Angie Martinez pulled up with vibes and real talk but 4batz came ready to play. Between a surprise DoorDash margarita and plenty of laughs, the rising star opened up about love, fame, and the next chapter of his music.
Love life on speaker, growth on display:
“Man, I love out loud,” 4batz said early, setting the tone. He talked about moving from heartbreak to healing, and how that shift fuels his new project. His last release “you made me a star” came from a broken heart, this one lives in the present. “I’m getting older, I’m getting smarter, maturing,” he told Angie. The relationship energy is real, from playful FaceTime moments mid-interview to how support at home boosted his confidence in the booth. “She kind of helped me get my confidence, like, what are you tripping for,” he said, adding that the title idea “still standing” is about surviving tests together.
From Walmart shifts to Billboard charts:
The come up got fast. “I was 19 going on 20 when ‘act ii: date @ 8’ went number seven on Billboard,” he said. The rush brought pressure and scrutiny. “People do not talk about the transition enough, yesterday you are unknown, today you famous,” he said. He tried to hide in plain sight with a ski mask, but the attention stayed intense. “It was the pressure,” he admitted, then flipped it into fuel. “If you come out on ten, they want to see you at twelve. I am going to face it head on.”
Standards, not antics:
Angie pressed him on subject matter. 4batz said he refuses to chase a trend. “I really just wanted to make a song for a girl that is not cliche,” he said, crediting the women who raised him for his perspective. “I only had a woman in my life, my grandma and my mama, that kept the essence of me,” he said. Chivalry is not a skit to him, it is a standard. “We open doors, we go on dates, we do the ideal things,” he told Angie, adding that the loud playboy image is often insecurity.
LeBron sightings and staying grounded:
The fan in him jumped out telling a Vegas elevator story. He swears he saw LeBron’s silhouette as the doors closed and almost fainted. The lesson behind the laugh is serious though. He studies how LeBron handled expectation. “Since high school they said he could be better than Michael Jordan, you know how much pressure that is,” 4batz said. “You always got to prove people wrong, I did not know that until I jumped in.”
Craft, confidence, and the album:
He is locked in, aiming to top himself without chasing algorithms. “I am competing with myself from my last project,” he said. Features are teased, not spilled. Leon gets a salute, Flo is involved, a few queens get love. The mission, more real talk, less toxicity. “People holding on to facades,” he said. “I am just going to speak about everything I am feeling right now.”
First award jitters:
When Angie congratulated him on the iHeartRadio Music Awards win for Best New R&B Artist, he got emotional. “That blew my mind,” he said. It was his first award ever. He keeps a blanket over the trophy at home so he does not get comfortable. “When I look at it, it makes me feel like I made it, and I do not want to feel like I made it,” he said.
NYC acclimation, karaoke rules, chopped cheese takes:
He is still learning the city. The chopped cheese he grabbed hit, which surprised him, and his karaoke catalog leans Michael Jackson. He joked about “Keyshia Cole ‘Love’” being every room’s risky pick. Angie’s game “Check it or Let it Slide” brought boundaries to the front: leak an unreleased track, that is a check. Tag his location while he is trying to lay low, that is a violation. Spoil a show he is finally binging, probably a check. Watch ahead on a series without him, also a check. “We want a happy household, there are rules,” he said.
Pet peeves and purpose:
His biggest pet peeve is the broke mindset, not being broke. He broke down how constant small asks add up and drain focus. “That could have gone to a charity that serves more people,” he said. On the bucket list, he keeps it simple. “Make 100 million,” he said, on God’s timing. For fun he admits to YouTube rabbit holes, from Dallas hood gloves fights to meme spirals. Favorite emoji, demon time, delivered with a wink and a sermon: “We love the Lord, but sometimes you got to be on demon time,” he joked, before clarifying he means tunnel vision.
Bottomline:
4batz is 21, confident, still standing, and choosing love, craft, and discipline over noise. “I cannot do nothing but get better,” he said. Angie closed it clean, he echoed it right back: “Let’s do better.”