A$AP Rocky: The A$AP Mob boss talks 'HIGHJACK,' new album and embracing fatherhood goals
Ready for some new A$AP Rocky in your life? Look no further than what the Harlem native is serving up these days with his new ‘HIGHJACK’ anthem getting ample attention and a full-fledged Apple Music 1 interview with the legend Zane Lowe.
Ready for some new A$AP Rocky in your life? Look no further than what the Harlem native is serving up these days with his new ‘HIGHJACK’ anthem getting ample attention and a full-fledged Apple Music 1 interview with the legend Zane Lowe.
A$AP Rocky and Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe dish on everything - except Drake
Sorry, couldn’t resist the in-article headline right there but completely skimming over the 6 God discussion? Eh. But highlights from the interview below and keep scrolling to watch nearly 20 minutes of Pretty Flacko talking it up.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his son, Riot Rose, turning one year old…
A$AP Rocky: The big guy turned one today, so you know.
Zane Lowe: Isn't it crazy how it goes fast, right? And you know this now because it's your second child, so you're seeing it in real time on child number one. You're like, "Oh, my gosh. Whoa. This is going to go by quick." And then that first year birthday comes around, because we have two boys.
A$AP Rocky: Right. I mean, two boys as well. It's just like, time speeds up when you become a dad, man. It's crazy. It's insane. Surreal.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his new song "Hijack" and his upcoming album…
I feel like the real is back man, and it's just like, this shit is for the taking. It's a hijack. Not only that, it's just we coming with a whole new aesthetic on everything, especially with German expressionism and the whole ghetto futurism grim thing. So that's just what the sound sounds like and whatnot. The sonics of it.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music that his new album ushers in a "new saga"…
I've been working on this stuff, this material for a while now, tweaking it and fixing it and whatnot. So this was just one of the ones that we decided to, it was the summer and here we are. Shot a visual and yeah, this is part of the new saga.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about collaborating with Jessica Pratt and Jon Batiste…
I just love alternative. I love just different sounds and whatnot. [Jessica Pratt] kind of gave me this kind of Portishead meets Stevie Nicks vibe a little bit. Right. So I always fucked with her as a artist, and so I figured it was necessary to get her, Jon Batiste on this one and kind of make it feel soulful to bring it on home in the outro.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music why he decided to wait six years between albums…
Sometimes my opinion on my taste, it changes and whatnot. Right. And I think for the past year and a half, it's kind of like what mostly all of these songs are from in the past year and a half, but the duration of the past six years, things have been changing. We had Covid happen, we had situations with me and whatnot, and I just felt like right now is just probably the most time I got to kind of really kind of like just work on the craft and elaborate and execute on those and whatnot and those ideas. And this is the most perfect time, but my opinion changes a lot. And I might make a song and if I don't put it out in a timely manner, I'm over that shit.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music how becoming a father has changed his approach to music...
I think sonically, yes, a lot of shit changed. My taste preference for music and just different artists and just different genres, but it all has changed, especially the way it influenced the way that I make music and I put out music now and whatnot. I think it's more meaningful. I got more to say. I got more personal vulnerable things to talk about and whatnot, and it's just, I think the trick is having that fine balance of just entertaining and telling a story or giving something, telling somebody listening and view something informative about you and whatnot. And that's kind of where I'm at now with just being a pop of two and whatnot and just being at the top of my game with just, design and everything, and film, and you name it, man, we've been doing it all. And right now I'm the catalyst for just all these just different endeavors and different talents and whatnot. And I think more so than never, it's necessary. I've been looking at the music industry and looking at the playing field and whatnot, and it's been a while. I'm really ready to put out a new project and just kind of touch the people again and touch on the people and whatnot and let them know what the fuck I've been up to this whole time.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music how he elevated his sound while maintaining his identity as an artist...
I think for certain with this new music or with this new album, it's just like there was a mission and a goal to sonically make something that felt elevated, that felt matured, especially coming from me and whatnot and just using different sounds and elements to create a masterpiece. That was just really my goal going into it and whatnot though. I think the content is just personal to just me, but I'm A$AP mutha fucking Rocky. It's going to be a little bit of braggadocious shit in there, right. You know what I'm saying? I wouldn't be me without it.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his songs being leaked and the importance of context...
A$AP Rocky: I think anything that makes it on the project is just like kind of, it's like a catalyst to your story, right? It kind of advocates with whatever story you're trying to tell, and I think that it's very important and special if it makes it on the album. Most of the songs that I usually be performing and shit like that, motherfuckers leak it and once it's leaked, it's just like, nah, it's not on the project.
Zane Lowe: Because there's no context anymore, right? It doesn't sit within a body of work.
A$AP Rocky: Yeah. It's just, all that shit get leaked and-
Zane Lowe: It just belongs to the internet. After that I just feel like it's on internet records.
A$AP Rocky: So you know. And so I might perform it here and there, but it's just like, nah, it's leaked. It is what it is. It's out already.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his new album’s title, ‘Don’t Be Dumb’…
Don't be fucking dumb was self-explanatory, man. You know what I'm saying? It's self-explanatory, man. Don't Be Dumb. A$AP Rocky.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music that he’s ready to go back on tour…
Zane Lowe: Do you have a desire to go and do that, to tour this around the world, to be that guy?
A$AP Rocky: Yeah, absolutely, man. They get to eat again. It's time to feed. Let's do it. It's been a while, especially for me. What, 2018? Yeah. I’m ready man. And it’s time.
A$AP Rocky tells Apple Music about his upcoming song "Hood Happy" featuring Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, Flavor Flav and Morrissey…
A$AP Rocky: I literally tried to figure out how to get my parents' favorite rappers, my favorite rappers, subsequently my favorite rappers of my parents, if I grew up on them. So I got a track with Fatman Scoop, Flavour Flav, Slick Rick, Morrissey, and Busta Rhymes all on one. It's kind of nuts. We call that one Hood Happy. That's coming soon. Yeah. Shout-outs to the OGs too. I ain't gonna hold you. Shout-outs to all the OGs, Zane.
Zane Lowe: Dude, I was going home. I was halfway to my car, bro. Dude, only you can pull that off, man. Only you can pull that off. You're the one and only. You're the one and only.
A$AP Rocky: We was in that bag, man. Busta and Slick was having an argument about whose chain is bigger and shit like that. It's fantastic.
Kid Cudi: Cudder unloads on dropping 11 albums with Apple Music's Zane Lowe
There’s no denying how much rap crooner Kid Cudi has contributed to The Culture. From putting out fire songs and albums to appearing in some of my favorite movies like 2022’s X - when Cudder’s involved, everyone pays attention. So it’s no surprise he has plenty to talk about with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe from new tunes to crafting an 11th studio project.
There’s no denying how much rap crooner Kid Cudi has contributed to The Culture. From putting out fire songs and albums to appearing in some of my favorite movies like 2022’s X - when Cudder’s involved, everyone pays attention. So it’s no surprise he has plenty to talk about with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe from new tunes to crafting an 11th studio project.
Kid Cudi dishes on everything with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe
Nearly an entire hour and ample memorable moments, there’s no holding back for the Ohio native in his newest conversation. Talking about his INSANO studio project to feeling big happy with his creations, it’s all in the conversation.
Kid Cudi on his previously announced but short-lived retirement and coming back to music…
[When I said that] I was kind of out of it. I was just in this place where I was thinking about my future and it didn't seem like, I don't know, it just doesn't seem like there was really an appetite for my music in the ways that there used to be. Finally got through that whole retirement thing because I talked to my friend Brian, the world knows him as Kaws, but he was like, "Hey, man, I don't mean to get in your business, but I think you should rethink this retirement thing. I think you could be around for a long time." And to see Brian kind of come to me real like that, and he's never approached me about my music or what I should do with my music ever before, so it hit me in a different way as if it was like it could have been Dot or Chip or Dennis. It was different. And literally after that message, I was like, "Shit, man. He's right. I'm just getting warm. I'm just getting warm." I mean, 15 years is a long time to be doing anything, but it's just the beginning
On how seeing Kendrick Lamar perform shaped ‘INSANO'…
I was still in this place trying to figure out what that album would sound like. And I was in Paris, I just finished my European Runner tour, and I go to see Kendrick. And this motherfucker, it blew my mind. I'm sitting there, I'm watching the crowd reaction from the beginning of the show to the end of the show. People were in it, party mode, singing every fucking word. Not saying this doesn't happen at my shows, because it does. But all the way through, I don't have that experience. You know what I mean? And it's like I had this moment where I was like, "You know what? This is the reaction I want. I want people to feel good and it to be a joyous occasion when I'm performing." So I took that, the inspiration from Kendrick's show, and Kendrick has always been my top three artists in the world.
I'm actually so proud of the record that we have. We got one record, Solo Dolo, Part II. You know what I mean? So proud of it. So I took that inspiration, got to the studio and said, "Let's fucking get to work. We need to make something with some energy. I'm happy. I'm in a better place in my life. I'm never made an album in this type of mode before. Let's see what comes out of that." So the album was truly designed for arenas for the live show.
On relationship with Ye and working with him…
It's usually one person does something where the other one has to defend themselves, but usually you like to keep these things private, but sometimes they can come out. I think in my situation it's a little bit more complicated. Me personally, I just pray on it and walking the light and the new Scott is not angry at anyone. The new Scott doesn't have beef with anyone, and I just try to focus on that. Any past thing I ever had, sometimes it's been I might fall out with somebody and never talk to them ever again, and then sometimes I fall out with somebody and might not talk for a couple years and then we reconnect and it's squashed and it's all good. So it depends. It's like friendships, really it's beyond friendship, is about when it's brotherly, sisterly shit, family shit. It's just a little bit more complicated.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely and siblings hurt you the most. So you go through things, but family is always there. You don't give up on family. And I think in the thick of it, when it was going down, I wanted to walk away. I wanted to give up, but in thinking about it the past couple years, it's like this is someone who is my brother ultimately who came into my life and championed me and did things for me that nobody else did for me early on in my career. People don't even know that Kanye paid for the first day and night video when I didn't have a deal. This was like, he needs a video, so I'm a pay for it. Guy saw me to shoot it, saw me the first director. Didn't know me, but was sure just doing a favor and so shit like that.
I had this moment to think about the past and the journey that I've had with this person and I know that in his soul there is a good man there because I've seen it and you don't give up on people. He's learning and he's growing. He knows he made some mistakes and I think that that's the beauty of it, is this is a beautiful thing. It's like he knows he's been on one hell of a ride and he knows, he's said some things that he might not be able to come back from in a lot of realms, in a lot of spaces from certain people. But we grow and I think I pray for him, and that's my brother. And the reason why we became cool again is because he apologised to me and it was sincere. I was just like, wow. Kanye does not apologise to anybody and say sorry to anyone. And that's my brother, man. I know he loves me and there's just nothing like Kanye and Cudi. We like the duo that everybody loves to see.
Kid Cudi on wanting to make the best music possible and competing...
I feel like all these years I've kind of been exploring as an artist, and I've been on a quest, a quest to acquire my powers to be able to compete one day, and that was one of the goals I had going into this. It's like, no, I'm not going to just make my just offbeat different shit and just be in my own lane. No, I'm just trying to compete. I want to have the best album of the year. You know what I mean? I want people to arguably have the debate about my shit being one of the best albums of the year. I didn't want to have any doubts. I wanted to make something that was completely undeniable.
On reaching the milestone of nearly turning 40 years old…
I feel great. It's like most people my age are afraid to tell their age. But I have found from experience that time gives me wisdom, and growth, and maturity. And when I think about my twenties, I would not want to live that over again. I would never want to go through that. And based on my experience, the older I've gotten, the better my life has. I just feel really good about being where I'm at. Being 40, I didn't even know I would get here. I feel really blessed, man. It's kind of crazy to know that I went through that hell. I didn't see any way out of it at that time. I didn't think…
It was hard for me to imagine anything good in my life happening outside of the music. I was just a tortured, a tortured spirit and people were feeding off of my pain. And I wasn't enjoying it really. I was very tortured. And I don't think I was able to rise to the occasion of being a role model, a hero to these kids.
And when I started off, I had very honest ambitions. I just wanted to help people, just wanted to put something out that people groove to, smoke to. But things kind of got out of hand and got a little crazy. But it's, to be in 2024 right now, all these years later, all the things I've accomplished, standing here talking to you, this wonderful house. You know what I mean? I worked really hard for this shit. You know what's crazy, man? I want to buy a crib in Cleveland somewhere and just have a spot in the cut.
On working at the BAPE Store in New York back in 2008 and memorable people coming through…
Man, Kurt Franklin came through one time and I helped him out with some clothes. Kurt Franklin, you remember me, man? Kurt Frank is the freshest dude, man. He's so fresh. So when he came in, I was like, yo, Kurt Frank's in the BAPE store shopping. He was buying mad shit. I was running down getting him new shoes. He was like, "Yo, what you think about this with this?" I was like, "Oh yeah, man, this is dope." You could wear this with this. This is dope fit right here. I was hooking them up, setting them up with fits, all sorts of shit. But I also had this phobia that rappers would come into the store and see me working there and then have beef with me later and bring up the fact like, “N****, you sold me clothes." So I would always hide in the stockroom.
Lupe Fiasco came to the store one day. He was in the store, I was in the back and they was like, "Yo, Lupe's here." I was like, "Oh, shit." Stayed down the stairs. Waited till he left. And I was like, yo, what you down here for? I explained it to my dude, same way I explained it to you. I was like, yo, bro, if I get famous one day, I don't ever want this nigger saying, yo, you sold me clothes, you my son. You know what I'm saying? We can't have that. This was my explanation, and yo, bro, when you think about it, he hates me to this day. He hates me. So it's like I was right. I was on to something. I sensed something in the universe. So this is my plan at that time. I was totally hyper aware that something was going to happen for me and I was just like, fuck this. I can't have nobody making no this record. Yeah, you rang me up motherfucker. You know what I'm saying?
On working with Lil Yachty…
There's new people that I'm working with like Yachty, of course, who I've learned that we have crazy chemistry on record as well. You know what I mean? And we're actually, there's something going on with me and Yachty...like just more music between me and him. We're trying to figure something out. Every so often I'll work with somebody and be like, oh my God, he's like me. He has powers. Yachty got powers. And when we were sitting there, we must've banged out three, four songs. So there's a little bit more of Yachty on the deluxe and he sounds amazing.
His range is crazy. It reminds me what I hoped for the next generation. It reminds me of the type of shit I was on when I was younger and just trying to explore and just be different and not have people knowing my next move.
On making a song with XXXTentacion ...
Well, it was really like one of these things where I've heard it's this version of a song that X had did on one of my songs on Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, and I tweeted out, " Is this real?" And I ended up connecting with John Cunningham, who worked very closely with X, and he met up with me. He came to the studio. We talked a little bit. He played me the joint. It's amazing. At some point we have to give it out. I want them to have it. I don't even want it. I just want to make sure that they have what they need. I'll clear it, whatever they got to do. But I didn't want to ask them for a verse. I think that's weird. So I was like, "Man, maybe there's something that he's done that I could probably flip." And I couldn't really find that except for Orlando because it had no drums. And it was hitting me out of all the songs that I heard, just like I was like, if this is not calling me to the Cudi vibes, this is just speaking to me. And I hit up John, I got the pieces to the session, got the vocals, and we were like, "Yo, just produce it up and make it brand new." I was like, "Man, this is a gift. It was there. It was ready to be manipulated. It had no drums. It was really bare. It was there." So I took that as a sign from the Heavens and went to the studio and just conjured up something and pieced together parts. And I loved his cadence and his melodies on the verse. So I thought it would be cool for fans to see me be inspired by him and do his vibe. And be in his space for a little bit. And then I wanted to just have the second half be like, this is the uplifting part. This is where we're at right now. The light, the love. We came from the darkness... Because X is just a reflection from my younger days to me. I see a young man that's hurting. I was hurting. And this song, I felt his pain. Even though it's a verse that's been out before, I saw some people complaining about that, whatever. But it was like a remix. My way of just showing love and giving people an idea of what an X and Cudi feature would sound like.
PinkPantheress: There's no holding back dishing on 'Heaven knows,' song leaks and touring
Could you use some more PinkPantheress in your life right about now? Say less. She's moving through The Culture and everyone is keeping tabs so it’s no wonder Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe is taking the time to catch up to what she’s keeping busy with.
Could you use some more PinkPantheress in your life right about now? Say less. She's moving through The Culture and everyone is keeping tabs so it’s no wonder Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe is taking the time to catch up to what she’s keeping busy with.
PinkPantheress links with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything
From talking about song leaks and her ‘Heaven knows’ to the type of state of mind she’s in for touring, it’s all eyes on the interview. Peep some highlights from the chat and lock in for nearly 50 minutes of priceless moments.
PinkPantheress on Embracing Authenticity and Emerging From Her Shell…
I never look at other artists and think “hmmm”, but I realize the artists that I have looked at during my own career and looked at and thought, “wow, they've really done it in a way which I think is beautiful and effortless”…. Those are the people where I've realized they haven't really had to convince anybody about anything. They've just kind of been themselves… when I was emerging out from my shell of not really showing my face and then showing my face, I realized that people were… it felt easy because people were telling me what I was. I didn't have to be like, this is what I am. And their assumptions were correct. It was like, "Yes, I am this shy girl from this small city in the UK. I was an emo. I do dress like this. I do have this kind of humor. They were telling me. And I was like, “yeah, they're kind of right.”
PinkPantheress on Finding The Courage To Pursue Music……
I was really shy. The courage to do music really, really stemmed from my desperation to be successful. I always knew I wanted to be successful, and I always knew I wanted to do exactly what I wanted to do in my brain. And what that was was an accumulation. I actually wanted to be a flipping film editor. I wanted to be in films. There was even part of me that wanted be an actress. There was part of me that just wanted to be someone successful so I can just be happy about the success that I've built for myself. I knew I didn't want to have a job where I wasn't sure about my success. I wanted it to be like, okay, I'm doing this job and I'm good at it. So the courage really came from, I'm desperate right now. So when I was 18, that was where I was like, okay, it's between going to university or doing what I want as my dream job. And it's so funny. At 19, I felt like time was running out. I had fear of, I literally had fear of, I was like, oh my God, these young people doing all these parties and having money and being able to buy cars. I was like, okay, I really need to figure this out.
PinkPantheress on Dealing With Intense Subject Matter on Her Debut Album ‘Heaven Knows’…
Genuinely, when it comes to subject matter, I don't know. Honestly, it's like I'm just bleeding onto the paper when I write, you know what I'm saying? And this has been from the beginning of my music. It's weird because I make it sound like I'm constantly chasing love and affection from someone, which isn't true to my conscious belief. But then somewhere in my subconscious belief, it must be true because I keep talking about it. So, it makes it, honestly, I'm not too sure. But there are issues in the album such as there's a song about me dying. It's one called Ophelia, where someone's actually killing me. They're drowning me in a bathtub. That's literally what it's about. That is definitely one of the worst ways to go. I did think about that too.
PinkPantheress on How Music Helped Her Get Through Her Teenage Years…
Oh, it was the most pivotal part. Well, actually it was then when I realized that music could actually influence your whole identity, down to the clothes, down to the hair, even down to how you speak and talked. So, obviously I was emo, I was friends with all the emos at my school, and that was really my life. Music ruled my life to the point when they started listening to other music, I then joined them and started listening to the other bits of music they were... So, we all made this transition together from emo to this genre, to this genre, we all made it together.
PinkPantheress on Discovering Dance Music…
When I found dance music, I was about, I don't know, 17. Honestly, the reason I always mention Kaytranada is because that was my segue. That was my gateway into music. Even though he is Canadian and not British. When I found his collaboration with Aluna George, that was kind of when I was like, "Okay, let me go down this path." That's where I discovered Sam Smith with Disclosure. You find all these garage tracks that at the time, Jorja Smith On My Mind had that big moment. Then I was like, "Okay, that's an amazing song. What else can we find?" Then you find Sunship, then you find Shy FX. Then you find that whole group and you're like, "Hey, now this is garage." And now we've found ourselves at Mike Skinner with The Streets. And so it's a literal ... It's like an iceberg.
PinkPantheress on TikTok and When She First Felt Like She Succeeded…
Okay. It's just so funny speaking about in Gen Z terms, but honestly when my first TikTok blew up, because all I do use TikTok for and wanted to use it for was for music. I was never about vlogging or this is what I ate today. It was all about, this is for strictly music. So when I first posted my first snippet, and it didn't go viral, this is the thing, I hate the “viral”… but when I had the first few hundred comments being like, "Oh my God, this is amazing." I was like, okay, success. The relationship is real, and I can trust my ears. Because I thought this was good when I made it, or I thought it was good enough, and then people were confirming it for me. So I was like, "Okay, good. This is great."
PinkPantheress on Sampling…
…when it comes to sampling, I try and use the more obscure ones. Back at home everyone knows the song. But over here I try and make sure people on the radio in America are not going to know where the sample's from.
PinkPantheress on Her Music Being Leaked…
See for me… I don't know. I think it's nice for real fans to have a feeling of, oh... “I got this”. Especially my fans, because they're such fiends for the actual music itself. They're fiends for the music itself. It's a bit of a friendship gift. I won't say romantic. I'm platonic with my fans.
PinkPantheress on What She’s Most Excited To Do in 2024…
I'm actually really excited to see which song people are drawn to the most. I'm not saying that's something that's specifically for next year. I'm also excited to go on tour, even though I… no, I'm lying. I'm not. I want to write more for people. I want to do more writing sessions.
PinkPantheress on Joining Paramore On Stage for “Misery Business”…
Well, I watched the same thing happen when I was 14, where she brought someone doing that exact bit to the point where the manager came up before I went on stage. He was like, “well, we might call you up to do this section. I am not really too sure if we will, but would you be down if we pulled you from backstage? Would you be down to go up?” And I was like, “yeah, of course”. But he was like,
“oh, by the way, the section of the song is”. And I literally was like, “you don't need to tell me which section of the song it is. I know what it is.”And I'd watched someone else do it when I was 14, the same section. She was wearing a dinosaur onesie. And I remember thinking to myself, I could never do what that woman did. Going up on that stage in front of, I was like, no way. Even going up on the stage now with those many people, I was like, this is horrible.
2 Chainz: Deuce keeps it 100 on new Lil Wayne music, collaboration goals, still evolving and more
Atlanta rap heavyweight 2 Chainz is going stronger than ever these days and he knows it. The hip-hop veteran links up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything from putting out more music with longtime pal Lil Wayne to feeling like he’s not close to hitting his prime.
Atlanta rap heavyweight 2 Chainz is going stronger than ever these days and he knows it. The hip-hop veteran links up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything from putting out more music with longtime pal Lil Wayne to feeling like he’s not close to hitting his prime.
2 Chainz keeps it 100 with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe on everything from new music to Lil Wayne
Rather than keeping every last moment copy and pasted for your viewing and endless pleasure, how about going into the goods of Deuce’s conversation with Lowe? A massive salute to (you know your name) on the Apple Music PR side for coming through on some solid quotes from the detailed discussion.
2 Chainz on The Origin of His Forthcoming Album with Lil Wayne 'Welcome 2 Collegrove’…
We've been working on it for some time, had a lot of clearance issues, but for the most part we're two hardworking individuals who go in the studio every night. So, I don't think it was hard recording the music. It just was a process of getting the music out to the people. I think me and him just have that chemistry. We enjoy working with each other a lot, and it's a lot of respect there. And as I always say, still sharpen still. So, it's always that little piece of anxiety of knowing that I got to this verse has to be better than the last one. I think it's healthy. I think competition is healthy in any and everything that we do.
2 Chainz on Prioritizing the Lil Wayne Collaboration Over a New Solo Album…
I didn't want to put out any more solo music until I put this project out. I think we just came to a point where it was time to be the dynamic duo that always wanted us to be. The first project was creative. I think it was a little limited. He wasn't on every track. So for this one right here, for us to be on every song together to present this to the world, I just felt like it was time. This has been in the making, it seems to be a trend of two superstars linking up and putting out a project for the fans. There's a lot of artists doing that. I think it's happening. And I think it's fun too. The creative process of being around and seeing how people create and come up with certain things is always so inspiring too.
2 Chainz on the Fun of Collaboration…
Yeah, I feel like you do a song, you do a hook, and then you can lead a second half to whoever you're working with, right? And, if they come up with something crazy and witty, you can maybe erase what you did or, you know what I'm saying? Combine the two ideas. So I think that's what the creative process is like sometime, and I think it could be fun sometimes.
2 Chainz on Continuing To Return To Music Despite His Other Pursuits and Why He Hasn’t Reached His Pinnacle Yet…
I do love it. I'm very passionate about working. I'm very passionate about creating new music. I get excited about not knowing what I may say or come up with next. I still feel like, even in my forties that I haven't reached my pinnacle yet. So… I just feel like I'm just still hungry about what I'm doing and what I want to present to the world. And yes, other doors are opening because I feel like I'm someone that's educated and I'm someone that has a street background. And when you combine those two things, that ultimately makes you some type of superhero. But I'm one of those people that just enjoy learning new things and obviously meeting new people.I just think I was just born with a social butterfly. I think relationships can be worth more than money. But ultimately, I love music. I love working with people. I love collaborating. I love traveling. I love being on stage. That's what satisfies my itch.
2 Chainz on Why He’s Excited About Usher’s Performance at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in February…
I'm excited for Usher, man. He's a great entertainer. I was able to catch his show out in Vegas with my wife. I was highly entertained. I suggest anybody who had a chance to see it and check it out, because I know the Super Bowl won't be, they won't give him as much time as his show out in Vegas to see the whole show. But, he's a great entertainer. I think it's well deserved. He's actually an artist that's featured on the project with me and Wayne, so I'm excited for people to hear that. And it's just divine timing.
2 Chainz Tells Apple Music That Benny The Butcher is Also Featured on The Project with Lil Wayne…
Benny the Butcher. You know what I'm saying? This is a rap album. Let's not lose focus of what's going on. It's fabulous too. Someone else who has a sharp pen and very witty.
Flyana Boss: The rap duo dish on touring with Janelle Monaé, new music and being real life besties
It’s no secret - rap duo Flyana Boss are leveling up in a big way and you know their heat is pretty serious when Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe is pulling through for the Q&A moments. The hip-hop pair don't hold back and talk everything from their new tunes, touring with Janelle Monaé and the importance of persistence.
It’s no secret - rap duo Flyana Boss are leveling up in a big way and you know their heat is pretty serious when Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe is pulling through for the Q&A moments. The hip-hop pair don't hold back and talk everything from their new tunes, touring with Janelle Monaé and the importance of persistence.
Flyana Boss dish on everything with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe
Rather than having you clock in ample time watching and hearing the entire interview, kick back and check out some of the interview highlights below because you know, time is money and all.
Flyana Boss on New Song “Bitch Imma Star”...
So shout out to our producer, Marky Style. He's responsible for all of those amazing switches and the beat. We just kind of came up with it together… it was just the three of us in the studio, bar for bar, coming up with silly stuff to say. He made a really bare bones beat to start off. That was super hard. And then we just took it section by section… And then we were like, "We need a switch-up at the end, like a big one," and then he came up with the slowing down.
Flyana Boss on Touring with Janelle Monáe and What They’ve Learned From Her…
She called us on stage two nights ago. We like to watch her set from time to time and we're just vibing out, and then she said, "Flyana Boss, get up here." She always can see us when we're up there. We make it clear. We're watching. We're dancing, singing the song. She was just like, "Get up here." And we're like, "Okay, sure." It's truly iconic. She's a real artist. Her artistry is a beautiful thing to witness firsthand and her crew is amazing too, so we understand that that's a reflection of her….just the way she leads the tour with kindness and compassion, care for everyone on the tour. Her whole team is like that, and this is our first tour, so it's like the best experience possible. So we're definitely going to take that with us, of treating people well. You are a reflection of the people around you and making sure that everyone's locked in and positive and we're enjoying ourselves so much. This is so much fun.
Flyana Boss on The Next Song They’re Dropping This Friday and Their Forthcoming Christmas Song...
We actually have another song dropping on Friday ... called Big One. That one's just... Wait for it. It's so good. And then, I mean we made this Christmas song back in... When was that? 2020? So we're going to promote that starting on the holidays.
Flyana Boss on Being Best Friends in Real Life and Not Taking Themselves Too Seriously...
It's so much fun. Also, we have each other, so we're best friends for real in real life. We always make each other laugh. We don't take ourselves too seriously. Even if it's something crazy going on that's kind of not good, we'll just look at each other and laugh…. Or rant to each other. Confide in each other. So it's a lot of fun.
Flyana Boss on Persistence…
It was a lot of trial and error. We were posting for a really long time and some things didn't hit. Some things did hit, but we have persistence. We were like, "Something's got to give, so we're going to keep going.”
City Girls: JT and Yung Miami talk 'I Need a Thug' anthem, new album dropping next month and more
City Girls’ JT and Yung Miami are legit back-back. The duo have plenty to talk about with their ‘I Need a Thug’ anthem streaming everywhere, studio album dropping in a few weeks and plenty more so what better place to do it than over at Apple Music?
City Girls’ JT and Yung Miami are legit back-back. The duo have plenty to talk about with their ‘I Need a Thug’ anthem streaming everywhere, studio album dropping in a few weeks and plenty more so what better place to do it than over at Apple Music?
City Girls’ JT and Yung Miami talk hip-hop with Apple Music
Kicking back with the legendary Apple Music personality Zane Lowe, the duo dish on everything from flipping rap icon LL Cool J’s classic ‘I Need Love’ to the low-key behind the scenes stress fans don’t know about.
City Girls Tell Apple Music About What It Was Like To Flip The LL Cool J Original…
JT: I think it was both of our idea because we heard the beat, and then the sample was already in there and it just sounds fun. It sounded like a fun sample. We be holding onto to the hot records and then we put them out the fun seasons, summer, spring.
City Girls Speak On When Fans Can Expect A New Album…
Yung Miami: I know I always say spring, summer, but it is coming next month. I can tell y'all that it's coming in July.
City Girls Speak On Whether Fans Can Expect New Music Before The Album Releases…
JT: The world is about to get a few more [songs] before the project drops.
Yung Miami On What Her Experience Has Been In the Music Industry…
It's very exciting. I'm not going to lie. It's exciting. Something new, something fresh. I enjoy being an artist. I take the good with the bad. I just enjoy it. I got love, being an artist. It taught me a lot about the industry, and I can say that it's very exciting and I'm having fun.
City Girls On One Thing Their Fans Don’t Know About Their Artistry…
JT: It’s stressful…It's stressful as hell, being an artist. You want to pick their brains. You want to pick the fans brains so bad and give them the perfect song. But in the world, it's so many different personalities, so you might please a group of people; then the next will be like, "This is not what we wanted. It's not..." It's stressful.
Yung Miami: I felt like that's when it start not being fun no more. It start feeling like homework. I feel like when we just making music, not thinking about, if the song we hit or if the people going to like it, and we just in the studio making music together. I think that'd be our best body of work. That's when it's fun, but when we start picking brains and stuff, that's when it starts feeling like work.
City Girls Talk What Their Fan Experience Has Been Like, Touching on Accessibility, And Experiencing Things For The First Time…
Yung Miami: I feel like it gets tricky, because I feel like... Go ahead, JT.
JT: No, I was going to say, well, for me, I just keep it on a thin line of you don't know me like that, but I want you to know me enough to like me. I feel like because it's a big part of artistry for your fans to know you, or know you a little, to kind of buy into you these days with social media and everything else so it's hard to be mysterious and still be a personality for your fans?
The Weeknd: The hitmaker talks touring goals, Madonna and Portugal with Zane Lowe
Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd really demands attention whether intentional or not. The hitmaker links up with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and dishes on everything from touring and Madonna to linking up with hip-hop stars like Playboi Carti.
Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd really demands attention whether intentional or not. The hitmaker links up with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and dishes on everything from touring and Madonna to linking up with hip-hop stars like Playboi Carti.
The Weeknd chops it up with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe
While he had to opt for a FaceTime conversation over being able to link in-person, Weeknd still delivers groundbreaking content for nearly 20 minutes. Check out some of the highlights and keep scrolling to see Weeknd and Zane Lowe talk it up.
The Weeknd on New Song “Popular” (feat. Playboi Carti and Madonna)…
I'm proud of it. I'm definitely proud of it. Me and Carti had this... I mean, we've jammed out before. We've had a different version of this song prior. So I've had these vocals for a while and I've kind of just worked around it, and then kind of kept it in the tuck. But now it felt like it was time. It was time. And it felt right and it felt cohesive with this album that I'm working on right now. Or that I just actually finished. The Idol soundtrack, yeah. And so I've been producing the song for a while. And then Madonna, Madge. She’s the ultimate co-sign for this song, for this album, and for this TV show. And you'll hear more of her in the show as well too. She is the ultimate pop star.
The Weeknd on Madonna and Why Writing and Producing For Her Has Always Been a Dream.
I mean, the thing is, I've always wanted to work with her. I've always wanted to write and produce a Madonna album... well, co-produce with her, of course ... because she's a visionary and she has such a singular vision, and I just want to come into her world and create a classic Madonna album. That was always my dream. So this can be... Hopefully this is the appetizer for that.
The Weeknd on ’The Idol’ Soundtrack and Collaborating with Sam Levinson and Mike Dean…
It's on pre-order. So really excited about it. And it's such a labor of love and such a collaborative project. I worked on it with Sam Levinson and Mike Dean, two incredibly talented geniuses. And it was really exciting to collaborate with them. Because usually it's... With all my albums, it's not too collaborative. It's kind of as my own world. But for The Idol, and seeing how and knowing... And I've known Sam for a while. I just know how involved he is with the music of Euphoria, how musical he is, and how important the music is for his art. And seeing him work in the studio and creating with me and Mike was... I mean, I wish we filmed it. You've got three maniacs in the studio… it's a very cohesive body of work. And we have Mike Dean there to kind of take our ideas and make it sound... Polish it. His production is already so interesting. I don't know, I'm excited for... And for it to be very experimental, but still transcend into pop. I mean, it's pop music still.
The Weeknd on Why He’s Proud of His ’The Idol’ Television Series…
I feel great. I mean, I feel great because everyone involved feels great. Everyone is happy, is excited. We're all so proud of what we made. It's controversial. It is. And as you know, I'm no stranger to it. Sam is no stranger to it. We're just excited for people to finally watch it and come up with their own opinion. Which I think is important, because there's a lot of talking and no one has seen the show. And for the people that have seen it, I mean, that experience is... Talk about nerves. I mean, I don't think I've ever been that nervous since the first time I ever performed at The Mod Club. And again, I mean, cinema is in my blood. If you know me, you know how important it is to me. But the reality is, I'm a guest. I'm a guest in this world. I've got to take my shoes off and respect the space and just... You know me, I don't want anything to be easy, I don't want anything to come easy. It never has and it never will, and that's what makes me who I am. But I'm extremely proud of this project. I'm extremely proud of everyone involved. The cast alone is... They're all so scary talented. And they're all on the album as well too. They're all musicians. You have Suzanna Son, who I think is one of the most talented people I've ever met. I can't wait for the world to hear her voice and her songwriting skills. You have Moses Sumney. If they don't know who Moses Sumney is, they'll know after the show. Scary talented. You have Ramsey, who I was introduced to, who is such a vital piece to this story and to creating the music for Jocelyn, who's Lily's character. She helped crack the code. She's incredible producer, incredible songwriter. You have Jennie Kim, who's a good friend of mine, who's... I mean, you want to talk about a superstar? And she understands. Nobody understands it better than she does, the idol lifestyle.
The Weeknd on Having Jennie Kim and Lily-Rose Depp on ’The Idol’…
It's important that we got someone like Jennie who understands this world. A lot of these musicians, like myself, are non-actors, and we all understand the world, we all understand these characters. We're all tapping into a place. And I think Jennie does it incredibly well on the show. I'm really proud of her. But the one I'm the most proud of is Lily. I mean, Lily is singing, Lily is dancing, and she worked. She's all over this album. I mean, I can't wait for people to hear her performance. It was great because we shot the show, a lot of it at my house, and we set up a studio in the basement. So after long shifts, after shooting for hours, we'd go to the studio and be inspired and start creating the music. I mean, it was such a luxury that I feel like a lot of people don't have.
The Weeknd on Preparing For Upcoming Tour Dates in Europe and His Love of Stage Design…
I'm just in tour rehearsal in Portugal. Just building a city. I got a big ass Sorayama… it’s so many feelings. I can't really pinpoint it, and I'm glad I can't. I never get used to it. It's got to stay exciting. I get nervous before every performance, always, but that's what keeps me going. That's what keeps it exciting. And that's what... I can't explain it. I don't know. I don't know what the feeling is. I haven't toured Europe since Starboy……stage design is so important to me. I mean, I spend as much time on the stage design as I do on the actual set, on the music. Look at that. I mean, it's like an album. It's like it's never done until it's out there and it doesn't belong to me anymore. As soon as I get on that stage, the show is not mine, it's the people’s.
Apple Music: KAYTRANADA and Aminé chop it up with Zane Lowe about 'KAYTRAMINÉ'
There’s lots to talk about right now for hip-hop artists KAYTRANADA and Aminé especially with their new KAYTRAMINÉ finally in existence. The duo chop it up with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything from their collaboration project to how they approach record-making.
There’s lots to talk about right now for hip-hop artists KAYTRANADA and Aminé especially with their new KAYTRAMINÉ finally in existence. The duo chop it up with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything from their collaboration project to how they approach record-making.
The Zane Lowe Interview is all about Aminé and KAYTRANADA
More than 20 minutes in length and all types of deep dives into their approach to hip-hop creations, kick back and embrace the conversation with some pulled out quotes.
Aminé Tells Apple Music About Being Surprised By The Challenges of Working on a Collaborative Album
Honestly, just me and Kay have known we've always wanted to do this together. He was one of the first producers who ever reached out to me before the world even knew who I was in 2014, 2015....we just been working on it for a minute and it just felt like with his schedule and my schedule, it's really tough putting collab albums together just because we just have our separate careers and our separate lives and we have separate teams. It takes commitment and it takes people just wanting to work with each other. You know what I mean? A lot of collab albums never really come out just because of just different types of ways they work. I never knew how challenging this was until we did it and it's so worth it. So seeing it released was just such a, I don't know, just such a breath of fresh air for me. It just felt really good. I think anytime me and Kay get in the studio, it's always so much fun.
Aminé on His Favorite Part of Collaborating with KAYTRANADA…
And I think for us, we are just really excited to show our hip hop side. We're like true, true hip hop fans. He's crazy with the hip hop beats. That's why it was just so exciting for me to hop on these beasts that a lot of people don't get to hear from him. You know what I mean? So that was the exciting part for me. I just didn't want to come into it with him just doing exactly what people expect. I wanted to do something with him that was just so different and very, very fun for us.
...there was a lot of times where I wasn't sure if I wanted to hop on this beat or that beat, and Kay was there just pushing me. Just like, "Yo, you should do this. I think you would murder this. I think you would kill it." And then I would go in and give it a chance and he was right and I loved it. So most producers that I work with don't really push me like that. But working with somebody as powerful as this man is us just really partnering together. This is a collab album. I didn't want all my ideas to be the decision-making. I want half of them to all be his too.
…no one here knows the process that it took to make this album. It really looks easy and it looks great, but it's a lot of hard work that went into this. There's a lot of people that aren't even here in this room that helped us make this happen. Yeah, it was a lot.
KAYTRANADA Tells Apple Music About Being In The Studio with Aminé…
…it's never work. It was always just us having fun all the time. It was never serious. It was always an art expression from both of us.
KAYTRANADA on Being Influenced by Pharrell…
In my mind, of course, it's like super, super influential for a lot of rappers and just producers, of course. But a lot of it for me too is just overall style and just how to just create your own identity. I think that's how I always say Pharrell, as a young... I didn't really notice that when I was younger until I got older, just how much he just made a stamp on who he was as a person, visually, stylistically, musically. Just like it all packaged so well together and I was always so envious of that, just coming up as an artist. I was just like, man, I've got to figure out what my thing is. You know what I mean?
Man, it's really the vibes that he brought over the years, over my childhood to my teenage and to my adult. It's like I said, everybody wants to be like him. I think he's an inspiration in terms of, okay, sounding yourself no matter what and then even end up on the radio. You know what I'm saying? For me, I want to be the same in terms of like, okay, like I've got my sound, the Kaytranada sound as well. I hope it breaks through the radio as well.So it's kind of like the inspiration of, okay, I'm going to keep my identity, like Adam said. So I mean it, you know? I just think I want to do the same thing, you know? So that's kind of my main goal.
KAYTRANADA on Leaning Into His Hip Hop Influences as a Producer…
I'm a student of Dilla, Madlib, Just Blaze, all those producers really, I still have them in mind even when I make electronic music.
KAYTRANADA Tells Apple Music About Enlisting “One of the Best Verses of the Year” from Big Sean…
Sean is somebody who, of course, I see in that light. He's an artist that I've looked up to for Years… I always knew he was going to kill this beat. So I hit him up for a year straight just trying to get him on this verse. And he was hitting me back and he had family... Yeah, he's a dad. He gave us literally one of the best verses of the year. I think it was amazing to finally get that verse sent to me. He FaceTimed me and it was a great moment. Yeah, so I was really hype about that.
KAYTRANADA on the Possibility of Live Shows From KAYTRAMINÉ in the Future…
We definitely going to make shows. We definitely going to have shows, I would say this year, later this year… we got into some, how can I say that? We had confirmations before we think, we thought about dropping the album. So that's where we have scheduled conflicts. But we're definitely working on that, you know. We definitely going to bring it to life for sure.
Lil Durk: The Chicago rap heavyweight talks new J. Cole song, studio album and Future's inspiration
Chicago rapper Lil Durk has plenty to talk about these days. With his new ‘All My Life’ single streaming everywhere plus a new studio album in the form of Almost Healed, Durkio taps in with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe and the conversation is non-stop.
Chicago rapper Lil Durk has plenty to talk about these days. With his new ‘All My Life’ single streaming everywhere plus a new studio album in the form of Almost Healed, Durkio taps in with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe and the conversation is non-stop.
Lil Durk chops it up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe
From talking about new tunes to dishing on how much of a positive impact rap heavyweight Future has on his life, it’s all types of standout quotes. Peep highlights from Durk’s deep discussion with Lowe.
Lil Durk Tells Apple Music About New Song "All My Life" (feat. J. Cole)...
I just be moody. Whatever mood I'm in, I just go to the studio and just make the music, you know what I'm saying? I just feel like a positive vibe went up with Dr. Luke, you know what I'm saying? That's the first song he played and I just felt it and I'm like, "Man, I want J. Cole On this." And I made it happen. I've been talking to him, checking up on him, just seeing how you doing. You wait for the right moment for him to ask to be on the song. The song be big. I just wanted to be like, "I want J. Cole on the song." So when we do the song, the first person popped in my head, I'm like, "I got to get J. Cole on this.”Lil Durk Tells Apple Music J. Cole Is One of His Cornerstone Artists…
Yeah, he one of them. Definitely. He one of them. He like one that I looked up to that give out a positive message to. Him, of course, like HOV. Swizz. Yeah, Swizz got me and Hov connected, so that's how we started talking, you know what I'm saying? It's just about relationships, about energy, and about keeping the vibes together, you know what I'm saying?Lil Durk Tells Apple Music About His New Album ‘Almost Healed’…
I just want you all to be prepared for it. It's a lot of energy on it. It's a new experience for me. It's the same Durk, but it's just growth. I'm just excited for you all to hear it, man.
Lil Durk Tells Apple Music About Titling His New Album ‘Almost Healed’…
At first it was 2.0. At first it was The Voice 2.0 and I just figured that going through a lot of stuff and people thinking they know me, thinking I'm going through a lot of that that I wasn't going through and I was just having a basic conversation with Peter and we were just talking. I'm like, "Man, I'm almost healed for me just to come back outside." And he's like, "Man, that name's so powerful." And I'm like, "Man, that's the name right there, Almost Healed."You could be almost healed from any situation which from a broken heart, a broken arm, a broken leg, anything. You know what I'm saying? So that name alone, it just ring bells, you know what I'm saying? It's self-explanatory. You ain't got to keep explaining to people what it means. It's just like, everything you've been through is you can see it, you can feel it, you can hear it. But when the album come out, it's like you can hear it, you can feel it, you can see it, you can hear different emotions in it. Everything.Lil Durk Tells Apple Music Drake is Like a Brother and Mentor To Him...
Drake is like a brother to me. He like a mentor to me. He'll tell me the truth like, "Nah, that verse suck, bro." It's just something. It's just some people that you need like that in your life just to make you go hard and that's when I was going on my run when it was just like go, go, go, go.
Lil Durk Tells Apple Music About the Shape of His Conversations with Jay-Z…
Where he be at, where he from, where he at. So basically, it's like checking in on him. He checking in on me. You just keeping it natural, it ain't always about music. It always just about checking on somebody because you never know what somebody going through.Lil Durk Tells Apple Music How Future Inspires Him...
Future another person who inspires me and have me super on point, super ready, super to play with the sounds, play with your voice, go in the studio every day… but honestly it's hooks, but it's like if you really listen to Future, it's like hooks and verses. Yeah, he paints pictures.
Lil Durk Tells Apple Music How He’s Handled Success…
I'm really just try to keep it the same. Keep my same vision, keep the same way I move because it really keep me on point. The way I move, the way I act, what I associate with, the way I eat, the way everything is intact or what I do. And I feel like if I do anything inside, outside of what I do, I'll move differently and something will happen. You see what I'm saying?
Little Simz: The UK rapper talks nixing her '22 tour, Missy Elliott's influence and more with Apple Music 1
Have you ever lost yourself in the music? How about losing yourself to a solid interview? Turns out Little Simz has a lot to talk about with the United Kingdom rapper dishing on putting out new music, peeping game from music icon Missy Elliott and cancelling her 2022 tour with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe.
Have you ever lost yourself in the music? How about losing yourself to a solid interview? Turns out Little Simz has a lot to talk about with the United Kingdom rapper dishing on putting out new music, peeping game from music icon Missy Elliott and cancelling her 2022 tour with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe.
Little Simz chops it up on Apple Music 1 with Zane Lowe
There’s way too many epic moments to capture here. So I’ll lean on the Apple Music PR team to come through with some solid comments from the conversation.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About Titling Her Latest Album ’NO THANK YOU’…
It was just the realization of the power of the word “no". Politely, though. It had so many negative things attached to it. And actually it's like, "No." There's so much power in the word no, in a positive way. And just standing for something can be like, "No, I'm actually all right." It's not compromising anything here.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music The Important Lesson She Learned From Working with Damon Albarn…
I remember first getting into the studio with D for the first time, and my anxiety just being through the roof like, "This is mad." And trying to, I guess, I felt myself trying to mold myself into what their thing was. And I remember Damon peeping it and being like, "No, that's not why I called you in here. I called you in here because I want you to do that thing only you can do.” And I think from that, I was just like, "Oh, okay. So, every space I walk into, all I've got to do is bring myself.” That's what I took from Damon, you know what I'm saying? You ain't got to mold yourself, or try and fit into ... No, man. If you're in that room, it's because of you. And what would've happened if I just brought myself at that point? So, that's something that, yeah, I'll always have so much love and respect for Damon for that one thing he said to me. He's lovely, man. Anyone that's kind of worked with him, he always has a space for them. You know what I'm saying? Whether it's, "Cool, we're playing here, come out and do this song on this show." There's always a space to be a part of that family. It's ever-extending, it's ever-growing, and he's built that. It's really inspiring for me, anyway.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About The Breakout Success of Her Last Album ‘GREY Area’...
It's going to be 35 minutes. It's got to be 10 songs, very direct, very to the point. I'm going to say everything that's been brewing, and then kind of see what happens. And honestly, I had no expectation of that album. I didn't think it was going to be the breakthrough record. And I just wanted to create, and like I said, get back into that space. And it's funny because that is the first album that I didn't have expectations with, and it'd done the most. And Grey Area was the first record where I was like, regardless of what this does or doesn't do. I'm tapping into something, and I'm going for it.
Little Simz Reflects on Her 2021 Album ’Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’…
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. I was so into like, no, I need to focus on the one thing I know I can do with my eyes closed and in my sleep, and that's write. And so I'm going to hone in on that and really trust the process. And it was a beautiful experience from just recording. I mean, there was a lot going on in the world at the time with the pandemic stuff, so that obviously inspired a lot of music.And even our recording process, we'd done some strings in a church, writing in my car, I was writing in my bedroom, I was writing in the studio. I was in so many different spaces just trying to get out what I wanted to say. And yeah, it was a really beautiful process. It was really tough as well. I think I was as tough on myself. Yeah, for sure. Especially coming off the back of Grey Area. I knew people are going to be listening now. Every lyric, every line.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About Being Influenced By Missy Elliott and Nas…I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the greats that have come before me. Missy. Missy Elliott. Just based off the pure fact that she was a Black woman in hip hop, and she just stood out by being herself. That is something that I'll always remember, just be like, oh, she's so herself. That's sick. That's what I want to do. Not to mention, Timbo was going crazy on the beats. The videos are crazy. I heart her. And what she's done, just even behind the scenes when she's been producing or been writing songs for other people. She is so really about it. And I just remember being really, really inspired by her. Yeah, for sure. Missy. And then my brother was a huge NAS fan, and I just remember riding with him in the car, and just taking him in, and being like, I don't understand the level of what he's saying, but he's so smart. He's a real lyricist. Very, very vivid. it's immersive. Yeah. Your body kind of has a physical reaction on the auditory experience.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About The Challenges and Benefits of Expressing Emotions In Her Music...
I think in UK, or to be honest, just in Black music and Black culture, it's not a thing to talk about how you feel and emotions and this and going to therapy, what? That's not a thing, do you know? Or at least back then, anyway, when I was coming up. So it was challenging…I don't know, man, something in me was just like, continue to do that, and I guess as more people start listening to me, and also feedback is really important. When you hear someone tell you that you said that, and that actually really resonated. It's like, oh, cool. So people do feel like this. And it makes you feel a lot less alone. It makes you feel like, this is real stuff that people be going through, and I'm going to talk on this more. You know what I'm saying? And people tell you, do you know what? I thank you for saying that, because I feel this, but I'm not a writer, or I don't know how to express myself in this kind of way.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About The Importance of Having a Strong Support System…
I've been blessed because I've had such a great support system behind me. My mom, brothers and sisters were very, very supportive of my dreams and go for it, we're going to back you, we're going to be in your corner and I think that helps because I think as an artist, self-doubt and having periods where you don't necessarily believe in yourself, is almost inevitable sometimes. When you have the support system around you, that in those times can help bring you back to that point of believing in self, is really helpful.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About Having To Cancel 2022 Tour Dates During a Rough Period…
I remember I just had to cancel my US tour and that was a really rough period. I was switching teams around and stuff. Mm-hmm (affirmative) and just things not being handled the way they should have been. I take accountability for sure because I know my 50%. But I had to protect myself in that space and my mental wellbeing. And I think I'm really thankful that I have support in fans as I do that, actually were like, "Yo, it's all good.” Yeah, so it's always like, all right, cool, I can't come out and see you, but I have got new music for you. And guess what? I'm going to come and tour both albums.
Little Simz on The Importance of Her Nigerian Heritage…
It's super important. I mean, in my household it was very Nigerian. From my mom speaking Yoruba to me, from our foods, what she would cook, to the music she played, to what she was watching, Nollywood movies and then as soon as I open my front door, it's like, London.
Little Simz on Navigating The Industry as an Independent Artist…
our art is really all we have. This is a way in which we're able to really express ourselves and make the most out of what we have. I'm someone that is very big on, all right, cool, we ain't got budget to do this, we're going to figure it out. If we're shooting a video, I got some clothes, I can borrow my sister's stuff, I know your brother's got mad hats, let's get him in the video. You know what I'm saying? Just trying to work with the resources we have amongst each other to make something happen and so learning that independence was something that I'd kind of built from early without even really recognizing it at the time.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About Learning To Be Self Sufficient From a Young Age…
This is a pattern of mine. And I think, also going back to, I guess, childhood and this thing of, okay, I grew up in a single-parent household, and I saw my mom work so many different jobs. And so I didn't know how to ask for things because I saw that she was working and busy and doing her thing. And so as much as I grew up in a very loving household, I never wanted to put more of my thing on her. So I'd retreat and figure things out myself. And I think as I've gotten older, that's a trait that's followed me or that I've continued to have.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About Juggling Various Creative Disciplines and Learning As She Goes...
I think that's something that I've kind of, not struggled with, but I've found challenging over the years, is to wear a few different hats and still be myself and still be Simbi, but then also be the boss and then be the performer and then be the actor and the all around creative… to be honest and those labels get put onto you and then, for me to step in that and walk in that light and be like, okay, cool. Maybe that is a purpose of mine to be a voice of some sort, but also I'm human. You know what I'm saying, so I'm going to make very human mistakes. That's okay. I never want to repeat the same mistakes, but I'm open to make new ones because I'm human.
Little Simz Tells Apple Music About Her Faith Journey…
Well, I grew up in a very Muslim, Islamic household, my parents were Muslim. And as I got older, I kind of transitioned out of Islam to not knowing what I believe in, to be very honest. And in my teen years it's like, "I don't know. But something I guess.” I just didn't believe. I just felt like a bit of a fraud, to be honest. I'd see my mom pray five times a day. I weren't doing that. I weren't covering my hair in the hijab. I wasn't fasting during Ramadan. I wasn't going to the mosque. I wasn't. And I just didn't think, that didn't resonate and that didn't sit well with me. And so I kind of went for a period where I didn't really know what I believed in. And then to now being like, "Oh, I've got my own relationship with God, and I speak to God all the time." And I banter with God, I have my own, when I used to pray and stuff, I used to be very, sometimes I'd slip up and say swear words and be like, "Oh, I'm so sorry." But it actually, it's like my relationship with God is what it is, and it's very personal to me. And same, I haven't found a home in religion, but I do have a very strong sense of faith.
Rita Ora: It's all about positivity and being in a great place in her new Apple Music 1 Q&A
It’s no secret - Rita Ora is a stunner by herself but add in her musical talent? It’s a game-changer vibe you get from the international star. The popular British singer pulled through for a chat with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe and had ample topics to discuss including her new ‘Praising You’ anthem.
It’s no secret - Rita Ora is a stunner by herself but add in her musical talent? It’s a game-changer vibe you get from the international star. The popular British singer pulled through for a chat with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe and had ample topics to discuss including her new ‘Praising You’ anthem.
Rita Ora talks ‘Praising You’ and positive to being in a great place
While there’s no video to go with the quotes right now, kick back and peep some of the highlights from Rita’s convo with Zane.
Rita Ora Tells Apple Music About Getting Permission From Fatboy Slim To Flip His 1999 Hit "Praising You”...
Honestly, I had to chase him down 3:00 AM at Glastonbury. I was there at his set. I was ready, waiting. Also a massive fan. But 3:00 AM to talk business is not the right thing to do. It's a rave of classic. This is a cultural, incredible moment, especially in the nineties. Fatboy Slim's Praise You was a moment.
Rita Ora Tells Apple Music About The Origin of the Track...
I wrote this song with this incredible producer called Serben, he's from Romania, and this woman called Georgia Coup and a good group of people. And we basically said, "What would we do in our dream?" And we just wrote our dream version of this record and didn't know if he was going to say yes. And then he turned around and he said, "You know what? I've heard a lot of people trying to do something like Praise You or take it or flip it. And I've held back for so many years and I'm going to give it to you." And I was like, "Why?" And he said, "Because your perspective is different. The record is actually a pretty sad, in depth tune. So hearing Praise You from Fatboy Slim was his version of finding a real emotional connection to it and actually showing that on the dance floor. Now my version was really flipping it and praising the ones that you love and absolutely trying to find happiness in the times like this. So I'm really happy he understood the perspective. And like he said, he's very proud to hand over the beacon, which for me is a true, genuine honor. It's a big honor for me.
Rita Ora Tells Apple Music About Hacking Her Husband Taika Waititi Direct The Music Video...
I tried to call Spike Jones. He wasn't available to be in the video, man. Taika is good seconds. I mean, I'll take Taika. I'll take him. It's so cool to be able to collaborate with the ones that you actually respect. I really love Taika’s brain. You know what I mean? That's what I really fell in love with. He teaches me things every day…we were lying down and we were just hanging out watching a movie. I said, "Wouldn't it be cool to do something like all that jazz and fame?" And he said, "Look, I would love that." And then we came up with the whole idea and boom. We shot it all on film in one day in downtown LA. It was amazing to be able to work with him and make this mini movie because it really is a mini movie. Yeah. And having Norman in the video too was a really good touch. Are you still in shock…
Rita Ora Tells Apple Music She’s in a Great Place and That She Wants To Share That Positivity With Fans...
I call them the messy twenties because I think sometimes with those mistakes, we wouldn't be who we are today. And I am at a point in my life where I feel so content and I feel like I really want to share that comfortability with my fans and I want people to feel safe when they hear my music. And I want people to feel free. And I really want to try and spread that sense of certainty. You know what I mean? Especially now more than ever. But it feels good. It feels good to have something to write about. It just started off as a little diary and it's turned into this love story for my fans and also for anyone that wants to feel a bit of that.
Macklemore is back-back and talking about 'BEN'
Don't worry, there’s no relation to Over. Washington rapper Macklemore is far from retired and ready to get all his flowers at once with a new BEN album slated to arrive this week. So it’s only right he chops it up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe about everything from his newest audio gems to juggling wins and losses.
Don't worry, there’s no relation to Over. Washington rapper Macklemore is far from retired and ready to get all his flowers at once with a new BEN album slated to arrive this week. So it’s only right he chops it up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe about everything from his newest audio gems to juggling wins and losses.
It’s all about Macklemore on Apple Music 1
While the full-fledged interview is amazing, life goes by fast and so do stories. So it’s all about the key quotes from the conversation from Mack’s discussion with Lowe.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About His New Album ‘BEN’ and Journey of Self Discovery…
I think that the process of making an album is one where you're trying to get to the core of your own truth, right? You're stripping away layers, you're peeling them back. You're like, okay, who am I? What do I want to say now? And I've been rapping for a long time. 25 years. I started when I was 14 years old. So it's been a journey of a discovery. And I think that my constant answer when people were like, "What's the difference between Macklemore and Ben, the person?" And my answer would always be like, there is no difference. I hold myself to be as transparent as possible. I want to be myself in the music. I think our journey through life is this process of finding out who we are, what is our purpose, why are we here, and what are we going to do with this time? And every album should reflect that.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About Relapsing At The Beginning of the Pandemic…
COVID hit, and I was coming down here. I was going to rap the album. We got maybe 20% left. Let's go finish it. And I went down. And we were about to get on the plane the next day, and it was like, yo, we might not get back from LA if we go down there right now. It was just about to pop off. At the time, I had a couple years clean, I believe, or two something. I forget what it was. But yeah, I was alone. That's the answer. I was alone. When you're in recovery, a huge part of my recovery is my community of people, is going to meetings, to 12-step meetings, seeing people, giving them a hug, hearing their stories, talking in the parking lot, going out to get coffee. I am reminded of the disease that I have. When I hear their stories, I see them. There's a physicality to it. There's an energy exchange. And it just helps me stay clean. COVID happens. Zoom meetings take over. 12-step meetings on Zoom saved so many lives. Amazing. Shout out to KCB in Detroit. Now I'm on Instagram listening to Zoom. Now I'm checking emails and typing as the Zoom's on in the background. Now I'm not on the Zoom. Now all of a sudden I'm not going to meetings. And for me as an addict, I need to go to meetings. I need 12-step meetings. I need to wake up every day day and be reminded that I had the disease of addiction. It is untreated, and what am I going to do today about it? And I lost that. …I could almost tell you that anyone that's been clean and relapsed can pinpoint what that feels like. It is such a distinct moment where you're there. I have a memory with a pill in my hand and looking in the mirror. (censored) it.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About Navigating Wins and Losses...
100% sincerity. I am so grateful for all of the peaks and the valleys, bro. I am grateful for the darkness. The darkness is why I appreciate where I'm at today. I need that duality or to be reminded of how bad it can get. And I look back on the last 10 years in this industry, of navigating it from Seattle, Washington, independently. There's been so many Ws. There's absolutely been Ls too. No one gets away from this thing called life without them. And I treasure those Ls. Those Ls are super important, because I don't look at them as losses. I look at them as lessons. I look at them as, you know what? That pain that I went through when I saw you after The Heist, that era, it transitioned me into Gemini. It transitioned me back into recovery. I was so low.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About Getting Clean After The Grammys and a Trip To India...
I remember it was after the Grammys, and my wife and I, my fiance at the time, we went to India. And I look back on that time period, and there was so much fear. And the reason why there was fear is because, again, I was living to escape. I was back. I had been on drugs. I remember a couple days before the Grammys, I started trying to taper off, because I knew that I was going to be dope sick by the time that the Grammys hit. I was relapsing. Yeah. I was relapsing on and off that entire... I was in active addiction that year, and... I remember taking the last pill. We were in Mexico. And trying to time it out so I wouldn't be dope sick. And I was so fucking scared, and it wasn't like what was going to... It was all of the things at once, but the center of it is I had lost my faith. I was living in fear. The opposite of faith is fear. The opposite of hate is love. I was in that place of just, I don't know how to do this. I can't exist without drugs right now. And I want to be understood, and people don't understand me. The minute that I got clean again after India, or in India, all of a sudden, it was like, "Ah! There is it. There's my spirit. I lost that dude. I know exactly who I am. I know exactly what got me here. I remember the magic that makes me who I am." I had forgotten it… it was almost instantaneously, and then the process opened back up.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About His Desire to Connect With His Audience...
what I truly want is I want to be able to go play music live and have people come. That's what I want. So simple. I want to play music live around the world, and I want people to come, and I want to celebrate with those people that want to come. And I don't care if there are 500 people or 50,000 people. That's what I want, and that's what I've always wanted. That's it. It's going to hit who it's going to hit. The ears that it resonates with are those that were supposed to be there.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About Exploring a Range of Genres…
…there’s another side of it that wants to make a 80s song in a British accent. There's another side of it that wants to rap with over primo drums. And there's another side of me that's like, let's take a swing at pop. I want to do all of those things. Those are all authentically me. And I think that one of the things in our culture is we like to put people in boxes. We put this artist in a box. We put Macklemore in a box, or whoever it is. And then the minute that they break out of that, it's like, "Hold on. Hold on. That's not what you do.”
Macklemore Reflects on The Challenges of the "Thrift Shop" Era…
Yeah, it was dark. It was a dark, very challenging era. That era was tough, man. It was all the criticism, all the expectations, all the accolades, all the love, all the hate, everything at once. And I spent my entire life being an underground rapper. All of a sudden that changed. And there was an era in that period where it was like, "Wait, hold on. You guys remember what I've done? You guys remember where I came from?" And it was like, "No, my little sister likes your music now. This is wack”. And in that moment, it was really intense… You’re up for judgment from the world, and no one tells you how to handle that. And here we are at the top of the world and I have no idea what the fuck I am doing. And you don't say no. You just say, yes. You do the next show. There's another bag to chase. There's another cover, there's whatever. And you're just going and you're not stopping. And as that's happening, as you're not sleeping, as your mental health, as relapses happening, as I'm trying to hide, that all of that's happening, the rest of the world is talking about you and it was a dark period. It's like, okay, you work your entire life for this moment. Now you got the ball. What are you going to do? Do not go out of bounds. Do not call a timeout. There is no two minute warning. You're just going to go. And that's what we did.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About New Song “HEROES” (feat. DJ Premier)…
It was one of the first songs that I made in COVID, actually. I had this beat. Wrote a rap quickly, damn near did it in a one take, maybe three. And I was just sitting on it… And I had always come back to them like, I really like this. I just bumped this. I just keep coming back to this. I want to hear it over other records that we're getting priority in terms of our internal conversations. Finally, as we're starting to roll out songs from the album, I'm like, I want to give HEROES a moment. I don't want it to get buried. I want to go out... Primo was down to do the video.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About New Song “MANIAC" (feat. Windser)…
Ryan had the hook. Right away, I was just like, well, this is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the night. And I was like, "What's up with this? What are you doing with it?" And he was like, "It's open. It's free. Go ahead. You can write to it." I took it, and the rest is history. I think I like to get outside of my comfort zone. I don't want to rap within five bpm of the track before and the track... I want to do something different. I'm like, what does 143 sound like? What does 160 sound like? What if we did halftime drums? I'm constantly like, you know what, let me get outside, because I know where I think that I sound the best in terms of my rap bpm pocket. I know I'm 100 to 110. That's my favorite pocket. I love hearing myself in that bpm.Maniac was different, and those drums are different. It's some old throwback vibes. And being in a relationship with the Maniac is like I'm in a happy marriage, and I have to dig back to those relationships where I was like, yo, this was toxic, this was crazy, really dig from those past experiences to make that song. I think we all have the potential to be maniacs still. The unexpected is always right there.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music About Loving The Process…
The thing that I come back to, and it's very simple. I love creation. I love making things out of nothing. I love having an idea, and a month later or a week later or a couple of years later, all of a sudden, that little seed turned into an experience that turned into a tangible thing. It was a body of music. It was a golf polo. It was whatever. I love the process of, "I have an idea. Let's make this a reality.” And that is the thing that gets me up in the morning. That is the thing that alleviates the fear, because all you have to do is just keep creating. That's the job. It's literally the best job in the world. Keep making shit.
Macklemore on Letting Go…
looking back at a decade ago where I was at versus today, I think that that has been a massive shift, is accepting life on life's terms. And I don't get to control. I'm not the puppet master. I don't control this. I am literally, as we all are, just a vessel, and we get to start a new day. Where's it going to lead us? And so much of our life is trying to control these little things. If this person just responded that way, if this person checked their email, they never responded to a text. If this happened in my career, that should have never... We go through our entire lives this way with this pollution in our brain versus just being like, "You know what? I am here in this moment, and I am accepting it for what it is. And there's gratitude to be found." Once I can get to that place, life opens up, it unfolds. The studio becomes this oasis. There's no more fear. It's like, yo, we can do anything we want to do.
Macklemore Tells Apple Music He’s in the People Business…
I've been in the music business for a long time, but I'm not really in the music business. I'm in the... I'm in the people business. I'm in the heart business. I am in the business of how do we resonate with one another through sound? That is my job. It's not all this other. It's not like, "Okay, now we need socials and we need..." That's a byproduct of this society that we are living in today that I can choose to subscribe to or not. Now again, I get to do this. And that doesn't come from a contrived contest or some sort of, "Hey, we've thought of this marketing campaign to get... We're going to pay these influencers to wear your or to listen to your song and this 15 second snippet." And no shade to any of that. It's just not why I make art.
Lil Yachty admits the second part of his career is fully activated
Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty knows it’s deeper than rap. Over the past few years, he’s done everything from flex a little pizza-making skills with his signature line landing in spots like Wal-Mart to putting ample work behind the scenes. So it’s no surprise he’s feeling re-inspired and ready to take over - what better way to let loose than talking to Zane Lowe about the grind on Apple Music 1?
Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty knows it’s deeper than rap. Over the past few years, he’s done everything from flex a little pizza-making skills with his signature line landing in spots like Wal-Mart to putting ample work behind the scenes. So it’s no surprise he’s feeling re-inspired and ready to take over - what better way to let loose than talking to Zane Lowe about the grind on Apple Music 1?
Lil Yachty talks rap career, close-knit relationships and more on Apple Music 1
Because of the length of the Q&A, it’s all about the highlights. Peep some moments from Lil Boat’s chop up session and keep scrolling to see Yachty talking it up on-camera.
Lil Yachty Tells Apple Music About Titling His New Album ‘Let’s Start Here’ and Entering The Second Chapter of His Career…
I changed the name like eight times. And I settled with 'Let's Start Here' because I just felt like it was the beginning of the second chapter in my career. And I don't know what's next. But I just felt like... and I've had such a long career. It's been about almost seven years in March, I think. And I've dealt with so much and I've been through so much in just trying to figure out my artistry and just myself as a person. I was a kid. I graduated high school and then six months later this life started. So I was just a kid just going through life. So I was just looking at it like my second chapter in my career. So I settled with Let's Start Here.
Lil Yachty Tells Apple Music About Making ‘Let’s Start Here’ With Intentionality and Shining a Light on Other Eras of Music…
I made this album for people. Like I said, for a momentary bliss. That's genuinely the reason….I was like, "Whoa, this is what I've done. I could really take people from their reality for a bit." …it was like, "Oh man, I just want to do this real trippy vibe.” I was just a kid just doing what I liked. I was just a teenager turning to a young man. Just doing what I liked. I wasn't trying to make no experience. I was just making music. This album I made with such a specific intention. Everything. It's tight. I've had this album for almost two years now. Well, I started it almost two years ago. So it's tight to see people just feel what I was trying to make them feel through music, because I knew you could do it because it's happened to me. So I was trying to give that moment to people where they just... and really to the kids, because these kids don't know a lot of music. Just to be realistic. They're stuck in the current time. And that's fine but it's like, man, you've missed out on so many eras of amazing music. So I wanted to really show the kids an other side.
It's so crazy, man. I wish we could see certain rooms we made these records in. We made this in a shack. At Mac DeMarco's shack behind his house. Really small shack. But the song sounds larger than life. I mean, when this song was getting made, I was like, I need a record. Or I would love a record man that just could play anywhere. Whether it was a cookout or a graduation party or just anywhere. And that's what this record was about. That was the plan. I wanted to make a dance record without saying dance s**t.
Lil Yachty Tells Apple Music About Growing As an Artist and Studying Pink Floyd…
But with me watching every documentary and all the interviews and just studying Pink Floyd. And then I learned so much from making this album. And yeah, here we are. I think I just... I took a completely different approach with this album than I've ever did in the process of creating something. And I've learned, I've grown so much and I've changed so much as an adult. And I've grown so much and I've changed so much as an adult in this process. So it all plays a factor and it all shows in this album, I think.
Lil Yachty on Aiming To Create a Cohesive No Skips Project...
So once we started working on the middles, all of the in betweens and connecting it was when it started to become this thing. Because at first you just have... because if you take the songs apart, some of them sound the same but they're all over the place. Black Seminole sounds nothing Say Something. I still don't even know how they work together on the same project, but... so if you take them apart, it's just sounds like a playlist. Just a bunch of different songs. But once we put them together and make it really weird and just connect them, then it takes you to this universe. I also just wanted to make a project that you didn't have to skip, which is opinionated. Skipping is opinionated. But I thought it would be super cool if I made a project that... obviously everyone's not going to agree on it, but the masses could play it from top. This is my first album in stats where people you can see people are playing it through.
Lil Yachty on Aiming To Reach a Different Demographic...
It's a million reasons why I made the record. I wanted to reach a different demographic. I don't know why, but I did. I just wanted to just have fans all across the board. I didn't want to just have f**king 18 year old fans, which are cool. I love them to death. But I thought it would be tight to see a dad or a grandpa or Auntie. Yeah. I've gotten the most backhanded compliments I've ever gotten in my life. It's like, "Yeah man, I would've never listened to…. This s**t’s crazy.”
Lil Yachty on Evolving As an Artist and Embracing New Sources of Inspiration...
Back then, I just thought you would check your email and whatever you got the best beat, that's what you did. Until I got older and I started doing more homework on Psychedelic Rock and just getting into certain things that I loved. And then I dove into finding musicians and producers that could hone in with me, sit with me, and we could actually bring something to life. And this was the first time I did it. And this is the response. This is what came from me actually sitting down and building a project from zero.
Lil Yachty Tells Apple Music Why He Reads Negative Reviews and Comments…
I'm just interested. I'm just interested in what people think. And I don't do anything. I sit at a house all day. I swear, I don't do s**t. I just stay home. And I'm just curious. It doesn't affect me. It doesn't hurt me at all. Hate, I respect it because everyone's entitled to an own opinion.
Lil Yachty Ton Caring More About How People Perceive Him as a Rapper...
it’s not that I didn't take it serious, but it was just like I wasn't trying to be the best rapper or the most creative artist. I wasn't even trying to make music. I didn't even care if... I wasn't thinking about music lasting 10 years. I didn't care. I was just making music, but I still cared. And then as I got a little bit older, then I started to care about how people perceived me as a rapper.
Lil Yachty on Being The Voice of His Generation…
I think my generation, my rap generation got a bad rap…I feel like I probably had the best public speaking. So I'm the one who did all the interviews. And I was also very new. So sometimes I would say certain things that may have not been the best thing to say and that riled up a lot of people.
Lil Yachty Tells Apple Music He Was Irritated When He Dropped “Poland”...
That was irritating. I was pissed because I made Poland while making this album on a day when they were mixing shit in the other room and I was just bored with the homies, and I would've never dropped Poland, ever, because I was trying to pivot myself into this. So I was really irritated when it dropped, but I'm so grateful it did. And like I said, I really don't know what I do next. I don't know if I'm going to do this again or do more rap shit, but I don't know. I'll figure it out.
Lil Yachty on His Close Relationship with Drake…
shouts out to Drake, man. I love him to death. Yeah, that's my guy, man… our relationship has just grown. I had a conversation with him after and I was just telling him, "Man, this music that you made over this time period has affected so many people." I said, "Man, I remember there was a point in time when you were about to release music and everyone was like, man, I'm about to call my ex. Like, oh man, I'm finna cry." That was a time period. And that's when people thought when Drake was finna drop, you thought like, oh man, I'm about to get back with my ex-girlfriend. You felt like emotions were about to be pulled out of you. I was like, "Man, we got to get back on that. You got to get back on that.” At this point I feel so close to him. I feel like whatever he does, I did it. If he wins something, I feel like I just won. He's really, really smart. no matter how much he'll act like he's oblivious to his career and the things that he's done, he knows what certain things and certain moments in his career mean to people.
Lil Yachty on Getting a Cosign from Questlove…
Questlove. Shout out to Questlove. But just to see, to get to read something so warm from someone so high up. People don't publicly show love like that. I don't know why, but it's just not a thing, especially not in hip hop. He really stuck his neck out, to say something that like that. People take your words serious. Questlove, so for him to say that and drive all these people. Let me go see what he's talking about. That meant a lot to me because he didn't have to do that.
Lil Yachty on His Father’s Reaction To Hearing The Album…
My dad came and heard it in Sonic Ranch when coach came and he instantly, he knew all of my references and he was super proud. I mean, my dad has always been proud of me, but I could just tell him, seeing me do this type of music, because I got this from him. I learned all this from my father at a young age so I know he kind of probably felt a reflection and saw himself in me. Wow. Hearing this music. He's super proud. I don't think he's posted about himself since the album came out. I think his page is just all me, which it kind of always has been. But yeah, it's tight.
Lil Yachty on Working with Mac DeMarco…
Yeah, Mac is awesome. I was talking to Mac last night, trying to get him to go on tour with me. It's not guaranteed, but I'm trying to. It'll be so fun. He was like, "Oh, nah. I think about it." But so he's always been so nice to me. And I've reached out to Mac years ago because I just always have, I've been a fan of Mac DeMarco. He's been the s**t. So him extending so much love to me is really cool. He's also, that's Mac DeMarco singing on Failure at the end, when that really weird singing, when I was doing that spoken word talk thing, that's Macc too.
Lil Yachty Tells Apple Music He’s Assembled an All-Girl Band…
I have an all girl band. Yeah. I just wanted to show how sick women can rap. I feel like…I was just in rehearsal yesterday. I just feel like women don't get as much respect as men when it comes to the music industry. So I was like, "These songs are pretty badass, and I want to show women playing them." They didn't make it, but I want to show they can do it, not better. So that was my vision. I haven't toured in five years, so I am dying to see people care to see me and hear me because I haven't been on stage since I was like 19, 20. I haven't toured since I was like 19 years old, before I was 21.
Stormzy digs into his JAY-Z friendship, the only place he's live outside of London and being cool with Adele
There’s no doubting the skill level Stormzy has as a musician. So it’s only right to give him his flowers on a regular basis and learn as much as you can about him the way Zane Lowe can on Apple Music 1.
There’s no doubting the skill level Stormzy has as a musician. So it’s only right to give him his flowers on a regular basis and learn as much as you can about him the way Zane Lowe can on Apple Music 1.
The duo talk it up for nearly an hour and it’s packed with gems. From revealing the only two places he could live outside of London to being cool-cool with JAY-Z and Adele, it’s must-see and hear material. Peep some. highlights from the conversation.
Stormzy on His Friendship and Love for Jay-Z...
I think the way I look at Jigga is just like... I always say there's no one who has inspired me and my brothers more than him in terms of just how he behaves, how he conducts himself, his approach to art, his approach to business, his approach to life, his approach to family. There's no one who I look at more and I feel like, yeah, you inspire me … I think it's so important, and again, I'm a feeler in it. So if I feel something like, “yo, that was sick”, or, “yo, you are amazing”, I'm that person, I would see if I saw anyone, anyone who had the song that I resonated with or done something that I loved or was in a film I like, I'm saying, "Yo, can I get a picture? Yo, you are sick." And I'm giving them all their flowers. So with Jigga, if I see him, the way I see him, he understands how much he means to me and how much he means to us.
Stormzy Tells Apple Music About Being a Musician Forever…
I don't think I've ever said this. There was a time when I used to think I can't be a musician forever, because what it takes for me to make an album is so emotionally, physically and mentally taxing this is unsustainable. Every time I go to make an album, I'm going to get in this hole of the pressure and overwhelming-ness and pressure. And I've never been a quitter, I've always said, "I'm going to do." And I looked at it and I said, "This ain't sustainable. Am I meant to do this for the rest of my life?" Imagine when I have my family and then, "Guys, got to make an album. Going to be flipping depressed” … I was like, "This is insane." So I always used to think, "I can't do this for the rest of my life." And then this time around, now that I understand God, I'm like, "Oh, it's fine." So all I do now is I go in studio, we pray, literally, "Father God, be in the room. Holy Spirit, just guide whatever." And I hope for the best and I trust God that it's going to be great. And if it's not, that's fine, because that's his plan. So, whether I leave there with the f***ing greatest song I ever made, if I leave there and I've done one lyric, if I leave there and I've done nothing, it's fine because I've given it to God and I'm doing it through him. I've taken the pressure off myself because I'm not meant to do it myself.
Photo courtesy Apple Music 1 and Zane Lowe.
Stormzy Tells Apple Music About Album Track “Bad Blood” and How His Previous Relationship Inspired The Song...
‘Bad Blood's one of my, that's one of the most precious to me in terms of… the reason why that song feels so sincere and it means a lot to me is because … do you know what I really wanted to say on that? And it's what one of my favourite lyrics on the whole album, is when I say, "Can’t you tell I love you girl, it's obvious." Because I've always said as rappers or musicians, sometimes our love views or our sorrys, we wrap them and we make them a bit stylistic. You know what I mean? It's like, "I love you, babe." … You got to see the mandem and you've really got to face the results of what you've done. So for me to say that felt liberating, man. I think you described it best, I just wanted to find peace. And even throughout the whole record, anytime I speak about my relationship, it's like I'm figuring out how I'm feeling. That's why there's different versions of it. As you said, it's all these different facets of love and ‘Bad Blood’ was the most peaceful, as in it felt like, "Ah, this is what it is." As in it's mad love and it will never be bad blood. Do you know what I mean? Because of what it was.
Stormzy Tells Apple Music About His Close Friendship with Adele, Inflo, Cleo Sol and their Holiday in Jamaica…
Zane: You mentioned in that beautiful note, in that letter, that it was your friend and mine, Adele, who said to you, "You need to walk away and you need to take a break. You need some space. Protect your energy."
Stormzy: Adele, I love her deeply. And we've always had amazing conversations. And that's a true friend of mine, that's not like a music friend. So whenever we kick it, we've had really beautiful and deep conversations. And at that time it was like we weren't going on holidays, we weren't kind of enjoying the fruits of our labour. Do you know what I mean? And more so, it's more like you just get caught in the rat race of just life. Just the business of life and the distractions of life. And I think she just reminded me that it's important to have time to yourself, and to have a space of peace and silence, and where you can hear yourself think … We went away to Jamaica. It was five of us. It was me, Adele, Cleo Sol, Inflo, and April. It changed my life. It was the most beautiful… I can't even explain, it was really, really beautiful, and really healing, and really peaceful. God was on that trip. God was with us.
Photo courtesy Apple Music 1 and Zane Lowe.
Stormzy Tells Apple Music About His Track “Please” and The Lyric About Meghan Markle...
Stormzy: When I was in New York, I actually watched the Oprah [Winfrey] and Meghan interview and I must have made it maybe sometime after that time. Because it's so funny because even when I said it, I didn't know I wanted to say that. A lot of things on the album or even the whole album, I want to say this, I want to say that, it was just like, okay, as I said, let God in the room, invite him into the room and just feel and express that … A lot of the time, whenever I feel things, I feel it in the most sincere, genuine way. But then sometimes how people receive it, I forget that, oh, it means something for me to feel like this. Do you get what I mean? So for perfect example, the Meghan lyric, that is the most genuine, just “leave her alone”. It's not political, it's not rooted in that. It's just a genuine “leave her alone”. Just leave her alone. If you was at a bar or you was at a party and you saw someone and it's just like leave her alone.
Zane: But also, you have some experience in that, right? Because at the end of the day, like I said, you've been put on a pedestal, bro, for most of your career. You have millions of fans around the world, but you also know what it is to feel like the trade is close.
Stormzy: It's intense. It's super-intense. And that's where... I wanted to say that. I didn't know I wanted to say that, but when I said it I was like, yeah, I want to say that … Just leave her alone, man. And there's been a few moments in my life, in my actual reality, where I've had to say, yo, leave him alone or leave her alone. And that was one of the moments, just on wax.
Here's 5 things Saweetie had to say about her new 'Don't Say Nothin' song
West Coast rap star Saweetie is getting fans pumped with new music brewing. The hip-hop heavyweight has come forward to dish on her new ‘Don’t Say Nothin’ single with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe.
West Coast rap star Saweetie is getting fans pumped with new music brewing. The hip-hop heavyweight has come forward to dish on her new ‘Don’t Say Nothin’ single with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe.
Rather than featuring the entire conversation, how about highlighting five key quotes from the chop up session? From dishing on the song’s creation to how creativity is coming together with the holidays on deck, it’s all about Saweetie.
Saweetie Tells Apple Music About Making Her New Single "DON'T SAY NOTHIN’”
It was, honestly… the vibe felt very urgent. It felt very intense but in a good way. And it was fun because I was just like, I was venting about all my experiences when I thought that I was dealing with a man that I can trust, and then it turns out he had a big mouth. So it was a lot of storytelling and I just put all my experiences into one song. I feel like that sound is the reason why I'm here, and I never want to turn my back on what made me great. So it's like I had to go back to my Bay roots and, honestly, I was just talking my s**t, and being honest about what's happened to me.
2. Saweetie Tells Apple Music About Creating Music To Inspire and Empower Women on Her ’The Single Life’ Project...
I made a deal with myself last year. I said, "If you're going to continue to create music, create music for women, create music to empower them, create music to inspire them through my experiences." So I feel like this is my most honest project ever and, hopefully, the little girls, the women, the OG women, the grannies, whoever's listening, I hope it gets them through whatever they're going through.
3. Saweetie Tells Apple Music How She’s Feeling Creatively at the Moment…
I feel very urgent. I feel like this is the first time I spent a lot of time with myself and I recorded for a year straight. So after a yeah, I think I know it's just time to talk. It's time for me to share my experiences. I'm at a point now where I'm in the studio, it just feels like magic. I love being in the studio. Studio is like my therapy now. Right now, I'm getting all my outfits. I'm ready to be back outside because I've been in the studio hibernating. The Icy Girl is out of hibernation. I'm ready just to be outside again.
4. Saweetie Tells Apple Music What She’s Focused on Outside of Music…
I really want to focus on, well, since a lot of the music is done, I'm going to get back into the gym, as far as my live experiences. But I really want to touch my fan bases around the world. I'm so ready to get out of America. Honestly, I want to go back to Ireland.
5. Saweetie Teases More New Music on the Way…There's a lot more where that came from. That's what I'll say. And I got something that's dropping very special for my Icy Girls and Icy Boys in December.
Yung Bleu keeps it 100 about his 'Soul Child' with Lil Wayne on Apple Music
Who says Yung Bleu only collaborates with Nicki Minaj? The popular crooner knows he has one with his new ‘Soul Child’ single with Lil Wayne and pulled through to dish on the record with Apple Music.
Who says Yung Bleu only collaborates with Nicki Minaj? The popular crooner knows he has one with his new ‘Soul Child’ single with Lil Wayne and pulled through to dish on the record with Apple Music.
Yung Bleu talks about his new ‘Soul Child’ song
Bleu joined the one and only Zane Lowe on Apple Music to chop it up about the audio gem. He also talked about the song’s origin, linking up with Weezy F. Baby, the anticipation for his upcoming TANTRA album and seizing the moment with OVO Sound boss Drake.
The interview hits hard and to make life easier, here’s three pulled quotes from the conversation.
Yung Bleu Tells Apple Music About New Song "Soul Child" (feat. Lil Wayne)…
Just me, you know what I'm saying? Just going, not going a normal route of a hook and a verse. You know what I'm saying? Just let it being the normal, what people think when you think of a me and Wayne track. Kind of just paying homage to the way Wayne like to record and Wayne just say a lot of stuff on the beat and then you usually have to go in there and just make a hook. So that's kind of how I approached the song, you know what I'm saying? It was just beautiful to that way of just seeing us come together, like two different spectrums of music and just putting it together to make a hard ass track.
Yung Bleu Tells Apple Music About His Forthcoming Album ‘TANTRA’…
Tantra's kind of a really collection over what I'm saying, I feel like the last year, you know what I'm saying. I'm kind of summing up what's been going on with my career now. My mind state, giving people some classic s**t and just some good songs. Just keep going down that path of giving people beautiful songs. Good songs. Songs that last. So it's just one of those type of albums where I just take my time with it and just give people songs that's going last, you know what I'm saying?
Yung Bleu Tells Apple About Collaborating with Drake…
A lot of people was figuring, I was just going, you know what I'm saying, kind of do the classic thing that a lot of artists do and when they get that... You know what I'm saying, that big look, they kind of just disappear. You know what I'm saying? So it was kind of me got to be really talented to get over that hump, you know what I'm saying? And so I would just saying I showed n****s what to do with a Drake feature. You know what I'm saying it was, he always would say, you know what I'm saying, it’s on you to do, you know what I'm saying? It's on you. This is just a look. It's on you to take it to the next level after this, you know what I'm saying? And keep it going. So, that's what I did. I felt like, you know what I'm saying? I did that.
Here's 7 Lil Nas X quotes from his new Apple Music Q&A
Georgia rapper Lil Nas X has ample reasons to celebrate his non-stop level ups these days. So of course he’s linking up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to talk everything from his new ‘Star Walkin’ single to the revealing his all-time favorite Drake album.
Georgia rapper Lil Nas X has ample reasons to celebrate his non-stop level ups these days. So of course he’s linking up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to talk everything from his new ‘Star Walkin’ single to the revealing his all-time favorite Drake album.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to take in. So to make life a little easier, here’s 7 solid quotes from the chop up session.
1. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music About Creating "STREET WALKIN’”...
I'm not really much of a gamer anymore. I haven't been since a teenager. But for whatever reason, I have a huge gamer fan base, and this is sick for them. Go, them. Making this song was a lot of fun. I had the verses forever, and it took, no joke, 30 different, 40 different 50, I don't know how many different hooks, to get the hook to a place where I'm, "Okay, this is something I like. That's cool." But overall I had a fun time in the studio. I had a fun time putting these pop elements and drill elements together. I thought it was really cool.
2. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music About The Origin of The Collaboration…
They were, "Hey, we have some money." No, I'm kidding. No, I actually thought it was super dope that a gaming company that's so big wanted to work with me. And I thought it was so... As I said, I, for whatever reason, have that huge gamer fan base, and they they're going up for this, so…Yeah. Sick.
3. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music About Hanging Out with Madonna and Her Words of Encouragement…
She came to my show last night. And it was a full circle moment because she brought me back to her show in 2019. So yeah, that was cool. Actually, I didn't actually get a chance to get a good conversation with her because I was about to go out onto the stage. And as I told you earlier, I have to sh** from nervousness. That's exactly what I had to tell her when I went out onto the stage. But she told me she's going to be there and rooting for me and stuff like that. And that was really cute and sweet. And I was, "That's so dope. Madonna's at my f***ing show, bro."
4. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music About Making a Splash at Fashion Week…
I'm going to be 100% serious: I did not know the thing that I was going to be doing for the Vogue World event was such a huge thing. I thought it was going to be a little, intimate fashion show thing and not like I'm walking with Serena Williams and sitting next to Anna Wintour, and Kanye West is across from me. And I'm sitting right next to Morbius. I feel like once I first started doing anything kind of sparkly, out there, and really flashy, I was, "Oh, I'm not the person to be doing this." But now I'm, "Yeah, I'm that bitch, so I can do that.”
5. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music About His Current Creative Spirit and Upcoming Music…
My creative spirit is honestly in the garbage can. I want to be completely honest. But I feel like it's coming back. Yeah, I'm not worried because I know it's going to come and I know it's going to be the best s**t I've ever made thus far. I'm just super confident in that, and I'm just happy to be in the in-between right now.
6. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music About His Current Tour and Finding Confidence On Stage…
The tour's actually going great. I'm able to really find my confidence on that stage. And I feel like I have to poop less and less every night. Because usually, I have the nerves so bad, but I feel like they get more and more calm every night. And that's cool.
7. Lil Nas X Tells Apple Music His Favorite Drake Album is ’Scorpion’…
Honestly and maybe not the most popular opinion my favorite Drake is like Scorpion Drake. Scorpion just hit the mark it was when I started making music it was really inspirational
Black Thought and Danger Mouse crack their new Cheat Codes album
Philadelphia rapper Black Thought stays in grind mode and with help from producer Danger Mouse, their new Cheat Codes album might be the ultimate win-win. The duo stepped up to chop things up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything from the album’s conception to the writing process.
Philadelphia rapper Black Thought stays in grind mode and with help from producer Danger Mouse, their new Cheat Codes album might be the ultimate win-win. The duo stepped up to chop things up with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe to dish on everything from the album’s conception to the writing process.
Black Thought and Danger Mouse talk to Apple Music 1 about Cheat Codes
The duo didn’t hold back in their interview. While it would be fun to transcribe every delivered word, how about pointing out those key moments? Salute to the Apple PR team for coming through on these tidbits.
Danger Mouse Tells Apple Music About The Impetus For The Collaboration…
When I first finished The Grey Album, I had some chances to maybe reach out to some people that maybe wouldn't have known who I was and Black Thought was my favorite rapper, so that was one of the first people I went to. We got in the studio, we messed around a little bit, but then we both got really busy. I didn't know I Gnarls Barkley. Tarik, I think you were doing what? You were doing lots of Root stuff. We were all really... It was just... It just got really kind of hectic. And so we just approached it, we came back to it a couple of times before we went in 2018 to really jump in and really make the album.
Black Thought Tells Apple Music What He Looks For in Collaborators Outside The Roots…
I think, initially, I look for someone who is not The Roots and is not trying to approximate what I do in The Roots, because that would defeat the purpose. I have an outlet for that energy and for the way I write and the way I perform in The Roots, I sort of have The Roots for that. There's 15 of us. You know? Yeah, if I'm going to work with a different producer, I look for someone who not only doesn't sound like The Roots, but someone who is comfortable in their own sound and is confident and cognizant of that.
Danger Mouse Tells Apple Music How They Choose Collaborators For The Album…
It was all really organic. Everybody that's on the album is somebody we knew or worked with before in some kind of way, but we didn't really add any of the rappers, and so our part was done at the end.
Black Thought Tells Apple Music a New Roots Album is “Well Underway”…
Ready to put a new album out. Yeah. A new Roots album is well underway. Could be done. Yeah. Could be. It's just not up to me. You know what I mean? It's not only up to me, so... A couple other people have to chime in. But yeah, we've got lots of stuff recorded for the Roots album.
Black Thought Tells Apple Music About Being Perceived As Underrated…
I think over the years I've definitely felt like, yeah. I mean, people, everyone says that. Everyone I meet, "You're so underrated. You're so underrated." Or in interviews, it's "How do you feel to be so underrated?" But yeah, I don't know. The people whose opinions matter to me have always properly rated me, so it's never really been a huge deal for me.
Black Thought Tells Apple Music About The Possibility of Bringing The Album To Live Audiences…
I think the desire, more than wanting to bring this record to a crowd, is to just continue to work together. I think whatever that looks like is what is just the way it's going to look. But yeah, there's no specific plan to do anything beyond continuing to do what we've done because it feels like it's working.
Black Thought Tells Apple Music About His Writing Process…
I'm constantly jotting down ideas, a bar here, a word here, and a random idiom. And then when it's time to write, I'm able to draw from that, pull from some of those notes. But that's only when I have to. When it's good, at its best, best case scenario, it works the way that this dynamic has in that what I write is just directly in response to the music.
Danger Mouse Tells Apple Music About The Song “No Gold Teeth”…
I'll tell you a funny thing with this song. The first time we had messed around the studio was 2005, I think, and then a couple more times scattered here and there. And then we lost touch, and a friend of mine… It happens sometimes. But a friend of mine from college, my close friend from college who both of our favorite rapper was Black Thought. And we shared that. That was a thing. And he hit me up one time, years back, and he said he saw some video of Black Thought performing without The Roots, performing on his own at a show. And it was just an audience video. And he said was doing some song he hadn't heard before. And he said, "This is what you should have been doing with Black Thought." So I listened to it. I listened to it and I listened. I watched the video and it was No Gold Teeth. He was doing... I'd given him the beat years ago. I never heard what he did… a different version though. The lyrics were a little different, but he's like, "This is what you should have been doing." And it was... Yeah, it was that, so I tried to get back in touch with him based on... I was like, "He's right. I should be doing that.” So then we wound up in the studio probably a year or two later, and starting on this album.
Rae Sremmurd reveal how their Community Dick came into existence
Everyone’s favorite rap duo Rae Sremmurd are back at it again with their new ‘Community Dick’ anthem. The song hits different and so of course they had to pull through to Apple Music 1’s ‘The Zane Lowe Show’ to chop it up with the one and only Zane Lowe.
Everyone’s favorite rap duo Rae Sremmurd are back at it again with their new ‘Community Dick’ anthem. The song hits different and so of course they had to pull through to Apple Music 1’s ‘The Zane Lowe Show’ to chop it up with the one and only Zane Lowe.
Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Community Dick’ is here for the taking
With the new song streaming globally, both Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee had to dish on the song’s origins. They also talked about securing Flo Milli on the guest spot.
Check out some highlights of the duo’s conversation with Zane Lowe and what’s brewing for their much-needed fourth studio album.
Slim Jxmmi Tells Apple Music About The Origins of "Community D**k" ft. Flo Milli...
Its pretty crazy… one of our producer’s 30 Roc, his friend got this voice note, this girl left a voice note… so she was singing that song. She got real creative and sang it in that melody and he sampled it on the beat. And we was like this sound like the summer… it sound like Hot Boys, City Girls — and Flo Milli got that tone. She speaks for the females in the best way, the most fun way. She gonna present it a certain a way. So we were like we gotta send it to her and let her do her thang… we sent her the song…. she killed it the first time.
Rae Sremmurd Tells Apple Music About The Group's Forthcoming Fourth Album...
Slim Jxmmi: This one… it’s gonna stick to our format, what the fans love from us. They love heavy 808s from us. They love catchy sing along hooks from us. It’s got all that. But it's giving them something they’ve never heard too. We doing different flows, we’re doing different kinds of beats. Its 2022. We came in the game 2015. We up to date with it… it doesn’t sound like what’s going on in music… it’s coming straight left field. Features from our favorite artists… We got Gunna, Thug, on there — our boys on there — I feel like it’s just perfect timing.
Swae Lee: Now we’ve grown and we understand the music 350, we understand the lifestyle 360, everything… the ins the outs. We’ve been in it seven years. So now, we figured it out. We know our job. We know our role, we know our sound. Even thought we weren’t dropping music, we was always making music. We’ve had so many trials and errors, we’ve seen so many fan reactions and seen what works and doesn’t work. It’s time to keep on feeding the fans back to back.
Lizzo digs deep into her Special album bag, addresses haters and more with Apple Music 1
Grammy-winning singer Lizzo has a lot on her mind so it’s only right she pulls through to Apple Music 1 to dish it all out. The hitmaker pulled through for a deep dive into everything from her new Special album to working alongside New York rap heavyweight Cardi B with the legendary Zane Lowe.
Grammy-winning singer Lizzo has a lot on her mind so it’s only right she pulls through to Apple Music 1 to dish it all out. The hitmaker pulled through for a deep dive into everything from her new Special album to working alongside New York rap heavyweight Cardi B with the legendary Zane Lowe.
While the interview clocks at just nearly 40 minutes, kick back and check out a batch of key quotes from the chop up session and keep scrolling to watch Lizzo unload with some memorable gems.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music Why She’s Proud of Her New Album ’Special’…
I love this album. Come on. I'm very good at music, man. I would just say that. I studied music in college. I've written songs my whole life. I'm proud. I think taking my... I wanted to rush it so many times. There were so points….Woo. But in this process, I was like, "I got the album, okay? Let's put it out. The singles are done." And those songs didn't even make the album. So I'm just proud of how patient I was with myself and with my art. And I took the time to write the songs that need to come out, the stories that I wanted to share, that people should hear. I was rushing because I had “Hush”… I mean, everything I make is good, it just doesn't mean that it's the right song for the album. So I got bars, and I got some hot bars off and I got bangers, but... And I got some moody songs, I got some really dark songs too that didn't make it. But these are the songs that were supposed to happen.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music Love Is At The Heart of Her New Album ’Special’...
I think love is the heart of this album. I think everything I've been doing prior to Special was in pursuit of love. And it was like, Because I Love you was a almost autobiographical album about who I want to be. When I wrote Soulmate, I was crying in the studio, and I was like, "Okay, I'm writing a song about the person I want to be, I aspire to be." Truth hurts, I was crying in the studio, writing songs about who I want to be. And now, Special is almost a celebration of who I am right now, it's very present. And I think the only place love can really exist is in the present. You know what I'm saying?
Lizzo Tells Apple Music Why Releasing “Rumors” with Cardi B Was Selfish...
Well, in Rumors, featuring Cardi B, that was my f**k you. And I was so excited and proud to put that song out because I needed to do that. I honestly needed it. It was very selfish. I very selfishly wanted a song with Cardi for a long time, and I very selfishly wanted to be like, “B***h, all the rumors are true, whatever you want to believe about me, and **k you too." And I did that. And once I actually put that song out, I got a lot off my chest, Energetically. And I feel a lot of the songs on Special kind of came through after that. I wrote Special, actually, after I released Rumors and started getting a lot of... Being brought back into the cultural zeitgeist and after becoming famous and having the year that I had, it was interesting seeing how people relate to me and treat me and talk to me.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music About Receiving Criticism and Backlash Once She Experienced Fame...
I've noticed that once people knew who I was, because before it was discovery, it was like, "Who is this? Who is that?" And then once people knew who I was and it became kind of solidified, they became more comfortable with using me as some sort of punchline or joke, or immediately they want to criticize whatever I'm doing because there's levels to me that they don't accept. So I've found that I'm always going to receive some sort of backlash or criticism whenever I put myself in a public space, just because of who I am and the way I choose to exist. …it’s absolutely bait now. People use negativity as clout and attention, and it makes them feel good to get that kind of attention, which is… It’s very addictive. It is like an adrenaline, it's drug-like. And I don't know, I'm trying to distance myself from even looking at those people and reading those comments. It's been very difficult because I just feel I can't escape it.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music About Her Song “Coldplay”…
It's so literal. This is one of the most literal songs I've ever written. I mean, everything I say in the song actually happened. So Ricky Reed produced the track, and you know Ricky Reed. And we have a long relationship. I was in the studio, and I had just come back from a trip. And he was like, "Well, why don't I just play the piano loop, and then you just talk?" And I was like, "Okay." So I very Alicia Key's, You Don't Know My Name. I sat in the booth and was like, "So yeah. I remember when we went to Tulum, we pretended we were married. And I was talking, and I talked for like 25, 30 minutes. On that loop. And then I got really... I felt like, Ugh, kind of raw and sensitive about it. And I was like, "All right, let's just move on." And then he came back to me and was like, "Hey, all those words you wrote, I kind of turned it into a song.”
Lizzo Surprised By Coldplay’s Chris Martin Live on Apple Music While Discussing Her New Song “Coldplay”...
Lizzo: Wait. This is so crazy. Hi.
Chris Martin: Hey, listen. Are you good?
Lizzo: This is live?
Zane Lowe: This is happening right now.
Chris Martin: Yeah. I'm just at work. And Zane said, "Hey, will you FaceTime?" And of course I will, because I love you, and you're wonderful. Lizzo, you're doing so great. And you're taking over, and it's wonderful. How are you doing?
Lizzo: I'm good. Thank you. I mean, listen, the songs don't got to come out with me and you. We just got to do it. If we sat in the studio, and we just worked. You play the piano, I'll sing. Don't nobody got to know. Don't nobody got to know, Chris.
Chris Martin: Okay. I don't mind people knowing. Honestly. I'd like people to know.
Lizzo: Whatever you want to do, baby.
Chris Martin: No, we were in London. And we just came back from Glastonbury Festival. And it was amazing. It was so inspiring, so I came to the studio. What are you doing? You got a new record.
Lizzo: I have Special coming out July 15th. Thank you for giving me the blessing, the blessing to sample you in and name the song after your band.I was with somebody, and I was just looking at the stars. And I was with him, and I was singing it. And tears just were coming to my eyes. You have such an incredible ability to move people with the poetry of your lyricism. So thank you so, so much. It's so real.
Chris Martin: Hey, I don't know to accept those kind of compliments. Thank you.If someone had told me 22 years ago, "One day, Lizzo's going to make out to this song," I'd be like, "Okay, great.” It's become Lizzo's hookup song, and that's good.
Lizzo: Oh, that's baby making music, baby.
Chris Martin: I better go, because it's your interview. And I said everything that I wanted to say in terms of thinking you're amazing.
Lizzo Reflects on Chris Martin’s Surprise FaceTime and Acknowledgment…
What a moment. How do I say this? It never gets... You never get used to the feeling of seeing people, who've inspired you, acknowledge you. Seeing him is kind of surreal, because it's like... Yeah, my sister bought Coldplay's first album when he came out and plays in the house, and you sing the songs. They're in your DNA, you know the music. I don't know what that means about me and who I am in my career and my life, because I'm doing my life. But I know that it never gets old, and I never want it to get old. Like, I saw Mariah Carey the other night, and I was like, "Wait, what? Mariah wants to talk to me?" And they're like, "Yes, Mariah wants to talk to you." And I'm like, "But this doesn't make... I watched you." And it's not a fandom thing. It's not like... Well, of course, I'm a fan. Because once you enter a sphere where you are in the same room as the artists who've inspired you, and not only are sitting next to them, they're acknowledging you and they're inspired by you. It's like, "I feel like we've known each other our whole lives.” "And I feel like we're family.” Even more in a macro way, art is a language, isn't it? So when you speak that language, it's almost like you're all sharing the secret language together. It's a beautiful exchange. That was so cool. Thank you for that. My under arms are sweating after Chris Martin. Oh, s**t.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music About Her Song “If You Love Me”…
I've been on stage and as a big black woman, and I have this amazing platform and there's all these people in the crowd. And a lot of times it's, people who don't look like me in the crowd. I've gone through so much in this country and I try to reflect that in the crowd and inform them on my experience so we can have a shared experience so they can empathize, so they can help when it's time to hold us down, and to help us. I've had moments where I'm like, "You support me, you support a big black woman on this stage. You've bought my concert tickets. I want to thank you for that. But when you're in the world, I want you to keep that same energy from ...We're out there. If you can love me, you can treat big black women and people with respect out in the world, which I find does it happen very often? And I don't want to be like the token fat black girl that gets the respect. I want to be able to put myself in a position where I can make this experience of life easier for people who look like me. So that's why I wrote a song like, if you love me, you love all of me. It means so many different things. It's like me and all of the people who look like me, who come from places where I come from, like show us all respect. But also, if you love me, you love the fact that I look like this. If you love my music, you love this body, you love my personality, you love that I say b***h
Lizzo Tells Apple Music About Wanting People To Accept All of Her…
you know, I've, I've had the criticism that I'm not black enough or you know what I'm saying? Things like that. So I just find that people always kind of have exceptions with me. It's like, I love her, except ... I love her, but ... It's like, man, just accept all of me. What the f**k?
Lizzo Tells Apple Music That Music Is Her Therapy…
The very fabric of the journey is the music, I think. Music has been therapy for me for a long time, and it hasn't stopped. I mean, I have a therapist, but just because I got a therapist don't mean music didn't stop being my therapy, it's the number one outlet for me. So I feel when you listen to my songs, you hear in almost chronological order, my life, what I'm going through, how I feel, what's up.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music It’s Her Calling To Do Good...
I just want everyone to know that I'm here because I want to be here. I have not done anything in my career, and I stand by this and I'm proud of it, that I did not want to do. Like nothing's obligatory. I love touring. I love talking to you. I love writing the music. I love doing interviews where I can talk about the s**t that I made, that I'm proud of. I live for this s**t. I don't just make pledges to organizations and donate money to people because of optics or because I feel like I have to, ain't nobody else doing it. It's not a have to situation. I want to. This is why I was put here. This is my calling to do good and you ain't never going to see me do something I don't want to do, and you ain't never going to see me do something just for clout.
Lizzo Tells Apple Music About Activism, Using Her Platform For Good, and Supporting Planned Parenthood…
I've never really been somebody who liked just talking about stuff. I've always felt like, "God, if I'm saying this, I need to do something. If I'm upset and people are in the streets upset, okay, let me go out where the people are." I can't just sit around, but I think because of the position I was always in whether it was from a financial standpoint or a platform, I felt helpless. I was like, "Oh my gosh. What can I do?" And I think it's just as soon as I was able, as soon as I was financially able, and as soon as I had any type of resource or platform, I was like, "It's time. And it's almost like I've been waiting in the wings and then it was like, here's your moment. You have it. You can take action. So what's interesting is that Lizzolovesyou.com website, it's for my Juneteenth give back that I've been doing for three years, where every year we offer all of these prizes and giveaways, and we raise all of this money and I just give back to black organizations and businesses from the grassroots, like grassroots. It started in Minneapolis because this was when the George Floyd protests were happening and I was like, "What can I do right now where I can take this holiday that I've celebrated since I was little in Houston, Juneteenth, and give back to this city, Minneapolis, who has helped me so much and is in need, how can I help rebuild the community?” It started there and this year we decided to add Planned Parenthood to the list of organizations that we were going to be given money to. And this was before the Supreme court overturned Roe V. Wade. We just wanted to add them because we wanted to. Then when everything happened, when Roe V. Wade got overturned, I quickly had to turn Lizzolovesyou.com into a fundraising for abortion funds and for planned parent. So that's why when you go to the website, it is very like, it's actions. It's very actionary because we were already doing that for Juneteenth.