big Zan what's up man what's going on my friend been way too long it's been way too long how you feel feel great man you look wonderful Dude life is treating you well I can tell yeah hey you know it really is man I'm in the back of a SUV right now and uh outside of a nail salon and you know making it work bro I'm
making it work you know I can't complain though you know the people that we fall in love with who give us the odd they give us the gift continue to show up you're one of those people we don't take it for granted so what does motivating you now um you you've said so much and achieved so much and success is at your fingertips at all times so what brought
you back to the creative process with a desire to make a body of work and say something substantial man I think that I was inspired to have fun first and foremost but I was also inspired by experiences that I you know becoming a dad you know every morning I like I like to get my meditation on I like to like try and figure out how I can offer
something to the world and this album is just definitely me doing that in my own way um you know I was inspired enough to also write a book as well so I'm writing a book that comes out in January congratulations congratulations I love that and yeah as someone who's benefited from the writings and the teachings and the audio
teachings of people when I've needed it um you know again we don't take this kind of work for granted when someone steps in and has something to share um you know you've you've learned so much from from people who have experienced life um what was it like to get into a place where you became a teacher as well to some degree and you became someone
someone who wanted to share your experiences with us yeah well I don't really look at myself as a teacher I do look at myself more of a just sharing what we go through I think we all have a lot of information to give and I've been so like fortunate to be around a lot of my heroes in all different fields you know
spiritually musically um even some of my favorite athletes ever it's like I learned lot from so many people and so many great practices to get to where you want to be in your life and how to like live a life to where you attracting a life you really uh desire and the one that you can benefit from the most because we're
only here for such a short amount of time you know what I mean it's really such a blip and that's one of the things like I feel like the pandemic taught us I feel like that's one of the things losing a lot of family members a lot of friends a lot of Heroes have taught us as how temporary it all is and what is really important you know while you're
here maybe the most important thing of course a job is important a career is important what's really important what is really important what is really important to me is the progression of myself and passing that on to my family and to my audience or to who whoever I can and enjoying your life man because we're if we're here for such a short
amount of time this may be our only time as souls to progress our to progress our eles and to learn to go through the ups and downs that's kind of like why lately when I do going through those you know you go through the highs and the lows and when I'm going through the lows I kind of been learning to embrace them
more because it's that's where the growth happens and that's where once it's all said and done we may not be able to go through that again because we may not need it you know we may just be be a light and unplugged to the next part of ourselves and so you know I really been looking at life a lot differently but I also still having fun
with are still coming out with the Usher Banger here in this it's like s like user making us move the way you can make us move and there something about the way you do that man like you put things on the dance floor um that make people move but you also make us think and you make us connect and make us laugh and that word play is evident and it's it's
it's not always an easy in fact it's a very tough combination to do a lot of times when people are dancing they you know they're not thinking about what somebody's saying they're thinking about how they're moving and you just you can't do one or the other right you've got them make the most to your mic time that's right you do and you got to to me
I always try to just be myself bro so that's where it all comes from and stems from it's like you know when you when you do songs like that one that who you are the Superstar one you know which when I played for Usher he was Ling but to me that's kind of like a that's kind of like a letter and a respect to women you know all over for
real because it's like to me me the closest thing to God is a woman and they the they're the real superstars of it all really so it's like facts you know this is a song paying respect to to to them and just like biging them up you know so even in the video You See It kind of plays into that concept more Again The Duality of Personality right
here we are and you're making very valid points about about you know um the special women in our lives and the ones that teach us the really valuable lessons and guide us and keep us cented and valued and just bring so much to the world but then you also on Toby ripping the out of that and so it's like this is
the This Is The Duality of like doesn't mean I can't do that too we know that we know that but it must be it must be nice to be able to know that You' still got that that that side of you even through all the growth yeah more than ever too yeah CU Sometimes When We Grow right we have to let parts of ourselves go in
order to grow and sometimes that kind of that that that anger that energy that's valid that comes with youth and the desire to prove yourself can sometimes fall back as you search for for for a higher level for a new light and somehow you seem to be in a new light but you also can trigger that part of you that's like oh I'll you up on the mic yeah of
course and it's not that I'm trying to prove myself I'm really trying to improve myself so it's kind of a little bit of a different same word in there but it's kind of like you don't really you know um I think Jana said one time you know do you you're not trying to compete you're trying to complete and it's like that's that's really what I'm
on I'm not really you know there's nothing wrong with competing but where I'm at I'm just like trying to do me and express myself and express the different sides of me and and I'm not like a monk or nothing like that I'm just somebody who I'm just living a life of you know sustaining and doing what I got to do to
get by and doing what I got to do to to thrive and to be a great dad and to be a great son and to be a great partner and to be great team member you know what I mean so to me this album is just a a reflection of that and you know it's still the one of the most important parts of life is having fun though bro that's why it's like I love to still
have fun I love to still talk my love to still like you know get on songs and be able to uh show show and improve and let and let people know how I've grown as an artist as well you're one of the greats you know how I feel and and you know I'm not alone everyone everyone knows this and it Al sounds like you've been having
a lot of fun man 21 songs on this s that's a lot of fun no it is it is and there were there were there are way more I have was it hard to finish well I don't even know if it is finished man to be real with you because it was hard to like just stop and be like man let's just start giving it to the world because yeah I had ideas
that I was still working on ideas that me and Alchemist are still cooking me uh you know songs that I had that uh you know me and Nikki were working on a song that I still want to finish um wow me and you know there was a a 2088 song that I thought fit well on my album that you know just didn't get all the way finished in time so hopefully I can get
these things done and if not so how do we get an album out of this then who will what prompted you to finally finish this record and and be able to at least close the loop on this collection of songs well the thing was I had been putting out music and I was just like man I don't want these songs that I put out to get stale I don't want to keep
pushing it back I just kind of like want to move forward it's been years and years since I put some music out and I also didn't want to rely on other people as well you know what I mean I didn't want to like wait in that sense so it's like I I'm I'm at a point in my life where I just let things happen when they're supposed to happen and I embrac
that and I embrace a God's timing so I just felt like it was time and you know when I I did a IG live and I was super emotional about it because I had just decided then a few days ago that I was going to put my album out this week and it was a real human moment for me because I was very tired I just had had
Co and I was just going through a lot man and and I was just thinking about all of the uh advice that when I was on the phone with my mom the night before she gave me and she was just like baby just go like just go give people the music you know give them give them the music and then keep giving them the music and I'm like you're right hey this
album is um man this is a real gift I mean you you took your time we appreciate it I know Detroit 2 was important to you and in many respects it was a closing of the loop and it allowed you I guess to move forward in your life because it really it was a bit that's a big Love Letter to Detroit and it was successful impr proved its point for you
right yeah it did it did it was it was heartfelt and it was meant a lot to me it still means a lot to me you know for sure so where you going to go from here man you got more music I'm sure you'll finished these songs but I mean are there shows is there touring to be done it's touring and be done man I need to I
need to get back on the road I need to see the people that been you know rocking with me since 2008 2010 you know 2011 since finally famous since dark sky paradise and all the great ones that I that I've been able to get out uh and just and bring this and bring this show you know and this new music as well and this new album just to an
experience so that is definitely coming up next and of course new music and just whatever life has to offer bro you know and of course I got a book on the way as well yeah man let's link up soon I can't wait to get with you man appreciate love to all the family as well and yeah it means everything man thank you [Music]