In this deeply personal episode, I open up about the emotions I wrestle with leading up to my Chicago meet & greet—the doubts, the weight of expectations, and the fear of being judged by the world when you step into the spotlight.

If you take a dented can and throw it in a junkyard, it becomes trash. But what happens when you put it in a glass case on display for the world? 🎨

Story time! Listen til the end so you understand why this may be BTS' most important song.

Hip-hop started in the Bronx, but its influence has touched every corner of the world—from the cyphers in Tokyo 🇯🇵 to the favelas of Brazil 🇧🇷. And in 2014, a young group from South Korea, BTS, made it clear they weren’t just inspired by hip-hop—they were students of the culture.

In this episode, we break down Hip Hop Phile—one of the most important songs in BTS’s discography. This track wasn’t just a love letter to hip-hop; it was a statement of identity. RM, SUGA, and j-hope name-drop legends like Nas, Biggie, and J Dilla 🎧, showing their deep respect for the genre’s pioneers. But more than that, Hip Hop Phile represents a pivotal moment in BTS’s career—when they were still carving out their place in the industry, still fighting for respect, and still proving they belonged.

We’ll also explore how this song connects to hip-hop’s global influence 🌍 and why it still holds weight today.

And—maybe the wildest part of this story? A small record shop in Hongdae would put me on an unexpected collision course with BTS, in a way I never could’ve predicted.

Because Hip Hop Phile isn’t just a song—it’s a timestamp in their journey, a moment where they put their passion on full display and let the world know: hip-hop is in our DNA. 🔥🎙️

"People love to say, ‘Wow, you blew up overnight!’ But the truth? Overnight success is an just years of hard work finally catching up.

A couple of my biggest records? They didn’t happen last week:
🔥 “GOAT” by Eric Bellinger? Written in 2015—now independently platinum.
🔥 “My Time” by BTS? Written in 2019—now they're collectively over a billion streams.

And only now, years later, people are acting like I just showed up.

In this episode, I’m breaking down:
📉 Why artists quit too soon—and miss their moment
🕰️ The 5-10 year delay between work and recognition
💰 How the industry pays out on slow timelines (and why you gotta stay in the game)
🎭 BTS’s rise—why their “overnight success” was really a decade in the making

If you’ve ever felt like your hard work isn’t paying off fast enough, this episode is for you. Tap in and learn why patience is the real cheat code.

🔊 Listen now, or wish you had in five years. 🚀🔥