49.) The Dream Joins The Program + The American Nightmare Continues (3/5/26)

Summary

The Ebro, Laura, Rosenberg Show – Ep. 49

Main Theme & Purpose

On the March 5, 2026 episode, Ebro, Laura, and Rosenberg dive into the state of American democracy, navigating cultural and political tensions amidst the 2026 election season. The episode features a robust discussion on media suppression, the political climate, and fears about the future of democracy. Later, hitmaker and songwriter The-Dream joins for an in-depth, celebratory conversation about Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter," his creative process, and his own upcoming album—plus some candid stories and plenty of laughs.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

State of the Show, Media, and Political Climate

• The show's evolution: The hosts reflect humorously and self-consciously on rebuilding on YouTube and earning recognition from mainstays like The Breakfast Club, blending self-deprecating jokes with pride.
  • "Just a little YouTube show trying to make it." — Ebro (01:30)
  • "We are, you know, it is a full start over." — Rosenberg (01:39)
• Viral TI Interview & Social Media Dynamics (02:00–03:46)
  • The hosts discuss their recent viral TI interview and how artist “hives,” fan bases, and social media shape the reception of content.
  • Laura highlights how TI’s family-centric persona resonated:

    "This is why we love Tip, because he’s a family man. He's a protector. I love the way he articulates his love for his family." (02:41)

• Media Suppression and Political Narratives (03:48–08:42)
  • Ebro brings up the Texas Democratic primary and alleges TikTok/Meta/Instagram content suppression stemming from the political orientation of owners.
  • "Institutional media is under the control of conservative Christian white nationalists." — Ebro (05:19)
  • The group debates how mainstream and social media gatekeepers influence what is seen, especially regarding the success of the Democratic turnout in Texas.
  • "I'm really trying to wrap my brain around: if you are trying to tell a story, a mainstream news story about the political climate, where are you going?" — Ebro (06:21)
  • Concerns intensify around who can “control the megaphones” as midterms approach, and how narrative control may shape the fate of Congress/the US.

Anxiety About Democratic Institutions & the 2026 Election (08:42–26:27)

• Rising Authoritarianism & Precarity of Democracy
  • The team discusses escalating fears that American democracy is under existential threat, referencing Republican attacks, possible war with Iran, media manipulation, and the “October 7th” strategy (20:19).

    "I don't think it's hyperbole to be discussing what's going on in the United States of America right now as not a significant shift..." — Ebro (08:42)

  • Debate on whether Biden’s win actually made the far-right more dangerous (09:14–10:41).
  • Ebro notes that US foreign policy blunders and erratic leadership heightened global instability:

    "You guys effed around, played around and elected a madman and his idiot white supremacist friends to run a country and think you could run around the globe and bully people. They are not playing." — Ebro (12:30)

• Iran Nuclear Deal Breakdown (14:22–17:21)
  • Ebro introduces an explainer on the unraveling of the Iran nuclear deal, highlighting how Trump’s 2018 withdrawal escalated nuclear tensions.
  • "He canceled the deal because not only did he cancel it, he sanctioned them... Unbelievably, they now have 409kg of 60% enriched uranium on the way to the 90%, which is nuclear warhead." — Sully (Explainer, 15:56)
• Personal Anxiety & Societal Dread
  • Candid moments where Rosenberg expresses vulnerability as an American Jew ("A Jew in Jew Town… I don't feel great about being in the city right now." — Rosenberg, 18:17)
  • Collective recognition that many listeners (and the hosts) feel powerless, uncertain about the election even happening (19:44–21:01).
  • Legal/bureaucratic limitations in enforcing laws or protecting democracy are dissected—a judicial/judge friend tells Ebro the "judicial and legislative branches have no enforcement arm." (21:24–22:08)
  • "This whole gentleman's handshake of, like, how our democracy works, it's not cutting it, bro." — Rosenberg (22:30)
• Unique Stakes: Not Just Politics as Usual
  • The hosts distinguish these times from prior US political crises.

    "That's over now... It's the side that believes in the Constitution... and people who had... I believe that America is worship of Donald Trump. That’s what America is ... There is no law that governs." — Rosenberg (24:33)

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The “Gurus” Relationship Segment (26:34–31:10)

• Letter: Complicated Love Life
  • A listener asks if they should end things with a woman living with her ex for financial reasons.
  • The hosts debate: Rosenberg and Laura see space to work it out with clear planning, if there’s transparency and genuine effort to move out.

    "If you like her, see if you can make it work." — Rosenberg (30:06)

  • Ebro stresses the listener “should have known what time it was” and that some of the consequences are on them.

    "Congratulations, you played yourself." — Ebro (30:23)

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Interview: The-Dream (31:13–End)

The-Dream’s Career & Creative Spirit

• Origins and Influence (32:21–36:58)
  • Ebro marvels at The-Dream’s contributions to stars like Beyoncé and Rihanna. Dream shares how Ebro’s persistent nudging (“Where's the album?”) helped spark his own return as a solo artist.
  • The hosts playfully tease his wealth and lifestyle (“He can actually change the space-time continuum.” — Ebro, 67:14).
• On Songwriting and Collaboration (36:11–42:10)
  • The-Dream discusses collaboration style with Beyoncé, emphasizing trust and flexibility:

    "My whole thing is to make sure my sister has exactly what she needs, no matter whether I do 100 of a song... We synchronized in that type of way." (35:47)

  • Talks about genre-bending—the ability for great songs to transcend genres via production.

    "The greatest records can go from one genre to the next... The song is still the song." — The-Dream (38:26)

  • His favorites from "Cowboy Carter" include "Oh Louisiana" (Chuck Berry tribute) and "Bodyguard" (a “yacht rock” flavor, brought in by Raphael Saadiq).
• Giving Beyoncé Her Voice
  • Dream resists interviews right after her album drops:

    "I never want to get in front of the artist that’s presenting the things that they’re presenting... I just like to give artists their time." — The-Dream (42:59)

The-Dream's Return as a Solo Artist (43:33–56:08)

• Upcoming Project: Love Hate 2?
  • He teases a new album (possibly called “Love Hate 2”) dropping around September (his birthday), his first mainstream solo project in over a decade.

    "I'm trying to make sure that I have something before my birthday, which is not trying. I will." (43:56)

• Importance of Fighting for Self-Expression
  • Describes challenges in balancing work for others with carving out time for his own music.

    "I had to fight to get back to this place of myself because... the fight to... not want to give something away." (51:28)

  • Confirms he’s fought hard to retain songs that might otherwise have been lost.

Riches, Legacy & Family

• Material Joys and Family Legacy (56:11–59:10)
  • Shares about his prized SLS Black Series car and joy in giving his daughter a stack of cash on her birthday.

    "That right there, that's DNA." — The-Dream (59:26) "My kids are going to be so happy when I’m gone … Everything must go. Let’s get it." (57:27)

• Mailbox Money
  • The group jokes about royalty checks and which hits bring the biggest mailbox payout (“Umbrella, I hope.” — Ebro, 59:40).
  • The-Dream quips:

    "I haven't done it yet. I got a couple stocks and stuff working..." (59:42)

Reflections on Artistry, Service, and Success

• On Serving Others and Individuality

  • Dream sees songwriting/producing as being in the “service industry,” aiming to realize other people’s dreams while keeping sight of his own creative drive.

    "I just become them and try to get into a space where I understand fully the ice cream they're trying to sell to the customer." (52:22)

  • Finds more challenge in the fight for space for himself than in making music for others.

• On Success and Its Complexities (62:20–63:36)

  • Touches on the psychological toll and logistical grind of being wildly successful:

    "Success lends itself… you go from being super happy about your accomplishments to feeling flat at days just based on how people respond to your success." (62:20)

  • Reflects on music’s artistic centrality but also its transformation into a “dope game.”

• On Legacy and Influence

  • Shares pride in his enduring output and predicts there isn’t enough time in life to do all the projects he imagines.

    "You start to understand as you get further along in life, you're not going to have enough time to do them. And then that's the thing that's humbling..." (66:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Institutional media is under the control of conservative Christian white nationalists." — Ebro (05:19)
• "You guys effed around, played around and elected a madman and his idiot white supremacist friends to run a country and think you could run around the globe and bully people. They are not playing." — Ebro (12:30)
• "The greatest records can go from one genre to the next… The song is still the song." — The-Dream (38:26)
• "I'm trying to make sure that I have something before my birthday, which is not trying. I will." — The-Dream (43:56)
• "I never want to get in front of the artist that's presenting the things that they're presenting… I just like to give artists their time." — The-Dream (42:59)
• "You start to understand as you get further along in life, you're not going to have enough time to do them. And then that's the thing that's humbling..." — The-Dream (66:48)
• "That right there, that's DNA." — The-Dream, on his daughter's excitement for cash (59:26)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Political conversation/media suppression: 03:48–08:42
• Anxiety about democracy, Iran, global tension: 08:42–26:27
• Gurus Relationship Advice: 26:34–31:10
• The-Dream interview begins: 31:13
• Inside Beyoncé’s "Cowboy Carter" / Songwriting: 31:41–42:10
• Creative process, upcoming album: 43:33–56:08
• Money, family, and legacy talk: 56:11–66:48
• Reflections on art, time, and legacy: 66:23–End

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The episode balances urgent political and cultural commentary with characteristic warmth, humor, and vulnerability. The-Dream’s interview is celebratory and insightful, laced with mutual respect, nostalgia, and creative inspiration. The hosts’ candid anxiety about the state of the nation is offset by their patented banter and a sense that music and community remain sources of hope, even in dark times.

For listeners: This episode offers both a sobering assessment of the American moment and an engrossing, celebratory look behind the scenes of modern music greatness.

Transcript

[A]

Just don't call it a podcast. Okay. Getting close to the weekend. Ebro and Laura and Rosenberg. Laura, you all right over there? What's happening? Uh oh, technical difficulty.

[B]

Laura, you okay?

[C]

Yeah, I'm good.

[A]

All right, she's back. She's back. Oh, we're gonna special guest the Dream today. Another interview. It's been a busy, busy, busy week.

[B]

We listen and. And we're not done.

[D]

We.

[B]

You know who's.

[A]

Tomorrow.

[B]

Tomorrow we're supposed to have Lena Waithe join us virtually.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

And we're supposed to have CC Sabathia.

[A]

Oh, that's right.

[B]

Get a little guy sports talk for a moment.

[A]

Not only that, but celebrating his jersey induction, right? Yeah, like that just got announced.

[B]

It's the.

[A]

What do they call it?

[B]

Monument Park. But yo, the TI

[A]

TI was moving.

[B]

TI Rang off, bro.

[A]

I haven't looked at any of the. The numbers.

[B]

What do seeing it's been consistently ringing off. Getting shared on social media, getting shared by websites. I mean shared by the Breakfast Club.

[A]

Yo, this is Ebro Laura Rosenberg show as featured on the Breakfast Club.

[B]

Yo, a dream come true. Speaking of the dream to make it

[A]

to the Breakfast Club, I mean, it's going down, man. They trying to help us out. They see us out here. Fledgling. Yeah, a little show.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And they're trying to, you know, just.

[B]

Just a little YouTube show trying to make it.

[A]

You know what I mean? Trying to survive the game.

[B]

Which by the by the way, I'm mocking, but it's true, so thank you.

[A]

Wait, why are you mocking?

[B]

Well, like, because I'm teasing. Because obviously, you know, we feel like a little bit more than a little fledgling YouTube show trying to make it. We have a more of an operation here. But that is what we are like. We are, you know, it is a full start over. Starting over with a lot of support and thoughts and you know, and experience. But it doesn't change the fact that this was happening.

[A]

Now do you do. When you look at the TI Interview, do you feel like the response we're getting is because he was just currently the most talked about thing or because we actually did a good job with the interview.

[E]

I think it's a combination. And that's okay.

[B]

I saw both. I legitimately saw people saying, I've never watched your full show before. This is great.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And I saw a lot of people. He does have a hive though. I saw that too. I wasn't quite aware that CI still had a hive like that. I guess the reality show Life. Cause most artists can like when they get to a certain veteran status. They don't necessarily have such an active. He has a very active fan base that was excited to see.

[E]

And I will say with this beef that's going on, the, you know, usually everybody runs to like, oh, my God, 50 this, 50 that. Everybody has rallied around him and his family and are very much like, this is why we love Tip, because he's a family man. He's a protector. I love the way he articulates his love for his family.

[B]

I call him Cliff personally. Okay, but Tip, sure.

[E]

And then. So, yeah, I saw a lot of that. And I saw people were like, let me go watch this interview. The clips that were moving around and

[B]

because we talked about King, and King called up and Ebro wasn't paying attention in that moment. So he ruined my joke. And that was bad tag team work by Ebro because I said my line, knowing what he would say.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

But he didn't say it because he wasn't paying attention.

[A]

I wasn't.

[B]

She said, tip, blah, blah, blah. And I said, I call him Cliff. And then I know if you were paying attention, you would have said, you absolutely do not call him Cliff. And I would have said, nope, never called him Cliff.

[A]

I don't know if that would have been my line.

[B]

What do you think you would have said?

[A]

My line would have been ao.

[B]

I call. I call him Cliff. Why is that a pause?

[A]

No, because you call him Tip.

[B]

No, she calls him Tip. I call him.

[A]

Got it. Okay.

[D]

All right.

[A]

But no. What I was deep in on. I'm sorry. What I was deep in on. And before we came into this, I've been watching this Texas primary.

[E]

Oh, okay. Okay, okay, okay.

[A]

James Tallarigo wins. Beats Jasmine Crockett for the Democratic nominee down in Texas primary. But one of the conversations that I'm seeing is how people, you know, Tick Tock is now the Ellison family. That's Oracle, that algorithm, that whole thing on Tick Tock is locked. Locked into that.

[E]

Correct.

[A]

So they're suppressing content that doesn't align with their ideals.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Now, their ideals are Christian nationalism, white supremacy, Christian pro Zionism, all that kind of stuff. Pro Trump MAGA. That is the people who run TikTok. That is their alignment. So then a lot of people are like, my content's getting suppressed about talking, even about the success of the Democrats in the primary in Texas because the Texas, the institution that is Republicans. Texas MAGA doesn't want the country to know how many people came out in support of James Talarico and Turning Texas into a blue state.

[B]

Oh, and. And I guess who came out for Crockett, because it's the total. Yes. Of what?

[A]

She got a million and something votes. He. She got a million. Like, he only beat her by like a hundred thousand votes.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But 2 million plus came out for the Democratic. For the Democratic primary.

[B]

And they don't want to talk about that.

[A]

They don't want that to be the convo. Of course. And so people are also jumping on Instagram and, and noticing that their content is not being shared. So now, and, and this is important with the, the Paramount plus and the Warner Brothers of it all, basically, institutional media is under the control of conservative Christian white nationalists.

[B]

Yes, a lot of it. Sure.

[A]

What is it? NBC maybe?

[E]

Because you can't even Universal anymore.

[B]

You say it again.

[A]

You never could.

[E]

You can't even trust Meta anymore.

[A]

Well, that was. So that was going to be my next line. Then you have Zuckerberg of it all. Who's got to, you know, play the game.

[B]

Then you got Musk.

[A]

Then you got. I mean, that's Twitter.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Gone.

[B]

That was still a thing. Gone.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

So you're, you're. You, you have this YouTube thing that seems still pretty agnostic. Right? Like, it doesn't feel like content gets suppressed.

[B]

No, they, they have all kinds of. They're showing it.

[A]

All Right.

[B]

It seems like.

[A]

It seems like. So anyway, I would. That's what I was deep down the rabbit hole on. I'm really trying to wrap my brain around. If you are trying to tell a story, a mainstream news story about the political climate, where are you going? Because ABC is Disney. And remember, they already went after Kim. They were able to get to Kimmel inside abc. The FCC was.

[B]

That is interesting though, right? Because Kimmel came back with a vengeance.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

He's back and he's talking full on that ish.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

So on some level, Disney, I guess, stepped up on some level to saying we're okay with this.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Because he's going hard. Yeah.

[E]

How long is it gonna last, though?

[B]

I don't know. I don't know.

[A]

Well, this is all gear.

[B]

Disney, Disney, listen, these companies can fight if they want. It's the problem was the first ones that started folding really set it up for everybody to have to fold.

[A]

Well, no, I think what happened. What happened first was people played the game. They went up the dance, they did the dance, they showed up to the White House.

[B]

Hey, we're all here.

[A]

We're here, man. Here's a million. Here's a couple of million. Do you want to build a ballroom? All right, cool. Here's some money.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Nice drapes.

[A]

Listen. Money, money, money, money, money. I'm here, I'm here, I'm here. I'm giving you gold bars. I'm at award ceremony. Everybody's dancing. So everybody did that to preempt the kind of, like, negative blowback from the White House attacks to protect their stock price, because that's what it was.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

It was all. All of this is for stock price. Right. And so now the question is, as we get close to midterms, the fight is on to shape the narrative. Who's going to be able to control the megaphones? Because if we get to November and we're able to effectively take Congress back as people who are like, this White House is out of hand, that's when you start to see the House of Cards fall, because people keep going, where are the Democrats? Where's Congress? Where's this? Where's that? You're also seeing, I'm sure on your algorithm, you guys were seeing Republicans attacking the Trump administration for their decision on Iran.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

And being dragged into Iran by Israel.

[E]

And I will say I don't see it as much as I used to. Like, in the past month, it's slowed down. I have to look for it, or if somebody. Somebody sends it to me, but I don't see it anymore.

[B]

That is possible, too.

[E]

I don't see it.

[B]

But they're not happy. It's not being well received.

[A]

So, no, but I'm watching all this. I feel like, you know, I don't think it's hyperbole, man. When people are talking about the democracy being over, man. I don't think it's hyperbole. I don't think it's hyperbole to. To be discussing what's going on in the United States of America right now as not a significant shift to the way not only we're perceived abroad, but how a generation growing up right now actually perceives the United States. That's not how. That's not being overstated in any way, shape or form.

[B]

No. There was a time, 2016, 2017, when it felt like there were moments where all of us were, like, being slightly hysterical about the whole thing. And everything has happened. Everything is basically the only thing that didn't happen that I didn't have on my bingo card really, was, of course, the pandemic followed by then Biden winning, because I just assumed Biden wouldn't have won and it would have Kept rolling from the last one. But then what I also didn't have with the bingo card was Biden would win. We'd all think, oh my God, we sort of defeated it and that he'd come back four years later and that that's even more dangerous. I think. How do you think about this take? I think we would have been better off in the long run. I'm not talking about the COVID part, although I don't know how in the end how different Trump would have been. Because Trump was kind of vaccine friendly by that point.

[A]

Yeah, because remember, he went and got

[B]

vaccine, he got vaccine.

[A]

Even though he told you to drink

[B]

bleach before that he was trying to appease the anti vaxxers while he was kind of like operation warp speed. I'm removing the COVID things. It's complicated. But I feel that minus Covid, we might have been better off having Trump's terms back to back than what we got. Because I think the four years between has made them more dangerous. I think it allowed them more time to figure out how to put things in place.

[A]

I think we would have recovered from COVID as fast.

[B]

That's why you can't really remove the COVID part, I suppose. Right. Because that would have made.

[A]

And I don't think Covid happens without Trump in 2016. If Trump's not there in 2016, it doesn't happen. They had an office of people who dealt with this sort of thing because remember the President of the United States and many of these people in Congress, they don't know stuff. They don't know everything. No, they are not professionals in every. The President of the United States often isn't a professional at anything other than politics.

[B]

He doesn't know. Trump doesn't know about anything.

[A]

No, I'm saying. And most of them, I'm saying presidents in general are not like this end all, be all, know it all. They have people who are specialists advising them. They have a staff of 1400 people or some crazy number. And remember, in the first term, Trump didn't, could not or did not fill positions or just completely shut down offices of people who could be like, sir, we have a problem. This is what we need to do. There is a country in China or there's a city in China that is 8 million people in it. They've shut it down. We need to do something. Matter of fact, we need to work with them to get as much information as we can, not blame them, not create an adversarial relationship, not talk to sci, not not, not talk to scientists.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or think we somehow live on an island and we're untouchable by ourselves. That's the most dangerous thing that's happening right now. China is actively supporting Iran and nobody's talking about it.

[D]

It.

[E]

Bro, that's so scary.

[A]

China flew 19 planes into Iran, turned off their transponders and delivered weapons to them two nights ago.

[B]

So, but that, so what you're saying is that hints at that world war could be on the table.

[A]

No, no, no. This is active, bro. This is not a game. This. You guys effed around, played around and elected a madman and his idiot white supremacist friends to run a country and think you could run around the globe and bully people. They are not playing. Iran is not playing. Sorry.

[B]

And they played. The first time they, the first time they did the dance. Yeah, we went in, you blew things up. They, they didn't really fight back. They kind of sent some half assed missiles that they knew would get intercepted and now they're not doing.

[A]

Because you know why? At the end of the day, you know, people really want, I firmly believe this. They want to take care of their country economically, have a prosperous country, get people jobs and do stuff and go on about their business. They want to sell their little oil and they don't want to be told what they can and can't do.

[B]

Right? And yeah, they may be doing nasty things, but guess what? So are all the people telling them that they shouldn't be doing it. So you put a gun to their head and said, you guys can't have guns. That's the one rule the US has normalized, that they tell Iran, you're not allowed to have nukes. Listen, I'm not saying it's great for Iran to have nukes, but how can you tell them not to when everyone else you have it, China has it,

[A]

the Russians have it, Israel, it lies about it.

[B]

So how are you supposed to tell them not to? That's the only recourse they would have to try to have a deterrent so this wouldn't happen. And now you're showing them exactly why they need it.

[E]

Be run by idiots like we have Cross Cash Patel, bro, leading the FBI. What are we, what are we saying?

[A]

Well, and remember, Laura, we're not even in this with Iran. If we would have left them ago, left them alone 60 years ago, it's not even happening.

[B]

Well, but what if we just left them alone from 2018?

[A]

Well, remember Obama did a bad deal. So. And nobody's really talking about that. Trump tore up the deal that Obama. You know what? Matter of fact, Rahsaan, bring this guy does good explaining. I don't know if you guys follow him. He calls himself Sully.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Have you seen this guy?

[B]

I trust anyone?

[A]

Well, no. Where he stacks the cups up and he explains like how things work. And he does it pretty much in layman's terms.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

It's called the Iran nuclear deal debacle. Let's see this video.

[C]

America, we're going nuclear today. We're going to go back in time to the year 2015, examine the Iranian nuclear stockpile. This is a display of the 10,000 kilograms of uranium, 3.5% that Iran had in 2015. That is the uranium that is used in nuclear reactors by all countries around the world. But at the same time, they had significantly enriched it. And the green cups, 20% enriched uranium. They had 370 kilograms of that. And then something extraordinary happened that hadn't happened in over 60 years where the mullahs of Iran finally decided to engage with the West. And a deal was struck. And the deal was simple. You denuclearize, we will remove sanctions. Now you got to Fast forward to 2018 under Donald Trump. And after tens of thousands of easily verifiable inspections by the International Nuclear Committee, by tens of thousands of inspections from our allies, as many as 10 snap inspections per day and over 3,000 inspections in 2018 alone, Iran was down to 300 kg of the 3.5% uranium. And they eliminated their 20%. Against the advice of his national security advisor who told him about all the nuclear reports, against the advice of all our allies who told them about all of the inspections. He canceled the deal because not only did he cancel it, he sanctioned them. Now they have 215kg of 3.5% uranium. They have 278kg of the 20 uranium. And unbelievably, they now have 409kg of 60% enriched uranium on the way to new on their way to the 90%, which is nuclear warhead.

[A]

So in layman's terms, you have a country that has the ability to do something, you strike a deal with them. You may not like the terms of the deal. I don't know any deal that everybody likes all the terms of, but you kind of keep controls on what was going on in Iran. Fast forward to now. And it makes me think with Trump saying, oh, Israel didn't drag us into this. This was your plan all along. You tore up the deal in 2018 so that we could get to this point. So you could say they're on their way to making nuclear warheads. Why? Because Netanyahu's been saying that since the 90s. They're two weeks away. They're two weeks away. That's why you tore up the deal in 2018, so that now you could get to this point and go, look,

[B]

they're weeks away from it. Why? But why do you want to do why?

[A]

Because they want to expand Israel, bro. They want to take out Iran and control that space and expand Israel. They've been openly talking about it. You haven't seen the videos of Netanyahu and all the people in Israel that are the crazy right wingers talking about this destiny to expand Israel's border all

[B]

the way to Iran.

[A]

They want to take, like, southern Iran. They want to take Syria. Syria is a disaster right now, bro. After who went in there? The United States.

[B]

But we, we instill, we install stability.

[A]

No, you know who they put in charge of Syria? A guy that was on, like, the terrorist list 10 years ago. Now he's all good with the Republicans and he's the head of the whole thing.

[D]

Congratulations.

[A]

You played. Just got. Listen, it's a lot going on, bro, and I'm telling you, we have played ourselves. We're in a bad, bad way. I can't, I can't even understate it.

[B]

I, I, I don't know what to do, though. I got to tell you guys, I can't. I don't feel great about being in the city right now. I really don't. This isn't where you want to be, is it? If we're being honest? Is this where you want to be in America right now? I live on the Upper west side. I want to live in Jew Town in New York City right now. Is that really where I want to be? A Jew in Jew Town? The name of my biography. I don't want it. What am I doing? I need to get off this damn island and live on land.

[A]

That is a good name of biography.

[B]

A Jew in shootout. But, like, seriously don't.

[A]

But anyway, I just, I just share. Freaking me out.

[B]

You can't now just go in. Anyway. Everyone's shook now.

[A]

No, you should be. So that at some point you have a conversation with your friends, neighbors, whatever, and tell them to stop playing around and electing bozos. I don't believe. Listen, I don't believe most of the world the same way. Look, I don't know if you guys pay attention, but I look at Israel as a nation of people just like America, who doesn't like their leadership and was trying to put them in jail.

[B]

Well, half of them. Half.

[A]

Which is America. Which is America. Just like America. And I believe most of the world knows that we're trying to figure out how to get these people in jail.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And maybe that's me trying to make myself feel better.

[E]

You just. You making my stomach hurt, guys.

[A]

You can't ignore it. It's a disaster.

[E]

And I will say, yesterday I had lunch with a friend of mine who's an organizer, and she said to me, I don't think we're gonna have midterms.

[B]

A lot of people say straight up. Yeah.

[E]

A lot of people say it's not gonna happen. And I'm like, well, here can't be.

[B]

Here's the perfect. But here's the perfect setup, because we thought it would maybe come from the protesting. We thought it would come from Minneapolis. That got wrapped up for right now. The ICE thing is calmed for a moment, at least for those of us who are privileged enough to not have it affect our daily lives. However, God forbid, a terrorist attack.

[A]

Oh, man.

[B]

If there were a terrorist attack. And then the US Will go, you know, hellfire and brimstone to the rest of the world. Well, now we can't have people outside now. We can't. We're gonna change. Then you go the Netanyahu, because, you know, Trump could be talking to Netanyahu. Like, wait, how do you stay in power forever? I just stay in war.

[A]

October 7th.

[B]

Yeah, October 7th is how I stay in power forever. And Trump goes, oh, we need to have an October 7th. I mean, I know there are some people out there who probably believe that the idea is impossible, that leadership would do that to a place where they'd say, hey, I'm okay with something terrible happening because it will empower me more. But I'm sorry, I historically don't believe that. I'm not even just talking about Trump in general.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

All of this stuff is possible.

[A]

You have to believe. Well, I will say this according to. And I just looked at it again, I read this article. The Trump administration has no legal authority to invoke national security and take over elections. And I've heard this in multiple places. The problem is legal authority. What world are we operating in where people are following laws?

[B]

Well, he's supposed to. Isn't he supposed to talk to Congress about going to war also?

[A]

I swear, there's a. There's a woman who listens to us. Her and her husband. I see them at Alvin Ailey and they love our show. They're very appreciative of us, and they even support this new platform. They used to listen to us. We were all hot. And I, they've come to me, love the show, love what you guys talk about, love what you stand for, blah, blah, blah. She's a judge. And so I saw her the other day and I said, what are you guys going to do after we figure out how to get out of this as a democracy? Because the judicial branch and the legislative branch has no enforcement arm.

[B]

No, only, only the feds do.

[A]

Only the. Only the executive branch has an enforcement arm. So they found a gray area, a loophole, a weak point, whatever you want to call it in the entire democracy where if you cannot enforce the laws, this whole gentleman's handshake of, like, how our democracy works, it's not cutting it, bro.

[B]

No. We have people who don't care about anymore.

[A]

So now you're hoping the military folks are like, listen, our job is to protect the constitution. But they're waiting for orders. Last we heard this week, the people giving them orders think we're in a religious war.

[E]

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[A]

1-800-contacts. So we got work to do, people. And y' all gotta. Y' all non voters out there gotta stop acting like it's all the same. You're going to see it's very different, unfortunately.

[B]

Very, very, very.

[A]

It's very different, man. There's people who respect the democracy and there's people who disrespect, but that's the

[B]

thing that makes this so different than any other time. And that's why I get frustrated when anyone compares. Any other time, we could go through all of them. Bush, Bush, Bush and Clinton, Bush and Gore. Second Bush and Gore. All of these people. I could play Ashani cultures. They're kind of all the same game. I can play. They're not, but I can play the game with you. Cuz at least they were like, well, we do all line up by the Constitution.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

That's over now. It's the side that believes in the Constitution. In other words, America. What the paper is America and people who had. No, no, I don't believe in that. I believe that America is worship of Donald Trump. That's what America is. There is no Constitution. There is no law that governs or

[A]

a worship, even if it's not him, of what he's representing on behalf of. Right. Because I still fight white supremacy. All of that.

[B]

Yeah. Running rough shot over everyone. Letting the rich run this country.

[A]

Yes. With no sort of corporations. All of it. No checks and balance.

[B]

Yo, guys. Once they said that they want the AI to be able to kill on its own, I just went, oh, now I get how you get into the religious part of Antichrist talk. Now I get Antichrist talk. They want to let machines kill people without anyone control. So, okay, I guess this is what we're dealing with. But. But it's all the same. It's all this.

[A]

It's. And it's so not all the same.

[B]

And you will run into like, nice civil people who will be like, everything's fine.

[E]

Yeah, it's.

[B]

It's politics, but it'll work out. It's America. No, bro.

[A]

Well, so. And I don't even understand how people can say that when you saw people storm the Capitol.

[B]

Not a big deal.

[A]

Violently.

[B]

No.

[A]

Right. Something did happen after that. Some people went to jail. And then someone was. Was elected and got all of those people out of jail.

[E]

Yes. And those people received money and.

[A]

Well, no. And here's. And the people who got them out of jail or supported them in their storming of the Capitol were the wife of a Supreme Court justice, the family of the president, senators and judges, firemen, teachers.

[B]

All right, so I am being serious. I'm legitimately stressed out. Now, how do we calm this down on our way to bringing.

[A]

Well, the dreams coming up.

[B]

The dream's coming up.

[A]

The dreams coming up. And in between there, the original gurus could step in. Would that help you feel better?

[B]

We're gonna try.

[A]

Well, here we go.

[B]

Hey, yo. It's time for the gurus.

[A]

Rosenberg all right. You know you are beautiful Queen Ebro. Don't ever play yourself. You're not a guru, right?

[E]

TheOriginal gurusmail.com the Original gurusmail.com where the gurus unite to shine the light.

[B]

Ah.

[E]

You're gonna have to burn extra sage, please.

[A]

Sorry.

[B]

And give me a tongue that's not burning sage.

[E]

All right, Rosenberg, who's out there?

[A]

Who needs Zen, Zen, zen.

[B]

The original gurusmail.com the original gurus. Gmail.com your destination for clarity. Good morning, longtime listener. Super proud of you guys for going indie. It's a breath of fresh air. Now for the tea. I was in a relationship with a longtime friend that took us years to even start dating because it never seemed like the right time. We finally got together and she informed me that the roommate she's been living with is her ex boyfriend. She told me they're just roommates because they can't afford rent here in good old California and they both have children from previous relationships and their children have their own space. They're both in relationships. He's dating someone else and they don't view each other like that. But after meeting the dude, I don't believe that. At first we always spent time at my place because I was uncomfortable even going over there. And I tried to be understanding because I have genuine feelings for her. I told her this wasn't something I was comfortable with because he's paying most of the rent and she handles the bills and food. Lately he's been acting funny, doing little petty stuff like being extra messy and disrespectful. I finally told her that I'm not going to just watch this cat disrespectful behavior in silence. But she told me not to say anything because she has nowhere else to go with her child and I only have a one bedroom apartment. Or I'd say live with me. Am I tripping for ending things? She's begging me for another chance, but I just think it's a messy situation I want no part of. Should I give her the benefit of the doubt or keep it pushing? Asking the gurus for their expert opinion. I will weigh in on the snowflake side of things. If you really like this girl a lot like you guys. How long they've been dating for. Took us years to even start dating. But she didn't say how long they've been dating. If you've known each other for years and you've been fond of her the whole time. Now y' all are finally dating and this Is a weird and uncomfortable situation. I think if you care for her, you get on the same page about this not being ideal and working towards it ending. I don't think you just burn it down. Not for me. Unless something's happening where, like, you're being incredibly disrespected. She's being like, sounds like she's having roommate problems with the guy she used to date. And you don't like that.

[E]

And I understand why he doesn't like that.

[B]

So do I. I don't want to

[E]

walk into that mess either.

[B]

But is that a reason if you, like, are into someone not being.

[A]

But isn't that on. You opted to get into the scenario that says to me you didn't do enough research before you decided to make this a part of your life. Why are you blaming her? You know, for something she's trying to get out of. You didn't give her enough time in between. You jumped right in. That's on you. My. My guy.

[E]

Listen, I don't like it, but I hear you, Rosenberg. And I feel like, to your point, if he really likes her and she's on the same page where she's like, look, this is strictly financial and it's

[B]

not good, I don't want it to continue.

[E]

Yes, let's create a plan so you can get out that.

[A]

Well, that's.

[E]

And if she's like, yeah, let's work towards it. Help me help myself.

[B]

Now listen, if the relationship is brand new and you're like, this just ain't worth all the drama, I got no problem with that.

[D]

Sure.

[A]

But they know each other mad long.

[B]

But that's what I'm saying. But you know each other for a long time. And if you're really into the girl,

[A]

dog, he been plotting. He been plotting, planning. You've been laying in the. Laying in the tall grass waiting for her thing to fall apart, and now you get your shot and you mad that she hasn't wrapped up her other thing because you didn't give it enough time.

[B]

And she has a kid, which makes it real life, and you don't have another opportunity for her. If you had said, hey, you know what? I'm gonna go find a new two bedroom place and let's just. We'll figure it out. Give her an option. But if she doesn't have an option, Life is real, bro. If you like her, see if you can make it work.

[A]

I'm hitting the writer with a congratulations, you played.

[B]

I respect it.

[E]

Me too. But I do think that if it's worth it, Work towards, like, stick to a plan. And if that plan begins to derail at one point and you don't feel like she's really, truly working towards, like, getting out of that situation, then you'll. Then you'll realize that this hit her

[A]

with the Yo Ma, I'm here for you. I really enjoy this. Let me know when you wrap that thing up over there. And if you need help, I got your back, but you gotta wrap that up. You could do that too.

[B]

You could say, hey, I'm not ready for this to be like a full time series thing till that's wrapped up. For now, I'm your friend.

[A]

But you should have said that before, which is why I'm hitting you with

[E]

the button, because you knew. You knew what time it was this whole time.

[A]

So figure, congratulations, you played.

[B]

So we're saying, congratulations, you played yourself. If you really like her, stay with her. If not, walk away. So say the gurus, some version of it.

[A]

And I don't have an outro, but we do have.

[B]

Wait. What?

[A]

The dream. Give it up for the dream. One time. Stepping in the room.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, yeah. I mean, what's up, my guy? Yo, listen, man, the dream just stepped in. He's rich. He's trying to rob me already, man. It's crazy.

[B]

Well, it's crazy to see the dream admiring things on Ebri and saying, like, oh, Ebro has money. I'll tell you who has money. What the MF and drink.

[D]

I don't know what y' all talking about.

[B]

We're counting more.

[D]

Counting wallet.

[B]

We're looking in the wallet early today.

[E]

Yo, look at his wrist and rings. I was thinking all the sparkles. Like, that's pretty nice.

[A]

Well, but the. But the illest part is, I mean, the hard work. The hard work that went into it, bro, let's talk about it. The hard work that went into it not only just being an artist, but just being a songwriter. And. And the. And the amount of love and attention you give to other artists.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Not everybody's capable of receiving it, and you're not giving it to everyone. But Beyonce, Rihanna, and many others have been on the receiving end of your great songwriting and ideas and arrangements and things like that. Would love to hear where you're at today because I think you're also about to become an artist again.

[D]

Oh, man. By the way, this has a lot to do with you.

[B]

Really.

[D]

Every time I see Ebro, every time.

[B]

Bring your mic a little closer, if you don't mind.

[D]

Where's that? Where's that? Album?

[C]

Yeah, that's.

[D]

Where's the album?

[A]

I called him last August. What are you doing? Yeah, I heard he was in the Hamptons. I was like, why you in the Hamptons? You were like, where's my album?

[E]

Aren't you supposed to be working?

[A]

Yeah, you're supposed to be delivering me an album.

[E]

Why aren't you working?

[D]

He was calling me like, an A and R for real, like, hey, yo, so what date we going with? And I'm like, what date are you talking about? It's like, what you doing in the Hamptons? Oh, I know who you with. Yeah, I know what you're doing. Yeah, I'm like, well, you know. You know, they got me trapped in the basement.

[B]

Oh, so you were working out there? Oh, you're putting that work.

[D]

I don't go anywhere. I don't know. I know the narratives be crazy. You see me somewhere, anywhere. My wife's here somewhere. I'm working. Yeah, I can't take a vacation without working. It's the same. I just have to write. It has to be some type of art behind it. I don't care what it is. I have to work. I cannot relax. I try to. Golf course. Yes.

[A]

Oh, that's your thing now?

[B]

You're big on the golf now?

[D]

Avid. No, no, no, no, no. Ben, Ben, no, I was the one. I'm the reason why they got here.

[B]

No, hold on. This is big talk. Hold on, hold on. This is big talk. This is big talk. Dream.

[D]

Get this straight right now.

[B]

How long you been golfing?

[D]

2001.

[A]

Whoa, that's good.

[B]

That's crushing any.

[A]

That's a good number.

[D]

But the reason why this industry now is on this, man. I've started this. Nobody wanted to come out.

[B]

Oh, once early, bro.

[E]

Yeah, that's really early.

[D]

No, we're not coming out playing no golf, man. Golf is silly. I was like, all right, cool excuse to go polo again.

[B]

But now, are you. Are you? How so? That's a long, long time. How good are you?

[D]

My handicap right now is at about

[B]

9, which is very good.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

That's really spectacular.

[D]

Once you get those clubs. How you need to get those clubs.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

You know, you dial in. It's usually trash, though, when. As soon as B calls his trash.

[B]

What do you mean? Oh, because you're a rap now you got to work. Now you got to work. Speaking of which, we didn't take a moment to celebrate together, you and I. I think we should congratulate ourselves on Cowboy Carter album of the year, you know? Great job, both of Us. You know what I mean?

[A]

But do you know the story? You know your man did a whole podcast?

[B]

Yeah, I reached out to him.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

He didn't want to. He didn't want to talk. Well, I'm gonna get him today, though.

[D]

That's the part

[B]

he didn't want to tell stories then.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Oh, I hit him. Yeah. He was like, I don't want to tell stories right now.

[D]

But he's here now.

[A]

But wait, hang on. Before you start telling stories, he hit me on ig.

[D]

I was like, now, you know.

[B]

I was like, come on, bro. I'm telling the story of Cowboy Carter. I want to get into this thing because I knew it was going to win album of the year because it was the best damn album. Did you just drink cologne at the table, sir?

[A]

That's not cologne.

[D]

It's not cologne.

[B]

Oh, I really thought it was.

[A]

No, It's Louis the 8th.

[D]

Louis the 8. 13th, I don't know.

[A]

Or 13th. Excuse me. 13. 13.

[B]

But the 8th was good, too. The 3rd. 13th, he did more, though, I think.

[D]

Thought it was another thing he was about to say. Louis the 8th.

[A]

13. I don't know where I got 8.

[D]

Put some in here.

[B]

No, but, but, but dream.

[D]

Where the other.

[B]

Wait, how much they missing?

[A]

A few numbers. Yeah.

[B]

No, but really, that album. That album was just special, bro. I mean, obviously you've done amazing stuff with Beyonce in the past.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Which were you on? How many records were you on on this one?

[D]

I want to say maybe like 13 or so.

[B]

So almost the whole. More than half the album.

[D]

Yeah, it's probably actually more than that, but I. I don't. My whole thing is to make sure my sister has exactly what she needs, no matter whether I do 100 of a song. Correct. Another piece, and we just work. We synchronized in that. In that type of way when it comes to making records. And it's not even something that we have to say. It's just a look, I'm gonna play this thing. I know what to do with it.

[B]

So someone else has written this record. She plays it for you. What do you think? And then you're just helping. Even if it's not one of your records, you're just helping tighten it up.

[D]

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[A]

And the other way, too, where she comes in with her ideas, where she done chopped up a few things.

[D]

Oh, absolutely. No, it more so works that way. I try to take. I take the artist part seriously because I know how I am as an artist, and so she usually takes the lead on how she wants A thing to be. And so if she tells me, yo, I'm trying to go this way, that's the way we're going now. The thing about going that way, we just trying to get the best and greatest thing that we can get going that way. I don't care what genre it is and what works for her. And she's really smart. And definitely. Well, we know she. You know, B is.

[A]

That's Beyonce. I mean.

[D]

Yeah. It's not just, you know, pretty face on the thing. Like. No, she's intensely Virgo.

[B]

Right.

[D]

We work, man. Like, it don't stop. She. She's gonna work and outwork you, stay there all morning, wait for you to get back.

[A]

Yeah, well. And I have to imagine the. In the cowboy Carter, you hear, obviously, the. The blues you hear. And, you know, people want to call it country or they want to call. But it's. It's blues, R B, black music, pop music all bundled together.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I have to imagine, even on where she's going next with this third installment.

[B]

You mean the rock album, what they're saying?

[A]

Well, they call it Americana.

[B]

Americana.

[A]

That's. Or. Or something like, he drinking.

[B]

No, he got it, yo. Yeah. The way he looks at us. I talked to another producer, okay. Who said he was in. He did things. The things have been happening. He did things.

[A]

I wasn't even looking at the lights. I was. Yo, drink. I wasn't even gonna say nothing controversial. I was just gonna point to Yalls collaboration and your skill set as an. What people would term as an R B writer. But it's rooted in soul and blues.

[D]

Right.

[A]

So when it dovetails into R B, gospel, blues, rock, how whatever genre, it still all fits.

[D]

You're just talking about production.

[A]

Exactly.

[D]

At that point.

[A]

Point, right.

[D]

You can. You can take umbrella and it turn into a country zone. Just talking about, oh, cool, put the acoustic on it. And this is how. How we're going to do it. And the greatest records are written that way. The greatest records can go from one genre to the next. You've heard them. You've been.

[A]

You just changed the instrument.

[D]

And they come on with a. With a Whitney Houston record. And you're like, oh, that is not even how I always love you. Even goals.

[B]

Right.

[D]

But it works for this. That's all production. And so for me, knowing that in the beginning, the part. The part is to write the best song, regardless of what the production is. So that record actually, that was on. Can't be giving up all my. All my things here. That record that was on something in 2014 actually works today in a different genre.

[A]

That's right.

[D]

You're just changing out the production.

[A]

Right, Right.

[D]

The song is still the song.

[B]

What were your favorite songs on Cowboy Carter, though? Because it really is.

[D]

I mean, my favorite one was. Was the tribute that I. That I wanted to do to what's my guy's name? I don't know. Mine just went blank because it's not even a record that I did anything on, really. It's a record called Louisiana. But I don't know. I just lost my whole sense of

[B]

the who I'm going to, who sampled, because I don't know the answer. You talk about the song oh, LA on the album.

[D]

Absolutely. That's actually one of my favorite things. Something I had nothing to do with, but I felt like showing the world where it actually came from. You know what I'm saying? Like that for me, Chuck Berry was.

[B]

Did oh, Louisiana. Yeah.

[D]

Chuck Berry, man, was. He was everything you just talked about.

[A]

That's right.

[D]

And so for me, knowing that, then that makes it my duty, regardless. I don't need to put my name on it. I don't need to say I did it. I said, man, B, I think this is a great idea. And she was like, absolutely. It is own spot. We ain't touch nothing, just play it. And that's why it was there and

[A]

because it helps bundle up the story she was trying to tell.

[B]

Well, the Louisiana party is such a part of her story, too.

[D]

Yeah, but it's bigger than that. It's not a. It's not about her story at that point. It's our story.

[A]

Well, no, I meant the album is the album. I received the album as our story.

[D]

I understand.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

But I'm telling you, it's just bigger than even that. Yeah, it's big. It's big. To let you know at this platform where it all comes from.

[A]

Right.

[D]

This is what you just said. That's right. So that was the whole point of put this here. Whether it was on the album, off the album. Nobody else probably would have known. And probably till I'm here right now, people are thinking about it. Like, I was wondering why that piece was on this album. There's no B vocal on it. There's nothing production wise has been changed. Why is it there is a tribute to where those things came from.

[A]

The building blocks.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Yo, did you do Bodyguard or no?

[D]

What do you mean?

[B]

The song Bodyguard on the album.

[D]

Oh, yeah, I did, bro. I was just like, it's probably one

[E]

of my favorite songs on the album.

[B]

And. And it's funny because for as much as people talk about the album being a country album, Bodyguard, to me, is straight up yacht rock. Like, that's just a random yacht rock joint on the album. Am I wrong? That's how it feels, Right?

[D]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Like, that could have been a Kenny Loggins record. Just drops the middle of the album.

[D]

Like, simply red.

[A]

It's simply red.

[B]

It's just. And so it's funny, when people tried to label the album, I'm like, I understood now why at the beginning when she said that it's not a country album, it's a Beyonce album.

[D]

Yep.

[B]

I thought she was stunting when she said that. No, that's really what it is.

[D]

Shout out to Rafael Sadiq, who brought that record in.

[B]

Bodyguard.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Shout out to Rafael Sadiq.

[A]

Yes. He's another one that knows that blues, R B, and the soul, how it goes together.

[D]

Amen.

[B]

So y' all ever in the room in situations like this, are you. Will you and Sadiq and others be in the studio at the same time?

[D]

Absolutely.

[B]

Like, all collaborating on this stuff?

[D]

Yeah. I'm usually just there, like the doorknob, like, just always.

[B]

Oh, you're going to be there when other people are.

[A]

Right?

[B]

You're going to be.

[D]

I mean, me. And be going to go to the. To the end.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

And so.

[B]

Well, congrats, bro. Album of the year, man.

[D]

That's pretty freaking cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

No, no, no.

[A]

I was going to go back to that. I was going to go back to that. Rosenberg reaches out and you don't talk. But is it because you don't want to talk about the album? You don't want to talk about what the album means? You need to let things play out so that you're not preempting a story or.

[D]

I know that what I say has a certain power.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And I never want to get in front of the artist that's presenting the things that they're presenting.

[A]

Right.

[D]

You know, And. And I know he's calling out of love. I know why he's calling. But people aren't going to take it that way.

[B]

Right.

[D]

And B wouldn't. Wouldn't care, but I do.

[A]

Right.

[D]

So I'm like. Until she's had enough time, if she wanted to say something. So since you ain't saying nothing now, let me tell you, I just. I just like to give people, People, especially artists, their time to say their piece.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that makes sense.

[D]

And so, yeah, now I get to talk just a little bit. But not.

[A]

But you also get to now get us back into the dream as an artist. Back?

[D]

Yeah, man. I get to get out the house.

[A]

When is this album dropping? What do we got? What do we know? What are you willing to tell us right now, man?

[D]

You know what I'm saying? I don't like to get in front of artists, so I gotta call.

[A]

You are the artist.

[B]

Call yourself.

[D]

Let me call Dream out here, see what he got to say about this. I'm trying to make sure that I have something before my birthday, which is not trying. I will.

[A]

Well, he's a ver. He said Virgo earlier. So. August. September.

[D]

September, yeah. Yeah. You have something.

[B]

So something. A single, you mean? Not an album?

[D]

No, no album.

[E]

Album complete.

[D]

Okay. Yeah. I got stuff to say.

[B]

How long has it been My major

[D]

at my last album that I cut that would be mainstream, would be Foreplay, which was in 2013.

[B]

Wow. That's 13 freaking years, bro.

[A]

And this is going to be called Love Hate, too.

[D]

Hey, man, where you get all this information?

[B]

Wait, what are you doing? Did you want that out there? You're getting into the artist. You're getting out of the artist.

[A]

I can't ask the questions.

[B]

That was loaded. That was loaded. It's called Love Hate.

[D]

I think it's called Love Hate, too. Is it Love Hate, too? It's called Love Hate, too.

[A]

But.

[D]

No, but.

[A]

But the reason it's not a country album. No, but the reason I ask is because Love Hate was, I mean, chocked full of hits and vibes and energies and up tempos and. I mean, let me pull up the truth.

[D]

Yeah, we're going back to do. Shoot some of those videos from that album, actually.

[B]

From the first one.

[D]

Yeah, first one. Second one, too. Love versus Money. That was just.

[A]

Was.

[D]

I was busy. I was feeling good.

[B]

I mean, you were on a run, bro.

[D]

I was feeling good. I'm still jogging, too.

[B]

No, Ebro. It starts with Shorty's.

[D]

The.

[A]

Yeah, And I love your girl.

[B]

Back to back.

[A]

But then. But then. Don't forget Nikki. Oh, Nikki's falsetto. I mean, ditched that.

[B]

No, listen, you were in a place right now.

[A]

Yeah, so. And the reason I bring up those records is because you have Prince influence.

[D]

Absolutely.

[A]

Dance club dance influence.

[D]

Absolutely.

[A]

And so that's why I'm asking about this album, because I think you're telling us that's. You're trying to get us back in that bag.

[D]

Yeah, I think it was one of those things that came to mind over the whole time while I was working on a lot of other Things, of course, and fulfilling. I feel like the duty of making sure other dreams got to a certain, certain space. I never wanted to be an artist. That was never my thing. I wasn't trying to be on tv. Like that wasn't my. Wasn't my. My thing was musically knowing from a songwriter standpoint, there were songs that get written that stay in your hard drive that no one would ever hear again. And I got petrified that the idea that something like Fancy would never be heard. If I was waiting on an artist to understand it and actually cut it, it definitely wouldn't be a six minute or something song.

[A]

Right?

[D]

They would chop that joint down like, yo, this is gonna be 315.

[A]

This joint is 313.

[D]

Yeah, man. No, 230 these days.

[A]

2:30.

[D]

And so things like that where I was able to express myself and be and kind of just put it on display. I didn't care whether it went gold or not or platinum or whatever it was. I knew it was. I knew it was set a different standard after we did it. And just watching, especially Falsetto, that was the one everybody think is something. Falsetto was the one that turned this kind of seemingly could be gimmicky dreams getting an album because he's writing these hit records for xyz. Falsetto was the one that said, oh no, he knows how to make records.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And that changed. And I remember even my album sales per week was changing based off of that one single. Oh yeah. What was the 25000 a week R B single?

[B]

What was the. What was the order of singles from the album? Shorty's the shits first, right?

[D]

Yes. And so Falsetto came second.

[B]

Falsetto second.

[D]

And I had to fight shout out to la. Had to fight la. I remember being in Cali and LA called say I love your girls next. I was like, why? It's like, because the bay is killing it right now. It's going crazy. By the way, I love your girl. To have Jeezy on it at first, okay? I was like, yeah, I hear what you're saying. But we put that record out, people are not gonna understand how deep the well is. I was like, so I can't go with that. So we gotta figure some shit out, man. I was like, Falsetto's. It's the first time I really pull some artist shit on anybody. Usually I'm cool. All my shit's gonna work. I wanted that to work in a particular order.

[B]

What do you mean I love your girl? Wouldn't have let them know how deep the well was.

[D]

It's too easy.

[B]

It's too. It was a basic record.

[D]

It's not that complex. It's simple. Simple is hard to do, but it's not what Falsetto is musically, like just the arrangement, the mix that had to go into it. It's a lot of work put into that record where you can kind of look at I love your girl and be like, oh, well, I can do that. Even if you couldn't. You can say it. Falsetto's not a record. You could just be like, oh, cool, I'm going to just whip one.

[B]

No, you got it. You got to.

[D]

So that was my whole thing.

[B]

But also, we shouldn't act. I mean, even though it's a fun. It's a very fun song. We can't act like we'd really heard Shorty is the ship before either. That's a pretty unique. If you were to explain that song to someone.

[D]

Keep talking your shit, bro.

[B]

The way it started, though. The way it started, though, from the piano at the beginning, it's. And lo. It's just. It's very interesting. It comes off like a record is gonna be like, completely silly, but it's not like it's. It's got layers. That song has. That's an onion. There's layers to Shoddy's.

[A]

The magic of the songwriting and why he's been around for. What we talking about? 19 years you've been doing this.

[D]

My first real cut was B2K's everything, which is in 2002.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that's your first one.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

And how much later is. How much later are we now with Love Hate? Five years later? Like, oh, seven. Something like that. Yeah. How many. How often do people reference. You should tipper.

[D]

Oh, man.

[B]

Is that like. That's talked about all the time?

[D]

Oh, man.

[B]

What, every day?

[D]

Yeah. If I pass by anybody, that's. And if they see me out, if it's a group of girls like you tipping today, I'm like, no, not.

[B]

Does your wife.

[D]

That was last night.

[B]

Does your wife ever make this joke? Does she ever demand to be tipped?

[D]

No, she doesn't, babe. Why you don't.

[B]

She said it on the record.

[D]

Like, I don't demand to be tipped because I'm getting tipped all the time. Here's the tip.

[E]

When you're working on your own projects, do you completely lock in and. Because I could imagine everyone wants a dream record, and if you stop and work on everybody else's stuff, you're never gonna get your project done. So do you Complete.

[D]

That's why I have. Really? Yeah. Is that fancy why he came up here today?

[A]

So I stopped calling him. Get me off his back then. You gonna miss the August September date. And I'm about to call him again.

[D]

First of all, I'm not missing no date.

[A]

Okay, here we go.

[D]

But, yeah, I have to. I have to. It's a different mind. Right. To you go. Because I'm first from the service industry, like, that's what I feel like songwriting and producing is, like. Is serving the purpose of somebody else's dreams and what they're trying to become. So I just become them and try to get into a space where I understand fully the ice cream they're trying to sell to the customer. And once I'm in that, I do know, though, that me, myself, personally, I'm a different thing, you know, and who I want to talk to or what my conversation would be. If we're just talking about. From me, you know, we're all individuals, and it'd be like if me and Ebro made a. Made a record, even if he didn't do anything, his name being on it, it will sound a certain type of way. It's his particular sound, how he wanted to do it, regardless of the words that would go into it. And so, yeah, it's. It's. I have to carve out room for myself. But it's been a fight. Like, I've had to fight to get back to this place of myself because it's not really. The music part isn't really hard. It's the fight to. To understand and to not want to give something away.

[E]

Right, right.

[D]

Right.

[E]

And you can imagine doing stuff for other people, in a sense, might be easier than working for yourself.

[D]

No, that's not true.

[E]

Okay.

[D]

Yeah. I wish. I wish I was working for myself all day. I just said this yesterday. We were talking about Usher hit me in the middle of. Of a session I was having for my record in the middle of the night. And he's like, yo, I'm in Milan. Go. I'm like, let's go. Where? Let's go. I'm doing these. Doing these crunches. It's like. It was not real conscious, but. Okay, cool. I get what you're saying. In my life, if it could have just been just musically about me the whole time, of course, there's a whole different thing. And we was. Of course, I was just basically chubby, shaming myself. The fact that I don't have the type of time that Usher has to, like, just, oh, I'm gonna get in shape. I'm like, I got 98 artists I'm working on at one time.

[E]

Right, Right.

[D]

You find the time for me and I'll do it. I swear. I would definitely do all the sit ups, but today is not happening. And that same carve out of time and me realizing I had to fight with him because it was more actually about something that we are doing together, me and us. And I said, nah, bro, not today. Don't call me with on your side. It's like, I need shit right now. Yeah, I'm the one.

[A]

You gotta draw those boundaries.

[D]

Send a fucking vocal over here for me.

[B]

Yeah, while we're at it.

[D]

Yeah, while we at it, send me a fucking vocal now.

[A]

Now.

[B]

Let me ask the question though. Does that rule apply to Beyonce as well? Or if Beyonce were to call or would she know?

[D]

I'm praying she don't, so.

[B]

Cause you would say, yeah, if she says, we're doing crunches, I'm praying she's stockpiled and good to go. Because you are dropping it. That's the point. I'm trying. Like, you gotta drop it and go. If Beyonce's like, hey, I gotta get.

[A]

Hold up now, hold up now.

[D]

I wouldn't. I wouldn't do that to my team, though. I got a shunt up in here, man. I. I haven't worked with Ashonda since,

[A]

like, trying to gloss over. He trying to gloss over. He didn't think I caught it. He said, I hope she stockpiled.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

How many joints y' all, guys?

[B]

Well, I mean, but don't we know that?

[A]

Don't we know. But stockpile means that there's things that have already recently been cooked.

[E]

That's how I take it too.

[A]

Not like, oh, I just.

[D]

She's got stuff from this show, I'll tell you that much.

[B]

See, this is why you want to.

[A]

You're.

[B]

You're gonna ruin it. Let's just let things be. No pun intended, you know, set up

[D]

for not letting it be. So you keep going.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. That's how you think we work, right? Don't worry. Good cop, bad cop.

[A]

There you go.

[D]

Yeah, no stockpile. What I meant by that is just we've over time done a lot of

[A]

stuff, but just not recently ready.

[D]

I can't recall so much, so much going on.

[B]

But it is interesting you mentioned the thing of being in service to people because, like, it is different obviously than being an artist. And you're used to being an artist also, where people are working for you and you have People working in service of you from the label, from your assistant publicist, blah, blah. But when you're a producer for a Beyonce or an Usher or whoever it is, you then take on a role of. Obviously you're very respected and you're appreciated, but, yeah, you're now helping them. They need you.

[D]

Absolutely.

[B]

That is. How is that challenging, ego wise at all to be like, hey, I'm the dream. But now it's like I need to kind of run and help someone else.

[E]

And you have to deliver at a very high quality.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

And you gotta deliver at a high clip.

[D]

Right? Yeah. No, there's. There's no. For some reason, I feel like the ego thing was crushed a long time ago, and not in a bad way. I don't look at myself as. I'm the dream. And let me show you. I got to do it's all minds. At the end of the day, I just feel like it's all minds and a part of what my being is instead of it being an individual. Carve out of this thing that I do, you know, as an artist. So. Yeah, I never feel too perplexed in that way.

[E]

Quick question. How many. How many Grammys you have? How many?

[A]

Nine Grammys and nominated with the clips on.

[D]

Yes, that's right.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Which I'm so. I'm so proud of them guys, man. Right? Those my brothers, man. Those my brothers, man. I'm so. I don't care what they say, man. You want. You want your statues. However. However they come. We understand that most of this life is fixed.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

You still want your money though, right?

[A]

That's right.

[D]

Same thing. Run me all the trophies I'm supposed to get. Run me them numbs back too. Like, I want all of them.

[A]

Yeah, the nominations add up too, right?

[D]

Nominations add up too, man. Yeah, we like 23. Something like that.

[A]

23.

[D]

Let's go. Yeah.

[E]

Wait, when you came in here, you complimented Ebro's vintage watch.

[D]

Yes, yes. So, hey.

[A]

Yeah. Okay.

[E]

Just compliment. But I can imagine, as you know, Rosenberg and I. Well, I'm more retired than Rosenberg, but we'd like to collect memorabilia. Like, what's your most, like, prized possession that you have?

[B]

Good question.

[A]

Oh, listen, like.

[E]

Cause I know you got. I know you got things.

[D]

Wow.

[E]

That you can put in a museum,

[D]

I think, to be most prized and something I love at the same time. I have a SLS black series in Sunbeam yellow 2014, and it's not that many of them. Yeah, look at. He's gonna look that.

[E]

How many? How many how many? How many?

[B]

He's checking. He was checking running the Google, and

[D]

I don't know how many more is here in the States. I know Mark Wahlberg has one, though.

[E]

All right.

[D]

It's. That's one of my.

[A]

That's a. Yeah.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

And you said you got it in the yellow. Yeah, this one.

[E]

All right.

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

Oh, okay. But what about music. What about music memorabilia?

[A]

Doors that go up.

[E]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah. Did you keep any crazy music memorabilia?

[D]

Yeah, not really.

[B]

No. No. Like reels or like, I'm too busy creating it, guys. I'm trying to make memorabilia in the moment.

[D]

Yeah. This is my. Yeah, my kids are gonna be so happy when I'm gone.

[A]

And by the way, this is.

[B]

I don't think that's.

[D]

I don't think I like saying it like that. I love that reaction. No, it's like, they're gonna be so happy. Like, man, we love that. But, man, everything must go. Let's get it.

[B]

Yeah. And this mail. But then they're still gonna take the trips to the mailbox. That never goes away.

[D]

Well, I hope they understand that part.

[A]

Is it still to the mailbox or you log into an account?

[D]

Man, I'm so country. I'm so country.

[A]

You, like, check the mailbox.

[D]

Check cash. And I just sent my daughter some cash and she lost her. She lost her baby. Can you pull that up on your phone so I can show. So show this team this girl. I was like, oh, yeah, that's my kid. I knew it was my kid as soon as her reaction. She just turned 16. Violet did.

[B]

And you gave her cash.

[D]

Yes. And her reaction, the best thing ever. I was like, yep, that's. That's me.

[A]

You got old school. My wife is like that, too. If she finds some money in. In, like, clothes in the house. Super. $5. She found $5 a bonus. Yes. No. Excited?

[D]

Yes.

[E]

You're like, yes. Oh, my God.

[A]

I'm like, who still cares about spending a five dollar bill?

[E]

You just feel lucky like this, you know, tangible.

[D]

Yeah, it's how I feel. Like, it's how vinyls were. Were done. You got it.

[B]

Oh, here we go.

[D]

Okay, my little baby right there.

[B]

What's the best way for us to show this video, Baskin, besides send it to you?

[A]

Look, she's so excited.

[D]

Here you come here. Come watch my baby.

[B]

Is it a knot?

[A]

Yeah, that's just a knot. It's a stag of money.

[D]

Rubber bands on is.

[E]

She's dancing, by the way.

[D]

She never. She's never like this. That's my favorite right there.

[B]

Well, by the way, that's really cool, though, because that's what. That's what someone should do when they get handed a knot of money. And if you had not raised her right, then she'd be like. Or she'd just be like, all right, great.

[A]

Thanks.

[D]

Right, right, right.

[B]

You know what I mean?

[D]

But that right there, that's DNA.

[A]

Yeah, you're the same way.

[D]

Oh, that's DNA, right? Yeah.

[B]

What's the. Not. Wait. This is our favorite question. What is the number one mailbox trip for. For the dream.

[D]

I don't know.

[A]

Umbrella, I hope.

[D]

I haven't done it yet. I got a couple stocks and stuff working, I feel like.

[B]

Yeah, that's different, though, because Umbrella's big.

[D]

I don't know about that.

[B]

I mean, it's different, you know, I'm trying to say, from your life.

[D]

When some stocks do a thing, you just pull something out. You're like, yo, send that.

[A]

He's stunting on us over here. Yeah.

[E]

By the way, I don't want to

[A]

talk about them big hits.

[E]

Any calls from re lately?

[D]

Man, if I got a big. I'm telling you. Let me tell you something. I'm gonna tell you something right now. Everybody can talk about what they gonna do once they hit a B. No, we would not even be here, y'. All. Y' all would be with me, but we wouldn't be here. I'd be like, e, bro. Yo, man, come in. I need you to do an interview.

[E]

Yeah, right.

[D]

Please. I'm not coming up here. But you can come down here. What island is this? I don't know what island this is. It's just somewhere. We're just. Just. Just. Just bring your. Just one set of clothes. Don't even worry about it.

[A]

Don't even worry about it.

[D]

You know, stop asking about Reed, because I understand. I get it. This is already hard enough.

[A]

Have you.

[D]

She could do whatever she want to do and take how much. My sister could take how much time she want. She could be 69 by the time she comes. She might be. And she might.

[A]

Yes, I get it, too.

[D]

I enjoy.

[E]

I enjoy watching her live her life to the fullest with her kids. But I heard that.

[D]

I heard that, too.

[A]

Stockpile, you know.

[B]

You know what's on the list.

[D]

I hope nobody thinks that Reed doesn't have hits over there.

[B]

Oh, we know. We. She's had different projects.

[A]

No way. Hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up. But you understand.

[D]

Best A&Rs ever, by the way. Wait, re knows exactly what that thing sound like.

[A]

But you also have to. You also have to understand that piece right there is why people are like, where's the music at? Cuz they know.

[D]

And that's. I'm trying to. That's why I'm trying to get into everybody's real natural negro spirit and let them understand this. How you know that this is a good test whether, you know melanin is running through your body at some point. If it's in there, you just think about a billion and you say, hey, go to work. And you're like, what's that not going to work? So many things release a free. I would probably put out free shit forever. It's just like, yeah, here you go. I'm not one.

[A]

Is there. Is there as being. If you're Rihanna or even if you're

[D]

the dream, she could be thinking a whole different way, by the way. This is my right way.

[B]

You would do.

[A]

But even if you're the dream, the amount of, I don't know, unnecessary stress, let's call it the amount of work that it actually takes to put out music. That's what. But that's what you're talking about.

[D]

And to be in this, like, people, you know, you can't gloss over the idea that it takes a lot of work. Success lends itself. As happy as you are about it, you go from being super happy about your accomplishments to feeling flat at days just based on how people respond to your success. When I was small, when I was young, I would never know the adult thing that happens with success in the music business. I just thought, oh, they made it. And I was happy for them. Like. Like, as a kid, you're looking up to them. Like, this is crazy. Not thinking about, oh, there's media shit you're dealing with. There's this thing, there's that. It's like, oh, man, being away from

[A]

your family, not getting.

[D]

That's a whole other thing. Your health.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

You know, a lot of these things come into play that you don't see looking up at it. And once you get in it, especially now, it's like a billion songs that get uploaded a day, you know, like, how many of them really care about music?

[A]

That's right.

[D]

How many people are really hustling?

[B]

Right.

[D]

You know? So it's like dropping somebody like me who started in music, playing the trumpet in the third grade in the. In a pool of hustlers. I gotta watch now, everybody.

[A]

Why? You played the trumpet too?

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Pooh Bear played the trumpet too.

[D]

Yeah, I know. So Did Quincy, Joe.

[A]

So did Quincy Jones.

[D]

Yeah, I'm gonna catch Quincy. But anyway, it's a whole nother thing.

[B]

Catch Quincy for what?

[A]

Now I'm talking about how old? I told him Grammy total. Quincy did Quincy did Thriller. He was old. 50 dreams, 35.

[D]

I'm 48.

[A]

Oh, you 48?

[D]

Yeah, but it looks so.

[A]

You gotta do third. You gotta do thriller.

[D]

That's my.

[A]

You got two. You got 24 months.

[D]

Oh, man.

[A]

Figure it out. Let's go.

[D]

Easy, easy.

[B]

You know, when you look on me.

[D]

You heard him.

[B]

When you look on the Wikipedia for your writing credits, does any. Can any of you guys tell me what is next? What's right before. Because alphabetical order. Okay. What's right before Umbrella?

[A]

Right before Umbrella. Alphabetical order. It's.

[B]

It's. It's gonna be like it. You're not gonna remember it. That's why I'm asking. Because once I say it, it's you.

[A]

Well, so I had to go through the Alphabet, first of all, because I didn't remember the letter before you.

[B]

What if it's the same letter?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

What if it's the same letter as Umbrella?

[A]

I have no idea. What is it?

[B]

Ultralight Beam. Wow.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What'd you do on Ultralight Beam?

[E]

Okay, okay.

[D]

I was on that song. As an artist. Yeah.

[B]

You're.

[C]

You're.

[B]

You're. It's like, it. You're like the. The, like just melodic, sort of background D. No, no, the whole. Full on. This is an ultralight being. The whole.

[D]

I forgot. Exactly. It's been a long time since I played that record. That's the other thing about me, man. You asked me about a record.

[A]

I don't remember.

[B]

You made too many records.

[D]

Too many records.

[E]

It's so crazy.

[D]

It's bad. That's what I'm trying to get. I'm trying to get everybody around me. It's like, hey, man, I need y' all to keep track of this. Don't be waiting until I'm gone.

[A]

But also, did he do this? Yes, I did it, but also, like, creative. Like, you were talking about being in the services industry and serving other people. But I, I. You invited me into the art school you go to.

[D]

Oh, yeah. Scat.

[A]

Scad.

[D]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[A]

And allowed me to sit with the kids and the whole thing.

[D]

I just brought Pharrell.

[A]

Oh, really?

[E]

Where is Scad?

[A]

Scad is in Atlanta.

[E]

In Atlanta?

[D]

Yeah. Found a college of art and design. Okay. Shout out Scat. Yeah, it's my school right now, but,

[A]

yeah, heavy even Even in that of making clothes. And that desire is also to serve people. Right. Like, that's every.

[D]

Like I said, when and when I say art, it's because I still see music as that.

[A]

That's right.

[D]

You know, even though it's more so pitched like a. Like a dope game. But that's art. Fashion, cars, electron, like these things. Like just. Even the iPhone and the way it's built, when it dropped in 07, you gotta understand. 07 was, of course, the year Love Hate came out, but also the iPhone debuted that year. That's art to me. Just, it changed everything and how we feel about connectivity in that way of a cell phone.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

And so it's room design. Like, I have. I have these things going through my brain. I can't stop them. That's why I can't sleep. There's so many things to do. You know, you start to understand as you get further along in life, you're not going to have enough time to do them. And then that's the thing that's humbling, is that no matter how many ideas you have, you're not going to have enough time on Earth to get them out.

[A]

Well, in August, September, this most recent idea, Love Hate, too.

[D]

It might be before that. Just saying. It may be imminent, man.

[A]

I'll change it up, man. We had a plan, man. Yo, y' all give it up. For my guy to dream one time, it's crazy, man. I mean, because he did. This is what happens when you make a lot of money. You can change calendar, you can change time. He can actually change the space time continuum.

[B]

He's like Doc Brown.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

That's why he's drinking Quantum.

[D]

Quantum. Yeah.

[B]

Louis. Louis the 13th, Louis the 8th. All in the same bottle.

[D]

It's like Louis the First right now. It's almost gone.

[A]

It's almost gone. Almost gone now. We love you, brother. Thank you for blessing us today, man. Coming through and having.

[D]

Supposed to be back in 30 days, right?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[D]

I'm back in 30.

[A]

Yeah. We're going to see the team over. Apple Music has heard the album.

[B]

Oh, yeah?

[A]

Or is it now? Did they hear a finished version?

[D]

See, Here you go, man. It's nice. It's amazing in here.

[A]

Don't call it a podcast. Martha listens to her favorite band all the time. In the car, gym, even sleeping. So when they finally went on tour, Martha bundled her flight and hotel on Expedia to see them live. She saved so much, she got a seat close enough to actually see and hear them? Sort of. You were made to scream from the front row. We were made to quietly save you. More Expedia Made to travel. Savings vary and subject to availability. Flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.