Ryan Interview
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00:00Wow, 94.1 The Bae's Party Station. It is Baz, my guy, Young Pharaoh.
00:04And listen, if you don't know, you about to find out, okay?
00:08Me and Pharaoh right now, we are at the hottest studios in the Tampa Bay area in Florida.
00:14Shit, I want to say in America, right?
00:15In America. Never been to a place like this.
00:18Shout out to the CEO, Ryan Cain.
00:20We are at Secure the Bag Entertainment Studios.
00:25Thank you so much. Thank you.
00:27Now, Ryan Cain, how are you? Where are you in 2023?
00:31What is your mental, you know, your mental's like in 2023?
00:35Growing. Anything in business, anyone ever tell you, grow or die.
00:40So, we are in growth mode right now at STB.
00:43So, how did you start?
00:46Yeah, so, I, in business or just at Record Label?
00:50In business, period.
00:52Because, I mean, there's so much that you've put into Secure the Bag, the entertainment, the label, the studio.
00:58So, we want to know, like, where and what did you do at the beginning of it all?
01:03Yeah, so, I've been an entrepreneur since college.
01:07But, I own a very successful company in healthcare.
01:11And, so, that company allowed me to pursue some of my passion projects.
01:17So, I own a podcast and then I started the record label and recording studio here about a year ago.
01:25So, this is like a passion project for me.
01:28Money-wise, everything's cool for the family and everything.
01:32So, I retired down to Florida and really just wanted to start and do something that I love.
01:38And, hip-hop's been my thing forever.
01:40Born and raised in Philly.
01:42Never listened to any other kind of music except for hip-hop.
01:44So, I'm a hip-hop junkie and I think I have an ear for it.
01:48So, yeah, used my connections and started the label and now it's just taken off like crazy.
01:53Now, I like how he just fed past the, I own a podcast.
01:57You own one of the biggest podcasts where I get a lot of my content from on my radio show.
02:02We in Miami.
02:03You guys are very influential to the culture right now.
02:07Yeah, yeah.
02:08The podcast is super viral.
02:09We, check us out.
02:11But, yeah, it's been a ride with the podcast because we've kind of, I think, been looked at now as like Hollywood tea kind of thing
02:21where we get like a lot of like the backstories where, you know, we have like the guy who knocked out 6ix9ine in the club.
02:29We have him on.
02:30So, yeah, we're definitely like filling some sort of void in the Hollywood tea department.
02:38For sure.
02:38That's amazing.
02:39So, out of all the cities in Florida, why Tampa?
02:42Yeah, so Tampa, I live on Siesta Key in Sarasota.
02:47So, Tampa is like the closest major city.
02:50But, there wasn't any really record labels.
02:53There's recording studios that are like outside of Tampa but nothing downtown.
02:59So, I just saw an opportunity where we could be the first, do it really huge, and put on for Tampa, and make Tampa even bigger musically than Miami or whatever.
03:13You see, we have huge Miami artists coming here.
03:16You know, they want record deals here.
03:18So, yeah, we're trying to put Tampa on the map.
03:21Yeah, Secure the Back Entertainment is definitely what Tampa has been missing.
03:25So, we appreciate you for coming in and trying to contribute to the culture so that we can have an artist, you know, on a major platform.
03:33Shout out to Dochi, but we need more.
03:35We need to be like other cities in Florida and get more on there.
03:39So, when you came to Tampa, you started at the studios.
03:43What was the first thing you did?
03:46Yeah, the first thing I did was sign AB.
03:52AB as in Antonio Brown.
03:55Right, and not to play football, but to rap.
03:59So, that was the first thing I did, and that kind of went south.
04:05So, that just really motivated me and just started a fire in my belly to like, okay, watch this.
04:12Now, I'm really going to do this thing.
04:14So, then we started to sign other artists, and now we have the biggest artists in Florida hitting us up for record deals.
04:21So, who are the artists you have on the roster right now?
04:24Yeah, so right now we have Zay Liddy.
04:27He's out of Chicago.
04:28Okay.
04:29We have Deuce Uno.
04:30He's a Broward guy.
04:32We have ITS Hab.
04:33He's blowing up all over the place.
04:35We're getting major label calls from him all the time.
04:38We just got Woodboy G signed up, and now locking up a couple other artists.
04:45I don't want to say, but...
04:47You don't want to jump to that.
04:48We just seen him here at the studio, so I won't spill the tea, but I'm glad that I could be a part of like, you know, the beginning stages.
04:56Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:58And we have artists that are already big, have huge names that we have contracts out to, and we're working on.
05:04So, 2023 is going to be enormous.
05:07Liddy, now what would you say, what does Ryan Kang look for in an artist?
05:13I look for versatility, like bars, versatility, and just like a different sound, you know?
05:24Like, I want to hear something different, but, you know, we were talking before we started the film, too, like, I like high-character people.
05:33I like dealing with people that take their craft seriously, want to be awesome at rapping or whatever they do, and put the time in, show me that they really like that, that that's their passion, that's what they want to do for a living, and then I'll be willing to invest money in that.
05:50I like that, I like that.
05:52Now, that's pretty amazing.
05:53You definitely talked about what you look for in the artist, but we have to talk about the big elephant in the room, you know?
05:59Now, going back to the A.B. situation, what did you learn not to look for in the artist?
06:07Yeah, so with A.B. specifically, because he was, the situation with the Bucks just happened, so he was huge, he was super viral, so he was already getting paid for shows, he had an album out that had really good features on it,
06:25he had Young Thug on there, two Fabio Farm features, Keisha Cole, all he got for free, so my, the business mind in me was like, you know what?
06:37I signed A.B. first, bring a lot of clout to the label, and it brings a celebrity status that we can get features on the low, and stuff like that,
06:48so I really thought it would make a lot of noise in the media, which it did, just not in all the right ways, but it brought a lot of attention to the label,
06:57and now other labels and artists are noticing what we're doing, and that we're blowing people up, so we're putting artists on right now, so hit us up.
07:07Yeah, no, for sure.
07:08I mean, would you say that, like, all press is good press, like there's no bad press?
07:14Is that, like, something big that you learned from that situation?
07:16Yeah, especially, well, when you do the right thing, like, I always did the right thing, so I did good business,
07:24so, yeah, then good, then every, all press is good press, as long as you're doing good business.
07:31It's not good press for A.B., because he did bad business, you know, so, but yeah, for us, no, thanks A.B.
07:40No, and you know what, the artists that I do know that you have signed, they speak nothing but positive about you,
07:47so make sure you guys go watch our interview with DeuceUno, wild9401.com.
07:50Now, why should artists come and sign with Secure the Bag Entertainment, like, me and Farrell know why.
07:58Right.
07:58You know, but what would you say to an artist if they're looking for a home right now?
08:02Yeah, so I would say what we're doing here is new, because we're spending major label money on singles and marketing budgets for these guys,
08:16but it's just, they don't have to deal with the headaches that come with a major label, where, you know,
08:23you're dealing with an A&R that has to get something approved by a VP and all this stuff.
08:28Budget takes forever to get approved. Here, you know, we have a staff that is working directly with the artist.
08:36They get to talk to me directly. I'm writing the checks. So, it's a really, really clean process.
08:42So, like, we can do in three months what a major label takes two years to do.
08:48And you know what else I like about Secure the Bag Entertainment Studios? That it's very, like, safe, if you know what I mean.
08:56You got to go through, like, a bunch of security doors. And, you know, this is a time where being in hip-hop is kind of dangerous.
09:02So, if someone was to come here and, you know, record, like, their safety is guaranteed at a place like this.
09:09Yeah, this is a really secure building. One of the nicest buildings in Channelside.
09:14And, yeah, so it's garage parking. You need a fob to get in every single door here.
09:21And then cameras everywhere. So, yeah, we're, this place is really, really secure.
09:26So, anyone that comes into town for a football game or whatever and you want to record, hit us up.
09:33I got you, too.
09:35That's amazing. Brian, what got you into this entrepreneur mindset?
09:39You know, a lot of people come from different backgrounds, but it takes a lot to build a man of your height.
09:46You know, you've reached a lot of success. What grew you into the person that you are today?
09:50Yeah, I mean, it's a good question. My dad was an entrepreneur.
09:54He taught me a lot. So, I worked, he owned sporting goods stores when I was growing up.
10:00So, I was always working in sporting goods stores, learning about businesses, tax write-offs, where to put money, why.
10:07So, I just started to learn about money and what to do with it and how to invest it and make sure that your portfolio is balanced.
10:16And so, that's another thing that I talk to the artists about is, like, I want to help them.
10:23You know, I want to help them, like, learn how to have money so that they have it forever.
10:28Learn how to invest their money and manage their budgets and teach them along the way why I'm spending money on certain things.
10:37So, yeah, it's just like a pass-along type of thing.
10:41You know, like, my dad taught me a lot about business and entrepreneurship and then I'd like to teach other people, too.
10:47Yeah, and I like how you have that close relationship with your artists to where they could just pick up the phone and, like, call you.
10:54I see you commenting on their posts and stuff.
10:57And no shade to other, like, CEOs.
11:00I don't see that, you know, the top guy at a lot of record labels being very interactive with his artists.
11:06So, that's a big thing that I think someone looks for when signing to a label.
11:12Yeah, I mean, I have a platform.
11:14And so, if I can help the guys as much as I can, I'm willing to help them.
11:20And it's fun for me, you know.
11:23I didn't do this to be at home, you know, and no one knows who I am.
11:29Like, I did this to, like, watch it all, have fun, music videos, watch people grow from nobody knowing their music to tons of people knowing their music,
11:40building relationships with radio stations and stuff.
11:43But I just feel like one of the things I've learned about business is no one cares about your business as much as you do.
11:51Right.
11:51No matter what.
11:52So, if I'm here, I know that the right things, the right decisions are being made, the right things are being done.
11:58So, yeah, I like being involved and I want to help as much as possible.
12:03Now, does someone have to be signed to come and record songs here?
12:06No, no.
12:07We can help with promotion.
12:10We can distribute songs.
12:12So, no, there's a lot.
12:14Just hit us up on DM and we can tell you kind of what we do.
12:18Yeah, at secure the bag, ENT underscore.
12:21For sure.
12:22Ryan, who did you look up to as a CEO?
12:25You know, you got the Diddies, you got the Gotties, who else?
12:30You got the Jay-Zs.
12:31Who did you look up to when you were growing up to kind of, like, envision this empire you're building today?
12:37Yeah.
12:38Um, you know, for me, like, I'm a Philly guy.
12:42So, like, Mike Rubin is the guy.
12:45Yay!
12:45He's the business guy that I look up to the most, you know, because he's obviously one of the owners of the 76ers.
12:52But you always see him with Lil Baby.
12:56You always see him with, like, Future and Meek.
12:58Like, they also, they really respect him.
13:02They respect his opinion.
13:03So, I like that he can sit, and I think I'm similar where I can sit at the table with Governor DeSantis, or I can sit at the table with Diddy, or whoever, and, you know, and connect with that person.
13:19So, like, Mike Rubin's that guy.
13:20So, Mike Rubin, Mark Cuban, those are kind of the guys that I look up to.
13:25Speaking of Philly, um, they were saying that, um, while I like both songs, I love both songs.
13:31I'm not from Philly, I'm from Detroit.
13:33But they were saying that Uzi, um, song was taking place with the new anthem of Philly over Meek Mills' Dreams and Nightmare.
13:42I mean, for me.
13:44Well, one person said that.
13:46Let me say, DJ Drama said that.
13:48So, it's not like a bunch of people, because I did this on my show.
13:51Yeah.
13:51And the opinions were the opposite of DJ Drama's opinion.
13:55Yeah, I mean, Uzi's doing numbers right now, for sure.
13:57Uh, but Meek is way more influential for, I mean, by far, especially in the city.
14:06And, uh, yeah, I mean, Dreams and Nightmares is a classic rap album.
14:10I don't know if Uzi can touch that.
14:12Yeah, you can turn that on anywhere.
14:14I used to DJ at the New Resort, and we used to play that, and that would get people turned up.
14:19Yeah, I mean, even wins and losses is crazy.
14:22Yep.
14:23Yeah, Meek, Meek for me is my guy.
14:26Now, where can we get a good Philly in Florida, a Philly cheesesteak?
14:30Have you found one yet?
14:31In Florida?
14:32No, I haven't.
14:33Because if you, see, when you're from Philly, it's called a cheesesteak.
14:37So, if I see it's called a Philly cheesesteak, it's not.
14:40So, everywhere around here it says Philly cheesesteak.
14:44It's not a Philly cheesesteak.
14:46It's just a cheesesteak.
14:47Can you make them?
14:48Yeah, I can make them.
14:49You gotta make them slower than good.
14:50It's all about the rolls.
14:51It's all about you need the Amoroso rolls.
14:53That's the secret.
14:54Amoroso rolls.
14:56You gotta get them shipped.
14:57Same day, though.
14:58It can't be frozen.
14:59Same day.
15:00I'm gonna have to come to your house.
15:01I'm sure it's the mansion.
15:03I'm gonna try to be a cheesesteak.
15:05Not a Philly cheesesteak.
15:06A cheesesteak.
15:08Nah, for sure.
15:09Ryan, for the people looking at this video, want to follow your path.
15:13What would you recommend to them?
15:15Yeah, that's the best way to actually say it, is follow your path.
15:20Because in business, you can't force anything, you know?
15:24So, you really have to, like, follow what you're passionate about and, like, never try
15:32to do something that's, like, outside of your lane.
15:36Because, like, as long as you stay in your lane, keep your eyes open for opportunity,
15:42you'll see opportunity in your lane and then be able to be successful with that.
15:47Instead of trying to force yourself into another lane where you don't belong.
15:51And Rome wasn't built in a day, so it's better to, like, have steady motion, right?
15:57Always.
15:58Like, because, you know, a lot of times, like, even, like, in my field, it's like, damn,
16:01you get discouraged.
16:01Like, well, I'm not here.
16:02I'm not there.
16:03But, you know, I'm like, as long as you keep working, like, you'll eventually get there.
16:07Yeah, yeah, exactly.
16:09Keep, you have short-term goals, long-term goals.
16:12Make sure you know what those are and that every single day you're doing things you're achieving.
16:18What keeps you motivated?
16:19Because I know, like, I don't know about, would you consider the A-B thing an L for you?
16:25Or was that just a life lesson?
16:27No, that's not an L at all.
16:29Because I'm going to get all my money back and free promo.
16:35Can't be that.
16:36I don't know.
16:36So, what keeps you motivated to keep going?
16:39Like, you know, through trials and tribulations, I'll call them.
16:43Yeah, I mean, I just think that, like, everybody thinks that, everyone talks so much, you know what,
16:52that a lot of people don't believe it when someone says that they're going to do something.
16:57So, a lot of people were haters when you say you're going to do something, but then they actually see you do it.
17:05Then, all of a sudden, they want you, they want to be part of it, and they want to ride the wave.
17:10So, that's, that's kind of, like, what happened with A-B for me, you know, where he just motivated me to, like, want to do this thing even bigger and better.
17:23And, he tried to, he tried to get back on board.
17:26And, you know, I was just going to ask you that.
17:27How do you feel about the motherfuckers that, you know what I'm saying?
17:30They didn't believe in you on the come up.
17:32But, then, when they see you got the motion going, they want to get back in your good graces.
17:37If you, is it ever a come on back or?
17:40Nah, who?
17:42Yeah, I don't even, I don't even remember you.
17:46Yeah, I mean, if you weren't supporting when I was talking about what I was going to do, then, yeah, I mean, the train passed.
17:57Should have got on the, on the startup.
17:58That's it, yeah.
18:00Not for sure, 100%.
18:02Where are we taking Secure the Bag in the future?
18:05Do we have any festivals in mind?
18:06You know, where do you got the label?
18:08We got the studio.
18:10Do we have any festivals upcoming?
18:12Where are we taking it to the next?
18:14Yeah, so, I mean, we're actually working on our own festivals.
18:17With the roster that I'm building, I mean, STB shows are going to be huge in and of themselves.
18:24So, we are working with PCI on St. Pete Beach to throw a big festival there.
18:30So, yeah, we're definitely trying to get our artists on tour, but also trying to create our own situations, too.
18:38Is that considered an invitation?
18:40Right.
18:40Absolutely.
18:41100%.
18:41VIP table.
18:42Yes.
18:43We need the 100%.
18:44I've already asked one of your artists if I can clothesline somebody on their set at Rolling Loud.
18:52So, I'm hoping that it goes through.
18:55There you go.
18:55There you go.
18:57Ryan Kane, you got money in case a bitch tried to sue me, right?
19:00Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:01For sure.
19:02For sure.
19:02Now, what was, I want to get to the bag.
19:08We all want to get to the bag.
19:09Like, what mindset do we need to be in in 2023?
19:12That's the goal.
19:13Get to the bag all 2023.
19:15What?
19:15Yeah, to secure the bag?
19:17I want to secure the bag, literally and figuratively.
19:21Like, how can we?
19:23Yeah, I mean, the way to secure the bag here is to make good music.
19:29Okay.
19:29Yeah.
19:30Not what I did in there.
19:32No, no.
19:32You're securing the bag.
19:33You're supporting, so you're securing.
19:36You're securing.
19:36It's a little bag.
19:40So, to get to the big one, you got to make good music.
19:42You got to make good music.
19:43Yeah, yeah.
19:44And let me distribute it.
19:46I got the sauce.
19:47I promise.
19:48I like that.
19:49And then, from there, you'll secure the bag money-wise.
19:53That's right.
19:53Yeah, I mean, you saw QC just sold for $300 million.
19:56You know, that's, what, 15 years?
20:02How long did they start?
20:0412 years, 15 years?
20:05I think it was around, yeah.
20:06$300 million.
20:07So, yeah, building the catalog and signing fire artists.
20:13That's the name of the game right now.
20:15That's what we're doing.
20:16I'm trying to build the catalog.
20:17So, I got all the tea.
20:19Like, me and Farrell, we know some of the major artists that he has signed that he hasn't said anything about yet.
20:26We know some of the up-and-coming, Secure the Bag Entertainment is lit on 2023 and for the rest of our lives.
20:34Now, if you want to record here, where do they have to hit you guys up at?
20:38On the Instagram is the easiest or our website, www.stbentertainment.com.
20:45They are full menus on there.
20:47You can book, pick an engineer, and, yeah, that's the best way.
20:52Now, do you seek out artists or can they hit you up if they want to get signed?
20:57They can and do hit us up nonstop, but we also always have an eye out for talent, and we're hitting people up, too.
21:06Secure the Bag Entertainment on all social media platforms.
21:10Ryan Cain on all social media platforms.
21:13Yes.
21:14Any words or wisdoms for me and my guy, Young Farrell, before we get out of here?
21:17No, keep coming by.
21:19Keep hanging out.
21:19I love having you guys here for sure.
21:22Family.
21:23Definitely family.
21:24We're about to tour the studio.
21:25Maybe we'll add my freestyle that I need.
21:28No, we're not here.
21:29Okay.
21:30Damn.
21:32Next day on the freestyle.
21:35Well, I got your 4.1 thumbs and Young Farrell, Ryan Cain.
21:38We out.