An In Depth Conversation with Bjorn Majestik and Miky Hustles of Legendary Cyphers
(This interview took place over Zoom on September 16, 2020)
Karla Quintero:
Hi, I’m excited to talk with you both today. To start can you share a little about Legendary Cypher's origin story, and its roots in activism?
Bjorn Majestik:
The cypher isn't anything new. It's an eons old tradition of communicating in a group form. And obviously in New York rap cyphers are definitely something that no one can physically own, or say, "We run cyphers."
[Legendary Cyphers] started with our brother Daniel “Majesty” Sanchez. It was 2013, we were deep into the YouTube era where everybody was learning how to be rappers, or do whatever they wanted to do in life. [Our cypher] was supposed to be a one time thing and then Majesty was like, "You know what, not for nothing, this is what we need.” Majesty honestly felt like this training, proving ground kind of a vibe [for MCs] just didn’t exist anymore.
Union Square was a legendary spot for cyphers, and so that's how we became Legendary Cyphers. We started in August 2013. We've been around for seven years, but have eight seasons because we count that little half season as our first season.
Legendary Cyphers in itself was activism because Majesty's nature was activism. He was all about people. He’s been through a lot. He’s a former addict. He's been locked up. He's been through the system. He's been out on the street. He knows what it's like, and everything he went through gave him that compassion, that drive to be there for people. Him starting Legendary Cyphers had that essence to it. It was never about, "Oh, this is my thing, and everybody's going to love it." No, it was, “this is for the people, for the community.”
Miky, myself, and Eli, we’ve been there since the beginning. We started when Maj invited us out. Even though I had known him for years, I really started to learn who he was as an activist, because he would bring that to us. He would use the cypher as a place to be like, "We're here to spit bars, but don't forget that this just happened. Pay attention to what's going on in the world. Be there for each other."
Karla Quintero:
Miky, I remember Majesty telling me that you learned to freestyle through a youth program. Is this how you came to join Legendary Cyphers?
Miky Hustles:
I met Majesty for the first time through somebody named spiritchild in a youth program called Art Start. I was young at that time and just learning more about freestyling and more about hip hop culture. spiritchild introduced me to Majesty and other people that were around that crew and that movement. I didn't see [Majesty] again until one day I passed by Union Square and saw a group of people. I was like "Oh, all right, they rapping." One of my homies said, "Yo, you should jump in." And so I did and started coming every week.
I think it was at the third cypher when I met everyone - Eli , Majesty... I kept going, got better with my freestyle, and then became part of the team. Around that time too, I was learning about their activism work. [Majesty] was putting me on to the stuff that he was doing with police brutality victims and different organizations, like the Justice League NYC and Cop Watch. And that's how I learned, because I was still a little knucklehead, I just didn't really care too much about it. I was part of [the activism] because I was also teaching youth, but mostly on the freestyle aspect, teaching them how to record.
I'm glad [for] the way I became part of [Legendary Cyphers]. I grew with it. I grew with everybody around. And here we are, it's a beautiful thing. Now I see some of the youth coming. They come in every Friday. That's beautiful.
Karla Quintero:
I know you put a pause on the outdoor cyphers during the pandemic, but started up again in the Fall. What has that been like? Are people rhyming about the pandemic?
Miky Hustles:
We started [back up] in the beginning of September, and it's about to be the fourth week this week. As soon as we promoted [the return], a lot of people came out and the energy was just so explosive because it's been so long since a gathering happened. So, emotions were just coming out. Politics, quarantine, coronavirus, or just anything that was happening during the time that was compressed or while they were quarantined, just came out. And so, the energy was just changing like crazy, it was real chaotic because they were just expressing themselves.
Everybody's exploding, just going off. We were like, "All right, yo do your thing. But remember, keep your mask on or your face shield on." We want to be cautious and be safe.
Karla Quintero:
Since I imagine most of the people reading this will be coming to this from the perspective of dance, I am wondering if we could unpack the cypher. Can you talk a little about how artistic exchange functions in this improvisational space?
Bjorn Majestik:
It’s all about energy. The funny thing is, there are some people that come to the cypher and automatically think that there's supposed to be an order. There is no order to our cypher. There is no, "Hey, you go first, then you, then you." Your spirit feels the need to jump in, and that's how you go.
If I'm rapping and I’m giving off this energy. As a rapper you’re going to go through a few things:
ONE: I'm wack to you, and you think, "Whatever. I'm just going to wait until I can rap."
TWO: You’re like "Wow, this person is really dope, and I don't know if I can go in."
THREE: Regardless of how dope, or not dope, the person is, you're probably focused on the beat. So you're thinking, "Oh, man, I really hope I get to jump in on it." You're getting that double dutch vibe, where you kind of want to start jumping in.
But there isn't an order, and you have to kind of fight to have your voice heard. This pushes you to be artistic because in that moment, you are asking yourself, "How am I going to enter? How am I going to step my foot in here? How am I going to jump in? How am I going to impress these people?" All these thoughts are happening in nanoseconds.
Miky, Eli, and myself, we watch the cypher and that artistic exchange. It’s so organic, it's almost hard to pinpoint at times. You can see when somebody's about to go in and when somebody's feeling it. Their face kind of contorts, and they're like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Miky Hustles:
The face says it all.
Bjorn Majestik:
The face definitely says it all. But it’s organic and really dope to watch.
I'm sure Miky will add to this, because we've both seen it. When people feel threatened by somebody's skillset, the artistic exchange gets choked up. You can even see when MCs are thinking, "I don't know if I can go in." Because they were about to and then all of a sudden you can see that they chose not to. Me or Miky we're great for that. We'll say, "Hold on. Let them go in." Or Miky may start spitting bars to lead them in.
Miky Hustles:
As Bjorn said, you can tell when somebody wants to jump in and you can lead them in. Sometimes you get overpowered voice wise, because we don't use a mic. Sometimes we have to tell people, “yo, use the air from your diaphragm!” That helps you become louder and more powerful. Sometimes you see somebody coming in as a small person, and you think they are not about to be loud. And out of nowhere they got this voice, and you're like, "Oh, they want our attention."
One thing that I tell people and the youth that I work with is that freestyle is not rapping, it's a way of life. It's a lifestyle, even when you wake up, you're freestyling. People say they don't freestyle. But they do it every day. "Yo, what am I going to eat?" I'm going to get on the bus, I'm going to go to work, I'm going to do this. But, let's say the bus doesn't work. What are you going to do? How are you going to go back home? You might think you have it planned out, but you don't know what's going to happen. It's the lifestyle of freestyle that you're living. You're doing it without even knowing that you're doing it. So, that's definitely a perspective that we always share for people to analyze in their minds.
Bjorn Majestik:
The one thing that I like to tell people [when they ask], "Yo, how do you freestyle?" is when you wake up, life is a freestyle fam. You don't plan your conversations. Your brain is constantly moving. And this can even go for your dance community as well. We get so caught up in emulating the people that inspired us, that when we step up, we don't realize it but we're still trying to emulate them. We haven't found our moves, our music, or our voice yet. So, it's like once you understand that, you start to realize, "Wait a second. Okay. So I can be myself, but yet still have the impact of the person I'm emulating?”
You have to really get that in order to understand how you can be an artist in whatever it is that you're doing. So when people come and ask questions like, "Yo, how do you do this? What is it about? Or what's free styling? I don't know if I can do that." I always tell people you can do it. You just have to convince yourself that you're able to. And then if it's something that you truly want to do, then you'll go through the motions. You'll go through the exercises. You'll go through what's needed in order to be better at what it is that you want to do.
Karla Quintero:
I’ve been hearing this a lot from the Festival’s artists, that there is not really a distinction between their improvisation practice and living life.
I’m curious, can you talk about your personal freestyling practice? For example, do you prepare material in advance to work out in the cypher, do you always create exclusively in real-time? If you come with written material, how do you make decisions about when to deliver it?
Bjorn Majestik:
I freestyle more than I write. So, I never come prepared [with written material]. I just show up. I think as an MC, but I assume this goes with anything, you have to kind of develop your own practice depending on your strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, my practice is I look at words and I immediately just try to think of things to go with it. And that started because I remember back in the day with no internet I used to have a bunch of DVDs and VHS tapes. I would just look at the titles and that's how I would practice freestyling. I would just go off and start conversing off these titles. I still tell people now, don't focus on the word as the end result of your rap. Instead, use that as the inspiration for what you want to say. And that's to train your brain. For me, it's all about training my brain to think faster.
I think when it comes to the improv part, all I could say is “just do.” Always just do. The one good thing about improv is that even a small failure can work in your favor. Because it was done on the spot, it's forgivable. And I think that does help as an artist.
As far as preparing work [in advance], I encourage it at the cypher, and I'm glad that we do as a team because for a long time there was an unwritten rule that you couldn't spit written raps at a cypher. It always had to be improv. I used to think like that too. Then one day I thought, who are we to rob the audience of your potential, of who you are, of your greatness, just because you don't have this one skillset. But yet, you could actually be legendary in your other skillset. That's why we encourage people, come with your writtens. Just don't try to do a whole song in one verse, break it up.
Karla Quintero:
Miky, what is your process, is it similar?
Miky Hustles:
I mean, everybody got their different processes and how they do their freestyle aspect. We always allow writtens. Somebody came out with a notebook one time, and it was like, "Yeah, go ahead. Do your thing." If you got punchlines in there that you can't memorize, and you need your phone, do your thing. The only thing we care about is if the flow is dope.
When it comes to the written and freestyle part, the only time I'll come with writtens is when there's a certain topic or something crazy that came up that week. Or if there's something that I know other people are going to talk about. Whether it involves politics, entertainment, or gossip, anything. I'll come ready for that. I'll bring it up and then I'll start conversations on that topic. Everything else though is freestyle [generated] at the cypher.
One thing that I've learned at the cypher too is when you freestyle and get people or spectators involved, they get really excited. That kind of thing makes the fan, spectator happy that they are a part of it, and that builds the community even stronger. Just because you're not rapping, it doesn't mean that you're not a part of it. That's why it's good to have writtens and it's good to have freestyle.
Also, freestyle, there is a science to it. We were in National Geographic, they compared our brain waves to jazz musicians.
Bjorn Majestik:
That's right. We got the centerfold picture in National Geographic.
Miky Hustles:
Freestyling makes you think faster, so I think it could help people mentally. It makes you memorize things that sometimes you forget. And at the same time, when somebody is freestyling and talking, you get to know their emotions. What they're going through at that moment, or the history that they went through, or the knowledge that they've known throughout their whole life. So, that's how you get to meet somebody too. So, that's why I feel like there’s a science to this.
Bjorn Majestik:
Yeah. It also teaches you vulnerability as a performer. If you're about this life, freestyle, the cypher... Like I said earlier, it was really also like a proving ground. It's a dojo. If you're truly there as an artist, and you want to practice your skill set, it's going to show you how.
Karla Quintero:
Yes, you can give it all and then see what’s even there.
Bjorn Majestik:
Exactly.
Karla Quintero:
I’m curious also about how your perspectives on inclusion have evolved since 2013, (Legendary Cypher’s first season)?
Bjorn Majestik:
I'm very serious when it comes to inclusion now. We don't put up with misogyny in the cypher. We don't put up with any transphobia, homophobia, racism.
Especially [with] guys, because women don't do this. I mean, women have a right to say, rap about whatever. But honestly, I've never heard women just come up out of nowhere say, "Yo, I've seen so many dicks and da da da da" like how guys do. There's a big difference. When guys start doing that, I immediately just shut them down, because it's one thing to talk about sexual things in context, and it's another thing to do it in a degrading fashion. And not only that, but also come on, let's change the topic.
I'm not going to lie, at first it was weird, because of the toxic masculinity that was embedded in me. I kind of had that fear of even approaching men about this. I really had to get over this fear of men just being upset with me for checking them. And once I did, I just didn't give a fuck anymore. And I was like, "Yo, we don't do that here.”
Since we had a camera and we knew people were watching, I started saying ,"I don't care if your gay, straight, whatever. Come out to the cypher. Everybody is welcome. If you got bars, come out.” We're called Legendary Cyphers. Like Miky says, "Be legendary." That applies to anyone. This is not gender specific. It can be for everyone.
Miky Hustles:
I have also learned to be less aggressive. I come from an area where I had to go in on people. Through the cypher I learned to be calmer and nicer to people. Sometimes [to confront aggressive people] I'll freestyle about it with them on that nice level too. Whatever they say, I'll try to flip. Or I'll turn into a metaphor or a punchline.
But everything Bjorn was saying is definitely true. We allow anybody to come in. As long as your flow is dope. That's all that matters. Even people that their view is different and it sows hatred, we'll let them rock, but then we'll bring it back to, "Nah, this ain't it."
Bjorn Majestik:
The other day this dude came to the cypher and he got a MAGA hat on. I don't realize it because he's standing next to me. And everybody's going in like “YO!” Because regardless of how we are at the cypher, certain people will still pick on each other, no matter what. You know, that battling aspect. Everybody just started rapping at this guy like, "Yo, you going to get smacked," just going in. And I'm looking at him, and he's just standing there. I can see it in his face that he just wants to rap. But I can also see in his face that he thinks he has an actual reason for why he's wearing this hat.
So I'm rapping, and I tell him, "Yo, Bro, I'm going to let you rap, because I see you got some bars you want to spit. But I'm going to tell you right now, that that hat you’re wearing is why everybody's upset. Because you're representing something that's going against everybody here." I was like, "But you are a human being, and because I see that, I will grant you the space to talk. But if you start spewing anything supporting this dude, or you start making fun of anybody's culture, anything here, I'm going to smack you myself." I told him just like that.
And, he spit. And you know what was crazy? He had a few bars. Right Miky, remember? He sounded like he had some bars on him.
Miky Hustles:
Yeah, he did, he did.
Bjorn Majestik:
He sounded like he had potential. But, he's got this hat on that I can't stop ignoring. I just had the spirit of Majesty and I was like I know Maj would let him talk. I know he would be like "Fuck it. Go ahead. Speak your peace." And that's where that happened. I'm just hoping that maybe if you see that we do the same thing, and we have a love for the same thing, maybe you can connect with me and then realize I'm not this person you hate.
Karla Quintero:
You’ve touched on this a little already, but I’d love to hear more about what you think freestyling and cyphers specifically contribute to social action that perhaps other art forms, or ways rapping don’t. Miky, I know you are doing a lot of activist work with youth, right?
Miky Hustles:
Definitely social justice and activism work with the youth. Some of them recently got incarcerated, or they went through the system, or they're about to go through the system. There are alternative programs like Art Start, where I work at, or another program too called Educated Little Monsters. I build with them on hip hop, but also the freestyle aspect and how it can help your brain to function faster. It helps your mind to think faster in situations that you get into.
I tell them like, "Yo, if you free on a Friday night, come out. If you want to learn more about this freestyle aspect, or if you want to jump in, definitely do." Some of them come out, and they jump in. They get nervous, but they know that the outcome is going to be helpful for them. I’ve got three of them that come all the time now, and they've been getting better and better every week.
Also, when it comes to the generational gap, we always try to bridge that together. There's a lot of people that do activism work, but who never reach the youth so that the youth can understand on their level. I've noticed that even teachers in school, they are teaching [youth] like they are adults. They're not asking them what’s going on. Or talking about what's going on in pop culture. It goes both ways, you teach each other. That’s something I learned. Especially at the cypher, right, because we have youth and then we have the OGs, the older people.
I started getting into Wu Tang. The only Wu Tang song I knew at that time [2010/2011] was C.R.E.A.M. and maybe one or two Method Man songs. Two weeks ago, I was playing one of the beats, and one of the youth there that comes all the time was like, "Yo, what beat is that? That sounds crazy." I'm like, "Yo, it's a Wu Tang beat." That’s part of bridging the gap with youth.
Karla Quintero:
I agree, both have wisdom, you've got to honor both.
Miky Hustles:
Yeah, the cypher allows that.
Bjorn Majestik:
See with me, I've heard those beats so many times, that whenever [Miky] plays them I literally get mad. I've rapped over Triumph I don't know how many times since it came out. So, I guess for me bridging the gap is reversed because I've been rapping and freestyling since '95. I've been performing since 2001. Heads my age that still rap, stay stuck. And they're stuck in this '90s era where, "Oh, this is the best era ever. These young kids suck ..."
I was heading that way years ago, and it hit me, I love it. I love freestyle especially. Miky knows. I had to stop hating.
Miky Hustles:
Like Bjorn said, it happens inversely for the older people. They’re also getting tuned in to what's going on right now.
Bjorn Majestik:
A lot of old heads, they forget that when we started listening to this music everybody hated on us. Especially if you weren't black, they'd be like, "Why are you listening to that black music? That music ain't nothing. That's trash. There's no rhythm in that. You can't dance to that." So, that's the reason why I get mad when I hear all these old beats because you see in my head, I know that's going to bring out old heads who think that's the only way you're supposed to rap. Who think that these are the only kind of beats that hip hop should be about.
I've learned that hip hop evolves just like we do. If the youth have their sound, they have a sound. They didn't grow up on what I did, so why should I force them to.
Miky Hustles:
It becomes a beautiful back and forth. That's also bridging the gap with youth. A lot of people, whether they're in school, or programs, they're so into, "I'm going to teach you. Ima teach you what I know.” Instead of learning from the youth. That’s why I feel like the cypher that we do is really important, because we show love to everybody.
Bjorn Majestik:
Also I feel like what's dope about the way we conduct our cypher, and the way we try to hopefully influence the emcees that come, or anyone that watches us to get inspired in their activism, is that they have to ask [themselves], "How can I connect?" If I really want people to hear what I'm saying, hear the cause that I'm fighting about, how can I really get people to connect with me? And if you look at old school, years of how people did activism, the ones that didn't work is because even though they had a point, and they had a fight, they were talking at people, instead of talking with them.
And that's what the cypher does, is that it allows us to talk together. So, it's like when people see this energy, and they're like, "Wow, look at all these different people just exchanging words,” or they witness somebody come out of nowhere and start rapping and sharing this energy, it inspires people to say, "How can I do this, but in my own way?"
A cypher is not just freestyle. It's also sharing ideas. Not only that, but how do you get your people together? How do you get your tribe together? And I think people can see that, because we're there trying to curate love in a way. We want people at the end of the day, regardless of whatever opinions were shared here to walk away and be like, "Yo, you cool B. We good."
Karla Quintero:
I’ve focused on the freestyling, spitting bars part, but yes this practice of listening is equally developed. You are also curating listening. Thank you for that.
In my experience, Legendary Cyphers is a space that centers people of color. I'm wondering if you can speak to the significance of that for you. Particularly in New York City right now, a city that is becoming richer and whiter as a result of gentrification, and where a lot of communities of color, and immigrant communities are being pushed out, or pushed to the edges.
Bjorn Majestik:
What's funny is we get a shit ton of white people that come to the cypher. I think what's dope about it is that a few of us will notice this, a few emcees will notice this and poke fun, and we'll bring up the issue of gentrification, because it's just automatic, right? You're in a room full of white people, and if you have the opportunity to say something, you're going to say it.
So the topic of gentrification would come up, and I remember when it first started happening, I would immediately look to the crowd. I wanted to see what the reaction was going to be, of bringing these issues into the cypher that weren't there before. But watching these white folks just listen, and really pay attention, and then agree made me feel good about something. It taught me that the white people I'm worried about is the older generation. The younger generation, I see that a lot of them are willing to listen. They're willing to understand. They're willing to come out and just shut the fuck up and not say nothing. And that's dope because that's the way you absorb. You can't absorb if you're still trying to give out.
I think by being able to be honest with our feelings about what's going on in our neighborhoods, and what's going on in our lives, and just not caring that they [white folks] are there, because they have to hear this. They're obviously not having this conversation among themselves. So they need to hear this experience from the mouths of people of color. Why? Because it matters.
As far as the cypher helping with issues like gentrification, once again it goes to speaking of the times. I think nobody wants to be told about issues anymore in a very drawn out, dry way. People actually learn about issues I've noticed because of the inclusion of saying, "Yeah we're having fun, but hey, did you know that Black Lives Matter?" Honestly. We have to ease each other in, in order for us to say, "Hey, did you know this was going on?" We live in an era of reaction, right. People are just kind of just waiting to see how you're going to react to something. If you're waiting to react, that means you're kind of tense. This is a very weird time for all of us. So, the best thing to do is you have to ease everybody in. Because the thing is, when we're all tense and everybody's backs are up against the wall, regardless of what issues are going on in the world, we're going to think about ourselves first.
When you see a cypher full of people who are expressing themselves, and still coming away as equals. It reminds you that life is not about me.
Miky Hustles:
The cypher is the circle of life.
We have corporate people that stop by and will rap with us too, from Wall Street. Two of them that are wild dope and I'm like, "Damn, okay. I wasn't expecting that." You could have somebody from Wall Street, or somebody that is under circumstances that's living in the park come to the cypher, and still be able to exchange conversation, and just rap. You can see it, it’s right there. I feel like when people, like NYU, or those type of people come here, they look at this and say, "Yo, that's crazy. They allow them two together?”
Bjorn Majestik:
What's crazy too is a lot of kids from NYU, we changed their perspective because you can hear them come up say, "Oh, what's this a battle?"
Karla Quintero:
Yeah. 8 Mile….
Bjorn Majestik:
Yeah, for real. People still reference 8 Mile.
Miky Hustles:
Yo, they always say, "Is this the new 8 Mile?"
Eminem is the biggest rapper that everybody knows throughout all cultures. Eminem is a white rapper and 8 Mile was a big hit, so everybody will always go, "Yo, is this 8 Mile." Even people, when we put stuff online, they comment, "This is like 8 Mile." It's cool that he did that. It's cool that that's part of the culture too. But also know where WE coming from too, what we create.
We did a cypher in Philly. Majesty went out and [hosted one] in Palestine. It’s a beautiful thing that he was out there and that people from the streets came out. He was telling me stories of how people over there can't even be outside, but the hip hop culture made it happen.
Bjorn Majestik:
What I love about one thing you [Miky] said earlier was somebody who's down on their luck could be in the same cypher with somebody whose life is pretty much a movie. Those people would not be in the same room together otherwise. To be able to bridge emotions together with people, even if it's for a short moment….Somebody has a glimpse and can think, "Oh, shit. That could be me."
Real talk, Legendary Cyphers has personally taught me so much. I'm still very much trying to learn how to be a better man. But if Majesty never taught me the words toxic masculinity. Honestly, if he would've never ... He's the one that taught me about male privilege. He's the one that taught me about all that. He was quick to check me. He would be like, "Yo, man. Why you feeling so frail? Why is your ego hurt?" I'd be like, "What? What do you mean?" He would talk to me.
It's because of him really that I'm even more in tune with the LGBTQAI+ community now, whereas in the past I used to be very low key homophobic, and didn't even know. I wasn't like that by choice, but because of my upbringing.
If I didn't have the cypher, and if I didn't have him, I don't know if I would be the person I am now. I don't know if I would have learned to be inclusive as much as I am now. You know? I love inclusion, and it's all because of the cypher. I love knowing that.
I also want to say this, especially if you're going to write this down. That's the reason why for me, Black Lives Matter is important. Because you know, black people have been affected for eons by another group of people. And it doesn't even matter what part of culture black people are from, they're all, everywhere globally being treated like shit. They're being abused, they're being lied about. They're being taught lies about themselves. You know what I mean? They're always the subject of criminal movies, icons, characters, and I'm tired of it. I make sure constantly that at the cypher we let people know, "Yo, Black Lives Matter." Because if black lives don't matter, then how the hell do we all matter? Because if we allow this one group of people to be erased in front of our eyes, how the hell do you not know that you're next?
Us, as Latinos, we don't have the ability anymore to say, "I accuse you." We don't have that. We don't have anybody to point the finger to any more. We can't go back in history and be like, "Hey, you did this to us." We're so mixed and totally skewed that some of us don't even realize our own history. Black people I feel are in the position where they can honestly still say, "Hey, stop treating me like this." And they can point the finger, because we know who's treating them like this. We need to say this at the cypher because it helps people to get this feeling of compassion. To get this feeling of union. If you don't know a feeling of that, and if you don't somehow open your spirit to that, then how can you fully be in tune with the world? How can you honestly be happy with even the dollar that you make if you don't even know where your vibrations are leading. You know what I’m saying?
Karla Quintero:
Yes, I know what you mean. People in my sphere are waking up, becoming more enraged about oppression of and violence against black people in America. Racism is literally everywhere, and in every aspect of our lives, that’s something that’s new for people to hold who didn’t grow up experiencing it, or could choose to look the other way. It’s important to continue to make it visible.
Also, it’s really powerful to hear you say I love inclusion. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say that.
Bjorn Majestik:
But I do though, I really do. If people just have some compassion you can include people more. When I stop and think about other people who have felt alone ... How do I put this? I started telling people this. If you don't get the black experience, or if you don't get the LGBTQ experience, then do yourself a favor ... If you claim you have black friends or gay friends, go to that friend and shut up for a moment, and only ask them this question. Is it true? Have you gone through some things like this, that I hear in these songs or in these movies, that I see them portray? And then just shut up and listen to what they have to tell you.
Karla Quintero:
To close, I want to give you both a chance to shout out any folks, or any organizations that have inspired you, are inspiring you at the moment.
Bjorn Majestik:
I would like to give a shout out to my brothers Miky and Eli, because they inspire me every Friday. I want to give a shout out to Majesty. Him inviting me into Legendary Cyphers was the best thing ever in my life. I was already stuck on giving up and quitting and not wanting to do this. If it wasn't for Miky and Eli, I don't think I would still be strong enough to do this. Because losing Maj was real big for me. And I love these guys. And even though I get on them sometimes, behind the scenes, if it wasn't for them, I probably would've given up a long time ago.
And honestly, to every emcee that comes out, that has a heart, that really is about this, I love you. Thank you.
Miky Hustles:
That was deep. As for shout outs, definitely Majesty just for the fact that he created this and we became part of it. Of course shout out to Bjorn and Eli to still be sticking with it and me learning a lot too through them. It's been a hell of a journey right now, but it's only the beginning, because there's a lot of other dope stuff that we're working on that I feel like Maj would definitely be proud of. And shout out to everybody that comes out to the cypher, and everybody that supports, people from out the country too. The fact that they're not here physically, but online they always show support. Shout out to all those people.
Also, a quick sidebar story. One thing that he forgot to mention too was, at the cypher these two individuals met each other and then had a kid.
Bjorn Majestik:
That's right, I forgot we got a Legendary Cyphers baby.
Miky:
Yeah. So, it created love itself. It literally did.
Bjorn Majestik:
That's dope.
Miky Hustles:
It's more than just the music. And the fact that that happened made me be like, "Damn, this is amazing." Y'all get family. That's why I always extend my love to people that manifest anything that happened through the cypher, outside [of it].
Karla Quintero:
Thank you. This has been great. The work you are doing is incredible. Where can people follow you?
Miky Hustles: You can follow us at:
Instagram- @legendarycyphers360
Facebook- Legendary Cyphers
Twitter- @legendarycypher
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