
🎵 Discover the secrets behind self-made success in music and marketing with K Camp on the Digital Social Hour Podcast! From his emotional journey navigating loss and finding his path in music to his groundbreaking marketing strategies that landed...
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A
Did that shit one time, bro. I ain't gonna lie. I did that shit one time. And it was two sessions. My mama had told me. Cause my. You know what I'm saying, I had lost somebody very valuable in my life. My older cousin. It's like my older brother, you know what I'm saying? RP jail. And I was just dealing with a lot emotionally, you know what I'm saying? I was broke, you know what I'm saying? Trying to figure this music shit out. I lost my. You know what I'm saying, favorite person. And I remember going to therapy.
B
All right, guys. Got K camp out here in Vegas from Atlanta. Let's get it.
A
Yeah. What's up, brother?
B
You ready to ball tonight?
A
Let's do it.
B
Let's go. You get hoops, bro? People don't know.
A
Yeah, for sure. I told him to bring Lance. I text Lance this morning, see if he gonna pull up.
B
Yeah, yeah. You got some hoops here. Did you play competitive growing up?
A
I played basketball my whole life, bro. Since five years old. That was my first love. I broke my ankle my 12th grade year, summer league. And that ended my whole basketball career. Well, I don't wanna say ended it, but you know what I'm saying.
B
Were you getting some looks? Some college looks?
A
Not for real, now that I know of. Shit. My 12th grade year, that was the year I was expecting to get the looks.
B
Yeah.
A
And I broke my ankle before my season, so, damn, you know, shit happens.
B
Was that the transition to music that year?
A
Slowly, slowly. I was just trying to figure life out at that point, you know what I'm saying? Really trying to just. I didn't know what the fuck I wanted to do. I ain't want to go to college. I got. One of my closest partners forced me to go to college. I ain't know what the hell I wanted to do, bro. Honestly.
B
Which college did you work out?
A
Went to West Georgia. Oh, yeah?
B
You make it all the way through or not?
A
Hell, no. I dropped out in two months, bro.
B
2 months.
A
I was there for two months. Somebody stole my books. And, yeah, I ain't had no money to pay for no more books, so that shit was over with. But the music worked, clearly.
B
You dig what a journey your career.
A
Has been, man, I got a crazy story, bro.
B
You seem much happier now than before.
A
Yeah, yeah. Everything's saved in everything, you know what I'm saying? The plan that I didn't have for, like, last two, three years is finally coming to fruition. So, yeah, I'm locked in. I'm Tunnel visioned in. I'm. Everything is. Is working out just like I said earlier. I just dropped Friday, top 10, all genres on Apple Music. Let's go number four on hip hop, you know what I'm saying? Behind the biggest, like the Kendricks and all that, so. And that's independent, so.
B
Yeah, that ain't easy.
A
Come on, man.
B
You don't got the. The labels.
A
I ain't got the major, you know what I'm saying? Well, I did do a partnership. I just announced it actually like three, four days ago. Before I dropped the album, I did a major partner distribution partnership with Virgin Music, so.
B
Oh, nice.
A
You know, we got a great situation over there, so they behind the campaign, so.
B
Yeah, it's a new era, man. You gotta know how to market yourself. I see you at marketing conferences.
A
You saw me in Vegas, you know what I'm saying? Shout out my dog him 500.
B
Yes, sir.
A
We was in Vegas. You know, I'm a sponge, bro. You know, I seen you years ago when all the other shit was popping off, you know what I'm saying? I be trying to really just. The crypto shit, I'm really trying to just tap in and figure out what's the wave and what can I put my hands in to expand my portfolio besides the music. Music is what I love to do, but we all know nobody want to be doing the same shit forever. You get what I'm saying? I've been doing music for a decade plus, you know what I'm saying? Since I was 17, 18. So it's one of them things like, okay, let me find another lane that's gonna open up the bag and just be as. I feel like everything is stressful. Any type of work that you do is stressful. But, you know, the music is a different type of stress. The music industry is a different type of stress. You get what I'm saying? So if I could find something that open up the. Open up the bag, just in a different lane, I'm all for it. That's why I be. That's why I be outside. I be everywhere. I'll be in spots where motherfuckers don't know I'm. They. You know what I'm saying? They look at me like, what the is you doing here? Yeah, I'm looking at what the is you doing?
B
That's what I was thinking when I saw you.
A
You know what I'm saying when I see it. Exactly. So you know what I'm saying? I like that type of shit. I like that excitement I like to see people's faces when they see me at shit like that. Cause it put respect on my shit.
B
No, I was literally like, is that K camp? I was like, what the fuck? Why is he. That's cool that you could put. You know, Cause you're successful in this industry, but you can put that to the side and, like, be open and just be humble.
A
Be a sponge and be. You know what I'm saying? You know, I look at it like, if you're the smartest one in the room, you in the wrong rooms. You know what I'm saying? So when I get in those type of rooms, I be like, okay, cool. I really. I know about marketing, you know what I'm saying? I've been marketing my whole career. You asked me how marketing music is marketing. So I done did so many strategic plays to pop off songs to pop off campaigns that folks don't know about as far as on the marketing side. So it all go hand in hand. But in reality, I don't know shit about marketing. I just be, you know what I'm saying? Doing shit. I think it's gonna work online for my fan base, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, which is marketing, but the actual school of marketing, I don't know shit about. You get what I'm saying? So me being there, it's like, okay, cool. Let me figure out who's who. Let me learn. Let me see who I need to talk to to turn my shit up some more.
B
I have an answer for this, but I'm curious what you're going to say.
A
Yeah.
B
Which hip hop artist do you think is the best marketing?
A
Ooh, let's talk about it.
B
I think it's Kanye.
A
You think it's Kanye?
B
Yeah.
A
I'm gonna get my top five.
B
Okay.
A
Kanye definitely up there. I study Kanye. Shit, I get Rocky.
B
Except Rocky because of the fashion.
A
Fashion and just how he roll out campaigns and just everything he be doing. Tyler, the creator.
B
Who else? I'm giving Russ.
A
Russ. Russ Russell. Russ was Russ. Russ, yeah. Shout out to Russ. I never really paid attention to his marketing campaign. I more so just heard him talking about the independent space and how to be an independent artist. I never really paid attention to his campaign. I'm just talking about folks that I, you know what I'm saying? Study and look at Pharrell.
B
Okay.
A
You know what I'm saying? What was that? Four.
B
Four. Yeah. Drake.
A
I like Drake campaigns too. I like Drake campaigns.
B
Kendrick, especially lately, he really capitalized on that.
A
I feel like the Whole TDE be smashing. Scissor. Everybody who come through that funnel, crazy. Yeah, they got that shit figured out. Summer Walker. There's a lot of folks who got great marketing campaigns, bro. And I believe it's just staying on brand.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? Sticking to your brand bible and understanding, like the slow roll. Cause when you rolling out a campaign. Cause I just recently did it. I just did it with my album. Built different. When you're rolling out a campaign that's unfamiliar with people, you know what I'm saying? Cause me personally, I take the art serious, you know what I'm saying? As far as, like the brand or how the covers look, the image behind it, the videos, blah, blah, blah. But I feel like this was the first campaign where I actually ran through a whole. I'm still in my campaign, you know what I'm saying? Like, post for post. So when you post something just left field. All of a sudden people like, what's this? You know what I'm saying? Then second post, they're like, okay, little teaser. Like, okay. You know what I'm saying? And you just keep going and then start revealing itself. Like, okay, cool, I see what this is. And you drop the project and it's like, oh, motherfucker just went crazy.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? So that shit very important to me.
B
Do you think it's smarter to just drop it, like unexpected or have that build up?
A
What, the album? Yeah, it depends on what you going for. If you got a big enough fan base, you can do anything unexpected. They eat it up regardless. But I think planned out, you know what I'm saying? Like I said, no. Ain't no answer for that. You know what I'm saying?
B
I think it's case by case.
A
Yeah, it's case by case. Cause everybody got a different study and everybody can do what the fuck they want, how they do it. Cause you know what I'm saying? Like I said, the fan base is what reacts to it. So if you got a strong enough base, you can say, I'm dropping an album tomorrow. And they. You know what I'm saying? You fuck around and do thousands, thousands of pre saves, and you know what I'm saying? Drop and go number one. It's just all different techniques, bro. For real.
B
Yeah. These days you need to incorporate TikTok in the marketing, right?
A
Yeah, yeah, everything. You can't miss out on nothing.
B
TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok's made a lot of artists hell yeah. It's crazy. Power of social media.
A
I'm real familiar with it. If you don't know, you know what I'm saying?
B
You got billions of views on TikTok.
A
I got a lot of views on TikTok. Yeah. We started TikTok, man.
B
You started up.
A
I started it. I ain't create the app, but I created the app, you know what I'm saying? I say that, you know, I usually don't bring it up, but folks usually bring it up. But we played a big role in TikTok.
B
Oh, you did. You and 24K Golden.
A
Before that. Before that, you were before that? Hell, yeah, I was the one that broke TikTok. Go do your Googles, man. Lottery renegade. Do your Googles, man.
B
Pulled out the receipts.
A
Pulled out of receipts.
B
How's the feedback been on this album? You like it?
A
Feedback crazy, man. They loving it. They loving it. No skips. Which is. Which is. You know what I'm saying? That's the type of work I do. I stand proud on my work ethic, you know what I'm saying? How much time I'm putting into the studio. I'm very serious about my craft, you know what I'm saying? I take this shit 100% serious, a thousand percent serious, and that's what I expect when I put out an album. Of course, everybody's not going to like everything you do, you know what I'm saying? Everybody don't like LeBron. Everybody don't like Kobe. Everybody don't like Kanye. Everybody don't like Trump. Everybody don't like Obama, you know what I'm saying? You're going to have people that don't like shit that you do. But you know what I'm saying, I got to the space where I don't do it for others. I do it for myself. Long as I feel like what I'm doing is true to me, you know what I'm saying? I feel it and I know I'm giving off pure vibes and pure energy with my music. That's all I care about. And when I release it, however they receive it, that's on them. And if they say, ooh, it's a classic, then it's a classic. That's what I'm sticking in my head. One person says, classic, all flames, no skips. That's what it is.
B
I love it.
A
That's what it is.
B
It's hard to get to that space, man.
A
It's hard. Not really.
B
You don't think so?
A
Not for me.
B
Okay. I was a big people pleaser growing up.
A
Me too, though. Oh, you talking about being a people pleaser.
B
Well, to get to the space of, like, I don't give a shit about what you're doing.
A
Yeah, that is kind of hard. I ain't gonna sit here and cap'cause it took me a while to get there, too. I ain't gonna sit here and lie to you like that. It took me like I was the type of motherfucker that. Man, I'm so glad I don't do this shit no more, bro. That shit was driving me crazy.
B
You just getting fights.
A
Nah, he's getting fights. Yeah, that too. I had a badass attitude when I was a kid and growing up, but I ain't talking about that. I'm talking about, like, I used to be on, like, Twitter, just searching everything somebody said about me. Like, reading all this Kevin Durant, man, I used to do that shit so bad. Where? To the point I was driving myself crazy doing that shit. And I was like. I had to tell myself one day, like, what the fuck is you doing? You know what I'm saying? Cause, like, that's a perfect way to lose confidence. You know what I'm saying? You can build yourself up so much and just keep reading negative, negative, negative and start second guessing yourself. You get what I'm saying? So I had to take a step away from that and start, you know what I'm saying? Just telling myself, like, what I'm doing is the shit, and can't nobody else tell me that my shit ain't the shit. And if you feel a certain way, this ain't for you.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying?
B
Like you said, you're putting work, man. Put in work thousands of hours.
A
Still. Still. I'm about to roll out another campaign.
B
Damn. Already?
A
Already. It was already in the plan.
B
Wow.
A
I just dropped. And I ain't gonna give it off like that, but just know I'm on they ass. And I tore in August. Well, shit, I wasn't supposed to say that.
B
We could cut that out.
A
Okay, cool.
B
We ain't live, we ain't lying.
A
Okay, cool. That ain't supposed to know we rolling out of campaign. Cut that shit.
B
Nah, you're good, bro. Yeah, you got that confidence, but it comes with the hours.
A
Yeah. Yeah, you do. They do. It come with a lot of hours. Come with a lot of self discipline, meditation, reading, learning new shit, being a sponge, knowing yourself. You know what I'm saying? Having conversations with yourself. A lot of people don't like to talk to yourself. They think it's Crazy. I thought it was crazy at first too, you know what I'm saying? You got to get yourself in shape. It's like looking in the mirror and telling you that guy. You know what I'm saying? Or just feeling yourself like, you got to really stand on that, cuz if you don't, who is right? You know I'm saying? And I'm real. I'm a real big, big believer in that, bro.
B
And you keep good people around.
A
You got to. But you know, that's. That's hard too, because you never know who around you. That's not good, Fox. You get what I'm saying?
B
You get good at it over time.
A
But yeah, you get good at over time when you just start, you know, saying, just peeping patterns and shit.
B
But yeah, that's a common downfall in your industry.
A
Yes, man, that a lot of industries, bro.
B
Yeah, that's true.
A
A lot of industries. You know what I'm saying? Like, when I. When I came around like last time, when the coinbase shit, I mean, the crypto shit, I was like, okay, this is good, dude. It's good, dude. Fuck. Fuck going on around here, you know what I'm saying?
B
I got wrecked.
A
I got the fuck out. You see, I ain't come back. I went back to Atlanta. I was like, oh, nah, that shit, you know what I'm saying? That shit wasn't for me, man. Some of that shit was not for me.
B
You gonna stay in Atlanta for a minute?
A
Nah, I'm really planning on moving right now.
B
Oh, yeah?
A
I'm trying to figure out where I want to go. I just can't figure it out yet.
B
What, are you down to la?
A
I lived in LA already. I did la. I did two years. Got kicked out like three, four houses out there. I was going crazy. We was partying like a fuck, but we was going crazy. That was a time where we was just like, fuck it, I just had fun. I was blowing 15,000 on rent a month.
B
Geez.
A
Yeah, we were just living. I ain't gonna lie to you. But you know, Atlanta, home base, you know what I'm saying? But I just. I feel like when I'm at home too much, I feel like I'm trapped in and I start getting too comfortable. Like, you know, you're like. You're in a box, you know what I'm saying? I love the city to death, but I've been there my whole life. So when I'm in there too, I just get too lax and just be like, yeah, I'm at home. Type shit. So I like to move around, bro. I like to really, like, just, you know, I just don't know where. I'm thinking Miami, Fort Lauderdale. But I don't want to go somewhere that's too lit.
B
Miami's pretty lit, but I love lit.
A
I love lit. Don't get it twisted. I love lit, but it's like I want to go somewhere where I can just, you know, saying, go to a publix or some. Or go to a little gym and nobody with me or something. You know what I'm saying? Nobody trying to just run, take a picture or just staring at me too much like, you know, I'm trying to figure out if that's me or not. You know what I'm saying? Like, I always get that somebody. And it's so crazy because you never know people intention. If you go. If you go somewhere, somebody just looking at you, what the is, you know what I'm saying? You know who you are, but you don't know what the fuck going on in their head. Like, are you staring at me cause you fuck with me or you staring at me because you don't fuck with me like, you know what I'm saying? So it's a mind fuck. And I be like, damn. Like I be wanting to go someplace where I can just, you know, when I go out the country, I feel.
B
Feel good.
A
I feel great. You know what I'm saying, like. Cause, you know what I'm saying, Like, of course I'm known outside the US but you know what I'm saying, Not as much as I am in the US now. So it's like when I go out of the country, I be feeling free. I walk down the street. I went to London by myself and I was walking in a mall by myself. Damn. I was walking to get food by myself. Nobody was.
B
You can't do that in Atlanta.
A
Hell no. Nobody was fucking with me. And I just felt, you know what I'm saying? It was like damn cool. I like this shit.
B
Downside of fame, right?
A
Yeah.
B
I think it's worth it though. Cause the impact is great, you know, you're changing lives with your music, inspiring people for sure.
A
That's the beauty of it. That's what I do it for, you know what I'm saying? Like, if I can, you know what I'm saying? Change somebody mindset with a song, change they hustle up, change the way they view they self. Shit, I'm doing my job.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? If I can transfer all this Confidence and energy and love. I got, you know what I'm saying, within myself to somebody else. Shit gonna do that to somebody else. So you know what I'm saying?
B
I love that, man. Yeah, it's like a trickle down effect. You still hooping often?
A
Yeah, it's so funny. Some funny ass shit, right? I ain't hooped for real in probably like two months, right? And I work out a lot. And we like to go to LA Fitness. Y'all got LA Fitness here?
B
We got, what's it called? Lifetime.
A
Lifetime, yeah, we got that. We got lifetime at 11 too. Yeah, same shit. So I went to go hoop, bro, this is like last month. And I was a little rusty. I played like shit, dog. I played so bad, I walked. As soon as the game was over, I left the gym. I ain't say bye to nobody. I just walked out that bitch. Like it was so bad. It wasn't like bad bad. Like it was my type of bad. Like it wasn't like I was just some bullshit. I was bullshit to myself. Like I let somebody get in my head. This one I knew I was fucking up. Like somebody was talking shit, you know, he was bigger than me. Like a big man trying to post me up. And I'm in the gym. You're not about to. You know what I'm saying? I don't get hold like that. I'm about to get with you, you know what I'm saying? So he posting up, he throw some bullshit up. He miss like, man, sorry, you know what I'm saying? Talking my shit. So we running down court, talking shit like, you know what I'm saying? Side by side. And I'm not even paying attention to the game. And one of my partners threw a pass to me. And I'm looking at the dudes with a pass, like, went right by my. You know what I'm saying? Like it went right by me. And I was like, bro, you know what?
B
Damn, he got in your head.
A
He got in my head, bro, let me take my ass home.
B
That's some Pat Beverly.
A
That's exactly what it was. It was some Pat Bell shit. But I was like, let me take my ass home. Then I tried to hoop again, like probably like two weeks ago. And we lost first game. And I just like, you dipped. I did.
B
All right, we'll see what happens tonight. If Lance pulls up. I don't think you'll lose.
A
Yeah, Lance, he on my team. Fuck that.
B
Yeah, yeah, you're good with him. If he's in shape, we'll see Some of these retired guys we see.
A
I seen last night at Cat. So we gonna see.
B
Oh, yeah. And it catches a spot. You watching the NBA this season?
A
Yeah, I've been tuned in. How you feel about Luke?
B
Luke? Luka Donkic? He's good, bro. He's a problem. I think the Lakers will probably make it to the semis.
A
At least I got damn put a parlay on Luka. Oh, yeah, the other day.
B
For what? Mvp.
A
Hell, no. It was when they played Boston. Right. I forgot. Damn. What was my parlay? I gotta go look at it.
B
Points or.
A
It was points, rebounds and assists, I think. But that motherfucker was playing so goddamn. Sorry. Like, when I tell you, like, shit was just looking sloppy, right? And ended up with like 35, 38 points. I was like. And I'm watching the game and I'm like, how the fuck. Or when the fuck did he score? You know what I'm saying? But that motherfucker, adult. I was in Atlanta, you know, I got season tickets, court size tickets back at home. I was there when he scored 77 on the Hawks.
B
Holy shit.
A
That shit was so goddamn smooth. I ain't never seen a motherfucker play so slow and score so fucking much and score so like. Man, that was a sight to see.
B
That's crazy. Him and Jokic, they play slow.
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They play slow as fuck, but they good as hell. That shit is crazy.
B
It's a new style of basketball.
A
It's like a control style.
B
Yeah. Cause before it was. Who was more athletic.
A
Exactly. You know, Shay play like that, too. Real slow and just.
B
Yeah, Shay's nice, dude.
A
You know what I'm saying?
B
No one can stop that guy right now.
A
He going crazy.
B
He might win MVP for. Jokic doesn't. But Jokic is having another year, yo.
A
Cause, shit, Westbrook turned dimmer up. For real?
B
Yeah. Who do you think's winning it this year?
A
It's hard to say right now.
B
I'm going Thunder.
A
You going Thunder?
B
Yeah.
A
Damn.
B
They only have like 11 losses, man. It's crazy.
A
Yeah, they hooping. Don't sleep on Golden State again with Jimmy. Mm. If they figure it out, they might be a problem.
B
They're 12 and one with them.
A
You feel me? Yeah, they might be a problem, but. Yeah. That's basketball shit. We can go into that all day. Bet right now. What you talking about?
B
You bet often. Sports bet, man.
A
I be trying that shit. Be whooping my ass sometimes. I ain't gonna lie. I be like, God damn, give me a break, bro.
B
I've never met a winning sports better.
A
For real? Nah.
B
View.
A
Everyone loses on a, you know, saying on Instagram. You might think that shit's cap on Instagram. It might be cap itself if they're selling their picks.
B
Are you buying picks or are you just making your own?
A
I'm just making my own, bro. I just try to project what I think is gonna happen, but that shit be.
B
Yeah. What other sports you watched as hoops? NFL.
A
NFL? Yeah. I'm a sports guy, man. You know what I'm saying? I actually went to the women's NCAA Volleyball championship a couple months back in Kentucky.
B
I was up.
A
That shit was lit. That shit was lit as hell, bro. I ain't gonna lie. This is my first time going to some shit like that. Cause I was just. I forgot. I think I was in Vegas, bro. Oh, yeah, I was here. No, no, no. I was in Vegas and I came back to my hotel room. ESPN was on and they was playing on tv. I was like, man, I want to go to a game. I got on Ticketmaster and I seen it. It was like the Final Four type shit. And it was in Kentucky. I was like, you know what? Pull it up.
B
Women's volleyball, wow.
A
Shit was lit. It was way more lit than I thought it was gonna be.
B
Damn, I might have to watch it.
A
It's fire.
B
I like watching their beach volleyball during the Olympics.
A
Nah, I ain't never watched that.
B
Nah, nah, you gotta check that out.
A
Yeah, I'm gonna tap in. It's a lot of shit I'm really, like, tapping into. Like, just. I went to a Dallas hockey game. I be doing random ass shit, bro. I be trying to just not be bored. You know what I'm saying? Like, I get bored easy if I'm not in the studio. If I'm not in the gym, I'm not. You know what I'm saying?
B
You got adhd? Maybe.
A
Like a motherfucker.
B
Yeah, I got it, too.
A
Like a motherfucker. My mind be racing up, but I gotta do something. I can't. That's my biggest problem. I ain't gonna say it's a problem, but I gotta do something.
B
Your mind's just racing.
A
That should be racing.
B
You sleep at night?
A
Yeah, I can sleep at the cup of blunts.
B
Sometimes I hit the bed and I'm just lost in my head.
A
You feel me?
B
I can't sleep.
A
You gotta turn off. You gotta turn your phone, like, you know, saying you gotta move shit, like. Yeah, because that's. That Would it be when you just head first in that phone. You can't really.
B
My expectations are so high on myself. It's good and bad. It is. You know it is.
A
Because, you know, saying, I'm pretty sure you want to be great, right?
B
Oh, yeah. I want to be the goat.
A
Me too.
B
Podcasting.
A
See? And you will, you know what I'm saying? Like, you will. And I want to be. To go to this music shit and the exec, the business shit, the CEO shit, you know what I'm saying? Like, when I'm done doing the music, I want to create a superstar that run the game.
B
Oh, yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? And just. And just add that to my legacy. But that shit take a lot. That shit take a lot, bro. You know what I'm saying? And you know, it's a lot of ups and downs that come with this shit. A lot of folks don't really understand it, and if they do, they don't know what it take to be consistent at it. Cause you got them day, you. You go a whole week, whole two, three weeks, month, when shit ain't. Ain't nothing happening.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? When ain't shit happening longer than that. You can go a whole year without shit happening, you know what I'm saying? And it might be that 366day that changed your life. You get what I'm saying? So it's about just keeping that faith, you know what I'm saying? Keeping God first and just staying consistent even when they. You know I'm saying, When they're not. When they're not looking, that's when you go the hardest, you know what I'm saying? Because once they start looking, you already didn't master what the fuck you doing. That's when you pop on them. That's when you just do this shit like you thought this shit was sweet. That's the type of shit I do.
B
Life will humble you, man.
A
You know what I'm saying?
B
That's a major downs. I've lost all my money twice already. I'm only 28.
A
For real.
B
Yeah.
A
I lost all my money once.
B
Damn, that sucks. But I think it's needed to be successful.
A
It is. It is. I definitely say that. Cause once I lost. I lost millions. I was down to my last 50k.
B
Damn.
A
And I didn't even know I was.
B
Oh, you didn't know?
A
I had no idea. Cause I. When I. When I first. When I hit my first run back in like 13, 14, I ain't checked my bank account for like three years.
B
Damn.
A
Swear to God.
B
So you're just blowing money.
A
I was blowing it. I was blowing it. Cause it's so crazy. Cause I was making. You know, in the rap game, like, you get checks to get sent to your account and you get show money. Show money usually is cash. So in my head, as long as I'm doing shows and I had cash, and if I see something I want it, I'm gonna get it.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? And on the other side, you got payroll. You got, you know, I'm saying, expenses. All type of shit that you probably ain't really like. I had it. I had so many people. I was paying so many people. I had like 10, 15 people. I was just paying just for. I ain't gonna say for no reason, but some of that shit was for no reason. You know what I'm saying? Just, you know, stylist 5000. I'm like, just shit. I was just like. My mama always just say, like, what? You know, like, man, just do it. Just do it. Just do it. Just do it. You know what I'm saying? And to the point where I got hit with reality. And, you know, you know, your parents, you know, and my mom, she was handling my finances at the time. She was always just, like, tense and, like, stressed. You know what I'm saying? I remember I asked her one day, like, what's wrong? Like, you okay? She broke it to me.
B
She waited three years to tell you this?
A
It's like she kept giving me signs. I wasn't listening. She kept saying, like, you don't need that. You don't. And I was like, you know what I'm saying? That was the moment. I think it was 2017. 2018. And that's when I put my big boy pants on, strapped my boots up. And I told her, I said, okay. We had two accounts. I said, okay, you worry about this account. Make sure all my bills paid. I'm gonna take this account and I'm gonna figure this shit out. Look up. That shit got figured out.
B
Damn.
A
That shit got figured out.
B
So you cut out a lot of expenses and people.
A
I'm back up.
B
Just went solo for a bit.
A
Yeah, I'm back up. I just. Yeah, just. Yeah, exactly. Cut off a lot of expenses. Unneeded expenses. I never really turned down, like, the way I live, though. Cause I'm all about memories. You know what I'm saying? I don't wanna stop the memories. Cause you know what I'm saying? We tomorrow. Not promising. I'm an artist. I Gotta create. I gotta be inspired. So everywhere I stay, big ass house, glass houses, I don't give a fuck when it come to that, I'm lit, you know what I'm saying? I love that shit. Cause I love throwing kickbacks, fives, parties, just this shit that just keep my mind going. I'm an artist, like I said, I need to be inspired. I can't just dumb down my lifestyle and be in the hood and just looking like what the fuck I'm gonna do. Cause I ain't gonna have no type of inspiration, you know what I'm saying? So that's one thing I kept active. Like the way I was living. If it was la, beach houses by the water in Atlanta, big glass house, man, I had slum mansion. Like if you know, you know, like if you know, you know, I love it. You know what I'm saying? We was turned.
B
Nah, that's good. You're doing that. Cause a lot of artists lose their creativity as they get more successful, right?
A
Exactly.
B
You see that all the time.
A
Exactly. And I pray to God I never lose my creativity. I'm always trying to find more creativity. I was just watching Rick Rubin interview the other day. Just about even when I get in a slump, you know what I'm saying? Everybody get in a slump where they don't feel like doing shit. You don't feel like picking up a mic, you don't feel like writing no verse, you don't feel like doing shit. You don't want to get dressed that day. You just want to goddamn sit the fuck around and just watch TV or do some shit like that. And when I get in those modes, I get kind of nervous. Even though it be needed sometime. Cause I work so hard and I do so much. But when I get in that mode, I kind of be like, nah, get your ass up.
B
Yeah, Rick, go do something.
A
Go do something. Like prime example. I don't want to keep talking, but my album I just dropped, you know what I'm saying? When we get all this podcast, I want you to take a listen. But it's a record on there called bet, right? And I was at my house. This is recent too. It's probably like two, three months ago. I was at my house and I wasn't inspired. I ain't had no. You know what I'm saying? I had no spark. I was just in there and I put on YouTube Basquiat. It was Basquiat. Yeah. And it was just showing his work ethic. And I watched like a 45 minute YouTube of just how he was working and what he was doing. And I sat there and I was like, damn, I need to get my fucking lazy ass up and go do something. You know what I'm saying? I gotta go do something. So then I got the studio in the crib. So I went in the studio, I made a beat, and my DJ was there at the time. I was like, hey, come listen to this beat, bro. He's like, hard. And that's the single on my album right now. It's called Bet. And I produced it, you know what I'm saying?
B
And you made it on the spot.
A
I made it on the spot.
B
Wow, that's crazy.
A
I made it on the spot. Cause I just. But I'm always like that, though. It's like the littlest things that inspire me, you know what I'm saying? All I need is a little pinch of inspiration, and I take it and run with it, you know what I'm saying? Like, it can be anything, bro. I swear. Like, it could be anything. If I feel it in my soul, like, ooh, something made me feel something, I'm like, okay, cool. Let me go do something.
B
Yeah, that's cool.
A
And that's. Majority of the time, those be the best moments. That's the shit that always.
B
That's the best song.
A
You feel me? Shit song idea. You know what I'm saying? It ain't gotta be music. It can be anything, you know what I'm saying? It always. It turned me up a couple more years.
B
Yeah.
A
You get what I'm saying?
B
So I feel the best when my back's against the wall.
A
Yeah.
B
Too pressure. That's how I feel when I lock in, man.
A
That's when I'm in beast mode.
B
Yeah.
A
I'm in beast mode right now. You know what I'm saying? I feel like, you know what I'm saying? My back against the wall, like. Well, for the last. It's been a tough one, bro. My journey is crazy, like, you know what I'm saying? Folks didn't think I was supposed to be here. A lot of folks counted me out. And that what gave me the fuel to shit on everybody who felt like that.
B
I love it.
A
You get what I'm saying?
B
Anyone close to you count you out?
A
Yeah, for sure. People that was on my team counted me out. I could just tell the energy. You can always peep energy. You can see when shit going good, how body language and how folks move. And when shit ain't going too good, you just see how, you know what I'm Saying the conversation kind of changed and, you know, a lot of shit happened during that time, you know what I'm saying? The people know who they are and you know what I'm saying? I forgave them. That's one thing I did do. I forgave them, you know what I'm saying? I ain't gonna say you can be that close into my internal business ever again. Like, you know what I'm saying? So what's up? I fought with you, you know what I'm saying, from a distance. But as far as, like, being in my shit, why'd you forgive him? I did that for myself, you know what I'm saying? I don't do it for nobody else. I do it for myself. I forgive people so I can get that shit off my heart, you know what I'm saying? Cause if I don't forgive, that shit is a burden on me, not them, you know what I'm saying? So I gotta let that shit go. Even if some like, it can be the worst, but I gotta let it go.
B
Damn. No, that's. That's great advice though, because I see people live with their. Their hatred.
A
I used to be like that, though. I had to learn that. And I noticed when I did start letting go, how free I felt. And I was like. And. And life kept going.
B
Yeah.
A
And was smooth.
B
No, I'm assuming even people that scammed me because I would think about it, when I got up in the morning, I'm like, it's like 20k or whatever. I'm like, why am I thinking about this?
A
Exactly. Exactly. And that shit, fuck you up, fuck up your mental. And it fuck up your everyday duties of how you work. You know what I'm saying? So, yeah, you gotta learn how to forgive.
B
That's cool, dude. What did Lance say? He's coming.
A
Nah, that was my cameras at the crib. I was just trying to see why my shit went off.
B
Oh, shit. You need to check it.
A
Nah, I can see what's going on.
B
It's just.
A
Yeah, it ain't cool.
B
Yeah, that shit's needed these days.
A
Yeah.
B
Yeah, I got them all over too.
A
Everywhere.
B
Crazy times run, man.
A
Craziest times.
B
How's Atlanta, like safety wise? Is it all good over there?
A
Atlanta lit. Atlanta is a grand theft auto.
B
Yeah, I can see why you want to leave then.
A
I love this though. But it's Grand Theft auto. You just got to know how to move in Atlanta, bro. Like. Like I said, I've been there my whole life, so you know where not to go.
B
Yeah.
A
Where to be and what not to be at, you know what I'm saying? That just. But if you ain't from there, you're not. You're not gonna know.
B
Yeah.
A
And they done tore all the project down and put nice houses in the.
B
Project, so they think it's nice.
A
Motherfuckers come down there thinking it's a sweet airbnb get everything took out. That bitch. Damn.
B
That's crazy, dude.
A
It's real.
B
Yeah. You grew up in a tough neighborhood, man.
A
I grew up in a decent neighborhood, man. You know what I'm saying? I come from a tough background, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know what I'm saying? My mama, you know what I'm saying? She worked hard to make sure we was, you know what I'm saying? At least decent. She raised two great kids.
B
So no shout out to her other sibling. For sure.
A
I was just texting him before I got here. That's dope. Yeah.
B
Yeah. Let's talk about the album, man. How many songs?
A
15. 15 songs.
B
You got a favorite?
A
My favorite on there. At one point, it was Consequences. Cause that was just. It was just so raw. And I was in my feelings when I made that song. I make the best songs when I'm in my feelings. Consequences. Bet two of us. I like all my shit, man. I really can't. You know what I'm saying? Whatever. I record Last is my favorite song.
B
Okay?
A
I'll be in the studio by myself, jumping around by myself, you know what I'm saying? Playing back to back to back to back to back, like, oh, this hard. Then I got, damn. Two days later, I'm like, I don't want to hear this no more. I didn't hear this about a thousand times. I'm tired of hearing this. I go record some new shit. I go, this my. I don't hear this shit no more. You know what I'm saying? So it's like a. I live in a moment, bro. It's a repeated process every time.
B
So you got trusted people you share it with before you go?
A
Yeah, of course. I got a little cheat code. Like, I like to a lot of songs. I've been making my albums. I like to just, like, press play on my shit around some girls. Some girls, you know what I'm saying? Like, not even, like, telling them, just.
B
Telling them that it's out yet.
A
Not even telling them, like, yeah, it's out or coming out, just playing it. It just see how they. If they move or not smart if they don't move. It's not going on the project if they move and like, you know what I'm saying, be looking at their girls and try to bop. It's going on the project.
B
That is smart, you know what I'm saying? That's super smart. Get some non biased advice.
A
Exactly. I've been doing that forever.
B
I love that. Did you have a mentor in the space?
A
I got a couple dogs that I, you know what I'm saying? I called on, you know what I'm saying? I need some advice. I ain't got too many. I got a few though, that, you know what I'm saying? Like if I got personal issues going on, they can give me some real life advice and shit like that. But nah, I try to deal with my problems on my own, bro. Damn, you know, I don't really. That's not too good. A lot of people say that. But my source of therapy is my music, you know what I'm saying? I don't keep shit bottled in. Cause when I go in the booth and I say all this shit, I'm getting it off my chest and I'm moving on. Of course I might still think about the shit and feel the way, but for the most part I'm getting that shit off my chest, you know what I'm saying? But yeah, I do think I need to go see somebody though.
B
I tried. It didn't work on me.
A
It didn't work. That shit. Be serious. I did that shit one time, bro. I ain't gonna lie. I did that shit one time. And it was two sessions. My mama had told me. Cause my, you know what I'm saying? I had lost somebody very valuable in my life. My older cousin. It's like my older brother, you know what I'm saying? RP jail. And I was just dealing with a lot emotionally, you know what I'm saying? I was broke, you know what I'm saying? Trying to figure this music shit out. I lost my, you know what I'm saying, favorite person. And I remember going to therapy and you know, say you go in there cocky like she don't know me. What is you gonna tell me, you know what I'm saying? Like I was on that vibe and first session, you know what I'm saying? She just tell me how you. This ain't what I'm on, you know what I'm saying? Then I went the second time, couldn't even control my emotions. Crying like a fool like, yeah, that shit hit me like. Cause she kept like, you know what I'm saying, somebody keep poking at something that's just. That's bothering you. Enough pokes. You gonna give in.
B
Just open up.
A
You gonna open up. You know what I'm saying? And it's so crazy. Cause after that session, my life changed. Really, My life changed. I think I. That's when I finally got a record that started moving. I finally started getting money. And then it was just a. Wow.
B
It actually helped you.
A
It went up, you know what I'm saying? Cause I got all that shit off. And it's so crazy because I think I wanted to see her again after I done went to the top of the game, you know what I'm saying? Around 20, 14, 15, 16, I was like. I was like, man, I think I need to go back and just, you know what I'm saying? Like, reset, like, you know what I'm saying? And I ain't really been since then, so it's like. I don't know, maybe, maybe I. You know what I'm saying? Go tap in.
B
Yeah. What were those peak years? Like 13, 14, 15, 16?
A
Those are my. Those. Those are years that was just. That wasn't the peak years. I don't even think I hit my peak yet, bro.
B
Really?
A
I ain't hit my peak yet, you know what I'm saying? So much more shit I'm gonna accomplish, you know what I'm saying? Outside music. And outside of music, that's what folks don't understand. Like, they look at one, they try to put you in one box.
B
Yeah, well, I think you could have multiple peaks.
A
Yeah, you can have multiple peaks. But as far as like that era. Yes, I hit that peak, you know what I'm saying? Cause that era will no longer be. As far as the new era and the new version of me, what's the.
B
Biggest changes you've made since that era? Man, just the style of music, style.
A
Of music, style of my mindset, my image. I took my health more serious, you know what I'm saying? I used to have a round little face. I used to be. Had that Gucci going on, the old Gucci belly and shit.
B
No designer anymore.
A
I still rock designer when I want to. Now, these pants are expensive, these pants, about $500, you know what I'm saying? Like, I still drip, you know what I'm saying? I drip every day. Like, I've been on brand these last couple months. I've been sticking to the same look. I don't know if folks really peeped. I've been just wearing nothing but black. If I do do something outside of black. There's some blue jeans, leather jacket, black tee, black slacks. I've been real black for the past. Exactly. You know what I'm saying? I've been in the same brand bible for the last couple months, and I'm trying to figure out what I'm switching to next for next campaign. I might just keep it and just add little details to it. You know, I'm just. I'll be trying new shit. I always feel like, you can't look like last year, bro. You know what I'm saying? You look like last year. They gonna treat you like last year.
B
People forget quick.
A
People forget like a dog. So it's like I always try to, like, evolve and change my look, you know, When I grew my dreads out, when I put some more tats on me, when I got them, changed my feet, you know what I'm saying? Just my frame and shit like that. A different chain. I was gonna wear my new chrome heart inspired grill. I should have came and shined on y'all last. When I left it at the thing, I was like, you know what? I'm gonna keep that at the hotel.
B
Yeah. People have changed. Songs used to be hot for months growing up.
A
Yeah. Yeah.
B
Now people forget about the song in like a week, bro.
A
That shit's sad, bro.
B
And you work months on it.
A
You work years on it. You work years on shit. As long as you forget in a week. That's why I believe, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, what you doing now? Content is key, you know what I'm saying? I'm real big. I got hard drives and hard drives of my tours behind the scenes, you know what I'm saying? Just content or just shit that I can get somebody just to clip, clip, clip, post, post, post. You know what I'm saying?
B
You need that. Yeah.
A
Cause you never know where to go. You never know what might go viral. Cause the music's so disposable these days. But if you got a loyal fan base, of course they gonna. They gonna consume it and live with it. And when you go on tour, they're gonna recite it back to you.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? That's really the most important for the outside people. That's not in your loop. Of course they gonna listen and go by their business. I do the same with people's. I listen to some. Okay, cool. That was cool. And don't come back to it, you know what I'm saying? If it's not my person, I. I'M tuned in with, I'm gonna always tune out, you know what I'm saying? That's just life, you know what I'm saying? If I catch myself doing it, I know people doing that shit to me. So I can't get mad at that. It's just staying consistent, you know what I'm saying? That's why you gotta stay on their ass. You gotta whatever you doing, whatever lane you in, you gotta just stay on they ass like yeah, you gotta post daily. You gotta post, bro, you gotta, you know what I'm saying? And it's so crazy, bro. Cause once this new era that came around as far as like the content, all that shit, streamers, the streamers, all that shit, I was like, bro, I don't wanna do that shit, you know what I'm saying? I was against it at first. Cause I'm a low key motherfucker, bro. I stay behind the scenes most of the time. I stay in my lane. I don't really post that much on the Internet lately. I've been, you know what I'm saying, last like year and a half, I've been doing a lot more fucking posts than I ever did in my career, you know what I'm saying? Just cause I know the landscape changed and if you don't do it, bye bye.
B
Yeah, no, you're not wrong.
A
Bye bye.
B
The streamers are live for 12 hours a day these days.
A
12 hours a day, bro. So if you ain't keeping up with that type of shit or trying to at least half or a third of it. I know folks who talented as folk, but don't. They can't keep up. Yeah, they can't keep up. You ain't got the right. And it costs to keep up.
B
It's a lot. I'd spend 30k a month on editors.
A
30K?
B
Yeah. Just on editors? Yeah. Cause we got thousands of clips.
A
They be in your ass, then it ain't cheap. Little send it to me. I edit.
B
I mean, I just have so many of them.
A
Yeah, for sure. But you need that though, you know what I'm saying? Especially if you know what type of business you're doing and you know what type of content content you trying to produce. You gotta mass produce this shit. Cause you competing with the Kaisernets, you competing with the Onion Legions and all these. Diary of a CEO and all this shit, you know what I'm saying? You competing with all them folks. So.
B
Yeah, and those guys got teams, huge teams.
A
They got teams, they chopping that shit up. They probably got the Episode ready when they leave it down after the shit.
B
Over, it's up before they're done, you.
A
Know what I'm saying? My dream content team is how to fucking ESPN NBA run. They shit NFL. Like, you see a play, all of a sudden you're seeing the replay and you got them. Then you get a. You know what I'm saying? When I see content, that's how I think of the. You know what I'm saying? I'll be wanting my. Like that. If I can figure out how that run, then you. Unstoppable facts, you feel me?
B
You're gonna get into boxing. Influencer boxing. If the bag's right, hit the bad, right?
A
I could fight.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah, I could fight. I could fight and shoot. No, for real, I shoot a lot and I. You know what I'm saying? I box every day.
B
Oh, you do?
A
Yeah. I'd be interested in.
B
I didn't know you were boxing, you.
A
Know what I'm saying? Not professional boxing, but you know what I'm saying? I got the bag at the house, I got the bag at the gym. And I'm always. Before I work out. I at least do like 20, 30 minutes on the bag.
B
Good way to get stressed out, right?
A
Yeah. Hell yeah. So you know what I'm saying? If the bag, right, and if it makes sense, like, ain't about to just do it for some clout, you know what I'm saying? Gotta just make sense for me.
B
Who's the goat of boxing, in your opinion?
A
Who? The goat?
B
Yeah, of boxing.
A
Like right now.
B
All time.
A
All time, you know, Ali, Tyson, you know what I'm saying?
B
Not Floyd.
A
Floyd. Yeah, let me get there. Let me get it. Of course. Floyd. Floyd. Tank. What's old girl that just won the Olympian? What's her name, huh? Shields. She tough. I watched her little. Her movie. She got a movie. That was hard. Yeah, that was my top.
B
Yeah. That's a good list.
A
Yeah, I like them.
B
What about NBA goats? Yeah.
A
KD, LeBron Jordan, Westbrook.
B
Westbrook.
A
Go look at his stats. On paper. That motherfucker going crazy. All the triple doubles he got.
B
Okay, if we're going to be.
A
He might be the greatest point guard. If you look at his stats.
B
Curry's the greatest point guard.
A
Curry, for sure. Curry. Kyrie, my favorite.
B
Kyrie's fun to watch, you know what I'm saying?
A
I hate that. He just hurt himself, bro. That shit pissed me off, man. I was like, fuck.
B
He was having a good year or.
A
Two, you know what I'm saying?
B
I wanted to See him and Ad together. Yeah, that would have been nasty.
A
Yeah. Now we don't get to see it. Ad fucking around. Probably gonna get hurt.
B
He already did the first game. Like, I hate to laugh at that.
A
But, like, we ain't laughing, AD we fought with you, but God damn, man. Go get. Go get them LeBron medical goddamn treatments or something.
B
You're that tall. It must be so easy.
A
You feel me? But, yeah, I got a lot of goats, man. I'm a fan of. You know what I'm saying? I'm a fan of the sport. So whoever. Whoever pushing it. Harden. You know what I'm saying? Whoever pushing it, I fuck with.
B
Prime Harden was unguardable.
A
Prime Harden. Prime Cage.
B
Trying to guard him from behind.
A
You feel me? Pause.
B
Yeah. Oh, shit. Yeah. We'll cut that out.
A
But nah, you know what I'm saying? Whoever pushing greatness, bro, I fuck with. I'm inspired by greatness. Anybody who choose that route. I don't like mediocre shit, bro. I don't like average shit, bro. It's like, we only got one life to be here. Why not do that shit big? Why not do that shit up? You know what I'm saying? I understand. Like. Well, it's like everybody got the same 24 hours. You can't make an excuse for yourself. Like, you, your biggest critic. You, your biggest. You know what I'm saying? Motivation. Like, you really gotta want the shit.
B
Yeah.
A
And stop letting the outside noise and the distractions, like, interfere with your judgment and how you perceive yourself. Cause that's where a lot of folks go wrong.
B
Facts.
A
You know what I'm saying? They let everybody else tell them what they need to be or what they gotta do. And I've been an outlaw and a rebel my whole life. I've been like, fuck that. I'm doing what the fuck I want to do, how I want to do it. And I'm with whatever, come with it. You know what I'm saying?
B
Yeah.
A
I love that mindset, and that's what got me here.
B
Yeah. Any goals or awards you want to achieve that you haven't done yet?
A
I still want a number one album, bro, in the world. I want a number one single on Hot 100, you know what I'm saying? I'm going to try my best. Try my best to make that happen.
B
I feel like a lot of that is timing, right?
A
Timing in politics.
B
Yeah.
A
You know what I'm saying? And money.
B
So you could pay to get to number one.
A
People have paid.
B
How does that work?
A
I can't tell you, but now I don't know exactly how it worked, but I know, you know what I'm saying? All this pay to play, you know what I'm saying? The Grammy board, there's a bunch of who just.
B
I don't trust the Grammys, you know what I'm saying?
A
All that, like, we want this. You know what I'm saying? Everything's pay to play.
B
People are winning Grammys that I never heard of.
A
That never heard of. And. But it's like I said, it's a Grammy board. There's folks that be in the room and say, you cool with somebody on the Grammy board? And you like, shit. This is my shit.
B
Oh, so the fans don't decide that. I didn't know that. They say they do, right? But, yeah, it's the board.
A
No comment. Cause I ain't gonna fuck up my chances.
B
I don't wanna fuck up your chest. Eminem already, y'all.
A
You know what I'm saying? I ain't trying to fuck up my chances. But all this shit, politics, bro. So I say that when it come to the music, of course, arena tours, sold out arena tours. I love doing, like, the 15003000 cap rooms, like the House of Blues. And I love that shit. Cause it's personable. I love being right there with the fans. When you start doing arenas, I feel like it kind of like you lose.
B
Touch it lose.
A
You know what I'm saying? But it looked good on the Internet when you do it, and the money is definitely better. But besides the music, bro, just being my best self, bro. Anything I want to do, you know what I'm saying? Like, sky ain't the limit no more, man. This shit pass the sky. So whatever, you know what I'm saying? I wake up and feel inspired. That I tell myself, like, okay, you gotta put this amount of hours to even get close to start this shit up. Cause we know if you wanna start some shit, you gotta put the work in. Motherfuckers be like, oh, yeah, I wanna do this. I watched the interview with Netflix CEO. You seen that one?
B
Was out on Diary of a CEO.
A
And he was like, all ideas is bad ideas. And the way he broke it down, I was like, fuck all ideas. All bad ideas. You know what I'm saying? Cause you really don't put into thought, like, all the shit you gotta go through to even get that shit going. You know what I'm saying? Cause I done had a thousand ideas, and I'm like, fuck, I gotta do this, this, this, this, this.
B
Ideas are worthless.
A
Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So it's like just finding that one. I wanna invent something, create something that the people need, a product that people need that just change my life forever.
B
Make hip hop great again, you know what I'm saying?
A
It ain't even gotta be music. It could be anything.
B
Okay.
A
You know what I'm saying? Like the Elon Musk type shit. Like some electric car, something that just. It's just perfect timing that the world need. And I think, you know, saying once I do that, I think I'd be like, okay, cool.
B
Riding to the sunset.
A
Yeah, you feel me? Somewhere on the beach with my feet up.
B
Let's go. Well, we'll link everything below the album and everything. Anything else you want to close off with?
A
Shout out to my fans. Keep streaming the album. I love y'all. Stay down. Let's keep this going. Shout out to you. You know what I'm saying? Podcast dope. I had to come out to Vegas to with you. I appreciate you for having me on there. Let's hoot the night and pray nobody twist. I ain't gonna jam my fitness.
B
Let's not get injured tonight. We'll post some highlights later. Yeah, see you guys next time. Peace.
Digital Social Hour: Secrets to Self-Made Success in Music & Marketing | K Camp DSH #1283
Release Date: March 31, 2025
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: K Camp
In episode #1283 of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly sits down with acclaimed artist K Camp to delve into the intricacies of self-made success in the music industry and the pivotal role of marketing. The conversation navigates through K Camp's personal struggles, strategic career moves, and insights into effective marketing within the modern digital landscape.
K Camp opens up about his early life, highlighting a significant turning point that steered him toward music. An injury ended his budding basketball career, prompting him to reassess his future.
K Camp (00:00): "I played basketball my whole life, bro. Since five years old... I broke my ankle my 12th grade year... and that ended my whole basketball career."
This setback not only derailed his sports aspirations but also led him to explore music as a viable path.
The conversation touches on K Camp's brief stint in college and his growing commitment to his music career.
K Camp (01:24): "I dropped out in two months... But the music worked, clearly."
Despite financial hurdles and personal losses, K Camp remained steadfast in his pursuit of a music career, eventually finding success independently before partnering with major distributors.
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the importance of marketing in K Camp's success. He emphasizes the synergy between music creation and strategic marketing efforts.
K Camp (02:08): "The marketing music is marketing... So in reality, I don't know shit about marketing. I just be doing shit I think it's gonna work online for my fan base."
K Camp's independent release achieved impressive chart performance, underscoring his effective marketing strategies even without major label support.
K Camp highlights the critical role of social media platforms like TikTok in modern music marketing. He discusses his proactive approach to content creation and maintaining a strong online presence.
K Camp (07:34): "Everything. You can't miss out on nothing."
He shares anecdotes about his influence on TikTok and the importance of staying relevant through consistent content production.
The dialogue shifts to personal development, where K Camp addresses overcoming the tendency to seek external validation and managing mental health challenges.
K Camp (09:21): "I got to the space where I don't do it for others. I do it for myself."
He recounts his limited experience with therapy but acknowledges its impact on his personal and professional life.
K Camp candidly discusses his past financial mismanagement and the lessons learned from losing substantial amounts of money. This section underscores the importance of financial literacy and responsible management in sustaining a music career.
K Camp (22:05): "I lost all my money once... I was blowing it."
He explains how his mother played a crucial role in helping him regain control over his finances, leading to a more stable and sustainable career trajectory.
Looking ahead, K Camp expresses ambitions beyond music, including potential ventures into other industries and continuous personal growth.
K Camp (20:37): "Anything I want to do, you know what I'm saying? Like, sky ain't the limit no more."
He envisions creating a lasting legacy that extends beyond his musical achievements, aiming to inspire and impact others positively.
K Camp emphasizes the necessity of maintaining creativity and consistency to stay relevant in the fast-paced music industry. He shares his process for staying inspired and the importance of evolving both artistically and strategically.
K Camp (25:08): "I'm always trying to find more creativity. I was just watching Rick Rubin interview... I gotta go do something."
In wrapping up, K Camp offers valuable advice on perseverance, consistency, and the relentless pursuit of one's passions despite obstacles and setbacks.
K Camp (42:44): "I love that mindset, and that's what got me here."
He encourages aspiring artists to stay true to themselves, continuously innovate, and remain dedicated to their craft.
K Camp on Overcoming Setbacks:
(00:00) "I played basketball my whole life... I broke my ankle... that ended my whole basketball career."
On Marketing and Music Synergy:
(02:08) "The marketing music is marketing... I don't know shit about marketing. I just be doing shit I think it's gonna work online for my fan base."
Personal Motivation:
(20:37) "Anything I want to do... sky ain't the limit no more."
Advice on Consistency:
(42:44) "I love that mindset, and that's what got me here."
Episode #1283 of Digital Social Hour provides an in-depth look into K Camp's journey to self-made success, emphasizing the interplay between authentic artistry and strategic marketing. K Camp's candid reflections offer invaluable lessons for aspiring musicians and entrepreneurs alike, underscoring the importance of resilience, continuous learning, and unwavering dedication to one's vision.
Stay tuned to Digital Social Hour for more unfiltered conversations with the world's most intriguing figures.