Drake Was P-Lo's Dream Artist. He made it happen.

P-Lo produced the Drake record that put Mac Dre back in front of the world, and the Bay had a lot to say about it.   P-Lo is a producer, rapper and Bay Area architect who helped build the sound that came out of Pinole, Richmond and Vallejo. In this episode he breaks down how "Too Hard For The Radio" actually came together, why honoring Mac Dre mattered more to him than the placement itself, and why he thinks people misread the whole thing as a shot at the West Coast. He also gets into the two records that built Empire, why being independent is more fruitful now than it has ever been, and the day he told his job he was gone with $400 to his name and half of it already spent on a flight to LA.   He talks about what G-Eazy taught him, why the Warriors started a record label, what AI is really taking from artists, and the sacrifice nobody warns you about. Then he makes the case that his best work is still ahead of him, because Quincy Jones made Thriller at 50.   0:00 Cold Open 1:37 The Drake Record Nobody Knew He Produced 2:09 Drake Was The Dream He Spoke Into Existence 2:30 Drake Wanted To Honor Mac Dre 3:06 Was It A Shot At The West Coast 4:04 The Bay Had Mixed Feelings About It 4:40 Mac Dre, Forefather Of Bay Area Rap 6:23 Growing Up In Pinole 7:25 The Records That Raised Him 8:44 Cataracts, The Pack And The Team 10:01 When Your Song Becomes Their Love Story 11:33 Producers Are Already Using Suno 14:54 The Real Problem With AI Is Your IP 16:40 Notebooks Full Of Raps Over Kanye Beats 17:45 Meeting iamSU And Building HBK 19:00 Empire Was Built Off Two Records 20:21 Why Artists Still Sign To Majors 21:52 Why Give Away That Percentage 24:33 Honor The Music And It Honors You 25:25 Being A Good Person Is The Strategy 29:11 Build Horizontally, Not Just Up 31:03 If He Lost Everything Tomorrow 32:38 Passing Out CDs At Rasputin And Hilltop Mall 37:08 The Sibling Rivalry That Built His Confidence 39:03 His Parents Didn't Want Him Making Music 39:54 What His Immigrant Parents Risked 42:19 Why Filipinos Can Sing And Dance 44:56 The CMC Channel After School 46:20 Chad Hugo Made It Feel Possible 48:08 The Crossroad: Wiz, Berner And Juicy J 49:26 He Told His Job "I'm Gone" 49:55 Down To His Last $400 51:27 What G-Eazy Taught Him 53:57 The Warriors Own A Record Label 58:55 Music As A Vehicle Into Everything Else 1:00:49 Quincy Made Thriller At 50 1:03:38 The Sacrifice Nobody Talks About 1:05:58 You Need That Delusion 1:07:27 The New Album, Out The Box 1:09:39 Card Pull: Proudest Moment 1:11:07 Where To Find P-Lo   Follow P-Lo here Follow Arrad (podcast host) here   LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: SPOTIFY APPLE MUSIC YOUTUBE   CONNECT WITH US: ✩ Ourselves (production team): ✩ Instagram ✩ Twitter ✩ TikTok ✩ Facebook