Branden caught up with Bay Area rapper Big Omeezy while he was in town for the A3C Festival. One night after rocking the stage with E-40 in Atlanta for the first time in 10 years, Omeezy opened up about the journey behind his latest album "Evolution." He also touched on a variety of things ranging from being raised in the Nation of Islam to being proud of being a hypeman.  

1:30 - "The hypeman is a lost art in hip hop...": Omeezy is known to many as E-40's hypeman. He reveals that he has had convos with Flava Flav about the role and remembers when Kendrick Lamar was Jay Rock's hypeman and 2Chainz was Ludacris hypeman, proving that the role is one that is needed and can lead to other bigger stages.

  3:20 - Omeezy talks being down with SIc Wid It since 1995 and being known for hustles ranging from restaurants to security and why he named his album "Evolution."   4:50 - Omeezy, who was nicknamed "the great communicator" by his father talks about feeling the freest he's ever been in his career and how that is impacting his new music.   6:30 - Omeezy's father was a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam. He talks about how that influence lives in his music, even after his father passed away.   11:00 - Omeezy says he did his new album for his people in NOI and says the feedback has been "all love" because people recognize that he is more than just a rapper. He also talks about how he chose the artists who are featured on the album. Branden and Omeezy also have an exchange about what "conscious rap" actually is.   17:30 - Omeezy talks about making the transition into taking rap seriously and getting people like E-40 to get behind him.   21:30 - Omeezy takes a moment to speak on why there always seems to be beef between rappers from Sacramento and Oakland.   25:13 - Omeezy talks about how music is therapeutic for him.    29:40 - Omeezy big ups his new clothing line ventures that will feature positive messages for Black people.   Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio