Curren$y Is Keeping His Inner Child Alive
Curren$y is tip-toeing around various luxury sports cars, gradually leading me over to something important in the distance. He’s rocking a mischievous smile that reminds me of a 1990s kid who just spent their hard-earned pocket money on water pistols at the local Toys “R” Us.
In the shadow of a grandiose Tony Montana-esque mansion within an exclusive gated community, the cult New Orleans-raised rapper talks me through the intricate zigs and zags of a winding racing track that’s completely taken over the front garden. It’s been custom-made for radio-controlled toy truck battles. It even features a ramp that jumps across a flower bed: a canny shortcut that could have been lifted straight out of the retro racing game, Micro Machines 64.
“I tore up my fucking lawn for this shit bro!” the 44-year-old (born Shante Scott Franklin, also known as Spitta Andretti) beams with obvious pride. “The mud track is wide enough for two trucks… me and my friends do time trials until the sun goes down! I got a 1982 Super Goose bicycle in the kitchen, too.” He continues: “I got a Sega Dreamcast… but it looks ass on my TV, so I don’t really play it that much. It’s all these little things that keep me grounded — I’m really just a big kid.”
This carefree philosophy goes a long way to explaining why Curren$y is one of the most influential independent rappers of his generation, someone whose immaculately stoned, self-motivational raps regularly amass millions of streams. Rapping in a thick, unhurried New Orleans drawl, where words flow out haltingly like syrup dripping onto hot pancakes, Curren$y is that rare emcee who makes the good life – actually – sound attainable.
He never condescends the listener with his effortlessly fly, stream-of-consciousness bars, even while flexing about audacious spending sprees on things like cigarette boats, office chairs (“Drone Footage”), and sterling silver serving trays. On a paranoid yet triumphant new song, “Drop Zone” – a highlight from the new album Never Catch Us, which was produced entirely by friend and yacht rap innovator Harry Fraud – Curren$y references this natural ability to inspire everyday folk: “I can turn a blank piece of paper to a whole other crib/ Turn a blank piece of paper to a fully stocked fridge.”
This winning mentality is a key reason why the artist has been able to achieve major label success on his own terms [Empire is one distributor for Curren$y’s Jet Life Records label] and build a committed fan base that will always invest in whatever Spitta is doing, whether that’s vinyl drops, tours, or pushing a weed strain called Andretti OG. Why wouldn’t they? Curren$y is their life coach, after all.
“Yes, I’m balling, but I’m not putting it in your face per say [with my raps],” the artist explains of his trademark sauntering flow and relatable songwriting ability. “I’m saying: this is where I am, and this is what you must do to get here! I can’t invite you… as they won’t let you in! But if you do xyz you will receive your credentials, and I’ll then see you for a toast at the bar. I guess it’s known as responsible balling. I feel like what’s the point in making millions of dollars if you can’t show others how to get there, too? When you’re sitting in the big seat, you’re supposed to help everybody around you.”
At this point Curren$y is passionately barking out non-stop gems like a preacher drunk on God. If he asked me to invest in something business-related, I’d probably say yes without hesitating. He continues: “I can show you how to take a notepad that costs 59 cents and turn it into 10 mixtapes… and then earn enough millions to move your mom into the mansion next door!
“I’m watching the 1989 playoffs final between the Lakers and the Pistons right now. Pat Riley is three inches away from each player’s face, asking them, ‘How badly do you want this?’ That’s my role in hip hop culture. I’m the one you come to for a smoke and a pep talk.”
It’s been a long road to this perch within the industry. Having clocked in the hours as a young artist among legendary labels like Cash Money and No Limit Records, Curren$y studied how pioneering executives like Birdman and Master P approached business akin to inner city gangs flooding local drug markets. This is something the rapper referenced on his own song “Bank Statement,” rapping out the life mantra: “It looks like we’re slanging dope, but we’re slanging records.”
This core philosophy is why Curren$y regularly puts out 10+ projects in a year like it’s no biggie; a blueprint that’s inspired similarly prolific peers like Boldy James, Roc Marciano, Westside Gunn, 03 Greedo, Your Old Droog, Chris Crack, Larry June, and a bunch of others I’m probably forgetting about.
Leaving major labels and going it alone across the 2010s is what really lit the (bong) flames of Curren$y’s upward solo career trajectory, allowing him to show more of his placid personality on wax (particularly alongside close friend, collaborator, and Cheech to his Chong, Wiz Khalifa) and unleash the classic Pilot Talk mixtape series. A lot of his best songs (see “Airborne Aquarium” or the Alchemist-produced “Whale Watching”) have beats that sound like those weirdly chill synth harmonies littered across the gloopy underwater levels on 16-bit video game classics like Ecco The Dolphin and Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
This comparison is welcomed with real love. “Do you remember Wave Race on the Nintendo 64?” Curren$y asks me. I nod enthusiastically, instantly reminded of its blocky sunshine that looked like SunnyD orange juice. It was something my mind was blown by as a kid. “That orange fucking sunset, bro? I want my music to feel as chill as that! It should be like you’re looking out at the ocean from a jet ski and thinking about life. Someone once told me they thought my music was like the trap Legend Of Zelda and that shit was the greatest compliment in the world.”
Breaking down the ties between rap and gaming even further, he says, “Remember, we didn’t grow up with money, so those video games were our everything! That was our vacation. Our role models. Like fuck, I legit wanted to be Ecco the Dolphin! Rap and video games are the same thing to me.” I note how some of Pi’erre Bourne’s best beats sound like they’re referencing the score for Donkey Kong Country. “Exactly!” Curren$y barks back.
Curren$y raps over these woozy lo-fi concoctions like he just woke up after a 12-hour sleep in a Californian King; ripping a morning ice bong in a bathtub that has a birds-eye view of tropical waters. To paraphrase Frankie Beverly and Maze, this well-adjusted individual knows exactly how to channel the groove of those golden times of the day when you’re most at ease.
“I would be obliged if you stepped outside” Curren$y once rapped on “Step Outside”, sounding like a French Lord graciously challenging a love rival to a duel with a flintlock gun. At a time where we’re surrounded by political leaders all too ready to crash out, this unphased, hammock-bound aura is like a balm for the soul; a calmer answer to all the chaos. Being an adult just isn’t much fun right now, so listening to a rapper intent on keeping his innocent inner child alive is an enticing option.
“We were talking about the toy trucks earlier,” Curren$y recalls. “I believe the way you stay sane in this industry is by keeping that little kid inside of you alive. That’s a must. Someone has to hold the torch during these dark ass times, so it might as well be me, right?” To celebrate the release of Never Catch Us, I spoke at length to Curren$y in a conversation where no subject (death, Soulja Slim, crying as a man) was off the table. The subsequent conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
There’s this line on your new song, “True Lies”, where you compare life in 2025 to a “Sunday breeze.” Is that really how you feel right now?
CURREN$Y: Yeah, absolutely. Because when it comes to releasing new projects, a lot of rappers have to sit and plan across endless meetings. But I can wake up tomorrow and decide to shoot a music video, which will be released the same evening. I can even film something for a song that’s 10 years old. I have pure control and artistic freedom. I’ve proven you don’t need to cross over [into the mainstream] to be successful! I’ve shown you can sustain yourself
and reach those career heights without jumping over the hurdles and putting on a fucking costume.
These other rappers have to sacrifice something to get to the top, right? So, when they see me over here chilling, it’s a weird thing sometimes. Remember, I observed a lot of people at the top level. I watched No Limit rake in millions! I watched Cash Money do it too! Now, it’s my turn. I’ve seen where the speed bumps are. I’ve seen the road map from two or three different vantage points; so I feel I’ve got this sorted, you know?
This all feels a long way from your childhood in the Magnolia Projects. I remember on “So Easy” when you rapped about how your “whole world froze” when one of your friends called Derek was murdered at just 12-years-old. Would you say there was a lot of hope in your childhood?
CURREN$Y: I still have survivor’s guilt, for sure. You know, Derek didn’t even get to become a teenager! He doesn’t know about the thrill of turning 20. None of it. But my dawg was so far ahead of the rest of us, that he kind of designed his own demise. Growing up I remember my moms would always tell me: “So and so’s son just died”. But even though death was in close proximity, I never thought it would hit us directly.
Derek getting murdered at 12 actually happened on the first day of seventh grade. I got home and watched it announced live on the news. Honestly, I’m just lucky to have the momma I have! She is the kind of parent who, if her son said he wanted to be a dinosaur, she would make you believe it was possible. Because of that, I always knew I could make it out [the hood] and go do something better. When I saw Jermaine Dupri on MTV Cribs, I knew that the rap lifestyle was what I wanted, so I went out and made it happen!
One of your entries into the music industry was being signed to No Limit Records and working with the legendary Soulja Slim. I love your underrated collaboration, “Motherfuck You,” where you talk about you and C-Murder sneaking guns into the Grammys. What did that period teach you about life?
CURREN$Y: That anything can happen in this city of New Orleans! It doesn’t matter what you do or how much you help others, because there’s always going to be somebody who is jealous and doesn’t like how you move. When Slim died it slowed a lot of motherfuckers down; it ruined a lot of people’s career trajectories! We had never seen someone start a record label and get distribution so quickly like that. It felt really cruel to his family and friends, because he was destined to be the King! I remember being at his house right after he got murdered. The police were still taping that shit up! It was like: “Damn. What are we supposed to do now?”
It always surprises me when I find out a random motherfucker is upset with me, to be honest! I’m literally just sitting at my house, racing toy trucks and playing NBA Jam. How did my name even come up? It’s like some niggas will wake up, step on a nail, and they then go blame it on Curren$y. All these experiences taught me to move properly! There’s nothing you can do to change the hate, so you just have to build your fucking walls up, keep the weed lit, and keep your eyes open.
One of my favourite songs you ever did is “Reflections.” It’s morose sounding, but even though you are so obviously depressed, there’s this feeling that life must go on, which is conjured up through the synths sounding a little like cash tills ringing. You’ve got this bar: “For some homies I feel I ain’t cry enough.” I sense this lyric was a life-changing realization for you, correct?
CURREN$Y: I realized the whole not crying mentality was bullshit, especially once I had a kid of my own. Just the thought of my son brings me to tears! Me and his mom, well, sadly that didn’t work out! He gets bummed that he doesn’t get to see me as often, and I hate that I can’t see him all the time. How else could I deal with that situation if I couldn’t cry? Without letting out those emotions I’d be a fucking wreck by now.
It sounds like you had to decode that stiff upper lip mentality that a lot of working class boys naturally have programmed into them.
CURREN$Y: Hell yeah. But also remember: It is programmed into you because your people care and want you to survive! You’re in a wolf’s den, so you cannot appear to be anything close to a sheep or a turkey, right? You can only fucking growl and sit there with blood on your paws all day! You need to create your shield. As you get older you realise how thinking like that also holds you back.
I want to talk about your music and its connections to the water. I feel like the atmosphere of your songs fits really nicely with a contemplative oceanside view. Harry Fraud once told me it’s music to listen to while driving in a sports car across the coast.
CURREN$Y: Can I tell you something bro? I only told a few of the homies this story. I remember I had decided I was going to split from the Young Money crew. I went to one of my homegirl’s houses in Malibu, California to chill and plan. It was a townhouse apartment and you walked out the back right onto a private beach area. We must have done seven hits in a row from this percolator ice bong. It brought me back to feeling like I was Ecco the Dolphin again! I just walked right into the water with all my clothes on and looked at the sunset. It was a beautiful moment. From that moment on I’ve been trying to keep that feeling alive [with my sound].
If you could speak to that kid being passed through labels and unclear about the future, what would you tell him right now? And, you’ve rapped about having a crib “as big as a church” up in heaven before. What does heaven really look like for Curren$y?
CURREN$Y: I would tell that kid: You’re not crazy! And, it’s alright for this shit to hurt. In fact, it’s supposed to hurt! Your arms and shoulders are going to burn digging for that gold, but don’t give up! You’ll find it eventually.
Heaven? It’s probably some AI generated bullshit or something. I guess I always thought as a kid heaven was a place with unlimited ice cream sandwiches and ferraris. But I can afford all that shit right now… so I guess I’m already in heaven.
Never Catch Us by Curren$y and Harry Fraud is out now on Jet Life Recordings.
