Latest / The Scene Projects / Exploring Texas Music, Positivity, and Spiritual Creativity in the Industry

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Exploring Texas Music, Positivity, and Spiritual Creativity in the Industry · The Scene Projects

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  Welcome into a very exciting episode of the scene.
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  I'm your host, Bubba Starts, and with me today is t n g three one three.
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  What's up, homie?
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  How you doing?
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  Yeah.
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  What's up, budgie?
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  How you doing, man?
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  I'm good, brother.
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  I'm good.
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  Well, I I was fortunate enough to get to meet your old man and chat with him a little bit,
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  but, you know, I wanna know about you.
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  So why don't you, tell us a little bit about who you are and what it is that you do?
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  Man, I'm an artist.
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  I work with rap.
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  I work with all genres of music, you know.
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  I don't even kinda put myself in one box.
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  So, you know, I'm a chef on the side, a father, you know.
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  I started doing this music stuff when I was, like, six years old.
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  And it runs in my family.
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  My grandmother sang background for, like, Hayla Bell and people like that.
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  And it's just I was raised in the church as well, so music's always been there, and it
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  helped me a lot through life.
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  It's been a major part of my life.
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  I feel you there, man.
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  I mean, my my grandma used to play the accordion at Christmas time and give us all
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  sheet music, and we'd all be singing carols.
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  And so so I feel that family vibe and and having that in the house and then always having
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  that outlet has been so special to me in my career.
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  So My career.
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  I feel you.
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  I feel It's like the perfect way to communicate or express yourself whether someone already
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  wrote the song or you write it.
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  You know what I mean?
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  Like, whether you're trying, like, if you're not good with emotion and talking to you can be
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  shy.
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  You know what I mean?
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  Talking to girls or whatever.
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  Or like I said, dealing with emotion.
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  You can you can find a song or play a song that someone could have made or you make to express
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  everything that's hard for you to already express, to still communicate with another
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  person to fully understand or get an idea of how you are.
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  You know?
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  For
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  %.
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  So I I know you're down there in Texas.
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  What what's the scene like for you there?
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  Like for you?
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  It's it's a I'm still, like, breaking out, but, you know, the name my name, it's it's around.
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  I get a lot of lot of open mic shows and and things, you know, I'm available to do I've been
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  available to do.
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  South by Southwest is another great, you know, way of networking and and getting music out
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  there, and I performed there last year a couple of times.
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  And, again, we'll be doing it again this year.
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  And yeah.
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  But I got future shows coming up with other companies I've been working with, just waiting
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  on dates and times.
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  But the scene is it's been it's been pretty good.
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  It's been pretty good in London.
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  Are you around the are you around the Austin area then
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  Austin area then?
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  I'm in between Austin and San Antonio.
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  I'm in New Braunfels.
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  I I actually I I got a friend that stays out there.
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  That stays out there.
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  Three o.
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  Yeah.
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  And then I just hooked up with Donnie Darko.
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  Donnie He's one.
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  And Oh, yeah.
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  You
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  I'm sure you're And, yeah, it seems like the scene in Texas right now is really popping and
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  not just in hip hop, but all music.
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  Oh,
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  yeah.
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  And, man, a lot of Christian rock, gospel, and a lot of, you know, r and b as well.
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  Like I said, all genres.
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  It's a lot.
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  It's it's booming.
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  Well and and we talk about god a lot here on our programs, and and I know your father.
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  I know his his personal relationship.
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  And, you know, it's important, and it's nice to see more positivity coming out of, you know,
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  the the the hip hop community now as a whole.
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  And then you branch into, you know, Christian music has grown, gospel music, right, has grown
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  to include more of the urban flavors to it as well.
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  So it's it's really cool to be
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  Well in this spot in this spot.
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  No.
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  True.
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  True facts.
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  Like, I think a lot of people you know, I'm like, it's just some people listen to some
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  things, some don't.
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  Some expounding minds on other you know what I'm saying?
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  So I think it's not that Christian rap.
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  I think it's the fact that it finally been more accepted.
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  It's been there, and there's a lot of good Christian rap artists.
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  It's good music.
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  If you've ever just, like, stumbled trying to find a station on the radio back you know what
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  I'm saying?
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  And you're like, oh, that's rap.
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  And then you really listen to it, you're like, man.
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  Oh, he's talking about god.
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  But before you realize that, he was he was rocking to it until you're like, oh, wait.
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  They're you know?
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  So I feel like it's those who, like, you know, still stuck to it.
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  It's just like you said, it's just more it's been more brought to the forefront, but it's
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  always been there and had a good following or or a great a good following and great music to
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  actually listen to.
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  Like, it's not I don't know how other people would judge it, you know, just being however
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  they wanna be about it.
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  But, yeah, like, it's not a I recommend it, actually.
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  Right.
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  And and
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  I don't pride Christian artists on the way or the type of songs they're making sound just
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  like, you know, that same drill beat or that trap beat, but they just tell my god.
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  And the way they put it across, sometimes you might have thought they're talking about female
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  or something.
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  You wouldn't even understand in case you actually listen and get the, you know, the
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  whole
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  Well, and I think that speaks to, you know, traditional worship music.
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  The messages are deeper now.
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  The the art forms are evolving, so you have more people with more to say about God rather
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  than just, you know, the God is great and the awesome God kind of, you know, worship music
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  from the nineties.
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  Now you have people that you can talk about your issues with God too.
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  Right?
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  You can talk about that darkness and mention god in it too, and I think that's that's where
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  we're at in in society these days.
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  No.
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  Yeah.
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  You can't be more vocal, more creative with your approach, and more deep on the level of
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  how much you give or put yourself into that song, you know, to let people understand your
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  rapport with God or how you may have claimed to, you know, become more closer with God or
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  reconnect with God.
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  You know?
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  So it's just all who's who's I there to listen, man.
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  Yeah.
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  Well, and and my relationship with God is not in a church.
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  Right?
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  You know?
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  I I have been saved quite quite literally in in this physical realm, and and that's what
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  brought me to God.
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  Not a church, not another human being, not anything else.
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  God brought me
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  to God.
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  And think as more people, especially like me that don't grow up with a religious background,
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  talk about it and talk about that feeling and talk about that love and that grace and all of
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  these things.
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  But having it not come from a religious dogma, I think that makes a difference too.
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  And because we're in the age of the independent artists
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  independent artists that
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  everyone can express their personal relationship with God.
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  Right?
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  And I think that's a big and a lot of what you're talking about is that is that.
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  No.
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  Yeah.
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  Like I said, I was always raised, you know, still believe what you believe.
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  I was raised in a church.
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  My grandma was a preacher.
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  My grandfather built the church.
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  Man, all my whole life, you know, and and to adulthood.
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  But also one thing that, I mean, they express to you is, like, god is as temp as you are.
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  Your your temple is a church.
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  Your body is a temple.
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  Correct?
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  So, I mean, churches are with you all the time.
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  Anywhere you are, at any moment, you can have a godly experience.
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  So like you said, how he brought you to him and, you know, was through him showing you you
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  know, like you said, you had near death experience or moments where you're like, man,
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  bro, no.
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  I know god's real because I wouldn't be here right now if he wasn't or I wouldn't have made
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  it out that situation because you look back and like, no.
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  There's no way I could've said no.
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  That's not.
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  You know?
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  So so like you said, it manifested in many different ways.
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  You know?
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  For everybody in their own way.
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  Like, everybody has their own relationship with god, so you can't judge the next man on how he
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  may praise or talk or when he pray while you pray like that or however it is that he is god
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  because everybody's different.
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  You know?
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  Like like, same as you and your friend and me and my friend, everybody has their own their
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  own rapport.
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  And and in this age that we're in of podcasts and independent media and independent artists,
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  right, everybody has the freedom to express that.
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  And I think that's that's what's really beautiful about this time we're in right now.
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  It is more openly spoken about than found upon.
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  It was one thing of a I would hate to say taboo, but for lack of better word at the
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  moment, I can't think of one, but it's like it was you you know, you did that in whisper.
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  Sometime you might not have been thinking it was cool to but I'm a Christian.
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  I'm missing out or whatever people are.
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  Whatever, bro.
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  You know?
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  So, like, four g, like you said, it's more openly spoken about, more easily accepted, or,
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  you know, it's more which, like you said, is a good thing for however it is to be mentioned,
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  it's still being mentioned.
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  Well and I don't think that the numbers like, I don't think there's a different, like, there's
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  more followers now or there's more people that are scared to talk about it.
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  It's really just that culture isn't dominated by these labels or by, you know, like, the big
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  music labels.
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  That's that time is over.
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  Right?
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  And and you have all these people that can now go record whatever they want to.
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  We can
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  go talk about whatever it is that
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  moves us.
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  Right.
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  You know?
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  Because a lot of people talk about how labels literally try to mold you into their star.
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  So that's why a lot of people might not might get shelved and never come out or that girl,
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  perfect example.
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  Okay.
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  We're this is about to show age.
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  Remember the old acting in commercial?
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  The good I said, who's gonna match my freak?
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  That's all.
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  Remember how long that artist has been a famous recording artist?
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  Before this song coming out now, she used to do a acting commercial.
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  And I can't remember her name as an artist, but she was, like, 60 young.
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  You know?
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  And it said it would say her name, and they're, recording artist.
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  You know, famous recording artist, but you never heard music from her.
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  Now me as an adult, being 33 now, I hear the who's gonna max my freaking?
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  I'm like, hey.
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  That's the acne girl.
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  You know what I'm saying?
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  Like so that's a whole image.
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  Figure how long she's been, you know what I'm saying, in the industry.
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  And now you're seeing some type of you're getting some type of recognition.
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  You know what I mean?
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  So it's the same as, like you said, the whole creative process being took from you or or made
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  to have you be you know, look like, you know, try to play the original and say that they're
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  gonna be whatever.
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  You know I'm saying?
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  Anyone that's not yourself or let you be yourself or have your own creative show your
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  creativity and your music.
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  Like you said, now being having that freedom is is that's probably one of the best things about
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  being an independent artist of not having someone tell you really, like, you know, how to
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  be, like
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  How to be you?
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  How to be you?
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  Yeah.
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  Lose authenticity.
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  Hey.
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  You gonna tell me how I feel about how this song or try to write something for me to be I
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  can't I can't you know what I'm saying?
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  That's not bro, you can't do me like I do me.
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  You know what I'm saying?
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  No, sir.
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  And and I know that, you know, your dad's a one zero one too.
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  Right?
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  You're you're a one zero one.
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  Like, you can't put any of us in a box and be like, well, you're gonna be like this person.
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  Like, no.
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  I gonna be
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  It's not gonna work.
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  And then, like I said, being so strong willed and then to, like like you said, I'm not I'm
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  not I'm not being there regardless.
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  Like, you couldn't you couldn't pay me enough to sell basically sell my soul or sell out in a
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  way what I get tomorrow, the next day when I wake up or I look at the mirror, can I be okay
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  with the person I see?
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  You know what I'm saying?
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  Can you still look at yourself and be like, proud of you, man.
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  You did everything you said you was gonna do.
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  Or you look at yourself and be like, man, you're changing.
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  You don't look I don't you know what I'm saying?
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  Real recognize, real.
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  You're looking unfamiliar right now, bro.
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  No, brother.
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  Well, I don't wanna keep you all day.
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  Why don't you tell everybody how they can find your music, how they can get ahold of you, and
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  we'll we'll have you back on the show at another time to talk about talk about even more
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  stuff.
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  Even more stuff.
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  No.
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  Yeah.
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  I got you.
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  Hey.
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  You can reach me on Instagram at d tray underscore t n g.
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  You can type in t n g three one three.
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  I'm using this on all platforms.
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  So I'm just a real hip hop artist.
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  I try to bring real hip hop back, you know, about lyricists and, you know, like, a
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  storyteller rap about actual, like, rap that that has, you know, context, like, you know,
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  concept rap.
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  You know what I mean?
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  Something is not just I'm not just talking whatever just to hear myself talk or anything
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  like that.
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  Like, there's a message in there or I'm literally being real and showing you.
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  You know?
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  Inviting, like, letting you know how, you know, like, real life, how I've been through it or
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  how you know?
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  And it's still relatable for others.
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  So speaking for those sometimes who can't speak for themselves.
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  Well, TNG, thanks for being part of the scene, brother.
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  I appreciate you.
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  Appreciate you, man.
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  Thanks for having me on the scene, man.
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  Thank you.