DE'WAYNE

What's the album? The album is June, but I dropped that last year. That was like the most realized you, me, artistically. Yes, bro. Felt so incredible, felt so like, I've arrived. Is there new music coming? There's new music that I'm dropping with Lenny. Here we are. Dwayne. Yes. You're back. I am back, bro. How you doing? I'm great, man. I feel so good coming just in here and seeing you, seeing the homies. It feels like home, bro. You know, you've been, we've known each other now a long time. A long time. Yes. You've seen me through iterations as well. 100%. So, and IU. Yeah. But it's the same for me, though, bro. Coming here today, I felt so at peace. At home, we took a little walk early and I was like, yo, when we were like babies, I got to play here with my friends all the time and learn how to just have fun and exist as an artist. You know, we were working at Pitfire. Pizza Rev. Pizza Rev. Yes, sir. That's right. One of the peace, bro. One of the peace. One of the peace of spots. You were working a job. Yes. Sleeping on couches, staying in guest house or wherever the fuck you could say. Wrapping. That's like a trigger word for me. You were very good at rapping. Thank you so much. Thank you. You're still one of my favorite rappers. I love you so much, bro. Anytime Mike will bring up that I used to rap to people and I get the nastiest face. I'm like, bro, that was a part of your history. It's still a part of it. It was like me and my dad. He just taught me. Your development. Yeah, man. It was the only type of music that I knew until I came to LA. Don't. Yeah, I know. Don't. I know. That's the insecure spot. Don't push away. I know, bro. Yourself. Thank you, bro. I appreciate that. The kid. Don't project the kid. I know. Yeah. Why would you do that? But it's like, that was a very important part because I came to LA thinking that I was going to be something else that I am today and I've always heard artists and like entertainers, people that I love and respect always say that like the plan B actually was the one that they end up having their life on and not that rock and roll was my plan B. But I think just becoming a complete artist was that next step for me and that's where I've kind of landed and yeah. I'm trying to learn that. I have so much to say. No, please say it. Please. But I want to let you know. I'm working it out. I want to let you vomit it all up. You saying that I'm trying not to make it into like a word of it was just who I was and what I knew and like I studied it. Steady. You are. Yeah. You think so? Yes. It's a kid. Yes. Who thinks he's something special. Yeah. That's because all of the kids are. They become adults. They become unspecial because they got told enough or shown enough. Yeah. You know the implied message around them was you're not special and the explicit message sometimes for sure. Sometimes people have people saying you're not shit. Oh yeah. But sometimes people have sometimes people say you're not important through their actions yeah through the way they feel when you walk in the room. That's fair. So because you always liked rock and roll. So what if you didn't think you could what if you thought oh that's what I must have to do. I understand. Right. Yeah. So you start walking down the road in faith. For sure. Right. And you go well I guess I'm a rapper because I want to make music. Yes. And so everything I know. Right. You grew up where you grew up and the predominant music was rap. 100 percent. You enjoyed it with your dad. I love rap music so I'm the biggest hip hop fan in the world. So and I and I and I don't look at hip hop as a genre of music. I look at it as modern poetry. So I see it differently. So I look at rappers as poets and then they go and perform on stage and that's you know but when I listen to music I listen to the lyrics I always have so I've always thought same same same. I'm a lyrical person. So melody is second most important and then I'll get into production. Yeah. Like what does that music sound like. I'm actually 100 percent with you on that and lyrics are always. And I think it started from. Because you're a poet. Yeah. Yeah. So I would say if we don't stop and examine what we're labeling things as including ourselves we can't get to the full breadth of like what it actually means to be us. Am I a rapper or am I a poet. Both some people would maybe say I'm just a rapper. Yeah. A more artistic more elegant person more more person with more depth. Yeah. What's Sam a poet. Yeah. Doesn't poet sound a little bit more. Yeah. No I feel more sophisticated to the turtleneck wearing fucking art critics. Yeah. No for sure. Right. Not that you're wearing a turtleneck. No no no no no no no no no no. Joel I I love you so I'm. I'm just saying the important folks the classy folks so many things have changed. I love you so much. But I'm just saying that the important folks would say oh an artist versus an artist. No an artist gave me this this turtleneck. Yeah. So I'm just saying you can be both. Yes. We can be artist. Yeah. Like the collectors. Yeah. You can be the streets we can be a rapper. And it is both both things are true. Both things you can be a rock and roll guy because you have always been that guy. You couldn't be this now if you weren't this then. It's very true. You know what I mean. Very true. Just what do we let ourselves be. Yeah. Like do we let ourselves just yeah. You know. Can I say that's what it felt like to me when Josh when Navid when Mike were playing me Bowie and Arcade Fire for the first time and I was like it made me feel like I could. It was like me becoming like the superhero version of myself. Yeah. There's no box. No. Not at all. I've always been into songs and like writing songs like since I was a kid I would just like write these songs out. But when I heard Munez Daydream I was like oh this is what's a solo. It just turned me on in a way that rap music hadn't turned me on and that gospel music hadn't turned me on. And it also felt like the first thing to where it was me finding it for me like like you guys showed it to me but then I was like I would go home and just this feels like Dwayne you know and I just kind of been on that. But thank God for the raps and the poetry early on you know it got because it got me to LA. I got you here. Yeah. You know it became interesting. I'm sitting down with y'all. It became just. You were just digging. You were just digging. You were like yeah. I don't mean it as a dig but it did though. You were digging for more. You were searching for more. Yeah. I wanted more sounds and. More mediums. You were like I've been painting with this kind of paint for the whole. I now want to fuck around with this other kind of art. Yeah. Very true. So I say it all to say that that kid was the kid that I fell in love with. Yeah. Thank you man. I know I remember the first like it was still so early on and I appreciate that. I was also in love with him too. I just think we should you know I mean you know we should just keep growing. Yeah. I want to keep growing and evolving and yeah. It just felt like the right time. Yeah. Yeah. Just bring him along though. Because he deserves to be here. Yeah. Thank you for that. You know what I mean. And I've been. I know you are. But that's true though because that's reminding you. Yeah. And I thank you for that because there's so many things happening now to where I think about him so much and like we freak out because I'm like I almost said because I'm crazy but I'm like this is crazy. Like this is weird. Yeah. You know and it's everything that I've dreamed of and it wouldn't have happened without him. That kid. At all. No sir. I say this to say there's nothing worse than when I go home and someone says he changed. I'm like yeah I have fucking changed. Yeah. Right. Right. I've grown a lot. Yeah. And I keep and I only want to grow. I want to go to the edge of growth. Yes sir. I want to find the edge of it and keep pushing on like what you know what I mean. 100 percent. The difference is the kid in Maryland who didn't know anything and was just kind of curious and excited about everything. Yes. And everything was amazing because I was experiencing everything for the first time because I had never left Southern Maryland. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean. 100 percent. And I was so ashamed of that place. I was so embarrassed of myself not the place of places is just you would never know it because it's too far away but I was just ashamed of myself. I was ashamed or embarrassed that I didn't know felt stupid. I felt like I didn't know what everyone else knew. Bro. I was like, cool. Yeah. You know what I mean. Yeah. And I think that's a part of like and I'm so happy we're having this part of the conversation because I think that's a part of like me being like, well, this is what I know from this place that I was trying to get away from as soon as I could. So maybe there's a bit of that there. But I love it now. It's like I think of it now as an adult and I think of my parents and my dad and my step dad who I've grown to just admire and cherish so much and learning that even though as a child I kind of push those things away. I'm becoming more of my step dad and it's fucking cool. Yeah. It's like my step dad was someone who was stable and like knew how to love my mom. So, care for me. Solid bro. And you don't run away from that. You know what I mean. So like the older I'm getting, I'm like, oh, like it's still here. I haven't pushed it away, but I'm just more starting to appreciate that place and those people from that place because I wouldn't be this person without that. Yeah. You know. It's good. Yeah. It's cool. And I know we had like a similar kind, not similar, but like, you know, just hard time Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or whatever you want to call it. Yeah. That'll make a person go. If you box was a whole lot of money, it would change your week. You know what I mean. 20 bucks would change your week. 100%. You know what I mean. I was talking about that with someone the other day. It was like, I never take it for granted that I have access to all kinds of things, including just fucking cash. I need to get some money. Or that I could tip people. Because I don't go to, I go to the same places. Oh, it's the same. I haven't been going there for years, you know, creature habit. And I like all, I love all these people. They all, just all these different, you see a guy working hard. He works at the valet or he, he, he starts, but he really does this and he's on his way to where he's going. And I was there. You were there at Pizza Rev. Yes. Right. Going to Jesse Jay's house after and she's like, I'm gonna cook you some food. I know you ain't got no food. I'm like, yes ma'am. Thank you so much. Oh, Jesse Jay. Yeah. She used to just like go. Hey Jay, back in the day. Love Jesse Jay. I've been here for no exact reason. I'm just like, well, I mean, for a good reason, but just like I was a kid and just getting out and you know, just fucks with artists. Yeah. She's a real one. Yeah, she is. She's, um, we all fuck with real artists. You know what I'm saying? That's why we're all here and that's why we're still here, you know. Yeah. The real ones are all just trying to figure it out and we're dealing with all our shit. We all have a bag of shit. We're carrying up the hill with us. Big time. And what I've learned in my age is try to help people start taking stuff out of the bag. I mean, you help me at the top of that because that was a thing that I needed to address clearly. I'm like, oh, don't say that. She's like, why? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, bro. But I was, I was thinking just how grateful I am that I'm in that place in my life and the kid that I was ashamed of or embarrassed of. I remember I was, um, the one of the first times I was at, I got the first time I went on a plane. I came out here for like label assignment or whatever. How old were you? 20. Wasn't that, oh, wasn't that young when that, I was young, but young enough. Um, but I had already been out in the world. I left home and we had already been like trying to make it and we were like 17, 18, 19, 20 was when it started to happen. They took us to like no boo or something. I'd never been, I never had sushi in my life. It's fair. No, it's my favorite food. Of course. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We were just fucking eating everything. We were excited. It was amazing. I was like, I'm not gonna lie to myself. Somewhere in like the peak part of the dinner when I noticed that they were kind of entertained slash a lot of other things other than just accepting of us and cool. And like, it was a bunch of things. We were entertaining them. They also thought that we were like, it was, it was a bunch of other things other than just like, oh, these poor kids, man, they've never had a fucking fancy, nice meal in their life. Well, this is great. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was like, it was a bit of a like a moment where they were, there was a moment where I could feel them a little bit laughing at us and also kind of looking at us some other way other than just being happy to be with us, appreciate us. And I caught myself and I felt embarrassed. And I remember that feeling. Yeah. Cause they must have been more valuable, more important than me because they already knew about this place and they come here all the time. Fully hear you, bro. You know what I mean? Fully hear you. And I remember that all the time when I start feeling like, yeah, I got you. You know what I mean? Like, what do you mean you don't? Yeah. You mean you haven't? Bro, yes. And I just remind myself. That is so real. If I ever even get close to that area, that's self esteem. That's my self esteem. Yeah, I got you. I'm needing to feel bigger more. And I remind myself because that kid was fucking the coolest kid in the room. Yeah. 100% bro. And that's what I look for now is that kid. It's why I love fucking Chase Atlanta. Yes. Cause 10 years in they can eat wherever the fuck they want. They can do whatever the fuck they want. But they're still, they're still at the core of those guys. They're still the same kids I met. Yeah, man. You know what I mean? When I met him, he was probably 16. After school. This was in Australia. I would say in Australia. I met, I found them on YouTube. Yeah. I DMed them on fucking Twitter. It was like back when the beginning of all the shit. And then anyways, we met up at a coffee shop in Sydney near where he lived or something. Just you and Christian. Me and Benj and Christian. Okay, cool. Benj was there. Yeah. And he was like 16. Yeah. And he was like, he was like shaking. And we laugh about it now because like he was excited. It was, it was like his dreams, you know, and like, I didn't even know if he knew who we were, but he looked us up and like it all came together where like, he was like, oh, this is a, this is a real opportunity. This is some real shit. And like, he could be embarrassed about that now. He isn't. We laugh about it. But at the same time that kid was fucking focused. Oh yeah. He got on a fucking bus and came to the city and went to the fucking coffee shop and was like nervous. Yes. Cause he wanted something. 100% wanted to do something, bro. That's the coolest shit to me. You know what I mean? Yes. For sure. He was being himself. I feel like they're still, still that way, man. Still the same guy. He's more experienced, obviously. He's not as, he doesn't give a fuck about meeting anyone now, but he appreciates shit in a way that only someone who is still in them, he's still in himself. All those guys, all three of them, they're just real motherfuckers. Like to me, like that's the coolest guy in the room. And me and you both were those guys. Like when I think about the guy that I kind of ran away from for a little bit, not saying you did that, but I'm just relating to, I wish I could get back the time I spent ashamed of that guy. Understand that. You know what I mean? Understand that fully, bro. Cause I lost a lot of years to shame and do like embarrassment and slow self esteem. And then I came around through this building, right? This place like for the last 12 years or 13 years or whatever, it healed me. It grew me. You know what I mean? And you were there. So we were, we were late. I was like, you know what I'm talking about. Cause you were there. But I will say at like every point since I've known you man, like talking about growth earlier and like trying to get to that edge, you've always felt more tapped in every time that I've seen you more yourself, every time that I've seen you. When I saw you last at Middies party, I feel like we were closer and more connected than we had ever been just because our own like individual journeys that we were on. But that's what I would say about you. I feel like I didn't see any part of that where you were like going away from something that always feel like you were getting closer to who you were. And it made me feel just loved and safe. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, I think you're right. I think I, I think I got more and more, I've been on a journey of self esteem. And the more I just accept myself, the more comfortable I am to be whatever I am when I'm with you. Yes. And that's more honest than if I have to be happy or I have to be a certain whatever. For sure. You know what I mean? Yeah, bro. And the more comfortable I get with myself, the more in the room I can be instead of somewhere else. Yeah. You know what I mean? And your boy is definitely still working on that. Yeah, all of the time, bro. It's like, this. 15 years ahead of you, bro. Yeah. I mean, but way older than you. I mean, I think it's like, I'll be having conversations or like something will get said. I'm like, Oh, it makes me feel a certain way. But I think when I'm being more honest, like I've been out the past two nights with like friends and like in overstimulating like areas. And when I just like say something to like just let people know, it makes me just feel more comfortable. I'm like, I, that's me being myself. I'm like, I feel a little weird, but I'm here and I'm locked. And I can't look at people and eyes and talk and feel comfortable and feel confident, you know, you know what I do in those words. What's that? I'll give you a little tool, please. I just go, Hey, I actually, I don't know if I really want to be here. So I'm going to try my best to hang or like, I'll be like, yeah, I don't know if I'm feeling it tonight, but I'm here. I'm going to try my best. If any point I leave, just know I'm not on the level tonight. Understand. You know what I mean? Hey, that's, I might, I'll take that. I felt like I made it through and it was good. Like I had a great time just like in certain moments, you know, we are programmed without knowing it. And this is why therapy is important because we wake up and we go, wait a minute. I just give me a minute. How do I feel? You're right. That's all it is. It's like one little pushback like, Hey, hold on a minute. How do I feel? I don't know, man. I don't even fuck with that. And then nothing becomes extreme because it's not offensive when I say, I don't know. It's not for me. I know I'm supposed to like it. Yes. I don't know. So I say all that to say is that's how you got here. Whether you realize it. Those are tools, what you just were talking about too. Those are tools that I've just started this year. You just started conscious. You were doing it when we met. Because you are smart. Yeah. So you look for people who are living more like how you want to live and then you find them. You really do, man. That shit is a trip, bro. It's as simple as that. If you want to be successful in life, find people with the kind of success you want in any category, marriage, money, music, health, fitness. You are not going to have success spending time with and following people who do not have success in that category. I understand. The fact. So your subconscious, which is your stream of consciousness, which is also where you get your music from, led you because what if you didn't choose any of this? Do you know what I mean? This is my type of conversation. Because this is giving me like wrong. I knew we would do this. Because it's like, to be honest, I have not been to therapy, but I've done quite a bit. Go ahead. I know, but I want to say I've done. Just get on better help. I will. I will. Just fucking call somebody. I will. I do have people that I talk to a lot and I also just do a lot of medicine work. So it's like raw dose of just what you're talking about. Well, like mushrooms? Sometimes further, you know, ayahuasca. Sometimes there's one called cactus that lives straight from the heart. Everything that the heart is processing, all the clenches, all the flinches of life. Cactus? Yeah. And it kind of brings them out and raw mdals just speaks on like, there's a point in life to where you can either, you shouldn't like or dislike things. And I feel like within any relationships that I've been in my life, if it's work, if it's love, the closer I get to just being in the middle with them, it just makes me way happier, be able to be way more present. Like being here with you now, I'm like, 100. I'm like 99. Like I want to say 100, but I'm like right here with you. And it feels so right. You know, I'm not like disliking or liking. I'm just like, I'm here with my brother and I'm having a great time. Just like I've just been existing more in that and using that tool because it used to just our fates or somehow connect it. Oh yeah, for sure. Somehow, some way for sure. Which, but that's the part to me that's like so psychedelic. It is, you know, but, but there's a aspect of life that you could call. So I call it transcendent. Yes. You could call it psychedelic. You could call it spiritual. You could call a lot of things. And it's all those things. Yeah. Things can be true. So it can be all those things. I live in a state of wanting to stand in the truth. I had to get there. I looked, I reached for the truth and I tried, but then somewhere in the last few years, this show's been a big part of it. It's been a big part of developing myself, like my real self. Because I have to bring it here and put it out there in order for you to do that. Yeah. Because no one can sit in this chair and if I don't open up, they won't open up. 100%. And then the conversation's weird and it's not, it's not interesting and people don't get anything from it. There's some nutrients in the conversation. Oh, bro. Yeah. And I love for this one today. It's like we started straight from the jump. Yeah. You know, that's why I didn't want to talk to you out there. I feel that. I tried to tell you. I was like, no, no, no, you didn't. Let's go right into the chairs. No, it was perfect. Save it. It was perfect. And I was like, don't, no, Dwayne, don't pull me into a conversation. I'm literally talking. Once I start talking, it's over, man. That's why this is so nice, bro. Because yeah, you're right though. You made the right car. You know what you're doing, man. I know myself. Yeah. And I know this. Yes. I know what we're going to, I can sense what, what's going to happen on the way in. It's very important to me. You're the first episode of the show. Yes, sir. You're also someone that I've, again, I say our fates are connected somehow. We have like all these intertwined, it's very interesting. Like even this building, you know who sold us this building? I do. Mr. Will Smith. Yes. I'm a little bit sure. Will Smith. I'm aware. Fucking the man. There's been many conversations when I'm hanging with the lady and her family and they'll bring up this place. The Royal Family. Yeah. When we were first like hanging and I'm like, oh, like, yeah, I'll be over there and you know, go into a beautiful conversation about it. Yeah, I don't know. I always fucked with Will. I never, nothing he's ever done has fucking bothered. Like the world is so harsh and they want to take them down. Yeah, but it's not possible. You know, talking about someone who has truly like transcended a lot of things. I don't want to speak too much on it. I just want to say like they are guiding lights in my life. Yeah, I can tell from Willow to Jaden to Tray to Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith like accepted me so early on with love because I think when I went on tour with her as I still remember you and Benchman like you guys are going to become really good friends. And I was like, no, we're not. I actually thought y'all were going to be together. You knew early on. I just thought you guys are like, she's a good soul. She's incredible. Yeah. And since, you know, the relationship that we've built like the friendship that we have bro is just one of the most important relationships I've ever had and they've just inspired me for everything and always just been so supportive and yeah, I just love them. It's okay to do. It's okay. You should be protective of that. That's why I know you don't want to talk about it. And I don't talk about it a lot either. Yeah. I'm protective of Nicole's family. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's the same. Yes, the same. You know. Me, Lionel and Brenda were very accepting of this like country ass unrefined, bro, raw yes, gem of a guy. Yeah. That's how they saw me. Yeah. At the time I didn't see myself that way. Same. Yeah. And then I saw Brenda who is my mother like truly always treated me like she said I always wanted a son and from day one she treated me like a son and Bench and Lionel too. But to get the mother's love is a thing. Oh, it's a big thing. And you know, I'm such a... And the father's respect. Yes. You know, it's incredible, bro. I literally, I couldn't ask for like a better bonus family. It's good in a way, you know, good people. Incredible man. But anyways, I say all that to say this building only happened because when we, you know the story, but for everyone listening, this is the guy, Will Smith is. Okay. I can say it. No, he's literally the best. Yeah. We're in here, this building's coming on the market. I had worked here before. It was a big studio. Everyone worked here. Will owned the studio. Okay. He made... Boom, boom. Okay. The boom, boom room. Oh, I am from Maryland. I love that. So he owned the studio. It was a big studio. Everyone worked here. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Prince, Michael Jackson, Tupac, everyone and their mother has worked here. All the great artists and everyone knew Will owned the studio. And it was super cool. There was like Fresh Prince of Bel Air stuff and there was all these big classic... You were like, oh shit, they made that record here. They made that record here. Jay to Herban had recorded in this room. Crazy. It's like this building had history. They owned it a long time. So they were putting the building on the market. Everyone knew about it because it's a famous studio. So we found out about it and on the day of the going on the market, they were smart. They were like, it's going on the market. It's going to sell the same day. Everyone knew it. It's a badass building. So we come in and it's packed. 50 people, 100 people, everyone. You see all these people you know too. There's like all these big music people and big ballers. Everyone's here. Not a problem. And so we get here. This is in 2013, maybe or 14. And then we're trying to find the real estate agent. It's like packed. We find a guy and he's talking to somebody and we're like, hey, how do we make an offer on this place? And he's like, we already have 10 offers. You missed the fucking. The window. The window. Those offers were written probably yesterday, right? So then I was like, we go in the car and we're like, fuck, felt so right. What am I missing? Because we had worked here and ever since we worked here, we always said, that's my favorite place. I want to. Okay. Yeah. So you need it. We could ever get that place, right? It was a dream. And then the dream was possible because it was for sale. And then so we went and we sat in the car and I was like, fuck, man. Like we weren't prepared for that. And then I was like, wait a minute. Lionel knows Will. Al is friends with Will. I'm going to text Al. And I was like, hey, Al, you got a second. And he's like, yeah. And I called him. And I was like, hey, Will's selling the studio. I know this is a lot, but if there any way you could just ask him if you would entertain our offer, we'll beat anyone's offer. Like just give us a shot at it. Just give us a shot. And he's like, I'm with Will right now. He's like, hold on, bro. Yes. And he's like, hey, the Madden Brothers, they're calling about you. You sell in the studio. And he goes, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like, they want to buy it. And he goes, I love the Madden Brothers. Yeah, tell them, tell them done. Easy. Like that. And then didn't asking price. Whoa. Didn't make us bid. Yeah. No, he just said, yeah, it's done. And then we got a call from the realtor. Wow. And he's like, I was told we have to, you know, just do the wrap this up. That's fine. And it was done. That is the best story ever. But that's why this building is telling when I see him. No, I hadn't heard that. Well, now the whole world is going to know. But that's who he is. Bro, I mean, in my few years of knowing them, like I completely agree. And it wasn't like some Hollywood. Oh, yeah. No, it was on some real shit. It was like, yeah, I love those guys. Yeah. Tell them, tell them done. Yeah. Tell them we'll get it done. And then we were like, what is that? And then we got a phone. I think we're going to get to buy. And then we got a call. Wow. Serious. That's real, man. Damn, you're going to give me some credit, bro. I'm about to go because they're the best storytellers in the world. And you know, my like, I'm very quiet and like just like to watch the room. But I'm about to have a great story. It's a great story. I'm going to see the homies. But that's like every building, every place that's special has great stories. Yes, very true. And that is the classic story about the time. Will Smith sold us his fucking studio. That's beautiful. It's classic, world renowned, historic piece of property. Yeah. Wow. You know what I mean? Yeah. I was just saying, no, it's a beautiful story too, bro. Honestly, that's who someone is. I mean, that that's who the whole whole family is. That's the family. So I was just saying, I say all that to say you're all fortunate and blessed to find each other in this less fortunate and unblessed world. Sometimes I agree. You know, we've been digging on that a lot the past couple of weeks. It's like, man, just to be by somebody that you dig is like so special. Yeah. So I've been invited. People you want to protect. Yeah, bro. Yeah. The Texas comes out sometimes. Yeah. We're vibing. Yeah. We caught up. We pretty much caught up a lot. This is this feels so good. I knew it was going to be good. But like last time I got the catch up with you was in December. Yeah. And we've text a bit. I wore my leather pants for you. Dude, you look great, by the way. Thank you. Like, and I just I love you. Like I'm just loving this conversation. Like it's dope that the cameras are here too. Yeah. It's like that should be caught on camera and people should be able to listen to it. But I'm like, it's just nice to talk to you. It is nice. Yeah. So we can talk about anything, bro. To me, that's the magic of the show is as much as we could get. I mean, we're aware of what we're doing. We're aware of the cameras. But as much as we could have a thoughtful, open conversation about anything is the only thing that people that's interesting. You know what I mean? When you go out and do press, yeah, it doesn't matter what you say. Like for the most part, you're talking to someone who is not. It's not that they're not comfortable and they're not good at what they do. It's that they're not open. They're not willing to trade. Yeah. They're not willing to give you something that makes them vulnerable. Got you. That's the true. That's the fair. Yeah. That's the fair relationship. I love how intimate it is. You know what I mean? It's like we're extremely close to each other. We're very close. And it's like you can get deep right here. Some people can't. It's too close. No, I dig it, bro. I mean, it's like I prefer and I get real weird. Like sometimes around people, like if it's not, I just prefer this. Yeah. Like when it gets like eight people start to gather around a certain vibe and I'm just like, you know, I prefer to like look in someone's eyes and like, even if it makes me a little, it just makes me feel more connected. But also we have history. Yes. Like I want to open up here. Like I don't want to just like anyone could sit. Anyone could sit here. But if they are open to it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, this to me is the best show, the best music show period. Yeah. No, you're killing it, bro. Yeah. Honestly, man. Thank you. Like we try really hard. We try to put it out. Honestly, and I see some of the homies. I'm just like, this is to see Nick here. I'm just like, yes, bro. Like we all grew up in this building. It's just like I love this shit. And seeing like seeing Joey coming in here. I just I don't know. Man, you guys just family, bro. So they mold. Yeah, man. It's good. It's good to have. It's they told me they told me Chase might be here later too. Yeah. Yeah. I got to give Mitchell a big hug and a smooch. When's the last time you saw them? Since December. Oh, since his birthday. Yeah, yeah. I haven't seen him. Xavier was here, but I was catching up with him, but I hadn't seen Mitty since he got back. They're doing good. I saw Clint another day and he played me like a little bit. I was like, fire, just to see him at the computer. Working on. I was like, oh, this is making me feel like, you know, just that feeling. Yeah. And I'm sure you've been happy to, you know, I love those guys. Yeah, man. Yeah. I'm trying to say. Chase Atlantic has, I don't know, man, like as much as we've as long as we've worked together, which is over 10 years, they've done something for me. Yeah. Like it's really important. I mean, but you're my brother. You for them too, bro. Like, you know, Mitty and like, you know, we'll have our boys, we'll have our boys nights, we get to talk like this and listen to music and he's brought you up so many times and like being able to like, we need to call on that person or like need to go see that person, not even to talk sometimes, just to fucking sit down by someone that, you know, loves you and cares for you. Yeah. You know, like you've made a big impact on them as well, bro. Truly. And you know, Mitty is Mitty is Mitty. So I think that's a good one. Yeah. Yeah. He's you cannot force him. Yeah. To think anything to do be anything. He is him. Yeah. I love, I love those guys. I love Mitchell. I love Clinton Christian. Yeah. I guess I just want to keep encouraging you. Yeah. Thank you, baby. Because you continue to arrive. Oof. You know what I mean? This is my mama raised me to be. I don't know. It's like, yeah. Thank you for that, too. But it's or emerge. Yeah. It feels like what else am I going to do? You know what I mean? Like I'm not like, I just want to be a better artist and being you. Yeah. And being a better person and like being more open to conversations and learning and being a better lover, being a better, you know, writer and all those things. And I feel like I'm right. I'm doing that. Tell me, you know, tell me more about the lover part. Oh man. These voices that you've been doing, I've never heard you do that. And it makes me so happy. I'm like, yes, this part of Joel, I've just been a little more free. I love it, Joe. Seriously, like I mean, like I guard down. Yeah, bro. You know, have fun. Play is I talk about this with, you know, with people in my life. I'm like, play is fun. Let the nerd emerge. Please. The nerd come out. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not be so cool. Yeah, bro. I mean, dude, most of the time, if I seem like I was being cool, it was more just shy or not confident enough to say like a fucking like make a little joke or have fun with someone. I prefer to joke around all the time. I really like it. Sometimes I go not too far, but like I love making jokes and it's mostly for me. Yeah, just throw out some bits and I'm like, even if it didn't land, like I'm happy. I said, you know, yeah, yeah. It's real. Yeah. But thank you for that, though, Joe. I definitely like I hear you and I feel like even though I'm sure they'll have to top down like I more appreciate the long wind at once. Because for me, that's kind of how I get to I don't even think I got all the way there with what I was trying to say. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you felt me. I feel you for sure. The message for me is more just like keep digging for you. Yeah, like yeah, keep being more you every day. Keep being more yourself. Yeah. And then let the music, let the work just be the thing you love to do. And you'll never be finished because you'll always want to paint again. Yes. If you are excited about like you and what you your ideas. No, like, dude, it's I agree with you. And what you think is cool because you're different. You're cool. Yeah. And like everybody that knows you likes you, everybody that knows you fucks with you. And I just think that like, I think where we started in the conversation of like not throwing away the rapper kid was important to me because like I like that kid. He's the same guy. I don't see a different. I mean, I don't see the different. Yeah. You're not different. Thank you. You just grown up. You just like you just you've just been on your journey and like, but this is you. But I thought you this was you that I never saw a difference. Got you. Music is music. It's like if I went and did some other kind of music, you'd be like, oh, that's cool. What's that over there? You're doing that's my boy doing this. Country album. Yeah. I'm doing my country album. And you would low key eat that shit. I would kill country is your voice, bro. Just won't put that out there. I'm just saying. Yeah. Or if I wrapped. You know who would be. You know, I did rap when I started. Really? Yeah. Before we started with Charlotte. Was it good Charlotte or was it? No, it was on a little on single cassettes. Yes. One side would be the single. The other side would be the beat. Yes. Okay. On some hip hop songs. Now I've heard about this. I've never shared this with anyone ever. Wait, can I say before you finish this, I just want to say me and Mitty would be pissed if we couldn't help with this new rap career. If you were going to if we couldn't help with you. Well, you guys would be my ghost writers. So. Perfect. I was probably 14 at the time. Yeah. Southern Maryland. Anyway, so you get the single and on one side on a lot of hip hop. You would. Most of them, right? Most of them. You'd get the song and then you'd on one side and then on the other side, you get like the beat and maybe like a B side or whatever. So I would get the beats and put it in the karaoke machine. Incredible. And then the blank tape on the other one and record with a mic and rap. I feel like you're a pro. You're probably born out. Like I feel like you were killing it. I even had that rap name. Man, no, wait, since this is new, wait, can you tell us what it was? I had a few, by the way. I can't say it out loud. You can't say it. Okay. I'll tell you later. Okay. Okay. Okay. I love I had a few too. It was nice. Yeah. It was very nice. Don't doubt you, bro. Yeah. I genuinely like I mean that. Anyways, love it. Yeah. Yeah. I had a few names before I arrived at maybe I should just go by Dwayne. My name. Yeah. Just my name. Yeah. So let's talk about the, what do you want to talk about? The new music, the new album or the tour? We can talk about new music. Okay. And tour. What's the album? Album is June, but I dropped that last year. That was like the most realized. You. Me. Artistically. Yes, bro. Felt so incredible. Felt so like I've arrived. Is there new music coming? There's new music that I'm dropping with Lenny. A song from June, but we did a remix. Okay. I had a beautiful friend, the goddess lady in my life, reposted it. And then Lenny found this song, Highway Robbery. And that's how we then started to build our relationship. And he was like, what the fuck is this? Who are you? And I was like, he's cool. He's cool. Lenny Cravis. What cool is fucking cool as shit. And I think it was like, he was like, I've been looking for like a young black rock star. Yeah. With this sound. And it was, we just then went on, you know, that was last year. And then now he's like big bro. But it was just like the most beautiful journey to go on, man. Just like being realized by someone that you look up to and he's not being like, I know what you're doing. It's like, I see what you're doing and I want to help. Yeah. He sees you. And it was kind of the first time I felt like just by someone that, you know, someone looks like you, they're in the same sport genre that you're doing and that you're trying to become what you are in that genre. And for him to just like, Well, okay. So I have to say, this is why I love it. Yeah. As you know, like MDDN or the media company with Veebs with the magazine's alternative press and Revolver and all these, like we've always been interested in and wanting to find and support people different. Yeah. Right. From us. Like there's a lot of versions of you say, you know, someone who looks like you. I don't know what that's like because everyone in rock looks like me. Come on. No, let's talk about it. You'd be hard pressed not to like get me mixed up with five or 50 other bands. If you didn't know my music and me and you were just some pedestrian, you come into rock and you'd be like, which one are you in black with tattoos? Who, you know, I'm just saying, no, no, I feel you to be different is a good thing. Yes. But to come in and be accepted and and and also see yourself. Yes. And and and like come in and and be able. I don't know what that's like. Yeah. And speaking to that point, it's like me and my friends over the past year have kind of been making sure that we come arms and arms and, you know, support each other and like, let us do our disco or let us do our rock and roll. Let us do our alternative, you know, like I were to the left of center a little bit, but lift everyone up. And it's like for someone like Lenny to be the OG and like the legend in the game. Pioneer pioneer, especially for me. Like, I know what I do well and I see him doing his like rock, of course, but soul pop, something that you can hang on to. You know, I love the way that he writes and it's always been something that I found quite attractive, you know, and for him to hear highway and be like, oh, oh, oh, oh, like, oh, yes, fuck to the you, you doing that thing. And I'm like, yeah, you know, like I'm on it. So for him to build me up and just not even that, just for the relationship, you know, when you can get into contact with someone who's been in the game, it changes so many things for you. Like I was in the Bahamas with him and in New York with him. I was like, oh, this is how you like this is how you become 60 and successful and still look good and still have your voice intact. And you know, it's not by fucking around. He's a healthy guy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He like jokes with me for like eating what I eat. He's like, what do you eat? I'm still at the place to where like I'm workout, by the way. I think some people get it. You're a very fit guy. You know, thank you. You look healthy to me. Thank you. I would say that I am, but he just was like, if I'm really healthy, yeah. He's like, oh, like you're still eating that. I'm like, well, yeah, you know, that bad food. Yeah. Like McDonald's or something. No, not that bad. But like gummies from like the corner store. Oh, or like, yeah, like we like, yeah, we were in the Bahamas and like, there were mothers, there were people on the corner selling the food of the island. Yeah. And I was partaking in that. So he's a healthy guy. Yeah, he is man. That's how you live a long time. It's true. It's very inspiring for me, like especially coming from where I come from. Yeah. You know, it's like, you know. Yeah, we come from, well, I will say this, we're from similar places in the sense of like, I would say economically. Yes, for sure. Different parts of the country though. There's just not access and information and for the price point. And like now I could go to Erwan and get like a $20 smoothie. Yes. And I know like it's got all the ingredients listed in it. And like it's still even not good for you because there's a lot of sugar. Bro, we be doing the same thing looking at, I'm like, oof. Yeah. Yeah. But it's healthier than going to McDonald's. For sure. Which I still do sometimes. Yeah, T-Bell more has my heart. Taco Bell. That's the one that still gets me. I like Taco Bell, but McDonald's for some reason. I love that. From when I was young, ate there a lot and that was like eating out, you know. So like it's a comfort food. It takes me back every time. For sure. I probably eat it four times a month. Yeah, I'm probably that with T-Bell. That with T-Bell. It's like that meeting, that label that you had where you guys were 20 and came, you know, and you were just like, whoa, you know, after that tour when I opened up for her, it's I didn't know about these foods and I know now I'm very aware and very conscious to it. But it's fun talking to my parents about stuff like that. And then Lenny even like checking on my parents and making sure like they're okay. And you know, we're doing the best that we can with what we have. So, you know, we're all learning. We're all learning. You have to learn how like, like, but now obviously now I'm, I for the most part, I would say 90%. I'm healthy. Locked in. Yeah. I don't drink. I don't smoke. Yeah. I stay away from sugar as much as I can. That's the real, that's the other, that's the real addiction. Yeah. For me, that's the addiction is sugar. Yes. Like gas station food. Yeah. That's what I eat. Literally, it will go and have a feast. Yeah. And so happy about it. But now I'll go, I'll get a fair life protein, 42 grams of protein. They usually have a banana or something. Very true. Yeah. And like, and maybe like a nature valley granola bar where it's like, Oh yeah. It's sugar, but it's not as bad as, It's not as crazy. You know what I mean? Not as bad as a Snickers or something like that. Anyways, Lenny, he's healthy. He looks great. He looks amazing. He's a cool dude. Yeah, he really is. But every time I talk to him or see him, it just shows me that, man, I got so much to work to do. How to age gracefully, like, elegantly. Yeah, bro. Truly elegant gentleman. Yes. And he's a rock star still. Fucking rock star. Like when you, when you see his energy, you're like, Oh, like, well, he had to be. Think about it from when he came out to now. He's seen it all. Bro. Yeah. And we're in a different world now. So I'm just saying he's a, he's a bad motherfucker. He's a bad dude, man. And it's once again, that moment of me being a kid and understanding, like, damn, like, like I was picked. Like it's like for this tour, for this song, like for all the homies that I know, for all the talented individuals, you know, for the people that have been on their journeys, I'm just so grateful. You know, like I just feel very lucky and blessed. So it's fucking just bad ass. You worked really hard to be this lucky. Yeah. Yeah. We could only be blessed if you're aware of blessings and grateful, because you're not blessed if you're not grateful. Yeah. You can't be blessed if you, if you aren't in gratitude. Yeah. You just can't. Yeah. It's very true, man. And I do find that I'm, I've been living, I've always lived in it. But I think as you knowing me for so long too, man, it's just, this is just kind of where I've always dreamed of myself being. And it's hard not to be in gratitude with that, you know. But also the guys like Lainey Kravitz don't just lightly co-sign people, dude. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, he is just like, what am I going to do today? Oh, you know what I mean? Like, like that guy is. And getting to know him, like it makes me feel more like just thankful and like I'm, yeah, man, it's just really beautiful. That's really beautiful, man. Yeah. Yeah. But like what we started on is you do have to pick who you want to grow up to be. You do got to look for that. You got to look for it. I started seeing guys ahead of me. And I go, man, I like how it's turned out for him. And you realize it's not an accident. Yes. Because you get to know that they make decisions. Yeah. And then they stack them on each other. Yeah, bro. And then you start to realize that life is actually the sum of your life at each stage is all the decisions you've made. Yeah, dude. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's why I was saying earlier, I've been becoming fascinated with Duane's story. Yeah. I'm like, damn, it's this far. All of these decisions have led me to this moment. And I feel so prepared and just down. And I know the work that I'm trying to put in and what I'm trying to do for the future too. But just feel happy about it, bro. I'm happy for you. I'm happy for you. I'm just like, oh man. Like come down. So the song comes out tomorrow night. Yes, bro. Yeah. Highway robbery featuring my literal hero, Lenny Kravitz, man. And then are you guys going on tour? Going on the road in Europe. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, man. Starting June through like end of August. Awesome. Yeah, bro. So to be good for you. I love you. Congrats, bro. Thank you, man. I'm excited. I'm excited, bro. We got the one with MGK right before that in America. Oh, cool. Which would be awesome. It'll be my first time in arenas. And I'm about to. So you're touring with MGK. Touring with MGK first. Now. And then about to, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're about to leave for that. And then we got Lenny right after about to turn some people onto this. I like Kells. I love him, bro. I wish people knew once again, like we were talking about the big homie earlier. I wish people knew how sweet he was. I think people who are smart know. I hope so. Because he's a star, but also talking to him. It's like we've had talks on the phone because it's also that story to me is amazing. Because I used to, the lady opened up for him years ago. I was just on the road with her. Always treated me with so much love and respect. They never knew I was an artist though. And then we got to connect on that level. He was like, you should have told me. I think, like I said, people who are intelligent see him. Yeah. He's very creative. Very bro. He's a very good person. He's a nice guy. Yeah. But he's not afraid. So if you, and he's young, he's come up from a young age. I met, do you know our story? Of course. Yeah. So I met him at a young age. Yeah. He's like maybe first trip to LA. He's got stuff. So he's not afraid. So he's more likely at a young age to not back down. And he's very good. He's very smart. He's very good with words. And he's not afraid. And he's been on his own so long that he couldn't rely on anyone to protect him. So I always saw Machine Gun Kelly and I saw him coming. And when he, when he fully developed as an artist on his journey, very similar to yours, I always believed like that he would ultimately be a huge success as a person. And what does that mean? To me, it means happy, healthy, and wise. Yeah. You know what I mean? And so. I like that. When I see someone who's that, Lady Kravitz, happy, healthy, and wise. Facts. You know what I mean? For sure. That's the goal. Who do we admire? Who do we look to? People who are happy, healthy, and wise. Very bro. So, but yeah, Machine Gun Kelly, man, what a special guy. I love that guy. Very special. And I, yeah, I love him and I want him to come on the show. Bro, I feel like he would give you a great episode. Yeah, we would talk. And I'm just happy to like, he's someone that I've been around a little bit lately to where I get so much knowledge from him every time on life stuff, but also he'll drop gems on me on the music tip. And I'm excited to just, you know, be with him every night and get to watch him learn from him. And, you know, yeah, man, I'm trying to, I'm trying to get there, you know, and vibe that vibe. So it's a, it's a beautiful one. Good for you, man. You're a huge success. I love you, bro. Thank you. So are you, bro. So, I mean, you know, just like we wasn't supposed to anything like what is going on now, especially in my life. Like I think my, my family, my mom just gets a kick out of it. That's cool. And it's so, it just makes my heart smile. Like she like, she doesn't laugh because she's like, you've been saying it's not silly things anymore. It's just stuff that I wanted to accomplish in my life, but she really gets a kick out of it. And it just, just makes me smile, bro. It makes her smile. I'm sure she's proud. Yeah. Yeah. And happy. Yeah. It was just her birthday. She turned 52, bro. Oh, she's young. Yeah. She's young. She a baby. Damn. And I'm just, she's going to come to some of the European shows. She's never been a year, going to come to some of the MGK shows too. So it's like me getting to live my dreams is kind of allowing her to get to travel more and like do things that she's been expressing to me in her age, where she is now that I never knew as a kid, because she was just working and doing what she had to do to get by. So yeah, it's incredible. The nice gift. It's a blessing. Yeah. Yeah. The least I can do is always like the funniest thing because my mom never let me do anything as a child. Like I couldn't go to party. I couldn't hang out with girls like outside of the house. I couldn't do much and like. Was she strict? Very. You know, like grew up in church. Trying to keep you out of trouble. Yeah, keeping you out of trouble. And the one thing, she said yes to a lot of things, but she. My mom was strict too. She was strict, man, but she allowed me to come here. And that's always, she gave me so many gifts in life, but like her being okay with me coming to LA is just something that, you know, could never thank her enough for. Yeah, she was a part of it. Yeah. She said, I believe in you. Yeah. I don't know what you're doing, but I believe in you. Nothing but that. Right. For sure. That's cool. Yeah, man. So. Good for her. Yeah. She deserves a trip to Europe. Yeah. Euro vacation. Literally. Yeah. Yeah, she's still, she's still. Good. Yeah. Yeah, man. My last thing I want to say, we were in Calabasas. I was there last night. You know, it's beautiful. Yeah. It was beautiful and I spent so much time there, but we were driving up to the house, fucking punk band playing in their garage, great, you know, in the neighborhood. So it's all good. And we stopped by maybe two weeks ago. We're coming from maybe Soho and she made a stop. I was like trying to get to the house and we just stayed and watched this band for like five songs. In their garage. In their garage called Bleach. Oh, great kids. They did about three smashing pumpkins come from like the world is healing. These are three young kids that do not have to be doing this. Their, their life is, you know, they're fine. Yeah. And they had a show like two days ago. We went in me and the home here, you know, there's a lot of young white kids and they're like, yeah, these are the friends that came and like we just stayed in their garage and talked to them about music. And it just sent me, I think it gave me another boost in my battery to be like, this is what it's for. People still want to make music. Yes. They want to be where you're at. You want to be where Lenny's at. And Lenny's like, you'll get there, bro, but stay in the garage. Yes. It's the best place. Yes. It's real. And it's, we went to the show 30 people, all family. These kids are fucking going for it though, man. And it was just so beautiful. So shout out to those homies and the bleach kids, man. And they're just like, you know, our parents do this and that, but we want to fucking play rock and roll. Yeah. And that shit was just, that's cool. Yeah, it was amazing, man. I just got to this place where I'm like, every moment I'm happy to be in that moment. Yeah. And no matter what I feel, if someone's looking at me one way or another, because it's all just angles. Yeah, for sure. You know what I mean? It's very true. It's just a perception of like, you could walk in one place and like, oh my God, if I'm talking to this person who's in a band who's a brand new band in the garage, bleach. Yeah. And they're like, I've accomplished the things they think they want to. So they look at me different. But to this of the moment biggest pop star in the world, I could be a washed up old guy. What does he know? Understand. But I'm happy with all of it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Bro, same. And then you start to realize like, it's all just like a thousand different angles. Of how someone might see you and that's actually is you. All of it is. This is just so fascinating to me because. Are we on ayahuasca right now? Bro. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Go ahead. No, say what you're going to say. No, but it's like. I'll let you off. No, no, you get that point though. It's like why I'm the more I think it's the more happier I become with Dwayne. The more fascinating I be like my story is to me. Yes. Because all those angles, especially the past few weeks, I've been doing like the thing, you know, because I have a song coming out with Lenny Kravitz. I have these tours. You have promo and all that. You know, but like the angles. That people are catching me from. I'm like, just a badass angle. You know, and I say that with love, but like I'm digging these angles that they are catching me from because it's just me. You know, and it's like, I don't know. I just feel happy with all of that. Yeah. You know, and it's not whatever it is, but it's like I'm stoked with it. I'm just saying it's exactly what I want for you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is not fight anything, but for what you believe in. Yeah. I love you. No. And also you have so much wisdom. So I could literally talk to you all. We just need to get dinner. And do you know you may? You me? Yeah. You she? Yeah. I ate there last night. I love you, bro. Yeah. Me and the lady gonna see you there one night. Let's just do it. So we get everything. I think we did. Yeah. I and we just got to talk. So yeah, I'm happy for you, man. Thank you. I'm really glad you're here. Glad thanks for coming. Thank you. Cool, man. So the song comes out two days. Yes, sir. Tourist this summer. Say hi to Leni Kravitz for me. I will. Yeah. Dwayne, thanks for coming, man. I love you. Congrats. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, bro. Thank you for watching Artist Friendly. If you liked this episode, please make sure you hit the like button. You follow the channel and please share it with your friends. We appreciate the support. That is why this show exists because you listen to it. Thank you, guys. And we'll see you next time.