The Life N Times Network

Of Music & Men 35

• Natheer

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On Of Music & Men from The Life N Times Network, Dre and Natheer unpack the week in music and culture, connecting how the internet, the industry, and everyday life shape what we hear. Expect lively debate, clear takeaways, and a few laughs as we give our two cents to the artists with all the change.


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SPEAKER_03:

I like to make my own sound effects.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Is it cheaper?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. A lot of budget. Sorry for exposing. Dre, I'll get you when I can get you, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh no problem, no problem.

SPEAKER_03:

Just stacking up, man. Pegan is stacking up. Drizzy Dre stacking up records.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Um, how do you feel about which one with uh central seat? That's how you feel. See, a lot of Americans that's a great rate, right? A lot of Americans thought it was trash. And you're not the market. I wanna let you know. You were not thought of.

SPEAKER_02:

You're not the market.

SPEAKER_03:

When he picked the beat, when he picked the feature, uh, where the fuck he's at right now. Like coming out with a UK record while you're in UK, come on, man. After this doing three nights of wireless, that's excellent business. Like, that's fantastic business. People are saying, you know, he's declining. Do you feel like he's declining, bro?

SPEAKER_02:

No, see, this is I think Americans have a very bad very bad thing where like if something's not for them, then it's just bad, right? And they feel rejected right now, and since he's not making music for them anymore, then he must be washed or he must be blah, blah, blah, blah. Like I think they just feel a little left out.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, man. Nobody says shit to McDonald's when you open up a shop in India. No, it's good business. It is let him cook. So let Drake cook, man. And that and I bet I I watch Top Boys to get ready for this episode.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, okay. Yeah, nah.

SPEAKER_02:

But like I've always like, I've always I've compared him multiple times on here. I tell you, I think Central C is like the UK's version of Drake to me. Like that's who they're pushing to be their Drake kind of in popularity.

SPEAKER_03:

He got swag, he got lyrics, and he's been on these hooks, and he's been holding his weight with heavy contenders. I think Dave is seen as the best rapper, but he doesn't drop enough. I felt similar things with Kendrick O'Mar. Dave, please drop more so that Central C, who is Drake in this situation, doesn't simply outwork you.

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm. Because it's it could be healthy competition. And I think the positive they're friends.

SPEAKER_03:

They are. They do music together.

SPEAKER_02:

They do business. So this is like, you know what? Maybe like the UK show in the way it's like your two, your most, your, your most talented and your most popular artists can collab and do great work together. And they've consistently done great work together.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I feel like in the UK, like all their issues because of the the road, the mantum.

SPEAKER_02:

The mundum.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, if you would say that. The road. Because of the I don't want any smoke or any pokes either. I'm just joking, guys. You know what I'm saying? I support y'all. Unless it was back in the day, 1776 5. That's what we used to be, man.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. But we've been better. We've been chilling now.

SPEAKER_03:

Yo, we've been chilling, bro. Hey, the UK gotta get their boxes away from Usik, bro. He's been knocking out all the UK fighters, man. Something's going on, something's in the T. Anyway, back to Back to it, bro. I really think Drake is doing what he's supposed to do. I think he's doing great business. He's spreading his network. He's working with, you know, artists that care and artists that impact their culture and artists that understand this business arrangement works. You know, having Popcan and other Jamaican artists there. He's gonna go over there. Like that whole artist set is his, that's him gathering the Avengers. That's who he's gonna be working with. So I think that's the places he's gonna target and work with. There was a crazy beat that was on the second episode Iceman. I don't know if you heard it, but it just teased the beat, bro. And I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_01:

It's fine.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it sounded like it's fine, man. I thought I started rapping. I might as well, yeah. I might as well, you know, I was secluded. Remember, like so I remember you were completely okay, okay. I agree different. I'm gonna start adding rappers' ad libs to the podcast. I feel like that helped.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah, like uh snippets?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, bro. Do you think that uh Drake is still pushing boundaries? Hold on.

SPEAKER_00:

There we go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Cool, cool, cool. Do you think Drake's still pushing boundaries?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I think everything Drake does that is what people and I don't even know why we're still calling it experimental at this point, but we've been doing it for a minute. It's not an experiment anymore. It's a it's a proven path that nets fame, popularity, and money. And in that same sense, people are mad that he's doing it, but they also want the ability to do that. Say Drake had his beef with Kendrick and never had laid the groundwork internationally that he's been doing for the past 10 years, he would be, that would be the analogy of Drake because his US market would be a little, it would have suffered a lot. But Drake has already laid the groundwork internationally to where that shit do not bother him. This is an experiment anymore.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Drake has always been bigger than the market he was initially serving. And I think uh once he got into America in the music industry, he got his stripes, you know. He learned from his contracts, from his actor contracts and stuff like that when he's doing music contracts, and I think that's why his deal he got out of a young money cash money deal. Like that's some serious magic. There's a lot of brothers and sisters still within.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. They tried. They ain't never getting free.

SPEAKER_03:

That's like a where's it in get out?

SPEAKER_01:

What? The uh sunken place?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, the sunken place, bro, where you just take all your music and soul and juice.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey, just read the contract these days. I'll tell you what. How are you feeling about these albums in July? Is the summer hot, bro? How first of all, how do you feel about okay, Kylie to create his albums?

SPEAKER_02:

Because I asked people that. Look, all right, we talked about it for the past two weeks. Already told you what he was gonna do on his album, and he did it. And he did it. He's a West Coast thug now. I knew I I knew that was what he was gonna do. And it's like, okay, you know what? Some people didn't want another flower boy. Okay. Now he's a thug. Like he's now he's a thug.

SPEAKER_03:

What an evolution, huh?

SPEAKER_02:

Now he's a thug.

unknown:

What the fuck was this?

SPEAKER_02:

Hey, I see people liking it, but I see people liking this the same way I see people liking every Flavor Cardi album. Like, it's just the diehard fans are gonna like whatever you drop.

SPEAKER_03:

So all right. Listen, the beats were hard, the lyrics were weak, the album is short.

SPEAKER_01:

What you gonna do? I'm not an asshole here, bro. What you what you what you gonna do about it?

SPEAKER_03:

I like push and tea in the video, Milas in there trying to pray his way through this shit, man. Fucking LeBron's in the video. Why LeBron in the video, bro?

SPEAKER_01:

See, here's the thing. I didn't even watch the video.

SPEAKER_03:

You should have watched the video, bro. That's how I even heard about the album. I saw LeBron in the music video. I was like, what the fuck? Had to tap in, see what the king's doing.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I definitely, yeah. God keep never bless me with friends like LeBron.

SPEAKER_03:

Bro, I mean, that's not that's not unloyal, it's just not real.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, what how many years does it take for it to be unloyal, bro? They've been friends for like a decade.

SPEAKER_03:

Bro, I'm sorry. If I know someone for a decade, and I do, I have friends for a decade. If they ever did any of that stuff, it's raps, it meant raps, and it might be an issue when I see you. So, like, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

Bro, you could have just been betrayed me on week one.

SPEAKER_03:

Can we get year one out? Let's just get it out the gate. You know what I'm saying? That's why I'm a crash out, bro. I crash out my friends. Really gotta be my friends.

SPEAKER_02:

Yo, what's up? You could have just been in my life for a season and then betrayed me, and I could have just been like, yo, winter was cold. We we up now.

SPEAKER_03:

You know what I'm saying? Alright, you're my you're not my winter friend. I can't struggle with you. All right, cool.

SPEAKER_02:

You might see you in this, yeah. See you in the summer when you know that's the that's as much energy you got. And I understand that. This is insane. They probably had birthday parties with their kids together.

SPEAKER_03:

Bro, he probably know his kid. That's even more fucked up. I didn't even think about that angle. LeBron actually knows.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they've been Drake, you know, Drake with the games, even with like, good shot, Uncle Bron.

SPEAKER_03:

Yo, bro, nigga hold my kids up and do some shit like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Imagine having to tell your kids that you can't call him Uncle Braun no more.

SPEAKER_03:

No, yeah, you know, Uncle.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a shame. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

LeBron, what's his last name? LeBron James, how you doing, man?

SPEAKER_02:

Mr. James.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

But as far yeah, as far as Tyler's Tyler's album, it wasn't to me, it wasn't bad.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Because he's not a bad artist. But if we're gonna compare it to his other works, this is not getting replayed.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and that's the problem. Listen, he GNX'd himself.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

We're on a wave, there's money to be made, hop on this wave, man.

SPEAKER_02:

And you know what? I can't ever be too mad. Because you know what? Get it back.

SPEAKER_03:

Can't be mad at business, but I can't.

SPEAKER_02:

Get it back. I'm not like he's not a sellout or anything. Like, I could be disappointed. I'm not mad. I can be disappointed. But I'm gonna be honest with you, out of July, right? If we talk about everything that came out this month, because it was a lot that came out this month. Yeah you know, Ace Ace Hood even Ace Hood even hopped out the woodworks.

SPEAKER_03:

Shit, I didn't listen to that. How wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02:

It was alright. It was alright. Ace Hood's not a bad, I don't know what happened. Ace Hood's not a bad artist. I think it's a marketing thing. Maybe he got in in bed with his his label and some deals, and they just you know blacklisted him.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, some uh fact is they like Ace Hood got fucked in his deal, bro. They they fucked him. Because he he was on fire.

SPEAKER_02:

He was on fire, he just disappeared. You know what it is? I think people get on fire. And I think there's the issue. I think when you're unknown and not popular, you sign a deal that's more advantages to the label than you. That's fine. And usually you work that out, and then at the end of that deal, you renew. When you blow up early in your deal, you feel like you should be getting more than you initially signed on. And I understand that, but sometimes you wouldn't even have been in that position without that deal. Sometimes people just gotta wait they deal out. Sometimes that's yeah, but once again, you gotta be like Drake and read the fan print. But that wasn't even the best. I think the best thing I've heard coming out wasn't even an owl.

SPEAKER_01:

What was it?

SPEAKER_02:

It was a single SOS by Lupe Fiasco.

SPEAKER_03:

Lupe's one of them was.

SPEAKER_02:

And I listened to that and I was like, first of all, it gave me very much Mac Miller Bab, which is weird to say because Lupe was out before him, and I never really made that connection. But I was like, I went and I was listening to it and I'm listening to some of his other music, and I was like, out of all the artists, like Mac was probably like to me like the best successor of Lupe's type of music. And I was like, I need to go dive back into that. You ain't got Mac no more, but Lupe still drops and he still makes music, and it's still that vibe and that talent that he had in 2007, 2009, 11. And that was probably the best song I've heard this whole month. Out of everything that dropped this month, I was like, this is this good hip hop.

SPEAKER_03:

The Freddie Gibbs album was probably the best thing that came out this month.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah?

SPEAKER_03:

It's the Clips album. Just bar. Just bar is in great production. Like, that's all you really need is to see. Not everybody has it. Um, the YB.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean the Alchemist was on there, so you know, yeah. Chopping it up.

SPEAKER_03:

Chopping it up, bro.

SPEAKER_02:

Chopping it up.

SPEAKER_03:

Like fine China. I do think I think uh me and Youngboy probably to other people is the best album.

SPEAKER_02:

But for me, it's not for me. Did any have what, 30 songs on there or something like that? Yeah, bro, bro.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, 30 on there. And I'm not when I go into a YB album, I don't need 30. So, and I'm I'm just being respectful. It just the vibe he brings. I can't take 30 songs of that.

SPEAKER_02:

Bro, you gotta listen to his music with a clenched fist staring in the staring out the window, angry.

SPEAKER_03:

And not a deep but with a fucking wave cap on, dog. Like that's that's what it really is.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and I I can't, but I mean I listened to it. I wasn't I wasn't happy. I listened to it. I listen, I I think every other album we listened to, like I played through, that I put it on start and listen through, I saw his list and I put it on shuffle.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I was like, no, we're gonna just it's not even cohesive. If I was I that's why I said we're gonna put it on shuffle. Like I we we listened to Freddie Gibbs, and he had a theme to his stuff, which I was trying to figure out like was it Asian or Hispanic? Like some of it was Asian themed, some of it was like he's Hispanic food. I was like, I don't know what we're doing. But it was cohesive. Like he listened to it the end of one song was leaving the beginning or the other. You gotta play that fruit. That's a project. Put Youngboy stuff on shuffle. I was like, it doesn't matter which order I listen to this, it's gonna be hectic regardless.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I feel the same. I feel the same, bro. I mean, it's just not my cup of tea. Larry June's album was really good. It came out in July, like July, early.

SPEAKER_02:

Early.

SPEAKER_03:

But the words on there wasn't that good to me. And yeah, I don't really rate like a dude going in his 30s, going to go grab his hood cart.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, what I just for for an artist like him, you would think you would want to make music that 10 years later people won't listen to. And that's not this.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, this is gonna be skipped over his entire discography. There might be songs, bro. It might be songs, I don't know. Like, motherfuckers vibe with it way more than me, right? I I'm not gonna discount it. It might just not be for me.

SPEAKER_01:

But you know what?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh I don't I think in his discography it rents pretty low.

SPEAKER_02:

I take that back. I take that back. I think my problem with this and my problem with GNX. Because Drake could do something like this, and Cole could do something like this, and I wouldn't be mad. And do you know why? Kendrick and Tyler don't drop enough music consistently for them to have a wasted album. That's my issue. You don't drop enough for me to be like, oh, thanks for this summer. I know next year or in six months, we're gonna get something that's gonna have longevity. You don't drop enough for this. Tyler, you might not drop for another three years, and you're leaving us with this. Kendrick, you could go four years and not drop another album. You left us with this. That's not okay.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't think I think Kendrick's top lot is gonna be short. I think he needs to drop something within two years. I'd I say he should drop right after Drake if he really wants to capitalize. I don't think Kendrick is away from Drake's his bag, he should stay right next to him. Just stay right next whole career. You might as well, right? Like, push the team just dissed Drake. He's like, fuck it, bro. Come on. This is what I do. This is what people think. When I start rapping, they know I'm gonna diss Drake and I'm gonna sell some coke. That's all I'm doing. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, uh, pushers are good lyrics. I'm gonna listen. Yeah, no, it was a good album. But yeah, I think I think that is my problem. It's not necessarily the content, but it's the subtle thought that like we're not gonna get better content for a minute.

SPEAKER_03:

Bro, you got buyers remorse. You know what's gonna happen after you got it. But I just got this fucking TV, it is gonna not turn on for four more years.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

That's what being an artist fan is. Like, like, people really follow their artists, right? You're their TV. If you turn on only every three years, you think I'm gonna stay in front of you?

SPEAKER_02:

Or I better, it better be a fire TV show that I'll turn on. And that's why Drake can never get consistency, it is key. It doesn't matter. Drake's gonna give your fans what they want. Sometimes stuff they don't want, but it don't matter because they know maybe this season was bad. The next season's coming in eight months. I'll be okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Good. They just gave up a bunch of material. So he doesn't have to grow up. You know, people telling me to like tell Grace uh Drake to grow up. I'm like, he's never gonna grow up. Okay? It's not happening. Maybe when Adonis is like 20, bro, but before then, he's gonna be wilding and he's gonna tell us about it.

SPEAKER_02:

And and it's okay because he said that as his character.

SPEAKER_03:

And I never, yo, when the battle's going on, Kitchen was like, hey, he's a bad person. I'm like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I know that.

SPEAKER_03:

I thought so.

SPEAKER_02:

I I know that. I do not look for Drake for morality cues.

SPEAKER_03:

Like, I'm not looking to Drake before I go to church. What the so fun, man?

SPEAKER_02:

I knew bro, was a problem.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, I mean, there is now, but like Christian rap is cool.

SPEAKER_02:

I like how LeCrae just made a song. I need to listen to that. Yeah. You gotta tap into that, man. You gotta Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

I want people to stop complaining about fast food hip hop or songs.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

July 2025, Freddie Gibbs dropped, Larry Drew dropped, Tyler dropped. There's a lot of artists that aren't fast food rappers dropping. Go focus on them. We gotta stop complaining about the market, bro. You're getting fed. You just gotta you gotta pick what you're eating. Because I I keep hearing people complain about like, oh, there's nothing to listen to. There's no, there's plenty of artists. You just don't listen to them.

SPEAKER_02:

There's plenty of artists, and even though it is more difficult to shop for them, right? They're not getting played on the radio. That's on you. You gotta take some responsibility and accountability for what you consume as your media, right? If you only listen to the radio and you're like, oh, these are only the artists coming out with music. No, you got Spotify, get off. Get on Spotify and actually go look through this stuff. Your stuff is curated for what you like. You can't complain to other people because you like that trash stuff that you're feeding yourself.

SPEAKER_03:

Listen, when hip-hop started, to get samples, you had to go to the crates and then you had to go to the DJ set and scratch them. To find music, you gotta do the same fucking thing. So don't be lazy because that's the genesis of how we got here. How do you feel about the mysterious rapper, like a Playboy Cardi? He's like Batman. He's in and out of the public eye, he's in and out, he's doing stuff, he's wearing uh do-regs.

SPEAKER_02:

I I think it's I think it's fine. I think it I think it determines how much money you want to make. Okay, so there's pros and cons. And I know this we we talked about streaming the other week, so it's streams, and what they have shown is the best successive form of media, it's basically how parasocial you can make your fans. So if you want to be elusive and mysterious and you know not let people really know the end and else here, like that's fine, and there is a fan base that's gonna go, like they like a mystery. But if you want a bag, you gotta make these people think that their opinion matters to your life. They have to know everything you're doing. And I think there's artists like that, like I think Kanye is like that. Kanye loves people to know what he's doing, like that's the intention. People be in there, and that feeds that feeds his fans, and they feel connected to that's why like the cult followings like that, like they feel very connected to him, like they feel like they know who he is as a person. That's done on purpose.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, no, I I agree with that. How do you feel like the modern artist? And we never talked to talked about this like at length. I really want to know how you feel about this. What is respectable in the culture to start from? This is post the Drake and Kendrick War. Do you have to be from Compton? Can you come from middle class house? Where is the middle? Can you be lower class with both your parents? Make sure you stayed out of it. Can you be upper middle class and work in construction? Blue collar. I'm trying to fill out figure out what existence is the best possible for people to understand that the black is not monolithic.

SPEAKER_02:

I think your starting point. I think it is important. It doesn't have to be the end all, be all, because your life can change once you get into your startle. But I think your starting point heavily determines your the audience that you're allowed to in the beginning uh make music for. Um which sadly we're not monolithic, but there is a large majority of us that are still dealing with poverty scenarios, right? And so that is going to be the pigeonhole that a lot of people expect a lot of artists to come from. Uh but that doesn't have to be where you stay. But yes, I mean, I personally have a problem. Like if you're not from the hood or you didn't have a problem, that is fine. Don't go making real drug dealing music, right? Go tell stories, go do lyrics, go write up on a filling, right? You can do that, right? I think there's a I love that, right? I love that place in hip-hop. We need more people like that. But you can't go and jump into that. You haven't experienced that. You can tell other people's stories of the hood if you want, people who weren't able to tell their own stories. That's great, but don't push it off like it's your own if that was it. And I think that's a lot of other people's problem too. I think that's an issue a lot of people had with Drake. And I'm sure as Drake got into, and that's what I mean. Like you can transition, as Drake got into being famous, Drake's run into situations with people that he hadn't run into before he was famous. Yeah, you can talk about someone trying to rob your chain or stick you up with a gun, or you know, some of these rappers had bad interactions with Diddy's and Diddy in a club, right? Like, y'all can rap about that stuff. Y'all never had club beef before. Now y'all got club beef, and now y'all haven't, you know, like you can rap about that now. In the beginning, I can see why people had an issue with Drake. Like, bro.

SPEAKER_03:

But that's the same thing with that situation. Drake didn't start rapping tough until he got in a tough situation.

SPEAKER_02:

You're right, because remember, we talked about this. Drake's role in rap originally was to be the dude that gave you the hooks for the hard rappers.

SPEAKER_03:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

That was it.

SPEAKER_03:

I ain't worked this hard since I was 18.

SPEAKER_02:

And then people started, but and I'm not gonna say he didn't want to be in those situations either, right? Because it gave him credit and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03:

Put up himself in those situations, and even he's not dumb. Like, average smart person, once they understand the scenario they're in, they know how to advance in these crowds. And people can say this or that, but nobody has ever put hands or feet on Drake on camera. And everybody that anybody who did behind the scenes, something happened in them too, right?

SPEAKER_01:

So like Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So I mean Drake is as soft as people want him to be anymore, and he became less soft because of the life experience.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You can toughen up through after getting rich. A lot of people get soft after they get rich. Drake was like, nah, I want to be around these people, these scenarios. There are things that happen around these people in scenarios, and he wisened up to them.

SPEAKER_03:

I genuinely, yes, I don't that's a crazy choice to make, though. Like, if you're a regular person, right? And I and you know, there's caveats. Like, Drake's gonna have to deal with like real shit all his life now, right? So if you don't want to have to deal with that, guys, just pick the civilian route.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, Drake has even the people he keeps around him to protect him, like you say, like Drake, nobody's putting hands on Drake on camera. Drake pays certain people to keep him safe. Due to that, though, Drake has people around him who know certain things about him who have been privy to certain private conversations. For the rest of Drake's life, Drake gonna have to be paying these people because he opened that door.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey, I mean, Jay-Z still playing somebody from his block to like it don't stop. Like, all these dudes got like crazy ass trauma circles, too. I oh yeah, I don't even think about that. Trauma tribes, man. It's crazy. Uh so who had the best verse of 2025 July? I gotta say, putcha tea, so be it. I don't know why you went so hard lyrically against somebody who's not lyrical that way. That was crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

You said best verse, and the only thing I can think of was and it's because I've been uh I've been on the uh be on the internet too much.

SPEAKER_01:

You know who Zeddy Will is.

SPEAKER_03:

I know who you're talking about. That's a New York dude, right?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know if he's from New York, but yeah, this trend that's been on the internet consecutively. I just keep thinking of his lyric. It's because it's funny. And it's not even the it's not even the you're really good at head, I don't want your throat. It's the what he say, he said, you not big back. I caught you heavy fat. I've been laughing at that lyric for two weeks.

SPEAKER_03:

Yo, I mean, he's in that lane and the same thing was doing that shit. He's like, come on, like, like joking.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_03:

It's come from the uh the threat of, you know, who's that dude? He passed to not heavy, not heavy D, but he came off around that area. Okay I'm gonna have to look it up. It's an old school rapper. He like he was starting that funny shit in the rap parts like early.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Like I'm just saying it's a treat.

SPEAKER_02:

Rap really We don't get that lane a lot. I mean, I'm and I and as I like listening to lyrics that like you can laugh. Like it doesn't have to be sad, it doesn't have to be it's like yo, bro, just said some funny shit, just keeps losing.

SPEAKER_03:

There's some funny artists too. Like, Lil Dicky was really funny when I first started.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm so upset that he stopped making music. I mean, uh, his films are great, his TV shows are good, he does other stuff, but he switched to that lane. But that was a breath of fresh air.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Because hip hop is entirely too serious.

SPEAKER_02:

Entirely. And we talked, I just talked about like depending where where you go after you start, you can change, but depending where you came from, you have to have a certain audience. Bro didn't fake it. He's like, dude, this Jewish guy from I don't know if he was from New Jersey or something like that, or even Philly, maybe. I think he maybe was from outside of Philly. But he's like, look, I wrote comedy, but I want to rap and write some funny shit. I'm gonna find fans or I'm gonna not like accept. Where you're from and then move from there.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. You know, people gotta have a wider market, you know? It's crazy. Like, who you know isn't necessarily who's gonna help you. And I've learned that with the podcast, bro. Like, I can see all the areas in which people are like listening at, and there's people I met one time in LA that consistently watch. There's people I know passing consistently, and then there's people I know forever in Philly, but it doesn't reflect those numbers.

SPEAKER_02:

The numbers, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm like, oh okay, so it's alright, but like don't go looking for something you can provide yourself. All creators should think like that because there's a market, everybody's sampling from somewhere, everybody's listening to something in the same vein. You're gonna find your market. You just can't stop putting out product. You won't know unless you're I'm telling you, numbers, quantity solves everything. It really does. I mean, sales, volume really like changes.

SPEAKER_02:

You throw enough out, someone will pick it up.

SPEAKER_03:

Someone's gonna pick it up, man.

SPEAKER_02:

Someone else, yeah. 100%. If if if you think your market's not out there, your market just might be looking for stuff that no one else is putting out right now, right? It's gonna be hard to find, but you like you said, you gotta keep dropping, you gotta keep putting stuff out. And then once they hear it, they're gonna be like, oh, this is the go-to guy for this sound. We're gonna spread the word. Like it's it the drill shit's oversaturated. Please give other.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh what about the little young bull that looks like uh Riley? You see him?

SPEAKER_01:

No.

SPEAKER_03:

It's a young bull that looks like Riley that's from the rat.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Got a song right now, bro.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh okay. I'm gonna have to listen to that. Is this it's funny? I like that.

SPEAKER_03:

He's like, he has like a positive spirit.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know what's going on with the subject matter. He's young, so he can evolve. Like, I don't I don't like to be too harsh on it. He's 17 years old. You figure it's like well, but yeah. Here's another question, bro. Is American hip hop like we see Drake, he's in the fucking fuck this market. Right? Is American hip-hop like needed? Like, do artists need to serve America anymore? And is American hip-hop starting to have to compete with global hip-hop? Kind of like how the NBA, you know, how we used to have all American talent and now the global numbers are rising. I mean, we got Nikola Jokic, we got Giannis, we got SGA, we we got a lot of players that are now playing generational talent and they're coming over. I mean, look at Winby. And he's from Perry.

SPEAKER_02:

I think yes, the American market is still leading and will for a while, but I think it would be ignorant to ignore the rise of other markets. And I'm glad you pointed out the NBA. So, in that same sense, right? Like you said, every talent came from America for a while. And now we're cherry-picking the best talent from other countries. But if the NBA disappeared today and no American players could play in the NBA anymore, basketball would never be the same. It wouldn't even look, it wouldn't even look as good, right? Because we've brought the flair, the type of entertainment, no big church, the rules and the way the game is played today. That's American hip-hop, right? Other people get affluence and they take parts and they make their own. And we're like, oh, that sounds good. We're glad you're contributing. But at the end of the day, all these people that are rapping now have been influenced by America. And they're like, oh, my favorite artist is this, this. I want to rap like this and this. And these are all American, typically American rappers or people who are influenced by American rappers. And if American rap disappeared today, those markets would not be able to fill the gap of the create, I would say like the creative gene that comes from living in America, right? That comes from the scenarios that made hip-hop and rap, which today is still black American people, right? We are still the primary primary creators of shaping what hip hop is and what should be the culture for good and worse. I mean, once again, I'm never gonna miss an opportunity to uh uh shit on sexy red. But great music, wish it was never made. But it but that's the point. Like it doesn't for good and for bad, we are still gonna be the ones to make, and then other people are gonna follow, right? Even for Drake, and everyone's like, oh, he's not even he's Canadian, whatever. Good or bad, Drake has taken all those American influences in hip-hop and made his own stuff, but it is still very American at the end of the day, and we have been his biggest market for the longest time. I mean, like the Wayne influence on everyone who's in a hip hop right now, right? Like it can't be ignored. So unless there is a pocket somewhere, and I think the only place this could probably happen is maybe the UK, but unless there's a pocket somewhere outside of the US where there is just so much going on that a completely diverse sound comes out of it that could replace what hip hop gives people, no, they still need America to make it.

SPEAKER_03:

Just to piggyback off of what you were saying, I do think UK has the most potential to mirror America. There's a lot of shit going on, like a lot of shit going on in the UK, and it's untold stories too, like the static, all the shit that's going on. Like, it's a little different to go from shooting someone, which is happening right now all around America, to stabbing someone to death. So there's a amount of cruelty and energy that they survive that they're gonna have in their music. I do think they can their own ecosystem.

SPEAKER_02:

Like for good, and then people are like, oh, shootings are worse. For good and for bad, their situation is different, right? It it takes a lot more to walk up to somebody, like, and that's the thing. Like, I think policy and your environment, you know, that influences these people, they for a while they didn't have guns. So you have to walk up and stab someone to death. It is way more serious. I think people will be just, I hate you, I'm just go, I'm not gonna fight you, I'll just go shoot you in a crowd or whatever like that. Like, that's pussy. But for someone, like the kind of basic the energy, the violence needed for people to be stabbed at each other to death, but also the survival rate's higher. So the stories that come out of someone who had to go through the pain of you know, a robbery or being betrayed, and they say, Oh, my man's gonna shoot me, my man stabbed me. I left him dead in his eyes and he stabbed me and I lived. Now I gotta rap about this. That is a different level of grief and trauma. And it's sad to say that all of our top stories, our artists, all of this come directly from just like the most traumatic environments. But yes, if anything was going to replace American hip-hop, it would come from the UK.

SPEAKER_03:

How do you feel podcasts have like changed the game in hip-hop? I mean, I feel like that shit is like pure narrative. Like, you know, if you look at all the big boys, Joe Button, The Breakfast Club, Mall, 85 South, the major podcast, those Apple Podcasts for the Deska, Ebro, and like it's an ecosystem. Uh what is it, Big Boys Neighborhood, DJ Head. I'm just talking about all the figureheads.

SPEAKER_02:

All the the big ones, the big ones.

SPEAKER_03:

They they run and shape the narratives of whatever's going on. They push whatever music is going on, and they're black, so they matter a lot more. We don't care, honestly, about the other groups. That's still, I mean, they're doing their jobs, they're they're influencing and they're doing business, but like culturally, their impact is way larger.

SPEAKER_02:

See, my only difference on that is, and it just can't, well, he I would say he at least used to. And I didn't always stop it, like very, very infrequently. But like, I would say like Adam 22 honestly got a lot more traction than some of those those other ones. But it was also, huh?

SPEAKER_03:

I don't want to bring him up. This energy and what he began, it's just but that's but that's that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02:

He he shot he destroyed that for himself. First of all, it's not easy for a white person to get in and even have an influence or to be told that they matter, but bro's just bro's a snake. But that's not but that's the other thing. We are quick to judge white people who are invited in, and the black people who are in who also similarly aren't necessarily great for the culture, but a lot of those figures you talked about, like they transition from radio, now they're doing podcasts. The ones I generally really pay attention to are some of the people who, you know, good or bad, Joe Biden was at least in the industry. So, you know, a lot of people put more weight to his stuff, but I think they're still very influential. I just it is very favor big favor-based, and like you said, it's narrative. Uh and they have a big influence and they're important, but it's hard to see the truth in a lot of the stuff that they say because like I said, it's super favor-based, and you know, they have to play nice, they gotta get these guests, they gotta do a lot of stuff. Uh, I think I respect Joe Budden for at least the open honesty of how much he hates Drake. So when he gives takes for certain artists, I can at least feel like we're getting the truth here. Yeah, they're they're definitely, I think podcasting has replaced radios as far as influence over people get their news and their opinions on artists and music.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, most definitely. I think podcasting is like the most synonymous thing. I just watched Happy Gilmore and they got podcasters, the new one, Happy Gilmore too. Two podcasters on the fucking thing with the news. Like, there's the news person, here's a podcaster, they had Cam and Mace. I forgot to mention Cam and Mace. Their opinion matters, the culture as well. Absolutely about like culture because like it's us who run it at the end of the day. We make what's cool, cool with lame lame. So, oh, we gotta talk about uh there's there's a there's a lot of podcasts that actually affect affect the space. If I didn't mention them, I apologize. Earn your leisure as well. Absolutely, absolutely that's a whole different like I would love to uh earn your leisure, bro.

SPEAKER_02:

But I don't think people ever get out of this third first off, I don't think earn your leisure. I see earn your leisure, because that's what I was talking about, narrative and kind of like picking a side. I see earn your leisure as people who would pick a side, even though they're you know they talk about mostly it, they're just there for the business, which is good, and usually you should leave your emotion out of it. I think they pick the Kendrick side, and I don't even think they would do an interview with Drake.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, I mean, who gives a fuck? I don't like when people like, all right, they're business people, but they got some personal shit. Like, come on. So, like, and I'm just talking about larger business. Right from a business aspect.

SPEAKER_02:

It would be great if they could get together, but I don't think they would because of the n because of the narrative. I think they want to.

SPEAKER_03:

I I I I literally only watch their finance shit, bro. I'd never seen them really talk on anything.

SPEAKER_02:

So they they have a separate, they made a separate podcast where they do like talk about personal things. Yeah, and I just get the feeling that I don't think they would get Drake Romer. But it would be great, especially for their InvestFest that they do down in I think Atlanta and stuff like that. Like that would be crazy to have Drake on there. But no, I don't think uh I don't think they would uh I'd see them getting some like 50 cent though. That'd be fire.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Well 50's cool too. 50, like I like how he does business. Like I I study a lot of 50 Cent. He's real part is how he does it. He said he says a lot without saying much. Like you can watch a 50 Cent interview a couple times.

SPEAKER_02:

There's a lot of incidents. I like I like how 50 does business while keeping his personality, right? He didn't have to whitewash his personality to be a successful business person.

SPEAKER_03:

No, he didn't have to culturally acquiesce at all. I think 50 is 50, wherever realm he's in. He's the same person. Dealing with skin shifters, dealing with the skinwalkers, skinwalkers and gremlins, speaking of DJ academics and uh Rock H and uh uh I guess they're going to court, bro. How you feel bad?

SPEAKER_01:

Is he sure he wants to take that battle?

SPEAKER_03:

Bro, I don't know. Are you Ross battery in his back or something? They're about to find all types of police on AK, bro.

SPEAKER_02:

Bro's gonna end up in jail. Bro's gonna he's gonna he's going to end up in jail. First off, because Aka's an idiot. And he gets himself in a situation and place, he really let the money get way over his head, and he gets into situations and places that he just should not be in. If he could just focus on the bread, he actually would have been way more successful. But his ego fucked him.

SPEAKER_03:

Money can't unlay you, and it also simplifies all your bad traits, right? If you are a bad man and you have money, you're gonna do bad things at a greater scale. If you are a good man, absolutely great things at a good greater scale. I think uh DJ Academics was not the guy who was achieving until he started achieving, right? So now all the things he's doing now is trying to get shit back. Oh old L's he lost when he was 20s, teens, or whatever. He's getting caught up in the he probably got bullied, now he can be a bully.

SPEAKER_01:

So I mean, that shows in his behavior.

SPEAKER_03:

It shows in his behavior. So like I think the situation with Rock Nation is gonna play itself out. I think Act does have good representation. I think AC he's I you said he was dumb. I think he's very intelligent. I think he's very intelligent. I think he wouldn't be where he's at if he wasn't. I think he has the right team if he's not intelligent.

SPEAKER_02:

So I got my challenge to that. You know about that situation where he was in that chat room with like that 14-year-old, 13-year-old boy?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Is that no?

SPEAKER_03:

That's that's him being dumb, right? So the situations like that, it's like alcoholism, bro. Like, that's just straight up. He has a problem. Like, if he could control his issues, he can really scale his business and just be a rebel news source, right? But he's caught up in the like hip-hop is a cafeteria. And it's just a full of people trying to be cool, people in the corner, girls over there, this and that. Oh, that guy wants to talk to the girl. Oh, these guys are fine. Oh, like it literally reminds me when I was going to an inner city high school, like how hip hop is. Nobody is really who they say they are, and everybody's performing. So I think he just got himself in this shit now. And hopefully he's not in too deep, but that's what I mean. Rock nation is not a joke, bro.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. Well, you're like, I mean, he got a good team to represent him. I'm like, oh, but that Rock Nation back.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I mean, listen, it's really whatever they're citing him on, it's not criminal. So he's not gonna do what he's saying.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

They'll probably put some sanctions on this dude. Like, he can't bring up their name, he can't do this, whatever.

SPEAKER_02:

If he loses, which is insane that that's even crazy. Outside of defamation, I don't see how you can like I can't report on your name, I'm gonna report it. But you know, we're still gonna do whatever.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, big bank take little bank, bro. They're gonna silence the fuck out of a little guy.

SPEAKER_02:

I hope I never make the Have we heard any update on Drizzy, Drizzy Drake in his case?

SPEAKER_03:

We're waiting.

SPEAKER_02:

Waiting.

SPEAKER_03:

The judge gotta decide to dismiss it or not. I'm pretty sure it's not gonna get dismissed. They use like the same thing uh Kendrick used for the cover of not like us for the Democrats. I think the Democrats just did it with the White House. They put a bunch of child offenders, the same dots, and stuff like that. So like I think it's pretty synonymous that this is used to uh disparage one's character.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, one of the dudes who's supposed to be getting served in this shit, he's been like ducking and dodging that shit too. One of the podcasts that was claimed in this shit just admitted to Payola. So we're about to see how that's gonna affect it. Yeah, bro. I think his case has merit. I think if it goes to trial, U of G's fuck. Because now you gotta convince a regular person that you wasn't trying to fuck him who you were. Like, I'm just a regular guy. I don't have I'm not making any money from you, U of G. This is wrong. No it's not. So you think they'll settle before it gets that far? I think it's gonna settle. I think I also heard about this. So there's some shit going on with UMG where there's about to be a new leader, and there's two people buying for the position. And that person who's doing the polar opposite of the other guy is more steadfast, more back to safe play, he's doing this thing with Kendrick, trying to use him to topple Dre to get the net. But I don't think it was gonna work business wise. This wasn't a business decision. I think all parties who made this decision, no matter what they tell themselves, at the end of the day, this was not a business decision going into personal. It's just personal. This is make sure you know your place. And I think that's really what it was. I cannot believe you just asked me for more money. You should know your place, and you should let me pimp you out some more years. I'm gonna get someone that looks like you, but darker in a tougher background to bully you. And I think that's what happened. I think that's what Jon B did. And Kendrick obviously never liked Drake. He never respected his rise because he didn't come from the hood.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what it's so crazy they're using Kendrick for that stance because Kendrick, you were the non-hood guy in the hood.

SPEAKER_03:

And that's the crazy thing. Like, his whole thing, if we take it to heart, is that we're supposed to heal and there is no more hood. Like, there is no more trauma-ridden community. We're just chilling, which Drake came from. Sorry, he was just chilling as a kid. I mean, I honestly wasn't. He had to go to Memphis, he had to deal with different cultures.

SPEAKER_02:

We don't even act like Drake never stepped foot in America until he became a rapper. Like, he literally act like his dad is not a very good thing.

SPEAKER_03:

What he did when he was a kid, and he probably won't tell us because we won't believe it. He probably had to fight somebody because he was light-skinned. I saw a lot of light-skinned dudes fight a lot when I was growing up. I'm like, dang, why he did that to light-skinned?

SPEAKER_02:

Like bros, the Canadian who went to Memphis to be with his dad and got bullied in a neighborhood. Literally could have been the villain origin story, and we won't know because he's like, yo, that I'm bigger than I'm bigger than those circumstances, and it's not important. Rich now.

SPEAKER_03:

You know what's crazy? He also worked his way out of those positions. You know?

SPEAKER_02:

Like he got to the sky. No, they say he only got it because he was light skinned.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. He only got the acting position because he was light skinned. And he didn't when he learned to line is because he just was smart.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. Which is crazy because he wasn't even in. Like I didn't watch the graphic. But correct me if wrong, bro wasn't even in a lead. Like he wasn't even the lead in the show.

SPEAKER_03:

He had like he had his moments, but he wasn't the lead.

SPEAKER_02:

So he took a lower position, navigated it, career hopped. Out career hopped out of the end game career. Actually, I tell people, no matter where you are in entertainment, eventually everyone ends up becoming an actor. Bro hopped out of the end game and went into a lower position, harder to get into. Y'all can be mad if y'all want.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I think Drake's success story is so and you know, and that you know why it's so unique? Because black culture is very, you know, rugged. Like if you don't, people let you fucking down, man. Like uh, it's not like you can just not be who you are.

SPEAKER_02:

You're gonna be told why are you not like us?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, why are you not like us? I remember I like and this is a personal story, and I won't say anybody's name, but like I used to read a lot as a kid, right? And then I found a girlfriend home or whatever for like prom or something, and my uncle was like, yo, I always thought you was gay because he was uh reading and shit. I was like, what?

SPEAKER_02:

Yo, it's it's real.

SPEAKER_03:

It's real, you know, and that was his perspective at the time. I know you know people learn to grow, but like it's crazy. Cause I've been thinking about that in my head sometimes, like, what the up? But like those environments is so fucked, bro. So fuck people need uh hugs, man.

SPEAKER_02:

Facts, but like I wasn't loved, you don't get to be loved either. So okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, do you think so surprise drops like t Tyler's can keep happening? Because like he did well, but it wouldn't it would have done with a full rollout.

SPEAKER_02:

If you have enough money and you're not dependent on your label, you can do a surprise roll drop. And if you're popular enough, because people are looking for your music. If people are not looking for your music, you don't have the ability to push your own stuff, you're still dependent on your label, you must let them do a rollout, get you some more bread, so then you can be in charge of how your music comes out.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Well, that's what I think as well. There's been plenty of music this summer, bro. I I think it's all in all, depending on how Iceman goes, this has been a crazy year for music. I hope you can get a Kendrick album in 2026. I think if he wants to actually hold this spot as the quote unquote top rapper, he's gonna have to.

unknown:

J.

SPEAKER_03:

Cole has a drop too.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh I would really Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

I think I I know he's supposed to drop? Why when is he supposed to drop?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. I know the follow is supposed to drop, but I I also know that he's been dealing with a lot of like I don't know if dealing with is the right word, but I mean between Dreamville, sh not Dreamville, Dreamfest or whatever, his festival, that like stopping, like this last one that just passed, he said was the one be the last one. Uh or at least the last yeah, uh at least the last one in the way of a festival that it is. So I think they're trying to change that. So I think there's a lot of business stuff in the background that he's personally dealing with that like his team can't you know make all the decisions with that he wants to take care of before he drops it out.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Now, what do you what type of shit should Kendrick talk about in his new album? I said I said I think he should be like preparing his marriage. Yo, they're not married, they're not married, bro.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, black drama be different.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, bro. They go together.

SPEAKER_02:

Who's this? My girlfriend?

SPEAKER_03:

Bro, they go together real bad.

SPEAKER_02:

He can do the he can do the chance thing and uh make an album about getting married.

SPEAKER_03:

Make an album about getting divorced, dropped.

SPEAKER_02:

So that's actually what I'm very interested in. One, I'm glad he put his little singer singles out, get his feelings out there, you know, some are good, some are bad. But I do want him to actually take some time, write his thoughts down, and then come back with an album. Chance too talented to just kind of like fade out of existence.

SPEAKER_03:

Speaking of fading out, look at ASAP Rocky. Is he ever gonna drop that album now? He's taking shit off of Apple after an Apple exclusive. Like, what the fuck's going on over there?

SPEAKER_01:

He's taking stuff off of Apple?

SPEAKER_03:

So there is an Apple exclusive for ASAP Rocky. We talked about Spec, and it didn't have much traffic.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

And didn't crack top 50, so it wasn't a lot of time or attention like gravitating towards the album. So I'm wondering, like, it the album got pushed back even more. So when is this album gonna drop? And should ASAP Rocky just like, you know, pivot from uh music, man? Yeah, I I think I think people are too movie.

SPEAKER_02:

I think people are too flip-floppy. Pick a lane. It's very I I'm not saying these people aren't talented. I'm saying not everyone has the time and talent to be in multiple different media lanes, right? So if he wants to be an actor in music, sure. If he wants to be a like make a clothing line in music, sure. Right? I don't know if he has the ability to be doing acting, making music, and done with clothes and fashion. And I think he loves rap hip hop, but I think his passion is still in fashion, so that's where his mind's at. And you can't go into hip hop with with it being your tier two, I don't think.

SPEAKER_03:

Nah. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's what's gonna go over him. But shout out everybody. Thank you, everybody, for tapping in. It's been another episode of A Music of Men. Me and Dre giving out two cents to the guys with all the change. Tap in.