Episode 270
The Impact of Growing Up in a Musical Legacy
This podcast episode meticulously explores the intricate tapestry of influences that shape an artist's journey, particularly delving into the experiences of a prominent figure within the hip-hop landscape. The discussion pivots around the duality of growing up amidst iconic cultural figures, which the speaker describes as both a blessing and a challenge, necessitating a departure from familiar surroundings to truly establish one’s artistic identity. We reflect on the speaker's formative encounters with legendary artists and the profound impact of familial connections, particularly in relation to the Sugar Hill Gang and the broader New Jersey music scene. Furthermore, we contemplate the evolving dynamics of women in battle rap, acknowledging the burgeoning recognition and platforms available to female artists, while also addressing the persistent disparities in treatment compared to their male counterparts. This episode serves as a compelling narrative of resilience, ambition, and the multifaceted nature of artistic development in an ever-changing industry.
Takeaways:
- The influence of family in the music industry can significantly shape one's career trajectory.
- Growing up in a culturally rich environment exposes individuals to various artistic influences.
- Recognition in the music business often requires stepping outside one's comfort zone and familiar surroundings.
- It is essential for artists to maintain their individuality while navigating industry expectations.
- Women in the rap game face unique challenges but can achieve success through perseverance and innovation.
- Collaboration between different entertainment sectors, such as music and television, can create new opportunities for artists.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Lucky Luciano
- Sugar Hill Gang
- Naughty by Nature
- Missy Elliott
- Lil' Kim
- Jodeci
- Mary J. Blige
- Babs Bunny
- Queen of the Ring
- Cult Individuality
Transcript
I had, like, the whole.
Speaker A:I like the whole hoodlum movie and things of that nature.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker A:So that's why.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's why I had gotten from Lucky.
Speaker A:From Lucky Luciano.
Speaker C:Okay, okay.
Speaker C:Gotcha.
Speaker B:Gotcha.
Speaker C:I like it.
Speaker C:I like it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So that's a cool story, man.
Speaker C:You also mentioned your family and, well, your aunt and your Uncle Joe with the Sugar Hill.
Speaker C:What was it like growing up around that type of influence?
Speaker C:And I guess there's probably a lot of influential rappers and creators in your.
Speaker A:I got.
Speaker A:I got a chance to meet everybody, you know, I don't want to.
Speaker A:I don't want to minimize it and act like, you know, but I'm not gonna sit here and act like it was the.
Speaker A:You know, I'm there every day.
Speaker A:I was there every day.
Speaker A:It's weird.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's a weird situation.
Speaker A:But, no, they didn't work with me as an artist, but I did get to.
Speaker A:You know, I was too young.
Speaker A:I knew the Sugar Hill Gang my whole life, and I knew, like, Naughty by nature when it was New Style.
Speaker A:They had got a record deal over there.
Speaker A:I met Missy Elliott before she bl.
Speaker A:I got a chance to, you know, But I lived in Bergen county, so even if I wasn't meeting people through them.
Speaker A:Bergen County, New Jersey, we're right across the bridge from New York, so everybody's out here.
Speaker A:You know, you get a check in the music industry.
Speaker A:As soon as you get rich, you move to Jersey.
Speaker A:So, I mean, everybody's here, from little Kim to, you know, Jodeci, Mary J.
Speaker A:Blige.
Speaker A:I mean, it's like, you know, you go through the mall bumping in Cassidy Lady Love, you know, so it's just everybody's around here that's just.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:So you basically just kind of.
Speaker C:You're in the environment, so it wasn't anything outstanding to you.
Speaker C:Just growing up in the space, being around that, just regular life.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's cool, though.
Speaker C:Not everybody lives in, I guess, in the area that is so saturated by that kind of talent.
Speaker A:So, yeah, definitely didn't want to take it for granted.
Speaker A:Definitely.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:So that's really cool.
Speaker A:But it's a gift.
Speaker A:It's a gift and a curse, though, because, you know, just like in the Bible with Jesus, you know, like, he's telling people he's.
Speaker A:He had to go perform miracles outside of where he's from, because if he did it where he's at, he's like, oh, that's just Jesus.
Speaker A:So it's Cool to grow up around these people, but they're like, oh, that's just luck, you know, so it's like sometimes you have to.
Speaker A:You, you know, it's cool.
Speaker A:It's a gift and a curse to be around everybody, but to absolutely work and get your stuff going, you got to go outside your comfort zone.
Speaker B:So when did you feel like you were actually able to, like, go out, go away from your.
Speaker B:Your circle and kind of establish.
Speaker B:Establish yourself as an artist on your own?
Speaker B:Do you remember that you.
Speaker B:That moment?
Speaker A:I was doing that my whole life, you know, I never depended on Sugar Hill.
Speaker A:I went over there, you know, I would record sessions with people that were their artists or, you know, like, the first song I ever did was at the studio.
Speaker A:But this late night, my uncle snuck me in there.
Speaker A:You know, it's not like they were.
Speaker A:It's not, you know, shout out to them.
Speaker A:I love them.
Speaker A:It's no, you know, no.
Speaker A:No beef or not.
Speaker A:But it's not like they were like, yo, we're gonna put our niece on and we're gonna blow.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker A:I've always been like that.
Speaker A:I've always been the.
Speaker A:The outspoken one.
Speaker A:Yo, you gotta hear me rap.
Speaker A:You gotta hear this, you know, so you know that.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That's how I was.
Speaker A:I was always that person, dope.
Speaker C:But when.
Speaker C:When did, you know, like, did it.
Speaker C:Was there a time that you remember that you kind of had this feeling like, this is what I gotta do my whole life.
Speaker A:I mean, you can ask anybody.
Speaker A:I've been.
Speaker A:I've been outgoing my whole life.
Speaker A:So ever since my mom.
Speaker A:My mom wrote my first rap because when she came home one night, my mom is the reason.
Speaker A:My mom is the reason why hip hop is on the radio.
Speaker A:Like, Aunt Sylvia and them had the bag, so they like Pablo Escobar, they had the drugs.
Speaker A:But my mom was Griselda Blanco.
Speaker A:She convinced the DJs to play it on the radio.
Speaker A:So shout out to her.
Speaker A:She just called me.
Speaker A:She's an icon.
Speaker A:But she came home late night from.
Speaker A:From promoting, you know, records.
Speaker A:And I'm like, mom, I want to rap.
Speaker A:So she wrote my first rap.
Speaker A:And ever since then, everybody who would listen to me, I would rap for them, you know, my whole life.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker A:I mean, I have some great defining moments that's like, you know, this is what I'm supposed to be doing, or I'm on the right path for things or just the recognition that I've got.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:From a.
Speaker A:You know, but I've always been outgoing.
Speaker B:Speaking of some of the recognition you got, I know that you were heavy involved in the battle rap scene for over a decade, easily.
Speaker B:And most recently you were able to kind of headline a all female card.
Speaker B:How do you feel about right now the.
Speaker B:The current landscape of women in battle rap?
Speaker B:Because I, I do see a big surgeons on women getting a little bit more exposure.
Speaker B:As far as some of the bigger rap platforms or rap battle platforms.
Speaker B:What do you, what's your take on the.
Speaker B:On that event that went down and what you, you, you see in the current state of battle rap and hip hop?
Speaker A:Sonny, you asked that Babs Bunny just called the owner of the Queen of the Ring thing.
Speaker A:I just text.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:I'm not.
Speaker A:I have never been like active in the battlefield, you know, like keep battling every battle.
Speaker A:You know, I come back every five, 10 years, have a battle.
Speaker A:Personally, it was just.
Speaker A:How do I feel about it?
Speaker A:I'm glad a lot of the girls are getting recognition.
Speaker A:I still think like they still treat it like the wnba, you know, the difference between what's going on.
Speaker A:I definitely feel like.
Speaker A:But they like, you know, they were just supposed to have the kings versus Queens this weekend.
Speaker A:That just passed.
Speaker A:But due to Covid, you know, whatever, they have to reschedule.
Speaker A:But I definitely see, you know, the platform being opened up.
Speaker B:Dope.
Speaker C:That's cool.
Speaker C:And speaking of like platforms opening up, I know you're in music, but you've also have.
Speaker C:You also have some connections and working partnerships, I guess, in television as well.
Speaker C:Can you tell us kind of about that and how the transition from music led to TV opportunities?
Speaker A:It's just all God and I give all glory to God.
Speaker A:I just, I honestly, any opportunity that I have right now, anything that is going on, that it's working in my life, you gotta remember it's a pandemic and.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah, this is, this is a time where a lot of things aren't good for people.
Speaker A:And I, and I'm truly thankful, you know, I've had a rough two decades, you know, so.
Speaker A:So for doors to be opening for me right now, it's just like, you know, it's an extreme blessing.
Speaker A:But I had the show on Bravo with my family.
Speaker A:This, you know, we did a show first Family Hip Hop.
Speaker A: It was on: Speaker A:And then the relationships that I built from there just kept going.
Speaker A:So one of the ladies who was a producer on there now, she's executive producer over here and she asked me for music one day for one of the shows.
Speaker A:I didn't know what she wanted.
Speaker A:So I sent her like five, six songs.
Speaker A:And she.
Speaker A:She gave me the idea.
Speaker A:She was like, well, why don't you do this?
Speaker A:And I didn't know anything about it.
Speaker A:I'm still learning.
Speaker A:Like, last night I figured out something that makes my life easier because a lot of administration work and when you're used to smoking weed and being careless, just have to spit 16 bars, you know, it's definitely different.
Speaker A:So, you know, I'm in.
Speaker A:I'm in a lot of different ventures right now.
Speaker A:That's just.
Speaker A:That's just lucrative.
Speaker A:And I just thank God for just opening different doors where it's not just.
Speaker A:You have to be pigeon holding one thing, because if that's not working, life gets depressed.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And it sounds like you are definitely a hustler.
Speaker B:But what would you.
Speaker B:What kind of advice would you give to a female in the industry right now that's trying to kind of make her way in the rap game?
Speaker B:Specifically because I find that's really tough.
Speaker B:And women do tend to get pigeonholed in the industry.
Speaker B:So do you have any advice as to how women can maybe navigate the industry?
Speaker B:And maybe also, like you had just said, options as to exploring other things outside of rap?
Speaker A:I definitely encourage.
Speaker A:I'm sorry, I just got some free clothes from Cult Individuality.
Speaker A:So I was just pushing it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Shout out Colt.
Speaker A:Shout out Cold Individuality.
Speaker A:Shout out my guys.
Speaker A:I would just say the.
Speaker A:The advice I would give is just to make sure that you stay centered, you know, within yourself.
Speaker A:Prayer and meditation is very important.
