Interview Only: Cordae discusses new album "Crossroads."

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Stephen A. Smith Show – Interview with Cordae on "Crossroads"

Release Date: November 15, 2024

In this compelling episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, host Stephen A. Smith engages in an in-depth conversation with acclaimed rapper and artist Cordae. The discussion delves into Cordae's upcoming album "Crossroads," his perspectives on the evolving music industry, personal growth, social issues, and his experiences navigating fame. This detailed summary captures the essence of their dialogue, highlighting key insights, notable quotes, and the overarching themes explored during the interview.

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1. Introduction and Current Career Status

Steven A. Smith welcomes Cordae to the show, expressing admiration for the artist's achievements at a young age.

• [02:06] Cordae: "I feel great, bro. Like, I'm really blessed."

Cordae reflects on his continual drive for improvement and balancing consistency with being present in his personal life.

2. Achievements and Recognition

Stephen highlights Cordae's impressive milestones, including record sales and award nominations.

• [03:33] Cordae: "My manager was just telling me, he's like, yo, you sold like 12 million records."

Cordae humbly attributes his success to gratitude and hard work, emphasizing the authenticity of his performances over streaming metrics.

3. Navigating the Music Industry

The conversation shifts to Cordae's approach to his craft amidst the changing landscape of music consumption.

• [04:48] Stephen A. Smith: "Did you take, and I say a break? I'm thinking mentally, yeah, of course."

Cordae explains his relentless commitment, highlighting the importance of intentionality and maintaining his brand's integrity.

4. The Podcast Epidemic and Content Quality

Cordae addresses his concerns about the proliferation of podcasts and the quality of content being produced.

• [08:20] Cordae: "We are in a podcast epidemic right now, okay? Like, we don't need that many more podcasts."

He criticizes the lack of research and originality in many new podcasts, advocating for meaningful and well-informed content creation.

5. Personal Growth and Mental Health

The duo discusses the importance of mental well-being and Cordae's strategies for handling negativity.

• [11:22] Cordae: "I try to keep that in mind. Like fortunately for me, it's been a lot more love than negativity."

Cordae emphasizes focusing on positive feedback and minimizing exposure to harmful criticism to preserve his mental health.

6. Social Issues and Activism in Music

Cordae elaborates on how social issues influence his music and the decisions behind his lyrical content.

• [24:57] Cordae: "Things that connect with me personally, you know what I'm saying? Things that connect with me and move me personally is what I try to speak on."

He underscores the responsibility of artists to address topics that resonate deeply with their experiences and communities.

7. Maintaining Authenticity and Low Profile

The conversation explores Cordae's intentional choice to maintain a low profile despite his rising fame.

• [26:00] Cordae: "I just sleep a lot better at night knowing that I put my all into it."

He discusses the balance between public presence and personal peace, opting for authenticity over oversaturation in media.

8. Insights on Sports and Personal Interests

Although primarily focused on music, Cordae shares his views on the sports world, reflecting his multifaceted interests.

• [32:16] Cordae: "Yeah, I'm tapped into the NFL. I see the Jets just got Deonte Adams. Yeah, Legion."

His analysis of team strategies and player performances showcases his deep engagement with sports, paralleling his analytical approach in music.

9. Challenges with Social Media and Public Perception

Cordae and Stephen discuss the impact of social media on artists' mental health and public image.

• [13:10] Cordae: "Because that's what I pay attention to. This is from my synopsis, you know what I'm saying?"

Cordae advocates for minimal engagement with social media to focus on creating quality content and maintaining personal well-being.

10. Upcoming Album "Crossroads"

Cordae provides a sneak peek into his much-anticipated album, highlighting his creative process and aspirations.

• [30:40] Cordae: "My best work yet, like my whole model, like I was telling you earlier, has just been pushing that pen."

He emphasizes the meticulous effort invested in songwriting and production, aiming to surpass his previous works with "Crossroads."

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Conclusion

The interview between Stephen A. Smith and Cordae offers a profound look into the artist's mindset, his dedication to authenticity, and his thoughtful approach to both his music and personal life. Cordae's reflections on the current state of the music industry, his strategies for personal growth, and his commitment to addressing meaningful social issues underscore his role as a conscientious and impactful artist. As he gears up for the release of "Crossroads," listeners gain valuable insights into the driving forces behind his artistry and the principles that guide his continued success.

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Notable Quotes:

• Cordae on Consistency: "[02:35] Cordae: It looks amazing. It was great to start off with. Don't get me wrong. It was already amazing, but now I was like, oh, shit."

• On the Podcast Epidemic: "[08:20] Cordae: We are in a podcast epidemic right now, okay? Like, we don't need that many more podcasts."

• On Social Awareness and Anger: "[10:11] Cordae: I'mma quote our good brother James Baldwin. He said to be black and politically, not politically aware, but to be black and socially aware is to be enraged all the time."

• On Authenticity in Music: "[16:07] Cordae: But I feel like what I bring to music is just authenticity. Me speaking my full truth and nothing but the truth, whether right or wrong."

• On Upcoming Album Efforts: "[30:40] Cordae: My best work yet, like my whole model, like I was telling you earlier, has just been pushing that pen."

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This episode serves as an inspiring testament to Cordae's unwavering commitment to his craft, his thoughtful navigation of the complexities of fame, and his dedication to using his platform to foster positive change.

Transcript

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the king of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Julie Swerbinks]

What's up, everyone? Julie Swerbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

[Nate Thompson]

We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.

[Julie Swerbinks]

The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.

[Nate Thompson]

Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

[Julie Swerbinks]

Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.

[Nate Thompson]

Julia's pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.

[Julie Swerbinks]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cordae]

I love Jim Carrey, but don't with yes Men. I need honest ears when in the studio turn down the movie road to finish the album I pray the outcome is good Clayton Biggs be y un took him out of the hood carrying chopping the wood but you gonna always have motion if the product is good Lord knows it's crazy how I can just text hov and run plays on the weekend it's more than just X O's When I dropped my first album was nervous my chest froze plans gonna be executed like on death row bought a new crib but that is an S pro cause my credits go low as my self esteem but I grow it's a yellow beam when I glow I have mellow dreams when I smoke to my fellow kings keep the ho I think Elohim dog woke up this morning actin wild like a black amount we smoke the opponent I prayed and hoped for this.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, that's fire right there. Yeah, yeah, that's fine right there.

[Cordae]

I appreciate that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I like that.

[Cordae]

Yes, sir, I appreciate that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's going on? The one and only Cordae is here in the house with yours truly, Stephen A. Smith. Man, that's Saturday. Is that what that was?

[Cordae]

Yes, sir, Saturday morning.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, Saturday mornings. First of all, it's good to see you, my man. It's been a while. How you doing?

[Cordae]

Likewise, brother. I gotta say, too man, you know, I've been. I would like to think I'm an early guest of the Stephen A. Smith Show. A early friend, you know. Did quite a lot of upgrades in this thing, my brother.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Thanks a lot, man.

[Cordae]

It looks amazing. It was great to start off with. Don't get me wrong. It was already amazing, but now I was like, oh, shit.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like, okay, I appreciate it, I appreciate it. I aim to please. I aim to please. Talk to me about you and where you feel you are right now in your career. Things seem to be going real well for you. You just 27, you making things happen. How you feeling about things right now, man?

[Cordae]

I feel great, bro. Like, I'm really blessed. And I'm sure you can relate to this of like, I've always had this mindset and still do about just like, all right, what's next? What's the next barrier to through. What's the next level? It's just even something amazing should have just happened and I'm already thinking about, like, what's next? How do I take this to the next level? But, like, right now, I think I've been finding that balance between just like, staying consistent, working really hard, but just also, like being present. You know what I'm saying? And just like, yo, I'm just really blessed. Like, I set out and did a lot of things that I wrote down that I wanted to do. Still a lot more to do. But I say all this to say just presently, just very happy. Like, my manager was just telling me, he's like, yo, you know, you sold like 12 million records.

[Stephen A. Smith]

12 million. I was getting ready to throw out that number. 12 million won an award is what won a Grammy, right?

[Cordae]

Emmy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Emmy. M sorry. Won an Emmy.

[Cordae]

Emmy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

My bad, my bad, my bad.

[Cordae]

Won an Emmy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Nominated for Grammy, nominated for Grammy, won an Emmy. Sold about 12 million. I mean, most people ain't doing that right now. How do you think you've pulled that off?

[Cordae]

You know what, bro? One, I give all glory to God. Honestly. Two, I don't know, man. I'm blessed. Cause like selling music and tour, even more than like the 12 million records sold. I'm really proud of, like being able to sell out a tour, you know what I'm saying? Because now with streaming and streaming to numbers equivalent, it get a little tricky. I don't really know. Back in the day, it's like when niggas sold 12 million records. Cause 12 million motherfuckers went to the store and bought the shit. Now it's like streaming equivalents is weird. But with a show, it's like a five step process. In order to go to a show, you gotta pay for the tickets, they gotta wait in line, they gotta. If they got kids, they gotta find a babysitter. So when somebody actually shows up at your door to come to a show to see you perform, that's real love. And I've been blessed to be able to perform in all corners of the earth. And so I'm really proud of that. So I say that to say, just being myself. And lately my model just been pushing my pen, bro. Just pushing that pen. Pushing the pen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Did you take, and I say a break? I'm thinking mentally, yeah, of course. Did you feel at any point in time over the last few years just with the climate that we're living in, the kind of stuff going on in this world that you needed to take a step back, reflect, think about the kind of things that you wanted to do moving forward? Or has it always been about the grind for you?

[Cordae]

I don't think I've earned the luxury to take a break, but I got a break. We all did in 2020. And that was my time to where I was just thinking about, like, what do I really want out of this entertainment thing? What is my goal? And just being more intentional about everything. Just being more intentional about, like, my brand. What's the message? What's my mantra? What's my ethos? You know what I'm saying? And so I kind of gathered that in 2020. But in 2020, I was 23 years old. I'm 27. Like, I'm a whole different nigga now, you know what I'm saying? Like, same person, same value, same morals. But just like, you know, I have a kid. Like, yo, it's all of these things transitioning, you know, Even for the average American, for average person from age 23 to 27, there is a certain amount of growth. So my bad. I'm going on tangents.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, you're not.

[Cordae]

But thank you. Thank you. Yeah, appreciate it, Appreciate it. Thank you so much.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right.

[Cordae]

Thank you so much.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right. Take your time.

[Cordae]

Thank you. Thank you. But I got that break kind of in 2020, so I don't think. I haven't taken any breaks, like, it's time in between albums. But I wouldn't even count it as breaks because let's say my last album, I dropped it January 2022. I toured all of 2022 and 2023. And then as soon as I get off tour, I'm in the studio 24 7. And so there hasn't really been a break since I started it. But again, I feel like I haven't earned the luxury of the write for a broadcast.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You talked about having a list, at least a mental one, if not a literal one, where things that you've done and you're looking ahead to what you've wanted to do. What have you done in your mind that you can reveal to the audience, what is it that you had on your list? And you said, all right, I want to do this check. I've done it. What has that been?

[Cordae]

You know what? I had get in the studio with Dr. Dre on the vision board, and I was able to do that early on. Shout out to my boy Anderson Pack. He actually introduced us.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know how I feel about Dr. Dre.

[Cordae]

That's the goat, bro.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, yeah, he's something special.

[Cordae]

No, for real.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He's something special.

[Cordae]

Nah, the goat. And it's funny, too. I had, like, XXL freshmen on the early vision board of mine. I had Grammys on my vision board. And I actually had, like, I put EGOT on my vision board. And so, like, it's funny that I've won the Emmy first. Cause that's the E. So it's like, I'm assume. Not assuming, you know, Grammys next.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's right.

[Cordae]

Then Oscars, then Tony. So, you know, the Lord is wanting me to do it on his time and in that time. And so that was one of the things, you know, being on the Stephen A. Smith show, you know what I'm saying? One of my 20, 24 goals. You feel me? And yeah, bro, just one step at a time. But I feel like, you know, when you write things down, it becomes. And you're looking at it every day. It gives me personally, like, that extra motivation to keep it going. But just a reminder of, like, what I'm doing this for. Cause, you know, this entertainment shit is, like. It's treacherous, bro. How treacherous?

[Stephen A. Smith]

How treacherous is it now compared to what it was, let's say, even four or five years ago for?

[Cordae]

Man, you know what? It's completely different even now. Like, I'm still fairly new to this shit. I only been in it since 2018, but it's completely changed. Like, even the rise. I feel like this is one of my points, too. We are in a podcast epidemic right now, okay?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like, too many of them.

[Cordae]

Yes, nigga. Like, we don't need that many more podcasts. Like, straight up, like, of people that's misinformed. They're spreading misinformation. You know what I'm saying? Like, people like, you've been doing this, obviously been doing this a super long time. Like, you've earned the right to have your own platform and to speak on things that you speak on. Most of these motherfuckers is starting platforms, not doing any research on the topic.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They're stealing other people's content.

[Cordae]

Stealing content. It's unoriginal. They're not doing any research. They're not fact checking things before they're speaking. And they're actually getting platforms and audience that are. But we're in a very, like, sheep, like a groupthink world and system. So you got kids who might not have even heard anything about a certain subject, and they're getting the information from this podcast who may have millions of subscribers, and they're giving them the wrong information. They're not fact checked in, like, even like a lot of these music review podcasts. And it's like, yo, it's this little like. And it's not a race thing, but it's just more so about a culture and a research thing. It's like, yo, you got this white boy who don't know, who can't tell you when Illmatic came out, but you wanna make a hip hop podcast, but you don't know when Illmatic came out, you know what I'm saying? You don't know when Ready to Die came out. You don't know.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And you ain't willing to admit and acknowledge what you don't know. You trying to pretend like you do.

[Cordae]

Know, you know what I'm saying? So you haven't earned the right to make a hip hop podcast. Again, not a race thing. But you haven't done your research, you haven't done the education, you haven't done the programming, you know what I'm saying? Like, I love this music shit. Like, I. I done studied the greats, you know what I'm saying? And so, yeah, people, yeah, I feel like we definitely in a podcast epidemic.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You got a new single out? No. Mad as Fuck.

[Cordae]

Yes, sir.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's the title of it. Is that one of the things you mad about?

[Cordae]

Absolutely.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What else?

[Cordae]

Let me see.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Cause I imagine you're a deep thinker and I imagine you're mad about more than one thing.

[Cordae]

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I'mma quote our good brother James Baldwin. He said to be black, and I'm paraphrasing it, but to be black and politically, not politically aware, but to be black and socially aware is to be enraged all the time. You know what I'M saying, right? And so I'm gonna take that quote as the genesis of Mad as Fuck, but mad as Fuck isn't. It's not that my song isn't that deep, but, yeah, just a bunch of shit. Just like, I mean, we encounter things every day that make us mad. You know what I'm saying? Whether it's traffic, whether it's, you know, a bunch of shit. You see some stupid shit people are saying online about it. Don't even gotta be about you, about whoever, you know, the spread of misinformation, these bullshit podcasts that we going about. Yeah, a bunch of shit. You know what I'm saying?

[Stephen A. Smith]

A bunch of people have asked me. They said, stephen, A. How do you do it? How do you do what you do every day? You on television, you know, you doing your YouTube show, you got your podcast, you got all of this going on. They coming at you all the time, Stevie, how you deal with that? I said, first of all, 99% of the time, I don't know what the hell they talking about. Cause I don't read it. I don't pay any attention to it. Because I know the objective is to distract me from what I'm trying to do.

[Cordae]

Absolutely.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Every now and then, I might listen to it just to continue to develop my alligator skin, to show myself I can take it, you understand? And you march forward. Sometimes the haters inspire you more than you realize. And you could use it. You could utilize it that way. But sometimes, damn it, you just ain't in the mood to listen to that negativity because it can mess with your spirit, et cetera. What do you find yourself doing in order to get through it? Because I imagine I don't give a damn who you are. If you successful, somebody got something to say. And obviously you a successful brother.

[Cordae]

So people got stuff to say, appreciate you. It takes success to know success, my good brother.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How about that?

[Cordae]

But what was I finna say? You know what it is, too? I feel like our brains as an artist, entertainer, anybody with a platform, just human being, our brains are more centered and engaging to negativity, unfortunately. Especially when it's about us. So you may have 10,000 comments that's like, yo, Stephen, you the man, you the goat. You done did this. But your brain is automatically gonna pay attention to the 500 comments that's like, whoa, this nigga sucks. But you know what I'm saying? And that's for every entertainer, artist, whatever. So I say all this to say. I try to keep that in mind. Like fortunately for me, it's been a lot more love than negativity. So I try to just focus on the love and then two. Like you said. Like, I don't even pay attention to that shit. Like, I have Instagram on my phone. I upload it, I get my news. Like, it's like you read news and shit. I read the news. If I got to upload a song or post, whatever, do that and I delete the shit. And I try to only have it on my phone, like for that purpose, to read the news, get updated on what's going on in the zeitgeist, in the earth, post if I got to, and then just delete it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You don't get as much hate nearly as some other artists who will remain nameless. I'm not going to throw no shade on them because they don't deserve it, but you get a lot more love than hate. Why do you think that is?

[Cordae]

Because that's what I pay attention to. This is from my synopsis, you know what I'm saying? I'm sure there is like, you know, like you said, haters out there, negativity, but I only try to pay attention and give energy to the love, you know, so I'm not going to just say it's just all love and everybody just love Cordae. Everybody fuck with me. I know it's obviously it's not going to be that, that's impossible for any artist. But I just try to stay focused and give energy to the love versus, like the negativity because I've given too much energy and thought to the negativity and it make me like second guess myself, doubt myself, overthink. And like, when I just delete Instagram, Twitter, social media and I just live my actual life, it's like, nigga, like, I am super.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Are you a proponent of folks getting rid of their social media accounts not even having anything to do with it? You ain't got no social media account. You don't know what the hell is going on. You don't receive any of you, you don't pay attention to any of it. Are you a proponent, at least in some cases of people just having absolutely, positively nothing to do with social media?

[Cordae]

Man, My plan is to do that. I feel like I'm not quite there yet where I want to be and it will be behooving me and not behoove. I'll be a fool to do that. Not a fool, but it wouldn't be wise if I would do that right now.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Because your audience Is there?

[Cordae]

Yeah, my audience is there and there's other ways to, you know, direct to consumer ways. But yeah, my goal is to get to a place in my life, in my career where I don't have to entertain that at all.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Got you.

[Cordae]

You know, because it has positive, you know, positives. But, you know, I feel like the negatives is pretty large.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You originate a YBN group. I mean, it was filled with rappers, record producers, social media personalities and promoters from different parts of the country, if I remember correctly. I want to know how all of that came together. And was that the key to the group's success? The fact that everybody came seemingly from a different genre?

[Cordae]

Well, you know, I was like probably the last member of yb and honestly, it was started by YB and Namir and YB and Glizzy and YB and Almighty J. And they started off on the Xbox like they were all friends together on the Xbox and shit. And you know, they came up and came together and I was just cool with Namir. We had a mutual friend and whenever we was in the same city, we would link, if you would.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right.

[Cordae]

And so, you know, I gotta be honest, like, Namir just threw me that oops. He honestly just threw me the crazy oop. And I called it and slam dunked it. So I'm like forever grateful. Like, no matter what Naomir got to say about me, I don't got nothing but the absolute highest things to say about him. Cause he shined that light when he didn't have to and he owe me that. So I got nothing but love for him and that group and what it's done for me. And just not even more so what it's done for me. But that time in my life, you know what I'm saying to us, just being young, making music, traveling the world and stuff. So that was really like Namir and them that constructed and construed that whole thing.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, you talk about what was done for you. What do you believe you've done for the music industry, for hip hop?

[Cordae]

I feel, I don't know. This is going to sound narcissistic, but you know it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm asking you.

[Cordae]

Yeah, you know what I'm saying?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You only. All you're doing is answering the question.

[Cordae]

That's true.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's all. Blame me for that. Damn it. Blame me.

[Cordae]

Well, since you mentioned it, brother, there we go. But I feel like, I feel like I bring a much needed balance to music because it's a lot of dark shit, you know what I'm saying? And you know, that's cool. Like how you express yourself, you know, Edgar Allan Poe is dark, you know what I'm saying? Langston Hughes had some dark poems every now and then, right? So it's a lot of darkness in music. And that's fine, you know. Cause that's how you're expressing yourself. And you gotta talk about your environment. I mean, I got a song called Mad as Fuck. I got a song called Broke as Fuck. Sometimes you gotta let that get out of you, you know, like how Mad as Fuck came about. I don't really complain too much, to be honest. I don't like. Well, I.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Just because you ain't complaining too much don't mean you ain't feeling it in your soul.

[Cordae]

Yeah, exactly. I would like to say I am. We just talked about this earlier. I'm a. If I complain, I like to be solution based. I'm a solution based complainer. Like I was at my homies crib and shit. We was playing a game and I was thinking in my head like, damn, this nigga TV small as shit, but want to see it. We in there playing the game. This like a 30 inch TV.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm like, damn, this TV not today's day and age. Got to be at least 75.

[Cordae]

That's what I'm saying. So I was just like, I was thinking about it and I was just laughing because I was like, yo, this TV small As like my boy like, what? What you laughing? I'm like, no. He's like, what the TV small? And I was like, I was like, nah. But I say that to say I end up and I'm not. I don't want to say like, oh, I did this for my homie. But I didn't want to bring up that TV until I got them a new one. I got him a new one as like a housewarming gift, you know what I'm saying? Because it's like, yo, I want to. Let's be solution based. So wrapping back to your question of what I'm needed for in hip not needed, but what I think I've brought to hip hop is just like just positivity amongst so much dark shit. Refreshing sound amongst so much dark shit. Authenticity. And in just realness, I just be myself. I can't be compromised. I'm going to always say what's on my heart, whether right or wrong. I'm going to always say what I feel, whether right or wrong. I'm not on no politically correct vibes. I'm not for no huge corporation. You Know, I'm not here to, like, oh, you know, entertainment. You know, you got to be smart. Right. Don't be a fool. But I feel like we owe it to the general public and the fans to still, like, speak with our hearts, say what's on our mind, and not be too afraid to burn bridges that we're robots. You know what I'm saying? And so I feel like what I bring to music is, like, authenticity. Me speaking my full truth and nothing but the truth, whether right or wrong, and a fresh sound and, yeah, just some light.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I could be wrong. I don't recall hearing you much. And I'm gonna bring this up, and I'll only go as far as you want me to because this is your business. But congratulations, you got a baby.

[Cordae]

Oh, thank you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Naomi Osaka. I mean, she fantastic tennis player. Fantastic. Okay. But we know her story in terms of what she had to go through with fans.

[Cordae]

Yep.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And what she had to deal with. What was that like for you as the man in her life, Seeing her go through that and thinking to yourself, what could you do, if anything at all, in light of the fact that she's in the public eye and you had people that were just coming at her just because that's what people are gonna do. You got fans, and you got people that want you to lose, and everybody wasn't rooting for her. What was that like for you?

[Cordae]

Well, to be honest, when she was going through all of that stuff, like, I'm on tour, while she's on tour, I'm on tour. You know what I'm saying? So it's not the best when you can't be there in person for somebody, you know? So it kind of sucked that she had to go through that by herself. And it's funny, my first time going to a tennis event regardless was at the US Open. I was just like, I saw you. I felt uncomfortable, you know what I'm saying? Like, I was just like, damn, like, yo, this feels like a lot of classism, you know what I'm saying? A lot of racism. I would say more classism than racism, but I just felt like a black sheep, if you would. And so I can only imagine, as a black tennis player, I'm just a bystander in the crowd. And I felt, like, hella out of place, you know what I'm saying? Like I said, I myself in every venue where I'm at, so I'm like, let's go, nigga. At the US Open, it's all quiet and n's like, what you know, So I say all that to say, yeah, man, it's hard, man, because it's like when you're like. And it's not like a team sport either. And I don't wanna speak for her because I don't know what she truly felt and I don't wanna be. I ain't her pr and I'm not her spokesperson, so I don't wanna misrepresent her, of course, but I can only imagine what it feels like when you're out there by yourself. You don't got teammates, you can't even. Damn. I think they can just now start talking to the coaches. So, yeah, it's easy for them to feel alone out there. And that's a whole nother layer when you add, you're a person of color, you know what I'm saying? And you're a loud person of color when you speak. Your ideals, your truth.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It broke my heart to watch her go through that. And this is the last thing I'll say about that, because you have a right to know where I stood on that issue. On one hand, I felt incredibly sad for her for having to go through it. But I cover sports.

[Cordae]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And it seemed very normal to me what people were doing. In other words, she's great. We don't want her winning. She busting people ass left and right. Tennis court, anything that we could do to distract her and to stop her from continuing to bust out. You know what? For the athlete that we're rooting for, that's what they were going to do. You a Washington Commanders fan in football, right?

[Cordae]

Yes, sir.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You go to MetLife Stadium, ain't nobody rooting for them. You go to Dallas, ain't nobody rooting for them. So I was saying to myself, as a sports fan, as wrong as it may be, there's no way to escape that because nobody is going to stop. How do you continue to move forward knowing that the world that we're living in, you're going to have people rooting for you, and then you're going to have people rooting against you. And those who are rooting against you will do everything they can to derail your success? I'm like, what do you say to that? I'm asking you as a sports fan, more so than anything else.

[Cordae]

Yeah, of course.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How do you deal with it?

[Cordae]

Well, I feel like with tennis is different because it's such. The culture at a tennis match is like, nobody don't say nothing. You know what I'm saying? It's very like, you Speak when. And I might be the wrong representative.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Sure.

[Cordae]

Because I've only been to not too.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Many, you know, same here.

[Cordae]

But I feel like not a covered sport. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. But the culture is just like, quietness, you know what I'm saying? It's like quietness, you know, it's very. It's a club sport. It's a very elitist sport is how the vibes that I get from it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So heckler, everybody don't feel invited. I say the same thing about golf.

[Cordae]

Yeah, exactly.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't necessarily feel invited.

[Cordae]

Yeah. So hecklers aren't as often in that sport as it is like basketball, football. And whether, you know, heckler is right or wrong, like you said, it's a part of the game, but it's just much more of a standout. In tennis sport, it's super rare. Versus basketball. Niggas like, hey, nigga, you suck every day. You know what I'm saying? And so just going back to just athletes in general and how they should deal with that. I feel like everybody has their own process. I mean, you got headphones, I guess where you playing, you can't put on headphones. But I don't know. It's like everybody. I don't have. I'm not gonna. I'm not an athlete, you know, So I don't wanna give athletes advice on how they should deal with fans, hecklers and things of that nature. Like, when I'm performing, it's all fans in there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's where I was going. Is it all fans when you're performing?

[Cordae]

Yeah, because they had to pay for a ticket. Like, when I'm doing a cordae headline show, like, that's what I'm speaking of. It's all. They literally pay to see me. It's nobody else there but me. So it's like literally, like, all love and admiration. Now, let's say when we do a festival, like a Coachella, like coachella, it's like 100 other artists, you know, it ain't gonna be. I haven't got any, like, booze. Fortunately, I haven't got. You know, I feel like I put on a really damn good show.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You would do if you did get.

[Cordae]

Boos, how do you think that would affect you, honestly? So the equivalent of boos to me performing is a dry crowd, you know what I'm saying? If they're just not energetic, they ain't reacting.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They ain't reacting. They ain't giving it back to you.

[Cordae]

And in that case, brother, I put in both of my in ears. And I just treat it like it's TV performance. I just put on my in ears. I still give them a great performance. I rock through it and I get my money.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You address a lot of social issues. I'm thinking About Crossroads, your third album's coming out November 15th. I ain't forget that.

[Cordae]

Don't worry about it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'll be pumping that over in the days to come. Make no mistake about that. But I want to ask you, because you address a lot of social issues.

[Cordae]

Yes, sir.

[Stephen A. Smith]

In your music. How do you decide what issues you're going to address?

[Cordae]

Just about what's most important. What connects with me the most? On the day I dropped Saturday mornings, it was when the police killed this black woman. Okay? I can't think of the name off the top of my head, and I don't wanna sit down and research. But I say all this to say I had to drop a single the same day that that happened. And part of me was like, yo, this is crazy. This is fucked up. Like, yo, we gotta protect ours. We gotta protect our black women. Like, this is like, oh, this is crazy, right? This is crazy. You know what I'm saying? And part of me was like, I didn't wanna post it. Cause I didn't wanna seem like I was pandering on the day I dropped the single. It just happened to occur the same day. But I'm like, nah, I know where my heart was at. This really affected me. This really fucked me up. I was raised by all black women. I got eight aunts, you know what I'm saying? My mom, like. So I say all this to say just things that connect with me personally, you know what I'm saying? Things that connect with me and move me personally is what I try to speak on.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You fly under the radar.

[Cordae]

Yes, sir.

[Stephen A. Smith]

In a lot of people's eyes, you're pretty much under the radar. Number one, is that intentional? Number two, how do you pull it off considering the level of success you enjoy?

[Cordae]

You know what? It's definitely intentional. Because even this is my first interview for this entire, like, album rollout, you know what I'm saying? And because we have a relationship, we've been locked in for years, you know what I'm saying? I felt like it was important to do it on this show.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I appreciate that.

[Cordae]

No, I appreciate you for giving me the space to speak and. But yeah, just being very intentional because I don't want to oversaturate myself and I don't want to mince and waste words, you know? What I'm saying, I feel like a lot of people just be talking just for the sake of talking, you know what I'm saying? And like, I was going back earlier of, like, it's too many podcasts. Like, can it really be that many opinions about other things that's going on? Like, so I just try to offer a unique perspective on things. Going back to the music question, whatever. I feel like I can offer a unique perspective on something that hasn't been said before. And also things that touch me personally and with me just like, you know, laying low. It's just for my peace of mind, too. Like, just for my personal peace of mind, I like to live, like a fairly normal life, you know what I'm saying? High level, of course, you know, but.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You are with somebody who's one of the greatest players in the world, how you gonna live a low profile life? But you got somebody that large.

[Cordae]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And you large.

[Cordae]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It ain't like she out there doing her thing and you home, you know, working a nine to five.

[Cordae]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How you pulling that off, man?

[Cordae]

You know what's funny? She moves even lower than me, like, in the sense of, like, low Keyness, you know what I'm saying? And so, yeah, man, just, I don't know, just being intentional. I feel like just being intentional about everything. Even when I go out in public. Like, my hair is the dead giveaway when I wear my hair, when I'm like, out like this, I walk. I gotta take a hundred pictures. Pictures. And I'm fine with that. It's super cool. But, like, y'all just wear a do rag shades, you know, masks. So just being intentional, you know, I'm.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Gonna throw something out to you. I want to get your opinion on this because you brought up the, you know, like the invasion of the epidemic, the podcast epidemic and stuff like that.

[Cordae]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Here's what I detest about it, okay? Like, this shit here is earned. It ain't giving. I put in decades before I decided to do something like this.

[Cordae]

Absolutely.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's not the fact that people have podcasts. It's exactly what you pointed out. It's what they doing with it. I'm seeing cats. And again, you put in work, I put in work, and I'm looking at people with podcasts, and it's like, all right, let me tell you what happened. And they're playing a clip of somebody else's work, somebody else's interview. They're putting it out there. They sitting at the same desk. Ain't move. They ain't travel, they ain't research, they ain't do any of this. Well, let me tell you what I feel about this. And for some reason, that's a podcast. And as a result, they're getting paid off of that. And the way I view it is you want to get paid for not working. Because we could tell the difference between those who's putting in the work and those who don't. That's what appalls me about the podcast business, because I'm in it, right? It's supposed to be a form of journalism.

[Cordae]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right. A form of commentary. And to me, that's not the case in a lot of situations. As a musician, as an artist, how does it make you feel if you see somebody out there that ain't putting in the work, but for some reason is getting a little bit of shine even when that work isn't there?

[Cordae]

Honestly, I'll be like, man, get your money, bro. I don't got an ounce of hater in me. Like, yo, get to it, bro. That don't got nothing to do with me. It is enough, fan.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like I said, it's enough for everybody.

[Cordae]

It's enough for everybody. I am blessed, bro. I've done three headline tours across the world, all of them sold out. You know what I'm saying? I do very well for myself. It's like, okay, I don't get it. Even when I have friends and family that do music and they play it for me and I'm like, yo, I'm gonna give you my opinion, but I am one human being, bro. It's artists out there that I think are garbage juice, bro. Straight garbage juice. But they doing they thing you can find the audience. We're in the age now. Just find your niche audience, cater to them, and they're gonna tell their like minded friends about it, you know what I'm saying? And so 7 billion people in the world, so when I see an artist that's like garbage juice and they're like going crazy and blowing up, it's like, yo, get yours, get yours.

[Stephen A. Smith]

While you're here, get yours.

[Cordae]

Absolutely. Cause gold don't get old and like longevity. Those that's supposed to be here, always stay here.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Got you. That's a good point. That's a good phrase to live by. Crossroads, back to that. What can fans expect?

[Cordae]

My best work yet, like my whole model, like I was telling you earlier, has just been pushing that pin, you know, like production wise. I think this is my most tasteful beat selection out of all, all my previous projects. And I just been pushing that pen. Like there's some songs where I rewrote the verses eight times and I might end up just going back to the very first verse. But the fact is I at least wanted to push my pen to see if I can take it further. Some verses I. Out of the eight verses that I wrote, I take a piece of this, piece of that, piece of that, piece of that, and that becomes the verse. But because once music is out, it's out, bro. It goes into eternity forever. Once it's in the zeitgeist, it's there. It's no going back. And so I just sleep a lot better at night knowing that I put my all into it. And I tried my very best to push it, to take it to the highest level I can, like creatively. And my motto right now, the last year has been, if I had a time machine and I go in that time machine and play the music Back for 16 year old Cordae. Is he impressed with the music? Not with, oh my God, I made it. I got Emmys and Grammys. I done sold millions of records. Like, nah, it's just like I just go back in the time machine, play him the music. He needs to be impressive. Like, yo, I was able to get that good. Like I was able to create something that's good. Like, wow. And if I don't think it impresses 16 year old Cordae, then it's gonna stay in the vault.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I've never met an artist that don't have an opinion about sports.

[Cordae]

Come on, before I let you get.

[Stephen A. Smith]

On out of here, let's do this. What the hell is on your mind about the sports world? Let's get that out the way. First of all, what's on your mind? Is it NFL? Is it NBA? What's on your mind most?

[Cordae]

Both of them, man. I'm tapped into the NFL. I see the jets just got devontae Adams. Yeah, Legion. You know how they say that about Aaron gm?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't know what it's gonna do for them with Baltimore, Kansas City, Buffalo.

[Cordae]

He's Buffalo just got Amari Coco. Yeah, that's a big pickup for them. Yeah. Nah, commanders. I see the Panthers. You know, my dad's a big Panthers fan, so I grew up heavy on Panthers.

[Stephen A. Smith]

My condolences to your dad.

[Cordae]

Yeah, man. Damn. Yeah, Horrible franchise.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, horrible.

[Cordae]

Yo, we have the worst GM in sports. How the fuck. Excuse my French, but it's the only way to say it. How the fuck I'm saying excuse my French, 30 minutes in an interview.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right.

[Cordae]

But yo, how the fuck do you trade away Christian McCaffrey for two second round picks?

[Stephen A. Smith]

How do you miss that? Badly on Bryce Young compared to CJ Stroud. Now, I know Bryce Young coming out of Alabama was all world, but damn, you see how small he is? And you look at the offensive line that's supposed to protect, I mean, hundreds of million dollars.

[Cordae]

They spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the offensive line.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And then they want to talk to me. Like I can say something different than what I'm saying. I'm like, I can't help you. I mean, it's just that damn bad. Now I will say this about your commanders. Jaden Daniels. Yeah, nothing. Jaden Daniels, True. I'm trying to lay low. Cause I don't want to jinx him. I don't want him to get hurt like RG3 got hurt.

[Cordae]

Don't bring up that cornball brother.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Don't stop. Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't. Don't bring up my man Rob Parker like that. Don't do it, don't do it. We gonna let that go. But I tell you, this RG3 was big time.

[Cordae]

Nah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Until a lo. Nearly.

[Cordae]

Well, that cornball brother was throwing that thing.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Brother was special.

[Cordae]

No doubt about it for sure.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Jaden Daniels, you believe in him?

[Cordae]

Absolutely, 100%. I rebuke all RG3 energy. Jesus name. Rebuke it. Nah. Jayden Daniel's the one. You know what this reminds me of? Like, just that excitement. They didn't do what they were supposed to do. But I remember just being in sixth grade, we had like Jason Campbell, like QB Santana Moss, Clint Portis Albert, Houndsworth, you know, before the season started, Sean Taylor, John Taylor. God, what a monster.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Monster.

[Cordae]

Oh, my goodness. But that squad just had me so excited before the season started. Now they went 8 and 8, right? God rest Sean Taylor soul. But I say this to say this Commander's team, man, it's looking real good for us.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I think they could win nfc.

[Cordae]

We got rid of Dan Schneider, man. We had to get. He was.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Ain't that something?

[Cordae]

Yeah, we had to get. He was cursed.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't even know he in the country. He won't come back in the country. He over in England somewhere.

[Cordae]

Yeah, he was cursing, man. Like, we good dog.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I know that. Listen, Josh Harris, a billionaire, he paid over $6 billion for the franchise. But part of that ownership group is Irving. Magic Johnson. How you feeling about that?

[Cordae]

I love it, man, I love it. This is great. Now they need to buy the wizard, too. They don't own the Wizards.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, they don't.

[Cordae]

Okay.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, they don't. You do know this. They almost as bad as the Carolina Panthers.

[Cordae]

They might be.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They might be worse. Yeah, but, but I mean, the only thing you could say is that at least Carolina only puts us through 17 weeks of misery to. Look, the, the, the, the. The Wizards put us through 82 games of this.

[Cordae]

Yeah, man, it's the Wizards. It's bad.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, so who you got in the NBA this year?

[Cordae]

NBA? I like the Mavs. I think the Mavs. Let me tell you, Let me tell you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Go ahead, go ahead. They just got their ass whipped in the final.

[Cordae]

Cause they got Klay Thompson, man. I think he got a bone to pick, man. He got a point to prove, man. I feel like people been playing with him. I feel like, oh, he's big time. You know, he's big time hall of.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Famer, one of the great shooters. But they think he lost the step. Golden State thinks he lost the step defensively.

[Cordae]

And now he's a third option versus the second option.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay? If he's open, he gonna make shots.

[Cordae]

He gonna hit that. He got shots. And Kyrie handing it off to him, man.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Here's my issue with Kyrie Irving. Spectacular, spectacular throughout the years. Put on a show in the playoffs and was absolutely sensational in the finals in Boston. But in Boston, he forgot how to play.

[Cordae]

Nah, nah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

In Boston, in Boston, we ain't gonna do that.

[Cordae]

Look, I'm gonna tell you, that's my brother in real life. I'm a little biased. I'm a little biased. I'm a little biased. That's my tribe. For real. For real. That's my main man.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got a lot of love for him, despite what people think. We had our disagreements, but I respect the hell out of him. And I got a lot of love for him.

[Cordae]

And going back to the point of, like, that courage and that willingness to speak his truth. He did no political correctness.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He did.

[Cordae]

And I feel like the entire world. And you said this publicly owes him apology.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right?

[Cordae]

You know what I'm saying? Like, people owe this man an apology because he stood on his beliefs and his morals, and we gotta reward that as a community.

[Stephen A. Smith]

In fairness, with you sitting here, I'll look right in the camera and I'll say this, okay? I got on him.

[Cordae]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But I got on him because I got tired of him missing them damn games. He's too great for me. Not to watch you, watch you play. He's too great. But I was never of the mindset, yo, take the vaccine during the COVID pandemic because it's the vaccine. I was of the mindset, yo, they Katie in Brooklyn cause of you. James Harden in Brooklyn because of you. Do what you gotta do to make sure you winning the chip in Brooklyn. That was my position. But I do owe him an apology. So does everybody else in this regard. What we've seen, the politicians turn it into, what we've seen revealed about COVID the vaccine, and all the stuff that comes with it, the conspiracy theories and beyond, the inconsistencies, the statistical lies. Kyrie look a hell of a lot better now than he did years ago. People like me and others need to shut the hell up about that. That issue. We can't say anything against him at this point.

[Cordae]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Did I do well?

[Cordae]

That was great. Was that good? Appreciate it, brother.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That love right there, my man. I'm proud of you, man. Keep making it happen. Crossroads drops November 15th. All the best to you, man. Always home here for you, my brother.

[Cordae]

I appreciate you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Thank you.

[Cordae]

I'll take this couch with me, too, man.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I need the couch, man. I ain't got your money. I don't feel like buying another one.

[Cordae]

We ain't going to talk. We ain't going to do that, brother. But you know what? All right. We good. We good. We going to do that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right. All right. Joe.

[Cordae]

Yes, sir.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the king of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Julie Swerbinks]

What's up, everyone? Julie Swearbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

[Nate Thompson]

We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.

[Julie Swerbinks]

The Name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.

[Nate Thompson]

Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

[Julie Swerbinks]

Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.

[Nate Thompson]

Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.

[Julie Swerbinks]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.