julia: hey! how are you doing?
tony: hey whats up! im doing very very well its a very sunny day, its hot and swampy but also sunny and nice. you?
julia: i'm good! so, are you nervous for your interview?
tony: yes absolutely. im expecting some very tough questions and to be exposed. please dont cancel me.
julia: i can't promise anything. so let's start with a nice icebreaker! tell me two truths and a lie.
tony: okay okay okay lets go, my three things are gonna beee 1. that i wear hats occasionally but prefer having no hat. 2. i think that salamanders < snakes. 3. i lovе tote bags.
julia: oof, i think you almost exposed yourself there. my bet's on #3 being a lie. also, i heard that you retired from genius?
tony: yes yes i did, this was something ive been thinking about for a very long time. i mean the idea first came after brian was fired and i was like “whats the point of this” but then i found/rediscovered a bunch of things on genius which i loved doing, like making really in depth tates and just interacting with the community more. but now, ive decided to retire! and close the genius chapter of my life. its been a great one!
julia: understandable, we'll miss having you around though!
tony: aww thanks ill miss yall too 🥺
julia: what's something genius-related that'll forever stay with you?
tony: oh man, there are so many great great things. well some achievement type stuff im proud of on the site is becoming editor, winning a bunch of red removers stuff, writing blurbs and tates on some of my favorite lines, and recently winning the cuc and having the one and only kacy hill retweet my article 🥰ive also got so many memories from the community which ill always hold on to
julia: wow, that retweet is so cool! she featured on "90210," right?
tony: oh look at you youve done your research. seen the top 100 travis scott songs page i assume? (if youre reading this now know that i made the page in may 2020 and its already super outdated what was i thinking putting “grey” and “backyard” below ANYTHING on huncho jack jack huncho smh)
julia: that's some amazing self-promo you're doing there. so, among your favorite artists are some of the most well-known rappers of this time, right? what are some lesser-known artists you're also a fan of?
tony: well most people who know what kinda music i listen to describe it as generic and popular trap since i listen to travis and thug and kanye and any other people you would frequently see on the radio or on something like rap caviar. off the top of my head i cant totally think of any super unknown artist i have in rotation, imma check my spotify for a second brb.
julia: take your time!
tony: okay so i think the artist with like the least listeners and stuff that i play is kota. hes all over my summer playlists because its feel good music and i love driving to it. also, something i just thought of, i wouldnt really call it obscure or anything, maybe just underappreciated, is ive got a bunch of uk artists in my playlists, like stormzy and skepta. and while they certainly have big followings and most people on genius know of em, i feel like overall they are underappreciated.
julia: ooh, those are some good picks! i love EVERYTHING, "Kiss and Tell" and "Handsome." would you say genius has influenced your music taste?
tony: oh absolutely. ive def gone into other directions since signing up for genius, trying new albums from artists i would have just ignored from before signing up. when i first signed up for genius, i thought that the weeknd > frank ocean, and i can definitely admit to being wrong about that now.
julia: what's the most unexpected artist or song that you ended up liking?
tony: ooo this is nice this is a nice question lemme think. as far as rap goes, ive fallen in love with songs like “3 nights” and “babydoll” by dominic fike (shoutout emil), “1000” by ghostie (shoutout matt), “apologize” by baby keem (shoutout maxenn), and gotten more involved in the foreign music scene with artists like bad bunny and lil kleine. for pop, its artists like dua lipa, clairo, and camila cabello whose most recent albums have been unexpected discoveries for me!
julia: discovering new music is always so fun! is there any upcoming release that you're looking forward to right now?
tony: well thug was supposed to drop something last night but that never came. also i dont trust it, but of course there are these donda rumors from kanye. i think, if it ever drops, i probably wont be the biggest fan of it based on the single with travis, “wash us in the blood,” but im still excited to hear nonetheless. also! its xxl season and tbh this years freshman class aint that bad, im excited for the cyphers. polo, keem, and fivio should be funnn
julia: exciting stuff! do you have a ritual for listening to new music?
tony: its mainly just whenever i get around to it really. i dont stay up for new music or anything. it just involves me, a pair of headphones, my phone, and a chair.
julia: do you have a fave lyric atm?
tony: yes! we were just talkin about “handsome” by stormzy and on that song he goes “still dont do police cause they act like they care when they do the least” and thats some bars right there
julia: can you explain why you love that line so much?
tony: sure thing, well with all the police brutality going on and the corruption of the police force its like, about how, what are police contributing to like, safety at this point? and then that ties into a nas & kanye line, shoutout all my oldheads, i like on “cops shot the kid” where ye goes “who do we call to report crime when 911 doing the driveby.” both of those songs were released before the murder of george floyd but still incredibly current and important. its a dangerous world out there and are police elevating the levels of crime or lowering it? thats up for everyone to decide on their own ig but all imma say is defund the police
julia: kinda like polo's "Wishing for a Hero"?
tony: “wishing for a hero,” “the blacker the berry” by kendrick, “land of the free” by joey, protest and music on civil unrest is so passionate and empowering
julia: absolutely, i totally agree. it's a very important discussion to have, thank you. so, if you listen to music do you like to immediately look at the lyrics or just take it in first? you used to be UnderstandingRap after all
tony: i just listen first! if i hear something that peaks my interest ill go look at the lyrics, but honestly, now that ive retired from genius, i dont really check song lyrics like that anymore. before, i would listen to something and then scan through to see if there was anything interesting to tate, but now, i dont need to do that! of course, there are still some urges like “oh my god did he just say pelican fly???” like on the recent amine single featuring thugger, but ive come to the point where im totally okay with just listening to enjoy the music again
julia: pelican fly, is that a scarface reference?
tony: of course, you see the dude was in this huge bathtub and there were flamingos and then he called them pelicans and for some reasons rappers think its cool to reference that? honestly i dont really get it but writing about pelicans got me to #1 on thug so, ill take it i guess 🤷🏻♂️
julia: i assume tony montana is your favorite character. what are some ways you two are very different or very alike?
tony: well we are different in the fact that one is a druglord. i actually havent watched the movie since like november maybe hmm but in the movie montana has a really big house and i also want a big house. yeah i dont think we are really similar at all. im not a badass like him and i dont have anger issues or a cocaine addiction.
julia: that's good! and who doesn't want a nice house! where would you want to live if you could go anywhere?
tony: oh boy oh boy good question. this is a fun question because its live and not visit. everyone wants to visit cool places, but its a lot different to want to live somewhere! well, id like to live somewhere in europe maybe. just like, europe is really picturesque in my head and sounds super fun. im just tired of the united states. if trump gets another 4 years im gettin the fuck outta here i cant take it
julia: europe is definitely a good pick, you should come visit for sure! it's exciting to think about what the future may bring you. and now that you're closing your genius chapter in life, are there any last words you want to be remembered by?
tony: yes. skrt is the sound of an automobile. wear a mask & practice common sense social distancing. thank you (break for applause)
julia: [applauding loudly]
