Alright guys, so a lot of people access how do they make a podcast? I'm let you in on a secret on the easiest most productive way to start a podcast and get it up and running and that is the app called anchor is free. They have all kind of cool creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. They will distribute your podcast for you to all of the major Outlets including spot.Why Apple Google many more and you can make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership is everything you need to make a podcast in one simple easy place. So if you're interested in starting a podcast Go download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot f m-- to get started. Let's do it.All right, guys, welcome back eyl. This is an extremely special special edition. I'm excited especially to make sense. Yeah, for sure before we before we start we got some housekeeping items. So if you follow me, well, you know, we've been traveling around we hitting all of our major markets. So DC DMV, Maryland, Virginia, we are coming December 7th, December 8th. We got a whole eyl weekend planned and we have in a workshop on December seventh with two of our biggest.Amna mobile homes Elite and my God Wall Street wraps or something. Yeah, I walk Workshop about investing in mobile homes and a workshop investing in real estate stocks combined and empty the mortgage. I will be there as well. So you never know. He might talk about really a few of them that might show up as gonna be a whole Bob and then so then that's Saturday and then Sunday we're gonna have our very first live podcast ever and we're going to do it at Capital One Arena. That's what it was this play. Yeah, I think giving us they giving us the court. That's a fact that comes to the podcast they get tickets to the game right after the podcast. Yes, but it's not just a regular game. They play the Clippers and the Clippers have one of the best teams in the league. Yeah, one of the best players of all time Kawhi Leonard. Yeah and load management will not Workshop to $15 pretty much given it away. So if you're interested go to re Alicia.com under the events Tab and all of the information is there so all right. So as I said, this is very special because you know music is part of what be hard man, we grew up on HipHop specifically and we just loved music. So we talked we always quote Jay-Z all the time. You always qualities rappers and because that's kind of how we grew up just listening to rap. That's how we learn. That was that was our learning tool some some things we learn good some things we learn bad, right but that's how we learn. So my man Mickey faxes is perfect a perfect guest for UIL. So love he had a freestyle. Yeah about three months ago went viral on social media and it was what Funk flex and he was talking about credit right? And when I sort of freestyle couple people had the end me like yo, you should post this you're supposed to So when I actually set down because a lot of times you get stuff you only look at it. So once the third person hit me on my I'm actually that's three minutes of my time to look at this right and then I looked at it. I'm like yo, this is don't so I reposted it and then I went crazy on my page and then we connected and I'm like yo, like would you be interested in coming on the show? He's like, yeah for sure. So I'll run it down. He's a veteran veteran in the rap game over a decade of experience. He was on the double XL freshman of the Year cover two. Hip hip joint 2009 freshman, right? Yes, sir. Yeah. So Bronx native, we can't forget that. Yeah, you know rocks out the Quarry in the game have been on major labels independent labels drop projects works with some of the biggest names in hip-hop history from picking Drake to Kendrick Lamar pickle. Yeah. Yeah. Ho so, you know, it's he's the perfect guest to have because you know, when we talk about entertainment a lot of times people have aspirations of being in the entertainment business, but you know, they don't really know how to how that works. Right and I was telling make you off camera is like there's a lot more people that could relate to his story that could relate to Jay-Z right because it's far as being an independent artist and making a living for yourself and going on tour and selling merch and all of this stuff this all things that are viable career you making a living out of it, right? Right. So it's like as an artist there's no mentorship and there's no blueprint is no manual for this. Yeah, give us some some some free game. So yes, sir, first and foremost me. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Absolutely. Thank you for having me here man. This is gonna be great excited to have you man. Yeah, so all right, so we got to kick it off a little different how we usually kick off the podcast. I'll be kicking it off. All right, so you should say this all started with the funk Flex Freestyle, right? So we going We're going to have one up on Flex. Okay, I'm one up on the next block. Very first break in history. Very first BYO freestyle. Yeah, Mommy is going to bless us with a hundred bars. Yeah, Lisa, honey, and we gone and we going through it. So yeah whenever you ready man Okay cool. So I'm doing this freestyle, you know saying off of Dan from CV shout out the Nori nature pain.i P cam. So I was in jail. Yeah. With and swiss for making it here and I was like, you know, I want you to pick the topic. I want you to pick the beat, you know saying so Troy pick the beat Richard pick the top so, you know today we're going to be wrapping about you know, I'm saying entrepreneurs. I mean, let's get it going. Let's do it. Yes, so what I did on the flex show helping the people get out of debt grow Richard gave me a call and told me to flex Mo teach him how to work for themselves to get dope said Joe you can say ready for that. He said making yourself more credit than that. Just tell him the facts. That's when I start remembering back working at a law firm sorting mail in the back going to work very poor. I'm making twenty Kay a twenty four. I can't take it anymore. So I made it my business. This to make my own business create my own lane at the game hasn't it was other chocolate bars right in the next row the company made towards woman got rich. It's always a need for something. So they created a product to appease the public. So you gotta do the same. That's something in your own lane to hateful value for the customer you can get Game, you can put a barber shop next to a lounge or start a laundromat in the college town gotta know what you getting into is imperative research. Don't go in blind you to your arrogance. The doctor can't start a business without knowing this medicine and other can start a series without knowing the narrative structure man with the benefits. So your monkey know your demographic who you trying to start with. What is your business plan? Here's how you started. What is your company about? What do you call it? Layout the service? Tell us about the product flesh out the Push a revenue Target. That's what you make it now subtract what you spent just to make it. That's a process through the goal might give me your ticket from all his Pekin's I might get banned from TV with this preaching in Oregon have to re-release it as a remix an old six eyes and mixtapes with DJ's wore baggy clothes into toes with a mean face. I had glasses skinny jeans go supers cats all that said he had no future, but they were wrong. It's people were connected. Important to the brand and it was respected but Checker, I don't want to deviate from the message. Let's get back to this entrepreneur lessons. Sometimes people do it to get out of stressing working for the man to them becomes oppressive. So they start a business for income play but then worry about growth. So the income stays the problem is if they ever see an incoming rays that I arrest on a back now incomes Gray's you gotta have a good accountant what to deduct pay yourself your own salary. What is enough don't get too passive with Money you clutch or you won't be a mechanic thrown under the bus. Now, let's talk about the battery what people don't tell you 97 percent of businesses end in Failure. Not because what they did wrong other reasons and we break it down people go to a neighborhood restaurant every other weekend, you're going sister kid because the owner was the beacon what he wants to sell it to the food isn't season other customers see that and start leaving now, they gotta shut the business down where you eating because the founder and want to keep it another victim. Ample to believe in is how valuable is the product to those who need it is it like breathing isn't worth pulling my wallet out with the reasons or should I pass cause I ain't got Financial Freedom. These are things you gotta take into account a real entrepreneur his mother waiting it out. They start one company, let it make an amount and then sell it before it gets placed in the drought to start another company every couple years asking then repeat those steps kind of like StairMaster. This is not actually taught. These are gems that I'm dropping. Hope they Another thing stop trying to ask for support if your product is good then it's practically voice. So if your man's dick solar energy field that is basic and you don't support it the enforce it with a statement and its best in their dreams and say this best way to predict the future is for you to create it and this is for the worker bees. Don't get cocky you get paid for your work don't be snobs. So as to be the boss, you know, she's sloppy because a brand new fighter just won't hit Rocky ownerships. Not a reward for work. That's a paycheck only. So the ward for risk that's the Apex who's that a double tapping asses and muscles Google and research the past to the hustle get you a mentor and ask about the struggle to learn from mistakes. Don't brag keep a subtle. The last freestyle has the last nigger puzzled. I ain't rap about a ringing Howard flash on my nothing a couple people said they was trapped in the bubble today hurt my freestyle and a sister double some education and get you a portion self-education and get you a fortune when I get rich. It's a passion trust me and some people so poor all they really have is money. This verse ain't facetious. Take that lyric Down and break the words and pieces get you a nice life work cohesion. Get you one step closer to earning your leisure. You heard you heard it. Listen, listen, listen, listen one thing only. Fat is burned down my house man. I'm glad I got insurance Street. Lisa has been earned y'all. I mean I was on who first time ever. Yeah first time ever. Are you at leisure? Yeah. They don't be hitting us up now. Yo yo yo, yo, so yeah, this is gonna be this is this is dope because I so we got the freestyle and just burned it burnt it down completely and now we are going to the to the interview part of it to let people know who you are then also to give information for artists out there that that may not know. Yeah the game, right? Yeah. We said it's not something that's taught. It is no manual for it people learn on the Fly and forefathers before, you know, maybe they were learning on the fly as well. So it and pass it down so we don't get into that too. So can we talk about your journey? So I was interested so you were saying you was using college and that's using NYU. Yes, and I guess after one year you just figured that school route wasn't for you. Right? Yeah. I mean I was I was studying law, you know in paralegal studies specifically and I remember being in the front of Criminal Justice class drinking a triple shot of espresso coffee still falling asleep. And you know, I feel like you know and just Education Works for some people but for others is to retain some knowledge is just it just didn't work for me in that way. So I decided that you know, I was going to take something that I was doing as a hobby seriously. So I was like, you know what let me just you know at the time I manager and my and I was like yo, if you really want to do this, you got to be serious and quit so you started college already doing the music thing. I was already doing music before I went to college. I have prolonged college for like 6 years. I have went 2007. I had graduated high school. Mm. Okay. So since I got to college I did with most black people do they just get a job because they want to get to the money, you know, they want money. So I went and worked for six years and then I was like I let me go to school to make my mother happy but it didn't make me happy. So I just kind of left twenty four thousand a year couldn't take I was yeah. I was literally and this was also five. Oh four or five hours making 24,000. Yeah, you know so so, all right. So you decide to drop out of school. What is it? Like what's your next steps in order to pursue your music career? I mean at that time the internet was just budded and its pleasant. Yes, I was on Myspace heavy and we would change in top eights. We was making people change their topics, you know, I'm saying and we just kind of we had a graphic design person who knew how to work with the HTML and had our backgrounds looking good. So we were You know, we was a kind of ahead of the game in that aspect. So when people will go to my page they will see it was completely different from what other Myspace Pages were and we will also utilize in Facebook and Twitter around this time. This is before it was like what it is today. So we were using the internet when when hip-hop was denouncing the internet like hip-hop was denouncing it at that time musics being stolen music was right? It was being pirated still but people were still purchasing. It didn't go into the era of Music just yet. Okay, like you could get freestyle, like people will still buy music but people will go on these sites to get freestyles and certain videos, you know, I'm saying because there wasn't I think iTunes was out but it wasn't like concrete just yet. Yeah, so you built a team around you. Yeah. So who's consistent in his team in the early days? It was a saint he was my manager and creative director. Then I had Steve-O who is also creative director / and are Our I had a stylist choirs. I had a producer precise. I have my own personal assistant. Lakita. I had a hype man. So how did all this come about the far as like I you leave College? I'm assume you don't have any money. I had $10,000 see so how do you fund the operation at the beginning stages? I mean in 2007 from what I remember, we I put all my money into a project called flashback. Which was basically wrapping over old school beats, but we have my producer remake them to be newer. We wanted to get DJ's to but DJ's were too expensive. So we just basically created it put it on MySpace when we saw didn't do anything. We put it out July 27 2007. We saw I didn't do anything. I started working on another project called Heavens fall out and I sampled the Geico commercial beat my God. And I wrapped over that when I rapped over that. It started to gain attention because it wasn't a typical hip hop beat. Dan I sampled arms arms the arms race remix, which had Kanye on it and the Fall Out Boy's and Gym Class Heroes, okay. The Gym Class Heroes and Fall Out Boy's management heard that and called me. I was like, okay, we want to make you a part of this team. You know, we want to manage you it is all of my space and this is like unheard of around this time and then I put another record out called stop me. I sampled Daniel Merriweather and then I sampled another track called Tokyo shit when I did that that's when the fader picked me up for it. Okay, and then after once fader pick me up mind you this is no I didn't have no money. We did we haven't spent $1 yet once failed to pick me up everybody. Pick me up. You are be billboard Rolling Stone Vibe the sauce the sauce and double XL actually the last people to pick me up but at that point we were using the internet when other rappers really weren't like it was a couple of us like me Cuddy the cool kids who kids well, um while a we were like the One's using the internet to get out whereas there was like at that time. It was like 50 Cent Kanye. They will all still doing the traditional. There was still like a cruel of type situation. Right? Like you don't crew was high and then somebody from that crew was spawn off and they blow up but also the labels just didn't know how to maneuver on the internet. They tried to fight Napster. They tried to fight technology they fight to try to fight all of that and they didn't realize like they were guys that were more popular than me in the streets, but I Touring I was traveling. I went to Japan. I went to China before I performed in New York City by myself, you know I'm saying because I have fans all over the place and DJ's at the time in New York City were charging way too much money. I just couldn't afford it. So I made the internet my fan base. And then when I did that I started putting a song a week out every week. I put a new song out every week for free and when people saw the work ethic on that it just kind of was like when a mushroom when you say DJ's were charging too much you mean in this Sense of DJ's playing the records on the radio or DJ's making actual records for you. DJ's playing the records on the radio DJs to take your song and put it on a mixtape DJ's to host your mixtape DJ's to play the music in the club DJs to play the music at events. DJ is just a hear the song they wanted money. So that's crazy Paola Paola. That's a real thing. Paola is a real thing. Everybody's not fail. That's when you pay people to play music on radio stations the federal offense, right? It is a federal offense. So people really do that. You know, it's one of those things is one of those things without incriminating. I mean, I mean, it's one of those things where like if you hear a song on the radio or I mean first of all, I believe all of us in here we grew up in the era of the 90s and the 2000s Hot 97 it Power 105 at that point we all M naught we all tried to call up the HOT 97 any of us ever get through no, no never I've never trying to call when when DJ trailer was on KISS FM and did you ever get through never man? Never and you're not you know, you weren't going to get through because it's already a programmed kind of situation. The music is already programmed for what they're going to play a program director. They already does the songs are already programmed to play because Cuz of how popular it was ordered it already was or because the label paid for that. So, alright. I think the Reston I didn't know that even to put DJ's either hear your record, you know, all you have a his like yo, I don't take money. I don't think that's all the DJ's have too much power not anymore. They used to they used to have tons of power. Yeah. Well because I would imagine like in that and there was a certain time when DJ's would break the record right right now like the internet is breaking a record. Yeah. I mean people break their own records. I mean I mean when I wasn't when I was on Jive I was frustrated because I was like they wanted me to do the DJ stuff and DJ rich and and I want to say I'm not against DJ's but I felt like it was archaic because like at some point like people are not going to go to the radio to listen to music anymore. Yeah, they are all now, they're listening to music on Spotify. Listen to music or entitled it listening to you know, YouTube, so if I felt like it was archaic They didn't want to hear me with that the label that was like now you still got to do is look at it do it. I was like, okay, you know, what's crazy is that like the first time I heard about Takashi was like I think a year and a half ago and it was Uncle murders year lirikh. He does like the yearly recap. So he's mentioned his name and when he mentioned his name like, uh, I like Google him like I looked on Instagram and when I looked on Instagram, he had 2 million followers. Yeah something like, how is he? He's from Brooklyn. He got rainbow head. Yep. I'm like I know. That's what I have to say. I was so out of the loop. Julian people had already been following him. He's on tour overseas here was already hot. And I only heard about him because of Uncle Burton said it's being it was way bigger, Uncle Murda, right? The radio is only pain 12 records. If you listen to it is just 12 records over and over just an expanded in like they have maybe a new way to section right? That's like 45 minutes throughout a day most people in there cause it's the same records over Nova unless they're doing like a show like an interview is coming on. That's it. Yeah, I mean, I mean like Like what Richard just said like this I find new artists and I be shocked that they have over 500 thousand followers. I find new artists all the time and they just have tons and tons of followers and they sell out venues. They don't and I'm 1 million percent sure. They didn't pay a DJ to be on the radio. They didn't pay anybody that make it happen. It just kind of had their own following people brought into their brand. Like I said in the rap and he will connected to it and that's what made them popular. That's why Thing I think I'm broken Johnny has said that he's like you want to make it get out where you are. Yep right in your town. Then you see the old be in love with you then your stay will find you and then by that time industry will come get you. Yep. That's how it works. So I saw in the next segment. We're going to talk about your experience with going from a major to be independent or anything in between right? Ernest you currently paying off student loan debt interested in improving your financial literacy are looking for new ways to earn income and today's ever-changing digital landscape. Well on the talk money with the mesh lakhani podcast mesh will follow Paper Trails chat with experts break down complex ideas and bring Clarity to the mystical Financial phenomenon. Each episode will be filled with compelling stories covering a broad range of subjects from buying Bitcoin dealing with student loan debt and everything in between. Solution to talk money with mesh lakhani on Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast and learn how to spend invest in earn in today's economy. All right. So you were telling me that you actually have an interesting experience because you you've seen all sides of the game. Yes from from living the high life being on major. Yep labels to having endorsement deals from Fortune 500 companies. Yep to be an independent it having a grind it out yourself. So all right. Um, can we talk about your experience on on on the major labels? And how did that work out for you? Is it like because everybody talks about majors and but Giardia people that always My meters is always a bit. So it's interesting to me. Like even when kissing on was on a radio few years ago and said that they were gone like throw pop off a roof and all that shit. It's interesting because everybody has bad shots of child to kill that was that was that was a memorable time. Yeah beautiful tonight. They work that out. But everybody always has negative things to say about major labels, right? But everybody always size to major labels. Yeah, you know, I heard you like Jim Jones was probably one of the biggest independent artist, right? And he had said, you know, And independent until recently. He was like yo, you need the major because it's certain things that they can provide that you can't as an independent artist. Yeah. So who yeah your experience. How was it being on the because you want a few Majors? How was how was that experience? I mean it was it was a great experience and then it was like a weird experience. So the great experience of it was it was more clout for everybody basically, so like once you say I'll drive recording artist Mickey facts. It's like everybody All over you, you know I'm saying but essentially what it is is a bank loan, you know, they give you a lot of upfront money and you use that money to live off of and fund your project. You know, I'm saying use that and so they give you half up front and that half of whatever you sign for is to live off of that's the advanced that's the events and then the other half of the money is for your marketing budget and and whatever else that you spend studio time features production things like that. And basically if you run out of your money of The Upfront Advance money, then you have to kind of grind it out but its limitations on what you could do because the label still owns your name content and things of that nature before but one thing with me like before I did my deal I had the Honda commercial Shoo. I had a sponsorship with Puma. I had EA Sports scenarios. So I have my own merchandise. So when I signed to Jive battery, they couldn't take they couldn't 360 me because I was already moving and I was already already had certain situations put in place. So that was the good part of it, you know and being able to meet people that were in the industry go to the parties the events and and you know eat for free and things like that, but you know when it was time. Time to kind of put the music out Jive have folded. So everybody that was on job at the time Justin Timberlake Chris Brown myself. There was a couple other artists that was on there like big pop artists like they would have big pop leibel we all were in limbo. So I'm got moved to RCA had a whole nother team a whole nother deal and it was rough because it was people there who didn't believe in the project. First place to sign me, you know, so I had did a record with John Legend at the time. I did a record with Bruno Mars did record with yellow wolf and they just didn't the NR just wasn't fans and understanding me. They didn't understand it because he wasn't invested into it cold chilling labels. So one thing one thing that you said was interesting because like I said, we grew up on hip hop and like even in my brain like I it's weird like somebody will say something and then a lyric triggers. Yeah. I remember from 15 years ago, so One of the greatest rappers of all time cannabis, right? He is one of the greatest. Yeah, I'm not no, we're not done having a Plastics the 90s. It was pretty crazy. No, no, they're not going to work out for him, but people won't remember him. No. No, he's one of the Grateful Dead Boys. I pull one of the things that he always said that's like when he said he said did you actually your labor with it was cool boys. I'm sure the vehicle is probably beautiful. But if you actually label it was with Google so you talked about like the events. So, can you just break that could I'm actually interested to know like they give you a million dollars, right? Right, but that's your Get this so now out of that million dollars your studio time is gone the second half of the budget. So if you get if I had a million dollar deal, I would get 500,000 up front Okay and out of that 500,000 automatically. My attorney has to get paid. My manager has to get paid. My accountant has to get paid. They keep the other $500,000 to do everything that needs to be done in terms of marketing studio time features and then the other well if it's Thousand that I keep I would probably keep 375 after paying everybody out and with that 375 I shouldn't go and buy a chain. I shouldn't go and buy a car a super expensive car. At least I should buy something that's practical buy a home by a practical car and wait until you know, you're you're touring and you start seeing publishing and things like that because it's basically a loan and it's taxed also it is taxed so 375 is really like 250 if I can you could have it taxed or you can take it up front and to handle it on your own. I took it all up front handle it on my own and pay the taxes later on. Yes. So what the label says that when we hear a lot of times they recouping the money how's that happen right there recouping the money off of your record sales. All right. So the money that they gave you as advanced are taking it back from what you've sold. Yes and the event that you sell in the event that you sell in the event that you don't in the event that you don't you and the red they could Chew off as a tax as a tax write-off or you're in debt. You want to label your in the red? Yeah. So how is it as far as label Politics As far as could you say when you switched labels the other label didn't believe in the project the way the first label did right. So like I always wanted this to where it's like people push the album's back. Like, how did what is it to say? Okay your green lit for a release in April dear singles coming out. Like, how does that That look from the inside because a lot of people we just see from the outside as fans. This person's out and keeps getting pushback or this person quick, but we don't know like the single might not have worked but they wanted him to go in a different direction. Like how does that work? A lot of thing cleared up something like the right A lot of times it's analytics that people that the other people in the office is you know doing so they'll put a record out for feeler or you know to test it at Radio to see what's going on. What's the response and if they not getting another if they're not getting a good enough response. They're not The start putting gasoline to the fire because the fire is already out there when the song is on the radio is in the DJ pool. It's you you send it to the tastemakers whatever but the consumer hasn't gotten to the record just yet. So they used to have a mix show now, everything is streaming, you know saying but before it was all mixed show tastemakers you had to do DJ meetings, you know, go to the go to different cities and go to the radio station and talk. Talk to the DJs and basically begged them to play the record and they were played during the mix show our which would be before Primetime 5 to 7. The DJ's have free range to kind of play whatever they wanted to play and if there was enough impact on the record. They will add it into rotation after the label would then put money behind the song. So the label would make their money back off of Licensing the song the label makes their money back off of the radio spins. The label makes the money back off of The publishing sometimes the royalties and as well as album sales, so that's how the label but then one H1 H2 when they saw that Napster was coming around. That's when they started the 360 deal. So I need 10% of its your talk everything. I need some percent of everything basically. So like when you said they make it back off the album is that when the points coming to play? Yes, that's what points come into play and everybody gets a point. So basically you give a point to this producer for Making a b or if they may like if I paid Swiss to do three beats, I would give him a point on the album along points of percentage a percentage Yeah out of like 100. It's like you get 10 to 12 points on an hour and the points go one point goes to executive producer one point goes to another executive producer. Then you give one to producers who make beats you take like two or three points and then the label keeps. The rest of point is 10% Really? Yeah, basically so Godlike J Cole who produces the album has no fee. Features and executive producer he's keeping all the points. Yes. So what's different between points and Masters Masters are the master recordings that you own? So if this let's just say earn your leisure was a studio and I didn't sign a record deal if I pay you to record here. I own my Master's if I come here for free to record here Troy Jones Damascus. You know, I'm saying Richard owns the Masters if I sign a record label If I sign it regularly if I signed a record deal, I relinquish my rights to the Masters depending on what kind of attorney I have. So now black artists are now starting to be a little bit more smarter and they want to own them as this week before everyone was intellectual and smart people sign their masters away to get that upfront money not knowing that the master recording is basically an essentially the foundation of owning your music and your money. So if For example, I'll use Outcast for an example. I think they wanted I think there was a the label wanted to I think license one of their songs for the Super Bowl and it was a very big record and a very big commercial Big Boy sign this Licensing thing the label signed it but Andre didn't want to sign it. So because Andre didn't want to sign it because they own some of their masses because they made so much money. Yeah, they weren't able to use the record. I don't the people don't even know that like outcasts has the biggest head pop song of all time, right? But in the event that they didn't own a portion of their masters, the label could have said we're selling we're licensing this song and we're going to keep the money in day get a piece of the money. Thank you for Right, I didn't end up publishing is when the writing the writing of of the right. So the composition yes, so a lot of times people get publishing confused when they re credits, right? So when you consider someone like Drake right people say Drake has Ghost Riders in tu-tu-tu-tu-tu that right when you look at the credits and you see someone like Drake's name. You see Aubrey Graham, right and you see about 10 other names. They like all Drake has nine other Riders know. Sometimes I'm how would I say? I want to say 99% a hundred percent of the time. He's writing his records. I feel like that one time that you know, he had a reference track when I say the guys name for the entire first time. So yeah that one time I think I think it was I think he was trying to give someone a shot exactly you helping people know so he's giving somebody a shot right and it leaked but when you see ten names on a project music is written. There is a which produces right music. It's not just producing you you're writing the music so they're writers on the song as well. And if it's a sample, the people that they sampled are also in the credit there right there writers as well. So I don't want people to like you might you like if you check credits you'll see Jay-Z and by childhood and a bunch of other people, but that doesn't mean people wrote Jay-Z's lyrics High make more money off her album and you well, you see Jay Z's name one other people, but you know, I listen I challenge people to look at the mole albums. Yeah and know if you know some of these rappers Name, that was great. That's exactly how I started knowing. Everyone's doing I would read the credits. I'm like, this is cool and CDs used to act. Yeah, you have to open them up open it you can see who wrote it in right there opening credits and all that. So, all right. So this is an interesting conversation because it's very complex and you obviously a very intelligent person right but you taking a kid off the street we know education wolf. How is he posted navigate to who Masters publishing points budgets recoupable. How do you have enough? It's something that nobody told you when you came in the game. Nobody told me to go to me so it's like but a lot of it was also because I was working at a law firm like you guys heard in a freestyle. So like I would give my contracts to the junior Partners at the firm smiling. We will all look at it together and they will break things down to me. So I kind of understood my contract. So I had them checking my attorneys work, you know, and I'm checking their work, you know, I'm saying, oh you're checking lawyers and For kid, I mean I wasn't taught a lot. I wish I was but you know in this game, I just feel like you know, black men for whatever reason they just not you know reaching back or maybe there is a disconnect. I want I don't want to say black pen men are not reaching back maybe black men do want to reach back but I feel like there's a language barrier that has to be kind of severed in order for us to kind of, you know interact with the younger generation. You know, I'm saying I feel like sometimes did. Younger generation they have this push back to the older generation because they're The Gatekeepers, you know, I went through that as a young artist, but if a older artist with a cannon man, but like listen you need to do this. This is this this is that and then that I would have listened. You know, I'm saying as far as your question, what does a young kid do man I mean I would suggest, you know, being headstrong and and trying to find a mentor Or that should be the number one thing to do someone who actually cares about your career someone who actually knows the business and knows what to do and how to navigate around certain things because there is no retirement plan in music. There is no 401k plan in music. There is no Health Care in music. There is no dental plan in music. I have my own separate insurance. I have my own sep I pay As a lot for insurance, we have my own 401k plan old life insurance. You know, I have to take care of these things in myself because if I don't nobody else will interesting you said I could like we spoke off-camera and I was saying that like sequels one of my favorite rappers. So when he said with no Union, no dental plan. I can't eat off a hundred grand. I got cavities and I need filling yo. So when you when these are things that no artos Eagle said that I believe Thought about it Like Rappers have no Union, right? No. Yeah even actors have a union. Yep rappers have no I heard nor we sing like that like like they should try to have a rapper jr. Yeah, it's imperative because it's like even on a label do they do you have benefits on a label? Yes, you do get benefits on the label, but you have to opt into it. You have to pay into it. And again once rappers get a check. That's it man it is it the same if they get dropped from the labels, like if I get fired from my job, obviously, I'm not part of any It's so what you do is you drop. Yeah. Well, I mean it's one of those things where they're taking uneducated. Impoverished black young men and young girls and throwing money in their face. So think about us 18 19 years old 17 to even 20 if someone offers you a ton of money, you're not thinking about 401K. You're not thinking about health insurance because that stuff already comes out your check and it's interesting because I feel like most Americans probably wouldn't think about that shit either if It wasn't already taken out of the check. So you put this stuff in front of a young black kid. They're not thinking that the first thing they're thinking about is getting drippy that's getting less for her how fast can we get I didn't buy a chain. Like I didn't buy a chain when I'm on my advance I did not I wanted I wanted a place to live, you know, I wanted my own place to stay, you know, and that was the first thing that I did, you know, I'm saying I didn't get a chain. I didn't get a nice car. I had a free car wash out the Honda but I I didn't want any of that like because I knew I had to recoup the money and I knew I had to live off of this money, even though I had a booking agent. I knew I was some point the the the hotness would dissipate, you know, I'm saying so I had to save and stack my bread and that's nothing to like you said with the hotness. A lot of times you feel like you're Invincible when you and you'll be hot forever. Exactly. It's like I got this I'm on top of the world. But in three years, you're not on top of the world baby sister - you're a piece of bread. So it's like what do you do? You don't have any formal education right always said the music business. I want to ask you this because we like being in like we're interviewing people now, we're kind of like making our rounds around that the music industry. So I told Troy I'm like this this music industry. I member Kris got he told us his we interviewed a shout-out to Chris. He was like this isn't a real industry. It's the only place where you can be a high-level executive with no qualification, but you know, I'm saying like, that's true. True. I mean we're and we run into people and we're like really like, how do you how you cry? How did this happen to give somebody a million dollar budget? You don't you just friends with somebody or you just you was hanging out with them and they put you on and now for your intern who had already here and it's like we have a good hair like, well you picked the right record you were there at the right time and that happened to a lot of guys and you're a senior executive because you picked the right guy that time. Yep, but then somebody else told us that that's kind of dumb. On purpose because the higher-ups keep it on organized unprofessional because it's like a bunch of chickens just running with that cut off the artists don't really know what they're doing. But a lot of Executives only know what they're doing either but the high-level executive only knows they know. Yeah, so if you keep if you keep on like kind of drugged up and only know that late to meetings and it's very it's not it's not a real business not right like a really big lie to me. It's real. It's not real like a real business like this. I was going into the off I was going into the label every like twice a week and it was to the point that they people thought I was an employee do because I just wanted to know what was happening with my project every two days. I just needed to know, you know, I mean and that's how I was able to have a great rapport with a lot of the people that were there. I was about to call him co-workers, but they were technically where my co-workers, you know, and you know, I feel like artist just just let things they just let things go how I supposed to go there. It's like Just want to create the music not as 1 degree. Jeez. He says yeah, do you see has a clip? That's right one violent Instagram saying that he got taken advantage of because he wasn't educated pretty much paraphrase and he wasn't educated on music business. He had lawyers that screwed him over and he felt he felt intimidated to even let somebody know what was going on because he's gz the Snowman so it's like for him to get ripped off. It's embarrassing right and he just went with it because he didn't know he didn't know what to do. Yeah. How do I tell somebody like I'm the Snowman and this little guy over here with a bow tie dropping every day, right? I mean it's frustrating because there should be some sort of educational workshop for new artists that come into the game. There's so many people that don't know anything about the music business and a lot of times these guys they some of these guys don't finish high school and they, you know, they get into the game and they just think the money is going to come in forever, but think about like or if it comes All right, but think about 10 years ago who was here ten years ago then and it's not here now, you know I'm saying or even 20 years ago like Anil like that's not a shot. Oh no fact, it's the fact that was that was 20 years ago. Yeah dawn of time flies, you know, and she was a talented artist, but she's not here no more. Like I'm not saying that I don't think I want to be here, you know pass another 10 years, but what I'm saying is utilize this time to ask questions is nothing wrong with a Asking questions. I feel like sometimes we just so prideful. There's certain things that we just don't want to know or we're too afraid to ask. You know, I mean for me I ask questions. I'm always curious as to know why a certain person popped or how a certain person got hot or how they got hot in a town. What did they do to get to that next level? I absorb this information so I can take it. I Mentor like about 10 to 15 kids. You know, I'm saying Young artist because I feel like that wasn't given to me so Should give it back. You know, I mean and it's imperative that these kids know these things because this is our future that's a fact so that's a perfect segue into our last seven. We're going to talk about the independent game what you got going on now and yeah educate people were not be talking about the major side, but we don't talk about the independence good. Yeah. What's up, y'all? So if you're listening to this you obviously like podcast and you probably like music just as much on Spotify. You can listen to all your favorite artists and podcasts in one place for free. You don't need to premium account Spotify has a huge catalogue of podcast on every topic including the one you're listening to right now on Spotify. You can follow your favorite podcast. So you never miss an episode premium users can download Episode to listen to offline wherever you are and it's really easy to share what you've been listening to. Your friends on Instagram if you haven't done so already be sure to download the Spotify app search for Ernie Leisure on Spotify or browse podcast in the your library tab. Also, make sure to follow us so you never miss an episode of earn your leisure again. Alright. So the last time we got to talk about the journey your journey as an independent artist. This is something I think is extremely valuable because I said there's a lot more Independent Artists out there, especially now millions of then our major label artists. Oh, all right. Right. How does it work being an independent artist? Right as far as is it is it you fund the stuff yourself or is it that they funded a hybrid approach? Like how does that work to be an independent artist? I mean, it's different ways to be an independent artist the best way to just kind of explain is just tell my story real quick. I mean after leaving the label in Tunis 12 at the beginning of 2013. I had 90 thousand dollars in the bank. And then at the end of 2013, I have four dollars and fourteen cents in my bank account. I made a song about is called 414. Yeah, you really wanted to say that I remember looking at the bank statement like this is that's humbling unbelievable. And that I think my back was against the wall because like we said earlier I didn't have any job experience from 2013. Well from 2007 to 2013, so I'm looking at six. Use of just not working just doing music. So I panicked I tried to get a job. It didn't work. So I was like, okay. I have to be an artist even though I quit I was like I'm not doing this anymore. And then I was like, well, I gotta pay rent. So from that point I had to kind of figure out and navigate what my supporters were going to buy from me as a consumer. So I realized that they appreciate my lyrics they appreciate my honesty. They appreciate merchandise. They appreciate seeing me so I had to create this whole I had to basically start all over again and but I started all over again with a cushion because I had a fan base so I had to make merge I spent all the money myself. I funded everything myself with a little bit of money that I had. You know, I was working with new artist, you know doing fine. Juries and taking that money and reinvesting it to be able to sustain a living and so now I'm in a position where it is a hybrid situation where I fund some of it and then I have soul spasm funding some of it as well. So it's a partnership with come together and then you know, we split the costs down the middle. Okay. So how is it as far as like do they distribute in music as well? Yes, they distribute all my musical all streaming platforms and they handle. That side of it so I'm able to give them my whole catalog they take a percentage off of that catalog and I get a check every month. So everything you did prior to coming to the independent little you have a phone yet only. Okay, I own everything. Yeah, even from the label because again, I didn't sign a 360 deal and I was in the black I was not in the red. So alright so as far as like, press do you do you handle that yourself or is that you can help with that or I handle my press myself. My last project we hired a publicist to do the work and he got me on, you know, some some online sites and some playlists on on some streaming sites and you know some Radio on Sirius Satellite things like that. So that's tough always helps. But for the most part A lot of it is relationships having your own relationships building your own relationships. So like I can hit sway from swaying the morning on my own and be like, I want to come up there or just even how I'm up here. Like I had work Rashad myself and was like, yo, I want to come up here, you know? Yeah, how about Tori? I know you mentioned you had a booking agent that's still true. And or do you handle that now yourself? Yeah. I handle all my booking now. I mean I had an agent last earlier this year, but it just didn't work out the way I wanted it to work out and even previously I had agents before but you know, I have a baby on the way. I have a wife at home. So if they're not booking me to shows I have to book my shows myself. Okay, and I hide Motors to you know, get the people in there along with promoting on my own and making it happen and you know running a van on my own, you know, you're putting money up yourself. Yeah, I put up the money myself. So I'll write the row so you talk about streaming. How much do you get paid for stealing? What's that break down? Because I've seen a bunch of different numbers on the internet like a quarter of a fraction of a penny for every stream. Is there a set number that everybody gets for streaming or yes everybody? Gets the same set number. It's like zero point point point point now is point. This is zero point zero zero zero six and then the numbers like Pi 2.0 what I'm saying, but it's basically zero point zero zero zero six and then you have to make you have to stream so much in order to see like a decent Jack. What's the what's the more that you get paid from the most like streaming service is entitled. They say title is the morning going to get the most from title, but You still need all all streaming sites in order to get a decent jacket. You can't just pull out the one title. So for instance, like what my my patient comes in every month, you know, it's not just title its title it Spotify. It's Pandora. It's Apple music. It's iTunes when people purchase the music, which is always the best because you keep 80% of them of the money. So if it's 99 Cents, you keep 80 cents of that Apple takes Any sense soccer? Okay, so that's that's the best and then YouTube as well and Vimeo and Tick-Tock now, it's so combine these seven to eight companies and you should receive a decent check a decent check. How do you make it to those curated playlists? Because like I'm not even she's saying I'm thinking like songs just pop in there like once I download a certain playlist if a new artist comes in and just do you have to pay for her as it is somebody at this. Service to actually just says Oh, I like that song with putting it in the I mean, sometimes it's the labels that own the playlist sometimes if you're very cool with the people that run the playlist you can get lucky or if you're very popular artist and song is very popular. They'll the person who runs the playlist will put that song on the playlist but you know the labels figured it out so they kind of have control of everything again. So like are your payment's coordinated through life? Like all seven. They'll come to you streamlined at one time. Yes from a net from the label that puts it on. Yes, they cut the check then they take a percentage out of that at the neck for putting. All right. So it's like CD baby look like that right or two core or tunecore, right? But so spasm is my distribution. So and I guess my checks will be different from another person's checks because I have 16 to 17 projects. So I'm like Steps ahead of someone who might only have two or three projects have leverage. So like I'm getting a substantial amount of money every single month that's mixtapes and albums can combine but the mixtapes. All right. So let's talk about mixtape mixtape. That's how does that work? Same same thing. Could you put mixtapes on streaming services to right now people are putting them on there. But before it was difficult, but I think you can put them on there now, but it's still it's still feel the same things stay like what's the difference like a like? I know Drake put out a playlist. Then there was a there's mixtapes and his albums. Well like Davies he just came out with his first album, but he has like six project. What's the difference previous that it looks the same Planet? It's not like the marketing roll out from the label. Okay. That's the only thing different because he was on he's on Mass Appeal Def Jam, I believe. Yeah, so Mass Appeal was handling the mix tapes and they were putting that stuff out. So he was probably getting financed by Mass Appeal and they were they were handling that but then this big project is it Jim thing so like Def Jam is now handling the rollout. They're probably taking that budget from when he first signed for years ago or whatever and now they're using that money to push this project like how it is, you know, okay, that's how it works. Essentially. How about endorsements that I know? You said that you have one with EA Sports and Puma. Yeah Honda of course. Yeah, you got those for yourself or yeah. I mean a lot of that stuff was before I had did my record deal so they just were interested in the brand they built they bought into who I was what I represented. They saw that you know, this kid is an image that can be pushed out there without being too flashy. That's one of the reasons why Honda chose me because I was not flashy I didn't have a big chain on I didn't have the Crazy Jewels on I didn't come in there talking crazy. I wasn't intellectuals everyday person. Now, what is the Honda Honda is for everyday person, you know saying it's great car that lasts. You know that money was from them and then Puma, you know, I worked with Puma for a little while for like two years. They gave me product that will wear the product and get that stuff seen all over because I was a sneakerhead. I'm still a big sneaker head and then you know, I also did. I also did EA Sports. I was very cool with the music supervisor over there Rafael Lima. Shout out to her and we kind of just continuously worked for like five years. I was on like every a game you could potentially think of except for Matt and like I was on like hockey Need for Speed. I was on FIFA. No, no, not FIFA part of me. I was on the Sims like I have a single assembly that is here. So we get royalty checks from Young the game the purchase no. No, you don't get royalty checks. You just get up front Shack. Okay, but the commercial guy royalty checks. Yes. I got as long as the commercial played. Yes, the commercial that commercial ran for about four or five years and I was getting checks every day for five years. No pardon for five months part of the Brotherhood. Well five months and I was getting I was getting checks every single day every day. So they calculate like how many times it aired and then they send you a percentage of that. Yes. Yes on top of my music being in it. And on top of me acting in it, like it was like three Separate Checks music check acting check and then a residual check lot of checks. It was a lot of checks. There's a lot of checks V. So, all right. So Obama Kate that just loves music. I'm recording. Can you give me some advice like a hot? What's the first steps? I don't have a major like break record deal, but I want to get my music out there. What do I do? What do I do? First? Step is to build a team. It's like a pyramid scheme, you know that I used to sell Kirby Vacuums back in the day, you know saying and even like the Cutco knives and it was a nah, but you know, I would have to go into these wild areas to sell these things. And whenever we would come back to base they will always say to me you need to go to your friend's parents homes, and you need to go to their friends parents homes and That's how it needs to happen. So I would tell a kid start start a team start a team of five to six people and everybody has to have a specific amount of network with a you know, pushing your music consistently and constantly to different people and it has to be music has to be hot and have to concentrate not on the numbers, you know saying like I feel like we're in the era of just so much clout and how many likes You have and how many views you have and this and that their artists that have more followers than me on Instagram have more views than me on Instagram or lights and then broke and they don't know what to do with their career there and they're in a rut and I know artists that have less followers than me that are doing better than me when it comes to moving and shaking and getting their stuff out there. So it's all about focusing on exactly what your goals are. Have people that are knowledgeable in your corner as well as having people that have the same goals and beliefs that you have and spread this word out to every and anybody that has ears that want to hear it and just create create create content that people feel is valuable. You know, if you're not creating the content that people feel is valuable then you can you know be a mechanic or something. How does how how stressful is it? How stressful is it to be a to be a That's not the only thing people fully understand like it's not it's not easy profession. And yeah, how stressful is it? I work 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Sometimes my wife is angry at me because I'm always working but that's what it takes. I feel like if like you said some artists do get hot and then they stay hot for like two to three years. And then that's it. You don't hear from them no more. You know, I mean, I'm one of those guys that's been out for 11 years. Now. I'm living off of music. I make six figures a year. Year just independently, you know I'm saying and I know what a little bit more backing I could crack seven figures easily because I know exactly what to do. I know how to do it. I know how to maneuver but a lot of guys they don't sometimes they just don't want to hear I feel like sometimes they just don't want to hear these these things, you know saying artists don't want to hear work work work work work. They just want to get to the bag. It's all about the fast money fast money. No last too long. You got to chase it fast. Don't lash money. It's a good quote. Yeah, it just doesn't you have to you have to diversify like I don't I don't just wrap either. You know, I'm saying like I try to make investments on certain things like, you know, trying to buy a home, you know, I'm saying looking I was just telling my man off camera. I'm trying to get a Tesla because it doesn't depreciate it appreciates in value. Also just investing in different companies. Like there's a company that that's doing marijuana cannabis stuff, but it's from the health side of it. So it's called Glenn mayor Farms, you know, they are a farming agency that's using them the medicinal portion of the Cannabis, you know, legally and getting it out there legally because we all know marijuana is just on the verge of being you know, legalized. I feel like that's something that you know, as black people, you know, we're not, you know, we're we're drug heads will always smoking smoking smoking well as putting into it instead of Into it into the medicinal aspect of it, which is the legal portion of it and the legal side of it where you can invest in making money back on. Let me some billionaires me. You know, I'm saying it's going to be a lot of billionaires me if they make the right, you know decisions and choices. So, you know, I'm always looking at what's the next thing is going to happen virtual reality. That's another thing that is on the cusp of the gaming industry. It's just you have to find the right one. You know, I think virtual reality is going to be big we haven't talked about that yet, but I think that virtual reality is going to be Huge especially in sports. Oh, yeah. It's going to be I think they try that this year with the NBA league pass where you get the virtual reality and you could sit Courtside I seen was perfect you think about it? It's like am I going to pay $10,000 that only one percent of America has to watch LeBron or a lot pay $100. Yeah. I know. It's not bad. It's some some to feel like I'm literally right there, especially sports like boxing right basketball. You can't that that Courtside field means a lot. Oh, yeah. That look is a lot. That's what I said. But that's one of those Sports where it makes sense to do it. Like some sports are not great view being viewed live, right? If I go to a football game and I'm sitting in an upper deck. I have no idea what's happening down there, right? I just know that something stopped right? It's not like when you're on TV and you can actually hear the ref. Oh that was the call or we can see the instant replay, right? Something's just on me right for Louisville consumption and it's true. No, this is well. I think they're going to do a combination of both dough. Yeah, but as I say if you get the virtual reality now, you can see See it but you can buy Here commentator talk about it to ya about the games with the headphones on. Yeah, this is gonna it's gonna it's gonna get to that level and I just feel like you can't just want to just do music and that's it. It's it has to be more it has to get into acting a little bit get into creating a merchandise, you know, make something that people don't you know, or won't create, you know, like be creative. I feel like these are the things that you know artists need. Kind of take back not just their ownership in their music but the ownership in their imagination we deserve I just as fun. You just said the word artist because a bully he said next project is last one because he wants to focus on things outside of music and this is the time now while he's hot, we had a quick question. You said you were trying to get a job right before like what were you going to try anything? I'll do anything anything anything at that time. I was desperate and there was nothing for me. Me there was literally nothing for me. And you know, I had shows lined up but I had to wait to get the second half from those shows to even you know, make some money so I had to kind of hide the thug it out. You know, I was trying I was trying to work at I was too overqualified for Burger King and under qualified to work in an office again. So I was just like I got it to music. How does that work? I'm glad you said that when everybody talks about like getting paid on the back end for the shows you get paid upfront. And after you perform you get them that 50% that's usually test and that standard yesterday right after you perform sometimes before you get on stage. Sometimes after depends what I've heard like artist not get on stage because they don't promote you that money. Well, sometimes the promoters do pay for play. So, you know, they'll charge, you know artists to sell tickets before the main act gets on so they can make the rest of the money to pay the headliner. Have you had that experience before all this before not a lot, but I've had some I've had some bad. I expect I mean the best the best shows that I've had was corporate shows because you're going to get corporate money just called. Yeah, you you that money's guarantee. You can go on stage without getting paid and you you know, you're gonna get paid eventually like well, you'll Sue. So those are the probably the best shows, you know, there's contracts put in place where you have to sign a contract music agreement performing agreement with a buyer Talent buyer that you will get paid before the night is over. At the end of the night when you settle up depending if you did a door deal or depending on if you get a guarantee, so we actually music question for you wrap it up. Yes, sir. You work with a lot of artists. Like I said from Drake to Justin Timberlake 200 Kendrick and then underground artists as well and maintaining our everybody work with a lot different people. Right? Who who was the most enjoyable for you to work with as far as like the talent level like hold it because like I used to play ball. So like sometimes I play back mode somebody I know. Like their special like I Played Like Mike Beasley went to school with me and I knew he was younger than me, but I knew he was special. I know he's gonna make it to the league. I just knew he was special. Right? Did you ever have that type of vibe with anybody like that? You worked with like this dude is different. Yeah, I mean it's a lot I can be here all day. I mean, I remember when I got Drake's verse back for overdose on life. We talked about that earlier and I was just like, you know this guys fucking dope. You see it happening like people saying Drake is the best rapper of ever. Did you ever imagine he can be put in that category? No, not the best rapper ever. It was more like it was more like this guy. Is Li skinnies marketable Panic a rap really? Well, this is before he was singing really and I was just like oh this dude is dope. He got a knack for choruses and everything and then like after we did that record. He kind of he kind of just ran into not ran into but I remember when he hit me like yo, like I'm me and Wayne tonight. I must have Me Lil Wayne and I like that change it all I was like, that's crazy, bro. But that experience was just dope because you know, he was a he was an unknown artist. He was nobody really knew who he was when I put him on the record like it was a big deal for him to be on that record Styles P was a that was childish stuff. Not one for that was an amazing session where like he was doing features for other artists that came in the in that day like and like the whole locks was there and it was he does he doesn't write rounds, right? Yeah. That's true. That's true. In right his rounds he that's crazy here. That's great. So I was like, I was like yo, like I want to do this record bro, and he was I how do you want to do it? I was like I want to do five eight ball versus and he knew where my talent level was. So he kicked everybody out the studio. He's used to that going back and forth with kiss. Yeah, but yeah, but he it was the fact that he kicked anybody out. Why do you care by out? Because it was just too crazy like everybody got go. Cause me, and you know it but he stayed with other artists when they did they records. Okay other artists were still there. Everybody had to go when it was me and him and we just we just did that record that Julian was wild, you know saying well Legends, you know royce royce was a dope session was an accident. I asked them to send me like twenty four bars. He sent me back like 30 to 40 bars or just like I you want to kill me in my own record. And that happened. Well, you got a burst back me like Damn I gotta go rewrite. Don't rewrite my versus at the rewrite on would you ever felt like the LG body me on yeah, you know, but I let it I Let It Rock I Let It Rock not doing that for three two one. Yeah, and lastly John Legend. I mean when I worked with John Legend, he was on tour with Sade man, and he and he it was overseas tour and he came off tour when he had his day off in New York and we went in the studio and made a record and then I asked him can you do? Some stuff over and he's like sure like he was the nicest artist ever, you know, like super intelligent do oh, I love Jon Jon's is a good dude, man. I appreciate it. Just him taking that time out to work with me and you know in that facility and capacity, you know, I mean, I appreciate you coming to Boston. New York Philly Baltimore, Virginia, North Carolina Atlanta, you know, hopefully we'll put up the fly here. So you guys can check it out and you know, just come check me out Mickey facts.com if you see submerged that you like. Oh, is this the music that you yeah, he got the Enigma button on anybody Hank. I got them a button and you know, if there's merged, you know hoodies shirts hats thumb drives what else we got on there. There's a lot of stuff on there. You can go there and cop and also, you know hit me up on Twitter twitter.com forward slash Mickey facts at me up on Instagram. Mickey dot facts and my ckey de period fa CT Z DM me I talk to every single person that reaches out to me. I feel like if you have you take the time out to talk to me. I will definitely take the time out to respond to you. I think that's the polite thing to do except for spam. I don't talk to spam but you know, just reach out to me if you feel like there's Question you might have, you know, feel free reach out because I feel like holding onto information is not the way to get information out. I appreciate that bro, Troy. Yes housekeeping item. Yeah, shout everybody on patreon.com. Y'all know that's how proud to pay program as five tiers. We at over a hundred patrons, man. So shout out to everybody that is joining. Like we said UIL University for our top off tier four and five members you're going to be getting access to To our webinars make sure that y'all go and check your messages. So you can have access to the links every Wednesday at 8:00 and UIL. We actually put out some new merch man. So we got the fire pretty season is in effect. Every every time we come on we put out numerous. So the hats will be out. Hopefully we get some gloves out there man. We we preparing for the winter, even though we don't like being in knowing the stars going to be their scarves just fired. So shout out to everybody that's been supporting the merch man. We got some new stuff on the way. Yeah, for sure. And then I'm once again, don't forget December 7th and December 8th for coming to DC. We doing a workshop from Oklahoma Elite and Wall Street trap on the 7th. And then we got our very first live podcast and then the Wizards Clippers game after that following after that. All of the information is on englishnaut.com on the events tab, you can live stream the workshop if you're not there in person ey yo University, we have classes every single day. We have a class pretty much Matt teaches the class on every Monday on real estate Wednesday the Class is different. Me and Troy going to classes on Friday we back and then starting in January. We're going to launch e y El español. Yes every Thursday. Yes Financial excited about that Spanish Let's fire. This week is the autobiography of Johnnie Cochran recommended why I guess yes Mickey. Yeah great book great book. I promise you greatly really really really good and I'm a Johnnie Cochran. Understand how you know what the thing about giant. Everybody knows him for the oh Jay Chou, right? Yep. He was a high-powered lawyer way before ocean. That's exactly because that was the Dream Team but he was the head relaxed somewhat like some of the lawyers felt the way because this is Lloyd like Johnny cockroach Shapiro like these dudes Alan dershowitz. Hmm. It was high-powered lawyers. Yes, so to Johnnie Cochran kind of Jonah and I think he's the quarterback a lot a lot. About that and he was working on Geronimo Pratt case when he died. A lot of people don't know that either Geronimo Pratt legendary Black Panther leader who was incarcerated mic Jack. Yeah. So he did a lot of social change before the OJ case. He did a lot of pro bono work because he was also he was also a DA but he did a lot for South Central LA man like cuz he was in the thick Of the racial Uprising there. So I implore all black people. Please people of color. Please read the autobiography of Johnnie Cochran. That was an incredible book Incredible toe. So there you have it having like guys. Thank you for rocking with us. We'll see you next week, please please.
A few months ago Mickey Factz’s freestyle breaking down credit with Funk Flex went viral in the financial literacy world. It was the talk of Instagram and everyone requested that we have him on EYL. The verse was incredible but his career is way more extensive than just a freestyle. He’s a veteran in the music game with over a decade of experience. He was on the 2009 XXL freshman of the year cover, he has been signed to major labels, he's worked with the biggest names in the industry including Drake and Kendrick Lamar, he had a commercial deal a Honda, an endorsement deal with Puma, and his music has been featured on EA Sports video games. He made the switch from being on a major label to being an independent artist years ago and has been navigating the world of independence ever since. In episode 49 he blessed us with 100 bars of fire for our first ever EYL freestyle. The freestyle is centered around being a business owner, it’s a lyrical lesson on entrepreneurship. In addition to the freestyle, he gave us free game in our interview. He broke down the ins and outs of the music business from an artist perspective, he explained how record deals are structured, he detailed the path for an independent artist to take to have a viable career and explained business pitfalls that many artists fall victim to. Guest IG: @mickey.factz Book Tip: A Lawyer’s Life by Johnie Cochran  ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app  · Talk Money With Mesh Lakhani Podcast: On The Talk Money with Mesh Lakhani podcast, Mesh will follow paper trails, chat with experts, and break down complex ideas to bring clarity to the mystical financial phenomena behind your finances. 