Aaron chats with JZAC about his love for hip-hop, Polish background, and how he comes up with his lyrics. They dive into how wrestling mixes with music, chat about what freestyle in hip-hop really means, and get into the nitty-gritty of making music while juggling the creative and business sides. Plus, they'll talk about JZAC's album 'It's Still Real To Me, Damn It!'
Jerry Zajac, known as JZAC, is a New Hampshire-born rapper with Polish immigrant roots. Renowned for his authentic storytelling and sharp lyrics, he first gained online fame with his viral freestyles in 2016. Now a prominent figure in hip-hop and based in Los Angeles, JZAC has produced four albums, with his latest work, "It's Still Real To Me, Damn It," highlighting his dynamic artistry.
Listen to JZAC here: https://www.youtube.com/@JZACMusic
Aaron chats with JZAC about his love for hip-hop, Polish background, and how he comes up with his lyrics. They dive into how wrestling mixes with music, chat about what freestyle in hip-hop really means, and get into the nitty-gritty of making music while juggling the creative and business sides. Plus, they'll talk about JZAC's album 'It's Still Real To Me, Damn It!'
Jerry Zajac, known as JZAC, is a New Hampshire-born rapper with Polish immigrant roots. Renowned for his authentic storytelling and sharp lyrics, he first gained online fame with his viral freestyles in 2016. Now a prominent figure in hip-hop and based in Los Angeles, JZAC has produced four albums, with his latest work, "It's Still Real To Me, Damn It," highlighting his dynamic artistry.
Listen to JZAC here: https://www.youtube.com/@JZACMusic
Welcome back to another episode of the Bigger than Me podcast.
JZAC:Here is your host Aaron.
Aaron Pete:Thank you for tuning into another Bigger than Me podcast episode. Please remember to like, comment and subscribe. Hip-hop is one of my absolute favorite genres of music. I think they are brilliant communicators in this genre. Today I'm speaking with a rapper with nearly half a million monthly Spotify listeners. We explore his love of music, passion for lyricism and his album. It's still real to me, god damn it. My guest today is the one, the only, jayzak Jerry. I am so excited to be sitting down with you. I find your music so inspirational. You are a true lyricist. You know how to put words to thoughts that I think so many people have. Would you mind first introducing yourself?
JZAC:Yeah, I appreciate that. First and foremost, jayzak artist's name. Obviously you know music is very personal, vulnerable, so I do go by Jerry. A lot of fan base just says that. And yeah, independent hip-hop artist, originally from Southern New Hampshire and I moved to LA about five years ago, so now I'm on the West Coast and just doing my best to create art and live life.
Aaron Pete:Can we start perhaps with your name, Because you mentioned it in one of your songs that people find it a little bit hard to pronounce. You have Polish roots. Can you talk about your name choosing how you're going to go about presenting yourself as a rapper?
JZAC:Yeah for sure. So my actual last name is Zajak Z-A-J-A-C and I mean I'm used to it so I never thought it was hard to pronounce. But people are always like, how do you say Zaj, zaj, zujak? And so, yeah, I threw it in the line in that song. But honestly, when I thought of like the artist's name, jayzak, it didn't, I didn't have a ton of thought into it. I just was kind of writing raps and putting out like freestyles super early on and my friends were like, well, you need a rapper name, like what are you? What are you going to be? And I was like, well, my first name is Jerry, last name Zajak. I was like Jayzak, we'll just put it into one. I don't know, and I didn't even love it, but it kind of just stuck. And then I started putting on music as Jayzak and I never, never really looked back, funny enough.
Aaron Pete:The part that I find really interesting about musicians is they're so good at pulling from their roots, pulling from their background and their journeys, the things they've overcome, but also what their families overcome in their personal circumstances. You have those Polish roots. Would you mind telling us a little bit about your parents and coming to the United States and that journey?
JZAC:For sure. So my dad worked, my dad both parents are from Poland. My dad used to work on a boat. Well, worked on a boat is pretty much his whole life, but worked on a boat in Poland and they would travel around in different countries and then they ended up doing a stop in the US and he kind of just ended up getting off the boat with a couple of his friends and it was like I'm going to restart life here in the US.
JZAC:Poland was still communism at the time. So you know it was a whole kind of different world and my mom was still in Poland and they had I have two older siblings, so they had two siblings still in Poland and my dad kind of just restarted here, found a job on a different boat in the US and it took a couple of years to get my mom out here and my siblings, but over time, you know, he was able to kind of get comfortable and figure it all out and get them over here a couple of years later and then shortly after that I was born. So I'm actually a US citizen, but I'm the only one of my family that was born in the US. Everyone else is from Poland.
Aaron Pete:Right. So what kind of citizens do you think you take away from their journey?
JZAC:I think the grind is just like instilled in me because obviously when my dad got here it was like one. You know he was in his mid-late 20s, so he's learning a new language. He has no one to help him or no one to call. It's like you're just you got to sink or swim, no pun intended. So you kind of just got to grind, to do whatever it takes to stay afloat. So I feel like that was kind of just naturally passed on to me, especially in music where it's so competitive and you got to really just like see the road and grind it out for however long it takes until you catch some sort of break.
Aaron Pete:Correct me if I'm wrong, but GarageBand for Mac was where you got your start. That opened the door to you thinking about this idea of going down this path. Am I correct?
JZAC:Oh yeah, 100% right. No, yeah, that changed my life. I remember my friend at the time had a MacBook and I just didn't know you could like so easily record yourself, even though the quality was like garbage because we were just recording into the laptop itself. But I just remember being mind blown when he said he's like yeah, we could throw on a beat and you can record a rap. And I was like no, no way, we have to try it. And then once you know, once he tried it and I heard my voice back, it was like an instant, it just something clicked.
Aaron Pete:Who were you a fan of during that period? Who were you thinking about? Which rappers, which hip hop artists, which creators were in your mind when you were sitting down in those early days?
JZAC:That was like the blog era of hip hop. So it was like J Cole was a huge inspiration, the early Drake mix tapes, wale Big Crit, mack Miller was big at the time, logic was starting to come up with Khalifa, and there's so many more. But a lot of those people just like I saw them doing in real time too and I was like, okay, maybe, maybe, this is possible.
Aaron Pete:And what was the catalyst for you to decide that you needed to chase this path? Obviously there's something. Some people have hobbies, some people have things where they're like. I enjoy doing that on the side, but who knows if I'll ever make anything of it. People paint in their spare time. What made you say this is the path for me?
JZAC:It was like it was a strange kind of delusion there, where it just, I think, because it was like my first year in college and I had no idea what I wanted to do and I was always a person that would kind of just listen to, especially elders and people trying to steer me in the right direction, and everyone was like you got to go to college, this is kind of this is the next step. And I didn't. I was like I don't know what I wanted to do. In college. I picked a random major. I didn't have anything I was like super passionate about since, like basketball as a kid. But obviously, you know, I got to an age where I realized I was not good enough to be an NBA player.
JZAC:But I remember when I did the music thing, it was just like the passion was there and I'm like, oh well, this is, I'm really passionate about this, I'll just do this for a living. And it was kind of like that was where the delusion set, because it was like how are you going to pull this off? But it like weirdly didn't click. I was like I don't know, maybe I'm just going to do it and maybe, like in five years, something will happen, so kind of just blindly chased it. But it was at the same time such a blessing where, like, if I had known what I know now, it probably would have been a lot harder to like chase the dream at the time, if that makes sense.
Aaron Pete:Absolutely. What do you love about hip hop? When you listen to the music, when you hear people tell their stories, what stands out to you? You've described yourself as a calculated risk taker. That you have like strong, clear lyricism, real life storytelling. What inspires you and what brought you down that path? What did you see in it?
JZAC:I think there's definitely multiple factors. A big part of it is the storytelling aspect. Like just I was always blown away growing up how rappers could tell like this intricate story, rhyming words and like on a next level, like tell this whole story in an intricate manner but make it seem so seamless. And I think that was one of the first things that really like just caught my attention and made me want to listen, whether it was like Eminem or Naz or Jay-Z, like even the early Lupe Fiasco mix tapes. It was just crazy. But it was also, I think, the confidence you had to have to be a rapper is like so you have to be so sure of yourself, and there was like so much bravado which I think I lacked as just a kid growing up. So listening to those guys, even like 50 cent, even though I necessarily didn't relate with the what they were saying, like I think the confidence was just so key to like making me feel strong about myself and kind of just like present myself more, you know.
Aaron Pete:Absolutely. When you think of most songs, there's something about the fact that so often it's I started from here. I started disadvantaged, I grew up with very little money, worried about how we're going to pay the bills or having food in the fridge, and I want to get to here. I want to get to the top, I want to climb that. That's inspiring to individuals who start out with very little, who are working to pay ends meet. When you see your parents working hard trying to support you, there is that inspiration there that this makes sense. And I don't want to just stay where I am. I want to go find success. I want to go succeed and that's sort of the inspiration and the motivation that musicians can provide people.
JZAC:Yeah, definitely yeah, I think it kind of it's like the soundtrack for a lot of people. Even if you're not a musician, you listen to that and you apply to your own journey, which is, like you know, one of the best things about music.
Aaron Pete:So you have your start in 2011,. You're fully independent. You have nearly half a million Spotify listeners per month. You've dropped multiple albums, eps, hundreds of singles. One comment that you made that I found so interesting was that there's so many people over these 10 years, over these 15 years that you've been doing this, that have fallen away, that have put it aside, that have given up, and I'm just curious as to how you process that. When you see other people take a step back or go go in another direction, is that fuel to the fire that you got to keep going, or does that instill fear in you? How do you process those other people who didn't stay with it the way you did?
JZAC:I think it's all of those emotions kind of, in a way, definitely fuels the fire because, like, a lot of it is promises and things I told myself a long time ago, like we're going to keep doing this no matter what it takes and we're going to grind it out as long as it takes. But sometimes it is sad because you see talented people around you or people that you used to look up to and then they kind of whether it's you know life, stuff got in the way or they got complacent or whatever stop doing it and it's like man, I just understand that so much of the grind is less about like the talent aspect and more so about just sticking it out and continue until, like push. It's kind of like who can last the longest a lot of it.
Aaron Pete:Okay, so you do have this brilliant quote and it was from Stop the Breaks interview you did and you said repetition is the father of learning. And I think that that's so important because people who are going down paths they're interested in sharing their creative endeavor. They forget that part of it is just doing it, that it's not always the big fancy thing that you're doing, it's just keeping at it and keep improving. And I just love that line Repetition is the father of learning.
JZAC:Yeah, it's just about it like putting in the hours and taking. You know, if you take 10,000 shots, take them 10,000 free throws, like you're going to get better. I remember like I wasn't I mean I'm sure every artist is like this but I listened to my old music and stuff I was making it first and like it wasn't good, but I just did it long enough where I put the. I wasn't the most naturally talented person, I was maybe tone deaf at one point. I feel like, and I listened back to that stuff and I'm like, wow, this is where the repetition got me and you can do that with anything. You know, we all start probably at a different base. Some people are just naturally really good singers, but like you can increase that base by just putting in hours to the craft. I mean you can get better anything you put enough time in.
Aaron Pete:That's one thing that I love. I was watching some of your 2011 videos and it was just so admirable to look at the journey that we can get so lost in wanting to see people at the top or where they're at there, but there's something so meaningful to see somebody where they started from, and that constant improvement and that commitment to getting better every time and people like MrBeast talk about for YouTube that you need to improve one thing every video. It doesn't have to be a better video every time, but if you improve one thing over 10 years, you're going to be making amazing videos, because it's on that curve, and I found that so inspirational about your work because you were, in my opinion, really good at that time, but you've been honing those skills, so now you're at greatness. Now you've just climbed to that level, but some of the lines that you come up with I couldn't think of on my own.
JZAC:Right, yeah, I think, yeah, I guess it just comes with the time and the practice and studying. Of course. I think that's a lot of it, Just like artists who I really look up to. I've listened to their albums thousands of times and been like, wow, how did this person do this? Or I'll put my hours in and then go back and listen to a project that really inspired me and I'll hear it a different way after eight years, which is crazy. That just goes to show what a great body of work can do. You can still hear it differently years later and pick out new things that you never realize, whether it's lines that went over your head or certain instrumentation, stuff that you might just understand better now because you're working more in production, and stuff like that.
Aaron Pete:In that same Stop the Breaks interview, you talked about the challenge of making sure that you don't lock in a process too specifically to protect the creative element of it. There's such a challenge once you start to chase your passion, to turn it into too much of a business and forget why you fell in love with the endeavor to begin with. I find that balance is so challenging for creators because there's such a pressure to put out the next Instagram reel, to put out the next TikTok video, to come out with the next song, to keep releasing, that that love of it can disappear when you're trying to grow this and turn this into something. How do you go about balancing that and making sure you protect your creativity?
JZAC:I mean I think you said it great it's a constant balance, like it's an everyday thing I work on, especially in this day and age where you get that feeling, now more than ever, where one there's so much content on the internet not even just music, you're competing with people dancing on the timeline or YouTubers, or there's so many different people sharing their art and we're all just fighting for that attention span.
JZAC:So it's tough. It feels like it's also like the kind of dangle, the lottery ticket in front of you with TikTok and that type of stuff, where it's like all it takes is one video to go viral and it can change your life. So everyone's so on edge and stressed out about like I need to post more, I need to post more, I need to post more, and I think you do need to be consistent with that stuff and I try to be. But there is times where I have to step back and be like all right, this isn't why I signed up to be an artist, so relax, the internet's not going anywhere. You got to take a step back and check on my own health and maybe just work on the art more. Yeah, just take a step back and understand the balance of it. But it's definitely a struggle, I mean every day. You know it's like the business and art going hand in hand.
Aaron Pete:You and Vin Jay. I don't know if you know him, but he's someone I've gotten to speak with and he actually talks about a very similar thing that we see so many artists creating skits, creating humorous videos, doing things that are a little off of their brand. Like you listen to their music, then you watch their Instagram reels and they're not the same kind of energy because they're trying to find a way to get viral videos to grow their platform so people know about them. And it's so tragic because you have to appreciate the work that goes into just making a good song.
Aaron Pete:That just comes in with making a good lyric, like a good line, is so much work, and that's what I have so much admiration for. The work that you do is because you'll have a line that I couldn't. It would take me a paragraph to say what you said in a sentence, and I think we need to work towards admiring that and remembering that that doesn't happen just by accident. It takes a lot of work to kind of hone those skills and when you're jumping over here doing random videos and doing skits, you're not able to focus on the thing that you signed up for, and I just I think that that balance is so challenging.
JZAC:Yeah, it's tough because now we're asking artists to also be social media creators, you know, and it's like before you just had to focus on making the best song possible.
JZAC:Now, making the best song possible sometimes feels like just step one.
JZAC:And then you got to do step two, three, four and five, which is how am I going to promote this song to make it stick out, so more people can hear it? And that's when people fall victim into the trap of being like okay, what can I do to make the song stick out? And then that's when you might do some off-brand stuff, because I mean, it comes from a genuine place of like, I worked really hard in the song, so I'm almost willing to do whatever it takes to promote it and try to get it to reach new years. But then you kind of fall into the trap of well, am I doing stuff that I'm not really proud of, or that's off-brand? Or that you look back on a month later and you were like, well, maybe that wasn't my best video. So it's tough, it's a tough spot. But, yeah, I think staying true to who you are obviously is the most important thing you can do, and just trying to figure out ways to promote and push your music in an organic way.
Aaron Pete:The last piece from that interview that I found really profound is the interviewer was asking you about all the different ways hip-hop is going and growing and changing and the one piece that you said that you're committed to is showing that storytelling and authenticity remain at the heart of hip-hop, and I thought that was really deep.
JZAC:Yeah, that's just what I really enjoy and what I'm good at and what I've kind of built the foundation on. So I think for me, I can only be the best version of me. I love all types of hip-hop and there's so many sub-genres now. I don't think that's a bad thing, but I think it's also it's easy. I've seen a lot of artists be like oh well, this is the trendy sound right now, even though I don't normally make this or even like it. I'm going to hop on this trend to try to take advantage of the moment and then stuff like that doesn't really. It doesn't work out well for people and it doesn't usually age well. So I just try to make the music I love, do what I do best, and then build a core community of people that also enjoy that, and we'll all live in this world together.
Aaron Pete:Well, I'm here for that world. Let's dive into the music. The way I discovered you was through your song Intuition, and it is probably one of my all-time favorite songs, and I found it off of a reel that you made and I was just scrolling through and the song comes up and then every single line is better than the last and I was just blown away at how smooth it was. I prefer hearing your voice over the beat, and so the way that you rap is something I really admire because I like the lyricism. That's why I come out for a song, and so hearing that song was so like this is crazy. And then I ran over to my partner, rebecca, who's in the back helping produce this podcast, showed her the song and was like what is going on? This is so cool. Can you talk about the song Intuition and how it came about?
JZAC:Yeah, it's funny when I obviously I put out a lot of music and I have songs I like more than others, or songs I can have a feeling about a song and be like I think this one's, I think people are really going to connect with this one, and then I could put it out and it doesn't connect with people the way I thought it would, or the opposite feeling happens. Or I think this song is kind of cool, I think a few people might enjoy it, like I'm not, but I don't think it's going to be like my biggest song, and then I could put it out and then that one will go viral. So I try to like take my perspective out of it when creating the music, I guess. But that's always hard because you just feel certain ways about things.
JZAC:But the Intuition song I knew it would do well because of the style of song it was and kind of the punch lines and that's like a style people like for me. But I had no idea it would kind of like when viral a little bit on Instagram and started taking off. So it was honestly I was pretty surprised, but I'm glad because I could stand by that song heavily. So when people like that was the introduction to a lot of my music to a lot of people. I was happy with it.
Aaron Pete:I think the part that stands out for me is that there's actual wisdom in it, and Eric Weinstein, who's a person I really enjoy, he's an intellectual. He commented that we're gods, but for the wisdom, that we have all of these technologies, but we have no wisdom on how we would use them effectively or responsibly. And he was specifically like talking about nuclear weapons and that we have these weapons but we never talk about what their use case would be. We never talk about how they're used, and so we have all this power, but we have no knowledge or base or sage advice on how we would manage all of these responsibilities that we have as a civilization. And when you're talking about, if I'm not changing their minds, at least I'm making them think that one.
Aaron Pete:That line resonated with me, because that's my only goal is to ask questions, learn, but not come down on one position or another and say that I'm right on this and everybody else is wrong. And I think that's the way to have healthy conversations is to get people to think, but not necessarily to change their minds. So there's so many pieces in the song that are so admirable. How do you go about developing these verses?
JZAC:You know it's what's the word I'm looking for. It's, very ironically, the intuition. But like when I'm writing, you know, when I get to a point where I'm writing a song, when I start it's a little bit. You kind of got it's like an exercise or anything. You've got to warm up and it might take me an hour to kind of like figure out the first few lines or the concept of the song I'm going for. But then I hit this. It's like you get in the, you really get in the zone, and it's almost like something else kind of takes over, it's like a higher power, whatever, and that's kind of. I mean, with that song and most songs I make, it was like I remember I think for like the first hour I was kind of stumped and then maybe had a few lines and then I wrote the rest of the song once I got into the zone in like 45 minutes. So it's almost like something kind of just takes over. The artist's brain really kicks into gear and like writes the song itself in a way.
Aaron Pete:Would you say that you're in a flow state during that period?
JZAC:Yeah, that's the word I was looking for. It's the flow state, like really comes in, but you got to earn it, it doesn't. You know, I don't just sit down and I'm like boom magic, Another song done, I leave. It's kind of like hitting your head against the wall, a little bit, figuring out, you know, trying to get there. But once you do get in that position, it just everything, everything kind of does its thing.
Aaron Pete:You mentioned this a little bit briefly, but when you have a line like took advice from the greats and refurbished it, when I hear that it's like that's such a good, that's exactly what a good person who's trying to grow should do. You should look at the others, learn from it and then develop your own style based on that and modify it. You say it so succinctly. When you do that, do you look back and go like that's a great line, like that's that's like. I want to get that framed and put that in a picture in my house, like that's the kind of line that like and I don't say that, but hearing you say it it's like that makes so much sense. That's exactly what I'm trying to say.
JZAC:Yeah, yeah, it's cool because I mean I'm very I noticed you. You know you're quoting different people and whatnot and I kind of do the same thing and I try to learn from everyone, even not just like other artists or musicians, like I know. You brought up Mr Beast earlier. It's a perfect example, like I watch Mr Beast interviews because I'm like this guy knows how to clearly work the internet and he's the best at it. So how can I, even though I'm not making YouTube videos, how can I take what he's doing and what he's speaking on and apply it into my music and promotion, that type of stuff and, you know, still making me, of course, but so I'm kind of like always just taking stuff from any great mind of any genre subject and trying to apply it to my own life.
Aaron Pete:Yeah, the last piece from that song and then I swear we'll get to your your, your recently released album.
Aaron Pete:But it's take negative chatter for some encouragement and that's the other piece that I find is so important as a creator is to think about the people who didn't believe in you. When I was starting the podcast it was like I knew everybody has a podcast. Like that's the energy that you get when you start this is everybody's done it. But have they done 100 episodes? Have they interviewed people for long form, short form? Have they developed a style of interviewing that works for them? And so you know that there's going to be those people who don't believe in you or think that you're just going to be like that other person and that you're not going to be unique, and so they're almost fueled to the fire. When you're having a bad day and you're like I don't know, I'm not confident in this, they're almost that like that push, and that's such an important point that when you're starting this, you need to know, kind of, who your enemies are, who you're thinking of on those bad days when you're feeling discouraged, to pull from that energy and to continue forward.
JZAC:Yeah, 100%. Um, I think that's a lot of the reason why I'm in the position I am today, um, and I think that's it also comes with a balance on that aspect too, because you don't solely want that to be your energy, uh, to create. Because then if you're just constantly creating from a negative space of being like I have to prove these people wrong, um, and you're not doing it for, like, the genuine love of why you started, it can kind of get dark too, but it is an important aspect to like take those two things and balance them out and, like you said, when you're having those days where the, the general inspiration isn't there, you can be like okay, let me pull from, let me pull from that part of the people who doubted me or the person who said this or that type of thing. Um, yeah, it's just finding that balance with it.
Aaron Pete:Couldn't agree more. November 15th you dropped it's still real to me, god damn it and you've been releasing so many great songs from that album. It's so cool to see an album and how it's different than singles. People don't always realize that an album is almost a story, so going through these songs, prepping for this interview, thinking about how it all coalesces together, was so interesting. It seems like an album is a different beast to take on than an EP, though, because you want it to all come together and it can be somewhat restricting in that you want to keep it on theme and you want to bring this consistent piece to the people. What was it like to go into album mode and to deliver? It's still real to me, god damn it.
JZAC:Definitely it's. It's definitely a whole different beast because you're creating. It's like you're creating your own world, right. But it's also that's the really exciting part, as opposed to just dropping a single or a short EP because you could really dive in and do cool concept stuff and everything can live in this world and it just creates a moment for the fans and stuff. So I was really excited to start it and I hadn't put out a full length album before that in like three years.
JZAC:So I was kind of itching. I was really itching to put out an album. So I started making it at the top of the year, around January, february, and kind of just slowly pieced it together throughout the year, which was, which was nice because it didn't feel stressful. It wasn't like I sat down and I felt the need to create an album in a month. I was like I'm just going to make an album this year at some point. I'm not going to put a time constraint on myself. I'm just going to let songs come together, think of the theme in mind and when it's finished, it's finished and I'll put it out. But I'm not going to force it and I'm going to continue putting out other music if I feel necessary and, yeah, it ended up coming about and just dropped two days ago, three days ago now.
Aaron Pete:And how are we feeling after that drop? Are you excited? What is it like to put it out there, put your stamp of approval on it and maybe have a little bit of peace that that process has come to a close and now it's out there for the world?
JZAC:Yeah, it feels. It feels really good to have it out, in the sense of just knowing where the idea started from. I'm thinking back to January, february, even, even with my videographer and telling him the concept and I'm like, hey, how can we, you know, shoot the content for this and bring it all to life? And he was like we can, we can do like a documentary type thing and we can do these kind of videos in this. And to think of where the idea started and now just to like go on YouTube and watch the stuff and see the album cover in the world to create, it is like it's such an artist scale, it's such a fulfilling feeling. You know, it's like why I started this in the first place. So it's been great man.
Aaron Pete:What I find so cool about the album production and the process. I spoke to a videographer and music creator, anakin, and he did all of it sort of based on the interstellar. It's one of his favorite movies and so it all had that spacey kind of vibe to it and each song had its roots back to that. And for you it's pro wrestling, it's Hulk Hogan, it's those voices that kind of underpin this album and you've posted a little bit about it. Can you take us back to those roots? What inspired it and what built that connection with this album?
JZAC:Yeah, it was like the first real dream and like thing I latched onto as a kid. So it's just so special to me for many reasons. One, on a nostalgic level. You know I could always, you know I watched old wrestling videos and it just like brings you back to that time. But two, it was like I really thought I was going to be a pro wrestler when I was eight years old and so I guess the theme being like even as an adult, it kind of it's, it's all still real to me, the and the realness being, you know, passionate about something that might seem out of out of your range, or just curious to Try new things and hobbies, because you know, the older we get, I notice a lot of people kind of just get complacent and stuck and unhappy in their lives and they kind of like Not even, not even that everybody needs to chase this giant dream to be Famous or rich or anything like that, but they kind of just stop being curious about life and it's really sad to see Because that, you know, there's just this life is short and there's so much it has to offer and you know you never want to see people kind of it just what it seems like to give up on it.
JZAC:So Really the concept was like just stay curious, stay passionate about something, stay excited.
Aaron Pete:One thing that I love that you did in an Instagram post is you just outlined that. That was something I wanted to do, but I still get to pull from all these ideas and kind of the underpinnings of what that Path is, of pro wrestling, which is coming up with good lines that's definitely something they do in the WWE's come up with that perfect line that they're gonna scream out and get the crowd going. So as a rapper, you absolutely do that all the time. Then you also have this bravado, this energy, this confidence that everyday people so rarely have, that we could go into something and ever say that we're good at it, let alone great at it. And so there are these pieces of it that kind of tie really nicely together, and I thought you were very thoughtful about how you kind of put those two pieces together.
JZAC:Definitely I mean the music world and the wrestling world like share so many similarities.
JZAC:You know, even when you stated like the, you got the lines and you're, you know I'm being myself, but you're as an artist, you are, you're playing a character to an extent, or you know you got to like turn it on, especially if you know you're performing live or you're you're on camera, that type of stuff. So it was cool to like tie the two worlds together because they they're both, they've both been such important parts of my life. So to bring it into one was like the ultimate dream thing I've wanted to do for years. I've wanted to make this album for like Ten years maybe, like like five, six, seven years. Like just I didn't know what it would be exactly, but I was like I always I want to make a wrestling themed album that just you know, touches on the nostalgia in the story of it all, and To be able to bring it to life is is Incredible it's great and it's such an honor to interview somebody who put such thought and energy into a project like.
Aaron Pete:It's a privilege to be able to speak with you today. Let's dive in to song number one, ptsd. You have this line in there. It was actually helping me heal, helping me feel when I was dreading to deal with all the things in a broken home, broke problems and had to cope alone. Would you mind walking us through developing that song in that line?
JZAC:For sure, so that that song is written from the perspective of me, as you know, an eight-year-old kid. So I'm kind of just like storytelling what I'm going through at the time, and obviously not to go into like Super details into it. But you know, just like you Alarm, a lot of kids relate of just having parents go through divorce or constantly fighting, and you don't really know what that means as a kid, you're just your brain still developing, you're still figuring it out. So just being scared of what's going on, but at the same time it's like wrestling's on the TV. It's a great distraction. It's kind of like the safe space in a place where you're not sure exactly what's happening. So I'm kind of, yeah, just writing, writing about that, going through that experience as a kid.
Aaron Pete:The next song is do a lot. And you did something so Fascinating in the song and I'm just I'm wondering about how you develop that. You've got this. I've been about it since Since the start. Check the do be. I can only share the story from my POV. A sharpshooter boy, I hit it on the DOT and Like what. Like, where do you develop these ideas? This is something you're referencing. Like that's so cool to be able to Hit that three lines in a row. You're doing the acronyms and I just find it fascinating.
JZAC:Yeah, that's all, and that was by far the most fun and challenging song to create one. It was actually I. I Wrote the song, so there's kind of like the two different voices versus going back and forth, and I had written it for with a feature in mind and I actually just the way it worked out. I asked like two or three different people to feature on the song originally and they all fell through For whatever reason. I think it was just meant to be In.
JZAC:Like two weeks before I had to turn in the album I had this like half finish song with just the the first voices and like open parts and I was like it just hit me randomly.
JZAC:I'm like I think this is a sign that I just have to do the feature on my own song and like change the voice a little bit. Like notorious bi-g has this song that was kind of inspiration behind it, called give me the loop, and he's doing like it's just him on the song, but he's kind of doing two different voices back and forth and I was like I just remember having the moment and I was like I just I just got a biggie, this shit, like I just got to put the other verse on it. It was like three days before we had to film the music video for it and I kind of just figured it out and it turned out to be, honestly, one of the most favorite songs ever made and we filmed like a cool music video to it where I'm playing the two different characters, and that was all kind of just freestyle last minute.
Aaron Pete:To tie that in with the album cover setting up. What was the process to put that that piece together? You've got the pro wrestling kind of ring. How did that all come about?
JZAC:Yeah, so a Good friend of mine who did all the video work for it, west Web we I've known him for like four or five years and we always kind of talked about Just doing like a. We've shot a bunch of music videos together but we talked about just doing like a bigger project and kind of creating that world together. And when I brought up the concept of the album to him he was all in on just bringing it to life. So we still have some more content and videos and stuff dropping for the album that I'm excited to put out. But yeah, we kind of just built the whole world in that ring in that warehouse area that we had for it. It was really cool.
Aaron Pete:It was so cool and you did such a great job on the music video. It all came together really well and I just thought it was very smooth, very well put together. Your third song you talk about a potential working with hops in and what that meant to you at the time and kind of feeling like that was that was it, that was the big moment and that what you learned and took away from that was to be cautious and to just keep going and keep Pushing forward, no matter what. And I really resonate that with this, because so often we think it's the next job that's gonna open the door for us. So often we think that if we just start working out, we're gonna get to the body type that we want.
Aaron Pete:If we interview this person, that's gonna be the thing that that blows up the podcast or something. But it isn't any of those things. It's consistency, love of it and keep going, and then doors will slowly open, opportunities will be created. But it isn't one thing and I thought that that was just very illustrative of the challenges we face, because we want it to be something right there around the corner and if we just open that door, then we're at the party and we've made it, but it's so often just persevering and and pushing through.
JZAC:Definitely. There's this. I don't know if you ever heard of the, the book the alchemist, but in the book that he's he's like on this journey and they talk about something called beginners luck. And when you first start, you know, chasing your, your Going on your journey, chasing your passion, it's like you get this. They throw this little like beginners luck thing at you, to it, it's like a trick almost where it you think it's your big break and you think you've done it. But it's really Like a it kind of, but it kind of like tricks you. But it, uh, it gets you, it gets you roped in enough where you're like, okay, I've gotten enough, I'm butchering this, but you know you're getting enough. It's like just enough to keep you going.
JZAC:Basically, and the Hobson thing, just to tie it all together, the Hobson thing was that for me, because I think I was rapping for maybe like a year or two and he had discovered one of my songs and he was like, yeah, and I ended up talking to him and this is like Hobson at the peak of his career. He just put out like ill mind to Hobson five and I had no fans. I had, like you know, friends that supported me and I got this dude calling my phone being like, bro, you're dope, I got you on a feature anytime you need it. So I'm like this is it, like this is my big break, I'm doing it. And then I never ended up really hearing from him, kind of just faded out, and at the time I was like it took me.
JZAC:It took me probably like a year to just be like I accept it. You know, like that was it. That was my moment. I blew it. It didn't happen and looking back on it it was like that was just such a small piece of this large story and journey I've been on. But it's funny, I think about that moment a lot and like where my head was at at the time.
Aaron Pete:Yeah, and just the proof that you can succeed, like you've proven out, that you do have the skills, you do have the abilities and, in my opinion, now he's missing out because you're on this trajectory, you're on the up, you're on the rise.
Aaron Pete:The other piece that, when you were kind of describing the alchemist, is this idea in Harry Potter that you chase the golden snitch, that the snitch is actually representative of creativity and that's what Harry Potter is actually chasing is the creative endeavor, and he doesn't know where he's going to end up. Obviously, like eight movies later, he's in the thick of all types of challenges, but he's always capable of rising to the occasion that burdens. The challenges, the adversity we face actually turn us into the person we're meant to be. They shave off all of our mistakes the same way they talk about the phoenix melting away that dead wood. You're able to kind of come through the true you at the root, and that's what this album feels like it represents is you coming through, sharing your story from the beginning and your desire to chase this dream all the way to its end.
JZAC:Yeah, that's a great way to put it.
Aaron Pete:The next song is Monster and it really resonates with me personally, because you're talking about this. All I do is stare at a screen obsessing over numbers, while I stare at the streams, because more plays is more money and a pair of my jeans. Again, the lyricism is just crazy. But there's this feeling that you get into when you're a creator that you didn't sign up for looking at the numbers, paying attention to how many streams, how that song did is a better this way, and then you have to be careful, because are you making the songs the audience wants to hear or are you making the songs that mean a lot to you and you have to balance that within podcasting. We call it audience capture, that we're now interviewing a certain type of person because we know that that type of person is going to get the views, rather than the person who actually interests you or you'd actually like to have a conversation with because you're pivoting. And I thought it was just a thoughtful analysis of kind of the challenges creators face.
JZAC:Yeah, definitely, we're all going through it in that sense because you know, especially once you start getting, you know financially compensated from it, because then when you're, when you don't have anything, it's like you have nothing to lose, which is a weird way to think about it, because when you have nothing, all you can think about is like man, if I can make some money from my art, that would be the greatest thing ever and it is.
JZAC:But then you don't realize new challenges until you start making money, and then you're like, well, I'm kind of relying on this, so I need to work harder to keep it up. It's not just it is a passion, but there's a, there's another responsibility involved in a way. So that's when you know the monster. The kind of dark side of it can come out, where it's like you're constantly checking the numbers, you're like, well, this video or this isn't doing well enough, do I need to do more of this? Maybe? Maybe the audience wants me to do this and you're kind of doing stuff that's not true to yourself. And yeah, it could be a, it could be a dark, a dark place to get into.
Aaron Pete:If you're not aware of it and you know, I'm sure many creators go through it and in that world, but yeah, the other piece from that song that I thought was really good was to let the progress get ignored happens when you're constantly looking at the score, and this is the challenge I think so many people go through is they don't have the end goal in mind, or that that bar always moves as you're pursuing things.
Aaron Pete:So first you want 500 views, then you want a thousand, then you want 10,000, then you want a million, then you want 10 million, then it's 50, like it doesn't stop.
Aaron Pete:And so it's hard to appreciate where you are and soak that experience in when you're constantly moving that bar on yourself and considering it like well, this is progress. Yes, I'm not there anymore, but that wasn't even a good spot, so I need to get over here anyways. And so there's this kind of you get lost in the journey of trying to get somewhere else rather than soaking in the fact that you get to do what you love. You get to share your gift with the world, and people in other countries might not even have the financial viability to even consider that in their lives. So that opportunity, while challenging, is something you need to balance and appreciate that you get to chase that, but that can be so hard when you're looking at the numbers and you're going through things and you're trying to pay the bills and you're going through all these challenges to keep both perspectives kind of at the same time.
JZAC:Exactly. Yeah, it's a constant battle. You know, you're obviously, if you've never gotten 500 views on a video or a song, you hit that 500 mark and you're super grateful and that becomes the norm. But then you know, months later, videos start dipping below 500 and you're like, well, something's wrong. What's wrong? Is it me? Am I not? You know, am I the issue? Was the work not good enough? Is this so? It's like once you set the bar higher, it's a tough feeling If the bar dips low for a bit, because you're kind of constantly on edge and you shouldn't be, because it's just the way it goes and it's all art at the end of the day. But yeah, I mean, those are just things you know. Everyone thinks about them, sure, and you're trying to take it as high as you can go, so you're obviously going to be kind of frustrated with it.
Aaron Pete:The last line that I want to talk about from the song Monster was please define making it, because, from a listener's perspective, what you said made me think of who I really looked up to in the rap world, which was Big Sean, and he has an album called I Decided, and in that he talks about the thing that people don't realize is that once you do in what you love, then you've already made it, and there can be such a challenge with kind of soaking in that experience, and it's just something that reminded me of that, and so I'm just wondering, from your perspective, do you feel like you've made it? Do you have, do you feel like your ambition is so strong right now that it's hard to soak in? You just released an album. You reached this point. This is something so many people dream of one day becoming a musician and never do it. And you've delivered. You're sharing your gift. You've put something together that's so meaningful, that has a storyline to it. Can you soak this moment in, or is it already onto the next project?
JZAC:It's a bit of both. Sometimes I have to remind myself to soak it in, you know, because I'm so all right, what's next? I'm just gonna keep it going. We gotta keep pushing the goalpost, but I try to make a conscious effort to every day, just, you know, take a step back and be like I'm in an incredibly blessed position and I gotta be grateful for this, and then, you know, of course, strive for more and keep going, but just keep that in mind.
Aaron Pete:What was the idea behind the song Bad News?
JZAC:Um, I think the chorus being bad, I think just being in a tough trying to get out of the, when you're in that dark place, that whether it's creative whole or just life kind of is weighing on you a bit like trying to get out of that rut, but also understanding that that's kind of the ebbs and flows of life and it's okay to be in that position because, like, not everything's not going to be great all the time or it's not going to be on a high all the time. It just doesn't work that way. So, understanding that everyone, you know you're going to get bad news, you're going to take your hits, you're going to be low, but like you'll bounce back.
Aaron Pete:My favorite line from it was it's hard to appreciate a thing you built when it's always in construction.
JZAC:Let's go. That's actually, I think, my favorite line on the album, and other people have also told me that's their favorite line, so I've been hyped to know that because, I mean, it's super simple, but when I wrote it it like really resonated with me and I know that's that's one like something I'm really proud of, when I can listen back to something and be like oh yeah, I snapped on that, you know, and I don't get that feeling all the time. But it's just like it really is hard to appreciate something you built because you're always like it's hard to take the step back because you're always just so engulfed in it, like how can I make it better, how can I do this, how can I do that, where it's like, bro, take a step back and look at what you've actually built, because it's really amazing. But as a creator, you know, a lot of us struggle to do that. So I think it's important to just remind yourself.
Aaron Pete:That's the kind of thing I need on a shirt or a hat. So if we have any merch coming, I'd really appreciate being able to brand that line, because I do think that it's something we all struggle with, is our whole life is this journey and it's hard to feel like those milestones matter in certain areas of your life, that it's valued. Your career you might be just working up the ladder, but it's hard to take that stop and go like Wow, look at how far I've come and how much I've grown through this experience.
JZAC:Yeah, yeah, we all go through it. It's crazy. You know, I go through it every day and, yeah, we're all trying to do our best to just be conscious of it and do what we can, but it's tough. I mean it's constant balance.
Aaron Pete:So, do you find it's more challenging because you're an independent artist, because, like, in a certain way, going into a room and having some guy with a suit on tell you this is what you're worth has some sort of like energy, of like validity to it that it feels like that's you've made it. Some guy is telling you that you're approved and that we want to sign you for this amount. When it's all on you, it's your own definition of where you want to go next. So there isn't that third party kind of telling you you've made it, this is what we want to sign you for, this is your value to us. You're going to be huge, like there's almost some sort of value in that. Although so many independent artists choose not to take that path for very, very, very good reasons, there's still something to that exchange that might be like a value add.
JZAC:I think it gives some validity into what you're doing is valid and that it's on a high level. But I think, even more so than that, it's my expectations of myself, which is like the best and the worst thing because it really pushes me. When I started this, I'm like I really I think I'm capable to do this on an extremely high level, so that keeps the drive. But at times the downfall of that is being so hard on yourself where it's like I'm here but I'm not where I should be, or this person's like three times higher and I should be up there. So yeah, the self expectation thing is weird and it helps a lot, but it's also dangerous sometimes, because you're always like either comparing or just kind of being too hard on yourself for no reason.
Aaron Pete:Yeah, play by the books. Interlude my favorite line you kind of alluded to it earlier which was from 27 to 30, they'll start putting dirt on your grave. That's when your dreams die and I think about this a lot and I comment a lot on this on the podcast about that. We stop asking people if they're going to reach their true potential at a certain point, and to your exact point it seems to be in that 27 to 30. We stopped looking at people.
Aaron Pete:I work with homeless people, I work with very vulnerable people and nobody ever asks them what do you want to do with the rest of your life? Like, what would success look like to you today? Because there's this feeling that you kind of plateaued and it's probably either downhill or medium from here on out. We don't look at them like you still have the same potential you had when you're 12 years old. Now you have all the resources you need to kind of go get after it and get where you want to go. Your life isn't over when you're 27 to 30. It could just be a new start, and so we kind of lose that faith and I thought that that was a point you made earlier but such an important point for people to not stagnate themselves just because they hit 30.
JZAC:Yeah, it's such a weird generalization stereotype whatever it is that we put on people where it's like, oh yeah, your life's kind of over after this certain age, whatever it is I mean especially in music, where traditionally it's like 18 year old, 19 year old, 20 year old kids and whatnot, but yeah, it's just like, yeah, there's so much more life has to offer at any age and people can start doing things whenever they want, and I think that's just important to just speak on Especially. I mean, it's always been that way, but now more than ever, with the internet and information being everywhere and you can be whoever you want at any point. You know, I've seen people change life paths at 35, 40 and do completely different things that they never thought they would do. So, yeah, I think it's important.
Aaron Pete:Raise the Belt is one of those songs that just gets you amped at the gym and you're just ready to go. Is it as much fun making it as it is, listening to it as a listener, Like how does that come about? Is it exciting to make? Do you feel that energy and go to the gym yourself and you're like I just made this song and it's got so much energy to it?
JZAC:I think when I first heard the beat for that one, that was the exact feeling I had gotten, because a producer I work with his name is AOD Lowe. He sends me, he'll send me like a pack of beats every few weeks or whatever and I was probably three or four songs into the album and he just randomly sent me that beat, which is like a wrestling anthem, like if you just hear the beat, the instrumental itself, and he had no idea I was working on this album. I didn't even tell him theme or anything. I was like just send beats through. And I heard it and I was like this is.
JZAC:I hadn't even written a thought to the song yet, but I was like this is on the album, this has to be on the album. I was like don't send this to anybody else. He was like, all right, yeah, I got you and I just remember like playing the instrumental for like an hour straight and I didn't even have words written to it yet. But I was like this is, this just makes you jump. I think I was jumping around it in my living room but like hyped up. So, yeah, it did that for me.
Aaron Pete:Okay, you put after it in brackets baby face. For people who don't know what is the baby face.
JZAC:Basically, a baby face in wrestling is like the good guy, you know, like the people, the guy that people cheer for. So you have that song which is raised the belt, baby face, it's like the good guy, the, the, the, the one that people decide of, jerry, that people are cheering for. And then the following song six oh three is heal, which is like the bad guy, you know, the one you boo, and that's kind of like the dark side of me where it's like more materialistic, more kind of envious, you know, like the negative aspects of yourself. I kind of embraced it on that song and then raise the bell is the cheerful, happy, happy side of the industry and chasing this dream and all that.
Aaron Pete:You have the line in six oh three, where it's comparing is the thief of joy. That's the one way to get your piece destroyed. I can't help but seek the void, and I love that, because there are those days where you're having a bad day but you almost need to go through that, like if somebody comes along balloons, cake, let's just move on. It's like that's not what I want to do. There's a value in going through and looking at your darker sides, looking at maybe the errors in your thinking, and kind of processing that, listening to those sad songs and just kind of going through that experience.
Aaron Pete:And you don't know where it comes from, why it's that day, what happened? There's not always like a clear reason, but we need to create space for that and I thought you just did a good job of kind of acknowledging the fact that the streams are important, looking at those things, comparing yourself. Nobody wants to be there, but you're going to have those days where you're kind of like this person's here, this person's here, I want to be over there, like that feeling, and that's not always something you want to do, but there's still. You need to go through that.
JZAC:Definitely it's important to process it as opposed to just like constantly pushing it away, because if you're just pushing it away, you're just kind of ignoring it, like you said, I think, sulking it. Feel it, understand why you're feeling that way, go through it a bit and then take the time to get back to that higher place when you're ready. Yeah, because I used to. I'm trying to do a better job of that. I'm guilty of getting those feelings and being like no, no, like I'm going to push through this, like push it off, I'll just work more, I'll just do this. But it's important to kind of just process that.
Aaron Pete:I swear. Only a few more questions. The next song is Perfect Words and my favorite line, the one that stood out to me, is I've been looking for a purpose first, and, as somebody who's so good at putting words together and lines together, I'm curious as to how you think about finding your purpose. What is your purpose from your perspective?
JZAC:I think what I was trying to achieve with that was like the battle of. You know, when I sit down to write and work on new music, it's like half of me is well, I should wait for the inspiration to hit. I don't feel inspired right now, I don't exactly have an idea, so it's probably not ready, versus, like the more trained writer in me. That's like you're gonna sit down, you're gonna put in your work, even if it's trash, even if you hate it, put the time in right when you don't want to, and a good idea will come from it. Maybe not today, but if you just stay consistent, that'll happen eventually. So it's like that. That's the other side of me being like I'm looking for a purpose first, kind of just putting it off, making excuses for myself, but at the same time also just not feeling inspired. You know I want to write songs about things that will have an impact and feel good to me, so just just trying to find the balance between those two.
Aaron Pete:You close the story out with going, going, gone. Why? What made you choose that song? What was the energy behind that closing that chapter?
JZAC:I think it's like it kind of stems from just even when I started this whole thing. It's like I know where. It's like I know where I'm going, but I have no idea how to get there. But I know I'll get there. And that song just being like people around me, you know, advising me or telling me, like you don't know where you're going, and I'm like, no, I know where I'm going, I'll just, I just I'll figure it out. Like I know the direction, I'll figure out the rest when it's, when it's time. So just that concept.
Aaron Pete:Jayzak, your music has made me work out harder at the gym. I went into an interview and was listening to intuition before I went into that interview. It has been fuel for my fire. I cannot thank you enough for being willing to do this interview, for staying committed to your passion, for sharing your gift with the world. I find you to be such an inspiration. It's been such a privilege speaking with you. Would you mind telling people how they can find your album and follow your journey?
JZAC:Of course, the easiest way to do so is probably any streaming service you listen to, or just Google JZAC, jzac. Four letters, nice and simple, that's all you need to do.
Aaron Pete:He's the man, the myth, the legend. I cannot appreciate you enough for sharing this time. It's been so interesting hearing about the lyrics and the work that goes on behind the scenes. I think what you're doing is really important because, for people who feel voiceless, I think you give them a voice.
JZAC:That means a lot and thank you for having me first of all, and also thank you for doing your research and obviously, knowing you broke down lines and a bunch of stuff. That's always great to hear and makes me feel good as an artist that I'm doing my job. So I love it and thank you.
Aaron Pete:Once you get ready to the interview. I was all hyped up for it and I started deep diving into interviews and sub-interviews of that interview, and I just was so excited to speak with you. I can't wait for people to tune into your music. I think it's going to give them fuel. So go check him out Spotify, apple Music, instagram, tiktok. He's all over the place inspiring people to go chase their potential and reach it. So again, thank you, perfect Tim. I think you have a question.
Tim McAlpine:Well, aaron sent me a clip that you've got on your Instagram, and then I got sucked into reading all the comments and it looked like a podcast set of some sort and you were freestyling a song, I believe. And then a question Okay, and then it's a definition of what's a freestyle. Is you doing this on the spot or what does that mean? And so I was curious on the definition of hip hop freestyle.
JZAC:Yeah, it's a big debate for a lot of people, which is funny that the intuition is written. But I mean, the definition of a freestyle is just a verse that's free of a specific subject matter. It's kind of like what? Anything you want to talk about, whether it's just bragging about stuff or you know you're not just staying on topic but then that's like morphed into people being like well, is he making it up on the spot? Is it off the top freestyle? So it's yeah, it's basically that, but for whatever reason, that get like drives people nuts, which is so funny to me. Like anytime it's that kind of setup and artists is rapping. People are always in the comments like this is really good, but it's not a freestyle. And then you'll start arguing about it and going nuts and I'm like well, most of the time you see an artist like that, they have it prewritten, but they're still performing it live on the spot in one take type of thing. It's like it's the takes the talent.
Aaron Pete:And who cares? As long as they're commenting, as long as they're having that conversation, that's blown up the algorithm anyways. Who cares?
JZAC:I think, it.
Aaron Pete:I love it yeah Well thank you again. I hope you have a great rest of your day. I hope the album continues to release exactly the way you wanted to. I thought it was absolutely fantastic and incredibly deep, because there's references to other songs and there's a lot of meaning there. So I think you did a tremendous job and you should be really proud of yourself.
JZAC:Thanks, man, I really appreciate that and yeah, this is a pleasure. So thank you both and I'm sure we'll chat soon. I look forward to this dropping.
Aaron Pete:Sounds good, I will send it all over to you. Have a good rest of your day, take care Likewise guys Is this real life? Is this real life? Just get to speak to people who inspire me on a regular basis. They just share their time.
Tim McAlpine:They talk about slipping into the DMs. Is that what you're doing to recruit folks? Or are you sending something on their website? Or how did you get Jerry?
Aaron Pete:This was all through email. So I sent the cold email, saw the email reached out and super easy to book, not gonna lie, just had somebody say that they were gonna come on. And then I asked to confirm the exact time. I was like, hey, would 9am work? And then I just get this no response.
Aaron Pete:And then a couple days before I'm like hey, unfortunately I haven't heard back, so we can't run the interview in two days because I haven't heard from you. I have to let my producer know and then it's oh well, that's unprofessional of you. Oh, what are you doing? You're not like and it's like you didn't respond to my email. And their comment to me was I should have followed up with them, even though they just said that they were too busy to respond to emails. So that was madness and very like. They were like you were being disrespectful and I was like I work very hard to appreciate your time, do my research prepare. And I'm being disrespect full by saying you didn't respond to my email two days before and so we can't run this interview.
Tim McAlpine:So to be clear, Aaron, I just asked how did you get Jerry? But it's certainly it has touched a nerve.
Aaron Pete:It's touched a nerve. I appreciate people like Jerry. Super easy. Yes, I'll do the interview. This is the time let's run it. We're good to go. Super easy to speak with Very big deal. He's got the followers. He's doing his thing. He just dropped an album. I didn't know if I'd be able to book him two days after his album drops. But here we are, and then some goober that's nowhere near as popular or having the impact he's having is being all difficult. Calling me disrespectful. I mean, let's just go.
Tim McAlpine:So two terms to use on the regular are goober and jabroni. Can you just, can you define the two for me?
Aaron Pete:I can tell you off script who was the goober and I can show you and in the dictionary will show this person's photo as being a quote unquote.
Tim McAlpine:Well, I don't need to know who that is. I'm just wondering is there like a jabroni versus a goober, which is? Which is more on the the scale of being just someone? That's reprehensible.
Aaron Pete:A jabroni is somebody who's like off task and kind of not making any any reasonable sense. A goober has come at me, has come at me at the king and then missed. And then I look at their emails and I go you want to air these emails? If we want to put these emails out, you're going to look like a goober and I am going to look like a very reasonable, thoughtful host of a podcast. But it took so much willpower to not respond to that email and go. I'm disrespect and that's just just go.
Tim McAlpine:Just so we're clear. I didn't quite catch it. Did you just call yourself the king?
Aaron Pete:Yeah, you come at the king you best not miss.
Tim McAlpine:Yeah, I'm the king of podcast in this year. I'm learning so much.
Aaron Pete:So you run podcasts out of here. Who's the king of podcasting in this year building?
Tim McAlpine:Well, aaron Peters of the king of podcasting in this year building, that's what I thought, that is what I thought. Yes, you are. You're above king Charles in my royalty echelon.
Aaron Pete:Well, my indigenous community appreciates you. I'm certain of that. I think I have better hair than him too.
Tim McAlpine:Yeah, yeah.
Aaron Pete:That was a blast. It's so surreal watching the video a couple months ago and like this guy's really good Start listening to music, getting into it, going into my job interviews, and then I'm speaking with him and he's breaking it all down. From what privilege.
Tim McAlpine:Because you're putting artificial barriers in front of your aspirations of oh, he would never do it, he would like. That's impossible, you know, just gotta ask.
Aaron Pete:Shoot your shot, get out there. That's the message he shares. That's the message for the listeners. There's one takeaway it's go after your dream and don't come at the king. Get your brony.
JZAC:No goober, sorry, Yep, do you have?
Aaron Pete:a word. Do you have a word that you call people when they get under your skin? But you don't want to be rude, you don't want to cross that threshold, but you're like, oh, that person is a tiddlywink or something.
Tim McAlpine:You'd have to ask, rebecca. I don't nothing comes to mind, but I'm sure I've used a term or two, and they're ridiculous things that are of a different generation. I know that.
Aaron Pete:Those are my favorite. Those are the ones like I like to talk about shenanigans. I like the ones that are kind of off brand and not as popular.
Tim McAlpine:It's related, but not what you're asking for. But there is a term that I say quite often and is I'll forget what I wanted to ask about and then I'll say, well, it must have been a lie, and then I walk away and that comes from my mother. She would say that yes. Anyways, I think this term, that it's done you think so? Yeah, I'm hitting stop.
Aaron Pete:Wow.