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Chris Classick built Classick Studios in Chicago the year after he lost his mother. He had gear, a bedroom, and nothing left to fear. Two decades later, his studio has hosted Chance the Rapper, Khelani, SZA, Tyler the Creator, Lil Wayne, Chief Keef, and dozens more.  In this episode, Chris breaks down what it means to be a creative architect, why artists only have one job (just be themselves), how to build a lean team using the moving train method, and why you won't find inspiration doom scrolling. Plus: his Filipino food lounge named after his late mom, the Slide to the Stew tour with DistroKid, and the Chicago artists you need to know right now. Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro: The coolest recording studio in Chicago2:30 – The "Best and Most Wack" parts of the Chicago scene5:15 – "Non-GMO Music" and the power of real community8:45 – Creating Dita Tutsi’s: A Filipino food lounge in honor of his mother12:20 – The origin of Classick Studios (It started in a bedroom)16:10 – Artist vs. Engineer: What makes a session successful?21:00 – Why social media is a "Doom Scroll Feedback Loop"25:40 – The "Moving Train Method" for building your team29:00 – Who to watch in Chicago right nowFollow Chris: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisclassick/  Website: https://www.classickstudios.com/

alen Cancel and Andrew "DagZ" are two of Chicago's most plugged-in creatives. DJs, event curators, community builders. They've been shaping how the city's nightlife and music scene feels for years. This conversation went everywhere.We got into Filipino culture in Chicago, what makes someone “believable” vs. “fake”, whether chivalry is dead in 2026, what happens when friend groups fall apart, and why you have to start before you're great. ◼️ What "the scene" really means for Chicago creatives◼️ How Filipino culture is finding its identity outside the West Coast ◼️ The difference between believable and unbelievable people◼️ Is chivalry dead because people aren't friends with women? ◼️ Matt's monk story, mosque visits, and religious exploration ◼️ Dags' sticky note that changed the energy at Classic Studios ◼️ What it means to quit your day job and just be a creative dadFollow Jalen (Cansell):  5cansell   Follow Andrew (DagZ): ayedagz   Follow Matt: nonstop.matt   #mattsmith #themattshow #cansell #dagz #interview #podcast #chicago

Forever Band is a Chicago recording artist and content creator who went from 7K to 340K followers in about a month after his videos reversing microaggressions on strangers racked up hundreds of millions of views. He joins Matt to talk about how it all happened, his views on race in America, why he quit drugs and alcohol, his take on love and marriage, and his come up in Chicago's music scene.They also break down his lyrics line by line. It got interesting.◼️ Going from 7K to 340K followers in a month◼️ What he learned from being around Adamn Killa◼️ Why he thinks racism is never going away◼️ How getting sick one night made him quit all drugs◼️ His problem with how love and marriage are sold to us◼️ Being best friends with Chance the Rapper and other creative super stars from Chicago◼️ The real stories behind his song lyricsFollow Forever Band: Instagram:  foreverband_lockedinking   TikTok:   foreverband   #foreverbandinterview #foreverband #interview #themattshow #chicago #imtrynaseesumwaitwait #whitepeoplepranks #mattsmith #nonstopmatt

Sydny August is a Chicago-born singer who went from recording music in her college dorm room to getting signed by Lil Durk to OTF (Only The Family) - and it all started with a birthday Instagram post.In this episode of The Matt Show, Sydny shares the crazy random story of how Lil Durk discovered her music, DM'd her out of nowhere, and eventually brought her into the OTF family. We dive deep into her first studio session with Durk where French Montana and Cole Bennett randomly showed up, the making of her breakout track "How Does It Feel," and what it's like being an artist in Chicago's music scene.We also explore Sydny's creative process, how she keeps things family-oriented while building her career, and get vulnerable about the meaning behind lyrics from her songs like "333," "Enclosure," and "Heartbreaker."🔗 FOLLOW SYDNEY AUGUST:Instagram:   sydnyaugust  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6r67a...YouTube: ‪@MissAugust‬ 🎙️ ABOUT THE MATT SHOW:A podcast of conversations at the intersection of tech, business, culture, and the arts.#LilDurk #OTF #SydnyAugust #ChicagoMusic #MusicInterview #TheMatShow #ColeBennett #RnB #Singer #ChicagoArtist

From E-commerce success to the cutting edge of AI, I’m joined by serial entrepreneur Gera Baano to talk about the highs and lows of building in tech at a young age.Gera Baano has lived several business lifetimes before the age of 25. From selling a dating app to managing 6-figure e-commerce brands, Gera now focuses on Polymath AI and Ghostbuilt, where he is redefining how products are made using AI. We discuss the "Disney Effect" roadmap for businesses, why he’s never entertaining DMs while in a relationship, and the gritty reality of losing it all and building it back. Follow Gera Instagram: gerraai Tiktok: @gerabaan #gerabaano #themattshow #mattsmith #chicagotech #podcast #interview #geraai

I sit down with Juliana Miller — an artist manager, A&R at Classicks Never Die, DJ, and member of The Recording Academy — to talk about what it really takes to guide artists through the highs and lows of music. From discovering talent to helping creatives find their rhythm, Juliana shares lessons on building trust, protecting your energy, and staying grounded in purpose while moving through the industry.Follow Juliana:Instagram: julianamillerTwitter: julianavmiller #julianamiller #classickstudios #artistmanagement #artistmanager #themattshow #mattsmith #chicago

Landon Campbell is an investor the general manager at Drive Capital, Chicago. He's also the author of LandonsLoop where he writes about innovation in Chicago tech. Landon relentlessly puts-on for the city of Chicago to be a center of hyper-growth in tech and AI innovation. We talk about his background in venture capital and what he sees for the growth of Chicago as a tech ecosystem.Follow us on social:Instagram: themattshowhqTikTok: @themattshowhqFollow Landon:Instagram: landon20s/Twitter: landon20sLinkedIn: landon20s #themattshow #themattshowpodcast #themattshowhq #mattsmith #landoncampbell #drivecaptial

{Listen to the full experience on my Substack Matt's Recap} Custom resume for VaynerX & Mike Boyd Jr https://open.substack.com/pub/mattsrecap/p/matts-entrepreneurial-journey-8-years?r=2dcz9j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true

Eddie is a seasoned professional in the music industry. As an attorney, he founded 'Protect and Collect,' specializing in intellectual property. He's taught at SAE, is an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago, and has spoken at major events like South by Southwest. Sometimes Eddie is a DJ! Eddie is deeply ingrained in Chicago's music and cultural ecosystem. Follow Eddie on Instagram or visit his law firm’s website with the links below: Eddie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandersesq/ Eddie’s Firm, Protect & Collect: https://www.sandersesq.com/protectcollect

Emma Mckee is a legendary cross stitcher. In 2014, Emma stitched her first piece: An adaptation of Will Prince’s artwork for Chance the Rapper’s song “Hey Ma.” She followed that with a piece for street artist JC Rivera, Chicago’s “Bear Champ.” Her portfolio expanded from there, as she firmly planted herself within Chicago’s rap community, as the scene’s preeminent — and only — hip-hop cross stitcher, earning the name Stitch Gawd .Since 2014, she’s created countless pieces for musicians and artists both in and outside Chicago. Follow Stitch Gawd on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestitchgawd/ View Stitch Gawd's online store: https://stitchgawd.com/store

Sam Thousand is a musician, event curator, and director. Sam speaks on his career in the performing music space, his vision to create ChiBrations to bring more discoverability to the rising arts scene in Chicago, and how he believes art has the potential to unify us in incredible ways. #mattsmith #theintersection #theintersectionpod #theintersectionpodcast #samthousand Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samthousand/

In my interview with Zehra, we discuss how her understanding of art history informs her work in Venture Capital. We talk about the events she curates in New York, from breakfasts and panel discussions to pottery classes and workout sessions. Zehra emphasizes the value of genuine engagement, diversity, and community-building, highlighting the need for meaningful connections and respecting participants' time. Follow Zehra on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zehranaqvi_

Chris Vergara is an up and coming Director & Creative strategist. Chris has directed videos for Chance The Rapper, G-Eazy, SuperStarKami, Dry Boy, and more… Not only music videos, but Chris has made corporate videos, travel videos, short documentaries, Chris has done it all. Chris and Matt have a unique shared history, meeting each other as budding entrepreneurs in the creatives scene and growing along side each other since. Chris speaks on his journey in the field, his own creative process & how he goes about his work, & passion for treating his creative work simultaneously as intimate art but as a business product and figure how the best strategies to market it. Follow Chris on Instagram Visit his production website

Matt interviews Jaeson, the founder of 88rising and OP3N. Jaeson shares his incredible story of growing up in the Bay Area in the 80s and 90s and how he was exposed to hip hop culture, kicked out of three high schools, became a youth pastor, paying Bruno Mars only $1,500 to record four Christian rap tracks with him before the fame, and even being mentored by MC Hammer who brought him around the early buildings of YouTube, PayPal and more. Jaeson talks about  East West Ventures and 88Rising, bridging gaps between the east and west through entertainment and technology.

Jamie Cho is a marketing lead at Wildr, working to make social media a more positive space. Her background is focused on consumer social & our conversation was focused around empowering creatives in the creator economy. Follow Jamie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoonseojamiecho/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/itsjamiecho #theintersectionpodcast #nostopmatt #theintersection