DailyRapFacts Original Interviews.
3ohblack’s name originated from 30th Street, Southeast, DC. After much practice, 3oh is in a comfortable place with his rapping ability, cadence, and flow, with a lot more in store for the near future, and beyond.
Check out our full interview below:
Doe Boy isn’t new to the music industry, but he knows he has more levels to reach. On November 6, Doe Boy and Southside teamed up to release their album, Demons R Us. Doe Boy has released a number of projects over the last decade, but he feels this is the one to put him in a different conversation. The crazy part is, this isn’t his debut album and the discography is steady growing.
“Actually got it from Southside,” Doe Boy tells me during our Zoom call conversation, explaining how the title Demons R Us came about. “We was working on the album and shit, we was just in Miami and I was locking in with him for like a whole week straight. Then we like ‘damn, what the fuck should we call it?’ But he had just posted a picture earlier that morning and the caption on the picture was ‘Demons R Us.’
The album features Lil Uzi Vert, Future, Chief Keef and more. Watch our interview with Cleveland’s own Doe Boy above. Stream the album below:
PRICE is one half of the rap duo, Audio Push. As much of a force as they are together, they’re still individual artists. The Inland Empire songwriter, producer, rapper would describe it as a Kobe and Shaq dynamic: respectfully thriving apart, but when they come together, the game is taken to a higher level.
PRICE has just released his first solo body of work, CLRD, a history lesson that will inspire black people to trace their history and set confident tracings for the present and future. PRICE’s pen has been pushed for many (Travis Scott, Mariah Carrey, etc) and it’s refreshing to see his song making capabilities turn in his own direction.
We caught up with PRICE over a Zoom call to talk about his new album CLRD, his many business ventures, and more. He even owns a food truck that he shows us during the interview.
Check it out below:
“I fell in love with the culture first. Hip-Hop is something you live, rap is something you do. Hip-Hop is the culture, the way of life” – Papoose
There’s no one happier than the passionate person who is embedded in his path. Factors such as money, fame, etc have been factors for the Bedstuy native Papoose, but the feeling he gets shows to be the ultimate satisfaction.
During our interview, which took place over a Zoom call, Papoose discussed why Nas is one of the best ever but still receives hate, his new album Endangered Species, fatherhood and more.
Watch the interview below:
“In school you learn the lesson, take a test, but in life, you get tested then you learn the lesson” – Willie the Kid.
2020 has supplemented lessons in bunches . If there’s one takeaway, financially speaking, it’s to ensure you have access to assets as you assess your financial outlook. You’re liable to lose a lot with the involvement of liabilities. The ability to make money doesn’t solve it all, but it sure does help.
An influx of creativity is here from and by creatives all over the world. Consider it a modern-day renaissance. The value continues to rise, as we continue to up our worth. Nobody is going to hand you a million dollars, unless you strike luck like Brewster. And, to be honest, there weren’t a lot of teachings growing up on the importance of ownership, multiple streams of income (passive, too) and appreciation versus depreciation. The stock market has been a great takeaway in 2020. The future isn’t promised, but it helps to have foresight and build toward the possibilities of one. Robinhood has doubled customer service reps by 40%, with plans to double that by the end of this fiscal year.
The stock market is just the start, as I learned from Grand Rapids, Michigan native, Willie The Kid, who doesn’t see a finish coming anytime soon. Willie’s wikipedia page could never be sufficient enough for everything he’s involved in, and he does his best to convey the importance of ownership and gaining capital. During a Zoom call, I was able to gain more knowledge about everything Willie is working on.
What was the motivation behind naming your album Capital Gains
“The motivation was what’s going on right now in society, our communities. You know the COVID situation, the pandemic. The health is definitely a primary issue, but beyond that, it’s affecting people’s pockets. It even finds a way into government and legislation. Because they talk about the way it affects the working class, the upper class, and neighborhoods. Capital Gains is fitting for that concept. I always make thematic albums. My albums are always based on a theme, what I’m studying or into at the time.”
How did you select these producers?
That’s one of the most celebrated moments about Capital Gains. I worked with everybody who I’ve basically been working with over the years. People that I’ve built my sound with. The V Don’s, the Alchemist’s, V12 — that’s my guy from back in my Gangsta Grillz/Aphilliates days. I’m bringing in everybody I’ve been working with and making my best material with and putting them all on one plate. The producers were picked from organic relationships. People who helped me trademark my sound.
Do you feel like this is your best body of work to date?
It’s my best body of work right now. When it’s all said and done, that may not be the case. You might pull something back from before and say “you know what? That was better.” But right now — speaking right now — definitely.
Which producer would you say makes your most catered sound?
I would have to say V Don. That’s my bro. We spent a lot of time curating the sound. A lot of time experimenting. We got like 3 albums together — bangers: Deutsche Marks, Blue Notes, Heather Grey. Shout out my man Eto. I can’t sleep on Alchemist neither, that’s my guy. Me and Al got a classic. Masterpiece Theatre is a classic.
How did you and V Don meet?
V Don used to send me beats. He used to send me these snippets, back during the blog era. I used to go through the snippets. He had a beat on there that ended up being this record called “Friends & Money.” It’s me and Corey Gunz on [my project] The Fly 2.
I hit him like “yo, this joint is crazy, let me get this.” He was sending me a lot of stuff and I was just going through it and that one stood out. Everybody loved it, so I said let’s keep cooking. Then we did “The Food” on The Cure 2 and loved that. We did a few loosies here and there. Then he said let’s do a whole plate. I said you don’t gotta tell me twice. So we did Deutsche Marks. Deutsche Marks put a dent in the system for us and made some strides.
I believe he has the intro track (?)
Yeah he does. He actually co-executive the whole project with me. So everything I was doing, I was like check this out, check this out, what you think? When I get a batch of beats, I hit him and ask him “what you think?” We kind of went through the project together. I built it with him by my side the whole time. That’s why he’s credited as a co-executive producer because him and I put the project together, every step of the way the whole time.
Do you have a favorite song on the project?
It depends. Like today I’ll like a certain record. Then tomorrow I’ll like another record. When I’m about to get dressed and go downtown, it’s another record. If I’m about to go check on my lady, it’s another record. Handling business, it’s another record. It depends on what’s going on. It fluctuates. And that’s why I like the project. It’s hard to capture it in a bottle. It’s a lot of great moments on the project.
“It’s all about taking the access we gained through the music and the culture and pivot that to have a stronger and lasting impact.”
Tell me about some of the investments you have going on
Basically, everything is based on ownership. My city, Grand Rapids, Michigan, made Forbes list for worst economy for black people and entrepreneurs. So I took that as a challenge to offset that statistic. One of the first things we did, we started a merchandise line called GRUSA. We are the official merchant for all the city apparel. That gave way to other opportunities, so we started a nightclub downtown. We’re the only African American owned business downtown for the past 18 years. That has a cultural impact.
We have the Midwest Tech Project, providing training and access to technology jobs. Technology jobs are the future. We give training and access to people who’ve been convicted from felonies and coming home from jail or prison who need gainful employment.
This same tech space blends over into Radi8er Music. It’s a DSP, streaming platform you can access on your smartphone. It’s kind of like Spotify meets Google Maps, with geo location for independent artists. We’re doing interviews, album reviews and getting people exposure like that.
We got champagne and vodka (Motu Viget Spirits) and it’s in 200 locations in the Midwest. We just broke in a deal with one of the top grocers in the whole Midwest with 60 locations. Restaurants, bars, grocery stores, corner stores and online, too. It’s all about taking the access we gained through the music and culture and pivot that to a stronger and lasting impact. Gotta do more than just rap.
Is there anything else you have your hands in?
Definitely. We’re gonna make our way into the legal cannabis business as well. We got some paperwork on the table right now, to break in some locations for legal cannabis consumption in West Michigan. The two top vendors in the whole region reached out to us to become partners.
I’m an executive for the documentary we’re doing for the life and times of Langston Hughes. It’s called ‘I,Too, Sing America.’ We have power players involved in that. Kevin Willmount is directing, an Academy Award winner and Oscar-nominated. We’re getting all the key players and pieces to give Langston Hughes his proper due. Langston Hughes is an original voice of the culture. He laid the framework for what we do today as Hip-Hop artists. It’s an honor to be a part of that. You see a lot of documentaries but you haven’t seen nothing quite like this.
With everything you have going on, how do you mentally keep yourself together?
Gotta have a relationship with God, gotta have that intact. That’ll keep everything in perspective for you and clear the path so you can go be productive. And of course there’s the family. I have a tight-knit family. I stay close to the family. But other than that, I’m good with all of this. This shit is easy.
Have you ever ran into any roadblocks with writer’s block?
I don’t believe in that shit. I just think you’re not inspired right now. For me it’s easy to get inspired. I’ll watch a movie and get inspired.
How did The Fly come about?
I did a mixtape and I called it ‘The Fly.’ I was talking about elevation, like rising up and being on a higher plateau. It was a real simple concept. Then of course it’s an entendre for being up to par, being fly — fly in your physical appearance, your thoughts and your lifestyle. I put that project out and right after I put that project out, my brother who was managing us with the Affiliates and DJ Drama who was at the forefront of the company had a disagreement and business had kind of dissolved and everybody went their own ways and while that was happening, I was in the middle of that. Between my family and my Drama was my man. We tried to figure out the best way to keep the flag flying high and moving forward without getting caught up in letting that slow us down, momentum wise. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
“The artist has studied this world of variety and has, we suppose, unobtrusively found his way in it. His sense of direction has brought order into the passing stream of image and experience. This sense of direction in nature and life, this branching and spreading array, I shall compare with the root of a tree.” – Paul Klee
Growth is paramount in reaching a new level. Alignment and timing form divinity. The two are synonymous pieces to your entity, laboring for strengthened roots. All occurrences — whether good or bad — are working for the greater good of your outcome. The outcome isn’t a one-stop shop. We’re constantly shedding layers for more clarity on our path. The collage we create for our story is not a straight path.
Acceptance borrows the agony of pain, but denial has fatal reactions. Surrendering to the present moment is not the neighbor to giving up, when it’s all a part of your blueprint to move forward. When you’ve been doing something for so long, you can become fatigued, uninspired and expiration creeps in your peripheral vision. After much time of entrenchment, a loss of self becomes an identity partner, as you discover new ways to strengthen your roots.
Big Sean’s journey is not a straight path, and it’s a guaranteed reality, for a lot of us. As he explains his process of growth, he corrects himself, often, saying “when you go through,” instead of “if you go through.”
There’s light at the end of the tunnel. For Sean, his fifth album, ‘Detroit 2,’ is the embodiment of blurred sight turned into clarity, the alignment that once was unknown, a trust system built from faith and experience.
Big Sean’s “I Decided.” is the subconscious precursor to Detroit 2. You can hear aspiration in Sean on the end of “Bigger Than Me,” the final track on I Decided. What we have on our itinerary may vary from what the universe has planned. Sean’s absence was met with the universe’s presence.
“I guess subconsciously,” Sean tells me in regards to whether Detroit 2 was the conscious aftermath of I Decided. “But that’s a great way to look at it. Nobody’s ever analyzed it like that. I’m a work in progress. I’ve been doing a lot of work on myself, but it’s a continuous thing. Me being burnt out or me feeling broken inside, or me being depressed, or me having all this anxiety, has led me on a path of walking in my purpose and on a path of making myself a priority, which is something I never did.”
Following I Decided., Sean had to rediscover himself. He hit a ceiling and renewed energy became the source of guidance. “I think that’s what the whole embodiment of Detroit 2 really is. Before that, after I Decided, I felt like I hit a limit… like okay, this is about as far as I could go until I expanded my bandwidth. I had to return to my passion because it had died out. I had to return to my hunger. Through spiritual practices, meditation, journaling, taking time for myself, I was able to relight that flame and relight that hunger, that passion and come back to my roots, but as a newer, improved, more mature version of myself.“
The present moment is ours for the taking, yet, we gravitate to the unknown (the future) and things that can longer be changed (the past). Meditation helps bring you into the present moment with awareness. Sean has been meditating since the age of 16-17 years-old, time he holds near and dear.
“It was something that helped me out a lot. Later on in my life, like the last couple of years, I really, really been making sure I meditate everyday and making sure I take that time out for myself. I realized that it’s one of the most important things I can do for myself and it gives me time to just focus all on me. Sometimes my mind wanders and I have to bring it back to whatever it is I’m meditating on. It’s some of the time that I value the most.”
Sean cleanses himself of that which is out of his control. Anxiety awaits those who focus on the uncontrollable. Of course, this is much easier said than done, but everyday is a good day to begin this process. “I feel like I’m in control of my feelings. I’m in control of my destiny. I’m in control of what I put out into the universe, because I do feel like what you give is what you get. I feel like it’s just a boomerang: it all comes right back to you. That’s why I know how important it is to stay happier, to have a positive attitude and outlook on things. I can’t control how people perceive me, can’t control what happens in the universe. That’s one of things that [COVID 19] showed us. We can’t control that the whole world is on lockdown. What we really should work on is things we can control.”
The unknown is to be embraced and not feared, a lesson to be learned and constantly worked on. Sean places his faith in his higher power and handles only the things in his control.
“You never achieve anything great by knowing what is going to happen all the time. It was always the unknown that brings about the unknown possibilities, results and greatness. For me, to embrace the unknown and not be scared of it, it’s the faith that I have. It’s always going to work out if my heart is in the right place. If I’m putting the right intention to it and doing it for the right reasons, I got faith that it’s always gonna work out for me. And work out meaning happy. That’s what real success is. It’s not always about the money. Obviously, I love money. But I’ve also been the most depressed I’ve ever been and had the most money I’ve ever had. It’s deeper than that.”
Sean’s first lyrics on his 2014 Detroit mixtape were “today if I don’t earn, best believe I’m gon’ learn.” He’s made music about getting to the money, love, loss, motivation, etc, and while he enjoys money, songs like “Single Again” and “Deep Reverence” show an extension of his current focuses.
“Making money is a very, very amazing, important thing and that’s what makes our world go ‘round — technically. But, money comes and goes. What you learn can benefit you, your family, the people around you and you learn [in order] to teach. I feel like that’s my purpose more so than just earning some money. My purpose is to inspire, teach what’s been taught to me.”
Like, why don’t schools teach more mathematics?
Less trigonometry and more about taxes?
They at the chalkboard, teaching us ass backwards
How about preparing us for life instead of lab rat us?
– Big Sean “24K of Gold” from 2014 Detroit mixtape
Sean’s desire for school systems to develop better classes for students continues on Detroit 2, on his Nipsey Hussle-assisted single, “Deep Reverence,” where he raps about the school subjects taught to him, but none that helped with his mental health. If Big Sean — Mr. Anderson was a teacher — he said he’d teach a more in-depth health class (around mental health), a class on taxes, and a fun class for students to be free in their own element.
“I realize that mental health is health. You don’t be like ‘my hand health is really good today’ or ‘my shoulder health is exceptional. In health class, which we had, I feel like it’s important to talk about things like anxiety and how to deal with it, or how to express yourself — communication. That was more important than trigonometry for me or chemistry. I would do [a class on] taxes, life skills, you learn what an LLC is… learn how to set up a business… and I think there should be a class where it’s just like fun because I feel like that would deliver a better result than all the other classes, too.”
In 2012, Sean would upload a series of videos constituting growth and development. The videos come full circle on his current standpoint with the universe and Detroit 2. Of course, the voyage is not complete. With so many lessons learned, so far, perhaps Sean Anderson will have a book published in the future.
“That might be something I should do, especially now. I could do a book, just gotta figure out exactly what it would be about. I could do a book on a few things, so yeah, I would love to do that. I would love to be an author. I do need to do one, because I do have a lot I need to put into a book and then keep doing them.”
On ‘I Decided.,’ Sean envisioned himself as someone who got to the end of his life and regretted it all. He sees this go around as having another opportunity to do what he feels he should be doing. 2020 has been the year of loss and lessons. Time is precious and so is the value of a human life. For Sean, he’s trading in his procrastination for more decisive living.
“Embracing the unknown and not waiting around to do things that you think you’re always gonna have time to do,” Sean told me, in response to what he’s learned during the COVID-19 lockdown. “It taught me to do the things that are on your heart, that you want to do, at least. Because you can’t always count on things being there.”
Detroit, the mixtape, hosted the song “100” with Kendrick Lamar and Royce Da 5’9, where Sean raps on the hook, “As I look up to the sky, I thought about 100 things to do before I die.”
“We’ve been losing so many people, so many heroes, so many friends, family. I can’t think about how many people I’ve lost that I personally knew. My mom’s best friend, my old assistant committed suicide. Chadwick, Kobe, Nipsey, and a long list. Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. All these people who have affected us greatly who have hurt our hearts and we’ve shed tears over. It’s taught me to not waste any time.”
Showing a person your porch, allows them to add thought to possibilities of your living room. Sean, however, walks in his truth, and negativity won’t be subjected to a guarded heart.
There’s a certainty in the unknown. You’ll certainly learn to embrace it or brace yourself to face anxiety. To be acquainted with fear is to dance with the devil. Detroit 2 — Sean’s representation of his city, his new-found growth and strengthened roots — a human who has a mission to inspire and lead with the truth of his vulnerability. I hope we can all look back on our lives and say “we did it.”
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