P-Lo produced the Drake record that put Mac Dre back in front of the world, and the Bay had a lot to say about it.
P-Lo is a producer, rapper and Bay Area architect who helped build the sound that came out of Pinole, Richmond and Vallejo. In this episode he breaks down how "Too Hard For The Radio" actually came together, why honoring Mac Dre mattered more to him than the placement itself, and why he thinks people misread the whole thing as a shot at the West Coast. He also gets into the two records that built Empire, why being independent is more fruitful now than it has ever been, and the day he told his job he was gone with $400 to his name and half of it already spent on a flight to LA.
He talks about what G-Eazy taught him, why the Warriors started a record label, what AI is really taking from artists, and the sacrifice nobody warns you about. Then he makes the case that his best work is still ahead of him, because Quincy Jones made Thriller at 50.
0:00 Cold Open
1:37 The Drake Record Nobody Knew He Produced
2:09 Drake Was The Dream He Spoke Into Existence
2:30 Drake Wanted To Honor Mac Dre
3:06 Was It A Shot At The West Coast
4:04 The Bay Had Mixed Feelings About It
4:40 Mac Dre, Forefather Of Bay Area Rap
6:23 Growing Up In Pinole
7:25 The Records That Raised Him
8:44 Cataracts, The Pack And The Team
10:01 When Your Song Becomes Their Love Story
11:33 Producers Are Already Using Suno
14:54 The Real Problem With AI Is Your IP
16:40 Notebooks Full Of Raps Over Kanye Beats
17:45 Meeting iamSU And Building HBK
19:00 Empire Was Built Off Two Records
20:21 Why Artists Still Sign To Majors
21:52 Why Give Away That Percentage
24:33 Honor The Music And It Honors You
25:25 Being A Good Person Is The Strategy
29:11 Build Horizontally, Not Just Up
31:03 If He Lost Everything Tomorrow
32:38 Passing Out CDs At Rasputin And Hilltop Mall
37:08 The Sibling Rivalry That Built His Confidence
39:03 His Parents Didn't Want Him Making Music
39:54 What His Immigrant Parents Risked
42:19 Why Filipinos Can Sing And Dance
44:56 The CMC Channel After School
46:20 Chad Hugo Made It Feel Possible
48:08 The Crossroad: Wiz, Berner And Juicy J
49:26 He Told His Job "I'm Gone"
49:55 Down To His Last $400
51:27 What G-Eazy Taught Him
53:57 The Warriors Own A Record Label
58:55 Music As A Vehicle Into Everything Else
1:00:49 Quincy Made Thriller At 50
1:03:38 The Sacrifice Nobody Talks About
1:05:58 You Need That Delusion
1:07:27 The New Album, Out The Box
1:09:39 Card Pull: Proudest Moment
1:11:07 Where To Find P-Lo
Follow P-Lo here
Follow Arrad (podcast host) here
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