I had, like, the whole.
Speaker AI like the whole hoodlum movie and things of that nature.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker ASo that's why.
Speaker AYeah, that's why I had gotten from Lucky.
Speaker AFrom Lucky Luciano.
Speaker COkay, okay.
Speaker CGotcha.
Speaker BGotcha.
Speaker CI like it.
Speaker CI like it.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CSo that's a cool story, man.
Speaker CYou also mentioned your family and, well, your aunt and your Uncle Joe with the Sugar Hill.
Speaker CWhat was it like growing up around that type of influence?
Speaker CAnd I guess there's probably a lot of influential rappers and creators in your.
Speaker AI got.
Speaker AI got a chance to meet everybody, you know, I don't want to.
Speaker AI 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 AYou know, I'm there every day.
Speaker AI was there every day.
Speaker AIt's weird.
Speaker AIt's.
Speaker AIt's a weird situation.
Speaker ABut, no, they didn't work with me as an artist, but I did get to.
Speaker AYou know, I was too young.
Speaker AI knew the Sugar Hill Gang my whole life, and I knew, like, Naughty by nature when it was New Style.
Speaker AThey had got a record deal over there.
Speaker AI met Missy Elliott before she bl.
Speaker AI got a chance to, you know, But I lived in Bergen county, so even if I wasn't meeting people through them.
Speaker ABergen County, New Jersey, we're right across the bridge from New York, so everybody's out here.
Speaker AYou know, you get a check in the music industry.
Speaker AAs soon as you get rich, you move to Jersey.
Speaker ASo, I mean, everybody's here, from little Kim to, you know, Jodeci, Mary J.
Speaker ABlige.
Speaker AI 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 CYeah, yeah.
Speaker CSo you basically just kind of.
Speaker CYou're in the environment, so it wasn't anything outstanding to you.
Speaker CJust growing up in the space, being around that, just regular life.
Speaker CThat's.
Speaker CThat's cool, though.
Speaker CNot everybody lives in, I guess, in the area that is so saturated by that kind of talent.
Speaker ASo, yeah, definitely didn't want to take it for granted.
Speaker ADefinitely.
Speaker CYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker CSo that's really cool.
Speaker ABut it's a gift.
Speaker AIt'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 AHe 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 ASo 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 AYou, you know, it's cool.
Speaker AIt'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 BSo when did you feel like you were actually able to, like, go out, go away from your.
Speaker BYour circle and kind of establish.
Speaker BEstablish yourself as an artist on your own?
Speaker BDo you remember that you.
Speaker BThat moment?
Speaker AI was doing that my whole life, you know, I never depended on Sugar Hill.
Speaker AI 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 ABut this late night, my uncle snuck me in there.
Speaker AYou know, it's not like they were.
Speaker AIt's not, you know, shout out to them.
Speaker AI love them.
Speaker AIt's no, you know, no.
Speaker ANo beef or not.
Speaker ABut it's not like they were like, yo, we're gonna put our niece on and we're gonna blow.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker ASo I.
Speaker AI've always been like that.
Speaker AI've always been the.
Speaker AThe outspoken one.
Speaker AYo, you gotta hear me rap.
Speaker AYou gotta hear this, you know, so you know that.
Speaker AThat.
Speaker AThat's how I was.
Speaker AI was always that person, dope.
Speaker CBut when.
Speaker CWhen did, you know, like, did it.
Speaker CWas there a time that you remember that you kind of had this feeling like, this is what I gotta do my whole life.
Speaker AI mean, you can ask anybody.
Speaker AI've been.
Speaker AI've been outgoing my whole life.
Speaker ASo ever since my mom.
Speaker AMy mom wrote my first rap because when she came home one night, my mom is the reason.
Speaker AMy mom is the reason why hip hop is on the radio.
Speaker ALike, Aunt Sylvia and them had the bag, so they like Pablo Escobar, they had the drugs.
Speaker ABut my mom was Griselda Blanco.
Speaker AShe convinced the DJs to play it on the radio.
Speaker ASo shout out to her.
Speaker AShe just called me.
Speaker AShe's an icon.
Speaker ABut she came home late night from.
Speaker AFrom promoting, you know, records.
Speaker AAnd I'm like, mom, I want to rap.
Speaker ASo she wrote my first rap.
Speaker AAnd ever since then, everybody who would listen to me, I would rap for them, you know, my whole life.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker AI 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 CYeah.
Speaker AFrom a.
Speaker AYou know, but I've always been outgoing.
Speaker BSpeaking 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 BAnd most recently you were able to kind of headline a all female card.
Speaker BHow do you feel about right now the.
Speaker BThe current landscape of women in battle rap?
Speaker BBecause I, I do see a big surgeons on women getting a little bit more exposure.
Speaker BAs far as some of the bigger rap platforms or rap battle platforms.
Speaker BWhat do you, what's your take on the.
Speaker BOn that event that went down and what you, you, you see in the current state of battle rap and hip hop?
Speaker ASonny, you asked that Babs Bunny just called the owner of the Queen of the Ring thing.
Speaker AI just text.
Speaker AI'm.
Speaker AI'm not.
Speaker AI have never been like active in the battlefield, you know, like keep battling every battle.
Speaker AYou know, I come back every five, 10 years, have a battle.
Speaker APersonally, it was just.
Speaker AHow do I feel about it?
Speaker AI'm glad a lot of the girls are getting recognition.
Speaker AI still think like they still treat it like the wnba, you know, the difference between what's going on.
Speaker AI definitely feel like.
Speaker ABut they like, you know, they were just supposed to have the kings versus Queens this weekend.
Speaker AThat just passed.
Speaker ABut due to Covid, you know, whatever, they have to reschedule.
Speaker ABut I definitely see, you know, the platform being opened up.
Speaker BDope.
Speaker CThat's cool.
Speaker CAnd speaking of like platforms opening up, I know you're in music, but you've also have.
Speaker CYou also have some connections and working partnerships, I guess, in television as well.
Speaker CCan you tell us kind of about that and how the transition from music led to TV opportunities?
Speaker AIt's just all God and I give all glory to God.
Speaker AI 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 CRight.
Speaker AYeah, this is, this is a time where a lot of things aren't good for people.
Speaker AAnd I, and I'm truly thankful, you know, I've had a rough two decades, you know, so.
Speaker ASo for doors to be opening for me right now, it's just like, you know, it's an extreme blessing.
Speaker ABut I had the show on Bravo with my family.
Speaker AThis, you know, we did a show first Family Hip Hop.
Speaker AIt was on 2017.
Speaker AAnd then the relationships that I built from there just kept going.
Speaker ASo 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 AI didn't know what she wanted.
Speaker ASo I sent her like five, six songs.
Speaker AAnd she.
Speaker AShe gave me the idea.
Speaker AShe was like, well, why don't you do this?
Speaker AAnd I didn't know anything about it.
Speaker AI'm still learning.
Speaker ALike, 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 ASo, you know, I'm in.
Speaker AI'm in a lot of different ventures right now.
Speaker AThat's just.
Speaker AThat's just lucrative.
Speaker AAnd I just thank God for just opening different doors where it's not just.
Speaker AYou have to be pigeon holding one thing, because if that's not working, life gets depressed.
Speaker BAbsolutely.
Speaker BAnd it sounds like you are definitely a hustler.
Speaker BBut what would you.
Speaker BWhat 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 BSpecifically because I find that's really tough.
Speaker BAnd women do tend to get pigeonholed in the industry.
Speaker BSo do you have any advice as to how women can maybe navigate the industry?
Speaker BAnd maybe also, like you had just said, options as to exploring other things outside of rap?
Speaker AI definitely encourage.
Speaker AI'm sorry, I just got some free clothes from Cult Individuality.
Speaker ASo I was just pushing it.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AShout out Colt.
Speaker AShout out Cold Individuality.
Speaker AShout out my guys.
Speaker AI would just say the.
Speaker AThe advice I would give is just to make sure that you stay centered, you know, within yourself.
Speaker APrayer and meditation is very important.