Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?
The show starts in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go!
This is a Chah production.
Good afternoon on this Sunday afternoon. I see two wise, sexy gentlemen in front of me.
What's going on A.M.? What's going on Candy? How we doing? We the Twisted Critics.
We here. We in here. It's good to see Candy... Candy, I missed you.
Likewise brother. It's been a minute.
I definitely wanted you in the Grammy episode. That was a lot of fun, but I think we're going to have equally amount of fun in this one.
Really good special guests. I've known them for about nine years.
Joe Simmons, aka KiLowKey, about to blow up production wise, really big this year.
So let's dive right into it. So what are we?... We are the Twisted Critics.
We're the biasedly-unbiased brothers across the U.S. who dig music and music business.
Twisted Critics originally began as me and my cousin Tony Ganja in 2018, relaunched with these two knuckleheads and co-hosts Rapper A.M. and Candelario.
A.M. and I are active artists ourselves and the three of us are collaborators, radio reviewers, friends and current business execs for Hear My Voice Entertainment and Publishing.
Our Twisted Critics podcast also will be doing virtual events and curating VIP playlists on Spotify all this year to better help promote our guests and enjoy the other songs that we really, really want to get out there.
From both good and bad experience alike in the rap game, industry jobs and the questions and misinformation that we've heard at music conferences.
We remember what it's like starting out. The mistakes and being told false information everywhere you ask.
So we try to provide direct answers, correct business practices, clear legal steps and resources.
It's our mutual love though for all our weekly calls, our Ear for Urban Music, our mathematical eyes on radio charts, our reviews for the labels, our heated song debates, our guests and our solidarity and sharing a few drinks to build this therapeutic, productive and often wild platform for y'all to check out.
If nothing else, tune in with an open mind, a full glass to enjoy an informative, entertaining, twisted vibe and you might learn something. I know I do every time. Please be interactive and sending questions via our social medias or email will give you advice and a shout out on air.
Us three are believers in the motto, a drunk man or woman tells no lies and how we can equally be helpful and entertaining.
We like to call it... education through inebriation.
Hell yeah.
All right. So now that they know who the twisted critics are, let's dive into each of ourselves really quickly.
I'm Doc J real name Joselito Del Valle. I'm 40 something-something. I am the mutt from another place. I'm part Puerto Rican, part Italian, part Slovakian.
I was born in New York, but lived most of my life in Florida, about 28 years in South Florida.
And now I live in central Florida with my wife in Clermont and I work at the Kissimmee Courthouse. I have a degree in copyright trademark law and civil engineering. I interned at three record labels, Sony Music, Atlantic Records and most recently Epic Records. And I've worked for Mediabase since October 2018. I review music. I'm a writer. I'm an artist myself.
But other than that, kind of like my boy AM says, I'm a husband and a father first.
And then everything else comes after that. Got my best friends, got my family. You guys are my family.
And I just hope this year that we can sprinkle our music way out there, just like the music we're reviewing right now.
And you already know what it is. We are definitely going to work.
Ariene Miller, rapper AM, angry man. I'm a father first, like he said. I'm an artist second, photographer third.
We're not listing these things like that. I'm a fighter lover. All of these things.
I've been writing for a long time, poetry. I am also, this is my third podcast that I work on. I'm actively working on two podcasts.
I do A&R work for Hear My Voice Entertainment. I also do radio reviews with Doc and Candy and the entire unit.
I'm a dancer. I do a whole lot. I got a lot of hats. I graduated from Morgan State with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
And that's me in a nutshell. I do a whole lot, a whole lot. But like he said, dad first before you know anything about me.
Candy, what's up?
So my name is Candelario Villarreal. I reside in Brownsville most of my life.
I just love being the center of attention, networking with people. I'm a father figure. I'ma list some things like AM. I'm a father figure.
You know, first of all, I'm a lover. I'm too sweet in the streets, extra spicy in the sheets.
You know, I think I'm a learner above all. I love to learn. I love to add to my repertoire of things that make me human.
And I'm here doing a podcast with these guys and I love it.
That's what's up. So if anything, before we get into anything, the reason why we are Twisted Critics is people that love drinking, you know what I'm saying?
So I'm going to ask y'all boys before we do our solidarity salute and I'm going to teach you guys a new word.
If you don't know it, I asked my sister-in-law, Saki. She's from Japan. And the version of "Salud" for them is compaye.
I added that to the to the repertoire as well. So compaye. But so Candy, what are you drinking on, my boy?
So I'm not roasted again. I'm drinking a Tequila. So it's a nice little bottle for my birthday.
So I'll be taking shots with and since my liver is a little hurt from this weekend, shot outs to Sombrero Fest, I'm drinking this little fruity drink, Simply Spiked.
That's what's up. That's what's up.
Hey, Am, what you drinking on, Am?
Yeah, what you drinking on, bro?
I got two things that I got my 10th. I've been drinking on 10th Ward for the last two years that we've been doing this show.
Since the first episode, I finished the cans. I finished the other bottles. This right here is gin.
The other one here is also gin. I drink gin. If you must know what I drink, I drink gin. Sponsor me.
And then me, what I'm drinking on is I'm going to have some Spiced Bacardi. That'll be my mixed drink with some some Coke and I got a lemon with it.
In the case that we have to take shots, you know, this WFW thing that we deal with, I got some Tito's Vodka still about one third of the bottle.
So I'll be taking shots of that because it's one of the more smoother Vodka's out there.
I don't know if I have the voice of Am to do this, but radio sponsorships, you know, it's one of the smoothest Vodka's out there.
All right. So if that's the case, do me one favor and pour yourselves up a shot right now so we can get because I have a feeling me and AM are going to be drinking candy.
We need to get your liver messed up. So this up.
Hear this sound.
And for our special guest from since he is from Georgia when my wife and I travel, we try to get a shot glass from everywhere I've been at.
So I have a Georgia shot glass.
Well, it's pretty sweet, speaking of Georgia. My Simply Spiked is peach.
Hey, there you go.
All right, so candy. Take it away. Let's dive into this WFW since we brought this devilish word up.
I think you brought this devilish word up man to be honest, but I did.
As always us, we see critics try to make sure the guests ourselves and you listeners break the ice get comfortable, get loose and have fun by using our little torturous banana peel buzzword each episode.
We like to call it the WFW, which is the wrong fucking word of the week. My koozie is fine.
Official.
I saw that had to buy it was like four bucks. That's funny. Let's go. Every time someone slips up and says it. We all take shots no questions asked.
It's your turn Doc, to pick it... We all read our guest shows bio, and we know about his production placements and his hustle. So what kind of evil term, have you been thinking of the message with our afternoons, this stuff.
All right, so, I mean I've known this cat for like nine years, and he somehow finessed his way to take a ticket from someone else from here my voice to go to his very very first conference with me. So I think it's only right I can see him get a little stupid, other than a photo that I've saved from like seven years ago of him passed out in the chair.
I've never seen it messed up so my choice for the WFW for this week, and this episode is Atlanta, and it could be any iteration of Atlanta at the a dot I don't care what he says you know the a it's all and over all taking shots.
I don't know why you gotta do that to us. Yeah, I mean, I mean with that being said, it's going to jump on to segment three time capsule.
So let's turn the clock back a little bit. This will consist of dates, three three to three nine so first let's take a quick look into those days throughout all of our TV and music history.
First and foremost, let's give props and pay some respect to those who have passed on and aren't here anymore to receive the flowers we're about to give them. We only have five but in my opinion it's five too many.
So I'm gonna kick things off right now on March 4 bankroll fresh from Georgia, passed away in 2016. Also March 4 john candy dope comedian legend passed away unfortunately from a heart attack in 1994.
March 8. We have Sir George Martin who passed away in 2016. Also March 8 we have all we knew or who passed away in 2021 and everyone knows that the greatest rapper of all time down on March 9. That's notorious big in 1997.
I'm gonna kick that off to everybody there I mean john candy was my childhood I going back all the way to like, oh man even the cool runnings, I like Jamaica we get a bobsled team that was one of my favorite things that he was in Sir George Martin is basically
historically known as the fifth beetle he like produced and co wrote everything they had on their first five albums. Really. Yep. And then like he said greatest rapper of all time died on March 9, me being born in New York biggie was definitely an inspiration and just to see him come
and take over the whole rap game like that and you know the war back and forth with him and Pac but oh man miss everybody on that list honestly, so.
Alright, so now that we missed everyone on a much happier note let's now celebrate the birthdays for all the Pisces crew out there, candy why don't you start us off.
So this week we got a lot so let me start with the big V day shout outs for Camila Cabello March 3 27 also on March 7 we got a little flip shout out Texas.
Turning 58. We got Kay Michelle 3042. Evie Queen turning 52. Graham Poova turning 58 and then Papoose turning 46. We got Eva Mendez turning 49 actually looks good for 49 right. Yes, yes.
We got, but we got a Tina Marie turning 68 also rest in peace. And we got Floyd Williamson turning 85. He looks good. He looks good for 85 he's always been in the juxtaposition like also black black black.
And then what's funny is Eva Mendez, my entire like high school to college years I thought she was like the hottest person on the planet until I found out that she got with Ryan Gosling, and they have like a kid together and I'm like, why is she with this white boy.
So following him up which I can't do but following candy up I have the middle set for birthdays so I must say happy birthday to Tyler the creator March 6 turn 33 Socrates representing t dot March 6 turns 46 bubble sparks coming out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Oopsie.
No, early.
Early. Salud, come by to my boys.
Oh, all right, bubble sparks representing Georgia, March 6 turns 47. Beanie Seagull Philly Philly March 6 turns 50 big Shaquille O'Neal Shaq diesel March 6 turns 52. DL Hughley March 6 turn 60. Very, very, very special birthday wish to Barbara Davaye my mother, mama doc March 6 turn 65.
Sylvia Robinson she's the woman that started she made the first label for the first rap song ever to come out in the history of rap sugar hill gang sugar hill records March six she would have been 88 she passed away unfortunately.
Another major shout out an important birthday is Alessandra Cano March 726 that is Mrs. Candelario his girlfriend representing her big time. Chris Calico March 750 Wanda Sykes comedian star March 7 turns 59 and Ernie Isley from the Isley brothers March 7 turns 72.
I'm not going to say last but certainly not least outcome up the rear, like I usually do with the final three or third for birthdays. So we have Tobi Ngagwe, it's my man, March 8 he'll be 37 Benny Blanco March 8 it's going to be 38 Apathy also one of my man's March 8 it's going to be 45 Leon Leon is going to be 61 March 8 we have YG, one of my other man's, he's hilarious.
It's going to be 34 March 9 Bowie Z will be 37 on March 9, Ching E Ching Ling will be 43 on March 9 Sean Garrett will be 45 March 9 AZ 52 lights with what then you die see murder see murder see murder 53 March 9 we have Ornette Coleman last but not least and we're going to say rest in peace would have been
34 March 9. Man we just went through 34 birthdays that's nuts so there's a lot of birthdays for this episode but we got the preparation out of the way we got the happiness we got the sadness we got the props we got the flowers of the way so let's dive right into
the hot seat for. All right man we are in the hot seat segment for. So, I'm excited doc for today's hot seat. So please reach out and get your producer homie on the line. By the way my girl says thank you for the birthday wishes. I just sent a snapchat of it.
Oh, that's what's up. She's very welcome.
Alright so Joe got the link now. Did I'm letting him in. Joe are you in here with us can you hear us bro. Yeah, can you hear me. We hear you loud and clear man.
Hey Twisted Critics how are you feeling today. I'm feeling good man I've been drinking a little bit already. Oh yeah. We do things a little differently around here right am. Yes we apologize beforehand you're going to be a deep read it but by the time you're
finished. I appreciate that. Hold up. Hold up. Let's make it feel more official let's do it right back you already know what you have to do you got to do your introduction. All right. All right. So I'm going to do this now so on the spot, try and look this bio right before
I get him in here so this is my boy Joe Simmons aka Kelo Key. I go way back to when he was a little snot nose kid named Jay nasty living in Rossville Georgia, but like right on the borderline of Chattanooga Tennessee.
It's like a stone throw away if you actually like trip and fall when you're intoxicated you might be in Tennessee. He doesn't he wears a handful of hats he does studio engineering he's a well regarded producer.
He even song writes and has his own records are floating around out there I think one even about his son but not many people know about them yet so I mean that's who he is comes from a very mixed background parents divorce but both parents kind of influence the music he
has and kind of like you am like he's the same way he's a father first he's got motif. Yeah, I mean I'm bringing to the table man I hope I did a good job introducing you so you know take the spot to introduce yourself if I left anything out.
No man that's that's that's pretty much it.
I go by kilo. I've been doing music production for over 10 years now and recording and mixing for like eight years, and I have really big plans.
I wasn't allowed to talk about the big plans before the show but I'm happy with this got delayed because now we can let that dog off the leash and talk all about them but let me dive right into this real quick I want to get everyone get to know you.
We're gonna have a couple drinking games with this but I want you to have fun with this so let me start this interview you are in the hot seat. You must answer these questions we're about to ask you but have some fun with it tell some stories.
So, right off the bat very first question Rossville Georgia isn't a typically known vacay spot or hot location. So describe your city to me its personality and is there even a music scene there.
Yeah, so Rossville Georgia is in some ways like the black sheep of Chattanooga or something that's just a little small, small town, not a lot of fancy stuff here.
You know it's just a little town on the outskirts of Chattanooga so like just like any of the other surrounding cities like any anywhere you live around Chattanooga like Chattanooga is the main place to go to do anything.
And as far as like a music scene. There are like a few rappers that are actually like in the Chattanooga area that are from Rossville, you know, I guess you could say a very small music scene but it's all, you know, more so LinkedIn with Chattanooga itself.
So, right before you get onto your question I just want to ask one thing man so we got a little saying, what you drinking on. That's right.
I'm Jim being vanilla bro. Yeah, I like I like vanilla flavored liquors. I like to make some with sprite but usually I just drink straight shots, I really would drink anything bro but if I'm going to liquor store that's when I'm grabbing something, something vanilla
so you'll be welcome to sip along the entire show with us you'll see me doing that the whole show but when something pops up which is called the WFW wrong fucking word of the week for this episode, you'll have to take some shots and I have a very special shot glass for you
in case we have to. Yeah, I like that. I like that I heard about the Georgia shot glass. Yeah.
All right, so I know nothing about Chattanooga, but I find the name very entertaining. My question is actually a lot more similar than that and I thought it was going to be but what is your favorite thing about Chattanooga.
What is your least favorite thing about Chattanooga, and is there a difference in the music scene from there in comparison to Rossville. I love Chattanooga. I really do I've been, I've been quite a few places in my life, and it's just like the perfect in between
a big city in a small city. Favorite thing about Chattanooga. I mean I've been here since I was a kid I just love the city all around least favorite thing about Chattanooga.
We really can't have no clubs out here because everybody wants to get crunk, you know, kind of end up shutting down all our clubs pretty quick it's a pretty rowdy city sometimes you know.
As far as like the music scene situation. Like I say it's all more so blended towards Chattanooga like nobody would say, I can't say nobody because I got a close homie of mine.
Oh gee, I work with him a lot on music he actually is from Rossville and he'll shout Rossville out every time we do a song you feel me so it's like I can't say that there's no scene but like you know in this area it's all kind of directed towards Chattanooga music.
So in this comic book we call life. What's one superpower you would pick, and if you had a superpower would you be here or a villain and why.
Boy, that's a tough one bro.
I definitely, I can I can go ahead and jump to the end of that question I definitely would not be a villain.
I'm not I'm not a hateful person bro you know I think I'd be trying to do some good things and right thing.
I probably would just like to fly dog. You know what I mean. I'll just take that I'd be cool to just fly wherever I need to go you know I'm saying, and just be a simple superhero.
I'd be a villain straight up bro.
Why bro.
Bro, because, like, who are the good guys there's no good guys out here. You know you got a good heart though the one thing is I can't see you being a bad guy. I've been more like an anti hero for sure.
Yeah, sounds like a Taylor Swift record.
I'm too much an empath I would try to be a bad guy but you guys, I think every single one of you here in this room actually has called me at least past midnight at least once in your life and I will answer my phone and help y'all out so I can pretend I'll be a bad guy but I'm a superhero all the way.
All right, so I'm gonna take the next question I go way back with this motherfucker here. Like I said he was not key low key he was Jay nasty that's I think I even beat disk that actually has that written on it.
Decades later you've grown up into this newer name that you have now though can you tell us about the multiple meanings of it and the depth that you have behind it.
I'm gonna start with Jay nasty bro.
Jay nasty. This is pretty funny but I went out with my I was younger I was probably like, you know, 15 years old. I went out to like Buffalo Wild Wings with my mom my stepdad and his friend, and his friend had like a big personality so I guess some lady walked by and he just grabbed
me and said, have you met my friend right here. I want to introduce you to Jay nasty and I was like oh snap you know so like years later when I started to make beats I was like I'm going by Jay nasty bro, you know.
Right.
And you know, I don't know I had a tag that went with it that a lot of people still to this day like they're like bro you got to bring that old producer tag back and I'm like no I'm past that you know, key low key.
And really, really what happened was I found out there was another producer in Atlanta literally named Jay nasty.
Hold on hold on hold on hold on.
Sorry, is it the is it the word bro. Oh the W. Yeah, I thought I was supposed to be informed.
It's no fun if we tell you.
The W of W of the week for you that it was my fault I tailor made it for you is any iteration of Atlanta if you say the a atl or Atlanta we all are taking shots the rest of the show.
I say bro, you said Atlanta.
I said Atlanta. How did I say Atlanta.
In English I promise.
What I was talking about. Oh, I said there was another producer in that place.
Yes, please. So Joe with that.
Pull out your shot glass with it.
Let me know we're going to teach you we're going to teach you three versions of salute here so by the way here's the, the Georgia shot glass.
My got my little nice Georgia peach to represent, you know where you're coming from and talking about but us minority folks usually say salute.
If you're from the island you also say salute. If you're from Japan you say come by. And if you're Viking you say skull. So we got like three if you wanted to say one of those but salute to your boys represent I'm so happy you drink it with us bro.
Boom. I know what we're not to say.
No, no, the funny story is I'm the one that picked the word and I already said it. So I, we had to take a shot because of me already so.
Oh, in the in the in the first couple segments. Yes. So it's an easy word to mess up on for damn sure. So, okay. All right, back to the story.
So there was a, there was another producer named Jay nasty, and he was he lived south of me in an area that I visit frequently. And he was a white guy with tattoos, and I was just like well bro like I got to do something you know and I was probably like four years five years in on production
time. And so I was really thinking hard like what am I gonna, I mean you know, but I like kilo because kilo like obviously could be like dope, you know I mean, kilo key dope keys, low key dope like a couple different ideas I had with it but I just thought the name in general sounded cool
and somebody could take from it whatever they wanted to take from it you know, but he looked he turned out to be good now here's the unfortunate thing there's another producer in the same label as me, that's named kilo K I L O space keys, and I'm like bro.
Come on, what the heck, but, and I know I had it first bro because when I looked I googled and I searched this thing everywhere like nobody had it.
I even hit this random dude up on Twitter who had the, the, the at kilo key, like literally my name he was just like a random person and I was like bro can I please get this you know and he's like yeah bro you got it I'll change mine.
So this is where you got a homeboy that you can call, you need to come up with a finalized logo you're good for the rest of your life copyright that and then within 12 months of you having business come in and out, I would follow that trademark so in this way no one else can take that name from you.
Thank you. I do have a, I do have a logo you can't really see it but it's actually hand drawn up there, and I actually have the like the, I do need to get more into the business LLC situation, all those things because I have a homie who also stays south of me in an area that I visit frequently.
He forgot where I was going with that bro.
I have the same names. So what you were talking about is you were talking about Atlanta, Georgia.
Oh, legal bro.
Hey look, y'all know what's gonna happen to me right now. I'm gonna have to go next door and get a bottle for my alcoholic sister because he keeps fucking with me that already.
I just need I need. I only listen Joe. Yes, I've got one picture that you sent to me.
Seven years ago you passed out in the chair. I sent you that. Yes.
And I was like one day I want to get him that messed up if he ever comes down to Florida, and this is the next best thing. So, salute, come by, love you boys. I don't see that messed up bro I'm a real drinker.
That's a fucking menace right now. I'm a menace I think to get I need them to catch up to us.
Anyways, your people down south that you visit. I brought Mars up but there was a reason I brought him up and I can't wait I don't remember what we talked about directly. You had the same name.
It was after that. Yeah. Oh my homie my homie Mars he has an LLC. And so like when he goes to LA and things like that. He, he basically would just write off all his expenses as far as stays go like obviously you have to spend that money but then again you can.
If you are somebody who lives basically just off your music income or your royalties, you know you can kind of break even on taxes with that situation so that's why I was saying I need to get kind of like more acclimated to the LSC situation and copyright my logo and things
like that. Definitely LLC and then an EIN tax number and kind of like what you're saying for your friend as long as you can justify it to the IRS, it's a deduction against your taxes so yeah definitely.
I am your turn.
So I know I'm ready this time doc was showing us pictures of motif this week. So as a producer slash songwriter that having your son, make you change up your process at all.
First of all, I appreciate that question. I think that's awesome question. When you bring up my son but.
So, when he was when she was pregnant before he was here I was just like stressed out thinking like, am I still going to be able to stay as dedicated with my craft. I guess before you have a child you have a lot of a lot of things that scare you or worry you
like am I gonna be able to switch up this routine and stay as consistent as I have. Man, it's, it's been awesome I feel like I've been as driven or more driven since I've had my son.
I wouldn't say my process switched except for being able to make beats with my child running through the house, acting crazy you know what I'm saying.
But but but I'm highly motivated also it feels good to know that my son sees me consistently doing something like I get in here, just about every day I'm working on music, or I'm going to let.
Oopsie.
It counts.
Joe, I love you Joe.
Love you too bro.
You knew the word what happened. I only got like one third of it out but you know, that load.
Yeah, am I'm totally gonna get messed up for the show it's gonna be great. I already know.
I already know something that was like a less proof you know what I mean.
I forgot where I was at bro. Oh, you know what's cool about motif, like when, when my lady was pregnant with him. I had made this beat. I really liked that be a lot and Montana 300 wanted to be.
He had said some things on my status or my, my Instagram about one and when I posted it but I ended up writing, I was actually in Gatlinburg I ended up writing a song for my son on my instrumental and it was early on in like my stages of actually like rapping.
So I dropped it like on Father's Day on born famous which is like a platform that just, you know, gets a lot more attention and it did do like 300,000 views, but it was cool that like my son, I actually all of his crazy bro I did a raffle for a video ended up winning it was like
a really good videographer from my city. Shout out Keith Ward aka films, and he shot the video. And my son was like a little blob he's like six months old but I had already had the song written and recorded, and I shot the video with him it was really cool man.
That was a little bit of motivation for me to just put something out that was a little bit more transparent you know.
And really you'll hear me when I'm reviewing our own hear my voice guys. And these fellas make records about their family their girl their child that's usually my favorite record I gravitate to anything that's real life struggles or real life situations is my favorite
type of music.
I enjoy substance. I mean, I can appreciate all music for its quality for its production for its creativity but I love substance, you know, I love music that can make you actually super relate to it.
I'll go ahead I'll take the next one. So, I read in your bio your parents got divorced. What age that happened and how strong were your ties to your father when that happened.
Again, great question. I appreciate being able to answer this question on a platform that you know my dad will be able to hear.
So my parents divorced when I was probably about five years old. And, you know, as a small kid you don't really too much think about stuff like that you just kind of go with the flow.
I eventually ended up going back to live with my dad when I was about nine or 10. My ties to my father are extremely close. I mean that's my best friend besides my son in this world. He raised me up very tough, but he taught me a lot of lessons about
responsibility and being consistent never stop on what you start all my morals and values that I feel like I have.
And he definitely contribute to my father and the way he raised me. You know we talked just about every single day. And you know it's kind of funny because like, he's not necessarily tied into my choice of music and production and things I do because he's from
an older generation but you know as far as as far as being to, because to chase anything great, you have to be able to first balance life, you have to balance what life brings you you have to balance finances relationships.
And that's the thing that comes to you in a real life scenario before you can actually pursue a craft diligently consistently and be able to invest in the things you need so all the skills that my dad raised me with have actually been a huge contribution to be, you know,
me be able to get as far as I've gotten my music career.
Awesome. I know with me my dad's a man from Mexico, so rap music really isn't, you know, his forte for sure so when I tell him hey you don't be busy I'm gonna do a podcast today he goes, we'll see, you know, he's like well okay like you know do your thing right, but you know he
don't brag about it to to mom, which is something you don't even know what the police brag about what you doing it. That's awesome.
I respect the hell that too like we didn't have divorce that our parents but my father committed suicide when I was 18 years old, and there are three siblings so I really relate to your answer because I understand how it's, it's very important to gravitate to one of the other
parents so where I really relate to your bio and when I read through your questions was your questionnaire. I also relate to you being heavily influenced in music by your mother's choices of music too because I am strongly influenced by my mother's choice of music.
Who's some of your mom's two or three favorite artists of all time that you probably heard in your house over and over and over again. Yeah, so let me see if I can do this.
Because I literally called my mom to ask her this question.
So, first I'll start off by telling you like what she told me, and then I'll tell you what I remember, but my mom told me that these are some of her top favorite, the Eagles lead zeppelin, Ed James, salt and pepper easy.
Yeah, she's well rounded. Right. Yeah, so now that being said, I remember living with my mom at a young age you know my memory spans probably from like four or five to like nine or 10 and that my mom was she listened to.
She did listen to easy she listened to everlasting if you guys have ever heard of everlasting like everlasting was from a group called House of Pain. Absolutely.
And he branched off and did his own solo thing and I to this day feel like he had a sound that was very much ahead of the time we were in because he was like this blend of like is almost like a country soul hip hop rock all in one.
And I think to this day like all the production and stuff on his project were phenomenal I mean live guitars still had hip hop he drums it still had a blues feel.
I love that I was exposed to everlasting I think he's a he's a great artist that, you know, who knows what had influence on my sound directly.
My mom was into stuff like 112 peaches and cream.
Black Street.
Like, my mom has some definitely some hip hop tendencies, you know ludicrous. I remember hearing all these things easy NWA when I was coming up you know and she listened to everything like you know pink or somebody like that so I had a lot of diversity.
My dad, my dad was like country.
Straight country but not like my dad's always been very selective about his music so you might catch him on a day listening to Pink Floyd, which obviously like incredible music.
And then you might catch him on a time frame listening to like old George straight George Jones you know, which is all really good music if you listen to it.
The country music I loved it you know so I've heard a lot of everything from both parents.
Absolutely, absolutely. My dad rounded mine up, and it was in the chat.
It was like like, big big big big big list, but I'm gonna put you on the spot.
So I'm asking you myself, and you personally who is your voice on your Mount Rushmore rappers and singers.
So that's going to be your top four all time. And if you can do it in order, please do it in order.
Okay, so I thought about this question. I've got a picture three artists. I'd have to put J Cole at the top. Okay.
Just phenomenal, phenomenal artists with more substance than more people that I ever hear production styles always different. Just love J Cole.
I always give flowers to little Wayne for being the originator of a lot of the sound that we hear today.
I know this could be considered cliche but I would have to put Drake up there.
I very much.
I've always been attached to Drake's music in the fact that he gives you a glimpse of the fact that like there was a time where he wasn't who he is now, and that somebody who's in the position that he was in can make it I love when he talks about positions
before he got to where he's at that gives me motivation. As for the fourth rapper. I just couldn't, you know, I don't know because I wanted to go back old school a little bit, you know and think of somebody but I'm going to put that fourth rapper on pause.
Producers, if you guys are familiar with Max Martin, Max Martin is like a very unheard of name to a lot of people but a legend to me bro like he's, he's just all the way back just been hit bangers after bangers after all Britney Spears most of Britney Spears music most of
Backstreet Boys music a lot of pinks music everything you can think of anybody you can think of the weekend.
He's like, heavily heavily pop so Grammy nomination so many plaques from.
Yeah, unbelievable. You can't not give that man his flowers is one of the greatest producers behind that I would say Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
They did a lot of, they did a lot of 90s music to but like a lot, a lot of ushers music like their, their music was crazy bro. They made hit after hit after hit.
They put Metro booming up there man because that was one of the first people that influenced me when I first started doing music production.
Still got a lot of respect for him and then also like I don't know a lot of people probably don't know about TM 88. Oh, definitely.
TM 88 has always been a huge influence on me his sound is extremely versatile. You just never know what what you're going to get with him so that'd be the top four.
If I was going to go back to the rappers bro, I could probably throw Kendrick in there. I got a lot of respect for his creativity of music and substance and his perspective on the things he's talking about so we'll go with that.
In managing promo and press from Hear My Voice two of the hardest press jobs in the game are reviewing music for you got to review music, I'm biasing and intelligently describing and comparing your talent.
But it's how things are done so in terms of production. What's two or three producers combined to describe your unique sound.
Good question. It's hard to say that I would pick producers to describe my sound, but definitely influence my sound. I have a lot of them.
So like obviously TM 88, Metro Boomin, Southside, Lex Luger, Dundee, Willa Fools, Sunny Digital, just to name a few. When I first started listening to, well when I first started getting a music production I was kind of on
like when Young Thug first came into the game, Metro Boomin was just starting to kind of excel with Future.
The 808 Mafia was starting to expand a little bit. Atlanta was just like popping back in 2012, 2013, 2014.
Hold on, what was popping?
Shots were popping bro.
So I'm a lot younger than than AM and dot, but a lot of those guys you spoke about literally made my high school years like that's all that was popping when I was in high school.
I think y'all two are pretty similar age so I think maybe me and AM are a little bit older but I'm actually going to turn 31 and approximately 19 days. Oh that's what's up.
I'm a little young I'm about to turn 26 November. You got a lot of a lot of time and opportunity ahead of you bro. I hope so man. I've been trying to connect.
There's no urban music down around for I literally live in the tip of Texas right before you hit Mexico. Wow. I can throw a stone into Mexico that's how close we are. Are you familiar with D baby. Yeah, not familiar I've heard him but I'm not familiar with him.
Yeah, like I guess he's he's a really big Texas artists, my homie Mars that I was just speaking of he's a producer and he got like his biggest song. It's actually called Mars but he was just telling me he was living in Texas for a while he was living in Houston and like, you know, that guy has a lot of a lot of local love from Houston.
Well, Houston's very supportive their rappers grow like I think right now, the one with the most like the most motion right now probably be the Mexican OT. Yeah. Oh yeah. That has to do with all the all the Texas has jumped on that so not just not just there but Colleen Houston Dallas like every market
that they've created supporting them. Anything south of Houston rose fucking what I honestly all of Texas fucking bro as a country, Mexican that can fucking roll every are every word, every letter.
I just love when I just love when I, when a particular location has a distinct sound like like Texas definitely has always had an influence in in music.
And, and also like Memphis, I love I love that Memphis has always had a huge influence on music. I love I love that I wish that Chattanooga would.
I love my city man, and there's some talent here but you know I've been in it for a long time maybe it's because I'm on the inside looking out but I can't, I can't put my finger on what the sound would be for our city but I know that there's potential for, you know,
something to break out here.
And I hate that about my city, but my city it's very well I'm not a part of it. Why would I want to support it type of stuff. So just supporting your city supporting your.
I mean it's a bunch of Mexicans out here bro so support your race support your city support your music. You know what I mean. So it's very spiteful down here and it's something that I hope to change because I'm very supportive of everybody.
I don't want to get someone hit me up say amen like I just want a photographer out of your, your story, you know you shared his pictures. Amen Congrats you know they've ever worked with him I never worked with them but I know you know he's local.
So you know I everybody stuff. I wish I wish cities would be less political. That's another thing.
I mean my city happens to be kind of political so they'll have like awards and things like that. You know that's set up by these individuals that kind of like rock with these individuals and it's like, you know, what are we based on these awards off over like
what are we based on. It's more so connections and people who fuck with who they fuck with you know I mean, yeah, and it's unfortunate but like I've always, you know, at a younger time in my career.
I would be a lot more emotional about things like that or like make you know hostile statuses or something but like you know as I progress and got older and in my craft like you know when you get to a point where you don't have insecurity and where you're headed like you don't have anything to prove anymore.
It's like cool y'all can have those little wars watch me get this platinum record next year you know. Yep.
Yeah, the best way to hit people back like that is showing off your success and celebrate it. That's one thing I tell these guys, like, even the smallest success candy got his very first copyright ever in his life back in December, December 19.
Congrats bro. Thank you. Thank you. It's a big to me it's a big accomplishment bro like I just, I never get that. And like I said I want to do a whole photo shoot for him like with, we want to be dressed up with like cocktail glasses and definitely I want to kind of make it look very professional
but at the same time. Y'all met? Huh? Have any of y'all met in person? I've met AM when I went to we went to DC for a business trip my wife and I and then we spent one extra day in Baltimore just to go visit this motherfucker.
We had so much fun and I almost got killed by my wife in the club I think I don't remember it though so it's all good. You were drunk? I wasn't drunk I was tipsy.
I drove out of there I drove out of there so I was okay it was just it was tipsy and if you're having a good time you're gonna have a good time like we throw down.
You haven't met Candelario. No he's the new, yeah the newest Hear My Voice Signee right? Yes.
He goes, hey bro the funniest way I can explain it, so my uncle will listen to my podcast he goes honestly bro, he's real big on country and like some Mexican music. So he goes, ah I listen to some of it he goes but how the fuck did you get on there he goes I know Doc you know that's his job like this guy's official.
He's a black rapper that that says enough, you know what I mean? He goes that he's in there like, there's no discussing that he goes how the fuck does a brown Mexican from South Texas get on the podcast.
And I was like well you know I think they want it to sound a little more brown to the voices you know maybe a little Spanish here and there but.
We're easing you in where you're going to be like I said you're the executive producer of this show and by and part of this contract I definitely want you to take on more and more work so we're going to put you to the burner on that one but Joe talking about industry and politics I think that kind of
goes into the next question. Joe name some industry names you've met along this way through the years who've played significant roles in educating and or pushing you further in music business.
I think I've met some cool people, but as far as educating me first person that comes to mind when I think about educating me on my music would be this fellow named Jose Alito.
Jose Alito Del Val he's south of Atlanta. Yeah, y'all go ahead and take a shot.
He's playing along now I like this.
Take that shot right.
This dude is hitting the bottle. Check him out bro.
That was not.
It's gone.
Oh my good. I'm going to be like am I'm going to have to run back to the kitchen and get in their bottles.
I got the big bottle like fresh I knew what was going to happen.
That was up though. Okay, you're right I'm kind of a bug in everyone's ear and I just wanted to see you do well and even if people aren't part of hear my voice you guys know this to my phone's always open to a friend.
So you know, especially if their situation requires some extra help. I'm there. Yeah, I mean a lot of this, a lot of this stuff is trial and error and you know you might get in a situation where you, you know some things don't work out in your favor
this and that you learn from it but I'm at Doc probably. I want to say 2015 or 2016.
Nine years ago, actually I found the first text. So 2015. Yeah, yeah bro and just even though I wasn't necessarily ready for some of the things because I was like very young in my production career like always kept me kind of on top of on top of things when it comes to like the
actual business aspect.
Who else bro.
I mean like I could name people I met but like you know we're talking about actually benefited my career, you know helped me educated me there's not a lot of people.
You know, when I was younger and producing I would take trips down to a little bit south of Marietta, and I would meet people that like Casey the beat monster he did a lot of rich kids music in Atlanta.
See,
I wasn't trying to do that. No, it's just an evil word.
I got my brain like, again, I because I stock all your motherfuckers. It's like I know you did stuff. I don't know if you produced or just engineered for like, was it Kai Rogers.
Quite a lot of things so it's like, yeah cause my dog Kyle was here last night literally but I have produced recorded a mix of a lot of records that we've done.
It's cool that you admit that, you know, you're at one point you were younger and you know you not that you weren't ready you just weren't prepared for some some of that man.
Well doc is doc is by the book, and Doc is going to give you the overload of information versus not enough so I would say that, you know, when I met Doc like he was talking about things that were above my head like I wasn't in the position to have major placements
or be talking to bigger artists or bigger producers or labels or things like that but still bro I think that having that little leap of education kind of led me into position to even have an administration publishing company or people collecting my royalties
because I know people that are in pretty good positions like me but they still don't understand you know certain aspects of the business they just kind of would rely on somebody else and I have a little bit more understanding of it because of that, you know, and I appreciate it.
I appreciate you too. I was telling them before you actually got in here when I was kind of intro intro in your segment I'm like, you know, I know him for nine years and he finessed his way to his first conference, taking the ticket of another guy and hear my voice
and I think I had so much fun with you introducing you out of like Wendy Day and that was cool. Great songs A&R like manager the one that does music management so it's like Amadeus. Yeah Amadeus very good.
Bro trust me I remember because like the day the time I went down to where were we at? Tampa? Tampa yeah. Yeah we were in Tampa and and I had literally got off work I worked for whatever reason at the job I was at I worked third shift that night so I got off work and basically shot to my
or I'm at Tampa and then the next thing I know like I had enough time to get to the hotel room, you know, change clothes, take a shower and then I was just super tired bro but it was cool it was worth it.
That was when I got to meet Doc and I got to meet Wendy Day I got to meet Amadeus and you know the thing about those kind of situations bro is like there's a hundred people in the audience and like there's probably I feel like there only has to be a handful of people who feel like these things are really speaking to me and like those people on stage don't know who in the crowd is like really the person that is going to take that shit there you know what I mean? But like when I'm in those situations to like soak up knowledge from people who are where I want to be like I feel extremely motivated and it's like
I just want to raise my hand and be like bro y'all are talking to me you know what I'm saying but you just have to just be patient and keep your part you know?
I'm gonna hand it over to Am in a second but one thing I will say is and you met him too and they know him from Zoom sessions one of our other A&R's for Hear My Voice, Sling K, Johnny Brownlee.
He's been to probably in my lifetime since I've known him we him and I together have been to like 35-40 conferences together and he wants to literally like legitimately do a book like a conference survival guide because these young kids they don't know how to bring business cards they don't know how to ask questions they come with an ego and it's like if you go there with a survival guide you've got all the pieces there you got manufacturers, producers, artists, labels, distribution companies, symphonic you know digital distribution companies you have everything there that
if you just piece the pieces together you can build an empire but these kids can't see that vision yet you know?
Definitely opportunity. There's just networking is huge that's one thing also I've noticed in my career that you know you can have great great great production.
It's just like at the end of the day it comes down to your network it comes down to like who's willing to vouch for you or put you in certain positions and room and you have to meet people that don't have egos.
Doc and I are lyricists to the core and we're both fans of the TDE movement.
So share the story of how Isaiah Rashad ended up in your home studio. What was he like and what did you both work on?
Yeah so I work with The House. The House is if you know anything about Isaiah Rashad you'll hear him often reference The House his last album is called The House is Burning. The House is an original group of members that would go by Isaiah Rashad, YG Tutt, Shuey Russell, Chris P, Michael Da Vinci, Brian Brown and as of late Big Cup.
Big Cup was also part of that so those guys they always if you know anything about YG Tutt, YG Tutt dropped an album that was probably like 2015 called Preacher Son.
This album is still listed as like one of the greatest underground, you know records of the century.
It was phenomenal it was produced by Tiggy if you guys don't know who Katovin is he's from Chattanooga as well he's doing huge things in the music industry. They were a dynamic duo Tutt and Tiggy they had live instrumentation from trumpets to drums to harmonicas whatever they just made a beautiful album from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Isaiah Rashad went on to do his thing but they're all still really close knit and I always wanted to work with The House and one day I was at work I remember I'm an electrician so I wire houses I'm at work I get an email from Chris P.
He's like hey bro how much you charge for studio time and of course at this time I'm lit I'm like oh snap Chris P just hit me up so I tell him my prices and we start you know doing some recording and obviously we had really good energy.
People, people tend to enjoy their experience with me as an engineer. And so from that point the rest of The House started to come in and we've probably been working for like four or five years now.
I just recorded and mixed tuts last two projects.
It was a cool situation so Isaiah comes in and out of town from LA to Chattanooga and I guess he was just in town and they told him like hey pull up the kilos crib if you want to drop so he came through.
I think he dropped two songs that day that was my chance to meet him.
But you know as far as the relationship that me and Isaiah Rashad have built now it really doesn't relate at all to that day. It was just more like I hit him up on social media he gave me his number and we've been we've been talking pretty consistently.
I send him beach straight to his phone now. It was really cool bro it was nerve wracking in a sense because I know he works in like bigger studios with lots of equipment and you know it kind of makes you wonder like man can I give this guy what he's looking for in this situation.
But you know you just kind of you just kind of say this is what I do this is what I've been doing you know so you just do what you do bro.
At that point was that like the biggest you kind of been working with.
I guess in a sense you could you could say that.
Yeah, my son is going ham right now.
For my research, you work with Montana on 300 on dipping sauce. I mean, technically it's been your first big viral placement. That was one role and one con you learn from the whole situation has nothing really in life that comes free nothing comes without, you know, issues.
All this is about perspective for sure. You know working with Montana. At that time in my career was like the biggest thing that happened for me.
I would say I would say like the pro from it was just like showing myself that I could actually get a big record or, you know, do a million streams or more as an independent producer without any connections without any handouts without, you know, I really just started out the mud.
I think that situation was a big boost in my confidence of knowing I could take my music career where I wanted to, instead of just having that sense of doubt.
And then from the situation.
You know, I'll honestly say that the publishing situation, even though I had a contract that stated that I would get 50% publishing that did not go through, you know, the correct way.
I'm sure there's things that could be done about it now but you know you're looking at cost of court fees versus what you would get paid you probably would break even or something like that so you know just being more careful on the contractual situation of
my career, I have a little bit more backing behind me as far as how things will be handled professionally. You know, at that time, I can't really take a con from it, you know, because I've never been in this for money.
I've always been in this for like creating good music.
So, you know, even though, even though I could say oh this happened or that happened like I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to work for Montana, and a little bit of platform that it gave me. I'm honestly extremely excited to get that record off my back though because I have, you know,
a lot bigger goals than 3 million streams on a record.
So, you know, get your instincts, you know there's things involved like some people don't have the finances to go get a music lawyer some people don't have the finances to get somebody to look over the contract they just have to like think, you know, this is the biggest thing that's happened
for me I got to go with it. And, you know, somebody on the business side could say that's a bad decision but like when you're in the shoes of somebody who's trying to get somewhere from nowhere like sometimes you do got to take a little bit of an L in a situation and maybe it could
handle better maybe it couldn't have but you got to be grateful for, for being able to like literally pick up a laptop come out the mud, have dreams goals aspirations and get to have this opportunity in front of you and like you know you can't always focus on the monetary side
of it, you know, especially early on you just have you grateful for the situation that happened and it's opportunity at the end of the day.
So I think that's a positive they're talking about situations and really big opportunity, we're allowed to break your news officially sign into og Parker's production crew. Let's take a couple steps back first though how did you meet him and get this opportunity
who helped introduce y'all and tell us the work process is he cool. Is he demanding is he always there is it one on one, has he taught you anything yet etc etc.
We do have time right, we have time for me to explain it. You see me every once in a while like I try to drag us along when there's like two or three extra questions added I'm like, alright, let's get back on track.
I enjoy, I enjoy. I know we have sort of a sort of a map out of how we're going but I do enjoy authentic conversation.
But I can explain to you this whole situation and also appreciate twisted critics for giving me the opportunity to come on here and talk about some of these things because I mean there's a lot of stuff that I'd like to talk to people about to give them some inspiration.
People always wonder how did he get to that situation it doesn't really make sense but there's a very long tedious journey to anything. And a lot of people don't get to see that side of it.
Overnight success takes seven years plus. I mean for real, and people, people will never know why people to get successful or the way that they are like you just have no idea what somebody went through.
Okay, so from the very start, I was always a big network on Instagram.
I'd always hit a lot of people up for opportunity let me send beats from managers to A&Rs to producers to artists, whoever I've always been big on networking on Instagram. And for anybody who doesn't do that often you should you'd be surprised how many people will actually hit you back if you stay consistent.
So, I found Stefan Austin. Stefan Austin is the co CEO of Neutral Records with O.G. Parker. I had talked to him probably like 2018 on Instagram, where can I send you beats bro I sent him beats he said he liked my music let me know what I can do to help, and that kind of was just where it was at.
And so I guess about 2020 2021 I double back around hey bro what's up can I send you beats and he told me that he was currently offering management. So, you know I'm just giving you all the true everything behind it I'm not ashamed of anything and I want people to know like this is the kind of things you have to do to end up in good positions.
And so he offered me a one year deal of management for $1,500 right, you know at this point I'm well aware that he's consistently with O.G. Parker that he's part of Neutral Records.
At the time I just got like my taxes back and everything and so I'm just like the better on me type of guy. That's what I did I took the $1,500 one year of management with Stefan.
So, throughout that process, there wasn't a lot of things happening for my production career. And so I say that to say like don't always go into something expecting the best outcome without you trying to figure out what you can do and utilizing the situation so what I did bro I just started reaching out to other
producers that I saw that were signed to neutral.
And I would go to Atlanta on Fridays and Saturday night.
Oh, that's crazy. That is because you were into that story right. I was really into it when I heard good old and I'm like hold on. We're gonna get right back to it. Trust me. You're going to Atlanta I'll hold.
We're not taking another shot because you just said that again. No, no, no, no penalty. We have an attitude though better myself I fuck with that for sure.
We have a 15 second.
We have a 15 second window we can say twice so next time I say it I'm just gonna say like eight times now yeah you get it out of your system we have a grace period.
Okay, so I would go down there to the 706 and whoa that's definitely the 404. I go down to the four.
All right, and, and I and I was, it's just crazy bro I was I was doing a job a different job at the time was a one year I took off from electrical work, and I was doing chimneys with my uncle and I was making really good money more than money
that I ever made so I go I'd go down there on a Friday and a Saturday. I would book two sessions, I would book a five hour session on a Friday night and a five hour session on Saturday night, and I would hit up everybody.
I'm talking about, I don't care if it was Metro honorable CNOTE Taurus, it doesn't matter bro anybody that I knew was in that area of production in that city. I would just hit up everybody yo I got a session at Castle Hill from, you know, 11 to whatever.
And so I would do that with all the neutral records producers. And so, some of them will start pulling up on me. And so I kind of made like a little bit of a connection with those producers and got to work in.
And so like you fast forward down the road neutral got their own studio neutral records got their own studio it's just like a, it's like a room under guitar store you gotta have a little card to get in and stuff and I came down one weekend to go to Russ's private album
release event, link up with some producers I've been working with Isaiah Rashad called me that weekend, it was just a lot, it was a crazy ass weekend like no lie. I ended up in the studio at neutral for the first time that night, and I got to meet Parker.
I got to meet some other producers that night. Me and my manager had a conversation about everything in front of everybody. I was just myself I was genuine I was real I was honest.
And so, time went by now I now have a key you know I had a key to the place to get in before I was even signed. And I always told myself like man I'm not going to sign the neutral unless Parker asked me himself, you know, and that's exactly what happened bro.
He had put like this neon neutral record sign above the studio took a picture of it on Instagram, and I commented some fire emojis and he wrote back and he's like join the gang bro.
So everything's transpired to that point I just signed like two Sundays ago.
I will say that every time I was in the studio with Parker he'd be working on music he'd be like hey Kilo you want to jump on this he was always super cool. I send him music and FLPs which is Fruity Loops project files where he can open up exactly what I'm looking at.
And I'm working with other producers and neutral that work with him closely. He's always been solid he's always been really cool he's always been humble. I'm excited about the future. You know we
guys you've worked with from that position of, you know, just being well known.
I'll say that like the first time I met Parker he was just, you know, telling me about who these guys were like how he'd been knowing them since high school, just super humble guy man never got any bad vibes from him he always wanted me to be involved.
I'm appreciative of the opportunity that he's given me. I'm looking forward to what it brings you know like we can all have, we can all have emotions or expectations or things like that but like I say you have to know you have to know when to be patient about things
and just keep moving forward and keep being consistent because consistency is the key like there are some very talented producers that I work around but you know consistency is the key to anything.
We were good. Is that who is that on. It's on you know. All right, I had a feeling it was.
You mentioned, you mentioned like I'm over here clapping and whatnot I love the story I'm so sorry.
You mentioned facing lots of career struggles in your bio. If I learned anything from my boy Doc is identifying a clear challenge and then prioritizing strategies to overcome it.
Please elaborate on two of your biggest struggles so far. And do you have methods that you have been using to overcome each of them.
I think I think one one big struggle in music production is like expectation of something to happen. You, you always want to get a placement you know, I mean there's been countless times in my career even to this day, like that I just think like what else can I do what
else can I do what else can I do. And honestly I feel like that you will always be blessed for consistency.
If you just stay, you know, stay positive in the mind stay pure in the heart and just work hard like you're going to receive the blessings for it.
Sometimes you just got to lock in and just tell yourself like, you know, at this point in my career, I'm thinking any day you wake up could be a day that you get significant news, any one day, so I look forward to every day.
That's how I would, you know, get through that situation. Another struggle would be there are a lot of relationships you develop in music as you're coming up and there are a lot of relationships to end as you're coming up.
You just have to you just have to keep the mindset. This is unfortunate that you know you're in this for you. You started by yourself. You can get to where you're going by yourself.
You know a lot of people that may not be at the end of the day bro if you're not on what I'm what I'm on I can't be around you too long, like if you're not on handling life, headed somewhere, working every day, like, there's not too much I have time for so you definitely
have to, you definitely have to slim up the crowd of people that you're around when you're when you're trying to get somewhere you know.
100% am I just want to say Rob this is that muscle real quick I was okay. Hey, look, hey, I am button.
I'm button the shirt when we first got in.
Too much. We talked a lot about the good things that's go that goes on, you know, with you and stuff like that but I really want to know more about like you have any bad habits or any toxic traits you're not really proud of when it comes to to your business,
that's something that maybe you could pass on to someone else and, you know, explain how that kind of not really holds you back, but maybe prevents you from completing something on time or, or getting getting to a certain you know like date that you have to get
to finish something like that. I thought about this question for a while, and I think it just hit me on how to answer it. I will say that when you're coming up and something like, I would relate this question more to like years one through five of my career.
When you're coming up through something, it's it's very easy to feel like the people in your city or the people around you owe you a certain amount of respect because you, you know how internally you feel where you're about to take this shit even though you're only two years and three
years and four years and five years and you're not even close to the peak of your, your abilities. You still feel like, I know where I'm going I want everybody to give me this respect I want everybody to let me know like, you know they fuck with me.
That's not going to happen bro like you you you literally have to what I would say is to to try to tone down the emotion that you have towards what you think other people owe you because they really don't know you shit for one, and for two to be appreciated by people
you really have to put a lot of time work and consistency in. So one of the bad habits I had early on in my music production career is that I would like to voice and be opinionated on social media about things or almost come off of the negative energy because I want to people to give me a certain amount of props or success appreciation and things like that.
Like I wasn't to that point yet but like I knew deeply in my heart where I was headed. You know other people can't see your journey other people can't see your vision they're never going to understand that.
But when you do get to a certain point that you knew you were getting to you're going to get that love so be patient.
Keep your emotions tied down like you have to go through emotions but you don't have to let them make you react you know. So, just just stay consistent trust yourself trust how you feel don't make other people be accountable for what you think that you expect from them you know.
I know that made you think of someone we know. I know that makes a lot of fucking sense you know you're one through five, someone young in the game like that makes a lot of fucking sense bro.
Well, it's crazy like he asked you about bad, bad habits right so like, I mean, I, my bad habits I eat inside of my mouth that's a bad habit but like business wise my bad habit is, and they both know this because we talked about this in our interview me and am versus each other.
I work damn hard and everything I do I put 110% and everything I do, bro. I make the mistake of thinking everyone else is going to put 110% and there's deadline. I know people procrastinate I know that's this, but when something signed and copyrights are involved
and you now have equity in something I own you're not even hurting yourself. You're hurting me motherfucker. So that's the one thing so it's like, I, yeah, I, that's something I'm still working on to this day, you know, you like you deserve you deserve a shout out for that bro.
Like for real because I'm the same person in many aspects, like there, there's a lot of situations where you think someone else can do something or not and you would rather do it yourself.
You deserve the recognition for.
You do give a fuck bro you give a fuck a lot about everything that you're involved with, and that leads you to really good places further on like even wiring houses bro I can't work with a helper that doesn't give a fuck like I want my shit neat, I want it to be this way I wanted to be that way that seems like I'm an asshole but I really have high standards you see what I'm saying.
And, and I appreciate that from you and I hope that it continues to bring you, you know, good things bro because that's a quality that a lot of people don't have it always pay off in the end.
Oh yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. So I love I love the love and all the answers.
I love that question. Yeah, you know, I spent a lot of time thinking about this question, bro.
I really did.
I have like two people come to mind probably.
One person, one person I thought okay so there's two people I'll tell you both of them. I said Martin Luther King and I said, and I said nipsey hustle Martin Luther King because this was somebody who was faced with a lot of adversity in the times that we were in, and still
promoted a lot of love, a lot of vision for love from all people, not hatred not, you know, that must have took a lot and then also to be somebody who's in that time frame that has the world's attention like you just know that somebody who's extremely special.
I think that there's a lot of things that he could have said that that were a different perspective to learn from and appreciate and just love everybody.
And nipsey hustle. That's one of the few people that I could watch videos of the things they talk about and feel like it directly relates to my journey, you know somebody who exposes like I said with Drake.
What it's like to not actually be at that pinnacle of success, you know, give you a little bit of relativity to what it's like to be somebody who's not there yet and get there.
That's what I hope to do bro. I just hope to be able to give people hope that are in a situation that I'm in where you're trying to get somewhere, and you don't know if it's possible or not.
And you hear somebody talk about the times where they had $10 left after payday or they worked a full time job while they were chasing this and why they were signed to this person and that person you know I want to give people like the, the real, the real
perspective that you can be a regular motherfucker just like me work a job have a family and do your thing and you can still get there you know.
I'm gonna hand the mic over to it's candy's question but I don't know if you saw am and I like bugging the hell out so the very first pilot episode, it was am interviewing me and me interviewing am.
And not so much the bar during question but the two people I look up to most for my career and the way I write. You're one person that's always when I write a verse like handwritten you always call out like the deepest line that's one thing I respect you for.
That's what I aim for so it's like the two people I, I don't, I don't view writer, I don't view rappers as my main influences. The two people I look up to and don't laugh at me for this one, but Martin Luther King and Hitler.
Wow. And when you said Martin Luther King I bugged the hell out because it's like, I have some co workers in the courthouse I listened to that interview by the way and they're like you like Hitler.
I'm like let me give you a background to this like the way that Martin Luther King and Hitler were able to use their enthusiasm their intelligence, their skills they were able to repel a whole country into what was going on and make them do crazy stuff so it's like, it doesn't have to be
looked at in a negative way but yeah it's interesting that you said Martin Luther King because that was one of my drink, other than my dad probably Martin Luther King would be mine too so yeah and you know the thing about it I didn't have.
I had a friend super close to me that's like past or something like that so obviously that would be the first, you know, like if my dad weren't here bro like my dad would be the answer 100% or my mom.
So, but yeah, you know, I had to think about that question for a long time but I truly do admire Martin Luther King for, like, I have a dream of, you know, and the things that he were going into was not like y'all treating, you know my people fucked up, you know, even though they were.
He was just more about like this world needs love and appreciation for everyone, you know, and I fuck with that tough bro. Yep.
So, we already are aiming to earn your first our, our, our I double A certification black.
Hey, that's the people that give the plaques this platinum plaque the most like platinum plaque gold plaque.
I guess I won't get it wrong like bro when it comes to music I'm like a little on autism, like, I don't got it. What is that RIA certification plaque.
So look at ahead just in short term or the next one to two years can you share with us any real goals, projects or collaborations you have planned with that you're excited to share about.
Yes, I truly feel like the next two years should probably propel my music career to a point where, you know, hopefully God willing I can, I can live off of it.
At this point, right now, I have.
I have two unreleased songs with DDG, which is lit.
And I have, I have at least two recorded songs with Isaiah Rashad, one in which one and which I really feel like it's probably going to drop because he's asked me for track outs and things like that.
I saw that I saw where he was tagging you and said you got the the track outs and studio session files for and then blurt out.
That was a text message. Yeah. So, I mean even two nights ago I came in here made a beat and sent it to him and he text me back like 10 minutes later like this shit hard as fuck.
Bro, like when I sit down in here to make music, I'm thinking about like what is my highest percentage of, you know, something turning out of this.
Obviously I have direct connection to Isaiah. I have direct connection to Parker. So I'm trying to make things along those lines.
I'm excited about this year. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm in the blind. You know, that's the beautiful thing about life.
But the work you put in on the front end will always come to the light in the back. So I think, you know, this year could be definitely this year will probably have some of the biggest records that I've ever been a part of that drop.
People get it misconstrued. Like it's not it's not about like, oh shit, I can quit my job and make money. It's just like, you know, I love music, bro. I love music.
I would do music if it didn't cost, you know, if it didn't pay me a dime, you know, obviously there's opportunity for me to live off of it.
And I'm excited about it. But it's more important to me to to get the respect of the people that I've always wanted to work with the respect of people in my city.
It takes a lot to get to this point. I mean, 10 years of relationships and family and work and responsibilities and jobs and bills and like all the things that every single person in this world has to has to deal with and still actually make it somewhere.
I think this year should be really good and next year should be awesome, bro, because I'm not I'm not taking my foot off the gas at all.
You know, unfortunately, there are certain people in my city that have reached a decent level of success as artists or producers or whatever you may call it.
And, you know, when I make those groundbreaking post or things to let people know, you know, something great has happened for me.
I always recognize the absence of those people, you know, in my notifications. You're going to have people that doubt you.
You're going to have people that for some reason won't give you the respect or give you the head nod to like, man, you know, fuck them, bro. Like straight up.
Fuck them. So I got the very last question, bro. And I think that kind of goes into that whole fuck them mentality.
What's more important to you? Not me, not candy, not am. What's more important to you, loyalty or respect and why?
I mean, both of those things are detrimental in my opinion.
They are. I mean, somebody respecting you means that, I mean, if someone doesn't respect you, there's no relationship.
If someone doesn't have loyalty to you, there could be a relationship, but they could be doing some shit behind your back.
Oh, as far as close friends go, I mean, they would have to have both, bro. You know, if I had both, you can't you can't have loyalty and not respect.
You can't have respect and not loyalty and actually maintain a friendship with somebody.
So like if you only have one of those two things, if you only have one of those two things, then you're not dealing with an actual friend or someone close to you.
It was really dope with this question. And this is like we got to give our praise to drink champs.
They asked this in their last question, everyone, too. And it's we never lead you. We never give you information.
We never give you our opinion. I think everyone has a different psyche on how they answer it, because like even when they asked me this question,
there's a lot of people I have respect for. I respect for the Nas, the Royce, the five nines, the M&Ms.
I respect for a lot of people. Loyalty is a little more important to me because you as a person have vouched for me.
You've given me something. You gave me an opportunity that now I have to kind of pay back to you.
So it's like to me, a lot of people can respect things, but that doesn't mean they're going to be loyal to it.
If you if you're loyal to someone, you definitely have respect for them.
So but that's again, every brain is different. That's why we ask it to kind of get inside your head.
You know, there's one thing to add to that point, and it's Atlanta.
Oopsie. Oh, so in Atlanta, is there a lot of loyalty and respect? I guess we're going to ask that question.
Like the cool thing about Atlanta. Yeah, I feel this really hard.
I probably have two more shots with that. Then I'm going to move over to dark room.
So, OK, so the cool thing about that place is that it to me, it's like so in Chattanooga now, I will say.
And that's why I tell people like you can't get all been out of shape in the beginning of your career, because like, man,
when I go out in my city because the house, Shuey, Shuey is like the manager of the house, and he also DJs.
Shout out Shuey Russell. I love you, bro. And the whole house.
But Shuey does DJ in and he throws a lot of parties in the city. It's super dope, man.
And I get to go out. They'll spend some records that we have together unreleased.
I mean, there's always they bring the city out and like, man, I get a lot of love here. I really do.
I feel very appreciated in Chattanooga. I love the city. But see, like when I go to Atlanta, it's like, oopsie.
Oh, candy, candy. He's intoxicated. Now I can hear.
Oh, so watch this, Joe. I'm going to take a note from candy and I am going to look at me sideways on this one.
I'm going to pretend I'm candy for a second.
I am going to the next segment where we move on to that. But part of your your goals in the next year,
I was going to ask just from the artist side, because, you know, me and I am are still the artists here.
We were wondering since you're going deep, you know, balls deep into production, would you still be open for features in 2024 as a rapper?
He low key. I'm really protective of my rap music.
I generally do it just because I need to get something on my chest.
There's a lot of substance in my music. I've had people offer to pay me for features and just turn that shit down.
Not because I mean, I'm obviously focused as a producer.
Like, I want to go ahead and get certified as a platinum or gold producer soon.
And then when I have the budget to put here's the thing. If I'm preaching to artists, hey, this is this is this is the whole entire formula.
OK, industry production, quality mixing, industry visuals.
Repeat, repeat. If I'm preaching that to you guys and I'm not doing that, what kind of artist does that make me if I'm an artist?
So I want to look like a hypocrite. Right.
I want to have the budget behind myself to because I already have the original production.
I already have the quality mixing. But like videos are fifteen hundred two thousand dollars, bro.
That's a lot of money. So realistically, like whenever I get to where I'm going as a producer, which is my first love, then I will I will utilize the finances I have to put an album out.
By the way, it's going to be called No Introduction. I already have that planned out. It's just called No Introduction.
I'm going to have I'm going to have a whole album drop and I'm going to be able to put three or four visuals that are really good quality and really thought out with plot behind that.
You know, so I'm cool with having this music sit right now. I would do features with people like you, bro, because I fuck with you. You know what I'm saying?
So, A.M., maybe it's the ten or eleven Vodka shots, but I didn't hear a no.
And what I do, Joe, Joe, what I gather out as long as the topic touches on something that's therapeutic to you, you are game to jump in that Colabo.
I'm fixing to snap some shit. That's all I know. If I get on some shit, it's hard, bro. I'm fixing to snap some shit.
Yeah. And that's no arrogance involved, bro. Like, I would love to send any of you guys some of my music unless you give me some feedback.
But I feel really good about the music that I do rap. I just haven't I don't want to put it out without the proper backing, you know.
Gotcha. All right. But segment number five is going to be 100 percent facts here.
Every show will get into the guts of radio success. Facts of how artists are performing at radio and what that does for work weekly at media basis.
Chart man, Joe, feel free to chime in with any input and opinions as we go over any of these U.S. singles.
So we're going to start at the number one spot. Here's who performed best at national radio and snatched the tippy top chart last week at Urban National Radio.
We had Love and on me by Jack Harlow with over five thousand five hundred and twenty six average spins per day last week, officially shipped to stations on 11 1623 by Generation Now LLC and Atlantic Records.
No U.S. plaque just yet, but successfully on its way to gold. And it's already platinum in the UK, ironically.
Currently, it's also number one on rhythm clubs charts as well.
So I debuted at number thirty two on Club forty five on Urban and forty six on Pop.
It's climbed for the last three and a half months produced by Ozzy, Nicky D and Sean Moeberger has a unique chopped R&B sample from Catalyze Dales.
Whatever base. Oh, I don't know that word soliloquy based on the record.
I looked at it and I was like, oh, I'm in trouble. I thought we'd go.
What did you do? Most interesting thing here is this is the second time Love it on me.
Yes, time to urban number one.
It did so briefly the week of January 15th.
It dropped and now has two more weeks in February.
So my birthday week, January 14th, they went to number one and then fell and then climbed back up.
That's crazy. Atlanta.
Oopsie. If I if I pour a shot, bro, how could I not say it?
Oh, I lost my bottle.
Hey, bro, you better. You better have some over there, bro.
Wait, I had to go to the car. Give me a second. Give me a second.
So let's go. Hey, I had to get a bottle today.
Let me show you something. This is where I'm at. I'm already.
Look at this. I've got one shot of this left. Right. And then we're going to move back on to I guess I'm going to take shots of the dark room.
So you're going from light to dark. I listen. I like mixing cultures.
I like mixing ethnicities. I like light and dark attitude.
That led me to my point. You are a mix of ethnicity.
We're like we're like the perfect industry commercial right now.
We got a little mix of everything because like they try to throw in like every culture to make it seem like they're not leaning one way or another.
That's why I told my uncle. I was like, bro, they just need a little little tank kid in there. They need me.
I have a white black baby. So he's white. He's mixed. But he's white.
So hold on, Joe. You had a problem with me mixing dark and light and you do the same shit that I do.
I literally mix dark and light, bro, like frequently.
Let me let me wait. Let me let me let me let me let me get myself together.
So, Joe. Yes, sir. If you know us three twisted critics are contracted reviewers for labels before new single radio.
And this song was no exception. We reviewed it back in the week of November the 10th.
We're one of us predicted it right. And the other two were wrong. You want to guess who was most correct?
Don't Jay. It wasn't that hard.
I'm not that bad. It doesn't matter. There's dark days in the room like he's probably winning, bro.
He is he is the most winningest person of the radio charting and in the bumping and dumping and he better be because he's that good.
Yeah. What can you do? You know what you can do? Be more like doc.
No, 100 percent. So, I am. Why don't you go over what we predicted?
So, Joe, can you hear that? I'm already running it.
So what I am did was I am said 20 to 30 per club, 30 to 40 for urban and then 40 to 50 for pop.
We're running a lot of the 15 to 25 per club, 20 to 30 for urban and 20 to 30 for pop.
And the most winningest person doc said top 10 for club five to 15 for urban.
And then he went 20 to 30 for pop. What a beast.
You just got to listen to the record, the sample and the R&B sample. I really enjoyed it.
There are times that Jack, Jack Harlow can be a little cringy with lyrics, but this one is like that.
Yeah, I'm vanilla, baby. That's just hard. Look, look.
All I can say is that like when I'm listening to the radio on the way to work or the way home, when that comes on, I'm like, well, he slid on that shit for real.
Thank you. He slid on that shit, bro. Like he really did.
So, Joe, last week, I mean, remember just our urban stations that media based covers and tracks.
It's like 980 stations across the nation. There's way more than that.
But of the 980 plus stations, five thousand five hundred and twenty six average spins per day.
That's crazy nuts. He's super catchy.
As a person, he's very like clippable. Like he's super funny. He says a funny ass shit, bro.
Atlanta. Oopsie. Oh, fuck. We're not going to make it.
I just like how random you say Atlanta. That's the best part of it.
Like, hey, one thing about it, bro, I'm going to be fucked up.
You're going to be fucked up. Yes, sir. I'm going to go to this store like eight o'clock.
I can't rush this one. All right.
But I think that's what you got. Candy, it's on you, actually.
I lied. We're going to segment five.
One hundred percent facts. New breaking singles.
Here we highlight which new songs are breaking entering into urban radio charts.
And we've had three debuts this past week.
And why don't you start a song? All right.
Texas Hold'em by Beyonce shipped to radio February 19th, twenty twenty four.
Debuting at number thirty nine at Urban with over nine hundred and thirteen spins per day last week.
Distributed by Columbia Records, produced by Killer B, Nathan Ferraro and Beyonce.
I didn't know she produced. That's awesome. And debuting at number twenty seven on pop,
number thirty six on Rhythmic Club and number forty on Country.
This is Beyonce's first single with her new country pop trap soul sound.
That's a lack of fucking say, although it's not totally getting the boost everyone expected with a debut during the Super Bowl.
Joe, have you heard that record? I have not heard that record yet.
But I've heard about it. I mean, it's country pop.
It's like kind of like Luke Bryant. What are you like?
What do you kind of question? The question is, what is country now?
Because if we have Morgan Walvin dropping like trap country songs and he's really rap singing over these records, like what is country?
So that's that's not his like country forte. Like my bad. I listen to a lot of country. I do.
Like, but it's just not like like to me, my favorite song country song without the lyricism is probably like all read by Blake Shelton.
Yeah, like that's I love that outlaw country type vibe. Awesome, bro.
Because like that's the shit I was raised on. Like, yeah, bro. But to me, it's not it's country pop.
And I thought they should make we had this conversation about Afro beats Afro beats their own their own genre.
Now on their own awards, because we don't really have a genre for them yet.
And I think Afro beats as much as it is repetitive. I never get tired of it.
Where do they fall? Where does Afro beats fall in the R&B?
Rhythmic, rhythmic, rhythmic formats where the club.
Yeah, I think they should definitely have their own genre, bro.
Like talking about talking about who is the girl? I will wait for you.
That's yeah. Yeah. You know, she's our own genre, bro.
Yeah. Tyler recently with water. So there's to give you guys a breakdown of this, because Jean and I have heard this in the radio a handful of times.
Jean thought it's ratchet trap over a blue string guitar. So to us, it's not really country.
And I think that's why again, I don't know the reason why, even though debut during the Super Bowl, why is it only at 40 on country?
Because to us, it's not country. It's it's got she's singing some R&B runs, some R&B melodies, the hook.
But she's got the whole trap slaying. And that's that's what it is coming off to us.
It's like a ratchet trap over like blue string bluegrass strings. That's what it kind of sounds like.
So she's it's weird to market that type of record because like like like AM just said, it's called country pop trap soul sound.
Like that's a lot to say in your damn mouth. Yes.
Jumping back to the slides, the second breaking single at National Radio is it's real by Rosemary featuring Roddy Rich.
Roddy Rich hasn't been on radio for about a year and a half. So this is his return.
It was shipped February 9th, 2024, debuted at number 43 on Urban with over eight hundred and nine spins per week on average last week,
distributed by Bird Vision Entertainment and Interscope Records, produced by BBY, Kobe and Marshall Leathers, shipped to club formats, too, but not yet charting.
It's the debut national single of Rosemary, which I've never heard of her before, by the way.
She's a new pop and R&B singer out of Los Angeles. So it's her first radio single ever.
So that's what is the debut of ruin by Usher featuring Fields.
Shout out Usher is actually from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Really?
Real shit, bro. He went to Dalewood Middle School. But you but you but Joe, what does he represent?
No, no, no, no, no, please, please, please, please, please, please, please.
And let's see. Oh, fuck.
All right. But, Ken, you do got to go over that because I literally got like one third of what you said there.
So as I'm pouring up, I'm going to go ahead and say it again.
He's from he's from Chattanooga, bro.
And so is Samuel L. Jackson. Oh, true. I didn't know about Samuel.
Real shit, bro. It's cool.
Last but not least is the debut of ruin by Usher featuring Fields shipped February 6, 2024,
debuted at 44 Urban with over 759 spins a day last week.
This should be read by Mega LLC slash Gamma Media being Usher's very first indie release of his career.
After his Mega LLC partnership with L.A. Reid and Gamma Media, it's also debuting at number 35 on Rhythmic Club Stations.
I got a really quick question for this. Perfect. By the way, Am, what do you think about the prospect of Usher being an indie artist now for the first time in his career?
I think he'll be fine. I think he already has the fan base and the backing of the studio and all of the things that he had before he was solo.
I don't think that that stops. I don't think his connections, his organic connections that he made is going to stop just because he doesn't have the backing of a major label.
I think he's going to be fine. His talent hasn't diminished. Honestly, if anything, there are particular projects and songs that he's been a lot better.
Do you think that did he the did he drama kind of like ruins?
It'll help. It'll help. It'll help. It'll help. Any conversation about a person, no matter if it's negative or positive, it helps until we found out that he does take did he stick in his butthole.
Until then, I don't know. Personally, I don't feel like that's an issue. Meek. So I'm real big on Twitter or on X.
I feel like did he back and forth with what was his name? DJ what? Academic. Academic. Academic. Academic. Academic's roasted the fuck out of him. He did. He set the fuck up, bro. Deadass.
I'm going to tell you this, bro. I'm going to say everything that people have been doing for 10 to 20 to 30 years, whether it was good or bad, as if you believe in a higher power, like all good things come to light.
All bad things come to light like the people have been doing atrocious things for many years is now in a position with technology to be exposed for it. Yep.
Okay, it's time for just the stats. This is what we separate radio from streaming and the men from the boys. Everyone knows the old saying men lie women lie but numbers can't.
So let's go through the more meaningful stats in the movement on the US urban charts. I'll start with three biggest winners on radio right now. The three biggest risers.
This week's going to be FTC you from Nicki Minaj up 10 spots from number 34 to number 24. It's going to be 133.6% more spins with now 1656 spins per day.
Number two is going to be get in with me from boss man below. That's a DLOW up eight spots from number 41 to 3333.9% more with now 1192 spins per day. It is fucking hard to do math when you're a nebriated truth or dare.
Coming up number three by Tyler the same woman who didn't water up seven spots from number 45 to number 3860.5% more with 983 spins per day.
Great job doing the best risers I'm going to be the biggest losers the biggest drops the last week so number one the biggest drop was what where you at from Brent Fias down 12 spot damage whose dog is it bro.
I got two pit. No wait wait I got two pits they don't live here with me. I got a neighbor who has one pit and then a neighbor next to that neighbor were to write wireless and they don't like each other right.
AM AM the whole time I'm trying to say numbers and I'm like whose dog is but yeah and I put my shades on just to match y'all.
Let me try it again.
I'm the only one that didn't have a monster we swag and we swag and bro I'm with you. Let me try this cop rolling up to my car. Mike straight. All right. So if AM came with the biggest winners I'm going to come with the biggest three losers the biggest three drops that radio last week were where you at by Brent Fias down 12 spots from 19 to 31.
26.2% less spins with now 1332 spins per day risk it all usher featuring her down 12 spots from 23 to 35 41% less with now 1127 spins per day and transparency we remix that to change a little bit.
Usher down 11 spots from 30 to 41 40.9% less now with 855 spins per day.
So with respect to the Indies this week. We got number one room by usher and PP featuring fields. We have up to number 44 with seven hundred and fifty nine spins a day with 133.6% increase. Number two we have get in with me with boss man below up to 33 with 1192 spins per day.
Wow, that's a lot.
With a 33.9% increase. We have number three act to date featuring four bats up to number 21 with a 1825 spins a day.
That's 11.9% increase that we have featuring big extra plug.
Why is that so funny to me I have no idea. It's not funny. It really isn't.
All right, so we're now on segment five.
We're not but okay.
Stop it. Let me let my drunk mouth speak. Continuing, continuing the segment five of 100% facts radio or I piece this week is going to end in February 25 2024.
I know Dr. cynical and love this part.
This week we had four condolences to mourn and bury candy. Why don't you kick us off. We got drift by DJ Max featuring TJ ships early October had a five month run pizza number 24 but despite that I had no black.
Let me see by Mr Kodak black from South Florida ship late November three month run on radio peeked at number 30 and did not earn a plaque.
One one one.
Number three. That's fancy English, Spanish for three anxiety by sleepy Hello, shipped mid January 1.5 month run Pete that number 40 with no plaque.
I know.
I know by Travis Scott ship early October had a five month run Pete that 11 and that did get a gold plaque.
I don't know how many of those you are familiar with Joe but there is there anything on the list that you're kind of happy fell off the radio finally.
I haven't heard a one.
Not even I know by Travis Scott. Not even I know by Travis. Okay, so I'm asking the same question is there anything in that list that you're happy fell off the charts.
Now, hold on. Let me look back real quick. I'm on the other side.
No, because I actually liked. Oh wait yeah drift focus on. Yep. So Joe and an interesting fact with that record we knew it was going to fail at radio and it actually lasted five months, a lot longer than I thought it was going to last.
Yeah, DJ Mac made the record and he featured TJ rapping on it. TJ tried to file the copyright as his own song and that didn't include DJ Mac so for five months, they're fighting over the ownership and the royalties of the record.
So what bro. Personally I didn't hate that record. I did kind of am not wrong but anxiety sleepy hollow I'm from sleepy hollow New York that's where I was born at.
And the dude is not from New York at all so I was kind of like personally shot that like why using that name even begin with so I didn't like that record was only on radio for a month and a half so do you think that how they get on radio for a month and a half
due to budgeting from labels. Yeah, definitely it's buying ads and it's also I mean we do at radio so you don't get in trouble for Paola listener request.
Listeners in that market really wanted to hear that then they requested it so I mean it depends on who has the biggest marketing plan to get the fans to request it, you know.
All right, we're going to move on to segment number six is called edutainment.
If you have any questions answered. Here's our segment, where y'all listeners are the star and control us Pinocchio Geppetto. And we be in candy get to put you got on the improv spot and in line of fire and try to educate y'all through
entertainment hope you're ready that you usually have all the answers.
All right, I am ready if y'all don't know already we have a fan book, a Facebook fan page www.facebook.com backslash twisted critics, a mailing list you can subscribe to and the twisted critics business email twisted critics at mail.com, where any of y'all can send in
business questions and request to be a future guest kind of like Joe is right now on our show.
Hell am and I even been letting people text us in questions if you want to send them in that way we'll take it. Normally, we have one of us three pull two questions out of a hat randomly and am and I and our guest in this case you Joe.
If you want to we all will guide the question, ask her through his questions and try to provide them, him or her with real and like real business world information.
I'm ready at the question I had ready bro, to be honest, hold up, hold up, hold up candy candy, I want to actually take the spot number one. If you don't mind for the first question I'd like to discuss my homie sin posted on Facebook, that media base wants to turn
his question now into a case study, because all of the misdirection that came out of that stupid little post.
Shout outs to my boy sin Crawford he's a producer and a music distributor out of Pontiac Michigan. It's something personal to my job and how we've been cracking down on radio payola since 2007.
He didn't mean to piss me off but the assholes who definitely were in his comments with no experience in music business definitely did candy if you check your phone now I texted you his question about five minutes ago so go ahead and read it for us.
Okay, here's the number one we got sin Crawford from Pontiac Michigan. Okay, so I can see why you got a little bit heated said then asked all big artists will tell you radio is all payola, but let them fool you.
That's why it's barely any nds money talks, and you have to pay to play. They just renamed it as advertising to get around laws but it's all payola, tell me I'm wrong.
First of all, I'll tell my brother sin he's totally wrong. By no means am I saying and again I'll let am and Joe chime in on this too. By no means am I saying payola disappeared out of the blue payola has been in existence since the 1930s for radio.
I'm gonna put both of you on a test, Joe do you know the definition of what payola is.
No sir.
Oh boo. What about you am I would do is keep it real.
Have you all ever been online. Let's just say Twitter, and the woman be like meetups $40.
I mean I'm sure it's out there. That's what payola basically is we call it p p p t p p to play. Absolutely am on fire with that one so the background of is the 1930s and 1940s radio stations didn't have MDs which are musical directors or PDs program
or musical directors. Basically it was a personality or shock job shock jock. And basically the stations have huge followerships because there were less stations. And if you knew and made a friendship with this radio station PD or personality, you can go to their visit
and become friends with him, slide them 400 600 800 bucks, and he'll play your song and rotation and talk to other stations and get them to play it in rotation. You get enough of stations to play in a rotation such as some records we're reviewing today, 1700
per week per day per week. And you're talking about that artists will probably make somewhere in the range of like, four or five 6000 per week. Obviously that split up between publishers and writers but that for 100 600 $800 brings in a lot very large paycheck.
That's basically what payola is kind of like am said you're paying under the table, a personality to play your record and add it to rotation that's the big dealer with it, you're going to make a big lump sum off this record going to radio.
Nowadays radio stations have off peak hours so like hot 97 as local love. Other stations have you know jam it or slam it they a lot of stations have a four to six hour off peak window.
Media base does not pay anything that's in that window. Ours is street flavor of the week. There you go.
So if you're in that four to six hours usually it's at nighttime. We're not paying for that anyway so if a radio station PD asked you for money to add you in that stupid little mix at night for next.
It, you just got finessed, because you're not going to make any money off of that. That's not even the definition of payola. You want to make some advancement, and you sliding them that money under the table.
Right. That ran rapid from the 30s until the 1990s into the 2000s 2000s. The thing is, was, were those records actually payable.
They were, they absolutely were they were. Yeah, they're, they're copyright and they're published so it, because there was an FCC enforcing that the rules over these people.
These shock jocks that were very famous would be like yo Joe slide me like 700 bucks 800 bucks and I'll play your record or rotation 40 times a day. That makes you feel better. Yeah.
So, it worked for a while.
And it became such a rampant situation that we've been cracking media base has been cracking down on it so much so there was a lawsuit settlement with universal records.
In 2006 and you guys can Wikipedia or Google that in that settlement we actually defined in legislative terms what payola is.
And now FCC is allowed to track it and find for it we set fines in that settlement. If a radio station is caught do taking payola for no other reason.
So you got to be very careful when you say payola and advertising and that's what since Eddie said in air quotes it payola is all advertising now. If you're paying for a billboard in Orlando that's $2,000 a month.
That's advertisement that's not payola.
So, but if a radio station gets caught taking payola from a claim and then they invest we investigate them. The fine can be up to $233,000 for each claim of payola.
So you got 230 K to spam bro. Well, what I think Doc's capping bro I think I think all these guys are illegal, and they're doing illegal things it's all cap doc.
Facebook post knows more than you.
Through bro he said that's just getting through. And again, I by no means am I saying did payola disappear completely out the face of the earth, but I will say this.
We did a study last year payola in streaming so on Spotify specifically but also title, Apple, and, and Spotify payola is up in streaming 6332% higher than radio because there's all these
things that payola an app you can get. No, what it is is like say you pay a pay farm to stream your song 6000 times in a month. That's payola, because you're getting numbers that are official they're not really real numbers.
Yeah, and are you are you getting paid for those numbers, you're supposed to be but here's the thing if we catch you like Miss I spice.
One time, got 1 million more followers than Michael Jackson did about a year and a half ago before she blew up.
So her and her label which is her labels fought I won't blame it all on her but her and her label said that I spice more followers than Michael Jackson therefore she's more successful and has more money than Michael Jackson.
What are you doing. So when media base investigated that Joe, they actually did find that there were bots and stream farms used for I spice so they did all her streams, and they downgraded her monthly followers and like it went down by like 7.5 million.
So my question is, with all the authentic and unauthentic bots involved like, what is our actual stream ratio what is our actual income versus what everyone thinks it is you know like is it is it is it are you able to sustain off of music.
You know, here's the thing here's the thing. Where you're getting played and who's playing your music so that's the thing when you see someone on Facebook or Instagram share a screenshot of title pays this Spotify pays this YouTube pays this, that's all bullshit.
So one, 24.6 million streams is bullshit. I'm not saying the amount is bullshit what you're getting paid per rate is bullshit because if you don't have a copy or and if you don't have a performance rights or if you got to share it with 17 other artists like Drake.
I'm getting other raw portion. Yeah, you're getting such a smaller portion than what it is so that. And another thing is from the music modernization act that everyone was like voting for and gung ho about it put into legislation, the term freemium.
So therefore if I pay for Spotify because we have to have a podcast we have to pay for Spotify. But if I didn't pay for Spotify I listened to your music you're going to get paid less for me listening to it versus am listening to your music because he pays for it.
So there isn't really a 0.000413 cents if you get a stream on Spotify. It isn't like nuts and bolts like that because it depends on who's listening to it. But yeah to answer since question yes there is advertising and yes spot Paola is still happening.
But we're cracking down like when we investigate radio stations. There's 2.5 guilty claims every single year so two to three radio stations are found guilty. We charge them a penalty of 233,000. We also find the DJ that accepted the money and suspend them for six months without pay.
Generally most radio stations if they take on that 233,000 dollar fine they go bankrupt and there's no more radio station. But again these kids don't even care about the radio so all they see is streaming and they don't know what they're streaming. Why is it being streamed and why does bad bunny have so many streams.
Life is crazy bro.
My boy isn't wrong I think he was really trying to kind of pressures people into saying something but everyone got in there when I replied like I don't know 233,000 dollar fine to try to take payola is too much of a risk for me.
And like funk flex we suspended for six months without pay so I mean it's there there are getting catch funk flex took two cruises from a record label.
And that's how we got called so we're not talking about like brands upon brands we're talking about $600 here and $600 here.
So we got number two from the wonderful beautiful Christina Roman from Brandon Florida. So Christina is one of our own bumping or dumping panels and in our chat group so so much respect for her.
She asked when someone talks about owning their masters. What does that really mean, and are there options for newer artists to start their first record deal owning their own music or masters, or does that defeat the purpose of labels.
So before I dive into this Joe I'm going to ask you this question, you know what it means when someone says they own their masters.
I know what it means when someone says Atlanta. Oopsie. Oh fuck. That's my last time bro. Now, now I don't have fun stuff to drink by the way Joe, I don't have vodka to drink so now you're going to get me messed up.
Candy am I better see I'll take a shot.
Salud, salute. Salud. No, but to answer your question, Doc.
I could, I could. I gotta take this bottle before I pour it. Yeah, go for it.
I'm just pouring the shot with the cap on it. No real shit bro. Like, four times now realize why it wasn't coming out. Joe I've had a lot of experience with my family drinking just to throw that out there so Jean Jean knows her family they try to get new friends to try to get me intoxicated.
Right. They get angry when they can't get me intoxicated so I didn't give you that warning.
I could probably try to make up an answer for how I understand what you're asking me but I don't. So let's do it, make up an answer what what does an artist mean when they talk about owning their masters.
I would say that they are involved on the master composition side of percentages recorded paid. You're actually not wrong too bad so I mean I give you so much props for coming up with that spitball bullshit answer I love it.
Thank you sir. So, when an artist signs a record deal with a label. There's two sides that get monetized from that song when it gets played on radio TV Spotify anywhere streaming, anything performance rights, anything, the writer side, and the publishing side.
So when you file the copyright for that the original artists and producer file a copyright that's called a PA form of performing arts form. That's the very first one that gets copyrighted. That does not include the label that just has all the producer or producers, and then
the main artist and any writers so sometimes when you look up a Drake copyright there's 11 other writers and he's the minor writer while there's other primary writers, whoever the primary is gets paid more.
Right.
So, when you're signed to a major label you want them to be able to open that budget for you right be able to spend that money for a tour for music videos to start shipping these campaigns National Radio you want them to be able to monetize that record.
Therefore, you're going to have to give up some percentage of publishing and the master. So when an label gets that new.
That new key low key and Isaiah Rashad new single that's going to National Radio, the label which is TD TD is going to want to get the SR form of the copyright the sound recording that gives them a right to monetize it to mass produce it to to market
it to distribute it to streaming services distributed to TV services to try to send it for sync licenses there you're going to want them to have that they're going to want that as a demand of their record label that you sign with them.
So you're given a part of your master there. Now the other detail of owning a master is also who owns minority share.
I'm sorry majority share of your publishing, see I am talking intoxicated majority share of your publishing so whoever owns 51% or more of your publishing owns the master.
So when you see these artists when you meet a friend that says I got signed by Def Jam nowadays in 2024 you need to ask what kind of deal is it an artist deal. Is it a distribution deal.
Is it a publishing deal is it a management deal because like, like fat Joe is signed to Terra Squad music at Empire Records, but he's a management deal with rock nation so all these years people have been assuming that fat Joe is mainstream when he's been indie all these years
and raking in more money than most people.
So, when you see that publishing deal when you sign that if they're taking more than 51% which I was at a conference and three labels, they all agreed on that most those deals start at 84% or higher.
They're going to keep 84% of your publishing and you're going to get 16% or higher.
Therefore it's more than 51% therefore they own your master. Now, you really need a lawyer to look at your contract take someone like Taylor Swift. They found a loophole in her contract that the, the master's report revert back to her.
After 15 or 20 years that's why she's able to rerecord all her albums that a loophole isn't in everyone's out everyone's contract though only some people's contract.
So that's the best way I can describe that answer.
Are there options for newer artists to start their first record deal owning their masters generally know, even Jay Z when he was at at rock Nate Rockefeller slash Def Jam.
They own 49% of their master that means Def Jam on the rest. Jay Z owns every master he has from rock nation on everything from Rockefeller behind Def Jam owns and Jay Z can afford to buy that or doesn't want to afford to buy that.
Another example that is when Snoop Dogg became the president of death row and gamma bought it.
They made him the new president, and he wanted to buy his own masters back, he has to sign a 30 year mortgage to buy his masters back because they're so expensive.
So it's not something on your first record deal that you're going to be able to get all your masters or first record do that's a very rare record deal and if you get that, that's damn amazing.
So, that's the best way I can answer that question.
I'm going to drink to that with you guys because that was a mouthful. That's what she said.
Alright so segment number seven is going to be seven degrees of separation it's a game that we play, just in case we haven't drank enough yet. This is the spot where we fuck shit up and change that since we as twisted critics became Spotify playlist curators we use this little
game, each show to test our music knowledge and memory usually Doc the only one that's going to be able to remember songs, things of that nature.
So I learned from Episode three and on I got to write them down because I'll forget them too, but Joe a theory founded in 1929 and resurrected by the movie industry in the early 1990s.
There was a joking concept that every actor or actress was somehow related to or link through movie roles to Kevin Bacon by six degrees or connections or less.
We are crazy enough to test the same theory where urban music and collaborators. Joe, this is where you become a curator with us to you'll forever be part of the seven degrees playlist.
Do me a favor no pressure don't fuck up but you have your phone near you. I do. Pull out your phone do you use Spotify. I do.
I want you to go to Spotify and do a search for seven degrees of separation. Right there. Okay, please like and follow it. Everyone that you know you should be adding to this because you are now a curator for the rest of your life as part of it.
Make sure you harden follow it. This is our little game it's rapid fire seven connections by collaborator only not producers, not ghost writers just collaborators.
10 second guesses no no stress. I'll do the Jeopardy countdown. Let's go. Obviously no Google no cheating. You have to get the title and feature right if any of us fucked that up you me or am we all take shot.
Yes, sir. Worst part about it is that it's only you all three playing. I take a shot even if it's not my fault. Joe you think you understand the rules or not. I think I understand rules bro.
Right. So last episode our guest Jessica Bonilla we left off with the song bad boys for life by Diddy featuring black Rob and Mark Curry. Joe you're on the clock first to try to make one song out of our connection.
Diddy featuring Cassie me and you.
Diddy and Cassie I'm going to go with Cassie and little Wayne official girl. Oh, that's hard. I'm gonna write that you go with the harder fucking feature.
No, that's easy bro. Give you a little Wayne. Yeah, little Wayne like what there's a billion songs he's on big sex and my brain right now I can't remember any of them.
Like a cop car.
Yeah, you can use what he said that's baby face you could do that.
The way in the drink featured on like 35,000 fucking songs. I know.
That's right. I'm on one.
And I'm all I'm on one. Is that DJ Khaled and featuring all of. Yeah, feature so I'm on one that's got them both on it right. It's Drake Rick Ross and the way. Yeah, that's all.
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
All right. So, so Joe you got to connect any of those DJ Khaled Rick Ross, Drake or little Wayne Ross Rick Ross Drake and while a dice pineapples.
And that's a and that's a banger. It is a banger.
So you get connected dice pineapples, I'm going to connect.
I'm going to keep it in the family and do Rick Ross feature and little Wayne and TI nine piece.
Oh, that was interesting choice.
The way my brain works my brain nine pieces, bro, when it one time Wayne was just slaughtering everything he touched.
I got it and look I got to our song and the feature but I don't know fucking name of the song. I actually have a plug to see as well.
Yeah, I just yeah, one of the one of the producers I work with just got on like a like a TI's hustle gang album, you know and TI is about to drop one last album so he's telling me we need to collab and stuff like that so that's pretty cool.
I don't talk too much that TI was on and I feel like he had a second person on the song and I want to say it's cheesy, but I feel like I'm wrong. I'm called talk to me that's gonna be a shot buddy. Take the shot.
It's not even TI at all.
It's like coin or just look at this shit up on Google.
Shit. Oh yeah, it is calling. It's calling for run to you. It is fucking sample. Alright, so I just took a shot for that we all got to take shots for that.
Good shot for that.
No shoulder shoulder length.
Okay shoulder lean by young draw and TI I like that.
I didn't even have to look at the pressure was off me so.
Let me write that one down and Joe you got the very last one shoulder lean. All right, I got the perfect one. Who you connecting that to. I'm connecting this to TI swagger like us.
Watch this. Watch this watch this watch this.
I'm not going to be showing you this string Kanye West lowing and TI look at that. I don't think you look and I will say that TI had a phenomenal phenomenal you know Luigi for the wordplay cheesy for the bird play Kanye easy for diversity of me to me for controversy I'm a person picture perfect on the spirit server purpose you ain't living what you kicking.
Come on dude. Come on bro. Come on.
And that's the producer.
That's the producer, but you know why I know he knew that. Watch this. You know why I knew he knew that.
Because TIs from that bank head Atlanta area.
Oopsie. Oh fuck. I hate you so much brother. I love both of y'all. I love all three of y'all.
Hey, yo, we made it through that with like what like one shot one one shot. Just one. Congrats, bro, because I already had plenty.
I was so you're on real talk am I was on the phone with this fool and he's like, I don't know if I'm be able to connect like black Robin did he to anybody and I'm like, I got very scared I'm like okay this is gonna be candy all over again.
You did a good job. You did a very Joe you did a very good job man so this dude's head is hanging.
So there you go. So we, you are now part of our playlist for ever Joe.
And what's really cool is none of those songs were using our playlist ever before that's the cool part is the cool part. Where is where Candela can can deliver.
Candela.
Can Delario.
Yeah, how you feeling bro.
Honestly bro I have like so much. I mean I have a whole lot to do but I have a couple things to do right now I don't know if I can do it. We're almost there we're almost there so we're on segment one question though.
Oh, for for kilo real quick.
Who do you think I should work with out of Texas that you fuck with, or that you know, personally, I just told you bro look my homie Mars he's from Chattanooga Tennessee he's like a fucking legend and apparently.
Yeah, he's a producer and then D baby is fucking popping right now. I'm gonna hit him up right now and be like, yo kilo just sent me a booty pic he said what's up.
Mars beats 95 Mars beats 95.
I'm gonna write that. Yeah, it's ma are it's ma RZ, and then beats with a s 95 he's a YouTube producer. He's got some shit with finesse two times days love money man lots of shit bro.
We came up in the same city, always been around each other so yeah but he's he's popping in Texas bro. I said that bro I want to, I want to grow my area.
That comes to urban music for sure we only have a close to urban music we got. You've heard of Austin, Texas, or corpus. Yes, that's the closest we got so that's about two and a half hours away.
And, and Joe I confirm that when we were talking to him about radio stations the closest urban radio stations I can find was in Corpus Christi. Yeah.
So, all right, candy take us home we're on the last slide bro.
So, I think we've enjoyed the hell out of your interview I foresee a lot of success with your newest opportunity. And I can't wait to hear new singles you produce. I've also want to say you have officially surviving graduated as a twisted critic.
Thank you, bro.
We didn't get you too fucked up do we.
I mean I fucked up bro.
Listen Joe, Joe you handled yourself well you're kind of slurring words but I love it. I love it because you're still standing you're still talking you're still coherent and you're still smart.
We appreciated your stories, your knowledge, your personality your point of view, your time collectively speaking for am down there for candy over there for myself.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sticking with us for thinking with us and for drinking with us.
The beauty of the twisted critics is that you now always have an open door invite for us to be on our show. Anytime you have a new project, a new invite a new feature, a new single, any new news, give us a call and consider us your second home to come back to and talk
about your victories. Thank you, sir.
Joe, we all we all mean that from the bottom of our hearts.
We appreciate you being here. I know I enjoyed the show. Just like you said I enjoyed everything outside of us having our structure parts, and I like learning what makes you tick.
I love talking charts with you. I hope you had fun I felt like you did I felt like you did before we leave. So what we're going to do we're going to, we're going to ask you to feel free to use this spot to dig up yourself your socials, your
contact and plug us with anything and everything that you have coming up.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate the opportunity to work with twisted critics. It's been great. I fuck with you guys I'd like to work with you guys more consistently and just talk about whatever the fuck we want to talk about.
But yes, at key low key Ki LL WK EY generally anywhere you can find me.
And I appreciate all support and all love I appreciate the opportunity to be on the Twisted Critics podcast, you guys are showing nothing but love and genuine personalities which I appreciate and I hope to be back.
You will.
It would get ever create opportunity be in the same building same room, you know I'd love to just work with you guys and explore your passion you know, I would, I would do this shit like on some real shit like I don't know what's going to happen.
I'm focused on my life and my career but like I would do this shit with y'all every Sunday.
I just followed you on on Twitter and on Instagram, following you back right now bro.
I fuck with you bro.
Hey, look at candy look at his smile.
Twisted critics is blown up bigger and bigger every single episode I feel like every other episode we had a new country. I really hope Joe can help us pass that mark.
This year I'm being a little bit more selfish you guys see that I'm holding up a shot glass, I'm being a little more selfish I want to actually record more music and I actually want to lay down more production.
I haven't really produced hardcore since 2013 11 years ago.
So I really want to get back and I want to actually start, you know, making my own beats again, making this podcast blow up and actually get some of these verses that are right.
I mean every single week recorded all the positive energy towards you to be able to accomplish these things bro.
You know you and you got to show me around Atlanta Georgia a little bit.
Fuck, and we're both we're all taking a shot of this. This will be the last one. I hope to see I'll take a shot because like, look, look, I've got just poured it. I got one poured but it's just like the whole like putting it to my mouth and drinking that thing is like, no, it's fine.
It's just pretend it's like, oh, well, I just finished it. All I have left is like, so that's why candy that's why this is the last one I'm gonna hurt you with.
Salud, come by, and he said, he just sent me a message.
He's about to finish it.
He said I can see you but I can't hear you. I'm taking a shot.
Peace and salutations all the listeners out there, all the different countries that actually have chimed in you know, we're in Turkey, we're in India, we're in Japan, we're in Belgium multiple people in Belgium, I don't know how that happened.
Germany.
We got someone in Russia, Puerto Rico, Canada, United States. Shout out to all those areas I hope we can add two or three with this episode.
I want to say to everybody in any country, anywhere across the world, whatever you feel in your heart that you truly feel is like meant for you or your purpose.
You can do it, no matter what anyone says around you no matter what you're feeling from your family or the closest people in the world. If you have something on your heart that you think you can do.
I promise you with dedication and consistency you can get there and you will get there. Do not stop. I love everybody.
We're gonna get out of here. Peace out.