the day off every time. That's that was a big thing for me starting the show. It was like the first like half an hour is me being like, who dropped new music? What do you got? Like, let's talk about it. So we spent like 20 minutes talking about that usually. Uh-huh. And then uh just rap for a little bit. That's fucking awesome.
SPEAKER_04No, I'll fuck with that because it's I mean, heck knows. You know, last Monday we were out at um they were gonna start uh at Mix and Rewind, which is in Cuttahay, they're gonna start a um new music Mondays, and then they ended up switching it to uh Test the Mike Tuesdays. But we went to the first Monday, and it was from like seven to ten. Nigga by seven o'clock, I'm already like fucking tired and shit. You know, 10 o'clock's rolling around, I'm damn near fucking falling asleep type of. You know, so I'm like, I gotta get up out of here.
SPEAKER_05No bullshit.
SPEAKER_04No, so it's it's dope to have you know anybody doing events that are a little bit earlier for the people who like, nigga, we gotta be at work tomorrow. You know, we got responsibilities because there's a lot of people out here, like, not saying they don't got no responsibilities, but they've structured their life to where like, you know, their responsibilities come a little bit later in the that's a really nice way of saying they don't got responsibilities.
SPEAKER_02But you know, for most I also thought honestly that I don't think it exists because I was even thinking in Chicago, like if I'm there there's a more likelihood that it does exist in Chicago, but I don't really know any like daytime rap shows up here. I can't think of uh and it's not even I wouldn't even call it just a rap show because we do multi-genre. We had RB singers yesterday at the show, like um, so we mixed it up, but I can't really think of that many daytime shows. So yeah, I can't think of any. So I'm hoping that maybe long term, and I'll everything in my vision-wise is usually like long term, particularly with something like that. So like I think long term that could be like something awesome.
SPEAKER_04Right. Yeah, shout out to the Uptowner, man, for they've always seemed to be a staple in Milwaukee music, you know. Yeah, we just had Croft last week.
SPEAKER_05So Croft used to do the open mic theory. Oh, really? Yeah, him and Moses, DJ Moses, yeah, Moses. So like there was a whole there was a whole era. Yeah, I've heard, I've heard that. And then 2012, 2016, that little window, there was a whole era right there on Center Street, bro. We got the new era right now, though. Yeah, yeah, no, yeah. No, I didn't hear that. I didn't hear that. Yeah, no, that's what's up though. That's that's what it needs, is what I'm saying. Yeah, it was when that shit in 2016, there was a uh a hiatus for sure. Yeah, like Uptown used to do his shit here and there, but it was it was a time when you know y'all definitely reviving. When I say y'all, I'm thinking like you, B Z, you know, there's a couple other people that I've been seeing throw shows down there and shit. And it's like that's some shit that we used to do back then with a whole other roster, you know what I'm saying? So now it's like a whole new wave. Yeah, and Uptowners, you know, they lightened up and shit, they got less rules and shit. Yeah, right, without saying it.
SPEAKER_02But uh we used to be in there and they, you know, I remember you made me think of something crazy though. Like, cause you like we like we both have done this for a long time, we've all done this for a long time. Yeah, the amount of artists that you see start and stop. Start and stop it, it's kind of crazy.
SPEAKER_05What the fuck is the word? Damn, I hate when I can't think of a word. And troves, is that a word? I don't know, maybe R T H E Z or T T H Troves. Droves. Man, it's one of those, nigga. Yeah, I got I don't know, but yeah, but artists come and go all the time to Uptown or was that? So that's what's up that you're reviving it though, man. Like, that's what the city be needing, fam.
SPEAKER_04Hell yeah. Um, so you're an actor. This was something I didn't know about you. Um give us a little bit on how that all came about for you. Did you start out around the same time as music wanting to act, or is that something you picked up along the way?
SPEAKER_02Or no, it was actually pretty much the same time. Uh so my like artistry like beginning was in like my junior, senior year of college. And so I played basketball my whole life, uh, played in college, and then like as that's kind of winding down, I think I was you know looking for different avenues. I took, I remember actually vividly, like I was working the summer at like my dad's office, like helping him out, and I was looking at shit to do, and I like found some extra work for some stuff. Like I was watching Entourage at the time, loved Entourage. I've always been I'm from a movie family, like my family, my mom would go to a movie group, like we like we had like so that was a big part of my life. So I always liked it. Um but then I was like an extra in a couple things, and so that was cool. And then I had extra electives. My senior year took an acting class at the same time. Some of my roommates in college were making music, kind of funny music. So it kind of started off with funny raps, which is an easy way for a lot of people to kind of like give yourself the excuse to do to do it because a lot of times it feels embarrassing, or like you know, whatever, to write a song.
SPEAKER_04And like people take, you know, when you're just starting out, you can take yourself too seriously. 100%. That's a great thing. This has to be perfect.
SPEAKER_02A hundred. No, that's you're so right. Uh and so I started off doing some of that stuff, but it was at the same time I was taking acting class and like making my first like mixtapes at the time. So I knew we were making the funny songs, but I also knew like I was starting to write real songs and I could tell. Like, I was like, oh shit, I like this is gonna be a thing. Like this is my bitch now. Yeah, kind of. So I mean, I remember senior year, like drive like on the bus trips to games, like I'm writing songs. I remember in hotels at games, like I'm writing songs. Like I remember like already being like, I'm kind of ready to like. I mean, I didn't, it was you know, it was still a breakup, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_05So acting was the same time though, like it was the same exact time.
SPEAKER_02And my teacher in college, like uh she I don't know, we I like really told her I wanted to do it, and she kind of took me under her liking, and then I took classes with her, and then I got an agent as soon as I graduated. And so from that point on, I've kind of always also been doing that as well.
SPEAKER_04How does it get in an agent work?
SPEAKER_02It's like I mean, sometimes it literally is just knowing somebody. I mean, I had my teacher, which helps, that's why I take a classes help a lot because that's usually a connection, right? Um, or you can just submit to like agencies. There's a lot of agencies, particularly in Chicago. But at the time I was signed to an agent in Milwaukee. Um so, like within honestly, like six months of getting my agent, I but I booked a couple like I booked a uh role on this uh it was like a murder reenactment show. Like on the ID network, Unusual Suspects. Yeah. So like within like six months, I was like the main character on this one show. So I thought, I'm like, oh, here we go. Here we go. Like uh but then from then on, you know, it's been a long, long journey. I fucking made it, dude. I auditioned. Hey, I watched those things all the fucking time, bro.
SPEAKER_05I fucking had to see him on there soon.
SPEAKER_02It was crazy because it was like I had just started, and all of a sudden people were like, yo, you're like, what the fuck? Like it's seeing you on the murder done. Yeah, and and I had an audition, I auditioned for season one of Chicago Fire at the same time. So, and I didn't get it, but I I almost got it. And uh I so I thought I just thought it was like I think I thought it was sweeter than it was at the time. I'm just like, oh, this is working. Beginners love to. Yeah, yeah, like it happens too. It's like a fresh face. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Like, nice.
SPEAKER_02Um, so yeah, and then you know, the music kind of just lined up with it, and the whole time I've been doing it. But acting is so much about waiting, and because it's about calls, it's about you know, all like my teacher told me you should have another passion because otherwise you're just waiting for calls, waiting, but you know, you just I submit videos for auditions and hope I get it, you know, like now.
SPEAKER_04One thing that I always um think about when it comes to acting or people who are in like theater arts and shit like that is I always wonder why don't more of them choose to do like small music video roles and stuff like that. You know, because like I I find myself as somebody who shoots who shoots music videos for his songs and shit. Like I always need people and I can never find people to like help out with the video and shit, you know. And then I'm like, where's the fucking all these theater people just like they got this talent and it they're they're not like trying to help out type shit.
SPEAKER_02But I think they would though. I think I think what it is is uh because there is like so there's a couple casting sites that are like that we you use like that actors generally use for casting, right? And sometimes you will see a music video posted. Um actually a fair amount of times you'll see music videos posted. But it's I I mean, I think I think honestly actors would do it. Actors want to act, they want to work, they want to work. So if you I I think you just gotta find them the right way. They'll do it.
SPEAKER_04They'll do it. Sometimes I'll be putting out the word, man, and don't nobody be responding. I'll be like, motherfucker, I know y'all saw my shit. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05For what?
SPEAKER_04For for just like uh when I be like, hey, I need help out with a music video or some shit or post out and shit. And I know I got friends that like act and shit, you know, and I'm like, you know, or like I'll I've hit them up, I've hit them up to like help out with the video, and they're like, oh, I can't do, you know, it's never like an exact reason, but it's just just like they just brushing it off and shit. I'm like, all right, that's weird. That's crazy.
SPEAKER_05That's one thing I'm that's one thing I kind of had a good, a good uh time. Like, you know, usually you'll say some shit like shit go smooth, and I'll be like, that shit don't ever work for me. Yeah with the actors, bro. That shit I've had some fucking dope ass, like you know, Eli. Yeah, he came to do shit for normal. Yeah, had to be like a like he's the press with the gun and shit. He's one acting is ass.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he's one that like when I shot my um make a way video, like he played the security, the the head boss guy, and he did a fucking phenomenal job. Yeah, he be furious as a bitch. I'm like, nigga, I'm fucking calling you a lot of people. Yeah, so I've had a pretty good track run with that shit, but that's crazy, bro.
SPEAKER_05But like there's other people. Shout out to Rio Lonza too. He did uh uh the Hulo video and he was like perfect for that. Remember, he was there at the shop and shit.
SPEAKER_04So just know you're on my list now. So I'm I'm gonna be reaching out to you, like, hey, I know you fucking like the egg.
SPEAKER_02Hey, I need a dead box. I can do it. I I I honestly for me it's funny, yeah, right. Yeah, I need a dead box, man. I'm I just lately I just been shooting people and everything I've been doing.
SPEAKER_05So I've seen that the the preview that you uh shared of.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh the Oscar Shaw. Yeah, but and in Chicago Fire, I shot somebody. I'm like, what is I just this is my I'm typecasting.
SPEAKER_05So you did eventually get on Chicago Fire then?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I got so uh in 2020, I was in season 13. Uh in two, well, it was one episode, but they showed me in two episodes in two episodes, so yeah. But it was another shooting scene. No, right. I'm out here just gangbanging popping shit. Like that's in all these roles. But uh, but yeah, those are the Chicago Fire was a great experience. And then obviously moving into Oscar Shaw was an awesome experience. But before we move to that, I just want to say like the music video stuff that reminds me of like I love music, like I still love music videos. I wish they were like more, I wish they were more incentivized to to make awesome videos again. Like I wish we were more incentivized to do that. But you're reminding me of like the young the videos when we were young, they would sometimes have an appearance from a big actor or something like that. And he would do a shit. They have some videos that fucking they had like all-star casting. Right. Like but they wrote them like movies, like that. You know what I'm saying? Like nowadays, because the incentive is really just to get short form content for the most part. Like, I don't think the I don't think that it's necessarily that they're writing for a four minute story. I just I feel like they're more like, all right, we gotta get these pockets. Like I feel like that's how it's thought about. But I'm sure people you know, there's exceptions to that rule, but no, all right.
SPEAKER_04That's definitely facts. Oh yeah, I get it. Um so let's circle back to the music a little. Little bit and listen to another one of your um songs that you chose.
SPEAKER_05Uh heck, you want to go ahead and like I heard what you said, and I was just thinking like I was like, okay, we're going to something else. I thought you were gonna ask a question.
SPEAKER_04No, no, we're gonna circle back to one of these things.
SPEAKER_05All right, man. This is David Lopez and Jesus tonight featuring Keith and Nezzi. Let's get it. Space Crime produced by Space Crime.
SPEAKER_14Space, space, space, space, space, space. Smell good. Teddy starts being alive. Smell good. Teddy starts love life. Why does everything go left? I'm not trying to make it right. I'm just giving it up. We smoke we could on this.
unknownLet's just live it on tonight. Let's just live it on tonight.
SPEAKER_05Who did that video? Me. Well, you did that? I edited it. Wally did Wadley.
SPEAKER_14Uh shout out to Wadley. Yeah, Wadley shot it. Take shots, love life, watches everything.
SPEAKER_04But yeah, I edited uh fucking day shows just look so much funnier than fucking night shows, bro.
SPEAKER_02That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. We always say for the past two years, like the funnest time is the Saturday afternoon. It's like that's like the best time. Like uh Yeah, that's that's uh that's one of the nice things that I didn't really think about when we moved to an afternoon show is that everybody's energy, you haven't done your day hasn't gotten fucked up yet, usually. So it's like usually still good at like two o'clock.
SPEAKER_04Like everybody just looks like fucking alive, vibrant, you know, like awake. You know what's not a zombie go to the club and shit, motherfuckers like looking like they're tired, already fucking yeah, you already lived the whole life of work today. Right, and then you started drinking or smoking on top of that, so it's like your fucking body is literally winding down and no bullshit.
SPEAKER_02There's a 21-year-old watching laughing at us right now.
SPEAKER_04So let's move into the interview portion. Um, in your own words, give us a summary of who David Lopez is.
SPEAKER_02Um you know, I I worked hard on my uh Instagram bio on purpose because I think uh because I because it is important to be relatively concise, especially with those things, right? So I mean, at the core of it, uh I mean, I guess first I'd say I'm a dad, you know. Um, but then rapper, actor. Yeah, thank you, man. Thank you. And you as well, right? Um we're all deads here, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's one of my biggest accomplishments. Nah, for sure, bro. Like 100%, dude. Um uh yeah, but a rapper. I so I say, like, real quick, like rapper, actor, uh, and founder of Passion Park Entertainment, and like just a huge Chicago fan of everything. Cause I'm just, I just like you know somebody from Chicago because they're gonna tell you within like five minutes that they're from Chicago. Right. Um, so that's like a quick bio of it. But at the core, I mean, besides that, I'd say like I'm a really passionate um artist. Like, like, I think for so many years, I was trying to convince myself, I wanted to just be seen as an artist. Like, like I because I wasn't, I didn't I'm not like I don't have a traditional music background. I didn't grow up that way. Um, but I'm a preacher's kid, my mom's a preacher. Um so like some of that like calling, like you know, like that that idea that the calling could be a thing, I think is just in me. Like that's been in me my whole life, really. Um, because I've witnessed it from her perspective, you know. And um, and and my dad's my dad came here from Cuba, um, taught himself English, and graduated as a lawyer, like like private practice, but whatever. Like, it's very like there's inspiring things I can look at and see like, oh, now I can look back and see like why I became this way for the most part. And um, so I think I'm just passionate about the things that I like that I that drive me, and I feel called to uh use that. Like I think I've always kind of seen it. Sounds like really um uh arrogant to say it, but I think I've always seen that I felt like I could do something like in the not necessarily the limelight, but I just felt like I could do something like that. I always felt that way.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I I've I've had that same exact feeling. And uh I could tell, so just 100%. Let's just flat out, let's just put it on the table. I don't think you're like super, super lyrical, but I can I've seen you perform before I ever even listened to you rap. Yeah, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I do. Because I wasn't really, you know, when you see somebody perform, like you watching them, you seeing the whole vibe, you checking the whole, you know, but I wasn't like listening to what you were saying. So listening to your music, I'm like, oh, okay, he can rap. He's not the most lyrical, but the love of the music is definitely there, and I can see or hear and feel it when you're listening to your records. You know what I'm saying? I would describe my music the same way. Honestly, which is which it kind of fits in with your whole uh passion part. Yeah, yeah. It's a passion, it's something that you know you want to do, and it that conveys through the sound of the music, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, no, I appreciate that. Does that make sense?
SPEAKER_02Honestly, 100%. I don't even um I I said said, especially now as I've evolved more, like I'm trying to say more with less, like for sure. Yeah, and I've never like like, I mean, yeah, I think I have a good vocab, but I'm not like out here trying to like flex it. Like that's never been my name. Mm. No, I'm not like I'm not lyrical miracle or whatever. And I'm not saying I don't have respect for all these other artists, but like that's just not how I've approached it. Um and sometimes I, you know, as I've tried to grow as become a better artist, like I can look back and be like, yeah, but I should have been a little bit more uh nuanced or just something different with that. Um, but like, yeah, I'm trying to I'm trying to say shit that everybody can get, but also that's deep too. Like it's in the facts.
SPEAKER_05No, and that that's there for sure. The the message and the uh the context of your your music is there. Yeah, I just I just wanted to point out, you know what I'm saying? Like when I seen you perform, I was like, oh shit, he really performed. Yeah, thank you. And I think he was with Jesus too. I think y'all both, because y'all both be hosting that shit. Yeah, yeah. Now we do. It's evolved, it's evolved over time, but yeah, I think y'all did Bremen Cafe together, right? Yeah, and I think that's the first time I seen both of y'all probably and y'all killed that shit. So I was like, okay. But then now when I listen back to the music, I'm like, okay, he's not the most lyrical, but I can see the the passion and you structure it right. You're actually saying something, staying on topic, talking about it. And that video was fucking amazing.
SPEAKER_02Oh, thank you. Thank you, man. You know, Tupac, one of my favorites, and that's what reminded me of that when you're saying that, because Tupac is somebody who influenced me as big as a childhood. Yeah, I would never, I wouldn't say Tupac was a super lyrical.
SPEAKER_04No, not at all. One thing that I've always um tried to keep in mind as I'm creating music is if the person who's listening to the music can't understand and comprehend what you're saying, then the music doesn't even matter. You know what I'm saying? Because it's just it's gonna be lost over them, you know? Yeah, and there's certain artists that get to a um certain point where they're just like they're using these crazy big words that like you know, even people who have a very good vocabulary are not catching what they're fucking trying to say, or they're just using big words to use big words. There's no extra point behind it. Oh bro, that's one of my biggest. So it's like I've always made sure that like in my music when I'm writing, I try to because I can be very lyrical, you know. My my first rap name started out as ill grammar. Okay, you know, so that was like I have a way of using like fucking complex words, but also I didn't want to be so complex that like I'm talking to people and you're just fucking lost looking at me like you know, right. So I always try to like just pull it back a little bit so that yeah, people have an understanding and they're able to even comprehend what I'm trying to get across, you know. And I find that very skillful when a when an artist can do that, yeah, that's how I know, like, okay, you actually got skill because it's hard to fucking pull it back a little bit.
SPEAKER_02No, for sure. That's that's a that's a great way to describe it too. It's because like you do want to think about the audience, right? Like, so even in when in just conversations, right? Your intention as the person's talking matters, right? Right. But how the person receives it matters. If the person receives your message as not the intended like message, then you might need to change the way you are yeah, you know, like conveying that message. So, like, yeah, I totally agree with that. Like, I'm trying to capture a feeling in two, three minutes. Like, that's what, like, that's what I'm all my records. I'm trying to capture a feeling. And then sometimes it has a greater story, but the most part I'm trying to capture a feeling, and like I now I just don't feel competitive like on purpose. Like, I don't I want to make art that matters.
SPEAKER_05I don't right, I don't necessarily need to. Oh, that's what's up, though. I get it.
SPEAKER_02That that's what I just wanted to make sure that oh. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_05We have that.
SPEAKER_02You could, by the way, I'm totally okay with like like listening to my song and like actually criticize my song. I'm actually like okay with that.
SPEAKER_16Just yeah, so don't think more people need to be okay. Don't think you're hurting me. Don't think you're hurting. Oh, we're gonna talk about that.
SPEAKER_02That's one of the things, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's one of the topics. Um so next, uh you're in you said your your mid-college journey when you started picking up music. Um, what sparked the passion for music? Did you already have like a passion earlier on that you just kind of never really leaned into? Or I can look back in college.
SPEAKER_02I look back now and I'm like, I was the one making like the mixtapes for like the warm-up CDs and shit. So like I was all I was always I was on hip hop every day. Like I was like always looking for the new stuff, Dad Piff, you know, like now I'm aging myself, but like we all are. Uh but no, I was a therapy. Yeah, look at that. I was in I was in elementary school. I didn't even know what live makes. I don't know what that is, but I was there when Mac Miller crashed the internet. Uh no, so I was always like super into it, but I never um yeah, I never I think I was just I was super like locked in on basketball. I just like never even thought about pursuing music at all. And then uh yeah, I just so I always had the passion. And then I think just seeing my roommate and like my roommates kind of do it. And I also there was a singer we live with too, she was amazing. Shout out to Kim and Clint. Um, like, so I just think like it just opened up a new world, like a possibility to kind of try it. And uh yeah, I remember the first like real poem, which was actually like a first verse that I wrote of a real song where I was actually like, this is like some real shit. I was like hungover after a night out, like pissed my girl off or something like uh but I knew from then on, I was like, this is this is what I'm gonna do. So who's your top three rappers of all time go? Yeah, right now, right? I know, right? All time is so tough.
SPEAKER_05I'm just just yeah, uh let's say not even top time, not top three favorite, just influential. Yeah, exactly. Who's like the most influential artist?
SPEAKER_02Uh Cole. Okay. Um uh I mean I mentioned Tupac 3 is so tough because Tupac is like one of the things.
SPEAKER_05He's kind of almost a given if you're uh if you're in the in the in the if you're in the world of rapping with meaning, he's kind of a given.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Okay, I feel like I have an older brother and I remember we had the great assistant. Exactly. So like I just remember listening to Brendan's Got a Baby when I was a kid. You know what I'm saying? Like you're a child and you're listening to fucking some interest tracking. Great example of of not using any big words in that song and just like telling a story that is so deep. That Dear Brahma? Yeah, bro. They're all yeah, exactly. Changes, yeah, all that shit is right. So Cole, um, honestly, I would say whiz because Wiz was huge around the time when I when I started, not like around the time when I started, because we're talking about like the inspirations and kind of influences. Around the time that I started, it was Cush and OJ. I went to like five, I met Wiz, I went to like all those concerts. So like there's a it there's an energy about it that is that's what I was just thinking about.
SPEAKER_04Like Wiz definitely used to capture a feeling.
SPEAKER_05Bro, that's crazy because I was just thinking, we just had uh uh last week we did a topic of uh pick your top artist from 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and nobody, nobody's we don't ever bring up somebody like Wiz Khalifa. Wiz had a crazy five-year run. I was just about to say his run is undeniable. Yeah, he he had his summer fest the one where there was like 15 brawls. There was like bro, I was at the lake, you know, because he was on the I want to say it's it's the generac stage now. I might be wrong. I don't know, but he was on the stage, bro. I'm at the lake on the rocks, yeah. Because that's where you're supposed to go, like not supposed to, but that's where people go to smoke and shit. Niggas don't really fuck you if you're not in the middle now, I like being in the middle of a crowd. So we we at the lake, bro, on the rocks. And when I tell you, bro, there was you could barely walk through there.
SPEAKER_02It was so bad.
SPEAKER_05And this is like a quarter mile away from the stage, bro. And there was fights everywhere. Dog, I'm talking about I was like, I've never seen nothing like it, bro. Wiz Khalifa had that shit shut the fuck down. So his run was crazy, but sorry, I went off on the phone. No, no, no. But what the what I meant to say was we never really talk about him because you know he's not the most lyrical, yeah. So it's easy to overlook him, but his mind and the way he goes is and like and he does got records when he's yeah, I was gonna say, and the hits, bro, are like he got records like that.
SPEAKER_02The statement is one of my favorites. That song is so good.
SPEAKER_04The thing for Wiz Khalifa with me is um, it just there came a point where everything just felt recycled. Yeah, for sure. You know, yeah. It's just like, all right, bro, like give us something new, you know.
SPEAKER_02Like I will say though he never got introspective really. I don't feel like no, he's he's still, I think he just dropped a new album. I haven't heard it, but um, not that I'm like super keeping up to it, but I will say as a like skill, he is very skilled, like he's a skilled rapper, like super like uh polished. It's like if you just watch him like in any other studio sessions, you're like, oh, this dude can fucking rap. Like just he's been doing his whole life. Uh and he's from a city that doesn't have uh a lot of breakout artists, too. So yeah, he did his shit. So wait, so I said Cole and Wiz. Yeah, I mean Wiz is um for a particular reason, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um I can I get that feeling off that tonight record. Yeah, yeah. I think that whole vibe, that's a yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, yeah, I mean, I I'm tempted to say Kanye, uh, because you know, being from Chicago, there's just so much, he just has so much music that is so influential. Um, I don't know. I might have to think about it, but Kanye's up there. I said for now, at least that's a great thing.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, I never really think about Kanye either. That's crazy, bro. Like you can't deny Kanye fan, but you know, but he be he's not of uh Kanye's one of those that are just if it all at this point it feels like he's a given.
SPEAKER_04He's like he's like a Jay-Z, yeah, Tupac, Biggie. Like he's he's a staple in the culture now, you know. It's like um next question. That was our Kanye alarm.
SPEAKER_05We can't talk about Kanye.
SPEAKER_04The content pills can't talk about Kanye.
SPEAKER_05Like, oh shit.
SPEAKER_04Um so how did you get into acting and how has that enhanced your passion for creative expression? Oh, it's a great question.
SPEAKER_02Um well, I think they go hand in hand. I actually think I was talking to somebody about this the other day. I really think if you are um an active artist who's like performing a lot, like you know, you should be conscious of the fact that like on stage you should you gotta turn it on. Like you should turn it on, right? So like there's that they kind of cross over a little bit in that. I mean, look, you want to be authentic and and present, all that stuff, but like there is you're putting on a show. Like you're still putting on a show. So like rappers are actors, bro. A lot of rappers are actors. And there's a lot of good that now are now successful actors. Believe me, like some of my like the people I looked at when I went on this start of this journey, really was like, I looked like at Will Smith, Chris Brown, because he acted a little bit, but like um Will, yeah, Will Smith uh was probably the biggest one that I always think of Kick Cuddy a little bit. I always think of Jamie Foxx, Gambino. Yeah, well, Jamie Foxx is like the most talented person in the car. Gambino's was crazy. Gambino is actually one of my two pieces.
SPEAKER_05I should have said that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Ice Cube too.
SPEAKER_05There's a lot of people that have done it. Yeah, right. I'm on my old nigga shit. Robbie watching uh SVU and shit.
SPEAKER_02But so there really is a there really is a model. There's a model for this exact exact trajectory. Now that you're saying even more of these names, I'm like, yeah, like it's kind of always been there. Like you you try your you do music, especially because like when you're younger, I think you really have like, I don't know, just more, maybe it's before the kids or something like that. Like and then the act, I always thought like I feel like I could be I felt like I could be a successful actor like in my 40s, like maybe it would pop off in my 40s because I started when I was 21.
SPEAKER_05Like, see, well, that's the cool thing about acting as opposed to the music. Acting is not 100% a young man's game. You get your biggest role at 65. Yeah, you can be any fucking age and catch a dope role to where like you got screen time and you're saying some shit that moves the movie a certain way or something or anything, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02So yeah, no, for sure. That's the difference for sure. For sure. Um, but I I think that the like creatively, um I love acting, it's just you can't control it as much because there's so many other people as right people are writing. I mean, you can like write your own stuff, which I've tried to do some of that, but that's hard too. It's you gotta rely on other people.
SPEAKER_05Damn, that's good. You're almost an addition to what people got.
SPEAKER_02Honestly, you want to know something interesting? Like uh for Chicago Fire, like when I booked that, I got, I mean, I auditioned for probably like two weeks before or something, but I got the call to book two days before we shot. Like if you couldn't do it, you couldn't do it. Well, they would have just they would just book somebody else. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, if you was like, oh well, no, they'd be like, nah.
SPEAKER_02And my guy who's in my scene, the scene with me, uh, he flew in from Florida and they've called him two days before, too. Like, they it really is the last piece for a lot of unless you're like the key cast member or something.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02It really is kind of so like you're doing so much waiting. So the music um allows me to still be creative, like my everyday of my life, and that feels like who I am. And I think it informs yourself as a creative person no matter what. So when I when I like I can put myself in situations as a musician that when I go to act in the scene, I can you know kind of sometimes take stuff from that, you know.
SPEAKER_04I I used to have uh like an improv acting class when I was in high school, and when I did that class, I was one of the teacher's favorite students, and she was like, dude, you're like I could see you doing like improv comedy like later on in life and shit. And I'm like, I don't know, you know, but like that sparked me as far as like shit. I want I would like to do acting and shit, because I'm real into like um like Lord of the Rings type movies and shit like that. I always thought like it would be super dope to like be in a movie like that. That would be man. You know, and I always I always thought that I was gonna be uh when I used to have the dreadlocks, I used to tell myself all the time. You be on Predator? When they make a new fucking Tarzan movie and shit, I would be the next Tarzan and shit. Oh my bad. I said predator.
SPEAKER_05I'm talking I thought he was literally about to say predator. Shit, I would be an alien versus predator movie. That's my bad, bro. I I wasn't even trying to put this nigga lead over here. Hey, when I had to be like, I'm trying to kill your children.
SPEAKER_04I didn't even think about it like that. I used to fucking post funny shit on uh you know Facebook all the time where like it'll have a predator and shit, and this is like I'd be like, this is me for Valentine's Day to be a predators of laying and bad and shit.
SPEAKER_05It was like no, I'm I promised y'all being super serious.
SPEAKER_04Hey, I related this, because that's a fucking that's one of my favorite movies.
SPEAKER_05The newest one is crazy. Shout out to Predator Batlands, nigga. That shit is fucking nuts.
SPEAKER_04Big facts. And they got a sequel coming out where they're friendly had the female predators in it. Yeah, that shit for the wild, bro.
SPEAKER_02That's crazy.
SPEAKER_04Man, you should act, bro.
SPEAKER_16If you still got that, if you still want to do it, you should do it, bro. It's totally like totally doable.
SPEAKER_04And how I look at it now, like um RNA. That's why I love doing uh music videos with SG, is because like it gives me the opportunity to like just try to play around with the acting a little bit. And like you said, there's a switch that you turn on when you're on stage or when you're in front of the camera. It's just like, you know, yeah. I suck at that. It's hard to explain, but you know, it's just yeah, that persona that yeah. I mean, yeah, no.
SPEAKER_05I feel like I could do it, but I suck at that. Like, I I it's really hard for me not to laugh and shit, you know. Yeah, especially I think maybe if I did it with people who I didn't know. Yeah, yeah. Anytime I've ever had to act or some, you know, I'm like, and then I turn somebody somebody I know trying to act like super serious, I just can't help but nah.
SPEAKER_02We just talked about this the other day with one of our friends who uh was nervous to perform a song, a new song. Um, she's not really an active artist that much, and she's and she was like nervous to perform a new song. And we're we're bringing up the idea of like, I think it might be easier to do it in front of people you don't know. Yeah, it's like you're like particularly like especially I don't know the song, I don't know if it's vulnerable or not, but like if it's people you don't know, you're like, I don't, I don't know. They don't know me.
SPEAKER_05They don't know they they may never have to see me again. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you perform in front of everybody you know, you're like, man.
SPEAKER_04I always that always makes me think about like uh you ever see on those movies where they're like just picture the crowd naked.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that's I never got that part.
SPEAKER_04There's this one movie where he's like, Did you picture your crowd naked? No, I was picturing myself naked. I fucked it up, man. That's hilarious. Um all right, so. As a festival organizer, uh, what are the challenges that you face uh that set festivals apart from regular shows? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Because festivals like a lot of people consecutive days, right? Yeah, we're doing Friday, Saturday, Sunday, start Friday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at midnight. So it's 50 plus artists.
SPEAKER_05Blood pressure through the roof.
SPEAKER_02I'm trying to set it up in a way. I mean, thankfully we have um our team. I'll shout everybody out. Hey, Zeus, Keith, uh, Charismatic, Julian, uh, Nezzi, uh Watley. Yeah. So everybody's, they're all helping out. Um, and we're, you know, helping put this together. So obviously, like you need a help to do that, right? Right. Um, but I mean, like, one of the challenges is just the lot of people. And I really like um, like I over the years, I've submitted for South by Southwest the right way, I've submitted for Summerfest the right way. I've submitted all these things the right way. So I know like what that process is like, I know what it looks like on the back end, I know what the emails coming back look like. So I want to recreate that because I have a vision that this could be like a real, I don't want to say real because it's already real, but like a bigger thing. Like I've established, establish, you know. I've always had a feeling, and honestly, over the trajectory over the three years, it's been great growth. So I would imagine that that could keep happening. Um, so I wanted to approach it that way. So, like the biggest challenge is just the amount of work because I've just been sending individual emails to all these artists. I've been trying to um, you know, just keep it very, very professional and buy the book. And like we did submissions from December 15th to January 15th. I know that seems early to people, it's not that early compared to other festivals.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, like that's not early. Like, I wanted to be like you should be doing your summer fest shit like last month.
SPEAKER_02They cut theirs off in December. The summerfest official ones cut theirs off this year in December. See what I'm saying? And that's early. That was the earliest they've done, but that that is early. Um, but that was on point. And I'm like, I'm not trying to be like a teacher, but like also it's kind of like you this is how you do learn. Like, if you want to.
SPEAKER_05Oh, that's necessary, bro. It's necessary.
SPEAKER_02So I just try to stick to that. And like, you know, I I run shows so I know what it's like. I always want to hook the homies up if I can, and I do uh as much as I can. Um, but like some people submitted the right way, some people didn't. So I want I just I try not trying to manage feelings and emotions too is part of that, but um, I'm trying to like completely be like this is just a professional festival.
SPEAKER_05Um we advocate for that professional stuff, bro. Like, we want we want everything to be as professional as possible. Yeah, because like you said, even directly or indirectly, you're teaching them that this is how it should be. So when you do get that opportunity to do some shit that might take you to another level of something, you already got that experience. Yeah, and you're not new in the room and you're not oh, I'm from Milwaukee, I don't know what the fuck going on. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02Like I also want people to I think it's a cool idea for if somebody's like, Yeah, my first festival that I booked, and they say like Passion Park Festival is their first festival. Like, I want you to feel like it was a festival. Like, I think that's a cool, like down the road, you can look at back and be like, that's fucking awesome. Like, that's pretty cool. So, yeah, yeah, and then budget. I was gonna say that's the main thing. I was gonna say it's just trying to get money, bro. That's my next question.
SPEAKER_05We need money, like yeah. The money gotta be a whole factor.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, we're we're uh you know making it work now, but I I going forward in the future, the hope would be to get some big sponsors and get some ability to, you know, eventually be able to like you know get some good headliners or something like that. Not that I don't love the acts we have this year, but like to actually be able to go out and get somebody you know bigger or something like that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's what's up. That that uh part where you kind of mentioned how professional, like I that really hits home with me because like I'm a business owner and you know I've hired family members, and you know, it's like you said, you know, you try to put your people on your like who are your friends and your team, you try to give them the opportunities. And I do the same thing in my business with my family, you know. So I've always hired family members, but I let them know like right away, like, I'll fucking fire you. And I have like a professional setting, my niece has been fired three times. You know, like I I take her back every after a couple months, you know. Once I see that she's like, you know, growing and life is changing, I'm like, all right, it looks like you're ready to come back outboard, you know, and then she'll do good.
SPEAKER_05I was wrong, you're out of here again, but I was wrong again.
SPEAKER_04She's she's doing phenomenal since this last time. She's grown up a lot, but like, you know, I've hired and fired my brother, you know. Like, I had my sister working for me. She's having some uh like medical issues right now, so she's not like working for me currently. I didn't fire her. I was gonna say, I'll be the fire of the meta. Replace but uh yeah, you know, so like I take that shit serious, you know, like because there's a point where like you family, but this is a business, you know, and my customers don't care about that family shit. Like they care about is the work done right? Yeah, you know, for sure. So, you know, and you would you would have to abide by certain rules when you're dealing with any other person. So why would you think as a friend or family member that changes when you're dealing with you know the person like you and when you start to make exceptions, yeah.
SPEAKER_02When you start to make exceptions, it's a slippery slope.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, one of my biggest fucking peppers, bro. Like, hey bro, I had somebody one time, he was my guy real quick. He this is my guy friend, called him. Hey, what's up? This is a business name. How can I help you? I was like, nigga, I just called your direct sale. You should have my phone, you know, whatever. Went through the whole shit. Come trying to get my uh show fucking recap video. Oh, now I'm just your guy. Oh, my bad, bro. I had to no, hell no, keep that. Hey, this is the business name, you know what I'm saying? Keep that same fucking how can I help you ass energy motherfucker? Like, it doesn't matter if we're cool or not, you know what I'm saying? Like see, you you made me fucking, you know. That's like if he would have I went to go get tinted with him, he's like, hey, you gotta call the schedule gotta call.
SPEAKER_04I thought he was talking about me for a second. Because I do that to motherfuckers, they'll call my phone, I'll be like, Thank you for calling Italy Tins. I'm gonna help you because I don't save these numbers.
SPEAKER_05You know, but what I'm saying is that's if let's say he did that, and then when it's time for my shit and he fucks my shit up or something, which he hasn't, he's five star rated. Shout out to Let's go. But I'm just saying, like, let's say he was to be on some like, hey man, you know, like somebody else came, like let me reschedule you or anything, like just treat me like yeah, we cool, so you we good. No, hell no, that shit would piss me. So shout out to the professionalism, fam.
SPEAKER_04Oh man. All right. So um sign contracts and shit. Right. Where do you see yourself in say two years? Um, I I you know, I'll speak it.
SPEAKER_02Uh I'm not I'm not here. Yeah, I'm not even a huge I always like the manifest, all that's like I don't even know. I'm not huge into that. Yeah, okay. Well, I mean, I I think you know the words matter, right? So I I think um uh in two years from now, I I I would um be having a regular role on a show, would be um my biggest, like most realistic goal as I've had for a while. And uh um I just honestly recently had my biggest audition uh ever. So I feel like at least that is pointing in the right direction. Um so I shoot somebody every show. I mean what I yeah, exactly. Just every week. I don't care, but um there's a lot of shows that uh shoot in Chicago and in the area, so I think it's realistic, super realistic. So I I I would like to be a regular cast member on a uh on a show. Uh and then musically I just want to just keep growing. I just want my music to you know uh touch as many people as it can. Uh I this new album that I'm that's coming out, I'm really um excited about, and I I feel like you know I can touch a new audience with it. And uh so that's kind of I that's just constant for music, it's so like I wanna be as big as I can, honestly. But I also like it's such a like personal thing to me, too, that like it's just about constant long-term growth. Just like keep going, keep going, keep going.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, um, but yeah.
SPEAKER_04The latest record you drop, like you said, that's definitely gonna tap into a new demographic for you. It's a dope record. Uh where do you go? Yeah, it's like the dance hall, yeah, dance hall vibe. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, produced by Jesus right there. Okay, yeah. Okay. This album is uh so 90 Miles I-94 was the first one. 90 Miles Havana Nights is the uh that's the big, that's the full LP, the full album. Uh that's gonna be coming out this year. But that is sonically on purpose. Like, that's where do you go on that um Walk of Fame's on that? It's sonically supposed to be more um bouncy, more uh kind of like an old school, like really wanted to go with this like dance. I've just been like like feeling this a lot. Like I said, saying more with less. So, like that song, where do you go? I think I say some like really like meaningful shit, but I say like 20 words in that whole song, like on purpose. Like, let's keep it, let's keep it like that.
SPEAKER_04Where do you go? Oh, there you are.
SPEAKER_02Right, right now that's the whole song. I can see it in your eyes, you ain't hear no more. When the lights get low, where do you go? Like that could mean a lot of shit. And it's like super simple. But like I listen to like I've been lit, especially with my little kids. I've been listening a lot to like uh like the old songs, like Another Night, um uh Where there's a Where Do You Go by LaBouche, uh Runaway, like all those old dance records.
SPEAKER_04Like, I love those songs. So and that's that's the biggest thing, too, is like, you know, because you brought up LaRusso earlier, is like having um those simplistic hooks that the kids can sing, you know, and really like gravitate towards and not feel like they gotta be hiding the music while they try to sing along with it, you know. Cause you know, parents be all up in their kids' shit nowadays. Like before, dude, it was different like 10, 15 years ago. Now it's like we know every fucking thing our kids are doing.
SPEAKER_02No, for real. One of the cooler things that's happened with Where Do You Go is that it's my daughters, like, so I made that song like six months ago. My daughter was like, both two of my daughters, they were both like, uh, oh, we love that song. They were like playing it a bunch. And now it's out, and like she'll come home from school, she'll be like, Can we play Where Do You Go? And it's super cool. Like, it's a clean record, there's no curses in it. Um, not that I mean, whatever, really listen to music in the crib. But I mean, like the fact that I have that is something that's cool.
SPEAKER_05Like, I didn't even have a clean record. No, obviously I've had them cleaned down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I don't have a record where I could say I wrote it with no cuss words. Yeah. I don't think I have one.
SPEAKER_02I it's not so much that I write necessarily I I because I've actually randomly had a like a good amount of songs that don't have curse words, but it's not always on purpose. Right. Uh it just ends up happening that way. I try to use, I try to use language like purposefully. Like if I'm because I want it to stand out, like so. If I say fuck, I'm like, usually it's because I like meant it. Like because I wanted it to be there or something.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I fuck with that. Um, last question I got for you is how can the all four one for all podcast audience find your content? Let's go.
SPEAKER_02Uh, passionparkent.com is the central hub for everything. That's our website. Um, but then at the underscore David Lopez is my socials on everything, and then at Passion Park ENT, and then David Lopez, just search my name. There's a lot of people with my name, uh, but you can find it.
SPEAKER_05That's not that bad, bro. No, yeah, like on Apple Music, when I looked up David Lopez, it was you. You found it like one other person. So I'm I think I'm like the only rapper.
SPEAKER_02It's like other people, there's a lot of uh Spanish artists. Yeah, um David Lopez. Yeah, yeah. Oh, for sure, dude. There's a comedian who's like famous, is David Lopez. Uh, but this is what I thought Chris Brown, Will Smith, they have the most basic ass names too. They're just super famous.
SPEAKER_05Um, but you had a lot less hits than I did when like when I used to be just hectic. Yeah, bro. There was like so much that they were there was like European niggas that had shit on lock, fam. For real? Yeah. Oh, I wouldn't have thought that. No, yeah, because you know, hectic means something in German, if I'm not mistaken. Oh, like really? What? Something like that, bro. I don't know, but I had to like change my name to Street Team Hectic to get away from so that so it's like my streams were always intermingled.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, this fucking I had that issue for for years. Actually, it kind of worked out in my favor for a lot, some things because I would get I was getting crossover from Columbia. Tikes because there's like a DJ in Columbia with my name. So I was getting all these crossovers. I think it fucked up my algorithm a little bit though.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it will. It'll throw your shit. Or like when you uh look up your artist page, yeah, and it'll it'll it might be your song up there, and then it'll be like also on, yeah, and it's a bunch of shit that you ain't got nothing to do with.
SPEAKER_02I had to clean that up for years, and now it's pretty smooth.
SPEAKER_04When I drop it, doesn't there's no issues just recently, like within the last year or two, there's another motherfucker overseas named Illy. Yep. So now I'm in a fucking contest with this nigga on how we're dropping and shit. So I've been in a contest with this thing because you gotta stay fucking real. You know, whoever fucking drops off first. Yeah, does he make music in English? No, it's like a different language.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you gotta uh catch his buzz wherever he's from and just go do a show there randomly, right? They're gonna expect dog, and he's gonna jump out like illie and illie shot. I said he fuck with me the long way because I'm down, they're gonna be like, when did that nigga start working out?
SPEAKER_04He a lot darker and buffer than facts, dudes like super light skinned, skinny as hell. Like, but um, so before we head into this next portion of the episode, if you haven't already, take a moment to hit that subscribe button, the notification bell to help us grow our audience. A like, comment, and share with a friend are also great ways to let us know you supported and watch the episode. Also, shout out to our sponsor Illy Tents for financing these episodes. If you or someone you know is looking to transform your vehicle, add privacy, or keep it cool by blocking those sun rays out, give us a call today at 414-326-7283, or stop by the shop in Franklin 8581 South 27th Street to book your next appointment. Let's go. Also, Big David brought us this. Go ahead and explain what this is.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's confecito. That's my last uh full-length album. It came out a couple years ago. Super proud of that project. Uh, yeah, hey, Zeus was exactly a producer on that. Um, we crafted a morning. I mean, I the goal was to make an album you could play in the coffee shop. Like, you know, you could have your morning coffee, smoke a joint, listen to this album. And that was the goal. And I think sonically we accomplished it. Super proud of it. So uh check it out. Is this like bench press music as well?
SPEAKER_04Because that's where I'm gonna listen to it.
SPEAKER_02Uh I mean, I mean, it could be trying to, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_04Gotta be at least one song and be up on the bench, bro. Yeah, you know what? No, but uh I really vibe with like, you know, how you got these press for like, you know, obviously not a lot of people are listening to CDs anymore, but like memorabilia, I usually keep these for like, you know, I got um these shelves on my walls where I have like, you know, um predator action figures or like that shit. Action figures and like uh I got um Nightmare Before Christmas vinyls and shit like that. And then I'll have like some of the older CDs that I never um packaged. Um so this is definitely gonna go on there. But I love how you also um made this bookmark with the QR code and then it's got the track list right here, right? No, I just got a couple I I made a different ones that have like a couple bars from that. Oh, okay. Okay, yeah. Well, shit. I mean, just even having the bookmark, bro. Like, you know, because I read while I'm on the treadmill in the morning. Um, so I think that's super dope. You just uh not a lot of people are doing bookmarks.
SPEAKER_02I know. I I mean I appreciate that. I was trying to get unique with it. We did bookmarks and coffee cups for this release. Which is I I was trying to build, you know, a world. I think it's important when you drop an album to try to like if you a lot of people brush it over. You just drop a project and you're like, here it is. But like, if you really like for me, you know, I take years. I mean, that took me like two years. Like, I was like, 'cause I knew what I wanted to do. And same with my new album. Like, I want to build a world right for whatever those shows are, whatever that run is, if it's six months, if it's a year that I'm performing that record, I want to try to like build that world out.
SPEAKER_04So no, I vibe with that. Like, if in my uh for my illy tents um business, I ended up making uh, you know, some little keychains that say illy, and then I had some illy car scents. Dog, customers still call me to this. That's all we got anymore. And they're like, I need a new car scent. I'm like, I ain't got no more. Well, that's fucking bogus. They'll just like they'll be bad that I ain't got no car scents left. And I'm like, I fucking gave them all away. Y'all didn't have to buy them.
SPEAKER_02Like, nah, it's funny. Like our I had pens once and they were like one of my best-selling things. It was like, I guess I don't know. It's like, I don't even know if we gave them out or if we sell them, but like, yeah, it's a weird the little things, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, but people fuck with that, man. Um, and then also uh you said March 20th is um Passion Park Fest, right?
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, March 20th to 22nd as our third annual festival. Uh we got yeah, 50 plus artists from all over. Uh I was gonna say all over the country, but we actually have artists from Canada. We have like five artists from Canada. Um, we got New Orleans in the building, we got Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicago. Um, yeah, we got people submitted from all over, which was cool. Like this year when I opened it up, it was like, I mean, it surpassed. Like last year we got submissions, but not that many. This year it was like flooded. So I thought that was a good sign. Um, so yeah, three days, Uptowner, um, wristbands and day passes are available. Uh come on out, it's gonna be a great time. Yeah. Let's go. I'm gonna be there. So yeah. I'm preparing to make it. Make sure to go check that out. Friday night is my set. So come through Friday night is Jesus' birthday party. Kiev's on Friday night. We got the whole like passion park gang is Friday night, like opening up going crazy. So that's gonna be a party. Like, let's go.
SPEAKER_15Indeed out the jar, rolling up cigars. I'm reaching dreams, blowing smoke into the stars.
SPEAKER_04All right, so let's go into this uh MKE music review section.
SPEAKER_05All right, man. We all got our picks. The first pick from David Lopez is Potion by Jesus. Let's get it, Hey Zeus.
SPEAKER_12I know my I can see the while he walking up. I told that bitch of the run because I'm taxi. I'm not brought toxic. I don't give a fuck about the people that you can.
SPEAKER_05I fuck with that, though. Right. It's crazy, bro. It's crazy because when when I know when I know motherfuckers can rap and they do shit like this, it's like to me, it's like, fuck yeah, hell yeah. Yeah, you know, it's it's different the other way. Yeah, when you can't rap and you're trying to.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's like it's to your point earlier about pulling back. I think you're so right. Like the most talented artists, like you they're able to like pull it back and like do something like that.
SPEAKER_05That's a concept right there. That whole song was a concept. Shout out to Hey Sweet. I love that record. I love that record.
SPEAKER_04That is a that's that's you rapping on that one, right? And then you said you produce, so you produce that as well, right? Mommy's daddy.
SPEAKER_02Shout out to mommy's daddy, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Because I was gonna say, like, one of the things for me as far as producing, like I just got into producing. Okay, yeah. And like, so I've always been around producers that like their beats go stupid ham, you know. So I always feel like I gotta have like at least 10 plus instruments going on in the production, you know, at any given time. Yeah, you know, so like maybe I'm pulling some out and then adding them back in, but I I got like 10 plus things going on. Yeah, you know, so it's like when when I hear stuff like that, I'm like, you don't need you know, I I could do less sometimes. You know, yeah, sometimes I always have to be. Sometimes it's three layers, yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, you're so right. Uh the the production side of it, I know we've had the same conversations. It's like sometimes it's the simple, just strip it down, like strip it down.
SPEAKER_05It's creative. I like that, bro. I like that. You didn't you because I was waiting for it to drop for a second, and then I when I realized it wasn't gonna drop, it was still, but it was still like you know, it was still like okay, that I could fuck with this still, even though it's not gonna drop. I know it's not gonna drop at this point, but I like that shit, fam. Yeah, he said, What the fuck you uh if you ain't work if you ain't working, what the fuck you pray for? Yeah, if you ain't working what you pray for, nigga. Faith without works is dead, fam.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's one of my best fucking quotes, bro. Faith without works is dead, fam.
SPEAKER_05You can ask for anything you want. If you ain't gonna work for it, don't matter. Shout out to Jesus, man. Good, good, great hometown pick, fam. Yeah, all right. Now we got Illies, man. This is uh Trey Lampkin.
SPEAKER_16Oh, shout out to Trey.
SPEAKER_05Speaking of future guests, too, man. Jesus, bro, you on you on the ways uh eventually, fam, for sure, for sure. Like, no bullshit. Because I fuck with you, bro. I seen you perform, shut the big beat down, all kind of shit. But this is also one of our future guests shortly. Uh Trey Lampkin. This is called Greatest Rapper. Yeah, I only heard a fan one time on BZ shit. Oh, really? And he snapped.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, Trey's homie. We gotta song on Trey. Okay, so here we go. Yeah, BZ hit me up like, hey, you should look into this guy. And I was like, I should have. Yeah, no, he's violent.
SPEAKER_05What I the one verse I heard from him was violent. So yeah, this is Trey Lampkin, greatest rapper.
SPEAKER_10You gotta you gotta you gotta move. I'm the greatest rapper, bitch. I ain't a shooter and I ain't a trapper. Niggas chasing the fame, they say they after. I perfected the crap, they say they master life. To the last bro, wrap this shit up like a lasso. No point in showing me stats, though. Gotta give them what they ask for. The greatest rapper, bitch. I ain't a shooter and I ain't a trapper. Niggas chasing the fame, they say they after. I perfected the crap, they say they master life. You got the food, leave a full of the. Bodies I needed to catch, bro. That's facto. So while I'm proving my point, you feelin' the rumblin' all of your stomach and stump that my presence got the same effects as lactose. I'm asking who want this problem. If you want to smoke, then I got it. About approaching me, you wanna stick it with lacks. Keep all they got it. See, I'm just simply searching for the smoothest build road leading to profits. I got the fever induced the flow with the ghost packers. I'm really a prophet. You gotta move. I'm the greatest rapper, bitch. I ain't a shooter and I ain't a trapper. Niggas chasing the fame, they say they after. I perfected the craft, they say they master like move. To the back, bro, wrap this shit up like a laptop. No point in showing me stats, though. Gotta give them what they ask, though. No point showing me stats. The greatest rapper bitch. I ain't a shooter and I ain't a trapper. Niggas chasing the fame, they say they after. I perfected the craft, they say they master like move. To the back, bro, wrap this shit up like a lapso. No point in showing me stats, though. Gotta give them what they ask, bro. These niggas don't threaten me, that shit is dead to me. I really hope they avoid me well. No Mario car when I see them too good at speedin' off just to deploy them shells. Nigga, I just niggas be very afraid. When I got some leisure, I look for the reaper just so I can stare in his face. He making the allies not up my alley. I'm flying solo just like you Backa do. When you the enemy, the only time you can hang around me is if you gotta news. Name everything, but little fitty carriage and tell me everything that you got to lose. Your pride, your money, your life, and your marriage. If you wanna keep it, then you got it, you gotta move. I'm the greatest rapper, bitch. I ain't a shooter and I ain't a trapper. Niggas chasing the fame they say they after. I perfected the crab, they say they master. Got to move to the back, bro. Wrap this shit up like a lasso. No point in showing me stats, though. Gotta give up what they ask for.
SPEAKER_02Move.
SPEAKER_10That Mario Kart line.
SPEAKER_05Nigga, that's right, man. That Mario Kart part. Fuck with that, fam. I like I like shit with the bop like that, but he you could tell he could rap. Yeah, yeah. You could tell he lyricals fuck with it, but he just watch this, bro. And the way he would do the callback, like he would he did the do a bit three verses too, which I think is uh that's something to point out.
SPEAKER_02That was three verses? That was a third verse right there, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_05I thought he thirds too with that. I thought it was some shit. Either way, that shit was.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, either way, fucking that nigga snap, man.
SPEAKER_05Shout out to Trey Lynn.
SPEAKER_02It might have actually been three versions. I thought there was a third verse on it. Which either way, I was just saying, because he's a third, he's a three-verse rapper. Like he'll do three verses. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_05There are three-verse rappers. That's crazy because that shit is a dead art now, bro. That's what I'm saying. It's a lost art. BZ's the same way. I have to do the third verse. Yeah, yeah. Nah. Ten years plus, bro. Yeah. And I remember we used to do third verses all the time. Four and a half minutes, five minutes long.
SPEAKER_02I'm uh I'm like two in a bridge now, is always it's like two verses in a bridge. And like depending on the song, it'll be it could be eight by a verse. Like, because I want it to be, I'm I'm trying to make the best record.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Shit. Sometimes, like this song I'm about to play for y'all for me, it was one verse. I'm one and I'm not sure. Yeah, for sure, bro.
SPEAKER_04We got gonna kill it and then we're gonna be able to do that's like that's how I used to go into the booth with three verses, and then um when I started recording with icon, he was like, bro, ain't nobody listening now. Not no more, you know, like not the new people you're trying to reach, you know. Maybe the people that you've already got, they're listening to you for that long. But like anybody who's in this new wave of audience, they're not listening past us, you know. And he's like, when you're trying to get songs on like people's um podcasts or the radio stations or their stream, um, you know, their how like we have A Biz and shit, and he has the online radio. Yeah, you know, he's like, they're they're only playing your first verse, you're not gonna hand your hook, maybe, you know.
SPEAKER_05So I do that here a lot. Like sometimes we'll if it's super lit, Ili will be like, nah, let it play. Yeah, yeah. But I try for the most part to do first verse hook, and then I of course, you know what I'm saying? But this attention span shit at this point. They're trained, everybody's trained the fucking 10 seconds here, 10 seconds there.
SPEAKER_02Good thing is you can always post a hot verse like on your on your social. Yeah, post hot verse.
SPEAKER_04And what I find myself doing now is like, I've always I like writing three verses, no hook, you know, because I'm a three-verse rapper. So I just fucking cut out the hook and do my three verses back to back and then just drop it down. They just got one long rap.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I call this 300 bars.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_02Right, game is like four million bars, right?
SPEAKER_05But uh this next one is me, bro. I I I rarely ever played my shit on here, and I just go and I got tired of like trying to fucking pick hometown favorites and shit. Like, I'm like, when you ask me that question, my brain's like, I don't even know who rap's looking at. You know what I'm saying? Which is terrible for being a co-host on the show, but I fuck with y'all, bro. But I'm gonna play one of mine, bro. This is one of my uh favorite records to perform, and uh just the overall dope record. Shout out to Mac Party from AOB, he's on the hook. Uh, and this is called Details. Let's go.
SPEAKER_14Hey, hey, hey.
SPEAKER_11No, I don't hear nothing when niggas is talking no mucks. For me, it's just calling the details, trying to get money. No reason for nothing, my nigga. You better get back up the retail. I gotta get back up to the details. When niggas is talking the books, niggas is calling the details, no reason for the money. You better get back off the retail. But I got it for retail. Had a couple questions, but I had some mess up like I've been gathering intel, nigga.
unknownYou better get that off.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he raps sometimes. No, I mean I seen him rap.
SPEAKER_02I seen him rap, but uh nah, that fla I really love that flow in that verse.
SPEAKER_05You should really see him on Tuesdays. Do me a favor, bro. Do you see if that uh MacBook charges off of it? Is it off of the shit said it's about to die. I'm tripping. Oh, what the fuck? My shit should be plugged in. Appreciate you, bro. I could I could run around there if you need me to, you know.
SPEAKER_04I haven't charged mine in like a month.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you got that new battery. My shit good looking, yo. No, my shit stayful. Real quick, just to talk a little bit of shit, bro. Yeah, niggas ain't catching the uh. I'll be over that shit, bro. Come on, man. I knew that shit very well, fam.
SPEAKER_04The way you flip syllables, bro, is crazy.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, but yeah, uh, shout out to Mac Party, bro. That's one of my I I very rarely, it's crazy because I used to be like a collaborative, uh collaboration monster, bro. Like, let's do it. I'll rap with anybody, and I haven't done it in a long time. But shout out to Mac and anybody who adds to records and they don't even want to like, they don't even care about getting a verse.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05You know, that's like that's a lost art almost too, bro. People be like, no, I gotta get my verse, I want to get my shine. He like, hey, I got this hook, I think you'd be cold on it. Yeah, bro. Are you kidding me? I got this hook, you should rap on it. And I was like, cool. So shout out to uh Mac and people who do shit like that.
SPEAKER_02I think hook legends are like, man, that's a we always remember the hook legends. Nate dog, fucking T-Pain, uh, they're all the hook legends, man.
SPEAKER_05Like, no bullshit. But yeah, man, shout out to the hometown family. Did he produce that? Did he produce that or who produced that? No, that's just uh I think it's just a beat, yeah. That that's another thing, bro. Like, it's crazy because me and Illy have always been even even if we didn't talk to each other back in the day or whatever, we've always been in on the same trajectory almost, you know what I'm saying? Okay, but it's like we're super different though, because like all his music is super fucking original, but he was fucking pressing shit like that. Yeah, yeah, back in the day. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, so this is when nobody was fucking doing this, but look at this. This is the album that we've been talking about, the trifold. Look at this, bro. Look at this CD, bro. We got the the pictures, they got everything. Look at that shit. You know what I'm saying? And I didn't have shit like that, you know what I'm saying? But what I did have was anywhere you looking for a fucking hometown, anything, Milwaukee fam. I was in that bitch. Like, what's up, fam? I'm yeah, we in here. There was a point where we didn't go nowhere less than 30 fucking 25 people deep and shit. Like, you know what I'm saying? So, which was what I appreciated about Jesus' uh big beat. Yeah, yeah. That was very not not that to to say that you don't have your own thing. I'm just saying to me, in my mind, that was super street team reminiscent. Like, yeah, I seen that, I'm like, oh I'm fucking remember that shit, bro. Like, cause he came down the steps and shit, everybody was rocking. That shit was cold, bro. You know what I'm saying? So it was just like a different, yeah. You know, and now we meet, you know, we met up, and now it's just like, you know, that's what like my beats are almost all it was all like that, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Because I can't wait, bro. I can't wait. Let's clean that up now. Let's clean up that. I'll be trying, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just don't be shit. I'm broke, fam. Shit, I got hella kids at the career.
SPEAKER_04I've always had the plug, bro. My brother is a producer. Yeah, his brother's the producer, yeah. So and I I came up around other very, very talented producers, like my homeboy Lance Kane, yeah, probably one of the best producers I know. Um, the guy that mentored me in music, he was a producer/slash rapper, and he was also one of the best producers I know. You know, I recently just started working with Letho. You know, same thing. Uh just the ear for the production has been top tier around the guys that I've I think fortunate enough to be around.
SPEAKER_02One of the better things you can do, especially if you're young and growing as an artist, is like either like have a friend who's also a growing producer, um, or like yourself try to learn how to produce yourself. And that doesn't mean you're gonna be rapping on all your beats, but I think it helps no matter what, honestly. No, I it totally does. Like just doing studio sessions, like like because I did all the I did all the at home and then I went to studios, then back at home, then studios, like just to like learn over these years. Yeah, and that is like you need to do it. It's like going to school, like you need to do that. Like, yeah, and the same thing as learning production, like just helps you like learn the math of how to make a song. No, right.
SPEAKER_05Shout out to my new producer, Suno, bro. Licking ass. Flicking ass, nigga. Hey, bro. They can make some shit, they can have some shit on the shit.
SPEAKER_16Some reference tracks, you can do that. Yeah, no, bullshit. You can make some reference tracks.
SPEAKER_05No, but uh crazy.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so you want you ready to jump into the topics? Yeah, let's move into those these topics. Um, and just so y'all are aware, this is y'all could get in on these two. Once we go ahead and give ours, then we'll open it up to y'all as well.
SPEAKER_05All right, man. This is the first one. The the title of it says Normalize reviewing your homies' music like you review these major label artists.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's funny, that's what we were talking about. You're right.
SPEAKER_05I was saying the topic is gonna.
unknownGod damn.
SPEAKER_01Is reviewing your homie's music the same way you break down track for tracking. So when Jake drops his new project, you're gonna do an esoteric breakdown from the perspective of a fan, a hater, and an indifferent? But when you see your homie drop his mixtape, that shit's gonna get one story repost, maybe. I mean, at least your homie said he would take you with him when he blows up. You're over here carrying water for these major label artists for the ass. If your homie's music is buttons, let him know what he could do better. But if your homie is really cranking, bro, type that man up. If you have a homie that's always been real, tag him in the comments and let him know that we really appreciate you. Can we normalize reviews?
SPEAKER_05Is he an artist? Is he an artist too? Do you know how he's gonna be able to do it? I don't I don't know, maybe I'm guessing. I'm guessing.
SPEAKER_04There's a piano right there. He gotta be gotta be.
SPEAKER_05He's getting shit off his chest at that point. How do you feel about that though?
SPEAKER_02I think there's there's definitely some truth to um the time that we'll spend on uh on anything that's popular, right? Anything that's like popular and people tell you to spend time on it, uh, we will and we'll listen to it. I want to shout out uh East Side Vibes is a local uh local music or home town Milwaukee blog. Okay. Um and he is like so impressive with how he breaks down legitimately every track. Like um, so like there still is people who do it. Like, but yeah, I I think it would I think first of all, to our point earlier about like watching the sensitivity. You know, some artists are sensitive. Like, I and I understand it's something that's personal, so it's like trying to tiptoe that line, but you can do if you listen to somebody's whole project and then gave them honest feedback, like I think the the compliment is they listen to your whole project. Yeah, like that's a compliment in itself, right? Like, so you gotta take everything else. It's like if you want to learn and grow, like you gotta be able to take this.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, um, so yeah, yeah, we gotta and that goes over so many fucking people's heads when you give them constructive criticism about their project. You know, it's like motherfucker, I just wasted a uh hour listening to that project, right? And you're telling me I can't have a fucking opinion about what I just listened to, yeah. You know what I'm saying? And and I I shouldn't share that. Like, at least I'm sharing it with you and not telling everybody else, like, hey, this shit was trash. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_05Which you should, you should. If you feel that way, you should say that for you.
SPEAKER_13Yeah, you better tell them what the fuck is going on. Yeah, you want them to be like what the fuck going on if that's your ass is ass.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you don't want you don't want people to embarrass. Or like he said, if it's buns, yeah, he's like, but he he would he was coming from another perspective that I wasn't expecting him to, and he's basically saying, like, let's say your homie's music isn't trash, yeah. I give it the same attention you would the a major artist, you know, when they drop Diggs' post of statuses. Oh, I feel like he did this, and when he was a kid, this happened, and this is why he said it on this song. Like, you know, that's the real point. That's the real point that was. That's actually weird. I didn't know that. I I just caught it when he was rapping or when he was in the beginning. I totally agree. It's like, yeah.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, yeah. Like like artists drop music, and I'm like, all right, that's cool, right? Yeah. My friend dropped the album and started breaking. I don't know what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_02Let's go. Yeah, yeah. That and that's what he's trying to speak to. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05That's what's up. That's what's up.
SPEAKER_09That and it doesn't do well. Like, you know that's doing well.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you it's already has the motion it's supposed to, and then you're going on there like he they're gonna see it personally. Hey, bro, this shit is cold or whether you think it's not cold, whatever. But he's basically like saying, Hey, give your guy. So to me, there's certain things that make shit real, and I hate saying it like the word real, because it's not I'm not saying that what people are doing is fake, but there's certain things like like you could be selling fucking burgers out your fucking side door at your house and you're not a real restaurant, you know what I'm saying? It's when you have an establishment and you're cooking the food there and people are pulling up to buy. Now it's a restaurant. So as an artist, when you got the fucking reviews coming in, you know, that's a part of being, oh now I'm a real artist because people are talking about my shit, and this is something that happens from being a real yeah, again, I'm using that term loosely and but it's a a real, you know, and no for 100%. But it makes you feel like you're actually doing what you're supposed to be doing in that space.
SPEAKER_02I that's a great point. And also to like, look, to the average, like I think they said like 70% of artists are under 50 listeners on Spotify or something like that. Yeah, so monthly listeners. So if you're like going by that metric, like you could also be the reason that they make their next album. Yeah, like if you if you actually listened to the whole project or whatever and gave them that feedback, like I don't you might be the reason. You might are a huge factor in them being like, okay, well, somebody took the time to do that. Like, that means there's some value to it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and you could also help the trajectory of where that album goes. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? And like the quality of music that they put out, what the sound might be, damn near they might shout you out for fucking creating a thought in their mind that helped them take that album somewhere. Oh no, and another thing that I fucking I've always like hated is like people who like they'll dick ride bars from like these famous artists, you know, and then it's like you know, they got people that they're in close proximity with that are also artists, and they don't ever like like say a clever quote from their friend and shit like that. And it's like, dog, you your boy be spitting.
SPEAKER_05You know, it's like you ain't listening to any of the shit he said, like, but you know, like for example, like you said, that's when I be knowing my guys is my guys, fam, and they fuck with my shit. Cause I'll be just fucking around and I think nine was the last one that my shout out to my guy nine, but he says something about details. Or he he's always like one of the main ones we'll be talking, and it'll be something that has to do with it. And he'll be like, Yeah, you gotta pay attention to the details. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02He'll say something like that, and he'll look at me like okay, you listening to us, these are all the things about like about like then feeling like oh you you're an artist because like these things are a real artist now. Yeah, these things come up, and you're actually making me talking like that, you're actually making me feel better about what we've done with Passion Park and stuff like that. Because I actually think a lot of us, we all kind of we know each other's songs, like we sing each other's songs at our shows and shit. Like, it's actually just seeing the heart.
SPEAKER_05That's something that I admire about y'all. Yeah, y'all.
SPEAKER_04Sitting right there as y'all playing the songs that you're gonna do. He thinks it's the behind camera light.
SPEAKER_05Like, no, that's one thing I definitely admire about how y'all uh have been moving as of late, fam. I fuck with that. Y'all, you know, uh you you be doing that. Uh Spades has been doing a really good job. Smacky Town has been doing a super good job at uh doing that. Yeah, like he'll go and all everybody, they're all artists and shit, but the whole campus singing everybody's shit.
SPEAKER_09You know, crazy setting where everybody like knows each other's shit. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And now let like now, let's say I didn't know y'all at all, and I walked into a spot. Right. And it doesn't matter which one of y'all three is rapping, but everybody else is rapping along. I'm like, oh, maybe I should check this out. And word of mouth multiplies fast as fuck. One person tells five people, five people tell five people, that's the fucking 50 people right here.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, 100%.
SPEAKER_05You know what I mean? So let's move on to the next one, man. The last topic of the day. We got a few minutes left.
SPEAKER_02He said if it's buns, it's buns.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, if it's buns, it's buns, fam. Niggas be mad as hell.
SPEAKER_04That shit was crazy, dog. Say buns.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that should be funny. I told you, bro, I had a review one time, dog. It was just like this Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia ass nigga, bro. He was like, and I and I submitted my shit to get reviewed, bro. And this nigga literally was like, Man, this shit is asshole, man. Just like that. This shit is asshole, man. Asshole. I'm like, damn, I shit asshole, nigga. That's it. That's the first time. Hey, shout out to people who do that though. Yeah, I hate yes men, and people you don't even know these days be yes man, just to kind of participation trophy your way into some shit. Yeah, yeah. Just to be a part, hey, yeah, everything. I'm cool with everybody. There's there's no such thing as bad music, it's an artist. Nah, there's a fucking such thing, bro.
SPEAKER_02Not not to spend too much time on this, I know we gotta keep going, but I there is one contradictory point, would be that don't take constructive criticism from people who like don't construct shit.
SPEAKER_05Like, yeah, peer reviews matter. What what level your peers on matters when you're getting the review, right?
SPEAKER_02Right, right, right. Yeah, because it because it does matter because like there's people who I mean, look, music is subjective, right? So it's not so there, yeah, definitely is like you don't want to fuck about the sound that you're creating yourself either because you're listening too much, right?
SPEAKER_05Exactly. Yeah, if you if you got somebody who's never made music a day in their life and they're like, hey, right, you fucking suck and you're like, okay, but everybody else is saying I'm decent. Don't read it. Oh, I'm gonna I'm gonna believe I'm decent, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, but now if you've fucking been doing this for four years straight, you got Grammys and you're fucking doing all this crazy shit. Listen to what they have to say. And they're like, hey, you know, maybe you should work on that.
SPEAKER_04Oh man, you're fucking hating on it, bro. But also to add on to what you said, like, you know, don't listen to people who don't construct shit. Construction doesn't only mean right music, you know, like no, and these people fucking, yeah. If they build something or they have some type of artist's eye, yeah, you know, you should probably look into what they're saying because you know, while they're doing whatever their art is, they probably listen to music in the background. Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_05So success is intersectional too, bro.
SPEAKER_02By the way, no, I think I just I think, yeah, exactly. And I that's exactly the point is to be like, you look, people, there's people you basically just don't listen to like losers. It's like what you don't you're like dude. It's like, and I actually think there's a point in your career where you should pretty much shouldn't listen to much because you shouldn't be cultivating whatever it is that's happening. It's gonna mess with your art for sure.
SPEAKER_05Yes, but if a thousand niggas tell you you buns.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you say, yeah, yeah, yeah, right, right, right. Figure something out. Figure something out.
SPEAKER_05A thousand people tell you you buns, you buns. Right. Right. All right, no, but let's let's close this out, bro. Right. This is just a clip of uh this really like uh aside from music, but could be you know integrated into some music culture type shit. But let's watch this.
SPEAKER_13We are cash to late.
SPEAKER_06Oh, nah, that's a bunch of them over there. I should probably go back.
SPEAKER_07Who the fuck is that nigga? Who is this nigga? Who is this? Who the frick is that? I don't even know what's up with the woman. Damn. I knew I should have just taken ass home and stayed out.
SPEAKER_06Who the fuck is this nigga right here? Nah, what the fuck is this nigga walking on about? Damn, they already show me though. So if I walk back, they don't think I'm soft, it's gonna be off. Just have to walk through these. Make sure you're somewhat looking at them, but not for too long. That'll be an issue, but also don't not not look at them because that singles that you saw for me, it'll also buy an issue. Not looking back. Get your hands out your pockets. Get your hands out your pockets. You crazy? You crazy? Don't give him a reason to fuck with you. Moment of truth. I hope Homie good, because he might get fucking fried already.
SPEAKER_07Boy, about to get his shit broke over here.
SPEAKER_06Baby bro, don't fold. Don't fold, dog. You're doing good. God is with you. Keep going. You're almost there. You almost there.
SPEAKER_07Damn, I hope they don't try to beat this nigga up. You good, homie. You better keep it moving though. He don't even look like he's trying to harm anyone. God, please don't let any other things out of the way. You know I'm trying to do that.
SPEAKER_06You almost did. You almost did. I ain't gonna lie, though. That jacket is choked. There you go. That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about, boy. Good job. Relax, calm down. You can breathe. You survive for the moment. Take a moment to breathe, sturdy up though, because we're gonna have to go about three or four more blocks until we reach our destination. More than likely, we're gonna have to go through this all over again.
SPEAKER_05All right, show of hands, bro. Who's that who's ever felt that way, fam? The nigga walking through.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, you move for the little thing.
SPEAKER_05Hell yeah. That shit is like that shit is crazy, bro. Every day. And as funny as it is, it's really low-key, some traumatic shit. Yeah, that you shouldn't have to live your life that way, especially around people that look like you. But you know, that's like the deeper side of it, but that's fucking hilarious. Oh, that's a great skip. Yeah, that was hilarious, bro.
SPEAKER_13I was sitting in New York, it was really like that.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it was really like that. New Jersey, New York, it's so many people, bro. I could never live there, man. Every time I go to New York, I get anxiety because that shit is fucking terrible.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, when I was in LA, when I was in LA for a little bit, I'm like that. It was just like I was a skateboarder, so I was kind of good.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, they ain't really fucking with me, I'm a skateboarder.
unknownYou know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_09Yeah, yeah. Like it was a different atmosphere.
unknownLike when I walk around Milwaukee, like I'm cool over here. Like, I get along with everybody.
SPEAKER_05So this is this is the problem, fam. This is the problem with this shit, bro. The problem is that that conditioning comes from a long, long, long time of being fucked out of everything you could possibly fucking have in your life, fam. You know what I'm saying? And then that's like generational, it passes through generations of people, hundreds of years, bro, it has been happening. You don't got shit, you'll never be shit, you'll never have shit. And then anybody that comes over here could take your shit. And then that turned into it could be anybody that looks like you, anybody doesn't look like you, anything. But this also fucked up. This also just speaks to male pride, though. Like a lot of people, also, yeah, also testosterone running through motherfuckers, and they're like, hey, like, but that that I got the thing on me part.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05That's it's unnecessary. I got that thing on me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but it was necessary to paint the full picture.
SPEAKER_04It was necessary to paint the full picture, you know. And that's what's crazy, is because you know, a lot of times there's no need for shit to go left, and there's motherfuckers that's looking to take shit left, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, you know, and it's like y'all be like, homie and shit, like you can't turn back because they they better think you saw, and they might even fucking follow your ass.
SPEAKER_05But don't not not look, because then they're gonna think you saw.
SPEAKER_02I thought he was about to do something funny at the end. Like, as you made it to the end, I thought some shit was funny as it.
unknownThat was the really shit.
SPEAKER_04So yeah, I just I thought that was. No, that's a funny ass. That that shit's funny.
SPEAKER_05It it does have a fucked up uh undernote, like an under connotation of some fucked up shit, but it's true, very true. And uh I think it sucks that it has to be like that. But we all like as cultures, we're so different.
SPEAKER_09Like we throughout the world, right? Like there's so many different cultures like uh we're like we we all right.
SPEAKER_04Well that and that's a big thing too, is America is one of the places that has the least exposure to the rest of the world. Like, you know, other countries and shit, like it's maybe like a 30-minute flight or drive to like a totally different culture, you know. So it's like, yeah, and you know, uh other places, other countries, they they'll take a weekend and fly to another place and then fly back, you know, like we would like we would fly to California or something. Yeah, yeah. It's a big country, so you go you know, but it's like it's just the US has gotten every place is the same, but every place is different, but it's like the lingo and shit is the same, and like what we what they propagandize on television and shit's all the same for all of us and shit.
SPEAKER_02The same national news is the same thing.
SPEAKER_05The dream is the same, like American dream, everywhere is supposed to be, you know, nice out suburbs.
SPEAKER_02Feels different in North Dakota, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_05But uh hell yeah. Well, for one side for sure. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no kidding. No, but uh shout out to the uh the people who make it through shit like that, bro.
SPEAKER_04So just give it a shout out to everybody from the hood. Yeah, um, David, again, bro, thank you very much for uh coming on the pod, bro, and just sharing your journey with us, bro, and you know, everything that you're a part of, sharing the uh uh Passion Park Fest. You know, that's something that I'm looking forward to checking out. Um, it's gonna be my first time there. So come on, man.
SPEAKER_02We're gonna it's gonna be a great time. No, I thank you guys for having me, man. For real. Like, I appreciate it. I'll come back anytime. Uh just being able to share any of this stuff. It's important to me, as you guys can see. So it matters.
SPEAKER_05You know, you're good at what you do, bro. I told you before, bro. You're good at the fucking promotion of it. You you be doing your shit. First time I ever seen you, you was performing at it. So yeah, salute to you, bro. You do your shit.
SPEAKER_02Well, I'm very impressed with how this podcast is going. So I I I'm wishing you guys all the best, man. For real. I I see big things here.
SPEAKER_05No, that's what's up, though. Before before we leave, though, I need you to uh denounce Chicago.
SPEAKER_04I know that. Go bears, baby, baby. That brings me back to a thought that I was having when you first mentioned it. Um I got a homeboy at the gym, and when uh the Bears had beat the Packers. Yeah, yeah. Talk about it. That nigga came with a big ass bears chain in the bear gear. Yeah, he was in the gym, like lifted, and he was like, Nope, I'm keeping this shit on the whole workout.
SPEAKER_02I feel you did you guys see the bear song I had that went viral in the podcast? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's I mean, I'm sorry, I don't want to bring it up. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, no.
SPEAKER_04Right, right. Get out of here. But um, also, thank you guys for joining as well, man. We appreciate it meeting you guys. Um, and we look forward to having you guys on the pod as well soon. So uh definitely be uh making sure you check your inboxes because you know one of us will be sending you an inbox to kind of line that up. Um, and with that being said, that concludes this episode of the R414 Podcast brought to you by Illy, Street Team Hectic, Third War Studios, SG Films, and our guest for episode 32, David Lopez. Appreciate y'all, Passion Park, baby. Come to Passion Park Fest. If you haven't already, we encourage you to take a moment to subscribe to our channel, like this video, and leave us a comment about the topic that interests you the most. Thank you for watching and come back for the next episode of the R414 Podcast.
SPEAKER_05Don't not not look, nigga.
SPEAKER_16Let's go.
