Lefty Gunplay talks Kendrick Lamar, Grammy win, rehab & building Black-Latino coalition

On the Adventures of Curiosity Cove podcast, when peanut butter disappears from school, Ella, Scout, and Layla launch a full detective mission. Their search leads them back in time to meet a brilliant inventor whose curiosity changed the world. And this Black History Month adventure, asking questions, thinking creatively, can lead to amazing discoveries. Listen to Adventures of Curiosity Cove every Monday from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can scroll the headlines all day and still feel empty. I'm Ben Higgins, and If You Can Hear Me is where culture meets the soul. Honest conversations about identity, loss, purpose, peace, faith, and everything in between. Celebrities, thinkers, everyday people, some have answers, most are still figuring it out. And if you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you. Listen to If You Can Hear Me on my iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world. The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story? I've just been made to fit. The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapsed. What if the truth was disguised by a story we chose to believe? Oh my God, I think she might be innocent. Listen to Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I was talking to all of them, and I told them, you know what? Fuck it, I'm going to go to rehab. And then I called Top Dog and Kendrick Lamar, and they said, that's the most gangsta shit you ever said. Yeah, yeah, what up, y'all? This is Joe Crack, the Don. It's your boy Jada. You know what it is. Niggas came with the outfit change. They tell me. Hey, what? Nothing off. I don't tell you what you will tell you, nigga. West Side. It's All Star 2026. You never know who might pop out through the curtains. You never know. You know what I mean? It's the Joe and Jayden show. Every show legendary. Every show iconic. When you think of today's guest, You think it's somebody who's able to overcome adversity. Somebody who's about changing their life. You know what I mean? Getting to the bag. Getting the mental health together. Doing the right thing. Getting the music popping. Grammy winner. You've all been nominated, but not. It's hard to win one of them things. Yeah. Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for Lefty Gunplay. Thank you for having me. What's up, my brother? Brother, it's an honor to have you, man. We in L.A. Yes, sir. And we said they don't get no more L.A. The gunplay lefty right now at this moment and my brother game. And so we touched the story. You know, this is the Joe and Jada show. We about the culture. And we said let's bring our brother on. what's crazy is I didn't see the Grammys. My wife saw it and she called me. She was like, yo, it's Latino guys screaming Latino on the Grammys. It's my wife calling me telling me that you won the Grammy. So you win the Grammy. What's so important about you saying yo, can't you put a Latino on? I just want the homies to understand that he gave me a platform and it's been something that's so hard to do in Los Angeles to, you know, break into the rap game as a Latino. And, you know, Kendrick really, you know, black and brown unity at its finest right there. It don't get no bigger than that. And I appreciate him for giving me that platform. I got the bond. I'm running with it. I ain't looking back. Right. You know, one of the living legends. So many kids, they look like me in the hood, you know? And just, I'm glad to represent the people in the right way. There's one of the Latino legends from out here one time. I don't want to say his name because he's beyond a legend. Well, he come and I take him to the Bronx to hang out with me. You know, we in the Bronx. So it's very different. This is what I want to talk to you about so people can visualize and understand what's going on. Very different in the West Coast, unfortunately, between the Latinos and blacks. Like in New York, everybody's a mixed baby. Everybody's black and Puerto Rican. And so he comes with us and I'm just showing him a good time. We at Jimmy's Bronx Cafe and he asks me, yo, you fuck with the black people? And I looked at him like, because I might as well be black. I don't know how to explain it to you any other way. So I looked at him. I said, yo, what you mean? He said, out west, we don't fuck with the black dudes. I said, well, I can't fuck with you no more, my man. Because that's not what we on here. Right? And I didn't even understand. That's Sojo time or some shit like that. I think I know who you're talking about. Well. It don't matter. Yeah, he's a legend. But he told me, yo, we don't fuck with the black dudes. I said, well, I can't fuck with you. That was the last time I ever rocked with him. even though he is a legend and he's a pioneer and somebody who started it. But that's when I started to realize that there's parts of the country that Latinos and Blacks ain't connected like that. Yeah. You know, and so that's what you meant when you went up there. You said, yo, this brother gave me a chance. Let's unify. Yeah. Stronger together. And you ain't going to get nowhere in rap if you ain't cool with no Blacks. You know, it's their culture, you know, and they allow me to, you know, make money off this and more homies are following in my footsteps, you know? And I appreciate everything Kendrick Lamar did for me. He changed my life. You know, I always say that the biggest rapper on earth is going to be a Mexican rapper if he finds a way to let... I always tell you that, Steve. Steve Lobel's here. The biggest rapper on earth is going to be a Mexican-American rapper that fucks with black people, fucks with everybody and just makes music for everybody. He's going to have the whole world. Yeah. In a sense. You leading that in the footsteps and, you know, we already got that. You know, Big Punt, his song was Bordy, Mordy, and I mean Latinos and Blacks together. So I've always been about that. You paid away. Good looking, brother. Tell me about the Mexican experience in LA. Born part, a lot of gang gang, you know, I got jumped into my neighborhood when I was 13 years old. juvenile hall, prison, live the real life. You know, really about that life. And I was sitting in Pelican Bay and I'm like, man, you know, it's just a revolving cycle. I was in Cork and Shoe, Pelican Bay, Shoe. And I seen OGZ, he's a rapper out here. I said, I can do that. And I said, man, I'm going to break the cycle. I'm going to be a rapper. Fuck it. You know? And then the rest was history. I manifested everything. I seen it in my head. I ran with it, you know? But just, you know, real Latino neighborhood. La Puente, Palm Park, West Corvina, El Monte. You know, just ain't nothing coming out of there. Just gangbang, you know, try to make a change. Do you see that you're influencing the young Mexicans to start rapping, to start trying to definitely change and be positive? Yeah, definitely, man. Follow your dreams. Anything's possible. That's real talk. Not only did you win a Grammy, you won it after getting released from prison. Yeah. How does that feel? What kind of space did it make you want to? Man, it's a dream come true. It's a trip. It still hasn't really hit me yet. Nah, it's amazing. You look great that night too, boy. You threw that shit on. You threw that shit on, boy. Yeah, I appreciate y'all, man. Yeah, I've been in the last six months. I've been in rehab. Shout out to the Haven Detox. Frank Sid and Carrillo. I've been right there getting my mind right, you know? How hard is that, right? Like, how long you was on drugs? And I'm glad you're not ashamed of that. That's how you really inspire it. Fuck music, fuck all that. That's your real purpose to turn that shit around. Somebody like Jelly Roll, you see how he ain't scared to say, yo, I was fucked up, I was using drugs, and he inspires so many people, and now he's the biggest in the game. You got to realize more people relate to that. Like, I lost a brother to drugs. He wouldn't get off drugs. When did you start? How did that come about? And when did you finally say, yo, I gotta stop doing this? Man, I've been doing drugs since like I was 13. Just in that gang culture, it's just something that's always around in county and prison. And I became dependent on it. And, you know, ever since I got sober, but I was blowing everything. I was blowing all this opportunity. I got in a car crash, got into a lot of trouble. What kind of drugs? Everything. Everything. Crystal, heroin, coke. What's more addictive? if Chris throw heroin. Heroin, huh? Yup. Liquor. Balance it out. I was just blowing all my opportunity. Everybody's all like, man, you got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You're throwing it away. I was at a Chini concert. It was a Chini E. Daru concert. And I was talking to all of them, and I told them, you know what? Fuck it, I'm going to go to rehab. And then I called Top Dog and Kendrick Lamar, and they said, that's the most gangster shit you ever said. You know? So I flew out to rehab in Miami. you know, stock cold turkey knowing that I was Grammy nominated popped up like a boogeyman everybody tripped out nobody thought I could change my ways but I did a day at a time, brother I'm yelling you the hardest thing about it is trying to write now sober like I'm very trying to I made all my hits sober all the lean backs make it rains all the way up any fucking hit you ever heard in your life, sober. Don't let nobody tell you you got to be high to right. Not true. If you can do it, I can do it. Yes. You got this. That's what I'm saying. That's exactly what I'm saying. It's going to take a minute, but then once you get it, yeah. You know what I mean? It's a trip sitting here with you guys. I was just bumping down New York last night. Oh, no, that's love. Yeah. That's love right there. I told you on Westside Terrace Squad, man. Westside Terrace Squad, kid. Get him a chain, man. Get him a chain. That motherfucker ain't. If you saying that, then you bought that life, nigga, because we bought that life. Shout out. Steve will tell you. Shout out. I think of you because you Mexican. I think of hip hop You know of course Cypress Teals inspired me and Punt Yeah They the first ones to inspire us on the major level Shout out to Cypress We will send all them Mr. Cartoon. Yeah. Do you know Mr. Cartoon? Legendary, yep. Yep, shout out to Mr. Cartoon. What a fucking legend, Mr. Cartoon. Hell yeah, West Harding. You know, me personally, every time I came to L.A., you know, I was more towards Inglewood. Shout out, you know, Mac-10. I do believe, and this is something that everybody can argue with me, but we had something to do with the East Coast, West Coast connecting. Because it was at the time Big E-Poc died. There was a couple more New York and West Coast beefs going on, and me and Mac-10 met each other, and we became brothers. I came out here and shot a movie with him called Thicker Than Water in Englewood. Okay. And then he came to my hood. And what's crazy is I never knew there was bloods in New York. When I grew up, it wasn't bloods. It wasn't crips. It wasn't none of that. He came to my projects. And when I tell you all them kids started running outside with the red suits on and hats, and they was like, yo, OG. OG, that's when I knew we had bloods in New York. I didn't even know it. And I was in the street. So I brought him on projects and everybody running out the building like, yo, OG, OG, OG. I was like, oh, shit, we got Bloods New York. Yeah, I've been in New York. It's a trip. The trenches out there, just projects. They tell me, whatever you do, let me don't walk up in. What's the difference between that? Between LA and here. Man, out here, every block's a gang. You know, pretty much every block's a gang. You be somewhere nice right here, you make a right. You know, you be with some Crips, some Bloods, some essays. You know, I'm a Sudano, so, you know, I'm a Southsider out here. I represent. But yeah, New York, they drove me around the projects and shit. Towers. Don't walk up in here at midnight, Lefty. I said, for sure, you know? Looking out. We're so fucked up that if you was on drugs, you would walk up in there at any time to get the drugs. Yeah. So when you on drugs, you in the most dangerous neighborhood. You don't give a fuck. You got to get the shit. You're right. It's the same thing with places like Miami me too. Miami, you could be a South Beach. You make a left turn. You in fucking Pompano. Pompano. You in Pompano, but you in Liberty City, all that shit. Overtown. Yeah, Liberty City. Man, yeah. My last crib was $50,000 a month. A penthouse. I went walking two blocks. I was in Overtown, nigga. They was out in the middle of the street. It's so crazy how you got places that look like paradise, but you make the wrong turn. You with hell. Yeah, hell yeah. I feel that. Plus, I'm out of Billington States right now in Texas and Cali. So I've been doing the right thing, trying to stay focused, you know, fighting a gun charging, fighting some shit in Texas. I learned my lesson. I don't mess around in Texas anymore. You know what I'm saying? Shout out to my brother, Baby Bash and Frankie J. You heard of these guys? I know baby bash. I met him personally. Sugar, how you get so fly. Sugar, how you get so... Those are my guys. And every time I went to Texas, man, they showed me the best time in the world. These are beautiful guys. Yeah. And they Mexican, man. They put down for the Mexicans, legendary, those guys. But Texas is weird because you got a gun charge, but I don't think you need a license for a gun charge. So is it because you're a felon? Yeah. Because I had a prison. When they said that, you was like, yo, everybody can have a gun and then they be like, not you, my man. Yeah. Snatch me off ASAP. Mm-hmm. At this point, I don't think you're thinking nine to five, right? You're thinking rap, you're thinking... Yeah, rap, rap, rap. Entrepreneur, get money, get this, get that. So... Invest. Did you think about taking your tattoos off your face at all? Never. Never? Uh-uh. I represent... But that's why they stopped you in Texas. Yeah. The story of my life, though. What? Bro, you ever thought about a cop? We so criminal-minded, we never think about the other side. The other side, a guy driving in Texas, he seen him. That's how he knew he had the gun. He seen the tattoos. He said, hold on. This nigga from the other side of town. Yo, my man, what you got there? Right? So it's part of your image. It's part of everything. It's a disadvantage every day. Yeah. You got to get them real security. And a couple of dollars. Yeah, we got real security. Get the real guys with the real guns. Okay, no, my guy shoots your face off. I can't do it. I play with me. Okay, thank you, Steve. That's how you got to move. You got security. You got legit security. Be legit that way. Because if you bring the crew, they think they're impressing you. They shoot the place up. gonna play lefty on the news. It happened to me one million times. I've been in jail because of this rap shit, D1. I've been in jail maybe 30 times of shit I didn't even do. It was just like bringing all the homies. Sad Joe. Sad Joe, I really ain't me. When you bring the entourage and something happens, it's on left. No matter how you cut and stuff. How about you don't even bring the entourage? You in the soul house and you run out of here. They'd be like, lucky lefty beat everybody up in here. Yo, this, this, you're always going to get the blame. Guess what? We was talking about a story behind the scenes. You know, we asked Sham Gard and Jalen Rose. You heard? I was with Jalen Rose last night. Mm-mm. He was with Jalen last night. Yeah, definitely. So I asked my man Sham Gard, right? There's a guy, you know, I used to coach basketball in the Rucker, one of the big, the best coaches ever, actually the best coach of all time. Yeah. Six chips. And I get to talking to Sham Gardner and I bring up a player. So there was a player who was in high school that was going to the NBA from New York City. Who? I don't know if I should say that right now because I don't want to... You don't say that. I don't know what kind of life he's in. I don't know. I'll say it. His name is Richie Parker. Oh, Rich Parker. Rich Parker, one of the best basketball players out of New York. He's supposed to go to the NBA. There was no question, no doubt that he was going. Some girl allegedly got raped by some guys he knew. And because he was the star of the basketball team, allegedly she accused him. Almost like some Tupac shit. Tupac ain't raped that girl. But some guys, they might have did something too much, and then he caught the blame. so this is what I mean that you know people could do shit and it's always our fault if we're famous and we're on the forefront and one day it's crazy because how about I never met a better gentleman in the street basketball league or in the park than Richie Parker I never met a nicer guy in my life and his mother was a fan she come to all the record games and I remember one day I sat next to her I said your mama I said how you doing this, that I'm still watching the game, and she just looked up, and she was like, we supposed to be bitch. I said, her mama, she said, we supposed to be bitch. Bitch, you ain't do that. We would have been in that. Could you imagine? We would have been in mansions. We would have been. Yo, that shit hurt me when that lady took out. Yeah, I thought that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And so, you know, that's why it's so important that we got to move militant. Life happens. I wasn't signing with OTR. Oh, man. I signed with them my first week out of prison. You know? They gave me the money. And in the beginning, I thought they were stupid giving me that money because... So you ain't the only one. Yeah. We all felt like that. Yeah, like... Shit. I'm about to go back to the pen. And then I took that money. And next thing you know, I'm right here. Grammy nominated, won a Grammy. Blowing up. You know? Through the roof. So I'm getting my contract situated right now. But, yeah, there's bigger things ahead. You know what happened when I signed a Terror Squad deal with Atlantic Records? I tell you, it was $10 million. We negotiated all night. Yo, Steve, why you laughing? Because we negotiated all night. They wouldn't let me leave. It was like, you can't leave. Leo Cohen's outside. Every other record label exec is dying for Fat Joe to come outside. because I just put out Big Bunny. He's going double platinum. They like, yo, this nigga got the Latino explosion. Yeah. We got to sign whatever Spanish got. Like, it was like that. So they wouldn't let me leave. We wind up getting $10 million. Shoot it. I felt like I stuck that nigga up. Like, you ain't never seen your life. I was like, yo, me and Raul was up in there. I thought we stuck him up. The man gave us that money and jumped on a subway train. Like, nothing. He walked in the subway. I'm like, yo, this nigga gave us this paper and walked on the subway. 12 midnight. But I know the feeling because you've been doing shit so much for a dollar. Yeah. Or $2. Motherfucker give you a real check. You feel like, who did we call? Like, what do we got to do? What's going on? Because ain't nobody giving us no shit for nothing. Legitimately in the hood. I was riding around the hood with like 200 bands in a duffel bag. straight 57 moment. Went to the car place, looking in the Maybach. Cash. First week out, pushing the Maybach in the hood. Straight out the trailer park. Ew. That's gangsta. We got to clap it up for that. You know, that's what we all, we all about big life. We all about celebrating life. We all about, let me tell you something. Ain't nothing like that feeling when you get that first whip from rapping and you're on the freeway and you're just by yourself. Like, man, this is my shit. Like, you know? It's real good. Good. You know, for me, that was like when I caught that vaccine for COVID. I was stuck in that house for a year and a half. And when they gave me that vaccine, I was like, looks like we made it. I thought I was going to die. Niggas was dying in the hood so much. When they gave me that vaccine, I ran over there so fast. I had my hand out the sunroof like, looks like we made it. But I know the feeling. And there's nothing like doing something legit. Yeah. There's nothing. We all made money, you know, illegally, but legit. There's nothing like it feels good. And you in your car and you feel like, damn. And that what life about Breaking on my mom and my grandma You what Breaking on my mom First thing I do is buy her a car Let me tell you the next thing You're going to buy your mother a house. Yeah, that's coming. That's where it's at. Yo, today's show is brought to you by our presented sponsor, Hard Rock Bet Florida Sportsbook. You know what I mean? I know it's tough out here with no football, but don't worry. We're going to make. With Hard Rock Bet, there's always something to bet on every night. Hoops, hockey, and so much more. Plus, all the great same-game parlay action, live betting, and the player prop options you already know and love. Yo, did you even know Hard Rock Bet, the official sport betting partner of the Miami Heat and the Orlando match? I knew that. So they know their basketball like we know the streets. Yo, if you ain't signed up with Hard Rock Bet yet, there's never been a better time opportunity. 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Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call 188-ADMITTED. In Indiana, if someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9-WIF-IT. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLING. That's in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. What do you do when the headlines don't explain what's happening inside of you? I'm Ben Higgins, and if you can hear me, it's where culture meets the soul. A place for real conversation. Each episode, I sit down with people from all walks of life. Celebrities, thinkers, and everyday folks. And we go deeper than the polished story. We talk about what drives us, what shapes us, and what gives us hope. We get honest about the big stuff. Identity when you don't recognize yourself anymore. Loss that changes you. Purpose when success isn't enough. Peace when your mind won't slow down. Faith when it's complicated. Some guests have answers. Most are still figuring it out. If you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you. Listen to If You Can Hear Me on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. China's Ministry of State Security is one of the most mysterious and powerful spy agencies in the world. But in 2017, the FBI got inside. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. This MSS officer has no idea the U.S. government is on to him. But the FBI has his chats, texts, emails, even his personal diary. Hear how they got it on the Sixth Bureau podcast. I now have several terabytes of an MSS officer, no doubt, no question, of his life. And that's a unicorn. No one had ever seen anything like that. It was unbelievable. This is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, a story gripped the UK, evoking horror and disbelief. The nurse who should have been in charge of caring for tiny babies is now the most prolific child killer in modern British history. Everyone thought they knew how it ended. A verdict, a villain, a nurse named Lucy Letby. Lucy Letby has been found guilty. But what if we didn't get the whole story? The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapses. I'm Amanda Knox and in the new podcast Doubt the Case of Lucy Letby we follow the evidence and hear from the people that lived it to ask what really happened when the world decided who Lucy Letby was No voicing of any skepticism or doubt It'll cause so much harm at every single level if the British establishment of this is wrong Listen to Doubt the Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. I'm joined by Luke Combs, award-winning country music artist and one of the most authentic voices in music today. Luke opens up about success, self-doubt, mental health, and what it really takes to stay true to who you are when your life changes overnight. I hate fame. I hate the word celebrity. I hate those words that make me uncomfortable. But I think when you get to a certain point, the fame or the success or the influence, it just accentuates and exacerbates the inherent person that you are. The guy that says he's always going to be there and that will do anything to be there is the only guy that's not there. I'm in Australia when Bo was born. My whole identity is that no matter what, I'm going to prioritize my wife and my children over my job. I dread the conversation with my son. What do you think you'd say? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. cash, this, this. I did all that shit. When I caught the tax problem and I had to sell everything and I had to do whatever I had to do, I had to give the government back millions of dollars and pay my lawyer. There was one thing untouchable. It was called my mother's house. I would have sold every piece of jewelry, every art, every house, every sneaker, everything you ever seen, a fucking toothpaste to pay them back. Don't talk about my mother's house. And my mother's house wasn't even that special, guys. It was a nice little regular house that I bought for my mother and my father. But I remember every single time I pull up to my mother's house, I felt like, even to this day, my house is mad big, right? And I used to pull up to my mother's house just last year because she passed away. And I felt like that was the biggest house, the biggest shit I ever did in my life. I would sit in front of the house and be like, wow. My mom's got a house. You know what I'm saying? That's the biggest shit. Praise God. You bought your mother and father some shit? Yeah, I just bought him a condo. He screamed at you for buying it for me. This is countless. Fuck you for buying it. But okay, thanks for the keys, son. I saw love. You know what I'm saying? Lefty, I see you in the studio. Yeah. Crazy bone. I was just with game last night. No doubt. Shut up. What's your process like in the studio? I like to write from scratch. I like to hear the beat write from scratch. I've been in the studio with Mike and Cheese, Bryce, Scott Storch. There's a problem. You work? Yeah. This is write from scratch, write my story. And you, When can we expect so? Man, I'm dropping soon. I got enough songs for an album. We're going to go to New York and press play. Tell you right now, nobody going to give you that shit like Scott Storch. Nobody. Not for what you want. Not for that LA, that still Dre. He made me the big... All that his shit. This is how we do. Fucking Scott Storch did that. Yeah, he made me the big Eagles beat. He did all that, huh? Yeah. He's a genius. That nigga gave you that shit? Yeah. Ooh, if you got that, Scott Storch's going to be right in the pocket for you. I'm telling you. That's, that's... We got studio time with him tomorrow. Oh, that's a no-brainer. That's, that's right there. He going to give you that. Yeah, they just hit me from the studio. It was Roddy Ricch and Scott Storch. Roddy Ricch is a motherfucking beast. Yeah, Roddy called me. He's all like, man, he's doing it for the culture, bro. Like, you got to link up. I'm like, for sure. Roddy Ricch don't do that. Roddy Ricch hit them shits out the park. yeah yeah Roddy Ricch he's a fucking incredible guy he's a genius man so that should be great you him and Scott Storch you put Storch with Roddy Ricch I seen him in the studio with him the other day that's great man that shit gonna make them gangsta niggas they gonna hop to that shit boy like he gonna give you that that documentary listen You said Mikey Q, you said Hit Boys. You said all that. Nobody's going to get you that. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Nobody going to get you that. Tomorrow we got Hit Boys, Scott Storage, Fresh, Bank Rogati, all like four producers in one studio. That's fine. Yeah. That's fine. Not expectation. You going to give me that fucking dog that is black? Psycho maniac. This. That's right. My mom's Latina. My mom's Mexican, Guatemala. My dad's white, but he left me when I was two. He moved to Florida. And recently, I was in Florida the other day, and he came and convinced me, and I didn't even recognize him. You know? Wow. So you think after you got successful, he came to visit you? Yeah, because ever since I've been successful, I've been out of jail. So I've always been in jail my whole life. Did you forgive him for leaving you at two years old? Yeah. I passed it up. You know? Yeah. I feel like every boy, every man needs their dad. Like anybody who tells you that you don need your dad What about the girls Huh What about the girls Yeah the girls too but what I saying is you need a father figure man to straighten you out, to make you go the right path, to be there for you when you need a man in your life. That's why I joined the hood because I didn't have one. I looked at the homies for that good job, you know? That shit felt good getting in front of the homies. So that's why I was putting in so much work, you know? Good job, good job, good job. you know, chasing a father figure. That's what led me in the gangbang so much. And I realized, you know, I gotta do something different. Are they happy for you or the homies? In the beginning, it was like my second day out of prison. The homie gave me a strap. Boom. You know, gave me some money. And he's like, come on, let's ride. I'm like, I'm gonna stay right here. He, what? I said, I'm gonna stay home real quick. I was too embarrassed to tell him that I'm gonna be a rapper. you know and then like a week out I told my homie I'm gonna be a rapper he's like you gonna be a rapper I'm like yeah I'm gonna be a rapper he's like man you fucking tripping bro like you you a loke in the hood you know you one of them ones and I was from my hood but I followed my dream and then once it worked out they seen it you know and now they embrace it you know I feel like I'm the first Latino they really opened the door for Latinos out here in LA to think that rapping is cool and I do it my own way like I don't use the N word like, you know, just out of respect, you know, for the culture. And, you know, I'm paving my own way, you know. Respect that. You know, what's crazy is I started rapping. I got a famous album. I sold two million records with it. Of course, Jealous One's Still Envy. And I was out here probably with Steve Lobel. We started a promo tour. This was Flojo, my first record. And we did Arsenio Hall. Okay. Arsenio Hall was the biggest shit in America. Started up to Stretch Armstrong. He invited me there. Arsenio Hall was like, yo, we got Fat Joe in the house. So I went up there and I performed. I quit the whole promo tour to get back to my block. Because Arsenio was just to be with my boys and be like, yo, I did it. So I remember I went back to New York the very next day. I pull up to my block in the cab and it's five of my best friends that I grew up since kindergarten. So I'm looking this way. And I jump out the car. Yo! And I'm jumping up and down. And when they turned around, three of them had a jealous face. The other two were jumping up and down like me. And three of them was looking like, fuck out of it. That's the first time I ever experienced jealousy. And that's where the name of that album, Jealous Ones Envy, and Jealous Ones Still Envy came from, because this game, it come with a lot of envy. That hooster gonna get secured. And I know that, you know, I realize that. So you got to find a balance between it. But I see through all the fake love, you know, now, since I'm successful. there's some of them that are happy of me and there's some I know they be talking shit you know besides you show them with success my thing is who cares right God chose you you're sober you can see yeah if Fat Joe was to get high I'd be dead broke right now I'm not kidding you I'm not lying and the direct correlation between guys who make it and become successful, and guys who don't, is drugs. And that's the difference. So when I look at Netflix and I see a new documentary by Eddie Murfke and it starts in a $90 million mansion, and he's sitting in there with shit to the sky and this and this and that, you look at him and say, y'all, I never got high. They was sniffing coke in front of me. They was doing whatever. I ain't do that. That's why he's in a $90 million mansion. and then when you see motherfuckers you be like damn man this guy was the greatest this guy was the best this guy there he ain't got shit not how you started how you finished how you finished yeah but what I'm trying to tell you is this we got a guy we got a one of my idols right in salsa music I think the best salsa singer of all time is called Hector Lavoe Hector Lavoe the cantante they made a movie about him called a cantante J-Lo and Mark Anthony Mark Anthony who probably is the second greatest salsa singer ever of history. Some people say the first. One day I happened to bump into him and the man said, yo, he was doing the movie. Hector Lavoe was still alive. So he went to his apartment in Spanish Harlem and said that the man was like, yo, I had it all. Apartments with three floors, gold plaques on the wall, Cadillacs, this, this, that. Look at me. I don't have nothing. Mark Anthony was telling me this story with tears in his eyes. He was like, yo, this was my idol. And he was fucked up. And he was telling me that he used to be that nigga that he used to have that house, that he used to have that. But when he got on heavy drugs, it was over. Yeah. So just know that anybody, I'm going to keep it a buck and I can get backlash for it all I want don't let a woman gas you into using drugs again just don't because you're some of the greatest Scott Storch lost 90 million dollars because a girl who's the most famous girl in the world he was fucking with brought a girl with him another famous girl and said yo we're going to menage but sniff this who I can't but Scott Storch said he took that sniff and it fucked his whole life up he lost 90 million dollars fucking with that he got his back though same thing no he got 80 back same thing with he got about 60 back what's the Baldwin brother that fucked this whole shit up I think he's Hailey Bieber's father Alec Baldwin no Alec Baldwin he shot the guy that's another Baldwin the handsome one he used to hang out with us in the Bronx at Jimmy's this guy went on CNN, you could Google it, and said he was fucking with Madonna. I'll give you that one because he said it. I don't want that. Stephen Baldwin went on CNN. He used to come to Jimmy's? He used to be at Jimmy's with us every week. That's all. Fly nigga. Original Jimmy's Ross Cafe in the South Bronx. For him, he obviously was busy around that time. I don't fucking know, but he was... Yeah, Steve. He got the same name. He's in fire. He tells a story. He was hanging out with Madonna, same thing. She told him, you want to fuck, take this cocaine, and to fuck this whole life up. And that all the Baldwin brothers are supposed to be... You sure about that? It's on CNN. Google. I miss you. I just got to protect you. I was with Danny Trejo yesterday, two days ago. Danny Trejo and... He's a fucking legend. He's a gangster. He was telling me, like, you got the world in your hands. You know what's going to happen if you go this way. And you know what's going to happen if you go this way. So I don't want to be riding with you in Pelican Bay. You know, so I've been going to recovery meetings with him. You know, putting in work for the community, trying to get back. Yeah. Beautiful. What's the name of your album you're looking at? You got a name yet? Fountain Blue. Fountain Blue? Why Fountain Blue? That's the name of my trailer park. Kind of like 8 Mile. No doubt. You know what I'm saying? That's fine. You put the world on two. Yeah. What's the one thing you want people to remember and know lefty gunplay for? For being one of the ones who opened the door for the Latinos, you know, putting off for the culture, black and brown unity. Hopefully I get my own Grammy and my own name and just keep giving back, you know, like Nip, you know. The way Nip did, I really want to get back to the people, you know. I don't think I'm better than nobody, you know. I want to get back to the city and all the kids and make a difference. Make some noise for that. just know that this ain't that that ain't this it's cracking kiss make some noise for lefty gunplay baby thank you appreciate you any new music on all platforms get it anything he does make sure you support him breaking boundaries in that space baby we gotta support him all of LA It can happen. The whole world. It can happen. Unified. Black and brown. I've been preaching this since day one. Together, we're more powerful than anybody. Let's get some sneakers now. On the Adventures of Curiosity Cove podcast, when Peanut Butter disappears from school, Ella, Scout, and Layla launch a full detective mission. Their search leads them back in time to meet a brilliant inventor whose curiosity changed the world. In this Black History Month adventure, asking questions, thinking creatively, can lead to amazing discoveries. Listen to Adventures of Curiosity Cove every Monday from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can scroll the headlines all day and still feel empty. I'm Ben Higgins, and If You Can Hear Me is where culture meets the soul. Honest conversations about identity, loss, purpose, peace, faith, and everything in between. Celebrities, thinkers, everyday people, some have answers. Most are still figuring it out. And if you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, this show is for you. Listen to If You Can Hear Me on my iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Amanda Knox, and in the new podcast, Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby, we unpack the story of an unimaginable tragedy that gripped the UK in 2023. But what if we didn't get the whole story? I've just been made to fit. The moment you look at the whole picture, the case collapsed. What if the truth was disguised by a story we chose to believe? Oh my God, I think she might be innocent. Listen to Doubt, The Case of Lucy Letby on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Special Agent Regal, Special Agent Bradley Hall. In 2018, the FBI took down a ring of spies working for China's Ministry of State Security, one of the most mysterious intelligence agencies in the world. The Sixth Bureau podcast is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets. Listen to The Sixth Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.