A Conversation with al.divino AKA cvv.vino
WORDS WITH WORD$ INTERVIEW #11
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Yo, it’s the Pope, 1000WORD$.
Hailing from Lawrence and Lynn, Massachusetts, al.divino is an undeniable force to be reckoned with. He is a Hip-Hop triple threat: a rapper, producer, and graffiti artist. His raw style blends gritty street poetry with face melting beats, which has set him apart from the rest. He also creates music under the alter ego cvv.vino and there's a clear distinction between his two personas.
As al.divino, he represents himself and the realities of his environment. He is often seen with legendary Lynn rapper Estee Nack. cvv.vino is much more experimental, drawing on a hood rave style aesthetic. Through cvv.vino, he's able to explore his youthful side and expand the boundaries of his sound.
On January 20th, al.divino threw a “Secret CVV.VINO show,” a unique event that combined the energy of a rap show with the vibe of a party. The show featured mosh pits, a diverse lineup of artists, and a party mix of classic R&B. With a focus on building community and creating a space for artists to thrive, al.divino is bringing back the true essence of hip-hop to Massachusetts, inspiring the next generation of artists to find their own voice and make their mark on the world.
In our exclusive interview, al.divino speaks about the process behind his cvv.vino show, the difference between al.divino and cvv.vino, and the culture in Massachusetts.
THIS IS WORDS WITH WORD$.
1000WORD$: It's your boy 1000WORD$. Welcome to WORDS WITH WORD$ on Substack, I'm here with my brother al.divino.
al.divino: Dudududududududu.
1000WORD$: I just want to congratulate you man, watching from afar man. You told me last year that you tryna build more of a inner fan base in your city and I think that shit's going well right now. I think that you executed, maybe not yet everything you want to execute, but I think you executed the love that you wanted to receive from all the locals around your area.
al.divino: Nah, bro I got that shit off. Like my mission statement of what I was tryna do, I got that shit off, like for real. The execution of it really exceeded my expectations. You know, I like to keep my expectations low in situations like that to avoid disappointment. And that shit fucking blew my head off man. That shit was a real moment. I had quite a few people telling me that they haven't been to some shit like that out here in like six years and I wasn't around for them shits. I don't even know what they talking about. So that's like, it's a very like... it's a return of an energy that I wasn't a part of that Boston type... whatever that was happening that they were referring to I wasn't even there for, vibes. I'm really trying to bring like a new energy to where I'm from. That shit really like... I succeeded. My man CAEV fucking crowd surfed, kicked the fucking disco ball off the ceiling. We had five people pass out.
1000WORD$: Legendary.
al.divino: You know what I mean? Not like regular people, I had a yin that worked at... a store that will remain nameless. She fell out right next to the bar. Shit was nuts, bro. But everybody had a great time, man. Everybody. Mosh pits. Little homies getting sturdy. It just went off without a hitch. It was perfect. People didn't know what to expect going into that shit. Keep in mind, this was a hidden location. You had to park somewhere and walk like 10 minutes in the freezing cold and walk into this building in this fucking industrial yard that nobody has ever been to. It was like an Easter Egg hunt type shit. For that shit to not be on the internet, the location wasn't on social media and you had to follow instructions like an Easter egg hunt... For that to have a turnout the way it did, it just blew my expectations, man. It was like easily a hundred people in there, man, I can't wait to do that shit again. Because now that people are seeing the footage and all that shit. We bout to up it, times three for real. I appreciate you because like you really saw me. I was stubborn as hell because I was determined. I was like, "Yo, I'm not really doing no rap-rap shows 'till I get this off." Now that I got this off I feel like I'm ambidextrous like I can do it all.
1000WORD$: From the outside looking in, right? I feel... I'm not saying that this is correct. I feel that you have lived multiple lifetimes in this lifetime. I feel like you started at a young age being this hip-hop rapper like, you know what I'm saying? Like Wu-Tang vibes. So for people that don't know that, right... I feel like you're tryna show the youth like, "I could do this. And now I can do that too."
al.divino: Yo yo, it's almost like a second childhood. Because I know like similar to what we were just talking about before, there's a portal that's about to close. Being 28, I turned 28 in October. And it's like, I'm not old, I'm not young. I'm in this weird purgatory space, where I'm right in the middle. So I'm like, "Let me get this off, before I'm too old to do this shit in my mind." And I'm just old enough and just young enough to do it the right way and really be a shining example for the next generation. Like, "Damn, he did all that real hip-hop shit and he's doing this turnup shit, the right way?" Cuz you know Thou, a lotta people try to do what me and Nack do and they can't even do that, let alone do both. For real, for real. That's something I really wanted to show and prove with this man, is that like, "You gone hurt yourself trying to rap like us, but you can't do this wavy shit either." This is special, but you really you really hit it right on the money talking about like multiple lifetimes man. It's a trip.
1000WORD$: Yeah, for real. Because you can't really see what I see from the outside, what I see is from the moments that I've met you and then what other people put me on as far as like history about you. You've been doing the shit for a long time bro. You've produced albums. You got classic shit. Timeless shit. So now, for the people that don't understand, right? What is al.divino? What is cvv.vino? How do you separate the two?
al.divino: There's a couple of ways I could break it down for you, right? Like it's kind of like analog versus digital. You know, because we're both familiar with my catalog as far as... like physically right. So in the equity, in the stock market that me and Nack kinda shifted the stock market along with a couple other people and notable names that kinda set it off. But, we furthered the momentum. And so I compare that to a gold brick, or a Rolex, it's like a savings account, like you investing your money into something that is going to grow in time, you know, like with the vinyls and this or that. But with the cvv shit, it's a little bit more intangible. It's kind of like crypto, it's kind of like my bitcoin type shit that like, yeah you can't hold it in your hand. But, me and the people that understand what this is, maybe you're not going to catch it for another 5-10 years. But this is technology. This is cultural currency. I mean, I'm honored when people tell me I got a timeless, classic project because that's something I really I pride myself on is being able to curate and create a body of work. And then it's like, the bodies of work and projects become like a collage. So I appreciate that a lot. So now it's kinda like I beat the game with that shit. So now it's kind of like, the bonus mission is like... make a hit, make hits without sacrificing my integrity. Like I said this shit in the Sam Buck shit like bro, I'm not out here making Jack Harlow music. This shit is still underground. It's like hood rave culture. That's like what I compare it to because the music and the fucking show is intertwined. You can't separate the two that's why I had to get that shit off. Because I understood that most of my fan base doesn't understand the shit until they see the fucking show that I just threw. You see how much the youth is connecting to this, they fucking going crazy in the crowd like mosh pits. When I came in to this shit that's what I wanted like in the back of my head I don't even know that's what I wanted for real like I wasn't even really conscious of it that it was a thirst that hadn't been quenched yet of these live, live shows because these traditional rap shows they starting to get boring to me, man. It's lit like it's like. When it's me and Nack like The Cookout like that's a fucking moment as far as all this other regular fucking rap show shit. Like I'm blacking on stage and I'm not really getting the energy that I need that I really want right. Yo, I need people like short circuiting in the crowd I need them going crazy, like crowd surfing, throwing water bottles and literally like rock star shit.
1000WORD$: But you are a rockstar, though.
al.divino: Everybody that know me know that. Young Himmy Page. I'm sure you see what I'm saying. It's like a venn diagram these two worlds, that I'm trying to be in the middle. The cvv.vino shit is less for the Internet and more for where I'm from. It's for Massachusetts. I see a void like that's what the al.divino shit was. That's what the painting shit is. It's all me seeing a void and trying to fill that void and what I see in the culture. It's like seeing like a space in the goalies feet for me to put the puck. That's all I'm trying to do. I'm just trying to provide like a technology for where I'm from. This is what all my little homies is on. Me being raised by Allah's Five Percent, it's my responsibility to connect with the youth. I can't oldhead my shit. The al.divino shit was so for me for real like I didn't make that shit for anybody else. I made that shit for me.
1000WORD$: Yeah, I've bared witness to a little bit.
al.divino: I made twenty albums for myself. Let me make some shit for where I'm from.
1000WORD$: How has your life changed as you've put out these albums? Because I know that your life has probably done multiple 360s.
al.divino: It's 1080. Plenty of times man, 1080. I don't get dizzy man. I know everything comes full circle. The earth spin around the sun, we making this whole shit spin. It's a trip like these albums have definitely changed my life like transformed my reality and the ability to shift the circumstances around them, not only my life, but the life of my loved ones and my little homies and even my older homies, my OGs. Like, Nack is somebody that educated me when I was young, on various genres of information, so for me to help establish a platform in which we could really make money off this shit is a part of me kind of trying to pay him back for something I could never pay him back for. Like he gave me the knowledge it's like, "Yo big bro, look what I did with it. Let's get this money." So it work both ways. Like me inspiring my little homies. And making a way for me and my big brother to break bread off of our talents. This conversation is very important for me because, you know, I want the people that get to read this to understand the difference between al.divino and cvv.vino like the way you broke it down. Yeah, the other shit is like cryptocurrency. Like you know motherfuckers know about crypto, but not everyone got crypto. You know when I was at [Westside Gunn] crib, right? We was mixing out "Peace 'Fly' God." I had told him on the phone about the cvv shit. But, then I got to play him the videos because the videos and the performances and the shows that I'm throwing, the videos they all intertwine with the music. It's all like a pyramid, it's all just as important, so like we in the fucking Maybach Benz truck and all that shit, I get to show him the videos. I show him a couple of my favorite cvv jawns and shit. And you know what that motherfucker did bro? We link up the next day. He's like, "Yo, you know who I sent them shits to?" I was like "Who?" He was like, "[A$AP Rocky]." So when somebody like, see Gunn get it he's like, "Oh, yeah, I know exactly who to show this to."
1000WORD$: Fire. So now I was gonna say me and you bro. We did an infamous road trip that we never got to elaborate to the people that's in this universe that we in about it. The Buffalo shit.
al.divino: Yeah, we never really got to unpack that.
1000WORD$: Yeah, we never really did. Funny shit is... at that time I remember you wanted to fly me out with you to go over there. You was like, "Yo, I'm gonna fly you out with me. So we could go" and then I was like, "Yo, why don't we just drive up there" So we drove up there. Yo, it was one of the most legendary times of my life, man. Like, I don't even understand this shit? Like we pulled up to fucking Buffalo. We got caught in a semi blizzard in between Syracuse.
al.divino: My memory blurry sometimes, man. You gotta remind me
1000WORD$: We got caught in a blizzard and my man Keychains was driving and he didn't know where to go. You clearly said, "Bro just look at the tracks on the floor. Like the snow tracks from the previous car."
al.divino: Oh, I forgot about that. Haha, yeah.
1000WORD$: Yeah, so we pulled over at a gas station and switched drivers.
al.divino: No wonder why he was having such a fucking difficult time?
1000WORD$: Shout out, to my brother Keychains man. He was wildin.
al.divino: He's like, "Yo, fuck this. I'm not doing this no more."
1000WORD$: So we get there like a week before.
al.divino: We was there for a good, at least a week. It was extremely necessary looking back. I'm very glad we got time to soak up the energy out there for real.
1000WORD$: It really was man. Not to mention that was my first place I've ever had a painting in. We really did. Shoutout to Billie Essco. Shout out to his homie Skate and them. We was chilling over there. Shit was like a festival bro. That's the first place we ever got anything shown.
al.divino: Yeah, ever.
1000WORD$: Like me and you pulled up, I pulled up with like 12 blown-up Polaroids.
al.divino: I don't think you ever blew them shits up before that. You had like a whole exhibition man, it was beautiful.
1000WORD$: Without even expecting that.
al.divino: For real.
1000WORD$: You went up there bro, you really created some like... Damn bro, like I've seen you create a bunch of times, but all the times have been legendary. This legendary one we really soaked up in Buffalo. We went to the thrift stores. We went to a thrift mall that just progressively got thriftier.
al.divino: AA Rashid bro.
1000WORD$: Shoutout AA Rashid.
al.divino: I musta had like 400 dollars in my Pay Pal bro. And when I left all them fucking thrift spots and the flea markets and shit. I must have had like 80 dollars left, ya heard. It was just so much of my childhood, that I actually still have I still have in my crib. It just brings me back to that week man, the best jerk chicken I've ever had. I've had a lot of jerk chicken in my life. Fucking Caribbean experience man. It looked like a Foxy Brown video, that reggae Foxy Brown video in that spot, they had the big... Essco telling me that... Cuz that shit was on the second floor and on the first floor they got like a bar spot. Like, bro you partying in there till two o'clock in the morning eating this shit. Who woulda known bro, I don't even think I ever got... Yo bro and the fact that my painting was fucking... half of it was on the wall, half of it was on the ceiling. Gunn almost cut that shit in half, just to fit the shit. I was like, "Nah, bro do not cut the shit. I'm telling you." Yo bro I don't even think I got to tell you is that when Gunn flew us out to Atlanta to go to his crib for the "Peace 'Fly' God" shit, the second day I'm there he gets a whole bunch of mail, like big boxes. Guess what the fuck one of them boxes was. It was my painting stretched on canvas. Because remember I did this shit on raw Canvas He got it stretched, it got mailed to his crib while I'm there. I don't know if he did that shit on purpose. I don't know because he got so many things going on i don't know hed do that shit on purpose.
1000WORD$: That's divine timing, bro.
al.divino: I got to watch his little homies install that painting 15 feet in the air above his flat screen in his fucking estate. It's not even a mansion, it's an estate. So it was like full circle like a motherfucker. I hadn't seen that painting since the Buffalo Kids store opening.
1000WORD$: Wow, full circle moment. I remember us waiting to the last minute. I remember we was in Buffalo and I'm like, "Yo we haven't seen Gunn. We already here for like four or five days. How the fuck I'm gonna give him these blown up pictures? I just showed up I think we just showed up Friday like before and we just dropped everything off. That's how we did it, right?
al.divino: Something like that.
1000WORD$: We went to the mall and we just dropped everything off. That shit was lit man, seeing everybody receive all that shit bro. Like that's a legendary moment, we really traveled up there to make something happen and we made it happen bro.
al.divino: I've never seen a line that long in my life. We walked through the whole mall with Gunn and the line wrapped around. It was easily 2000 people in that line bro. RIP to Buffalo Kids gallery, man for real. I know he's got some other shit up his sleeve.
1000WORD$: That shit happen around 2020, right in the pandemic.
al.divino: It was definitely during Corona. Shit was definitely during Corona because I had a ski mask on.
1000WORD$: What are some of the things that you collect that remind you of your childhood like if you can name them off top?
al.divino: VHS tapes. I have an extreme VHS collection. I don't think I've even ever showed you my VHS collection.
1000WORD$: You did some legendary shit one time, one of my few times ever doing LSD you put on a fucking Fantastic Four VHS.
al.divino: There's easily like two hundred tapes bro. And none of those shits are from my childhood those shits are all collected.
1000WORD$: Where you find Scarface? I got my Scarface at a yardsale or something.
al.divino: Oh yeah, something like that, bro Scarface, yeah that wasn't too hard to find type shit. But like Superfly, fucking mad pokemon shits, X-Men shits. Street Fighter, Half Baked to fucking Ninja Turtles. They get crazy man. You know so like comic books. I didn't grow up reading comic books, but I'm a big fan of the the art. Artists like Jack Kirby. Them motherfuckers is like like modern day DaVinci to me, man, like Michelangelo level genius like action figures and shit like that. I bought every Burger King Pokemon toy as a bundle on eBay one time, all the little tops. The gold cards and all that shit with the Togepee and all that shit.
1000WORD$: Did you fuck with wrestling grown up?
al.divino: Yeah. Until Chris Benoit merced his whole family and offed himself. Then, I stopped watching that shit.
1000WORD$: Which wrestler you would be if you could pick one?
al.divino: Ray Mysterio. Ah, I get a lot of people saying they would be Ray Mysterio, yo. Yeah, that was like my favorite bro. I just love his style, his style is crazy, like fucking aerodynamic. I'm pretty aerodynamic mentally as well. Fucking triple backflipping and shit.
1000WORD$: Where you feel like the future hip hop is headed?
al.divino: You just look at the youth man. Look at the youth, like that's how I was taught. You wanna know what the future look like, look at the youth. I remember being in high school and people catching fucking multimillion dollar lawsuits off of sample clearances. You know what the little homies listening to? Shawny Binladen and all that shit where they flipping everything. Like they've never heard of a lawsuit, ya heard? So we moving into a great space man, you know, it's like there's no rules. It feels like there's no rules like they flipping hip hop songs into drill shit. At the same time, it's kinda spooky man with all the New York drill shit. Shit ain't never been more violent. It's kinda bugged out like all the little homies, all they know is fucking hyper-violent music. That shit is like a modern day gladiator type thing, man. Like a gladiator reality TV show that's not on TV like, every fucking week somebody get popped in the Bronx. They're listening to the music and watching the violence and then rapping about it. My man [Papo2oo4] told me, powerful told me the first person he attributes to all that hot boy shit came from Boston, Head Shot Mafia. They was like some of the first fucking rappers on some like... Yo they growing up in a time where they shoot somebody and then they go to they block and rap about who they shot, how they shot him, where they shot him. And then get indicted through a fucking 30 person sweep, RICO charge, right? That's the duality. For me that's what I kinda chalk it up to. Where everything is as good as it's ever been in my opinion, everything kind of worse than it's ever been in a way too. It's kinda like some yin and yang shit. I lean a lot towards the more positive outlook on things, you know, it's like... there's never been a time where it's more accessible for the youth to be able to feed their family off of music. And that's a beautiful thing.
1000WORD$: Damn.
al.divino: Not even just music, like clothes bro... We're in a time where designing, fashion and things of that nature and doing photography and all this, it's never been more accessible than now so like it's super dope seeing the youth that don't just rap that they make clothes. That's why I clicked up with... the whole cvv show was with my people Midas BKS, the little homies from Brockton. And they the shit in Brockton, bro. Shout out my man Rui, right man. He pumped clothes out of a sneaker store called Banks and Broncos in Brockton and I pulled up on him once. This shit was next to a fucking abandoned convenience store. So y'all couldn't sell candy, but ya'll could sell sneakers? That's crazy. I'm talking Brockton is nuts. Shoutout to Van Buren and all that too, but I'm talking about the little homies man. It's like, yo they roll deep as shit. Like 15-20 deep and don't none of them rap. They all do photography, clothes, creative direction. I had them sponsor my show because I went to an event that they did in Dudley Square. And this shit was the most lit event arguably, I've been to in a long time out here, if ever. With all the youth like all the 19, 20, 21 year old get fresh kids, ya heard. So that's just a great example of a group of little homies that's coming out of a place where it ain't shit there, you know economically, and making something for themselves, without even necessarily rapping. It's a testament to the era that we in.
1000WORD$: See so you now, Divino. Being from Lawrence and Lynn right, but you could catch Divino in DC, you could catch Divino in LA, you could catch Divino in New York, you could catch Divino in Virginia, you know what I'm saying? You did all of this on some like how you said you was trying to bring it home like connect more with your people, but you was...
al.divino: I was road running. Yeah, that's why I got sick a road running. I'm like, "Yeah, bro I miss home." And then I come back home and I feel disconnected. I spent so much time reppin, OT, you know what I mean. Then I come back home I'm like, "Yo, ain't shit to do?" I feel like an outsider in my own fucking environment. So I'm like, "Nah, bro, this gotta change." So I made an executive decision to not go anywhere for a while, for a good year. And really like conquer my backyard. You feel me? And I've got to give it up to BoriRock. We going on like a good almost two years of knowing each other, I think something like that. He is Boston, like I introduce him to people in New York like that, like "Yo, I'm not from Boston, but if Boston was a person it would be fucking BoriRock." It kinda fucked his head up like how quick I kind of marked them checkboxes off in Boston. I got right with all the right people. As much as I road ran for all them years like that shit really added a lot to my character man like I can't express my appreciation enough for people in DC, people in Philly, people in Richmond, people in LA that opened they doors to me and allowed me to establish homes away from home. I could go and plug in at anytime. I got family all up and down the East Coast now. Putting them flags down, I really just call it groundwork. I've never looked at it like networking. I never looked at networking as networking in the first place. It's just establishing relationships with people and just observing their culture like how they live out there and really trying to learn it and understand and take the best parts from them cities and bring it back home. That's what I've been trying to do. Like all the coolest shit. I'm like, "Damn, where's our cool shit? We need some cool shit."
1000WORD$: Y'all the cool n****s in their though man. You, Nack, and Hidden. But, listen to me...
al.divino: I'm saying like event wise. I go to cool events in like all these cities. I come back and go like, "We just got bars and shit, like yo where's the cool shit at?"
1000WORD$: Yeah, I hear that.
al.divino: This is a message to anybody that might be from a city where they feel as though there's a void. Leave your city, man. That's a part of me having Knowledge of self. I was the new kid in school. I went to four different high schools. I was the new kid on my first day of high school at a big ass high school with like 3000-4000 kids. So, once I got Knowledge of self, I was already the new kid at like three, four different high schools so, once I got Knowledge it was like, "Nah, I'm me no matter where I'm at." I can adapt to my environment, but I have this certain part of me that doesn't switch. I'm just me wherever I'm at. So, I use that to my advantage and just... it was a part of me just being unsatisfied with the same shit everyday bro. So I had to go out and just find new experiences and then eventually just got caught kind of tired of it like, "Damn, I miss home. Essentially." Ain't nothing like home, nothing charge your battery up like home. And there's nothing more gratifying than doing something for where you're from like that event. That was one of the most gratifying that was like one of the best nights of my life that's like one of the most gratifying experiences, like ever. I didn't even care about making money. From the speakers, everything renting the spot, alcohol, whatever whatever, you know what I mean?I broke even and made a little bit of money and that's all I cared about was breaking even that wasn't even to make money that shit was just to make a memory. That's all we really got when we fucking... get old or whatever, whatever. It's all we got.
1000WORD$: I think for whoever reads this, right? People always trying to figure out like, "How do I? you Where can I? When can I?" And then you did all of that without even asking those questions like, who's to know that you have to tap into all these cities and put these flags down? And how that helps your career just breaking bread in each different city? You know, with people that make sense.
al.divino: It helps your career and it also helps your character.
1000WORD$: Exactly. It helps you understand what you're in. Because I feel like for the universe we in like... we don't really have anybody pushing us or documenting us like that, you know what I'm saying? So for us to do all of this, operating like this, this is like our job. It's crazy.
al.divino: It's a job like it could be a career, but also it's a responsibility. I felt like I had a responsibility being from where I'm from. Not a lot of people ever leave their fucking hood. Some people don't leave they block, I know it's like that in New York, too.
1000WORD$: One hunnid.
al.divino: Especially when you in fucking New York, it's like what the fuck am I gonna leave my block for? I got everything I need.
1000WORD$: And then you could go to another hood where you good at too and it's the same.
al.divino: Being from where I'm from man, I felt like a real fucking fire under my ass like not from other people. It was from my heart. It just desired more.
1000WORD$: The youth is where it's at and tapping in with them is amazing.
al.divino: Man that shit is inspiring, bro. It inspires me to inspire them. It's this equivalent exchange. It's this never ending exchange. Because I remember being young right me I remember being on the other side of the table, it's kind of a trip when you get a little bit older and it's like, "Yeah I'm not really young no more, but I'm not old type shit." Now it's like I'm moving into my elder shit and coming into my OG status.
1000WORD$: I get it. You're positioning yourself...
al.divino: It's essentially the dynamic of when the student becomes the teacher. Because what I've found through teaching is that I learn more through teaching than I do through learning on my own. And that's the interesting part. Now see why somebody like King Asiatic loved having us around. And loved teaching us shit. Knowing Nack.
1000WORD$: Rest in Peace to King Asiatic. You took me over there man and we had like a four hour conversation.
al.divino: Remembered in Perfection.
1000WORD$: Yeah, that's legendary shit. That was so dope because not a lot of people get to see that side of you. I was honored to for you to take me to somebody that is a big pillar in your community and a big pillar to you and Nack and to a whole bunch of other people.
al.divino: He's important to Medina, too. He important to Brooklyn, too. He's an important person to so many lives. You got to pull up I think it was only you and Starker was the only people like from OT that got to come to his crib and meet him and see how we rocked. He was really like my pops damn near, for real. That's like a beautiful thing. You not only getting to getting to understand this shit, but also you getting to document this history. I remember we did a four hour interview on casette.
1000WORD$: We were flexing tape recorders. You was showing me his tape recorder.
al.divino: Like, "Yeah, yeah God. We about to do this shit on a casette tape."
1000WORD$: Shit was crazy. Legendary cuz like...
al.divino: He broke out all the casette tapes he had. Bro, I used to run him for them shits like whenever I was there like, "Yo man play them blend tapes you got, play them fucking... I Doo Wop blends and all that shit straight fromt the '90s man. All them hard R&B jawns. Because that kind of brings me to my point, the reason why I was. One of the reasons why I would kinda like... it wasn't no pressure in there because as soon as I bring it up he with it because once he start listening to them throwback them old R&B. I would look at him and he'd be sipping his beer whatever and he'd be back at the party in his mind bro I could see it. So I could kinda time travel with him and imagine what it woulda have been like in the function listening to SWV when R&B was at the party. This brings me kinda full circle back to the whole cvv show shit, man. Hip-hop started in the party, man. At some point the shit split into a rap show, you dig me? So what we did was after the performances, it was like an hour of performances, then it was R&B shit all night and bops, ya heard. It was a party. It was just as much a rap show as it was a party and that's what the show is, it's about bringing it back to the essence whether it's rap-rap or not, it doesn't matter. It's a vibe. It's an energy.