On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with 6LACK.

Born in Baltimore and raised in Atlanta, 6LACK grew up around music from the start — his father owned a recording studio, and he was already stepping into the booth by age four. After cutting his teeth as a teenage battle rapper, he broke through in 2016 with his debut album Free 6lack, which spawned the Grammy-nominated single "PRBLMS" and established the introspective, emotionally direct sound he's known for. His follow-up, East Atlanta Love Letter, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and his most recent album, Since I Have a Lover, earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album. Along the way, he's collaborated with everyone from J. Cole and Lil Baby to Elton John and Gorillaz.

A decade into his career, 6LACK joins Joel in the Artist Friendly studio to open up about how he has spent the last few years simplifying his life —cutting out excess, opportunists, and old habits — confronting the ego he didn't know he had, and learning what it actually means to build a life around what matters most.