Episode 492 w/ Fab 5 Freddy

This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. March is when we're officially out of reset mode and ready to make real moves. It's the month of momentum for small business owners looking to take things to the next level. Whether you're finally ready to invest in yourself, or if you already have a business, take it from us. Shopify can handle anything you throw at sweat. Our reasonably shady March store is powered by Shopify, making it possible for all our fans to connect with the show. One login, powerful tools, and everything else you need to run your store. March is about execution and Shopify helps you keep moving. If you have a business idea, whether it is big or small, Shopify is the best platform for that business. Check out shopify.com slash B E N to see why millions of businesses have chosen them to build their empires and maybe even start yours. Yes. It's me again. Yeah. We prepped. Woo. Oh, it's the time for empowerment. And I've got a message for you. You gotta think about sexual health. No matter what, we're with who? Yeah. Right. Ain't no judgment. This is a queue. It's time to talk about pre-sponsored for Alexis, a part of HIV prevention. Talk to a health care provider and visit care for the culture.com to learn more. Let's keep it real. Tax season doesn't have to be a whole thing. Not when you're using into it turbo tax. With Turbo Tax Expert full service, you get matched with a real tax expert who handles your taxes for you. Start to finish and you're not left guessing. You get real time updates right on your phone while your expert checks every deduction and credit to help you get that possible outcome. Just hand off your documents to your expert in app or in person and they'll keep it moving. Don't overthink it. Let Turbo Tax handle it. Visit TurboTax.com. Real time updates are available in the iOS mobile app. This is Angela Yee from Angela Yee's lip service. One in four people in the US has been to a Planned Parenthood Health Center for life-saving, life-changing care. We're talking about birth control, annual exams, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment and more, high quality expert judgment free care. And despite lawmakers efforts to shut them down, they're not going anywhere. Care continues at Planned Parenthood so that you can get the unbiased high quality health care that you need to learn more. Visit am4pp.org. No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need. From storm warnings to pollen levels, right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10 day forecasts wherever you are. It's hyper local, real time, customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free weather bug app from the app store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24 seven. And it's Drinkshares, motherfucking podcast. He's a legendary Queens rapper. Hey, hey, say, greetings, your boy, N-O-R-E. He's a Miami hip hop, Miami. What up is DJ EFN? Together, they drink it up with some of the biggest players. Yummy. In the most professional, unprofessional podcast. And your number one source for drunk fat. This Drinkshares motherfucking podcast where every day is New Year's Eve. It's time for Drink Champs. Drink up, motherfucking. What up is DJ EFN? This is the military crazy world. Yeah, be our drink champs. Yeah, be our mix up nerds. When we started this show, we started this saying that we wanted to give flowers to legends, to people who are icons, people who are came before us, who people have knocked down the door for us. In many ways, this show wouldn't exist without this brother right here. Absolutely. This brother has lead. When you see so many people with podcasts, so many people owe him flowers. So many. He was at one point, everybody wanted to be in front of the camera. They didn't want to be interviewing the stars. He's I did research and they said in hip hop, he pulled he pulled off the first pull up interview where they come to you. He been in conflict with easy. We got to talk about that. Yes, he's been everywhere. He's interviewed Tupac and Biggie Smalls. Yes, yes, yes. He's a legend. He's an icon. He's a writer, a book writer. He's a producer. Blondie shot in the mouth. And Art Basel. Should be called his name. They own my check. They own my check for sure. Wow. He is an innovator. He's a more he's the reason why we had case you don't know what we talked about. You're about the one only. Now I haven't been drinking, but I'm going to drink today because I'm celebrating you. Thank you, man. Listen, man, I'm not going to lie to you. Thank you. We do research and every now and then I I get like blown back, right? And I I realized how much ah, ah, your TV wraps was for that time, right? And then I started to realize you produce one of the very first MTV videos that was hip hop on MTV. Well, I was I was directed mad videos. The first video I directed a little before your TV wrap started was my philosophy for Kara's. I don't want to. I want the kid in Best Stop Brooklyn. Can you bring the mic up to yourselves? Yes, yes, yes. I want to know. I want to you just say your first video is your first video, correct? That I directed. You directed. OK, so for making Wild Style, that was my film school. I like to say. So so so let's let's let's bring people to the beginning, right? Got it. How did you would? How do you get our camera? How did you like start thinking that you because music videos wasn't the thing at the time? No, it was actually radio records. Right. And then so eventually it got to be one until MTV, that music videos really blew up on a national basis. Yeah. So how did you start? The right. Yes. OK, well, I just written a memoir, which is there's so many stories I've been just dying to share with people because it's been more than a blessing. But I definitely started out with a mission, but I came from someplace. So growing up around my people, I had jazz musicians, my pops. The pop had an eclectic group of friends, very intelligent, young brothers that was wanting change. You know what I'm saying? Things would be getting to happen as they were coming up. Max Roach was my godfather, godfather and my dad's childhood friends. I used to pick up on a lot of the game around these guys. It was mad hip. It was puffing cannabis. Jazz was like the first hip hop you think about it. They were like, thank you. Thank you. And even in the beginning of jazz, they were looked at as worse than gangster rap. They were trying to demonize jazz. Come on now. Let's get it. Don't get it twisted. We're talking racism, you know, one of them things that go on. So this is developing in the 1920s. So this was the way a lot of our culture have been pigeonholed and looked at. So for me, get it, have an inspired and learning things. What I grew up around my pops, friends, Max Roach, you know, these cats were incredible artists, but not always. So they used to hear them complain about not being able to control like what they were doing, they were just as highly intelligent as anybody we know. But they imagine that in a time when you was being held back. I want to start a label. I want to do this. I want to write the article. Not that, you know, the other folks that was, you know, loving the culture was all bad. But it's like, hey, I'd like to do this too. Right. So those things kind of rubbed off. So growing up, being a wild kid in Ben Stiles doing, you know, whatever, you know, how we come up and doing, I began to, you know, I used to cut school and go to the library. OK, I was. You could school and went to a different type of school. Because school to get educated. The read. I would cut school and go to the museums in New York City. I would like going to Disney. I go to the Metropolitan Museum to witness this mad curious. I'm going to Manhattan, though, right? Correct. OK. Back in the days in the schools, they would give you every month you got a different pass, we can get on the trains and buses for free. I was just entertain myself and travel around. At the same time in the 70s, graffiti was strong. It was everywhere and it was developing from just writing your name, whatever it needed to be, to the letters, the characters, the faces began to evolve. And so I began to have been in museums a lot and looked at the work of pop artist, Andy Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg. Like, I just absorbed all of that. I'm like, wait a minute, the stuff that we's doing in the subways is very similar. They inspired by the same stuff. I didn't think I didn't realize that that was the connection. So then I'm like, man, if I could figure out a way to, you know, tell this story and just get to some people that would listen to this. This is before there was any appreciation. Hip hop is still not even hip hop yet. It's just wild parties going on. Right. I began to think like what is happening there with the music? What's happening with this type of visual art, which is really evolving? There's the form of dance. This is a new culture. If I could get to a position where I can share that with people, you know, that would be a jump off. Plus, I was interested in taking my work from having done graffiti to getting into the gallery spaces and the idea was to make this film wild. So I had this idea to combine all of those things together. That's the directing part comes from. No, that becomes the first film I collaborated with a guy named Charlie Ahern. OK. And I pitched the idea to him. So your brainchild to be clear, basically the basic idea that Charlie was with it. He has seen Lee Kenyone's work. And I came out before B Street, correct? Wildstyle is the first. This is the big model. I don't know if you're going to see your own face. No, it's all good. B Street has some good elements in it now. There was a lot of other movies that came out, rapping, breaking, breaking two, three, four, it was all trash. You know what I'm saying? Like, let's just cash in on it. I like breaking. Yeah, Harry Belafonte and them they produced that and they was they had good intention and a lot of good heads is in that. But they followed the blueprint that we laid down, which is how the game goes. You know, copy from the best. But basically me and this cat, Charlie got down, collaborated, went up to the Bronx together, I was up on that there was this new music. I'm from Best Style, but no, you had to know what was going on uptown. So I finally, when I'm working with Charlie, we go into research and then we start heading uptown, ExoC Garage, C Connection. I like one more time. It sounds like a place I like. I know. Just to put it in perspective, obviously pre-internet. Like this is hip hop. This is definitely pre-naming it. Yeah. So like you had to like really go into these places. Yes. That you kind of heard something was going on to actually experience it. The way the music really traveled back then was via boom box. Right. And I always had a double cassette. So if you if you was blessed enough to get close to it, yo, baby, run me a copy. That's what them double cassettes. You came in and I run off for 90 minute, whatever, 60 temp. And then the music spread. Right. And that's how the music really got to the final. Right. That was the way to go by perfection. That was the origin, the origins of viral. But it was hand to hand, you know, really great bond type of stuff. Right. And so the idea was to put all this stuff in the film and showcase it. And that's the movie we made called Wild Style. But I learned a little bit about filmmaking because I was like you're like the co producer. And then the what became when I walked in, I was playing some of the instrumentals from the film. I wanted to use the real music. I'm like, what the hell? This is everything was so underground, but we was connected with Theodore and Flash and Charlie Chase and Tony. You know, we connected with the core of the scene. And Charlie said, no, we can't use those records. We and I said, OK, I'm going to make this music. So I pulled together a bass player, a drummer, you know, listen to some beats, you know, and told him, yo, give me something like this. And then Chris Stein from Blondie, him and Kirsten Debbie were the core of Blondie. I had hooked up with them and other people on the downtown New York scene. And I would run these ideas by them and they became supporters looking out guidance, hooking, introducing me to people like Andy Warhol, etc. Blondie record. Yeah, that's so that record Rapture, right? Rapture comes out of me. Yo, this is what's going on. She shot you out, right? New culture. They shot me out, shot it out, Flash, you know, say, that Faf, Fetty told me everybody's fly. By the way, it's the title of my memoir. Right. And it was just all love. But they really appreciated, shot it out. What I was doing, you know, don't strain your brain, pain and train. Right. But nobody really knew who I was at the time. But it really put the spark in people like, what is this all about? And it just became a number one. Blondie was like like the Lady Gaga that era. Good description. Yeah. And um, yeah, that's a real good description. In fact, Lady Gaga was on the club scene coming up. My man, Troy Carter, brother out of Philly, managed her in the beginning. Get the hell out of here. Troy Carter is a genius. You need to have him come through here. He's just like Madonna was exposed as like they were all in those club scenes. Yeah. Well, we're mingling with the hip hop scene as well. That's right. And you know, we was all tight. And when she came on the scene, Mark Kamens, who produced some of her first records, he, they're fab, this is this girl just in from Detroit. I'm working on her first records. Madonna's from Detroit. Yes. Oh, really? Yeah. She hooded. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yes, he from A-Mah. Yeah. OK. Stole that on us. Stole that on us. You know, yeah, yeah, yeah. I got you got Frank Ocean. Blonde. Motherfuckers. Yeah. Yeah. Raps. There you go. No, you got to go to rap show. You trying to find that one? Yeah. There you go. Yes. Now, now what? This is. No, you guys don't know. But in New York City, the record was. Everywhere. I mean, I was only in New York City. I didn't try to go nowhere else. I went no. I was like, you want to be DJ watching? I was like, oh, yeah. Yeah. That's crazy. That became a number one record. It's a wild story. So, yeah, so how does this record come about? So basically, once again, in my pursuit to make connections with people, to get the movie made and connect and to get things popping and, you know, with with with my visual art and everything, we became really tight. And I'm playing tapes for them. I'm running it down and I'm seeing a comparison between what's developing in the Bronx and the way the new wave in a punk rock scene jumped off. Because I just happened to catch on to that early and I'm reading. That's why I was trying to cut you up. But that's kind of like what rap was doing, like because they had the spikes. So people were staking it for punk rock at first, right? Like a black version of punk rock. That's exactly right. Because those things was happening. Some people, like when flashing them, got real wild. Like a punk funk thing. There were synergies there. But no, but they was also they was looking at what Rick James and them was doing and whatever, which was all good, but it was in the air at that time. But basically, they had told me that they wanted to make some some funkier music. I mean, out of that new wave scene, they were literally like the biggest group. They just went mainstream in a really cool way. But they still was really about the underground in downtown. So my blondie, I'm talking about blind. OK, OK. And so they said they was they wanted to do something a little more funky, funky or music or whatever people could dance to. So then they jetted to go to Cali or whatever to work on their next album. When they came back, they called me to come over to the crib. They said, man, we want to drop some of these new tracks on you. They played me a couple of songs. And then they said, OK, here's something a little different. And then when they put it on, I'm like, you know, the singing part. I'm like, wow, this is fly. And then when she starts rapping, I'm like, wow, this is crazy. I totally thought that this was just something that they did in the studio goofing just to let me hear because they never said we're going to try to do a rap record or whatever, whatever serious. And I thought just that they was playing around in the studio. Here's a special little something just to play for Freddie, you know, whatever, whatever. So I love that. And that was so cool. That's how I thought it was. It wasn't till two months later. I was in Paris for the first time after my second art show in Italy. And I'm hanging out actually with two members of the Talking Heads. And we get into a cab on our way to a restaurant. And I'm here. I hear this song in the cab. I'm like, how does this cab driver? Like, no, it's you, right? No, how does he get a copy of this song? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They said, Freddie, this is the next blinding single. No way, Lee. This is the next blinding single on a new album. Right, right. And I'm like, I never thought it was going to be like a serious record. I thought they was just playing. It goes on to be number one. Got that. Did you think that was good automatically? Did you think it was maybe they might be looked at as as like a clowning parody of hip hop at the time? Right. You know, hmm. You know, I wasn't too concerned about that because rap, I mean, probably the only thing most people had heard at that time was rappers delight. Right. So nobody was really up for it. Which was getting backlash as well from within the culture. Well, yeah, for obvious reasons. But in the country mainstream, people had no, it was a fun record. People didn't know it was a real culture. That's one of the things I wanted to show in Wildstyle, which is a part of what Wildstyle ends up doing. It shows who we are because our decision was to use all the artists, the musicians, the graffiti writers, the breakdances, the B-boys to play themselves. You feel that was one of the concepts me and Charlie came up with for the film. But basically, it was a surprise to me that the record caught on the way it did. I was like, yo, it's cool that they did it, that they shouted me out. They talked about things we was doing. You know, they shouted out flash. It was just like things I told them. I said, yo, as far as DJs, flash is known for being, you know, super fast with it. Fly guys and fly girls is how the scene, you know, to people represent. You do get put in the rap. She freaked it out. That's what the artist does. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, put her own little spin on it. And it just was a lot of love, you know what I mean? And so oh, so the other interesting thing about the video. So I had told flash to come through because, you know, we working on putting Grandmaster Flash by the way, guys, Grandmaster Flash. The legend. Definitely. Yeah, continue. Grandmaster Flash. And so because we still in production pre-production on make the movie Wildstyle. And so I knew flashing them. I said, yo, come through this record just came out. You know, you get a shout out. I'm gonna shout me on the record, come through and be in the video. Videos wasn't really a thing yet. And flash is OK. I'm coming. But he did not come. He never shows up. It's only recently that he's explained to me that Sylvia was like, yo, don't you know, stay away from that, whatever. To be wrong. To be Robinson that ran. Oh, sugar, sugar, sugar. Sugar Hill records. Sugar Hill records. I'm on point. So Jean Michelle, that's my man, too, that we was all doing. Chitchat, chitchat, chitchat, chitchat, chitchat. Yeah, yeah, we just got this. That was the mother dog. That was the black. Black Slaver. Yeah, Jean Michelle. He didn't even call him boss. Yeah. Yo, yo, come on, man. That was like, hey, yo. He loses it too much. Yo, let me stop you for one second. Please remember that story, right? Yes. But the other day I'm sitting there, right, I had posted a picture with pun. And I go to, I go, forget. I run to, I think it was a sneaker store. And the kid is just telling me, and he's just asking me about pun. And I'm sitting there, and all the questions he's asking me, it was like normal questions. It was like, you know, he's just my friend. And I realized he looked at pun as a superhero. Wow. And I realized he is a superhero. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's my friend. Wow. It's close to it. I'm too close. Like what I just said the other day, I'll say I didn't realize how dope mob deep was, because I was like so much like kind of like a. Close to it. Yes, I know what you mean. Close to it. So, now with you. Yeah. I'm watching documentaries on you, I'm watching interviews. And you always, like you have the coolest friends ever. Let me just say that. Let me just say that, right? But. Therefore he's one of the coolest guys ever. But immediately after this guy asked me about pun, I thought about you and how you just said, uh, what was it? John Michelle. John Michelle. Yeah. And you said it so narsha not. March is the month of momentum for small business owners. We've got our plans ready to put into action. And Shopify is here to help us. Whether you're finally ready to invest in yourself, or if you already have a business, take it from us. Shopify can handle anything you throw its way. That's one of the reasons we ship to our stores at the black effect there. Shopify has powered CarlosKingshop.com for years. Give it a chance to work for you too. Whether you're selling a few products or running a full catalog, Shopify manages it all and grows with you. One login gives you access to everything that matters. The owners of templates mean you don't need to be a designer. And your site still looks uniquely yours. They even have Shopify Sidekick, AI that actually works, helping with marketing, forecasting, and strategy. You can sell on social media and even directly through chat GPT. Starting a business is hard, but it's worth it. Trust me, I should know. But you gotta start somewhere, and Shopify will help you turn momentum into something that lasts. If you have a business idea of whether it's big or small, Shopify is the best platform for that business. Check out Shopify.com slash B-E-N to see why millions of businesses have chosen them to build their empires, and maybe even start yours. Yes. It's me again. We prepped. Woo! Prepped! Oh, wow, oh, wow, oh, wow. Prepped! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Prepped! It's the time for empowerment, and I've got a message for you. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Prepped! You gotta think about sexual health, no matter what, we're well with who, yeah, yeah. Proud! To all your lovers out there, and you know, judgment, this is your cue. Yeah, it's time to talk about Proud! Pre-special prophylaxis, a part of HIV prevention. Oh, yeah! So, you're proud. Talk to a healthcare provider, and visit, carefortheculture.com to learn more. Planned Parenthood Health Centers save lives, but the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are blocking patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood Health Centers for one simple reason, they want to shut Planned Parenthood down. Yet across the country, Planned Parenthood Health Centers are still there, opening their doors to care for their communities. That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom, and they'll never stop fighting for it. One in four people in the U.S. have been to a Planned Parenthood Health Center for high-quality healthcare, like birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, abortion, and more. Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator, and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information from millions of people. Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need, and they will never stop fighting so that every person is free to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. At Planned Parenthood, care continues. To learn more, visit armforpp.org. No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need, from storm warnings to pollen levels, right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are. Its hyper-local, real-time customizable alerts make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free Weatherbug app from the app store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. This is Bowen Yang from Lost Cultures with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. And guess what? I'm Matt Rogers from Lost Cultures with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. It's always exciting when someone new moves into the neighborhood, especially when they bring reliable, intelligent Wi-Fi. I'm thrilled when a neighbor moves in. Xfinity is now available in your area, so you can get the five-year price guarantee, five years of Wi-Fi that finds and fixes issues before you even notice them and helps keep you protected from online threats. Plus, you get incredible gaming speeds on multiple devices with no one battling for bandwidth. With no annual contracts, no hidden fees, and their best equipment included. All with Xfinity five-year price guarantee. Xfinity, imagine that. Restrictions apply, select plans only. But the thing about it is, here's the deal. This is a person for me. Got you. I knew Pem was a legend, right? When I walked with him. I knew he was something special about him. I knew he was different. He goes on and becomes even more of a folk tale, more of a legend, more of a, you know what I'm saying? More of a story. In your situation, hmm. With Bosque, we only really have stories, right? Like, he's the Jesus that we actually got a picture of. Wow. Right? He's changed culture. He's changed shit. And you were like, you guys were fucking tight as hell. Yeah. Like, I'm getting in your business, man. No, it's all good, baby. I'm getting a share. It gets even deeper in these pages. Okay. And everybody, can you share with people? Can you tell at the end of another one? So how did you meet Bosque? How did this, and let me get to the first question, right? Sure enough, sure enough. Did you know how special he was when he was here? In a way, yes. Like the way you knew Pem was special. Or somebody that you rock with, that you all become like comrades in the game. And you respect him, you respect you. And you all trying to get it popping. Right. It's like, it's really was just that. But let me count you off for one second. Because with Pun, there was a heavy D. There was a biggie before him. There's no other Bosque out before. And there's happening to be no other Bosque out after. So this is why your question is a little tougher. I'm sorry. No, no. That's, you're 100% correct because it is very few black artists that were able to make the moves, particularly that Jean made, that we made. And these were things, what was so dope about connecting with him? Like I told you, I cussed school and used to go to museums. To museums as well. Museums all over the city. I got very familiar essentially with the history of art. Not like on a scholarly level, but a lot of different genres of art. I looked at in the museums, I would look at books and read a little more. You became well versed in it. You know, it's an ongoing process, but I was like, wow. And then like reading about a certain painter or seeing some work that you feel, and then you could stand right in front of it, like in a museum, like in a gallery first. And that was like, oh my God, I felt like a connection to that. So when I connect with people on the downtown scene in New York, like Kristen Debbie from Blondie, Glen O'Brien, Rest in Peace, was a whole bunch of cool people I connected with that I got plugged into that downtown scene. And Jean-Michel shows up right around that same time. He had started out doing these street little, him and another cat named Aldia's initially, was called Samo. And he would tag up, like the tag with Samo, with a copyright symbol, but he would write these little phrases. Like they would be checking people or really make you think, like messages, if you will, kind of poetic, but he would be putting people in check. Like when I remember he was like, Samo checking those who are on the scene, trying to play art with daddy's money. Or little things like that, that would be like, oh yeah, that's really what's going on. He was treat writing it? Yeah, this would be little tags. If you Google it, you'll see what these Samo tags look like. And he was just writing them. So they were very like, you would see them if he was moving through the village. He would hit a few trains. Him and his cat Aldia's did it together, but then Jean just became like, he became the like face of it, so to speak. And so he had did that for a while, but he also was very creative. He was trying to figure things out and thinking about being an artist. He was in a band for a while. That was a cool thing to be on that downtown scene to be in a band. So we meet and then it's like, right away, he's very aware of art history. Cause you know, coming up in best style, I'm hanging, you know, I'm thugging. You know what I'm saying? I'm doing this down the third, but I'm just knowing about the art stuff was not what I'm trying to kick with cast on the corner or whatever. Your hip hop niggas was in the yard at that time, right? Yeah, nobody in the hood knew. So it was a very rare thing. So when me and Jean connect and I'm like, yo. And he hood, he from Haiti? He from Haiti, but you know, we had similar backgrounds. Both our fathers was like accountants and whatever, but he was like, you know, he basically had left home. His pops wasn't with it, yo, you know, and John just broke off. So he was in the village making moves, bouncing around. And so when we connect, it was like, yo, I know about Warhol, Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg, all these artists, contemporary artists, abstract expressionists. I was like, oh my God, this is incredible. Somebody like my age who's up on this stuff and we could talk about this stuff. And so right away was on a similar mission in a similar part of town. We just became tight. Because it wasn't too many brothers on the scene at that time trying to make moves. And right away we linked up. I'm putting them on. Yo, it's this new kind of music going on uptown. Put him on the hip hop. Well, once again, it ain't even hip hop yet. It ain't even hip hop yet. I'm tapping. Just a scene. I got cold crushed tapes. I got tapes that's fantastic. Because I'm getting next to the scene now. Yo, this is that new shit right here. Because you couldn't hear this anywhere. You feel me? He was like, oh yeah, man. And then we make it moves going to the downtown clubs. That was the move like the mud club and places like that. We bouncing around the East Village downtown. And that's how it all got popping. And Jean Starr begins to rise rather quickly. Just being a cool cat on the scene. Then as people see the things that I've done with the art thing, and I'm opening and bringing other graffiti cast, so it's me and Lee. Our names start to ring a little bit. And then we are working on Wild Style, where we're going to feature this. So other cast that's real official graffiti people, they start coming, getting into the mix too. Because this is opportunity now to look at our work in galleries. So it was alternative type galleries. Like the gallery in the South Bronx called Fashion Motor. A gallery opened in the East Village really to show our work exclusively called the Fun Gallery. And this changed the whole game because it had been in Soho, which was where the contemporary art scene was really popping. And we shifted the whole game with our energy. And then this gallery opened to show our work, myself, Futura, Lee, Crash, Daze, Pink. And the scene caught fire like real quick. And it was crazy. Does Warhol come around you guys in this film? Warhol began. Because you know, and then one of the things I did, because I was such a fan, and Doug his whole impact he had on culture and the cool factor going on. And to let people know that some people doing graffiti was really hip to art history, I did a train covered in Campbell soup cans. Lee Kenyona's got down on it with me. It was the idea I had to let them know that we was hip to art history and that we was coming. We was the move was on. You feel me? And it began to take it began to come together in ways that, you know, I mean, look at the impact of today. Like we're in windwood right now. Yeah, yeah. Which is an example of what that is. Exactly right. So let me ask you, like I said, I knew Pum was special. Yeah. I didn't know how special he was. I didn't know how legendary he was. Right. I didn't know how much he meant to the people till after he passed away. And I got to see it. And I got to see the impact. I got to realize that my friend always belonged to the world. I thought he was just my friend. You know what I'm saying? And like for now no rapper. But what we got to do was we got I got to do records for him. He got to do records for me. And there's a bunch of records that's laying around. Yeah, you want to try the watermelon mix? The watermelon salsa mix, please just try it one time. Because you want to mix yours with salsa? Yeah. Yeah, try the watermelon salsa. Just one drink. Just one drink because you're going to turn it to Kool-Aid. All right, so me and Pond, we got the chance to do that, right? Did you ever be around Voskja? I mean, like, man, draw me some for me. That's funny. No, but people ask all the time, because of the whole undisputed, believable, phenomenal success of John Everything, it's really like a remarkable thing. And the numbers associated with his work, which are just insanity. People often always ask, yo, you got any of that work? Because you know, he's all shizzy, ridiculous. I got a pun verse somewhere laying around. Yeah, no, it's such a great comparative type of situation. You and Pond, me and John, and me and other friends that were artists. Well, artists oftentimes, what we do is they would give each other work or just make a trade. Like, yo, man, I like that. Yo, OK, I got you. You know what I'm saying? So those kind of things is how we dealt with each other in terms of the work or whatever. But yeah, with John, it was just a unique situation. He had a sincere understanding of going for it in a really hard way. Then he was such a unique individual. Like, he would cut his hair in real wild kind of ways. Dreadlocks growing his. Yeah, he was wild. Hot top. He would do real wild different things. It looks so cool now. Did it look cool back then? Yeah, but sometimes, being that, you know, you got the ignorance that goes along with racism and whatever. A lot of people was real cool on the scene. But sometimes we'd be making a move, walking down certain areas. This is before Soho or any of that downtown was anything like it is now. And people sometimes seeing us, but particularly John, they'd cross on the other side of the street. Why? Because his hair is there. His head. People, dreadlocks were still a new thing. But that's like, come on, you being so stupid. Then that becomes a style now that people replicate all over the world. But at that time, it was really extreme. You really didn't see a lot of that. But people would just react really negatively. John told me sometimes he'd be getting on an elevator. And folks would see him and get off. So that went on. Cabs wasn't trying to pick us up. So it was a lot of stuff that we had to deal with more than. What years is this, Serah? This is like the early 80s, essentially, when it began to start popping for us, early 80s going through. But it began to change because a lot of the white guys that were cab drivers, they moved on. And yellow cab drivers primarily became people of color. Yeah, it was an exchange. But definitely, John, it was just an incredible cab. Real cool. We had a lot of fun going to clubs, doing things. But he definitely just exploded, which was amazing to see it happen. Was he like the? Because we hear other. And this is pure ignorance questions. Go ahead. It's OK. We have other black artists. But we don't hear other black cool artists, right? Right. Was there other artists before him? Yeah, there was definitely other black artists. Because of the segregation and the da-da-da-da, there was a black art scene for sure that goes back to the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Like in What Have You? You know what I'm saying? Artists like Romar Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. There's incredible black artists that made incredible work. A part of the Harlem Renaissance happening was black folks, for the first time in our history, being in this country, and you obviously know the history, we was coming, we was migrating. It was called the Great Migration from the South. And then still oppression after slavery ended, black folks was like, we going north. We trying to get to Chicago. We trying to get to New York, even though they probably raised the prices on us. We was trying to get away from all that pressure that we were still under. And I like to think that the celebration that went on of kind of feeling free for the first time, that really creates the Harlem Renaissance. So people began to start writing intellectual stuff. You know, like Harlem becomes- The arts flourish, right. Arts flourish. You know, Marcus Garvey, we move in politics. Like we really exercising all the elements. And so there were artists, incredible visual artists at that time. And there were writers like Langston Hughes, like Zora Neale Hurston. There's a whole- Why was Basquiat the artist's hip hop embrace? That's a great question. And I guess it's the cool factor. This is so great to see all this transpired. I'm trying to tell you that. Is that not- Is this a bit of that? But yeah, absolutely. Because it was back then, was that scene embracing him? Because I want to look at it like, you are the guy. This is art and hip hop, right? Yeah. Hip hop is art, right? Correct. That's 1 million percent, right? But I want to credit you. This is my opinion. This is not fab saying this, this is me saying this. What the person who brung art into hip hop. Yeah, well that's true. Because you see, you see Jay-Z. I had a whole conversation with Jay-Z for two minutes. And he was talking to me about art. I knew nothing he was talking about, but I was like, mm-hmm. So once again, this is- Like I was like, yep. Because I didn't know. So at that point in the game, clearly you getting- I'm the kind of helping lay down the foundations it is. And it's not too many people, but in the conversations Jaune and I would have, these are things we would sometimes talk about. We knew that we would eventually get it. It's just that we was in position at a time, we was just way ahead. And so what I think a part of what happened is, which was fascinating for me, because most people know me from what I've done, even though my foundation and background is making art, exhibiting all of that stuff along with Jaune and all these other people, I had other interests as well to work in film, to work in music. Jaune did as well. So Jaune starred in a film called Downtown 81. We talked about producing movies. We was into foreign films. He turned me on to foreign films. I turned him on to stuff, like the surrealist films of Louis Bunyal, that Salvador Dali worked with them doing wild stuff on film. So we was- He pronounced everybody's name. Salvador Dali was out. He was- Yeah, he was like a surrealist, but he was a brilliant guy. That was a big influence on what Andy, because he was the most famous artist until Andy, like he became that. That was a very specific thing. And so, damn, these are the things that we were all focused on at the time. And Jaune, definitely, we were, this is the part of the thing that we shared. We were both aware of how the game had been played, but being artists of color, how to maneuver and how to make moves into the scene. So we had that synergy, like that punk rock and that new wave thing was a lot of people that were open, that we connected with that Doug and saw what we were doing and looked at it in the proper way. And that's how, once again, some of the first shows and stuff began to happen. You know what I'm saying? And so- It felt like the, all of these scenes are like the counterculture scenes of the time that were united. Correct, correct, correct. And kind of, they kind of saw kinship and all being countercultures. Absolutely. And that's the part of what I've dug too, even though I'm a little kid, when I'm reading about stuff that happened in the 60s, when Andy just popped off. Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol, we talking about the 60s. We talking rock and roll. We talking that whole cultural revolution that went on. And Andy controlled, he didn't control. Andy was like dominant force in that. And so looking at those other Ellen, and plus they was having mad fun. We'd all look so cool to us. So we definitely were inspired by that and looking to do in some regards our version of that. You know what I'm saying? And eventually when we began to get it popping, Andy came around. Like, yo, y'all doing it. You know what I'm saying? And make connections with him. It was an encouraging thing. And it just kind of continued to grow. Now someone's the same question with Andy Warhol, right? If a person has an Andy Warhol in their house. Right. That is like a safe. That's new. That's like, you know, like the people. You shouldn't even have it in your house. Yeah, it's crazy now. That's why I once again, the question that I get asked about if I have Basquiat's, it's like, wow, it's an awkward question. I feel like you guys, like stuff that he do look like. I mean, that's what I'm saying. I'm asking because of what? Because of the value. Like, you got people that have, you know, when the art gets that crazy, you have to have, you have to secure it. It has to be ensured. You want to, you have to have next levels of, you know. Yeah. Security, sometimes it's like, like, do you want to have, you know, you got to make sure everything's right. It's crazy. Do you feel weird though that you're, sorry to cut you, but do you feel weird that your friend's work is so valuable and that you now you have maybe something of value that, but this was just your friend? You know what it is? It is, you know, the whole thing about John, not just that the whole way it's developed, it's just phenomenal that his unfortunate, it's so unfortunate that his life was so short, but that the effect continues and resonates at a level that's just unprecedented. And that's so dope for me. 27. 27. Which unfortunately people talk about. The 27 club. Exactly. Oh, that's crazy. 27 club. Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison. Amy Winehouse, someone just recently just, oh wow. Passed it just with 27, I forget. Yeah. Cause that's why I- A bunch of 60s, once again, iconic people that just was popping and running things. You said Jim Morrison, right? Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janice Shoplin, probably some others. So it's just an unfortunate thing, but, oh, the other thing, I lost the train of thought to answer something you brought up before, which was brilliant. What I have noticed, and it is when people get curious about John and they lean in, they see that we had this close connection. And once again, most people know me from, you know, being on TV, going on TV raps, this, that, and the third, not knowing a bunch about my art background, which is all good. Then they go, oh my goodness. And so that got a lot of hip hop folks curious. People would run up on me, you're five. Like I was chucking, you know, this cat out, Sean Michelle, whatever, you know, it was hard to say his name at first. Now people can say it, right? Yo, I saw that, you know, y'all was hanging and everything. Like, what's up with that? And I'm like, yo, and I love that so much because I'm like, this is one of the things, once again, John and I wanted. We wanted our people to connect with it. People coming from where we coming from to understand us. And that has happened in great ways now. So as far as black artists that I talked a little bit about from Harlem Renaissance or whatever, and it was popping black artists all through time. They just was kind of like everything largely was segregated. Now there's a lot of younger black artists that are doing things that are definitely making serious inroads and because of the awareness, more people are now looking at those older black artists that didn't get the treatment from new themes exactly. Now this is all happened within the last, I'd say, 10 years is where they decided, man, we have all this work in the museum, but we don't have enough from Marbead and Jacob Lawrence and a bunch of other very important artists that they should have had. More appreciation. And so that has happened now in a special way. Can I ask another stupid question? It's not stupid. Who painted the Good Times poster? Oh, that's a great question, by the way. That's an artist named Ernie Barnes. Ernie actually was an NFL football player, I understand. And his side thing was just doing, he had this unique style of doing them characters and then being in Good Times and Marvin Gaye's album, I want to say what's going on. What's going on? Made, that's the cover. He did the cover art. It made him iconic. And once again, I think he's passed away, but there's a people now realizing his work, that value and you know, has gone. And I believe Ernie Murphy said he has the original. Exactly, yes. And I believe it's eight million dollars or something like that. Once again, which is a reflection of the fact that people are like, oh my God, this is an important work of art. It was also connected to the TV shows, to the great album. So that's another very good point, like Ernie Barnes. Incredible, incredible artist. Let's make some noise. We're on the new side. Yes, yes, yes. Real quick, I want to go back to the making of Wild Style and the place, the timeframe that is being made. Is this pre-Zulu Nation or Zulu Nation around this time as well? Good question. I think that's probably around this time, because we're doing this early 80s. And a lot of that happened, you know, this story about Zulu Nation, whatever. Bringing all the gangs together. Coming to gang, the gangs coming together. So the gang thing kind of ends. That's a wind down late 70s. I'm Brooklyn, but that was kind of, you know, you look at the documentaries. And so that they begin after that. And as the parties grew, you know, you would hear, you know, the Zulu Nation, because Bam's name was growing as playing records at that. And that side of the Bronx and whatever, he was strong. Then other groups around him, Soul Sonic, and a few other IKC, you know, there's a bunch of other things under that. March is the month of momentum for small business owners. We've got our plans ready to put into action, and Shopify is here to help us. Whether you're finally ready to invest in yourself, or if you already have a business, take it from us. Shopify can handle anything you throw its way. That's one of the reasons we shifted our stores at the black effect there. Shopify has helped power my brand embellished for years. 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But yo, Wild Style was like, I would say when we started making movies, had rappers to delight, I don't think had really even come out. That came out the time, Charlie and I had began to really work on the film. There was some local records that came out that I thought were very important, like on the label called Enjoy, like Super Wrapping and then Spoony G, it was like a solo. So there were a few things that came out, but it was Sugar Hill, the rappers D light really opened a lot of people up because it got, it charted across the country. This is the Bosque out? Yes, that's one of the kind of things he reduced. Yeah, this is a good one. Same old, for those of us who merely tolerate civilization. And you see these things and people were like, is this some type of like a conceptual artist? Cause most everybody else was doing their names and tagging and had their own style of how they did their graffiti. So it caught a lot of people once you, if you were tapped into the downtown scene, and we're very curious, like who is this cat? And when he emerges and we actually meet at this party, it's a great story in my memoir. I meet these guys that have a big laugh, like, and they're trying to create this like scene, like this art scene, and they, and me and Lee connect with them and we painted these big plastic sheets. Lee Kenyonis, the star of All Star. Okay, okay. Is he Puerto Rican? Yes, he is, he's Puerto Rican. Lee Kenyonis. Yes, he was. He thought it was him, that's his name is Mr. Lee. Mr. Lee. Okay. He thought he got excited. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Now, he was like the pinnacle of graffiti. What he had did that was like groundbreaking at that time. Obviously, most graffiti really is on the sides of trains. The letters, the characters are developing the colors. Lee paints an entire handball court, an image of Howard the Duck. He's like, he's like, he's like, he's like, can you remember this story, please, please, please, please, please, please. No, absolutely. I didn't realize how racist people are. Whoa. I went to a handball court the other day. Oh shit. All my comments was, now we really know you Puerto Rican. I'm like, damn. Oh wow. Yo, it was the most racist. Black people played handball too without a compliment. But you know what's the fucked up shit? Whoa. Well, they just attacked my Puerto Rican side, bro. Like they destroyed me. Like they was like, they was like, yo, only Puerto Rican is going. It was the coldest day in Miami. I saw it, I saw it. In Miami. And I found out there was a handball court the other day. I could not resist. I had to go. And then I was like, that's real Puerto Rican shit. I'm like, damn. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I had a brain fart. I was lost about two weeks. He said that he used to do pieces at the handball court. Lee did this giant handball court. Wow. With an image of Howard the Duck. It was like, wow. Nobody had did anything like that. You know, it was up about 20, 30 feet, you know. And so Lee was the master of the game. And when I connected with him with these ideas, once again, we said, he was like, let's get busy and do this. And that led to us having an exhibit at a gallery in Rome. Very prestigious gallery. Crazy. Got our first little item written up in a village voice. And this Italian art dealer had been seeing the work on the trains and he was thinking like, oh well, this is like a next level of pop art. And when he saw who we were, and we had, I was standing in front of Lee's wall, in fact, because Lee, along with being super dope, one of the best that was doing it, he was the Nug, Lee Cagnonis. He was the most wanted graffiti artist in New York City. They literally have like posters with his name. Right, wanted by the law, let's be clear. Wanted by the transit police at the time. It was like real serious. So Lee had the kid, part of his, part of the skill of being nice in the game is not getting caught. So he was stealthy with it, like a super low key. And he's like, yo, you go out and be the face. Get it popping like that, which I did. And so that me standing in front of his wall, telling the story of who we are, little young kids taking it from the trains. We inspired by the same stuff as Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, whatever, whatever. This, our dealer gave us a show. And that was huge. He's like the original, what's the British dude that's anonymous, what's his name? Well, Banksy is inspired by Lee's character. No, we're describing it. You guys get it. Well, Banksy, yeah, because Lee, but I don't say he wants to meet Banksy. Yeah, he's super low key, but he's, You met Banksy? No, but we, we exchanged, you know, because he keeps it low key, but he definitely, if he did, he ain't gonna tell them, let him live. No, no, but you gotta, you have to reach, just people that have engaged, but what he's doing is so specific, you have to respect the gangsters of all that. Cause it's brilliant. But I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm told he was inspired by Lee's character in Wild Style because, in Wild Style, whoa, Lee's character in Wild Style is Zorro. And essentially none of the other graph people know who he is, which is inspired by how Lee actually got down. So that was where the, the ideas of the story of Wild Style come from things that were going on all around us. That's dope. Like we about to connect with the art scene, go to the art collector spot. You know, Patty Astor plays the journalist, coming to write about us. And you know, so it captures that period when the culture is just beginning to get taken serious and looked at in a, wait a minute, what's going on here? What are you guys doing? And so, yeah, so that was... But it's so raw. It almost feels like a documentary reality. That's exactly what I was saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It feels so raw. It's sort of like a docu drama, cause we intentionally wanted it to have an energy like that because all the people that play the characters were really who they were. So we gave them little direction. Here's the idea of what we want you to say, say it how you'd say it. Like the busy bee stuff is... We have people like Busy Bee, who literally is like a star. He steals every scene he's in. So when me and Charlie are going to the parties, constantly taking notes on who we want to put in the movie, Busy's just had this most unique personality. In fact, when we, the first time we go to the Bronx to start our research, we go to a park, it's called a valley, way up in the North Bronx. And we walk in and we checking things out. It's me and this white dude, Charlie. And we walk up on Busy and Busy kind of kind of, what's going on? And then Charlie is like, hey, I'm Charlie, this is Fred. We're here to make a movie on the rap scene. And Busy goes, what? Busy runs right up on the mic, brings Charlie up. Yo, y'all, he's here to make a movie about me. Yeah. About him. About him. And we became immediately connected. Cause he was like, what's going on? Like you didn't see no, no kind of white folks going up to the Bronx at that time. And the sticker, isn't the sticker part, you've talked about this before. There's like the part where the guys come up to like, to rob y'all or something in the... Oh God. Yeah, that's that one of the parties we was at. And this cat was on dust, big, strong, overly muscle bound cat. And I'm looking at this cat like, this dude is crazy. And I'm like, Charlie, you know, cause this is, you want to stick up kids and all this is going on at this time. Every time, you know how I used to get down. And so going into the Bronx, which is not my territory, I'm constantly thinking this every time. But you know what Busy told me, and I'll get back to the big guy that was smoking dust. Busy told me when we first walked up to him, he thought we was a police. Like the mod squad or some shit. Like a typical Bronx people. We didn't. We looked like who's this white guy, this black guy with, they got to be undercover. That's a part. They got to be plain clothes cops. This can't be happening. And that, and anyway, so we had this party one night and this dude is walking around looking crazy. I showed off, he cocked diesel. Everybody's moving out of his way. And this is at a jam. So it's, you know, people thugging it. Jam is a party guys. Yeah, party. Just kidding y'all, okay. And the whole night we did, you know, Kaz is there, I'm in the cold crushes on the mic, you know, a bunch of cast and characters, you know, typical uptown party at that time. And I'm constantly going, man, I hope this cat don't lock on to us cause this looks like it could be crazy. And then me and Charlie, cause Charlie would always have a camera. We'd taken pictures, you know, which how we did all the research. Like you look in the early history, some of the earliest photos now, are photos that Charlie and I took in making, in making wild style and doing our research. At some point I look up and this cat locks on to us. It's really Charlie. And I see this cat start sliding through the party across the party, coming out way. I'm going, yo, this is going to be crazy. Dude, six, six. Everybody, yeah. He definitely dusted cause he's, dude's moving kind of, kind of crazy. It's like, the fuck is going on? And so I'm looking for something to get my hands on cause I'm thinking, yo, it's about to go down for real. So he walks right up to us. He's standing there and Charlie goes, Fred, I think he wants me to take his picture. The shit was super white, funny. And the dude looked at Charlie and he just turned and slid off. The shit was must. I mean, I'm like, I swear to God. Like I felt like I didn't breathe for two minutes. Cause I'm like, yo, this shit's about to go down. He's about to hit my man. You know, I got to jump in it, but this, this dude looked crazy. You know? Anyway, that was just one of many, that was a, you know, nothing really went down. It was basically as a whole thing. Everything was cool. And, and we made the movie, which still is like a remarkable thing. It's a classic. Yeah. We got it. It's a ton of same thing. Hold up, Maters. And so, like I said, so one of the things I did, I made all the instrumental beats because with Charlie was like, no, which I mentioned earlier. And so I went into the studio and made basically what I was considering, like a record of break beats, about 11 tracks, all instrumental, Christine put all the different sound effects in the guitar shit to make it sound weird. Cause I played him different break beats, Marty, Graw, seven minutes, you know, things of that nature that DJs. Classics, right? Classics shit. And then we use those tracks and we pressed up about a hundred pieces of vinyl. And that's what each DJ is cutting. So they were playing them in the film. Yeah, they're literally playing them. And then we read that becomes our soundtrack. We record the cold crush, the fantastic, busy in a double trouble or rhyming in the movie. That becomes our soundtrack. Before we get into it, but the reason why I went and asked about Zulu is cause it sounds like when you made Wild Style, you kind of made a decision to bring these elements together that later on everybody would package as hip hop. Yeah, well, that's a part of- Cause not to cut, but later on hip hop, you know, corporate America, the industry comes in, Supe's in, grabs rappers and kind of divides and conquers the culture and divides the elements again. Very true. And we've been all ever since trying to hold it together. Very true. Wow, you definitely see it clearly. Yeah, so at least, you know, our attempt, not that we could predict everything, we just trying to represent it for what it was based on that initial idea I had. I wanted to show this was all one thing. And I had this idea to make a film. Charlie was like, great idea. Let's make this film. We made that film. And it kind of carved a kind of an understanding of what the culture actually is. And Wild Style does that. And yeah, it was just an incredible blessing. And then the way it spread around the world was something I could not have predicted that people of other languages would be- Yeah, man. That blew my mind. Because some of the first tours to Europe, we did. The first tour to Europe, which was France primarily, for about 20 or 30 of us, yes. I'm going to be saying that to my parents. We did that. And they went crazy. That's still the second biggest market for hip hop in the world. And then we went to Japan the following year, 83, about 20, about 30 of us, Rock Steady Crew, Rappers, DJ, whole shit. This is 88? 83. 83? 83. When we go to Europe in 82, we go to Japan in 83. Crazy legs told us about that. Yeah, crazy. That was an incredible trip. And that plants the disease. But we had no idea it was going to take like it did. It's still remarkable to this day. Yeah, I mean, hip hop is global. And global in every kind of way you can imagine. And sometimes represented even better in other countries. That's so true. But you know what I find that I like is when you go to places where people are, it's like a level of poverty that, especially in New York, you don't see anymore. That's what it is. And these people, when you see the way it's applied and the way they adopted, it's like it reminds me of where it came from and how the Bronx was really bombed out. It was the most horrific ghetto on the planet because it was a poster child. And from that, the way the Bronx looked in the 70s. When I'm researching you, that's when I found out that it was actually landlords that was burning down their property. Yeah, a lot of the apartment there. I didn't know that. That's a big part that happened. It was a combination of things with people. They called the burnt down Bronx. But I didn't know that it was self-inflicted. Listen, I- You know what I'm saying? Like I didn't know that. A lot of it was, a lot of it was because- It was people with own property. What it was was they can get more and get out with the insurance money. Yeah, I did not know that. That was very- That was huge in the Bronx. And it was rampant. They had people that was just like, that's why there was whole blocks in the South Bronx with maybe one or two buildings left. It was just rubble. It was unbelievable. It looked like literally like bombs had been dropped. There's a famous, I seen I talk about in my book, in the 77, yeah, in the 77 World Series when the Yankees is playing- 1977? Reggie Jackson that whole shit. I remember watching that shit. I was born that year. You could see two or three fires glowing not far from the Yankees stadium. You go on YouTube and watch that. That's how the Bronx was burning for real. And the gangs come out of that. Cause it was like, come on, it was nothing. It was like- I always had family in the Bronx. And that was always like Arlen literally, like, you know, joke, like how to burn down Bronx. But we didn't know that. Yeah. It was primarily the South Bronx. I want to point out that. That was really devastated. Yeah, for us, for Queens, we just, the Bronx was the Bronx. Congrats. We talked for Brooklyn. I didn't really know all of that later. Like, yes, later, you know what I mean? And this is where hip hop is born out of. Like, did you watch the Rubble Kings documentary? I thought that was so amazing. You were so important. You said largely, why did you say largely and not totally? In terms of hip hop coming out of those asses. Oh, because the origins of hip hop, or what leads to hip hop, a lot of people, yeah, no question is, look, and people are entitled to their opinion. Okay. But this is what happened. Yeah, tell us. This is what happened. Tell us, for no, yes. There were DJs, and is it, wait, before I go, I'm gonna get, I'm gonna run this down. It's incredible. I'm like, you want a shot? You want a shot? You want a shot or something? No, no, no, no. Let's wait for a quick time. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Let's wait for a quick time. Because I feel like you getting in here. No, no, listen, I've been waiting. Yeah, yeah, let me just say something. I'm sitting down, like, although I'm not, listen, I am in school right now. Oh man, stop, no. It's your face, you know what, I can tell you want it. No, this is, this is a good one that I'm passionate about. Okay, okay, I'm looking at your face. Because obviously there's a lot of different stories. Yes, there is. About the Jamaica connection, and whatever, and the dancehall. I'm deep into that. Right. Since the 70s as well, going up in Brooklyn, you know, I'm going to, you know, hearing all them early dancehall records. But there were DJs that damn near go back to the late 60s, that were mobile DJs. They wasn't cutting or scratching. They was mixing one record to the other. That was the big innovation. Everybody else had a record player going back, 70s going, even going further back. You put four or five, 45s, and the arm would swing, drop a record, it would play. And that's how people listen to music. Right. You understand what I'm saying? And they were considered DJs. What? They were considered DJs? No, you just playing records. Yeah, just playing records. Now, the idea of the DJ, what is that short for? This jockey. Thank you. Who was the this jockey in those time frame? Thank you. This is the real inspiration for what the dancehall DJs, that sound system scene did in Jamaica, and what these early DJs were doing here. They were emulating the black radio DJs, like, and cause they was the ones talking, kind of slag. So doing the talking over there. Yeah, they had a little job talk, that's the hip slang. It was Jaco, who was out of Philly in New York, had a little slick shit, kind of rhyming. When you look at the history going down to the scene in Memphis, Stacks Records, he remarked him, he was on the radio. Sly Stone, he was on the radio. That's how he built his name in San Francisco. So the big inspiration on the idea of a DJ is the dishjockey on the radio. They were the ones who played the music, had the flavor, talked that slick shit, sound, fly, and play the records you wanted to hear. That's really who the DJs were inspired by, cause it's like, oh, this is like the radio, he's playing and the beginning of people getting on the mic were like emulating what the radio got. And transiting the records by talking over them. Well, just really bigging up who the DJ was and shouting him out and promoting him. That was what the original foundation was. Cause even the hip hop, the DJ was the man way before. Thank you, the DJ was the man. That's the system. He brought the music. That's the foundation. DJs, they didn't want to be rappers. You better believe it, okay? That was 100% and that was a huge scene that developed like through the 70s. Like Hercules tell you, Pete DJ Jones, the original Grandmaster Flowers, my boy, it was a list of these cats. Queens had people like the Disco Twins, you know, the infinity machine. My boy Hassan and Ron Lawrence, Ron Amin Rai, who was one of the, you know, the hit man, he's doing all them cool, like AI clips now, where people talking about hip hop and he takes the photos and make a move a little bit. They made a documentary a little over 10 years ago called Founding Fathers. That details, yeah, it was only on, it was on YouTube for a bunch of time, it's about to be on 2B. And the Founding Fathers really interviews and talks about this era of the game. And these DJs. Will we say Founding Fathers, I just wanna reiterate that we're talking about the Founding Fathers of hip hop, correct? Well, that's what it implies, but it's really like, it doesn't say that in the title, but you're 100% right. But in terms of what led to that, boom. What Herc did once again is genius because he took that structure of the DJs that was mad popular all over the city and then he brought something new to the table with the breaks. Through playing the breaks, picking up doing that like needle drop type of technique and flashing them will tell you, they got what he was trying to do, it was incredible, but they couldn't catch the beat all the time. And Flash went and did the research to figure out what turn table. But it was a researcher, but he did research with every turn table until he found out that the technique 1200 was the one that had the direct drop. Right, it wasn't belt drop. And then he, yeah, so the other one was, it was a drag before you got to the beat. So we had Flash on here. Flash was amazing on here. He had Cass on here. Yeah, a grandmaster. Yeah, we had crazy legs on here. Yes, I seen that. And I feel like all of them do say they credit Herc. Yeah, they credit him for what becomes hip hop. But just that a lot of them may not know, Flash will tell you about Pete, DJ Jones and the DJs that made you want to be a DJ. It was a thing. I think, was it Herc on here or maybe Flash told a story? We loved to have Herc on here. We never had Herc. I meant to say Cass. Cass, yeah. Or Flash told a story about, if I'm not mistaken, when he went to battle and soon as Pete, DJ Jones turned his system on, he was like, yo, it's time to pack up and go. Because these dudes not just was nice with the records, but they knew how to put the systems together. It took some, it took bread. Right, yeah. That's a real tech thing. To get that sound. That was the gate keeping in these eras. Like you had to be able to have access to this equipment or a studio or whatever. As you know, the story goes to black out of 77 when Cass got they looting on. A lot of Bronx cats got access to equipment. Because let's be real, the Bronx was the poorest borough in the city at that time. It took some money. A lot of times you hear stories about cats that have big sound systems in Queens or whatever. Their parents spent two, three, four, five K. That's a lot of money back then. But then after the black, we've been born to DJ's room. That's what's incredible when Cass had told the stories. A lot of the cats went to where the entertainment electronic stores was and got busy, got mixes, got real stuff for the first time. You know, and so that. I was born in 77, I helped that shit. Look at you. It was me, it was my magic. Incredible. So those are some of the incredible stories about how it really got built. But definitely what Herg did was take it in another direction. Also the other thing that's interesting about those DJs that I mentioned, the Flowers and the P.J. Jones, there were clubs that came up in Manhattan where promoters would rent out like a restaurant. And they would take the chairs out and they would promote that as a party. For people coming from the boroughs. Not in the grill, cause I heard you talking about it. No, this is way before the grill. This is like Nell Gwynns. Okay. I didn't go to these places. I'm still shorty, but I'm well aware of. Studio 54 type shit? Way before all of that. It's a place. 34 is a legit club. It was, these was legit clubs too, but this is what once again turned the heat up on this whole idea of DJ. Your mobile DJs go from playing in the streets to getting hired by these promoters. Their names are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. They're the ones that's really developing this whole disco thing. Frankie Crocker. Also this is pre-disco. You're saying this is what this, how disco comes in. This is what makes it, and Frankie Crocker doesn't get enough credit. I go into him deep in my memoir because when he took over BLS FM, most black people or most people would listen to their music on AM. When Frankie Crocker takes control of BLS, it's stereo for the first time. In fact, when the, it was a big thing when you would hear that to speak, like they would do the station ID. They would go W, B, L, S. It would go from left speaker back to right. People would be like, oh my God, it's next level. And that made people want to go and get stereo systems because most people, it wasn't about stereo. And so Frankie Crocker became the dominant DJ. His style was more smooth. He had like a suave kind of vibe. He drove a Rolls Royce, you know? He was like some awesome player, suave, sophisticated, but he followed the DJs, these mobile DJs that I'm talking about, and he'd be at these parties. If he saw the DJ broke some record and the crowd went crazy, Frankie would put that record on BLS. And he broke a lot of the acts that became the big acts in disco. He was super duper dumb. He doesn't get enough props for how influential he was. Cause I'm listening. Then I'm hearing him promote the parties of these DJs. Next thing you know, the records that he's breaking become hit records, you know what I'm saying? The records that are the foundations of disco. Frankie broke most of those records. He would interview the artists on the radio. He was Frankie Hollywood Crocker. That was his whole thing. He was real smooth, real fly influential. And so with his energy and everything I'm telling you, that takes it over the top. Then we get Studio 54. Then we got high end clubs. Cause now it's a thing. You did cocaine in the studio 54? One more time? You never did cocaine in the studio 54. I didn't go to studio 54. That was some shit where they invented, I'm still a shorty kind of sorta. I ain't really deep in the mix yet, but they would pick you. That's where that whole velvet rope thing started. And they would diss a lot of people. I went up there once to just to watch it going. Cause it was a scene. People would be crying. They can't get in? Man, listen, it was the biggest thing in the media to get up in there to get picked. That's where the whole rope thing started. Rick James? When my shit got popping and the mud club did the reverse. Instead of the velvet rope, the mud club had a little chain outside. And when me and Jean-Michel rolled up, they'd be like, oh, Freddie Jean, come right on in. You know, we had five or six cats with us. So that was our scene, which was a change from the whole bougie studio 54. But that was studio 54 was huge. But it was like, yo man, you know, fab, and they downtown, they got the white girls. That's all that was there. We was equal opportunity, equal opportunity. You know, we was, hey, we wasn't trying to discriminate. Cause you asked about one white girl and then you asked about the other white girls. This is my friend, Sunny D over there, right? I thought he's a white people whisperer. Like I first, I first thought it was embarrassing. He likes to scheme. And then I thought about it. I was like, yo, these white people, like soon as he talks, they let their guard down around him. Like he's, no, he is a white person whisperer. I don't think he relates to other Haitians. But he get really, he get really, he does. That was crazy. Do you think you're a white people whisperer? Well, you know, at that time, that's mostly who was on the downtown scene. And, you know, it was a crowd that was very open. That's the thing. Everybody in New York, you know, New York was really polarized back in the days. Like if you, you know, cast in different neighborhoods, they didn't really intersect. Like segregated in that way. Yeah, it was more or less, it's very segregated. You know, you could go through different neighborhoods. It was a fight. Even when people like me, when we were shorties going through Brownsville, Casper, check you, what's up? You have to get busy on some knuckles. You know what I'm saying? Just don't know about the 52 block for real. You know what I'm saying? You had to know how to handle your shit. And that's New York, you know? And so certain neighborhoods where you have tough, you know, Casper get busy. And so that was the dynamic. But on the downtown scene, it was very open. People was on some odd shit. It was different. So we, even though me, Jean, a few other brothers were among the few people of color, the crowd, every, all of them was like, looked at as outcast as well. You know, punk rock, making shade, heads, real. Was CBGB popping at that time? CBGB was popping. I'm up in there. You know what I'm saying? I'm making moves through all of them spots at that time. And that's one of the first venues that, that was for the punk rock. Yeah. But hip hop was, was one of the first spots that they allowed hip hop to perform in there. Oh, okay. I missed that part. Wasn't like B-Season then, like all up in there? Well, the B-Seasons, yeah. They wasn't doing anything. I was around the B-Seas when they came up, B-Sea Boys, you know what I'm saying? They was definitely had that punk rock energy. They would put, they would- Right, originally they were a punk rock group, I think. Well, they had a punk rock thing, they had a punk rock attitude, but they was mixing hip hop with it. Right, right. The first record that I loved blew up was called Cookie Puts, which probably never came out. Well, they recorded this, this TV commercial of for Carvel Ice Cream, and they just sampled this shit. It made a wild, crazy, goofy record. It was a lot of fun, but it had a punk sensibility, but they was rapping, and that's a part of Russell's genius, seeing these white cats and thought this could work. Rick Rubin stepped in to work with them, and that shit blew up way beyond, but we was all hanging in that same downtown scene at that time. Because some of the clubs that we frequented, as different rap records are beginning to come out, Sugar Hill, other artists doing things, Houdini and whatever, the downtown clubs were spinning them. They was beginning to get into that, because the things we were doing, like I curated an exhibit at the Mud Club, the same club I'm talking, and we did a show. Keith Haring had put me on, he said, yo, the owner of the club wants you to curate a show. Which is a flex, Keith Haring is a flex right now too. Yeah, that's my dad. He was a part of the whole team at that time, and he said, the owner, Keith is just starting to come up, and we were super tight, and he asked me to curate a show, which I did called Beyond Words, and I included a lot of these other graffiti artists, I'm talking about Jean-Michel Futura, Crash Days, a few other people to show that we moving into this scene. And the dude knew I was connected to this rap thing, which is starting to bubble, he said, yo, can you get some of them groups? So I got like bam and cold crush and busy, all of them came down to perform at the opening, and that was a lot of people's first experience with hip-hop culture on that downtown scene. Jean-Michel was there, and they was just, yo, this is dope, they felt it beyond expectation, and then more and more people began to mess with it, and so that became a place where we began to do our thing, so to speak, and people were open to this new thing coming on, this is a venue for the group. They're not called hip-hop yet? Nah, not totally yet. When do you hear it called hip-hop? Like what is your... Okay, so what happens is, oh boy, and I elaborate thoroughly in my memoir. The book, right. There was no name for it, officially, and looking at New Wave and Punk Rock, those scenes were named, and you could notice styles of the different groups, like the Sex Pistols, Clash, and groups like that, the Dead Boys were Punk Rock, but then New Wave were Blondie, Talking Heads, B-52, so, but these scenes were clearly defined, and they were being written about, and further defined and explained, and working on Wild Style as we were coming towards the end and going into post-production, I'm like, Charlie, what are we gonna call it? We had did an event, there were two events, well, it was an event that we did, which was, because I suspect on the mic a little something, something, and we come together, it was the photos of Henry Shelfon and Martha Cooper, those were two, the first official graffiti documentarians, they would photograph this stuff, the Rock Steady Crew, a DJ from my block in Brooklyn, DJ Spire, I got on the mic, and another cat that I brought into the scene named Ram Elzee, and this event, we were calling it Graffiti Rock. But Charlie and I were like, well, that was the term we had used, we were like, what are we gonna call it? So, every other rapper at the time, many rappers would, in between rapping, they would, and I used to consider it an opportunity to catch your breath and think of your next rhyme, they would go to the hip, the hop, hibby dibby, dibby dibby, you know, you don't stop, that was a part of the like, a break in between your rhymes, just throw your hands in the air, and different things that a lot of the foundation rappers would do. I told Charlie, I think we should use this term to define the whole scene, because the scene we were trying to showcase in the film was the painting, was the music, the DJs, and the dancing, and a lot of people were saying it, and so we helped push that into the mix as a way to describe what the movie was about, because once again, seeing how punk and New Wave were written about, we were anticipating something similar, being that I had the instinct to connect with people that were big supporters of us, that were the key principal people in that scene. And so that's essentially how that began. I helped, I helped nudge that into place, because to promote the film, the first real descriptions, nobody was writing about this as a culture, and in the promotion of Wild Style, this is the beginning of it being seen as this broad picture, as you know. Together. Together, the culture, the elements, four, five, whatever people determined, and this is what it's called, because it was, so it was more organic, it's not like, hey, I named, which no, it was a name and a word, a phrase that was a part of the culture. I like to consider, I just helped nudge it into place, because we needed to tell the story, promote the film and what the film was about. And Wild Style was the beginning of that. The initial stories were in The Village Voice and Downtown Publications. The first time it was used in print, this cat, Michael Holman, who, once again, he did a TV show early, but the goofy, con ball suits that he had to deal with didn't allow it to go, it syndicated, and it was called Graffiti Rock. You've probably seen clips of it online, where you see like, Kool Mo D and running them perform. It was, and he's the host on it. He had the gazelles on, you know, he was somebody that I put on and he died right in. He would manage the New York City breakers. They were like the rivals to the Rock City crew. In an interview, in an article in a downtown paper called The East Village Eye, he does a story, I had gotten his ear and let him know, listen, we're gonna call it all this. We were beginning to promote the movie. This whole special section in The East Village Eye was like several articles. The first time this had ever happened about different aspects of the culture. Futura and Lee had art that was included in that issue. And Michael Holman does an interview with Bambada and uses that term for the first time in print. Bambada says it, because that's what I've- No, well, Michael is talking. Michael brings it to us. In fact, to make it legit, to make me feel like I was on the right track, I call Bamb. I said, Bamb, I'm thinking that to promote the movie, we're thinking of using it. Bamb said, yes, I totally agree. So he agreed. Because we like, look, we wanna call it something on no flyer that you see, and the flyers are in collections everywhere. No flyer called it, it was no name. They would just promote who was rapping, who the DJ was. You know those classic flyers by Face2 and Buddy Esquire and so many others. So we were like, what are we gonna do? And so that's how we help. So we're kind of saying that you came up with the term hip hop. Oh, no, no, no, I didn't come up with it. It was being used. Rappers was spinning it. Cass told us, I forget who he said was saying it because he went to the army. Yeah, okay, the first, yeah, I tell that story great. And there's another component where Flash says, a girl he was dating back then, it was her brother going into the army. Flash says that she- Was it Flash or the story of Cass? Or the story of Cass? No, I heard Cass. I heard Cass. I'll tell you the story. Just adds a little to it. Okay. This girl, it was this girl's brother and she was at the party and she started it first. Then Cowboy from the furious gets on and they both is just teasing him. Teasing him, yeah. Hip hop, you know, like the way they would do the marching drill sergeant type of thing. And Keith Cowboy really got it going first. And then they say that Lovebug started utilizing it, you know, Lovebug Starsky, the original Love, you know, Rizas Starsky. And then it became a thing where that was a thing you would hear often in between your rhymes, you know, something you could say and then you think of what you're gonna spit next. That's how the term became popular. So it's already there. You just- That's what I'm saying. Extracted from that. I just said, let's use that. Cause it seems like everybody's like, when people would talk about, yo, I was at this jam. And I remember people would say, what kind of music? Cause you still had DJs that just played music. And they'd be, no, it wasn't just like music. It was one of them hibbity hop joints. And you would know, okay, cause they would be, typically you would hear it at any party where people was rapping often. Somebody would do that oftentimes. So it became like a synonymous way to describe the kind of party it was. Makes sense. Which was different than people that was just trying to be a disco type DJ, which was cool. But everybody wasn't with that or had somebody that would get on the mic and do that. It wasn't a thing with any DJ. But the Bronx cats, they made that a thing. And it became the thing. A new thing. So ballpark figure real quick. How many white girls you think you can fuck? Yeah, it's mashed. Oh man. Like, I mean, you know, downtown, this is downtown. I mean, you know. You know. It was a cow. I mean, it was so funny. You got the cow? I don't kiss in town. Let's take a look at that. March is the month of momentum for small business owners. We've got our plans ready to put into action and Shopify is here to help us. Whether you're finally ready to invest in yourself or if you already have a business, take it from us. Shopify can handle anything you throw its way. That's one of the reasons we shifted our stores at the black effect there. Shopify has helped power my brand embellished for years. Why not let it work for you too? One log in gives you access to everything that matters. Thousands of templates mean you don't need to be a designer and your site still looks uniquely yours. They even have Shopify sidekick, AI that actually works, helping with marketing, forecasting and strategy. You can sell on social media and even directly through chat GPT. 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Yes, Jean's Haitian Puerto Ricans. He's Haitian Puerto Ricans? He's Haitian Puerto Ricans. His father's Haitian. He's Sonny Norrie with the son. My mom's Puerto Ricans. He's a Latino. Yo. Get out of here, I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I got Basquiat. And so Jean's spoken, he can speak a little Spanish. Oh, and Rio. Yeah, that was. Oh, he's knocking anything down. Let's make some more. Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, so like, Madonna, man. I know we've touched on her a little bit. Yeah, yeah. Madonna is like, I don't want to say the person that's invited to the cookout. I think she's actually bringing ingredients to the cookout. No, no question. Like, she's like bringing, she's actually bringing her own version of three potatoes. That's a great description. That's a great description. Not only she's invited, she's in the kitchen. Like, help her prepare. Madonna has several kids and a couple of her kids, which she's raised for Kewa Tawana. They're African. Yeah, African. More than us. More than me and you. Some niggas in Zimbabwe. No, 100%. Yeah, OK. 100%. I'm not bad. I ain't say niggas, all right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I ain't mean to say niggas. I'm trying not to say niggas, OK? Yeah. Big daddy came to Madonna. He had the leper set on. That was crazy. That was the sex book. Yeah. Oh my god. That was wild. I remember when that came out. Sliver, sliver, man. That was crazy. Listen, our show is about giving people flowers where they can smell them. Oh, man. We've been waiting. Dogs where they can tell them. I'm so happy to be here with y'all, man. And we want to give you a flowers. Right there, man. Yeah. Woo! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Snoop Dogg said it's better than a Grammy because it comes from all these people. And we are people. And we want to, yo, let me just tell you something, man. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you. Nah, listen, let me tell you something, man. Just we've been waiting to give this for a while. We've been waiting for 10 years. And congratulations on 10 years. Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations. But let me just tell you something, man. You made media fly, man. You know what I mean? A lot of people, when you look at people in the hood, they wanted to be the artist. They wanted to be the basketball player. They wanted to be the, you know, even hockey player, football player, whatever, whatever. Correct, correct. They wanted to be an athlete or they wanted to be the artist. When you look at you and your career, you interview those people, you highlight those people, you show lighted that, you know, this is what you do, but this is the rewards of it. And you were just as cool or cooler than the people you interviewed. And for back then, you know, and you look at media now. And yes, wow. Look, look, look, all of us are walking in your footsteps. Absolutely. Every last one of us, if you look at your favorite artist, has now turned into media, bro. And you were doing that shit 25 years ago, bro. 30 years ago. 30 plus. Man, let's make some fun. And we all, we're all following your footsteps, you know what I'm saying? Thank you so much, bro. Well, you're doing an excellent job, I want to say. You and DJ EF. That's right. Yeah. And he pronounces your name correct. Well, he schooled me. I'm like, I thought it was EF, and he was like, no, EF. And I'm like, mama. So did you ever think because honestly, right, it was Ralph McDaniels? Yes, you better believe it. Video music box, baby. Yes, I was locked in. And this is my friend, you know, and he always tells us sometimes, you know New York, you guys were cocky, right? And I kind of don't realize it. It's not about me. Yeah, it's not about him, yeah. Because I'm coming from the perspective of someone growing up here in South Florida. Yeah, but you're well researched. You know a lot of history I can see. So let me break it down. So what I didn't realize is when we had a show like Ralph McDaniel, which is Video Music Box, it was on Channel 9 or Channel 12. It was on in New York cable on Saturdays, I believe. OK. Yes, which is great. So what I didn't know, and you said it to me, you said it to me very, very mean. I didn't say it. But you did say it to me. And you were like, yo, you know, we saw Video Music Box, but we had to see it on VHS. Wow. We were gasping. You know, what I did, I loved that so much. How spoiled you we were as New Yorkers, right? So let me make one point and then I'll go with you. Please, please, please. I'm just talking about it. I'm like, damn, you know, it only came on a certain channel. UHF initially, which is small. And a certain cable, right? Yes. On a certain cable station. And then we had the rest of the world that was VHS, which he just asked you to sign. Yeah. So these tapes were circulating, right? Mm-mm. And us in New York, we're so spoiled. We don't even know how special this is, because this is on our public access channel. Yes. This is where. You're not looking me like that. No, no, no, I'm not saying that. I'm looking at the world. I'm looking at you, but I'm looking at the world. But this is where Kermit the Frog comes on. Like, this is not the same. This is not HBO or Cinemax. You can see some titties or something. No, this is the public. So I didn't realize how spoiled we was. And you said it to me one day. I said, I go, you yelled at me. And I was like, damn, he's right. Right? It was very mean to me. But you're my friend. All right. But now here comes MTV. Yes. MTV is a rock and roll station. MTV, I remember, I'm old enough to say, fuck y'all. Fuck y'all. But I'm old enough to say, you had a choice at one point. You can say, I want HBO on my cable. I want Showtime. I want Cinemax. And then you can say, I want MTV. At first, when MTV first came on the cable network in New York City, I cannot speak from anywhere else. Most people said no. Right, because it wasn't planned. It wasn't for us. It wasn't. It wasn't initially. We would take off our cable to access the public access channel, because that wasn't on. That was on local cable. That's the cable that comes with your apartment already. Correct. So the cable that you pay for, you don't get Ralph McDaniels. So you had to unplug that. Wow. Then MTV drops. And then we get a show called Yo. MTV, right? MTV, motherfucking Ralph. Yeah. Yeah. And this is real. This is real. Thank you. Because this is real. Because this is me. I made my life through this. And then, like, you know, I had cousins in Seattle. I had cousins in Florida. OK. I had cousins in South Carolina, North Carolina. So many places that I never could talk hip hop to. Maybe they got it. But by the time they got it, it was three months later. And I was already on to another act or another such. Yo.MTV Raps was the first time I got to speak to people in real time. Meaning I saw Tupac's new video. The same time my cousin. So y'all can talk about it. So we can talk about it in real time. Wow. Wow. That was, like, the first. So this is a deep question. One, do you know how many lives you fucking changed? Wow. You know, it's a humbling feeling when you realize it. And I just want to say, I mean, look, MTV at the time when it hit the incredible stretch, it wasn't a long stretch, but it was a pivotal stretch. It was a pivotal stretch for incredible artist and merging, your first time seeing artists that define a whole host of spaces. You saw them first. And I'm super honored that they stood next to me. And I kind of was the first time you saw X, Y, and Z. And you think they reached out to you to host the show because of Wild Style or because of? That was a part of it. So there was a cat that I knew, initially named Peter Doherty, who was on the downtown scene. He knew the moves I was making. He was at the Mud Club show. I told you about. He was a real underground music aficionado. And he got a job to be a producer at MTV early on. So he would get tickets to a rock concert. I mean, took me to see like Judas Priest. And he actually got me to see the Jackson 5. And it was on tour. So his name was Peter Doherty. And Peter knew what was going on. He was close enough to know this shit is bubbling. There was a few records had come out by this point that have gone gold, some run DMC shit and some Houdini. And you know, things that be. Curtis Blow had gone. Curtis Blow, exactly. Things that begin in the bubble. And he was in their ear to do a show. He used to mention it to me. I used to always be like, get out of here, man. Boom, boom, boom. Then he linked up with another kid at MTV. His name is Ted Demi. That's my man. And Ted. God bless the dead. Yes, indeed. God bless the dead. Me and Ted became like super tight. He was a nephew of the Oscar award-winning director, Jonathan Demi, who I became tight with later. Ted was a white kid from Long Island, grew up loving hip hop. Really got it down pat. Peter had seen the development he was tapped in. They lobbied and campaigned to get it popping. And Peter was like, he's the guy that should host it. I was like, what? He's the guy that's in the Rapture video. There's this film, Wild Style, he's in. He's connected. He's downtown. And so Peter was like, kept telling me. So it was their idea? Your people were right. It was Peter's idea and got with Ted Demi. They were producers on the channel. Wow. They wanted to do a show. Also, I must give props to a French chick, a black French woman named Sophie Bromley, that had been in New York early on, hanging in the mix, taking pictures of the very early stuff, going to the fever, hooking up with, you know, bam, body really snapping. She goes back to Europe. And MTV Europe actually does a show called Yo First. Oh, wow. And Sophie hosts that for about a year or so. You can go on YouTube and see Clips. Real attractive sister. And she got friendly with mad people. So she knew so many people. Her vibe was just incredible. So they did that for about a year. Meanwhile, Peter's like, this is where it's born. This needs to happen here. And they were lobbying other executives. We should, we got to do this. Look, like we're, and boom, boom, boom. MTV was mirroring the way, quote unquote, pop radio was, which pretty much was all white. That was the radio was very segregated in most places. So MTV was just mirroring what radio was. That was what they were basically doing. But these producers pushed. And Peter was like pitching me to be the host. And then he said, man, like we actually did a screen test. He said, if you, if he knew I'm creative and I'm getting busy, he said, man, how would you want to do this if we ever did get to do it? I was like, well, you know, most of those VJs, you see them on for two, three hours, whatever, with some crazy goofy shit going on on the green screen behind them. I'm like, dude, I don't want to do that. That's whack. I said, I would feel more comfortable if I was in the street where artists is making the music and they basement, you know, on the corner, I'd be more comfortable there. And he said, OK, boom, that's why we did this little screen test where I kind of fake introduced a run DMC, LL, QJ video. That was this little screen test. Next thing I know, within a couple of weeks, we were shooting the first episode. And they bugged out and thought that the Nielsen ratings must have bugged out because it was the highest rated show that had ever been on the channel. It was insane. Wow. That shit took off like a rocket beat. You know, I was at first it was a half hour and then we went to an hour and then they asked me after about a year, did I want to host a daily version? And I used to watch a lot of MTV waiting to see a Michael Jackson video waiting for Prince's Doves Cry or the things you really wanted to see. And then you'd be looking at these VJs. I felt like, yo, you're corny motherfucker. Why are you, you know, playing my shit, you know, I'm in. And I don't want to be overexposed. You know what I'm saying? So they asked me if I wanted to do the weekend. I said, nah, that's cool. And so Ted knew as lover and Peter knew Dr. Dre. Because Dr. Dre was a producer. He produced just he produced a couple of records on Def Jam real early on. Can't remember the name of it now. But it was there has some 808 bass was crazy. And they put them together as the week as we do like kind of in a clubhouse like a Ben Costello week. We can weekend weekly. And I did the studio. It was in studio. And I was like running around mostly out here. They're traveling. And that's what I was really fascinated because I'm mad curious anyway. So as I hear now, it's beginning to bubble in other places. I'm like, what are they making? Like the first time you're MTV raps travel, it was to Miami to cover Luke Skywalker and the two live crew. So about that. Yeah. Let's block my head. What's he having? I was crazy. You know, this is before South Beach got sexy. It was like a read. It was like a retirement community. As you if you remember, the older folks sitting out in some of these chairs. And but we went to Liberty City and I got to hang with Luke and he broke down what they were doing. I understood then. Oh, this is just a lot of fun because I'm into lyrics. You know, I want bars and shit like that. Wasn't it in the booty check? Once I saw how to get down to spend, they was just spend that shit. But that's a thing. They can think about it. I felt like they were spending. But it was it was they was the raw. Strip Club. So yeah, that's 100% what they were doing. But I realized like this is a whole different thing. And it was fascinating to be able to showcase it and then to go to other cities. That was the biggest, most exciting thing for me to go to Houston and interview the ghetto boys when mine playing tricks was the hottest record. You know, to catch being San Francisco with digital underground when, you know, the Humpty Humph and all that just just broke out. It was just the hanger on. He yeah, when I first interviewed, he had they hadn't even put them in the mix yet. Wow. But then soon later he would be in the mix and then I would interview him. The first interview I did with Tupac was when they were filming above the they were filming. Oh God. Not above the rim. No, not above the rim. Juice. Juice. I'm sorry. Bang. Yeah. And we did something special because I'm in juice. I make a cameo juice at the DJ scene. We filmed that interview and held it several months until the film was ready so we could drop the special episode right which we filmed on the set to help to promote that film. And that was just incredible stuff. So a lot of artists like Park like Dre, Snoop, oh man a long list of practically everybody super important made their television debut with me on your MTV rap. So it was real special. Now it's a catalyst to spread hip hop everywhere. Oh, this is the thing I've been meaning to say. The VHS tape thing is so special to me. People later your MTV raps was one of the only shows MTV produced because MTV was franchised out in about six or seven other countries. It was MTV Europe, Brazil, Asia, Peer Air. Our show was the only show that was in all those other markets but particularly in Europe, like the first time I went to Africa I went to Nigeria and I met some young Nigerians from affluent families and they all recognized me. I'm like what the hell is going on? How do you guys, you get it? Oh, we have the satellite dish. This is the satellite dish. It's 12, 15 feet diameter. Yes, we have a dish which made me know like their people had paper but they were able to pick up the European feed and they were recording on VHS and sharing it with their friends. Like mixtapes, yeah. Just like mixtapes. So sometimes I'll meet somebody, rather be just so moved to tell me they had a relative or somebody would send them tapes of your MTV raps and that's how they got tapped into the culture. That's mind blowing. It's fucking. Mind blowing. So that was, like you said, going viral back then. Yeah. But the VHS tape and the cassette tape were critical to the culture. Absolutely. Shit, I remember speaking to Luke even while his pre-DVD, Luke was putting out them videos and them wild parties and them. The Luke Peep Show? The Peep Show, yes. So it'd be some awkward. We'd be like, oh my god. Luke was X-rated but he was a brilliant businessman. We got to talk about when you went to Compton. Well, once again, so we had interviewed EZ on the show a few times where we won EZ and they were great videos. He came out before NWA. It was EZ first. Yeah, he was first. A lot of people don't know that. They had been in the lab working on stuff but I think the story goes, I might have been draining them, that was like, yo, EZ, you should rap because EZ was bank rolling what they were doing. He was getting money on the street. And it was his label. Ruthless was his label. Yeah, exactly. So he was working on putting that together. And so they got EZ to actually came out first. And it worked, right? So it was one of the early videos that we had. I remember when the UMTV raps takes off. So after a month or so, period of time, couple of months, we would go out to LA. Ted was like, listen, EZ's got this new group. We're going to go out there and do a show with him in LA. When you say Ted, we're talking about Ted Demi. Ted Demi. Talking about Ted Demi. So I'm like, OK, EZ was incredible. Videos were great, well produced. A good friend of mine named Kevin Swain was the director, brother from Cali, who's produced a million things. But back then, he was cutting his teeth on music videos as I was. And so we go out there to do this show with them. So we're in a new town now. We're like, OK, because Ted, we were in sync. We got to do something interesting because we were conscious of wanting to show the rest of the country, this new group, this new area where I had been out in LA, but mostly West Hollywood, because I had had a big exhibit a couple of years prior at a really important contemporary gallery. Jean-Michel had been out there years too early showing with Gagosian. So Jean was like, you know, telling me about what it was like in LA. And then I got my chance. But now we're dealing with some hood shit, which I knew nothing about. So the night before we go out to do the NWA interview, Ted calls me in my room. He says, listen, everything is set up. What we're going to do is we're going to rent a truck, a flatbed truck. Oh, it was a flatbed? I thought it was a pickup. It was a flatbed? Yeah, it was like a big flatbed, a big truck. It had rails and round that shit. It was like a hay ride type of thing without any hay. We're going to drive around. We're going to meet with Easy. We're going to meet here in Compton. We're going to learn a little bit about Compton. Then we're going to go to the Swap meet where they get their little street gear and whatever. And then we're going to ride out to Venice Beach. So I'm like, wow, we're going to show people different spots in LA. We meet at the Welcome to Compton sign. And we taped the first episode. This is where I meet the group for the first time. It's now Q. It's Ren. It's Yella. You know, it's the whole thing and a bunch of other cats, including the DOC. And the funny story I like to tell is I'm standing there and some cats roll up in a 64 or whatever. Once again. Oh, and the night before Ted said, oh yeah, don't wear nothing black, don't wear nothing red, or don't wear nothing blue. We knew nothing about that. So we in black. I didn't understand all this gang culture at that particular point in time. So wow. And when we get out there, NWA is in all black. So I'm like, OK, yeah, this is, you know, we all good. And I'm standing there and a car rolls up. Looks like some cats in a 64, like in pallet. And they kind of recognize me. So they're looking at me and I go, like, hey, what's up? And Q comes over to me and says, you're fab. Like, I just got to tell you, man, out here, if you do the peace sign like that, that's a gang sign. I was like, oh, he says, so we have to do it this way. I was like, OK. Which way you did it? You did it this way? Just like you were going to go up. You know, the cats pulled up. Oh, so you got to do it this way, he said? Just because that was some, some, some, some. Sounds like a gang. Yeah. Oh, damn. I know nothing. But it was the first hit time here in any of this and not understanding how ill it is or what that culture is really all about. And that was the introduction, which then turns out to be a lot of people's favorite show because they get introduced to this group. We drive around. I always remember something that stuck with me because in between segments, Cube kept asking me, yo, Fab, I hadn't even listened to the record yet, by the way, too, Keeping Mind. What's up with G-Rap? I go, oh, he's cool, G-Rap cool. And he asked me again, yo, Fab, tell me something about G-Rap. And that's when you discovered that he studies G-Rap. When I later listened to the album, my mind was blown where they was going. It was like, they was also inspired to go as hard as Public Enemy was going, musically, which they was doing. But they was talking about this is where we from. This is what's going on here. It blew my mind. So Cube going to, what was it, Public Enemy's Produces? Yeah, yeah. That was a ball trainer for you, right? When he gets to New York, I'm the first person he calls. I'm like, we're tight now. We got everybody numbers equal. And not only that, oh man, this is another good story. I did an interview, Andy Warhol had a magazine. It was called Interview Magazine. Wild. She starts his story with Andy Warhol. Yeah, Andy Warhol had a magazine. So I know Andy now. And they would interview interesting people doing interesting stuff. It was a cool format, like a big newsprint. The photos were big, beautiful. It was like, nothing was like it. And I was like, yo, let me reach out to them. I wanted to interview this new group. Because I had did a couple of interviews. I did an interview to LL for interview. I did a few people. The first one I did was for Spike Lee. When She's Got a Havoc came out. I'm in that for a second. Anyway, I interview NWA, all of the group members on the phone. And then we set up this photo shoot, which is happening a few days later. And I talked to the photographer who's based out there. And I'm like, make sure this is the members of the group. Make sure this is the other. So I set it all up. And I talk to the photographer a little later. I go, so how did it go? He says, oh, Fab, it went great. I go, so who was there again? And he runs down all the members of the group. I said, wait a minute. What about Ice Cube? Are you sure? I can't believe what he's saying. He goes, yeah, Fab, this is who was there. So Cube wasn't there. Couldn't understand why. So I called him. And you didn't know he left the group? He just left the group. I called Cube. And he tells me, no, I'm like, yo, dude, really you left the group? That was crazy at that time. This is that point. Like the money wasn't right. He figured it out. The math wasn't mathin. And he was like, yo, and he was trying to get his paper. It's all now we all know the stars. Document. Like the consumer, we didn't know until we saw America's Most Wanted. Like that's how I found it. I was like, what is this? So when he comes to New York, I'll never forget. He called me. And I'm like, what's up? He's like, oh, man, I can't work with the bomb squad, man. That's the only one I can get busy with. I'm like, whoa. And then the rest is history. No Vasily, all that shit comes out. It's L. And I'm like, why? Oh, you know, it was incredible about that moment that I really loved. Cube was the one that probably like wore the Jerry curl in beginning, which was a big LA style. Black folks had the Jerry juice, the Jerry curl going on. When Cube did his first performance at the Apollo, he shaved his head off. He came out with the baldy. And Harlem went crazy. I'll never forget like how that hit so hard because everybody was used to seeing him like that. And that was that shit. Like when their baldy hit, you know, that was a look right then. Like that was that was official. And and that was the beginning of him becoming like, you know, taking it to another level. Yeah, crazy. Jack and Rabi's and everything. Yeah. I'm going to do our drinking game. OK, drinking. He's your designated drinker. OK, got it. You have a sip if you want. A what? You got wine. We got whatever you want. Go ahead. We got vodka, cup soda. He said he's the vodka. This is see, I told you, man. You said it has, you said it. All right, so here are the rules of the game. We're going to give you two choices. You pick one of the choices. We don't drink. Nobody drinks. But if you give the politically correct answer, which is either both, you say, I just, it's both or neither of them. OK, we all love for both. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you say, OK, I love both of them or I don't like both of them. We all drink. OK, but this is really this is not to diss anybody. This is really for stories and anything that any of these choices bring up a story for you. Please give us a story. You know what I'm saying? OK, OK. OK, that's funny. You use the bathroom. Thank you. What'd you send it has? Shoot. Holy shit. We got a million. No, I don't got it. You got it. Oh, pretty. Bob. Oh, you don't see the picture. The picture. Yeah, that's it. Click above it. No, I don't see it. I see it. You ready? Yeah. What was that? Dick, I don't see it. Let me get it. It's right there. I'm going to try. Right. All right. No, I don't see it. Oh, I see it now. I'm up at my bed. I'm up at my bed. Go ahead. I mean, I got it. Go ahead. Ready? Don't forget that I want to get on the talk about this. Absolutely. I haven't forgotten that at all. OK, yeah, good. Absolutely. Biggie or Big L? Whoa. Your criteria. And it's your criteria and any stories with anybody as well. Because you knew you had a book. Big L, I met briefly strip club in the Bronx back then. Golden lady? Gold. That's what you met Big L? Golden lady, OK. I feel it. Yeah, bring it up. I feel like my mom was there. Yes. But I did a Yo MTV raps with the whole Diggin' and the Crace crew. Showbus and AG and them. What's we need in the park? And the other brother that passed away. On the turntables. One of the executioners, Rock Raider was there. And also there was. I'm glad you got scared for him too. I was. Big L. But at that point, I didn't know who he was. He was literally just getting on. Large professor was there. So the whole scene opens. Everybody's Diggin' and the Crace, because that was their thing. So we was like, yo, y'all, what up? I'm here. You know how to do my thing? We in up here at Showbus and AG's lab. And these homies are Diggin' and the Crace. Oh, I seen this recently. Yeah. One of my, yo, and so big. I'm like, after later, I'm like, oh my god, that's big L. So I love him. But I'm a little, obviously Biggie got to produce a bit more. I got to connect with Biggie, put some blunts in the air. He was a blunt chain smoker. And his bedstie as well. Yeah, well, yeah, origin. But of course, I'm going to engage at that point. But when we later met and connected, just the vibe was right. And then I do the whole interview with him at the bad boy offices, him and Craig Mack, you know. That's what he's Craig Mack. His national television introduction. Right. Yeah. March is the month of momentum for small business owners. We've got our plans ready to put into action. And Shopify is here to help us. Whether you're finally ready to invest in yourself or if you already have a business, take it from us. Shopify can handle anything you throw its way. That's one of the reasons we ship to our stores at the black effect there. Shopify has powered CarlosKingshop.com for years. Give it a chance to work for you too. Whether you're selling a few products or running a full catalog, Shopify manages it all and grows with you. 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Select plans only. Wasn't that the time you introduced the Big Mac? Was that it? No, we introduced the Big Mac, but we both in the office. But you know, but I asked Biggie a question because it was similar. It was referenced one of his rhymes. I was like, he said, sometimes the rap game was comparable to the crack game, and being that he had, he was like, yeah, you know, his answer was if I was flipping burgers, if I was telling burgers, then I would have been rapping about that. But one of the answers to that, that was a great moment with them two hot spittas. Two-park or easy rest in peace to both. Man. You met them both. Yeah. Neither. Oh man, no question. That's so, wow. Wow. I go with easy. Yeah. Just because we had a little, I mean, I love them both, but had that connection and introduced the whole scene if I got. But I loved the episode we did, Yo! TV Raps. You had it on earlier when I walked in. Or two-park. And two-park. That was the first time it was recorded because I knew and hadn't come out then. He hadn't become the mega star in terms of movies and whatever. But I knew he had a Black Panther connection in the family. Definitely found out. Okay. And it's the first time he stated it. And Harlem directly. Yeah. No, we were in LA. That was California. Oh, I'm saying there's a juice in the room. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. No, the Panther 21 thing all happened in New York when his mom was involved and he was conceived. It's a crazy story. His mom was in and his, the brother that was his father. They were both a part of the Black Panther 21. They were on trial. They were under heavy pressure. They had a moment together in the holding cell or whatever when people had no to break it all down because they was caught up in the system for a while. That's how he was conceived. It's crazy. Yeah. So he came out of that. So when I asked him about that in that episode and he says he breaks that down like I come from some, you know, from some revolutionary stuff. Like my mother was a Panther, my father and they met. He was a hustle on 131st Street and they got together, you know, but it was down trying to make revolution for real. Crazy. So that was a good moment. Smith & Wesson or MOP? MOP. Love Smith & Wesson too. But you know, being a Brooklyn cat the way MOP represent, like they define Brown. What's the difference between Brooklyn and Tula? One more time? Yeah. Smith & Wesson's from Brooklyn too. Oh yeah. Yeah. No doubt. I should be more specific and say Brownsville. Okay. Very specific energy. Okay. The way they articulate it. It's just oh my God. I feel like what, you know, like the best of Brownsville on some street wild shit. They owe my brothers too. Big, big. Yeah. Shout out to all of them. K.R. Wesson one or Rockham? Man, this is torture. I mean, come on. I mean, you know, drink. If you don't want to pick, you know, he drinks. Oh man, I'm sorry. And Jockeye. Thank you. I don't want to drink. I don't want to drink. You don't want to pick? All right. Cool. I mean, you don't have to remind them like that. Now we're going to drink like, hey. No, thank you. I totally forgot the rules. I'm like, man, I would have been said that. Like yeah, have a half. Shout out on your behalf. Have a half. Thank you, man. I would have been. I'm spazzing out here. Hector, you don't want to, you want a shot? Want a little piece? Come on. Come on. Oh shit. Somewhere with Jorge. Somebody get out of here. I'm big. Yo, you got nickname of Jorge. I love it. Y'all be happy. Y'all be happy. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come sit in here and have a shot. Have a shot. Have a shot. Oh man. Alright. Duke's so much fun. Hold on. I got to take a shot. Take a shot. You took yours? Yeah, yeah, I took mine. Thanks for reminding me of the rules of the game. Alright. Duke Eleton. Or John Coltrane. Or John Coltrane. I can't. You got to take a shot. You got to take a shot. Alright, cool, cool, cool. That's the killer? He likes the killer. Yeah. Go ahead. Drink it up. Cool G rapper, slick Rick. Oh man, this is touching. Drink up. Oh, damn. Now it's super cool with this. Damn, come on, man. Y'all should have. You got any good stories with any of them? Okay, I'm saying anything. Once again. Cool G rapper, slick Rick. Well, shit. Cool G. Yes, I mean, I directed. Oh, this is great. I love to tell people. Because at this point when I'm directing. Get about the directed part. Yeah. I'm not gonna tell you. I'm not gonna tell you. When I'm directing. Get about the directed part. Yeah, so I directed about 60 or so music videos. Right. The first one. The original hype Williams. My philosophy. Well, hype did his thing. He had a whole incredible style. Yes. Love hype. Love to see that. That was incredible. A very exciting period of just a lot of people learning how to use film. Once again, Wild Style was my introduction. And I had these ideas. It was a period where I was frustrated with just making paintings, having shows. One solo show a year, a couple of group shows. I had this experience making Wild Style and I wanted to do something with film again. And that's why I wanted to direct the videos. I was trying to do a public enemy video. The Jive Records, the woman that ran the head of the whole anard and Carly had heard and hired me to do my philosophy video for Karris one. Oh, the first video. Yes. And then I go on to direct a whole bunch of videos in that period. And I directed Road to the Riches for Cool G Rock. Crazy. And what I'm most proud of in terms of where we were in that time, the crack game was really going on. And the song is about the rise and fall of a crack dealer. This is like 92-ish, if you will, timeframe-wise. And you know, I'm from these streets, so I know that story. I'm a fan. So I put that together. And if you remember the video, what I was also proud of is I'm the first video to put an image of Scarface. That became a super iconic thing. And I'm a film nerd, as well as an art nerd. I noticed it. And I was like, I went to see Scarface the first day to film. I'm a Brian D. Palmer fan who's the director. And actually it was Oliver Stone that wrote the screenplay. So I was like, unbelievable film. To see it become such a big thing in the culture was fantastic. So, bang, I direct that video once again, which is the story of the rise and fall of a crack dealer. Let's take a shot for that. I ain't gonna lie. Let's take a shot for that. Go to the riches, cool G rap. And another little piece of that story is there's a brother named George Jackson resting piece that was in jail. He died in jail. No, no, no. Not the Black Panther. Okay, okay, my bad. That's okay. I got revolutionary on you. No, no, no, I love that. And because, you know, it's funny, I used to think of that early on. Then as you got to know George, he was who we were. George was a brother from Harlem that went to Harvard on a football scholarship and worked his way into Hollywood. And I think he worked on, he might have had something to do with Crush Groove. He was hanging around doing things with Richard Pryor. And then he came, he, being that he was from Harlem, he had this idea to make a gangster film. And the film George came to me to assist with is a film called New Jack City. I'm an associate producer on that film. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The story was actually based on the Nikki Barnes story, heroin, whatever, but that's set in the 1970s. George didn't want to set the film in the 70s. He wanted to set it, which was current day, which was the early 90s when New Jack's wing is bubbling and about to explode. So he wanted to do a contemporary scene. And he knew I was tapped in. When George comes to meet with me to talk about this film, which I didn't know anything about, I'm finishing the rough cut of the Koogee rap video. Okay. Road to the riches. And when I show him the video, if you remember, there's an undercover, there's a dude that's in Koogee rap's crew. He starts off, they, they scrambling on the street, you know, like real, you know, real grimy, how it used to be hand to hand, you know, the jumbos and whatever. Then we see them, he's the boss now in the, in the office and whatever. And there's this cat that I, that you see several times through the video that pulls out as the cops rush in. His man was undercover. And in man, and you see, you go back and watch the road to the riches video. When George watches the video, he's like, oh my God, this is the idea in the movie, which I see. I see, right. And is, is the cop under, in, in, you know, infiltrating Nino Brown's organization. When George had this, put this in front of me and he had gotten this brother, sadly, he passed not long ago, Barry Michael Cooper, who was from Harlem, but he was nice with the words. His word game was crazy. And Barry had written a couple of articles and being, he was from Harlem, like writers that was connected to our scene, our culture at that time hadn't emerged yet with a strong voice. And George was highly educated, but he was from these streets too. When he saw a couple of articles, Barry had written in that, in fact, one of the very first articles on the crack epidemic about to happen. I think it might have been in Spin Magazine. George was like, this brother can write this script. And George got Barry to write the screenplay for New Jack City. And after he saw the video, I came on as a producer to help the flavor, like, like the jewelry, you know, Wesley's clothes. Like I was hovering over all of those departments getting the fourth finger ring, right, getting the right jewelry right at different times as they was rising, you know, the suits. That was phenomenal. So that's crazy. Yeah. Five fingers down for make some change. You exactly. Yeah. I love that. Christopher Williams moment. Yeah. Nice. Good niggas been out of style since that was what. Listen, I remember when we were shooting that scene, New Jack City, where Wesley stabs Christopher Williams. I never liked you anyway. Pretty motherfucker. Yeah. That's every time he we shot. There's moments when you're on a set. If you got actors at that level, when they do that, the whole crew is like, no, everybody is real. Everybody has stopped doing what they're doing to watch. Like, yo, he's doing his thing. And when he did that shit, it was so crazy. I was like, what? I never liked you. And like just the stabbing and like in the hand like that, like, like your crew was shit, you know, never. And that was a dynamic. It complimented him, too. Let me tell you another. Let me tell you another interesting dynamic about that. This was my role on that film. Being that I know what time it was in George wanted to the archetypes were people in the game in the thing. The model for Nino Brown in our heads and this me that know, you know, this is what I'm going to brought on to do was Big Daddy came. It was that was the model in terms of the archetype. We can see that I see was a character in the way his the way he would do his rap thing. And some of his early videos, boom. So we, you know, I see was definitely, you know, so I'm bringing all these names to the table. But we had audition came. He was incredible. But we had heard about this brother that was it was I think it was, oh my God, was it not more better? What was the movie Wesley debuts and it might have been quite man can jump. No, no. I'm spazzing. I'm gonna be mad at myself. More bad blues. Was it? I'm thinking was it more better? Wesley's first film. I think he was about to start shooting. One more time. Bobcat. Wildcat. Wildcat. No, what I'm talking about. No, not this was specifically a Spike Lee film. Wild Dots. Wild Dots. Thank you. I think it was Jungle Fever. I think it was Jungle Fever. And George had had, you know, had gotten like a line on this guy. He said, yo, there's this actress, young actor, Wesley Snipes. He's about to be in. He's just shot this next, this new Spike Lee film. I believe was Jungle Fever. He said, I think this could be our Nino Brown. And we went to the after party for Spike's film and I meet him for the first time. He had been in another film about baseball. He was playing a baseball player, but it didn't really blow up. It was like, I think it was Major League. Okay. Yeah. He was Willie May's haze. Yeah, Willie May's haze. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was a drag. And so we now, George, we're very aware of the dynamic amongst us of the dark skin and the light skin. And something was happening at that time with Michael Jordan with Wesley Snipes. It was like the dark skin now is emerging as an alternative, you know, getting some shine and some legit Bobby Brown was on fire and about to explode. His variety. So we were like, you know what, as opposed to going the way Hollywood made typical one, somebody a little lighter, brighter, you know, curly hair like that. You're like, you know, whatever. We were like, we want to go to complete opposite. This was something that George and I were very like, okay, that makes sense. So the first time we go to meet Wesley, I remember we now knew we know we this we knew this is going to be fire. Right. The film like what we put together. We got Teddy Riley putting the soundtrack together. We are on Monday. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah. Tell him I said what's up Tuesday, Tuesday. Yeah. Tell Teddy, I talked about this. Okay. Okay. He going to light up because I'm in the studio like I'm hovering over like boom, boom, boom. And we go, we pull Wesley to the side and you know, he's audition everything. Like he's incredible. Like, you know, he's, he can do it. Like he can cry in the scene that we need. He can do that whole shit. Like he's a whole acting package. So we said Wesley, like, yo man, like I'm telling him, I said, man, you know, I said, this film is really going to make you a star. He said, no fab, that's not going to happen, man. I said, what do you mean? But we, we saw it. He says, I'm too dark. And I was like, wow. I remember George and I both laughed because that was exactly why we knew it was going to happen because we felt the tempo. This was coming now. And the gangster was still like attractive with a dangerous sexy. We had the whole shit mapped out. Like what we needed this character to like to be. You know what I'm saying? Wow. And Wesley blew up. It was just beautiful to see it all explode bigger, even bigger than I think, you know, I didn't know people was, I mean, theaters was, you know, bullets was going. It was a while. That weekend. It was quite a sensation. Wow. That was a long story. That was great. Thank you, G-Rap. That was great. That was really nice to me being a producer on New Jack City. Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. Oh man, y'all got a drink, man. You just told ya. I'm in. I'm drinking. Yes. Miles, I met because of him and Max Roach were tight and Max was a big fan of all the hip hop stuff as it was just beginning to emerge. And so he was really into it. And as was Miles, like I like to. When you say Max, you're talking about Max Roach. Who was the drummer. That was my godfather. Okay. If we didn't talk about him earlier. Yeah, we did. He was tight with Miles and Miles and they would talk about different things going on. Miles was, you know, he switched from the classic jazz and went into the jazz rock. And they basically were very open minded. And so. Now is it true that Louis Armstrong asked for a Wii card? Yeah, that's in my film. Yeah. In the documentary I made about the Wii card right there. Like this shit is legit. Yeah, the documentary I made called. I got a receipt for this shit. Yeah, though. Yeah. So it's yeah, now it's legal. But Louis, it was such a great logic in that moment. In the 60s he asked for that? Who did this? It was known among many people. He said that you could get a gun license. That's in my film. That's exactly what he said. Like if you get a gun license. Yes. And that didn't make so much sense. It doesn't. Thank you. If you could get a gun license. He's telling his manager. His manager was. The Golden Leaf. Yeah. His manager. Yes. He was a real deal gangster that they were super tight. And he was a gangsters controlled a lot of the music industry and what have you. And Louis manager was, he was the real deal. He wrote a letter. They didn't write the letter, but he wrote what Louis Armstrong would do. He would record how he felt. There's hours of him just expressing himself. And this was one of the things that he had talked about numerous times about why they pressured me for this plan, which is virtually basically harmless. And I should tell his manager in a sense, which I think it was a letter if I'm not mistaken, but there's tapes of him talking about the, about the illogical nature of cannabis being criminalized and him kind of being pressured when, which is what my whole film Grasses Greene gets into. Right. Netflix. Yeah. Go out there and make sure you. Yeah. Let's go. Yeah. I think that's the nature that they, they targeted people in the music game and they knew Louis and other people that got pressured the most for this plant that never killed anybody. And Louis was, you know, it was, he was well renowned and we believe in the research I did with other like cannabis experts when, because he's sometime we refer to it as a golden leaf. Golden leaf. I've been looking for the golden leaf. We felt that his connection really knew how to cultivate cannabis for the flower. When we was coming up, most people just smoked everything damn near. You didn't know like, you know, it's when the weed got, got that sticky stuff on it. That's the flower giving you like the real state of the art in, in cannabis, you know, like a sativa, like an indica. We believe that's what Louis had a direct line on. So his weed was consistently great. Louis had Branson back then. Let's get into Branson. Yeah. Branson, and Biggs on film. And that's probably two of the last filmed people in the world. Listen, Branson is my boy. It was really hard work to get Branson. And the day we initially were shooting him, he stood up my whole crew and I'm like, I got major people, my DP, Malik Said. He's a feature level cinematographers, you know, brother in the gang. That's my man. He was, he was hype. I know, I know. I know. I know. He designed that look of what hype was doing. But yeah, that was heavy. That was heavy pressure. So let me just, let me just say something while we're here. I tell a famous story of one time I was drunk on 124th Street. This was the first, I believe it was fruits of life. And we were drinking, we were drinking. And I'm in Harlem, obviously. I live in Jersey. But I was, I was, I was drunk, but I was sober enough to know if I get, if I make it to Branson Block, I'm safe. No, I told the story and Branson recently co-signed the story, right? Wow. He's been on a pod, right? He did. He did. Let me break it down because there's a part of this story that's super missing. Wow. I'm telling you, I'm telling you, Jada kissed this. Jada kissed knows exactly what it is. Okay. I'm sitting there in Harlem. I drink Tiger Bone. This is Tiger Bone. Branson, we had that Tiger Bone on Jack. So I'm on 124th Street, but I'm in fruits of life. I live in Jersey. I'm on my way, headed to Jersey, and I'm like, I can't make this. There's no way. I don't even want to like risk my life. Like my life is too important. So I go to the safest place in the world that I think. You know what the safest place in the world was at that moment? Branson's. Was Branson's. Wow. I drove my car to Branson Block. And this is, I love the fact that he co-signed my story, but I want to reiterate how important this man is in our community and is to the cannabis lifestyle. He's a legend. He's a legend. There was at times where right now in New York City, if you go to certain restaurants, this thing up kids outside of these restaurants. If you go to certain weed spots, this thing up kids outside of this weed spot. Branson has so much love and so much power that you can walk into Branson and red man would be behind the thing. Because, suck it on a Lottie Pop. They had the best Lottie Pops at this time. This is just chill. That's the Japanese candy. Branson would get that. They had the Japanese candy. Yeah, a lot of exactly. I'm dead serious. You'll go back there and you'll go use the bathroom. Biggie Smalls will be coming out the bathroom. I kid you not. For us, Branson created an experience. It wasn't about going to buy, but I come from Queens. I'm literally almost an hour and a half with traffic and there's always traffic in New York City. That's so true. I would come from Queens 97-357 Avenue and go all the way to the trial barrel and guess what? I would not leave. Branson, when I saw him on your documentary, I saw how comfortable he was and I know he's not comfortable with entertainment. There's so many people who big him up. That's so true. There's so many people who big him up and he's always took the back. So I want to reiterate this part of the story that the reason why I parked at Branson and I pulled up. You knew he was going, yeah. I had a 600, just a brand new 600 Ben. Okay. Jayden Kissel knew the story. Jayden Kissel, he was like, yo, where did you go? I was drinking with Jayden Kissel. The reason why is he didn't ask what's there with me. I parked the car and I just looked at the first person that I know I saw in Branson. I was like, yo, I can't drive. I gave the kid my key. Is that the kid that had the dreads? No, no, you took my Eddie. Eddie. You took my Eddie. No, no, no, that was his people inside. I'm sure this was the people from the block. This is how much Branson had love in the block. I knew anybody who knew him, I was good with. I gave this guy my key, bro. That's incredible. I don't know him from nowhere. I gave him my key. And I called, we called an OJ. This is New Yorkshire. An OJ. That was the only car. That was the Ouba. That was the fly shit back in the day. And I went home and I woke up and I had no worries in the world. I promise you. I went right back to the same block. And everything was good. That kid was sitting there waiting for me like, yo, you good? Like, yes. He's like, yeah, that was the right thing you did. You couldn't have made it to wherever the fuck you, and what I'm trying to say to you is Branson, when Branson answered this story. He answered it as if it was the respect for me. I have to take that away and say. Branson's a modest cat. So that's right. He's a modest humble god. No, no, no, Branson. He took care of that block. There was a reason. I went to that block. That was the safest block in America, bro. Branson sold you triangle bags. And I've seen that when you was, and then I've seen you, you actually went on that podcast and you sold an envelope on five dollars. Yeah, I made how the weave bag used to look. I had to take it back. But let me just describe you because you also, in your documentary, you said over 60 rappers shot it out, Branson. That's right. He had a big thing they put together. So let me tell you why, guys. You come from Queens. You come from Staten Island. You come from Jersey. You come from anywhere in the world. And then with those three blocks, because he did not only have that one block, he had all these other blocks. I would buy my butt, bring some champagne, and I would sit there, a Queens dude. I get my car washed out there. That's that old school Harlem. Let me tell you something. There has never been experience like Branson. So when I kept, I just kept rewinding your documentaries, looking at that because this is the first time that he talked and he was still humble. You better believe it, yeah. So I'm going to brag for him. I'm going to brag for him, Branson, bro. We all owe you a lot. You gave us a sense of safety and a sense of comfortability. Incredible. I'm going to mute it. Like we couldn't even get, I'm speaking on behalf of all rappers. We couldn't get that comfortability in our own hood because people were judges. But for that block, I don't know what he did to that block. But they loved him. Go ahead. It's just so beautiful to hear you articulate it like that. I got to get some of my chess, bro. No, listen, I love it. And when I moved up to Harlem in the early 2000s, I got really tight with Eddie and he would tell me how they got down. And the way Branson numerous times, he would have cookouts and he would buy food. The real classic Harlem stuff that went down that you hear about. Branson did that. He's cut from that cloth of those cats from that 70s era. He didn't go that direction, obviously, but he treated people like that. He was super tight with another Harlem legend resting in peace. My man, Vaughn Zipp. Vaughn Zipp, yeah. And Zipp had 118th Street the same way. They took care of the whole block. The Zipp club, Zipp Code. Yes, Zipp Code came later. Yes, indeed. He got an incredible fly club in Harlem. He managed Mike Tyson for a minute along with my dear friend, Jimmy Rosemond, you know, aka Jimmy H. Yeah, you know that's my man. So Branson had that classic Harlem get down that really unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. I think a big part of the reason why he had, why the block shows you just was, the way that went down is just unbelievable. But just think about it. I'm telling you, listen, listen, I'm smack drunk out of it. But I still knew what to say. I know where safe at. I'm already in Harlem. It's 124. And I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe Branson was on 150 first or 149. It was St. Nick. St. Nick. The fish spot is right down the block. Right. That's how I get to Branson. I go to the fish spot, I get a fish sandwich and then I go to... Look at you. Yes, yes, yes. What's that? Famous fish? There's famous on 145th. 145th. Yes, yes, yes. And St. Nick. That's the best fucking fish in the world. Get the fried fish. That's the only thing. Miami, I need to understand where... Fried fish like that. Yes, I need a fried fish. That's the southern thing. So it's mostly fried poggies and whiteies. This is what's typical in New York. And then some fries, you know what I mean? A few other sides. But it's mainly like fried whiteings and fried poggies. It's typical what you get in most fish. They might have a red snapper here and there. No, what is it called? I got one spot that I love here. It's in the hood. Snappers? Snappers. Snappers. Snappers. Snappers. I think my New York niggas, I'm like, yo, listen. I got New York fish out here. They're like, where? So now, let me just... They be like, this is not it. I'm sorry for jumping. It was just an exciting moment. So Branson, because he's exactly how you describe classic hustling, I'm not trying to be telling everything. I'm not trying to... That's so much a weird part of the culture now. Right, yeah. Branson is ready to tell everything. Branson is cut from that classic cloth of you don't talk, nobody talking. Classic real classic hustling street shit. And so that's, I think, a part of why he was like, I had said all this up, because I also told Branson, look, man, I had no idea I would get into the cannabis business. But just really, that is a part of how this happened, because I said, man, listen, I'm going to meet these people, Branson. You basically created a brand without realizing you created a brand. Over 60 rappers, including Biggie, which I use in my film, and mentioned a bunch of others, wrapped about, yo, I got a jar from Branson. I'm uptown with that Branson. Can I stop you for one second? Because, let me just say something. When you say jar, jar is different because something you broke down in your documentary is his 20s was in triangle. Correct. And his 50s was in brown bags. Okay. But no, I think he might have had two sizes of triangles. Because I remember sometimes it's like a 20. No, no, because sometimes I had a top stick, and sometimes he had the green. Oh my God. So he had the brown. I'm going to brass this. No, no, no, no. Trust me. I loved it. Trust me. I might have been in brass. He's kind of suing him at one point. I ain't got a lot. I'm going to bring toilet tissue there. It's classic. Because I'm going to take a shit. It's going down. I'm dead serious. I'm dead serious. This is perfect. I love this so much. So they had a top stick in the 20s. Then he had the green in the 20s as well. But then in the brown bags was the 50s. And then if you had a jaw, a jaw was 150 or more. Was that a jaw quarter or like a half ounce? I ain't going to lie to you. I don't know. It was between the two. One of them. The jaw was when you was a baller. Exactly. That's what they call the rubber weasel at that time. The way you would hear it referenced. You had some paper. And you knew he had the most consistent, high quality cannabis that you can get. It was really like a dispensary. March is the month where we stop pity reset and start making moves that actually count. This is when resolutions either fade or turn into real results. That's why I'm partnering up with Shopify to help all of our small business owners out there making them happen. If you're ready to bet on yourself this year, Shopify makes that first step so simple. Already have a business, Shopify can handle it all. That's why I moved my store over there. Whether you're selling just a few products or a full catalog, Shopify manages everything and grows with your business. One login, access to everything that matters, thousands of site templates. You don't need to be a designer. And your site still feels like it's completely yours. It is amazing. I designed my site probably in about an hour. And I'm not a girl that does all the coding and all the things. I just know what I like. 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Plus, you get incredible gaming speeds on multiple devices with no one battling for bandwidth. With no annual contracts, no hidden fees, and their best equipment included. All with Xfinity five-year price guarantee. Xfinity. Imagine that. Restrictions apply. Select plans only. I'll never tell the story. I gotta tell the story. Capone gets locked up. Capone's like, you love Capone. Capone's like, yo, I need some bud. I'm like, I'm sending him bud. He's like, nah, I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want them. I want that band. So I was like, I go up to him. I buy everything that I need. Then I buy everything Capone need. Mm. I don't know. I don't know how to rap. Shit up for jail niggas. What the fuck? OK, OK, OK. Like, I don't know how to do this shit. He tells me to go meet a girl. Yeah. Go meet the girl. Like, give her the bar. I don't rap the shit. He hit me like, man, that shit ripped her shit off. Oh, shit. Whoa, so the triangles. I got. Good God, OK. I got like 10 of them. Whoa. So she had to stuff the shit. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. He like, yo, why you ain't wrapping up? I'm like, what the fuck? And you're like, what's up? I got instructions to buy bar. He didn't know where it was actually going to go. I'm sure too. Is that my problem? Like, I'm paying for it. I'm doing it. Wow, wow. And when I tell you, when I tell you. Jesus. Every that whole week, he was like, he was the man. Like, he had the whole jail smoking brands. Yes, yes. This is all. It's allegedly anyway. No, it's not allegedly. That's how he made his name. He consistently had that fire before it. Just do the right thing. Had a person like Fad, a person like me, a person like us, have we knew that you could legalize this shit eventually? Yeah. Like this guy was the first of everything, Branson. Yeah, he's a pioneer. I'm just being honest. Like, he's my friend. I love him. I don't want to say that he doesn't want this props. I just. I want to say what you said. He's from that old school where it's like, you don't claim this shit. But I got to claim this. I got to be cocky for him, bro. This is the first time. Like, I would be stressed out. This is like therapy for me, going to Branson. Wow. Like, I would go there and I would just chill. I mean, by myself, like a Queens dude chilling in the Harlem. What a fucking 600 Benz parked outside, sitting there rolling, arguing with Eddie, arguing with the like, I argued with Eddie like, oh, man, shut up, man. Yeah. He's like, man, your Queens niggas, come over here. Get your car wash. I'll give my car wash. I'm sitting there. It's just a great experience, bro. That's just, that's just. There has been nothing like that. And God bless me, Branson, because I know he probably going to watch this and be like, damn, no, you went too far. But they have every dispensary in California has been. Yeah. Yeah. What you presented. Like they come and you could chill. They can roll up. You can buy some candy and you can sit outside and chill. No. No, he's a real pioneer. So I'm sorry, Branson. I'm sorry, but I had to give you a fly. I was because I said this story and he responded. But he responded in so much of a humble way. And I was like, nah, bro, the reason why I parked there, because I knew the respect that they have for you. And I knew the respect that they had that I always come in there to see you. So real right there. And I got to give Branson this fly. So you not only got Branson to speak, but a person who managed me and EFM both is Biggs. Yes, yes, yes. And you got Biggs to speak. I was blown away just sitting back. I was like, because and you got Biggs to speak about cannabis. And not only that, Biggs got convicted of cannabis. Well, he's sort of referenced that I didn't want to go expand too much on that. But that was part of the dynamic in terms of the injustices that too many people have had to go through for this plan, which is basically a harmless medicinal plant that has been going back to the 1930s that I illustrate. They just whipped it into a frenzy. They lied. They created this cannabis conspiracy film, like Reef for Madness. And they spooked people to the core and got cannabis criminalized and then targeted people. So Biggs was one of the victims of that. Wasn't it a guy who killed his whole family or something like that? And they said it was before we. And he was a schizophrenic. Yeah, but thank you. God was a schizophrenic. But they whipped it and made it seem like this was a cannabis store. That was a part of the lies that they used to whip and get congressmen to criminalize cannabis in 1937. Oh, look. Which was always racially motivated as well. The guy's name was, yeah. But the guy's name, but it was only because people of color were using it and as well as Spanish people. They even gave it the name. That's why people in the cannabis business never use serious people that get this. Don't use the term marijuana because that was invented. That's a Mexican, right? It was invented by the people that wanted to criminalize cannabis to make it sound Mexican. That word did not exist for the plant in Mexican society. So they got marijuana like tijuana. You know, just chicken by film. So it was real serious racism when you dig in to how they targeted certain people. We were victimized largely for that. And then people around. Juana. You say guana. Follow me. Yeah. Talk, man. Yeah, just get it. Go ahead. Yeah, that became a nickname for it. So those are all things that they used to get cannabis criminalized. But cannabis is largely medicine. And that's the thing that we now know more of. When you get, especially good cannabis, there's medicinal value. And once scientists really looked at the plant and studied it and understood there's these various cannabinoids, different components, begin to isolate the CBD and be like, oh, this really heals pain. It takes the inflammation away. And it's the medical uses of the plant that have broken down all these lives. And states like California, Colorado, which were out front in terms of going medical first, then all the lies that it's going to just the gateway drug. Come on, what has created taking people to a opioid crisis was legally pushed, the oxycodone and the whole opioid thing. Cannabis has helped so many people. And that's what changed a lot of the negative perception. It's usually medical first a couple of years. And then people are like, look, it's helped me with this. It's helped me with that. It helps people with pain issues. So a lot of these things are in the process. And I happen to make a film talking about this, showing this history, the music connection from the jazz people to the hip hop people. Snoop gave it up for me. I got my man, B-Rail was in there. B-Rail from Cypress. And then really speaking about the plant. That's the only part I had. B-Rail said the Mount Rushmore. He was like, him, Snoop, Mav. Well, that was, yeah, that wasn't. Like, yo, what the fuck? I'm in front of my invisible. Oh my god. I'm fucking with you. I'm fucking with you. I love it. I was like, damn, nigga, I've been here for years. That's so true. No, you clearly see the fucking floor like this. But segue into your product. So basically, once again, loving cannabis, growing up. My dad, all those jazz guys were bigger fiction autos. It's actually my business partner, Ron Samuel, where I am. He was from Cali. He's the brother that was in the game. In cannabis, seriously, moving packs around. He was in the game hustling doing this thing. But he sorted the legal business opening up, and he wanted to dive in. But being that he had got caught up in the system, spent a little time, they forbid, which are the people that really pioneered it, they forbid you in a lot of these states to be able to get into the business. So he was first to have a criminal background. Correct. And you've been convicted and felony, whatever it may be. So boom. His whole thing was, I want to be a part of this. And he was going to the conventions thinking, what's going back 10 or so years as it became a medical thing in a big business in California? How could I be a part of this? Because I know this. I've done this. And we had a conversation one day. This is back, like I think, about 2016, 2017. He said, yo, I figured it out. I'm going to start a consultancy company. And I'm going to call it 40 Acres and a Greenhouse. And so the idea was to play off of the 40 Acres, which I really didn't get. I was given and taken away. And that was the idea that, and to get into the game, and be a consultant. Because all these business guys are getting in that really don't know cannabis. He's the cat that did it all up and down Cali, Humbo, Groze, move the packs of serious, high quality cannabis. And so when he said that, I just cracked up. And I was like, oh, what a great idea. What a great name for the company. And this is my business partner, cannabis, his brother named Ron Samuel, who's been in the game a long time. He said, I'm going to start a consultancy company called 40 Acres and a Greenhouse. And I said, that's great. And in the conversation, we cracking up and talking. I'm like, well, wait a minute. Black folks made jazz records and bigged up the plant. Back then, then reggae artists did the same thing. Peter Tosh sang about legalizing it over 40 plus years ago. And then in my era, artists that I introduced to the country snoop, red man, method man, all these cats were the modern day proponents making big hit records about the plant. What a great way to do a documentary. And that was when it was like, man, I have music. I'll be able to show, like get the hip hop people to talk. I'll get the historical footage of the jazz people doing it. But then I knew I was going to have to focus on the criminal justice side of all the people that have gone to prison and lives have been upside down. And that's how you discovered B-Noble. Well, how I discovered or how B-Noble came to be, the story that I chose to focus on to illustrate just the unfair, just harshness of this criminal justice system was a brother from Louisiana that was given a 13-year sentence for two joints worth of cannabis. What did he do? He did seven years. He did seven. His name was Bernard Noble. So all people that were fighting. Two joints worth of cannabis. That's crazy. A couple of grams. A couple of grams of cannabis in his pocket. This is what it came out to. So basically enough to roll two joints. We break it down to two joints, but it was just a little bit of weed. He maybe could have rolled like one blunt, but basically. Some shit like that. Right, 2. whatever grams. And this is just illustrates how a lot of the prison system still works, unfortunately, in certain states. They looking to put people in prison just to make money off that prison industrial complex. So all that nonsense. It's the third strike state that this guy's for joint. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Listen, when Bernard Noble, which is the brother's name, we interview his family because I'm covering the jazz scene in my film. And Louis Armstrong, who's a big part of my film, as you've seen, is from Louisiana. That's where jazz is born. So we covering that. But then we interview his family, his mom, his sisters. They break down. It's really a sad moment. He's still in prison. And those are the ones that you were there. That's his family. I'm in the house. It's all three girls. Yeah, it's the mother and his three sisters, I believe, two or three sisters. Really sad moment that illustrates what this has done to families over two joints worth of weed. His case had become celebrated. And a lot of people were campaigning, illustrating. In fact, Vice had did a show called Weedekit. And that's how I had first seen this episode, this story a couple of years before. They had a show called Weedekit on Vice TV. I didn't see that. It's like an Indian guy that hosted. You could see a lot of this on YouTube. I know that guy. Different topics around cannabis. What was it about? This particular episode of this show, which would do all different types of cannabis coverage, did a show on this brother that was in prison. I remember them talking to his kids. And maybe haven't you maybe heard him on the phone. He might have called in. But when you hear how much weed and how much time he got, it was just unbelievable. So I was like, that's the story I'm going to focus on in the film. But after I'd interviewed the family about a week later, I got a call that he had, because people were campaigning on his behalf, that he finally got up parol. And he'd be coming home in a couple of weeks. So we fly back to Louisiana to capture that moment. And when he comes out, he says, man, I didn't know what was going on. There's people in there for less weed than him. But more talk like, you're just blowing my mind. I mean, I interviewed the former prosecutors that said, I couldn't do that anymore. Looking at how unjust. There's certain towns in some of these states, the money is made from this local prison, which they got to keep full. And this goes back to a film made by DuVernay made a documentary also on Netflix called A Thirteenth, which is about the 13th Amendment, which is supposedly the ending of slavery. But it shows how the prison system still manages to enslave people and has them working for slave wages. And it was like, it's big business, unfortunately, like publicly traded private prisons. That's crazy. So that motivated me to do a brand in the brother's name. And we work with him. And we made a connection with this company, Cureleaf, which is a really big cannabis company. And so we've been in numerous states. Yeah, nine states already, right? Correct. Yeah, we've been up to nine. And this was our initial product, which is a two joint pre-roll, which reflects the amount of weed he got popped for. Little stuff, mentions that. I'm taking that. Yeah, this is eight. I'm sorry. I'll get you so. This is the QR code. No, no, no, no. You're taking that board out. I'm taking that. No, no, no. 100%. Make it look like it. No, we got you. We got you covered. And I got, you know. Don't worry about that. Yeah, no, we got you covered. And the flour is really incredible, like some really high quality flour that the company's been making sure as a pre-med brand with a compelling story. I mean, come on, cannabis is big business. But a lot of brands is just like colorful packaging. And my weed's better than yours. Our weed is killer, incredible. Plus, we're doing something, giving back. And raising awareness about these issues, which people are still in prison. While cannabis is a multi-billion dollar growing business, this still states where people are still in prison. Like Bernard could technically still be in jail now. You know? He only did seven. So we're going to finish a quick time with Slimex, too. Yeah, I'm on that. And by the way, we started another new brand called Jungle Girl, which is only in New York. But this is a female-focused cannabis product here. The sister named Natalie from Cali, who has a fashion brand called Jungle Girl. So they can't drink it? Oh, no, no, no. Anybody can smoke it. But what we learned in the cannabis scene, particularly a lot of people that are new to cannabis. You don't get bad from breaks. Thought about it, bro. I love how casual this is. This is incredible. What we learned in the business, since we've been doing this now for like a few years now, a lot of women are now getting comfortable. A new audience is getting comfortable with cannabis. And a lot of the chicks can't roll. Because if you think about it, it takes some time to learn how to put a joint together. So pre-rolls, particularly for women, are very easy access. So that's a pack of pre-rolls. Yeah, there's a five-pack of those kind of nice medium, small joints. And we have various like vibrant, euphoric, and different kind of things. So we're not trying to get into all the wild names of various strains. People want to feel a certain way without making it too complicated. So this has taken off really well in New York. We're in a bunch of dispensaries with Jungle Girl. And the B Noble brand, we're expanding. And it's just really been an incredible run. Helping to inform people about these aspects of cannabis, like just to keep in mind that a lot of people have suffered. As a lot of states legalize, you're supposed to be able to expunge your criminal record and stuff. I mean, even when I made Grasses Greener, I didn't realize that people could get kicked out of public. Housing, a lot of stuff was still in cannabis in New York up until we went completely adult use. And I get heavy on that in my film. I didn't realize what the cannabis laws actually would like. So a lot of. And some of the companies that are benefiting off of it, being legal are these huge corporations, Marlboro, that. No, not yet. Well, the company that we did this licensing deal with, Curely, they're literally big. They're very big in many states. They started medically, hence the name Curely, curing. But they really wanted to step up and represent a brand that was speaking to this issue. Because when you understand cannabis, a lot of people's lives have been jammed up. A lot of people who we know. Like when I go to Dispensaries in New York, which has one of the most progressive cannabis rules, regulations, and stuff like that, and the OCM, the Office of Cannabis Management, a lot of people that got first on the list for dispensaries had did time that got caught up. It was seriously. And they were brothers of color, right? Oh, yeah. Mostly. I mean, it's white folks as well. But mostly, they was pressuring us. Whereas in the white neighborhoods, kids were smoking just as much weed. Popo wasn't doing stopping first and running down on them in the same way. So as a hint, you have so many people getting jammed up. They really structured the legislation, particularly this state representative, Crystal People Stokes out of Buffalo. She fought hard for the legislation that we have. And whereas if Governor Cuomo tried to chop up pieces of the bill, she was like, no, we got to have it like this. And then finally, he signed it. So that's how people get on like that. Other states have talked about helping people, but it never really came to fruition. You know what I mean? That they helped as many people as they said they wanted to. But New York is a lot of people that have dispensaries now giving it a go. And we pick up to a rich player. He got his. It's a B noble, baby. Fat boys or Beastie boys? Beastie boys. Jay-Z or Big Daddy Kane? I'm with you. I can't touch that. Y'all got to drink up. Love them both to death. Big Daddy Kane is from not far from where I'm from in Bed-Stuy. I'm from Hancock, Lewis and Garvey. Used to be Lewis and Sumner. And Kane is from Lewis about four or five blocks away. Got him. Yeah, Big Daddy. He was on one of the first episodes of URM TV Raps as well. Him, Rock Him, yes. Okay, Charlie Chase or Red Rock? Okay, Charlie Chase or Red Alert? Wow, wow. Oh man, I can't do it either one. I love both of them. Man, wow. This list is murder, but y'all gonna get drunk messing with me up there. Take a shot? Take a shot? Nah, I'm cool. No, I'm just saying. No, we took a shot. No, we took a shot already. Oh yeah, no. They did, yeah, yeah, yeah. They knocked it back. Yo, Drink Champs is serious, y'all. This is serious. They're really doing this up in here. Debbie Harry or Cindy Lover? Oh man, you know, I love Cindy Lover. I gotta get my shot ready. Debbie Harry's family. Okay. So, you know, love me some Debbie Harry. B Street or Wild Style? I mean, come on. Yo, y'all, he knows Wild Style. The first, the best, the original. Run DMC or EPMD? You know I ain't touchin' none of that. Should I directed one of EPMD's early videos? I directed Strictly Business. Whoa. Strictly Business. Man, Strictly Business, EPMD. Okay, Nas or LLQJ? I directed one of early, one of Nas's early videos. Which one? One Love. Yes, yes. One Love. Did you know that? No, I did know that. That's crazy. That's romantic. I literally filmed in his apartment in Queensbridge. His mom's was still up in that apartment. Nas was just beginning to take off. But I shot the scenes right in that apartment. So let's tell us about that. All right, so you get the call from Faith Newton? No, no, no, no, no. I know Faith going way back. Yeah, Big O' Faith. What would happen often, which was really a blessing. I'm hosting Yom TV Raps. So Nas, once again, makes his national television debut with me on Yom TV Raps. Of course, the buzz was phenomenal. You know, I of course heard, like you know, Live at the Barbecue the whole shit. Back to the grill again too, had it happened already? I think so. I'm not sure about that one, but definitely Live at the Barbecue. And then this buzz about this incredible phenomenon that you know, and listening, I'm like, oh, believe it, this is incredible. So then boom, he comes through to do the show. And I really had, you know, I was looking at his videos and a couple of things, the first ones that came out. And I just felt like his personality was so held back in a way. And I knew, I wanted to get a chance to work with him because I wanted to bring more him out. I felt like I saw it. Because even sometimes, and talking to him initially, He was very protective. I know what you're saying. But he would talk, he'd be real, lay back and like, okay. But then it was like reserved. Right. He'd be like, yo, but so was so. And boom, boom, boom. I'd be like, oh, okay. I saw this thing in there. If you know Nas, what you're talking about, when you really get him going, he'll come out of it. So I knew I wanted to, and then, fam, when, so when we did the interview on your MTV raps, he was, he told me the story, how, yo, man, I can't believe I'm sitting here with you. This was, no, this is actually on the part of the interview. He says, man, like my pops took me to see wild style. Like when I was 10, and I can't believe I'm sitting here talking to you and, and, and, and, and so then he's asking me questions in between. I told him, oh, I directed this, I did that. He said, yo, man, I want to work with you. And so that's how that started right there. Cause he realized other things I made. Like I did just to get a, just to get a rep, of course. But I also did, um, yeah. Just getting rep to, to get my bad. And, um, road to the riches for G-Wrap. Those is real narrative storytelling that I, that's, you know, I knew I could, could handle that. And so, yeah. Well, it's full circle being that he used wild style in the project too. It was just a, you know, connection was incredible. Plus being that his father was a jazz musician, I could sense that sensibility in his whole attitude and flow. And then as you learn more later, that was true. His back is pops used to live near me in Harlem. Oh, little Dara is his dad who's a really renowned, you know, horn sax player. And, um, his dad introduced him to a whole lot of, you know, conscious stuff. And, you know, it just, it was just perfectly, it worked out perfectly. He made a young prodigy. And so, um, that song, one love was like a script. I mean, it's perfect. The constructed that song. You suggested you film that or they called you the tech? Well, I, when I met Nas and I told him things I made and he's like, Oh, you know, you made Jessica to rap. You did. Wow. You know, I want to work with you. My philosophy. Cause the videos then only MTV at a point started putting the directors name up. Mostly you didn't know. And then, you know, you, people didn't know who directed what, but then MTV started doing that. So it was really a good look. People got to know, Oh, you know, like Williams, you know, fab or this one, Lionel Martin, different people were directing. And it was people began to pay attention, but with Nas, this thing, it was perfect. I was like, Oh man, I got this. And the hard thing was the casting and something that I'm really flattered about with the one love video is hype. Did a scene in belly, which was very, yeah. Um, or the kid, the young kid sitting out in a bench. And so that's the one love. Yeah. And they recreated a scene very similar with Nas sitting on a bench and talking to this young wannabe thug type type cat. The problem I would often have with music videos, the budgets wasn't enough for me to really hire actors. So oftentimes I would have to run out and try to find somebody that can be the character that I needed. So I know I need this young kid for this scene that I have in my mind. I'm riding around. I don't know where I'm going to find this kid, but we was in Harlem one day and I saw this kid. This is before cell phones was really mad. Uh, common. These two young kids on the corner with a, with a, with a house phone, a cordless house phone, front and like, like they're on the brick, like they're on the brick phone. Yeah. Not as big as a brick, but the same idea. I got a cell phone and it was front and like, and they really was swagged out. They was like 13 ish. And so I drove by and I seen these two kids on the corner. I said, yo, I told my man, I said, yo, spin back around. Let me run over and holler at this young shorty right here. So I rolled up on him, you know, and just like I'm back, he was trying to be thugged out. But I'm like, hey, how you doing shorty? We don't, what's your name? What you doing? Blah, blah, blah. So we had a little conversation with him. And as I'm talking to him, I said, yo, I think this kid could do that. Because his, he was trying to be like a lot older. He had a real hard rock swagger and boom, I got his mom's number. And I reached out and boom, and I made it happen. So that's the kid that's on the, that plays at home. Yeah. You know, dad, dad, that's all. I can't remember the lyric, but. No, it's not. I just like. How it go when I come back home, nobody's out for shorty. Do rock rolling two fillings together in the bridge. We call them who are you know, the whole thing and shit. The kid played the shit off. Lovely, you know, where I wear bulletproof and pack of, you know, he was that he had that whole shit that I knew, caught him on the corner, B and got him to play that character. I talked to him, I always thought he's from Queens Bridge. They have. No, that's okay. But, so in the scenes, when Nas, you know, I do the whole shooting scene and whatever, those was real, those was the real Queens Bridge cats, like people was really playing themselves. Then I do the jail scene, you know, and I bust a bunch of them cats out to this We found a local like a local jail that looked like a old-style prison had tears and shit Ah, and that's where we did the jail scene with his man. That's writing him. Yes. It's in jail You know, that was fun to do that video because it was the song was perfect I just had to put the right no one kind of like made a song like that fry it to that right? No, I don't think I don't think Everyone not with that level I mean, I would like to think so people like I think people tried to be like cinematic and tell a story But that was my thing. I knew I could handle it. But not only was he telling the story who's he was ah Telling a story for right now for a person that's in jail. Oh, you mean now is all in terms of the way No one has wrote a letter man. No listen. No, it was beyond Yeah, no, I was yeah, go man So let me tell you another thing we did there was a cat in the directing game that came up under me brother from Brooklyn named Name black name is Brian LeVar that was my man and he got on you know, he was a PA on some videos But I saw he had flavor. He was a real deal cat out of bushwick Brooklyn So he worked his way up to where I knew it was time for him to get a shot Directed so I'm setting up and developing everything to shoot the video for one love for blood. Yeah Bring it back. This is a Philly blunt beautifully rolled All he is chicken and fries that's it so and he's a vegan I'm preparing I'm preparing to do the one love video and nines calls me and says yo I want you to do this other video. I want to drop. It's a remix to the world is yours He wants me to do that too, but you know, I'm like a man. This is a lot So but my man who was like my right hand on doing videos. He was assistant Directed like he learned the entire game and wanted to direct So I basically got him to direct the remix to the world is yours And what we came up with what I told my man We should do is I said listen because the box was really popular there Yeah, that's what you like you knew the number it you 99 cents not exactly You call it up and you can pick the number if you did it late at night the video would come right on So I said listen Come up with a story in the video with is a kid that A character will both cast him together I'll make sure he's right and then at the end of whatever you come up with this kid is going to run away to get away from like Popo or something like some setup he had with the Popo was raiding like like a gate and dude got away and he ran and That cat who ran we worked it all out with the same outfit and everything is the kid that you see in the beginning of the one love video Running and this is the kid that plays that whole character in jail Whatever that Nas is writing a lettuce soup, right and you see the kid run the video opens with him running and the police jump out And they lock him down and Nas is in the project window and he's like damn Then that's so we do the whole idea doing that was so that on the box You could play both videos and the video would go from the world is your ending dude would be running When the same outfit and then when one love comes on that's the same cat he running Bobo gets to me says yo What up kid? No shit is When the cops came to my crib fucking black the time looking back is done Puffs congratulations, you know you got a son by that point like By that point you see him in jail now reading Nas's letters That is genius And my man got to direct and now he was in the game because now he done made his first video He went on to do a lot of he did a lot of shit in fact He did a video for big Al, you know and he got his he got his shit on him He's still in the film game my man, Brian my man black with a black Yeah, man, so that's a fun story Fuck yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's a big time. Oh, yeah, please All right scene or Zephyr. Oh Man, you're gonna have to drink on that. I love opening up guys. I mean Zephyr is one of the stars of wild style The scene is incredible man my man seen from the VX Yes, 80s or 90s hip-hop Wow Wow Damn nah, y'all got a drink. I love them both 80s and 90s. How y'all so cruel with these come back. It's hard to shit on nothing Section over there Drink we drink a drink for this one. No, I did not you go get to play. Yeah, look, I'm waiting for come on March is the month of momentum for small business owners We've got our plans ready to put into action and Shopify is here to help us Whether you're finally ready to invest in yourself or if you already have a business take it from us Shopify can handle anything you throw its way. That's one of the reasons we shifted our stores at the black effect there Shopify has helped power my brand embellished for years Why not let it work for you too? One login gives you access to everything that matters Thousands of templates mean you don't need to be a designer and your site still looks uniquely yours They even have Shopify sidekick AI that actually works helping with marketing forecasting and strategy You can sell on social media and even directly through chat GPT Starting a business is hard, but it's worth it. Trust me I should know but you got to start somewhere and Shopify will help you turn momentum into something that lasts if you have a business idea Whether it is big or small Shopify is the best platform for that business check out Shopify comm slash BEM to see why millions of businesses have chosen them to build their Empires and maybe even start yours It's me again Oh Talk to a healthcare provider and visit care for the culture comm to learn more Planned Parenthood health centers save lives But the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are blocking patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood health centers for one simple reason They want to shut Planned Parenthood down yet across the country Planned Parenthood health centers are still there Opening their doors to care for their communities That's because Planned Parenthood believes controlling your own body is the most basic freedom and they'll never stop fighting for it One in four people in the US have been to a Planned Parenthood health center for high quality health care like birth control cancer screenings STI testing and treatment abortion and more Planned Parenthood is still the country's largest sex educator and a trusted source of unbiased sexual and reproductive health information From millions of people Planned Parenthood will never stop working to get people the information they need and they will never stop fighting so that every person is free To make their own decisions about their bodies and futures at Planned Parenthood care continues to learn more visit I'm for PP org No one knows what the future holds But you deserve a weather app that can help Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need from storm warnings to pollen levels right at your fingertips Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are It's hyper local real-time customizable alerts make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence Download the free weather bug app from the app store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7 This is Bowen Yang from Las Culturas Jess with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang and guess what I'm Matt Rogers from Las Culturas With Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang It's always exciting when someone new moves into the neighborhood especially when they bring reliable intelligent Wi-Fi I'm thrilled when a neighbor moves in Xfinity is now available in your area so you can get the five-year price guarantee Five years of Wi-Fi that finds and fixes issues before you even notice them and helps keep you protected from online threats Plus you get incredible gaming speeds on multiple devices with no one battling for bandwidth with no annual contracts No hidden fees and their best equipment included all with Xfinity five-year price guarantee Xfinity imagine that restrictions apply select plans only All right, Vaskia a Warhol Man Go ahead I see Both of them Recipes yes indeed recipe to both of them man both my homies right there All right the Ramones or agnostic front. Oh wow definitely the Ramones No, Queens, right? Oh the Ramones. I think they was just right. Yes Queens, yeah, you don't watch the entourage I mean I guys been a long time that they showed the Ramones being from Queens I think they definitely was from Queens. Yeah, they was definitely New York has that interesting. Yeah, all right rock-a-roll high school. How about that? So Queens with BX? Wow, don't say both man I mean I'm from Brooklyn so you should be like I can't sit on Queens Qualified Queens In the boogie down Bronx, you know Grandmaster flash or cool herk y'all got a drink man Jesus Christmas We're not gonna be able to be here with you right now Man y'all got a cover some whoa crazy shit. You should ask some people that was Alright The Dominican and Oh my god Man neither man. I love both of them guys Yeah, yeah, the same crew that's what I'm saying basically Drink both of them debuted your TV wraps. Yo relax, honey man Oh Yo, this is real I see now y'all they play it over here. Yeah, we take the pictures like we can have Bernie's NYC breakers a rock steady crew. Oh Man definitely rock steady crew. Okay. I was afraid they both and I mean respect to New York city breakers Rock steady crew for sure, baby. Come on. We made history together here. No, it's your favorite It's strong wild style, baby Wu Tang oh wait, wait, hold up. So it NYC breakers were not at all a wild style. No, no, just just rock steady rock steady Okay, yeah, Wu Tang or NWA Man, I can't mess with that Olympian and Dominican section of idea they come over the question We think they own that thing Rap city or video music box Do your music box? All right, last one loyalty of respect Wow, I mean both for essential shit both of mandatory so Fuck man, you don't even Know both of mandatory Yeah, no, I definitely been around and those are those are I know I'm gonna listen to that's foundational right there I'm yet to see need both loyalty. Yeah, you know what's incredible? DJ Premier It was this 2019 right before the pandemic So my film drops on for 20 in 2019 grasses greener my documentary on Netflix Over two million people viewed my joint. It was crazy. I'm sure a lot more says that was numbers. I got back then DJ Premier call me up. I see cuz so I did I Did two videos well I did Just to get a rap and then I did another video for guru and a French rapper that was a real pivotal pioneering French rapper that opened up the scene Name MC. So long. Oh, yeah, not the other MC. So long that was this tool The one that was involved with guru Okay, I'm talking about the original one in my book In guru's album the jasmine tag story. I'm getting to that's a story. I'm telling you this is French guru I'm sorry French MC. So long and the song is called a bien le mal. It was on that jazz and tass record I direct that video and so Yeah, I shot a shot in Paris It was a the idea of the video which was a you know being in Paris I said I fell asleep on the Paris Metro once and woke up and I was like man Wouldn't this be amazing like I like if you was on the train in New York and you woke up and you was in Paris or vice versa Because the subways are so similar like you're gonna wake up naked in New York Sleep in New York, you know wake up naked. No, you want to try it. You know, you just those are Those are different from one or no, you're right It's amazing how you can go to sleep on the train packed with people but if you ride the subway in New York That's something you can do. Yeah, and I had this I would have this like a vision of this happening So the way that video opens that video for that song Guru gets a call from MC. So long he runs down the New York City subway He comes out of the Paris Metro and they run we run all over Paris filming them do this song together So that was like, you know a really a really but anyway, so I did two videos that and The just to get a rep and so primo calls me and he says listen man There was a legal fight with this other solar person and we got back to rights Or all the other materials that guru when he passed this dick dick this dude had hold the held on to everything And then yes, it was crazy primo and his family. So, you know, you know, you know the half on that so primo is like listen man, I got this one track and I created a new beef for it it's called family and loyalty this track and The most recent this is the most recent, you know, I got it on my plumber. Yeah, it's a real good So the idea was hitting the hook of the song Diamonds it's a reference to like diamonds Yes diamonds are forever like like like loyalty, you know, thank you. Thank you. Thank you So it's this whole thing about diamonds and I'm like man How do I deal with this without being like a gratuitous bling bling kind of thing? But how do I dress these diamonds? So I came in with this concept which the video opens with a reading of guru's will and in his will this lawyer states in guru's will these raw diamonds were given to him by an African prince and Guru's son primo was like his son has to be in it sons like a young man now 22 20 whatever and basically The concept of the video is when the son gets these diamonds. I shoot him going around Harlem Cast some a t-shirt on the street go to this juice bar 145 And they bless the people with these raw diamonds like on some gratitude shit So it's a whole nother way of dealing with the stones and stuff. Anyway, it was a fun video J Cole is also on that right. Thanks for remembering. Yes. No, I'm That's from the newer game the newer gang star joint. Yeah, no Yeah, J Cole, we went we go down to North Carolina and and I shoot J Cole. Anyway, it was just such a special vibe that guru an artist that I work with and Here's a song, you know, like a new song. So it was a real privilege to do that video Which felt like videos back in the 90s like I did it real rough running gun, you know, and yeah, anyway Thank you, thank you man, I can't thank you enough man because um, she's been so much fun Waiting my turn. You know, not your turn. This is your house. Thank you place You know um The fact that black media is taking control of black media Or hip hop is taking control of hip hop media and me and ear thinker like sit back and Say that, you know, we kind of like was trying to do that But when we spoke about that it's always been about what you've done for us And that's meaning like put hip hop first. Yes, like, you know, and my running club We have something called run first right run first run first and run club, right? Okay, right But in life, it's always been hip hop first Hip hop has always been The catalyst to get us to the next place. Thank you so much. Thank you. And I Just want to thank you Because Hip hop It's really Bungus to the fucking Forefront of everything in life. That's right. This is beyond my expectations. Really. Yeah, it's a thrill and a blessing that You know just seriously to be kicking it like I kept to keep keep it real basic and organic as I'm still my mind is blown That just continues in such an incredible way, especially not just I mean everything has gone on here I see how real this is but once again, like I said, you see how it's touched people around the world, you know It's like nice while yeah, it really is man And that's one of the sad things in a sense because we're in a culture now that Technologically has completely changed and things happen at at hyperspeed literally from the technology that's coming into play Every other weakness in the AI advancement and this is happening and more and more people getting to do these things But at the same time, it's like I think one of the reasons hip hop was able to develop so incredibly is because The aspirations were so real and so humble like I'm just trying to be somebody I'm trying to be nice on my block It wasn't completely motivated by how much money you wanted to have and just an exaggeration of riches Just really trying to be somebody really trying to stand up and say yo, baby Check me out like I'm really here and I'm gonna I'm gonna break it down to in the flies way possible props was the currency Completely and so all of that I think the roots went down really deep and that's I think significant to where it has Blast from so much fruit that's so continuous and this thing when it seems kind of flat It'll switch up on you in real unexpected way. Hmm. That's optimistic man. I hope that to be true Well, it's been consistent for me There's been many times and you know I've been involved for quite a while when it seems like it's kind of flat It's kind of corny. It's kind of whatever and then there's a whole new energy That's why I don't just different styles like a lot of times older heads of this, you know So I say people mumbling or just skinny jeans and you know I get that because people lock into the error when in it when they emerge what they hear But you got to remain open-minded, which is what I forced myself to do Like I'm not going crazy over every little thing that gets made but I'm examining and listening. I want to understand Like, you know, what's motivating some of the things that go on, you know, we've always been curious about that Yeah, my only concern with it is the Is confusing what the over corporatization of it versus what the real art is like, yeah Don't let the the corporate push Convince you that this is what it is when yeah, let your heart tell you that what the art is, you know, I'm saying that's that's I don't know If that makes sense. No, it makes a lot of sense But along that line The way the dissemination of music now is so completely different right with dsp's. I mean Anybody can post something on youtube right now. I mean, it's kind of amazing. You you know, it doesn't make sure Guarantee you, you know what I mean, right, right? So the democratization is there, but it's also like, you know You know, it's it's a it's a it's a whole new landscape of stuff that's um More open like those companies that had control. That's no more I want I want to take a quick advantage a home of ours scam come over here really quick Just really quick. Just show your face So because of the art aspect that you bring to everything you brought to hip hop He's the guy that created our logo. This is scammed. I don't know if you know scam This yeah, but he did the the album cover for uh beach rhyming life for tribe car quest the m&m artwork Amongst a lot more. I always use those two beach rhymes in life. Which one is that? That's the Oh my god, he's an emcee as well Wow tracks with m&m and many other people Man, damn, I don't know. Wow tips are good, buddy of mine, man. I'm being him connect all of us. Amazing. Congratulations. I That's one of your images. I just want to shout out scam because he's he hasn't been here in a long time That's that's yours. What's what's on the show to know? Oh, yeah Okay Yeah, he's and he's from here from Miami home girl Herald city Yeah, yeah, yeah, mario. Yes. Yes, man. That's well. I love the logo man. This is that's really fun He helped us we have an iconic logo and this is definitely Wow, congratulations. Yes Great logo great great great branding. Yeah, man. You know, yes a pleasure, man Yeah, so this has been iconic, man. Oh man. Thank you, man. I was so I've been wanting to do this is so great You guys got such great energy in your house. So one more time. This is your house. Thank you so much. I will be back I appreciate it so much. You you you I used to feel so bad. I know people on your team hit me up a few times And I just had you know, the last few times I was in this neck of the woods Um, in Miami was to go on the reggae crews like the people that promote that put that together Yeah, the marlies And say what I want to smoke weed in the bag. Oh, no, man Listen to be on the hot seas with all that great reggae. It's such a big reggae here You know, I directed all the most mostly all the shabba ranks this video Out of here. Yes, I did shitload of that and I was deep into that scene trailer loaded girls. Mr. Lover man slowing sexy Yes, yes, I did all most of shabba's about at least five videos for shaba at the same time I was shabba just that far. I just want to throw it out there I'm sure he was a really great Shabba ranks over here I was deeply immersed in that dancehall scene because we would cover it on your MTV raps But coming up in brooklyn, I was around like, you know from back when the posseys was popping And I'm hearing, you know, the earliest dancehall people I was tuned in So when I got to work with shaba, I was able to go to Jamaica for the first time and meet some of the illest cats You know and really get immersed in the ghetto culture, you know Willi out god and bogel like I was moving with them cats in jungle and because once again, I'm coming down I'm a super cat. He was coming off the stage performing that sting and he introduced me to Willi out god and bogel that was a roses crew And so we became tight because the next time I would come back to jamaica kinks and go to house saleo I see willie. He said man people calling me from everywhere if I'm London and see me with you. I'm like, whoa So we got tight and I'd hang with those cats quite Quite quite seriously. That was a fun experience, man Wait, the the book comes out. What's the date? Yes, um, March 10th. Everybody's fly in bookstores So do we take a shot for the book just one shot? I would do one shot for the book All right, now we gotta let you choose what we got here. What's that? This is my marijuana Dominican my my what is that? Made in a bathtub you could do a religious ceremony or you could enjoy your drink Maybe go with this you're gonna go fireball. I wouldn't suggest that I just want to taste it. What is that? Okay. All right. All right. So There's a runners drink come on. I'm taking this I just thought the story behind it was so dope. I mean, I want to taste something that runners is All right, but hold on. Hold on. Let me take it. Let me just say this Me and my partner right here. Yes We love hip-hop man. Absolutely. I might love the more Fashionable part of hip-hop and he might love the most prettiest part of hip-hop But me and him have the same exact passion. That's and when we know that we have Fucking freddy. We was so excited. We both like I love the fact that no matter what we are in life We always come together and say this is what We want to do. Wow. And when we have a person like you Mm-hmm. We want to salute you. Mm-hmm. We want to respect you and we want to let the people know How much you should be honored and we are gonna honor you and we are honoring you everybody here We sincerely this is this is real shit, bro. Like I I came home You know to watch yo on tv raps. Wow and That's it. That should change the culture. Yeah, it changed lives, man. And I will never ever in my life not Respect that so you don't have to take a shot if you want to I'm tasting That's what I do. I'm gonna taste some cinnamon whiskey. The brand is fireball. Take the mother fucker The fact that people that I you the guys stop taping Just taste good. It's like I told you like a like a mouthwash How do they call those drinks the core that you mix with other I don't trust me. It tastes good. They could give you the Yo One more time. Go on. Yo, let me tell you something man. Thank you so much. Thank you for what you did because Um, I want you to on a sunday. Mm on a sunday from a sunday I want you to open up It's called black internet Just open it up. Mm-hmm And it's gonna be 15 million podcasts Mm. This you could look at And I want you to say to the Y'all owe me flowers Because the first black media that made it cool National Worldwide. Yes, you said Germany you mentioned Italy. Yeah God bless you. That's what that's That's the reason why I said that story earlier. We're off medallions. We're off medallions. We were so cocky It was so but it was really only just new york You had the chance to do mtv And For our cast you made black people all over the world be seen And um, I will always salute you for that man hip-hop in general hip-hop. That's thank you, man You just you just five five friend Who was the fuck on the planet? You And but I want to tell you face to face man of man, we love you and god bless you. Thank you, man. I love you guys too, man This is definitely one of my like top hip-hop media experiences. I want to say yeah, because you guys are so passionate I watch salute on 10 years in the game Like you can feel it it's and even everybody in the room that's down I've heard people clapping I get to see everybody up in the building. This is really special. You guys are doing it So salute for doing something so real And uh, definitely carrying on like literally the baton in terms of realness. Thank you. This is it I mean you just you you don't fake this shit. That's why a lot of people gonna try this Yes, yes, yes Oh, you on like white people's shows And I said just take a squire Because it's like I cool. I seen what what like and be like, let me do this. That's my man I mean my man, um, like certainly like when I was watching your interviews Then I watched Vlad and I watched and I was you know, I'm trying to do me Know I'm trying to be a fishery, you know I'm saying but when I see you and I'm like, yo, you know how to do that Right thing about this is your gift My brother if just in case you don't know You know how to move in difference 100 audiences 100% know how to move a different album. That's a real gift, bro Yeah, like don't Don't downplay that like no don't ever like acknowledge that like I was watching you Yeah, because I wanted to do my job, but I'm like I'm looking and I'm like that's not something like you had to teach that to yourself. Right that come from Yeah, my bad that's a false sense of of of learning right so it's like I adapt to every room that I'm in right No matter what woman that I'm in Prison allowed us the time to like read things study things and stuff like that So it's like if I'm in a peaceful room, I'm peaceful Right If I'm in the room on some bullshit, then I'm with that too Good, right If I'm on a room that's that's if I'm in a room that's about progression Right, then that's what we're talking about. That's what we're on Adaptation Adaptation right being able to adapt. That's the way you stay here. Yep We ain't always gonna be hot nigga. Mm-hmm. They's gonna be like, oh you washed up you old nigga You ain't who you used to be. Mm-hmm, but that that don't define you. You still gotta You still got to be able to turn those corners So being able to adapt to the times to be able to adapt to climate to be able to adapt to the rooms that we in Right. No nigga. That's me But I mean that that's not normal Like you you you were genius man like trust me like I I was I was taking a jog this morning With my boy, Henry And I was watching all your interviews watching it all and I was like, yo, this dude is mad smart like And it made me mad that six years ago. People. Well, that's all they were saying. Oh you a street dude You're a dog dude, and I'm looking at your progress. Yeah to where you at. I'm like, yo man You you you're a smart dude, bro. Me being a street nigga is it is one part. Yeah, there's a footnote in my life, bro That's a little that's a small part of my life. You know what I'm saying? That ain't That ain't gonna be ever be something that I deny that ain't ever gonna be something I'm ashamed of that Where I come from what I come from what I've been through the issues that I had Yeah But that also helped define you Yes, right because what you've been through helped shopping you in a certain way to make you who you are, right? Whatever it's meant to be will be So it's like Yeah, I've been through prisons. I've been through wars. I've been through I've been through extreme violent situations, right Ll told me this ll told me say, yo, don't let your past failure is handcuffed And I said what you mean? He said Then you might drop a white album It won't sell but The fuck that keep going nigga act like act like you did nigga act like you just went platinum Don't let your past failures and that and that that That's attributed to every angle of life if you didn't been in prison You've been in the street like just because you started one way don't the doesn't determine how you finish So what we've been involved in this that don't mean that We can't put our suits on and Sitting these rooms and talk to these people about life and And build on some progress. Hmm. They don't mean that They don't mean that at all my nigga. You know Man, I can't thank you enough man. I thank you man. I wanted to give you a flowers man Thank you. Thank you for giving me my mother fucking flowers. I never had too many flowers. Yeah, come on. Let's go I I'm I'm a frog. I want to put you on something because I'm here. I'm down here for the weekend because A friend of mine just opened up a restaurant in Miami And it is Probably going to be the the top restaurant in the city. Let's talk about it. It's called Nuvo Shout out to my people Ebony Akira. Shout out to Rob Shout out to yandy because she's involved with that. It was the end. Yes big grand opening last night And this is why I'm down here. We out here celebrating that you see what I'm saying. Where is it at? It's in one wood. Okay. Oh, so it's right here. It's right here in the area right here. It's Nuvo I'm telling you the food is good. You like y'all come on. I've been in dinner right now. I eat all I do Yeah, we can do that. Yeah, absolutely. Let's go. Yeah, we can do that. All right. Hey, we can do that Hey, you know, we can do that. Let's go. Yeah, absolutely I'm a high rank bong. Yes. Take the picture. Let's go Drink Champs is a drink champs LLC production hosts and executive producers Nore and DJ EFN Listen to Drink Champs on Apple podcast amazon music spotify or wherever you get your podcasts Thanks for joining us for another episode of Drink Champs hosted by yours truly DJ EFN and Nore Please make sure to follow us on all our socials. That's at Drink Champs across all platforms At the real noriega on IG at noriega on twitter Mine is at who's crazy on IG At DJ EFN on twitter and most importantly stay up to date with the latest releases news and merch by going to drinkchamps.com This is Angela Yee from Angela Yee's lip service One in four people in the u.s. Has been to a Planned Parenthood health center for life saving life changing care We're talking about birth control annual exams cancer screenings STI testing and treatment and more high quality expert judgment free care And despite lawmakers efforts to shut them down. They're not going anywhere Care continues at Planned Parenthood so that you can get the unbiased high quality health care that you need to learn more Visit om4pp.org Yes Yes me again We prepped Oh It's the time for empowerment and I've got a message for you You gotta think about sexual health no matter what We're with who? Yeah To all you lovers out there Ain't no judgment This is a cue Yeah, it's time to talk about Pre-exposure prophylaxis A part of HIV prevention Oh Talk to a healthcare provider and visit care for the culture.com to learn more No one knows what the future holds but you deserve a weather app that can help Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need from storm warnings to pollen levels right at your fingertips Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10 day forecasts wherever you are It's hyper local real-time customizable alerts. 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