00:02
DJ Whippopatomus
What's good, Everybody? I am DJ Whippopatomus and you are listening to WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh. We are a student run nonprofit radio station based at a North Carolina state university. Here with me today is DJ FBE Big John, alongside local rapper and entrepreneur NOAHH. What's good with y'? All? How you doing?
00:27
NOAHH
What's up? What's up?
00:27
FBE Big John
What's happening? Thank you for having us.
00:29
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, yeah, you already know. Go ahead and introduce yourself to the people.
00:32
FBE Big John
Well, my name is FB Big John, and I'm from. Originally from Russia, but I grew up in Greenville, North Carolina.
00:40
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, yeah.
00:42
FBE Big John
Been a DJ, entertainer, host. Just in the music scene now, a little over a year now. So, yeah, just blessed to be here. I'm here with my brother NOAHH, if you want to introduce yourself.
00:52
NOAHH
What's good?
00:52
FBE Big John
What's good?
00:52
NOAHH
Yeah, so my name's NOAHH. Artists here in Raleigh, North Carolina, run in the fest, created that last summer. So, you know, do a lot with that. Just trying to help, you know, myself, local music scene. Everybody I love mess with and stuff like that and. And yeah, word, word.
01:10
DJ Whippopatomus
So how did y’all meet?
01:12
FBE Big John
So last year, probably right around this time, to be honest with you, like, we only known each other a year. Yeah, I brought him down because he had just dropped the Noah's Ark and I was really messing with a couple racks with ramen noodles on the way. There was a lot of good singles. And like, I had just started my podcast, which is called Small Talk. It was me and Cole Sipe from. From FBE. You know, family before everything. So were sitting down doing that. I know it was probably around our 10th interview, like, that we. Because when I first cracked into the Raleigh scene, I interviewed Underrated Views, the videographer. And then. And then he brought Les the Genius. And then from there it just. It was. I just met everyone in like a short time.
01:57
FBE Big John
But I got the great opportunity to talk to NOAHH and he brought down Oie. And then you brought down Cloudy Nueve’s mama to Madre Cloud, you know, and his girl. Yeah, yeah. And they got to tell me the Cloudy Nueve story, because the rest in peace to him. First off, you just got to say that I never got the opportunity to meet him. So for me to be a fan and just hear the. Hear the story from the people that knew him best. And then NOAHH got to tell us about in the fest, and then he got to tell us about Noah's Ark, the deluxe, and all the things that were happening. And Cloud's influence on him and their relationship.
02:36
FBE Big John
And so just from there, it was a bond that there's only three people that I can name this past year that I have a strong bond with. It's this man right here, then Abel Masho, then OG Split from Winston Salem. Like, those three have been inspirational to me this year and to how I run my life and how I operate within the music scene. And I'm just blessed to be here. And I owe a lot of that to the man beside me because he brought me into the wonderful community that is the North Carolina music scene.
03:08
DJ Whippopatomus
It's wild.
03:09
FBE Big John
I know.
03:11
DJ Whippopatomus
You drop all those names. It's just the community, the connection, it's just full circle.
03:15
FBE Big John
It feels like a spider web where like. Like, us. Us as DJs and as creators, like, we can all see the map together and we can just operate it together. And just knowing that we're all working towards one bigger goal, and that's to start the wave of North Carolina music, which I think is coming very soon.
03:32
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, yeah.
03:33
FBE Big John
Like, there's too many. Like, we got Kevin Powers, Weston Estate, doing all, like, their stuff here in Raleigh, and they're. They're major. Their major acts now. YSB.
03:42
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
03:42
FBE Big John
There's so many.
03:43
DJ Whippopatomus
Like, too much momentum out here right now.
03:45
FBE Big John
Exactly.
03:45
DJ Whippopatomus
It can't slow down.
03:47
FBE Big John
And I think it's due to NOAHH and, like, people like me and you, like, who are really showing the love and appreciate and shining a light on what is important.
03:57
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, yeah. Big facts. I mean, somewhere in the Carolinas, we're going to get into that in a little bit, but, yeah, I know that made big strides. I mean, that's what really put me on to a lot of local artists out here. That's how I found out about Cloudy, TiaCorine, Belize, Plenty more.
04:10
NOAHH
That's. That's a lot of legendary names right there, for sure.
04:13
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. But the very first time I met you, Big John or not met you, first time I saw you was at Zach Coke's birthday party. You were mixing for him.
04:23
FBE Big John
Yes. It was Zach and Cam. I, Like, I had no idea that they were twin brothers.
04:27
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, I didn't either.
04:27
FBE Big John
No idea. I said, so whose birthday is it? They said, both of our birthday. I said, no way. He said, y’all brothers, like, like years apart, right? It's just twins. I was like, whoa. And then wanna got to. That's when I met Wanna og and he opened up and did the song he had with Zac Hocus. That was really cool. But, yeah, I that was. Yeah, I have a lot of love. They gave me a little tank top for that little thing.
04:54
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, yeah.
04:55
NOAHH
Fun.
04:55
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. That's my first time meeting them, too. And, like, they let me in their house, and then they took me on their party bus and took me out and everything. He gave me his own pair of shorts to try to get me.
05:06
NOAHH
That's awesome.
05:07
DJ Whippopatomus
They still didn't let me in, though. I had slides. I had a baseball tee.
05:11
NOAHH
Glenwood is treacherous. So lame. They don't realize that they don't let people be themselves. They want everybody to conform to a certain, like, their image and, like, representation of a person. When it's like you end up, you know, excluding a lot of cool people by. By doing that. But only they're going to learn, you know, in the long run.
05:30
DJ Whippopatomus
So, yeah, it'll eventually hit their pockets, huh? If it hasn't already. But yeah, then I also saw you at somewhere in the Carolinas, and have you heard? You just. You've been all over the place. I definitely commend y’all’s consistency. Definitely been seeing y’all make plays out here.
05:46
FBE Big John
Yeah, we did LA this year in December. That's a lot of fun. I have to shout out the Carolina Barbecue Festival. Okay. Viva. Because I was actually the first, like, big gig. Cause that was right before summer. It was two weeks before.
06:02
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
06:02
FBE Big John
And I hit them up and I was like, can I be a part of this in any way? Because I knew, like, OG Spliff and Steady Hyperactive were all performing, and, like, they gave me a chance and they let me be a host. And I had never hosted any event ever, except my own, like, house show, which we called. It was called Break Bread and Chill. And it was like a house party. It was a concert with a live band. It was just something small, and, like, we sold it out. It was like 80 plus people. And that was my only, like, anything on, like, the resume. I said, yo, I do a podcast. I'm good with people. And they took a chance on me.
06:35
FBE Big John
They gave me, like a 30 minute block, paid me, and I was like, yo, I think I can really do the hosting stuff. And then after that, two weeks later, I'm on the biggest stage in North Carolina that the summer ever saw. So.
06:47
DJ Whippopatomus
Yes, sir. Yeah, that. That was crazy. So. So from DJing podcasts, I see you're also managing artists. Yeah, you got a lot going on, and I want to dive a bit deeper into that.
06:58
FBE Big John
Of course.
07:00
DJ Whippopatomus
So, first off, yeah, as we're talking about, you've DJ'd all those festivals and events from North Carolina all the way to California.
07:08
FBE Big John
Yeah.
07:09
DJ Whippopatomus
When did you start DJing?
07:11
FBE Big John
So I was on tour with this band called Spare Change, and I was doing all their light in for them for two years, and then I was just on tour every weekend, and I just wanted time off. And I went to this bar in Greenville called 519. And they gave me a job Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and it was a really country bar. Now I've turned it into where I get to play five plus cloud records a night, and I get to play Marco Luca. I get to play the Abel Ma show. I get to play my homies now. And now, like, the pop my is now the anthem, like, 4, 5, 19. Every night that. That. Like, that. That song comes on and no one's seen it. Everyone in there sings it.
08:00
NOAHH
It's crazy.
08:01
FBE Big John
And that's just a year of me being there and being consistent of showing love to the people that I support the most because they family to me. And if you ain't supporting your family, then, like, you can't really preach that and call it yourself. Like, you're part of the. Like you're part of the scene. You're part of the family. You're not.
08:18
DJ Whippopatomus
What is it? Family before everything?
08:19
FBE Big John
Yeah, that's what FBE means. It means a lot to me because, you know, I'm adopted from Russia, so, like, I didn't have no real family, like, in this country, this world. Like, I don't even know my birth parents. And I'm just here to serve this community because I'm. I'm so pulled to them, you know? Like, I do anything for this, man. I do anything for you. Just to help you out, man.
08:41
DJ Whippopatomus
Good looks, man.
08:42
FBE Big John
Because I really care about this. Like, this is my life.
08:45
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
08:45
FBE Big John
Like, this ain't no hobby. Me and him, we're just talking about this. This is me for life, for real. So, yeah, like, started out, like, DJing there. Like, then that jumped into the podcast, shout out to Doughboy from DO Networks. He's a A R here who lives in Raleigh.
09:02
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
09:03
FBE Big John
And.
09:03
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, yeah.
09:04
FBE Big John
What is A and R Artist and relations. So, like, he does a lot of stuff with Sony and Griselda. Okay. So he's, like, tapped into, like, Shame Gang. He's friends with Crisis, the great producer from the Soul Council. He works with to give him soul. He's just really good dude. And he's the head A and R for Lord Mob, which is kind of like a small syndicate broken off of Griselda Records from Buffalo. And So he. I got up with him, and I bought one of his shirts, and he's like, bro, I think you, like, you really got something. I think you should start a podcast. Like, literally just told meeting him inside of a Sheetz parking lot. And he was like, I think you should do this next month later, start a, like, small talk.
09:46
FBE Big John
And then that's turned into everything we're doing now, like, where I'm in the. I'm in the scene just because someone told me, inside of sheets parking lot. You should do this. And then I got to sit down with him in G4JAG and DO. Because they. They did a whole album in two days. I went and picked him up from Charlotte, and then we came back to Durham, and were at Gim Soul's house for two, three days. And, like, that was a big opportunity for. For Doe to, like, bring me in, like, just to see the whole process, then get to interview them about that. It was just. There's been a lot of blessings. A lot of people have looked out for me.
10:20
DJ Whippopatomus
See that?
10:20
FBE Big John
Yeah.
10:21
DJ Whippopatomus
That's wild, man. Constant moves being made.
10:24
FBE Big John
Yeah.
10:25
DJ Whippopatomus
All around.
10:25
FBE Big John
And it just feels like minimal effort, man. It just feels like the universe provides.
10:29
DJ Whippopatomus
Yes, sir. I love to hear that.
10:31
FBE Big John
Yeah, it's all blessings.
10:33
DJ Whippopatomus
So, yeah, let's. Let's get into somewhere in the Carolinas a little bit. So in my eyes, that was a major success. Like. Like, I already said, y’all put me on to a lot of local artists out here, and that's when I first started working for the station. That really helped me build a base to help. Yeah.
10:47
FBE Big John
You know, like, who's around and who's really about their stuff. That's my man.
10:52
DJ Whippopatomus
You learned.
10:54
FBE Big John
You did the whole scouting report. You said, who's here, what's poppin? And now you probably bring. You could bring into anyone just name dropping.
11:02
DJ Whippopatomus
I've been trying to put so many people on Tia Corinne. Cause I'm from Virginia beach, actually, and.
11:05
NOAHH
I got my seven five. Seven, man.
11:07
DJ Whippopatomus
Stand up.
11:08
FBE Big John
Yes. Stand up. Yeah.
11:10
DJ Whippopatomus
Real quick. Shout out. Seven five.
11:12
NOAHH
Yeah.
11:13
DJ Whippopatomus
What you know about the 757.
11:17
FBE Big John
Explicit things in Virginia Beach? Bringing them back to North Carolina.
11:21
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I'm really trying to connect the bridge between Virginia and North Carolina.
11:26
FBE Big John
Now. There was a few artists from the Carolina Barbecue Festival that were from Virginia Beach. Oh, for real?
11:32
NOAHH
Yeah.
11:32
FBE Big John
They had a few artists out there. Like, I can't remember names, but there's so many people that day.
11:36
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, yeah. We got some things going out there, too.
11:39
FBE Big John
Intellect, I think Was one of the persons.
11:41
NOAHH
Okay.
11:42
FBE Big John
Yeah, I think he was from Virginia Beach.
11:44
DJ Whippopatomus
He was really cool.
11:44
NOAHH
And then Wasi was on Winter and if you've ever heard of Virginia. Got now. Yeah, I do, yeah, I'm about. That's like Wassi's like managed by them or whatever. And like this year I'm actually gonna work with him like to set something up like in the fest in like Virginia. So. Yeah, yeah. Oh, so that's like a little bomb like that we can drop on the interview. But. And yeah, Whippo set, John said. NOAHH said all that?
12:11
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, Hell yeah.
12:13
FBE Big John
And then. And then like next up, the dude we did the LA show with is from Danville, Virginia.
12:20
NOAHH
Okay.
12:21
FBE Big John
And then who else?
12:22
DJ Whippopatomus
I mean we're neighbors. Really.
12:23
FBE Big John
Yeah, like right there. Like there's a lot.
12:26
NOAHH
That's all I know creatives around here. Creatively. Yeah. My homie Wap stays in Virginia.
12:32
FBE Big John
Austin Skinner.
12:32
NOAHH
Oh yeah. Austin Skinner. Yeah.
12:34
FBE Big John
And then the 999Memphis.
12:37
NOAHH
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. That's all the Virginians I can name off the top of my head in Ganza. He said like DMV area though, so that counts. But still. Yeah, that's about it.
12:45
DJ Whippopatomus
It's kind of. Yeah, we claim it.
12:47
FBE Big John
Exactly.
12:48
DJ Whippopatomus
So you are also the co host of a podcast called Small Talk. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
12:56
FBE Big John
Yeah, well, Small Talk was a, like was just something for me to get to know these people and understand the backstory of all these artists because there's so many interviews. Like I've watched the no Jumpers, I've watched the big boy interviews and I see it's all the same questions and it's always about the artist. They never ask about the person that is the artist. And Small Talk, it was just like, bro, you tell me about what you do, man. I don't know you. This is the first time we ever met. I invited you to Greenville, North Carolina to a dead end little house at the end of a corner beside the sheets. And then we're going to YA across the street after this talk. And they just sit there and they tell me like how they're feeling, what, like what drives their artistry.
13:41
FBE Big John
And it's just, it's not a generic regular like radio interview that you see on all like the mainstream platforms. It's more of an intimate conversation. Definitely. And therapeutic and like people have asked to do more and like to come back for part twos, like. Cause they're not done telling their story. But I had to take a Break from all that because I've been on the road, I've been doing all these shows, but I'm linking up with Sage Mode Music. They're out of Wilmington. It's two guys named Liam and Connor.
14:17
DJ Whippopatomus
All over the state.
14:19
FBE Big John
But Liam played football for ECU and we got to be really good friends. I got him on the media team for. In the festival. And I said, bro, like, you got all this podcast equipment. Because Cole wanted to step down, focus on, like, his artistry. And I respected that 100% because it was a lot to ask him to be my co host, to do all the videoing for me, because I was just there because I'm good with, like, talking to people. But all the video editing and all that stuff, that's where I lacked at Cole. Like, Cole spent a lot of times editing the first three, and he was like, bro, I'm an artist at the end of the day, but I support you as a brother. So bringing in Liam and, like, he now has the podcast in mics and he wants to.
14:59
FBE Big John
He wants to step in and start really doing, like, stuff with me. So having them doing these collabs to get. Because I got 30 small talks, I got two seasons worth of interviews with your favorite artists, like in the vote. Yeah. Just sitting there and. And it's going to be cool when they're released this year and they can look back what happened a year ago and the stuff that they talked about and they manifested within that conversation, and now it's happened a year later.
15:26
DJ Whippopatomus
It's like a time capsule.
15:27
NOAHH
Crazy.
15:27
FBE Big John
Yeah. I was. I was watching NOAHH's the interview about the end the fest, like, and it gave me chills.
15:33
DJ Whippopatomus
Right?
15:34
FBE Big John
Because he did add everything he wanted to five months even before the show.
15:37
DJ Whippopatomus
Damn, that's a year ago.
15:39
FBE Big John
That's wild.
15:40
NOAHH
Hey, we make it happen.
15:41
DJ Whippopatomus
Yes, sir. So what is Family before everything? Records.
15:48
FBE Big John
So FBE Records, like, we didn't really know what to call ourselves, but I was talking to everyone this week just to have a clear identity of who we are. So pretty much FBE Records, it's more of a social network where it's me, Cold Sipe Consumas and AK Neuron, and all four of us, we all lived in Greenville together.
16:12
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
16:13
FBE Big John
Consume and Cole, they, like, Cole was very big in the EDM world. Like, he was signed to no copyright Sounds Tasty records out in LA.
16:21
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
16:22
FBE Big John
And him and consume, they did an EDM track called the My Life in 2018. And I got around them and, like, we. We were like, I Went to Cole's house this first day, and were drinking, and, like, we made a song. It's all wild story, but we came together. We were sitting inside a food line parking lot. I said, bro, I think we could really be a family. Because FBE, before Cole joined, was Fat Boy Entertainment. Because me and justice were both £300. Oh, wow.
16:50
NOAHH
Yeah.
16:51
DJ Whippopatomus
Y’all kept the same acronym.
16:52
FBE Big John
Yeah, we just had to change it up. Cause were like, yo, Cole is a skinny white dude. I don't think he's a fat boy at all.
17:00
NOAHH
It won't fit the agenda.
17:01
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
17:02
FBE Big John
So it turned into family for everything. Because right around that time, one of my friends from college because I. Because I went up to school in West Virginia and played lacrosse where. And.
17:13
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
17:14
FBE Big John
And, like, she. Like, she was found in a bathtub like she had killed herself. And I was like, I see so many of my friends, they never get to accomplish their dream. They're like, I work for the Department of Agriculture, doing agricultural statistics.
17:26
DJ Whippopatomus
Right?
17:26
FBE Big John
Like, was not doing anything amusing. I said, you know what? I'm gonna change this around. Because you know what? Like, we're all meant to be dreamers. But then people stop being dreamers. And, like, I said, I'm never gonna let that die, and I'm gonna chase what I want. And from, like, high school on, I said, yo, I want to be a tour bus driver. I want to be in the music stuff. And, like, from. Yeah, from that simple dream, I said, and I had friends who were doing music in high school. They fell off. Yeah. They never stopped doing it. They. They got sedentary. I said, no, I'm gonna apply the pressure. I'm gonna find a way. So that's when I got in with Spare Change. Cause Cole was the bass player for this cover band, and they're like, yo.
18:02
FBE Big John
He's like, yo, we need a lighting tech, and we need a roadie. Like, you can start learning how, like, to set up stages and understand lights and sounds. And, like, that was my big end for two years. And then after that, I said, I'm quitting and I'm getting a DJ job because I'm confident enough that I. That I know how to do it.
18:18
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
18:19
NOAHH
And so, yeah, believe in yourself.
18:21
FBE Big John
Yeah. It's all been a personal perseverance manifest. Yeah. Watch this materialize.
18:27
DJ Whippopatomus
You know, I feel that shout out.
18:30
FBE Big John
To my boy Kevin. But, yeah, that. That's really where it started. And then.
18:36
NOAHH
So.
18:37
FBE Big John
And then there was this girl named Matt. Her name is Madison Birch. We picked her up. I was yeah, she did a lot of like indie alternative but now she's big. Yeah. Oh, okay.
18:48
DJ Whippopatomus
I need to hit her up.
18:49
FBE Big John
Yeah, she's living in Florida now. Yeah, she's in the EDM scene. There's this DJ around her. His name's Tyler. I don't know if you've heard of him, he's from Raleigh.
18:57
DJ Whippopatomus
I don't think so.
18:57
FBE Big John
But he signed to oh, what is. It's like the XXL in the EDM world and it's down in Florida. And like he got signed to that. He's a huge EDM DJ and he's a great friend of mine.
19:11
DJ Whippopatomus
Hell yeah.
19:12
FBE Big John
And so they have, they did a lot of collab stuff. Cause she just does a lot of vocals for EDM artists now which she's really good at and I always support her but she's not as active now. So it's really just AK Consume Cole and then me and that's FBE. But then I manage West End way.
19:31
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, I saw that.
19:31
FBE Big John
Yeah. And which I just started managing him this year because I'm a two times affiliate, you know, rest in peace to saucepactv, the biggest P to ever do it for real. And I had the opportunity to do his tribute set like at summer like for in the fest and I got to go out to Winston Salem and I got to learn about this 17 year old kid. That was godsend. Like the energy and how he like how he was loved on the east, the north, the like every side of Winston Salem everyone knew who Sauce Pack was and he was 17. I was still in high school mode and he was on a whole different level.
20:16
FBE Big John
Getting signed to two chains like doing all that like that's wild and like I got to meet these boys and we bonded really well and we've been able to get work in, get in plans together to get more Sauce Pack music out and. Cause I really believe in them boys and there's something special and they're going through a lot of pain right now like losing their brother. Sauce Pack, like tb, someone special and that's only a year old like he died like in November of last year. So they're just at that year mark and a little bit of change. So they're still trying to figure out how to bring two times back and keep them active and me coming to them with all these ideas and plans.
20:57
FBE Big John
We're getting it together and that's really important because I really believe in Winston Salem and that's my favorite city to work in North Carolina because that whole Scene loves me, and I love them, and I give them most of my attention, honestly. And I do it all in the names of tb. For real. Two times.
21:16
DJ Whippopatomus
Hey, man, you the glue. That's wild. Yeah.
21:18
FBE Big John
And, like, I've gotten to meet, like, his cousins, his brother, like, all. All the people that he was around, and they're like, man, you could really help us, like, get this stuff back on. Back on track.
21:28
DJ Whippopatomus
I see that.
21:29
FBE Big John
Cause they're. They're hurting right now, and it's. There's. Everything's up in the air, but we're gonna get them. We're gonna get them set. I know Wade. Wade's been doing shows with me. Casey's been doing shows with me. We still got Sauce Pack tributes to do. We're. We're about to meet up with Sud soon, talk to him, get that relationship back together. So it's just a lot of important things are happening in Winston Salem this year, and I'm just glad to be a part of it. So shout out to NOAHH for giving me the opportunity to even meet those guys, because I hadn't heard about saucepac until I talked to OG Spliff a year ago, and that was, like, right after he died. So I didn't want to, like, come straight in and be like, oh, da, da. Like, I just gave him that time.
22:10
FBE Big John
Until I had the opportunity to meet them in a professional way. And NOAHH helped set that up. It was Alley oop. I had. I had Tia Corinne. Like, I DJ for Tia Belize.
22:21
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
22:22
FBE Big John
Sunny Miles.
22:22
NOAHH
Like, a lot of all legends, man.
22:25
DJ Whippopatomus
I'm about to say yeah.
22:27
FBE Big John
Then Big Baby Gucci in LA this past year. And then I was supposed to do the NASCAR Alo thing, but he doesn't like sharing his files.
22:34
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
22:34
FBE Big John
Which is okay. He got his own DJ. He's a really nice dude.
22:38
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, man. That would have been lit, too. Damn.
22:40
FBE Big John
I mean, were on the same stage. I was sitting. I was standing beside his DJ. I just didn't get to spin it. Yeah. I was right there. And, like.
22:47
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
22:47
FBE Big John
And, like. And, like. And then plus. Plus, we talked it out, too. Like, were like. He was like, yeah, man. It's just, like, people love leaking my songs. Like, I'm just on that kind of level. And I was like, I understand that if you got your people that you trust, like, you don't know me. Just some random dude from Greenville, North Carolina.
23:03
NOAHH
Yeah. We are here in your city, bro. We just blessed to be out here.
23:07
FBE Big John
Exactly. And then Gucci, like, great dude. Like, he, like, we Got to go to a Lakers game.
23:12
NOAHH
Like, oh, yeah, we sat in a suite. Yeah. Big baby Gucci. Yeah.
23:17
FBE Big John
I mean, seeing LeBron drop a triple double in.
23:20
NOAHH
In the Staples center in the flesh, too. It's crazy.
23:24
DJ Whippopatomus
Damn.
23:24
FBE Big John
It's never hit so hard because I've only been to two NBA games. Last time I seen, like, the Bobcats play.
23:30
NOAHH
Okay, Charlot Bobcat, you might as well play 2k.
23:37
FBE Big John
So, just getting to experience.
23:38
NOAHH
Gerald Wallace.
23:39
FBE Big John
Oh, my God, no. Gerald Henderson.
23:44
NOAHH
Rookie Kemba.
23:46
DJ Whippopatomus
All right, Jersey. So I'm. I want to talk about a little bit more on your journey, but more so just to get to know you better. So I. I got a couple of random questions I'd like to ask people, man.
23:56
FBE Big John
Like, we family. You, my bros.
23:58
DJ Whippopatomus
I appreciate that. So, first off, what's your favorite place to eat around here or in Greenville or wherever? Oh, gotta be in Carolina, though.
24:06
FBE Big John
It's easy.
24:08
NOAHH
That's easy for him.
24:09
FBE Big John
Pdq.
24:11
DJ Whippopatomus
Where's that at?
24:13
FBE Big John
Raleigh.
24:13
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
24:14
FBE Big John
It's a chicken spot.
24:16
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, man.
24:16
FBE Big John
Yo, NOAHH put me on the pdq, and that's the. What is that? People deserve quality or something?
24:22
NOAHH
No, it's, like, people dedicated to quality.
24:24
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay. Damn.
24:26
NOAHH
All right.
24:26
FBE Big John
Better than Zaxby's.
24:27
DJ Whippopatomus
Better than Zaxby's chicken.
24:29
FBE Big John
The. Better than Bojangles chicken.
24:30
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
24:31
FBE Big John
No. The only other place that it would rival is Dave's Hot Chicken. Like, okay, when were out there.
24:36
NOAHH
And they just got these new spicy tenders and spicy nuggets after this interview. I'm telling you, it's crazy. And they. And they make their own sauces, like, ranch, honey mustard stuff. So they got super good ranch.
24:50
FBE Big John
They have, like, 10 different sauces, bro.
24:52
NOAHH
Hey. And I tweeted out the other day, like, something, and they replied to it because they don't got a big social media following, so might. They might hear this. We might get that little free meal for a year. Shouting them out.
25:03
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
25:03
FBE Big John
Like, if Tia's getting that bow.
25:05
DJ Whippopatomus
Just about to see.
25:06
NOAHH
I need that PDQ time.
25:07
FBE Big John
PDQ time.
25:08
DJ Whippopatomus
What. What Tia did with Bojangles, that was legendary.
25:11
NOAHH
For real.
25:12
DJ Whippopatomus
See a lot more.
25:13
NOAHH
Oh, yeah, we need to do that with pdq. We got to talk to the gm.
25:17
FBE Big John
Need to go down there.
25:20
NOAHH
Yeah.
25:21
FBE Big John
If you're listening, talk to me nicely.
25:24
NOAHH
All right.
25:25
DJ Whippopatomus
You a dog or cat person?
25:27
FBE Big John
Definitely a dog.
25:28
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
25:29
FBE Big John
Like, my mom did some really. It was really screwed up. I came back from college, she said, yo, like, your dog's in the backyard. And I was like, all right, I'm gonna go see my dog. D.J. You know, my favorite golden retriever. I look outside and like, mom, where's my dog? She said, yeah, he's. He, he's over there beside Dudley. And I was like buried in the backyard. She said, yeah, he died on my birthday. Came back a month later, like around like spring break from college, from West Virginia in the middle of LAX season. I'm just like, you didn't tell me for a whole month my dog just been dead. She said, yeah, it happened only my birthday. So, you know, but I haven't had a dog since, so. Because that really just screwed me up.
26:06
FBE Big John
I feel that I come home outside, excited to pet my dog after months of being up in West Virginia, the freezing cold, and I come back to even more coldness.
26:16
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, no, I got a dog and a cat too, so. I know how you feel, man, but.
26:22
FBE Big John
I want a golden retriever eventually, whenever I settle down and I'm not so.
26:25
NOAHH
Busy and you can take care of it.
26:27
FBE Big John
Exactly, yeah.
26:28
NOAHH
That's why I got a bearded dragon. So I could just, so I could just stop by, throw them some crickets and some worms, pat them a little bit and go on my way.
26:39
FBE Big John
Simple.
26:40
DJ Whippopatomus
All right, I got one more those types of questions for you.
26:43
FBE Big John
Oh, these are great.
26:44
DJ Whippopatomus
How many hours of sleep you get a night?
26:47
NOAHH
Four.
26:48
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, okay.
26:49
FBE Big John
But also, like I'd be up like I'm a night owl. So I work until like 5 o' clock in the morning and then sleep.
26:54
DJ Whippopatomus
Till like 10am and that's why I asked. Everyone's got their own work classes.
26:58
NOAHH
No, you sleep till like 2pm I'm telling you, like that's just how I know John. Like I'm not getting a text from him before 1pm and if it is, then it's just a miracle and he's got to be up handling business.
27:12
FBE Big John
Yeah, that means I've been up from the night before. Oh, okay. Because I usually send out all like my stuff, like networking on Instagram or emails or anything. Send it out during the night, get sets back to people, and then they hit me up that morning when they actually wake up. And then I wake up in the evening, I'm like, oh, we're gonna do a follow up call. I've been asleep. But I see that you got your stuff handled. Let me handle this.
27:37
DJ Whippopatomus
All right. So you said you're from Greenville. What was it like growing up there? Oh, man, you were there since you were a kid.
27:45
FBE Big John
Yeah, I came here in 1999. Across. Across the ocean.
27:50
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
27:50
FBE Big John
Yeah, straight out of Europe. You know that's what's up. But being raised in Greenville, I was a very different person in high school. I was focused on the athletics. I was. Did basketball, soccer, okay. Like, very good at soccer as a goalkeeper. But then my junior year of high school, like, I broke my back, and my L1 to L5 collapsed. So I had to relearn to walk. And then that's how I got to be 300 pounds, because I was, like, 220, very athletic. And then being in, like, a wheelchair can't really be walking, you know, like, that was just. That was. But then it gave me the determination. So I sat out my senior year, got kicked out of private school because I was there for athletics. And then I went to public school. My first year ever.
28:34
FBE Big John
I did 13 years of private school. They threw me in my senior year to public school. I was looking green, I tell you. Looking green in there. I had no idea what public school was about until I got there, and it was real shout out South Central dirty bird for life. You know, barely there, but there enough. Yeah. So that year, I just. I was doing a lot of farming stuff and just learning to walk again.
28:57
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
28:57
FBE Big John
And then I said all my offers got, like, got taken back because they thought I was done athletically. But Potomac State College at West Virginia University, they believed in me. So I went up there, and the soccer coach was like, you're just too big. Like, you're £300. I'm gonna have to red shirt you. And I was like, nah, that's not happening. And then the AD saw me. He's like, you know, the lacrosse team needs people. So their coach came down to me, said, yo, I seen, like, you, like, practice. You're. You're good defensively, you know, slides very well. I'll teach you the. I'll teach you, like, the pole skills. So I was a walk on.
29:32
FBE Big John
And I never played lacrosse a day in my life, and I got to play it on the collegiate level, and then I got to go and play a little bit of boxing up in New York. So for me to be able to be a college athlete and then a little bit of semi pro. I did that coming off of a broken back because a doctor told me I could never do it, but I did it just to say I could. And then I dropped out of college. So. Bada bing.
29:54
DJ Whippopatomus
Bada bing. Yes, sir. That's an amazing story. God damn, that's wild. That's a journey, you know, It's a.
30:01
NOAHH
Good one when you get him to curse on the radio,
30:06
DJ Whippopatomus
Hey, goddamn School. No, it's pretty funny. What's cool and what's not.
30:14
FBE Big John
Yeah. I'm starting to realize I've just been playing it safe.
30:20
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. When Sometimes when I get people to send me clean edits and, like, they censor bitch. Like, you can say on. On the radio, you can say ass. All that. And, like, I just get so sad when they sense their bitch. Like, you didn't have to.
30:31
FBE Big John
Why did you do that?
30:32
NOAHH
Try to go in the file and be like, peel the. Clean off.
30:37
FBE Big John
Let me get that back.
30:39
DJ Whippopatomus
So how would you describe the local scene out here in Carolina?
30:43
FBE Big John
Most talented I've ever seen. Yeah. Charlotte, the Winston Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham, Clayton, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Greenville, Rocky Mount, the Lumberton.
30:58
NOAHH
All of them.
30:58
DJ Whippopatomus
Yes.
30:59
NOAHH
Exploding.
30:59
DJ Whippopatomus
Yes, sir.
31:00
NOAHH
It's only gonna take, like, one or two more people to become as big as, like, J. Cole, Dababy, and even Toosie, you know what I'm saying? For everybody to finally be like, all right, like, North Carolina's here, and we got him. Like, like you said earlier, Western Estates blowing up right now. Kevin Powers, Marco, Lucas, everybody. I don't even want to get to naming, because I'm gonna forget somebody and feel bad, but you know what I'm saying? Everybody, everybody.
31:25
FBE Big John
Too many to count. Like, we like to go another 30 to 30 minutes just now.
31:28
NOAHH
And if any of y’all are listening easily, you know I'm saying, stay grounded, keep going, keep your head down. Like, just know we watching all the hard work that, like, you've been putting in is gonna pay off hours a day.
31:38
FBE Big John
Because I'm watching y'.
31:38
DJ Whippopatomus
All.
31:39
FBE Big John
That's how it is. Like, because that's how I, like, I get put on. I just be taking my Adderall, and I just be. Just be going in, like, rabbit holes. Down where? Wherever path. But I'm not exactly. Nah, I stay grounded. I find the most amazing talent, and then I send it over. No, I'm like, hey, man, you should check out buddy right here.
32:01
NOAHH
And then they end up on in the fest.
32:03
FBE Big John
Exactly. Best A and R to do it, I think.
32:05
DJ Whippopatomus
Hell, yeah.
32:06
FBE Big John
And I pride myself in that, because you've given a lot of people great opportunities. And just the way I DJ and I don't spin records, I think spinning records are corny. So I get these records, and I bring these artists out, and they perform their song. They have an opportunity. Yeah. Like, if I have a DJ set, I'm bringing every artist that I play their record. They come out and perform it.
32:29
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
32:30
FBE Big John
Because I'd rather give them that opportunity just to make a fan that night. Because me just playing a song and someone be like, who's that? I'm like, that's who. That is you. I can physically see him. You didn't have to hear him. You can physically see him. I brought the entertainment to you. So I put in the work just as hard as that artist did because I don't want to be a lazy DJ. Yeah, no, never. So that's. That's something that I do different. That's why I'm a different kind of DJ and like I fit into some people's system and like. But then I'm a perfect fit for. For in the fest and all like the different festivals, like, because I. Because I put in the extra work and make it more special is. It's more meaningful to me.
33:08
DJ Whippopatomus
No facts. I feel that. And I felt that in the fest in the summer. I'm mad I missed the Halloween and the. The winter one.
33:14
NOAHH
Don't be upset.
33:17
FBE Big John
To be upset about the winter one. But. But how. But Halloween was just. Was just a sound check. Yeah, yeah, it'd be like a sound check.
33:24
NOAHH
Nah, this. This is the city and the cops made it bad. But hey, like everything else, you bounce back from it. And we had winter and winter was amazing.
33:33
FBE Big John
We're saying they rocked with winter to harder than summer. So that's like, that is a compliment to note.
33:38
DJ Whippopatomus
Damn.
33:39
FBE Big John
Yeah. Like, even, like, even like my own artists, like calling them or saying, yeah, I had a. I had. It was so much more intimate. I think just because the fruit and how it was inside, they felt way more connected to the stage and to the people around them where they could message with. Yeah, yeah. Especially with the crowd. The crowd interacts with each other and then they get to pile up on top of each other. Then the artist feels welcome to like get off stage and be with him. And that's how I saw for your set. Yeah, I saw the room just pull towards you.
34:08
NOAHH
No, I'm glad. And even for you, like, if you ever discover anybody or whatever and you like really believe in them, you're like, yeah, this is fire in any way. Like, send it to me. And like, I'm trying to make sure I have like everybody I can on these stages and you know, given the opportunity to. To these people. Because not everyone knows how to get a show or, you know, get on and you could have however many followers, streams, blah, blah, and never have performed and not get that opportunity. So I'm just trying to help, you know, anybody and everybody that, you know, loves this stuff because that's, you know, I do.
34:38
DJ Whippopatomus
So I definitely have to be passionate.
34:40
FBE Big John
About the people, or you got to have passionate for the passionate people. That's, like. That's what I live. That's, like, my motto for this year.
34:48
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
34:48
FBE Big John
If, like, if I'm seeing someone with passion, it's gonna make me attract towards them, and I'm gonna be like, yo, I'm just as passionate. Let's work together in whatever. Like, the dynamic. It doesn't have to be in a show. Like, it could Me.
35:03
DJ Whippopatomus
It.
35:03
FBE Big John
It could be me just setting up a studio for you. Like, literally. We had a great studio session in Winston Salem. Got three hours before a show in Winston Salem. Had all the homies.
35:13
NOAHH
Had eight different artists always working.
35:15
FBE Big John
Oh, yeah.
35:16
DJ Whippopatomus
Eight.
35:17
FBE Big John
Eight different artists who do all eight different things. They got to gel together in one studio session. And we got three records just off of. Off of just, what, an hour of really working. Like, it's just amazing that how. How much networking honest is a key to success.
35:33
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
35:34
NOAHH
Talk to people.
35:34
FBE Big John
Yeah. And, like, with no ego to just being, like, what can I do for you? Like, what role can I play inside of your path? Because instead of, like, in, like, inserting yourself, you ask, like, what. Like, what do you need help with? And what value can I give to you?
35:49
NOAHH
Mm. That's facts.
35:52
DJ Whippopatomus
One last question before we start closing things out. Who are some artists you used to listen to growing up?
35:59
FBE Big John
Oh, growing up. Oh, my mom hated this. Yo, I was listening to Jeezy hard. I was in Catholic school. I thought I was thugging. Oh, my. Yo, Lil John and the Eastside Boys. I was in the crunk rap hard. I thought Ludacris was, like, the bee's knees. Yes. I was singing Roll out in fourth grade. Like, people were. People in Catholic school thought I was different.
36:23
NOAHH
No, I mean, me, honestly. Like, just, like, radio rap. Honestly, like, all, like, the hit songs. Like, I remember my first, like, hip hop album I had was, like, the Chris Brown with, like, run it.
36:34
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
36:34
NOAHH
And all that stuff on it. Like. Yeah. And, like, way back in the day. And, like, besides that, it was really just, like, whatever. Like, mainstream was whatever I was hearing, like, here and there. But, like, things I remember vaguely is, like, having my, like, Kobe Bryant skull candy headphones on the bus and, like. And blasting, like, Slipknot and, like, Linkin park and, like, rock, you know, rock bands. And at one point, I just remember, like, transition out of that. Like, Lil Wayne. I listened to a lot, like, how to Love I think I played at least like 100,000 times. Same like Lollipop. I remember the first. The first rap song I ever heard. I was at my friend's house. I was maybe like six or seven. Yeah. And it was the. The 50 Cent, like, take you to the candy shop.
37:15
NOAHH
And I remember like his whole get.
37:17
FBE Big John
Rich or die try.
37:17
NOAHH
His whole family, like, snuck into the room and locked us out on some like, you can't watch this. It's like too explicit type of thing. And I remember like, the door got cracked and me and my friend were like peeking through, watching the video from like mad far. And I remember being like, dang, like, I, you know, want to be like, more interested and like, see what is about. Like, what's all this hype about? Basically, like. And just slowly. Yeah, just got more and more like exposed to it and on it. So actually.
37:40
FBE Big John
And then like, another thing for me was like, I had this after school program, like after school because my parents, they work at like their doctors and work at a hospital. And like the bus driver, Ms. Sandra, she's nice black lady, you know, like, she. She really loved me. Like, that's my mama for real. And so she would always turn on the rap station, like on the bus going from the school to the after school place. And like 95.5, she would put me on Kiss FM at like 7 8. And like, I'd be coming home to my mom going like on YouTube. And I was like, yeah, I was listening, like, walk it out on like a little nano in like fifth grade. And like, you were like, why are you listening to DJ Unk right now?
38:20
FBE Big John
I'm like, yo, I'm walking it out fifth grade. I swear to you.
38:25
NOAHH
I'm playing Yu Gi. Oh, this man. Walking it out, right?
38:28
FBE Big John
Like doing a dance too, like in. In like Catholic school. My teachers had no idea what I was doing. So that's why when I got to public school, they knew I was really cranking.
38:39
DJ Whippopatomus
Hell yeah. That's what's up. All right, is there anything else you'd like to let the listeners know?
38:44
FBE Big John
Oh, okay. I actually got a list because all the artists done talking to me. Weston Way. He has a single Saturdays coming out soon. Then January 30th, Consumers has a single called Oasis dropping. And then AK Neuron has a song called FDS dropping this month. And then Cole, you know, he's up in Chicago, he's doing his thing, but he's coming back real soon and he's putting in the hardest work I ever seen because the music he's making right now is beautiful. He got this song called I Won with NOAHH I hope comes out in the next month or so. And then I got. I got shows every month leading up until August, so I'm busy. So tap in. If you need me to host DJ get up with you in any way, I'm here and I'm around and I'll work for you.
39:35
DJ Whippopatomus
Big facts. Where can they find you? On social media, FBE, Big John. That's it.
39:41
FBE Big John
That's it.
39:43
NOAHH
And yet, my bad. No, my end music videos for my past project, putting out new singles, more projects.
39:50
FBE Big John
Everybody knows it's coming and I'm in it, so you better see it.
39:53
NOAHH
That's like. Yeah, that's like the music side of things in the fest. Yeah. I'm hitting all types of cities. Wilmington, Greensboro, Boone, Virginia. Summer Part 2, like, it's about to be crazy. So rather go and get with it. Yeah. Another LA show with next up and intensify. There's a lot coming and as long as you. You stay behind us, we're going to stay behind you. And the second you turn your back on us, you're going to have to watch us take off. So. I'd hate it, you know, I hate.
40:26
FBE Big John
To see it, but we got to.
40:27
NOAHH
Kick them to the curb and. Yeah, you heard. If you would like to follow me, you could find me at. You already. NOAHH with two H's. Y O U already. NOAHH with two H's. All social media. Yeah.
40:41
FBE Big John
And then also, I just want to say, Long live Cloudy Nueve. Long live sauce pack. TV. TV. Long live leak. Saucy. And then recently I DJed his last show, Rest in Peace. Sad Frosty, man. That was a really good experience. I was supposed to go on tour with him this year with him and DC the Don. But now with all the events that have just occurred this past weekend, I don't know what that's going to look like for me, but I'm sending love and support to DC the Dime, Brandon, his manager, the family, all that. Because Sad Frosty was a. He was the first dude in, like LA to really rock with my energy. So a lot of love to him. And then to all the. The fallen. The fallen greats, Fallen angels, you know.
41:25
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. Love and respect to them and all their families.
41:27
NOAHH
Oh, yeah.
41:28
FBE Big John
Got my TV shirt on right here, man.
41:31
NOAHH
Yeah, I got my cloud bracelets.
41:32
FBE Big John
I got cloud on me too, all of that.
41:34
NOAHH
So it's all good two times for real.
41:40
FBE Big John
But if there's anything else, bro shouts out you. Yeah.
41:43
NOAHH
Shout out for real for having us DJ Whippopatomus. You're gonna have so many interviews, like, literally with all these artists as they blow up and people search, you know, NOAHH interview, Masho interview, Tia, Karen interview, whoever like you end up getting. No, whoever. Anybody you want to interview that you know, we know, let us know and we'll connect you. But, like, regardless, like, when people look that up, they're going to find your stuff, and that's going to help blow it up, too. So, like, it's really good to be connected to all that stuff. That's how I look at it with, like, the. In the fest, like, yeah, you know, I'm working with you now. She's got, you know, 2, 3 million followers. I know she's going to get there. She's a superstar.
42:15
NOAHH
So it's, like, to have that relationship now, it's just going to pay off in the long run. And, like, I'm blessed to call her and everybody else that I work with like a. A friend. And I genuinely like real deal family.
42:25
FBE Big John
For real.
42:26
NOAHH
Yeah. Shouts out you. Shouts out this. WKNC 88.1.
42:31
FBE Big John
Thank you for having us.
42:32
NOAHH
Yeah.
42:32
DJ Whippopatomus
Now, y’all are great. It's been a pleasure. I appreciate y'all sharing your stories with us today, and I appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in. And you can check out the other interviews I've did with local artists wknc.org/podcast and click on Off the Record. I am DJ Whippopatomus, and I was.
42:54
FBE Big John
Here with FBE, Big John and NOAHH.
42:59
DJ Whippopatomus
On WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh. As always, don't forget to show some love to the people around you. Y’all be easy.
43:08
NOAHH
Peace. That was sick.