Up next in 10
🔑🎤 Dive into the vibrant heart of Bay Area hip-hop with the incomparable Locksmith as he electrifies the scene with his razor-sharp bars and insightful commentary on culture, truth, and authenticity. "Bay Area's Locksmith Shakes Up Hip-Hop Culture!" is an exclusive glimpse into the world of a lyrical mastermind who's not just rapping – he's rewriting the rules of the game.
Join us on "Sway In The Morning" for an epic journey through Locksmith's evolution, from his early mixtape revelations to his game-changing Lock Lift series. Witness how he stands as a testament to hip-hop's transformative power, and hear firsthand why heavyweights like EA ski and Heather B are tipping their hats to this Bay Area powerhouse.
With a fresh album on the horizon and a legacy of unapologetic truth-telling, Locksmith challenges the status quo and proves why he's the embodiment of hip-hop conscience. Whether he's tackling social issues with razor-sharp wit or schooling us on the art of the craft, his message is clear: he's here to stay, dominate, and inspire.
Don't miss Locksmith's candid conversation with Sway, where he pulls no punches, calling out the industry, exploring the impact of social platforms, and proclaiming his place at the top. If you're ready for a masterclass in lyrical prowess and a raw look at what it means to stay true in the ever-evolving hip-hop landscape, this is the video you've been waiting for.
Subscribe now for more explosive content and exclusive interviews with the legends and game-changers of music. For the latest updates, follow Sway’s Universe on all social platforms and visit our website for the full spectrum of hip-hop culture. #Locksmith #BayAreaHipHop #SwayInTheMorning #HipHopCulture #RichmondCalifornia 🔐🎶
#RapCulture #Locksmith #HipHopCulture #IndependentHipHopArtists #HipHopLegends
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro to Locksmith Discussion
1:03 - The Jacka Tribute
3:34 - Locksmith's Musical Journey
8:56 - "Hypocrite" Song Breakdown
11:05 - Documenting Current Events in Music
12:09 - Analysis of "Buck Breaking"
14:31 - Exploring Self-inflicted Violence in Lyrics
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
[Applause]
0:00
what is hip hop that was the question we
0:03
asked earlier Heather be I swear hip hop
0:05
is living in a
0:07
manifestation personification of a human
0:10
being
0:11
amen hip hop is a human
0:17
being it's a way of life it's a
0:20
Consciousness is you being true to who
0:22
you are regardless of what they think or
0:26
who thinks differently from you hip hop
0:29
and anyways has been a savior for many
0:31
of us facts had I not had this culture
0:34
I'm not quite sure where I would have
0:35
been but I would have been great
0:37
absolutely I would have been great but I
0:39
love this Lane in which I came I
0:41
remember back in early early 2000s when
0:45
the I want to say maybe 2001 2002 watch
0:49
out now mixtape came out I'm taking them
0:52
way back we taking a trip we going to
0:55
take a trip that mixtape came out and it
0:58
featured a lot of Bay Area art artist
1:00
kind of like a compilation mhm and on
1:03
that mixtape a lot of people were able
1:05
to discover some amazing MC's one of
1:07
which is with us right now my brother EA
1:11
ski who I grew up with went to Junior
1:14
High and high school with Ironically
1:16
neither one of us knew we were rapping
1:19
while we were at
1:21
school that is hilarious Freemont High I
1:25
went to Oakland High but he he did both
1:27
um and um he was another person that
1:31
introduced us to um a guy by the name of
1:34
balance in the next guest that's with us
1:37
today shout out balance I want to go out
1:39
back into the early 2000s when I was on
1:41
MTV bringing all of these hip-hop
1:43
moments and platforms to MTV News we did
1:46
a MTV MC
1:48
battle Funk Master Flex Kanye West just
1:53
blaze Dame Dash wow Kevin Lyles they
1:58
were all a part of this battle battle
2:00
and This MC from the bay came and
2:03
shocked the world they could not believe
2:06
how talented he is he was then and he is
2:09
to this day he did a great
2:11
representation of Bay Area hip hop that
2:14
folks wasn't privy to he has since been
2:17
on many of radio shows he has since been
2:19
on many of platforms uh but one of the
2:22
things that he does as we talked about
2:25
this earlier this is what hip hop does
2:26
it allows you to adjust and to create
2:30
means for yourself and and if if others
2:33
aren't stepping up to the plate if you
2:35
go on this man's Instagram the locksmith
2:38
da locksmith not only will you be
2:41
thoroughly entertained um by the music
2:44
that he releases and you could really
2:45
hear his bars when he puts it on IG but
2:48
he created a series called the lock lift
2:50
series which is extremely popular I
2:53
would love to jump in his car if he was
2:56
a driver what you going to do you going
2:58
to spit or you just going to be like a a
3:00
passenger a scrub a scrub what you a lot
3:04
you asked me three questions in two
3:05
seconds I you choice I know you ain't
3:08
rapping you don't know what I'm doing if
3:10
I get in the lock the lock Li series
3:12
come on you don't know what I'm doing he
3:14
got his hisb out next month there new
3:17
album n if we'll talk about that yes I
3:20
said it before there's not another
3:23
rapper that's out rapping him I know
3:26
you'll ignore this comment that I'm
3:28
making you might not be courageous
3:30
enough to take it on but you're not out
3:32
rapping
3:34
him welcome back to the show The One and
3:37
Only lock smith C the lockmith the
3:40
lockmith it's great to be back man wow
3:43
welcome back those intros I appreciate
3:45
it that wasn't even an intro that's a
3:48
testimonial dog man it's time to talk
3:51
our [ __ ] Bay Area stand up richm stand
3:54
up Northern California stand up this is
3:57
the era of Truth this is the Awakening
4:01
this is what you've been waiting on yeah
4:03
this is why you stay persistent
4:05
inconsistent yes sir yeah Absol you're
4:07
outlasting the trends now so you're not
4:10
being determined by the so-called
4:12
Gatekeepers or these platforms that's
4:14
going to say if you're this or if you're
4:16
that you're determining these things on
4:18
your own welcome to Hip Hop that's hip
4:22
hop amen when you read when you listen
4:24
to the song I mean it the man says it
4:27
and I want to know does he really mean
4:29
it hands down I'm the best rap the best
4:32
rapper in the bay is me and they all
4:34
know it yeah everybody say but they say
4:37
it in
4:38
secrecy why I don't know
4:43
fear of what who is it the fear in the
4:47
bay right that's a win for all you know
4:50
it's just that mentality you know what I
4:52
mean you have some people like you
4:53
mentioned that uh I appreciate you know
4:56
shout out my brother L Russell shout out
4:58
to L Russell yeah um like I said back in
5:01
the day EA ski yeah um balance those was
5:04
hom as he run with pilo I am Su you know
5:07
they all on a new album um you know I
5:09
definitely wanted to work with some Bay
5:11
Area folks that I respect that I love
5:13
that I've seen come up and do incredible
5:15
things so the love is there but then you
5:17
got you know sometimes it's not in
5:18
everybody's best interest you know
5:20
whether it's the bay and Hip Hop in
5:21
general K slay recognized it man rest in
5:24
peace K talk about K slay man K slay
5:27
recognized it K slay shout out to EA ski
5:29
first time I um ever was on anything on
5:33
the radio in New York was through K slay
5:36
K slay brought me um uh EA ski brought
5:39
me up here to Hot 97 as a matter of fact
5:42
first freestyled on Hot 97 then he said
5:45
come on back you know come back to
5:47
Sirus did it on Sirus then ever since
5:50
then I was locked in with K slay man K
5:52
slay every time I come out here was like
5:53
yo lot come by and we did some legendary
5:55
things in the studio too every time I
5:57
came out here I'm tapping in with Sway
5:59
and I'm in with Kay so rest in peace
6:01
Klay um I was blessed to be on all his
6:04
100 MC's 50 MC's 200 deep allos every
6:08
time he hit me I was on there that's
6:10
what I love about K slay he don't it
6:12
don't matter who you are where you from
6:14
if you dope he's gonna he gonna
6:17
recognize it you know what I mean and
6:18
he's gonna put you and that's how he was
6:20
you know what I mean like I need you on
6:21
this I need you on I'm gon put you on
6:23
here he just like we actually had begun
6:25
started working on a little project he
6:27
had sent me some beads he was like yo
6:29
let's do a project and I just I um
6:31
regret that I wasn't quick enough to get
6:33
those things done but um rest in peace
6:35
to K slay and uh he's just he's just
6:38
there there will never nothing can
6:40
replace what K slay has done man for
6:42
sure I owe a lot to him give me a
6:43
lyrical breakdown opening real quick
6:45
torch I like where this is going shout
6:47
out to K slay hands down I'm the best
6:50
rapper in the B the best rapper in the
6:52
bay is me and they know it outside of
6:55
the bay who's the best
6:57
rapper you mean like like period or like
7:00
all time or right now right now who who
7:03
who who do you think is better than you
7:05
I don't think nobody's better than
7:07
me but but I am inspired by you know
7:10
artists that's dope you know what I mean
7:12
there are artists that I look to and I
7:13
like okay that get me you know what I
7:15
mean I get me pumped up you know what I
7:16
mean I hear some I mean J Cole been on a
7:18
tear right now oh my gosh bro this dude
7:21
is on a te he's ascending upward I mean
7:23
I'm like for this guy to be you know
7:25
what I mean been in the game and he's
7:26
you know he been in the game a long time
7:29
ever since J Co got on the Gangstar
7:32
remix with Guru and said I'm never doing
7:34
another feature he's been on theil crazy
7:38
features going going crazy going crazy
7:41
going crazy yeah jcole is one that I
7:43
really respect right now
7:45
um of course Kendrick Kendrick I mean I
7:48
just every time he drops something I
7:50
think is very dope I would love to see
7:51
you Kendrick or jcole and jcole work
7:56
together I was just had a whole
7:58
Soliloquy about Kendrick's last album
8:00
today and it's been out so long okay go
8:03
ahead keep talking man
8:06
um in the bay like I said I love L
8:08
Russell I love what Simba's doing um
8:11
shout out to Simba I had L Russell in
8:12
the lock lift goingon to get um Simba in
8:16
there Dame Lillard Dame lard shout out
8:19
to D we got we got them seeds in the B
8:21
what about you you gonna put Sway in the
8:23
car hold up man Heather what this man is
8:25
Flowing man why you stopping his flow
8:28
she doing but yeah I mean there's a lot
8:31
of dope MC you know what I'm saying I
8:32
like cord day thank you lot shout out to
8:35
C C day is great too um hit me with that
8:38
lyric let's get straight to some lyrics
8:40
real quick man go ahead hit me with that
8:43
torch I don't get it what exactly don't
8:46
you get breaking down the lyrics you may
8:49
not understand what the hell did you
8:51
just say it's the lyrical break down I
8:53
can break it down like whatever you want
8:55
un Sway in the Morning all right man
8:58
this is a song
8:59
[Applause]
9:01
that uh call Hypocrites that I wanted to
9:03
to go go over some of these lyrics
9:06
yeah that's that one right
9:09
there wow and we'll get into other
9:12
things as well viral viral viral viral
9:15
viral this is the L this is locks
9:17
Smith's lyrics I'mma stand on my
9:20
position I've always been a man and
9:22
never ran from opposition I've always
9:24
took a stand to expand on
9:27
contradiction how you can how you cancel
9:30
Kyrie but not your Amazon
9:34
subscription gez yeah speak to that yeah
9:39
I mean it's pretty self-explanatory I
9:41
mean like I just you know when the whole
9:42
thing happened with Kyrie and um a lot
9:45
of people was in an uproar a lot of
9:46
people came to his defense but I'm
9:49
thinking my thing is like if you're
9:51
going to be upset about that well first
9:53
of all Kyrie just tweeted a link but the
9:55
link is on Amazon you can still go and
9:57
buy like if this whatever if whatever
9:59
whatever he tweeted was so divisive and
10:02
so harmful then why is am why is nobody
10:05
criticizing Amazon for selling it like I
10:08
I you know like if it's so you know if
10:10
it's so terrible well Amazon has got it
10:12
up there so whether you agree with it or
10:14
not I just try to hold a mirror to
10:16
things you know what I mean I try to
10:17
hold a mirror and let people I try to
10:19
put it in a way where people can
10:21
decipher for themselves how do they feel
10:23
about it like look this is what's going
10:24
on right now right and a lot but you
10:26
know what's crazy about songs like that
10:30
I get some people hit me up like some
10:33
racist stuff like you [ __ ] need to
10:34
shut up and shut up and go back to
10:36
Africa I'm like yo what the [ __ ] is that
10:38
yeah but then you got some black people
10:39
that's just like you know what I mean
10:40
that's upset like why are you defending
10:42
this white man it's just weird it's like
10:44
it's it's weird with me how art how
10:46
people can take something and interpret
10:48
it different ways you know what I mean
10:50
but I guess that's the beauty of art
10:51
that's the beauty of art that people can
10:52
take it in these different ways it can
10:55
be divisive but sometimes you got to
10:57
hold that mirror up and let people look
10:59
at it and be like I'm like yo what are
11:00
you listening to but I think it triggers
11:02
certain things in certain people you
11:04
know what I mean absolutely it triggers
11:06
certain things so as me as a person like
11:08
I like to look at myself as like a
11:10
um one of my ogs told me it's like a
11:13
modern day griot I'm just holding up a
11:16
mirror explaining what's going on like
11:18
before Europeans was writing everything
11:20
down on
11:22
paper we were conveying our history
11:25
orally through all tradition so that's
11:26
in a sense that's what hip hop is so I
11:28
feel like it's a it's incumbent upon us
11:30
to document what's going on right now
11:33
you know not that ain't got to be all
11:34
the time but that's what I'm doing I
11:36
mean you know and that's when it's the
11:38
easiest you know y that's that's and
11:40
that's what I like you know and you
11:42
actually say now what did you say I
11:45
thought was I do not agree with his
11:47
rhetoric but we should scrutinize both
11:49
guys not just the side with the Melanie
11:51
yep now you know people w't hear that
11:53
part you know um now we about to take
11:56
the L again it's costly when your jean
11:58
pool is out of of pocket the uh out of
12:00
Po out of pocket the relishing every
12:03
misstep we take abrupt so you can
12:05
understand it takes less than four
12:07
quarters to break a buck that's word
12:10
play speak on that well that's a word
12:13
play
12:15
um four quarters you know it's four
12:18
quarters in a basketball game basketball
12:21
football
12:22
football four quarters well four
12:25
quarters also in a dollar right what's a
12:27
dollar a buck a buck yeah and what is
12:29
also what a buck what what what was one
12:30
of the derogatory terms they use for
12:32
black people on slave auction they broke
12:34
a buck like they broke a beast of burden
12:36
exactly yeah so um it's kind of like
12:40
saying like even sometimes you can have
12:42
Financial Freedom to a certain degree
12:44
but when the media and everything comes
12:46
down on you sometimes you know
12:49
particularly not just African-Americans
12:51
but particularly black folks you get
12:53
painted in that corner and it's like
12:55
they force you to do something that may
12:57
go against your principes something time
12:59
and you know Buck breaking and that's
13:02
and that line goes into not saying that
13:05
Kyrie got broke saying this is what we
13:08
all have to deal with sometimes we all
13:10
have to make compromises and sacrifices
13:12
I've had to do it like do I really want
13:14
to deal with this right now sometimes
13:16
you like [ __ ] it I'm just G to say it
13:17
you know what I mean but sometimes you
13:19
know that's those are our own inner
13:21
dialogue that we have you know I mean
13:23
aside from any Corporation or anything I
13:26
love this come on all right here we go
13:28
uh I'm I'm skipping through some of the
13:32
lyrics H there's only two ways we could
13:35
get to read success either promote death
13:38
or let them put you in a
13:41
[Laughter]
13:44
dress yeah is that with the rap game
13:47
well that that that's an extension of
13:48
the buck breaking like
13:51
emasculating particularly specifically
13:53
black men um we see that and I'm not
13:56
saying look whatever community that you
13:59
a part of if you want to do that that's
14:01
no problem we live in a free Society for
14:03
now where you can do that but it seems
14:06
to me particularly with black men that's
14:10
their way sometimes it seem like it's
14:11
like you're forced to do that you know I
14:13
mean like you got to do that and it's
14:14
it's it ain't always necessarily a
14:16
actual literal dress sometimes it's the
14:18
metaphorical dress you know what I'm
14:20
saying it's like look to we want to
14:22
feminize you we want to you know what I
14:24
mean um you know the the negative and
14:26
the positive we want you to you know bow
14:28
down you know so that's what that was
14:30
you it's pretty self-explanatory we kill
14:32
each other cuz we focused on the bands
14:35
we kill each other cuz we focused on the
14:37
bands we kill each other cuz we focused
14:40
on the bands buck shots and take off and
14:42
fans posted on the
14:44
gram self-inflicted violence
14:46
desensitized from homicides drama brings
14:49
viewers and viewers create dollar signs
14:53
yeah yeah we're like documenting some of
14:56
our own demise right some most some of
14:59
the most negative [ __ ] and I get it I
15:01
understand because the negative [ __ ] is
15:03
what goes viral you know and the
15:05
negative [ __ ] is what triggers the
15:06
algorithm and that's why I think it was
15:08
so important for me to make a song like
15:10
this because and I don't know if you
15:12
want to go all the way into this but
15:14
when you're creating content you know
15:15
the game has changed so much everything
15:18
is about content you know everything is
15:20
about the algorithms you know but I
15:22
never want to be a slave to the
15:24
algorithm you know I want to do things
15:25
and create things that still feel
15:27
authentic to me so when I take a song
15:29
like this I want to create something in
15:32
a way that's dope but I know I knew when
15:35
I created this song that I was going to
15:37
trigger some things but I feel like it's
15:39
in a positive way it's making you think
15:41
like you can use these AG you can make
15:43
you can be the algorithm you can
15:45
manipulate the algorithm you don't have
15:46
to let the algorithm manipulate you so
15:49
when people are like posting stuff
15:50
that's just violent horrible [ __ ] like
15:53
that's feeding into your conscious
15:54
that's feeding into your soul like you
15:56
know what I mean so I try to I didn't
15:58
want to to be a part of that I wanted to
16:00
create something that was dope that
16:01
would make people think but still you
16:03
know that's that's still Jam all right
16:06
I'm going to go through a couple more
16:07
cuz I'm loving this I feel like I'm in
16:08
class right now thank you delock Smith
16:10
is here we defy stars and pray at the
16:14
feet of far oh hold you know how much
16:16
this country loves narcissists we defy
16:18
stars and pray at the feet of
16:20
Pharmacists prescription drugs pop music
16:23
is well-kept we medicate our gears these
16:26
rappers become the celles we medicate
16:29
our kids kids I'm sorry we medicate our
16:31
kids these rappers become the
16:35
Reps yeah and the active ingredient is
16:37
obedience instead the microphone and the
16:39
styrofoam there's
16:42
lenience
16:44
Jesus yep yeah man I'm reading these
16:48
lyrics so any of y'all when I said in
16:49
the beginning you cannot outra them and
16:51
you think about it look at these lyrics
16:53
I'm going to tell you exactly where that
16:54
bar came from I used to work me and left
16:57
you know my brother left yeah we were um
17:00
we used to run a mentoring organization
17:02
in Richmond a Grassroots um nonprofit
17:04
organization called The Independent
17:06
Living skills program this is when I
17:07
first you know was starting off
17:09
rapping and um we were doing that you
17:12
know for our day job and um we was
17:14
working with a lot of young men you know
17:17
specifically black young men you know in
17:18
our neighborhood from like 12 11 to like
17:22
18 mhm and um just trying to show them
17:26
you know you ain't got to do this youo
17:28
you can do this and at this time we're
17:30
beginning our rap career so they're
17:32
hearing us on the radio they're like hey
17:33
these dudes is positive but we can still
17:35
do the rap [ __ ] if we want to do it but
17:36
we can still be positive so we try to
17:38
have a positive influence on them but as
17:40
time goes on you know you see a lot of
17:42
kids you know from the time of 11 to the
17:45
time when they start getting 16 17 years
17:47
old you start seeing things change
17:49
particularly with with young black men
17:51
you see them going
17:53
from I want to be an NBA
17:56
player then by the time they get into
17:59
junior high high school them grades you
18:01
can't play unless you got the grades and
18:03
then you see a significant portion of
18:05
them fall off from that dream so then
18:06
the next dream is what I want to be a
18:11
rapper then that doesn't work out or
18:14
while they're trying to pursue that they
18:16
start that's when you start seeing these
18:17
other factors start the negative factors
18:19
you know what I mean because you don't
18:21
really want to I try to tell them Street
18:22
start calling the street starts the
18:24
Street's been calling but now you
18:25
starting to
18:26
listen we try to show like look you can
18:29
be a rapper look we work a regular job
18:31
we take this money we get studio time I
18:33
remember the first $300 I spent to uh
18:37
buy the first 500 CDs or five you know I
18:39
bought I had $300 I got $200 for my mama
18:43
$400 for my sister and we bought our
18:45
first 500 CDs and put them in Rasputin
18:48
sell them drove them around to all the
18:50
different places so we tried to show
18:52
them like look you can come up you can
18:53
do this but then I started noticing
18:56
something by the time I get 17 I'm
18:57
starting to
19:00
see lean going up I'm like what is this
19:03
yeah I actually saw one of a student
19:06
that was associated with our
19:11
group ping up ping up to the point then
19:14
he started drinking it straight out the
19:16
O the numbing and just completely gone
19:20
you know and I was just like what the I
19:22
mean I I in all the years I seen I just
19:24
never seen it happen like that with
19:26
somebody so young you know what I'm
19:27
talking about somebody years old MH and
19:30
I was just like yo so I don't know that
19:32
kind of always stuck in my mind so that
19:34
was I was thinking of that when I came
19:35
up with that board man lock smith is
19:37
here we talking about the song
19:38
Hypocrites which we're about to play
19:41
again wow all right um we hyp I'm I'mma
19:45
say this last line and go into the song
19:48
um we hypersexualize the naive get them
19:52
high and hide the intent the BPM is the
19:56
medium uh
20:00
we should all be accountable for slander
20:02
keeping no no I want to focus on that
20:04
line we we we hypersexualize the naive
20:06
get them high and hi to intent the BPM
20:09
is the medium yeah just the over
20:11
sexualization in Hip Hop yeah yeah it's
20:14
like that's become like a crutch um at
20:16
first like in the 90s and the 2000s the
20:19
men we was doing it with the women you
20:20
know what I mean pouring the champagne
20:22
and you know we we enjoyed the songs and
20:24
we parted to them but then it got to a
20:25
point where it just got gratuitous you
20:27
know was just like yo hip-hop is more
20:31
than that so then hip-hop kind of
20:32
corrected itself a little bit and now
20:35
the females who I do love the rapping
20:37
but we just see it's just so overly
20:39
sexualized you know what I mean overly
20:42
sexualized and I I'm all for females
20:44
empowering themselves and being like
20:45
look taking um hold of their sexuality
20:48
but you don't want to go too far because
20:50
that's all you don't want people to see
20:51
that's all they see of you and um I
20:55
particularly um care about that when it
20:57
comes to you know people in our
20:59
community yeah do you feel the music
21:01
business has been a a detriment or a
21:04
asset to the culture and then how do you
21:07
feel like that's impacted the community
21:09
when you say the culture you mean
21:10
hip-hop culture Black Culture in general
21:15
or Black Culture or let's go Black
21:17
Culture Black
21:19
Culture you know hip it's what Chris
21:21
Rock say America is like the the the
21:25
uncle that molested you and put you
21:26
through college at the same time
21:30
damn wow that's Chris Rock that's Chris
21:33
rockoo lo I can't believe you said that
21:36
everybody I know yeah so you feel that
21:39
way about no I feel like it's just like
21:40
a double-edged thing like it has all
21:42
these wonderful things it's Prov I mean
21:44
it's provided the music industry can
21:46
provide it can put food on the table
21:47
it's just like anything else is how you
21:49
use it like like cough medicine like if
21:52
I get sick [ __ ] I'm going got to take
21:53
some cough medicine you know what I mean
21:55
because I but if you taking it every day
21:56
for pleasure and just for your leisure
21:58
it's going to have some negative side
22:00
effects on you and you got to be
22:01
prepared for that so it's just like the
22:03
music industry the music like people
22:06
sometimes the truth is Stranger Than
22:07
Fiction people just say oh they're doing
22:10
this it's Illuminati sacrifice and you
22:12
got to do all this it's like look man if
22:13
the I said in the rhyme a long time ago
22:15
if the Illuminati came to the hood you
22:17
[ __ ] would be in lying for
22:19
it because it's not that easy does these
22:23
thing do these things do wickedness and
22:26
and weird stuff exist yes but it's not
22:28
as strange it's simple as like if you
22:30
want to go down that path the path will
22:32
be there for you but you don't have to
22:34
do it see the path that a lot of people
22:36
on like myself people who want to be
22:39
independent people who want to create
22:40
their own it's not a path that a lot of
22:42
people are ready for this takes
22:43
dedication this takes hard work this
22:46
takes being steadfast in what you
22:48
believe you know and that's a difficult
22:49
thing sometimes you can't sleep at that
22:51
you're like I've passed up a lot of
22:53
situations where I was like damn should
22:55
I had done that I was like nah [ __ ] it
22:57
it wouldn't right cuz it just didn't
22:58
feel right to me so but what does that
23:00
mean I got to come back and go harder on
23:03
myself uh you know and and take it and
23:05
take control of what I want to do but if
23:08
you go down that path [ __ ] that path is
23:10
there for you right that's on you you
23:11
got to do that so I don't
23:14
really the blame the music industry
23:16
because the music industry is just um in
23:19
Islam we have a a saying it says that
23:22
the Shayan can only whisper he can't
23:24
make you do nothing you got to do it so
23:27
that's on you that's the music industry
23:29
is just there if you want those
23:30
Temptations it's there for you like Cat
23:31
Williams say I I didn't want to go in
23:33
those rooms yeah you ain't got to go in
23:35
those rooms so I I ain't never been in
23:36
those rooms I've seen some weird stuff
23:38
happen but it don't affect me cuz I
23:39
don't [ __ ] with it what one weird thing
23:41
you saw
23:42
happen no I'm
23:44
not you going to go on the ride like you
23:48
know you do see some overly well what's
23:50
one weird what's weird to one person may
23:52
not be weird to another you know what
23:54
was weird 20 years ago ain't that weird
23:56
today right trying to see if I saw I
23:59
guess I got of course you saw something
24:01
weird I stayed away from the weirdness
24:03
though the weird didn't approach me they
24:06
knew what it was a lot of times saw but
24:08
you saw it you just like he said you
24:10
didn't go down that road saw you need
24:11
some water lock smith you sound like you
24:13
about the MC or something about to spit
24:15
some bars or something hey let me ask
24:17
you this why is
24:19
um Do You Believe capitalism is bad for
24:22
the black men I didn't say capitalism
24:24
bad for the black you say I said so
24:27
referring to another song yeah uh amer
24:30
am was it America capitalism is a black
24:32
man's hell but Marxism that's what you
24:33
said is a black man's hell listen so
24:35
capitalism is a black man's hell but
24:37
Marxism comes from Europe as well it's
24:39
not African so when people take that bar
24:43
they take it as and that was one of
24:44
those ones where people like if you
24:45
don't like capitalism get the [ __ ] out
24:46
of here you know what I mean that's not
24:48
what I'm saying I'm saying that the
24:50
people who are saying you know in Hip
24:52
Hop sometimes you have to um shorthand I
24:54
can't say when these people say they
24:56
capitalism I just say and they and they
24:58
say capitalism is a black man's hell but
25:00
Marxism comes from Europe as well it's
25:02
not African the people who are
25:05
critiquing capitalism and saying
25:07
capitalism is horrible well we we want
25:09
Marxism well Marxism is from Europe too
25:12
yeah right wait was KL Marx black nah no
25:17
his name was Carl Marx so so my thing is
25:20
no that wasn't even his name his name
25:21
was Carl something else yeah whatever
25:23
but um if you're gonna if you're gonna
25:27
critique if you're going to critique
25:29
capitalism for but basically what I'm
25:30
saying if you're going to critique
25:31
capitalism because it's white then you
25:33
should create create uh you could should
25:35
critique communism because it's white
25:38
yeah that's all I'm saying that's what
25:39
you're saying I didn't say either one
25:40
I'm saying if you saying capitalism is a
25:42
black man's hell because it's white then
25:44
you should say that Marxism is a black
25:46
man's hell because it's white too we got
25:49
the lock smith up here big round of
25:51
applause D lockmith follow him d a l o c
25:55
k Smith this is typal
25:58
shade45 the locksmith is here 888 742
26:03
3345 that was the song Hypocrites the
26:05
new album is n a if F that's the acronym
26:08
no atheist and
26:12
foxholes no that's announcement that's
26:14
the first time I'm saying that's the new
26:15
album no atheist in
26:18
foxholes no atheist in foxholes yeah how
26:24
where did that come from like what you
26:26
know that's the saying that's been
26:27
around you know people I've heard you
26:29
know that people say that and I just
26:31
felt like that was just like kind of the
26:32
embodiment while I was making these
26:34
songs that's what was just kind of stuck
26:36
in my head uhhuh no atheist and foxholes
26:39
you know basically meaning like yo when
26:40
[ __ ] get
26:41
tough people start calling out for that
26:44
higher that higher something oh yeah
26:46
whatever you want to call it you know me
26:48
you start you start praying then you
26:49
start praying you know what I mean you
26:50
start looking for whatever guidance you
26:51
can gripping something you know yeah
26:53
when you get when you get your back
26:55
against the wall and all else fails you
26:58
get down on them knees and put you
27:01
asking somebody something something I
27:04
can see a lot of people asking you for
27:06
guidance locksmith um I remember when we
27:09
had lrae on the show and he had shared
27:12
that there are a number of Big Time
27:15
artists in Hip Hop who actually lean on
27:17
him as a mentor of shorts and he'll have
27:20
conversations with them and he keeps
27:21
them private do you have PE you know
27:24
what that's funny that you say that cuz
27:25
people do do that
27:28
but I never thought about that I melt it
27:29
I feel like you probably a con booth for
27:31
them yo that's weird that you say I
27:33
never even thought about that but I do
27:34
have homies that are in the rap game and
27:37
they just be H me up like yo lock Dr
27:39
lock that's what they call you Dr lock
27:42
lock do lock because you know what you
27:43
know what it is it's when you're on tour
27:45
yeah you have conversations with people
27:47
and people be like you know cuz when
27:49
you're on tour with somebody you in the
27:50
van or the Sprinter or whatever you
27:53
talking every day all day it's intimate
27:55
you just like starts you know like you
27:57
start seeing people have conversations
27:59
like man I hate this [ __ ] you know what
28:00
I mean like everybody's going through
28:01
different things and you start having
28:03
conversations and I think that's kind of
28:05
how that developed being on the road
28:07
with different artists can you speak you
28:08
brought up L Russell but I you know and
28:11
I I try to we we have a lot of bay arei
28:13
artist up here yeah for sure um but I
28:16
don't think we I I want to give the
28:19
outside world a inside look of what's
28:21
happening in the bay now yeah not what
28:23
we've known to be of the bay it's
28:24
nothing wrong with our Legacy is
28:26
important it's incredible mhm but what's
28:28
happening in the bay
28:30
now it's beautiful man I feel like
28:32
there's so many different Avenues
28:34
everybody's creating their different
28:36
Avenues and their different paths um one
28:39
is like you said lorusso man shout out
28:40
to lorusso that's a genuine dude like I
28:42
did not know him I just saw his stuff
28:45
online and I was like yo this dude sound
28:46
like he from the bay you know and sure
28:48
enough he from the bay and I seen him
28:50
doing stuff with um pilo and um but I
28:52
just was like watching his content and
28:55
how he was doing stuff and I was
28:56
watching his interviews you know I'm
28:57
still a student you know I'm still
28:59
studying things and I went to his
29:01
backyard show and um no so what happened
29:05
was I was working on the process of
29:09
revamping the lock lift Series so for
29:11
those that don't know the lock lift
29:12
series is a series where I drive around
29:15
and I'm spitting bars with fans yeah
29:18
with different um celebrities or whoever
29:20
in the car and um we just capture it you
29:24
know just live like you know just like
29:26
y'all do here but um it started off as
29:28
me just kind of um it started off back
29:31
in 2015 is when I first started doing it
29:34
and I just started off playing songs for
29:36
fans in my car because I saw like jcole
29:38
and logic and other people like doing
29:40
ways where they would like go to fans
29:42
houses and play their music or but I was
29:44
like how can I do something like that
29:45
but in my own way a more creative way
29:47
and do it so I was like oh I'm going to
29:48
do something called the lock lift where
29:50
I pick up fans but then I end up rapping
29:52
along to the [ __ ] and I was like you
29:53
know what the next time I do it I'm just
29:55
going to do a live performance in the
29:56
car so then on my album um Ali I did it
30:00
for about four or five songs and then I
30:02
was like you know what on my next album
30:04
I'mma do it for every song I'm just
30:06
gonna go in and just spit bars but then
30:08
the pandemic happened so then we
30:10
couldn't you know what I mean you
30:12
couldn't do that [ __ ] so I was just like
30:13
I had to put it on pause but then I saw
30:15
L Russell doing his backyard [ __ ] and it
30:17
just kind of gave me more confirmation
30:19
like yo you have to find out what works
30:22
for you and how you can utilize that and
30:24
make that work for you so I was like
30:26
okay the lock lift that's my thing that
30:29
I think that's unique to me what I've
30:30
been doing so I'm going to really lean
30:32
into that and then when I start doing it
30:34
that [ __ ] just start going crazy blew up
30:36
yeah it start going so then I start
30:38
seeing like Shaq retweeted you know what
30:41
I'm saying L you you was the first no
30:44
sway was one of the first people when I
30:45
was doing the original lock live you hit
30:47
me was like yo lock this is genius that
30:49
was back in 2016 so I knew I get in the
30:52
car you to them catch them but yeah so I
30:56
feel like people are creating you know I
30:58
feel like lorusso has created his
30:59
platform what he's doing I'm creating
31:01
mine um and you just have a lot of
31:03
people who are just dope um pilo
31:05
obviously he's got an artist that's
31:07
working up under him who I think is
31:08
super dope um Sam Sneed or I hope I'm
31:11
not miss saying his name I know it's
31:12
Sneed but he's [ __ ] dope you know
31:15
what I mean um Jane uh Jane Hancock she
31:19
on the album Raj is on the album um Rex
31:23
life Rex life Raj I got him and Jane on
31:25
um on the project um
31:28
I got de Boy the boy on there yeah all
31:32
everybody was out at Jay Watts it seemed
31:34
like a lot of people came yeah yeah
31:36
shout out to Jay Walt yeah Jay Walt is
31:38
dope we came out to show love to him
31:39
MacArthur Ma you know they're creating
31:41
it's just you know the bay is full of
31:43
you know dope artists people that's
31:44
already established that's been killing
31:45
it is it Michael sne shout out to
31:48
Michael sne he is incredible Young
31:51
artist dope Lyricist very unique from
31:55
the Bay Area and then Sam sne was from
31:57
the
31:58
death okay um 24K golden I haven't met
32:03
him the Bay has to embrac this young man
32:06
he's very dope yeah he's incredible he's
32:08
in a whole another sphere of his own and
32:10
people don't realize he's from the bay B
32:12
yep super do yeah I love to get he did
32:15
the um he did the 49ers uh oh he had a
32:17
song that was just like used for the
32:18
49ers that was that was just like super
32:20
dope but he's a dope artist you bring up
32:22
the 49ers they going to take it come on
32:24
man it's not even a question okay he
32:26
look at look how he look at you hea look
32:28
at he didn't look at he didn't even look
32:29
up he gave you a th Dallas ain't the
32:32
truth Philly's not the truth we tried to
32:34
tell y'all shout out to 49ers too
32:36
another thing I did that I leaned into
32:37
sway this is it I was um around uh I
32:41
want to say not not last season but the
32:43
season before the playoff run that
32:44
Niners had in 2021 you know I'm a huge
32:48
football fan huge Niner fan and um the
32:51
Niner kind of social media um Pages they
32:54
were like yo lock man cuz I would
32:55
interact on they was like you should do
32:56
a freestyle I was like look if the
32:57
Niners win this playoff game I'm doing a
33:00
freestyle and they won and I was like
33:02
all right so I did it then I start doing
33:03
it pretty much every week every time
33:05
they won oh that's and it carried over
33:07
to the next couple years and um they
33:10
went viral you know um and the 49ers hit
33:13
me up you know they was like yo we'd
33:15
love for you to do something official
33:16
for us so we put together like the
33:17
official um video and um track for their
33:21
upcoming for this upcoming season we
33:22
released that like um you know in the
33:24
offseason to lead up to the um thing and
33:26
what's it called it's just a 49er um I
33:28
think it's called Uh 49er 2023 schedule
33:32
let's look that up being a Raider fan I
33:34
had no nothing about this I appreciate
33:37
it my condolences brother my wow you
33:41
going come up in here really come on
33:44
dude Welcome to My Side lock put you on
33:46
C that's how you do me man I'm
33:49
sorry um locksmith the locksmith is here
33:52
the the new album is called n a if no
33:56
atheist in the Foxhole yes sir does
34:01
it do do you have goals in mind in terms
34:04
of your uh your your your stardom does
34:06
it matter if you you don't make a
34:08
Billboard Chart or what what matters
34:11
right now what what first matters is
34:13
penetrating the you know penetrating the
34:15
culture penetrating that that's my first
34:18
goal you know and it seems like that's
34:19
happening particularly with this the new
34:22
material that I've been putting out I
34:23
feel like everything starts from there
34:25
my goal is to make an impact on the
34:27
culture to make an impact on society and
34:29
I feel like everything else will fall
34:31
into place after that that's every time
34:32
I kind of Veer away from that that's
34:34
when I get unhappy with my outp but when
34:38
I focus on that things um work out
34:41
better for me you know what I mean work
34:43
out I do what feels right for me you
34:45
know Dr lock he just left no that was
34:49
going to be my one question to you
34:50
because like when you said you think
34:53
about some things that you may have
34:54
turned down and then you think about was
34:57
like should I have done that but what to
34:59
me what you said when you hit on was
35:00
like it didn't feel right and I think
35:02
it's no better thing as an artist when
35:04
you finally come to that point where you
35:06
could differentiate between what feels
35:09
right and and what doesn't and I think
35:12
that's what it takes some time like you
35:14
said and it gets lonely you start
35:16
questioning maybe looking at your
35:17
finances all of that but if it doesn't
35:20
feel right don't do it just don't do it
35:22
you don't it's it's a difficult decision
35:24
to make sometimes you know what I mean
35:26
it's a diff ult decision certain things
35:27
I just don't compromise on but like look
35:30
I'm I'm smart enough to know that there
35:32
are certain things that you can work
35:33
within but certain things I just can't
35:34
I'm like n it don't feel right it
35:36
doesn't feel right the locksmith is here
35:37
man listen make sure you follow him at
35:39
the locksmith d l c k Smith the way it
35:43
sounds is the way it's spelled um Don in
35:45
Alabama you want to make a quick comment
35:48
don don what's popping
35:50
Don what's up what's up what's up what
35:53
you want to say listen I just wanted to
35:55
say I just wanted to say uh I've been
35:57
listening to rap and hip-hop for over 35
36:00
years since the days of NWA Run DMC and
36:03
Beasty Boys okay right and and uh I
36:07
spent a lot of time on restriction
36:08
growing up as a kid so music music was
36:11
my only Escape so I used to I used to
36:14
dub tapes off the radio all right but um
36:16
I just want to say your flow and your
36:18
lyrics are fire and you're spitting the
36:20
truth your words really challenge the
36:22
brain as soon as I heard you the Great
36:26
iy hustle came to mind rest in peace
36:30
rest in peace and I was also reminded of
36:31
Arsenal to Rebel Arsenal
36:35
ARS it's great to hear you because these
36:39
young rappers nowadays they just rap
36:41
about
36:43
anything man I appreciate that love bro
36:45
and I thank you so much for uh for you
36:47
know for listening and and really
36:49
digesting the music man but it's a lot
36:51
of young it's some young folks that's
36:52
doing some great don't do that I'm those
36:54
blankets cuz there's some older rappers
36:56
that rap about anything you know so it's
36:58
just it's that rapper you know but Don
37:00
you a super citizen man speaking of
37:02
which man this a celebration citizen big
37:04
round of applause for the lock go let's
37:06
go he ain't the first this ain't his
37:09
first time up here we we saw each
37:13
other we saw each other three weeks ago
37:16
in the bay we went to see young Jay W
37:18
perform J W Jay wal brought everybody
37:20
out on stage St spit and everybody he
37:22
just brought them all and locksmith was
37:24
there to to to support them we were
37:26
talking about locksmith who was the
37:27
artist that came on the show when we
37:28
were in LA and they were talking about
37:30
artists from the bay and he freest was
37:32
it Rex life that wasn't Rex life talking
37:35
about locksmith then was like yo one of
37:38
the best I'm on a campaign right now and
37:40
I'mma just put it out there I've been
37:41
saying this folks try to ignore it I'm
37:44
challenging your
37:46
region I'm challenging your region your
37:49
region your region I'm challenging your
37:51
region we had Rex life Raj up here we
37:55
had uh who else we had up here
37:57
uh um who else we had up here from the
38:00
Bay from the bay everybody Marthur ma up
38:03
here Souls of Mischief been up here mhm
38:06
you know they all come down to the come
38:09
down to the Valley of the hyenas H but
38:13
hold up
#Arts & Entertainment