Talking LEGO with Randall and Syreeta from LEGO MASTERS

Last week, Randall and Syreeta were sadly eliminated from LEGO Masters. The challenge was to create something with a single hanging Technic brick as their core. The hip-hop duo built an incredible hot air balloon, but in the end it wasn’t enough. I was able to ask the duo some questions about LEGO, their experience on the show, and even if they have hip-hop recommendations.

Tommy: Both of you worked very hard to create some incredible builds. Which is the one from your run on LEGO Masters that each of you was most proud of and which challenge did you feel was the most fun?

Randall: Thank you! I was most proud of AND had the most fun working on the Make and Shake build - that allowed us to perfectly merge our loves of architecture and hip-hop for our story. I was able to utilize my architecture degree as well as a lot of LEGO math, which I love to do, making sure the core was strong enough to withstand the shaking of our structure. Plus it was reminiscent of what you'd do as a kid with LEGO - stack it as high as you can! I was back in my childhood for that challenge, for sure.

Syreeta: The build that I was certainly most proud of was the build from the parade challenge. It allowed us to share with the world what we were both passionate about from the beginning. The challenge that I had the most fun was the tower challenge. It really grounded us, no pun. My intro to playing with LEGO was through the architecture collection, my dad was also an architect and Randall went to school for architecture so that challenge really allowed us to not only have a full circle moment but we had tons of fun.

Tommy: In this last episode, Syreeta seemed to enjoy sharing some puns with Will. Are you not a pun person, Randall? Also, what is it like when you're building and Will or the judges come up to chat for a minute? Was it stressful? Was it a welcome little break for you?

Randall: Here's some context that didn't make it on the show: I have an ongoing grudge against Philip for how many dad jokes I can withstand from him. So far, I've been able to push through the worst of his array of puns, but to have them come from your own partner was too much for me! Though honestly, it was fun to see her be witty and respond to Will like that to have that moment saved forever. When you're building and Will comes over, you gotta give him some rope to pull on for the cameras, so you kind of have to step out of being so involved with your build to pal around and also give him concise, thoughtful answers to his questions. It could get a little stressful if the clock is winding down or you're in the middle of trying to figure something out. When the judges came around, I enjoyed that because I could get real-time feedback and course correct if they tell you a concept isn't clear enough or isn't going to work. They reminded me of my architecture studio classes in college; my professor would come around, check on your progress, offer thoughts, then leave you alone to create - but this time, it's happening in front of millions of people!

Syreeta: Randall and I had a great time building. we certainly learned a lot about each other's communication style, especially with this opportunity being the first time we've built to this magnitude in real life. When the judges came up to us, we tried to incorporate as much constructive feedback as possible. We certainly wanted them to know that we were listening.

Tommy: Is there anything in particular that you've picked up from your time on LEGO Masters?

Randall: I learned that I need to play more. I've been so consumed with making all the products for our business that I haven't been able to lean into the joy of discovery, using what I have instead of always looking for the perfect part to complete a piece. I picked up so many ways of building from watching and studying how other people build that it inspired me to incorporate those techniques in my own builds. Finally - I need to reorganize my storage system because that brick pit was so expansive and is GOALS for my own LEGO room at home.

Syreeta: The importance of minifigures lol. it was helpful to me overall getting familiar with the breadth of the LEGO catalogue overall.

Tommy: I know that you both are very much into hip-hop. What are your top 3 hip-hop album recommendations for anyone to check out?

Randall: I'll give you 3 that I've been listening to a LOT lately because that's a hard question to answer in a vacuum and this spans multiple forms of hip-hop: Snoop Dogg's "Bush", Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist's "Alfredo", and Childish Gambino's "Because the Internet".

Syreeta: Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt, Nas – Illmatic

Tommy: What is a LEGO building tip that you would give to a new builder?

Randall: If you see a custom build somewhere on the internet that excites you, try to copy it and see how you can make it with the pieces you have. If you can't make it exactly, you'll probably discover techniques that are new to you that you can use for future creations. The community is very helpful and will usually share how they made it so you can tuck that away and if you discover something cool, you can contribute that right back and add to the communal knowledge and skill.

Syreeta: Play with sets that you might not identify with to get familiar with other pieces.