Elevated Talkz
Elevated Talkz Podcast Hosted by Stxndout, A diverse podcast that highlight self improvement and entrepreneurship while providing raw entertaining content mixed with facts, Opinions and gems. Stxndout- @Stxndoutko_
Elevated Talkz
Lost in Vegas: A Hustler's Blueprint RecoBands
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RecoBands shares his journey from Kansas City to Las Vegas, discussing how he transformed being "lost in Vegas" into a strategic brand combining music, merchandise, and entrepreneurship. He reveals his artistic influences and business approach, explaining how every song carries meaning while building a catalog that serves his broader vision beyond just music.
• Moved from Kansas City to Las Vegas seeking bigger entertainment opportunities
• Interned with Tech N9ne's Strange Music label, gaining valuable industry experience
• Created "Lost in Vegas" brand after feeling disoriented on a Vegas birthday
• Designs merchandise with each letter representing different Las Vegas landmarks
• Musical influences include Jay-Z, Nipsey Hussle, Money Man, Tupac and Biggie
• Approaches music creation as therapy, writing "Letter to My Kids" on a plane
• Balances music career while raising three children, two in Kansas City and one in Vegas
• Planning upcoming performances featuring live bands and new project releases
• Building a substantial catalog before focusing on perfection
• Aims to develop "Lost in Vegas" into an app that guides tourists through the city
Check out Reco Bans on all social media platforms @RecoBands and stream "Love vs Hate" parts 1 and 2, with a new EP dropping soon.
Meet Rico Banz from Kansas City
Speaker 2Elevator Talks . You got your boy Standout in the fucking building . We got a special guest here . We got Rico Banz . Man Tell them who you are where you from , let's go .
Speaker 1I'm Rico Banz . I'm from Kansas City , missouri . Me and Wes moved out here a little bit ago . You know , I'm an artist ceo , lost in vegas . I got a couple partners , um , yeah , we just out here doing it . Okay , what made you move to vegas ? Vegas , uh , I moved out here on family missions but , um , it ain't a big entertainment . You know , I'm saying industry where I'm from , and I was doing events , I was doing music and I realized , like you know , big fish , small pond . Yeah , I was like , why not try vegas ?
Speaker 2yeah , okay , uh , so the biggest . Let's see kansas city . You got um . Who was the biggest artist like tech nine you got uh well , the saint lunatics , obviously at the time in that region uh , yeah , so uh yeah , I get what you're saying yeah , I worked with tech nine .
Speaker 1Uh , I interned with strange music for a little bit okay , okay on the video side , like doing their commercials , type stuff uh tech nine .
Speaker 2A lot of people don't know like uh , like that motherfucker be moving like yeah like I seen . I seen tech nine . Like I want to say , like 10 , 15 years ago , this motherfucker pulled up in a tour bus and shit like you wouldn't think because like he's not like mainstream . You know I'm saying so , uh , independent , yeah , and he's independent . He has like no label backing and shit .
Speaker 1So I'm like damn he said he do . He said he do 100 shows a year .
Speaker 2I mean I could see that at 50 . Yeah , that's crazy , I could see that . So what made you start doing music and stuff ?
Speaker 1uh , well , I started with my , my homie . We was like probably like nine , like a talent show . We was doing a talent show . We like what should we do ? And then so I was like let's rap . He did a little beatbox , okay . We wrote a rap , me and a couple other people's , we all did the rap all together . It was like some group stuff way back then . But then I just always wrote . And then probably like three years ago I was out here . I dropped a project when I was in Kansas City , but I just dropped it to see how I feel , whatever , and it was doing good . But then I moved out here and like three years ago I'm like , shit , I might as well just hop in the game .
Speaker 2You get it vegas is a um , it's a make it or break it city . I tell a lot of people that , like it's either you made it and you up here or like you were like down here , there's nothing in the middle .
Speaker 2You know what I'm saying so you know , you got a lot of transplants from you know california , obviously , and uh , you know the surrounding states and shit like that .
Speaker 2But like it's a , to me it's like an untapped market because it's like , for sure , you got a lot of talent out here but you don't have a lot of push out here .
Speaker 2So it's like it's still kind of untapped .
Speaker 2And you know , I mean and um , yeah , like I feel like if you're a rapper or a singer and if you really like insisting to stay rapper or a singer , and like if you really like consistent and stay dedicated to this , and like you know , you make a little bit of noise like they'll , they'll find you in vegas , yeah sure , and then , like everybody comes to vegas , so you gotta , you gotta , come through and yeah , it's not a big music industry here , but it's close enough to the industry where , if you make a big enough buzz , yep , because I remember when , uh like dizzy right , like landlord and all them like they had it , like they had a , like a buzz , you know , uh , um , and dizzy right , I think the biggest thing that messed him up was going to uh , well , it kind of helped him , but it it kind of messed him up because he already had his own wave and it was like he went to Funk Volume and it was like a whole bunch of people over there and then like , and then he had to figure out his wave again or whatever .
Speaker 2He's still dope . He still make dope music and shit . But like , sometimes , like especially out here , you got to have your own wave and push
Transitioning from Kansas City to Vegas
Speaker 2, push set you apart , like you know . Ok , so let's , let's go to the growing up in Missouri . Man , like , tell us how that was . Man , like I'm from the West Coast . So yeah , I'm from California .
Speaker 1It's different . It's way different from here . Like you know , we get all weather , you know cold half the year , rain , everything but it's slow . It's way slower than this , but it's cool , like if you know everybody . You know what to do . You know what I'm saying . I know promoters , djs and stuff . They got enough to do , but it ain't no big industry . Like there's not a lot of people shooting movies . There's not a lot of people shooting , uh , it ain't a lot of engineers , a lot of videographers , none of that .
Speaker 2So there's a lot of talent out there , though so what would be the the closest city or state that you would say ?
Speaker 1that really popped st louis was right there . Yeah , because you know I'm from the missouri side , um , but I'm from kansas city , so we probably about five hours from st louis , okay , and then , uh , chicago , right there , you know they got okc not too far , so you can drive somewhere and it'd be okay because you're in the middle of everything so it's kind of funny because , um , like , when I listened to some of your yeah , like , when I looked at some of your videos and listened to some of your music , I couldn't get the feel that you were from like midwest , you know you would kind of think that you're from , if anything , maybe Atlanta or something like that , but then I get a vibe from you kind of remind me of you're like a hybrid artist , I would say , because you give me some feels of West Coast , like the Bay , a little bit of Vegas , a little bit of la and shit , but then like I could hear nuances of like atlanta you know what I'm saying .
Speaker 2So if I didn't know , I wouldn't know you , I would have not known that you were from kansas city okay , maybe he's from , if anything , atlanta , but like you got a versatile style . You know some people , they just sound like their region , right you ?
Speaker 1know what I'm saying , because I think that's a midwest thing . Because , like I grew up , when I first started rapping I was listening to mostly east coast you know , I'm listening to jay-z , biggie stuff like that . And then the older I got I started listening to west coast . Okay , because it's more talking about real , like you know , saying that was all metaphors at first . So I went through those transitions , like let me get my metaphors battle rapping right . Then I'm like you know , I want to be Jay-Z . Then I'm like , damn , I want to be Pac , let me talk about my real life . And I went through that . And then when I got serious , I had a piece of all that you know . Then Atlanta OutKast you know people like that . So I try to mix it in and I try to like make it where it's straight enough , but it got everything . I do got a meaning . Like every song I drop it's really a meaning behind it , right , like it don't matter if it's a club song , it means something . Like I go in with that mindset . So who is your ?
Speaker 2top five . Who would you say at the top of your head is no particular order . You know , we don't got to be pc , this shit ain't . Who is your top five artists ? That ? Did you ever say that you , yeah , that you would say that you fuck with that , that you kind of , I would say , craft your your sound from or whatever , okay , and the people that you listen to the most so I listen to certain people and I craft .
Speaker 1I'll say I like right now because I changed . Like I was working with my boy gonzo . I had a managing shout out to gonzo , my boy from germany . We got lost in vegas together and he helped me craft because he was like you , gotta , you got kind of like a selling , like you kind of sound country . He's like you put that on the west coast beats , I like when you do the west coast beats . So I started doing it and people started saying the same thing that he was saying like I like you on the west coast beat . So I was like this kind of like some Nelly shit or like some Ja Rule shit you know .
Speaker 1So I kind of go that way , but I still like would do like fabulous , I guess , like with the metaphors , and it ain't all singing and all that , but listening wise like Jay-Z ,
Musical Influences and Artist Development
Speaker 1uh nipsey , I listen to money man , not too many people up on him man , yeah uh , people that got value , like I can't listen to a lot of bullshit , you know , yeah , yeah , yeah , uh . I mean everybody listens to pocket biggie . So you know that's five pocket biggie , jay-z , money man , nipsey . It's crazy little .
Speaker 2Nip . I met him a few times and shit , he went hard and he definitely is one of my favorite artists , Not because I wouldn't say for bars and shit , but what he's talking about .
Speaker 1Yeah , and the feel of it you get in your mode .
Speaker 2yeah , it makes you want to hustle yeah and make you want to uh it , make you want to start a couple businesses and shit . And then on the same time and like so I remember uh this quick story real quick . I remember when , uh like nipsey really first started getting like popular and shit like well , he was already popular .
Speaker 2But like when he first , like really started making noise and shit , that was the time , like around the time that like yg dropped his uh it was actually the second album , my crazy life , or whatever , and so like , at the time music was like , uh , it was like what , 2012 , 2013 or whatever and uh um yg , he made you feel like you was a blood in compton , and then kindred came out and he made you feel like the other side of Compton . I grew up in Compton and Carson , so it's like you know , I kind of it kind of brought me back home . And so then you had Nipsey , and Nipsey was making music that was like totally opposite of what they were , but he was still banging the shit , like he was banging the 60's shit , but he was on some different shit . So he made you feel like he was in a different part of LA and shit . You know what I'm saying . So that was a great time to be alive , great time to be alive and shit .
Speaker 1It was a point . Nipsey was the only person I listened to . I'm like shit . I'm trying to manifest . Yeah , yeah , get my brain right . It's like spells , words and spells . So I feel like the more you listen to that type of shit , the more you're going to do what it say , even when I say certain songs , like I listen to my songs later and I'll be going through something that I wasn't even necessarily going through at the time I made it . But you know , I'm listening to myself in third person Like damn , this is really me talking about how I feel right now .
Speaker 2But it's a song I already made . Yeah , definitely , like I could definitely get that because , um , I think you , since music is such an art , you know , like some people I mean I guess nowadays , like they make it for , like just to get popular and shit , but then you got the other side , where people make it like with substance , like you're saying , and shit like that . So , yeah , I definitely get that . Um , I don't know , man , like I used to try to be a rapper , um , you know , I still could , I still could spit . I'm not gonna spit on , I'm not gonna spit right now , but you know , uh , I used to , you know , do my thing or whatever , and um , and like , yeah , like I would say I was more the art side of you know music and shit .
Speaker 2Like I write , you know what I'm saying . So when I write , I'm writing like with the shit that either I've seen or I'm going through , or the shit like so I don't really write about women and shit like heartbreak and shit like that .
Speaker 1You know what I'm saying .
Speaker 2Shit like getting money and shit like that , because that's all I know , you know . Shit like getting money and shit like that , because that's all I know . You know what ?
Speaker 1I'm saying but uh like , what is your goals ? What is your goals like , let's say , your next three year goals , and what do you have coming up ? Uh so , uh , like I was saying , we got a company called lost in vegas . I got a couple partners , guys , ohio or whatever , but um , it's a brand . So the music is to support the brand . Like going back to nelly , like I feel like he rapped to promote , like Air Force One Look at the grills , boom , boom and he made a way behind it . So I'm trying to make a way behind the Las Vegas stuff or whatever , and eventually turn it to an app . You know where it's . Like you lost in Vegas , we tell you where to go . That's hard , that type of feel . So I feel like get a partnership deal with that . That definitely will come in the next three years .
Speaker 1And the music , like I'm doing acting , shout out to my boy , johnny Lunt , john Lavelle , we just wrapped up this movie Pre-Lessons . It's a series , okay , so I'm doing the acting and all that too . Doing the acting and all that too , but it's all to promote
Building the Lost in Vegas Brand
Speaker 1the brand , because when you go to a label , I don't want to just go with music and be like that's all I'm standing on , I can make music . You building a brand , yeah , so you want . You want me . I got this many people behind me . I need 50 million . You know what ?
Speaker 1I'm saying so that's that's kind of how I'm doing with it and the next three years I see it popping .
Speaker 2So let's , let's go back to Lost in Vegas and shit Like what made you really , really want to start Lost in Vegas ?
Speaker 1Really , I came out here and I was lost in Vegas . Like I didn't know nobody in Vegas Like I knew , like one person .
Speaker 2I heard that part too , like before you said y'all got lost in Vegas , yeah right , like I really was lost .
Speaker 1So it's like my birthday and the girl that I came out here with she didn't want to go out , she tired , whatever . Yeah , so I'm out by myself , I'm just chilling , I'm like forget it , like I'm just gonna go out and so many people talking to me oh , it's your birthday , have a shot . This , this and that , boom , boom , and I'm in the mgm and I'm just going down the elevator and I'm like I don't even know where I'm at . I don't even know how to get back to my car . I don't know nothing . I go out , I see the line and I looked up because I'm from the midwest .
Speaker 1We don't got no big structures like that and I'm like you know what , I'm lost in vegas . I was like that'd be a crazy gps , like a crazy thing . So I looked it up and I couldn't find nobody that had that brand doing that type of thing Like you know what I'm saying . So I was like I'm going to run with it and just put the music behind it . So I dropped the EP Las Vegas .
Speaker 2And I see that you put all the merch in your videos . Yeah , yeah , I peeped that .
Speaker 1So , yeah , I wanted to just like be for tourists , you like , because I was a tourist at that point , even though I was just here . So they come get the las vegas merch . They get the app . You know what I'm saying . They hear my music . Did you bring any merch with you ? Yeah , I got some merch . Oh well , shit , I didn't drive my car oh yeah I'm gonna get you some merch , though I got some merch in my car we like what we like to do here at elevated talks , elevated one network .
Speaker 2I like to support all people's shit .
Speaker 2So I appreciate that , yeah , I definitely cop some shit by yeah weird on on a podcast or something . You know that's what . That's what I just like to do , because I feel , like you know it's . If I'm buying , I buy designers sometimes , but like now , I'm more more so on the wave of like fucking . Let me support everybody else's shit , especially if it's dope . Why support fucking this dude all the way in Italy , or these people all the way in Italy , or whatever ? I could support Lost in Vegas . I could support Sneak and Pharaoh .
Speaker 1You know what I'm saying . And it means something . Yeah , and it means something .
Speaker 2When I seen your shit I'm like , oh , this shit kind of like in the same room was like gallery department yeah , same room of like designer , but like where everybody can do it .
Speaker 1Yeah , and they like each letter is like a letter from the hotel and baggy like the nation B is like the stratosphere s you know saying . So try to keep it where it's for the locals , for the tourists , shit like that .
Speaker 2I'm gonna say this right now we're gonna cop some fucking merch . Um , we're gonna get and it's gonna be a part two as well with this , so I'm gonna bring the merch on part two make sure y'all see it we're gonna set up part two very soon . We gotta get . We're gonna set up the whole , your whole crew too .
Speaker 2You know I'm saying because uh yeah , we gotta , we gotta put that out there you know what I'm saying like you know , we gotta put her in front of the world , man , you know , yeah , um , yeah , that is dope , like , like , like , that's some I'll definitely wear it . Yeah , I appreciate it , I'm saying so um , yeah , keep on doing that .
Speaker 2So let's go back to the projects , man you do them you do the merch or you do the music to push the merch , right ? Yeah , so , like , tell us about , like the your up-and-coming projects , because I heard some . You know what we'll put . Um , send me , send me a track that you want and I'll put it on the before , okay , and the intro and outro of this , uh , of this episode or whatever the case may be . But , yeah , like I , I personally think that the shit is dope . I don't really , I don't really promote or put people on my brand now .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , because it's like it's like , like , yeah , because it represents yeah , it's like why I got this whack rapper or this singer on here . You know I'm saying it does nothing for me . You know , like it , really , I don't give a fuck what kind of buzz they got or whatever . It does nothing for me , you know I'm saying so they're , they're dope .
Speaker 2I feel like , okay , I could use them to do something else , like , for example , I'd be like , all right , I got a project coming , I do so . I do music , right okay . But I , I'm like a cali , I'm an anr&R side . Yeah , I kind of produce , I write shit like that . Last night we were doing a project . We're finishing up my R&B project . It's called what A Time .
Speaker 1Okay so .
Speaker 2What A Time . We're throwing a show it's a comedy show , an R&B show . With that shit , yeah , it's fall or whatever . So I want to do the same thing with , like rap . You know , I had a rap project and I want to showcase the dope . I already came out with one , but I want to come out with another one , because it's well overdue , and showcase the dope artists . That I think is dope as shit .
Speaker 2You know , I'm saying film the shit , get the behind the scenes shit , and then we throw a show for that you know , rap is a little tricky , throwing shows because they want the insurance to be a little bit higher because they see the crowds and shit , but they like when I talk to venues they're like , yeah , you got to have this type of insurance instead of that type of insurance .
Speaker 1You know you got to , I always tell them I'm doing top 40 .
Speaker 2Yeah that Like oh you're going to need like five more police officers . You know I'm like God damn , but no tell them what your next projects and shit .
Speaker 1Oh yeah , we're going crazy with the music , like I feel like with the music side , like building the catalog is more what I'm working on right now , so I want to have like 500 songs and then everybody catch on , while I already got 500 songs going . Yeah , now every song getting 10 000 views a month or whatever , so you can't lose . But I just dropped um love versus hate part two . Uh , I dropped that last month or whatever .
Speaker 2That's a dope project that is a dope project , I appreciate it that was .
Speaker 1That's what um today was today saturday .
Speaker 2Uh , yeah , uh yeah , thursday , okay , because I went , I want to buy a new car and shit . So , like somewhere on my way back from , uh , california , um , I was like all right , let me .
Speaker 1I put it on on my phone and like we coasted from like barstone all the way to vegas , like and I try to make my projects like the old way , like where it's a story , like you know what I'm saying , because I got part one , and part one of Love vs Hate was all about the fun , the love , people showing you love . Part two is all about the hate , like you know what I'm saying People turning on you and all that . So it's like a story in itself , like part one , part two , and then I got lost in vegas . Part one out too , but , um , in july I'm dropping again . So I'm dropping uh , I ain't even named it yet , but I got like 30 songs that I don't even drop yet . Like , yeah , I might pick a month and record every single day .
Speaker 2like how long , what's your recording process , how long it take you to record . Well , I feel like I'm .
Speaker 1I'm more than one artist in one , so I might sit down and write a song if I just feel like I got something on my mind . But most cases I just go in the studio and I'm like I like this beat and I go find the hook and I'll just go in . I don't even got to do too much with it now . It's all about the feel .
Speaker 2That's where I suck at is like I suck with hooks . You know what ? I'm saying Like I just want to get straight to it , you know what I'm saying so like when I write R&B , like I write for those artists right .
Family Life and Raising Artist Kids
Speaker 2But when it comes to rap like I'm more like like all right the hook , I can't come up with catchy shit . You gotta be catchy , but you gotta write it .
Speaker 1It's in between . My boy King helped me a lot on that or whatever , because I've been working with him on development and he pushed me where it's like just go in there , like I'll be ready , like sitting down He'd be like you know , the process is going there and then I say whatever . And if there ? And then I say whatever .
Speaker 2And if you got a dope engineer , I don't say whatever , look , don't , don't do that .
Speaker 1I'm saying , but I say like , okay , I know this song sound like a life beat . What's going on in my life ? Yeah , you feel me . So I can just be like all right , today my baby mama called me we tripping , baby mama , tripping , boom , boom , boom . Be like , yeah , that's hard , keep going with that . You know , when you got an engineer pushing you , you can spit out music like it ain't nothing . You know what I'm saying . So shout out to all my dope engineers , shout out to Chef King . You know what I'm saying . Like that's , that's really with me . Like I feel like the engineers , producers , most important part .
Speaker 2Like do you have a specific um ?
Speaker 1like studio that you record in or do you have ? Um , right now I've been recording with my boy , king , but chef is my favorite studio . Shout out to chef went crazy , like because we cook up , like I know anything I do is dope like I never missed in the studio . It don't matter , okay , I go there with a snippet . Like little wayne said we just we need a snippet , yeah , that's it . He'd be like all right , I'm gonna loop it . Whatever you need to do , drop it . It sound like that's it . He'll be like all right , I'm going to loop it . Whatever you need to do , drop it . It's coming out sounding like some industry standard stuff . You don't got to go back and fix it , nothing . That's how I like to do , because I don't like spending a bunch of time going back on the same song . This is the feel for me .
Speaker 2That is what a lot of artists do . They keep they , they soak up so much time . Yeah , you guys put it out there , yeah because you can always .
Speaker 1If it become a hit , you can always tweak it , put niggas don't care , go get timberland on it , he's gonna do whatever he wants to it . But right now , as an independent artist , I feel like the main thing is just getting it out there . So when people do meet you or we on a podcast or something like that and they like who is that ? They got enough to go through and fall down the rabbit hole and be like damn , this nigga got this project , like that's the most important thing to me .
Speaker 2I think that's the best way . That's kind of how I found like when I first started listening to like Larry June , like that , uh , uh , ransom , Ransom .
Speaker 1Those are some of my favorite artists . And I just went down to Rabbit Hole to listen to all this shit and I'm like damn you , like damn this nigga been going crazy .
Speaker 2You've been going crazy since 2014 , or whatever the case may be .
Speaker 1We was just talking about LaRussell .
Speaker 2LaRussell , that's another motherfucker that he puts out a lot of music .
Speaker 1When I heard about him he was like I got 30 albums . I'm like nigga , how Like where I went to go find them . I can't even find all of them . I'm like I need to see 30 albums , same here .
Speaker 2Like I started like because he was doing that Backyard performance stuff for you know , and so after that it was just like damn , like he got a whole bunch of shit . He kept on saying he got albums and he kept on saying I'm pushing these albums , I'm doing this and I'm like damn , like it's crazy what the hell ?
Speaker 1like I like this format , like that's how I'm trying to do with the merch and the , like nip marathon , that blueprint , la russell blueprint . You know you go back , bastard p jay-z .
Speaker 2You know what I'm saying you kind of yeah , you got all their blueprint like a larry june nipsey , yeah , you know where all of them , they , they pushing their music , and then they , they pushing their merch and shit . You know that's smart , you know , especially now because it's so many artists like . What separates you exactly from ?
Speaker 1you know and they can see , they , they know like it , and sometimes it become a good thing , a bad thing because they'll be like , ah , this nigga know too much . Yeah , whatever , because I didn't been on the like one of my closest friends , the a and r , you know , role manager . Then you know , like I said , I interned with strange . I didn't manage niggas myself , like I didn't been on all sides . I know how to do some engineering , I know how to do some producing , so I kind of just see it in a way where I'm like I , I know what's supposed to happen .
Speaker 2Right , you know what I know . It's kind of funny . Most people that do that really rap . They pretty much touch every side .
Speaker 1Most of the people that I know they started off as the manager or they started off as an A&R and shit , and they're like well , I can do this shit too , exactly because you get so used to hearing like I know what sounds good , so much I can do it myself . Y'all not doing what I see , so you say you have kids , right ?
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , how many kids you got ? I got three , three . They live out here .
Speaker 1One of them lives out here , two lives in Kansas City . Okay , so how is that like ?
Speaker 2trying to show them the way Because , like at this point , like you're 100% yeah , nor are you building a brand or whatever . So like it was boys or girls , Well , my oldest is a girl , okay .
Speaker 1And then I got a son , and then I got a daughter , a young daughter , so two girls , okay .
Speaker 2That's kind of cool . You got like all right . Yeah , a little mix , that's kind of cool . Yeah , you got like all right , so how is it trying ? To show them in um like the wave that you're trying to do in . You know , I'm pretty sure you're maybe your son or your kids moms . They probably like either they 100 with it or they like man , fuck that shit . Like you still need you know me right .
Speaker 1So my first two kids . Their mom is an artist too .
Speaker 2Okay .
Speaker 1So she's a singer , she gets it , yeah . So we kind of grew up together and for a minute I was managing her , okay , so that's why I wasn't doing music or whatever . But she's a talented artist Shadow Bree , first lady , shadow Bree With her . So my kids are just naturally talented , okay , anyway . But I try to teach them more of the hustle part , like it ain't even about music or whatever .
Speaker 1I try to keep them like make sure they play instruments and stuff like that , the stuff I didn't know , because as a kid I just was a writer , I just want I like the entertainment business , right , so I was infatuated with learning the business . So with them I'm like if you're going to be an artist , you need to play an instrument , you need to . You know . I'm saying , have structure to it , you need . How are you gonna make money ? Right , you know things like that . And my , especially my 13 year old , my oldest , she gets it like . She wake up like dad , you need to sell lost in vegas bonnets like she come at me like that and I'm like , well , you make them and I'm gonna sell them and give the money to you .
Speaker 1Yeah , because I'm not thinking about lost in vegas . Yeah , so she got the concept because that's smart . They didn't been in the studio with me since they was babies . Okay , you know , we always been around it , like so . And then my youngest my youngest is only one and she already playing . I you know , I got her the toy piano , got her , you know , drum set all that so that's our play time . I just let her get on the instruments very talented kids .
Speaker 2You know you might have a Jackson 3 . I know .
Speaker 1I'm trying to tell my daughter that , like I'm a Joe Jackson y'all .
Speaker 2She's like no dad , no .
Speaker 1Because she don't want to do it . She don't want to be an artist or whatever , but she's talented , she can sing and all that , but she's like I don't . I really prefer that . If that was your passion , I would push that too , but do something else , like your mom and your dad's artists . If you decide to do that later , you can do it because you're talented .
Speaker 2I think that we should , as parents , we should normalize letting them do like not what we do , but learn what we do .
Speaker 1But like , have your own lane , and that's how I feel about it , like I'm'm gonna just help you with whatever talents you got , mm-hmm , bring them up to the best they can and you decide what you do with it .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , that's smart because I see it like . I coach football as well , and so my son . He plays basketball like he's a . Hooper , you know I was a football player and you know I did football like to a high level , whatever the case may be . And so , like you know , I see a football player and I did football at a high level , whatever the case may be . I see a lot of dads out there .
Speaker 1I didn't make it to the NBA . You going to the NBA ? I see that all the time .
Speaker 2I'm like dude let your kid just do them . You'll see it all on the kid's face .
Speaker 1They're really unhappy they're doing it for their parents .
Speaker 2I tell my son all the time I'm like , dude , I don't care what the fuck you play Like . If you want to do music , all right , I'm going to push it . If you want to do , if you want to be an entrepreneur , you know , do something with business , okay , I'm going to help you start that . I'm not pushing college or anything like that . If you want to go , cool . But I'll push business and trade on you , exactly . But you know the foundation , exactly the foundation , that's it . You know , like , if we build in this house , you know the foundations is what matters . You know I'm saying everything else comes after . Yeah , that's exactly how I feel , and so I'm like , look , you're probably not gonna make it to the nba you know what I'm saying , because you're one out of a million , you know what I'm saying .
Speaker 2So if you want to make it to the nba , you got to do a lot more . But what are other things that you want to do ? You know ? Like , okay , the basketball shit is fun , you know , and I we gonna push it to the furthest that we could push you there . What other things ?
Speaker 1you want to teach you discipline , because a lot of stuff is just pieces of the road man knows . And that's what I realized , even about being an artist , because it was a point when when was like I gotta be the best rapper alive , I gotta be . And I didn't care about nothing about that , cause I listened to Lil Wayne . You know what I'm saying . Stuff like that you like you gotta be the best . And then the more you develop , you like okay , I don't necessarily gotta be the best , I just gotta work harder than this . Then it'd be like I got to make more money than this . Then it'd be like I got to have my own brand . Like the more you build , the more you you know what I'm saying you got to follow .
Speaker 2How is your like mental health when it comes to this shit ? Do you like , believe in , like therapy ? I'm not talking about like , necessarily talking to like a therapist or anything but like , like . Do you believe in , like , like therapy ? Like you like , like ?
Speaker 1music like , for example , music is some people , most people's therapy and shit like that you know for sure , or their outlet and shit .
Speaker 2So , uh , what is your take on that ?
Speaker 1yeah , I definitely believe that because , like that's like I don't really get emotional , like I do a song like um , like I said , my kids are in um kansas city , two of them . So I went to visit them and then so I'm leaving , because I was out there like a week and a half and they're like Dad , I don't want you to leave , but I had to come back for work and all kind of other obligations . So I'm leaving , I get on a plane and the producer just happened to send me this beat and it's like I don't want to be , I don't want to be without you , be without you , and I'm like you know what ? I'll make this song to my kids because that's what I feel .
Speaker 1So on the plane I wrote a song which I got out now with the video letter to my kids or whatever . And it was a letter to them literally telling them like how I missed them and how I didn't want to leave them , or whatever . And that was like therapy to me because like I felt it , you know , and I was like I gotta get this feeling out right now . So I wrote it on the plane , on the way here , leaving them , and that's hard laid it down when I got there . That's super hard . Yeah , so it's definitely therapy for me , especially if you're a real artist and really talk about your real life . Yeah , you know what I'm saying .
Speaker 2Yeah , because I tell people like , like people , when they say therapy , shit like that they think of oh , like I to go talk to a shrink , I got to go talk to a therapist .
Speaker 1I feel like I support mental health . That's good too . Some people need to sit down and talk to a shrink .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's like you know , really like some people like they really
Music as Therapy and Future Projects
Speaker 2off . You know what I'm saying .
Speaker 1Yeah , and they be scared too . Yeah .
Speaker 2Like there's a lot of motherfuckers . That's really , really I'm not . You know they need , you know they probably need to talk to somebody . You know what I'm saying . They got to normalize that because it's cool , you know , if you have somebody to talk to , but at the same time , that's not the only form of therapy . You know what I'm saying . Like , you know , some people they might smoke , that might be , you know smoking , listening to music and shit , you know , or smoking right or whatever , or you know , as long as you do something productive and you get your shit out , or whatever you know what I'm saying .
Speaker 2Some people might be like their therapy might be letting one off on the chicken .
Speaker 1You know what I'm saying .
Speaker 2Whatever the case may be . Yeah , but I think that we got to normalize finding what your thing is to push your shit up .
Speaker 1Yeah , make you feel relieved .
Speaker 2Yeah , because we be having a lot of shit trapped in us and , like you , see a lot of chicken time bombs , because you can't really say nothing .
Speaker 1Like you don't say it to your homies , but you ain't going to give them the sentimental part of it .
Speaker 2Nah , because most of the time your homies are like what ?
Speaker 1You've been tripping . What's your problem ? Let's go to the strip club , you know . But that's why I feel like , because you just got to make yourself vulnerable shout out to my homie austin . He passed away and he the dude I was talking about I started music with , or whatever he passed . But I always hear him in my head because when we first was doing rap or whatever he'd be like don't try to make a hit , go harder , go deeper . Yeah , go deeper , go deeper . And he would always tell me that . So now I think about that in my music , like it's , of course , about making it catchy or whatever , but sometimes the realest songs is a hit and it ain't about just trying to be like oh , we in the club , yeah . So it's more about , like you said , that therapy part , like the more vulnerable you can be and put somebody else in that position where they like damn , I see it , I can . I actually see this man leaving on a plane . He wanted kids and he like I gotta go . Like you try to put people there like third person view .
Speaker 2So it's just about a storytelling to me oh , hell , yeah , yeah , I think I think that's the the best way , like if I could listen to somebody's shit and I could feel what they talking about . Yeah , then you know , like there's been a lot of long drives with , uh , the windows down , sunroof open , type , you know , and uh just coasting like I'm like man , I gotta , I feel this , this is , you know , that's my therapy , like really , um is just listening to music . I like performing a lot too . Okay , that's a big part of it . So when's the next performance ?
Speaker 1So I'm putting something together this month . I actually got a show tomorrow . No , they just rescheduled it . So , yeah , I'm putting something together this month or whatever , because I'm going to do a love versus hate , you know kind of show , like kind of how you were saying and I'm one and part two I'll be messing with uh d flat shout out him , okay , you know he's in egypt right now , but uh , okay , he's a bass guitar player and uh , so I'll be performing with the band . He does corking thorne every mondays , so I do a lot with them , so I'm gonna get the band and do the love versus hate , okay , like , kind of like some old school jay-z or not where you gonna do it at I got a couple places that I know I want to do it at .
Speaker 1Um , I got a couple places that I know I wanna do it at , but it just depends on how everything timing but it might be a House of Blues . Just let me know . Yeah , for sure , I'm gonna try to make it like a real set , like I said , the big time where it's a show put together . I might put the suit on Suit on with the live band .
Speaker 2Please let me know , because I definitely um , I definitely pull up yeah , don't let me know the day before yeah , it's like my like , you see . You see , I would be like yeah , like my schedule , I stack it . So like , if , if it's something that's a little off , yeah , like throw everything off and shit . So yeah , let me know .
Speaker 1Like for sure , I'm going to give it to you in a merch too . So we're going to be in contact . You want to ?
Speaker 2before we leave . You want to spit something on the mic ? I can . Yeah , I'm right here .
Speaker 1Yeah , man , spit whatever man . Sometimes it automatically do that . Yeah , but I'm going to spit this North Pole , you know . Don't want the coupe . Let's it come with the top back . Don't want your bitch . You can quit , nigga , stop that . Don't want the Glock , let's it come with the beam on it . Chopper so big if I want I can lean on it . Used to chase hoes , but them hoes chasing me now . Got them going crazy . My old hoes is seen now . Used to read messages . Leave them on scene now . We used to fuck , but she can't fuck with me now .
Speaker 2Ah , okay , Okay , yeah , yeah , hey shout out all your shit , man Look , look hey , man copy his merch too , man yeah .
Speaker 1Las Vegas . It's Rico Banz man , make man , make sure y'all follow us . Got my boy Gonzo Shout out Ohio Shout out to Gonzo Shout out . My boy Slugs in the cut Shout out Slugs . Look us up .
Speaker 2Hey .
Speaker 1Lost in Vegas . Out now . Love vs Hate 1 and 2 out now . New EP coming 4th of July . We ain't stopping .
Speaker 2Shout out your also . Shout out your tag , your Instagram tag .
Speaker 1Instagram Rico Bands . That's R-E-C-O-B-A-N-D-S . You know Rico Bands on all platforms , all social medias , google , just Google it , it's going to come up .
Speaker 2Okay , and on that note we out .
Speaker 1Peace , peace me , but I might do . She don't want to change . She's stuck in her ways , invited to the crib for days . She just want to fight . But fuck what she say she wanted .
