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Oke Junior Talks His Struggle & Rise in Music, Makes A Song Live with Mars B Over Live DJ Ajani Beat
Dec 1, 2022
Oke Junior stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about his latest work. He brought Mars B and DJ Ajani by to make a beat live on air and trade bars.
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0:00
Mr Fab came up here and this young man
0:02
who I really thought was extremely
0:04
talented I loved his music still like
0:06
his love his music
0:08
um his I liked his um his his
0:10
disposition on things his way he
0:13
approached uh me the way he approached
0:15
life you know a very very professional
0:19
individual and it's just been working on
0:22
his own dime you know independently you
0:24
know he doesn't follow he leads you know
0:27
and that's his Mantra and that was a
0:29
project he put put out back in 2020
0:32
um outside looking in
0:34
um was another uh um a piece that he did
0:38
that I thought was incredible his
0:40
clothing line that he does he always
0:42
brings us merch he never comes here
0:43
empty-handed you know you got and I
0:46
think he has something with it right now
0:47
we just play this song Elmhurst give it
0:50
up for the one and only Okie Junior he's
0:52
back let's get it hey what's up what's
0:55
up sway
0:56
happy Holidays baby we're here thank you
0:59
finally I gotta say
1:03
I appreciate you I appreciate you thank
1:06
you thank you um you you often reach out
1:08
and you tell me like you show me that
1:10
you support what we do thanks a lot of
1:12
times if you've been in the business and
1:14
you've been established as long as we
1:15
have been people feel like we don't owe
1:17
that Sway and have to be in Tracy they
1:19
don't you know they are they're all good
1:20
they don't need the support and they so
1:22
accustomed to us being in the role where
1:24
we support people when you be when you
1:26
text me while we're live on the air yeah
1:28
and you telling me you're listening
1:30
right now
1:31
that goes deeper to me than anything
1:33
else because I know that you're
1:35
supporting me I don't even have to play
1:37
your songs right you know I'm just being
1:40
100 we might not be playing your song
1:42
and you're still hitting me telling me
1:45
you're supporting so I want to say thank
1:46
you for that man that's how we should be
1:49
that's how we should interact
1:51
man come on listen I've been watching
1:53
you since I was a little kid man so just
1:55
being here it's just surreal man it's
1:57
like a it's a dream come true so always
2:00
going to support you man no matter what
2:01
we're still like that we've hung out now
2:03
you don't see my flaws
2:07
my dog man yeah my dog that's what's up
2:09
man you always gonna have a a place here
2:11
you brought your crew with you right
2:12
yeah I brought my crew man I got my boy
2:14
DJ Johnny that's my producer Johnny
2:17
engineer okay real dope he from the town
2:20
too Oakland okay I got my boy Mars B L.A
2:23
oh you from out here yeah I'm from L.A
2:25
what part of L.A you from South Central
2:27
South Central L.A how to survive in
2:29
South Central yeah couldn't that gank
2:31
yeah I got excited when I did that West
2:34
Side connection
2:36
I know South Central who's coming out of
2:38
South Central we got um okay okay
2:43
let me see who else G Perico Rico we had
2:47
G Perico up here before man I love that
2:49
guy I like how he doing this thing yeah
2:51
man it looked like he had the Jerry curl
2:53
yeah
2:55
dripping dripping all right what do you
2:57
do uh I rap and I make beats so okay all
3:01
right interchange who you work with so
3:03
far uh as far as beats uh Okie uh I
3:07
would co-produce with a Johnny sometimes
3:09
okay so yeah and house production right
3:11
here it's my in-house production team
3:13
homies everything we went to Sac State
3:15
together okay so we all went to
3:17
Sacramento State and that's how we met
3:19
through there and we just in there
3:21
grinding recording music we actually
3:23
recorded my first um like my first EP my
3:26
big EP that'll be different back in like
3:29
2015. it was 2015 26 2016. uh we
3:32
recorded that back in the college
3:34
apartments in Mars room and he let us
3:36
lock down in his room and we knocked out
3:39
it was like a seven track EP man and we
3:41
had it at sex and we printed up bunch of
3:43
hard copies just like how Too Short did
3:45
it from the Bay Area way you know St
3:48
Louis going around the school is handing
3:50
out the CDs pressing it out I was in
3:52
class like stopping the class like hey I
3:55
make music introduce myself and give
3:57
people in the class CDs and stuff like
3:59
that you know what I'm saying then
4:00
that's how it's it's that that project
4:02
right there a lot of the production was
4:04
from AJ uh AJ on there had Mars on there
4:06
I had um hard time going there and
4:08
that's when um Mr Fab started to take
4:11
like a pay attention to me and um
4:14
Marshawn Lynch has said something Marcus
4:16
Peter said something he Marcus Peters he
4:18
plays for the um he plays for the
4:20
Baltimore Raven you know Marcus Peterson
4:21
but me and his father grew up running a
4:23
track together oh where and Matt well he
4:25
went uh coach Peters is my one of my
4:28
oldest friends we grew up as kids
4:30
running track together Marcus Peter's
4:33
father was one of the fastest dudes in
4:35
Oakland
4:37
this year yeah he's talking about yeah
4:40
Michael Peters uh uh Zoho miles old
4:43
coach for San Jose State they all went
4:45
to Mac yeah we used to smoke them like
4:47
Oakland High
4:49
Demarcus he showed a lot of love Marcus
4:51
is a beautiful young man we're so proud
4:53
of him in the town right facts and he
4:55
brought me out um to perform a couple of
4:57
songs at his Carnival he has an annual
5:00
carnival at McClymonds and he brings big
5:01
rides free food free everything for the
5:04
kids and stuff so he has that every year
5:06
it's always pop up on him but yeah we
5:08
just been grinding man working hard and
5:11
um did that there to be different
5:12
project like my first EP that was really
5:14
what kind of like jumped it off that's
5:16
the one that got garnished the attention
5:18
for people right facts right in the Bay
5:20
Area too short to everybody everybody is
5:23
supportive right
5:24
um what's been the biggest challenge for
5:25
you since then that was in 2016.
5:28
the biggest challenge I would just say
5:31
just
5:32
I'll just say like as far as just you
5:34
know doing it independently and like
5:36
financially doing it you know what I'm
5:38
saying because I wasn't we were in
5:39
college at the time doing all this stuff
5:40
so we were in college we had classes we
5:43
had a bunch of stuff that we had to do
5:44
and we wasn't in the best position
5:46
financially right when I came out here
5:49
uh when I came to New York in 2018 I had
5:52
just graduated from Sac State wow so I
5:55
and y'all didn't even know like man I
5:57
had just lost my job I had just lost a
5:59
job I'm working at the Boys and Girls
6:01
Club I was working at the Juvenile Hall
6:02
and I had just lost my job because I had
6:05
to picture with a rapper and that he was
6:08
labeled gang related
6:11
you took a picture with an artist yeah I
6:14
took a picture with mozzie
6:16
in Sacramento uh-huh and just like hey
6:20
can we take a shot did we take a picture
6:22
we took a picture and um you know I had
6:25
an office inside the juvenile hall and I
6:27
had a bunch of pics I had the picture
6:28
with me and you from the first sway day
6:30
at that hanging up I had um a bunch of
6:32
different pictures from you know just
6:34
like just normal things you know like my
6:36
friends my experiences you know what I'm
6:38
saying and it was a picture with me and
6:40
Mozzy because we ran into Mozzy back in
6:42
the day
6:43
um it was like when the Super Bowl was
6:45
out here uh and uh it was out there in
6:47
the Bay Area
6:49
it was that time and we seen Mozzy and
6:51
this is what Mozzy was starting to
6:52
Bubble Up Like This one complex that
6:54
posting them and um a bunch of different
6:57
um Rolling Stones so we seen him and we
6:59
just chilling we took a picture and I
7:01
had that in my office and I guess when I
7:04
wasn't there at work and one of the kids
7:05
seen that and um you know I'm saying got
7:08
upset about it and they told out to
7:10
people and they ended up like releasing
7:12
me off of that but who was that hater
7:14
the kid you called the kid and hate
7:17
other little kid well he said was it a
7:18
kid or was it it was like a picture the
7:20
kid was upset because you know it's a
7:22
lot of gang Pop I wasn't aware of that
7:24
you know I was young I wasn't aware of
7:25
the gang politics that was going on in
7:27
Sacramento like that I see what you're
7:29
saying yeah yeah yeah you know what I'm
7:32
saying like I did I did that you know
7:34
but it was like a learning experience
7:36
for me you know so you know everything
7:38
happened before and right after that
7:39
happened that's when you came to New
7:41
York I came um I was just struggling
7:43
yeah around that time
7:45
so
7:47
this is wild because 29 wait hold on one
7:49
second can you video
7:52
can you get her too
7:54
filming this conversation go ahead
7:57
so this is while your story that you
8:00
just told because Sway and I have been
8:01
talking about manifest manifestation for
8:04
the past 24 hours and as I'm listening
8:07
to you tell a story I firmly believe
8:09
that God just removed you from that
8:11
situation for real I do and when you
8:14
started here talking about these are
8:15
your friends from college I'm looking at
8:17
three young black men and we've been
8:20
reporting this news about the three
8:22
young black men that tragically lost
8:24
their lives in college recently it could
8:26
have been so different for the three of
8:28
y'all you know what I mean and to think
8:30
about you three young men sitting in the
8:33
dorm room knocking out your music living
8:35
out your dream trying to make something
8:37
happen and you fast forward
8:40
and what's less than five years later to
8:43
be sitting here with sway that ain't
8:46
nothing but God like y'all put in the
8:48
hard work but you have to have these
8:50
experiences sometimes along the way you
8:53
know to be able to tell stories like
8:56
this you know
8:57
um I hope you realize that y'all are
8:59
like living out your dream and stick to
9:02
that keep working hard because I think
9:04
it's beautiful what you just shared I
9:06
really do and to know that y'all are
9:08
friends from school from college it's
9:11
unbelievable young man and hear your
9:13
music on the radio like this and to see
9:15
you back here again doing your thing is
9:17
beautiful so keep walking in your
9:19
purpose and walking in your greatness
9:21
and keep telling that story because I
9:23
think it could have been so different
9:25
for you you didn't come up here with a
9:26
Pity story we didn't know you lost your
9:28
job that day we were just like so it was
9:30
like today gonna be here today gonna be
9:32
here so I'm just opening up my arms to
9:35
the Bay but what an interesting story
9:37
how God LED y'all together and got you
9:40
here yeah congratulations
9:42
Real Talk
9:44
um
9:45
now okay you're Nigerian yeah I'm having
9:47
Nigerian my father is from warri Nigeria
9:49
we talked about that what about you you
9:51
look like you Nigerian I'm not Nigerian
9:54
but my name is
9:55
you're probably Nigerian bro I might
9:58
have some what's your name Johnny okay
10:01
what are you talking about
10:03
oh you think they just pulled that out
10:05
the sky oh no what does your name mean
10:09
he who wins The Struggle oh in what
10:11
language it's a Nigerian Yoruba
10:15
wow yeah somebody knows something y'all
10:17
ain't by accident what I'm trying to
10:19
tell y'all
10:21
look like you're Nigerian yeah I might
10:24
be I gotta do the ancestry test okay
10:27
I'll hook you up with my sister that's
10:29
what NGO Khalifa on Instagram all right
10:33
um I actually did what what is I mean to
10:36
be here to have this point you know it's
10:39
divine I believe in divine intervention
10:41
right and do you follow a faith
10:43
yeah I grew up in the church man my um
10:46
my family my mom and my dad's Christian
10:49
and they had us in church every Sunday
10:51
uh praying every day waking up crack of
10:54
dawn praying and everything man my uh my
10:57
dad um so I grew up I have five brothers
10:59
and two sisters you know what I'm saying
11:01
so I grew up in East Oakland moved
11:03
around but I lived on every part of the
11:05
bay area though I lived in East Oakland
11:07
I lived in West Oakland I lived in North
11:09
Oakland I lived in Alameda I lived in
11:11
San Leandro we moved around a lot you
11:13
know I'm saying my dad will work two
11:15
jobs you know I'm saying he was an
11:16
immigrant so he would work multiple jobs
11:18
just to provide food for us you know
11:20
what I'm saying but we moved by I always
11:22
stayed going to school in Oakland no
11:23
matter where we moved to I when we was
11:25
in Alameda I had to catch like two buses
11:27
to get to to get to um to Elmhurst at
11:30
the time Elmhurst middle school that's
11:32
the song I named after my middle school
11:34
but um yeah in the moving in Napa um
11:37
when I was in the eighth grade because
11:38
it was just becoming a little bit too
11:40
much out there you feel me so oh so you
11:41
made the decision to move in eighth
11:43
grade I mean I mean it was an
11:46
opportunity for my brother to uh you
11:47
know saying my brother wanted wanted to
11:50
move me away you know he because he's
11:51
seen he I was going down the same path
11:53
that he was going down and um in Oakland
11:55
because he was originally in a group
11:57
home in Napa so he ended up staying out
11:59
there in Napa and getting his life
12:01
together so he ended up just taking me
12:03
in he was like 21 and I was like 12. wow
12:05
you know what I'm saying so he's
12:07
thinking what's your brother now
12:09
um my brother he's in Vallejo man my
12:10
brother won that and shout out to my
12:12
brother that's like I talked to him
12:14
every day that's like he the reason why
12:15
I got into music okay you know what I'm
12:17
saying he taught me how to rap and
12:18
everything you know he told me he showed
12:20
me he watched the um the artist 16 bars
12:23
I used to watch that you know what I'm
12:25
saying the interviews with you like a
12:28
bunches a bunch of stuff my brother was
12:29
really on top of that and making sure I
12:31
was like a student at a game because the
12:33
first time I rap for him I thought I was
12:35
raw like I rap for him and he broke it
12:36
down straight up and said man ain't that
12:38
ain't it if you gonna rap you gotta make
12:40
sure it has meaning and it means
12:43
something you know what I'm saying like
12:44
just don't be out here saying anything
12:45
and I took that to heart so I've been
12:48
grinding ever since all right I love
12:50
that man come on I'm curious too right
12:52
now we're just seeing a Renaissance
12:54
period happening in the bay you know
12:56
right beautiful and so what it look like
12:57
for you as an artist it's beautiful man
13:00
it's beautiful man like especially when
13:03
you when you tell people you from the
13:04
Bay from Oakland like they really
13:05
gravitate to like oh man y'all from the
13:07
bay you know what I'm saying so like
13:09
watching people like Larry June go up
13:11
Larry June get that man
13:16
a lot of work with Lady June for sure
13:19
yeah San Francisco yeah
13:23
you know San Francisco's near Union City
13:25
not far from it Heather just thought I'd
13:28
bring that up in Northern California all
13:30
right uh who else who else um I love the
13:33
wrestle too man well Russell got going
13:35
is beautiful yeah I'm saying like I met
13:37
him I've seen him perform a couple times
13:39
and I got to meet him when he came to
13:41
Sacramento and I introduced myself to
13:43
him you know what I'm saying so the next
13:44
time I see him you know I'm saying he'll
13:46
know who I am again you know I'm saying
13:47
you're just crossing paths like it's
13:49
just it's just one of the things you
13:50
just gotta keep going out and just
13:51
showing facing you know working through
13:53
right
13:54
I want to say fod
13:56
um
13:57
kill it it was kill attack yeah killer
14:00
cab fonte
14:02
real repti crew yeah quasi and then
14:05
that's quasi in them HB my cousin quasi
14:08
uh two Juiced yeah you know they got a
14:11
good movement going they're passing out
14:12
some turkeys this week too I'm gonna go
14:14
back to the Bay hey I'm gonna be a part
14:15
of that MacArthur Mays you know D sharp
14:18
and all these guys got a lot great going
14:20
on Jake J Waters Germany right now up
14:23
the country with it yeah yeah performing
14:25
on tour the whole nine so we starting to
14:28
see this this uh Renaissance happen in
14:30
the bay which I think is awesome
14:32
because we need salute to people like um
14:36
Mr Fab facts salute to Mr Fab for daily
14:40
posting positivity that's coming out of
14:45
the Bay Area I'm not even gonna just the
14:47
bay can't get into these uh these
14:50
geographical boundary politics either
14:52
like this whole you're not from Richmond
14:54
you're not from Oakland you're not from
14:56
Vallejo right y'all let's let's yo that
15:00
that kind of and I mean is with most
15:02
respect that kind of ignorance is what
15:05
keeps us stifled we are the Bay Area
15:07
right if you're from Millbrae all these
15:10
places I was naming earlier Santa Clara
15:13
Montclair
15:15
oh
15:17
Milpitas there's a Montclair New Jersey
15:20
too get the hell out of here it is
15:23
listening come on y'all could Google it
15:25
for you John is saying he clears that's
15:28
where I'm from Montclair Montclair New
15:30
Jersey the Garden State come on man
15:32
Montclair is a school in Oakland my kids
15:35
also has Montclair State University
15:38
oh my God I'm just letting y'all know
15:40
with Oakland B Jersey be
15:52
we're gonna do something interesting
15:54
today citizens
15:56
we're gonna actually make a song live on
15:59
air today crazy we got all we got all
16:02
the nuts and bolts um Johnny's got his
16:04
he brought us MPC you got the MPC in
16:07
here if we get I don't know hold it up
16:09
man hold it up real quick here let me
16:11
see where the camera at uh nice yeah
16:13
hold that up he got his MPC you're gonna
16:16
you're gonna construct a beat live on
16:18
air right yep okay and then who's gonna
16:20
rap on it my boy okay okay
16:25
Mars B is here representing South
16:27
Central I know we're in L.A I know you
16:29
got a 60. hold up we gonna come back
16:35
bring keep that energy yo you got a song
16:38
called breakthrough tell us about it I
16:40
got this new song called breakthrough
16:42
produced by DJ Johnny it's a feel-good
16:44
record man it's gonna be on the um new
16:46
project coming soon okay just found a
16:48
music video for it we've been out here
16:50
for been in La for the past like four
16:52
days just working and grinding getting
16:54
it in shooting videos producing content
16:56
you know what I'm saying so yeah this
16:59
audience there's not not a more music
17:02
conscious audience than the audience
17:03
that's tuned into this show thanks all
17:05
right these are music aficionados the
17:08
citizens know their music right we often
17:12
ask them for their input we're going to
17:14
play the song breakthrough let us know
17:16
what you think of Okie Junior
17:17
888-742-3345
17:22
breakthrough op Junior that's available
17:24
now
17:26
um yeah is it coming soon we're gonna
17:27
drop that so that's exclusive right
17:29
there that was an exclusive man we just
17:31
did an exclusive that's an exclusive
17:33
World premiere right there man come on
17:36
that's what we do
17:37
I don't know about you but I won't stop
17:42
if I won't can't lose can't lose times
17:45
get hard yeah that's true but you gotta
17:47
stay strong if you want to break through
17:49
tell me about a real hard time that you
17:53
went through and that that's true but
17:56
you gotta stay you gotta stay true you
17:58
gotta stay down gotta stay down tell me
18:00
a time that you broke through
18:03
uh going back to that situation where I
18:06
had lost my job like that was a real
18:09
tough time because I I had got fired and
18:12
lost my job like a month before
18:13
graduating from college so I didn't
18:16
really have no money I didn't really
18:17
have nothing going on and then you know
18:19
I'm saying they end up taking me they
18:21
end up trying to it a lot of stuff had
18:23
to have had going on after that you know
18:25
what I'm saying like I had to go to
18:26
court and because I tried to take away
18:28
my unemployment I I had unemployment
18:30
they try to take that away so I had to
18:32
go to court and you know say I want the
18:34
I went to court by myself
18:36
I'm like I'm ready for this I watched a
18:38
lot of um just shows like I'm ready for
18:40
this okay let's go I got my evidence
18:43
judge math is a Judge Judy just Judy
18:48
I watch all that stuff I came there and
18:51
Judge Mathis is all guy guy yeah I came
18:54
there man they had they lawyers and
18:56
everything and I'm just by myself and it
18:59
was this was the the debut this was the
19:01
day I went on Chewie Gomez so too okay
19:05
you know Chewie so went to court and you
19:09
know I end up winning I ended up
19:10
breaking through that situation what God
19:13
did
19:14
I won no lawyer by myself what was that
19:17
like what do you have to do an opening
19:19
or how it was just they were just
19:20
debating like that because they tried to
19:22
take away my unemployment because the
19:25
reason why I got fired was because
19:26
they're saying because I violated
19:28
something so it doesn't it doesn't fall
19:30
in the order of you know the
19:33
unemployment thing but you know what I'm
19:35
saying I end up breaking through that
19:36
man I went I feel like Rocky man
19:39
I didn't even have y'all lost money
19:42
trying to get a lawyer and I came by
19:44
myself well what are your thoughts about
19:45
that what like having gone through the
19:47
justice system you know you you had a
19:49
trump type Set uh you know case but yeah
19:52
you know what are your thoughts about
19:54
that like people usually don't have
19:56
proper representation there's a lot of
19:58
people in jail because of that right you
20:00
just got to be aware and know your
20:02
rights and just have evidence to back up
20:04
your claims okay
20:06
Okie junior is here man in the building
20:09
you want a ten thousand dollar
20:10
scholarship oh Jesus
20:13
I want a ten thousand dollar uh grant
20:15
grant yeah yeah how did that happen
20:18
um so it's this um little grant that was
20:20
going on in Sacramento seating the
20:22
creative artists so they were um giving
20:25
45 artists ten thousand dollars to form
20:28
their own
20:29
um some do something for the community
20:31
you know what I'm saying so they pick 45
20:33
artists
20:34
um and I was one of the 45 and it was
20:36
like over 800 people had applied for it
20:39
wow you know what I'm saying so I was
20:40
able to get that so I'm gonna take that
20:42
and I'm about to link up with um Laguna
20:44
High School
20:45
um BSU program and we're gonna put on a
20:48
an event where young kids can come and
20:50
showcase their talent you know what I'm
20:52
saying I work with a lot of non-profit
20:54
organizations
20:55
shout out to the Roberts family
20:57
Development Center it's out the ball out
20:59
Academy with um with my boy Kenny
21:01
Kenneth you know what I'm saying we work
21:03
with the youth man I'm really involved
21:04
when it comes to the youth because I
21:05
used to be that kid you know I'm saying
21:07
he used to rock the same clothes and
21:09
stuff that's why I started my clothing
21:10
brand that's what okay you know what I'm
21:12
saying something yeah let me see the
21:13
clothes I brought some gifts for y'all
21:17
to be different yeah look at the
21:21
packaging the packaging is great yes it
21:23
is yeah look at that packaging right
21:25
there man I don't know
21:27
okay there it is okay looks good get
21:29
that there all right on the packaging
21:31
hold up you I got a way I open things is
21:33
it all right
21:36
[Laughter]
21:39
oh this is some good assets
21:47
paper do you want us to have it
21:50
right jacket
21:54
I gotta make sure it's secure this way
21:56
oh I got the bucket you got it here man
21:59
hey I got one too man oh listen I'm up
22:05
my buttons
22:12
oh look it's a shirt too man
22:16
you know what I'm saying wow there you
22:18
go some nice socks see it's gonna be
22:21
different I got some socks for you too I
22:23
need them too bro
22:24
thank you man it's a beautiful color you
22:27
got that mustard yellow color going for
22:30
me yeah you know you know that that
22:31
color radiates well with my skin
22:34
it's a way your life sucks got the socks
22:37
can people buy this yeah um follow me on
22:40
Instagram
22:41
um d2bd clothing
22:44
um it's my clothing brand there to be
22:45
different d2b they're d2bd okay cool all
22:51
right uh matters on the line from
22:52
Florida say hi to Okie Junior Matt what
22:54
up with you yo what's up how are you
22:57
what up man good man how about yourself
23:00
I'm doing fantastic
23:02
okay what's your question
23:04
so I mean my question is I'm a producer
23:06
and I'm trying to first off I'm trying
23:09
to make album of the year and use Pusha
23:11
T's towards promotion
23:13
um but I'm just wondering in your in
23:15
your mind like obviously being a radio
23:18
host are you sway I didn't recognize
23:20
your voice
23:21
this way in the morning oh you this
23:22
question is for me not to guess okay
23:24
Junior
23:25
cool what's your question in general
23:28
what's the next what's the next wave of
23:31
of hip-hop like we had traps we had
23:33
Young Money and triplet trap in the
23:35
2010s like what's what do you think the
23:37
next
23:38
evolution of that okay
23:40
all right well let me let me let me
23:42
reorchestrate the question
23:43
[Laughter]
23:45
how have you adjusted Okie Jr to the the
23:50
changes the the evolution of the sound
23:52
since 2015 and now even the style of rap
23:55
when I say that there's obviously many
23:58
styles but some things become more
23:59
prominent and some artists find
24:01
themselves facing that dilemma of do I
24:04
adjust to fit what's going on and you
24:08
know Fly With The Fray or do I stay you
24:11
know different so uh what what are your
24:13
thoughts about that what you're seeing
24:15
and then how have you adjusted both of
24:17
y'all as artists um I feel like you just
24:20
got to stay true to yourself but at the
24:22
same time just modify it and just
24:24
sprinkle in a little bit of the new you
24:26
know what I'm saying you want to stay up
24:27
to date with what's going on but really
24:30
just elevating your sound and just
24:31
evolving and just staying true to
24:33
yourself you know what I'm saying
24:34
because Chase trying to chase different
24:36
Trends isn't that's not my style I don't
24:39
really be chasing different trends just
24:40
to fit in like I stay true to my craft
24:43
and what I do and what I know my fans
24:45
like so that's how I really get done
24:47
with it yeah
24:49
um you know you we see Roddy rich and
24:51
all these guys blast all these guys
24:53
starting to really blow up and make a
24:55
mark for themselves La has always had
24:58
its own it's like the Bears always had
25:01
its own thing so what about you being a
25:04
producer how do you stay true to what's
25:06
considered LA and what you see happening
25:09
now I'm gonna be honest uh I kind of do
25:11
my own thing uh I have a lot of people
25:13
in my ear that's from La that be like oh
25:15
man we want to hear the the you know the
25:17
two step we want to hear like the the
25:19
dancing music and I'm kind of more like
25:21
the conscious like you know I would say
25:24
real hip-hop like old school hip-hop so
25:26
I kind of stick to that I stick to my
25:28
roots I grew up on that so okay it's
25:30
kind of like
25:31
yeah Absol got some new music yeah yeah
25:34
yeah those are those are the dudes that
25:37
I feel like that was a good time for
25:38
music when they when they came out it
25:40
was kind of like everybody's authentic
25:42
got their own sound used from different
25:44
neighborhoods but y'all still like rap
25:46
together and stuff it was cool like so
25:48
who are the the now in your opinion in
25:51
L.A who's at the four who's making them
25:53
the noise uh Blast for sure blast is
25:56
like in everybody's car for sure yeah
25:58
blast came up here who else yeah I'm
26:01
trying to see who else uh Beano he knows
26:04
definitely up there I like buddy buddy's
26:07
a little different
26:11
he kind of got like a like a soul like a
26:14
ghetto Soul music type thing
26:16
so I like that
26:19
um what's my name man and uh Kalyn uh
26:21
for real for real for real he goes off
26:24
too you remind me of like uh kind of
26:27
like a modern day Keith Sweat like you
26:29
know in a way you know okay all right
26:31
well so I hope that answered your
26:33
question Matt this is what I want to do
26:35
um
26:36
Johnny got his MPC here so we're not
26:40
going to throw on a Beat
26:42
let's construct a beat and then talk us
26:45
through the steps because there's a lot
26:47
of producers that are out there how did
26:49
you learn how to work at NPC was this
26:51
the first instrument you learned to
26:53
produce on yeah back in the day I was
26:56
like probably like seven or eight and my
26:59
dad had one in the house
27:01
so for those who don't know what an MPC
27:03
is it stands for music or midi
27:07
production center it's just a little
27:08
beat machine that they used to make
27:11
beats on this before computers was even
27:13
involved that's why I just went back to
27:16
the basics and got my little
27:18
set up together
27:20
can you demonstrate can you can you
27:22
construct a beat live on there and as
27:24
you adding sounds explain what you're
27:26
doing each sound that you add until we
27:29
got something a full instrumental where
27:31
these dudes can we gonna see what they
27:33
got yeah that's good okay so citizens
27:35
this is going to be live on the air uh
27:38
uh I wish we could get a close-up on it
27:40
get you get that close up too all right
27:45
no no no no we're good we gotta look we
27:48
got we got the camera working matter of
27:49
fact all right cool all right make sure
27:51
it's facing and then it fellas if y'all
27:53
don't mind you know a little higher up
27:54
bong bong little higher boom okay there
27:57
you go all right so uh in this little
27:59
move all those bottles out the way we're
28:01
doing we're producing live on air right
28:03
now okay let's get all that that hand
28:05
sanitizer uh Heather's purse
28:09
sandals and okay all right there you go
28:13
okay then you can move that okay there
28:15
you go you're gonna need the mic to talk
28:16
in so move it to the right and then move
28:18
the machine to the left no move move the
28:21
machine to the right and move the mic to
28:23
the left
28:25
yeah you could do that okay now move
28:27
this machine back to the left there we
28:29
go boom okay and then let's move this
28:31
down
28:33
okay there you go all right okay there
28:36
we go all right so what are you about to
28:39
do first so I got a couple of samples
28:41
that I already kind of went through and
28:44
I got a library of ones I like so we're
28:47
just gonna pull one up so do you make uh
28:50
do you make a drum track first or you
28:52
how do you do that so when I first
28:55
started making beats I would definitely
28:56
do drums first but then after a while I
28:59
was like I need to change it up and get
29:01
some different ideas then I I fell in
29:03
love with the melody and like making
29:06
high feels first okay I mean how it
29:11
feels like
29:12
it's like how it feels in a different
29:14
way than the drum like the drums make
29:16
you feel too but the drums make you like
29:18
all right I'm moving to it and then the
29:21
melody is more like a mental feeling
29:23
okay it's a psychological effect yeah
29:26
right a little esoteric effect yeah yeah
29:29
you like that okay I got vocabulary
29:32
okay all right so okay go step one
29:36
all right I'm gonna bring up this little
29:37
sample
29:38
and also what do you call those pads
29:41
that you're hitting right now
29:43
um I just call them pads and so you
29:45
record the sample with that machine and
29:47
that pad could trigger the sample yep
29:49
okay well I'm explaining what you're
29:52
doing that's why I'm drinking all right
29:54
so okay go ahead let's see the samples
29:57
okay I had I sped these up and I put
30:01
them to a certain Tempo that I like it
30:03
okay and what'd you get that sample from
30:06
oh you don't want to say this is just in
30:08
the vault okay so so you just slowed it
30:12
down so it was originally slower
30:16
but can we hear it original how was it
30:19
originally I think that's the original
30:21
okay okay
30:27
we gonna bring it up this one right here
30:30
is set it up okay
30:43
[Applause]
30:44
[Music]
30:45
[Applause]
30:46
[Music]
30:47
[Applause]
30:49
[Music]
30:50
[Applause]
30:52
[Music]
30:53
[Applause]
30:55
[Music]
30:57
add that hi-hat
31:00
[Music]
31:01
[Applause]
31:03
[Music]
31:15
that sounds good John how that sound
31:17
perfect sound perfect
31:20
you can let it run as it recorded we
31:22
could go
31:23
let's start turn that up let's run it
31:25
okay Sway in the morning shade four five
31:31
ah DJ and Johnny on the beach
31:34
let's get it Oakland's finest okay
31:38
Junior what you gonna do man yeah I like
31:41
the game with a lot to lose taking
31:44
control and start making moves yo
31:46
Elevate become a better you know your
31:49
purpose you can't fit in someone else's
31:50
shoes yeah man it's that Beautiful Pain
31:53
whether the storm grinning ten toes in
31:55
the Rain the work behind success is
31:57
often never portrayed it's got it by
31:59
fake news but when any of that your
32:01
loving real life not just on the
32:03
internet Cut From a Different Cloth
32:05
childhood was menacing I didn't see many
32:07
men commit many since head on the swivel
32:10
while moving military
32:12
so I'm riding around by my lonely fake
32:15
love this guy's playing your homies
32:17
after dark Windows 10 and I'm riding low
32:20
try not to make stupid decisions out of
32:22
emotion man ain't no scaling down the
32:25
only way it's up man ain't nothing
32:27
overnight man this far from luck I
32:29
talked in the mirror trying to step it
32:31
up I know they mad hit him with the
32:32
Kanye show the shot yeah young one of
32:35
them ones spitting from the top yeah you
32:37
know we go dumb uh yo mama dad was both
32:41
customers younger side of seven good
32:43
fashion we had a rough remember I can
32:45
hand me down now I'm stepping dappled up
32:47
blessings ran it down from dark clouds
32:48
they used to follow us I'm in my zone
32:51
baby I'm locked in overtime I'm working
32:54
the night shift your jealousy comes when
32:57
you transcend girl I'm not the same guy
32:59
You Used To Know back then she said you
33:01
all about yourself I told her yeah I
33:02
agree can't expect a whole lot when
33:04
you're doing the least I've been riding
33:06
by my lonely phone no DND good looks and
33:09
good sex ain't gonna get you no ring I
33:11
promise
33:16
[Music]
33:23
Oakland's finest a Johnny on the beat
33:26
keep it rolling come on we bout to move
33:28
over to that natural MC he goes by the
33:31
name of Mark speed you ready yeah this
33:33
is the story of Mars I could keep up
33:36
with today and take you back like
33:37
Memoirs how they say they gas I left
33:39
them in the smoke like cigars and like
33:40
your hype on under 100 yeah I've been in
33:43
charge uh these getting Lucid
33:45
these rats see me do the impossible
33:46
that's Rufus to me it's easy but no
33:48
ruthless the truth is the generation
33:50
caught up in illusion supporting the
33:52
whack that's just confusing Mars
33:53
bringing the revolution apparently
33:55
internet made some of y'all clueless and
33:56
y'all forgot the sound of real music I'm
33:58
famous Just Another Universe I'm
34:00
sticking this Dimension we all really
34:01
know my work I'm right on time even if
34:03
your clock don't work a smart Rebel
34:05
ahead of his time let's call it
34:07
counterclockwise it's Urban 51 it's the
34:09
Enterprise it's a bird it's a plane it's
34:12
a UFO in the sky Mars
34:15
I swear be getting closer the streets of
34:18
battlefield but again we lost some
34:20
soldiers but we still gonna keep it
34:23
rolling Pokey Junior's coming out of
34:25
Oakland really focused gotta stay
34:28
focused I do this for the young kids
34:30
never hopeless keep it rolling keep it
34:33
freaking flowing yeah hey look hold on I
34:36
say five in the morning waking up like
34:38
what's the play gotta make a move trying
34:40
to take a leap of faith get about your
34:43
way been in my Lane avoiding traffic
34:44
can't just talk about it gotta turn them
34:46
words to action
34:48
sweater Barney shape four five they
34:51
don't do it like us we stay guys you
34:54
have to be over there from Jersey
34:55
Village
35:03
[Applause]
35:07
they had no idea how this was gonna go
35:10
slow down
35:16
you make another beat if we wanted to
35:17
you got another thing in another sample
35:19
I know I know okay got bars for days
35:23
[Applause]
35:24
we'll do one more
35:26
foreign
35:30
what's our team name that's that the
35:33
production team that's doing the filming
35:34
right now uh the good guys I don't
35:37
remember their names the good guys hey
35:38
hey fellas thank you whoever's doing the
35:40
coverage right now from SiriusXM thank
35:42
you you're doing an excellent job I know
35:44
it's a test so we're gonna do it one
35:46
more time y'all got the vibe down so
35:47
let's let's get it popped you could do
35:49
another one of Johnny yeah I got another
35:51
one I can do it it's good okay you could
35:53
be in here for days really okay let's do
35:55
one more let's do one more y'all got one
35:57
more version yeah okay look the reason
35:59
why I'm having fun so let's go ahead and
36:01
so tell us I built the beat so I'm gonna
36:04
just I don't even know what sample this
36:06
is I'm just pulling up stuff and just
36:08
that's how I like to do
36:13
okay I heard this one before
36:16
so we gonna okay I gotta so these
36:19
samples is on different pads from the
36:22
same sample but it's chopped up so now I
36:24
gotta make it where they cut each other
36:26
off so I can create a rhythm yeah right
36:30
yep
36:32
all right
36:33
we got a MPC
36:36
um
36:36
here live on the air what's that called
36:39
midi production Center yep drum
36:42
sequencer if you will
36:44
beat making machine
36:52
for five Sway in the Morning sways
36:54
Universe huh shout out to Gene abuse
36:57
Vegeta verse
36:59
[Music]
37:01
who want that first yeah you're about to
37:04
jump on that yeah
37:07
let's go let's get it
37:10
[Music]
37:11
I'm the grand D when I hop on the track
37:14
it's like a stampede when I grab the mic
37:17
I never get cold feet like them Sun now
37:20
bare feet walking the concrete I'm
37:21
walking on solely heat your heartbeat
37:24
jump to the words of speed one man
37:26
operation I'm a boutique I'm from Mars
37:29
I'm already unique my lyrics never
37:31
deplete that's what you call freedom of
37:33
speech to obsolete shout to 80 aliens so
37:36
sweet love me some Georgia P started in
37:38
the LA streets facing crooked cops and
37:40
colors and whatnot where you from homie
37:42
I don't bang I don't hold the block got
37:44
them jams not talking gridlock closer to
37:47
a tomahawk that fire like a volcanic
37:50
rock something Earth never had his stock
37:52
so hand me the mic no moon walk space
37:54
also give me the space to talk
37:56
[Music]
37:57
um
38:00
ain't no limitations still pushing
38:03
getting better with time no phone no DND
38:05
I've been hitting Decline and I've been
38:07
cleansing myself cleansing my mind
38:09
working on my flaws and letting go on my
38:12
pride yeah no autopilot I'm the one in
38:14
control thankful for what I got but I
38:17
can't help but one more
38:18
yo elevating reaching New Heights they
38:21
gonna kick you when you down and despise
38:23
you when you do right needing a peace of
38:25
mind I've been taking it steady anxiety
38:27
we ain't heavy the devil been trying to
38:29
test me I know it
38:30
trying to get me out of character I used
38:33
to break lost now I'm breaking berries
38:36
used to break laws now I'm breaking
38:38
barriers we totally evolved right here
38:42
the black woman is God the black man in
38:45
the sky
38:47
I like it Town business stand up you got
38:50
the town hooking up with L.A yeah we've
38:54
got the Bay Area hooking up with L.A
38:56
come on man thank you get that going BJ
39:01
Ajani yeah how can people reach you DJ
39:04
or Johnny or Johnny on the track at um
39:07
Johnny on the track that's AJ AJ a n i
39:12
on the track Kyle's really spelled I
39:15
like that that was dope bro thanks he
39:17
was so nervous earlier right
39:19
I was like don't worry about it we got
39:22
it Mars how can they reach you brother
39:24
yeah or you can reach me at marsb
39:26
underscore that's my Instagram uh on my
39:29
YouTube Pages my I even got a clothing
39:31
line myself that's on there so yeah
39:33
check out check it out man follow me
39:35
okay you did a good job man you know he
39:37
walked in there I had no idea who you
39:39
were
39:46
Town business of course man I I I hope
39:50
you work with D sharp as well Ian Kelly
39:53
I just tapped in I was tapping in with
39:55
Ian Kelly for sure oh citizens we saying
39:58
these names you get to know them get to
40:00
know him me and Kelly been up here too
40:02
when we did LA Cypher so
40:04
um but Okie Jr you're a true gem you are
40:07
you're an asset uh you're a a a definite
40:11
resource to Northern California Bay Area
40:14
hip hop you're different
40:15
so it's going to take a little longer
40:17
appreciate it right sometimes it takes a
40:20
little longer it does Kentucky sway we
40:22
were different you know we have folks
40:24
tell us when we were coming up from
40:26
Oakland that our music wasn't music real
40:28
music
40:29
like people from there's nobody
40:33
in this game more Oakland than the
40:37
Callaway family right that's me my
40:40
brother and sister so I have folks
40:42
telling none of y'all more Oakland you
40:44
know we ain't I've been around longer
40:46
right so we all Oakland but
40:49
Souls of Mischief were different right
40:52
you feel me at the time that they came
40:54
out the loonies were like an anomaly
40:58
they were like a hybrid I'm going way
41:00
back to the 90s right you know you fast
41:02
forward Mr Fab was different you know uh
41:06
Mac Dre was different
41:08
everybody's a little different and so
41:10
and that's how we expand our boundaries
41:13
we shouldn't have any Northern
41:15
California is a Melting Pot it's a quilt
41:19
you know with patches of people from
41:21
everywhere all walks of life so don't
41:24
allow anything to box you in right
41:27
because that's not who you are in your
41:28
spirit and you've been solid ever since
41:30
okay Junior man we love you brother give
41:33
it up for Okie Junior how can they reach
41:34
you man y'all can reach me on my
41:37
Instagram everything okay okay Junior
41:39
okay Junior spelled out okay eju and i o
41:43
r um check my music out I got Music on
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Apple music Spotify YouTube Pandora
41:49
everywhere yeah man yeah y'all stop
41:51
coming up here saying Apple music first
41:53
that's our company is Pandora shout out
41:56
to J1 y'all didn't see us in the
41:58
billboard Power Players
42:01
my our team is raw ain't nobody could do
42:04
what we do here yo you had a good time
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hell yeah yeah anything you want to say
42:08
closing man if you got a dream man just
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keep chasing it keep going keep going
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okay so yeah I'm saying don't give up on
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it you're gonna go through trials and
42:17
tribulations but you just got a
42:18
breakthrough okay DJ Johnny that was
42:21
dope if y'all y'all want music produced
42:23
by this guy hit him up at one more time
42:25
AJ a n i on the track on the track Mars
42:29
thank you brother yes Mars be underscore
42:32
don't forget that okay uh we want to
42:34
thank y'all for coming through we want
42:35
to thank DJ quinette as well give it up
42:37
for cornette for holding it down
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