Ep. 2: We Need More Leaders, with Motivational Rapper Fis Banga
Last episode, we started to address the question: Why should we care about black lives, if black people don’t care about black lives?
In episode 2 of Self Inventory, host Brandan Chastang sits down with Fis Banga, a motivational rapper and community activist based in Philadelphia. They discuss the importance of leaders while they were growing up in Philadelphia and how they can help the next generation.
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Self Inventory is a podcast produced by Brandon Chastang and Studio D Podcast Production. You can listen anywhere you get your podcasts. If you’d like to support the show, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell everyone you know about Self Inventory.
Transcript:
Brandon Chastang: [00:00:00] Thanks for listening to Self-Inventory with your host Brandon Chastang. If you missed the first episode, make sure you download it on iTunes, Spotify, and check us out on YouTube as well. Self-Inventory will Brandon Chastang you'll listen, stay tuned for episode two is going to be crazy. A crazy interview.
We're talking about a lot of life lessons growing up in Philadelphia, things of that nature. We're Fis Banga. So listen, man. Check this out. Let's GO.
A Self-Inventory report is the type of psychological tests in which a person fills out a survey about personal interests, values, symptoms, behaviors, and traits.
Self-Inventories are different from tests and that there is no objective, correct answer.
Self-Inventory is a podcast. Where we investigate the issues of society that don't seem to have any correct answer. Brandon Chastang, blends together, history lessons, current events, and talk with people of all backgrounds to provide us as a society with a Self-Inventory in order to move forward. We need to look at where we've been and where we are now.
It's time for a Self-Inventory.
All right, man. You now listen into Self-Inventory. I'm your host, Brandon Chastang, AKA B McFly. And yes, B McFly stands for being motivated, comes from loving yourself. You got to love yourself, right? That's the most important it's October, the first socks open the first. And for those who don't know, October is breast cancer awareness month, breast cancer awareness month. So if you know a person that passed away from breast cancer, you knew a person that survived breast cancer. You know what person that's fighting breast cancer. Let's make sure we showed them our love, our support, our sincere condolences man. We got to hold it down, man.
Today we got a special guest man. You know, I, you know, when I first started, I seen his brother or everywhere on social media and I'm like, wow. I think this was around the time where everybody was freezing or trying to freeze, but he was like the first person I've ever seen do this. And he dropped the ill message behind it.
Man without further ado, let's get into man Fis Banga was good.
Fis Banga: [00:02:44] What's going on with my brother? I appreciate all that man. Like you said, you know, just, you know, just all about setting trends, you know, for the most part. And that's, that's just what I stand by, you know, shit, boy Fis Banga, motivational rapper slash activist.
Like I said before for the people the better the youth man.
Brandon Chastang: [00:03:01] Yeah, absolutely. So let me ask you a question. Where does the word or the name Fis Banga come from?
Fis Banga: [00:03:08] right into it, good question. And a lot of people, I think I had that asked like two, three times, but they don't get asked as often. And I always thought, like, people don't want to know why, how I came up with my name and it's crazy.
Cause it ain't no crazy story behind it. It's just, I used to go, you know, my, my middle name is Mafis. And you know, why most rappers do they take off half of the name? They just use the, either the beginning, like now or the end. So it was just Fis at a time. And you know, me and my homies, we would record out the closet, you know, before we had money for studio time and what we would call, you know, back then they used to call them like, if you had a hot song, it'd be a banger.
Or when Meek was doing his thing, it was a flamer. But at the time, you know, when we was doing it, you know, everything we was producing, it was just bangers. And we, I just had my homies play with me on the off and like Dama Fis. That's the banger. I said, yeah. Okay. And that's all I'm putting out his bangers so why I'm not the name of Fis Banga.
So it was a simple, but it was just the way it went. It was like, Iasked my homie and this, and once I asked him, he wasn't mad, not off jawn. It was like, damn, that fits you. It was to the point, like, what about, what if my name was dislike? Like, I felt like I felt my, I felt my name, so I felt like that was it.
And it was just simple as that,
Brandon Chastang: [00:04:12] you know, names are important because it's like names are like wearing clothes, you know? And it's like, you know, it has to fit your persona as to fit your character.
Fis Banga: [00:04:22] That's true.
Brandon Chastang: [00:04:23] Fis Banga is a dope name. Bro
Facts, Facts let me ask you a question like, so.
Fis Banga and where is Fis Banga from?
Fis Banga: [00:04:34] Fis Banga is from North Philadelphia, born and raised. You know, like I said, I represent for all, you know, the whole city is one, but you know, born and raised in our Philly.
Brandon Chastang: [00:04:44] What school did you go to?
Fis Banga: [00:04:45] Simon Gratz . Or if you want to name all of them Stanton, straight off of 15th and Cumberland That was where I graduated, that was elementary, middle school Gillespie before they closed that down dope school.
And, you know, Simon Gratz before was Mastery. You know, if this Simon Gratz survive in that, everybody know if you want the Grats, before the Mastery, it was tough. But, you know, thank God, you know, that's about it, you know, graduated, but yes, Simon Gratz
Brandon Chastang: [00:05:11] Shout out to you graduate men. And is this neighborhood, is this a tough.
an aggressive environment?
Fis Banga: [00:05:20] I will say that. I would say that. I mean, I seen where's the boy, I felt like coming from, you know, just North Philly and most people know, it's just, there's no love here, you know? And it's like every man for himself, which is, which is sad, but you gotta, it's like the fitness of survival.
Like you gotta just know how to survive out here. So North Philly definitely was tough for me.
Brandon Chastang: [00:05:40] North Philly growing up, always looked at North Philly as totally different from any other section of Philadelphia, I'm from West Philly. And I really didn't know too much about South Philly like that, but I was just like, yo North Philly is just like overcrowded.
Fis Banga: [00:06:00] Yeah
Brandon Chastang: [00:06:01] just like, it's like, people's like top of each other. It's like
Your family and your friends. Like, how did y'all, how did you grow up? Like around your family, around your friends, living in North Philadelphia, going to Simon Gratz
Fis Banga: [00:06:16] You know, household, big household at that, you know, just.
You know, I live with my mom, you know, and before that it was my grandma. So that's where I get the, the, the sweetheart side, you know, like I'm not really trying to be somebody I'm not. Cause you know, anybody that had been raised by their grandma, they, they, grandma always told them how to do things the right way.
You know? So I, I grasped to that a little bit, but you know, full household, three brothers, you know, mom always was cousins around that live with us. So just being. So crowded in such a small place, just always, you know, kind of like put me in the position that I'm in now. Cause I always was still telling myself, I was kind of like the quiet kid, you know?
So just growing up, just embrassing that, you know, just facing my fears. I felt like even though it made me who I am today,
Brandon Chastang: [00:07:03] now I noticed you didn't say your father.
Fis Banga: [00:07:06] Yeah, no father figure for me, father was in and out of jail. thank God to this day. Now he actually getting himself back on track, you know, got him a job.
He doing the things, honestly like, you know, like he living on his life now. So I just wish he could have done that before, before, you know, before I got older to realize what life was, but yeah. Father figure not for me.
Brandon Chastang: [00:07:24] So did you have a male figure in your life? Like, are you oldest?
Fis Banga: [00:07:28] I'm the middle child
Brandon Chastang: [00:07:29] Oh, the middle child.
So you say cousins and, was it guys out in the community that you could say, you know, we say old head, then you got some people that's like, yo, this was a father figure to me whether it was my old head, whether it was cousin, my uncle, was it a father figure around that was like telling you, showing you the ropes besides, besides a woman.
Fis Banga: [00:07:58] That's a good question. I mean, in the household, no, but for the neighbors, we did have an old head. we call him O Lawrence, and he was just one of them OGs that like you said, was a father figure. You know, he kept us out of trouble. we still like, you know, from 16th and York to be exact.
So in between 16 and 15, you know, North Philly is a little street that's called Mo street. And that's where we all meet up at go play football. We have meet up there and walk to the turf, you know, down there on, what's that Temple and, you know, OG, that was, you know, he was like, kind of like a block captain on that block, but he always made sure we was cool.
We got in a little fight, see, and make sure we, if we fought, we squashed it. We was cool. That same day he took us, you know, he did things that a father should have did, you know? And he was there, like, that's how I looked at it. And, you know, he was really big on profanity. So when we was random, we knew not to cuss.
And that's another, I think that's what kind of gave me. Or pointed me in the direction that I am male, because I always was raised with respect and he would only have that father figure that the OGs that I was around, they had common sense.
Brandon Chastang: [00:08:54] You know, it's amazing. Like we don't, a lot of us don't pay homage enough to the men that was around.
We, a lot of us didn't have our fathers, but it was some people around that was telling us. Yo man, don't go left. Go right. Then you had some guys that were around, that was like, I'm only giving you that. What was taught to me, what it guys around then like, yo, like you explained the, the gentlemen, they keep, you know, he was telling you don't cuss things of that nature do the right thing.
Was there guys around you? That was like, yo man, I got a pack for you. I got a done for you. And did you fall into that mold of like selling drugs or using a gun or carrying a gun of that nature?
Fis Banga: [00:09:53] It'd be all the way honest wtih you, yeah. And it's sad, you know, it wasn't either, It wasn't even like homies from the neighborhood was actually in house.
It was cousins, cousins that always had a record of just getting, you know, going to jail, coming home, going to jail. That's all he was known for. So just when he came home and we thought, you know, maybe this would be the time that he'd get his stuff together. I surrounded myself with that, you know, thinking maybe, you know, I could be somebody that maybe get him out that direction, but slowly for surely, he was putting me in his direction.
And like you said, somebody had just come home with a lot of money and I'm just like, wow, you get all that. We young, we ain't got, we ain't got jobs. We don't know what the income is. So it'll be the better. See that flashiness and just see how money wasn't a thing for him. Like for somebody being young.
And I probably had to be like he was 10 or 11. it just, it just, it just rubbed me away. Like, I feel like what I was doing wasn't enough. And as honest as I was trying to just go to school, come home, stay out the streets. Sometimes you could roll into that, you know, and that's why I don't blame some of the young ones that they get they self into.
Cause they don't know no better. And just having that. Energy around me. It definitely put me in position to try to be somebody I wasn't. And you know, it was times I go out there with my cousins, to the block, set out there, see how it was. And it was really easy money. And I was like, damn, I can do this. And I put myself in that position.
So, yeah.
Brandon Chastang: [00:11:09] So what, so not only was it like looking up to people, but was it like peer pressure to like. You know, you seeing somebody that had something that you want and it's like, yo, what I'm selling, I'm selling drugs. Like, because. You say you're living in a big household, so you probably couldn't get everything that you wanted.
So was it like, listen, I'm born out there and I'm about to go get this money. I want my own money and I want to come and like help out too.
Fis Banga: [00:11:41] Yeah. That's what it was. And I felt like, you know, just being a follower, you know, and I know it as. Hard as that, for me to say, cause like in these times just being a follower, just so like, it just is an honest statement.
It's just like, you know, in the times we, we, we need more leaders and it just like, I fell for that. And just to be like, you know, just to follow after that because of sight and I seen not knowing the details and the backstory of how you, you know, the consequences that come with that money. I didn't think of none of that.
Brandon Chastang: [00:12:13] You know, I think a lot of these young kids that are told and they need to understand that. Is is real hard to admit you, you, you, it's hard to admit to a person that you really are like, it's like you go in the mirror, lock yourself in the bedroom. That's the
person that you want
in order to impersonate.
Somebody that you not takes raw.
Fis Banga: [00:12:38] Exactly.
Brandon Chastang: [00:12:40] A lot of us we're you know, trying to be somebody that we weren't trying to fit in trying to prove a point. And not only that though, right Fis, I feel like it was looking for love too,
Fis Banga: [00:12:58] in a way up,
Brandon Chastang: [00:12:59] because for me, I was raised off of survival, not love as much did my grandmother loved me.
Our grandmother raised me as well. Did she love me? Yes. Was she was teaching me more survival. Then showing love. Was that what you as well?
Fis Banga: [00:13:15] Exactly. I think I can relate on that is cause like, like we knew the love was there, but it was more of what to do not to do. And it was so like, pressed down on me that I got confused, like as I'm doing what my grandma wanted me to, you know, when I sat out the bait or is it.
Maybe I got to, I might not never survive on that way. You know, being like, you know, just being honest kid and waiting to get out of school, to get a job, to get a couple of dollars or sweeping a block for a couple of dollars, you know, sometimes that wasn't necessary all the time, you know? So we'd be like, well, this takes too long.
So watching my cousins to come around with food platters, you know, we had them X miles for that, you know, 11 mile was all there and food. Nobody got no platters, nobody got no cheese steaks. You come around with your own grill when you're all time. And then they ain't even cook yet. So yeah, it was like, I felt like I had to survive and I was like, damn, like, if I'm gonna be, if I'm gonna do it this way, I'm gonna have to always be under, like, I'm always had to be under and always feel like I can't support or provide for myself.
So yeah, I felt like it was just a survival thing for me. And that's when it really made me jump.
Brandon Chastang: [00:14:14] Fis Banga, the name comes from rapping.
Fis Banga: [00:14:19] Yup.
Brandon Chastang: [00:14:20] when did you realize that you were talented enough to rap?
Fis Banga: [00:14:25] let me see. So I started off playing football, I thought, and I still believe that's where my talent was at.
You know, I still, I used to, I was like a running back, actually paid play for a, you know, for the youth football team, the Chiefs. If y'all know about that at 22nd and Lehigh days, I'm, I'm mad that they not still continue on it, but I used to play for the Chiefs and I felt like sports was my thing, especially football and just, you know, going to school one day.
Can I tell them how it actually started. So, so one day, you know, sixth grade, MR Stanton school, MR Stanton days, you know, back then we had the headshots versus the touch money days, you know, shout the young Bob and all them over there. And this was like the B kids. I never knew what rent was for real, you know, I never really knew how you could use rap as a tool as to get your message across you feel me? And it was just one day, you know, we're going to recess our play football, but it was just one kid that had come in to class just always rapping. And it was crazy because the stuff he was ramping wasn't, even his, it was the stuff that was from them DVDs.
But I wasn't aware of those yet. So I'm like this bull crazy to be just this young and stuff. He was speaking. I'm glad I kind of lied and said it was him. And I'm glad he did that. Cause that's what motivate him. I guess he could speak to us at this young age. So it was like a blind thing, but I felt so confident that if he could do it, I could do it.
And then slowly for surely I started making raps up about my football. Like, I mean like the football players, we was don't out a quarterback, throw it to me. So I already came in. Speaking my truth, talking about what I do, how I express myself, but I get in. So, and then I just like, dang, well, all I talk about football, let me switch it up a little bit.
And then just, you know, making a little demo tapes or what not, let my friends listen to it. Like they'll laugh at it, but then they be like, yo, you want to something? And, and they'd be looking for that next tape. I'm talking about like literally tapes. Like I put them in their karaoke machine, flip them over just to get some more tracks in like
Brandon Chastang: [00:16:11] You telling our age a little bit...
Fis Banga: [00:16:16] I felt blessed to come from it area man. Like I remembered him, taped these man, like before it was CDs for, I have any laptop, I had the desk, the desktop computer where you had the big monitor and the, you know, just the scream and all that stuff. Yeah, I made tapes and I would just the way I just seen the, the, the feedback on my homeys as much as they wanted to laugh, because it was a surprising thing.
They actually was feelng it.
Brandon Chastang: [00:16:34] How old were you? I know, I know you saying football and stuff like that. How old were you when this kid that was rapping? Somebody else raps.
Fis Banga: [00:16:44] We had to be, we had to be, we were sixth grade, so I believe I had to be like 10. 10 or 11.
Brandon Chastang: [00:16:50] I had a friend I'm sorry, not even have her for an, I still have a friend.
They was Dell P. When I tell you... shout out to Dell
When Dell used to, we were in kindergarten. Dell used to come inside the classroom in rap fluently. I felt like some of those raps were his, but then I also felt like he was rapped with somebody else raps. And we used to sit back and say, yo, I couldn't comprehend it, but this kid is nice. Yeah.
Fis Banga: [00:17:26] That's the feeling I got like, yo, we young, what do you know about that?
Brandon Chastang: [00:17:36] And so when you said that, I said, damn, I know exactly what you're talking about because that's how my man Dell P used to be.
Fis Banga: [00:17:42] That's dope.
Brandon Chastang: [00:17:43] And, you know, he carried it all to this day.
Shout out to Dell
so when you started writing your own raps and stuff like that, and then you start chan channeling, you know, things that you're doing playing football, you know, did you add the neighborhoods and see your raps too?
And the things that you was doing
Fis Banga: [00:18:02] For sure. For sure. So, you know, like any kid, you know, once you, and that's when I started getting involved with the DVDDs and that's how I found out the raps, he was saying, wasn't his cause I heard the same ramps and it just was like, wow. But once I got into them DVDDs, you know, that was all bad rap days.
When you had to go head to head for somebody to show you what the hardest rapper. That's what kind of confused me a little bit. Cause when I was raping, I was more the, Oh, we playing football, aim this, the play right here. They can't stop us. I'm making raps. I'm making just play food. Feel good raps when I heard them not to blame it on them.
Cause that's, that's that's that's what hip hop is. It's twisted me a little bit. So I'm like, well, I've been rapping about this. I need to be talking about that. And, you know, I started putting my streets in there, the neighborhoods, what man, my home is, you know, a dude, you know what we w we used to get into.
And sometimes it would just procrastinate and just, you know, trying to be the hard rapper. And that's the way it kind of took a little turn for me because now I was rapping and I was doing something that I wasn't really capable of or saying was speaking something that I wasn't really don't. I wasn't speaking my truth at that moment.
So that's where things went left with me at.
Brandon Chastang: [00:19:07] Like most rappers, a lot of kids for the children that are viewing 90% of the rappers are not rapping with the, or not living with their rapping. A lot of these things are just entertainment and, and we're speaking from our environment. What got you to the point where you changed?
The way you rap, like, you know, the gangster rap and you started getting into more of the positivity rap.
Fis Banga: [00:19:41] That's a good question. So yeah, no, just like I said, not living my truth, then feel comfortable with me, you know, like I, ain't the type of person that got the deep DMX voice or I can't even really.
Put a rap together and make you believe it because that ain't me. You won't even see it in my eyes for real. Cause it ain't me, but I w I was forced myself and I even look in the mirror, like, you'll say, and try and see, this is art. This is who you are like when it really wasn't who I was. So I be, just didn't feel comfortable with just putting the music I was putting out.
And like I said, I was raised by my grandma and it was times my grandma came across some of my music, like, Oh, I hear you rapping now. And, I used to always at night, cause I never had a song I could really just play for her, like for her to just say, Oh, I like it. Cause it was so much knife profanity, and it so much lies in it.
So I was just like, no, I'm not rapping, you know, I just write poetry. I don't, you know, just trying to spin a situation, but she always was so interested in the hair in it, but I couldn't give it to her because the truth I wasn't living. So just that, just knowing, the music I was putting out with just a bad energy towards that, the younger people that, that might've been coming up confused like me.
Because I was so confused and I would just like, you know what, let me speak my truth. Let me step out of my comfort zone and really give it to him the way it is, you know, the way I really feel like I don't believe just bragging about killing somebody is a thrill thing. So I said, let me just speak my truth.
It took a while slowly for surely start writing raps. Didn't put them out though, but this was my truth. This was the music I was jammed. So, but the music I was actually lying about, I put that out and didn't feel comfortable with it. And then I just took, you know, to turn them my old hands say, you know what, I'm going to give it a trial.
Am I where we first skit that's when I opened up,
Brandon Chastang: [00:21:09] that's super dope. And I'm listening to you getting chills because the same, when you finally realize who you are as a person, it made you more comfortable,
Fis Banga: [00:21:24] way more comfortable
Brandon Chastang: [00:21:24] and now you're talent. It's starting to like really now you now was like, yo, now that your true colors is coming out and now people are starting to see your talent way more than they were seeing when you was rapping on the gangsta rap..
Fis Banga: [00:21:41] Exactly.
And that's what a lot of people ask me, like, how did you do it? Right. How did you manage to? And I started just stepped out of my comfort zone, you know, and told it the way I wanted to tell it, you know? Cause I feel like when you're just being, yo, there's no filter on it, you know, there's no dudes or don'ts to just, this is what I want to do.
This is how I feel. So you're going to get a bunch of that, i was just lying about that and then I got to go write about another lie. Think about another rap. It just like, it just it'll make it harder for me, normal, you know,
Brandon Chastang: [00:22:07] Skits. So you, so you're rapping with positivity, you're spreading awareness. And now you add in the skit into your awareness, your reps, you dropped your first skit.
How did it make you feel, man? Like what was the, what was the rush on social media? Like what was you doing? Because before you get in tune, right. Dropping the skit and getting a hundred thousand views, it's like, yo, we got our first hundred thousand,
we made it,
you know, we made it on the charts, man. So tell us about what was that rush, that feeling.
And before you get into that, give us the details of how you were creating your skit.
Fis Banga: [00:22:53] That's a good question. So just like I said, speaking my truth, you know, I feel like that's what I was missing this whole time, just, and you know, sometimes God put the. You know, he put, he put, he put the picture right in front of you.
Sometimes you just got to see it. You know, some people got to see the believer, but I feel like that very first skit, I feel like this was my moment to really be who I want to be. You know, this is my moment. It really showed the people for who I'm really is. And I feel like when I was doing it, before I even took it to the skits, I was just.
Just giving them freestyles, testing it out 30 seconds, try and see if they was going to buy it. And maybe me being myself ain't really too cool. But like I said, slowly for shoulder, they were supporting it. And then when I took it to the skit, it just was like, that was like the opener for me. Like, like.
This is when I really was she painting a picture now, like I could rap it to, you have to tell you how I feel about this now. And I'm showing you, I feel, and this was the very first skit we did where you had like two guys just randomly walking across each other, pumping each other, you know, in everyday basics what you were looking at, pulling a gun out.
And this is how I want to show people. How I feel about it. Like, do I condone it? Do I rap about it and say, this is, this is gangsta. Or do I really step in between and tell them I don't condone this? I don't think there's cool. I never thought this was cool. I feel for this person, you feel me? Come on, put the guns down.
This is how we should be moving. And did the response it got, it was just crazy. Like, there'd be some way that just was putting out videos that barely was making a thousand, hitting a thousand views. This video took off. I think it's like almost 600,000 now. It was just numbers. I couldn't even put together in my head, but what I felt though, they was accepting me.
I ain't really look at the views. I ain't really get hype about that. I felt like I was being accepted for being who I wanted to be rapping about what I wanted to rap about and the work. And then the first thing I did was when my homeys knew, yo, you ain't see your video and he sees the baby man. I said, no, I'm not worrying about that.
Let's do it again. Like it was to the port. I was not checking notification. I didn't want to hear what they was talking about. Cause I knew if he was watching you care and I didn't care about the comments. I didn't care about none of that. I said, let's do another one. Yeah.
Brandon Chastang: [00:24:54] That, that, that motivated you.
Cause sometimes people get caught up in a home
Fis Banga: [00:24:59] that's
Brandon Chastang: [00:25:00] it's like even with a pure heart. It's still exciting.
You know, it's like, you know, we, you're looking at a person with a million followers and you're like, yo damn, I wish I can
Fis Banga: [00:25:19] feel like
Brandon Chastang: [00:25:20] For you to say. Nah, we got to jump on it. We got to keep spreading the WIC.
Cause that was the very, that video was the very first video where I noticed you Guy walking, like you said, you forgot to tell him you pause them.
Fis Banga: [00:25:37] Yay.
Brandon Chastang: [00:25:38] Like they pause. So they didn't. So the video was more to it than just saying, you know, we bumped into each other. It was like the minute they threw their hands up, it was a pause moment.
And you hopped right in there and you start rapping and breaking down the visual like that through your poetry, through your raps and letting people see the visual that was super duper incredible. It was dope. A yes. You kept going, you kept dropping them over and over and over again. And you did not stop.
When did you start? Like, what was your first year? Like, was it because I remember jumping on, it was, I started almost three years ago.
Fis Banga: [00:26:20] I think we had, like, we will be starting around the same time, like 2016.
Brandon Chastang: [00:26:25] I got sober. I got sober January. January the 21st, 2018, and I dropped my first skit January.
I mean, I'm sorry. I dropped my first skit, February, 2018. Okay.
Fis Banga: [00:26:42] So
Brandon Chastang: [00:26:42] you started when, like around 2017, 16
Fis Banga: [00:26:45] definitely is 2017, definitely 2017. And I think about
Brandon Chastang: [00:26:49] it and, and I just want to see you and you inspired me.
Fis Banga: [00:26:54] I appreciate that.
Brandon Chastang: [00:26:55] I want to put this on the record. You inspired me. Because, although I took a little different twist, it was still the same approach.
And when you was freezing everybody up, you was the first person I seen do that. And when you was freezing everybody up dropping a message. I said, damn, this man is amazing.
Fis Banga: [00:27:19] I appreciate that.
Brandon Chastang: [00:27:21] Your feedback in Philadelphia, huh? What do you feel as an artist? Living in the city with damn near everybody brand new the raps,
I feel like we're, I felt like Philadelphia is the home of the skits.
Fis Banga: [00:27:39] Yup. We paved that.
Brandon Chastang: [00:27:40] We, you know that one minute skit, how do you feel about the love and the support coming from? Not only the people that's just viewing your , but the people that's like followers and things that I mentioned, social social media influences
Fis Banga: [00:28:01] Keep all the way hundred.
I feel like the support, like you said, it's not really there. You know, I get way more love and support from outsiders. You know, people that I never met a day in my life that support me highly. Didn't the people that's right here in my hometown. And a lot of people that he would DM me, not gonna speak on too many names, they ask why is such and such and working with such and such, why such a, such a do this and you know, some of them DMS, I just don't even want to respond to because it's just like, it's obvious.
It's just no support. You know, I can't make up an excuse. Oh, maybe he busy. He didn't see it. And like I said, that's why my brand. I mean, my brand at the, what I made it at that started with nothing, no handout. No co-sign because I know coming from Philadelphia and like I said, maybe other cities out there as well, there, no support here.
Nobody wants to put it into what's hot. Nobody going to see you doing what you don't bless what it says, working it up and try to help. So yeah, I know why that felt when I have it. Let me step down, let me help you out. People want to wait till it's hot to try to get on it. Just to benefit for the self and the sad they gotta be that way. Cause there's so many entrepreneurs in the city, so many that's so core claim they're entrepreneurs, but they're not really taking entrepreneurial steps because entrepreneurial helping other entrepreneurs, one hand washes the other. So you see these people and it just like they all for self.
And I like always spoke to you, you know, on camera off camera. Why is it so many entrepreneurs and attain is so many people what platforms. Okay. Oh, in our city and we not all coming together, you know how big that be? Reaching each other platforms building with each other and all that, but it's like, we learn we from a city where just selfishness and people want support into what's hot.
Brandon Chastang: [00:29:31] I always tell people right. For upcoming influences for people that don't know the difference.
Support everybody may not deserve support because a lot of people play around. That's true. That's true. Yeah. Like it's like, okay, I see you doing one thing one day, right? And then the next day you turn around and you up there doing total opposite of what you was talking about.
And you want me to support
that? Dude, my stack going to happen. I mess this up.
That's number one, number two. When you see a person, everybody don't have to like your content either. That's true. Right? Like a lot of people don't have to like everything you put out. I mean, like, I love Kobe RIP Kobe, but I can't like every shot that he takes.
Fis Banga: [00:30:20] Exactly.
Brandon Chastang: [00:30:20] Right. So the point that I'm trying to make is this right? When you see a person. Doing, what you did in the response that you were getting taken off, like you said, clothing line, your brand Started From Nothing.
Fis Banga: [00:30:39] Mmmhmmm
Brandon Chastang: [00:30:41] have no choice. The people who are telling the entrepreneurs, the big influences support this man support this woman, because there they build, they will build it from the ground up
With no help
Fis Banga: [00:30:58] Mmmhhmmm
Brandon Chastang: [00:30:59] Now, have you ever, and that's just the, just to let people know, like if you see a person going as hard as speech banker was going and going. Listen, give that man. Some support.
Fis Banga: [00:31:12] Get behind it, you know? Cause it's what they done. Did they wait until it's too late?
Brandon Chastang: [00:31:16] Don't wait till it's too late because we live in an aggressive city called Philadelphia.
Fis Banga: [00:31:19] No, just surviving,
Brandon Chastang: [00:31:21] Like we talking about the second, most homicides in the United States of America. Behind Chicago, mind you was no gangs is you don't see bloods and Crips walking around. You don't see Latin, Black Kings really, really walking around you don't see, the GDs, the Vice Lords walking around Philadelphia.
This is just the land of the brave.
Fis Banga: [00:31:43] Yeah.
Brandon Chastang: [00:31:43] So if you see a person do what they got to do. Yo, listen, the numbers speaks for itself with Fis Banga jump behind it.
Fis Banga: [00:31:50] Get behind it.
Brandon Chastang: [00:31:51] Who reached out. Name of person, like I'm talking about news anchors who reached out?
Fis Banga: [00:32:01] That's a good question. and like you said, just, just cause everybody waits it it's too late to jump behind it, you know?
And that's even when you dead on jail, it took a lot of people who they, they hesitated, you know, especially when it just, you know, it just, everything just started getting a roll. The ball started rolling. but I definitely do want to work in, shout out to Fox 29 news. They picked it up, They definitely carrried it.
Shout out Bill Anderson, shout out the WHYY . Sorry if I messed that up, but they reached out, they carried it up, but like a lot of the people that like that's imposition, like the real entrepreneurial, like the real people that could take this to the next level. I didn't really get too much in, on reaching out.
Cause it was people outside of Philly, like Mac Man. He reached out, you know, Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne, I believe manager/coworker, but but it just like, I feel like everybody hesitated and it just like, they would just see him where he's going to go, let me see how far this is going to go before he would take an an extra step in. But, and it was obvious. I know people seeing it. I know it came down your timeline, but yeah. People wait til it's too late until it's a Rest in peace sign next to it. Oh man. I seen his brother hustling, man. I seen him doing his thing, shout their him, but you waited too late. That support is no longer needed, you know, so it's like it.
And then, like I said, when they really started, like the ball started rolling, I wasn't really into checking notifications. So I don't know if I missed a few people, but I know as it started progressing and I did start checking and checking in, it was nobody there.
Brandon Chastang: [00:33:24] You know, when you, when you got verified, I said, yo, I was super excited.
Fis Banga: [00:33:29] Oh man, my brother called me.
thank you. You feel me? I don't want to just comment. I want to personally call you and congratulate you. That was love though.
Brandon Chastang: [00:33:41] Yo, man, I just want to say this right before we end the segment. You know, the content that you put out, The things that you've done, you set the trend.
Fis Banga: [00:33:53] Appreciate that.
Brandon Chastang: [00:33:54] The awareness. Of rapping, this mostly, thank you.
Fis Banga: [00:34:00] Appreciate them. And Brandon, I take my hat off to you as well. Like the work that you put in, I feel like a lot of people they're going to wait until it's too late. They really give you your flowers. And that's sad to say you feel me. And I want to just, if I had some flowers, I give a it right now, but like you do so much.
And it's like, I think people turn a blind eye to people like, yo, you feel me when they see you really dedicated to what you do, you're really authentic. You really, for the people, you know, Always stare at you. Like it's like, it's not one of them that I don't see you there. You feel me. And I be talking to people when they be asking me like, Well, why is this like this?
And why is that like that? Because the ones y'all actually looking up to, ain't the ones that's really for us. They, the ones that just even milking the community to get the money out of it, and then they elsewhere. But it's people like you shout out to my brother, a Major Change is people like yo that's really for the people.
And anytime I hear y'all speak, I learned from that, you know, when I hear these other cats out here, I don't get motivated because I know it's not true. I know it's just for a view, you feel me. But like I said, I appreciate you and everything you do as well, because little do you know, you motivate me.
Brandon Chastang: [00:34:56] Yo listen to that's honorable, man.
Fis Banga: [00:34:58] Appreciate you, bro.
Brandon Chastang: [00:35:00] If people don't know if people don't know that me and Fis Banga, we got, we did a skit together.
Fis Banga: [00:35:06] It's hard to get him. I called him, I'm there and I told him, anytime you need me, I'm there. My brother. So, and it's like, I tried with these other kids and it just a whole, Oh, send them to my email.
Like we, from the same, I could bump and see you tomorrow. And I could explain that, but why I got to go through so much like procedures. I know some people you gotta handle like that. But I feel like if it makes sense for the people, when, if it, even if you feel like it's going to benefit, you let's do it.
You feel me, but they shouldn't even been at my stairs. This is what I do. This is what you do. We're both reaching to people. Let's get behind. Why wait till it's too late?
Brandon Chastang: [00:35:38] Why wait till it's too late. It's too late, man. Is there anybody? Anybody out there that, you know, you want to give a shout out to like that's out here in the community or not even in a community where they rapping any, you know, somebody that we need to look out for.
Do you have anything new coming up? In the new merchandise, where can they find you things of that nature?
Fis Banga: [00:36:00] Oh yeah. So the merchandise I'm getting back behind that Started With Nothing, No Handout, No Cosigns. You can reach me for all apparel. I'm definitely behind this short film I'm working on right now.
That's why I've been so laid back. Cause I'm trying to attack, YouTube the same way I've been taking IG and all that. I want to get you all a little bit more along with clips, more information, more knowledge, and these, these little short films. So that's coming soon, that mixed tape as well, nothing happened overnight just explained to my whole progress of nothing happening overnight.
You know, you really gotta work for what you want, chase for what you believe and, any shout outs. I definitely want to shout out. Like my brother B McFly for being who he is, honest person standing up, dude, Major Change as well, met him a few times, got all good vibes from him. and his, somebody I didn't even meet before, but we had a good relationship over, Instagram shout the KP.
And I say that because I feel like I never met him. But I felt the genuine, when we always connected through Instagram or whatever he was wanting, he was like only though. And you too, you too. I think it was just, it was, I did, when you say we all need to get together when he was the only one from on it.
And I was like, I liked that cause it was like, we all in a group message and I ain't gonna say any names, but it was a skit. It was something powerful that we was behind. I just see that and I feel like that should have been done. And he was the only one with it. I was with it. Everybody else just had they little the proud or whatever they had. And we still spoke and said, listen, bro, we understand that. Ain't gonna go that way. I appreciate your time. I appreciate your time. Shout the KP man on his dude. Stand up, shout out to home, man.
Brandon Chastang: [00:37:28] The Major Change, shout out to KP. KP is like my he's my brother's well, and we do great. Great duo. so last but not least. This podcast is called Self-Inventory and was Self-Inventory for me is reconstructing myself, trying to figure out who I am, how can I better myself as a person, better myself, from what I did yesterday and just reevaluate myself. And this is the hardest thing to do.
So for you, what give the view was what's your Self-Inventory? What can you do to better yourself as a person?
Fis Banga: [00:38:10] Oh, that's a good question. I asked a good question. I feel like to better myself, and I'm still working on it. Cause ain't nobody perfect. No matter how many skits I could put out telling you what to do not to do is it's like I feel like we all still just learning. Like I learned from myself and I listened to them videos over and over, but I feel like the way I want to better myself, it's just. Censor the stuff that I see since the things I hear, like music wise, you feel me cause music also create a mode that, you know, and, you know, it could put you on positions and an attitude that you never knew who you were, the sensor and the stuff that I do, a sensor and stuff.
I'll watch trying to surround myself with positive people. Oh, cause that road, that that's, that's the important thing. You know, you surround yourself with the wrong people. Like I was standing with my cousins and them growing up, it put me in the situation I never wanted to be in, you know, and I'm thankful that I had an opportunity to change my life, you know, so just surrounding myself with positive people, positive energy, and just try and be the best I could be.
Like sometimes I, I, I like, I feel like I don't do enough. And I just want to keep pushing, because like you said, at times we live in it's like you gotta survive. And people in from Philly, city of Philadelphia, we like the second, most highest crime rates. And it's like, I feel like sometimes I might not see it tomorrow.
So every time I open my mouth, I want to make sure I'm giving you gain. I want to make sure I'm giving you a message and what to do and not to do because I've been there and I'm still learning. So, but I'm just trying to get you past them potholes. So the wrap it all up, just the better others.
Brandon Chastang: [00:39:31] There we have it.
I just want to say thank you for coming in. Appreciate you taking the time out to come in and for the viewers. Thanks for listening to the Self-Inventory take care.
Self-Inventory is a podcast produced by our Brandon Chastang in Studio D podcasts production. You can listen anywhere you get your podcasts. If you'd like to support the show, please subscribe, leave a review and tell everyone you know about Self-Inventory.