IDK Talks New Album 'F65', Upcoming Tour & No Label Academy at Harvard University | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
May 26, 2023
IDK, also known as Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge, is a rapper, songwriter, and record producer who is changing the game of the music industry. With his provocative lyrics and unique style of delivery, IDK is gaining recognition not only in the music industry but also for his contributions to the community. In this blog post, we will dive into IDK's upbringing, his efforts to make a positive impact on his community, and his recent album release.
Apart from his music, IDK is making a positive impact by using his influence to inspire change. His tuition-free music business seminar, No Label Academy, is an example of how he is empowering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students to jumpstart their career in the music industry. No Label Academy is a joint venture between IDK and Harvard University, which aims to bridge the gap between the music industry and academia. It is a 10-day program that covers topics such as marketing, branding, and contract negotiations. The program is open to students who are 18 years or older and are passionate about pursuing a career in the music industry.
IDK’s latest album, F65, which was released earlier this year, is another prime example of how he is using his music to raise awareness and encourage change. The album is a compilation of 17 tracks that touch on sensitive issues such as police brutality, politics, and injustice. In an interview with Sway In The Morning, IDK shared how he hopes his music will inspire change and encourage people to take action against social injustices.
IDK has worked with non-profit organizations like The Bail Project and The Innocence Project to raise awareness about social injustices. The proceeds from his single "Once Upon a Time" went to The Bail Project, an organization that provides bail assistance to people who cannot afford bail in pretrial detention. IDK uses his music platform to encourage his fans to take action and make a difference in their communities.
IDK's music and activism are a true reflection of his passion for change and inspiring others. He is using his influence to make a positive impact on his community by empowering BIPOC students and bringing awareness to sensitive issues through music. IDK is a motivating example of how passion, determination, and hard work can make a difference in the world. His dedication to seeing a better future for the next generation is commendable, and we can all learn from his example.
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0:00
yeah man that boy's right there man I've
0:04
been talking about this man all morning
0:05
Tracy can you tell her what I've been
0:07
saying oh my gosh citizens he's been
0:10
saying if you don't know you're late
0:12
this is someone who is ridiculously
0:14
talented this is someone we've gotten to
0:16
know and we'll begin continuously
0:18
knowing right here right now via your
0:20
niece Jillian who has always been
0:22
hooking me up with the best music so I
0:24
gotta say she has some golden earrings
0:26
and I feel like she's not going to steer
0:28
us wrong with this artist absolutely man
0:31
um sub trap days empty bank days I was
0:35
very bad days these are some of the um
0:37
earlier projects that he put out that
0:39
really start making his stamp and it
0:41
caught the attention of a lot of
0:42
different people if you look at his
0:44
discography you'll see a slew of
0:46
individuals he's worked with uh from
0:49
Chief Keef
0:50
um to Denzel Curry we just play one of
0:53
those songs uh Swiss beats you know um
0:56
he's he's Tyler the Creator yes you know
1:00
um uh burner boy yeah you know he's
1:03
worked with damn it he's worked with all
1:05
kind of legendary people yeah
1:07
innumerable cosines and they don't work
1:09
with you because you're whack that's not
1:12
how this game works they work with you
1:14
because they see something they feel
1:16
something
1:17
um you strike a chord you strike an
1:19
emotion he doesn't make quick fast music
1:23
like fast food that goes through your
1:25
body and you [ __ ] it out and you don't
1:27
realize you even ate it
1:29
he makes the kind of music that sticks
1:32
to your ribs that sticks to your soul
1:34
you know I was listening to the f-65
1:36
album just um just last night and two
1:39
days prior and every time I listened to
1:42
this project I hear something different
1:43
and that's something I can appreciate as
1:46
a music lover not somebody who's worked
1:48
in the industry for decades and been
1:50
responsible for a lot of your favorite
1:52
rappers careers being launched I'm
1:54
starting right now I gotta stunt a
1:55
little bit you know but when I when I
1:57
listen to this man's music and I see his
1:59
movement
2:00
and the way he moves around and his
2:02
skill set it reminds me of some of the
2:04
dopest MC's I ever been around and this
2:07
lets me know that the culture is in good
2:09
hands uh I want to welcome him to the
2:12
show please give it up to the one and
2:13
only ID okay yeah welcome
2:19
IDK that's a legendary intro wow yeah
2:22
I'm just speaking from the heart but it
2:25
ain't no notes here and that's why it's
2:26
so legendary I can feel that that's real
2:29
you know Sam man you make me happy bro
2:30
yeah I've had a good week man yeah yeah
2:33
I had um belly came yesterday oh yeah
2:36
artist belly out of um Ottawa Vic Mensa
2:39
came the day before yeah you know and
2:42
you're here today yeah man we batting a
2:44
thousand bro haha I love it I love it I
2:46
love it so how it's been what was the
2:49
first project You released uh man that
2:52
one
2:53
I don't even want to say it on the air
2:54
because then people might listen to it
2:55
but okay uh no but it's it's called uh
2:59
um sex drugs and homework I put that out
3:01
when I dropped out of college to make
3:03
music
3:05
um and that's really what that was
3:06
basically about and then
3:09
um and then sub trap is around the time
3:11
I met you uh-huh that's what was out and
3:14
and yeah those are the first two things
3:16
I put out you remember what we met first
3:18
it was I feel like it was like a talk
3:21
you were doing somewhere was it at an
3:23
Apple store or what was it I forgot what
3:25
it was it here it was in New York yep it
3:28
was at the Apple Store I think I was
3:30
doing it with Rob Markman yeah yeah yeah
3:33
rob you remember that yeah I came up I
3:36
was stalking y'all yeah yeah so and
3:38
that's something you see how far Rob
3:39
Markman has gone since that day yeah I'm
3:42
trying to think I can't remember what I
3:44
was talking about though but uh
3:46
um I remember that and
3:48
and I remember when I first heard your
3:50
music thinking because you know for us a
3:52
lot of people approach you and maybe
3:54
two percent um or somebody that's gonna
3:57
blow you away right you know uh ten
4:00
percent of people who got potential and
4:03
then the rest is folks who are going to
4:05
try to crack scratch and crawl and find
4:07
their way to success yeah a lot of times
4:09
the two percent don't survive yeah
4:12
because the music has so much substance
4:14
in it it might not be able to uh walk
4:17
against the trends your music is
4:20
different though my niece and I were
4:22
talking your music to me uh when I
4:24
listened to each of your projects I
4:26
can't put you in a genre I feel like
4:28
it's genreless yeah IDK was that your
4:31
intent you know what it's really about
4:33
how I grew up and how I was you know
4:36
raised I I was born in London England I
4:40
came to America when I was two years old
4:41
my mom was sincerely on my dad with some
4:44
Ghana I grew up in the Sierra leonean
4:46
household
4:47
um I've been in jail in prison uh I'm uh
4:51
four times but the same time I was in
4:53
prison that same year I went to college
4:56
rap now I teach a music business course
4:58
at Harvard that that basically explains
5:01
why my music is so you know multifaceted
5:05
wow that's a film well that's perplexing
5:08
you went to jail in prison at the same
5:11
time yeah oh no sorry College I mean
5:13
College in prison at the same time yeah
5:15
the same year I got out of college I
5:16
went to college got locked up this was
5:19
the third time I got locked up and then
5:21
went to prison
5:23
went to jail transferred to prison and
5:25
then got out and went back to school
5:28
and I was teaching in prison I was uh
5:31
helping people get their geds how old
5:33
were you when you first went to prison
5:34
the first time I well jail was uh 17
5:37
prison I was 19 and 20. I don't even
5:41
think people realized there was a
5:42
difference oh yeah it's a big difference
5:44
uh jail is like you know you go there
5:47
is like you know if you're trying to
5:49
fight a case or you got like a short
5:51
amount of time prisoners where like
5:53
people getting shanked a lot and well it
5:55
depends on where you're at you could
5:56
Anything Can Happen anywhere but prison
5:58
is like people for like 20 years 30
6:00
years like really like doing a real bit
6:03
so you got a song called no shoes on the
6:06
rug leave them at the door yeah off the
6:08
I want to say I was very bad project
6:10
right yeah yeah okay in that you talk
6:13
about that right yeah you say I feel
6:15
like that's when you say you were 17
6:17
when you went to prison yeah
6:20
um you're supposed to be a doctor or
6:22
yeah yeah a lawyer all these different
6:25
fantasies yeah yeah yeah job titles I
6:28
just got back from Accra Ghana oh really
6:30
yeah I was there in January with chance
6:33
and Vic Mensa and that pilgrimage
6:36
changed my life brother wow you know I
6:38
went to El Mina that's what's going to
6:40
ask you come on I went to elmina I went
6:42
to the they call them castles I call
6:44
them dungeons yeah and that that's the
6:46
passageway of where a
6:48
um what a pretty much yeah manufactured
6:52
um enslaved kings and queens from that
6:54
land but what I learned is you know
6:57
Ghanaian parents like parents in Africa
7:00
don't play not at all like you if you're
7:03
their child the idea of you want to be
7:06
an entertainer right yeah yeah well you
7:10
were you considered the black sheep of
7:12
the family of course 100 I'm the first
7:14
person in my family to go to jail you
7:16
know what I'm saying yeah I was always
7:18
getting in trouble when I was younger
7:19
and uh I was getting compared to my
7:22
cousins who were doing better you know
7:23
in school and stuff like that so yeah I
7:26
think though by the time I decided to be
7:30
a rapper my mother was just happy I was
7:32
doing something positive because I was
7:35
just doing so much negative before that
7:37
yeah yeah what what what is what what
7:40
happens like it sounds like you come
7:42
from a really pretty well-to-do family
7:44
you know uh sub trap stands for some
7:47
bourbon trap right and we we often we
7:50
kind of get UPS I grew up in East
7:51
Oakland so it wasn't a suburb so when I
7:53
see kids who grow up in privileged
7:55
environments but they're doing criminal
7:57
activities it's disappointing and it
8:00
kind of perturbs you yeah why who does
8:03
that happen so it's funny on the song
8:04
telecallero on f65 one of the last lines
8:07
I say is uh just because he grew up
8:10
middle class doesn't mean that he won't
8:12
hit your ass we watching different news
8:15
because [ __ ] to prove be worser than
8:17
[ __ ] to lose a lot of times
8:20
proving yourself will cause you to do
8:23
some things that may be way worse than
8:26
you know things to lose or what you
8:28
don't don't have you know what I mean so
8:30
I was I grew up in PG County Maryland
8:32
that's like basically no one ever talks
8:36
about what happens after gentrification
8:38
right okay PG County Maryland is what
8:40
happens after gentrification they move
8:42
black people out of the hood and say
8:44
okay go live over here but they don't
8:45
change the mentality so the the
8:48
mentality stays the environment changes
8:50
but then mentality will change the
8:52
environment so I I'm in a place where
8:54
it's 300 000 houses with people getting
8:56
shot you know
8:58
um if in PG County if you don't go to a
9:00
private school all the public schools
9:03
are terrible so I went to a public
9:04
school and that's who I was around so I
9:07
felt like I got love from people in the
9:09
streets so I wanted to make sure I
9:11
maintain that love by doing things that
9:13
you know made them feel like I was cool
9:16
or it was one of them exactly well you
9:18
are one of them but like he was down
9:19
yeah exactly so that's really what it
9:22
was it was just trying to prove myself
9:24
um to a certain group of people and at
9:27
times going to worse extents than they
9:29
would be because I really felt like I
9:31
had something to prove when did you
9:34
arrive at a moment of self-knowing
9:37
because there are times where you know
9:40
you can see you're making bad decisions
9:42
but you're already within the grip of
9:44
that habit versus someone who's just
9:46
like without any void of any awareness
9:49
yeah you know what I'm saying I think I
9:51
think the way to explain it is there's
9:53
different points in my life where
9:56
um I got a new level of awareness so the
9:58
first time was when I went to jail the
10:00
first time right right the next time was
10:02
when I went to jail the last time then
10:05
then after that it happened when my
10:08
mother passed away 2016 and then my dad
10:11
passed away two years after that so
10:13
knowing that I I had a I had to be on my
10:16
own you know and then probably the next
10:19
one was when I made my first million
10:20
dollars um like 2019 so that's basically
10:24
23 years old at that time 19 no 2019.
10:28
I'm I'm uh 30 now so 2019 I was like 27
10:32
26 27 so okay yeah yeah so it literally
10:36
you're young looking 30.
10:43
what are you doing
10:47
stay out of trouble you look younger you
10:49
know what I mean so yeah um but nah but
10:52
it's basically like different points in
10:54
my life yeah you know pivotal points
10:57
that changed me did your parents get to
10:59
see
10:59
the Ascension of your greatness that
11:02
they get to see you doing well man kinda
11:05
but not really like my mom passed away
11:08
before
11:09
um
11:10
it's funny the last time I slept on
11:12
anybody's couch I remember I can
11:14
remember it was around the time my mom
11:16
died
11:18
um after that is when my success really
11:19
started to kick in it's the craziest
11:22
thing after you gained an angel it's not
11:24
so crazy bro exactly yeah it ain't so
11:27
crazy yeah yeah you know that's the
11:30
that's that reason you know you know got
11:33
to go back to those pre-christianity
11:34
beliefs yeah
11:36
what are your beliefs
11:39
um for me is is I believe that the
11:42
religion to an extent Israel but I think
11:46
that it all used to probably be one
11:48
thing yeah and over time it's like a big
11:50
gigantic game of telephone and I think
11:53
that it branched off into different
11:55
things so I don't necessarily subscribe
11:57
to one of those but I do believe that
11:58
whatever it was originally is is real
12:01
and true because they all correlate and
12:03
if you look at the world today it's a
12:06
lot of religions say a lot of the things
12:08
that are happening right now so I'm
12:10
spiritual I do believe there is a
12:13
religion but I believe it stems from uh
12:15
it was all these other religions stemmed
12:17
from whatever that original one is what
12:19
are some of the values you believe
12:20
believe that contribute to your compass
12:22
right now to help you make decisions I
12:25
think everything I do is with my heart a
12:27
lot of people ask me how do I get
12:29
certain things that other artists don't
12:31
get that are way bigger than me and it's
12:34
just my intention my intention is always
12:36
I look at myself as like the Robin Hood
12:38
of brand Partnerships I like kind of
12:40
work with like Brands and then I bring
12:42
people that I believe deserve the
12:44
opportunity but may not ever get it to
12:46
those Brands so it's like really it's
12:48
not about money and none of that it's
12:49
literally from my heart when I make my
12:50
music I tap into whatever my heart tells
12:52
me to make I don't even write music no
12:54
more it's just off the top I just kind
12:56
of get in piece it together come on man
12:59
I hear that all the time bro yeah that's
13:01
true no seriously like piece by piece I
13:04
think of a line I think of the next line
13:06
think of the next line and that's
13:07
usually how it goes so then what is the
13:09
practice for memorizing the song because
13:12
I can see you know obviously you can
13:14
create something but then you have to
13:15
perform it so here's the thing I only
13:18
put out music that I love so in order
13:20
for me to uh put it out I already listen
13:23
to it that's how I memorize it it's not
13:25
it's organic it's not like all right let
13:27
me remember this song right it's never
13:28
that even to like it's funny because
13:31
Wayne says something about how like he
13:33
forgets lines that he says because he
13:35
just does it so much I can understand
13:37
now more than ever because it's like I
13:40
just really just be going in and piecing
13:42
things together so it's like with that
13:44
being said it's very hard to remember
13:47
everything you say so I gotta love the
13:49
song listen if I love the song I listen
13:51
to it like a hundred times right you
13:53
know you got to be on your own day more
13:54
than that it's more than that yeah
13:56
never heard you whack though you know
13:58
what I mean like you know you talk about
14:00
the old projects you know every at most
14:04
from the time I start listening to you I
14:06
thought you were good yeah right well
14:08
that's good
14:09
um who who who would you say and
14:11
influenced you like how did you develop
14:14
hear me on this question like how how
14:16
did you develop your style was the first
14:19
thing you written the first way you said
14:21
it did you stick to that or how did you
14:24
Scope or Mojo style I think it's just
14:27
about like a lot of things I remember
14:29
there was a time
14:31
2000 and probably like nine I was in
14:34
11th grade and I wanted to rap like Wale
14:36
so much like I loved I loved Wale and
14:38
because he's from where I'm from and I
14:40
wanted to learn his style and you know I
14:43
didn't really understand like it's
14:44
important to be original I just like
14:46
that's what it was yeah you know
14:48
um I think it's people like him
14:51
obviously like people like uh Eminem
14:54
Kanye 50 Cent
14:57
um those are the early people
15:00
um uh J Cole and Kendrick Lamar so
15:03
before I got locked up the last time the
15:07
last albums I remember listening to was
15:08
J Cole's first album and Kendrick Lamar
15:11
Section 80 so that was locked in my
15:13
memory when I got locked up so I watched
15:16
Kendrick Lamar go from that section 80
15:18
into being on the radio for the first
15:21
time but I heard him on the radio for
15:23
the first time it was the women reading
15:24
weather joint when I was in prison so
15:28
I'm like damn he made it to the radio
15:30
you know I ain't know much about music
15:32
but I knew that he was in an underground
15:35
world and those guys normally don't get
15:37
on the road like once you start hearing
15:40
that that means it's probably about to
15:42
happen so I remember that I remember
15:43
being excited from prison like damn he
15:45
really did that I first saw ASAP Rocky
15:48
in jail it was 106 in part and and I'm
15:52
serious I didn't know who he was and I'm
15:55
like I saw the gold teeth and the brace
15:57
I'm thinking he from Baltimore like I'm
15:59
like that's some Baltimore [ __ ] you know
16:00
that was the first time I ever saw ASAP
16:03
Rocky literally was in jail yeah in jail
16:05
I didn't when I got locked up the last
16:07
time there was no Instagram or at least
16:09
nobody was using it yeah and when I got
16:11
out it was Instagram and Chief Keef you
16:13
know and you work with Chief Keef yeah
16:16
something man how did you how did that
16:19
connect like you you Pusha T yeah yeah
16:22
yeah I mean I'll be like if I'm in the
16:24
studio with Pusha T
16:26
I'm making sure I bring my dum-dum bars
16:30
yeah yeah
16:32
it's funny because t uh Tyler was going
16:35
to be on that song originally but it's
16:37
gonna be me him and and and push but
16:40
like the the that song came about I
16:42
wrote it I sent it to him I was like yo
16:45
I think I got something that's perfect
16:46
for us he's like send it through I sent
16:49
it to him he's like oh yeah no no I got
16:51
you and he really had he was like by the
16:54
end of this month I had some too by the
16:56
end of the month it was there the verse
16:58
was there push your teeth push your T
17:00
did you know him prior
17:02
um oh you just sent him like it was like
17:05
a DM thing a lot of people with DMs I
17:07
just be dming people just DM Pusha T and
17:10
got him on the track I feel like that's
17:11
how I met him yeah it had to be
17:13
something like that how long did it take
17:15
for him to respond back to you in the DM
17:17
yeah it's hard to remember exactly what
17:20
it was but it wasn't too long he might
17:23
have followed me and then I followed him
17:24
back or I followed him he followed me
17:26
back then I DM I don't remember yeah but
17:29
but it happened yeah yeah but that's
17:31
what it was something like that I
17:32
noticed that a lot of artists just
17:34
respect what I do like I remember one
17:36
day I looked on my phone
17:38
well I had to do something and I came
17:40
back to my phone my phone was blowing up
17:41
I'm like what's going on I'm like
17:43
something had to happen with another
17:45
artist or something because I must be
17:47
going viral or something I went to look
17:49
it was the weekend he posted dog food on
17:52
his story and everybody's tagging me
17:55
everybody yo the weekend just posted
17:56
that and mind you I was locked up for
17:58
the weekend so I didn't really see him
18:00
really come out so I missed that I
18:02
missed him and Frank Ocean and Tyler the
18:04
Creator damn bro so so when he came when
18:08
when that happened I was I didn't know
18:11
the magnitude of how big it was because
18:13
this was like last year but I knew it
18:15
like the weekend as a big artist yeah
18:17
Super Bowl performing halftime
18:22
Super Bowl though exactly so damn boom I
18:26
um I go and tweet them like damn the
18:28
weekend you know [ __ ] my music man
18:30
shout out to the weekend then he doubles
18:31
back on Twitter it's like amazing record
18:34
so I'm like wow and and come to find out
18:37
simple that was his favorite project of
18:39
the year yeah when I'm meeting him wow
18:42
simple as dope bro get this man around
18:43
him
18:44
[Music]
18:45
that's such a reminder of why the
18:48
quality of your music is important
18:50
because Word of Mouth Will trump any
18:54
marketing scheme you come up with it's
18:57
funny that's something I literally teach
18:59
that but here's a funny thing yeah in
19:01
music
19:02
don't worry about like the consumers
19:05
think it's about the numbers and [ __ ]
19:06
right no art respect art it's like in
19:09
prison man respect man you don't have to
19:11
be in a gang and all that if you carry
19:13
yourself like a man people won't mess
19:15
with you bro if you they can feel it I
19:18
don't know how to explain that [ __ ] but
19:19
it's like you know you may get tried
19:22
somehow some way but for the most part
19:24
people can feel that and same thing with
19:26
art
19:27
art respect art like I could see an
19:29
artist he might have 300 followers I
19:31
know that at any moment he could blow up
19:33
anyway if I if I connect with that art
19:37
that's all that matters and I'm learning
19:39
that more than ever because that's how I
19:41
get what I get people like yo how do you
19:43
get this Jay Electronica on the song bro
19:46
they respect me they [ __ ] with what I do
19:48
damn man IDK man this is amazing story
19:51
right here why the title of this album
19:55
um f65 is f as in like Formula racing
19:59
and then uh 65 is a year Malcolm X was
20:02
assassinated and basically I believe
20:04
strongly that when Malcolm X uh you know
20:08
decided to kind of go more into Orthodox
20:11
um a Muslim and he was changing his ways
20:15
of how he kind of his beliefs and how he
20:17
delivered his message he was
20:18
assassinated I believe his new message
20:21
was going to be more and more of Love
20:22
More inviting and this album is about
20:25
inviting people to the conversation of
20:27
race yes so that's why I use f from F1
20:30
in it so good I like that man IDK I was
20:34
going to start off with another one but
20:36
you mentioned the word love yeah we got
20:39
steal your man
20:41
oh yeah yeah I'm gonna play I thought
20:42
this was a really clever yeah little
20:44
clever play you did with this this is
20:46
off the f65 album we're gonna come back
20:48
with IDK
20:51
888-742-3345 clever man yeah thank you
20:54
what would you feel it in that moment
20:55
that made you do that piece I was in
20:57
London and same thing freestyle but it
21:00
came from like past relationship things
21:03
um watching a lot of these podcasts like
21:06
where it's like men and women kind of
21:08
going back and forth battle of the sexes
21:10
I guess you could say
21:12
um they call it like red pill talk or
21:15
something like that yeah all of those
21:16
things and then kind of putting that one
21:18
I'm not hearing many people talk about
21:20
that stuff anyway yeah and it was just
21:22
my feeling at that moment like I
21:24
literally same thing pieced it together
21:25
you know from the top of my head so do
21:28
you have a type when you date you fine
21:30
uh I just love beautiful women if it if
21:33
it comes to uh looks but then the second
21:35
part of it is so it's like it's easy to
21:37
get my attention with looks maybe but um
21:41
like actually keeping me is a different
21:43
thing that has to do with who you are
21:46
what you represent your morals and
21:47
principles how you look at the world you
21:49
know what I'm saying like
21:51
if you see the same things that I see
21:54
not everything but some of the key main
21:55
things like
21:57
um I think like one of the biggest
21:59
things is
22:00
the the conversation of like equality
22:03
people make it way more simple than it
22:05
really actually is right it's not that
22:07
simple what do you mean because if you
22:09
think about equal that means like
22:12
50 50 on each side and when you talk
22:14
about like the dynamic between two
22:16
people there's too many variables like
22:19
50 50 is one number amongst whatever
22:22
these variables are it's not likely that
22:25
it'll be exactly there it'll probably be
22:28
one side this way one side that way so
22:30
what I mean by that is not like equal
22:32
pay and things like that but just more
22:33
like there is a lot of differences
22:36
between the Dynamics of people it could
22:38
be because you're a man or woman it
22:40
could just be because of how you grew up
22:41
it could be any any reason the problem
22:44
is equality is not to me the answer the
22:47
answer is us working together is one
22:49
yeah strengths and weaknesses coming
22:51
together like a puzzle piece and we all
22:54
work together as one so if if you don't
22:56
understand that concept we're gonna be
22:58
arguing all the time yep
23:01
yeah in her marriage of Barack and how
23:04
they had a season where it was pretty
23:05
much like 70 30. yeah and she felt like
23:08
she was doing the majority just because
23:10
of you know where children come in so I
23:13
often say equality is not sameness yeah
23:15
yeah I think I think I understand like
23:17
the eagle pay stuff and all that of
23:18
course and obviously there's
23:20
variables within that but the most
23:22
important thing is that we are not equal
23:24
we're all different but we're supposed
23:26
to work as one yeah did it take you a
23:29
while to honor that internal attraction
23:33
for women because I find that for some
23:36
dudes there'll be a period of their life
23:38
where the focus is just on the surface
23:42
let's be exactly oh I go to my nieces in
23:44
the room
23:46
but using that word
23:49
but you feel what I'm saying did it take
23:52
um some time for you to really value
23:55
that part of a woman probably it took me
23:58
hanging out with a lot of different
24:00
women and understanding like a lot of
24:02
different things that were also valuable
24:04
not just um their looks yeah I think
24:06
that when we can understand the opposite
24:08
sex uh we we get smarter and smarter the
24:12
more we understand that I don't know how
24:14
to explain that to you but I believe
24:16
that learning from people I mean anybody
24:18
who's the opposite of you learning from
24:20
them like it really creates that for me
24:22
you know IDK is here
24:26
this young lady right here is my niece
24:29
that's her dad right there her dad is
24:30
the cousin to my business partner long
24:33
time friend DJ King tackle I started in
24:35
the business with so his name is Mo Ali
24:37
yeah our kids man they went through boot
24:40
camp growing up they couldn't go out and
24:43
play unless they memorize New York State
24:46
of Mind by now or halftime just the dope
24:49
as MCS they had to memorize their verses
24:52
like she could spit some knives right
24:55
now Johnny Knox off the top just a
24:56
couple bars
24:59
all right but she used to send me uh
25:02
still does a lot of music she thought I
25:04
should know yeah and uh and when she was
25:06
in high school or maybe just out of high
25:08
school she sent me you oh wow so I told
25:11
her come up so she could ask you she's a
25:13
big fan of all your music I love it
25:14
Jillian IDK
25:16
what's up what's up how are you I'm good
25:19
I'm good I you actually asked like most
25:21
of the questions I was gonna ask but
25:24
I must be good
25:34
um but you dabble in a lot of different
25:36
genres so I was wondering would you ever
25:38
just like dive really deep into one
25:41
genre for a whole album
25:43
um it's funny like how I make my music
25:46
is never really too much thought to it
25:48
it's whatever happens in the moment and
25:51
the way I'm feeling it's so hard to like
25:53
before I used to think about everything
25:55
now it's literally everything is based
25:58
off feeling I think you come to a point
26:00
where I put my 10 000 hours in like
26:03
three times you know I say that all the
26:04
time and so now it's rapping is actually
26:07
extremely easy for me if if it comes to
26:11
like making a song you know but the the
26:13
thing is like
26:15
how do I make something that people feel
26:17
and in order for for me to do that I
26:19
gotta feel it you know so if I'm feeling
26:22
something I'm not thinking about it when
26:24
I'm in front of that mic the the
26:26
cerebral IDK that people may think they
26:29
know when I'm in front of that mic I'm
26:30
mindless you know what I mean so if I
26:34
happen to get on 10 drill beats and they
26:38
all make me feel away and I can put an
26:40
album together and I can tell the story
26:41
and and have the impact that I believe I
26:44
can have
26:45
on those 10 beats and that's what it is
26:46
but it'll never really be super
26:49
intentional I know a lot of people say
26:50
hey you should do more like singing and
26:52
do a whole album just singing and and I
26:54
think I thought I was going to do that
26:56
with this last album but then it just
26:57
turned into whatever it turned into yeah
26:59
all right with this stream of
27:01
Consciousness that you're describing
27:03
that IDK
27:04
um how long does it take you to put a
27:07
song together and also with the caliber
27:10
of folks that you have collaborated with
27:12
has anyone ever brought you back their
27:14
verse that made you say I want to switch
27:16
some things that I just did now it's
27:18
funny not really I don't
27:20
I haven't heard nobody's versing like I
27:22
gotta do another verse honestly nah
27:25
um you know it's more so like
27:29
sorry the Consciousness is this the
27:31
stream of Consciousness is like how well
27:34
did I tap into that and basically
27:36
essentially all I'm saying is how real
27:37
was my verse and if my verse was real uh
27:41
then that's what it is you know what I
27:43
mean I'm not one of them guys I don't
27:45
look at these rabbit dudes as
27:47
competition like I know people like that
27:49
and I know that's the that's where it
27:51
started but you gotta remember it
27:53
started in battle rap I'm not battling
27:56
these guys man I'm actually I want them
27:58
to win too I'm battling myself there you
28:01
go you see what I'm saying so if I hear
28:03
Pusha T's verse and I know he killed it
28:07
I'm just glad he contributed very well
28:09
to whatever I did because I wouldn't
28:11
have sent him my song If I even thought
28:13
it was something I may have to change
28:14
sure you expected them to kill it yeah
28:17
um this album is
28:19
um f65 citizens if you haven't heard it
28:22
by IDK jump on it it takes you on
28:24
various Journeys
28:26
um there's a lot of great interludes
28:28
on it as well and and then you even I
28:33
love how you approach
28:34
um a social social issues that um that
28:37
we have to deal with every day and the
28:39
song Mr police you were able to kind of
28:43
talk about the the dynamic between
28:45
policing in our communities
28:47
but in a kind of abstract way you know
28:50
you wouldn't you know the dichotomy of
28:53
the sound of the song but the wording of
28:55
the song is something that really
28:57
brought me in uh how did that song Come
29:00
about there's some well you obviously
29:01
had your relationships with the police
29:03
but yeah yeah
29:05
um that came another stream of
29:08
Consciousness song I had uh the the
29:11
original piano part
29:13
um in the studio and I had an upright
29:15
basis come in and I was like let's just
29:17
see what we can make with this I didn't
29:18
know where I was gonna go with the song
29:20
but I knew I felt felt strong those
29:22
chords felt important to me
29:24
um and I sat on those chords for a very
29:26
long time like almost a year so I like
29:29
got him in the studio and they were
29:30
playing and then I remember I had to go
29:31
pick somebody up from the studio so I
29:34
get in my car I drive a GLS 600 Maybach
29:38
you better work you heard it
29:40
Subway when I saw him at Apple music
29:42
store I know that's crazy oh oh uh but
29:48
no no so I got in the car and I was
29:51
gonna go pick somebody up but I didn't
29:53
want to leave the studio so I got on
29:55
FaceTime put it in my little thing
29:57
um the little Mount and I was listening
30:00
to everything and I was directing people
30:01
still so so basically wow but then the
30:05
police got behind me
30:06
and I remember getting I was like yo the
30:08
police is literally behind me right now
30:10
and I was like what would I say if they
30:12
can't and I was like Mr police how are
30:15
you and then they didn't pull me over I
30:17
just kept singing that and then I
30:19
remember I just said whoever [ __ ]
30:21
whoever I'm gonna go pick up I might
30:23
have just turned back around yeah I just
30:25
turned around I went in the studio I
30:26
told everybody I was like I got
30:27
something this one's gonna be crazy I
30:29
promise you and then I just got on the
30:31
mic same thing I let it flow and that's
30:33
when Mr police happened and I thought of
30:35
the video that that day that I made the
30:37
song well idk is here man I'm loving
30:40
this I feel like him Pinot Noir Saucy
30:44
Santana killed you on that verse
30:48
really Juicy Fruit killed both of us you
30:51
know what I said to her I said you had
30:54
the crazy verse right but at least I
30:57
made the Beats I ain't tripping
31:00
but that song in itself is just it's
31:02
just so different but yeah but it's I I
31:05
thought it paid um homage to uh break it
31:08
down with daylight so of course I was
31:10
talking to pause about it before I when
31:12
I first sampled it I got on NPC I hit
31:15
him up like yeah that's what we're doing
31:16
right now yeah you know what I'm saying
31:18
yeah yeah but uh literally damn you got
31:20
a relationship with positives
31:26
yeah he yeah that's my oh my god
31:29
um I actually owe him a verse I gotta
31:31
get get that done but economy okay but
31:33
uh nah he he literally
31:36
um I always like to get the blessings of
31:38
the the ogs when I do that you know what
31:40
I mean so I got it and then I literally
31:44
put the Kaya sample Kia sample on there
31:47
and then I was like man I was making a
31:49
joke I'm literally getting like two
31:50
percent of that song right now it's got
31:52
so many samples yeah features everything
31:54
on it but at the end of the day man I
31:57
did that one for the culture so I felt
31:59
like it was like a very good I called it
32:01
like musical gumbo you know taking the
32:03
Smokey Robinson taking the tribe taking
32:06
uh in the video at least taking the um
32:09
um daylight Soul you know the Kaya and
32:13
putting like a it's got a West Coast
32:14
kind of yeah pattern to it but then you
32:17
got me from the East uh juicy from
32:19
Memphis Saucy that represents a whole
32:22
nother Community yeah bringing that
32:24
Community plus a lot of women as well to
32:27
the song you know I I made that song
32:30
because I wanted like a woman to feel
32:33
like she could be champagne ratchet
32:36
classy but ratchet okay twerking with
32:39
like champagne a champagne glass you
32:41
know what I mean like that's that's what
32:43
you saw that was your business we
32:45
appreciate it freaky dude right here
32:56
hold on man Tony on the line from Dallas
32:58
Tony go ahead what's up man hey Tony
33:00
Tony hey man hey yo yo yo yo yo say what
33:04
up to IDK first time caller hey IDK bro
33:07
big fan man I uh I just wanted to tell
33:10
you bro I I used to write a lot when I
33:12
was younger yeah and uh I kind of lost
33:15
the passion for it I've been listening
33:17
to a lot of uh
33:18
a lot of you actually Denzel j.rd you
33:22
know a lot of the new up and coming
33:23
great
33:25
um and I just wanted to say bro you're
33:27
very inspiring I have a question you and
33:29
Denzel put out a lot of heat together
33:31
are y'all thinking about doing like a
33:33
like a collab album because I know
33:35
that's like real popular now like
33:37
Alchemist and Larry June and yeah you
33:38
know what I'm saying stuff like that I
33:40
would love to uh we've been talking
33:41
about it for forever I remember that and
33:43
and we actually have so much music
33:45
together I think it's just a matter of
33:47
us locking in and really like sticking
33:49
to it like that's really all it is yeah
33:51
that dog food was on a video game right
33:53
yeah it was I think it was on FIFA 100
33:56
yeah that's a big deal
33:59
hence the Maybach all right hey Tony
34:02
thanks for your call you're a citizen
34:04
man so wait in the morning okay I'm
34:05
gonna ask you a couple questions before
34:06
I know we gotta let you go you're doing
34:08
a tuition-free uh seminar at Harvard
34:10
University it's called No Label Academy
34:11
yeah yeah crazy okay so when I hear
34:14
these conversations and I just heard you
34:16
broke break down the the splits the
34:18
publish
34:21
and this is something I learned early in
34:24
the business prior to doing uh T MTV and
34:27
radio I was an artist so but we did it
34:29
independently as well so King Tech and I
34:31
learned about publishing royalties the
34:33
whole nine what information just a
34:35
different time period we hear the
34:37
Russell who's from where I'm from speak
34:38
a lot about the back end of the business
34:40
what
34:42
about the back end of the business would
34:44
you like Independent Artists to know
34:46
that you can still make a living right
34:48
one thing I always say is uh music is is
34:51
the easiest into uh it's the easiest
34:54
intellectual property to monetize off of
34:57
like this could be a song right now like
34:59
you know we could put a beat behind this
35:01
conversation and put it on dsps and
35:03
somebody will buy it or listen to it and
35:05
stream it so I think knowing that the
35:08
other thing about that is uh it provides
35:10
residual income and a more residual
35:13
income you have uh the the better your
35:15
future will be when it comes to wealth
35:17
so I say
35:19
always try to have as much participate
35:24
in as much of the economics as possible
35:27
after you make the song though
35:29
the song is the feeling don't worry
35:31
about money and none of that when you
35:33
make it but one is done and you see what
35:35
it is try to do that because that is
35:37
what's going to pay for your GLS 600
35:39
every month
35:43
yeah because I I don't I don't buy cars
35:46
cash that's that's one thing I learned
35:48
early yeah save your cash flow save your
35:51
money you know what I'm saying like
35:53
spend as little bit on things like that
35:55
as possible put your money in things
35:57
that make you money that's for fun okay
36:00
great
36:01
um I think we should experiment I think
36:04
towards you said you send IDK to audio
36:07
for this interview you make a beat on it
36:10
all right you know put that [ __ ] out
36:13
stream it yeah yeah Hey listen let's do
36:15
it man let's make an interview song
36:16
Let's go as long as serious don't sue me
36:18
that's no this ain't got nothing to do
36:20
with them
36:21
don't worry about it's my boy
36:24
we got we got our thing don't worry
36:27
about that all right you'll be good
36:28
money you know just make sure Jillian
36:30
gets her share you know she asks a
36:32
question don't don't add it Tracy out
36:34
yeah
36:35
and we'll be okay talk to me about No
36:38
Label Academy man yeah so no label
36:41
Academy is a course that I put together
36:43
that uh teach uh out at Harvard and
36:46
there's four people of color who
36:48
normally wouldn't get the chance to come
36:50
to Harvard and obviously Harvard
36:51
students to mix and mingle and learn
36:54
about music business because what my
36:56
goal is is I want the the parents of
36:58
today to understand that you don't have
37:01
to be a superstar to have GLS 600 you
37:06
know what I mean you don't need you
37:07
don't need uh
37:08
uh uh uh to have platinum records to
37:13
have a good career uh a sustainable
37:15
career in music and there's many
37:17
different things you could do not just
37:18
making music so I want people to know
37:21
that and see that there's people that
37:22
make as much as a doctor that's so under
37:24
the radar you know and and my idea is
37:27
just like I want parents to encourage
37:29
kids to use art to make money I love it
37:33
IDK man when you're gonna be a father
37:35
who knows man you know that's not up to
37:38
me you know that's upset you know the
37:41
man upstairs but like you know I'm ready
37:43
for it when it comes you know it's up to
37:45
you a bit
37:47
you got a little bit to do with it
37:49
though I don't know it can't happen
37:51
without you
37:52
that's true yeah all right and then
37:55
finally I want to ask you about your
37:56
your the oh yeah the dermal the dirt is
38:00
that what it's called yeah yes I
38:01
realized I didn't know what to call it
38:03
as I wanted to ask you about it this is
38:05
called the Derma dermal yeah but it's a
38:06
diamond so it's like basically
38:09
I got like a really small one put in my
38:11
face you got they gotta like cut a small
38:13
incision in your face put a plate
38:15
underneath it and then like kind of
38:17
screw it on and then and then it stays
38:18
on there too gangster for me yeah yeah
38:21
it's just a look or is it that is dope I
38:23
just think it's like a extra
38:25
Conversation Piece I like doing things
38:28
that are subtle that create conversation
38:30
so all right okay cool
38:32
um surreal diamond yeah okay all right
38:37
brother I can't tell you how proud I am
38:40
of you man it's just been really fun to
38:42
watch your career and uh watch you Excel
38:44
and I love you know Denzel family here
38:46
yeah you know
38:48
um that's family here this are we
38:50
touring right now yeah well September my
38:52
tour uh goes out so you can go to my
38:55
website uh three dot.com is
39:01
t-h-r-33dot.com to get uh tickets I'll
39:04
be in New York you'll be in New York
39:05
yeah all right man
39:06
um I'm gonna end with a fat Trail he's
39:08
been on the show before that's family
39:10
Thug tear yeah uh talk about Trail man
39:13
how'd y'all connect Trail when he got
39:14
out of jail he's one of the first people
39:16
I think that that hit me up uh I mean I
39:18
was one of the first people he hit up a
39:20
lot of people back home when they get
39:21
out they hit me up um because they know
39:23
like I've been there one and then I just
39:25
kind of have a a new a different
39:28
approach of how to kind of do what you
39:30
got to do in the industry right so I
39:31
talked to a lot of those guys hit me up
39:33
he was in LA I was like cool I did a
39:35
song for him it's not out yet and then
39:37
he did that for me yeah
39:40
uh just hitting people up huh yeah yeah
39:42
all right man I love it that's the game
39:44
right there um anything else you want to
39:46
say oh yeah man I appreciate y'all
39:48
having me on here man you know you know
39:51
how far we go back bro you know what I
39:52
mean beautiful man and to hear that you
39:55
you consume my music as a fan like this
39:57
I mean I I'm actually shocked I wasn't
40:00
sure you know I I know you like what I
40:02
do but I didn't know you was on it like
40:05
oh no man let me tell you what music I
40:08
think what it is for me I've been trying
40:10
to figure this out like belly's album I
40:12
just went over and over uh uh jid Jazz
40:16
album of last album I just thought a
40:19
musical I threw your music on this plays
40:21
in the background and um it just re it
40:24
puts me in a place I was when I heard
40:27
other you know a southern playalistic
40:29
Cadillac music from Outkast it puts me
40:33
um in a place where I first heard
40:35
Illmatic but Nas you know uh section 80.
40:38
you know all of these
40:40
your music puts me in that same space
40:42
where I know I'm in my sweet zone of
40:45
what I truly enjoy to observe absorb the
40:48
vibration off of your music uh puts me
40:51
on a higher in a better mood you know
40:54
music gives vibrations you know and so
40:57
uh when I listen to your music it puts
40:59
me in a better mood uh Rich the kid you
41:01
guys got the um 850 on top joint right
41:05
Rich the kid is my homie yeah you know
41:07
what I mean so it's just certain when I
41:09
see you do combinations with certain
41:10
artists and it brings something out of
41:12
those artists you did something with
41:14
Swiss beats right and I was like damn
41:16
man this dude got the Swiss yeah
41:18
you know and it's like so I personally
41:21
just on a on a fan level Enjoy your
41:24
music but on a professional level I
41:26
think your music and your conversation
41:28
are extremely necessary it's balances
41:31
you know yeah checks and balances and
41:33
what's going on in our culture I don't
41:35
knock nothing uh but um at the same time
41:38
I could tell when something is needed
41:40
and I think what you do is needed when
41:42
y'all listen to this music when you
41:44
listen to this album that's what my my
41:46
niece said it's not one thing yeah it's
41:48
just a lot of different energies that's
41:50
happening at one time and then you'll
41:52
hear nle Chopper on on the project with
41:55
the salty joint he's somebody when he
41:57
was still in high school we had come up
41:59
to the show and performed at South by
42:01
Southwest so that's what it is man I'm
42:03
really a fan of this culture man not the
42:06
business part I've excelled I've done
42:07
well I don't have a Maybach but uh but
42:10
I'm really about the music of the
42:11
culture so I appreciate you IDK thank
42:13
you so much man appreciate thank you man
42:16
come back and give us some bars though
42:18
next time all right okay good man we're
42:21
gonna play this um Thug tear featuring
42:24
Fat Trel yeah thank you for coming by
#Arts & Entertainment


