Protect interview: Slimedude2003, BruceDropEmOff, Spiderman, Critiquing Himself, Not Leaving Buffalo

Get your music into stores & streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify & TikTok with DistroKid. Release unlimited tracks & always keep 100% of your earnings. Plus — access to more features than any other music distributor. Follow & try DistroKid Site: https://distrokid.com/ YouTube:    / distrokid   Instagram:   / distrokid   Facebook:   / distrokid   X: https://x.com/distrokid Just restocked some new merch btw!! KTO WORKWEAR JACKETS! https://kidstakeovershop.ca/ FOLLOW US   / kidstakeover   Host & Producer   / ktoarshan   Filming   / kahhre     / hammadjawaid97   Editing   / mikkyfilmz   Research   / antoniojohri   Extra Production   / geeethan   For this interview, Arshan sat down with Protect to discuss the release of his latest project, Slimedude2003, his creative process, and the influences that continue to shape his music. Protect broke down songs like “Zeros,” “Macatasan,” “Re4,” “Ac130,” and “Sk8r,” while explaining how he finds different flows, experiments with production, and decides almost instantly whether a beat is right for him. He also spoke about leaked music, why he still releases songs that have already surfaced online, and how he views leaks as a sign of genuine fan demand. Along with this, Protect opened up about the movies, video games, travel experiences, and nature imagery that inspire his music, his decision to stay grounded in Buffalo, and his approach to ignoring genre labels while continuing to build the Ball Hog identity. Finally, Arshan and Protect discussed dealing with criticism online, overcoming self-doubt, his love for basketball and the Philadelphia 76ers, the story behind the “If you’re not Ball Hog, die” tag, and the possibility of future collaborations with artists like Lucki and YT. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Catching up and favorite movies 1:45 - Debating Odyssey and Spider-Man 2:58 - Letterboxd favorites (City of God, Scarface, Obsession) 3:30 - Slimedude2003 release and leaked music 4:46 - Why do leaked songs still get released? 6:25 - Finding the flow on “Zeros” 7:05 - Experimenting on “Makatussin” 9:59 - The project title was Protect’s password? 10:58 - Dream travel destination and Ball Hog trips 12:10 - Resident Evil, Call of Duty, and Skyrim 14:55 - Influenced by movies, rappers, and games 16:00 - Protect lets beats breathe before the vocals 18:30 - Yam comments and criticism of his voice 20:20 - The Teezus clothing-rack video (Lil Baby meme) 23:00 - Protect watches exotic animal videos? (and dream pets) 26:00 - Spotting Frank Ocean in Japan 26:32 - Why doesnt he move out of Buffalo? 27:20 - Rejecting genre labels and building Ball Hog 29:00 - Self-doubt and building confidence 30:30 - Basketball fandom and all-time starting five 30:43 - Why is he a longtime Sixers fan? 32:10 - All NBA Starting 5 33:00 - Who made the Ball Hog tag? 33:50 - Clearing up the 77 memes 36:10 - Potential music with Lucki and YT one day? 👀 Tags: (ignore) BallHog BallHog BallHog Lucki Lucki Lucki Tezzus Tezzus Tezzus BruceDropEmOff BruceDropEmOff BruceDropEmOff XXL XXL underground underground hip-hop hip-hop rap rap arshan arshan kto kto kto #Protect #BallHog #DEO