SPEAKER_02 1:45

Welcome back to the Hilltop Glove Podcast. Today we had the pleasure of speaking with Country. Hailing from the low country of Charleston, South Carolina, Country is an auto-tuned funkadelic artist with a diverse set of talents and interests. With 9,000 followers on Instagram, 900 followers on YouTube, and 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, his viral One More Chance music video will have you grooving all night long. Country's Journey is an intriguing, is as intriguing as his music. As an only child raised by his grandparents, he was a mischievous and curious kid. He graduated from Hilton Head High School and later earned the name Country while attending Benedict College. Shout out, BC, where he received his bachelor's degree in business management. Country went on to create his own audio and video production company, TBMM Productions, showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to his craft. Be sure to like and subscribe to his YouTube channel and Instagram and don't miss his newly released song, D4L, on Spotify. Let's welcome someone who may just be the key that opens the door to fresh and innovative sounds country.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

How are you doing today, my brother? How are you doing? Great. I'm actually much better now. Great introduction, man. Great words from a great man. I like that. Might be the key to missing one.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Hey, I gotta say this straight up. This person right here, the one who writes all this stuff.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

She is gonna say it. Journalist extraordinaire.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Say it again. The galore. Yes. And we always like to shout out to the fact that uh Tamaya always does really good digging on you all to figure out who everybody is, who your baby's mama was, your baby's mama, baby's mama. Granted, third kid down the line. All those all those issues that we had, so we can bring it up. We always like to tease. We don't do yellow journalism over here, but um, we do like to make sure we understand who our guests are before they come on. And it's always good to have a very um unique and creative individual on the show because it matters so much to our audience. And I know we were talking out there briefly uh when you arrived in Union Engineer.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

And um matter of fact, shout out to the engineer out. Shout out to my engineer, that's my engineer, slash manager, slash team member, slash brother, Chris McClellan, grown man, grown mixed it. You know what I'm saying? Shout out to Buffer at Port Royal Stand Up.

SPEAKER_02 4:11

Word, that's what I'm talking about. Because man, you all's relationship and the way that you all we were discussing out there, man, it's really refreshing to see. Man, I appreciate that. Very refreshing, very refreshing. But we like to begin and start each episode with a little bit of history. Yeah. Obviously, we want to make sure that our audience and anybody that comes across this video gets to know who you are. Uh, and just to start off, man, what was it like growing up and who influenced you as a child?

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Uh what it was like growing up. Like I was like you said, I was the only child. Shout out to my mother. I was raised by my grandparents because she was like in the military, still finishing school and and you know, finding herself in life. And uh raised by my grandmother and grandparents, born in Charleston, South Carolina, raised in Hilton Head. Uh it was it was like uh Hilton Head is different, man. It's like a time warp, man. It's like it's like everything's down there, but it's nothing down there. But in the same sense, folks spend hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars to come spend their time down there. So it's like its own little, you can get lost in there. Like in the same sense, you can Hilton Head is only like 12 miles, I believe, long. You can spend a whole year in Hilton Head and not see folks who you grew up with. Like you could just it's like that, but it's it's just that small, but it's that big, you know what I'm saying? But uh got to see both all aspects of life from the million-dollar houses to the everyday living of the low country people. So you know what I'm saying? It has a gift and it's curse, but I wouldn't trade it. It was a great experience. It made me to the man I am today.

SPEAKER_02 5:37

Awesome, awesome. Uh, and and just to pinpoint and key and our influences, obviously, as creatives are always gonna ask this question. And it is almost like a loaded question or an old question, but we always like to ask, like, what influenced you like creatively as a child, like growing up? What what kind of kind of things were you introduced to?

SPEAKER_00 5:56

I just was always, always a character. Shout out to my grandparents. They they always made sure I traveled, um, did different things, played sports and this, that, and the third. But my grandmother, I say my grandmother and my aunt were my biggest influences musically, and my cousins too, but like they will always just be playing music or she's taking photos, or me just hearing different different aspects, like riding the catalog, my grandfather hearing James Brown or Otis Redding sitting on the dock of the bay, just having like an old connection to the to the throwbacks, to the oldies but goodies. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? And the new stuff too, like when my cousin was the first one who put me on uh like the dungeon family, cool breeze, them boys, the goodie mobs. When I was off of the I was off my uh my New York tip, like you know, with my dipset and Jay-Z and the Biggies and stuff like that. But I always got a good melting pot of sounds from the different individuals I hung around. Awesome. Awesome.

SPEAKER_05 6:52

You know, that's that's something I've heard a lot of people talk about with in South Carolina in particular. Yeah. That like, you know, a lot of places were keyed in on only listening to music from the north or only listening to the West Coast. But we got like this melting pot of everything. A little bit of music.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

You got the Western and you got your death rows, and you and you know what I'm saying, your two shorts and a little bit of all that. Then couldn't forget your master piece and all that. Even though the verses going down the night, you know, with cash money, all of that. So coming from the era I came from, we got to see a little bit of everything, you know what I'm saying? So it was I don't like to tell my age I was born in '86. So it's like we got to see from the technologies, from the music, say it. We got to analog to digital. Like we we're still in the transition of all that, because everything is something still new right now with technology coming out. So it's like, it's really nothing new to us, but it's like, you know, it's still true to us.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

You know what I'm saying? So I like the point that was made, and you might be able to chime in on this. I know we did a uh, so interesting enough, obviously. If you aren't a part of our Patreon, man, Patreon man, please join our Patreon. Awesome content up there. One of the things that we did do, we actually um did a documentary on South Carolina hip hop, right? And we talked to some of the pioneers and folks that originated what we know now with South Carolina hip hop. And one of the things that came out of it was the fact that they called us like we are one of the best testing grounds. Yeah, test market, prime test market in any part of the nation. Doesn't matter what type of music you're doing, bring it to South Carolina. They're gonna eat it up. Say it again. They're gonna eat it up because we'll tell you what it really is. We don't have any, and this is interesting with what you said. We don't have any specific, we like good music. Right. It's just what it is. Um, we'll tell you like it is. If it's if it's bad music and it's from the West, we're gonna tell you. If it's good music and it's from the Midwest, we're gonna tell you what it is. So but people always come here to us as a test market, and it kind of leads into this question of with that being said, of with us, especially with how inviting we are for outsiders, especially you're talking about Hilton and people come down and spend money. It shows how inviting we are as a state. What's the best thing about South Carolina to you?

SPEAKER_00 9:00

The best thing about South Carolina to me, um, the uniqueness is like how we talk, like that gulla Geechee, yeah, that that excuse me my language, but that shit is real one of one. Like folks get us misconstrued with New Orleans or the Caribbeans. Uh-huh. When really Loki, everything started in South Carolina. Like, it's a lot of history. A lot of things began routes from Florida to Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina. Like, how they like to say the the the Gullen Gitchy people say, uh, y'all just come here. We've been here. So it's like our folks were here first. So it was like everything started here and it and it worked its way out. Like a lot of folks from New York always say, oh, my grandmother from South Carolina, North Carolina. Everything started here and it made its way on out to everywhere else. So it's like we are so influential. We we got our hands in a little bit of everything. It's just we just haven't got the light all the way shined on us. The light is shining on South Carolina right now. Preach, preach, yeah. And to speak on South Carolina music. Uh, shout out to the my man who just left with the um Luciano is the correct term. Luciano branch, shout out to 21, uh 20 uh 20, 21 first studio in Charleston, South Carolina. Like he was one of those people coming up. Like, when I first started doing music, like, damn, I gotta go record at twin. That's true. I least gotta go do something in Charleston, at least hope my have my name uh recognized in the in that pleth of artists listened in Charleston. Yeah. So it's like that was a big accomplishment. Like then I met Twin, shook his hand, got to, he knew who I was. So it's like it's all a it's all a timing thing. You know what I'm saying? If you keep going, it's gonna make itself work.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

And uh to just to add on to that, with with the South Carolina music and and the spreading of influence from here, the influence, like you said, it's a it's a truly cultural influence. I know you're talking about with Gulla Geechee, but a lot of people don't realize it's actually a recognized nations within the United States of America, just like your Cherokee, Chihuahua, anytime it's a recognized nation. They can actually make rules and um edicts to govern their people. They have a queen, etc. Like people are like, what? This is for real. I'm like, no, seriously. And it's the Gulla Geechee Nations of, and like you said, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, it actually is all together as one and it originates from here.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

Shout out to Queen Quet. I believe she's out there from Beaufort. She's big with the pension and do a lot of work out there as well. And that Gulla Geechee uh family and foundation.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

And and you get to see like the the way in which they operate, it's a really cool, you realize, okay, these people are really like that. That's why I think people they love coming here and feeling that embrace. It's like none other.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

It's one-on-one. It's like a real cultural shock. Like, oh, they they still living it to this day. Like, yeah. You ever heard of Defusky Island? Yeah. Defusky is like no no bridge, probably like 20 minutes. You were right. It's like a 20, 30 minute uh ferry ride from Hilthead or or from Bluffton. And it's like folks still over there there. You might got to get your groceries ferried up, ferried over there on the boat, or you got your boat to get over there, no other transportation other than golf carts on the when you get over. And it's real, you know, it's real peaceful over there. Yeah, they get to live the way that they lived back in the day. Do all your fishing you want. You got the access to the beach 24-7. And that's another thing with like Hilton Head too. Outside of everything being built up on Hilton Head, and then they raising the taxes and pushing the families out, like it's still uh no place like it. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Yeah. Interesting, very interesting. Um, just moving a little bit more into music, and then we'll discuss some other things as well. Um, how have you changed over the years as an artist? And I with a question like that, I obviously technology changes, so thus you gotta change the way in which you do your music, the way in which you communicate and contact your audience changes, so thus you're gonna change in that sense. But specifically when it comes to your sound, could you describe this the change in your sound from when you first started what you wanted to do to what you actualized out into?

SPEAKER_00 13:01

From then, from then until now, like I always just wanted to do what I wanted to do. Like versus trying to cater on what people may like, let me make the music that I whatever that beat is telling me, or the music that I want to hear, or that that I like, yeah, somebody will gravitate, gravitate towards it throughout the years. But from then till now, I've been doing that. But I've always been trying not to get in the way of myself of all right, let me do something different, or let me not do something different, let me do what the people want. It's like a thin line with that. Because I just recently just switched up the character from the groove, they just come back doing some regular stuff. And some folks like, yo, they like the bars, they like the bars of me just rapping. Yeah. But it's like the whole reason I did the groove character, the groove guide, or the the go in the trap disco was niggas wasn't doing that. Niggas were afraid to do it. Yeah, but it was always something to me like, man, damn, like I gotta, I gotta put the get up on every time I I get up to go do something. Or like right now, I usually I would have came and put the get up on, but it's like it wasn't, it wasn't wearing on me, but it was like, man, is that the realness? But I just say I can't take myself too serious, like, you know, just to have fun. Like, yeah, that's why we do music. So it's like I gotta look, I look at look at it like shit. I went all across the damn the nation out of my pocket in the character and got nothing but great reviews. That was out of your pocket? Out of the pocket, like just so we can got this. The folks got to know about this shit. If I ain't if I ain't willing to do it, nobody else is gonna do it. But it was like we didn't get the same aspect like from the crib. But then I and that as another micro aspect of that, I can't get caught up on what the folks at the crib say because I'm I'm for the world, you know what I'm saying? Bigger bigger than that. So yeah, every artist, I already know it's like you always going against yourself, but you got to always get out of that negative mind state. Like, keep this shit positive. I'm right on schedule, I'm right where I need to be. Everything happened for a reason. All this can't be in vain as long as I keep going. You know what I'm saying? Like the the moment I stop doing this or having fun with it, that's when I'm done with it. You know what I got? So I can't, I can't do that. Like, even though we were transitioning into the another ventures, it's like, man, I'm seeing all my cats or or all, it's like all your classmates who you came in in the game with, you see them slowly, gracefully bowing out, whether it just they just stopped doing this, transition to something else, it's like, man, I can't do it. I can't do it right now. I got to keep at least if it even if I'm not making as much content, I at least got to do something and give some kind of energy to it towards the music. Because if I didn't come to the interview today, I'm not like I couldn't do anything else, but I'm not putting the energy towards the music which could come back in any kind of way, whether it's content, keep the flame alive. You know what I'm saying? Got to put that energy towards it. So that's where I've been at with it. Like, all right, it's nothing to reinvent myself. Like, I can I've done that over the times over the years. From I started as LPK, live pack country. Because I used to be selling a lot of live when I was going crazy. And then I took it to uh to low country, since that was where I was from, and like nobody had that name. Nah, then we just when we went to the trap shit, the trap disco, let's just drop the country. Because if you really fought me, you call me country, or you call me Bug if you know me from the from the front of house. So it's like it's nothing to reinvent myself, it's just staying true to that. Like, all right, let me keep it going, even if I only get one like, I'm gonna hit the booth if I only got one mic. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 16:20

So do you think it's do you think it's important to keep yourself reinvented to keep the to keep it fresh?

SPEAKER_00 16:27

For sure. Because if you ain't changing, then you know what I'm saying, you're not expanding. You know what I'm saying? A lot of folks like to say, I'll never change, I'll never change. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Every day, every day is something new in this world. So you got to do your best. And it's so easy to get lost and it'd be like, man, I ain't keeping up with it. And then you'll look up and man, you're so far behind, man. You just you don't know where to start again. You don't let the you don't let the car sit in the yard for so long, you ain't even cramped it up. And now when you're ready to go drive somewhere, damn, I gotta go get a new battery. Yep. So folks ain't even folks don't even want to come check on the car with you no more. You ain't gonna drive that car. You always say you wanna get in the car, you ain't driving that car. That's a great analogy, man. That's a great analogy. It's a thin line, it's a fine, it's a fine line and a thin line of just all right, staying true to yourself, figuring out what works, and the goal, like you said, the different transition or stages in the game, because the landscape of how you promote and market yourself is changed now. Like you said, I came from the CD, from the CD age, not too few years ago. It was QR code now. So now I'm seeing all the bit, if you notice, all the big rappers don't even go. The new media press run is locking in with the streamers. Like let me go lock in with the screamers so they can showcase boom, boom, boom. Even though we ain't even doing nothing here, we just in here cutting, cutting the bullshit and playing the game or make doing something. But the new ARs is you I gotta go tap in with the screamers and and all of that versus I'm going to radio, I'm going to sign CDs. I'm sorry. I'm touching the people. But it's and I take that back. It's like, it's still, it's not too far from touching the people because I've been seeing a lot of artists like I want to go direct the fans because we're learning that Spotify pays us a penny.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Good point.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 18:07

That's what Prince was trying to tell us years ago.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

You know what I'm saying? And I remember that. I remember before even streaming with big, passing out CDs, and you might get a $5. You might, hey man, you want to boom, boom, it's it's all me versus we did get away from that. And it's like it's slowly having to come back to that so I can sustain off my fan base. I ain't got to worry about streaming. I'm eating off merch, I'm eating off the ticket sales off the concerts for the folks who really want to deal with me. So it's just keeping up with the landscape of the game because every day is changing. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

And just talking about business, and this is interesting. I'm happy that you brought that point up about how you touching pay touching your getting in touch with your fans and making sure you're keeping your business moving. I just I know I made that point about Prince, and I know um the gentleman, I'm gonna mess his name up. He's he's currently serving a prison sentence right now for uh the violence that was caused with a gun shooting and magnet, etc. I forget his name, can't say his name right now. Try to TF but um one one of the things that he did that I thought was really, really dope was he played, he put out an album, he charged a dollar for it, and he sold the album directly to his fans, and he was able to sell I think it was a dollar or three dollars, but he was able to sell over a million copies in like probably 10 to 20 minutes. He kept all that money in his own pockets. He never had to go through a distributor, distributor, he never had to worry about Amazon coming on, taking stuff off the top, he never had to do any of that. And I thought that was really interesting because Prince doing the same thing at his concerts, you would buy the concert ticket and you would get the album, and it would count as a sale too. So you would also get your sound scan, right? When talking about connecting with fans, do you think nowadays that the actual music is as important as your as sharing your everyday life with your fans?

SPEAKER_00 19:57

It's like it's not because that's that's what I'm figuring out now. Like I've like we said, the transition of how you promote, I mean the landscape of how you promote yourself and how you interact with your fans is changing. Like they can care less about the music and all right, we don't really too much want the mysterious anymore. We want to see what you're doing when you get up and your day-to-day. I want it to, I want I want you to sit here and talk to me, even if it's just about nothing. And I'm I'm in the place like I need to get, I I I can be a character and I can boom when the camera's on and boom boom, but like off camera, I'm like so chill. Yeah, if you if you really know me and fuck with me, like uh-uh, we gonna you you you know the vibes, but if you just knew coming around and you think you're gonna get all this burst of energy from me, no, you gotta earn that. You gotta earn that before you burn that. So it is that like it's like with TikTok now, it's like they just want you to get on there and talk some shit. Or it's not even talk shit. It's like if you're giving some kind of value, you even giving some kind of value or you solving a problem or or bringing some kind of solution to the table, then that's what it that's where the the content and and and everything is going at now. You know, or either if and if it's not solving nothing, it's straight rash it and we fighting and we carrying on by other shit, that's that's up to they love to see that too.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Is that is that a high pressure thing for you? Do you think do you take that as pressure? Having having to get in front of that that camp. Because I don't think people even like asking artists, do you feel this pressure having to know? All right, I need to make sure I have three pieces of content out by 5 p.m. on Tuesday in order to start engagement on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Do you there's that pressure in front of all?

SPEAKER_00 21:31

It can it can be plenty pressure and it can lead to a burnout. But it just goes back to having a plan, sticking with it, having a schedule, you know what I'm saying, and really knowing what you want out of it. You know, because like the if you're doing all of that, it's easy. It's really easy. But then if you're not in the mode, like I really don't want to, you know what I'm saying? Like when you're in that mode, nothing's really gonna get done. You know what I'm saying? But if you look at it, like, all right, like it's really nothing I can get. And then it's it's also a gift and a curse is much easier because back then you used to have to spend thousands of dollars to get a music video. Yeah, that's true. You can go spend hundreds of dollars in one day, a couple a couple hours, to last you for the rest of the month. Yeah, you can keep living off that same piece of work. It's just the next step is all right, how do I stay creative with it? You know what I mean? How do I take it to the next level? Like that's what I'm in, that's what I'm at now. Like when we when we started the the trap disco, we wanted to give folks an experience. It was like we kind of felt like they didn't appreciate the experience, but I couldn't let that deter. But you know, I couldn't build resentment in me. Like, stop doing what I'm doing. Cause at the end of the day, as long as I created something or I got whatever that vision or that, whatever that vision was sent to me, or whatever that beat was talking to me, as long as I got that out, that's the W. Anything after that is extra. The money comes, the fame comes after that is extra. But the foundation of it is like, let me get this art out. Because if I don't do something with it, the vision is gonna come to you. Um propel those who take advantage or who took the risk to put themselves out there. Because really, we mad vulnerable. Yeah. When we tell them as an artist, we're mad vulnerable. And it's just yeah, you know, I'm giving you the best of me, even though you may not know I'm and I'm giving you the worst of me. Some folks may appreciate it, some folks won't, but that comes with the game that a contract, that unwritten contract we signed, like it's a catch 22 in this thing, you know what I'm saying? But it's all your perspective. Like, let me look at the upside of this 22. I learned from the downside to add to the upside.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

That's a good way to put it. And I know for a lot of young folks, you don't think about it in that way until you've experienced it. It's hard. That's a good way to look at it.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

You know what I'm saying? Like, and but like when we're younger, we're too close to the sun. You know, we actually too close to the sun to even pay attention. They even want to look up and and and look at the whole aspect of the receipt. So, like you say, come from that experience. For me to take back, learn from it. How can I change? Or and some folks, some folks may not even take the time to do that. You know what I'm saying? So that's how I look at it too. Like some folks don't even got the mental capacity or emotional capacity to even figure the problem out and move from there. They just stuck in it. So I'm blessed to, you know, to have that. It's a blessing. You ain't lying. To have foresight. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

Um, I had to ask this question because I know Mike made a point about this when he came in, man. Do you have a personal stylist or do you dress yourself?

SPEAKER_00 24:17

I I somewhat dressed myself, but shout out to Erica. Here we go. House of Strut, Savannah, Georgia. She's coming up on her 10-year anniversary. We got it's uh, I believe November 15th or 16th. We got a performance down there, I believe, at Club One in Savannah, Georgia for her 10-year anniversary. I'm I just I was um I forgot what I was doing. I was walking around Savannah, yeah, and she had a big pink vintage, pink, pink house that she turned into a uh vintage store right on the corner in Savannah, Georgia. And I walked in and we've been locked in for like 10 years. She's been styling me since low country. Shout out to Erica, House of Strut, and the House of Strut family. She always got some nice baddies in there, some good lovely ladies to help you. There we go. You know what I'm saying? But as far as the vintage and everything, she keeps me so laced in basement. So bro, cause like, yo, that shirt you wear right. This was shot to my shorty. This machine, this some other stuff. But as far as the the yeah, the other flamboyant shit, like anything. That's how you get it. I mostly stayed, she keep me vintage piece. Like that orange suit that we did for the uh for halftime lover. Yeah, uh, that was from her. What did you say? That was like a that was I forgot what that was. It was like most of my shit. I got a painting suit. I got like a 1970s one onesie painting suit. That's like she just keeps it. That's what she she just finds this stuff, too. She she finds it, they bring it in. She be, you know, they be going all over the place. All cross. She was in LA and all going to New York, Fashion Week. So, you know, she's been doing her thing for a while. Shout out to Erica. Nah, because to make a strut.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

Because to create the vibe that you create, especially doing the uh the trap disco stuff. It does, you have to do some investigation.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

But it but like look at all that I look at all of it played a part to be right on schedule. Like when that trap we decided to go trap disco, I was like, oh boom, we can hit Erica for the for the because it was just a just a thought, like, all right, let's take it alive. Was the first video when we like let's do go back to the 70s and 80s, and then we went lavish, and that's when you know she gave me all the threads for that month. You know what I mean? Wow. So she it just and before I even went trap, I was doing the photo shoots of her just so she had a model and somebody to do that, and I always been left. I'll show you some photos to her because it's what we never put out, but it was just everything always I listened about look at everything right on schedule, I'm right where I need to be. Even if I feel like I'm not, I gotta remember I'm right where I need to be. I can't even complain. You know what I'm saying? Yep.

SPEAKER_02 26:37

I gotta I gotta speak on this mic because we're talking about this out here, um, and just talking about being right on schedule, right? Because right on time, right? Right on time. Um, man, when I say, and and I always like to tell youth who are wanting to pursue creative endeavors, or even people who are currently in creative endeavors, and you want to keep your dream alive, keep that flame going. One of the things you have to do, and I know we've had this conversation just as a group in the Hill Talk Globe Podcast, but you have to and you should want to have multiple streams of income. For sure. Very important. Um, in order to keep your freedom as a creative, as an artist, and to live a good quality lifestyle and be able to do what you want to do.

SPEAKER_05 27:20

Keep flexible from the change too, because we don't know what the next thing's gonna be. You never know.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

You never know when the next lick is gonna hit, you know what I'm saying? That's just entrepreneurship because the internet and society make you feel like it's laying for having a job, you know what I'm saying? But ain't nothing ain't nothing wrong with having some some for sure funds coming in. Yeah, right. You got the for sure duckies coming in. We call them duckies. Duckies. You got you got my duckies in a row, like extra duckies, that's cushion. Yeah, ain't nothing wrong with extra duckies, you know what I'm saying. However, you gotta get it, man. Where you at nine, I've been fortunate enough, I haven't worked a job in some years. Yeah, I've been doing the entrepreneur thing, but even with that, it's not for the weak hearted. Preach, I know I know some months I ain't had nothing coming in. Had to keep the faith at an all-time high that you know a pie is gonna fall out the sky if you're gonna eat, you know what I'm saying? So, like, and you gotta keep your face clean with that, you gotta keep your name clean. Like he said, multiple sources of income. Yeah, you got to have that. And it's always like with the times we're in, it's best to keep that money moving. Like, if you just got that money sitting and you just spending like the dollar, the dollar's lost 90, 98% of its buying power since I think like 1980 something or like 18 something. So it's like what we could have spent a hundred dollars with last year, it's not the same what we can buy now. And government shut down, interest rates going. Like I was doing when we first started doing the the uh trap thing to bring some extra, I had a couple extra dollars. I went and bought some cash cars and did my turtle thing. You know what I'm saying? So I was doing the turtle for a while, wanted to get into the private rentals, but it was just so much, it was so much um profit and it more profit, but more headache and overhead. Like with Toro, I can just I don't even got to see you. I got I got to get you the the send you the code, you got the lockbox on the car, they handle the insurance, this, that, and the third. Anything happened, I get 60% of the the profit made. They take the uh 40, and I don't gotta worry about it. They're private, you don't want to bring the car back. Yeah, I gotta uh kill it, I gotta kill switch. You probably done took off, you don't answer the phone no more. I gotta send the tow truck to come and get it. You know what I'm saying? So that was one thing I was doing. And then uh outside of the video and audio production, I was like, man, I'm tired of waiting on folks. You know what I'm saying? But I it started, it started with I wanted to learn, I wanted to learn how to how to shoot my own shit. So I would start doing, I was doing folks' parties back in the day, you know what I'm saying? Coming in with the with the cancorder, and then after a while, I'm seeing like, why might shit so dark? I need light. And I got the light for the party. Yeah, like, you know what? Let's start doing uh photography for events, then I led to weddings and everything like that. So it was like all that fed back into the music. I can at least edit my own thing or produce something, film it. Yeah, so I ain't gotta wait on cats. You know, and then I let after a while, like we gotta figure out something else when shit's slowing down. I need something else to do. We decided to do the box truck. I can have some extra duckies and around, let's invest in that to see how we can turn that into something.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Yeah, I guess yo, you a you a very intelligent guy. And I and I know, like you said, behind the scenes. Oh, word. I appreciate you. Like you were saying, people may not know about like you're a real chill cat, right? Yo, very intelligent guy. I'm talking about doing investigation, doing research, putting two and two together, doing the legwork, the the stuff that your capability, and this is probably why you're such a good creative, too. I think that adds into it. And I know for for young folk that listen and say, all right, so what are some of the tools and things that I need to do? Like being able to read, research, bro. Um, it matters.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

I was we was we was leaving Atlanta yesterday and I was reading a book while he would he was looking for a load, and I was like, you know, he was asking me something. It was um what's the book? The art of negotiating. Yeah. We were just like, boom, like, can you read? I would read it out loud. And he was like, you know, you can you actually read. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, all that shit plays a part in it. Like, it's not, it's it's not cool to be dumb. Eventually, like, you're gonna run into some females, like they ain't really, they ain't really off the low vibrational. You gotta have more than just the cash and this and the stash and and the instruments. All this is instruments is cool. Yeah, but when it without it, can I hold a conversation or can I at least add some value to your situation? Exactly. Matters. You gotta have some kind of intellectual to yourself. Street smarts, book smarts, it all all smarts are good. Any dumb activities, you know what I mean, that can lead you down the other way. It's cool, but it's gonna uh hinder you in the long run. Like listen to what your your older folks say, your predecessors, they know for a reason. Yeah, I didn't, I wish I listened to about folks that said, like, so I wouldn't bump my head. But you got to go through it to get to it, it helps. But if you can save yourself some headache, don't even do it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 31:50

I agree, man. I totally agree. Um, and I just thought that was really cool because the the step-by-step basis of understanding how to do things, I know we were discussing before we came here, that's one of the biggest, the one of the aspects of our podcast that we try to focus on. So, especially for the youth that watch our podcast at C and they're like, yo, I like how such and such is style works. I like how they do this and that. What's the one, two, three, and four to get there? Because that's usually like they say, knowledge, knowledge is power, and knowing is half the battle. Shout out G.I. Joe. Um, it's for real. Because I thought it was always a joke when they used to say that. Then I was like, Oh, I was not there. They're gonna say that the American hero is whatever it is, right? No, but it's real, like knowing is half the battle. So having some information to run off with is gonna place you in a better situation than being just young and dumb. And I'm telling you, sometimes being young and dumb is a blessing because sometimes you don't want to know, but it is good to know. Um, moving back into music, obviously, you have musical influences. Could you list some of those musical influences so people know what you like like specific names of artists that you were just like these this is my mouth, even better. I'm gonna do this to you. I gotta do this to you. A top five. Top five, gotta do it. Top five, no particular order.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

I ain't gonna lie, like top five. My John, so crazy. You gotta throw Mike on there. Go ahead. I gotta throw Andre on there. Uh-huh. For some reason, I gotta throw D-Train on there.

SPEAKER_02 33:25

Wow, wow, for the audience. They'll make it.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Keep going.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Go ahead. Yeah, keep on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a D train also.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

That's a Kevin really liked that. Yeah, it's Kev gonna really like that. I said I said Mike D Train, I said Andre. I don't know if for some reason he I John Poppy, John, Johnny Senko. It's like my I and Wow, yeah, yeah. Wow, I swear. Yeah, I swear, and uh let me see who I might just gotta throw a future on. I throw a future on there too. It between future and thaw. Like when I first started, though was a big instrument, you know, influence. But uh, I feel like I'm missing, but I I'll take those. I got a plethora of artists I like to do.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

I knew you did. Yeah, that's why I wanted to know what your top five would be because it's gonna be way different from anybody we've never had. I hate top fives, they change every time I think about it.

SPEAKER_00 34:13

Every time I hear something new, I heard something up here today I never heard before. So it was like every day is changing. So I'm always listening to something different. Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Hey, as you should be. Um and and and to add on to that, and we were talking about this earlier, and we just like you understanding how how things are working with making music videos, making music, etc. One of the things I do want to ask you about, because you got to see a lot of the you got to see some of this change over the over the years, but can you walk us through your creative process when producing a new track or a video?

SPEAKER_00 34:46

As far as recording, yeah. I'll be honest, I'll be honest with you, I ain't said this nobody. I ain't recording like maybe about like six months, dog. Like, even I'd be with my engineer every day. We had so many other stuff going on, but we got so much record. Like when I say dog, I got so much record. We used to do a hundred songs, a hundred days, stuff like that. But my creative process, like recently, uh it used to be I'll hear the beat. I miss some, I sent me some beats, and I'm I usually ride around and I'm smoking, and I used to come up with my hooks. I always come up with my hooks, whatever the beat time, I come up with my hooks, and then I at least come up with like four bars to come into the verse with. And then after that, I go to the studio and we just the energy, whatever is coming from there. Oh, right. So I really never really wrote anything. You're the first person I've ever heard say that. And as far as like with a trap disco, grown would pick all like when we started the heat, the heat in the night, synchronic, the graduation, um track though those those projects, he picked all the beat selection. Like he would go and find some beats, and then I wouldn't hear him until we got in the studio. And then I said, you know what, all right, boom, I like that one, let's do that one. That's what it, that's what it's telling me. Let's do it. And same for I try to at least come up with a a bridge or at least four bars to get me into the song. Because I I I know I always heard a lot of artists when they get to starting to rhyme in in the studio, they either too high or really they really not offer. They take a lot of time on the verse. Yeah. Like I can at least come with the first four bars, or at least a bridge and the four bars, that's half the song. Bro. You know, like I said, you're a really smart guy.

SPEAKER_02 36:17

Like you set yourself up. It's like putting the setting it up on the tea stick is knocking out.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

Yeah, exactly. Well, and in that way, you're prepped, but you're also like feeling the vibe at the time.

SPEAKER_00 36:28

Feeling the vibe. And also I'm paying for this, so it's like I can't trying to figure out four breads.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

Say that one more time.

SPEAKER_00 36:35

You're doing what you're paying for. Paying for studio time. My dog, my grown engineer, grown man will always be like, bro, it's not that hard. You don't gotta go too crazy. Yeah, it don't make it a thing. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, let's keep it simple. We might come with a bridge, we'll double that, got the hook. I might say that I might change up the cadence on the second verse, even if I did that. And reached, I I don't even do second verses like that. I stopped doing it because like the tension span is has shifted over the game. So, like, let me come and give you a hook, give you a verse, then I might give you the hook again, bridge after that, and then we out of there. Yeah, I don't want too much of your time. Just let me get what I can get.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

And as a DJ, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

You know, it makes it no, he's right.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

No, it makes it way easier because like as a D, like you're mixing in the club, or say even you're making a mix for for the radio, whatever it may be. If I know your verse is gonna be the hottest part, and that verse is hot. That's all I need. Because I'm not gonna play three verses. I hate to say it, love Jay-Z. I'm not playing three verses, bro. I'm gonna pick the verse that I like. And I used to have cue point set where I would just go to the verse that I like out of that track, and I'm gonna mix that verse, and after that, I'm out.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

And if and if some some artists figured out to where they they do it seamless, like that's that's the what I really love when an artist does on a song. Like you hear the hook, and then it's so catchy, it goes right into the verse, and then they bring it right back. Gotcha. Like it's like seamless, like it's going crazy.

SPEAKER_02 37:53

Yep. So does that make you listen to the next one if they if they're gonna do extra?

SPEAKER_00 37:58

That's my process, man. I keep it simple. You know what I'm saying? We might sip something, might smoke something, but for the most part, I try to come in prepared a little bit so I ain't just wasting everybody's time or mine, you know.

SPEAKER_02 38:09

Smart man. Now, with a video, the way that you think about a video, um, putting it together the idea, the concept. How does how do you how do you do that? How do you how do you make this make sense?

SPEAKER_00 38:19

Because you know your very your lyrics are gonna Man, it's like we'll sit there smoking and we just you know, you just chopping it with your partner, you just we just saying random stuff, like, but we low key speaking it into existence. Like, well, if we well, we was like we got this one song um thing, like we was on the yacht and doing all kinds of other stuff. It's just politics and brainstorming, bro. He's the left brain, I'm the right brain. He's a good I'm the good cop, he's a bad cop. So we don't like the business, like we he choose somebody the other day. Like, I I got it in me, but I ain't even I I won't let you stress me out like that. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. But it's just that that's how I go.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

You know what I'm saying? Do you have to think about monetary issues when creating a video?

SPEAKER_00 39:02

It's like I did when we I ain't gonna lie, we didn't we shot a video in probably like a year or two because we saw it shift and it was like everybody wanted micro content. That's what I was that's why I'm yeah, that's what I'm asking the question.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

Yeah, good point. Good point.

SPEAKER_00 39:13

It it it it is, but it's not because we can just take that same formula and and dumb it down. It was like I wanted to give you, I wanted to give you less but more in that same thing. Like I'm still trying to figure out, like, because it's it's so many different aspects. I gotta find, you gotta have a so you gotta have a hook at the beginning of your video. You gotta have the caption, like what's a what's all of that to take in consideration, but it has changed, but not dramatically. I just like I'm in a place like do I feel like they would appreciate it, but then I again I can't get lost in that. Let's look, still let me create and give folks an experience. You know what I mean? So that's where I'm at with it now. Like, all right, with the transition of music videos going to smart to just straightform micro content, how can I still give them uh an experience in it?

SPEAKER_02 40:00

Because you you do come from that that era, like the way in which you do your music. I mean, let's listen into your music and look at the videos, you give experience. That's what I want to do. You give an experience.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

But the game will make you feel like, man, they don't want it. You know what I'm saying? Right. So it's like, I'm I'm on a seesaw now. Like, do I continue to give you that? Which really it it doesn't take a lot, but it does take a lot. Yeah, I can just spoon feed you with some basic, you know, and I really don't want to do that. So it always leads me back to how can we take it to the next level? Like we wanted to do, we want to do some last, it's as almost like go back to time. We want to do some last dragon shit. I low key started it. Yo! But I ain't finished like growing with, but he got you see, we see he got the dress nut, he's supposed to be showing up. I got the red suit for him and all of that. So we started it, and we're gonna call it take back to the last groove. And it just so happened that last dragon is on his 40th year anniversary. Yeah, and they're about to play it in movie theaters. So yo see, that goes back to taking advantage when you get the vision. Gotcha. Gotcha. It'll go to somebody else, and it goes back to the city.

SPEAKER_02 40:59

Like you said, it goes, it will go to somebody else.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

That's crazy. And it's having the knowledge, like you said, and and also the knowledge with the timing to execute.

SPEAKER_02 41:08

So, you know, there's so many different variables. Crazy, crazy. All right, one last question before we get to do our little wrap up. Um talking about I'm gonna go with this question because I think this is funny. This is always a good question. It's the most boring question, it's the hardest thing for people to answer. You ready? Let's go. How do you find balance between work and your personal life?

SPEAKER_00 41:33

Um, how do I find balance in that? Between work in my personal life.

SPEAKER_02 41:41

See, I told you, it's it's that question. It's like, yo, how do I do that? Or do you not?

SPEAKER_00 41:45

Because that can maybe the question you may not. I do, but I don't because I am, I am that. I am the work. You know what I'm saying? That's what makes it difficult. Yeah. That's what makes it work. But as far how do I find balance in that is you know, taking time, analyzing things, eating right, preach, watching what I intake. Because folks always be like, man, I feel like shit, but don't don't analyze on what you put in your body, what's your intake, outside of even the food, the the the audio and the visual that you're doing. Yeah, the media intake. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? What you reading, what you listening to, who you're around. I like to get grounded. I gotta get, I gotta get back to that, getting grounded and just got my feet in the grass. Get them in the dirt, yeah. I'm just soaking up some sun. Like that, that that'd be my like when I like when we're not on the road and I used to just be at the house, I used to be feeling down, like I ain't got shit going on, but let me take advantage of this downtime while I got it.

SPEAKER_06 42:35

Let me make use of it.

SPEAKER_00 42:38

You know what I'm saying? Like, damn, but a lot of four. I'm I'm at the middle of the day, I'm at the crib, but my feet is in the grass. I got the sun and I got the biggest gas blowing right now, so I really can't complain. As much as the the man in me wants to be doing something I need to be pursuing or being productive, I can't, you can't get lost and let me take some take some time to fucking relax. Like, let me just chill and and and be okay with that. Because that's hard to like, damn man, I ain't had nothing. Especially in this day and age.

SPEAKER_03 43:03

Grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, entrepreneur, you know, self-employed, you ain't feeling guilt every day.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

I'm supposed to be doing something every day, right? But damn, it's like let me let me not take myself so serious. Let me just chill out. Like, it's still if I'm not having fun with it, that's the day I'm done with it. Yeah. So like let me just always be a child at this shit. Remember why I'm doing it. So you gotta have some joy. Yeah, gotta have some joy and still be still be a child at it. Like, I always try to myself don't take yourself too seriously.

SPEAKER_01 43:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:36

We'll talk ourselves out of whatever it is we want to do. Yeah. And then go back and be like, damn, I knew I should have gone over there. I shouldn't have gone and did that thing.

SPEAKER_06 43:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:44

So the balance of that is like watching my intake and try to get it grounded as much as I can. I don't really drink like that. I drink, but I like to be in control. You know what I'm saying? I like to fly the plane versus dry the boat. So you know that's like.

SPEAKER_02 43:57

Man, it's a cool you're a cool motherfucker. My pop up on my language. Yeah, but that was smooth. I like I said, that was smooth. Um, I gotta ask you, just something to tell to the youth before we get up. I always like when anytime I talk to create, especially folks that are doing music, do you have any specific, and it's you don't have to be hardcore with it, but any advice or just some lasting word that you would like to leave with young folks who are listening to this now?

SPEAKER_00 44:19

Man, I wish I had said it earlier. Um, stack your paper, save your paper, but stack the paper and invest, like do have an intent to do something with the money. Because if you're gonna get in this entertainment, whether it's photography, music, you it's good to have some capital that can you know keep you afloat when things are not going your way or in slow motion. You know what I'm saying? When the tide rises in the dock, all the boats rise, when they go away, all the boats go back down. So I would say save, invest, and um try to stay knowledgeable on what's going on, even if it's politics or whatever, because like I'm I'm I'm I've been slacking, I'm getting back on it up to crypto. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? So it's like shit's changing right in front of us, man. Don't be complacent in like the writings on the wall, change with the times. So it's like that's why I would say invest, got them, put that money to work, get you some crypto or something, get you some assets that can see some income-producing assets that you know that so while you're working, you got something else working over here. Your money's working, get more money, babies. So that's all I would say, and um, stay true to yourself, man. Don't get caught in the noise. You know what I'm saying? You never too late. Try to listen some if you can, but it's like it's so hard. Like, we want I know at that age we want to do it. Like we we know it all, but really we don't. So like stay learning, stay earning. Humble. You know what I'm saying? Stay humble. And and also pop your shit on them folks too. Can I talk about yeah, you gotta do it. Be sure yourself because a lot of folks I be going there too, like man, I'm not sure if I'm that nigga, but I'm always that guy, or you're always that female. So I say stack, do something with the money because it's losing value. Find you an uh asset producing, uh income producing asset. And then you know so you'll be all right, man. Do that a couple times, Rich repeat, stay out the way, you're good. You know?

SPEAKER_02 46:08

I like that, yo. I like that. That's right. That's actually that's very succinct. You know what I'm saying? Clean, clean.

SPEAKER_03 46:13

It ain't hard, but they make it hard.

SPEAKER_02 46:15

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mike, you got anything to ask or add?

SPEAKER_03 46:18

Man, tell us uh tell us where people can find you.

SPEAKER_00 46:21

You can find me on all social media platforms. That's at Superstar Country, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, um, and you can find me, or you go on uh on uh Apple Music, Spotify as K-U-N-T-R-Y. I am country. Uh the superstar country, just a tag, but I'm country. I also got a music profile, low country, l-lo, apostrophe, k-un t-r y, different style, different times, but all still good music. Yeah, he's not.

SPEAKER_05 46:49

What's uh what's next for you, man?

SPEAKER_00 46:52

What's next right now? We're trying to figure it out, man. We still going like I know right now that where I really want to do it and where I want to take it, I need to have a certain budget. So I need to figure out something that can help me get there without me indulging all my time in it and not being able to get back to the music. So um right now I'm pushing a single D4L. Shout out to Scav Beats, Scav out of Philadelphia, mixed by grown, mixed it, D4L right now, all platforms, country, D4L, RIP, Shawdy Low. We just want to keep folks grooving. That's what's next. I just want to keep folks grooving and moving however I can.

SPEAKER_02 47:25

That's a fun track, too, man. It's a fun track. Makes you feel good when you hear it.

SPEAKER_00 47:28

That's all I want to do is change the energy up, man, keep the energy at a you know, vibrating right and high.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

Awesome, awesome.

SPEAKER_04 47:34

Well, yeah, we want to give a shout out to the studio. Thank you. We're down in uh Somerville outside of Charleston. We are at Lake Studio. This is uh a great place, it's on uh peer space. Yep. So you can uh you can rent out different rooms here for your own production. Um, we got some gear here.

SPEAKER_02 47:52

So if you don't have it, you don't need it, you just show up. Yeah, you got you got any uh contacts for the yeah, so let me go ahead and give you contacts real quick. And so I was I don't know why I was holding this down in this way, but um, if you do want, obviously, Peerspace.com, you'll uh search us under Lynx Recording Studios uh at 1668 Old Trolley Road, Suite 202, Somerville, South Carolina. Um, also phone number if you do want to call in. If you're old school like that, ain't no problem. We'd still love to serve you. 843-771-0016. Um, you'll get you in contact um with us so that we can set up, you set you set you up for success in here. Um obviously there are there are uh I can't speak. There are three different uh rooms in here. We also have a main control room, main lobby area. Uh, we do provide uh some light refreshments, um, there's some entertainment here and stuff. If you want to just sit back and relax while other while you have people waiting to come in or out, you can do multi-sessions. Um, we book it out for you. We have equipment here for you as well. So you don't have to have your own equipment. If you don't know if you're ready to jump all the way in uh to doing something full production for yourself, you can definitely try it out first here in a nice, safe, comfortable environment. Um and I always like to tell people, man, we're just here to try to give people opportunity and chance. So um, if you need something and you want to see if this is something you want to do, please come in. Use our services. It's here for a reason. Um, outside of that, um, I always like to sign out um but with the Hilltop Glove with uh Glove Podcast by telling you to tell somebody next to you that you love and you appreciate them. However, this is DJ and what? Mike in the background and our Steam guest.

SPEAKER_00 49:31

Can I say one more thing? I want to say one more thing. Uh, I love y'all, the Hill Top Glove Podcast, shout to Link Studio and uh RP Ms. Cash 151 Gordon Street, shout out to the city of Charleston. I love y'all. Awesome, awesome. Great way to end it. Y'all have a blessed one until the next time. Peace.