YMMI : The Business Behind the Music, Ownership, Strategy & Scale

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Real quick before we dive in, if you’re a regular here, consider pulling up a seat to the Patreon. The seat, the
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feel it. patreon.com/tmhf podcast show. Link is always in the show
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notes. [bell]0:21
Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of the Taste Music
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Show. I am your host Ed Porter.
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This is the place for full music and culture. And how do y’all connect?
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Oh dude, I’m going to watch it now. I think it’s dope. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of the Taste Music here
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podcast show. I’m your host Ed Porter and this is the destination for food,
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music, and culture and how they all connect. this uh this show is a long
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time happening. Uh let’s just say decades in the making, if you will. Um my guest today is is one of those guys,
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you know. Uh I I I’ve always said that I have cherry picked every
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single guest on this show. This one is a great reach. So, I’m going to attempt to
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give you your just flowers, bro, with this intro right here. Today’s guest is
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someone who didn’t just break into the music industry. He reverse engineered it. We’re talking about a creative
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entrepreneur with 30,000 plus TV, film, sync placements, working with platforms
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like Amazon and Paramount, building real leverage behind the scenes while most artists are still chasing streams. But
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that’s only part of the story. He’s also stepping into ownership, co-launching fuku energy, creating what he calls
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micro experiences, and redefining what it means to be an independent artist in today’s culture. This is someone who
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understands that music isn’t just sound, it’s strategy, it’s business, it’s community. Welcome to the Taste Music
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here podcast show. My guy, Yim, bless his blessings. Yes, sir. Thank you for having me.
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Absolutely. Absolutely. So, let’s let’s jump right in, bro. Um,
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first off, thank you for taking the time to do this. So, this has been a a long time coming.
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Let’s jump in, bro, cuz you have a wealth of knowledge and I I want to I want to be as ergonomic within with the
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time as possible. Okay, let’s talk about the music business because what I think a lot of artists miss is
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the business side of the music business, right? So, people are chasing the spotlight, right?
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The spotlights is is very attractive. It’s very Yeah, it is. Exactly. It’s It’s alluring. Yes. If you will.
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Yes. You built leverage behind it. Yeah. Um that is how the story shaped
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up, you know. Uh started off as a young rapper chasing the spotlight. Uh but I
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had a passion for music since before I even got into rap, you know, growing up in a household full of uh music taste
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from my mother with R&B, the all the classic soul stuff. Um and gospel every
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Sunday. while we all get up and clean or whatever, you know what I mean? Uh my older brother Chris, uh God bless the
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dead, he did pass, however, did introduce me to the world of music outside of the house. Like, man, he was
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playing everything from Beatles, Ron DMC, all the classic hip-hop stuff like
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he just immerse me in all the different variations of music at a very young age.
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Um and what that did for me growing up was always give me the wondrous. Now, as a little kid, I was like Michael
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Jackson’s number one fan. Absolutely. You know, uh the magic and the the
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mysticism that Michael Jackson had um over the world way beyond
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just music, just the presence. Yeah. And how Quincy and them did his did his
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branding to impact the world in the way he did way before streaming uh and virality.
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Yeah. You know, everybody wants to be viral now, but the real viral. See, I got to see Mike twice. Yeah, that was the real viral.
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That Yeah, that was exactly you can’t go more viral. Listen, anytime you have
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This dude was having grown men pass out. Like you couldn’t you couldn’t doing the bad tour, you couldn’t do three fast
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songs. He had to do like two fast songs and then a ballad because Cash was just passing out like grown men. Oh my. Yeah,
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that’s different. and uh just the impact that had and uh all the young rappers like Chris Cross when that when that
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came that really showed me all the young it’s for the youngans too. It’s for us too. ABC Another Bad Creation. Absolutely.
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So I was just always I was always hungry for that that feeling that music gives you.
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Um and then growing up and then when I got in my teens, I became young men. Took on the name Young Menace at about
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11 12 years old just as a nickname. I had a cousin uh when Minister Society
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came out and started calling himself Min. So I call myself Young Minister. You know what I mean? Okay. And uh
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yeah, writing with my cousin Trav, my cousin, we call him Diller, but Tra man, he
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taught me about be punctual with it. So we used to sit up in my room and then just read the dictionary. You got to know what you
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want to say. And this is when East Coast is at its heights. Yeah. So you want to everybody is competing with them somehow and they had to vocab.
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So in the Midwest, you know, we got we got the South essence, but that East Coast impact on the Midwest was very
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prevalent as far as us wanting to educate ourselves with words and stuff. Come from a very educated household. So
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vocabulary was always, you know, a thing and um breaking in as young men into this uh local Twin Cities scene as a
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very young man. That was dope. That’s the first You’re the first person that I that I’ve heard that. So we used to do that. So I’m from
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the Bronx. We used to literally sit with the source and read the words,
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right? Figure out the not only just the definition, but how to utilize them and what it what it meant and the
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variations. Absolutely. Absolutely. That was that was a a weekly thing. That was just a
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weekly exercise. So in my my building, so God rest now, Africa Bamb. So like
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the he lived on the fifth floor and then so Wesley Snipes, I mean everybody Williams down the street. Did you get to
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see the the birth and all? Was you I was I was around for all of that. So yeah, so I mean,
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you know, not to date myself, I was I was young, but I was, you know, all that [ __ ] was around me. So like I was still
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young enough to watch cats like snatch billboards off the side of buses to do
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parks parties and [ __ ] So like [ __ ] was crazy. So I happen to
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I wouldn’t change my my my my my grow up my my my comeup in the in the in music and just the
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vibration of the city. Yeah. Um I I just view it a little differently than than than most. So you was inside. You was ground, you
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know. Yeah. And you don’t know. So when you when you are afforded those types of luxury, you don’t understand how [ __ ]7:03
good you got it until it ain’t right. [laughter] True. So like I I thought everywhere was
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culturally rich like it’s not the problem. No, that was uh but the the secret of that is it had a
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lot of different cultures there. Absolutely. That is the secret of the birth. Yeah. Absolutely. You know what I mean? When when did you realize
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that your evolution as as as an artist artist? So not not a performing artist
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just as an artist was going to be you know creative creatively and
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strategically through the the sync world. When when did that click for you? So that came later. So I did the whole
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young men’s run you know um I was the face uh and part of the first generation of students at the studio for high
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school for recording arts. Uh shout out David TC Ellis the whole team over there. They changed my life. U shout out
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Mr. Hamilton. my art teachers at RightEep Academy is how I got into uh Studio 4 and uh immersing my world uh
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immersed into the world of production um and just being an artist. TC developed me um and his whole staff. Shout
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[snorts] out uh everybody I was at the time. Phil Windon especially got my chops up on the production and then all
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the the greats of the Twin Cities that came through those doors and put their hands on me at a at a young age and
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really poured into me. They saw the light in me. um and poor. So going through that,
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graduate high school, tours, touring like crazy, right after high school, um
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I got offered the opportunity to start getting uh paid to make radio jingles.
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And at this time, B96 was running the urban side of the the market, you know. Um, and there was a company here in the
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Groove Music. One of the owners reached out like, “Well, we need some urban black, uh, commercial jingles.” So, uh,
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shout out Will, Big Will. He put me on with them. I did take the opportunity at first. I was like, I don’t know really
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what they’re asking. I’m used to people coming to see me to pay me to do some stuff. So, uh, it was the first
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experience being hired to go to another studio and put in some work, right, for a whole different media. And yeah,
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Darren Drew, the co-founder, brought me in like, “We want you to do exactly what you do, what we hear on these CDs, but
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do it for uh I think my first gig was like uh Get Me Pickles or something, you
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know?” [laughter] So, they was like, “We needed to sound a little like some Little John stuff,
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right?” So, uh yeah, I just do did what I did, you know, brought brought that um that essence to it.
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And you were ahead of the curve, though. So if you if you look now like hip-hop sells everything from vapor to diapers
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to [ __ ] batteries. So you was ahead of the curve. The fact that they saw like okay this is
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where it’s going early. Early. Yeah. And so you got to remember at the beginning of the thousands, the
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2000s, hip-hop started outpacing rock and then started out, it was headtohead
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with country in that first like 2000 to 2003, I think 2004, and then it became number one.
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Mhm. So corporations follow whatever the absolutely the people do, you know. Uh
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even though it seems like the reverse, it’s exactly what they do. Absolutely. They follow um the people. And when
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hip-hop became that thing, I started getting those opportunities more and more. So I did that and then I started doing a host of them the Barbie. Oh man,
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I did all all types [clears throat] uh Maybelline everything. And this is just for radio stuff, you know what I mean?
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This is before the TV stuff came. So when uh Viacom uh Allison Allison Theo at Viacom at the
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time um offered us the chance to get music placed on some of the shows. she was a
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music producer for music supervisor for and yeah that changed everything because
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uh you got these guys who who have these established connections but they didn’t have a black catalog a
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hip-hop catalog right and that was placed in my hands you know um and I had the I had years of this
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music right like oh this is outlet so I’m like okay let’s let’s let’s do it I’m doing these
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projects and they’re hitting I’m starting to hear them on TV like literally three weeks after I’m sending them off.
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Oh, this is so it taught me this is something this is something I like this now. This is cuz the royalty check
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doesn’t come initially, right? You know what I mean? So, I’m getting paid these session fees, some upfront
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budgets, but it’s not until the royalty check started hitting that. I’m like, “Oh, yeah. Mailbox money.
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This is [laughter] this is different. I ain’t got to go platinum to get paid now.
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Mailbox money is where it’s at.” Yeah. So, uh, Sync became the story of my life unknowingly cuz I was still chasing that
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spotlight, that number one record, you know, had some deal offerings, too, as a as an artist, but it it just didn’t line
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up. Um, and that’s the story of you on God’s time and that and not your own. Absolutely.
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Cuz I was chasing that, but I was already becoming successful. I was already having a piece of what I’m
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chasing, right? Um and so yeah, just built that and um my hunger just to create create
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create all them years for free and being a broke rapper, just this young guy, you know, that just had some dope people
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that believed in him. That gave me my value when the door opened for Sync. Absolutely.
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Cuz that I could answer any call, any brief that came through like that. Yeah. And that’s what made the music
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supervisor in the Viacom system at the time like, “Hold up, we like we like this guy, Young Men.” I just was at uh
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Guild of Music Supervisor Awards and one of my early supporters in the Viacom
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system literally like I introduced myself as Jimmy, my business partner. It’s like no this is Young Menace.
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I’m talking and she’s a exec now powerful woman now in the game and she’s like oh my god just gave me
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this big hug like I used your song about five your music was used at least 500 times for me alone.
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Wow. And that just to hear that, you know, older white lady, you know, it’s just like that’s real impact. Real
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impact. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, yeah, I got I got
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put into a side of the game that became one of the last islands for revenue in the music industry currently.
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No facts. And that was 24 years ago. Yeah. You know what [clears throat] I mean? Yeah. Speaking about speaking about
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Let’s go back to some origin stuff. Mhm. So, so Gabe, can you pull up that that the picture the the the the CD picture
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um that’s on the uh what you got? What you got? Pull pull up the CD picture in the in the cuz
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when I think you catch me slipping on something here. Hang on one sec. Uh that wasn’t downloadable, so I wasn’t sure.
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I’m My bad, though. Let me let me grab a screenshot. So, I we’ll talk it up until that. So,
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we we just recently recrossed paths. I wouldn’t say a couple months ago.
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Yes. So, he’s working um working on a a soon to come project that I’m super duper
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excited about, but you were gracious enough to let us um use a studio and to
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uh we’re recording some stuff with Maria Issa, who we will have on this podcast as well. I was supposed to do it last
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season because my people across the street that we going to go visit the tug, they were like, “Yo, you got to have Marie on the show.” Yeah, man.
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Yeah. So, uh, when we we bumped to each other, we started talking. I’m like, yo,
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like this brother looks familiar, bro. Like, what’s your name again? Y. Y. And
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then when [snorts] Trauma walked in and he said, I’m like, I knew I knew this
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guy. Look, I’m like, yo, Menace like, yeah, I go by Y now. I’m like, yo. I said I know, you know, I’m a little
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follically challenged right now. A little got a little salt and pepper and [ __ ] but yo, but I Yeah. So I was part
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of group voicemail. We So we did a was on a compilation CD. Yes. Which is right here. Unsigned Twin Cities. Right.
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Shout out Jackie Thompson. Jackie Thompson put this together. And so um we was on that. So we had two songs.
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You had two songs. I think I had Stick Up on there. Yeah, Stick Up was on there. Yeah, I can’t remember [laughter] the other one. But yeah, man. Just uh a
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moment a moment in time. That was a big deal. That was a big deal. I I’ve been in I was in I was 18 when she Whoops. Oh, no.
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I was That might have been 18 19. I was young when that happened.
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So yeah, I was I think just 21 22. I was the youngest when that when that came out. So that’s
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that’s how far we go. So that’s 2000
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2000. That’s around that time. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s you know [laughter] that’s a that’s a grip ago.
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Yeah. Jackie Thompson, man. That was that was a dope experience. Uh the big performance at Marvel America.
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Absolutely. Um man, that was just a amazing. You want to hear a story about you want to hear a a really [ __ ] cool? This is
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what All right. So we did the we did the the performance at Moles America. Y
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um my group at the time like we you know again chasing him like yo we this this is a good feeling. It’s a good look. At
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the time, my uh my my ex-girlfriend, her mom did uh she had a um event company
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that did a lot of promotions for like all the whenever big artists came to town. So, Jenna Jackson, Mariah Carey,
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she was tied in with with them to do their experiences. Well, they were doing a thing for Mariah
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Carey at the mall. So, I’m like, “Yo, I’mma work this thing at the mall.” And then we we gonna
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ransack it. Yeah. [laughter] So, so we did just that. I worked and we
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got there, got back there, she was on stage. This is when the butterfly album came out. Y and so we went up on stage as a group to
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go get stuff signed. And so we went like, yo, we really just want to sing for you. And so it’s like, okay, I’m
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going to have my people down there come, you know, whatever the case may be. So as we walked off, we walked off just
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singing and then got chased by all these girls. who took the whole crowd, ran through
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the mall, bro. It was a movie if you listen, it was a [ __ ] movie if you if you could see. And so because of that,
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the the the her president of of Monarch Records, he met us down immediately. He was pissed about that that happened.
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So we But they listened to us. They were like, “Yeah, we made it. We grabbed the attention. We sucked the
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air out of the [ __ ] room is what it was.” That’s how it’s supposed to go. Yeah. If you want to get seen, you got to do something spectacle. Absolutely.
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and just go go out and be loud. Yeah. Loud and proud. And that’s what y’all was willing to do.
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Some people get scared in the moments. Yeah. Well, that’s what when you when you put in your 10,000 hours, those m you’re never you’re not too you’re not
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too that moment is not too big. I know what this is. Let’s go. It’s another [ __ ] free throw. Oh, there you go. Oh, that
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it’s another free throw, bro. Let’s go. I’ll shot a billion of these. So, that’s what it was for us. Like, yeah, we we
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was set up to like literally we would jump out a van. We had a van, a tour van. We would jump out. We perform for
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Maurice Malone in Detroit. Mhm. We pull up, we call it the uniform, our [ __ ] J tracks suit,
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pull up with the mic stand. Used to do dance moves, too. Everything, bro. We was choreography.
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We set up with the mic stands, fiveman lineup, and kill. Destroy. Unplug and pull and
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pull out. Yeah, we seek and destroy, bro. Go to error. Go to [laughter] Twin Cities culture. Music culture in your
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face. Absolut [ __ ] bro. All right. So now we we want to move into
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um a little segment I call cold truth. So every flavor tells a story. Every
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story holds a truth. This is cold truth presented by just fruit sorbet atellier.
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A new standard in sorbet. Pure fruit thoughtfully crafted fruit at its most honest. So we’re gonna let the pallet
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open the conversation. So what we are going to do is we are going to taste a
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installment from I believe their collab uh series of some sorbet.
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Oh, that’s good. And cold is one of those things that can
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bring out the pure unaduluated truths. There is something to be said about
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having the tenure that you’ve had. like you don’t have 20 plus years doing what
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you’re doing in an industry without without being a good dude. So when I when I when I bumped you like yo it
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it pays to be a good dude because you never know who you going to bump into when where part of the journey.
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That’s why you never kick nobody down. Help [clears throat] as many people as you can. Um, and I and I feel like I got
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to pay it forward to the universe. Like I was very blessed and fortunate as a young people that are u of our tenure or
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before us in the Twin Cities and that know my story. Like I was chosen. I was
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chosen young. Yeah. You know what I mean? You was handpicked. Yeah. And so uh the only way to really
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live to my potential is that now I got to now I got to help. You know what I mean? So that’s what I
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always I lead by that because I’m a product of that, you know, and it just feels good anyway. Money can’t buy that
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feeling. No, no, you can’t you cannot manufacture true um and unadulterated adoration.
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That’s facts. It’s very much facts. Yeah, it’s it’s it’s a real thing. Yeah. What you got big juice? [laughter]20:21
Just cups. Yeah. Yeah. Then give me the whole back.
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Yes, sir. Appreciate you, brother. All right. [clears throat]20:38
This is your weapon. Voila. Okay.
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Here you go. The mystery. The mystery bowl. Yes, sir. So, all right. The plan
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is crack that open. Voila. Get you get you a little bite of that.
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As you This is a collapse. There’s two two flavors in there. Okay. Mix them together.
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Just Just scoop as you is. Gabe, you got one back there. Yeah, I do. I’m just breaking it right
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now. Okay. Oh, that’s a that’s that’s hidden. Are these all the same flavors that you’re saying? Same. They’re all together.
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That’s hidden. And now this is me being kind of Can you check? Can you check what flavor
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it is? Get some more.
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So that’s we dancing into butterscotch a little
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bit or um I know that flavor. That’s like um All right. It’s fruit.
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Oh, it’s a fruit. Both fruits. Yeah. You know I eat corn dogs, dude. Like this is I’m [laughter] not the
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I the two dogs. All right. So it’s it’s collaborative green something from the orange family.
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No. So it’s honey mango. Orange family. Entire coconut. Oh yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
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My first instinct was mango but I didn’t have the confidence. Like some from the orange family. Yeah.
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But I don’t taste the coconut. So the white is Yeah. So if you just have the that white in there.
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See, I’m used to coconut being over overbearing. So you listen used to artificial coconut
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flavor. Okay. Yeah. This is pure Tai coke. So that’s lighter and it’s a Yeah, it’s a it’s a brighter pure
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light. Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. Can I sound like a dummy real quick on this? Cuz I’m pretty unsophisticated
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with this stuff. Okay, go ahead. What What is the difference between sorbet? Unless I missed it while I was prepping
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for this other thing. Did you explain to it? Cuz I don’t know. Difference of sorbet and what in ice cream? Yeah.
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But like cuz it feels different. I mean I like it. It feels more Okay. So sor sorbet is is dairyf free.
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No dairy whatsoever. Might be months. There’s no there’s no dairy in this whatsoever. Um the the texture is uh is made upon
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from the fruit and then the knowhow of how it’s done. Um this also has no
23:04
binders, no gums, no corn syrup, no trash. This is what’s the country of origin for sob?
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Italy here somewhere. Uh sorbetto is an Italian thing. But sorbet is basically but it’s anywhere
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that it was like the first frozen treat would be you know milk dairy was a a
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luxury item you know everybody was [laughter] didn’t have access to to just milk and cows and [ __ ] so uh you know
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this is a elevated icy if you will. Yeah. So um it like you can tell from the texture
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way more sophisticated or like you know. Yeah. The fact it doesn’t have dairy is the shocker though. like that hit like
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it’s supposed to be part of that zero dairy thing. Okay, here’s your question. Here’s a cold tooth question. Let’s get it.
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Relationships, not talent or what most people would say the music industry is made of.
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How, in your opinion, in this industry, how much of your success comes down to who you know versus what you make.
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All of the success comes from who you know. That’s why it it behooves you to
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be like you said a good person to do the work when nobody’s looking. So you prepped for the moment where you can
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make an introduction and then take care of your relationships. Every success we got me and my team on the sink side is
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directly from nurturing and caring for relationships. Shout out Jiren Drew cuz he taught me something young when I was
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in my my 20s doing the sync stuff. We’d go out to LA and do do these big events for the music supervisors like these
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exclusive events at some of the notable um locations over there in uh Hollywood,
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you know, some of the notable bars and uh just invite all the execs and the music supervisors. And what I learned in
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that is that is how you give gratitude back cuz they cutting us we get we eating. They getting us right on the
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check side and to nurture the relationship and show the appreciation and to build with these people like it’s
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interns that I was rocking with and that was telling me they was fans of my music cuz they’re helping their music
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supervisor counterpart. Uh they’re choosing the music to get to their desk so they can do final choice for
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placement on a show that are now the check cutters. You know what I mean? Facts. And I embraced them when they was in
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intern mode, wasn’t even getting paid. They were just college kids that was fan fans of rap music. You know what I’m
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saying? Um, and yeah, to this day I nurture all those relationships. You know, holidays, I reach out to all all
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of them, new and old. And every time I’m in LA, we do some lunches, hang out, invite them to stuff, you know. Um, GMS,
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get a music supervisor. Shout out to that whole uh collective and organization. Um, the the people that
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put that together, they get all the music supervisors in the industry in one room and they hand out awards. You know, these are the quiet superstars that
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control the sink whole market. You know, they’re the they’re the choosers, right,
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of the music that gets placed to accompany any visual aspect and now a
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whole bunch of other mediums that have been created as well. Yeah, that’s that’s crazy. That’s crazy. So,
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the Oh, sorry. Can I just ask one thing because you know to me networking say I’m in comedy. It’s I know how important
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it is. making the approach a lot of times when it’s a networking type scenario for me is really difficult like
26:24
it feels corny to me whatever. How do you get past that or are you just naturally really affable like that?
26:29
Well, I just I I go say what up and so if you can’t tell no I [laughter] I
26:35
dress how I feel. I dress how I look, how I see myself, you know. Um I glow
26:40
from within out and I make sure the clothes match how I feel. So I’m always pulling I’m known for that in the rooms
26:46
that I play in. Um me I’mma pull up having that we call it having that [clears throat] [ __ ] on.
26:52
Um [laughter] and what that does is a little gym for all of those watching. It gives you it automatically talks for
26:58
you. Absolutely. And it usually brings people over to speak about you. Uh whether it’s a
27:03
compliment in your clothes or man, what do you do? It makes it just sparks that
27:08
inquisitive thing humans have when they see something shiny. Y
27:14
so that’s why I put that [ __ ] on and I pull up and you got to have the character to match it and it usually opens the door to something
27:23
those uh quiet but loud uh representatives. So like I I I do
27:30
that um you know you know some you know I slide down the bat pole myself with from time to time but what I always will
27:36
have on is a fresh pair of sneakers. So yeah. Yeah. my my the kicksters always got to. So I I I I I was at was
27:44
at um I was at a Grammy party for Southby a few years a years ago. This how I met um my guy, my brother Mark
27:52
Bird, who’s a you know, amazing producer. Uh and I saw him. I had on a pair of
27:59
super rare NMDs. Okay. That if you know, you know. If you don’t, you don’t. You know, it’s kind like So the cat checking like, “Yo,
28:06
cat walked in like, yo, they don’t know. It’s these conversations happen.” Exactly. I’ll be
28:11
back. These sub coaches and [ __ ] So that’s what it is. So cats, when the cats see you, like when I saw you, you had B and
28:16
[ __ ] I’m like, “I I got Yeah. So I’m like, “Oh yeah, I know.” You know, I’m in the know. So I I get it.
28:22
So that and you’re right, though. So that takes a level of confidence to be
28:28
content and knowledge about who you are to be able to to have that conversation
28:36
inward to be to have have a presence. Absolutely. And say if you’re not if you’re somebody that that doesn’t put
28:42
the flashy stuff on, your personality can be the flashy stuff. You know what I mean? Like everything somebody’s going
28:48
to sense about you is going to come off of you. You know what I mean? So smile. You know what I mean? If if you tell
28:54
jokes, pull up to somebody, tell a joke about what they got on. Exactly. Oh man. You know what I mean? It just there’s these ways to break the ice. Um
29:02
especially just it’s really owning your presence in every room. Right. And that just is self-development that
29:09
comes from putting in the work in when nobody’s looking. Yeah. Taking them reps. $10,000 $10,000
29:14
when nobody’s looking makes everything happen when they are looking. Absolutely. Another gym and to nurture that too is is key I
29:21
would think. I mean that’s huge. Let’s talk about the the thought process about sink cuz
29:29
we was talking about this when you walked in cuz we had a little mini moment which here’s the other thing too. I I I’m one of them cats. I’ll ask
29:37
anybody a 100 questions. I you can listen. You can either tell me no and then if you do tell me no, my job is now
29:43
to make you regret that no. But the the fact of the matter is this. I I I am a
29:49
sponge and I’m a forever student. Anytime I can learn anything, when I see somebody that got the glow on that,
29:55
it’s not it’s not predatory like I’m just inquisitive. I’m the cat that takes the TV apart to see how it works. That’s how it’s supposed to [laughter] be,
30:01
right? So, uh and I’m I’m always leading with how can I be of service,
30:07
right? cuz let me use my tools to and hopefully by through osmosis some of the glow will rub off you know so you
30:14
understand some real keys to life you know um that’s what I learned you know I always I always want to be an asset
30:20
and I I see that that hunger in me to be an asset to any room opens all the doors
30:27
you know really my motto now is ain’t no doors no it’s just is you ready to align with this opportunity or not
30:32
absolutely that’s it absolutely the ideology of of sync. So sync
30:38
licensing is about pairing sound to story. Yes. And visual
30:44
visual to a visual story. So it’s very parallel
30:50
to the food world. Do you understand how how that that the they align so
30:56
perfectly together? Yeah. Yeah. Cuz you got to pair food to the right environment. Absolutely. You know what I mean? Uh and environment
31:02
actually helps the food have its own experience. you walk in a restaurant, they all have identities
31:08
to prep you for what you’re about to look at on the menu, you know, uh even to the way the people dress, the way
31:14
outside the banner and all that’s got to look. It’s all it’s all connected. So, uh in the sink world, that’s what it is.
31:20
You get these you get these moments of visual that you may So, how it works, I’ll get a brief in. We’re working on
31:27
this TV show. We’re working on this. We need for this scene, we need this type of music.
31:33
They might describe the scene. They might even send over a clip of the scene or whatever. And yeah, it’s like so I
31:38
got in doing all the party scenes for Jersey Shore, Punk, anything that needed
31:44
party music behind it. Shout out to VCON. They don’t exist no more. They’re Paramount now. They’re part of the whole Paramount under umbrella. But uh yeah, I
31:53
got in doing the music [clears throat] that I was already doing when nobody was looking. We like party music, you know?
31:59
So we making and so I was able to fit all those narratives. Then I got in I got into making music for
32:05
other scenes like we need something somber sometimes. We need somebody just pass. Yeah. What you got for this? You know what I
32:11
mean? U but to this day I am the go-to for like a lot of music uh supervisors
32:16
for party music for party scenes. You hit on something key. So what would you
32:21
say the difference is between making a song and curating a moment because the two are not the same. The two are not
32:28
the same. Making a Anybody can make a song. Everybody on earth probably right now is making a song somehow. Um, but curating
32:35
for a moment is intentional. Same with if you’re trying to write a hit, you want to be intentional about
32:41
who you’re trying to hit with the lyrics, with the music, with the chords. That’s the So this is that’s the key.
32:48
Science. So that’s that’s the science, but that’s also that church background because if we know so there there are
32:54
there are chords that evoke emotion. Yes. So however you want to feel whether it’s dark and somber. Yep.
33:00
Energetic, happy, you know, minor majors, you you got to know the science. So, and even if you don’t know uh the
33:06
science of it, but understand without theory, you’re going to still feel it. Yes. Like music does has holds no punches.
33:13
You’re going to feel like right now depending on what email come in, I know exactly what chords to go to.
33:19
Right. Okay. We need to go here. We need to go I’m doing stuff for 2020. They want no drums. It’s all drones. And you
33:26
got to have it a little eerie but a little it’s got to have some tension in it. You know what I mean? And then you might
33:33
use a I’ll use a clock as a percussion cuz I give it some rhythm in a piece of
33:38
it, you know, um for movement this and this ties right into the next question. So are you and this sounds
33:44
like that was a created thing. Are you dipping into the bag or are you creating stuff specifically for some
33:51
things? Well, I’m loaded I’m loaded with a bag and that that actually speeds up a lot of my projects, [laughter] but I do
33:57
a lot of news stuff like with uh so the team I’m with, we manage the uh a publishing company for Disney. So, we
34:03
pretty much are doing all the daytime Disney stuff. That’s Good Morning America, that’s the Soaps, uh 2020, a
34:09
lot of that stuff. I’m doing a lot of CBS news stuff, too, for Paramount. Um so, I’m into creating these moments
34:17
specific for whatever show at this point. Um, I do keep a bag because I got such a network of artistes and producers
34:24
that are under my guidance now. So, I spread the wealth and the love. So, I I like we can meet any need at this point
34:31
um when you reach out to me. So, but me personally, I’m doing a lot of uh score
34:37
soundscape stuff. Okay. And I got the bag for the anything that’s party. I just did some stuff for Maybelline, you know, that’s just upbeat
34:45
uh house and EDM stuff that, you know, get a some sexy girl lyrics too. have one of the chicks with a beautiful voice
34:50
that I work with uh do some lyrics, some rap lyrics, some sassy. The new word with music supervisors is trendy. Yeah,
34:57
because we’re in the Tik Tok era of uh music now. So, so speaking of that,
35:02
do you actually are you timing the musical works to the scene or is it how does that are you going you reverse
35:09
engineering it or is it like okay this so I’m doing a lot of things. So, here’s some sauce that I So, through my
35:15
experience, um, the last two decades doing sync, I know how to create the music or the editor who’s the final say
35:22
on what goes to TV or goes wherever, I know how to create it to where they’ll like it. I’ll do some of their work for
35:27
them, you know, which is the most [ __ ] important part. Yes, [laughter] I know. Exact. I talk to editors when
35:33
I’m kicking it with them, you know, and then just through those conversations and then learning from very established,
35:38
experienced legends in the sync world, I know how to tailor whatever I’m doing
35:44
specifically for the music supervisor, but also the editor, the final say to make their job easier. Yes.
35:50
Which is why I do my splits and stems. This is some jewels. Whoever’s watching this, always take out steps of work for
35:57
the people that needed you to do some something for them. So, I do stems in a
36:02
way where the editor does have has to do nothing. They just have to place it wherever they want to place it at.
36:08
Right. The stems are already designed for how they want to place it and everything, you know? So, um Yeah. Cuz you got the briefing. So, and
36:13
they’re but they’re probably talking to you in ways that they don’t talk to other people because they understand Yeah. Yeah. that what you can give them.
36:19
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then just me being a fly on the wall and and listening when they when they talk or when they send um
36:25
so early on when I was doing stuff for like big commercials like I did something for Budweiser um and to that I
36:31
did a huge Budweiser campaign for Tain and Budweiser for one of Super Bowl um
36:36
and the edits that they wanted. These was like some real 11th hour edits, you
36:42
know what I mean? Because it had to go out the cuz the Super Bowl was that Sunday and I think I was working on the brief that Monday or Tuesday.
36:48
Oh damn. Uh yeah. So, [laughter] it was one of them moments. But what I learned in that is um after I learned I landed it right,
36:56
they had these little changes of some of the synths they wanted and how they wanted it stemmed out for them. Taking notes all I’m I love constructive
37:04
criticism especially from people that are teaching me something I don’t know like take ego out. You can’t have a ego
37:10
in in none of this in business period I think for the most part. Yeah. Because you can’t take nothing personal. You
37:16
have to always be a student in learning. Okay, what are you asking? How do I fix
37:22
it if it’s not right in the first time? And then you apply the the information
37:28
you get to all the rest of your executions. Yeah, that’s a gym. Yeah, that’s a [ __ ] gem. That’s a real gym.
37:33
That’s a serious gym. Yeah, real. What can you give me example or what is your most what is the most what
37:41
is the placement that you’re the most proud of that you like you know I you know when you hit the one like okay this
37:47
[ __ ] ties it together in a manner in which that I I I don’t know if I could have did that cuz me
37:53
personally anything I do I always see how I could do do it better right that’s just how my brain works but there’s
37:58
sometimes like I’m just a vessel God put that that was
38:03
that’s that’s there music can elevate a scene like it can change a film. You know what I mean?
38:09
Change everything. Um I’ll give you a great one. So like like whenever I think of like perfect Yeah.
38:16
visual and audible scenarios, the opening scene to belly to me is [laughter] the hype genius.
38:22
Yes. That that opening scene. So any anytime Yeah. That was that was that was perfect. Yes. Actually um
38:30
man I got so many ah man. So, I don’t personally have a favorite, but what I
38:37
do like is seeing others at this era. So, let me go on stages. So, early on,
38:43
um I did this huge placement early in my career. Got me my first $10,000 check for um Real World. I think it was
38:50
Denver, I think. Peter Davis, shout out Peter Davis. I think he chose the music for it. He’s a good friend now on the
38:55
sink side. And um yeah, man, just hearing it on on TV was dope. Seeing my
39:02
name come across the ticker at the bottom, having phone calls come in. Oh, I heard it. But the check that came in
39:10
Mhm. that Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I quit my job [laughter] that day.
39:16
Don’t quit your job. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They’re starving. That was then. It was a different time. But um yeah, so that um one of my most
39:24
treasured ones was being a part of the Fast and Furious franchise. Um me, shout out Maria Issa, we did our first Latin
39:31
project together, Latinization, and it became the music for every Latin board on Fast and Furious Showdown, which was
39:37
the video game to accompany I think Fast and Furious four, five, or six, one of those three.
39:44
Um and yeah, man, that part of the Fast and Furious franchise in history now. That’s dope. Yeah. Yeah,
39:49
that’s that’s that’s a huge one. That was major major. Right. So, and I know you you kind of dabble in this with with some of the the
39:55
stuff you have, especially with Perfect Perfect Noise. Yes, ma’am. Yes, sir. This
40:01
Do you have any aspirations to to really dip into music supervision or or scoring movies?
40:08
I mean, like, is that is that is that I’m doing music supervision on a pilot right now as we speak. Yep. Yep. Yep. Um
40:14
my guy Krispy, he’s doing a little pilot right I’m the music supervisor on there. Uh I did some I’ve been part of music
40:21
supervision teams for projects. Um will I take it full on? I would. I
40:27
would if a project came and needed me to Yeah. Yeah. I It’s something I do, something I love and I love helping
40:32
others win. So I, you know, I always would love to be the the deciding factor to get some unheard of upcoming artistes
40:39
that are hungry and talented, right? some looks, you know, I already I already do that behind the scenes, but to be the actual chooser of the final
40:47
say so, that’ll be dope. That’ll be a win on so many levels for me personally. Yeah.
40:52
Yeah. Let’s let’s talk about your And I know this is not in your Pantheon to do it, but this is we have
40:59
to give people uh the the end result. So, let’s we gonna talk about some accolades because you this
41:07
there’s some things that you’ve been able to accomplish that most people never
41:13
never reach you know this so just never reach right so you know the 3,000 plus
41:19
placements is not that’s not a small feat that’s person that’s I about to say that
41:25
that’s that’s as you that ain’t got nothing to do with the the conglomerate that you work with. So let’s speak to me
41:32
about how when you decided that this was the lane that you was going to operate in and I
41:39
would like and to just think that you’re just doing the best work possible that you can do and just being a good steward of the art
41:47
form and giving people what they want, right? Yeah. What
41:54
what did you build that allows for that type of longevity, that type of success,
42:00
and to make you a magnet for the quality of people that cuz you you don’t just
42:07
get to where you don’t get to this this way without a slew of people Yeah.
42:12
rocking with you. So, um there’s a whole there’s several factors. cuz I like that’s a dope question actually that
42:18
causes one to reflect um I always would say my foundation I got a team you know
42:24
what I mean one of my main factors right here big juice um always got a team of supporters man uh from my mother my
42:31
family um as as a young and then when I got into business as a young age just I was always the universe has always given
42:38
me the assets of the right people to keep me on the course now I had you know
42:44
had to go through some trials and tribulations to enhance the diamond becoming.
42:57
You’re going to hear me say that a lot cuz I I live by this. The work you put in when nobody’s looking is what they see when you shine. When it’s time to
43:04
shine. So if you’re not ready for the light and you get it, you’re not ready for the moment. You’re going to fumble
43:09
and nobody wants to fumble. So I just put in the work and I create my value.
43:15
You know, you have to be an asset to everything. I I live by that. I teach my kids that. I teach my my family, my
43:20
homies, anybody connected to me. We always have these value talks. How do we become more valuable whatever space we
43:26
play in? You know what I’m saying? So, when it when it comes to this music, I am the get [ __ ] done guy. That’s why I
43:33
always I put out so many fires at the last minute for some really dope and powerful people on the sync side. And
43:40
I’m I’m the first choice for a lot of things that come across their desk. And that’s from me taking care, showing up,
43:46
handling my business, getting that [ __ ] done above and beyond being the value. I want to always be a value to somebody
43:54
and be an asset. And that just comes again from putting the work in when ain’t nobody looking. Right. So, I already know when I when I when
43:59
they tell me their problems they’re having while they’re talking, I already know the fixes. I’m developing the the strategy for the fixes off the bat.
44:06
Yeah. And that’s just it’s a second sense now. Um because it’s just a whole bunch of uh
44:11
trial and error that come with the game, but a whole bunch of just doing the work when nobody’s looking. Um and being
44:18
excited to learn something new, do create something new, create a new moment. Um whether it’s musically or
44:25
with a business or whatever, you know, just that hunger and that student to learn,
44:31
you know, in my boring moments, I when I’m ever I’m bored, I don’t like being bored, so I always go find something to
44:36
do or learn. Yeah. No, that’s facts. That’s facts. I I I always would tell as you know when
44:43
we cross I believe you tow a line of of student and teacher constantly during the course of a day if
44:50
you’re smart. Yeah. Right. And so in in in my in the in the cooking world when I you know am leading
45:00
people I always tell them that you know first and foremost be the best leaders
45:07
are are great students because you understand how people learn
45:13
and how to impart information. If you can’t teach somebody what you know,
45:18
you’re that that all that knowledge will die with you. Yeah. And so then you’re you’re you’re
45:23
useless. My grandma used to always say, “The richest place on the planet is the graveyard.”
45:29
Yep. And when you want to be able to when you go when you leave this plane, you want
45:36
to die empty. Yeah. And so I I I I live by that model, bro.
45:41
And so when we first when we just reconnected and I was like, “Yo,” I said to you like, “Yo, what what can I do?”
45:46
You know, “How can I be of service?” And and then your eyes lit up. I was like like, and so then we started talking like, “Yeah, we speak the same language,
45:52
bro. I’m just trying to You got to give it away to keep it.” I learned that as as a young as a younger from a uh one of my old heads.
45:58
You got to give it away to keep it. I did not understand that [laughter] either, man. Like, hell no, man. I don’t
46:04
I’m in my teens. [laughter] But now I get it. Yeah. Absolutely. You know, you you become immortal. um to
46:11
say the least, the more you give, the more you give, the more you give away, the more lives you impact and inspire,
46:16
you know. So me and my whole team, we you know, that’s a second nature to us. That’s what we we love doing. We love
46:21
turning people up. Anybody connect otherwise just saying we got to crank you up. There’s some things you done went out
46:26
and conquered some some spaces. So now we [laughter] got we got to turn you up on the ground level. You know what I mean? Yeah. Now that that’s that’s facts.
46:33
That’s facts. So this leads me to this question. If at this very moment, and
46:38
this is this is going to help with some people out there. At this very moment, if if you were stripped from everything, if
46:44
everything was taken away from you, Yeah. placements, brand accolades, all this [ __ ] is gone, right?
46:52
What is the core skill that makes yim y
46:58
getting [ __ ] done? [laughter] Finding a way by any means necessary. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I would say I would
47:03
say just I’mma find a way out of now way. But if I had was only left to one skill, it’s me being a being
47:12
a a magnet for people to be feel welcomed. Mhm.
47:18
Cuz then that opens up all the opportunities. Absolutely. You know what I mean? Absolutely. Yeah. That’s one of my traits I I very
47:24
much value. You know, I’m I’m a I have that uh a old lady told me that one time. Um just met me. I can’t
47:30
remember where he was, but she’s like, “You have you have this energy that’s so welcoming.”
47:35
Like, anybody will just let their guard down around you. So, I I would definitely want to go with that one if I
47:40
had to strip all of them cuz I then I know I can access everything through that. Yeah. There’s something to be said for
47:46
being a likable and pleasable and pleasing having a pleasing disposition.
47:51
When people want to be around you, Yeah. they choose to do especially when it come when I realized when I when I
47:57
got to the certain age and I and I got uh tenured in in in business and I understood that
48:03
the the business decisions are made from people that want to do business with you because they have to like you
48:09
they got to like you just to say personalized I never understood it is personal like I got to
48:14
like you it’s very much very much a personal thing [laughter] very much per do you think today’s artists
48:21
are missing the understanding of the business of attention.
48:30
Yeah. Um because right now there’s too much attention and there’s a actually I
48:37
won’t say it. Let me re reverse that. There’s too much hunger for attention but with nothing to do with the
48:44
intention. Attention. Like cuz people can get attention. You could go viral for doing the dumbest
48:49
[ __ ] on earth right now. Yeah. But what’s on the other side of that? what it, you [laughter] know, where does
48:54
it lead to, right? What’s what’s your outcome? Or you just going to keep repeating the same, you know,
48:59
what’s your funnel, bro? They reward dumb [ __ ] So, [laughter] you know, uh I guess if that’s how you
49:07
if that’s the heel you want to die on, that’s you know, voila. But, uh for the most part, yeah, these youngest,
49:14
they have Shout out to all the youngest, too, cuz being rich with youth is
49:19
something you don’t know until you get older. Absolutely. And you had to spend some you had to spend a whole lot of that youth like we
49:25
did just to get here. You know, and I’m still I’m always be youthful in spirit and and mind and and hearts. You know
49:31
what I’m saying? I’ll never get the Michael Jackson theory is real. You
49:36
know, you don’t want to ever age out. And that comes from just being
49:42
hungry, a student, you know. Uh but yeah, the youngest spin your youth wisely. Y’all are all rich with time.
49:50
Um, if I want to go to some third eye talking with the the molecules that make
49:56
you are youthful, you know, they they replenish theirel at a hyper rate.
50:01
Yeah. You know, your from your metabolism to everything, cells, all that. But, uh, command, if you get the attention, do
50:08
something with it. Have a plan. You know, it’s a lot of just blind leading the blind. Everybody just running. It’s the circus. It is the circus right now.
50:14
Hey, the the the inmates are running the asylum. Yeah. So, and I know the answer to this, but in your opinion,
50:21
what’s more powerful right now? A hit song or a strategic catalog? I’ll take the catalog
50:27
100%. I’d run my catalog. [laughter] I’m with that all day. You know what I’m saying? I’m living off some catalog
50:33
right now. But if I had like, man, if I was Universal and them, I see why the record industry dying. They like, we got
50:40
all the legacy. These these masters will pay us the next 200 years. Yeah, we’re good. We don’t need to
50:45
invest in no young no new artist that don’t want to be stars and try to really
50:50
change the tide or get get us excited enough to cut a super check, you know. Um, and plus the nature of the nature of
50:57
the consumers list has changed and the nature of the business has changed. The consumer, it’s not magical to the
51:04
consumer anymore cuz everybody’s behind the veil now. Yeah. So, all the magic from when I was talking about when I was younger, that’s
51:10
gone. Yeah. That doesn’t, you know, could Michael still be Michael then? Now in this streaming era,
51:17
Mike would would still carry he know what he would cuz he wouldn’t oversaturate the market. Sure wouldn’t.
51:22
He would and he would keep enough in the spectacle era that we’re living in. He’ll come up with some he would run us.
51:29
He would he would have he would put just enough out little a little breadcrumbs cuz you know Mike did he was with the
51:35
Olympics every four years he dropped the project. So every four if you didn’t every four years. Oh, that’s
51:40
[laughter] that’s some science. I a Yeah. Yeah. Every four years he would drop something smart. And then and then but we talking about
51:47
his his his works were it ran the course for four years. Like he could work an
51:52
album for four years. Yeah. Yeah. Tour on it for four years. For years off the back. Yeah. Yeah. N this is disposable music. They
51:58
like like you know you got to Oh yeah. These new cataloges die quick. You know what I’m saying? Like these new
52:04
these new viral moment cataloges. Uh [gasps] it’s really not cataloges. two songs. It be like three songs before
52:10
artists age out now. No, it’s crazy. But I’ll take the catalog
52:16
100%. All right, let’s let’s let’s now let’s let’s talk about the elephant in the room. We got to talk about
52:22
where understanding a moment can lead because
52:28
going into products and and really curating a moment
52:33
into a whole brand is another is another level. And so talk to me about Fuku,
52:39
man. Fuku energy drink, man. The first energy drink from the Twin Cities uh that I’m a partner, co-owner in. Shout
52:45
out my uh business partner, Brian Golf, Big Juice. Uh we are taking something
52:51
that was just a crazy idea from my business partner, Brian. And really changing the tide of
52:59
synergy in the city here. So before I came on to this, me and
53:04
Brian became friends. Let me give you the story. the timeline. So, I met him. I was eating tacos with one of my home
53:09
girls, Ja. Shout out Ja. And he had a vodka company, Scarlet Red Vodka, and he
53:16
was doing some promotion at this Mexican restaurant that I was at eating tacos. He comes up to the table and here it
53:23
goes. This is how it works. How I’m dressed has him keep coming to my table. He
53:29
first he comes, oh man, I’m promoting the vodka. I don’t drink the vodka. I have my home girl taste it. She thought, oh, this dope. You know, it’s like it
53:35
tastes premium. She, you know, went on conversation about the vodka. I was back to these steak tacos in my face.
53:41
[laughter] You know what I mean? You know, it was kind of one and done. But he came back like, “Man, what do you do? Like, this
53:46
outfit you got on is crazy. What do you do?” That’s why I say you got to you got to have that [ __ ] on.
53:53
You [laughter] know what I mean? Cuz I dress in a white tea that, you know, absolutely. You blending in. Yeah. I stand out.
54:00
And so he came back and he was talking about the outfit and I had a a clothing line. I actually have a clothing line,
54:06
but I was rocking one of my prototypes and it had Yim over the front. He’s like, “What is that?” I’m like, “That’s my name.” Broke everything down to him.
54:12
Uh, so we just hit it off, exchanged numbers, and then he just he was persistent on getting me to partner with
54:18
him and uh on some promo campaign stuff for his vodka brand, but I don’t drink,
54:23
you know? I’ll be nine years sober September 10th. Congratulations. You know what I mean? And uh I was like
54:29
I I really it don’t make sense for me with my brand story and how I live in real life, but I can assist you on
54:35
getting it popping. You know what I mean? But saying no to that opened the door up to a friendship, you know what I
54:41
mean? So he’s this this successful guy that’s coming in trying to understand the realm of especially urban culture
54:48
cuz he has a vodka. I’m like, well, black folks ain’t drinking vodka right now. Yeah. [laughter]54:54
So last year if it ain’t if it ain’t a reposado Julio right now you it’s on
54:59
deaf ears. You know what I’m saying? So uh and I taught him that by taking them out to some of the black clubs in the city. Like you see what they drinking
55:06
every section. Julio bottles, brown bottles doing the bottle over the head dance. Like you don’t see not one
55:12
[ __ ] sh some rock Titos. No no it’s not vodka era for blacks right now. You know what I’m [laughter] saying? So
55:19
and he just loved that. you know, this his first time seeing black culture up close like that. So, uh, when he brought
55:26
me this idea after years of just being friends, you know what I mean? Uh, he’s like, “I need you to partner. I
55:31
got something that fits everything you’re about.” He’s like, “This is this is something that’s I got to have you in on.” And when he brought me the idea,
55:38
brought me a prototype can. Um, and I seeing the can, I’m like, “Shit, this this looked like something.” You know
55:44
what I mean? And, uh, when I tasted it, that’s when I was out way like, “Okay, let’s get it in order.”
55:50
you know what I mean? And he’s like, “Yeah, I’m I’m going to give you some of the company. You’re going to actually be my partner, you know?” And he he he
55:55
turned me up. We got the legal stuff out the way. And I became one of the first black energy drink owners. I think I am
56:02
the first in the Midwest. Yeah. Period. That’s that’s huge. Yeah. Just off of that. And so what we
56:07
do when I came on, I’m like, we got to get this a spirit. You know what I mean? I know I know what my culture’s um
56:13
magic is, so it’s got to get stamped by us first. Black culture pushes everything. Yep. You know, it ain’t cool till we touch it.
56:19
It ain’t cool till we touch it. So, I had to get this to my people, man. We got it out in the streets. And speaking of that, you know what? Let’s
56:25
Let’s do the [ __ ] challenge right now with Chef Porter. Gabe. Gabe, you got one back there. Yep. Yep. Just just popped in.
56:31
And we got a genius Gabe in the back. You got to taste it. Y’all tell me what y’all think. [ __ ] challenge right here.
56:36
Yeah. All right. So, super producer Gabe, I’m going to let you go first. All right.
56:43
So, this is my second drink, actually. And this is what I was gonna say is I turned on energy drinks a while back
56:49
because of like you know Red Bull the syrupiness like all that just feel this actually feels light like a spritzer
56:55
almost kind of thing. Yes. So of course my next question’s got to be what’s in it to give you energy because it doesn’t taste like [ __ ]57:02
Oh we got you know what I mean? It’s good. So we we went for taste first. If it don’t taste good and we built it around
57:08
something you already understand with the you know the giant that we won’t mention. Well he he mentioned it. I
57:13
won’t. So, we built it. We didn’t want to teach you something new. We want to teach you something you already know,
57:18
but take you down a path you haven’t been before. That’s why it has those hints of the berries. A lot of people
57:24
say it tastes like sweet tarts and these candies that remind me of Yeah. So, um
57:29
and we only we didn’t want you jittery. Yeah. Cuz his thing was and just like me, I would drink when I stopped
57:35
drinking alcohol, I got to still have something in my hand in the club. Yeah, I’m drinking six Red Bulls by [laughter] 2 a.m. You know, and I’m tweaking by
57:44
So, we went for that where you can have one or two of these, maybe three, and be cool because it’s only 116 milligrams of
57:50
caffeine, clean caffeine, B vitamins, and good stuff like that. And yeah, it’s the can is sexy gold, baby. All gold,
57:58
everything. And it’s 100 calories. Yes. And that’s
58:04
the sugar free. So yeah. So there’s there’s two things for me.
58:10
Mhm. Whenever I’m drinking specifically
58:16
energy beverage. One is it there’s a there is a uh a mouth feel that
58:21
typically you get with a lot of other competitors that have because they have all the additives. It’s all it’s all the other
58:27
stuff that they have to try to cover up and so it changes the viscosity of the beverage. Yes, it does. And look, this is a
58:33
genius. He says this so much better than that’s exactly what I was thinking in the room. [laughter]58:38
Yeah. It so it it does that but it also you cannot drink a bunch of them.
58:44
No. And not feel away in in an off-putting way. Yes. So it’s uncomfortable.
58:50
Oh yeah. Sick. You feel sick. Yeah. No. This is light. This is Yes. Exactly. So we wanted this to be refreshing. So
58:56
imagine if you’re working out, what whatever you doing when you drink this, your thirst is getting quenched as well.
59:01
That’s why less carbonation was the key for us. We don’t And I hear it from the customer all the time like, “Oh, this
59:08
tastes so better than Red Bull because the bubbles, the carbonation, and like you said, they’re trying to hide it with
59:13
all these other things that make it it tastes synthetic.” Yeah. I’ll give you another one. This is the This is the most important for me.
59:21
The temp. You cannot drink a room temperature Red Bull. [laughter] Oh, God.
59:27
God, you cannot. Yeah. So the fact that you can uh you can drink this. So cold I
59:33
know this is going to pop. Ice cold. Yeah, ice cold. This a problem. Hey, so ice cold has was the reason I had to I have a limit I had to put on
59:40
myself cuz when they’re ice cold, you will you will drink four and won’t realize it just because of the taste
59:46
easily. Yeah, they taste good. Yeah, exactly. And and it’s not bubbly. It’s notable juice. It’s chugable. It’s chugable. But the
59:53
the the flavor room temp. Yes. Is the is the is the you know that’s the
59:58
notch. That’s a notch because you cannot do matter of fact, there’s a lot of beverages that you like that you can’t drink room temperature.
1:00:04
Anything heavily carbonated, from my experience, you can’t do room temperature. No. Even a Sprite. You can’t I mean, no. Cuz No. No. Now, as you as
1:00:12
the chef, is there a science with the carbonation and room temp? Because you can’t even drink a warm Sprite. And I’ve
1:00:18
tried. [laughter] Oh, yeah. The There’s So, it’s the same thing with there’s certain flavor uh notes that hit
1:00:25
your palette differently depending on temp. Mhm. So there is a even with like ice creams and everything, there’s a there’s a a
1:00:31
optimal temperature for eating pleasure. So too cold, your taste buds don’t
1:00:37
activate. Too warm, they’re activating at a level to detect certain things. And
1:00:42
most most beverages do not reside in a in in a land to where
1:00:50
they can be room temp and be desirable and and flavorful. They either need to
1:00:55
be so cold so that you don’t you you miss those other arcs or I mean that’s
1:01:01
why you’ve never seen you’ve never seen a commercial for any beverage that doesn’t depict coldness
1:01:08
ice [laughter] have ice and it’s got to be dripping down you say that
1:01:13
you’ve never seen that’s true never seen a room temperature unless unless it’s coffee
1:01:19
unless it’s coffee. Yep. That’s facts. Now, that’s marketing and them knowing
1:01:24
that it has to be cold. Yeah. It it it needs to be cold or there’s no in between. It it needs to be
1:01:30
cold or hot. Yeah. You know, [laughter] this this is like you said, you can
1:01:35
drink it room temp. You know what I mean? And and the fact of the So, it but it it doesn’t it’s not offputting though. So, it doesn’t matter of fact because how
1:01:43
light it is, it tastes kind of chill. Yeah. Even though [laughter] I know you know
1:01:48
what I’m saying. Yeah. It’s It’s No, this is really really really really good. And it’s sexy. Thank you so much, man.
1:01:54
And it’s And it’s sexy. Let’s get to sexy. Yeah, the can is sexy. And Fuku um let me just give you some
1:01:59
information on the name. So the marketing genius of my my business partner Brian. So fuku is a Japanese
1:02:05
term means luck, happiness, good fortune. Um and there’s so many positive variations of it in the eastern part of
1:02:11
the world, which is even better. So the way it looks on the west side of the
1:02:17
world, uh the west, we always look at it as [ __ ] you, you know, you could be a f [laughter]1:02:23
you for the edit. Yeah. Yeah. We always beat that stupid. But uh yeah,
1:02:29
and that’s by design because the name is so powerful and positive,
1:02:34
but it looks like something so uh edgy for us here in America. You know what I mean? And it it is such a lure.
1:02:41
You’d be amazed when when people Devil lot the lottery of branding, you know,
1:02:48
and we just we really building it ground up, you know. We a small team, but we mighty. Shout out our distribution
1:02:55
partners, Breakthrough being the biggest. They came in um early like we met them through um John that used to be
1:03:03
the owner of uh Chicago Lake Liquors. He’s like, “I love what y’all doing. I want to help you.” And this is the power
1:03:10
of relationships. He gets on the phone. I’mma call one of my best friends. It’s
1:03:15
the vice president of Breakthrough Beverage. Wow. How long till we get a THC infused one?
1:03:22
Well, we staying out of that lane, you know. Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. And shout out And shout out to all the THC brands here in the Twin Cities, man.
1:03:29
Um, y’all really on to something epic. The culture’s always been here. Now we got The Lost finally lining up with humanity. [ __ ]1:03:36
late but never. Uh, late but on time, I guess. You know what I mean? Uh but um
1:03:42
yeah. Yeah, we staying out of that lane. Our thing, we we a product that you know, everybody can get wet. We don’t
1:03:47
want no barriers. You know what I’m saying? And watching my and watching how hard it is to even get a liquor off the
1:03:52
ground. Watching my business partner with the scarlet red vodka. Like I’m that’s some headaches that I don’t even
1:03:58
care for. It’s a it’s a it’s a lot. It’s a lot. What do you What do you want consumers and the community to feel when they
1:04:04
interact with with this brand? So this is this is from the from the people for the people, man. We are really from the ground up, man. not only
1:04:10
my roofs, but like my my team’s roots. We all we all embedded in the fabric of of this great Twin Cities and uh this
1:04:18
great state of Minnesota and we taking it from here. This is ground zero for everything. So the whole culture you you
1:04:23
get to feel how you see us everywhere here. Like we really ground and pound, can hands back to when I was in the
1:04:30
young men’s era, me and Juice would get CDs and CD burner or go to Kinko’s on
1:04:36
Henipin [laughter] and press up CDs just to give them away free in a time where everybody wanted to
1:04:42
charge for CDs. It was Juice idea. Let’s just go give them away. You know what I
1:04:47
mean? So we went and got like 300 CDs, burnt them, and started standing outside of uh the clubs. You know what I mean?
1:04:53
The myth, you know what I’m saying? [laughter] The quest. Yeah. You know, and handing out free CDs
1:04:59
and when you believe in a product that when you believe in a product like that, you’re willing to do that. That’s that’s
1:05:05
the Frank Lucas Mark model. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Stand behind Hey, hey, the first the first taste of
1:05:10
Blue Magic is on me. [laughter] With these. So, look, this is this is something um through study and just
1:05:17
through knowing what I know from being in the music side and being a student of the the game of interacting with people,
1:05:23
we got out and gave away 15,000 cans off our first run of 30,000 cans.
1:05:29
Wow. You know what I mean? We we we knew that we had to get to the people. I told I
1:05:34
told my team the people is going to come with us. We got to get to them though.
1:05:40
And that’s something we know how to do cuz they are me. I I’m amongst them. You know what I mean? My team’s amongst
1:05:45
them. A lot of them grew up with us. Yeah. You know what I’m saying? So, we got out and handtohand combat.
1:05:52
You know, I I think also too, this is the we’re in a unique uh time frame right now. We
1:06:00
our age group is is a part of the decision makers now. So, we understand we know how to talk to the people that
1:06:06
have the power to to to to make the decision. Yeah. That’s why the world is operating the
1:06:12
way it’s operating. Like, and so when you when you have your finger on the pulse, like you say, I am the people.
1:06:18
That’s a real thing. Oh, that’s fact. Yeah. Yeah. I know where the power lies. I’m going go I’m going to go get one of
1:06:24
my people. We going we going to activate this. You know what I mean? And uh yeah, it became now it’s a part of the fabric.
1:06:31
You know, everybody sees it everywhere. It’s becoming this thing. It’s becoming larger than life even though it’s still in its infasy. We just made I think we
1:06:38
just cleared a year of uh being in business actually. You know what I mean? So dope. We’re getting we’re larger than life uh
1:06:45
from spirit and culture and we get to the people. One thing that separates us from the giants at the top of the
1:06:51
mountain that we’re climbing. They don’t get to the people. Yeah. They have money to spend on marketing to
1:06:57
the people. But right now you cannot tell me without going on Google what the face of Red Bull, who that is, what he
1:07:04
look like. The average person can’t do that. You know what I mean? Um, and that’s what we Okay, we’ll play we’ll
1:07:10
play to our our intimate connection with the consumer. We’ll be in their face. We’ll be all on their Snapchat. Huh? Put
1:07:16
me on. Turn the cameras on. I’m on probably a thousand Snapchats this week alone, this weekend, right?
1:07:22
You know what I mean? And so that’s us just out campaigning. Yeah. We we get out. We get amongst the people. We in their face. And shout out
1:07:29
everybody that’s rocking with us, you know? Um, we are nothing without the love and the support from these Twin
1:07:35
Cities and the surrounding cities in Minnesota. And um, I’ve took it, you know, Fuku been on the GR took Fuku to
1:07:42
the Grammys. Yeah. Earlier this year, you know, I seen, you know, yeah, you know, I had Fuku at the BET Awards last year. First
1:07:49
energy drink on the stage of BET, you know, [ __ ] [ __ ] all around and stuff. But, uh, yeah, it’s just, uh, we
1:07:55
building something special here. And it’s the work they don’t see. I’m always go back to that because man, we we wake
1:08:02
up early grinding it and we go to sleep very very late grinding this figuring out ways to
1:08:08
market better. Logistics. Yeah. Finances. It’s real. It’s real stuff
1:08:13
happening when when you don’t see the lights on. You know what I mean? Absolutely. Well, I commend you, bro.
1:08:18
This is this is not only um you know the proof is in the product but it’s a um
1:08:25
this is a lifestyle brand and this is this is this is what I I think it’s a full autonomous story so it’s not
1:08:32
it’s it’s everything is intentional which is you know what what stands out to me like everything was thought of
1:08:39
um and I see how this fits into all of the things. Yes. And so this
1:08:44
is a great a great uh uh embellishment of all your tools and your skill set to
1:08:51
put into something like this. So I commend you on this for sure. For sure. The micro experience, man. We in the micro experience era of humanity right
1:08:58
now. Um all things that were very big are trying to figure out how to get very
1:09:03
small as you can see with the consolidation of all the TV and film networks and the music industries trying
1:09:10
to figure out how to get small. That’s why they firing everybody. So it’s happening like and the age of the streamer the the the introvert is now
1:09:18
cooler than the rapper. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. It just is how it goes, you know? So
1:09:24
we’re in the age of community connection and your community is your customer base and then it grows from there.
1:09:30
Facts. Find your find your tribe, feed them and let and grow. Absolutely. Absolutely. All right, bro.
1:09:36
It’s time for the lightning round. Let’s go. All right. So here’s how it
1:09:41
goes. So, I’m going to ask you a series of fastpaced quick questions that you’re going to give me the first answer that
1:09:47
pops to your mind. Let’s go. All right. All right. Favorite sync placement of all time.
1:09:53
Uh, Fast and Furious. Heard. One artist
1:09:59
you’d build a catalog with today. Prince. That’s a great one.
1:10:06
Studio snack that never misses. Sweethearts. Sweetarts. The the spons
1:10:13
you could eat every day while creating Mexican food. Anything specific?
1:10:18
Uh, lingua or steak tacos? Oh, you a connoisseur. You said you’re
1:10:24
hot habanero sausy. I’m all about sauce. I would leave your restaurant if your sausage [laughter] is not here and I and
1:10:29
I do it all the time. You know what I mean? That’s I’m anxious to go check out this spot. Yeah. No, we going to check it out. Right. 100 steps across the
1:10:35
street. All right. All right. song that describes your current mindset.
1:10:40
Uh, what’s that? All I do is win win win no
1:10:46
matter what. That’s a good one. You know what I mean? That’s a great one cuz God said so. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
1:10:52
One word to describe the future of music. [snorts] Back to the basics.
1:10:58
Back to the basics. I like that. Get to get to the people. Yes, sir. You can’t hide behind a keyboard no
1:11:03
more. Mhm. It got so oversaturated, you got to they got to directly touch be touched by you
1:11:10
at this point. Yeah. Everybody got which is where we come from. All my youngest, y’all weren’t alive
1:11:15
pre this era, but pre this era, you had to get out in their face. And I’m so glad it’s back to that cuz that’s really
1:11:22
the the new viral, getting out to them. Go shake a thousand a million hands. Here’s the beauty of it. This is what
1:11:28
people don’t don’t understand too especially with the music business in any business truth but specifically in
1:11:35
this if having a million followers
1:11:40
does not supersede a thousand raven fans when you have when you have people that
1:11:46
will show up for you ever. That’s a clip. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter]1:11:51
A million followers will never equate to a thousand real fans ever.
1:11:56
Yeah. artist listen ever. That’s real. Dream collaboration music
1:12:02
or brand? Dream collaboration music, man. So, I’m
1:12:07
a fan of these of these these giants like Prince, like Michael, but the team
1:12:13
around Michael. When I say Michael, I want to say the Quincy and that and all them writers that was around like um
1:12:21
producer wise, Timberland, man. Like Yeah. Yeah. Timberland. My sound is directly a
1:12:27
descendant of the Timberland sound. Um because as a young when I got when I was
1:12:33
making the transition from a rapper to being a a producer um that Timberland
1:12:39
creativity spoke to me spiritually, man. I used to be Oh, he had a choke. I could see I could see visions
1:12:44
listening to his instrumentals. And I used to me and my my boy at the time uh that was my production partner uh HC the
1:12:51
chemist Humble Child. We used to go sit up and just sample Timberland
1:12:57
instrumentals like all his snares, all his drums. We You gotta listen and find this one second on NPC, you know what I
1:13:04
[laughter] mean? Yeah. And uh yeah, shout out my bro AC Kim, man. Long nights over at New Trends, man. Just
1:13:10
chop chopping up samples all night, man. That’s dope. Okay. And finally, if success had a flavor, what is it?
1:13:19
Oh, sweet. Yeah, it should be. Yeah, it’s very sweet.
1:13:26
Very sweet. And and thus is the journey. For sure. For sure. You You are proof,
1:13:32
bro, that there is not a cookie cutter way to be successful
1:13:40
in anything. I I believe so. Success is one of those things that um
1:13:46
people are misconstrued about the definition of what success is for me. I
1:13:53
understand I’ve lived a little bit of life so I understand that going from thought to something tangible
1:13:59
99% of people will never reach that. Yeah. So so I don’t Yeah. So, well, the real
1:14:05
the truth. I love what I love that cuz
1:14:11
we’ve all been lied to about what success is cuz we’ve been told somebody else’s version of success and sold that
1:14:19
that is that’s what we need to strive for. But success actually is designed by you. You can be
1:14:26
you can design your own success. And I don’t know why they never marketed success that way, especially to
1:14:33
our people. Like they gave us what? Five ways of success growing up. Uh
1:14:39
but success is really designed by you, man. Like everything I chased, I got the
1:14:46
success part of it through a whole another measure, right? You know what I mean? So just living
1:14:51
life long enough to understand like oh you a lot of people be successful don’t even know they
1:14:57
no because they’re chasing what they think success is. No you have to also understand this too.
1:15:03
Some a lot of times people are complaining about the very thing they prayed over.
1:15:09
Oh that’s a whole say that again. That’s a gem. People are
1:15:14
complaining about the very thing that they prayed for because what you what what you asked for sometime you’re
1:15:20
living in the consequences of that. Yes. And and not even understanding. Yeah. You don’t you don’t get this without
1:15:25
that. This comes with that. You got to go through some fires to get to all the glory and the wonders, man. I
1:15:32
I swear. And don’t complain. If you pray for it, you cannot complain about the responsibility that come with it or the
1:15:37
head, the headaches that you have to go through and some of the bumps and the bruises.
1:15:44
It’s like being in the gym. You got you got to go through pain to get the six pack. The success is on the other side of that
1:15:50
pain. There’s no there’s no way there is even with the injection of steroids, there is no shortcut. You
1:15:56
still got to lift them weights. You got to go through them. No, no, you got to go through them weights. So, that
1:16:02
was a real gym, man. Like, um, and I I live by that, man. Like, I’m so I’m so blessed uh to have came through all of
1:16:09
the fires uh to get me to this point, you know what I mean? And shout out to everybody that that got to experience
1:16:16
those fires or watch me go through those fires and just pray, even take their hands off me sometime and like, “No, you
1:16:22
going to have to go through this.” Yeah. You know what I mean? So yeah, really quick, tell everybody
1:16:28
listening and watching how they can be a part of your ecosystem, your world.
1:16:33
Where can they find you? Where can they support? Oh, you can find me anywhere. Y Mm I music. Uh, that’s everywhere. Everywhere
1:16:40
you can type it in at. You can find me there. Y M I M U SI. Uh, Fuku Energy
1:16:45
Drink Followers. D R I N K F U K U. And remember, it’s not foo me, it’s fuku.
1:16:51
Yeah. Dope, dope, dope. This is someone you need to be studying, someone you
1:16:57
need to be following. Uh, keep up with them because listen, if you if you if
1:17:03
you tap in and you’re late to the party. Yeah. Yeah. You still be able to party, but
1:17:09
yeah, you you still be you’re invited to the party, but you don’t want to First off, nobody Everybody wants to be in on
1:17:14
something cool on the upcoming. At least I do. Like I I I want to be the first the first at the party. So, there’s the
1:17:20
this is the original. There’s also a sugar-free also a zero sugar and it’s sugar it’s
1:17:26
the sweetener is stevia which is a way better sweetener than aspartane. Absolutely. It’s a naturally derived
1:17:33
sweetener. Yes. Yes. We’re working on some flavor variations, you know, announcements about those later on in life. But uh
1:17:39
yeah, we in test phase for some new flavors, but yeah, the gold standard Fuku energy drink, man. Um really from
1:17:46
the ground up and we we stand on that intimate connection with our customer. Absolutely. You you you will be seeing
1:17:53
more from from team Fuku as well as Jimmy. Um you’ll be you’ll be hearing him whether you know it or not. He’ll be
1:18:00
you watching your favorite shows, movies, and this that and the fourth. Uh any pitch campaigns, tap it with my
1:18:05
guy. Yeah. Um he Hey, hit me up. Like I’m always I’m always here to I’m here to help. Yeah. You know, I’m I’m I’m a vessel for
1:18:13
um God pretty much at this point, you know. I understand my calling. Absolutely. Absolutely.
1:18:19
Yeah. Well, again, thank you for being here, brother. This has been Oh, yeah.
1:18:24
No, this has been this is Listen, I’m my cup is full, bro. It really is in real life. Um,
1:18:30
this has been the Taste Music Here Food podcast show. I am your host, Ed Porter.
1:18:35
Till next time, peace.