Ras Kass Explains His Lyrical Process & How He Writes Elite Bars | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

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Ladies and gentlemen,
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one of my favorite MCs of all time.
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I know this man
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as an MC throughout his body of work
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throughout the years. I've taken great
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enjoyment in sitting back when I listen
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to Ras's albums. Um I clear my head. Um
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I block off my time because I know one
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of my favorite things to be to to do is
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to kind of dissect and analyze
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similes and metaphors. That's my thing.
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I have the end timing.
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Right end timing and end pocket gaming.
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Ras for me has always I've never
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questioned Ras on the skill level. I've
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never questioned the bar. Thank you. I
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never question the bar.
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>> yeah I'm a monster MC [laughter] so you
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know
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I I I receive this from
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from from other MCs.
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>> [laughter]
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>> We know what we do. We know we know this
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animal.
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>> I mean from a blasphemy, Ras
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Assassination,
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Solo on Ice, Leather Eats Face. I mean
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Leopard Eats Face.
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I've never I'm trying to question the
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bar. I would love to say hey man you
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know that one was a little lackluster.
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Man I try not to. Yeah? That I
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the the thing is write one bar then
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write another bar. Make sure they make
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sure they go hard then write 14 more.
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And that's it.
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>> That's bar after bar. That's how we was
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taught like
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what am I going to say to get your
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attention? Uh-huh. I got to say
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something out the gate.
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And then I got to top that. The goal is
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to keep topping those. Yeah.
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>> Do you find yourself sometimes like you
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may come up with a ill bar, you'll write
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it, and then you won't go back to it to
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maybe like a week or two later. Has that
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happened to you? I got a phone notes
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full of them. Yeah. Cuz you know what's
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crazy with me at least for me in my
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experience, I write my I write my bars
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in my random conversations with the
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people I'm around.
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>> Okay.
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>> So half the time I say something stupid
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and my friends are like that you're an
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idiot and then I'm like oh that's the
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bar." That's how I really feel. Right.
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Right.
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>> And then I write it down and then I
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convert it into somewhere in a verse
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where where it's applicable. Got it. Got
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it. Got it.
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>> Ras Kass is here, ladies and gentlemen.
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He's been here before.
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>> Yes, sir. Tracey G, I could give him a
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big ass introduction, but I want to get
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straight to the bars. And even before we
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do that, Ras Kass is one of our Yes.
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first recipients of our Ford culture
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trophy.
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>> Big honor. And Kurupt, uh uh
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>> Juice, Juice, uh Crooked I,
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Supernatural, Supernat, Canibus, Large
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Professor,
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>> Large Professor,
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um and Ras Kass are, you know, our
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>> recipients. Our first Yeah. our first
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>> And it was amazing. The The night was
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crazy. All right, man. Look, this trophy
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right here, man, um Which is Tech's
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hands. Yeah, these are Tech's hands.
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>> Tech's literally these are Crazy. Yeah,
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he dipped his hands and and everything's
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real. Real Krylon, real a real Adidas, a
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real Shure mic. Like, it's insane. Like,
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the It what y'all put into this is
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amazing. Thank you.
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>> we wanted to
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>> heavy, too, by the way.
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>> It's super crazy heavy.
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>> [laughter]
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>> Got some girth on it, Heather. Um And we
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put it together.
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>> Boss. Put a plaque on it and and said
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some really kind words to everybody. And
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these are individual words. We we we uh
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hand hand-written for you, So for
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Kurupt, for Juice, for Supernatural, for
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Crooked I, Canibus, uh Large Professor.
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You guys mean so much to the culture.
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Man, it it was such an honor and and and
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for those that weren't able you know,
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weren't able to attend, they al- also
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had like a guest surprise guest homie
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Yes.
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>> that would present it to us. So,
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Rizza Rizza was for
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>> out for Large Professor.
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>> came out for Supernatural. Uh King T
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came out for Crooked
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>> Which was crazy. That was King King
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Crooked came to. That was It was lit how
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y'all did I Ice Cube came out for DJ
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Revolution. Oh, yeah, we got Rev. Sorry.
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>> and then Ken Swift had everybody fresh
3:56
from LA. Everybody came. The B-boys
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came.
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Yeah.
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It was incredible. And then your special
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guests were
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>> were
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my sons, Coast Contra. Yeah, man. And
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then Exhibit came and then we did
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three-card molly for Sophia, rest in
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peace. So, it was very genuinely
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special. For the culture, for those who
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don't know, it's an award show, kind of,
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if you will, award experience that King
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Tech and I put together. And we're going
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to honor people we don't feel get enough
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light. You know, and probably, maybe
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will, maybe won't on some of the major
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platforms because their their agenda is
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different from ours. Ours is rooted in
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culture. Theirs is is rooted in ratings.
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Right.
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And so, it is so this is going to be a
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ongoing thing. We wanted to wanted you
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to bring this trophy up here so people
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could see the elements of hip-hop.
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>> Wow. That's what we're celebrating with
4:43
this For the Culture series that we're
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doing. And it's premiering on our new
4:47
network, the Sway and King Tech Network
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as
4:49
sktnetwork.tv.
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Yes. Uh, sktn.tv.
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And uh, this is where we're going to
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house a lot of programming from around
5:02
the world of people who are immersed in
5:04
the culture, not just MCs, DJs, also
5:07
B-boys, B-girls,
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uh, consciousness, fashion, just
5:12
interesting stories people going to
5:14
tell. You don't You ain't even got to be
5:16
the illest artist in the game, but you
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might have been somebody that
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you know, just got a great story to
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tell. And we're going to we're going to
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house uh, in a hub, that's the Sway and
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King Tech Network, all of these amazing
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stories.
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>> When do you guys launch? Uh, in April.
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We're
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We got some big meetings today. Every
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day we're onboarding. We're creating the
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grid for the It's a seven-day, you know,
5:36
schedule. So, we're filling in the
5:38
grids. And we'll be taking, you know,
5:40
people We got a lot of independent
5:42
producers out there that might have some
5:44
reality series around around culture. It
5:46
could be a a BMX
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>> [snorts]
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>> It could be a rider, bike rider, it
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could be a skater.
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>> Skaters, right yeah. Anybody, you know,
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and so that's launching in April. I want
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to say congratulations to you. Thank you
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for bringing the trophy. Yeah, it's
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heavy. I had to drive a dually over here
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to bring it. I mean [laughter] yeah man,
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I mean you know it's time to get in
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shape Ras. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no,
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no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
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Shots fired. God damn it, [ __ ] It's
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been a long time brother. Yo, so let's
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talk about this album man and and and
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we're going to open up the phone lines
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887423345.
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Uh first of all
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I I watched you in New York man. I was
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walking by the studio and I just saw you
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on the mic and it reminded me of young
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Ras. Oh wow.
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>> Right? Because and we had this
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conversation out here about the
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appreciation for the culture after going
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to the Lord Finesse show here in
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California. It's different than anywhere
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else.
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>> Yeah. And I saw that on your face even
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when you were in New York, you was
6:39
appreciative to be on DJ Stretch show.
6:41
>> Oh man, I mean you know a a lot of us
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have known each other and you know,
6:46
respectfully to be here breathing for
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one is a plus.
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Uh
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to still be, you know um
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genuinely, you know, some you know, the
6:56
humbling part is that people are
6:57
interested and you know, it's art. So it
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comes from a
7:00
a
7:01
selfish place to a certain extent. But
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then you make it and you hope somebody
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will appreciate it. So to have Destroy
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and Destroy did his homework. He was on
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my helmet. He brought up He brought up
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he was like
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he did deep dive in
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>> [laughter]
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>> And you know him, he's entertaining. So
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then the cool part for y'all that didn't
7:17
catch it is Sway walked in. So we
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started kind of interviewing Sway. It
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was just it was you were busy cuz then
7:24
with Jill Scott you were prepping with
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Jill Scott and then she walked by and
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said hi. It was dope. It was everything
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was Perfectly in line.
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>> Yeah,
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very kismet. Very kismet. That's a
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that's a Ras word right there. Yeah,
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[laughter] it's Egyptian kismet. It's
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like kismet? Kismet? Kismet. It means
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like like meant to be. Meant to be.
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Kismet. K I S M E T.
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>> What is it Egyptian language? Yeah.
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Yeah, well how many languages do you
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know, bro? I barely know English.
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>> Okay. All right. I know I know I know LA
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[ __ ] A [ __ ] [ __ ] LA [ __ ]
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>> [laughter]
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>> LA [ __ ] What the hell?
7:58
Well, that's like a it's like a
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a variation of of
8:03
Webster's English or whatever.
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>> [laughter]
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>> Um I'm I'm want to get it to some of
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this album, too. Uh but but but before I
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do that, man, you got a big
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support group on the East Coast, man.
8:14
Who was the first East Coast rapper
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to really embrace you like and and blew
8:19
your mind like this dude is really
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Ah, man, that might be a a hard pause.
8:26
Uh
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I would say the first person that and
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I'm I'm hoping I'm recalling this
8:31
correctly. I think the first person that
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um really
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because Coolio and Wyclef Jean already
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were were on and successful when I came
8:40
out of juvenile hall and CYA and all
8:42
that stuff, you know, rebel idiot kid,
8:44
whatever. And then they So I had
8:46
already, you know, through them I knew
8:47
the whole Tommy Boy staff. So I knew
8:48
Treach and all of them. And I like I had
8:50
to had a demo
8:52
before I went to jail and then whatever
8:54
and and whatever. So I knew all of them
8:56
and the premiere. So anybody that Coolio
8:58
and Wyclef Jean knew I had already met
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and I was like the little
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you know, this kid's got some talent.
9:03
You know what I'm saying? He's going to
9:04
be somebody's kid. But uh who I I think
9:06
the first person that really personally
9:08
embraced me, he's a rapper but he's
9:09
really known as being a DJ and inventing
9:12
uh mixtapes, arguably Kid Capri. Kid
9:14
Capri. Oh my god.
9:15
>> Always the K I D. Yeah, the kid. The Kid
9:18
Capri. Shout out to Kid Capri. Always.
9:21
Two people I say the greatest of all
9:23
time. Two people I say.
9:25
>> [laughter]
9:26
>> I say uh Kid Capri and Jazzy Jeff.
9:28
Always. Yeah, there it is there, man.
9:30
Yeah, Kid Kid flew me out and heard
9:33
something like my demo record or
9:34
something and flew me out and, you know,
9:36
took me to the Bronx and we was uh you
9:38
know, he was working on his album and he
9:40
just He and he's always trying to tell
9:42
me I was from the Bronx. He like,
9:43
"You're from the Bronx." And I was like,
9:44
"Nigga, I'm from Watts and Carson, bro."
9:46
Yeah. He like, "Nah, not the way you
9:48
rhyming." And that's how, you know, then
9:49
I met O.C. and Yeah. the whole Diggin'
9:51
in the Crates. So, that's why it came
9:52
full circle being at Finesse's thing,
9:54
like And I think that's why a lot of
9:56
people thought you were from the East
9:57
Coast, too, because of your affiliation
9:59
with D.I.T.C.
10:00
>> Yeah. Mhm. Did you meet them at D&D or
10:03
where did you meet them? Uh I don't
10:05
think we were at D&D the first time. We
10:07
were The first time I was with all of
10:09
D&D I mean all of D.I.T.C. was
10:13
I got these weird stories, but it was I
10:15
was in the studio with Joe, with
10:17
everybody.
10:18
Uh With Fat
10:19
>> L Yeah, with Fat Joe. I'm sorry. With
10:21
Fat Joe. But uh when when uh when Snoop
10:23
was shooting uh what you call him? When
10:24
Tha Dogg Pound was shooting New York,
10:25
New York.
10:26
>> New York.
10:27
>> in the studio when Biggie called in the
10:28
Hot 97, bro. We listening to the radio
10:31
at the studio, but it wasn't it wasn't
10:32
the
10:33
Bro,
10:34
I
10:35
That That was an interesting
10:36
conversation we all had, but yeah. Wow.
10:38
You were in the studio listening to Hot
10:40
>> We were listening to Hot 97 when Biggie
10:42
called.
10:43
And it's like Fat Joe, O.C., blah blah
10:47
blah blah blah. And then I had an
10:48
opinion then the in Red Hook then they
10:50
shot it up and all that. Yeah. Yeah. And
10:51
you know, cuz for those who don't know,
10:53
they was shooting New York, New York
10:55
video at a really
10:57
>> in and was like
10:57
>> very tense time and they was crushing
10:59
the buildings in the video.
11:00
>> what he said, "They crushing the
11:01
buildings, yo." I was like,
11:04
So, what did people say? Like when when
11:07
Like what's the immediate thing people
11:08
said like when you looked at the room?
11:10
Cuz I know you was sitting little
11:12
nervous, probably I mean, I'm the
11:14
youngest. I'm little, you know, I'm not
11:15
the buffest dude. I just was like, I you
11:19
know, like He kind of gave us some
11:20
information there. Like, "Red Hook, yo.
11:23
They crushing the buildings, yo." I WAS
11:24
LIKE,
11:25
"AH, BRO." BUT
11:27
>> [laughter]
11:28
>> DID YOU AT ONE POINT DID YOU THINK you
11:30
might get mopped? All the time.
11:32
>> [laughter]
11:33
>> In that whole entire, you know,
11:35
in that entire
11:37
hour in the studio cuz it was the from
11:39
calling in to it getting shot up. You
11:42
know what I'm saying? And I didn't know
11:43
I like I you know I didn't know Kurupt
11:45
and them like that. You know what I'm
11:46
saying? I knew I used to battle Snoop
11:48
and all of them like like the Long Beach
11:49
dudes. They older than me, you know what
11:50
I'm saying? So you know they got
11:52
obviously Snoop got on before me and you
11:54
know what I'm saying? Then and I didn't
11:56
even think he even knew who I was
11:57
anymore, you know.
11:58
But uh but I still felt like um I'm from
12:02
the West. I had to stand up business.
12:04
Like hey man
12:06
you know Yo, what you saying?
12:07
>> man I was like
12:09
you going to get me in trouble.
12:10
>> Yeah, he being a op. Like
12:12
damn. I you see I'm trying to I'M TRYING
12:14
TO I'M TRYING TO
12:15
I'm trying to walk on eggshells around
12:17
this [ __ ] [laughter]
12:18
I got you. I GOT YOU.
12:20
WATCH HIM. Just because it's his show
12:21
you ain't got to you ain't got to [ __ ]
12:23
with him.
12:24
>> [laughter]
12:24
>> That was 30 years ago, man. Hey, still
12:26
it's painful.
12:28
It's traumatic.
12:29
>> Traumatic experience. PTSD. Woo! Seeing
12:32
Heather. Thank you. I got you. I know
12:34
how he operates. I'm here for the for
12:36
the guest. Oh, you rep THE WEST THOUGH?
12:38
>> [laughter]
12:40
>> OPPING, YO.
12:43
YO, YOU BATTLED SNOOP BEFORE? Like you
12:45
and you and him had a You can ask you
12:46
can ask Beefy Loc like you know bro, I
12:49
was a stupid look No, we hip hop changed
12:52
our life, bro. So when we really you
12:54
know the music existed but once I paid
12:57
attention I tried to rap I was super
12:58
wack. So I wrote this rap
13:01
for like Our Street in in Watts.
13:03
Uh 99th and like basically uh
13:06
Avalon. Really.
13:07
So I wrote this rap I was trash. So I
13:09
gave it up. I just was like okay I'm
13:10
going to be a fan. Then I went back and
13:12
tried it again. Um and and essentially
13:16
uh me and my friend Bird who would help
13:18
me produce all you know my whole you
13:21
know my first album.
13:23
We made a tape where we dissed each
13:25
other and long story short Battlecat
13:27
heard it. Mhm. And then he
13:29
brings us in. He basically adopts us.
13:31
Like, you know what I'm saying? So,
13:32
Battlecat, he tells me [clears throat]
13:34
like, "You could write good." And then
13:35
he tells Bird, "You got a great ear."
13:37
And then the journey starts from there.
13:39
Yeah.
13:39
>> Yeah. So, you battled Snoop though?
13:41
Yeah, so they would bring us out to go
13:43
battle. Uh-huh. And I would So, whatever
13:46
I'm from Carson, so they Whatever,
13:48
they'll take you Like, even even Kurupt.
13:49
So, people are going to like Gardena to
13:51
the mall or they're going to, you know
13:52
what I'm saying? Different malls or
13:53
different high schools. Like, I heard he
13:55
could rap good. Sometimes they bet money
13:57
on it. So, you know what I'm saying?
13:58
$100 like, "Yo." So, yeah, [ __ ] was
14:00
going to I was washing [ __ ] Of
14:01
course.
14:02
>> everybody? I I was washing [ __ ] bro.
14:05
I'm just saying.
14:06
I
14:06
I
14:08
By the time I got my confidence up, I'm
14:10
you know, probably 15 acting like I'm 17
14:13
or whatever. Yeah, [ __ ] was getting
14:14
it. Yo, uh
14:16
>> But, I used big words, so sometimes I
14:17
had to like
14:19
They'd be like, "I don't know what the
14:20
[ __ ] he's saying though." Yeah, but that
14:21
was the argument about my music period.
14:23
Like, "Oh, he used big words." So, I
14:25
too, you know what I mean? But, No, we
14:26
we
14:27
Snoop could freestyle, Domino. It was a
14:29
dude named Radio from Long Beach, rest
14:31
in peace. It was a lot of dope [ __ ]
14:32
you know? Domino could sing. Those the
14:34
deadly ones, the ones that could rhyme
14:36
and kind of do a little note. So, I kind
14:38
of avoided them [ __ ] cuz they could
14:40
sing.
14:40
>> Domino, Ahmad
14:42
>> Ahmad, [ __ ] that could hold a note.
14:43
Wait, that's not the same Domino. Here
14:45
we go. Here we go. They were in a group.
14:48
Snoop and them, they older than me and
14:49
they and Perfection because Perfection
14:52
is perfect. It's all making out of this
14:53
[ __ ] That was That was the group that
14:56
Snoop was in. So, they had Before 213, I
14:59
think 213 was Domino, Snoop
15:01
and like Warren Yeah. at first before
15:04
they came. Whatever. So, yeah, now it's
15:06
all We all got all this history
15:07
together. So, you said something very
15:09
interesting to me that could be like
15:11
your career changing moment. You said,
15:13
"I wrote a rap. I was rhyming. I was
15:15
trash." Yeah, the facts. Who told you
15:18
you was trash? The homies in Watts that
15:21
that writing to impress. I was probably
15:23
13-ish, 14-ish. And I
15:27
I don't know. I forgot. I I feel like it
15:29
was a like a Run-DMC record that
15:31
inspired me. I'm like, "I'm going to
15:32
write this anthem for this clique." It
15:35
wasn't a gang.
15:36
It um
15:38
our in in in where I grew up and went to
15:40
school is is Watts. It's basically the
15:43
gangs would be 97th Coast, Front Street
15:46
Watts, and Grape Street. But some of the
15:48
16- and 17-year-old dudes like
15:50
gangbanging wanted to make a crew. So
15:52
they were going to be the 99 Eastside
15:54
Hustlers. Mhm. So I wanted to be down
15:57
with the crew. I'm Baby John. So I was
16:00
like, "I'll write a rap." So in my brain
16:02
I'm like, "I'm going to write this rap."
16:03
>> That was an ugly name. I'm John and I'm
16:05
the baby. I'm the little one. And my
16:07
grandma And my grandma called me Baby
16:08
John. That's what it is.
16:09
>> a break, Sway. He was little. Take it up
16:12
with Mercedes Batista, [ __ ]
16:13
>> [laughter]
16:15
>> And my granny. And they called her Miss
16:17
Pryor. Right.
16:18
>> Cuz she been with my grandfather. But
16:19
long story short, I wrote the rap. And I
16:22
was like, "When I go back" And this is
16:23
probably during summer. So I was like,
16:25
"Yeah, when I go back tomorrow,
16:27
I'm a I'm a be the king. I'm going to
16:29
say this rap. And all of you know all
16:31
the cool homies, you know, they 17, 16,
16:34
and they're going to love me. And it'll
16:35
I'm going to be the pop most popular
16:36
little little [ __ ] in Watts. Like in
16:39
the neighborhood." And then I said my
16:40
rap and it was trash. They was like,
16:41
"Oh, Baby John, just keep writing them
16:43
raps."
16:43
Damn. And I was cool with that. I didn't
16:45
get defeated. What made you pick the pen
16:47
back up again then?
16:50
Probably a year and a half, 2 years
16:52
later.
16:52
>> Wow.
16:54
Which was cool. I was like, "Oh, I'm
16:55
wack. So don't rap. Enjoy the music."
16:58
Mhm. And then I would you know people
17:00
weren't dancing and [ __ ] So I was like,
17:01
"Okay, I'm going to just you know break
17:02
dance and do some [ __ ] like that." And
17:05
um but I met my homeboy Bird and
17:09
[ __ ] We was playing with GI Joe. We was
17:11
still playing with toys. I had GI Joes.
17:13
>> And at some point, which is crazy. Um
17:18
I'm
17:19
we were playing in my front yard,
17:21
playing with GI Joe, and I remember at
17:23
the same time we looked up and said,
17:26
"It's like girls over there." So, we
17:28
literally matured this like and stopped
17:31
playing with toys and started wanting to
17:32
play with girls
17:33
the same day, and then we like really
17:35
got into music. So, we were like So,
17:38
girls? Girls. Girls. Girls made you pick
17:40
up your pen again.
17:41
>> Yeah. Well Well, we we started um
17:44
I had a I had bought a turntable cuz I I
17:46
did a commercial. So, I done a Pepe
17:48
Jeans commercial. So, I was already
17:49
getting Oh, wow. Okay.
17:51
>> residual checks.
17:51
>> Uh-huh. Cuz I was a gymnast. I could
17:53
breakdance. So, I started getting
17:54
booked. And I was making money. I was
17:57
getting these checks, you know what I'm
17:57
saying? Young boy getting, you know what
17:59
I'm saying? Getting [ __ ] you know,
18:00
whatever you whatever get a commercial.
18:01
Mhm. Whatever you might get 10, 15,000
18:04
plus you get residual plus you get
18:05
>> Yeah. Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
18:06
Maybe even more. I can't remember what
18:08
those checks were. But, I did a couple.
18:09
I got casted. So, I bought a Technic
18:12
1200. Mhm.
18:13
He had a Numark mixer with the little
18:16
6-7 second sampler. Mhm. And that So, it
18:19
was the girls and then we put our [ __ ]
18:21
together. Pause. That's how they wear We
18:23
put our equipment together and and then
18:25
we just grabbed all the vinyls that we
18:27
had and we would just make these diss
18:28
tapes.
18:29
So,
18:30
1 hour in my garage, I make my diss
18:33
tape. I was just making records and [ __ ]
18:34
on him. And then he would [laughter]
18:36
make records and [ __ ] on me.
18:38
And
18:39
we made our our our coup de grâce as one
18:41
album where we dissed each other was
18:43
tight. So, we we left all our homies
18:45
here and and one of the people uh who
18:48
had gone to be my harshest critic and,
18:50
you know, and my biggest my first fan,
18:52
his name is Curtis Daniel. He owns
18:53
Patchwerk Studios.
18:54
>> Uh-huh.
18:55
>> But, obviously he didn't own the studio
18:57
back then. We lived in
18:59
Patchwerk is named after a a
19:00
neighborhood in Carson called The Patch.
19:02
>> Uh-huh. So, the one in Atlanta is named
19:04
after where we grew up in Carson. But,
19:07
yeah, we made the tape. Curtis and them
19:09
like
19:10
"This [ __ ] tight." So, we was kind of
19:11
going we was going kind of viral in the
19:14
hood off the diss tape like Rhas Gotti's
19:16
jokes is better because we would just
19:17
freestyle them. I would we would just
19:19
catch our little basic ideas and [ __ ] on
19:21
each other, but this one was tight. Bird
19:23
gave it to his sister's boyfriend
19:26
and I would have never listened to these
19:28
stupid kids. We were you know, like I
19:30
said, 14. Uh
19:32
and he came back and told us we were
19:35
cool and that was Battlecat. I've had a
19:37
very interesting journey.
19:38
>> my god. What's Battlecat? What's It was
19:41
Battlecat. He
19:42
took the time to listen to the tape. I
19:44
would never listen to these stupid kids
19:46
if I was him.
19:47
And he I mean, he came back and I I'm
19:49
too shy. I would never have given him
19:51
the tape. Cuz he was the K-Day mix
19:53
master and he you know, the [ __ ] and he
19:56
probably was just starting to do Domino
19:58
[ __ ] and all that. So, he didn't have no
19:59
reason to give a [ __ ] about us. And he
20:01
he really took the time. He came back
20:03
and he was like, "You can rap good and
20:05
you got a good ear." And then he took us
20:07
to the studio, him and Cluso, rest in
20:08
peace, and uh and uh Box. And Box got a
20:12
deal with See, that he pulled us in and
20:14
me and Bird danced for Box while he was
20:16
developing our music and gave us both
20:18
SP-1200s and like and that's what I
20:20
produced like, you know, "Miami Life"
20:22
and all that [ __ ] So, all that [ __ ]
20:23
with that with that SP from Battlecat. I
20:26
I've known this dude decades. I haven't
20:28
heard that story Rhas Gotti's here, man.
20:30
Let's talk about it, man. We played the
20:32
song "Leopard Eats Face."
20:35
Reminds me of when Chris Rock said the
20:37
tiger went tiger.
20:39
>> [laughter]
20:40
>> What does leopard eats face mean?
20:42
>> Well, it's not a term that I created.
20:44
So, it's kind of in the political, you
20:46
know, sphere it's kind of a analogy for
20:50
like you knew what was going to happen
20:52
before you did it. So, don't be
20:53
surprised. So, the saying is kind of
20:55
like uh lady who voted for leopard eats
20:59
face
21:00
party surprised that leopard eats face.
21:03
You know what I'm saying? So, like
21:05
fire is hot, water is wet, leopards eat
21:07
face. And in this analogy, I am the
21:09
leopard. MCs are the face. And and boy,
21:13
are they? Because when you start going
21:14
through these lyrics,
21:15
>> [laughter]
21:16
>> let's talk about some of these lyrics.
21:18
Oh, and you know what? Also, I'd be
21:20
remiss to keep keep a pin put a pin in
21:22
that. I did want to say it's also with
21:24
that analogy. I didn't want this album
21:26
to be
21:27
overly political in in that sense where
21:29
like a solo on ice political, but this
21:32
was kind of a old to say I told you so
21:33
anyway. So, this is kind of my like my
21:36
victory lap on solo on ice. Like all
21:38
that [ __ ] you said I didn't Y'all wanted
21:40
to shuck and jive and [ __ ] out and then
21:42
solo on ice like and now we're living in
21:44
it. So, aha, [ __ ] you. I was right.
21:47
>> Yeah. Unfortunately. And you say I hate
21:49
to say I told you so. Yeah, I do. But
21:51
but I do. I told you so close your road.
21:54
Yeah. Yeah, so I caught [laughter] all
21:56
that by the way. I'm
21:58
you bought down this whole whole thing.
22:00
There's a line in the song where you say
22:02
I heard rapping selling no more on the
22:04
billboard charts. Y'all be pushing water
22:07
down trash. About time this [ __ ]
22:09
flopped.
22:11
Not a little not a lot of real art in
22:13
the mainstream.
22:14
>> Since 2010. A lot of females misogynist
22:17
that hate black men. It's all stripper
22:18
music. I respect lyricists.
22:21
You listen to what rich people tell you
22:23
to. The difference is you chase famous
22:25
people. I don't care where that [ __ ]
22:27
is. Blacks been chasing parties since
22:29
[ __ ] built the pyramids. [ __ ] that.
22:33
Post Malone a colonizer. What? [ __ ]
22:36
liar. Elvis stealing from Chuck Berry
22:38
again and y'all [ __ ] is sympathizers.
22:42
Post Malone is a colonizer.
22:46
Yeah.
22:47
There's a lot more. We could keep naming
22:48
names. When you say
22:50
uh uh
22:51
you call somebody a liar. I feel like
22:53
you muted it. There is.
22:55
You didn't mute that? Damn, you would
22:57
catch that. Yeah.
22:58
>> [laughter]
22:58
>> I'm not going to fall into not falling
23:00
for these banana in the tail pipe. Wait,
23:01
WAIT, WAIT. I DIDN'T SAY IT. I WAS
23:03
CURIOUS, RAPS.
23:04
I MEAN LOVING IT.
23:05
>> you called so you're a liar and then you
23:07
kind of mute or beep it or something.
23:10
Look. Why did you do that? Art of war.
23:13
What?
23:13
>> [laughter]
23:14
>> But why did you
23:15
>> Art of war.
23:16
>> Why did you censor yourself?
23:18
I do it all the time. It's a human
23:20
journey.
23:21
I I got it out my system.
23:25
It's always there. There's a version
23:27
with it on there. You know what I'm
23:28
saying? It's it's the Summer Jam thing.
23:30
Just depends on whether you want me to
23:32
bring out the Summer Jam picture. Okay.
23:34
Yeah. All right. Uh you keep that
23:37
picture in your pocket, I guess.
23:38
>> [laughter]
23:39
>> Yo, but why why does Post Malone does
23:42
Post Malone owe anybody anything?
23:45
Uh
23:46
I think you owe this culture
23:48
collectively and I think some people
23:49
reap the benefits and then [ __ ] on it
23:51
and I find that insulting. I don't care
23:52
black, white, yellow, green, whatever.
23:54
If you know, uh
23:57
I was thinking about that earlier like,
23:58
you know, um you know, people lay claim
24:01
to [ __ ] lay claim to [ __ ]
24:03
like eradicated us out of [ __ ] black
24:06
music but take credit for rock and roll
24:08
and tell us we can't be country or
24:09
Beyoncé and she from Texas but we can't
24:11
do country music. [ __ ] that. And if
24:14
I'm the elephant whisperer. We walk
24:16
around in rooms full of [ __ ] Dumbo
24:18
[ __ ] and act like it ain't no elephants
24:20
in here.
24:21
And that's that's like insane. So I
24:23
think the most therapeutic thing for me
24:25
to do is be as honest with myself as
24:26
possible. Uh-huh. Um you know what I'm
24:28
saying? Um Yeah, like stop They steal
24:32
all our [ __ ] Culturally people steal
24:34
our [ __ ] and then rename it. I used to
24:36
do a joke I uh
24:38
and I used to say uh
24:40
>> [laughter]
24:41
>> with with
24:42
Latino music and then I'd be like, who
24:44
the [ __ ] is Tony? You know what I'm
24:45
saying? Like reggaeton reggaeton like
24:47
[ __ ] is [ __ ] music. You got African
24:49
blood. Who the [ __ ] is Tony?
24:51
>> [laughter]
24:51
>> Who the [ __ ] is Tony, bro?
24:53
Who the [ __ ] [ __ ] Your conga come
24:55
from Africa. It's an African term. Stop
24:58
acting like you a different [ __ ] You
24:59
just a [ __ ] that speaks Spanish. Stop
25:01
playing with me. You're insulting my
25:02
intelligence.
25:03
>> [laughter]
25:04
>> So, that's something that's So, who the
25:06
[ __ ] is Tony? Who was Tony?
25:09
>> [laughter]
25:10
>> [ __ ] [ __ ] music.
25:12
Spanish you just a [ __ ] that We ain't
25:13
going to call him [ __ ] Okay, [ __ ]
25:15
Black people negro music. Oh, diaspora.
25:18
Diaspora.
25:19
>> Okay. But still, we [ __ ] and hard R's FOR
25:22
THE DUMMIES.
25:23
>> [laughter]
25:25
>> I'M NOT A [ __ ] ALL RIGHT. We are We
25:28
are [ __ ]
25:29
>> Uh-oh.
25:30
And then the of the [ __ ] and niglets,
25:31
right? Of the country.
25:32
>> Negus negus negus. You're right. See?
25:35
That ain't what you're saying, though.
25:36
You're saying
25:38
Same thing. What's the theory? What's
25:40
your theory on that? Linguistics. Okay.
25:42
The negus the [ __ ] All these terms are
25:44
non-European, right? [ __ ] [ __ ]
25:47
[ __ ] So, whatever. I just always say
25:48
hard R's is for the kunts. Uh-huh. And
25:51
then the rest of it I can deal with them
25:53
all. You know, there's some There's a
25:54
little [ __ ] in there. There's some
25:56
negus. Let them speak. Let them
25:57
>> [laughter]
25:57
>> speak. We can have Look, we can agree to
26:00
disagree. This is this I like
26:01
linguistics. I the history of words are
26:03
rooted. Like I just said, the kunta
26:05
Uh-huh. The kunta is a it's a survival
26:07
which in banjos. Yes.
26:09
>> So, you understand? Those are terms and
26:11
and things that survived in certain
26:13
fruits and vegetables they survived the
26:15
diaspora to even mean the same thing
26:17
here. So, I embrace it. I'm not going to
26:20
let them create the terms of what how I
26:22
Cuz part of me is a bit of a [ __ ] out
26:24
here in the streets of LA. That's some
26:26
There's some
26:27
And I don't even take the
26:29
implication of the of the ignorance. But
26:31
there's some hood LA [ __ ] in me and then
26:34
there's some negus. You know what I
26:35
mean? So, I play with both of them. It's
26:37
all is well. I don't I don't I'm not so
26:40
positive that I you know, I eat
26:42
chopsticks and you know, and just one
26:44
grain of rice every day. So, I embrace
26:46
my my my positive and my negative and my
26:49
higher and lower form because that's why
26:51
I'm in physical flesh. I'm carnal
26:53
because I have both. That was think what
26:55
the experiment was, right?
26:57
>> Mhm.
26:57
>> [laughter]
26:58
>> I like that. No, no, no, I get that. Ras
27:00
Kass at listen, I love your your point
27:03
of view
27:04
and I always love challenging it.
27:06
Absolutely. And but I also do that
27:08
because along the way you're giving us a
27:10
lot of information Okay.
27:12
>> that that that that people could take
27:14
in.
27:15
I want to play another song
27:17
and it's called
27:19
Clap Cheeks.
27:21
Well, that just
27:23
Well, see, I'm glad you just set me up
27:24
for
27:26
>> [laughter]
27:27
>> So, all that smart stuff literally
27:30
ignore everything I said.
27:31
>> Haim.
27:33
>> [laughter]
27:33
>> All that really intelligent stuff, he
27:36
would play the most ignorant record on
27:39
the album. I Can I say one thing? My son
27:41
[laughter] My
27:42
So,
27:43
one of my sons, man, he was like, "Yo,
27:45
can he hit me about the album?" He's
27:46
like, "Yo, it's fire. Ain't nothing
27:48
skippable except one thing I really like
27:49
I couldn't get all the way through." And
27:51
he was like, "CLAP CHEEKS."
27:52
>> [laughter]
27:53
>> WHAT?
27:54
>> [screaming]
27:54
>> I'M LIKE, "BRO, THAT IS ME. THAT WAS
27:56
PART IT'S PART OF AND YOU GOT JAY STALIN
27:58
ON IT. HE'S MY SPIRIT ANIMAL. Jay Stalin
28:01
>> is a legend in the game.
28:02
>> I love Jay Stalin. Jay Stalin is my I
28:04
literally And the mechanics PRODUCED IT.
28:06
SO,
28:06
>> OH, THOSE MY GUYS.
28:08
COME ON,
28:08
MAN. MORE RECORDS THAN GOD, I KNOW. AND
28:11
AND THEY TOOK a classic, you know,
28:13
freestyle song
28:14
>> Right. Think about it. A freestyle
28:16
record and put the drop in it and it's
28:17
banging, but it's hilarious because it
28:20
is
28:21
it's me at the club as opposed to me,
28:23
you know,
28:24
>> Yo, it's the in the studio.
28:25
>> the dichotomy of Ras Kass.
28:28
>> He said he was both.
28:29
>> Right. I heard you. This is the This is
28:32
that guy. This is the guy with the
28:34
drinks in the club.
28:35
>> This is Ras. Clap Cheeks. This is who he
28:38
[laughter] is.
28:39
888-742-3344
28:43
>> [laughter]
28:44
>> Brand new Ras Kass, Leopard Face.
28:48
Yes. Clap Cheeks.
28:49
>> Take me to So is there some um
28:53
What? I don't know, some um
28:55
metaphoric symbol symbolic messaging
28:58
behind Yeah, clap cheeks. Is there
29:00
something we should know about? We not
29:02
>> you know,
29:03
the science is No, I'm just kidding.
29:05
All shenanigans. All shenanigans, that's
29:07
fair.
29:08
>> [laughter]
29:08
>> That's fair. I'm not mad at that.
29:11
We have our 16-year-old intern in here
29:13
cracking up. Right.
29:15
>> [laughter]
29:15
>> Um while I have you here, um
29:18
um you got a song called Miss Me Miss Me
29:20
Yet. I want to I want I want to get to
29:22
that. I think that's a beautifully
29:24
written song.
29:26
>> Oh, thank you. Uh
29:27
um
29:28
You also have a song with a uh
29:32
a Rihanna sample in it. Am I I love that
29:34
record. So uh can I I Yeah, ask away.
29:37
I'll answer.
29:39
Title of the song is Hitlist.
29:41
And it's You're on my hitlist. You know,
29:44
Rihanna's
29:47
And I remember asking you, "Hey man, how
29:49
you do that? How you collaborate with
29:51
Rihanna?" And you said in the most smug
29:54
kind of arrogant like
29:56
slightly elitist way,
29:59
"Rihanna knows me." She does.
30:02
I know her from Neo and them, bro. I've
30:03
been like her bodyguard. She like, "Hi,
30:05
Raz."
30:06
She like, "Hi, Raz." Now but I mean now
30:08
life changed. I ain't seen her like five
30:09
No, that's not true. I saw her at
30:11
Chappelle's show when the [ __ ] tackled
30:12
him. Uh-huh.
30:14
At the Hollywood Bowl, yeah. Yeah, yeah,
30:15
exactly. I you know, I'm still hi, you
30:17
know what I'm saying? But
30:18
um my Look, this hip-hop [ __ ] I'm a
30:20
fan. I heard that song. I bought it. I
30:23
played it all the time. I just uh and
30:26
then as a hip-hop head, I'm like, I want
30:27
to integrate things, you know, integrate
30:29
things that I think are dope. And how do
30:31
I
30:32
turn them into something how I would
30:33
flip them. So honestly, the truth of the
30:34
matter is is yeah, I mean
30:36
um I'd rather ask for forgiveness than
30:38
permission. I think it's dope. I'mma
30:40
make something out of it. And [ __ ] if
30:42
sell a trillion copies of it, then [ __ ]
30:45
get the money. Who gives a [ __ ] I just
30:46
want to make some dope [ __ ]
30:47
>> Yeah. Well, I like the idea of one of
30:49
the dopest
30:51
lyricists to ever come out of rap is
30:55
excited about partnering up with one of
30:57
the biggest pop stars ever come out of
30:59
music. When back in the day if you had
31:01
done something like that
31:02
>> Yeah, they would have criticized you.
31:03
>> Yeah. Well, I got criticized People
31:05
other rappers, I won't say names, but I
31:07
got criticized for doing the song with
31:08
Dr. Dre "Ghetto Fabulous". Like I was
31:10
selling out. I was like, "What?" Well
31:13
You know, people are dumb, bro. And they
31:15
have these little boxes they try to put
31:16
you in.
31:17
>> Yeah. And I'm not in nobody's box. I am
31:19
my own [ __ ] sphere. You know what I'm
31:21
saying? I'm not nobody's box. And and
31:23
I'mma do things that I think are
31:24
creative. To be perfectly honest, that
31:26
record "Hit List" is
31:28
um inspired
31:31
by um
31:34
It really is Biggie's "Unbelievable". It
31:36
is Biggie's "Unbelievable". I I I was in
31:40
New York buying on 125th buying white
31:43
labels. And I remember I bought that
31:45
white label. I heard it on Hot 97 and
31:47
saw it on the radio or whatever or
31:48
mixtape. I was like, "That [ __ ] crazy."
31:50
And then I bought the white label. And
31:52
then I bought Biggie's album and it
31:53
wasn't on there and I was mad. So, I
31:54
reverse engineered "Unbelievable".
31:57
I heard Rihanna's record. I was like,
31:58
"I'm using that part. You was just
32:00
another [ __ ] on the hit list." I was
32:01
like, "Yeah. Now I got to build a record
32:03
around it. How do I conceptualize?" Same
32:05
thing I did. So, I reverse engineered
32:06
that record um "Hit List" and also
32:10
"Little Italy".
32:11
>> "Little Italy" with Big Pun on that. I
32:13
wanted to just honor and then and and
32:15
then I sent it to the people, you know,
32:17
as best I could that I was honoring.
32:19
Uh-huh. Yeah. Yo, that little that Big
32:21
Pun "Little Italy" "Italy" "Little"
32:23
whatever you whatever you did that.
32:25
Well, people may not Well, first of all,
32:27
I loved the song. I love hearing you um
32:30
really branch out and do you know,
32:33
expand your musical
32:35
you know, prowess if you will. I won't
32:37
say parameters. You You It's almost like
32:39
you took the parameters off your music.
32:40
Yeah. Right? Um
32:42
uh which I think is dope. But when you
32:44
talk about sellout, I'm look I'm looking
32:46
at I don't I think sellout, that whole
32:48
terminology, it's not what it was when
32:51
we were coming up, right? Uh and I hear
32:53
people saying the same thing about Lupe
32:55
Fiasco because he went from being
32:57
independent, now he's doing a
32:59
partnership, which we don't know the
33:01
mechanics of the partnership with Roc
33:03
Nation. What What are your thoughts song
33:05
when you hear What We You don't hear
33:07
that in other genres, obviously, but
33:08
when you get I mean, you do. You hear it
33:10
in punk rock. They You know, Punk rock
33:12
it. Okay. Punk rock, rebel music,
33:14
there's some expectation of like what's
33:16
too far. But, you know, I I I personally
33:19
feel like everybody like
33:22
I would never expect
33:26
I'm going to use this analogy uh I I
33:28
hope it lands. I don't I don't listen to
33:31
to
33:32
Jeezy, you know, you know, for Christian
33:35
values. Okay. I listen to Jeezy or Jay
33:38
Stalin cuz I want people to tell me
33:40
either how to sell dope or sell the
33:42
other thing. Jay Stalin's going to be
33:43
what he's on. And so, everybody every
33:46
individual artist is their individual
33:47
artist. I think we used to have these
33:49
boxes and and and I remember the
33:51
criticism of me working with Dre was
33:53
even in The Source, the dude that
33:55
reviewed my album did an interview with
33:57
me and he completely
34:00
wrote his own narrative and took my
34:01
words and bent them into to be what he
34:03
wanted like
34:05
because he was mad cuz I'm underground
34:08
or I'm lyrical or I'm soul on ice and so
34:10
I'm selling out. I'm like, I grew up on
34:13
Dr. Dre. I bought those albums. Why
34:14
wouldn't I never want to work with one
34:16
of the greatest producers? You know what
34:17
I'm saying? And like the same way I
34:19
wanted to work with Premier, I wanted to
34:21
work with Dr. Dre. Neither one is a
34:23
sellout, [ __ ] That's a win for me as a
34:25
as a fan. You know what I mean? But, you
34:28
know, people have those parameters. I I
34:29
think I I met Lupe Fiasco last time I
34:32
was here when I saw you. Oh, no, well, I
34:34
saw you when cuz Exhibit was doing
34:36
cereal show. He was hosting the show.
34:39
And he was right before me. Lil Russell
34:40
was before me. So, and I had spoken to
34:42
him before. He seems like a really nice
34:44
dude.
34:46
Obviously, he's been doing
34:48
just incredible business. He's taken He
34:51
took COVID and ran with it and and has
34:53
grown his thing. And who am I to be
34:55
boxing him in? You know what I'm saying?
34:57
I think that's just
34:59
You know what? People need to [ __ ]
35:01
you know, they should probably
35:04
They should probably look in a mirror.
35:05
You know what I'm saying? Check their
35:07
own diaper before you start telling
35:08
somebody else who who farted. You know
35:10
what I'm saying? Yeah, people need to
35:12
check their own diaper, shut the [ __ ]
35:13
up, and mind their own business.
35:14
>> go. When you said who farted, I knew
35:16
Tracy was going to respond. Go ahead,
35:17
[laughter] Tracy G. Go ahead, jump in
35:19
there. You heard the chuckle.
35:21
I like that one. Oh, well, here's the
35:23
thing, Raz. I love you because you're
35:25
not afraid of all your layers. And you
35:28
just like you danced along this whole
35:31
spectrum of emotions and and intellect.
35:35
And you remind me of a good friend I
35:36
have. Her name is Alex Wolfe, and she's
35:39
a a tech philosopher. And she helps
35:42
Yeah, different tech companies design in
35:46
a way that is safe and that is just. But
35:49
she's also someone that And I rarely use
35:52
this word, but I do call her a genius.
35:56
And a part of her experience with being
35:58
very advanced with ideas is sometimes it
36:02
can be isolating, right? Because she's
36:04
almost operating like 5 years ahead of
36:08
the average person. And so, there's like
36:11
a bit of a loneliness that comes. And I
36:13
wonder if you, because you've talked
36:15
about systemic racism, you've talked
36:17
about media manipulation, global
36:19
politics, all of these big ideas for a
36:23
number of of of decades. And now we see
36:25
it at these conversations are
36:26
everywhere. So for you Ras, when
36:30
you notice that the culture has caught
36:32
up, do you feel validated or do you feel
36:36
frustrated that it took this long? It's
36:39
bittersweet. I would say that, you know,
36:41
of course. Well, like I said, this album
36:43
is kind of like I told you so. Like I'm
36:45
like, "So long as it's truer today than
36:47
it was 30 years ago." This My first
36:50
album came out in '96 and we're 2026. So
36:53
30 years ago and people was like, "Oh,
36:55
you're overthinking you know, whatever."
36:56
So of course, nobody wants to feel like
36:59
they're crazy. Um
37:01
I would have liked to get the same
37:03
amount of money that everybody else, you
37:05
know, that just, you know, some some
37:07
people just kind of may have started
37:08
picking up uh
37:10
being socio, you know, political. But uh
37:13
John, I can hear you guys, by the way.
37:16
But uh yeah, but for me
37:18
I don't want to live in that space of
37:20
like bitter, coulda, shoulda, woulda.
37:22
I'm just in my now. So Yeah. Yeah, I'm
37:24
I'm validated and I appreciate the fact
37:26
that you know, people can discover like,
37:28
"Oh, blasphemy or you know, this guy's
37:30
been talking about this type of stuff,
37:32
you know what I'm saying?" Since, you
37:33
know, whatever.
37:34
Um
37:35
Yeah, it's cool. I'mma be in I'mma be in
37:37
my now and you you get The the thing
37:39
about truth sometimes is that
37:42
it'll be true next year, too.
37:45
>> [laughter]
37:47
>> PLEASE STOP TRUE FACTS. I'M DONE.
37:51
HEY MAN, you got a song called Okay,
37:53
well
37:54
>> [sighs]
37:55
>> Miss me yet?
37:56
>> Yeah. Right?
37:57
Um
37:59
I'm about to jump to You Don't Deserve
38:01
Me. Are we going to do it? We doing it?
38:03
>> I'm being Let's Let's play You Don't
38:04
Deserve Me [laughter] and we're going to
38:05
come back. I know we're running over,
38:07
John.
38:08
You think Siri is all pissed at me
38:10
again? Oh, who cares? Siri be getting
38:12
pissed at me, Heather. I don't want the
38:14
wrath of Siri on me. It's all love.
38:15
>> I'm not scared of Siri.
38:16
It's all love. I'm not scared of Siri.
38:18
Siri is chasing me. There it is. Ras K.
38:20
>> Siri can't run fast. Siri, man. Give it
38:21
up, Ras Kass. You Don't Deserve Me,
38:23
Lepardee's Face. That's the name of the
38:25
pri- project. It's out right now. It's
38:28
just one of those really it's a
38:30
quintessential
38:32
music album hip rooted in hip-hop. And I
38:35
say rooted in hip-hop because Ras is
38:38
I love how you the experimentation I'm
38:40
hearing the different like versions of
38:42
yourself from the beat from the boom bap
38:45
to the funk Yeah. G funk. And the fact
38:48
that you actually you're producing all
38:50
over this album, right? Yeah. I You've
38:53
always done that though.
38:54
>> Yeah. And this the first well,
38:56
I stopped. I got the business made me
38:59
like after like some
39:01
Ras Kass nation. I just you know, I just
39:04
whatever. It was just bad business. So
39:06
Um Did you ever think about cuz when
39:08
when I look at listen to you you don't
39:10
deserve me, I wonder how many times did
39:12
Ras want to quit? Almost quit. I quit I
39:15
actually quit a couple times. I quit and
39:18
went to New York once and then I just
39:20
kicked it with Doo-Wop and went to
39:21
Speed. That was club Speed.
39:23
>> Mhm. And with the slippery floor
39:25
downstairs.
39:26
>> Absolutely, yeah.
39:26
>> Absolutely. I would just
39:28
sneak in a Hennessy and just drank that.
39:31
So I was I quit for a whole year and
39:32
kicked it. Um I quit one other time, but
39:35
you know, it's peaks and valleys. You
39:36
know this. You know, anybody that any
39:39
especially anything that's not like a
39:41
9-5. This is you know, you chasing
39:43
dreams and ideas and and and and in a in
39:47
a business that's very competitive and
39:49
cutthroat and there's not honor and you
39:53
know, what the fine print give it
39:55
what the large print give it the fine
39:56
print take it away. You know, lots of
39:58
shenanigans. So of course it's peaks and
40:00
valleys and of course you're going to
40:01
get disappointed or you know, or you try
40:03
to do business with people with good
40:05
intentions and they steal money. You
40:07
know, um and sometimes it costs more
40:09
money to sue a a dude than to get the
40:11
money back.
40:12
>> Right. Or you know, or
40:14
Yeah, it's just it's a lot. So of course
40:16
I wanted to quit and I quit when I quit,
40:18
I quit. Mhm. I don't want to do it
40:21
and be half-hearted. I'm going to like
40:23
probably sell drugs at some point if I
40:25
if I can't make no money out of rap, I'm
40:26
going to sell There's legal drugs.
40:29
Marijuana.
40:29
>> you way too old to be No. No. No.
40:31
There's marijuana. We do I have strength
40:34
There's other
40:35
alternative revenue streams. So, I'm
40:37
going to sell people Look, liquor's a
40:39
drug, caffeine is a drug. I want a
40:41
coffee shop. For real. That [ __ ] is
40:43
dope. I get it. Yeah. So, so I'm going
40:45
to I'm going to you know, I'm going to
40:47
have alternative revenue streams just
40:49
because I don't want to have to depend
40:50
on this for you know,
40:52
for for my money. I want to be able to
40:54
do this cuz I genuinely It's my therapy.
40:57
It's fun. It's my It's my hobby. It's my
40:59
passion. It's been my job. It's allowed
41:02
me to get here this long, but you know,
41:04
we got to start thinking about you know,
41:05
just like you. You know what I'm saying?
41:07
Like you went from an MC and then
41:09
radio, TV
41:10
>> radio, TV, MTV, boom, boom, boom, and
41:12
now you launching your own channel. So,
41:15
it's growth. I'm I'm embracing the
41:17
grind. Yeah. Yeah. Ras Kass is here,
41:19
man. We're going to have to wrap up in a
41:20
moment cuz of the time issues. No, can I
41:22
do one thing? Yeah, you will. Hold up. I
41:24
said a moment. Give me a second. Cuz I
41:25
got to I got to shameless plug. Oh, do
41:28
the plug. Go ahead, man. Get the plug
41:29
in. Go ahead. I just wanted to say happy
41:31
birthday to Lord Finesse. That's right.
41:33
Yeah. Happy
41:34
birthday, Lord Finesse.
41:36
Our brother.
41:38
Saturday, happy birthday to Tory Hart.
41:40
Okay. Tory Hart. Okay.
41:41
>> homegirl.
41:42
>> Yep. What up, Tory? Bon voyage to my
41:44
homegirl Donny Don. She's leaving moving
41:47
from California to I think North
41:49
Carolina. Okay. Donny Don. Okay. Donny
41:51
Don. My son Ras Austin is dropping a
41:54
song and a beat every week right now.
41:56
So, he's producing and rhyming. So, I
41:58
met your son. Shout out to them. Yeah.
42:00
Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Me and Horse was
42:01
just talking to you know, he giving me
42:03
good good
42:04
>> album? The family collaboration coming?
42:06
I You know what? We got one. I got a
42:08
record with all of us. Really? I got to
42:10
never put out. Probably sitting on
42:11
records for like 3 4 years.
42:13
>> Yo, you know the world wants that, bro.
42:14
You and your sons.
42:15
>> No, not with everybody but my sisters,
42:18
their mama, my mama, my daddy. I got And
42:21
my mom just passed.
42:22
>> Tiffany's on it, too? Everybody
42:24
Everybody's on it. My sister sings too.
42:25
She's in the Bay. You You got Tiffany
42:28
You know she's jazz jazz singer Tiffany
42:30
Austin. She's been working and killing
42:32
it. She's in Oakland. She just moved by
42:33
the by the lake.
42:34
>> Okay. Okay, so she got a little money.
42:37
All right.
42:37
>> [laughter]
42:38
>> Wow. No, she moved by the lake.
42:39
Everybody got something. She opened the
42:41
venue Wildflower in Oakland.
42:43
>> That's your sister's venue?
42:45
>> Yeah. That's Tiffany's venue. Tell her I
42:47
want to do some stuff with her.
42:48
>> Bro, please. Okay. That's her spot. So
42:51
y'all got a family conference so Ras and
42:54
your son your sons every Do you got a
42:56
compilation coming or is just a song of
42:58
No, just one song. It was just one song.
43:00
Oh, and then my last thing
43:02
After 5, my homie R&B singer, he's
43:05
working on his new LP and he's repping
43:06
Detroit so I got to give him a shout
43:08
out. And that's it. That was my
43:09
shameless plug. That's it, man. Oh, 5
43:11
mics 5 mics 5 mics once every third
43:14
Thursday 20 10 come join it. Corrupt,
43:17
will.i.am, Wu-Tang, everybody Method
43:20
Man. Thank you guys for supporting and
43:22
keep supporting the vibes of of our
43:24
party, please. I encourage people to do
43:26
that. And support this album, you know
43:28
what I'm saying?
43:28
>> Yeah. Even if it's just streaming, you
43:30
know what I'm saying? Just check it out.
43:32
Give it a listen. I appreciate it.
43:33
>> go. It's called Leather Leather Eats
43:35
Face. Yo, John, just drop that real
43:37
quick. I'm going to see what happen.
43:39
DB made the beat.
43:40
>> [music]
43:42
>> Let's see if anything happen. Ras Kass
43:43
here. That's the quarter culture trophy
43:45
right there representing the writers,
43:48
the DJs, the B-boys, and the MCs. Okay.
43:51
[music] Okay. Beat by DB. Turn that up
43:52
for me, John. Little There you go. Uh
43:55
let's see. All right. [music] All right.
43:57
Ras Kass.
43:58
>> Let's see.
43:59
I got a question for y'all.
44:01
When did street [music] [ __ ] become
44:03
emo? I grew up off the Dr. Dre and
44:05
Primo. These cats are A home for a B
44:08
roll. Amber Rose [ __ ] getting fingers
44:10
up they bee hole. You can [music] play
44:12
Debo. I'mma stay Nido. This real life
44:15
Call of Duty with the cheat code.
44:17
Chester Cheetah eating chili cheese
44:19
Fritos and Pinot Grigio. [music] Dark
44:21
skin Filipinos like Latinos. Her peaches
44:23
and rosarito with the ankle band beeping
44:26
like [ __ ] my PO. Most [music] never see
44:28
death coming. Ask Miss Cleo. Instead of
44:30
hard work they rather free load. Hey yo,
44:33
the world spinning a world winning I'm
44:35
on tour in the world winning award
44:37
[music] shows. I'm just war linen. John
44:39
award linen. Bomb [singing] a form
44:40
fitting the throne. Wearing a crown like
44:42
I was born in it. Yeah. [music]
44:45
Rap bars. Yo, I got my got my mic got
44:48
You got a hyena up in here. Get your
44:50
bars up. You got some more we got some
44:51
more we got some more. Here we go. Here
44:52
we go. I I I can just
44:54
First one to throw a bar the [music] way
44:56
the cop car. Sneaker Drake win the
44:57
Grammys. I'm a underground pop star.
45:00
Christian Dior but [music] I like you
45:01
rock war. [ __ ] molly'd out still
45:03
trying to look cute with a locked jaw.
45:05
Tell these lame [ __ ] you are what you
45:07
eat. So most of y'all brushing [ __ ]
45:09
as your teeth. You scared to stand up.
45:11
I'mma anti-vaxxer shooting [music] at
45:13
these black [ __ ] and these crackers
45:15
and one. You foul street [ __ ] I'll
45:17
jack you. Catch you in the
45:18
[music and singing] metaverse my tech
45:19
[ __ ] I'll hack you. You riding the
45:21
boat televised revolution. Screen fire
45:24
at [music] the movie shoot back at
45:25
school shootings. My goons in the back.
45:27
My cheese in the front. Security is from
45:29
my hood so we don't give a [ __ ] See God
45:32
[music] made dirt. This dope going hurt.
45:34
So talk that [ __ ] here to get you
45:36
merked. Dick [music] down her throat and
45:38
her neck just squirt. So shut the [ __ ]
45:40
up.
45:42
Uh. Too soon? Woah woah woah woah woah
45:44
woah woah woah
45:46
Too soon? Woah Too soon? That might not
45:48
make the video. Rap tabs. Rap tabs.
45:51
Yo, [laughter]
45:52
since since you muted that one line in
45:55
your song I might mute THAT PART OF
45:57
[laughter]
45:59
AUTO WAR. YEAH, AUTO WAR. MY FREESTYLE
46:02
WAS CALLED MUTE. [laughter]
46:04
YO PB, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO with that,
46:06
right, PB?
46:08
GOT YOU.
46:10
>> [laughter]
46:10
>> YO, THAT BEAT WAS BY DB, by the way,
46:12
man. He in the new You like that?
46:14
>> it was dope. Okay, cool, man. Yo,
46:16
I love you, bro. Your bars are just They
46:18
keep my mind sharp. Thank you. After all
46:20
these decades, dude. Voice is still
46:22
sharp. Voice still the the the persona
46:24
right Ras has an A I don't know how he
46:27
has it
46:28
cuz I know his diet Right. but but he
46:31
>> [laughter]
46:31
>> BUT HE HAS NOT AGED.
46:33
HE LIKE THAT HENNESSY LIKE the the the
46:35
that Hennessy? No, I call it Parvo. It's
46:37
just pain, [ __ ] That's all it is. I I
46:39
eat pain, [ __ ] for a few years, [ __ ]
46:42
>> [laughter]
46:43
>> Eat pain. Yeah, I eat pain. Eat pain for
46:46
a few years, [ __ ]
46:48
Parvo, [ __ ] Yo, I love you, Ras, man.
46:51
Congratulations for the culture
46:53
acknowledgement.
46:53
>> Congratulations. Appreciate you, man.
46:55
You guys get this album
46:57
Leopard Eats Face. Yeah.
46:59
>> That's a crazy ass title of an album.
47:01
[laughter] Every song has meaning. It's
47:04
a lot of Bishop Lamont, Daylight, um
47:07
Trae Dee, you got a song with Trae Dee.
47:09
Um Treach and the Onyx are on this. Jay
47:11
Stalin, of course, Smith and Wesson
47:13
Absolute
47:14
Smith and Wesson. What's the guy that
47:16
Timothy Bloom that sings on there?
47:18
Oh my god.
47:19
Yeah, man. So, it's a great well-rounded
47:22
album. Appreciate you. Yes. Okay, this
47:24
is live on SiriusXM. You can play it
47:25
back on the SXM app. We'll have it up on
47:28
Sway's Universe in the next
47:30
or two. All right? He got to do that
47:33
quick edit. All Yeah, yeah, we got to
47:34
get rid of that
47:35
uh yeah. Ras, when you come back, I want
47:37
to talk Golden State again. Yes. And see
47:40
and just get the history and be able to
47:41
talk about Safire a lot more. Yeah, I
47:43
would love to yeah. Okay, so come back
47:45
and hang out. Co-host with us. All
47:46
right?
47:47
>> Yeah. Thank you. it that way. All right?
47:49
Okay, come on, man. Give it up for Ras
47:50
Kass. Thank you.

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