Music with King Hi

King Hi: When I was when I dropped out of North Carolina a&t and moved back to New York, like I drove all the way up here and listen to his his album. It was like this honestly, to me, that’s the best album ever.

[Music]

Zeke: I like to welcome everyone to another episode of the Let’s Gather Podcast. I’m your host Zeke and this episode I have a great artist in King Hi. To talk about his journey with music. You can find all his links at allmylinks.com/kinghient to get more information. I like to give  a content warning for any strong language used in this episode. I hope you have a nice day and enjoy the show. For the first question I always like to ask is what would somebody’s origin story be and what kind of medium they would choose?

King Hi: Well, I would choose Video game. No. Video Game is no set path like, is different. Different paths lead to different levels, like different outcomes and all that like, you know, movies like a set script and everything, but definitely a video game

Zeke: Consist like a childhood or?

King Hi: Well, I was I think it was the origin story, we’ll start at the root my senior year. For some reason I was like, that was that was it for me, like, I was going to school. I have for like, four classes at the root at a class at john Jay, which was my class because I was on, you know, business major in law and policy minor. And I was working at a bank. And the only way I got I was able to do that. So I was riding my motorcycle from school, to work to the other school. So yeah. And it was crazy because I was preparing for law school. I wasn’t even thinking About the business side, and then I graduated, you know, my bachelor’s in law and policy minor. I was going to have to go to law school with the L sat was preparing for that then I took it. Yeah, it really, it drained me to the point was like, wow, this was might have been the toughest thing I’ve ever done. And then, so I was like, You know what, boom. I’m gonna go Park. That’s where I really started partying. So I was partying, and then I started listening to music, you know, hanging out, I’m hanging out with the parties in the clubs all the time. So, yeah. Then my two because I have a bachelor associates in business from hostels. So those two on business degrees started kicking in, then I was like, okay, music business. I was in it when a mistake, right and then, but now I’m doing the music. Right. And I was living in the South Bronx, you know, Mitchell, so it’s like it was it was gangster. It was like a whole bunch of that was around and then to be on that drug. Meet. into the streets, like back into the street. So, like when I say in it, I was like really in it. So, but I was trying to focus on the music, but you know, all those bad vibes will let you do that. But whatever the case is, I was like, You know what, forget I’m really trying to push this music. And then I was like, Okay, I’m gonna promote it. And then I went to a shirt shop. Well, it was like a clothing manufacturer store. Like I say, entry level, but they saw we started making promo shirts. With the cookie on it. It was at that time it was the apple emoji, so it was lighter. But Apple, the cookie, Apple emoji,

Zeke: Yeah.

King Hi: So, I put that on shirts. And then like just for promotion. Then my friend helped me get it into a store. And then so I was like, You know what, we can put it in your store, because it was a pretty good quality storm in home. And it was like what, but that’s more promoted. So they helped me with the copyrights and all that, to have an efficient clothing brand.

Zeke: You know? Yeah,

King Hi: That’s basically how that all started.

Zeke: Everyone’s path is different just like everybody says, yeah. For me, I’m still trying to figure out who I am. Trying to figure out wat I want to do in life. Yeah. So this is like more of an experiment.

King Hi: Yeah, that’s cool. You know what I find? I find a lot of alone time helps you helps you find out who you are. I believe it’s harder to find out who you are, when you are around people trying to not trying to fit in, but if you’re around people, you tend to do what they do, you know, similar type. So if you spend more time by yourself, not saying being lonely, but like yeah, listening to your mind thinking about how you feel, you know, and then you band, but you still have to see life. Yeah, kinda got. Got that. I mean, I have a great understanding of who I am. And I, you know, so it takes time.

Zeke: Cool so we can transition into the more questions so that the first place I ever got access while the cookie

King Hi: Yeah, well, like I like I had said earlier I was like the music took me into the street because I was around a lot of street people. Yeah, right now. I mean, I kind of grew up in the street a little bit from my mother kept me in school. So yeah, a lot of people around me were in the street, but so when I was doing the music, they kind of dragged me back into the street. And then it was like, you know, what I was dealing with, you know, I will say some illegal products. And I was just trying to find a way to sell it. And I was like, you know, what, how can I sell this like, basically this is kind of like Instagram was really starting to bubble for me. Yes, how can I sell this over social media and maybe even on over the cell phone without getting in trouble? So I came up with a name with it came up with a name for it. And it was cookie dough, you know? And then and then I was like, You know what? I’m still trying to get to the music. So I made a song about it. song about it. Then, I made when I made the promotional thing, since I named it cookie dough, and I use the apple emoji. Then I actually, you know, I’m an artist, like I’ve always been an artist always like I went to North Carolina a&t. A long time ago, I dropped out for a move back to New York. And one of my majors was fresh to merchandising design. I was dressed in clothes, you know? And then, even when I was younger, I liked music. I used to choreograph dances with me. My four brothers, like, I used to choreograph, and we used to all perform different parts of the actual song. So it’s like, I was always, like, into art. So I designed my own cookie. Like, you know, instead of, you know, infringing on Apple’s cookie, I decided to make my own. So it was like I said, it started with promotion promotion. And then it was just like, you know what? People said, I had something and I was like, You know what? I have a logo. Let’s stick with it and see how far it gets me. No.

Zeke: Nice. So with that what in music darwn you to music, like who has inspired you to make music?

King Hi: That’s a tough question I really like because I enjoy music. But my enjoyment of music is not exactly what brung me into music. Well The actual artists that I enjoy, they really inspired me to become an artist. Okay, as a whole brung me in, but I’m gonna tell you some artists that I really really love like this Young Jeezy he was my, like his first MC his first album, Thug Motivation 101 like when I was when I dropped out of North Carolina a&t and moved back to New York. Like I drove all the way up here and listen to his, his album. And it was like this, honestly, to me, that’s the best album ever. You know, like, he he’s definitely one of my favorite of all time. But right now, right now, I would say I like a lot of our new school music. Like, I love the new school music like, you know, I would say a lot of stuff that’s trending like Tik Tok really, it’s not even the music. It’s more so of the So, what I like 2 chainz, I like A Boogie, you know? Yeah.

Zeke: So do you feel like you have any more connections to like today’s music or older music?

King Hi: Well, I’m connected to new music. Like, I just, I’m the type of person who likes to, I guess, transition or keep it moving. Yeah. So I follow I’ve been following music for a long time. And I, and I’m, like, I’m following it. Like, I’m not saying with the older music, like Young Jeezy was my favorite rap. I would say my favorite rapper of all times, but right now, I’m not listening to Young Jeezy’s New Music Festival Jeezy. I would listen to his older music because to me, that’s classic, but right now, he’s not what I’m listening to right this moment, but I love the new school music but I do agree with that. Some of the, the, the artists that’s been in the game for a while, that social media is kinda messing up music because it seems to me that the music or the songs that’s doing the best are not necessarily the best songs is more so about the dancing on tests in accessibility. Yeah, it’s like and, and I appreciate that I love I love the way they do that. But I just feel that it’s taking the quality of music down and then the newer generation need to hear the good music so they know what good music is. Instead of listening for less, I’ll say more mediocre music just doing something gimmicky to get on, you know? Yeah, for the future basically.

Zeke: All with that as also there’s also like an anime like any other medium, medium, how like Popular things may not be the most productive again. But this is just for entertainment.

King Hi: Yeah, yeah. I agree. I agree.

Zeke: So with that, so what music brought you in? was mostly what in music, like more the creativity, or the more the expression.

King Hi: What really brought me like into music?

Zeke: Yeah.

King Hi: To be honest with you. At first, it was just about fun. And I was just with my engineer yesterday, and the day before, and she was like, you’re not like, you’re not having fun. Like, she can tell. And I guess coming out with my music, because now it’s more of a business for me. Which is hurting my business, my music. Yeah. Creativity, creativity. So that the fun in the music is what I appreciate the creativity to the creativity is to me what makes it fun, but once you bring the business This aspect into it kind of dilutes the music and then becomes more of a product than actual music. But I like I don’t know, expression not so much. I’ve always been good. I’ve always been good at with expressing myself without words. I’m never action type of guy. You know what sometimes I have difficulty with the music because I’m not, I don’t need to say a word. And people will kind of get what I’m going for or they’ll understand me they’ll fill me there. They’ll notice me. Like a lot of people need music to be notice letter, you know, I don’t need it. You know, so I don’t really need it for expression. But the creativity and I love it. And honestly the main thing now is beyond. Like I had a local hit. The cookie dough song was a local hit in my general South Bronx and Some appalling but it’s more so for me now. I want I want the ears of the people. I want people to know who I am. You know, I really feel like I am accomplished. Like, I feel like I know I am the men, but now I want more people to know it, you know, so kinda like is it it gives me a way to be not more relevant but be like bigger to be more known, you know to me. Yeah.

Zeke: See what so right now what it means is more like you want to be creative but you also have to spend more brainpower focusing on how to expand out and make money all that stuff.

King Hi: Exactly. Is which is a I have this new engineer she actually owns on Sound Studio on in Time Square, but and it’s hard for me when I’m trying to let go and let her Do more of the thinking, you know, I’m used to like doing it. And I’m, like, generally have the best mind in the music around the people. I’m around. But I’m trying to let go so she can handle the brain power. And I’ll handle the creativity side, you know? Yeah. Like, it’s like, you created this thing. So now you can let somebody else in. And it’s more of like, a adjusting period. I need to do it though. Well, yes. Like you said, adjustment period.

Zeke: Okay, so you go over here, and it’s like, once I make a team, it’s gonna be hard to figure out who’s to trust.

King Hi: See, thats great that you said that. I know in my mind, not my heart, in my mind, my business mind that. I am doing a great job at a lot of these things. Yes. So in order to hand up certain positions. And delegate certain tasks. Someone has to be someone has to be great at it as well. Yeah. Or at least good enough for it to be worth it for me to focus on other things. And I’ll just hand it off and let them do it. But I don’t want to diminish the quality of my work. Even if I’ve extra time being that I’m self employed King High Clothes Entertainment, LLC is my company. Therefore, I work for myself. So all the time. Like, I have time on my hands. Yeah, so I’ll use free time to fill in a void as opposed to pass in that task off to someone who’s going to do a subpar job. Yeah, you know.

Zeke: But always say on the way to become a billionaire make somebody else a millionaire.

King Hi: Say what?

Zeke: To make it, to become a billionaire that make somebody else a millionaire.

King Hi: And I’m fine with that. That’s honestly I’m finding that like, as I go deeper into the business, I don’t mind paying for things like I want to pay for things, so other people can actually survive in the business so we can grow together because I have I have a substantial amount of money not rich, but I have a substantial amount of money. So and I have you know, the business mind so like the finance classes have a root in it host those I learned and working at the bank, I learned a lot of things and my mother having six children’s she’s supporting us, I learned certain things about finances. So you know, just trying to make it all work.

Zeke: So when you when you create so you seem like you’re more similar than any other business model like the analytical side to you also have the creative side. And right now you are trying, to find a balance

King Hi: Pew it’s tough.

Zeke: So it seemed like when you’re younger, you’ve done more your creative side because like, when you don’t get time, we’ll have fun. And then

King Hi: I’m not actually I’m, I started having fun. as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had more fun because like I said early, obviously, I’m the oldest of six children. Okay? And my mother was a single mother in law, like, he had become like, the adult, or adult. Exactly. So I was like, watching my brothers, making sure they’re right, protecting them, and all that, like, so. I didn’t really have fun as a child. You know, I was too busy trying to, you know, watch over my brothers and my little sister, you know, so, now it’s like, I don’t have to worry about them as much because they’re okay. They’re all grown. Yeah. Now, you know, I can let go some, you know,

Zeke: I’m the oldest of two, but I see how you feel.

King Hi: Yeah. Being oldest is different, in the oldest is a lot different than actually. I mean, the youngest or whatever

Zeke: You go, you can expect it to be the second brain or the second planner. So at that, so as you create a song cycle, like how do you start with music and stuff like that?

King Hi: Well, I generally start with the beat. You know, because I feel like I’m, I’m going to go in that direction. But the beat will typically helped me in the direction I feel like the beat is like the blueprint or the infrastructure, and I could build upon that. But, I mean, I’ve been doing that up until this point, except for the fact that I’m working on a song called penetrate is like more so for the women, which I haven’t been speaking to for a while. I’ve been writing it for some time. Like, I have, like, sort of point with some of my old phone, I have some of the, the words, the lyrics in my email. So I had to put it all together. And I just purchased a beat on like, a week and a half ago. But I’ve been had the lyrics, I just got to put them together on top of the beat now, because I have so much to say to two females and it’s just like, I’ve been writing it. So it’s gotta be able to put it, put it on now to the point where I think I want my lyrics to be better. So I want help with the lyrics now too, because up until this point, I wrote all my own songs. Yeah, I’ll write this song as well, but I want somebody to help me with it. So it can become better. You know?

Zeke: So with writing do you do a lot of rewrites or do you just flow?

King Hi: Well, being that I don’t really write I honestly like to freestyle, and then I’ll take my freestyle and put it on a song. And I might write the freestyle. You know, I might write the actual freestyle down. Or no, I haven’t recorded and then I’ll just try to remember it. But yeah, I’m not. I don’t like writing to be honest with you. I feel like the best part of my music is the freestyle. No, no, the hooks are, but I feel like freestyle and I’m better at freestyle than I am. Right. Right, and takes the fun out of it. For me. It’s like how I almost went to law school. I have a law firm policy minor. Like I was really into grammar, like law of grammar, with the commas, punctuation, everything. The sentences, making sense, runoff everything. So it’s like, now it becomes more of a grammatical thing with me than it actually so it is. gets in the way of my creativity because I’m like, No, I can’t do it like that. It doesn’t make sense grammatically. But in all actuality, like my engineer was saying yesterday, music will allow it to make sense. You don’t have to worry about the grammar.

Zeke: So with your minor I guess you went too far into like the words and I now you just trying to pull yourself back.

King Hi: Yeah, yeah. I’m trying to pull up this like, but I don’t want to pull it back. You know, like, how do you say music and hip hop? Sometimes you have to dumb it down. Yeah. I feel like I owe it to my people, especially the younger people who actually were listening to my music. I haven’t really been pushing music lately, but the ones who were really listening to my music at the time I was doing it. I feel like I owe it to them. To be more grammatically, grammatically correct. It makes more sense because i have i’ve never forget that the lyrics it says. I just cut the hot will. It got big with And I’m thinking to myself, like, every time I hear it now, it’s like, it’s have big wheels. Why did you say got big wheels? Because it sounds better. But I don’t want the youth to think that it’s how you supposed to talk. So it’s kind of like, I’m a role model now. So I don’t want to leave them on a wrong path. You know. So this is become a bigger than music at this point. So it’s becoming harder and harder.

Zeke: So now you feel like so now, you feel like you have the um. You know, watch what you say, because now other people are listening and then you don’t want to any misconceptions.

King Hi: Well, you’re right. But as far as misconceptions, I wouldn’t say misconceptions. I know when you grow up, listen, I when I grew up listening to music, I listened to what they say. And what they said meant something to me, if I have to be careful what I’m saying Do you know because Can I um stop this video and take the background out? yes all right you’re gonna send me another request or how do I do I just stop the video?

Zeke: Yeah I stopped the video

King Hi: Alright thats better, cuz I like messing up my users messing up how they like it but now my cookies on another side. But yeah, this words are very powerful. You know? I mean, I knew that when I was doing law, you know, for my school, I work for the New York City bar. I work for another law firm, like more so intern, but I know, like the power of words. So I want to be careful with that power. I don’t want to. I don’t want to lose my creativity. But at the same time, I don’t want to lose my people. I don’t want them to the hip hop youth are generally my people. And I don’t want them to think that, oh, you’re supposed to say like this. Are you supposed to do this type of thing, like instead of falling into that, like, oh, a hip hop is just about ignorance. You could just do whatever. I got to dumb it down more. So I want hip hop to say, you know what, we got to step it up. But I mean, I don’t know if I have that power yet. So I might have to dumb it down in order to get that power. In order to bring it up, but it’s difficult to find that medium. I haven’t found it yet. So I’m having, I’m having trouble right there to be honest with you.

Zeke: Like, you know, you want to be accessible, you also don’t want to be overly complicated of a complicated gets to nobody. And then that leads to like Hip Hop right now where it’s more commercialized. You know, it was like this not what we need, but we getting to more people. Yeah, but iss it getting to the right people.

King Hi: Exactly. Exactly. But I got to get to the right people in order to get the right people to think the right way. But I also enjoy I enjoy music. Without Words, to be honest with you. I don’t even really want to even that’s to be honest. I’m glad we had this conversation. Because I was struggling with the lyrics because I am complex individual and I have been the school for a long time. But at the same time, I like music, which just sounds like I don’t, I really like making hooks and I don’t really want to talk too much. And I think I’m going to talk less, that’s what I’m going to do because I don’t want to lead people down the wrong path. And I don’t want to bore people either. So I’m just gonna, I’m just gonna say less words like that’s really what I’m working on. But I wanted to let people know that I could do words you know, I could do the word playing on that but I’m done with it after this hot I song I have this song called. It’s like I’m so cool to but like, I’m working on that. I’m almost done with it. Matter of fact, my engineer just sent it to me in a pod and check it it just been mastered. I hope it sounds delightful, but I don’t know. But after that I don’t really want to, but then a penetrate song. I feel like I want to do. I want to talk to the ladies too, but I don’t really want to say anything. I just want them to feel me.

Zeke: Just a vibe.

King Hi: Yeah, but I have a lot to say I just don’t want to say it.

Zeke: Like where. I get you. When I like to create I hate using words like graphics stuff like that so know where to put though is what the images to tell the story

King Hi: I liked it but that’s that’s the thing I feel like being done I’m a quote unquote rapper I don’t want it to be about the visuals as much as it is about the audio. You know I feel like that’s a big a major problem in music now. Is that is is almost not music. It’s something else. So I want to make my music better. And then a video the visuals would go along with it, but I need to work on the music, the audio part you know Yeah.

Zeke: So when you making music ah. The last person who’s a rapper, my own podcast, so asked him how he likes his voice. How do you like your voice. Like the last time I had somebody who made music on the podcast, ask them how they like their voice. How do you like it. You like it?

King Hi: I love it. I love it. Like, I make my voice sound differently. I make my voice sound different from time to time. Okay, depending on how I feel, or how someone makes me feel like, like, it’s a bob, but I know what my voice sounds like to me. Like, I know what I’m doing. Like, that’s my job. So it’s like it’s like I have you noticed different voices. So yeah. I love my boys.

Zeke: Cool I’m getting used to my voice now while doing the podcast? Yeah. Sometimes the sound of my voice sounds weird.

King Hi: I’m sorry. I think, um, you have to practice your voice. So you like it, you know, because the more you hear your voice at first sounds funny, but some people I gotta get used to it, but I feel like don’t get used to it, improve it. What do you think is just sound like, make it sound like that, you know?

Zeke: So and so let’s go to your clothing. So how’s the clothing?

King Hi: I forgot to say this. My problem didn’t mean to cut you off. Sorry about them. But my only thing with my voice is I haven’t made it to what I see see as the pinnacle, which is singing. Not a good singer. But I’m a bad singer. Some people can’t even sing. Yeah, I’m actually a bad singer, which and nobody taught me how to sing and I don’t have that. I didn’t have it naturally. So I believe I could learn how to sing. And once I learned how to sing, that’d be a next step would be a another step. I’m not going to say that’s going to be who’s going to be in trouble because you know, it might, it might just boost me up a little bit, but it would definitely boost me I haven’t. in this music. Yeah.

Zeke: So what’s your clothing does that is there easier mix with business and creativity on that side? Or it’s the same?

King Hi: It’s different. It’s different because with the clothes, I can use just drawer drawer on a piece of paper, but then I have to get someone else to make it. I don’t want to so like I know how to sew how to sew machine. I don’t even know what where it is now probably just discarded it. But I don’t want to do that I just want to design you know, I’m picking my spots now that I’ve been in both games for a while. I’m figuring out what I want to do. And I love design. I love drawing I’ve been drawing. I need to get to the sneakers. I have never had produced sneakers, has sneakers manufactured or anything, but I’ve been drawing sneakers since I was at least in junior high, maybe Elementary. Um, but I love design in a drawer. I’m getting better at it on Photoshop. I don’t like I don’t really like dealing with the computers. I like doing it freehand. Maybe with color pencils, but I’m getting better at Photoshop. But now the part is the hard part is getting someone to understand your designs, you know? Yeah. Like, so then I have to guess why I’ve gone that’s why I do Photoshop cuz it’s easier for them to see what I’m doing. And to be honest with you, it’s easier to edit so I could go back and just change a simple color. They right now got cookie dough sports. Now I’m coming out then I’m I’m a football, basketball, hockey, soccer, cheerleading uniform varsity jackets like most of the sports that I like, and now I’m just I made them all in blue, and I’m just making them in red. And this is the big deal to me. But to say people outside it might not seem like a big business or just making it in a different color. Yeah, the things I have to go to for people to understand to design for in order to get it shipped. As a matter of fact, I have like, like all these clothes, jerseys or cheerleading outfits, or just a just a package for base. I’m hoping I’ll be talking in like an order people to understand what you’re saying and actually to make it the right way. And sometimes I do it overseas and I can’t see exactly the material they’re using. So you’re on the same page with the material. There’s just it’s not as easy. There’s one more thing. Yeah. You know, what?

Zeke: (inaudible)

King Hi: It’s supposed to be red. Like, I don’t even know what’s going on. Yeah, but that’s neither here. That’s what I mean. Like. That’s like the hardest part is like this. Yeah. But just I just roll with the punches, man, cuz you don’t go with the flow with this and you just gonna be like, Man, what is this? What am I gonna do with this? You know, but yeah, that’s the hardest part is getting people to understand your designs and what, what you want, you know, and some, some people have better quality some people make it seem better. Yes, they make it better to your specification. So you have to get samples and then you want to mass produce, but some of the samples are not even worst mass producing. So it’s like, oh, I just wasted time with this manufacturer. You know, I could have been doing something else. It takes me takes a lot of energy. Like I have to sit down and say, You know what, I’m gonna make calls right now. Like right now. I’m really making jeans. I have a lot of people I’m talking to right now about making the jeans. Like it’s something I wanted to do for a while. So like, I designed something jeans and I’m working on having people making them. But I see some of their quality is bad. So I’m not concerned. I’m not concerned as much with the price as the quantity quality. I’m more concerned with the quality of the clothing because I want my, my brand stands for quality, because I like good quality.

Zeke: So,

King Hi: Um, I don’t want somebody wear something I don’t want to wear, you know, so I don’t care if it cost me $20 less per unit. If it looks bad, I don’t want it. You know, you need to

Zeke: Know more paint into the finer details. Making sure everything’s good.

King Hi: Exactly.

Zeke: So when your paying attention to the finer details do you find paying to much to the details going crazy or do?

King Hi: You know what? Sometimes I feel like they feel that I’m paying I’m paying too much details, but I feel like this is what I want. Yeah, like, why don’t you just do it the way I actually, I feel like, why is it even a big deal? If I say I want it pink? Why is that purple? It doesn’t even matter what you think the as the actual producer. It matters what I want what I asked for, like, I just don’t get that like details. If somebody say they want something besides that, especially if it’s written down, all you have to do is look at it. Just give them what they asked for like, I just don’t get it. But as far as certain things I say, Oh, I want this to be here. Or I want this to be three inches and they say, Oh, we only do a two and a half inches. I’m like okay, that’s fine. Do a two and a half inches. Well if I say like oh my hockey jerseys. I want to go shoestrings hanging now is like oh we don’t have gold. We just have black and white. I didn’t want to use Wait, I wanted to use gold. What? You know what? I’ll say fine. Use white. I can deal with stuff like that. Yeah, but if I say y’all want pink, like on a cookie, if you see like pink, I don’t know if you can see it there in the mid side. And then I made some basketball jerseys and it was just like I just like, Oh, no, I just don’t understand why we’ll be perfect. Yes.

Zeke: And then the sneakers. So what are you What’s your favorite type of sneaker?

King Hi: With sneakers?

Zeke: Yeah.

King Hi: I don’t even know if I know somebody who makes sneakers. I actually know his brother. Because his brothers in a fraternity that I was thinking about joining and he was telling he know I do clothes like oh, you should follow my brother. And it was crazy because I was just started following his brother the day before because I had went to an embroidery shop to make some had something. And it was like, Oh, you should check out you should check out such and such they do a lot with the code and whatever, whatever. So I followed them. And the next day I was talking to him, and he’s my older brother. So, but he makes sneakers. He’s in California, but I don’t know how to ask him for help. You know, because I really don’t feel like he will help me. I could be wrong. Yeah, but that’s why I haven’t asked but I need help making sneakers because it is difficult. There’s different materials. Yes. Yes. Yes, and you have to make a lot of sneakers. And it’s like, I’m not making a lot of sneakers. I never made it with you. While I’m gonna make 100 pair sneakers, and they all look crap. And they are they look crappy. Now, I’m stuck with 100 pair of sneakers. No. So it’s really hard. It’s really hard for me. Maybe I should just ask the guy. I probably will now talk to you and think about it.

Zeke: Cool. So what’s the what’s your favorite sneaker?

King Hi: Yeah, hold on a second.

Zeke: You said my favorite type of sneakers?  Yeah.

King Hi: Yeezy. Yep Yeezy my favorite sneaker. Like Kanye. He’s, I can’t remember when he started making sneakers. I was working at footlocker I remember when it was going crazy for him. But now it’s like he’s just on a different level man like, yeah, the comfortability inside the sneaker as well as the look, new design futuristic is is is no buy pair with him and he’s mass producing it. And it’s to the point where it’s like, pop culture. It’s um hyped up it’s like you know for hypebeast it’s not as hype as it used to be but yeah he’s so much more you know so he’s basically a main a main name brand now like by far he’s if I had to pick any sneaker. Yes

Zeke: Jordan one my favorite.

King Hi: Jordan one?

Zeke: Yeah

King Hi: Those are cool those are those are cool I like Jordan ones. I had Jordan ones out there get another pair. But I know a lot of people that in the hypebeast industry they’re into the Jordan ones. I remember the um the blue. You know the patent leather the Carolina Blue. Yeah, they went crazy for those. I remember that. But I just I don’t know they’re cool sneakers but I don’t. To me. They’re not the good thing about them. They only cost like $110 so they’re good $110 sneaker. Yeah, cool. But if you were to go out would you wear some Jordan ones?

Zeke: Oh, no, I see. Depends on the outfit.

King Hi: That’s a good point because I couldn’t ask Jordan ones off. Joy. Yeah, I agree with you. Jordan was a classic. They’re classic and they’re hit and if they’re not really over the top, you know, yeah, you could kinda win with anything. Yeah, you can take. That’s why people go from so much. It’s kind of like Air Force ones. But, you know, I like I would say the design is somewhat better than Air Force ones because of the soul is thinner, you know? Yeah. I see.

Zeke: Yeah, like that. Also, they fit my feet. I have a weird foot shape. It is easy for me to buy.

King Hi: Okay, that makes sense because they don’t fit my feet. Like that. That’s the number one thing I was thinking about when you said that I was like, they kind of tight like around my toe. They’re like, somewhat. They’re not. I’m not gonna say uncomfortable for me. Yeah, somewhat uncomfortable. But I guess if your feet if they fit for your feet, then that’s even better. Yeah.

Zeke: Cool. So then you’re doing the music, you’re doing the clothing, doing creative. So let’s go back to like, go to like, Baruch. So why did you choose like business and law?

King Hi: Yeah. Why did I use choose business and law? Yeah. Um, I don’t know, I’m not gonna say this in any particular order, but I will give some reasons. law we need. We need lawyers in our black community. Yes. Like, we’re in dire need of that. You know, it was like to the point is like, my people need help. I’m Do it, you know? And plus people always tell me how I’ll be a good lawyer since I was young. And I was like, You know what, that kind of stuck with me. So I was like, You know what, I’m gonna just be a lawyer. And like, I still kind of want to be a lawyer, but I’m going to be an artist more than a lawyer. But business, there’s like, no matter what you do, you typically want to make money with it, right? Yeah. Like your profession. So it’s gonna, so just do business like so I just did business. When I was at home. It was Business Management thing. And at that time, you know, I was a little younger. My dream job at the time, was working at a bank, you know, like to be like a personal banker. You know, I didn’t know it was. It was higher forms of banking at that time. And so when I went to Baruch, and it was like, it’s two types of business. You have to pay One as either business operations, which is learning how to run a big corporation, or its business entrepreneurship, which you learn how to run your own company, then a light bulb went off. And I was like, You know what? I’ll learn how to run my own company. Yeah. And if I learn how to run my own company, I can still run somebody else’s company. Yeah. So then I went to that, and then that really helped me out. I was always like, I think I’ve always had a good business mind. In I always have money, like when I was younger, like young, like a kid, like probably less than 10 maybe 10. A look like around that age. I should get my little brother’s money. Like, you know, like not insubstantial, but like, Oh, they want something from the bubblegum machine. Yeah, huh? It’s like, I’m doing this, like, a little age, like, why do I have money in my pocket? You know, like, just my life? Oh, you want some gum? Or you want a toy? All right, you know, and I just, I had money. I don’t even know where it came to be honest with you. But I had it. And I had a decent mind on how to keep it, though. And so business helped me with that. And I just wanted to make, I know, I needed to make money. So I wanted to make money. And whatever I was doing, it doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter to me at the time what I was doing. And so that’s why I did the business. Well, we still need lawyers. We need his lawyers. Yeah.

Zeke: Because most cases are just plea deals make it go faster.

King Hi: Yeah. Like I learned, I learned it and it’s like more so like, oh, okay, let him go. I’m just gonna give somebody else like awkward Okay, like friends talking amongst friends. I mean, I really don’t even try the case. You owe me one or I owe you one or no, he seemed cool, like, you know, and it’s like, we don’t get the benefit of a doubt. And a lot of times as minor things that that can let us go. And we just don’t know the lawyer doesn’t care. Like they’re quote unquote, just doing their job. So we need somebody who is for us in this life is sad. And I feel like I kind of let my people down. But I still have to do my thing, but I’m not done helping my people. As far as the law round. Like, I feel like if I make it big enough as an artist, I could help my people better and I would enjoy myself more. Like being a lawyer is boring to me. I don’t like wearing suits. Yeah, like I look decent in them. And I like wearing them occasionally. But every day, first of all, I need to I want to wear whatever I want to wear. You know, like, I want to wear what I feel like wearing today. Right now I felt like wearing a polo shirt. Tomorrow. I feel like wearing a football jersey. Like, I don’t want to wear the same thing every day. Matter of fact, I love wear sweats. Sweat suits, please. The sweat pants. I love wearing that. And you tell them you have to witness this form fit in suit. It’s 90 degrees outside. No, I don’t want to do it. You know? It’s boring man to me is boring. Yeah, like a lot of people that live that lifestyle or boring in this life. No offense to them. That’s boring for me. Yeah, not to say that they’re boring people, but different, different strokes for different folks. That’s not for me, that lifestyle is not for me. So I don’t want to do it, but I don’t mind helping make some more noise in the future or helping lawyers. I mean, I still know how to be a lawyer. Like I learned almost everything there was to be a lawyer I could practice law if I decided to go practice to pass the bar somehow, which I’m sure I could find a loophole to get in. But I’m just gonna do it a different way basically.

Zeke: Yeah, it’s better that’d be a bad lawyer and then probably hurt people more than to be like a great artist and then give more resources.

King Hi: Got it? Got it for sure.

Zeke: Yeah, cuz me at all a main source or like reading a lot or reading a lot. If I was in the team, like designing or math for me.

King Hi: You say what?

Zeke: Overseen designing and math for me? Hm like programing. All right. Yeah. But then I got zero in the wintertime for programming, the programming class. So I decided what’s a marketing and sick with design.

King Hi: Yeah, I feel you were I will say this, you can’t let someone else’s test dictate your future. But it’s not a bad thing to let it help you. You know what I’m saying? Yeah, I was up enough on the fence, because a lot of those tests are designed to weed people out as opposed to help people proceed, you know? Like, it’s not necessarily a test to determine how good you’re going to be at that particular job or profession. It’s more so as like a barrier unit, like the L set. I’m telling you, I prepare for the L SAT. I took two different l sat courses. The only thing I learned was, this is how they want you to learn. I didn’t learn how they wanted me to learn. But I realized that the test just like any other standardized test is designed to get you to, to do the way they want you to do it. Yeah, in all actuality, law does not have to be practiced that way. You do not have to think that way. But that’s what they want you to think. And I don’t want to know how they think to be honest with you. You don’t I’m saying it was kind of like, I don’t care. Like, if I become a lawyer, boom, I already know how not to do was I’m saying that to say like, you know, do what your heart desires, you know, I’m saying, yeah. And don’t put yourself in a box. And that’s one reason why I still do the music and the clothes, because I don’t know what I’m gonna do. You know, in the future. I love both of them. But the end of the day, I want to be rich, like I want to be wealthy for my children’s sake. So I know I can’t waste time doing certain things, but I have two avenues. But I am specializing, you know, I’m specializing in Music and clothing. I specialize. But I don’t want to be put in the box because you don’t i don’t know what’s gonna happen like this, like, let’s say the clothing might take off, the music might take off. Or I might just really love the music. I might really love the clothes. So, you know, just because you do one thing. Don’t totally give up on another thing because you never know what the future holds.

Zeke: Next thing no more questions. Any questions? Me? No?

King Hi: Well, I mean, I do actually. But I didn’t know if I was. If it would have been like, should I ask what Yeah, I do have some questions. Yeah. What really made you want to do the podcast? I mean, we talked about it briefly when we was at the Baruch alumni event, yet. What really is Like, what is your purpose for doing the podcast?

Zeke: So as I graduated, I share.

King Hi: I can’t see you. By the way, I can’t see the words on your hoodie. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I know for the people.

Zeke: So after I graduated, and a lot happened last year, I lost my grandmother, all that stuff. And I had three jobs. And I had to like figure out how to graduate. So then I’ll talk about what to do and I’m gonna do after I graduate it

King Hi: Sorry to hear that by the way, but yeah,

Zeke: Yeah. So after that happened, I had Oh, I was like, I’ll work for the school in the summer for about a month at that finish. I had to figure out what I’m gonna do next. So a lot of people told me to enter enter their own information interviews. This is good professionals. Why decided to turn into a podcast because knew a lot of people also like told you to do work with it. information, information interviews. Okay. Yeah, does it get to go to different industries. But then on what you call it, I decided to go to a podcast because I like talking to people. Because I know a lot of people already do a lot my first story doing different things. And they all fail on their own world. So been easier to get them like get them all like, Hey, come on. Let’s do this. Talk about together. Yeah,

King Hi: That’s as great because I was looking, I was thinking like you were saying, in order to, to find yourself to learn who you are, you have to look within yourself. But you also should look outside and see what else is going on to see how to best fit. And I think that’s that’s a great idea how you make that work in this world. And another thing you have a cool voice like for real, like for real? Like you could be a rapper if you wanted to like it’s a cool voice. Yeah, it’s a way I could share this share content. Let me see what I can do screen photos. bucks. Oh, I can’t see it on it on social media.

Zeke: Not yet. No.

King Hi: Um, I can save this though.

Zeke: I’m, I’m currently on my site right now. So okay. All right. Cool. Cool. Cool. So yeah, so with that right now as long as I just bring out everything for the podcast, and then after that it’s more of a golf and stuff like that.

King Hi: Make sense? Yeah.

Zeke: So right now this is more of me to figure out how to what to do how to make money with it. Yeah. Yeah.

King Hi: So you want to be an entrepreneur? Yeah.

Zeke: Makes sense. Oh, like that close. Making money or like sell things my mom always taught me to go to school. Was make sense. Yeah. I finished I was okay, cool. What’s next?

King Hi: He would say once you graduate that say that’s not it as kinda begin and this like, Ah, man, like you graduated now. It’s like now you graduated, like like what are you going to do now? Like no more Oh, I’m in school No, no, you are in the real world. You have to do you have to live so now now you hear now we both here so now we got to figure out like we were like oh you are you graduated college congratulations. I’m also like okay what snack like hey,

Zeke: Yeah and then people will get a massive like I get my master’s degree in whatt masters and what that says more time means I pay out what to do and I’m just like this more work.

King Hi: Yeah, that’s kinda weird. What, why didn’t go to law school to like I had this music and clothing as like go to law school for three years and then Sit in a desk in a job for what? 70 hours a week they trying to say, when are they trying to scare people out of their business because they don’t want competition in law. I learned that too. But I also realized I was working at a bank 40 hours a week. And it was like, exhausting. And it was killing me. It’s making me Oh, fast, like, um, it that somebody whose job? It doesn’t matter how much work I do. It’s just about literally staying there. No, I’m not sitting there. No, no desk. I’m not sitting in a desk for 50 hours a week, in another job to try to make it to the next level. After I sit in school for three more years to learn something that I already learned. I’ve learned I’m telling you, I learned what I needed to learn to become a lawyer already before law school started. I learned faster, but I feel like a lot of people probably did too. But I made But I learned fast, I learned fast. So it’s like I’m going to law school for three years to get a certificate. So I can practice law which already know how to do. Like, that doesn’t even make sense. Like you said, I’m not gonna pay $150,000 first pay $150,000 to learn how to get a certificate to work a job. So I have to pay down back $150,000 and it came to the point where my business my business on my business degrees are working. I’m like, Yo, this is just a this is a cycle was a ploy like, yeah, being a lawyer. And certain degrees are more, more about them actually getting money. It’s about giving law money, like, oh, oh, you want to be a lawyer. Okay. You got to go to school for $150,000 a year. So get $350,000 not go to school for three years, but you have to give us $250,000 to decide that you want to work a job to pay us back. And like not that it didn’t make sense financially for you to go to law school, and meet learning a lot about law. And a lot of its loopholes. I was like, You know what, I’ll be a lawyer without actually going to law school. But at the time, I didn’t feel like putting in the time and energy to find out how because I was like, forget about school. If I if I feel like it, I’ll become a lawyer later on. And then come to find out later on, Kim Kardashian actually became a lawyer. Like, I think she passed the bar or something when I went to law school, and I was late. You know what, Kim? I’m proud of you because I knew it was away. I just wasn’t gonna figure it out. And she figured it out. So now it’s like, yep, my theory was 100%. Right? I can I can practice law, you know, without actually going to law school. So I might ended up doing that that’s actually a fallback. Because I still work my practice in law just on my own terms. Like people are like, Oh, you getting all these tattoos and everything? You can’t be like, I’m what if you don’t take me the way I am then I don’t need to work there like, you know, I don’t if I practice law practice law with tattoos like this is 2020 you know like, things are different than it used to be like you know what I mean? And so we’ll see what happens.

Zeke: I was just thinking about how like what like professors are starting to like the um dissect and analyze rap music. And how like Harvard versus like saying what this looks like NAS is talking about Kendrick and stuff like that. How, how, if you call more like a set it and I wonder what we’ll be like, I know how we are set by music on the way on grew up with it in a small group of us, but then somebody who only studied like English, they break it down. And they said that music was …

King Hi: I wouldn’t mind. Listen, listen to a little conversation cuz that sounds like, it sounds like they’re onto something. It’s like it was music. Like you remember pop music how it used to be like, for pop music includes hip hop now. Yeah, you know, but I feel like some hip hop is not for everybody anyway. Like, I used to curse a lot. Say the B word. Say the N word. Like. I don’t even like saying the N word for sure. I don’t like other people saying it. So it’s like, certain things shouldn’t be in pop culture because then other people think is okay, you know, that’s why you got to watch it words. Like I don’t want to say those words. Like, because not saying I won’t ever say him but it’s like If I’m saying this words, somebody who’s listening to it, here’s the word. And for whatever reason, that’s basically saying this, okay? I’m justifying the use of the words. And it’s not to say that you can’t use some of the words some of the time, but I just got to be careful what what I say, you know, and it’s like, this point in my life, I want every body I care about, care about me and to love me and to be able to listen to my music. You know, I edited a song called all my B’s loved me from my mother. Like, I edited it, saying all my women loved me. Like not to say that these are women, or women or BS. It’s to say that it’s just like, I just didn’t, I didn’t even like hearing the word. You know, like, and, and this, like, I want my mother to be able to listen to my music, my grandmother to be able to listen to it now saying that they can’t, but I don’t. I want them to be happy with My music. I want everybody who listens to my music to enjoy it, you know, that’s where I’m at. And it’s difficult sometimes trying to reach everybody. You lose your core audience and your core audience is basically everybody. You’re not like, the people in your core core audience symbolise everybody because if they don’t listen to it, then there’s nobody listening to it, you know what I’m saying? So trying to find everybody I might lose everybody on I already have. But the problem is that with that, because a lot of the people that are in my core audience are full of hate and negativity anyway, so it’s like, it’s more so not love muscle like hate, like they want to listen to it, to not like it or to criticize it, you know what I mean? So I don’t really mind losing people, if they’re gonna, they’re going to be negative anyway, so I’m just Trying to make music for everybody to like, the people that don’t like anything are not gonna like anything. So that’s that, but at least they won’t hate it. Yeah. Maybe they will find a way.

Zeke: Music is fun thoughts. Because all I remember how to in freshman year college I read a paper by one of the big loop APSA songs by how it used to be work, oh, and then read like, all your way home or disagree with him. And then I will remember making a point like, obviously, like three words I’ll just say things you say sometimes it can mean things. But a lot of times if you let people know that the word researched you in a negative way, they’re gonna use it more. And then that it becomes a vicious cycle of people creating new words to hurt each other. And then people appropriate those words and then another word comes in, not appropriate in the word.

King Hi: And that’s why I found a way. For the same reason why I’ve figured out that words can be my strength. I figured out that words could be my weakness. So I kinda took the power out of words used against me, because I realized that they’re just words to try to hurt me. So certain people say certain words, it won’t really affect me. They won’t they won’t get the reaction, they want not to say that there won’t be some times that I will react and give them what they want. But in most this way, in less situations, and before, I won’t, I won’t really I just be like, whatever you’re not, you just, you’re not even really doing anything. You’re just saying something that somebody else came up with. Like you’re not even putting enough energy towards making me upset. You know, like, you have to try harder than that, to make me upset to use a word that people really using for years or like you have to come up with something new. Like you know what my battery’s dying that’s why the camera went off.

Zeke: Okay, so I guess we go to the ending segment all right cool. So in the same way when they do hear from you in the podcast and you want to plug anything to the people

King Hi: Are yummy. Well, my company I just made an LLC in April of 2019 King High Clothes Entertainment, LLC. And all my social media has kinghient k i m g h i e n t. That’s Instagram. We also have Tick Tock Facebook. My Snapchat is different CD fresh but um what else do I have? Oh, I have a mixtape coming out should be out on my birthday March 25 I’m caught on my way up 32 and a quarter and my music video should be dropping on that same day for one of the singles off the album caught on the socket. Is there something else? That’s probably it.

Zeke:  Cool.

King Hi: Oh yeah my clothing Ah, well this is um, King clothes but I’m having a cookie dough sports line with the basketball football hockey, soccer jerseys on what else basketball, baseball and the varsity jackets and had the cheerleading outfits. You know we have the the one the pleated skirts And then we have the arm. Kind of like the spandex skirts with the top tops and all that. And the jeans are working on jeans too. But

Zeke: Yeah, and what will be the name of your origin story or like a video game?

King Hi: It would be my mixtape me on my way up 32 and a quarter. And then we’ll see the king has story, but oh yeah, something like that. Well, no, no matter of fact. Matter of fact, it would be the name that I was gonna title my mixtape, which was the old me 32 in the corner, that’ll be the origin story because that’s no longer me. That’s like, that’s where I started but this is not me anymore, like the music that I made on my mixtape. That’s not that’s some old me but that’s really not me anymore. That’s the old me, you know, but it’s just a collection of works over time, but in the past.

Zeke: Nice. Thank you. And this is I guess, episode season two. So that’ll be coming out later this year. Okay.

King Hi: Good luck with everything you know, to stay strong, it ain’t easy. And to be honest with you, if if you want some assistance and other things, you know, I’m in an entertainment company and in industry, we know we have people that can help you do other things, me or other people. But yeah, you know, because I want to see you thrive, you know, so I’m here for support if you want some, just let you know that. All right. Thank you. Thank you.

Zeke: Nice. See you later. All right. Peace, peace.  That brings another episode on the Let’s Gather Podcast to a close. Again. You can go to allmylinks.com/kinghient to get more information. For next week, our friend Gabby to talk about video games anime and adjusting to the new COVID-19 world. hope you continue to have a nice day and I hope to see you there.

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