Back once again at Genius, Fridayy returns to break down his hit song “Proud of Me." The track, which features Meek Mill, appears on his double album Some Days I’m Good, Some Days I’m Not and holds deep personal meaning for both artists, as they’ve each lost their fathers. On today’s episode of Verified, the Philly rapper opens up about why writing the song felt like therapy, how his father influenced him, freestyling the entire track, and much more.
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00:00It was like therapy listening to the song, you know what I'm saying?
00:02It was like very special to me.
00:04I knew it was going to touch the world, how it did.
00:06Everybody got their mama's song or their grandma, but I knew it was going to touch a lot of
00:11people's hearts, like two black men speaking about the loss of their fathers.
00:14It's a rare thing in our community.
00:15I think we was one of the first people to do it, for sure.
00:24When I made this song, it was just like, I looked at it like perfect timing.
00:28I was having like a simple issue with my album.
00:30So my album was supposed to be Ben Turkin then.
00:33I just went in the studio, just probably like creating for somebody else's album.
00:36And I played them chords and I Know You Proud of Me was like the first thing that came out.
00:40Freestyle, that whole song, it was like a therapy session really to my father.
00:44And then I sent it to Meek Mill and I was like, yo, we got to put this on the album.
00:47I played it, I went to New York, played for the label.
00:49Label got chills, everybody got chills.
00:51So it was just like, it was like God.
00:53I look at it like perfect timing in God, for sure.
00:55I Know You Proud of Me.
00:58Look at all the shit I prevailed.
00:59He passed away last year, so I bought him a crib.
01:02I was feeding my family, like taking care of my whole family before he was gone.
01:05And he knew that.
01:06I knew he was proud.
01:07Even before that, he was proud of me because he taught me how to make music.
01:09He introduced me to it.
01:10He forced me to just make music to stay out the streets or stay out the way.
01:15I Know You Proud of Me, for sure.
01:16For the youngest of your seeds, make sure the family eat well or I'll give them what
01:20they need.
01:20Usually like the youngest is just like, we're going to let him do whatever.
01:24Like we cherish the youngest.
01:26So my parents, my mom cherished me.
01:28My two older brothers was really like taking care of the family more than anything.
01:32I was just running around doing my thing and finally locked in on music and took it very
01:36seriously.
01:36Years go by like I'm the one that's taking care of everybody now.
01:39So that's what that line is about.
01:40The youngest of your seeds.
01:41I know they look at me like, damn, like this really are the youngest.
01:44You feel me?
01:45Taking care of us right now.
02:02Top three, like if I'm making a decision, I'll think about my family, God and money.
02:07So it's like, I'll sacrifice myself.
02:09I'm that type of nigga.
02:10Even today, like I'll take a loss so I can see my brother win.
02:13So ain't no telling what I'll do in a good or bad way.
02:16You know what I'm saying?
02:17And that's the same with them too.
02:32Being successful could be a blessing and a curse for sure.
02:34I feel like coming where we come from, like we've been cursed our whole life for real.
02:38Like we like 20 steps behind of America, living like in Philadelphia in the hood.
02:42When you finally get that money, it come with a lot of people hating on you.
02:46It's like, why him and not me?
02:47People will think you're heavy, but it's like a lot of people change on you because what you're
02:51doing at this moment, you can't bring everybody with you.
02:53Having nightmares of my brother clutching on me.
02:55You know what I'm saying?
02:55Gotta watch your back, even the ones you love.
02:57You know what I'm saying?
02:58That'd be the people that cross you the most, the people that's closest to you.
03:16Yeah, my dad gave me that advice.
03:18Stay about them streets, it could get lonely.
03:19Like that's all advice he told me.
03:21You could do whatever you want to dream of.
03:22I just ain't know what I wanted to do.
03:24And once I locked into it, it's like, damn, I hear his voice like, damn, I really, I did it.
03:28I'm walking on the stage, they waiting for me like 23,000, you know what I'm saying?
03:31Word for word too, hit after hit.
03:40Sometimes I clock out on stage, crowds singing word for word.
03:43And it's like, sometimes I really like, like blocking them out in a way like,
03:48then I ain't getting to a deep thug.
03:50And I just think about my dad, especially when I was on tour, that's when I lost him.
03:53The shows I did after that, it was just like seeing him and like singing to him and hearing
03:58his voice.
03:58Everybody could be here in the crowd, I'm hearing him.
04:00You know what I'm saying?
04:01Even after the show.
04:14I wouldn't even say it's coping because I know, I know it's not helping.
04:17I'm not like a dummy like, yeah, diamonds make me happy.
04:20It's helping me with my loss of my father.
04:22It's just something that make me happy.
04:24If I'm having like a bad day, I just count my blessings and less focus on the negative
04:29and focus on the positive.
04:30Like we're at the jewelry store.
04:31Let's, let's, let's, let's be happy today in a way.
04:33Let's do something, make me happy.
04:35Jewelry make me happy.
04:38Both my parents Haitian, you know what I'm saying?
04:40Growing up in a Haitian household, it's like, I'll be like, I'm going to my friend's house.
04:44They like, the fuck is a friend?
04:46Ain't no such thing as a friend.
04:47You got family.
04:48You know what I'm saying?
04:48You got, you got three brothers and eight cousins.
04:52That's all the friends you need.
04:53Growing up, you really realized that like meeting other people and like,
04:56niggas, you meet somebody, fade away a year.
04:58And like, the only thing that you left with is the same family.