The Culture (Ep. 06) w / Bada$$ MoralesPresented by Half-Moon Music // Hosted by Adria del Carmen Morales
Los Angeles, California, USA
July 22, 2023{Intro Title}
This is “The Culture”, this is what we do it for. You’re locked in to “The Culture” with the freshest RnB and Rap hits around, mixed with some of the stone-cold classics. You’re on Half-Moon Music and this is “The Culture”. Sit back and vibe out right now, we’ve got you covered. The freshest RnB and Rap hits around. “The Culture” with ya girl Bada$$ Morales, only on Half-Moon Music.
“Tha fuck is happenin’? We back into this shit cause the industry has been poppin’ off lately, we got a whole bunch of shit to talk about and run through and two big tracks to play us out. Things went from totally silent to major fuckin’ crazy within a week or two, for real it caught ya Tijuana Princess off guard. You know me, I was travelling from City to City, just out there vibing and enjoying all of this down time, but then shit starts rumblin’ and I’m back at base in Los Angeles to start putting together the next show. Doesn’t mean the fun has to stop, so let’s get into all of the latest news around the RnB and Rap scene.
We’re gonna start out with ‘Jadyn Ghalen’, we highlighted his first solo single last time out “Mentality Monster”, stepping into the solo game and showing us where he can go when he’s in his own lane. He’s continuing to overshadow his ‘Orion’ bandmates, dropping his second single “Euphoria” which will be one of the songs we highlight later for you as well as hoppin’ on a track with pop queen ‘Radio Vine’. For real, nobody saw that shit coming, nobody ever thought they’d be able to mesh their styles together but that crazy bitch somehow managed to get it to work, they felt like a natural fit and the feature added an extra layer to the song. Props to him for making shit happen and I’ve been given details that his third solo single will be coming soon and the debut E.P ain’t gonna be a million miles away from being released. To me, it feels like his stock is fuckin’ rising beyond ‘Orion’, the fact that we ain’t heard shit from ‘Bellows’ and ‘Circuit’ from a solo situation during this downtime makes me wonder whether he needs ‘Orion’ more than they need him, right now.
Speaking of ‘Orion’, they returned to the stage as a threesome in South America for a run of shows in July as support on ‘Rum & Coke’s’ The Family World Tour, so it shut down rumours that they ain’t on the same page anymore. Jadyn kept saying it was just time off from the group and I’ve heard that they’re already hitting the studio together and starting work on the sophomore ‘Orion’ record. I didn’t get out to South America but I had a couple of people out there hit me up and say that they looked like they were all good and down for this return as a group.
The ‘Rum & Coke’ world tour will be heading to Africa at the end of August for the final leg of the huge tour. We’re out here hoping that this means we’ll be seeing those fuckin’ iconic ladies back in the studio either together or solo real soon cause girlies we need that shit right now!
Bring the Heat festival delivering a fuckin’ crazy weekend, some of ya’ll already know that I was out there for the weekend, partying it up as a fan, but VIP passes meant that ya wild one was runnin’ around living that luxury lifestyle, hanging with some real ones. The festival was put together under the ‘Just Record’ name and had some of the best RnB and Rap artists around right now throughout the weekend. We’ve already done a show running down the performances, so check that shit out to see just exactly which performances stuck out over the weekend. We had big returns, surprise guests and epic setlists from the very best performers around right now including Younghood, Dae Ho Park, Kara Romero, JasmineCharm and Kidd Amaze, just to name a few.
One of those that made a statement was ‘Younghood’, he really put out the visuals for this one and brought this new era into focus with his performance. He used the platform to give us a taste of this new era and attitude and a few days later officially announced the new era with the album title “Gang Shit” due out in September 2023. He spoke about the album and it looks like he’s gonna be moving away from that more mainstream popular sound of the debut album and into a more real and gritty album that focuses on the street life and darker elements of that lifestyle. I think this feels like a much less safe approach but I think in ‘Younghood’s’ hands, this will be a big fuckin’ record to look out for. It could be a game changer if he gets it right.
And the final one, we need to talk about ‘Billy’. He did a great in-depth interview with Ashford, talked a lot about where he came from and his battles throughout his entire life and talked about his next album. He followed the interview up with “The Entertainer” which is ‘Billy’ at his cocky and confident best. You already know the album is the most anticipated record and he’s out here teasing us. “The Entertainer” is one of our highlighted tracks coming up, so stick around for that.
That covers the latest news around the scene, we living for this level of activity. But ya girly ain’t finished with the show yet, I caught up with one of our favourite Chica’s in the industry ‘Kara Romero’ to shoot the shit. I hopped on a video call with her a couple of days after the Bring the Heat Festival and we talked about a whole bunch of stuff, so let’s get into it;
Kara, my beautiful sis. How the fuck are you doing right now?Kara: I’m feeling so fuckin’ good right now. Things are crazy, you know how I’ve been runnin’ recently but I’ve been working towards this since 2012, legit.
It’s been a long ass time, for real. You’re getting your flowers now, no doubt. But you took the long way around.Kara: Definitely, it was all about figuring out what sort of artist I’m meant to be. Doing shit that just didn’t fit or didn’t feel comfortable. But we’re here in 2023 and I feel like we’re on the right path now.
So right now, you’re on a crazy world tour. Your first ever headlining tour. How’s that been?Kara: Wild, truly! When I was working with my label and management they were looking at doing a world tour and having it finished in like four months, less shows. The fans are more likely to travel to see me after my latest album. That was the general tone, but I wanted to stretch it out and really go for it. We’re gonna be running for almost a whole year, April 2023 to like maybe Feb 2024.
Mentally and physically, that shit’s gonna take it’s toll though, surely?Kara: We’ve designed it with enough breaks in between shows and enough breaks in between continents. But you know, I’ve brought some great opening acts on the road with me and some guests have came along for the ride for a few days along the way. You came and hung out for a few days with us when we were in Georgia and Florida early on. We make sure we work hard and play hard, but so far it’s been all fun.
Yeah, I was supposed to just hang for the two nights in Atlanta but I ended up doing six nights on your bus with you. I thought I could hold my own when it comes to drinking but you were tough to keep up with.Kara: We gotta have our fun after the show. The first couple of nights I’d not drink and just try to wind down but with the adrenaline I wasn’t sleeping so we decided early on to party after the shows and sleep early morning to mid-day if we can. It’s sort of worked, it’s not a schedule I’ll be able to keep after the tour but it works when you’re on the road. We had fun times though, for sure. I’ve always got space for some guests on the road.
I will be hopping on that party bus again, no doubt! So is that basically all you have planned until early next year?Kara: Yeah, pretty much. I think I’ve got a pretty long break in the schedule around December to January so I’m probably gonna head into a studio and try to record some stuff that I’ve written and see how that plays out. But unless I hop on some other people’s tracks, I don’t think you’ll be hearing any new stuff from me for a little while now. We still have a lot of weird complicated shit to figure out between now and the next record.
What kind of complicated shit?Kara: I feel like I’ve spoken about it enough before, but my record deal finishes at the end of the second album’s cycle, so basically once the world tour is over I’m technically a free agent. I guess. I’ve spoken about it before in interviews, even on the conversation with Ashford for Half-Moon Music. I said it a year ago, my preference is to stay with them, but we just ain’t had that conversation yet. I feel like I overdelivered on my last album and I want to start thinking about the next record but I feel like I can’t until I know what I’m working with.
Fuck, you’ve been with that label for eight years. It’d feel pretty weird to be anywhere else, right?Kara: Yeah, I fuck with those guys in a big way. Jay Rock is my dude, he signed me when I was a fuckin’ kid and TJ has backed me up every time I’ve needed someone to back me up. But the possibility of being somewhere else is maybe something I’m gonna have to think about, it’s one of those scary exciting ideas. I’m with Dahlhouse management and they’ll fuckin’ bring some ideas to the table, I’m sure.
You performed at the Bring the Heat festival last weekend, how was that?Kara: It was a lot of fun, we haven’t had an industry thing like that for a while where you get to hang out with all of these people. We both hung out for a little while backstage, drinking and smoking. I spent some time with Younghood and Lotus and they joined me onstage. I didn’t get to speak to him but I watched Kidd’s set from the side of the stage which was so fuckin’ good. I spoke with a bunch of people I’ve not had the chance to meet yet, like Diego Lopez, Tahlia, the Jasmine Charm girls and Cerys was an absolute sweetheart.
Bringing Younghood and Lotus out onstage with you, that was a wild surprise?Kara: Yeah, I didn’t plan on having anyone come out, but Lotus hit me up before the festival and said she was gonna be hanging out backstage during the weekend so we arranged for her to come out and do a couple of songs. Younghood was already performing on the Friday night, so he decided to hang around another day to perform our song together. It felt like a memorable moment and a chance we couldn’t pass up on.
The chemistry was there between you and Younghood, the song requires it but I thought there was some looks between you both. Anything going on there?Kara: Really? I thought people might have focused on the sparks between me and my baddie Lotus, nobody picking up on those vibes? But for sure, the song with Younghood kind of requires that type of electricity. It came through on the record and in the studio, so it’s just gonna come out in the song naturally when we’re performing together. We’re singing about fuckin’ each other, so the crowd’s gotta believe it through the performance. But for sure, he’s a really fuckin’ chill dude, we’re pretty close and there’s a chemistry there but ya’ll can maybe get a little carried away in the passion of the performance.
You know ya girl’s digging for an exclusive, but you ain’t biting. Last try though, relationship status currently. I’ve spent time with ya recently, I think you’re a Queen just having her fun, but the fans want the question asked?Kara: It’s complicated? (laughs) … Nah, you got it one hundred percent. I’m on the road for the best part of a year, zero commitments and a lot of fun to have along the way. I could give a couple of names that people might know, but there’s an unwritten rule in the industry. I feel like names should be left out of it, if it’s not turned to something substantial. I think the safest way to answer is to just say I’m out here having a good time.
Long may it continue, sis! Thanks for dropping in for a chat, see you soon!
Jadyn Ghalen – “Euphoria”
“ She don't wanna commit, and I get it
My history tells her more than my present
But I ain't just gonna fall in line, saying what she wants to hear
Just to get to where I wanna be with her
You know I ain't one for cheap "I love you's"
Just to get you in my bed
Won't turn it on just to fuck you
Babe, I know you better than all ah dat
She ain't no stranger to the high life
She got em' competing in a prize fight
She ain't impressed by the bright lights
She too good for the compromise
She got them street smarts
But she live that mansion life
She takes care of her business
Fuck a nine to five
Boss bitch is how they see her
Ain't no compromise
Got me feelin' all kinds of euphoria
When she lookin' directly into my eyes”Billy – “The Entertainer”
“Are you entertained yet?
Are you entertained yet?
I could always pull out another showstopper
Are you entertained yet?
Are you entertained yet?
Get your teeth around this fucking jaw-dropper
Are you entertained yet?
Are you entertained yet?
Are you entertained? Bet.
Out here can get real crazy
I've seen shadows move so shady
Death threats from overblown CEOs
Girl bosses yearning for my embryo
Gratification may be a sickness
It's compensation for what I've witnessed
I'll roll with the punches, take the hits
Learned to survive with my bag of tricks
'Cause I know some people like to say I'm trouble
But guess who was on the phone, offering me double...”