How Demola the Violinist is Breaking Classical Music Wide Open

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phone. So, okay. So, so listen. So, the purpose I'm going to tell you now, first

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of all, thanks for coming, right? I appreciate you. Thank you for having me. You know, you're coming from you're coming from Houston, but it's still I

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know how busy you are. I know how busy you are. And so, and I know we have a relationship through Vitudi Cares. We'll

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talk about that. But, so the podcast to give you an example of what the podcast is about. So, I'm I'm a CEO, okay? A

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$2.2 billion company by two that that big. I'm not supposed to be a CEO. Like,

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I'm not I'm not right. I mean, if you think of the way we'll talk about the way you grew up, the way I grew up, I

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mean, we've overachieved really, right? But um when I was when I was uh the job came

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up to be a CEO and I was one of one of the candidates and somebody told me you have less than 1% chance less than 1%

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chance of being the CEO. And so that's why the podcast is called less than 1%.

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Because they didn't believe that I could do it. And once I heard that less than 1% chance, you know how you get right

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that chip on your shoulder. You're never going to let you're never going to let anybody say that you can't do something.

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So that's really the purpose of the podcast. The podcast I'm bringing people on here, right? Bringing you on here.

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When I first met you online, I was like, he's a less than 1enter. He he has it like you know how

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hard it is to go into that industry. First of all, to go into it and as a

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creative, you're creating something you love, right? Right. I mean, you you're trying to please the people, but at the

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end of the day, you're creating something you love. And so, for us, having you on the show is amazing.

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Jordan, myself, you know, just thankful to have you. And um it means a lot. You know, we we'll talk about we'll talk

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about what makes you you. Yeah. All right. So, so

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Jordan, you're I'm going lean on you cuz you're the musician, but I mean I I'll let the audience know. So, so you're a

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violinist. That's why you have the violin there. But you also play multiple multiple instruments. Okay. So, what

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else do you play? What else you play? I'm a singer, songwriter. I play my voice.

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I'm an Apple pop singer. I'm a music producer. I'm a guitarist, drummer, the keyboard. I play I play

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ukulele. All that whole stuff. And I started my journey on horns right now.

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Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Before we go on, wait. Don't don't tell nobody. Don't tell nobody. Don't tell them what

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I'm telling you though. I've started my journey on horns right now. So, what do you mean starting your journey? You've you've I mean, you've played horns

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before. No, I just started I've I've spent like a

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102 hours on the saxophone right now. Wow. One or two hours on the saxophone and I pretty much play 30 songs over 30

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songs. Well, on the Wait, did you say you started your musical journey? No, no, no. just started. Oh, you're

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starting your journey on on Oh, okay. Okay. You know, and actually I brought out the saxophone two cities during my

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tour last year and everybody was wow, but I I I I played like a particular I played a solo of um Can We Talk the

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Bridge. Wow. You know, um it's not something I've posted on social media yet cuz I'm saving it. Um you guys are

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the first person to know. Yeah. So, we'll wait. We'll wait till you post it. So, we have to we have to we we can't publish. You can you can publish it. We

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we publish the podcast after you can you can publish it. You can publish it. They still not going to hear me play until

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I'm ready. You know what I'm saying? But um yeah, that's that's something I wanted to like just so so myself to do

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you. Okay, so when we first met, you you didn't have and now I have to say I

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appreciate you because you know uh when when I when I met you, you weren't as

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popular and now you're popular and you still maintain the relationship and that means a lot. That means a lot to me by

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2D cares. I mean, you know, you still stick with us and and that that that means so much because locked in, bro.

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We're locked in for No, but it's for life. You know what I'm saying? But that that level of commitment to people, you

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don't see that especially in this industry and in in medicine too. I think that that that commitment is is wild.

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But I want we want to go back to this journey. How did you start? Like I mean music music's in your soul. You're

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playing you start and playing the instrument and you have 102 hours. cuz you're already playing songs. Tell me a little bit about the the musical

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history. Okay. So, I've um I've always loved music growing up. Um I always would tell my mom, you know,

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my dad and like, "Oh, I love Micah Jackson. I love James Brown, you know. I like Fell, I like Sonia Day. I like, you

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know, I like musicians who I mean, not just musician, artists who are very

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charismatic on stage. I always love to be an at three. I was already singing in school and taking over and dancing and

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I'd always whatever but I was also very smart on sciences. I was very good with sciences. So but you know how it is back

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home. It's like oh you either a doctor or you're a lawyer or whatever. And listen you're already having 100% every single time you're doing sciences,

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elementary science, health science. I was that kid who was very strong on sciences. I loved sciences. So music for

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me was more like was not um was more like part of my upbringing. And so my

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parents just felt like it was a hobby. Like he's just skillful and talented, you know, singing. I would compose song out of the blues. And the first thing I

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was doing was singing and playing. My dad taught me how to play conga, you know. I told I wanted, you know, baby

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guitar. So he bought me all those, those plastic, you know, guitars just for fun toys. And I would dress like, you know,

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I'll dress like any of our African legends. And I'll start singing and playing the guitar and dancing. And my

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mom, I dress like I try to dress like Prince. And my mom was not really big on Prince because you know how prince

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dresses you know and being an African be like yo my son can't dress like this man. So she was like she stopped me from

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watching anything Prince. I told my dad this is not what my son is going to watch. You know stuff like that. But I

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had been big on being an artist myself. Um I started playing the violin when I

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was a teenager. That was the first time I picked up the violin. I started playing the violin when I um when I got

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when I went to a church. I was not playing drums. I was not playing anything. And I was like I me and my brother we used to play in our previous

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churches we used to play perussions and I was very good. He was very good. So we play like you know the jbe the kunga

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there's something we call a mole is those you know those traditional

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drums. So we had like rhythm and all of that. So we used to enjoy this actually sometimes tell my dad you know like yo

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before my dad passed on um while we were young I told my mom like oh can we have your brother your sons come and play for

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us in our church that is in the local churches you know and and that's how I actually you know was big on music but

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my parents both my dad and my mom were huge music loving parents it was music

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24/7 dad was huge on jazz and classical music like you know soft classical my

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mom liked soft rock and roll my My mom liked Afro beats. My mom liked reggae dance hall. I got that from my mom. That

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was my mom. Reggae dance hall. Every CD she had it. Pop music. My dad was R&B

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rap. So it was a combination of both of them. So we had, you know, radios. They played different cassettes radio. This

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one is playing in the room. This one is playing in the palo, you know, like we call it living room here, you know, in the living room, but

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back home we call it room. So in a palo that is a living room. My dad is playing whatever. My mom is playing in the room.

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So I I would always go through the cassettes and check the lyrics and you know follow gospel songs follow

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Celindion even before we celion became a theme where we growing up she's always

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been a thing here she's but when we were growing up we didn't know anything about Celindion at some point until we got to

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certain age me I was like putting my own friends on onto Celindion so

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you're age so you can play I mean jump jump fast forward to now because of that

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upbringing and you play everything. That's it. That's what that's what influenced me being a multi-real

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violinist. So, cuz when I picked up the violin, I started teaching myself the violin. I wanted to play everything I've heard and every form of music that I

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know from jazz to classical to pop to dance, anything, any any radio song. I was always always big on radio. So, sing

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anything. It's like for me, all music sounds same to me. You know, you how

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long? So, so the thing I marvel at, so you hear a song, you hear a song right now. Mhm. I I play an original song.

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Mhm. How long will it take you to be able to listen to that song and play it? It depends on what style of like, for

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example, if you play an original classical music. Yeah. You know, classical music is form and structure is very much different from a pop music.

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Yeah. Um, it's also different from some kind of jazz music. jazz jazz music has turnarounds you know a little bit

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extensions and all that you know all of that whole extensions even more blues

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you know what I'm saying simpler form I won't say simpler form of jazz but you know a very much different style of that

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jazz actually you know became big from um pop music is is has a different

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structure and pop music is less complicated now if you've played all of all these genre genre of music So Afro

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beats um which is African beats and pop you know rock and roll. Once I hear them

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once I haven't played jazz music for me I and it it doesn't happen to the rest

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of my friends. It doesn't happen to like rest of musicians but once I hear a song once I can tell where it's going not

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just by the chords but also by the melodic structure. Yeah. So just me listening to the I can tell okay this is

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going to be the next few phrases. And sometimes on the spot while you're playing the song, I can already predict

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the melodies and play after just listening to like maybe 12 seconds or 10

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seconds, I can't just continue the song with you till the end because I already can tell after a few first and second

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turnarounds, it just happens. It's always been like that for me. Now for popular music, any song you hear

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on radio, except I just want to really want to characterize it like play like okay I want to I want to make it deola

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now and I want to sing play it and sing like the artist sang it and give it more color and more then I take my time but

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like play a song and be like hear this song and I listen to the song and play it. I'll play it right away. Wow. When

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when did you So So when did you know? So I'm I'm you know I'm I met you online

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like we talked about. Mhm. Somewhere around 2020, pandemic hit and everybody was everybody was on their phone.

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Everybody's on their phone and I and I saw you I remember you know downtown Houston and I was like this this this

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guy has it. So but when did you know see cuz when did you know that like not just

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I'm a creative cuz I'm a writer, right? So I've written my whole life. Okay. Okay. But there was a certain time where

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I wrote where I'm like I actually am a writer. like this is this is if if

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somebody reads this, I'm this is going to be good. When did you know that like you're like, "Okay, I'm a creative. I'm

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an artist, but I know I know that the world is going is going to vibe off this." When did you when was that time?

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Um, it was when I started when I started out as an artist. Just before I started

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an as de artist in 2016. 2016.

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2015. I I mean all this while I had already known I was going to be an artist. I never told my parents my mom

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that when I'm done with my grad school I'm going to leave my PhD program I'm going to focus on music and stuff. I

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didn't tell nobody. Okay. You have we have to come back come back to that. But I had known that I was always going to

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do that. But knowing that knowing that I think I'm really dope, bro. Like

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this is really what I'm born to do. There's a difference between wishing that oh yeah I think this is what I'm

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going to do but knowing with inside of you like in 2017 when I when I I left my

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PhD program I finished my masters I was like this is what I'm going to do till I

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die. That's a different kind of knowing that's a different kind of commitment

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like and I was like I'm going to leave an international student I couldn't work. Yeah. I'm gonna leave everything

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and I'm going to make sure I talk this out until until I can't I can't eat

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anymore until I I can't this must be it for me. And that was it. In December 2017, I was like, "Yes." But before

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December 2017, in 2015/20 2016, I had that realization, you know, that yes, I

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I'm not just a dope violinist. I'm not just a dope musician. I have something different. Wow. That was when I realized

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and that's when I started my social media in 2016. I'm like, "Okay, I'm going to go ahead and start my social media in 2016." So, I was late. I was

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late in 2020. You know, I was late. Really? Really? In 2016, I was like,

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"Yeah, I'm going to start my social media." And then I started my social media, YouTube, Instagram,

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um, Twitter, um, it was Facebook. Listen, I'm Listen, you're you're

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brilliant. And I've said that to you off mic. So I mean you I mean you know I'm I I told

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you my my journey a little bit different medical school all that stuff and you know you learn a lot of technical skill.

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You walk into a room and tell somebody you're a doctor they immediately feel like you have some kind of amazing

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intelligence. You you're you're brilliant. You're brilliant. I mean, I think you could have gone into anything

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and the level of energy and enthusiasm and talent that you have, you would have

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been successful, you know. I really believe that. I appreciate that. So,

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you decide to leave a PhD program in a Nigerian family. I mean, I I'm Jamaican,

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so I already know. I only had a few choices. So, you leave, you know, a

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Nigerian family. I mean, not leave the family. You leave your PhD program and

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you go, you decide to do something that in our cultures. Now, in our cultures, it's funny because

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like in Jamaica, Jamaica, I mean, dance hall is is respected. Vibes just did a

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concert the other day. I mean, it was it was supposed to be there with him. It was out of control, but but it but when

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you go home and you tell somebody, "Listen, may bad man go down." You know what I mean? And they

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say, "No, you're not. No, you're not. You're going to go to school, sir. You're going to go to school? Yeah. So, so you're going you're in your PhD

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program. I want to know who didn't believe in you. Who didn't believe in

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you? And then what did that do to you to motivate you or did it did it slow you down? Okay. So

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um before I went fully in to this I when

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in 2016 in 2015 I started up I started up two bands. First band crashed

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continue with the second band. I've always played in orchestras and played with whatever. So I was always you know

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lead days I had a string quartet lead string quartet. We're doing classical music and doing all wow jazz and all of

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that whole stuff back home. I travel. That's how I even got to American music. Being a solo violence and all of that,

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but being an artist is different from being all of that. It's like a whole different level of risk and talent and

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and and even voicing and all of that whole stuff. And so, so when I started off with bands, my guys would knock and

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they they didn't believe they were all every single person in the from the drummer to the keyboardist to, you know,

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the bases to, you know, the humble level talent. But the difference

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is they didn't believe in the dream that I shared with them. I would sit down and talk to them several times but they wouldn't come for rehearsals because

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we're not making money from it. And as one of I was the poorest among them because I was I was like just relocated

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to America. They've been here in America for a little bit. You know what I'm saying? I was trying to find my feet. So they didn't understand like the dream

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and whatever. So they didn't believe. I met a couple people be like it's always been happening as a violinist even from the beginning when I started playing the

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violin. But they be like valin what vali do like bro go find something else like

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play sax like even with sachs where will you wear like bro what are you trying to when people ask me what my dream is I

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don't tell them because once I open my mouth and I say and they hear the passion and how big I am said I want to shut down stadiums with this I want to

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be doing concerts with this solo with my own band and all of that as an artist they be like they start trying to look

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for things to compare me to and there's none to compare me to the original

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because Yeah, I'm like there's no you're one of one of one. Like no violinist from Africa says he's doing this and he

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sings and he does this and he's and this is how he wants to do it. Do your own show in America as an immigrant like bro

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go sit your ass down. I first started I did my first you know my first show listening in the club. I told my friends

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while we were in grad school I was employed my masters then I was like please please come watch me. I would call them I was at the club with my current DJ now but he was a DJ in the

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club then I would call them please come and listen. I did covers. I would tell them and they were all of them were like I would beg them to come. They supported

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me. They like me. But they were old. Imagine all your seven people in the club at that point in time cuz it was

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early hours of the club before the real club starts. So they were the ones who would come leave home or leave school

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and be like, you know, let's go support them all. And I'll count them. I I'll be at the door waiting for them. Six of them will sit and I'll be I'll play my

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song to only my friends. Wow. Those were the only ones. And I would have to call

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a couple of them. I have to call them and beg them, please come, don't let this place be scanty, you know, and all

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of this. Snapchat reminds me of those videos sometimes because I remember I was on Snapchat, too. I posted a couple

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stuff. It was just empty club with lights and DJ like where are your people? So the the only person at that

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point that believed in my dream was you. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody. I mean people

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would not tell you to your face like even your very close friends would not tell you besides some people nobody

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really really saw it even when I was telling my mom that I'm focusing on music fully she's like for real you left

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your PhD program she's like I hope it works out well

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and she said I'm going to pray for you but don't forget to go back to your school. Yeah. I'm like okay. Yeah. So

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was that I I guess the question is so was that your motivation? You wanted to

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do something that was different from what everybody else was doing? Is that what kind of got you to pick up the

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violin? Because if you look at it, pop music, right? Violin is not a typical

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instrument in pop music, right? Um but what you're doing right now is just so I

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I would say I'd say like I never really wanted to play the violin. Let's even start with that. That's where I was going to go. My brother was playing

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piano in church and we used to do everything. So if he's dating a girl or he likes a girl, I would like her friend

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or I'd like her sister, you know, like we doing we go out and we used to play soccer together, you know, if he gets

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into a fight, I'm supporting him. You know what I'm saying? So he was playing piano in church. He started playing piano in church and he got so much, you

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know, big on playing classical music in and then he wanted me to do stuff and I didn't like classical music to perform like that cuz I listen to radio music

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and I was like yeah and I was like he's like play the violin. I was like if I take the violin to the hood everyone is

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going to laugh at me like I'm going to lose my street cred, bro. Like violin is nothing. You know what I'm saying? And I'm sorry to say I say it's for white

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people because it's not for us as Africans. It's not our thing, you know? And I'm like it's for white people and it's for females. Like if you're a guy

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in the hood, like you grow up in the hood, like you're picking up a viol, everybody's gonna slap your head like you make me lose my street credit. I

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rather want to play like drums and you know something that is close to our culture. So we got into an argument and

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then my mom stepped in. My mom was like okay go to the church and settle with your brother just after two weeks, 3

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weeks. I was like, okay, I'm going to go to church and I'm going to pick up the violin. So the church, the owner of the church um um had he he he went to London

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to study and all of that. He had like church organ. He bought a lot of violins and

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stud. So I couldn't afford a violin to even be a hood a hood boy being a ghetto. So we would go to the church and

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use the church instrument to practice. And so I would go pretending to go

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practice and take my physics and chemistry and biology book cuz I was trying to get in college to study while

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my brother be like, "Oh, he's he's there." And then over time I saw people take the violin and they don't do anything with it and they go I hate to

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waste my time. So I'm like why are these people dropping this violin? What is there? So let me even see and then and I

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did like a little music class when I my first time in grade seven. So I picked it up and I was trying to

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figure like like that and tone semmit tone and that's how I was like oh I can play a scale. The moment I could play a

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scale something sparked in me something clicked. Yeah like huh okay. And I had

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100% in grade seven in music. Wow. Grade seven at the time. So my mom kept the

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book for me. So she started noticing that there was a change. Like I was eager to go to church as opposed to

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before to go. She's like, "What are you going to do?" I'm like, "I'm going to the violin." Whatever. It's like, "Are you really playing it?" I'm like, "Mom, it's interesting right now. I think I'm

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finding something. I can play a couple stuff." She's like, "Okay, this is your note from your music whatever that you had 100%. Take it with you." So I would

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sit down with it and I started. So I learned the G major scale one octave. I learned the A major scale one octave by

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myself. I learned the E major scale one octave. I learned the D major scale one octave. And you know the songs I didn't even want to play gospel song. I started

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trying to imitate songs on radio. That was how that was how it started clicking

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in my head. And then I was like okay if I can play one or two songs and one thing about me is once I start something

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if I really key on it it's over. Like if I key on that stuff I'm like yeah. So I was like I want to if I can do one and

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do two I want to do five. I want to do seven. I want to do 10. So then I picked up the book. I was like, they always

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throw this book down. I pick up the book. I put it up and I started trying to site read. I've learned how to site

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play before even learning how to read to know what. Wow. But that's that's you talk about prints, that's like Prince.

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That's it. So I started learning all of that whole stuff. And then I got discovered by the mentor, one of my

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mentors who was teaching them there. And I would come once a while and he saw that this boy was he's like, "What?" And

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I was like, "Oh, I was a little cocky." So I was like I can play this stuff that these people cannot play. So I played the whole book and he gave me the second

24:05

book. I played the second book and he's like you're not I need to talk to you way behind. That was it. And that's how I got drafted into the national

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orchestra from that small place. In 6 months I got drafted into this into the

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national orchestra because there was an opening. Guys traveled out of the country and they they had a national

24:23

whatever they were supposed to play. They couldn't come back. The few ones that were around went for bigger pay. So the other guy who was paying like a

24:29

smaller pay needed young people. So I was one of the only two guys that were drafted in me and the other guy he plays

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he stopped playing the music he's focused on something else now and we drafted into the orchestra and that was

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life turning moment for me. The first time I ever played outside even played in church outside whatever was playing

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for the president of my country. So, so the first time anybody even knew you could play really, I mean on a on an

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outside stage was playing for the president of my country. It was a it was a presidential dinner and they needed an orchestra and so a lot of the players

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were out of the country and so they were like, "Oh, we need we're scrapping for players. We need somebody." And so I was like, "I know this very talented young

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boy that is so serious. He he he tries and he's stubborn." You're competitive.

25:13

Yeah. You I mean we just we were just hanging out playing. Yeah. And I didn't have my

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paddle. You You did You did good though. I did okay. But I want Now I'm trying to get you back. You're competitive. I am. I

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am. I am. In a I can in a before it used to be like But in a positive way. Yes. It's like No, actually once you tell me

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I can't do something or you No, but see that's that's where I'm going to go. That's where I'm going to go. I think it's in a positive way, but I think I

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think it it also is a little bit negative. When I say negative, meaning that you're not going to let anybody,

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just from my assessment of you, that you're not going to let anybody not let you accomplish what you want. I want to

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go. No, you're right. But you still didn't tell me. There had to be somebody. Okay. So, I'm going to tell you a story. Quick story. There has to

25:58

be somebody that What? So, I'm going to tell you a quick story and then then you'll understand. So, I was uh So, what

26:04

Jordan, don't tell him. You maybe you maybe don't even know. Do you know what instrument I Well, my my Okay, you have

26:13

to name my first instrument and my second instrument. Just my first drums and sax. Drums was

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my third. Drums was my third. Okay. Really? That's usually the first for everybody. No, I wanted to I want Well,

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I played on the desk at school. You know, you played on the desk. Okay. But but but but what's my first bass? No, my

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first was piano. Okay. And then my second I'm embarrassed about it. My second clarinet

26:41

closeute flute. Flute flute. Why you say it like that? Why you

26:46

say it like that? Cuz I just read his hard suit. No, but listen man, we're friends. Why you say it like that? I was

26:52

just asking like how did you like how did you jump? And it was crazy because like I mean I'm I'm out of shape now,

26:57

but I was muscular, right? So, I'm in I'm in school with muscular and and I got the short shirt and I got the flute

27:04

and then all the ladies there was no other dude playing the flute. It was all other ladies. How did you cope with the ladies though? Well, play the flute.

27:11

Maybe that's why you dropped it. But so anyway, so my my my point is going back to high school. So I'm I'm

27:17

trying to play uh basketball and I'm I'm doing all the sports. I was second in the city in in the 100 meter, you know,

27:24

Jamaican. You mean come on now. Sorry. Oh, sorry. And so, and so one year we

27:29

win everything. I'm killing and athlete of the year is this skinny dude named

27:35

Barry O'Shea. Barry O'Shea. Right. And I mean, I still remember it. I mean, that

27:40

was 30 years ago. And I still remember this skinny guy who got athlete of the year when I was supposed to get it. Wow.

27:46

And it pissed me off. I was angrier. And And even to this day, that was the first time I noticed it. But even to this day,

27:52

when somebody tells me I can't do something, it takes me back to that burial shape and I'm angry and I'm angry

27:58

and I get hyperfocused, right? I get hyperfocused like you told me I can't do it. I'm going to double show you. So you

28:06

I see that in you, but there had to be some like one person, a teacher or

28:11

somebody or family member that said, "No, this is not the right thing to do. You need to go continue." I don't want

28:18

to I don't want to You don't want to call them out? I'm not going to call them out because that's not my style. Yeah. But it's not a family member. It

28:25

was when I joined the orchestra when I got drafted into the orchestra. That was a life turning moment for me. I faced

28:32

because a lot of I was I was like I said I was fresh. I was new. How old were you again? I was like uh I was like around

28:38

when I start when I picked up the volume I was 14 plus you know. So and then they did not they did not um they did not

28:46

first of all I was not popular. I was a fresh kid. I was not from rich home. I

28:53

was poor. Um I was confident.

28:58

Confident or cocky? Not cocky. I was confident. Confident. Okay. Now I'm I was very respectful but I was also hot

29:04

blooded. And when I say hot blooded, hottheheaded like do not I respect you but do not

29:12

insult me and insult me like oh you don't have a good jacket. I'm like, "Yo, I don't have I cannot afford this kind

29:18

of jacket, but at least it's black and it's clean." Well, you got to have to sit behind. I'm like, "Who are you to tell me to sit behind? Your cash man

29:24

knows me to sit here. Like, I'm a senior player like that. You don't know me." I'm like, "I respect you, but you

29:29

cannot. You ask me to sit here. Stand up and go back." You know, those kind of things that happened. I'm sorry, but

29:35

happened in Africa where people can just um older people can talk to you anyhow

29:40

and because they've been somewhere, they don't know who you are and they just want to treat you. I was and I grew up in the hood. You have to stand up for

29:46

yourself. So I was I was getting in fights. I have to win the fight, you know, like I'm like you I'll beat you

29:51

quickly. That's the kind of person I am. Like but I like okay I I'll keep it cool. And my mentor was also there. So

29:58

he knew the kind of person that I am that hey Deal would get upset and he would get in a fight. If you hit him, he

30:03

hits you back and he's ready to take it up quickly. And it was not a good temperament. But you cannot blame somebody who spent all his all all of

30:10

his life in the in the ghetto trying to defend everything I've had. I had to fight for it, you know. And then I

30:16

eventually come to an orchestra or come to a gig and you tell me that I cannot play when you're not, you know, you

30:22

know, you're the one who's telling me like a lot of players like that and a lot of and one of them was one of the top leaders of it. He would tell me you

30:28

cannot play the violin. You don't sound like everybody. You're different. You do not Why you playing so charismatically?

30:34

Why you not start sitting down like everybody playing? you know your tone is different you have to blend in with

30:39

everyone and as how I knew that if 50 violins play and I play I sound

30:45

different yes that was the first time I knew so I had to start telling like later I had a mentor and I was like why

30:50

is it that everybody sounds the same or similar and when I play I sound different he's like

30:56

well it's your uniqueness stick to it wow so so this guy I'm not going to say

31:01

his name but over time when I did not stop and I became really very good

31:07

became an ally. Oh, yeah. switch it switch it on like you know people when

31:12

people say that they can't knock you down after a while and they see that oh this person is defiant he's going to continue doing and I had a good heart

31:19

when I had something that was dope and everything I would say hey listen I make reference to you know all of the top

31:24

guys who you know I would say paved the way you know who were doing it before I even me came in and they were like oh he

31:30

speaks good about you and you and you just said something about you and they were like oh that's that's something

31:36

that we don't find in the industry and this young cat is talking like this about us. Let's begin to reevaluate how

31:42

we treat him. I was never treated right. Every gig, everybody was trying to kick me out because I was shining and they

31:50

didn't like the way I was playing. Yeah. I was easily spotted out of the way I was playing because I was good. Yeah.

31:56

And somebody cannot play something, I keep quiet and say, "Can you try it?" And I tried and I get it because I spent

32:02

hours practicing that stuff and they start getting mad. People don't like that. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you know. No, they don't. They don't.

32:07

It's true. It's true. And I did not I didn't also part of this my fault too was I did not also because you being an

32:13

orchestra is different from you know so sometimes I'm like when they say played is of me to say I don't I'm like okay

32:19

and I played and I play with all my soul and they say they just give me the solo part and they be like you you less than

32:26

two years and you're taking the solo part over you know and and that's how it

32:31

started and that was one of the things that made me say you know this violin I'll play this thing and prove every

32:37

single one of doing this orchestra wrong. I'm going to come all the way from the back seat and I'm going to sit in the front seat, you know. And cheer

32:44

matters in orchestra, you know. I'm like, I'm going to be a solo violinist, not just playing in orchestra. I'm going

32:50

to be playing solos. Y'all are I said in one particular one guy was I was like, I'm going to play a solo violin in this same capital of the city and all of you

32:57

are going to back me up. Wow. I was so mad and I said that and it happened less than two years later. Wow. What? in

33:06

Abuja. I don't want to go into I don't want to call names, but I know I know you don't Nobody knows them, though. I'm

33:12

sorry. I'm trying to throw Nobody knows them. Now, you don't want to call names, but you're keeping receipts. You're keeping receipts. I'm keeping

33:18

receipts. You keep the receipts because that, you know, every step you make, you

33:23

know that, you know, in some ways we we we remember it and we're not angry.

33:28

We're not angry about it, but they help they helped our journey because if they did not doubt us, then we may not have

33:35

achieved what we achieved. You know what I mean? True. What's your So, so this is somebody something I ask everybody. Um

33:41

what's your superpower? like what like if you had to pick one you can't and you can't say you know you can't say like I

33:47

I ask people this what's your superpower and they're like I'm on time like you know or or the other one I hear from

33:54

people is they're like you know um you know I never give up like that's not a

33:59

superpower like yes you never give up but what's your special thing that no one else has

34:05

I don't know about no one else no no one no you it has to be something that you think that you think is intrinsic to who

34:13

you are and it's the thing that you do the best and is like it's your superpower. Are you talking about when

34:18

you say superpower? You talking about my attributes that one of my major attributes that I really really that really pushed me this far. Is that what

34:24

you Yeah. Something that that is enabled you to be successful? Let me let me ask you that question back and see what you

34:32

what's your own superpower? So my my my superpower is uh actually when you were

34:37

at our our gayla I don't know if you remember my dad was there. Mhm. And they

34:42

brought him up. I remember. Yeah. He looks just like you look just like Yeah. Your dad is like Yeah. He's like like

34:48

looking in the mirror and um they brought him on stage the next day and they said, "What what is you know what is Moo's special thing?" And uh he said

34:55

determination, but so you know I think for me it's relentlessness. So I'm never I feel like I'm never the best. I'm

35:01

never the strongest. I'm never the fastest. But I will stay up for eight days. I will whatever it takes. If I if

35:09

you tell me to do this thing, I got to cut my leg off. I'm going to cut my arm off, my leg off. I just feel like for

35:15

me, I never I never never never and there's nobody that can work harder than

35:21

me in my mind. In my mind. So that's my superpower because that's what I go to when it when things get difficult, you

35:28

know, when I when I'm, you know, I go through to that I can outwork anybody. So same thing. Somebody say even

35:34

stubborn. I'm stubborn, but that stubbornness I think is more relentless in spite of because I won't sacrif you

35:41

know the thing I love about you. You said you set a goal and it was you know honestly it was a ridiculous goal. What

35:48

were you thinking? You know how many kids grow up you it was not it was not a

35:53

goal that you should have achieved but you knew in your head you could do it.

35:58

And so that for me that stubbornness is what I think I'm hoping that's what you mean. Yeah. Um, I'm I'm not trying to

36:06

I'm not trying to copy what you're saying, but I see a lot of similarities in us. Okay. Okay. Um, one thing I was

36:13

going to say, focus. Mine is focus. Once I set my mind on one thing or two things

36:19

or three things that I'm going to do this, I set timelines for myself and I

36:25

do not rest until I get those things. Another thing is figuring out solutions

36:32

for problems. And that was one of the things that made me go into medical research before I left my PhD program early first

36:40

semester. I'm like out I'm coming back though but I'm out. I have I know they

36:47

say something in my language problem they never finish. In my own journey I've always had problems from beginning

36:54

of and my problem I mean growing up hard and tough like we have hey listen there's no water. Let's figure out where

37:00

we can we get water. I'm looking for where we can get water relentlessly until we find water. And once I find a

37:06

place like this water, that's a solution. I'm happy. That's like my own.

37:11

Oh yeah, chip on my shoulder. Boom. That's my own. Yeah, that's your trophy. You won that. So, I've solved one

37:17

problem of mine. I have more problems, but at least I've solved that. my my own um like you say super pop is

37:26

you know as I was going to say focus on everything like it's it's me focusing on one thing or two things and saying this

37:33

is my goal and nothing I'm telling you nothing can take

37:38

my eyes off it when I say I'm going to get this thing if it's something that's

37:44

within my power if it's something that's within my like something like something that I can control until in my life.

37:52

Part of the reasons why I've, you know, grown in my career and everything is because I I confront challenges every

37:57

single time and I'm figuring out ways to cuz the challenges are on my way to my

38:02

goal. And so because I'm so focused on it, I'm like, "Yo, okay, this is a problem. Let's solve it out of the way."

38:08

So that focus is it and that's one of the reasons why I don't I don't think I would ever ever cuz I love this thing.

38:15

You love it? I can tell. I love it. Like with it's like it's not even a passion. It's my I tell I was telling one time

38:22

one my you know long time ago one my my my girlfriend I was dating there was like you you have so much passion in

38:29

this. I'm like it's beyond passion. It's my existence. He's like it can't be your existence. I'm like no it flows in my

38:34

blood. He's like if you take my blood out right now is music that is in my blood. He's like you that's all you want

38:40

to do? That's all you focus on. That's all you think making music practicing and making beats and composing music.

38:46

And I'm like it's not like that's all I do. It's just that I cannot do without it. Even when I'm sleeping, my brain is

38:53

on that wire. So that super focus is what I have. Dedication and focus to

39:00

that one thing. And I keep going to solve that problem until I get, you know, oh, I don't have a violin p. Oh, I

39:08

only first gig I did only six people came. Okay, I'll make sure I want to make sure I fill this place the next

39:13

time. Next time it was 15 people. Okay, I want to double that. Next time it was 30. Now we're doing 5,000 capacities.

39:21

Wow. You see what I'm saying? Like but but but the end goal is shutting down stadiums and it will happen. Oh, it's

39:28

it's absolutely going to happen. I will give everything. Mhm. For that to happen

39:34

and that's where that focus has and it's something I close my eyes and see when I'm dreaming I'm seeing it. Who's who's

39:40

the most famous artist that you've worked with, played played for, played with as is it as a when I was a musician

39:48

or as an artist right now? I would say in general when I was a musician, you know, I think Beyonce did some stuff

39:55

when I initially started, you know, and then I was one of those young youngest

40:00

that they pulled into play for her back home and, you know, so and she's not the

40:07

one right now, you know. I think she's pretty famous. I think that's as big as I didn't know she was going to be

40:12

this. You know what I'm saying? But yeah, that's also out of Houston. Yeah. Yeah. And also out of Houston, you know, but you know, but she's always been

40:18

unique. That was who I would say is the biggest I've played for dead. Wow. You know, but as an artist, a solo artist

40:24

myself, you know, I'm looking forward to collaborating with her in the future and I'm speaking into existence because I love not just her music, but I love her

40:31

work ethic. Yeah. And the way she approaches the art is very different. Yes. Yes. you know, you um you you

40:40

decided to So, for people who don't know, um you were you've been doing our

40:46

our our gay you've supported our foundation where we take care of people, you know, we take care of people for

40:52

free. You guys are doing an amazing job. We go out to communities. Awesome job. Awesome job. What I'm I'm just curious

40:58

because we caught you at the beginning, but you were on the rise. M why did you take the time out to to to to do that to

41:06

because you knew the cause you knew the cause and at the end of the day I mean I feel like you love playing so you're

41:12

going to play someone says hey come play for me or or you know you send us something but you there was something

41:18

else and this is not because you're my friend and this is not because I'm here and it's not because you're going to feed me after this.

41:24

I'm just going to tell you bro when you sent me a DM and I read read your DM I felt a brotherhood. Yeah.

41:31

Yeah. I felt a brotherhood. And one thing about me is once somebody's my friends, my close friends would tell

41:38

you, you know, my friends would tell you, not even the ones that are very close to me, but the ones who know me,

41:43

like once somebody's my friend, the person is my friend. Yes. I don't care

41:48

whatever you're doing. Yeah. I'm supporting your stuff so long as it's a good cause. And what you guys are doing

41:54

is exemplary. What you guys are doing is great. What you guys are doing is dope. You know, you know, I only knew about I

41:59

just knew about virtu when we were talking, right? I only knew about the foundation and I'm like, is a foundation they do this? Okay. I'm like, oh, that's

42:06

awesome, you know, but besides everyone like it's you I I was looking forward to

42:13

meeting you cuz you send me like DM. I'll be like, "Yo, bro, man, this is fire." Like I be like, "This guy." And

42:18

then sometimes you send like, "Yo, and I'm like, I like this dude." I was talking to I was talking to my manager. I'm a manager. Tyson is one of your huge

42:24

fans. He likes you a lot. is like man when am I the first time I didn't even

42:31

know your name when first time I was going to do like how he was like oh no you have to pronounce it well bro and I'm like you never really talk about

42:37

people like this he's like oh no you the guy's amazing the guy is great and I'm like yeah I know he is and and and so

42:45

sometimes you know it doesn't matter not just vity it doesn't matter whatever you do I'm going to support because you're

42:51

my friend you know what I'm saying and then now to say that you're doing oh this and now it's like oh yeah you're I'm not And I'm not saying it because

42:57

I'm here like any of anybody who's I have I've had friends that for 15 years

43:03

of my life, 20 years of my life, you know, and I still have their numbers. Yeah. They can pick up their phone and

43:09

talk to me like they've been talking to me before. It doesn't matter whether I'm doing the shows. I'm you know this I

43:14

know this person and this I'm an artist. Nah. I think I think what it comes down to, we we talk about this too in the

43:21

partnership. Like I think what it boils down to is when you when you feel and

43:26

and and you hate to be like philosophical or or I mean or religious or whatever, but you can feel somebody's

43:34

energy. I feel I I believe that like and you know and that's the thing like I mean the way you you know I I I do like

43:41

you too. I don't tell people my um my goals like even even writing even as a

43:46

writer nobody in the nobody in this company knew no one in the partnership knew I was a writer. They didn't know.

43:52

And one day I released a book like it was like over the weekend and they were like, you know, you have a book out?

43:58

Like, yeah, I have a book out and I just did it myself because I when I started pitching it to people, you know, then I

44:05

had to get somebody to believe in me and all that other stuff. So, I did, you know, I was just I wanted I just put it out. And it's funny, this book that's

44:11

coming out now, um, I was with Magic Johnson. I was with Magic Johnson at an

44:17

event where I was going to interview him and he came and talked to me and he's like, "Hey, same same like us." He said,

44:22

"Hey, Moo. Um, you know, what are you doing?" And I said, "Well, I'm telling about the company." And he said, "No,

44:28

no, no." He said, "What are you doing?" And I said, "Well, I'm a writer." And he said, "What are you writing about?" I told him what I'm writing about. He

44:34

said, "That's that story needs to be told." And that's and he ended up writing a forward on my book. Oh, that's

44:39

awesome, bro. I need to really give me some Okay, I don't give I'm buying. Okay. So, no, no, no, no, no. I'm buying

44:44

it. We We already got We already We already Come on, man. Here you go. That's you. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's

44:51

signed. Signed copy. Okay. Let's go. Yeah. That's a sign. You want me to unbox it here? Yeah. Unbox it. Unbox it,

44:57

man. So, you got a little little Yeah, man. [Laughter]

45:06

It's my name. This is interesting. Yeah. Yeah. less

45:12

than one% how disruptors defy yachts. This is interesting. This is Yeah. So I I I

45:18

think you're and you and we sign I signed it in there for you. This is beautiful. Yeah. So you want me to read

45:24

what you wrote out to people? I mean you know you are a star. I appreciate you and your impact on Fruitity Cares in the

45:31

world. Keep shining my brother. Yeah. You know this a brotherhood man. I

45:36

appreciate this. It means a lot. You know what I'm saying? But you know you missed one thing though. Yes. You're supposed to add super.

45:44

You're a superstar. You're not supposed to add I added myself. I'm

45:49

playing. You put you know how in school you put the arrow you put the arrow and the teacher put super. I played I played

45:56

I play a lot. You know I joke a lot. Right. So So you uh you're a disruptor. So I I talk about in the book I talk

46:02

about disruptors. You're a disruptor, right? You you actually talked about disrupting the orchestra. You disrupted

46:07

the orchestra. I changed many things. The purpose of an orchestra is for everybody to play the same. That's and

46:15

and what you did is you disrupted it. You said, "You know what? I know what an orchestra is. I know what you chose me to do, but I'm going to play

46:22

differently. I'm going to play within the rules, but you're going to know. You said it. You're going to know that that

46:28

you are in the thing." And that that's that is you're a disruptor. I appreciate that. I should I should have known that

46:34

and put it in the book. Oh, really? Yeah. because um man I you're taking me back to those times man I faced a lot of

46:42

I don't want to say a lot of stuff right here but um maybe some other time yeah yeah yeah some other time but the thing

46:47

is you know it it was not it was not it was not not just easy but it was also like a battle inside of me you know when

46:54

you have to question yourself like why am I different from everybody yes like why do I have to like everyone does not

47:01

like something that I'm doing why do they don't like they don't like me or they don't like what I'm doing and I'm

47:08

just I'm just making stuff better and it's not like I'm going away from the book that we're playing. It's just that my sound. So, I'm trying I'm really

47:14

trying hard to sound like everyone and I felt like something was wrong with me. At that point, it was a toy moment for me. I was like, "You know what? I'm just

47:19

going to stop this instrument and go play another instrument." Something was like, "No, no, no, no." So, I got a gig

47:26

where they was like, "Oh, do you have a string quartet?" I was like, "Yeah, I do have a string quartet." I formed my string quarter and I took them and we

47:32

played for a wine and jazz festival and every I had never seen that happen

47:38

before. Even the person who booked said as from today every time we're having this you're going to be my first call.

47:45

It's like your string quartet every single person who came there came because I would play beside classical

47:51

music and jazz music. I started playing our African music, our Afro beats, you know, not the new Afro, but the old Afro

47:57

and all of the high life. And I and I had my own approach to it that was different. So, everybody who came there

48:04

got we exhausted our card, our business card. The person who booked me started acting as our manager. It's like, you

48:10

know what? Everyone has to call me now because everything was different. And you know what? He was like, you know what? I'm going to give you a chance.

48:16

We're not supposed to play on stage. He asked us to come play on stage. me with a microphone. And that was one thing I

48:23

was like, at that moment I still remember a min and jazz festival in Lagos. That was that moment I was like,

48:28

I'm not going to stop playing this stuff cuz I was like, I'm just gonna play for a little bit after I'm done with college. I just focused on my sciences.

48:34

I don't like I'll change an instrument. I don't like everyone does not like what I'm doing. Maybe there's something I'm doing wrong. Maybe I'm not just meant to

48:40

play in the orchestra. Truly, I was not meant to play in the orchestra. I was meant to be an artist that I've always wanted to be. Wow. So, so I mean, so one

48:50

of the things I talk about is that it that um incremental improvement, right?

48:55

So, you want to be better. So, people want to be better. Like everybody in society want more money, right? So, so I

49:00

always say you're trying to be you're trying to get better than everybody else is getting better so you don't get

49:06

worse. True. And that might get you here or here, but that's what everybody in

49:12

the orchestra was doing. You were pursuing greatness. You weren't worrying about getting better faster than

49:18

everybody getting better. You were playing your own tune. My own tune. And that that means you were a disruptor.

49:25

That means you're a creative. And that means you're pursuing greatness. That that and that's what you know that's

49:32

Jordan. That's what I'm trying to talk to people about is that pursuing greatness is not the same as being

49:39

successful. They're two different thing. You can pursue greatness and still

49:44

nobody knows your name, right? Nobody knows your name. You didn't care. I didn't care. You know, even now, I mean,

49:50

you're popping off. You're, you know, you you you you're getting to the point you're playing with different people. I

49:55

get that. But never in your mind were you thinking, I want to get here. I want to get here. Your thing is just so far

50:02

out there. And that that that that that's I think the difference, you know, um pursuing greatness versus just focus

50:08

on being successful. I love it. Okay. So, you know that on this show we end up

50:14

calling, you know, somebody. So, you got to pick somebody to call and then we're

50:19

going to find out. Am I going to call or you're going to call the phone? No, you're going to call. You're going to We We got to We got a whole setup here. You got to You got to put the earphones on.

50:25

Okay. Um you got to put the earphones on so you can hear them. I know. We got

50:31

this. We got this set up and then I'll get on and answer the question. Answer the question.

50:36

Can you hear it? Yeah, I can hear it. It's ring good. Dy, what's popping? Sir,

50:42

what's good, brother? I'm good. We're on the podcast right now and um one of the things they do on the podcast is

50:49

I knew I knew you were going to call me, by the way. Just just know that I knew

50:54

you were going to call me. Okay. What's up? What's up, my brother? How you doing? Wow. How are you, sir? Good,

51:00

good, good. So, yeah. So, we uh we embarrassing him right now and

51:06

I love it. So, so, so what we do on what we do on the show is we we you know, we talk, of course, we we over here vibing

51:13

and and one of the things that I ask on the show is what your superpower is. And

51:18

so, you know, he told us what his superpower is and we talked about it, went back and forth, but then we have to

51:23

validate it. So, we're calling close, you know, friends, family, whoever, and we're trying to ask you what do you

51:30

think? And you can't and you can't text them, by the way. Don't be over here.

51:36

No question. So, so yeah. So, what what do you think his superpower is?

51:41

So, if if if I'm honest, you know, he has a couple superpowers.

51:46

A couple. Okay. However, um I I you p um

51:53

his overarching superpower is his sonic abilities. He has, you know, music,

52:00

sound is really his superpower. It's the overarching superpower. And then there

52:07

are kind of um next level superpowers that, you

52:13

know, he has this this innate notion, this innate ability

52:18

to know what the next move is, what the next move should be. He can kind of read

52:25

a room. He can almost read the planet if you will. Right.

52:32

So those are the two that I think I'm curious to know what he said his superpower was before you before you

52:40

before why you looking at me your friend. Why you looking at me? I asked

52:45

you what was what's your superpower? So I answered to that right. So I asked him

52:50

I asked Moo what his superpower is. And I'll hear Moo say what is your own superpower? answer him and then see what

52:55

he's going to say afterwards. Yeah. So, my my superpower is relentlessness. Like I feel like I'm never the smartest. I'm

53:02

never the fastest. I'm never the, you know, but I'm but nobody can match my work ethic, my intensity. Once I pick a

53:09

goal, once I pick a spot that I feel like I want to go to in life, I feel like there's no one uh that can stop me.

53:15

And I get angry when people think they do they can stop me and it motivates me even more. So, so that's Yeah. Okay. So,

53:24

wow. So, you guys share that superpower, brother. There it is.

53:30

You guys share that superpower for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Wow. So, that was that

53:36

was when he asked me a question. That was your answer. That was not my answer, but I said the same thing that you just

53:41

said. I said we share the same thing you know and then I went forward to say and then I went forward to say um now

53:48

hearing that what he said what do you think is my superpower you know now that

53:54

you see the direction he's going well I I mean it's I guess it's clearer to me

53:59

that you know one of your superpowers then uh that I didn't mention is he will

54:06

outwork anyone don't say that to

54:12

Yeah. Hey man, we already played ping pong and he already he gave me a little whooping so I'm a little

54:19

Yeah. So, so I know that um you know he

54:24

you know and and I've always believed this and I always knew it to be true like you know listen you know talent um

54:31

as it relates to you know being an artist is only a very small part of the

54:37

equation. It's good, but with the the I will tell you the very thing you said,

54:44

Mau, is is the work ethic and the the this ability to outwork everyone else.

54:50

I'm there before everyone um arrives and I'm the last to leave. That's him, man.

54:57

That's that's for sure inspirational. I told him, I said, "Man, in 2020, when I when I when I when I rolled up in his

55:04

DMs, you know, I'm like a I'm like a fanboy rolling up in his DMs. I said I said uh I said that we connect. I feel

55:10

like, you know, like I believe in, you know, I believe in, you know, spirits and essence and all that. And I think

55:16

that that that that connection there, that that work ethic, you know, it's you know who has that when you when you

55:22

connect with No, you do. Yeah. You do. And and and and I think I think you did a good job point that you're drawn

55:28

you're drawn to you're drawn to these people. This is what's beautiful in

55:34

life, right? Is that we're drawn to the very energies and we attract it. Yes, sir. This is what is the beauty of all

55:40

of it. You just made me You told me that if you say the same thing I said, I'm going to get a million dollars. So,

55:48

bro, bro, bro, you said you said I told him I'm like, "Yo, we've shared the same

55:53

thing. appreciate whatever. But you know, I'm very laser focused. I'm very super focused on something. And once I

55:59

set my mind on something, this is what I'm going to do. I do not stop until I get it. I'm going to do everything and

56:04

all of that. So, I mean, you what you said is very close to it. You know, your first answer was basically, you know, me

56:10

as an artist, you know, and you know, by the time you heard him, you actually said, you know, a lot of other stuff.

56:16

So, we are poor now. We don't have $1 million because you did not say That's

56:21

okay. That's okay. But the million the million is already in the air. Okay.

56:27

Okay. Millionaire Tyson. Let's go. But but thank you. Thank you for appreciate you, man. I'm like, man,

56:34

if I if I call him, I hope I hope he's not Davport. No, listen. Listen. I kid you not. So,

56:41

so, so, so when I was communicating um you some of our um your messaging and and we're going back and forth with um

56:48

you with your team now. Um, I knew, you know, you know, we may call someone. I

56:55

said, "Hm, that's interesting. That may is going to be me." So, I'm not kidding.

57:02

I'm not kidding. I was I was sitting here and I I thought to myself, I said, "I wonder how uh the podcast is going."

57:10

I said, "I'm not going to interrupt. I'm not going to text or anything like that." And then phone rings. Yeah. And

57:16

it's it's it's him. And I know he's recording right now. So I thought for sure I'm the may. Yeah, you are the may.

57:24

Thank you so much. You're welcome. So much. Appreciate you, man. Of course.

57:29

Always. Thank you. All right. All right. Thanks so much. All right. All right. Talk. Bye. Later. Bye.

57:38

Yeah, that's that's fire. That's fire. That's that's that's great. He's a good conversationalist, too. Yeah. Yeah. Very

57:44

good. I feel like sometimes I'll be like, "I need you to I need to switch positions with you. I need to get you

57:50

interviewed." He's like, "Oh, no. I don't like the camera. No, I don't like the camera. I don't want to be the

57:55

spotlight." I'm like, "You're a good conversationalist." Sometimes I feel like I want to have someone talk to you

58:02

and then you talk about your experiences working with me, working with other people, how it has been, you know. But back to us. Yeah. So, um, what what so

58:10

what Okay. So what is 2025? You know what do we need to look for? What do we

58:16

people know people watching the show listening to the podcast where do they need to see you? What's the best place

58:22

to find you? All over social media violinist Facebook violinist will not

58:28

get scammed. There a lot of fake pages. Thousands thousands of them every day

58:33

have been open. So be careful. Demol violinist blue check. You know 1.7

58:39

million followers. I have a lot of posts so to not get deceived. The same thing with Tik Tok 1.6 million. I'm like, I'm

58:46

not verified. I don't know what Tik Tok is doing. I think you should call Tik Tok since you're the boss, man. Tell them to verify my ass. You know, you

58:53

know, Instagram over 800,000 followers. I mean, I'm saying these numbers not because of being cocky, but just so that

58:59

you can because a lot of pages as soon as you type my name, you would see pop. A lot of people have been scammed of

59:04

their money. Yeah. you know, so you got to have to look at the numbers, look at the blue check, you know, look at the

59:09

post to be sure that okay, this is the page I'm following, you know, and of course my Spotify, my Instagram, my, you

59:16

know, Twitter, my YouTube page, The Mola D E M O L A, you know, so these are places you can find my music, you can

59:22

see what I'm doing next, you know, um, this year 2025 is going to be bigger, better. I'm going to be doing more tours

59:28

this year. My tours, I mean more cities this year. my tour. I'm actually going to be working and supporting some

59:34

prominent Grammy award winners and legends in the game in this industry. I'm not going to say their names now.

59:41

I'll tell you behind the scene, but um their tours I'm going to be supporting them while I'm also doing my headlining

59:46

tour this year. So, you know um it's it's great. I'm looking forward to to

59:51

you know to hitting the road on tour and this year I'm going to be releasing like at least two or three

59:58

albums. I will listen they need to you need to let them know if you go to I

1:00:03

mean I personally I use them I'm an Apple person so I go to the the iTunes store and you type in your name and it's

1:00:10

like 757 albums this dude hey listen listen listen this dude it putting out

1:00:17

albums so I had so I listen I downloaded a bunch of them but I couldn't afford to

1:00:22

download all of them but I you couldn't afford bros but I did but I

1:00:28

But I will tell people download the last one. And the reason the last one I love the reason I like the last one is

1:00:34

because of all the original music. I love the covers and don't get me wrong. I love I love the covers but one million

1:00:41

album. Your your your Afro beats I mean playing the violin with the afro beats

1:00:46

that's different. That's different. And right now you know Afro beats is is popping right now. So I mean right now

1:00:52

but that that Yeah. So check him out. Um, you know, also please check out less than 1% the book. You know, for real,

1:00:59

for real, for real. You know what? You know, I'm not even gonna say what I'm gonna do, but I I'm gonna take my time and read the book. You know, I'm going

1:01:04

to read in your voice. And I'm reading it. I'm going to be

1:01:10

while I'm flying back, I'm going to be reading it. I'll be hearing your voice talking about it like, "Okay." Yes. So, so what's up?

1:01:16

But it's interesting. I'm just knowing that you're a writer, you know. Yeah. I mean, it's actually very refreshing for me. It's is a refreshing approach to our

1:01:23

friendship for me to be able to go back and see out a part of it. And that's the thing that I that hopefully that people

1:01:29

get out of this. I mean uh for me the idea of being a creative is very different and people don't understand

1:01:35

that. You know I was going to I was going to I was going to joke with you. Do you know what the first career I

1:01:42

thought I was going to do when I'm in high school? So I'm in high school 14 like you. What's that? You're going to be an athlete? No. Um close. I did. You

1:01:50

said you were really good. 50%. The other 50%, what was I going to be

1:01:57

now? You say you're a writer. I'm thinking in the arts field. Okay. So, thinking Yeah. Think that direction? Uh

1:02:03

lawyer. I was going to be a rapper. Yeah. So, I was going to play basketball

1:02:09

and I was going to rap. And so then right now, that's what I'm saying. Like, I'm going to send you a beat. I feel

1:02:15

like I feel like you know where we where we are. collab, right? Yeah, we should collab. Yeah, I'm going to send you

1:02:21

though. See, when I'm done reading this book, I'm going to say and I'm going to send you a beat and I'm going to say right to it. Right. Right. So, but but

1:02:28

it's interesting sciences structure, right? So, medicine, you know, you you

1:02:34

you win sciences and then the creative and I think that they actually fight each other, right? You you think that to

1:02:40

be a physician, I shouldn't be a creative, right? It should be structured. I should be, you know, don't don't don't challenge, right? Don't

1:02:47

challenge it. not going to challenge it. You got to have to have decent don't play

1:02:53

differently than the orchestra, right? So, there's all these different things that I think being creatives, being

1:02:59

disruptors, you know, that's where that's where I think, you know, we're we're we're connected. We're connected.

1:03:04

So, I appreciate you. I know it's a lot of time to come down here or up here and, you know, I'm I'm I don't like

1:03:11

snow. I'm playing. I know. I know. Hey, listen. Listen. We almost I was like I was like, "Okay." Yeah, this is the

1:03:17

first time. Okay, this is the second time I'm seeing Dallas snow. Like I've been in Dallas when it snows. This is the second time. My first time.

1:03:24

My first time seeing snow in Dallas, right? How long have you been in Dallas? Uh, well, I I live in Austin. Yeah, I

1:03:31

live in Austin, so we don't see we don't see snow. No, not Well, 2020 was like Yeah, 2020 was a year. What happened?

1:03:39

Like everything froze. Everything froze. Yeah, you know, we had like those Houston eyes on the street, people not

1:03:46

drive. You know how it is compared to the East Coast, like it's normal for everything shut down. Power agreed, you

1:03:51

know. Yeah. Well, I mean, I appreciate you and I know I I thank you for the time. I thank you for um sharing a

1:03:59

little bit of of your story with us. I think it resonates. I mean, it resonates with me. I know it resonate with other people. And you know, I I know that I

1:04:07

know that although you don't share the big that even the big goals that I know

1:04:12

you shared the one goal you had before, but I know there's bigger goals in there, and I know you're not necessarily

1:04:18

sharing it with everybody, but I I can anticipate where it's going. So, we we are fully supportive, Jordan. I always

1:04:23

I'll always be back. I'll be like, you know what? You see what I just did? That was part of my goal. So, I have this next goal. I'll always be back. You

1:04:28

know, this is this is I like what you're doing. It's very informative. It's very inspirational. Oh, this is very I didn't share it, but you told me, "Oh, yeah,

1:04:34

you I doing a podcast. I didn't know it was going to be like this." You know, I don't understand. But you were going all, you know, telling me again about

1:04:40

it. I was like, "This man is serious." Like, he just said it the last time like he was joking. Now he's taking this stuff serious. I'm like, "This makes

1:04:45

sense. I like the fact that you, you know, this is not always about who you

1:04:51

sitting there. Let's also talk about him." He's very vision oriented and he just goes for what he wants and he wants to get that thing. And I it makes sense

1:04:59

because every time we have to do something, Tyson is always on my neck. Virtu I'm like, "Bro, I got them. Don't

1:05:06

worry." He's like, "No, like they don't let me rest." I'm like I'm like, and I, you know, it was like, you know, I'm

1:05:12

like, "I like it." you know, so it makes me go back and be like, you know, it's

1:05:17

not just like every other person, which I that's how I felt on said, but it kind

1:05:22

of makes me see like the work ethic from the top is is, you know, is funneling

1:05:27

down to every single person, you know, and it speaks a lot of your character. It speaks a lot about you, you know. I

1:05:34

appreciate that. Um, and the man behind the scene who is not trying to be on a camera. I'm going to No, he's on He got

1:05:40

a camera. Oh, you got a camera looking at you. Your camera's right there. No, he's talking about your camera. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I got on. Yo, when I put the

1:05:47

headphones in my ear, I love the sound. I was going to say woof. Tyson was talking. I I could hear even when it was

1:05:52

ringing, I was like, I like the sound. I don't know. I don't know how you did it, but yeah, we got he we got the little

1:05:59

hookup. We We think it's we think it's something special to be able to not a lot of people I actually saw one other

1:06:04

podcast they do it and the whole podcast is actually them calling people. Okay. They don't have anybody. But I find I

1:06:11

haven't seen a podcast where, you know, they end up calling family members. Yeah. And I think the setup that he the

1:06:17

setup he got amazing, bro. Yeah. All right. Appreciate you. All right, man. Now it's time to go eat. Yes. Let's go

1:06:23

eat food. Oh, man. Great. Thank you for the book, bro. Yeah, man.