Ovrkast has been developing into an underappreciated star (in our opinion) for the last year and change. He’s been in the game for a minute, but he really broke through late in 2023 with his contributions to a major LP. You may know by now that we are referring to Drake’s For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition. He laid down some beats tailored to just spit over, putting Drizzy in a truer MC mindset. It seems like he’s just been carrying the momentum from those credits into his solo catalog, again even though he’s been a more than respectable MC for some time. His latest journey has been honing in his partnership with fellow producing superstar, Cardo. He knows a thing or two about making memorable tracks for some of the game’s biggest faces. You can tell that Ovrkast was able to learn a lot from his studio sessions with Cardo, because he crafted a lot of the beats for KAST GOT WINGS.
But die hard fans, don’t worry one bit, it doesn’t take away from his rapping performances in the slightest. In fact, he really doesn’t miss the mark entirely on any of them. Some of our favorites though include “BEAT IT UP!,” a nocturnal trap banger that seems him spitting with the feeling that he wants to rip the competition’s head off. The other is “FREE UP SUMN,” which sees Ovrkast playing the role of a provider and dedicating his career to those he cares about most. There’s a spectacular beat switch up in the last quarter that just takes this track to new heights. Give Ovrkast and Cardo’s KAST GOT WINGS your time with the links below, you won’t be left wanting more.
East Oakland, California rapper and producer Ovrkast has become one of the more exciting voices in hip-hop. He has been rapping for a little bit, but he’s mostly known for his production chops. If you are a Drake fan, or just checked out For All The Dogs and it’s deluxe, you may have seen his name credited on the project. His contributions come on “The Shoe Fits” and “Red Button”. However, he’s got stronger connections with underground names such as MAVI, redveil, MESSIAH!, and more. Also though, it’s safe to say that the Drizzy collaborations really opened things up for him because now he’s developing some serious chemistry with hitmaking superstar, Cardo. These two have been dropping some fun and sticky short joints for the last few months.
“PAYMEAGRIP” was the first to roll on in back in June. Then, the more animated “BIPPERS JOINT” would follow in early August. Now, Ovrkast and Cardo are back with presumably one more single, “CUT UP”, ahead of their upcoming EP. Speaking of which, the project is going to be out on October 4 (next Friday) and will be titled, KASTGOTWINGS. Hopefully, the clever title will deliver some more equally quirky and bouncy tracks like “CUT UP”. The formula on this song and on the others as well remains simple. There’s a solid beat, which in the case features some jazzy lead piano keys atop some thick kick drums. Ovrkast does his thing with a catchy chorus and head-nodding flow, so the ingredients are all there in the end. Check out “CUT UP” with the link below while you await KASTGOTWINGS.
Playboi Carti is the most mysterious man in hip-hop. Yes, Kendrick Lamar is extremely secretive about his release schedule, but Parti like to keep fans waiting for years. He’s been teasing the release of his third album, tentatively titled MUSIC, since 2021. If we’re to take producer Cardo at his word, however, the wait for new Carti is almost over. Cardo recently talked about the recording process for the album, and claimed that it was nearing an end.
Cardo recorded himself talking about his upcoming plans on July 3. The producer revealed that he was going to Atlanta to “finish up” Playboi Carti’s anticipated album. The other person in the room asks how the recording process has been going, and Cardo admits that it hasn’t been easy. “I don’t know, man,” he explains. “It’s been going crazy. That’s all I know… In a good way. It’s been crazy fun.” He noted that he’s unaware of what Carti will do at a given time. He could drop a song that Cardo produced at random, or it will never see the light of day.
The real kicker came when Cardo was asked how long he’d been working on the album. “For like four years,” he revealed. “Me and him have been working on this album for a good four years.” The timeline adds up with regards to the album’s announcement. It’s also humorous to know that people in Playboi Carti’s inner-circle are just as unsure of what he will do as the fans. Cardo has known Carti for almost a decade, and their collaborations have been consistently strong. The producer spoke on their unique chemistry during a Billboard interview in April.
Cardo hesitated to get too specific about their process, but he did say that him and Carti are musically aligned most of the time. “That’s my little brother, man,” the producer gushed. “Just being around him, the young one, you know, and gaining some kind of different kind of energy and inspiration from what he’s doing. Seeing what levels he’s going on. It kind of gives me an idea of what levels I should just keep going. That’s how we’re creating all these fun records.” We hope, for Cardo’s sake and the fan’s, that the album drops soon.
The Alchemist is one of the most respected producers in the game. His name is synonymous with quality, whether he’s working with Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, or Larry June. The mere fact that he can work all three of these artists denotes a versatility that few producers can match. That being said, The Alchemist is not content to sit on his laurels. He may already have a Hall of Fame resume, but he talked about his dream collaboration during a recent interview with NFR Podcast.
The Alchemist and Cardo linked up to discuss their career goals, and the former made it very clear who he wants to work with: Jay-Z. Somehow, The Alchemist and Hov have yet to officially work together. This is something the producer wants to remedy as soon as possible. “Jay always been on my list,” he stated. “I been saying it for a hundred years. It’s Jay-Z. I would love to. We linked but I keep the faith.” He made it clear that there’s no ill will between him and Jay. He asserted, though, that he’d only want to collab with the Brooklyn rapper if the desire was mutual.
For The Alchemist, it’s all about respect and creative unity. “At this point, I hope it would be a mutual thing,” he explained. “Like I would want to work with somebody that would wanna work with me. There’s a couple that’s brewing that’s like bucket list sh*t for me that I hope happens. I still have hopes like that.” The closest The Alchemist and Jay-Z got to working together was on the 2020 Jay Electronica album, A Written Testimony. The Alchemist produced the song “The Neverending Story,” which Jay-Z eventually spit a verse on.
The Alchemist and Jay-Z have actually known each other for decades. They first met in New York in the early 2000s, which the producer recalled during a For the Record interview. “[Jay] leaned in my ear and was like, ‘Yo when you gonna stop wasting them beats?,’” he stated. Jay-Z was responsible for getting The Alchemist and Beanie Sigel in the studio together, and he even got a chance to hear the producer’s breakout beat, “We Gonna Make It.” The Alchemist claimed that Jay actually passed on the beat before it went to Jadakiss. Hopefully the producer gets his collab sooner than later.
At almost 15 years in the game, Cardo is finally prepping for his first solo album in 2024. His historic run includes placements with a Mount Rushmore of hip-hop heavyweights, such as Wiz Khalifa, Meek Mill, Freddie Gibbs, Drake, Curren$y, Mac Miller, Nicki Minaj, Snoop, Travis Scott, Migos, and Kendrick Lamar. Inspired by his Dallas roots, Cardo’s brand of production is the next generation of Texas rider music — with his trademark sub-busting 808s paired with the melodic stylings of West Coast G-funk.
Most recently Cardo punched the clock with Larry June on his latest “Night Shift” and the pair’s labor manufactured one of the most cohesive rap projects of last year. His sonics are the perfect sound bed for Larry June’s signature humorous brags and bars. But despite his A-List affiliations, Cardo clearly still relishes the glory of cooking up with like-minded friends such as Larry June and Curren$y as much as producing hits the biggest chart toppers in music.
We sat down at a smoothie shop in Austin, TX to discuss Cardo’s newfound healthy lifestyle and smoothie obsession, we learned what gives him the bubble guts, his go-to spots in Dallas, and how his Grandma sparked his love for all things coffee. We also demystified Taffy Grapes, got put onto the goodness of ranch on spaghetti and the magic of wrapping a Snickers bar in a Little Debbie’s Honeybun.
So my first question is what’s on your rider?
First off, we got to kick it off healthy, we got to have hella alkaline water. Got to keep the pH levels right, you know what I’m saying? That good old alkaline for your body. I know a lot of people got they own opinions about alkaline, whatever. Definitely chicken nuggets, McDonald’s, preferably. Shout out to McDonald’s. We love french fries, so we got to have the french fries; 100 french fries for the gang so we can all eat. Of course, we got to have a few Caesar salads for the healthy people like myself, even though I’m a snack on them chicken nuggets too though, but I’m also (going) to try to play it healthy. (All of) That, some hot wings. It depends what kind of day it is, if we there for a minute, the rider list can get crazy. Definitely have espresso shots, coffee for me ’cause I love coffee. Shout out to my grandma for the coffee.
What type of sauce are you dipping the nuggets in?
Come on man, sweet and sour. And the barbecue too, the tangy barbecue. You can never go wrong with the barbecue. But that sweet and sour, come on, man, it’s hitting the spot every time, never fails.
So would you say when it comes to snacks, are you more like a sweet or savory kind of guy? Like salty stuff or more like candy, cookies and fruits and stuff?
I like savory things. I don’t like too sweet. I used to love Zebra Cakes and then when I got older Zebra Cakes just taste like pure sugar, like marshmallows. So I grew out of that phase. Like Honeybun, same thing.
So you’re Little Debbie’s guy?
Yeah.
… as a kid?
Always, man. When I was a kid, I used to go to the corner store (and) get a Zebra Cake for 25 cents. I used to get some shit for a whole dollar, get that, an A&W cream soda or root beer, or I get the Starbucks Frappuccino. Either way, get that Honeybun, get the snicker. You get the Snicker, you can wrap the honeybun around and melt it.
Wait, what? Explain that, please.
So what me and my cousin and my brother used to do, we get the Honeybuns, we get a whole four pack and then we get the Snicker. We put the Snicker in the middle of the honeybun, wrap it up like a taco almost put it in the microwave, fold it down.
Oh, in the microwave too?
Yeah. Put it for a good 15 seconds. That motherfucker is like a delicacy, like a nice little hood dessert.
Yeah, it’s a honey-nicker. Or a honey… We had a different name for it, ’cause we can’t go with the honey one. What is it some ghetto shit? Some good ghetto gold for you to cook up with.
You said you’re a little more on the salty side, so what’s hitting on the salty side?
You could never go wrong with… What’s the name? They got a whole bunch of different bags. They got the pecans, they got the…The pistachios. They be coming in different flavors. They be like clustered with like…
Oh, with the fruits and dry… Sahale, it’s called?
That’s an amazing snack to have. Not only is it healthy — it’s a little on the sodium side — but it’s a healthy snack. Get in your protein.
So when you’re in the studio cooking up, are there specific foods or snacks that you need to have around? You have a home studio or are you out?
Whenever I’m out, I usually like to have the fruit bowl.
What’s in your fruit bowl?
Pineapple, mango, dragon fruit, kiwi. I like tropical fruit. Might be some soursop, you never know. Soursop looks a little weird, but we love it. It’s good for your gut and everything, it’s good for your soul.
What’s soursop for people that may not know? That’s something I’m not even really that familiar with.
I’m not even sure where the fruit even hails from, I just know from reading up on it and what is the benefits of it, and it tastes like juicy fruit bubblegum.
So fruit in the studio and that’s pretty much it?
Definitely have to be water, I got to be hydrated.
What’s your alkaline water of choice?
Essentia. And I love Core too, Core is amazing water. Put a little chlorophyll in there, get your healthy on, get on about your unhealthy eating habits for a quick second, and get back to it.
And do you have a time of day when you are snacking or what are your habits?
I’m a real snacker, I don’t like to eat dinner like that. I’ll snack on some, I don’t know, some noodles. Not only just regular noodles, some ramen noodles from somewhere, from K-pop or something like that. Places around the way around the neighborhood (in Dallas) and kind of go from there.
When you’re on the road and you get to a hotel or your destination, is there stuff like food or snacks that you got to have in your room so you feel settled and comfortable?
I’m taking the Snickers out of there, automatically. Taking the M&M’s, the peanut M&M’s, you know what I’m saying? You can never go wrong with peanut M&M’s. Sometimes they have the Clif bars in there. I take the Clif bar depending on the flavor. If it’s the macadamia peanut butter one, it’s over with, I’m taking it. With the white chocolate? Taking it all.
When you get there and there’s nothing in the room, what are you stocking up with?
I’m just leaving that room, going to a whole ‘nother hotel. I’m playin’. I’ll go down to CVS and grab some Funions, I might grab the Doritos, the sweet chili ones. The purple pack, it’s me and my son’s favorite chips ever. And I might grab a Sprite. Can never go wrong with a Sprite. Might get a little bubble guts from eating these snacks or something, might have to calm the guts down, the bowels.
How did you get into the healthy wave of food? What was that for you that made you change or get more into that side of things?
I feel like health is important. For you to get wealth, you have to have health first. Your health got to be in the greatest shape. I see family members suffer, go through things and that made me look at life differently and try to change up my habits too. And also my father had cancer, this is a long time ago. My dad, he’s been in remission for over 20 years now. God is good. That’s what matters.
I know a lot of artists don’t like to eat before they perform, after the show, are you going out to eat? Are you getting room service or Postmates? Or what’s your move?
Man what? We going to get something to eat. I like diner spots. I like unique hole in the wall, mom and pop shops. I feel like without these mom and pop restaurants, I don’t even think there’ll be any kind of color to the cities. You can go to Ruth Chris, and you go to Prime and there’s nothing that you’re going get out of it, compared to a Mom and Pop type restaurant. Go to a Rudy’s or Heartache or a Hutchins (all in Dallas).
Now, we’re going to get the two-piece wings with the fries, get the extra pickles. Might get that serendipity. You can go to Hutchins, you get the ribs, they got everything man. You can go to… Blacks too. Blacks is all barbecue as well. Fuel City Tacos…
Do you have a favorite steak spot in Dallas? I know everybody thinks about Dallas for steak.
Yeah, that’s a real battle. You could say Truluck’s, you could say Drake’s.
And what’s your order? Are you a ribeye, sirloin? You getting a tomahawk?
I want the wagyu. I want to do a tomahawk, that’s some Flo Rida shit. You ever see that picture with Flo Rida with the big tomahawk? I’m going to go with the Wagyu. I’m not really a steak kind of guy. I feel like steak is like zombie meat, damn near. I mean, but it’s good for you too, protein. But I could never go wrong with a T-bone. A butterflied filet.
What sides are we getting?
I’m going to get the mashed potatoes. We’ll get the mac and cheese. If they got a broccoli salad, that’s going to make it even better. I love broccoli, I love cucumber. So if they got cucumber salad, oh yeah, I’m in heaven with it.
Are there any foods or snacks in Texas that are regional that other people should know about or may not know about that are amazing?
They got the candy lady that sells the pickles, the candy grapes and shit. But I feel like Chicago kind of started all that. First place I ever seen people doing that was Chicago.
Wait, what type of grapes?
Taffy grapes.
Okay, please tell us what those are.
The first ones I got was at Chicago at Harold’s. I don’t even remember which Harold’s it was. Me and Don C and my cousin Mike-Mike was there. It might’ve been off of Wabash over by Lakeshore when it used to be open and seeing them my cousin was like, “Yo, these grapes right here, taffy grapes, these different. They have candy on them.” Soon we got them and shit, bro we was standing in front and ate them all, we went right back in, got some more.
They’re fresh grapes?
Fresh grapes but they candied, they put taffy and all that shit on them.
Going back, you had mentioned your Grandma getting you into coffee and espresso. Can you break that down a little bit?
Shout out to my grandma Annie Brown, I just talked to her. She told me the first day I was born, the first week she gave me my first sip of coffee, a teaspoon or something like that. I didn’t believe my grandma, but apparently she did. And then ever since then, I always loved coffee. From day one, I would drink anything coffee tasting or coffee flavored, like ice cream, cookies, you name it. Listen, this is how I know my daughter is me all day, ’cause she loves anything coffee flavored. Bro, I eat the chocolate covered coffee beans. I go so crazy on them. I be geeked for like a whole week off of those, just running. But I love it though, this is a coffee smoothie.
I’m glad you said smoothie because obviously we’re at a smoothie place. What’s your go-to smoothie? I saw you drink the green ones and all that?
I love Green ones. I love my little healthy glow ones from over at Clean Juice. I think that’s Tebow’s juice shop, that he owns, or franchise. But yeah, my go-to is the glow one. It has celery, apple, ginger, chlorophyll, I put chia seeds in there extra. I keep it simple though, just to get rejuvenated, give my bowels a good swim.
Did you like the taste right away or was it a learning curve for you?
I loved it. I always loved it. I was drinking smoothies since I was a kid. So it was always something I been a fan of. Like this fruity flavor, I was a pina colada type of guy.
And then for healthy food, people that are just starting to get into that, what are some things that you would recommend that they try to get their foot in the door?
Beyond Meat, like a burger. I had a vegan chopped cheese that tastes like a real chopped cheese. Fucking blew me away. So that’s for starters right there.
I like eating buffalo cauliflower or cauliflower pizza, it’s not bad as people think, it’s amazing to me. If you got your little dipping sauces or whatever, make sure they ain’t over the calorie limit, you good.
I even eat the lettuce wrap burgers and shit, like the keto shit. My girl got me into that, so I started doing that more. She’ll get the little wrap from Cheesecake factory, even though I know people have hate towards the Cheesecake Factory, it will always have a place in my heart, always.
So speaking of franchises, if you could own or operate any restaurant, somebody’s like, yo, I’m going to give you a free Franchise of a restaurant, it’s yours and you can take it and run with it. What would be your pick of something that’s out there already that you would love to work on?
Automatically McDonald’s, for My kids. Everything I got to do has got to be for my kids. So when I do it, my kids going to be like, “Damn, my dad is running McDonald’s? What? I get free Happy Meals every day? I get a cheeseburger every day?” Generational, generational, generational income. Their kids, kids, grandkids, grandkids, grandkids, grandkids won’t have to worry about a thing in life ever.
If you could be the ambassador or a Spokesperson for any restaurant or food or snack brand, what would your pick be?
It got to be Doritos. It got to be Doritos. Man, we grew up eating Doritos. Doritos may be a part of our life and our family since the beginning of the times.
So Sweet Chili is your number one Doritos flavor?
Yeah, me and my son go crazy over that. We damn near be fighting over them last bag of chips.
And so your kids like a lot of the same foods that you do?
My son, he a little picky, but I’m trying to open them up more to try new things. My daughter though, she’s grown into it ’cause it’s one of them things, it takes a little process for her to kind of do some things and it goes from there.
And is there anything that they like that you feel is weird or you’re like, whoa, that’s different, kids are growing up eating this?
Yeah, my daughter, I try to get her into new things ’cause she’s more open to it versus my son. My son, he ain’t about to eat nothing that has pizza sauce on it.
When he orders pizza it has to be straight cheese bread. I don’t mind it, but I’ll be trying to break him out of that. My daughter, she’d be willing to try it, it just got to look good to her. If it looks any kind of discoloring, like green or whatever, hell no, I ain’t touching that. She’ll grow to it naturally though I feel like ’cause it’s just like me, same way.
I ain’t start liking eating pickles until I got 35, 36 years old. Here I am, 39 I love pickles now, pause.
Is there any food trend or weird thing that you’ve seen lately with food where you’re like, why are people doing that? It sounds kind of nasty, but-
I ain’t going to lie about that pink sauce shit. The pink sauce thing. Remember the lady came out with that pink sauce last year. I’m not trying to talk down on her or nothing like that, but it was mixing dragon fruit I think and making it almost like a ranch-based sauce.
Like a dipping sauce?
Yeah, I didn’t even want to try it because it was pink and it looked like Pepto Bismol. I thought that was so weird.
And is there anything that you eat that people might think is weird or unappetizing?
I’m glad you asked that, ’cause I just seen somebody talking about it, but I’m probably going to get ate up about this. But with spaghetti, I put a little sugar in my spaghetti, yes. Not like a shitload of it. I mean, I come from a black background, my mama Black. So I know that different households do not do the same, like how my mom makes spaghetti.
My mom put real sugar in spaghetti. But what I do, I put ranch on mine.
Just ranch and spaghetti?
And hot sauce. I got to have the turkey sausage, I got to have the nice little meat sauce.
In the spaghetti as well?
Yeah.
You ever considering having your own wing franchise? Considering Cardo Got Wings?
We’re working on it, man. We’re working on it. The ideas are definitely endless. They’re definitely endless.
And where’s your favorite wing spot, period?
Oh, you going try me like that? Oh shit. Rudy’s Chicken for sure at the crib. Hutchins for sure at the crib as well. And then Chicago Harold’s, even Uncle Remus. Even JJ’s. Man, I’m everywhere in New York.
I want to say… No, they don’t got a good wing spot in New York. I ain’t going to lie, Blue Ribbon. Blue Ribbon got some amazing – That’s some bougie wings, that shit is fire.
You can’t go wrong at Blue Ribbon.
No. They got a location. They got one that’s in the LES, then they got another one that’s around the corner from the Sixty. This one was different though. They make a different fried chicken compared to the other one. Their sauce at the Sixty, they do it with the little wasabi… And I hate that shit, I hate wasabi. I’m not a big fan of wasabi. Wasabi just taste like the devil’s asshole, pause.
Ovrkast. is one of the talented names in hip-hop who is continuing to climb higher and higher. The Oakland, California is the definition of a multi-talent, as he can rap and produce at a high level. A lot of people began to hear about him late last year due to some beat credits on one of 2023’s biggest hip-hop records. That was Drake’s For All The Dogs, specifically on the Scary Hours Edition. He had done some incredible things for Drizzy on tracks like “The Shoe Fits”, as well as “Red Button”. While this is definitely his career-altering moment so far, he came up crafting beats for rappers like Earl Sweatshirt and MAVI. Additionally, he has an ever-evolving solo catalog that is still very small. He does have one album to his credit, Try Again (2020), as well as a deluxe of it that dropped in 2021. Now, it seems that Ovrkast. is getting more and more eager to drop, as he has just left off “PAYMEAGRIP”.
This is his second solo release of 2024, with the first dropping all the way back in January. It was a YouTube exclusive song called “January”, featuring Navy Blue. Additionally, Ovrkast. teamed up with MESSIAH! and his close friend MAVI, for the storytelling single, “silent heel”. “PAYMEAGRIP” is definitely a change of pace from both, as this more of pop/trap rap record. Fans can thank Cardo, aka Cardo Got Wingz, for that. The lauded producer lays down a crisp and snappy beat for Ovrkast. to rap over. You can check out the song for yourself below, and if you are inclined, leave your takes on it in the comments section.
Larry June and Cardo recently revealed their collaborative project, The Night Shift, and now they’ve dropped a soulful R&B track – “Without You (Blxst Interlude),” featuring Blxst. Following previous releases, “Chops On The Blade” and “The Good Kind,” this stirring addition to the album is already gaining attention.
The Night Shift will be Larry June’s first project since his celebrated collaboration with The Alchemist on The Great Escape, and fans eagerly anticipate its release. With Larry June’s unique style and Cardo’s production, this upcoming project is set to be a standout in their respective discographies.
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