Chance The Rapper On New Music, Directing Videos, Upcoming Shows & MORE❗️| Effective Immediately

[00:00:04] Speaker A: Yo, it's effective immediately. I'm DJ Head. [00:00:06] Speaker B: What up, Hip Hop Nation? It's your favorite homegirl, Gina Views. [00:00:08] Speaker A: My guy is here. Chi Town's finest chance, the rapper. [00:00:12] Speaker C: Yo, my guy. [00:00:13] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? Thank you for being here, bro. [00:00:15] Speaker C: No, thanks for having me, man. [00:00:16] Speaker A: Your first. Your first of very few stops from what I'm told. I appreciate you for sharing your experience. Also, you just dropped music. You got. You got some more shit on the way. We got a lot to talk about, but first and foremost, I want to say that you are one of the realest niggas. I wanted to wait till we was on the air to say this, but you were one of the realest niggas I have ever worked with. And I don't know, you don't even have to go into it, but there was something that happened when we were filming Rhythm. [00:00:48] Speaker C: Oh, I didn't even think about that. [00:00:50] Speaker A: When we were filming Rhythm and Flow. I've never told this story because it ain't mine to tell. And I'm not going to tell it. [00:00:55] Speaker C: But I'm not gonna tell it either. [00:00:56] Speaker A: Okay, bet. [00:00:57] Speaker C: Tell it. Oh, unless you want me to tell it. [00:00:58] Speaker A: I do want you to tell the story. I do want you to tell the story because. Well, first of all, actually, should I tell that story? Yes. But let's go back a little bit. We did Rhythm and Flow together. I want to know how you became a judge on that show. And like, what was that process? [00:01:14] Speaker C: Yeah, well, shout out to Jesse. [00:01:17] Speaker A: Jesse Collins, Entertainment. [00:01:19] Speaker C: Jesse Collins, you know, like, black film producer, been doing it. Film and TV producer, been doing it forever. Since we was. Since I was a kid. You know what I'm saying? But, like, in the past few years, he's made everything black. Like the Grammys, the Super bowl. [00:01:35] Speaker A: Halftime. [00:01:35] Speaker C: Super bowl, halftime. Like, they. They do. They in film and tv. Like, they're. He's an important person. Everybody has family. They're all like, you know, they get shit done. So they asked me to be a judge on this show that had not come out yet. It was gonna be the first of its kind, a hip hop show about. With original content. So it's like, you know, they're making music, they're working through challenges, and asked me to come on as an executive producer and as a, you know, as a judge on the show. And I, you know, at first I was honestly kinda like, you know, I don't wanna be a judge on something. I had never done anything like that before. [00:02:10] Speaker A: Why didn't you wanna be A judge? [00:02:11] Speaker C: Cause I don't like judging. I don't like judging people. So, like, there was a lot of things, just to be honest, like, since we on your show, like, I can just be honest. Like, a lot of those shows, you know, they kind of. They sign niggas, first of all, you know what I mean? They put people in positions where they're not totally in control of their likeness and how they're perceived by the world. And that's a big part of, you know, being an artist. Even though it's about the music, your identity is what people subscribe to, what you present. And so I just always had, like, a thing about, you know, television competition shows, competition shit, period, with arts. Like, I didn't grow up. I did a few talent shows when I was younger, but as I got older, I went into the open mic space, which is way less of, like, a judgmental space. Not to sound sensitive, but it's like, that's a space where niggas get to. [00:03:00] Speaker A: Be creative, critiquing people's art. [00:03:02] Speaker C: Yeah, you just. You coming up every week with new work, new work, new work. And then the talent shows circuit in Chicago, and I'm sure in other cities. Like, when you do the talent shows, it's like you trying to build a buzz off of this one song that you keep performing in these different competitions, and then you could lose to niggas that's worse than you. So I'm just like. I was just like. I ain't like that. So going forward throughout, I've always, like. I don't know. I just. Competition and music were not things. I always, like, thought about being synonymous, which is obviously not the case in the past year. But I'm just saying, like, that's how I thought of it. So I was a little bit. You know, I really want to do it at first, but then I learned more about the show. I learned that Tip and Cardi were going to do the show. We. We ended up changing some of the format. Like, the way that people win, how they get cash as opposed to getting signed. Like, that was something that I brought to the show. So, like, I got. I felt like it was my show by the time we agreed to do it. And, like, that was. That was a great experience. And, like, shout out to everybody that. [00:04:03] Speaker A: Did the show something that you touched on, something that stuck out. That the reason I agreed to do it was because the same thing, like, they assured me, like, no, like, the judges are fully in control. Like, y' all actually decided everything, because people was Asking me, like, so they really, like, doing some fugazi shit. I'm like, nah, Tip, Chance and Cardi picked. They was picking people like they had a lawyer on set, making sure that everything was legal. Like, it was some real shit. [00:04:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:04:27] Speaker A: And I had never been a part of a production that big. Like, I had never hosted a show that big before, to be honest. [00:04:32] Speaker C: So I killed that shit. [00:04:33] Speaker A: It was like, thanks. But it was like one of them experiences where. And then. So we're on set, there's two things I remember, and I want to give. I want to give. I never really talked to Tip. I talked to Tip one time, but I want to give Tip his props. When we were filming at that one of the episodes, his sister passed, and he went in the trailer and he, like, did his thing, mourned or whatever, literally that day, and came to set. And you could never tell he was a consummate professional. And I had never seen that in real life. I've never seen nobody operate on that level of professionalism in real life. And then the way y' all handled y' allself was very. Like, you took it serious, and then that. The second thing that stood out was that was the moment where. I mean, you want to tell it from your perspective, I'll tell it from mine. [00:05:15] Speaker C: Maybe you tell it from your perspective first, and then I'll just clear up things, because I don't want. I also love everybody that worked on the show, but. But just let me get your perspective, and then if anything, I need to. [00:05:24] Speaker A: Okay, so we're. We're doing this. We're shooting the show. There's an art. I won't name names. [00:05:29] Speaker C: Right, perfect. [00:05:30] Speaker A: So there's an artist that we were filming in February. There's an artist that was supposed to, quote, unquote, win. And y' all were deliberating. Something happened. And out of nowhere, I got the people, the theme, the people in my. I have the producers in my ear, like, we're going to Chance. And I saw. I think I announced something. And then you stood up out of your chair and you said, fuck this. Like, this is some bullshit. Like, I don't give a fuck. It's Black History Month, and I be damned if we go out like this. This person is not the winner. That person should be not the winner of the show, but this person should win this round. Or something like that that transpired. And then you had this monologue about culture and blackness, and I was just like, chance is a realist nigga. Because one, we're Shooting a live show. Two, there's a live audience. Like, there's hundreds of people in the arena, right? And so I'm like, chance is the realest nigga ever. And because we were all, like, filming and it was like, NDA'd up and lawyered up, like, I couldn't tweet Chance, the realest nigga ever. But that's. That's an internal thought that I had. [00:06:35] Speaker B: So D, Smoke wasn't supposed to win. [00:06:36] Speaker C: No, no. [00:06:37] Speaker A: Not the winner of the show. This is a certain round of the show. [00:06:39] Speaker B: So a white person was going to win. [00:06:41] Speaker A: Look, I'm. [00:06:42] Speaker C: What I want to say is that I didn't say any story that happened, and I'm not confirming or denying anything. I will confirm that I am the realest nigga. And if a situation did happen like that, where we had already deliberated and decided something against, you know, against what that outcome that they presented was, I surely would always stand up and be like, that's not what we just talked about. [00:07:09] Speaker A: That's not. [00:07:10] Speaker C: Yeah, that's not right. Made this feel like some. This type of shit. You know what I'm saying? And so I appreciate you for how you remember it. [00:07:17] Speaker B: You know what I'm saying? [00:07:19] Speaker C: I love everybody that I worked with on the show. That's not how it ended up being broadcast, obviously. Correct. And everything worked out legally on the show. [00:07:26] Speaker A: It did. [00:07:26] Speaker C: We didn't go against anything from the gaming community mission, so top tier professionalism. And yes, if that was. Something like that was to happen, that's exactly how I would respond to it. [00:07:38] Speaker B: If I killed her, this is what I would have. [00:07:39] Speaker C: Yeah, allegedly. [00:07:41] Speaker A: Oh, O.J. if I would have did it. [00:07:42] Speaker B: Yeah, if I would have did it. [00:07:43] Speaker C: That'S how I would have did it. [00:07:44] Speaker A: But, yeah, that was my. That's something that I wanted to, like, share with you. [00:07:47] Speaker C: I appreciate it. [00:07:47] Speaker A: I know we talk, like, offline, but, like, I wanted to share that with you. I really. I respected that. [00:07:52] Speaker C: I loved working on that show. Me too. Like, I feel like that was the realest. The fact that something like that could happen. I feel like we were really in control and it's like. And we really were, you know, everybody. It was their first time doing it. Like, there had been shows about, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, rap competitions, there's a rap game and a lot of other shows. But, like, you know, it was so different because it's all about original content, like the battles, the songs, the music videos they created. It really pointed out the fact that, like, hip Hop is that one all encompassing, like self authored medium where it's like, if you a rapper, you probably gotta know how to shoot videos, you probably gotta know how to, you know what I'm saying, dress yourself, you probably gotta know how to manage yourself, you probably gotta know how to do all these things. And the show took these artists through those different things and even to a certain extent, battling, you know what I'm saying? Which was something that when we were filming, I was like, I don't know if this is a thing, but in reality it is. Like, so the show, like, I think it prepped a lot of kids, a lot of people that were growing up watching the show because this is like what, like six years ago now. It prepped them to understand that stuff. And then also like, it's. It's like, I don't know, it's just a. It's a good thing that happened. Like, I'm just glad that that season existed. Exactly how it did, how it worked out. Like, it was, it was really beautiful experience. [00:09:15] Speaker A: I'm very proud of that show. [00:09:17] Speaker B: Did you get a chance to work with any of the contestants? [00:09:19] Speaker C: I talked to them. I haven't recorded with anybody. I think, I think me and D Smoke, like were supposed to work on a record at one point. And I feel like I've stayed in contact with quite a few people, but especially BO we still talk, but yeah, overall I just like that they were able to create their, you know, their online imprint. Like how they wanted to present themselves on the show and then go be themselves and go like, you know, take that and use that as momentum. Everybody that was on the show, like, literally everybody that was on the show like damn near got verified, got, you know what I'm saying? Got to work with somebody famous, got to headline a show somewhere. Like they like, I don't know, the other shows are like showcasing your vocal talent like you do. You're not doing original works, you're not showing that you're a writer, you're showing that you have the talent to sing. But this show was like about all encompassing, you know what I'm saying? I just like, I love that. [00:10:16] Speaker B: How did you become the new host of Punk'd? [00:10:20] Speaker C: That was a crazy time. There was this thing, this app that had came out. There was this app that came out. I'm not laughing at the app, I'm laughing at this stuff. I'm not laughing at the app. I'm not laughing. [00:10:32] Speaker A: That was a nervous laugh. [00:10:35] Speaker C: So basically there was this app that came out that was you know, supposed to have a lot of, like, short. What's it called? Like, short content. I don't remember what it's called. Short form content. And the whole thing was that, like, it stayed in your phone. This is also, like, six years ago. This is, like. This is 2020, I think is when it happened. So five years ago. And they had bought up all this IP, all these different TV shows, and. And worked with all these different companies to bring back certain shows in short form content exclusively on your phone. And it was, like, for travel, like, for. Or not travel, but for, like, when people are on their way to work or, like, at the gym. So you could just watch this show on your phone. And so one of the shows that they grabbed was Punk'd. I, like, you know, everybody. Everybody loved Punk'd. But also, I like, you know, like, if we were walking through this hallway and I got in front of y', all, I would go around the corner and I would. And I would jump out at y'. [00:11:33] Speaker A: All. [00:11:34] Speaker C: I like. You know what I'm saying? Shit like that. So I'm like, for sure. You want me to do Punk'd? You gonna give me. You know what I'm saying, Some money? Like, for sure. And then the crazy thing that happened was that right after this app came out, the pandemic happened. So, like, so nobody was really watching stuff on their phone exclusively. Cause people weren't traveling as much. They were more, like, watching stuff on the tv. And the app didn't, like, oh, it didn't change. Wouldn't let you screen share to your thing. So it was like, I think, like, very shortly after, like, the shit launched, like, they, like, sold the company. And then, like, you know, So I really don't know what happened with that Punk thing. Like, I think it's. I think it's still available. Like, on. [00:12:15] Speaker B: It's on YouTube. [00:12:16] Speaker C: On YouTube. But, like, I thought it was fun. I really liked it. Like, I would love to post it. You know what I'm saying? Cause you really get a whole team of people, and it's a lot like rhythm and flow where, like, we didn't really know what we're doing. I should stop saying that because they. Because Jesse and them knew what they was doing. [00:12:31] Speaker A: We didn't know what the fuck, but. [00:12:32] Speaker C: We didn't know what we were doing. But they was letting us control it, is what I'm saying. So with Punk'd, it was the originators of the show, sans Ash and Kutcher, but, like, the original niggas that, like to make pranks. Was would call us and they'd be like, literally, we just had to stay here for like, two months. And they would just find connections to celebrities and then call us at like 6:00am like, yo, this person is landing at this time. We gonna set up a traffic jam right here. [00:12:58] Speaker B: So it was real? [00:12:59] Speaker C: It was real. No, like, niggas did not know. Like, wait, if you got it. [00:13:04] Speaker B: I always thought punk was scripted. [00:13:05] Speaker C: Oh, hell no. Maybe it was when they did it the way that we did. It was like we literally just stayed in la. Cause, you know, I live in Chicago. So they was like, okay, we're into a house. You're gonna stay here. We're gonna have people. You have a whole crew. I think I had like 100 people that were between, like, cameramen, the stunt coordinators, like, the people that were, like, going to get the cars. And they will all coordinate with each other to try and figure out when people were getting in town if their management could, you know, felt like they would be in the mood, you know what I'm saying? Because you also don't want to do it to somebody that's gonna react to the camera. Exactly. Cause once we got the footage, that's our footage, basically. So it's like we. In some situations, it would go crazy. I've started to just start talking about stuff. But in reality, that shit was like. That shit was six years ago. But, like, it was real and it was really like, you know, some people were crashing out. But, like. [00:13:59] Speaker A: I have a feeling I know what you talking about. But sorry, you doing punk. [00:14:03] Speaker C: You feel like you know who I'm talking about? [00:14:04] Speaker A: Oh, I've heard a story offline of some niggas fully crashing out. Like, footage never came out, like, all. [00:14:12] Speaker C: Bad on my show. It wasn't ever anybody. Just for the record, ain't nobody crashing on me. But I have actors. So, like, there's people that are. Exactly. So like, sometimes a motherfucker doing something bothering you. [00:14:26] Speaker A: Let me ask you this. In some of the scenarios, do you think you probably went too far? In any scenario, it don't have to be specific. [00:14:33] Speaker C: But what's crazy is now this is the first time I ever had to confront that idea. I think in my brain, it's like, I was not inventing the pranks, first of all. So, like, I was not being like, oh, if we take this nigga's car. And, like, I would never say nothing like that. They would just call me and be like, this is the prank that we got. This is the person. Meet Us at this building. And then you gonna tell the actors what to say. And I'll tell somebody, hey, tell him, like, his fly's unzipped. And they be like, you ass. Da da, da. I'm like, whoa, I didn't say say that. I didn't say say that. So, like, to me, when shit was getting out of control, that was on the actors. That was not. That was like. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's the show. That's what the show was. And I was just a hostel of fun. [00:15:15] Speaker B: So you was exhibit on Pimp My Rock. [00:15:17] Speaker C: Exactly. Like, I had a. I don't know how to fix cars, but I got a garage of niggas. And if they put extra stuff on your car, like, that's not on exhibit. That's on west coast customs. [00:15:26] Speaker B: Were there any pranks where you was like, all right, this one might be going too far. [00:15:33] Speaker C: You know what's funny? Like, the ones that were crazy. Like, we had the one with Meg where she was like, a gorilla came to the car. And that was. That was insane because they was really scared. But I feel like the one that. The one that, like, I feel bad about when I look back at it, because I just saw it, like, on the Internet again the other day was. We did Sabrina Carpenter. [00:15:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:55] Speaker C: And, like, they. They say that, like, her house is. Was rat infested. So they've like. They're like. They've covered her whole house with, like, the pesticide stuff. [00:16:05] Speaker A: You got to bring tenant. [00:16:06] Speaker C: Yeah, it's like the whole. The whole tent is over the house. There's people with, like, biohazard suits on walking out. Hell of a prank. Like, f. Dead stuff. Like coming out the crib. She was like. But she was, like, crying really hard. So, like, I ended that one quickly. I just ran out and was like, yo, nice to meet you. [00:16:23] Speaker A: You should let that one cook. [00:16:24] Speaker C: The worst thing is I gotta be the person to go out and be like, hey, everything, everything. Everybody's lying to you. Like, breaking somebody's reality. Like, shutting down the simulation at all times is like. Is wild. Because that first immediate feeling when they. When they say, oh, it's a prank is like, they look calm, and then you. I see something in their eyes. Like this breaking of, like, damn, my mama and my manager and my friends just lied to me for a whole day. Damn near, like. So, like, I used to hate being the person that had to come out and tell niggas it's a joke. Unless it was, like, you know, certain things. When like, niggas thought they was in trouble. So, like, when we did. When we did a set and Quavo. Quavo, punk set. So, like. And basically there was a car accident thing that we set up, and when that shit went left, their manager. I'm not gonna keep saying people's names, but their manager was, like, hyping it up. Hyping it up. Like, basically saying, like, set. Like, you did it. I said, you did it. And he was finna choke the fuck out of bro. It was actually one of. Whoa, whoa. I was like. I was like, yeah, like, you. That's the thing. [00:17:40] Speaker A: Like, I would love to see the underwriting on the insurance policies on these shows. [00:17:43] Speaker C: Yeah. I don't know how they do it. [00:17:45] Speaker A: I don't know how they do it. I know that, like, an event that, like, somebody gets beat up. Like, who covers that? Like, you know what I'm saying? [00:17:51] Speaker B: Did you ever had you ever needed to, like, mend any relationships after the show? [00:17:58] Speaker C: No, not really. Like, I feel like I. In. In all honesty, I met a lot of people through the show, so some of the people were people I knew. Like, que. And set was something I set up. Meg. I think I don't know all the ones that were specific to people that I knew, because also, like, that was a blur. So long ago. But I do know that, like, niggas. Forget about that. Like. Like, for the most part, I've seen everybody after the show. I think I've seen everybody after the show and been, like, talking about a whole bunch of other stuff that wasn't specifically them getting tricked. [00:18:32] Speaker B: I mean, last thing on that. Any conversation with Ashton Kutcher? [00:18:37] Speaker C: Nah, I've. I don't think I ever met Ashton Kutcher, but I did used to love that show when I was a kid. I used to. [00:18:44] Speaker B: You know, that was one of them. [00:18:46] Speaker C: You. You loved it. [00:18:46] Speaker B: We don't. We don't talk about punk as much as we talking about, like, not to compare him, but, like, 106 and park. [00:18:52] Speaker C: They have different worlds. [00:18:53] Speaker B: But punk is one of them shows, too, though. [00:18:55] Speaker C: It is one of them shows. It's a. I mean, it's like. It's because it's like a prank show with people that people care about. So you want to see how a celebrity will react to you pretending that you kill somebody or something like that. Yeah. So that's fun, but I feel like I gotta just like, 106 and park is, like, probably one of the. Culturally, like, one of the most important shows. It's like our Future. It was the next generation of Soul Train to a certain extent. [00:19:18] Speaker B: Before social media, though, we only had BET and MTV to, like, get in the lives of celebrities like Punk, Pimp My Ride, even though that was just exhibit. But Crips Facts was one of those. [00:19:31] Speaker C: Used to be faking that, though, right? [00:19:32] Speaker A: They was faking that. [00:19:33] Speaker B: So Cribs were scripted? [00:19:34] Speaker A: No, they just written Cribs was scripted. [00:19:38] Speaker C: The house description, they was not. They houses. That's what I'm trying to say. [00:19:41] Speaker A: The house is a script is crazy. I want to talk about some of the. The many things that you got going on, but I gotta go because we never had a chance to really chop it up. I need to go back to, like, Coloring Book. Like, I want to tell you something. Actually, I never told you. When you put out acid rap, I completely turned. I turned. I was like, I'm not listening to this. [00:20:04] Speaker C: Really? [00:20:04] Speaker A: I don't. I don't do drugs. I don't do. So I'm like. I'm completely judging the book by the COVID right? I'm like, I don't. With this. I don't. Because that's. To me, that was like an era where that's where we kind of started to venture over the. Over the cliff into where we are now. [00:20:19] Speaker C: The. [00:20:19] Speaker A: That type of, you know, world. [00:20:21] Speaker C: I think about that a lot. [00:20:22] Speaker A: So I'm like, I'm not with it. I'm not listening to it. Then you drop Coloring Book. And I'm like. And so this white girl I used to work with at the radio station was like, you need to listen to Coloring Book. You would really like it. I'm like, I don't fuck with that nigga. [00:20:34] Speaker C: She's like, wow, that nigga do drugs. [00:20:36] Speaker A: I was like, that nigga's a drug addict. And I'm completely ignorant. I haven't pressed play on anything, right? [00:20:40] Speaker C: You know how many drugs he's done? [00:20:42] Speaker A: And I'm like, that's the nigga that put out acid rap. She's like, yeah, but it's fine. Like, it's not what you. I'm like, no. And when I finally listen to Coloring Book, I think there's a tweet out there, I think, where I'm apologizing to you. [00:20:52] Speaker C: What? [00:20:53] Speaker A: Cause I was like, I went on the radio and I publicly. I said, you know, I don't apologize to Chance the rapper. [00:20:58] Speaker C: You a real ass nigga. I didn't even know that happened. [00:21:00] Speaker A: But I know. I just wanted to tell you that story to your face. But I'm just Saying, like, there's a white woman that put me on your music in a different way. And I was like, oh, shit, this nigga really. Like, it's not even close to that. It's more gospel than it is that. You know what I mean? And so I wanted to ask you, had you ever experienced that from your lens in that era of chance? Like, did people automatically tune you out because they didn't understand it? They didn't understand you, the message, whatever. [00:21:26] Speaker C: I think that was something we were just talking about earlier. Important your identity is or, like, what you present as your identity in hip hop specifically. Because I feel like there's kind of like a boilerplate in other genres where it's like, you know. But I feel like in hip hop, it's all about, like, how many things you can relate to that we consider to be, like, the ethos of the culture at that time. Yeah. And then what are those specific things that make you stand out, though? Like, what are the small intricacies about your voice or about your style or about how you perform or your videos? Like, you know what I'm saying? And I think I always kind of understood that there needed to be a thematic, like, through line in my music. So My first project, 10 Day, is all about getting kicked out of school, you know, and. But that's not what it's all about. That's just. That's the. That's the. [00:22:21] Speaker A: The thesis. [00:22:22] Speaker C: That's the. It's. It's. It's almost not the thesis. That's like. What I'm trying to think is, like, there's a. I wish there was. I could figure out what the word is, but it's a motif. Okay. So I present that motif as if, like, that's what the title of it should be. But really, 10 Day is about growing up, about losing friends in Chicago. Like, it's a. There's certain through lines of it that don't have anything to do with school. And the same thing goes for acid rap, where I use it as, like, the way to paint the COVID But it's not necessarily, like, even. Even with coloring book, like, the. Like, if there's a few gospel songs on it, but, like, songs like, you know, Smoke Break and, you know, the. I mean, even though Problems, it just has a. Like, as a choir sample. But it's like, that song is about independence. And I think, like, that's like, what I love to do with projects is, like, create a world where I have. Where I have my thesis statement, but it's not overstated I have my. You know, my certain motifs that I'm gonna use throughout, whether it be Chicago or fatherhood or, you know what I'm saying, my faith or whatever. And then, like, sew those through, but still, like, show that I'm one of the great writers of my time. Still show that I like certain styles of production or like. Or certain, like, vibes or feels when it comes to the visuals. Yeah. And I think, like, that, like, mixing pot of those ideas is what makes a good project for me, is when I have those. Those different themes, but also, like, one overarching through line that's not overstated as, like, the topic of the album, you. [00:24:07] Speaker A: Know, that makes sense. [00:24:09] Speaker B: 2016 was an interesting year. [00:24:12] Speaker C: Y' all are going back in time further and further and further. I'm not. I'm not trying to break the fourth wall, but, like, let's just. If we just recap it, we went Punk'd, then we went Coloring Book, and then we went 2016, which, for all. In all fairness, that is when Coloring Book came out. But I just started talking about acid rap. So, like, we, like. We going further, further back. But what about. What about Tree? [00:24:36] Speaker A: No tree. [00:24:37] Speaker C: We get in there, we gonna get there. We just work into it, and we gonna go year by year. [00:24:41] Speaker B: We don't know how many times we gonna get to talk to you. [00:24:42] Speaker C: So that's what we do with Future Legend. [00:24:45] Speaker B: We go back and then we come forward. [00:24:47] Speaker C: I'm right there with you. I hear you. [00:24:48] Speaker B: You feel me? What the fuck was up with the Christmas album? [00:24:52] Speaker C: Did you like the Christmas album? [00:24:53] Speaker B: I like anything festive from hip hop. [00:24:56] Speaker A: She like a real girl, bro. Like, not that she don't look like Naomi. [00:25:01] Speaker C: I'm just. [00:25:04] Speaker B: Merry Christmas. [00:25:04] Speaker A: She be all the fuzzies and all of that shit. [00:25:06] Speaker C: That's. That's one of. That's, like, some of my favorite works I ever made was the Christmas projects. And, like, I want to continue to do that over time. Like, get back to that. Because, like, I was just saying, like, a through line. I'm so glad you asked that. That was actually a great question. So, like, the. How. I was just saying, like, Coloring Book's not all about Jesus. Like, you could try and tell somebody that, but when they listen to it, they're gonna be like, it's a lot of cussing on here. He's talking about fucking. He talking two chains on there. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? We got Jay electronica talking about Muslim stuff. Like, what's the Vibe. So, like, in reality, there's, like, themes and motifs. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Future, you feel me? Like, but it's not that. It's not genuine. It's not that I wasn't genuinely coming into my faith in a way stronger way at that time. It's just I'm a multifaceted person, so my projects are multifaceted, and there'll be motifs that pull things together with the Christmas projects. Me and Jeremiah were making songs under this Christmas banner, but, like, the songs could play at any time of the year, and they all feel really good with some, like, you know, references here and there. But it's way more about family, the people that passed away, like, building community. Like my favorite aunt, like my favorite foods, the bitches that you only see when you go back to your hometown. Like, it's like. It's like. It's all these different little vibes in it that make it that. But it gives me the space if I have something to ground myself in. If I could say, okay, me And Jeremiah got 14 days to make seven tracks for a Christmas release. All right, I know it's got to be that, but how far can I stray from that? That's how my brain works. So, like, I'll center it in that theme, but it's like, the songs will be much bigger. It's just like, tree. Like, on the surface, it sounds like it's a smoking weed song, but it's got a deeper through line that attaches to the album, to black entrepreneurship, agriculture, you know, equity. When it comes to being in the weed business, changing laws so that niggas could get out for nonviolent offenses related to weed. And it's all in there in a way that you could vibe to and feels like, like I said, on the surface, it's a tree song, you know? [00:27:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I get that. [00:27:25] Speaker B: Let's talk about tree. India Irene Sample. [00:27:28] Speaker C: She the greatest, y'. All. Do you love India? [00:27:30] Speaker B: Yeah, I love India. I love that album in particular. [00:27:32] Speaker C: Acoustic soul. [00:27:33] Speaker B: Yeah, that album is amazing. How did the. Before we get on. Talk about the song, the production? How did the sample, the instrumental? [00:27:41] Speaker C: How did that even come about? It's deep. So Smino brought me that record. I know the fuck out of here. Smino brought me that record. I know Smino for years and years and years. So, you know, like, he's from St. Louis, but he moved to Chicago to work with artists like John Doe, with Saba, with people from, like, from that. I grew up with that. We all went to after school programs with. But they brought him into the city, brought him around a lot of people, and, like, he really blew up out of Chicago. And he'll tell you that himself. Like, Chicago really built up Tamino in a lot of ways, as well as St. Louis. St. Louis and Chicago is like, cousins. Like, they're very close. So he. That's been my guy for years. Like, we've worked together before a couple of times. But the song is kind of old. I think it was 20, 22. He came by the crib. A crib. I got out here and brought his producer, Groove, that he works on, like, a lot of his music. [00:28:36] Speaker A: Shout out to my dude. [00:28:36] Speaker C: Groove, you feel me? And, like, Groove pulled up a few beats, and Samino was like, this one. [00:28:42] Speaker B: So y' all bend at this song? [00:28:43] Speaker C: We bend. Bin Bin made this. [00:28:45] Speaker B: How old is the Lil Wayne verse? [00:28:46] Speaker C: The Lil Wayne verse is probably like a year and a half old. Maybe like two years old. [00:28:51] Speaker A: Damn, bro. [00:28:52] Speaker C: I'm working on a really important project. Like, if you dive into it, like, we'll be like, damn, there's a lot of gold in here. Cause that Wayne verse is, like, to me, an incredible Wayne verse. But it's also, like, it does all the things. Like, Wayne, like, we can never forget how important Wayne is. And Wayne is, in a lot of ways, the Michael Jackson of our shit, man. He was a kid thrust into this life, and he been doing what he does every day for a long time. And in my story, personally, my first number one record was with Lil Wayne. My first time winning a Grammy was with Lil Wayne. My first time getting a diamond record, which made me the first independent artist to get a diamond record, is because I'm featured on a song that Lil Wayne had with Khaled. I got, like. I have a whole lot of respect for Wayne. So when he came to Chicago, this again, like, years after me and Smino started this NDRV record, he came through the studio and just kicked it. Smoked, like, told hella stories. Like, it was my first time hanging out with him in a while. And then he was just like, let me hear what you working on. So I played him through some tracks, and he really liked this one, jumped on it. And then I was like, all right, I'm gonna keep building my album, and at the right time, I'm gonna run the same play. Like, I'm gonna put out my music with Wayne. Because no matter what the Internet will ever say, like, it's people that love Wayne. [00:30:19] Speaker A: Oh, no, it's not. [00:30:19] Speaker C: It's people that will never even make an Instagram, never make a Twitter. Like, they just love Wayne. They gonna be at the concert. They gonna be there when the album drops. So, like, the Wayne part came late, but that original, like. And then also Vic Mensa is on the hook. He's got uncredited vocals. He's singing backgrounds and stuff. But, like, this whole project has been a whole bunch of people just coming in and, like, adding things and finding parts that they like or sending me samples to use or sending me certain stuff. It's really crazy. [00:30:50] Speaker A: Did I remember when I first heard. Well, we did a live listen on when I was on the Bigger Picture, and I said I didn't understand the Smino hook. And now it makes sense that Smino brought you not the hook, but the SME. I didn't understand the bridge. Like, I didn't understand it because I'm like, I want Smino to he EP the record. [00:31:08] Speaker C: Like this. This is, like, this is Smino's contribution as a whole. These are his sounds. That groove is his sound. [00:31:14] Speaker A: So, like, that makes a lot of sense. [00:31:15] Speaker C: You feel me? [00:31:16] Speaker A: Okay. [00:31:16] Speaker C: Like. Like Smino and Vick and Indyri. This is all of them being, like, chance here for your project. I get what you're trying to say. This is the best that we could. That we could put on here and. And took that to the next level. Smino's my favorite line. One of my favorite. I got a lot of good bars on this song. Well, my favorite line is, Mino says. What does he say? All the casa negroes gone. It gets. Don't. What. What. What do you think casa negroes means? What does that directly translate to? [00:31:50] Speaker A: Intoxicated? [00:31:51] Speaker C: What does casa mean? [00:31:53] Speaker A: You know, house niggas. Oh. [00:31:57] Speaker C: Oh, get him up out of here. [00:31:59] Speaker A: So I went pessimistic. [00:32:01] Speaker C: It is. No, we optimistic. But the thing is, like, this whole song, this whole thing, like, the record is radical as fuck. When was the last time we heard sharecroppers on the radio? When was the last time we heard the word crackers on the radio? When was the last time we heard, like, any of, like, just the strength in the record. To me, it's like. It's just so, like. And I've. And I've seen the way that people react to it. The. The. It's. It's also like, that strength is very akin to how India Ari moved through the industry. Like, she was very counterculture and very, like, much so. Oh, I love myself. I love my hair, I love my skin. I love what I make. And, you know What I'm saying, like, she's persevered, but, like, in most cases, when you. When you are talking that shit, like, it takes the support of real fans and real people in the industry that come together and make some shit, like, you know, pop. You know what I'm saying? And, like, I feel like she. She's been able to do that through her talent and even through just blessing me with letting me use this sample. Like, she don't gotta let nobody do nothing. [00:33:10] Speaker B: She approved this. [00:33:11] Speaker C: Yeah. Come on, now. [00:33:12] Speaker A: What was the. What was the connection between India and. I think inspiration from your mom's. [00:33:18] Speaker C: So, like, my mom used to. My mom is like, my connection to music. Like, my father actually did play an instrument, but my dad was very, like, you know, my dad was the dad. Like, he's like a man's man. You feel me? Like, he didn't, like, play music with us and shit like that. Like, he's just. [00:33:36] Speaker A: Just punch. [00:33:36] Speaker C: I'm just joking. Like, but like, my mom. [00:33:40] Speaker A: Joe Jackson. Huh? [00:33:41] Speaker C: All of my grandma said my dad. [00:33:42] Speaker B: Just used to whoop us. [00:33:43] Speaker C: You feel me? But, like. But no, my dad loves me. But, like. But I'm just saying. [00:33:47] Speaker A: Cause you got a Grammy. [00:33:49] Speaker C: No, I don't want him to whoop me again. No, I'm just playing. No, but my mom's like. She's. She's like a very, like, spirited person. Like, she's like. She likes doing stuff. She, like, going out. She likes, you know, music. She's a music lover. So, like, she used to have all the Tupacs on cassette tape. You feel me? Like, she had. She introduced me to so much music to Jill Scott and Lauryn Hill and the Fugees and, you know, Erykah Badu. Like, all this music was getting played in the car when I was. She was taking me to school or taking me to her job or taking me wherever. And I really, like, throughout this. This. This album, you'll see, like, a lot of the samples is coming from a specific time with a specific genuine care for what those people did and for what their music meant. And with also new messaging that might be a little more radical or even taking it the next step that it should naturally take. And so the hook is really about the lessons that I learned from my mom, which is what video is about. Like, the original India Ari song, she's radically like, I'm not gonna conform to how you want me to look in order to be the person that's getting the looks. And that song went crazy. That song did not numbers and And. But she also, like, throughout the verses, talks about the confidence instilled in herself through her mom. And my mom used to tell me, don't have shame. Like this shit rigged cuz like this. And I'm sorry, I'm saying, cousin, you know what I'm saying? I know where we are, but I'm just saying, like. I'm just saying, like, if this shit. [00:35:23] Speaker A: Rigged at that LA trauma, huh? [00:35:24] Speaker C: Yeah, let me see. [00:35:25] Speaker B: I know where I'm at. [00:35:26] Speaker C: I respect. No, but like. But seriously, my mom, you know, was a very, like, righteously indignant person that would tell me exactly like it is. [00:35:37] Speaker A: Keep it straight. [00:35:38] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? Keep it straight with me. Tell me the things that she saw coming in the future that like, my mom used to say. My mom's so cool. She would say shit like this. She'll be like, don't go out there doing no drugs, just smoke weed. Like, that's how my mom. That's the type of my mom is. So like, the way that she sees the world, the way that she gives me grace, but also, like, holds me to a certain standard is like, it's just some real shit. So the hook is basically just saying, like, my mom used to tell me, like, you don't need to be shamed that you smoke weed. Don't let them vilify you. Don't let them otherize it, like. Cause eventually one day this shit gonna be legal. And just like when prohibition happened and black people couldn't have no economy anymore after it, they're gonna do same thing, you know what I'm saying? It's a bustling economy. Like, we not participating. And we, like, we think we are even with all the grants and all the new niggas that, you know, that finally got a dispensary after waiting 10 years or whatever, like, we not really making progress. And that's like, that's symbolic of a larger thing. It goes beyond just we as agriculture at large. It's business at large. And so the song is anthemic of, like, what my mom stands for. My mom started off with a hair. Like a hair salon. Like, she used to be our own boss. She employed hella black people in Hyde Park. And then when she got pregnant with me, she had to sell her salon. After that, she always worked jobs and that shit was not easy. She came home, like I said, like, she had a let me chill on my mom's. But she's a very important part of like, the whole project and very much so throughout the, like, through Line. The through line of this song specifically. [00:37:15] Speaker A: Oh yeah, I just finished this book called Animal Food Junk and you keep bringing up agriculture. And it's about how America's detriment was agriculture, culture and shit and we didn't participate in the economy. But you also directed the video. Right. Yourself. [00:37:29] Speaker C: I'm very proud of that. [00:37:31] Speaker A: Okay, so what does that look like when you in front of the camera and behind the camera? Like what is that? [00:37:38] Speaker C: So I am. [00:37:39] Speaker A: And also as Wayne take direction. [00:37:42] Speaker C: Yeah. So like. So I'm glad you brought up all those things. So like I started off doing. In the past like four years, I think I've directed eight videos. Right. And if I didn't, my Fault in within 8 videos I either directed or was DP meaning Director of photography. So handling, you know, the focal lengths of the frames, the lighting on set, working with. Yeah. And camera blocking. So like I. I've been learning these things since the pandemic and like practicing on my own video. So all my videos look the same. If you see like the last like five videos I dropped, they all have this, that same kind of feel as tree but tree is like. Tree is like. It's like a. I took it to the next level and it's cuz like this is my first time having to really work with characters. So my whole idea behind it was I wanted to you know, kind of turn on its head. The video girl idea like the past in the same way that Ndre did with video. I didn't want to be the star of my video or have me and Smino and Wayne be stars, but more so like narrate it. And so my characters, me and Smino are kind of like. We happen upon this magical all women ran dispensary and we get welcomed in and it turns out that they just some women in business that just want to take care of us and shit. And it even like leans into a space where you think it's almost a romantic relationship. But they really just showing us this business that they run and it's all beautiful, you know what I'm saying? Women of different shades lit perfectly. Like I really like love the beauty of the video. Like how I see people is how I want everybody to see these people. And seeing Wayne on guitar, like seeing like, you know, seeing us in these different spaces with this kind of lighting is just different. And I think on a level of like storytelling, like not only is it different working with other characters. Sorry I'm not adding context like all my other videos, it don't be A lot of other characters and shit like that. It be me rapping in really cool settings. Like, if there's a narrative to it, it still really only involves me for the most part. [00:39:57] Speaker A: Y' all on a boat. [00:39:58] Speaker C: Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's more. It's more like limited, and it's more about the framing and composition of the shots rather than the story itself. And in this, it's like you get presented black women in a position of power, introducing us to this agricultural world. And then they. The cops attempt to thwart them for having this business. And when they come, the black women have to present the shop as a flower shop as opposed to a weed shop. And so it's a lot being said in a short period of time. It's like a five minute video. But what I love is that when you do things with intentionality and with like, you know, with love in mind, even the people that don't necessarily receive what is the intention at firsthand, they fall in love with it. And they'll watch it again and again until they start to notice these. These parts of it. So I've seen people, like, message me or like, comment stuff like, yo, I just watched the video for the fifth time and I'm just peeping, like, how this one thing happened. Yeah, Yeah. [00:41:02] Speaker B: I wanna go back to Indy ire for a second. Because the video came out in 2001. And if Google is correct, me and you the same age. [00:41:09] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:41:10] Speaker B: So we were too young really to understand what Ndiiri was talking about. I actually didn't realize that on the Truth, she was talking about three different men. [00:41:22] Speaker C: Mm. I didn't know that. I just listened to the Truth. [00:41:25] Speaker B: Not even three different men. It was her dad and then her love interest and then the son. But so if you listen to each verse, when you watch a video, you can kind of get it. But if you listen to each verse, she's describing a different man, you know, so deep. [00:41:39] Speaker C: I literally just yesterday sat down with both my daughters and put them on to Indi Ari's music. Cause we was at the crib. My daughters wanted to hear through the. I was doing sequencing for my album, and they wanted to listen through it. And they keep telling me, the tree needs to be the first song. And so I'm like, you like, I'm finna explain to y' all 50 pillars of hip hop right now. One, like, first of all, this is what sampling is. Second of all, this is what were interpolation is like, I like, sat them down and like walk them through it. And then I'm like, okay, so I'm gonna show you an example. I showed them video. They instantly like fell out. Like, they were so in love with it. Because, you know, there's a purity to her music and like a realness of like or real confidence in her music that just like the way it vibrates with you. I'm watching my daughters, like, just like, oh, she's so pretty. Oh, like this is just like your song. Like, she's singing about love. She's singing about this and understanding it in a simplified way that I want to also get to like, as a writer. Like when you sometimes like, I love wordplay. Like, I love the different literary devices that I could fit into my music. But sometimes it kind of creates a secrecy and kind of like hides the potency of it because it's something that has to be opened. And what I really love is like, just if we're looking at the difference between video and the truth, it's like, I love the truth. And when I showed them the video, like if you peep in the video, like it is. I think it's different dudes in the video. Like, in truth, the truth. Like. [00:43:24] Speaker B: It'S an old man, it's a kid. [00:43:25] Speaker C: And then I don't know if it's an old man. And again I remember like the scene where they're sitting on the couch. I feel like she. First she wakes up with him and then they. I don't know. [00:43:34] Speaker B: Well, they all a reflection of her. [00:43:37] Speaker C: Whoa. [00:43:38] Speaker B: So is my daddy's a reflection of me? The man that I date is a reflection of me. And the son that I give birth to is a reflection to me. Has there been any music that you listen to? Cause I mean. Cause right now we talking about India, Irene. That's so nostalgia to the early 2000s. This year marks the year of the 20th anniversary for a lot of fire ass R and B albums. Asking you the question about is there anything that any music you listen to or that music videos that you re watched and you was like, just seeing it as an adult just gave you a different perspective. Ashanti's Rain on Me video is one of those where that's actually a domestic violence story. [00:44:15] Speaker C: I did not know. [00:44:16] Speaker B: So there's an extended version of that. But I didn't know that until I was an adult and I heard her talking about it. But it's like stuff like that that we watch, we rewatch as adults and it kind of gives you a different understanding of it. [00:44:26] Speaker C: I feel like, there was something that just opened up my eyes recently, but I can't remember what it was. And it was something in this category. Like, some, like a song that was like, wait, did you know this? It was about this. [00:44:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:36] Speaker C: But one album that's just raw as hell is that I feel like nobody talks about is Get Lifted. Do you remember that? Get Lifted, John legend. [00:44:45] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:44:46] Speaker C: 2004. Like, his first album with, like, ordinary people and fucking, like, I don't know. That's just the album that I think about all the time. Like, in terms of things that build me. And this isn't like R and B, but the common B album, I think that just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Like 2004 to like 2006. Like, that's probably my entire, like, crazy music. [00:45:12] Speaker A: We just talked about that. Like, literally just had a whole conversation. Like, that whole era, college dropout, labor. [00:45:18] Speaker C: Frustration was in that time period. Like, there's so much stuff. I think I can't remember if it's later, but I feel like an important TI and an important T Pain album came out. [00:45:27] Speaker B: No, it's both of them. [00:45:28] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:28] Speaker A: Trap music came out. Yeah, bro. [00:45:30] Speaker B: It's. And T Pangs is. What is it? Trapper Turn. Rapper Turn. [00:45:36] Speaker C: Yeah, Rapper Turn. That's a great. [00:45:38] Speaker A: Are you thinking another life and. Well, not another universe. You was. You were an R B artist. [00:45:43] Speaker C: I was just thinking about that. I was. [00:45:45] Speaker A: Because you name a bunch of R B and you have a lot of soul in your. I'm like, this really want to sing for real. [00:45:50] Speaker C: What I think is, like, you can. [00:45:51] Speaker B: Low key sang on the one with Kalani on that way. [00:45:54] Speaker C: Yeah. The rapping is like. Rapping is all of everything. Like, I think of hip hop as, like, the best recipe and it, like. And it contains everything and it's got. It naturally has soul and it naturally has melody. And like, over time, we just flipped it a million ways. Like, it's the drum and the melody. So I. You know, all of my favorite rappers is singers. Andre 3000, Kanye West, Drake, Kendrick Lamar. Like, all the people that I listened to when I was growing up and to this day, they got to have some melody. [00:46:30] Speaker A: Cole, they can hold a. To hold a tune. [00:46:33] Speaker C: You got to think about this. That when niggas used to get on. And I'm going to stop saying the N word because I feel like I've said it. I think I hit my. My. My quota. Yeah. Like, a little while ago. But when people. [00:46:45] Speaker B: How many niggas for the day? [00:46:46] Speaker C: I don't know. Like, I'M getting too comfortable. I don't know why I'm throwing so much. [00:46:48] Speaker B: That's how it be up here. [00:46:49] Speaker C: In here it is, y'. All. When I walked through, like, I was like, no. But like, with the artistry and hip hop is like, we are always creating. Like when people used to get on, when the record industry first started, and people was like, I'm gonna start a label. I'm gonna call it Hitsville usa Or whatever type of shit they was making up back then, all they would do is they would find somebody that had a vinyl press, somebody that had a studio, and then they would bring people in and they would record them. They find the best people in town, the people that got the best shows, and be like, come in and sing this song that already exists. So it's like, who's got the best vocals, who's got the best tone? Then eventually, when TV got big, it's like, who looks the best? Who's got the best body, who can act, who can blah, blah, blah, blah. With rap, it still has to follow those rules. They still. You're still gonna be judged on how you look and how you dress and what your video looks like, and if you got a chain, if you got a car and who you dating and all that shit. But the originality, like, that's why they use the term in other genres. They use the term singer songwriter. Because being a singer doesn't necessarily imply that you're a creative. I'm not saying that that's actually too harsh because vocalists that are extremely good vocalists, like, there's a creativity in how you use your voice and tone and all that shit. But I'm just saying to write a song, to be a songwriter is a big deal. And that's like. That's what rappers do is like, we. [00:48:12] Speaker A: I think crafting a song, though, is more difficult than just rapping. Like, way more difficult. [00:48:17] Speaker C: I think if you a rapper, you gotta make songs. And I think what rap does that's raw is that we don't follow the hit songwriting formula. So, like, the hot nigga or like. Or a better example is Damn, what's the T? Grizzly joint? [00:48:33] Speaker A: First day out. [00:48:34] Speaker C: First day out. That's. That. That. That goes against all. You're right. [00:48:39] Speaker A: You gotta play the whole record. [00:48:40] Speaker C: You gotta play that whole record. Cause it's a hit and it's a great song. Even though it doesn't have a hook and a pre chorus and a bridge and a. You know what I'm saying? [00:48:51] Speaker A: Like, it as a dj, havoc on My life. [00:48:54] Speaker C: But if you cut that song off, we gonna shake this. You gotta play this whole song. Yeah, you gotta play the right worker. [00:49:02] Speaker A: You, you touched on being indie and like say to sign, whatever. Do you ever regret not signing or in. [00:49:09] Speaker C: In that position around tax time? Every year, you know, I gotta pay quarterly. Cause I got businesses. But it's just like, that's a joke, obviously. Like, no, I love. [00:49:20] Speaker A: You're doing well. [00:49:21] Speaker C: I love, I love, I love. But it is like, it's a gamble. I've got to. I gotta really bet on myself. So I do go broke all the time. You know what I mean? Like, and I do be up all the time. [00:49:33] Speaker A: That's what Dame Dash said. [00:49:34] Speaker C: Yeah, it's just like when you bet on yourself, you really betting on yourself. And it really comes down to like, are my fans willing to support? Am I doing the things that's gonna make my fans want to support? Like, am I, am I interacting with them? Am I being, am I constantly releasing music to them? Do I have merch that's actually like made with nice shit and not just something that I threw together? Like, you know, so it makes it a much more personal relationship, but it also, like, I think it humbles me and keeps me in a position where I can live in Chicago and can feel like I could. One of the best pieces of advice that I ever got was from Dave Chappelle. You know, he's one of my mentors. Like, everybody thinks that's a flex. Yeah. Though I mean, like this, like in real life, like for the past, like I think 10 years, like, you know, he was at my wedding, like, this is somebody that's really in my life. And he, when I was going through some shit in 2019, I was salty and he was like, look, here's what you got to do. Sometimes you got to just take your ball and go home for it. Second and you gotta figure out how to live within your means. You gotta figure out your number, your space that you're good with, a house that you could just live on. You know, Dave lives in Ohio, but he got it. It's not, it's not like he's throwing full blown concerts and festivals and shit. Like he owns a whole block out there. But like he's, he didn't feel like he had to move to la. He didn't feel like he had to have multiple houses and do all of these things. So when you, when you, when you have your base and your thing that you're cool with, then there's no number Somebody could wave in front of you. There's no, like, there's nothing somebody can take from you that'll put you in position. So I had to learn that. And I learned that, you know, really technically, late into my career, but still very young in age where, like, I feel like I'll never feel poor again. I might be broke, but I'll never feel poor. You know what I mean? [00:51:26] Speaker A: Also, speaking of which, congratulations on them arenas. Like, I was. I want to go to that show bad, bro. And when I was like, when you. When they first announced it, and I was like, oh, Chance is coming to la. Chance is going there. He's doing these arena. I'm like, I ain't gonna lie. I'm your. But I'm like, he doing what? Like, yo, and speaking of the fan support, because it's only you. I think it's only, like, three of y' all that can get away with that, independent of you, Russ. And I forgot it was somebody else who just literally can just on your own, like, I'm gonna go do the Serena tour and just shut the shit down. And so I just wanted to say, you know, publicly congratulations on that. That's insane. [00:52:02] Speaker C: No, it comes down to, like, this continued fan support. So when I first. First started, like, what I used to do was I would stand outside of Columbia College in Chicago, downtown, and I would have CDs. And when I first started, I used to be trying to sell the CDs, and surprising, nobody wanted to buy a random CD from a random ass nigga. And so I learned to keep adding things to it. So eventually I was like, okay, they gonna be free. But I would give them to people. And people walk off and I see them down the street on the ground and shit. So I started, like, putting my information on it so that people felt like they had something that they could read and contact me even if they tossed the cd. That's cool. I'll pick it up later and pass it out to somebody else. But they have seen the name Chance the Rapper written down somewhere. So then it became more of a flyer. And eventually what I started doing was, even though I was 18, at this point, I tell people like, hey, can you buy some cigarettes for me? Like, I don't have my ID or I'm not old enough start a conversation with that person. And now, now they know me. They're invested. And now I'm like, okay. In exchange for that, here's the CD that I worked on. Like, take it home. Listen to it. Let me know what you Think I'll be over here. And I created my first. First fan base out of, like, trying to get niggas to buy cigarettes for me. But those same people, like, literally those actual people, be tweeting me to this day and are still buying merch because we have this personal relationship. So the fact that there's not a middleman, the fact that there's not somebody else that's in control and deciding when I do radio tours and when I drop a single and, you know, who could be featured on my album and what samples are gonna get cleared and, you know, my release, any of that stuff, like, it's all up to me. And that makes it harder on me, but that also makes it realer and makes me be the person that gets to decide what success looks like. [00:53:47] Speaker A: You also. You and somebody that's. You include a lot of your personal life on your music, and I don't. You said there's a through line on this new project. I don't know what that through line is. We have yet to get to that. But I do want to know how personal are you getting on this project and are you still performing? I love my wife on the road. [00:54:07] Speaker C: Yeah, I haven't. So just for the record, I actually don't say I love my wife on that record. But it's a. It's a thing where my music is, like, when you're creative, your art is, like, your kids, so it's like babies. I love everything I created. Like, I'm a. I am exactly who I am. There's no other chance to rap it. So when I make a project and it talks about my family or it talks about, you know, my faith, or it talks about, you know, people that I've lost or whatever. Like, you gotta understand, like, I'm making it for every single person that I know as well as all the people that I don't know. And if one person out of that group, whether from the people I do know or don't know, comes to me and says, like, hey, I love this thing, then I'm already. I'm through the roof. There's nothing that can make me not love what I make other than myself. You know what I mean? I feel you. And so I feel like there's certain songs that I'll perform from that project that still mean exactly what they meant when it came out. Because also, I don't lie. So, like, it's not that I. It's not that I don't love my wife. I love my wife. You know, whether she's my ex wife or my wife. She's still the mother of my kids. [00:55:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:55:34] Speaker C: So, like, when I play now, a lot of the stuff is older stuff that I'm performing. But as soon as I drop this project, I mean, I have stuff also that I've released since 2019 that I performed too. But, like, once I drop this project, my shows are gonna be mostly starlined. Like, that's just kind of how the cycle works. Like, I'll still perform a few songs from the big day. I'll perform some stuff from AC Rap Coloring Book. I very rarely play stuff from 10 Day, but maybe something from there. But when you. I also got a. It's like when you have kids. Like, someday is somebody's day to go to soccer, so I gotta focus on that kid. So it's like my new project. You know what I'm saying? I gotta. [00:56:15] Speaker A: You a real dad, bro. [00:56:16] Speaker C: You feel me? Yeah, I am. [00:56:18] Speaker A: It's soccer day. [00:56:18] Speaker C: My kids. [00:56:20] Speaker A: I got one more thing before you go. Collaborations. Like, I know Starline is like, that's like the thing. But you to me, like, you were featured on Sza Shit. Like, people fuck with you. Like, it seems like you're the artists who know fuck with you. Do you have any other features that. Cause you've been holding onto this Wayne shit for two years. That's crazy. But are there any other things that you're featured on that might be coming down the pipeline that isn't a chance thing? [00:56:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm on this Kodak Black record that's really fire. I came in to hear that. Yeah, he's really rapping on that bitch. I'm really rapping, too. [00:56:57] Speaker A: Yeah, talking shit. [00:56:58] Speaker C: Yeah, talking shit. [00:56:59] Speaker A: I like talking shit. [00:57:00] Speaker C: It's for the ladies. But I'm talking hella shit. I say some funny shit on there. All right. That I hope nobody takes too serious. But it's funny. [00:57:09] Speaker B: You come with a lot of disclaimers. [00:57:11] Speaker C: I just don't want N to be offended. Damn. I'm still saying so many niggas on y' all show. But it's cool, though. Cause, like, if I was on FM radio. [00:57:18] Speaker A: Yeah, you couldn't say that. [00:57:19] Speaker C: Yeah, fuck fm. [00:57:23] Speaker A: Oh, one more thing. The theater. You became an entrepreneur, business owner in Chicago? [00:57:29] Speaker C: Yes, sir. [00:57:30] Speaker A: Is that something that you plan to expand and do multiple cities? [00:57:34] Speaker C: We do, yeah. We've been talking about expanding. So. Yeah, we opened up the Remova Theater last December. I'm sorry, the year before last. Last December. And we've had a whole bunch of people come in and rock Schoolboy Q did a show. I think Vince Staples did a show. Or at least we're working on getting Vince Staples to do a show. We have a lot of like bands and DJs because we have the greatest lighting and sound system in the city. [00:58:03] Speaker A: Okay, talk your shit. [00:58:04] Speaker C: No, for like actually like your, your house package. When you go into do a show, like artists and agents know what I'm talking about. Your production budget is gonna be ass from whatever the buy is. And if you're dealing with just house lighting, you're not gonna get, you know, you're gonna have to spend some of your own money is basically what I'm saying. But at our venue, we have like, you know, monitors, packs, you know what I'm saying? The best lighting system, like I said, the best audio system in the city. It's 1800 person venue. So it's like we throw like really important shows, really cool underplays and more intimate shows for like bigger artists. But it's become like a community thing. That's also like my office where I work out of in Chicago. [00:58:48] Speaker A: So like, don't tell niggas that. [00:58:50] Speaker C: Chance, you gotta understand, like, when I be in Chicago, it's very different. Like, don't play about me like it's nothing. It's nothing like that out here. I don't want to wear three hat, but like, when I'm in Chicago, I promise to God I'll be chilling. All right. [00:59:01] Speaker B: Can you touch on meeting Denzel Washington? [00:59:03] Speaker C: Yeah, I would love to. Yeah, that was a, that was a great moment in black history. So basically I went to go see Othello. Like, Denzel Washington is the, to me, the single greatest actor, right? And I know a lot about film. I don't know nearly as much about theater, but I know a little bit about theater. Most of it that I learned, I learned from watching videos of Denzel Washington talking about theater, doing his thing. Yeah, he's. He's like. You know, they say like film is the, is a director's media, but the stage, that's an actor's medium where they get to like, they get to decide what happens in the show in that moment. It's no editing or lighting or anybody else in control but them. And so I'm like, I gotta see Othello. This, this is Denzel Washington. He's getting, he getting up there and I. And I love him. I've never met him before, but he's influenced me and the way I parent and the way that I do so many things. So I'm gonna go see it. So I go see the show. Needless to say, it's the craziest shit I ever seen in my life because it's Denzel Washington. But, like, how we sitting in this room right now. Imagine me, but I'm Denzel Washington, and I'm like, duh, duh, duh, duh. You know how they talk in Shakespeare shit. But, like, that's how he was doing it. But he was like. He was making me understand Shakespeare. So I don't fuck with Shakespeare. Like, I fuck with Shakespeare, but I don't be trying to hear that shit. Yeah. [01:00:24] Speaker B: Spark notes. [01:00:24] Speaker C: Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So I'm like. But I'm really into this thing. It's him and Jake Gyllenhaal, and. And it's the story of. Of Othello. And I don't know if y' all know the story of Othello, but it's. It's a black dude versus everybody, basically. And so at the end of the show, I'm hoping that I can meet Denzel Washington. But they tell me that he's, you know. You know how Denzel is like a real ass nigga down to earth. He's not trying to meet nobody that he don't know. He's older. He just did a whole bunch of shows. And this is the last weekend of his show. So he's trying to get up out of there. And I'm also, you know, a little bit hurt. Cause I don't know if I'm gonna ever see him again. But they, like, Jake Gyllenhaal does want to meet you. So I'm like, this is perfect. So I go inside, back into the theater. After they let everybody out. The theater's empty. And while we're walking to the stage, I see on my right, a small group of my people of us. So I'm like, I know they're not here to see the rest of the cast of Othello. Cause them niggas is white. So I'mma go over by these black folks. And so while I'm actually trying to walk to them, a voice says, yo, Chance the Rapper, I know that's you, and it's Chill Mitchell. Do you know who Chill Mitchell is? You gotta know who Chill Mitchell is. I'm about to show you a picture of Chill Mitchell. Or maybe if y' all edit this as a video, like, put a picture of him. He's one of the most legendary black actors that we have. He was in House Party Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. You got him up. Show them the head. [01:01:52] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [01:01:53] Speaker C: So you know, he's in a wheelchair now. He calls me over. I'm coming and kicking it with him. He's like, telling them this story about seeing me. Like, also, let me just paint the scene. These are all, like, older black folks. Like, they all, like, 70 up, it seems like. And chill. Who's probably. I would say, like, probably 50 maybe. And if that. And so I'm like, I know these niggas is with Denzel Washington now. Cause they all old. So I'm like. So he's like, telling them, like, that he had seen me at this show at rodeo and that, you know, I had the best show in Houston, and I had the whole stadium rocking and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And out of nowhere, Denzel Washington just pops up. Like, most regular fit I've ever seen. Like, his fit was over regular. [01:02:42] Speaker B: I thought he was doing a fit check. [01:02:45] Speaker C: Undercover cop hat. Like a shirt. [01:02:47] Speaker A: The most regular fit ever. [01:02:48] Speaker C: Paint on it. Like, he was. He was chilling. Like, chilling. But I'd also just seen him playing as Shakespeare. So it was just crazy. Like, it felt like it was like scaling down. Like, I'd only seen him behind a glass screen before that. Then I seen him, like, a few feet away from me, but he's still acting like he's in a movie. And now he was like a regular nigga. He's like, ah. And he. And he jumps on Joe Mitchell, and he's like, they have some type of relationship. Like, they got a strong relationship. Cause they joking about knocking each other out. And Denzel's. I'm gonna pull you out the chair. And, like, they doing this whole back and forth. But I love it. Like, it feels brotherhood. It feels real. It doesn't feel like, you know, I'm not meeting Denzel on the carpet or, like, backstage at this thing where I have to. You know, it's just like, it feels. But also, I'm an outsider. Like, I don't know none of these n. For real. So I'm just quiet while they talking. And they keep going back and forth. They're getting, like, really intense with the threats to each other, but they joking. Out of nowhere, he just turns to me and says, and who is these Negroes? It's me. [01:03:49] Speaker B: Who these niggas? [01:03:50] Speaker C: I was like, who you with? [01:03:52] Speaker A: My nigga? [01:03:52] Speaker C: And he called us Negroes. Like, you gotta know. Like, that's how old Denzel Washington is. So, like, I ain't been called A Negro in a long time. My mom was probably the last person to call me a Negro. So I'm like, damn, I'm Chance. I'm one of your biggest fans. He's like, or I said, I'm Chance the Rapper. I'm one of your biggest fans. He goes, chance the Rapper, okay. And he turns his back around, he starts talking again. And about 10 minutes go by where I'm like, I like, at this point, I met him, you know what I'm saying? So I start to get up, right when I start to get up, the nigga grabs. I'm sorry to call him the N word, densely grabs me. And he goes. He goes, wait, wait, wait, you famous? And I was like, not as famous as you, but I guess I'm a little bit famous. He said, let's go outside and see who's more famous. And I said, what, nigga? You ain't said nothing but a word. And I stood up before I could even literally think. That was not what I wanted to say back. But I said, you ain't said nothing but a word. Which in retrospect, that's like some 70s ass shit. I don't know why I said that, but I. Word, brother. Motherfucking turkey. Get your goddamn hand off me. But I stood up. I stood up. He stands up and he just beelines out the theater. So I follow behind him. He also doesn't have, like, security, which was freaking me out, but it's also Denzel Washington. He a real ass nigga. He might knock somebody out, you know what I'm saying? So I follow behind him. He walks out the door. There's thousands of fans, they're all screaming. They got the signs of Denzel Washington and shit. And he walks out and he waves and he calls me out, and then he puts his hands around my shoulder and he starts doing like this. And he's like, do any of y' all know this nigga? Did any of y' all know this nigga? And there's two black ladies in the front. And he's like, yes, that's Chance the Rapper. He's like, oh. And then he pulls me over to his car and he opens up the door and he lets me stand on the thing. And if you look at. There's videos of it, he's pointing at different people. And he goes, them, nah, they don't know you. Them over there, they don't know you. But he's like, he's joking. Like, it's like a fatherly like this. But also understand it's my first time meeting this guy, somebody I love my whole life. And he's. But this is how they joke. This is like, it's a thing. Yeah, exactly. So, like, I loved it. It was. I didn't ask him for a picture. I didn't, like, I didn't bother him anymore. I went and met Jake Gyllenhaal because he was waiting at this point, told Jake Gyllenhaal, I'm one of his biggest fans. You know what I'm saying? Like, Donnie Darko, all that. Like, I'm. I'm listening to him off Bubble Boy and that he couldn't remember. But, like, then. Then Jake Gyllenha was like, yo, you want to meet D? I'm like, nah, I already met him. You feel me? Like, I'm good. And we kicked it for a second and then we dipped. But I. I really, like, that's epic. You know what I'm saying? [01:06:28] Speaker B: That's a great story. [01:06:29] Speaker C: It's one of those things where you can't. You, like, in my position, I. When I go places, like, I just went to the Met a couple months ago. Like, I don't be seeing nickers. Like, people that consider themselves that I consider to be friends. We're friends to the extent that when I see them, I see them. But, like, I live in Chicago. I don't travel all the time. And so I don't have, like, a propensity for picture taking. Like, I don't be wanting to be like, oh, I'm just now seeing you again for the first time in a long time. We gotta flick up. Like, that shit just feels lame and not genuine to me. So I just try and kick it with people, tell some jokes, you know what I'm saying? Like, have a good time so that they can remember that the next time I see them. And I feel like that's how he operated in that moment. Like, he. I feel like he knew I didn't wanna ask for a picture. I think he knew who I was or at least heard of me. And then he was like, this would be fun. I'mma fuck with this young nigga. Like, let me just see. Like, I'm gonna laugh at his ass and tell him he aight at the end and that' exactly what he did. And it was. And it was raw. [01:07:27] Speaker B: Have you seen the movie the Other Othello? [01:07:31] Speaker C: The O or Othello? Oh, yeah, I've seen oh, with Maai Fifer. Yes. But it was a long time ago. I seen that. [01:07:38] Speaker A: They telling we got to Go. But listen, man, whenever you back in. [01:07:42] Speaker C: La, I'm coming right back up here. [01:07:44] Speaker A: Yeah, come back, bro. I know when you drop the project you got on, you going to come back around. [01:07:48] Speaker C: Yeah, we do something special for the project that'll be raw. [01:07:51] Speaker A: Maybe do something with some fans or something. Yeah, that'd be hard. [01:07:54] Speaker C: Have you seen the Writings on the Wall thing? I do? [01:07:56] Speaker A: What's that? [01:07:57] Speaker C: So I got the. I've been doing these secret shows. It got outed recently. Somebody said it. Oh, Narwhar said it. But I've been doing these secret. They're not shows, but, like, listening parties, basically, for my fans. But it's with, like. I, like, invite you to the secret space. They have, like, beanbag chairs that everybody sits on. And then I present, like, an audio, visual, sensory experience. So it's like projection, crazy lighting, lasers, and, like, the words. You know how my words be in all my shit. So it's like the words is there. And I have a special sound system that I made with my homies where when you're sitting on these bean bags, it feels like you could feel all of the bass and all the sound effects and everything. It literally takes you somewhere. But I call it Writings on the Wall. I've been doing it for about a year and a half, secretly. I just did my first couple public ones and now it's kind of out there, but I'm gonna keep doing them after the project. [01:08:48] Speaker A: Okay. [01:08:49] Speaker C: And I feel like maybe we could do one. [01:08:51] Speaker A: Yeah, let's do that. [01:08:53] Speaker C: All right. [01:08:53] Speaker A: For sure. Well, look, bro, you always welcome. Thank you for, you know, coming and rocking with me. I would, like. I really appreciate you. [01:09:00] Speaker C: No, you already know. We locked in. [01:09:01] Speaker A: Yeah, bro. [01:09:02] Speaker C: You know, Gina acted like I didn't hit her up to try and set up this interview, which is crazy. [01:09:06] Speaker B: I replied with a voice note. [01:09:09] Speaker C: Replied with a voice note. [01:09:10] Speaker A: I ain't do that, but thank you, bro. Make sure you go check out that tree. It's multilayered. And go listen to that. I mean, go get that Starline when it's available and all things. Chance. Chance the Rapper is here. It's effective immediately.