Why T-Pain Will NEVER Trust DJ Khaled Again + Joe Budden Universe FALLING APART & Rappers Secrets

T-Pain Exposes DJ Khaled “Brother” Game, Labels Want Spotify Raise, DEI Money Vanishes for Pods

In this solo episode, Loon breaks down why T-Pain’s “nobody is your brother” rant on Shannon Sharpe hit harder than people think, what it really means when DJ Khaled uses “brother” like a promo code, and how the family word gets weaponized to cloak bad business in music and media.

From Ace Hood’s seven-figure exit from We The Best to labels quietly pushing Spotify to raise prices while keeping artist splits the same, Loon explains why music is still on a rookie contract, how Netflix vs cable exposed the new “add-on hustle,” and why AI plus streaming turned fans into secret investors.

Then he pivots to podcasting: DEI checks drying up, black creators getting cut when the government paperwork changes, the Joe Budden universe, “sous-chefs” getting bravado off someone else’s work, and why pods like Need to Know and Bigger Picture struggled once DEI budgets disappeared. Loon lays out why he refuses pity-party money, how he’s retraining his audience to pay for value, and what it means for the future of It’s Up There Podcast.

00:00 – Intro, holidays & “fish sandwich vs fishing rod”
03:12 – T-Pain on Shannon Sharpe: “Nobody is your brother”
03:53 – DJ Khaled, the “brother” promo code & being used
08:13 – Weaponizing the family word in music & business
10:28 – Roc La Familia, mob names & fake “family” labels
12:35 – T-Pain’s legacy vs putting people on
15:05 – “If they make the sea, I make the sail” – Loon’s method
15:25 – Ace Hood vs DJ Khaled: 7-figure exit from We The Best
17:02 – Clip: Ace Hood explains the million-dollar number
20:43 – Connecting T-Pain, Ace Hood & Khaled’s sweet spot
22:11 – Labels push Spotify to raise prices
24:21 – Netflix vs cable: devaluing live TV & changing behavior
27:03 – Add-on hustle: subscriptions as the new cable
27:39 – Artists still hustling like it’s the 80s
29:34 – AI, labels & training models on artist voices
31:13 – Labels renegotiate subscriptions, not artist splits
33:45 – Streaming, secret shareholders & rookie contracts
35:11 – Knife vs pie: who controls splits in music
35:38 – Podcasting leaves its rookie deal
36:55 – Bigger Picture & Need to Know podcast cancellations
38:36 – Clip: DEI money stops and ads dry up
40:33 – Joe Budden universe & sous-chef bravado
43:19 – DEI, pity parties & token black shows
45:10 – Joe Budden, Flip, Surf & chemistry challenges
47:32 – Changing customer behavior vs artists standing still
49:56 – Dark time for pods & Loon’s long game
50:32 – Tease for the future of It’s Up There Podcast


T-Pain said “nobody is your brother,” then brought up DJ Khaled by name. We unpacked that, Ace Hood’s 7-figure exit, labels pushing Spotify to raise prices without changing splits, AI training on artist voices, and how DEI money stopped and a lot of black pods folded when the checks dried up.

Drop your thoughts:
1️⃣ Have you ever had the “brother/family” word used on you in business?
2️⃣ Should labels be able to raise prices on Spotify without changing artist splits?
3️⃣ Do you think DEI helped black creators, or just made us temporary line items?

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WATCH MORE ➡️    • EPISODE 069| WAR ON RAPPERS |LIBERATION LO...