R&B/Hip-Hop

Kehlani announced on Wednesday (May 15) that she’ll release her fourth studio album, Crash, on June 21. Less than 24 hours after the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter teased the LP’s title with a bevy of crash-related tweets, they also revealed the incredibly intricate album artwork on social media, which features them sitting atop a demolished red car […]

It’s the dog days of tour for Mariah the Scientist. The 26-year-old R&B singer-songwriter is relaxing in her Detroit hotel room, alongside her older sister-manager Morgan Buckles, for a well-deserved off-day ahead of Mother’s Day in her jam-packed schedule.

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Performing in venues nearly double the size of her 2022 Experimental Tour, Mariah is trekking through the Midwest — with the finish line in sight at the end of the month, as the Atlanta native makes up a handful of dates after getting sick earlier in the tour.

Her third studio LP, To Be Eaten Alive, arrived in October, packed with love-drunk anthems and serving as her first release since moving from RCA to Epic Records. The project marked her first to make the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 93. She says she’s been thrilled with how the partnership has blossomed over the last seven months.

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“A lot of times labels get a bad rap,” she tells Billboard. “There’s a whole thing against labels, and I don’t really feel that way. It’s one thing to have a bad deal… It’s [another] thing to have a partnership. A lot of the narratives are pushing against that, but I feel like Epic brought something to the table.”

This year has brought on a series of wins for Mariah The Scientist, who also earned her first Hot 100 entry in January as part of Tee Grizzley and Chris Brown’s “IDGAF” (No. 100). She went back-to-back on the chart with a second entry in the following week, for her appearance on “Dark Days” (No. 70), from 21 Savage’s American Dream album.

“Those two Billboard [chart] entries were a milestone in my career,” she says proudly. “I feel like it encouraged and motivated me to get one [as a lead artist]. I’m glad they included me on that music, but now I wanna do it myself.”

Check out the rest of our interview with Mariah, as the singer opens up about bringing her cat on tour, keeping Young Thug in the loop about the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud and much more.

How has tour been? What are some of your favorite stops so far?

It’s been really long this time, I guess. When I got sick, we postponed a few [shows] and that made it seem longer. The top three cities – Atlanta definitely was No. 1, Orlando and probably Detroit. 

Morgan Buckles: My favorite show was L.A. We were at The Wiltern, which holds about 3,000 people. Mariah was beginning to get sick around that time. She was upset about her outfit, she wasn’t in the best mood. As soon as she went on the stage, nobody could even tell. To me, if you ask her, she hates it. We have different opinions, and I’m sure it looks much different from her perspective — but from where I was standing, every single person was screaming on their feet. Usher came to the show and he was super proud of her. It felt so good to be so well received.

Do you have any hobbies on the road to stay sane on tour?

My cat, I bring him everywhere. He’s with me right now. I’ve taken him so many [places] — I’ve taken him places he wasn’t supposed to go. Everywhere we’ve gone. He’s been to Portugal. When I tell you this cat has been all over the world. He has been more places at the age of three than [anybody]. I wonder does he even know the life he lives? I’m sneaking him in and out it’s crazy.

Other than that, my hotel room workouts. I’m trying to keep my abs together. Running around with [Morgan], and my cousin running around with us and my newly-adopted sister DJ Honey. It’s been a good time. 

I respect that you’ve kept your prices low for your tour compared to some other artists. 

I feel like I have a lot of younger fans, so I don’t really want it to be not affordable for them. When I was young, I could not afford that stuff. When I go on the internet and I see the resale prices, it kinda upsets me. We talk about the resale prices a lot — because who the hell can afford that? I couldn’t back then, and I’m not saying nobody can now. It’s a little unfair. I guess it’s just I’m growing and it comes with it or whatever.

Even some of the merchandise is re-sold for ridiculous prices. In some ways, I’m flattered that people are willing to spend that on me. I hope they feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. I feel like we’re putting a lot into it. I just want everyone to feel welcomed here with whatever I’m doing. 

You’ve come a long way as a performer. How did you end up getting comfortable and what did you work on? I heard you reference ear-mouth coordination.

I think the show has evolved so much. I’ve been on five tours in the last two years. I’ve performed a lot since the beginning. Going on tour with bigger artists, Rod Wave, A Boogie [Wit Da Hoodie] and Future – and granted those are rap artists — I kinda use the opportunity as a case study on strangers with people who are not familiar with me or my music. I try to take that dynamic and focus more on the performance itself. When it’s your fans, they will accept you in any capacity. When it’s other people, you don’t want to psyche yourself out too much or strategize too much.

When I was on tour with other people, I just tried to have a good time. I feel energy is contagious. I feel like if I’m having a good time and enjoying my performance, it will rub off on other people. I used it as target practice, and when my tour came around, we spent a lot of time trying to elevate the production in general. I appreciate the fact my sister puts so much time into it. I feel like I can trust her with the task, when I was trying to focus on my part of the craft. I feel like it came out really good. I read a lot of the things people say about and I feel they really enjoy themselves. It’s a total difference from where I first started. I can’t wait to see what happens next when we’re in bigger venues as we keep going.

Morgan Buckles: The internet had so many things to say about her at that time. They talked about her vocals, how nervous she was, her breath control. Between then and now, we’ve done so many tours. In building the right team around her, everything has gotten so much better. It’s a world of difference. She’s much more confident.  

I feel like people were trying to bully you on your performance initially. What was your reaction to that? 

I think in the beginning, I didn’t totally know what I was doing. It was different for me. Most artists have always wanted to do music. That was their dream. So it’s like I look at people who have been singing for their whole lives – a Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey – those people always wanted to do that. They had their whole lives to prepare for it. Like Beyoncé, she’s got so much archived footage of her singing [at a young age], anticipating that this is what she’d be doing.

I didn’t necessarily have that. Even if I liked music or liked to sing, I never looked at it as if it was gonna be my career. From the starting point I had no idea what I was doing. Somebody told me the other day they were there for my first-ever Rolling Loud performance, and another called Day N Vegas, and there’s this viral clip from this festival. Rolling Loud was my second performance and Day N Vegas was my third or fourth. They gave me this great slot. Everything aesthetically was there, and I just wasn’t experienced in being a performer. I would get so anxious about it, and I was so nervous, and I would laugh it off or play off the anxiety and it wasn’t received that well in the beginning. 

The internet can cut it up and make it into whatever they want to make it into. It’s not that I was asking for grace from anybody, but the truth of the matter is I didn’t know what I was doing. It did take a lot of practice. Whenever I get the opportunity to go on tour again, I go and take it, because I feel like I could be better at what I’m doing. It’s easier to get into character now. It’s not necessarily a character, but what you want to portray at that moment.

Do I feel like I was a little bullied? I just feel like people weren’t that open to knowing the story they just ran off with pieces of information without knowing or lack thereof when it comes to me seeing, growing up and doing that. I just had to work overtime to make it right in real time because I didn’t have that experience. Now I have it and it’s way better. I’m just happy the people who were they to see it in the beginning are also here to see the growth now. 

You just needed reps it sounds like. How has the dynamic been of having your sister as your manager and tour manager these last couple of years?

It started off slow. I guess I’m not trusting of people in general. I’ve had a few managers and everything. Not saying they weren’t trustworthy, it’s different when it’s your sister, because I can’t get rid of her in real life. If there’s a task and a goal, it’s easy to share goals — because we want some of the same things in life. Not just for ourselves, but for each other. I feel like working together does more good than bad. You could say that with a lot of people, but specifically with my sister it’s like keeping it in the family. The more success I garner, the more success she garners. It can only contribute to the legacy. Our parents – repaying them for the time and the energy they put into raising us. 

Is it tough to juggle the roles of talking to her as a sister and then talk as a manager because those lines can get blurred?

They can – that’s inevitable. Don’t get it twisted, we work well together, but there’s been plenty of times she’s cursing me out, I’m cursing her out. That’s sisterly, I guess. I’m not saying that’s how we should go about it, but it happens. We spend a lot of time together. It’s inevitable that you won’t see eye-to-eye at some point. There’s still common goals and objectives. That’s not to be overlooked for minor disagreements. I just feel like I would rather build something with her than to build with someone else. I’d rather just see the people I grew up with and was raised with thriving off a gift that God gave me. I feel like there’s a way to capitalize in their own ways on what I’m doing.

That’s the gift that keeps on giving. That’s the best part of doing something that goes so far in the world. You can bring people with you and they can bring things to the table that you wanted to do on your own. I’ve gone through management. I’ve gone through production, but it’s like — my sister has put a lot of time into that. I feel like she could do that for other people. She was really good at doing that. She acquired that skill set, and I was the guinea pig. I love that for me and I love that for her too. I feel like she can take that anywhere because she has that experience. 

Morgan Buckles: If you ask Mariah, I don’t know the difference. I’m older [by three years], so I think to Mariah I’ve always tried to boss her around whatever she’s doing. Right before she went on tour with Rod Wave, she fired her old tour manager and asked me to do it. She realized very quickly I was much more assertive than she thought I was. After that tour, she ended up parting ways with her management. I never looked at it as if I’d be her full-time manager, but I knew she needed help with so many things. I felt I’d much rather it be me. I knew I could do everything extremely well, and I care more about it because she’s my sister. Anytime there was a need for anything, I would help her figure it out. 

It’s definitely not always easy. You know how it is with siblings. If I chose to ever manage other people, it would be a walk in the park. Not that Mariah is difficult as an artist — but just the dynamic of certain relationships. They teach you so much about yourself. With the exception of my parents, Mariah’s been the longest relationship I’ve had in my whole life. We know how to push each other’s buttons and get under each other’s skin. I feel like working with anybody else would be a breeze. Nobody would ever be able to get to me like Mariah. Nothing would feel more rewarding either. 

You made your Hot 100 debut with “IDGAF” with Chris Brown and Tee Grizzley, and followed that up the next week on 21 Savage’s “Dark Days“…

It’s lit. I’m so happy that they included me on that song. I know that was so cool. That was very exciting for me. I’m glad you’re asking me this. I feel like a lot of people and media outlets, they put a lot of time and attention into things that are less relevant to my career. They don’t pay attention to the accolades that I’m so excited about. It’s almost rare that somebody’s interested in your accolades. Everyone wants to see the negativity, and see you doing poor,ly and they want to advertise and promote that.

I feel like it’s important for people like that to inspire younger artists who are doing things for the first time — because a lot of people in Atlanta have done that for me. I don’t want to say “duty,” but it’s a goal for me to be able to do that with other people. That’s why I brought Chxrry 22 and Ryan Trey with me on tour, because I see potential with them. If somebody looked out for me when I was at that point in my career, it could’ve made a world of difference.

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Touching on Young Thug — what are your conversations like recently, and how often do you get to speak to him?

I talk to him every day, all day. When I have the opportunity to go to court and tune in physically, I am there. I feel like he appreciates, respects and encourages the fact that I have a strong work ethic and am actively working as much as I can. It’s good to do that, because if I didn’t I probably would be a little more down and out about it. He’s done a lot of the things I’m doing now, but he’s, like, living vicariously through me again. We talk about it all the time. I feel like he pushes me to do more things. He’s very encouraging. He’s definitely supportive. 

Are his spirits up?

He’s just like that. I feel like sometimes they expect me to say he’s down and out. He’s not really that kind of guy. It’s very rare that he’s like that. Obviously, everybody doesn’t have perfect days every single day. For the most part, I have more down days than he does. I don’t want to say I believe too much in astrology, but he’s a Leo, and Leo is ruled allegedly by the sun. I’m a Scorpio and a Scorpio is allegedly ruled by Pluto — the coldest, darkest planet. And he’s the sun. It can be a lot of contrast. Where there’s room for contrast, there’s room for balance.

Is he up on current events? Does he know about the Drake-Kendrick feud?

For sure. I tell him everything. I might tell him too much. I play him the [diss] songs over the phone and s–t. He’s a lover of music in general. He f–ks with everybody. I don’t think he would ever be able to – let me not speak for him. He love music though.

He thinks it’s interesting, for sure. We were listening to some of the songs. Not all of them, because now I’ve gotten lost. In the beginning, I was like, “Hey, there’s a tizzy going on.” I played him some of it. I feel like those two people are both great rappers. With all of the rappers with the guy and the girl rappers, granted it’s cool for the craft, and to be able to keep up with that — because let me not lie and say there’s no competitive energy in the music industry. Because there is.

But imagine [if] like everybody was f–king with each other. It gets weird with the girls. Especially the girls. I like almost everybody. It’s like where you have to be more political I guess. I wanna be cool with everybody. I wanna respect everybody’s music, but everybody’s always f—king mad. It’s weird, and it’s hard to navigate. You want to support everybody and you also don’t want to offend anybody. I can be possessive like that. Not that I want anybody to pick a side. It’s normal to feel if you’re not f–king with somebody, that the people around you maybe should also feel that way.

I feel like music is a big thing in the world, and it can change a lot of things. If we put more good into it, maybe more good will come out of it. If we put more bad, maybe more bad comes out of it. Now that they came with their diss tracks, do they need to make a song together now?

I don’t know if they’re gonna have that moment reuniting on stage.

When I was listening to the songs, they weren’t talking about things they’ve done to each other. They were talking about how they feel as individuals. It wasn’t like, “You slapped the s–t out of me. I don’t f–k with you, so I gotta write this song.” It wasn’t like that. It was, “We don’t like when you say n—a.” “You’re allegedly beating you’re wife.” Those are opinions. Those are rumors. Those aren’t like direct attacks on each other.

I guess it’s just the culture of rap. I’m not really like a rapper … That’s men’s business so I stay out of it. I feel like it was cool and interesting to see. I don’t want to see them getting really mad about it. 

I felt the feud was great for hip-hop.

The thing with men, there is pride and ego. Even how you said they wouldn’t get on the stage together — if they ain’t f—king with each other, they ain’t f—king with each other. These are two of the biggest artists in the world. It’s kinda like what Thug is going through right now. He’s a big artist and he makes music. A lot of people in the world can attach themselves to lyricism. Attach themselves to something that’s just supposed to be an art form. We appreciate the support, but sometimes people get so deep into it that you don’t know what’s to happen. It’s not just you. You make a message and they make a message and live by the message. Sometimes it’s just art.

Maybe it would be better if they just made a song together. That’s a stretch when it comes to men, but just an overview and thought about the sport in general, and the competitive nature of it. It’s just an art form. When you have an NBA Finals game, they’re gonna go and play, and at the end they’re gonna walk past each other and dap each other up. Sometimes you get mad and don’t wanna do it. But it’s the camaraderie of the sport, and the respectability, and that’s why I appreciate organizations like the NBA and the NFL because they have standards. Music is a little more lenient and less structured. It would be cool if we stood on some standard of respectability. 

I was thinking on the women rap side it feels as if the younger artists almost have to pick a side on the Nicki [Minaj] side or Cardi B side.

And those are two really great artists. And I get it, if you don’t like somebody, you don’t like somebody. It can make it weird for everybody that’s looking up to you. It can make it weird for all the people that you inspire. They don’t know what to do. They don’t know if they shouldn’t be f—king with this person. I like both of those artists. It’s hard and it makes it weird. It would never be a time when you can invite two people you like at one time, because everybody’s mad.

Me, personally, if I had to pick — and this is my honest opinion — when it comes to having to pick sides and people, you have to show love to the people that show love to you. You have to go with the people showing love to you. You can’t be acting surprised or be like you ain’t f—-king with somebody who you don’t know, because they’re f—-king with somebody who’s showing them love. 

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How did you feel about the reception to To Be Eaten Alive?

I feel like [people have treated it] it really well. I feel like I got a lot of new listeners from that project. They love [my earlier projects] Ry Ry World and Master, but I feel like I’ve garnered a lot of new attention from To Be Eaten Alive. Even with Epic my label, I actually love and appreciate them. I love my A&Rs as people and professionals. I love Sylvia [Rhone] and [Ezekiel Lewis]. They have definitely believed in my project from the get-go. As we listened to it in the early stages, I just feel like they were there for it. They loved it from the jump. They’ve supported and encouraged me. They put a lot into it — almost as much as I do. And I’m thankful for that. 

Time flies when you’re having fun. After shedding the exhausting weight that came with executive-producing Gunna’s first post-prison release, 2023’s A Gift & a Curse (Gunna reached an Alford Plea deal in the YSL RICO case and was released in December 2022), hitmaking producer Turbo and the Georgia-bred rap star got back to the essence of their friendship: having a good time.

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Turbo serves as the architect on One of Wun — which arrived last Friday (May 10) — as the LP’s executive producer. Gunna pulls on life experiences throughout the album, while bragging about overseas yacht parties, orgy fantasies, being the best-dressed at the Met Gala or dropping 50 racks for a trainer in his melodic raps.

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The duo were inseparable over the last year, whether it was actually being together or talking on the phone when they couldn’t meet up. From the picturesque backyard of his L.A. mansion, Turbo relays to Billboard that coast to coast studio sessions from L.A. to Miami fueled One of Wun.

He estimates that they recorded 100 songs in total and recalls his favorite sessions actually taking place in the middle of the ocean — a first for Turbo — on a friend’s yacht off the coast of Florida, who had a studio built inside the boat, to set a vibe perfectly matching Gunna’s opulent taste level.

“It was more fulfilling that any album,” Turbo says of the project. “We’re on the other side of some little rut. Now we can have fun. We can sit in the studio all night how we used to, and it’s not as serious. The music is portraying the same thing.”

Turbo lent his signature “Run It Back, Turbo” tag, woozy production and booming bass to three One of Wun tracks (“Neck On a Yacht,” “Time Reveals, Be Careful What You Wish for” and “Whatsapp (Wassam)”) while his Playmakers production company protégés helmed a majority of the project.

Gunna is expected to earn another top five album on the Billboard 200 with One of Wun, and he’s solicited high praise from many for the set — including industry veteran Elliott Wilson, who hailed Wunna as a “top five MC in the game right now.”

Gunna is a top 5 MC in the game right now. 🏆— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) May 12, 2024

As for Turbo, the 29-year-old can finally turn his focus back to his own upcoming solo project as he’s teasing a new single releasing very soon. He’ll also be executive producing SleazyWorldGo’s debut album, which is expected to arrive later this year via Island Records.

Check out the rest of our interview with Turbo, who peels back the layers on Gunna’s One of Wun, recording on a yacht, the wild story behind “Whatsapp (Wassam)” and more.

What were yours and Gunna’s mindsets like while working on One of Wun? How many records did you guys end up doing?

We probably recorded 100 records. I have three on this album. The rest are to my producers signed to me, under The Playmakers. They have the lion’s share of the album, with 10-12 tracks. I executive-produced it with The Playmakers. The process is ultimate confidence. It’s having fun, really, this time. The last album we were in a place with him getting out of jail. Super-fun, super-summertime, super-girly records. Stuff to just have fun that you could just listen to. 

What were some conversations you had with Gunna regarding what you wanted to accomplish with this album, compared to the last one?

I think it was more so getting back to the music. Instead of the story, we were experiencing a lot of s–t, having a lot of fun doing it. Just getting back to what we were already doing before any of this mess happened.

Where were you guys recording? Were you together for a lot of it?

Man, I’ve seen Gunna every day. I’ve talked to Gunna every day pertaining to this album. A lot of it was recorded in L.A. Some of it was recorded in Miami on a boat. One of our buddies has a pretty large boat. We spent like a month in Miami just recording on the boat. 

Wait, he’s got a studio on the boat?

That’s P s–t. That alone was a vibe. Recording in the middle of the ocean on a f—–g boat. I had never done that. A song I produced called “Neck on a Yacht.” That was recorded on this boat. That was one of the top sessions I can say for this album. Something that was fun. We had fun doing it. A lot of it was between here, LA [and] Miami. [My favorite] was most definitely [recording] on the yacht.

How do you feel about Gunna’s growth sonically?

Especially with all the Afrobeat s–t going on that we been doing — I think it’s no limits. I think him and I are both going into the second phase of our careers. We’re going on some superstar artist-producer s–t. You’ll hear it with the music. A lot of it is something you’ve never heard before. It’s the same sonics but elevated. I think that’s where he’s going. He’s trying s–t. Pushing the limit. 

“Whatsapp,” can you expand on how that record came together?

“Whatsapp” was basically a true story. We went to an invite — one of our buddies had an event out here in LA. It was one of those billionaire-type of LA events. They seen Gunna there, and wanted him to perform two songs out of nowhere. Like, “Hey, can you perform two songs?” He goes, “Yeah, I don’t know…” They go, “We’ll give you $200,000.” I looked at him, he looked at me and I said, “You need to perform the f—king songs.” They were like from a different country, so they had to basically get the WhatsApp numbers to be able to handle the business and get the wiring information.

That’s how he’s been going. He’ll experience something and go to the studio and rap about it. The song is called “Whatsapp (Wassam).” ‘Wassam’ is an Atlanta slang basically saying, “What’s going on?” Just popping your s–t. 

That’s hilarious. Were they satisfied with his performance?

Were they satisfied? They were ecstatic. That was cool. A good Tuesday. 

Another one you produced was “Careful What You Wish For.”

It’s kind of pertaining to superstar s–t. That was something that was recorded earlier on in the process. As you hear in the song, you hear certain things about being a superstar and the things that come with being a superstar. A lot of people want the money, fame and the glitz and the glam, but there’s a lot [of other stuff] that comes with it. I think that’s just something he was trying to portray. He was speaking from his heart.

Honestly, I was in there with a few of my friends, and we’re all musicians. So he walked into us kinda having a jam session, and we were kinda jamming and playing music. Everybody had their keyboards out and we were playing music. He got on a handheld mic you can have in the studio and still be in the studio room, and he started rapping and mumbling and we recorded it. That’s how that came about. That’s why there’s no drums on there. We were literally just jamming and did everything right there, [as] if we were a band, for real.

How did the features like Normani come about? I know they just did a record together for her project. 

They were working [together] around that time. We go to the studio every day. It’s just work. That’s kinda how that week happened with all the features. We were working with them, doing stuff, and they just picked the best song. He’s never been that type [to go] like, “Let’s get a feature.” A lot of features he’s had in the past has always been our friends. Him and Normani are friends. Him and Leon [Bridges] are friends. We all just hang out. The music kinda just happens.

Do you care about sales numbers first-week or Billboard charts after the album comes out?

I think I should care, but I really don’t. It’s more so a cultural thing for me. I don’t know the tricks of the trade. If I ride somewhere and I hear somebody playing it in the car, I care about that. As far as the numbers, I try not to pay attention to that. 

Were you able to communicate with Gunna when he was behind bars?

Yeah, of course. 

What was that first studio session like when he first got out?

Our studio is kinda like the living room. It wasn’t like a studio session. Gunna’s my brother, so we talk a lot about s–t. Before we even got on this call, we were on the phone for 45 minutes. He’s in Africa shooting the “Jump” video for Tyla. It was a random call. The first sessions was literally that. Bro, we just having regular conversations [and] doing regular music. It was like any other session. 

What do you think about his growth from the early days to now?

I’m happy. I know they only give you five years in this s–t as an artist and producer. To be going on year seven, and [still] elevating to a new artist — and me elevating as a producer — I’m happy. 

You produced “From a Man” for [Young] Thug. How is working with [Young] Thug when he’s behind bars? [What’s the process] to produce records?

Same thing. That’s like my brother. His team are like my brothers. They said he needed it. That was something that was pre-recorded before he went to jail. And a song he loved — that’s why he had the video for it and were actually gonna release it. It’s a no-brainer.

Did you feel the growth of the creative community was stunted with Gunna’s and Thug’s arrests?

Yes, I feel it still is. They were such a big piece. I’m really in the studios, so you see how many artists come by and listen to music and hear how they talk. It’s like now they don’t have the study guide. 

I feel like Thug started a lot of that, bringing Lil Baby and Gunna around and championing those younger artists in Atlanta. 

That’s Atlanta culture though. The studio is everything. It’s the club. It’s the library. It’s the meeting room. If you’re around whoever you’re around, you’re going to reap certain benefits being around them. Just from hearing or learning sonically. That’s how I met a lot of artists, being in the studio. We’re able to just mesh. It wasn’t just Thug, it was Future, T.I. – that’s Atlanta culture. Now that it kinda went away, it just hasn’t been the same.

It’s crazy that A Gift & a Curse was snubbed by the Grammys this year. 

We gotta change the Grammys up. We’re not the first people to get snubbed. With all the success, nobody’s paying attention to that s–t. If you’re hearing “Fukumean” everywhere, that’s all that I cared about. 

Let’s get into your solo album coming up. Was “Bachelor” the first single?

Yeah, that was the first single. I’ma drop another single. I’m trying to figure out what song I want to use. That’s gonna be the introduction to my album.

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What’s the difference in the creative process compared to being a producer rather when it’s your own album?

As a producer, you have an opportunity to flex your creativity. When I’m working with certain artists, I’m coming into whatever world they’re trying to portray to the outside world. As a producer, I feel like I can make my own story. I’m not really gonna make it about me. I’m gonna make it about having fun. With my album, it’s been a long time coming. I been recording for years and trying to get the right situation and make sure everything is aligned and I’m happy with it because I just don’t wanna do anything, especially at a time when anybody’s doing everything.

The “Bachelor” single is Gunna – that’s a no-brainer. My next single might be Gunna, it might be not. I work a lot with Roddy Ricch, I work a lot with Rob49. Those are my guys. I been so focused on Gunna’s album, and I’m also doing another project with SleazyWorldGo. I been tied down with these two different things so I haven’t focused on my s–t since January. I think that’s what I want to portray. How can I get Stevie Wonder and Future on a song? As a producer, I could do that. That’s something that the world has never experienced. That’s where I’m trying to flex my creativity, and bring my friends in and put something out that’s never been put out.

Have you seen other producers dropping their own albums, like Metro Boomin, where they’ve had moments doing it?

Yeah, I feel like other producers have been trying. Metro put up big points for the producer world. I was talking to Timbaland, and that’s how he felt. To hear an OG say that, I thought that was pretty dope — like, this is real. It’s an easier conversation when we’re talking about doing these collaborations. A lot of people just wanna stay stuck in their world and might not wanna listen to producers. It’s always work for me. I can also say my success is a reason why you should listen, and Metro’s success is a reason you should listen.

So you’re doing Sleazy’s project too?

I’m executive producing Sleazy’s debut album. It’s a co-branded album. We’re about 80 percent done with it. We’re doing a lot of the media stuff right now. We’re gonna drop a few singles in the coming months. I’m super excited about it. His story is like next-level. That’s why I decided to f–k with him. People don’t know his story, and all the stuff he went through, to be so young. He’s keeping up with me in the studio and doing 100 songs. That’s something I always love. We probably got 20 or 30 songs recorded. It’s about tightening up everything. He’s adamant about how he likes things and how he wants to portray his music to the world. 

What have you noticed about the sound of hip-hop and how it’s changed from the mid-2010s to now?

A lot of the younger guys are doing things that are super fun and I’m here for it. Even some of the younger producers that are doing the craziest drum patterns. I don’t even know how they’re doing it, but I’m here for it. Whatever pushes this thing of music I love, I’m here for it.

I’m doing country records right now. Huge records. I don’t feel there’s any limits. I think TikTok and the internet brought that. In five years, I don’t know, we gonna be on some Matrix s–t. AI is crazy right now. Who knows? I was just in the studio with Teddy Swims last month – we did some crazy s–t. 

Who else are you working with this year?

I go some Moneybagg [Yo] and Morgan Wallen stuff coming out soon. A lot of country artists. Charlieonafriday, we just did something a couple of weeks ago. Gunna, myself, Sleazy. Me and Roddy [Ricch] have a lot of stuff going on.

Did you work on the leaked “GTA” with Juice WRLD and Gunna?

I got a crazy two or three songs with Juice WRLD and Gunna. He was another great person to do music with, because as a producer I just like a person that’s gonna rap on all of my beats. We did maybe seven songs in a two-day span. [Ed. note: Management confirmed that he did work on “GTA.”]

Is there anyone left you want to work with in the future?

I’d love to get in the studio with Stevie Wonder, Killer Mike, Andre 3000. Just to talk to these guys and sit and see what we come up with. When I get that type of question, I don’t think of anybody else other than the greats.

You said you went out to Hawaii for the ASTROWORLD sessions for Travis Scott. Have you done anything like that since as far as a creative camp?

Last year, in December, I actually spent the month in Hawaii. That was life-changing. I flew all my Playmakers producers out there. We made music and golfed. Hitting golf balls into the ocean and s–t. I had the ocean in my backyard. I was hitting balls into the ocean and vibing out.

Hawaii, I’ma retire there. That was life-changing and I did it because of Travis. I remember how great those sessions were. We did stuff here and there but a lot of times I see him it’s out. We haven’t done anything worth talking about. 

Is there any update on the lawsuit over your producer tag from earlier this year?

I don’t want to talk about that s–t, man. It comes with the growth I guess.

Big Daddy Kane has seen his fair share of rap battles in his day, so naturally he had some thoughts on the main event currently happening between rap heavyweights Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The rap legend sat down with The Art of Dialogue podcast and was asked about the beef when he revealed the discourse has turned him off
“I was trying to keep up with the Kendrick and Drake thing but I kinda lost interest,” he shared. “It just wasn’t exciting to me — not because of them two, but because of the fanbase. The fanbase just made it to where, I’m good.”

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“It’s not a competitive thing about who spit the better bars,” he elaborated. “It’s a thing about fact-checking to see if this person told the truth. It’s like, if the line is dope and he dissed you, it’s dope. It’s that simple. … Why are we trying to critique and decipher what was said? It’s just a dope rhyme. Enjoy the music for what it is. It’s a battle, they goin’ at each other.”

Kane added, “In my days of battling people, I’ve said stuff about people that isn’t true, but it was funny as hell. You laughed and enjoyed it. If that’s the way the younger generation looks at battles, hey, that’s their thing then. I hope they’re enjoying it. It just wasn’t for me, man. Like I said, it’s not about Kendrick or Drake; it’s the fanbase, the listeners and their comments and their views. They make it unenjoyable for me.”

He did admit to liking Kendrick’s effort a little more, but also said Drake was eventually “sayin’ some s–t” before the fact-checkers turned him off. “Everyone wanna fact check and [say], ‘Somebody wrote that for him’ and this, that, and … you know what? Y’all can have it, I’m good. I’ll go back and listen to Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee, y’all can have this s–t.”

When asked who he’s more of a fan of between Kendrick and Drake, the man they call King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal actually said he’s more of a J. Cole fan, giving the Carolina rapper very high praise. “I’m more of a J. Cole fan. I think he is probably the greatest lyricist of this era. He’s my personal favorite, you know, of all them cats.”

However, while he was disappointed about Cole’s apology, he understood why he might’ve chosen to bow out because of the times we’re living in. “Where I’m from? I’m from I said what I said, so if I said it, I meant it, and that’s that.” He continued, “But today is a different day, man. You live in a world where people get canceled for some of the dumbest s–t, so I can’t be upset with him for saying, ‘I take it back,’ because the world is different. The world is super sensitive and super emotional now. People are built different today.”

Check out the whole clip above and stop fact-checking rap battles.