w/ my first actual stranger Doza Le Prince 👑🇵🇭🎤 filipino rapper from L.A. + asking: is it better to be single or to be married? (005)
Co-Host: Anthony “Doza” Mendoza @dozaleprince | Host: Xinyi Xan @xinyixan
All of Doza’s Socials & Links: https://linktr.ee/dozaleprince
Welcome back to Don't Be Strangers, a podcast and social experiment for learning to create meaningful connections together via collaborative conversations! My name's XinYi, and this is a huge milestone episode for me because when I started the project, knowing who I am and my propensity to be suddenly struck with a lightning bolt of an idea, fall madly in love with it, begin working on said idea feverishly like I'm possessed, then proceed to fall horribly out of love with it — I had promised myself to produce at least 5 episodes before seeing if I want to continue or to set aside this project. Well, this is episode 5, and I have about 8 more recordings scheduled in the next month or so... so I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.
The other reason why this episode is incredibly special is because this is the first true episode I recorded with an actual stranger. I had made a public post announcement in a Facebook group asking for co-hosts and Anthony Mendoza or "Doza" as we refer to him in this ep, graciously volunteered. I was super nervous, lol, but ultimately, it was super fun! In this conversation, we talk about (1) what villains we would want to be vs what villains we would most be like, (2) Doza's creative process as a rapper, (3) what we're currently struggling with in life, (4) the moment I realized I was old, and (5) is it better to be single or to be married, especially if you're really trying to focus on your career?
Questions & Highlights [ Timestamp Index ]
01:30 - Q Xinyi to Doza: What’s the origin of your nickname(s)?
03:37 - Q Xinyi to Doza: What’s your relationship like with L.A.?
10:34 - Q Doza to Xinyi: What is a skill/sport/ability that you wish you were really good at?
12:59 - Your vocals are an instrument that you can carry anywhere!
15:05 - Q Xinyi to Doza: What is a skill/sport/ability that you wish you were really good at?
16:30 - Q Doza to Xinyi: From any universe/book/etc what villain would you want to be? And what villain would you most likely be?
18:24 - Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (a visual novel game)
21:43 - Q Xinyi to Doza: From any universe/book/etc what villain would you want to be? and what villain would you most likely be?
25:03 - Q Xinyi to Doza: As a rapper, what does your creative process look like from end to end?
26:49 - Sample of “Another Devil” by Doza
30:22 - Q Xinyi to Doza: What are you struggling with right now?
30:29 - Sample of “Played Out” by Doza
36:05 - Q Doza to Xinyi: Moment you realized you were old?
39:04 - Xinyi: You’re only as old as you think you are.
41:30 - Q Xinyi to Doza: What does your rich life look like?
41:59 - Doza: My goal at the end of the day is just to be happy.
42:44 - Doza: The struggles I go through… at the end of the day, they’re struggles that I know I have to go through to get to where I want to be.
43:24 - Doza: You only live once…life is too short.
43:44 - Doza: What I’m struggling with… I’ll never get to do everything that I want to do in life.
44:46 - Doza: Rich life = happy life = no worries
44:57 - Q Doza to Xinyi: What does your rich life look like?
47:45 - Q Doze to Xinyi: Is it better being single or married? (In general and if you’re really diving into your career)
49:51 - Xinyi: Being aromatic… I don’t understand why you need that validation from a romantic partner even though I understand that we, as humans, all need connection and all need to be loved.
50:32 - Xinyi: I believe that if people want to be in a relationship, that relationship should support their single lifestyle.
53:51 - Q Xinyi to Doza: How do you define a stranger and at what point do they transition from being one to not being one?
57:34 - Doza: What inspired me to get on this [podcast]… I kinda just miss talking to people, and I thought this was a cool concept.
And that's the scoop! As always, if you have any thoughts on anything we talked about, feel free to shoot a dm or leave a public comment and start a community thread @dontbestrangers on instagram! As the goal of this podcast is to simply narrow the gap between all of us as fellow humans, anyone of any background can apply to come on to chat. Which means, yes, you too can apply to co-host an episode! Or if you know anyone who appreciates deep conversations or loves making friends, you should totally consider introducing us to each other!
I'll link all of Doza's socials and music in the show notes, but can also directly reach out to him via instagram at his account @dozaleprince! Let's connect again soon, and remember, don't be a stranger. :')