Jessie Reyez
Appearances
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
When you're that young, your frontal lobe is not developed, so you don't make the smartest decisions. So I didn't make a smart decision, and then it was the closest door to my house, so I was like, fuck it, I'm going. Calling out of work and showing up at work, but as a patron? But I was like, how can I get in and out quick? And I was like, I know. Rollerblades.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
The dog in me is different. And it's just, I've always been that way. And she saw how hard I was working, but she saw that I wasn't really, I wasn't getting, reaping any fruits yet. And she says that she was like, honey, like mija, listen, like maybe this isn't for you. Like maybe, maybe it's not God's plan. Like she's very spiritual too.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
So maybe she was like, maybe you have to be open to something else. And I was like, okay, I'm like, give me another year. I'm like, I'm going to give it another year and we'll see how it goes. And then that year shit started fucking popping off. And she and the craziest thing is that she said this to me and she looked so serious and so like it was it was something that weighed on her.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And I was like, Ma, I don't even remember. Yeah, I don't even remember. That's how that's how much support and love and like presence and kindness she's always just offered me that it didn't even it didn't even make a sound. Yeah. Like I didn't even retain it.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Exactly, yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah, your bandwidth, like, no.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And he wanted you to take it serious. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
okay so grocery store were you just like cashier or the cashier why was that one so terrible because it was just so monotonous man and i tried to make the best of it like i would just like write songs on receipts and shit but i like i've been fired more than more than twice more than three times more than four really yeah just because just what's the story you tell yourself i tell myself i was just too funny for that job clearly oh my
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Like, OK, so the so the one. I had dance like three times a week and it was in, it was far as fuck. So I had those days like blocked off and then dance got canceled or something. And so then I could have gone into work.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
you're crazy dude calling out of work and showing up at work but as a patron yeah but i was like how can i get in and out quick and i was like i know rollerblades rollerblades will get me in and out of there quick like that way no one will see me i'm dead ass i'm dead ass i was like 16 so i was like fucking rollerblades got some snacks like went to the like the quick the quick cashier anyways i got a call later that night and it was the boss and she was like it doesn't really seem like you want to work here and i was like you're right
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
You're in school too. Fuck.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I used to babysit, too.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
What did he do?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Oh, my God. That was the worst one, but then, like, it's both ways. It's when you work with idiots. It's when you work with idiots, bro. you're like is everyone the dumbest person alive or am i tripping or is it me that makes you it's so dumb that you start to question yourself it's sometimes like what the fuck i feel that yeah sometimes it's sometimes it's that wild but
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I have this one lady with this job. I loved, I worked and I was like 14 to 18, which is like, it's like a water park.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
In Toronto lit, lit place. And I got it. I think I had just turned 14, 13, 14. Um, that's young as hell. I don't know. I was at it. And you know what? Responsible for people's lives. Love that. No, no, no, no. I was, I was the cashier at the water park. Okay. I was working at like the pizza pizza and like mainly there was a funnel cake next to the pizza piece and I get free funnel cakes.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
break down runs and yeah and but that's also why anyone that that ever hits me and for example people that haven't found their passion or their vocation yet or people that have but don't feel like they're good and are scared of putting things out i'm always like fail faster man just fucking Learn how to take constructive criticism.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
free access to the water park and free funnel cakes i was like perfect i love it here and the managers loved me off shout out eric shout out brian they were so great to me like i love them we stayed friends when i started cheerleading for the cfl which is like the canadian nfl i know about the cfl yeah i'd give them tickets and shit they'd come so we stayed friends even after i love that yeah they're great once i was there i think i was like the second year working there so i was like 15 i think and this fucking lady
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Rollerblades will get me in and out of there quick. I'm dead ass. I was like 16, so I was like, fuck it, Rollerblades, got some snacks. Went to the quick cashier. Anyways, I got a call later that night, and it was the boss, and she was like, it doesn't really seem like you want to work here. And I was like, you're right.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I was at, I was, oh my God, I was working and she's with her fucking like children that were like fucking yapping and she's trying to control them, but also order. I get it. You're stressed, whatever. Yeah. She's ordering some shit and she's like, yeah, this, this, this. And I was like, okay. And then she takes her money and she throws it.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
At you? At me. Towards me. If I was closer, it would have hit me, but it hit the counter. And I look at the money, and I'm like, did this bitch just throw money at me? And I look up at her, and I'm like...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
and i'm trying to i'm trying to hold it in yeah um i take the money i take the change and i feel it happening and i'm like don't do it yeah right there's no stopping this this is like a train this is done so i take the change and i'm like and i throw it i throw it back because she threw it at me and i'm 15 and petty like hello yeah so i throw it back to her
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
This lady looks up and she's like, sees red, starts going off. And I'm like, see red, start going off. Now we're arguing at each other over the counter. And then she starts climbing on the counter. And I'm like, she's arguing down at me. And I'm like, I'm popping off. I'm like, whatever. Everyone's yelling. And she's significantly bigger than me. Significantly bigger than me.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I have to say this to justify what's about to happen next.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
she was sick so i back up and i'm like oh this lady's about to like the wrestling move what the is it calling me like you know like from the top top ropes yeah i'm like sick this lady's about to so i reach back because this is the i was working the funnel cake spot that day because you could switch so the little the little fryer is right here with the frying thing nice
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
because she was like she was coming at me don't who this this is self-defense and based off the advice from my lawyer this is what happened next anyways okay so i grabbed the thing and i and i take it out and then she jumps down and i'm going and then everyone was able to stop it before it escalated okay because then they all pulled her back and then they pulled me back and then they got her over the counter and the craziest thing was watching her carry on like nothing she grabbed her fucking phone okay and and carried on with her kids like what
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
that's crazy yeah and i'm like anyways yeah and this is great by the way it's crazy and there's oil and shit on the floor and i'm like shaking because i thought i was about to have to like fucking defend the shit out of myself because she was like over a foot bigger than me man and like there was just i had no choice yeah i had no choice and so my back was against the wall my back was against the wall and then and then the managers come out and they're like jesse what the fuck and i'm like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Tell the people around you that you're not – first of all, learn how to have, like, good emotional equilibrium so that you're open enough to take it, but then actually have the, like, wherewithal to apply it and get better and objectively analyze yourself to how you could get better. But that's what I did when I was younger, and I was able to get better and then was doing talent shows.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I had no choice my back was against the wall and they're like oh come on like I can't believe this like I've been working there for a year they're like you're such a good employee like what the hell I've been friends with people there like people love me off I was a favorite and it was great and they're just like disappointed and they're walking me to their office they're like come on and they like take me to the back office and they're like we can't believe and they shut the door they're like so what happened
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
that's how i'm gonna give her a stern talking to don't you worry and then i sat in there and they're cackling when i tell them this story and they're like okay well like they're like just take the day come back tomorrow and i was like all right cool and i came back well that's good that you had supportive managers that's rare especially in customer service yeah those guys were fucking great i love them they were they were really really cool and i worked with good people at that spot for four years that's why i stayed for four years
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Pretty sure I did a talent show at a mall. And then –
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
It wasn't that long ago. It was, like, maybe 21, 22. Really? Yeah. That's cool. Yeah, crazy. I love that. Where was it at? Toronto. Jane and Finch Mountain. Okay, period. Yeah. I joined this thing called The Remix Project that changed my life. It's, like, a program for at-risk youths from, like, 16 to 24 that don't have access to... to studio or mentors or anything like that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah, well, I was in sales. When I was at the gym, I worked at different things. I started as a reception, and then I got promoted to sales. How'd you like that? I got fired. Oh, that's another one.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
But that one was, again, it was just because I was too, I swear to God. Too honest? Too honest. I'm not going to say the name of it. Fuck it. It was ****. I've never even heard of that gym. It's Good Life Fitness. And like, that's so funny. Can I get, whatever. Anyways, so like, so I was 18 or 19. Okay, wait, I have to give you some context. So I started as reception. And I had a manager.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
who was really sweet. She was a really nice girl. Really, really cool. We were homies. Loved her. Then she got promoted to something else. And when she got promoted, all of a sudden, she was a fucking snowman to me. And I was like, why is bitch so cold? Weird, strange. I again, I just I was like, what's going on? Like, what the hell is this? Because it was like very like stark and quick. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And she's like, Jesse, like, you don't understand. But like when you get promoted, like you just can't really like associate with the people that are like, you know, like beneath you kind of like you just have to you you you elevate.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I was full. I couldn't believe it. I was like, is this are you serious? All right, cool.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
cool i could be a snowman too no problem because i was still trying to show her love whatever after that i'm like ice ice and then she got tight because then she could feel me switch it too yeah and now i had no i wasn't beholden to her because she's not my manager anymore so she can't ask me like the fuck all i have to be is civil she was tight whatever now we're now it's not beefing we're civil but we're not cool like we used to be yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Then I worked there for a year and then I get promoted to sales. Then I start working sales. When I got promoted, all of a sudden the snow melted and she starts trying to like buddy, buddy with me again. And I was like, nah, nah, the ship has sailed. Like I can't retroactive. Yeah. What?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
You're a weirdo. You're dumb. And she was kind of butthurt about that. And I was like, whatever. It is what it is. I was still cool with everybody else there. This new girl came on. Real sweet girl. Her name was Kathy. That's what got me into cheerleading. Into professional cheerleading. But she...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
It was her first week, and she was pacing because she was so nervous about getting in trouble because she didn't collect enough leads. Have you ever worked sales?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And that place, yeah, it's lit. The remix project, I swear by it. Um, they're great. And that place changed my life, but mainly because it was the first time that, In my life, it had always been a dream, and it had always been something that wasn't tangible, that I couldn't touch. It was always on a screen. It was so far away, so far removed.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
But, you know, like leads and, you know, you have the team building shit. They're all about quotas and stuff. Yes. So we all had to collect a certain amount of leads for the week in this box where people take in names. And then it's alleged that someone gets a free membership.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
okay right gotcha but what people don't know is that okay wait so she's she's saying that shit and she's like oh my god jesse i'm so nervous it's like 8 p.m on a fucking friday she's like i got a wedding on saturday and i'm gonna have to take this box to the wedding to collect leads at the wedding
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
and i was like no the fuck you don't yeah no you don't listen it's a scam like they're not giving away a free fucking membership at the end of the week they collect all these boxes together they might do it at the end of the year like it's not a you're fine you don't have to take the box to the wedding and collect leads at the wedding yeah and she's like okay she's like on the verge of tears i'm trying to calm her down yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And then my other manager, the old one, walks out of the back closet because that's where the gym music was. And I didn't know she was changing the music. And she walks out and she had heard everything. And she was like, you know, Jesse. And I was like, you know, you could get fired for slander. And I was like, OK, bye. And she leaves.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And then the next day I start my day and they call me into the office. And my new manager wasn't in there because usually when you're going to get fired, you have you need a manager and a witness.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
yeah my manager knew i was money like i was a i was good and she and like after the fact i found out that she refused to be in the room when it happened when it happened she refused to be the witness because she tried to save me but they were like no because she had her because this one had already reported me and then and then head office and i was a whole thing anyways they fired my ass and i
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
and i and i went to my aunt and cried and cried i was so disheartened yeah because i was about to switch into pt yeah because i had i'd climbed there yeah yeah uh and then that week i went to the competitor across the street and i got a job and i was there for like two years what's your sign
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And then when I joined that program, it was the first time that I was introduced to real mentorship. Yeah. And someone came to speak. It was King Louie, who's a drill rapper from Chicago who I love to death. Yeah. And multiple people came, but he...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
him being in person and being human and having succeeded despite all the adversities that he faced yeah made it more of a reality for me to be like okay fuck you could do it you're human you bleed like me you breathe like me i can do it too that's cool i love that so how long after you were in the remix project did you end up like getting signed or signing to someone or start putting out singles like what order did that happen in
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Oh, they had security waiting for me, too.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
The team slowly started coming together. At that point, it was with my first manager, Mauricio Ruiz, who also told me about the remix project. Okay. And then he was friends with Byron Wilson, who was my other manager, who was over there. Love. And still here. Love that. Yeah, yeah. He works with another artist who, was Jeremiah doing publishing for Sun? Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
and that's yeah until he said that i wasn't on board but it was so well written it's profound honestly yeah do you do you have a lot of tattoos do you have any tattoos i have three i have this one cute i got it with my dad it matches like he's got a little smiley face and then i got my parents right here oh i love that and then i got one on my foot that matches with two of my homeboys that's like a little dog that's a long story
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Publishing for a son who heard my shit and was like, lit, I want to bring her out. And then flew me and Ruiz out to L.A. for the first time. And I was terrified to sign because you hear so many fucking horror stories about Hollywood. I know, dude.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah, I do. But I've learned to I've always had thick skin and I. Me too. It's just and it's such a gift to have it. Right. It makes you it just makes you stronger, but also lets you get better. Like people try to people try to throw jabs and it's like, you don't even know. That's why I felt so seen watching your videos. Like the way you cackle is the way I receive them. I love that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Like, bitch, you can't sing. I'll be like, but I'm eating. Okay. But I'm living off this.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
You're mad. Right. And here's what's even worse. Suppose you're right and I can't and I'm living off this.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
No, and if anything, you have no idea the favor that you're doing. Right. You have no idea the favor that you're doing to me every time that you throw me something negative. Period. Alchemy is a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. And when you know how to do it, that shit, you're just fanning a fire, bro. Right. That's all you're doing, so fan me up. Damn it.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah. And so I was terrified of contracts and I was terrified of... It's so funny because you dream of getting signed when you're a kid and then when you're at the precipice of it, you realize how much is at stake. So I was hella nervous, but it was great because Jermai was really patient and like...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
It's so great to train yourself that way because it's so hard to do it in those moments. Right. To like advocate for yourself that way. Especially in this industry. Especially in this. Oh, my God. Especially in this industry. but it serves you so much to train your brain if you don't naturally have that. I got a lot of that from my parents.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
My parents just put me in situations where I had to have thick skin. Right. Me too.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
to fail faster because time is going to pass you by anyway and so many people get paralyzed by indecision and they like up like they're just they're scared and yeah and the when you really break it down to brass tacks what you're really afraid of is being perceived and if you're scared about people seeing you if you really if you really think about it the people that are seeing you aren't even working on their own because if they were they were they wouldn't even be paying any attention to you and whatever failure might be in front of you or behind you so
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
months months of me being like I don't know I don't know if I want to do and they he just he like went out on a limb for me like made BMG still fork up money for me and sent me to a writing camp in Sweden while I'm while you're not signed to the company when the company is willing to invest in you regardless is them trying to be like yo we really believe in you and I didn't have anything I didn't have much out as an artist anything to merit investment was strictly based off of someone seeing potential
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
It's kind of fucked up, but when you think about it that way, you're like, who the fuck are you to be judging me when you're not even focused on your own shit? So what am I even ultimately scared of? So fuck that. Let me just focus on my own shit. And if you do fuck up, it's fine. Again, this doesn't come overnight if you're not naturally like this.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
You train yourself to be that way, to try something. If it doesn't work, keep it fucking moving. Try something again. If it doesn't work, keep it fucking moving. And then the more knows you get, if you can keep your enthusiasm...
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
up the hundredth note might be like the one right before the yes that might change your life yeah you know and you and you're not going to get better unless you try like lebron didn't come out the fucking womb playing like he does you know you have to work at it so that also comes with it but fail faster and learn to objectively criticize yourself and surround yourself with a team because it's impossible to do great things alone right yeah and then tell and then make sure you you you cultivate a culture of um
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
honesty yeah and telling your people yo i i got thick skin you need to tell me when i'm fucking up here how do i i'll get off stage and i'll be like how do i do what went left what went right so we could like finesse and you know what i mean but you're so me that shit is so because that's how you get better yeah totally cultivate that sort of culture where everybody can be very forthright with criticisms and yeah apply it to yourself with love obviously it's said with love always yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
but but learn to do that and then and then also learn to celebrate the small ones because the universe reflects your level of gratitude so period yeah and sometimes we forget because then we get there and then and then the little problem that you would have been stressing about when you had no money or when you were just getting started now you're like oh that ain't shit but it is yeah but it is and you have to celebrate even the small ones you have to celebrate them feel faster celebrate shit gratitude and have thick skin and if you're gonna cry cry we'll wrap it up
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I appreciate you.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
You're lit. Doing God's work.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Xvideos.com. Just kidding. J-E-S-S-I-E-R-E-Y-E-Z everywhere. Jessie Reyes. I just have a song that came out with Ari Lennox that's called Just Like That. That's a little freaky deaky. Go enjoy that.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Shout out Black, that amazing motherfucker.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Did you see that? He sent it in the group chat.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Shows at all? Yes. I'm going on tour with Jhene Aiko next week. Right? Two weeks? December. Front hat of December. Yeah. And then I may or may not be working on an album. Ooh. But I have a long fucking catalog. A big catalog. Yes, she does. It's extensive.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
you know so it was him seeing potential and willing to risk it and then i went to sweden and then wrote a bunch of songs because it was a songwriting camp for bigger artists met these two producers there on like the third first of all i was really depressed and drinking a lot so these guys helped me out because they were like we love you we want to pay for you to stay on our dollar stay an extra so the writing camp was paid for by bmg the extra week it was the two producers being like we want you to stay we'll pay for it we can work on whatever you want
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
You can write for others. You can write for yourself. We just have faith in you. And I was like, OK. And so I stayed. And then that week I ended up writing figures.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I hate fighting for it. I hate when I have to search for it. It doesn't feel natural. And usually in my life, I get knee-jerk when I'm really, really emotional. It'll just pour out like vomit. And the benefit of my working process is that for me, it's more quantity-based. And then I sort out the quality.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
oh okay yeah so i'll be in the studio for like full day and like make like five songs and not all five are good like four of them might be shit and one of them is worth polishing and then i'll take that one and invest mind you like that's i know there's people that there's much more successful people that will devote five hours to the one but i have to do it after because i hate committing and then four hours in i'm like this is ass yeah you might know you can't save it yeah yeah you can't save it yeah this one's dead yeah give her back
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
i prefer that but then but then the downside of that is then when it comes time to make an album it's such a shitty process because there's so many dead songs on the floor that that you just kind of gotta say goodbye to or you put them on a shelf and you say maybe later when the time's right or you give them to other artists yeah yeah how has that been for you do you prefer do you like writing for others too a lot of my friends who are musicians too they they really love writing for other people yeah who
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah, she's great. She was one of the early supporters, too. Yeah. Yeah, she showed Love Matter.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
everything's about my life yeah but i've always been real uh forthright with my shit yeah i've always been forthright with it so i've never really been like the one time that i thought about that i second guessed it and that i had to like talk to my family prior to it coming out so they didn't trip out was gatekeeper and that was for other reasons yeah like you know it wasn't so much me concerned about how how anyone involved would feel but more so about my parents being like what
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
What happened?
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah. The worst case scenario didn't happen, but this is what happened. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I remember I used to cross the border all the time because I lived in Florida at one point. I was bartending there and still trying to make shit happen in Toronto. And I had built a bit of a beautiful musical community in Toronto. So it felt like swimming in the deep end for hours in Florida sometimes trying to make headway. So I would go back and forth a lot.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And then the remix project happened and I begged my bar manager to let me back home to audition and shit. So anyways, it was a lot of back and forth. And even when I was at Remix, I was lucky that I was living off tips that I had made while I was bartending and being a bottle service girl. I had so many jobs. I was a personal trainer. I was a receptionist at a gym. I taught Zumba. I was a lot.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
A lot. I love a Zumba.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
white women white women they love a zumba they love a zumba yeah you know what more power to you queen yeah happy for you uh so i used to always just i'd i'd like alternate between whatever the fuck i told them but often i would just be like a personal trainer sometimes bartender but the more you tell them the more they fucking ask so sometimes i would just leave it there right yeah and then one time i went and the guy was like what do you do and i was like
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I'm a musician. I'm a musician. That's so cool. It was the first time that I wasn't working multiple titles. It was the first time that I was like, oh, this is my only source of income.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
The guy was probably like, okay.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
That's a great tagline. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
Yeah, I remember the first check I ever made off of, like, a really shitty publishing situation. Like, the first time I ever sold a song before Jermai was involved was a song written in Campo Toronto for a Netflix show, for some kid's show on Netflix.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
what no family channel yeah it was something like that and it was uh it was 250 bucks nice and i was exactly i was like yes and i went home and it was the first time i showed my folks a check for music and they were like huh and then i bought groceries and they were like huh and it was just it was great it's so funny to have those like little little bookmarks
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I mean, I sang all the time. I would do shows for my family. I'd never shut up in the shower and outside the shower. It was a lot. But they were worried. And my brother's a scientist, a very smart man, works at university. We're starkly different. Your brother's a scientist? Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah, yeah. And teaches and stuff, too. That's cool. It's cool.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
But then I came along, and to say I hate school is kind. It's putting it gently. It's putting it lightly, yeah. And it's just never been for me. It's just never been for me. And the first time, there's one teacher in my life that I always acknowledge and say thank you to. I gave her a shout-out in my poetry book because it was the only time I ever got a call home.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
I swear, I'm going to repeat it, but pretend like this is the first time you've heard it.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
a positive call home from a teacher was her oh i love that yeah and she called so sweet she didn't know until i told her why it was so um like impactful it's why it was so impactful is because my house only spoke spanish my parents would help me with homework but like mainly with like things that were universal like math and you know what i mean but english not really because we didn't really that's you know it's not the element yeah
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
the the first time i feel like i watched one of your videos i was literally amped like i loved it and i felt so seen oh it was so sick and i was cackling my ass off and the feminist in me was so happy that this guy was getting fucking roasted and i remember commenting like i think i was like a hard emoji and i was like you're doing god's work yeah and when i saw it shit my pants that's me being honest too i lied about the last thing that's the last weird thing i'm gonna say
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
And so the fact that she called to be like, yo, your daughter's skilled and because we're doing poetry and she noticed it and she was like, your daughter's skilled in that. It meant so much because they wouldn't they wouldn't have noticed that at home. Yeah, they wouldn't have known that. Yeah. You know, and if I if I were to tell them, OK, let's focus on math. Let's focus on math. Yeah.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
So it was sweet that that that that she was able to to vocalize that and have it be heard. Yeah. But they were nervous. They were nervous. So the first time I started making money, I know they were like, OK, great. And my mom's so sweet. My mom's like my mom's like the neighborhood mom.
The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez | Episode 146
you know even on the tour like the tour bus everyone calls her mom yeah she's that my mom too it's the best but i say that to like preface this story because she she one day hit me and she like crazy she wanted to apologize for something she said to me when i was like 24 and i was at it i was like out grinding grinding like i've never been the hustle in me is different.