Speaker 1: 0:13

No, I'm not, and I ain't one for no answers. Yeah, it's like she's always in a bind, sheesh. Somehow he slipped and hit rewind. What'd he say? Rewind, rewind, rewind, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom.

Speaker 2: 0:35

Yo no ice cream. Love you dog. Hey, hey yo.

Speaker 1: 0:39

What's up, baby I?

Speaker 2: 0:40

got my man. Yeah, girl, tell him who you want.

Speaker 1: 0:43

Hey man, what can I say? I go by Faraji Jacobs, some call me Raji, some call me the black sheep, goat, whatever. I got many different names, but it's only one face and one man, one life and one God. We here, baby, we're AWOL.

Speaker 2: 0:58

The man, yo yo, I'm so grateful to have you here and for us to be able to connect on a level that you know involves some. Some thought you know we had that we had to talk about this a little bit. Before you know, we sat in the seat and I think, yeah, you know, it's all about trying to get some sort of message across or, you know, some sort of idea out to the world.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Absolutely Otherwise. What are we talking about, right?

Speaker 2: 1:27

you know we, we got to be out here. You know what? I mean experimenting and trying with things and dude, tell me you know, tell me a little bit about your, your history as an artist itself and like, maybe like, were you ever part of, like, any groups or anything? Like that or did you? You know were you a singer. So you know, yes, yeah, yeah, no, no dig, that's cool, that's cool.

Speaker 1: 1:47

So I started out, um, my cousin was a rapper. He taught me how to rap. He taught me how to count bars. When I was nine he wrote my first couple of verses for me and I, like rehearse, rapped them and then I started writing my own verses. From there, okay, and through the years, it just, you know, progressed. I had little acquaintances with certain people, but a pivotal moment was probably when I met my homie buffalo, who's like a pioneer in the diy music scene in baltimore, like just through spots and places that we built a foundation through, and he asked me if I wanted to be a part of black sheep refugee and I told him, nigga, I've been a black sheep all my life, so this is a no-brainer hell yeah, I, hell yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:23

I feel that. I feel that Let me ask you, like when that happened, like yo, how did that make you feel? To, like you know, kind of like be a part of something that you knew like was greater than yourself.

Speaker 1: 2:33

It felt like I found my squad.

Speaker 2: 2:34

It felt like I found my team.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Yes, because before that I was going hard as fuck myself, like by myself and you know what they say, cliche or not, like nobody can do the whole job by themselves, or whatever the phrase is. Because I was working hard, like through and through sending emails, doing shows, but it wasn't quite connecting, because I wasn't a part of something that was a growing network or like a family or an energy transfer, where something was making sense.

Speaker 2: 3:01

I was simply just rapping.

Speaker 1: 3:03

So when I linked with him and he already had a little bit of motion and he already had a natural confidence and he knew how to bring people together and grow things, yeah, it took me to the next level because I already had a certain skill and a certain passion. Okay, so I just needed to be aligned with something that was already confident and building. Yeah, for sure, because I was already trying to do it, but you know you can't do it by yourself.

Speaker 2: 3:24

So right and I think right. There's times where, like we're experimenting and we're trying with different things, you know you're making that studio in the closet.

Speaker 2: 3:33

You know, some of the most awesome moments of my life occurred in those crappy the raw shit, right, you know, I mean like those crappy little studios, like those are where what I mean, like those crappy, it's the rawest ones little studios always those are where, like you and the homies from like and here's the crazy thing like, then there's like kids out there, like Peep, you know, and who like can take a sound and like, really, peace be upon that guy.

Speaker 1: 3:59

Peace be upon him, oh man.

Speaker 2: 4:03

But yeah, you know it, it takes a certain type of person to be able to, I guess, really kind of bear their soul and like put it, put it out there and like trust that it's going to be accepted, right Gosh man tell me about like, maybe like acceptance, like self acceptance, you know, and like things that you are, you know, having to go through, maybe like each day or like you know uh, I don't know throughout a period of time where you've really had to be either accepting of like yourself or like the situation around you oh man, where do I start?

Speaker 1: 4:40

uh, I I've been. I've been like learning and growing through that my whole life. So I went through phases as a kid, growing up into a young man, being overly accepting of things I probably shouldn't accept, just to be a people pleaser. Then I had to rearrange that to understanding that I need to be pleased with what I'm a part of and it needs to be pleasing in general. I can't just be trying to please something and just be so accepting and it needs to be pleasing in general. I can't just be trying to please something and just be so accepting. So you got to be careful when you're accepting, because you got to make sure you're accepting the right shit yeah, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1: 5:12

Dude, you can't be pleased if we're respecting perspectives. Yeah, if you heard me say you heard me, yeah, I smelt you all right, cool, but yeah, you know stuff like that. But more into me, growing into a man, is also learning to just be overall understanding which, even if I don't want to fully accept everything about something, I know how to let things be and to just naturally accept, even if I don't agree with every little part of it.

Speaker 2: 5:39

Let me ask you this Because it all comes together. As far as the landscape of music, or like, let's like, let's get a little bit closer, but like hip-hop, you know, like yeah, how do you? You know, what are you seeing and what are you analyzing right now out of that and and and how is it helping you?

Speaker 1: 6:02

be creative? Are you saying, like, what am I analyzing about? Like hip hop overall, just?

Speaker 2: 6:07

basically like the state of hip hop itself and where you feel it is with like current social media and things like that. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:16

So for the past couple of years, maybe like a little bit before COVID, up until now, I feel like we're in like a weird double edged sword place where it's like DJ Drama used to say we can go up or we can go down, so because it's a lot of oversaturation. But we're also in a place where, when the ground is pretty like flat and plain, there's space for new shit to grow.

Speaker 1: 6:37

So I feel like there's a lot of space for some new great things to happen, because I feel like, through time, in any aspect of life, once something has been happening, it happened and it runs the course. There has to be oh, you're my bet, they it has to be something coming next. It has to be something new coming next.

Speaker 2: 6:56

So I feel, like.

Speaker 1: 6:56

I feel like we in a great place right now. Other than a lot of oversaturation, but I think there's a lot of space for creativity. And what a lot of oversaturation, but I think there's a lot of space for creativity. And what is saturation to you? Saturation is most of the tastemakers being don't hold the mic oh, don't hold it yeah I don't think.

Speaker 2: 7:13

I think it's going to react to the sound that, like you know like a little okay, that asmr that finger touch. I see what you're trying to do, but you know what? Okay, I got you, I got you, I'm used to rapping and holding the mic on stage. No, no, no, you're good. I want us to be able to hear you as clear as possible absolutely so.

Speaker 1: 7:32

Wait what? Rewind me back? What was the last question?

Speaker 2: 7:34

okay, the last question was about like self-acceptance after that though after that we got to after that oh, you said, I got it the saturation, saturation, what is saturation?

Speaker 1: 7:45

Saturation, to me, is the same thing being overplayed, overused, most artists seemingly not being willing to take new chances and go with what's safe and what's already working. But little do they know. The people who pioneered that actually took a chance, so it might not even work for them the same way because it's already been done and it's oversaturated. I think we should get back to a space where everybody is taking risk on being authentic and not just trying to do what works, because when we got too much oversaturation, everything sounds the same, no one's feeling so inspired and we could have people saying shit like hip-hop on the decline, when there's a lot of creative ass people out here who could feel like shit.

Speaker 1: 8:27

Yeah you ain't heard this new shit I'm working on like right, I'm about to drop this snippet.

Speaker 2: 8:31

You ain't heard this and then that makes you think about all the other people who are out there, you know, doing the same thing. Yeah, yeah, so we got to be careful.

Speaker 1: 8:40

The people who are already relevant. I think they should be leading the way by showing they're not afraid to take risk and still be creative, and not just trying to keep feeding us the same, the same pizza every night, every right that's happens on right that microwave, yeah, yeah yeah, different crust, right, you know, but that's what I think oversaturation is.

Speaker 1: 8:59

But other than that, I think hip-hop is in a great state because, through artists like Drake, kanye West, kid Cudi, bob, lil Wayne, young Thug, it opened up an opportunity for all of us to be creative in a new way. So I think everyone should take advantage of the foundation that that set up to just springboard off and just keep being creative, keep being authentic, keep pushing the envelope. Let me ask you this I don't want to look or sound like nobody, but I'm always inspired.

Speaker 1: 9:30

I ain't too cool to be, inspired, but we all individuals, baby I hear that.

Speaker 2: 9:34

I hear that Listen. So let's talk about. It's kind of wild when I'm scrolling and I'm seeing people like all different kinds of artists and like I have like some of the local friends you know that are are making a wave, and then you have some like independent artists that are like they're really good, they've got teams for social media. You know like you can tell they they they got some of their stuff really together. You know, um, as opposed to like the major you know label route, you know and and the things that are included with that you know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 10:13

So, like, where do you sit? Like you know it, you know in the, the landscape of that.

Speaker 1: 10:20

So I try to be as as uh, as well-rounded and as optimistic as possible and seeing pros and cons. So I feel like there's a lot of raw, authentic, great reasons why people could and should possibly stay DIY, doing it yourself and independent, because nothing can really hinder your creativity, nothing can really hinder your vision. You have complete creative control. I think sometimes not in every situation leverage. If you don't have enough leverage with a label and then you might need them a little more than they need you, that might hinder your creativity and they might tell you do this style, focus on this more, because this is what'll sell how can, like a billion dollar industry need anything from me?

Speaker 2: 11:09

because we have the thing that they don't have they have the money.

Speaker 1: 11:13

They have the money, they have the machine, they have the means, they have the resources. We have god-given raw musical talent, talent. We have the one thing they don't have and it will. They'll never be able to take that from us.

Speaker 1: 11:28

They can't take it and put it in the jar and put it on the shelf they gotta wait for artists to come along and discover it, and we just gotta hope that that artist is, you know, savvy and uses the power of discernment to make the most of a situation man I love, because that's what I would like to do. That, yeah, that's how I want any artist to do that, because we all the same, for sure, we all artists it feel, it feel.

Speaker 2: 11:48

You know, I feel connected in ways sometimes where I'm just like I'm kind of like amazed by you know what I mean. Like I sit back and I'm like, I'm like man, I'm like all the things that like had to happen, like before, like this thing, this, this like, and we really just had to show, we just had to show up, set a few things up. You know what I mean. We got these like resources that were like, yeah, these little tools that were used, and I kind of, like, you know, put things together and it's wild dude. I'm, I'm so grateful that we can do this. You know me too.

Speaker 1: 12:21

But not to take away from our grind, because I know you personally, my brother, you grind hard. Just because we got things in place that can seemingly make it an easier start doesn't mean we don't put in our work Because we put our heart into this shit, we put our time into this shit, we put time away from our family trying to juggle working and shit like that. So we definitely put a lot into this shit, no matter how seemingly easy it is.

Speaker 1: 12:44

Because one could argue and I don't mean to cut you off- no, not at all one could argue that once upon a time back in the day before, there was all of this technology and resources and you can just use your phone you could just get discovered by someone and they could just change your whole life, like Whitney Houston getting found in some random club by Barry Gordy or Clive Davis or whoever. So there's pros and cons to the past and the future and the present. We should just all just embrace it all for what it is and keep moving, for sure, yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:13

You know earlier we were talking about, you know kind of like culture itself and you know like what creates culture and what is the embodiment of a culture the embodiment of a culture, I would say, is the people that are a part of it, the people that represent it, the people who who say what's okay, what's not okay, the people who make the music, the people who enjoy the music, the people who are a part of the history, of building the foundation of whatever that culture is, whether it's black culture, music culture, black music, culture together or whatever. At the end of the day, it's all culture.

Speaker 1: 13:59

So you know, I think those are just the important things the people who built it, the people who support it, the people who keep the history alive, the people who tell the stories of it, the people who wear the clothes. The people who keep the history alive, the people who tell the stories of it, the people who wear the clothes, the people who promote the music and make the music.

Speaker 2: 14:16

That's all the things that make up culture. As far as what we're talking about, what role do you see yourself providing for the culture that you are behind?

Speaker 1: 14:27

The role I play is loving the culture, embracing the culture, being a part of it through being a fan of it and being grown up through it, and now getting to a point where I can make music that represents it, I can wear clothes that represent it, I can speak my perspective and it represents the culture. You know what I mean I'm feeling, so that's how I feel. Like we all can play that role, but me particularly. That's what I would say.

Speaker 2: 14:55

Yeah, no, that's dope dude I you know it's really cool because when I have a guest on here I like to try, and you know we we want to be surface level for and you know we want to be surface level for some time. But then there's, like you know, we want to dig man, we want to get deep every now and then you know, and I want you to kind of really like tell me an origin story from you know, hearing and knowing you.

Speaker 1: 15:25

I know like you fill many different boxes for sure and um I want you to kind of, you know, tell me you know, like, maybe like an experience, or maybe a relationship, or, or, or you know a, a story that really maybe molded you, you know, and like, really like, turned you into the, the, the artist and the person that you are today so I think it would have to be me doing a lot of uh grinding and things on my own and then me linking up with a major label, thinking that it was about to change my life because of the resources and the millions of dollars that they had and the things that they could do for me, but then going through that situation situation and realizing that if all the pieces aren't connected, even if there's money and resources involved, it doesn't mean this is going to be the time where I blow up.

Speaker 1: 16:22

And literally months after that, in the process of that, like I told you earlier, I linked up with my homie, buffalo, who was doing it himself, and in a year after that we got more done than I got done with the label. So it's all timing and appreciating the perspective of where you're at and just appreciating, keeping your head down and keeping going, because I thought, because the label was here, that it was my time. But once that flopped for a second, I felt like damn, I guess this might not be it for me. Yeah, then I linked up with my homie, who we were doing it out the mud and I got more done than what I thought a label could do for me.

Speaker 1: 17:00

So it's not about. It's not about what you think is gonna work. It's about simply what works and when it works. As long as you stay in the game, something's going to work damn, I, I love the, the point that you're making with that.

Speaker 2: 17:13

Seriously, you know, um sure I want you to give me, you know, give me some, some final thoughts that you want to leave. You know, the, the viewers with um, maybe like uh, I don't know, maybe like something like crazy, like interesting about yourself or like I don't know just like something that you want to leave everybody with before we do. You know the one or two segments at the end here.

Speaker 1: 17:37

I mean.

Speaker 2: 17:40

You know what I like this call. You know I want to be funny guys.

Speaker 1: 17:47

I've been making music my whole life, but I want to be funny. Well, ok, I want to be funny. Oh, been making music my whole life, but I want to be funny. I want to be funny, oh wait who's this yo?

Speaker 2: 17:55

this is Faraji the young Faraji. Wait, wait, wait yo. This is alright. Listen, I got somebody who's really got something? They gotta tell you and they've been wanting to tell you this for a while. Okay, so, dude, he Get your All right, all right.

Speaker 1: 18:17

Love you. Listen, bro. I know you love being on Space Mountain, but stop daydreaming so much. There's some more life. There's some more life. You got to see you can't daydream the whole time Some more life. You got to see you can't daydream the whole time and don't stay in your head the whole time. Buddy, you got to get in the game. You got to do some things. Don't think about what you should do. Just try to start and don't.

Speaker 1: 18:42

He's saying yeah, yeah, yeah, and I feel like he's kind of spacing out and not hearing me right now, but I will say this bro, I know you got a large-ass apple head on your skinny body, but don't worry, one day that body is going to fill out and you're going to be a decent-looking guy. See you in the future. Baby, we got this. We end up being everything we thought we was.

Speaker 2: 19:03

Hey, yo, you got this baby boy. Love you both.

Speaker 1: 19:06

Y'all understand this, that's wild, ain't it awol, my dog man dude, you know what? Okay, this is fun.

Speaker 2: 19:17

So we're doing rapid, we're doing yes, we are doing a rapid fire segment here, okay it's a off the cuff. Okay, it's sorry I had to pull this one on you. You.

Speaker 1: 19:28

You know what I mean. No, let's do it, I'm all about it. This is what it's about, baby.

Speaker 2: 19:31

Okay, you ready. Okay, here we Put 100 seconds on the clock.

Speaker 1: 19:37

All right.

Speaker 2: 19:38

Mountains or the beach Beach. Oh, coffee or tea, tea, easily, easily, teasily.

Speaker 1: 19:50

Star easily, easily star wars or star trek, uh, star wars, I don't know shit about star trek.

Speaker 2: 19:52

Okay, I know favorite favorite friends cast member favorite friends cast member. Yeah, phoebe, I'm gonna go right, I got to, got to. Are you ready? Doritos or pringles?

Speaker 1: 20:03

Pringles.

Speaker 2: 20:05

Okay, you ready, stack them. Gotta stack them up. All right, spinners or Spreewells.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Spreewells baby.

Speaker 2: 20:12

Come on now. Gotta get them. Gotta get them. Okay, here we go, here we go. Okay, I'm loving it, yo, if you could spend 24 hours with any celebrity or musician popular musician who would it be? Who would it be? Yep.

Speaker 1: 20:32

Yep, would it be. Who would it be? Yep, yep, damn, get him, get him, let's see, let's see, let's see anyone.

Speaker 2: 20:34

Yep, come on 24 hours. Dude say it, let's hear it rapid fire, rapid fire.

Speaker 1: 20:39

I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, prince oh, prince, oh, all right.

Speaker 2: 20:42

All right, taking that one to heart, all right. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but haven't yet?

Speaker 1: 20:49

Learn how to swim properly. Okay, all right well.

Speaker 2: 20:51

I had to do it and tread water.

Speaker 1: 20:53

Okay, Just so we're clear. I'm a grown-ass man. I'm glad you realize that.

Speaker 2: 20:58

Okay, if you could pick any season all year round. What would it be? Summer, winter, spring or fall? I'm going gonna go tail in the summer. Oh, tail, a tail in the summer, for sure. I like that. I like that response. Okay, uh, east coast or west coast?

Speaker 1: 21:14

east coast baby. Oh, I don't know about the west coast all day repping home.

Speaker 2: 21:18

Okay, favorite subject in school favorite subject in school?

Speaker 1: 21:22

yep, english. Oh, my worst, my worst baby. You know, I hear that. I hear that for sure okay, you ready um name two two pokemon, two pokemon charizard zap uh fuck say it go, come on, uh, blast toys, I'm gonna go okay, nice, nice, nice, I went easy I couldn't conjure my favorites. All right, best, duo Best duo, I'm going to say me and my brother Buffalo Nice. I like that Easy money Plugged up. All right, what's?

Speaker 2: 21:59

my spirit animal. What's your spirit?

Speaker 1: 22:02

animal. Yeah, something very fast and very active Got him. Like a giant squirrel.

Speaker 2: 22:10

That was kind of disrespectful in a way, but I'm not going to. No, I'm totally. You're very active, bro, are you All right? I'm totally messing with you. All right? You ready? What's the one thing you can't live without the one thing I can't live without.

Speaker 1: 22:27

Yeah, come on. Laughter, big laughter, oh love that excellent that's like the main ingredient of my shit okay, favorite color purple, got him.

Speaker 2: 22:38

Okay, new testament or old testament? Old testament straight up, that was a test. Okay, okay, okay, planes trains or automobiles.

Speaker 1: 22:51

That's crazy. I'm going trains, baby.

Speaker 2: 22:53

Oh damn.

Speaker 1: 22:54

Real quick. I used to ride trains by myself back and forth from Baltimore to New York to visit my dad.

Speaker 2: 22:58

Amtrak baby Trains all day Trains, all day, all day. Thomas the Train all that you ready? Okay, if all that you ready. Okay, if, thomas, if you had thomas to train with you right here, right now, and and you were to let him listen to one song, what would it be? And he had to listen to it for the rest of his life.

Speaker 1: 23:17

I'm gonna go system prescriptions. I don't know why. That's right. Oh, I felt it. I felt it. Yeah, nice, another shameless plug you got to. If you don't know about it, check it out.

Speaker 2: 23:31

System Prescriptions by Faraji here. Okay, you ready. Most unique instrument, most unique instrument.

Speaker 1: 23:37

I'm gonna go steel pan oh, 25 Steel pan on the board. I'm gonna go with steel pan Ding.

Speaker 2: 23:44

Okay.

Speaker 1: 23:45

Last movie. You saw Last movie. You saw Last movie. I saw Yep Bad Boys 3. Oh, there we go, which is better than people might have thought. Okay.

Speaker 2: 23:55

Bad Boys 3. All right, I love that.

Speaker 1: 23:57

Or the last Bad Boys. Bad Boys Legends Never Die. Whichever one was, the last one that came out. Yeah, dude, I'm not getting the numbers right, but the last newest one as duos go, you know, as far as duo to mike, lowry and marcus baby, you don't get no better than that.

Speaker 2: 24:10

All right, you ready. Uh, favorite kind of flower, favorite kind of flower. Tell them what your favorite kind of flower cannabis nah oh no, no, perfect, all right. Daytime or nighttime, nighttime, nighttime, nice, all right, you ready. If you could have one superpower, what would it be.

Speaker 1: 24:31

Well, I'm going to go anime, but it's kind of like a superpower. I'm going to go Shadow Clone Jutsu Because it's like if I could make 29 other versions of myself, I could get so much done. You know what I'm saying? My baby mama could be pleased. I could be in the studio, I could be kicking the soccer ball with my son, I could be holding my other infant son, I could be in the kitchen cooking, I could be on stage. I could be doing everything. So many different, so many. It's 30 of me. I'm gonna go shadow cone jiu-jitsu oh, dude, I love that.

Speaker 2: 25:04

Let me ask you this one. It's a little more deeper, you don't have to rapid fire this, but how would you define personal success? Personal success, yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:12

Waking up every day and being pleased with yourself, not being too hard on yourself, treating yourself just as well as you think you should treat another individual.

Speaker 2: 25:22

Man Personal success. That hit home for sure bro Come here.

Speaker 1: 25:26

Yeah, love you, dog. You no shallow answers there, baby love you.

Speaker 2: 25:29

I got one last one for you before we depart.

Speaker 1: 25:33

Okay, coconut or pineapple coconut, oh all right, no pineapple here you went straight for it easy.

Speaker 2: 25:41

No thought, all right, put that on the board for coconut bang bang bang, rapid, fire rapid.

Speaker 1: 25:46

Thank y'all, rabbit fire Raji. Right rabbit, fire Raji in the house. Let's go.

Speaker 2: 25:50

Thank you so much for being here, dog, my dog. I love you. Man, Notice what we do. Baby I love everything about you and the artist that you're becoming and how you're able to navigate the waters of life itself.

Speaker 1: 26:03

Absolutely and still.

Speaker 2: 26:04

As creative as possible and even down to just small things like the way you dress and the way you think. I mean, that's not a small thing, that's a large thing.

Speaker 1: 26:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:14

But all the things that are involved with you becoming the human that I know and that we know you're meant to be, so I'm proud of you.

Speaker 1: 26:22

Okay, I just got one thing to say, bro, I'm just out here respecting perspectives. Yo hey, one thing to say, bro, I'm just out here respecting perspectives.

Speaker 2: 26:30

Yo hey, I'm just out here respecting perspective. How do we end this yo on the count of three? We tell these mofos to respect our perspective. All right, one, two, three yo respect our motherfucking perspective, bang you.