Latest / Unsigned518 / Unsigned518 - Episode 154 - Xkwisit

Transcript

Unsigned518 - Episode 154 - Xkwisit · Unsigned518

• 0:01
  Speaker A: He was born on a Saturday in 73. He loves park rock music. Here he comes, Andy Sculling wearing his orange hat.
• 0:27
  Speaker B: Welcome to. Welcome to unsigned 518. I am here with Exquisite. How's it going, man?
• 0:32
  Speaker A: Good, how are you?
• 0:34
  Speaker B: I'm fantastic. And we just actually met like fucking 10 minutes ago. Like, we've interacted, I guess, in the digital world. I've certainly known of you. I've spoken with several people that you've collaborated with, but this is actually our first meeting, so it's pretty cool. So I guess. How's it going?
• 0:57
  Speaker A: It's going great. And thanks for having me here in your studio and great to meet you. You seem like. Seem like a wonderful dude.
• 1:06
  Speaker B: Thanks.
• 1:07
  Speaker A: And we have a lot of similar interests, including what we're doing right now. Recording, Right.
• 1:16
  Speaker B: I thought you meant smoking a joint. And that's including what we're doing right now. Yeah, we're doing that too.
• 1:23
  Speaker A: And that too. And what is funny is the first time I saw you, obviously the orange hat stands out.
• 1:31
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:32
  Speaker A: But the name Andy Scullin is very similar to Andrew Sullivan, who is my cousin. And on the other side there's an Andy. So I've got two cousins named Andy. And I kept seeing your name pop across the feed with Unsigned and I'd be like, andy Scullin. And then finally it registered that it wasn't just my cousin, it was somebody else. And I needed to check you out. So I did and I came across unsigned 518 and everything that you're doing. And I was like, wow, this is really cool. You're giving a spotlight to people. And like you said, you've talked with some of my friends before, so thanks for having me, man. It's awesome.
• 2:13
  Speaker B: Yeah, no, it's. It's really cool that, you know, that's what I'm trying to do is basically make not just help artists be known, but help artists know of other artists. Because if people are listening to the show, like, I know a lot of people that have heard of people by listening to the show, and it's everybody in your area, so it's just making fucking friends, trying to make everybody make friends.
• 2:40
  Speaker A: I guess it's a network, it's a union of people that are all after the same thing. It's. It doesn't need to be so hyper competitive. Right?
• 2:49
  Speaker B: It doesn't need to be competitive at all.
• 2:52
  Speaker A: It should be the opposite. We should be helping each other 100%. And that's a lot of what I'm. I think I'm after trying to do right now is, you know, creating a marketplace for people in the hip hop world in the 518.
• 3:11
  Speaker B: And that's something that's. You know what. And actually we'll put a pin in that because you actually have like a whole venture, a whole fucking thing that you're basically gonna announce on the show, right? So let's start. I guess we'll start Humble beginnings first and then lead up to the announcement at the end. So I guess, kind of how did you get to where you are now? I guess, you know, tell the story how you want to tell it. Go back as far back as you want, you know.
• 3:40
  Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. So Exquisite. Exquisite dmc. Exquisite is a. Is a person in a name and a tag that I've been writing since probably age 14 or 1998. When I made my first tape. I called myself Excalibur the Exquisite. And I went by Excalibur for a while and. And then I started writing Exquisite with my graffiti with a Sharpie onto every single desk. With a pencil probably on the desk, let's be honest. And then you sneak the Sharpie in the corner. But then I started, you know, and I'd shorten that and I'd write X2C. And I had a couple different things in tin, obviously. And then I just started saying it more. It was easy. Um, it.
• 4:33
  Speaker B: I've.
• 4:34
  Speaker A: Honestly, I. I've never loved it because it's so close to the word exhibit, which is another rapper. People have called me that on bills. People have spelled my name wrong on bills. It's like, damn, I kind of wish it was a little different. But it is what it is now. And Exquisite Inc. Is so, so exquisite. Yeah, I started writing it way, way back then when I started rapping and making demo tapes and stuff like that around, you know, high school is when I started taking it serious and decided to go to school for music. And so from the years of, let's see, when I graduated 03 to 07, I went to SUNY Oneonta and I actually majored in the music industry.
• 5:25
  Speaker B: And that was like teaching you production and, you know, everything not only from like the technical side of things, but like kind of like the political side, you know, I guess like how the industry works, you know, it's exact.
• 5:40
  Speaker A: So I was, I considered. We all considered ourselves very underground, backpack rapper style, weed smoking, right? Underground dudes. So like the concept of me going to school for music industry was a weird concept to begin with. And then going there and learning, you learn everything from Music theory to business, to how you merge those things together and market it and merchandise it and such. And it really did kind of turn me off. I mean, the honest, the honest answer is I tried to get an internship and I didn't get it down at Sony BMG in like 2005. And like, I had like this chip on my shoulder and I was like, fuck them and fuck everyone and let's just do shows and sell CDs and like, who cares? And work at a pizza shop and whatever, you know, And I just had this mentality about me where I did not want to work with other artists. I didn't want to even really show my music to other people unless it was like a performance, you know, and, and then eventually I'd say I, you know, you get older, you get a few different jobs, you, you have some kids, you start a family, you realize that you need other people around you to be successful. So that's around the time I started trying to really do shows. And, you know, that's probably, I don't know, 28, 2018, you know, and I tried to really start getting back into putting a product out, you know, in the form of a performance or a cd, a full album availability to book me to come freestyle at your house. Doesn't matter. Right. Like, productizing the music for the first time.
• 7:41
  Speaker B: And you know, do you find. Because I've talked to other people in the, in like the hip hop world, especially around here, like the difficulties in arranging shows and you know, especially like, in light of like the, the recent bullshit going down with like, you know, places getting shut down or whatever.
• 8:00
  Speaker A: Sure.
• 8:00
  Speaker B: But like, it was that. That had to have had like an extra layer of frustration. Oh, it had a challenge to it.
• 8:09
  Speaker A: Of course, but the. Absolutely. And it continues too, and like the stigma around it.
• 8:15
  Speaker B: Right, right.
• 8:16
  Speaker A: And so you have to kind of differentiate yourself and in the aspect of if you're going to put something on, you have to have a good plan in place, you know, to keep people safe and make sure the people that you're bringing are going to help roll that plan out.
• 8:36
  Speaker B: But I mean, that wouldn't happen if you're playing like Credence Clearwater Revival songs or like.
• 8:40
  Speaker A: Right. Classic point. Or your cheat.
• 8:43
  Speaker B: You wouldn't have to be like, we need extra security, you know. Yeah, totally.
• 8:46
  Speaker A: If you're just saying. And it's an intense form of music. It's. It's people pouring their heart out. Right. So whether that's in beat form or, or rapping rhyme form. So, yeah, it Brings. It's like hardcore death metal, they call it, or whatever you want to call it. Heavy metal brings an emotion out of you that is strong. It's a strong feeling.
• 9:12
  Speaker B: But what I found is in, you know, like. Cause I like a lot of heavy music, but I found like a lot of the times, like, the heavier the music, the fucking angrier the music. The, like, more grounded and centered and kind the human being behind the music.
• 9:29
  Speaker A: Is, you know, that's an interesting point too, because in a lot of forms of. In rap versus, you know, hip hop, rap, whatever you want to call it, a true lyricist versus somebody who's doing it for the clout or wear diamond necklaces on stage and stuff. Right. When the motives are different, the songwriter behind it. Right. Like, you think of somebody like Mop, where, like, you've got songs that I'm sure, you know, like Annie up, that are just humongous classic hits. Like, you could play that song anywhere, and everybody just turns and likes it first of all, but kind of gets a mean mug face. But nobody's. You're not really about to yap that fool, you know, as the lyrics say, like, you're about to just, like you feel good in it, pumps you up and makes you want to slam dunk a basketball. Right. It brings you up. So the same is true. Right. And if you promote the wrong things, it will. It might bring the wrong things. Right, Right.
• 10:34
  Speaker B: Yeah, I just. I just. Not interesting. I think it fucking sucks. But, like, you know that it's harder for hip hop shows to, like, just have their place and do their fucking thing when they should be able to just like everybody else. And they're part of the scene just like everybody else.
• 10:52
  Speaker A: Exactly. And there's a big group around it. I mean, there's specific niches to it.
• 10:58
  Speaker B: Right, right.
• 10:59
  Speaker A: Hip hop is a billion dollar industry, and that's underestimating it. Dr. Dre is probably has a billion dollars. What are we talking about? It's a trillion dollar industry, probably. So we're 100 miles north of the Mecca, the birthplace, Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, right up the street from Yankee Stadium. Okay. So that would be like being an Abu Dhabi and not investing in oil for the scene to not invest in hip hop. Yeah, it's that culturally rich that it's from here and it's gone everywhere. Specific types of rock and punk to New York, Boston scenes have all merged in Albany. Very cool.
• 11:44
  Speaker B: Yeah, because, like, it's close enough where you know, once the, you know, back in like the 80s you know, when like LL Cool J and Run DMC were, you know, were coming up, like they were playing in Albany, you know. Cause, like, it's. It's in that, like, touring range. So there's been hip hop around here for a long fucking time.
• 12:03
  Speaker A: It's all forms of entertainment where Albany is in the shadow of both of those cities. So we get cool shit all the time. Like, we get like Tracy Morgan at the Funny Bone when he's trying out new material to go do a Netflix special. Or like, you know, Aziz Ansari, another example. Louis ck. So all these guys at the Funny Bone who are humongous and could do way bigger shows than the Funny Bone, but they're testing out the material up the street in Albany, right? Yeah. So let's, you know, there's a lane. There's always been a lane for that in Albany and people have done it in the past, you know, successfully. But like you said, the stigma around it, specific bad situations, bad promotions, bad not having enough security, whatever the situation may be. Yeah, it gets. Sometimes it gets shut down and needs to get revived. Right. That's how it feels. And there's a few venues out there who are willing to work with hip hop artists. Like, so shout out to them, you know, Empire, right. Lark, Lark hall, you know, there's several, you know, Putnam even, you know, there's places that will do it, but you have to have the right plan and strategy to do it these days. Right. Like, you know, you're not gonna get. Yeah, you're gonna get a really, really good show, but you're not gonna get the consistency and frequency that like the market is saying is there.
• 13:36
  Speaker B: Right? Yeah, I mean, I think the market's fucking definitely there. And there's some amazing hip hop coming out of. Coming out of Albany constantly. But speaking of amazing hip hop, I think we should probably hear an exquisite song. So what did you want to play for us first?
• 13:53
  Speaker A: Let's. Let's play brand new produced by AB the Autocrat. Published, published and released by AB the Autocrat featuring Albany Lou. Run it. If you're good at something, never do it for free. How much you want?
• 14:14
  Speaker C: Half. You're crazy.
• 14:18
  Speaker A: I'm not.
• 14:19
  Speaker B: No, I'm not.
• 14:21
  Speaker C: You went through your own two and molars. Dr. Seuss Quoters, IPOT and News folders. Turn to computer coders. Gatekeepers have tribal knowledge. Move over. How do you move over a huge boulder? It's a how to chicken Soup for the soul written to a misconstrued soldier. Broken circuits inside a fuse Holder surface with group composure Renaissance era the finest ladies had a future odor Game of rap don't play against me if you got two controllers let's play together Whatever the weather possess energy from light and darkness, lunar and solar White cocaine out of blue Corolla I'm from an ordinary block Few streets where they shoot bleach in your face out of super Soaker, loose gorilla glue Got me through Corona I couldn't do this sober High and dry California dreaming Thinking bout moving closer running.
• 15:28
  Speaker D: I'm not an ordinary artist on an ordinary trip I'm extraordinary honest in your mortuary fit Whether threat of promise I could always get you clipped Got the gunners in the Honda they will smoke you like a clip When I was young I didn't bother Now I keep it on the hip looking out for robbers I'm a demon on the strip it's intriguing what's the reason? It is treason when you spit Only thing that should be eaten is to bleed it from your lips I'm conceited with the licks, yes, my dope is always best Got a rope around your neck and the hole up in your chest your skull be looking best when your face is not attached Knock his teeth through his head then I place him on the rack I'm invasive, I got patience he gets wasted on the track Knock his body through the front end and I race it to the back My bread is never flat yeah, I get it by the loaf Lock his ass in the freezer then I take away his coat for years on my peers they were praying for the goat but instead they got the game dog to rip away your throat Run.
• 16:26
  Speaker C: Your Jews, run it, run your Jews Give them up.
• 16:30
  Speaker D: Give me that.
• 16:31
  Speaker C: Run it, run your Jews, run it, run your jewels give them up when you.
• 16:37
  Speaker D: Jewel.
• 16:58
  Speaker B: Exquisite with ALBANY Lou and A.B. the autocrat. And you know we were talking earlier and you have have an announcement and it's something that you know, obviously I'm a big fan of because it's similar to what I'm doing. It's helping people, is building a community and I guess tell us what's up.
• 17:19
  Speaker A: Awesome, thanks. So the announcement is I'll be launching a essentially a booking agency but more of a full kind of one stop hip hop shop sales agency called Rap Clinics Rap Clinics llc. With the the primary objective being bringing really really good hip hop shows to Albany, New York. Not really stepping too far outside of of that main goal at first and getting venues local people like yourself, the newspapers, our friends, our grandmothers more comfortable with the Hip hop culture. Right. And I would be lying if I wasn't saying that I'm also trying to help people market it, monetize it. Sure. Make an enterprise with it. How can we monopolize it? How? We're so close, right? We're right up the Hudson river from New York, where hip hop is from. How do we create a place that people don't miss it on their tours? If you're touring from the west coast, you have to stop in Albany because we bring people from Rochester and we bring people from Syracuse and western Mass. And Glens Falls and down in Rockland county, and they drive up because it's such a good environment. So, yeah, that's what I'm doing. I'm launching Rap Clinics llc and I'm trying to bring some, Some. Some good music to Albany.
• 19:21
  Speaker B: And is it something that, like, local artists would reach out to you and work with? Or are you trying to bring talent to us or, like, explain, I guess, in that?
• 19:32
  Speaker A: Oh, yeah, 100%. So, you know, me being an artist myself and opening acts myself, I have an awesome plan, I think, and I'm gonna continue to run it by more people. You being one right here, right now. I'd like to do an incentivized plan when we bring in opening artists. I think that when you have an opening artist helping support a main act, a big concert even, it's so important to have those sort of boots on the ground. The so to speak, street team that we used to have when it was flyers hand to hand, you know, we have to get back to that. And the way you do that these days is pretty simple. Like you can incentivize a sales program. Like, what if the artist sold the tickets and got 25% or 20 or 30, or, you know, what if there was an incentivized plan that made sense for them to make money to draw people to the scene? To me, it's one of the most important parts.
• 20:47
  Speaker B: And it would connect scenes together, which almost makes one bigger scene.
• 20:54
  Speaker A: Which makes one bigger scene. So if you're working over here in Vermont and I'm working over here in Albany and somebody's working in Schenectady, maybe instead of us, you know, working in our little silos, how can we all help each other? And then we establish a team and we're all booking for each other. So that's sort of why I don't. I don't necessarily feel comfortable calling myself a booking agency as this Rap Clinics llc, but I do feel comfortable saying that I, you Know, I'm. I'd like to create a more organized, unionized sort of marketplace that everybody can use.
• 21:34
  Speaker B: That makes sense for.
• 21:36
  Speaker A: That makes sense for everybody. And, and so one specific target I would have for not only opening acts, but anybody would be to use some sort of a program where you, you sell more albums instead of focusing on streams as much. So hang on, you. You focus on streams to grow as much as humanly possible, right? But you focus on also selling that album unit every time you have an album unit to as many people as humanly possible. And if that's 74 people, then that transaction needs to happen. You can do that without selling a tape or, you know, here's my download link. Why can't you do that with a bottle of water that comes with a, with. Comes with a QR code to my album that is a transactional album purchase where I just moved a unit. And maybe it's a CD at first, where it's a promotional CD that you have to, you have to do that with. But every time an artist releases music, this is common knowledge. This is you. You could generate an isrc, right, for the song, and then that ISRC you can turn into a barcode. So that's all these CD baby people are doing for you is that simple process that you can now do online for free. So if you just do that, print it out, you could now print it on a Memorex cd, you know, from cvs, put your barcode on it, sell it, and report it to Soundscan as an album sold. If you do 1500 streams as one album sold, right? Or something like that, I think it's.
• 23:28
  Speaker B: Like, yeah, it's like less than 3 cents. It's like.003 cents.
• 23:34
  Speaker A: And then the money, that doesn't add up at all. So.
• 23:38
  Speaker B: And you don't. They don't even start counting until you hit a thousand streams.
• 23:42
  Speaker A: So this is how I think people, or at least independent artists, opening acts like myself should think about that is we need to be giving the music for free at a high rate, at a quality rate, but a high rate, whether that's monthly or weekly or yearly, whatever your schedule permits, have a plan for it. And, and, and don't. And you don't have to just focus on just Spotify or just YouTube or just one alley. I think you need to do all of them. And then there's other ways to sell your album, right? Like at the show, you could sell someone a lighter that comes with a cd, but it's sold as a cd Right. Like in the lighters, free. However you want to look at it, you can put value to other things that people might want in the venue on the spot.
• 24:43
  Speaker B: So you could make. You could even sell like a lighter with a QR code and sell the lighter for five bucks. But then that QR code has the album.
• 24:51
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 24:52
  Speaker B: And is it like it generates to.
• 24:54
  Speaker A: A spreadsheet or something? Somebody smarter than me figure has to figure that part out.
• 24:58
  Speaker B: Sure.
• 24:59
  Speaker A: But. But it goes to. Yeah, and it's registered. And then you're registered the unit moved. And now what that helps you with is getting known in other places. Like Spotify could take you so far. But that shit is so bogged down by bots in specific avenues and such. We get caught in our niches.
• 25:19
  Speaker B: Yeah, I've had it. I've had days where I've noticed, like the podcast, you know, I always check my streams and, you know, who's listening and where. And there was like one day where I had like, you know, 700 listens for one show. And I'm like, that's not fucking real, you know, and then I like clicked on it and it was in like, you know, Nambia or something.
• 25:39
  Speaker A: Something. Yeah, Yeah.
• 25:40
  Speaker B: I knew it wasn't real. That's crazy.
• 25:43
  Speaker A: Like, they're like, Poland loved my. On May 23rd for 13 minutes only. What the fuck?
• 25:49
  Speaker B: Yeah. And it was like hundreds of people.
• 25:51
  Speaker A: I'm like, you know, and I don't even know how that, like, happens, but it happens, right? Like, you know, if you search for it, like promotional services on Spotify or whatever, you're going to just like, get that. These days, I think, like, you're going to get spammed. Like, you can buy five streams and such. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, it's important to keep your music available there.
• 26:18
  Speaker B: And so how do you feel about CDs, you know, being that it's something I like, people aren't gonna. People don't have CD player, you know.
• 26:27
  Speaker A: Because, you know, I don't. So here's the thing, though. I don't like them post pandemic rates at 350 a CD. Right. When it was 38 cents, 87 cents a CD. That made sense. And then, because again, like, you could put the QR code to a link and a thing and like, people thought it'd be drop cards. At one time, I was talking to local artist Mike Lanny. Shout out to him the other day, but we were laughing like, yo, remember? We all had drop cards, like, yeah, fuck. Oh, it didn't work out. Right. But, like, you could use that still kind of. You could use a business card, you could use this, you could use a drop link. It just needs the community. It just needs to be a method that your fans can connect to you. And.
• 27:11
  Speaker B: Right.
• 27:12
  Speaker A: Some fans use Spotify, some fans use Apple, some fans have tape decks, some fans have record players. You know, it's like, I think having all that available is important and productizing that is important. But my approach is going to be try to help create a marketplace. Like, you would go to, like, you go to the Vintage Roundup ever, any of those things downtown. Why couldn't we create a marketplace like that? Every single event, we're like one booth. He's got, like, fresh old fucking polo that he customized. That's fucking dope that nobody's got. Right? And he's selling them, and then somebody else is selling records. Somebody else. It's all hip hop adjacent.
• 27:53
  Speaker C: Shit.
• 27:54
  Speaker A: Can we sell weed? Maybe somebody.
• 27:57
  Speaker B: Maybe you can give it away. This lighter for 30 bucks, I'll give you some weed.
• 28:04
  Speaker A: The Doob tube with the album. Hold up, Let me patent this right now. The dude tube with the album cover on it.
• 28:11
  Speaker B: Yeah, Right.
• 28:13
  Speaker A: And the top's got the little QR code. Your phone can see.
• 28:15
  Speaker B: We, yeah, we were at a event at no Fun. Our band played the show and Love that place, 400 River street, that dispensary in Troy. They came and had all these Dube Tubes, and we're handing out, just handing out joint after joint after joint just for free to everybody in the crowd. They literally gave out, I mean, probably fucking 100 joints. It was. It was amazing. And it was. You're right, just all marketing. It had all their information, the QR code, everything right on the Dube Tube.
• 28:47
  Speaker A: See, somebody beat me to it. That's amazing.
• 28:51
  Speaker B: But, you know, it just shows that it can be done.
• 28:53
  Speaker A: It shows that it can be done. Exactly. And so this is the type of mindset that I'm just going to take a very simple business type of mindset with it and give the opening acts pieces of the opportunity.
• 29:08
  Speaker B: Nice. And I mean, they would have to do a little legwork, but that's why they're. You know, it's. They're here, you know.
• 29:14
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 29:14
  Speaker B: And so you're talking, like, bigger national acts coming through and you're linking them up with people that are here.
• 29:22
  Speaker A: Like, I think that's the primary goal of how I. Why it's an LLC and how I think I can generate revenue. Yeah, that's. That's sort of one way I think we can do it. And then it's. It's a big liability right now, right? Like liabilities and assets. Hopefully they can turn it into an asset in the form of an operating budget after that to, you know, after a few strategic events and. And continue. Continue to grow. So Rap Clinics llc, from a business standpoint, is a way to separate me, Tim Sullivan, or Exquisite, as it is now. Tim Sullivan, Exquisite, the sole proprietor, artist. And it's a way to, you know, separate those two things and then take on maybe a little bit more risk. So how can I do that? That grows an entire scene that so desperately wants it. Every time I go to a show, it's amazing. People want more of it, right? There's been too many local. There's been too many data points recently where it's like, dude, that was awesome. Like, Nas at the Palace. Fucking was incredible. Zarface, Inspect the Deck with esoteric and 7L. There was Smith and Wesson recently. There's a couple to be announced very soon that are great, and people are taking more chances again with these artists. So why can't we, as a. Like, sort of like a unionized local group of MCs and beat makers and everything, come together and let's get. Let's get a plan for who's hot. I don't even know who's great anymore, right? Like, I know what I like, right? And I hear it and I check numbers and I'm like, it aligns. That kind of makes sense. I think maybe we'll bring this guy. So I'm like, kind of putting budgets together of, like, who would make sense, what DJs, like, what type of events could we have? And, you know, I've got a few of them that are locked in now. So by the time we air this, I will have announced the first show and maybe even the second. So. Yeah. But, yeah, the idea is get, get. Like, I saw, like, a. And why can't. Why can't other genres blend in this too, right? Why can't we all work together?
• 31:57
  Speaker B: Well, like I said, I'm in a punk band and we have a song coming out with jb. I mean, I did announce it. I'm gonna play it for you. I actually, I'm not gonna play it for the audience. They can't hear that shit yet. But I do have a premax. I'll play for you. But, yeah, and, you know, coming together and, like, doing shit together and there's room for everybody. There shouldn't be competition. Like, yeah, no matter what Fucking genre or whatever.
• 32:20
  Speaker A: Like, even when it's so different. Because even within hip hop, the genres are different. Right, right. And so, like, you may get somebody that steps up there with a beat machine and doesn't rap, and you might get somebody that's got turntables and. And two guys that come out and rap, and then somebody comes out alone with an entourage. Like, it's like multiple genres and how you can play it and make the performance different. That's another thing that I want to kind of. How can we differentiate it when we do these shows so that people want to come back? Like, all right, that one was good. I trust that event will be good again, right?
• 32:55
  Speaker B: Yeah. And if you put the name on it and you start putting the events with the name on it. And like, the thing too here is, like, I was thinking is we have Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Glens Falls, Saratoga. Like, it's a big fucking area. You know what I mean? And it's not uncommon for Albany bands to go up to, you know, Glens Falls and vice versa.
• 33:18
  Speaker A: So, like, we could just create a circuit.
• 33:20
  Speaker B: Yeah, huge circuit. Right fucking here. And then, you know, maybe even get national bands coming in and making multiple stops in the area.
• 33:28
  Speaker A: That would be awesome. Right? And, you know, another recent one was I took. I went down to Beacon, New York, which is a train stop for nyc, so I'll give them that. But it was just flooded in this bar for Static Select a dj. And I was like, holy shit, this is fucking awesome. Like, I haven't felt anything like this in so long. Like, this is different. This is something that people want to do again post Covid, post pandemic, post everything, right? Like, they love going to shows. People love going to shows. And so let's make. Let's make a place where people want to go. You know, they feel safe to bring their music to the market. You know, it's a. It's an environment where, you know, like you said, it doesn't need to be competitive. It needs to be. It needs to be helpful for one another.
• 34:24
  Speaker B: Right? And there can be not. I mean, I don't want to say competition with. And not competitive, but, you know, there could be, like, a healthy.
• 34:33
  Speaker A: A healthy competition.
• 34:34
  Speaker B: Healthy competition. Yeah. But, like, competitive to me is like, I want you to fail, so I rise. But, like, healthy competition is like, let's keep edging each other so that we both rise, you know, and that's. And I do see that a lot in this scene. You know, there's.
• 34:54
  Speaker A: That's what the Element of a, of a battle rap is even supposed to be, right? You. Can we get back to a point where a battle rap doesn't turn into a fight? And then a battle rap is like, my shoes are better than yours and like, your mom's so fat, she sits around the house like, can we get back to a fun point, right, where.
• 35:13
  Speaker B: Both people come out looking good, you know, like, you know, someone brings something, you're like, all right, now I have to top that. Now I have to top that now at the top that.
• 35:23
  Speaker A: And, you know, yeah, it's. It's really the, the. The elements of hip hop, right? Always have a very competitive edge to them, right? A lot of rappers, that's all they talk about is, you know, arrogant, right? And then there's, you know, there's other people that, you know, take a different avenue and talk about politics or conscious shit or whatever. Weed. That's the fun part about it, right? How can we bring all these different channels together, right? Like, I'm from Albany, but I'm a white kid from New Scotland Avenue. Like, how can we bring everybody together where the shows are good, people want to show up, people want to bring their friends, you know?
• 36:16
  Speaker B: Yeah, I want to see that too, man. For sure. So I think what we should do right now is play another song. So what do you got for us this time?
• 36:25
  Speaker A: This time, let's play another joint produced by A.B. the autocrat called. Let's play pushing 40.
• 36:32
  Speaker B: Let's hear exquisite pushing 40, produced by A.B. the autocrats. And then we'll be right back to wrap it up.
• 36:37
  Speaker C: How am I working overtime? Still living Check the check Got a bone to ax the grind now we're neck and neck Bigger B lit a cigarette early morning still dark out Forget that see my silhouette whatever my LE Fresh purchase order on the 30 day credit net Never call that better debt Better get your pocket protector and your sweater vest Nevertheless I'm better than My competitors suggest 26 letter measurement test My masculinity non toxic I'm heterosex My basement has the bench press and essential flesh and your album being trash it's inevitable as death when I was 12 I put my pedals in a test why? Cause they put the metals in my chest Bye. When you five eight, you better look fly and talk Sly caught a side eye from a Aqua guy Marlboro guy with the Carl Kanai and have that motherfucking thing go bang bang we're walking by while I put pastrami on the marble ride yeah, we could face off Like Sammy zos and Mark McGuire. Yeah, that's right. The kids pushing 40, no necklace on, still looking Gordy. Yeah, that's right. The kids pushing 40, no necklace on, still looking Gordy. Let's see how New York feels. I run out with a flag on the field, Proceed to rip my tendon out of the heel. Conspiracy therapist, like, did he kneel? I never saw him Will. He didn't sweat. Didn't even get a minute yet. It's just so jets. I know. Just don't bet. So Aaron Rodgers thought he had division like a pair of binoculars, but that was a ayahuasca talking. Enlightenment will be very obvious. He don't got it, stake out like a pair of coppers. No Eric Estrada, what you wearing is embarrassing. Your mama, mama comma, damn it comes too easy. If I tell you I'm the best new town, you going to believe me on my New York City steaks and plates is eat. Consult your local food court. You want to taste the freebie?
• 38:25
  Speaker A: You got shooters.
• 38:26
  Speaker C: I got Haitian voodoo dolls and wish doctors who don't play. It's break graffiti. Take a knee. You got to take a L before you play. No repeat. I'm rock and roll to the soul. I was made on each street. Say less. No, please speak. Yeah, that's right. The kids pushing 40, no necklace on, still looking Gordy. Yeah, that's right. The kids pushing 40, no necklace on, still looking Gordy. Looking Gordy. Yeah, that's right. The kids pushing 40, no necklace on, still looking Gordy. Yeah, that's right. The kids pushing 40, no necklace on, still looking Gordy.
• 39:05
  Speaker B: All right, that was pushing 40. Exquisite. And exquisite. I want to thank you so much for coming out and doing this. It was a really cool conversation. You know, we've been on each other's radar for a while. We've communicated via the digital world, I guess you could say. But, like, to be hanging out in the same room, it's cool. And I hope it's not the last time that we do shit together because you got great ideas and I'm all in on what you're talking about. But before we go, I just want to do, like, what I do with all my guests and give you a chance to say what I call your gratitudes. So microphone is all yours.
• 39:43
  Speaker A: Awesome. Thanks, man. First, you're welcome. And thank you for having me here. I don't even know where to begin, my man. But, you know, let's go. First and foremost, I would like to personally thank Abda Autocrat for a couple of the new singles and things that we're working on. I'd like to thank my man, Mr. Pigs for all the hard work he's been putting into the singles that we've released together. A couple other artists in particular, Sheist Cronkite. And then let's circle back to the things that really matter. Is my family absolutely empowered and embodied by them every day? My wife Amy and my son Declan and my daughter Penelope are everything. So they're always keeping me busy. Sports events, My son's in the Oculus, my daughter's playing basketball. You know how it goes. Just, it's busy as hell and you'd know. Thank you for them. You know, obviously mom and dad. I got my mom and my dad around. I'm still, still. I'm super grateful for that. So love you guys. Let's see. But. But you unsigned. Unsigned 5, when he. The fucking everybody that helps promote local artists, like I hope I can do soon is like, like one guy that comes to mind who I'll give shout out to, I don't even know that well is Ralph Rena. Another guy comes to mind and I should give a shout out to all the guys at Empire, Empire Live and Underground. They're taking some chances right now, man, that are awesome and they've had some great shows recently. You know, everybody that's working with hip hop artists, everybody that's bringing it in to the community and trying to make it, make it a positive, positive influence on the kids.
• 41:59
  Speaker B: All right, so he is exquisite. I am Andy scullin. This is unsigned 5 and 8. See you on the road.
• 42:07
  Speaker A: Peace.
• 42:08
  Speaker B: Unsigned 518 is produced and hosted by me, Andy Scullin. New episodes are available every week wherever you stream podcasts. If you'd like to help support the show, please like and subscribe wherever you are listening. Or you could buy me a coffee@buymeacoffee.com unsigned 518. If you would like to advertise on the show, send me an email@untimed518mail.com and to be a guest on the show, reach out to me Through Instagram at unsigned518. Take care of one another and I'll see you next week.
• 42:45
  Speaker A: And.