I really, really like a lot of things about what you're doing. I like a lot of things
about your tone of voice, like a lot of things about what you're saying in the song and how
you're saying them. That means I'll hold you to a certain standard. That means I'm not going to be
nice to you the way I'd be nice to someone I wouldn't actually want to work with.
I'm honestly just very happy to meet you. Whenever they set me up to do this,
I was trying to get all my fake nice things to say. But then I heard your song and I
actually liked it. This is going to be a breeze from here on out. How you feeling?
I look at it like a blessing to be a part of this Future Genius campaign, because speaking
for myself, it's been so many times where I felt overlooked. To have somebody like Genius HP on
its major scale, you acknowledge me and give me the platform, somebody like Kenny Beats,
I'm sitting there with a goat. I feel good about it. You know? That means a lot, too,
for you to say that. Because I've been following you for a while. I was like,
He might critique the song to the floor. I'm glad you dig it.
Don't worry. I'm going to be ... I'm definitely going to be on your head, but
I have nothing but good things to say for the most part. Where are you right now? You're in Atlanta?
Yeah. I'm in Atlanta. I'm born and raised here.
I really wasn't sure what to expect. They played me the song,
but honestly the beat too. Because you know I produce. I was thinking about
DviousMindZ as well as what you did. But I was really impressed, bro. I don't say that
lightly. I don't say that because we're filming right now. I don't say that because I'm looking
at cameras. I only say it if I mean it. With you, I'm going to tell you what I really think, 1000%.
That's what I need. You know what I'm saying? I'm at the point where I'm
crossing over to the next level. You feel me? Sometimes you need people that's
already there and going further to break it down and give you the real. I need it.
What was the process? How did they get you the beat? How did this all start?
How did it come from you just in the studio to us on this call?
I got the beat. You know it's form DviousMindZ. This one really just spoke to me.
It was an R&B vibe. You know what I mean? The first thing I knew, I was like, "All right,
I want it. It's HP. It's Genius. I want to do what they doing. I want to power up." You
feel me? I record myself. I mix a lot of my songs.
So you recorded all of this by yourself? You did all the vocals. You did all the engineering?
Yep. I did everything in there.
Wow. See, that's Atlanta for you right there. To hear that you did this whole thing top to
bottom. It's like, I was already impressed and going to give you compliments. But now
I'm actually impressed. That's amazing.
Man, what keeps me activated, I love the music so much that I'm just so driven naturally. But there
are times where I might feel a little bit low. The thing that keeps me going is the people around me.
When I need to get activated I just look to my environment and I just go in. I work even harder.
I've been making music for
12 years now. I've been working. Most of the time I've been doing everything on my own.
Just having a team that comes together, that keeps me ... That really is empowering.
Here's where my first gripe comes in.
I don't have many. I love the song. But my first thing I will say to you
is the one thing that I couldn't stand about the song was the Maybach line. Do you have a Maybach?
Not me personally, but you might catch me-
Stop. Don't- You might catch me in-
I'm going to make you look like Lil Tecca. Don't do this to me.
I don't have a Maybach. I don't have a Maybach in my name.
Okay. It's okay. I don't have a Maybach either. I cannot afford a Maybach. I'm
happy saying that. It's okay. You don't have to tell me. Maybe you can afford one. Maybe you
are going to have one six months. But what I'm saying is at this moment,
there is no Maybach in your name. If that song became the biggest song in the whole world,
and you've got to come do your Genius verified and they got to ask you, "Okay, well, why did you tell
her not to take the keys to the Maybach?" What are you going to say? I'm trying to save you. A lot of
that other true content in your music doesn't feel the same to me because of that one flex.
Talk about things that mean something to you, because you can exaggerate to
get your point across. But whenever you start to point to these common reference
things that everybody in the world knows about, or everybody wants to flex about.
First of all, it just puts you in that category with them. Second of all,
it's less real and I can hear it in your voice. My real one gripe with the whole
song was the Maybach bar, honestly. Besides that, it's very hard for me to pick it apart.
I respect that. You know what I'm saying? I see what you're saying,
you feel me. You want it to be relatable on a current level. You feel me? I'm digging it.
I personally can only really look back on the music
that I made that I was being really honest with and be proud of it.
C.R.E.A.M cash was everything around me. That's Wu Tang. But it's even deeper meanings with that
song. Cash doesn't necessarily rule everything around me, but it is a great feeling to have it.
With a woman, a lot of times it ain't necessarily about what she say. It's
about energy that she gave you. You know what I mean? If I'm giving my time to somebody
it's like, "This is between us." You know what I mean? We not really hiding it, but
if it between us, let's just keep it chill. Let's just vibe so that we could really build
with each other. We don't want the world in all in our business. I appreciate when
a woman understands and respects privacy. You know what I mean? That's major for me.
The first verse to me is a 10 out of 10. I wouldn't tell you to change
a thing. You can maybe add a harmony, but I really wouldn't tell you to change a thing. Once we got
past the Maybach bar and once we to the verse, you kept it so interesting. Every four bars,
there's a flow switch. There's a melody switch. Even your voice. When you go into the verse,
the first melody is so much higher and more interesting than what you're hearing in the whole
act of activated. You know what I mean? Part of the hook, it instantly
raises the song in energy. That's what made me love it. That's what kept me interested
in the song. You did the same thing in the second verse. I wish that same variety was in the hook.
Okay. I'm digging that. See, because that was intentional too. When I write songs,
sometimes I write them in sections. I might have two sections for the hook. I might know out on
this first half, it's going to be a dope melody. On the second half, I might have in my head,
"I want this to be something I could just repeat easily." This particular one,
that one, my mind said on the hook. But going into the verse, I was, I knew ...
I would've started the whole song with that. If I was sitting with you in Devious Minds,
I would have said, "Save the hook. Start with the drama queen line right out the gate, as soon as
the drum drops." Boom. There's more energy to it. It's going to make me want to run that back
way more times. It's like that hook. You're still going to hear that hook twice. Are you mad at me?
Don't be mad at me. This is just opinions. You don't have to listen to any of this.
For real, I'm in a place where most people around and be like, "Lex, you dope."
You know what I'm saying? That's what I hear most of the time. You feel me? I need good critiques.
You feel me? Because I really want to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest in the game.
That's where I see myself going. The only way I can do that is if I had them real players
that really know something telling me the truth. [singing 00:07:31].
When you think about a heart, you think about strings that being pulled gently.
People talk about the heart strings. We're saying, "I don't need the keys
to her heart because it's really automatic." You got to treat a woman like she a flower.
You feel me? You talk to her nice, make her feel special, make her appreciated.
But it's crazy, too, because it's like a push and pull. If you're too nice, they'll push you away.
That shows me to the fact that
you want to try to rock with me when you was in a relationship. Now you single?
That shows me that you practice loyalty like it's a part of you. [singing 00:08:19].
Loyalty is prime important. You feel me? I feel like 100 ... I think that's, yeah,
that might be number 1. It's chemistry, but loyalty is first. Because you only got one life.
The relationships that you have, the environment that you have around you,
it got to be people that have your best interests in mind.
Genius is something that I would be watching and that I would be participating as a fan if
I wasn't on it. I don't have to say that. That's not something they told me to say. I've gotten
embarrassed by Zach Fox on Genius. I've had great times with Denzel on Genius. It goes all types of
ways. But I can say, this is my favorite thing I've been a part of. I was on my stream using
Genius Home Studio. Because I was like, "Oh my God, no." I was like, "If they start a home
studio, that means every kid who has ever watched a beat breakdown now can make a beat right after."
My job is already not secure. I'm a white guy in hip hop. I'm already an imposter.
I try to do my best, but it's already ... Genius Home Studio is going to take me out the game.
When it first started, I was nervous about it. But I went and used it on stream just to see,
"Okay, can you actually make a beat in this?" The Genius Home Studio,
you can really make a beat. You can really end up with something
and end up on TikTok in two seconds and end up with a deal in two seconds.
Once a kid has a number one on Genius Home Studio, no one can say shit ever again.
It's a beautiful thing, man, to just be a part of supporting new artists at all.
For Genius to go grab someone like you and put you in a room like me, of course,
I'm going to show up. Of course I got time to listen to songs. Of course, of course, of course.
It's just dope of Genius and HP to put us together because you already know me. I'm
going to go talk shit about this on YouTube and Twitch if I don't like it. So I wouldn't
do it if I don't like it. I'm happy to be here, really. That is the beauty of technology now.
Hey A-Lex, I'm going to give you my number off screen. Camera one, camera two,
we're going to do the number off screen. But bro hit me.
Let me know what you need. Let me know how this goes. Man, I've been there. I've been
in your position. I know what it's like to be doing everything yourself, by yourself,
on a computer in your room, by yourself, and paying for everything by yourself, man.
Good luck to you and go kill this performance right now. Because if you don't win and
[Malatto 00:10:32] and Rico win, I'm never forgiving you ever. I promised that you were going
platinum. I promised number one. I don't want to tell you this at the beginning of the interview.
I promise that you are going to go number one. Good luck with this performance,
Alix. I believe in you and you've got my number, man hit me whenever, all jokes aside.
With them words, I'm about to go crazy in this [inaudible 00:10:51] performance.
Tell Rico and Malatto they ain't got shit.
But no, on a real note, man, I really appreciate the time.
HP Genius, I appreciate your all time on his platform. I'm looking forward to building
with you Kenny. I'm sure we got plenty of hits to make. You know what I mean?
Hopefully you might be the first head on that Genius Home Studio. You know what I'm saying?
No one's going to pat you on the back for doing everything yourself. Okay, I stole that advice.
I stole the advice. I was going to pretend it was mine. I can't lie. I was going to ... it
sounded good. Right? You didn't know that it wasn't from me. Rick Rubin told me that.