Erphaan Alves: From Junior Monarch to Soca Hitmaker | Corie Sheppard Podcast

In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, we sit with Erphaan Alves — artist, songwriter, performer, and one of the most influential voices shaping modern soca. From his earliest days as a child performer in Chaguanas, to writing for giants like Machel Montano and Kes, to creating anthems like Bumper Like Rain, Overdue, No Abla, Background, and Spirit, Erphaan charts the full story of his journey in a way he has never shared before.

We explore his upbringing, the impact of his parents’ sacrifices, his father’s pivotal role in his career, and how early interactions with icons like Bunji Garlin, Scrunter, Blaxx, Shal Marshall, Peter C. Lewis, Tambu Herbert, and others shaped his path. EA also breaks down the inside stories behind his biggest records: how Bumper Like Rain sat for years before release, how Overdue was born during a difficult period, and how No Habla became a year-round anthem and a symbol of his “no seasons” philosophy.

He explains what the industry used to be, what it is now, and why soca must move beyond its Carnival dependency. We talk childhood competitions, the pressures of Junior Monarch, writing over 40 songs in a year, navigating disappointment, creating timeless grooves, and building a loyal fan base outside the season.

Erphaan also shares bold insights on identity, influence, spirituality, artistry, musical education, and the evolution of Trinidad and Tobago culture — with powerful reflections on legacy, discipline, humility, inspiration, and staying true to himself.

Topics Include:
– Growing up around Calypso & Soca legends
– The influence of Bunji Garlin, Shadow, Kitchener & Scrunter
– EA’s father’s role, sacrifices, and guidance
– The story of EA’s early start, competitions & mentorship
– How writing hit songs opened industry doors
– In Your Eyes, Bumper Like Rain, Overdue, No Abla, Spirit, Background
– The creative process: melodies, inspiration, destiny & discipline
– Why “No Seasons” is vital for soca’s future
– Building Team EA and his own cultural ecosystem
– Navigating fame, pressure, expectations & evolution
– EA’s views on purpose, influence, authenticity & growth
– Behind-the-scenes stories with Machel, Kes, Shal, Blacks & more
– Calypso vs Soca, legacy, education & Caribbean identity
– The deeper meaning behind Mas Go Play and EA’s storytelling

This episode is a masterclass in artistry, discipline, culture, and the journey of a modern Caribbean creative.

Click the link in my bio for the full episode.
#coriesheppardpodcast #ErphaanAlves #soca #trinidadandtobago #caribbeanculture #podcast

Chapters

• 0:08 Warm-Up, Names, And Laughter
• 0:33 Uphon’s Background And Honest Artistry
• 2:36 Street Feedback, Radio Rotation, And Analytics
• 4:48 Influences: Shadow, Machel, Bunji
• 6:24 “Background” Story And Backyard Debate
• 9:20 Mentors, Early Access, And Big Stages
• 13:42 Childhood Grit, Parents’ Sacrifice, And Purpose
• 18:06 School, Degrees, And Choosing Music Over Ceremony
• 22:00 University Training And Competition Foundations
• 25:24 Calypso vs Soca Identity And Fit
• 29:20 Building A Career Beyond Carnival Seasons
• 33:06 Writing For Giants And Business Lessons
• 37:36 Breakout With “In Your Eyes” And Industry Reality
• 41:28 Contracts, Credits, And Owning Your Catalog
• 45:36 Overdue: Pain, Piano, And New Sonics
• 49:20 Craft Over Formula: Letting Music Breathe
• 52:08 Bumpers Like Rain: Childhood Carnival Lens
• 56:16 Spirit, Minimalism, And The Shadow Knock
• 1:00:12 Mas Go Play: Lyrics, Layers, And Legacy
• 1:01:56 Closing Gratitude And Next Time

Transcript

SPEAKER_03: 0:02

Wrong wrong fed. Well, if we could start by calling the wrong podcast, then now we're good. You know, we recorded, we could go. Yeah, let me roll. Welcome to the David Weird Podcast. My name is Cory Sherba. But since we call the wrong name, let me start with the wrong name. Today we have the great Uphan Alves. Excellent blessings.

SPEAKER_00: 0:17

It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_03: 0:18

It's a pleasure. We're planning this for a little while, too. Of course, you know, long time. This is the best segue ever. I had a little segue like that. So David. Take note to that. Oh, no, I'd update it. Well, if I can try a segue myself, I want to go straight into your background, you know. But we start with background now. How it's going?

SPEAKER_00: 0:36

Life story, and we live in this soccer lifestyle. Yeah. It's an ongoing thing. And I just try to be as honest as possible with my fan base, with my friends, with my family. So the music that you'll be entering out of the artist is very realistic and natural, I should say. Organic period of the artist's career right now. Where if I'm to tell you, I ought to be as honest as possible.

SPEAKER_03: 0:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And more than telling, you have some tune with this ask question. Because even when you put back ground over there, you say, we get that thing in never. People appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:08

Bro, I'm always pleasantly surprised, like, within certain elements. Like me just living my life. I was taking a jug a jog around the Queen's Box of Honor. And as I crossed the road from QRC, full strut. Last man cart selling coconuts. Where are you getting that thing in the? So after I finished exercising now, I went on to call the coconut thing. He said, hey, when it passed first time, you know them girls on them acts, you know, is that? I say, yeah, they did that. He just come and make you the laughs. So yeah, I mean it on the ground. I said, Who played that you call the station? I say, right? I'm mentally not. And then, you know, I'm heavily involved in analytics, right? So in the background, no pun intended, of Apple Music. You can see which stations playing. I see. So with my DJ Burger and say, Yeah, I'll be telling that I go and see. So we are it's alright, all the stations involved, they're rotating. As David said earlier, right now is um get familiar, period. That's all the announcers saying on radio. So I'm very grateful and I'm in a space where I can accept that, alright, you're artists and your fans love a certain thing about you. So running into 26, we're giving them plenty singy singy. Yeah. Because they said that they feel like I kind of starve them from that. Because you know it's power time. Of course. But what they didn't know I like power. As a kid growing up, I like power music more. I just happened to realize I could sing, yeah. Before I knew I could have sing, like music was a talent. I was in love with jump up. And watching Marshall Big Chuck and saying, Wait, that real cool. If you watch background music video, you see me not being ashamed to tell of my influences in the realm of things. Because I always say, like, without Bonjo, Marshall, and like my t shadow, there'll be no fun enough. Because if you listen to my music deeply with the head influences, you can see like this youth love of this this this this brand of soccer boy, like with the roadmates so when Kitchen Marshall used to have that thing going. So background now, started from an argument in in my brethren's backyard where the studio is, blessing Kingston, Shepherd Pro, Super Youth. Now he's younger than I am, and I was trying to simply tell Super that no matter what you're involved in, genre wise with regards to music, once you're born here and you were raised here, like there's no way you can tell me that so and calypso steel pan is in your background. Because some point in primary school, some point in secondary school, some point in your life, I say you ever went to a party, ever went to a soccer fit, yeah, you ever party can jump up in school, yeah. So subconsciously, like even before you develop yourself as a musician, bro. Your base, your route is this genre, and no matter what you do, you will always have pieces. No matter how you live, you'll be a Caribbean man, you'll be a training. So everything we used to in the backyard, we do that, and then I said, Well, we gonna make some music now, can we wasting time? And that was it. So I believe that the life I'm living now, just because of the intent and the very high intent, to tell my story in a loud way, because everybody knows if I was a musician, but they don't have much access to me just because of my personal character. Right. We have artists as they are on stage, they are off stage. I a little different. But I feel like now is the time for them to kind of hear who influence me. Before I start singing so I used to watch you know, what was your childhood like? Or tell me the story why you developed the song. We just don't want to see BTS videos. So that's the old vibes of me moving forward. Into the next realm after this, that will be on the same energy. So, yeah, man, we're grateful for all the love and background going nice all day.

SPEAKER_03: 4:54

Good, good, good.

SPEAKER_00: 4:55

When we say it, um, what they say, yeah, that plane. You think playing by blessings all the DJs and all the fans who stream, the most important part.

SPEAKER_03: 5:04

It's nice to be in a will now because back in the day, even when you start off, you might not be here and you think plain, but you don't know, you can't track it. Now you could you could identify it at a time.

SPEAKER_00: 5:14

I know my thing playing 12 a.m. Graveyard. Yo, my brethren and them coming from our dad's about 2 a.m. boy. I glad in the back seat, my son playing a man say, Dad, wow, this comes like it's not playing enough. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everybody sleeping on you anyway.

SPEAKER_03: 5:28

So, what's the question? Sorry, sorry, sorry. Well, a couple of things I want to get into because when I study your music and and just look at you as a person, there are two things that stand out to me a lot. One is that you always vocalize the importance of being outside of the carnival season, which I want to get to. But before that, you seem to have a healthy respect for all the things that come before and all the people that come before in terms of your own influences.

SPEAKER_00: 5:52

Yeah. Where do you think that comes from? That was natural. My father was the kind of guy to allow me to go forth. Right, keep on them racing, you go up the road, take a touch. So as a child, at a very innocent stage, I was exposed to superstars. You know, and my father you would have worked at TST and these corporate comp uh, the the Calypso competition was like a soccer monarch. You remember this? Hey, how you make master? And Bungie exact words was only God could do that. As a little boy, I see. Wait, one of my favourite artists, he believes in God, that's a real cool boy. So that stick with me till this day. Now I end up getting Bungie numbers and call Bungie every month. For like five years. Sometimes his his mother would answer the phone and say, You out of the country, little man. My brother grabbed the phone from me a day. Cause he couldn't believe his bungee. And when he hears the deep voice of the next thing, he paused and he pented back at me. So what kind of age are you talking about then? Well, little boy, like talking about the 10, 11, 9. So me being in that space, and especially around so because that time, that was a competition that a TV station called Synergy TV had for young people. I was too young, sorry, I bust any files, they don't go on all there. Too young to enter. But Peter C blessings of Peter Silwiths, tell my father, bring him still. So you see the same energy, like these are men who the little things that they do, right, created a pathway for me to just be myself and follow through. And it ended up me knocking on the next door. And if that didn't help me, I busted down. Or if it didn't mean ships and walk off for me, go buy the next thing. Right? So being around Peter, Marshall Montano, and everybody who was in charge of Soca Star, I got the opportunity to see behind the scenes of this real star time because you know they're coming up all the time, and they might just be part of the little commission. But we in the back of Synergy TV, we in the backstage with Marshall Montano in the dressing room, seeing the real star power of how we operate. I remember a time like Kanye West wanted to speak to Marshall. And then when your boy walking in back rage and say, see, you wanna speak to me? I was like, Yeah, boy. That that and his mother there with him, that's how far back that was. So blacks now being a mentor, how they had it, all the top stars mentored the young artists for the soccer company. Yeah, blacks, out of everybody, you see that little black one, he comes and he races and he ain't asked nobody, nothing. Yeah, so in my head now, I like I thought he goes and buff me about something because blacks are that way.

SPEAKER_02: 8:36

Yeah, but kind of way, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:38

And then it was just like uh a sense of security and reassurance from all these sub guys, you know. Like, I never get any bad energy from any top so cards. Really? Yeah, any personal thing where they treat my way. Now the Calypso are a different story for must be honest. Yeah, explain how to defend me at time and took a yard. Go rest your soul. I ask another Calypsonian for a photo. Because you growing up and you seen these men, you don't even think you would have seen them. Ah, babe, Mr. Sosa Sorg, get a picture, selfie mood out. The man say, get away from me. You so cartists, you young soccer. Seriously. I say, my why do you spot? Explain happened to be entering the son, how you going? I say, Uncle, I know get run there by the saxi for a photo. He said, Nah, don't worry about them, man. They're old school, they have a different mind. So, but in terms of the soccer stars, yeah, I love my soccer stars and then everybody. Yeah, because they knew of an hour. Remember, I started singing at the age of nine.

SPEAKER_03: 9:38

Let me go to that now because when you casually say when we're Cape Rehears and you go, oh, like how you getting into right Cape Rehearsals and that's him.

SPEAKER_00: 9:45

Yeah, because they they respected my father a great deal. And they admired how he would be there with me. I was always like outgoing in his space. Daddy Lowe, Daddy Lowie. And he would organize just to make it happen. Sometimes I leave in Roger Boys midday coming back in school. So they accepted that. And the first time I flew, my first gig, my father didn't roll with me as manager. My father trusted Roy, keep the all-stars to Kai me and Tigger. First time I see foreign girls ranting and raving for the dance. So don't remind me the first time I performed as a kid. What was that? Nine years old, Edinburgh 500 Trugonus, Soka Sabor was the band, the mighty scrunch, I calling him that, was the artist performing. Called some kids up on stage. I grabbed the mic one time. I started just sing. I didn't even know the words get is uh eat something before you go, but like I didn't know why. As a youth, I didn't know I never connected with that song. I was singing some gibbridge. All right, but I gave them heel and two for about a minute and I winding and I get you know. And when I went back in the crowd now, the first question my father asked me is, You're gonna write a song for you to sing in Rosie Boys competition next year? Because you look like you like this teacher. I say, Yeah. And that was it, no further conversation. The next thing I know, I get a tune. Right. So on a 120 to uh 2001, 2002, 2003. So, but that question my father asked me there, that is the most important question somebody could ask me in my life. And nobody could ever ask me a more important question than that because that is the reason why I am doing what I'm doing right now, and the universe played in a way where that event had to take place. I ride up there like 10am that morning in the hot sun. Now, this is why I kind of I was told because you know, you go back in time, mad thing I used to do. I can't remember all. But anyway, I rode up there like 10am and park my bike and watch them build the stage. And my father asked all the neighbors, where is the fun? Right. I missing. And then he reached up there now and see me. He said, Boy, where are you doing at the side of the road? He said, I say, I waiting for the show to start, you know. But where that comes from? So from small, you just like this, just the gift. And the gift had to find a way to unveil or reveal itself. And because I had supportive people, thank God. You know, I say, boy, my mother and my father, they came from like Lavantil, you know, real humble beginnings. Like, my father, tell me what poverty is, and I had a little idea of experiencing like what is upper, middle, and lower class. Because I used to like to visit my cousins everywhere, you know, yeah. And I'm not proud, I not um it's it's it's thing that I'm very proud of because I could speak on that from being in those spaces and I could relate to all levels of society. So my mother and father, the honour that I have for them, I can't even explain to put in words because they came from humble beginnings and fighter make it, and even on their junior making it, they still found all the time in the world to invest in me. So my father didn't tell me till later on in my life that I used to take loans to support my music career. I didn't know that, you mad. You taking a loan for a soak artist career. We ain't sure to make it next year. But that's when I was a child, though, selling school and that kind of thing. Of course. So, yeah, that's the energy with me and the the the the why and the how is just answer upstairs there. It's weird. I doing what I had to do. Yeah, so so imagine everybody gave my message and everybody opened certain doors, but it starts from pups, come forward, and even till this day, you know, things keep happening and happening and happening.

SPEAKER_03: 13:09

Got it.

SPEAKER_00: 13:09

Yeah, man. Mummy and daddy was into music and sing. No, them can't sing, them can't do nothing. But um, my father used to play drums for a steel band. I see. Right, growing up because he didn't have the formal education like I did. So he had to start working early. So you do a million- if my father uh was to less out his careers, can you remember a long time childly, but it's not a big deal. Yeah, but they had to find it. Right?

SPEAKER_01: 13:36

So, do do do do do do bam.

SPEAKER_03: 13:40

And they they uh but you always get an encouragement from them because here you know they talk about parents and how worried they are when the children say they're going into things like the arts.

SPEAKER_00: 13:48

No, and my parents were always worried about me, you know, because I was a rock star, you know. Like my mother is a prey, no man, you know. Because I went through a lot of little times in my life that we needed a lot of praise, you know, like laccident things here and there. But at the end of the day, with maturity, come reason and I just slow down a little bit and kind of understand that while I was here living, it has some people who are real concerned about me, boy. And it's not to say like it's an accident or what drunk driving or anything like that. It was me going too hard, like I fall asleep vibes, and it reoccurred. So then it was the same story all the time from studio. Come straight off the jet to studio. See, it's not a matter how hard you work, you know, you work smart and protect yourself and the energy. So I have some call health as well. Now, where I must admit, still kind of on and off because I'm trying to become that where I fast here and there and watch what I eat. But that is something in the works that would take some time. Yeah, but yeah, that that is a holistic development at the same time with the music, everything go on and on personally as well.

SPEAKER_03: 15:00

I understand, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 15:00

And you say you're doing the savannah and takes you doing all the all the yeah, the savannah, like touring does mash up the savannah flow. Oh, of course. Because like when you leave and come back and you had to catch yourself, back to momentum again. Yeah, and then the only time I used to run any hot son was pandemic. That time we had nothing to do, and instead of going mad, we had to do outlets. I was the first time life during the pandemic, actually.

SPEAKER_03: 15:21

Yeah, see. Now I had to ask you because one of them things you say is so important to me and my own purpose, right? Because I'm always very, very careful. You see, when I run young people, right? I watch my tone and I watch my words. Because all right, let me let me let me compare them two things. You tell my mother that when you ask Bungie something, Bungie could have said, boy, go from here. Yo, real. And then when he asks the Calypsonian something, he could have said, Come in, boy, try to do this.

SPEAKER_00: 15:49

You know, sometimes by the way, I love my Calypso background. I love all the Calypsonians and everybody who play a role in my Calypso heritage, but I just had to tell this real story, alright? Anyway, so that's what manage.

SPEAKER_03: 16:00

You had to tell it, right? You're gonna say who it is after before we before we before you come off. But yeah, the truth is that that message that he would have sent to you, you look how you hold on to that part where you say, My favorite soccer artist believe in God. You can imagine if you had to say something different.

SPEAKER_00: 16:18

Well, I'm gonna tell you a story now. You know, ding dong soaker ding dong, or that's all you know some like what you say in here, but it's the reversal to what you say. I would never forget the day on air. So it's not like someone I can't talk about. Someone said live on radio interview, and I tell Dong, he said, artists, I feel like one chatting. I say, Dong, play a role now. Everybody do have to be the artist. He said, No, I'm serious. No, I thought he was joking next year. Don't sing a song. I was like, hit song. So till this day my father laughed at that. And then Chris Kennedy now tell me the other day. He said, Bro, you know, you and me singing and you give me that venom. I said, Under what? He said, by a day, we talking, and I told him something along the lines of my energy that probably would have made him respondent. I don't know if it's because of how I say it. But it was always within a positive lighter. Like I thought Don was joking, and within the vibes with Kennedy, I don't know why I say what I say. But the land that too could have created a fire. No pun intended, he's the fireman. But I was happy to know that my you know they say don't meet your heroes, I have different vibes with that because the man never moved nowhere with me. And I just rasp fireman bungee. And he started by his side of that stage. Like, I never watch a man like that before. I stand up and as a little boy, watch our girl and just like as if he was just floating, and everybody here just in awe and doing whatever you see. And it's like he not breaking of sweat. Yeah, it's like he just had a pasture and deal with this, but with ease. And I tell myself, I wanna feel that. I wanna know what that is. Because I feel like wherever destiny planned for me, it's supposed to lead to this. So fortunately, it was a positive um statement, and we created a bun. You know, growing up, everybody gets busy. I come into home and I ain't gonna be calling them right thing. But every time we see each other, greet each other with love and peace, right? And it is known if you listen to the lyrics, you know, in So Sweet and Bad Girl, uh, even like in Overdue with the double and turns and the word play and all the literary devices that I use and the white structure mixing the melodies with the lyrics, you could see like you know, it's a heavy influence. But as for me, naturally, I was raised in a household that show love, you know, after carnival. All who helped me in so come on a final, my father used to group up everybody, all the boys in them with 500. Yeah, and I see yeah, yeah, one time, cash. So it was always like me seeing and understanding like whatever you do in this life, just make sure you understand that you didn't do it by yourself. Nobody can ever function on the owner. And as you grow, it are certain people would be the pillars of that growth. Yes, they say when you're growing up, you have to release some, but don't forget quick. And then they come right back down. Yeah, with the same people outside of the two stories with Dom and Kennedy, which is just like a rare anomaly because of the situation. I always try to be a guiding force, a guiding light. You know, like I went to school with Abendar Ambassade, he's a big promoter right now in Roman's wine about entertainment. Yeah, it was a brotherhood in school. We help each other. Um as artists, he as a promoter. People like um Penny went St. George's College Voice went to St. George's. But Georges, always George's, man. Yeah, and it was always a brotherhood where yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're in a space. Alright, you doing a school party, or we get so uh everybody grew together and come out in this space now. If you look at my institution, I wouldn't call it a band, like the anchors. That's an institution where you see so much different dancers. They're not just passing through, you know. We forming an institution where people could come and create and also express themselves creatively. And then we have the band, so you'll be seeing me rolling out more uh interaction with the band so you can get to know them and see like what we're really trying to do outside of just going on a stage and perform, create a space where musicians could come and get more value and and network and do things collaboratively to just you know uplift the space. Oh with you.

SPEAKER_03: 20:49

As you talk about them spaces, I saw you recently with um BCLF, the people that I think is Boca's Litfest, was it? Yeah, that the Brooklyn Literary Festival, Caribbean Festival, that's right.

SPEAKER_00: 20:58

Yeah, and um I see you I see you on a panel with Charlie and his. Yo, that was a uh a moment in time, a moment in my career, a career highlight. Uh-huh. Just to be sitting next to Charlie's Roots. You know, I would have heard about him in so many ways, you know. For the youth who might not know, just YouTube, for example, Christopher Tambo Herbert, and the distributor of some of these huge monster calypso songs was Charlie's Roots, and he was the man, the middleman to get your song out there. Alright, so he is who he is. And it was a learning moment for me, a listening moment for me to understand, right? This guy who he is, is who he is. He did a lot of work to contribute to Calypso and so music, and he received some blessings, and he still have some implications that he feels strongly about. So me now sitting next to him in the middle, we had a person chin the panel to my right. I felt so comfortable, you know. Somebody else might have feel intimidated or afraid, but I felt so comfortable, comfortable, and that as at that moment there in the United States of America, Brooklyn, New York, I tell myself, E, you more than ready. Because I might have been a little more nervous if I had to go and do some international performance. But to know that I felt so comfortable to express, to share, to listen, and command. I enter, well, uh I should call it just a panel discussion like that. I say, well, I'm in the right space and we're doing the right things and around the right people, moving with the right mindset now. Because at the end of the interview, you shook my hand and say, You're bright. You say you're bright. And he went like a man, boy. And he's squeezing it. You're bright, you're bright. Yeah, so that was a blessing, yeah, man, and and and much respect. Yeah, it showed it showed. Yeah, these fellas, these fellas do most of the dirty work, you know. You know, we we can I can load us all online and make money from it. These fellas had to do things, package, export, present, market, and the hard way against all these genres of the will. And he's still active. So he said he's the store still there.

SPEAKER_03: 23:19

Well, yeah, he's still dressed too nice, you know. I mean, he's still well dressed and out there. But I noticed how he's a man when he speaks, he speaks with authority. And I saw the same thing with you in terms of both of y'all doing the panel. I don't know if you felt that, but when you were talking, it was it was coming across like a pale.

SPEAKER_00: 23:38

No, don't say that. That's how I felt me and he no peer, bro. You want this and bundle down. Say he ain't smart again, you know.

SPEAKER_03: 23:47

Leon says that the first between what you say and what I say. So I'm gonna stick to that part. I find so.

SPEAKER_00: 23:52

Yeah, I mean, the way I spoke, the way I presented myself, it was in a manner in which he had no choice but to you know, understand and compliment, and which I'm very grateful for. I still humble, you know, because at the end of the day, I ain't I ain't run the kind of miles them fellas running, and they're still running.

SPEAKER_03: 24:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I only training field still. Yeah, of course, of course, I'll with you. So when you're talking about being bright, right? Yeah. What was school like for you? Because you in school you leave and half days ago and perform and thing you, oh, you was doing in primary school as rosary.

SPEAKER_00: 24:21

If I've been honest with you, if I wanted to like be an overachiever, as they call it, I don't really like that term, but like over excel, I could have got like all ones and things, you know. But my concept of life, it it it personal, and it's not my business who feels different. But to me, I find that I told my mother at a very young age, I feel like my responsibility for my energy is most important, and I could gauge how much energy I want to pay in certain things. So you see, like a class like home economics, I didn't care to feel that. Well, I can't cook right now, so but at that point in time, you know, we could get people to cook for me now. You understand? That's how I think. But anyway, anyway, just moving forward. So when I was in secondary school, the subject I get ones in, I knew it would apply to me. For example, as maths and accounts and things, like I do business, M O B, POB, economics, you know, a business subject me into. Although when they come in the world now and they really understand business, the trick queen school. However, it still built a foundation for me, you know. Of course. So only because of my mother, bro. I really I get a man. Yeah, right. But the most important thing for me was my journey, boy, and and knowing like one ex my brethren fly out to study abroad, who went into work one time. I know well, you is where I have to go. So somebody saw me and Yui on campus and said, Hey, we do it here, but you're a star. I say, see, that is why music is taken as a very light academic subject because everybody feels as you can open their mouth and sing or record that, and they call yourself an artist that you're musically inclined, or you can do music, or you have some authority within the space. But if I want to be a surgeon, I can't go and say lend my two scissors and I think they are got no. So I tell myself, but wait, I need to do this now. I don't want to wait till I end the rhythm of school, primary, secondary, tertiary. What I like? Music. I could have gone to international relations or business again. Of course. But I tell myself, boy, I know some people who never went to uh a Dane, UE or whatever, and they're rich. They lemon terms at them talking about the wealthy or they're economically inclined, you know. They so I say, alright, I'll go UI. Musical arts degree and forward. My mother wanted me to do a master's. I say, mommy, with all due respect, like I was doing this for myself and you in the same way, and I feel like right now, I'll fly. You know, when the the spaceship left off and them two things fall. It's good, sir. Yeah, I feel like at that point it was me to be fully in charge of my career, and this was a defining moment. Check this, right? My mother was a principal. Her entire career is built around education. Her son graduated from the University of the West Indies. Graduation day, he got a gig in Miami. You know what I tell my mother? The piece of paper that I spent three years there for, more important than cross any stage. I can't go and get nobody that crossing the stage picture and say I have a degree. No, my mother might not feel away about that, you know. But I have to be honest to let her know where my mentor is at that point, at that tender age, and well, I shouldn't say tender age, but remember some people go to university later. I went one time after secondary school.

SPEAKER_03: 28:01

So when you say tender age, what age you mean?

SPEAKER_00: 28:03

There's teens. Teens. Yeah. So I said, how do we go now? He said, you talk to him, mother. Because the he the respect he had for my mom's, like if I was doing madness in school, we not talking here today, bro. I understand. Ask my brother about that. Now, brother, I used to play football and thing and national. Under 17 national team. I ain't gonna call in him. But yeah, so we well, I ran my gong and I brought you graduated the year before. Where you called the um canister with the diploma. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, the canister. Remember my canister and nothing in it. Yeah, before the grad, I went and do full photo shoot. Because that's some people think I was a con man or no, because they didn't see my womb today. I didn't see me in the grad. But I go in Miami by jumping up, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I get my degree by, and I bust wrong at the same time, too, in your eyes. So, yeah. So she understood, all right, I feel a way because you know, you're not gonna do the master's, and this was the time, you know. I really want because she saw my we went away to see my brother graduates. It's my time. Plenty things she ain't too fun about with me, no, but we'll get it later down, yeah. Anyway, so at that moment, she understood, and she never really pressured me about anything after that.

SPEAKER_03: 29:17

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 29:18

She said, You know what you're doing, you know what you're doing. Anything you show you doing, I want to spend that. I see my spending spend it, it's my music, I spent it, yeah, yeah. I suppose. So, yeah, man. Blessing some mom's mind. That was the only little tussle pop, say you'll do that. We roll it making sense, right? Blah blah blah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 29:33

That is how masters is a funny thing, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 29:36

Masters, I'm a master of Minecraft.

SPEAKER_03: 29:38

Yeah, that's what I mean. You understand? A masters as a program is applied. So working, like for instance, lockjack have business masters. A man like me who went to school and do the whole academic thing, had to go and do uh what you call an international masters. But men who work in the field and thing who never even have a bachelor's degree, this put them in an executive master's a different program because.

SPEAKER_00: 30:00

Know in time to come when I get a little older, a little more mature. I don't remember my destiny would guide me.

SPEAKER_03: 30:05

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Never know. So tell m tell mommy, hold this strain. We come in. Yeah, blessings, man.

SPEAKER_00: 30:10

And I was foundation, man.

SPEAKER_03: 30:12

I'd ask about you we because at that point in time you're already advancing in terms of your career, you know what you want to do. How helpful was that program for you?

SPEAKER_00: 30:19

Very tremendously. 10 out of 10. Yeah. I suggest anyone coming out of secondary school in the Caribbean or anyone willing to check out that degree, musical arts degree. Blessings uh Mr. Jessel Murray and all the staff who would have uh contributed to developing my career because they were very understanding. Same way primary school, same for secondary school. I used to do my work, so if I asked to leave, it wasn't too much of a quote-unquote scene. However, exam time it's not like secondary school. Secondary school, bro, in St. George's College. I don't know if I can get his school in trouble, but they used to have me doing the exams before on a weekend because I had a fly out. Yeah. Yeah, real accommodating. I tell you, Mr. James Sammy moved the sports day to he postponed it to the following week because junior soccer monarch finals happened on the same day. Yeah, and it's Maxi Load at St. George's College in the Queen's Backstab by jump up like they never see before. Yeah. You know, I won 2008, 2009, and 2010, they didn't have any. So I'm the only um undefeated so in it. And then I stopped compete in the international soccer monarch years ago. Yeah. Because my my concept of soccer, I believe it should go forth, isn't in certain realms. But them place Monarch and thing is foundation. Yeah, so I would never tell a young artist don't go there. They have to go there. Well, not have to, but it is important that they experience such and time change too. So I don't know if they will get the same vibes like me. Different, it's a different time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 31:53

But let me talk about early competition now because you write a child for you, go on any company. Carnival time.

SPEAKER_00: 31:58

Carnival time in the city. I show you yet to get turned bad. Panana, you don't have to be worried. Why? Because they're sister in a dad. Jump take a jump up and up and say, jump time brass line is what I think that's my yeah. I'm a shoot by carnival time. Written by no idea we're doing, but he's a good one. But that's what I want to know. He said he might say man make a bad shoe. But you know, my father ended up writing truth for the whole village. But Brandon comes second in um and then we've been judging primary school. Yeah, but my mother teaching Glassman write about six songs in that commission. The man end up uh a master writer, just so have you have one little son. Well, I don't know. He one artist boss from the camp.

SPEAKER_03: 32:44

That's a blessing. Yeah, yeah. One of one we so you going on stage though, that is your earliest times on stage, Edinburgh primary school competition.

SPEAKER_00: 32:56

No, but neighbor went that. I went road to boys I see, right?

SPEAKER_03: 33:00

No, Edinburgh I mean don't in 500. So you went on stage with but went to Sabral Latino with Scrunter.

SPEAKER_00: 33:06

Oh, that was on that corner, that was like a roadshow. Oh, okay, okay. So you just come out on the Sabor, that was just uh a band that used to play a lot of.

SPEAKER_03: 33:12

But even how you said I remember I remember Sabor was bad, that was Skrunt's band. Yeah, dad. But you saying that it's now stage. I don't know. If I go and take a mic from scrunch, I frightened like hell with my knees shaking.

SPEAKER_00: 33:24

I tell you, my parents I got bungs down and thing you know. I don't know why I got bungs on my mother was traveling and I say, Mommy, look at Maxi Well to tell me the spot. The only part I remember when my mother was over me saying, Oh, feel you know is this? How much fingers I have uplive when you're up, so but I like go on pull away from her run. But cars coming on the opposite side. I see Maxi, I glad for Maxie that we go home. But so I was our mother, and I feel them screws that were loosened from that situation and know it's tight and happen. So I didn't have much care in you will. I just want to know. I just want to see, and I didn't have anybody around me in involving music for me to see well, I write a stage billing. So I went and see, because I custom at that moment. I don't know, bro. I can't tell you. I just had a because they used to song check the big truck before they start things for carnival too. And I as I hear that check one, as I hear one bicycle at a band BMX going up the road. So yeah, we just died the calling. So I tell you the gift reveal itself in so much ways, and yeah, so I was always brave. The house parties, family limes. I I like, you know what the grapefruit factory is?

SPEAKER_03: 34:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 34:37

And you come in with me road there, but was um sisters growers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, my grandmother was right next to that. Yeah, so that means family line like that, homes in this country and all that. So I tell them my background, we saw anybody passing on love and tell me sisters growers, and I was that was part of my bringing Theresa Noel, big up Uncle Bill and only Noel's family. But yeah, yeah, I was always brave, so I just went up there and do that. And my father see that braveness now. I ain't never forced me to do anything. Yeah, I do, I do, I do have a point in time. Oh yeah, he forced me to go and defend Shogunas, Calypso Mona. I can't lost something I done with Kaiso. I say, boy, we love them now. You say, come now, man, how that goes you run away from the thing, go and defend. I say, boy, and and from that time I say, but it's okay if Earl was say, Anne was say, I ain't doing it, boy. That was that was my little title. That's the only Kaiso title I have. You know, yeah, Shogona's Calypso Mona.

SPEAKER_03: 35:34

So you kind of made the decision as soon, how was it? That's where you was feeling.

SPEAKER_00: 35:37

Yeah, because you're going out with me in the kaiso, bro. It's like I went in the 2019 finals and it had a little small back and all with some other Calypsonians and myself. The remark of what them soak artists feel, bro. My foundation is Calypso, bro. I came second, I don't think it's about youth and trying to be going who come second more time than me and Junior Calypso. But them just is a put me second, and I gain all the special prizes. Best party song, best social commentary, best note zone, but second. Best preliminary performance, best secondary performance. If you see my house right now, my mother's begging me to clean them thing every Christmas. It's TK trophy, not once in foot in the calypso mode. So as a businessman at the time to ask, but they may even gain me no vibes over there, but then I don't know why it is, bro. Like my memory is our one switch and out switch. You see with the calypso, and especially with parang, tell a bone about the parang just on. I couldn't remember. So I had to take like three months to remember these long lines. My father gave me a kaisu, and about 24 lines per verse. So I go in and busting and forgetting lines and thing anything. Yeah. No, I never busting our finals, yeah, so I still feel I can I win something.

SPEAKER_03: 36:52

Well, don't tell you, that might not be why I come second, but I had the lyrics in the finals.

SPEAKER_00: 36:55

But you know what is the funny thing? Yeah, I had the lyrics in the finals. You know what's the funny thing, bro? When I check it, right? And this is for every young person watching right now. You see a journey, you're not in charge of that journey, you know. You know where you're in charge of? You just in charge of putting gas in that tank, bro. Because my parents at one point tell me, or I overheard them saying, better we take you out of that, you know, because you know, they started get fed up, they started get responded. They thinking about their time and energy, but them never really pre, how I feeling. They said they know they're feeling for me. But every time I lose, or every time I didn't win, by the fire in my can wait till next year. Yeah, eager. I done planning from the next month, Daddy. Here the son, or daddy, you know we could do for representation, this, that. So because I never gave up, I was able to hold my own and rally through. And then you just well sat understanding too. After coming out of primary school, I start within 2001 to 2003, that little primary school thing. But when I come out of that and I'm into the real world, I say, Wait, it's like a contour, it's mountain us. Success is not one.

SPEAKER_03: 38:03

Not linear.

SPEAKER_00: 38:04

Nah, you have to go up and down. So I had to understand these things and say, well, alright. If I had to choose her out now, let me go into the soccer world. Because I take in the licks. I feel like the licks in the kaisos was me doing something where it's like a cultural responsibility at the point that I really didn't have to take up. Because I was so immature, nothing I doing at that point supposed to feel a set of resistance now. And then I going off of our like. So I could distinctly tell him my father, you wasting your time writing that, because I'm not going back there. You say, Yeah, sure, boy. I say, yeah. And then I started placing low and low until I just come right out. Calypso. So going into junior soccer monarch. And I gained that by chance, you know. Mr. Larry Edward from Rosie Boys. Right? After I took part in the preliminaries for the national schools, Calypso Monarch. I was like, Yeah, I good, let me go. And then he said, Mr. Alves, it had the junior soccer monarch prelims going on, and you want to let him try that one? And my father said, Oh go. And then the first time I tell my father, nah, you know. And then now he said, Nah, come, let me go. And two of them carry me up there. And that is the one I get in. I didn't even get any calm so one die. That was the first, first, first time I started competing nationally, you know? Outside of the little rosy boys eyes. You think so? It was a lesson. So my my entire life was just listening and understanding. You know, when I see the thing happen, if me now as a little boy in my room, and my parents talking about something, and I, within myself, could say, What them talk, what them feel? I bust out the room and say, Nah. I can remember. Because you're out strange now, but I can remember which room I was in, and I bust out the room and I say, nah. I want to win. I tell my fella, my exact words, Daddy, I not stop until I win. Yeah, well, he done do so and say, alright, and rock back. The boss still be rolling.

SPEAKER_03: 39:54

Yeah. Yeah, that's the kind of support we need, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 39:58

He's a one of one, boy. So that's why any little space iron and children performing boy. And I see one who's really eager to come up. I let them come up. I don't care if promoters say have five minutes because I know if scrunch are then called me, bro. I work in TST. Or teaching at school. All know you're going in telco competition again. And and winning that. Yo, my brethren and them teaching enough. Yeah. No disrespect to them. Some real brothers from you. They leave you with teaching. I understand. I just pass through the thing. So it's like within our system of things, I know, but I just want to get this knowledge to go and do my thing.

SPEAKER_03: 40:35

Right. Well, you mean you know the history, right? So there was a time when, and I I wonder sometimes, like you're more competition. I wonder sometimes was the value in the separation because you call Tambo's name. Tambo was a Calypsonian. He wasn't referred to as a soca artist in the late 80s when he was winning road match. I think them days it was just Calypsonians. So you know the the the the fact that you described now a change from Calypso to soccer really have to do more with the genre. Because when you listen to your music, brother, like Kaiso, it it's really hard to make a for me.

SPEAKER_00: 41:08

And I see you believe I me expressing these things to you, unlocking something in my mind, you know. I love Calypso, and I went back in 2019 and and and feel the same vibration. I left.

SPEAKER_03: 41:26

So, what was the skinner back and thing you're talking about 2019 or what competition?

SPEAKER_00: 41:29

Skinner back was the semis and I made the finals. Right. I sung a song called I Am a real deep song. It's scored in my um I'm Ad Mohammed and myself. So I feel like, alright. It's a vortex that it's just unfortunate it is the way it is. That year when I went back in the national calypso monarch final, a lot of young people was watching because I was there. But after that, a lot of people like teasurements with our normal suit. And I like to see when so artists go in it too because we showing that we care, you know. Most times the soccer artists end up in a calypso monarch final because he was almost forced to because of the hype and the vibes of the people that want to see in all these spaces. Look at young brother, who's a youth I'm very proud of. So I chose the soaker because of all these things, and it was more Urban Curry. I'll be honest here now. When I watched the kit, my father bringing for me to sing in the calypso. And then I watched the kit that I choose into wear. It's a big difference. My friend and them. It's more of us. Being real within myself, until this day, my cultural responsibility, I tell my youth all the time, is to make sure that the calypso is flowing through me. But my brethren and them didn't like my Kaiso song, so I was feeling uncool and love. I understand. But when I think my little soak, I think they like that. They're coming and jump up for me. That's important. Actually, they'll never come a calypso. That's on that time to help on a pizza. But they then the Junior so coming up who dancing, one stage. So yeah, and then naturally too. People like what I like. We're in the next realm now with the Zeus. And I might hear sitting this. And the old soccer worry in my worrying might, but I the song of the ground, that's what they like. I don't think it's different. It's the same thing you're saying. Yeah, it's like uh revolving energy that has calypso in the middle.

SPEAKER_03: 43:30

Yeah, I with you. That's a nice way to look at it.

SPEAKER_00: 43:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 43:33

I I like that. I like that. That's a nice way to look at it. So you're in school now, you're entering the junior so command. You can't stop you there when then you're beating people coming and going. Right. When it's starting to turn into a profession for you, as early as that, you're seeing this is where your life is gonna be, and this is how you're gonna eat.

SPEAKER_00: 43:49

Why are they my father just watched me and say, I feel all of them like you? It's like I don't know what just then when I start to face it, you know, you're out of school, it's not no junior, so come on our things no more. When you enter the international monarch, you entertain as a big man. So come on, yeah, the international and then now you're in a space where people who are your mentors, remember I tell you people like Blacks and Marshall and this one and that one coming and talk to you know, and it's so casting. So imagine your mentors and all your competitors, you don't know about them that's telling you nothing again. And then now I ain't working away, and I just doing music. So I started see progress in my friend's life. Like he gets a little job, yeah. He went and married, he living abroad now and applaud went over my head in terms of you know you set up my G, you have no plan B, you had to make this work, you had to make this work because even after I quote unquote boss when I broke through into the soccer in a big wave in your eyes and delayed rhythm, Corey 2013, nothing I had planned. Seriously, buying a book for a fat, bro. My first work permit, I didn't fly out of town because economies of scale, and the way we do business and things like it wasn't making no sense to go out to do things for what at the point in time. So we sit down, we then 2013 come, releasing songs, and for some reason it's like it's not connecting. So that was the first blow to me. That was the first strong wind. A matter of fact, it was a thunderstorm, a confusion because I say like I write all these songs for all these artists last year, and I just so called Wonder Boy for us when people are saying, Wait, why easy next? This and this, that and I write I never understand when Black See and the race starts again. I just thought that was when the tunes are released. Nah, bro, everything two matter what happened in the 252 matter in the 26. How you feel about that, bro? I am not emotionally attached to anything that people deem a negative item in so why because I live my life trying to understand why you know my truth. I want to know why things the things are the way they are because we are a carnival genre still. So, as I mentioned, no seasons earlier in my mind, 2015-2016, when I analyze this, I realized that there's no way for so to grow. If it is, we keep focusing and attaching it to Carnival because Carnival itself is a brand that needs to remove itself from itself because we train these carnival right here as a festival to jump on whatever we need, but but but but that brand is something that we could have ongoing through the year where people come here as Carnival Central, Carnival Land, and experience anyway, moving forward. So I say, alright, we have to take so out of the season, and we as the generators of this energy, who are the artists and the writers and the producers, right, have to give the fans and them something to hold on to throughout the year. So, one, we got a respect because they don't respect the fact that we just bust tuned for carnival and then get antsy and go online and argue with the world. When really and truly, if I am a DJ and I gain over a hundred songs a week, I can't help everybody. It's impossible. And DJ are holy parties, friends, so obviously back and I'll get to take place. So when it is you have the stop and go effect now, how artists could build a fan base? And that's why I learned 2012-2013. If I could take this fan base that know me growing up, that's why something called team start. Where I started do my own parties and have my own promotion and have my own group of people just doing random pop-ups to keep my fans around now. Right. And they will grow with me. Right? So 2012, big hit, 2013, no hit. That's because between 2012 carnival and the end of the year, we really do much, bro. So we hold on to it and build that momentum where I reach in a space now, bro. I could release a song, and even if the radio takes two months to play it, it will connect to where it connects. Right? So when we when we remove ourselves from the seasonal thinking that we'll have a thing called no seasons, like no habla was my first hit song. So I use that like that's the flagship song in terms of to tell people. 2018 made it happen and it played throughout the year, really catch a fire in December, and then it lasts the whole year after.

SPEAKER_03: 49:15

So No Abla was after Carnival?

SPEAKER_00: 49:17

Yeah, up till this day, plenty people don't even know there was no soccer release for no carnival. So, what I was able to do there is tell a story about what's going on on the ground and trying to make when we had a lot of um immigration, yeah, Venezuelan migration. Really story being real, so I didn't see that topic and decided to sing about it subconsciously. I was vibes in a day, and I just started saying, Come out there, yeah, my senorite, being venida training that you too bag. The next one, I asked her friend to help me with. So while I was writing, that line I just like mime down. And then unfortunately, that's all the Spanish that I man know. Because between the vibes of writing, I was like, Where are you going with the Spanish? I don't really know much Spanish, so I just freestyle that. And that is how that song came out, came to light. We use that time, and it made sense in the space, cause you know they say the Calypsoan is the poor man newspaper, so I just kind of reflect society with that. And it catch, I know why Julian changed the the year on it. Anyway, you said Julian, yeah. About the 18. Well, it's making it. No, them type, we said we still selling uh selling Julian with thing. Yeah. I say Julian trick we said I and all two still kind of part of the problem because uh saying you tune and Carnival 26, but still are the selling space on as a kind of no well, it's take time the audience and learn where you're teaching too. No, the audience don't need to learn why you're teaching them. Because we, the artists and the creators, had understand what the audience wants from me. They were tune. So if you ain't about from the soccer artists and them in here, and it's just artists and the tune, but artists and the reggae artists and it's all artist and the upper artists and it's the artist and the that artists, give them in here. Obviously, we stuck before, and then they got you like, all right, all the line up. Who are it? Alright, you know, you get thing next year, now you get thing three and straight. Now, all right, you are eat again.

SPEAKER_03: 51:09

The gap where because I have a theory, and you're gonna tell me if it makes sense because so is one of the few genres in the world where when you have a hit, it's guaranteed for a year. Sure. Rap and them don't make that, right? Them hits could fall off fast. Yeah, no, again, they could make songs that forever, too, just like we are but for so when you have a hit here, you have a hit for the year. But you're saying that a part of the issue is that after Ash Wednesday, I leave and go on from Trinidad.

SPEAKER_00: 51:33

Well, where I am doesn't matter because we live in a world with social media. I was now in England and Barbados and Vincent.

SPEAKER_03: 51:39

No, no, no, not where you are physically. No, they say naturally. It's like not putting out anything is what you say in the context. Understood.

SPEAKER_00: 51:46

Because towing have you busy, but we ain't towing like some real tow artists. We ain't towing like that, we be real. So, one of the questions Ian Pantin asked me at time he had a meeting with my father and I. He said, EA, you could tow and write music. You could live and do music without seeing a girlfriend. I don't know. Um, this and that, this and that. And I and I didn't even meet, and I was like, shit, there's some real business here, boy. So I don't understand. As I say, I was very fortunate to be around some monsters in the game, but I'd be a promoter, no bigger people like Randy Glasgow. I think that one of my first bookings, you know. If not, the first one that clients, my father, uh 500, boy. Yeah, Randy give me my first five. That five to me as a youth man, I was like bad. My father began to go and that show us. Randy say, we come in the competition, father says second, Randy say, nobody care about second. But one like my father used to come and give me a real out the promoter and them talking. Still level no well, hey, yeah, yeah, that's sure you can. When you when you get your value, stand up and not be too unflexible. That would close inflexible in here, which one I go with? Right, right, but you know, leaving off room because you might develop relationships and that long run. But other than that, bro, like I get it real, real.

SPEAKER_03: 53:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 53:07

So I was in a position to just navigate my way, learning through other people's mistakes, and just seeing, like, hey, remember what this one says, hey, remember what that one says.

SPEAKER_03: 53:18

I want to give you some credit for that too, eh? Because you saying, for instance, the only people you was around the I don't understand that you put yourself in a space where you're humble enough to learn from all the people too. That's that's on you. I was a little more pushy them time.

SPEAKER_00: 53:30

Because when I understand certain things, my character just a little bit because I never wanted to be looked upon as a hype soak artist. Man, I was to be honest, uh, I've been around various spaces where people perceive you know artists sometimes in a certain light now. And me being an academic and being somebody well informed and certified about what I do, I kinda adjust my energies within certain spaces. Yeah. Just to be able to navigate them. So someday I could just strictly be a businessman. Because I also involved in things outside of the soccer too, because we're doing this thing so long that the portfolio developed now.

SPEAKER_03: 54:18

But it's important if you could say you had the uh I don't think they have many artists who could boast of a year like 2012, right? From from what you were able to accomplish. So for 2013, it's a question I have all the time, my brother, because I don't understand the world. You see, you living in it, you know the promoters, you know the artists. As a feta, the songs don't expire.

SPEAKER_00: 54:38

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 54:39

Uh, I mean, and and going back to Julian, people go on YouTube and type 2025 soccer. So if the song saying 2024, it might never come up. So I understand the name change kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00: 54:48

Now you only did have a one little thing, huh?

SPEAKER_03: 54:50

Yeah, I guess it's just a just to make many smell that though there.

SPEAKER_00: 54:57

I don't want to be calling you back. Say Corey, it's a lot of it's simple.

SPEAKER_03: 55:02

David goes out. David goes on that.

SPEAKER_00: 55:06

I'm sure I shiny now. Take a pause. No, we're a pause idea.

SPEAKER_03: 55:10

It's up to you. No, I don't have no. You say the grease is the grease is a process. That yes, Brandon. So in in that in that space where you're going to, yeah. You're going into a year where there was is nothing happening. Uh it's always an odd thing for me. Like I just don't understand. Because I feel like if like Ufan is Ufan, I see it with Nadia Batson last year, if not this year. So me, Nadia is Nadia. Just as a fan, right?

SPEAKER_00: 55:39

I don't leave that part of big up Nadia. But Nadia play in uh uh integral role in my career, wrong party flavor, huh? Mr. Vibe, Mr. Nisha, all mentors, and again in the space with them and I say in a way, boy, that Nadia Batson, but she's right real big tuna thing. Yeah, me and my father went to Nadia the right tune idea, you know? But we can afford it. Yeah, nobody telling me my father carry me wrong the place. We're looking for it, boy. Big up Nadia and Viber and all of them.

SPEAKER_03: 56:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah. For me too. Nadia is a hero to me. So when I see the among the catalogue share, to me, this is just my opinion and ignorance, really. I cannot understand how a promoter goes say Nadia. Do I have a hit this year and do books? But you're not a response to that. I just my own opinion.

SPEAKER_00: 56:19

It's just at the end of the day, bro, because I might be in the same position. I get a book and on book already. Economy is a scale. Like, if a man knows to himself, boy, if I put you on my stage, it might be a stretch for me. Well, so be it.

SPEAKER_03: 56:32

A stretch in terms of what? How much did I pay you?

SPEAKER_00: 56:34

Well, yeah, if you had to give me some grands and it go put you mini minus, alright. Well, if that were the sick. But at the end of the day, business is business and we don't force to be on the stage. We we we we we go on the stage when we call upon, or we do business with people. So at the end of the day, I don't have any hang-ups with any promoters. We decide not to book a funnel. Okay. And I created my own lane with E Day. By the way, 8th of February, trying to be go ready up, E Day St. John's, Trinidad. So E Day is a festival I built in. And we had the Mazgo play team last year, so it's an element and a touch of the friends with the artistry. So it could be a thing where when they come carnival and you were CD done, certain stages and is that. Again, same thing. Just like the songs. We shouldn't be in a space where we have to hustle out ourselves to fight up to be on a stage for visibility. We create our own spaces and phone.

SPEAKER_03: 57:26

Director of the yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 57:30

Overdue they didn't like that, you know. Yeah. Radio didn't like that. I ain't saying the radio didn't like that because the radio is just a bunch of people. Everybody say radio, radio, radio, radio. Radio is DJs. People around me, I'm talking about. As in my management, no, not management, my friends and certain um DJ friends and producers I have. They was like, bro, that sounds like a summer tune. You sure you a job that? And again, they know it's Ariel Kaiso in there. Then I know the kick pattern overdue in almost all shadow songs. Remember telling about my influences earlier? That was one of these ones. It might sound like dance all to the untrained. But engineer park. And I always was in love with that bass. I was like, wait, I mean that bass and that kick he ain't going ready, there girl that shadow belly. Straight kick. Is that off? And I think this on light, handy rainfall, like the dear time, handy night come. Yeah, we gave Alexa gave them something, but that's all right. There's part of it, you're the girl of gems. We go, bro, we study this and we live this and all. Sometimes my home alone, just in our meds, and I listen to like two hours straight a kaiso. Listening to shipping is like that. A high hat pattern, a kick pattern, lower man phrase something, like one man sing, but it shows.

SPEAKER_03: 58:52

It shows. I don't know if you're hearing that a lot. It shows.

SPEAKER_00: 58:55

At the end of the day, we don't look out for hearing it. Because if we tune into hearing it too much, that would distract the people. I on our road right now, that's different. And if it is, I go around the savannah and everybody wanna cut through the middle because they'll reach the faster. But if I had a bounce up my head, yeah, bounce up my head here, bounce up here, learn and learn and learn. And by the time you reach here, bro, it's so solid. You know, you'll be like Marshall Montana one thing, bro. You wanna be like, eh, we're the king of so carry you know the beat. But my greatness is not to be a king. I done captain E already, so we're building that. And we're building the legacy. And if the destiny does so on the universe, shift it that way, and then shift it that way, as I say, it's the gas. Forget the junior.

SPEAKER_03: 59:40

Yeah, yeah, you had to put the gas. I wait here, I wait here. And salute and that idea, I think, is something that we had to continue to put some.

SPEAKER_00: 59:46

Because you could want to go to the beach real bad, but you're for cardwa gas, brother. Take that from me. I risk it plenty and shut down plenty. Ask for Brad Jam about me. Because that canister just worthlessness. But mean care? Who was he that done laugh die them?

SPEAKER_03: 1:00:02

Uh uh. So where the writing start for you? Because Daddy writes the first cry. So when did it come out to you writing?

SPEAKER_00: 1:00:08

I just fell up a he writing calypso for me. And I just started doing my own thing. And I used to go on, yeah, waiting about this one. He said, Yeah, man, like that. He was just kind of like, I feel like he does plenty chaining up. But chain up, I guy the chain up now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thing. Let's think. Until uh finally, I think the first song I ever write for myself was called positive called positive lyrics, boy. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Really like I'm a chore lyrics, but we jump in east, west, north, and south. You could see people and cannival, they jump in all about. This is King Uphon who run the route. Them time I seen King, whatever. If you don't know, I'm the youth man with a hot mouth. I am the saplane, I run this soccer train. I might look small, but I have a big brain, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:00:54

Yeah, that was it. Yeah, like amateur right. That's like why I wouldn't come up with it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:00:59

Why going down my eyeball? So, one of the earliest producers on my timeline was Ken Booker. Um, and then see Aibo. Come when they go in down my eyeball. Yeah, seeing down when he sees and they were thinking, Wait, boy, they will massh a lot of them just come and sit down. Yeah, you're smelling the room. Ibo used to have a little like them sweet thing, and when they leave there smelling like the room. But yeah, and you're just watching all the instruments, and so I bo produced that and I actually went to the soccer star with that song. Strange enough.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:34

So Sookerstar was that for the century you went to your side.

SPEAKER_00: 1:01:37

Soka star was the first time I experienced like a real national like stardom as a young, as a child.

SPEAKER_03: 1:01:43

Who's some of your parents that was in soccer star at that the year you were in there? Who's some of the other people you might remember? No, no. Who they with now? No, no, no. The people who was in it. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:01:54

Fireball was. But you was in the first one. I tell you, you could barely know me. Cause I just small, I just did a youth man thing, but them fellas was older, right? They were like Kimba, the girl joining them down. Right. When it comes to that, I had the little smallies on them, you know, when they see me. Could when I touch four more than judges.

SPEAKER_03: 1:02:11

You don't understand.

SPEAKER_00: 1:02:12

And a big bag on my back, I come on, there's an always a principal, and I can't do so and leave home textbook and thing. Yeah, yeah. So hey, you FNLs. You was on um Cinji TV, you was on this yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:02:24

People know men remember how big that shows the year that come out, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 1:02:27

As we as we were saying earlier, like different gaps in my career would relate to different generations. So we have primary school, old finals fans, we have secondary school finals fans. Like somebody say they have a picture of me on one of them. Um anyway, yeah. And then we had the the the secondary school inter-university, that's the anti-leature, them vibes, you know, around that time there. And then right before that was the soccer star, but after that, fully, you know.

SPEAKER_03: 1:02:54

So from soccer star, you're gone. Is it?

SPEAKER_00: 1:02:56

Nah, so that was like 2006. I won't say gone, but I was well known. Right. And respected as an Tai Youth Manuel Bad. Yeah. You know, that kind of way, and he do anything, and he and he followed there.

SPEAKER_03: 1:03:09

It says something because you're talking about it. That's real, real early when you're now breaking trend. You go in my eyeball, you're going very much.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:14

Yeah, I think my first interview was with Jaiger. Well, his name was Super Jagger T C. Yeah. Like, yeah, and he played my song on radio. I was like, Yeah, boy, we boy thing. That was like, what's the name of this? Uh 91.9. Yeah, but he used to work so uh bashmen, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:03:35

People ain't gonna remember. Yeah, boy, he brings me back to even super jagger TC. People ain't gonna know who is that enough. Well, he used to run out on soccer supporters. He does work to make their shows. 20 people was behind his own. Big up the turn calendar with the other energies, no joke.

SPEAKER_00: 1:03:50

Yeah, it's I tell you, like, I don't have any hang-ups with anybody in this industry who would have pave away or who I know, like who I will call like a OG or something like that. These fellas do things that they didn't even know I was looking. I could remember the first time I kind of was in Shal Marshall space. He was walking up the steps for 51, and I hear him. Well, how I see Shal for the first time is how I how I know Shal now. He's like, Daddy, and he go and talking to somebody up the step, and I watching all them time when they're going up um 51, it had album pictures on the book. Yeah, boy, you remember them things? Yeah, and I around all of them and I saying, Way boy, thing so yeah, Shal's still the same way.

SPEAKER_03: 1:04:27

I just want to put it on recording. So you're coming off of it, you're writing at that point in time, you're writing and releasing every year, kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00: 1:04:37

Well, I used to produce a lot of soccer songs before, but I kind of get to understand that I I never really wanted to be a jack of all trades. Because I saw intense, like I know like I would have tried to give everything the same intensity, and now so being an artist, I could remember the moment when I had a decision to make my full career. But I only started write Corey because I make money and every so cartist was a song from Earth and House because in 2012, 11 into 12. You see 2010 into 11 That's when we started do it, but in the background, and my Facebook message to Casey Phillips when I know come out of secondary school, I think it's still there on Facebook. Yo, bro, some of some beats now. I just home here. He said, What do you mean? I say I not doing nothing with myself, I just home, but I will write, I say, send me some bro. And sina, or you send my set of things.

SPEAKER_03: 1:05:41

At that point, he knows y'all, they know each other.

SPEAKER_00: 1:05:43

Yeah, because you producing plenty of my juniors come on and songs and things. Yeah, so it's like a whole like my my my story, like everybody, yeah, they grow with me. Understand. And the first song I write, them time I didn't know Casey was like uh an anchor for a lot of producers from up the Caribbean, like when there were Marshall and I rhythm or any trinity artists that were sending Casey Phillips and the Casey gonna record it and set it back. So I was thinking somebody with them. I I was thinking that everything that Casey sent was my own. Okay, I joke just now. I wrote I I wrote um Do Fray. That was my first tune I wrote and sell, but if someone write for an ex artist, come your hand, wind up Do Fred. Come here and yeah, that and the Charlie show them though for Marshall Montano, and we've gone and on and right other songs now. But this part of it, you know, remember I ain't shame to say, like, we innocent. It's plenty part of the business we we wasn't too aware of. So class did a rhythm call for the rhythm. It had Kess, Marshall Montano, and Swapy on the rhythm. I wrote Marshall Montano's song on Swapy, and then Swapy had a little bit of his flavour on it too. So Marshall was um Kelly, I wanna take you home, rockin', oh oh. And then he um Swapy was, yeah, yeah, be good buddy, Empress.

SPEAKER_01: 1:07:03

I wanna give it every time you request Swap. So I knew we had it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:07:09

It's like you, yeah. I know, because remember secondary school into things, and then the carnival will loop over. So, like we say, I write a song like a whole like ten months ago. Time and take everybody to get on the rhythm and thing is funny next year, Carnival. So I knew we and it happened to be by some radio or something, and I hear any song playing. Well, I fire up, I call class, I tell you naive, yeah, chuppy boy, how you gonna truly smiting on them, but we do no business and never forget classic, but yeah, beat me. But it's just like simply for me and them fellas to go through the things on them because even as uh became you know good on my own, we do sometimes you know have a deadline for a thing where we have to send out to the distributors and we just deal with the backend paper. Once you have a verbal agreement, as in terms of the percentages, you could always sign off for it. Now sometimes you song that go out, which is not the best practice, however, it's an international thing, greatest or great sometimes with our projects I on international, it go like that sometimes, not the greatest, but yeah. So that was like uh I feel bad about it because like an arrogance take over me. But it was just as a young person in a space wanting to defend myself now. Like I sort of feel like at this point I want to make sure nobody taking advantage of me, but at that point it wasn't that. It was just like I get a little over excited, and all I had to do was call him an I Linquid, which is Casey, who would uh kind of put me on to write these songs and them kind of thing. So it was a beautiful experience writing all them songs, my writing career than last. I remember 2012 I wrote about 40 songs that yeah, you know. Yeah, and then's the first one that somebody picked up, was it? Yeah, do Fred. Do Fred. Yeah, that's from me asking Casey. So my father asked me about singing, and I asked Casey about writing. Yeah, and then time around that time there I was one of the most glorified young writers in his space. And then I just decided to pass a better info on to my peers. I was like, eh, if all the writers, all the sure get through. So everybody said, alright. Yeah, when second write, he boss, and pretty right bagatune, the bus. And voice right bagatune. You see, that's an easier route. Yeah, because you become uh uh uh a talent in the man, a service in the man. I stop because one, I like to I I put pride in everything I'm doing, and I sort of feel like if I'm in a machine just churning out music, just because I could do it. And I know much like not much people understanding that when I was telling them, they was feeling like if I was selfish because I get through on the music side of things as an artist. But really and truly honest to God, like I know time to lie about that because at the end of the day, if I even being real with myself, I only write to get some money. And I fall in love with doing it for other people because the beauty of it, like up to last night I listened, precision wine from Kess. Baby wine up na, baby wine up now, did you sweat in na flex with precision, like I write out one day, and it's like a timeless song that could read. No, I'm I was in love with the idea of me giving a little piece of my vibes to the artist and marrying it and just developing something fresh and new. And most of the songs I did, it was always like timeless pieces because I used to listen to a lot of different genres, and with my exposure, attending the University of the West Indies, we had we had to be involved in Indian classical, calypso, you know, I was part of the choral well and arrangement, and so you could really hear it in my music. So I just moved on from that, you know, broke broke a lot of hearts, you know. Some some some of my favourite artists Garel Vex with my point, but at the end of the day, I really had to put myself first because they weren't seeing the burnout taking place, they weren't seeing like my my time being cut away from trying to give you a great service, you know, and then it wasn't like a passionate part of me. It wasn't something I dreamed of doing, it was something that I don't like to be idle, you know. You see how they say the devil find work, final answer. Stay busy. Have to stay busy. Even when I bought, I might just call up some producers and say, hey, we do it you free, they go and work. But after me and super argue, then we go and work.

SPEAKER_02: 1:11:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:11:32

We don't want to work. We buy a studio. We buy a studio, we do stand-up outside the studio. You go in the studio, but that's all your background now. So the writing part, I love it, but I suggest anybody who wants to enter the soccer or they write some songs for our soccer artists, and then our attention on you, and then when you get your thing once it's good, they can't stop it.

SPEAKER_03: 1:11:52

Yeah, but don't call no names. So I ain't gonna call no names of nobody who does that this year, right? But you see, you've seen it more and more and more now, especially your if you're gonna call graduating class or the the the the crops, you you say some of them, yeah. Uh wait, in terms of well, look you're saying pretty would have done the same thing.

SPEAKER_00: 1:12:08

So if I could all right, so 2012, I came on the scene, you know, because people like Patricia Barton, like Ola Tunji and thing by them. Them is them is like we generals, yeah. Foundations, yeah, and then people like brother and thing I see myself who doing it a while now. People like Kooten, Kutin's always selling me good by the OG. I said, brother, me ready for the OG thing yet. Putin all in that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:12:34

Do it before we and a pave it for me. I say, wait, but you paying respect to people who do it. Yeah, I like that, I like them. Yeah, let him do that. I like them, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:12:44

I you know, like class by buying sometime. Yeah, but uh it's a beautiful thing to see now. Check this. Remember, I talking no seasons. I glad the crap artists are busting now, right? Understand and no seasons vibe without even trying to apply it. Die the cell brother going and do what you have to do in Ash Wednesday, you know. Watch lava. You understand? But they sing so and I always sell coutin's at the sing so I telling you, you're going and bust when you sing as soon. So said, So done. I see second side in a party DJing. And I say, but he's a madman by we doing here. Nah, he used no mic, man. Yeah, sorry, no DJ, yeah. And he's always tell people, like, if he wasn't that vocal about it, I wouldn't say it here. But he always tell people at that point, he said, nah, I'm going back to my calling. Because before I start singing, I bung up second star in Christopher Tambu Herbert's house doing voice training before me. Did that do anything? But it just happened to bust first. But I respect you in a way. One, because we father is, you see like you and Naila. I really respect for them because I bloodline thing we talk about. They talk about things like Ismali's business. And much respect to them. They were awarded recently. But yeah, so when I see the dan there, now I say, Wait, I would never forget when I see you for the first time. Like I meet you doing this and I car be in this and I leave you out of this by come by brother by the way we go and still do anything. So it's just like me being in a space and expressing myself and telling my truth, just like how blacks and them would have tell me something. If I see my brother and then I say, eh, this is a white guy in bike. Come in, let me come back in. So me and then a little bit, I was a kind of alone. Yeah. Because it was a whole writing story, and I get through, and then everybody saw the tie back.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14:24

What are the same little boy from 121 under auntie?

SPEAKER_00: 1:14:26

Like the same little boy from Party Flavor, that the same little boy from Sokastar. Oh, yeah, bro. We move on. And then now we sort of see um pretty gay chance, second comeback, and you see gay chance, you know, people like Nyland, Voice, and Teja and everything, and yeah, crap. And then a little space. Sorry for who name I then called, but just and then now bigger people like College Boy Jesse and thing within my thing. But then now you see like young brother and lava and coutine and etc. etc. But I have to say it like this, and I'd really like to call names car or leave out some. Sure. But if I don't come and say this, well, why why Billy right now in terms of letting people understand his soccer lifestyle? They need to see it like that. They need to understand his story, they need to like hear how these men bust and when and understand like who thing before. Although it's not important to we know, because we're doing your own thing on your mission, but who we selling to? Of course. It's important if you ask a rap fanatic about JSON Tupac, they can tell you and argue all day about it too. We think that's here. You might ask somebody with Final Showman, might know that's the role we're on right now, just to like get people in touch or re-in touch because I say that's so much different parts of my career. Long, long, long to put in that time to tell me is a OG.

SPEAKER_03: 1:15:40

Which part is a OG? Damn right, yeah. But they must know too that this thing will be if I enjoy talking to you. So this thing could be a last time here. So one names ain't call here, we go call. Blessings. So that 2012, what's your experience like then? Because I well, first, let me ask you a selfish question as a writer, right? Because if I could write the way you write, I would have sing all my children then. But you call some of the things I said to hell with my I say KC said, Macmut thing.

SPEAKER_00: 1:16:03

Some of my brethren vex with me when they get demos and things, and I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:07

And you by that time, you don't do your vocal training, so your demo on point.

SPEAKER_00: 1:16:10

My demo, well, yeah. This when I now start and thing, I didn't have my own setup. So I used to go by my brethren house. But he used living on a main road there. I remember that do free um demo I said for Casey. Cahone, Carhone and Maxi. You know the Maxi, pop up, pop up. Casey cussing. But he went to New York and he brings back a mic for me and thing. And yeah, Casey, Casey, Casey Phillips, you know, again, yeah, he played a role in terms of line me and uh, you know, enter next door. I will scroll, or it might have some computer nerd, I will find that message and frame that. Well, I want to tell you something, eh?

SPEAKER_03: 1:16:53

I will tell you something. This is not out yet, but Casey was here. Yeah, and he makes it a point to talk about his introduction to you, yeah. For sure, for sure.

SPEAKER_00: 1:17:00

That's my big brother, see me. Yeah, we have a very special relationship, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:17:04

Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah, but your name call in a good way, in a good way.

SPEAKER_00: 1:17:08

No, man, at the end of the day, bro. It was him and Nicola, you know. And that was like my two big brothers. I tell you, outside of the studio, we partying, I bouncing them up and dance and lime with them and thing, you know, and then checking out the big girls and them with the line with that, although I don't know, play. I don't know, showing you now. Come, but still, yeah, me and my regent Jerome King, we rolling by and he going down. But it's at the SOE, we hear Marshall was recording down there. No, I didn't think that was that night, but you know, it had some nights you could have to go and stay and wait till the time roll over anybody. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Long time boy, we in the studio thing, and my father sleepy, and my father going and he said, Boy, you gotta drop him and Marshall and drop me on me and shaft rolling. Yeah, so I was around these fellas in a real way. So it are things I know and happen to experience that whoever on the scene knows may not have. So I feel like when I come on your show and I talk all these things, we kinda lay it out, let them understand, let them hear it.

SPEAKER_03: 1:18:03

Never put that back out there one time.

SPEAKER_00: 1:18:04

And then that sounds greezy.

SPEAKER_03: 1:18:07

So but I life, man. How you know when you're when you're writing in your eyes is the first as your breakout, you would say, for you as an artist.

SPEAKER_00: 1:18:15

Yeah, but that song was for me. I had a song for Patricia Robert. And it's the first time I go and tell you this. That I'm at say that. But I write a song for Patricia Roberts. And my father just say, well, if she not doing it. Because sometimes we might write uh a song for somebody, and when they record it, it might work, right? So those working on it. So we say, alright, we won't get we won't we ain't doing it with the trees, like who we gonna do it with? And pops again. I was like, Are you looking for an next woman? I casting it. He said, Well, me they're casting it by flip the lyrics. Going down like Casey. Say yeah, by my father, say, Don't them time that I still say my father say, Yeah, you know, daddy now. I said, by my father say, better we flip the thing by and Casey was like, Whatever, because Casey watching time. I saw then who in this space, I thought I think about other artists and things. I was like, okay, boy, boom now. If you listen to that song, my vocal execution, my intonation, it's very feminine. And you know what thing about this guy said if I had a songwriter, I'd write another song for a man, I write another song for a woman, sure. So, like, how I express and then now I say, but I got a single by the same song. Kiss is a single baba, but that's saying just so. So I was like, Wait, but I sing I song, girls, but you know, why remember I write up? Papa Trista sing, so I was kinda a little sexy, but that work. And here we know it in your eyes. The chorus used to go like, tell me why, but your love was a lie. Oh, you got me believing in your lies too long for Patricia singer. In your lies, yeah, and I know. Well, some parts we put lies on, some parts we put eyes. I see. Yeah, that was casey whilst. But you had to switch to um putting all the blame on me, but now it's so plain you say, You got me believing in your eyes too long. Yeah. So you move from tell my why boy to putting all the blame on me. So I like, wait, I know they met Marshall, Cohen, Nadia. Let me see what going. Because you just working all the life, and the next, you guess, so much instances where the next feel like it's gonna come and it never come now. Like you feel like on bus, like your father talking and stand up talking outside of the radio station long long without talking about. And you feel like that drive home is like, yeah, come on, father, could I talk, you know? My father got me in real rooms, no time goes, obviously things go change. You guess like we need new things, but back then he was sharp, so that that that that that that's how that song came about, bro. That that was a moment in time for me. I drive in well, in the front seat of a taxi going home, and my neighbour, who till this day I can't forgive, can't say I real hate I think I said, Dog, you ain't there? I think it's Shal and Emma. Brand new rhythm, Antilles we have her for now. You know, and I hold on my seat, blood. I said, Dog, that you mean this man here ain't me singing on the radio and saying that me know. He said, You lie, you know who's that? Corner house now. I know not the one my age, next one. So I know so that my first LB said I hate by get ass and boss I get. And I got baptism. Yeah, no, I swear, I remember which part of 500 we was, boy. And I uh everything's around through my mind. Wait, boy, you're this for Patrice. I imagine your father again. Them time now I say boy, I go and listen to everything you'll say, boy. Which is a lie, and I we saw war, boy. I don't think people know. If somebody comes by me and spend a week boy, then we'll feel like me and my father they see it full, you know. But the arguments on them used to come out of the music. If me and my father have no music to do like right now, we real good. But it's always like, you know, business. So what you see or what I see a thing, but when you leave the house, we never left that professional to the corner, that the basis. Anyway, everything's around. Show my head about how this thing comes about. And then now, I remember a time I reached by 96.1. And Marshall called me. Yeah, you feel say, oh, how you feeling? I say, boy, real people call a man thing, boy. Sound going by glad up, eh? Yeah, I mean, yeah. Don't make yourself too accessible. Cool, it the time is now, enjoy it. Blip, be gone anyway. So, I need to study your thing, talking about, and from that, bro, everything just happened so fast, you know. All these small is finding out now. We ain't boss, but they're finding out you write the favorite songs. I understand. So that's how my start I'm kinda yeah, yeah, yeah. Because they had worried putting before that, and then long time Julian promo is paying it down below. Not down below in your credit, on the video. Oh, you see, yeah, really written by you, fanals, blah, blah, blah, blah. That's nice.

SPEAKER_03: 1:23:04

You might not see that now again.

SPEAKER_00: 1:23:06

Hey, by the way, you're there for the sale fanals and other names, yeah. And it's most likely. Just saying. I I I asked, I have mingle, I asked. This is my bedroom, all nobody with me. But it's about technical part of that, which is understanding. But certain things that are youth. I was like aggressive. I was aggressive anytime I feel as though they're taking advantage of my boy. Well, passion, passion. I said, but all the name I'm doing there, boy. Let me write nothing. But even get more advanced now. DSC and Infanals, ex DJ Private Ryan. Right. Meaning infanals and DJ Private Private Ryan. And when I asked Travis, Travis, will about that sometime? Sometime ago. I was like, Travis, why are they trying to be so pushy by how come all they changing in the title of the song? And Travis simply, and you know what I like about Travis? Yeah, one mood. And I should learn something from Travis back then too. Anyway, he said, No, bro. Remember, when you go on Spotify and Apple Music, they do see my name. And I will get his streams. I understand. So only if they pay him as an artist title, that is what we're doing. Everything I do and he gets his streams from it rather than uh just inner credit as a producer. I said, That is what I said.

SPEAKER_03: 1:24:23

We see how it's important for Lisa to come and talk. Let me tell you how that is look as a fan, right? When you say Ufinal's ex-Private Ryan, I wait until private Ryan, like oh we hear Shal. Remember? We got in that time when Shal was a DJ, then Shal sang a tune, Ding Dong was a DJ. Are you saying about Ryan like you jump out?

SPEAKER_00: 1:24:40

Very correct.

SPEAKER_03: 1:24:40

But yeah, you just you live and learn, you know what I mean? So it's important to have that is how the thing goes.

SPEAKER_00: 1:24:45

I mean, that plenty cup someone won't talk about, but it's like it had to happen. And it had to happen then. So, bro, after 2012 is when like I hyper focus on the business aspect of this. I understand. You know, everything about contracted, no matter where you think, and plenty of this stuff we used to be doing. It's just like, you know, you do our thing, it thing is a while before we get into streaming and all them kind of things. I remember calling my brethren, um, Fede, well, let's do the streaming thing, boy. He said, Dan, you doing that yet? Send me the link, and boom. So, like songs like overdo one thing that we have, where we distribute and we own and that kind of thing. I say, like, I vex, I mean, I would be upset if I missed that bus and then I'm my ex and I've accidentally it line up. Before it released, we sent the distributors. We had the um metadata because metadata is something that's very important. That's how they're able to track the songs, right? Like Shazam, for anybody watching, Shazam operates under metadata, so like the wave once they match that, and the metadata will queue up to the exact song we'll send it to iTunes or Apple Music or that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03: 1:25:49

David, that's where we can put the music on YouTube, right? Yeah, all right, good. Okay, just check it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:25:54

YouTube is flagged me on my own profile. Yeah, then we just had to write a note and tell them it's my profile. I see sometimes for IG too.

SPEAKER_03: 1:26:01

I understand. So yeah, but that is good. But let me tell you something. Every cent. Yeah, it well, yeah, at least you know, yeah, you could track it. Men, men, the men who you learn from might not have an opportunity at all. You know what you're meant to say. I hear Sisla in an interview say he went to Japan and see a whole bunch of albums selling CD times that he never makes. Men compile painting and oh, yeah, you understand. Yeah, but it's but something you're saying, real inspiring, right? No, something it comes true in everything you're talking about. You have a you have a high level of respect for learning and education. Okay, talking about going by Tambu, going here, we go in thing, and even learning from your own journey. So, how was he learning in in 2013 when you come off of here? Because 2012 was terrible too with Marshall, that was the same year, both of them is the same time.

SPEAKER_00: 1:26:46

Yeah, but it's same, same, same, same year, boy. Yeah, I got this ignorant semi. I'm gonna talk about that a little bit, Carl. I'm gonna talk about that, right? So I write in a bathstone and then Casey sent this fast song, live band music, and turbulent was one of the fastest songs I write. So I send it for Marshall to sing, not for me to write. My song Bumper Bongs, make your bumper bongs, that's for Marshall to sing in them. Right, yeah, he blank. But I'm good anyway. So I send Marshall the song and he said, Nah. Rags up, flags up. Back in the 90s, yeah. But I'm a musician and I know when you hear something for the first time, it's where your mind set is that will translate and how you receive the song. So I ain't gonna come wrong, Cory to play a song for Cory if I know you're busy or you're vexed or whatever. But sometimes you could be in a neutral mood, but just your mood ain't gonna absorb where you have to receive them boy some days later. Hey, how it's saying nah you tell me no, boy, and you burn down the legs, let me too, let me do it together. You watch me. I feel like when you watch me, you say that's a little smart man, yeah. Because I know getting your eyes somebody then overgone now. Boom now, so come on out time coming.

SPEAKER_01: 1:28:25

So far, that's why that's what you think.

SPEAKER_00: 1:28:59

What you are management? You know my father. But we know the individual, yeah, yeah. Long story short, it's like when you're sure, bro. Certain opportunities you can watch like this and be sure what the outcome is going to be because everybody loves this song, and we know the engine that exists, we can do for it. We're talking roadmark, talking so coming out, we're talking a clean sweep here business. But what my father showed me is that a story has to be told. Even if you were to sell something, nobody buys anything if they don't understand how the storyline could add and attach to the need for purchasing it. So it took me a while, but within the instant I had to pull on to it, and I was going to my brethren and I'm course and because. More the glory, you know. Yeah, they studied me, but I'm a brand. What do you mean? So I say no scene, and we move forward, and me I may be placed second to last or some kind of thing in the monarch finals that time. But I think it was the first time um a person like my age, so young um made it about groovy and uh power. So them time it had the both categories. So and yeah, and I went through and we went through the mod year after year because you would have been just like a rise to fame. Yes, I had a background, but the background didn't add to that. It's still a time for me to take part and get battle scars to arrive, you know, at a point that we could say, well, yeah, but we was ready for that speed yet, and he was saying it, bro. Look, we now doing things with people and we even know about contract properly and all them kind of thing, you know what I mean? So another person with a within an ex capacity, probably yeah, but we within our own isolated space where my father is a manager in TST, not a not a music manager, so he and all too now he put up his chest because he had to defend me and he had to stand up for his son, but we didn't have all that knowledge. So we just wanted to rock on with peace, and he just wanted to send me out on my own to really show myself and not be overshadowed by a moment in time now, and they got more moments to come for me, you know. Not the boast for example, look overdue. If it have top like top five or top six stunts in terms of YouTube streaming, that up there, you know, like funnels out of all these soccer artists all over the world. So we got different moments in time where we got things that we'll be proud of in a real way where built by the people. I ain't pay for them views at that time. I didn't know how to do it anyway. And and dinner my page. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's this? Yeah, bro. Them time you're sending Julie anything. Everything on earth, youtube.com slash earthv.com now, everything on earth.com. By being honest, because they I can't hide from the public, like I was always despite together. Them time you your you shame on your YouTube page, and that guy the Leon Williams, he he wants the bus man up till it's the he said, boy, that YouTube page, boy, you never build your page. Look how long you are things going. Like my page was a fire in the earlies. Like, if you go, you could see my background where I walk in off a Shagona's highway with Darren Andrews. That small Sony camera with my brother bring from the states. Every time he comes down from um studying, leader with me, jump in a green barn on the top of the subway and the main road out of 500, travel by um Kunupia to go by we name um God by K Spine, yeah. Or did they call it real name? But anyway, Spine. So I have all them things, and then at a point where Julian just looked like the place to be in terms. So like if you were to be able to do it. Because you're in our own stream and things going on, die we stream. I've understood. So it's like you taking that, and then you know Julian have a million plus subscribers. So after a while, now I sort of realize like, why if that page goes down? What 25 go down?

SPEAKER_03: 1:33:15

Well, blessed be the child who have eaten. Well, Leon, this answer question for me, though. Because when I go into the music, right? Let's do the research here. I watching the views and I'm saying something right, but I understand why now. So we're billing all of that. Of course. Well, that's good, that's good, that's important. So coming off of the success of 2012, 2013, you're still writing songs for people and you're still doing that or you slow down.

SPEAKER_00: 1:33:40

Yeah, and uh you would have trickle, trickle till like I think 14 hours of the okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_03: 1:33:45

And then overdue was a big one.

SPEAKER_00: 1:33:46

Like overdue is quite 18. Overdue is like well, if you watch the music video, I was playing a little muff, me know where I get our vibes from. I look back at myself there and say, that was your scene. But it's iconic in terms of it's time, stamp that part of the legacy. Overdue thing, muff. But overdue for me, bro. The same thing happened to men 13, happened to men 17, you know. I was more prepared. Yeah, I'd bumper like green in 15. I mean, um, intentions, that we dance, take a wine and a touch day, 16 and 17, I'd care wait for the girl. And I didn't get much attention that yeah, end up in a bad accident there too so it was a little dismal vibe, period. I stood at home alone on a piano that out. A family friend of mine gifted to me. Blessing stantin, you know, and I just sort of strum Kai saying away, boy, some hot happen. Like I can't, it was never more than two years where it's quality and a miss in in any soaker thing now. I do so boy, and I just sort of strum my pain. And the first thing like was a wailing, like, you know, if it game pain or like ever. I just sort of say, whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, long time this are over you. And I say long time to say over you. But I don't really saying, well, I write a song about my dismal period, you know. I just bored, I ain't really towing, and I that come subconsciously. And that was the first part of the song. And I send a voice note of me playing the chords to my brethren Alex. I send a producer down sound named Ax First, and he sent my kind of loop, and then I send that loop of the chords that I played to my brethren Lunatics, and from there. So the first song me and Lunatics ever do was that and Kingston, Shepard Pro, the same backyard I was in quarreling with Super, who gave me background, the owner of that studio, DJ Kingston, is the reason why I get over here. You know, since I didn't see the producer, because he been begging me for two to three years still linked lunatics. I go by Kingston and just so, hey, you link in Alex, boy. I say, oh god, I'm gonna link the man by everybody or link. Well, you go link. And I was in Antigua, Alex coming down the escalator, and I go it up or something like that. Destiny again. And I say, boy, big up Kingston and no demand. It's my always tell me to work with you, work with you. But I know that Alex had something that I couldn't get nowhere else. And that we find overdue. Yeah. When we release overdue, bro, we get the little um stumbling blocks, a little resistance, because they didn't understand what I was. So that was me carving uh it's like our precision production, he carved plenty of spaces and forms of the music overdue, carve a form of the music where everybody calling Alex and saying they were overdue. But we know that done can happen again. Yeah. Because that was some no pun intended, but very special within our movements, and it was really organic. I tell you this now, me in line, and I'm polishing up our story. I was kind of coasing on myself and all going on with me at that point in time, and I tell you, when I bought, I do music. Without the things I was doing about two weeks, you go keep it. But yeah, so and ever and you know what? When some other songs release, and I come back here whenever, tell us some more stories, bro. Most of the songs I release right now, they don't have a booked studio session. See, like how you come here, ah yeah, yeah, just like Teddy. Never get it right in ports affordable. Yeah, I literally go and pull up somewhere, bung up super, we argue, background. Yeah. Others, hey, you home more. Alright. Somebody else I go in and meet by a studio to get something. Here ain't a beat, hey ways I had it. Go on by license office at time. There was a Brooklyn studio around the area, they're sticking on me. I wait, I wait, I wait all day. The man says, I can't get this divine copy. I sit down, I sit down here. I thought you were brookie home, go on by a brookie. Get tune. Reach back by license, then they're still already for me. So it's like the purpose of me being here was for that tune. So that's all most of the tunes on them coming out. So I just following the vibes going by class man. Classman is first class, by the way. But it was the day before.

SPEAKER_02: 1:38:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:38:05

Go and buy me next day. We vibe vibe talk. He just had a sing. So what's that? We built something. So it's like, I don't have an eight or four, but you might see me on the beach on a Tuesday and say, Life real lines, but you ain't know how much work. I paint in. And yeah, me on a beach is work. Because my brain don't stop. My brain don't stop create or send messages to me, send inspiration to me. Like last night I couldn't sleep properly, bro. Because melody just going over in my head, and I can't tell it. Stop sending the melody. So if I go on the beach and I experience something, and I catch her vibes, and I watching a boat or something in the distance, and my mind cone. If I with that smaller and she next to me, she just on airtime. Because my I'd be like, yeah, have a way. No, no disrespect to nobody, but I might be there with you. Yeah, yeah. But bro, as a as a youth, I never used to go and watch movies and things, you know. Because I'll go in the movie straight. And just see a scene and study how I could do that scene. Oh, where that song comes from, boy, and study like Wait, boy, I had to do a song like that, you know. See the credits. Movie done you. You know why it's called a credit song? Um No Trust, No Love Travis Will, one of the training bad artists, Rebel Sick. That song, I always think about way Travis is a really great producer in terms of how he designed that piece. It's sound like a song you can see the NSCA face. Understand. So, like how I absorb stuff, how I hear music, I always attach it to things. So seeing credits, I wanna know. Are you waiting to see who is like um score, music score, them kind of thing? So I ain't gonna enjoy it too much. So I never used to like to go to the movies. Uh I can't recall like much of my favorite movies because my time, say now watching TV, almost none existence. I'm a childhood. I always wanna go outside, I always wanna go and discover just the vibes now. Like I don't take vacations and I do do that. I don't like to do that. But if I go in a place, I had to do something, I would chuck in a little inspiration time. Because to me, like a vacation and all my manager, and they might agree, bro. I try to do this thing, and I just feel like if I am wasting time. I know we if I do something, I go somewhere and I spell a little long time. I'll get some inspiration. I will get some inspiration. I need inspiration time, I don't need no vacation.

SPEAKER_03: 1:40:28

Well, that's a good way to play. I should just set up inspiration time. I'm gonna tell my wife that I'm going on inspiration time. Remember for a month.

SPEAKER_00: 1:40:34

I different, you know. I don't know your profile setup. This ring on this finger, I don't have what you have. This is a few things. My profile, not like this. This is just a ring, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:40:42

Yours. No, I want to go back to overdue, right? Because it's it's just like one of our songs that case about Antilles and your contribution to it. Plenty change on the Antilles rhythm comes out. I don't know if you feel like in terms of the music, the feel. I think that happened with overdue too. I glad that you you you you say that.

SPEAKER_00: 1:40:58

Yeah, well, I only know because I'll be aware of you know, people in Ken Alexander said I want that. Or don't want something like when we did Blaze and Love Blazing, same kind of bongs. And Alex also went to UTT and he has a degree in music too. So, like to all the people who within the musical world, there are a lot of people who kind of against academia. We we don't need to be. We need to understand that wherever learning takes place, life is present and the evolution of life comes with change, and the only change the only thing concerned in life is change. So I watch out to quote-unquote nerds then how we went to school. They control the new world now. No, we are in we are on the next page, we're on the next page. I talk more right here. Me and Alex. Well, if you want to say we control you well in in a time and scene, but yeah, like two nerds who that went to university and invest in the craft was able to do this. So nothing wrong with that. I know we didn't waste time in school, and I'm not saying that you have to go to school. My roots is not anybody else's root. So that's that song came out, and I knew well, not to stay too much or in and to try to repeat that. I always had that in the back of my mind. Like when me and Alex go to work, overdue didn't exist before we had it, so why try to create it? And I barely have songs that even sound the same, which could be a blessing and a curse. Because we're in a world where people will tell me, hey, why this one is different or that one different? My question is, is it good to you? And once the answer is yes, I'm fine. If I singing, if I chanting, if I jumping up, do you like it? Would you listen to it? Sure, fine. Because we stuck in the carnival syndrome so much that everything that the artists bring out, we feel as though once it connects to you and when you are over once in a big way and it resonates the highest, that I feel like they should stay there. But the artists wanna live a life and paint a legacy in a way that when they are done, or even during the mission, that they feel intrinsically they feel accomplished. It are plenty things that I want to do sonically and physically within the artistry in the form of an event or like a music video, any kind of weird, unique presentation, right, that I ain't do yet that are willing to do, and they might have this crop of fans who know from overdue, who were that, and then this crop of fans, who knows from bumper like ring, they were that, and then this crop of fans, who know more from bumper bumps, they were that, and then this new crop of fans from Bad Girl, oh yes, so full up of the same, they were that. But I don't is like if you're going in Nike, you don't know how to just do it. When you come by proof and odds, you're getting diversity, you're getting depth, you're getting roots and culture with an urban vibe and an up tongue vibe at the same time. I understand why you selling, and I know it's not the easiest thing to sell in this space. But just like how I cannot tell my parents at a very tender age, I don't stop until I win. Same for this. Until I achieve all what I achieve in the way that I want to do it, cause nobody can't tell me how to dance to my music, you know. Because I create it. So you want to tell me how to dance there too? Yeah, so it's a way where who want me on me? I just sort of do what I do and attract the people. I can't sell myself to a whole cannibal.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:14

Of course.

SPEAKER_00: 1:44:14

Who like why I sing last year, don't bound to like why I sing this year, and it's not my fault, no their fault, it's their energy. So we understand certain things, and that's why I say all right, you don't bound to see fanals on every major stage, you know. Because whatever it takes for him to be there might infringe on certain things within his background. We talk all about business, but people, if you wanna see the artist more, you have to allow yourself to see him more. A stream, an event you doing, boom.

SPEAKER_03: 1:44:43

Yeah, especially now, it's our access.

SPEAKER_00: 1:44:45

Yeah, real access. So support in any way you can because at the end of the day, a lot of artists struggling in this space, but I don't see it as a struggle. I see it as a way to learn how to adapt now. And just me adapting, like I fall in love with uh interviews. I didn't like interviews too much back then because one, I find us talk too much. Over talk how the interview, and two, is like sometimes you could be in a position where you just want to guard your energy, no. But no, I say now yeah, yeah, real talking to do, real expressing to do, real stories to tell. Because when I was a little boy, I would type up Lord Kitchener, Mighty Sparrow, Mighty Shadow, and just put interview at the end. Well I tell me the truth now, I want to understand the mind because I want to be great like these guys. Because we know it comes like, alright, where you absorb is where you were let out. And as much as I'm an artist and all the other young artists like me, we know in a space to go through the rudiments like what they would have. I get a little pieces of it, like the last or that. But like I perform in the probably last licensing, Wassa. Yeah, before I even know, probably I'd have a relationship with Joel Morris. Yeah, he cut me off a stage in Wassa. Yeah, one it's song, boys. One it's song. All me and Joel Morris like this right now. Nice. It's my DJ situation who tells me, everybody. I remember that time say, boy, signal say Wheelie out. Thank you. But but yeah, it's is is hmm. I just keep calling names and it has open, like I connected to everybody in that sense.

SPEAKER_03: 1:46:20

It's important, it's important to do that, you know, documenting it. Yeah, so even that connection with your small you hearing your parents saying, Boy, let me pop a post to this and no, that was only at one little time, huh?

SPEAKER_00: 1:46:31

Right, I understand that.

SPEAKER_03: 1:46:34

No, no, no. It's clear, it's clear that they were supportive. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:46:37

That was Mary and the frustration, huh? Isn't that why I want to go again?

SPEAKER_03: 1:46:40

It's love, it's love, it's love. But you told my story too about bumpers like rain and your own carnival experience and them thing as a child.

SPEAKER_00: 1:46:47

Yeah, boy, it's a rude boy, you know. Well, I short and I can't blame myself for being short. Two parents short. If you ain't tongue and he's nine years old, ten years old, yeah, yeah. What a line of vision is for mature. Mm-hmm. Seeing bumpers. It's like a rain. So if my father carry me in tongue them time, and it's bumpers I see in year after year. Now I wasn't over infatuated with it because you know, you're wrong, people, family friends always having lime small wine here and there. But subconsciously, my line of vision was that. And I live in shogunas. So, like when you come to town, you come to tongue. Fortunately, my entire family lived in tongue, and I'm in rosary boys RC and they had a tongue. So I wouldn't call myself like a country boy. But back then, obviously, Shogunas are still slowish. So going in the mass now, because I it's juve. I say, Daddy, please cry my tongue for juve. And I want to commend my parents because I think like when I had children, me down them behind me in mass. And my yeah, no real. I have some little boy thing to do still. Anyway, they would sacrifice their fun to accommodate me and having me around in a juve problem because sometimes I run so and I run so and he's looking for me and thing, and but it was fun that kind of helped mold my character. Yes later now when I singing tune. I roam in the street, targeting every female species of meat. Yeah, always M-E-E-T, not M-E-A-T. I see people thinking species of meat. Me not in that road down the where them women come from, that they say bumper like rain. And the depth of that now is like you could see somebody who's a bank manager in a real round tree light on the stage, break away. But Wednesday morning, I gotta do my stars and that code switch. I think like, I want to know more about use party outside of carnival. Who you from? You you you you you like where all them mothers is more than like asking them where they're from, but like your identity and how what was your access to the space? Like some people they have parents watching audience and they come to see what the parents would have been involved in. Some people born here and they went to church church camp and this year they get carried away and they run out in the cannibal. No, it really is real, real, real, real, real. So, where them human has come from? Daddy, bumper like rain. And that was one where we took a while to release that. We sat on our song for like three years. Serious? Yeah, we just want to make sure everything we do it fresh enough. I remember, yeah, that's recording studio beast, Casey Phillips and my brethren, like Jared Penny and them, because all them time we're young. Penny was like major penny yet driving wrong by Atari and thing and playing more unreleased tunes and thing and the begging me. The same there is this now. There's a rhythm, and it's not I know in charge. We have to wait, we have to wait. Get marsh, well I get kissed. And then that one took a while to grow. But some New Yorkers come from foreign and you know it's at them midday lunchtime duckwick parties. Brother, I want to tell you about that on that channel.

SPEAKER_03: 1:50:02

You see, honestly, he's not a liar. I thought that was about me. I sorry to hear is that up bringing in carnival when you're small and thing. Because every phrase and every part of that song dread, right? You see, daytime parties, brother, and that tune. Because, all right, so let me put it this way. I have plenty of the same experience as you had. When we first talked, I could have connected with you immediately.

SPEAKER_02: 1:50:23

You see, I from St.

SPEAKER_03: 1:50:24

James, right? And we would come out for carnival, just little children. Yeah, my mother and the maker hide it from trying and St. James. So we hear bands coming down the road from mention them when you were small to when it can become Barberosa. So we see a change to be what they say, bees and feathers now. We see a change in the and we we went straight from the main road, it's so you're smoking but he was before.

SPEAKER_00: 1:50:45

Yeah, no, when I say never you saw annoy all in terms of the cannibals. Yes, oh yeah, 100% yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:50:51

As a child, I'll tell you something, right? Like when super blue, now I respect it and I love it. But when the men sing get something and wave, yeah, that used to hurt my stomach. You heard so much, I just make me feel upset. Oh shoot, you know, because every truck pass on that main road. So you coming from Shogunas and getting to see that and go back and go back. We don't have that. Understood because Smokey and Bunsey was there, Crosby's was right on the road. Wow, so you just hear it so much, but it's a rehearsal with PSA. You say brass festival ringing out Spectrum, you're hearing that any fitting over.

SPEAKER_00: 1:51:26

So I hear thinking it's just like, all right, it's even the rehearsals and thing actually.

SPEAKER_03: 1:51:30

Rehearsals, so check, yeah. So tuning. Well, you listen, we're gonna say when we when we when we hear PSA, yeah, uh brass festival, yeah. You used to get to hear now Edwin Yearwood, burning flames, Alison Hines. That's where you're looking forward to because that is the only time you're hearing something different for the whole kind of uh in St. James is have a monotony to it. PSA grounds is uh opposite and and and spectrum card is parked in all it's an it's another spectrum again. Yeah, what was the name before Spectrum again?

SPEAKER_00: 1:52:01

Spectrum is very foreign cars is now spectrum cards, right?

SPEAKER_03: 1:52:05

That would be first to come when that was a year too. Yeah, yeah. So when you're talking about that shoot, like I come out as a little child in St. James and say, Where all these women's come from? That is not a that that that in all of us because you see when you and I so surprised to hear you describe this. People who feel we talk about this before, but uh when I play mass, I play mass with my mother, Barbara, and then I'm on the road. Uh-huh. Yeah's passed because I couldn't take it, and then I come back in as a big man. Right. When I come out on the road, one of the first thing it is said on Monday, all these women, where did this be? Where we always be when kind of all done. That's the exact question. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:52:44

I was walking with my brethren 2015. We no coming tongue. Like literally, park the car and no coming tongue. And I could distinctly remember walking up in where Power Gen was that cemetery. That's that Pierce or not. Laparous, yeah. Yeah. And I just started here belting like from different angles. Uh it was so ironic that at that point when I reached when I arrived in the city, different trucks was playing the song. I said, Dog, you yeah, you know what going on here? He said, Boy, the beating that. I said, but it's not one truck, boy. Okay, yeah, and he clashing with the song now. I say, way, and that song literally. It was uh a duck work party around that time. They had the little magazine thing. Uh Tevin Gill wrote a real nice article going in depth with it, and that was it. Them New Yorkers come now, and they literally told me, Hey man, we had to be at gangster the DJ, man. Play that song, you know. Again, sometimes when you're not already the man, artists at my tea, and you're not already a bit monsters. I don't think they happen much these days, big up to the DJs in in in in current time, but he used to get a squeeze. And by time, Sha'll call a man and defend me and say, Hey, that's all the audio fun and ways off. I was just cool, I mean with the man and say, Shal, I find a he pick up acid, call him man, you make me look like I am. Yeah, you might hear thing, think, thing, and then no bumper like rain. What the last two weeks leading up to that can evaluate?

SPEAKER_03: 1:54:06

But the last two weeks is when the dates are in parties start exactly so parties, the the brunch parties, the that's what sort of let me know by e boy.

SPEAKER_00: 1:54:15

You had to think of this thing as like a holistic market, you're selling too. You had to kind of sell yourself and develop a core so you could build that core and grow, and then people come to you in a real way now. Yeah, but not because you have a hit song that they fall in love with this year and next year because of the starting lineup, they'll forget. Nah, who for now I was in touch with him because I watch this um documentary or this podcast with Corey and he talks about something and he breaks down the song in a way, or he talked to the youth and them in a way where it was real inspiring to man. If that is the mindset, I like that and I want to support him. I come in the party. Yeah, that's when people buy tickets for my party and don't even come. Because it's just like the way in which I represent Ali Ship now. Alan Ann do everything they are too. No, I became a man, everything with me is Ali Ship. Every everything is Ali Ship. You could do this, you could do this, Ali Mukwa.

SPEAKER_03: 1:55:04

It's on real height. How about a hundred songs I asked you about, right, David? How much I could get through. Ask thing that man, Paul got something to do, no biggest. Oh, that's something to do. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

SPEAKER_00: 1:55:18

I asked to the wrong man of that thing to do.

SPEAKER_03: 1:55:20

Oh, I don't know how to cut shit off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There you go. Spirit. Spirit, calling. Let me tell you something. Let me not ask you nothing. Let me tell you what spirit. Because going fit. I don't listen. I think I don't listen to a whole lot of music on the radio or streaming or before, right? Because I come from a time where when you want to hear music, it's go fire fed. Because I the first fit. Right. So I kind of like discovering music in the fit. And I discover spirit and night in soca. It could have been so. What year is spirit? You remember the year of her?

SPEAKER_00: 1:55:55

I mean, never can remember the yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 1:55:57

I know your memory like mine. Between 23. 23. That's right there. That feeling like so long ago. Yeah. But Dredd, when you go in fit, and that play, again, just like overdue, it's so different to everything else that out there. I ain't like when you say stop still right there. Again, I feel as if it's me directing us. What do you mean? Because now I'm a cooler now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 1:56:18

A DJ message me frantic. Yo, yo, you send the TV track by mistake. And I that let me know. I get vexed and I was happy at the same time. Because, like, why we just can't relieve ourselves from all what we know in this thing way? We see people of different genres release it. Look, like Kanye West, for example. You release a piece of music, then unrelease it and release it back. You version might be thing, and at one minute in the song, it's going into the next kind of thing. Like it's a next one I listened to. So like, when I hear the beat, I get up like six o'clock in the morning, bro. I even brush my teeth. I workstation right there next to my bed, and I just come off the bed and die in my head. Pony my quick. Long, long empty intro. Because that with the music feeling like it. It's so infectious. What words I could say on top of that to add value? I can't. So I leave it off. Let the music breathe. So yeah, I mean no. I just say breed. Breed. Then he in the pocket. Spirit calling. The man says my TV track. I said, No, bro, that is song. Who is this producer? Keskis. Yeah, blessing to Keskis. He is a musician in my band. And also Bungie Garland's band is been doing it for a while. He he produced um Turn Up, Ton UN Up, Tone Up, Turn UN Up. So I I I I had to leave that as is because midway through, just because I in this space, you still get them little like hints of me axing myself way by leave it empty. So but I just had to totally leg myself from that and continue to just be on our mission. I'm like, just be you, bro, just do it. So that's the vibes even with background. Background don't have no sort of kick and snare drums in it. It's just a knock. And and that the essence, like that the bongs again, the same shadow knock. That shadow knock, I just call it shadow knock. I'm not saying it is officially that. Yeah, that's not the knock. That is knock. I see. Bro, and if people really shadow have a song named Zest too. Of course. So like man, it's one thing. One thing, and the ball turns so on, and the ball turns so on the boob. So I can't go against like the young artists who are doing what they're singing and singing, what are they doing? Is that my mother and them it's a plenty song? My I can sing my mother not on. But at the end of the day, I know the space and I know my my audience and them kind of things. So spirit, empty, background, empty. Let people fall in love with it a little bit. Because at the end of the day, if it if it if you check the sonics of the world, most of the genres, the producers, they're pulling back on the instrumentation a little bit.

SPEAKER_03: 1:58:54

Well, I want to talk about that, but we are gonna wrap up and let me tell you something. Even and that's something I respect a lot from talking to you. It became more clear talking to you. But it's something I always felt. Because if you listen to the music you're talking about from that era, listen to Shadow, for instance, or Kitch, them men have intro that is last length of song now. So when I hear spirit, and and especially because it's a spirit, at some point you have to feel it.

SPEAKER_00: 1:59:17

Yes, but I say breed. Because when you're breathing, there's a meditation and about but you see, if we be in real curry, so kind of kind of position where of the fly, the next thing after that is a party or a lime or a fit for for for to make use of the music now. So I can't really blame people. A lot of things I'd be saying in music, like it's go for people's head. Like especially mass go play, we can just talk one quick or something.

SPEAKER_03: 1:59:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me do that.

SPEAKER_00: 1:59:43

So when I say drunk and say, uh moving in tongue, since I smaller wobby, I masquerade sailing around, wrong, wrong, oh, midnight rubber, walking the talk, spirit guide me now, cause it's real on the ground, but we don't afraid when Regis Savannah, everybody knows the crime three entrance very high now. Die Why singing about, bro?

SPEAKER_03: 2:00:01

Admascle play.

SPEAKER_00: 2:00:02

It real on the ground, but we don't afraid. Alright, the carnival and the culture and everything that is positive with regards to the music. So positive that you could be jumping up next time man who rub you last week on the road, you know. Real tough, bro, is up tongue, tongue tongue, middle class, lower class, if any way you want to call it when it comes to the stratification of this country. One of the very few times they see people actually celebrating together is in a party. But now I come like the Kaiserman and them and do a little double ontage and play with the whole vibration. I say drunk and sailor moving in tongue. Since a smaller wobby mask carry that. So everybody have this thing when they grow up, they want to be able to go out and be on the stage like their parents. From Kitty's Hannibal to then. But my my first time on a stage was not singing, it was playing Sailor Mass and Gayland Borough and picked me on a bunch of boys from Roshi Boys to go and play a Sailor Mass. No, I ain't start to sing yet. So when I check the heights out, I say, Wait, I singing about drunk and sailor since I smaller will be a masquerader. When it's true that time, the first performance I ever do, and then a little while after when I realize I could have sing. So that's when I follow upon to that. I say, where's that sailor man? So that's why the artwork for mask go play is that again. If I couldn't come here and see this, then it wouldn't make sense to everybody. So blessings for spaces like these. It's important. And break down the song a little bit. It goes deeper, but we'll just leave it there for now.

SPEAKER_03: 2:01:24

But we'll leave it for when you come back because that is that time. Use a man saying, No, I've learned chickities and we look at a fight with the people who say them things now. That mask will play more relevant than anything else we hear in a long time. They go wait for part two. They have plenty more to talk, and it's a plenty more than we talk about before we come here, we ain't talking about it. So I appreciate you coming through, brother. I appreciate you. This is a nice episode. We ain't gonna have to be in the background there. I mean David, we do a good job. We do all kinds of background things. Excellent.