Latest / The Scene Projects / Comprehend on Creativity, Overcoming Challenges, and Mastering the Music Industry

Transcript

Comprehend on Creativity, Overcoming Challenges, and Mastering the Music Industry · The Scene Projects

• 0:17
  Hi everyone, this is your host Ross from Fresh Your Sounds podcast and today we have a special
• 0:22
  guest.
• 0:23
  This special guest is a an amazing singer, freestyler, rapper, all that stuff.
• 0:29
  This is the one and only Comprehend, so give a warm welcome to Comprehend.
• 0:33
  So Comprehend, obviously I know I've just introduced you, but can you give the audience a
• 0:39
  bit of a background story on yourself?
• 0:42
  Yeah, man.
• 0:42
  So my name's Comprehend.
• 0:44
  I'm a singer, rapper, emcee from Leicester City in The UK.
• 0:52
  I've been making music for about ten years now.
• 0:55
  I first got into music by freestyling with my friends, and then took songwriting a little bit
• 1:01
  more seriously by 2015.
• 1:03
  Since then, I've been on tour with, people like Skiddyman, Socks.
• 1:09
  I've had a song or been on a song, sorry, that reached number two in the iTunes charts.
• 1:15
  I've got between three and four million views across my TikTok at the minute, and, yeah, man,
• 1:20
  just trying to smash out the music game.
• 1:22
  You know what mean?
• 1:23
  I've been, like, following you for a long time now.
• 1:26
  Obviously, like, you've been on one of my previous podcasts before, and, obviously, we've
• 1:33
  we've already had a conversation, me and you.
• 1:35
  And what's changed since then to now as well.
• 1:40
  Obviously looks wise as well because I don't mean to sound disrespectful but you've gone
• 1:48
  better than how you used to look, you know obviously you've been to Turkey, you've had all
• 1:54
  that stuff done, know, style, the taps and everything, I'm digging at me personally.
• 2:01
  You look so much better, you look a lot healthier as well because back then and again I
• 2:07
  don't mean any disrespect, you you wasn't looking that healthy.
• 2:11
  I don't know if you had anything going on personally in your life but you know it's just
• 2:17
  man, well touching on that, I mean I used to have a problem with eating so I used to
• 2:22
  struggle with eating but that's mainly because I would replace it with beer.
• 2:28
  I used to smoke weed every day, drink every day, was an alcoholic for twelve years, I used
• 2:34
  to take drugs and stuff like at music events and not even outside of music events, just in
• 2:39
  my personal life.
• 2:41
  So I decided to start last year to get sober.
• 2:43
  I started hitting the gym.
• 2:46
  Like you say, I went and got my teeth done because they were absolutely cracked out from
• 2:49
  all the alcohol and smoking and stuff like that.
• 2:52
  I'm currently nearly a month into no vaping or smoking cigarettes, so I pretty much knocked
• 3:01
  everything on the head now.
• 3:02
  I just hit in the gym.
• 3:05
  I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't take drugs, none of that.
• 3:10
  Mean that's a big achievement in itself to be honest with you.
• 3:13
  Mean obviously I'm sure you can see the massive improvement and if you're getting people like
• 3:20
  myself saying that how much of an improvement they can see in you, surely you can see some
• 3:26
  improvement as well.
• 3:29
  Yeah, man.
• 3:29
  I'm honestly so proud of myself, brother.
• 3:31
  I if you'd have told me two years ago that I'd have got to this point, I'd have laughed.
• 3:36
  It's just been small steps and then building momentum, you know?
• 3:39
  But yeah, no I'm super proud of myself man.
• 3:44
  So it should be as well do you know what I mean because like I said you know you look tonnes
• 3:49
  better for it as well and I'm sure like with your mental state of mind as well you know
• 3:57
  obviously it would improve it as a lot as well.
• 4:01
  I mean I for one suffer with my mental health and when I was going to the gym quite
• 4:07
  frequently and I was going on walks and everything like that I felt a lot better in
• 4:12
  myself as well so I can only imagine you feel the same.
• 4:16
  Yeah bro, I think prioritising I mean that's why for those who have followed me for a while
• 4:22
  I've been quite quiet musically for like the past year or so because for ten years I'd put
• 4:29
  music at the forefront of everything I was doing, sometimes to the detriment of my own
• 4:34
  health and mental health.
• 4:36
  I decided, right, forget about everything, for the next two years or year or whatever I'm just
• 4:42
  going to focus on my health and that's what I've done, and I'm in a much better place
• 4:48
  mentally, financially, physically, everything.
• 4:52
  So, yeah, man.
• 4:55
  I'm I'm proud to be where I'm at, and I'm ready to start releasing music again and getting back
• 5:00
  in the swing of things.
• 5:01
  Know?
• 5:02
  I've got tons of stuff on the way.
• 5:04
  I do know what?
• 5:05
  I can't I can't wait for some some of your new music to to drop as well because, obviously,
• 5:09
  before you came on to the interview and everything I had a few of your songs on and I'm
• 5:19
  there listening to the lyrics and watching a video as well and it's just like how do you
• 5:23
  come up with this like creativity?
• 5:26
  So one of them, do you know when it's a dog be like me and you've got the clown outfit on?
• 5:33
  I love it and I love the creativity behind it all and it's like did
• 5:39
  you come
• 5:39
  up with this sort of stuff?
• 5:41
  Like where did you get the ideas from?
• 5:43
  I'll be honest so the Don't Be Like Me video idea that came from the actual beat produced by
• 5:49
  a guy called Premise on the Beat.
• 5:51
  So the instrumental was called Georgie and it had a it had a picture of It the clown as,
• 5:57
  like, the artwork for the instrumental.
• 5:59
  So I thought I hadn't planned to do anything to do with It the clown when I wrote the song.
• 6:06
  But then when I thought about it I thought it kind of matches that kind of creepy vibe, do
• 6:12
  you know what I mean?
• 6:12
  It pulled it together nicely so I was like it would make sense if I was 'It the clown' but
• 6:18
  then instead of there being a child that I'm like trying to go after, what if it was a girl?
• 6:24
  Because my love life at that point specifically anyway was a bit of a shambles.
• 6:29
  So I was like what if it's a metaphor for my love life, the video, and I'm the clown trying
• 6:35
  to get this girl?
• 6:37
  So it was kind of yeah.
• 6:38
  Started with the artwork for the instrumental and then became an idea.
• 6:43
  And then I the girl who's in the video for don't be like me, she did the makeup for me.
• 6:49
  I bought her the yellow waterproof jacket and then me and my friend Haif who's also my
• 6:56
  cameraman.
• 6:58
  Yeah, we just kind of saw what we could do.
• 7:00
  We've got this thing we do when we make videos.
• 7:02
  We call I I call it the moon theory.
• 7:04
  So we start what's the craziest thing we can do?
• 7:08
  And then let's make it a bit more realistic.
• 7:10
  How can we actually achieve it?
• 7:11
  Do you know what I mean?
• 7:12
  So we'll think of the craziest thing, and I was like, it needs to be like it, the movie.
• 7:16
  So we need makeup, we need costume, we need locations, all of this, and then we try to do
• 7:22
  it best as we could.
• 7:22
  You know what I mean?
• 7:24
  Yeah.
• 7:25
  No.
• 7:25
  I I think it's, like, really amazing how you quote the creative side of things as well
• 7:32
  because you know as a music artist you know it's all good and well going like oh yeah well
• 7:38
  I'm just gonna go to the booth and you know gonna write my music record it and everything
• 7:43
  and then that's it done dusted.
• 7:45
  But I think to captivate it more you need that video as well just for like, you know, to
• 7:51
  entice people because obviously when you're on YouTube, you know, people watch videos and
• 7:55
  stuff whatnot and it's like well if it's a good video then they'll remember it more and more
• 8:01
  and more and they'll be like oh look at this guy, like look at look at the video and then
• 8:04
  sometimes they might not like listen to the song at first and be like oh look at the video
• 8:09
  and then because they're watching the video that much then they'll be like oh this guy's
• 8:13
  actually good or vice versa do you know what I mean?
• 8:16
  Could be either or.
• 8:18
  Yeah 100% man and so a couple things with that I mean the thumbnail is very important right?
• 8:24
  People underestimate the thumbnail you can't just pick anything you need to pick the most
• 8:29
  eye catching, random like, I did it best with MINIMO.
• 8:33
  I don't know if you've seen the video for that where I'm in the bathroom soon.
• 8:36
  Watching all of your videos today.
• 8:38
  Yeah.
• 8:39
  My guy.
• 8:39
  So with MINIMO, the thumbnail for that, it what didn't mean for it to be strategic, but it was
• 8:45
  in a way.
• 8:46
  So I picked it.
• 8:46
  And then there's this AI software that can determine how good your thumbnail is to the
• 8:52
  human psychology kind of thing.
• 8:54
  I think it's called IQ something and, vid IQ, I think it's called.
• 9:00
  So I've run it through there and it said this thumbnail this this thumbnail is perfect.
• 9:04
  And I was like, okay.
• 9:05
  And then I've realized because it's me in the suit and then there's four people all masked up
• 9:08
  and, dressed in black behind me, one looking like they're doing a shanking motion and I was
• 9:15
  like okay so yeah you're 100% right man and I think too many people just do what they see in
• 9:23
  a popular video and try and replicate that and the issue with that is they've already seen it.
• 9:28
  Do you know what I mean?
• 9:29
  So the thumbnail is good to get people to click on it and as an independent artist bro, like
• 9:35
  you've got to try and replicate a big budget video or at least do your best with it not
• 9:40
  being big big budget.
• 9:42
  Do you know what I mean?
• 9:43
  Because, people have seen it all in terms and people have a lot more money.
• 9:47
  There's always someone who's gonna have more money to make a video, and there's always
• 9:50
  someone who's more creative than you.
• 9:52
  So you've just got to try and just do your own thing.
• 9:54
  Do you know what I mean?
• 9:55
  stand
• 9:55
  out.
• 9:57
  Exactly.
• 9:57
  I I mean, like, obviously, you've mentioned about budget and everything.
• 10:01
  Do you do you normally have, like, oh, wow.
• 10:03
  I'm gonna spend, like, a couple £100 on this on this music video, or do you are you just lucky
• 10:08
  to have set people, know, like a cameraman and a producer and makeup artist as your close
• 10:17
  circle friends?
• 10:19
  No, mean my cameraman has become a close friend through the work we've done together, but I
• 10:25
  always pay per usually per song.
• 10:29
  So per per song, I'll pay for the beat.
• 10:31
  I'll pay for the video.
• 10:33
  I'll pay for any props and anything needed in the video.
• 10:36
  If I need people, I'll pay them for their time.
• 10:39
  So I'll pay for everything, basically.
• 10:41
  But, like, with my cameraman, we we we do, like, a almost we do, like, a contract.
• 10:46
  So it'll be, like, 10 videos for a discounted rate of this, and then I'll buy them I'll buy
• 10:51
  them in bulk.
• 10:52
  The same with beats these days.
• 10:53
  I'll buy, like, a folder of beats instead of one, that kind of thing.
• 10:58
  Or but then sometimes someone will just bring it on me.
• 11:01
  Oh, bro.
• 11:02
  Do you wanna film a video?
• 11:03
  And I'll be like, okay.
• 11:04
  I've actually got this song.
• 11:05
  And sometimes someone will be like, oh, you know, here's a beat or I'll be in the studio
• 11:08
  and we'll just make something on the spot so it's fairing but my general formula is I pay
• 11:14
  for it bit by bit.
• 11:16
  So obviously I have noticed on one
• 11:19
  of your videos as well you did that started in crunch with is it what is it?
• 11:26
  L roll?
• 11:27
  L roll.
• 11:28
  Yeah.
• 11:28
  Yeah.
• 11:28
  Yeah.
• 11:28
  Yeah.
• 11:29
  So was that like one of them scenarios where you just went to the studio and just recorded
• 11:36
  the beat or was that just like oh we'll buy the beat and film it?
• 11:42
  No so do do you know about Elro's past?
• 11:46
  That's all.
• 11:47
  I've listened to some of his music and everything and I was watching that one where he
• 11:51
  was you know, the Black Box'
• 11:54
  and
• 11:55
  obviously he talks about like his past and everything and I think he was you know on the
• 12:03
  drugs and alcohol as well and stuff like that but I don't know him you know well enough to
• 12:08
  say like oh well this is for definite do you know what I mean but he is a good artist as
• 12:13
  well.
• 12:14
  He is yeah so Elro he was quite big like I want to say about fifteen years ago He blew up he
• 12:22
  blew up on SPTV, and he had a few videos that did millions of views.
• 12:26
  And he he's got quite a jovial nature in his lyrics.
• 12:31
  It's all quite jokey, quite similar to to my sort of style with a lot of my songs.
• 12:35
  It's quite self deprecating, that sort of thing.
• 12:38
  But he put out some freestyles on SPTV, was getting millions of views, signed a major
• 12:42
  record deal, then he he didn't like that, and that failed kind of thing.
• 12:48
  And then he's kinda gone independent since and been doing his own thing.
• 12:52
  So he's a relatively big deal in the music game, like a lot of people know who he is.
• 12:57
  So that song with him happened because I had some people who were going to be my managers
• 13:03
  and I was getting loads of messages on TikTok saying oh this guy sounds like Elro, this guy
• 13:07
  sounds like Elro, I kept getting that.
• 13:09
  I still get it to this day, because some of my lyrics are quite self deprecating.
• 13:15
  Do you
• 13:15
  know mean?
• 13:16
  Don't think you sound like him to honest be with you.
• 13:18
  I think you both have your own like unique identity and your own unique flow as well
• 13:23
  because like how he raps and how he rap is totally different as well and obviously you
• 13:28
  both got different accents as well and it's just you can tell from a mile away anyway, you
• 13:35
  know what I mean?
• 13:35
  It's not like you're trying to copy him or he's trying to copy you, do you know what I mean?
• 13:40
  Yeah well he's he's Welsh, bro, he's from Wales.
• 13:43
  I agree bro, I think our styles are completely different.
• 13:45
  It's just because we're both two white guys who kind of make fun of ourselves and we're very
• 13:50
  realistic about who we are, very self aware.
• 13:53
  But yeah.
• 13:54
  But, no, my management set up that.
• 13:57
  So that was my old management.
• 13:58
  So I don't have management now.
• 14:00
  But yeah.
• 14:01
  So they had set that up because I wanna I they said, right.
• 14:06
  Who do you wanna get in the studio with?
• 14:07
  And I was I'd love to get in with Oro.
• 14:09
  Me and my friends listened to him when we were younger.
• 14:12
  I think he's Jalt's sick guy, kind of thing.
• 14:16
  So they got me in the studio with him and he had made the beat for starting in country.
• 14:20
  He made the beat, we recorded that there and then in the studio, made that there and then.
• 14:26
  So that was like one of these impromptu tracks that kind of just happened.
• 14:30
  And then I didn't get the track till a few months later, and then me and my cameraman, we
• 14:37
  traveled down to Wales, went to where Elrose Studio is, and, filmed the video for it in in
• 14:43
  Wales.
• 14:45
  I like I like the music video as well.
• 14:47
  Like, I think it's quite funny when you're walking around with the alpaca as well and
• 14:50
  you're, you're stroking a horse in barn as well.
• 14:54
  But what, like, I'm I'm probably gonna sound thick here, but what what does it mean, like,
• 14:58
  started in country?
• 14:59
  Is it, starting in country or?
• 15:01
  Yeah.
• 15:02
  Started in the countryside because that's where I grew up in the countryside, but everyone
• 15:05
  thinks everyone everyone thinks I grew up in Leicester City, but I grew up outside the city
• 15:10
  in the countryside, which is why the whole video is like country country areas and not a
• 15:16
  city.
• 15:17
  Yeah.
• 15:18
  I get it.
• 15:19
  See, I was thinking that at first when I was watching it.
• 15:21
  Was like, are they trying to, like, put out a message to say, like, obviously, where he's
• 15:27
  originally from?
• 15:28
  Like, you know, the countryside?
• 15:29
  And I was like, you know I'll just ask him obviously on the interview as well.
• 15:36
  It's not a bad question bro, I've never been asked that, that's not a bad question bro at
• 15:40
  all.
• 15:41
  Have you not?
• 15:42
  No.
• 15:43
  I'm quite surprised at that one to be honest with you because it's like you know if
• 15:49
  you're
• 15:49
  going to interview a music artist as well you know at least do a bit of background check on
• 15:53
  them, watch a few of the songs and listen to them.
• 15:57
  I always show your music off anyway like I was in Blackpool with a music artist called Joe
• 16:04
  Dark, he's up and coming as well and I said like oh I said you need to listen to this guy
• 16:10
  called Comprehend and I was on the phone to him yesterday and he was like do you reckon you
• 16:15
  could like link us both up or something?' I said 'I don't know to be honest with you mate'
• 16:20
  and he was like 'where's your follow him?' 'I can't remember' but yeah I said I'll find the
• 16:26
  best to see what he says and everything but he's from Blackpool and he was like yeah yeah
• 16:31
  I'd like meet him halfway go to London or something or meet wherever is best for him so
• 16:36
  he digs your music as well.
• 16:38
  Yeah.
• 16:39
  Nice, man.
• 16:39
  Yeah.
• 16:39
  Send me, send me his YouTube link or something like that or his Instagram or something.
• 16:43
  I'll check him out.
• 16:45
  I'll sort something out.
• 16:46
  So going back to you and everything, like, what got you into the music?
• 16:51
  Like, what was the, you know, light bulb in that sort of moment?
• 16:57
  Do you know what's funny about, I've actually been talking to my therapist about this
• 17:00
  recently because I think it's deeper than I initially thought.
• 17:05
  Always thought it was just because that's the friends I was hanging around with at the time.
• 17:10
  Like I say, I grew up in the countryside.
• 17:12
  I really know any black people.
• 17:15
  I didn't know what it was like to live in the city or anything like that.
• 17:20
  So when I went from high school to college, you know, there's people from inner city Leicester
• 17:26
  and there's people from Braunston, which won't mean anything to you, but it's like one of the
• 17:29
  areas of of Leicester.
• 17:31
  So then there's like mixed race people, black people.
• 17:34
  There was I think there was like one Asian family in the village I grew up in that I
• 17:38
  remember.
• 17:40
  So you're starting to intertwine with different cultures now and different things and I always
• 17:45
  listen to Eminem and fifty Cent.
• 17:47
  My dad used to love that kind of thing so he used to play that in the car.
• 17:51
  I always liked rap music.
• 17:53
  Next thing I know there's people who are rappers that are like in my class and in my
• 17:56
  lessons and stuff and I just always thought it was sick man.
• 17:59
  Was like yeah that's such like a cool rebellious thing to do.
• 18:06
  So started hanging around with those guys, people like friends Forbidden Orphan, Jackson
• 18:13
  Sizzler, these are all artists in Leicester that I grew up with, Black Knight, people like
• 18:18
  that, and I would just sit there in awe, we'd be passing a joint around which I was super
• 18:25
  rebellious because I was like 'yeah this will annoy my parents' passing a joint around and
• 18:30
  then drinking alcohol and stuff and then I decided to join in eventually.
• 18:36
  And I was awful, obviously.
• 18:39
  And then I went away and I bought some bars and they were awful and controversial, which I
• 18:44
  don't mind.
• 18:44
  And then, yeah, I just started doing that with them.
• 18:48
  And then I remember my first wordplay.
• 18:50
  I'd accidentally written a bar, and it was like about the government, but it was like, is the
• 18:55
  seed of this bigotry?
• 18:57
  And my friend was like, oh, that's sick wordplay.
• 18:59
  And I was like, what do you mean?
• 19:00
  And he was like, seed, bigger tree.
• 19:02
  And I was like, oh, so I didn't even mean to do that, but that's why that's why I'll never
• 19:07
  forget that.
• 19:08
  But I started as Motion was my rap name to start with because my best friend, he was
• 19:12
  Movement, and I couldn't think of any other rap name.
• 19:16
  And then his twin brother was like, well, your name's Hendrik, and you rap about conscious
• 19:22
  stuff.
• 19:22
  Why don't you just be comprehend?
• 19:24
  And I was like, oh, that's genius, bro.
• 19:26
  So I took that, ran with it since, and then about 2015, I was like, yeah.
• 19:32
  Maybe there's a way here where I could, like, actually be a a rapper, like, a serious rapper.
• 19:38
  So, yeah, man.
• 19:41
  And here we are.
• 19:43
  That's absolutely mind boggling, so do you know?
• 19:48
  Like, hearing, like, a bit of your, like, life story and your background and everything, and
• 19:53
  obviously I wanted to ask, like, where did the name come from?
• 19:56
  Because, obviously, I know your actual name as well because obviously got you on Facebook as
• 20:01
  well and you know for people who don't really know you that well and you know have you on
• 20:10
  social media and everything it's just it's just bizarre, and it's just, you know, it's
• 20:15
  absolutely crazy.
• 20:17
  Yeah, man.
• 20:18
  Yeah.
• 20:19
  It's wild, bro.
• 20:19
  It I remember at the time thinking, yeah, my parents will hate this.
• 20:23
  Like, this is a massive rebellion because white grew up in a village, there no rappers, like it
• 20:29
  was the people who would listen to rap, lot of them were my friends, were classed as Chavs, do
• 20:35
  you know what I mean?
• 20:36
  They were the Chavs because they listened to rap and stuff and it was like, oh, kind of
• 20:41
  thing so it was frowned upon and I was like 'yeah I'm going to try and do that' and then I
• 20:47
  basically fell into it though to be honest, it wasn't on purpose I just was doing it because
• 20:54
  my friends were doing it, and I fell into that friend group.
• 20:57
  Then, yeah, I just started taking it more.
• 21:00
  I'm very competitive, so when I saw everyone around me was doing it and was sick, I was
• 21:05
  like, well, I need to be better than them.
• 21:06
  So I started studying it and practicing and practicing, and then, I'd come around with new
• 21:11
  bars, and they'd be like, yeah.
• 21:12
  You're getting better, but they'd still be like, your flow's whack.
• 21:15
  You ain't got no wordplay.
• 21:16
  Your cadence is terrible.
• 21:18
  This kind of thing.
• 21:18
  And I'd be like, yeah.
• 21:19
  Leave it with me, boys.
• 21:20
  I'll get better.
• 21:21
  And then I'd go go away, work on my cadence.
• 21:23
  Then someone would say your flow's whack again.
• 21:25
  So I'd work on my flow.
• 21:26
  They'd be like, you got no wordplay.
• 21:27
  I'd be like, alright.
• 21:28
  I need to figure out how to do wordplay.
• 21:29
  And just like that, bro.
• 21:31
  I'm I'm just very, I get hyper obsessed with stuff.
• 21:34
  You know?
• 21:35
  Yeah so would you say that people that you used to hang around with they're like do you reckon
• 21:41
  they'd be like look at this guy now you know it was shit and now it was just blowing up into,
• 21:50
  you know, I'd say something major.
• 21:53
  Thank you, bro.
• 21:55
  We're getting there.
• 21:56
  We're getting there.
• 21:56
  It's it's one of these where it's it's a long game.
• 21:58
  People don't realize a lot of the artists, even when they see them, like blown up, it's taken
• 22:04
  them ten years.
• 22:05
  They've probably been doing it since they were, like, 10 years old or 12 or or whatever.
• 22:09
  You know what I mean?
• 22:09
  But, yeah.
• 22:11
  So, I yeah.
• 22:13
  They do.
• 22:13
  Like, my friend Sam, he was with me last night.
• 22:16
  He was like, bro.
• 22:17
  He was like, it's so weird that you're, like, comprehend, but, but you're, my best friend.
• 22:22
  And he was one of the people who got me into rap, and he was like, it's a weird dynamic.
• 22:26
  He kind of looks up to me, but he's older than me, and he's one of the people I got into rap
• 22:30
  because of.
• 22:31
  But then I've got other friends who aren't like that because they've also risen up, though, and
• 22:36
  they're doing, like, massive festivals and, just and still way better than me as a rapper,
• 22:42
  which is sick to have in your vicinity.
• 22:46
  So you can be like okay I've still got to keep climbing, know what mean, stay on my toes, I
• 22:50
  can't get complacent now.
• 22:53
  Yeah there's different levels, you know what I mean, around me.
• 22:57
  Would you not like do a sort of like collaboration with the guys who you used to
• 23:04
  hang around with as like a comeback video thing because I think that would be pretty cool to be
• 23:10
  honest with you, you know like obviously you've mentioned, oh well these are the guys that
• 23:13
  taught me everything and now this is who I am now and I think as a comeback that would just
• 23:21
  be so amazing just to get your old friends and everything on a music video and get them to
• 23:25
  like spit a few bars, you do a few bars there and then like you know at like a four or five
• 23:31
  years.
• 23:32
  That is a sick idea man.
• 23:33
  I mean I've always got like features coming out with some of them So we're always like because
• 23:40
  we're hanging out and that, we'll put a beat on and we'll accidentally make some of those
• 23:44
  banging and write it and then try and get it recorded.
• 23:48
  Some of the others either don't rap anymore.
• 23:51
  Most of them have quit.
• 23:52
  The ones that haven't quit that are bigger either contractually just can't do features
• 23:59
  like that or are super busy so it's like yeah we'll try and do something when we can.
• 24:04
  It gets to a level where it's not as easy as just like everyone just being able to link up
• 24:09
  in a spot and drop bars you know unfortunately.
• 24:14
  I totally understand that with what you're saying but like me personally I think that
• 24:20
  would be an absolutely outstanding comeback video do you know what I mean?
• 24:25
  Yeah I agree that would be sick like a legacy, like an OG cipher or something like that.
• 24:30
  Yeah
• 24:31
  I agree man.
• 24:32
  Yeah I'll try and get someone sorted man.
• 24:34
  I've got a track coming with one of them, my boy JC, Jackson Sizzler, sorry, is his rap name
• 24:40
  now.
• 24:40
  Me and him have just wrote Lack of Fire back to back freestyle kind of thing, so we'll be
• 24:44
  dropping that soon.
• 24:45
  We're in the studio next month.
• 24:46
  And then me and my boy, Young Springer, who I was with last night, he's got me on one of his
• 24:52
  tunes, so that'll be coming soon.
• 24:55
  So I'm yeah.
• 24:56
  I'm we're getting there, brother.
• 24:57
  Trying to get around to it, but you know what I mean?
• 25:00
  And there's there was a video that you posted, obviously so with one of the episodes that I've
• 25:07
  done I selected a few artists at random and you was one of them and I went to like one of your
• 25:16
  oldest videos that you've done and you did
• 25:19
  a feature
• 25:19
  of a female, I think.
• 25:21
  It was called tough love.
• 25:23
  Oh, yeah.
• 25:24
  Yeah.
• 25:24
  Yeah.
• 25:24
  Yeah.
• 25:24
  Yeah.
• 25:25
  Yeah.
• 25:25
  How how did that feature come about?
• 25:27
  Because, like, listening to it and then, like, obviously, I've never listened to any of your
• 25:32
  old stuff until then.
• 25:33
  And I'm like, this is not comprehend, this is not the comprehend who I know, this is amazing
• 25:39
  stuff, do you know what I mean?
• 25:40
  I'm not saying you shit or anything because I've never said that stuff, but that was just
• 25:45
  like it was very uplifting and it was raw and passionate and emotional as well, do know what
• 25:50
  I mean?
• 25:50
  I was like, how how does it come across these these artists?
• 25:56
  Oh, Lindsey Wells.
• 25:57
  How did I meet her?
• 25:59
  I think I met her at an open mic.
• 26:05
  I might be yeah.
• 26:05
  I think she was at an open mic that I went to, and she also, thank you for the compliments.
• 26:12
  And, yeah, she was she was singing at an open mic, and I was like, wow.
• 26:17
  That voice is incredible.
• 26:18
  And I was starting to make a a slight name for myself at some venues around here.
• 26:24
  And yeah.
• 26:25
  So I went up to her, I was like, look.
• 26:26
  I'd love to get you on a song.
• 26:27
  She was like she was doing covers, and she was like, I've never, like, done an original track
• 26:34
  kind of thing.
• 26:35
  And I was like, well, just give it a go kind of thing.
• 26:37
  I I did something similar with another singer called Callan Fortune.
• 26:41
  And, yeah, I it was a song about one of my exes.
• 26:45
  I'm trying to write more stuff like that, but I remember at the time thinking I need a
• 26:49
  commercial song that I that can because most of it was anti government and political, and,
• 26:54
  like, I couldn't get played on the radio and stuff like that.
• 26:57
  So I was like, I need a commercial song that can get radio played.
• 27:01
  I was like, it needs to have a single on it, like a powerful voice, and it needs to be needs
• 27:05
  to be about love.
• 27:07
  So, yeah, I came across her at an open mic, I was like, yeah.
• 27:10
  She's perfect.
• 27:11
  She's the one I need on the track.
• 27:13
  And then I I spoke to her, and we went to, my friend Najee's studio and, got it recorded.
• 27:20
  Yeah.
• 27:21
  Bang on, though.
• 27:22
  Bang off.
• 27:22
  Yeah.
• 27:23
  I I totally agree with you.
• 27:24
  Like, when I listen to it, like, I'm not I'm not even gonna bullshit you, and I'm not saying
• 27:29
  it's just to hype you up or anything.
• 27:30
  Like, I had a tear in my eye, and I was like, fuck me.
• 27:33
  I was like, that is that is emotion right there because when you listen to something these
• 27:39
  days, I just think it's I think it's a bit shit personal because it's always about like,
• 27:44
  they're all like, oh, posit this, posit that.
• 27:46
  I'm like, I'm gonna come around and throw like gum fingers in it.
• 27:50
  It's just like, where's music gone these days?
• 27:53
  Do know what I mean?
• 27:53
  Because no one puts passion into it and it's just like what people sort of like want to hear
• 28:02
  but they don't want to hear it at the same time, do you know what I mean?
• 28:05
  I'd rather listen to that song like you did eight years ago for any of your music that
• 28:10
  you've got out now compared to like Books and Malone to H and all these big artists because
• 28:17
  it's just talking about like gang life and everything and on the flip side don't get me
• 28:22
  wrong because like obviously some of them have lived that life if you live that life you want
• 28:27
  to rap about it fine fair enough but don't be like faking it and everything you know you've
• 28:33
  gone through some like hard times and everything you know you've been through the
• 28:37
  drugs, the alcohol, you know, your eating disorder, you know, relationships and
• 28:43
  everything.
• 28:43
  People want to hear more stuff like that than, you know, are gonna come to your gaffe and
• 28:48
  shoot you.
• 28:48
  It's just like, it's fucking ridiculous.
• 28:50
  Yeah.
• 28:51
  You're right, man.
• 28:52
  You are right.
• 28:54
  I think it gets it gets tough, man.
• 28:56
  I know, like, as an artist myself, like, when I release something like that, I mean, at the
• 29:00
  time, that didn't do very well, that song, even though it was one that like, the video, I think
• 29:05
  I paid think I paid £500 for that video, let alone everything else.
• 29:12
  But, I put a lot of money into that and it didn't do very well and then I dropped like a
• 29:16
  freestyle where I'm kind of like just kind of taking the mick out myself a little bit.
• 29:20
  Still real stuff, but less passion, kind of kind of just joking kind of bars.
• 29:27
  And that I do way better.
• 29:28
  And I'll and, again, I think it's tough as an artist.
• 29:31
  You start to subconsciously doing more of what does well versus what, not what you wanna do
• 29:37
  because I wanna do all of it, but, like, not yeah.
• 29:41
  You you know what I mean?
• 29:42
  You start just doing more of what does well.
• 29:44
  Then and then, you know, two, three years can pass by, and you're like, hang on a minute.
• 29:48
  I've just dropped, like, a variation of the same song, like, six times.
• 29:52
  I need to I need to get back to what I was doing, and that's kind of where I'm at now.
• 29:57
  Yeah.
• 29:58
  So my my next project that's gonna be coming out next year is it's got a song that's similar
• 30:03
  to tough love.
• 30:04
  I've got a singer from Bradford on it, and it's about relationships and stuff, but it's way
• 30:08
  better written in terms of the verticals and stuff.
• 30:12
  I'm just trying to tap more into where I was when I first started and I had to take a break
• 30:18
  and just kind of realign myself with why I got into this in the first place.
• 30:21
  Know what I mean?
• 30:22
  I started getting a bit lost in it.
• 30:25
  You've got to brand yourself as an artist.
• 30:27
  It's a tough thing to do, man.
• 30:28
  The industry tells you you've to brand yourself, so you start thinking, alright.
• 30:32
  Well, I'll be this joker.
• 30:33
  Like, for me, I'll I'll be this jokey kind of rapper then.
• 30:36
  That's the route I'll go down because that's got commercial viability, and it's very loud
• 30:42
  and brash in terms of the marketing, so that will do well.
• 30:46
  But then, you know, three or four of them songs later you start thinking like, but I want to
• 30:51
  make a song that's deeper or that's like talking more about this or might be able to
• 30:55
  help someone with that and it's too late at that point because you've already branded
• 30:59
  yourself as this guy.
• 31:00
  So yeah I got very close to that and I pulled back a little bit which could have been to the
• 31:07
  detriment of my progression in music but I never want to sell my soul for the sake of
• 31:15
  becoming commercially viable or whatever you know what I mean.
• 31:19
  So would you if like a music label came to you and said like we want to sign you, would you go
• 31:29
  down that route or would you prefer to be more of an independent artist because obviously you
• 31:34
  can you've got more say and more control as an independent artist?
• 31:39
  Yeah I mean it would depend what they wanted from me and how they plan to market me because
• 31:47
  if they're the ones giving me massive exposure but they say I have to act or become like this
• 31:54
  kind of person and then they expose me to everyone as that kind of person but that's not
• 31:59
  what my intentions are as a rapper long term then I'm screwed.
• 32:02
  If anything happens with that deal, when I try and go back to being this person, it won't
• 32:06
  work.
• 32:07
  People will be like, so who are you?
• 32:09
  So if they were on the same page with me as to my vision and my goals with music, then I'd
• 32:15
  probably sign maybe an EP deal or maybe a couple of singles, maybe one album depending on
• 32:22
  how much they were paying and then I'd want to go back to being independent.
• 32:27
  But I wouldn't do like a five album deal for a £100,000 and they keep 90% of everything.
• 32:38
  I think that's ridiculous.
• 32:40
  So
• 32:42
  it would depend on the terms but I've been offered some wild contracts in the past.
• 32:46
  I'll tell you one contract I got offered by a by a an entity.
• 32:50
  It was so as the artist, you keep you you own the rights to none of the music, none of the
• 32:59
  visuals, none of the back end of any of it.
• 33:03
  Plus you have to pay a 100% of everything.
• 33:07
  But we'll but we'll push you, like, we'll market you, but you have to pay for everything
• 33:12
  and you keep none of it.
• 33:15
  That was one contract.
• 33:17
  Why in the earth would anyone go oh yeah I'm going to sign that contract?' Johnnet
• 33:23
  and Bud as well.
• 33:24
  He's fucking ridiculous.
• 33:25
  Six people did Bud, they gave those contracts to about 20 people and six people said yes, But
• 33:30
  luckily, because the other 14 said no and it kind of got the back the backs up of some music
• 33:36
  lawyers, they they never went ahead with it.
• 33:38
  But, yeah, six people were like, yeah.
• 33:40
  But I think what they didn't do, what I did is you can get, like, a free a free hour with a
• 33:46
  music lawyer, like a trial thing.
• 33:50
  So as part of that I sent a contract to one of them and he came back to me within about twenty
• 33:55
  minutes and he was like mate you've got to be absolutely stupid if you sign this contract,
• 34:01
  was like that's ridiculous and then I was like what do mean and he explained it to me like I
• 34:05
  just explained it to you and I was like oh, I was like yeah that's awful and I was excited
• 34:10
  man because I was like two or three years in and I was like my first contract I'm gonna be a
• 34:15
  superstar.
• 34:19
  This is it's absolutely mad.
• 34:21
  Sorry one second.
• 34:23
  This is unprofessional isn't it?
• 34:25
  You can't you can't control that.
• 34:30
  That's all good.
• 34:32
  No it's just well I think it's mad as well because like you know well I won't say mad as
• 34:41
  such but I think it's crazy because like if you're a music artist and you know like
• 34:45
  yourself you just got into two maybe three years of you know doing what you're doing and
• 34:53
  you get a contract and it's not worded the way that you just explained it to me.
• 34:57
  I mean in that respect I think anyone would sign it but if it's not worded correctly or
• 35:08
  stuff like that.
• 35:08
  It's misleading you know, that they hide behind all this all this And
• 35:13
  I think it's wrong as well because, you know, the the record deal shouldn't be allowed to do
• 35:19
  stuff like that.
• 35:19
  It should be playing black and white, go, right.
• 35:22
  Okay.
• 35:22
  This is what you get.
• 35:23
  You know?
• 35:24
  So we want 50% and you keep 50% you know everything's yours you keep this as a nurse you
• 35:32
  know I'm we'll push her you don't have to pay us anything and that's it so obviously from all
• 35:38
  the earnings that you get from Spotify, Apple, whatever, YouTube, we want to split it
• 35:43
  fiftyfifty.
• 35:44
  Know something like that, I think that's quite reasonable but you know I don't think any
• 35:50
  contracts will do that sort of stuff.
• 35:54
  No.
• 35:55
  You'll be you'll be lucky to get something like that in the music industry.
• 35:59
  Mean, what people
• 35:59
  like a seventy twenty in it?
• 36:01
  Like 70 to them 20% to you?
• 36:04
  Well, yeah.
• 36:05
  It'd be eighty twenty or seventy thirty usually.
• 36:07
  But even then, what people don't understand is even at my level as an independent artist, I
• 36:14
  make a song and I get the beat off a producer, the producer's instantly getting 50% of that
• 36:20
  song because without the beat there's no song.
• 36:23
  The producer gets half and then I've got half.
• 36:26
  But then if I've got a deal with someone else, I'm only getting half of that half.
• 36:30
  And then do you know what I mean?
• 36:31
  It starts going down from there.
• 36:33
  So, yeah, you can very easily end up getting, 10% on a song, though you've pretty much done
• 36:39
  everything minus make the beat before but someone else's you're under their jurisdiction
• 36:43
  like I've got a publisher they take 20% of a 100% so they will take 10% of that 50% and then
• 36:56
  you know it starts going down like that.
• 37:00
  See it's hard as well as being an independent artist because not many people understand like
• 37:05
  obviously all this sort of stuff as well and you know like say for example if I was going to
• 37:12
  get into music like I wouldn't know any of this sort of stuff do you know what mean?
• 37:18
  And it's quite useful information for people who are watching who want to get into the music
• 37:23
  industry or who have just literally just started to get into the music industry and they
• 37:28
  want to get big, do you know what I mean?
• 37:31
  And it's mad to say like obviously what happens and you know the progressions level because
• 37:38
  obviously you're not like where you want to be but you're at a good level as well do you know
• 37:44
  what I mean and compared to someone who wants to start like I've just mentioned then it's
• 37:48
  just the the little behind behind the scene things.
• 37:53
  It's it's mad.
• 37:54
  It's crazy.
• 37:55
  Yeah.
• 37:56
  I think what I've done, which in terms of my music, I've if if you picture being an artist
• 38:07
  as a ball, right, the the core of that ball is the music.
• 38:12
  Everything around it is understanding the fundamentals of the business side of things
• 38:17
  and, you know, getting good at performing live and networking and all of those different
• 38:23
  aspects, marketing, stuff like that.
• 38:27
  I've done it in such a weird way where my music right now, those out there, isn't actually that
• 38:34
  substantial or that impressive.
• 38:37
  But I've got so good at everything around that that I've actually built a name for myself by
• 38:43
  putting out very little music that I would class as even that impressive compared to the
• 38:47
  stuff I've got right now.
• 38:48
  So it's weird to me though.
• 38:53
  So soon as I start getting the middle part sorted my trajectory should start going crazy
• 39:01
  because I the the outside part, I've I've pretty much smashed up until now.
• 39:06
  I know how the music industry works to a good level.
• 39:09
  I've I've networked with a lot of people at various levels in the music industry.
• 39:13
  You know?
• 39:13
  I know how to market myself.
• 39:15
  I know how to write good songs.
• 39:17
  I'm good at making stuff on the spot.
• 39:19
  I've got the majority of it down, it's just I forget that people aren't aware of the music
• 39:27
  that I've got stored in the vault, do you know what I mean?
• 39:30
  I know that I've got all that so I talk as if I've already got bare bangers out there but I
• 39:36
  forget that I haven't so I sit there and I'm like Yeah
• 39:41
  but don't constrict yourself though because you have got quite a lot of songs out there and you
• 39:46
  know to anyone who's not listened to yet I would highly recommend listening to Comprehend
• 39:50
  because he is an absolutely fantastic rapper you know you're
• 39:54
  Thank you bro.
• 39:54
  It's not just rapping it's it's the singing and I watched one of your songs before and you're
• 40:00
  just rapping so fast I was like fucking no breathe breathe breathe breathe.
• 40:04
  It just like off the tongue and I was like wow.
• 40:08
  Yeah that's a skill in itself bro, that's about breath control which was another skill I was
• 40:13
  about at and you can add in half breath gaps between bars.
• 40:18
  I'm a bit of a nerd with bars right so you can add in half a breath gap.
• 40:23
  So it sounds like you're doing this mad long super fast bit where you've not breathed once,
• 40:28
  but you've actually figured out certain words you can say where it's got such an intonation
• 40:34
  that you can you can actually catch a little breath saying them words.
• 40:39
  It's pretty cool man but just quick, mean going back to what I was just saying about the
• 40:43
  outside part of the balls being mastered, would say the main thing if you're an artist
• 40:47
  listening to this is make sure your music is banging and you might think it's banging for
• 40:52
  where you're at but think about is it banging in general?
• 40:57
  Know what I mean?
• 40:58
  A lot of people come out the gate and drop an album and the album's weak and then they're
• 41:02
  like why haven't I been signed and gone major?' And it's because at that time you probably
• 41:06
  thought that was sick but on the grand scheme of things you're not that good, do you know
• 41:11
  what I mean?
• 41:11
  So take your time in owning your craft and getting good at writing songs and spend time
• 41:17
  with other songwriters and listen to other people's musics and be self critical.
• 41:22
  There's always someone better than You're never going to be the best person, so don't become
• 41:27
  deluded and start thinking I'm the best because that's a stupid way of thinking.
• 41:30
  You'll never get any better.
• 41:32
  Always be aware there's someone better than you.
• 41:34
  Always be willing to take advice on board and step outside your comfort zone and just really
• 41:40
  own your craft and have like, I would say have 30 have have 20 to 30 really good songs under
• 41:47
  your belt before you even decide to come out the gate as a rapper.
• 41:52
  If I could go back in time, that's what I'd do.
• 41:54
  I'd have spent it I'm I'm happy I've done what I've done in the past ten years, but if I'd
• 41:59
  have took ten years before that to get to where I am now and then release my debut single now,
• 42:07
  like, numbers would be so much higher and I'd be I'd be further musically.
• 42:12
  I've done it well in terms of who I've connected with and all of that stuff.
• 42:17
  Everyone well, the thing is there's a million ways to skin the cat not as being a music
• 42:21
  artist.
• 42:22
  There is no right way to do it or wrong way to do it.
• 42:25
  Do it how whichever way you wanna do, but I just think the main thing is you need to
• 42:29
  actually be good at making music to do it.
• 42:32
  Do you know what I mean?
• 42:33
  No, totally agree with you on that as well, but I personally think the way that you've done
• 42:38
  everything, I think it's fell into place so well.
• 42:42
  Yeah.
• 42:43
  And, you know, I love it how you do it on your music videos.
• 42:46
  Know, it's your cousin's worst favorite rapper and everything. Like
• 42:50
  Like time that comes off, was like, that tickles me how how you've just come up with
• 42:56
  that.
• 42:56
  And it's just because it that in a way it's good marketing because you do have that weird
• 43:04
  cousin in your family who listens to weird shit and it's just like well I'm an artist who that
• 43:10
  weird cousin listening to weird shit, do you know what I mean?
• 43:14
  Yeah.
• 43:15
  But it's not weird shit your music and again, you know I'll pick your head up here and
• 43:22
  everything because you are an absolutely fantastic rapper, you are an absolutely amazing
• 43:26
  singer, know, you're talented, you're gifted
• 43:29
  you
• 43:30
  know said to one of before we came on and everything I had some of your music on and my
• 43:36
  neighbour came in he was like 'are you listening to?' I went and I said oh I'm
• 43:39
  interviewing some guy later on' he was like it's good him isn't it?' I said 'fucking tell
• 43:43
  me about it mate' I said 'he's sick' honestly.
• 43:48
  Like from
• 43:50
  when I first heard one of your songs I was like captivated by it and I was just so intrigued I
• 43:57
  was like I'm subscribing and every time you drop more and more songs I'm like listening to
• 44:03
  them all the time you know put them on repeat and it's just I've become a fan of you as well
• 44:08
  and I can't wait for your new music to come out
• 44:13
  whilst
• 44:14
  we're talking about music as well and you mentioned something that in video AI stuff
• 44:21
  anyway isn't it?
• 44:23
  What's that?
• 44:24
  That Nvidia thing.
• 44:27
  Oh the video recording I mentioned?
• 44:30
  Yeah yeah when you're putting the thumbnails in and it tells you if it's a good thumbnail or
• 44:33
  not.
• 44:33
  Yeah yeah yeah yeah.
• 44:35
  So obviously I'm like always on social media and everything as well and you know you see
• 44:44
  these videos that are being put out that have been done by AI and everything and you know
• 44:51
  these music videos and you put a prompt in and it's like Harry Potter rapping, for example.
• 44:57
  I watched one yesterday and I was like, it's scary, the fact that this AI stuff could
• 45:03
  potentially replace artists like yourself.
• 45:07
  It's just like,
• 45:08
  you know,
• 45:11
  what's going to happen in like the next ten, fifteen years?
• 45:13
  You know, I will I will going to get rid of music artists completely.
• 45:17
  You know, are these is someone like yourself going to have to compete to a freaking PC?
• 45:23
  Do you know what I mean?
• 45:24
  And it's it's scary and mad to think about that sort of stuff, do not think?
• 45:28
  Yeah.
• 45:29
  No.
• 45:29
  It is, bro.
• 45:30
  It is.
• 45:30
  But I think I mean, well, if you if you break it down, bro, it's potentially gonna be the
• 45:36
  same with everything.
• 45:39
  Yeah.
• 45:39
  I think they said AI's got the the potential to take over 99% of things people do nowadays.
• 45:47
  Do you know what I mean?
• 45:49
  Yeah.
• 45:50
  Everything.
• 45:50
  So I guess looking at it from that perspective, is what it is.
• 45:57
  But, I I'd love to be able to say, yeah, I'll outdo AI, but I don't think that's gonna become
• 46:05
  possible.
• 46:06
  I think I think it will get to a point where it will capture you know, be able to capture our
• 46:10
  voices and just create it will listen to our intonations on certain songs and be able to to
• 46:16
  make music like that, but, especially if it's, like, got everyone who's released music
• 46:21
  publicly in the world and it's got, like, all of that and then it can mix it together.
• 46:25
  And, yeah, it's scary, bro, but, listen.
• 46:30
  I don't wanna say me being an artist is gonna be like a a financially feasible thing twenty
• 46:36
  years from now.
• 46:37
  But, I do it because I love it at the end of the day.
• 46:41
  That's why I started doing it.
• 46:42
  So I'll always make music, and I'll probably always be releasing music, man, because when I
• 46:47
  one of one of the first things I released I mean, I first started rapping to try and open
• 46:53
  people's eyes to things they might think about, yeah, that they might think about or do that
• 47:00
  they think makes them a weirdo or unusual or makes them know I'm saying?
• 47:08
  Open their eyes about the world and you're not alone through this and you're not alone through
• 47:11
  that.
• 47:11
  And I remember someone had told me that I stopped them from killing themselves one night,
• 47:15
  which was mind blowing to me and I remember thinking if I can do that just by dropping that
• 47:22
  then I'm happy that I've saved someone's life.
• 47:26
  I wonder how many more I could save or how much further I can take this in terms of helping
• 47:31
  people.
• 47:32
  So that's why I started doing it.
• 47:36
  That's what I've had to remind myself why I've been doing it.
• 47:38
  So even if AI comes along, bro, I'll still be doing that.
• 47:42
  They might do it better than me.
• 47:44
  Mean, there's a lot of rappers that are better than me.
• 47:46
  You've just gotta try and hope people connect with that human aspect of you and, relate to
• 47:51
  that on a human level and, pray for the best, I guess.
• 47:57
  I totally agree on that one.
• 48:00
  So if you could collaborate with any music artist, doesn't matter if they're dead, they
• 48:08
  could be alive, they could be top tier music artists, it could be upcoming, no one like that
• 48:16
  anyone's never heard of.
• 48:18
  Who would you collaborate with and why?
• 48:25
  Probably either Lil Wayne or Eminem.
• 48:30
  I had a feeling you was gonna say Eminem.
• 48:32
  Yeah.
• 48:34
  Wait.
• 48:34
  What is that before?
• 48:36
  Why is because, like a lot of people, I I listened to a lot of Eminem when I was a kid
• 48:42
  growing up.
• 48:44
  My dad used to play him in the car.
• 48:46
  A lot of his stuff takes me back to my earliest childhood memories, and this was before I
• 48:50
  listened to rap like I do now.
• 48:55
  Yeah, but then when I started listening to rap, the first rapper I like properly became like,
• 49:01
  I'm a rap guy.
• 49:02
  That's what I that's what I do.
• 49:04
  It was Lil Wayne.
• 49:05
  And you can ask my my older brother every day he walked through the door I'd be listening to
• 49:09
  a different Lil Wayne interview or listening to his music on the way to and from school, buying
• 49:13
  anything he dropped, watching how he dressed, all of that stuff and I'd be like yeah I need
• 49:19
  to buy a mink fur coat at some point.
• 49:23
  And, like, just stupid stuff, man.
• 49:25
  But his wordplay was crazy, but I still listen to his stuff now.
• 49:29
  His wordplay was insane.
• 49:31
  A little the coat?
• 49:33
  You what?
• 49:33
  Sorry?
• 49:34
  Did you buy the colt?
• 49:36
  No.
• 49:37
  I got something similar, but it wasn't real fun.
• 49:42
  No.
• 49:42
  I I I I remember googling them, they were, like, they were, like, you know, $18 or
• 49:47
  something or, like, some ridiculous amount.
• 49:48
  I was like, yeah, not today.
• 49:51
  Christmas is coming up anyway, so you can probably treat yourself to it.
• 49:55
  Exactly.
• 49:56
  But this was early 2000s, bro.
• 49:59
  I think it's the style anymore.
• 50:02
  But I'd look like a caricature of a pimp, do you know what I mean?
• 50:07
  I'd probably get smacked up for it.
• 50:10
  But Eminem, just because of how much he ties into my childhood bro, thought and he was, the
• 50:17
  first person.
• 50:18
  And me and my a lot of my friends are, like, hardcore fans of his.
• 50:22
  There is other people that I listen to more these days, but I don't think it's impossible
• 50:28
  for me to end up doing a track with them at some point.
• 50:31
  So I I don't rule that as, like, an impossible feature, whereas someone like Eminem, I'd say
• 50:37
  it's damn near impossible.
• 50:40
  Nothing's impossible.
• 50:41
  Yeah.
• 50:42
  Yeah.
• 50:42
  You you never know.
• 50:43
  You you could possibly blow up so big one day, Eminem gets in contact with Junglas.
• 50:49
  Listen.
• 50:50
  Let's do a feature.
• 50:52
  Yeah.
• 50:53
  I mean, that definitely had crossed my mind a lot in the earlier days.
• 50:56
  I remember I remember one night getting super drunk, bro, and emailing his management, like
• 51:02
  20 emails and I was like yeah he has to get me on a track like here's my stuff hoping that I'd
• 51:10
  wake up the next morning and I'd have an email back saying yeah he'd love to jump on some of
• 51:14
  you!
• 51:16
  Listen, I think we've all done that you know.
• 51:19
  I've emailed big big and I mean big artists and I've emailed them like I do a podcast about
• 51:28
  music artists, I'd love to have you on for an interview, never get anything back but you know
• 51:34
  Yeah you've got to shoot your shot bro, you know what I'm saying?
• 51:36
  Someone advised me one day those like to well I still do a sense of books in my own and I've
• 51:45
  always been a fan of his as well and someone said to me 'email him or find him on socials'
• 51:54
  and was like and say what?
• 51:56
  I don't know what to say to the guy, just like well just introduce yourself and just tell him
• 52:02
  what your podcast is about.
• 52:03
  So I was like you know what, fuck it, we're live once, I'll do it and I think that goes to
• 52:09
  say for anyone as well really, you don't know, know what's going happen, know, mean again with
• 52:15
  yourself, you know, you don't know within the next, you know, I'd say five to ten years, you
• 52:20
  know, you could be this big massive artist who's on TV and everything, know, who's at
• 52:26
  festivals, who's at part life, who's at Glastonbury and, you know, going to warehouse
• 52:31
  projects and stuff like that, do you know what I mean?
• 52:33
  You don't know.
• 52:34
  Yeah, man.
• 52:35
  I think
• 52:35
  the beautiful thing about social media as well is like you can blow at any age.
• 52:39
  I mean, look at look at Pete and Bas, and then look at, you know, look at I can't remember his
• 52:44
  name now.
• 52:45
  He's he's called doctor something.
• 52:47
  He's an American, Donnie.
• 52:48
  He must be, like, 45.
• 52:50
  He's sick with it.
• 52:51
  So I don't think the restraints are there like they used to be.
• 52:55
  It used to be you had to get signed and a record label would only sign you if you were
• 53:00
  still young and you had a lot of years that they could squeeze out of you in terms of being
• 53:04
  able to sell you to the public as this young, clean, fit, beautiful, do you know what mean,
• 53:12
  gangster kind or whatever kind of character, but I don't think that's the case anymore.
• 53:18
  There's a few artists who I've seen as well.
• 53:22
  What's it called now?
• 53:26
  There's a there's a coloured guy and he's got like afro hair and he's got the tattoo on his
• 53:30
  necks and it begins with day.
• 53:33
  He's a good artist.
• 53:37
  And he's done one where it's like drinking whiskey out the bottle and he does the studio.
• 53:41
  He's he's absolutely amazing.
• 53:45
  Rate him and Ren as well then too are absolutely outstanding.
• 53:51
  Yeah.
• 53:52
  Yeah.
• 53:53
  Yeah.
• 53:54
  Ren's Ren's pretty sick, man.
• 53:55
  I rave Ren.
• 53:56
  I've done a few of Dax's open verse challenges before.
• 54:00
  His songs are very, like, emotively very animated you know what I mean like when he does
• 54:07
  the joker kind of style stuff and whatever else but yeah he is killing it to be fair Dax is.
• 54:14
  Yeah I reckon that'd be a good collab between them two Dax and Ren.
• 54:19
  I'm surprised they've had them already collab to be fair.
• 54:22
  Wouldn't surprise me if they have.
• 54:24
  Be fair.
• 54:26
  Excuse me.
• 54:26
  Before we do wrap up and everything, because obviously I'm assuming that you've got some
• 54:32
  stuff to do today and everything, don't want to keep you too long.
• 54:34
  I could sit and talk to you for a very long time.
• 54:40
  Is there any advice you'd like to give to people who are watching and tuning into
• 54:47
  episode?
• 54:49
  Yeah, I would, but it's more general advice right?
• 54:54
  Just because of how much of a 180 my life has done in the past couple of years, obviously
• 55:02
  with getting sober and stuff like that.
• 55:04
  I think people get stuck in a cycle and a routine and think it's hard to change the
• 55:11
  person who you are or break out certain situations and I found the easiest thing for me
• 55:18
  was to change who you identify as.
• 55:25
  So leaning towards addiction anyway, think you might see yourself as a stoner kind of
• 55:31
  character, and you might have embedded that into your life in terms of the music you listen
• 55:35
  to, like the kind of programs you watch, how you dress, where you go, stuff like that.
• 55:42
  You know what I'm saying?
• 55:43
  And I'd I'd say the easiest way to become the thing you want to become is to identify as
• 55:51
  that, and then figure out all the nuances later on.
• 55:55
  Do you know what I mean?
• 55:57
  So that's the same as becoming an artist.
• 56:00
  Know?
• 56:00
  Identify as an artist.
• 56:01
  What would an artist do?
• 56:02
  An artist would go probably to a networking event.
• 56:05
  Would they treat it like a party and get off their nut?
• 56:07
  Probably not.
• 56:08
  Should you?
• 56:09
  Probably not.
• 56:10
  Do you know what I'm saying?
• 56:11
  That's how you quickly make yourself look silly.
• 56:13
  What would an artist do?
• 56:14
  They'd they'd put in that graph.
• 56:15
  They'd go to an open mic tonight.
• 56:16
  They'd go to the studio the next night.
• 56:18
  They'd be writing lyrics to starting the night after that.
• 56:20
  You know what I'm saying?
• 56:21
  If you want to identify as someone who doesn't drink, then maybe lean towards identifying as
• 56:27
  someone who's into fitness.
• 56:29
  If you want to identify as someone who's not a stoner maybe identify as a gentleman who smokes
• 56:36
  cigars and dresses nicely or whatever.
• 56:38
  It's all about the image you create around your character in your head because that's all we
• 56:43
  are, we're just avatars for our souls.
• 56:45
  You know what I'm saying?
• 56:46
  So you just shape your avatar to whoever you want to be and then just focus on what would
• 56:51
  they do, how would they act.
• 56:52
  Obviously you're going to have the challenges of cravings and stuff like that but if you
• 56:57
  understand that and aware of that, the same with you you'll have challenges as a music
• 57:02
  artist, if you're aware of that and you understand that it's part of the journey, then
• 57:07
  you'll push through it and you'll keep going, you know.
• 57:09
  So I think it's just focusing on what the end goal is, why you want that, and then
• 57:14
  understanding there's going be a lot of steps to climb along the way and, and and getting
• 57:18
  after it, man, and just putting in that graft.
• 57:21
  Yeah I really appreciate what you just said then as well and just before we do go is there
• 57:27
  anything you'd like to promote on today's episode as well?
• 57:32
  Yeah man, so look out for the live version of my song Hypocrypt that will be dropping on my
• 57:42
  YouTube soon.
• 57:45
  I've got a feature with my boy JC coming soon.
• 57:47
  I've got a ton of shows coming up.
• 57:49
  You'll be able to find information about that on my socials which is comprehendofficial.
• 57:56
  And then next year I'm just going to start dropping all of the new music I've been sat on
• 58:00
  and I'm super excited to share with everyone.
• 58:02
  I've just got a few more things to sort in the studio, getting them finished and then be tons
• 58:08
  of music coming out.
• 58:09
  So thank you to everyone who's been on the journey with me, Shar, everyone who's just
• 58:13
  joining me on the journey, and let's get it.
• 58:17
  No worries.
• 58:17
  I just want to say a massive thank you to yourself.
• 58:20
  I just want to say you know well done and congratulations on everything that you've done
• 58:25
  so far.
• 58:26
  Know obviously the journeys that you've been through, the struggles that you've been through
• 58:31
  as well and that you've managed to change your life around and become who you are today and
• 58:38
  everything.
• 58:39
  It's absolutely amazing and
• 58:40
  thank you.
• 58:41
  I want to say that you are a role model to some people as well.
• 58:45
  Know what I mean?
• 58:45
  As you just mentioned as well, you save someone's life from dropping a track and god
• 58:51
  knows how many other people's lives you saved as well.
• 58:53
  So keep doing what you're doing and everything, and, you know, ecstatic to see your new music
• 58:58
  as well.
• 58:59
  Yeah.
• 59:00
  Thank you, brother.
• 59:00
  I'm excited to to hear it, and, hopefully, it can help a lot more people as well.
• 59:04
  That'd be dope.
• 59:05
  Yeah, man.
• 59:06
  Thanks for for coming on as well.
• 59:07
  That's all good, brother.
• 59:09
  You take care, man.
• 59:10
  Cheers.
• 59:11
  Cheers, brother.