[Music]
[Applause]
all right before we get started I just
want to say that it feels great to be
back this is now our fourth year at
complex Kannan Long Beach go ahead let
it go and it means so much to us that
you guys line up and fill up this room
year after year so before we get started
make another another round of applause
for yourselves let's make some noise all
right our guest today is in the middle
of one of the hottest runs in hip hop
more than 20 songs or features on the
Billboard charts this year as well is
the debut release of his studio album
Kirk which as you would guess debuted at
number one everybody makes some noise
for the baby what's up dude I'll be on
this side you'll be on this side you're
ready to go baby on baby on these wings
all right all right so we'll start here
at the handle I got one question well
you know it gets it gets a little spicy
over here milk Oh help cut the heat I've
noticed that you have already set a bowl
of ice cream you're prepared today I
like ice all right we'll start up the
handle and we'll go with the classic so
one of my favorite things about your
music and it's got the attention of lots
of music critics but it's like when the
beat starts you'll begin wrapping almost
immediately for a star do you do you
study streaming analytics or think about
how much time you have to grab someone's
attention or is that just instinct it's
really just instinct like even though
the attention span is real short like
when I a song stop I want to grab like
immediately so you know I do the same
thing migrate I just go and then no
one's had a better year in guest
features than you from Liz Oh to Meg the
stallion to Lil nas ex
how much has your guest feature rate
increased the top of 2018 until now I
[Applause]
want to give away too much information
but let's just say you know tremendously
tremendously experiment exponentially
yes and then what do you think is the
highlight of your mixtape era like if
someone's a fan of baby on baby or Kirk
what mixtape would you suggest they go
back into the archives to get a good
idea of where you came from oh I would
go to project Idol gods work guys would
alright well you heard it here first go
check out God's work but first things
first more death wings let's move on oh
cool so your live shows look totally
insane and I saw this Instagram post
that you put up recently where it really
looked like to fans we're having sex
while you're performing should
when you think back on your most recent
tour thinking about the times you've
looked out into the crowd
what's one of the more bizarre things
you've seen how many two fans have a say
and then you have this habit of jumping
out into the crowd I do
when's the last time that backfired on
you ah yesterday what happened my
half-assed security go up big security
guards by the way some of the biggest
humans I've ever seen in my life
he let my legs go too soon I wasn't
ready to jump
so I fail the trials and tribulations
that the trials and tribulations Morocco
is what I signed up for let's go
all right are you ready to move on to
the next wig that last one we've got to
well might be a long might be a long day
here let's go all right so this one we
have the pineapple habanero and the
three spot I saw you on your Instagram
before we started backstage weak-ass
wings
I didn't think you heard me Slater's it
that one cool new HOV not yet so in
addition to being a prolific MC you're
also one of hip-hop's best marketers so
what I want to do is bounce a few
unconventional chess moves that certain
artists have pulled over the years and
I'm just curious about your take on them
whether they fit into the baby school of
guerrilla marketing okay Justin Bieber
promising to release an album before
Christmas if one of his Instagram posts
gets 20 million likes why do you think
that works I mean it's you know you're
asking for engagement from your fans and
so you getting them involved you said
and the challenges up for them you just
be getting people talking about at the
same time and then you know if you
caused enough engagement if they type in
enough you get to release music - they
already waitin on it 20 million be what
about 50 cent promising to retire from
rap if Kanye West graduation outsold
Curtis like do you remember that they
were like a cover of Rolling Stone it
was very heavy weight at the box than
that yeah what do you think of that I
like I like I feel like you know it
keeps the competition in business but
then the funny thing about it is
graduation did outsell Curtis and then
and then he obvious nobody said he's
still gonna and then what about a Snoop
Dogg changing his name to snoop lion or
you see that a lot with rappers and even
you've done it before I don't think it
affects your ability to be successful
huh if you know how to navigate to it
and then if you willing to work just as
hard with the name change as you did
with everything how you doing this is
hot
all right with that in mind are you
ready to move on number four Erna LM
okay so I want to take a wing to talk
about your music videos which have
really separated you from the pack and I
think remind me and a lot of fans of
this golden era and rap videos that were
super funny like videos from Eminem or
Busta Rhymes how did you build out the
treatment for Walker Texas Ranger
because that's such an interesting
reference point for someone under the
age of 40 years old
exactly that's why I mean I saw it
before from my mom watching it you know
I mean so I'm just like I should play
while context is orange in and I just
made a reference to welcome Texas Ranger
in the song of course ended up naming
the song that and we just tapped into it
with the video it's having City
character so you know it don't surprise
me at all have people gravitated towards
especially like you know people who are
40 and over all right
are you ready to move on to the halfway
mark here the others go the five spot we
have the headless horse radish from
torchbearer this look like I got mail it
barely shirts mail free
they've got a look at those ingredients
yeah baby no heat mail
but this definitely is a turning point
of sorts
[Applause]
all right the baby we have a recurring
segment on our show called explain that
Graham where we do a deep dive on our
guest Instagram pull interesting
pictures that need more context and I
love doing it here at complex con
because we have monitors galore so let's
put up the first Instagram picture you
just tell us the backstory it's Becky on
that gang [ __ ] you must have hundreds of
fan interactions every single day why
did this one stand out my nose was
running oh no Becky was most definitely
on that gang [ __ ] he was coming out of a
restaurant at home and I don't know I
think I was just taking pictures period
I was standing like maybe on top of the
car I know it's an inner city pictures I
caught with my money out and I noticed
the lady taking a picture of me and I
said I'll come take it with me and I
told her to put a photo [ __ ] she she
did shut out the back and then a lot of
people was commenting I think she's like
a math teacher oh really
well not the coolest teacher and got to
be the coolest teacher I'm aware I had
last one with well I'm trying to watch
my language good I see a few you don't
have don't have to listen here we are
serving up some of the hottest wings in
the world if you have to say it you can
say it don't worry if I just don't worry
about it it's too hot well I've bad news
for you it only gets hotter from here
and this one is the adobo loco fire fire
fire fire
[Music]
I wasn't playing either when I just
moved like I'm done I'm gonna take one
bite ago yep okay so one thread that I
get from your music is this feeling of
being underestimated and I'm talking in
particular about of it and I'm talking
about being underestimated not doing and
because you have this great line
I'm the dreamville album where you say I
just put diamonds on all of my teeth now
they probably think I'm not intelligent
mm-hmm do you remember when you started
to feel that way like is that a feeling
that you had as a kid or something that
you developed as you started working
your way through the record industry go
back to the ice cream a daughter Emma
lives by
[Applause]
[Music]
definitely skewed yeah definitely
you know I always felt underestimated
you know I feel like everybody should
and get you gone motivation that
chip-on-the-shoulder passion to leave
happy
well you know what a man who feels
underestimated like it's him against the
world it's just you too baby
versus for more scorching hot chicken
wings this is the part rising up here
alright over the audience that's it
thank your for where's DOM this is a
logistical complication here Dom let's
make some noise for da she said give us
a stop all right seven spot akka me so I
don't got no rats i'm a blue cheese we
got the ice cream
[Music]
[Applause]
hey [ __ ] it this your heart what's the
backstory on recording sug I read that
you recorded that in like 20 minutes
after checking your bank balance when
you signed your record deal that's the
back store I got it all figured out
I checked my account I pull it up talked
about it what's the most valuable thing
you think you've left for your fans you
know I've seen videos of you at rolling
loud throwing dirt bags weed I've seen
you leaning bags of clothing behind fake
we fake weed fake weed I've seen you lay
eggs like it was it was rabbit food Oh
rabbit food we'll talk about that later
I don't want to give away your hustle
are you a intern so what do you thinks
the most valuable thing you've gifted
dear fans not
[Applause]
how was the doing wasn't a good one all
right
this is well cannot quit we're almost
there
this is the bomb beyond any that
Burgundy [ __ ] that's the color this one
that's the one it did yeah so everyone
knows that you represent Charlotte
you're always putting on for North
Carolina so here I have some questions
about the Tar Heel State that I think
you're perfect to answer which is the
prouder culinary export of North
Carolina is at Bojangles famous chicken
and biscuits or the Krispy Kreme
doughnut Christmas ran with the house on
office show if you see that hot sign you
have to pull over right not easy for me
either - laughs yeah we're in this who's
your favorite Charlotte Hornets I'm is
it Rex Chapman
Larry Johnson Alonzo Mourning Mugsy
Bogues probably got to be so mad
Alonzo Mourning sad my boy Kimber
welcome to do you [ __ ] with Cheerwine I
don't really drink slowly
it's that cherry soda that leave North
Carolina's famous floor right yeah
cheering one good though when I did like
soda on and off that was definitely one
of like that last [ __ ] listen we are
approaching the finish line let's make
some more
[Applause]
they probably think people be up here
acting like these hotties right for tell
them it's not there's nothing phony
about it I don't even drink milk but
that's why we have it on the table you
know sometimes any any port in a storm
thanks all right this one's burn after
eating look I ain't no quitter man I can
see it I can see it finding the spot
taking a laugh taking a lap what do you
have against plant-based diets and your
double XL ABC interview you said vegan
food is nastier than a [ __ ] I
don't know sorry about that I rather you
dead than this I don't blame you there I
don't blame you there okay here we are
at the end of the line this is the last
tab we call it the last tab because it's
tradition around here to put a little
extra on the last well you don't have to
you don't have to if you don't want to
you don't have to if you don't want
[Applause]
you flip the way into our ass no I did
it that was a distraction check the math
hey [ __ ] [ __ ] all right I got some
loose on backs but we do Dom's on it
Dom's on it yeah
but we're here last one
and they say together yep
[Applause]
the baby here we are at the end of the
line
our fourth Long Beach complex Con in the
book and we've talked a lot today about
your music your music videos your love
of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts but one thing
we haven't talked about is your style
scooter
why is the turtleneck sweater the most
understated fashion segment of 2019 I
like the way I do it you like I look at
our next baby
I should have put one on a day I don't
think I was gonna run into you I will
see you tomorrow let's make some noise
for the baby
[Applause]
for yourselves and before we go you get
a t-shirt you get a t-shirt you get a
t-shirt gonna help me launch some of
these boom
[Music]
here last one to whoever you want here's
a jug of milk thank you very much
keep that it's hot
how you feeling [ __ ] them wait you did
great I [ __ ] up hey what's going on
hot ones fans this is Sean Evans
checking in and do you smell that fall
it's in the air
no I'm not talking about pumpkin spice
I'm not talking about candy corn I am
talking about the last dab xxx because
the pepper axe harvest it's in baby this
is the hottest hot sauce that we've ever
made with three kinds of pepper acts I'm
talking chocolate axe I'm talking
mustard X I'm talking peach X the last
dab xxx it's available now at heat nice
calm heat nice calm to order the hottest
hot sauce that we've ever made wha-wha
why is he shaking that bottle
[Music]