Here yep Grammy nominated again right yep three times Grammy nominated one time wi three last time you got [ __ ] you got uh what I like to call snubbed run the Jews run the Jews got snubbed that’s what they say I just was man I remember being broken hearted but
You were but you were right yeah R2 j4 should have been nominated I think so yeah I think so yeah uh well listen it’s all good though because Michael is nominated Killer Mike is here yep welcome what’s up you do have the album of the year I have my list you’re number
One my number two album is not even a rap album but I’m going to do my hip-hop list but you’re number one by far man thank you I said that to you too in studio you mean I said I know a lot of people just be saying crazy [ __ ] cuz
They’ve seen it work for other people over the years but having had put the work in I wouldn’t I wouldn’t have bullshitted youself n for sure now yeah you played me a version of the album about two years ago uh in Atlanta and uh some of the stuff made it some of the
Stuff is didn’t make it but you’ve definitely for people who don’t know like uh and haven’t heard you speak about the album you describe it as kind of like your uh Wolverine origin story yeah yeah Ronald jewes is very much the X-Men it’s like the uncy X-Men any
Number of characters will pop up and in and out and um you know depending on who your favorite character was you knew their Origins where they came from and stuff Wolverine had always been one of mine Logan I love Magneto is the reason part of the reason I name my company
Villains M yeah Magneto is part of the reason I even call my company villains because I believe villains aren’t necessarily bad guys you know what I mean they just have a different agenda in terms of solving the big problem but all that to say run the Jews man rest in
Peace to Lola you know what I’m saying gangster Buu Zack de laoka Josh ham M Staples two chains big boy all these people have been a part of the run the Jews universe and um I realized that my character Killer Mike this bad swaggering dope ass MC that essentially
Is 9-year-old kid named Michael created and built out of his imagination the story of Michael had never gotten told I never people didn’t know where kill might came from or why you know people interpreted confidence his arrogance and [ __ ] like that but you know when you
Grow up in in the middle of hip-hop Hip Hop’s you know been around 50 years but it’s been giving a lot of a lot of kids a lot of little boys you know a reason to hold their chin up Swagger so you know I had to realize that I had to
Introduce myself to people that’s yeah I mean cuz it this is your first solo album since rap music yes 11 years yeah that’s crazy and for people who don’t know rap music is what really what kicked off run the jewels yep yep y it’s the pre-run the jewels yeah yeah um and
And it’s crazy to think like I feel like 11 years ago was three years ago yeah it does it feels three years ago yeah it does but it’s crazy like we’ve had a a pretty crazy historical run that you’ve been a part of with LP and like you know
I know you took your time with this project and I’m just I’m just glad man that like the Grammys got got it right I feel like a couple of years ago like you know there was a couple of Grammy nominations that I I was glad to see
Royce got nominated and Freddy Gibbs got nominated and when they nominated you a couple of times this year I was like thank God cuz well three times yep yep two four um rap song of the year rap performance of the year in sciences and engine and then at rap album of the year
And that’s what that’s what I you know um I ain’t going to lie I want it I I I want rap album of the year cuz I’m proud to be a rapper yeah you know I’m damn proud to be a rapper a lot of people you
Know they um they get rap album of the year and they act like that’s a snub you know what I’m saying people have acted as though in the past well I deserve the album of the year Well I personally feel like yeah I gave you the album of the
Year in terms of depth of human emotion vulnerability Stell I gave you what music is supposed to give you whether it’s the blues or rock and roll or Soul or Funk or rap I gave that to you but I care and covet rap of the rap
Album of the year because for the last 50 years this has been a driving you know cultural force in this in this country you know rap wasn’t even my music first it was my mom’s music my mom was only 16 when she had me so the First
Music I’m hearing from her is Disco and early rap records you know so it matters to me because of what rockim gave to me Eric being and rockim because of what rund DMC gave to me because what Outcast and Goody Mob gave to me because of what
Nas first two LPS especially gave to me you know when you start talking about Far Side what they gave to me D and hieroglyphics they gave to me I win that award I’m going to be the proudest person to have ever held that award you
Know because I give a damn about being a rapper and an MC this is not a secondary job this ain’t some [ __ ] I did cuz I couldn’t play sports this is not that’s no like to anyone I was just too chubby to play sports what’s your frame of
Reference Mike some of my best friends won an NCA Championship UCLA one of my other best friends got got got drafted to the Buffalo Bills my friends dolphin so I knew yeah I ain’t gonna be no athlete I’m G be I’m G be the best goddamn rapper out of my friend group so
I care and and I think that um a lot of mcing is based on these days is kind of acting as though you don’t care but I care I want it I also think like you have one of the more unique paths to a Grammy nomination if you just look at
The way your career played out like obviously coming out with Outcast and the whole world is where a lot of people were introduced to you uh obviously you know your first album was incredible and I feel like your first album isn’t on Spotify monster I don’t know I don’t
Even I don’t think monsters I still ride old school so I I listen to Monster cuz I’m pretty sure not on your Spotify account I still ride CDs I still ride old school so um but no but it’s crazy and then you have your gr your Grind
Time rap rap [ __ ] where you’re dropping mixtapes and you’re dropping records like like you you you you were really on your [ __ ] I mean I first heard pill through you and a bunch of a bunch of young artists out of Atlanta I discovered through those projects and
Then rap music is one of the best rap albums ever in my opinion so and it kicks off this whole Unexpected Journey of run the jewels y last decade me and LP and you know in a in a world in which rap groups Duos Etc don’t exist anymore
Yeah you guys have thrived in a way that like really it’s like y’all and the Amigos yeah shouts out to the Migos rest in peace of takeoff shouts out to Quon and for you to take all this time to kind of reintroduce the world to Michael yeah and get the acknowledgement get the
Nod man it’s just a beautiful thing to see so man I appreciate you I appre I want it so you know y’all y’all send me some prayer some good energy and hope we mve on people hearts on there you know vote for fote for the person who first
Of all again has put put together the rap album of the year and beyond that I really I really give a damn about it yeah and like uh I always so so like obviously when I first heard the album I always wonder a couple of things cuz you
And your lady are amazing you guys are you know obviously you uh she’s she’s been talked about by you a lot I’ve met your wife a lot she’s cool as hell Shay biger when did you give Shay a heads up about the summer record like hey I’m
Going to write I’m going to write this song about this exf fling from back in the day no it was my fing was my girlfriend my yeah I don’t hey guys ball up now don’t just be be a real [ __ ] about [ __ ] you know what I mean and you
Just your wife was in love with somebody before she met you even if she was eight and you one of one it’s very rare that that actually is the case hey man your grandparents say they was but my my you know yeah I cannot know my Grandad my
Grandmama was a virgin I can’t tell you my grandfather was you know just saying so you know I um such a dope storytelling record though yeah she had already heard the story because we talked that’s my friend of course you know so I I I think that that um it
Wasn’t a need to to um say hey I’m going to rap about this I think I think she was just like you finally got a chance to get it off your chest yeah cuz it’s something that’s that I’ve been with and it’s been with me and it’s sat with me
And when I played the record from Men And for those who might not know what he’s talking about that you shouldn’t be out there but you know give Slumber a listen it’s a story of me at 156 fall in love with a girl who’s a year too
Younger than me and us living like adults essentially for two summers I’m you know I’m thinking I’m trapping on Rich you know she in the apartment so subsidized so a like we got many bills but we live like adults and we we and we get pregnant and I have to go through
The the abortion process you know with her paying for it and um man I played it for dudes and dudes wept and they say man nobody had ever expressed how I felt you know I hadn’t even been considered that I had feelings and we knew it was
Traumatic for the girl for the woman absolutely it is and they deserve all the empathy and all the support around controlling their bodies they deserve but man them little boys and them men and these young men that have had to take part in that there is nobody
Sometimes to put the arm around the shoulders so I know that was a difficult decision to make and I know it’s going it’s going to stay with you or let me tell you it’s going to stay with you you know you’re going to feel away about it
You know so I was honored to be able to do it and my and my my my wife is glad I got it out my chest you know now she like now you can stop talking now you world knows the story now yeah uh for you man you have a lot of
Vulnerable moments on this album obviously uh motherless to me is like one that really um really stands out I know I want to say when you played the album for people who don’t know you had like a really cool album listening thing here in La that was at like a masonic
Temple or it was it was it was a cemetery it was at a cemetery a masonic it was a cemetery but I remember just walking Illuminati like yo you join the Illuminati that’s why you got the gravity yeah exactly that’s hanging out with Freemon um but no I know you got really
Emotional talking about that the record cuz it’s about your mom you know what I’m saying yeah my girl man Denise she she under here her and my grandmother my mother was 16 years old when she she had me and um you know we just grew up
Together that was my girl you know like that’s the first person that introduced me to rap music that’s she was I mean being 16 she’s also kind of your friendo yeah she was like my big sister you know what I’m saying that’s who taught me how
To dance with a girl right you know what I’m saying that’s who taught me how to how to approach a girl you like that’s who that’s who taught me how to take no [ __ ] you know don’t be no sucker and she wasn’t no single mom you know my I had
Two dads you know my dad who’s biologically my dad and my dad she married I had grandparents that raised me grew up in a you know a man and woman household raising me and my two little sisters but me and my mom just shared this special bond and friendship in
Kinship and it was around you know her saying you know I wish I could be sof thr you about some stuff but you’re the only boy I got so you got to be man but at her heart she was an artist so she she encouraged that about me you know
What I mean so I just man I just I want to I want to lead a life that makes her proud Essen for you um looking at the nominees of rap album of the year yeah the motherless record I’m sorry that record just to say I got emotional about
That record cuz cuz I miss her so anybody out there who has a mother no matter your relationship check in on cuz I think we take advantage of those things my mom my mom told me she said you know I I know you think your grandmother is your mama cuz she she
Raised you but I’m your [ __ ] mama that’s that’s kind of conversation you have and she said and when I go when I go you going to understand it and the day she died I’ve never felt that emptiness and and I know it doesn’t get filled and a lot of people don’t realize
That until that day happen it’s happened yeah I didn’t [ __ ] she told me yeah you know I I you know I I I I you know I tithe and and and make my offerings I I I you know I I got to I got a place in my house where I honor
But with that said like man I wish I could have said it while she was here I get it it’s such a beautiful song it really I mean that’s a record that I feel like could have been nominated for a Grammy it could have been it could
Have been should have been would have been will be one day who knows you know remixed album or something but I just know I got to to cover it all album of the Year 100% and an album to live to yeah I was going to say who do you see
As uh if you’re looking at the other nominees for rap album of the year yeah I got my opinion but who do you think is the album you got to worry about I don’t know I I just know that I’ve listened to them all and I I like parts of all of
Them you know and I respect the artist involved but what I’m saying is as as I could sit down Drake and Savage I could sit down Nas I could sit down Travis Metro boom and I could sit down with Metro I said Metro last cuz the producer
He put together Mars I could put those artists in a room and I could play my album and something about my experience in my life is going to affect all of them out that Al in a deeply personal way and I you know what I mean like you
Know in a deeply personal way and and I don’t say that to be in competition with but just saying I made an album that we all can bleed to I made an album that we all understand addiction we all understand the precious preciousness of a mother we all are black men in North
America trying to understand and make our way I don’t care what color um Drake is in terms of how people argue about his bir raciality and [ __ ] since he’s been Coming to America he knows he’s a black man if he been in Atlanta he knows
He’s a black man if he been in Houston or Memphis so there’s something on here for the worker class the black men and the women who love them for all of us so I believe that if we sat down at a table I could have that argument with those
Men and say this is why like amongst the fraternity and Brotherhood of MC’s at their table this is why this is why I should and listen to this and it’ll pierce your heart the same way it’s piercing the audience’s heart for sure man I think it was a an like almost like
A much needed Medicine of of Hip Hop it’s like somebody actually is making it a vulnerable album to like live to not to turn up to not to tick Tok to it’s just well I mean you can still do it all I mean the intro of down by law made a
Tik Tok I was like God damn I’m going have to get in shape everybody gym [ __ ] was you know the journey Rico talking and and and with that said exit 9 you cruise to this a record you play and 56 minutes later after you drive from Hit
Pomona man you’ve like I’ve just had experience I feel like I saw a movie this is this is an album where when you clean up your house by the time the album end you done finish that chore man your laundry done and folded it is a it
Is a classic album in that it feels good even the sad parts even the parts that make you think about a reminisce on stuff that but it makes you feel good you feel more human after it so you know I’m I’m just glad to be the conduent for
That energy because hip hop deserved that in his 50th year in the 50th year sure in the 50th year yeah for sure when people are talking about what sales are down and y yaad y I didn’t I didn’t know [ __ ] about sales when I first heard hip
Hop I just knew I felt something when I heard it it made me feel something and and that’s what I did
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