If you're a youth on the internet, as you most likely are, you've probably encountered Adam22's No Jumper podcast, inadvertently or otherwise. The host is the creator of the successful YouTube-driven interview series, which has made a name for itself by interviewing the youngest of the buzzing rappers right before, or right as they break-- namely, XXXTENTACION, however, there's more to No Jumper than its infamous XXXTENTACION interview.
Adam22, based in the West Coast, made a press run out in the East Coast and stopped by our office for an in-depth look at everything he does, as part of our newly-launched interview series The Plug. The Plug is about respective "plugs" in industries, not only limited to the hip-hop industry.
In the 29-minute interview, Adam walks us through the creation of his own blog, a BMX bike-dedicated website called The Come Up, to the creation of his podcast, No Jumper, the rappers he's been able to connect with on a friendship level, and much more. The complete timestamp breakdown is below if you want to skip ahead to a particular section.
Getting an interview from Adam and the No Jumper squad is no joke, either, as he reveals he'll spend "four to eight hours" on prep beforehand.
"It can be very challenging interviewing somebody who doesn't even have a mixtape out, because they might be a really interesting kid but you don't know what the fuck to ask them about besides the obvious stuff, cause you don't have any information about them," Adam shares. "So what I always try to do, is set aside hours in the day where I'll just listen to their music over and over, and I try to just turn my phone off and get rid of all the distractions, and get myself in that zone, like what do people want to hear Rico Recklezz talk about?"
He added some personal insight from his storied interview experience, "It's very rare that you find an 18 or 19-year old who's a great conversationalist, and that's what tripped me out about X, is that, it was unreal how good and how easy it was for him to flow on camera. It's just very rare, if you find an 18 or 19-year old kid that's an expert interviewee, you should probably keep an eye on them cause that's usually a pretty good sign that they're going to do well."
Through out the conversation, it becomes evident that Lil Pump and Adam's relationship extends beyond just the networking and business side of things. Similar to Adam's association with XXXTENTACION, Pump's affiliation with Adam has become intertwined with his rise. Towards the end of our interview, Adam even contemplates aloud whether or not he should ask to co-manage the Floridian.
"Lil Pump, he's one of the best people I met in the rap game," Adam says without hesitation. "People think he's a joke, people try to paint him as if he's not poppin', everything he puts out does so good." He went on to also give a shout out to Pump's friend and collaborator, "I'm really excited for Smokepurpp's album," he said, revealing he'd been in the studio with Purpp during its creation.
Adam also shared his view on the current hip-hop game, "My whole thing with hip-hop is that elitism is fucking wack, and hip-hop is about the kids. If you are a 35-year old guy who's still involved in rap, that's great, that's awesome, but you really don't have any business writing off Lil Pump as a musician, cause he is, at 16, regardless of if his values include technical lyricism, he is the heart of hip-hop, he is a kid who is expressing himself, he is a kid who came from nothing and is making something out of himself, by telling his story. Regardless of how specific he needs to tell his story at this point in life." He added, "I'm so glad I never became a 33-year old who looks down on a kid for doing his thing." Amen.
Watch DJ Envy's interview for The Plug series here.
Breakdown
THE BEGINNING: 0:19
GETTING INTO PODCASTING: 1:40
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNDERGROUND: 3:05
MANAGING ALL THESE OUTLETS: 5:33
PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS: 6:23
HELPING YOUNG ARTISTS GROW: 8:16
PICKING WHO YOU INTERVIEW: 9:44
PODCAST STORIES: 10:30
LIL PUMP & SMOKEPURPP: 13:29
GROWTH OF THE PODCAST: 15:08
FAVORITE MUSIC: 16:22
RAP FUSING WITH OTHER GENRES: 18:48
HIP HOP'S CURRENT MEDIA LANDSCAPE: 22:50
DRUG CULTURE IN HIPHOP: 24:11
NO JUMPER TOUR: 26:30
WORKING WITH LABELS: 27:00
THE FUTURE: 28:00