From Battle Rapping, To Being In The Show Signed, To Full Out Artist, How Was It Done? | Ren Thomas | The Hustleman Show - Episode 4

In this episode of the Hustle Man Podcast, Mohammed Easmel sits down with a battle rapper named Ren Thomas. A music artist, but also a battle rapper, making a name of himself in New Jersey. Ren began his interest in music in a very young age, and he would take his passion to make a name for himself.

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*** ABOUT THE HUSTLE MAN SHOW ***
What happens when you take 20 years of business experience, and a hand-picked assortment of guests spanning the realms of business, music, personal growth, and beyond? A podcast that provides real value to anyone listening. The Hustle Man Show is the culmination of years of business and life experience.

Transcript

0:01

Late night bag of blues with the white label, the pill pop the pop like cherry like a 9th grader! You're tuned in to another episode of The Hustleman Show. I got a really, really cool guest on here today. This guy goes by the name Yosemite Sam aka Ren Thomas. red beard gangsta. I don't man what's going on, bro? Everything is everything. That intro is cool. Yeah, that's a dope intro? Alright, cool. You're the second person to call me that. Yosemite Sam? Good. Yo, listen, I want to start off by saying I'm a fan of your your work before. (Thank you) So the way that I got to know you as a person, um, I got to know you on TV, actually. (Right.) So for those of you that don't know who Ren Thomas is, he's an aspiring artist. He is an artist. He's not an aspiring artist, he's an actual artist is what he does. He's been on battle raps before, like major, major platforms. And he was on the show Signed VH1 correct? (Yes) Yeah. So that that's kind of where I bumped into him. I've seen you like on VH1. And it was like a talent search. And I hear this guy get on. And it's just like flames. (Thank you) like flames the same color as his beard. And I'm like, yo, Who the fuck is this guy? Yeah, and then I hear he's from New Jersey.(Yep.) And I'm like, Damn, jerseys built like that. We've grown people bro? yeah New Jerseys, the biggest untapped resource for artists in the world. Right? In my opinion, my opinion! You're not wrong, bro. You're not wrong. There's a lot out here! There's a there's a lot of there's a lot of people that you wouldn't know are from New Jersey because you just wouldn't know you wouldn't know that Ray Liotta is from New Jersey unless you know you've researched it. (Yeah) Joe Pesci or you know. And then you look at hip hop, you look at Redman, The Outsiders, Artifacts, Lords of the Underground, you know, all the guys that, you know, came before me and guys that are still rocking to this day. There's a ton a ton of town. Absolutely, absolutely. So so so for the people that don't know who you are. You just give me give us a little bit more background on who Ren Thomas's is? How you get into this thing where you know, you want to you want to take your your art, you want to turn your art into a hustle. This is The Hustleman Show after all, I want I want people to really connect the dots. Right? Why you know why somebody like yourself will even be on the show? And what it is, you know how you got to the, to the point of where you're turning your music into your hustle. Right, from the moment I started making music, it was a hustle. You know what I mean? From from seven tapes in a hallway to you know, out of the trunk to eventually being able to turn it into, you know, being on television, doing sway in the morning, winning barriers, competitions and all that kind of stuff. The hustle was always there. You know what I mean? Like, I fell in love with music when I was a kid. You know? My earliest fondest memories of my life are, you know, being driven to practice for baseball and making up my own words, the little Deuce coupe in the back of my dad's car. You know what I mean? Like, music. My family was very, very into music. No one was a musician. But there was always constantly music being played in my house, constantly in a car. And my parents had very different like my mother and my father had two totally different like, genre titans that they listen to, you know, my dad was more into like country like, you know, the Johnny Cashes and stuff like that. And then my mother was really into like R&B and doowop, and the Beach Boys. And you know, it was a very eclectic household. So I listened to a lot of music growing up. And you know, when I have an older brother, who's about nine years older than me, and when I'm a little kid, I got all this angst, right? And I want to you know, I'm I was a mischevious kid, you know what I mean? And I stole a bunch of tapes out of his room. I remember my mom bought me this little cassette tape deck, right? That I can listen to my tapes on and I had like, Jack Jams and you know, New Kids On The Block and all this, you know, is it is it okay, if I curse on him? (Go ahead, bro) Alright, go. So (We keep it 100% real here) naturally for me to curse so um, I have all these. I bought these tab- These uh, tapes that my parents approved of me to listen to? My brother being older. He had his own tapes that he he was buying. And I stole like, I don't know, probably 10 of them or whatever from when he wasn't wasn't home. And it was the purple tape by Rawkwon. It was shit that yeah only built for Cuban Linx which is the Purple Tape from Raekwon. It was a Biggie's first album, it was All Eyes On Me by Tupac, 456 Kool G Rap. (classics) And yeah, it was all like, you know, this is like 1995 or six. So I'm about eight years old. So I start listening to this music and it literally blew my mind. Like, never really heard rap music like that before. And it became my everything! All I wanted to do was dissect these lyrics that these guys were saying and try to understand what was going on. And it was weird because I was, you know, this Irish kid in Jersey, and I started to relate to what Tupac was saying in California. And I started to relate to what Kool G rap was saying, and Queens and you know, it even though we weren't having the same life experiences at that time, it was able to open up my eyes, like, you know, back then there was no internet. So like you didn't know really what was happening in Detroit.(Yeah). Know what was happening in Florida. (Yeah) all you do is the paper what your parents told you and what your teachers taught you, right? So I'm able to expand my mind through this, this music, and I'm already you know, making up my own words to songs that my parents play, right? I just, for some reason, I gravitated towards that. Right. You know, instead of saying a little Deuce coupe, I was saying something else. And you know, decided one day when I was about eight or nine years old, like, Yo, I want to be a rapper. Like this is these are the guys that I'm in love with this music. I love what they're doing. I don't know if someone who looks like me does this. I have no idea. (Yeah) This is this 90s, isearly, bro. This is this is before Eminem, this is early! yeah, this is this is, um, I guess Eminem was doing his thing in Detroit at the time. But he wasn't a star. Nobody knew who he was. The funny thing is one of those first tapes that I stole was the Da' Miilkrate by Miilkbone. Right? And he was like, one of the original first white rappers. And you know, he he's not even on the cover of the CD. So I had no idea. You know what I mean? Like, not not knowing that. I'm, you know, this, this doesn't come from I didn't know what the culture was yet. Right? (Yeah) So, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it in any way, shape, or form. So my cousin lived down the street from me. I never told him that I was trying to rap when I was writing raps. He became a rapper out of nowhere, right? He lived four houses away from me, and he was a little bit older. So him and his boys would record in their basement on these tape decks. And I was like, Yo, I'm gonna be your DJ. (Yeah) So I bought. I got my parents to buy me these like, Newmark fake turntable things, and I was gonna be a DJ for their group. And like, two weeks later, they all quit rapping, you know what I mean? It was like, No, we're kids. So like, you know, when would you want to be Michael Jordan? And next week, I'll be playing Gretzky. So yeah, but I was I was like, yo, can I use your recording equipment? And I would take because back in the day, they used to sell the singles with the B side in the instrumental. (Yeah). So what I was doing was i was I was dubbing those instrumentals. And I was recording my own lyrics to songs that were out. Right. And as soon as I started doing that, I started pressing them up, right in my mom, my mom's den, pressing up these tapes or CDs or whatever it was, at that time, I can't really remember. Um, and I just started, you know, selling them for $5 a piece How old were you? How old are you at that time, where you start? Where you start? What hold on how old? Were you at the time where you start saying like, Yo, this is like a marketable product, bro. I'm gonna put this thing together. I'm gonna stamp this thing. And I'm gonna go, here's me (years later, years later) Give me an age, like 15 years old? 16 years old. 14? A freshman year high school. Yeah. all right. So- so freshman year of high school, you start thinking that you have something that you can actually say, like, somebody's going to give you money for this? Right, my boys all told me Yes. That's not bad. You know what I mean? They weren't telling me good or nothing, but they were like, it's cool. (yeah) And, you know, I still see people to this day and they'll be like, yo, let me get a mixtape you know, I mean? because that's what I say. like Yo, cop my mixtape, cop my mixtape! I was that guy in school. Yeah, I mean, I was either shooting dice or I was trying to sell you my mixtape. That's all I was trying to do, because, you know, from from from a young age, right, like, I grew up in a middle class area from from a family that had three kids and my father worked two jobs, so we didn't have no one. (Yeah) my friends won their 17th birthday. Some of them were getting Escalades and Lexus's.(Yeah) I had to buy my own car. (Yeah), get off of like mixtape money, you know what I mean? Like selling, you know, putting out a project every, you know, rapping over a bunch of beats making a mixtape and putting it out every two months and you know, starting to gain fans and- So you ended up selling enough mixtapes to buy a car? I mean, part of it and then you know, some birthday money shit like that You put together the scratch to do what you needed to do. Right and this was originally how you started off, doing this? (right) I got you. I'm not saying like I'm like Master P and I bought a great mixtape money. Yeah but bro not you don't have to be. Yeah I bought I bought a 1980 Volkswagen Jetta. Yes, if you did that through creating your passion and selling your tapes, that's a big deal. That's definitely a big deal. Right so that hustler spirit was always me.(Yeah) And then from that point, I started, I was always a chubby kid. So people used to crack jokes. But I was always faster with the comeback, you know what I mean? So that mixed them with the rhyming. And you know, back then, this is this is before Eight Mile This is before any of that stuff, but we would go to parties, and there would always be like another kid from another town that raps as well. (yeah) I mean, and then that would be that's why I started battling. We used to battle for money. (Yeah) And I think I was a sophomore in high school and I started doing the college circuit, right didn't college circuit had, like, they had battles at Rutgers with a cash prize. They had battles at Kane University with a cash prize, Monmouth University, and I went to all of them and I always won. So I was, what was it? What was the cash prize? Like? You would have rap battled? Like 500 bucks. Yeah, you would? (Like) you know, regardless. I was battling I was I was 15. Battling dudes who are like, 24. You know what I mean? (That's crazy) I had no idea. Like, I always had a beard. Yeah. No, no smoking cigarettes, drinking hanging out. (Yeah) even know that. I was like this young kid that was, you know, coming there to battle. That's crazy, so you're, you're you're a 15 year old kid. You're doing this college circuit. you're battling these guys. They're like, 20 something years old. You're winning these these prizes? Right? At what point in your mind? Are you thinking? You know what, Bro, I could do this. Like, if I want to do this, I could do this. It's a really funny story. Because, um, my parents were always very supportive of what I was doing.(Yeah) But I remember that first battle that I wanted Monmouth university, I came home with $500. And my mom said to me, she she was like, blown away that I had won this. And I was like, What do you mean? And she was like, Well, I was kind of hoping that you would go there and see that maybe this wasn't for you. (Crazy) Right? (Crazy) even though that they want it they like, you know, hip hop had this, this this bad taste in people's mouth. You know, that haven't experienced the culture, didn't understand it completely. You know what I mean? Like? She was just basically looking out for me, she was like, I don't know, maybe maybe you're good. You your friends are in our town, but like are actually good. How are you going to make a future out of this joint? How are you going to make future? Right, I'm coming up on becoming, you know, 18, or whatever, in a couple of years from then. And, you know, she wants me to like, figure out what I'm doing with my life. So it's a two part answer. So she sees that, and she's like, I guess this is what you should be doing. And from that point on, I knew it. (That's great.) And then when I was a junior in high school, they brought me down to ask like, Yo, what do you want to be when you get graduate. And at first I said, I want to go to Full Sail, right? Which was a music engineering school. And we looked into it, it was very, very expensive. And I was like, You know what, I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing to be a rapper. And they actually, the parents had to come in and have a conference with a psych- psychiatrist, and with the principal, the vice principal and a bunch of people from the school because they thought I was nuts. (What, that's crazy) And so the psychiatry brought me to the side and like, asked me all these questions, and she comes back, and she's like, he just likes making music. Like, that's what he wants to do, he's not crazy. (Yeah) And ever since that point, like, I've always kind of like, the chip on my shoulder is what always drove me to become better. Right? Because like, oh, you're gonna tell me I can't do it. I'm gonna do it better than you ever thought. You know what I mean? So it's like, that's always been a constant driving force of my entire career. Oh, it started from those points, like my mom not thinking I would win that battle. The teacher saying you can't be a rapper. You know what I mean? So like, a lot of people say that and lyrics, like my teachers wouldn't amount to nothing shows at a time teachers don't really say that For sure. You know what I mean? Like it's kind of like this hip hop thing, but it really truly did happen. So it does it does it does happen but they're looking for for a chip, they're looking for something to drive them and you're in your case you got psychiatrists and shit in a room and they're trying to figure you out. They're like this kid from the burbs is trying to be a rapper in an industry that doesn't automatically you don't really fit into that industry at the time, the way you would Like today, right? Right, right, right. This is this is like, you know, probably a couple years after Eminem becomes you know what he became and like, so like, there's like one dude. So it's like, you know, there's one guy that looks like me that's doing it and everybody else doesn't. So they're like, you can't do that. It's one in a billion.(Sure.) And it's like, Okay, well, you know, there is that one person. Did you know who Em was at the time? By the time Yeah, he came out. I was like, a freshman in high school. I think he came out. So so. So funny thing is, my name was Renegade originally. (Yeah.) And, and I use that moniker all the way up until 2013. And that was always my name. And then him and Jay Z, put that song out. And people like, Oh, you name yourself that M song? (Yeah.) Yeah, it had nothing to do with that. It was actually a wrestler named Renegade from WCW. That's why I named myself after that dope. So you're, you're, you're going through this process. Right? How important is it for you throughout this process of trying to, like you're trying to convince everybody around you at this point, this is something that you're going to do? How important is it for you to like, follow through on the things that you say, in order to show them and give them every reason not to doubt you at that point? Probably priority one. Priority one, how did you do? How did you do that? How did you? How did you feel that? (Everyday) Every day? Every day. I've never stopped rapping. The only times that I wasn't in my basement creating music is when I was at parties battling on the weekend. (That's crazy.) If there wasn't somebody to battle, I was just kicking arms about what was happening at the party. That's crazy. So you're, you're going you're going every weekend, you're honing your craft, you're getting better every week, because people people don't understand that that that's how that works. Right? you're crafting your your, your engineering it your little by little, you're getting better every week better every week. People say you're som what's that word? The word that they use? You're gifted? (Yeah) Like nah, not really. I was probably just like anybody else. But is it every day. I mean, I don't think LeBron like LeBron James is physically gifted. (Yeah) it did. I'm sure his jumper wasn't that good. It was that he worked on it every single day didn't come out of the womb, shooting threes, you know, you got to have the work ethic and put it in. It's not it's like 90% work ethic, bro. It's 10%, whatever you have. And then 90% because there's a lot of people that are, quote, unquote, gifted. There's a lot of people that write things. But right, the 90% difference is like the guy that's willing to go like, the extra mile, the 100, extra mile, whatever it is. So you're you're you're at a point where you've, you've kind of decided this is what you're going to do, you're rapping, you're doing this thing on the weekends, where you're battle robbing people, and you really get your cut and you're chisel away at the diamond, you're trying to perfect your craft, right? What what's next for you? You know, because you got to convince now, I think you've mentally convinced yourself. This may be some doubts, though, who knows at that point in your life, but you convincing everybody around you. How do you what is your thought process? And how do you go from like that to Signed? So I graduated high school. And I'm I when I grabbed when I graduated high school, I wasn't making no money making music. You know, I mean? (right) I didn't know how to get a deal. I didn't know how to get beats, like, the internet was still pretty new. So it wasn't like you could just go on Instagram and make a post and people would know who you were it was. You had to actually like be out there going to shows and stuff like that. And I met another artist who made beats at the time. And me and him formed a group and off of the first 10 songs that we recorded, we got a record deal. That's crazy. I was I was I was 18 or 19 I can't remember. Um, so we signed a deal. We created an album and then we got shelved. So this is so while we got shelved, we got put on a mixtape, right so you know what shelved is, right? So he's good. He recorded the album and the label was like, okay, we're gonna try to sell it to another label.(Yeah.) And then because we signed a shit deal. And basically like, you know, we were kids, we were we were we were overzealous, we saw money and we ran for it, you know? So- So you when you signed, you signed the deal with this label. And their idea that thought process there was gonna, they're gonna resell it. But if they don't resell it to the right label, they're not going to promote your album, then I can put the marketing dollars behind it. And then your albums literally sit sitting in limbo. You can't create more because you got a record deal. So you can't even work. You can't monetize your craft at all, unless the label wants to put the money behind it? Yeah, so we were locked in this deal for two years. So during that two year span We put out a, they allowed us to put a song on a mixtape, for this DJ, and the DJ, it ended up being the single for that mixtape, and they asked us to do this radio show. And I went to this radio show in Union City, New Jersey, shout out to Real Deal radio. I don't think that they exist anymore. But the guys who shot for Grind Time, which was the world's largest battle league at that time, the guys who actually shot the footage for the battles were guys who ran that radio show. And when I went up there and I rapped on the radio, they were like, Do you ever think about battling and I'm like, Yo, I battle all the time, like, and they were like, yo, you should do it professionally. I was like, Yeah, whatever. I don't got time for that. I'm trying to like actually do music. I'm signed, you know what I mean? Like, it was like this whole thing. And a few months later, they called me and they said, there's this league called When Animals Attack in New Jersey, and the dude who's in the main event battle just got arrested. So it needs somebody to stand in it tomorrow, are you down to do it? And I went there, and I ended up becoming the champion of that league. (That's crazy.) And that night, Poison Pen and Pumpkin Head were both their rest in peace to my brother Pumpkin Head. And they were both there. And they were running grind times East Coast division at the time. And they were like, yo, you got to come to Grind Time. So I went to Grind Time for two years and was 19. And over those two years. 19 and oh- I was under under the name Renegade. Wow. Yeah. So from that point, in 2013, I won EODUB, which is the world basically, like the biggest freestyle competition in the world. (Yeah) I became the US representative for that year, I went to London and I placed third in the world. I came back from that. And continued making music for the next like five years on like, pretty much a local level and kind of like, one foot in one foot out, didn't want to battle rap anymore, because Grind Time is falling apart. And I was like, in this weird, weird spot for a few years. And then I did a record with this dude named Screwtape from Philadelphia. He's actually from Jrsey from Blackwood, New Jersey, but he was always out in Philly. And he invited me out to come to the show with him. And while I was out there, everybody was like, yo, the song that you guys did on this guy's album is our favorite joint off of it. You got to work together. So we ended up getting signed to Sensi Starr as a duo. (Hmm.) And after I got cool with the guys at the label, they were like, let's put out your solo album. (Hmm.) During that time. While I was putting out my album, I've been nice. With Sensi Starr. That's when I got asked to come on sway. That's when Team Backpack happened. And so Team Backpack. They had this competition that was 10,000 rappers and I ended up winning it right? Out of 10,000 rappers? 10,000 yeah, so- Hold on a sec, you just kind of just breeze and bri shit. You got to slow it down. Sorry But you, you're, you're a battle rapper. For those for those of you that are watching this show, or those of you that are listening to the show, a battle- right, I've watched this on YouTube. I've watched some of your battle raps on YouTube, right? you're you're you're literally battling another person on a mic in front of hundreds, if not thousands of people correct? In order for you to like for you to go on that stage. The level of craft that you need to have. It's crazy, bro. Like, it's really I mean, really dope! Yeah you can't stop at all! Nah, you can't mess up at all. And you and people is watching you, man, you're again, you're a minority in the in the music business, right? So you got to prove yourself double, triple as much as the next person. (Yeah) yeah. So you're, you're up there. You got to be up there up there. So you, you go to these rap battles. Like you went out of 10,000 people. How does that? How does that work? 10,000 people are battling over the course of how long? Nah nah nah, so this was. This is a thing called Team Backpack. (Uh huh.) It's not a battle. It's who raps the best. (Uh huh.) Not actually battling somebody.(Uh huh.) With Team Backpack, they had 10,000 people submit 600 people got picked to actually go to Brooklyn.(I got you) 600 people rap the first day. And then the next day they brought back the top 16. And then we fought it out for who the winner would be. I got you, I got you! So when I won that, I won that there was a guy in the crowd who worked for Viacom as a casting person.(Yeah.) He submitted my tape to signed Crazy. And then they called me and they were like, Hey, this is Yeah, I swear to God when they sent me the email. I was like, This is fake.(Yeah.) Is it It was originally supposed to be an MTV show. (Yeah.) And it's by Viacom owns MTV. Right? And they own VH1. So it was whoever wanted to bid it out or whatever. However that works. So so. So for those of you guys that don't know, what was signed? What was it, somebody somebody at the show, you win from Team Backpack, 10,000 people submit it, you get whittled down, you end up being the winner, (right) somebody takes footage of that sends it over to somebody that's trying to start a show called Signed. (Yeah.) So tell us a little bit about sign and what signed was and how that experience worked out. So the way that I was introduced to it was they were like, yo, it's gonna be like, the real world, but for rappers (Huh) So that was my, you know, my original thoughts were okay. And then they were like, We need you to come to Atlanta for two months. (Huh) And I was like, Okay. So, you know, I looked over the contract and everything. And originally, they wanted 10% of your gross for the next 10 years.(Wow.) Which is kind of, which is kind of standard with those kind of television shows. I know. Like, I know, people who have been on the three or the five for some, whatever that show is. And then America's Got Talent. One of my friends brothers was on that. And it's a standard contract. What ended up happening was they sent us a revised version of his contract, and it said that they weren't going to take anything.(Wow.) So I said, All right, cool. I'll do it. How does, oh- what what changed their mind? Why did they go from 10%? to nothing? I'll tell you why. So (yeah) basically, the judges on the show ended up being Rick Ross, Lenny Santiago, and The Dream. (Yeah) those guys didn't want Viacom taking any money from any artists that they were going to have dealings with. So in order to get those celebrities, judges, they had to revise the contract. Now, we, as the people being on the show, had no idea who the judges were, (Right.) So they I fly out to Atlanta. The first day, they kind of broke down, like what we were gonna do, we had to do all these tests, and all this other stuff, like health exam, and all kinds of stuff. But it's all it's all pretty, pretty basic stuff when you're on a reality TV show. So like, you had to meet with a therapist, and you know, they had to make sure you weren't like, insane or something. (Yeah something wrong with you, right) Right. So the next day, they were like, Okay, this is what we're going to do, we're going to go to the studio, which was Patchwork Studios, which is where like, Tupac used record there. And it was it was really crazy, like, so we get to this place, and then they have you walk in the room. And that's the first time we see who the judges are.(That's crazy) And he's like, all right, rap! So you see the judges and who's standing in front of you? Who standing? Lell, like, I I never I didn't know who Lenny was. (Yeah.) Like I did, but I didn't know what he looked like.(So so so so) he was Jay Z's right hand. Okay, so, yeah, explain that a little bit more. So Lenny, is who is Lenny? Exactly. And he's in the room as soon as you walk in? I don't know what his title exactly is. But he is like he like runs Rock Nation. Pretty much Yeah, gotcha So I don't know who that guy is. And the- Rock Nation, A.K.A Jay Z's label, (right) Jay Z's right hand, man. So you're so you didn't know who that was right in front, right in front of you? Did you know who else was in the room? Well The Dream was there. But I didn't know who he was either. Like I knew I'm a fan of Dream look different. He had his hat real low. He I didn't know who he was. But in the middle was Rick Ross. And I was like, I know who that is. You know what I mean? Um, they end up I end up going through my first song. And then they're like, Alright, we like it, do another. So I do this other one. And halfway through, I stumbled. (Yeah) And I was like, yo, let me run that back? And they were like, Nah, you're cut. (What?) Yeah, so this is like the behind the scenes real story. So yeah, so Ross goes, so I'm standing there like, Damn, I came all the way out here. And I messed up and I whatever. (Yeah.) So, Rick Ross. He comes over to Mike to me because I'm in a booth. I'm in a vocal booth. Yeah. And he, he sitting at the table, and he goes, Yeah, it says on your says on hear that. You're an undefeated battle rapper?(Yeah.) Yeah. And he's like, I don't believe you. So I was like, Alright, let's battle. Yeah. But then he was like, I come in the room. So I come in the room I think about the battle Rick Ross. So they bring down another contestant off the show. And then, I guess it like sparked their interest a lot because they were like, yo, it ended up being the longest segment on the show was that battle between me and Nilly(Yeah) shout outs the Nilly because that's my guy. I actually just did his podcast a couple weeks ago. Um, great dude. So, I ended up doing that. And basically the television show was it was a talent competition. It was like the first the first week we were there was like, I don't know. 50 artists in total? (Yeah.) And after the first day, there was like, 15 (Yeah) I got everybody they got rid of a bunch of people and then we had to do like, a different a, like tasks or whatever. (Sure sure.) We will go to the studio record a record they would listen to it, tell us what they thought. And then I'm halfway through the show I get they started using me as like a weapon. So they knew that like nobody else on the show really could battle. So anytime Ross or Dream or Lenny didn't like one of the artists, they would make the battle mean for their spot on the show. And every time they would lose. So what ended up happening was so Lenny, I got picked to be on Lenny's team, which I was on a Rock Nation team. Ross was like set on these other three artists the whole time. So me and Ross had some like conversations, you know, about working with him or whatever. And then I never really spoke to Dream at all. Because he was he was focused on r&b artists that were on the show. So Lenny took me to to Cali with him. So we flew out to Cali I met DJ Khaled I rap for him. He was like he's the one and he was like, Oh, your fire. I should put you with Timberland.(Yeah) So then Lenny took me to meet DJ Mustard, which never got put on the show. (That's crazy) I have record out. It's like Lenny S, the DJ Mustard add a beat for me. Rick Ross quoted the game needed me after the show. Nobody reached out and that shit is eating me not even keep doing your thing, Ran? Where's the decency? You know, like, so I rap for DJ Mustard. He was like, he's the one that I pick out of the other guys that rap- raps form or whatever. Then they brought me to the DJ Drama in Atlanta. And I spit my verse for them for him over on his radio show. And he made me rap it for him two more times outside just to hear it again. (Wow) Right. All these guys are like, yo, you're so during the show while I'm on the show. All the other artists are like yo Ren don't even worry about shit. Like you're you're getting signed. (Yeah) I got I don't know, man. And when I'm sort of the last, the last week of the show, while we're out there shooting it, they narrowed it down to like eight artists, I think? (Yeah) We had a dress rehearsal. So we have this dress rehearsal for the finale, the final performance and they pack the club. And I get there for the dress rehearsal. And I go on stage and I'm rhyming, and they cut my music off. So I look up and I go, what the fuck? Yeah. So after after I get off stage. From that I go up to DJ Snake. I think his name is Rick Ross's DJ is row DJ. I'm like, yo, like, what the fuck? He's like, Oh, my laptop got unplugged, which wouldn't turn off your computer, but whatever. So like, Alright, just make sure it doesn't happen during the actual performance. (Hmm.) So me and the girl Bria were the only two people who had a flawless finale performance.(Hmm.) So the next day we go to the dreams mansion out in Atlanta and dreams like, Yo, I'm gonna pass on you. Am I so then Ross is like, Yo, I don't know how to market to you, I'm like alright, and then Lenny was like, I thought he was gonna sign me. And he was like, Oh, um, I just don't think you have a hit record. I was like, Okay, so that was it. So then I came home and I had to be real hush hush about the show and shit. Why? Why'd you have to be hush hush about the show? Cuz I had an NDA, a nondisclosure agreement in my contract. (Yeah.) So until the show aired, I couldn't speak on what had happened on the show. Sure. So the show airs and I'm like, yo, how are they going to make it look like I wasn't, you know, as good as I was. I made sure that the whole time I didn't say anything wrong. You know what I mean? Like, I know that they could edit it in a certain way though.(Hmm.) So during the actual show on VH1.com I was 10,000 votes ahead of the person in second place of who the audience thought who should win. That's crazy. Yeah, so the last, the final show on the finale- Hold on! (Yeah) they're having they're having a live voting for the show as the show is airing. I don't remember seeing the live voting part of it. I remember, I remember watching the show was fire, by the way, is a dope show. I'm waiting for I haven't seen Season Two. I know you're not a fan of the show right now, but- No no no, yo, I told him! I do- because they reached out to me when they were doing season two. Yeah. Where is Season Two? What's happening? I don't think they did it. (Yeah) they reached out to me and they were like, we want you to come back, andd I guess they were gonna have me come back and battle some people. Bro! Bro! 100% if you get back on the show, like, light it up. I feel like, I feel like sometimes in life, we don't have like, there's a trajectory. And I was talking to you about this on the phone before we got on the podcast. God works in mysterious ways. (For sure.) I think you're the best artist on that show, I'm not Rick Ross, you know what I'm saying? My opinion doesn't count for much, but but the reason why I'm speaking to you is because I think you're the best artists on that show. I saw when I watched the show, I said this guy, whatever this guy is, I got to reach out to him. Because he- just he does it. Yeah, does it and I seen callas and I seen Khaled's reaction.(Yeah.) When you when he was rapping for him, I've seen his reaction. Right. You know, it was automatic. And he was like, I gotta hook up with this.(Right.) Okay, so you come back home. I cut you off there. You come back home, you have an NDA?(Yeah.) You you don't you're kind of in a state of limbo, correct? (Right.) Yeah. So. So the week that the show aired, I've dropped my album. Huh I was very strategic with it. Actually, we did like 600,000 streams on my album.(Wow, that's crazy.) Single was produced by Pete Rock, and that was one of the things I said to Ross. He was like, yo, so keep doing shit. And I was like, worried I'm actually gonna go home and drop this record I got with Pete Rock. And he was like, You got a record with Pete Rock? I don't even have a record with Pete Rock. He ended up doing a record with Pete Rock since then.(Yeah.) I was like, yeah. And he was like, why are you on this show? If you're working with people like that? And I was like to promote? Yeah. So I dropped the album, whatever. And then, during we watched the show, the voting is happening weekly. I keep checking on it. Um, you know, I just keep wondering, because I know that I didn't win. So I'm like, yo, how are they gonna? Like, the whole country? everybody's watching this show obviously thinks I should be the winner. That's crazy. How are they going to make it? So how are they gonna edit this to make it look like I didn't win? Yeah. So there was there was two things that were weird that happened. So the day that I rapped for Drama and Drama, kept saying that verse was crazy. I wanted to hear it again. When Lenny comes back to. When Lenny comes back to the studio, I go inside, and there's a shot in one of the episodes where the three of them are standing outside talking. Lenny, was yo Ren spit the illest verse I've ever heard! (Wow.) And Dream says it doesn't matter, he's white. (Wow.) Yeah. And I remember watching that on television and being like, wow, I wish he was standing in front of me. Wow, that's crazy, bro. And because, you know, he always treated me with respect on the show. But to know that he said that behind my back, he'll always be a sucker for that. That's crazy, bro. Um, so anyway, so the finale, they dropped the finale episode. And during the finale episode, I come out on stage. And they used my footage from my dress rehearsal where the DJ cut the music off.(That's how they use it, I got it) when I'm standing there on stage like this. Yeah. And then they cut in. You know how I said in the first episode, when I first wrapped I stopped and asked if I could rock again? (Yeah) Ross said to me, You shouldn't have stopped. They edited that in, of him saying that. (Yeah) that really? They're giving me my you know, whether I'm getting signed or not. (Yeah.) So it was used against me it. I cannot say anything bad about the show.(Yeah.) You know, it is what it is. It was a great catapult for the rest of my career. (Yeah.) I was already touring before that. You know what I mean? I was signed to Sensi S tarr with Screwtape, and we had went on our first tour and that was a main thing like I want it to be a touring act. (Yeah.) Being a SoundCloud rapper, I guess is cool. Like you make music, put it out. People listen to it. That's fine, I want to touch stages. (Yeah) I want to travel the country. I want to see this whole shit. I want to see everything! Everything! You have a define goal. That's what you want to do. That's- (right.) Yeah. So that first tour that I went on, I after each show, I would find out who either the artist was, that was like the guy in that city who was at the show, or I would find the promoter or the owner of each club. And I would make sure that I got their contact, make sure that I chopped it up with them. Everybody else I was on the tour, we shout out to everybody else that was on a tour with me because they're my friends, I love them. But they weren't doing the same thing. Sorry, my neighbor's doing lawn. I'm fine with it bro, the combo's is good, regardless of what the background music is. So, when, when I had the chance to, you know, use the television show the Team Backpack victory and around that same time I did sway in the morning and got picked top 10 of that year that went on his show. (Yeah) So I've used all those things and all those contacts from that first tour, to set up my own 30 City Tour where I headlined in 30 different states! That's crazy 30 different I'm sorry, 30 different cities in 27 different states, and you know that's that's the thing is it's like it's got to be a hustle there has to be merchandise like there's no money in music and (sure) right like it's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's Saturday, Saturday morning cartoons bro, music in the music industry came from a place, and there's just my understanding of it where you could package a product and sell it for $15 - $20, aka CD or record or cassette. And then it turned into this thing where, you know, people were getting your music for free. Right, so, so the business became give it away and Saturday Morning Cartoons, give the content away and sell the action figures, sell the shirts sell the hats, sell the merch, (right) sell the touring, right? That's what it is! All of the money came comes from hitting the road and having a merch table. Absolutely. Absolutely. But you understand, you understand the business aspect of what it is to be an artist. Right, which wasn't like something that anybody told me it was what I saw. (Yeah) you know, I was within established artists name AD-LIB. And I saw how much money he made off of the shows and how much he made off merch. And when I picked his brain about how much he made off of record sales, it was nothing. It wasn't even comparable to when it was taking off a T-shirts and hats. (Yeah) it's out, it became about Alright, let me put out music grow a fan base and then go to these cities pack these whatever venues whatever they are 50 to 2000 people, it didn't matter as long as you know, half of the people in there left with a Ren Thomas hoodie or hat. (Yeah.) And then you know the venue's pay me for my time to come out and perform. (That's the business.) That's all it is. So, you ever you're watching movies Spaceballs? Yeah. So there's a there's a there's a scene where Mel Brooks. He goes merchandising.(Right.) You remember that scene?(Yeah) That's like one of the, that's like one of the right. He's got a gift shop, so that the reason why he put that scene in there was in order for him to make the movie Spaceballs. He had to contact, Lucas, for the right to do that and not get sued by George Lucas because it was a parody on Star Wars right? So in order for him to do that, you have to give up the right this, the rights to sell merchandise. So if you look around on the internet, there's no space Spaceballs merchandise for a reason. Real? Yes, so that's why he put- the guys, the guys a fucking genius. That's why he put it, that's why he put that that scene in the movie. (That's hilarious) because like it's the merchandising. And that's and that's that's the differentiator between somebody that makes their art. So you, you're an artist bro you're gonna you're gonna be whatever it is that you want to be. But the difference between somebody like you. Is that you, and somebody else is that you understand that in order for you to do that craft. You got to understand the merchandising aspect of what you do, you got to understand the monetization of your art. which is what a lot of artists lack nowadays, (for sure.) A lot of, a lot of the young artists that I try to talk to him like yo Where's your merch table? Where, Where were your physical copies of your album? Yeah. Nobody listens to CDs, I'm like... That's cool people might not even have a CD player and they might buy one to buy.(They'll buy it yeah) or because they like music. Absolutely. You're giving something you're giving them something to an option for them to spend their money to support your art. Right. That's dope bro. So, so you leave the show, and you're back in limbo you go on tour you put a whole tour together. That's the definition of hustle, (right) you're not you're not waiting, you're not standing around waiting for somebody to give you a deal out there and you're trying to you're trying to build on your own. Not because I knew, I knew what a deal looked like because I had been signed when I was younger.(Yeah) and I knew that in order to make a living out of it, that I could sign with somebody and they could make me look rich, or I could live a comfortable life and live off of the fan base that I had already built. Yeah, you got to do it on your own. And keep building because like I always tell cats I'm like, yo, if you would get 1000 people to spend $1,000 on you, a year that's a million dollars! That's a lot, yeah! what I mean so like you don't need this. You don't need 100 million followers where you only have 2% of them are probably less than that, like, actually buying merchandise or coming to the show.(Sure) no one I mean anybody could get a hit record and be on the radio but it's about like, when I throw a show and I can sell out a venue in Ohio. And you know, leave there with a bag of money because of you know selling T-shirts and whatever. Yeah, shot glasses like you know we did everything! Did everything! Yeah yeah yeah. So, talk to me about this battle- this rap battle rap scene right now and where that is for you? Like so- Real quick based on my research, (right.) This battle rap thing is crazy bro is like leagues and shit, that shit's crazy! So, the biggest league. So, Grind Time was the biggest league when I was playing it.(Yeah) now the biggest league is Smack. So, I hadn't done a professional battle in seven years, and a guy who I knew who actually like rose up the ranks since back in the day, he became one of the coordinators for Smack, and he reached out to me and he said yo you want to do a battle on Smack? And three weeks ago I went and I had Battle of the Night. (Crazy.) Yeah, so I guess I'm back? Doing that but I'm also I'm dropping music every week, I got a new album that I'm working on. I'm like, I'm gonna juggle both because not many people can, and I feel like if I can, why not do both? For sure don't box yourself. There was always a stigma about battle rappers that they couldn't make music.(Yeah) but I'm not a battle rapper I'm artists who can battle so why not? yeah yeah for sure. Where is it written that you can't do both? It's not it's just been, it's more of like, you know, most guys that battled back in the day when they would make records they would get in the, in the studio and they would do their battle raps over beats. Sure, that's not the same thing. Yeah. No, I understand that just just just watching a battle rap and then looking at an album or, you know, listening to an album is a completely different thing. Right, Completely different thing, two- two different types of art, but it's not. It does not mean that people cannot do both. Right and it's like, it's two sides of the brain to which people don't understand like so. (Explain that.) So I have I'm battling so this is a television show that I'm doing so Caffeine and Drake and URL, just teamed up to do this new thing. It's this app I think I've heard about Caffeine yeah I've heard of it. Oh, so they stream all the battles through there now. Crazy. Is it getting too dark? It's a little dark Yeah, but that's cool I could, I could still hear you, you're good I'm good. All right. Yeah, on. Um, So, uh, basically they they're doing this television show.(Yeah) Oh, they had the first round of it. Few weeks ago, I battled there. I won. So now moving on to the next round so I'm finishing up my album, that I want to release in March. And so before I get back into writing for my battle in February. I want to, be able to, finish writing music before I go back into battle mode, because it's hard to do both at the same time, because the way that you structure things for a battle are totally different than the way you would for a song. That's the problem with most artists who try to battle or most battlers who try to be artists, is they don't understand that there's a difference. What's the difference what is the difference exactly? Rhyme scheme the cadence what you're saying how you're saying it all of that, like, you don't want to write a song to a to a beat. The beat is supposed to dictate what the rappers say write my opinion, right. So, if the beat is telling me to write a love song but I'm in battle mode, I'm going to be coming up with triple entendre is about how to kill someone, it's not gonna work on a love record. Right, right, right, it's not the same thing. No. So, you know, I want to I have like a timeline like all right over the next two weeks I'll complete the album and then I could start getting ready for this battle in February. Gotcha. Because it's a lot of preparation for a battle. It's different. you go on stage and you mess up a lyric on stage, the music covers it up. (Yeah) we catch yourself on the beat and be able to make it look like if you didn't mess up. Yeah, what battle rap is different if I mess up one syllable they're gonna know and it's gonna live on YouTube forever, is live! It's not edited It's live. Yeah, there's less room for error. Exactly. Yeah, that's crazy Bro So, so people want to- want to listen to your music, they want to support what you're doing, if they if they want to follow you on Instagram, if they want to buy your merch. If they want to know who Ren Thomas is, where can they do that? Um, I usually tell people to Google Ren Thomas, is the easiest way I mean, if you follow me on everything is Ren Thomas music, for like Instagram Facebook all that stuff, Twitter- That lighting makes a difference by the way, a big difference! Um, my stuff is to just Google my name everything comes up all the download links to all the albums that I have out all the battles pop up in the video category. So I got tons of music videos I got tons of battles got tons of, you know this content I constantly am constantly putting out content. So they just google Ren Thom- (So) Google Thomas if they want to- right now- (Go ahead) Yeah. As far as like merchandise and stuff, right now I'm gearing up to start something new with the new with the creation of the new album I want to re-. I'm basically doing like a rebrand (dope)though, as far as like logos and all that kind of stuff like like this is my old logo and I love it. (Yeah) It was for a different time. (Sure, sure) you know, so now it's time to move to something, something different, you know, nothing better but just something, something that goes more with what what I'm trying to accomplish, next. Dope, when me and you on the phone with each other. Earlier you said something about you had a studio, you got rid of your studio. Just talk on that speak on that a little bit more because I felt like that was, that was an interesting thing to talk about. So I am. I made a good amount of money on a road. And I also featured um... Say that again you say you made a good amount of money on the road and on features? Yes, selling features, (dope), so the way of telling a feature is is like somebody contacts me y'all think you don't want to get you on a song like alright cool. This is my price, you send me the money I'll send you the verse. (dope) So, most artists probably do like 10 or 15 features a year? (Yeah.) So in the last two years I did 450, That's crazy bro. Yeah, (That's crazy.) So I yeah I work really, really hard and like, I don't want. Um, I try to, I try to maintain as much humility as possible, but sometimes I gotta grab my nuts. You know what I mean like? (Yeah for sure) There's there's there's, there's a lot of guys who complain about a lot of shit. Yeah, look at me and think like yo Why is he in this position? It's because he knows this person or he, you know what I mean? It all has to do with my work ethic,(For sure) literally the only reason, like, I didn't have to go to Team Backpack that day which wouldn't have led to the- main thing of my career is I've never burned a bridge with anybody. Right? I've wanted to tell people to go fuck themselves a million times but I never did because I never knew you know it's easier to walk back across a bridge instead of burning it and then having a swim Bro, that's a lesson that most people can get through their heads man. Oh, because they live out, they live out of pride and ego. That's crazy. It makes me insane to think that it just is crazy. To this day I don't, I don't, I don't like burning bridges myself, you know? If I don't agree with you we don't agree but I don't have to burn the bridge down. Every comment in this video is going to be yo you need to stop smoking so many cigarettes. Excuse my voice. Right. (Yeah.) You know, the features, and I forgot where I was going with that, um. Not burning bridges and the future. Yeah yeah yeah so I took a lot of my feature money, and I took a lot of the money from from the road and from the merchandise. And I re- I bought my own studio, because I needed a space to work out of, um. I love everybody involved. (Ren Ren!) would have never had any- Ren do me a favor, just repeat that one, not to repeat it one more time. You were caught your connection was kind of a little unstable for a second, they just repeat it again? You just said? Ok, I was saying, I love everybody that was involved in my studio and everything. Um, but at the end of the day go if I, in retrospect I should have never had partners.(Yeah.) And and I should have never. I think my biggest flaw in life is that I literally give somebody to shirt off my back, right if we're cool i'm gonna i'm going to help you as much as possible. And sometimes I don't foresee the way that people take that for granted. And a lot of the stuff that happened with my studio as my studio is now gone. I recently moved into a house and I've rebuilt the studio in my crib, because I don't want to work with anybody anymore. (Hmm) and and it sucks because it's like a jaded feeling. Yeah, like yo like there's just there's just a lot that goes into everything but what what younger artists and people need to understand is that they need to take everything that they do and become successful with like somebody wants told me that there that there should be five stars around your business. Right? So if my if the center of my star is wrapping that around that should be production around that should be a recording studio around that should be a merchandise, you know, team or, like, a merchandise studio or whatever you want to call it, you know, there should be five things that always trickle back to what the middle is. Diversify your income flows. (Right) absolutely. So that's what I was trying to do with the studio. But I learned very quick, that it's hard to get good people, like I was, I was, I, I wanted to find, I couldn't find the right engineer. (Yeah) is one of my was one of my biggest problems. Yeah. Um, I kept looking for different engineers and people just weren't reliable. (Yeah) Now that comes down to as I go I work at this every single day. Since I'm eight years old. And you can't show up for two weeks you know what I mean? So there's the- you know, I had, I had a print shop in there. Um, and I had a falling out. Not a personal falling out but a business falling out. (Sure) with the guy who I was trying to put in place to do that. Yeah, the thing is is like people gotta want it as much as you do.(Yeah.) If they don't, then, you know, very transparency is so key, somebody doesn't want it as much as you want it, they should tell you. Yeah, and and that that's the biggest game that I could give to anybody is I go know who you're working with, know what their goals are as well. Bro I think that sometimes they don't know what want to get as bad as they need to want it is (Right.) I feel, I feel like a lot of, a lot of times people don't understand the level of time, effort and work that goes into somebody's craft somebody's hustle. And they just don't understand that so that it is hard to, it's hard to put a number on that.(Right.) You know, it's hard. It's hard to like quantify drive and ambition. Right? (Right.) You only you only know that just by just by fucking with people and just getting to know them, you understand this guy's about his bag, for sure, for sure. Right? But normally that takes time and once you enter into a relationship with them, it starts to uncover a lot of just inadequacies and consistencies of work ethic out there, whatever the case may be. That's hard man, it's not easy... The thing nowadays too is everybody's chasing preset, likes and follows and perception. So, you know, people, people will come around you when you're doing VH1 Signed.(Yeah) come around when you went sways playing your record weekly. (Yeah) I'm around you when all these things are happening but then when you for your own personal understanding and and and I always said I wouldn't compromise my character for cash. (Yeah) So, when I didn't take a lot of the moves that were put in front of me because I thought that they weren't as beneficial as everyone else thought they were see a lot of guys wanted to stand next to me, while I stood next to a Rick Ross. (Sure) So that they could get the look as well. Sure. And it's like when I decided no I don't want to stand next to certain people. Then you see really who is gonna rock with you and who's not because people people only care about the likes and shit man and like, that's that's that's the one thing that I will forever live by is like, bro, I am not here to make music for people to click a heart on my page that is not what I'm here for. I'm here to create music because without music I am nothing. Right? That's how I felt since that day that I picked up that cassette from my brother's room and listen to it. You know what I mean? It may have changed me, maybe a different human. So, music and hip hop. It's what I it's not just what I do, It's who I am. So when people only want the look out of it. I almost take it as disrespect. (Yeah) because my whole life is consumed with it. They're just not, they're just not invested the way that you are? That's- they're not- And that's okay. Yeah. That's okay not to be. Yo man when I reached out to you about the show. I reached out to you because I saw something on that show that by the way the show aired how long ago just for just for Uh, I think it was 2000, and it was like two that day when was the TV show on 2018? 2018. Is 2020, yeah, still hang held on to your contact information. (I apprecaite that) because I saw something that man this guy's really really talented he's about this. Yeah. I'm so happy I had you on the show, bro. You're happy to be here. I mean that, and whatever it is that we can do to help you with that branding and, (yeah) apparel side of thing we're happy we're happy to do that. If it widens, it's fine. Whatever it is that you need in terms of guidance, help, we're happy to do that. Your, your story and your hustle what it is that you're doing that, that is, that personifies the show. That's why I made the show, because I want to showcase people's direction and and and the struggles that they take the passion that they have for that craft. When you're speaking on that bro. I had a nerve for me so I'm sure that people listening to this this definitely is going to hit a nerve for them. I want to tell you just I want to give you one. I want to share one thought with you. Just about that. In the process of trying to build your team and put your people together. Sometimes we try to project our needs and our wants on people. Right. And I think that that's that's the perspective that I've taken personally in the past and is, it's not the right perspective, right. So, what ends up happening is you start to resent them because they don't live up to what it is that you think that they were (right) So for me moving forward the way that I do is I just take people for what they are I try to I'm not perfect. I make a lot of mistakes with that shit right it's just reality. I try to take people for what they are,(right.) If they're if I need somebody to be a slugger, an engineer, he's got to work 70 hours a week right if I have to tell him that he's got to work 70 hours a week he's not the guy to do it(right.) If he thinks he's got to work 20 hours a week to be an engineer he's not the guy to do it. For sure. you know, and it's just, um, that's hard bro, because when you're in a position of need. you try to project your wants and your needs on a person that's just not ready to do it in their life. So very, very, it's, it's a tough. It's a bitter pill to swallow for me. You know? no it's definitely like you know I want I want my goal in music is to create a brand and a label and to eat with people who I respect and love. (Yeah) and build those relationships. Yeah, And it sucks when, you know, you try to put people in certain positions and then they fall short. (Yeah) you you can see it in them but they maybe can't see it in themselves or their egos get involved or whatever it is you know what I mean like, it's a. It's wild man I've worked with so many different people and I have a lot of respect and love for a lot of those people and other ones, you know, they just dropped the ball but, you know, I hope that they get it on their next try, you know, I'm not slowing down for nothing. Nah you're gonna keep moving forward. Yeah, 100%. So real quick I'm gonna put you on the spot real quick. Yeah, Yosemite Sam bar, again, hit me with that whole Yosemite Sam bar. Listen to this! You got it. Yeah, hold on. Go ahead, go ahead, take it, take, take, your time I got it from the beginning of it though Go ahead, do whatever it is that you need to do to get to that just get to it. That's one of the hardest bars I heard in a while. Give me one second. Okay, we will have to edit out this part! We're gonna we're gonna chop this we had a-(Okay) pieces we have to take out anyways. I got the shit! I listened to this today isn't that crazy?! um, give me, give me, give me another bar, whatever No no no! I'm gonna hold on, hold on. (Yeah yeah yeah) Just trying to remember cuz I'm trying to I need the first bar that I'm trying to remember. You hate that song, you're my girl sitting here, Bro that bar was dope. It's uh A City On Fire. You are now in tune to the sound of the city on fire, get live. Um, no, it's a- shit. I'm about I'm about to pull it up right now, bro. No, no, hold on. Where's my phone. Oh, she's gonna like go to city on fire. Skip skip to, like, a minute in. I stop. You got it? Yo, Ren Thomas, ladies and gentlemen. Ren Thomas, go ahead him em! Yo, watch me box with the devil in 100 degree weather rocking a full leather six months after December in a sauna with a fever without taking a breath. I'm so cold with all of that I still ain't breaking a sweat, patron a deck, the ace in a deck came to collect taste in his flesh chasing while I'm taking a check, I started playing the burning city street is lurking with me bourbon is in my kidney throw dollar worshiping titties, chaos consume the Avenue watch as they throw with Jabba to so precise with his bow I put an arrow to your snaggletooth, use the battle dues never more minutes so snatching, sipping to no fashion to peep unique closed captions. That is a string together cause night terrors forever you'll never be on this level three lemons squeezed in the kettle RicK Flair chops to the chest I came to conquer the best, head shot head shot for anyone rocking the best, rebel killer lyrasist system all the above approach wrong I have reattach it Johnny your mug. I'm a reincarnation of all of you was for you fell in love with money and got lost in the drugs I feel like Randy the ram in the candy sedan red beard and two pistols like Yosemite Sam! Seasoned veteran, Captain patches up on my Letterman Thomas pick one Jefferson Edison, off my medicine, the loudest will be the deadest one is waiting for the lettuce gum. Fuck it, I never done bitch on my back ship straight from the Philippines, I will beat the shit out your whole team like Willis Reed, Fox put a football grip across your trachea, or your linen pen tastes like Saudi Arabia, your boy get love in every in any stadium mathematics if you try to turn my dome to a stadium this friend! Ren Thomas people, Ren Thomas Yo man so fire so fire! (Thank you) Yo, listen, if you guys are interested in run if you if you like his music. If you dig this conversation. I need you to subscribe I need you to hit that like button, tap that tap that like button, make sure you subscribe, you can check out Ren Thomas all his work, his life's work as man as an artist. He spent his whole life doing this, signed or unsigned, he's an artist, um, just Google Ren Thomas on Google search, and you can pull him up. This is The Hustleman Show. Remember, Is Always Personal.