The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.
“Sock it to me! Good job Larry, numbers! Yee-hee, yes Lord!” Larry June quite possibly might have the best ad libs in the game, but that doesn’t even begin to touch his brand. Living up to his title as the “healthiest n*gga in the rap game,” the Bay Area native not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, but lives it through every facet of his life. Healthy isn’t something that’s physical, it’s mental, as well, and Larry June wakes up everyday with this in mind.
One look at his Twitter timeline or Instagram feed, and you’ll immediately get a sense of the positivity he exudes. With captions like, “No matter what, be a good person” paired with his signature orange emoji, Larry unleashes nothing but pure motivation and inspiration for his dedicated, and growing fanbase. And still, it’s the quality in his music that never falters.
Following this summer’s collaborative project with producer Cardo (Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar) titled Mr. Midnight, Larry returns with yet another 10-track tape titled Out the Trunk. The title itself is a nod to the independent grind that he recently went back to (he was previously signed to Warner), which he finds fulfillment in.
On “Organic Fatherhood,” he spits, “I be going through some shit, but I’m never givin’ up / Know we only die once, so I’m livin’ every day / One thing about me, I’ma always find a way n*gga, off top.” Similar to the rest of the project, Larry is simply talking his shit while reminding his listeners to live in the moment, work hard, get to the money, and chase your wildest dreams by any means necessary.
REVOLT TV caught up with Larry June recently to chat about everything from music to fatherhood and so much more. Read the interview below.
Last time I saw you, you were living in L.A. Talk about moving back home to San Francisco.
I moved back to the Bay… I can ride my bike more. Do more shit I’m used to doing to get back in my creative vibe. It’s much love to L.A. though. I was there for a year.
Are you independent now?
100%. It’s lovely.
What happened with Warner?
Nothing happened, just new chapters and shit. Good job, Warner. Independent though, Larry June Records bitch ass n*gga. Sock it to me!
What are some of the pros and cons of being independent?
The pros: You get 100% of whatever you put out. If you got a solid fanbase, you’ll get 100% of what you get. That’s all I’m about, I’m about numbers. If the numbers add up, it adds up to me. That’s all it is. I’ll probably never sign with another major again.
Where did the ‘good job’ saying that’s a part of your brand originate?
It’s something you have to tell yourself because if you don’t tell yourself that, nobody’s going to tell you that. So, I started in the game letting n*ggas know before they even knew who I was. “Good job, Larry!” I’m doing good, ain’t but that.
How do you plan to impact the world with positivity?
…Impact whoever’s listening. In music, you can promote other shit. You can do whatever you want to do as long as you’re happy. When you’re happy and living freely, you don’t have too much shit you worry about. Like the street shit, but it’s good. I come from the streets though, I was introduced to different lifestyle where you can live peacefully.
Was it hard for you to walk away from the streets?
Nah, too easy. When you get an opportunity, you do something with it. Other than that, I don’t glamorize the streets. I’m not out here trying be the realest street n*gga or none of that shit. I’m trying to stay healthy and take care of my son, make the music I want to make. When it was an opportunity, I did something with it and it changed my life.
Biggest lesson learned in fatherhood?
Patience. You have to have patience. You have to understand you’re dealing with somebody else that’s new to this place, everything’s not gon’ really click. You gotta take your time… get that quality time in. One of the valuable things I learned in fatherhood is use your time wisely. If it ain’t gonna step you up, then it ain’t really worth doing it. That’s how I feel.
Your son is eight now, what’s his favorite Larry June song?
Right now, he likes ‘Smoothies in 1991.’ He fucks with that one. He likes all kinds of shit, man. I’m just his dad to him.
When you recorded ‘Smoothies in 1991,’ what were you dreaming of?
I was dreaming [of] everything I’m doing now. Manifestation, it’s real. I was dreaming about this shit. Not even just dreaming about music shit, just more living free. Free of fear. Being able to legitimately make money and support your family, not having to look over your shoulder and shit. That’s what I meant by I was dreaming. Coming from where I come from, moms had me at 15. Living in homeless shelters, doing all kinds of shit. I wasn’t supposed to be doing what I’m doing right now… I feel like everyday I’m dreaming. It’s just a blessing to be able to do what I’m doing and take care of my family, and stay healthy!
You said living in fear. What fear were you living in?
Fear of failure. Fear of anything! Jail, death, anything. Fear of not knowing what’s going on, not knowing where your future’s headed. Free of fear, you kind of know what you’re doing. That alone is a blessing for me.
What’s the significance of the Out the Trunk title?
Out the Trunk, I ain’t waiting for nobody. I’ma get it by any means, out the trunk. If I have to go and sell my shit out the trunk, then I’ma sell it.
Were you selling CDs out the trunk?
Most definitely! I did a thousand units out the trunk independently… Do $20 times 1000 out the trunk… numbers! I’ve been very peaceful, selling 1000 units out the trunk. It ain’t nothing, but it’s something slight though — especially coming into the streaming world.
How have you adjusted to streaming?
Streaming is lovely. I encourage everybody who can do it, own your shit man. Off top, it’s all love. Much love to everybody who knows what they’re doing. But, if you’re an independent artist, you have to own your shit. I wake up to 30s and muted jazz music, very peaceful. I don’t do shit but ride my bike, play with son, drink smoothies and shit.
The intro track on the project, ‘From Uncle Herm,’ is so inspirational.
If you from San Francisco, you know Uncle Hern is a legend. He’s one of the old school guys always uplifting the black community. For him to be on my intro, that was special to me.
What did you learn from him?
He’s a positive person, he’s always uplifting. If you listen to the intro of my song, he’s going to uplift you just from hearing the conversation. I’m paying my respects to the city. From there, I just told my story through the rest of the tape.
On ‘Drive To Vegas,’ you say, ‘2015 I was having the most, 2019 I’m having some more.’ How have you evolved?
2015 was a different Larry. 2015 was a Larry that was outside in these streets trying to make or shake, doing whatever I had to do to make it happen — and I was still having the most. But now, it’s 2019. It’s multiple ways that we getting it: streaming, merchandising, orange juice.
Can you explain your ad libs to new Larry June fans?
First of all, my ad libs are like a code. If you know, you know. If I say ‘numbers,’ you understand it. If you don’t know me too much, you wouldn’t really know the code. A lot of it is based around emotion on how I feel about that line I said. So, if I say a line and I say, “Sock it to me!” damn you just did a good job with that one. “Numbers!” — that’s a good job. My ad libs just compliment what I’m saying and how I feel, and what I’m saying after that.
I always smoke a blunt before I do ad libs. A separate one though… I’ll have my ad lib blunt sitting there, I’ll play the verse and listen to it like, ‘Ooh, good job!’ I’m listening to the verse and analyzing the whole thing, putting my ad libs in each spot. When I say some shit, ‘Numbers!’ it’s just fitting right in. It’s like making a cake, it’s the icing on that motherfucker.
Loved seeing your post that said, ‘No matter what, be a good person.’ Talk about promoting positivity in a world where it’s so easy to be negative, in an industry where it’s always some bullshit.
No matter what, be a good person because no matter what status you have in life, you can be like REVOLT. You can be on Diddy’s level, or you can be on the lowest level in the game. If you’re treating everybody like shit, treating people unfair, all that shit’s going to come back to you. So, I believe that. Be a good person. Always be yourself and just do you. I’m not too worried about other people like that. You can not like me and I’ll still tell you good job. I’ll still tell you keep doing what you’re doing because I don’t feed off negative energy.
What are some goals for yourself at this point of your career?
Right now, my goal is to make sure my family’s good. Make sure my little brothers and sisters are good. I got two little brothers and two little sisters. I’m the oldest, so continue to inspire them to do better. I’ll be good because what I’m doing is already going to keep building, so now it’s time to put time into other things.
Time for what other things?
I want to build a solid foundation not just for myself because I’m only going to be here for so long. Make sure my son good, I think about my son above everything. If he’s good and financially stable — if some shit happens to me, I’m cool. He’s cool. I’m looking on that side of it. I’m not worried about no clout shit. I’m not doing no fake Instagram videos, never went to jail or none of that shit. My life is real, you either fuck with it or you don’t because there’s gonna be a million n*ggas that fuck with it and a million that don’t, and I fuck with the million that fuck with it.
Who are your top 5 artists in rotation?
Musiq Soulchild is my favorite artist of all time, I fuck with his melodies. I like melodies, I started off making beats, so I dig the melodies. I fuck with the way he puts ad libs behind his vocals. From my city, I like RBL Posse, Cellski, The Jacka. So many inspirations I get from all types of music, man. I can’t tell you five. I’m the kind of person where if I like some shit, I like it… If it makes you feel good at that time, I’m fucking with it. Rapping wise, I fuck with Curren$y a lot. Good dude, I fuck with him. Jay Worthy, I really fuck with him. I listen to a lot of the homies.