GREED TASTES LIKE POWER (Interview With Substance810)

1. As stated in the review I wrote, I notice every album you make comes with a specific theme, message or concept. What inspired this one and how did you come up with it? :For me, every album has to have its own world. I don’t just put songs together and call it a project. With GREED TASTES LIKE POWER, I wanted it to feel like a cinematic crime drama, but through my lens. It’s about ambition, money, betrayal, morality, and the way power can change the temperature in the room. The title came from that idea that greed can feel good at first. It can taste like success, like control, like you’re finally winning. But there’s always a price attached to it. I was inspired by that whole Wall Street / Gordon Gekko energy, but I wanted to flip it into underground hip hop language and make it feel grimy, personal, and real. 2. In the process of creating this record, how did you choose which producers to work with? Was it you reaching out to them, they sending you beats? What was the system in play? Same question for the rappers you choose! :It’s always pretty organic with me. Sometimes producers send me beats, sometimes I reach out, sometimes I already know who has the sound I need for a certain idea. I don’t just pick beats because they’re dope. They have to match the atmosphere of the album. For this one, I needed production that felt cinematic, but still gutter. Same thing with the rappers. I don’t really do features just to stack names. Whoever I bring in has to fit the world of the album. Their voice, their energy, their writing, all of that has to add something to the record. If it doesn’t serve the concept, it doesn’t belong. 3. The name of your album is called ‘GREED TASTES LIKE POWER’ in your own mind are you trying to glorify or vilify this mentality? Are you saying ‘you should get greedy and become more powerful’ or ‘beware of greed because the power it brings is corrupt?’ :I think it’s both, and that’s what makes it interesting. I’m not here to preach like I’m above it. I understand ambition. I understand wanting more. I understand coming from less and feeling like you have to take what’s yours. That hunger is real. But at the same time, greed is dangerous because it never tells you when enough is enough. Power can make you feel untouchable, but it can also expose who you really are. So the album isn’t saying “be greedy” or “don’t be greedy” in a simple way. It’s showing the full picture. The temptation, the reward, the corruption, the consequences. That’s the balance I wanted. 4. For you, was there a favourite song off this album to record? Or possibly a song that felt surprisingly difficult to record for any given reason? :I’d probably say “Gordon Gekko” was one of my favorites because it really captures the whole energy of the album. That song feels like the mission statement. It has that confidence, that villain talk, that financial power energy, but still rooted in my world. Some records are harder in a different way though. Not because the writing is difficult, but because you have to hit the exact tone. With an album like this, I didn’t want anything to feel random. Every line had to match the mood. If the delivery was too casual, it didn’t work. If it was too forced, it didn’t work. So the challenge was keeping everything sharp and cinematic without losing the rawness. 5. With each new album, do you have a different process behind the creation of it? What kind of mindset were you in while making this one? :Yeah, every album has a different process because every album has a different identity. I try to approach each one like I’m building a world. The beats, the titles, the artwork, the sequencing, the visuals… it all has to connect. With this one, my mindset was very focused. I was thinking about power, ownership, leverage, and how people move when money is involved. Not just street money either. Business, music, relationships, loyalty, greed shows up everywhere. I wanted the album to feel calculated. Like every move had intention behind it. 6. Compared to say your infamous LION’S SHARE series, what makes this one different for you process wise? How do you make albums like these one of a kind and separate to records you’ve done in the past? :The LION’S SHARE series has its own legacy and energy. That’s more like a statement of dominance. It’s me claiming my position and showing why I deserve the respect. Those records have that hunger, that chip on the shoulder, that “I’m taking what’s mine” feeling. GREED TASTES LIKE POWER is different because it’s more conceptual and cinematic. It’s still aggressive, but it’s more layered. It feels like a character study. It’s not just about getting power, it’s about what power does to you once you have it. I separate my albums by giving each one its own theme, sound, color, and emotional temperature. I never want two projects to feel like the same movie with a different cover. If I already made that world before, I’m not trying to remake it. I’m trying to build a new one. 7. To my knowledge you’ve been in this rap game for over 6 years now. Do you notice the culture has changed in the years you’ve been active? If so how? :Definitely. The culture changes fast. When I first started really pushing, things still felt a little more focused on full projects and building a catalog. Now everything moves quicker. Attention spans are shorter, content matters more, visuals matter more, and artists have to be more business-minded than ever. But at the same time, the underground is stronger in a lot of ways. Fans are supporting directly. Vinyl, cassettes, CDs, merch, that collector culture helped artists like me build something real without needing the machine. So yeah, the culture changed, but I think if you understand how to move, there’s more opportunity now than ever. 8. You’re stranded on a desert island with only two album choices to your name for the rest of your life from any genre, what are you choosing and why? :That’s tough, but I’d probably take Raekwon “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx” because that album is like an audio movie to me. The slang, the production, the chemistry, the whole crime family atmosphere . Yeah that’s one of those records that never stops inspiring me. Second, I’d take Mobb Deep “The Infamous”. That album has a darkness and realism to it that still feels untouched. The beats, the verses, the mood — it’s raw but timeless. If I’m stuck on an island forever, I need albums that still give me pictures in my head every time I press play.