F L A U N T
If you’re a fan of PnB Rock, you’re a fan of good music. Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the singer, songwriter, and rapper exploded onto the scene with his 2016 viral smash single “Selfish,” inserting himself to be a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Not only did he showcase his innate talent to create heartfelt, R&B ballads, but audiences all around the world quickly fell in love with his smooth, sultry voice.
Fast forward to 2021, PnB Rock returns with his newest EP titled 2 Get You Thru The Rain, holding fans over until the release of his forthcoming album. Without having released a project in over 2.5 years, this arrives on the heels of his critically-acclaimed 2019 album TrapStarTurnt PopStar, which had guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Quavo, Roddy Ricch, Diplo, Lil Durk, XXXTENTACION, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and more.
Flaunt caught up with PnB Rock at 1 Hotel in Los Angeles to discuss the new EP, remaking “HIGH,” the making of “Eyes Open” with Lil Baby and Young Thug, what he learned from quarantine, new projects, having his own label, his fashion, what artists he’s most excited for, hobbies outside of work, why he doesn’t set goals, and more!
How’s family time been?
Smooth man, it’s fun watching the kids grow. I got 2 [kids], one 8 years old and one 18 months. It’s crazy, real shit. Life is crazy man.
2 Get You Through The Rain EP out now, what’re you most excited for?
I’m just hyped to get music out man, new music period. I haven’t dropping nothing in 2.5 years. Was going through shit with the label, normal shit. But we figuring it out though. It’s a preview for the album. It wasn’t even supposed to come out, I said “fuck it, I’ma give you something for my birthday” type shit. That’s why I named it 2 Get You Through the Rain.
What’s the rain metaphor for?
Pretty much, this is for all the people that have been begging for music. Everybody be trying to fill that void, trying to listen to one of these PnB’s. This is to get you through the rain, the end of the year rain. This is pretty much a preview to the album. Out of the songs on the album, I picked my top 10. I didn’t want to give you the best songs off the album, so I picked my second best. I put them on there.
Bring us back to when you made “HIGH” with DJ Luke Nasty.
This shit was a while ago, we made that shit in 2015. That shit went viral on TikTok. We been dropped it, that’s the crazy thing. That’s why we had to remake it, that shit was old as fuck. It went viral. It was a redrop. I said “I’m not about to put out a song that’s already out on iTunes,” that’s why we remade it.
How did it go viral on TikTok?
Some kid shit! I don't know. A lot of shit happens like that, on its own on TikTok.
That’s dope though, free marketing for you.
Yeah facts. I wasn’t tripping, you feel me? I was thinking “damn, I don’t want to put out this old ass song when I got all this new music.” But you don’t want to miss out on a viral moment, gotta capitalize on that shit.
Are you on TikTok?
Yeah, I be trying. I be fucking around. That shit’s a little hard for me though. One video will probably take me 300 videos to get that one video. Real shit, I’m ass. [laughs]
“Eyes Open” featuring Lil Baby and Young Thug, how did that happen?
That’s a big song right there. That’s one of them jawns when me and Thug did the song, we knew it was a big song when we did it off the rip. It was too short, so we were trying to make it bigger. That’s why I got a choir to make it fill it out some more, but it still felt short. That’s when we got Lil Baby. Who else is more lit at the time than Lil Baby?
Is there a music video coming?
Hell yeah, for sure! We haven’t shot the video yet, we’re still getting everything together.
What do you want fans to take from the project?
All these songs, I took a vibe from every situation. Every scenario off the EP, I gave you some relationship shit. I gave some turnt shit. I gave some shit for the people you done lost, rest in peace to everybody. I gave you some regular vibes…
Catch These Vibes?!
Trying to take you back to that type of feeling.
What’d it mean to perform in your hometown of Philly?
Homecoming. I haven’t been in Philly for a minute, that shit always turnt when we touch down in your hometown. I can’t wait, ya feel me? Bringing out a couple special guests.
Have you been performing at all?
Hell yeah! Still be doing a lil off-shows, not a crazy tour or nothing. We about to start opening back up.
How was quarantine for you?
I was really on some family shit, that shit was stressful as shit. Just having a relationship during Covid be hard as hell. I got a lot of time to grow and experience. I can’t even put my finger on it saying I learned one specific thing, I just grew and got more mature. Bossed up, got more of my business involved. Stuff like that.
You got businesses coming?
I always have businesses. I got a couple businesses in Philly: restaurants, shit like that. When I say business, I'm talking as far as my label.
Are you able to touch on the label situation?
I mean, nothing crazy. Everybody's situation wasn’t how it was supposed to be now. I got signed in 2015, it’s 2021. Shit way different now. Just updating shit.
How much longer you got?
I got 2 more albums. I’ll probably drop 3 more tapes before I drop my album. I want to flood shit before I drop. I want to heat that shit. I’ll probably drop this shit, drop some shit right after this. Right on the heels of it, next month type shit. Then Valentine’s Day, I’ma drop some more shit.
How was it linking with Swae Lee and Pink $weats on “Forever Never”? Beautiful record.
Appreciate it. We were just in the studio and picked up some fire shit. At first Swae Lee wasn’t on it, it was just me and Pink $weats. We reached out to Swae Lee and got him on there. That’s my guy.
The visual is crazy. What was your creative vision?
That shit was one of those ‘outside of the box’ videos, something people wouldn’t expect. You don’t hear the song and think I’ll be on some lovey dovey shit, so we try to make it fun some shit. That’s why I crashed my bike and all that, on some acting shit.
Can we see PnB Rock the actor?
Hell yeah, I fuck with that acting shit. That shit be hard.
What are you excited for next?
Outside of this project, I’m excited to drop new music. Put out new shit, new visuals. Opening the floodgates, I can’t wait to get back rolling. Get back into the flow of things. How I said I was on some relationship shit, I’m not on no relationship shit no more. We broke it off, some we grew apart type shit. Nothing crazy, we don’t hate each other or nothing.
‘Cause you were boo’d up!
Facts, for a minute. I’m back outside now.
What motivates you?
My kids the most, more than anything.
3 things you need at all times to record in the studio?
Some weed. I need some Throat Coat, that’s the tea I’ve been drinking. I like having vibes.
Anymore collabs?
I’ve been fucking with everybody. I like the younger kids I’m fucking with, a lot of people don’t know about the SoundCloud n*ggas. All of them.
How do you discover new music?
That shit be finding me forreal forreal. Literally scrolling on Instagram or on Soundcloud, Youtube. That shit be finding me, I don’t know how. [laughs] On God.
How would you describe your fashion sense?
I be switching it up every now and then. Right now, I’m in the process of switching it up again. [laughs] I be always trying to figure out the new drip. I’m always on that shit, n*ggas be stealing my drip all the time.
What’s the current drip?
Right now, the newest thing I been rocking… I’ve been fucking with Bottega heavy. Amiri, that’s regular. I can’t think of anything else, I’ve already been fucking with everything.
You said on IG “YALL SICK OF THIS WATERED DOWN SHIT DAT BEEN DROPPIN.” Can you expand?
A whole bunch of n*ggas come out sounding like PnB. You ever listen to a song on the radio and been like “that’s PnB?” Anytime you got to ask yourself that, fuck you already know. That’s self-explanatory. Little PnB’s, there’s a whole bunch of my kids out there. My sons. I’m coming back, the real original sound.
Any goals for yourself?
I try not to set goals, I’m more of a go with the flow type of n*gga. Spontaneous. I might just wake up and say “this is what I want to do today,” and we gon’ work towards that. I don’t be setting goals.
Where you are now, do you have any artists under you?
Yeah, I got a couple artists. I got my label, New Lane Entertainment. I got 9 artists, 10 producers. When I finish my little rollout of everything I’m working on, we got a whole joint album we gon’ drop. Shooting some visuals too.
How do you have time to manage 9 artists?
I got a whole team, it ain’t just me.
Where do you stay nowadays?
Out here. I fuck with LA. Out of everywhere i’ve been, I fuck with LA the most.
Do you miss Philly though?
Sometimes. I like the trenches though, and that’s where I need to stay away from.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I be doing paintball and shit. That’s fun, I like shit like that. We play no mercy. We don’t play no you shoot one time and you leave. You gotta run off. Outside of paintballing, I like to do regular stuff. I be chillin’ forreal forreal. If I’m not in the studio making beats, I’m watching movies on Netflix.
What do you like to watch?
Right now, I think BMF is over though. I’m still on Ghost Power shit. That shit’s hard. I be chillin’ man, on some family shit.
Your kid's in the studio with you?
Sometimes yeah. Hell yeah. My daughter out here, she’s sensitive. My oldest, she be in the studio. She likes being in the studio.
Is she going to be doing music? Taking after her daddy!
Maybe. I don’t try to be forcing nothing on her, ya feel me. She be doing her own little shit.
You have your own sound, do you plan on expanding genres at all with your new music?
I’m going with what the music’s telling me. I don’t ride the wave of nothing that’s going on. Whatever comes to me, I go with the flow. I fuck with some of them newer, young SoundCloud artists. There ain’t too many people that are moving me like “damn, this a new sound. This some fire shit, I need to listen to this.” Outside of those people I just named, the new younger kids, they got their own little wave.
Anything else you want the people to know?
New music we about to drop, I can’t wait. Real shit. That means new visuals, that means we gon’ be having new merch. New tour, just be ready man. We going up.
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