Danny Ali: Self-Doubt, Creative Confidence, and Letting the Work Speak
🎙️ From cinematic sounds to creative vision—Danny Ali joins us on Unquestionable The Podcast.
In this episode, Danny Ali breaks down his journey from Daly City poet to multifaceted artist, director, and rising voice in NorCal’s music scene. We dive into:
🎶 Why music will always be his first love
🎥 How watching a movie every day for a year shaped his creative eye
🧠Balancing self-doubt, overthinking, and the pressure to stay consistent
🏡 Representing the Bay while carving his own lane across genres
🔥 His top Bay Area artists, dream collabs, and how pop culture inspires his rollouts
Whether you’re an artist, creative, or someone chasing purpose—this episode is raw, inspiring, and full of game.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Why Music Was Always My First Love
00:09:42 – Why You Should Release Everything You Create
00:15:19 – The Power of Perspective in Creativity
00:21:27 – Working With 2-EZ & Crafting Cinematic Sound
00:27:27 – Directing Philosophy: Pulling Performances from Actors
00:29:23 – Danny vs. Sugar: The Coffee & Crumble Cookie Debate
00:31:42 – What Makes His Music Uniquely Bay Area
00:36:22 – SF vs. Oakland vs. Sacramento—Breaking Down NorCal Culture
00:39:55 – Access, Opportunity & Building a Real Platform
00:45:33 – Outro Vibes
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▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpl_hcf1aSc
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▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUiIya9wCIs&t=1s
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🎙 What About Us?
Welcome to Unquestionable The Podcast, presented by No Question Entertainment! We’re a group of friends—Boii B, Bucci, Chris & Kevin—who love diving into the hottest topics, sharing personal stories, and tackling life’s biggest (and funniest) questions.
From wild debates and cultural deep dives to unfiltered interviews with rising stars, we keep it real and relatable. If you’re here for laughs, insight, or straight-up gems, you’re in the right place.
Join us every week for conversations that are entertaining, thought-provoking, and always Unquestionable.
Danny Ali 2025 Interview, Bay Area Independent Artists, Daly City Rapper, Music Meets Film Podcast, NorCal Hip-Hop 2025, Cinematic Music Creators, Unquestionable Podcast Season 2, West Coast Storytelling, From Poetry to Production, Bay Area Culture and Music Breakdown, Tyler the Creator Interview Style, Visual Storytelling and Independent Artistry
#DannyAli #UnquestionableThePodcast #BayAreaMusic #independentartist #cinematicmusic #visualstorytelling #westcoastgrind #norcalvibes #dalycityartist #musicandfilm #realcreators #creativejourney #artistinterview2025
Unquestionable The Podcast S2E13 – Danny Ali: Self-Doubt, Creative Confidence, and Letting the Work Speak
Transcript
Anyone asks me, I'm gonna say, damn.
Speaker A:I love them both.
Speaker A:But deep down, music has always been that thing for me, ever since I was a kid that I gravitated to.
Speaker A:Like I said, I didn't grow up with movies.
Speaker A:I put that into my life, and it filled a very vital piece of my heart.
Speaker A:But it wasn't the first love, so music was always the first love.
Speaker A:But I do draw inspiration from film to make music and music to make film, so they work hand.
Speaker B:Well.
Speaker B:Welcome back to this week's episode of Unquestionable, the podcast.
Speaker B:You got your boy Chris Bucci, Kevin, and we're here with none other than Danny Ali.
Speaker B:Man, how you doing?
Speaker A:I'm good, y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker A:I'm good.
Speaker A:Good to be here.
Speaker A:Happy to be.
Speaker C:Glad to have you on, bro.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Thank you for coming, bro.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:I had to come, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker B:Nah, bro.
Speaker B:But starting off, like, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker B:Where you're from, who you are, what you do, and what you want to be known for.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm from Daily City.
Speaker A:I'm a artist, videographer, creative director.
Speaker A:I do a lot just because I love a lot.
Speaker A:Like, I love art.
Speaker A:So I'm gonna just try my hand and everything.
Speaker A:I started people asking.
Speaker A:I just got this question yesterday, like, when you started doing music?
Speaker A:And I really started writing poetry in, like, 11th grade, 10th grade.
Speaker A:But I didn't start doing music till, like, six, seven years ago.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Like, I made my first song in college, and I went.
Speaker A:So initially, I went to the University of Hawaii, and the summer before that, my boy was like, yo, we could get rich off making beats.
Speaker A:And I was like, hold on, let me pick up this garage, man.
Speaker A:I started making some of the worst beats I ever heard in my life.
Speaker A:Like, if I could find those, I'd still be trying to find those files, because it's just bullshit, you know?
Speaker A:It's like, this is the worst shit you've ever heard.
Speaker D:The sounds of garage band were so whack, so trash.
Speaker D:You seen that meme of LeBron where it's like, yeah, there's just this garage bed be played in the background.
Speaker A:It sound just like that, bro.
Speaker A:And I'm like, me, too.
Speaker A:I'm like, yo, we finna get rich, bro.
Speaker A:I got us.
Speaker A:I got him.
Speaker A:But I really.
Speaker A:When I was going to school, I knew, like, coming back, I knew I was gonna go straight into music.
Speaker A:So when I was there, I just.
Speaker A:I was taking marketing.
Speaker A:I got accepted for the business school, and I just went Like, I was just, bruh, when I get home, I'm just going straight for it.
Speaker A:And then I got home, and then it was like, this whole Covid situation, and then it's like, you know, having to figure that out.
Speaker A:But then during COVID I picked up a camera, and I just started shooting all my own shit and then directing short films and different series and shit like that.
Speaker A:Doing commercials is really what I fell in love with.
Speaker A:So I just been combining all the different forces and trying to do something different.
Speaker B:No, that's dope.
Speaker B:That's dope.
Speaker B:And that's one thing that really stood out to me about you.
Speaker B:When I stumbled across your music and everything was I noticed in the credits you had directed.
Speaker B:I noticed, like, in the visuals are clean, creative.
Speaker B:Like, really just crisp and go with the song and everything.
Speaker B:And I just was like, no, you could see that.
Speaker B:You take that.
Speaker B:The whole craft very serious.
Speaker B:The packaging of everything.
Speaker B:What.
Speaker B:What would you credit that to?
Speaker A:Honestly, I picked up the.
Speaker A:The camera on just, like, a fluke.
Speaker A:Like, I came into this situation with a group of homies that I was really cool with.
Speaker A:They had the camera situation going, and I was just like, I don't know.
Speaker A:I'll just figure it out.
Speaker A:And then I used to get roasted for never having watched all these iconic black movies.
Speaker A:And everybody would be like, they'd be pulling my black card.
Speaker D:That's like, my homies, bro.
Speaker C:Yeah, I've seen, like, one or two, bro.
Speaker A:They gonna quote some shit, and you, like, you that nigga that's sitting there.
Speaker D:Everybody laughing at you.
Speaker A:I don't get it.
Speaker A:So I was getting roasted, and I was like, you know what, bro?
Speaker A:I'm finna do it.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A: I think,: Speaker A:I'm gonna watch a movie a day.
Speaker A:And I watched a movie every single day of that year.
Speaker A:And I was like, bro, this hard.
Speaker A:Like, I just fell in love with the craft.
Speaker A:And growing up, I had my favorite directors and shit.
Speaker A:I had Tarantino, obviously, and Scorsese.
Speaker A:But getting more into it, I was like, there's so many different emotions you can express with a camera than people understand, so.
Speaker A:And I felt like there was a gap in, like, content creation and creative direction.
Speaker A:Like, you were either on one or the other.
Speaker A:And I was like, now you can kind of tie all that into the music and make it a full experience for people to see.
Speaker A:So being able to craft my own visual style along with my audio style is something that I was just like, bro, this is going to be something that nobody's ever seen before.
Speaker A:So just taking that to whatever level I can into a bigger scale and being able to work with brands and is something that's been super fun.
Speaker B:No, that's dope.
Speaker B:That's dope.
Speaker B:And tell us what, what are some of the, you know, the difficulties of, you know, trying to maintain that authenticity in that creation aspect, but still coming out with content that hits and, you know, you know, resonates with a large group of people.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think it comes down to like, what your.
Speaker A:What your goal is.
Speaker A:For me, the goal was never to be like, I need a million dollars or I need a million followers.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was never a numerical value for me.
Speaker A:It was always the feeling I get when I complete something.
Speaker A:So for me, it's that complete.
Speaker A:Like what, what's complete to me at a certain point?
Speaker A:Is it visual complete just because I put it out or do I have ideas I want to add to this?
Speaker A:And most like there's a director saying where you don't know what your best film is until you've already shot it and directed it.
Speaker A:You're like, damn, I would have did this better.
Speaker A:So for me, it's like not setting my bar to something that's unattainable, but also being able to give myself the space to be like, brother was fire and moving on to the next one, knowing that this was just good, you feel me?
Speaker A:And not really chasing any of the numerical values.
Speaker A:So for me, sometimes it's being over aspirational in what I do.
Speaker A:Sometimes that has its drawbacks, but sometimes it leads me until exactly where I'm at now and where it's like, people have distinguished a visual style and an audio style.
Speaker A:For me, it, like, it comes and goes, but a lot of it is just.
Speaker A:It's the mental hurdle that comes with it, for sure.
Speaker E:No, yeah, I was about to say it sounds like, like it's pretty strenuous on.
Speaker E:On like not only your ego, but kind of just like your motivational aspect of it being.
Speaker E:Like, when you.
Speaker E:Do you ever get stuck on like.
Speaker B:That or like when you do, how do you.
Speaker E:How do you overcome that?
Speaker A:That's a good question.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I try to.
Speaker A:I try to build safeguards for myself so that I never have to run into that problem.
Speaker A:Like a lot of people when they're in a session with me, they're like, damn, you just finished a song in 30 minutes.
Speaker A:But that's because I write literally all the time.
Speaker A:So if there's a feeling that comes up.
Speaker A:I damn near already have something that's there, where or close to it.
Speaker A:And the same with videography.
Speaker A:Like, I'm always tweaking something in my head.
Speaker A:Probably right now I'm thinking about like shots I would get if we was out there and shit.
Speaker A:So I, I safeguard myself from ever having to feel that block.
Speaker A:Because if I have a writer's block, I'm going to shoot something.
Speaker A:If I can't think of a good scene, I'm going to write something.
Speaker A:Like, I have that safeguard for myself so that I never have to get too low or too high.
Speaker A:But that mental block is still so real because it's art.
Speaker A:Like, you can't put a quantity on art.
Speaker A:It's just art.
Speaker A:So if it's not hidden, damn, it's not me.
Speaker A:It's just not the moment.
Speaker A:You feel me?
Speaker A:It's not, it's not for this moment.
Speaker A:So just try not to put too much pressure on myself, I guess.
Speaker E:So with that being said, what do you do if like the ideas or the projects that you're saying, like, oh, that's not me, do you scrap them?
Speaker E:Do you give them off to someone or how you go about that?
Speaker A:Yeah, that's, that's, it's, it's a trick question almost because there's no such thing as like, it's not real.
Speaker A:It's just my head, it's just me saying that.
Speaker A:So I, I'm, I'm nobody to rob the public of that.
Speaker A:I'm still give it to y' all.
Speaker A:And I like, in my head I'm like, this one, I go hit.
Speaker A:But fuck it, I still got to do it.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's because if you don't shoot that shot, you never going to make it.
Speaker A:So I, I put out everything I shoot, whether it's three months after or it's the next day.
Speaker A:I just shot some, some shit earlier that's coming out tomorrow, like that type of shit.
Speaker A:But it's just being able to let it go and go back to the drawing board if you're not fucking with it and not overthinking shit.
Speaker B:Have you always been that way?
Speaker A:Nah, I was super self conscious.
Speaker A:Like growing up.
Speaker A:I was always a self conscious kid for sure.
Speaker A:And it's really because I grew up where I did and it wasn't a big population of black people around me.
Speaker A:I was always outcast.
Speaker A:So I always had to do something to fit in.
Speaker A:Whether it was just like changing how I was or hiding parts about my upbringing from people that I was close to so I wouldn't get picked on.
Speaker A:I was like short, skinny as fuck.
Speaker A:I graduated high school at a buck 20.
Speaker A:I was no imposing threat.
Speaker A:But then when I came into the art sit more, it made me more confident in everything about me, like the upbringing, the family part, Everything just kind of came with it.
Speaker A:So in doing art, I also started hella self conscious.
Speaker A:Not posting, trying to be mysterious like a lot of people do.
Speaker C:But I feel like, I feel like hella people go through that like.
Speaker C:Yeah, mysterious phase.
Speaker C:Yeah, you know, that identity crisis, you know, because that certain, certain point in times and stuff, like you just start to think like that self consciousness, that insecurity just kind of like gets you in a rut or kind of just puts you in a, in a zone where, you know, you need, you know, mentally, you need to get yourself out of it too.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it's just, it hurts you and helps you because you're sheltering yourself from that criticism, but you're also keeping yourself from any of the praises you would get or any of the, the positive benefits or learning from learning.
Speaker A:And that's at every level you learn.
Speaker A:So I just learned, bro, it.
Speaker A:I don't even give a no, I'm just doing.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, just take it and leave.
Speaker A:It because ain't nothing gonna be perfect.
Speaker B:I feel like that's a lesson that a lot of creators have to learn, ultimately.
Speaker B:Even us.
Speaker B:Like, we're.
Speaker B:At first we were very, you know, skeptical about like what clips we put out or certain things like, oh, is this going to hit?
Speaker B:And then we would.
Speaker B:When we started throwing stuff out, it.
Speaker D:Would be the ones you don't even know.
Speaker D:You're just like, bro, what?
Speaker D:Like we was talking about serving like, you know, like a job in college.
Speaker D:We weren't even talking about nothing cool.
Speaker B:Like, you know, but it resonates with people.
Speaker B:And you almost rob yourself of like that new audience if you, you don't exactly throw it out there.
Speaker B:If you felt it in the moment.
Speaker D:Like somebody out there probably felt it.
Speaker B:Too, you know, whatever.
Speaker A:Human experience is nothing unique to any individual.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:We all relate to different things.
Speaker A:So robbing yourself of that is just doing yourself a disservice, Doing the world a disservice.
Speaker A:So especially at this point with how content is.
Speaker A:Just put that out.
Speaker A:I don't even care.
Speaker A:I'll see.
Speaker A:I'll come back tomorrow, see if it worked.
Speaker E:If not, on the next.
Speaker C:Are you like, Are you like one of those types of creators too?
Speaker C:Like, you know, As a, you know, creative, are you all about pushing the content and stuff like that more like on a consistent basis or do you kind of have that, like, you know, I'm gonna kind of sit on, like, you know, have the whole rollout and stuff like that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Who do you like, think that?
Speaker A:I think I'm both.
Speaker A:I think I fall into both categories because I work on a lot of bigger projects in perpetuity.
Speaker A:So it'll be like a three month span.
Speaker A:This next album has a three month rollout and it has a show.
Speaker E:We need to talk about that too.
Speaker A:Yeah, we'll talk about that a little bit.
Speaker A:But I already have such a backlog of content.
Speaker A:Like I'm already three months ahead.
Speaker A:So if I need something just to post on a Wednesday, I have it.
Speaker A:Yeah, but it's not something where I'm like, okay, I shot this, I gotta hold it.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Unless it's a song that I specifically have a vision for, like Neutrogena.
Speaker A:We shot that three months before the song came out.
Speaker A:So I knew I couldn't post about it until we had confirmation from Neutrogena if it was gonna be green or not.
Speaker A:But that's dope.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was.
Speaker A:It's kind of both.
Speaker A:I found somewhere in the middle or a combination, I'd probably say no, definitely.
Speaker B:And with you, you know, taking so much pride in both sides of the art, I want to ask you, is there almost one you favor sometimes, like.
Speaker D:You know, I guess it's hard to say because they're all your babies, right?
Speaker A:But just honestly, like, which kid is your favorite?
Speaker D:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:I don't have a favorite.
Speaker A:I know, but I like that one.
Speaker B:You're multi talented, but like, what do you kind of hold closer to your heart?
Speaker A:In a sense, your first love, always the strongest.
Speaker A:So it's always going to be music.
Speaker A:Anyone asks me, I'm going to say, damn, I love them both.
Speaker A:But deep down, music has always been that thing for me ever since I was a kid that I gravitated to.
Speaker A:Like I said, I didn't grow up with movies.
Speaker A:I put that into my life and it filled a very vital piece of my heart.
Speaker A:But it wasn't the first love.
Speaker A:So music was always the first love.
Speaker A:But I do draw inspiration from film to make music and music to make film.
Speaker A:So they work hand in hand.
Speaker B:Definitely music though, with that being said, give us some of the inspiration you draw from.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So for music, I look at how if Tarantino was the most fire rapper, bro, he would Be so cinematic with it, right?
Speaker A:His B selection would be so cinematic.
Speaker A:He's so gory that that would be cutting through, right?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I, I look at him, obviously, Scorsese already said.
Speaker A:And then when I'm shooting film, I draw a lot from Kendrick.
Speaker A:Like they.
Speaker A:He's kind of in the world that I exist in, in the creative direction sense.
Speaker A:But his music is so cinematic that I'm like, damn, what would it look like if this song was this type of video?
Speaker A:So he's my main.
Speaker A:Like if I'm looking at a film, it would be.
Speaker A:He would play the lead.
Speaker A:If you could say that, he would definitely play the lead in it.
Speaker A:And there's a lot of people that are even on a creative level that people wouldn't call mainstream, that I look at as like, bro, they're so fire.
Speaker A:O. Reed from Seattle does a lot of cinematic shit that I look, look at like fire as fuck, bro.
Speaker A:And there's so many people, I'm not gonna name them all, but things like that, I just draw in a lot from life.
Speaker A:Just experiencing life.
Speaker A:That's a crazy ass picture right there.
Speaker A:That's something that looks like it's telling a million stories already.
Speaker A:Something like that I would just draw from and be like, how could I frame this?
Speaker A:Frame something that looks a little bit like that, if that makes sense.
Speaker E:That's dope, dude.
Speaker E:You talk about a little bit of your famous directors.
Speaker E:You said Scorsese, Tarantino.
Speaker E:Name a few more.
Speaker A:Tarantino, Wes Anderson for sure.
Speaker A:Damn, who am I thinking of?
Speaker A:I can't think of bro's name that directed Kick Ass.
Speaker A:That's one of my favorite.
Speaker A:That's one of my favorite movies of all time.
Speaker A:Just because, bruh, you gotta think about like, yo, this, this came out at the time.
Speaker A:It did.
Speaker A:And it's a superhero movie, but it's so just.
Speaker A:It's in its own lane.
Speaker E:It's so satirical.
Speaker E:It's almost like they're.
Speaker E:They're like making jokes about superheroes, but at the same time, like the story itself hits.
Speaker A:It's a beautiful story.
Speaker A:It's shot well, the writing is on point.
Speaker A:And then they drop kick ass too, and just fucked everything up.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:So whoever directed that, I can't think of his name.
Speaker A:Obviously.
Speaker A:Christopher Nolan.
Speaker A:He's probably the goat of right now.
Speaker A:Coogler, obviously.
Speaker A:He's literally no misses, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He's the one.
Speaker A:And I feel like he's under Nolan's tree.
Speaker A:So I think he's gonna end up being in there.
Speaker A:And then what he did with an original screenplay and Sinners was just magnificent.
Speaker A:Yeah, Dan.
Speaker A:That's all I can think of off top right now.
Speaker A:That's who I'm inspired by right now.
Speaker A:I know there's one I'm probably missing.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm blanking.
Speaker A:There's too many.
Speaker A:Too many.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:This guy over here be watching way too many.
Speaker A:Oh, we could go.
Speaker E:I know these fools.
Speaker E:They'll get references.
Speaker E:But, like, how you're talking about the reference.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Grilling him all the time.
Speaker A:So I used to be you.
Speaker A:And then I'm like, it's just like many worlds, bro.
Speaker A:That's the way I see it.
Speaker A:They're just like, too.
Speaker E:Because what I like about movies in the whole cinematic universe is, like, it takes you outside of everyday life and the reality of what it is, and it shows you that, like, for example, Chris Cornell movie.
Speaker E:Like, it takes you into their universe and what their outlook on the world should be or can be or.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker E:Is in their head.
Speaker E:Like, you know, I mean, what can be plausible?
Speaker E:I think it's so fascinating and amazing, bro.
Speaker B:You can even see a lot about a director by how he chooses to end the movie.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:He could have went here, but he actually ended.
Speaker A:Like he said, your feelings 15 minutes earlier.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Oh, Denny Villeneuve.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:I just watched.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He directed Dune, the Dune series.
Speaker A:And he did this movie called Incendies.
Speaker A:Or on Sundays, it's French, bro.
Speaker A:If you remember, after this pod, remember I told you to go watch Incendies by Denny Vallenue.
Speaker A:Okay, bro, that's one of the best movies I've ever seen.
Speaker E:I'm check it out.
Speaker E:Yeah, I'm gonna check it out.
Speaker A:It's a long watch, though.
Speaker B:I love Dune.
Speaker B:Dune was good.
Speaker B:Broom was amazing.
Speaker B:Supposed to watch Dune.
Speaker B:They're like.
Speaker E:I was like, you watch it yet?
Speaker E:Because I didn't talk about it.
Speaker E:They're like, I got like 30 minutes in.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, second one on the.
Speaker B:Yeah, first one dragged out hella long.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I watched the second one on the flight to Miami, bro.
Speaker A:That is magnificent.
Speaker A:Two is crazy.
Speaker A:I think I watched two before one.
Speaker A:I'm not going to lie.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That shows in theaters all like.
Speaker A:Let me just pop in.
Speaker A:I was like, hold up.
Speaker A:I got to watch the first.
Speaker A:This is crazy.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's fire.
Speaker A:That's all I can think of.
Speaker A:John Singleton.
Speaker A:Obviously they're going to come to me over the course of this, but.
Speaker E:Yeah, that's dope, though.
Speaker E:What about music?
Speaker E:Who Artist wise, who you grow up listening to, what kind of sounds influence you, what do you like, take the most from for your inspiration?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think one of the first, if I can remember correctly, one of the first artists I obviously dived deep, deep into was Wayne.
Speaker A:Like, okay, that was when I was in what, fourth grade.
Speaker A:So I was just.
Speaker A:Every day.
Speaker A:My brother was a hot boys fan.
Speaker A:So he.
Speaker A:Every time he picking me up, he playing the CDs.
Speaker A:So I had Wayne as like my major influence for mad years.
Speaker A:Pac, obviously.
Speaker A:And then middle and high school was more J. Cole, Kendrick, Drake, obviously.
Speaker A:Come on now.
Speaker A:His run has been like a decade plus.
Speaker A:Legendary.
Speaker B:Crazy.
Speaker A:And then our future when they came out.
Speaker A:I was a heavy, heavy, heavy fan, bro.
Speaker A:Heavy fan, heavy fan.
Speaker A:And I always gravitated to Earl just because of his lyricism.
Speaker A:And I think that's the first person I really like sounded like when I started making music, his influence bled heavy.
Speaker A:And sometimes in my word schemes, it does sound a lot Earl ish, if people pay close attention.
Speaker A:But I have such a pop voice now that it don't really bleed through.
Speaker A:But that's someone I look at Vince, Vince Staples, and that's, that's what I can think of now.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:I was a heavy J. Cole fan though.
Speaker B:No, you sound like high school.
Speaker E:You asked us the same question.
Speaker E:We'd say the same.
Speaker A:Yeah, because that's how we all grew up.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm 28.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, we were in high school the same time year you graduate?
Speaker A:2014.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B: Yeah, we were: Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So we was all there.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's all the same.
Speaker A:And I think everybody in our four year window pretty much has the same influences in terms of music.
Speaker A:But yeah, that's, that's definitely something like.
Speaker E:That's dope, dude.
Speaker E:That's dope.
Speaker B:It's funny you say that because I even.
Speaker B: of your older projects, like: Speaker A:That's a listen like you.
Speaker A:No, no, no, me too.
Speaker D:That's the thing is it was still.
Speaker B:Great music, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:But you could hear like, you could hear the evolution over time and like certain experimentation you may have done vocally and other things as well.
Speaker B:I wanted to see were your inspirations kind of the leading factor of that or was it just like getting into the music, you just wanted to experiment more, just keep growing.
Speaker A:I think when you first start anything, you just lean heavy on your influences.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So you're super heavy.
Speaker A:Handed with like the shit you pay attention to the most and whatever that is, that's someone doing anything that's any job.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But when it.
Speaker A:Especially when it's the arts, you don't know what's going to work.
Speaker A:So you just lean on the shit.
Speaker A:You saw work from people that have came before you.
Speaker A:So obviously I was leaning heavy into like Travis Earl, Kanye, and like that.
Speaker A:So that took over.
Speaker A:The majority of my early music is like, what beats would he pick and how would he sound?
Speaker A:And that's kind of how that developed.
Speaker A:But it changes just because you get reps up.
Speaker A:Yeah, just like your jumps.
Speaker A:If you play basketball, your jump shot changes just as you get reps up and what's most comfortable you for.
Speaker A:For you.
Speaker A:And I just kind of fell into a register that was a lot higher than I really.
Speaker A:Than I ever realized.
Speaker A:And I was a better singer than I ever realized.
Speaker A:So I was just like, let me just lean into this.
Speaker A:Yeah, it just started working.
Speaker A:What do you think?
Speaker C:What do you think was like the first.
Speaker C:The first time where you realized.
Speaker C:Where you're like, maybe let me reword that.
Speaker C:Like, what.
Speaker C:What probably was the first time you realized, like, damn, this was really taking off.
Speaker C:Like, what song did you realize that it was like, damn, okay.
Speaker C:Like, I'm really.
Speaker C:I'm really, like, I'm really him.
Speaker A:Like, music is for me.
Speaker A:2023.
Speaker A: Well, it was late: Speaker A:We'd put out two singles, really.
Speaker A:One was like heavier R B.
Speaker A:And then the first one was Drunk with my.
Speaker A:My boy Darrell.
Speaker A:And it was just like a hip hop song.
Speaker A:Some typical.
Speaker A:Something you would hear from just a quintessential rapper.
Speaker A:And then I had been sitting on this interlude called session 134 for a minute, probably like at that point, seven months.
Speaker A:I knew it was going on the album, but I knew it was going to be like, oh, this is going to be an album cut.
Speaker A:It's whatever.
Speaker A:And I was super heavy on crafting albums.
Speaker A:And then my boy, my closest homie Ron, he was like, bro, just put that out and figure it out from there.
Speaker A:This is a song.
Speaker A:This is a beautiful song.
Speaker A:And it's only like a minute and change to see how people fuck with it.
Speaker A:I was like going back and forth for like a week and a half and I put it out.
Speaker A:And then when I saw the response to that, I was like, oh, this actually might work.
Speaker A:And that was my first time trying something in that vein.
Speaker A:So that's like the first moment I realized it all clicked in terms before that.
Speaker A:I can't really remember ever being so sure of something that I put out.
Speaker A:But that was the first time I recognized.
Speaker A:Yeah, this.
Speaker A:This might work for sure.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's dope.
Speaker C:That's dope to hear.
Speaker C:I was gonna say talk about some new stuff you got coming out.
Speaker C:I think you.
Speaker C:I seen your had just dropped something.
Speaker B:Like posted something that was fire.
Speaker B:I gotta say.
Speaker B:I gotta say that's fire.
Speaker B:I was listening.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's a classic to me.
Speaker A:Tabanat like me and toe.
Speaker A:Our connection is so just locked in that we could do that.
Speaker A:We could just wake up and do that now.
Speaker A:But what I just dropped with two Easy is probably one of my favorite songs I've ever.
Speaker B:Oh no, that song that you just dropped.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:Honestly, they.
Speaker A:They are an experience in themselves.
Speaker A:Like 2 easy is probably the best production group in the bay.
Speaker A:To me, they just bro.
Speaker A:They have such a keen sense of.
Speaker A:And we're film heads too.
Speaker A:So they just understand when I'm trying to craft something cinematic, they just go off with it and I'm just able to do me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Outside of that me.
Speaker A:And so got album two coming.
Speaker A:But the next album I'm rolling out is just a bigger project in terms of being able to write a script for it and being able to work it into a real life setting.
Speaker A:I honestly for the inspiration for this next album rollout was a lot of Love island that I've never.
Speaker A:I've only watched an episode and a half.
Speaker A:But I don't really.
Speaker A:I'm not too late at all.
Speaker A:I'm just seeing what it.
Speaker A:The world it created and how it affected the world around it.
Speaker A:And it's still, I guess still going probably not by the time this is out, but that.
Speaker A:The way it captivated the world.
Speaker A:I. I think I took notes on that and what it did.
Speaker B:Oh, that's dope.
Speaker B:And with you even saying that like it's funny because I was trying to think of the right word to say.
Speaker B:But yeah, when you describe your music, it comes off as cinematic.
Speaker B:Like realistically, have you.
Speaker B:You know, do you have plans on or have you already jumped into like kind of looking into.
Speaker B:Sinking some of that into.
Speaker A:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker B:You know, I think the films and.
Speaker A:I got reached out to by a couple.
Speaker A:Couple companies and something's in the works, but it's not something that I've ever put out.
Speaker A:I think that's one of my main goals is making sure I can make.
Speaker A:I make things for movies and shit like that.
Speaker A:It's just making sure they all work together and making sure that the situation makes itself present.
Speaker A:But yeah, for sure.
Speaker A:And that's a huge compliment, bro.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:I can't take that compliment lightly.
Speaker A:I really do appreciate that.
Speaker B:No, definitely.
Speaker B:You see, other artists, like Vince is another one that I think of a lot, where a lot of his projects are very.
Speaker B:You know, they're very cinematic.
Speaker B:They get heavy sinks because of.
Speaker B:Because of the sonics behind yeah.
Speaker B:Albums and things like that.
Speaker B:And now that you say that, I'm like, that's what I was thinking the whole time.
Speaker B:Like, no, definitely.
Speaker B:Even that recent song.
Speaker A:I think that's a song I've listened to the most in my life that I've made.
Speaker A:I just finished it all the time.
Speaker A:That's a.
Speaker A:That's a beautiful song.
Speaker A:That Neutrogena are just two songs I think are quintessential.
Speaker A:Those are beautiful.
Speaker E:What's your dream collab?
Speaker A:Dream collab.
Speaker E:Both visually directing and then the music side.
Speaker A:You did it, right?
Speaker A:Cause I was gonna get it.
Speaker A:Dream music collab.
Speaker A:I'll say right now, my dream collab is with Tyler for music facts and for film.
Speaker A:Dream collab.
Speaker A:Me directing.
Speaker A:I would love to direct Leo.
Speaker A:As I just said it would be Leo.
Speaker A:Damn.
Speaker A:Let me say something black.
Speaker A:Cause that sounded kind of.
Speaker A:I don't remember Bruh's name.
Speaker A:That plays Sam.
Speaker A:Ian Sinners.
Speaker A:I feel like I could.
Speaker A:As a director.
Speaker E:He's a new kid.
Speaker A:I could pull a lie out of him to give him some dynamic range.
Speaker A:And he can sing too.
Speaker A:And can sing.
Speaker A:That's all you need.
Speaker E:They said that he used to be a.
Speaker E:A background vocalist for her.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker E:And that's how he kind of got his.
Speaker E:His name hard.
Speaker A:That's crazy.
Speaker A:Cuz he really came out of nowhere with just.
Speaker E:That's.
Speaker E:That's why I was like, who is he?
Speaker E:And I looked into him a little bit and then he had like a little interview and he was saying that he used to be a vocalist.
Speaker A:He's from like LA too?
Speaker E:I think so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's fire.
Speaker A:Oh, no, he's from New York.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:Cuz I. Oh, is he?
Speaker A:I saw an interview and I was like, damn, that accent.
Speaker A:Thick as.
Speaker A:Wait, let me now get y' all started on.
Speaker A:Let me then let's see.
Speaker A:For film.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I would direct him and if I was an actor, needed a director.
Speaker A:Damn, that's tough.
Speaker A:But I think right now I gotta go.
Speaker A:Jordan Peele.
Speaker A:Cuz that's just Fire.
Speaker A:That's just fire.
Speaker A:I think it would just be fire cuz he's left brained as come up.
Speaker E:From the comedy whole campaign.
Speaker E:And then the fact that he's doing all these serious ass thrillers, scary movies.
Speaker A:He just, he's a bro.
Speaker A:He, him and Donald Glover.
Speaker A:To me, people like their brains got to be examined or some bro.
Speaker A:Cuz that makes no sense.
Speaker B:They both went left field with what.
Speaker D:They did right after.
Speaker A:That's how you do it.
Speaker A:You just got to go all the way left.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think those are my three collabs.
Speaker B:That's crazy.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Speak about that a little more though.
Speaker B:Like when you talked about you think you could get a lot out of certain actors.
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker B:Yeah, how does a director get.
Speaker B:How can a director get more out of the people.
Speaker A:You reverse engineer it so you don't write a script and plug somebody in.
Speaker A:You have to write the script around it.
Speaker A:This is from someone with no technical knowledge, not a single ounce of film school.
Speaker A:I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about except I know what I like to see and I feel like it makes the most sense in my brain now.
Speaker A:How hard is that?
Speaker A:No fucking clue.
Speaker A:I shoot and direct all my own shit and act in it, so.
Speaker A:But just being able to make someone be comfortable in their role instead of like building a role and being like, okay, get comfortable with this.
Speaker A:Making it something where it's.
Speaker A:You're kind of reverse engineering the process.
Speaker A:Seems like it would be the best idea just talking to them like, yo, what.
Speaker A:What you into?
Speaker A:Like, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:To have that conversation.
Speaker E:The best, best.
Speaker E:What's the word?
Speaker E:The best roles, the best performances by actors.
Speaker E:You, you see them in interviews and they're talking about the same.
Speaker E:They kind of say the same similar thing.
Speaker E:They're like, yeah, well working with so and so was such a blessing because it's like I worked with Todd and he wrote the script and then tried to plug me in.
Speaker E:Yeah, you work with this guy and he's.
Speaker E:He's letting you give that more creative feedback.
Speaker E:Letting you kind of get the free reign of you being an actor come to your job.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:And it's, it becomes less like a transactional relationship and you guys actually built.
Speaker A:Which is why the best directors have their guys.
Speaker A:Yeah, every best director has their guys.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Every Wes Anderson movie, you know who's.
Speaker A:But yeah, I think, I think that's what I mean when I say I would be able to pull a lot out of them.
Speaker B:That's dope.
Speaker E:That's a different kind of mindset that I think me and I mean, these guys too.
Speaker E:You don't really think about it like that.
Speaker E:So it's really interesting to.
Speaker A:To.
Speaker E:To pick those thoughts out of your brain.
Speaker A:For sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I like to just get perspective.
Speaker A:I got a question for y'.
Speaker B:All.
Speaker A:What's your favorite pop tart flavor?
Speaker E:S' mores heated up.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's the worst one.
Speaker B:Don't say brown sugar.
Speaker B:Don't say brown sugar.
Speaker A:Second worst.
Speaker A:We got bad.
Speaker A:Are you.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker D:What you just say strawberry.
Speaker A:Strawberry unfrosted.
Speaker D:See, that's what I know.
Speaker D:You're wrong.
Speaker A:Come on, man.
Speaker B:I trust you.
Speaker A:Look, okay, look, you turn 23, the sugar is low key out.
Speaker B:Oh, you're right.
Speaker A:Like, you think about it.
Speaker A:I haven't wanted that sweet ass pop tart since I was like 22.
Speaker A:21.
Speaker E:No, that's.
Speaker C:I don't even think I've eaten a.
Speaker A:Pop tartar since that age.
Speaker D:Honestly, I don't eat them much.
Speaker B:But growing up, how to have the.
Speaker A:S', mores, I was always like a cookies and cream one, bro.
Speaker B:That's something to talk about, though, for sure.
Speaker B:Like, thinking about it, like, growing up, bro.
Speaker B:Toaster strudel or something.
Speaker D:I needed like, extra package.
Speaker D:Now I'm like, oh, that sweet as a.
Speaker A:What the taste must really be like, n. Keep that sugar away.
Speaker D:Like, what the Was wrong.
Speaker A:This is Manny.
Speaker A:We used to put a hell of sugar on everything.
Speaker E:Like crumble cookies.
Speaker E:I can look at it in my two stars.
Speaker A:I got it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I got to confront profession, bro.
Speaker A:I said all that.
Speaker A:And I'm about to.
Speaker A:I'm about to contradict the.
Speaker D:I'm like a platinum member.
Speaker D:I'm like a platinum member, bro.
Speaker A:Last year, end of last year, I got my crumble rap.
Speaker A:You know how Spotify does a rap?
Speaker A:I got a Crumble rap.
Speaker A:Damn.
Speaker D:I was like, they put you on blaster, bro.
Speaker D:They was like, you spent xyz.
Speaker A:I was like, you averaged XYZ cookies per visit.
Speaker A:I was like, damn, I got.
Speaker A:They got to run the chat.
Speaker A:Crumble.
Speaker A:Let's talk, bro.
Speaker A:I do film.
Speaker A:Let's.
Speaker C:I'll score the whole show them sponsors, bro.
Speaker A:I saw y' all got the Kardashians.
Speaker D:Hey, what's up?
Speaker B:What's up?
Speaker A:That's funny as.
Speaker D:No, but that's just true, bro.
Speaker D:I be watering down my lemonade.
Speaker D:I water down my Kool Aid.
Speaker D:Whatever it is.
Speaker A:I can't be drinking.
Speaker A:That's just sugar, weirdo.
Speaker A:Like any type.
Speaker A:Any type.
Speaker C:Of like special occasions.
Speaker C:There's like a cake, ice cream, all that stuff.
Speaker C:They'd be like, oh, take a piece.
Speaker C:Take a piece.
Speaker C:And I'll be just like take one bite.
Speaker C:And that's exactly.
Speaker C:I just can't even do it.
Speaker A:I'm gonna sit that down.
Speaker A:You don't even give me the piece because I'm just wasted.
Speaker A:Nah, that's real.
Speaker A:That's real.
Speaker A:That's a good, good answers.
Speaker A:I mean they were the worst flavors.
Speaker A:But you.
Speaker B:I like the brown sugar.
Speaker A:You can't go wrong.
Speaker E:No, it's either one.
Speaker E:You're on one side or the other.
Speaker E:You like one of them, the sweet ass ones?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You like the straw, the basic.
Speaker A:That's what it is.
Speaker D:What's your go to Bev?
Speaker A:Bev?
Speaker A:Coffee, bro.
Speaker B:Disrespect.
Speaker B:Creamer?
Speaker A:Starbucks.
Speaker E:How you drink it?
Speaker A:Black, bro.
Speaker E:That's how I drink.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I can't.
Speaker A:I can't be like I said, the sugar is just like.
Speaker A:I eat it.
Speaker A:I'm very strategic with the sugary snacks I eat.
Speaker A:So if I'm wasting it on my.
Speaker B:Bed, it's like see.
Speaker A:What are you doing?
Speaker A:Why are you eating sugar with your sugar?
Speaker A:You feel me?
Speaker A:Why you got all that sugar?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker E:Yeah, I used to drink it with a hell of cream.
Speaker E:I used to be into like the Starbucks sugar ass drinks.
Speaker E:And then I think maybe like four or five years ago I just started drinking it black.
Speaker E:Cuz it's way too much at this point.
Speaker A:Just getting.
Speaker A:Just injected in my veins.
Speaker A:I don't need.
Speaker E:I say.
Speaker A:And I was.
Speaker E:I'm hella.
Speaker E:I'm hella big on like I'll probably get hot takes on this but I'm hella big at like against like those who like I need a diet coke and it's like 10am oh so I'm hella again.
Speaker B:Like what the.
Speaker E:Do I look at them so crooked like why are you drinking a soda this early?
Speaker E:Breakfast.
Speaker E:But then you're drinking a coffee with twice the amount of sugar in it.
Speaker A:So it's like extra chocolate chip.
Speaker A:Looking at the Coke.
Speaker B:Come on.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:Are you drinking exactly.
Speaker A:Sipping away.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Somebody will be judging but drinking a Dutch Bros that's like 3, 000 calories.
Speaker A:I don't know what Dutch things in the morning.
Speaker A:Dutch Bros isn't human.
Speaker E:I used to be on it for real.
Speaker E:I don't know how though.
Speaker E:I can't anymore.
Speaker E:I can't even do like a red.
Speaker D:Stomach will hurt after like half a drink.
Speaker E:I'll get a cabbage the next Day first.
Speaker A:Sit.
Speaker A:You feel that for me, like, my.
Speaker D:Jaw throbbing right now.
Speaker A:That's funny.
Speaker E:Can't do it no more, bro.
Speaker B:At all.
Speaker A:Crazy reckless.
Speaker B:No, but going back to your music, bro, I want to ask you, coming from the Bay Area, what's the most Bay Area thing about your music?
Speaker A:The recent is super bae.
Speaker A:Like, I. I lean super bae.
Speaker A:After the project with Taupe, it was never really.
Speaker A:I mean, before that, it was never really a bag.
Speaker A:I explored too much because I felt like, yo, if you going to be here, you're going to hear that in abundance.
Speaker A:And a lot of people were coming up using that sound.
Speaker A:So I prided myself on going super hard left, and it worked.
Speaker A:But I also wanted where I could have fun at home.
Speaker A:You feel me?
Speaker A:Like, sometimes I just want to be able to rock.
Speaker A:Like, if I go to Oakland, I want to be able to play some.
Speaker A:That Oakland would be like, ooh, you feel me?
Speaker A:So after that toe project, I leaned heavier into it.
Speaker A:So a lot of the beat selection, a lot of the pockets I use inspired by a lot of the.
Speaker A:I came up on from the Bay, and I. Yeah, I lean heavier into that now.
Speaker A:Don't know how much further, but it's a sound I'm leaning heavy into right now.
Speaker B:Oh, that's dope.
Speaker C:I gotta ask you to talk about the Bay Area and gotta.
Speaker C:Gotta get the top five.
Speaker C:Top five artists at the Bay Area.
Speaker C:It could be OG current.
Speaker A:Yourself.
Speaker A:Yeah, let me know top five.
Speaker A:I'm in the top five for sure.
Speaker A:Let me not put myself one, because I respect my OGs.
Speaker A:40.
Speaker A:Of course, Dre.
Speaker A:Of course, bro.
Speaker A:Russ got to be in there for me.
Speaker A:Russ got to be in there for me.
Speaker A:I wouldn't be sitting in his seat right now if it wasn't for him looking out.
Speaker A:So I'm always.
Speaker A:I'm going give my nod to Russ.
Speaker A:Shout out to the homie, Damn, that means, yo, I'm going to leave somebody out.
Speaker A:Let me just say something super, super left so that people either take it as a joke or they just think I'm weird.
Speaker A:As Imma go, who's from the Bay that don't know is from the Bay.
Speaker A:That's tough, bro.
Speaker E:About to say Cray Sean.
Speaker D:Cross my mind.
Speaker A:I can't.
Speaker A:It's gotta be somebody black.
Speaker A:I already said Leo.
Speaker B:I'm gonna get grilled if I say.
Speaker A:Somebody white right now.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Oh, I'm tripping.
Speaker A:I didn't say short.
Speaker A:Short's gotta be up there.
Speaker A:See?
Speaker A:See?
Speaker A:I almost got caught.
Speaker A:Because if I would have Said something reckless and not for short, ain't gonna with me at all.
Speaker A:But you can't forget Larry.
Speaker A:Yeah, shout out to Larry.
Speaker A:Shout out hbk.
Speaker A:I'm not gonna shout out everybody on.
Speaker B:The opposite side of that.
Speaker A:Who don't.
Speaker E:Who do you not want representing the Bay.
Speaker A:Who does not stand for the people?
Speaker A:This is crazy.
Speaker A:If there's anybody on the level of Isaac, jj, Fish, that's crazy.
Speaker D:Question.
Speaker A:Let me stop Nal.
Speaker A:I'm way too political.
Speaker A:I said all that about PR during the break.
Speaker A:I'm not.
Speaker A:Answer that.
Speaker D:Jj, a good answer.
Speaker A:Shout out to everybody in the Bay.
Speaker A:You know, it's.
Speaker A:It's so much unity and love and everybody's fire in front of the bay.
Speaker E:Right Answer.
Speaker A:Music is so fire, bro.
Speaker B:Nah, The Bay does have some great music, though.
Speaker B:And I was watching one of your previous interviews.
Speaker B:I think you had Paint Louis, and you were talking about how from an outsider, it looks like one unified, you know, area.
Speaker B:But to people who are actually in the Bay Area, they see that there's, you know, there's a lot of pockets, a lot of separation from the different areas.
Speaker B:Let's elaborate a little more on that.
Speaker A:Yeah, so we all.
Speaker A:From here, so we understand it, but from the outside looking in, people don't realize how big the Bay is, bro.
Speaker A:That is.
Speaker A:Isn't it the size of New York, the New York Metropolitan, or some like.
Speaker B:Some like that.
Speaker A:So anywhere you live is going to be like that.
Speaker A:But, bro, we live in a state that's huge, as in an area that's already big as.
Speaker A:So you got San Jose.
Speaker A:I don't know where people end the Bay at.
Speaker A:And that's probably like a hot topic right now.
Speaker A:San Jose to Vallejo to Antioch.
Speaker C:Yeah, I would say the Bay ends.
Speaker D:At, like they say, Fairfield.
Speaker D:I don't know if I. I don't.
Speaker D:I don't agree with Fairfield.
Speaker D:I don'.
Speaker D:If Sage the Gemini is in day area, we got to go.
Speaker E:Hey, shout out Sage, bro.
Speaker D:We with you.
Speaker E:Stop ghosting our DMs.
Speaker D:He's playing, bro.
Speaker D:He's playing.
Speaker A:Shout out Shout out all my Fairfield Shout out Fairfield, y' all the Bay.
Speaker A:If you feel like you're the Bay, then you're the Bay.
Speaker A:You know, who am I to say you're not?
Speaker E:Sack ain't.
Speaker A:Let's hear.
Speaker D:Let us say that.
Speaker A:Sack.
Speaker A:Not the best.
Speaker E:Not the best.
Speaker B:And that's the thing.
Speaker B:When we went out to school, everybody would look at it like.
Speaker D:Like they'd hit us when they're in San Francisco, like let's hang.
Speaker D:I'm like, we.
Speaker D:Hell far you got out right now, bro.
Speaker D:You should have told me hours ago if you wanted me to make it out there, bro.
Speaker A:There's no way that's real.
Speaker D:They think it's like this.
Speaker D:And it's not like we.
Speaker B:You know, everybody from Sack takes pride in sack.
Speaker B:That's the thing.
Speaker B:Huge Kings fans, huge.
Speaker B:Like, about sex, food, sack, culture, anything.
Speaker B:So it's like, you know, it's two separate.
Speaker A:It can be.
Speaker A:It can be its own thing and still respect it.
Speaker A:You feel me?
Speaker A:It doesn't have to be the bay to be respected.
Speaker B:No, for sure.
Speaker A:It's just when you're talking about how big the bay is, you're like, nigga, there's nothing.
Speaker A:There's not very many similarities between a San Jose nigga and.
Speaker A:Yeah, but you don't realize that if you're from Wisconsin.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, you're like, it's a Bay Area.
Speaker A:They're all in San Francisco.
Speaker A:No, no, we're not.
Speaker A:It's all actually a lot different.
Speaker A:Yeah, but it's all love.
Speaker B:And all the.
Speaker B:Like you said, even the culture from, like, the different cities, even, like, people act different.
Speaker B:Like, you can almost tell when somebody's.
Speaker D:Like, that's another thing I was thinking of, like, you know, it's like you.
Speaker B:Could tell, like, oh, he's.
Speaker B:Yeah, he's from.
Speaker A:You can say.
Speaker B:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Like, it's crazy.
Speaker A:It's not crazy to us because we grew up around it, but that's actually crazy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Because it's like 15 minutes away and be like, yo, lingo's that different?
Speaker D:Like, come on.
Speaker A:My boyfriend bro Austin visited, and we were working on this joint together, and he was like, I'm gonna be in San Francisco for the week, or I'm gonna be in the Bay for the week.
Speaker A:What's some places to hit?
Speaker A:And I was like, oh, I'm gonna live at Oak or I'm gonna be in Oakland recording.
Speaker A:He was like, oh, okay.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker A:I could pull up.
Speaker A:And I was like, you're coming from SF at 5:00am on a week.
Speaker A:I mean, 5:00pm on a weekday, bruh.
Speaker D:You know, you gotta leave.
Speaker D:You know what time you gotta leave?
Speaker A:Like, God damn.
Speaker A:Not like people from outside of this state don't understand, bro.
Speaker A:SF to Oakland on a weekday.
Speaker A:Forget about good luck.
Speaker A:I just did that.
Speaker A:And it's not even a weekday.
Speaker A:And it took me an hour and a half.
Speaker A:That made me about it, bro.
Speaker A:Nah, for real.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's not too Much division.
Speaker A:No more.
Speaker A:I feel like we all trying to.
Speaker B:Everybody's coming together for sure.
Speaker B:But like, I.
Speaker B:What I was just touching on was just more of how it's different, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:Not necessarily division or anything like that, but just different.
Speaker A:Like micro differences.
Speaker B:Yeah, the micro differences.
Speaker B:Different styles.
Speaker B:And even, like, you see a lot of the SF cats even have, like, their music polar different than a lot of, you know, the Oakland 100 catching it.
Speaker B:That's not far, you know, but you got your bean, Pete.
Speaker B:Ye.
Speaker B:Like, guys who have total different influences.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker A:People.
Speaker A:No, for sure.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's a fact.
Speaker A:That's a fact.
Speaker A:Even musically it sounds different.
Speaker A:Culturally, they're almost fully different.
Speaker A:Like someone from San Francisco, which is only, what, 15 miles or something, 20 miles from Oakland, is going to be completely different.
Speaker A:Because that's a completely different upbringing.
Speaker B:No, for sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like, for as similar as we are, it's a lot of differences.
Speaker A:It's crazy to think about.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:You ever be in sack any anytime?
Speaker A:Yeah, I got homies inside.
Speaker A:Like, for sure.
Speaker A:There's a music scene out in sack that I respect heavily.
Speaker A:Like, some of my closest homies in this music industry are in sack right now.
Speaker A:Shout out.
Speaker A:Yanni.
Speaker A:He's honestly.
Speaker A:He's honestly a.
Speaker A:He's.
Speaker A:He's a cat bro.
Speaker A:He is probably my favorite artist right now in NorCal.
Speaker A:Like, I could listen to this all the time and I got put on him randomly and now we just locked in.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Shout out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And Gino's inside.
Speaker A:Luigi's inside.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Jakari Super Fire.
Speaker A:I'm probably gonna forget some people, but sack got a whole scene.
Speaker B:No, for sure.
Speaker A:I'll be up there.
Speaker A:For sure.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:We got a few on the pod already.
Speaker B:We want to get a few more.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:It's, you know, sax always had.
Speaker B:I will say sax always had a budding, like, you know, music scene.
Speaker B:Even since we were in high school.
Speaker B:They've had some, you know, quality talent.
Speaker B:It's just about, you know, getting.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It out to the national level and.
Speaker A:I think bridging that gap, being able to bridge it to the bay.
Speaker A:And sack is super important too.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Accessibility of everything.
Speaker B:I think that's why Mozzie was so successful is because of the one mob and just being able to be so popular out there, but still popular out here, you know, and like you said, that's huge.
Speaker B:Whereas, like, you go to an LA area, like, their stars kind of are in San Bernardino in the ie, in, you know, Bakersfield.
Speaker B:Like it's, it's bigger than just out region, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker B:So it's like.
Speaker B:I think that's what you said is big.
Speaker B:You got to get outside of just the county, get to that, those other regions as well.
Speaker A:Bridge that gap for sure.
Speaker A:No, yeah, no, it's.
Speaker C:Sack is a, is a whole entire different place in its own entirety compared.
Speaker A:To the Bay Area.
Speaker C:And it's just like.
Speaker C:I don't even like not trying to jump back onto that topic, but I don't even know how people would compare it.
Speaker C:Like, not compare it, but like say.
Speaker A:It'S a part of the Bay Area, like it's his home, it's the Valley.
Speaker B:But I just think it's just everybody thinks it's like, like San Francisco, Sacramento.
Speaker B:Oh, if it has its own, its.
Speaker C:Own basketball team and it's a whole.
Speaker A:Entire different area, where do you guys.
Speaker E:Think the capital should be?
Speaker E:In California?
Speaker E:That's a hot take because I don't think Sacramento, even though I don't even.
Speaker A:Know how I got Bakersfield.
Speaker B:Probably San Francisco, the Silicon Valley, wherever the most money is coming, pumping.
Speaker A:Yeah, I guess that's facts, but nah, cuz New York's capital is Albany and Albany ain't really on.
Speaker A:Respectfully.
Speaker A:I spent two summers in Albany and it was the longest time of my life.
Speaker A:I loved it, but it's Sack, be.
Speaker C:Careful bro, you're gonna have people coming.
Speaker A:In your comments, bro.
Speaker A:In the comments, like don't be talking.
Speaker D:About Albany like that.
Speaker A:Troy, Schenectady, Albany, all that.
Speaker A:That like Tri City area was my stomping ground for those summers in college, bro.
Speaker A:And it was hell.
Speaker A:So I'm just gonna say you don't have to be lit to be the capital is basically what I'm saying.
Speaker A:Because Albany wasn't lit.
Speaker A:It wasn't.
Speaker D:Listening out to Albany, I had a.
Speaker A:Homie, one of my closest.
Speaker A:Well one of the reasons I even do music to begin with, he, I met him in Hawaii and then he moved back home after our freshman year.
Speaker A:So one of the springs and one of the summers I was just like, bro, we're just gonna push out there and just make music.
Speaker A:So one of the summers I just kind of sprung it the idea two weeks notice and I was like, yo, I'm coming out there.
Speaker A:And he's like, bro, I got work, so I don't know how we're going to make this work.
Speaker A:I literally was in his house, his mom was like making me food every Day he was at work till like 3am I was like, fog, why did I do this?
Speaker A:And I had no car out there.
Speaker A:But I spent that summer out there and learned a lot about Albany.
Speaker A:And it wasn't like, fun.
Speaker A:So I still enjoyed it.
Speaker B:Do you have any other, like, you know, memorable or notable story from college that you think shaped you into the person and artist you are today?
Speaker A:Y' all remember the ballistic missile crisis that happened?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like they pump faked us with a ballistic missile.
Speaker A:I was, I was in Hawaii for that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That was interesting, to say the least.
Speaker A:Thinking I was gonna die in a place I hated.
Speaker A:I spent so many years like, damn, I'm ready to get out this.
Speaker A:And then for that to happen.
Speaker A:I was like, yeah, this guy playing like a sick ass joke.
Speaker A:Because if I was to.
Speaker A:If I was to die this by a ballistic missile, I would probably be sick.
Speaker A:But I learned that ain't really all that bad in comparison because now I'm just fearless, bro.
Speaker A:You can just get hit with a missile and you can't do nothing about it.
Speaker A:I was taking a. I got the alert and I was like, we gotta die.
Speaker A:I'm sitting here on the toilet.
Speaker A:Crazy.
Speaker A:College taught me a lot about myself that I probably still don't even recognize because it's just like daily life now.
Speaker A:But I moved out there when I was 17, so it was like, I'm on my own 17, no parents, no five hour flight to get home type.
Speaker A:It was fun, but it was also like hell in a fun way.
Speaker E:Did you get island fever?
Speaker A:Hell yeah.
Speaker A:That's what we was talking about.
Speaker A:Off.
Speaker A:Off air.
Speaker A:I got whatever y' all felt that last two days of the cruise, three days of the cruise.
Speaker A:I felt that like year one, bro.
Speaker D:I was ready to be out there.
Speaker E:I almost went to Hawaii, too.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's what we was talking about too.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker E:And then my aunt, she went out there and then that's the one thing her and like my whole family told me, like, don't do it.
Speaker E:I got island fever, like two months in.
Speaker E:And I was like.
Speaker A:And once you get it, you're like, there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Too late.
Speaker B:Yes, too late.
Speaker D:Gotta get at least two years.
Speaker D:I gotta get these, gotta get these.
Speaker D:GE's done.
Speaker D:Like, I ain't going back to a junior college.
Speaker A:But the one thing that don't, you can leave that.
Speaker A:That student loan bill gonna come right with you, so you might as well finish it out.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's all I just kept thinking about.
Speaker A:And it was, it was worth it too.
Speaker A:Like, I Learned a lot about just people because you.
Speaker A:I could have easily came back home and went to SF State and just got the same type of education.
Speaker A:But I don't think you learn about the world enough just being in places you're comfortable.
Speaker A:So being in a place, living for four years in a place, I was completely uncomfortable.
Speaker A:Tell me like you can literally do anything you want.
Speaker B:No, I definitely agree.
Speaker B:I think you learned huge lessons being away from area you're just comfortable navigating in.
Speaker B:And even culture might be different or just things that teaches you a lot about how to, you know, not only embrace other people's and learn different things, but also just kind of navigate in situations of uncomfortability, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker A:And like if I, if that ballistic missile had happened at home, like I'm.
Speaker A:I'm already comfortable.
Speaker A:That's whack.
Speaker A:I would have never learned stop around with the ballistic missiles.
Speaker A:I'm stopped joking about that because I was dead ass scared.
Speaker D:He was crying.
Speaker D:He got videos in something.
Speaker A:Bruh.
Speaker A:They had Magic Johnson on the island in a bunker.
Speaker D:I was like, why this get a bunker?
Speaker D:He got A's.
Speaker D:Anyway, let me in the.
Speaker D:That's how it is.
Speaker D:He ain't, he ain't lasted too long.
Speaker A:Don't save him.
Speaker D:To you.
Speaker A:That nigga's childish.
Speaker A:He said he got.
Speaker A:Never mind.
Speaker D:He's already done the great things.
Speaker D:Let me get mine.
Speaker A:I got four rings.
Speaker A:I'm good.
Speaker A:Like, you know, I need me.
Speaker A:I need me and some life to live.
Speaker D:Exactly.
Speaker A:My chapstick.
Speaker A:That's funny.
Speaker B:No, but speaking of college, you said you made music while you were going to uh.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Did you get in like involved in the music scene out there at all?
Speaker B:Did you work with other artists?
Speaker A:Nobody popping like, I don't think any like real ground was made and establishing a footprint.
Speaker A:But now when people hear that I'm from Hawaii, they're like, oh, you gotta come back and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker A:But I wasn't really like putting myself out there like that.
Speaker A:So it was basically me in a dungeon making music and learning how to be good.
Speaker A:Nah, I think Hawaii is super unique too because they have like a scene going on right now too.
Speaker A:Like they have their own shit going on, which is super fire to look at.
Speaker A:And there's a lot of people from the bay that go to uh.
Speaker A:So I was just meeting people from the bay and then making connections that way.
Speaker A:Um, nah, I can't think of anybody that's still doing music that I was making music with.
Speaker B:I didn't realize that there was like a budding music scene out there until I seen that.
Speaker B:Was it Channel five that did the documentary out there with oh yeah, Juice or whatever?
Speaker B:Like that was fire.
Speaker B:I was like, okay.
Speaker D:Like I didn't even know that they.
Speaker B:Had music scene going on out there and everything.
Speaker B:Like that shit was dope, bro.
Speaker A:Hawaii is so unique.
Speaker A:I think there's no place in the world like it, bro.
Speaker A:Cuz it lowkey shouldn't be a state.
Speaker A:I mean high key shouldn't be a state.
Speaker A:So they just operate on their own time and the US just kind of leaves it alone.
Speaker A:So they just get to do wild out there.
Speaker A:It's so fun if you're going for a vacation.
Speaker A:I think about that all the time.
Speaker A:If I was only there for a week and a half, I probably would have loved it.
Speaker A:I would want to go back all the time I was there four years, I didn't need to be there.
Speaker B:Have you gone back?
Speaker A:I've gone back since I graduated.
Speaker A:I've gone back like three or four times.
Speaker A:Three or four times?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I go there and I'm like, oh, that first day be hitting.
Speaker A:And then I'm like, fuck, I'm right back.
Speaker A:I spent most of COVID out there though.
Speaker A: Like: Speaker A:I spent most of bro.
Speaker B:We went out there because that's when we graduated college.
Speaker B:So we took our graduation trip out to Hawaii.
Speaker B:To Hawaii and brought all the bars with.
Speaker B:Like we.
Speaker B:There was one that was.
Speaker D:There was one that would let.
Speaker D:Would let us go into like midnight or whatever.
Speaker D:We got a fucking booth just.
Speaker D:Just to do it.
Speaker D:Like got a bottle just to do it.
Speaker D:Nobody's in there.
Speaker D:We just graduated.
Speaker A:Yeah, there was people in there.
Speaker A:It's just they had.
Speaker C:It was during the time where was that?
Speaker C:Like different capacities, like, oh, like 50 capacity or we can't be at that capacity type, you know.
Speaker C:But I mean we made the most out of it though.
Speaker C:It was still a good time.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think Hawaii is so unique in that way too.
Speaker A:Just because damn, it's like a perfect place to spend that type of quarantine.
Speaker A:But at the same time should be just blowing you like, yo, y' all went out there for your grad show.
Speaker A:There's really, I hate to say like, oh, I wish this went this way because this.
Speaker A:Because you never know what would have happened.
Speaker A:But that's just a weak ass way.
Speaker A:This Fender grad show.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker D:Yeah, we didn't know no better.
Speaker B:We just were trying to do something.
Speaker B:We were like, it.
Speaker B:We'll just Go chill by ourselves, like.
Speaker B:And we just went on of top the beach, kind of did our own thing.
Speaker B:But, yeah, nights when you wanted to go out or do something, it was.
Speaker C:Slim P. Ate at some good restaurants.
Speaker E:And no H out.
Speaker D:But back to the music.
Speaker B:Before we get out of here, man, we want to hear about what's coming.
Speaker B:Obviously, we talked about the album, and, you know, you got a screenplay attached.
Speaker B:Can we hear a little bit more about that?
Speaker B:Whatever you're willing to tell, tell us.
Speaker A:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker A:It's in the final stages.
Speaker A:It's called Ollie World, and it's gonna be an experience.
Speaker A:It's a real life experience.
Speaker A:That's pretty much it.
Speaker A:It comes with a screenplay and an album, but it's.
Speaker A:It's life.
Speaker A:It's just life.
Speaker B:That's dope.
Speaker C:Looking forward to that, man.
Speaker C:Sounds dope.
Speaker B:Is there anything else we could look forward to?
Speaker B:I know you talked about, you know, other short stories and other things.
Speaker B:Is there anything else we can look out for?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Ali tv.
Speaker A:Ali TV is coming.
Speaker A:It's just gonna keep coming.
Speaker A:Pause.
Speaker A:And I'm.
Speaker A:I'm about to be just doing things because I love it.
Speaker A:You're gonna see a lot of love in the things I do.
Speaker B:That's dope, bro.
Speaker B:Well, let them know where to find you, bro.
Speaker B:Where to find you.
Speaker A:Instagram at official Danny Ali.
Speaker A:Tick Tock Sick Number six.
Speaker A:Number five, Danny Ali.
Speaker A:All streaming platforms.
Speaker A:Danny Ali.
Speaker A:And in real life, in your mama's basement.
Speaker A:Yes, sir.
Speaker B:Yes, sir.
Speaker B:Well, thank you, bro.
Speaker D:Thank you for coming out.
Speaker B:We appreciate you.
Speaker B:If you guys haven't already, like, comment, subscribe and join us next week.
Speaker B:Appreciate y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker D:Sheesh.
