 (whimsical music)
 - My love for music started at
 a very, very, very young age,
 so young that I really just
 can't don't remember when.
 I started making my own music.
 First song I made when I
 was like 12, 13 years old.
 My uncle and my aunt, they
 showed me how to write music,
 and you know, what
 was good to have,
 what was not good to have,
 as far as sonically,
 how it sounded.
At the age of 14 I got a summer
job, saved up all my money,
 and I started putting
 money together
 for purchasing my own studio
 computer, mics, programs,
 and I ended buying it myself.
 From then to now I've
 just been writing
and perfecting my craft,
as far as singing.
Favorite style of music
I get to create is R&amp;B,
 but I do rap, and I write pop.
 I'll write any genre.
 It depends on how I
 feel, and what I feel
gets the message
across the best.
 But my preference
 is R&amp;B and hip hop.
 Have I ever had a moment
 where I felt like quitting?
 Yes, every day to this day,
 because you always want
 to get to that next step.
 Something my mom just
 told me the other day,
 probably, I think
 it was yesterday,
 she told me, she was like,
 "Well, what makes you happy?"
 And I was like, progression.
 And she was like, "Progression
 is not a state of mind,
progression is something
that happens over time."
 "So if progression is
 what makes you happy
and progression happens
only in moments of time,
 then your happiness will
 only be in moments of time."
 So even though I do
 feel like quitting
 or I'd be discouraged more
 so, every day when you wake up
 and you like, I'm not
 where I want to be,
 you just gotta turn
 discouragement into a drive
 which pushes you to get to
 where you're trying to go.
 Highest point in my
 career right now-
 That is a hard
 question to answer,
 because you can
 have high points--
 I feel like you can have high
 points, as far as your career.
 You can have high points, as
 far as a show that you did
 or what music you
 made or who you met
 or who you made a
 relationship with.
And I have great moments
in each of those.
 To keep it simple, the most
 exciting thing that I've done
 was I opened for Kay Kapp
 in Green Bay, Wisconsin,
 with Corey Pieper.
That was like, the first
time I actually did
a concert-type stage,
so it was really great.
And it just felt like
it was a surreal moment,
 'cause it was like,
 we all from Milwaukee.
 Now, they do this already,
 you know what I'm saying?
 I'm just getting into it,
 but me, it was just like,
 yo, I'm backstage with people
 who from where I'm from,
 and you know what I'm saying,
 it's a crowd out there
 waiting for us to come out.
 And I can peek out and I
 can see the crowd out there.
 That was more exciting
 for me than actually being
 on the stage, 'cause it just
felt like a milestone something.
 'Cause I've been onstage,
 but what I haven't
 been is backstage
 with quality people
 who make quality,
 who have some type of stamp
 in the industry right now.
When it comes to chasing
your dreams or whatever,
 I did move out to LA.
 I moved to out to LA.
 At the time I was out
 there with Quinton.
 He's a musician from here.
 He plays everything.
 He was married to my
 cousin at the time,
 and they asked me
 to come out there
'cause me and him used
to make music together.
I Moved out there, and you know,
 just how the living
 arrangement was
 and how the relationships
 between everybody was going,
 it was just a better
 decision for me to leave.
 So I left, but before I left
 I ended up meeting this guy,
 and I end up finding interest
 with his record label.
I wanted to sign
to it, you know.
 I'm young at the
 time, I'm not thinking
about what a record deal entails
 and I'm just excited like,
 oh I'm gonna sign
 this deal and be good,
 but I left-- I signed
 it and then I left,
 and while I was back here,
 they stayed in contact
 with me like hey, you need
 to come back out here.
 So I end up having to buy
 my own ticket to go back
 It was almost to
 make sure that I left
 from out there and we left
 from out there in like March,
 and I went back at
 the end of August,
 and when I was out there,
 I was basically stranded.
 I didn't have any car, I
 didn't have money for food,
 none of that, like I
 literally had family here,
who would send me money
just so I was able
 to survive out there
 and I was staying
 a hour and 30 minutes
 away from L.A.
 in some random house that
 the label wanted me to be in,
 'cause it was convenient
 for me to be in the area,
 so they just threw
 me where they could,
 and I had to walk two miles
 to get my food every day,
 and it was just
 like, it was crazy.
 I was makin' music,
 y'know I went
 to celebrity basketball games,
 I met celebrities
 and stuff like that,
 but it just wasn't
 a good fit for me.
 A lot of the stuff that
 they weren't doing for me,
 which was a lot, I
 was able to do myself
 and me signing to the
 label was a good thing
and a bad thing.
 It was a bad thing
 because I got messed over,
as far as what I
thought it was gonna be,
 but I also learned
 from the situation
 because a lot of stuff
 I was able to do,
 I learned that I need
 to do this myself
and luckily I signed some paper
on a very, very small level,
 so that when I get
 to a very big level,
 I'm already in the mindset
 of doing everything myself
 where I won't have to worry
 about signing everything away
 just because I think
 I just want the deal,
 I wanna just be
 signed by somebody.
 I'm not signing under anyone.
I would do partnerships
with people.
 I would do manager
 deals, or a distribution,
but I cannot see myself
signing under someone,
 unless it has to make sense.
 It's not even about the money.
Most people would just be like,
 oh I get a million dollar
 contract, I'm straight,
 like I need to own my
 masters, that's one.
You see everybody out
here getting messed up.
 I need to own my masters.
 It's so many things
 behind the scenes
 that it's not even about how
 much money they gonna give me.
 I take a $600,000 deal
 over a million dollar deal
 if the $600,000 deal
 make more sense,
 you feel what I'm sayin'?
 If it give me more
 creative freedom,
if it's not rapin' me
in a sense of all of my
creativity and me being
a physical business
 as a human being.
 If that's not the case,
 then that's when I'm willing
 to sign something but if
 you just tryin' to masters,
we need to control when
you release your music,
 we need to control what
 material you're putting out,
we need to control what you
can say and what you can't say,
 I can't do all that
 control stuff, nah.
 The biggest problem
 I'm having right now
is the Taeter E.P., that
is my second project
 that I released the right way.
 Well it is the first project
 I released the right way,
 but it's my second project.
 I really enjoy this project.
 The project is really dope,
 it's 100% mine, so it's lit.
It has a nice message in there.
 Different songs,
 different messages,
just a whole mixture of things.
It's not one of those
albums where it's like,
 a whole story full through,
it's just different
parts of my personality
 that I put them
 into the project.
 I am workin' on new project
 that's gon' be comin' out
that nobody know 'bout,
know what I mean?
 Which ya'll know now, so
 it's gonna be crackin' too,
 ya'll gonna see that.
 Ya'll gonna be like,
 oh this guy, he's lit.
So yeah.
 But yeah I'm workin' on
 some new stuff right now,
 and I got some videos
 that's gettin' ready
 to drop soon.
 I started making
 my own beats but,
 I more so try to
 do that for a hobby
 until I really get good at it,
 so usually I got a couple
 producers, Jamal and Ganja,
 that they from Korea.
They are dope, I hit
them up often for beats.
 I got Penny Beats, he's dope.
 I hit him up 'cause he
 puts his vibe together
the way I put my music together,
 so everything just
 match up perfectly.
 When it comes to
 my writing process,
 so usually I turn the beat on.
 I like to record by myself
 I don't like having a
 lot of people around
 because when I have a
 lot of people around
 they gonna sway my message.
 I wanna see what, back
 to what I'm saying,
 if it's not-- then I react
 enough, I need to change.
 I don't want that, I
 really just speak from
 within me, what
 message I wanna say
 regardless of if it's
 cool, or lit or not.
 So, I listen to the beat,
 I find me a rhythm and
 then I free style it.
So I'm just off the top
of the head with it,
 with the melodies, with the
 rhythms, with the words,
 straight off the top
 and yeah so, I just go in
 there and do it like that,
 throw my harmonies
 in there- crackin'.
 So, I think like, I'm
 tryna say the most I can.
 I'm more so concenred
 with quality
and I'm concerned with
how much I can get done
 saving the most money.
 Now a lot of people
 will look at--
 'cause I built
 this studio myself.
 So a lot of people might
 look at this and be like,
oh this cost you a lot of money,
you spent a lot of money
on doin' this, bro,
 man I can't do that, I really
 such and such a studio,
 and I think they only
 spend thirty dollars,
 y'know what I mean?
But think about your
career in it's entirety.
 I plan on having
 longevity in the game,
 so I have to learn
 how to use this stuff
 and I appreciate
 the old music props
 I took to get to this point
 because then when I get
 on the level that
 I'm trying to be,
I can have a studio in my house,
and save money then too,
 because the higher
 you get in the game,
 the higher it cost though.
Like, I tried to hit
up this-- not producer,
 he's a engineer who-- he makes
 Chocolate Box for Jeremih.
 'Cause I love the way that
 Chocolate Box sound
 production-wise.
 Dude, I'm talkin'
 1,500, 2,000, 3,000-
 you get up there with the
 mixin' and matcher stuff
 when you start gettin'
 a name for yourself
 so it's better for you
 to have the experience
 of mixin' it and takin'
 time to invest in yourself.
Yeah, so buildin' my own studio,
 those investments I made,
 whenever it's time
 for me to do shows,
I make deep investments
 because it also pushes me to
 make sure I bring my A game.
 If I'm spendin' anywhere from
 500 to a G for somethin',
 I need to make sure I'm
 showin' up and I'm showin' up.
 I can't be spending
 that much money
 and not gettin' a
 bang for my buck.
 (piano melody)
 My voice.
 (laughing)
 My voice-- I know how to
 play the piano a little bit,
 but y'know that's more
 so just for melodies,
 and thinkin' of
 different type of ways
I can go with the music,
 but so more so I've
 been learning piano
 like, for real for real,
 bein' able to actually play.
 (soulful singing)
 I use Pro-Tools 12.
 Should've stayed with 10 so
 I coulda kept my plug-in's,
but I got 12 and that's
what I use right now.
 (R&amp;B music playing)
 Wanna know somethin'?
 My goal is for me to
 make that statement
 in my career at some point.
 It ain't gotta be forever,
 but at some point, that's
 something I'm gon' have.
 Places to perform?
I'm gonna be everywhere.
 I don't mentally worry myself
 on where I"m gonna perform
 because I don't feel
 like any of that
will be something that
will be taken away from.
 But there are a couple artists
 that I really wanna work with.
 Like I really wanna
 do a project--
 I ain't even finna
 put my idea out there,
I can't 'cause somebody
gonna do it before me,
 whether it's Tori,
 or Chris Brown,
 but they always
 beat me to the punch
 because they already
 where I'm tryna go.
 So, I ain't even
 gonna put my idea
 into the universe.
 As a matter of fact,
 I'm gonna do it.
 Imma do it and this is
 why I'm gonna do it.
I'm gonna do it because if I do,
 and they see the video, and
 this video already been out,
 if they do it's gonna be like,
 yeah I said it first.
 So my idea, is I wanna
 take all the artists
 from when I was growin'
 up and make a single album
 where I can put those
 artists in their own element
 and I can just be ont
 hat song with them.
 It'll be like that
 childhood dream
 where you hear one of your
 favorite rappers or singers
makin' music, and you like man,
I wish I was gonna make
that song with them,
 so like Ludacris,
 Missy Elliot, Ja Rule
 even though people ain't
 really feelin' him right now.
50, of course Chris
Brown, Ne-Yo, T-Pain...
Man I could keep goin':
Justin Timberlake,
 Yeah man, Em, just
 a lot of people;
 Jay-Z, Kanye- a lot of people
 just you grew up listening to,
 I just wanna put all of 'em
 on some DJ Khaled stuff,
 but DJ Khaled take artists
 and he hadda make the
 songs that he want
 I wanna make songs that they
 would've made in they prime
and just feature
on it with them,
 but it's gonna be my album.
(claps)
 That's it.
 Tryin' to remember-
Well, I've always sang in church
 but church was other
 people's music,
 so my first show performing
my song, I was in L.A..
 My first one performing was
 in L.A., it wasn't even here.
And, it's crazy.
 My first show was actually
 a showcase for the label
 that I was signed
 to at the time,
 (percussion playing)
 and when I first started,
 I didn't even
 start with my song,
 I just started singing,
 and I went around the room
 and I was singin' to
 every female in there,
and I went around and just sang
 and after I sang, it just--
 I don't even know I
 what I was singing,
 but I was just singing
 to all of them,
 and next thing I
 know the DJ was like,
Ay, it's such-n-such's birthday,
 can we have you sing
 happy birthday to her?
 And I went over and I started
 singing happy birthday
 to her, and then the host,
 the host he was like,
 "Hey this ain't-- he ain't..."
 He was low key
 hatin', he was like,
 He ain't no... I think
 it was Justin Timberlake?
 He called me somebody.
 It was somebody
 that wasn't black.
 He called me somebody-
 I can't think,
 I think it was
 Justin Timberlake.
 But he was telling me
 I shouldn't be singin'
to all these people, so
that was kind of crazy,
 then I went into my song,
 but that was my first show.
 My first show was out in L.A.
So I think that's good,
 like that's something
 that sit with me,
 that my first show wasn't
 even in my home town.
 And, when I started out at
 least for the first minute,
 and fifty seconds,
 I wanted to sing--
 (R&amp;B drowns out voice)
 It was kind of like, what?
 Like, so when I was in L.A.,
 I went to this
 celebrity party right?
 Our P.R. got us in there.
 We in there, it's like one
 of those big old hedges
around the whole party,
 so we in there
 gettin' it crackin',
it's a lot of different
celebrities in there.
 I seen Nick Cannon,
 Columbus Short,
 Slink Johnson who
 played Black Jesus,
 that's my dad like,
 favorite show so-
 you know I'm like
 nervous at first
because my music gettin'
really popular like that
and at the time,
and so I went up
 to Slink Johnson
 like yo, what's up?
 'Cause I ain't tryin'
 to get that for me,
 I'm just tryna look
 out for family,
 'cause I know my dad
 would've been happy
 for me to have this video,
 so I walk up to Slim
 Johnson, I'm like,
 Hey bro, what's goin on bro?
What's goin' on?
 He ain't say bro-
 (mumbling)
 He like what's going on bro?
 he's like ey, you know
 you got some more,
 I'm like nah, nah I
 ain't got nothin'!
(laughs)
 I was like hey can we
 do a video real quick?
 He's like for sho, fo sho,
 and I do it for my dad so
 he did the video for my dad
 and after that,
 seeing Columbus Short.
Now that's my dude,
because Stomp the Yard.
 I even bought that on
 DVD and I was like young,
like I'm spendin' money
'cause I'm workin' hard
 as a kid, buying this DVD man,
 I walked up to him
 and I was like,
 "hey can you do a video for
 me, just sayin' what's up?"
 He's like I'm gonna come
 back after I get my drink.
Ya'll know what that is.
So that kind of disappointed me.
I don't watch
(mumbling) do all that.
 He ain't watchin',
 nope, not doin' it.
 Nope. can't do it.
 Anyway, got to Ne-Yo.
Now, that meant more to
me than Columbus Short.
 Columbus Short was
 just on fan stuff,
 like oh, I like that movie,
 but with Ne-Yo, it
 was like though,
 I need song writing, doin'
 what I want to be doing.
 I actually follow him,
 like I follow him.
 So this is for real, for me.
 So I get up to him: complete
 opposite of Columbus Short
 and that whole situation.
 I was like, "Hey Ne-Yo, can
 I get a picture real quick?"
 an' he was like "Man, I
 finna slide up outta here.
 Alright, real
 quick, real quick."
 So I had my guy who was
 over the label at the time,
like "yo I think you
should take this picture
 for me real quick."
 He's like
 (mumbling)
 and started trippin, bro,
 like straight trippin',
 like c'mon man, if
 I'm your artist,
 what are we talkin' about?
We tryna look good, you feel me?
 But I really wanted
 those pictures,
 so he took the picture
 of us or whatever
 and I still got that picture,
 like that was my joint.
 Like, that was my whole joint.
 So the funny part is,
 after I done did all that,
I'm good for the night.
Me meeting Ne-Yo was me
straight for the night.
 So, I'm sittin' there,
 I'm talking to this chick
 and we sittin' over there
 choppin' it up like,
 next thing I feel, a big arm.
 Now mind you, at the time
 I was like three thick.
I felt an arm go
like this to me,
 and say watch out.
 And slid me across
 grass, like...
(scraping noise)
 So I'm like, you know
 I'm ready to fight
 soon as I turn around,
I turn around big towering like,
uh, excuse me bro, walk past so
 before I could even
 say nothin' right,
 behind him, Fabolous come
 in and I was just like...
 Like I know it was Fabolous
 but at the same time,
 I'm like bro you didn't have
 to push me like that dog,
 like y'know we all cool here,
you coulda just went excuse me,
and I woulda just stepped aside
 but I'm tryna slide
 me across the grass,
y'know what I'm sayin'?
That was like the most
lit thing that happened-
 gettin' bullied by
 Fabolous security guards.
 That was like the
 best thing of my life.
 (inspiring music)
 Ya'll can find me on
 YouTube, Facebook, at P. Tae,
 Twitter, P. Tae,
 Instagram, Purple_Tae.
 Follow ya boy.
 Got plenty videos comin',
 I got plenty music comin'
 All quality things, R&amp;B king.
 Feel what I'm sayin', yeah.
 (laughing)
- I'm gonna let them all
introduce themselves,
 but they're all pretty, pretty
 hot in Milwaukee artists,
 so I'm gonna let you go first
and give me your social
media and who you are.
- Well my name is Shun Millions,
 I'm from San Diego, California
 but raised in
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 know what I mean?
 A dog you know what I mean?
 22nd, I mean I said 22nd-
 (laughing)
But my social medias is
Twitter @SHUNMILLIONS,
 all capital letters.
 Instagram, same thing.
 Facebook, Shawn Mendez
 and Shun Millions.
 Sound Cloud, $hun Million$,
but replace the S with a dollar
sign for first and last S.
 Yeah, that's about it, so.
 - What's good?
 Happy 414 day.
 I go by the name of J-Lamo.
 You can follow me
 @J-Lamo everywhere.
 - I ain't nobody.
 (laughing)
Nah, I'm Genesis Renji.
 - Dang I ain't boutta bite.
- Yeah.
 - That's it.
- My social media is
GenesisRenji everywhere.
 Google, all streaming
 platforms, even Sound Cloud,
 even though they don't pay
 me, so yeah, monetization.
 - I'm Mo'city.
You can find me
everywhere at MoCitySW,
 I'm a rapper from Milwaukee.
 - Big Gemini.
 - Y'know Big Gemini.
- Yeah.
 - I'm Sharrod Sloans,
 formerly known as Pizzle.
You can follow me @thefakepizzle
on all social media.
 - My name's Spaidez.
 You can follow me on Instagram
 @Official_KingSpaidez.
- Camb.
 That is Camb, the B is silent.
 - And you?
 - My name is Nile.
 Got a couple of weird ways
 to pronounce, or at
 least follow my name.
 On Twitter, it is NilexNilex
 Instagram it's NilexNile,
 and on my streaming
 platforms it's Nile_
 I'm gonna get that
 fixed but for now,
 it's Nile_.
 - Don't mess it up, period.
 And then you guys can
 follow me as well.
 It's called ToSitWithBrit
 on my YouTube page,
 subscribe, follow,
 definitely comment.
 We wanna here what
 ya'll gotta say,
as well as my Instagram
and my Twitter,
they're both _BrittaniC.
 So it's B-R-I, two T's, a-n-i.
Don't put a Y or
I'll kill ya'll,
and put a C at the end.
 So, ya'll can follow me there.
 You can also follow me
 on my business
 Instagram, @_ASWBritt.
 That means, A Sit
 with Britt, right?
 And, I'm super
 geeked to have ya'll.
 Some of ya'll kinda perform
and we're still awaiting
one other person.
(laughs)
 So, as far as the people
 that have performed so far,
 let's start with you Spaidez,
 how do you feel about
 your performance?
 You did great.
 You hit that.
 - That energy was awesome
 man, I was lovin' it.
 - When I went on, people
 praised me with great graces
and people were singing
along to the songs,
 so that was great love
 and let me know the songs
are out here and yeah
man, hits is on the way.
 - Bet that.
- And then, as far as you Nile?
 - I tried a whole new
 set tonight of new music.
 - Because--
 - Plenty of people was just
 rockin' with everything,
 from the beginnning
 to the end, so
 I enjoyed it and definitely
 the energy was in the room.
 Their butts just went
 like, dang, thirty,
 so they're definitely
 in the room.
 - They won at the
 beginning of the game,
we just don't act like
they do from the start.
 (laughing)
 And as far as you, how do
 you think that you did?
 - Energy is crazy.
 A super special show
 for me to begin with.
That band haven't played
together in a year.
 - Ya'll did amazing.
 I'm sitting here like, I said,
wow, it's all he
got a live band.
I turn around, folks you
got a live band in here!
 So that was like,
 super dope man.
 I've never seen
 you perform ever.
 - Oh.
 - Like ever ever, y'know?
 - Was it a good impression?
- Dude, listen-
I'm sittin here like whole time,
 you did amazing on there.
You killed the crowd
and I was super excited.
Spaidez, I've seen you perform,
but I've never seen you perform
 at the Cactus Club
 and that was like...
