Introduction

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Good morning, good morning. Happy Sunday. I want to welcome everybody to the 24th episode of the Hilltop Club Podcast. I'm your host, DJ and Watt, and I'm going to be joined today by my co-host, Ms. Tamaya. What's up, Ms. Tamaya?

SPEAKER_03 1:58

What's up? How are you guys?

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Yeah. Today we are going to be having a conversation with our multi-talented guest, Freeport Donnie. Donnie is a Midlands-based lyricist, originally from Orangeburg. You always got to shout out the Berg. He recently dropped, you better know it. He recently dropped his latest project. He recently dropped his latest project, Till Further Notice, on multiple streaming platforms. And of course, matter of fact, he just dropped track Berg. Matter of fact, I listened to that last night. Good morning, Donnie. I want to welcome you to the Hilltop Glove podcast. I don't know if people know this. As a disclaimer, we do know you pretty well. I know myself and Skip. We actually go back a couple of years. And so we're actually happy to have you on here today. You've been featured on our playlist a couple of times, matter of fact. And I'm telling you, man, yo, you better know it, bro. Because I mean your stuff is strong and it's honest. I love your music, man. So I mean, I even put my fiance on to it. We've been listening, we've been riding around, we'll listen to your jams when traveling back and forth. But easy enough, of course, I had to start off like this because I do understand, I know your background, but our audience, of course, I want to get you into a new audience and get them to know who you are. So just to begin the conversation, um, I want to get a little bit of your backstory so that audience can know and get to know who Freeport Donnie is. So would you mind telling our audience a little bit about your upbringing and what makes Freeport Donny unique?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Yeah, man, Freeport Donny, you know what I'm saying? Like they said, from Orangeburg, represent that. Um my upbringing, man, you know, um two-parent home, some say suburbs. Um, you know, we had to work to get there. But um, you know, music was an early influence. I used to spend time at my grandmother's house, and she had these records, the 33s and the 45s, and like Saturdays, that's what we'll do. Like my grandmother was blind, so all she had was music. So I got put on something early. Isley Brother, Earth Money Fire, uh Sonny and Cher, my favorite, Michael Jackson, um Roger and the Zaps. That was my grandmother's favorite, Roger and the Zaps. And it just Yeah, we dropped out on the weekends, man. Like my grandma was blind, but she uh Saturday mornings and Saturday nights, we you know, she still was able to cook and shit. So we just danced and party with the music, and then my uncles had these big surround sound systems. So, you know what I'm saying? That's how I got into it. Um and how I became free pour, well, Donnie is a family name, a nickname, and free pour. Uh it's just if you listen to my music or you know me personally, it's just it's a free pour of life. It never ends. Whether we're having fun, we drinking, we just talking, you know, it's a free pour of knowledge. It's it's anything, just don't turn off, man. You know? So it ain't nothing too deep behind it, it's just the truth. It's you know, it is what it is. Very true.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

That's crazy. I'm from Orangeburg, too. So I wonder if you know something about it.

SPEAKER_04 4:54

Wait, wait, wait. What's that you broke?

SPEAKER_03 4:56

I was born in Orangeburg, but I'm really from Charleston, so I'm really like I have to be. Isn't that funny, Donnie? She she born at Orange. Yeah, and now I live in Columbia, so it's like you just from the South.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Yeah, shout out to the Chuck, man. The Chuck, the Chuck helped me go into a man, you know what I'm saying? College of Charleston was happening. Yes, sir, yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

Shout out, Alma Models. Yeah. College at Charleston. How was that experience?

SPEAKER_02 5:22

That experience was lit, man. Um we went down, let me tell you. Yeah, we went down there um as a part of this minority like thing to start before classes to get credits, and I linked up with uh Amwet. Yeah, I don't know, we was out past curfew or snuck out or whatever, but he, yo, my big brother got a dorm across camp, he's rolling. So I was like, man, fuck these curfews. We out. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Yeah, we didn't, yeah, we didn't do curfew.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Yeah, we didn't do curfews at all. So we went over to um, we went over to uh Skip dorm room or whatnot, and man, that's how we linked up and we've been cool. Like from that night, we've been cool ever since. I I freestyled, it was a long time. Uh I can't remember how long it was, but I know it was over an hour. No real talk. No, no lie. It might have been more than that, but ever since then we just been cool. We've been kicking it, like outside of music and stuff. Like, I really text and be like, hey, well, how you doing today? What's going on? You know what I'm saying? How the little girl doing, you know what I'm saying? I taught the sleep a little more than and what, but you know what I'm saying? College Charleston was lit, man. It taught me how to it taught me how to be a man. Charleston taught me how to be a man because Charleston was dangerous at that time.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

So you are not lying, bro. And I know I was listening to an interview of yours last night, and um, I was putting two together the interview you did with I think it was on DME. And um you're breaking this down because people don't realize this. Because I remember this at the time, like, yo, what Cash, where you going, Cash? He's like, Yo, I'm about to go to the east side. I'm going back to green. I'm about to go to such such, go work on such a bro, you gotta go over there.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

He's like, Yeah, yeah. You know, you gotta um that's back, uh a little bit after that. I was working in Foot Locker. So like when I was working in Foot Locker, you know, I'm not from down there, so you gotta link up just to if shit happens, I'm good. So shout out to the East Side, back to Green, you know, take it to North Charleston, Otrano, um, uh the Whalen, the making, you know what I'm saying? Them boys are all wide in West Ashley. I was all over, man. You know, okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

I'm about to ask for I'm like, y'all know Free Poor Donnie.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

They might not.

SPEAKER_03 7:27

I was going by something different back then, so they might so um tell us a little bit about how

Early Influences

SPEAKER_03 7:34

did you define your desire to in love for rap?

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Um, like, just early influences, like um, outside of J and T.I., like, Wale is one of my favorite artists. So I I got put on Wale like real early. Just um, my godparents lived in Maryland, right outside of DC. And my godmother had a hair shop in DC. So I got put on, I just heard I heard Buddy spit, and I was like, okay. And that kind of made that drive go deeper. But before that, my pops, he bought me my first album. Y'all gonna laugh. My first album was Doggy Style.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yo, how old were you?

SPEAKER_02 8:14

My pops, yo, yeah, my pops, real shit. He bought me Doggy Style, and he had one rule. He was like, we could rap the song, we could curse, but don't curse in front of my mama. So, you know, I listen the way, like, people don't give Snoop a lot of credit. Snoop, like a legend, legend, like Snoop been. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like Snoop been around. So just listen to that music, and then when my pops bought me 400 degrees, and he bought me um The Black is hot, and like just music like that. Um you know, those those first that first Jay-Z C D. Like, I was a kid listening to this because in my family, there's an age gap between me and my older cousins. Like, I seriously, my my oldest first cousin is maybe 50, if not a little older. So Oh wow. Okay, they was on they was on shit that I wasn't known yet. Like my cousin Shelby used to come down and babysit, and she'd be playing all this music, or my cousin Demetrius would be playing all this music, and that just drove it in. I just like the way they put bars together. Like making music is hard. Like it is. It is and that's something that just that just something that you know tweaked my mind, like how you put these bars together. And then I was fortunate enough my parents let me put a studio in the house when I was in high school, like, and they let us rock out. Like, I had all the gangsters, all the thugs in the house. I'm talking about guns and drugs that shouldn't be in my parents' house. I'm like, hey, y'all can do that, but not at my mama's house. They're letting us record. That's all we can do. So you know what I'm saying? I just kept going with it. I just kept going with it.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

They supported you fully.

SPEAKER_02 9:51

I ain't gonna say all that. But um They gave an opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

They gave an opportunity to say.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

You know what I'm saying? Like, I was a big sports freak. Like, I was nice on the basketball court, even nicer in baseball. Say it again.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

That's what a lot of people don't know. Yeah, this dude talks about it.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Like, I can get hoop hoop. Like, I just went to the wrong school. Um, didn't get put afforded the best opportunity. Yeah, I could have worked harder, but we didn't have what kids got now with the social media and bro.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

That was totally different.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

If I had social media when I was playing sports, we wouldn't be talking about music probably. I'd probably be playing baseball. Like, you know what I'm saying? I used to switch it, play first, and pitch it, and I was good at it. But wrong coach, wrong school, so that didn't work out.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

That's how it that's how it happens with a lot of us, especially uh here in South Carolina. If you don't have certain connections when it comes to sports and athletics, and I'm I know you and Kevin had that conversation before, because this is how I know, you know, of course I know you well, so um I know about the sports um aspect because like Kevin himself, he was also man, this man, man, Kevin was an all-state soccer player, like all region in the South. Like he was supposed to go and play um scholarship ball, but the way it worked, like say if you hit the wrong coach, you're in the wrong situation, you don't get tapes, you don't get stuff pushed out. Because like it says before social media, because you couldn't promote yourself, Cash ran into that same issue.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Yeah, and speaking of tape, that happened my um junior and senior year. I asked my coach for my tapes. He said he couldn't find them, so I was like, Oh, that's poor. Bruh, yeah, man. Like, I mean, he's a good coach. I ain't gonna put him out there like that. I love him to death because he he helped me grow into a man. He gave us that tough love. But I remember he told me I couldn't get them tapes. I was like, bruh.

SPEAKER_03 11:35

You gotta be kidding me. Like, that's so you need that. But your name change,

Lyrical Maturity

SPEAKER_03 11:44

what would you say is the biggest thing that has changed lyrically from when you first picked up the mic?

SPEAKER_02 11:49

My outlook on stuff, like at one point, um, as an artist, you wanna, you know, that First Amendment freedom of speech shit be cool and all until you get in the studio and think about who you may offend and who um take things out of context. Because at the uh out of content, sorry. Um, because at the end of the day, you just you just putting on this on this mic what's on your mind, it might be on somebody else's mind. So like just the process of it, like as I grew, I stopped giving a fuck. Like my project before this one, the Donald, you know what I'm saying? I had a Klansman hanging, you know, on fire track. Yeah, fire track. And that whole shit. Matter of fact, that whole project kind of the it kind of depicts what's going on now. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, even with the the um president and vice president now, like it's like, man, listen, what the hell? Some pop up because I released the Donald on election day last last year. And I put up a post on Facebook and I said, are y'all prepared for the worst? And you know how the Facebook memories come up, and it was yeah to the day, are y'all prepared for the worst? And I was like, see, I wasn't making this shit up. But I said all of that on the Donald. I said all of this on the Donald, but that's that's the crazy part.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

Yeah, when you um appreciate that too, bro. Um when you when you don't have that microscope or you don't have that backing behind you, they take the music lightly. You know what I'm saying? Whether you hot, whether you're not, it's just you don't get the ear. But I was talking this shit last year, and I everybody said, yo, man, you don't know what you're talking about. Okay, cool. And you know, we in the situation we in right now, you know?

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Yep, getting Mollywalked. I'm telling you, bro, oh shoot, that that darn track is so prophetic, man. And then um, I'll tell you another thing about that track because it was playing, of course, it was on the um on the radio. I remember I was hearing it, we were riding through Sumter, and I was listening to the radio. I was like, that's Donnie on the radio. Because you know, I can't forget the voice. I done listen to this man's voice so many times, recording, et cetera, right? Just listen to it over and over again. And I'm up here listening to the lyrics. I said, Oh, Michaezan that. Let me go download that, let me ride with that. Because that's the type of um, that's the way I think too. And I know that's one thing that always had a connection with with Donnie was you're a very aware brother. You are not the type of uh musician or artist that allows your, how do you say, you don't allow your art to not be influential in pushing people forward. Um and I think part of that too, it comes from your um your determination and that work ethic that you have. And that's one thing I always paid attention to, which you out always, I mean, I'll be my little brother about it too, of like, nah, you need to have that type of work ethic. That's what it needs to look like. That's work ethic. And um with that being said, you know, um, as you move through the years as as um artists, entrepreneurs, and creators, et cetera, it's hard to sustain hunger, especially focus as you're dealing with um certain things and et cetera, in life. How have you kept that that growth going through those changes that we're just talking about, like your name change, lyrical changes, et cetera? Because like people don't may not know you and you were known as Cash the Great. That's how we I still got the CD with Cash the Great on it, bro. You don't realize, like, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:12

Yeah, Cash the Great was a different individual. I don't want the world to be him.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Yeah, that's a different individual.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

Yeah, that's definitely a different individual, man. But um, you stay motivated through change and through growth. Like, you know what I'm saying? Um just I got a real, I at least I think so. I got a um a gift of being able to check myself when I need to be checked. You know, I can look in the mirror and get myself a straight. Um, I got that from uh TI album, the TI first TIP, not the album, but the song. And that was a bar. How many people real enough to get their self a straight? So I thought about that through life. Like, that's how you stay, that's how you stay in your zone. That's how you you gotta get yourself straight. And when you get yourself straight, you put yourself in positions to do better. So once you do better, you start making better music. You start giving different experiences, even getting married. Like, growing up, none of my OGs told me getting married was dope. Like, I love fucking, I just like being married. Like, that shit's golden. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's less stress, you know what I'm saying? Because I I mean, I'm an artist, I ain't gonna go into detail, but it's less stress, you know what I'm saying? And you put your real life experiences or what somebody else may be going through, you put it in your songs, you put those experiences in the music, and that's what keeps you going. Um, are there days when you get the writer's block? Yeah, but um it happens. But that's a reason I stopped writing too, because when you write, I got too much time to think. And so like I like I go in there, yeah. Sometimes I punch bar for bar, sometimes I memorize, I can I'll memorize an eight and do it, you know what I'm saying? And I got that from my cousin, um my cousin Mr. Cause he was like, bruh, we doing too much moving around, it takes too much time to sit down and write. Which which made sense.

SPEAKER_03 17:04

I said, Mr. Your cousin? Yeah, that's my cousin.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Yeah, yeah, definitely gonna put two together, right? Okay, hey man, listen, that MMR shit strong now. Yeah, we we we built that from the ground up, me and Cozzo. Cuzzo, um, I ain't gonna get into the details, but Cuzzo was like, hey, um, I'm coming to stay with you. That's not how the conversation went, but I'm gonna leave it at that. And I was like, I ain't gonna be like, at that time I ain't want no roommates or nothing. I was like, man, fuck that. I'm living. But yeah, in doing so, it was a sacrifice, and that sacrifice paid off because you know what I'm saying? Like she was like, Oh, Mr. Your Cousin? You know, that was I I had a I had hands in that. Mr. recorded uh his first song at my house.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Wow, that's what I'm yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

Like what I was telling you about, yeah, he was one of them.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

So you do everything yourself, uh everything yourself. Like, do you also produce and do the engineering stuff too, or no?

SPEAKER_02 18:02

Nah, I believe in paying people that's good at what they do to do what they do. So I used to produce, but I got out of it. Just um, I don't know. I just fell out of love with it. I want to focus on being an artist and a um and an executive, you know what I'm saying? So um, I do record myself. I record everything myself, and I network and send it off and get it engineered. Like the project um till further notice, that's exclusively produced and engineered by my boy Schizo. Um he's actually out of Fresno. So like our sessions are a little different. They're three hours behind. So it's four o'clock here, it's one o'clock there, and we work into like, well, to me, it's the wee hours of the morning. So um that's how it gets done. Um, but yeah, I don't I don't produce as much anymore. Um now if you want me to come in the studio and say, this sounds good, this don't sound good, yeah. I can do that. You know what I'm saying? I can edit it as well, you know.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Run the ear, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

Yeah. So, you know, that's how that go. But um, I do, you know, I record myself. I'm actually sitting in my studio now. Um, so I record myself and send it off.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

But that's good. The sound sounds good.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Your studio, like No, I was about to say, yo, Donnie, you gotta tell. Explain to them the evolution of that homes, like what your first studio was like at home to what you're looking like now.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

I'm gonna trip you out. Watch this, all right. So the first studio, the first studio, you had to be really on your shit. Cause like um, we use music match. Uh, everybody knows about music match recording where you only had one take. If you mess up, you gotta do the whole song over. So once we got that, we got on the uh we got on to um, it's called Cool Edit. And we did Cool It, that was the first multi-track interface we had. And then when I got to college, I took my refund check um on the.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

This always tricks me out.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

On um until further notice, it's a line in the intro. It's like, my pops bad for that refund check on that equipment. Like, yeah, I blew my refund check on equipment, and believe it or not, I got that same equipment till today. Really? Yeah, I got the same monitors, same interface. I didn't change mics over the years, but my I'm I'm actually about to buy me some more monitors because they they about to go out. But you talking about, we talking about 2006, and it's 2021.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

You talking about keeping stuff up, Lola. You kept good condition on that, man. Great condition on that equipment. It was a good investment.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

I learned that from my pops, though. He yeah he take care of shit. Like my pops had a chip in his yard that's older than me. So, like, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, so um that's how I that's how I kept it up. And then like now I got I can go to the big studios and stuff, but I like being in my own thoughts. I feel rushed in them big studios. Like, I just I like being in my own thoughts. I can I can walk out my backyard or front yard, I can smoke, drink. I mean, I can do that in the studio, but I like being comfortable.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Yeah, that's what I was about to say. You can really relax.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

You said you did you don't do the songwriting. So, I mean, explain how other artists could, you know,

Writer's Block

SPEAKER_03 21:12

prevent that the songwriting process, you know, the writer's block and being in the studio for a certain amount of time and you got to get it done. Like, what would you recommend?

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Um, take your time. I hate rush music, I hate forced music. If it's not there, it's just not there. You didn't go through something to make you record that certain song. And that's how people get trapped in a box with making one type of sound a song. Like, none of my projects sound the same because I'm not at the same level of thinking when I recorded it. Like, all my projects sound different. Every last one of them. I mean, of course, it got some similarities because it's me, but you really can't avoid writer's block. If if an artist ever told you they never had writer's block, they lying. Or they got writers.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Honest, yeah, honest. Honest, honestly, they got writers. I like that second point. Yeah, they probably got writers.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

Yeah, that's like me. Like, I just put that till further notice out. I'm in a writer's block right now. Like, I mean, because I'm still geeked off of till further notice and I'm getting good feedback, you know what I'm saying, about that. So I want to push that, but I know now it's like, well, what's next?

SPEAKER_03 22:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:21

You know what I'm saying? So that's how I stay in it. Or I might call Mr. and talk to him for a little bit, because that nigga is always inspired.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

I don't know how the fuck he do that shit, but Yeah, I was just about to ask you, what inspires you outside, like your outside environment to keep you more like engaged and wanting to create more music every day?

SPEAKER_02 22:41

The youth, because the youth don't have, they have very few role models. Excuse me, I hate the role role models because they're playing a role. They have very few real models that they can, you know, I idolize, lack of a better word, because you know, so I done did all the other shit, gang banging, all right. I done had nine to fives. I had a 401k since I was 18. And I can still walk in rooms and get respect. So you don't have to be a gangster or a thug. You ain't gotta sell dope. You ain't gotta kill nobody. Like, if you if you solid within yourself, your name speaks for yourself. Like, these boys know me. I never tried to be no gangster or no thug. Like, I got my affiliations or whatever, but I never tried to be this extra hard person. Like that shit just that shit corny, man. Right. Like that shit corny. Like, niggas like that get beat up around my way, like, oh, you want to be hard? All right, why speak on it, bro?

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Speak on it. Nah, like people don't realize that. Yo, you are very um that's why I had to say like earlier, like you're a very aware brother. And at the same time, like you're official. Like, you you ain't, you know what I'm saying? No pushover, but At the same time, you aren't um over-the-top um bombastic, what's the word, uh, uh a negative, hypermasculine, um aggression. Nah, that's not how you operate. Um and and in the, you know, in our in that world of of music, especially with with black music, it's usually seen, you don't usually get to see a lot of that balance.

SPEAKER_03 24:04

Right. That's how you get that balance. Like that's that's good.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

You gotta get you gotta get that balance, man. That's why I respect people like Wale and J. Cole and Kendrick. Like the big Sean's of the world. Um even outcasts, like outcasts ain't no real gangsters, but they, you know, they got that, they got that shit in them to make you say, okay, we understand. Like, you know, Wale might get on a few bars and whoop the whoop, and you be like, oh, okay, so he connected enough. Like, and that's what it's about. It's about connections, man. I don't I don't have to fight nobody. I'm connected. Like, I'm exactly like we got, you know, uh, I'm above that. Like, I'm not fighting you, bro. Like, that shit comical to me.

SPEAKER_04 24:45

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Now you try, you step wrong. It ain't about me. You like you do something wrong with my family. You do something wrong about my family, then shit. Green light.

SPEAKER_04 24:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 24:56

You know? So, but that's I just try to keep it honest, man. Like, everybody don't like that honesty, but that that's what makes me me.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Man, I I'll tell you, man, I've always um respected that honesty. That's why I never, man, I always like working with you um with music and et cetera, because I knew um you're gonna get your best effort and that you're gonna be honest when making that music. Um, and I know we were you were just talking about getting your influence, especially from the youth. And I know moving into this next question, this makes so much sense. Um hip hop, as they always say, is a young man's sport, right? And usually you you know this, and they always like to try to limit opportunities uh for newer, older artists, et cetera, for any artist that's not quote unquote young. So there's a connotation that comes along with being an artist, um a 30-year-old artist in music in any

Hip-Hop & Older Artists

SPEAKER_00 25:49

genre. But what is your opinion on older or more mature artists and influencers in hip hop, uh like your killer mics and et cetera? Like, do you think that the opportunities are are more prevalent now than they were in the past because of social media?

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Um, I really think it's the same. Like, hip-hop is the only genre we put an age limit on shit. Like, that's crazy, right? Kiss or Aerosmith or Madonna, they can drop something and fucking, they be old as dirt in the world loving.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

And it'll be on tour.

SPEAKER_02 26:20

Now, granted, yeah, you know what I'm saying, they are more established artists, so somebody I would say in my lane, if you're above 30 and you in my lane, like, do do you. Like, who gives a fuck what the world thinks? Long as your long as you're paying your bills, you know what I'm saying, you taking care of your kids. I don't respect people who don't take care of their house. So if you got kids and you ain't taking care of them, you know what I'm saying? Fuck you. If you not taking care of your kids, fuck you. You know, you laid down and made them. I don't care what your baby mama did, what you're going through, handle your business and be a man. Because nigga like me, you be rapping about woo-doo, you got all this money and stuff, and then you, you know, you showing up. I'm like, uh, this music ain't adding up. And that's how artists, that's how artists that's 30 plus, you're supposed to be more responsible in life. So that's why we look at you differently. You know what I'm saying? Like, yes. Like you take care of you take care of your business. Now, um, and the you know, everything comes back full circle. So I think hip hop is going back more towards uh actually hip hop. Because I think rap and hip hop are um two different things.

SPEAKER_00 27:23

Like explain that. Explain that for the audience.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

Um people are gonna be mad at this. Rapid, rapping, uh, when I listen to your songs and you got bars and there's no words more than five letters, like you just rapping about the same shit over and over. Like, all right, bruh, how much dope can you sell?

SPEAKER_04 27:42

You right? Right.

SPEAKER_02 27:44

You're still dope, but you're still selling this dope, but you claim to sell this dope. Hip-hop, uh hip-hop artists take everything and put it into one. That's what makes those those uh those Jay-Z and TI type folks, um, the Snoop's. Um Mount Rushmore. The Mount, yeah, the Mount the Mount Rushmore is the Wayne's. Like, yeah, you took all your misfortunes, you took the hood, but you manage a way to evolve that where that's not all we think about. You know what I'm saying? You know, you mentioned Hove, you think about Hove selling crack, or you think about billionaire Hove. Me personally, I think about billionaire Hove. I don't care about the crack. Yeah, I'd have forgot about the fact he sold crack. You know what I'm saying? So when you when you at a certain age, there's a certain responsibility. And if you're taking care of your lifely responsibilities, you can do what the hell you want with music. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? I don't take no money out of my household losing on music. Like, well, we don't lose over here, but yeah. Um Yeah, we don't, you know, it's nothing leaving my house, you know what I'm saying? Like, and like I said, that's just that's just that drive that goes into it. Like, you can't be telling heyday stories of when you was 18. Nobody cares. You're 30 now, like 30 plus. Like, tell me what you're doing now that's gonna inspire somebody to do something new.

SPEAKER_00 29:04

Darn skippy, bruh. And question, Donnie. I gotta this is a this is one thing because I'm gonna keep saying people like, damn, he kept saying this the whole time. Um, bruh, you got determination and work ethic. Like, this is another thing. Like, people don't get this. Like, how do you think, especially being where you are right now in your career, um, creative-wise, do you think that's something like you you had to have that to begin with, or can you earn that over time?

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Nah, you gotta be born, you gotta be born with certain shit. Like, you earn- That's what I'm wondering.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

Yep. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 29:37

My pops are workaholic, man. My pops worked a sling shift. For those that don't know, it's like four days on, three days off, one day off, three days on, four days off, and then he might get a seven days. So, but on his seven days, this dude would go work overtime for six of them days. And I'm like, bruh. But that afforded me and my little sister opportunities that we might not have had. Like, you know what I'm saying? So you gotta, you gotta be, it's a lot of sacrifice. You gotta be willing to put in that, you know, put in that realm and sacrifice to get to the greater goal. That's like when I got married, like music, it just looked different for me now. You know what I'm saying? I like that. It just looked different. Like, should I say now, I probably would have said it different back then, but you know what I'm saying? I don't want the wife like, you really said that? And I'm like, you know, I like the maturity though, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 30:30

So with your words now.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

Yeah, the word, your word, your words, man, listen, words are like spells. That's why they call it spelling. So words, like when you put it out there, it can happen.

unknown 30:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

I love the awareness. Cause I was just thinking that like a lot of rappers now, like they don't they're not intentional with their words. So they say stuff and it's like you're telling the younger generation to speak this into fruition. So it's like, like, how do you feel? Do you feel like you're selling your soul as an artist because you're just making up raps?

SPEAKER_02 30:58

But see, that that goes back to what we just talked about. You're talking about rappers. Do you expect more from them? Like, honestly. Like, that's why hip hop artists are different.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

Like, say, say this again. Exactly. All right, all right. So I don't know if anybody caught that Kanye interview, but there's one thing he said in the interview. Um, I was that man named right, his name, yay. Yay, my fault, yay. The yay interview. But there's one thing he talked about in the interview that made so much sense. And he's like, You're hanging out with all of these high, these high-level billionaires, etc., especially these white folk. And he said they would use the word rapper so they could so that they could call these people nigger without saying nigga. They would call them rapper. So that's why, if you pay attention, I have not referred to you as a rapper, you are a musician and an artist. And I like that you said that because they will def they will um literally divide it based on that, and and they'll keep you in these little boxes. And so, yes.

SPEAKER_02 31:56

They did that the um, I and I always say this, and I'm gonna stand by this. That's why Lil Baby, I feel even though Lil Baby's successful as hell, he's still getting black ball. Because that song, that song he put out, the um, what is it called? Um, it's bigger than black and white. Yeah, but then until after he put that song out, bro, they're not giving him no award. That man had album of the year that year. I don't know if y'all got the album. That nigga spazzed, bro.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

Yo, I know, but we know that they tar, they put a they blackballed that man so hard after that song.

SPEAKER_02 32:27

Yeah, you know what I'm saying? They um, so like you gotta, you know, it's it's paths you choose to take, and that's where that determination comes in. Cause after they blackballed Buddy, he could have, you know what I'm saying? He could have been like, man, fuck it. But he came back spazzing and snapping, and he just it ain't bother him, y'all. So I look, I like stuff like that. Like, he went from a rapper to a hip-hop artist in that moment for me.

SPEAKER_00 32:49

Yep, true. True story.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

Like, little baby, hey, do your thing, homes.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

True story. I respect it. I respected that move so much because it wasn't the popular move, but it was the correct move.

SPEAKER_02 33:01

But you know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's just he had the platform to where, you know, like my music be along the same lines. I just don't have the bigger, I don't have the bigger influence.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

That's what I'm saying. Yeah, like yeah, that's why I said I'm rocking yourself all the time. Because you know, me being a grown adult, and you know, I'm an aware individual as well. There's certain things I don't want to listen to. I don't want to have it on my conscience all the time running in the background. I'll play yourself in the background and have it running in my conscience. So I can have this certain thought concept, this is what I want to focus on, and I can get that from your music. That's one reason, like um especially in South Carolina. I always like finding those artists like that, gravitating to them and getting their stuff and pushing. That's why we always try to put that type of music on our playlist because I was explaining to Kevin, those playlists are important because the playlists help push the algorithm. Because apparently, playlists now are just like being on mixtapes. And so I always tell Kevin, yo, push these playlists, let's get these people on these playlists, especially artists that we know are worth it, so that that way it'll help push the algorithm their way.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

Um, because um the other day my partner was like, Hey, bruh, your new shit just popped up in my playlist on some random. So, you know, so I was like, well, you know, and I do owe that some of y'all boys, because I was sitting in the house and I was like, oh, I made the playlist for the podcast. You know, I just did my due diligence and shared it, but then I look and it's like, okay, people checking these songs out more. And then I don't I still hadn't I hadn't cracked this algorithm thing, but it's there, you know what I'm saying? Exactly. It's there. So yeah, that that that plays hand in hand.

SPEAKER_00 34:33

Yes, learning how to play the new game. And um, I guess this leads into this question, makes mad sense. Like, so like with the new era of the digital world and learning how to keep yourself, your marketability moving into the into this new technology, has it changed your approach to music?

SPEAKER_02 34:50

Yeah, um, I'm a I'm a person with a big personality. Where if I meet you in person, I'm one of them people, if you don't like me, it's you.

SPEAKER_04 34:59

So like I was I'm real comfortable walking.

SPEAKER_02 35:04

So um, I'm like, I can walk up to you like with CDs in my hand, but the world don't listen to CDs no more. Like the average car don't have a CD player, so what's next? So now it's all about your social media, how you gonna get people to tap in to listen to you. I be on social media, but I'm not one of them artists on social media.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Like, you don't post the stuff about that on social media, you post about other things.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Say it again. I said you post about you post other types of content on social media and certainly. You don't just flood your timeline with your music, yeah, which is.

SPEAKER_02 35:39

I don't, I don't. Um, I'm starting to do that now though for my business page. So y'all follow Freeport Dynasty Plug. Um anyway, uh Yeah, I like I like being in tune and checking a temperature of that nature. Like, you gotta um you gotta go with the times, you know what I'm saying? Like, I still gotta like I have a multi-disc CD burner right next to me because some people still like CDs. But the world that we in, you gotta be more digital, the flash drives, the QR codes, or just putting yourself in a spot and make people be like, let me just check this out.

SPEAKER_00 36:13

Yep, that's it. Immediately.

SPEAKER_02 36:15

That's like ads now. If you see an ad enough, you're gonna click on it eventually. At least one click.

SPEAKER_00 36:20

Mm-hmm. It beats you down a little bit. Yeah, it it wears away at you to the point where you have to at least give it some kind of play.

SPEAKER_02 36:26

Yeah, you got to.

SPEAKER_00 36:28

It's inevitable. Like, you got to. And um uh another thing, um, lead leading in, you know, continuing on that same frame about making sure you're paying attention to times, etc., keeping up with that with the changes. Hip hop, and I know you understand

Hip-Hop as a Political Tool

SPEAKER_00 36:45

this, hip-hop is a political tool. And it always had a reputation for providing insight into what was going on in our community, uh, whether it be positive or negative, um, it's been used to inform, enlighten, and empower people, especially when effectively used. And of course, I always like to tell people you can tell a movement by its music. And I I know I was listening to um, I was listening to Berg uh the other day, and in my mind, the way that that song works, how you how you rep your city and put the information out about your city, about it being a uh a unique place, especially like you messed me up with this because I've been through there plenty of times on the bus. And um that McDonald's with the spinning sign, you ain't lying.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

That is the only one.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

It's only three in the world, and it's this is the only one in the U.S. It's the only one. This only McDonald's has a spinning McDonald's sign. You're not gonna see if it's not broke. If it's not broke, it has been broken. That's the only spinning McDonald's sign you're gonna see in the U.S. The other two are outside the country.

SPEAKER_00 37:48

That's crazy. That's crazy to think about it. Like just Ryan by scene all the time when I was listening to songs, like, yo, this he's for real. That's serious. But um based on based on just you know understanding the importance of it being a political tool and using hip-hop to express what's really going on. Um do you think it's important for artists, whether they be quote unquote young artists or old, especially for older artists, I think it's more important because you know you have so it should show growth. Um, do you think they should be recognizing the impact of their voice on the people who listen? This is what Tamaya was asking you about earlier, like just the impact of your voice and how it spreads and infects the masses.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

Yeah, that should be a conscious decision, but I think it's more up to the younger artists than the older artists because the younger artists are in the now. You know what I'm saying? We're here, we can we can guide you. Like if a young artist says, Yo, Donnie, you know what I'm saying, I needed some guidance. It's not about music. I'm gonna guide you through life and show you how to get to where I'm at. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm 30, what I'm 30, I just turned 34 like two weeks ago. You know what I'm saying? Um, never been arrested. Never, I never been in front of a judge other than a parking ticket. Um, I don't have, you know, baby mamas running around. There's a science to this, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 39:04

So there's a science to it.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

So when it comes to political um recogn, not recognition, but political um responsibility, yo, y'all are young, y'all got the voice, use it. Right, you don't have to do it for every song, but that one song, you gotta think like NBA Youngboy, right?

SPEAKER_04 39:25

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 39:25

Great artist. Yeah, great art. I'm gonna say artists, great artists, because he got the playlist. But his generation, they reckless and they wild.

SPEAKER_00 39:37

Yeah, you know what they are.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

Yeah, they yeah, they not scared of nothing. Like, I I was scared to get in trouble. They not scared to get in trouble.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

And what's making me a power and a problem at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 39:48

Yeah, and it's like they're not scared to die. Yeah, they aren't. That bothers me when you're not scared to die. Yeah, right. Like, granted, I'm not scared to die, cuz but to die how they dying, that shit's violent, bro.

SPEAKER_00 40:01

Yeah, not to yeah, not dying over reckless abandon. You know what I mean? Like, I could die for a cause, but not just reckless abandon.

SPEAKER_02 40:07

You dying over a block and you don't own one house on that block.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

Yes, exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

You're dying over you dying over colors, you dying over colors and these set kings and these OGs. Like, once you die, you're just a little homie that died. So, like the younger artists in these positions, they should take more of a political stance. That goes back to Lil Baby. That song was just dope, like the way he did it. You know what I'm saying? That's an artist taking responsibility over a generation. And he he admitted his flaws in the music. You know, I can identify with that. He admitted his flaws, what he had to do in that time period, but there's a there's a brighter path, there's another way. So when it comes to the politics to get back to the question, these younger artists gotta get into it. If you get into it, we're gonna support you.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

That's another thing that we gotta do, I think that's big. When those artists put their behind on the line, like a little baby, or or like you you have to make sure that we come back with that support.

SPEAKER_03 41:06

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:10

People are trying to discredit them and you know, help them lose endorsements and stuff, like fight for them.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

Fuck these endorsements. We black, we can have our own endorsements, and that's the process.

SPEAKER_00 41:21

That's the support, exactly. That's the type of sport I want. That's the type of support I want right there.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

I got a song, it's unreleased. Um, it's it's gonna be on the next project. That one's gonna be produced by Schizo 2, but I got a bar that says, fuck these endorsements. Like, bruh, we oh, we black. Everybody wants to be us. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 41:38

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 41:38

We are the trend makers. Like, look at all the sports. There would be no NFL without us, there'll be no NBA without us. Right. There would be no baseball without us. Granted, they're not African American, but they're of black descent. So I mean, you know, hockey, they can have hockey because hockey cold even within the city. Y'all keep that ice sport. Ice sport, y'all keep ice sport. Like you gotta think, if you're from the Dominican Republic or you from Cuba, sorry, Puerto Rico, like if you got any yellow in your skin, you black. And we run the world, we literally run the fucking world, but we've been conditioned to step back. It's only a few of us that step out on the forefront. True. And these some of these athletes, some of these artists, some of these politicians, they scared the bad day people.

SPEAKER_00 42:31

True. Very true, very true. You can't, I mean, you can speak on that all day because I think, especially for our our age, and like this this podcast is just for millennials specifically, so we can understand how to adult properly, quote unquote, how to how to maneuver out here in the world and handle our business in a responsible and a powerful manner so that we can affect change and growth and get things right. You know, at least try to help out the folks come behind us, give them some kind of example to look at. And especially like you said, with what we do, all the all the different aspects that, especially that black folk are um prevalent, that where we're some of these cases, we're the front, the forefront leaders in some of these um areas. We definitely have to make that a known thing that, hey, politically, we want this stuff to change, we want stuff to look like this, we need corrections here, we need developments here or there, and give support to that stuff. Because, like you said, the young folks, this there, they gotta run it too, because just like with the civil rights movement, like people may not say this. Those are the young people that were running that. Snickers, them are kids, those are babies that were doing that stuff. Like the older people, they were just funding it. And they were letting these young folk run with it so that they could um, because they're gonna have to live with consequences um of those actions.

SPEAKER_02 43:46

That's like we gotta, we gotta just take a responsibility. Everybody, yo, that shit don't do no good. Just talk about it on social media. Don't like it. Like me personally, I'm guilty too. I put it in music. I can I asked my wife the other night, I said, I'm about to go into politics. She was like, nah, that ain't you. And I was like, you're right, it's not. I'm gonna just keep it in my music because you know, I don't have no filter for politics. I get up there and fuck you.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

It'll say it. Take a look, somebody come up there trying to tackle you off the stage.

SPEAKER_03 44:20

I mean, but if you bridge the gap and then you have someone speak for you, you know, like I know On War, DJ Anwa is good at, you know, speaking. So, like, what if you had someone to kind of translate to what you're trying to say to somebody else, you know?

SPEAKER_02 44:34

Well, that's true too. So, what I'm what I'm actually doing, shout out to my partner, another college Charleston alum, uh, Representative Jermaine Johnson. You know what I'm saying? He's in the uh House of Representatives right here in Columbia. So I, you know, when you that we talk about building networks, like I got Jermaine on the text, and I I text him, hey yo, what do you need me to do in the community? Like, I don't want no recognition because I don't want to mess what he got going on, you know. I don't want to mess that up. So what you where you need me at, bro? That's and that's support. That's the type of support our black politicians need. I don't need no recognition. I'm I'm free pour. I got, I'm good. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, it's Jermaine. We got we got the um, it's called the new 80, because it's ironic. He's the representative for my district because we live in the same neighborhood. So I have more, I have more to invest because eventually I gotta well, I gotta live here now. When I start having kids, they gotta live here. So let's clean the neighborhood up now. So early. Yep, early. Yeah, so Jermaine, Jermaine has been on his thing, man. Shout out Jermaine Johnson, man. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 45:39

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And he is a friend, he is a friend of the podcast as well. Um, you know, come. You know we had to reach out to him in that first season and and and chit-chat with him about about that change in that district. Because the interesting thing about that district, too, is there the the district was going the other way. Um, but I always like to tease about this. When you try to make a hustle, and it's not legitimate, don't be a don't be a don't be uh surprised when it comes and bite you in the behind. So there's a lot of immigrant folk who live there. I won't say what they're immigrant folk who live there. And luckily enough, Jermaine is able to actually communicate with these people way better than the other side was. And because of that, they actually set up, look, they set themselves up. Because when it came time to make changes, they couldn't communicate with the with that audience. And he was able to reach them. And I guess that goes back to what we're saying, just about making sure, like using hip hop as a political tool, being able to reach out to your audience, communicate effectively, get them to understand what you need them to do and how it will affect them positively. He it he took and swung that whole thing his way just by going to that underrepresented it. Um basically, they were just not ignored group of people. They were just leaving them alone. So that was an amazing move. I'm not even gonna lie, I forgot too. When we were speaking with him, I remember this too, when he came back from Mexico like the first time, and we were in Charleston. And we were sitting at the bar, and he was like, speaking in Spanish. I'm looking at him, I'm like, dang, Jamie, where'd you where'd you get that from? He played ball in Mexico. Yeah, it blew my mind. It blew my mind. And so you gotta imagine just having that ability to to speak to those folk and bring that to me. She stole a whole a whole um district away, and like you said, now he's able to create something from it. So much props, much support to uh to Jermaine on that, and we will continue to support him any way we can. Um, but very true, very true. It is effective.

unknown 47:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 47:34

You know, a lot of times people often fail to recognize that their favorite artists have lives outside of their personas. They have like a spouse, you know, kids, pets, anything like

Disclosing Personal Life

SPEAKER_03 47:44

that. So, what is your opinion on artists allowing people to see their lives off stage?

SPEAKER_02 47:50

Yeah, I'm married, and my wife, you know, she she she's not with the shit. Well, she with the shit. She's not with the shit. Like, no, don't walk up her and ask her nothing about Donnie Freeport, nothing, because she's gonna look at you like, what? Um Lord, she sound like Michelle Obama.

SPEAKER_01 48:07

I ain't got nothing to do with Obama. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 48:10

Um I think it's cool though. It gives the um the fans and the listeners an insight to what you got going on. Like um, I speak about my marriage on um this past tape. It said, um, I think I said I'm in a 2021 something red bone with a ring stunting. This a different kind of stunting. Like my wife ring dope. So like when she riding with me and and we we got a like a blacked out of it's all like you can't see shit on my whip. Um but when she riding with me, it's like you know, that shit dope because she got a ring on and that shit is a different. I get to I can ride around with my wife and be comfortable. Yep, yep. That's a blessing. So um when it comes to that, you know, I don't have any kids yet, so it might change when I have kids because I'm a protector. So, you know, I'm one of them people, the world might not see my kid until they turn one or something like that. Just uh I gotta see where I'm at in life. I can't speak prematurely, I gotta see where I'm at in life, but all the other personal shit y'all can get. You know what I'm saying? I got a dog, I got three snakes, um, I collect guns, I'm a very advocate to only person. So, yeah, all that personal shit, y'all can get. Um, when it comes to like the confines of my house, like my wife, that's kind of sacred. Like, yeah, you'll you'll get that work.

SPEAKER_00 49:28

So we Hey, I gotta ask since she since she did ask about that. Man, you know what my favorite stuff is on your profile, and I was following this stuff hard, especially during the pandemic, because um it was necessary. You needed that motivation. The what's it the the the foodie stuff a workout and yo, that stuff was dope.

SPEAKER_04 49:49

Workout, bro.

SPEAKER_02 49:51

I am a big foodie, like I eat like pizza. Yo, I ever say you want to kill me, give me pizza or give me seafood. Like, yo, so uh when the pandemic started, I was like um close to 240. You know what I'm saying? I'm only like 5'7, 5'8. I was 240, and all this party and drinking, smoking, and over the years, um it just took a toll, and I was like, yo, let me get back right. And back to what we talked about earlier, I'm an athlete. So I know. So I just started, I I really, I legit started running uh five miles a day. Well, between running and walking. I did that, and um, I did that when the pandemic first started, and like after that first year, I went from 240 to 180. And right now I'm at I'm at 190, 193, give or take. So um, yeah, health is wealth, man. Like, I don't take no medicines um outside of my inhaler. When um my doctor told me to call it exercise induced asthma. Gotcha. So for anybody who got bronchitis, don't use the word bronchitis, the insurance companies against you. It's called exercise induced asthma. But um, other than that, I don't take any medicines or nothing like that. Everything natural, like vitamins and stuff, and I just take care of my body, man. Like, you just, you know, I don't ever get sick, ever. Like, no, I went running the other day, it's 44 degrees, I'm sweating. I come back in, no sniffles, no nothing. It's on to a new day. So I say, like, I'm not, I ain't gonna say like I'm the best person to follow in fitness, but if you're in your fitness tip and you're trying to plug in, just plug in. Like, you know what I'm saying? It's realistic. My Apple Watch keeps me going. So, like, um, but I am a foodie though. I like I will eat, bruh. Like, I will eat. Like, um, matter of fact, last night I went out and partied um with some folks last night. Um, and after we got finished partying, I came back home and got on the treadmill. Like, I was high, I was a little buzzed. I still got on a treadmill because I knew I had to get some work in. I didn't work. I didn't work enough early in the day, so I had to catch it on the back end. So it takes sacrifice and it takes discipline. So like now, I'm trying to get the rest of the stomach going, get my six-pack going. So next summer, everywhere shirt off.

SPEAKER_00 52:10

Hey, nah, man. This is the one thing I gotta say, that's what I love most about Donnie, y'all. Y'all don't realize. I used to sit around and just watch this man work and be like, that's that's that's not not to say in a jealous way, but in a way of like, yo, I respect that. I want that. I love that discipline and that work ethic. Like, even when I remember we used to be up late, probably like three, four in the morning trying to record doing something. And you still be going, like, still be going. And it would make me go, you know what? I need to be on my Q's and Q's. Let me make sure I'm aware, et cetera, what's going on. I love watching that, man. Love watching that.

SPEAKER_04 52:44

Late, late.

SPEAKER_02 52:45

I'm talking about we get drunk, pass out, and come back to life.

SPEAKER_01 52:49

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 52:50

Exactly. And our skip would be that be like, y'all good now? Yeah, we good, man. We just had to we had to shake back, right? Quick. That's 211 nights, man. Um 211. 11. 11 nights.

SPEAKER_01 53:03

I can't do a 211 no more, but 211 nights.

SPEAKER_00 53:09

Yo, people don't realize. I've always respected that about you. That's why when I was um during the pan, and I know I started doing my workout thing till I till I broke my foot. I gotta get back on it now because my foot is nice, nicely healed and stuff now. But um, yeah, man, because I was always like, yo, let me see what my folks are doing. And I was just paying attention. I was like, yo, he's really on his workout stuff again. And the way you were charting it and going along with it and making sure that it was something that was integral to your everyday. And how and I'm watching that that change from the beginning of it until now. And I'm just like, yo, I will I hope a lot of other people see that, um, especially in our community. We don't get a lot of quote unquote, like I say, everyday people, people who are around us, instead of like some folk on Instagram and stuff, because that's just bad body image stuff. It's bad free. But to see a real person doing it in a real way and seeing how those results work, it's necessary for our our um our community, more most definitely, especially uh folks around our age, it's necessary. Health is wealth. I know Miss Tamai can speak on that.

SPEAKER_03 54:07

Yeah, I just started getting into the yoga meditation and stretch the Instagram live videos. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:15

Sick up here looking in pain, working out.

SPEAKER_03 54:19

But it's it's good pain. Like you said, it's mental discipline. I want to see how mentally disciplined I could be. And and if if everybody just tried that, I feel like the world would be a better place.

SPEAKER_00 54:29

Real talk.

SPEAKER_02 54:31

I mean, that ain't like that's like that feeding like what we got going on with like COVID or pandemic. Um, I'm not gonna speak on it whether you should get vaccinated or not. That shit, I don't care what about that. You take care of yourself. Like, me personally, I'm not vaccinated. Probably won't get vaccinated because I take care of my everyday life. Like go ahead, yes, sir. You know what I'm saying? I done I mean, fuck it. When it's time for us to leave, it's time for us to leave. If that's the way I gotta go, I mean shit. You know what I'm saying? Like if it stopped me from getting it, if it stopped me from getting it, it might be a different conversation. But you talk about chilling, uh, you talk about easing the symptoms, fuck it. All right, life can ease the symptoms. Like it's like I got, you know what I'm saying? I have uh uh exercise-induced asthma, so that's all COVID is to me.

SPEAKER_00 55:22

No, I was about to say, I was about to say, especially with your situation, like people don't get like it's different from person to person. And in your situation, if you don't need to take it, bruh, why would you put your body up for something that's experimental, especially when you know you already had them? I wouldn't even, until it's you know legitimate and everything is, etc., on it. But we we actually had an episode where we talked about that on live. And um, I know I was saying some controversial stuff along with our uh our co-host uh Mike. We were saying some controversial things about it. But uh because like my thing is I'm not boo-boo the fool. And and Cash, you know how I am. I don't, man, come on, man. I read too much and I'm on my stuff too much to just be to act like I don't know better. My uncles and stuff would slap me if they're like, bro, you done read these books. I done give you the stuff. You know how they get down, you know who what the government is. You just ain't the same government we've been dealing with forever that's been taking advantage of us, now they are friends. Come on, bruh. Stop playing like that. But um, outside of that, um, just uh dealing with um all of the health tip and stuff. Could you explain to our folks about four scrands?

SPEAKER_02 56:24

Oh, four scrins. All right, so four scrins. And you pull that one out the woodwork. All right. So four scrins, it's a um a collective group of me. All right, my little sister Janae. Shout out to Janae. She just put her book out, uh uh Memoirs of a damn, I can't, she's gonna kill me. I gotta get up.

SPEAKER_00 56:48

Make sure you send us, make sure we put it up on the episode, make sure we promote it too.

SPEAKER_02 56:52

Yeah, I got you. I got you. Um it's called um uh memoirs of a uh mortician. Oh yeah. Uh the spelling is different, but that's how you say it. Anyway, so and then she got a body care line called Dollar Jane, where we got the body scrubs, um uh the shea butters, um, the soaps, all natural stuff. She may actually make my twist and gel for my locks. Like, I don't use my twist and gel. She makes my own twist and gel. But anyway, um so it's me, my sister, huh?

SPEAKER_00 57:27

You have to get me some of that. You gotta put me in contact. Because you know I got my locks on now.

SPEAKER_02 57:30

Yeah, yeah, I got you, I got you. I got specific instructions with it. If not, it'll spoil. Because it's it's all natural product. So if you leave it out, it'll mold and stuff. So like um my lactation Adriana, she keeps it in a refrigerator at the shop. So when I go to the shop, that's what I use. But um so the four scrams is me, my sister, uh, my little cousin Evan. He's out in California, and my little cousin Sydney, and Evan's and Sydney, they like our little brothers and sisters. Shout out to Tuskegee University, that's where they graduated from, Evan and Sid, you know what I'm saying? Um, but that's just like a uh a bond. Like I'm real family-oriented with my little cousins, and those two little cousins are like my little brothers and sisters, and that's the four Scrands. Uh me, Janae, Evan, and Sydney. And we just click tight. Like, yeah, we we don't tell on each other, we got each other back, you know what I'm saying? We just hold that rope. Like, I love I love all my cousins dearly, but we just got a different bond with the scrands, and we that's how it is. Like when my um my cousin Evan, when he got pregnant, well, not when he got pregnant, but when his uh lady was pregnant with their first child, his mom was like, You knew, didn't you? And I'm like, it's the scrands, like we're not gonna tell on each other, like I mean. So um, yeah, that's what the Scrands is, man. I got that tatted on me. That's for life, man. I love that. What's the name?

SPEAKER_00 59:03

I just like the fact that it's promoting physical and mental wellness, unity, and the don't quit added. I just like the idea behind that brand um associated with the um with the MMR, of course. And I just thought that was so cool because, like I said, I like watching the stuff with the fitness stuff. I like that type of stuff. So I love and I like the post with the um affirmations and stuff that's associated with everything. I it just makes you it makes it put you in a good mood and puts you in a good uh mindset.

SPEAKER_02 59:30

Um positive vibes, man.

SPEAKER_00 59:33

Yep, and that's necessary.

SPEAKER_03 59:35

Do you have

Current Projects

SPEAKER_03 59:35

any current projects you're working on right now?

SPEAKER_02 59:37

Always, always, always. Um, I'm working on a new album from this producer I know named Kevin Staggers. Um, nah, I'm actually working on um the second installment. I don't know if we're gonna call it till further notice two, or if I might change it up. It depends on the artwork. Like um that um I got, you know, when you drop new projects, you get new attention. So I had a producer send me three beats asking for a verse. Um, he just wants a verse and he's gonna scope around that. So I'm working on that. And I'm working on a um, I'm seriously working on a full-length project for next year. Um, I take into account when I make music people's attention span. That's why I gave a lot of EPs. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:26

Yeah. I was wondering about that strategy because the EPs are popping too. I just was wondering. Like, yeah, that's part of strategy.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:32

I feel like if I can create two EPs I feel popping, then I put them together and give you a full length. Um, because my full length albums, they've been kind of um successful. Um, Humble Beginners was the first one. And then uh One Night, One Might, One City, and then Life of the Reject. Like they all they all did what I wanted them to do. You know what I'm saying? They could have did better, but they did what I wanted them to do. So far as current projects working on that, um, I'm about to shoot some videos off this current project. I'm gonna shoot videos for each song. At least that's the plan of right now. And, you know, we're gonna keep it moving. You know what I'm saying? Um I'm always in the studio. Like, I'm doing this uh this podcast right now in my studio. I got some beats loaded. Um so when I get back from playing tennis, I'm gonna come in here and record today and then you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:21

Say that again when you get back from playing what? Yeah, I'm playing tennis. My G. My G. My G. L B.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:28

Y'all know, well, y'all know Lawrence. LB, yeah. We're gonna L'Anglace.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:30

Yeah, you know Lawrence, you know that. Mr. Blackwell, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:32

Yeah, we um no, no, no, no. That's B. That's B. Oh, my fault, that's B. Yeah, I'm talking about Lawrence. L B. Yeah, Lawrence.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:38

Oh, my fault. I don't know why I said it. Yeah, no, Lawrence. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, speak on it.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:42

We're going to play tennis um when we wrap this up uh a little later. So, and then back to the studio. You know what I'm saying? It's every day a different process.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:52

Oh, man, I got one question for you. One more question for you before we get off. Because of course, I'm horrible, man. I'll go and I find all kinds of stuff. I like looking at information on people. Of course, knowing you, I was just like, yo, let me see what else is going on with them. Um last year, did you did you get an opportunity? Did you actually get to perform at South by Southwest? Nah, I got canceled because of COVID. That's what I thought, man. Yo, that had to be disappointing, bruh. Because I saw all your lineup stuff and they actually had you on stage. All of that.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:19

Shout out to my management, um, Dejaun T. Um, Daon, and I should have mentioned her earlier, but you know, timing and things before it happened. Uh Dajahn, she had, we got out, we had our own stage. Yeah, we booked our flights, we had our Airbnb, and then we held out to the last minute. Matter of fact, Spirit didn't want to give me my money back for my ticket, but that's another conversation. Um they gave me a credit, and I was like, bro, the only reason I flew with y'all is like it was last minute. Like, but anyway, yeah, uh, yeah, we never made it. Um so I think we're supposed to be getting invited back next year. Because we didn't we didn't do this year for the same reasons. Uh so next year we're supposed to be getting invited back and we get our stage back and perform. Um, I've never been to Texas. I travel a lot, but I've never been to Texas, so I was looking forward to that. But you know, it happens how it happens. So, you know, South by Southwest, I'll be there soon enough.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:17

That's what I'm talking about. Because yeah, please keep us up to date on what you're doing with your travels, especially performance by Scott. I know you travel a lot, um, especially whenever possible. I know you like New York. I know you like the because I know how you you moving. You like moving. I already know you're Madude, man. Even though I don't get to talk to you that often, I pay attention. I pay attention to that.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:33

Yeah, New York lit, man. Yep. My homeboy gave me a hard time about New York, but I was like, until y'all go, y'all don't know, bro.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:41

Exactly. It's a city that never sleeps. It's opportunity everywhere. And especially when you're from out of town, they don't realize they don't treat out of town as too bad. They don't treat them too bad. Depending depending on where they're. Depends on who you know. Yeah, depending on where you're at who you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:56

Yeah, where you're at who you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not because you know, the way they try to make it seem, they make it seem like as soon as you get it there, they can be like, oh, you mush mouth from from from the south, we ain't gonna respect you, etc. It's changed up a little bit. Because you know, we're from up north, it's changed up a lot.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:09

It's um as far as like um I shot a video out in Marcy, you know, I remember and and that was a different experience because everybody said, Don't go to Marcy, da da da da. But when I went out there, it was nothing but love, man. People came out, they was looking at my video like I was on on. So that's like when um um out it was a while back when Drake, Drake went to Marcy and did a video, and I was like, he did a video, but he Drake and got all the security. I was out there like by myself.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:39

They say naked. He was out there naked.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:41

Yeah, and Marcy, like, at the time he shot his video in Marcy, it sort of done got gentrified so bad. Like, it's condos right across the street from Marcy now.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:50

I heard about I heard it's not, it's uh it's almost like a time capsule. They just kept it as a time capsule, but they're moving around it. It's everything's changing around it.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:59

Yeah, if I I honestly I think if if if Jay, I think Jay keeping Marcy like where it's at, because if it wasn't for Jay, I don't think they'll let Marcy stay around too much longer.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:08

They'd have torn it down.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:10

Yeah, but that's like that's that part of Brooklyn is dope. You know what I'm saying? Um I went to Chicago and did a video too, and Chicago isn't, I mean, now don't get me wrong, it's dangerous, but it ain't like the news be putting it out. Like, I went to Chicago and had a ball, man. Um when I'm out in DC, Philly, I have a ball. Like, you know what I'm saying? Everything be cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:31

See, man, I like people talking. Yeah, because you gotta take some of the some of the um the hype off some of that stuff, because it keeps us, especially as black folk, from being connected. Like, nah, man, travel. Go see, go to the different areas, see how we're living in different communities, you know?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:45

Respect is universal. I don't care what hood you go to, respect is universal, you know what I'm saying? So, I mean, I feel I can go anywhere. I'm not checking in nowhere. I can go anywhere and just be myself.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:56

That's it. No, not not over the top or nothing, show respect, you get respect. Facts. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:02

Uh social media, and like if you have any YouTube pages or anything like that, Spotify, where can't you find their music?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:08

Yeah. And with that being said, I'm gonna give a wise little gem to these young artists. Stop having 20 damn names to find you. So, with that being said, everything is free for Donnie. It ain't no variation, no. Free poor Donnie on everything. Like, you got you gotta make yourself accessible. Y'all got 20 names, underscores, hyphens here. People ain't remembering that shit. People high, drunk, all that. They're not remembering all that, but you can remember one name, free poor Donnie. You know what I'm saying? That's on every social media. I ain't gotta I ain't gotta give them no plugs. Free poor Donnie.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:49

I like that. Yup, he ain't lying. Please keep one, one, one monica if you can, keep it through it. None of those weird little uh, what little um ampersands and all kinds of weird stuff, trying to replace letters with other letters. You don't gotta do that. Yeah, ain't nobody gonna have time to remember that. Yeah.

unknown 1:07:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:07

Alright, well, shoot, man. Um, is there anything else you'd like to say for our audience or et cetera, before we um before we conclude this episode today?

SPEAKER_02 1:07:14

Um, nah, man. I thank y'all for having me. Um, the new project out till further notice, you know what I'm saying? It's out now, streaming everywhere, getting good feedback. Y'all got some feedback, you know what I'm saying? Tag me in it, post it. I don't care if it's on social media. Um, other than that, man, shout out to my wife, Siobhan. Love you, baby.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:34

Please do.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:35

Um shout out to uh my uh darling Jane. We got some new stuff coming out. That's my sister's Carolina, whatnot. Uh shout out to MMR, uh Fame and Mr. Got shit dropping soon. My DTM family, um, it's too many to name, but because I'll forget somebody, I ain't gonna lie in this moment. And then other than that, free DZ ho.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:02

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. So, of course, this is gonna conclude our episode of the this episode of the Hilltop Glove Podcast. Want to thank our guests, Freeport Donnie, for joining us, especially on short notice on a Sunday morning. Um, we want to we want to also list let our podcast audience out here know as we go into the fourth quarter of the year, get on your grind, make sure you go ahead and start your new year's resolutions early so that you can roll into this next year with some kind of momentum. And the reason it just brought up because we're talking to Donnie. And the only thing every time I think about you, I think about work ethic and determination. So I want our our audience to understand how important that is, especially moving in because it's of course the dark season. Don't let it be dark on you. You make it shine. Um, but I just want everybody to have a blessed one today, and we will see you on the next episode. Peace.