Host Michael Reyes speaks to Cuban-born, Boston-based bilingual hip hop artist Cube Ref. They discuss their Cuban heritage, the Boston rap scene, and Cube Ref performs live in the WBCA studio!
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The Tape Deck Hour
Amidst the allegations of fake and fabricated presidential race results, Venezuela continues to be roiled by uncertainty and protests. The Venezuelan opposition movement has said that its headquarters were vandalized as its leader, Maria Carina, had gone into hiding over fears of violent repression and cracked down by the Maduro regime. Six unidentified men carrying guns breached its carcass, hit quarters and seized the equipment. The opposition has been claiming that its presidential candidate, Edmondo Gonzalez, won the polls by a large margin, but that the results were fabricated in favor of Maduro. The incumbent Venezuelan president has failed to produce transparent voting data as evidence of his victory, and the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced that the United States of America is now more convinced than ever that the opposition candidate, Edmondo Gonzalez, has won. And Blinken's statement on social media reads in our court, "Electoral data overwhelmingly demonstrates the will of the Venezuelan people." Democrat opposition candidate Edmondo Gonzalez won the most number of votes in Sunday's election, and Venezuelans have voted and their votes must count. Whereas, electoral counsel proclaims Maduro, who has been in power since 2013 as the winner of the third successive term, with 51% of the votes. The opposition has argued that the tally of 90% of the votes, which had posted on public website, proves that Gonzalez got more than double the support. Many nations, including the United States of Venezuela, the comprehensive vote on public. The deputy chief of the Venezuelan electoral mission called for transparency, he said that there is no justification for not releasing the voting certificates. The election is coming up in the States, but I want to touch on a subject right now that I can relate to. Last week, there was elections in Venezuela, and the elections was obviously rigged from the current dictatorship they have, which is President Nicolas Maduro. The reason why I'm touching this topic, because since I've been over here since 2021, I've been trying to be an advocate and bring awareness that was going on in Cuba. As you know, I'm a Cuban descent, got a Cuban parents, the left Cuba dictatorship. If you've been here in this episode, a bit of a listened member to my show, I bring this up on a regular basis, but they left for the dictatorship, and Venezuela's going through the same thing we're going through. When I bring these kind of awareness, the Venezuelan community and Nicaragua always show an ally and they show love and support with our cause because it's pretty much similar. I say this to say that we stand with Venezuela, the election was obviously rigged, and now when you deal with communist socialist dictatorship, it's not a situation you've got to vote them out. They don't believe in voting, because once you vote them in, you can vote them out. It's just trying to find a way to overthrow them. I say that to say this to Venezuela, we stand with you, we support you, and keep fighting in a good fight. And that was my quick PSA, y'all. So welcome to the tape deck. This your boy Cuban Mike, you're listening to the tape deck. And tonight I got a guess. I've been trying to get with this cap for a while now, man, and it's been long overdue. We were trying to connect. Shout out to his partner in crime, Diogene, because he kind of made this happen, even though I have your information, I just never proceed in it, you know what I mean? And it's like the circle that's so small, because I found out the people that follow him is related to him. Back in 2022, it was so funny, because every time I'm around the city outside of Diogene, like this people that I just, you know, was able to network them, like, yo, you should get this cap that I have in the building, yo, you should get him on the show, you know. He's Cuban, he's from your area, you know, y'all probably have a similarities. And I always trying to get through that, and you know, it was a slow process, but I'm glad we were able to make it happen, yeah. One of the things that I appreciate this man, he is a true lyricist, and he gets busy on the mic. He threw me some joints today, and I'm so happy to plan for him, you know, I'm all about supporting your local artist for the love of God. I can't stress to support you, that going artist, man, it's very important, because when we showed that love, we'll get him out of here, then from the state to the country, the world could recognize him, support your artist. But you know what I mean? We have him in the building. Thank you for taking your time to rock out with me. You know, we're about to get it all, man, ladies and gentlemen, I got cute breath in the building. What's going on, brother? What's good, what's good, fam? Thank you for having me. What's up, everybody? What's going on? Yeah, man. So, yeah, man, let's get to it, man, 'cause it's a little luck over the dude's video. Yes, sir. Listen, man. I like that intro, thanks for that. Look, man, I always look, I got this thing, man, everything. I got this thing, man, every time I got somebody in the building, I always try to give them like the proper introduction, man. You come here, I know it's not an easy rock, or the traffic is a mess out there. So you know, greatly appreciate it, man. Let's get to your background, man. Are you, I know you're Cuba, are you a born in Cuba, or? Yes, sir. Born in Havana, Cuba. So, I know there's a story behind that. And I know that story ain't pretty. You know. What part of Cuba you born, man? In Havana, Havana, shout out to Para Yallu, you know what I'm saying? So, yeah. Havana City, man. You know what I mean? Yes. But you say, probably like the hood, the hood in Havana. Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, man. So, what age were you able to like get out of the beautiful prison that we call Cuba? What was your story behind that? Gotta get to it, man. Every time I got a Cuban in the building here, they always tell me your story. So I know you got a story behind that. Yeah. So, my, so I have family here already that have left, I think, maybe like during the Mariela and all that stuff with all the Cuba, you know, when they were granted permission to leave. Your Scarpies, baby? Not me. I have family. Okay. That were already here. And they were established here. So, the other ones that sent for us in the '80s, because I think, yeah, I think I was, I don't think I was born here during that, during the Mariela. Yeah. But, so they were already here established and so they sent for us and, you know, we had it, they've been asking, sending for us for years now, we've, my family, I was little. I was only like, I think I was only like six when I left Cuba. Yeah. And my family decided to, to, you know, take them up on the offer and, and it was, it was pretty, I don't know, I was young, so I didn't, I didn't really see like the, the ins and outs of like, with my parents, I saw a little bit of what they had to deal with. I do know that what, from what my sister tells me, like my, my parents tell me like, once the, the government, they granted us, you know, the, the, the permission to leave, but once we decided to leave, they were like, they pulled us out of school. We weren't allowed to go back to school during the time we were there. And like, I think my parents, like, like my parents and my grandmother, like, couldn't no longer work either. They were just on, on, almost like if y'all going to leave, get out, you know, saying? So that's what it was, that's from what I was told. That's what it was. Yeah. That's similar to happen. All right. My sister just said, my family came in the sixties. So they came in the sixties. Okay. Yeah. So she's listening. She's making sure I tell a story correctly. She's on it. Yeah. So she came, she came here doing that. Your parents came there. That's not the same. We came here when the good races were over here. Like the good segregation days when it was like Jim Crow and all that stuff. Right. Yeah. And so, um, so bad, you come up, you, you, you landed in Miami, like we all do, or they just brought you up here to the freeze and colder Massachusetts. Nah. So when we left Cuba, it wasn't that easy. We went to Panama. Whoa. So we lived in Panama for two years. So, um, I, you know, we went, we just, we were integrated. You know, in Panama, you know, in Panama City, Panama, I got to, I got to experience that. I got to, to watch the birth of what is now called reggaeton. Yes. You know what I'm saying? So we got a fun fact. I, I, I feel like I witnessed the birth of Spanish regga, which was it was, which I put my money on it that, that it, that it started in Panama. And I'm wrong about that. I just look, yo, so crazy story. I just got into a weird, and the block or online or whatever it was, this Puerto Rican do how he like created regga, Puerto Ricans create a reggaeton. And I got in the mix of like, no, that, that started in Panama. Yeah. More than a percent started in Panama. And it's actually like a full blown podcast called like the history of reggaeton. Yeah. And it was hosted by the bunch of Puerto Ricans, but they, they pay homage to like, look, we took it to a whole other level, but like the original roots, roots, roots. It came from Panama. And I was showing Panama, the, the love that they deserve. I was there. Yeah. I was there. I was, I witnessed some of that. Yeah. So, you know what I'm saying? So yeah, man. Shut off the panel, man. Shut off the panel. What's your final outfit? Yeah. What I mean? Well, with that being said, I got to get a shout out to my, my half pan and meaning brother Josh chilling somewhere. No doubt. I got, he invited me to go to see that side of the family in February. So hopefully God willing I'm alive. We make that happen. Yeah. It's beautiful. I heard out there. Yeah. It's, it's like Caribbean and Central America. Yes. Yes. Yes. Beautiful. So I loved it. To it. To it. I would say two of the best years of my childhood was spent in Panama City. All right. So, so what age you got over here? So like I said, I left Cuba. I was like six, seven by the time I got here, I was nine. Okay. But I was, I got here in the summertime, my birthdays in October. So I was like a few months. I was like three months away from turning 10. Okay. No saying. So cool. And what, what part of mass we were, you were open. Oh, and the bean. Okay. Okay. And then we came straight to the beans. The first place I, I went to my great grandmother's on Emory Street, right down the street from here. All right. Emory Street, right? JP. That's what, that's what I like. The first place I slept at and then we moved to Angel Street, shout out to Angel Street, man. And the smiles and the rest of the guys over there, say, uh, uh, you know, me and shout out to everybody, Angel Street, that's what my cousins grew up. Okay. You know what I'm saying? I repeat tests. I repeat Donald. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, man. You know, it's crazy because, um, I'm not originally from mass. So by the time I got to mass, you know, like all the Cubans, like kind of like disappear like that. So they got extinct. Mm hmm. Cause the part where I grew up at is actually like the second most population full of Cubans next to Miami. What was that at? Jersey. I'm a Jersey. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I thought it was and why, but it's Jersey. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So well, it's a funny story about that. We knew your, we, I think we were like the third in the eighties and then they all left. Mm hmm. And there was a lot of cats out in no heights before the minikets and took over. Mm hmm. So a lot of them in the eighties were out in the heights. Okay. And then afterwards, they just migrated to Miami, but yeah, it was, um, it was Jersey. So when I moved to up here, I mean, I was in Boston like that, but, um, I was like, yo, where the rest of us is at? And I just got, I just got stuck with the Puerto Ricans and the minikets. So I, man, I, I, I, I, can I tell you something? Yeah. And there's no shades to, no shade to my Latino. Okay. Yeah. I gotta go, y'all. That's just how I can't do this. Pete. Thank you. Um, thank you. I'm glad you told me. Why should I ask for, um, no shade to my Latino folks. But when I first came here being the, uh, you know, being black, I feel like my first experience with like, I would say, I was, I don't want to force it and say racism, but like prejudice and a little bit of racism was from the Latino children. They ain't no, no better. Yeah. From the African American children, you know, so it was like, just being, I was the only black, I was in the ESL program, I didn't speak any English. So, um, so like, I was always the only like black, dark skinned, black kid in the class. And they, you know, they just, there was a lot of ugly words to refer to black people by the, by the, by like the Spanish kids and then being Latino around a bunch of the African American kids, it was, you know, the whole guala, guala and back then it thought, you know, if they thought Spanish was the, the, the language, the Spanish language was called Puerto Rican. So it was like, oh, you speak Puerto Rican and all that stuff. So the people I gravitated to more growing up in the city of Boston were just black Caribbean people, people who came from where I came from who looked like me. And, you know, like I said, I love being Latino, I love my Latino culture, but that's, that's just how it was. That's just what it was I can't, you know, so, but yeah, we stuck with everybody's, but I know I digress, but yeah, to your point, yeah, by the time I got here, most of the Cuban people started fading out, you know, it's crazy. You mentioned that because when I grew up at, um, I lived in Lynn and then I moved to Lawrence. I was like, um, it was like a weird shock value because that grew up with, um, part of me, mainly, I grew up with mainly like the makers in Puerto Ricans. So they all thought I was either one of them. So they, because they didn't think it was too many, it was around. So when they, um, saw me and they, I told them I was Cuban, like the first thing that they tell me was like, yo, I told the Cubans out there, wait, yeah, I thought they were all like, you know, like really, you know, like, you know, Andy Garcia, right. And they're like, oh, I got to, I got to pull in these cheating. Yeah. And I got to put the deck on say like cruise car and they're like, oh, yeah, I forgot she's one of y'all. It's like, like she's the forgotten one. Yeah. And it's very weird with us because I always can tell you, I was like, you know, you always got those two, but it's something about us, prodigal, we up here, we're like the, the forgotten island. They don't know, they don't, they don't know before Desi Arnaz, it was Benny Morin. Oh, yes. Talk about it. Talk about it. I mean, so it's like we've been that we've been the forgotten, the forgotten crew. Well, I say, can I say something? I say, if you look at, you know, things that things are evolving and I love it, how things have evolved, especially like with the, with the level of understanding each other's race. People's understanding the difference between race, culture and nationality and ethnicity, right? People are more open, but I would say, you know, me growing up, I felt like the Spanish media or the Latino media in America, that broadcast to America never embraced the African heritage. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, you don't, you never saw black people on television, you know what I'm saying? You barely did on Spanish television. And I feel like even the, like you said, the shock value for me was even me being, looking how I look. And you know, I got hip early, very Americanized. So like the last people think people thought I was was Latino, especially Cuban. So and, you know, like, it made me kind of, like you said, there wasn't, there weren't a lot of Cubans here growing up, but I was growing up. So I was always very unique. So it made me kind of like, you know, it's, I stood out, which is kind of cool, but as I got older, I was like, then when you, when you in hindsight, you think about it, it was kind of sad because it's just like the fact that people are shocked to see some people who look like us actually speaking Spanish or being from certain places where, where there's the, at one point it was predominantly, you know, Afro people there. Yeah. Um, it's, it just shows how much we're hidden or how much we aren't. We don't have a voice and, you know, I feel like to represent us in Latin America and we don't own the TV stations. We don't own, you know what I'm saying? So that's, that's what it is. And it's interesting you said that we're like Latin entertainment because it's too, it's too, it's, it's a variation of things if either we're not Latin enough or if they do put us in some kind of platform, they put us like at the worst, at the worst, we're either like the maid or prostitute or like the, the crook that the pant is, it's no worse in the novellas. It's crazy. No worse. I grew up, you, you're a little younger, so I don't know if you remember, I got, got to, got to said the Nina. Of course. So, like, all the kids, so I remember, I'm in bilingual class, typically the only black kid and that was, that was C. D. Lo, you know, that was, that was, and I'm like, you know, I'm not C. D. Lo, you know what I'm saying? Like, my, my, my personality don't even fit his, but because he was the only black kid in that show in Mexico at that time. Yeah. And I was the only, you know what I'm saying? And the only black kid in my ESL class, so it was just, it was just always that and it's just like, there was two people, him and his dad, yeah, and that whole show and that show went on for a minute. So, you know, it just goes to show that, you know, it is what it is. No, like I said, I love being Latino. I love my Latino culture, but, you know, it could be very, it could be very racist and very, you know what I mean? They don't, they don't embrace. It is what it is. Yeah, man. Michael also see the cool thing about, I mean, people that look like us, we could co-switch some people don't know they're talking stuff about us, we could just catch them. So, on both sides, 'cause with, with black folks, I also know they can't, they get real slick with the mouth, not knowing that we're part of that culture, and then with a lot of, you know, people don't speak Spanish, not knowing we're from that culture, so it's a good, like, you know, a great camouflage. Well, that's what I was saying to people before like that, those little perks of just like, oh man, you know, like girls from, like I said, like, for me, like, I did very well with the ladies because I was like a unicorn, like, and this dude is black and he's Latino and he's Cuban. That's so rare. And I had locks too. I had locks for 25 years. My head grew down past my waist that one. Is that white dial, you and dial Gensho Daggone type, 'cause I know he had braids back in the day. Well, me and Daggone, we were part of the same crew, pansy and femme, so we, I know dials since he was like, like, probably a junior senior in high school, like, when I met him, I was a couple, 'cause I got a couple years on him. Yeah. We were young, we met, we, me and Daggone friends for over 20 years now. Yeah. Yeah, but you were saying that you were, you were able to, to get away with something, be smooth with it, 'cause you had the dreads that, you know, all that, I just stood out and I didn't look. The last thing people thought I was, was like, you know, like a Hispanic or, you know what I mean? Especially Cubans. But, so it was all that, like, yeah, and then, you know, obviously, yeah, like, you know, my boys are bringing me to like, you know, I got, I got my car in the shop with these Dominicans, or these Puerto Ricans. So, don't say nothing, bro. Just listen, just stand there and listen in case they try to do something shady, like, stuff like that. Yeah. So, I'd be on the train, you know, somebody would talk slick, I'll say something, they would be all shocked, you know, or, or, there was one time I was a group of like, like, Puerto Rican girls, and there was actually feeling the kid, so they, they were like, oh, man, maybe I can more than, maybe I can more than either my lean though, and then I said something and they were like, uh, I'm wrong. So, it had a spurt, but it still, at the end of the day, all that originates, the fact that it's not the norm, it's because we're not promoted, we're not broadcasted. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? It is what it is, man. It's not an ending fight, man. But I'm here for it, man. Yeah, I'm here for it, too. I, I just have to, so as we getting into that, I just have to shine some light into that, because I never really had a chance to talk about that, but, but I'm not bitter about nothing. I like to say, I love it. I love it all. Yeah, man. Now we got that out the way. Let's get, let's get to it. Why are you in the building, man? Let's get our hip hop on, man. So, yo, man. So, what's the first time you fell in love with this thing called hip hop? Yo, hip hop is, I'm glad you said fell in love because hip hop is definitely my first love. Before I fell in love with any woman, I fell in love with hip hop. Yeah. You know, uh, I think when I, yo, as soon as I got here, as soon as I got here, um, like a quick story too, like I was, you know, me and my sister, we, we tight. So we, I remember I was in Panama and there was some kids, there was some, there was a kid visiting from the States that came to our neighborhood and he had a boom box and it was just, he was playing something I had never heard before. I can't remember the exact song, but it just, it wasn't, you know, where we were listening to the Satsang music, all types of Calypso, Soka, you know, Spanish music, you know, uh, Panama is very Caribbean and stuff like that. I had never heard this, like, you know what I mean, that, that, that sound and I was like, yo, what is that? And she was like, oh, it's this thing called rap. I think it's from the States, you know, this is like in the 80s and she was like, yeah, you know, you're probably going to hear a lot of it when we get, once we get there. And, and, and once I got here, the first video I watched on rap city was Wild, Wild West by Cool Modey. Let's go. I used to live downtown. Yeah. I was like, and I've always been a huge fan of Westerns. So when I saw that, I was like, I was just so drawn to it. And then from there, um, just everything, everything, like, and it helped me get like, listen to rap music, you know, and watching, just watching, like, just American television. I learned how to speak English a lot faster than most people. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And just being around, like, a lot of, like, in most of my neighborhood, like I said, I started living on Angel Street with my cousins and stuff and they didn't speak that their mom is Cuban, but then they grew up here. They never really learned Spanish and Mad American as a stuff. So I hear that, but yeah, so per head pop, man, um, just, I came up in the golden era. So, and I got to see the beginning of it. I got here just in time to watch the start of it, the NWA, all that. I got here. I came here in '88. So I got to see like the beginning of all that, you know what I mean? So I would say there's no particular thing is just that just being in that era made me fall in love with it. The diversity, just like how new it was, you know, you know, people didn't really believe in it. So, you know, I just got to, I just fell in love with it instantly. You remember your first rhyme when you first started writing? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I talk about it all the time. Shout out to my bro, my bro, K, my boy, K, and his uncle, Keith. I had written a little rhymes here and there playing around for my first rhyme. I had, like, and this was like after I had just graduated high school. So now it's like the fall of my year, my first year out of high school, and I was working at Valvoline. We all was working at Valvoline, but they were in the studio, K and Keith, they were both in the studio, but that these were the first two people that brought me to a studio. These are the first guys that I knew personally that were like recording music. And I was like, "Wow." And one day, Keith was just like, "Yo, I got this song, you want to jump on it?" And I'm like, "I ain't never wrote a verse, you got to give me a couple of days." And I didn't know how to count no bars or nothing, I didn't write to no beat, but I just wrote a verse. I don't know how long it was, but it was long enough. And when I came back to them and I let them read it, they was just like, "Yo, you wrote this?" You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And that was it. That was my first run. No doubt. No doubt, man. So I want to get to one of your joints. We're going to go with all of that. All of that, yeah. I bet, man, I want to get to this joint. I want to decode it after we're done, and we were just going to lay back and enjoy the song, man. This your boy, keep it Michael. Listen to one of 2.9 tape deck, cube revving the building, and we're going to just walk it out, y'all 617. Don't put this one on the list. Nah. [MUSIC] Wake up in the morning, they come for the day. Now time they get paid. They didn't hate him, but I'm never faced. Paid the cost to be the boss, and that just come with the job. They even talked about Jesus, for they nailed him to the cross. Who am I to complain? It's so not told, so I can't give a *******, yeah, you gotta get it how you can. I've been snickin' to the plan, treatin' just like swishes. I never f***ed with them again, tryin' to tell me that I changed my intent, why would I not? I did a lot of things, tryin' to make it off that block, have the class in a trap, with a sack in the ****, don't tell me but some chances you took a day was for nothing, me and my ******* really had a goal when we was hustlin', runnin', feelin' up my safe with them bundles, stayin' states, switchin' up the plates on them trucks. When you break, you do anything for the money. Around here's not safe, dog, why you keep comin' back, why you keep comin' back, why you keep comin' back, when it comes to my paper, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of it, I'ma need all of it, tell us time to cut ties, no playin' both sides, ain't even worth stoppin', just ride on by, they criticize your steps, ain't walk a yard in your shoes, never to show you dirty, inspect the hundred from you, know it ain't safe here, it's like a scene out of Cape Fair, I ain't got to tell you to take care, you see how these people don't play fair, scream love but they hate there, backstab some fake tits, I ain't never done it like my gray hair, need a house with a lake near when the check clears, do it what I'm supposed to, whether this is what I told you, like you ******* stuff, I ain't even gonna hold you, baby, so find your purpose, know what you're worth this, oh, dig through the surface and break them curses, too many months out here livin' with a grudge, it hurt me when my nephew got his sentence from the judge, pull the lights about accomplishments and finish in your job, if you had some ups and downs but when it's in your blood, it's not safe, dog, why you keep comin' back, why you keep comin' back, why you keep comin' back, when it comes to my paintball, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of that, surrounded by greatness, you find what you're callin' zag, you find what you're callin' zag, you find what you're callin' zag, when it comes to my paper, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of that, I'ma need all of it, I'ma need all of it, ha ha ha, he can do, kill, ref, in case you chose, ah, ah, ha ha ha, yeah, that was all that by the homie, cute ref, this your boy Cuban Mike, listen, one or two point nine tape deck, so what was the thought process behind that, join partner? So check it, so all of that, that was kinda just put together by me and the guys, so that features, first of all, that song is called All of That, it's available on all stream and platforms, it's just one of my singles, it doesn't belong to any album or nothin', I've been on a singles run, so that's one of my singles produced by Alfino, who's a producer out of Mexico, and I got, I got, I got Andy OBP feature, who's Dio's younger brother featured on it and my nephew, Casey Jones from Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, so those guys have off, so basically, I found the beat, I got the beat and I was just like, yo, I want, like I knew I wanted those guys on that track, and he's younger, he's up and coming, but this dude could do it all, so I just hit him up, I was like yo, Andy, I need a hook for this, whatever you feel, and he came up with that hook, and then I hauled it at Casey, I was like yo, I need you on this track, you know what I'm saying, and that's just pretty much how to, how to, how to, and then I just did my verse to it, I just went off the hook that he came up with, and that was it, just kind of, you know, just, I just kind of orchestrated it, you know what I'm saying, but that's just how it came about, alright, no doubt, it wasn't really nothing like, oh, like the beat is, but like, I just sent it to them, let's see what we come up with, that's what we came up with, no doubt man, don't join man, don't join man, thank you, so, I gotta go back for a second, 'cause I have, I had Dao Jin in the building a couple of months ago, and one of the things I see with y'all too, when y'all get together, y'all really compliment each other, y'all like, I don't know, it's like it's kind of similar to like, to golden racing, met the man in Red Man or Styles and Gator Kids when they go back and forth, that's basically, that's, that's what we, that's what we've become, we were part of the PNG of fam, it was five of us, yeah, and everybody kind of like, we still are cool, but everybody started doing their own thing, and it just turned, like, at one point I wasn't even doing music no more, and he was basically like the last one, him in session, but session moved to Atlanta, and so session was like in and out, but Dao's been the most consistent out of all of us, so then, but I was, I've always like, stayed close to him while he was doing his thing, so I had, I'd be in and out, and then when I decided to like, get back into it fully, we just, we already had that chemistry anyway, so it just kind of worked out, so yeah, so I said, out of our squad, and everybody we rock with, me and him, yeah, it's Captain Minna and the Lonely Hero, and I'm saying that, that's, that's our thing, so, yeah, okay, okay, that's what's up, man, you know what I want to do sometime in the future, man, like, I'm trying to do something before the year ends to like, have some kind of like, cipher here in the building, you know, I'll be glad to have you and Dao Gin, a couple of artists out here, we're here, and just do something, you know what I mean, because I've been trying to do like, some kind of like, something similar to BET, but just my own version of it, of course, so if y'all could come through one of these days and bless the mic, I love it, man, this is so boss, and it's so hip-hop with it, man, bad man, check, and make sure you keep it mic, you listen to one of 2.9, and we're going to go through a quick PSA, y'all, bear with me, well, that's not going to work, yeah, I guess that didn't work, ugh, shoot, okay, never mind, you support your mic, we're back in the building, my PSA is going on mute right now, so we're going to continue on with the continue on, god, cube, we're having the build, what's going on, what up, what up, what up, man, how y'all doing, everything lovely, man, everything lovely, but listen, what are the things that I found out from Boston artists, they have a hard time trying to get the support, they're looking for it, I always stress that it's very important to support your own, how important is it to support your own and get that love because, you know, I've gone to, not even, I've gone to several places, and like, when I leave the state, like, for example, I've gone to Florida to see shows, and when I see shows in Florida, like, it be jam-packed, and I don't know, when I get up north, there's like people, it's like, I don't know if it's an up north thing, but they act like they too cool for the building, unless it's their team, you know, I think it's the dynamic of just the city I've always been, one that we've never really, besides like, rock and R&B, there was never really like a real home for hip-hop and the development of like hip-hop artists in the city of Boston, you know what I'm saying, we've had the two biggest artists, I can say, in rap, you know, where like, Edo G, and then, you know, the artists open Zeno in them, you know what I'm saying, but aside from that, a lot of like, the most of the successful artists have been like, more underground artists, and I just feel like, you know, it's a lot, the way the city's kind of divided into so many different hoods, think about it, it's like, even in New York, there's like big, huge projects, and everybody is from like, you know, you got like, the boroughs are separated in those 10 extensions, right? But here, like, we're within the city, like, it's blocks, you know, it's this street and that street, and then you got this project and that project and that hood, so the city is very, it's very divided, and then everybody raps, so I feel like, you know, it's, a lot of people say crabs in a barrel, I don't, I don't, maybe, that's what's always been said about Boston, but I just feel like it's just very, it's, it's clicky, and if we've been very segregated amongst ourselves, due to where we're from, and you know, just the competitive, and also due to the competitive nature of being an artist, right, but you know, rightfully so everybody wants to be the best and stuff like that, from my opinion, I've been a huge fan of Boston hip hop, I used to go to, even while I was at, you know, while I've been, all the times that I was actively doing music and not actively doing music, I've always gone to shows just to check out what's going on in the city, I've always like bought people see, you know, even back in the city era, so, but what I've seen, I just feel like, it's just very, it's separated, man, do you got people, you from over here, you got to click over here, it's just, Boston's very clicky, and, and even us for us now, like, we've been, we've been on a run, but we're kind of like, aged out a little bit, like, a lot of people, we came up with ain't doing, don't have platforms anymore, there's a lot of the younger people have platforms, so it's harder to kind of like tap in, so I feel like it's that, but the overall thing is just, I'm talking, that's when you're talking about just the support from the city, but also there's really no, there's no, like, in, you know, in New York, you would, there were places, like when Pappu's got on, he waited for K-Slay every day in this building, because he knew K-Slay was going to come out every day from his radio show, we don't have, you can't go to jammin' and do that, you can't go to, kind of follow protocol, they call the cops and y'all there, right, right, so that's how, you know what I'm saying, so like, we really don't have that, and then you, like you said, all you got is really jammin', and they don't really cater to stuff like that, so we just don't, we just haven't had that, but I think past like 10 years, it's shifting, yeah, it's shifting, but yeah, I would say it's just more, it's just too, we're all too separated, you know what I'm saying, but I think that's just the culture of a bossing, right, but man, well I want to get to one of your other joints we got next, writers, yes sir, writers, man, feature, and e-tell, littles, and my guy died again, died again, yeah, all right, no dumb, let's get to it, man, writers, Cuban Mike, dial gin, one or two point nine, cube ref, the whole squad, what's love, let's get to it, yes. Writing is where I go to be honest about how I feel, sometimes it's really the only way for me to know what it is that I'm feeling, like I have to write in order to see what I'm gonna write, if that makes anything sense at all, but I find that it's a lot easier to write the truth than it is to say it out loud. Nobody can take writing away from you, nobody can tell you that you're wrong, or your words are wrong, because you're not, you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you are right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you're right, and you And it's just basically a tribute to anybody who writes, and it doesn't even have to be music, bloggers, people who you write in your diary. - Poor treat for poets out there. - Poor treat for people who work at everything. Anything, any type of writing that you do, journalism, whatever. If you have a passion for writing, that song is for you dedicated to y'all. - No doubt, man. So, as for now, man, what's going to like, we will talk about behind the scenes now. So, what's going to be up for you, you know what I mean, to maintain like this thing consistently? Do we got an album dropping? Do we got an EP? Do we got anything coming up? Or are we just going to do the straight singles thing and just hit it off on the website and catch it? So, I'm going to continue going on the singles, trying to go on a singles runner. I dropped three in the past year. - Yeah. - I'm getting ready to drop a fourth one, and so I haven't put out a lot of music, but I've been consistently promoting my music. Doing shows, going out of state, doing interviews like this, and things like things of that nature. So, I got a bunch of more singles to drop. Just trying to figure out the strategy behind that. But then, also, as far as albums and projects, I'm working on the Captain Midnight and the Lonely Hero Project, where me and Diogen-- - Oh, yeah, I'm looking forward to that. - Yeah, and then me and DNA, shout out to Dean Notorious Alcindor. We got a project together that's called Flying South, and that's almost done. So, you know what I'm saying? So, I got two joint projects that I'm getting ready to hopefully drop this year or early next year with those guys. Bet, so, if those joints-- I mean, when those joints are completed and done, please come to the tape deck and bless us with some bars. Oh, got you. Got you, definitely. Yeah, of course. Of course. This is going to be-- As long as you have me, this is going to be part of the campaign run going forward. Bet, and you know, you got the Cuban Pass, so, of course, you're going to have an open door to tape deck, so-- - That's the side of the side of my mind. - There we go, baby. There we go, man. Check this out, man. It's your boy, keeping Mike, you listening to 102.9 tape deck, and next up, we're going to have our boy here. He's going to perform on us, and the joint that he got for us is what, Morning? Yeah, Morning, featuring me and Dialogin. Dialogin's not here, so I'm going to do his verse. - I bet, man. - I'm going to try my best to get it right in here. Bet, no dial, man, no dial, man. We're going to keep it. We're going to keep it gutting, keep it hip-hop, man. Shout out to Dialogin, man. Everybody here doing their thing, man. So, we're going to get to this joint morning live on the tape deck. I'm trying to be like, you know, I'm trying to do something here, like NPR, you know what I'm trying to do, my version of that. So, like NPR tape deck, but take away the NPR thing. It's called the tape deck session or something like that. So, just trying to restore the feeling. - I just saw the legendary Al McFarland in the building. - All right. - Now, this is a legend. Bet, bet. All right, man. We'll be back, y'all. Stay tuned. All right, y'all. Check this out. It's your boy, keeping Mike. Listen, one of 2.9 tape deck. Tonight, I got the homey Q-Breath in the building, and he'll get hit up with the crazy joint morning. And, you know what I mean? Enjoy. One time for your mind. Taking it all the school in my own slang, man. Yo, kid. Go kill this, man. - No doubt. - Keep it Mike. What up? - Yeah. - It's called morning right here. I'm going to try to do Dialog's verse. First verse. Let's see how I get it. Uh-huh. This one right here is called morning, man. Hopefully, you waking up and having a good morning every day. Shout-out to the kids, man, on this song. My niece has enough use of my son, Wajie. Check it out. ♪ Walk up this morning, walk up this morning ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ And I can't wait ♪ ♪ To stop my day ♪ ♪ Walk up this morning ♪ ♪ Walk up this morning ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ Now I can't wait ♪ ♪ No, I can't wait ♪ ♪ To stop my day ♪ ♪ To stop my day ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ 'Cause I can't wait ♪ ♪ Check it ♪ ♪ Just stop my day ♪ ♪ Made with love and all of our cartoon ♪ ♪ Trying to press teeth and get in my zone ♪ ♪ After I shower with my fresh soap ♪ ♪ I hit the closet 'cause I dressed dope ♪ ♪ Thank God there's no more than snow ♪ ♪ My girl beautiful like that morning glow ♪ ♪ Now she's in the kitchen making eggs and toast ♪ ♪ Breakfast with jazz so I'm ready to go ♪ ♪ Preplaying my day yesterday was the day ♪ ♪ It was kind of hectic but today I'm straight ♪ ♪ Respect the name on that check below ♪ ♪ Dialgene real CEO ♪ ♪ Free my mind and left the rest alone ♪ ♪ It up, up ♪ ♪ I didn't cry out rose, pang yet ♪ ♪ But we needed to grow ♪ ♪ Got my keys, got some dope, got my phone less rose ♪ ♪ Walk up this morning ♪ ♪ Walk up this morning ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ And I can't wait ♪ ♪ Can't wait ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ Up this morning ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ Now I can't wait ♪ ♪ I can't wait ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ 'Cause I can't wait ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ I got the feeling like black eyed peas ♪ ♪ The best day of my life today ♪ ♪ Just might be ♪ ♪ Uh ♪ ♪ Rose up before the sun ♪ ♪ Beat the snooze button to the punch ♪ ♪ Fresh breath out of my lungs ♪ ♪ Yo I ain't felt this good in months ♪ ♪ OG status but look and feel young ♪ ♪ Nowadays I renause my idea of fun ♪ ♪ Did a little stretch and got the heart pumping ♪ ♪ Hit a few push ups, jump squats and lunges ♪ ♪ Gotta get up, get out and get something ♪ ♪ When the day is yours it doesn't feel reluctant ♪ ♪ Relax my mind let my conscious be free ♪ ♪ Gotta be quiet everybody still sleep ♪ ♪ 99 problems that I ain't stressing ♪ ♪ Timing stuff that essence let me count my blessings ♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ And I can't wait ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ Feeling good today ♪ ♪ Now I can't wait ♪ ♪ No I can't wait ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Boston what up, Cuba Mike what up ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ 'Cause I can't wait ♪ ♪ Yeah huh ♪ ♪ To start my day ♪ ♪ And I sit ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I woke up this morning ♪ ♪ Baby I'm talking about man ♪ ♪ Thank you, thank you, thank you man ♪ ♪ Yeah man, check this man ♪ ♪ Appreciate you, appreciate you ♪ ♪ Cute breath ♪ ♪ Support your own ♪ ♪ You know what I'm saying ♪ ♪ We got all these singles coming down man ♪ ♪ Brother thank you for coming through ♪ ♪ Thank you for coming through man ♪ ♪ Thank you, thank you for coming through man ♪ ♪ I don't happen doing to take that ♪ ♪ But never you need something to do ♪ ♪ Let me know man ♪ ♪ I hope you plug that stuff man ♪ ♪ Shout out to the tape deck man ♪ ♪ Yeah you know the list ♪ ♪ So check this out ♪ ♪ You can cash me every Friday ♪ ♪ From six to seven ♪ ♪ Say take deck time ♪ ♪ Say take deck channel ♪ ♪ We're standing with y'all ♪ ♪ We representing Cuban ♪ ♪ We representing Blackness ♪ ♪ We representing Hip Hop ♪ ♪ And we representing Massachusetts ♪ ♪ We're representing all that stuff man ♪ All that stuff, man. Take that one or two for now. We are outta here. Peace.