Khalid is Unapologetically Embracing His Truth

When I got out it I was like oh my god look at what I can do I knew that I wanted to do something that felt a little bit more alive because I just was tired of being shackled Real yearners only What is up neighbors? Okay, so we've got hitmaker Khalid pulling up to the house today Now he dropped his debut album American teen at just 19 years old and gave us hits like Location and young dumb and broke that defined a generation and since then he's had Grammy nominations Billboard awards and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music and now he's stepping into a new era with This album after the sun goes down and I bet he's the kind of houseguest that will remind us all of the power of living in your truth You got to tell me about the outfit because I'm dying to know you get the animation No, I'm just feeling very colorful right now in my life. Yeah, I just want to have fun. I know that's right with the tie I gotta get me right because I got me left. No, no, no, no, no, you know, I'm still here. Ma'am. It is so good to have you at the house I'm so glad that you are here. Thank you for having me. You know, I mean when you enter the phone you were like Yeah, pulling up what time we wings. I'm there So we've got some wings today with some roasted vegetables and brown rice like he won't go like that kind of thing But to start things off I figured we get set with a little beverage. Okay, now. I know you wanted to eliminate Yes, but I can't just do a ruggler Limit me up. You said we have we do have ruggler lemonade But we also have a strawberry Limit, but I'm gonna spike mine. Okay, we'll put a little tequila in mine. What about you? I'm joining. Okay, sweet So you want to go strawberry? You want to go regular? Oh, I'm for the strawberry because you know you did the thing Boy, this world you said don't mind me. This over here be an ice man. He's an icy boy You like that ice we get we got enough I said damn I'm a lot of ice. I'm like a light you are light, but no no no no no no no no no no keep it our Keep it don't do that. You already. It's okay. It's not that I'm not it's not that deep site See you see how teamwork make the dream see bam. Here's a strawberry situation There's something so beautiful about Strawberry lemonade. You're right. It's the tequila The thing I love about you are very lemonade is tequila. They go hand in hand. You know are you like a one shot type two shot type heavy Poor I'll show you so this is for you and this is for me Cuz you know, I didn't want to assume. Yeah, it's okay, but you know you live your life Okay Cheers. Let's see What version is that I mean, that was that was good What's up neighbor? Count this as your reminder to check and see if you have subscribed to the channel because that little bitty action goes a long way for us We have so many things planned for house guests and house party and want you to be a part of it So come join the neighborhood of over 200,000 people who are already subscribed just hit it. Just check right now. I wait Thank you back to the episode. So that was I mean that was the first go round, right? That was I feel like American team was one of those albums. I feel like that. I mean you change things. Oh, thank you You change things people have said music of a generation Right, does it feel like that for you? It does it does it feels it feels generational But it feels like it's it transcends generations But it borders a line. I feel like for the first time in my career I really felt like damn I'm getting I'm getting older not old by any means But I did a show at a college on the east coast and I'm like speaking about American team I asked the crowd. I'm like how how old are y'all when this album came out? Why would you ask that question? Oh my god For me, it's really about accepting age for what it is like just a number when age comes growth I said a course that's still last 10 years that still lasts an amount of time like that's not something easy to do And I did it without even that that wasn't my that was never my intention. I'm just being I'm just doing I'm creating right You're purpose on this planet is to do it. Yeah, so for it to last as long as it has it's just it's beautiful And speaking of time see like see that you see how that alarm went off It's like my internal. See it's like when you're in a you when you're in a line that when you're in your purpose when you're in your Purpose things will just move when you're in a line when the stars align. Hello The chicken will be done Bam, you hear me. Do you hear me let the church say it man all the tech in the building said yes The reason I even bring the the first album up is because I do feel like after the Sun goes down has a similar the stakes Seeing just as high it is it is I think my departure from Being true to self instead of like when I made it American team I had my entire life to write that album. So I'm pulling from real life experiences and there's nothing more Fragrant than like youth while you're just in and your your peak of it. Yeah, so it was real American team was real Like I was really passing out in the back of ubers with my friends and like sleeping in Like random cars in the middle of the woods and like doing these things and finding life and and I was lonely right It's fun. Right. I come into an industry where Those sides of myself those authentic sides are now A brand and now it's packaged up in a box and they're like all right Like let's let's sell American team to the world and this is who you are now But then day after day is just another day I lose a little bit more of my youth and I become an adult and I'm just like well who am I as an adult like where is the room Where's the permission? Where's the space to be who I am as an adult? I didn't feel like it was there Yes, I felt like everybody was just Looking at my next move comparing it to Mistakes I made when I was a teenager. So I feel like I took a departure from Being not not necessarily being real It real turned into relatable Like me being real turned into me being relatable me being relatable turned into Pleasing the masses right Sustaining turned into conforming hiding Sides of myself that I felt like we're too jarring or too edgy or too or that you might be discovering for the first time or so In real time like literally right like I don't can I share this because this is I just discovered this is it okay to How can you write a song like better if you don't live through it right like that was what I was going through I'm living through these I still love the music video. Yeah. I love the music video too It's like but when like you pay attention to the lyrics of the song you can see someone who's Sheltered and expression and it feels like they don't deserve To be themselves. Well, I'm gonna tell you this is one of the reasons why I was gonna say I love the music video It's because you also can tell even from your movement peaking through your movement But also you're still you're still restraining. Yeah, like there's a there's a point where there are cars around you And like you're in this move and I know today. I know today that move Where you were like yeah, I was like you don't let my boy go if you let him go But I love this for you. Yeah, everyone else will catch up or not. Yeah, but I love this for you I love this space that you were in. Thank you. You don't have to explain it. You don't have to make it okay I just I just love that you are able to be whatever the the the things that have been transpired that you that got you here I know they all prepared you in ways. Yeah for this chapter and so I'm just excited for you I mean, and I don't have to have it all figured out. No, honestly, that's kind of the point of the whole thing Is it like we're all figuring it out see that's kind of the whole like argument about oh well is this authentic? is this authentically him. I'm like, I'm discovering myself and real tight. We will see. - We will see. - But did it stir something in you? - Did it pull my spirit, did it drive me? Did it inspire me? - Yes. - If I was introduced to a news side of myself that I never expected I would have the capacity to live in, then that's a job well done. - Hello. - I opened my boundaries in a way and I did that in public to the world. - Hello. - So if the only thing you can think about is the color on my nails? Baby. - Baby, we've lost the plot. - No, really though. - The album is called "After the Sun Goes Down." - Yes. - I want to play a little get to know you game. - Yeah. - Situations that might come up when you are out for a night on the. - Okay. - It's a game called "Vibe Check." I'm always checking for the vibe. You feel me? Passes the vibe check? Not my vibe. - Someone brings extra people to your hangout. - Unannounced or announced? - Unannounced is a no. - It's a no. - Unless it's fine. - Then it's a maybe. - Thank you. - Unannounced no because to me, my space is so sacred. - The great. - I believe that we have the choice to let people in as much as we want. And if we're talking about my hangout, the space, the intention is to be intimate. And if I don't know you, I actually don't like to perform. - You know, I don't want to have to. - Yeah, if I don't like to. - Are you okay? Do what are you doing? And we're having like a pointless conversation for no reason just because we're trying to keep the peace. I'm like, I don't want to do that out of hangout. I want to kick it. I want to chill. I want to smoke. I want to drink. I want to. So I'm gonna say, I would say no. Now bringing extra people that you know, you ask me permission. Oh, it's your. I'm all for widening the party. I'm all for. - Expanding the crew. - Expanding the crew, yes. - But like, they gotta be in alignment with the situation. - Yeah. - I'm never too cool. It's not about a too cool thing. It's about our devibs, right? Like, do I feel comfortable doing it? - Is it up? - Does it pass the vibe check? - Someone insists on getting your number when you've offered your Instagram. - No. - I'd be like, I don't have a phone. - See, I'm stopping at. Why worry about my Instagram that's living the moment? I can hear you be like, well, why are we even? But we're having a good time right now. We might not have a good time in five minutes. I don't know what I know. - I mean, if the vibes are right and we're at the tail end of the conversation, like, it's good to exchange information and know who we are, but it's just kinda just like. If we're just vibing and we're just hanging out, why not just go with the flow? Like, why, why, what is your intention? Like, are you gonna analyze how many followers I have, my interactions, my dish, my dad? I'm actually not that type of guy. I don't care what walk of life you come from, how many followers you have, like, that to me doesn't amount to the vibe. - You know immediately, too. Like, people are like, oh yeah, it was your Instagram, right? - Because if I have to offer you my Instagram, I definitely don't want to give you my number. But if I really fuck with you, you're gonna get to, you're gonna have to have your number. - Yeah, that's it. - We're going straight to the number. - Yeah, that's it. - Going out by yourself. - Yes. - Yeah. - That's easy. - You never know what street you'll turn on. You'll never know what door you'll walk through. You'll never know who you bump into. - Yeah. - I'll never know who you already know, who's also out on their path and on their walk of life, too. Going out by yourself, I feel like we have to do this more. - There are arguments that, like, it's a form of self-care and that kind of thing, but I also think it's a matter of, like, curiosity and what it means to be in a space in a place where you're supposed to be. - Yeah. - I love going to the bar by myself. I love just, like, finding a little corner seat, just sitting there with my little, little joint, you know. - Okay, you going yet? You going yet, you going your 55th plus? I'm like that. (laughing) - I used it, I'm grown, grown. I'm at the corner of the bar. - But you're like, hey, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. - I'm a people-watcher. Like, I am admittedly a people-watcher. I like to see the environment. I like to see space. - When you go out with friends, you're so, and rightfully so, and beautifully so, we get so consumed with the world that we brought to a space, that we sometimes miss the space that we're in. And when you fly solo, you have to engage, if you're not on your phone, you have to engage with that space. - A lot of the time we can't think beyond the circles that we create, and when you think about these spaces, especially when you travel, if you go international wherever it is, you go a new place that's like unfamiliar to you, and you look around. There is a tone, there's a vibe, there's a pace, that this place is someone's favorite spot for the past 10 years, this space is where someone fell in love for the first time, this space is where someone- - Got into an argument. - Got into an argument found lost. This is where someone had, the junk is not in their life. I think that sometimes when you go out by yourself, that energy is just so much more clear because when you're with your friends, you're only focused on the energy that you've already- - Close to it. - That close to it, and created between you, but this life is so much bigger than just ourselves, we're all participating and we're all sharing the space, and you don't really feel that until you walk out alone. - This is why I know, this is how I know, now I'm connected to why the lyrics be the lyrics. (laughing) 'Cause my man be thinking, okay. - There's, there's thoughts up here. - It's a re-bro. - There's thoughts up here. - It's not just pretty. - And I hate that that's where I go. I just go straight there about it. - How do you say it, but it's also- - It's what it is. - I love it. - Your crush likes to play hard to get. - No, real yearners only, yearn, long for me. - Like I'm longer for you! - Long for me. - Yeah, I'm just not here for any games. - I'm not here from a, oh, I haven't heard from him in a couple days, so I'm gonna wait three days to text him back, or oh, I'm gonna say this, and I'm gonna do this, and I'm not gonna put this in my mouth. Like, you know how much work baby is, baby. - Hard to get, won't get got. I don't want hard things in my life. I actually, I want easy things to happen in my life. Why do I want you if you're hard to get? - I don't want hard in my life. I want end of the love, I want ease and ease. - Why would I want hard? - I don't want nothing. - No. - Hold on. - Huh? - I don't want- - No, I'm gonna save my statement. I'm gonna save my statement. I don't want nothing hard, but the frown on my wings. - Okay, there you go. - I saved my mistake. - Your boost starts cleaning while people are still hanging out. It's a no for me, because like, when you have a space, right? It's like two circles cross. There's the space and the energy that you share together. - Share together. - And then there's the space that you have as individuals along. - Yep. - And I believe that the person you're with should always respect who you are as an individual. - Ooh. - That comes with- - That's a word. - That comes with the people that they align themselves with. And if you are cleaning, you are in a way saying- - I'm done here. - I'm done here. The night is over, you guys can leave. - Or at least that's the interpretation. - That's the interpretation. I think, for me, my dream partner is, hey, look, I'm tired. I'm gonna go to sleep. I'll see you when you get done. Have fun with your friends, enjoy your night. - We can clean in the morning. I don't want a partner that makes it hard for me to be friends with my friends. I don't want a partner that likes my friends. I don't want, to me, there's too much friction for my life. - Have you ever had a partner from within your friend group? - No. - No, that's a no, that's a no, no, no in the live check. Not even like, not even, maybe not a partner, but like, one time. - No. - Me neither. - Me neither. - Yeah. - Well, okay, okay, okay. I'm a lover boy, like, I'm just so romantic. I think I like meeting a stranger for a night out. And that night out leads us to like walking into, like, we're like walking around New York City at four o'clock in the morning. Like, how do we get here? There's a crack head on the bench, which is like, oh shit, let's walk this way. You know, the night just goes on. You never know how it's gonna go, but then you look back and you're like, oh, that was such a sweet name. - There wasn't a crack head no involved. I'm like, let's cross the street. (laughing) I like the experience, like, I like the journey. And sometimes, like, for me, like, friendships, they have love, but like, the romance that I aspire for, like, I want that all to be built at the same time. Okay. - And it's also like, if the intentions are said to be friends and lines are blurred, sometimes you question, what was the intention all along? For me, I'm like, I want someone to know what my intentions are off bat, offer it. Like, I'm here, I'm about you. Let's get it started. (laughing) (laughing) No, but, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. (laughing) - No, you can't reach away from me here. - I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. - It's so good. - Who cares about your poops? Ollie does. That's why Ollie signs back to gut health lineup, help support your family's regularity. From daily probiotics to fiber gummies, your kittles will love. Find it all on Ollie.com. That's o-l-l-y.com. 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Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, including ALS Lugeric's Disease, Myastthenia Gravis, or Lambert Eaton Syndrome, and Medications, including Botchaline Mtoxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. Why wait, ask your doctor, visit BotoxCronicMigraine.com or call 1-800-44 Botox to learn more. Oh man, okay, here we go. Oh, ah! Ah! I used that. Oh! Go ahead, go ahead, come on, look at it. I'm gonna miss it. Yeah, absolutely. Get at it. You a flat's person, or you a drum's person, please don't say the wrong person. Look, I say drum, as I pick up a flat, and I start to question myself now. But you didn't really know. Do you really know? What do I go for first? I'm like, now I want to put this down because I don't feel like this is really me. No, because see what happens is you want the best for last. You're so right. I understand. Perspective is everything. Because I get it. I almost look my fingers. I'm about to. I don't know how they get cauliflower to be purple, but yeah, I'm so messy, I'm such a messy person. I'm a messy eater for sure. I'm really trying to keep it cool. Listen, you're a monster. You hit that, you say? Don't get me started. Are you one of those people that like your food, you got to eat all of one thing before you go to the next thing? No, I'm a foodie thrown through. What's your favorite cuisine? Oh my god, the list goes on Italian. Really? Don't judge me, I'm childish, but I love lasagna. Or baked ziti. What's baked ziti? What? You don't know it. Is that the big noodle? No, no, no, no. With the stuff in his middle. You know, you kind of like sometimes, sometimes you get a like a pizza shop. It's like baked rigatoni. Okay. Olives. Chisas. Okay. I'm not stranger to cheese. I'm with that. I love it. Yeah? See, I'm a Mediterranean. I'm a Mediterranean. I am. I am a Mediterranean. It's not too much of my life. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So this me, you got like the, the swarm of it all, you've got the cough to the lamb beef, little sausage patties, a little ham, little burgers. You like hummus? I like hummus. Okay. Yeah, I like hummus. Sometimes. Yeah. Right. You know what I mean? I like Mediterranean. Everybody gets mad because they're like, that's not Mediterranean. It's, it's, it's overbodyer. Yeah. It's overbodyer. Across the way. Yeah. Like I like Southern Italian. Like the spicy Italian dishes, but yeah, but like with Mediterranean, like a swarm of, like a roasted vegetable. As I mature. Zatar. My palate wants to allow me to sit there. Yeah. And I like see pasta and wings and pizza and cookies and cake fish. You said what cake? Cookies and cakes. Cookies and cakes. Not just cake. Cookies and cakes. And I want to buy one. I want to buy one. I want to buy one. Maybe a brownie too. I don't know. No, no, no. It depends on my mood. Do you cook? Hmm. But I feel like I was put on this earth to enjoy. Yeah. You want to know if your food tastes good. Let me know. I'll let you know. I like it. Yeah, banging. All right, I'll take it. I'm not just saying that. Hmm. It's good. I just, I like to eat for pleasure. Yes. You know people who are like, no, food is fuel. I just, I wish I could see it that way. I always try. Uh-uh. And I get like really good for like three weeks. And then right back at it. I bought like a bulletin board. And I put like a accountability board. Okay. Yeah. I wanted to be accountable about what I was eating. I put like a little like. Check by check. Like playbook. Like if you do this, you do this. You have to erase the board completely from the beginning. Oh, snap. And it did so well for me until I-- What was the thing they got you? Traveling. Because it's hard. So I don't want to travel in my backpack with a bulletin board. And like, come on. Like this is like extra, you know what I mean? And if it's not in my face, like, I mean, I'm bad like that. Like I can do good if it's just not in my face. If it's in my face, I start. What? No, I got to do better. Same. But also like, that's what 2026. Okay. Because rest of 205 won't be right where I'm at. Don't tell me that because I'll be right there with you. Come on. See you there. Yeah. I knew that this side of you existed. Thank you. I had never-- I had not personally experienced you in your joy. Many people don't. But it does feel like you were in like a joyous time in your life. Is that true? Or is that what you're hoping to draw to you? It's really what I'm living. Like, I love life. Genuinely, like, I wake up like, oh my god, I love life. And like, before I go to see if I pray for another day, always that I'd never miss that. Like, I love the journey for what it is. And I kind of like that. Life takes away your control, you know? We experience life, but we don't. Like, we don't have ownership of anything that happened. Everything that happens to us is it's above us. And I love that because I'm always curious about where life will lead me in my future. I'm never like afraid. I think I just love experiencing things for what it is. I think I've always been that way, but I kind of stopped being that way because of fear being perceived. I had a really big trouble with being perceived. What do you mean? Like, my god, like, I would be so critical about everything I did to the point where it was like, it would debilitate me. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. One time I went to Coachella, I had a panic attack. Going to Coachella or like performing Coachella? Well, I was asked, but it was bad. I was Coachella out. Right. No, and it was fun until it wasn't. I think it was fun while I was with my friends and I was enjoying their company. Yeah. And then I walked into the crowd and I realized, "Wait, I'm not just Khalid from Fort Stewart, Georgia, that's lived here, that's lived." Like, I'm like. I'm too be perceived, right? And I walk out and everybody's. And I'm instantly taken out this space where I'm like, "Oh my god, like, I want to go to Coachella to enjoy myself, to have fun, to listen to music, to feel free." And I feel like I have to perform. And I'm not even on the stage. Right. I think that fear debilitated me. It really stopped me from. Like, I'm just playing catch-up. Now? Now. So are you going back to some of those experiences, to retry them, to redo them, to relive them? Just doing them publicly. Like, before I would do them, but. In a well-managed award. The space would be more random. It'd probably be more low-key. The group would be smaller. Right. The conversations would be like a little bit more like, hidden meanings and cold words. Which you are great at. Lyruses. Exactly. I'm going to turn you into a song. Yeah, stop. You need to stop right now. Or I'm going to turn you into a song, okay? Was it Gandalf? Or like, what was his name? What was his name from Harry Potter? Oh, yeah. The Dumbledore. With the better stop, I'll turn you into a song. Spotify. It was like, stupid-five. Spotify. Well, shit, it worked, too. Being perceived is really interesting when. You know, you're learning about yourself in real time. Yeah. And like, at that point, I want to say I was maybe like. 23. And I wanted to feel free. I wanted to feel rebellious. I wanted to feel like I was enjoying. Like, my early 20s. And instead, I felt like I was performing. Like, I didn't feel like I was really being myself. Yeah. And I really had a panic attack. And, yeah, Carol G's like playing in the background. Killing it, by the way. Wow. Killing it. Killing it. And I was trying to focus on the show. But I was like, "Karrel girl, I can't hate you." Killing it right now. Like, she sang "Komola Floor." And she took me right back. I was talking about this before, but she took me right back. There was this moment of peace, moment of ease, where. The situation I was in, I was standing right in front of a fountain. Surrounding my friends were surrounding me in a circle, which felt amazing. Right. To feel protected. And she's just singing in the back. And I thought to myself, I was like, wow. Like, you know, life isn't necessarily about how other people are viewing you. It's about how you are receiving and you are viewing life. For me, I was like, I'm here to have a good time with the people that I came with. That's my space. That's the memory that I'm creating. Yep. My memory doesn't last with, oh, you walk past that one. and they thought your outfit was fly. Or, oh, like, you look kinda straight. So it's okay. Like, it just wasn't moving, it wasn't moving me. - Yeah. - And release that. - And I'm glad at this point in my life, like, I don't think, I'm just, I just do. I do so much that people are just like, who the fuck? Who is this? (laughing) Well, because in some ways, I think like, the departure from when you were so calculated with every single move, because you were thinking about every single thing being measured against the last thing, that energy shift, it does take people, I think, some time to catch up, but that's not your job to catch them up. - It's also like, I was only perceived to be a quiet nature. I've never been a quiet guy. - Which is so interesting, because that 100% was the perception. How would you describe your childhood? Like, how you grew up, where you grew up? - I was a military kid, and my parents were separated, and I lived with my mom in Germany for six years of my life. I moved to New York, within New York for four years in my life, I started making music in Texas, and I was born in Georgia, so like, I had to speak, I had to talk, I had to socialize. - Right. - I had to show my personality. I had to put myself out there, or I was going into these places and I was suffering, and I was alone. Is that one of those like, you make friends fast, and you lose friends? - My best friend to this day, 20 years deep, Matt and Germany, really a different country, and we're going to Amsterdam like next week. - Yes. - Yes! - 'Cause it's all about, you know, the strength of that bond. - Yeah. - Well, would you say you're an introvert? - No. - It was just so, what the fuck happened? - Oh my God. - No, why me? - It's an introvert. - No. (laughing) - Actually, no, you have to tell me to stop sometimes. - Not that any of this matters now, I'm 27 years old. But like, I went to prom, you'll see, I was, prom prince. I was, prom prince one year in a different state. I was prom king the next year in a different state. Like, you don't, you don't get those accolades or whatever you want to call them, from being like private and like quiet and like. - You know what, no introverted and no one knows you. Like, I'm like, hey! - How ya doing? - Hey! (laughing) - You know, I'm walking into that classrooms that don't belong to me. I'm helping the teacher teach, don't know a damn thing. - I know, right. - It's from her time, she's just letting me. - But it's just because of the energy, the energy. I just, I actually love being social. I think the only reason I stopped being social was because I started to question why people cared about getting to know you. - Yeah, about certain things. - Why people would cross the room to introduce themselves to you or to find out where you are. - Yeah, because it's like, do you want to know who I am? As a spirit, do you want to know who I am? Because you want another collaboration. - In service to you. - So you want that. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's like no disrespect to anybody for a shit. Get how you fit it, it's what it is. - I just think like in my life, like I said, like my core, I'm friends with people who have been friends for like 20 years. Like I'm a loyal individual. Like I like long lasting friendships. But there are definitely people I wish I would have given a better chance of getting to know me. - Especially other people in the industry. - Did you feel like there were parts of you that were still reserved or-- - It's like I was following the crowd in the group and I'm like, hey, and then there's like a door and they all walk through and I'm just stepping behind it. And like I'm just like, I want to go through this door, but-- - Really. - It's safe for here on the other side. - Really? - Yeah, I think it just came down to the more that I'm myself in public, the more that I'm perceived, the more that I turn into a headline, the more that I turn into a hit tweet, the more that I turn into a, hey look, I'm at Khalid. - Right. - And like the photo's viral and it's this and it's that. And I don't even give a fuck about that shit. Shit's funny and it is what it is. And the fear of failing in front of a society that's surveilling. Because now every interaction is this. - Surveiling, surveilling. - Yeah. - I think that that was my fear. Like I think I understand that like I'm a human that like makes mistakes. I actually pride myself in my mistakes. Like sometimes my mistakes turn into like my biggest blessings, you know? - I want to broach this with the utmost respect because I can understand even if you were ready or were getting yourself to a point where you were preparing. - Right. - To step out and be all that you are. To see the, your business, so private business. Out on display for everyone else's game. And I mean that as a headline, as a tweet, whatever, there are people who reap benefits of that. - Yeah. - What, how did you process that? - That shit was, it was just annoying. (laughing) As fuck. - She was annoying. - It's the same way. - She was annoying. - I just was very annoying because like that's not where I live in my own life, you know? I mean like for a situation to be five years in the past to be brought up on a public platform where you have to defend yourself against like word of mouth. - And the ignorance of other people. - Yeah and for me like I don't know. I felt like at that time I really wanted to prove my stance and then eventually I was like, I don't give a fuck. - How did you get to that point? Was it friends or family? - 'Cause I was like, I've just never really been the type to let anyone pick on me in life, okay? And that's not even an aggressive way. Like I'm very defensive against myself. But on social media I understand I can never be defensive. I'm fighting against so many people and everything that I'm saying, shit if I'm mad and I'm enraged and I'm like, I'm pissed. I'm not thinking like let me make sure that I put, 'cause that's performative. - Right. - I didn't wanna be performative and be like, let me write this like long paragraph about like, now I'm out and I was just like, look, I'm gonna tweet the gay flag, whatever, like I'm gay. Let's move on. - Right. - 'Cause I just, I wanted to defend myself but I was like, what am I defending myself for? - For and against. - And against. - And what is the dream outcome? - Well everybody knows so how is it gonna be weaponized against me? What am I really fighting for? - Now. - You know, like it's not like I can just like tuck the gay back in the closet. Like, you know what I mean? It's just like it's out there. So for me I'm like, I'm not gonna play the stereotypical norms of a closeted gay who is outed and they're still like performing roles based off of the perception of what's a team to be masculine or what's deemed to be feminine. I'm gonna figure myself out for what it is and I understand that like I'm a spectrum of many colors and personalities and sides and sometimes I might be a little bit more feminine and sometimes I might be a little bit more masculine but I feel like like, okay, the most jarring thing that people have seen physically is me getting my nails painted and coloring my hair. Like it's our fault that we like attach so much weight to things that are just like, like when I look at this, I'm not thinking I'm gonna paint my nails because I want to be more feminine. I'm like, no, I'm gonna paint my nails because I love to look at physical art that I can wear. I'm gonna color my hair because I love to explore different sides of my personality. I'm like a multi-faceted individual and because I want to. Yeah, 'cause I want to, that's why I just kind of was just like, I don't give a fuck. I'm glad that you got to that point. I said, I kind of studied a little bit. Maybe I give a little bit of a fuck. (laughing) Maybe I give a little bit. But not as much as like people want me to. I think I give a fuck because I'm just like why? Or as much as you did before. Right, right, right. 'Cause I think you get to a point, right? That's true. You get to a point where you're like, okay, I did all this fighting, I did all this restraining, all this, the seeking to control, and I'm still here. I think that grace is a superpower and I just choose to be a man that moves with grace. So you didn't wanna fight. 'Cause I wanted to fight. No. And I feel like I often, the people who are at this table, I often want to fight for. You know, I always feel kind of like, and I think that's one of the reasons why I invite to this seat because it's like I, the work that you created, the effort, it resonates with me. And so when people come against it, it feels like it's also coming against us. I feel you, I didn't wanna fight 'cause I didn't wanna continue. Where I left it was where I left it. And that was that for me. I was like, bye, moving on. 'Cause I'm already on my path. Like I'm like so far into like, I've gone through love, I've lost love. I've gone through heartbreak, I've lost heartbreak. Shit, I've had to break hearts. Let's be accountable. Like, I have to, I've had to be with people that I've had to look at them and tell them, hey look, I'm so sorry that this doesn't work and I respect you and I love you enough to let you go. Like I was already going through those processes of life when my privacy was breached. So to everybody it might feel like there's just like this door opening and he has to like come into himself. It's like I was already doing that. It just was none of your business. Then you get to, you get to this space where like your next effort, your next project out is this blast of some of the best energy. I mean, I'm telling you, this album feels like Windows Down, nighttime ride, joy from beginning. - Thank you. - Was that the end? the intention was that how you felt creating it? - Yeah, because when I got out of it, I was like, oh my God. Look at what I can do. (laughing) These men in my DMs, I'm like, ooh. (laughing) They say bless me, okay. I'm like, I'm buying my ticket ASAP and I'm going to Portugal and I'm gonna live and I'm gonna dance in the streets and I'm gonna score and have fun in the twirl. That's kind of just where my whole vibe went. It was just like, yeah, the sucks and it's public and oh my God, everybody knows, but I was like, fuck, I get to have fun. - Yeah, and I'm free. - And I'm free and I think that that translated into the music, like the music became, the music became everything I aspire to be. - And so in a way where you kind of thankful for that experience. I mean, certainly not thankful for that experience in that way, but thankful for what it brought to your life. - In a way, yes. In a way, yes, like, it would have taken me a lot longer to come to terms with being myself and I think God, I think the universe, I think the stars above was like, you're taking too long. And so, I'm gonna do it for you. And then it's like, and then when that happens for me, I'm just like, you trust. Who am I to go against the signs? Who am I to go against? Like, I think that's why, like, even try to be more so myself now, 'cause it's like who am I to go against the road that has been set in front of me, or who am I to, why do I have to shy behind that now? Who wins if I do that? I don't, I lose. I lose myself, I lose everything, you know? - I do. - Oh, thank you for your end, but the, I really do. - Yeah, and I think as black queer men, you reach a point where the life you want for yourself is perhaps in conflict to the life you have been told or assume you should be living. And you have to dare to choose. - Yeah. - And what I mean by that is you have to dare to choose yourself rather than someone else's opinion or perspective or standard, and so to hear you say that it would have taken me a lot longer. I would have gotten there, but it would have taken me a lot longer. It's a blessing to experience someone who is really living, you can feel it. - Yeah, yeah. I think for me, it's like my personal life would have continued to go on and on and on. - Of course. - So much that it would have been so drastic. Like the difference would have been so drastic to the way that I was publicly being perceived. That would have suffered day in and day out, knowing that I'm going to the Middle East and I'm like singing for a crowd of people that like if they found out about me, we would have a problem. You know we're going to, I mean, because there's so many countries in the world right now, it's not just the Middle East. I don't want to limit it to the Middle East because the Middle East is beautiful. I had a great time there. But you know what I mean. There are places where it is not just, it is frowned upon, it is illegal. - But it's punishable. - It is a crime. - So me and my private life would have just continued to go on and on and on, and I would have just learned and I would have just felt more in love with myself and I would have done this, but my public perception would have been so, it's like a rest of the development at the point, it's just stunted. And it's like space of being like your soft spoken guy, you're quiet, you're as kind as you can be, your sweets, your gentle, you stay out the way, you support others, but you stay in the background, you do all these things. I didn't want to do that anymore. I did that for 10 years in my career and shit was like, I was trying to figure out what I needed to do. And I feel like sincere was a cry for help. I'm like fuck, I need to just let out this energy and get this out of me. So I can figure out what I wanted to do. And I had already planned to go in the direction that I was going and before I even got outed. - Like sonically. - Sonically, I knew that I wanted to do something that felt a little bit more alive because I just was tired of being shackled. - Woo! - It was just so tired of being restricted. - So then, it just hurt. - Tell me then how you processed, you put this project out, and you put out a number of music videos, some of the response from within the queer community is side eye. - At best. - How did you? (laughing) - How did you process that? How are you processing that? - I don't got shit to do with me. - I've noticed, right? - Anybody's afraid of that. It's kind of just like, oh, this is performative and if he wasn't out, he would never do this. But I'm doing it now. - Here we are. - And that's all that matters to me. I feel like people want me to play the role of this masculine boy. I'm like, just because I show flamboyance doesn't make me less of a man. I'm still a man, I live in my truth as a man. I love being a man for what it brings me. I'm attracted to men. And I'm able to play with different sides. For me, it was never like, oh, he's going straight to being overtly sexy. I was like, I wanna do something that I was, I wanna do something that the version of myself five years ago, three years ago, even two years ago would have been way too afraid to do. - Afraid to do. And it's so funny, 'cause you said people, like you went straight to overtly sexy. My first thing was, so you think I'm sexy? (laughing) So you say, so you say you agree. - But it's just more like, oh, to me it's more like, our clothes are, my clothes are on. - I know, you had two shirts on. - Yeah, two shirts. - A damn long sleeve. What do you mean? It's some damn body-ass jeans. If you see it, what do you see it though? - You don't see the G-string poking out the back of my butt. Like what are you talking about? Y'all like cool it. Oh my God, like, I'm seeing Gayer. (laughing) - I can't judge people for not believing if it's true because like we live in the age of like social media and people believe like, if I don't have a paper trail of what you're as an individual, then you're not that person. You just became that person. I'm like, how often have I tweeted in the past five or six years in the first place for you to feel like you can have a read or how many Instagram stories have you seen me post? I'm actually doing those things in real life. - Right. - And then I'm taking the picture and I'm like, hey. And I put the phone down like, I hate it. - It's easy to break. - You know? So for me, I didn't care because like, at the end of the day, like people are gonna be afraid or they're gonna. - Feel some type of way about things that they don't understand. Well what I was doing wasn't to be understood. Like what I was doing was to challenge myself and be able to say I've done it. - And so, do you feel like you did it? - Yeah. - I'm glad. - 'Cause I shocked people when I surprised people and people might have expected it to do. And I surprised myself 'cause I was gagged. What? (laughing) (laughing) - I'm looking at the screen. (laughing) - What the fuck? Is this guy? - Right. - And I love that. I'm like jumping for joy. I'm like, I'm just like, I have glee. I have like, I'm like, and I think that that's just like who. I've always aspired to be and to be able to say like, I don't know, like I have time. You know, I have time to become a better dancer. I have time to be a better performer. I have time to be a better, all of these things. I have time, but I did it and I started this step. - I'm doing it. - I'm doing it. And I'm like, it's just not worth going back. Also, though, you're gonna realize, and maybe you already have, you're gonna inspire more people to go on that journey themselves. - I agree, and I appreciate that. I think a lot of it is also people being afraid of like, this being like a, oh, this is just what he's gonna do and this is just where he's gonna go. I'm like, no, I just, I did that for myself in that moment, but like, I acknowledge, I'm multi-faceted. That part, you might get a sad album again. I don't fucking know. (laughing) - I hate my new set, I love my game. - I don't know, you might get a happy one and shit. You might get a fucking album. You might get a, well, I don't fucking know. - Right. - Because I haven't gone that far ahead. I'm going as I'm learning and I'm doing it in front of people, but I'm choosing to, I'm choosing to be true to myself because like, it's a disservice to myself, to not be, I felt like dancing. I felt like being Britney Spears and Janet for a moment. What did it feel like to record that? I mean, did you see the visuals went in your mind when you, when you, it was fun because everybody that I'm surrounded with, like, those are my friends. Like, they were dancers in the video, but like, those are my friends. So, like, we're all celebrating, like, which explains quite the energy. - Yeah. - Why it is so high in the game. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - When I'm home and I invite them to my house and we're kicking back and there's music playing and I'm dancing and I feel free and we're like, playing like mind games and like, the dance is a dance. And I'm trying to keep up with joy. And I'm like, ooh, oh, oh, we know that one again. - That's right, guys. Let's take our time with that, but I think it was like, I was able to do that in front of a camera. - Yeah. - Like to me, it's bigger than like how many views it had. Like the impact to me is, I opened myself up to the world like not just a community. Like it was just like, I was showing who I was to the world. Like I didn't do it to assume approval. I didn't do it to impress anybody. I didn't do it to be like, hey guys, look, am I gay enough for you guys now? - I'm gay. - Right. - No, I did it because I was like, this is something I would have never done when I was in the closet. And like, now I can do that. Now I have the freedom to do that. It's, in me, it's more liberation than like sex. Like it's just like, it's more like, I'm moving my body and just because I'm moving my body in this manner, you guys deem it to be sexual, but in reality, it's sensuality. It's like tension, it's just, it's lust, it's, it's just, there's so much, there's so many more layers. - Right. - But also like, even if it is sex, it's not, that's not that. - Yeah, because sex is a part of life and we're grown, I'm grown as fuck. - Oh, well, we don't have to get into it too much. - That was about that, but you know what I'm gonna say. - Well, now we're, when the mic's come out. (laughing) - Tell me what was it like then to be able to, on this project, to have your mother's voice to be a part of this experience? What did that mean to you? How did that happen? Why did that happen? - To me, it means everything because my mom is the reason why I have my voice. And my mom has been there for every chapter of my story. My mom didn't find out I was gay, when the world found out I was gay. My mom's known, I've been gay, why I've always been gay. But my mom has known of me to be gay since like, 2018. That's like two years after I debut my career. - Whoa, my uncle is also gay. So, and my mom and my uncle are best friends. So, but it's deeper than just being gay. Like I want people to understand like it's deeper than that. It's just more like, this is a celebration of me and me reclaiming it, my identity on the forefront. - Yeah. - And my mom has been there behind the scenes, supporting me, reminding me, if you like it, I love it. If this is your path, I love it. And so it was a full circle moment because, if my mom had it her way, maybe she would be doing what I'm doing. - Really, yes. - My mom is a great singer. Yeah, my mom wasn't like a girl group and like the 90s, like it all the things. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can remember my mom writing songs in front of me, you know? - Wow. - Yeah. Expressing herself in a way, singing around the house, recording, taking me to the studio. - Come on. - It's really once, it's really once. - You wanna join me? - I mean, really once. - You don't have to wait until after. - Right. - It's really crazy how genetics really cut through, you know? - Oh, yeah. - My mom was rebellious and my mom took risks and she went on her path and she tasted her dreams and she still was able to live out her dreams. And I still feel like my mom fulfilled her dreams. And, you know, she's saying in the military and she's singing the army and she's traveled around the world. And she's performed and I remember sitting side-stage and watching her and thinking, wow, I wanna do that. Like, I wanna do what you're doing on that level. And so, for me to bring her on board is like me celebrating her and being like, you know, like, you've given me the opportunity when I told you that I wanted to make music, you supported me. - Wow. - You didn't tell me, hey, look, I did that and you shouldn't do it because this happened to me and that's gonna happen to you. - Right. - She told me, you wanna do it so bad, get them grades right, graduate high school, you could do whatever the fuck you wanna do. - I know that's right. - I said, okay, you know what? Well, I'm gonna do everything at the same time. Hey, mom, I'm going to Atlanta on winter vacation is that okay with you? - Yeah, sure, go do it. You know, I had a mom who really believed in my dreams and she's been there every single day. - I like the same. - And you know how that feels. - I do. - I've been super blessed. - Bless you. - And then my mom was like, what's the plan? - Yeah. - Always what's the plan? And then if that don't work, what's the backup plan? But if you got those two, baby, let's rock wedding. - Well, I know exactly what you mean because when I think of my mom, she's been there every step of the way. So then to hear her voice on this album, I knew immediately when I made this song, I wanted her on it. - Have that happened to you before? - No. I'm actually intimidated by my mom. Not because she's mean. I just think that my mom is an amazing singer. I think she's so good. I think she's just so good. I'm like, damn, I'm gonna be trying to keep up. I'm like, I feel like in a way I gave my mom, I'm like, I could have given my mom more. And I feel like she would have really shocked the world with how great she is. - Is that right? - But I feel like there'll be more opportunities. You know, there's a first time and a first step for everything. And she was a part of it. She loved it and it made her feel so many things. You know, like I said, it's deeper than that. It's a full circle moment for her. - Yeah. - So I definitely could see myself like actually - Giving her more. - Giving her more. - I love it. - Where I like pull the way. - Oh. - Do you think? - I'm okay. - Because like people would be pleasantly surprised. I mean, when they call you the king of the collab, it's not just a play on words. I mean, you really do it so, so way too. I want to know for you, which was the most difficult collaboration to see all the way through. Don't tell me now. Tell me when we get to this game. - You ready? - Yeah. - Let's do it. - Mmm, that's what you call it. - I know, I'm gonna take my life. - Yeah. - That's what you call a transition. - Hey, you ate that? - Same way. - Oh, hey, now please don't fall on the pool. We almost lost two days. - Oh, no. - So we're gonna play a game called Q the Collab. - Okay. - We have a Q of one of the artists in the collaboration and then we've got a match game kind of situation. But you also got a saying in the song. - I'll sing it, I'll sing it. - I might not get the lyrics right. - Meaning what about the melody? - Yeah. - Okay. - You got it, can we get the gist? - We got it, we got it, we got to be able to know. - And commit me in his key. - We'll get it. - I'll try. - Now before we start playing though, I want to know, we had asked you a question before we got over here. What was one of the most difficult collaborations to get through? - I love my sis. I will say, love lies. - Really? - Yeah. - The Normani project. - Yeah, I feel like. - What are my favorites? - I love, and I love Normani. I feel like there was just so much pressure on me because it was her first major shot solo. - Ooh. - So, I'm so big on myself with collaborations. Like, sometimes I do collaborations. I'm like my biggest critic. I'm like, is it good enough? Like, did we do a good job? And so I feel like a lot of the time with love lies. I was just more worried about putting in the effort to make sure that she had her flowers. - And that she was set. - And I think that the intention behind that, especially her being black, being a woman, being a pop star, I think the intention behind that was everything for me. And I think that that was, it was really difficult. It was like, I'm a part of this song, and I want to also showcase that I'm a part of it as well, but I feel like I want to take a step back and I want to let her fly. - Yeah. - 'Cause I see her potential as an artist as a performer. - And so then when the song came out and did all that, it did. - It was difficult because, oh my gosh, she's boom, boom, cat, and then I'm trying to keep up. It was difficult. It was hard. Everybody else who wants to collaborate with me just wants to stand next to me and do a bunch of two step and stuff, shit. She's coming to me like Khalid, okay? So we have choreography. You're gonna be standing here in this direction. You're gonna come here on this cue, on this count. You're gonna do this on this. And I'm just looking at her like, you know what? I'm actually, I'm just gonna do this instead. You know, and I, and I, (laughing) 'Cause we know no, right. Back then, (singing in foreign language) and flips and dips and just like, and that's why we love her. - Looking like a fenty-end. - I think trying to keep up with the talent like Normani was one of the most difficult things because like, wow. She's just so incredible. She's just such an incredible performer. Her choreography, the level that she, the level that she even holds herself to be at. Like, you know, she's really talented. - And the things that she's been able to navigate through, had to navigate through in order to be able to put out art. - I would say like, other collaborations, they don't expect much out of you. I feel like with the Normani collaboration, I had to uphold the standard that she was setting for herself because I didn't want to diminish her light when she already has this vision of everything that she wants to achieve as an artist. And I think sometimes it's difficult to step outside of your own ego to be like, I'm gonna do the job of like propping another artist and letting them shine. But for me, it was just like, it just was like an effortless decision because I just, you know, believe in her so much as an artist as a creator as a friend, so. - I love it. - Most difficult, but like, with the most rewarding and challenging. - Yeah, yeah, I love it. - Okay, so we've got our first cue is Lady Gaga. I mean, she's collaborated with everybody who knows, so you go first. You can flip one and see if you get, if it's a match. - My heart is telling me to flip this. - No, we've never. (laughing) - We've never done a song, man. - That's so wild. - Have my heart is telling me to pick my name. - Willing it into a deal that's called alignment. - Right, would you do it? - I would. What do you mean? - God, that's like an icon. - Well, she is an icon. - An icon. - Lady Gaga and Janet Jackson. - No, they haven't. - Okay. - That was she. - I don't know if that she has done the song with Lady Gaga. - You should. - You should. - 'Cause wait, hold on. Did we just manifest? - Hold on. - All right. - I'll see that for you all. - Same. (singing) ♪ And it's a matter of time ♪ ♪ Rain on me, hey, hey ♪ ♪ Rain, boy, me ♪ ♪ She said, oh, me ♪ ♪ Rain on me ♪ ♪ I said, hey ♪ ♪ Rain on me ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ - I'll be up on it, I'll be up on it, yeah. (laughing) - Yes! - All right, let me give you that one, 'cause you got it. - All right, all right. - I was like, "Rain on me." - Kendrick Lamar. (dinging) - Yeah, this one, from my, I don't know if they've, I don't think so. Am I mistaken? - No, sorry. - Uh-uh, all right to this, man. (laughing) - No. No, damn, no. (dinging) - If you grab this, I'm ready. - No. - Oh my, I don't think I know that. (laughing) - Yes, yes. ♪ And then he, and then I'm, uh-uh ♪ ♪ And then I'm, and then I'm, uh-uh ♪ ♪ And then I'm, uh-uh ♪ ♪ And then I'm, uh-uh ♪ - Hey. - Hey. - Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. - Hey. (dinging) (laughing) ♪ And then I'm, uh-uh ♪ ♪ And then I'm, uh-uh ♪ - Hey, Sam. - I'm just saying. - Hey, Sam! - I know you know. - I know you know. - Why would I just do that? Why would I just do that? Pick it up and look at it like, "Can't nobody see me cheap?" (laughing) - Is it me? - Yeah, it's you. - I picked this. - No. - David Bowie. - I mean, fire, though. - We'll be very fired. I don't know if they've done anything. - On what planet? (laughing) - I mean, I'm, I mean. - I don't see it, I don't see it. - I'm not, I'm not. - You see it, I don't see it. - All right. I'm like, what, what happened, I grabbed? - Daniel Cesar are giving you on. - It's probably not that. - No, we go on the, on the collab. - Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. - I was like, I ain't giving you on. I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, what the hell? - Hold on a second. - Hold on a second. - Hold on a second. - Shaker? (laughing) - What is my giving on sound like Shaker? (laughing) - I was like, hold on. - Shaker. - When we go in with this one. (laughing) - Go there. - No, that was Janet Jackson. I keep forgetting we have a camera up here so you can, so the people can see. - Well, how does it go? - It goes. (clearing throat) ♪ Hello, hey, hmm ♪ ♪ Troll for hours last night ♪ ♪ And we made it nowhere ♪ ♪ I see stars in your eyes ♪ ♪ One half way there ♪ ♪ And I'm not faced by all the lights ♪ ♪ And flash your cameras ♪ ♪ 'Cause with my arms around you ♪ ♪ There's no need to care ♪ - Hmm, hmm, beautiful people. ♪ Beautiful people ♪ ♪ Top, top, the Santa Claus ♪ ♪ Fucked for a fashion show ♪ ♪ But you've turned up ♪ ♪ And the Santa would have beautiful people ♪ - Why that cute up for me, the saucy Santana. I don't know. But all of a sudden, I was like. (laughing) - For no reason. - That was that. (laughing) - I was thinking about it. There's no reason for this. - That was sudden. It was like, that's not a beautiful people kind of vibe, but for some reason. - I was that, and I was like, no, tennis. (laughing) - What a beautiful song. - What was it like to work with it? - Incredible. Like, Ed to me was one of the most selfless creators that I've worked with collaborating for sure. - Is that right? - Like, he really gave me a space. Like, he brought me on a stadium tour with him and it's just like, run free and do your thing and have your set and have your fun. And I'm like, to be able to believe that I can entertain a room that large and hold my own, I respect him through and through and he's really awesome and he has a great air and lots of love. - Lots of love. - For Ed sharing. - Between the two of you, it's like every wedding song. - I'll take that. (laughing) - Okay, this next one, let's see. We got Sizzah. - She's so persuasive. (dinging) - That's something faith. That's it. ♪ How does it feel to be you? ♪ (laughing) - I know, that's right. How does it feel to be you? ♪ - Come on, Sizzah. - Sizzah, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. - It's so good. - Yo, Sizzah's unmatched one. Don't you unmatched, too. - So I loved this song before Sizzah got on it. - Me too. - But then when Sizzah got on the song, I was like, how you made this song? I thought it could be no better. (singing) - Like the melodies that she's just skating on and singing on, you just know that it's like, it's just visceral, it's like it's in her not on her. - Yeah. - And then like, within the next dance it totally switches it up into it. Now it's a totally different song. It's unreal. - Yeah, and don't she is a visionary? Like, let's just like put it out, it is. - Yes. - Because I've had the privilege to be able to see her live. - Same. - It's crazy have to have this conversation. - Unintended, literally. Is there a world where you two. - I would, yeah, I would love it. - Here together and create. - I would love that, you know, because I really respect Do Chi and I really fuck where her sound. And I would love to like, oh my God. Anytime I feel like I'm the guy, like if anybody is thinking that they want me on it, to me, that is, that's a privilege in itself. And I'll try my hardest. - Just saying Do Chi, and I'm music. Just saying. - Or whatever. - And if not, it's okay. - And if not, you know, also. - I still fuck with you. Queen. Latifa? - No. - Whee! What? (laughing) (laughing) - Is that the liquor that's me? (laughing) - Hey, Queen said, don't sing that damn song. - No. - 'Cause if you ain't gonna do it right, don't sing it. - Right on your throat, don't sing, we know. - Don't sing that damn song. Now, you know better than the Chi, that damn song. - That was hilarious. - Dead. - Whew, okay, Queen. Apparently not Latifa. - Okay, here we go. - I think it's two different eras. - Okay, so then you gotta, okay, let's see. - We will rock you, but you gotta find it. - David Bowie. ♪ On the pressure ♪ ♪ Breaking down on me ♪ ♪ On the pressure ♪ ♪ It's all I love to see ♪ ♪ On the pressure ♪ - That's yours. - Respect. - Oh, yes. You got me. ♪ Du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du du. - I'm here now. I'm here now. See, I was feeling bad, 'cause I thought I got left behind. - And you were there all along. - You can probably be there. See? Thank you. I'm gonna give you my birthday. - That's yours though. ♪ On the pressure ♪ Lady Gaga. Okay, we got Gaga again. Bradley Cooper. ♪ I'm on the deep end of what's out of heaven ♪ ♪ I'll never leave you right ♪ ♪ Press through the surface where they can hurt us ♪ ♪ We're far from the shadow now ♪ Oh my god, in the harmonies. - You hit the dog, whoa! - They want to join. - It's a body, it's a body, it's a body, it's a body. - That song. - I'll take it. - I'm gonna tell you, when they perform that, was it the Oscars? And everybody was like, you know they go together. - I think it's, you know what's so awesome about that song is that it was intended for the movie, but it really broke. Like, barriers of how successful, like, the song was extremely successful. Yeah, like Bradley Cooper had a country career as a result of making this movie. - I think that's like my dream is to have like, well, love that, it's on the movie. - And I'm out of here, I don't actually buy this song. - Okay, everybody, everybody. I guess I live my dream already. Okay. But I want to have like, the main song. - It's my dream, a new dream. - Okay, we can dream a new one. Go ahead. ♪ You turned up, you turned up, you turned up the scene ♪ ♪ You turned up the scene ♪ ♪ But what does it mean ♪ ♪ Then I'm a shadow ♪ ♪ A command of the light ♪ ♪ And you tell me I'm wrong ♪ ♪ Then you gotta prove your right ♪ ♪ What the hell is that video? ♪ ♪ The thing in, whoa ♪ - Oh my God, the video for screen. - It's fire, it's probably one of my favorite. ♪ Makes me want to scream ♪ ♪ Stop touching me ♪ ♪ Stop, but you have ♪ - Oh, man. - It just comes from the gut. It comes from the gut. - Yeah. - I don't have that in me. - The neck. - Come on, just-- - The kick, the neck. - Yeah. - Yeah. (laughs) - Not saying one lyrics. - Yeah. Jamal. - I'm following. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. (grunts) - Now Janet, Janet's one of my favorites. - Janet, the thing I love about Janet is her stage performance is the walk and snap. You know, no body walk across the stage. - Yeah. - Like, when she get to the hip, when she get to her spot, she-- - Yes. I think she drew one of these. - To me. - You're nervous about her snapping cursive. - Yeah, and it has a song I feel like should have been way bigger. Um. (humming) ♪ Dutton like a banana ♪ ♪ Dutton like a banana ♪ ♪ Dutton like a banana ♪ - She said, "Mmm." - "Don't stop, don't stop." ♪ Dutton like a banana ♪ ♪ Dutton like a banana ♪ ♪ Dutton like a banana ♪ She said, ♪ We can dance all night ♪ - She said, ♪ It's time to have you ♪ ♪ Let me know just when we are ♪ - She takes her time with it. - ♪ Don't keep me ♪ - She says, ooh, she says, ♪ You could dance all night, woo ♪ - It's so good. - She's been way bigger. - It's so good. - I love the music video. ♪ In spoo ♪ - Right? I mean, you, come on. - Yeah, right, like for real, it was. - I mean, a little bit. - Yeah, but like, really though. - But like for real, like eight. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, it was like, okay. - Okay, okay, okay. - Eat it, I'll take it. - Yeah, like, full. - My God, say she's hefty. - hefty. - Hey, need to die, no more. - I'll take it. - It was very, you know, people talk about like, so-and-so coded or like, inspired by, I feel like this music video, this song, was like a love letter to like your early influence. - Yeah. - Like, I love, like, I really love Janet. Like, I have like, maybe like five T-shirts. She see me post one and she's like, "We're picked." (screams) (laughs) - I love Janet. Like, I just love Janet. I love everything that she's about creatively. I just love her. - Okay, oh, Justin Bieber is our next cue for the collab. ♪ I gave my pieces I'd enjoy ♪ ♪ And I said, I don't even gotta do that shit ♪ ♪ I don't even gotta do that shit ♪ - Meanwhile, I was like to be like, ♪ Ya, me, ya, me, ya ♪ ♪ Ya, me, ya, me, ya, me, ya ♪ ♪ Ya, me, ya, me, ya, me, ya, me, ya, me, ya, me, ya, me, ya ♪ - That's awesome. - It knows. - It knows. - It knows. - It knows. - Justin. - Who are that? - We, uh, we love it. - We love it. We love it. - That's also fire. - Marvin Gaye. - I don't know where I just went. - I don't know what game I thought I was just playing this now, but I was losing. - Marvin Gaye. - Marvin Gaye. - Okay, hold on. Tammy Tarell. This one goes, uh, uh. ♪ Ain't no mountain high enough ♪ ♪ Ain't no mountain low enough ♪ ♪ Ain't no river wide enough ♪ ♪ To keep me from you ♪ ♪ Ain't no mountain high enough ♪ ♪ Ain't no river low enough ♪ ♪ Ain't no river high enough ♪ ♪ To keep me from you ♪ - Yeah! - We're about to be made. - Wait. (laughing) - Is that Harmony Tour? - I'm just saying. - I'm just saying, huh? - Hello. - Okay. - I'm gonna die if you think it too far. - I'll take it. - I'll take it. - Right, Gary. - Oh, shit. - I feel like this is yes. ♪ Do you will ♪ ♪ Is all that I wanted to see ♪ - Oh, yes. Yes. ♪ Little when out in the world and chill ♪ Yes, yes. ♪ One, two, three ♪ - Yes, yes, yes, yes. ♪ You can go, go, go, go, go ♪ - I'm not even gonna attend. ♪ We, we, we, we, we ♪ ♪ The lick ♪ - There's no singing like "Vendor." ♪ The lick ♪ ♪ I never told ♪ - Live in there. ♪ Live in there ♪ - Live in there, man. - Live in that. - ♪ We start ♪ ♪ To a good way ♪ - Here. That's good. (laughing) Just not on no melody or no song, but all committed. Don't, some (dinging) I think that's you, right? - You, Greg? - I'm a savage. - Grassy, bougie, nasty. (screaming) - Akin, stupid, was haining. (laughing) - Was haining. - Was haining. - The COVID situation. And that song, it got me through. - Yo, I think for me, it was just, the both of them being from Houston and like coming together and it just was like cultural. It was just was like, it was like, damn, she really got the collab. - And like the deal. - Yeah. - Like lifted her up out of that situation. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - You know what I'm saying? - It's crazy. - That's all, I don't even do TikTok dances 'cause I'm not coordinated like that. I tried that one. - It's still in my phone. - I think that was like the start of like the, that really like set a tone of the TikTok dances. - Yeah, let me know when you win. - Yeah. - It let me know. - I'ma like a lean with a rock with a tight. - Yeah, give me some sense. - But as soon as you talk to the club, I'll be like, you know what I'm saying? It's like, I gotta learn a full count to-- - Angles? - Oh, nah. - Transition? - Oh, nah. - Okay, Selena Gomez. Okay, let's see. Yes. - Come down, come down, hey. You know that. - You sing it, you sing it. - Come down. - Come down. - Come down. (singing in foreign language) - We love this song. - Come down. (singing in foreign language) ♪ To be gone deep, we're yellow ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ See me, yeah, I, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ See you, I, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ - I'm also, I don't know what language I started speaking, but it was apparently it's an African way. - Come down. - Okay, how many did you get? - Hmm. - Okay, 20, 30, 40. - Okay, I am gonna be the honest one and say, I got five cards. - Tell me, something I got sent, I think I might have got you. - No. - I think I might have got you. - No. - No. - No. (laughing) - Cuticle up, we're coming. Everybody give it up a go at one time. Oh my goodness, I had so much fun. - So much fun. - You are the bomb. - Oh my God. - Thank you so much for coming over. I think we made one more, would you say one more round? -Shall we? -I'm done! -One more round. -No fringes of them. -Huh? -Cue the collage of the game. -Oh, okay. -Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. They say something else, and they just, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, come down. [MUSIC]