 Gordon, are we back? Hello, black again, video episode. We got a legend in the house. But before we pass the mic, uh, you know, go to our patreon, patreon.com. So I tell black pie, go to our apple podcast, subscribe, Spotify, give us a review. Shout out to the three people that listened to the last episode and gave us review. Appreciate y'all. 4,000 of y'all listened to it, but only three people gave a review. You know, y'all got to do better. Hit up with this content out for y'all. So, you know what I'm saying? It's reciprocated because I know 4,000 of y'all ain't on our patreon. So at least y'all can do is support for a couple of minutes, man. Write that review on Apple podcast, Spotify, five stars, subscribe, you know what I'm saying? Support the movement. Subscribe on YouTube specifically. We need to really get off this platform because, um, it's a lot of nonsense under the banner of revolutionary nationalism and revolutionary pan-Africanism. So y'all got to help us spread this because I'm know y'all see it. I know y'all see it. The stuff that's supposed to be pro black. So help us spread this. But now to our very esteemed guest. Legendary in the house. The Oakland legend. Guapalee. How you doing? I'm good. It's good to see you guys again. Yeah, we've been playing it cool, but I'm a big ass fan. So I'm just, I'm happy for my, I got a younger sister, me and her, uh, we're going to talk about some of the songs that we really like, which I will say are Guapalee deep cuts. Cause I'm pretty sure. Yeah. But I'm a big fan of your ad lives and the runs that you make. We're going to talk about it. This is the second time she's on the podcast with us. The first one, if you haven't heard, yes. Episodes four and five. Tap in. Re-listen to that. You know, we put a lot of hard work, but I'm excited to give you your do. You know, I'm saying to have this video, YouTube episode, you know, where we can really tap in and get to know you more and our listeners could hopefully learn some more about you. You know, of course they're already familiar with your music, you know, but getting to know more about you as the artists and your development and how it's been over the years. They might not be familiar, especially with some of these college students that listen to our podcasts. They might not know. That's true. And some people just know of closer and it might even not even be from my version. It might be from somebody else's remix. And they might not know. I put out like five albums since. And, you know, so I appreciate you saying some some album cuts. Yeah, Closer is not my favorite song by you. So that's like. Honestly, that's refreshing. Yeah. So can you tell us a bit about your introduction to music? You know, we know you went to an art school in elementary, you know, then Berkeley music school in Boston, not in Berkeley, California, you know, it was just something that was laid out for you by your parents. Or is it something that, you know, kind of developed naturally? And what was your focus when you was at Berkeley? Yeah. Yeah, I was born in Oakland, but grew up in Berkeley and Oakland and the Berkeley L.E.Y. And then I ended up going to Berkeley College of Music L.E.E. And I just I always loved arts. I always loved music. I always loved creative expression. You know, even I used to paint when I was younger, do dance classes and just all of that. And I think my parents supported just in terms of bringing us to live shows, you know, even if it was mainly for adult audiences, you know what I mean? It's like before they were calling things all ages, they would just expose us to music and music was always playing in the house and my family was very into art. So I just felt like it was up there and respected just like any other profession. And so it felt like it was accessible and I was just always drawn to it. And I would say, you know, I started studying music more in high school and singing with the Oakland Youth Choir and getting like some training. And then I applied to Berkeley College of Music in Boston because I knew I wanted to get just deeper into it. And I wanted to learn how to write songs and I wanted to learn to, you know, perform with a band and how can I work with musicians and how can I learn about the business and not be taken advantage of? So I went out there and luckily got to like start recording and creating with some of the most amazing musicians and producers of our time. You know, I was in an ensemble, a James Brown ensemble with Jeff Basker, who's one of the top producers. Period. He works with Bruno Mars and Beyonce and Alicia Keys and all these different folks. And I got to meet Keith Harris, who I ended up also recording with, you know, he did my strongest glass album. Deontini parts. I got to meet Krasno from Soul Life. So it was just like where a foundation of excellent musicians and producers and starting a collab, you know, some of it was like school assignments. But I was like, I'm going to work towards making this a real song because I'm about to put it on my album when I get home, you know? Yeah, yeah. This kind of came together organically. And I thought you had like the right mindset going in, like going in there to get what you need. You know what I'm saying? So how did you have that? Like, what led you to having like that mindset to go and like, I'm going to get what I want? Like, all right, this might be my school assignment, but there's about to be my album too. So what was that process for you? I think that coming from the Bay Area, I feel like it's kind of an indie environment where it's like, create your own path. We don't have to. We can break the mold. We can make our own rules. We can. So I just feel like I, I didn't have a lot of pressure for my parents to do things traditionally. So I just, I mean, Berkeley's the only school I applied to. And I just decided like, this is where I want to go. This is where, and it wasn't really about coming out with a degree or I didn't even care that much about graduating. I just knew what I wanted to become in my life. And it was just like, by any means necessary, I'm about to figure this out. And I feel like my family pooled together and supported and just trusted, you know what I mean? That the vision was gonna work. And if it didn't, I would try something else, but I really wanted to just have some more discipline and skills in something that I've always loved. Yeah, I was talking to Pee Lo and I was urging him to go to music school. I mean, he's already a decorated producer, songwriter, rapper, but with music being such a low entry level, I just think oftentimes that since people only need, you know, $200 to go to a studio session or a couple of thousand a body on equipment, they get these very, I guess like microscopic understandings of music, whereas you go to like a music school where you're able to get introduced to the business side of things, the marketing side of things, the songwriting side of things, the production side of things. I think those are things that while you may get experience, I guess like naturally over the course of, you know, years, decades of being in the industry, if you're able to go to a space that's specific for that and can really hone you into those things, that's where I can see some like qualitative, you know, leaps happening. Yeah, I mean, I think there's something to be said for getting training and having mentors and having teachers and all of that structure. And it really helped me, but it was also a different time to be honest with you. Like it was the late 90s for me that I was going to Berkeley and like to get pro tool, you know, there wasn't GarageBand and there wasn't Fruity Loops and there wasn't Logic and all of these different programs, I couldn't record voice ideas on my phone, you know? So it was really expensive. Like if you wanted to buy pro tools, it was thousands of dollars. If you wanted to record something of quality, you had to, I mean, it would cost a lot of money to set up. And now I feel like people can learn on YouTube and do so much from home that you would have needed a label or a big ass set up, you know what I mean, to pull off. So, and then there's also, you know, different ways that I mean, some people are learning to play instruments on YouTube. That didn't exist before, you know? So I think for me, like definitely like as a senior getting some vocal training, which I did before, during and after Berkeley, I did a little bit of learning piano, but I was never disciplined with that. I strongly encourage musicians out there and vocalists to, if you can work on an instrument, I just, I admire people so much. I think that it really expands the songwriting. I think what was most valuable for me is the relationships that I made there with other students. It was the most excellent, talented musicians from all over the world that went to be there. And so it just raised the bar so much and the exposure for me, just the starting place and the basic minimum was at such a high level that it just like maybe had to up my game. And that was like one of the best things that I could have learned there because I feel like especially the Bay Area has such a laid back vibe. Sometimes it's just like anything goes and it's like we have something really raw that can't be taught. You know, there's a vibe and a feeling, but I think when it comes to craft and hustle, that's not like, for me, like I fed off that East Coast energy and just like a collective of talented people from all over the world to really be like, this is what it's supposed to look like, you know? So some of my first songwriting, you know, things that I was working on was like musicians and producers that were new way more than I did, you know, that I was able to go to like just ask her and stuff. Yeah, I just think it's often that since this stuff is so accessible and so easy to get to and so easy to enter, people don't fully appreciate it and understand all the things that go into it, right? Like Abbas and I both played college sports, right? And it was going to college that showed me like how much really went into being a productive football player on a division one level. Like, okay, in high school, I might have been able to get away with all this, but then you get around people like, okay, they lift, they got nutrition, they got a feel, you know what I'm saying? Like you realize there's levels to it. Things that sustain you, right? Because there's the talent, but then there's like, okay, the drive and the discipline and then there's skills and technique to sustain you so that you can last. I mean, that's one of the most valuable thing or just how to work smarter. Cause it's like, you can learn stuff on your own, you know, from all over the place, but it just, it takes a while to collect all that knowledge, right? Yeah, I just don't, I don't think people understand how much actually goes into starting and sustaining a career in the music industry. Whether you talking about management, whether you talking about producing, whether you talking about a singer, songwriter, performer, like it's a lot that go into it. It's much more than just being able to sing, rap. For sure, because there's so many talented people out in the world that just don't get the exposure or their life circumstances get in the way, you know? Or the stars don't align or maybe they don't have the discipline or the drive but they have so much talent but it's definitely more than talent that will sustain you. You know, even being surrounded by good people and making smart choices, you know what I mean? One thing we need to state before I go on to the next question is that you and I are both alum of the same elementary school. And so we should probably do some lobbying on this episode for us to get... Yes! Which school did you get to? You went to Orange Magnet, right? Mm-hmm. You know, we should get like a classroom or a library or something. We got a lobby to get something named after us. Yeah. For real. No, that was a special school. Yeah, I was telling the boss, like instrument was required. Yeah. We had dance with Miss Betty and it was like really a lot of African dance, drums. It was no joke. Yeah. Yeah. I know, cause I think about, you know, I, like I told you, I don't really play an instrument, but I remember Carolyn Brandy led this Samba class and had, I mean, this is like fourth, fifth and sixth graders. She had a sounding amazing. We were performing with Sheila E and Pete Escavita. You know what I mean? I learned how to play the tambourine, the bells. It's, you never know what it's instilling in you, even if that's not the path you choose. And you're right. I mean, we're doing South African dance, modern dance. It was just like, I feel like the individualism, too, was really pushed there. Yeah. So if y'all listen to Berkeley Unified School District, y'all need to... Tap in. Yeah. But you've accomplished much in your very long career. Has your career gone the way you planned it to? And so, and what are some things you're still looking to accomplish after all these years? Yeah. Well, my first plan in my career was just to be able to do what I love. And so I accomplished just being able to still be here and actually still love it. So that feels really good. I don't feel like I'm finished at all. I feel like my goal in the beginning might've been to sell 100,000 records. That seemed huge to me when I had never sold one before. But now over time and just being five or six albums deep and still at it, now I'm excited to with this next album, have it not just be about the music, but it's also about the senses and the colors and the smells that relate to the songs and having specialized merchandise than just growing as a entrepreneur and getting to connect to more people. And so I'm really excited to be able to do what I love and to connect to more people and collab with more people. I feel like every stage I get, I could see like, ooh, you know, I wanna go further. And so I think that keeps me humble and I'm super grateful that it's been this many years. So you was talking a little bit about your marketing especially I'm sure a lot has changed with marketing from when you started your career to now when you had got a TikTok dances and you got people faking it on social media. I pray I never see you trying to on TikTok dance and wop a leg. You're too good of a singer. Yeah. I'm gonna be mad at my girls that are playing on TikTok. So how intentional are you with your marketing? You roll out for your records and are you setting out to make these big records or do you just create and with the record through the talking? I think I've never been one to, I wouldn't know if a song was gonna be big, honestly, until it's out and it's like what people lean towards and people are supporting it. I think I don't like putting pressure on myself to make a big record. That's just always seemed really intimidating for me. And as a singer songwriter, it's just more like I'm writing what I feel and it comes together more naturally but I think I am always trying to figure out how can the song be as strong as possible. So, I mean, I take my time with each thing and I definitely rely on the producers I work with and the musicians that I work with to make sure it's as big as it can be. So if it does get played on repeat, I can listen to it and be proud. And I want it to spark something in other people. So I think in the beginning, I didn't used to pay attention to marketing. It felt like just like the business side and I more left that to the folks around me. I think this project with this colors project, I have more of a vision that I can just see it all a little more. And I think because it's more about the senses and just like my senses blend like when I, it's like synesthesia. When I hear something, it looks a certain way in my mind and I wanted to go farther with this one. And like really how can I let people hear the music and feel it, how I feel it? And I love, you know, I'm into aromatherapy and all that kind of stuff. So it was like even like we're gonna, you know, introduce a candle scent that goes with the song and has a color and just like really invite people into a mood. So because this is more of a creative expression or an extension of that, I'm way more involved in it than I normally would be. And even the album artwork I got to, I'm getting to collaborate with this artist from the Bay Area. Human, she's a Filipino woman, just super talented. She just designed the Warriors uniforms, but she's been doing amazing murals and all kinds of collaborations. And so I feel like, you know, even from the painting on down, it's getting to be a really thoughtful intentional process. It's dope to hear that after all these years, you still find new ways to get involved, right? New ways to expand whether it's the business, whether it's the art, the creativity, because there's not, but outside of living there, there isn't anything I've been doing for, you know, 20 years. I think what our generation is so easy to feel like you got like the short window to do stuff. You know, that's very much to our engagement. Like when we just did the Tales of the Town project, like in my mind, I'm like, damn, this is, for some reason it's just like, I know talent and skill-wise isn't the biggest thing that we can do, but it just feels like you don't really get that many opportunities, right? I don't know. You're trying to make the most out of every opportunity. Well, I think there's something to be, it's kind of a trust the process thing. You know what I mean? Like you can, there's something about, you know, like we have our goals and I think as we accomplish it and seize that moment, then you can see that's not the highest that you can get, but it'll take you to the next thing. And sometimes you can't even see what's the biggest thing at the end, but it's like the steps each way will take you there. And then I don't know. I mean, I wasn't imagining myself this long later. I couldn't have imagined that. I just had to go with it, you know? So you really, that living proof of trust the process all year. I didn't. Yeah, and I keep it relevant to myself and how it can keep meaning something to me and keep trying to live a full life. And, you know, sometimes I wait a while in between albums because I want to have something to say. I want to be inspired, you know? Because it's really personal to me. You know, it's not just a job. Like I want to share like what I care about with you guys, not just, you know, so whatever. I think it's a byproduct of this system, right? That makes you feel like everything is on borrowed time. I guess that's more so when I'm getting there. It's just like, I only got so much time to get this done. I can't even fathom. This is the right moment, the right way otherwise. It might not ever come back, you know? Yeah, like of course if you live in, you're gonna have something to talk about, you're gonna have something to contribute. So I guess it's more so like not necessarily being able to see myself be 40, 50 years old sometimes. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And I think there's something to be said for creative people and that drive that does make it feel urgent. You know, and if it didn't feel urgent, we probably wouldn't do any of it, you know? So I guess it's necessary in a certain way. So now we're gonna talk about some of my favorite records that aren't closer, that aren't milk and honey. So you know how like Apple Music will do like the essentials, right? For like an artist. So if you made Guapalese essentials, would tears on my pillow and the one would Mack Maul make the list? Oh, Mack Maul. Tears on my pillow. I think maybe it would just because I felt, I feel like that felt like a classic song to me that was. Would that be considered a ballad? It is kind of a ballad, but then like it still hits hard with the drums. And it was, I've always loved blues. I mean, I love R&B, but I love rhythm and blues. You know what I mean? Like I liked that that song felt like a old school sample and like kind of a throwback soulful kind of thing. And I enjoy doing it live. So I think that's always like an added extra for me. Like there's recording the songs and then there's doing it live and having that exchange with the audience. You know what I mean? That adds to, I don't know, it having a life, you know? So yeah, I don't always think, it's hard to think of my own music like as a outsider, but every now and then when I listen, I'm like, okay, I'm proud of that one. Yeah, that's one of the first time I heard it was actually live. And I'm like, what the fuck is this? I was like, what is this? Crazy, crazy. Oh, I love that. Yeah, it was the song, I think that, well, I mean, your live show showed me how well you can actually sing. Like you can really blow, but that song in particular, cause there's nothing hiding your voice. Like there is, it was a very strong song. That's probably, yeah. Oh, I love, I appreciate that. Now what about the one? I appreciate that. The one, I mean, I love MacMaw. She's a, you know, a Bay Area legend. And I'm trying to think, I don't even know if we've performed that song live, but that was pretty early on, that was probably like 15. Yeah, I was gonna say it was a lot of like me and my friends, like a love song for us. You know what I'm saying? Like we was probably like 14, 15 when that song came out. Yeah, because see, I always loved wide open. That's awesome. So, you know, it was like in high school when he did that, but I always loved that. So I was happy we got to collab and you know, wanted to do something kind of with that vibe that felt like a love song, but it was still the beat. And I remember, gosh, I think I was pregnant with my daughter at the time who's now 16. So that shows you how long that was. Cause I remember he wanted to do a video for it. And I was like, I can't do the video right now cause I'm pregnant. I don't know if that's the right look for this. He had the vision. He knew that was the one of the ones. He was, he was mad at me because I couldn't do the video, but I was just like, I just, I was like, probably like eight months pregnant. You know what I mean? And now it's nice to see, I just love how many women artists are like, you know, it's like Rihanna's out here looking sexy and pregnant. And it's just like you can still, you can still work and you're not, I feel like the whole narrative is changed so much. I feel like when I was performing pregnant years ago, it was, I felt like it was kind of shocking to people. You know what I mean? And I didn't really know how to address it because I was just like, you know, I love music, but I for sure want to be a mother. I for sure want a full life. And I liked having privacy. So it was kind of like this blending of two worlds that I didn't quite, you know, know how to do and was kind of like keeping it separate, but I would like walk out there pregnant. People would be like, you know, and then people were asking me like, what are you going to do? Like after you have a kid, like are you still getting? I was just like, I'm going to do all of this, but I don't know how I'm going to just figure it out. How do you balance that, you know, being a mother in your music career? I think it's just a constant balance for me because it's the two most important things to me, you know, family and my love of music and both of them take 100, 1,000%. So my timing is a little crazy sometimes, but it's like, you know, I have to travel and be at shows sometimes and I have to prioritize that sometimes, but also like picking up my daughter from school and, you know, being at her recitals and being just present is invaluable to me. So sometimes, you know, that is going to trump showing up at an event or going to the studio that day or whatever. And I just, I have to keep it balanced for my own sanity and quality of life. So you've got a lot of game over the years over, you know, the decades and whatnot. So do you be a mentoring, younger artist? Do you be a mentoring a lot of artists? I think not officially, but there's a lot of artists that I talk to and just try and be really honest about, you know, what I think can help keep you sustainable and just not burning bridges, you know, because people come back around in this industry if you're lucky to be in it a long time and, you know, not spending all your money at once and creating your own levels of success. So you're not just trying to measure up or be let down, you know, by other people's standards. And also taking your craft seriously, you know, and I know it meant so much to me, like the folks that unofficially mentored me and, you know, getting advice from Prince and getting advice from the folks in Souls of Mischief that, you know, helped us with our first distribution deal and, you know, DJ Fuse from Digital Underground and E40 and Lettuce and Martin Luther. I mean, Raphael Sadiq, there's so many folks that just kind of put me on game and just told me little things that I feel like has helped my perspective, you know, throughout this. Yeah, so a lot of folks, you know, to get to closer, you know, they don't know that it was a freestyle, you know, so can you tell us the story of that record and why you think it's such a timeless record? I think it was, I think Closer just captures a feeling and it was the last song that I did on my first EP and I just had this feeling of like, I'm on my way somewhere. I'm finally, you know, getting to share this music. I don't know what genre it is. I don't know where I fit in, even how, you know, I look and I felt like, you know, Lauren Hill was like the only other public person, her and Erica that had dreads, you know what I mean? It was just like all these things of not knowing if it was gonna work but being excited at the same time and feeling just like trusting some kind of faith but also feeling kind of insecure of like, I don't know if the music is as good as I want it to be or if it's good enough. And so Amp Live from Zion Eye that I had been working with at the time did the music with Mike Tiger and brought it to me and he was like, I think you're gonna feel this vibe and as soon as I went home and played it, I don't know, like the higher closer to my dreams part just felt like it was writing itself and it just captured the feeling. And a couple of days later, I went to his home studio and just was like, let me just try and just sing a few things and then I'll write it and come back and revisit it. But I don't know. It was just kind of one of those things that wrote itself because I think it was just an honest moment of what so many of us as artists, anyone created, anyone trying to get to the next level in their life, I think go through because now that I've talked to people over the years and it's like different musicians, aspiring actors, people trying to pass the bar in law school or just have faith to get to that next step they were like, I listened to this and that helped me through because I think we all have that struggle in us and there's like a time when you know what you wanna do but to get there, it can be a little process. And it's what they would call ghetto gospel. You know, it's a very spiritual song, just not necessarily attached to any religion but I feel it and I feel like a spirit within me, you know what I'm saying? They're a very spiritual song. Like I said, in the tales of the towns I hear when I'm down, I listen to what I've up and I listen to what's on it's like, if I'm down, you know, yeah, I'm gonna turn that off. If I'm up, it's like that duality in that song is all right, it's gonna keep me going, I'm celebrating it, you know, I might be depressed and I'm listening to it. So it's just, yeah, it's one on one. Oh, I love that, both of those moments but I think that's like, I think it was me not being afraid to feel vulnerable and just being hella honest. And the honesty is it's both those parts exist at the same time. Like we can act like it's all good and all confident and all that but it's just, for me, that's not real. It's always a mixture of both, you know? Yeah, I'm jealous, I hope that one day, I mean, I don't have any time to tell, maybe what we did with tales of the town is something that could withstand the test of time. You know, like that desire to reach one's full potential is something that's gonna always exist throughout humanity. So as long as we have access to a record like closer, it's something that people gonna resonate with. Shit, it's like, yeah, for generations to come. Thank you. Would you do it? Thank you. I mean, do you feel that way about the record? I mean, you made it. I feel like I'm just so grateful that it stood the test of time. That was my goal. I mean, that's always my goal with music. Like, can I make something timeless? But you honestly just never know. You know what I mean? It's like, I'm gonna do the best that I can. I hope that it's timeless. I'm pouring my heart into this but it constantly amazes me to be honest with you. I didn't expect that. So this is a question that I'm very excited to ask. Where does Yoshi's rank on your list of favorite venues to play? Because I know we've both been to some of your shows at Yoshi's. Yeah, I think, well, that's at home. You know what I mean? So it always feels good just to have a Bay Area crowd. I like that it's an intimate space where people will really listen. I mean, you could see almost everybody's face in the room. So it's kind of like, you know, being at home in my hometown, in my living room. That's kind of how it feels. But then, you know, on certain nights, my favorite nights is like when people turn up and the energy is just electric, you know? And then Yoshi's is a place that I grew up going to. Even when it was in Berkeley, like I used to see Herbie Hancock there and Himas Akela there. And then, you know, it's where I saw Lettucey. I know even, you know, Dave Chappelle, and Moe's Death and Beloud, all these folks have done incredible shows there. So it's when I think about going on to that stage, even though it's a small room, it's filled with so much history. Do you know Usher personally, you should lobby for him to get in there. Tell Usher to come to Yoshi's. That'll be crazy. And Usher is playing his thing in Vegas. Usher is such a consummate performer. I mean, he's one of the greats. And just like what he can do, lie. I mean, what he can do recorded, but then what he can do live is mine. He will set up a fire. I've seen John be there too. Like, you know, he just did like four. Four days in a row, three shows, all of them sold out. Four days, is that one? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing though, because it's kind of a small space. So normally if I go there, it'll be like- Why do you choose that over like a fox? So it's tiring. Actually, I'm gonna be doing the fox soon. And it's just a total different space and a different experience. But I have to say the fox is one of my favorite venues in the Bay, just cause it's so beautiful. It's like a classic theater. I think it's from the 20s, but folks can stand up too. And I've seen such dope shows there. So I'm actually looking forward to- Have you done a headliner before? Doing some of the mass space. I haven't been a headliner there before. I did a show with Erica there before, and I did a show with Lettucee there before. And I think I did another show that I cannot remember, but I haven't done it as a headliner. So I'm looking forward to doing that. Very exciting. Yeah. Probably will be there. Thank you. So definitely excited. Yeah, I hope so. So you mentioned some new music coming out. You got a big marketing package. You was talking about some candles coming with it. You know what I'm saying? So what could we expect? Yeah. Well, the new project is coming out this summer and it's called Colors. And it's something that I worked on, starting over the pandemic and just really got to take my time with. I got to work with some of my favorite producers and musicians, Bedrock and Errol Kumi and Chris Dave and Mike Alberg and just a lot of dope people and it's super vibey, super moody. And I'm just excited that I get to introduce it appealing to the different senses, and that it's expanding even outside of just sound, but sight will be included and even doing merch that is connected specifically to songs and sense that are connected to certain moods and songs. And I just wanna leave people with a feeling and get to connect. I feel like there's just so much coming at us in the world and just so much noise, but it's like I just kind of wanted to hone in and slow down and give people with a, leave people with a lasting feeling. I guess I like the project gonna be very centering, you know? Is it an EP or album? Yeah. It's an album. And I'm about to put out this song called Time Heels and it has a candle and all that and collaborated with artist, human that does amazing work about a, you know, there's a painting that correlates with it. And it's just about, you know, how things don't always seem to make sense, but in due time it all comes together and it just like the sun is gonna rise. The sun is gonna rise tomorrow. The girl is gonna be all right. And there's also a song purple that I recorded that's kind of like heavily inspired or influenced by Prince. And I just got to do a video for it, which I'm really excited about because I haven't done a music video in a long time. And my friend Omari Hartwick is featured in it and he's just so dope. So I'm just, yeah, I'm excited to finally share some new music. This is my- Do you have any features on it? I know you mentioned a bunch of like producers you worked with. Yeah, no features on it. But I am like, I'm in the studio now, kind of slowly working on the next project and I am collaborating with different people. But for this project, I just wanted to keep it super personal. Who are some of your favorite, I guess like singer songwriters right now? I would say her, Alex Isley, SZA, Jasmine Sullivan. I listened to a lot of Afro beats. So, you know, even folks like T. West Average and, you know, Davino was kidding. I don't know if you call them singer songwriters, but they're about- It was Afro beats be going, they be going up. You just start moving, you don't even realize you're moving. Yeah. Yeah, right? So yeah, my playlists are all- Do you listen to any singers from the Bay outside of like her and Raj and Kalani? There's also, I'm trying to think, cause I just went to, gosh, I just went to her show the other day. What's that song, Love It When You Call Me Baby? I'm Baby? Okay, I'm gonna have her name's gonna take a minute to come to me, but she's from the Bay area. And I just went to her show, like in Silver Lake the other day. That's terrible. You listen to Samaria at all? I have to look at her. Samaria? Samaria? You should listen to her, she raw. Yeah, she went to- No, I was on K. But I'm gonna be honest with you, there's a lot of people that I listen to and I might not know the name, but I'm like listening to them on my playlist. That's why I'm like, the song called I'm Baby, but I couldn't even know the name. Samaria is raw, she probably like 25, 26. She from Berkeley. What high school did you go to? I went to Skyline, okay. She went to be high. She raw, you should check her out. Yeah, there's so many folks that are dope out of the Bay area. I mean, I've worked with Raj a lot and you know, like there's not a lot of people that have come out of Berkeley. Yeah. California, you know, representing, but it's a feeling and I'm so, it makes me feel good to see folks like that, like getting exposure nationally and internationally and like that folks can tap into that vibe even that are outside of the Bay area. So what advice would you give to these younger artists coming out of the Bay area? I would say like have a vision, you know, and let it keep expanding. It's important to believe in yourself, but be humble too. And I think like in the beginning, sometimes it's worth it to like work for free just to get like build your audience. You know what I mean? And be willing to start somewhere instead of feeling like it needs to start in a certain place because it's like if you keep getting stronger and doing your thing and building an audience, like the money will come, but I feel like success doesn't happen overnight. And a lot of times, you know, a lot of folks that are extremely successful, they've been putting in work for years and just people don't know it. You know what I mean? It's behind the scenes, but like don't be afraid of that because it's like it's giving you skills. And I think just having a good team around you, working with trustworthy people. And yeah, not like, I don't know, and trust the process. Yeah, we need to take heed of that mask. I need to take heed of that myself. Yeah. Then the next time you come up, are you gonna be in the Bay Area soon? You gotta come out to people's programs and do some work with us. For sure. And we're gonna make sure we tap in with you so you can come see our space and see some of it, get real familiar with some of the work that we do. I appreciate what you guys are doing. Send some more merch your way as well. So appreciate it. So tap in SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Patreon, go to our YouTube, you know what I'm saying? If you're watching our YouTube, don't just watch it, subscribe, you know what I'm saying? So you get that notification. So patreon.com. So that's how it works. We also didn't get a release day. You said it comes out this summer. So if you wanna say, when folks have access to them. It's gonna be an exact day. Right now. And it's colors, right? But it is this summer. Stream colors whenever it drops. Stream it by. So appreciate it. Please.