Mario opens up about his love for R&B and hip-hop, being inspired by Tupac's "Dear Mama," and more!
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00:00 ♪ It's the 50th anniversary ♪
00:04 ♪ And everybody's here with me ♪
00:07 ♪ Celebrating hip hop and R&B ♪
00:10 Yeah, Billboard 50th anniversary.
00:14 Thank y'all for all y'all have done.
00:16 So many stories told through music.
00:18 So many lives touched, so many lives changed.
00:21 I was just talking to my Virgo brother, Nas, right?
00:23 He was the epitome of what hip hop was
00:25 in my middle school years.
00:27 The lyricism, the beat selection, the storytelling.
00:30 ♪ Rap legend, presence is felt ♪
00:31 ♪ And of course, NAS saw the letters that spell Nas ♪
00:34 The way he transitioned through his albums,
00:36 the competitiveness of hip hop, we all learned that.
00:39 You know what I'm saying?
00:40 I learned that through Nas.
00:40 I learned that through people like Jay-Z.
00:43 You know what I'm saying?
00:43 Keeping it nostalgic, we learned that through Puff, right?
00:46 Puff take samples from the 80s and the 70s and the 60s
00:50 and he brings it in, he makes it fresh.
00:52 He puts great R&B records and groups together.
00:54 Like it's just hip hop has had such a great marriage
00:57 with R&B from like the late 90s and the early 2000s.
01:01 And it just makes you appreciate storytelling.
01:04 It makes you appreciate texture.
01:05 It makes you appreciate the culture of hip hop and R&B.
01:10 My mother played "Dear Mama" for me from 2Pac.
01:13 ♪ Mama, I finally understand ♪
01:15 ♪ For a woman it ain't easy trying to raise a man ♪
01:19 I would say my early middle school years.
01:22 And I just remember telling her one day,
01:23 I said, "I'm gonna write a song like that for you."
01:25 It's not quite the same as "Dear Mama"
01:27 but I ended up writing a song for my mom.
01:28 So like, I don't know.
01:30 I just think hip hop is just,
01:31 it's something that when you hear it and you feel it,
01:37 it takes you back to a space and time.
01:39 R&B, when you hear it and you feel it,
01:42 it makes you wanna express yourself.
01:44 It makes you feel something.
01:45 It makes you feel your emotions.
01:46 It makes you feel your vulnerability, you know?
01:50 Good R&B, I feel like.
01:51 So man, it's here.
01:53 To me, I wanna see some of the artists today
01:55 having longevity.
01:56 'Cause I feel like longevity is the only way
01:58 to really understand who an artist is meant to be
02:02 in the culture.
02:03 And I like when I see artists have long careers.
02:06 This is my 21st, I just celebrated my 21st year
02:09 in the music game.
02:10 This is my first album drop.
02:12 And it moves so fast.
02:14 It's a very fast-paced business.
02:15 So, you know, to new artists out there, man, take your time.
02:19 Enjoy every moment of it.
02:21 It's all a part of your journey.
02:23 Billboard, write a fucking journey.
02:25 Excuse my French.
02:26 (laughs)
02:28 (upbeat music)