Rowdy Rebel linked up for a social distancing-friendly interview with Complex News' Speedy Morman for the latest episode of 360 With Speedy Morman, marking his first video interview since being released from the Collins Correctional Facility in New York earlier this month.
At the top of the discussion, the Brooklyn rapper was asked to describe how it felt to get out after spending six years behind bars. "The feeling I felt, it was overwhelming," he said. "It's hard to explain, still. There's still people I haven't seen in so long… It feels so good to be home with all my peers and my family, for real."
Elsewhere, Rowdy touched on a number of other topics ranging from the current status of his relationship with Epic to how his friend and collaborator Bobby Shmurda is holding up while finishing his sentence.
Below, we've put together a rundown of highlights from the 360 interview, which you can watch in full at the top of this page.
During a discussion on what he gravitated toward book-wise during his years in prison, Rowdy revealed one book that he found interesting which included the posing of the question "What is time?" to the reader. When host Speedy pointed out that this could be a jumping-off point for new music, Rowdy rapped a few conceptual lines.
The first meal Rowdy ate when he got out was a combination of jerk chicken and macaroni and cheese. Over the past few years, however, he has also developed some serious cooking skills of his own.
Rowdy was asked about Bobby Shmurda, whom he praised for being quick to take on more time in his sentence as part of a loyalty-minded approach to helping out those closest to him.
"My boy's holding up fine," he said. "He's great. He's healthy." Rowdy likened Shmurda to "a giant," noting that giants would never fear ants.
And toward the end of the interview, Rowdy spoke on how it'll feel to reunite in public with Shmurda upon his expected release in 2021. Per Rowdy, it'll be a "bandemic." He also theorized on what sort of piece he could have ready for Shmurda's first day out, a welcome home gift that may end up referencing a certain disappearing hat.
When asked about about receiving a gift from Young Thug after his prison release, Rowdy praised him for his support.
"Thugger's the bro," he said. "Thugger's the realest to do it… People gon' see what's going on. They're gon' see what's happening, man." And while the two haven't met in person yet, Rowdy has no doubt it'll be an impactful moment.
"We met over the phone but when we meet face-to-face it's gon' be a movie… a movie times 20," he said. "I'm a movie. I ain't gon' lie. I'm a Blu-ray movie, dawg."
"I was in solitary confinement when I found out he passed," Rowdy said about hearing the news of Pop Smoke's death. "I was in a box… It was a sad day."
Over the summer, Rowdy Rebel appeared on the posthumously released Pop Smoke track "Make It Rain."
"I was gonna come home and drop right away," Rowdy said. Ultimately, however, his team convinced him to take a slightly different approach. Now, Rowdy is working day-and-night on the project.
While Rowdy didn't offer up much specifics on the work-in-progress, he did float the possibility of titling the forthcoming project Rowdy vs. Rebel. And for the record, Rowdy confirmed he is still in business with Epic Records.
