When it comes to artists in hip-hop, only the elite are able to sustain a rap career for decades on end. Out of that small group, only a portion can say they did it independently. Insert [Curren$y](https://www.instagram.com/spitta_andretti/?hl=en), also known as Spitta, who boasts one of the most dedicated, loyal fanbases in the rap game, serving as a walking testimony that you don't need to sign to a major label to make your dreams come true.
The New Orleans native is the proud founder of his own imprint, Jet Life Recordings, creating his own lane of stoner rap that can hardly go unnoticed. Previously signed to Cash Money/Young Money back in the day, with a standout feature on Lil Wayne's mixtape _Dedication 2,_ Spitta has the respect of damn near all the rappers out there, from the OGs to the new cats.
To date, his impressive catalog includes his critically-acclaimed _Pilot Talk_ trilogy series, endless mixtape, and collab projects with The Alchemist, Wiz Khalifa, Freddie Gibbs, Berner, Smoke DZA and more. However, when it comes to collabs, Curren$y doesn’t work with anyone unless he’s genuinely friends with them.
Most recently, Spitta re-released his 2012 collaborative tape _Covert Coup_ with super-producer The Alchemist, which he didn’t even know wasn’t on all streaming platforms. In addition to giving listeners the chance to revisit the iconic tape, it holds them over until Spitta and The Alchemist’s forthcoming project, which he emphasizes “is not a sequel.”
_Flaunt_ caught up with Spitta at the studio in North Hollywood, who was recording in the studio with OG Maco and producer Trauma Tone. Read below as we discuss his working relationship with Alchemist, not knowing _Covert Coup_ wasn’t on streaming platforms, what to expect from their forthcoming project, working with producer Trauma Tone, creating “The Life” with Wiz Khalifa, words of wisdom from Snoop Dogg, go-to fits in the studio, selling his _Financial District_ EP as an NFT, and more!
**How’s it been in LA these past two days? I know you have a jam-packed schedule.**
Yeah, it's cool though, because I’m working with the homies right now. Trauma Tone and I are actually 20 records in. The other records were made in New Orleans over the last 3 days. We all caught the same flight out here. I was coming to work with Alchemist to finish up our project, I’ll catch up with him in the morning.
**Do you and Alchemist usually record in the daytime?**
I would've gone tonight, but Tone text back first. I sent the same “Yo” to both. Tomorrow, I'll finish up with Alch. No sweat. That’s the homie. The records we have to the side in light of us just releasing _Covert Coup_ to streaming, this project I have with him is in the same vein. I’d never say it's part 2, because that’d be a lot to try and emulate, the way people hold their project dear to them. It's nostalgic to the year it came out and what was going on in everybody's lives. To say I'm dropping part 2 to that is big shoes to fill. My plan really is to create something equally impactful, but a completely different animal.
**What were you going through in 2011 when it was recorded?**
Man, that was me not bitter with what’s going on in the industry and my experience with major labels, but it was me being a little more aware of what goes on in those situations. I wasn't mad at it at all, it was “okay, I know what’s going on.” I always refer to it as the way a machine would prefer an artist to fit into a certain mold. It seems to me that on a major level, the labels would rather have their artist copy or emulate previous success from some other artist instead of being original. That’s not what it’s about.
**Decades later, how does it feel to be one of the most successful independent artists in the game?**
Well, it comes from staying true to myself. It’s a testament to any artist that’s starting out and thinking about changing their sound to become more successful. If it’s not in your heart, you don't have to do that. Stay true to who you are if you. If you stay in the course, eventually the universe will work it out for you. The people who you’re making music for will catch wind of you. Your listeners, your base, your core audience, they'll support you. You'll get Rolls Royce’s if that's what you want.
**How many cars does Spitta have?**
36\. We’re trying to do some shit right now so that number is tentative.
**Is that number going up or down?**
Up, I won't sell anything. Each of them has a story. Each was from a check. We did such and such and got this check. I can't sell because that’s the time I did that. I have a warehouse in New Orleans that houses 30 of them.
**Crazy that _Covert Coup_ was recorded in 2011. Why now to re-release?**
We didn't know it wasn’t on. Me and Alch were talking about this shit, I said “yo, I don’t think it’s on Apple Music.” We looked for it, and it wasn’t.
**When did you discover that?**
When we started working on the project that we’re doing right now, when we’re in San Francisco shooting those Nautica ads. We’re shooting ads for that Diamond Supply x Nautica collab and talking about the project, we realized it wasn't out so it's out now. People were reacting to it like they never heard it, so that's good. Some people didn’t hear it before, people that did hear it are relieved it's there and they're listening to it a lot.
**What does it mean to have Prodigy on “The Type”?**
Man, he was always one of my favorites. He always showed love to what I was doing. I wasn't really that jam with him at first. Through Twitter, he’s always saying “this dude’s making good shit. I respect this dude's moves.” When I reached out, it was automatic. It was cool. I wish I was in the same studio, but Alchemist can put his hands on anybody so he got the verse for me. We linked up a few times after that. Dude’s a legend. It's crazy because the blessing in my career is that everybody I listened to, cleaned my room to, washed my parents car to or cut the grass to, I ended up meeting them. They fuck with me, it’s genuine. That's a blessing.
**Bring us back to when you and Wiz recorded “The Life,” that song is such a bop.**
We did that in New Orleans, he came out there to record,. He pulled up and said “let’s bang the album out.” We did 8 of them in New Orleans, that was the second record. The first one we did was “2009,” the next record we did was “The Life.” It was a good session, few of the homies were there. It sounded exactly how it’d look. That record came out the way it did because that session was exactly how it was. You can imagine what that session had to be like if you hear the record, we put it all in there.
**How much are you and Wiz smoking?**
We don't weigh it. We don't count it. We both have our own strains, so we’re pretty much made out of weed now. It doesn’t matter. I used to know when I’d pay for it: “Yo I smoked an ounce of weed because I just bought it. It sucks, that whole ounce is gone.” But we don't care anymore, as long as we’re awake. The whole time I'm walking the earth, I'll be smoking. When I'm not smoking, is when I'm asleep. Snoop told me I gotta have one of the homies wake me up occasionally to pass me the blunt, so I'm there smoking in my sleep.
**You got people waking you up with a blunt?**
Nah, sleep is sacred, because I don't rest a lot. I do a lot of rapping and kicking it.
**How many hours of sleep do you get?**
2 or 3, or 4. I’m chillin’ man, I’m cool. I have a lot of time in life to sit still when I’m not doing this, when I’m not amidst the grind—studio. I’m an active musician. When I’m not making music, and I’m sitting on the porch in my 60’s, I can fucking kick back then. It’s alright, I’ll sleep then. I'll be a lazy old fuck. I won’t do anything, because I’ve done so much of that now, I don’t have to do anything. Outside of cruising my son's graduation, that’s it. I won’t do anything else.
**What can we expect from the second project with Alchemist?**
Some of my usual collaborators. I've already reached out and got a verse from Styles P. Me and the homie Boldy James have one on there. I have a few more on the burner I won't discuss, but they’re outside of my normal realm of reach. They’re friends of mine. I’d never collab with someone who I wasn't genuine homies with, because I don't want to reach just to make some shit hot.
**You've collaborated with a lot of people, and they’re all dope.**
That's the only way it'll work. I don’t like wack people.
**Favorite most recent collaboration?**
Lately, I've really been locking in with producers. Locking in with Alch is always my favorite thing to do. It's my first time locking in with Trauma Tone, this shit been good. We’ve been putting records up. I've had a few beats from him on my mixtapes, the listeners always hold those records in high regard. This was long overdue, we had to pull up on one other. He took the first step and came to New Orleans.
**Talk about selling out of your NFT drops in 24 hours, which consisted of your EP _Financial District_.**
Everything that exists in this digital space: the same way we’re sitting on this couch, there's a digital couch somewhere. There's a digital studio somewhere that needs a couch. The same way people exist in the world and they put second life in The Sims, everything exists in that realm. There are NFT lighters, NFT weed, all that. If you’ve absorbed yourself completely into that space, then you need that shit. We put music out through the NFT.
**How fire is the EP?**
You'd have to access it through the crypto world to hear it, it's not for everyone. It was an auction like any art piece, so that’s not to be disclosed. The purchase wins the auction, we operate with class. They can resell it at a different value, that’s how this works.
**How many songs are on the _Financial District_?**
7, I believe, all produced by my good dude Black Metaphor. They're really good records. It was a tug of war with myself because there are such good records that I wanted to upload to Youtube, so everybody who loves me could hear them. I realized they're such good records that the people who love me, who are willing to go to this auction and purchase this piece not knowing what it sounds like—just cash out for it, it needs to be that good for them. My name is Curren$y, so I’m talking about money regardless.
**You always dress good at the studio, what’s your go-to fit?**
In the studio it gets cold, so you'll need a good hoodie. Today, I’m wearing Diamond Supply, a collaboration he did with the car company Chevrolet. Nicky Diamonds is a good friend of mine. My sweatpants are Jet Life, also my socks.
**Anything else you'd like to let the people know?**
Hey man if we nailed it, we nailed it. We're in the studio, making it happen right now. I’m doing 2 projects with Trauma Tone. One is called _The Highest In Charge,_ that’ll be my solo project. The second one is _Welcome to Jet Life recordings Volume 2_, totally produced by this gentleman on the other side. Probably should get back to it, get back in the booth. This was beautiful.
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