B to Z
Mental health and wellness
B to Z
The Artistic Tightrope: Hip-Hop Battles, Cowboy Boots, and Creative Connections
Ever found yourself striking that precarious balance between staying true to your art and craving mainstream success? That's the tightrope walk we, Zach Batista and Brandon May, navigate in our latest podcast discussion. From the intricacies of social media to the candid challenges of captivating interviews, we're laying it bare—the triumphs, the missteps, and the 'happy mistakes' that shape our podcasting adventure. Transitioning from a background in mathematics and military strategy to the creative arts, I'm riding a steep learning curve, embracing the quirks of the artistic process with an open mind.
Rap battles, cowboy boots, and the evolution of hip-hop culture take center stage as we dissect the lyrical genius of Drake and Kendrick Lamar, reliving the raw competitiveness that's the heartbeat of the genre. Music is more than just a backdrop for us—it's a reflection of memories, emotions, and the times we find ourselves in. We delve into personal stories tinged with nostalgia, from music studio ventures to fashion trends that never lose their luster, while pondering the current state of rap and its longing for storytelling depth.
In the tough world of the arts, genuine support can come from the most unexpected places, and we're no strangers to this reality. We reflect on the unique connections made through our podcast, the shared artistry within our tattoo studio, and the sheer value of honest feedback. We invite you to join our circle, contribute your favorite tunes, and even snag a chance at winning a tattoo raffle. It's a session filled with appreciation, candid exchanges, and the acknowledgment of the support that fuels our creative journey. So, pop in those earbuds and join us for a trip through the trials and tribulations of our artistic endeavors.
Good evening, good evening. Good evening, I'm your host, zach Batista, along with my co-host, brandon May.
Speaker 2:What is going on, you guys? How's everybody doing?
Speaker 1:We've been getting some good feedback on the, on the guests we've been bringing on, so I appreciate all that. We've been getting good feedback in general. Have you heard anything bad yet?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, I talk too much. Yeah, I heard sometimes I talk too much. Yeah, um, but that's a podcast and that's part of what we're doing. So, yeah, but I don't know if that's negative. You know, that's not negative to me, that's not negative to me.
Speaker 2:It's a balanced situation, which is good. I like that type of feedback. Um, it's interesting, though coming back just me and you after having guests on it feels a little bit different. It was a little bit comfortable. It's kind of like being home again. It's like after a trip, you know, like all right, we're home yeah, take your shoes off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so we get in this bed, throw everything in the laundry, let's go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, get back to square one again, right, right there's, there's pressure oh yeah, there's pressure to um be successful with the interviewees.
Speaker 1:Interviewers or interviewees interviewees and and you've been doing a very good job at getting me to bring my a game. I hope I'm doing the same for you. But you, you do wrap me up usually the night before he gives me a call, or he'll send me a start off by sending me a text be like you ready, yeah, and then he'll. He'll kind of get me a little nervous. He's like, this one's going to be a tough one tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Or this one's, I don't know. I don't know how you're feeling about this one tomorrow. Yeah, it gets you thinking, it gets me riled up and then we end up pulling it off.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, I feel like you do a lot of the work, the physical work. So mentally preparing us and keeping us in a positive mindset towards the, the people that I'm bringing on. It's important too, you know, and I know them too, so I feel a little bit of responsibility to make sure that everybody has a good uh rapport from the event, including you. You know what I mean. No, absolutely right right, so yeah, but it's been fun. Um feedback what kind of feedback are you getting?
Speaker 1:uh, everything from the what, what, uh what we've been posting on on social media some some people like it more than others uh, trying to make it more, more mainstream, yeah, more. Sometimes it's a little vanilla, right, yeah, because I'm just trying to make it more, more mainstream. Yeah, more. Sometimes it's a little vanilla, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause I'm just trying to make it. Somebody said Landon said it was whitewashed. Whitewashed, yeah Right. But, he's white yeah.
Speaker 1:So so what? What does that mean? And I like, I like how we described it so this to any type of really art. I was always very mathematically, scientifically focused, and in the military it's very strategically focused A lot of math too. I did a lot of math in my profession in the military. I never got to pursue any type of art, so you kind of said something that cracked me up. It was I have a virgin eye towards the art industry, so it's almost almost like a like, like like a newer, a newer step into it. Some people may not, some people may not like my, my, my step so far, but but that's, that's what we're doing.
Speaker 2:We're going forward yeah, it's uh, just like I. You know, it's a perspective, it's a different way of thinking. I feel like, a lot of the time when excuse me, I'm not in the mic uh, it's a perspective, it's a different way of thinking. I feel like, a lot of the time when excuse me, I'm not in the mic it's a perspective thing. I feel like, a lot of the time, when people approach these things, they often come with an analytical approach to art and that's limiting the creative juices.
Speaker 2:So keeping an open mindset is important as you evolve into the artist that you want to be, as you create your own visuals and you become more particular about the things that you want. You know, yes, there will be those defining moments where I don't like this, and this is. I like my shapes, like this. I prefer a triangle over a circle. I like to draw this over this. I like black over orange. There are those defining things, but I feel like, in order to get to them, naturally you have to keep it open uh, easel, oh yeah, an open easel and spread your paint around and have happy mistakes, right yeah yeah, so um a growth overall.
Speaker 1:I do I see growth oh, my goodness I know you, you've it out. You said you've seen a lot of growth too in this and our podcast in general.
Speaker 2:The content and everything is getting better. The podcast is getting better, the sound is getting better. We have a photographer in here today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we got my buddy, Sebastian, in here.
Speaker 2:Sebastian over here.
Speaker 1:I met him through Working Dogs for Warriors.
Speaker 2:Photographer for the stars Fucking with us, you know. For the stars fucking with us, you know, making me feel like I'm hot today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I'm making, making us feel like celebrities. I'm feeling pretty good about this.
Speaker 2:Crazy thing is is this he doesn't know that. He came in and said something about Gino. That's one of my favorite black and gray artists, yeah, and that's, like hands down, one of my favorite mural artists as far as tagging and all that stuff. I would love to have him on the show. So if you can make that happen for me, that would be great. You feel me.
Speaker 2:He's dope, dope, dope, dope, dope. I think he does it all with like a three or something, you know, but he has a different perspective on his shadows and stuff like that. His work is really, really dope, so it's cool that he's coming from that lineage. Um, feedback, my dad watched the episodes, you know. He ran through the episodes and he said he liked them. He I like to hear that people are laughing. Yes, um, that makes me happy. So keep laughing, guys. You know, I keep telling people I'm funny. You know what I'm saying. I've been telling people I'm funny for fucking years and shit like that. But I years, but I can't just be funny.
Speaker 1:Speaking of watching and listening, we threw a couple of videos up on YouTube, part of the Zach Peacock episode and our episode with Nick. I threw it up there unedited, so yeah, if you guys want to go check that out, see a little bit, and we're planning. I threw it up there unedited, so yeah, if you guys want to go check that out, see a little bit, and we're planning on putting more up there.
Speaker 2:As far as the guests that we brought on so far, how do you feel that we've done with them? Like, give me a little rundown of the guests and give me a line after them, a sentence after them. So the first one was Mike yeah, Michael Wells, Working Dogs for.
Speaker 1:So the first one was Mike, yeah, michael, welsh working dogs for warriors working dog with warriors, ptsd dogs and um dog service dogs.
Speaker 2:The, the trainer of service dogs, out of what city?
Speaker 1:Uh, he's out of Fontana at a Fontana. Yeah.
Speaker 2:How'd you feel about that episode I?
Speaker 1:just uh special, uh, especially coming off. We just did his first annual ptsd walk and you, you were, you were providing a lot of support for that too, along with myself and uh man, it was. It was a great event and, man, that dude brings community. So something special, something that brings community together, that's mike yeah yeah and number two was spike, spike, spike. Spike Moore. Yeah, Spike Moore man.
Speaker 2:Owner of Captain Tattoo. Owner of Working Class Tattoo Supply.
Speaker 1:How about just diligence, man and drive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he surprised me with how eloquently and that's fucked up to say not surprised me, but I was excited.
Speaker 1:Oh, he brought his A game yeah.
Speaker 2:With how well he delivered his story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was excited with how well he delivered his story.
Speaker 2:Next one was Ronnie Ronnie.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Ronnie, ronnie, yeah. Youth group Self-taught tattooer. I got a lot of feedback from that episode as far as being funny, Him talking about how you put the needle in your ass, you know on and stuff like that people thought that was funny. Um, I like that. And uh, I asked ronnie if he was getting some feedback and stuff like that. He said that they were saying we were funny. They didn't really say much about him. No, sometimes you're not the guy you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying ronnie but I'll stop and say a little bit, talk a little more. Say it with your chest.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I'm just fucking with you, ronnie.
Speaker 1:But I will say in the middle, we are planning on, so to chime in on this too. Land in the comments, land in the DMs. Oh, and I put up a new portion to our episodes. You can message us directly on that on our website. I just put that up, you click. You can message us directly, uh, on that on our, on our website. I just I just put that up, you click that link. Um, let us know, uh, what guests you'd like to see on again, because we are planning on on asking some of the the same guests to come on again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, next was zach peacock zach peacock, my boy uh living legend um, and he already said he wants to tell one about his uh, his uh semi semi truck hitting him when he was on the bike. He wants to have a three-hour episode on that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're figuring out how to. What's happening is as we're going through these interviews. They're a lot deeper than even what we anticipated. So you know a lot of the time we're not able to get everything within one episode or whatnot. So you know we'll work on bringing some of these individuals back and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:So just stay tuned for that stuff and then, yeah, our latest, uh, nicholas dick yeah, uh, the I felt like that was a very fun episode stigma of being heavily tattooed.
Speaker 2:Yeah um father, single father of uh reagan especially a little man being in here he just had a birthday, the other day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, shout out to a little man.
Speaker 2:Right yeah.
Speaker 1:He was slapping that pinata. He's cracking me up.
Speaker 2:Thank you everybody for supporting the episodes, logging in and subscribing. If you guys haven't, you know, if this is your first time here, man, please go back and check out the episodes We've been talking. You know we're going to try and keep it lively. There's some things that we're really hard on ourselves about as far as keeping it upbeat and just something fun to listen to so we don't become monotonous. You feel me, as soon as we do that, that's when you guys get to stab us in the back and send one of those comments through the feedback section. Be like yeah, yeah, that was shit. You feel me We'll be like all right, you're shit too, your shit too, but we appreciate your feedback, so, um, today though can I bring us into our topic.
Speaker 2:It makes me feel so good to be on the west coast these days. If you guys haven't heard this, these battle raps um from drake and kendrick lamar as of recently I thought it was too big not to talk about right they've been going at it.
Speaker 2:It started with J Cole. He opted out, so we're going to bring in today's episode with music, the art of music, culture, battle, rap, the influences of music on your life, mental healthness, and all of that good stuff. So, first off, I think Kendrick won, absolutely Hands down, destroyed homeboy with visuals and then lyricist wise, my favorite track was probably meet the grams, just because it was just so direct you know what I mean and so serious. And then how to how it built up.
Speaker 1:I dug euphoria too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was waiting for Kendrick to come back. I was like man if this dude don't come back like he's letting this Canadian dude get on him right now, like we can't have this you heard, we'll put an end to it, right what's that?
Speaker 1:that drive-by that.
Speaker 2:So there's more on that that supposedly put an end to it that's a lot of. That's a lot of supposedly they said that it was Drake that set that up, because the rental car was under his name. But see, now we're getting into conspiracies and all of that bullshit.
Speaker 1:I don't want to turn that around. I'm not interested in that shit.
Speaker 2:We talk about the Grams, where Kendrick was talking to this little boy, this man's son. Yeah, yeah, and then put a shelf life on it, Like when you get to 18, listen to this.
Speaker 1:So that means when he gets to 18, gonna listen, do it again yeah yeah so ah man, I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
Speaker 2:I know everybody's like oh you know, that's war, two black bit going at each other. It's horrible, that's fucking rap that's motherfucking rap. That's what it used to be about. You knew back in the day 90s, 2000s.
Speaker 1:I feel like they were all about that.
Speaker 2:The cypher was all you know. The dozens was all talking jokes and cracking jokes and getting on people and this and the other, and it was for fun. You know it's and that's what a rap beef is. You know, a lot of the time they take this shit too far and they get robbed and they do all of that stuff, which makes me happy that Kendrick Won the best I think the best rap battle of all time. You know, you got Nas Jay-Z yeah, you feel me, you got Eminem's and the Machine.
Speaker 2:Guns, which that shit don't even count.
Speaker 1:Nah, you feel me. Hey, he pretty much created them. I feel like yeah, Sorry, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then you have Pusha T with Drake. Which Pusha T? I went back and looked at Pusha T's diss track and he was going in on Drake too, so he did a good job. So I don't know. As far as music, though, man, like when you hear these diss tracks and stuff like that, does it amp you up, Does it make you want to go?
Speaker 1:So I will tell you, and I'll tell you the reason why I think Kendrick won. I don't feel, although Drake is a very talented lyricist, he doesn't have that dog for me. He doesn't strike me as someone that is going to fucking follow through with any of those lyrics. Kendrick 100%, 100%. Kendrick will spit a fucking line and I'll be like I can see Kendrick doing that, I can see my fucking self doing that. So, yeah, so I'd fuck with that.
Speaker 2:When Drake came in and said I just want to keep it PG. I was like you want to keep it? What? Go back to the grassy. You want to keep it? Pg.
Speaker 1:Remember that little show you had man, was he in a wheelchair on that fucking show? Yeah, like, yes he. That was like some bubble.
Speaker 2:That was Nickelodeon, you know what I mean and you was older.
Speaker 1:I can never see him different.
Speaker 2:I can't hate on actors. You know I worked in the film industry for a long time and I would definitely take one of them checks and sit in that wheelchair, be a little Timmy or whatever his name was, and roll around and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:You feel me Talk about Jesus, talk about whoever, you want the dro drool on the left?
Speaker 2:yeah right, yeah, you know right, both gotcha gotcha gotcha watch this. Yeah, you know um, what music did you guys listen to going out, um to detonate, uh like, when you were leaving, what kind of music did you guys listen to?
Speaker 1:I will. I actually have one of the best stories for that my driver, my gunner too, rob Carrier, and he didn't co-sign for this, but my driver had one of the old 128 iPods and just downloaded anything and everything. So we had days of stuff. So we had days where it, uh, so we had. We had days where fucking hip hop day uh, we had. Bro, we got blown up one time to fucking weird. I'll Yankovic.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Blown up. Yeah, I got fucking weird. I'll Yankovic playing in my fucking head.
Speaker 2:That's a horrible song, horrible.
Speaker 1:Some weird yeah, yeah. So, but, as I'm saying, we had days where and there was just so much music and there was a lot of time during missions where we were hunting someone, fucking looking for a fucking looking for a suspect. Yeah, so we were just listening to music, just having a good time. War music is some of the best feeling type of music there is out there. Yeah, that world war um Vietnam era 60s, 70s.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, that stuff Like that's kind of good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no no, so I'll, I'll swing it back to you Something. Uh, you introduced me to a lot of new music all the time. You usually always love music.
Speaker 2:Love it. I wish I could play. I don't play any instruments. I did have a music studio at Elsinore for a little bit and we recorded music there. I enjoy the creative process of of music. Yeah, for sure I. I I don't study it, but, man, I love me some good music, you know, because it's something that you really don't have to think about whether you're going to like it or not, it's just instant. Yeah, it's like oh, that's fire, oh, that's not. You know what I mean. So I like that. I like that it touches upon your feelings rather than how does this taste? You know what I mean? It's, it's not a physical thing. It's sound, right, it's vibration in a rhythmic tone to make you feel happy or sadness, to control one's emotion. Like what the fuck like when you clean on sunday, what do you listen to?
Speaker 1:so I so right now do you clean on sundays? Uh, I probably clean every two or three days his house.
Speaker 2:Clean is clean as hell y'all.
Speaker 1:I just have a weird tix. His house is clean as hell. It's like damn this house On an OCD tix.
Speaker 2:Man, it looks like a military house. I appreciate that. He had boots sitting in the corner. Yeah, all shined up.
Speaker 1:I've been going through phases lately, so instead of changing up my music to the different places I go, I just change my mindset. So I've been on a Zach Bryan radio station that's country and that's country. But everything comes on it Because Post Malone has been dipping his toes in the country. Post Malone goes on that.
Speaker 2:I'm not feeling his country.
Speaker 1:Not as much as I do his rap and regular music yeah.
Speaker 2:I like the. I like when he sings.
Speaker 1:Yeah, his little balance, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of. It's kind of weird to say yeah, I like when Post Malone sings you know what I mean. Like that shit is tight, yeah, like, no, like we won't say that again, yeah.
Speaker 1:Now, he is good though. He is good though.
Speaker 2:He came a long way from White Iverson to doing country music. Now you know what I mean. But that was always my problem and I've always found it very weird how these mainstream artists get in the career rather than being something individually different from the beginning. You know that's not necessarily how it works out. You got to have that. You know I'm Slim Shady moment, or you know Some definitive yeah, like the NWA moment, something catchy it can't just be well written?
Speaker 2:It can't be well-written, you know it's got to be with a gimmick. That pisses me off about rap. I mean, I don't listen to a lot of new rap, you know.
Speaker 1:Same yeah, not anymore.
Speaker 2:I try I listen to everything new that comes out with it. Man, there's a cadence Like I don't care for the drill rap out of the East Coast, I didn't listen to Pop Smoke, I'm not interested in motherfuckers growling at me through the Like. Man, how about you? You talking like that, don't make the situation any more intense or harder. Like tell me a dope story and then let me feel that. But if you're like, oh, the only person that could do that is DMX. Man, yes, and we all know that DMX was about that shit or Ja Rule.
Speaker 1:He could do it. He could do it I like it when he go on his flow, when he growl into his flow. Yeah, that was one of my favorite ones.
Speaker 2:I like Ja Rule. I hate to admit it. I like Ja Rule, I hate to admit it, just because 50 made him look like such a gimmick man. He still is I mean he did like the little, like the fire thing, and that didn't go through. Like it's just, you know, him and Irv Gotti just look like two big hustlers. They look really sloppy now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, they had a moment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like they had a good moment. You'll see John Rue in a swap meet shirt. You feel me Like that's what, like yeah.
Speaker 1:That's how you know it's gone downhill, yeah, like with paisleys and his burgundy.
Speaker 2:Then he got them fucking loafer slippers on that are velvet. You feel me Like all for the swap meet. He hit one tough corner to the left. The bitch is scuffed. You feel me?
Speaker 1:he hit one tough corner to the left.
Speaker 2:The bitch is scuffed. Did you ever get those corduroy house slippers for the swap meet back in the day?
Speaker 1:and they used to leave fucking streaks all over you.
Speaker 2:I think everybody did or you'd be outside trying to play basketball, you'd turn and then tear off half of it we used to get the ninja shoes too from the swap meet.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you know about the ninja shoes. They had like the little brown bottom. It was plastic and the top was cameras. Ooh, hold the fire. You couldn't tell me shit After we went to the swap meet and I got my little foam nunchucks with the ninja shoes. Oh yeah, sick Shoot, I got my first pair of Reebok pumps from the swap meet store. I remember that man.
Speaker 1:I was still a little country when I was a kid, so we used to get cowboy boots at the fucking swap meet every time we went one pair fresh ass cowboy boots.
Speaker 2:I missed getting those all the time and I wore them to Gardena, to my, to my uncle's house, and he was on our helmets he's like what the hell is this? He's like. You tripped him out. You gotta be a cowboy I mean I love cowboy shit like as a little boy growing up, you know like who didn't like cowboy horses.
Speaker 1:Anyone's telling you different. They never wore a good pair of cowboy boots before.
Speaker 2:Cowboy boots are fucking fire I had the homie um make me a cowboy hat okay right. I always wanted a cowboy hat, like a nice custom one. Yeah, probably never gonna wear it, but I like hats, so I'm a collector of hats and he was doing custom hats so I was supporting his business. He hooks me up with this dope ass, big fucking, you know.
Speaker 1:Sexy cowboy hat and shit like color black fuck I knew it. Yeah, you know I had to look like get the posse version.
Speaker 2:You feel me so then I had to get a whip and a shooter to go with it.
Speaker 1:Shut the fuck up. No, I'm just fucking with you. I should just switch it up. Get a whip, let's get a whip. Do you know any Western tattooers? We got practice with a whip anyway. Yeah, we should start getting a whip.
Speaker 2:There's a guy at the fucking liquor store and he sells them. But, man, whenever I see a whip man, I just want to beat his ass. There's some things that white men shouldn't carry, you feel me? Nooses and whips. That's an insta-fade, bro.
Speaker 1:Like I just want to get you cuz. Yeah, I don't blame you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it just immediately. It's like ooh.
Speaker 1:You're thinking roots right away what you doing making that shit.
Speaker 2:You know why you making that. It was cool as shit.
Speaker 1:It was cool.
Speaker 2:But what you doing? Making that shit Just the feeling, knock it off.
Speaker 1:How fucking dare you wear that on your hip right now. No, I like that shit. It was like all color coordinated. You, indiana Jones, put that shit down, oh dude Indiana Jones.
Speaker 2:Come on, now we talk about whip game. The first one with the whip game, right, indiana Jones man. Best Indianaones scene is when he golly and he grabs dudes hard out of his chest that shit. I remember watching as a kid that shit yeah uh, harrison ford lost it, though, man, I remember the last, uh indiana jones was so trash with the, the, the crystal skulls and stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, the prop was horrible. I was like that's plastic you know like we did get off topic a little bit, but music on Sundays what do you listen to when you're cleaning?
Speaker 2:I'm on this band name and I told you about them. I was cleaning today.
Speaker 1:I was outside, uh my name had my head for a bang caravan caravan, caravan, caravan, something like that. I don't know how to know. I've been putting some of their music in some of our posts, man, yeah there's another band called salt.
Speaker 2:Um, I've been into a lot of instrumental things lately, yeah, um, rather than words. You know what I mean. Words are so powerful and I just don't feel like people are using the platform enough to really be definitively different. You know, that's why I enjoy kendrick shit so much. You know, like it was almost like a serial killer was talking to him, you know well, he was getting it all out there, man.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's, that's what rap was. To me, it was not just a few bars, it was a fucking story. As a kid I guess the 90s, 2000s it was the story you were fucking listening to and I really did enjoy that.
Speaker 2:And that's what it reminded me of. I mean that lyrical wordplay. Hip-hop is so different. Now People don't freestyle no more. You know they write so much that they're pulling from their written and and you know, I understand that is a form of freestyling and whatnot. But back in the day I remember, you know, like a motherfucker just going off and being like damn this motherfucker's dope. You know, and just you know you know, on the table and I don't know that.
Speaker 2:I don't think that sense is there in hip hop anymore. And it comes to. It brings me to the question, you know, because hip hop is so flamboyant, flashy and um, um, um rebel-ish or a revolutionary, now everybody wants to be this weird old thing. Is it part of the culture anymore, so, or has it become an extreme of the culture and people can't relate to it anymore?
Speaker 1:You brought that up earlier about how we're watching Kanye. We're doing, we're seeing a lot of the rappers kind of going more in designer uh type, uh wearing dresses and shit wearing wearing purses and shit.
Speaker 2:You know, like back in the day when a rapper had influence over culture, everybody was wearing tims because they wanted to be on the east coast. You know, diddy had everybody wearing shiny pants. Missy elliott had everybody dancing. Alia had everybody, you know, with the open shirts and all of that stuff. Uh, nelly had everybody in air force ones. Uh yeah, trendsetters Right, run DMC, my Adidas. Oh yeah, you know what I mean, mc Hammer parachute pants.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you see a small amount of people running around with purses and stuff like that, but I don't see it as culturally acceptable or such an influence on culture anymore, or achievable.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, because if you're going into some of those designs, I don't know a lot of people that have a couple grand to drop on a bag.
Speaker 2:Now, a couple grand drop on a tattoo. Yeah, and it's stupid, though, like logically, it's just the stupidest fucking thing to do it's possible. It's just the dumbest motherfucking thing to do like. So this has been part of my problem is my logical mindset. It's just, you know, like when people twerk or they shake their ass and stuff like that, for me it's just like damn. They're so excited about a piece of fat trapped in skin jiggling upside like up and down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, like that's crazy, that humans are attracted to that shit. Yeah, you know. And where was I going with this? I don't want to lose my, my motherfucking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause you lost me a little bit now I can't think of. I think of fucking somebody twerking right now yeah, um, I was. I was trying to relate how stupid it was that people are thinking that designer bags are the way to go okay.
Speaker 2:So, like because people have this ability to make this thing look a certain way, um, even though it's made out of the same materials, it has a different value. There is no artistic value. There might be a color scheme and stuff like that, but for behind these bags and these these things, and for me, it's just like damn, that's a horrible way to spend thousands of dollars. That's a horrible way. I'm not rich, so I see it a little bit more clearly. And even if you are fucking rich, you're stupid as fuck to spend all that money on a fucking bag. You know what I mean. Like because she fucking wants it, okay. So the fuck what? She's probably not even gonna carry that lotion in the bag for you when you need a lotion for your ashy ass, you feel me?
Speaker 1:she's probably not even carrying a gun carrying anything, not one, none of that shit. Carrying a wallet in there. You feel me tell you the real facts, right?
Speaker 2:because we don't want to get it all stained up and all that shit like man.
Speaker 2:I be seeing people walk around with all of this like, and I used to be in the designer like I used to work in the film industry. I used to work with this lady. She was dope as fuck katherine morrison on tv show called lost and a lot of the brands that they bought were couture brands. I spent a lot of time in the wardrobe trailer kicking in with her because she was so cool and I learned a lot about everything. And there is literally no motherfucking difference between these fucking garments except for these labels that people put on them. But humans give these influences to these things, just like music.
Speaker 2:You know, what I mean. We attach ourselves on the shittiest fucking music. You know, I don't even know. Don't let my daughter listen to it, no more. I can't let her listen to no females and rap today. Name one female and rap that I can let my daughter listen to. Name one. There are no motherfucking Queen Latifahs, no MC lights. You feel me?
Speaker 2:Yo-yo was fucked up back in the day but there was also like foxy browns. She was kind of dirty too, yeah, but you know, like it's so fucked up and it's so blatantly shitty and don't get it twisted I'm with some fuck shit too. I'm with some freaky shit. I'm with some fucking weirdo shit. I like to fucking have fun and all of that shit too. Yeah, you feel me. But man, like classless is classless. No talent is no talent it's. You know, they letting. It's kind of like that tattoo industry. They just letting everybody come in and it's easier to do it because they're on these programs. Nobody plays instruments, nobody practices their cadence. You know, half of these people don't even write their shit. It's a team that orchestrates their fucking thing and they get them out there to perpetrate. And we're still talking about the same bullshit in rap, same old bullshit, like literally. Doesn't it feel like we're caught up in a loop? Y'all Money Like I'm 40 now? The premise has been the same.
Speaker 1:Same with country music too, though that's yeah, it's going through a whole other same with rock music too.
Speaker 2:You know like when is there a definitive change within the style? And then the breaking, the creation of a new rhythm, the creation of a new algorithm of a new rhythm, the creation of a new algorithm of a new writing. You know like I don't know, it just becomes all so monotonous now, and that's why I don't listen to shit with words, or if I do, it's in French. I'll listen to French jazz. So I can't understand what the fuck she's saying and I'm just fucking feeling it. Just feeling it, right.
Speaker 1:Give me a. Give me an artist, uh that you really like, artist or group back uh back in the day and then give me uh other than the ones you mentioned. Give me an artist or group now and I got a question next.
Speaker 2:All right, cool, this a group or artist or group.
Speaker 1:Now, now an artist group when you're a kid.
Speaker 2:I just just ask me one um the the first artist I fucked with one of my first records ever and it was a record was cool modi and it was called the wild wild west. Okay, fucked with. One of my first records ever and it was a record was Kool Moe D and it was called the Wild Wild West.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So that's one of my all-time favorites. That's one of the first records I've ever got. You know what I mean. After that it was Bush with Bill. You know what I mean. I think it was Lords of the Underground and that was on tape. Yeah, was Lords of the Underground and that was on tape. Yeah, you know what I mean. And now, man, as far as what it is that I'm listening to, I'll just do Cautious Clay. Is it hip hop wise, ben Staples, kendrick G Perko, e-40, still YBN Cordae, whatever his name, ghost style, speed jay, the kiss, dave east. I mean, I, I man, I go through, I listen to everything.
Speaker 1:That's what I do, I work, yeah, I listen to everything I put the album on.
Speaker 2:I tell my client like hey, that's like this shit could suck. Yeah, I've never heard it, but we're gonna listen to it. That's why I asked you we go about it and then we review this shit sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not, you know. Yeah, I'm not making it, so it's just the journey. You know, a lot of people just only play the same shit over and over again. Man, that fucked up loop.
Speaker 1:Creatures of habit, right yeah, sometimes you gotta break out of that a little bit my question for you.
Speaker 2:You got a chick coming over and you finna tear that ass up okay what? What r&b music? Okay, are you gonna put on the set to move?
Speaker 1:oh shit, yeah yeah, let me see, I'll. I'll tell you so I'll. I'll pull up one of my stations right now. We'll see. We'll see what the last R&B station I was listening to. That's kind of an interesting one for me too, because it depends on what I'm If I'm going to tear that ass up, it may not be R&B.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, some Guns N' Roses. What is it going to?
Speaker 1:be. Oh, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:That's new to me.
Speaker 1:I've never I'll get a little wild with it. I'm flipping through. I got all these what kind of rock like Avenged Sevenfold that's a little.
Speaker 2:That's rough, rough, yeah, yeah, yeah, if we do Avenged Sevenfold.
Speaker 1:That's getting rough, rough. Oh what, like techno type stuff? Like I'll drop? I'll drop to that too. Yeah, especially if I like techno type stuff. Like, uh, I'll draw, I'll drop it to that too. Yeah, especially if I'm doing.
Speaker 2:I've been known to do a strip teasing now, now and then too, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, chip and Dale's action, you know what I'm saying, rescue Rangers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, getting a little, getting a little wild, that I'm not doing, but I'll get stripped, it stripped down, you feel me.
Speaker 1:You can. I think the last one I had on was just was just my post Malone station. Yeah, that's a. That was the last. You didn't answer that question.
Speaker 2:They got on me and they said feedback, feedback rule, that's act, don't be answering questions. So we're going to wait for an answer to that question. What is the R and B song that you? Put on and even if it's not the song, you gotta give something out there.
Speaker 1:One of my favorites is Pony by Genuine. Okay, there it is. Oh yeah To get it to. Oh man, yeah, I'm one of those traditional lovers, you know yeah. So I got slow Right as far as music, making art out of it, the R&B brothers don't last well, nah, nah man Right.
Speaker 2:As far as music, make an art out of it, the R&B brothers don't last well, no, no man no I like the silk shirts, show the belly too much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what were you replacing? Boys and men? Hip hop age is better than R&B.
Speaker 2:I see the hip hop dudes and I'm like whoa, Like they look rough, they all got bellies and dad bods and shit. The hip hop they be like. Oh, you know, they wear a hoodie, yeah, but I don't know man. So jazz is still wild. There's a shelf life for R&B? Yeah, there is. There's a shelf life for this? Yeah, and that goes on both spectrums.
Speaker 1:That goes white or black. I've seen both of them turn out bad this white or black.
Speaker 2:I've seen both of them turn out bad. Yeah, you had to see a recent genuine uh performance and that's why I'm saying that they funny as fuck. I bet yeah or uh aaron hall well, you looked at me like that.
Speaker 1:You asked me straight. That was that was. That was immediately came to my mind right, wait, what do you think? You think? Uh, we're sitting, we're sitting at 35, what do you think?
Speaker 2:what? What you cut it.
Speaker 1:Or roundup time. No, I feel like asking you more questions because they had feedback.
Speaker 2:Give me another question and now I feel like I'm going to start asking questions.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:You feel me. Yeah. What are you working out to? What kind of music are you working out to?
Speaker 1:So I'm working out cleaning. If I'm stuck in a phase, I'm stuck in a phase. So if uh, sublime, uh, 90s, uh, I'll keep it on gym cleaning and just my, my regular driving around music so you're stuck in a loop too. I stuck in a loop yeah, no immediately and that's yeah. And then, like I said I did, I recently switched to zach bryan just to get some country in there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but then I'll switch it again, but then that'll be my go-to. It never used to be like that. I used to have real hard rock and rap that I used to listen to in the gym. The playlist I used to have the playlist and that was fire playlist. Shoot my playlist, bro. I remember that the iPod. I remember that the iPod the Nanos.
Speaker 2:Let me hit that with the Sharpie real quick. Girl Number six is the hitter.
Speaker 1:Number three is the banger Throw that in the boom box. Throw that CD, that mix. I just made. All this shit I just downloaded off LimeWire.
Speaker 2:Have you ever dated a musician?
Speaker 1:I actually, I got a funny one for you. I dated a musician. I actually, okay, I got a funny one for you. I dated a stripper that was an aspiring musician.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she played the harmonic.
Speaker 1:She had her own little band. She was playing at breweries and stuff. Her pitch was a little rough. She was cute yeah, I think that's how she got away with it and the band was real solid, like the. The instrumentals were real good, but her singing was. Her singing was fucking dog shit. I'm not even gonna lie, yeah, yeah. I took Jolene I took Jolene to one of those performances.
Speaker 2:It's always a little odd, right. When somebody's like fucking giving up, like oh, I'm devoting my life to this shit, but I met her at a strip club. And then they doodoo and it's just like yeah, I told somebody their music wasn't good one time in a studio session and it didn't go well In session. He was very upset. What did you say? I said I don't like the song. What?
Speaker 1:did he say?
Speaker 2:He said why. I said I don't like it at all. I said it just doesn't sound good, I just don't like it. Yeah, I didn't have enough information, like I don't make music, but I definitely know a good song on that shit, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah, and he was upset and I took the room, I took the energy out of the room, yeah, it was fucked up that creative process. Yeah, but I assume that it was like tattooing and tattooing they will tell you your shit sucks I've seen and I I've seen you do it.
Speaker 1:I've seen you do it a nice way. I've seen you do it in a not so nice way, telling people, critiquing people. Yeah, I've seen it oh shit, you know, I've seen it yeah well, because then I start, because then I start joining on that too yeah, I try not to critique artists, man, I really I try not to.
Speaker 2:I try and be um understand the angle.
Speaker 1:I would say the reception was well. I don't think any of them hated you or that you deflated the air out of the room, the same as with that I'm sure you did with that poor fucking singer. Was he fucking rap artist?
Speaker 2:he was a rap artist, yeah sometimes they need to be told he was good. He was good just didn't like the song yeah, the song was trash, bro, I got an ear for this shit. You, you can. You gotta tell people. Yeah, hey, man, if I'm going down the wrong road, tell me where to go. You know what I mean, and that day I had the directions. It's like, hey, you're going to make a left and exit, cause this isn't it.
Speaker 1:We, uh, we talked to, we touched on this a little bit earlier too, and we were just talking um, how does the music tie into your, to your, your wind down, your mental health? Like you're saying the, you're listening to French jazz.
Speaker 2:Everything I do is to music. Yeah, everything is. Um. Unless I'm just working and I need silence, everything I do is to music. When I draw some music, it's all. The music is always picked by my mood, um, not by the artists that I want to hear.
Speaker 1:And you're not stuck in a. You're not stuck in a funk either. No, you mix it up.
Speaker 2:Life is too short to listen to the same shit over and over and over. Every day, something new has been created, and that's fire, and I like to harness the new things before everybody has them. You know what I mean. So that is my love in the music is finding something that's going to be firing me. Like, oh, you ain't heard this shit yet, though.
Speaker 1:like listen to this, though, like you got me laughing because I use you as like a guinea pig in that situation, because you're the one that puts me on a lot of this fire shit, yeah, and I appreciate you for that, and I and I will say I got about a hand. Uh, that's probably less than a handful. It's probably you and two other people that do that for me. I come up with different stuff that I'm not accustomed to hear, and they'll turn me on to some other really good music. Yeah, one of them my massage therapist does it too.
Speaker 2:He'll throw some some crazy music my way too yeah, if you guys are listening to this, please go to the feedback section and put an artist in that we should be listening to. That is absolutely fire.
Speaker 1:I'll put up a post. I'll put up a post for this.
Speaker 2:I also have an iTunes account too that I put up my playlist that I play in the studio. Ok, because I feel like there is a big gap of shit that's missing within the tattoo studio world. You know what I mean. It's hard to fill all of the gaps for all the artists and stuff like that, but so I'm just working on my little piece of the pie. There's a lot of uh, backpack rap, uh, tranquil stuff, chill things, you just all things that you can listen to and not be affected by them or be influenced by the words. It's just mode music and vibe music. So check me out on iTunes, y'all. Oh, we got stickers too, guys, you feel me? You want a sticker? You guys holler at us. Also, did you talk to anybody about the contact contest? Is this contest going to be over by the time that they hear this?
Speaker 1:no, no, this is a yeah, this is a uh, so anyway, that's that three by five tattoo. I mean you gotta this is. This is a pretty generous gift, that uh, that brandon's raffling off here and I don't shit away.
Speaker 2:This is the first time I've ever given anything away, and he even kind of made a big deal too.
Speaker 1:He was. He was like hey man, this is the first time he's like, but I'm willing to offer it because I like how this this is going. I like how this this show is going. So three by five tattoo If you're not familiar with the tattoo industry, bare bones basic, you know 150 bucks right out the gate, anywhere to you can double that If you've got a cool three by five inch tattoo. That could be upwards of 300 bucks.
Speaker 2:So I mean really palm size, top of the hand really really, really take advantage of this.
Speaker 1:And the only entry is you know, like and share. Like and share a post and then just start following us. Start following the Instagram page.
Speaker 2:Yeah, show some support.
Speaker 1:I'll start writing all your names down. You know what I want to find interesting.
Speaker 2:We'll have the drawing live. Since these motherfuckers ain't listening anyways, I could go ahead and speak about it. Oh shit, I find it motherfucking interesting that most of the support comes from motherfuckers that I don't know, rather than the individuals that I do know, rather than the individuals that I do know. So if you're on my page and you fuck with me, tap in man. What the fuck is y'all waiting for? Tap in Like, go check this shit out. I'm not asking you to listen to all of them. You feel me. If you don't like this shit, then don't listen to it, you feel me. But at least subscribe to this shit to show some support. There you go. It baffles me that I've been tattooing you motherfuckers. I got 3,000 something followers on Instagram and get a tough 10 likes on a photo.
Speaker 1:Y'all just nosy? Yeah, that's not. I think that's what it is.
Speaker 2:So show some support I should show some love. And if you want me to support something, let me know. I'll do that for y'all, as long as it's not some bullshit, cause I can't help you with that.
Speaker 1:And so you know, um, I will some. Some people have been uh reciprocating. Some people have been wrote pre-posting our stuff that we don't even fuck with. Like I don't even know some of these uh Boulevard studio, they're over in uh LA, you know, through a couple lines our way. Just nice. We've been getting some really cool people.
Speaker 2:Just so you guys know, Zach runs all the social media and all that stuff too. So if you guys are reaching out to him, that is exactly who you guys are talking to. You're talking to Zach. A lot of the things I get when I get the episode if we haven't talked about it in conversation. So that's new, that's dope. I didn't know we were getting shares and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and it's nice because that is what you're talking about. I was showing other pages love that I didn't. I didn't really know, I didn't know who they were, but I saw their art, like their art. Some good. Some good black and gray work, different things, some good. What's my?
Speaker 2:call what's, what's, what's that? What's that style like that cholo type style, black and gray realism yeah, some real good stuff.
Speaker 1:But yeah, yeah, I got some good feedback on that cool yeah, man, this shit has been fun.
Speaker 2:It feels good to get an episode with just me and you.
Speaker 1:It's light yeah, we gotta mix it up a little bit. It's tomorrow. Oh, tomorrow we got a heavy one, so this is good. Yeah, let me get you that, since it finally loaded what's that? I'm gonna give you that that at. I think they're worth a Boulevard Studio and they are. It's underscore BLVD Studio S-T-U-D-I-O. Underscore. Oh, they're off Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. Yeah, go ahead and give those guys a follow. Let me see. Yeah, check them out.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's right. Yeah, check them out. Okay, that's right. Thanks for the support guys. Yeah, boulevard studios, let's go. What's your Instagram, boss? You can go ahead and say it out loud too. Okay, yeah, you're going to be able to check these pictures out on my Instagram at B-Maying Studios B-Maying Studios, the shop page, b2z Podcast and all the other things. So if you guys are interested in getting some photography done, we can give you all the information to our photographer. He's really low key when you're dealing with people that take pictures of celebrities. A lot of the time they don't want to give their information up so that you guys won't fucking bug them.
Speaker 1:I got a couple quotes for you, if you're ready for a roundup yeah. I want to see how you, so I got this really cool one. I remember we were talking about your monk friend, dave Keneally, so we're trying to get some really cool people on the show.
Speaker 1:I remember we were talking about your, your monk friend, dave Keneally. Yeah, we're trying. So we're trying to get some really cool people on the show. So this one is from Thelonious Monk musician. He said all musicians are subconsciously mathematicians. What do you think about that? I hate it. I know you do, because you just said how they weren't alike earlier. I hate it. That's why I picked it. Yeah, I, I hate it. I know you do, because you just said how they weren't alike earlier. I hate it, that's why. That's why I picked it fucking hate it.
Speaker 2:I mean, why take something that's rhythmic and then, uh, boil it down to something so dry as numbers? Oh, numbers ain't gone, you know? Yes, I guess nor numbers create harmonies as well right If you take a scientific approach to it.
Speaker 1:yeah, Anything could be math.
Speaker 2:In a homo sapien world, because numbers are things that we've created and all of this other stuff. But sound music is natural, yeah Right, so it shouldn't be equated to numbers.
Speaker 1:You said, leave the numbers out of it. Huh, then I got another one by Duke Ellington.
Speaker 2:You hear a good song, you're like damn, that equation was amazing.
Speaker 1:I will tell you this. Certain music used to help me remember physics equations and math equations. Yeah, certain types of music used to, and I used to re-sing that song back during the test, and it would help if any of you guys are taking a test or still in school.
Speaker 2:Interesting.
Speaker 1:If you want to mess with some music therapy, it works. But I got another one from Duke Ellington. It says you'll like this one. The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
Speaker 2:The wise musicians are those who play what they can master. The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
Speaker 1:Yeah, duke Ellington. Yeah, do you think what? Do you think that's just a bullshit quote, or do you think that that's pretty?
Speaker 2:deep. I mean that is a wise choice, it's a no brainer.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, duke Ellington, yeah, I, I mean, that seems like one of those ones. Because he's famous, they give him a little bit more credit than what he deserves. On that, that's very logical. Yeah, of course, fucking of course. Yeah, if I'm better at this, but I feel like.
Speaker 1:That goes back to what we were saying earlier about the different artists going outside there, like post malone. Maybe you should go back to stick, which you mastered, the white ivory song. Yeah, you, you, you master, you mastered what? You were aton, yeah, you, you, you mastered, you mastered what you were at and you jumped in the country. Now was a couple was jumping in the country just to get more likes you know, just like, just like how beyonce went country, just like how you know. So so what is that?
Speaker 2:it's kind of like tattooing. I look at it like that, right? So if you, either you specialize or you don't, right, if you specialize in one specific style of music, you're going to master that style and be very well rounded at that. If you operate within all styles and you'll probably be well rounded, but you won't be a master at one, yes, I can see that.
Speaker 2:So, um, that's such a hard one because they're creating for an environment that is forever changing. Um, so if you do the same thing, then you're going to fall behind, but you also can't go too far off of the spectrum like Andre 3000 and go with the flu.
Speaker 1:Ah, I tried to put his music in the background of one of my posts the other day.
Speaker 2:Did he kill it? Are you fucking kidding me? Background of one of my posts the other day did he kill it? Are you fucking kidding me? This is one of the best mcs of all time and you got your dumb ass a flute. If you don't put that motherfucker away and go write a 16 and just shit on everybody like, oh, you've done all you've wanted to and rap, fuck off, so now you're on a flu. No, you took some good drugs. You feel me? You you're. You re-centered your life in a different position. But stop bringing old shit into new shit. If you want to play the fucking flute, play the fucking flute.
Speaker 1:He thought it would hit, yeah he thought the flute would hit.
Speaker 2:That's what happens when you're a fucking star and you think you could do whatever the fuck you want and you have these, uh, and then people were like, oh, that's fucking amazing, yeah, oh, oh, my god, it was so groundbreaking this air through the, through the wooden tone of the and what I guess I don't like elementary school recorders. Bro, like I'm not a fan of that just because it's too extreme.
Speaker 2:You come from a mastery of one and assume, because you're famous and you're able to get to where you need to be, that your talent got you there. You're you playing the flute. If that was me playing those same songs as Andre 3000, do you think?
Speaker 1:oh, the reception would have been completely the opposite. Right, yeah, right, and it's just like but Erykah Badu fucked him up 3,000, do you think?
Speaker 2:Oh, the reception would have been completely the opposite. Right, yeah, right, and it's just like but Erykah Badu fucked him up. You know, after that relationship he was never the same. Yeah, another one Down. Wild lady, I mean these women out here. Oh yeah, they'll kill him Relentless.
Speaker 1:Undefeated. Any last minute shout outs.
Speaker 2:Last minute shout outs. I kind of want to talk about controversial episodes in the next few. Okay, you know, somebody was. There was a therapist that I tattooed who wanted to talk about sex. Yes, yeah, she, I got her card. We tapped on that a little bit today.
Speaker 1:Which I thought was fucking wild because she was older.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I was fucking wild because she was older yeah, Older white lady of completely different than like what I would. Who would ever talk to me about the shit, what'd she? Get. She got a autism butterfly, oh nice. And her husband got a key, I know a dog tag. Okay, a dog tag, she's like, yeah, she's there. But she said she wanted to talk about that sex, which I do too. So I find that a fun topic. I want to continue to bring up some fun topics. I want to talk about relationships again.
Speaker 1:Yes, you feel me that one babies, yes, again you feel me yeah, whenever we're ready for that? Yeah, wink, wink whenever we're ready for that. Oh, I'm having, yeah, so yeah, I got a baby boy coming in October. Yeah, oh.
Speaker 2:They had to wait until the end of the episode to get that. Oh, you got to see it.
Speaker 1:And I actually just put the link on to the. I never ask for handouts or anything, but I got the link to my registry on my page. If anyone wants to jump on that, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Feel free to jump on that Use promo code.
Speaker 1:It's a bar Baby.
Speaker 2:don't use promo code, it's a yeah, you, baby, baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, congratulations to this man right here. Man, um, we've been going through a lot, uh, to get these episodes out for you. We've been having fun doing them, but we've also been dealing with highs and lows, because we get so excited to give you an episode and then reality sets in and it kind of jolts us back down and you know we're we're human beings too. Um, we appreciate everybody that's listening and, uh, thank you you guys, um, from b to z to you guys, if you're listening. Thank you so much, zach, go ahead and, uh, bring us on out, brother yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:just to reiterate that. Thank you very much. Um, I feel the same way. Uh, brandon, I appreciate all the support so far. It's been a lot and I never thought it would get this great this fast. So thank you again. Like, subscribe, follow the page if you haven't already, and have yourself a great day. Bye, thank you.
